Power

[Willard]

What is the most powerful creature in the D&D Monster Manual? Other than human, elf, half-elf, gnome, halfling, half-orc, or dwarf?

[Xero279]

ide say lich or dragon, or maybe a dracolich

[Indemaijinj]

In the Ad&d monstrous manual a living wall could be infinitely powerful. Just stuff it full with dragons and 16th+ level characters.

But it cannot move or attack on it's own accord.

[dizzy]

hmmm ?

[Maxamus]

Yeah, Infinite walls with demons and dragons is very powerful. Especially with no clerics in your party

(all ym stupid friends wanted to be FIGHTERS!! WHY WHY WHY!!)

[Sir Exxon]

I'd say Dragons. Though they're way too easy to defeat in BG2. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Willard]

Living wall? Wtf? [img]graemlins/saywhat.gif[/img]
What is a living wall? How can you stuff dragons and demons into a wall?

[Sazerac]

Originally posted by Willard: Living wall? Wtf? [img]graemlins/saywhat.gif[/img] What is a living wall? How can you stuff dragons and demons into a wall?

That's actually something out of Ravenloft. "Living Walls" are walls that have been created from the remains of living creatures. Anyone venturing near the wall has a chance of being caught and sucked into it, and the wall continues to grow stronger and stronger. It exists out of sheer pain and endless torment, and it's almost impossible to destroy, if I remember rightly.

I'll look it up when I get home, if someone else hasn't posted it here by that time.

-Sazerac

[masteraleph]

3rd edition stats for that nice living wall (from www.creaturecatalog.com)

LIVING WALL
Huge Undead

Hit Dice: 8d12 (52 hp)

Initiative: +0 (Dex)

Speed: 0 ft

AC: 12 (-2 size, +4 natural)

Attacks: Grapple +7 melee

Damage: Grapple absorb

Face/Reach: 15 ft by 15 ft/5 ft

Special Attacks: Absorb

Special Qualities: Impassible, immunities, SR 15, undead

Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +6

Abilities: Str 20, Dex 10, Con —, Int 4, Wis 8, Cha 16.

Skills: Listen +11, Spot +11

Feats: Alertness, Iron Will

Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground

Organization: Solitary

Challenge Rating: As per highest CR of creatures absorbed +4

Treasure: Triple standard

Alignment: Always chaotic evil

Advancement: 9-16 (Huge); 17-24 (Gargantuan)



Living walls appear to be normal walls of stone or brick, although they radiate both evil and magic if detected. However, a character who casts a true seeing spell or who peers through a gem of seeing will see past the illusion: the wall actually consists of graying and sinewy flesh—of faces, hands, broken bones, feet, and toes jutting from the surface. Characters within 5 yards of the wall can hear low moans of horror, pain, and sorrow issuing from it. Even if a silence spell is cast, the moans still rise. Though a living wall will not initiate and attack, characters that come within 2 feet of the wall may be weakly grabbed by its many beseeching hands, tugging at them and imploring them for deliverance.



COMBAT
A living wall will never initiate combat. If attacked however, it will return attacks using the abilities of every victim it has absorbed. The stat block above is for any living wall that has not yet absorbed any victims, and for characters that directly attack the mass of the wall itself rather than its absorbed victims.

Absorb (Su): Any creature that dies within 100 yards of a living wall are animated as per the animate dead spell cast by an 8th level sorcerer. Such undead are incapable of combat, and head directly for the wall to be absorbed by it.

Creatures absorbed by a living wall actually strengthen it. Victims captured by the wall retain all the abilities they had in life, although if spell-using characters absorbed into the wall the only spells that can be used are those that the character had prepared (and had material components for) at the time of absorption. Each of these spells are renewed every day and are part of the collective memory of the living wall itself; the lack of intelligence of the living wall has no bearing on its ability to cast these spells. They are always cast at the level and strength at which they were prepared by the victim before absorption. The material components of the spells are not consumed.

If the wall assimilates a paladin or cleric, all his special powers are reversed (e.g., detect good rather than detect evil, harm by laying of hands rather than heal, etc.). The turning abilities of a cleric can be used to command any undead in range.

As part of the wall, victims become chaotic evil and fight any creature that approaches it to the best of their abilities.

If a character willingly grabs the hand of a creature within a living wall, he must make a Will save (DC 17) or become absorbed into it while still alive. If he makes the save, he is able to break free. A character that views the absorption of any living creature into the wall must make a Will save (DC 17) or be shaken. Once absorbed, characters are lost forever. A wish spell, worded carefully, can remove one or more trapped characters.

The hit points of an absorbed victim, minus any Constitution bonus, are added to the living wall’s base hit point value. These are bonus hit points, and do not increase the base 8HD of the wall.

Impassable (Su): Passwall spells do not allow individuals to go through a living wall. Characters must either cut or blast through using magic. This, however, allows the wall to return attacks. When cutting or blasting through a living wall, the stench that arises from the exposed under-flesh is nauseating and horrifying. A Fortitude save (DC 14) is required to avoid passing out from the smell. A successful save indicates the character is only nauseated. Unconscious characters become subject to absorption.

Immunities:Living walls are immune to all temporal and planer spells. Speak with dead, detect thoughts, and similar spells reveal a cacophony of tortured minds and voices. The caster learns nothing and must make a Will save (DC 14) or be shaken.

