Converting Forgotten Realms monsters

[Shade]

Good point. Since they don't use it offensively, it probably doesn't warrant a CR boost.

[freyar]

So call it done?

[demiurge1138]

I think we're done.

[Shade]

Dragger
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any (caverns or subterranean)
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivorous
INTELLIGENCE: Low (5)
TREASURE: Q
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1d6
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVEMENT: 12, burrow 9
HIT DICE:2-6
THAC0: 19 (2 HD)
17 (3 & 4 HD)
15 (5 & 6 HD)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3d4 per round (digestive juices)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Swallow whole
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to most spells, half-damage from edged and piercing weapons
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L (8-12 feet in diameter)
MORALE: Fearless (20)
XP VALUE: 2 Hit Dice: 975
3 Hit Dice: 1,400
4 Hit Dice: 2,000
5 Hit Dice: 3,000
6 Hit Dice: 4,000

Draggers are usually encountered in natural caverns, though many are to be found in the underways of Ravens Bluff, where they have been the doom of more than a few smugglers down the years. Like their cousins the galeb duhr, draggers resemble boulders, with a single pair of appendages acting as both hands and feet and with huge mouths that seem mere fissures in rock when closed. Draggers are natives of the Plane of Elemental Earth and are able to propel themselves through stone.

Combat: A dragger typically “floats” in a section of floor, camouflaging itself through its ability to create hallucinatory terrain at will in a ten-foot-square area centered on itself. Anything stepping upon the hidden dragger risks being swallowed by the creature’s gaping maw (such a target is considered to be AC 10, exclusive of Dexterity bonuses). If the initial attack fails, the dragger will submerge beneath the ground to a place of safety, returning to the same spot 2d4 turns later. Should the attack succeed, the dragger’s target will have one or more appendages (usually feet) trapped in the creature’s jaws. On the following round, the dragger will momentarily loosen its grip as it attempts to swallow the victim. A successful saving throw vs. paralyzation indicates that the prey manages to wriggle free at this time; each being helping the victim adds a +1 bonus to the roll. Should the save be unsuccessful, the prey is sucked into the dragger’s gullet. On the next round, the dragger sinks into the ground to enjoy its meal safe from harm.

Should the creature be slain before it withdraws, captured prey can be freed in 14 rounds but suffers 3d4 hit points of damage per round from the dragger’s corrosive digestive juices. Draggers can digest virtually anything except gems (their treasure, if any, consists of gems carried by previously swallowed victims).

Draggers can be struck by any sort of weapon, although edged and piercing weapons do only half damage. Spells don’t affect draggers, except as follows: magic missile inflicts normal damage; move earth causes the dragger to immediately depart for 14 turns, first releasing any prey not already swallowed; stone to flesh lowers a dragger’s Armor Class to 10 for the spell duration, immobilizing the creature if it is submerged in stone at the time (if only partially submerged, it can force itself out of the stone in 1 round at the cost of 2d4+2 hit points abrasion damage); stone shape can be used to force a dragger’s jaws through one involuntary movement and then hold it in the new position for the spell duration (in other words, to either hold the jaws shut or to force the dragger to open wide and disgorge a swallowed victim); and transmute rock to mud fully heals the creature (they otherwise heal 1 lost hit point per day, as many other creatures do).

Habitat/Society: Draggers are solitary, sexless hunters. When they reach an unstable size (i.e., above 6 HD) through diligent devouring, they split to form two to four smaller (2 HD) draggers, expelling all previously ingested gems in the process. The new individuals may stay together for a time but as they grow they move apart to find their own hunting grounds. They have no social interaction but never fight each other; if two draggers encounter each other in an area heavily trafficked by prey they may feed side by side for a time, but otherwise they’ll always instinctively move apart. Draggers have been known to go dormant for long periods of time, hiding inside solid rock and ignoring food nearby; no good reasons for this behavior has yet been offered.

Ecology: Draggers are carnivores, eating all manner of birds, reptiles, and mammals. They ignore most plants, devouring only ambulatory sorts, but avidly swallow fungi. They otherwise place no value judgments on food: edible is edible, and a dragger won’t choose a larger or more formidable meal over a lesser (or vice versa). Regardless of the size of prey it eats, a dragger will try to devour prey only once every three hours or so, ignoring other possible targets after one try (successful or not). They are capable of going months if not years between meals.

Originally appeared in Polyhedron Magazine #44 (1988).

[Shade]

Sort of a xorn/galeb duhr hybrid.

The galeb duhr is Medium in the 3e MM2, with the following ability scores: Str 13, Dex 5, Con 20, Int 11, Wis 16, Cha 12

[freyar]

Have to go with Large for these, though, I think. They sound like elementals (like galeb duhr, I think). Still start with 2HD, or go a little higher (also with the advancement)?

Earth glide or just a normal burrow speed?

I'd say a bite attack, imp grab, swallow whole (magically up to only one size smaller).

Sounds like halucinatory terrain as an SLA.

DR x/bludgeoning.

Magic Immunity something like a golem with specific spell effects.

Write up the splitting as part of advancement or something?

[Shade]

Agreed to elemental.

Yeah, 2 HD won't cut it at that size. That's the norm for a Small earth elemental, and a minor (Small) xorn is 3 HD. If we're going Large, I say 8 HD like the Large earth elemental (a Large xorn is 15 HD!). Galeb duhr is 8 HD at Medium, too.

