PDA

View Full Version : A killing creature from the shadow [creature MiTP]



Umbral_Arcanist
2006-08-31, 08:11 PM
Blood Beast:

The blood beast is a powerful, vicious hunter, a panther-like monster that is nigh unkillable and also nigh undetectable. Their origin is unknown, though some scholars think they are some awful cross of lycanthropes and beasts, despite their inability to change form. It is without a doubt a supernatural beast, some might even think demonic.

In truth they are the descendents of a feral rakshasa exiled on the matierial plane and mortal panthers and leopards.

Powerful beings often use them as assassins, capturing them, then setting them loose in the household of a rival or near a road they will take. Their intelligence makes barginning possible, though they cannot comprehend or speak any language, teleppathy can overcome this.

When hunting they prefer solitary targets whom they attack with spring attack and after a few attacks they will charge the foe and full-attack from then on. IF they have the time they prefer to eat only organs such as the livers, kidneys and hearts of their prey, though if starving or do not have much time they will eat any part of their prey.

Medium Magical Beast

HD: 11d10 + 55 (110 hp)

Initiative: +9
Speed: 50 ft, climb 20 ft.
AC: 32 (+9 DEX + 13 natural)
BAB/grapple: +11/ +18
Attack: claw + 18; 1d4+7
Full attack: 2 claws + 18; 1d4 +7, and bite: + 13; 1d6+ 3
Special attacks: Pounce,
Special qualities: DR 15/--, Fast Healing 10, SR 26, darkvision 120ft, lowlight vision, frightful presence (DC 16), hide in plain sight
Saves: 12/16 /6
Abilities: STR: 25 (+7) INT: 14 (+2)
DEX: 28 (+9) WIS: 16 (+3)
CON: 20 (+5) CHA: 12 (+1)
Skills/Feats: Hide: +29 MS: +27, climb +24 balance: +26, listen +12 spot: +12
Power attack, dodge, mobility, spring attack
Environment: any forest, jungle or occasionally a rural area
Organization: solitary
CR: 10
Treasure: none
Alignment: always NE
Advancement: 12+ always medium
LA: N/A

This inky black figure is crouched over, almost on all fours, tensing, ready to strike. It resembles a panther or leopard, but more muscular and bipedal. Its large claws are blood stained. Growling it bares gleaming white teeth and glares hatefully with burning red eyes. It’s mere presence causes a deep primal fear to well up inside your chest.

Pounce: At the end of a charge attack a blood beast can still make a full attack

Hide in Plain Sight: in any shadows or heavy foilage a Blood Beast can conceal itself even when it is being observed

SR: It possesses SR equal to its HD + 15, it is nearly immune to many magics.

Frightful Presence: There is something great and powerful about this creature that calls forth primal fears in those who behold it. This ability affects only opponents with fewer Hit Dice or levels than the creature has. Those affected must make a DC 16 will save or be shaken for 5d6 rounds. The range of this ability is 30ft, it is activated whenever the Blood Beast roars(typically when it attacks) or charges.

Skills: A Blood Beast gains a +10 bonus to hide checks due to it’s coloration, a +8 to move silently checks and a + 8 bonus to balance and climb checks blood beast can always choose to take 10 on a climb check, even if rushed or threatened.



A blood beast utilizes it’s spring attack feat and hide in plain sight ability to use hit and run tactics against foes, starting with the weakest looking, Blood Beasts are confident in their abilities to survive most anything, they will run if a battle takes a turn for the worse and use their power attack feat intelligently, trying to get the greatest amount of damage from it without missing a lot. If they can, they will attack arcane spellcasters first. A blood beast prefers to use its claws over its fangs in combat.

While they are wicked creatures who delight in the terror of their victims, they rarely leave their territories to pursue fleeing prey. They do this only if the prey is badly wounded or they are especially hungry. The average Blood Beast may also be open to accepting bribes for safe passage or if tribute is annual to protect a village. They do not (and cannot) speak but, telepathy can be used and many can understand infernal or common.

