EDIT: This is an old post and, as such, it is against the forum rules to respond to it. If you have comments, then please PM me, or start a new thread with a link in it to this one.
Well here it is, the third of the series of undead I developed, that together with the basic animated skeleton can allowup to fourmany separate undead to be created out of one corpse.
Hopping Stomach
Open Spoiler below for main stat block.
Spoiler
{table="head"]~|Hopping Stomach, Fine|Hopping Stomach, Diminutive|Hopping Stomach, Tiny|Hopping Stomach, Small|Hopping Stomach, Medium|Hopping Stomach, Large|Hopping Stomach, Huge
Size and Type|Fine Undead|Diminutive Undead|Tiny Undead|Small Undead|Medium Undead|Large Undead|Huge Undead
Hit Dice|1/8d12 (1 hp)|1/4d12 (1 hp)|1/2d12 (3 hp)|1d12 (6 hp)|2d12 (13 hp)|4d12 (26 hp)|8d12 (52 hp)
Speed|10 ft. (2 squares)|15 ft. (3 squares)|15 ft. (3 squares)|20 ft. (4 squares)|30 ft. (6 squares)|40 ft. (8 squares)|50 ft. (10 squares)
Initiative|+6|+5|+4|+3|+3|+3|+3
AC|24 (+6 Dex, +8 size); touch 24; flat-footed 18|19 (+5 Dex, +4 size); touch 19; flat-footed 14|16 (+4 Dex, +2 size, +1 natural); touch 16; flat-footed 13|16 (+3 Dex, +1 size, +2 natural); touch 14; flat-footed 13|16 (+3 Dex, +3 natural); touch 13; flat-footed 13|15 (+3 Dex, -1 size, +3 natural); touch 12; flat-footed 12|15 (+2 Dex, -2 size, +5 natural); touch 10; flat-footed 13
BAB|+0|+0|+0|+0|+1|+2|+4
Grapple|-21|-17|-12|-6|+1|+10|+20
Attack|Spit +15 (Point Blank shot included) ranged touch (2 acid)|Spit +9 (or +10 if within 30 ft) ranged touch (1d3 Acid +1 if within 30 ft)|Spit +6 (or +7 if within 30 ft) ranged touch (1d6 Acid +1 if within 30')|Spit +4 (or +5 if within 30 ft) ranged touch(2d4 Acid +1 if within 30 ft, repeats next round)|Spit +4 (+5 if within 30 ft) ranged touch(3d4 Acid +1 if within 30 ft, repeats next 2 rounds)|Spit +4 (or +5 if within 30 ft) ranged touch(3d6 Acid +1 if within 30', repeats next 3 rounds)|Spit +5 (or +6 if within 30 ft) ranged touch(4d6 Acid +1 if within 30 ft, repeats next 4 rounds)
Full Attack|(As Above)|(As Above)|(As Above)|(As Above)|(As Above)|(As Above)|(As Above)
Space/Reach|1/2 ft./0 ft.|1 ft./0 ft.|2 1/2 ft./0 ft.|5 ft./0 ft.|5 ft./0 ft.|10 ft./0 ft.|15 ft./0 ft
Special Attacks|Jumping Shot|Jumping Shot|Jumping Shot|Jumping Shot|Jumping Shot|Jumping Shot|Jumping Shot
Special Qualities|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 5/Slashing or Peircing, Acid Resistance 5, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 5/Slashing or Peircing, Acid Resistance 5, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 5/Slashing or Piercing, Acid Resistance 5, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 5/Slashing or Piercing, Acid Resistance 5, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 5/Slashing or Piercing, Acid Resistance 5, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 10/Slashing or Piercing, Acid Resistance 10, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 10/Slashing or Piercing, Acid Resistance 10, Undead Traits
Saves|Fort +0, Ref +6, Will +2|Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +2|Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +2|Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +2|Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +3|Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4|Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +6
Abilities|Str 1, Dex 23, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 1, Dex 21, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 2, Dex 19, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 6, Dex 17, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 10, Dex 17, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 18, Dex 17, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 26, Dex 17, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills|*Jump -1|*Jump +1|*Jump +0|*Jump +2|*Jump+8|*Jump +13|*Jump+21
Feats|Point Blank Shot|Point Blank Shot|Point Blank Shot|Point Blank Shot|Point Blank Shot|Point Blank Shot|Point Blank Shot
Environment|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any
Organization|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any
Challenge Rating|1/4|1/3|1|2|4|5|6
Treasure|None|None|None|None|None|None|None
Alignment|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil
Advancement|None|None|None|None|3 HD (Medium)|5-7 HD (Large)|9-17 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment|~|~|~|~|~|~|~[/table]
This yellowish bag has two tubes sticking out of it. One of the tubes lays limp, but the other turns and twists as if seeking something.
