donderdag 15 augustus 2013

Sharkshark; or The Nested Shark


Photo courtesy of the University of Delaware

Sometimes a shark possesses an unnatural tenacity. Sometimes these sharks get eaten by larger sharks. Sometimes these sharks will not die. This will create the sharkshark; or nested shark.
Because the inner shark will deprive the outer shark of any food, the outer shark will usually be more aggressive and desperate than others of it's kind. Creatures eaten by the outer shark will find themselves quickly digested and torn to pieces by the inner shark.

Outer Sharkshark
Size/Type: Huge Animal (Aquatic)
Initiative: 6
Senses: Blindsense, keen scent; Perception +18

Armor Class: 15, touch 10, flat-footed 13 (-2 size, +2 Dex, +5 natural)
Hit Dice: 65 hp (10d8+20)
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +6

Speed: Swim 60 ft. (12 squares)
Bite: +10 melee (2d6+7 plus grab [+20])
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab [+20], swallow whole [+20]
Special: If the Outer Shark dies, the Inner Shark will be set free and act on it's own.

Base Attack/Grapple: +7/20
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Perception +18 , Swim +15
Feats: Perception Focus, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will


Inner Sharkshark
Size/Type: Large Magical Beast (Aquatic)
Initiative: As Outer
Senses: Blindsense, keen scent; Perception +14

Armor Class: As Outer, but 13 when within Outer
Hit Dice: 32 (7 HD)
Saves: As Outer
DR 20/bludgeoning; Resist 10 acid,

Speed: As Outer
Bite: +7 melee (1d8+4 plus grab [+12])
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab [+12], swallow whole [+12]

Base Attack/Grapple: +5/12
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Perception +14 , Swim +13
Feats: Perception Focus, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative





Improved Grab (Ex)
To use this ability, a sharkshark must hit an opponent of up to one size smaller with its bite attack.  It can then attempt to start a grapple (outer: +20/ inner: +12) as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can try to swallow the foe the following round.

Swallow Whole (Ex)
An outer sharkshark can try to swallow a large or smaller grabbed opponent by making a successful grapple check. The swallowed creature takes 2d8+7 points of bludgeoning damage and 7 points of acid damage per round from the outer sharkshark’s gizzard. If the Inner Sharkshark is still alive, it will attack 1 creature per round.
A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 15 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 12). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.

An outer sharkshark’s gizzard can hold 1 Large, 4 Medium, 16 Small, 64 Tiny, or 256 Diminutive or smaller opponents (this with the inner sharkshark taken into account.

An inner sharkshark can try to swallow a medium or smaller grabbed opponent by making a successful grapple check. The swallowed creature takes 2d6+4 points of bludgeoning damage and 4 points of acid damage per round from the inner sharkshark’s gizzard.
A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 12). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.

An inner sharkshark’s gizzard can hold 2 Medium, 8 Small, 32 Tiny, or 128 Diminutive or smaller opponents.

dinsdag 28 mei 2013

partial re-rerolls on random tables

Mucking about* with my Gamma World setting, I was thinking about a random encounter table. I wanted a specific creature to sometimes be mixed up in the encounter, about a fourth or fifth of the time.
Sure, I could just do a simple "roll again on this table and add creature X" but that would have a chance of giving the same result (and ignoring that result would result in more rolls).
I could write it as "roll a d10/d8 on a result of 1 and 2 add 1d3 creature X", but I wanted the chance of 1 creature X to appear to be higher than 3 X's. But something that I never thought of before; by rolling a d8 and d10, you can create a d80. So, here is a d100 encounter table with an incorporated d80 reroll system:

Murder City; night encounters

1-2 gravorgs
3-5 shadow sloths
6-10 skeletons
11-15 zombies
16-21 ratmen
22-26 mutated rats
27-28 quinpod invader
29-32 albino apes
33-36 octobats
37-44 bugs
45-52 ghouls
53 demonic abductor
54-59 shroommen
60-63 dabbers
64-66 felinoids
67-72 roll on the humanoid table
73 roll again and on the humanoid table
74-78 roll on the faction table
79 roll again and on the faction table
80 roll twice
81-92 roll 1d80 on this table + 1 creeper
93-98 roll 1d80 on this table + 2 creepers
99-00 roll 1d80 on this table + 3 creepers



*Lying in bed, thinking about cool mutants.