Monster: Palimpsest

Monster: Palimpsest

Another requested conversion. The palimpsest is a weird AD&D monster - an animated sheet of paper/parchment that clings onto you, absorbs your life force, and prevents your resurrection. It's one of those monsters that straddles the line between "dumb" and "cool," but I think that the cool factor outweighs the dumbness.

    Unlike most constructs, this one is sapient, even if barely. It can deliver deep paper cuts, but the main attack mode is camouflaging in a library, then grappling an unaware target and initiating its Leech. But you know, there are some counterintuitive resistances and weaknesses here. What would you do to defeat a paper monster? Burn or cut it, right? Yeah, but the palimpsest is actually resistant to fire and cutting damage (in the source material it was immune to fire and cutting). But, for some reason, it is vulnerable to electricity. You can even release absorbed victims with a good lightning blast. Your characters better have some knowledge skills to even be aware of these weaknesses and resistances.

    Typically, building 2D or almost-2D monsters requires using the Shadow Form advantage or disadvantage. Since this is a constantly thin creature, and not someone who can become two-dimensional, I would have to apply the disadvantageous version of Shadow Form. But since I want the palimpsest to remain a physical creature that can interact with other physical objects and creatures, I would have to add something like a variant of Blessed (Ghost Weapon). Also, it can move in 3D space, so I would have to add both Finite Thickness and 3-D Movement to the disadvantage, which would turn it into a -26-point disadvantage (and +15 points for the variant of Blessed). So, that's -11 points for a slightly increased wounding multiplier for cutting damage (from x1.5 to x2) and the ability to pass through think cracks. And you have to remember that the palimpsest is supposed to be resistant to cutting. So, this does not sounds like a disadvantage at all. Instead of doing all this Shadow Form + Blessed stuff, I will just go the simple way - the fact that the palimpsest is thin and can pass through thin cracks is represented by Double-Jointed and Invertebrate. See? It's much less convoluted now, but the effect is the almost the same.

Palimpsest [Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Two, page 93]

 
0 points
Attribute Modifiers: ST-5 [-50]; DX+2 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [24]; IQ-4 [-80].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM-2; Will+3 [15]; Per+5 [25]; Basic Move -4 [-20].
Advantages: Constriction Attack [15]; DR 6 (Limited, Cutting, -40%) [18]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat or Drink [10]; Doesn’t Sleep [20]; Double-Jointed [15]; Flight (Lighter than Air, -10%; Magical, -10%; Slow, -25%) [22]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; Immunity to Mind Control [30]; Injury Tolerance (Homogenous, No Blood, No Eyes, No Head, No Neck) [62]; Magic Resistance 1 (Improved, +150%) [5]; Unaging [15]; Unfazeable [15]; Vacuum Support [5]; Vibration Sense (Air) [10].
    Fire Resistance [20]: DR 10 (Limited, Fire, -40%; Tough Skin, -40%) [10] + Immunity to Noxious Fire Effects [10].
    Life Absorption: Leech 3 (Contact Agent, -30%; Cosmic, Leaves no trace of the victim or his gear, +50%; Cosmic, Victims cannot be resurrected, +50%; Magical, -10%) [53].
    Paper Cut: Natural Weapon (Cutting; Cannot Parry, -40%; Single, -20%) [3].
Disadvantages: Blindness [-50]; Hidebound [-5]; Invertebrate [-20]; No Manipulators [-50]; No Sense of Smell/Taste [-5]; Mute [-25]; No Mouth [-4]; Numb [-20]; Unhealing (Partial; Leech) [-20]; Uncontrollable Appetite (12) (Life Absorption) [-15]; Unnatural [-50]; Vulnerability (Electricity, x2) [-30].
Perks: Limited Camouflage 2 (Paper) [2].
Features: No Legs (Slithers); Not Subject to Fatigue; Taboo Trait (Fixed IQ).
Creature Type: Construct.
 

Typical Stats

ST:	5	HP:	5	Speed:	5.5
DX:	12	Will:	9	Move:	1 ground, 5 air
IQ:	6	Per:	11
HT:	10	FP:	N/A	SM:	-2
Dodge:	8	Parry:	N/A	DR:	6 (vs. cutting), 10 (vs. fire)

Paper Cut (12): thrust 1d-4 cutting (KYOS: 1d-7 cutting), Reach C.
    Life Absorption: While maintaining ongoing contact with a living creature’s unprotected skin (grappling, for example), the palimpsest can drain 3 HP per second from the victim, while healing 1 HP per 3 stolen HP. Victims absorbed into a palimpsest (along with their gear) magically become part of its decorations. For example, the parchment may include a variety of fantastic illummations, with mice screeching to get out, or a scribe screaming in terror among the fanciful scrollwork. While victims are in this state, it is very difficult to restore them to normal form. Resurrection spells do not work. However, if a palimpsest takes a major wound from an electrical attack, it must roll against HT. If it fails, then it releases the latest victim who will still be dead, but whom one might resurrect normally.
 
    Traits: Blindness; Constriction Attack; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Double-Jointed; Flight (Lighter than Air; Magical; Slow); Hidebound; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Immunity to Mind Control; Immunity to Noxious Fire Effects); Injury Tolerance (Homogenous, No Blood, No Eyes, No Head, No Neck); Invertebrate; Limited Camouflage 2 (Paper); Magic Resistance 1 (Improved); No Legs (Slithers); No Manipulators; No Mouth; No Sense of Smell/Taste; Numb; Taboo Trait (Fixed IQ); Unaging; Uncontrollable Appetite (12) (Life Absorption); Unfazeable; Unhealing (Partial; Leech); Unnatural; Vacuum Support; Vibration Sense (Air); Vulnerability (Electricity, x2).
    Skills: Camouflage-14; Wrestling-14.
    Creature Type: Construct.