I'm writing a short story in which a character is from the swamp, and the way that he gets his initial gear and such is because he happened to find a chuul that was tangled within a mangrove mass, or something, by an Assassin Vine, and waited for it to succumb to the Assassin Vine, and managed to sell it for magical power components.
So, my question is, "What power components could be gotten from a chuul?" Well, or even really, there's other leading questions... what would y'all do with a character who found a chuul? Would there be something else other than selling a power component? Would it's meat be any good? Would anyone make and/or wear armor made from the chitin?
Be as inventive as y'all like ... I'm just writing this short story for background, essentially, and would love to have a creative background.
That sounds like a great backstory for a PC, Icarus.
Off the top of my head, I can tell you that 3.5e's Stormwrack gives stats for armor made of chuul chitin, so you are right on track there. Your PC could sell it to a skilled armorer to buy something else, or start out with such armor himself, if you want to have him make a deal with such an armorer for the cost of making it for him.
I'm sure that wizards and priests could use the chuul ingredients for various kinds of potions, including Swimming, Bull's Strength, Remove Paralysis, Poison (that paralyzes the victim), and Water Breathing.
Chuul parts may be helpful, in part, in creating wondrous magical items like Plate Armor of the Deep and a Ring of Freedom of Action.
So, you can make the chuul's parts worth as much as you like, depending upon how in demand and useful you think spellcasters and armorers in your campaign would consider them.
That sounds like a great backstory for a PC, Icarus.
Well, Thank you, sir. :)
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Off the top of my head, I can tell you that 3.5e's Stormwrack gives stats for armor made of chuul chitin, so you are right on track there.
Well, I guess it does give stats for chitin armor. I can't believe that I misseed that. Of course, it's not specifically chuul-chitin, but, basically for that armor, chitin is chitin.
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...I'm sure that wizards and priests could use the chuul ingredients for various kinds of potions, including Swimming, Bull's Strength, Remove Paralysis, Poison (that paralyzes the victim), and Water Breathing.
Very true ... those are some good suggestions. ... considering the low cost of chitin armo (what was it, 75g?), I think that adding in selling some of the raw materials for potions might make sense.
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Chuul parts may be helpful, in part, in creating wondrous magical items like Plate Armor of the Deep and a Ring of Freedom of Action.
You know, frankly that one never evem occured to me. The Armor of the Deep has a pretty keen ring to it... although, now that I think about it, I guess that I reallly don't have to specifiy which items the spellcasters were buying components for.
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So, you can make the chuul's parts worth
Yeah, I guess this is basically what I am doing/going to do. I was just hoping that there would be some suggestions out there of more unusual things to do, or maybe how to change the story up a little to make it more ... I don't know ... less like a Dues Ex Machina. It just feels like I'm stepping in a "giving" him something. He didn't have to battle it, he didn't have to "earn" it. But, then, I guess that's kind of the point. I wanted to include a very iconic swamp-themed monster. And one that really isn't found in other terrain other than something aquatic ... but, you know, swamps.
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Last edited by Icarus on Sat Oct 20, 2012 11:02 am; edited 3 times in total
I wanted to include a very iconic swamp-themed monster. And one that really isn't found in other terrain other than something aquatic ... but, you know, swamps.
If that's true to the point that you aren't specifically set on using a chuul, you could go with a boggart, shambling mound, or even a will-o'-the-wisp trapped in a jar, though I don't know what kind of armor they'd make.
Well ... I would say that it isn't really a big deal about using a chuul or not ... I just thought that it was the most - I don't know - Monstrous? I just was looking for something and came up with the idea of making it somehting that he really couldn't feasibly handle by himself, and liked the idea of two monsters fighting each other, and he just happened to get the spoils of war.
I can't imagine what I'd do with a boggart or wil'o'wisp ... shambling mound, I guess I could make replace the Assassin Vine with one of those, and it would be ablut the same, sort of. ...
This is really a minor, but, somewhat pivotal, point in his history, but, the nice thing is that I can do essentially whatever I want. So - any ideas on other things to do for a rough and tumble, illiterate, thieving, ex-smuggler and river pirate, unrepentant thug, poacher and card cheat whose penchant for sudden unexpected violence is matched only by the utter depth of his [apparent] stupidity? _________________ Owner and Lead Admin: https://greyhawkonline.com<div>Editor-in-Chief of the Oerth Journal: https://greyhawkonline.com/oerthjournal</div><div>Visit my professional art gallery: https://wkristophnolen.daportfolio.com</div>
This is really a minor, but, somewhat pivotal, point in his history, but, the nice thing is that I can do essentially whatever I want. So - any ideas on other things to do for a rough and tumble, illiterate, thieving, ex-smuggler and river pirate, unrepentant thug, poacher and card cheat whose penchant for sudden unexpected violence is matched only by the utter depth of his [apparent] stupidity?
Uh... Put him out of his misery?
Seriously, I think it would be fun to set up, or describe, a short history where he is on the run from someone he stole something from or from a cuckolded husband who's wife he sullied. He loses them in a swamp only because an ettercap snatches him up into the dense branches of a mangrove tree. Before the ettercap can eat him, it is killed by a chuul. While he is sitting in the tree, wrapped up in the ettercap's web, a giant constrictor snake comes along and swallows him, but it is almost immediately grabbed by a shambling mound that rips it in half. That's when the chuul returns and battles the shambling mound. Barely victorious, the wounded chuul stumbles into a nearby assassin vine and is slain. All while the nearly helpless (at 1 or 0 hit points) PC lies there watching. Now, if only he has the courage to collect some samples and make his way back out of the swamp.
I have a few suggestions, a whip of constriction when a natural 20 is rolled the whip will constrict a part of the targets body delivering 2d4 points a damage a round until the target makes fortitude save.
Gauntlets of Idleness- Fashioned from the tentacles of a chuul. Each successful attack can temporarily paralyze a target. If the target fails a fortitude save against DC 13 the target is paralyzed for 1d3 rounds. If the target is grappled by the gauntlets the save DC is 19 and the target will be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds.
Mantle of the Deep- fashioned from the hide of a Chuul. The mantle will allow the bearer of the mantle to swim at their normal movement rate and to breath under water with no ill effects.
Elixir of poison immunity- The potion is fashioned from the blood of a chuul. When the potion is consumed it grants immunity to all poisons for one day. Any poisons consume, injected or in contact with this individual will have no effect on them.
Helm of Epsy Murk- The helm is fashioned from the skull of a chuul. The bearer of the helm is granted darkvision 60ft while adorning this helm. The helm also grants its bearer a +4 to all swim checks and allows the bearer to swim under water for twice the normal duration before a save is required.
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