[Creature] To fringe the nighted abyss...

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Fringe Penguin


Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 4d8+8 (26 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 50 ft.
Armor Class: 13 (+4 natural, -1 dex ), touch 9, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d4+2)
Full Attack:Bite +5 melee (1d4+2) and 2 slams +0 melee (1d3+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./2 1/2 ft.
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Blind, blindsense 60 ft., fringe animal, hold breath, scent, stoic
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +5
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +9, Swim +10
Feats: Endurance, Iron Will
Environment: Underground
Organization: Mates, Huddle (3-9), Rookery (10-30), Colony (30+)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 5-8 HD (Medium), 9-12 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: -

These gigantic penguins are oddly unnerving, and not just due to their abnormal size. Their close-fitting feathers are colorless, and their large webbed feat and beaks an equally pale hue with a tinge of pink. They have no apparent eyes, though have a sharp tuft of feathers above where one would have expected them to be.

These creatures are a mystery to those that discover them, usually deep within large arctic caves of stone or ice, sometimes miles beneath the surface where no light ever penetrates. These caves are always near a source of water, often veritable subterranean seas of dark, frigid ink.
Often within these seas or upon the caves are signs of intelligent habitation such as marks and symbols, or seemingly abandoned ruins. How these strange penguins came to exist amongst them is unknown, though some speculate that they were a source of food for the inhabitants. A fetid odor or sections of bilestone are not unusual in these penguin's lairs.
Few to are those that return to the surface to report them. The penguins don't seem to be hostile, but are often seen by those that come after pecking at the remains of past visitors.

Fringe penguins stand between six and seven feet tall and weigh several hundred pounds. They speak in warbles and whistles to one another, and while strange and complex in tone and inflection, often repeating odd, booming sounds nearly seeming as speech, they possess no true language.

Combat
Fringe penguins are noncombatant creatures that do not attack even if you walk amongst them. However, if they, their chicks, or eggs are harmed they will quickly waddle over to peck, gouging out beak-fulls of flesh which they consume on the spot.

Blind (Ex): A fringe penguin is immune to any effect related to sight, such as gaze attacks, blinding attacks, optical illusions, any light effects and similar.

Fringe Animal: A fringe penguin is a strange creature that has a 50% chance of ignoring any spell, power, or ability that specifically targets animals, such as Hold Animal spell, Wild Empathy check, or a ranger's bonus to Favored Enemy (animal). They can however be affected by effects that specifically target aberrations, though there is also a 50% chance of their ignoring it. You can try again next round, or another individual attempt the same ability in the same round. 50% chance is applied to each individual check.

While generally a relatively amiable creature it is, however, considered to be Unfriendly for the purpose of Wild Empathy checks.

As well, a Knowledge (dungeoneering) check instead of (nature) is required to identify it.

Hold Breath (Ex): A fringe penguin can hold it's breath for a number of rounds equal to 6 x its Constitution score before it risks drowning.

Stoic (Ex): Fringe Penguins seem to be unusually accustomed to fear and the unusual. They gain a +4 bonus to resist fear and insanity effects.

Skills: A fringe penguin 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.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

*TITANIC Fringe Penguin
*Titanic Template from Monster Manual II

Spoiler

Gargantuan Animal
Hit Dice: 25d8+225 (337 hp)
Initiative: -3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 70 ft.
Armor Class: 27 (+24 natural, -3 dex, -4 size ), touch 3, flat-footed 27
Base Attack/Grapple: +18/+45
Attack: Bite +29 melee (3d8+15)
Full Attack:Bite +29 melee (3d8+15) and 2 slams +24 melee (2d8+7)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Blind, blindsense 60 ft., fringe animal, hold breath, scent, stoic
Saves: Fort +25, Ref +11, Will +10
Abilities: Str 40 (+15), Dex 4 (-3), Con 29 (+9), Int 2 (-4), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 8 (-2)
Skills: Listen +19, Swim +19
Feats: Endurance, Great Fortitude(B), Improved Snatch, Improved Sunder, Indomitable Soul, Iron Will, Power Attack, Quick Recovery, Rapid Swimming, Run, Snatch
Environment: Underground or Cold Aquatic
Organization: -
Challenge Rating: 16
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -

There is a great shriek that echoes across the arctic shadows on this frigid night, and the clouds overhead seem to shake. The frozen surface beneath your feet bucks as nearby the ice seems to explode. Up from the dark waters rises a monstrous shape. It is a penguin twenty feet all, with pale, ghostly feathers. It turns its sightless head towards you, and spreads its flightless wings as it runs at you in a furious, wobbling gate.

Titanic fringe penguins are a freak accident amongst animals already steeped in the abnormal. It is thought that during times of great hunger the fringe penguins will peck at even bilestone for nutrients. The eggs laid are enriched within it, and the chick that hatches never stops growing. It quickly eats all the available food, then turns on its own kind to sate its hunger. Finally, unable to find nourishment leaves its cave for the outside world, attacking and eating anything that moves once the sun has gone down.

Combat
Titanic fringe penguins are nothing like their unaffronted relatives. They are not so much blood thirsty, as blood ravenous and will eat all in their path.

Blind (Ex): A fringe penguin is immune to any effect related to sight, such as gaze attacks, blinding attacks, optical illusions, any light effects and similar.

Fringe Animal: A fringe penguin is a strange creature that has a 50% chance of ignoring any spell, power, or ability that specifically targets animals, such as Hold Animal spell, Wild Empathy check, or a ranger's bonus to Favored Enemy (animal). They can however be affected by effects that specifically target aberrations, though there is also a 50% chance of their ignoring it. You can try again next round, or another individual attempt the same ability in the same round. 50% chance is applied to each individual check.

While generally a relatively amiable creature it is, however, considered to be Unfriendly for the purpose of Wild Empathy checks.

As well, a Knowledge (dungeoneering) check instead of (nature) is required to identify it.

Hold Breath (Ex): A fringe penguin can hold it's breath for a number of rounds equal to 6 x its Constitution score before it risks drowning.

Stoic (Ex): Fringe Penguins seem to be unusually accustomed to fear and the unusual. They gain a +4 bonus to resist fear and insanity effects.

Skills: A fringe penguin 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.

[Eikonos]

Ahhh, Mountains of Madness, hmmmm, brings back nice cthultistic memories...

Fthagn...ekhm...sorry, got carried away a little bit

[The Vorpal Tribble]

I plan on adding it to my A Dying Ember campaign setting... and adding the Titanic Template from the MM II to it. RAWR!

In fact, think I'll post it soon.

[Debihuman]

I LOVE these. Unfortunately for me, I never read "At the Mountains of Madness" by HP Lovecraft. However, as luck would have it, I found a text version online.... So cool...

Debby

[Mulletmanalive]

At the Mountains of Madness, Lovecraft's longest novel.

"Decadent" descendants of penguins who were farmed in an underground sea by the Elder Things.

Edit: Available at Gutenburg.org under Lovecraft [in both .pdf and Kindle formats]

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Ok, below the main one I added a Fringe penguin with the Titanic template. CR 16 horror from below the ice...

Originally Posted by Debihuman

I LOVE these. Unfortunately for me, I never read "At the Mountains of Madness" by HP Lovecraft. However, as luck would have it, I found a text version online.... So cool...

I always thought so