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Medium Construct (Extraplanar, Inevitable, Law)
Hit Dice: 6d10+20 (53 hp)
Initiative: +11
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 23 (+5 dex, +8 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+8
Attack: Sting +9 melee (1d8 plus summoner's poison)
Full Attack: Sting +9 melee (1d8 plus summoner's poison) and 6 arms +7 melee (1d3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Deft strike, improved grab, spell-like abilities, summoner's poison
Special Qualities: Construct traits, damage reduction 10/chaotic, darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 5, inevitable traits, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +5
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 21, Con -, Int 8, Wis 17, Cha 14
Skills: Concentration +6, Listen +8, Spot +14
Feats: Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Quick Reconnoiter, Weapon Finesse(B)
Environment: A lawful-aligned plane
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Lawful Neutral
Advancement: 7-15 HD (Medium), 16-30 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: -
A siphonut's appeareance in resting mode is that of a large half-sphere of glass-like material with metal supports running all along it in strange fractal patterns to strengthen it. that glistens with a faint silver gleam. Within the hemisphere something dark and oily sloshes and spins with its movements. A thick, golden band of machinery surrounds its rim from which blades constantly spin unseen with speed to keep the siphonut aloft. If seen from below the bottom of the dome is also clear, with a seemingly haphazard array of flexible tubing and metal mechanisms standing out against the inky substance within.
While in combat mode a half dozen flexible arms with grasping ends extends down and fill with the black fluid.
A siphonut is a creature most likely to sent on suicide missions. They make certain that creatures whom have evaded other inevitables are finally brought to justice. No niceties or even warning is given, which would defeat the purpose of the siphonut's mission.
Siphonut speak Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, and the native language of their target.
Combat
A siphonut's attack is wholey unexpected and designed soley for a single attack. It watches its victim from a distance, stalking it until just the right moment with its Deft Strike attack. It then initiates a surprise attack if possible, grasping hold of its victim and using True Strike in conjunction with its sting attack to make certain it administers the strange poison within. As they drive in their stinger they give the command for their victims to allow themselves to be brought or they will die. It then teleports as far away as possible to avoid a counter attack.
A siphonut's natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Deft Strike (Ex): As a standard action, a Siphonut can attempt to find a weak point in a visible target's armor. This requires a Spot check against a DC equal to the target's Armor Class. If it succeeds, its next attack against that target (which must be made no later than its next turn) ignores the target's armor bonus and natural armor bonus to AC (including any enhancement bonuses to armor or natural armor). Other AC bonuses still apply normally.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an Siphonut must hit with two of its arms. 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 use its Stinger, but never beforehand. A siphonut gains a +4 racial bonus on grapple checks, which is already included in the statistics above
Spell-like Abilities: Caster level 6th. Save DC's are Charisma-based.
At will - Locate Creature, True Seeing
3/day - Haste, Silence, True Strike
1/day - Blindness/Deafness, Teleport
Summoner's Poison (Su): This poison is specifically prepared for the individual the Siphonut is sent for. If stung the victim must succeed on a DC 30 fortitude save each day or suffer 1 point of Constitution drain. Neither this poison, nor its effects, can be defeated by any spell lower than 9th level, and then only upon the plane where the victim is to be summoned. The victim may at any time stop fighting the poison and allow it to transport the victim as the Planeshift power as close as possible to the locale where they are to be tried. Because of the supernatural make of the poison even creatures immune to poison can be affected if they fail the initial save, though such creatures do not have to make additional saves afterwards. The poison is only effective on the preplanned victim, which must be alive to be affected.
Skills: A Siphonut has a +6 racial bonus on concentration and spot checks.
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Note: For those of you who think this poison to be overpowered, compare it with other creatures who have save or die powers, and that this poison is not immediately deadly.
He means it's one of the creatures of Mechanus: the Lawful Outsiders that hunt down certain transgressors of the (thought to be) unwritten laws of the multiverse.
They've got a section in the Monster Manual.
I can see this particular Inevitable used for a lot of different campaign hooks... I like the potential it has to be more than just another random encounter.
