Nuisances OGL

New Monster: Mummy, Elf, Death-Challenged

2007-12-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

MUMMY, ELF, DEATH CHALLENGED

Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 9d12+3 (61 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 21 (+1 Dex, +10 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+10
Attack: Slam +10 melee (1d6+9) or positive touch +11 melee
Full Attack: Slam +10 melee (1d6+9) or positive touch +11 melee
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Despair, positive touch
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/–, darkvision 60 ft., elfsight, undead traits, death challenged, starlight healing, vulnerability to fire, woodland stride, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +8
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 12, Con —, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 15
Skills: Hide +7, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spot +11, Survival +7, Heal +6
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Self-Sufficient, Toughness
Environment: Forest
Organization: Solitary, warden squad (2–4), or guardian detail (6–10)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic good
Advancement: 10–16 HD (Medium); 17–24 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —

An elf who has lived so long and performed so many good deeds that she expires from terminal niceness may be honored by her community through an elaborate ceremony, becoming a death-challenged elf mummy.
Most death-challenged mummies are about 5 feet tall and weigh about 90 pounds.
Death-challenged mummies can speak Common and Elven and often converse with visitors.

COMBAT
Despair (Su): At the mere sight of a death-challenged mummy, any evil-aligned viewer must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or be paralyzed with fear for 1d4 rounds. Whether or not the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by the same death-challenged mummy’s despair ability for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Death Challenged (Su): A cleric channeling negative energy cannot rebuke or command a death-challenged mummy. A death-challenged mummy does not heal damage through negative energy, such as inflict spells or those that specifically affect typical undead. A cleric who can turn undead by channeling positive energy can rebuke or command a death-challenged mummy by using a turn attempt, but cannot turn or destroy the mummy. A death-challenged mummy heals half the amount of hit point damage that would be restored by a cure spell to a living being, or half the amount of damage that a spell using positive energy would deal to a typical undead.
Positive Touch (Su): A death-challenged mummy's touch adds 1d10 temporary hit points to a living creature or damages undead creatures for the same amount. Temporary hit points granted by multiple positive touches stack. A creature that gains temporary hit points from the mummy's positive touch greater than its maximum permanent hit points explodes.
Elfsight (Su): A death-challenged mummy has exceptional visual acuity. She gains a +4 racial bonus on Search and Spot checks. In addition, a death-challenged mummy has low-light vision of increased range, allowing her to see three times as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
Starlight Healing (Su): A death-challenged mummy regains 9 hit points per hour when exposed to moonlight or starlight.
Sun Bask (Su): When exposed to direct sunlight, a death-challenged mummy must make a Will save (DC 15) each round or be dazed with rapturous bliss, unable to take actions.
Woodland Stride (Ex): A death-challenged mummy may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.
Wild Empathy (Ex): A death-challenged mummy can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The death-challenged mummy rolls 1d20+9 and adds her Charisma bonus to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use wild empathy, the death-challenged mummy and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
The death-challenged mummy can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check.

See the Skirmisher Publishing forum for discussion and updates.

New Defect: Ugly On the Outside

2007-11-21T22:14:00.000-08:00

Defect: Ugly On the Outside [General]
A character with this Defect exhibits the inner taint of his soul in his features and demeanor in a way that makes him look morally foul and corrupt and cannot be effectively hidden.

Prerequisite: Evil alignment

Detriment: A character who is ugly on the outside suffers a penalty on all Charisma-based skill and ability checks based on how strong his aura of evil is (Detect Evil, PHB). This penalty is -1 for those with an evil aura that is Faint, -2 for one that is Moderate, -3 for one that is Strong, and -4 for one that is Overwhelming.

New Defect: Epileptic

2007-10-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

Defect: Epileptic [General]
A character with this Defect is subject to having seizures that cause him to black out and leave him helpless.

Detriment: Whenever an Epileptic character is exposed to a potential trigger for his condition, he must make a DC 10 Fortitude saving throw. Such triggers can include flashing lights; significant stress, including onset of melee; becoming fatigued, exhausted, sickened, or nauseated; being suddenly awakened; and consuming alcohol or drugs. Failing this save, the character will fall prone and thrash about on the ground under the seizure passes; duration is a base 1d10 rounds, after which the character is entitled to a DC 15 Fortitude save each round. Once the Epileptic character passes this saving throw, the seizure is over, but the character will be spent and disoriented, suffering a -2 penalty to all his ability scores for a hour.

New Monster: Lawyer, Dire, Intellectual Property

2007-10-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

(New outsiders are hard)

ADVOCATUS (DIRE LAWYER)
Advocati are outsiders from an unknown distant plane of law unconstrained by principle or reason. Their body shapes resemble distorted and caricature-like human forms, except for their heads, which display a horrid combination of the features of a vulture and some primitive form of insect, possibly a roach or beetle. They wear ornate robes, maintaining their spotless and dust-free finish and rich, deep blackness by secret treatments rumored to require the blood of their victims.
Advocati greedily devour coin and other objects of value, though the expense of their diet is dwarfed by their other forms of spending and exaction.
Advocati speak Celestial, Infernal, and Draconic, but can speak with almost any creature because of their tongues ability.

COMBAT
Advocati generally prefer to render their foes helpless using a range of special attacks, but can brawl viciously if engaged in personal combat.
Advocatus Traits: An advocatus possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
—Darkvision out to 120 feet.
—Immune to cold and sonic attacks and to poison.
—Aura of Law (Su): An advocatus responds to detect chaos, detect evil, detect good or detect law spells as if it was a lawful neutral cleric of a level equal to its Hit Dice, regardless of its actual alignment.
—Magic Circle against Chaos (Su): A magic circle against chaos effect always surrounds an advocatus (caster level equals the advocatus’s Hit Dice). (The defensive benefits from the circle are not included in an advocatus’ statistics block.)
—Teleport (Su): Advocati can use greater teleport at will, as the spell, except that the creature can transport only itself and up to 50 pounds of objects.
—Tongues (Su): All Advocati can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell. This ability is always active.
—Insightful Gaze (Su): Advocati continually detect chaos and law and discern lies within 60 feet, as the spells. An Advocatus is not stunned if it detects an overwhelming aura of chaos, evil, good or law.
—Change Shape (Su): An Advocatus can take the form of any Small or Medium humanoid or Large giant.
—Writ (Sp): An Advocatus with 10 or more hit dice can use either dictum or word of chaos, at its option and regardless of the being's alignment, once per day for each 6 hit dice. The Charisma-based saving throw is listed below for particular types of Advocati. An Advocatus that can use this ability is unaffected by dictum or word of chaos.
—Deposition (Sp): Five times per day, an Advocatus can compel a creature to remain in its presence to answer questions that the Advocatus puts to it. The creature must succeed in a Will save (Charisma based) to move more than 30 feet from the Advocatus or to use any form of dimensional travel (as dimensional anchor). The Advocatus may ask one question per round to which the target must respond at the end of its turn if within the area of effect, truthfully and with relevance to the sense of the question. However, being an ability of infernal origin, a deposition does not prevent the target from giving incomplete or misleading information. This is equivalent to a 3rd level spell effect.
—Chilling Effect (Sp): Twice per day, an Advocatus of 15 or more hit dice can release a wave of bitter cold as a 30-foot spread, originating from its current location but immobile after casting, that causes non-magical, unattended liquids to freeze solid (to a depth of 10 feet if the liquid is deeper) and deals 2d6 cold damage per round for a duration of 10 minutes per caster level. The caster level of this ability is listed for each type of Advocatus. It may be treated as a 3rd level spell effect. An Advocatus may give up a daily use of chilling effect to create a wall of ice instead, as the spell.
—Soul Bind (Sp): An Advocatus of 20 or more hit dice can cast soul bind once per day. If the Advocatus does not possess the required material component, it is instantaneously created as part of the casting, causing damage of 1hp per hit die of the victim to the Advocatus.
—Resilient (Ex): An Advocatus that is reduced to between -1 and -9 hit points does not become unconscious and can continue to act, though it remains disabled and loses 1 hit point if it performs a standard action.
—An Advocatus gains Great Fortitude as a racial bonus feat.

