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  1. #1
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    I don`t know about you guys, but I love the idea of the blooded Abominations
    in my campaigns. I`m curious as to any minor awnsheigh that you people use.

    ---

    The peaceloving alchemist Rickard Pike was in a field one afternoon trying
    desperately to crack the mystery of the luminescent Phospherous Root when he
    suddenly was konged on the head by a piece of debris fallen from the sky.
    Studying the curious green, glowing rock he soon realised that it was indeed
    a piece of Godrock, the remains of a mountain imbued with the essence of
    gods. This was such a wonderous discovery that he raced home as fast as he
    could to tell everyone.

    As Rickard Pike arived that evening to tell of his great discovery he found
    himself transformed into a gigantic flying, feathered squid. Now, whenever
    Rickard Pike is exposed to light, the peaceloving alchemist is metamorphed
    by the essence of a dark god into the twisted half-eagle, half-squid hybrid:
    The Demented Squeagle.


    The Squeagle

    Gargantuan Magical Beast (Aquatic)
    Hit Dice: 20d10+140 (250 hp)
    Initiative: +2 (Dex)
    Speed: Swim 20 ft. Fly 60 ft. (average)
    AC: 22 (-4 size, +2 Dex, +14 natural)
    Attacks: 2 tentacle rakes +28 melee, 6 arms +23 melee, _bite +23 melee
    Damage: Tentacle rake 2d8+12, arm 1d6+6, bite 4d6+6
    Face/Reach: 20 ft. by 40 ft./"_10 ft. (100 ft. with tentacle)
    Special Attacks: Improved grab, constrict 2d8+12 or 1d6+6, Snatch
    Special Qualities: Jet, ink cloud, Darkness Vulnerability
    Saves: Fort +19, Ref +14, Will +13
    Abilities: Str 34, Dex 15, Con 24, Int 16, Wis 13, Cha 11
    Skills: Knowledge (geography) +8, Knowledge (nature) +8, Listen +16, Search
    +16, Spot +16
    Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Expertise, Improved Critical_(tentacle), Iron
    Will

    Climate/Terrain: Temperate, warm mountains, or any aquatic
    Organization: Solitary or swarm (2-200)
    Challenge Rating: 13
    Treasure: Double standard
    Alignment: Always neutral evil
    Advancement: 21-32 HD (Gargantuan); 33-60 HD (Colossal)

    Squeagles speak Aquan and Auran.

    Combat

    The Squeagle often attacks from the air, swooping earthward to snatch prey
    in its powerful tentacles and carry its prize off to its aquatic home for a
    proper feast. An airborne Squeagle is typically hunting and will attack any
    Medium-size or larger creature that appears edible. The Squeagle strikes its
    opponent with its barbed tentacles, then grabs and crushes with its arms or
    drags victims into its huge beak.

    Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, The Squeagle must hit an opponent
    of up to Huge size with an arm or tentacle attack. If it gets a hold, it can
    constrict.

    Constrict (Ex): The Squeagle deals automatic arm or tentacle damage with a
    successful grapple check against Huge or smaller creatures.

    Jet (Ex): When underwater, The Squeagle can jet backward once per round as a
    double move action, at a speed of 280 feet.

    Ink Cloud (Ex): The Squeagle can emit a cloud of jet-black ink 80 feet high
    by 80 feet wide by 120 feet long once per minute as a free action. The cloud
    provides total concealment, which the kraken normally uses to escape a
    losing fight. Creatures within the cloud suffer the effects of total
    darkness.

    Snatch (Ex): When the Squeagle hits a creature of at least Small size, but
    no larger than Huge, with a tentacle attack, it attempts to start a grapple
    as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If The Squeagle
    achieves a hold, it can fly off with its prey and automatically make a bite
    attack each round in lieu of a tentacle attack. It can drop a snatched
    creature as a free action or use a standard action to fling it aside. A
    flung creature travels 90 feet and takes 9d6 points of damage. If the roc
    flings it while flying, the creature suffers this amount of damage or
    falling damage, whichever is greater.

    Darkness Vulnerability (Su): Whenever The Squeagle is not exposed to at
    least some tiny amount of natural or magical light (the effect of the Ink
    Cloud do not cause this), the powerful abomination is transformed into the
    peaceloving alchemist Rickard Pike, who, of course, in the tradition of such
    things, is an annoying, pacifist, lawful good character who will have no
    memory of the events that happened during the time he was The Demented
    Squeagle. Exposure to light will heal him of this awful affliction,
    returning him to his true form once more.

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  2. #2
    Site Moderator Ariadne's Avatar
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    Oh no, horrible, you did it.... ;)
    May Khirdai always bless your sword and his lightning struck your enemies!

  3. #3
    Moo! Are you happy now? Arjan's Avatar
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    in the book of regency is stated


    By giving in to the blood of Azrai and acting in an evil (or even merely a chaotic) manner, characters begin to transform into a terrible monster. Awnsheghlien produced this way may develop quickly or slowly, depending on the strength of Azrai's blood in their veins, the way they use their blood abilities and bloodline, and the alignment to which they adhere.
    So if you talk about a minor awnshegh totaly transforms into a eagle/squid hybryd, by just running towards home is a little overdone/unbelievable i think.

    just my 2 ct.

