Stonetoads are a curious holdover from some past magical dynasty- a race of creatures bred for a specific and useful purpose- to form roads and paths. They appear as paving stones with a large toad growing from the bottom, and feed on lichen, weeds, and slow-moving insects which crawl across them.
When one dies, its "stone" crumbles slowly over the next few weeks, resuming an organic nature. Stonetoads gather in large numbers and seem to enjoy forming patterns. Occasionally, the patterns change, apparently on the whim of the stonetoad colony. If damaged (by a fireball or similar incident), stonetoad colonies tend to 'ripple' which may betray their nature. Statistics: These creatures are barely a pest, serving a useful function and in the very rare situation that one has been angered enough to endanger a humanoid, it poses more threat being dropped onto them than by having any weapons. They have resistance to all types of damage, and immunity to nonmagical slashing, piercing and bludgeoning attacks while surrounded by other stonetoads. A stonetoad weighs about 4 pounds, which is surprisingly dense for such a small creature. They have animal level intelligence, and no special powers. How you can use Stonetoads in your game: - A path through a mage's garden may be made up of a colony of stonetoads for aesthetic. The mage who lives nearby enjoys their quiet creaking noises at night. - An ancient highway which has existed for centuries appears in nearly-new condition, and the local ruler asks adventurers to investigate if the stones can be relocated. Surprisingly, they can, but the colony may resist such efforts, hopping away at night-times if unattended. - Stories tell that a specialized breed of stonetoads exists, with decorative markings on their backs rather than plain stone. Finding and breeding such creatures could make an enterprising adventurer a lot of money! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 7 December 2019. Comments are closed.
|
AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
May 2022
Categories
All
|