LAWYER, DIRE, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (Advocatus demiurgus)
Medium Outsider (Advocatus, Extraplanar, Cold, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 16d8+80 (152 hp)
Initiative: +8
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 29 (+4 Dex, +15 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+22
Attack: +5 keen shortsword +25 melee (1d6+6/18–20)
Full Attack: +5 keen shortsword +25/+20/+15/+10 melee (1d6+6/18–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, cease and desist
Special Qualities: Aura of law, damage reduction 10/chaotic, darkvision 120 ft., immunity to cold, sonic and poison, magic circle against chaos, spell resistance 31, teleport, tongues, insightful gaze, change shape, resilient
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +14, Will +14
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 19, Con 20, Int 22, Wis 18, Cha 19
Skills: Appraise +25, Bluff +23, Concentration +24, Diplomacy +23, Forgery +25, Gather Information +25, Knowledge (arcana) +25, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +25, Knowledge (local) +25, Knowledge (nature) +25, Knowledge (religion) +25, Knowledge (the planes) +25, Sense Motive +23, Spellcraft +28
Feats: Great FortitudeB, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse, Improved Grapple, Improved Sunder, Combat Reflexes, Skill Focus (Spellcraft)
Environment: A lawful-aligned plane
Organization: Solitary, pair, or team (3–5)
Challenge Rating: 16
Treasure: Double coins and goods; standard items
Alignment: Always either lawful evil or chaotic good
Advancement: 17–20 HD (Medium); 21–40 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +6
Dire Intellectual Property Lawyers intervene either to sequester and destroy, or to protect and support, mortal creations that offend against the convoluted and nigh-incomprehensible strictures of their home plane. Despite their diametrically opposed alignment, both sorts look identical.

COMBAT
A Dire Intellectual Property Lawyer usually disdains physical combat, preferring to obliterate foes with spells quickly and return to its duties. If forced into an extended battle, it issues a Writ and attacks with visible annoyance.
An Advocatus’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Advocatus Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Writ 2/day DC 29, Deposition DC 25, caster level 16th.
Fly (Sp): Twice per day, a Dire Intellectual Property Lawyer can fly as the spell but at a speed of 30 feet.
Restrict Spells (Sp): Three times per day, as an immediate action, a Dire Intellectual Property Lawyer can forbid an arcane spellcaster from casting any spell that has a proper name in its title, as if the Advocatus had cast greater dispel magic as a counterspell but with a +4 bonus to its caster level check (making its caster level check d20+20). The Advocatus must first succeed in a Spellcraft check to identify the spell.
Cease and Desist (Su): Three times per day, a Dire Intellectual Property Lawyer can render helpless and transport to its own plane any creature that does not appear in the System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. or any creature that has levels in a class that does not appear in the System Reference Document.
The Advocatus must grapple the target and invoke the cease and desist ability in place of its damage on a successful grapple check. The target is entitled to a Will save (DC 22, Charisma-based). The Advocatus gains a +4 insight bonus to the DC of this save against a creature which is described in a product published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (but not against a creature that has a class published in a Wizards of the Coast, Inc. product).
If the target fails its save, it is paralysed, rendered unable to take actions (including mental actions) and becomes incorporeal. One round later, the target is carried off to the Advocatus' home plane as if by a greater teleport spell. The Advocatus can choose to depart with the target or remain in the material plane.

Other Dire Lawyers:
Lawyer, Dire, Family (Advocatus matrimonius), 14HD
Lawyer, Dire, Personal Injury (Advocatus Orcus), 19HD
Lawyer, Dire, Small-Town (Advocatus municipalis), 12HD
Lawyer, Dire, Paralegal (Advocatus minor), 6HD

New Defect: Has "Fans"

2007-09-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

Defect: Has “Fans”

This character is under the impression that he has fans, people who admire him for whatever reason. They are in fact, however, just ass holes who make fun of the character behind his back while acting supportive in the presence of the character.
Detriment: A character who Has “Fans” collects a number of jerks equal to his hit dice, who do nothing other than shamelessly make fun of him when the character is not around. A full 1d6 hours after entering an area, the nuisance hangers on have spread enough rumors and have done enough sullying of reputations to bestow a -1 penalty to Charisma based skill checks when dealing with an area’s NPCs for every jerk the character has following him (e.g. an 8 hit dice character would have 8 “fans”, so after 1d6 hours he would receive a -8 penalty to Charisma based skill checks). A character’s “fans” could be completely made up of party members and cohorts (if enough are available and the players are willing to fulfill this role), or it could be NPCs who attach themselves to the character 1d4 hours after he arrives in the area and then are left behind once he leaves. More commonly it will be a combination of the two, with “fans” who follow the character immediately starting on their mockery, and other “fans” coming in later and starting afterwards.
Special: A character with this defect never actually knows that his “fans” are being two faced; they should all act nicely to him in his presence. Characters who also have the Defect: Suicidal Tendencies, and somehow manage to find out about their “fans” attempt to commit suicide with a -4 circumstantial penalty to their will saves and a -2 circumstantial penalty to their fortitude saves.

New Feat: Throw the Little Man

2007-09-17T14:25:00.001-07:00

Feat: Throw The Little Man [General]
This character is capable of throwing creatures that are smaller than him to great effect, an ability which has been used either to hurt the small creature, or get it to a location it could not otherwise reach. This feat was used most notably to the latter effect in the Lord of the Rings when Aragorn threw Gimli at the battle of Waterdeep.
Prerequisites: At least 14 Strength.
Benefit: After making a successful grapple, this character may throw a creature that is at most one category smaller than the throwing character. The only exception to this rule is in the case of a “larger” Medium creature throwing a Dwarf (e.g. a human throwing a Dwarf). The number of feet that the smaller character can be thrown is found by the following formula: The throwing character’s Strength mod times the number of size categories that the thrown creature is smaller than the throwing character (dwarves are treated as being 1 size smaller than medium creatures for the purposes of this forumula) times 10. For example, a size medium character with 14 Strength may use this feat to throw a size small character 20 ft. (2 x 1 x 10). That same character could throw a size tiny creature 40 ft. (2 x 2 x 10). If he so chose, the throwing character may throw the smaller character as though it were a thrown weapon, up to the distance dictated by the previous formula. If doing so, the character is treated as being proficient in the exotic weapon: thrown person, a weapon which has a 5 ft. range increment and deals damage equal to an unarmed attack dealt by a creature of that size augmented by the thrower’s Strength modifier instead of the thrown person’s.
Special: It should be assumed that the thrown character travels in an arc pattern. For simplicity’s sake, that creature reaches a maximum height of ½ the total distance traveled if thrown horizontally. If thrown vertically, that creature reaches a maximum height up to the distance the throwing character would normally be able to throw and travels a horizontal distance of 5 feet. Thrown characters should take falling damage as is appropriate for the heights they reach (e.g. if a character is thrown 20 ft. horizontally he should take falling damage appropriate to a 10 ft. fall, that same character thrown 20 ft. vertically should take falling damage appropriate to a 20 ft. fall.). The Tumble skill may be used to halve this damage.

