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    Default (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    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.

    Have put in the rules about turning them, and made it possible for the controller to designate subordinates for doing the grunt work of reviewing what a given eye saw. I am considering further changing the way these report in, which might involve giving them INT 1. Reposting the Dark Hearts after them since they got ZERO feedback the first time around.

    Three Quarters straight creature, and One Quarter Template, rolling eyeballs are the mindless scouts, spies, and watch-things of necromancers who take the time to do things right.

    Rolling Eyeball
    Fine Undead
    HD 1/16d12 (1 hp)
    Speed 20 ft. (4 squares); Swim 15 ft
    Init: +5
    AC 23; touch 23; flat-footed 18
    (+8 size, +5 Dex)
    BAB +0; Grp -21
    Attack None
    Full-Attack None
    Space 1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft
    Special Attacks Residual Gaze Attack(s)/Eye Ray(s)
    Special Qualities Evasion, Report Mode, Limited Undead Traits, Residual sensory qualities, One sense, Square-Cube Law, Hardy Turning
    Saves Fort +0 Ref +5 Will +4
    Abilities Str 1, Dex 20, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
    Skills Hide +31, Jump +9, Move Silently +15, Spot +15, Swim +13
    Feats Dodge(B), Iron Will (B)
    Environment Any
    Organization Any, but usually solitary (otherwise however many the master thinks are necessary to make sure one escapes to report)
    Challenge Rating 1 + 1/5 CR of source creature if the source creature had a gaze attack or eye-rays (Development Note: this needs work, the gaze attack of a medusa should count more than that of a beholder since the beholder gets many more, but in either case the rolling eye only gets one)
    Treasure None
    Alignment Always Neutral Evil
    Advancement 1/8 to 1/2 HD Diminutive (Giant Squid, Central Beholder, and such Eyes only)

    Limited Undead Traits: Many Rolling Eyeballs lack the Darkvision of most undead, they only have this quality if the creature they came from had it, but they also retain low-light vision, "See in Darkness", and any perminant Divination spells from a racial or template source effecting vision that the creature had in effect on it such as Detect Magic, True Seeing, and Detect Evil. The traits that are not already contained in the statistic block above are as follows:
    Spoiler
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    • Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
    • Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects.
    • Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.
    • Cannot heal damage on its own, although it can be healed. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures.
    • Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
    • Uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks.
    • Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.
    • Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead.
    • Proficient with its eye rays, if any.
    • Not proficient with armor or shields.
    • Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.


    Hardy Turning (Ex): For determining how many undead may be turned, rebuked or controlled a rolling eyeball counts as its actual HD, HOWEVER, for determining if it is turned, rebuked, destroyed, or commanded in the first place (including the difference between rebuked and commanded, and the difference between turning and destroying) a rolling eyeball counts as having the same HD as the creature from which it was take.

    Example: John, a 2nd level cleric who channels positive energy comes across 15 skeletons, each of 1 HD, and a 1/16 HD rolling eyeball that was taken from a 4 HD cow. He rolls his turning check and gets enough to affect undead of up to 3 HD. He effects some of the skeletons, but the rolling eyeball counts as having 4 HD for that purpose, and thus remains steadfastly observing the battle as it was commanded. He rolls a total of 10 for his turning damage and 10 of the skeletons flee before him. The next round he tries again, and rolls high enough on his turning damage that he effects 4HD creatures. He rolls a total of 6 for the turning damage, and turns the remaining 5 skeletons and the rolling eyeball. The rolling eyeball is not destroyed because it counts as having 4 HD for determining if it is turned vs destroyed.

    Evasion (Ex): A rolling eyeball can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If it makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the rolling eyeball is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless rolling eyeball does not gain the benefit of evasion.

    Residual Gaze Attack(s)/Eye Ray(s) (Su): A rolling eyeball retains a weakened version of any gaze attack or eye-ray the creature it was taken from could use that eye to perform as a Supernatural ability unless that attack is SPECIFICALLY described as requiring more than one eye to perform. Reduce all save DCs and caster levels by 3. SPECIAL: The central anti-magic eye of a beholder still projects an anti-magic cone, but its range is halved. This cone can not be negated without destroying the eye.

