Bearshark & Sharkbear

Some wizards just don't know when to leave deadly enough alone.

Bearshark
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 6 (L)
Move: 60' (20')
  Swimming: 180' (60) 
Attacks: 2 claws/ 1 bite
Damage: 1d6/ld6/2d6
No. Appearing: 1 (1d2)
Save As: F4
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: V
Intelligence: 2
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 350

The Bearshark is all shark on the tail end, and furry claws and teeth on the front end. While they have limited mobility on land, they are still quite deadly.  A successful bite attack roll of 19 or better on a medium or smaller creature means that the Bearshark has begun to swallow their victim.  Every subsequent round they will suffer an automatic bite attack which deals 3d6 points of damage.  The Bearshark will not attack any other opponents until the victim is dead.

Bearshark (m20)
AC: 16
HD: 5d8+12
HP: 30
Initiative: +2
Bite +5 (2d6+1+attach on critical), 2 Claws +8 (1d6+2)

 
Sharkbear
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 7 (L)
Move: 180' (60')
  Swimming: 150' (50) 
Attacks: 2 claws/ 1 bite
Damage: 1d8/ld8/3d4
No. Appearing: 1 (1d2)
Save As: F6
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: V
Intelligence: 2
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 550


The Sharkbear is the deadlier cousin of the Bearshark.  While it has the bear's chest and legs, the head, dorsal fin and tail are those of the great white shark.   A successful bite attack roll of 18 or better on a medium or smaller creature means that the Sharkbear has begun to swallow their victim.  Every subsequent round they will suffer an automatic bite attack which deals 3d6 points of damage.  The Sharkbear will not attack any other opponents until the victim is dead.

Sharkbear (m20)
AC: 17
HD: 7d8+16
HP: 39
Initiative: +2
Bite +8 (3d4+2+attach on critical) , 2 Claws +11 (1d8+4)

Tiki Golem

The tropical grove was ringed by torches that burned around its perimeter.  The lizardman champion who lead the raiding group let his gaze sweep the clearing.  A vine covered stone ruin sat quietly, watched over by a carved wooden figure stained in garish colors.   With a flick of his tail, the champion ordered his pack into the ruins to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.  The fastest two of his pack slipped past the statue and were entering the doorway to the ruin when a torch flared.  As quick as a flash the statue lashed out with it's shark teeth edged club striking down one of his finest warriors in a single blow. 

Tiki Golem

(Rules Cyclopedia)

Armour Class: 3

Hit Dice: 6* (L)

Move: 120' (40')

Attacks: 1 sword

Damage: 2d8

No. Appearing: 0 (1)

Save As: F5

Morale: 12

Treasure Type:  nil (special)

Alignment: Neutral

XP Value: 500

This wooden construct is stands approximately 8 feet tall and is colored with magical stains.  They move stiffly, with a penalty of -1 on initiative rolls. They are immune to all cold-based attacks and all missile fire, including magic missile spells.  While Tiki almost never have treasure of their own, they are most often set to guard sacred places where treasure often resides.

Tiki Golem

(m20)

AC: 18

HD: 6d12

HP: 40

Initiative: -1

2 Sword +7 (2d8), construct, magic immunity, DR 10/+1, immunity to cold & piercing weapons

RPing Thoughts & The Sunless Citadel

This past weekend the wife, dogs and I went camping.  I brought along a whole box full of card games as well as my M20 binder and the 3.0 adventure The Sunless Citadel.  It's a good adventure with a fantastic background, that is left completely untouched.  The background states that the Gulthias Tree, which produces 2 fruits a year - a red apple that can cure at midsummer and a white apple that can kill at midwinter - was sprouted from a still-green stake used to kill a vampire in the depths of a sunken fortress.  How fantastic is that for a story seed?  Yet not even a mention of it in any of the offered character hooks. 

Also the village of Oakhurst is criminally under-developed. 

Anyway, what I had planned on doing was playing through Oakhurst with lots of role-playing, and then into the citadel, but I wasn't necessarily going to follow the dungeon map.  Too complex for camping and not really what Virginia is looking for... at least not as written.  We didn't end up playing D&D, though we did play a bunch of card games, but we did talk about it.  We read through parts of the adventure together and she told me what she felt was wrong with it as presented.  For instance comparing the map to the room descriptions, well, they just don't provide the info that a character needs.  She suggested that having a copy of the map, so that she can say "I move to room 21" and I can then tell her what the flavor of the room is.  I pointed out the problem of secret rooms, and she asked if the room was important. 

You know, it really wasn't. 

So what if she does have a copy of the map?  Would that make the adventure worse?  Even if it shows the secret doors?  I don't think it would.  I could even redraw it as if it was a map drawn by a previous party, say the party that hunted the vampire...

Monster: Gallowsgaunt

The body had hung for days, swinging from the tree branch, rotting away.  Of course, this wasn't where he died.  After being driven from the village, chained and hobbled, beaten the whole way, he was stretched apart, his limbs torn from his body, and what was left had been strung up from the gallows tree, out near the squash fields.  He'd deserved no less for his crimes.  The only witness to what happened next was the scarecrow, and a black feathered bird.

The body was cut down under a sickly noontime sun, and all through the day, and into the night the worker of dark arts performed a foul ritual.  As the new day dawned a ghastly abomination shakily rose up.  It's sickly legs wobbled like a newly fowled calf, and it's sightless eyes looked around in malevolent astonishment.  With not a word, it's creator sent it forth to terrorize

Gallowsgaunt (Rules Cyclopedia Version)
Large Undead
Armour Class: 3
Hit Dice: 4+2
Move: 100' (50')
Attacks: 2 Slam
Damage: 1d8
No. Appearing: 1-2
Save As: C4
Morale: 4
Treasure Type: nil

Alignment: chaotic
XP Value: 100(?)


In combat the Gallowsgaunt will lash out into it's victim with it's wooden limbs, chains, and ropes.  Anyone attacked by the Gallowsgaunt must save vs paralyzation or flee at top speed from the monster for 1d6 rounds.  At the end of the d6 rounds the character will have immunity from this fear effect for 24 hours.  Due to the nature of the reanimation, turn attempts made against a Gallowsgaunt are made as if it is a 6 hit die creature.


Gallowsgaunt (microlite 20 version)

AC: 18
HD: 4d12+2
HP: 28
Initiative: +2
2 Slam (+4 1d6+fear) Undead, +2 turn resistance

Gallowsgaunt (4e)
Level 4 Skirmisher
Large Undead  Exp: 175
Initiative: +6 Darkvision
HP: 58 Bloodied: 29
AC: 18 Fort: 17  Reflex: 16  Will: 16

Vulnerable 5 Radiant
Speed 5

Basic Melee Attack: Slam (Std. At-Will)
+9 vs AC 1d10+4 damage

Scream of the Damned (Std. Recharge on 6)
Close Burst 3 +10 vs. Will 2d6+4 psychic damage

Alignment: Evil

Str: 16 (+3)   Dex: 16 (+3)  Wis: 16 (+3)

Con: 16 (+3)  Int: 10           Cha: 10

I haven't finished painting my gallowsgaunt yet.  This picture is from Cool Mini or Not.