Drop Vine
This undead plant grows over common dungeon passages and gaps in the forest.
These wandering vines wrap themselves around trees and survive on moonlight through a process called lunasynthesis. They slowly draw nutrients from the soil and their unwilling hosts, invading dimly-lit natural groves, mausoleums and other such locales where they can acquire better sustenance from the fluids of corpses.
Underground, these plants’ roots and tendrils will often stick through the soft soil ceilings of natural caverns, which drop down upon their tender prey.
Drop Vine CR 5
Undead plant
Neutral Evil Medium plant
Init: +2 Senses: Blindsight 45 ft. Listen +1, Spot +1
Aura: Fatiguing Radiance 30 ft.
Languages: none
AC: 16 (+5 Natural, +1 Dex) touch 11, flatfooted 15
HP: 70 (HD 8d12)
Immune: Unholy
Fort: +5 Ref: +2 Will: +3
Weakness: Holy
MV: 10 ft.
Attack: +3 vine 1d6+3
Full Attack: 2 attacks with +3 vine 1d6+3
Attack Options: improved grab
Space / Reach: 10 ft. / 10 ft.
Base Attack: +6 Grapple: +17
Abilities Str 16 Dex 13 Con – Int 3 Wis 12 Cha 13
SQ: undead and plant traits
SA: improved grab, blood drain
Feats: Improved Grapple, Weapon Focus Tendril
Skills: +8 Move Silently
Possessions: whatever was left by previous victims: standard treasure.
Improved Grab (Ex): Upon a successful melee attack, drop vines can attempt to start a grapple with their enemies. Upon a successful grapple, they will draw their victims in toward their central body. If they are successful, they get another attack.
Blood Drain (Ex): At the start of its round, each living creature caught in a grapple with a drop vine will take 1d4 points of constitution damage.
Blindsight (Ex): Drop Vines have no visual organs but can ascertain all foes within 45 feet using sound, scent, and vibration.
Anyone with ranks in Survival or Knowledge (nature) can use one of those skills instead of Spot to notice the plant. Dwarves can use stonecunning to notice the subterranean version.
Undead and Plant Traits:
– Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
– Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain.
– Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.
– Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, disease, and death effects.
– Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
– Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.
Posted in Creature and tagged plant, undead by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Deep Forest Dragon
Just in time for GenCon, here’s another new True Dragon for you to use in your games. For anyone going to Indianapolis, I’ll see you at the gaming table!
-Adam “doom” Thompson
Known variously as Storm Dragons, Iron Dragons, and Deep Forest Dragons, these dragons are very wise and calm, like an ancient sequoia. They spend their time outside of their lairs hiding as part of the landscape once the are old enough to blend in. Often, iron dragons are friendly to druids, as their calmness lends to neutral tendencies. In general they are very reclusive, hiding in forest and mountain terrain. They bear a great enmity to green dragons, who they consider pushy, rapacious and cruel.
Among other elder forests, Deep Forest Dragons live in the untainted part of Elsemere Wood.
Storm / Deep Forest / Iron Dragon
Iron Dragon
Size/Type: Dragon (Earth)
Environment: Temperate forests, hills and mountains
Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2-5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1-2 and 2-5 offspring)
Challenge Rating: Wyrmling 4; very young 5; young 7; juvenile 10; young adult 13; adult 15; mature adult 18; old 20; very old 21; ancient 23; wyrm 24; great wyrm 26
Treasure: Triple standard
Alignment: neutral good with lawful tendencies
Advancement: Wyrmling 8-9 HD; very young 11-12 HD; young 14-15 HD; juvenile 17-18 HD; young adult 20-21 HD; adult 23-24 HD; mature adult 26-27 HD; old 29-30 HD; very old 32-33 HD; ancient 35-36 HD; wyrm 38-39 HD; great wyrm 41+ HD
Level Adjustment: Wyrmling +4; very young +4; young +5; others —
A iron wyrmling’s scales are green-gray with iron highlights. As the dragon approaches adulthood, its color gradually dulls into reds until the hide has the color of a moss-covered redwood. Iron dragons have vestigial wings that do not allow them to fly but that assist them in burrowing.
