He who is afraid of a thing gives it power over him. Moorish proverb

Transcription

1 He who is afraid of a thing gives it power over him. Moorish proverb

2 DIGITAL DENIZENS Project Manager/Art Director Internal Coordinator Robert J. Gallagher Authors C. D. Bennett, Alexander Marsh Freed, Robert J. Gallagher, Michael A. Mumich, Jason Rosenstock, Additional Writing Devon Apple, Robert Dorneman, John Dunkleberg, Wil Upchurch Line Editor Alexander Marsh Freed Interior Artists Robert J. Gallagher, Keith Hyduke, Michael A. Mumich, Tony Parker, Scott Purdy, Jason Rosenstock,, Vebjørn Strømmen Conceptual Art Michael Chelnokov, Tony Parker, Layout & Typesetting Cover Artist Jason Rosenstock Violet Dawn Logo D20 Guru Alexander Marsh Freed The Inner Circle 779 McKinley Street Hazleton, PA Visit us online at: Contents trademark and copyright 2005 The Inner Circle. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

3 Contents Introduction New Creatures Argill Bhorloth Bhorloth, Raging Spirit Darlith Droth yar Droth yar, Shard Grimvole Grimvole, Grim Master Mokara Narlaskin Qeh thral Soul Trapper Spirit Swarm Trakza U thic Xashuul Legal Alphabetical Listing of Sidebars Argill Mask Bhorloth Greatbow Elixir of Ferocity Grim Protector Creatures by Type (and Subtype) Aberration: Darlith, U thic Animal: Bhorloth, Droth yar, Droth yar, Shard, Mokara Magical Beast: Grimvole, Grimvole, Grim Master, Trakza Monstrous Humanoid: Argill, Narlaskin, Outsider: Qeh thral, Xashuul Plant: Soul Trapper (Swarm): Spirit Swarm Undead: Bhorloth, Raging Spirit, Creatures by Challenge Rating Challenge Rating 2: Droth yar Challenge Rating 3: Argill, Bhorloth, Darlith, Droth yar, Shard, Grimvole, Mokara, Narlaskin, Qeh thral, Soul Trapper, Spirit Swarm, Trakza, U thic, Xashuul Challenge Rating 8: Bhorloth, Raging Spirit, Grimvole, Grim Master

4 Introduction We fear monsters because they are part of ourselves, or because they are not. To defeat the former, we look into our hearts, and vanquish our opponents through purity of thought and act. To defeat the latter, we raise blade and torch, and confront our problems directly. From the essays of Virkar, zeidian warrior-poet Digital Denizens: Challenge Rating Three introduces new creatures of Challenge Rating 3 for use in d20 System fantasy games. Some are new twists on old favorites, while others are original creations designed to surprise DMs and players alike. Most of the creatures and nearly all of the skills, feats, and special abilities can be easily used in any fantasy setting, but plenty of background is provided to help DMs integrate the material into their own campaign worlds. Some DMs may wish to introduce new creatures sparingly, using them to catch jaded players off-guard, while others may wish to make them an essential part of their games flavor. The World of Avadnu The natural habitat of the creatures in this PDF is Avadnu, the setting used by The Inner Circle s Violet Dawn: The Time of the Unravelling line of d20 System products. Avadnu is a dark fantasy world suffering from the mistakes of its past, where more people are struggling to survive than attempting to rebuild. All creatures have sections describing how they fit into the world of Avadnu, and even DMs running games set elsewhere can use these sections as examples of how a given creature might fit into a world s history. More information on Avadnu can be found at the official Violet Dawn website, at Denizens of Avadnu The contents of this PDF first appeared in the book Denizens of Avadnu. For more information on that product, see our company website at have expanded culture and lifestyle descriptions in this section. Characters: Creatures appropriate for use as PCs or who frequently take class levels are detailed further here. Physiological Uses: Certain creatures have qualities which allow the knowledgeable and skilled to make use of their remains. Items that can be manufactured from a creature s body are given a value in gp and a creation DC (usually for a Craft skill). Creating these items follows the standard rules for the Craft skill, unless otherwise stated. Except where noted, only one item can be created per creature carcass. Some creatures can be used to reduce a magic item s base price for purposes of magic item creation. This does not change any other creation requirements, but costs derived from the base price (such as base creation cost, creation time, and XP cost) are reduced accordingly. The item s actual base price (as well as its market price) does not change the reduction only applies to the costs for item creation. As with using creature parts for mundane items, unless otherwise stated, each carcass leaves enough material for use in one magic item. Creature parts (such as soultrapper petals) which can be added to spells as material components to add metamagic or other effects can be used by any spellcaster. The spellcaster does not need to have the metamagic feat duplicated, nor does the spellcaster need to have access to a spell slot of the level that the spell, when modified by a metamagic feat, would ordinarily require. Adventure Ideas: This section contains suggestions and ideas for using the creature in an adventure. On Avadnu: This section explains how the creature fits into Avadnu, and offers history, legends, and cultural views of the creature. Using This PDF Most creature writeups contain up to eight sections. Some creatures have additional sections to explain unique qualities. Statistics: The creature s statistics are listed in a black box labeled with the creature s name. In addition, the creature s Challenge Rating is displayed in a shield in the margin of the page. (A T in place of a Challenge Rating denotes a template.) Some creatures have new skills (such as Autoheal and Sculpt Self) and new feats (such as Controlled Breathing and Draining Weapon). These are described in an accompanying file, along with the voidspawn subtype. Description: Following the statistics block is a summary of the creature s physical traits, habits, and habitat. Combat: The combat section explains how the creature fights, as well any special abilities the creature may have. Society: Intelligent creatures with complicated societies 3