    One Sense (Ex): Rolling Eyeballs are totally deaf and can't smell or taste. They can read one language their creator speaks, and can be telepathically commanded by whoever controls them at a range of 5' or less. Despite the name of this ability rolling eyeballs have a normal sense of touch, as well as balance and kinesthetic sense.

    Residual Sensory Qualities (Ex): Rolling Eyeballs retain, Darkvision, low-light vision, "See in Darkness", and any permanent Divination spells from a racial or template source effecting vision that the creature had in effect on it such as Detect Magic, True Seeing, and Detect Evil. Rolling Eyeballs never have All-Around Vision.

    Square-Cube Law (Ex): Rolling Eyeballs are immune to falling damage.

    Report Mode(Su): While in Report Mode, a Rolling eyeball is considered flat-footed with a a dexterity of 1 and loses all movement speeds and its Evasion special quality. It reports back via a 2-D dimensional Silent Image (DC 1) which looks the same no matter what angle it is viewed from projected above it. This image shows exactly what it saw since the last time it was in this mode. Note that when rolling along it has to see where it is going, so it can't point its pupil to the side. This means that a lot of the time the image will show the ground, the floor, or the ceiling rather than anything in front of the eyeball. In can be ordered to jump forward or backward a stated amount of time, but can not otherwise vary the speed (No "pause" or "slo-mo" functions). When the images reach the end, the image temporarily vanishes, but the mode is not exited, and the eye may be commanded to start again from the beginning. Once report mode is ended the information in obtained prior to that point can never be accessed via it in that way short of a {i]Limited Wish[/i], Bend Reality or greater magic/psionics.
    The controller may designate up to his caster level in individual who can command a given rolling eyeball while it is in report mode. To add or remove an individual for a given rolling eyeball, all three of them (the eyeball the controller and the designated reviewer) must be within 5' of eachother.

    Skills: A rolling eyeball uses its Dexterity modifier in place of strength for Jump and Swim Checks. They also get +10 racial bonuses to Hide, Jump, and Move Silently, and a +15 racial bonus to Spot. A rolling eyeball 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 Rolling Eyeball
    First the eyes of one or more creatures must be harvested, each requiring a Heal check with a DC of 18. The eyes must be reasonably undecayed and mostly whole and the creature must (obviously) had spherical (rather than compound eyes or simply photo-sensitive skin-patches). Then Silent Image (or a more powerful spell that can duplicate the effects of that spell) must be cast once over each eye. Finally, either Animate Dead or Create Undead, Lesser must be cast. The material components for the spell must be ground to a powder and sprinkled over the eyes. Each such casting (regardless of which spell is used) may create up to 2 HD worth of rolling eyeballs per caster level (The desecrate spell doubles this limit).
    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 Dark Heart, two Rolling Eyeballs, Hopping Stomach,an Empty Skin, a Gut Snake, and a set of Floating Lungs from a single corpse.

    EDIT (August 24 2009): Someone has pointed me to a similar concept taken in a very different direction: I am posting it here for cross-referencing purposes. I, ball.

    Spellcasting:
    Add a standard Rolling Eyeball to the Summon Undead I list, however the base duration of the spell is doubled if only standard rolling eyeballs are summoned with a given casting (and multiple rolling eyeballs for later levels).
    Add a Beholder Eyestalk Rolling Eyeball to the Summon Undead ??? list (and multiple for later levels).