New Defect: Don't Know Your Own Strength

2007-09-17T13:38:00.001-07:00

Defect: Don’t Know Your Own Strength [General]
This character is strong, but doesn’t realize how strong he really is. As a result, he will sometimes hurt other characters or break things without intending to. Examples of fictional characters that have this defect include the Abominable Snow Man in Bugs Bunny cartoons, and Lenny in Of Mice And Men.
Prerequisite: At least 14 Strength.
Detriment: This character does not know how to aptly control his strength. Whenever he attempts to inflict non-lethal damage, he has a 50% chance of inflicting lethal damage instead .This is included for unarmed damage only when it would be inconvenient for the player, that player should not be allowed to use this defect to their benefit (e.g. if he wanted to deal lethal damage with unarmed strikes when he normally could not do so). Additionally, this defect affects several skills in varying ways. If a dexterity based skill check that involves the use of hands (e.g. Disable Device, Use Rope, Open Lock, etc.) is used and results in a failure, it is treated as a critical failure (e.g. on a failed Open Lock check, the character may break his lock pick in the lock, rendering him without his lock pick and preventing any chance of using that skill on the lock again). If this character attempts to make any sort of Craft check, a failure will result in all materials being used in the Craft attempt to be ruined. The character failing a Handle Animal check results in killing the animal if it is two or more size categories smaller than the character, or otherwise causes the animal to become hostile towards the character.
Special: If this character engages in any sort of harmless physical contact with another creature (e.g. hugging, holding hands, a pat on the back, etc.), there is a 30% chance that he will inflict damage upon the creature as per his unarmed strike damage. This damage is always lethal if possible, if he would normally be unable to deal lethal damage with an unarmed strike, it is subject to the 50% chance of dealing lethal damage.

New Monster: Mummy, Gnome, Steam-Powered

2007-09-17T03:53:00.000-07:00

MUMMY, GNOME, STEAM-POWERED
Small Undead
Hit Dice: 8d12+3 (55 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 22 (+11 natural, +1 Size), touch 11, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+10
Attack: Slam +11 melee (1d8+9 plus mummy rot)
Full Attack: Slam +11 melee (1d8+9 plus mummy rot)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Despair, mummy rot, steam fists, steam boots, steam whistle, boiler explosion
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/–, steel-framed, darkvision 60 ft., undead traits, vulnerability to fire, pilot lamp
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +8
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 10, Con —, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 15
Skills: Hide +7, Listen +8, Move Silently -5, Spot +8
Feats: Alertness, Toughness, Trample
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, warden squad (2–4), or guardian detail (6–10)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually lawful evil
Advancement: 9–16 HD (Small); 17–24 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: —

Steam-powered mummies are preserved corpses animated through advanced technology under the tutelage of dark Gnomish gods best forgotten.
Most steam-powered mummies are 3 to 4 feet tall and weigh about 60 pounds.
Steam-powered mummies can speak Gnome, but seldom bother to do so.
COMBAT
Despair (Su): At the mere sight of a steam-powered mummy, the viewer must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or be paralyzed with fear for 1d4 rounds. Whether or not the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by the same mummy’s despair ability for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Mummy Rot (Su): Supernatural disease—slam, Fortitude DC 16, incubation period 1 minute; damage 1d6 Con and 1d6 Cha. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Unlike normal diseases, mummy rot continues until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or is cured as described below.
Mummy rot is a powerful curse, not a natural disease. A character attempting to cast any conjuration (healing) spell on a creature afflicted with mummy rot must succeed on a DC 20 caster level check, or the spell has no effect on the afflicted character.
To eliminate mummy rot, the curse must first be broken with break enchantment or remove curse (requiring a DC 20 caster level check for either spell), after which a caster level check is no longer necessary to cast healing spells on the victim, and the mummy rot can be magically cured as any normal disease.
An afflicted creature who dies of mummy rot shrivels away into sand and dust that blow away into nothing at the first wind.
Steam Fists (Ex): A steam-powered mummy's iron gauntlets can shoot outwards with great force on greased extender rods. The reach of a steam-powered mummy's slam attack is 10 feet. A steam-powered mummy has a +4 racial bonus to grapple checks and to opposed rolls for disarm and sunder attempts.
Steam Boots (Ex): A steam-powered mummy crashes, clangs and rampages along on rapidly-stomping piston-driven iron feet. A steam-powered mummy gains a +8 racial bonus to opposed rolls for bull rush and overrun attempts, can trample an opponent for its normal slam damage and suffers a -12 penalty to Move Silently checks.
Steam Whistle (Ex): A steam-powered mummy can emit a painfully loud blast of sound, requiring creatures within 10 feet to make a Fortitude save (DC 16, Charisma-based) or take 2d6 points of sonic damage and be deafened. A creature that makes its save takes half damage and is not deafened. The mummy cannot use this attack again until 5 rounds have elapsed.
Pilot Lamp (Ex): A steam-powered mummy gives off light as a candle and suffers a -4 racial penalty to Hide checks. The mummy cannot suppress this quality.
Boiler Explosion (Ex): If a steam-powered mummy is slain, one round later its body explodes, doing 3d6 fire damage and 3d6 combined bludgeoning, slashing and piercing damage to all creatures within 20 feet (Reflex DC 16 for half damage, Charisma-based).
Steel-Framed (Ex): If a steam-powered mummy suffers an attack that damages metal, such as a rust monster's touch or a transmute metal to wood spell, its damage reduction drops to 3/-; it loses 8 points of Strength; the following special attacks and special qualities cease to operate: steam fists, steam boots, steam whistle, pilot lamp and boiler explosion; and the mummy must make a Reflex save (DC 12) or catch on fire due to burning matter spilled from its pilot lamp and boiler firebox.

