The Atomic Think Tank

by **catsi563** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 4:18 pm

Im with Ares on this as well. Look at Avatar and the world of pandora as a prime example of an Alien ecology in action. Creatures which might be considered magical may just be animals with variant physiologies and abilities. Hell there are still areas of our own oceans and sections of rainforest that we have yet to explore in full which may yet contain species that are utterly alien to any known current zoological or biolgical sciences.

by **luketheduke86** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 6:42 pm

Jabroniville wrote:Oh, and funny stuff- Jim Shooter tears DC a new asshole over "Red Hood & the Outlaws", ripping into every part of the book by virtue of it's suck. He even mocks Starfire's cheesecake qualities while admitting that sexuality is a GOOD thing to show, but that this is just "porn for kids". And then he outright states that Scott Lobdell isn't a "real writer". I think I'm in love with Shooter, you guys.

That was a great link Jab. Shooter really hit the nail on the head there.

Great builds as usual Jab. The Blue Worm and Crimson Worm are cool creatures. Thanks for the Mew build Jab! He (she? it?) is quite the beast, being a PL 13 with psychic abilities and it's "Transform" ability.

by **Thorpacolypse** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 7:44 pm

luketheduke86 wrote:
Jabroniville wrote:Oh, and funny stuff- Jim Shooter tears DC a new asshole over "Red Hood & the Outlaws", ripping into every part of the book by virtue of it's suck. He even mocks Starfire's cheesecake qualities while admitting that sexuality is a GOOD thing to show, but that this is just "porn for kids". And then he outright states that Scott Lobdell isn't a "real writer". I think I'm in love with Shooter, you guys.

That was a great link Jab. Shooter really hit the nail on the head there.

Great builds as usual Jab. The Blue Worm and Crimson Worm are cool creatures. Thanks for the Mew build Jab! He (she? it?) is quite the beast, being a PL 13 with psychic abilities and it's "Transform" ability.

Man, he was hard on that book, wasn't he? I was really looking for to it and there were definitely moments of "um...what?!?!?!" in it, but I didn't think it was THAT bad. I do hope Lobdell makes a better 2nd issue.

I have to give props to you for making Pokemon actually interesting. I've never been a fan, but you are right that they fit very well in a fantasy setting.

by **Jabroniville** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:13 pm

(OK, I'm using the lower one, not the upper one here

).

The creature does not appear menacing at first, looking like a large, fat pig with an elephantine nose that hangs lazily over it's mouth. It's yellow front half, and dark back half give in a Honeybee-esque appearance as well. You suddenly find yourself getting very sleepy, and the creature lifts it's nose, giving you a horrific look into it's sharp-toothed maw.

HYPNO-TAPIR
Role: Sleep-Inducing Dream-Eater
PL 7 (93)- Minion Rank 7, Sidekick Rank 19
Normal Version: PL 5-6
STRENGTH 5 STAMINA 5 AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+7) -- Flaws: Limited to Swimming
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 7 (+6 Size)
Perception 2 (+2)
Ranged Attack (Psychic Attacks) 6 (+6)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Acute & Extended Scent) [2]
"Natural Size" Growth 2 (Str & Sta +2, +2 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -2 Stealth) -- (8 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [5]
Protection 1 [1]

"Psychic-Type Magical Creature" Immunity 10 (Psychic Effects) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [5]
Mind Reading 7 (Extras: Area) (Flaws: Limited to Sleeping Subjects, Limited to Dreams) [7]

"Hypnosis" Affliction 7 (Will; Fatigued/Exhausted/Asleep) (Extras: Perception Range +2, Cumulative, Concentration) (35) -- [37]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Hypnosis +7 Perception (+7 Affliction, DC 17)
Confusion +6 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Dream Eater +6 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +6, Fortitude +5, Will +3

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Tapirs cannot speak to humans, nor use their hooves to easily manipulate objects. Also, they have very poor eyesight, even at night, and must rely on their sense of smell to locate food and each other.
Rivalry (Other Males)- Like moost hoofed animals, Tapirs must compete with other males for mating rights.
Vulnerable (Dark Attacks)- Hypno-Tapirs' Creature Type leaves them vulnerable to certain types of attack.

Total: Abilities: 8 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 57 / Defenses: 8 (93)

Era: Modern
Range: Western Isles
Colouring: Black, brown, red, black & white, yellow, orange
Size: Up to 7-8 feet long (300-1000 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Solitary and territorial
Diet: Grass & vegetation.
Tactics: Attempt to Hypnotise attackers.

