Page 9 - IBP 2100 - Another Bunch of Content Issue 1

Vineguard
MONSTER
Issue 1 - November 2014
If not kept under control through the slow feeding of juice of whatever plant they originate from, these creatures will attack all animals and not just those that attempt to damage the crops they are protecting from harm.
Grown from the fruit and vines of the plants they protect, Vineguard are magical constructs that can easily hide and camouflage themselves in amongst their wards. They come in various sizes and shapes, but all have the ability to generate long whip-like vines from the center mass of their bodies that they use to climb rapidly up with, or to ensnare those who seek to do damage to the fruit and vegetables they protect. Too expensive for most farmers, these are usually purchased by vintners who often pay a small fortune for the protection of their crops against animals such as birds, foxes, opossum, raccoons, moths, skunks, and mice. Animals that are caught by Vineguard are usual- ly dispatched quickly or brought to the attention of the Vineguard masters, but sometimes a Vineguard devel- ops a taste for the blood of animals and feeds upon the carcasses it kills. Such chaotic Vineguard may be recognized by the change in color of its vines and body from green, browns, and yellows to a much dark- er plum, red, and black coloring.
Waste Muscles
Magic User Level 3 Spell Duration: Instant
Range: Touch
SPELL
When touched, the target loses a certain number of points split between STR, DEX, or CON attributes permanently as their muscles undergo atrophy and immediate damage. The amount of points lost per casting depends upon the level of the caster. For every full 5 levels a caster has the number of points lost is 1d4; therefore a 15-19th level caster will cast 3d4 points of loss split between STR, DEX, or CON with a single casting. The caster determines where the points are lost, and they can be applied to all, a mix, or a single attribute. A successful save reduces the point loss by 50%.
VINEGUARD
Alignment: Neutral (may turn Chaotic) No. Encountered: 1d6
Move: 120’ (40’), Climb 90’ (30’)
Level Dice: 2
Armor Class: 9 [10]
Attacks: 3 vines (1d4 damage)
Special Attacks: Vine Whips
Save: F0
Special Abilities: Camouflage, Vine Climb Loot: None
Special Movement: Vineguard can easily and quickly climb walls and limbs that have vines attached to them using their own vines.
Special Attacks: In addition to performing normal damage, Vineguard can use their vine whips to snare and grapple opponents. On a successful attack with a vine, they will wrap around their target with an effective STR of 16. For each additional vine grappling, effective STR is increased by +1. While the target is entangled, they will either attempt to bash them against walls or onto the ground, or climb as high as they can and drop them to their deaths.
Special Abilities: Vineguard are especially skilled at hiding among the plants they are assigned to protect, often masquerading as them. This gives them a 90% chance of success at hiding if they remain unmoving. Moving reduces this to 50%.
Loot: None.
Xõlti
PEOPLE
The Xõlti are an ancient people who worship elementals as agents of the gods. Since the forging of the world, Xõlti Speakers have been able to call upon elementals and draw them to this plane, allowing them to walk among men as equals. The more powerful a Speaker, the more powerful the elemental that they can summon. Unlike most relationships with elementals, those called are not bound into servitor roles but and Speakers gain a number of boons from this partnership including the improved ability to manipulate the related element. Elementals called forward are free-thinking and self-aware, have names and personalities, and act out of friendship and duty, unlike more traditional elementals. Because to this relationship, many believe that arcane practitioners enslave free creatures when they summon and bind elementals, but many magic users claim that the creatures that the Xõlti call are not true elementals but aspects of their gods made manifest in elemental form. There have been movements to emancipate the elementals from their magic-using captors in a number of civilized settlements, which has led to riots and the out- lawing of some previously well-regarded magic-users. Rumors now abound that magic-users are convening to assault Xõlti settlements to capture some Speakers and their “elementals” in an attempt to prove their case.
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