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<blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 8874987" data-attributes="member: 6915329"><p>Happy New Year, y'all!</p><p></p><p>Aaand… back to dragons. Ish. Sorta-dragons. But a whole <em>mess </em>of them, because we’ve reached the linnorms, which are covered in articles in both this issue and the next. This article came out shortly after the <em>Viking Campaign Sourcebook</em>—remember that series of books?—to flesh out the possible beasts one might encounter if you played a Vikings game. The linnorms were reprinted in <em>Monstrous Compendium Annual vol 1</em>.</p><p></p><p>Linnorms are a bit different from “true” dragons. They are far more serpentine and generally either have very small limbs or no limbs at all. Only one of them has the ability to fly (well, technically two of them have the ability, but the other dragon is a unique creature whom I won’t be converting). They also live over twice as long as regular dragons; Great Wyrm linnorms were 2,800 years old or older, as opposed to the 1,200 years of a typical D&D great wyrm. They’re far more solitary, and they’re <em>all</em> evil. Also, they don’t seem to have any immunities to their own breath weapon type.</p><p></p><p>An interesting bit of lore is including in the article: “Many believe that humans can magically become dragons, as Fafnir was once a man. Other legends hit that dwarves or giants may also become linnorms. Noble-minded parents teach their children that excessive greed could cause them to become linnorms later in life.” Does anyone know if this this actual Norse/Viking lore?</p><p></p><p>While they’re dragons, I’m going to be a bit lazy: like the dragon turtle, they’ll only get one age category. I really don’t think they need all four. </p><p></p><p>First type of linnorm is the <strong>forest linnorm</strong>. It lives in a forest, in case it’s not obvious.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]270969[/ATTACH]</p><p><span style="font-size: 15px">Art by Jim Holloway</span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong>Forest Linnorm</strong></span></span></p><p>The Viking’s Dragons, part 1, Dragon Magazine #182</p><p>Created by Jean Rabe</p><p></p><p>Quite hideous by many standards, forest linnorms resemble tremendous serpents, sometimes with tiny, atrophied limbs hanging off their bodies. Their small scales are mottled green and brown and can camouflage them perfectly in the undergrowth of the forest.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Human Zoos.</em></strong> Forest linnorms are fascinated by the humanoid form. They enjoy collecting humanoid specimens, particularly those they deem to be especially beautiful. Some linnorms keep a large number of humanoid “pets,” trapped in cages or chained up. Others have their humanoids stuffed and mounted, where they can be enjoyed without the risk of escape or revolt. And many are both fascinated and disgusted by humanoid beauty and see humanoids as things to be torn apart viciously.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Destructive. </em></strong>Forest linnorms love to break things. They collect treasure only to destroy it later on. They enjoy the crunching and snapping noises objects make. They have a love-hate relationship with what they consider to be beautiful things. They love gazing on things of beauty, only to later become infuriated by the same beauty and then destroy it. This seems to be born out of self-hatred, as they have weirdly angular bodies and misshapen heads, and while they are terribly vain, they aren’t capable of lying to themselves for very long, and they can’t bear to see the beauty they lack on other creatures.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Luring Traps. </em></strong>Although they almost never bother to learn humanoid languages, forest linnorms are expert mimics. They combine this with their natural abilities of illusion in order to create elaborate traps designed to lure victims to their doom.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Legends and Lore</span></strong></p><p>With an Arcana or History check, the characters can learn the following:</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 15.</strong> Forest linnorms are rarely seen because their scales shift colors to let them blend into the foliage.</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 20.</strong> These limbless dragon-kin exhale a gout of corrosive liquid that causes its victims to wither away. They are capable of creating realistic illusions and use them to create traps.