[3.5]Improved monster classes: adapting creatures for player use-taking requests!

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Wyvern

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HD: D8

{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will |Special
1st|+0|+2|+2|+0| Wyvern Body, Sting, +1 Dex
2nd|+1|+3|+3|+0| Leathery Wings, Weave, +1 Str, +1 Con
3rd|+2|+3|+3|+0| Lashing Tail, Scent, +1 Dex
4th|+3|+4|+4|+0| Flight, Talons, +1 Str, +1 Con
5th|+3|+4|+4|+0| Growth, Tail Slam, +1 Dex
6th|+4|+5|+5|+0| Legendary Venom, Wing Beat, +1 Str, +1 Con
[/table]

Skill Points 2+Int per level
Class Skill Skills: Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot

Proficiencies: The Wyvern is proficient only with its own natural attacks.

Wyvern Body: The Wyvern loses all other racial bonuses, and acquires Dragon traits, giving it Darkvision 60', low light vision and immunity to magical sleep and paralysis effects. Wyverns are initially medium sized creatures with 20' land movement and both a 1d10+Str damage Bite and a Sting that deals 1d4+Str damage alongside an injury based poison (See below). Either the Sting or the Bite can be the Wyvern's primary weapon at a given point in time, but both can't be the primary weapon at the same time (So whichever attack mode isn't chosen as primary suffers the standard -5 penalty on attack rolls). The Wyvern has wings, but isn't initially able to fly. Wyverns have a racial bonus to Spot equal to ½ their HD and Natural Armor equal to their Con.

Wyverns are distinct from their greater dragon cousins in that they lack foretalons and their hindtalons do not have the necessary dexterity to wield objects, effectively rendering them incapable of performing fine manipulation (such as holding items, using a doorknob or performing somatic gestures). Wyverns can speak Draconic, with other languages possible via. intelligence bonus, as normal, but usually don’t bother with anything more elaborate than a loud hiss or a deep-throated growl much like that of a bull alligator.

Attribute Bonus: The Wyvern gains +1 to Dexterity at every odd numbered level in the class. With even numbered levels, the Wyvern gains +1 Str and +1 Con, for a total bonus of +3 Str, +3 Dex and +3 Con at sixth level.

Sting: The Wyvern is best known in adventuring circles for its poisonous sting: a fully grown Wyvern can fell an elephant with but a single dose. With each successful sting attack, the Wyvern injects an injury based poison. The poison allows a fortitude save, with a DC of 10 + ½ the Wyvern's HD + its Con bonus. The poison is initially weak, dealing 1d4 Con damage as both the initial and secondary effects, but increases in strength as the Wyvern gains HD, shown on the table below:

{table=head]HD|Initial Damage|Secondary Damage
3|1d4 Con|1d6 Con
6|1d6 Con|1d6 Con
9|1d6 Con|1d8 Con
12|1d8 Con|2d6 Con
15|2d6 Con|2d6 Con
18|2d6 Con|3d6 Con[/table]

Leathery Wings: Wyverns of second level or higher can use their natural wings to transport themselves about the battlefield. The Wyvern may fly (15' per HD to a maximum of 60', poor maneuverability), but has the restriction of having to start and end its turns on solid ground to do so.

Weave: Second level Wyverns are eager hunters of larger prey. When fighting such opponents, or wary of smaller pray, they instinctively feint and hop about on their powerful legs, allowing them to quickly shift to more advantageous locations. Weave lets a Wyvern make 10' steps where they would normally be able to make 5' steps, with the caveat that they cannot make attacks of opportunity until the start of their next turn and they must be on the ground.

At 8HD, the Wyvern can make attacks of opportunity even after a 10' step.

At 14HD, Wyverns can make 15' foot steps, but again, cannot make attacks of opportunity afterward.

At 20HD, the restriction on attacks of opportunity are again lifted.

Lashing Tail: The third level Wyvern is now more adept at using its tail to strike at nearby foes. The Wyvern's tail attack can now be used to strike at foes up to 10' away. Should the Wyvern increase in size by way of spells or levels in this class, the range increases by 5' per size category. The Wyvern suffers no penalty for attacking adjacent foes.

Scent: A third level Wyvern is a natural hunter, and can use its sense of smell to track prey. It has Scent with a range of 30'.

Flight: The fourth level Wyvern can fly without the restriction of having to touch ground at any point during its turn. Wyverns fly at a speed of 60', with poor maneuverability. The Wyvern gains the feat Flyby Attack.

