RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32
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Well, i wanted to create a few low-level threats for The Festering Maze in case my players decided they wanted to explore this area. So fasting about for some fun templates I found the id ooze in Green Ronin's Advanced Beastiary, but that wasn't the flavor i wanted.
But then the book fell open to the eye king template. And for some reason an ettercap sprang to mind. Here is what was produced and I think it makes a great creature for the Festering Maze:
An eye king ettercap has a roughly spherical body with a single central eye on the front of its body. It has a large fanged jaw on its underside and 5 eyestalks protrude its top.
Usually NE Medium aberration
Init +5; Senses Low-light vision; Listen +4, Spot +8
Languages Common
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 15, flat-footed 11 (+5 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 32 (5d8+10)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +6
OFFENSE
Spd 5 ft., climb 5 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Melee Bite +5 (1d8+2 plus poison) and
Melee 2 claws +3 (1d2+1)
Special Attacks Poison, web, eye rays
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 20, Con 15, Int 4, Wis 14, Cha 17
Base Atk +3; Grp +5
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Skills Climb +10, Craft (trapmaking) +4, Hide +11, Listen +4, Spot +8
Feats Great Fortitude, Multiattack.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Central Eye Beam (Su) When an eye king ettercap’s central eye is open, it constantly produces a slow effect identical to the spell slow in a 100-foot cone whenever the eye is open. The save DC for the central eye beam’s effect is 15.
Eye Rays (Su) Each of an eye king’s eyestalks produces a spell effect (see below) that follows the rules for ray spells (see Aiming a Spell in the PHB). Each such ray has a range of 100 feet and, if appropriate, a save DC 15. An eye king may use each of its eye rays once per round as a free action. However, it can aim only one-third of its eyestalks in any one 90-degree arc (up, forward, backward, left, right, or down); the other eyestalks must aim in different directions. These effects have a caster level of 5 and the DC are Charisma-based.
- Grease - The target of this eyebeam is covered a layer of slippery grease. Any object wielded or employed by a creature receives a Reflex saving throw to avoid the effect. If the initial saving throw fails, the creature immediately drops the item. A saving throw must be made in each round that the creature attempts to pick up or use the greased item. A creature wearing greased armor or clothing gains a +10 circumstance bonus on Escape Artist checks and on grapple checks made to resist or escape a grapple or to escape a pin. This effect lasts for 5 rounds.
- Acid Arrow - This eyebeam deals 2d4 points of acid damage with no splash damage. The effect last for 2 rounds, dealing another 2d4 points of damage in the second round.
- Stinking Cloud - This eyebeam causes it target to emanate fog that are nauseating. Living creatures in the cloud become nauseated. This condition lasts 1d4+6 rounds. Any creature that succeeds on its save must continue to save each round (for 5 rounds) on the eye king ettercap's turn.
- Ghoul Touch - This eyebeam is imbuing you with negative energy, allowing the eye king ettercap to paralyze a single living humanoid for 1d6+2 rounds with a successful ranged touch attack. Additionally, the paralyzed subject exudes a carrion stench that causes all living creatures (except the eye king ettercap) in a 10-foot-radius spread to become sickened (Fortitude negates). A neutralize poison spell removes the effect from a sickened creature, and creatures immune to poison are unaffected by the stench.
- Touch of Idiocy - A successful ranged touch attack applies a 1d6 penalty to the target’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. This penalty can’t reduce any of these scores below 1. However, the effect may make it impossible for the target to cast some or all of its spells, if the requisite ability score drops below the minimum required to cast spells of that level. This penalty lasts for 50 minutes.
All-Around Vision (Ex) An eye king has a +4 racial bonus on Search and Spot checks, and it can’t be flanked.
Flight (Ex) The eye king ettercap's flight is an extraordinary ability based on its natural buoyancy. Its body always operates as though affected by a feather fall effect, even when the eye king is unconscious or dead.
Poison (Ex) The eye king ettercap’s bit is poisonous. This poison is identical to a normal ettercap. Injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial damage 1d6 Dexterity, secondary damage 2d6 Dexterity. The save DC is Constitution based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Web (Ex) An eye king ettercap can throw a web eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets of up to Medium size. The web anchors the target in place, allowing no movement.
An entangled creature can escape with a DC 13 Escape Artist check or burst the web with a DC 17 Strength check. The check DCs are Constitution-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus. The web has 6 hit points, hardness 0, and takes double damage from fire.
Eye king ettercaps can also create sheets of sticky webbing from 5 to 60 feet square. They usually position these to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web, or they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing receive a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5–foot–square section has 6 hit points, hardness 0, and takes double damage from fire.
An eye king ettercap can move across its own sheet web at its climb speed and can determine the exact location of any creature touching the web.
Skills Eye king ettercaps have a +4 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Hide, and Spot checks. They have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.)