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Cannon Fodder
DESCRIPTION: Cannon Fodders are unusual creatures. Their true form is never seen. Instead, due to a unique Polymorph-self ability the Cannon Fodder always appears as a group of at least three individuals. In reality the group is really one single creature controlled by an single mind. It is clearly a creature of the Ethereal Planes, but precisely which one is unknown. Nor is it known exactly what sort of benefit is provided to the creature by being able to split itself up as it does. Perhaps force of numbers, though the creatures abilities when split up would tend to negate any advantage greater numbers might provide.
When a Cannon Fodder appears, it always chooses to appear as the most common class/race of any group it is attacking. If no single class/race is predominant it will generally appear as a group of Human Fighters. It takes on the average stats of whatever form it is currently employing with a tendency towards the low end of whatever it has chosen. (In general subract 40% of whatever the average is for a given stat but it may have no less than 10% of a stats score per 'individual'.)
To determine the hit dice of the Cannon Fodder simply take the total number appearing as the hit dice of the entire group and subtract 2. Thus, if 3 appear, the Cannon fodder has Hit Dice 3 - 2, if 12 appear then 12 - 2. Any 'individual' in the group has only 1 - 2 Hit Dice.
Cannon Fodders generally appear when the adventuring party is doing some mundane task, such as shopping in town, walking down a peaceful path in the forest, or relaxing around the evening camp fire. Occasionally they have been known to be employed by creatures that are a more serious threat as some sort of low level body guard.
COMBAT/TACTICS: The thing that makes a Cannon Fodders 'strength of numbers' tactic questionable is what happens when it appears as a group of 'individuals'. It's first tactic is to surround the victim(s), cutting off as many escape routes as it can. When it has successfully done this it then begins to attack the victim(s) with one member of its group at a time using only the most basic attacks. It does not use group tactics, it will not attempt to flank, gang up on, or otherwise cooperate with other members of its own group. When one member falls, which they generally do with only one solid hit, the next member steps in to take it's place. The Cannon Fodder has never been known to use anything beyond this as a tactic. Perhaps the effort of controlling so many individual parts of itself causes it to be unable to think or react in any more complex way. Surely nothing else could explain its behavior and tactics.
HABITAT/SOCIETY: Very little is known of the Cannon Fodders Habitat. It's natural plane of existance is undiscovered and theories have been advanced that it may exist between two known planes thus requiring it to exhibit its unusual characteristics to survive. Whatever the case, no one has ever encountered more than one Cannon Fodder at a time (When its group is killed the Cannon Fodder momentarily rejoins into a solid unidentifiable mass which then quickly disappates back to whatever plane it came from.)
ECOLOGY: No direct communication has ever been witnessed between individual members of the group, so it is assumed some sort of limited form of telepathy is in use, though it musn't be a very good form of telepathy given the above. Others suspect that no communication is going on at all, and therefore the Telepathy theorists are simply full of it.
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YIELD:
Medicinal: Nil Spell Components: If one could somehow preserve a small piece of Cannon Fodder it would provide a duration bonus to Polymorph potions equivalent to one segment per hit die. Hide/Trophy Items: Nil Treasure: Nil Other: Capturing a Cannon Fodder alive would be tricky business since not only do they exist as groups of individuals, but also tend to die rather easily. If it could be done, interested parties would pay up to 1000 gp for one in good shape. |
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Mikeeze Wurld is © 2001 by Michael S. Hensley. HackMaster is a trademark of Kenzer and Company. Any use of trademarks is in no way to be considered a challenge to such trademark or copyright by its rightful owner. |