Monster: Couatl

Monster: Couatl

The last C-monster from Monster Manual. The couatl is a winged serpent that is typically benevolent and helpful. Possesses both magical and psionic abilities.

In my review of the Garden of Evil, I said that it’s a good example on how to make an interesting monster and that I would like to at least try to rework some of my D&D monster conversions to make them less D&D and more GURPS. I don’t want to just talk about the mechanics here, but also cover lore, tactics, and how the GM can use the monster. I’m going to use information from all D&D editions and add or remove what I want – I am not going to stick 100% to the source material.

So, who are the couatls? Couatls are large serpentine beings with rainbow-colored, feathered wings. They serve as benevolent divine guardians of forgotten temples deep in the jungles. Some couatls are devoted to deities that have been forgotten millennia ago, and some become the objects of worship by the humanoid tribes of the jungles. While they are unable to grant divine powers, some rare warlocks are able to forge a pact with a couatl and become a so-called rainbow servant with powers that differ from the typical fiendish warlocks.

The couatls themselves have a patron deity too – Jazirian. Jazirian is a lawful good deity of community, peace, learning, and parenthood. While this deity might seem like a minor power – there aren’t many couatls in the world, after all – it’s actually a greater deity that played a crucial role in the creation of the universe, shaping it from the primordial chaos alongside Ahriman, another serpent god whose nature is much more mysterious.

Couatls possess both magical and psionic abilities that help them stay hidden, sense evil and destroy it. They are poisonous, and if their venom is milked and purified, it can be turned into a potent ravage that is especially effective against unholy beings.

Let’s start with the body chassis. I will be working in GCS, just so I can import the sheet later in Foundry. This is what I have before with some slight adjustments. The couatl is a SM+2 creature with high Intelligence right off the bat. It has thick scale armor, fangs, a vermiform body, and wings. Infravision, while overused in D&D, in my opinion, works well for a serpentine monster, so I will keep it. I also gave the couatl two levels of Nictitating Membrane to make it less vulnerable to eye hits. Since it’s a serpent, it obviously has No Manipulators, Double-Jointed, and Constriction Attack.

What else should it have? Snakes typically have Acute Taste and Smell and are good at swimming. So let’s improve the couatl’s senses and give it Amphibious. Many snakes have Breath-Holding, but the D&D 5e Monster Manual states that the couatls can survive without air in general. Let’s find middle ground and add Doesn’t Breathe with Oxygen Storage. The art also suggests that it should have Peripheral Vision. It’s a snake! Let’s give it Cold-Blooded. Snakes usually have Reduced Consumption – for example, GURPS Animalia gives the viper three levels of Reduced Consumption. Some couatl descriptions say that they do not need to eat at all, and some say that they eat normally and are carnivores. Again, let’s find the middle ground – Reduced Consumption 4 and Restricted Diet (Carnivore). Snakes also have no trouble moving across uneven or slippery surfaces, so let’s give the couatl Terrain Adaptation. Finally, let’s add poison. It’s nothing too strong, but just something that adds a little more punch to the fangs. Speaking of Fangs, I also have to add two levels of Born Biter, so it can be better at biting.

Now, the couatls are said to live very long, as they play the role of guardians placed by ancient deities, but they still die of old age. So, let’s give them Extended Lifespan 5 and Early Maturation 4. I think since they are guardian creatures, I should give them Less Sleep 4. Doesn’t Sleep sounds like too much.

Then we have to address the supernatural abilities. The D&D couatl has both divine spellcasting, magical abilities, and psionics. I think that innate divine spellcasting is dumb, so I just remove it. In my first version of this monster, I just replaced it with Sorcerous Empowerment limited to the Air college, but now I’d like to rework it as spell-like abilities – alternative abilities that use pre-written spells. This will make it much easier to actually use the monster.