Those that do advance in PC levels, usually take ranger or barbarian levels, if the scout class is available, it will take levels in that.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

This is my first creature i've formally statted out, if i made a mistake, i'd be nice to know.

the CR may be off, since i couldn't find a creature of a higher level with similar abilities

This was inspired by the forvlaka attack in The Black Company by Glen Cook, if anyone wishes to know (don't know why you would.....)

Lord Iames Osari
2006-09-01, 07:43 PM
Looks fine to me... MitP Vote: Yes.

Fualkner Asiniti
2006-09-04, 09:30 AM
I like it. Combines alot of ideas without being stale.

MitP Vote: Yes

asromta
2006-09-04, 11:12 AM
Its attack bonuses are wrong. It should be:
Attack: Claw +18 (1d4+7)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +18 (1d4+7) and Bite +13 (1d6+3)

And what makes it CR 14?

Edit: I see that you included power attack for 3. This is not usefull, because when I want to power attack for 0 I have to recalculate every thing.

And wouldn't its SR be based on its CR?

Lord Iames Osari
2006-09-04, 11:41 AM
SR is based on HD.

asromta
2006-09-04, 11:50 AM
At the very least its CR should be lowered. Otherwise it is not going to do much against ECL 14 PCs. As a melee fighter it should have more HD than CR.

And if SR is based on HD, why does the Tarrasque have SR=HD-16?

Umbral_Arcanist
2006-09-04, 06:57 PM
Its attack bonuses are wrong. It should be:
Attack: Claw +18 (1d4+7)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +18 (1d4+7) and Bite +13 (1d6+3)

And what makes it CR 14?

Edit: I see that you included power attack for 3. This is not usefull, because when I want to power attack for 0 I have to recalculate every thing.

And wouldn't its SR be based on its CR?

Ok, i'll fix those bits, teh CR was mostly a guesstimate on my part, it has a bunch of physical defenses, and decent SR, since i intended it to uses hit and run tactics, where it would hide after attacks i tried to compare it with similar creatures, but i couldn't find any........ I'll likely lower the CR...

Also i've seen the power attack thing in other stat blocks, i can't remember the extact ones but i'll try and remember

Also i put in hide in plain sight in the block but didn't put it below the block

Abd al-Azrad
2006-09-04, 08:36 PM
Although other people feel the design of setting SR based on HD is a good one, I often feel that a monster's SR is a direct measure of its ability to challenge a party. SR 26 means that, without Greater Spell Penetration, a 10th-level mage will be losing more than half their spells before saves come in. Combined with fantastic- seriously fantastic- physical defenses, I feel this monster's a bit over CR 10, at least defensively. The fact that its damage output is a bit low, about 32/round with a full attack AND power attack AND all hits, does seem to balance things out. It would piss me off to no end to fight the guy, but when everything boils down, it's not terribly threatening as a melee combatant, and has no further abilities. CR 10 seems a reasonable place to put it.

The power attack thing was introduced briefly in some stat blocks for MM 2 and 3 monsters, but I feel it was a bad choice, and it seems to have been revoked in the new stat system (which MitP is not using). Assume that the convenience of having a common Power Attack calculation is not worth the difficulty of recalculating its actual full AB in a combat. But do suggest that it uses the feat intelligently, as you have.

A few points: First, you don't need explanation for its DR 15/- and Fast Healing in its text block, but you DO need a further explanation of its Frightful Presence (area, affect- does it cause the Shaken or Frightened condition?). Second, does it advance with character levels, or just as a monster? Typically, for bipedal, intelligent monsters, advancement means PC levels.

MitP vote: Yes. I strangely like it. As said before, it uses a lot of common mechanics, but they work to make a really interesting monster. Very easy to integrate into the game.

Bob_the_Mighty
2006-09-05, 08:56 PM
And if SR is based on HD, why does the Tarrasque have SR=HD-16?The Azer, Drow, Rakshasa, Svifnerblin, and Pixie all have SR that increases with class levels, which is more than likely because of HD. The Tarrasque probably has SR 16+HD.

