[Template] Do you know what's inside?

In The Walls
http://th06.deviantart.com/fs22/300W...s_by_hclay.jpg

What is that sound, the sound of scurrying, the bumps and thuds. There is nothing there, but put your ear to the wall... there is something within!

The hidden nooks and crannies, the slip spaces, the in between places. They are to be found in all constructions, man-made and natural. Urban and subterranean. For many they are a hiding place, a refuge, a vantage point, a prison. For whatever reason they reside within these places they have a reason not to be seen. Though they may not intend harm the mere suspicion of their presence is enough to instill fear and paranoia. In many cases this apprehension is founded, for who knows what their intentions are or why they are there...


Sample Creature In the Walls

Rat Swarm In The Walls
http://th00.deviantart.com/fs21/300W...fe8b1ca675.jpg
They must know it was the rats; the slithering, scurrying rats whose scampering will never let me sleep; the daemon rats that race behind the padding in this room and beckon me down to greater horrors than I have ever known; the rats they can never hear; the rats, the rats in the walls...

Tiny Animal (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 4d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/—
Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus disease)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus disease)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Disease, distraction, tightfight
Special Qualities: Cramped quarters, depth perception, find the passage, half damage from slashing and piercing, low-light vision, scent, swarm traits, tremorsense 30 ft.
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Balance +12, Climb +12, Escape Artist +22, Hide +18, Listen +10, Move Silently +8, Spot +7, Swim +10
Feats: Alertness, Stealthy, Weapon FinesseB
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, pack (2–4 swarms), or infestation (7–12 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —

A rat swarm in the walls appears much as any other rats, though these have a sort of learn, feral quality to them. Their eyes are light pink and their colors pale...

Combat
A rat swarm in the walls pursues their enemies through the spaces between walls and floors, ceilings and basements, emerging en masse to cover over their opponent should they come near an opening such as a grate.

Cramped Quarters (Ex): A rat swarm in the walls gains a +20 bonus to escape artist checks. As well, moving through a narrow space does not cost any extra squares of movement.

Depth Perception (Ex): A rat swarm in the walls always knows how thick the walls surrounding it are and can sense empty space and hollows out to the limit of their tremorsense.

Disease (Ex): Filth fever - swarm attack, Fortitude DC 12, incubation period 1d3 days, damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Find the Passage (Ex): A rat swarm in the walls automatically notices secret or hidden doorways within 5 feet as if they had succeeded on a search check unless it is magically hidden.

Tightfight (Ex): A rat swarm in the walls does not take a penalty on attack rolls or to Armor Class when squeezing into or through a tight space. Any other creature that would take these penalties have them doubled in regards to the rat swarm in the walls.

Skills: A rat swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Swim checks. A rat swarm can always choose to take 10 on all Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

A rat swarm uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb and Swim checks.

A rat swarm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Creating a Creature In The Walls

"In The Walls" is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal creature, hereafter referred to as the base creature. A creature in the walls uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type: A creature in the wall's size and type is unchanged, though it is considered two size categories smaller for the purpose of moving through a tight space.
Speed: A creature in the walls gains a 20 foot climb speed. If they already have a climb speed they retain the better of of the two.

Special Attacks: A creature in the walls retains all special attacks of the base creature. They also gain the following special attacks.

Tightfight (Ex): A creature in the walls does not take a penalty on attack rolls or to Armor Class when squeezing into or through a tight space. Any other creature that would take these penalties have them doubled in regards to the creature in the walls.

Special Qualities: A creature in the walls retains all qualities of the base creature. They also gain the following special qualities.

Cramped Quarters (Ex): A creature in the walls gains a +20 bonus to escape artist checks. As well, moving through a narrow space does not cost any extra squares of movement.

Depth Perception (Ex): A creature in the walls always knows how thick the walls surrounding it are and can sense empty space and hollows out to the limit of their tremorsense.

Find the Passage (Ex): A creature in the walls automatically notices secret or hidden doorways within 5 feet as if they had succeeded on a search check unless it is magically hidden.

Tremorsense: A creature in the walls gains tremorsense out to 30 feet.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +4
Skills: A creature in the walls gains a +4 bonus to Move Silently and Listen checks. If they have an intelligence score of 3 or higher they also gain a +4 racial bonus on Knowledge (architecture and engineering).
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature.
Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +2.

No intrensic psychological effect? I think I actually prefer it that way for some reason...

Nice as usual. I would change the Climb speed so that if they already had a climb speed, it would increase by +10ft.

Can there be wolves in the walls, perchance?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Insanealien

Can there be wolves in the walls, perchance?

---

It's official. I'm making Sharks in the Walls.

....In all seriousness, as usual, Vorpal Tribble works his monster-making genius to its full perfection. Can't find anything that really seems out of place. Good work :smallcool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lappy9000

It's official. I'm making Sharks in the Walls.

---

"Ugh! What is that smell? It smells like...rotting fish!"
*busts hole in wall*
"What the -- why the Nine Hells would someone shove sharks in here!? Augh! This is disgusting! How long have they been here!?"

You talk like merfolk never build houses.

Just wait until those fools encounter my latest creation: Fire Elementals in the Walls!***

Ahaha! Ahahahaha! Ahaha!

***Also known as the dungeon's heating system. In the summer months we use air elementals.

Quote:

---

They must know it was the rats; the slithering, scurrying rats whose scampering will never let me sleep; the daemon rats that race behind the padding in this room and beckon me down to greater horrors than I have ever known; the rats they can never hear; the rats, the rats in the walls...

---

When I first saw this thread, I instantly thought of The Rats in the Walls. Excellent reference, and very cool template; I'll probably end up using it in one of my campaigns sometime. Or, better yet, one of my PCs... I can see it now: half-elf bard in the walls. Hey, where's that eerie music coming from...

That got a laugh from me... in the right sort of silly campaign, that could be great... especially if was varient bard that gave penalties to enemies, rather than bonuses to allies...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lappy9000

It's official. I'm making Sharks in the Walls.

---

Retriever Demon in the walls! :belkar:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gorgondantess

When I first saw this thread, I instantly thought of The Rats in the Walls. Excellent reference, and very cool template; I'll probably end up using it in one of my campaigns sometime. Or, better yet, one of my PCs... I can see it now: half-elf bard in the walls. Hey, where's that eerie music coming from...

---

Wait, it's possible to read this and not get the reference?

Anyway, Zombies in the walls!

Edit:
"The zombies. The zombies they can never hear. The zombies, in the walls."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pie Guy

"The zombies. The zombies they can never hear. The zombies, in the walls."

---

Ok, sure... but can they SMELL them?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DracoDei

Ok, sure... but can they SMELL them?

---

How thick is the wall? It'd probably depend on the decomposition of the zombies too.

This is quite awesome, as per expected :smallbiggrin:

I can really see an adventure centered around some kind of demon snake with this template, possibly subconsciously influenced by Harry Potter. Ah well, so be it. This form seems to apply very well to a snake-like being. Or insects for that matter...perhaps some kind of plague scarab infestation in a desert, which live in the walls.

None of you have grasped the true use of this template: Tarrasque in the Walls. Be afraid.