    Arjan
    Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.

  4. #4
    Senior Member marcum uth mather's Avatar
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    The SQUEAGLE!!!!!
    This ones on me([_]

  5. #5
    Site Moderator geeman's Avatar
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    At 02:58 PM 9/26/2002 +0200, Arjan wrote:

    >So if you talk about a minor awnshegh totaly transforms into a eagle/squid
    >hybryd, by just running towards home is a little overdone/unbelievable i think.

    I agree but I think the problem here is with the eagle-squid
    combination. There`s something about the combo that doesn`t lend itself to
    the urgency of transformation implied by the description. A third
    influence to compensate for the whole invertebrate sea creature in
    combination with majestic aerial creature and step up the urgency and
    reflect the mercurial nature of Azrai`s blood. You know, something that
    fits into the theme... like chipmunk or kangaroo.

    Eagle/squid/panda bear. THAT`s an awnsheghlien that should overcome any
    verisimilitude problems.

    Of course, this combination of creatures opens up a whole new line for the
    er-/awnsheghlien concept. By combining disparate creatures like a head-on
    collision on the Autobahn we can expand the list of such monsters
    exponentially. Consider the following list of combinations:

    Polar Bear/Hummingbird
    Aardvark/Zebra
    Rhinoceros/squirrel
    Koala bear/lawyer
    Al Gore/Britney Spears

    It`s an endless avenue of speculation.

    Gary

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  6. #6
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    Arjan:
    >So if you talk about a minor awnshegh totaly transforms >into a eagle/squid hybryd, by just running towards home is >a little overdone/unbelievable i think.
    ---


    Well, yes. It was meant to be overdone/unbelievable. I guess I didn't get that across. Sorry about that.

    But incidently, he didn't transform for running home, he transformed when he found the fragment of Deismaar ("Deismaarite?" "Azraite?").

    There's a whole bunch of these fragments in a ring orbiting the world, and every so often one falls down and kongs a peaceloving alchemist out in a field -- eventually I'll use Gary's tech system to make them invent helmets.

    Given the speed and trajectory of the falling Azraiite meteor, and the fact that it konged the poor guy on the head (making him, of course, lose all his hair), it very likely may have killed him. Being killed by the divine essence of shadow, treachery, undeath and all that good stuff, it's likely he would have momentarily been undead once he reached -10 (or whatever) HP, and that would turn his alignment evil, and now that he has no brain he's probably insane, and evil, insane, peaceloving alchemists with the divine essence of Azrai would of course turn into Squeagles.

    See? Perfectly rational explanation. He did not transform simply be "by just running towards home."

    (The Squeagles evil motivation of course is that he blames superpowered heroes for the loss of his hair.)
    "Chance favors the prepared mind."
    --Sir Isaac Newton

  7. #7
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    On Thu, 26 Sep 2002, Gary wrote:

    > I agree but I think the problem here is with the eagle-squid
    > combination. There`s something about the combo that doesn`t lend
    > itself to the urgency of transformation implied by the description.

    Or to existence at all. I actually spent a small amount of effort trying
    to think of two creatures which could never possibly be combined. I never
    dreamed the idea would be so infectious.

    And, of course, to compare elves to majestic aerial creatures who
    symbolize power and freedom, and humans to squishy tentacled invertebrates
    who are eaten fried. =)

    > By combining disparate creatures like a head-on collision on the Autobahn

    Ummm, quite. Like a squid dropped from a great height, in fact. *splutch*

    > Polar Bear/Hummingbird

    Anyone read Phillip Pullman`s "His Dark Materials" trilogy? My favorite
    character from the first one, "The Golden Compass", represents a race
    which I really want to introduce into a fantasy campaign. Not sure if
    they`re quite right for BR, but I think they might fit well in Thaele, or
    perhaps explain why Torova Temylatin is devoid of other settlement. The
    race I have in mind are the panserbjorne -- literally "armored bears".
    Polar Bears who wear extremely thick full plate armor, hire themselves out
    as mercenaries, and rule a kingdom on an Arctic island (Spitsbergen, off
    Norway -- the book is an alternate-Earth high-magic Victorian fantasy,
    advertised as being for children but definitely worth an adult`s time,
    too). They`d be very tough individual opponents, obviously (10ish HD of
    bear plus fighter levels plus bear-sized magic weapons and armor), but
    that does sort of make them the only species with a decent chance to
    survive an environment populated largely by remorhaz and ice giants...


    Ryan Caveney

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  8. #8
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    Lol...

    One wonders how history would have been different if Hitler knew about panserbjorne and luftsqueagle!

  9. #9
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    Orginally posted by Merador
    One wonders how history would have been different if Hitler knew about panserbjorne and luftsqueagle!
    That's no fun at all. Bad joke.
    my purpose is now to lead you into the Pallace where you shall have a clear and delightful view of all those various objects, and scattered excellencies, that lye up and down upon the face of creation, which are only seen by those that go down into the Seas, and by no other....

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