Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Grognard's Grimoire: Barbask

 Barbask (Swamp Lurker) (Old School Essentials)

A barbask by Jason Sholtis

A barbask is a colony of iryamal-plants that has gained temporary mobility and a semblance of intelligence from prolonged exposure to arcane energies. It is roughly humanoid in shape and dark green in color. The barbask typically lies in wait, submerged in water, until potential prey passes within range of its attacks.

AC 4 [15], HD 5*** (22hp), Att 2 × fists (1d8) or pollen blast (1d6+5), THAC0 15 [+4], MV 60' (20'), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14, ML 12, AL Energy, XP 550, NA 1d4 (1d4+2), TT D 

  • Plant: Makes no noise, until it attacks. Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading spells (e.g. charm, hold, sleep), as well as paralysis, poison, polymorph, and stunning.
  • Damage Reduction: Half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. 
  • Surprise: On a 1–3, when submerged in water, due to being mistaken for a colony of iryamal-plants.
  • Pollen Blast: Once per day, deals 1d6+5 damage against up to five targets within 60'; save versus poison for half damage. 
  • Animate Plants: Can animate 2 plants (within 60'; may switch plants at will). These fight as barbasks with movement rate 30' (10').

10 comments:

  1. should be pollen blast (roll vs constitution save, 1/2 allergy dmg) instead of arcane

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    1. get your people to call my people, we should totally do a collab. the question is, is it James M ft Rick, or the Awesome Rick ft DJ James?

      I guess who lays down the base tracks.

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    2. For some reason, I find the idea of DJ James hilarious – probably because I scarcely have a musical bone in my body.

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    3. Me neither. but it seems everyone I run into that is around 5-10 years younger than me, is a part time DJ. one was interesting, two was "huh", five was a trend?

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  2. Kind of an algoid (a la Fiend Folio)?

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  3. Are you developing a new setting? Is Urheim on the backburner now?

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    1. I am, in fact, developing a new setting. I'll probably write a bit more about it in the days to come, once some of the details are fleshed out more fully.

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  4. With minimal changes that wouldn't be out of place on Tekumel, either. Something the Hlutgru (or adventurers hunting/fleeing them) have to deal with down in their swamps, perhaps?

    That animate plants ability can be a real killer if these things are smart enough to stay hidden until the local vegetation has softened up their prey. Kind of multiplies that NA 1d4 by a factor of two or three, more if there's a lot of suitable plant life around - as you might expect in a wetland.

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