Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

[Shade]

Ngojama
FREQUENCY: Very rare
No. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 12”
HIT DICE: 4 + 4
% IN LAIR: 10%
TREASURE TYPE: B
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 claws
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-7/2-7
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Double damage if “to hit” roll is 4 or more over base needed to hit
SPECIAL DEFENSES: As per normal demons
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 20%
INTELLIGENCE: Average-very
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: V/245 + 5/hp

An aggressive, speech-using, climbing, fearless, man-eating minor demon. Ngojama are difficult to control and are useful to evil spell-casters only as assassins. Their hand claws prohibit the ngojama from using tools of any sort.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #122 (1987).

Myths and Legends of the Bantu: Chapter XIII: Of Were-Wolves, Halfmen, Gnomes, Goblins, and Other Monsters

[Shade]

It looks like we've got another minor tanar'ri.

We should do something interesting with the iron nail.

Also, the linked article notes that they cannot swim (and possibly expand it to the vampire "can't cross water" weakness?).

[freyar]

The iron nail and original stats might make the case for an expanded threat range.

And agreed to minor tanar'ri.

[demiurge1138]

Agreed to minor tanar'ri, water weakness like a vampires, and augmented critical (18-20x2)

[Shade]

Ability scores of similar Medium, melee-focused, low-HD demons:

Carnage Demon: Str 17, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 16, Wis 13, Cha 18
Wrackspawn: Str 19, Dex 10, Con 22, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 12
Rutterkin: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 10

Int is 8-12.
Con should be fairly decent due to the 4+4 HD.

Maybe Str 18, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 11?

[freyar]

Seems reasonable.

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews with those scores.

Is the aversion to water too harsh?

An aggressive, speech-using, climbing, fearless, man-eating minor demon.

Climb speed? Immunity to fear?

Ngojama are difficult to control and are useful to evil spell-casters only as assassins.

Do we want to do anything interesting with "difficult to control"?

Their hand claws prohibit the ngojama from using tools of any sort.

Note in tactics that they can never wield weapons?

[demiurge1138]

Aversion to water looks good. Didn't we do something similar with a demon recently?

[freyar]

Agreed to Aversion to Water. The only semi-similar thing I remember was making it hard for chimps (or gorillas maybe) to swim.

20 ft climb speed, immune to fear, no weapons in tactics all sound good. The difficult to control could be like the guardian yugoloths, always attacking when escaping planar binding spells, etc. Actually, I think we need to revise the planar binding blurb on the guardian yugoloths to say that they nearly always attack when they escape the binding trap.

[Cleon]

Originally Posted by Shade

Updated.

Finished?

CR5 seems a bit high, but not enough to fuss over it.

A Hide bonus of +1 still seems too low, even with a +4 it's still going to fail an ambush against equivalent CR opponents very often. I'd either swap a couple of Spot & Listen points around [Say Hide +5*, Listen +10, Spot +10, Survival +3*] or give it a higher racial bonus [maybe +8 in undergrowth?].

But it does look good, I'd be game for releasing it as-is if no-one else feels the same way about its Hide skill.

'Slaughter' was the first thing that sprang into my head for a collective noun, too. Great minds think alike!

[Cleon]

All the Ngojama proposals look very nice, the only suggestions I can think of are increasing the spell resistance a bit (10+CR would probably be closer to the 20% of the original) and that I'm tempted to increase its critical multiplier to ×4 like a light pick.

[Shade]

Originally Posted by Cleon

All the Ngojama proposals look very nice, the only suggestions I can think of are increasing the spell resistance a bit (10+CR would probably be closer to the 20% of the original) and that I'm tempted to increase its critical multiplier to ×4 like a light pick.

Demons always have CR+8.

I'm fine with the x4 multiplier, though, since it only has that one gimmick.

I'll boost the getiet's Hide bonus in undergrowth to +8, as you suggested.

[freyar]

Wow, so ready for skills and feats so soon?

[demiurge1138]

I like the pick-like claws, but I think we should drop the crit range down to 19-20 or even 20 in that case.

Weapon Focus (claws) and Dodge for the feats? They've only got the one attack, and their AC is pretty sad for the amount of hurt they can put out.

As for skills... hm. I'm getting a straight bruiser feeling from them, so Hide and Move Silently don't seem right. Listen, Spot, Search, Intimidate... and then it comes up blank.

[Shade]

Good point on the threat range. Let's go with 19-20/x4.

Those feat and skill suggestions sound good. We could also improve the natural armor, as it is a tad low.

Climb, Jump, and Tumble seem like decent fits, too, since they are fairly dextrous and we know they are good climbers. Speaking of which, I need to add the climb bits to the skills entry...

[freyar]

Yes, let's bump natural to +4.

Ok, so let's add Climb, Jump, Tumble, and maybe Balance or Bluff.

[Shade]

Sounds good.

Updated.

Challenge Rating: 4?

Advancement: 5-12 HD (Medium)?

A ngojama is about x feet tall and weighs about x pounds.

[demiurge1138]

CR 4 looks right. I think they should be able to advance to Large at... 9 HD?

[Cleon]

Originally Posted by Shade

Demons always have CR+8.

Bloody Chaotic outsiders and their stat consistency.

I agree with the 19-20/×4 critical for their claws and improving their NA.

Skills look good, as does giving them 20 ft. Climb.

Add my vote to Advancing to Large at 9 Hit Dice.

I'm imagining these things as about as tall as a man but with a heavy, almost apelike build.

5½ to 6 feet tall and 250-300 pounds?

[Cleon]

Originally Posted by Shade

Sounds good.

Updated.

Shouldn't we take out the "as well as any weapons it wields" bit from the Combat entry, especially as it says they can't wield arms in the previous sentence!

Ngojamas are aggressive, straightforward combatants that take wicked delight in impaling other creatures with their claws. Ngojamas never wield weapons, for their palm-claws make it impossible to do so effectively.

A ngojama's natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as chaotic-aligned and evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.