Hopping Stomachs are the stomachs of corpses reanimated through dark and sinister magic. (See "Creation" below)
Combat
Because of their utter lack of intelligence, the instructions given to a newly created Hopping Stomach must be very simple. They are generally end up simply attempting to Spit acid at whichever foe is nearest until it dies before moving on to a new target. If they are within the threatened area of an opponent they may (depending on their range and how carefully they were instructed) 5 foot hop directly away from it before launching their attack for that round.
Spit Acid(Sn): The hopping stomach spits a glob of acid which functions in many ways like Acid Arrow. It may be spat up to 5 range increments and takes the usual penalties for range. On a successful hit it from a Hopping Stomach of at least Small size the acid also deals damage on one or more following rounds as described on the following table, unless somehow neutralized.
{table="head"]Size|Range Increment|Damage (1)|Additional Duration
Fine|5 feet|2 (2)|None
Diminutive|10 feet|1d3|None
Tiny|30 feet|1d6|None
Small|100 feet|2d4|1 round
Medium|150 feet|3d4|2 rounds
Large|200 feet|3d6|3 rounds
Huge|300 feet|4d6|4 rounds
[/table]
(1) If the target was within 30 feet when struck then increase this damage by 1 point for the Point Blank Shot feat (including on later rounds of damage, if any).
(2) Includes the bonus since maximum range is 25' therefor all shots will be within 30' so Point Blank Shot bonus damage always applies.
Jumping Shot(Ex): As a full round action a hopping stomach may make a vertical leap, to attempt gain line of sight over some obstacle separating it from a clear shot at a target. If it jumps high enough to clear the obstruction then it spits acid, albeit with a -2 penalty to the attack roll. This is most commonly used (by order of their instructions) to gain a clear shot over other undead screening them against attackers closing to melee with the stomach.
*Skills: Hopping Stomachs receive a +5 racial bonus to jump checks and use their dexterity instead of their strength on jump checks if this is better and always count as having a running start. They may always choose to take 10 on jump checks even if stress or distractions would otherwise prevent them.
Usage:
Use them alone or mixed in with other mindless undead. They will often be stationed on an elevated area, often behind other mindless undead (so they will have a clear line of fire despite their smaller size. A somewhat common tactic is to put them behind holes in the manner of arrow slits(except generally more circular rather than elongated) or murder holes. The medium and larger ones have also been known to be used as (un)living siege weapons due to the large (if delayed) damage and significant range. There is also a rumor that at least one evil cleric had a suit of Greater Acid Resistance Full-Plate, that could animate itself to allow him to put it on or take it off in only 1 round without any other assistance, which he attached several Fine and Diminutive Hopping Stomachs to, plus one Tiny one in the middle of the back-plate, all with orders to attack anything that came close.
Creating a Hopping Stomach
First the stomachs of one or more creatures must be harvested each requiring a Heal or Profession(Butcher) check with a DC of 10 (a successful removal of the intestines of a creature to create a gut snake makes this check unnecessary, however if the check to remove the intestine failed, a separate check to remove the stomach may still be made). Note that ruminants have more than one stomach, each may be harvested and animated separately. The stomachs must be reasonably undecayed and mostly whole and the creature must have had a digestive tract that included one or more stomach. Then Resist Elements must be cast once over each stomach to be animated and Melf's Acid Arrow must be cast over each stomach a number of times equal to the hit-dice of the hopping stomach that will result (minimum once per stomach). Finally, either Animate Dead (provided the caster level is at least 10) or Create Undead, Lesser must be cast. The material components for the spell must be be placed inside each stomach to be animated. Each such casting (regardless of which spell is used) may create up to 2 HD worth of Hopping Stomachs per caster level (The desecrate spell doubles this limit). Animate Dead can not create a Hopping Stomach of over 20 HD. The size of the Hopping Stomach is 2 size classes smaller than the size of the creature the stomachs were taken from. (((Make it 3 for ruminants???))) Hopping Stomachs have hit dice equal to the minimum listed for a Hopping Stomach of that size, pull extra hit dice equal to 1/2 the number of extra hit dice above the minimum that the creature it was harvested from needed to achieve its size class (up to the maximum listed HD a Hopping Stomach of the particular size category it is at may be advanced to).
The remaining corpse is still suitable for animation into most types of undead. Especially note that with the right skill checks, spells, etc it is possible to generate a Skeleton, a Hopping Stomach, a pair of Floating Lungs, an Empty Skin, a pair of Rolling Eyeballs, a Gut Snake, and a contribution towards a Fat Glob from a single corpse. Still to come are paralyzing spinal cords, slithering livers (Poison spell based), and skulking bladders that poison food and drink.