__________________ Flowers blanket all the countryside like freshly fallen snow
I know the answer's waiting somewhere, as it was once long ago
Do you wait to cross the river from the shores of shallow tide?
And what will happen to your phantom if you reach the other side?
...Hear me crying...
Avatar by Kairaven.
Having run out of ideas for making innocent things terrifying, the Tribble goes back to things are simply terrifying in their own right.
Good make overall, but I don't know about the deft strike ability. It seem a bit too good.
What's overpowered about it? It's just a feat from the Complete Adventurer with the requirements stripped down. The fact that it will only ever use that ability on the one person it was designed to strike against kind of mutes the lethality of it, anyway.
I don't think this is something a DM would send at somebody to actually kill them, but it's a great story hook. What would a character do, knowing that he is slowly dying a little more each day?
__________________ Flowers blanket all the countryside like freshly fallen snow
I know the answer's waiting somewhere, as it was once long ago
Do you wait to cross the river from the shores of shallow tide?
And what will happen to your phantom if you reach the other side?
...Hear me crying...
Avatar by Kairaven.
What would a character do, knowing that he is slowly dying a little more each day?
Go to the trial? I mean, really, I've never heard of Mechanus or his/her (its!?) Inevitables before but judging by their names they sound like a compassionate, warm, forgiving lot. It'll probably be better off than humiliating yourself in front of everyone you know in a childish attempt to avoid going to court.
Actually, that was bad wording on my part: Mechanus is the Plane of Law, where the Inevitables are from. Just like Baator has Devils and the Seven Mounting Heavens has Archons, Mechanus has Inevitables.
These clockwork Outsiders enforce the laws of the multiverse, and each has a specific function. A Marut, for example, is sent after those who cheat death an extraordinary number of times. A Siphonut, it seems, gets sent after anything another Inevitable fails to bring to justice. The wording of the Summoner's Poison seems to indicate that transgressors are not always brought to Mechanus... which is an interesting possibility I had never considered before. (Hey, here's a novel idea! I'll link the SRD!)
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A question, however, regarding the wording of Summoner's Poison: Is it supposed to be overcomable by magic, or not? It says it can, but then the wording shifts as if it's not... I am confuzzled.
__________________ Flowers blanket all the countryside like freshly fallen snow
I know the answer's waiting somewhere, as it was once long ago
Do you wait to cross the river from the shores of shallow tide?
And what will happen to your phantom if you reach the other side?
...Hear me crying...
Avatar by Kairaven.
"Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an Siphonut must hit with two of its arms. 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 use its Stinger, but never beforehand. " (emphasis mine)
So are you saying that it can't use its stinger without grappling with the foe first? If so, why is the stinger listed as the primary attack?
Great, yet ANOTHER (semi-)normal thing to fear in a VT campaign...
;)
Anyways, I like it. Great concept and stuff, not so good with the crunchy stuff but it looks good to me!
__________________
"'There aren't any beginnings,' Burton said. 'Nor any ends.
It seems to me that man has engaged in a blind and fearful struggle out of
a past he can't remember, into a future he can't foresee nor understand.
And man has met and defeated every obstacle, every enemy except one.
He cannot win over himself.'"
~John Steinbeck~ My Homebrew(Most Recent) | Forum Rules | IRC
Great, yet ANOTHER (semi-)normal thing to fear in a VT campaign...
;)
Anyways, I like it. Great concept and stuff, not so good with the crunchy stuff but it looks good to me!
You should already be afraid of Inevitables, judging from what I read about them in the SRD. They're like what Miko would be if she was a super-powerful near-invincible robot thing.
A question, however, regarding the wording of Summoner's Poison: Is it supposed to be overcomable by magic, or not? It says it can, but then the wording shifts as if it's not... I am confuzzled.
Whoops, adjusted.
Quote:
So are you saying that it can't use its stinger without grappling with the foe first? If so, why is the stinger listed as the primary attack?
At risk of losing the feel of the thing with OOCness, basically so it has a better chance of hitting with the stinger. The legs have six chances to hit, the stinger has one.
Quote:
You should already be afraid of Inevitables, judging from what I read about them in the SRD. They're like what Miko would be if she was a super-powerful near-invincible robot thing.
