Ship’s Doctor

From this Facebook post:

What the hell happened to the ships doctor out on the high seas? My RED TIDE campaign is going off the rails all day long…and I LOVE IT!

I have my ideas, but how would YOU stat this abomination?

So, here we go!

When writing these statistics, I wanted to create a fun (and potentially terrifying!) opponent who could remain in a fight for some time. It was also my goal to make a creature that required some thought to defeat, under the assumption that players would be shown the illustration (or have it described to them). Because there is a 2-in-7 chance of something good coming out of the syringe attack, I left some uses in it to tempt the PCs into experimenting on themselves…or accidentally enhancing enemies! Even in the event that the ship’s doctor escapes into the briny deep, the judge can have it drop its weapons as it goes overboard…

Ship’s Doctor: Init +0; Atk tentacle +4 melee (1d3) or bone saw +2 melee (1d4+2) or bite +1 melee (1d6) or syringe +0 melee (injection); AC 10; HD 4d6; hp 16; MV 20’ or swim 30’; Act 3d20; SP injection, regenerate 1d6/round, limited wings, variable crits, brain vulnerability; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +4; AL C.

Was it magic or science that changed our old sawbones? Or was it some unholy mixture of the two? Whatever caused the ship’s doctor to transform, the crew can at least agree that it was no change for the better….

Injection: If the ship’s doctor hits a foe with his syringe, he automatically injects some fluid into the target, with variable results. Roll 1d7: 

(1) Sedative: Victim drops to bottom of initiative count, and must succeed in a DC 15 Fort save or fall unconscious for 1d3 minutes. 

(2) Poison: Victim takes 1d6 damage, and must succeed in a DC 12 Fort save or take an additional 2d6 damage. 

(3) Mutagen: Victim must succeed in a DC 15 Will save or undergo corruption. Roll 1d10, modified by Luck: (3 or less) greater corruption, (4-8) major corruption, or (9+) minor corruption. 

(4) Petrifying Agent: Victim takes 1d3 Agility damage and must succeed on a DC 10 Fort save or be turned to stone. 

(5) Hallucinogen: Victim takes 1d3 Personality damage and must succeed in a DC 15 Will save or their next 1d5 actions affect random targets. (The victim can no longer tell who is who with any certainty). Attacks against the ship’s doctor’s brain which affect other targets instead do normal damage. 

(6) Medicine: Target is healed 1d6 damage. 

(7) Performance Enhancer: Target gains a permanent +1 bonus to one random statistic (other than Luck). The statistic cannot be raised higher than 20, with any additional bonuses being lost. Abilities grant a +3 bonus at 19, and +4 at 20. Wizards and elves gain a bonus spell if their Intelligence is increased to 20 (+3 bonus spells total).

Should the ship’s doctor be destroyed, the syringe still works for 1d5 doses before running dry.

Regenerate 1d6/round: The ship’s doctor regenerates 1d6 hp per round, even after being reduced to 0 hp, and as damage is healed, lost body parts regrow. The ship’s doctor can spend one (or more) action dice to regenerate an additional 1d6 damage per action die.

Limited wings: This abomination cannot fly, but its wings are useful enough to prevent any falling damage, allowing the ship’s doctor to leap from crow’s nest or spar to attack.

Variable crits: When using bone saw or syringe, the ship’s doctor crits using 1d10 on Table III. When attacking with his bite or tentacles, he uses 1d10 on Table M.

Brain vulnerability: A successful mighty deed (or attack with a -1d shift for PCs without a deed die) can target the ship’ doctor’s brain in a jar. These attacks cause no damage, but if a single attack with a blunt weapon caused 12+ points of damage, the jar shatters. This instantly kills the ship’s doctor, and halts the creature’s regenerative abilities.