As is usually the case the CR's are pretty much just guesses. Decided that the Small one was a little bit less of a threat than a 3rd level Specialist Wizard with a 14+ INT and 14 DEX who cast Mage Armor way before the battle started and had Acid Arrow prepared in all 3 of his 2nd level slots (and it is very unlikely it will get off more than one or two shots). Half the HP (magic missile has a 50/50 chance of splatting it), same AC, bit better to hit...
Are Point Blank Shot and Jumping Shot too much of a load to put on the GM for the flavor they provide?
I realize this suffers from being a bit of a glass cannon... but I wanted a necromancer to be able to easily create one that did damage equivalent to Acid Arrow... so, I figure you take a horse (or better yet a cow... 4 stomachs for one) and that gives you a Small Hopping Stomach, so I set that up to work like that, and then figured out the damages for the other sizes from there. The other problem I ran into trying to avoid the glass cannon problem was that I just couldn't justify giving a bag (regardless of whether full or empty) much more hit-dice than I did.... maybe I should only do so for the Large and Huge versions...
And yes... if you were to apply this to a Colossal+ creature you could end up with a Gargantuan Hopping Stomach... but I didn't think that would come up often enough to be worth squashing another column into the table... If people show an interest I could do it up as a seperate post on this thread or a Post-Script to the original post.
Vaguely considering giving Lightning Reflexes as a bonus feat (I imagine them as being pretty agile) and/or doubling their HD at each size class. Might even give Weapon Focus[Spit] to the larger ones to keep them on the curve as characters start getting access to Rings of Protection and such... and of course a Monk is going to be the bane of these things.
Advanced Hopping Stomachs (I got the "brewing Bug" again and decided to go ahead with it since it isn't that much work...)
All rules for Hopping Stomachs apply to Advanced Hopping Stomachs, except as noted.
A Gargantuan Hopping Stomach must be harvested from a creature of Colossal+ size.
A Colossal Hopping Stomach must be harvested from a creature of Colossal++ size.
In either case the spell "True Strike" must also be cast over each stomach to be animated.
{table="head"]~|Hopping Stomach, Gargantuan|Hopping Stomach, Colossal
Size and Type|Gargantuan Undead|Colossal Undead
Hit Dice|16d12 (104 hp)|32d12 (208 hp)
Speed|60 ft. (8 squares)|70 ft. (10 squares)
Initiative|+2|+2
AC|15 (+2 Dex, -4 size, +7 natural); touch 8; flat-footed 13|13 (+2 Dex, -8 size, +9 natural); touch 4; flat-footed 11
BAB|+8|+16
Grapple|+31|+46
Attack|Spit +10 (or +11 if within 30 ft) ranged touch (4d8 Acid +1 if within 30 ft, damage repeats next 5 rounds)|Spit +10 (or +11 if within 30 ft) ranged touch (4d8 Acid +1 if within 30 ft, damage repeats next 6 rounds)
Full Attack|(As Above)|(As Above)
Space/Reach|20 ft./0 ft.|30 ft./0 ft
Special Attacks|Jumping Shot|Jumping Shot
Special Qualities|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 10/Slashing or Peircing, Acid Resistance 10, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 15/Slashing or Peircing, Acid Resistance 15, Undead Traits
Saves|Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +10|Fort +10, Ref +12, Will +18
Abilities|Str 32, Dex 15, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 38, Dex 15, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills|*Jump +28|*Jump +35
Feats|Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot(B)|Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot(B)
Environment|Any|Any
Organization|Any|Any
Challenge Rating|8|11
Treasure|None|None
Alignment|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil
Advancement|17-31 HD (Gargantuan)|33-64 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment|~|~[/table]
{table="head"]Size|Range Increment|Damage (1)|Additional Duration
Gargantuan|450 feet|4d8|5 rounds
Colossal|700 feet|5d8|6 rounds
[/table]
(1) If the target was within 30 feet when struck then increase this damage by 1 point for the Point Blank Shot feat (including on later rounds of damage).
Spellcasting:
Add 1 Tiny Hopping Stomach to the list of things that may be summoned with Summon Undead I (and multiples for later spells).
Add 1 Small Hopping Stomach to the list of things that may be summoned with Summon Undead II (and multiples for later spells).
Add 1 Medium Hopping Stomach to the list of things that may be summoned with Summon Undead IV (and multiples for later spells).
EDIT: Linking these for cross-referencing purposes, although I am not sure if the Spell is a good idea at all since it reduces the flavor by bypassing the skill checks.
Gut spell by The Vorpal Tribble
Cat Skinning Blade by DM-Ninja
