Greater Mudman (3.5e Creature)

Mudmen derive sustenance from magical energy. but if they feed well for 5 years, they spontaneously become greater mudmen and become more intelligent and gain a few magical abilities. They feed well by having a constant supply of magic items and/or can fill up their spell absorption at least once a week.

With their enhanced intellect comes stronger desire. Their animalistic hunger is replaced with pure greed. Some travel to hunt down mages and to steal magical equipment, while others enact vast-arching schemes, pulling schemes of conspiracy just to acquire the next hit. They often become evil or chaotic, while the worst are both.

The more egalitarian ones still lust for magical treasures like an adventurer, but see themselves as conniseurs arcana, traveling far and wide to experience new and exotic flavors. Others don't focus and just eat like most humanoids (i.e. it doesn't dominate their lives, but it's still important), and instead pursue other goals. These are the ones most likely to become true dweomerlings (see below).

The nearly mindless mudmen obey greater mudmen unless ravenous, and the greater mudmen either takes full advantage of this, or doesn't. Depends on which one you ask.

Spending their lives devouring spell energy, they are finally capable of casting spells of their own. They only get better at it with time.

A greater mudman keeps all the abilities of a mudman except for Combine -- it's become a more individual entity -- and has the following new abilities and exceptions noted in its statistics.

GREATER MUDMAN

	Greater Mudman
Size/Type:	Large Ooze
Hit Dice:	6d10+54 (84 hp)
Initiative:	-4 (-3 Dex, +2 insight, -3 muddy)
Speed:	30' (6 squares), climb 20'
Armor Class:	20 (-1 size, -3 Dex, +2 insight, +12 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple:	+4/+25
Attack:	Slam +10 melee (1d8+10 plus dispel)
Full Attack:	Slam
Space/Reach:	10'/10'
Special Attacks:	Dispel, engulf item, hurl mud, improved grab, spell absorption, spell-like abilities, spells, suffocation
Special Qualities:	Blindsight 90', DR 25/bludgeoning and magic, insight, magicsense 200', muddy, ooze traits, resist electricity 30 & fire 20, spell vulnerabilities
Saves:	Fort +14, Ref -2, Will +8
Abilities:	Str 25, Dex 5, Con 22, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 11
Skills:	Concentration +9, Hide -1*, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (Arcana) +9, Listen +13, Spellcraft +21
Feats:	Empower Spell, EnduranceB, Improved DisarmB, Iron Will, Power Attack
Environment:	Magical mudpools
Organization:	Solitary, family (2-3), gathering (1-2 plus 3-5 mudmen)
Challenge Rating:	7
Treasure:	Double standard (75% magic items, 25% everything else)
Alignment:	Usually neutral evil, often chaotic evil
Advancement:	7-10 (Large), 11-19 (Huge), 20-37 (Gargantuan), 38-72 (Colossal), 73+ (Titanic)
Level Adjustment:	—

Greater mudmen look exactly the same as mudmen, though they're almost always larger specimins than their fellows.

They speak Common, Dweomerspeak, and sometimes another language such as Draconic and one of the elemental languages (usually Aquan or Terran). Speaking languages other than Dweomerspeak and Terran is difficult for them.

Combat

They fight roughly the same as mudmen, though much more intelligently. Their spellcasting gives an edge in ranged and melee combat.

Attacks

Dispel (Su): Same as mudmen.

Engulf Item (Ex): Same as mudmen, only greater mudmen are intelligent enough to try swallowing tiny men. They usually don't bother, though, unless an enemy is being insistent.

Hurl Mud (Ex): Same as mudmen.

Improved Grab (Ex): Same as mudmen.

Spell Absorption (Su): Same as mudmen. They can't absorb spells or spell-like abilities that they cast on themselves.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): CL 6, DC's 14 plus spell level (Wis-based). 3/day-- delayed blast fireball (DC 21); 2/day-- mass bear's endurance; 1/day-- locust swarm, sleet storm

Spells: As 3rd-lvl wizards, CL 4. DC's 14 plus spell level (Wis-based).

Suffocation (Ex): Same as mudmen.

Qualities

Blindsight (Ex): Same as mudmen.

Damage Reduction: Same as mudmen, only add magic to the bludgeoning. At HD 21, magic is traded for epic.