-A strange creature from the Western Isles, Hypno-Tapirs are related to their more common brethren, but possess the odd psionic power of Dream-Eating, allowing them to read the minds and consume the dreams of living beings. This appears to not harm the victims, save prevent them from dreaming for a time. They typically wait on common pathways, and attack whichever creatures (preferably sentient) they can find, Hypnotise them, and then eat their dreams.

Jab's Notes: I was thinking Hypno/Drowzee were kind of redundant with the Psychic-Types I've already made, so I decided to do something unique with it- I left on only it's defining powers, plus Confusion (for the hell of it), and threw them onto a REGULAR Tapir, instead of making it yet another man-shaped Pokemon. So we have a big, fat Dream-Eater. These are based off of the Baku, dream-eating tapirs of Japanese folklore.

by **Jabroniville** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:27 pm

AQUATIC CREATURES:
Creature Type: Altered Humanoid, Beast-Kin, Aquatic
Typical Adult Height: 4'11"-6'6" (note: Tails make many of them much longer)
Birth Rate: 1-2 Infants every 9 months/1-10 Eggs every 5 months (depending on similarity to Humans)
Lifespan: 0-7 (Pup/Calf/etc.), 8-59 (Adult), 60-85 (Elder)
Nicknames: Depends on the Race, Animal-Kin
Sexual Dimorphism: Usually smaller, occasionally mammaries
Skin Tones: Any colouring possible
Hair: Any colour possible
Racial Mounts: Dolphins, Sharks, Swordfish, Cephalopods,
Racial Weapons: Spears, Tridents, Javelins, Nets
Religion: The Animal Spirits

Allies: Other Aquatic Creatures

Encounter Groups:
Solo (1 plus 0-2 Animals)
Group (2-12 plus 0-20 Animals)
Bands (10-30 plus 0-5 Elites, 0-40 Animals, 0-20 Allies, 0-2 Monsters)
Tribe (20-80, plus 3-30 Elites, 0-20 Mounts, 0-85 Animals, 0-40 Allied Beast-Kin, 2-20 Heavies, 0-5 Monsters)

PL Variants:
PL 0-2: Weaker Specimens
PL 3: Weaker Standard Specimens
PL 4: Standard Specimen
PL 5: Elites
PL 6+: Important Characters

-The Oceans of the world contain many sentient beings, Humanoid and otherwise. Most of them are rarely encountered by surface folk, unless they maintain close proximity to shorelines- these creature thus often fall into mythology and storytelling. Mermaids, Mermen, and various other creatures are known of, or spoken about, and tales vary as to whether they are good or evil. The truth is complex- most Aquatic races are of similar alignment to people on land, and evil or good societies are both known. The most common type of Aquatic Sentient is the Merpeople (usually called Mermen in plural), who possess a lower half resembling that of a fish. The type of fish greatly varies, as does the colour of the scales, and even the Humanistic quality of the creatures' face- some are basically Human or Elf-like in features, but others have large scales, finned ears, or even animalistic faces.

-Other common types of Aquatic creatures include the Aquans, who have scaled lower bodies, but still possess actual legs that end in large flippered feet. The Locathah are humanoid, but have fish faces with sharp teeth. Pirhanoids are from faraway Western Isles, but resemble the Locathah. The Sahuagin are more reptilian in features, and resemble fierce, toothed toads (these frequently ally with Sharks or Dragons). Kuo-Tua are frog-like, and are the most amphibious Aquatic creatures in the world- often living in the Southern Wetlands.

-Few Aquatic races are advanced technologically to the equal of the surface races- smelting metals is impossible underwater, and so most people rely on coral and stone-crafting, as well as magic. Huge underwater civilizations are known, and many large cities- these survive thanks to effective crop-farming of strange underwater vegetation, as well as skilled hunting groups and animal allies- no other races tame animals like the Aquatic ones do- huge amounts of Cetaceans, Sharks, Rays and other fish are common to any Aquatic City, Town or Village, and almost any encountered party will have several.

Jab's Notes: I kinda like the idea of a lower-level D&D world within the world, separate from the Underworld or Surface. It's fun for an adventure or two, though my friends always insist that such a campaign (where most races have similar abilities and most animals are a bit alike) would get old after a point- there's just less variety underwater. There's still some great stuff, like Giant Squids, Aquatic Dragons, Sea Serpents, etc., but almost everyone prefers the open land. I couldn't quite decide on peoples or cultures, so I just kinda got lazy and said "There's lots of them"- use the more animalistic ones as "Races of Evil" (or at least races with nasty leaders), or even surprise people with one of those evil societies of Mermen (never liked the term "Merfolk"- nobody talks like that). Aquatic races are a good time to use some of those unused "fantasy cultural representatives" if you're missing some- maybe make them Arabic-acting (well, turbans underwater would be dumb, but you get the idea), some of the other Asian races, Pacific Islanders, whatever. Unless you think it's cliche to just transplant human culture onto monsters, but hey- that's what fantasy is all about.

