Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Rez 01-16-06, 10:08 AM	I wanted to 'create' a Anaconda snake but not sure what/how to do it well. I want it to be like the 'Anaconda' from the movie (Yes. Very big. Large. Perhaps one step higher....). What would be a good 'Snake' type to base it off of? I'd want it slow on land, quick in the water. Capable of living in swampy areas/small rivers/streams. Perhaps poisonous...
DmMagnus 01-16-06, 10:13 AM	I don`t have the MM with me, but I would have done something like this.. - Advance HD. - Take away poison. - Give the Anaconda swallow hole. I can`t come up with more right now..
Azezel 01-16-06, 10:23 AM	Take the stats for the Dire Snake (MMII), add the amphibious template (Stormwrack) and remove the poison abiltiy and water breathing ability. Job done.
Rez 01-16-06, 10:30 AM	1. Never heard of Stormwrack :( 2. I'll check out the Dire Snake tonight when I get home. I want the creature to be tought but not unbeatable.... 3. Definatly need it to be amphibious. Doesn't need poison. I do like the swallow whole idea *mwahahaha* 4. I'll probably advance the HD to a degree, make it tougher. I also want it to have a feat to make it better in the water swimming-wise. And be able to constrict. I'll probably add Stealthy to it. I thought Track but didn't that would work well. Alertness would be good.
Azezel 01-16-06, 10:53 AM	Stormwrack is the WoTC splatbook which deals with all things wet and smelling of fish. The bones of the amphibious template (as I recal, books not here) is that the creature gains a swim speed, water breathing and a +8 to swim checks, and can always take 10 on swim checks, even when threatened. As I recal the Dire snake is a huge creature, so swallow whole might work - but snakes need a long time to swallow things - probably at least 15 minutes for a man - during which time it is vulnerable (Flat footed or the snake equivalent of flat footed...).
Rez 01-16-06, 11:05 AM	Hmm. I'm thinking it would have to be bigger then Large to Swallow Whole. Would it takr 15 minutes for a Small humanoid? I'll have to get more info on the Amphibious template. The +8 on Swim checks, being able to take 10, and waterbreathing is a good thing (fits the creature). I also want it to be able to constrict as well. Definatly want to give it Stealthy and probably Alertness. Possibly Improved Initiative, and Lightning Reflexes. I'd think Track but being a Anaconda...be a natural tracker perhaps.... Maybe have Low-Light vision or darkvision? Also while its 'eating' can it still fight even if considered flat footed? (Of course if I had it swallow someone....I'd have it flee). And I'd need to give the 'victem' a way to get out...
MarkB 01-16-06, 11:08 AM	So, is there anything wrong with the giant Constrictor Snake (http://d20srd.org/srd/monsters/snake.htm#constrictorSnake) from the Monster Manual? Huge size, yes. Swim speed, yes. If you want to improve it, you could add some hit dice, maybe drop its land speed to 15 and increase its swim speed to 30. If you want poison, just import it from the huge viper.
Morka 01-16-06, 11:09 AM	Check the Giant Constrictor Snake in the Monster Manual. It is CR5, Huge size, has Improved Grab & Constrict (you can add Swallow Hole for an higher CR), has a climb and swim speed. It can even be advanced to Gargatuan. EDIT: Argh! MarkB beat me to it!
Rez 01-16-06, 11:19 AM	The Giant Constrictor snake should work well. 1. I'd lower the land speed and raise the swim speed. 2. Probably add some more HD (CR goes up by one per HD...?) 3. Add Swallow Whole (Not sure how much this raises the CR) 4. Probably add Stealthy-make it a more deadly predator. Now if it has Swallow Whole (already has Improved Grab/Constrict) it can use the improved grab if it hits with a bite attack to swallow whole /or/ grapple and constrict right?
