#cantobele

[twilightofthesandwiches]

Which Edition of D&D had the best design/artwork of a Cantobele?

First Edition

Second Edition

Voting ended onMar 13

[thecreaturecodex]

Cantobele

Image by Bob Maurras, © TSR, Inc.

[Another Ed Greenwood critter from the first “Creature Catalogue” feature. Ed Greenwood wrote a lot of monsters in the 1e era, and I kind of get why relatively few of them went onto be D&D staples (the exception is the dark naga, incidentally). Most of them are terrible glass cannons, with powerful abilities but very low Hit Dice. Like the cantobele here, which in 1e has 8 attacks a round but 2-4 HD! So it’s either going to annihilate an entire low level party, or be taken out in a round by a high level one. My version brings the HD up to match the damage output, and ends up being a pretty robust foe. There is a 2e version, in the Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix. It has the same balance problem but, unusually, says that the male bears the young. That inspired the marsupial/seahorse reproductive system mentioned in my flavor text.]

Cantobele CR 10 NE Magical Beast This creature is slung low to the ground, with six muscular legs ending in clawed paws. Its tail is broad and ends in a brush. Its head is like that of a hyena, except that it has two tusk-like fangs in its upper jaw, and a coarse mane of hair runs along its crown and neck.

Cantobeles are so named for their chiming, sing-song voices. They are excellent vocal mimics, using a combination of mind-reading, mimicry and magical charm to lure creatures to their deaths. The claws on all six of their legs are small but deadly sharp, and they pounce on befuddled prey and tear them to pieces. Any survivors are knocked prone and killed while on the ground. Cantobeles are comfortable moving in three dimensions, and often attack from higher ground such as up trees or cliffs.

Cantobeles are most comfortable in snowy forests such as the taiga. They are impervious to the cold, and can call down magical clouds of hail to obscure vision and dissuade pursuers if they are outmatched. Most cantobeles are solitary, but they do come together to mate. The mated couple will associate until the birth of the (usually single) young, which is reared by the male in a pouch somewhat like that of a kangaroo. Male cantobeles can lactate, and feed their young on milk and blood until the infant is strong enough for solid food.

With their hyena like aspect and magical luring voices, cantobeles are believed to be kin to leucrottas. The two species rarely if ever interact in the wild, but when they do, the stronger cantobeles tend to kill and eat the leucrottas. Unlike leucrottas, cantobeles have little patience for long-term manipulations and do not seek to rule tribes of humanoids.

Cantobele                CR 10 XP 9,600 NE Large magical beast Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +17, snow sight Aura detect thoughts (60 ft., Will DC 19) Defense AC 22, touch 13, flat-footed 19 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +9 natural) hp 136 (13d10+75) Fort +13, Ref +12, Will +9 Immune cold Offense Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. Melee bite +16 (1d8+4), 4 claws +16 (1d4+4), tail slap +14 (1d6+2 plus trip) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks detect thoughts (DC 19), lure, pounce, rake (2 claws +16, 1d4+4) Spell-like Abilities CL 13th, concentration +16 Constant—tongues 3/day—empowered ice storm, misdirection (DC 15) Statistics Str 18, Dex 19, Con 20, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 17 Base Atk +13; CMB +19 (+21 trip); CMD 33 (43 vs. trip) Feats Combat Expertise, Empower SLA (ice storm), Improved Trip, Iron Will, Multiattack, Nimble Moves, Skill Focus (Bluff) Skills Bluff +20, Climb +30, Perception +17, Stealth +14; Racial Modifiers +16 Climb Languages Common, Infernal, tongues SQ expert climber, sound mimicry (bells, voices) Ecology Environment cold and temperate forests Organization solitary or pair Treasure standard Special Abilities Aura of Detect Thoughts (Su) A cantobele can read the minds of all creatures within 60 feet, as per a detect thoughts spell, if the creature fails a DC 19 Will save. Expert Climber (Ex) A cantobele can scale sheer surfaces and ceilings as if under a spider climb effect. It gains a +16 racial bonus to Climb checks, instead of the +8 usually afforded by a Climb speed. Lure (Su) At any point that a cantobele’s targets are unaware of it (for example, if the cantobele is hiding or concealed in darkness), the cantobele can call out to the targets, who must be in line of sight and within 60 feet. When the cantobele calls out, the targets must make a DC 16 Will save or fall under the effects of a suggestion to approach the sound of the cantobele's voice. This effect functions identically to a mass suggestion spell with a caster level equal to the cantobele's Hit Dice. A creature that saves cannot be affected again by the same cantobele's lure for 24 hours. The lure is a language-dependent effect, and if the cantobele uses the victim's name during the lure, the victim takes a –4 penalty on its saving throw. This is a sonic mind-affecting charm effect. The save DC is Charisma-based. Rake (Ex) A cantobele may use its rake attack against prone enemies in an adjacent square, in addition to when charging or grappling. Snow Sight (Ex) A cantobele’s vision is not obscured by mundane or magical snow, fog or other weather.