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Monster Encounters</span></strong></p><p><strong><em>Terrain:</em></strong> Forest</p><p></p><p><strong>CR 17-22</strong> forest linnorm; forest linnorm with 1d4 harpies or kech</p><p><strong><em>Treasure:</em></strong> 140 pp, 950 gp; aquamarine (500 gp), masterwork gold-inscribed battleaxe that once belonged to a powerful chieftain, <em>scrolls of control water, fly, </em>and <em>wall of force, +1 shield.</em></p><p></p><p><strong>CR 23-30</strong> forest linnorm with corrupted unicorn; forest linnorm with two werewolves</p><p><strong><em>Treasure:</em></strong> 900 pp, 7,300 gp, emerald(1,000 gp), gold and garnet ring (2,000 gp), amber bead necklace (1,000 gp), <em>belt of hill giant strength, +3 chain</em> shirt, <em>scroll of create undead.</em></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Signs</span></strong></p><p>1. Withered plant life.</p><p>2. The corpse of a traveler, crushed as if by an enormous snake.</p><p>3. A defaced shrine dedicated to a minor deity of forest beauty.</p><p>4. Thick, thorny plants that make trave; difficult.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Behavior</span></strong></p><p>1. Battling another forest linnorm for territorial reasons; both linnorms will turn their attention of interlopers.</p><p>2. Vandalizing a beautiful fey clearing.</p><p>3. Ranting to terrified wildlife.</p><p>4. Approaches the party, demands compliments under threat of death.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 26px"><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">Forest Linnorm</span></span></strong></p><p><strong>Gargantuan dragon</strong></p><p>Challenge 18 (20,000 XP)</p><p><strong>AC</strong> 21 (natural armor)</p><p><strong>HP</strong> 280 (17d20+102; bloodied 140)</p><p><strong>Speed</strong> 50 ft., swim 30 ft.</p><p></p><p><strong>STR</strong> 25 (+7) <strong>DEX</strong> 16 (+3) <strong>CON</strong> 23 (+6)</p><p><strong>INT</strong> 12 (+1) <strong>WIS</strong> 16 (+3) <strong>CHA</strong> 17 (+3)</p><p></p><p><strong>Proficiency</strong> +6</p><p><strong>Maneuver DC</strong> 21</p><p><strong>Saving Throws</strong> Dex +9, Con +12, Wis +9, Cha +10</p><p><strong>Skills</strong> Deception +10, Perception +9 (+1d6), Stealth +14</p><p><strong>Senses</strong> blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 22</p><p><strong>Languages</strong> Draconic, Druidic, Sylvan</p><p><strong><em>Forest Camouflage. </em></strong>The linnorm has advantage on Stealth checks made in forested environments.</p><p><strong><em>Innate Spellcasting. </em></strong>The linnorm’s spellcasting trait is Charisma (spell save DC 19). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:</p><p><strong>3/day each: </strong><em>spike growth, major image, mirror image</em></p><p><strong>1/day: </strong><em>hallucinatory terrain, plant growth</em></p><p><strong><em>Mimicry. </em></strong>The linnorm can mimic voices and animal sounds. Recognizing the sounds as an imitation requires a DC 18 Insight check.</p><p><strong><em>Speak With Animals. </em></strong>The linnorm can communicate with beasts.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Multiattack. </em></strong>The linnorm makes a bite attack and then a constrict attack.</p><p><strong><em>Bite. </em></strong><em>Melee Weapon Attack:</em> +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. <em>Hit: </em>23 (3d10+7) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) acid damage.</p><p><strong><em>Tail. </em></strong><em>Melee Weapon Attack:</em> +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. <em>Hit: </em>20 (3d8+7) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 21). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and the linnorm can’t constrict a different target.</p><p><strong><em>Withering Breath (Recharge 5-6).</em></strong> The linnorm exhales foul liquid in a 5-foot wide, 60-foot wide line. Each creature in that area must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 44 (8d10) acid damage and 44 (8d10) necrotic damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. Plants have disadvantage on this saving throw. In addition, on a failed save, the creature is poisoned for 1 minute. A poisoned creature may make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Bonus Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Camouflaged Scales. </em></strong>The linnorm takes the Hide action.