New Feat: Grope

2007-09-16T15:29:00.001-07:00

Grope [General]

A character with this feat is adept at grabbing a humanoid creature’s “unmentionables.” Doing so allows him to unnerve opponents, and sate his libido. Males who employ this feat against women are always characterized as “perverts” and those who use it against other males are just as often characterized as “gay.”
Benefit: A character with this feat is able to violate any humanoid creature that would have genitals and or erogenous zones. Doing so bestows a stacking -1 penalty to Will saves for one round, a penalty which increases by an additional -1 for every additional consecutive round this character Gropes his victim. Additionally, all concentration checks made while being groped instantly fail. To Grope for more than one round, the offending character must make a Grapple or Sleight of Hand check (whichever is better) which is opposed by the victim’s Grapple or Escape Artist check (whichever is best). For every round in which the offending character is successful in groping, the victim receives an additional -1 to Will saves. If one such check or grapple fails, the offending character may chose to re-grope next round with another successful touch attack. After such a failure, however, the penalty to Will saves starts again at -1. Characters wearing armor receive a bonus to their opposed checks to resist this feat based on their category of armor, they receive a +1 for light armor, a +2 for medium armor, and a +4 for heavy armor. Spell casters may channel their touch spells through this feat.
Special: If a character who fails his save against the effects of the defect: horny has this feat, he will use it against party members to its full effect (e.g. attempting to grope for as many rounds as possible) instead of simply “chatting them up.” Also, the DM may simply decide to give all characters with this feat the defect: horny. Additionally, if a character uses this feat around someone who would be offended (e.g. most women and lawful good characters) he will receive a -4 to charisma based checks made when dealing with them. It is also worth noting, that in some places, taking such an action may be against the law.

New Monster: Black Sheep

2007-09-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

Black Sheep

Medium Undead Animal

Hit Dice: 5d12+3 (48 hp)

Initiative: +4

Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)

Armor Class: 15 (+1 Natural,+4 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 11

Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+10*

Attack: Bite +6 Melee (1d6+4)

Full Attack: Bite +6 Melee (1d6+4)

Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.

Special Attacks: Create Spawn, Eat, Infectious Bite, Improved Grab.

Special Qualities: Looks like a sheep, undead traits, fast healing 5, flammable, dark vision 60ft.

Saves: Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +5

Abilities: Str 18, Dex 18, Con —, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 16

Skills: Spot +6 [4], Listen +3 [1]

Feats: Improved Grapple, Toughness

Environment: Any

Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Flock (50-200 including 10-30 Black Sheep Spawn)

Challenge Rating: 6

Treasure: None

Alignment: Always neutral Evil

Advancement: —

Level Adjustment: —

*(modified to reflect improved grapple feat)

What appears to be your common every day sheep walks in your direction. Once it is close, it lunges towards you, teeth ready to bite.

Black Sheep are regular sheep that have been imbued with fell necromantic magics. They appear in all ways to be normal sheep. What sets them apart is their lust for flesh. Flocks of these foul creatures are often kept by the fiendish denizens of Hades, who favor the taste of their flesh, and might be found dwelling in the gloomy rift valleys of the dismal outer plane.

Combat

A Black Sheep usually just approaches its victims and attacks them. They do not attempt to use any special tactics, but because of their appearance they often catch their victims by surprise. Once a Black Sheep has successfully bitten its victim, it attempts to hang onto her and use its Eat ability. If there are more Black Sheep than there are victims, as is often the case when someone is unfortunate enough to run into a flock, multiple sheep join in on the grapple and use their Eat ability simultaneously.

Create Spawn (Su): A creature reduced to 0 constitution by a Black Sheep’s Eat ability or a creature effected by a Black Sheep’s Infectious Bite ability is turned into a Black Sheep Spawn. See below for information on Black Sheep Spawn.

Improved Grab (Ex): If a Black Sheep successfully hits a creature with its bite attack it may, in addition to dealing normal bite damage, initiate a grapple at +10 as a free action that provokes no attacks of opportunity. Creatures grappled by a black sheep in this way are subject to its Eat ability.

Eat (Ex): A Black Sheep may begin to consume a victim that it has grappled with its Improved Grab ability. For every round that a creature remains in a grapple with a Black Sheep in this way it takes 1d4 points constitution damage.

Infectious Bite (Su): A creature that has been successfully bitten by a Black Sheep must make a Fortitude save (DC 18) for every bite sustained or for every round it is subjected to a Black Sheep’s Eat ability. Failure results in the creature becoming a Black Sheep Spawn in 1d6 hours. The save DC is Charisma based. A lesser restoration spell cast on the afflicted creature before it would turn into a Black Sheep Spawn negates this effect. Characters being affected by this ability notice their body slowly becoming more sheep like, starting with the area they were bitten.

Looks like a Sheep (Ex): A Black Sheep looks just like a regular sheep, despite its name. Characters must make a Sense Motive check (DC 18) to notice that the Black Sheep is in fact not a true sheep. Characters who have encountered Black Sheep before, however, may simply opt to attack any sheep they run into.

Flammable (Ex): A Black Sheep dealt fire damage catches on fire, taking 1d6 burning damage for every round it is on fire. Characters struck by a burning Black Sheep also suffer 1d6 points of burning damage.

Black Sheep Spawn:

Black Sheep Spawn are the products of a Black Sheep attack. Visually, they look like a hybrid combination of a sheep and whatever the original creature was. Keeping the most prominent features of the original creature, and gaining the most prominent features of a sheep (e.g. the eyes with horizontal slit irises, woolly bodies, forward tilted front teeth, and cloven feet.)

“Black Sheep Spawn” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (other than an undead) that has a skeletal structure (referred to hereafter as the base creature). Black Sheep Spawn are similar in all ways to Black Sheep with the following exceptions:

Type: The creatures type changes to undead.

Subtype: They gain the subtype (augmented).

Hit Dice: The creature has new hit dice equal to its original hit dice in twelve sided dice.

Armor Class: A Black Sheep Spawn receives a +1 increase to its Natural Armor.

Base Attack: A Black Sheep Spawn has a base attack equal to ½ its Hit Dice.

Attacks: A Black Sheep Spawn loses all manufactured weapon attacks it had, it gains a bite and a secondary slam attack if it did not already have them.

Damage: A Black Sheep Spawn deals bite and slam damage depending on its size. (Use the base creature’s slam and bite damage if it’s better.)

Size	Slam	Bite
Fine	---	1
Diminutive	1	1d2
Tiny	1	1d3
Small	1d3	1d4
Medium	1d4	1d6
Large	1d6	1d8
Huge	1d8	2d6
Gargantuan	2d6	2d8
Colossal	2d8	4d6

Special Attacks: A Black Sheep Spawn retains none of the base creature’s special attacks.

Special Qualities: A Black Sheep Spawn retains all special qualities of the base creature; they also gain all of the Black Sheep’s special qualities, excluding Looks like a Sheep unless the creature were somehow similar to a sheep already (e.g. a goat, or even some dogs).

Saves: Base save bonuses are Fort +1/3 HD, Ref +1/3 HD, and Will +1/2 HD.

Abilities: A Black Sheep Spawn’s Strength increases by 4, it has no constitution score, it has a new charisma of 16, and its intelligence decreases by 6 (to a minimum of 2).

Skills: A Black Sheep Spawn loses all intelligence, charisma, and wisdom based skills.
Feats: A Black Sheep Spawn loses all its original feats and gains Improved Grapple and Toughness.

Challenge Rating: As base creature’s CR +2.