Combat
Iron dragons are generally calm and do not seek out combat except when faced with intrusively destructive or aggressive foes. Stealth and ambush are the chief tactics of iron dragons. After preparing with barkskin and magic fang, they will burrow up beneath foes or lie camouflaged and use call lightning to harry foes before showing themselves.
Breath Weapon (Su): A iron dragon has two types of breath weapon, a cone of wind and a cone of lightning. Creatures within a cone of wind must succeed on a strength check opposed by the breath weapon DC or be moved away from the dragon as though bull rushed (1 ft for every 2 points by which the check is failed). The cone of electricity does damage as listed below.
Skills: Hide, Wilderness Lore, Knowledge (Nature), and Spellcraft are considered class skills for iron dragons.
| Age | Speed | Initiative | AC | Special Abilities | Caster Level |
SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||
| Wyrmling | 40 ft., Burrow 20 ft. | +0 | 17 (+1 size, +6 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 17 | immunity to acid & electricity | — | — |
| Very young | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 19 (+9 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 19 | Calm emotions 3 / day | — | — |
| Young | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 22 (+12 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 22 | Wind wall 3 / day | 1st | — |
| Juvenile | 40 ft.,Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 24 (-1 size, +15 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 24 | DR 5/magic |
3rd | — |
| Young adult | 40 ft.,Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 27 (-1 size, +18 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 27 | Call lightning 1/ day | 5th | 20 |
| Adult | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 29 (-2 size, +21 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 29 | DR 10/magic |
7th | 22 |
| Mature adult | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 32 (-2 size, +24 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 32 | Plant growth 1 / day, Rusting Grasp 1 / day |
9th | 24 |
| Old | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 35 (-2 size, +27 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 35 | DR 15/magic | 11th | 26 |
| Very old | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 38 (-2 size, +30 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 38 | Control winds 1 / day, Transmute Metal to Wood 1 / day |
13th | 27 |
| Ancient | 40 ft., Burrow 40 ft. | +0 | 39 (-4 size, +33 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 39 | DR 20/magic | 15th | 29 |
| Wyrm | 40 ft., Burrow 40 ft. | +0 | 42 (-4 size, +36 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 42 | Earthquake 1 / day |
17th | 30 |
| Great wyrm | 40 ft., , Burrow 40 ft. | +0 | 41 (-8 size, +39 natural), touch 2, flat-footed 41 | Control weather 1 / day | 19th | 32 |
| Age | Size | Hit Dice (hp) | Str | Dex | Con | Int | Wis | Cha | Base Attack/ Grapple |
Attack | Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Breath Weapon (DC) |
Frightful Presence DC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyrmling | S | 7d12+7 (52) | 13 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | +7/+4 | +9 | +6 | +5 | +7 | 2d6 (14) | — |
| Very young | M | 10d12+20 (85) | 15 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 12 | +10/+12 | +12 | +9 | +7 | +9 | 4d6 (17) | — |
| Young | M | 13d12+26 (110) | 17 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | +13/+16 | +16 | +10 | +8 | +11 | 6d6 (18) | — |
| Juvenile | L | 16d12+48 (152) | 19 | 10 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 16 | +16/+24 | +19 | +13 | +10 | +14 | 8d6 (21) | — |
| Young adult | L | 19d12+76 (199) | 23 | 10 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 16 | +19/+29 | +24 | +15 | +11 | +15 | 10d6 (23) | 23 |
| Adult | H | 22d12+110 (253) | 27 | 10 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 18 | +22/+38 | +28 | +18 | +13 | +18 | 12d6 (26) | 26 |
| Mature adult | H | 25d12+125 (287) | 29 | 10 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 18 | +25/+42 | +32 | +19 | +14 | +19 | 14d6 (27) | 27 |
| Old | H | 28d12+168 (350) | 31 | 10 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 20 | +28/+46 | +36 | +22 | +16 | +22 | 16d6 (30) | 30 |
| Very old | H | 31d12+186 (387) | 33 | 10 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 22 | +31/+50 | +40 | +23 | +17 | +24 | 18d6 (31) | 32 |
| Ancient | G | 34d12+238 (459) | 35 | 10 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 24 | +34/+58 | +42 | +26 | +19 | +27 | 20d6 (34) | 35 |
| Wyrm | G | 37d12+333 (573) | 39 | 10 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 26 | +37/+63 | +47 | +29 | +20 | +29 | 22d6 (37) | 37 |
| Great wyrm | C | 40d12+400 (660) | 43 | 10 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 28 | +40/+72 | +48 | +32 | +22 | +32 | 24d6 (40) | 40 |
Posted in Creature and tagged dragon, earth subtype, true dragon by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Shadow Mastiffs
Here’s another encounter from the upcoming adventure The Horror of the Old Ones. A group of shadow mastiffs hunt this portion of the Elsemere Woods.
