Quakedancer Working Draft
Quakedancer, Elder
Gargantuan Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 24d10+240 (372 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 24 (-4 size, +18 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 24
Base Attack/Grapple: +24/+52
Attack: Bite +36 melee (3d6+16) or stamp +37 melee (6d8+24)
Full Attack: Bite +36 melee (3d6+16) or stamp +37 melee (6d8+24)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft. (30 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks: Quakedancing, swallow whole, trample 6d8+24
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +24, Ref +14, Will +10
Abilities: Str 42, Dex 11, Con 31, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +13, Spot +22
Feats: Alertness, Awesome Blow, Endurance, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun, Power Attack, Snatch, Stand Still, Weapon Focus (stamp)
Environment: Any land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 16
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 25-31 HD (Gargantuan); 32-72 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: —
Quakedancer, Adult
Huge Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 12d10+84 (150 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (-2 size, +12 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+30
Attack: Bite +20 melee (1d10+10) or stamp +21 melee (4d6+15)
Full Attack: Bite +20 melee (1d10+10) or stamp +21 melee (4d6+15)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./ 10 ft. (20 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks: Quakedancing, swallow whole, trample 4d6+15
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 11, Con 25, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +9, Spot +14
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Power Attack, Snatch, Weapon Focus (stamp)
Environment: Any land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 13-17 HD (Huge); 18-24 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —
Quakedancer, Juvenile
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+16 (38 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (-1 size, +7 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+12
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d6+4) or stamp +8 melee (2d6+6)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d6+4) or stamp +8 melee (2d6+6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./ 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks: Quakedancing, swallow whole, trample 2d6+6
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 11, Con 19, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +8
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Focus (stamp)
Environment: Any land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: Large 5-8 HD; Huge 9-12 HD
Level Adjustment: —
This six-legged reptilian brute is enormous, but appears slow and placid. Its elephantine body supports a long neck balanced by an equally long tail. It lifts its small head to glance at you with an expression of dull-witted indifference, then returns to the vegetation it is examining.
Quakedancers are six-legged omnivorous beasts resembling long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs, though they are not true dinosaurs. They have an unusual means of catching prey: after rooting its central pair of feet in the ground, a quakedancer see-saws back and forth, stamping the ground with its front and hind feet so hard the resulting shock waves stun their prey, which it then swallows. This "quakedancing" has a devastating effect on the land, toppling trees and splitting open crevasses. It sometimes triggers worse cataclysms such as landslides, avalanches, or a proper earthquake. Humanoids who are familiar with quakedancers usually hunt them to death whenever they can, for the beast's earth-shattering power can ruin fields, break roads, or burst dams.
Quakedancers are peripatetic creatures. They move too slowly to chase most creatures, so can't catch prey that's learned to avoid entering their quakedancing range. Once that happens, the quakedancer moves on in search of new hunting grounds where the fauna does not fear them.
An adult quakedancer mates once a year, the females lay up to 20 eggs in a burrow at the center of a region the adults have devastated with their quakedancing. They then abandon the nest, leaving the young to raise themselves once they hatch. Quakedancers grow amazingly rapidly, reaching adulthood in five years.
There are no authenticated records of a quakedancer ever dying of old age, leading to rumors that they just continue to grow until they are killed by predator, disease, or disaster. These stories lead to the legend of the First Quaker, a mythical quakedancer of titanic size who is supposedly responsible for "natural" earthquakes.
Quakedancers vary considerably in size. Their flesh is exceptionally dense, making them even heavier than they look. A typical adult is 50 feet long and weighs about 25 tons, the largest elders can grow up to 80 feet and 100 tons.
COMBAT
Quakedancers prey on animals (or foolish characters) by pretending to be innocently grazing sauropods. They wait for their prey to wander close to the "harmless
Brontosaurus", or cautiously sidle up to a victim. Once close enough, they quakedance and try to swallow as many stunned victims as they can manage before their prey recovers.
A quakedancer is only able to eat creatures up to two sizes smaller than itself, since it must swallow its prey whole. Quakedancers will only attack larger creatures in self-defense, using a powerful kick or long-necked bite.
Quakedancing (Su): A quakedancer can shift its weight back and forth, gradually building up subsonic waves in the ground. After one full round of quakedancing, any creature within range must succeed at a Fortitude save or be stunned. The radius, save DC and duration of the stun varies depending on the quakedancer's age, as given in the table below. Creatures with more HD than the quakedancer are immune to this effect, and flying creatures within range receive a +4 circumstance bonus on their Fortitude save. Once a quakedancer has completed a round of quakedancing, it can't use this ability again until 1d4+1 rounds later. This is a sonic effect. The save DC is Strength-based.
Quakedancing Effect Table
Quakedancer Age ' Radius of Effect ' Stun DC ' Stun Duration
Juvenile . . . . . . . 30 ft. . . . . 14 DC . . . 1d4 rounds
Adult .. . . . . . . . 60 ft. . . . . 21 DC . . . 1d6 rounds
Elder .. . . . . . . . 90 ft. . . . . 30 DC . . . 2d4 rounds
Swallow Whole (Ex): A quakedancer can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of up to two size categories smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes damage every round from the quakedancer's gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal sufficient points of damage to the gizzard. See Quakedancer Swallow Whole Table for the damage, gizzard AC and gizzard hit points of the sample quakedancers. Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Gargantuan quakedancer’s interior can hold 2 Large, 8 Medium, 32 Small, 128 Tiny, or 512 Diminutive or smaller opponents.
Quakedancer Swallow Whole Table
Quakedancer Age ' ' ' ' ' Damage ' ' AC ' hit points
Juvenile . . . 1d6+6 plus 4 acid . . 13 . . 10 hp
Adult .. . . 1d10+15 plus 8 acid . . 16 . . 20 hp
Elder .. . . 3d6+24 plus 12 acid . . 19 . . 30 hp
Trample (Ex): A quakedancer can literally run over smaller creatures in its path doing the damage indicated in its special attack line. Trampled creatures may attempt an attack of opportunity against the quakedancer or attempt a Reflex save to halve the trample damage. The Trample DC equals the Stun DC in the Quakedancing Effect Table (see above). The save DC is Strength-based.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #180 (1992).
