29 April 2016

THE BEAST WAITING (IN THE BUSHES [of love])

Init +8
Melee Atk
 • flailing claws +9 (1d16)
 • rasping tail +8 (1d14)
AC 19
HD 8d12
MV 60, fly 10
Act 3d20+2d16
SP life-tether, allsense, green-stealth
Fort +10
Ref +12
Will +10
AL C

"Forty-nine times we fought that beast..."

The Beast Waiting only attacks those who love. Whether that is a romantic emotion, or paternal, or filial or otherwise, only those who exhibit a strong bond to another being can be targeted by this creature. Beings that exhibit no attachment to anyone else (not even a pet) can attack the creature, but the creature cannot attack them back.

When it attacks it's target, the thing brings strong and cherished emotions to the surface of the target's mind. The target may not understand what is happening. The Beast Waiting has no need to fight to the death; harrying it's targets is good enough for it.

It can perceive equally well in all situations: daylight, night, fog, smoke, loud environs, underwater, obscuring magic, and so on.

The Beast Waiting can hide in foliage with near perfect concealment (29-in-30). Even the most expert woodsman could walk right by, say, a bush the thing is hiding in and not notice it was there. It can move among flora with great stealth, being undetected on an 11-in-12 (alternately, use a DC 22 check to detect it hiding, and a DC 20 check when it moves).

When it flies it is nearly silent — but looks for all the world as if it is struggling to get away from something that has snared it.

It cannot simply be killed. When reduced to zero hit points, its towering body melts into a tarry goo, which quickly turns to ash and drifts away on the wind. Because love still exists, it comes back into existence 1d30 days later.

To finally destroy the thing once and for all, the thing's target must concentrate on those they love while fighting the beast. This is something they are going to have to realize for themselves. This concentration must be intense enough to reduce all Action Dice for the round by one step down the Dice Chain. This weakens the thing's life-tether, meaning it can be truly destroyed if killed within the next 1d3 rounds. If a character concentrates so hard as to reduce their Action Dice more than one step, and additional 1d2 rounds of weakening occurs for every additional step down the Dice Chain they take. They must be within 20' of the thing for this weakening to occur.

They say everyone of us has something waiting in the bushes for us.

Below is a chart of suitable details for whenever the thing kills a target...

Killing Strike Details Table
1 - Face removed
2 - Groin sundered
3 - Impaled in three places
4 - All limbs removed
5 - Spatchcocked




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