Here in the deep shadows of the thick canopy, beyond the foliage to the side of the trail, there is a gully with what appears to be a deep cave or burrow in it’s side.
Creatures: a pack of shadow mastiffs calls this cave home. Having heard the approaching party, they have spread out along the path in two pairs and wait in the shadows, with total concealment due to their shadow blend ability.
Shadow Mastiffs (4): HP: 27, 27, 28, 29
Tactics: The two pairs will pounce on, flank and trip the two weakest looking party members. If successful in tripping someone, one will take the opportunity on their next round to howl, hoping to panic and scare off those not being attacked. If brought to half hit points the dark hounds will pull back and howl, hoping to thin the numbers of their foes. If unsuccessful in scaring anyone they will flee once brought to 1/4 hit points.
Treasure: Within the cave, amongst the bones of many creatures, there are 200 gold, 2000 silver, a jeweled anklet worth 1000 gold, and a ring of blinking (worth 27,000 gold).
Posted in Encounter and tagged Elsemere Wood by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Crafting Artificer Prestige Class
Skills: Craft (any) 7 ranks.
Feats: Skill Focus (concentration), any three Item Creation Feats
Class Features
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
| Level | Base Attack | Fort | Ref | Will | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Item craft time reduced by 10%, spells per day +1 level of existing class |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Item craft time reduced by 20%, spells per day +1 level of existing class |
| 3rd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Item craft time reduced by 30%, spells per day +1 level of existing class |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Item craft time reduced by 40%, spells per day +1 level of existing class |
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Item craft time reduced by 50%, spells per day +1 level of existing class |
Item craft time: As crafting artifacers gain class levels, the amount of time it takes them to craft magic items is reduced. Thus, at 1st level of crafting artifacer, a magic item that costs 1100 gp to create takes one day, instead of two. At 5th level, the crafting artifacer can create magic items twice as fast as normal magic item crafters: 2000gp per day.
This reduction in crafting time does not in any way reduce the other costs related to magic item creation, including XP cost.
Spells per day: When a new crafting artifacer level is gained, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that she adds the level of crafting artifacer to the level of some other spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly.
Posted in Magic Item and tagged prestige class by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Eviscerate
Eviscerate
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One corpse
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: None
This spell removes the flesh from already dead corpses, leaving only bone. The caster determines what parts of the body become clear of flesh.
Posted in Spell and tagged necromancy, sorcerer / wizard spell level 0 by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
A Touch of Magic or A Touch of Faith
For some people, by an accident of birth, or a confluence of the stars, a smattering of arcane study, or a blessing by a fairy godparent, there is a certain natural ability for magic, or a special blessing by the gods. This affinity or blessing allows these people to cast a few small spells every day.
Requirements:
These feats are only available to characters who do not have any spellcasting abilities when they take them. They allow the character to cast a few low-level spells in spite of a lack of extensive magical or ecclesiastical training.
If choosing cleric or druid spells, the character must have a wisdom of 10 or higher. If choosing wizard spells, the character must have a intelligence score of 10 or higher. And if choosing bard or sorcerer spells, the character must have a charisma score of 10 or higher.
Benefit:
Option 1: the recipient of this feat can cast one 0th level spells per day. This spell must be prepared from either the cleric, druid or wizard list. The recipient of this feat must choose which list at the time that they take this feat. If choosing wizard, use the character’s intelligence score to determine save DCs, and if cleric or druid, use wisdom. These spellcasting abilities require a holy symbol or a spellbook just as the spellcasting abilities of the classes they mimic.
Option 2: the recipient of this feat can cast two 0th level spells per day. These spells can be cast spontaneously, and require no preparation. At the time the feat is chosen, the recipient must choose three spells from either the 0th level sorcerer or the 0th level bard spell lists as the available “known spells” from which to cast this spell. Use the character’s charisma score to determine spell save DCs.
