Monday 2 October 2017

Now in English! The rest of the monsters for Épées & Sorcellerie 2nd ed.

Blood Vine

Hit Dice: 10-60 hp [4-10]
Attack: +2 à +5
Armour Class: 8
Movement: 0
Alignment: Neutral

Blood vines are without a doubt one of the hardiest plants; this vicious vegetation grows in every environment, even the most sterile and the most hostile, such as the icy northern reaches or the burning southern deserts.

The blood vine can be recognised by its characteristic purple colour and its pointed leaves. With its tendrils, it captures its victims on a successful attack roll and injects a sleeping poison which plunges its prey into a deep coma if a saving throw is failed. The plant can maintain one creature in this state per 10 current hit points it possesses, draining the blood of its victims at the rate of 1d6 hit points per round. This does not prevent it from making normal attacks against other assailants.


Brain Devourer

Hit Dice: 6 [9]
Attack: +3
Armour Class: 10
Movement: 5
Alignment: Chaos

These strange creatures with unnerving anatomy haunt the nightmares of those who come into contact with magic, either directly or indirectly. Brain devourers are quadripedal brains, deep black in colour, which lurk on the material planes far beneath the ground, or in dark, wild parts of the ethereal and astral planes. They hunt sorcerers, attracted by their spells, and move about in the darkness like 10th level thieves, waiting to pounce on their defenceless prey to tear them apart with their sharp claws and deliver a searing mental assault. Each round, the GM should roll 2d6. If the result is less than or equal to the level of the sorcerer, their mind is obliterated and the twisted intellect of the devourer takes its place in order to trick the sorcerer's companions, all the while retaining mastery of its own body. Magic weapons are necessary to injure a Brain Devourer, and they are immune to spells, incantations, and supernatural effects.


Couatl

Hit Dice: 9 [10]
Attack: +4
Armour Class: 9
Movement: 2 / 6 (fly)
Alignment: Law / Neutral

These winged, feathered serpents are seldom encountered outside their hot and humid native jungles. The primitive tribes who live there look upon them as with admiration and venerate them as deities, which does not displease these ego-centric creatures. Despite their knowledge of all spoken languages (those of humanoids, birds, and reptiles), they rarely intervene in human affairs, and will only aid their 'worshippers'. All couatls are priests of 5th-7th level.


Follower of Set

Hit Dice: 8 [10]
Attack: +4
Armour Class: 11
Movement: 4
Alignment: Chaos

The Followers of Set are barbaric creatures who walk the earth in the form of large humans with the features of birds of prey, muscles of steel, and coppery skin. These servants of the ophidian god are able to transform into giant serpents at will. They never flee, serving their pitiless master unto death, down the most trackless and convoluted paths, with their terrifying powers and demoniacal intelligence. Some of these monsters have mastered the black arts of sorcery, functioning as a sorcerer of level 4-9 (1d6+3).


Ki-rin

Hit Dice: 12 [18]
Attack: +6
Armour Class: 13
Movement: 8 / 16 (fly)
Alignment: Law

Ki-rins are celestial unicorns that live in the clouds and are rarely seen on earth. These solitary creatures possess an ethereal appearance and an aura of purity that makes them particularly recognisable. Nevertheless, if one of them is appealed to properly, they will undoubtedly rise up on the side of Law in the eternal struggle against Chaos, where they will make good use of their intelligence and exceptional magical abilities. Ki-rins cast spells as 12th level priests, are resistant to magic, and also possess the powers of djinns.


Lich

Hit Dice: 10+1 [13]
Attack: +6
Armour Class: 12
Movement: 2
Alignment: Chaos / Neutral

These skeletal undead, sometimes dressed in the faded rags of formerly sumptuous robes, were formerly sorcerers or priests of great power, and are now animated by black magic, a curse, or an implacable will stronger than death.

They have the spells and abilities of a sorcerer or priest of their level. In addition, the sight of these horrors causes fear in all beings of less than 4 hit dice, and their icy touch causes paralysis. Creatures of 4th level or higher are entitled to a saving throw. Finally, liches are immune to mind-affecting spells, sleep, poison, and disease.


Nâga

Hit Dice: 7 [9]
Attack: +3
Armour Class: 9
Movement: 5
Alignment: Neutral

Nâgas are legendary creatures of the far east. These monsters have the body of a giant serpent and multiple heads; females possess an even number of human heads whilst males have an odd number. The number of heads seems to directly influence their status, as does their age, but no one knows more, which can be very problematic as nâgas are very formal, and require that one address them with their endless list of titles and do them honours precisely according to their rank. They are often albinos, perhaps because they never leave the depths where they conscientiously and jealously guard the treasures of the earth. These ophidian creatures of great nobility will never touch any metal other than gold. Their bracelets, diadems, and their necklaces are made of this substance, and worked to attain an unparalleled purity. Nâgas  know 1d6+4 spells of levels 1-3, chosen from the priest or sorcerer lists, which they cast as if they were 5th level.