[Sazerac]

OK, here we are:

Living Wall

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Assimilation
INTELLIGENCE: Variable (3-18)
TREASURE: Variable
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil
__________________________________________________ __
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 8
MOVEMENT: Nil
HIT DICE: 8 (Base)
THAC0: Variable
NO. OF ATTACKS: Variable
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Variable
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See Below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See Below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 20%
SIZE: L to G+ (Rectangular Area)
MORALE: Fearless (20)
XP VALUE: 2,000 - 100,000+

Living walls appear to be normal walls of stone or brick, although they radiate both evil and magic if detected. Infravision will not detect any peculiar patterns. However, a character who casts a true seeing spell or who peers through a gem of seeing will see past the illusion: the wall actually consists of graying and sinewy flesh—of faces, hands, broken bones, feet, and toes jutting from the surface. Characters within 5 yards of the wall can hear low moans of horror, pain, and sorrow issuing from it. Even if a silence spell is cast, the mans still rise.

A living wall contains the melded bodies of humanoids and monsters who died within 100 yards of the wall since its creation. Those who die fighting a living wall are absorbed into it and actually strengthen it. Characters and monsters captured by the wall retain all the abilities they had in life as part of the wall, but they become chaotic evil and fight any creature that approaches the wall to the best of their abilities.

If a wizard becomes melded with a living wall, his spellcasting abilities are retained and can be immediately used for attacks. The wizard retains any spells that were memorized at the time he was absorbed into the wall; these are renewed each day. If a warrior loses his life in combat with a living wall, his fighting abilities and his weapons come under control of the beast. The weapons are hidden within the wall until the wall attacks, then are pushed through the mass of graying flesh to the surface. A hand attaches itself to the weapon, and eyes jutting from the wall guide the attack of the weapon. If the wall absorbs characters with ranged weapons, the weapons become useless once all arrows, quarrels, or other projectiles are expended.

A living wall never initiates combat except against its creator, whom it despises. When such a wall is attacked, every creature that is part of the wall returns one attack per strike against the wall. If 12 creatures make up the wall and one creature lands a blow on the wall, the attacker is subject to 12 return blows from the wall.

All creatures in the wall fight according to their normal attack modes. These attacks can be magical, physical, or mental in origin. The type of attack and its damage often depend upon who or what is melded into the wall.

If a 10th-level fighter and a 6th-level fighter are absorbed into the wall, the wall attacks as one 6th-level fighter and one 10th-level fighter. For every mage or priest absorbed, the wall gains those spell attacks. The only spells that can be used, however, are those that the mage or priest had memorized at the time of absorption. If one absorbed mage has three fireball spells memorized and another one has one fireball spell memorized, then the wall can attack with four fireball spells per day. If the wall assimilates a paladin or a lawful good priest, all his/her special powers are reversed (e.g., detect good rather than detect evil, harm by laying on hands rather than heal, etc.)

Magical items absorbed grant the wall their spell effects, though items that grant AC improvement are less effective because of the wall’s size. The wall gains 1 point improvement in AC for every three points of magical improvement to AC. Thus, a ring of protection +3 lowers the wall’s AC by 1.

When a character is absorbed, his hit points at full health are added to the wall’s base hit points of 64.

Nonmagical armor, packs, and purses are lost by absorbed characters. The pile of loot at the base of the wall often attracts bystanders, bringing them close enough to be seized by the wall.

Though a living wall will not initiate an attack, characters who come within 2 feet of the wall may be weakly grabbed by its many beseeching hands, tugging at them and imploring them for deliverance. (Any character, regardless of strength, may break the hold.) Sometimes PCs who hear voices imploring “help me, pull me free, help me!” will grope about until they grab a hand. In this case, the character must roll a save vs. spell or be absorbed. If the save vs. spell succeeds, the character is able to break free. A character who views the absorption of any creature into the wall must make a horror check.

Once absorbed, characters are lost forever. A wish spell, worded carefully, can remove one or more trapped characters.

Passwall spells do not allow individuals to go through a living wall. Characters must either cut through or blast through using magic. This, however, allows the wall to return attacks. When cutting or blasting through the living wall, the stench that arises from the exposed underflesh is nauseating and horrifying. A saving throw vs. poison is required to avoid passing out from the smell. A successful saving throw indicates that the character is only nauseated.

Living walls are immune to all planar and temporal spells. Speak with Dead, ESP, and similar spells reveal a cacophony of tortured minds and voices. The caster learns nothing and must make a horror check.

Living walls never reproduce and always remain active until they are destroyed. Living walls found in the lairs of creatures often serve as part of a torture chamber or to cover the true openings of secret passageways and corridors.

No one knows whether these monstrosities are limited in size or longevity. Walls as large as 15 feet high, 30 feet long, and 10 feet thick have been reported. Living walls, however, do seem to be limited to one section of wall. Thus, a cemetery or castle could not be surrounded by one large living wall. Nor can a wall section spread beyond itself; a house with a living wall in its basement will not become a living house.

The wall desires, above all else, to slay the creature who created it. If it does so, or if the creature meets its end within 100 yards of a living wall, the corpse of the hated creator is assimilated and the other creatures trapped within are free to return to the peace of death. The wall reverts to being a structure of stone with the corpse of its creator trapped within.

Chaotic evil mages occasionally may create these monoliths. The exact method is unknown, but several years of preparation and spellcasting are required. A minimum of three corpses are necessary for the spells.

(from the AD&D Monstrous Manual)

-Sazerac