    Dark Heart
    Open Spoiler below for main stat block for Fine, Diminutive, and Tiny Dark Hearts.
    Spoiler
    Show
    {table="head"]~| Dark Heart, Fine | Dark Heart, Diminutive | Dark Heart, Tiny
    Size and Type |
    Fine Undead
    |
    Diminutive Undead
    |
    Tiny Undead
    | Size and Type
    Hit Dice |
    2d12 (13 hp)
    |
    4d12 (26 hp)
    |
    8d12 (52 hp)
    | Hit Dice
    Speed |
    Fly 10 ft. (Perfect)
    |
    Fly 15 ft. (Perfect)
    |
    Fly 20 ft. (Good)
    | Speed
    Initiative |
    +5
    |
    +4
    |
    +3
    | Initiative
    AC |23 (+5 Dex, +8 size); touch 23; flat-footed 18|18 (+4 Dex, +4 size); touch 18; flat-footed 14|15 (+3 Dex, +2 size); touch 15; flat-footed 12| AC
    BAB |
    +1
    |
    +2
    |
    +4
    | Base Attack Bonus
    Grapple |
    -18
    |
    -11
    |
    -5
    | Grapple
    Attack |
    None
    |
    None
    |
    None
    | Attacks
    Space/Reach |
    1/2 ft./0 ft.
    |
    1 ft./0 ft.
    |
    2 1/2 ft./0 ft.
    | Space/Reach
    Special Attacks | Negative Energy Pulse | Negative Energy Pulse | Negative Energy Pulse | Special Abilities
    Special Qualities| Dark Vision 60 ft., Undead Traits | Dark Vision 60 ft., Undead Traits | Dark Vision 60 ft., Undead Traits | Special Qualities
    Saves | Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +3 | Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +4 | Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6 |
    Abilities |Str 4, Dex 21, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 8, Dex 19, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 10, Dex 17, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|
    Skills | Move Silently +15 | Move Silently +14 | Move Silently +13 |
    Feats | Great Fortitude(B), Endurance(B) | Great Fortitude(B), Endurance(B) | Great Fortitude(B), Endurance(B) |
    Environment |
    Any
    |
    Any
    |
    Any
    |
    Organization |
    Any
    |
    Any
    |
    Any
    |
    Challenge Rating |
    2
    |
    3
    |
    5
    |
    Treasure |
    None
    |
    None
    |
    None
    |
    Alignment | Always Neutral Evil | Always Neutral Evil | Always Neutral Evil | Alignment
    Advancement |
    3 HD (Fine)
    |
    5-7 HD (Diminutive)
    |
    9-15 HD (Tiny)
    |
    Level Adjustment | ~ | ~ | ~ |[/table]

    Open Spoiler below for main stat block for Small, Medium, and Large Dark Hearts.
    Spoiler
    Show
    {table="head"]~| Dark Heart, Small | Dark Heart, Medium | Dark Heart, Large
    Size and Type |
    Small Undead
    |
    Medium Undead
    |
    Large Undead
    | Size and Type
    Hit Dice |
    16d12 (104 hp)
    |
    32d12 (208 hp)
    |
    64d12 (408 hp)
    | Hit-Dice (Hitpoints)
    Speed |
    Fly 30 ft. (Good)
    |
    Fly 40 ft. (Good)
    |
    Fly 50 ft. (Good)
    | Speed
    Initiative |
    +2
    |
    +1
    |
    +0
    | Initiative
    AC|15 (+2 Dex, +1 size, +1 natural); touch 14; flat-footed 12|13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural); touch 11; flat-footed 12|11 (-1 size, +2 natural); touch 9; flat-footed 11
    BAB |
    +8
    |
    +16
    |
    +32
    | Base Attack Bonus
    Grapple |
    +5
    |
    +19
    |
    +43
    | Grapple
    Attack |
    None
    |
    None
    |
    None
    | Attack
    Space/Reach |
    5 ft./0 ft.
    |
    5 ft./0 ft.
    |
    10 ft/0 ft.
    | Space/Reach
    Special Attacks | Negative Energy Pulse | Negative Energy Pulse | Negative Energy Pulse | Special Attacks
    Special Qualities| Dark Vision 60 ft., Undead Traits | Dark Vision 60 ft., Undead Traits | Dark Vision 60 ft., Undead Traits | Special Qualities
    Saves | Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +10 | Fort +14, Ref +13, Will +18 | Fort +23, Ref +21, Will +34 | Saves
    Abilities |Str 12, Dex 15, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 16, Dex 13, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|STR 24, Dex 10, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1| Abilities
    Skills | Move Silently +12 | Move Silently +11 | Move Silently +10 | Skills
    Feats | Great Fortitude(B), Endurance(B) | Great Fortitude(B), Endurance(B) | Great Fortitude(B), Endurance(B) | Feats
    Environment |
    Any
    |
    Any
    |
    Any
    |
    Organization |
    Any
    |
    Any
    |
    Any
    |
    Challenge Rating |
    7
    |
    12
    |
    20
    | Challenge Rating
    Treasure |
    None
    |
    None
    |
    None
    |
    Alignment | Always Neutral Evil | Always Neutral Evil | Always Neutral Evil |
    Advancement |
    17-31 HD (Small)
    |
    33-63 HD (Medium)
    |
    64+ HD (Large)
    |
    Level Adjustment | ~ | ~ | ~ |[/table]

