Anyway, this is my first anime crossover, so I hope it came out okay.
[smallcaps]The Blue[/smallcaps]
Taggart burst into the room, throwing the heavy door open without remembering to knock. Twisted, deformed birds and other animals shrieked in their cages, and Tanaxis flinched at the noise. Whatever spell the elderly mage had been casting misfired, and the wolverine he was working on abruptly grew a second, external spinal column. Tanaxis spun about, fury in his eyes, but stopped short of punishing Taggart when he saw the condition the mercenary was in. A makeshift tourniquet bound the stump of his sword arm, and deep gashes marred his sides.
“By the rattling teeth of Wee Jas, I sent you to fetch more animals for my studies. What in the Nine Hells did you incompetent thugs try to catch?” Dizzy from blood loss, Taggart leaned against the doorframe.
“We were attacked by something; I’ve never seen anything like them before.” Tanaxis cocked an eyebrow.
“Well, what were they?” Taggart shook his head in confusion.
“They looked like…I don’t know…insects perhaps, but of a blasphemous size. Just one of the things took an ungodly amount of punishment before we brought it down, and there were so many. We lost almost everyone; the survivors are in the lower floors of the tower. Some of them are in worse shape than me. We have to leave at once.” Tanaxis snorted derisively.
“The golems outside can handle anything this forest can throw at me.”
“I hope so,” Taggart gritted his teeth when one of his gashes reopened, “because they’re not far behind us.” Tanaxis turned and walked to the window on the far side of his laboratory. The room, situated at the top of his tower, allowed the wizard a fine view of the forest surrounding him, and he reached the window just as the first wave of creatures burst from the tree line.
Under normal circumstances, nature maintains a certain balance. Predators control their prey, and are in turn controlled by other predators or diseases. Sometimes, however, that balance is disrupted. Perhaps a certain species overpopulates, threatening to consume all natural resources. Other times, intelligent beings carelessly warp living things for their own purposes, thoughtless of what their creations do to the natural order. In any case where humans and their kin push environmental conditions past a certain point, some unseen mechanism is triggered. Dormant cells activate in otherwise normal animals. Over time, these creatures undergo an accelerated form of evolution, giving rise to the merciless predators known as the Blue.
The Blue are insect-like beings whose sole purpose is to cull humanoid populations. While they are capable of feeding on almost anything, including inorganic materials like stone, they seem to enjoy killing humanoids. While different environmental disruptions can cause the Blue to appear, they do not see shades of gray, and proceed to kill indiscriminately once awakened. A Blue attack usually starts with isolated sightings in wilderness areas as the creatures build their numbers. Small towns and villages are the first to be destroyed, their buildings and citizens feeding the predators. Finally, when the time is right, the Blue descend on major cities in armies numbering in the tens of thousands. Any city that falls is rapidly transformed, its buildings covered in massive, mushroom-shaped nests where the Blue feed and multiply, gathering their forces for the next assault.
Blue communicate with each other through a form of telepathy, a sort of hive mind. While not advanced enough to grant the advantages possessed by creatures like formians, the communal consciousness nonetheless allows the Blue to coordinate their attacks with an intelligence that belies their savage appearance. The hive mind itself emanates from a central node, found in the first Blue nest to appear under the given environmental pressure. It is heavily guarded, but should a humanoid gain access to the node, it is possible to communicate with it, and the communal consciousness may (rarely) be reasoned with, unlike individual Blue.
Chopper
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 8d10+24 (68 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (-1 size, +11 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+20
Attack: Blades +15 melee (1d8+12)
Full Attack: Blades +15 melee (1d8+12)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, trample 1d6+12
Special Qualities: Core, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +16, Listen +5, Spot +6
Feats: Blind-Fight, Diehard, Endurance
Environment: Temperate and warm land
Organization: Solitary, hunting party (3-5), troupe (8-12), or battalion (20-60)
Challenge Rating: ?
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 9-11 HD (Large); 12-14 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
The creature before you vaguely resembles a wingless stag beetle. Jointed legs support a powerful body covered in brown chitin. Two forward-pointing, serrated mandibles or blades are mounted on the creature’s head, and it watches you with eight small, red eyes at the base of the blades. Just above the eyes, a small, fleshy tube pulses as if breathing, and below them, armor plating peels open to reveal horizontal jaws lined with sharp teeth.
Choppers are the foot soldiers of the Blue, and make up the bulk of any attack force. While not as intelligent as other castes, choppers make up for that with sheer numbers and brute force. The blades of a chopper are versatile weapons, able to swivel in their sockets and aim their serrated edges in any direction the beast desires. They can be used to slash or stab (as a gore attack), and can be snapped together like the jaws of a normal insect (a bite attack).
A typical chopper is perhaps 12 feet long (excluding the blades, which may extend another 6 feet) and weighs about 2,000 pounds.
