Pink Surpriser

[Jon_Dahl]

http://s12.postimg.org/xazscupql/WP_20151212_10_50_29_Pro.jpg

The Pink Surpriser
Size/Type: Huge Aberration (shapechanger)

Hit Dice: 9d8+21 (61 hp)

Initiative: +2

Speed: 5 ft. (1 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (-2 size, -2 dex, +8 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 14

Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+16

Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d8+2)
Full Attack: 2 claws +7 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: improved grab, swallow whole, breath weapon

Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., all-around vision

Saves: Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +7

Abilities: Str 15, Dex 6, Con 15, Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +6, Search +1, Spot +17*

Feats: Alertness, improved initiative, weapon focus (claw), toughness
Environment: Temperate plains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually lawful neutral
Advancement: 10-18 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: -

A typical surpriser has a body 20 feet in diameter and weighs approximately 3 tons. It is dull pink (the claws or yellowish and eyes are black) and this is usually has an unnerving effect on its prey.
The pink surprisers are unable speak and they don’t understand any language.

Combat
A pink surpriser is highly aggressive carnivore but it’s content to only attack creatures it can surprise. Despite its low intelligence, it has a very developed sense how to surprise creatures and shows a great deal of patience. When confronted with multiple opponent, it likes to launch a suprise attack to the middle of the group, where usually the weakest members are protected. Pink surprisers usually assume that the rest of the group will scatter in terror leaving it to consume its prey. A pink surpriser grab opponents with its claws and then swallow them. Its mouth is filled with small barbs but it cannot use it to effectively attack any moving opponent. A pink surpriser only attacks large or smaller creatures but they always fight to the death.

Alternate Form (Su)
A pink supriser can assume a form of a unique fine or diminutive animal or vermin. This is usually a colorful butterfly (fly 30 ft. (good)) so that a pink surpriser can fly and attract curious creatures, but any fine or diminutive animal or vermin is possible. A pink surpriser can remain in its alternate form until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form. When it assumes its real form and the space is occupied, smaller creatures are pushed to the closest legal squares.

Improved Grab (Ex)
To use this ability, an pink surpriser must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can swallow whole.

Swallow Whole (Ex)
A pink surpriser can try to swallow a grabbed Medium or smaller opponent by making a successful grapple check.
A swallowed creature takes 2d8+8 points of bludgeoning damage and 8 points of acid damage per round from the pink surpriser’s gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 14). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.
A pink surpriser’s gizzard can hold 2 Medium, 8 Small, 32 Tiny, or 128 Diminutive or smaller opponents.
While pink surpriser’s gizzard holds any active or living opponent, it cannot use its alternate form ability.

Breath weapon (ex)
A pink surpriser can breathe acid in a 40-foot line, dealing 4d8 points of damage to everything in the area. The breath weapon is usable once per day.
A successful DC 16 Reflex save reduces damage by half.

All-Around Vision (Ex)
A pink surpriser's symmetrically placed eyes allow it to look in any direction, providing a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks. A pink surpriser can’t be flanked.

Ecology
Pink surprisers stay waiting all the time, usually in their alternate form. They stay close to a water source, they don’t have a lair and they sleep standing up or sitting with no need to lay down. They always carefully clean the area of any signs of combat and if they cannot do that, they move to another spot.
A pink surpriser female lay two to three eggs that are dug into the soil. The female and male live in pairs for about three months until the pink surpriser young are able to defend themselves and then they are left to fend for themselves. A pink surpriser matures quickly and their average natural lifespan is 40 years.

[Jon_Dahl]

Would a rose surpriser or a fuchsia surpriser be better?

[Jon_Dahl]

Pink surpriser lore

Knowledge (dungeoneering)

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering) can learn more about pink surprisers. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.

DC Result

19 This pink abomination is a pink surpriser, an aggressive carnivore. This result reveals all aberration traits.

24 Every pink surpriser has another unique form, which is a very small vermin or animal. This ability is supernatural.

29 Pink surprisers grab a hold of their opponents and stuff them to their maws - alive.

34 Once per day, pink surprisers can produce acidic breath that hits opponents in a straight line.

[Debihuman]

If it has eyes all around its head, it should have All-Around Vision as a Special Ability (that's why it can't be flanked).

How fast can it fly in alternate form?

Debby

[Jon_Dahl]

If it has eyes all around its head, it should have All-Around Vision as a Special Ability (that's why it can't be flanked).

How fast can it fly in alternate form?

Debby

Thank you for your reply, Debby!

I wasn't aware that All-Around Vision existed. I fixed that.