Talons: Wyverns of fourth level or higher have two Talon attacks, usable only while airborne, that deliver 2d4+Str damage each. In addition, Wyverns have Improved Grab, allowing them to start a grapple check if they successfully strike an opponent with both talons during a flyby attack. Grabbed foes are carried aloft by the Wyvern, encumbrance allowing. Dropping them is a free action.

Growth: A fifth level Wyvern grows to large size. Its reach, grapple modifiers, natural attack damage and skills change accordingly, but it doesn't gain any ability score bonuses or penalties.

Tail Slam: A Wyvern of fifth level or higher can use its tail to strike the ground, sending up plumes of debris. This is a standard action and affects a target square within 15' of the Wyvern. Dust, leaves, snow or other debris fills the target square and all adjacent squares, blocking line of sight and offering partial concealment. If the Tail Slam is performed as part of flight, the dust is kicked up in a cone extending 15', plus 5' for every 10' the Wyvern has moved that turn (maximum +30').

Opponents caught in the area of effect must make a fortitude save or be sickened for 1d3-1 rounds and make a reflex save or be blinded for 1d3-1 rounds. In the event of a '0' for the duration (ie. a rolled one), the effect only persists until the beginning of the target's next turn. The DC for both saves is 10+½ Wyvern's HD + Wyvern's Strength bonus, but opponents in squares adjacent to the target square get a +2 on both saves.

Legendary Venom: The venom of a fully grown Wyvern is something to be feared. At sixth level the Wyvern's poison is enhanced in a manner of the player's choice, chosen from the list below. The Wyvern may enhance their poison again at 12HD and 18HD.

• The save DC increases by +2
• The poison inflicts +2 Con damage as part of the initial and secondary effects.
• The poison is corrosive and reduces opponents' AC by 1d4 on a successful attack with your natural weapon. To undo the effect, the armor must be repaired (for removable armor) or healed like ability damage (for natural armor).
• The sting damage is considered to be vile damage and 1/3rd of the ability damage is Con drain, instead (round up). Choosing this option multiple times adds +1d4 vile damage to the sting and makes an added one third of the Con damage into ability drain.
• The poison inflicts a negative level as secondary damage.
• The poison is so potent it will even affect creatures that would normally be immune, sapping whatever kinds of energy sustain the creature, even negative or magical energies. Golems, undead and creatures that are normally immune to poison are affected. If you would affect a creature without a Con score, the poison deals Str damage instead. Such creatures take half the ability damage they normally would.
• The poison persists in the victim's system for long durations, acting much like a disease. After the secondary damage, the victim must make another saving throw every minute. Failure means they take Con damage again. Two successful saves against the poison (including initial and secondary damage) means the victim has successfully shaken off the poison's effect.

Wing Beat: During a full attack, a sixth level Wyvern can deliver two wing attacks for 1d8+½ Str damage each.

Comments

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I had a picture I liked in one of my art collection folders and I'd just written up some progressive poison abilities, so I thought I'd do the Wyvern.

The benefit here is that with the Monster Hunter games, there's a wealth of material to draw from regarding Wyverns. It was because of online videos of these Wyverns in action that I easily came up with Weave and Tail Slam as ability concepts.

The issue with the Wyvern was that aside from poison (which I didn't want to frontload too much) and brutal physical capabilities, it wasn't particularly excellent or distinctive at anything. In the end, I gave the Wyvern her ability to just completely dish it out in melee, I de-emphasized poison (In my initial draft, it dealt 2d6 initial & secondary damage at 6HD) and gave it reach with its tail, which isn't in the original monster but again, makes more sense when you see a theoretical wyvern fight.

With that in mind, I wanted something that made the Wyvern stand out a little as a melee monster. Weave is that. With the potential to deliver 4+ attacks (bite, tail, wing, wing) on a full attack at 6th level, Weave makes the Wyvern a distinct threat, though it still retains general vulnerabilities and doesn't have a huge AC for a melee fighter. The attack of opportunity drawback is largely there to prevent abuse, though at those levels where the Wyvern loses that drawback, we can assume opponents have a workaround.

Skill wise, it doesn't offer much (Wyverns are described as somewhat stupid), but it can hide and move silently, which couples well with Tail Slam's ability to block line of sight.

Changelog

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August 9th, 2010:

• Changed the 'you can now poison undead/constructs' to deal Str damage to those with no Con score.

August 10th, 2010:

• Updated poison and tidied it up.