I love monsters, there is nothing like the smell of frightened PC's in the morning, here is a variant centaur I came up with a long time ago, I think it is quite appropriate considering the Dramojh penchant for magical crossbreeding and manipulation.
Nov-Nessus (The Stallion Anew)
Variant Centaur
Large Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 6d8+12 (39hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+14
Attack: Longsword +9 melee (2d6+6/19–20) or composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) +7 ranged (2d6+4/x3)
Full Attack: Longsword +9 melee (2d6+6/19–20) and 2 hooves +4 melee (1d6+2), or composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) +7/+2 ranged (2d6+4/x3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Gaze of lust, poisoned blood
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., stargazer
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +7
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 19
Skills: Listen +4, Sneak +4, Spot +4, Survival +3
Feats: Ability Focus (Lustful Gaze, Poisonous Blood)
Environment: Any Temperate Land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3
DESCRIPTION
“Teach you to see the stars? You do not even know how to look at women. You must be able to perceive what is beautiful about every woman you see. A lady is like a rose awaiting morning’s glory, to whose warmth she must also open herself. When a woman looks into your eyes she should be overwhelmed by the truth of the reflection of her beauty. When you can do this, then I will teach you to see the stars.” Excerpt from Beautiful Beasts by Nov-Nessus the Centaur as transcribed by Bryeep of Harrowdeep.
You see a massive creature with the lower body of a roan-colored horse and with the upper torso and limbs of a man, but you are surprised to find that its head is also that of a horse.
I have a fine physique; being much larger than most of my cousins, I stand slightly over eight of your feet high and weigh just about 2,200 stones. In my youth, a great godling hero killed me with a poisoned arrow while making away with his abandoned wife. However, she later secretly had me resurrected so that she could keep me as her lover. I found that my rebirth and the hands of the Worldsmith had caused the stars of my life to change.
Men have called me a rake, speaking ill of me, saying I use foul and dark forms of Elan (magic) to corrupt the minds of women. I use nothing more than the gifts the Worldsmith gave me. If your wife leaves you, it is because you have ignored her, ridiculed her, or brutalized her. Though I love women, I love the stars even more. My greatest passion is the fire and ice that lies in the night sky. I can see the course of the future set in the stars, but the stars do not force me to speak, much less speak the truth of it.
I have killed men men the most famous of was the Young Lion of Ka-Rone, so certain his victory against the dragon Phaphnir was written in the heavens, he took his death as a great suprise. I took his young wife to my mountain retreat to console her.
I can speak Common and Sylvan.
COMBAT
Nov-Nessus employs a lance that deals double damage when he charges, just as a rider on a mount does.
Lustful Gaze (Su): Nov-Nessus can excite lust and desire in any female who looks into his eyes within a range of 30 feet. These females must succeed on a Will save (DC 17) or fall instantly under the Nov-Nessus’s influence as though by a dominate person or suggestion spell (Nov-Nessus’s choice, caster level 12th). If a female is married, the DC increases to 19. The DC of the saving throw is Charisma-based.
Poisonous Blood (Ex): Contact, Fortitude DC 21, initial and secondary effect as the confusion spell (caster level 12th). The save DC is Constitution-based. Nov-Nessus has a +4 racial bonus to his poisonous blood. If damaged by a melee slashing weapon all those within 5’ must make a successful Reflex save (DC 17) to avoid contact. Nov-Nessus’s blood retains this quality even after his death. Rumors persist that Nov-Nessus is considering poisoning his own arrows with his blood but he has not done so at this time.
Stargazer (Ex): By reading the proper alignment, position and omens of the heavens, Nov-Nessus gains a mystical insight into the world. He must make a Wisdom check DC 15. If he’s successful, Nov-Nessus makes three statements on the subject at hand. However, Nov-Nessus does not believe in a set future, he believes these statements describe what is likely to happen, not what will happen. So, these statements do not always prove to be true, often serving as warnings rather than true predictions. These statements always address of the future. Nov-Nessus can only use this ability about a single subject once until that prediction has come to pass.
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4 comments:
That's a very cool write-up. The Greek myth-geek in me nods in appreciation, but what I like even more is the use of first person in the description. Please, PLEASE, keep that up.
I like that you used first person for the monster description. In fact, I kind of wished you'd used it in the combat section as well.
Thank you both for the kind words, Monte Thanks for posting, wow I suddenly have this huge geeky fan boy rush, lol.
I came up with this idea of 1st person point of view when I was writing Here There Be Monsters (my monster book) this one did not make the cut (note the lack of designer notes, lore and variant rules). It was an attempt to make useful fluff :)
I had considered doing the combat section as well but in playtesting it became a little jarring at certain times and I felt the rules should be abundently clear.
Still there are days I wish I would have done the combat section too.
yet hence forth all monsters on this blog shalt be first person even in combat. :)
I agree that the combat section is clearer as written but I like the 1st person narritive with the article too
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