I was going to answer "as fast as butterflies and similar creatures fly" but then I noticed that there's no official information on how fast butterflies fly :smalleek: I put 30 ft. (good) in the OP. Ultimately that's up to the DM, since the alternate form could be a hummingbird, a horsefly etc. I don't think this makes too much of a difference, though. The DM could always say it's a locust: they have an official flying speed.

[Debihuman]

There's a difference between "a pink surpriser" which means there could be more than one or "the pink surpriser" meaning it is a solitary (unique) creature. Since these come in pairs, the name should just be Pink Surpriser.

When you are designing creature, it helps to know a bit about them.

It doesn't appear to have any legs. How does it move in its natural form? Does it glide across the floor on some secretion or have cilia which propel it forward?

I heartily recommend you look at the monster manual or the online SRD (see here: www.d20srd.org ) and look at things like Special Abilities so you don't recreate something that already exist.

By the way, it looks pretty good. I think you did a great job with the stat block.

Debby

[Jon_Dahl]

There's a difference between "a pink surpriser" which means there could be more than one or "the pink surpriser" meaning it is a solitary (unique) creature. Since these come in pairs, the name should just be Pink Surpriser.

I agree with you 100%. Absoteluly, no buts. However, I feel that we have to go with the conventions that the Monster Manual uses. All racial names of monsters, like otyugh and celestial charger, are written in lowercase. They are also referred to by using an indefinite article or plural (an otyugh/celestial chargers). I don't like it, but if I wrote Pink Surpriser that would go against the conventions. I will ask about this from my English philology professor, but names of races are never proper names and never get capital first letters. It's still pretty annoying, don't you think?


It doesn't appear to have any legs. How does it move in its natural form? Does it glide across the floor on some secretion or have cilia which propel it forward?

I was thinking that it moves like an awkward worm, maybe pushes a bit with the claws. That's pretty much up to the DM, though. Since it's so ridiculously slow, I trust that every DM can think of something and if they can't, they can always blame the monster description, haha :D


I heartily recommend you look at the monster manual or the online SRD (see here: www.d20srd.org ) and look at things like Special Abilities so you don't recreate something that already exist.

Actually I did, but I didn't find All-Around Vision there. Nevertheless it's a good piece of advice and I'll keep it in mind. I'm glad that you mentioned All-Around Vision because then I googled it. Thank you.


By the way, it looks pretty good. I think you did a great job with the stat block.

Thank you! I'm adding a final touch, though: I have asked my artist friends to draw a cooler picture of the monster. After receiving the picture and asking about copyrights, I will publish it here.

[Debihuman]

I agree with you 100%. Absoteluly, no buts. However, I feel that we have to go with the conventions that the Monster Manual uses. All racial names of monsters, like otyugh and celestial charger, are written in lowercase. They are also referred to by using an indefinite article or plural (an otyugh/celestial chargers). I don't like it, but if I wrote Pink Surpriser that would go against the conventions. I will ask about this from my English philology professor, but names of races are never proper names and never get capital first letters. It's still pretty annoying, don't you think?

It is odd that race names never get capitalized. I tend to overlook that when critiquing most of the time (and don't even bother looking at "its" vs. "it's" on this forum as that is just hopeless most of the time). The only time a race name is capitalized is on the first line of the statistics block. I suspect this is because any creature could have a proper name, especially if the creature has any intelligence. The stat block is supposed to be for the most commonly encountered sort of creature. When you personalize a creature (as for an NPC rather than a nameless opponent for the PCs to defeat and loot), it starts to make a little more sense.


I was thinking that it moves like an awkward worm, maybe pushes a bit with the claws. That's pretty much up to the DM, though.

Okay so it wriggles forward and pulls with its claws. That's the kind of thing that is nice to know in a creature's description. Anything that can save a DM time or energy is a good thing.


Actually I did, but I didn't find All-Around Vision there. Nevertheless it's a good piece of advice and I'll keep it in mind. I'm glad that you mentioned All-Around Vision because then I googled it.

WotC never made a full standard list of Special Abilities. You kinda have to go through the monster entries to find them all. I've been making monsters so long now that I think I have most of them all memorized. Also, the search engine on the SRD is fairly good and almost everything is hyperlinked.


Thank you! I'm adding a final touch, though: I have asked my artist friends to draw a cooler picture of the monster. After receiving the picture and asking about copyrights, I will publish it here.

You're welcome; it was my pleasure. I look forward to seeing the new picture as well.

[edit] One more thing. I would think that any creature smaller than Huge that is shunted aside when the pink surpriser changes shape would take at least 1d8 points points of crushing damage. Fort save for half damage (DC 16) Constitution-based. Imagine being hip-checked by a 2-ton pink blob!