Yuan Ti and allies thread (Ti-Khana critters)

[Cleon]

I ran it through the CR Calculator and it's Defensive CR 1/4 with AC 14, CR 1/2 with AC 15. That leads me to change my preference and go for Armour Class 15.

It's Challenge 1 with a DPR of 6 to 14, Challenge 2 with a DPR of 15 to 32.

Hmm… the the Challenge 1 option wouldn't allow us to add the Dive attack without going over its DPR budget. It could have, say 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) poison but any more than that and it'll be over CR 1.

A Challenge 2 is more achievable. If it was, say 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing plus 5 (2d4) poison than with a Dive that adds, say 2d8 damage once every three rounds that's… DPR 19.

Heck, that gives us room to toss on another couple of Hit Dice so it has Hit Points 39 (6d10 + 6) and stay CR 2, which'll make it a bit more survivable.

I like that!

The original 1E AD&D Giant Pterosaur from the Monster Manual II had 6 HD, so consider it a homage.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Yep to all (dive, rider challenge to stay on, AC 15 due to ti khana resin in skin etc.) - CR 2 it is

 

[Cleon]

Oh, and how about this:

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage. If the target is a creature that is Medium size or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 13). Until this grapple end, the target is restrained, and the pterosaur can't use its claws on another target. The giant pterosaur can then take to the air and carry off its victim, using Plummeting Doom on its next turn.​

​

Plummeting Doom. If the giant pterosaur has a creature of Medium size or smaller restrained in its claws it can use its action to fly up into the sky and then dive while releasing its grip, smashing the grappled victim into the ground. This does ## bludgeoning damage plus an additional ## bludgeoning damage for every Plummeting Doom action the pterosaur takes while restraining the victim, up to a maximum of ## bludgeoning damage. For example, if the pterosaur takes three rounds to build up height and speed the victim takes ## bludgeoning damage. The victim can make a DC ## Athletics (Dexterity) check to roll with the impact, which reduces the damage by ## bludgeoning damage.​

You've seen enough schlocky "Prehistoric Adventure" movies to know that giant pterodactyls LOVE to pluck hapless souls into the sky and hurl them onto rocks.

 

[Cleon]

Yep to all (dive, rider challenge to stay on, AC 15 due to ti khana resin in skin etc.) - CR 2 it is

Updating the Ti-khana Giant Pterosaur.

 

[Casimir Liber]

yep, they're fun

 

[Cleon]

Noticed a few "pteranodons" that should be pterosaurs in the above.

Also the Bite should be 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing not 2d6 + 4. I think I was looking at the Giant Eagle with its +4 Strength modifier just as I typed that.

The errors have been fixed in the Ti-khana Giant Pterosaur version.

So are we giving it Claws and Plummeting Doom?

 

[Casimir Liber]

So are we giving it Claws and Plummeting Doom?

yep

 

[Cleon]

yep

Updating the Ti-khana Giant Pterosaur.

I tweaked the wording of the Plummeting Doom since I realized I'd forgotten to allow for the possibility of the victim escaping the Pterosaur's claws only to realize that's what was holding them up!

Updated it to:

Plummeting Doom. If the ti-khana giant pterosaur has a creature of Medium size or smaller restrained in its claws, it can use its action to fly up into the sky and then dives while releasing its grip, smashing the grappled victim into the ground. This does 8 (1d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus an additional 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage for every Plummeting Doom action the pterosaur took while it had its victim restrained, up to a maximum of 78 (21d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage for five rounds spent preparing the plummet. For example, if the pterosaur takes three rounds to build up height and speed, the victim takes 50 (13d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage. The victim can make a DC 15 Athletics (Dexterity) check to roll with the impact, which reduces the damage by 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage.
 If a victim escapes the pterosaur's claws and falls, they normally drop from a height of 30 feet for every Plummeting Doom action the giant pterosaur took. (At the end of a fall, a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it fell, to a maximum of 20d6. The creature lands prone, unless it avoids taking damage from the fall.)​

I set the damage so a Claws followed by a Plummeting Doom does about the same amount of damage as two Bite attacks, since that keeps things nicely balanced.

So that should be the Giant Pterosaur done mechanically.

 

[Casimir Liber]

added plummeting doom

 

[Cleon]

added plummeting doom

So all that leaves is the Description.