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DEMONhunter
2006-09-25, 03:51 PM
Something I made up randomly...

Shiney Demon
http://www.youthink.com/quiz_images/quiz930outcome4.jpg
Large Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar, Chaotic)
Hit Dice: 6d8+17 (44 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30ft (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (-1 Size, +1 Dex, +2 Natural, +5 Studded Leather) Touch 12, Flat-Footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+13
Attack: Trident, +9 melee (1d8+4) or Claw, +9 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Trident, +9 melee (1d8+4) or 2 Claws, +9 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10ft/20ft
Special Attacks: Great Flare, Rubber Tail, Bard-Killer
Special Qualities: Best Song in the World, Damage Reduction 10/ Cold Iron or Good, Darkvision 60ft, Immunity to Fire, Electricity and Fire, Be Ye Angels, Acid Resistance 10, Cold Resistance 10
Saves: +7 Fort, +5 Ref, +8 Will
Abilities: 19 str, 13 dex, 17 con, 15 int, 15 wis, 21 cha
Skills: +13 Disguise, +9 Escape Artist, +13 Intimidate, +15 Perform (String Instruments), +10 Spot, +6 Listen
Feats: Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Combat Expertise
Environment: Infinite Layers of the Abyss
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always Chaotic Evil
Advancement: 7-13 HD (Huge), 14-20 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: -

All of a sudden, there shines a shiney demon in the middle of the road. The 9ft tall beast raises an authorative hand and points towards you, commanding you to sing the best song in the world.

Shiney Demons possess a trait unique to other demons- an almost fanatical craving for music. They travel the material plane alone, seeking out the best song in the world. They rarely enter civilizations, and when they do they disguise themselves as musicians, normally covering their horned heads with a black hood and concealing their torso with a matching cloak.
A Shiney Demon is approximately 9ft tall and weighs around 575 pounds.

Combat
A shiney demon prefers to walk right up to its target and command it to play the best song in the world. Should they refuse, or fail to live up to its expectations, it will attack in its fury.
The demon will either wield its trident, which it carries strapped to its back next to it’s lute and backpack, or simply claw its foe. It prefers to weaken foes with a great flare each round, and will use its Bard-Killer ability whenever possible.
A shiney’s natural weapons are considered chaotic and evil aligned for the purposes of over-coming damage reduction.

Great Flare: As a swift action, a Shiney can cause a ring of illusionary white fire to rise up around him in a 10 diameter circle. The flare disappears at the end of its turn but any creature within 60ft of it must make a fortitude save or be blinded until the Shineys next turn. The save Dc is 18, and is charisma based.
Bard-Killer: If one of its foes has levels in the bard class, the Shiney demon considers it a real threat. Once per day, it may use a full round action to stun its foe for 1d4+1 rounds. Rather than making a saving throw, the target and caster must make opposed perform (any music related) checks. If the target fails, they are stunned for the duration above. If they succeed, the demon is stunned for the duration above.
Best Song in the World: Upon sighting it’s foe, the demon will command it to sing the best song in the world. If they agree, they must make a perform (any music related) check. Since the Shineys don’t actually know what the best song in the world is, the Dc may be determined by the dm. Alternatively, the dm may roll 2d20+half the pcs character level to decide it.
Be ye Angels?: The demon looks down on angels with contempt. When making perform checks, any creature with the angel subtype must make the check at a further +5 dc. The Shiney also gains a +2 morale bonus to attacks against said creatures.

Skills: The Shiney Demon has a +4 racial bonus to listen checks.

___________________________________________

Now the questions are;
1. What do you think?
2. Do you get the reference?

Krimm_Blackleaf
2006-09-25, 08:44 PM
I love this so much it hurts

"nay! we be but men!"

zad101
2006-09-25, 10:35 PM
i love you.

the only problem is if jack black and KG come along.

Lykan
2006-09-26, 09:11 AM
I love this so much it hurts

"nay! we be but men!"
We are but men.

ROCK!

Yeah, it's pretty funny, to say the least.

Were-Sandwich
2006-09-26, 02:21 PM
So. Cool. Is this for MitP. If so, MitP vote: Yes. If not, still good. But, Rubber Tail seems a bit crap. I mean, really crap.

DEMONhunter
2006-09-26, 04:06 PM
I'd like to put it in mitp, but I get the feeling I'd be breaching some kind of copyright.

I'll look it up and submit it if possible. Thanks for the compliments guys.

Legoman
2006-09-26, 08:21 PM
Going. In. My. Next. Session.

Pegasos989
2006-09-27, 04:01 AM
I don't get the reference. Who is that? :/

zad101
2006-09-27, 07:38 AM
its from a song called "Tribute" by Tenacious D

DEMONhunter
2006-09-27, 10:41 AM
I don't get the reference. Who is that? :/
Here, allow me to elaborate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS0uRoAtxTQ).

zad101
2006-09-27, 10:44 AM
my comp won't load the page right now but I assume its the wonderful music video for Tribute.
*runs from evil demon lady*

Eighth_Seraph
2006-09-27, 04:19 PM
Is there a particular reason for the quote? It doesn't show where it's wuoting from and it makes the font smaller for my nearsighted eyes.

DEMONhunter
2006-09-27, 04:24 PM
Meh. I just use it to sort out text when I'm typing up the stat block. I'll remove it for you.