STANDARD AQUATIC CREATURE
Role: Mooks
Group Affiliations: Respective Races
PL 4 (53)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+4)
Athletics 5 (+6)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+5)
Expertise (Undersea Soldier) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+2)
Perception 4 (+4)
Stealth 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Weapon & Armour), Improved Critical (Trident), Ranged Attack 3, Teamwork

Equipment:
"Barnaclemail Armour" Protection 1 (1)
"Thrown Trident" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Ranged 3) (5) -- (6)

AE: "Trident" Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Reach) (4)Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent) [2]

"Aquatic Creatures"
Swimming 4 (8 mph) [4]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
Immunity 3 (Drowning, Cold, Pressure) [3]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Trident +3 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Thrown Trident +3 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +2 (+3 Armour), Fortitude +5, Will +1

Complications:
Responsibility (The Seas)- Underwater creatures have a responsibility to protect their portion of the sea from invaders and usurpers.
Weakness (Dry Land)- Aquatic creatures will soon die if left out of the water for too long- some will immediately start to suffocate without water to pass through their gills, where others may merely dehydrate.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 11 / Defenses: 8 (53)

Jab's Notes: This is the baseline for all the Aquatic creatures- a handy, PL 4 Soldier-type.

Assorted Aquatic Templates:
Unchanged (use base stats):
Mermen- PL 4 (53)
-Mermen (especially the Mermaids) are the most-common Aquatic creature in the high seas, and are looked at as good or bad omens depending on the culture, and the Mermen in question. The women are almost always reputed to be beautiful, but some are said to lure Humanoid sailors to their dooms on sharp embankments of rocks, or drown men who come to swim with them. Mermaid Tails are extremely unique to the family groups, and some have massively long tail fins, or even have extra fins (like those of an Oarfish).

Aquan- PL 4 (53)
Jab's Notes: Two-legged Aquatic people, sorta like Poseidon's son Triton, of Greek Myth fame. More or less "the other Aquatic race" with nothing much separating them from the Mermen- this is mainly just for variety. They can also easily take the place of "Aquatic Elves", one of those weird, semi-redundant D&D races that are Elven in nature.

Locathah- PL 4 (53)
Jab's Notes: Silly-looking fish-headed guys- they always look like they should be insanely evil, but D&D always has them as "neutral". I would generally be terrified of their sharp-toothed maws, but hey- it's a good lesson about appearances. I can't imagine using much of them, though, unless I changed the fluff to make them totally evil.

Altered Stats:
Kuo-Toa- PL 4 (71)
-Powers: Senses 4 (Counters Concealment- Invisibility, Detect Astral Forms, Low-Light Vision), "Slippery Skin" Immunity 5 (Ensnarement Effects), Immunity 8 (Poison, Paralysis Effects, Mind Control 5), Leaping [18]
-Equipment: "Adhesive Shield" Enhanced Dodge & Parry +1, Advantages 2: Weapon Bind & Improved Disarm (4 points) [1]
-Dodge -1 [-1]
-Weakness (Visual Dazzles)- Kuo-Toa are vulnerable to bright lights. Even daylight will blind them for one round if they are exposed to it suddenly, and they will be Impaired on all stats for the duration.
-Kuo-Toa are a strange, frog-like race that worships strange Aquatic Gods, or even various undersea Abominations. Their amphibious nature makes them a threat on land AND in the water, and thus they are greatly feared in some parts of the world. They take place mostly in the Southlands, and control a good stretch of rainforest and swampland in that region, where they threaten the southern coasts of Castellia, shipping lanes, and other things. Many demand tribute from passing ships, earning them the ire of sailors and merchants. Several Kuo-Tua are beholden to mighty Dragons of land and water.

Jab's Notes: Pricey little buggers thanks to all those weird D&D-ish things they get- the fluff swears they're fish-like, but most of them resemble Frogs to me, so I made 'em frogs (otherwise, why not just use Locathah or whatever?). I never cared for them, as they lacked many of the cool fluff bonuses other races got, and have few cool powers. They also worship a God with the ridiculous name "Blipdoolpoolp". I mean, how do you take them seriously?

