Converting First Edition Monsters

Shade · Sep 15, 2010

Part Two.

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

Shade · Sep 15, 2010

This little fellow was my neighbor in the 1e Monster Manual II. I feel bad that it's taken so long to convert him.

Scum Creeper
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 2-4
ARMOR CLASS: 8
MOVE: 3"
HIT DICE: 1 (2-8 hp)
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil (1)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S (1/2’ dia., 1’ length)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: I/14+16/hp

Scum creepers are small, slug-like things which inhabit subterranean places or dismal swamps where there is little light. They feed upon plant growth and anything else which their small mouths are able to devour. This includes rotting cloth, wood, or flesh. A scum creeper can move freely upon walls or ceilings due to its myriad tiny hooked legs and its suctioning underbelly segments. The scum creeper’s small, sucker-like mouth has very sharp shearing plates of hornlike substance.

Attacks are initially attempts to attach to the intended prey. A hit indicates that the scum creeper is fastened to some portion of the prey (1 in 20 will fasten the monster onto the face, blinding the victim until the monster is removed). Each round thereafter the scum creeper inflicts 1 point of damage automatically, and this continues until the monster is killed or the victim is dead. Rock salt rubbed on a scum creeper’s soft flesh causes it to suffer 2 points of damage per round for 1-4 rounds. (Additional applications are ineffective until the prevous saline effects are complete.)

Scum creepers have fat, slimy bodies of gray color with pale yellow heads and underbellies of sickly white. They have only vestigial eyes and sensory organs in a cluster of cilia at the head. The mouth is on the lower portion of the head.

Originally appeared in Monster Manual II (1983).

Shade · Sep 15, 2010

This should be fairly easy. Take a (Small) giant leech, reduce it to Diminutive, drop Aquatic subtype, modify slightly.

Giant Leech
Small Vermin (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: Swim 10 ft. (2 squares)
Armor Class: 12 (+1 size, +1 Dex), touch 12, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-6
Attack: Bite +2 melee (1 plus blood drain)
Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1 plus blood drain)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Anesthetize, attach, blood drain, disease
Special Qualities: Blindsight 10 ft., scent
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +1, Will -1
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 12, Con 11, Int -, Wis 8, Cha 2
Skills: Hide +9, Swim +6
Feats: Weapon Finesse (B)
Environment: Warm marsh
Organization: Colony (2-5) or swarm (6-11)
Challenge Rating: ⅓
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 2-3 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: -

Cleon · Sep 15, 2010

Shade said:
Part Two.

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

Just noticed the Topiary Plant's flavour text begins with "Topiary plans are plants that mimic the shapes of animals they consume." :uhoh:

Cleon · Sep 15, 2010

Shade said:
This should be fairly easy. Take a (Small) giant leech, reduce it to Diminutive, drop Aquatic subtype, modify slightly.

I'd make it Tiny rather than Diminutive, but agree they look pretty easy.

I think we'd better give it a swim speed, since it lives in swamps.

I'll drop their Dex to 10, just to make them a bit more different from a leech.

Not sure whether to include the salt trick.

Scum Creeper
Tiny Vermin
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), climb 10 ft., swim 10 ft.
Armor Class: 12 (+2 size), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/+2
Attack: Bite +2 melee (1)
Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1)
Space/Reach: 2½ ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Attach, facehugging, gnaw
Special Qualities: Blindsight 10 ft., blind or myopic, salt vulnerability, scent, wallcrawling
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +0, Will -1
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 10, Con 11, Int --, Wis 8, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +8, Hide +12, Swim +8
Feats: Weapon Finesse (B)
Environment: Warm marsh or underground
Organization: Colony (2-4) or swarm (6-11)
Challenge Rating: 1/6?
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 2-3 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: ---

Attach (Ex): If a scum creeper hits with a bite attack, it uses its myriad legs and suckers to latch onto the opponent's body and begins to use its gnaw attack (see below), if its bite attack scores a critical hit it also uses its attack (see below). An attached scum creeper is effectively grappling its prey and gets a +12 racial bonus on grapple checks (already figured into the Base Attack/Grapple entry above).

An attached scum creeper can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached scum creeper through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the scum creeper.

Gnaw (Ex): A scum creeper automatically does 1 point of damage in any round when it begins its turn attached to a victim.

Salt Vulnerability (Ex): A handful or more of salt deals 1d4+1 points of damage to a scum creeper on contact and causes it to detach itself from its victim.

Wallcrawling (Ex): A scum creeper need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). It retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while climbing and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it.

Skills: A scum creeper has a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb and Swim checks. A scum creeper can always choose to take 10 on Climb and Swim checks, even if rushed or threatened. A scum creeper uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb and Swim checks. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

Shade · Sep 16, 2010

That's a pretty good start.

A scum creeper can move freely upon walls or ceilings due to its myriad tiny hooked legs and its suctioning underbelly segments.

It looks like this might be appropriate here:

Wallcrawling (Ex): The gacholoth need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). It retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while climbing and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it.

Attacks are initially attempts to attach to the intended prey. A hit indicates that the scum creeper is fastened to some portion of the prey (1 in 20 will fasten the monster onto the face, blinding the victim until the monster is removed).

I'm tempted to add a blinding/"facehugging" mechanic on a critical hit...

Rock salt rubbed on a scum creeper’s soft flesh causes it to suffer 2 points of damage per round for 1-4 rounds. (Additional applications are ineffective until the prevous saline effects are complete.)

We can borrow this...

Salt Vulnerability (Ex): A handful or more of salt deals 1d4+1 points of damage to the leech on contact and causes it to detach itself from its victim.

They have only vestigial eyes and sensory organs in a cluster of cilia at the head.

It sounds like we can give 'em the blind trait (or myopic, at the very least).

Cleon · Sep 17, 2010

Shade said:
That's a pretty good start.

It looks like this might be appropriate here:

Wallcrawling (Ex): The gacholoth need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). It retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while climbing and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it.

That looks ideal. I'll stick it in my previous post.

Shade said:
I'm tempted to add a blinding/"facehugging" mechanic on a critical hit...

Let's give in to temptation. It's another way to differentiate them from a leech.

How's this:

Facehugging (Ex): Scum creepers instinctively aim for their victim's face. If it confirms a critical hit with its bite, it attaches itself over its opponent's face. The opponent is blind and unable to breath as long as the scum creeper remains attached.

Shade said:
We can borrow this...

Salt Vulnerability (Ex): A handful or more of salt deals 1d4+1 points of damage to the leech on contact and causes it to detach itself from its victim.

That's good too, I'll add it in.

Shade said:
It sounds like we can give 'em the blind trait (or myopic, at the very least).

Myopic would seem a better fit to the description, but I don't mind blind.

Let freyar decide! :heh:

Shade · Sep 17, 2010

Added to Homebrews.

I cut out the "can't breathe" portion of facehugging, as it's probably far too deadly for that CR range.

freyar · Sep 18, 2010

Make it blind, vestigial eyes mean they don't work.

In the attach, the critical hit bit needs to mention that it uses its "facehugging attack" instead of just its "attack," but these are almost done otherwise.

Do you think they could actually be CR 1/4?

I think I'd go with around 1 to 2 lb for the weight on these.

Cleon · Sep 18, 2010

Shade said:
Added to Homebrews.

I cut out the "can't breathe" portion of facehugging, as it's probably far too deadly for that CR range.

Actually it's not that dangerous, since the suffocation rules say you can hold your breath without harm for at least 2 rounds per point of Constitution.

If a PC can't kill a 4 hp AC 12 opponent in 20+ rounds there's not much hope for them!