Combat
Choppers are unsubtle combatants. They close for melee as quickly as possible, stabbing and slashing at their foes, and trampling anything that gets between them and their targets. Choppers do not retreat when reduced to 0 hit points or below, but continue to fight until dead.
Core (Ex): The small tube above a chopper’s eyes, known as the core, functions as a respiratory organ, but is also connected to a large nerve cluster. Damaging or destroying the core sends a lethal cascade through the creature’s nervous system. An opponent may choose to attack the core specifically, although this imposes a -4 penalty on the attack roll. Destroying the core instantly sends a chopper to -10 hit points; no saving throw applies (a chopper's core has 3 hp). A hit to the core that does not destroy it merely stuns the chopper for 1 round. An attacker making a coup de grace can choose to strike the core, in which case the chopper automatically dies, provided the coup de grace destroys the core. A DC 26 Knowledge (nature) check identifies the core as a weak point.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a chopper must hit with a “bite” blade attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Trample (Ex): Reflex half DC 22. The save DC is Strength-based.
Skills: A chopper has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
Youtube as far as I know, doesn't carry the actual episodes, but you can find those here. Go to the "see all videos in this channel" option, and you can actually see it from the start. I really hope I don't cause the copyright hammer to fall on this individual for showing the episodes.
I'm going to amend the stats slightly sometime today, as it just occurred to me that one could coup de grace an immobilized Blue (like in episode 7).
Sorry again for how this came out; I should probably go back and tone this thing way down.
Edit: knocked it back by 1 hit die, and removed the Toughness feat and Constrict special attack.
Edit (again): Added the bit about coup de gracing the core, decreased the knowledge (nature) check by 1 to fit the decreased HD, and reworded the core description to (hopefully) make it easier to read.
Tank Beetle
Huge Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 12d10+48 (114 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), burrow 20 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (-2 size, +11 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+30
Attack: Gore +20 melee (2d6+10)
Full Attack: Gore +20 melee (2d6+10) and bite +15 melee (1d8+5)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Caustic web, trample 1d8+15
Special Qualities: Core, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +7, Will +4
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 9, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 6
Skills: Jump +16, Listen +4, Spot +5
Feats: Awesome Blow, Diehard, Endurance, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate and warm land
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: ?
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 13-14 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
This creature resembles a massive scarab beetle. Thick, powerful legs support its bulk, and armor plating covers its body. Below its three small eyes, horizontal jaws open and close, but the creature’s most prominent weapons are the two large horns that curve forward and up from its thorax. Two smaller horns grace the top of its head, and between them a fleshy tube pulses as the monster breathes.
Tank beetles act as heavy infantry for the Blue, spearheading charges by groups of choppers. They also provide more utilitarian functions such as digging tunnels for a Blue nest. They can also be used to enter fortified buildings, either by tunneling in from below or by ramming through doors or walls.
Four of a tank beetle’s legs are used for walking, but the first two have been modified into heavy claws, similar to those of a mole cricket. When unfolded, the claws are used for digging, but the beetle can also fold them back and drive them into the ground for extra traction when it charges an opponent.
A typical tank beetle is between 20 and 25 feet long, and weighs about 4,000 pounds. Its armor is generally black on the thorax and head, and gray on the abdomen.
Combat
Tank beetles charge Large or bigger targets and gore with their horns. Smaller creatures are usually trampled underfoot. Against large numbers of enemies, they make liberal use of their Awesome Blow feat in order to scatter foes and break up formations.
Core (Ex): The small tube above a tank beetle’s eyes, known as the core, functions as a respiratory organ, but is also connected to a large nerve cluster. Damaging or destroying the core sends a lethal cascade through the creature’s nervous system. An opponent may choose to attack the core specifically, although this imposes a -4 penalty on the attack roll. Destroying the core instantly sends a tank beetle to -10 hit points; no saving throw applies (a tank beetle’s core has 5 hp). A hit to the core that does not destroy it merely stuns the tank beetle for 1 round. An attacker making a coup de grace can choose to strike the core, in which case the tank beetle automatically dies, provided the coup de grace destroys the core. A DC 26 Knowledge (nature) check identifies the core as a weak point.
Caustic Web (Ex): Six times per day, a tank beetle can spit a mixture of tensile webbing and gastric juices. This is normally used to cocoon and predigest prey after it has been killed, but tank beetles will also spit their caustic web at particularly tough opponents. This is similar to an attack with a net, but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets of up to Large size. Creatures struck by the attack are considered entangled and take 1d6 points of acid damage per round. The Dexterity penalty (-4 to begin with) increases by 4 points every minute as the tensile webbing hardens into a tough shell. A creature that accumulates a penalty equal to or in excess of its Dexterity score is rendered immobile; further Dexterity penalties do not accrue and the acid damage ceases when the webbing hardens, but without external help, the victim can only escape the cocoon with a DC 25 Strength check. Until the webbing hardens, an entangled creature can free itself with a DC 20 Escape artist check or burst it with the Strength check. The web can be peeled off of a creature with 1d4 rounds of work, although one covered in the stuff cannot effectively remove it from his own body.