Alignment: Always neutral evil.

Advancement: As base creature, or --- if the base creature advances by character class.

Level Adjustment: ---.

Sample Black Sheep Spawn:
Black Shepherd (Black Sheep Spawn Hill Giant)

Large Undead (Augmented)

Hit Dice: 12d12+3 (81 hp)

Initiative: +4

Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)

Armor Class: 21 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +10 natural, +3 hide armor), touch 8, flat-footed 21

Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+26*

Attack: Bite +18 melee (1d8+8) or Slam +18 melee (1d6+8)

Full Attack: Bite +18 melee (1d8+8) and Slam +10 melee (1d6+8)

Space/Reach: 10ft./10ft.

Special Attacks: Create Spawn, Eat, Infectious Bite, Improved Grab.

Special Qualities: Looks like a sheep, undead traits, fast healing 5, flammable, dark vision 60ft, rock catching.

Saves: Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +6

Abilities: Str 27, Dex 8, Con —, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 16

Skills: Spot +6, Listen +3, Jump +9, Climb +9.

Feats: Improved Grapple, Toughness

Environment: Any

Organization: Solitary, or part of Flock (One including 50-200 Black Sheep)

Challenge Rating: 9

Treasure: None

Alignment: Always neutral evil

Advancement: —

Level Adjustment: —

*(modified to reflect improved grapple feat)

This creature appears to have been a hill giant, however it is covered in wool and where it once had humanoid feet and hands it instead has cloven feet.

On hungry days, Hill Giants sometimes harass flocks of sheep. On other hungry days, Hill Giants sometimes get harassed by flocks of Black Sheep. Those days see the creation of Black Sheep Spawn Hill Giants, which are known to some simply as “Black Shepherds” for their habit of leading the flock to its next meal.

Combat

Black Sheep Spawn don’t really bother with plans. If they are faster than the flock, they run ahead and attempt to hold down the biggest creature so that the flock can aid it; if it’s slower it simply goes for the biggest target.

Create Spawn (Su): A creature reduced to 0 constitution by a Black Sheep Spawn’s Eat ability or a creature effected by a Black Sheep’s Infectious Bite ability is turned into a Black Sheep Spawn. See below for information on Black Sheep Spawn.

Improved Grab (Ex): If a Black Sheep Spawn successfully hits a creature with its bite attack it may, in addition to dealing normal bite damage, initiate a grapple as a free action that provokes no attacks of opportunity. Creatures grappled by a black sheep in this way are subject to its Eat ability.

Eat (Ex): A Black Sheep Spawn may begin to consume a victim that it has grappled with its Improved Grab ability. For every round that a creature remains in a grapple with a Black Sheep in this way it takes 1d4 points constitution damage.

Infectious Bite (Su): A creature that has been successfully bitten by a Black Sheep Spawn must make a Fortitude save (DC 18) for every bite sustained or for every round it is subjected to a Black Sheep Spawn’s Eat ability. Failure results in the creature becoming a Black Sheep Spawn in 1d6 hours. The save DC is Charisma based. A lesser restoration spell cast on the afflicted creature before it would turn into a Black Sheep Spawn negates this effect. Characters being affected by this ability notice their body slowly becoming more sheep like, starting with the area they were bitten.

Flammable (Ex): A Black Sheep Spawn dealt fire damage catches on fire, taking 1d6 burning damage for every round it is on fire. Characters struck by a burning Black Sheep also suffer 1d6 points of burning damage.

New Monster: Dung Golem

2007-09-11T08:27:00.001-07:00

DUNG GOLEM
Large Construct
Hit Dice: 6d10+30 (63 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +7 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+15
Attack: Slam +10 melee (1d10+5)
Full Attack: 2 Slams +10 melee (1d10+5)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Brown Noise, Fiber Blast, Sickening Blow
Special Qualities: Construct Traits, Damage Reduction 5/Adamantine, Darkvision 60 ft.,Low-Light Vision, Immunity to Magic
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +2
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 9, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or Gang (2-4)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —

This broad, misshapen, vaguely humanoid creature looks as if it has been constructed primarily of brown clay intermixed with chunks of lighter, darker, and somewhat different-colored matter. Its mottled hide is speckled with scraps of soiled paper and tiny pieces of organic matter like corn and seed husks. A dung-like stench emanates from it.

This horrible construct has a vaguely humanoid form and is made of dung. It moves with a lurching, shambling gait, and leaves a sticky, stinking smear behind it wherever it goes, giving those seeking to Track it a +12 bonus on appropriate skill checks.

COMBAT
A Dung Golem generally attacks with its big fists that leave anything they strike smeared with defecation.

Brown Noise (Ex): A Dung Golem can produce a Brown Noise, as per the Feat of the same name, once per round as a free action against a single target within 30 feet of it who can hear and is capable of defecating. The victim must make a DC 14 Fortitude saving throw, failing which it will be stunned for one round. Furthermore, those that wear clothing must thereafter make a DC 10 Will saving throw each round or waive all actions for an entire round in order to clean out their apparel.

Fiber Blast: Once every 1d4+1 rounds, a Dung Golem can fire a 15-foot cone-shaped burst of popcorn husks, sunflower seed shells, and other indigestible material. This foul torrent of fibrous detritus inflicts 6d4 points of damage, with a Reflex save allowed for half damage.

Sickening Blow: Any living creature struck by a Dung Golem must make a DC 13 Fortitude saving throw or be sickened—suffering a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks—until they are able to thoroughly clean themselves off, a process that will take at least 10 rounds using water and rags.

Damage Reduction (Ex): A Dung Golem has damage reduction 5 that can be overcome with adamantine weapons Sunder.

Immunity to Magic (Ex): A Dung Golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.

Purify Food and Drink inflicts 1d6 points of damage to a Dung Golem. Move Earth drives the creature back 120 feet and deals 3d12 points of damage to it. Disintegrate slows the golem (as the Slow spell) for 1d6 rounds and deals 1d12 points of damage to it. Earthquake cast directly at a Dung Golem stops it from moving on its next turn and deals 5d10 points of damage. The creature gets no saving throw against any of these effects.

Any attack against a Dung Golem that deals acid damage heals 1 point of damage for every 3 points of damage it would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. For example, a Dung Golem hit by a vial of acid that would have dealt 6 points of damage is instead healed 2 points of damage. In any event, a Dung Golem receives no saving throw against attacks that deal acid damage.

CONSTRUCTION
A Dung Golem’s body must be crafted from a really big pile of shit that is inscribed with arcane symbols and treated with inexplicably valuable oils, papers, worth at least 300 gp. Creating the body requires an appropriate DC 15 Craft or Profession check (e.g., Craft (Pottery), Profession (Janitor)).

CL 6th; Craft Construct, Bull's Strength, Stinking Cloud, Unseen Servant, caster must be at least 6th level; Price 20,000 gp; Cost 10,000 gp + 788 XP.