Regardless of which option is chosen, these spells are considered separate from and stack with any spells gained from the character’s other spellcasting features.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged feat by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Issue 8
Without further adieu (or delay), here is issue 8, featuring mountain passes and their denizens.
This issue of Claw/Claw/Bite! includes
- Four new creatures, including the Loxodon and Stone Trolls
- Several new campaign locations
- Two new encounters
- Four new magic items, including a spell component that lets casters spontaneously maximize their spells
- Two new spells
- Four new NPCs: necromancers, half-silver dragons and more!
For a free preview, click here.
Get it HERE now!
And you can check out other issues of Claw/Claw/Bite! HERE
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged CCB issue by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Anti-Mage
Anti-mages are specialists in preventing arcane magic effects. They become increasingly quick at counterspelling, and begin to lose their normal spellcasting abilities. As the anti-mage advances, she takes on less and less magic abilities, appearing more like a fighter or rogue. Unfortunately, with the extreme loss of arcane power that enables the anti-magic abilities, there is a high rate of madness among anti-mages. Anti-mages also age at rapid rates proportional to their level.
Hit Die: d4.
Requirements
To qualify to become an anti-mage, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 15 ranks, Spellcraft 15 ranks.
Feats: Skill Focus (Spellcraft), Spell Focus in two schools of magic. These two schools will be the two that the anti-mage is most effective against (+5 to counterspell).
Spells: Ability to cast 5th-level arcane spells, knowledge of 4th-level or higher spells from at least two schools.
Class Skills
The anti-mage’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (alchemy) (Int), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
| Level | Base Attack | Fort | Ref | Will | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | -2 | Chance to counterspell all spells +1, SR 10, -1 known spell per level |
| 2nd | +1 | +1 | +1 | -3 | Counterspell +2, SR 13, -2 known spells for levels 1-2, -1 for levels 3+ |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +2 | -3 | Counterspell +4, SR 16, -3 known spells for levels 1-3, -2 for levels 4+ |
| 4th | +2 | +2 | +3 | -4 | Counterspell +8, SR 19, -4 known spells for levels 1-4, -3 for levels 5+, can create anti-magic areas that last for 5 hours |
| 5th | +2 | +2 | +4 | -4 | Counterspell +10, SR 22, -5 known spells for levels 1-5, -4 for levels 7+, can create anti-magic areas that last for a day |
| 6th | +3 | +3 | +5 | -5 | Counterspell +14, SR 25, loses all magical abilities, can sunder magical items, can create anti-magic areas that last for 6 days |
| 7th | +4 | +3 | +6 | -6 | Counterspell +18, SR 28, arcane magic items cannot affect the anti-mage, for good or ill, can sunder artifacts, can create permanent anti-magic areas |
Class Features
All the following are Class Features of the anti-mage prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Anti-mages gain no special proficiency with any weapon or armor. However, there are certain anti-mages that use shields as their focus. These anti-mages can wield shields normally as well as for magical shielding purposes.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: When a new anti-mage level is gained, the character loses the capacity to cast as many spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in whatever arcane spellcasting class in which he could cast 7th-level spells before he added the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If a character had more than one arcane spellcasting class in which he could cast 7th-level spells before he became an anti-mage, he must decide to which class he removes each level of anti-mage for the purpose of determining spells per day.
Create Anti-magic Zone (Su): The anti-mage can create a 30’x30′ space wherein spells are ineffective. This lasts as long as listed in the character level above.
Mastery of Counterspelling: When the anti-mage counterspells a spell, it is turned back upon the caster as if it were fully affected by a spell turning spell. If the spell cannot be affected by spell turning, then it is merely counterspelled. The counterspelling ability of anti-mages increases with each level: 1,2,4,8,10,14,18.
Sunder Magical Items: The anti-mage can attempt to destroy magic items at +20 to sunder.
Sunder Artifacts: As magic items, but including artifacts and other unique items.
Arcane Magic Resistance: Anti-mages gain improved innate spell resistance for every level they gain.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged prestige class by Stephen Hilderbrand with 1 comment.