    A strawberry shaped peice of flesh, the color of clotted blood, hangs in the air.

    Dark Hearts are the hearts 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 Dark Heart must be very simple. They are generally end up simply moving into the center of the melee about 15 feet up (lower for the smaller ones) and blasting away with their Negative Energy Pulse as often as possible. If they are within the threatened area of an opponent they may (depending on how carefully they were instructed) take a 5 foot float (or for the ones that can do so and still release their pulse) making withdraw action directly away from it before launching their attack for that round.

    Negative Energy Pulse(Sn): The Dark Heart can release negative energy once per round which functions in many ways like Inflict Light Wounds, Mass. It affects the closest living and/or undead targets with the radius and up to the maximium number of targets listed on the following table. Its Deathwatch ability allows it to skip over constructs. A Will save is allowed for half damage.
    {table="head"]Size|Radius|Damage (DC)|
    Action
    | Max. Targets|Size of Source Creature
    Fine | 25 feet | 1d2 (11) |Full Round Action |
    2
    | Small or Medium
    Diminutive| 30 feet | 1d4 (12) |Full Round Action |
    4
    | Large
    Tiny | 35 feet | 1d8+1(14) |Standard Action |
    6
    | Huge
    Small | 45 feet | 2d8+3(18) |Swift Action |
    9
    | Gargantuan
    Medium | 55 feet | 3d8+5(26) |Free Action |
    12
    | Collossal
    Large | 70 feet | 4d8+7(42) |Free Action |
    20
    | Collossal+
    [/table]

    Special: Dark Hearts are often returned to the chests from which they came (tied in place with a network of string or rope in the case of skeletal undead). In such a case the larger undead becomes somewhat subject to critical hits, sneak attack, and other precision based damage provided that they are dealt in the form of peircing damage. In such a case a confirmed critical hit may be elected by the attacker to deal its NORMAL (NOT critical hit!) damage to the Dark Heart instead of dealing any damage what-so-ever to the larger undead.

    Usage:
    Use them alone or mixed in with other mindless undead. For especially nasty effect cram the chest cavity of a skeletal undead with them, put magical Full-Plate on it, give it a magical Tower Sheild, and have it take full Defense (If it is intellegent throwing in the Dodge feat and/or 5 ranks in Tumble is just downright the cruel icing on the cake of cruelty). Put the resulting negative energy source in the middle of a group of beefy undead or just have it move up to targets and let the hearts do the work.

    Creating a Dark Heart
    First the hearts of one or more creatures of at least small size must be harvested, each requiring a Heal or Profession(Butcher) check with a DC of 15?. The hearts must be reasonably undecayed and mostly whole and the creature must have had a circulatory system that included a heart. Then Inflict Light Wounds, Mass (for Dark Hearts up to Tiny Size) or Inflict Moderate Wounds, Mass (for Small Dark Hearts), Inflict Serious Wounds, Mass (for Medium Dark Hearts), or Inflict Critical Wounds, Mass (for Large Dark Hearts), Deathwatch, and either Fly, or Overland Flight must be cast once over each heart to be animated. Alternatively Wind Walk may substitute for Fly and may fulfill that part of the requirements for an many hearts as targets it could normally effect. Finally, either Animate Dead or Create Undead, Lesser must be cast. The material components for the spell must be be placed inside each heart to be animated via the valves. Each such casting (regardless of which spell is used) may create up to 2 HD worth of Dark Hearts per caster level (The desecrate spell doubles this limit). Animate Dead can not create a Dark Heart of over 20 HD. The size of the Dark Heart is 4 size classes smaller than the size of the creature the Hearts were taken from (Minimum Fine Size). Dark Hearts have hit dice equal to the minimum listed for a Dark Heart 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 Dark Heart of the particular size category 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 Dark Heart, Hopping Stomach,an Empty Skin, a Gut Snake, and a set of Floating Lungs from a single corpse.

