Thursday, February 26, 2015

The Keythong for 5e


Picture by Scatha the Worm on Deviantart.

The Keythong is a heraldic beast like the Griffin. It differs from the Griffin in that it has spikes instead of wings, and in some myths, it is supposedly the male of the species with only the females having wings. For my purposes, I'm treating them as separate species.

Keythong
Large monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 59 (7d10+21)
Speed 50 ft.
Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha
18 (+4)             15 (+2)             16 (+3)             2 (-4)               13 (+1)             8 (-1)
Skills Perception +5
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages
Challenge 2
Spiky Hide. At the start of each of its turns, the keythong deals 4 (1d8) piercing damage to any creature grappling it.
Keen Sight. The keythong has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Actions
Multiattack. The keythong makes two attacks: one with its beak, one with its claws.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) slashing damage.

Keythongs are wingless cousins to the griffin, with the body of a lion and the head and forelegs of an eagle. A pair of slightly curved horns grows from their heads and spike-like spines sprout from their backs, particularly dense in the shoulders where a griffin’s wings are located. They live in mated pairs, and coordinate their attacks with their mate when they hunt. They do not seem to possess the same fondness for horse flesh as the griffin, though they certainly wouldn’t hesitate to take one if the opportunity presented itself.

Fierce and Loyal Mates
Keythongs mate for life and will not take another if their partner dies. They are also fierce combatants, and will not hesitate to defend their mate or young. They never surrender, fighting to the death if need be.

Guardian Beasts
A keythong can be raised from an egg to serve as a companion and guard beast. Due to their spikes, training them to be mounts isn’t practical. Training a keythong can be a dangerous and resource intensive process, and typically requires a trainer well-versed in their ferocious nature.

Once trained, they are completely loyal to their master, defending him or her as readily as they would their mate or young. They will also guard their master’s property with that same feriocity.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Con of the North

Every year on Valentines Day weekend Con of the North takes place in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. I'm not a fan of the date, for what should be obvious reasons, but I've managed to go to this con for a few years now. Con of the North is a gaming convention that currently happens in Plymouth, MN, which is a lot closer to where I live than its last location in St Paul.

The Crown Plaza is a pretty nice hotel. Parking has been mildly problematic, but the hotel & con have worked together to alleviate the problem, & they did a pretty good job this year.

There is generally a good mix of games. Pathfinder Society seems to have pushed out some of the other RPGs, but they seem to be slowly coming back. I don't play PF Society, so that makes me happy. There is also quite a lot of miniature gaming, with some nice terrain. For the 40K fan there is a Rogue Trader tournament. Every year there is even Battletech! Can you believe it? I love that game!

Overall, it's a good time. I highly recommend Con of the North if you can manage it. I'm lucky to have a very understanding girlfriend.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Monarch of the Monsters 5 is upon us!

I'm sure most interested parties have already seen this, but if you haven't, Kobold Press' Monarch of the Monsters 5 is underway. Go flex some of those creative muscles.

http://www.koboldpress.com/k/front-page19084.php