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SSShadowcat7
Here for a while
(3/17/03 6:20 am)
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Violet Fungus in Inner Fane
So I'm reading the Inner Fane again since my PCs have just entered through the door and defeated both T-Rexes (the ones as written in the module) and Tychon. The party sorcerer died in this encounter (he got eaten by one of the T-Rexes), and the rest were in dire straights. It's a tough encounter as written, let me tell you!
But that's beside the point. I was reading ahead and noticed that in the top level, the Tabernacle of Utter Darkness, that if the Grand Altar is successfully dispelled a 20-HD Violet Fungus appears along with a cube of force.
So I got to thinking (dangerous, I know). What would a 20-HD Violet Fungus look like on paper? So I attempted to advance it properly and write it up. At first glance it doesn't seem so bad, but then remembering that the party has probably just fought their way through the First & the Third and then suffered through the Altar room it could be nasty.
Advanced Violet Fungus
Gargantuan Plant
HD 20d8+180 (270-ish HP)
Init -3 (Dex)
Speed 10 ft.
AC 11 (-3 Dex, -4 Size, +8 natural)(touch 3, flat foot 11)
Attacks 4 tentacles +24 melee (BAB +15)
Damage Tentacle 3d6+14 and poison
Face/Reach 20 ft./ 25 ft. with tentacle
SA --
SQ Plant
Saves Fort +21, Ref +3, Will +6
Abilities Str 38, Dex 4, Con 28, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 9
CR 12
Plant--Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning and polymorphing. Not subject to critical hits.
Poison (Ex)--Tentacle, Fort DC 29; initial and secondary damage 1d4 temporary Strength and 1d4 temporary Constitution.
If you note anything wrong please speak up. I'm pretty sure it's correct, but I've been known to be wrong before once or twice...or more.
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madfox
Still here? Wow.
(3/17/03 6:22 am)
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Re: Violet Fungus in Inner Fane
Does this huge mushroom actually fit in the Inner Fane?
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SSShadowcat7
Here for a while
(3/17/03 6:25 am)
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Re: Violet Fungus in Inner Fane
It only takes a 20 foot square...which, I admit, is pretty big. But the top level is pretty large and can accomodate it well enough.
Now, as for how tall it is and the heighth of the ceiling? Beats me.
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Thrommel
Can't leave now (mod)
(3/18/03 7:49 am)
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Re: Violet Fungus in Inner Fane
Hmm... I didn't check all your math, but your version disagrees slightly with what I came up with. Remember that all the adjustments due to size changes stack. It's been a while since I advanced a monster, so I tried to put together the stats myself.
First, obviously there is no advancement progression all the way up to 20HD for a violet fungus, so we have to make some intuitive decisions about size. I assumed since the module says it's a "huge, 20-HD violet fungus" that Monte literally meant "Huge".
So, here's what I get:
Violet Fungus - Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 20d8+140 (230 hp)
Initiative: -3 (Dex)
Speed: 10 ft.
AC: 14 (-3 Dex, +9 natural -2 size)
Attacks: 4 tentacles +23 melee
Damage: Tentacle 2d6+10 and poison
Face/Reach: 15 ft. by 15 ft./15 ft. (with tentacle)
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Plant
Saves: Fort +19, Ref +3, Will +6
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 4, Con 24, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 9
Skills: None
Feats: None
Challenge Rating: 12
Alignment: Always neutral
Combat:
Plant: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. Not subject to critical hits.
Poison (Ex): Tentacle, Fortitude save (DC 23); initial and secondary damage 1d4 temporary Strength and 1d4 temporary Constitution
The only thing I was a little fuzzy on was the poison calculation. I used 10 + 1/2 Extra Hit Dice + Con bonus (per Skip Williams' article in Dragon 276). Since it's a huge creature the EHD is 20 - 8 = 12, so we get 10 + 6 + 7 = 23.
Again, my math is just as suspect here as anyone else's.
With it's low armor class and poor reflex saves, the only thing it's got going for it is it's tremendous reach and nasty tentacle attacks.
-Thrommel, sucker for tentacles. (Kinda like an octopus - get it?)
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SSShadowcat7
Here for a while
(3/18/03 9:34 am)
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Re: Violet Fungus in Inner Fane
Thanks for lettimg me see you version, Thrommel.
Let's see if I can show how I came up with what I got and we can see if it works or not.
I used a mish-mash of the rules out of the MM, MM2 and Savage Species to come to my conclusions.
Size--I made it Gargantuan because on pg.7 of MM2 under the Plant size vs. HD, etc. chart it shows that max HD for a Huge plant is 16. 16HD-32HD make it Gargantuan. I, too noted that the module said "Huge", but there have been so many other errors with advanced creatures in it I just went with this instead.
AC--The only difference here is due to Size and natural armor. I used the little sentence out of Savage Species on pg.106 about Advancing by Type.
Quote:
Remember that adjusted natural armor bonuses are not cumulative; just use the new score instead.
So instead of adding all the natural armor bonus adjustments up I just took the +4 it got from being Gargantuan and added it to it's existing +4 to get +8. Not totally sure if that's the correct way to do it, but it seemed so according to what was written. I know it seems a little contradictary in the text because it says to repeat adjustments for size on abilities.
Attacks--easy enough to see where the differences come up. By adjusting mine one size category up it gains a bunch more strength, and another -2 to attacks.
Damage--Same thing for damage. I again used Savage Species to figure the damage rating for the tentacles. I used the Changing Weapon Size charts on pg.43. Moving up the chart it shows that the tentacle at gargantuan size would do 3d6 damage. Then just add on the Strength modifier.
Face/Reach--I kinda estimated here. The PH says that a Gargantuan/Tall creature takes up a 20'x20' square and has a 20' reach. I added on an extra 5' to the reach for the tentacles. Maybe that's too much, but as written the violet fungus has a 5' longer reach than it normally would anyway.
Saves--easy enough to figure using the different stats from size increase.
Abilities--Again, size difference.
Poison--Here's how I figured the DC for the poison. MM2, again. pg. 15 under the description of poison.
Quote:
The Fortitude save against poison has a DC of 10 + 1/2 poisoning creature's HD + poisoning creature's Constitution modifier.
So 10 + 10 (half HD) + 9 (Con modifier) = 29
A nasty, nasty save DC, especially when you figure it's got a great attack bonus and gets 4 attacks on a full attack action. That's a good potential to hand out 4d4 points of both Strength and Con damage. Yuck!
Anyway, I hope I haven't bored you. I meant to give an analysis of how I came up with what I did anyway, so you just helped me along. I'd love to hear if I misinterpreted any of the rules I used. I know they can be very ambiguous at times.
So have fun. Let me know what you think. Thanks
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Thrommel
Can't leave now (mod)
(3/18/03 10:42 am)
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Re: Violet Fungus in Inner Fane
Looks logical.
I cut my teeth on the old skool MM 1 advancement rules, so that explains the difference. I'm afraid I haven't had a chance to look into my MM2 OR my copy of Savage Species lately.
Looks like I'm going to have to re-code that Advancement Suggestorator...
-Thrommel, who still gets a bite attack even though he cut his teeth.
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