Pirhanoids- PL 4 (55)
-Powers: "Bite" Strength-Damage +2 [2]
-Pirhanoids are vicious predators that inhabit the Western Isles, and rarely interact with the other races as much. Famous for their frenzied eating habits, they are nonetheless capable of conversation and trade with other peoples- they just have a problem when blood gets in the water.

Sahuagin- PL 4 (57)
-Powers: "Speak With Sharks" Communication (Mental) 1 (Flaws: Limited to Sharks), "Underwater Sense" Senses 4 (Detect Life- Acute, Accurate & Ranged) (Flaws: Limited to Underwater & Requires Nervous Systems beyond 15 feet) [4]
-Drawback (Blood Frenzy)- Once Frenzied, a Sahuagin cannot voluntarily end it's frenzy.
-Weakness (Visual Dazzles)- Sahuagin are vulnerable to bright lights. Even daylight will blind them for one round if they are exposed to it suddenly, and they will be Impaired on all stats for the duration.
-Weakness (Freshwater)- Sahuagin must leave Freshwater if they fail a DC 15 Fort Check. If they fail, they are -4 to all attacks, saves & checks. They must re-take the test every 10 minutes.

-Sahuagin are frequently seen with Sharks- these Reptilian undersea creatures have a magical affinity for them, and may in fact be created by the Shark Spirits (related to the surface world's Animal Spirits). They are feared raiders, but tend to be less organized than the other races, gathering in small tribes. Rare elites often have four arms instead of two.

by **Gazman** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:12 pm

Jabroniville wrote:-A strange creature from the Western Isles, Hypno-Tapirs are related to their more common brethren, but possess the odd psionic power of Dream-Eating, allowing them to read the minds and consume the dreams of living beings. This appears to not harm the victims, save prevent them from dreaming for a time. They typically wait on common pathways, and attack whichever creatures (preferably sentient) they can find, Hypnotise them, and then eat their dreams.

Jab's Notes: I was thinking Hypno/Drowzee were kind of redundant with the Psychic-Types I've already made, so I decided to do something unique with it- I left on only it's defining powers, plus Confusion (for the hell of it), and threw them onto a REGULAR Tapir, instead of making it yet another man-shaped Pokemon. So we have a big, fat Dream-Eater. These are based off of the Baku, dream-eating tapirs of Japanese folklore.

Nice. First off, thanks for taking my request. Then, thanks for doing an awesome job with it. I'm glad you caught the uniqueness of dream eater and the tapir form to distinguish from the other mentalmons. Really cool build and another cool addition to your world.

I have to ask about the 8 ranks of healing in the dream eater power. I get that its the same cost as 7 ranks because of the limited, but isn't also limited to 7 because of the damage anyway? Why have the two asynchronous values when you could just go 7 and 7 or even 8 and 8 still stay under caps?

by **Jabroniville** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:41 pm

Simple: Because Healing 8 instead of 7 (with two flaws) doesn't create a decimal in the power's final cost

. I would also figure that if you do extra damage to a guy because he's already hurt or something (like you're doing the DC 22 damage and he rolls a crap number like 8, so you're way over him), then you could get the extra power to Healing. Or you could Power Attack for extra damage and make the 8 ranks worth it. Glad you liked the build!

by **Jabroniville** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:58 pm

The purple-skinned woman resembles a Mermaid at first glance, but her lower half is that of a dark purple Octopus instead, with lighter purple suckers on the undersides of her tentacles.

CEPHALOID
Role: Mooks, Racial Minorities
Group Affiliations: Cephaloid Tribes
PL 4 (78)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+4)
Athletics 4 (+5)
Athletics 2 (+7) -- (Flaws: Limited to Underwater)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+5)
Expertise (Undersea Soldier) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+2)
Perception 4 (+4)
Stealth 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Weapon & Armour), Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Trident), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Ranged Attack 3, Teamwork

Equipment:
"Barnaclemail Armour" Protection 1 (1)
"Thrown Trident" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Ranged 3) (5) -- (6)

AE: "Trident" Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Reach) (4)Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent) [2]

"Aquatic Creatures"
Swimming 4 (8 mph) [4]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
Immunity 3 (Drowning, Cold, Pressure) [3]

"Cephalopod Lower Body"
"Eight Arms" Extra Limbs 8 [8]
"Ink Jet" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Extras: Area- Cloud, Attack) [8]
"Jet" Swimming 2 (32 mph) (Flaws: Limited to Short Bursts) [1]
Unarmed Reach 1 [1]
Movement 1 (Slithering) [2]
Features 2: Eject & Autonomously Move Limbs, Regrow Lost Limbs [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Trident +3 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Thrown Trident +3 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +2 (+3 Armour), Fortitude +5, Will +1

Complications:
Responsibility (The Seas)- Underwater creatures have a responsibility to protect their portion of the sea from invaders and usurpers.
Weakness (Dry Land)- Cephaloids will soon die if left out of the water for too long- they will start to dehydrate.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 33 / Defenses: 8 (78)

-The Cephaloids are an "underclass" of sorts, often sharing territory with Aquans or Mermen. More versatile than their comrades, but smaller in number, they are generally easily-subjugated should it come to it, but are most often simply seen as a minority within the ranks of other creatures' lands. This often leads to lower riches, a greater likelihood of slavery, and general bitterness, but there remains an uneasy truce for most.