The first ability that sometimes appears in the monster statblock is Ethereal Jaunt, equivalent to the Personal Ethereal Body spell in GURPS. I do not know if there is any real-world myth justification for this, but I would rather remove it. The less I have to deal with Insubstantiality, the better. Polymorph is also something that I would like to avoid. Let’s just disregard the suggested D&D spells and think about the main idea of the couatl. It’s a flying guardian serpent that is often associated with the sky, holiness, and rainbow. First, let’s add Seek Evil. While usually I reserve this spell to divine spellcasters, I often make exceptions for spell-like abilities that are part of a creature’s racial template. This is a creature of pure air, so let’s add Purify Air 2. Enveloping Winds is a flavorful defensive spell that could protect against ranged weapons of the primitive jungle tribes. The couatl protects temples against evil, and evil spirits are a thing. To combat such traits, let’s add Personal Affect Spirits. Continual Light and Colors seem like appropriate spells for thematic reasons. I can imagine people who worship the couatl or whom the couatl guards bringing it items to bless with continual light. You could have entire villages lit up with this spell – this both makes for a nice visual, makes it easier to spot dangers, makes logistics easier, and also lets you avoid torches that can be dangerous in the jungle. What about any attack spells? I think it’s as good of a chance as any to use one of my custom Innate Attacks – Prismatic Jet. Since the couatl has no hands, it will have to use the Innate Attack (Breath) skill instead of Innate Attack (Beam). This will give the couatl a unique attack that the players probably have never seen before, and that’s nice. Let’s also add Color Spray as a non-lethal application of light this is nonetheless very useful in combat. I am intentionally trying to avoid lightning spells, because I’m trying to capitalize on the theme of light and air, not electricity. Finally, let’s give it Detect Magic, because why not?

Now, they also have psionic abilities, and I do not really want to remove them, as they will really make this a unique creature. The abilities that I decided to give the couatl are Psi Sense 2 to sense any psionic activity, Telespeak 4 to be able to converse with the locals and/or intruders, Mind Shield 2 to resist mental intrusions and become aware of them, and Mind Clouding 2 to stay hidden. Personally, I restrict telepathic abilities so that they only affect sapient creatures, that is creatures with IQ 6 or higher. This is why Telespeak and Mind Clouding are a bit cheaper than usual.

But that’s not all! I would like to add some magical abilities that are not part of the alternative abilities array, I want them to be separate and, if applicable, constantly active. I would also like to add some more mundane traits. For example, I think Protected Vision is very appropriate here. Then, a couple of levels of Temperature Tolerance 2 (Hot) – it lives in the jungles after all. Now, I have another idea to reinforce the archetype of a jungle quasi-deity. How about we make the following ability – Sun Awe: The couatl can spread its rainbow-colored wings as a Ready maneuver to create brilliant patterns around him when in direct sunlight, and anyone who observes this must roll a Fright Check at -3 using the variant Awe table from GURPS Powers. This is a quite powerful ability, but one that can only be useful in certain situations. It is both flavorful, mechanically interesting (Awe checks are quite rare), and creates some strategic considerations – should the party attack at night when the couatl cannot use this ability but they probably have impaired vision, or should they attack during the day? I should also add the Nondetection ability that is based on Obscure – this one will make the couatl invisible to divination magic and scrying, which definitely would help them stay hidden in the remote jungles. See Invisible with True Sight is also another very flavorful ability that the couatl should have. As the couatl has many magical abilities that require FP expenditure, let’s also give it ER 10 (Magic). I also want to add Truthfulness (6) – the 5e Monster Manual says that they are unable to lie. Disadvantages, such as Obsession (Protect a place) or Sense of Duty are optional, but should often be had by the couatls.

Now, at last, the racial template is done, but let’s also add some skills. Brawling and Wrestling are obvious combat skills, Innate Attack (Breath) is required for the Prismatic Jet spell. Diplomacy, Observation, Stealth, and Detect Lies sound appropriate for a sacred guardian. Area Knowledge, Survival (Jungle), and Swimming are something that one will develop in the jungles. Theology and Religious Ritual for Jazirian, the racial deity of the couatls, seem appropriate. Aerobatics is needed for complex aerial maneuvers. And Thaumatology is a good knowledge skill for such magical creatures.

Okay, it’s done! You can use a couatl in your game now, but there might be some rules that you’d want to familiarize yourself with first. First of all, they have Fangs and Born Biter, so I suggest you to read the Teeth box (GURPS Martial Arts, p. 115). The couatl is quite big, so Overrun (p. B392), Trample (p. B404), and Slam (p. B371) rules become very relevant. They can also fly, so you better read Flying Combat (p. B398 and, optionally, Pyramid #3-14, p. 17-20). Finally, if you have the Serpents of Legend book, read page 8 – this one has rules for the Turret Mode and Vermiform Posture. You will not find them anywhere else, but they make snakes really feel like snakes.

