Looks like Jim Garrison has assumed the mantle for this month's RPG Blog Carnival - "Invasive Species"
Minor Amphibious Horrors That Have Shown Up Recently in the Kingdom:
1. Pustule-toad: Large toad covered in corrosive, seeping nodules (bite 1d4 + 1d4 acid damage on initial contact, with 1 pt of damage for the following two rounds). Kills plant life and leaves a scorched trail in its wake. Areas occupied by the toads will not grow crops or other vegetation for one year. Belligerents have been known to collect these nasties and 'seed' them in enemies' fields in order to damage crops and degrade cropland. 1+1 HD, AC 7/13, Encounter 4d4.
2. Rage Salamander: An extremely territorial flame-red salamander that charges forward, jaws drooling hallucinatory poisons. The poisons are reportedly refined by the psychotic Mercenaries of Zoeh for their battle-rituals. Several dozen salamanders escaped into local river valleys after the defeat of the rebel prince Oldoron and his mercenary army along the Plains of Aras. Bite 1d4 damage + save vs poison or suffer acute hallucinations for 1d4 turns (1-4 - Attack nearest PC or NPC, 5 - Abject terrors, 6 - Catatonic), 1+1 HD, AC 7/13, Encounter 1-2.
3. Bleeding Caecilian: The warmer, wetter springs have seen an influx of these legless, burrowing amphibians moving north from tropical climes. Although nearly blind, they are equipped with an acute sense of smell and sense motion via vibrations. Their bite is relatively strong for a small animal (1d4 damage), and their skin secretions contain a hemolytic poison (dam 1d4 + 2 hp hemolysis/day until cure disease or 2x save). 1-1 HD, AC 8/12, Encounter 1d4.
4. Thunder-Frog: No one is quite sure where these noisome nuisances came from, but evidence points to a vivimancer's misguided experimentations. These large frogs puff up to three times their normal size to issue forth a bellowing croak. To another Thunder-Frog this says, "I am sexy," but to other creatures, these vocalizations can deafen and stun for 1d4+1 rounds any caught within a 15' cone in front of the frog. Multiple frogs croaking in concert will multiply the stun effect for 1.5 x the rolled duration per frog, plus cause 1-2 HP damage per frog within a 15' cone. If a frog is injured while puffing, there is a 50% chance for it to explode for 1d6 damage in a 5' radius. 1 HD, AC 7/13, Encounter 2d4.
Having grown up very close to a swamp, I remember all too well how loud bullfrogs can get...so Thunder Frogs feel all too familiar. Nice to see a Caecillian in the mix, they're interesting creatures and this variety could turn an otherwise standard encounter into something a bit more dramatic. Can their skin secretions be collected and used as a weapon or to formulate a nasty poison-potion? Great entry! Thanks for participating in the Blog Carnival!
ReplyDeleteThanks, and yes, the caecillian will reappear with a discussion on potential by-products.
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