Jab's Notes: These guys are here just because I've seen many a fan-pic of Ursula from "The Little Mermaid" done up as a hot chick, and I figured it'd be a cool "extra" Undersea race. I threw in some stuff as a "Racial Minority" subplot that's always an effective plot hook. Even if you want to do the cliched "oh nobody likes me because of the colour of my tentacles!" want-to-belong story, you can always have the Bitter Slave, the Ethnic Gang (like the Jewish, Irish & Sicilian Mobs of the early 20th Century America), or The Racial Supremacist who wants to wipe out the "majority" population and bring his own people to prominence. The history of the world is replete with examples of just that kind of thing happening.

Also, found the cutest Ursula picture ever:

by **Jabroniville** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:02 pm

The creature resembles a Killer Whale for it's bottom half, but it's much smaller, and instead of a head, a human-esque form sprouts up from above the flippers, giving the appearance of a Mermaid. It's skin is still Orca-like in colour, being white on the front and face, with black on the back, and white spots.

CETACEAL
Role: Large Aquatic Creature
PL 6 (92)
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 4 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+7)
Expertise (Undersea Soldier) 5 (+6)
Insight 3 (+4)
Intimidation 2 (+4, +5 Size)
Perception 5 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+4)
Stealth 1 (+4, +2 Size)

Advantages:
Animal Empathy, Equipment 2, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Trident), Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork

Powers:
"Echolocation & Vision" Senses 6 (Extended, Ultra & Accurate Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision) [6]
"Speak With Animals" Comprehend (Animals) 2 [4]
"Natural Size" Growth 2 (Str & Sta +2, +2 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -2 Stealth) -- (8 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [5]

"Aquatic Creatures"
Swimming 6 (30 mph) [6]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
Immunity 3 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold) [3]

Equipment:
"Thrown Trident" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Ranged 3) (5) -- (6)

AE: "Trident" Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Reach) (4)Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Trident +5 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +6, Fortitude +7, Will +4

Complications:
Weakness (Dry Land)- Cetaceals will soon die if left out of the water for too long- they will become dehydrated.

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 26 / Defenses: 8 (92)

-Cetaceals are among the most powerful sentient beings in the Oceans. They are much larger than common Mermen, resembling odd-coloured human beings with the lower halves of Dolphins, Orcas, Beluga or Pilot Whales. Their bodies are considered to be beautifully decorated, and they would be a much more powerful force in oceanic politics were they more populous- there are several known tribes, but most of them keep to themselves, and do not number far in excess of 100 indididuals. They are more widespread and secretive than most other Aquatic creatures, and tend to vary greatly in culture by virtue of being so far apart from other tribes. Some tribes appear to be shockingly evil- killing prey without eating them, and torturing living creatures for practice. Others are the epitome of good, and will aid shipwrecked sailors, asking for nothing in return.

Jab's Notes: This is all based off of a Pathfinder creature I saw called a Cetaceal Agathon- it's more of a rare, high-level Divine Creature, but I realized that it's "Orca/Human Hybrid" appearance was PERFECT for a unique Mer-people species. I figured they'd overpower the other races if there were more of them, so I placed them into Orca-like Pods rather than giant cities like the others- they're still more powerful than anyone else. I made them basically like Minotaurs & Large Beast-Kin were to the human-sized Beast-Kin- just an upgraded, bigger set of characters. And yes- I made them Water-Breathing, even though they're part whale- I didn't want to have an entire race of lounging merfolk who couldn't actually live underwater for reals

.

