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2006-07-22, 02:06 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
<<NOTE: If you are from my A Dying Ember campaign, read no farther! >>
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Qalupalik
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (aquatic, shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 4d8+12 (30 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 40 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+2 dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+8
Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d6+4) and Hidden Claw +5 melee (1d4+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, hidden claw, sneak attack 2d6, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Amphibious, change shape, darkvision 60 ft., scent, spell resistance 15
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +8, Search +7, Spot +9, Swim +6
Feats: Great Fortitude, Power Attack
Environment: Cold Aquatic
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: 5-10 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: +3
In her natural form a Qalupalik appears as very large, humanoid seals, though with the thick grey hair and beard of a very old man. Their human-like eyes are crazed, though alight with considerable intelligence. The flippers are long and thin, appearing almost as arms, with lengthy fingers possessed of minimal webbing. From one of the front webs extends an invisible claw far longer than the others.
Qalupaliks are what becomes of unattentive mothers who allowed their child to go out upon thin ice to fall through and drown. When the mother dies her spirit is reincarnated and comes back to life in a cursed seal form to forever prey upon other ice-walking children and the parents who come running too late to save them.
In in non-human form a Qalupalik weighs around 150 lbs. and is some 6 feet in length. They speak common and sylvan.
Combat
Qalupaliks tend to remain at the water's edge, waiting for her victim to pass over. She then uses her Thaw ability to cause them to fall within where she holds them under till the drown. When the nearby inhabitants have become wary however she will change her shape and infiltrate the village, capturing children and stuffing them within her amoutik.
Change Shape (Su): A Qalupalik can assume the shape of an elderly human or elven woman as a standard action. In humanoid form, a Qalupalik cannot use her natural weapons but can wield weapons and wear armor.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a Qalupalik must hit with its claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can attempt to transfer its victim to the Amoutik (see below) on its back.
Hidden Claw (Su): Upon one of the front hands grows a lengthy claw that is naturally invisible as the spell. The Qalupalik gains a +2 bonus on attack checks when making an attack with the invisible claw (which is already included in the statistics above), and a +6 bonus when making sneak attacks or attacks of opportunity. If used against an object, the hidden claw ignores the first 3 points of hardness possessed by the object.
As a standard action a Qalupalik may lift the claw into the wind, which produces an eerie whistle that causes those within 60 feet who hear it to become shaken for 1d4 rounds unless they succeed on a DC 15 Will save. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Consitution-based.
Sneak Attack (Ex): A Qalupalik can deals 2d6 extra damage as a 4th level rogue any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the Qalupalik flanks her target.
Spell-like Abilities:
At will - *Ice Skate, *Thaw. Caster level 4th.
* From Frostburn.
Skills: A Qalupalik has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. She can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. She can use the run action while swimming, provided she swims in a straight line.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Amoutik of the Qalupalik
Upon the back of the Qalupalik is an amoutik, a carrier for children, built out of the bones of their victims and woven together with their hair. It has a slimey feel, and the insides are slick as ice. In the hands of a Qalupalik it acts as a Bag of Holding (Type IV) that is large enough to admit a creature of Small size or smaller. A non-Qalupalik must succeed on a DC 25 Use Magic Device check to make use of the amoutik.
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2006-07-22, 02:07 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2006
- Location
- England
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2006-07-22, 02:09 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2005
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Creepy. Shapeshifting child-snatchers. Can I assume they eat the kids they capture, or do they stuff 'em in the amoutik?
I no longer actively read the forums, and probably won't respond to any PMs. I'm fine with people using my homebrew in anything, including fan-compilations and wikis, as long as you credit me.
Homebrew by The Demented One.
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2006-07-22, 02:12 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2005
- Location
- Georgia Tech
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Yeah...I think I've heard of something similar to this before. Or maybe not.
Still, excellent work!The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie
Thanks to Abardam for the dervish avatar!
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2006-07-22, 02:19 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2006
- Location
- Unfriend Zone
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2006-07-22, 02:28 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2006
- Location
- Fairfield, CA
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Do they go for anything small, or just kids? Because I can imagine a halfling getting tossed in there on accident.
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2006-07-22, 02:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Originally Posted by The_Demented_One
Yeah...I think I've heard of something similar to this before. Or maybe not.
A Bag of Babies?
Do they go for anything small, or just kids? Because I can imagine a halfling getting tossed in there on accident.
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2006-07-22, 05:58 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2005
- Location
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
I like it! It also reminds me of Tupilaks. Do a quick Google search. If I understood it currectly, they are monster statues carved from bone that inuit shamans threw to the waters, thinking the ritual would enable them to send a horrible creature to eat their opponent.
I heard about them in Dominions 3 forum. That's an upcoming computer game, in which Atlantis of later era will have inuit names, and have a hero riding an undead bear which isn't a bear but "a tupilak in bear form", according to one of the developers.
