Converting Greyhawk monsters
Cleon
Legend
Updating Monarch Scorpion Working Draft.
Well there were a few things.
Firstly, the original Master Scorpion, Shattados the Cruel, was immortal so we could add some kind of ageless or immortal trait if we want to make this a general feature of Master Scorpions. Personally, I'd rather that be a side-effect of the cursed artifact that turned Shattados into the Master Scorpion — the scorpion crown.
Secondly, the Monarch Scorpions "seem to be another result of Shattados’s curse, magically altered normal scorpions now grown to enormous size" apparently as a result of the scorpion crown's curse. Furthermore, the Master Scorpion lived in ruins infested with monstrous scorpions of all sizes plus Monarch Scorpions. I'm thinking our Master Scorpion ought to have the ability to create and possibly attract Monstrous Scorpions and Monarch Scorpions. Maybe it causes normal scorpions to turn into Tiny monstrous scorpions and gradually grow in size, and once they pass Huge size they turn into Monarch Scorpions rather than Gargantuan Monstrous Scorpions?
Thirdly. There's nothing definite about what control, if any, the Master Scorpion has over scorpions, but presumably he has at least some influence over them. The description of his chamber says Shattados is "attended by 10 monarch, 10 giant, and 20 huge scorpions, and 15 manscorpions". The word "attended" implies the scorpions cater to his desires and/or needs in some fashion.
Fourthly, the curse of the scorpion crown also turned Shattados the Cruel's human followers into manscorpions. I'm not in favour of our generic Master Scorpions having this ability - it seems unlikely one would even have human followers to transform - but we ought to mention it in connection to the scorpion crown.
Fifthly, In the original adventure, if the scorpion crown was destroyed all the Monarch Scorpions and Manscorpions it created were also destroyed. However, if the Master Scorpion it is linked to dies, the other monsters created by its curse remain. That makes me to prefer having any monstrous scorpions and Monarch Scorpions created by a generic Master Scorpion have their own independent existence, and also leads me to my final point...
Sixthly, I think we should stat up the scorpion crown.
Cleon
Legend
Not quite, I think they are able to:
a) attract scorpions to them to form an "entourage".
b) have some means to control or influence their scorpion entourage.
c) enlarge scorpions in their territory, who grow into ever-bigger monstrous scorpions and eventually become Monarch Scorpions.
I'm not sure how much of that we need actual special abilities for, though.
We could do a lot of it in the flavour text and Organisation line.
Cleon
Legend
I like the attracting and controlling scorpions bit, but I think the enlargement probably ought to be a feature of the crown. At least, that's how I read the text you posted. You can convince me otherwise, though.
I'd like there to be some way for a "non-crown" Master Scorpion to create Monarch Scorpions, since the two creatures seem so closely tied together, and the original source says Monarch Scorpions "appeared in the desert" soon after the Master did.
I guess we could just say Monarch Scorpions spontaneously appear if there's a Master Scorpion around, but it seems a bit vague.
I'm not so bothered about giving the Master an explicit ability to enlarge its Monstrous Scorpion minions. I'd be happy just leaving them to grow in size naturally, except a strict RAW indicates that Monstrous Scorpion can't advance to the next size category by HD advancement.
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freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
It's just that the original text really makes it sound like an effect of the curse/crown. I think I'd rather assume that most monarch/master scorpions are naturally occurring (or perhaps bred from the original cursed ones), with the masters perhaps being special specimens, like flinds are to gnolls. The other option, of course, is to make the master unique, which I think is the case in the original adventure.
Cleon
Legend
Since we can't agree, I guess we'd better just give it some vague flavour text about there being Monarch and Monstrous Scorpions in its vicinity rather than it actually creating them.
EDIT: I'm still onboard giving it a SQ to influence and/or attract scorpions though. /EDIT
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Cleon
Legend
I'd avoid giving it a literal "summon scorpions" SLA since the original monster lacked such an ability.
How about we give it a "command scorpions" ability with an impressive range and a large limit to the retinue of scorpions it can command at any one time? Then it can simply order scorpions to come to its lair and attend it?
That'll crush two scorpions with one stone, so to speak.
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