---

CETACEAL (Agathon)
Role: Divine Protector
PL 14 (397)
STRENGTH 7 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Close Combat (Spear) 1 (+13)
Expertise (Magic) 20 (+22)
Expertise (Nature) 17 (+19)
Expertise (The Planes) 20 (+22)
Insight 20 (+24)
Perception 24 (+28)
Persuasion 9 (+12)
Stealth 20 (+24)
Treatment 19 (+21)

Advantages:
Animal Empathy, Close Combat 4, Improved Initiative

Powers:
"Blindsight" Senses 2 (Counters Concealment) [2]
Senses 2 (Darkvision) [2]

Immunity 24 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold & Electrical Effects, Petrification) [24]
Swimming 6 (30 mph) [6]
Protection 8 [8]
Movement 1 (Slithering) [2]

"Spell-Like Abilities"
"Speak With Animals" Comprehend (Animals) 2 [4]
"Summon Monster VIII- Water Elementals" Summon 5 (Extras: Active, Heroic, Horde, Multiple Minions +4) (Flaws: Limited to Once Per Day -2) (35) -- [37]

"Cure Critical Wounds" Healing 12 (Feats: Stabilize) (Extras: Ranged, Restorative) (Flaws: 3/day) (37) -- [49]

"Protective Aura" All Powers Linked
Enhanced Dodge & Parry 4 (Extras: Affects Others, Area- 30ft. Burst, Reaction +3) [40]
"Circle Against Evil" Affliction 12 (Entranced/Compelled/Controlled) (Extras: Area- 15ft. Burst +1/2, Continuous +3) (Flaws: Limited to "Do Not Enter/Leave Here", Stationary Sphere) [20]
"Lesser Globe of Invulnerability" Immunity 20 (Magical Effects) (Extras: Affects Others, Area- 15ft. Burst +1/2) (Flaws: Stationary Sphere) [30]

"Shocking Burst Shortspear" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [3]
Strength-Damage +3 (3) (Feats: Variable- Electrical) (4 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Shortspear +13 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Lightning Bolt +6 Area (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Hold Monster +7 Perception (+7 Perception Affliction, DC 17)
Cold Cone +8 Area (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Shockwave +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Push +12 (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Circle +12 Area (+12 Affliction, DC 22)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (+12 Aura, DC 22), Parry +8 (+12 Aura, DC 22), Toughness +15, Fortitude +17, Will +9

Complications:
Motivation (Justice)
Power Loss (Aura)- The Protective Aura only works against attacks from evil creatures.

Total: Abilities: 70 / Skills: 150--75 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 227 / Defenses: 19 (397)

Jab's Notes: Here's the Pathfinder creature (again, how is it legal to just post those online?)- translated into M&M stats. Special thanks go out to our own Prodigy Duck, who helped talk me through certain aspects of translating stats from one system to another (mainly how Attack & Defense would come out). And yup, it's kinda fun to stat up a creature with about 50 different powers, many of which are rather unknown to M&M (especially that Protective Aura)! Challenging and time-consuming, though- especially when you don't inherently know what all the spells do, and have to go look them up online (how is that LEGAL, anyways? There's 50-page chunks of the books for free, online!). All the varied powers definitely add up in price, too- creating a near-400 points creature that rivals someone like GALACTUS on points more than anything. That's about right, given what Prodigy's own "High CR" creatures add up to (Balors, other demons, Dragons, etc.). This is really only here for completion's sake- I wouldn't have one of these guys so powerful, nor would I have so many powers and random abilities.

CETACEAL (Agathon)
Role: Divine Protector
PL 11 (229)
STRENGTH 7 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Close Combat (Spear) 3 (+12)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+11)
Expertise (Magic) 8 (+12)
Expertise (Nature) 8 (+14)
Expertise (The Planes) 8 (+12)
Insight 9 (+13)
Perception 12 (+16)
Persuasion 9 (+12)
Stealth 9 (+11 Size)
Treatment 4 (+8)

Advantages:
Animal Empathy, Improved Initiative, Ritualist

Powers:
"Blindsight" Senses 2 (Counters Concealment) [2]
Senses 2 (Darkvision) [2]
"Speak With Animals" Comprehend (Animals) 2 [4]
"Natural Size" Growth 2 (Str & Sta +2, +2 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -2 Stealth) -- (8 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [5]

Immunity 18 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold Damage 5, Electrical Effects 10, Petrification) [18]
Swimming 6 (30 mph) [6]
Protection 3 [3]
Movement 1 (Slithering) [2]

"White Magic"
"Cure Critical Wounds" Healing 12 (Feats: Stabilize) (Extras: Ranged, Restorative) (Flaws: 3/day) (37) -- [48]

"Protective Aura" Enhanced Dodge & Parry 2 (Extras: Affects Others Only +0, Area- 30ft. Burst, Selective) (Flaws: Fades) [8]

"Shocking Burst Shortspear" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [3]
Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Variable- Electrical) (4 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Shortspear +12 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Lightning Bolt +10 Area (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Hold Monster +7 Perception (+7 Perception Affliction, DC 17)
Cold Cone +10 Area (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Shockwave +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Push +12 (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Circle +12 Area (+12 Affliction, DC 22)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +10, Fortitude +11, Will +9

Complications:
Motivation (Justice)
Power Loss (Aura)- The Protective Aura only works against attacks from evil creatures.

