DCC Bestiary - Astral Cerepod

 

So tonight our intrepid heroes exploring the Barrowmaze found a doubly-bricked up chamber holding a Cerepod, and extradimensional creature that was quite dangerous – and yes, it’s very much like a grell of White Dwarf and Fiend Factory fame, but I took my own spin on it.

For the origins of the grell and it’s original AD&D stats, that can be found here: https://dumpstatadventures.com/blog/deep-dive-the-grell

Now, looking at both of the sets of AD&D stats, and the Labyrinth Lord equivalent stats from Barrowmaze, I decided to make this monstrosity my own.  So much like the original, it has multiple attacks, but the original 11 attacks seems excessive for DCC – let’s bring that down to 4d20 action dice.  We’ll give it a fly speed of 30’, so it’s not too fast, we’ll stick with 5 HD, so 5d8 hit points or 23 hit points. We’ll take the original AC of 4 (or 16) and bring it down a titch, an AC of 14 seems appropriate for a floating fleshy brain.  We’ll keep the tentacle attacks as doing 1d4 damage and the bite as 1d6, and keep the paralyzing attack (let’s call it a paralyzing enzyme, DC 14 or paralyzed for 1d6 turns), give it some ability to grapple like other tentacled beasties, keep the immunity to electricity, Neutral alignment, the Labyrinth Lord magic resistance (turned to DCC rules, -2 to any spell directly targeting the creature), it’s sightless since it has no eyes, and that should do it.

Now that we have an idea of how to build the creature stat block, now we can figure out how it fits into our world.  Well, it’s clearly not of this world, so let’s make it from the Astral Sea, where it skims the ‘water’ spearing creatures native to the plane and feasting on them.  Because it’s otherworldly, it can detect invisible and astral creatures, and affect incorporeal creatures – that should be an unpleasant surprise for PCs.  And lastly, let’s go with it’s levitation glands can be used as a critical ingredient for a potion of levitation.


Astral Cerepod
     The Astral Cerepod, also called the ‘Drifting Hunter’, is a solitary creature native to the Astral Sea, where it hunts prey just beneath the misty waters, looking to paralyze victims with it’s tentatcled grasp, and consume their flesh.  An Astral Cerepod would stand just over eight feet tall, and it’s central body appears to be a large brain-like organ without eyes, but with a ebony beak, and it trails at least a dozen tentacles from beneath it’s body.  The creature has a greyish-pink hue to it, and moves utterly silently.

     As it is not of this world, magic often has unreliable effect on it, and it is immune to electrical damage in any way.  If brought to the mortal realm, while it can perceive the astral plane, it cannot reach it and it will be driven mad with frustration and rage and will do everything it can to return to its realm.  These creatures are intelligent, cunning, and single-minded, even if their behaviour is alien and unknowable.

     A cerepod levitates through the effects of glands found at the bottom of its body, and if harvested can be used as an essential ingredient for the creation of a potion of levitation.
 

     Astral Cerepod: Init +1; Atk paralyzing tentacle squeeze +2 melee (1d4 plus paralyzing enzymes) or bite +2 melee (1d6); AC 14; HD 5d8 (23 hp); MV 10’, Fly 30’; Act 4d20; SP blindsense (perfect perception of all things, including invisible targets, within 100’), extradimensional grasp, hive telepathy (it can communicate telepathically with any creature native to the Astral Sea), immunity to electricity, magic resistance (-2 to any spell check on a spell directly targeting the cerepod), paralyzing enzymes; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +6; AL N; Crit M/d10
     If the cerepod uses a tentacle attack, on a successful hit they automatically grapple their opponent and may strike them automatically next round with a bite attack.  Further, the tentacles exude a paralyzing enzyme, any victim must make a DC 14 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d6 turns.  A DC 14 Strength check or an attack of 5 hit points damage targeting a tentacle is needed to break free.
     A cerepod can affect ethereal, incorporeal, invisible, or astral targets that it can perceive, as it’s grasp is not limited to this plane of existence alone.

 

Voila!  Thoughts, ideas, concepts?  Send me a note at archadethered@gmail.com