DIY Creature - Thagobask


Homebrew and House Rules


Made a little lizard for the party to stumble across (and potentially be hired to protect/rescue from poachers/bandits by the mayor of a nearby town), thought I'd post it here to see if anyone likes it. For reference, This is a Thagomizer :)

Thagobask (Thagomizer + Bask)
"This thin, armor plated gecko possesses a whip-like tail from which four flat spikes protrude near the tip."
NG Tiny Magical Beast
Senses Low-light Vision

AC 16, (+2 Dex, +2 natural, +2 size)
hp 10 (2d10)
Immune Electricity, Resist Acid 5, Fire 5, cold 5

Speed 30ft., swim 20ft, climb 10ft
Melee gore +6 (1d4)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft (5ft with gore)

Str 10, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 14
Base Atk +2
Feats Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Finesse(b)

Peircing Fury (Ex)
A thagobask can roll up into a ball, increasing its natural armor bonus by 3 but decreasing its speed to 0. While doing so it can use a full-round action to make one gore attack at its highest base attack bonus against each creature within reach, as if using the whirlwind attack feat.

Solar Dependancy (Ex)
A thagobask’s unique magical anatomy requires sunlight to function correctly. If a thagobask does not spend at least 1 hour in direct sunlight during any given day, it becomes fatigued the following day, and exhausted the next. This sunlight does not need to be particularly strong and the thagobask is able to gain enough sunlight to prevent negative effects even during days with heavy cloud, though at the GM’s discretion it may take slightly longer to do so. A thagobask can survive without absorbing sunlight in this way for a number of continuous days equal to half its constitution score, at which point the thagobask dies. The negative effects of this ability cannot be removed or reset by any means, except by spending at least 1 hour in direct sunlight or by spending at least three rounds within the radius of magical light created by the Daylight spell.

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A strikingly beautiful coastal lizard, when a thagobask moves, it does so at with grace and purpose. Aside from its dazzling scales, the first thing that most people notice about a thagobask are the two pairs of dagger-like spikes sticking out on either side of its disproportionately long tail. If a thagobask is threatened, it can whip itself into a defensive ball and strike out with these spikes, thrashing around to deter predators or to potentially break through a hunter’s net. Possessing supernatural levels of energy, it can keep up such defensive displays for days at a time before finally succumbing to exhaustion.

Despite its unusual vigor, a thagobask still requires conventional nourishment to survive, with its preferred diet being seaweed or similar aquatic vegetation. It compensates for the lack of teeth in its tiny mouth by shredding its food into more manageable pieces with the spikes of its dextrous tail. While not grazing, these creatures spend the vast majority of their time bathing in sunlight along cliff-faces, using their tails as climbing picks or to anchor themselves to the rocks so they can rest, away from the dangers of predators. This time is also important to the thagobasks, as it enables them to gather in small numbers to socialise and communicate with one-another, usually through low gurgles and sharp chirps. When seen from afar, such gatherings lend patches of the cliff-face an iridescent blue-gold gleam as the thagobasks soak up the radiance of the sun. Should a thagobask be unable to take in sunlight in this way for a prolonged period of time, its body gradually deteriorates, it becomes lethargic, and ultimately it dies.

A thagobask's rarity, combined with the vivid blue and gold coloring of its large plated scales means it is sometimes hunted and its scaly hide made into extravagant accessories. Such practices are frowned on in many cultures due to the endangered nature of the thagobask and the creature's relatively high intelligence, though skeptical merchants would say its more likely due to governments wanting to study and replicate the thagobask’s uncanny vitality. Recently a disturbing trend has seen thagobask tails being removed by orcish shamans for use in occult rituals and as materials to empower unholy spells, with those responsible leaving the thagobask unable to swim, climb, defend itself or feed without aid.

Any thoughts on this little critter or what its CR should be?

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 8

You can check out this table as a baseline for the creature's stats, depending what kind of CR you want it to have.


Seems like it would be about CR 2, similar to the adorable Chuspiki, although it does lack the spell-like abilities of the Chuspiki...

Any thoughts on whether or not I should up the crit-range/multiplier to balance its offensive ability a little like the chuspiki?

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