Total: Abilities: 68 / Skills: 72--36 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 101 / Defenses: 21 (229)

Jab's Notes: Here's my scaled-down, "Jabverse-Accurate" version of a Cetaceal Agathon. It leaves on many of the abilities, but drastically reduces some of them. I never liked the "Can Summon Monsters" aspect of so many D&D monsters- why not just have them ally with those creatures in groups in the FIRST place? Plus, it's obscenely expensive since the creatures stick around with them (thus, they can't be Alt-Effected off the main Array). They can still Heal others, throw out Elemental power, and do Psionic-based stuff- few of my creatures are allowed THREE schools of magic, but if one of them is inherent (since they're Divine creatures- it's likely White Magic) it's okay- these aren't PCs, anyhow. The Protective Aura is scaled back, as is the overall power, making a very expensive PL 11 character.

by **luketheduke86** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 9:13 am

I'm liking these aquatic builds (even if it's weird seeing a hot Ursula :shock:

) of yours Jab. I've never been all that into the undersea campaign settings, but your builds may be changing my mind.

Jabroniville wrote:Jab's Notes: Here's the Pathfinder creature (again, how is it legal to just post those online?)

I think they can do it because Pathfinder is under the Open Game License, so they're allowed to post stats and game rules that aren't exclusively owned by a company.

by **Woodclaw** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 10:21 am

Well, Jab, it's official you're squeezing these concepts for all they are worth, which might not be a bad thing (I like the Cephaloids concept). But I'm a little concerned about the pseudo ecology of your setting, the amount of sentient races is really stunning.

by **JetstreamGW** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 11:43 am

Jabroniville wrote:Jab's Notes: These guys are here just because I've seen many a fan-pic of Ursula from "The Little Mermaid" done up as a hot chick, and I figured it'd be a cool "extra" Undersea race. I threw in some stuff as a "Racial Minority" subplot that's always an effective plot hook. Even if you want to do the cliched "oh nobody likes me because of the colour of my tentacles!" want-to-belong story, you can always have the Bitter Slave, the Ethnic Gang (like the Jewish, Irish & Sicilian Mobs of the early 20th Century America), or The Racial Supremacist who wants to wipe out the "majority" population and bring his own people to prominence. The history of the world is replete with examples of just that kind of thing happening.

Oh, huh, that's supposed to be a pretty Ursula, huh? I figured it was Morganna (Ursula's Sister?) from Little Mermaid 2.

by **Jabroniville** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:46 pm

Woodclaw wrote:Well, Jab, it's official you're squeezing these concepts for all they are worth, which might not be a bad thing (I like the Cephaloids concept). But I'm a little concerned about the pseudo ecology of your setting, the amount of sentient races is really stunning.

Don't look at me- the Gods did it!

. But also, these guys are all underwater- that's a HUGE piece of territory in which to spread out. I mean, when you get right down to it, all I have in my setting are Humans, three kinds of Elves, Dwarves, fourteen kinds of Giants, four kinds of Greenskins, twenty-plus types of Beast-Kin, Centaurs, PEGASUS Centaurs, eight kinds of Merpeople and the Shokan... that ain't excessive at all, is it? In this world at least, seeing strange races of people intermingling won't seem so odd- you don't end up having to explain your "Half-Fiend Orc Dragonborn Ranger" to every passerby when the Four-Armed Mortal Kombat guys are ubiquitous in that region- stuff like that.

by **dwellerofthedeep** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 1:04 pm

I love the sea creatures! Mutants and Masterminds might be a better system to play them in too. I feel like D&D has trouble with some of the aspects of environments other than dungeons, at least 3rd edition did.

Keep up the good work!

by **Jabroniville** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 10:45 pm

The pod of creatures resembles a common Manta Ray- itself a large, but not dangerous, creature- yet are unmistakeably intelligent. Their eyes possess an evil red gleam, and they have a maw full of sharp, Mako-like teeth.

