Larvesta (3.5e Monster)



''You encounter a caterpillar-like creature, about the size of a prepubescent gnome, with a furry mane and five red horns. When it spots you, it spouts fire from those horns and charges.''

the legendary Moth of Solar Flame. As is, though, it's more like a Caterpillar of Solar Embers. That doesn't mean it's a pushover.]]

Combat
Larvesta may be frail, but don't let that fool you - it's a powerful force in physical combat, far more powerful than anything of its size has any right to be. (In fact, it's more physically powerful than its adult form!) Its bites and tackles pack quite a lot of force, and it has a penchant for metacombat feats.

Larvesta's flare attack is based on its Constitution instead of its Strength. This makes it far weaker than the flare attacks of many other Fire Pokémon, so it only gets used for full attacks.

 (Su): Larvestas have a very minor breath weapon; they can breathe fire. A Larvesta's ember attack strikes in a 15 ft. cone and deals 1d6 + HD + Cha mod in fire damage. Creatures in the area may halve the damage on a successful Reflex save, DC = 10 + Larvesta's Charisma modifier + ½ Larvesta's Hit Dice. Larvesta may not use Ember for 1d4 rounds after having used it. The sample Larvesta's Ember attack inflicts 1d6+8 fire damage with a save DC of 14. This is a [Fire] effect.

 : Larvesta's bite attack does an extra 1d8 negative energy damage, +1 negative energy damage for every 3 Hit Die Larvesta has, to living targets. Larvesta gains HP equal to the negative energy damage it deals in this way, and any hit points it gains above its maximum are gained as temporary hit points that last for 1 hour. This is a [Bug] effect.

 : Larvesta may move up to 4 times its speed when making a charge action (instead of the normal 2&times;). If it does so, all of the damage it inflicts is treated as fire damage (which means that Larvesta isn't able to benefit from Leech Life). This is a [Fire] effect.

 : Larvesta may add 2d8 damage to any attack it makes as part of a charge. If it does, it takes 1d6 backlash damage. This is a [Normal] effect.

Backlash damage cannot be resisted by any means, and a creature killed by it loses 1 extra level/Hit Die if and when it is brought back to life.

 : Larvesta is essentially a living sun, albeit not a very powerful one. It constantly generates an aura of solar power in its immediate vicinity. The area of effect is equal to 10 feet &times; Larvesta's HD (70 feet for the sample Larvesta). This area is constantly under the effects of a daylight spell, mildly hindering all creatures with an aversion to sunlight or light in general (but often not having a severe effect, instead merely causing disorientation of some sort). Larvesta may suppress or resume the aura as a free action on its turn once per round. There is no save against the effect, nor does spell resistance apply. Anything vulnerable to daylight will suffer in Larvesta's vicinity, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The effective caster level of this ability (for effects that care) is equal to Larvesta's HD.

 : Larvesta's body is very hot. Anything striking it with an unarmed attack or natural weapon takes 1 point of fire damage per HD Larvesta has (7 for the sample Larvesta) and must succeed on a Reflex save or suffer a burn. The save DC is equal to 10 + ½ Larvesta's HD + Larvesta's Constitution modifier (12 for the sample Larvesta).

 : Fire and rocks don't mix well. Fire bugs and rocks mix even worse. Larvesta takes a &minus;10 penalty to all saves against [Rock] effects. If a [Rock] effect doesn't even allow a save, Larvesta takes double damage and is sad.

Advancement
Larvesta's Strength increases by 1 at every odd-numbered Hit Die. Its Charisma increases by 1 at every even-numbered Hit Die. It gains +1 Constitution every time it gains a feat.

At 8 HD, Larvesta learns  . If it connects with its bite attack, it may make a free disarm or sunder attempt (at its option) without provoking an attack of opportunity, gaining a bonus on its opposed attack roll equal to the damage dealt by its bite. If the target was attempting to consume a use-activated consumption-based item (like a potion or goodberry) when Larvesta attacked it, and Larvesta successfully disarms the target of that item, Larvesta steals the effect of that item for itself, consuming it in the process. This is a [Bug] effect.

At 12 HD, Larvesta replaces its Take Down attack with  . It may add 2d12 damage to any attack it makes as part of a charge, but if it does, it takes 1d10 backlash damage.

At 16 HD, Larvesta learns  . It can thaw itself at will as a free action, and it adds 1d10 fire damage to any attack it makes as part of a charge. (It does not take backlash damage for using Flame Wheel). This is a [Fire] effect.

At 18 HD, Larvesta may evolve into Volcarona. This makes it stronger overall (raising its CR by 2), but it loses some of its physical might; Volcarona's Strength is 6 less than Larvesta's. Its other stats are much higher, though, and its abilities are much different.

At 20 HD, Larvesta learns  . This attack takes the form of a Medium-range emanation from Larvesta. All creatures caught in the area take 1d10 sonic damage per HD the Larvesta has and become confused for 1 round for every 4 Hit Die Larvesta possesses. A successful Fortitude save (DC = 10 + ½ Larvesta's HD + Larvesta's Charisma modifier) can halve the damage and negate the confusion. This is a [Bug] effect.

At 24 HD, Larvesta learns  (Su). With a Swift action, Larvesta can induce a temporary amnesia within itself. A benefit of this is that it gains a +6 resistance bonus on Will saves for one minute. Additionally, for the duration, it suppresses any mind-affecting effects (except for the Amnesia itself). This attack may be retained by Volcarona once Larvesta evolves.

At 28 HD, Larvesta learns  (Ex). Larvesta may thrash about as a full-round action, attacking all adjacent creatures. While thrashing, it gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls and deals 1d8 extra damage. This leaves it fatigued for one round. This is a [Normal] effect.

At 32 HD, Larvesta learns  (Su). As a Swift action, Larvesta may cast fire shield. It may then dispel the effect by making a melee attack, dealing 1d6 extra Fire damage per HD and setting the opponent on fire for 2d6 fire damage per round. Doing this deals 1d6 damage per 4 HD to Larvesta. This may be cast once per 5 rounds. This is a [Fire] effect. In a Contest, using this automatically gains a fantastic success, gaining 2 points and raising the DC, but Larvesta takes a -4 penalty on the following turn.