Trample (Ex): Reflex half DC 26. The save DC is Strength-based.
Broodling Swarm
Tiny Magical Beast (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 5d10 (27 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (+2 size, +3 Dex), touch 13, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/—
Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, wounding
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Half damage from slashing or piercing, low-light vision, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 4, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +11, Listen +6, Spot +6
Feats: Alertness, Iron Will
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary, clutch (2-4 swarms), or nest (7-12 swarms)
Challenge Rating: ?
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —
A scuttling horde of beetle-like creatures surges forward. Small, stubby horns or mandibles are mounted on their heads, and below those, needle-like teeth flash in their horizontal jaws.
Infant Blue lack the killing power of their elders, and find safety in numbers. Broodlings crawl through the tunnels underneath a Blue nest, but will also periodically find their way up into buildings that have been converted into parts of the hive. While they are generally fed by adults, who bring food back from their hunts, the broodlings do not hesitate to attack when live prey stumbles into their domain.
The stats here describe a swarm of chopper broodlings. While broodlings of other castes surely exist, they have yet to be encountered.
A typical chopper broodling is about 2 feet long and weighs 4 pounds.
Combat
The blades of chopper broodlings have yet to fully develop, and are useless as weapons. Instead, the infants crawl onto their victims and bite viciously. The swarm deals 1d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its turn.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a broodling swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Wounding (Ex): Any living creature damaged by a broodling swarm continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds do not result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 Heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.
Skills: A broodling swarm has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks, and uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb checks. A broodling swarm can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
It was, in his opinion, like the series: it took the Bughunters a full two clips of minigrenades to kill the Blue, and that was by corraling into a nice small corridor where they couldn't dodge. And even then, they were going buck-wild with autofire (did I forgot to mention they never tried to go for the core? (handtoface)).
I believe you are doing a great job, and am looking forward for more stats (me, I'm gonna try to stat the 'boxing' exosuit from the series. The one with two occupants).
(He's a 12th-level fighter with a Vicious Wounding Machine Gun. How's he gonna do, ya think? Got his butt beat by a Bebilith, so I dunno about his build.)
NEW MECHA GEAR:
“BOXING GLOVES”
A pair of thick metal domes that reside in the Mecha’s arms and which close over the Mecha’s hands when in combat, the ‘Boxing Gloves’ deal heavy melee damage to the target. When closed, however, the Mecha cannot do any actions that involve fine manipulation-the Gloves are to bash things flat, not to do Cat’s Cradle.
The Boxing Gloves are used mostly by gladiatorial units, although a number of units have seen fit to add the Gloves to their mecha (for example, to beat Bugs senseless).
The ‘Boxing Gloves’ make the Mecha’s slam attack one size larger for damage purposes (Large Mecha deal Huge Mecha damage, Huge deal Gargantuan and so on. Colossal Mecha, who are already ‘top of the class’, gain no additional damage). Any actions that require fine manipulation (such as manipulating levers without breaking them) gain a -4 penalty (if they can be done at all).
When the ‘Boxing Gloves’ are deactivated, they are considered to be Stowed Off (see ‘Stowing Hand Slot Equipment’, D20 Future Pg.170).
Equipment Slots: 1, must be hand (or arm if Large).
Activation: Attack Action.
Range: Touch.
Target: Single target within reach.
Duration: Instantaneous.
Saving Throw: None.
Purchase DC: 10 + one-quarter of the Mecha’s Purchase DC.
Restriction: None.
GRAPPLING HOOK:
A standard rocket-propelled grappling hook system, which is programmed to fire from the launcher and wrap around the target (most normally a ledge that the computer has deemed ‘safe’, although a good deal of pilots has used them to lasso enemies).
The pilot must make a ranged touch attack against the target. If successful, the Grappling Hook will wrap around the target, leaving the pilot to realize a contested Strength roll to hoist the target or make him trip. The hook tether, with Hardness 10 and 20 Hit Points, can be broken by the target. The pilot can release the line to avoid being tripped back by the target if he is successful to resist.
Equipment Slots: 1, Must be Hands, Arms, Shoulders or Torso.
Activation: Attack Action.
Range: 60 Feet (Ranged Touch Attack).
Target: Single Target within 300 Feet.
Duration: Instantaneous.
Saving Throw: None.
Purchase DC: 6 + One-quarter the Mecha’s base Purchase DC.
Restriction: None.
So... any new Blues we can throw at our players, man?
Happy new year, everybody!
Sorry for not posting in so long :embarrass; I'll be updating here soon.
I am truly sorry for this. Hopefully I'll get at least a little more work done before D&D 4e comes out and possibly ruins my work. Again, I'm sorry for this.