    As is usually the case the CR's are pretty much just guesses.

    Spellcasting:
    Add 1 Fine Dark-Heart to the list of things that may be summoned with Summon Undead II (and multiples for later spells).
    Add 1 Diminutive Dark-Heart to the list of things that may be summoned with Summon Undead III (and multiples for later spells).
    Add 1 Tiny Dark-Heart to the list of things that may be summoned with Summon Undead V (and multiples for later spells).
    Last edited by DracoDei; 2010-04-23 at 12:05 PM. Reason: Spelling and changing way report mode works.
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    Thank you. I've loved this group of undead for quite a while.
    Having trouble writing up hard stat blocks but I'm doing a lot of sharing ideas and soft mechanics lately.

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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    Quote Originally Posted by The Mentalist View Post
    Thank you. I've loved this group of undead for quite a while.
    Err... well, if possible, could you turn that enthusiasm into a bit more detailed help? Enthusiasm by itself can be FAIRLY encouraging, but what really keeps me going is when people are willing to think about things and critique. For instance, how do the CRs look on the Eyeballs at this time? Did I make the information retrieval system too kludgy? Should it be something that the necromancer can deligate to a subordinate somehow? Should it perhaps even be able to be done remotely (perhaps with an additional spell and perhaps a costly material component)?
    Last edited by DracoDei; 2009-05-29 at 11:15 PM.
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    Thanks For these cool monsters, I'm using the Darkhearts and some other living organs like you suggested (Traumatize Your PCs: Harsh Adventure Creation). Do you have any more monsters to suggest? That contribution was very appreciated!

    P.S You should sooooooooo make a slithering spinal cord, a levitating brain, and other organs in undead mode.
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    I have no further suggestions for your adventure at this time, but if any occur to me, I shall mention them.... actually that is not quite true. I do have one note about using my creations: A lot of them are much more sensible to make from animals such as cows, oxen, and horses, or game such as elk, deer, and buffalo than from humanoids. This is because the stats are usually ONLY dependent on the size of the source creature and sometime Extra Hit Dice. So you get more results for your trouble by NOT killing people, just their livestock... also, cows mature faster than even half-orcs I think.

    Slithering Spinal cords that cause paralysis are going to happen eventually (but there are other things, both undead organs and others, including one true dragon that are probably going happen first). I am not so sure about the brains, since disembodied brains actually seem slightly cliche, but I do have an idea for them, as you may or may not have noticed that takes them in a very different direction from what one might expect.

    If you can, I would very much appreciate any notes you can give on how your usages of my creations went.
    Last edited by DracoDei; 2009-05-30 at 09:07 AM.
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    Sure, I'll tell you how the fights go (They should happen next weekend). I'll be using a Hopping Stomach Swarm and a few Dark Hearts. PLZ build the spinal cords soon! they seem cool
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    What particularly strikes you about the spinal cords?

    Also, regarding playtest: More details are better than less.
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    Made a few changes (see introductory paragraph of first post). And am bumping for further feedback.

    What do people think of the idea of giving them INT 1 with enough specialization that the controller can say: "Show me any living creatures that you saw." or "Show me anything dangerous that you saw, other than the open pits in the floor."?
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    Shameless bump.
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    Why is the Wisdom so high?
    Having trouble writing up hard stat blocks but I'm doing a lot of sharing ideas and soft mechanics lately.