revnk 01-16-06, 12:03 PM	Stormwrack is the WoTC splatbook which deals with all things wet and smelling of fish. That description also covers my beloved Lords Of Madness. You should probably add "and boats" to narrow it down. :D
MarkB 01-16-06, 12:32 PM	The Giant Constrictor snake should work well. 1. I'd lower the land speed and raise the swim speed. 2. Probably add some more HD (CR goes up by one per HD...?) 3. Add Swallow Whole (Not sure how much this raises the CR) 4. Probably add Stealthy-make it a more deadly predator. Check out the table on page 294 of the Monster Manual. By that table, adding HD to a creature of the Animal type gives it +1 CR per 3 extra HD, adding a special attack or ability which significantly increases combat effectiveness adds +2 to CR, and adding a special attack or ability which provides a minor increase in combat effectiveness adds +1. It's up to you whether you think Swallow Whole is worth +1 or +2. Adding the Stealthy feat won't make a difference, as you can do it as one of its normal feats for HD progression - it's due one with the next HD it receives. Now if it has Swallow Whole (already has Improved Grab/Constrict) it can use the improved grab if it hits with a bite attack to swallow whole /or/ grapple and constrict right? That seems to be correct, yes. You'll need to assign a number of HP a character needs to inflict in order to cut its way out when swallowed. I suggest you look at creatures of similar CR to whatever you end up with for comparison. The dire shark and tyrannosaurus should be good examples.
Rez 01-16-06, 12:39 PM	Thanks. :) It'll be interesting to see the group go up against it (probably like 3 or 4 level 4 PCs) though I don't want the fight to be extremely hard. Should be interesting and scare the heck out of them :P I'll probably make the damage if swallowed (and if you have a piercing/slashing weapon that's small) be like 10-20. It'll probably have like a 100 HP total I'd say between adding Swallow Whole and perhaps a HD boost (may just boost its CON or leave it as it is). Average HP for the group will be like 30-40 probably... I'll write up the creature tonight and post it here :) Shouldn't be too hard to adjust.
Rez 01-17-06, 05:49 PM	Alright I have created the Anaconda. Let me know what you think the CR should be (I made a guess basically and threw the creature together quickly). Also I used the Constrictor Snake from the MM 3.5 as a base. Also-Snakes only get 1 attack correct if just a bite and have a natural reach of 10 feet..? Hopefully all the saves are correct (I threw it together hehe) Any comments lemme know. Also-would it get bonuses to hide/move silently if in the water (in this case a swamp?) Whats the range of Scent? I think 30 ft and can it pick up on /anything/? Anaconda Huge Animal Hit Dice: 12d8+24 (75 HP) Initiative: +4 Speed: 10 Feet (Land), Climb 20 Feet, Swim 30 Feet Armor Class: 16 (-2 size, + 4 Dex, +4 natural) touch 12, flat-footed 12 Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+24 Attack: Bite +14 melee (1d8+10) Full Attack: Bite +14 melee (1d8+10) Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+10, Improved Grab Special Qualities: Scent, Waterbreathing Saves: Fort +9, Reflex +11, Will +4 Abilities: Str: 25, Dex: 18, Con: 14, Int: 2, Wis: 12, Cha: 2 Skills: Balance +12, Climb +17, Hide +10, Listen +9, Move Silently +8, Spot +9, Swim +16 Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Skill Focus (Hide), Stealthy, Toughness Enviroment: Warm Swamps/Jungles Organization: Solitary (Normally) Challenge Rating: 7 Advancement: 12-16 HD (Huge), 17-33 HD (Gargantuan) Level Adjustment: ---
MarkB 01-17-06, 05:58 PM	Looks good to me. Since you've only added the one extra hit die and haven't added Swallow Whole, I'd say the CR is probably at the low end of 7, maybe even 6 - though placing it near deep water would probably bring that back up to a full 7, as its water breathing and high Grapple modifier give it the option of dragging its prey underwater. You can find the full description of the Scent ability here (http://d20srd.org/srd/naturalSpecialAbilities.htm#scent).
Rez 01-17-06, 06:08 PM	It will probably be encountered in a swamp, perhaps at night making seeing it possibly hard. Also-not sure bout its reach. I assume by the 'reach' part it is about 15 feet tip to tip, and can attack something 10 feet away..or 15 ft? The 'swamp' in some spots may be deep but the main attack it will probably do is bite its prey, grab it and try to smother it in the swampy water. As for giving it swallow whole-I thought it would be overkill (though I may add it...) as it will be going up against probably a druid, bard, cleric, paladin, and a rogue/ranger levels at 4 (varying by race) :) (and ones a halfling...dinner..) I'm evil. Also if it is grappling (bites its foe and then wraps part of his body around it) and takes a -20 penalty to the grapple check next round, can it bite someone else...? Scent=30 ft normally. 60 ft upwind. Cool.