Edit: Done.

fangthane
2006-09-28, 12:55 PM
1. Grammar and proper use of possessives.
2. Charisma-based saves are DC 10+1/2 HD+ charisma mod (10+3+5) which is 18, not 17.
3. I don't see the point ('scuse the pun) of the rubber tail. Demons usually don't (in my experience) use subdual, and the tail deals less damage than any one of its primary attack routines.
4. Max skill ranks at 6 HD = 9. 9 ranks in perform, +5 for charisma gives a maximum +14 on perform (strings) checks. Also, songs involve singing; otherwise they're compositions, tunes etc - not songs. Shouldn't he therefore also have Perform (Singing)?
5. Best song - difficulty should be based on the creature's strength, not the bard's. Perhaps change this to DC 15+HD, or DC 20+HD if you want it to be tough to beat. Alternatively, make it another perform check - if the bard's not better than the demon, it can hardly be the best song, right?
6. I'd be a happy guy if all references to Tenacious D and Jack Black were summarily expunged and made anathema.

It's a Charlie Daniels reference, right?

The Vorpal Tribble
2006-09-28, 01:06 PM
Well, I'm going to have to give a Nay to an mitp vote.

The creature here is pretty haphazard in construction, and is rather nonsensical.

#1. Rubber Tail. Why would the demon use its rubber tail in place of its other attacks? It deals less damage, which is non-lethal, and cannot even use improved grab with it if its a means of capturing someone.

#2. Why does this demon consider bards a threat when nothing they can do to the demon is any worse than what any other class can do?

#3. Best song in the world I'm not comprehending. What happens if they don't manage to play the 'best song in the world'? Also, its generally not good practice to leave the DC of something such as that that wide open. All in all, whats the point of this ability?

#4. There is no 'celestial subtype' and why would an angel agree to perform for a demon?

Pegasos989
2006-09-29, 06:41 AM
Here, allow me to elaborate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS0uRoAtxTQ).

Oookay...

DEMONhunter
2006-09-30, 12:44 PM
Ok, longish post coming up.

1. Grammar and proper use of possessives.
2. Charisma-based saves are DC 10+1/2 HD+ charisma mod (10+3+5) which is 18, not 17.
3. I don't see the point ('scuse the pun) of the rubber tail. Demons usually don't (in my experience) use subdual, and the tail deals less damage than any one of its primary attack routines.
4. Max skill ranks at 6 HD = 9. 9 ranks in perform, +5 for charisma gives a maximum +14 on perform (strings) checks. Also, songs involve singing; otherwise they're compositions, tunes etc - not songs. Shouldn't he therefore also have Perform (Singing)?
5. Best song - difficulty should be based on the creature's strength, not the bard's. Perhaps change this to DC 15+HD, or DC 20+HD if you want it to be tough to beat. Alternatively, make it another perform check - if the bard's not better than the demon, it can hardly be the best song, right?
6. I'd be a happy guy if all references to Tenacious D and Jack Black were summarily expunged and made anathema.

It's a Charlie Daniels reference, right?



1. I put an apostrophy in its again, didn't I? Sorry.
2. Corrected.
3. I'll remove the ability.
4. Should have mentioned that the lute (see combat) was masterwork.
5. That's not the point of the best song mechanism. How good the best song the demon has heard is doesn't depend on how strong the pc is, nor how strong the demon is. The 2d20 thing represents the range of talent in the world- if you roll a double one, they haven't heard anyone with the slightest skill and if a double twenty, they've been listened to a professional musician of amazing talent. The + 1/2 character level bonus is for the sake of advancement.

Now, in response to VT.

#1. Rubber Tail. Why would the demon use its rubber tail in place of its other attacks? It deals less damage, which is non-lethal, and cannot even use improved grab with it if its a means of capturing someone.

#2. Why does this demon consider bards a threat when nothing they can do to the demon is any worse than what any other class can do?

#3. Best song in the world I'm not comprehending. What happens if they don't manage to play the 'best song in the world'? Also, its generally not good practice to leave the DC of something such as that that wide open. All in all, whats the point of this ability?

#4. There is no 'celestial subtype' and why would an angel agree to perform for a demon?

1. See above.
2. This is more flavour than anything else. Remember, the Shiney is driven by hunger for music. Bards create music for a living. To them it seems the bard controls a powerful force.
3. The demon attacks if the song is not good enough. It's a guideline for the beasts behaviour and actions, not exactly an ability.
4. Changing it to Angel then. I sometimes forget that Celestial is the template and Angel is the subtype.





Oookay...


Yeah, a lot of people react to it like that.

fangthane
2006-09-30, 06:54 PM
As far as the 'Best Song' 2d20 or DM's arbitrary choice seem a bit haphazard; generally DCs for something which avoids combat entirely should probably be fairly consistently tricky in order to be an effective challenge in D&D. In any case there's no reason why it should get more difficult for the PCs as they advance in level; though it would make sense for it to become more difficult to satisfy a more powerful demon. A level 5 bard will average about a 8+4+1=+13 perform check, and potentially more with the right items. The DC needs to probably restrict success to a 17+ roll for a "normal" character (because otherwise, more optimised characters will walk all over it) of the level so a DC of 30 isn't necessarily a bad baseline. A similarly-balanced alternative would be to require a PC bard to beat the demon's perform check by a minimum of 5 points; with a +15 that gives an average DC of 30.