I'd vote a strong "yea" for earth glide.

I agree with the rest.

[freyar]

8HD is fair if all are agreed.

Str 17, Dex 5, Con 20, Int 5, Wis 8, Cha 12? These seem like they'd be lower Wis due to low Int (don't want to cut Cha much, though), and Str is probably more than galeb duhr due to their size.

[Shade]

For comparison...

Large Earth Elemental: Str 25, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 11
Elder Xorn: Str 25, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10

Based on that, I'd recommend Str 19 or more, Con 19 or less.

[freyar]

Huh, galeb duhr have great Con, don't they? Ok, Str 22, Dex 5, Con 17, Int 5, Wis 8, Cha 12?

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

[freyar]

Filling in blanks:

+14 natural to get AC 20, which also agrees with the 7HD average xorn, so I'm happy with that.

Let's do DR 5 if all are agreed.

I think split should be there for advancement purposes, like we did for the grave watcher.

Caster level 8 for SLAs?

Su on swallow whole for these, since they can eat pretty large critters. 15 hp to cut out? With +14 natural, gizzard AC is 17.

Group organization = cluster like xorn?

[Leopold]

Combat: 3d6 or 2d8 bite damage? It's a gigantic mouth with rocks for teeth. Only one attack available for it, might as well make it hurt.

Natural Armor: +16. IT's low dex is gonna hurt it hard. Galeb Duhr has +14 for example

5/Bludgeoning is sufficent. 10/bludgeoning just seems overpowered for what is probably going to be a CR 7-9 critter.

[freyar]

Or we could do 2d12 for the bite. Seriously, either 3d6 or 2d8 is fine for me.

[Shade]

Updated.

Spells don’t affect draggers, except as follows: magic missile inflicts normal damage; move earth causes the dragger to immediately depart for 14 turns, first releasing any prey not already swallowed; stone to flesh lowers a dragger’s Armor Class to 10 for the spell duration, immobilizing the creature if it is submerged in stone at the time (if only partially submerged, it can force itself out of the stone in 1 round at the cost of 2d4+2 hit points abrasion damage); stone shape can be used to force a dragger’s jaws through one involuntary movement and then hold it in the new position for the spell duration (in other words, to either hold the jaws shut or to force the dragger to open wide and disgorge a swallowed victim); and transmute rock to mud fully heals the creature (they otherwise heal 1 lost hit point per day, as many other creatures do).

Borrowing from some of the golems...

Immunity to Magic (Ex): A dragger is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.

A dragger is affected normally by force effects, such as a magic missile spell.

A move earth spell forces the dragger to drop any grappled or swallowed prey, then drives the dragger back 120 feet and deals 3d12 points of damage to it.

A stone shape spell either forces the dragger to drop any grappled or swallowed prey, or seals its maw shut (preventing use of its bite attack) for x rounds.

A stone to flesh spell does not actually change the dragger's structure but negates its damage reduction and natural armor for 1 full round, while immobilizing the creature.

A transmute rock to mud spell slows a dragger (as the slow spell) for 2d6 rounds, with no saving throw, while transmute mud to rock heals all of its lost hit points.



Skills: 11
Listen +5, Spot +6?

Feats: 3
Ability Focus (hallucinatory terrain), Alertness, 1 more?

[Leopold]

What about Stand Still:

SRD:Stand Still - D&D Wiki

You can prevent foes from fleeing or closing.
Prerequisite

Str 13.
Benefit

When a foe’s movement out of a square you threaten grants you an attack of opportunity, you can give up that attack and instead attempt to stop your foe in his tracks. Make your attack of opportunity normally. If you hit your foe, he must succeed on a Reflex save against a DC of 10 + your damage roll (the opponent does not actually take damage), or immediately halt as if he had used up his move actions for the round.

Since you use the Stand Still feat in place of your attack of opportunity, you can do so only a number of times per round equal to the number of times per round you could make an attack of opportunity (normally just one).
Normal

Attacks of opportunity cannot halt your foes in their tracks.


This would work with some of it's flavor text where it swallows foes whole. If the enemy flees it attempts to hold onto them and make sure they don't go anywhere. Never know when food is going to come along again.

Can we give it tremorsense? Wouldn't that fit it's abilties more?

[freyar]

Looks good. Skills look good. Weapon Focus on that bite?

Edit: Stand Still is always good. Let's do that. I also think tremorsense 60 ft, like Xorn, would be ok.

[Shade]

Excellent suggestions.

Updated.

Organization: Solitary or x (2-6)

Challenge Rating: 6-7? It's deadlier than a Large earth elemental (CR 5) and fairly comparable, but a tad more deadly than an average xorn (CR 6)

Treasure: No coins, standard goods (gems only), no items?

Alignment: Usually neutral?

Advancement: 9–15 HD (Large), 16–24 HD (Huge)?

[Leopold]

Organization: Solitary or Cluster 2-6 (Rocks cluster?)
CR: 5. It doesn't move too much, it's slow, the PCs can out run it if they move quickly.
Treasure: Gems only the rest of the stuff it digests.
Alignment: Neutral. It's a hungry elemental, it doesn't care too much one way or another.
Advancement: All that is fine.

[freyar]

Yes to all that.

9000 (like elder xorn) to 25000 lb?