Converting Greyhawk monsters

Shade · Jun 24, 2009

Part Two.

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

Shade · Jun 24, 2009

[...] The wizard succeeded in creating a strange new creature, but his creations were not under his control and they slew him. They wander about the laboratory, breaking things and making a lot of noise.

Greymen (7): AC 5; MV 6; HD 3; hp 19, 18, 17(x2), 16(x2), 15; THAC0 18; #AT 2; Dmg 1d6/1d6 (blows); SD immune to mind-influencing spells, corrodes weapons; SZ M (6' tall); ML Elite (14); Int animal (1); AL N; XP 175.
Note: A greyman looks like a nearly dead human with shorts swords grafted where its forearms would be. Each head has a scar circling at forehead level. Their movements are jerky, as if not used to their bodies. They bleed a weak gray fluid that corrodes metal at half the rate of a gray ooze (thus chain mail corrodes in 2 rounds, plate in 4, magical armor in 2 rounds + 2 for each plus to Armor Class). A greyman has a small hole in its back above where its heart would be. They do not speak, are immune to mind-influencing spells, and are not undead (and thus cannot be turned). When a greyman is killed, it collapses and the gray ooze trapped in its body is freed to attach as a full-strength creature, taking one round to crawl from the hole in the greyman's back.

Originally appeared in Crypt of Lyzandred the Mad (1998).

Leopold · Jun 24, 2009

Aberration? Undead without the ability to be turned?

Shade · Jun 24, 2009

Construct!

demiurge1138 · Jun 24, 2009

Hey! These guys got ripped off for something in the PDF "Template Troves: Serpents, Spiders and Godlings". Their version was a template applied to a zombie to make it an aberration. I personally like Shade's construct idea.

Cleon · Jun 24, 2009

Shade said:
Construct!

I agree, it's got a lot of flavour that reminds me of a flesh golem - stitched together, scar circling the head, "nearly dead" jerky movements. Plus, it specifically says they're not undead.

So, imagine a weak flesh golem with a gray ooze for a circulatory system.

The conversion may be a bit tricky, are there regular constructs or 'living constructs' with Con scores that can heal?

Anyway, we might as well get stuck in. What do the stats tell us?

Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 3d10+20 [assuming it's not a "living construct"]

Attack: Swordarm +X melee (1d6+Y/19-20) [as a shortsword]
Full Attack: 2 swordarms +X melee (1d6+Y/19-20)
Special Attacks: Corrode weapon [those that damage it], release ooze.
Special Qualities: construct traits [already includes the immunity to mind-affecting effects described in the write up]

What about ability scores? Intelligence 1 from the description.

May be worth remembering the ability scores of the critter inside:

Gray Ooze (Medium): Str 12, Dex 1, Con 21, Int 0, Wis 1, Cha 1

I guess we could also scale down a flesh golem:

Flesh Golem (Large): Str 21, Dex 9, Con 0, Int 0, Wis 11, Cha 1
=>
Greymen: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 0 (or more if 'living construct'), Int 1, Wis 11, Cha 1

Don't think I like those scores, Str looks a bit low, Wis a bit high. Since they're described as uncoordinated I'm tempted to give them subpar Dex. How about averaging a flesh golem and a grey ooze, that gives:

Greymen: Str 16, Dex 5, Con 0, Int 1, Wis 6, Cha 1

I think that's better. Probably want to bump up the Dex and Wis a bit say Dex to the Flesh Golem's 9, Wisdom to 8?

Greymen: Str 16, Dex 9, Con 0, Int 1, Wis 8, Cha 1

That feels like it's in the right ballpark.

What do you lot think?

freyar · Jun 25, 2009

I dunno, even though we're going with the construct (which I like), I definitely get a zombie vibe. That would be more like Str 13. I'm ok with Dex 9, but I think Wis can be average. I don't think these are living constructs.

demiurge1138 · Jun 25, 2009

Not a living construct, no.

I'm okay with them being stronger than zombies. I like Cleon's stats, with the Wisdom bumped to 10-11.

Leopold · Jun 25, 2009

Are we giving the ooze any intelegence? It's the brains of the operation as it may.

Shade · Jun 25, 2009

Yeah, definitely not a living construct.

Added to Homebrews.

I added immunity to acid, since it contains a gray ooze constantly secreting the stuff inside it. B-)