So, how will a couatl fight? The couatl is smart, so it will exploit any weaknesses it can find, use terrain advantage, and try to attack the most dangerous or vulnerable foes first. It is also a flier that is somewhat decent at Stealth due to the Mind Clouding ability. It could ambush the enemy, snatch, for example, a wizard with its fangs, and just fly up, then drop him down. Alternatively, it could grapple a vulnerable enemy, enter turret defense mode, and lash out with its fangs while constricting the grappled victim. Since it is SM+2, it can overrun and trample many enemies at once. If the enemies have next to no ranged weapons, then the couatl could just fly a few yards from the ground and exploit the long reach of the Prismatic Jet. Generally speaking, it should open a fight by casting Color Spray to try to stun and/or blind as many enemies as possible, and only then attempt a grapple.

The couatl also has weaknesses. The first one is that it does not have arms or weapons. When fighting armed enemies, it should be very careful because armed parried hurt. Fortunately, stun from Color Spray can help with that. Strong ranged weapons also can hurt the couatl a lot, as Enveloping Winds cannot really protect from something like a decently strong crossbow or a firearm. The couatl also has no Magic Resistance, and its HT is not high, so you want to assault this monster with magic, try to target its HT.

The couatl, however, is mostly a benevolent being. If you do not disturb the place it is guarding, then you probably will not even have to fight it. It serves as a good friendly NPC that can give quests instead of being a subject of a quest. On the other hand, as a GM, you could concoct a situation where the PCs have to find an ancient relic in a temple that is guarded by a couatl (or several couatls). The guardian couatl will not care if this relic is needed to win a war somewhere far away, it will not let the PCs in without a fight. And if you hurt or kill the couatl, you might anger the tribe of natives that live around the temple. So, this monster is not very flexible, but the situation is not so bad.

A slain couatl can be a source of some interesting loot. As I mentioned before, its poison can be harvested and, optionally, purified to produce a ravage – a special poison that affects even demons who are immune to poisons normally. The scaly hide of a couatl can be made into armor, and rainbow-colored feathers could be used as optional material components for air spells and prismatic spells, or incorporated into enchanted items that produce similar effects.

Couatl [Monster Manual, page 37, Expanded Psionic Handbook, page 193]

566 points
Attribute Modifiers: ST+14 (No Manipulators, -40%; Size Modifier, -20%) [56]; DX+2 (No Manipulators, -40%) [24]; IQ+3 [60]; HT+2 [20].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM+2; Will+1 [5]; Per+1 [5]; Basic Move -2 [-10].
Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 3 [6]; Amphibious [10]; Constriction Attack [15]; Doesn’t Breathe (Oxygen Storage, 200x, -20%) [16]; Double-Jointed [15]; DR 4 (Flexible, -20%) [16]; ER 10 (Magic) [30]; Extended Lifespan 5 [10]; Fangs [2]; Flight (Cannot Hover, -15%; Winged, -25%) [24]; Infravision [10]; Less Sleep 4 [8]; Nictitating Membrane 2 [2]; Peripheral Vision [15]; Protected Vision [5]; Reduced Consumption 4 [8]; See Invisible (Magic; Magical, -10%; True Sight, +50%) [21]; Temperature Tolerance 2 (Hot) [2]; Terrain Adaptation (Slippery) [5]; Terrain Adaptation (Uneven) [5].
    Poison: Toxic Attack 1d-1 (Cyclic, 1 hour, 2 cycles, Resistible, +20%; Follow-Up, Bite, +0%; Resistible, HT-3, -15%; Symptoms, 1/3 HP, -3 ST, +45%; Symptoms, 2/3 HP, -4 ST, +20%) [6].
    Nondetection: Obscure 10 (Divination; Always On, -50%; Defensive, +50%; Magical, -10%; No Area of Effect, -50%; Stealthy, +100%) [28].
    Sun Awe: Terror (-3) (Sight; Awe; Accessibility, Only in direct sunlight, -30%; Magical, -10%) [36].
    Spell-Like Abilities (Alternative Abilities) [91]:
    Color Spray (Uses Innate Attack (Breath) instead of Innate Attack (Beam)) [31/5=7];
    Colors 1 [27/5=6];
    Continual Light [31/5=7];
    Detect Magic [7/5=2] – see GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, page 19;
    Enveloping Winds 1 [14/5=3];
    Personal Affect Spirits [15/5=3];
    Prismatic Jet 2 (Uses Innate Attack (Breath) instead of Innate Attack (Beam)) [54];
    Purify Air 2 [16/5=4];
    Seek Evil [21/5=5].
Psionic Abilities: Mind Clouding 2 [12]; Mind Shield 2 [8]; Psi Sense 2 [13]; Telespeak 4 [45].
Disadvantages: Cold-Blooded (50°) [-5]; No Manipulators [-50]; Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10]; Truthfulness (6) [-10].
Perks: Scales [1].
Features: Born Biter 2; Early Maturation 4; No Legs (Slithers).
Psionic Skills: Mind Clouding (H) IQ+0 [4]; Mind Shield (H) Will+0 [4]; Psi Sense (H) Per+0 [4]; Telesend (H) IQ+0 [4].
Creature Type: Outsider.