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Reactions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Tail Attack. </em></strong>When a creature the linnorm can see within 10 feet hits the linnorm with a melee attack, the linnorm makes a tail attack against it. If the linnorm is constricting a creature in its tail and makes a successful tail attack, the constricted creature must make a DC 21 Strength saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) bludgeoning damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Combat</span></strong></p><p>Forest linnorms use their breath weapon as often as possible to keep their foes weak. They typically fight to the death, as they view no opponent to be strong enough to defeat them.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Faolyn, post: 8874987, member: 6915329"] Happy New Year, y'all! Aaand… back to dragons. Ish. Sorta-dragons. But a whole [I]mess [/I]of them, because we’ve reached the linnorms, which are covered in articles in both this issue and the next. This article came out shortly after the [I]Viking Campaign Sourcebook[/I]—remember that series of books?—to flesh out the possible beasts one might encounter if you played a Vikings game. The linnorms were reprinted in [I]Monstrous Compendium Annual vol 1[/I]. Linnorms are a bit different from “true” dragons. They are far more serpentine and generally either have very small limbs or no limbs at all. Only one of them has the ability to fly (well, technically two of them have the ability, but the other dragon is a unique creature whom I won’t be converting). They also live over twice as long as regular dragons; Great Wyrm linnorms were 2,800 years old or older, as opposed to the 1,200 years of a typical D&D great wyrm. They’re far more solitary, and they’re [I]all[/I] evil. Also, they don’t seem to have any immunities to their own breath weapon type. An interesting bit of lore is including in the article: “Many believe that humans can magically become dragons, as Fafnir was once a man. Other legends hit that dwarves or giants may also become linnorms. Noble-minded parents teach their children that excessive greed could cause them to become linnorms later in life.” Does anyone know if this this actual Norse/Viking lore? While they’re dragons, I’m going to be a bit lazy: like the dragon turtle, they’ll only get one age category. I really don’t think they need all four. First type of linnorm is the [B]forest linnorm[/B]. It lives in a forest, in case it’s not obvious. [ATTACH type="full"]270969[/ATTACH] [SIZE=4]Art by Jim Holloway[/SIZE] [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)][SIZE=6][B]Forest Linnorm[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR] The Viking’s Dragons, part 1, Dragon Magazine #182 Created by Jean Rabe Quite hideous by many standards, forest linnorms resemble tremendous serpents, sometimes with tiny, atrophied limbs hanging off their bodies. Their small scales are mottled green and brown and can camouflage them perfectly in the undergrowth of the forest. [B][I]Human Zoos.[/I][/B] Forest linnorms are fascinated by the humanoid form. They enjoy collecting humanoid specimens, particularly those they deem to be especially beautiful. Some linnorms keep a large number of humanoid “pets,” trapped in cages or chained up. Others have their humanoids stuffed and mounted, where they can be enjoyed without the risk of escape or revolt. And many are both fascinated and disgusted by humanoid beauty and see humanoids as things to be torn apart viciously. [B][I]Destructive. [/I][/B]Forest linnorms love to break things. They collect treasure only to destroy it later on. They enjoy the crunching and snapping noises objects make. They have a love-hate relationship with what they consider to be beautiful things. They love gazing on things of beauty, only to later become infuriated by the same beauty and then destroy it. This seems to be born out of self-hatred, as they have weirdly angular bodies and misshapen heads, and while they are terribly vain, they aren’t capable of lying to themselves for very long, and they can’t bear to see the beauty they lack on other creatures. [B][I]Luring Traps. [/I][/B]Although they almost never bother to learn humanoid languages, forest linnorms are expert mimics. They combine this with their natural abilities of illusion in order to create elaborate traps designed to lure victims to their doom. [B][SIZE=5]Legends and Lore[/SIZE][/B] With an Arcana or History check, the characters can learn the following: [B]DC 15.