Homebrew DesignRoll up your sleeves and get working: there's lots of homebrewin' to be done! Post your custom creation for critiques or review those of your peers.
He watched as the lid was covered over, her sweet face never to be seen again. He gripped the rose in his hand till blood trickled from his palm, the thorns biting deep. The figure looked down at the bloom and blood numbly, but then his eyes came alive and a thought trilled through his mind...
Tiny Construct
Hit Dice: 1d10 (5 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 0 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (+5 alchemical, +3 dex, +2 size), touch 20, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-8
Attack: Thorns +5 melee (1d2-4 plus sweet agony)
Full attack: Thorns +5 melee (1d2-4 plus sweet agony)
Space/Reach: 0 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, scent of death, sweet agony
Special Qualities: Blindsense 60 ft., construct traits, damage reduction 1/magic, gentle repose, regeneration 1, wet with tears
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 16, Con -, Int -, Wis 19, Cha 5
Skills: -
Feats: Weapon Finesse(B)
Environment: Any land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -
The Rose Immortal is a creation first considered by a mage who grieved horribly the parting of his wife. Nightmares of her being risen in undeath plagued his sleep that night and gave inspiration that would help ease his heart. He would be certain she would not crumble to dust, and possibly, just possibly, perhaps she could be brought to life in the future...
Thus the Rose Immortal, with the aid of his church, was created, a planting upon the grave that would stand ever vigilant over a loved one. So popular was this idea that many a wealthy man or woman made call upon the church for such to be put upon the grave of a family member or friend.
A Rose Immortal appears as a small tangle of thorns and foliage with a single large, vibrantly beautiful rose atop. Dew continuously beads upon the petals and leaves, tinged with a deep crimson hue. An immortal rose can only guard the grave of the individual it shares the blood of. If removed from the grave in any way it dies immediately. Otherwise it lies forever atop the grave, its charge beneath remaining untouched by the passage of time.
Combat
An immortal rose lies quiescent until the grave or its marker is in any way disturbed. It then rears up, its thorns lengthening and enlarging as it slashes at the defiler.
Gentle Repose (Sp):
An immortal rose generates a continual Gentle Repose affect out to ten feet in all directions.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a rose immortal must hit with a thorn attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
A Rose Immortal recieve a +4 bonus on grapple checks, which is already included in the statistics above.
Regeneration (Ex): Fire and acid deal normal damage to a rose immortal.
Scent of Death (Ex):
When an immortal rose is reduced to 0 hit points it it evaporates violently in a forceless explosion. In an area ten feet wide and ten fee tall the area fills with a light red haze that smells horribly of the musky scent of rancid blood and rose oil. Those within the cloud must succeed on a DC 11 fortitude save or become nauseated for the time they remain within, plus 1d4+1 rounds after. This cloud lasts for 6 rounds.
A moderate wind (11+ mph), disperses the haze in 4 rounds. A strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the haze in 1 round. The save DC is fortitude based (with the immortal rose having a Constitution score of 10 for the purpose of this ability).
Sweet Agony (Su):
The prick of a rose immortal is incredibly painful, but oddly this pain, like the remembered times of happiness with a deceased loved one, also has a joy to it. Each prick deals 1d4 constitution damage from blood loss and fills the one pricked with a bittersweet melancholy. This acts as a combined Crushing Despair and Lullaby spell cast by a 7th level caster. Those who successfully grapple the rose automatically take thorn and sweet agony damage each round it is held. Damage and affects stack with each blow. If the victim is reduced to 0 con by this bloodloss he does not die, but falls into a dreamless sleep. If any other source deals even one more point of constitution or hit point damage the victim of the sweet agony dies.
Wet With Tears (Ex):
A rose immortal's moisture helps it to wriggle out of clutching grasps, giving it a +6 bonus to free itself from grapple checks.