Phoenix

Hit Dice: 6 [10]
Attack: +3
Armour Class: 11
Movement: 4 / 8 (fly)
Alignment: Law

Phoenices are mythological birds of great rarity, although one might encounter them in the company of the great eastern magicians. Their appearance on any other occasion cannot but signify great changes, for it is said that they come from a faraway land across the ocean... or perhaps nest on the sun itself! It is said that these noble creatures are almost equal in size to rocs, and their iridescent plumage is surrounded with a halo of flames, which melts any weapon, even a magical one (saving throw allowed for magic weapons) which comes in contact with it. Sorcery is ineffective against these legendary birds. The virtuous have nothing to fear from the inferno which surrounds them, but others suffer one die of damage per round, at a range of ten metres.


Polar Worm

Hit Dice: 13 [15]
Attack: +6
Armour Class: 8
Movement: 2
Alignment: Neutral

These gigantic worms, 15 metres long and 3 metres wide, burrow in the frozen ground of the northernmost regions of the world, digging commensurately large tunnels far beneath the fields of ice.

Although they seem to be related to purple worms, this is not the case. They are in fact larvae. Of exactly what they are larvae is a completely different question; no one in living memory has seen them complete a metamorphosis. This is hardly surprising, for these annulated creatures have an astonishing power of hypnosis (saving throw allowed) which causes any creature staring into their maw filled with row upon row of teeth to walk up calmly to be swallowed, and then digested. Any ogre-sized creature or smaller will be swallowed on an attack roll of 15 or higher. A swallowed creature will be completely digested in one hour.


Psychic Flayer

Hit Dice: 8+1 [10]
Attack: +5
Armour Class: 10
Movement: 4
Alignment: Law

This subterranean humanoid race possesses a super-human intelligence. Although lawful, they behave in a fashion which is generally perceived as malignant by the younger races who do not know all their plans nor understand their mode of thinking. Their spongy heads possess 1d3+3 tentacles with which they attack their victims, aiming for the head. If an attack succeeds, corrosive juices dissolve the cranium and the tentacles will reach the brain in 1d3+1 rounds, killing the victim.

They can attack once per round with a wave of intense psychic energy, capable of killing every creature of less than 4 hit dice within 6 metres, and putting others in a coma. If a saving throw succeeds (modified by Intelligence), the effects are coma or stunning respectively. Psychic flayers have a +3 bonus to save against magical attacks.


Rakshasa

Hit Dice: 12 [14]
Attack: +4
Armour Class: 11
Movement: 6 / 12 (fly)
Alignment: Chaos

Rakshasas are shape-changing demons from the far east who frequently come into conflict with the gods, sometimes successfully. In their terrible true shape, the hair and eyes of these immortal creatures burn with a supernatural fire whilst they pierce their prey with their extremely long claws. They particularly appreciate human flesh. They are the uncontested masters of illusion. One of the shapes they love to assume is that of a tiger-headed human. These soot-black demons can never refuse a wager, but nothing guarantees that they will play fairly, and a poorly-worded bet will often backfire on the careless challenger, unless the rakshasa uses dishonourable means to achieve victory.

Rakshasas can employ the following spells at will: Transformation, Invisibility, Illusion, Clairvoyance, and Suggestion. The regenerate one hit point per round and their claws are covered in a swift-acting lethal venom.


Scrutinizer

Hit Dice: 11 [12]
Attack: +5
Armour Class: 12
Movement: 1
Alignment: Neutral / Chaos

Avaricious and strange, these levitating monsters have a scaly spherical body and possess ten eyestalks and a larger central eye.

The creature can use 1d6 magical powers per round, each one dependent on one of its eyes: charm, sleep, telekinesis, slow, instant death, debilitation, confusion, disintegration, panic, dispel magic, statue. An even number on the damage roll indicates that an eyestalk has been cut off, and the creature loses use of the associated power.


Shedu

Hit Dice: 9 [10]
Attack: +4
Armour Class: 10
Movement: 4 / 8 (fly)
Alignment: Law

These winged, human-headed bulls are among the most noble earthly creatures. Ardent defenders of humanity against the innumerable dangers of Chaos, they aid lawful heroes and sometimes join in friendship with humans. Shedus can converse telepathically and use Dimension Door and Invisibility at will. They function as 6th level priests and are surrounded by a permanent Circle of Protection from Evil.

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