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2006-07-22, 06:05 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2006
- Location
- Northen Virginia
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Funny thought...
Belkar going into one of those bags. ;D
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2006-07-22, 06:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2005
- Location
- A long way from home
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Originally Posted by Were-Sandwich\"I shake my finger at the dragon and say \'What would your mother think if she saw you right now?!\'\"
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2006-07-22, 07:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2006
- Location
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Yeah, it keeps us amused. I mean, granted, you can just say 'everything 'and be done with it I suppose. ;)
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2006-07-22, 07:42 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2006
- Location
- Northen Virginia
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Oo, I know what he should do next! Vampiric clothing! Seriously, it's kind of hard to dodge your set of full plate.
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2006-07-22, 10:02 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2005
- Location
- Toronto, City of Spires
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble
Its ambush abilities and damage output are somewhat worrisome for a CR 4 monster- it seems the kind that could do significant damage, even to a 4th-level party, with little trouble. Like, kill a PC with its sneak attacks and aquatic abilities. In a straight fight, it's not a CR 4 by any stretch, but I would strongly doubt that a Qalupalik would ever consider a straight fight while it had some water to escape into. At least it doesn't have fast healing.That is not dead which can eternal lie
And with strange aeons even death may die.
Expand for quotes.
Abd's contribution to the Animate/End A World project.
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2006-07-23, 10:36 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
I like it! It also reminds me of Tupilaks. Do a quick Google search. If I understood it currectly, they are monster statues carved from bone that inuit shamans threw to the waters, thinking the ritual would enable them to send a horrible creature to eat their opponent.
Oo, I know what he should do next! Vampiric clothing! Seriously, it's kind of hard to dodge your set of full plate.
Do any of your Dying Ember PCs have kids? I think this monster works best if your PCs are attached to some weak little friend or child, and must protect their child from such predatory spirits.
Also have a gnome in the other group, so both are ripe for encountering one of these (though probably most likely the Elan).
Its ambush abilities and damage output are somewhat worrisome for a CR 4 monster- it seems the kind that could do significant damage, even to a 4th-level party, with little trouble. Like, kill a PC with its sneak attacks and aquatic abilities. In a straight fight, it's not a CR 4 by any stretch, but I would strongly doubt that a Qalupalik would ever consider a straight fight while it had some water to escape into.
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2006-07-23, 10:50 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2005
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Seems to me to be more of a Magical Beast, since its "natural form" is decidedly non-humanoid.
But yeah, cool.NOW COMPLETE: Let's Play Starcraft II Trilogy:
Hell, It's About Time: Wings of Liberty
Does This Mutation Make Me Look Fat: Heart of the Swarm
My Life For Aiur? I Barely Know 'Er: Legacy of the Void
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2006-07-23, 05:14 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2006
- Location
- Up in the sky
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
And you might want to add the Cold subtype. Maybe.
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2006-07-23, 07:11 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2006
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
This is pretty nice, although I note one or two typos (it's monstrous, not monsterous). I also have no idea what these things really look like, but at least there is a good idea of what they do. Still, it would probably be appropriate to add ability that enables their child-killing urges (like sniffing out a child, for ex.).
"If Merlin had seen what you had seen, Merlin would have died, and Merlin would have died without regret, for Merlin receives facts reasonably." -- James Branch Cabell, Jurgen
Also known as Oaz or Cantankerous on other message boards.
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2006-07-23, 07:37 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Originally Posted by Lord Iames, the CoP
I also have no idea what these things really look like, but at least there is a good idea of what they do.
Still, it would probably be appropriate to add ability that enables their child-killing urges (like sniffing out a child, for ex.).
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2006-07-24, 07:42 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2006
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
I have no idea what a seal that looks very much like a human resembles.
"If Merlin had seen what you had seen, Merlin would have died, and Merlin would have died without regret, for Merlin receives facts reasonably." -- James Branch Cabell, Jurgen
Also known as Oaz or Cantankerous on other message boards.
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2006-07-24, 08:09 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2005
- Location
- Charlotte, NC
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2006-07-25, 02:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2005
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
I'd go with Outsider for the creature type. Based on your description of where the creatures come from, they're essentially transformed petitioners put into their new existence based on their actions in life. That's where most fiends (evil outsiders) come from in D&D.
I'd say this is the part of the Outsider description that seems most applicable:
Unlike most other living creatures, an outsider does not have a dual nature—its soul and body form one unit. When an outsider is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don’t work on an outsider. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection to restore it to life. An outsider with the native subtype can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be.
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2006-07-25, 02:59 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2006
- Location
- Rimouski, Quebec
- Gender
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2006-07-25, 03:46 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
Re: Keep off the ice my child... (PEACH)
Originally Posted by stainboy