Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters

[Shade]

Part Two.

Original thread closed due to exceeding 1,000 post count.

[Shade]

Companion Set:

Helion
Armor Class: 1
Hit Dice: 9*
Move: 90’ (30’)
Flying: 240’ (80’)
Attacks: 1 grasp
Damage: See below
No. Appearing: 1-4 (2-40)
Save As: Fighter: 9
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: Special
Alignment: Lawful
XP Value: 1,600

Helions are intelligent giant-sized creatures made of fire. They are native to the Elemental Plane of Fire, and are rarely encountered elsewhere. Helions are extremely good, and shun violence.

A helion appears as a 20’ diameter ring of flame. It is immune to poison, normal weapons,
all 1st and 2nd level spells, and to all attacks based on earth.

A helion can detect invisible at will, and can use detect magic, dispel magic, wall of fire, and earth to fire 3 times per day. It can also control fire completely, changing it to solid, liquid, or gaseous form at will (Saving Throw applies for fire-type creatures).
A helion attacks by forming a ring around its opponent. If its Hit roll is successful, it
wraps around the victim, who then cannot move. The helion may squeeze for 2-16 points of damage (per round), but rarely tries to damage opponents in this way, preferring to negotiate peaceful terms. It will, however, defend itself if attacked.

Helions are famous philosophers and negotiators. Their enemies are the efreet and the haoou, and they fear water-type creatures and attacks.

The Sun Brothers (see module X2) are distant relatives of helions who dwell on the Prime Plane.


Mystara MC:

Helion
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any fire
Freq: Very rare
Org: Any
DIET: Fire
INTELLIGENCE: High (14)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: LG
FREQUENCY: Lawful good
No. APPEARING: 1d4+1
AC: 1
MOVEMENT: 9, fly 24 (A)
Hn DICE: 9
THACO 11
No. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE~AXACK: 2d8 (squeeze)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells, trap
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MR: Nil
SIZE: T-G (1'-40' diam.)
MORALE: Elite (14)
XP VALUE: 6,000

Helion
Helions (HEE-lee-ons) are native to the Elemental Plane of Fire, and characters rarely encounter them elsewhere. These extremely good creatures shun violence of all sorts.

A helion normally looks like a huge (20-foot diameter) ring of pulsating flame. However, helions can twist their bodies in an extraordinary range of motion; they can shnnk down to a mere 1 foot across or expand their diameters to 40 feet.

Combat: Helions loathe combat and, even in the midst of battle, constantly search for a more peaceful resolution to conflict. When in combat, a helion attempts to form a ring around its opponent. On a successful attack roll, the elemental shrinks around its victim(s) in a trap. (The helion can control its own temperature and will not burn a trapped victim.) It can squeeze its captured foe for 2d8 points of damage per round, but it rarely tries to damage opponents this way, preferring to negotiate peaceful terms.

A helion-can use detect magic, dispel magic, wall of fire, and purifying flame (works as a cure diseuse spell) three times per day. Additionally, a helion can cast affect normal fires at will. It casts all spells at 9th level. Helions, though immune to all flame-based attacks, remain vulnerable to water-based attacks, from which they suffer double damage.

Habitat/Society: Helions form tight family groups known rings. Each ring has ld4+1 members. Rings of helions move methodically about the Elemental Plane of Fire, meeting to discuss and debate phdosophical matters of all kinds.

Ecology: The helions are famed philosophers and negotiators. In times of great crisis, brave adventurers journey to the Elemental Plane of Fire to find aid for their people. The main foes of helions include the efreet and the elementals of chaos.

[Shade]

Since it's been awhile, here are the other elemental of law conversions thus far:

Hydrax
Kryst

[Shade]

I think the first thing to decide is Large or Huge? By the normal size guidelines, they'd fall in the Huge range. But for standard fire elementals, they don't reach Huge until they are 32 feet tall.

[freyar]

Let's go L. 9HD is a little low for Huge. (This seems to be something of a common problem with some conversions; I've been looking at the quelzarn recently myself, and it's the same thing. In that case, though, the behir also has 9HD and similar size.)

[Shade]

Large it is!

Lets work on ability scores. We know Int is 14. "Helions are famous philosophers and negotiators." That implies high Cha and probably Wis. Its AC translates to one higher than the Large fire elemental, so I'd suggest a slightly higher Dex.

Large Fire Elemental: Str 14, Dex 21, Con 16, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 11

So maybe...

Str 14, Dex 23, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 16?

[demiurge1138]

Ability scores sound right. Interestingly enough, even though they have spell like abilities, none of them have DCs.

Do we want to model the "form a ring and traps" into improved grab and constrict? If so, do we want the constriction damage to be nonlethal? It does say that they prefer to use the ability to capture, not kill.

[Shade]

Interesting indeed.

Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Or instead of improved grab, we could modify engulf.

[freyar]

I like Imp Grab and Constrict with the option to deal nonlethal damage with no penalty (would constrict take a penalty to the grapple check if you tried to do nonlethal?).

I also like the ability scores.

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

It is immune to poison, normal weapons, all 1st and 2nd level spells, and to all attacks based on earth.

they fear water-type creatures and attacks

Helions, though immune to all flame-based attacks, remain vulnerable to water-based attacks, from which they suffer double damage.

Do we want to just stick with immunity to fire/vulnerability to cold, or do we want to add immunity to earth/vulnerability to water?

A helion can detect invisible at will, and can use detect magic, dispel magic, wall of fire, and earth to fire 3 times per day. It can also control fire completely, changing it to solid, liquid, or gaseous form at will (Saving Throw applies for fire-type creatures).

A helion-can use detect magic, dispel magic, wall of fire, and purifying flame (works as a cure diseuse spell) three times per day. Additionally, a helion can cast affect normal fires at will. It casts all spells at 9th level.

Purifying Flame (Sp): Three times per day, a helion may limn a creature in harmless fire. This otherwise functions as the remove disease spell (caster level 9th).

See Invisibility (Ex): An elemental of law can constantly see invisible creatures as if under the effects of a see invisibility spell.

Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day—detect magic, dispel magic, wall of fire (DC x). Caster level 9th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

This covers all but the affect normal fires, earth to fire, and "control fire completely". Do we want to use some or all of these?

[GrayLinnorm]

Would heat metal work as a substitute for earth to fire? It's the closest thing I can think of.

[GrayLinnorm]

There's also transmute rock to lava (Complete Arcane, Spell Compendium), but it's not a core spell.

Pyrotechnics for affect normal fires?

[Shade]

Good suggestions. We could probably make a unique SLA based off transmute rock to lava.

Pyrotechnics makes sense for affect normal fires. I think we also did a variant in a not-too-distant conversion to affect fires. I'll hunt for it.

[Shade]

Found it!

Control Flames (Su): As a standard action, a feng huang can pyrokinetically control the intensity or movements of one fire source. This functions exactly like the control flames psionic power, treating the feng huang as a 20th-level manifester for determining the power's effects.

[freyar]

I could go either way, but I think the control flames option is a little more versatile.

[demiurge1138]

Why not both?

[Shade]

Originally Posted by demiurge1138

Why not both?

Indeed.

[freyar]

Sure, let's give it pyrotechnics and control flame (at manifester level 9?). Both at will?

However, helions can twist their bodies in an extraordinary range of motion; they can shnnk down to a mere 1 foot across or expand their diameters to 40 feet.

Something like enlarge/reduce person (self only)?

[demiurge1138]

Something like an efreet's change size, but over a wider range? (Tiny to Huge).

[freyar]

Right, I think that's basically what I was saying (efreet's ability is based on those spells). But I agree, it needs to be extended.