Feral Vampires

Pretty sweet cover, huh. Get in close. See those nasty vampires jumping around? I love the look of those bloodsuckers. But 4e doesn't do vampire spawn (what those are) very well. So to the drawing board, I went.

My main goal was to create vampires for that specific encounter. The picture inspired me to focus on that nasty leaping one. I wanted a power that could do that. I've got til Thursday to fix the rough draft below up.  It is a bit simple right now, but sometimes, heck often times, that is a good thing.

As for the rules tweak series -- starts again tomorrow. I just finished a big freelance project and I can contribute a bit of time to that series again. 

Here is the vamp . . .

Vreeg, Derro Necromancer

Well, as I am still under a pile of projects, I thought today would again be best served by a quick, small blog post. Behold Vreeg the big bad holding my characters back from 4th level in my Curse of the Crimson Throne conversion.

He has a robe of bones in the book, so to simulate that he will be fighting with some undead at his side. The blood frenzy will be used early, and he will then hang back and assault the PCs.

Head of Cabbage

Taking a break from my rules tweak segment because I've a lot of projects to work on today. However, I wanted to drop something in here.

This is my 4e version of Cabbagehead, an ogrekin baddie from Paizo's Curse of the Crimson Throne AP. My player's have two encounters to get through before leveling to 4th . . . one of them is a combat centered around this guy, 2 dogs, and a lot of pits (Encounter level 3). The next is Derro Necromancer, his derro sycophants, and some undead  . . . but chances are they may be waiting for the party (stealth is not thier thing).

Anyways, here is cabbagehead

Oh, the Agony! (Dark Sun Style)

I’m stung by the swirling sands of Dark Sun once more. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Athas has been my favorite stomping ground for D&D since I first started rolling die. Now as WotC gears up for the big 4e version of Dark Sun, I hear the siren’s call once more beckoning me back to the rugged world . . . or perhaps it is just a belgoi tinkling its damn bell . . .

Regardless, inspired by this RPG.net thread, I’ve served up some quick Dark Sun ideas.

First is the Agony Beetle. This from the RPG.net thread and paraphrased from the 2e AD&D Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium “Terrors of the Desert.” –

{A tiny black 1" beetle that psionically lives off the pain of its victims. It latches on the victim, then waits till they're asleep, held, casting spells, or doing anything else involving concentration, when it activates its Spinal Tap ability. The Spinal Tap ability inserts a tendril into the victim's spine (without them feeling anything due to its anesthetics). The victim is overcome by pain and unable to resist as the beetle drain their Constitution into PSPs for itself. This is guaranteed to kill a victim who is alone.

The beetles live near water sources, where they latch on to prey. They need only plain for sustenance. They're also commonly found in torture chambers. Some rumors say the beetles originally escaped from a Sorcerer-King's torture chamber, but the entry states it's more likely they were drawn there. Dark Sun's cannibalistic Halflings use them in slings or through them onto someone's clothing. Agony Beetles make for bad eating}

Now statting up a single beetle isn’t likely right for 4e design – best left in the capable hands of a DM (though I can think of lots of devious ways a single beetle may be used). However, a swarm of them . . . now that’s more like it.

Does a few things it should: 1) Kills you if you are alone. 2) Feeds off pain. 3) Can make you feel pain (aura + Wave of Pain).

May tweak it in the future, and, as always, if you want the XML let me know. Though it should not be hard to simply copy this or make it in your own DDI Adventure Tools thingamajig.

But we are not done yet - What about some more agonizing stuff . . . like terrain?

SMATTERING OF AGONY BEETLES


A few agony beetles scuttle here and there about the earth.

Effect: The squares occupied by these dastardly black-shelled bugs echo suffering and pain at those who stand within. Creatures occupying this terrain suffer an additional 2 points of damage per tier whenever they take damage. Bloodied creatures double this penalty. As a standard action, a creature may stomp out the pests scuttling about their feet thus ending the effect.
Usage: Thematically works great with cannibal halflings (see below) and agony beetle swarms. However, agony beetles are a common, if deadly, pest throughout Athas. In encounters, this terrain effect maximizes artillery units as they can stand back, gaining the bonus of the effect, and none of the risk.



Encounter Idea:

Cannot take credit for this idea (check the rpg.net thread linked above).

Halflings of Athas have long made use of the animals around them. They harvest poison and food, use the bones of great beasts as weapons and their hides as armor. They’ve found a use for the agony beetle as well -- ammunition. Halflings use these beetles as sling bullets. While the beetles cannot latch on to targets at such velocity, every two successfully fired into a square creates the above terrain feature.

This is a great way to spice up an encounter, giving it both a dynamic evolution and a bit of Athasian spice!

Derro

So my group has switched back to 4e (less prep time, they enjoy the ease of use of the characters, etc) but we are still playing Paizo’s Curse of the Crimson Throne.


So that means from time to time, I’ll throw up some of the conversions I am doing for you guys to take a look at. Now truth be told another blog, Long Live Korvosa, has beaten me to the punch somewhat in these conversions. They seem to have trailed off a bit as of late, but if you want to see some different takes on the creatures and traps that populate this wicked Adventure Path, check them out.

First things first though . . . . the derro (hopefully these baddies pop up in Monster Manual III)

This version is essentially a low-level grunt, uses poison and relies on one neat trick.

I’m not entirely sure I am happy with the end result – namely dazing darkness still bothers me a bit. It works for my game, but is essentially just a way to shoehorn some classic derro spell-like abilities in.

I'd love to upload the XML file too, but I'm not sure if blogger really can do that . . . if you want it, let me know.

