Saturday, June 20, 2009

Monster: Verrun

Verrun
Armour Class: 4
Hit Dice: 4+2**
Move: 120' (40')
swim 120' (40'), climb 120' (40'), fly 120' (30')
Attacks: 2 or 1
Damage: 1-8/1-8 or special
No. Appearing: 1-4
Save As: F4
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: Nil
Alignment: Lawful
XP Value: 275

Creatures from some otherworldly plane -- or perhaps a sorcerer's fevered imagination -- verrun are ever-shifting beasts, flowing from plumed and barbed serpent to humanoid to bestial predator to strange and alien winged shapes without pattern or pause. Though seemingly composed of glass and quicksilver, water and molten gold, they are not automatons or golems. Once bid to guard a place or object, verrun are unswerving in their dedication to their purpose; but they attack as swiftly as they may, and give forewarning.

In combat verrun attack twice in a manner appropriate to their current shape; regardless of the means used, each attack inflicts 1-8 hit points of damage. If a verrun deems it a better choice, it will forego normal attacks for a breathless strike: if the target fails a save vs. poison, the verrun's fluid substance invades the target's breathing passages and begins to suffocate them. The victim is -2 to all rolls on the next round, -4 the next, and then must save again each round or die. The verrun may release its victim at any time, and may continue to attack other targets.

Verrun are immune to non-magical weapons. They take one less hit point of damage per die from any elementally-based damage.

3 comments:

Tomira Eliyes said...

I am not surprised you'd need a magical weapon to hit one of these babies, although it's cool that they aren't especially vulnerable to fire.

taichara said...

@Eliyes:

Too many obvious vulnerabilities are boring. Also, the water is only one part of their makeup --

Tomira Eliyes said...

It's true, there was metals and glass. Fire might've been a better example, but you're right -- obvious vulnerabilities are like ...cheating for PCs.