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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    Basically because wisdom is what effects powers of perception. Also might make them harder to suborn in some cases, but I might have to make them intelligent before they get those saving throws.

    Think I should drop it and let the rely on the racial bonuses (which I should perhaps increase?), or is that sufficient reason?
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    I think that upping the racial bonuses and lowering it would be better for two reasons, one being that the whole stat has further reaching effects that just perception, two being the first thing I saw when I looked at 20 Wisdom was the spellstitched template would be downright broken on it.

    I just don't see any reason to break from standard mindless undead Int - Wis 10 Cha 1.
    Having trouble writing up hard stat blocks but I'm doing a lot of sharing ideas and soft mechanics lately.

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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    You are PROBABLY right, but:
    1.) I did also mention making them harder to suborn.

    2.) Any GM who doesn't make the spell-stitching thing contingent on a high DC Craft (tattoo) check to squeeze all the runes necessary to get 9 spells into such a small and delicate surface is weak at being able to think on their feet... and I would tend to rule that since they are MAGIC runes, rather than basically a statue such as a golem's body is, that the caster would have to do it them self, rather than just kidnapping a grig and enslaving them into doing it.


    ... having noted these things, I am off to change that.
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    I really love these undead. They're unique, and as a regular player of necromancers, I can really see the applications. :)

    Rolling eyes, for example, would be perfect hidden cameras for you or your luitenients. You're one regenerate spell away from having perfect vision, and getting a clear look at your enemies and their hideout would be perfect for teleportation and scrying. In fact, getting one for all your guards would be awesome. They don't have to roll about being vunerable when they have a host :3

    Also, Square-Cube Law doesn't make any sense, as no other creature has it. What happens if you affect the Rolling Eye with an ability that increases its size? Shouldn't it split apart like an overripe melon? (Especially a Diminuative Eye... like a Beholders.).

    Residual Eye Rays seems like a cheesy way of getting really powerful abilities at will. Dead creature + PaO * 2 = Dead Beholder for harvesting, for at will antimagic fields whereever you want them. As cool as that is, I don't think we want players carrying around Antimagic Eyes everywhere.

    What happens when you cast Awaken Undead on these body parts?

    What happens if you put all these body part undeads in the same body? Like, a skeleton with organs inside it, and two rolling eyes in their skull, covered in an empty skin?

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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    I don't know of any way of increasing an existing undead's size. There might be one somewhere, but this was not designed with that in mind... I can put in some stuff to cover it.

    And yes, I know nothing else has Square-Cube law, but they SHOULD (personal pet peeve), and this can't fly or climb, and has all of 1 hitpoint, so it really benefits from it.

    As for P.A.O. ... I should make the cost to animate dependent on the increased CR somehow, but other than that... there SHOULD be a way to make this work... if they are willing to invest 2 9th level casting in something with 1 hitpoint that is as much a liability as an asset (since I don't think their is much of a good way of turning them OFF, and you can't put them in a bag of holding and the cloth in your pack isn't going to stop the cone any more than holding a curtain up in front of yourself when fighting a live beholder lets you resume your Fly spell... so yeah... they COULD do it, but they might need a lead-lined box. Which I guess isn't that big a deal if they were going to go for it...

    Bah... it really comes down to I want to find a way make working rules for eye rays.

    Why would you cut your own eye out when there are perfectly serviceable corpse you can generate legally by buying a cow and slaughtering it? Or did you mean that you would put it back in your head after you animated it and cast healing spells to fix the damage from removing it? That DOES give you a way of recording everything you see, but until you take it out you are down an eye for actual functioning vision.