Classes of Monsters

Monsters.

They hide under the bed. They lurk in the shadows of your closet. They’ve fangs, claws, and muscles. They are quicker, stronger, more savage than anything you know.

In short, monsters ROCK.

But when I cast my mind about monsters I see very few actual groups:

SEXY UNDEAD – Vampires and ghosts. Possessing spirits, too.

HORRIFYING UNDEAD – Mummies and Zombies and Skeletons

CREATURES OF MYTH – Dragons, Giants, Golems, a few odds and ends (look in your Monster Manual).

FEY – Mean leprechauns, sprites, brownies . . . other malicious tricksters.

DEMONS/DEVILS – Hellraiser to succubus.

CTHULU  - Alien beings.

ALIENS – Beings that are aliens.

FROM THE DEEP – Nessie and her ilk.

What am I missing? I feel like I am there is some category I am overlooking.

Hmm. While you are pondering monsters you should check out Nevermet Press. They are running a contest with a lot of freebies you can win. All you have to do is describe a monster . . . can you break from these categories?

Dream Spider (Pathfinder Conversion)

Dream Spider

This child-sized spider’s blue-and-yellow-striped abdomen shimmers as it scuttles along a gossamer web. A drop of thick purple venom drips from its mandibles.

Dream Spider                                                     CR ½

XP 200 N Small Vermin Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; tremorsense; Perception +1

DEFENSE

AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 size) hp 5 (1d8+1) Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +1 Immune mind-affecting effects

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft. Melee bite +3 (1d3 plus poison) Special Attacks dream web

STATISTICS

Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int -, Wis 12, Cha 11 Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 11 Feats Weapon FinesseB Skills Climb +10, Perception +5, Stealth +6/+10 (in web); Racial +8 climb (can use Dex mod), +4 Perception, +4 Stealth (in web only)

ECOLOGY

Environment tropical forest or any urban Organization solitary, pair, or nest (3-8) Treasure special (see Edge of Anarchy –it’s a drug, folks)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Dream Web (Ex) A dream spider’s webs are not as strong as similarly sized spiders, but do have strange effects. When touched, these iridescent webs cause strange hallucinations and creatures touching the web suffer 1 point of Wisdom damage (Fort DC 11 negates this loss). Every square of webs that are burned create a noxious gas that covers a 10-foot radius. Creatures in this area suffer 1d4 points of Wisdom damage (Fort DC 11 for half). This cloud remains only for 1 round. The save DC is constitution-based. Poison (Ex) Bite – injury; save Fort DC 11; frequency 1/round for 2 rounds; effect 1d4 points of Wisdom damage; Cure 1 save

Dream spiders are native to the jungles of Golarion; however, thanks to their hallucinogenic venom, these spiders have found a home in drug dens all across the Inner Sea. The drug (detailed in Edge of Anarchy) causes its imbiber to enter a blissful stupor, where they see flashes of insight, madness, and ecstasy.

When pressed into combat, these creatures prefer to lure opponents into their webs. Often times an opponent becomes drugged and disabled, allowing the dream spider to devour its prey at its leisure. A dream spider, like most animals, will scamper away if threatened, however.

Reefclaw (Pathfinder Conversion)

REEFCLAW

This horrifying creature has the chitinous head, claws, and front end of a lobster, but the lower end of a spiny eel. A row of bright red spines runs down its back.

REEFCLAW          CR 1

XP 400 CN Small aberration (aquatic) Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; low-light vision; Perception +1

DEFENSE

AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size) hp 11 (2d8+2) Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +4 Resist cold 5

OFFENSE

Speed 5 ft., swim 40 ft. Melee 2 claws +2 (1d4 plus numbing poison) Special Attacks death frenzy, constrict 2d4, grab,

STATISTICS

Str 10, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 13 Base Atk +1; CMB +0 (+4; CMD +11 Feats Improved Initiative, Weapon FinesseB Skills Swim +13; Racial +8 Swim SQ amphibious, ferocity,  tenacious grapple

ECOLOGY

Environment any Organization solitary, school (2-5), harem (6-12) Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Death Frenzy (Ex) When a reefclaw is killed, its body spasms horrifically. Immediately upon dying, the reefclaw makes a full-round attack action against creatures it threatens. If more than one creature is within reach, each attack’s target is determined randomly. Grab (Ex) If both the reefclaw’s claw attacks hit a single target it may, after dealing damage, attempt to start a grapple against medium-sized or smaller creatures as a free action. This does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Numbing Poison (Ex) Claw – injury; save Fort DC 12; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect -2 penalty to Strength checks and grapples in rounds target failed save; Cure 1 save Tenacious Grappler (Ex) When grappling, a reefclaw does not gain the grappled condition.

Aggressive abominations, reefclaws are the scourges of fishermen who ply shallow rivers and lakes. Their appetite knows no bounds, and they will prey on fish or fisherman alike. Many an old salt has a tale or two about these critters and their brush with them.

Stubborn and relentless, these eel-like beasts refuse to give up on a chosen prey. They will pursue one foe until it drops; additionally, so voracious are their appetites that schools of these creatures rarely converge on a single, shared target, instead each seeks its own meal.

1. Looking for Ferocity, Amphibious, Constrict? To save space, Paizo has made these universal monster rules . . . you can check them out in your own PF Bestiary or online at www.d20pfsrd.com
2.This is a fan conversion of Paizo IP. This is originally found in Pathfinder #7, "Edge of Anarchy." This conversion is in no way official, nor is it representative of Paizo Publishing at all.