Not for Pregnant Mothers [Creature]

"Life–and I don't suppose I'm the first to make this comparison–is a disease: sexually transmitted and invariably fatal."

Afterborn
Size/Type: Small Undead
Hit Dice: 3d12 (19 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +1 natural), touch 13, flatfooted 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/-2
Attack: Claw +5 melee (1d3)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +5 melee (1d3) and Bite +0 melee (1d4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Reunion of the twins
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., undead traits
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con –, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +12, Move Silently +8
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Ability Focus (Reunion of the Twins)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Evil (Any)
Advancement: See text
Level Adjustment: –

Birthing a child is said to be the greatest achievement of life itself. In an act of utter simplicity, something is accomplished that not even the greatest of mages, and some say even the gods could never hope to accomplish: the creation of a natural creature, the bringing of a new soul into the world. And yet, the arrival of a new soul is often marked by the departure of another, for even in the most advanced of societies, a mother can still die in childbirth. When she does, the birth is often tainted by her death. Though the child, newly invested with the raw power of life itself, cannot be blemished by this death, the afterbirth–the placenta–can serve as a vessel for the negative energy of the maternal passage. On rare occasion, the afterbirth is charged with negative energy, becoming an Afterborn, in a process of metamorphosis culminating about nine hours after the death and birth. Afterborn seek to slay the living child born alongside them, known as their twin, as in doing so they can take on its visage and a portion of its life. They are mindlessly hateful, and spare none their wrath–save pregnant mothers. Afterborn seem to recognize mothers-to-be as potential progenitors of their kind, and thus spare them. Afterborn are all but always born of humanoid creatures, and always of mammalians. Rare cases of non-humanoid born Afterborns have been told, and it is said that, while they vary in shape from most, they tend to be of the same size and strength. Afterborn resemble small, constantly-bloody infants, with twisted claws and pure black, empty eye sockets.

Reunion of the Twins (Su)
Once per day, when a Afterborn successfully hits a creature with -1 or less hit points, that creature must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or die. The save is Cha based. If it does so, the Afterborn gains 1d8 temporary hits points and a +2 profane bonus to Strength, both of which last for 10 minutes per HD of the killed creature. In addition, if the Afterborn uses this ability to kill its “twin”, it takes on that twin’s life. It takes on the form of its twin, indistinguishable except by a Spot check, DC 10 + ½ the Afterborn’s HD. It gains two undead HD per HD of the killed twin, and gains the racial traits of its twin. If its twin was of larger size than small, it size advances to match that of its twin. In addition, it absorbs a fragment of the twin’s life, allowing it to be healed by cure spells and similar in addition to inflict spells, though it must succeed on its save in order to be healed.

:o Evil. MitP Vote: Yes.

D1, what is it with you and monsters related to childbirth? If I ever manage to get my homebrew world published, (Wouldn't that be a miracle!) I may ask to borrow some.

Anyway, is does it look like a child, or an infant? If the latter, I'd make it Tiny.

It's about the size of a three-year old, which is pretty close to a halfling. I don't know why I have such a thing for monsters that are perversions of motherhood and childbirth; perhaps it's just that twisting something so natural and pure tends to produce something somewhat disturbing.

Wait, I get it. You made this thing, and the backlash from making such an abomination led to the making of a non-evil creature, and thus the thorny drifter. It all makes sense now! However, this seems to be slightly weaker than you would expect a spirit of pure malevolence to be. This could be used as a plothook if an NPC's child was being attacked, but would hardly work for PCs. Then again, that's why DMs were invented. And yeah, youre childbirth related abominations are starting to get me worried. I am now doubling my prayer efforts.

MitP vote: yuh...yrreeeAARRGH....hang on...recovering from brain cell loss....yaaaeeees. Whew. Yes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eighth_Seraph

Wait, I get it. You made this thing, and the backlash from making such an abomination led to the making of a non-evil creature, and thus the thorny drifter. It all makes sense now! However, this seems to be slightly weaker than you would expect a spirit of pure malevolence to be. This could be used as a plothook if an NPC's child was being attacked, but would hardly work for PCs. Then again, that's why DMs were invented. And yeah, youre childbirth related abominations are starting to get me worried. I am now doubling my prayer efforts.

MitP vote: yuh...yrreeeAARRGH....hang on...recovering from brain cell loss....yaaaeeees. Whew. Yes.

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It's not a spirit of pure malevolence, it's a placenta with unlife and a grudge. Might be fun to use these against low-level characters, or use transformed Afterborn in an intrigue/horror campaign.

Might be difficult to justify a living character if it was born alongside one of these li'l buddies.

A horror campaign. I just...envisioned what a horror campaign run by you would entail. Ow. I'm going to go cry for your gaming group, 'kay?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eighth_Seraph

Might be difficult to justify a living character if it was born alongside one of these li'l buddies.

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Generally, the placentas take a couple of days to animate. Thus, Tom Cruise probably won't have to worry about that.

Was that a reference to a movie I've never seen?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eighth_Seraph

Was that a reference to a movie I've never seen?

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Did you not see the little hullapalooza over him supposedly planning to eat his child's placenta?

No. It was a reference to the utter creepiness of Scientology in general and Tom Cruise in particular.

Edit - simued. And WHAAAAT?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Iames the Light

No. It was a reference to the utter creepiness of Scientology in general and Tom Cruise in particular.

Edit - simued. And WHAAAAT?

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I know, it's quirky.

...

I will print this out. If I ever meet a D&Der who gets pregnant, I will give this to them. And run.

Brickwall, are you more CE or LE?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brickwall

...

I will print this out. If I ever meet a D&Der who gets pregnant, I will give this to them. And run.

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Oh, that would be cruel. While I love my motherhood related horrors like...well, a mother, I would never run them against someone I knew to be pregant. That would be overly cruel.

Fine, fine. I'll show it to one of those doctors that delivers babies. They'd wash their hands a lot more afterwards. A lot more.

Mischeif is fun. When it doesn't hurt people. Then it's only fun if you hate them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brickwall

Fine, fine. I'll show it to one of those doctors that delivers babies. They'd wash their hands a lot more afterwards. A lot more.

Mischeif is fun. When it doesn't hurt people. Then it's only fun if you hate them.

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Now that's a good use of the monster.

Hmm...mental trauma to promote hygeine...I'd say that was an all-around good thing, but aren't people with OCD often hygenic? And they're distinctly unhealthy, hygeine aside.

Still, it works with doctors.

Look out, D1. You've got competition.

MitP vote: Yes

Brilliant, a work of pure terror. Well doe. Mitp:Yes.

MitP vote: yes.

thats it. my dm is gonna see this, and from now on my character will need to be armed with a wire hanger of +1 infantbane.

ew.

ew. ew.

ew. ew. ew.

mitp yes

mitp. vote. yes

Demented One, what is it with you and fetus-like aberrant monstrosities crawling their way forcibly out of the womb? Seriously.

MiTP Vote: Yes

Quote:

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thats it. my dm is gonna see this, and from now on my character will need to be armed with a wire hanger of +1 infantbane.

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No. Just, just no.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lappy9000

No. Just, just no.

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What? I liked it.

Zack

P.S.

Spoiler

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On a related note, R.K. Milholland beat you to the punch. Coincidentally, he also beats you at life.

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