Converting Forgotten Realms monsters

[demiurge1138]

Agreed to 30K pounds.

[Shade]

Updated.

Should we stick with Extraplanar subtype, or change it to Native, now that we removed the banished by sunlight bit?

CR 9?

[freyar]

The higher weight is good. I always just guess at those.

Change to native outsider, I think.

CR 9 seems right.

[Shade]

Updated. What's left?

[freyar]

I think it's done. Is that the last of Feybruary?

[Zarahon]

Sorry to be a bother here but did you ever cover the Slithermorph or the Sull, I know those are FE beasties as well.

[Echohawk]

Yes, the Creature Catalog has 3.0 versions of the slithermorph and the sull.

[Zarahon]

Originally Posted by Echohawk

Yes, the Creature Catalog has 3.0 versions of the slithermorph and the sull.

THanks, don't know how I missed those when skimming the "s"s there Would you by any chance know where to find the original monster entry for the Slithermorph from 2nd Ed? I'd like to read up on its habitat/society and ecology, the 3rd ed ones are always so brief.

[Echohawk]

The slithermorph originally appeared in the Ruins of Undermountain boxed set. In fact, that also seems to be its only appearance in D&D history.

Shameless plug: complete index of D&D creatures.

[GrayLinnorm]

Originally Posted by Echohawk

The slithermorph originally appeared in the Ruins of Undermountain boxed set. In fact, that also seems to be its only appearance in D&D history.

Shameless plug: complete index of D&D creatures.

They also appeared in the Dungeon Hack video game.

[Zarahon]

Originally Posted by GrayLinnorm

They also appeared in the Dungeon Hack video game.

Yeah that's where I first encountered them as well in the FR setting

[Shade]

Dimensional Warper
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Supra to genius (19-20)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 8-10
THAC0: 8 or 9 HD: 13
10 HD: 11
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3/1-3/1-6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (6’ tall)
MORALE: Elite (14)
XP VALUE: 8 or 9 HD: 3,500
10 HD: 5,000

A dimensional warper has a snake-like body and stands on two long, thin legs. Its long, thin, flexible arms each end in one hooklike claw. There is a sturdy, wing-like membrane that stretches between the arms and legs ending at the claws and feet respectively. These “wings” are not used for flight. The warper’s head is bald and earless. It has large, round eyes with cat-like pupils. The creature stands about 6 feet tall and has a wing span of about 5 feet. It is covered in a thick, leathery hide and has a long lizardlike tail. The dimensional warper has never been encountered on the Prime Material Plane.

Occasionally, for reasons of their own, dimensional warpers have communicated with humans and demihumans. These adventurers have reported that the warpers come to the Prime Material Plane to learn about the creatures native to the plane. However, only those warpers who are old and wise can visit this lane. If a dimensional warper is encountered, there is an 85% chance that it is a scholar; otherwise it is a master. A master is identified by the ring of symbols tattooed around its head and down its back which are a sign of its rank.

Combat: Dimensional warpers generally prefer to observe rather than fight. However, if it feels it has learned all it can from watching a group of adventurers, it probably attacks them to learn first-hand about their fighting skills. It only wants to learn about them, not kill them.

A warper attacks once with each of its claws and once with its long whip-like tail. If the warper cannot easily remain in control of the battle, it uses its abilities to warp the dimensions of height, width, depth, and time. It can enlarge itself, as per the spell, three times per day. It can haste itself or slow another being, as per the spells, three times per day. It can use dimension door once per turn. A dimensional warper can also make itself two-dimensional, as per the spell duo-dimension, at will.

A master also has the ability to time stop once per week. However, it does not use this ability to give itself the opportunity to kill its opponents. The master uses it only to leave the battle if it is in danger of being killed or if it is being forced to kill its subjects to avoid being killed.

Habitat/Society: The warper society is based entirely on seeking knowledge. Dimensional warpers are curious, knowledge-seeking beings. They spend most of their lives observing other creatures and learning as much as possible about them. Adult warpers are usually scholars. However, the oldest and most-learned warpers earn the title master and are respected and honored by the others in the society.

Warpers prefer to live where they can observe other creatures without being seen. If possible they travel from place to place, finding hiding places in cities from which they can watch. They have also been known to hide along roads or trails or in dungeons where there are adventurers and monsters regularly passing by. It is possible for a dimensional warper to be able to speak almost any language, as they study their subjects intently. They are very interested in understanding any conversations they overhear.

Ecology: Dimensional warpers do not generally eat the creatures they observe as they do not approve of devouring intelligent creatures and non-intelligent animals do not make very interesting subjects for them. No one has ever seen the home of a warper or knows how old warpers live to be.

Originally appeared in Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (MC11)(1991).

[freyar]

I kind of like the idea of these as extraplanar aberrations.

Also, do these two lines seem incompatible?

The dimensional warper has never been encountered on the Prime Material Plane.

and

However, only those warpers who are old and wise can visit this lane. If a dimensional warper is encountered...

[demiurge1138]

Looks like a good ol' editing mistake. Agreed to extraplanar aberrations. What's their home plane? The Ethereal? The Outlands?

Duo-dimensional will have to change, since it's a psionic power that's basically keen edge with cooler flavor. How about keen edge and "superior blink" as SLAs? Superior blink being a unique SLA, acts as blink without the chance to lose turns by popping into the Ether. Perhaps also a plane shift ability would let it come to the Prime (or wherever) to observe.

High Int is a given, but other mental scores should be high as well. Its snaky body suggests a higher Dex and lower Str. How about:

Str 13, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 19, Cha 20?

[Shade]

All that sounds great!

On the one hand, the Ethereal Plane makes a certain amount of sense, but then the Outlands have far fewer exclusive residents...

[freyar]

Why not just say Outlands and Ethereal both? Agreed to everything above.

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

I used the text from the greater blink spell for superior blink. Does that capture it adequately?

Should we make the keen edge ability also unique, so it can apply to its natural weaponry?

Change size like the efreet since enlarge and reduce won't work on aberrations?

Borrow the specific plane shift ability of genies and adapt it to the warper's home planes?

[demiurge1138]

Agreed to specific plane shift, modified keen, and change size. Also, you forgot to include time stop in their SLAs.

[Shade]

Originally Posted by demiurge1138

Agreed to specific plane shift, modified keen, and change size. Also, you forgot to include time stop in their SLAs.

I left it off since it was apparently limited to "masters". Do we want to have a separate entry for masters, note that time stop is gained at a certain advancement milestone, or just make it par for all warpers?

[freyar]

Maybe a sidebar about masters, probably based on some advancement milestone. The rest is looking pretty good.

Should we do something about the duo-dimension ability? Unique Su?