[/B] Forest linnorms are rarely seen because their scales shift colors to let them blend into the foliage. [B]DC 20.[/B] These limbless dragon-kin exhale a gout of corrosive liquid that causes its victims to wither away. They are capable of creating realistic illusions and use them to create traps. [B][SIZE=5]Monster Encounters[/SIZE] [I]Terrain:[/I][/B] Forest [B]CR 17-22[/B] forest linnorm; forest linnorm with 1d4 harpies or kech [B][I]Treasure:[/I][/B] 140 pp, 950 gp; aquamarine (500 gp), masterwork gold-inscribed battleaxe that once belonged to a powerful chieftain, [I]scrolls of control water, fly, [/I]and [I]wall of force, +1 shield.[/I] [B]CR 23-30[/B] forest linnorm with corrupted unicorn; forest linnorm with two werewolves [B][I]Treasure:[/I][/B] 900 pp, 7,300 gp, emerald(1,000 gp), gold and garnet ring (2,000 gp), amber bead necklace (1,000 gp), [I]belt of hill giant strength, +3 chain[/I] shirt, [I]scroll of create undead.[/I] [B][SIZE=5]Signs[/SIZE][/B] 1. Withered plant life. 2. The corpse of a traveler, crushed as if by an enormous snake. 3. A defaced shrine dedicated to a minor deity of forest beauty. 4. Thick, thorny plants that make trave; difficult. [B][SIZE=5]Behavior[/SIZE][/B] 1. Battling another forest linnorm for territorial reasons; both linnorms will turn their attention of interlopers. 2. Vandalizing a beautiful fey clearing. 3. Ranting to terrified wildlife. 4. Approaches the party, demands compliments under threat of death. [B][SIZE=7][COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)]Forest Linnorm[/COLOR][/SIZE] Gargantuan dragon[/B] Challenge 18 (20,000 XP) [B]AC[/B] 21 (natural armor) [B]HP[/B] 280 (17d20+102; bloodied 140) [B]Speed[/B] 50 ft., swim 30 ft. [B]STR[/B] 25 (+7) [B]DEX[/B] 16 (+3) [B]CON[/B] 23 (+6) [B]INT[/B] 12 (+1) [B]WIS[/B] 16 (+3) [B]CHA[/B] 17 (+3) [B]Proficiency[/B] +6 [B]Maneuver DC[/B] 21 [B]Saving Throws[/B] Dex +9, Con +12, Wis +9, Cha +10 [B]Skills[/B] Deception +10, Perception +9 (+1d6), Stealth +14 [B]Senses[/B] blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 22 [B]Languages[/B] Draconic, Druidic, Sylvan [B][I]Forest Camouflage. [/I][/B]The linnorm has advantage on Stealth checks made in forested environments. [B][I]Innate Spellcasting. [/I][/B]The linnorm’s spellcasting trait is Charisma (spell save DC 19). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: [B]3/day each: [/B][I]spike growth, major image, mirror image[/I] [B]1/day: [/B][I]hallucinatory terrain, plant growth[/I] [B][I]Mimicry. [/I][/B]The linnorm can mimic voices and animal sounds. Recognizing the sounds as an imitation requires a DC 18 Insight check. [B][I]Speak With Animals. [/I][/B]The linnorm can communicate with beasts. [B][U]Actions[/U] [I]Multiattack. [/I][/B]The linnorm makes a bite attack and then a constrict attack. [B][I]Bite. [/I][/B][I]Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. [I]Hit: [/I]23 (3d10+7) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) acid damage. [B][I]Tail. [/I][/B][I]Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. [I]Hit: [/I]20 (3d8+7) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 21). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and the linnorm can’t constrict a different target. [B][I]Withering Breath (Recharge 5-6).[/I][/B] The linnorm exhales foul liquid in a 5-foot wide, 60-foot wide line. Each creature in that area must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 44 (8d10) acid damage and 44 (8d10) necrotic damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. Plants have disadvantage on this saving throw. In addition, on a failed save, the creature is poisoned for 1 minute. A poisoned creature may make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. [B][U]Bonus Actions[/U] [I]Camouflaged Scales. [/I][/B]The linnorm takes the Hide action. [B][U]Reactions[/U] [I]Tail Attack. [/I][/B]When a creature the linnorm can see within 10 feet hits the linnorm with a melee attack, the linnorm makes a tail attack against it. If the linnorm is constricting a creature in its tail and makes a successful tail attack, the constricted creature must make a DC 21 Strength saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) bludgeoning damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. [B][SIZE=5]Combat[/SIZE][/B] Forest linnorms use their breath weapon as often as possible to keep their foes weak. They typically fight to the death, as they view no opponent to be strong enough to defeat them. [/QUOTE]
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