First of all: nice! I wonder what level the spell would be to summon it (if you don't know what I mean: the spell compendium has calling spells for the three MM inevitables). My first thought was that you would heal the con damage at the same rate you took it, but then I saw it was drain and all was well. Not to mess with how you put it, but I would also consider using it as an advance before the inevitables, if this can't get them to the trial then the ineveitables would go out and do the dirty work themselves, but that's just my style.
Not to mess with how you put it, but I would also consider using it as an advance before the inevitables, if this can't get them to the trial then the ineveitables would go out and do the dirty work themselves, but that's just my style.
Well, except that many of them try to give a chance for you to come peacefully. I saw this as more of a creature who comes in when all diplomacy has failed to deliver the ultimatum in a swift in and out venture.
Well, except that many of them try to give a chance for you to come peacefully. I saw this as more of a creature who comes in when all diplomacy has failed to deliver the ultimatum in a swift in and out venture.
This has a very "last resort" feeling to it (which I think that you wanted). If you can get past this, then Mechanus just gives up on you (Or they send inevitable armies).
…Can it have "zig" in its name somewhere? So a sad person (not me) can have fun saying:
Take off every 'zig'; you know what you doing.
Move 'zig', for great justice.
Or a derivative.
Oh, this doesn't work on any lich or other undead who can break the laws Inevitables uphold.
Why not? It specifically mentions that creatures otherwise immune to poison are still affected by Summoner's Poison.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by GungHo, on Battletech
The Atlas is also goofy but it has that whole "Stay Puft Marshmallow Man" menacing smile thing going for it. The guy who drew that one up was obviously taken to the Nutcracker when he was a child... and he was screaming in terror the entire time.
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enterti, Cogidubnus
Glyphstone, out of all the playground I think you scare me the most...
Maybe allow them to inject positoxins too, and cover that base as well?
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by GungHo, on Battletech
The Atlas is also goofy but it has that whole "Stay Puft Marshmallow Man" menacing smile thing going for it. The guy who drew that one up was obviously taken to the Nutcracker when he was a child... and he was screaming in terror the entire time.
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enterti, Cogidubnus
Glyphstone, out of all the playground I think you scare me the most...
VT, I get the feeling that your players rarely live through your campaigns. With the sheer amount of monsters in and around your worlds, I doubt Player Race life would be possible.
Maybe allow them to inject positoxins too, and cover that base as well?
Ermmm... that sounds like another monster needing made ;)
Quote:
VT, I get the feeling that your players rarely live through your campaigns. With the sheer amount of monsters in and around your worlds, I doubt Player Race life would be possible.
Not at all, I probably don't use even a fifth of my creatures in my games if ever. My current one is arctic themed and I have maybe a dozen or three creatures tops that would even exist in it.
I just make monsters as a hobby, generally without any real intention of using them myself.
Eh, point there. You could probably publish all your creatures into a new book. Or is that the project I've heard a bit about recently.
I'm submitting queries for a number of articles to Dragon magazine, seeing if they want any of the creatures. If not though I might look into putting it all together.
I just make monsters as a hobby, generally without any real intention of using them myself.
In that case, hope you don't mind if I shamelessly use some of yours.
__________________
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.
Needs Pounce, just to fit the flavor (I'm imagining it dropping onto people into a grapple).
Also, I'd probably move the Stinger down to Special Attacks (to allow it to use full BAB, but only be conditional), and make it (probably) ignore the -4 penalty on attacks while grappling, and possibly also deny dex and give the target -4 to AC while pinned (as if it was another creature).
Possibly also make it so that either its True Strike or Deft Strike applies to all attacks it makes in a Pounce. Probably True Strike, with Deft Strike being what it uses while grappling.
The idea behind these changes is to make it so that it stands a chance of hitting things that a Marut would fail against.
Also, perhaps, to fit the suicide mission theme, it can gain some stat increases (strength, especially; it needs to be a better grappler), activating this as a free action, but takes damage every round that this is active, loses Fast Healing, and can't turn it off (it has to die).
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You shall thwart justice no longer! (PEACH)