    Everyone always asks about putting them back together... it is getting to be like a chorus... you probably had no way of knowing that... I am just saying...
    Half the creatures are useless inside an empty skin...
    The heart can work...
    The lungs can shoot out through the mouth...
    The stomach and intestines are useless. (although the REASON the stomach is useless needs to be specified) unless you give the intestines a way of cutting there way out(note that the skins have Fast Healing)...
    The bladder w/ kidneys that I haven't made yet isn't TECHNICALLY useless, but it is nearly so for practical purposes.
    The Skeleton is going to count as wearing medium armor due to the poor fit inside the skin...
    The skin is going to be at least mildly unhappy at having to work with all these morons.
    The eyes will be useful, but not nearly as much since the skin will probably notice everything of intelligence importance that they do, although it can't "photograph" documents it might flip through.
    The slithering Spinal cord (which I also haven't made yet), will be useless, unless maybe you stuff it into the nasal passages (it might not fit) and have it lash out like a tentacle through one of the nostrils! (PCs on only getting a mediocre result on the Spot checks:"It has animated BOOGERS?!?").
    The crawling liver (again, forthcoming), would be useless inside the skin until and unless it cut its way out.


    EDIT: One question that nobody but me seems to have thought of (and I have never mentioned before) is: How does having some or all of the undead organs from a person still around interact with various ways of returning that person to life?
    Last edited by DracoDei; 2009-06-05 at 05:03 PM.
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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    Quote Originally Posted by DracoDei View Post
    I don't know of any way of increasing an existing undead's size. There might be one somewhere, but this was not designed with that in mind... I can put in some stuff to cover it.

    And yes, I know nothing else has Square-Cube law, but they SHOULD (personal pet peeve), and this can't fly or climb, and has all of 1 hitpoint, so it really benefits from it.
    Then wouldn't this be a good houserule for characters smaller than Medium? Making it a special ability of the undead rather than the size catagory is a little odd.

    As for P.A.O. ... I should make the cost to animate dependent on the increased CR somehow, but other than that... there SHOULD be a way to make this work... if they are willing to invest 2 9th level casting in something with 1 hitpoint that is as much a liability as an asset (since I don't think their is much of a good way of turning them OFF, and you can't put them in a bag of holding and the cloth in your pack isn't going to stop the cone any more than holding a curtain up in front of yourself when fighting a live beholder lets you resume your Fly spell... so yeah... they COULD do it, but they might need a lead-lined box. Which I guess isn't that big a deal if they were going to go for it...
    Put in Report Mode - then in backpack. PaO is an 8th level spell with no cost attached, and the Rolling Eye is permanent.

    Why would you cut your own eye out when there are perfectly serviceable corpse you can generate legally by buying a cow and slaughtering it? Or did you mean that you would put it back in your head after you animated it and cast healing spells to fix the damage from removing it? That DOES give you a way of recording everything you see, but until you take it out you are down an eye for actual functioning vision.
    Take out eye, animate, put back in. You yourself wouldn't do it, you'd get a subordinate to do it, or a spy, or a mole. Then you just regenerate their eye once they get back. Bonus points if it's someone who already lost their eye, and hides the undead underneath a sweet eyepatch.

    Everyone always asks about putting them back together... it is getting to be like a chorus... you probably had no way of knowing that... I am just saying...
    Well, it seems obvious if you have a load of animated organs flopping around, going Necrozord with them would be an awesome thing to do.

    Half the creatures are useless inside an empty skin...
    The heart can work...
    The lungs can shoot out through the mouth...
    The stomach and intestines are useless. (although the REASON the stomach is useless needs to be specified) unless you give the intestines a way of cutting there way out...
    The stomach could use the same hole as the lungs, you know x3. Both tubes are connected. And with the heart effectively giving the rest of the body fast healing, any damage is healed. The intestines could have a hole in the center of the body. Cover that up with clothes and it's pretty stealthy.

    The Skeleton is going to count as wearing medium armor due to the poor fit inside the skin...
    We don't count as having medium armor with our organs and skin o_O. So long as you stuff it out with cloth or something, it should look okay. Especially if the disparate organs came from the same creature. You could probably replace the muscles with wax or something to fill it out a bit.

    The skin is going to be at least mildly unhappy at having to work with all these morons.
    The skin is the one in control. It has two ranged turrets, a healing battery, spy cameras and a pretty sweet skeleton. Why would it be unhappy? It's a team :3.


    The eyes will be useful, but not nearly as much since the skin will probably notice everything of intellegence importance that they do, although it can't "photograph" documents it might flip through.
    So you have something that gives you spycams. :3

    The whole thing does make some sense.