Construction
An immortal rose is made from the cuttings of the healthiest, largest rosebush one can find. It is then placed in a mixture of holy water, a potion of cure light wounds, and the blood of the corpse the rose is to guard. The materials cost 75 gp. After it has soaked up the concoction it is then removed and treated with special alchemical substances that simultaneously poison and preserves the rose. Treating the rose requires a DC 12 Craft (alchemy) check. The rose's creator may prepare the rose or hire someone else to do the job.
It is then animated through an extended magical ritual that requires a specially prepared laboratory or workroom, similar to an alchemist’s laboratory and costing 500 gp to establish. If the creator is personally treating the rose, the treating and ritual can be performed together.
Craft Construct, crushing despair, gentle repose, mending, caster must be at least 7th level; Price 2,100 gp; Cost 1,050 gp + 78 XP.
Last edited by The Vorpal Tribble : 02-13-2008 at 11:36 AM.
My hat is off to you VT. Each an everyone of your creature creations are interesting and amazing. Anyone or all of them I would love to include into any game I run. Congrats, bravo and adulations. Keep up the good work.
This is by far the best "monster" I have ever seen. Sure, there are cooler monsters in the MM, but no other monster has such a good fluff. Congrats.
I like it too. I wasn't sure where you were going with it at first, but by the end I liked it. I think its very reasonable to think someone would create something similar. Although I think you need to clarify that it will only guard the corpse it was created for, and only do gentle repose on that corpse. Otherwise you will have PCs who keep one in their portable hole to through the other PCs dead bodies in.
Or if you are going to allow it to be potted and ported, you will need to make it more expensive.
Although I think you need to clarify that it will only guard the corpse it was created for, and only do gentle repose on that corpse. Otherwise you will have PCs who keep one in their portable hole to through the other PCs dead bodies in.
Or if you are going to allow it to be potted and ported, you will need to make it more expensive.
Wouldn't that be covered by "An immortal rose can only guard the grave of the individual it shares the blood of. If removed from the grave in any way it dies immediately." ? ;)
At first, I thought this creature would be filled mainly with fluffy goodness. However, as I read, I discovered that this could be used as a deception for the PCs. I'm even thinking up morally puzzling adventure hooks right now. Hats off to you, Tribble of Vorpal-icity.
78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern.
If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
I finally remembered this account after two years. If I begin to get nostalgic, just snap me out of it. Don't worry, I don't expect you to remember me.
Wonderful. Do you mind people using your monsters?
Nope, use any you like. My only request is let me know how it goes. Have yet to have anyone tell me how anything they used of mine affected the party ;)
[nitpick]Shouldnt lullaby be included in the spell requisites? [/nitpick]
Maybe, but several other constructs also have abilities that the spells in the construction don't quite allow for. It acts as lullaby, as in they get very contemplative and thus aren't very alert, hence the penalties to spot and listen, but it isn't actually the lullaby spell.
(also the fact that lullaby is a bard only spell, and would require the maker to do some serious cross-classing, so all in all, just left it out ;) )
Quote:
Cool, well I'm using this one probally next week, I'll let you know.
(also the fact that lullaby is a bard only spell, and would require the maker to do some serious cross-classing, so all in all, just left it out ;) )
No cross classing requried, you can borrow spells from other players to meet pre-reqs(in fact, you can use meet any pre-requisites supplied by any number of characters, a cleric, wizard, and bard could conspire to create an object where the bard gives the XP, the wizard gives the feat, and the cleric gives the spell) , use extra spell to attain the spell, research the spell via spell research rules or dip 1 bard(its a cantrip after all).
It seems like something that would be a "special request" if that were the case too, as the church would have had to research the spell originally or go find a bard to provide the lullaby.
No cross classing requried, you can borrow spells from other players to meet pre-reqs(in fact, you can use meet any pre-requisites supplied by any number of characters, a cleric, wizard, and bard could conspire to create an object where the bard gives the XP, the wizard gives the feat, and the cleric gives the spell) , use extra spell to attain the spell, research the spell via spell research rules or dip 1 bard(its a cantrip after all).