IXITXACHITL:
Creature Type: Beast-Kin, Demonic, Aquatic
Typical Adult Width & Length: 12-25'
Birth Rate: 1-20 Eggs every three years
Lifespan: 0-7 (Pup), 8-20 (Juvenile), 21-100 (Adult), 101-200 (Elder)
Nicknames: Depends on the Race, Animal-Kin
Sexual Dimorphism: Usually smaller, occasionally mammaries
Skin Tones: Any colouring possible
Hair: Any colour possible
Racial Mounts: None
Racial Weapons: Unarmed
Religion: Dark Demonic Forces

Allies: Other Aquatic Creatures

Encounter Groups:
Solo (1)
Group (2-5 plus 0-2 Elites, 0-10 Animals, 0-15 Slaves)
Bands (5-10 plus 0-5 Elites, 0-20 Animals, 0-20 Slaves, 0-1 Monster)
Tribe (10-30, plus 3-10 Elites, 0-50 Animals, 5-60 Slaves, 0-3 Monsters)

PL Variants:
PL 0-4: Weaker Specimens
PL 5-6: Juveniles
PL 7: Adults
PL 8+: Elites, Important Characters

-Few creatures of the Undersea world are more feared than the Devil Rays (the colloquial term for the Ixitxachitls)- resembling Manta Rays in form, they have evil expressions and an intelligence that matches any sentient. Despite lacking proper limbs for manipulating objects, many of them practise magic, or enslave other creatures to do their bidding. Carrying the lineage of Demonic creatures, the Devil Rays have horrific, unnatural Poison, and are among the most basically-evil of all races thanks to a demonic heritage. Their physical prowess is incredible as well- they combine the most fearsome attributes of the Manta, the Shark, and the Snake.

Jab's Notes: Effectively the "Big Bad" race of my setting's "Undersea" world, these guys are like the D&D race, but are bigger so they aren't these miniature little ray things- they look like what a Manta Ray was once THOUGHT to be- a menacing race of predators. I love both Manta Rays, and the idea of a sentient race of evil animals out there, and so I merged the two- Mantas aren't physically dominant enough to be used as standard "Sidekicks" unless you play with them a bit.

DEVIL RAY (Juvenile)
Role: Aquatic Creature
PL 5 (64)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8) -- Flaws: Limited to Underwater
Close Combat (Bite) 2 (+6)
Expertise (Slavers) 3 (+5)
Insight 3 (+5)
Intimidation 7 (+6)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 5 (+8)

Advantages:
Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Bite), Improved Initiative, Seize Initiative, Startle

Powers:
"Oceanic Creatures"
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
Swimming 5 (16 mph) [5]
Immunity 3 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold) [3]
"Echolocation" Senses 4 (Extended, Ultra & Accurate Hearing) [4]
"Devil's Bite" Strength-Damage +2 Linked to Weaken Strength 4 (Extras: Progressive +2) [14]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Bite +5 (+5 Damage & +4 Weaken, DC 21 & 14)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +4

Complications:
Weakness (Aquatic)- Devil Rays are highly-specialized and aquatic, and cannot survive for long outside of water. They cannot move on land whatsoever.
Involuntary Transformation (Stone Form- Dry Land)- Devil Rays will soon transform to stone if left out of the water for too long.

Total: Abilities: 30 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 28 / Defenses: 6 (64)

Just imagine this, but evil.

DEVIL RAY (Adult)
Role: Aquatic Creature
PL 7 (85)
STRENGTH 6 STAMINA 8 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8) -- Flaws: Limited to Underwater
Close Combat (Bite) 2 (+6)
Expertise (Slavers) 5 (+7)
Insight 4 (+7)
Intimidation 7 (+6)
Perception 6 (+9)
Stealth 9 (+11, +6 Size)

Advantages:
Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Bite), Improved Initiative, Seize Initiative, Startle

Powers:
"Oceanic Creatures"
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
Swimming 5 (16 mph) [5]
Immunity 3 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold) [3]
"Echolocation" Senses 4 (Extended, Ultra & Accurate Hearing) [4]
"Devil's Bite" Strength-Damage +2 Linked to Weaken Strength 6 (Extras: Progressive +2) [20]

"Natural Size" Growth 5 (Str & Sta +5, +5 Mass, +2 Intimidation, -2 Dodge/Parry, -5 Stealth) -- (15 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [11]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Bite +6 (+8 Damage & +4 Weaken, DC 23 & 14)
Initiative +6

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +8, Fortitude +9, Will +7

Complications:
Weakness (Aquatic)- Devil Rays are highly-specialized and aquatic, and cannot survive for long outside of water. They cannot move on land whatsoever.
Involuntary Transformation (Stone Form- Dry Land)- Devil Rays will soon transform to stone if left out of the water for too long.

Total: Abilities: 5 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 45 / Defenses: 21 (85)

The Atomic Think Tank

Jab's He-Builds: Man-at-Arms, Mantenna, Leech, Beast Man

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