[Creature] Now we're being followed by rocks...

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Inspired by last night's viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean 3...

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Salt Scuttler Swarm

Tiny Magical Beast (earth, extraplanar, swarm)
Hit Dice: 13d10+65 (136 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 10 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (+1 dex, +8 natural, +2 size), touch 13, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +13/-
Attack: Swarm (3d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (3d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, haul of the masses
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/-, immunity to acid, resistance to fire 10, salt sifter, stone in the sand, thirstless
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +9, Will +5
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 12, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 3
Skills: Climb +4, Listen +7, Spot +7, Survival +2, Swim +4
Feats: Ability Focus (haul of the masses), Athletic, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Sand Skimmer
Environment: Any lower plane or warm desert
Organization: Solitary, scrabble (2–4 swarms), or wave (5–20 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -

This appears as a smooth, sandy grey skipping stone approximately the side of an outstretched palm. That is until cracks forms in its shape and it unfolds into a small crab with oversized pinchers.

Salt scuttlers are creatures of some of the most inhospitable wastes in the planes. Salt deserts and red seas are their favored homes. Many of the lower planes, particular the abyss, have layers locale such as this where salt scuttlers can be found in numbers uncountable. Deities and powerful demons often make use of them and are responible for their presence in the material plane. Some indigineous peoples have managed to tame these crabs and use them for transporting great weights across the deserts or deadly seas.

Combat
A salt scuttler simply awaits potential prey to walks amongst them while in stone form and then rise up to swarm it. Those that manage to escape are often persued, slowly but inexorably, waiting for their prey to perish from exposure or stop to rest.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to a swarm’s damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a DC 21 Fortitude save negates the effect. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Concentration check.

Haul of the Massess (Ex): A salt scuttler swarm can together lift enormous weights. The typical carrying capacity of the swarm is 13,500 lbs. Many swarms often come together or are herded to lift even greater objects, the capacity above multiplied by the number of swarms. The object to be lifted must not take up more than twice the area of the swarm.

The swarm can drag or push 5x this ammount. Favorable conditions can double these numbers, and bad circumstances can reduce them to one-half or less.

Creatures that take damage from the swarm must succeed on a DC 16 reflex save or be caught up and be hauled along. The target can escape by using a full-round action to make a DC 16 Strength check or a DC 16 Escape Artist check. The save DC is Strength-based.

The carrying capacity is determined by the strength of the individual (6) and how much the multi-legged creature can lift over its head (45 lbs.) multiplied by the number within the swarm (300). See Carrying Capacity in the Player's Handbook and Swarm Traits in the Monster Manual 3.5.

Salt Sifter (Ex): A salt scuttler can breathe air and water equally well, though only in saltwater, blood, or red seas (see supernatural terrain in Sandstorm). They suffocate normally in fresh water.

Stone In the Sand (Ex): As a standard action a sand scuttler can squat down, its shell and claws fitting together seamlessly. While in this form it cannot move, but appears in all ways as a simple stone. A DC 20 Knowledge (nature) or Craft check related to stone is required to recognize it as something other than a rock. It is considered 'unusual stonework' for the purpose of a dwarf's stonecunning ability.

Thirstless (Ex): A salt scuttler is a creature naturally devoid of liquid. They do not require drink and are immune to dessication and blood-loss.

Skills: A salt scuttler gains a +4 racial bonus on climb and swim checks.

[Spiryt]

I don't think that swarm rules in D&D are good in fact. Besides that it looks cool ( i must see third Pirates of Caribean as fast as i can though).

You could say more accurately what catched and hauled character can or can't do.
The same as grappled? Or the same as swallowed?

BTW: Is realmshelps.dandello legal? Basically, it contains stuff from many payable books

[Grey Watcher]

So now we add rocks to the long list of things to be afraid of in a campaign run by Vorpal Tribble. :-)

Nice work, though, as usual.

[Merlin the Tuna]

So now we add rocks to the long list of things to be afraid of in a campaign run by Vorpal Tribble. :-)

I get the impression that playing in one of Trib's games is basically like playing Call of Cthulhu. You're likely better off waking up and shooting yourself in the mouth in the morning -- it'll save you the trouble of dying later.

[DracoDei]

I think you may be confusing CoC with "Paranoia"... in CoC you don't NECESSARILY die, you might become barking mad instead... and I hear rumors that in the current versions one may actually survive...

[Korias]

Wow. Now I have the urge to make a template for a Dutchman's Crewman.
Seriously. This is good. But why only 13,500 LBS?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

[QUOTE=Spiryt;2646111]I don't think that swarm rules in D&D are good in fact. Besides that it looks cool ( i must see third Pirates of Caribean as fast as i can though).

You could say more accurately what catched and hauled character can or can't do.
The same as grappled? Or the same as swallowed?

More like Entangled.

BTW: Is realmshelps.dandello legal? Basically, it contains stuff from many payable books

Wondered myself, but its been around for years and everyone links to it even on the Wizards forums and they've not been stopped.

I get the impression that playing in one of Trib's games is basically like playing Call of Cthulhu. You're likely better off waking up and shooting yourself in the mouth in the morning -- it'll save you the trouble of dying later.

I'll have you know I've killed off very very few players.

*harumphs*

But why only 13,500 LBS?

Maximum weight a creature with a strength of 6 can lift over its head multiplied by the number of individuals (which for a land-bound, tiny swarm is 300 via swarm rules).

[DracoDei]

Lift over head sounds like the wrong number... you want max. heavy load I should think.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

"Lifting and Dragging: A character can lift as much as his or her maximum load over his or her head."

Fill, fill, fill in the extra bloody space required for a minimum post...

[drawingfreak]

It seems to me that they should be far more intelligent due to events in the movie.

Spoiler

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One of them actively went in search of its friends and talked them into helping it bring the ship to the ocean.

[aaron_the_cow]

It seems to me that they should be far more intelligent due to events in the movie.

Spoiler

Show

One of them actively went in search of its friends and talked them into helping it bring the ship to the ocean.

I interpreted it as they were under the control of cylpso, so whent and picked the ship up.

Wow. Now I have the urge to make a template for a Dutchman's Crewman

that would be awsom.

Spoiler

Show

I would make it so you could kill people with your beard like Davy Jones did to the E.I.T. Co. guy with the glove

[Dark Dork]

Very Nice.

Racial bonus to hide (or disguise) checks when in a rocky environment?

Jack couldn't tell the difference.