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    Default Re: (Creatures 3.5) Rolling Eyeball and repost of Dark Hearts [PEACH]

    Quote Originally Posted by Khatoblepas View Post
    Then wouldn't this be a good houserule for characters smaller than Medium? Making it a special ability of the undead rather than the size category is a little odd.
    I guess I could just put in a note somewhere about recommending such a house rule... and it isn't until Tiny that terminal velocity falls start getting noticeably survivable... and that is for cats, who, at least for those purposes have ranks in Tumble. Since most things of much consequence in D&D that are that small can either fly, or are a wizard's familiar (who aren't risked), it wouldn't come up much, but yes, it is a good rule, and I would have it as a house rule (even before you said anything).



    Quote Originally Posted by Khatoblepas View Post
    Put in Report Mode - then in backpack. PaO is an 8th level spell with no cost attached, and the Rolling Eye is permanent.
    You know... I really should READ what I wrote more often to double check myself when I have a nagging doubt... report mode does indeed turn it off... There still has to be a way to make this work... I think the key to making it work is to make the eye count as enough HD for control purposes that it really is a decision if you want that, or the equal control amount of Floating Lungs, Hopping Stomachs, zombies, skeletons, and/or whatever else can go in your (twice (four times?) caster level) HD limit. Or maybe have it count under some other limit (Rebuke/Control has its own seperate limit), if that would make it more "pricey".



    Quote Originally Posted by Khatoblepas View Post
    Take out eye, animate, put back in. You yourself wouldn't do it, you'd get a subordinate to do it, or a spy, or a mole. Then you just regenerate their eye once they get back. Bonus points if it's someone who already lost their eye, and hides the undead underneath a sweet eyepatch.
    Ah... "One final test of loyalty before I entrust you with this critical mission..." that works... of course, it also better be a SHORT mission, or the Filth Fever from having a zombie-like undead eyeball in his socket might be a problem...



    Quote Originally Posted by Khatoblepas View Post
    Well, it seems obvious if you have a load of animated organs flopping around, going Necrozord with them would be an awesome thing to do.
    Edit(July 11,2009): I still say that the skeleton would mess everything up for the skin...

    Quote Originally Posted by Khatoblepas View Post
    The stomach could use the same hole as the lungs, you know x3. Both tubes are connected.
    I know that, but the shared tube can't be part of BOTH undead.... and trying to pipe the sonic energy or the acid-glob through the shared area will destroy it, rather than firing the attack, since the shared area will be lacking one of the correct immunities.

    Quote Originally Posted by Khatoblepas View Post
    And with the heart effectively giving the rest of the body fast healing, any damage is healed. The intestines could have a hole in the center of the body. Cover that up with clothes and it's pretty stealthy.
    The holes are problematic, because the Skin's Fast Healing will always be trying to close them up. you could put 2 inch metal grommets holding them open or something I guess...

    Quote Originally Posted by Khatoblepas View Post
    We don't count as having medium armor with our organs and skin o_O. So long as you stuff it out with cloth or something, it should look okay. Especially if the disparate organs came from the same creature. You could probably replace the muscles with wax or something to fill it out a bit.
    IF you stuff it, that might work, and I guess since you need the Craft[Taxidermy] skill to make the skins in the first place... why not?


    Quote Originally Posted by Khatoblepas View Post
    The skin is the one in control. It has two ranged turrets, a healing battery, spy cameras and a pretty sweet skeleton. Why would it be unhappy? It's a team :3.
    Trying to coordinate movements with the skeleton would be about 10 times worse than a three-legged race with a drooling moron who can't really comprehend the point of the exercise... but... something could probably be worked out...





    Quote Originally Posted by Khatoblepas View Post
    So you have something that gives you spycams. :3

    The whole thing does make some sense.
    You mean remove an eye to scout ahead for you and/or hide one in an area to record what goes on, then sneak back for it later? That could work.
    Last edited by DracoDei; 2009-07-11 at 03:04 PM.
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