Harvesting Monster Parts

Killed Monsters can be harvested for useful parts.
This turns those monsters into rewards for the PCs.

Vistra, Dwarven Wizard

Vistra was born to a poor, religious family in the mountains
south of Hammerfast.
He was born with poor legs and was unable to walk at a young age.
As he was bound to his room, he started reading.
Not religion like his parents wanted but the arcane arts.
So when a healer was finally able to come along to look
at Vistra's legs, he dismissed the healer.
He vowed to follow his own path and cursed the Gods names
for allowing such injustice to exist at all.
He conjured up a Floating Disk and used that to get away.

His anger at the Gods grew every day, while he became more and
more convinced of the superiority of the arcane arts.
"Ultimately all power is derived from Arcane"
He met someone that could give him new legs using grafts.
He rejected that offer, tricked an angel into being summoned
and took the angel's wings for his own.
He hides those wings except for combat or fleeing.

Role in a Campaign

Vistra can be enraged by sweet talking the Gods or down talking arcane magic.
When first battled he may use his wings to flee the encounter.


He uses Eye of Alarm to guard himself against surprise attacks.

Stats

Vistra level 14 Elite Controller
Medium Humanoid           
Initiative +14                            Senses Perception + 20; Low-light vision
HP 140; Bloodied 70
AC 30, Fortitude 25, Reflex 26, Will 28
Speed 1; falls Prone unless a manages a saving throw, Fly 8
Action Points 1
Saving Throws +2
Resist 10 Force
Stand Ground: -1 to push/pull/slide and saving throw against falling prone
+5 to saving throws against poison

Standard Actions

Quarterstaff,        +19 vs. AC,    1d8 + 4 damage
Thunderwave (At-will; Close Blast 4),
                             +18 vs. Reflex,   
                             1d6 + 14 thunder and force damage,
                             target is pushed 6 squares
Force Missile (At-will; Range 20), +18 vs. Reflex,    2d4 + 14 force damage
Force Orb (Encounter; Area burst 4 within 10),
                             +18 vs. Reflex,   
                             1d6 + 14 force damage, target is knocked prone;
                             Vistra and allies are not affected
Rolling Thunder (Encounter; Range 10; 2 attacks),
                             +18 vs. Reflex,   
                             3d6 + 14 thunder damage, target slides 3 squares
Force Grab  (Encounter; Range 20; Sustain minor; move 8 squares),
                             +18 vs. Reflex,   
                             2d8 + 14 force damage, target is grabbed
                             and if sustained grabbed target takes 15 force damage
                             (use Reflex Defense as DC to escape grab)
Spectral Ram  (Encounter; Range 10),
                             +18 vs. Fortitude,    
                             2d10 + 14 force damage, target is pushed 3 squares
                             and knocked prone
Thunderlance  (Encounter; Close Blast 6),
                             +18 vs. Reflex,   
                             4d6 + 14 thunder damage, target is pushed 4 squares

Minor Actions

Second Wind  (Encounter; minor),
                             Vistra gains 35 hit points and +2 to all defenses until end of next turn
Angel's Wings (At-Will; minor), Vistra gains or loses Fly 8
Drink Potion (Encounter; minor), Vistra gains 25 hit points and saves against condition



Alignment Lawful Evil Languages Common, Dwarven
Arcane +20, History +16, Insight +18

Reactions

Heavenly Push (Immediate Interrupt; target of ranged attack; once/round), 
                            Vistra gains +5 to defenses against this attack
Shield (Encounter; Immediate Reaction):
                             if hit by an attack raise AC and Reflex by 4 until end of next turn
Storm of Blades (Immediate Reaction; reduced to 0 hit points; Close Burst 3),
                             +19 vs. AC,   
                             6d8 + 7 damage

Tactics

Vistra is all about forced movement, so terrain will play a big role.
He tries to keep away from melee fighters using his flight.
He tries to push anyone into pits or spikes.

Encounter

Vistra is in a training room:
all walls have spikes, and there are several pits with spikes on them.
Being pushed into any of those causes 10 damage.

Level 14 Encounter:

• Vistra
• ShieldGuardian (found under guardian entry in Monster Manual)
• 2 Earth Elementals (found in Monster Manual 3; level up 2 levels)
• DartWall trap behind Vistra. It only fires at ground level and he can fly above it. The trap is triggered by Vistra and can be disabled by 3 Thievery DC 34 or Arcana DC 32. It attacks 2d4 creatures in range.
  Use Poisoned Dart Wall from Dungeon Master's Guide as a start but level it to level 13.

The trap activates when the ShieldGuardian is dead as Vistra is Flying and
the Earth Elementals have little trouble with it as they can Burrow: half speed through solid rock. The earth elementals are hidden / burrowed at first.

Valna, Elven Druid

Valna, Elven Druid

Valna was born in the forests west of Fallcrest and raised in a
large community of elves dedicated to the primal forces of nature.

She trained herself as a druid, protecting nature from threats
of undead, civilization and other destruction.
Her community and the forest weren't really under a lot threat.

As Valna discovered her beast form, that of a bear, she compared
herself to other druids as to who had faster or agile beast forms.
She also looked at various animals in the woods and wondered
if there were ways to have the best of both worlds.
For example the strength of a bear with the agility and speed of a tiger.

So she began crossbreeding related species and became
frustrated by the time it took to achieve anything.
Valna choose to look at insects and saw ants carrying a
wounded butterfly to their nests.
She took them all and managed to transplant the butterfly wings
to a large ant.
Happy with this success, she started experimenting on larger
animals. This went on until the other druids found out and banished her.
With most of per druid powers stripped from her and the loss
of her community, she obsessively started focusing on grafting,
transplanting body parts from one creature to another.

