Special Conversion Thread: Finishing off giants and their kin

[Shade]

Sounds good, as long as we don't have to deal with a reduction in Con!

[demiurge1138]

Yeah, that would be no fun for anyone involved.

[Shade]

Updated.

[freyar]

Looks pretty good. I don't think the giant form gets Improved Grab (from the combat section), though. From the original text, it seems to me that the bear form either gets Worry or Chew to go with Imp Grab.

If this works like a lycanthrope, the giant form shouldn't get DR, but I don't know about therianthropes.

Want to give the hybrid form something like Rend to give the polarwere a reason to ue the hybrid form?

[demiurge1138]

I like giving the hybrid rend, but am ambivalent on worry.

[Shade]

Let's go with rend, but leave off worry, as the original dire polar bear doesn't have it.

I'll drop the DR from frost giant form, too.

Updated.

Skills: 42 ranks (its base creatures have Climb, Craft, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Spot, Swim)

Do we want to mix these up a bit?
Dire Polar Bear Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Improved Natural Armor, Run, Toughness (x2), Track (B), Weapon Focus (claw)
Frost Giant Feats: Feats: Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder, Power Attack

[freyar]

I'd say 6 ranks each in each except Craft.

Let's drop the 2 Toughnesses and Imp Nat Armor from the bear and add Power Attack, Cleave, and either Great Cleave or Imp Overrun.

[demiurge1138]

I say Great Cleave. The image of one of these guys rending through an entire legion of soldiers is too good to pass up.

Do we want to give them some sort of magical ability? Other therianthropes have them, like sleep gaze and charm gaze, sort of thing.

[freyar]

Well, they seem to be able to spread the "curse of therianthropy" to frost giants, so that's probably one. I kind of like the rage option from ToH for these, too.

[Shade]

Originally Posted by freyar

Well, they seem to be able to spread the "curse of therianthropy" to frost giants, so that's probably one. I kind of like the rage option from ToH for these, too.

This one?

Originally Posted by Tome of Horrors

Battle Frenzy (Ex): This special attack functions only when the therianthrope is in animal or hybrid form. It does not stack with any other rage or battle frenzy ability the base animal may possess. Once per day, the therianthrope can work itself into a battle frenzy similar to the barbarian’s rage (+4 Str, +4 Con, +2 morale bonus on Will saves, -2 AC penalty). The frenzy lasts for a number of rounds equal to the therianthrope’s HD, and the therianthrope suffers no ill effects afterwards.

If so, I say, "hell yeah!"

I could also see one of these...

Originally Posted by Tome of Horrors

Fear (Su): This special attack functions only when the therianthrope is in animal or hybrid form. The therianthrope can, by making a loud sound appropriate to its natural animal form (roaring, barking, braying, or the like), unleash a frightening blast of sound. All creatures within 30 feet that hear it must succeed on a Will save or become panicked for 2d4 rounds. Creatures further away but within 200 feet must succeed on a Will save or become frightened for 2d4 rounds. This is a sonic, mind-affecting fear effect. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same therianthrope’s fear for one day. A therianthrope is immune to its own fear effect and the fear effect of other therianthropes of the same base animal type.

Originally Posted by Tome of Horrors

Summon Animals (Sp): Once per day, the therianthrope can summon a number of animals of its same type whose total Hit Dice do not exceed twice its Hit Dice (for example, a 3 HD wolfwere could summon 6 HD worth of wolves or 1 dire wolf once per day).

Also, good point on the "curse of lycanthropy" as well, although I think it should probably be modified to actually create a new polarwere, rather than apply the lycanthrope template.

[freyar]

Originally Posted by Shade

This one?
If so, I say, "hell yeah!"

Yup, that one.

I could also see one of these...

Well, given this:

Originally Posted by original text

Polarweres cannot summon normal bears like their smaller lycanthropic cousins, but they do share the werebear's ability to heal at three times the normal human rate.

I think not the summoning one. I'm not entirely fond of fear for this either, but I could be convinced. Maybe it should get fast healing or some sort of accelerated healing when it rests.

Also, good point on the "curse of lycanthropy" as well, although I think it should probably be modified to actually create a new polarwere, rather than apply the lycanthrope template.

I agree with that. And limit it to frost giants.

[demiurge1138]

I could see fear, but battle rage works much better, methinks.

[Shade]

Battle frenzy it is!

Shall we just simplify increased healing to normal fast healing?

How's this?

Curse of the Polarwere (Su): Any frost giant hit by a polarwere's bite attack must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or become a polarwere. The frost giant loses all abilities it possessed prior to transformation, but does retain any equipment it carried.

[demiurge1138]

Can a frost giant even fail a DC 15 Fort save?

[Shade]

Originally Posted by demiurge1138

Can a frost giant even fail a DC 15 Fort save?

It would definitely be unlikely, except on a "1". Change to Con-based, standards be damned?

Shall we add this?

Polar Bear Empathy (Ex): In any form, polarweres can communicate and empathize with normal or dire polar bears. This gives them a +4 racial bonus on checks when influencing the animal’s attitude and allows the communication of simple concepts and (if the animal is friendly) commands, such as "friend," "foe," "flee," and "attack."

[demiurge1138]

Polar bear empathy, yes. And I agree to damning standards.

[freyar]

Agreed to all of that.

Want to allow advancement by character class, so a cursed frost giant could keep its class abilities?

[Shade]

Updated.

Fast healing: yea or nay?

In bear form, polarweres are over 20 feet in length and weigh over 15,000 pounds. In frost giant form, polarweres are about 15 feet tall and weigh about 2,800 pounds. In hybrid form, polarweres are about x feet tall and weigh about x pounds.

A polarwere speaks Giant?

Originally Posted by freyar

Want to allow advancement by character class, so a cursed frost giant could keep its class abilities?

I'm ambivalent. It seems like they really are only concerned with eating, but I don't really see it as problematic, either, as long as it doesn't necessitate a template.

[GrayLinnorm]

17 feet tall and 8,900 pounds for hybrid?

All the therianthropes in Tome of Horrors advance by character class, as does the official version of the jackalwere.

[Shade]

In that case, consider me convinced.

Updated.

I think all that is left is to determine whether to give 'em fast healing.