Energy Resistances: Same as mudmen.

Insight (Ex): A greater mudmen has great intuition on overcoming its weaknesses. It have an insight bonus equal to one-third its HD to: armor class, Dex-based attack rolls (ranged, touch attacks), Initiative, and Reflex saving throws.

Magicsense (Ex): Same as mudmen.

Muddy: Same as mudmen.

Spell Vulnerabilities: It is less vulnerable to the spells that common mudmen are. Any damaging effects are only half as effective, and it gains a bonus (AC, save...) against them equal to one-third its hit dice. Horrid Wilting still treats them as water elementals, though, and greater mudmen have no special defense against it. It still cannot benefit from spell resistance with this ability.

Skills: Same as mudmen.

Mudmen gain the following (as well as what is mentioned in the above combat statistics) the moment it becomes greater:

Ability scores: Its Intelligence increases by 5, its Wisdom increases by 3, and its Charisma increases by 10. Its Wisdom increases by 1 for every 3 HD, and its Intelligence increases by 1 for every 4 HD.

Armor Class: Gains an insight bonus to AC equal to one-third its hit dice.

Attacks: Gains an insight bonus to Dex-based attack rolls every 3 HD.

Feats: Mudmen reselect their feats upon becoming greater mudmen.

Initiative: Gains an insight bonus to Initiative equal to 1/3 HD.

Saves: Gains an insight bonus to Reflex saves equal to per 3 HD.

Skills: They have 4 + Int skill points (rather than 2 + Int, as is normal for oozes), which are recalculated upon becoming a greater mudman.

Speed: Its land speed and climb speed both increase by 5'.

Spell-Like Abilities: A greater mudman gains a number of spell-like abilities based on its HD (CL = HD; DC's are Wis-based). Unless otherwise noted, that SLA is usable 1/day.

• 1-5: locust swarm or mass reduce person, 3/day chain lightning or delayed blast fireball

• 6-11: contagion or poison or sleet storm, 2/day greater magic fang or mass bear's endurance

• 12-18: moment of prescience, transmute rock to mud or wall of force, mass hold monster or shambler, scintillating pattern or waves of exhaustion, 3/day incendiary cloud or sunbeam

• 19-26: word of recall, imprisonment or summon nature's ally IX, 2/day fire storm or mass heal

• 27-35: gate, reverse gravity or weird 2/day, earthquake or whirlwind or storm of vengeance 3/day

• 36+: wish

Spells: A greater mudman gains spellcasting as a wizard of half its hit dice (caster level is three-quarters HD, same as its BAB) except it's keyed off Wisdom (DC's, bonus spells per day, etc).

It can prepare spells from any spell list (though when cast by the mudman, they're treated as arcane spells regardless), and learns new spells whenever one is cast within range of its magicsense, it would be able to prepare that spell if learned, and it succeeds in identifying the spell with Spellcraft, (it doesn't need to see or hear its verbal or somatic components; magicsense takes care of that, even if a spell has no components). It prepares spells from memory (its mind is its spellbook).

Their spells ignore focus and material components, and verbal and somatic components are made with Dweomerspeak and churning and bubbling mud (so if they're hiding in mud, passersby notice nothing unusual unless they're specifically looking for it).

Greater mudmen favor flashy (not necessarily damaging) evocations, conjurations, and transmutations, and anything that aids melee combat (especially damaging touch spells). They'll cast whatever they can get, though.

If a greater mudman takes class levels in wizard, its levels stack with its own (and it may prepare any spell in its wizard spell slots that it knows, even those from another class list), and its wizard spells are keyed off Wisdom.

Consider raising a greater mudman's challenge rating should it learn a few of the more nasty spells.

Adventure Ideas

• Mid Level: A greater mudman has been sending mudman minions to kidnap spellcasters while they rest in a highly magical forest, its home. It's also been capturing them with traps (scrolls and tomes from a recently killed librarian merchant for bait) and by simply beating them down and dragging their unconscious bodies back home. It forces them to cast all the spells they know, promising to release them once they do. After they do so, or if they refuse, the greater mudman kills the magician.
• High Level: Several chaotic evil advanced greater mudmen learn the spell Apocalypse From The Sky, and are now questing for artifacts so they may each cast this devastating spell at the same time in different key locations -- all heavily populated.

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