She wants the to create more powerful grafts and hybrid creatures to
finally impress her former community, even by force.

Role in a campaign

Valna is doesn't back out from a fight, so she won't be a big bad.
Her actions may impact the PCs long before they meet her:
hybrid creatures, grafts, mutilated creatures due to experiments, etc.
She is suited as support for an organization.

Stats

Valna level 14 Elite Controller
Medium Fey
Initiative +13            Senses Perception +18
HP 150; Bloodied 75
AC 29, Fortitude 24, Reflex 27, Will 30
Speed 7
Action Points 1
Saving Throws +2

Standard Actions

 

Scythe (At-Will),    +15 vs. AC,    2d4 + 9 damage
Savage Rend (At-Will; Beast Form),   
                         +18 vs. Reflex,   
                         1d8 + 14 damage, target slides 1 square
Fire Hawk (At-will; Range 10),    +18 vs. Reflex,    2d8 + 14 fire damage
Thorn Spray (Encounter; Close Blast 5),   
                         +18 vs. Reflex,   
                         1d6 + 14 damage, target takes -4 to defenses until end of next turn
Clinging Drones (Encounter; Close Blast 5; Beast Form),   
                         +18 vs. Fortitude,   
                         2d8 + 14 damage, target is slowed and can't shift (save ends both)
Sun Beam (Encounter; Area burst 2 within 10),   
                         +18 vs. Will,   
                         1d10 + 18 damage, target is blinded (save ends)
Floating Death (Encounter; Burst 1; Beast Form),   
                         +18 vs. Reflex,    
                         4d6 + 24 damage, druid shifts 4 squares
Wall Of Stone (Encounter; Range 10),
                         solid stone wall with 100 hit points is formed around target creature

Minor Actions

Central Eye (At-will; minor; Range 10), +18 vs. Will, target is dazed until druid's next turn

Drink Potion (Encounter; minor), Valna gains 40 hit points and saves against condition
Telekinesis Ray (twice per encounter; minor; Range 10),
                          +18 vs. Fortitude,
                          target is pushed 4 squares
Hold Ray (twice per encounter; minor; Range 10),
                     +18 vs. Reflex, 
                     target is restrained (save ends)
Confusion Ray (twice per encounter; minor; Range 10),
                     +18 vs. Will,
                     target charges nearest ally and makes melee basic attack
Death Ray (twice per encounter; minor; Range 10),
                     +18 vs. Fortitude,   
                     2d8 + 9 necrotic damage, if target is bloodied it becomes dazed (save ends);
                     first failed save: dazed and weakened; second failed save: death

Change shape (At-will; minor): change between human and Beast form and shift 1 square,
                          has central beholder eye grafted in chest in both forms.

Reactions

Autonomous Eye (free; when enemy starts turn within 5 squares),   
                     +18 vs. Will,
                          target is dazed until end of next turn

Alignment Lawful Evil Languages Common, Elven
Nature +20, Heal +20, Insight +18

Tactics

Valna isn't that powerful in a fight. She has a central Beholder Eye grafted in her chest and smaller beholder eyes on her arms.
She keeps these eyes hidden except when she has to fight.

In a combat encounter, she'll hold back at first and let her creatures attack while she attacks in human form at a range.
Defenders will be targeted by her Stone wall.
Once one of her creatures gets bloodied, she'll change shape and get up close
to be able to use her beast form powers and autonomous eye.

Example Encounter

Valna is working in her private room.
Several dead creatures like cockatrices and magic hounds are lying dead on the table.


There are 5 cages:

• upper large cage holds kobolds and goblins, mostly with arms and legs removed
• upper left cage holds 2 medium-sides beholders with eyes removed, scared of any sound or gesture
• upper right cage holds 3 blinded Medusa
• lower left cage holds several dire rats
• lower right cage is empty

Most creatures are famined or near-dying.
When Valna gets hit they cheer.


Level 16 Encounter:

• Valna
• Chimera (found in Monster Manual)
• 2 Owl Bears (found in Monster Manual; level them up 6 levels)

Grafts in D&D 4E

Grafts

In the Open Grave supplement for 4E are undead grafts.
For example zombie arm, wight's claw, mummy's eye, etc.
They usually give additional power at the expense of undead vulnerabilities.
Meaning the creatures that have undead grafts gain a vulnerability to radiant damage.

Why stop there?

If it is possible to graft undead body parts, living body parts should
be possible as well.
Here is list of possibilities:

• Beholder's eye - gain eye beam power
• Basilisk eye - gain petrifying gaze
• Scorpion tail - gain poison sting attack
• Dryad Claw - gain claw attack and treestride (teleport next to plant)
• Medusa eyes - gain petrifying gaze
• Rust Monster stomach - gain ability to eat magic items
• Angel wings - gain Fly ability
• Shambling mound tendrils - gain regeneration and lightning affinity

Depending on the compatibility between the graft and the creature receiving the
graft there may be disadvantages.
Grafting isn't widespread, it takes a high Heal and Nature skill
to pull it off.

D&D 3.5 has more graft possibilities than 4E:
see Stitching Things Together: The Graft Handbook

Where the grafts are placed

Eyes can be placed anywhere:

• large eyes on the chest
• small eyes on arms or topside of hand

Tails and wings can be attached to the back
Why limit a creature to only two arms or one tail?
For example: the  Skeletal Tomb Guardian found in the monster manual.

Used for PCs or NPCs

Grafts should only be used on NPCs.
Using grafts creates unique NPCs with surprising powers
and weaknesses. An example of a grafter is Valna, Elven Druid.

I think it's a bad idea to give to PCs as a reward.
As a punishment grafts could work, like the ones in Open Grave.
The idea of someone putting grafts on the PCs to make them do
what the grafter wants is interesting, but it's best that
the players are on board with that idea first.