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View Full Version : Even the savage desert can create a rose [Creature]



Icewalker
2009-03-16, 10:16 PM
Inspiration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsum). I ran into this article the other day, saw the Desert Rose crystal...I haven't been doing enough assorted homebrew, and I found a spot for this in the OGL reworking of my desert campaign, so I felt I should write it up. This is actually my second Blood-Rose themed creation in a short while...

There's no description for the Black Desert Rose because the first thing that indicates its presence when you are within a patch of Black Sand is the pain and warmth of blood as a swirlingly bladed elemental strike smashes through one of your major arteries.

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Desert Rose
Large Elemental (Earth)
HD 12d8+72 (126 HP)
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Init: +4
AC 26; touch 13; flat-footed 22
(+13 natural, +4 Dex, -1 size)
BAB/Grp +9/+19
Attack Slash +15 melee (2d8+6)
Full-Attack 2 Slashes +15 melee (2d8+6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks Rending Crush, Earth Mastery, Push
Special Qualities Bloodied Renewal, Chip, Sandglide, Damage Reduction 5/-, Blindsight 120 ft., elemental traits
Saves Fort +14 Ref +10 Will +10
Abilities Str 22, Dex 18, Con 23, Int 9, Wis 18, Cha 21
Skills Heal +20
Feats Power Attack, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Ability Focus (Rending Crush), Combat Reflexes
Environment Desert
Organization Solitary, Petal (2-5), Blood Bouquet (3-18)
Challenge Rating 10
Treasure Normal
Alignment Neutral Evil
Advancement 13-18 (Large), 19-26 (Huge)

The swirling mass of pale crimson stone is a mesmerizing sight. The edges and curls spiral together into a wall of razor sharp rows and mazes. The whole form comes together into an almost humanoid shape, arms and legs smoothly extended from a torso of swirling valleys and spires. Blood from a fresh kill still runs in drying rivulets through its body. You can feel its malevolence towards the living and you know that you are just more prey.

The Desert Rose is a malevolent elemental being that rises in deserts and wanders for eternity. The original source of these elementals is much debated: some believe that they are risen in the desert where blood is spilled in the right swirls, some believe that they are the manifestation of the desert's anger. While their origin has not been truly determined, their methods are well known. Desert Roses slaughter the living and use the blood of their prey to renew and grow the stone on their bodies.

Rending Crush (Ex): Desert Roses have a powerful intuitive sense of all living bodies, and can tear into them with incredible accuracy and force. Three times per day, a Desert Rose can make a Rending Crush attack, slamming its bladed arms into a being and twisting it into the most delicate parts of the circulatory system. The Desert Rose makes an attack roll and a Heal check. If successful, normal damage is dealt and the prey must save with a Fortitude DC equal to the Heal check made by the Desert Rose. The attack deals 1d4+1 Constitution damage, half if the prey saves successfully. Each point of Constitution damage counts as 5 points of damage for the purpose of the Desert Rose's Bloodied Renewal ability (below).

Earth Mastery (Ex): Desert Roses gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching a desert ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, the elemental takes a -4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.)

Push (Ex): A Desert Rose can start a bull rush maneuver without provoking an attack of opportunity. The combat modifiers given in Earth Mastery, above, also apply to the Desert Rose’s opposed Strength checks.

Bloodied Renewal (Ex): As Desert Roses shred the flesh of their prey, the blood runs through their spiraling edged bodies, solidifying and adding to their forms. Every time a Desert Rose attacks and deals damage, it regains one hit point for every 3 points of damage it deals.

Chip (Ex): The sharp edges of the Desert Rose are quite brittle. Whenever struck by a physical attack or a force attack, edges shatter off and spray. Whenever a Desert Rose is damaged by such an attack, one random adjacent target takes 1d4 slashing damage.

Sandglide (Ex): A Desert Rose can glide through Sand as easily as a fish swims through water. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area containing a burrowing Desert Rose flings the elemental back 30 feet, stunning the creature for 1 round unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.