Knowing Your Own Strength [650] Replace ST+14 (No Manipulators, -40%; Size Modifier, -20%) [56] with ST+14 [140]

Sapient-Only Telepathy [-8] Mind Clouding 2 [12] -> Mind Clouding 2 [10] Telespeak 4 [45] -> Telespeak 4 [39]

Typical Stats

ST:	24	HP:	24	Speed:	6
DX:	12	Will:	14	Move:	4 ground, 12 air (cannot hover)
IQ:	13	Per:	14
HT:	12	FP:	12	SM:	+2
Dodge:	9	Parry:	N/A	DR:	4*

    Fangs (16): thrust 2d+2 impaling (KYOS: 5d-1 impaling) plus follow-up 1d-1 toxic (resisted by HT-3, 2 1-hour cycles, -3 ST after losing 1/3 HP, -4 ST after losing 2/3 HP), Reach C.
    Sun Awe: With a Ready maneuver, the couatl in direct sunlight can spread its rainbow-colored wings to create awe-inspiring patterns. When a creature sees these patterns, it must roll a Fright Check at a -3 penalty using the Awe variant table (GURPS Powers, p. 85). If a victim succeeds at his Fright Check, he will be unaffected by this ability for one hour.
    Nondetection: The couatl is nearly impossible to detect, see, or divine with any Information spells, regardless of the magic system used to cast them. Reduce the diviner’s effective margin of success by 10 for these purposes – so a spell that succeeded by 0-9 completely fails to find the couatl, while one that succeeded by 10+ provides less information than normal and is at a huge disadvantage if it’s resisted.
    Spell-Like Abilities (Alternative Abilities):
    Color Spray (16);
    Colors 1 (13);
    Continual Light (14);
    Detect Magic (13) – see GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, page 19;
    Enveloping Winds 1;
    Personal Affect Spirits;
    Prismatic Jet 2 (16);
    Purify Air 2 (13);
    Seek Evil (14).

    Traits: Acute Taste and Smell 3; Amphibious; Born Biter 2; Cold-Blooded (50°); Constriction Attack; Doesn’t Breathe (Oxygen Storage, 200x); Double-Jointed; Early Maturation 4; ER 10 (Magic); Extended Lifespan 5; Flight (Cannot Hover; Winged); Infravision; Less Sleep 4; Nictitating Membrane 2; No Legs (Slithers); No Manipulators; Peripheral Vision; Protected Vision; Reduced Consumption 4; Restricted Diet (Carnivore); Scales; See Invisible (Magic; Magical; True Sight); Temperature Tolerance 2 (Hot); Terrain Adaptation (Slippery); Terrain Adaptation (Uneven); Truthfulness (6).
    Skills: Aerobatics-13; Area Knowledge (Local Area)-15; Brawling-16; Detect Lies-15; Diplomacy-15; Innate Attack (Breath)-16; Observation-15; Religious Ritual (Jazirian)-13; Stealth-14; Survival (Jungle)-16; Swimming-14; Thaumatology-13; Theology (Jazirian)-14; Wrestling-16.
    Psionic Skills: Mind Clouding-13; Mind Shield-14; Psi Sense-14; Telesend-13.
    Creature Type: Outsider.

The venom in its extracted form looks like this:

Couatl Venom

This poison is extracted from a couatl. A living victim must make an immediate HT-3 roll or suffer 1d-1 toxic damage. Every hour for 3 more cycles he must make another HT-3 roll to resist or take the same amount of damage. After losing 1/3 HP to this poison, the victim gains a -3 penalty to ST until he heals above this threshold. After losing 2/3 HP to this poison, the victim gains a -4 penalty to ST until he heals above this threshold.

Form: Follow-Up Poison.

Cost: $150 (singular); $55 (5-batched).

Recipe: $15; 1 day; defaults to Poisons-1.

Statistics: Toxic Attack 1d-1 (Cyclic, 1 hour, 3 cycles, Resistible, +20%; Follow-Up Poison, -20%; Resistible, HT-3, -15%; Symptoms, 1/3 HP, -3 ST, +45%; Symptoms, 2/3 HP, -4 ST, +20%) [5].

Additionally, it can be purified to create a powerful ravage.