Morphically Unstable Creature

November 8th, 2018

The brave adventurers round the corner, finding themselves face-to-face with the mad wizard’s latest experiment. What horrible blend of different creatures has he combined this time, into abominations that were not meant to be? For once, it’s impossible to tell. Too much transmutation magic has been infused into one poor creature. The energies interact with each other in unpredictable ways. Its body is morphing, changing, and it can’t stop it. Whatever it once was, now its form is fluid, mercurial. Limbs bulge, muscles suddenly rippling and expanding only to wither and fade away. New body parts emerge, thrashing wildly, only to disappear back into the roiling flesh.

This is the feeling that today’s template is designed to capture, allowing any creature to become morphically unstable.

Morphically Unstable

Whether the result of strange arcane experiments, divine curses, or the cruelty of genetics, morphically unstable creatures have difficulty maintaining a single form. Their bodies naturally shift and writhe, out of control, although the morphically unstable creature gains some ability to control its own shape.

Creating a Morphically Unstable Creature

“Morphically unstable” is an inherited or acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

CR: As the base creature +2.

Type: A morphically unstable creature gains the shapeshifter subtype.

Defenses: A morphically unstable creature has a 50% chance of ignoring extra damage from a critical hit, a rogue’s sneak attack, or any other form of precision-based damage, as though it were wearing a suit of armor with the moderate fortification special ability.

Natural Attacks: As a move action, a morphically unstable creature can alter its body to grant itself a single natural attack of its choice. The natural attack deals damage as normal for an attack of that type based on the morphically unstable creature’s size. The morphically unstable creature can create one additional natural attack in this way for every 5 points in its CR. Only one of these natural attacks is a primary natural attack, even if they would otherwise be a primary natural attack. If the morphically unstable creature uses this ability again to create new natural attacks, it loses any previous natural attacks granted by this ability.

Special Abilities: A morphically unstable creature gains the following special abilities.

Morphic Control (Sp): A morphically unstable creature’s body is inherently fluid and resists outside change. The morphically unstable creature gains a +4 racial bonus on saving throws made to resist paralysis, petrification, and polymorph effects (other than the effects of this template). Additionally, the morphically unstable creature can spend a move action to make a new saving throw to resist any single paralysis, petrification, or polymorph effect it is currently suffering from. Success on this saving throw immediately ends that effect, even if it would normally be permanent or require specific methods to undo.

Morphic Instability (Ex): A morphically unstable creature’s body naturally shifts and writhes in violent, unpredictable ways, especially in stressful situations, such as combat. Whenever the morphically unstable creature is in combat, as well as in other stressful situations at the GM’s discretion, the morphically unstable creature must roll 1d8 and consult the following to determine the effects of its morphic instability. Unless otherwise indicated, these effects last until the next time the morphically unstable creature makes such a roll, or until the combat ends, whichever comes first.

1: One of the morphically unstable creature’s limbs swells suddenly in size. Choose a single natural attack or held weapon. Attacks that the morphically unstable creature makes with the chosen weapon suffer a –2 penalty, but deal damage as though it were two size categories larger than it actually is.
2: The morphically unstable creature’s skin toughens and hardens, increasing its natural armor bonus by +2, and granting it DR 5/adamantine. If the morphically stable creature’s CR is 11 or higher, this natural armor bonus increases to +4, and the DR increases to 10/adamantine.
3: The morphically unstable creature’s body becomes incredibly flexible and malleable. It gains the amorphous and compression universal monster abilities.
4: The morphically unstable creature grows a pair of wings, granting it a fly speed equal to its land speed with a maneuverability of poor, and granting it two wing natural attacks that deal damage appropriate to the morphically unstable creature’s size.
5: The morphically unstable creature’s body rapidly expands, causing it to increase in size to the next size category, as though affected by the spell enlarge person.
6: The morphically unstable creature’s body rapidly contracts, causing it to decrease in size as though affected by the spell reduce person.
7: The morphically unstable creature’s insides twist and churn distractingly, and it is nauseated.
8: The morphically unstable creature is struck with a surge of vigor. It gains the benefits of the haste spell, and heals a number of hit points equal to twice its CR.

Shapechange (Sp): Although morphically unstable creatures lack complete control over their shapeshifting capabilities, they are able to deliberately transform themselves into other shapes. This allows the morphically unstable creature to replicate the effects of any spell of the polymorph subschool whose spell level is less than or equal to 1/2 the morphically unstable creature’s CR as a spell-like ability. The morphically unstable creature can use this ability at will, but can only affect itself in this way.

Using this ability requires the morphically unstable creature to focus, and it must succeed on a concentration check at the end of its turn each round in order to maintain the effect. The DC for this check is equal to 10 + twice the spell level of the spell the morphically unstable creature is replicating. If the morphically unstable creature has suffered damage since the last time it made one of these checks, the DC is increased by an additional +5. At the GM’s discretion, other situations may also increase the DC in this fashion (such as motion, adverse weather, or deliberate attempts to distract the morphically unstable creature). The morphically unstable creature gains a +10 bonus on these concentration checks when it is outside of combat and in a non-threatening situation. Even in combat situations, the morphically unstable creature can gain a +5 bonus on its next concentration check by spending a move action to focus. For the purposes of these concentration checks, the morphically unstable creature’s caster level is equal to its CR, and it uses the highest of its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma modifiers).

Ecology

Typically the result of careless magic or hazardous arcane experimentation, morphically unstable creatures are generally created, rather than born. The constant transmutations and physical alterations caused by the condition often dramatically shorten the lifespans of the unfortunate creatures afflicted by morphic instability, and this, combined with the general rarity of the condition, means that the creatures tend not to have much opportunity to congregate with one another or form any sort of society.