It seems like something that would be a "special request" if that were the case too, as the church would have had to research the spell originally or go find a bard to provide the lullaby.
Aye, true. Just felt it'd be a little overcomplicated for a cantrip if you didn't have a party of such broad talents.
Aye, true. Just felt it'd be a little overcomplicated for a cantrip if you didn't have a party of such broad talents.
How much does it cost to hire an NPC bard for 1 day?
30 more GP (or whatever) isnt going to make much of a dent on a 1000 gp item anyway.
edit: On another note, one of my favorite fun tricks for fighters is to hire an NPC adept to follow me around and heal when nessesary. 60 GP = 2 month of adventuring. Hell of a lot cheaper than potions!
Thats definetely the way to go. I've always wondered why not buy an army to adventure with. By 5th level or so you have morem oney that you can use easily.
Thats definetely the way to go. I've always wondered why not buy an army to adventure with. By 5th level or so you have morem oney that you can use easily.
Armies start getting expensive fast.
I mean, lets say you want a band of 100 first level warriors.
That is 100 GP per day for the warriors.
But now you need to provide each of them with a breastplate and a longsword, another 165 gp apiece, 16,500 GP.
Now you need to feed them. .1 silver a day= another 10 GP, no big deal right?
But you need to ship the food wherever they go, so you need to hire another 50 guys, supply them with carts and weapons, feed them, and deal with things along the road. Bam, that is another 9,000 in overhead, 55 extra GP a day, and you have to deal with the crap that happens on the road, loss of supplies, theft. missbehaviour.
So you are going to constantly need to be resupplying, 10 GP a day to hire someone to do that(professional work), officers (you are going to need at least a 1:10 officier man ratio) at 10 GP a day and then a commander at 20 gp/day.
So to field 100 a 100 warrior army for a month you are looking at 34,350 gp, not including the fact that you have to deal with all the **** they are going to get into.
it gets better the long you field them, but it sure aint cheap, your per-month costs are around 8850 gp for a 100 warrior army.
So you are going to need some taxes on a decent size city to field that kind of force ;)
I mean, lets say you want a band of 100 first level warriors.
That is 100 GP per day for the warriors.
But now you need to provide each of them with a breastplate and a longsword, another 165 gp apiece, 16,500 GP.
Now you need to feed them. .1 silver a day= another 10 GP, no big deal right?
But you need to ship the food wherever they go, so you need to hire another 50 guys, supply them with carts and weapons, feed them, and deal with things along the road.
SNIP
So you are going to need some taxes on a decent size city to field that kind of force ;)
Actually, a general save-the-city-from-an-army-of-ravaging-monsters works just fine. When you kill one hundred goblins, you get their weapons.
Decanter of Endless Water takes care of the water problem, although food is harder to get by.
The "Immortal Rose" concept has a lovely serene melancholy to it. I can't help thinking that's a little bit spolied by having it up sticks and attack the players.
The "Immortal Rose" concept has a lovely serene melancholy to it. I can't help thinking that's a little bit spolied by having it up sticks and attack the players.
Well, it wouldn't be too hard to make it into an item. Was just going for a protecter against grave robbers.
You made an error with the gas description. I'm pretty sure the gust of wind spell is faster than 10mph. I thinkn it's more like 70, enough to check a medium creature, and therefore disperse the cloud in 1 round.
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"Four exclamation points; the true sign of a Mad Man." -Terry Pratchett
You made an error with the gas description. I'm pretty sure the gust of wind spell is faster than 10mph. I thinkn it's more like 70, enough to check a medium creature, and therefore disperse the cloud in 1 round.
And if you run into this one Mr. Tribble don't take it. I'd feel there's something wrong with it. Especially if you have to climb a mountain because it's up there for a reason.
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[Creature] Die of a rose in aromatic pain...
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