New Monster: Typhonic Hell Hound

2007-09-07T19:13:00.001-07:00

Typhonic Hell Hound
Medium Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar, Fire, Earth, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 4d8+4 (22 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+6
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+3)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath Weapon
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Immunity to Fire, Resistance to Metal and Stone, Scent, Vulnerability to Cold
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +4
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +13, Jump +13, Listen +7, Move Silently +13, Spot +7, Survival +7*
Feats: Improved Initiative, Run, Track
Environment: Egyptian Hell
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pack (5–12)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: 5–8 HD (Medium); 9–12 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +3 (cohort)

Typhonic Hell Hounds generally stand almost 5 feet high at the shoulder, weigh about 140 pounds, and have squared-off ears, long, forked tails, and glowing red eyes. Their hides are a mottled patchwork of red, black, and tan, the colors of the desert. Such creatures cannot speak but understand Infernal. They are native to the Egyptian Hell and are sometimes found associated with the temples of various evil deities.

COMBAT
Typhonic Hell Hounds’ natural weapons, as well as any weapons they wield, are treated as evil-aligned and lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Such creatures have hot breath but much less so than normal Hell Hounds and not enough to add damage to their melee attacks.

Breath Weapon (Su): Once every 2d4 rounds, a Typhonic Hell Hound can breath a 15-foot cone of searing, scouring sand that inflicts 3d6 points of damage (Reflex DC 13 half). The save DC is Constitution-based.

Resistance to Metal and Stone (Ex): A Typhonic Hell Hound has damage reduction 5 against damage -- whether physical or magical -- inflicted by metal or stone, including weapons made of these materials.

Skills: Typhonic Hell Hounds have a +5 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks and an additional +4 bonus on Hide checks when in desert, rocky, or fiery conditions. They also receive a +8 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent, due to their keen sense of smell.

New Feat: Subtype: Goth

2007-09-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Subtype: Goth [General]
Characters with this Feat are members of a subculture who thrive on wearing black, skulls, and the like, and enjoy exhibiting a fascination for death and un-death.

Benefit: A Goth receives +2 circumstance bonus on opposed Charisma-based skill checks when dealing with other Goths and a -2 penalty when dealing with those who are not members of this subtype. A Goth also receives a +3 bonus on
all Disguise attempts to pass as an undead being and a +3 bonus on Knowledge skill checks pertaining to death, the undead, necrophelia, etc.

New Defect: Suicidal Tendencies

2007-09-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

Defect: Suicidal Tendencies
A character with this defect is more likely to “end it all” when faced with adversity.

Detriment: Anytime this character is faced with a serious setback, there is a chance he will respond by trying to kill himself (possible triggers might include failing an important Skill check, losing a companion, or being faced with an apparently insurmountable obstacle or unwinnable situation). In such a situation, the character must make a DC 10 Will saving throw, failing which he will attempt suicide by some expedient means; this check is made at -2 if the character is exposed to someone with Defect: Aura of Despair and at +2 if someone appropriate is attempting to dissuade him.

If the character succumbs to despair and tries to off himself, he is entitled to a DC 10 Fortitude save. Failing it, he dies. If he passes it, the character survives but is reduced to Con 0 and -9 hit points; he is considered stabilized, however, and is no longer at risk of dying as a direct result of his suicide attempt. Furthermore, he is not again subject to the effects of this Defect until he has completely recovered from the current attempt.

Special: Quarter-Elf characters and those with Subtype: Goth are especially likely to have this Defect.

Request for Help with New Forum

2007-09-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

As some of the readers of this blog may already know, Skirmisher just launched a new online Forum dedicated to discussion of all of our games and other products (at http://www.skirmisher.com/forum). While this and the other blogs are mainly intended for people interested in developing rules that we will publish, the Forum is going to be geared more toward customer-based discussions.

In any event, the Forum has only been up about two days as of this posting, and there are some things you can do to help drive people to it and encourage them to participate in it:

1) Go to the Forum, at http://www.skirmisher.com/forum), and register with it.

2) Reply to any of the existing threads or start ones of your own.

3) Post your current and near-future posts to this blog to the appropriate sections of the Forum as well.

Thanks! As always, your help is invaluable and appreciated. The Forum should take off and become self-sustaining fairly quickly but a concerted effort to "prime the pump" now can be of immeasurable benefit to us.

New Monster: Mummy, Composite, Catodile

2007-08-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

Cat Mummy and Crocodile Mummy stats included for comparison. I also did a description for a Cat Mummy of Bubastis, but as a reader of Lovecraft and Robert Bloch, the vengeance of the cat goddess is no joke.

MUMMY, CAT

Tiny Undead; CR 3; HD 4d12+3 (25 hp); Init +3; Speed 20 ft.; AC 20 (+2 size, +5 natural, +3 Dex), touch 15, flat-footed 17; BAB/Grapple +1/-5; Attack Chew +6 melee (1d3+3 plus mummy rot) ; Full Attack Chew +6 melee (1d3+3 plus mummy rot); Space/Reach 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.; SA Despair, mummy rot; SQ Damage reduction 5/–, darkvision 60 ft., undead traits, vulnerability to fire; Sv Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +6; Str 14, Dex 16, Con —, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 17; Skills Balance +12, Climb +8, Hide +16, Jump +12, Listen +3, Move Silently +8, Spot +3; Feats Weapon Finesse, Toughness; Environment Any; Alignment Usually lawful evil

MUMMY, CROCODILE

Medium Undead; CR 5; HD 9d12+3 (61 hp); Init -2; Speed 20 ft.; AC 22 (+14 natural, -2 Dex), touch 8, flat-footed 22; BAB/Grapple +4/+12; Attack Bite +12 melee (1d8+12 plus mummy rot) or tail slap +12 melee (1d12+12); Full Attack Bite +12 melee (1d8+12 plus mummy rot) or tail slap +12 melee (1d12+12); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA Despair, mummy rot, improved grab; SQ Damage reduction 5/–, darkvision 60 ft., undead traits, vulnerability to fire; Sv Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +8; Str 26, Dex 6, Con —, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 9; Skills Hide +22*, Listen +8, Move Silently +5, Spot +8; Feats Alertness, Toughness, Skill Focus (Hide), Improved Trip; Environment Any; Alignment Usually lawful evil

MUMMY, COMPOSITE, CATODILE

Small Undead
Hit Dice: 6d12+3 (36 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 22 (+10 natural, +1 Dex, +1 size), touch 11, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+7
Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d8+7 plus mummy rot)
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d8+7 plus mummy rot)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Despair, mummy rot, improved grab
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/–, darkvision 60 ft., undead traits, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +7
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 12, Con —, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 15
Skills: Climb +8, Hide +8, Jump +8, Listen +6, Move Silently +5, Spot +6
Feats: Alertness, Toughness, Improved Grapple
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, warden squad (2–4), or guardian detail (6–10)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually lawful evil
Advancement: 7-8 HD (Small), 9–16 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: —

The priests of strange animal-headed gods in ancient desert lands often inter the sacred animals of their temples with the respect usually awarded to nobles and kings - and like the mummies of human decedents, they provide service beyond the grave for the grim gods to whom they were dedicated.
Sometimes, for reasons best known to themselves, the priests preserve parts of different corpses sewn together as a single composite body. A catodile mummy has the body of a cat and head of a crocodile. Its paws are bound tightly, but its jaws are wrapped separately with the teeth protruding, allowing the beast to bite enemies as in life.
Catodile mummies are up to 6 feet long and weigh about 80 pounds.
Catodile mummies can speak Common, but seldom bother to do so.

