Laugh With Me! [Creature]

[The Demented One]

Warforged Octopus



Size/Type: Medium Construct (Living Construct)
Hit Dice: 8d8+24 (60 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (+1 Dex, +8 armor), touch 11, flatfooted 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+15
Attack: Tentacle +12 melee (1d6+5)
Full Attack: 4 Tentacles +12 melee (1d6+5) and Slam +6 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. (15 ft. with tentacles)
Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+3, improved grab
Special Qualities: Camouflage, damage reduction 5/adamantine, darkvision 60 ft., defensive cocoon, living construct traits, powerful build
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +4
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +14, Hide +14, Intimidate +8, Jump +14
Feats: Weapon Focus (Tentacle), Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes
Environment: The Mournlands
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often Chaotic Evil
Advancement: 9–20 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: +3

Few know of the secret projects devised in various Cannith forgeholds scattered throughout Eberron. The Warforged Octopus is one such secret project, an altered form of the generic warforged with enhanced strength, enhanced stealth abilities, and the ability to heal itself on the battlefield. They were designed with the intent of being marketed to the warring nations as the ultimate infiltrator, capable of sneaking into any base and slaughtering all within it. The Day of Mourning ended that hope, and also headed a new chapter in the existence of the Warforged Octopi–many were in forgeholds destroyed in the Mourning, and were able to escape. Rogue Warforged Octopi now roam the wastes of Cyre, doing what they were built to do. A Warforged Octopus is much like a normal warforged in construction, but has a sleeker, more powerful body and an enlarged neck structure, from which extend four metallic tentacles which give them their name. Unlike most ‘forged, Warforged Octopi seem to be almost exclusively female in their gender persona, and often speak with a disturbingly feminine voice.

Constrict (Ex)
A Warforged Octopus deals automatic tentacle damage with a successful grapple check.

Improved Grab (Ex)
To use this ability, a Warforged Octopus must hit a Large or smaller enemy with a tentacle 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 constrict.

Camouflage (Ex)
A Warforged Octopus’s armored shell constantly changes its color and texture to match those of its surroundings, granting it a +10 enhancement bonus on Hide checks. In addition, a Warforged Octopus can use the Hide skill even while being observed. It does not need concealment or cover to hide.

Defensive Cocoon (Ex)
When damaged, a Warforged Octopus can enfold itself in a defensive cocoon to recover, wrapping its tentacles around itself to form a thick armored shell. A Warforged Octopus can enter or exit the defensive cocoon as a full-round action. A Warforged Octopus with 10 or less hp may enter the cocoon as a swift action. While in the cocoon, the octopus’s Dexterity score falls to 0, but it gains a +12 enhancement bonus to AC, a +5 resistance bonus on all saves, and fast healing 1. Its damage reduction increases to 10/adamantine.

Powerful Build
A Warforged Octopus’s large and powerful structure allows it to function any many ways as a larger creature. Whenever a Warforged Octopus receives a size modifier to a check, such as a grapple or trip check, it is treated as being one size larger if that would be advantageous to it. It is treated as one size larger when determining whether special attacks based on size, such as improved grapple or swallow whole, can affect it. It can use weapons and items made for creatures up to one size larger than it without penalty. Its carrying capacity is determined as if it were one sizes larger. This ability stacks with other effects that would increase a Warforged Octopus’s size.

Skills
Warforged Octopi have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

[DracoDei]

Interesting, usable... should have an LA if possible... 3 or 4 maybe?
Why don't you have it advancing by class? I would think favored class Rogue would work perfectly. It is INT 10 and a living construct.
Lastly, I don't get the thread title.

[Twin2]

Lastly, I don't get the thread title.

The character being referenced is from metal gear solid 4, known as laughing octopus. I could explain it, but this video does it better.

[DracoDei]

That it does... it also serves as an argument for why they advance by HD... they are 'beasts' after all, even if they have the tactical cunning of men. So I guess I could see it either way...

[The Demented One]

I considered an LA, and might stick one it, but they'll still advance by class levels, at least for the non-PC ones. While intelligent, they're pure, one-function design war machines unlike the warforged, who are essentially artificial humans.

[DracoDei]

Gotcha... although you mixed up "class levels' and "Hit Dice"...

[Tyrael]

As currently written, Camouflage is overpowered. If she sits there and does a full-round attack on the hero, she's technically not moving anywhere, so at the end of her attack she'd gain invisibility, and be unable to be counterattacked. This could be easily broken with a ranged weapon and a few levels in Rogue.

Perhaps change it so: "if a Warforged Octopus takes no actions in a round, it gains Invisibility until it moves or attacks again."

I'm struggling here, because I'm remembering how in the fight she could retreat and become invisible in effectively the same "round", and it's hard to phrase that in d20 without loopholes.

[DracoDei]

Never even heard of any of the enemies from that installment in the series until this thread, but given the programming of most game AI's I would think that a limit to the frequency with which they can become invisible on the same turn they do something else would make sense... IE I am betting that the character USES the attack and turn invisible immediately trick on a regular basis during that fight, but never spams it even when it would be tactically wise to do so.


Below may be slightly unclear:
It also depends on how much "moving" it takes to break the invisibility... personally I would call that DEX 0 for AC purposes, and if you already know the square (saw it just before it went invisible, or make the listen check to hear where the sound of the bow-string is coming from) that negates half the point of invisibility I think, and after the first hit or the second miss in the correct square I would reduce or negate the 50% miss chance for attacking an invisible creature...

[Tyrael]

In the game, the way it worked was that she would attack you, then hide in one of several predetermined spots on the map, but once she cloaked, you couldn't see where she went. When cloaked, the only indication that the player had where she had gone, is her crazed laughs echoing from the walls. Her voice source would flash briefly on your radar, as well as when she would howl your name in taunting fury. So based on her screams and laughs, you eventually worked out where to find her.

...At least, that's if you didn't just equip the IR goggles and look around the room that way, but that ruins the fun.

[DracoDei]

Sounds like a completely different problem then... sounds like she could move while cloaked and retreating... which sounds very much like Invisibility (IE attacking breaks it) to me...

[Eighth_Seraph]

Very nice creature, D1. I would, however, suggest adding a boost to DR when using Defensive Cocoon, since the tentacles would, presumably, block damage to any vital part of the machine.

[erikun]

Ooo, looks nice. Where did you get the image?

Also, I would change Camouflage from granting invisibility to allowing the Warforged Octopus to automatically hide (spot DC = 10 + hide bonus) when taking no actions in a round, even without cover. It seems more appropriate.

[The Demented One]

Ooo, looks nice. Where did you get the image?

It's concept art from Metal Gear Solid 4. Laughing Octopus.

Also, I would change Camouflage from granting invisibility to allowing the Warforged Octopus to automatically hide (spot DC = 10 + hide bonus) when taking no actions in a round, even without cover. It seems more appropriate.

You know, Hide in Plain Sight actually does make sense. I think I'll use that.

[Wolfprint]

Erm, just a nitpick. The plural of 'octopus' should be 'octopuses' or 'octopodes', since the word is derived from Greek, and not Latin (which has and '-i' for a plural form).

*Slinks away*