Converting Oriental Adventures creatures

Cleon · Mar 31, 2012

freyar said:
Want to borrow ability scores from the tatami goblin?

I fancy juggling them about a bit.

We'll need to keep the Cha and Dex bonuses adding up to 5, but we can adjust the rest.

Since it's basically a "crazy skeleton in a sheet", how about giving it the Str 13 of an SRD Human Skeleton and the Int 6, Wis 12 of an SRD Shadow.

A higher Strength will cancel out its lower BAB and improve the damage.

That will result in something like:

Str 13, Dex 16, Con —, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 15

freyar · Apr 5, 2012

Works for me.

Cleon · Apr 5, 2012

freyar said:
Works for me.

Updating Crazy Bones Working Draft.

Shade · Apr 5, 2012

So, is the flying spirit ready for Homebrews?

Cleon · Apr 6, 2012

Shade said:
So, is the flying spirit ready for Homebrews?

The "Tatami Goblin" Working Draft is, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Anything you'd like to contribute to the "Crazy Bones" version?

Maybe Unholy Toughness or the regular Toughness feat (bonus or otherwise) to honor the 2+3 HD of the original?

freyar · Apr 8, 2012

Unholy Toughness is much better than the Toughness feat.

It would sure be nice to give them some special ability to differentiate them from other basic undead, but I'm not getting much from that blog entry you found. Maybe a racial bonus to Hide to account for popping out of wells?

Cleon · Apr 8, 2012

freyar said:
Unholy Toughness is much better than the Toughness feat.

Yes, but which do you prefer?

freyar said:
It would sure be nice to give them some special ability to differentiate them from other basic undead, but I'm not getting much from that blog entry you found. Maybe a racial bonus to Hide to account for popping out of wells?

If we give them Spirit Jaunt they can just lurk in the ethereal plane and "pop into existence" rather than having to hide.

Still, giving them a racial bonus to Hide instead helps distinguish them. I'm also tempted to give them a racial bonus to Intimidate to make them crazy scary.

Also, we could borrow this from Enworld's Bloody Bones:

Squeeze (Su): A bloody bones can squeeze through seemingly impossible portals. As a move action, a bloody bones can pass through an opening as if it were a Fine creature. A bloody bones must end its movement in an region large enough to hold a Tiny creature, but it can take no actions other than movement unless it is in an area large enough that a Tiny creature could normally squeeze through.

freyar · Apr 9, 2012

Didn't I strongly imply that I prefer Unholy Toughness?

Don't want to to Spirit Jaunt for these, since we're trying to make them distinct from the tatami goblin. Let's go with the bonus to Hide and one to Intimidate.

Squeeze is a lot like the tatami goblin's Flatten, but it makes sense. Why didn't we just use Squeeze for the tatami goblin anyway? Standardize!

I do like Smother for these, too. Actually, I think the bit about victims of the tatami goblin's smother rising as new tatami goblins should be broken out as "Create Spawn," shouldn't it?

Shade · Apr 10, 2012

freyar said:
Didn't I strongly imply that I prefer Unholy Toughness?

You did, and I agree.

freyar said:
Don't want to to Spirit Jaunt for these, since we're trying to make them distinct from the tatami goblin. Let's go with the bonus to Hide and one to Intimidate.

I'm with you.

freyar said:
Squeeze is a lot like the tatami goblin's Flatten, but it makes sense. Why didn't we just use Squeeze for the tatami goblin anyway? Standardize!

Good point! Yea for standardization!

freyar said:
I do like Smother for these, too. Actually, I think the bit about victims of the tatami goblin's smother rising as new tatami goblins should be broken out as "Create Spawn," shouldn't it?

Good point. Create Spawn indeed.

Cleon · Apr 11, 2012

freyar said:
Didn't I strongly imply that I prefer Unholy Toughness?

Don't want to to Spirit Jaunt for these, since we're trying to make them distinct from the tatami goblin. Let's go with the bonus to Hide and one to Intimidate.

Suits me. A +4 to both?

freyar said:
Squeeze is a lot like the tatami goblin's Flatten, but it makes sense. Why didn't we just use Squeeze for the tatami goblin anyway? Standardize!

Never! Standardization is the enemy of the individualist! Down with the Elite Conspiracy for Exception-Based Design!! Come the revolution we'll all play different versions of D&D and you're going to like it!!!

More seriously, I gave Flatten to the the Tatami Goblin because I like the idea of them fitting under doors because they're practically two dimensional. A creature with Squeeze crunches itself up into a tiny object, but a Tatami goblin doesn't change shape (except for its head), it just slips under the door like a giant envelope.

I'd like to give Squeeze to the Cackling Bones, since they already have a thematic similarity to Bloody Bones and it helps distinguish them from our other Flying Spirit.

freyar said:
I do like Smother for these, too. Actually, I think the bit about victims of the tatami goblin's smother rising as new tatami goblins should be broken out as "Create Spawn," shouldn't it?

Not much in favor of smother. They're basically skeletons in grave sheets, so there'll be plenty of gaps between bones and loose weave or worm-holes in the winding sheets for a grappled victim to breath through.

As for Create Spawn, the bit about Flying Goblins rising from a Smothered victim was basically an afterthought. Maybe I'll cut it out, since there's nothing in OA2 to suggests they can reproduce in such a fashion.

Might be better to just leave it a mystery...