The stat block for the creature is a little odd, imo, but its still a good monster.

Winged One
2006-09-05, 09:56 PM
MitP vote: yes.

Umbral_Arcanist
2006-09-09, 05:14 PM
I added some more flavor text and fixed a few errors that hed been in their

Delcan
2006-09-28, 12:08 AM
The DR 15 seems a bit much without something to balance it out. If it's a distant offshoot of the Rakshasa, maybe it would have DR 15/good and piercing?

But somehow that would detract from how nasty this thing is. :) At level 10, a party should know how to buff up for extra damage... or to get out fast.

MitP vote for the Ultimate Hunter: Yes.

The Vorpal Tribble
2006-09-28, 01:15 PM
*in floats a little black rain cloud*

I'd have to give a big No to mitp. Though I can't really tell if its balanced (this format being a bit chaotic), the flavor is a bit cliche. Panther like creatures that kill abound in D&D, and the few abilities it has are unimaginative and rather overdone. This concept, even the panther form, is very nearly duplicated several times.


HD and SR does not a monster make.

fangthane
2006-09-28, 01:43 PM
The combination of DR 15/-, Fast Healing 10 and SR 26 is far too powerful for a CR 10 creature. Even with optimal feats, a caster's losing over half of what they throw at it (CL check at 10 is 10+4 +d20, needing a 12 or better, meaning arcane damage is roughly 0.45*3.5*10=15.75 points per round.

A fighter at level 10 has roughly a 24 strength and a +2 weapon, as well as +2 to damage and attacks from feats. That gives him a +19 to hit and a +11 (or +14 if two-handed) to damage so he's going to have a 55% chance of landing a single hit (8/20+3/20) dealing either 15.5 or 21 damage. Assuming he uses a two-hander that equates to about 3 damage per round. Hold me back. ;)
A rogue at level 10 has roughly an 18 strength, 22 dex (let's give him the benefit of the doubt), a +2 weapon and 17.5 points of sneak damage to hang on his weapon when he can. That gives 7+6+2=+15 to hit, meaning he needs a 17 or better. The good news is that almost any hit is probably a crit threat, because at 1d6+6 points of maximum damage (barring sneaks, difficult due to dodge/mobility/HiPS) the rogue can't scratch this thing otherwise.

So let's assume the rogue's good for about 2 points of damage per round, which is overly generous.

Totalling things, we have about 3.25 from the warrior, 15.75 from the arcane caster, 2 from the rogue and nothing from the healer, who'll presumably be busy dealing with making people not die. Assuming the arcane caster has enough juice to deal 10d6 of damage every round for 10+ rounds, the party can deal with the creature; in any other case, or if some big damage spells run into SR, this is the TPK for sure. I'd jack it to 11 or 12 CR, maybe give it another HD and consider giving it Pounce as its feat at 12th, which does seem to fit the flavour.

Oh, yeah, and this.

FOLIAGE!!!
:)

Eighth_Seraph
2006-09-28, 08:50 PM
How do you figure 24 Strength for a fighter at level 10? Also, shouldn't that be Foilage!!!? I'm not sure how applicable plants would be in this situation.

Anyway, despite the apparently large numbers of panther-like creatures that I've never seen, I really do like this creature, though it does seem pretty fast, unless that was the idea. 50 feet is a long distance, and most felines can't achieve that without a running start, especially the heavier stalker cats like the panther and leaopard.

Umbral_Arcanist
2006-09-28, 10:16 PM
Oookay things to respond to.....


VT: sorry that the layout is chaotic.... i did my best, but could you give me an example of the other panther like things in DnD? I'm famililar with the non-core monsters. All i can think of is discplacer beast (ish) and rakshasa (ish) and this also fills a role i think has very few creatures at higher levels.

