Converting First Edition Monsters

[Shade]

Here's a probable hazard to play with while I'm gone...

Lure Lichen
AC:4 MV:0 HD:3-5 hp:23 #AT:1 Dmg:3-24 SAoison spores SD:Mines (1-8) AL:N(E) THAC0:Nil
There is a 1 in 6 chance each round of travel for the next 10 rounds that the lead character will fall into a leaf-filled pit. No harm will come to this person, but he must be dug out by his friends. While he is being rescued, one of the heroes sights a sleeping figure at the foot of a tree some fifty yards off the path. The figure appears to be female, with pale white hair and gown. No sounds or efforts from a distance will rouse the figure.

This is actually the lure of a deadly lichen. It has grown a part of its shape to resemble a woman. Anyone touching the woman causes it to explode into a cloud of spores, inflicting 3d8 points of damage to all within 10 feet and requiring a save vs. poison. A failure results in spore infestation similar to yellow mold. In addition, the lichen has set out rhizomes beneath the leaf cover that surround the lure for 20 yards. Anyone approaching the lure must make two saves vs. death ray when approaching or retreating. A failed save indicates that a rhizome has been triggered. The rhizome flings a spore cyst into the air that explodes, doing ld8 points of damage to all within a 5' radius, but does not cause infestation.

Originally appeared in Adventure Pack I (1987)

 

[freyar]

Kind of like two hazards rolled into one. But someone's going to have to tell me how yellow mold worked in 1e to figure this out...

 

[Cleon]

Kind of like two hazards rolled into one. But someone's going to have to tell me how yellow mold worked in 1e to figure this out...

Yellow mold spores are pretty much the same in both versions of AD&D. Save vs poison or die, then the victim spouts mold. A cure disease is needed to destroy the mold before the dead victim can be restored to life.

 

[freyar]

Ok, and it's like a poison with 1d6/2d6 Con damage in 3.5. So it seems like the explosion of the "woman" should deal Con damage. Do you want to keep hp damage as well? And do you want the rhizome pod to deal hp or Con damage?

 

[Cleon]

Ok, and it's like a poison with 1d6/2d6 Con damage in 3.5. So it seems like the explosion of the "woman" should deal Con damage. Do you want to keep hp damage as well? And do you want the rhizome pod to deal hp or Con damage?

I think we'd better make them both do the same damage, probably Con.

 

[freyar]

How about 1d6/2d6 Con for the spore poison and just 1d6 Con for the pod? That keeps the total ratio of damage the same.

 

[Cleon]

How about 1d6/2d6 Con for the spore poison and just 1d6 Con for the pod? That keeps the total ratio of damage the same.

Hmm, that could work.

The pods don't seem to be "mature" like the lure since they don't cause infestation, which can be represented by them not doing secondary damage (since their spores don't burrow in).

Do we want to keep the cure disease requirement to heal it, or rather remove disease, or include neutralize poison too?

I'm tempted to have it be both poison and disease, with the initial damage being poison and the "infestation" a disease.

 

[Shade]

I'm tempted to have it be both poison and disease, with the initial damage being poison and the "infestation" a disease.

So disease is the secondary damage of the poison? That seems viable.

 

[freyar]

So disease is the secondary damage of the poison? That seems viable.

Yes, let's do that. It's a good idea. So the pods just do 1d6 Con, and the spores do 1d6 Con/disease, where the disease does, say 1d4 Con a day? Or just use mummy rot?

 

[Cleon]

So disease is the secondary damage of the poison? That seems viable.

Shall we write something up then:

How's this for a start:

If a lure lichen is touched by a living creature it explodes in a 10 ft. radius cloud of poisonous spores (Fort DC X). These spores do 1d6 Con damage as initial damage, as secondary damage they do 1d6? Con damage and infect the victim with a spore infestation. Lure lichen spore infestation is a disease (Fort DC Y) that does 1d6 Constitution damage per day. The corpse of any creature that dies while affected by a spore infestation will sprout a new lure lichen. Creatures immune to poison or disease are unaffected by the spores, and any bonuses to resist disease or poison apply to all saving throws against the spores. A neutralize poison spell will prevent the poison damage or spore infestation, while a remove disease spell will cure a creature of spore infestation.