5 3 Argill Medium Monstrous Humanoid Hit Dice: 4d8+4 (22 hp) Initiative: +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 40 ft. AC: 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural) Touch: 11 Flat-Footed: 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+7 Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d6+3) Full Attack: 2 claws +7 melee (1d6+3) and bite +2 melee (1d4+1) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Improved grab, breath drain Argills are amphibious humanoids who drain the breath of their enemies. Argills stand 6 to 8 feet tall and weigh between 300 and 400 pounds. Their spongy, blue-green skin (slightly darker in males than females) camouflages them in most underwater environments, and their large, clawed feet and five-fingered hands are ideal for digging through silt. From the back of an argill s head grow long gray tendrils that extract oxygen from its environment, allowing it to remain underwater for hours before resurfacing. Argills feed on fish and plants, but attack larger creatures to protect their territories. They are nocturnal, and most live in hand-dug, half-submerged burrows with a single mate. Argill pairs often hunt together, working in tandem to catch their prey. Argills have no formal society, nor any discernible language. It is unknown how they communicate. Combat Argills are strong, and use that strength to their advantage when threatened or hungry. Typically, an argill will sneak up on an opponent from underwater, and try to surprise, grab, and suffocate the creature. Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an argill must hit a Medium or smaller opponent 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, it establishes a hold and can try to drain its opponent s breath in the following round. Breath Drain (Ex): An argill can attach its tendrils to the face of a grabbed opponent with a successful grapple check. The opponent must make a DC 13 Constitution check. The save DC is Constitution-based. The save must be repeated each following round the argill makes a successful grapple check, with the Special Qualities: Amphibious, darkvision 60 ft. Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +4 Abilities: Str 17, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 11, Cha 8 Skills: Hide +2*, Listen +4, Move Silently +3*, Spot +4, Swim +11 Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative Environment: Any marshes Organization: Solitary or pair Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually neutral evil Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +3 DC increasing by +1 for each immediately previous success the opponent has made. When the opponent fails one of these Constitution checks, it begins to suffocate, falling unconscious (0 hp). If the argill successfully grapples in the following round, the opponent drops to -1 hit points and is dying. After a third round, it suffocates. Amphibious (Ex): Argills can survive underwater for 1 hour per 2 points of Constitution. After that, they risk drowning. Skills: *Argills have a +8 circumstance bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks when underwater. Physiological Uses An argill s breathing tendrils can be harvested for use in the creation of a magical mask that allows its wearer to breathe underwater. Adventure Ideas Large groups of argills have been spotted migrating toward an enormous swamp, where an ancient city supposedly sank. Priests and scholars believe that this may be a sign that the city is returning, and that the argills were either its original residents or those residents servants. On Avadnu Found in the marshlands of Tirus-Neer, along the trade route to its sister city of Tirus-Keel, argills are widely feared and known as marsh devils by locals. In the past cycles alone, argills have been deemed responsible for the disappearances of over a dozen merchant caravans. The truth of the matter is in question, but no one doubts that argills pose a serious threat to those traveling between Tirus-Neer and Tirus-Keel. ARGILL MASK This mask, crafted from an argill s breathing tendrils, enables its wearer to breathe in water for 1 hour per 2 points of Constitution. Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item, water breathing; Price 10,000 gp; Weight 3 lb. 4