Zoranths (3.5e Creature Overview)
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Zoranth Subtype[edit]
A true menace to all life, zoranths are magical beasts that seek to consume, destroy, and ravage all that lays before them. They are infamous for being violent, ravenous, destructive, merciless, and above all: persistent. They come in many varieties and are known for being very adaptive to numerous environments. None can control them, none are allied with them, and although some of the more powerful ones possess decent intelligence, none can reason with them. They are a heartless, vicious threat to all non-zoranth life and they will stop at nothing until they have consumed everything.
Traits[edit]
A zoranth possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).
- Darkvision out to 120 feet and low-light vision.
- Fast Healing (Ex): The exact amount should be listed in the creature's entry.
- Scent (Ex) 240 ft. radius.
- Regeneration (Ex): Weapons that are both magical and made of adamantine deal normal damage to a zoranth. All other types of damage deal non lethal damage to it. It can regrow damaged or severed body parts (even a head) within a manner of 1d4 minutes. For the amount of hitpoints healed each round, see the zoranth's Fast Healing entry.
- Damage Reduction (Ex): HD/2 magic and adamantine.
- Spell Resistance (Ex): 10+HD or more depending on the creature's entry.
- Energy Resistance (Ex): HD/2 against acid, cold, electricity, fire, force, necrotic, sonic, and more depending on the creature's entry.
- Immunities (Ex): Immunity to ability damage, ability drain, death effects, disintegration effects, disease, mind-affecting effects, paralysis, petrification, poison, and polymorph.
- Zoranth Magic Adaptation (Su): One of the most infamous abilities of zoranths, if not the most, is their ability to adapt to magical abilities used upon them. Whenever a zoranth is affected by a spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability and survives, it becomes immune to the effects of that spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability for a period of several days (the exact duration should be noted in the creature's entry). Additionally the zoranth becomes able to use that same spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability for the same amount of time that it is immune to its effects. The zoranth may choose to use these newfound abilities at-will as a standard action. The caster level is equal to its Hit Dice. For example, a wizard casts fireball on a zoranth but the damage from the spell doesn't kill the creature. That same zoranth may now cast fireball at-will as a standard action for a period of several days and it may not be harmed by a fireball spell again for the same amount of time.
- Frightful Presence (Ex): A zoranth can inspire terror by attacking, roaring, or moving. Affected creatures must succeed on a Will save or become shaken, remaining in that condition as long as they remain within 60 feet of the zoranth. The save DC is Charisma-based, however zoranths receive a +2 racial bonus to this effect for every 5 Hit Dice.
- Create Spawn (Ex): When a zoranth has eaten about a third of its body weight in organic material, it will lay a clutch of eggs (10d10) in a dark and moist climate. After 1d6 days the eggs hatch into Lesser Zoranths.
- Track: Zoranths receive this feat as a racial bonus.
- Skills: Zoranths receive bonuses to certain skills based on their hit-dice. They gain a +(HD/2) racial bonus on all Intimidate, Listen, Search, Spot, and Survival checks.
- Zoranths eat, sleep, and breathe.
Zoranth Subtype Creatures[edit]
There are four main types of zoranth: lesser, normal, greater, and epic. The older the zoranth, the stronger and more intelligent it becomes. See Table: Zoranth Subtype Creatures for more details.
Prefix | Name & Page Link | Age-Range | Starting Hit Dice | Base CR | Base Frightful Presence DC: | Image: |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lesser | Lesser Zoranth | 0 - 5 years | 10 | 11 | 19 | - |
Normal | Zoranth | 5 - 25 years | 20 | 19 | 29 | - |
Greater | Greater Zoranth | 25 - 75 years | 30 | 28 | 39 | - |
Epic | Epic Zoranth | 75+ years | 40 | 39 | 49 | - |
Varieties[edit]
Zoranths not only have several varieties with some being more powerful than others, they also have special templates applied to them on occasion depending on where they were hatched. Apart from the breath weapon varying between each variety, the rest of the specials and abilities are simply appended onto the entry of the zoranth in question.
Prefix | Description | Breath Weapon Damage/Effect | Extra Specials |
---|---|---|---|
— | The normal variety of zoranth. | Force plus Sonic | — |
Acidic | Wields corrosive powers. | Acid |
|
Aero | Wields air powers. | Air | |
Bio | Wields organic powers. | Force, Sonic, and a random Disease |
|
Cryo | Wields ice powers. | Cold |
|
Crystalline | Wields magic-nullifying powers. | Disables the magical properties of enchanted objects (including consumables like potions)
and the spell-like abilities, supernatural abilities, spellcasting abilities, and magical effects of/on creatures caught in the area of effect for 1d6 rounds. Items do not get saving throws. |
|
Electro | Wields electrical powers. | Electricity |
|
Geo | Wields earth powers. | Rocks and debris that cause bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage. |
|
Hydro | Wields water powers. | High-pressure blast of water that causes bludgeoning damage and
pushes targets away, knocking them prone. |
|
Metallic | Wields metal powers. | Shrapnel deals piercing, bludgeoning, and slashing damage to all creatures in the area. |
|
Necro | Wields death powers. | All creatures in the affected area must succeed on a fortitude save
or be killed. |
|
Photonic | Wields light powers. | Masive beam of light. Reflex negates.
Deals damage like Disintegrate spell. 5 ft. wide and 1000 ft. long per two HD line. |
|
Pyro | Wields fire powers. | Fire |
|
Special Varieties[edit]
Rarest of all are the special varieties of zoranths. These are by far the most powerful of all zoranths given the powers they are endowed with. These special varieties encompass combinations of varieties seen on Table: Zoranth Varieties. For the purposes of breath weapons, combine their effects but not their damage.
Category | Rarity | Description | Benefits |
---|---|---|---|
Super | 1 in 10,000 | Terrifying hybrid creatures that combine some of the already deadly varieties into an extra powerful being. |
|
Ultra | 1 in 100,000 | Even more perilous hybrids that are thankfully rare yet still outpace most other zoranths. |
|
Supreme | 1 in 1,000,000 | The absolute most dangerous type of special variety of zoranth. Rare as they are, they have leveled entire kingdoms with their power. |
|
Name Construction[edit]
Because zoranths have a very wide degree of variation in forms, there's a certain method to naming one. The order goes:
- Special Variety Prefix
- Variety Prefix(es) in alphabetical order separated by hyphens
- Subtype Prefix
- The word "Zoranth"
Example: Supreme Cryo-Crystalline-Necro-Pyro Epic Zoranth.
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