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| source: The History Blog |
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Illhveli (Bloated Zombie Whale) CR 8
A bloated, stinking whale carcass peppered with broken harpoons launches itself out of the water
XP 4,800
NE Gargantuan undead
Init -3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0
Aura foul stench (10 ft., DC 20, 1d4 rounds)
DEFENSE
AC 28, touch 3, flat-footed 28 (–3 Dex, +25 natural, –4 size)
hp 115 (21d8+21)
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +12
OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee slam +26 (4d6+22) or bite +26 (4d6+22)
Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
Special Attacks capsize
STATISTICS
Str 40, Dex 4, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +15; CMB +34; CMD 41 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Toughness
Skills none
SQ explosive decay, foul stench, staggered
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Capsize (Ex)
An illhveli can attempt to capsize a boat or ship by ramming it as a charge attack and making a CMB check. The DC of this check is 25, or the result of the captain’s Profession (sailor) check, whichever is higher. For each size category the ship is larger than the illhveli's size, the whale takes a cumulative –10 penalty on this CMB check.
Explosive Decay (Ex)
Every time the illhveli is damaged by a piercing or slashing weapon, it has a percent chance of exploding. If the roll on a d% is less than or equal to the damage dealt by the blow, the illhveli will explode. All within a 20 ft. radius must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or become nauseated. Creatures that have already saved against the bloated zombie's foul stench ability are not granted immunity to this ability. Once an illhveli has exploded, it takes 21 damage (no save) and cannot explode again. The save is Charisma based.
Foul Stench (Ex)
The illhveli reeks with the foul stench of decay. Creatures within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 20 Fortitude save or become sickened for 1d4 rounds. Creatures that save are immune to that illhveli's foul stench for 24 hours. The save is Charisma based.
Staggered (Ex)
Bloated zombies have poor reflexes and can only perform a single move action or standard action each round. A bloated zombie can move up to its speed and attack in the same round as a charge action.
ECOLOGY
Environment any oceansOrganization solitary, pair, or pod (3–16)
Treasure none
Illhveli are the revenant, bloated corpses of whales that have been harpooned and left to die. What animated them is their burning desire to take revenge on those who killed it, which translates to wreaking mindless havoc upon any boats or coastal villages in the area. They have even been known to pursue fishermen up the beach, flopping their tremendous bulk awkwardly along the land. They are so bloated with the gasses of decay that they may explode at any time, showering their surroundings with their innards.
Illhveli that were baleen whales in life have no teeth and attack with a slam; those that were toothed whales like sperm whales have the option to attack with a bite instead.
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I created this monster because I liked the idea of an undead whale, but just a plain whale zombie wasn't enough. Whale carcasses are well insulated by their blubber and their immense bulk. As such, they have a tendency to decay rapidly, bloating with gasses as a result. This means they sometimes explode. From the perspective of a GM, what's not to love?
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| Plus, combat encounters with whales can be pretty epic. (picture source) |
I had the idea for this monster while reading Monstrous Fishes and the Mead-Dark Sea: Whaling in the Medieval North Atlantic, by Vicki Ellen Szabo, for a project at Uni. In fact, you may see a few other whale monsters on this blog in the future.
When I was making this monster, I realized, "Well this isn't fair... I've basically taken a whale, applied the zombie template, and added some new special abilities." So to make up for it, I've created an alternate zombie template for bloated zombies:
The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is (C)2013 Jonah Bomgaars.
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Bloated Zombie
A bloated zombie is an animated corpse swollen with putrefaction. In addition to the dangers of a regular zombie, a bloated zombie constantly threatens to explode with every blow dealt to it.
“Bloated Zombie” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (other than an undead), referred to hereafter as the base creature.
Challenge Rating: A bloated zombie's CR is one more than a normal zombie with the same HD.
Alignment: Always neutral evil.
Type: The creature's type becomes undead. It keeps subtypes save for alignment subtypes and subtypes that indicate kind.
Armor Class: A bloated zombie's natural armor is the same as a normal zombie of the same size.
Hit Dice: A bloated zombie's HD is the same as a normal zombie of the same size. Zombies use their Charisma modifiers to determine bonus hit points (instead of Constitution).
Saves: Base save bonuses are Fort +1/3 HD, Ref +1/3 HD, and Will +1/2 HD + 2.
Defensive Abilities: Bloated zombies lose their defensive abilities and gain all of the qualities and immunities granted by the undead type. Bloated zombies gain DR 5/slashing, increasing to DR 10/slashing at 10 HD, and increasing by another 10 for every 10 HD above that.
Speed: As standard zombie.
Attacks: As standard zombie.
Special Attacks: A zombie retains none of the base creature's special attacks.
Abilities: As standard zombie.
BAB: As standard zombie.
Skills: A bloated zombie has no skill ranks.
Feats: A bloated zombie loses all feats possessed by the base creature, and does not gain feats as its Hit Dice increase, but it does gain Toughness as a bonus feat.
Special Qualities: A bloated zombie loses most special qualities of the base creature. It retains any extraordinary special qualities that improve its melee or ranged attacks. A bloated zombie gains the following special qualities:
Explosive Decay (Ex)
Every time the bloated zombie is damaged by a piercing or slashing weapon, it has a percent chance of exploding. If the roll on a d% is less than or equal to the damage dealt by the blow, the zombie will explode. The radius of the explosion is determined by the size of the bloated zombie:
Tiny or smaller: All in the same square
Small: 5 ft.
Medium: 10 ft.
Large: 10 ft.
Huge: 15 ft.
Gargantuan: 20 ft.
Colossal: 20 ft.
All within the explosion's radius must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1/2 HD + Charisma modifier) or become nauseated. Creatures that have already saved against the bloated zombie's foul stench ability are not granted immunity to this ability. Once a bloated zombie has exploded, it takes an amount of damage equal to its HD (no save) and cannot explode again.
Foul Stench (Ex)
The bloated zombie reeks with the foul stench of decay. Creatures within 10 feet must succeed on a Fortitude save (10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma modifier) or become sickened for 1d4 rounds. Creatures that save are immune to that bloated zombie's foul stench for 24 hours.
Staggered (Ex)
Bloated zombies have poor reflexes and can only perform a single move action or standard action each round. A bloated zombie can move up to its speed and attack in the same round as a charge action.
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There, now you can make all sorts of gross, smelly, exploding zombies, from humans to dragons to giants. For extra fun, give them filth fever or zombie rot as well.
The illhveli is not quite just a whale with the bloated zombie template applied to it; I've made some changes - like retaining the Capsize ability - that fit the theme of the monster. This is always something you need to do when applying templates. If you are applying a template and you see part of it doesn't work, or the result doesn't make sense, use your judgment and make the monster you want to make.
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-your bloated d20 despot
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