COMBAT
Despair (Su): At the mere sight of a catodile mummy, the viewer must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be paralyzed with fear for 1d4 rounds. Whether or not the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by the same mummy’s despair ability for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Mummy Rot (Su): Supernatural disease—bite, Fortitude DC 15, incubation period 1 minute; damage 1d6 Con and 1d6 Cha. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Unlike normal diseases, mummy rot continues until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or is cured as described below.
Mummy rot is a powerful curse, not a natural disease. A character attempting to cast any conjuration (healing) spell on a creature afflicted with mummy rot must succeed on a DC 20 caster level check, or the spell has no effect on the afflicted character.
To eliminate mummy rot, the curse must first be broken with break enchantment or remove curse (requiring a DC 20 caster level check for either spell), after which a caster level check is no longer necessary to cast healing spells on the victim, and the mummy rot can be magically cured as any normal disease.
An afflicted creature who dies of mummy rot shrivels away into sand and dust that blow away into nothing at the first wind.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a catodile mummy must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, the catodile mummy establishes a hold on the opponent with its mouth. A creature that takes grapple damage when grappled by a catodile mummy's jaws must make a saving throw against mummy rot as described above.
Skills: Catodile mummies have a +2 racial bonus on Climb, Hide, and Move Silently checks and a +4 racial bonus on Jump and Balance checks.

New Monsters: A List of Mummies

2007-08-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

Just a few things I'm brainstorming:

Mummy, amulet-wrapped
Mummy of Infinite Spells
Mummy, Vacuous
Mummy, spell-wrapped, specialist (e.g.:)
Mummy, spell-wrapped, polymorphous

Mummy, cat
Mummy, crocodile
Mummy, composite, catodile
Mummy, composite, catopriest
Mummy, composite, pharaodile
Swarm, cat mummy

Mummy, gnome, steam-powered
Mummy, elf, Death Challenged

Figurine of wondrous power, papier-mache dog

Mummy, defective, gift-wrapped goo

New Monster: Mulenyahn

2007-08-29T23:18:00.001-07:00

Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+2 Dex, +1 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Morningstar +3 melee (1d8) or light crossbow +5 ranged (1d8/19-20)
Full Attack: Morningstar +3 melee (1d8) and 2 hooves –2 melee (1d4); or light crossbow +5 ranged (1d8/19-20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +4
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 11
Skills: Listen +0, Move Silently +8, Spot +0, Sleight of Hand +8
Feats: Endurance, Jonwu*B, Weapon Focus (Hoof )
Defects: Junkie*
Environment: Urban areas
Organization: Solitary, posse (5–8), gang (8–18 plus one leader of 2nd–5th level), or clan (20–150 plus 30% noncombatant “’ho’s” plus 10 3rd-level “pimps,” five 5th-level “mac daddies,” and one "A-Number 1" leader of 5th–9th level)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

Mulenyahni are small, very swarthy cousins of Centaurs often unfairly suspected of being lazy, larcenous, and even violent. A typical Mulenyahn is as big as a diminutive mule or donkey, generally standing a bit over 5 feet in height and weighing somewhat more than 1,000 pounds. Mulenyahni speak Urban, the garbled language of city folk, and Common.

Although such creatures can be found almost anywhere, they have become strongly identified with large cities, where groups of them can often be found lurking about in public areas, drinking, variously pestering or menacing passersby, and engaging in diverse pointless sports, games, and other idle pastimes. While they are often seen as a threat to the community at large, they are frequently much more dangerous to themselves than to others, and their orgiastic parties rarely end without one of their number being horribly maimed or killed.

Most carry any treasure they have on their persons in the form of garish “bling;” spinning hoof attachments are among the most popular adornments adopted by such creatures. While Mulenyahni can advance in most character classes or skills — like anyone else — many revere the Professions of Pimp and Prostitute above all others and claim to have advanced in them even if this is not actually the case.

COMBAT
Most Mulenyahni are skilled in the ancient art of Jonwu, which they use to make their light crossbow projectile fire more deadly (but considerably less accurate). Mulenyahni that employ lances deal double damage when they charge, just as mounted riders do.

MULENYAHNS AS CHARACTERS
A Mulenyahn Rogue is usually a group’s designated leader and speaker. Mulenyahn characters possess the following racial traits.
— +4 Strength, +4 Dexterity,–2 Intelligence.
— Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet.
— A Mulenyahn’s base land speed is 30 feet.
— Darkvision out to 60 feet.
— Racial Hit Dice: A Mulenyahn begins with three levels of monstrous humanoid, which provide 3d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +3, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +3, and Will +3.
— Racial Skills: A Mulenyahn’s monstrous humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 6 x (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Profession (Pimp or Prostitute), and Sleight of Hand.
— Racial Feats: A Mulenyahn’s monstrous humanoid levels give it two feats, plus one one bonus Feat. Its default racial Feats are Endurance and Weapon Focus (Hoof ) and its racial bonus Feat is Jonwu*.
— Racial Defects: A Mulenyahn’s default racial Defect is Junkie*.
— +1 natural armor bonus.
— Automatic Languages: Urban, Common. Bonus Languages: Orc, Goblin, Gnoll.
—Favored Class: Rogue.
—Level adjustment +1.

Important!: Skirmisher Publishing LLC: Online Forums

2007-08-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I am proud to announce that Skirmisher Publishing now has its very own online forum! I encourage everyone to check it out at www.skirmisher.com/forum. Anyone may register, so please make use of them!

Brendan Cass

Defective Item: Pheromone-Soaked Tent

2007-08-28T05:13:00.000-07:00

This tent used to be a mobile mini-brothel for a very busy whore, who has left the thing permanently saturated with pheromones. DM's choice as to the tent's attraction type: all humanoids, all males, all females, one particular monster type (roll random or pick a nasty one), or a universal attractor of sexual beings due to the original owner's completely uninhibited list of client species. In the case of a Tent whose pheromones attract absolutely everything, simply check twice as often for wandering monsters, rerolling in case of insufficiently sexual creatures. Medium and some of the smaller Large visitors to this tent will try to enter it and mate with the occupants, all larger visitors will simply try to mate with the tent, which could provide some awkward comedy moments.

Defective Item: Plague Wagon

2007-08-28T05:11:00.000-07:00

This wagon was used to haul off the dead after a plague. Roll on Nuisances *The Director's Cut* Subtable 2-3, Diseases, to determine the wagon's Plague type, rerolling if the disease isn't sufficiently severe. Characters should roll DC 12 Fortitude saves for each day of exposure to this wagon. Roll for the residual infectious time for any person or object that leaves the wagon (to adventure or be stored): DM's choice, 1d20 hours, 1d8 days, or 1d4 weeks. Note that any character who rides on the wagon with insufficient rump clothing needs to roll an extra DC 12 Fortitude save per day or contract Flaming Orifice* (see Nuisances) as well.