Kresalak 01-17-06, 06:16 PM	Space is how much space the creature requires to fight in. In your anaconda's case, that is 15 ft. The MM or DMG (I forget which) has some diagrams of this. Reach is how far away it can attack. Your anaconda threatens everything within 10 ft. of it. Also, if you decide to use Swallow Whole, maybe add in a Frightful Presence that triggers when it uses that ability?
Rez 01-17-06, 06:29 PM	Damn. That could be good :) A huge snake...Frightful Presence and Swallow Whole would fit the creature but don't want it too powerful yet...its very tempting and fits the creature very well. Would the HD need to go up or just the CR...? I'll probably get the party leveled to at least 5 before the encounter (this thing could kill one of them in probably 2-3 bites...) And whats the biggest thing it could swallow? Small? So it takes up 10ft x 15ft, threatens anything within 10 feet of it (must be 15 feet tall...) Essentially-it does have 'Reach' (can strike something 10 feet away from it...?)
Azezel 01-17-06, 07:30 PM	When I suggested the dire snake I assumed you had already looked at and passed over the giant constricter. nm. The only things which bother me about this anaconda are it's climb speed (you show me one animal that can climb twice as fast as it can move along a horizontal surface) and the water breathing. I suggest giving it the 'Hold Breath' special ability. Hold Breath (Ex): The Anaconda can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to ten times its Constitution score. For a typical Anaconda this is 140 rounds, or fourteen minutes. I don't know how long a real anaconda can remain submerged, but being a cold blooded reptile, it will have a correspondingly slow metabolism, so you might concider multiplying the normal Hold Breath ability by 1.5. - giving it a total submerged time of 21 minutes, if my mental arithmatic serves. This is certainly long enough to drwon most anything the snake drags under - and giving it waterbreathing would likely have to be done at the expence of making the snake a Magical Beast, rather than an animal.
Bob Loblaw 01-17-06, 11:23 PM	Just an aside, the Swallow Whole ability assumes that the creature swallowed is still alive. Snakes do not have this ability. They only swallow dead creatures. I would remove waterbreathing as well since all snakes breathe air. Instead I would use Azezel's suggestion of Hold Breath. Don't worry about multiplying the time by 1.5, the average anaconda can hold its breath for about 10 minutes. I would also skip the Frightful Presence ability. The big reason is that is sounds like you want to make this a real animal instead of a magical beast. I would give them tremorsense and possibly blindsense. All snakes can sense ground vibrations and can literally taste the air. Most snakes can smell an animal that was in the area two day ago. When grappling someone, remember that they often will continue squeezing their victim even when under attack. Snakes do not have the mental capacity to even hold one victim while attacking another. Just some suggestions.
MarkB 01-18-06, 05:22 AM	It will probably be encountered in a swamp, perhaps at night making seeing it possibly hard. Also-not sure bout its reach. I assume by the 'reach' part it is about 15 feet tip to tip, and can attack something 10 feet away..or 15 ft? That's not quite it. v3.5 of D&D does away with facing for creatures, so a Huge creature is always assumed to be occupying a 15X15ft square. You can imagine the snake as constantly writhing and turning within this area, its head reared up on the first dozen feet of its body so that it can easily strike opponents up to 10 feet from its space. Its total length if it stretched out is probably closer to 30-40 feet, perhaps more, but you shouldn't need to have it stretched out during combat.
Rez 01-18-06, 08:09 AM	1. I'll remove the Waterbreathing and give it Hold Breath (makes more sense) 2. I won't give it Swallow Whole. 3. Should it have a higher Climb Speed...? I gave it a better Swim Speed and less Land Speed as it lives in a swamp.... 4. Thanks for the info bout its reach (That alone is bad for the party lol...) Good thing they have ranged fighters (and will have a cleric....) 5. I'll add the Tremorsense and read up on Blindsense to see if I want it to have it. 6. Ok. While its constricting and if its attacked, I'll most likely have it let go and attack whatever attacked it (depending on range) :P Thanks!
MarkB 01-18-06, 09:38 AM	3. Should it have a higher Climb Speed...? I gave it a better Swim Speed and less Land Speed as it lives in a swamp.... I think what's bothering people is that it can climb faster than it can slither, which is a bit odd. You should probably equalise the normal and Climb speeds, maybe make them both 15 ft. 6. Ok. While its constricting and if its attacked, I'll most likely have it let go and attack whatever attacked it (depending on range) :P One common tactic for creatures with high Grapple checks is to use the special option in Improved Grab to hold the target creature with just one limb (in its jaws, in the snake's case) by taking a -20 on the Grapple check, so that it does not take the penalties of being grappled. So if the anaconda grapples something it thinks won't have much chance of fighting back (i.e. a Small creature such as a gnome or halfling), it may well take a -20 to its check (leaving it +4) in order to be able to move normally whilst grappling. That way, it could move off at full speed and drag its still-struggling prey away, probably to a watery doom.
