I wanted to “mean up” the braxat from the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog. I’ve been tackling a few Dark Sun monsters and it’s tough! There’s a balance between humanoid and reptilian & chitinous that I still can’t reach.
Category Archives: Monsters
Cybataur, Platformized
I threw a cybataur band against the party last game and their shamanatrix was killed by a lucky cybax chop. The players loved the cybataurs so much that we replaced the shamanatrix with a cybataur tech-ranger. I love that there’s no distinction between PC and NPC stats: This insane game wouldn’t be nearly as fun if you couldn’t turn around and roll up a PC based on the last cool monster you fought.
Annotation:
- ECM Implants: +2 vs. Elec.
- “Personal Gunship” Shoulder-Mounted Regen-Cannons (3): x2 ammo regen, 1 bonus action
- Level 7b Cybarm:+15% Cy-Bonus (left arm only)
- Cybax: Factor 6 combat uplink
Hel-Space Axewurm
One of my favorite regions of Sharth is Midgoth, where the Vanirium PsyLords hold an uneasy truce with the Council of Aesiroth, and all other sorts of ridiculous twists on Norse mythology. The best twist is the Hel-Space paradimension, ruled by Shub-Hel, the Flayed Queen-Mother, where the damned souls of Midgoth merge with Shub-Hel’s Lovecraftian spawn. For Sharth this usually means lots of eyes and armored tentacles.
- Multiple Hel-eyes: Nethervision, +17% natural aim
- Nidhoggite Skull +5 vs all metals save Valhallium. +2d10 to all skull-based damage
Ogre, Winter Exile
★ ★
(playtested)
(playtested)
Savage Outcast
There are few crimes among the mountain ogres; theft, bloodshed and cannibalism are all acceptable. Any ogre who manages to break taboo is caged and starved until the bleakest night of winter, when the cage is unceremoniously dumped before some dire beast’s lair.
Though the sentence is harsh, any survivors of exile are welcomed back after the first thaw. Some ogre leaders brag about their time in exile, a halcyon season spent in defiance of nature. Of these, a select few even bring back a companion: A barely-tamed dire beast.
| Winter Exile Ogre | Level 3 Solo brute | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large natural humanoid | XP 750 | ||||||||
| HP 196; Bloodied 98 | Initiative +2 | ||||||||
| AC 15, Fortitude 15, Reflex 14, Will 13 | Perception +1 | ||||||||
| Speed 8 | |||||||||
| Resist 5 cold | |||||||||
| Saving Throws +5; Action Points 2 | |||||||||
| Traits | |||||||||
| Desperate Actions | |||||||||
| The ogre does not roll initiative. It has set Initiative counts of 10 and 0, and it takes a turn on each count. It cannot delay or ready actions. | |||||||||
| Standard Actions | |||||||||
 Savage Fist ◆ At-Will |
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| Attack: Melee 2 (one creature); +6 vs. AC | |||||||||
| Hit: 1d10 + 3 damage, and target is pushed one square. | |||||||||
 Flailing Fists ◆ At-Will |
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| Effect: The ogre uses savage fist twice. If it hits the same target more than once, the target is dazed (save ends). | |||||||||
 Stomp ◆ Encounter |
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| Attack: Close burst 2 (3 when bloodied) (all creatures within burst); +4 vs. Reflex | |||||||||
| Hit: 2d10 + 3 damage, and target is pushed 2 squares and is dazed (save ends). | |||||||||
| Move Actions | |||||||||
| Shake It Off ◆ At-Will | |||||||||
| Effect: The ogre makes an immediate saving throw against a single condition. | |||||||||
| Triggered Actions | |||||||||
| Enraged Stomp ◆ Encounter | |||||||||
| Trigger: The ogre is first bloodied. | |||||||||
| Effect (Free Action): Stomp recharges and the ogre uses it immediately. Roll 1d6 for every square within the burst (including the ogre’s) which has an adjacent lower square. If the roll is 1-4, that square drops by five feet, becomes difficult terrain, and any creature in the square falls prone. | |||||||||
| Skills Athletics +9, Endurance +9, Stealth +7 | |||||||||
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| Alignment chaotic evil | Languages Giant | ||||||||
| Equipment ragged furs | |||||||||
Skyrm
Even though it’s rough, I still like this rendition better than the crappy picture in the Wasteiary. I adjusted the Grab from a +20 to a +10 because it just isn’t fun for players (at least my group). If anyone has a better solution for grabbing in general, let me know. I might steal from 4e and just make it a condition/melee ongoing effect.
I also spelled “stynger” wrong. It’s hard to keep track of all the silly spellings (spellyngs?).
Annotation:
- Dual Membrane Wing Pairs: +15% Mobility, Hover @ -2 Ph. Energy Cost
- Split Maw/Speartongue Assembly: +10 Grab, +5% Pierce Attack
- Sktynger [sic] (Type: Immobilization): +5d8 Stab damage, x3 Poison effectiveness
Troll & Knight
Struck by the melancholy and hope within Judd’s 7 knights for 7 bridges, I sketched up a little vignette. I’m rooting for the poor old knight.
Troll Captive
Another troll inspired by Judd’s written response to my troll image inspired by his 7 knights for 7 bridges post.
Wasterunner NPC
Here’s an NPC I cooked up for the Shattered Earth RPG. I was a little rusty and forgot his mask’s +15% RadVision. It was in the PC’s favor, but like I said, I was rusty and the Second GM’s Law can take a hike for now.
P.S. Even after all this time I still can’t take “Sharthmaster” seriously.
Annotation:
- VIBRO-KATANA: +17 to Hit (+10% Dismember bonus)
- BACK-MOUNTED CHAINFEED: x2 ammo capacity
- (Head & Torso) GMP-7X RAD-FILTER MASK ASSEMBLY: 98% Rad Zone immunity, +5% Psyke Defense
- FOREARM-MOUNTED RAYNOR INDUSTRIES MK III CHAINGUN (“WHISTLER”): Triple Speed bonus; +5 to Hit w Spray