Justice Beast
Hit Dice: 2 or more
Size: S (1-2 HD)/M (3-5 HD)/L (6 HD)
Move: 6
Armor Class: 5 (descending)/14 (ascending); Armor 0/Agility 2/Magic 2
Attacks: Bite 1 + 1d6/4 HD
Special abilities: Grows with enemies
Intelligence: Animal
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Reaction: 8 (positive)
Morale: 9 (brave)
XP Basis: As Hit Dice when slain
Assume for a moment it exists. Its placid demeanor turns to a growling when approached with the intent to capture or harm. Instantly the creature grows; starting from one hit die, it adds one hit die for each level or hit die of creatures within 60 feet who have hostile intent toward it. For every four hit dice it possesses, it rolls 1d6 for damage, adding to this total the 1 hp of its normal attack. Its vigorous defense will end only in its death, or in its shrinkage back to original form, as foes are laid low or routed off.
Flandys the sea captain, they say, once treated such a beast very well. After one short battle, the pirates of her particular coast knew to leave her well alone. In time she came to see the beast as very useful indeed; when it tried to wander off, she had it restrained. For the end of her own tale - used, betrayed and fettered in chains - only the Gods of Reciprocity are to blame.
It looks kinda like a hamster or a guinea pig.
ReplyDeleteHowever I think you managed to made the zorbo a worthwhile entry! Bravo!
I'm ambivalent, mostly because of the picture you put up there. Now I imagine someone shouting "I choose you, Zorbo!".
ReplyDeleteA picture of a lemur would've put me in the proper mindset. Now I'm in a whole world of hamster-hate.
Seriously though, this monster suffers from the problem that it is scenario-specific. Would you ever just run across this? A fluffy bunnyhamstermonkey? Who would attack it? You have to design encounters around the creature to use it.
Stick the Zorbo on a pillow, drive a stake through it, and burn the remains.
It occurred to me that my comment could easily be taken more negatively than I meant - I was trying to be conversational over several posts and it may have come off wrong. So my apologies if I've been too familiar.
ReplyDeleteNah, it's OK. I am aware that seeing a fluffy bunny is not going to inspire "Yaaa! Rabbit stew!" in any adventurers with half a brain. But maybe making allies with someone who will go after the thing stupidly... or coming across a fight between it and some others ... or finding a foe who has the thing as an ally ... would make a better scenario.
ReplyDelete