"Crystallize (attack) Requirement The crystal has a creature engulfed. Effect The engulfed creature must succeed at a DC 28 Fortitude save or become slowed 1 until it is no longer engulfed. If the creature is already slowed, it becomes petrified as it is turned into crystal and expelled by the carnivorous crystal onto the ground. In 1d4 hours, the petrified victim shatters and a new carnivorous crystal emerges from the remains."
This issue is that Engulf already makes a target slowed 1, which means a single save kills the target pretty dead. That seems unintentional.
Proposed fix: the first Crystalize extends the duration of the slowed 1 condition by 1d4 hours. A second Crystalize failed save does the full blown crystal death.
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I am not sure there is a mistake here (although if they changed it in an errata I wouldn't be surprised.)
As it currently works they do have a chance to kill you in one turn but only if you fail the DC 28 save back to back. Once for Engulf and once for crystalize. This is only possible if you get ambushed as part of it hiding with it's freeze ability so this may be an intended danger of the monster.
If a player gets engulfed but makes his save against crystalize, his next turn he can reattempt and his slowed condition goes down to 0. They have until the next time they fail saves against crystalize twice before they are a victim of petrification. Assuming they can't escape against the DC in the meantime.
Also if you manage to not get engulfed it's a really easy threat to outmaneuver. 10ft movement speed and no reactions.
Edit: I am also seeing it is mindless so it may not even be capable of setting up ambushed or planning something that advanced.
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I am not sure there is a mistake here (although if they changed it in an errata I wouldn't be surprised.)
As it currently works they do have a chance to kill you in one turn but only if you fail the DC 28 save back to back. Once for Engulf and once for crystalize. This is only possible if you get ambushed as part of it hiding with it's freeze ability so this may be an intended danger of the monster.
If a player gets engulfed but makes his save against crystalize, his next turn he can reattempt and his slowed condition goes down to 0. They have until the next time they fail saves against crystalize twice before they are a victim of petrification. Assuming they can't escape against the DC in the meantime.
Also if you manage to not get engulfed it's a really easy threat to outmaneuver. 10ft movement speed and no reactions.
You're right that it does require a fail against the Engulf DC first, but why would their slow condition go down to 0? Are you confusing it with stunned?
Because that's the thing, if you don't escape it on your turn, it can get 3 tries to kill you right there.
On an unrelated note, how would y'all treat the Foil Senses feat against this things motion sense? I'm thinking it would just wind up being a straight stealth check vs perception DC, rather than factoring in cover or lack thereof. It gets a little more complicated with Follow the Expert and Warden's Step though.
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I believe you are right about me misinterpreting how slowed worked. I was under the impression that it did work like stunned for some reason.
I will say that does make it pretty damn deadly.
But it is mindless, moves 10ft (except when attempting it's 20ft Engulf rush), and emits a subsonic hum that would tip you off in advance. Out maneuvering or avoiding this should not be difficult.
The wording of the ability does really make me lean more towards mistake now too though. The slowed 1 until no longer engulfed is redundant as that is already a part of engulf (I think I am correct in assuming "until they are no longer engulfed" is the implied duration of Engulfs slowed effect).
My proposed fix: Crystallize (attack) Requirement The crystal has a creature engulfed. Effect The engulfed creature must succeed at a DC 28 Fortitude save or begin the crystalization process. If a creature fails their save against this ability twice while being engulfed, it becomes petrified as it is turned into crystal and expelled by the carnivorous crystal onto the ground. In 1d4 hours, the petrified victim shatters and a new carnivorous crystal emerges from the remains. This process resets if the target escapes from inside the monster.
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Followup (sorry about the double post): Another good way to perhaps handle it to have crystalize the attack apply a crystalized condition which does nothing at crystalize 1 but triggers the petrification at crystalize 2 and you lose all stacks of it when you are no longer engulfed.(either wording is functionally the same this way is just a bit more consistent with other move/conditions and seems to make the attack function as intended)
For the second part of the discussion:Foil Senses seems to be made exactly for monsters like this and I agree with how you are interpreting it.i would have it be a straight check vs perception when otherwise attempts at stealth might be impossible or have a ridiculously high dc (hard to mask movement in the air).
I personally would not think you could extend this benefit to someone without the feat who was following the expert or benefitting from Warden's step. Just as a party following the expert also all couldn't benefit from swift sneak automatically.
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I hope some of these abilities get clarification. This topic reminds me of my confusion with the cockatrice Calcification ability - which I am still not clear about.
Same. Because now I am thinking about it and what if the intention was that they were accounting for Engulfs slowed 1, and then crystalization slowed 1 bringing you to slowed 2, and then the permanent petrification occuring when you would have been brought to slowed 3 (ie has no actions left)? This would make sense but it's a real big stretch to immediately see it from the way it is worded now.
Keeping my fingers crossed for updates in the errata.