When I opened the forums last weekend (come on, join us!), I created a ‘technical issues and complaints’ board. In order to fluff it up, I wrote that it was being manned by a smiling Killer Cyborg Ogre Ninja.
Somehow this sparked enough interest for some readers ask to have it stated up. While I’ll leave stating it up using d20 Modern rules to other more knowledgeable people than me, I can most certainly do it d20 Fantasy style.
Also, this will be a little exercise to remind me how much time it takes to create custom monsters ‘by the rule’. This post uses material from the most excellent Chaositech book, Copyright 2003, Monte Cook, used with permission. (I was going to use the Ninja from Complete Adventurer but I’ll play it safe and use Fighter/Rogue levels, feel free to substitute)
As usual, everything falls under the blog’s Copyright and OGL.
Seeds of the creature:
- CR 12 creature (just because)
- Standard SRD Ogre
- Elite ability score array
- Chaos-Shaped Template (Chaositech page 84)
- 3 Fighter levels and 4 Rogue levels
Killer, Chatty DM’s Complaint’s department officer: Male Chaos-Shaped Ogre, Fighter 3, Rogue 4, CR 12 ; Large aberration; HD 4d8+3d10+4d6+64; hp 120; Init +1; speed 30 ft.; AC 24 (– 1 size, +1 Dex, +7 natural, +6 Mithral Chainshirt (+2), +1 Ring of Protection (+1)), touch 10, flat-footed 23; Base Atk +10; Grp +18; Atk: +22 Large Greatsword +2 (3d6+9) or +13 Composite Long Bow (2d6+7); Full Atk: +22/+17 Large MW Grinding Greatsword +2 (3d6+9 19-20 /X2; see below) or Composite Long Bow (2d6+6), Space/Reach 10 ft./10 ft.; SA: Sneak Attack +2d6; SQ: Trapfinding, Trap Sense +1, Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, DR 10/Slashing or Piercing; darkvision 60 ft., low–light vision; AL LE; SV Fort +10, Ref +7 Will +2; Str 24, Dex 13, Con 19, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 2 . Language: Giant
Skills and Feats: Jump +15, Climb +21, Move Silently +7, Spot+7, Search+7, Power Attack, Cleave, Alertness, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Grinding Sword), Weapon Focus, Blind-Fight
Chaositech Implants: Allegiance Mind Implant (Chaositech p56), Arm-mounted +2 Large Masterwork Grinding Greatsword (Replaces right hand, Chaositech p22, see below), Bone Lacing (Chaositech p48)
Grinding Sword : On either a critical hit (or a coup de grace) or a roll of maximum damage, the wielder can mentally activate the sword’s special function.
A critical hit or maximum damage indicates that the wielder has thrust the blade into the target. When activated, the sword blade begins to spin on an axle connected to the pommel. This gory grinding inflicts an additional 3d6 points of damage. Further, the wielder can choose to continue grinding on subsequent rounds, inflicting 3d6 points of damage per round. This requires a full-round action on the wielder’s part. The victim can pull away from the grinding word by making a successful grapple check against the wielder, freeing himself from the blade and its effects.
Possessions: +2 Mithril Chain Shirt, Boots of Striding and Springing, Ring of Climbing, Ring of Protection +1, MW Str 22 Large Composite Longbow, 20 Large Arrows.
Time to create: About 90 Minutes (yeah D&D 4e needs to address that).
Okay now for all D&D haters that actually make the effort to read me, here’s the same creature, Risus-Style!
Killer, Cyborg Ogre Ninja:
Description: Killer is a Dungeonpunk Ogre/machine who was rescued by a generous evil overlord to see after the well being of his growing minionhood. Killer likes puppies, daffodils, Chicken soup… and sneaking on people to skewer them with his gigantic arm-mounted rotating sword.
Clichés: BFS (4), Very Strong (3), Ninja! (3)
Time to create: 5 minutes (I rest my case).
There you go… not much for stealth, but don’t get backstabbed by that sword!
That rocks as a monster, without a doubt!
In the interest of making another speed comparison between systems, here’s how Killer stats up in Microlite20:
Killer Cyborg Ninja Ogre; HD 12d8+24 (84hp); AC 24; +21 Large Greatsword +2 (3d6+14) or +13 Longbow (2d6+7); Phys +15, all other @ +12; Str 24, Dex 13, Mind 8. Sneak attack as Rogue.
Time: 15 seconds, and that includes checking the stats you gave the d20 version to make sure they match.
Not bad, eh? 🙂
I haven’t used a full stat block in years. Now I remember why. 90 minutes is more than I spend preparing 1 game!
There’s URL typo in the BFS link. To get 3E stat blocks right by the rules is major pain. But I remember in 2E I felt that picking spells and using the correctly in combat was a pain as well. And my players don’t like rules-light. 🙁
That’s why I’ve decided that stat-block stealing was going to be a major undertaking in my remaining 3E DMing days.
Done.
Link and a few glitches in stat bloc fixed.
Stat Stealing is all right in my book and I hope that more than one someone will use that monster to make the effort valid….
Man I can’t believe I use to create those by droves for a weekly game.
Greywulf: You know I’m starting to believe that Gygax had it right the whole time. Short stat blocks was all you needed in A D&D most of the time.
Certainly my heart grows heavy whenever I see those Planescape stat blocks. Incredibly tiny!
Well, from the looks of things, we’ll be back there with 4e.