Rez 01-18-06, 09:51 AM	Thanks. The fight with this should be interesting. What's Blindsense do? (Sorry...don't have the books on me..) I also added Tremorsense (I believe its a 30 ft radius) and gonna work out what 'treasure' it may have in its 'lair' (could virtually be anything....) I may have it be 'protecting' a Lizardfolk temple focused on worshipping Tiamet in my online game I run :) May even have 'young ones' in its lair. Any other ideas what sort of creatures live in a swamp? Anaconda Huge Animal Hit Dice: 12d8+24 (75 HP) Initiative: +4 Speed: 15 Feet (Land), Climb 15 Feet, Swim 30 Feet Armor Class: 16 (-2 size, + 4 Dex, +4 natural) touch 12, flat-footed 12 Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+24 Attack: Bite +14 melee (1d8+10) Full Attack: Bite +14 melee (1d8+10) Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+10, Improved Grab Special Qualities: Scent, Hold Breath, Tremorsense (30 ft.) Saves: Fort +9, Reflex +11, Will +4 Abilities: Str: 25, Dex: 18, Con: 14, Int: 2, Wis: 12, Cha: 2 Skills: Balance +12, Climb +17, Hide +10, Listen +9, Move Silently +8, Spot +9, Swim +16 Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Skill Focus (Hide), Stealthy, Toughness Enviroment: Warm Swamps/Jungles Organization: Solitary (Normally) Challenge Rating: 7 Advancement: 12-16 HD (Huge), 17-33 HD (Gargantuan) Level Adjustment: --- Treasure: To Be Determined. Note: When done, the Anaconda can take a -20 on its grapple check to move (usually while carrying its prey).
MarkB 01-18-06, 10:09 AM	Thanks. The fight with this should be interesting. What's Blindsense do? (Sorry...don't have the books on me..) When you need rules information online, the hypertext d20 System Reference Document at d20srd.org (http://d20srd.org/index.htm) is an excellent resource. For Blindsense, click on 'Natural & Special Abilities' in the lefthand column. Any other ideas what sort of creatures live in a swamp? Crocodiles / alligators come to mind (use the crocodile stats for either).
Rez 01-18-06, 10:31 AM	Here we go :) Let's see what people think. Anaconda Huge Animal Hit Dice: 12d8+24 (75 HP) Initiative: +4 Speed: 15 Feet (Land), Climb 15 Feet, Swim 30 Feet Armor Class: 16 (-2 size, + 4 Dex, +4 natural) touch 12, flat-footed 12 Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+24 Attack: Bite +14 melee (1d8+10) Full Attack: Bite +14 melee (1d8+10) Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+10, Improved Grab Special Qualities: Scent, Hold Breath, Tremorsense (60 ft.), Blindsight (60 ft.) Saves: Fort +9, Reflex +11, Will +4 Abilities: Str: 25, Dex: 18, Con: 14, Int: 2, Wis: 12, Cha: 2 Skills: Balance +12, Climb +17, Hide +10, Listen +9, Move Silently +8, Spot +9, Swim +16 Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Skill Focus (Hide), Stealthy, Toughness Enviroment: Warm Swamps/Jungles Organization: Solitary (Normally) Challenge Rating: 7 Advancement: 12-16 HD (Huge), 17-33 HD (Gargantuan) Level Adjustment: --- Treasure: To Be Determined. Note: When done, the Anaconda can take a -20 on its grapple check to move (usually while carrying its prey). Possible Swamp Encounters: 1. Crocodiles/Alligators 2. Lizardfolk 3. Anacondas 4. 5. 6.
Chobemaster 01-18-06, 10:44 AM	Just an aside, the Swallow Whole ability assumes that the creature swallowed is still alive. Snakes do not have this ability. They only swallow dead creatures. I'm not certain that's correct, but in the movie (the source of the idea) they aren't crushing everything to death first, the Swallow Whole is central to the stated goal of the creation.