Defective Item: Dunce's Crooked Dice

2007-08-28T05:05:00.000-07:00

(may need some added game stats to make this item more playable)

These crooked dice were made by a fool who didn't understand gaming. Roll 2d6 to find what the "favorite" roll of these dice is, discarding any result of 7 or 11.

Language Skill Checks

2007-08-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

As written, the Speak Language skill does not require any sort of skill checks; either you speak a language or you don’t, and if you do, you automatically succeed at making yourself understood by those who speak that language and automatically understand them. Anyone who has ever tried to get by in a foreign country with a smattering of language that seemed adequate in the classroom, however, knows this simply is not the case. And all of us have had the misfortune of dealing with those who are not even proficient in their primary tongue. Indeed, the need to adequately convey meaning is a persistent challenge that even extends to fully fluent people conversing amongst themselves. And, while not requiring language skill checks is unreasonably unrealistic, it also deprives GMs and players alike of all sorts of roleplaying opportunities, plot twists, and amusing or even potentially dangerous misunderstandings. With those thoughts in mind, an alternate skill that can be used much like any other skill, Use Language, is presented below.

This concept, the Use Language skill, and the Cunning Linguist Feat all originally appeared as Open Game Content in the d20 sourcebook Nation Builder (Michael J. Varhola, Troll Lord Games, 2005).

New Skill: Use Language

2007-08-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Use Language (Int; Trained Only)A character can use this skill to speak, understand, write, or read a language in which he is proficient.
A character starts off at 1st level knowing one or two languages (based on his race), plus an additional number of languages equal to his starting Intelligence bonus. He is considered fluent in these languages, automatically receives 10 ranks in them, and can always Take 10 on appropriate skill checks. If desired, a character can add further ranks to such languages, which are always treated as class skills for these purposes. Unless he is a Barbarian, a character can also read and write these languages.
A character can choose to learn a new language by putting skill ranks into it. Once he has devoted at least one rank to a language, he is considered proficient and can attempt to speak, understand, write, or read it. He cannot Take 10 on skill checks associated with this language, however, if distracted or endangered.
Common languages and the alphabets used to write them appear on the table below. Note that ability to recognize an alphabet because it is associated with a language of proficiency does not confer ability to read or write it in another language.

Common Languages and Their Alphabets
Language -- Typical Speakers -- Alphabet
Abyssal -- Demons, chaotic evil outsiders -- Infernal
Aquan -- Water-based creatures -- Elven
Auran -- Air-based creatures -- Draconic
Celestial -- Good outsiders -- Celestial
Common -- Humans, Halflings, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs -- Common
Draconic -- Kobolds, Troglodytes, Lizardfolk, Dragons -- Draconic
Druidic -- Druids (only) -- Druidic
Dwarven -- Dwarves -- Dwarven
Elven -- Elves -- Elven
Giant -- Ogres, Giants -- Dwarven
Gnome -- Gnomes -- Dwarven
Goblin -- Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bugbears -- Dwarven
Gnoll -- Gnolls -- Common
Halfling -- Halflings -- Common
Ignan -- Fire-based creatures -- Draconic
Infernal -- Devils, lawful evil outsiders -- Infernal
Orc -- Orcs -- Dwarven
Sylvan -- Dryads, Brownies, Leprechauns -- Elven
Terran -- Xorns and other earth-based creatures -- Dwarven
Urban -- City dwellers, Mulenyahns, Orves -- Common
Undercommon -- Drow -- Elven

Check: Make a skill check that reflects the difficulty of the information to be conveyed or understood. This is generally DC 10 for conveying or understanding simple information (e.g., purchasing equipment, reading a sign), DC 15 for more complex ideas (e.g., directions to another part of town, public notices), DC 20 for moderately complicated ideas (e.g., instructions for retrieving a hidden treasure), DC 25 for intricate, complex, or technical concepts (e.g., double meanings of key words in a riddle, alchemical processes). If a subject to whom a character is speaking is actively trying to understand or make itself understood, then the character receives a +2 bonus on Use Language skill checks made with that creature.
If the skill check succeeds, the character understands the equivalent of about a single page of text or a minute of speech in the language in question. If the check fails, the GM makes a DC 5 Wisdom check for the character and, if it fails, the character gleans incorrect information, rather than simply failing to understand it.
The Game Master secretly makes both the Use Language check and, if necessary, the subsequent Wisdom check, so that the player cannot tell if his character has been successful or not.
Note that it is possible for sufficiently complex or technical texts to be incomprehensible even to someone who is fluent in the language in which they are written.
Action: Varies. Deciphering the equivalent of a single page of text generally takes 1 minute (10 consecutive full-round actions).
Try Again: No, in general, for attempting to understand or read a language (although the character might simply glean incorrect information and not even realize he failed his skill check). Yes, under proper circumstances, to speak a language (assuming the character realizes he failed his skill check).
Synergy: Characters with various areas Knowledge can use them to help succeed at Speak Language skill checks. A character with 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) receives a +2 bonus on Draconic skill checks. A character with 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (Local) receives a +2 bonus on skill checks for the primary language spoken in the area of familiarity. A character with 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (Nature) receives a +2 bonus on Druidic (Druids only), Giant, and Sylvan skill checks. A character with 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (The Planes) receives a +2 bonus on Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Ignan, Infernal, and Terran skill checks.
A character receives a +2 bonus on skill checks to read or write in a particular language of proficiency if it uses the same alphabet as another language in which he is proficient.
A character with 5 or more ranks in Decipher Script receives a +2 bonus on attempts to read languages of proficiency. Note that such a character is, essentially, also able to make untrained attempts to read languages of non-proficiency (“Decipher Script,” Player’s Handbook).

New Feat: Cunning Linguist

2007-08-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

Cunning Linguist [General]
A character with this feat has a knack for languages.
Benefit: A character with Linguistic Aptitude receives a +3 bonus on all language-related skill checks (e.g., Use Language*).

Nuisances OGL

New Monster: Mummy, Elf, Death-Challenged

New Defect: Ugly On the Outside

New Defect: Epileptic

New Monster: Lawyer, Dire, Intellectual Property

New Defect: Has "Fans"

New Feat: Throw the Little Man

New Defect: Don't Know Your Own Strength

New Monster: Mummy, Gnome, Steam-Powered

New Feat: Grope

New Monster: Black Sheep

Black Sheep

Combat

Sample Black Sheep Spawn: Black Shepherd (Black Sheep Spawn Hill Giant)

Combat

New Monster: Dung Golem

New Monster: Typhonic Hell Hound

New Feat: Subtype: Goth

New Defect: Suicidal Tendencies

Request for Help with New Forum

New Monster: Mummy, Composite, Catodile

New Monsters: A List of Mummies

New Monster: Mulenyahn

Important!: Skirmisher Publishing LLC: Online Forums

Defective Item: Pheromone-Soaked Tent

Defective Item: Plague Wagon

Defective Item: Dunce's Crooked Dice

Language Skill Checks

New Skill: Use Language

New Feat: Cunning Linguist

Sample Black Sheep Spawn:
Black Shepherd (Black Sheep Spawn Hill Giant)