Fangthane: those abilty scores seem low to me...., also it's meant to be a challange, you encounter one, that uses spring attack to hit you each round, it's an ambusher, you need tactics to kill it, spells to immobilize it or limit movement (the wall spells for instance) are key. Also t has pounce, which i did not think was a feat......

Captain: yeah, it's supposed to be unearthly fast, as it's tactics are entierly based on hit and run, it enjoys them, sure it could melee and tank a bit, but the idea is that he's getting one attack per round and the PCs are scared of this shadowy beast that's attacking them from nowhere

Personnally i don't think it's too tough, wall spells, or quite a few other spells to stop it from moving will hurt it, as will grappling

Mostly i picked a panther shape due to my inpsiration being a kind of were-leopard and partially because i didn't have any better ideas (though i considered some kind of lizardy draconic thing)


One reason it may be powerful is my games are foten high-powered and i'm used to parties with pretty good stats/items/builds.

EDIT: also added a small bit of fluff

The Vorpal Tribble
2006-09-28, 10:44 PM
Oookay things to respond to.....


VT: sorry that the layout is chaotic.... i did my best, but could you give me an example of the other panther like things in DnD? I'm famililar with the non-core monsters. All i can think of is discplacer beast (ish) and rakshasa (ish) and this also fills a role i think has very few creatures at higher levels.
The 'Spectral Panther' from Monsters of Faerun comes to mind first off. Its got a fear aura and can become incorporeal to slip through places absolutely silently.

Umbral_Arcanist
2006-09-28, 10:47 PM
The 'Spectral Panther' from Monsters of Faerun comes to mind first off. Its got a fear aura and come become incorporeal to slip through places absolutely silently.



Huh, that's what i get for not bothering with non MM creature books.


Though i all fairness, when it comes to stealthy predators, panthers and the like are one of the first that come to mind....... at least, my mind

fangthane
2006-09-29, 06:28 PM
How do you figure 24 Strength for a fighter at level 10? Also, shouldn't that be Foilage!!!? I'm not sure how applicable plants would be in this situation.

From the original post:

Hide in Plain Sight: in any shadows or heavy foilage a Blood Beast can conceal itself even when it is being observed
Foilage is, if anything, a word implying a large quantity of aluminum wrapping - or of pointy fencing swords. That's giving it more credit than its due, and assuming it really is a word. Which it's not. Foliage is plant matter.

As to the strength, I figure most fighters put their best stat (assumed an 18) into strength, +1 at 4th, +2 at 8th for 20, and a +4 belt for 24 total. For a balanced warrior (for whom I've posted the spreadsheet of item/stat progression) who uses roughly 90% of his wealth to equip himself, anyhow.

Hmm, might have been confusing the monster special with feats; I'd have sworn I saw it somewhere as a feat but Google isn't backing me up at the moment...

As to the stats being low, those are stats for a human fighter who rolled 18/16/15/14/12/10 and gets what WotC deems to be appropriate starting gold for a given level. At level 10 he has a +4 strength item, a +2 con, a +2 weapon, shield and ring, as well as a +1 natural armor bonus (and has 3k to spend on other stuff)

I consider those stats some pretty good starter rolls (+12 overall ability mod is pretty good generally) - though of course if you go non-human they'll change too. Regardless, if a party of humans can't do it at level 10 it's not a particularly fair CR 10. I'd rate it about an 11 or 12, jack the HD by one and give him a feat and some bonuses; if he had a SR of 27 at CR 12 that's still somewhat hard on casters but it also gives the melees a little more impact. Alternatively, if you were to reduce his DR to 10/- I'd accept him instantly as a CR 10. (that allows a rogue to hit for 2 points max on a non-sneak, increases the damage from a fighter by about 3 points per round and has no other net effect)

Edit - How I got roped into having to fix Seraph's broken tag I'll never know... ;)

Eighth_Seraph
2006-09-29, 06:57 PM
Hrmph. Like you haven't typed too fast for you own good before. It's fixed now, anyway.