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Black Desert Rose
Large Elemental (Earth)
HD 14d8+98 (161 HP)
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Init: +5
AC 29; touch 14; flat-footed 24
(+15 natural, +5 Dex, -1 size)
BAB/Grp +10/+21
Attack Slash +17 melee (2d8+7)
Full-Attack 2 Slashes +17 melee (2d8+7)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks Rending Crush, Earth Mastery, Push
Special Qualities Bloodied Renewal, Chip, Dark Sand Soul, Sandglide, Damage Reduction 5/-, Blindsight 120 ft., elemental traits
Saves Fort +16 Ref +11 Will +11
Abilities Str 24, Dex 20, Con 25, Int 9, Wis 20, Cha 21
Skills Heal +24
Feats Power Attack, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Ability Focus (Rending Crush), Combat Reflexes
Environment Patches of black sand
Organization Solitary, Ebony Bouquet (2-12)
Challenge Rating 13
Treasure Normal
Alignment Neutral Evil
Advancement 15-20 (Large), 21-28 (Huge)

The Black Desert Rose is a strange cousin to the Desert Rose. They live entirely within stretches of the supernatural hazard Black Sand within deserts, waiting for prey to come to them, blinded and crippled by the necromantic energy, Black Desert Roses strike and devour as brutally as their more mundane cousins.

Rending Crush (Ex): Desert Roses have a powerful intuitive sense of all living bodies, and can tear into them with incredible accuracy and force. Three times per day, a Desert Rose can make a Rending Crush attack, slamming its bladed arms into a being and twisting it into the most delicate parts of the circulatory system. The Desert Rose makes an attack roll and a Heal check. If successful, normal damage is dealt and the prey must save with a Fortitude DC equal to the Heal check made by the Desert Rose. The attack deals 1d4+1 Constitution damage, half if the prey saves successfully. Each point of Constitution damage counts as 5 points of damage for the purpose of the Desert Rose's Bloodied Renewal ability (below).

Earth Mastery (Ex): Desert Roses gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching a desert ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, the elemental takes a -4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.)

Push (Ex): A Desert Rose can start a bull rush maneuver without provoking an attack of opportunity. The combat modifiers given in Earth Mastery, above, also apply to the Desert Rose’s opposed Strength checks.

Bloodied Renewal (Ex): As Desert Roses shred the flesh of their prey, the blood runs through their spiraling edged bodies, solidifying and adding to their forms. Every time a Desert Rose attacks and deals damage, it regains one hit point for every 3 points of damage it deals.

Chip (Ex): The sharp edges of the Desert Rose are quite brittle. Whenever struck by a physical attack or a force attack, edges shatter off and spray. Whenever a Desert Rose is damaged by such an attack, one random adjacent target takes 1d4 slashing damage.

Dark Sand Soul (Ex): Black Desert Roses are born to live eternally within black sand. As such, they are immune to its necromantic life draining effects, and do not take the 1d4 negative energy damage per round for being in the area.

Sandglide (Ex): A Desert Rose can glide through Sand as easily as a fish swims through water. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area containing a burrowing Desert Rose flings the elemental back 30 feet, stunning the creature for 1 round unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.

The Vorpal Tribble
2009-03-16, 10:25 PM
Those... are really awesome. Not going to go over the numbers right now but the concept and execution fit perfectly and the visual I get is beautiful. Man, I love these. I especially like that chip ability. That's something I wish I'd have thought of.

Mortimer
2009-03-17, 10:29 AM
One nitpick I have is regarding the Bloodied Renewal ability. Objects and creatures like constructs or undead usually don't bleed a lot, so perhaps it should be worded as "Every time a Desert Rose attacks and deals damage to a living creature". Other than that, awesome.

Eloel
2009-03-17, 02:51 PM
Sandglide (Ex): An earth elemental can glide through Sand as easily as a fish swims through water. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area containing a burrowing Desert Rose flings the elemental back 30 feet, stunning the creature for 1 round unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.


It's OK that you're getting ideas from different elementals, but please at least read through once to see that you've not forgot the original monster in there.
(Or I'm completely mistaken and this is a desert-version of the Earth Elemental. In that case, sorry)

Icewalker
2009-03-18, 10:35 PM
Well, it is an elemental, so I left the second one. I thought I managed to catch those fixes, but didn't.

I believe most elementals share some or all of the abilities of their prime counterparts, so it's not out of place to take Push, Earth Mastery, and Earthglide, although as you can see I shifted the last two into a desert form.

Thanks for pointing it out. Fixed now.