Converting monsters from the second edition Monstrous Compendiums

[dhaga]

It is rare to find intact objects in a linnorm's cache, although there is usually plenty of gold and silver.

Treasure: Double coins, 50% goods, 50% items

It doesn't appear that these dragons can fly.

When using spells, is limited to school of Illusion.

Breath weapon: line of acid
We should see about the "withering" ability, as well.

Low Int, but cunning, with large egos.
Proposed abilities: Str 28, Dex 10, Con 23, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 18

Forest linnorms are born with a constant invisibility to animals power. At the young stage, they are able to warp wood, and at the young adult stage, they can cause plant growth. Upon reaching the mature adult stage they are able to cause spikegrowth, and at the very old stage, they can use sticks to snakes. Wyrms and great wyrms are able to pass plant.

Looks like special abilities will be druidic in nature. (no pun intended)

They tend to fight to the death, viewing no opponents as too strong and no threat as too dangerous.

Endurance and Diehard as feats?

 

[Shade]

I updated Homebrews with the suggested ability scores.

I'm not sure about Endurance and Diehard. They offer a rather limited benefit, and it can still be ferocious and fight to the death without them. If you'd like to go that route, though, we might consider the ferocity ability of the dire boar (and others) instead:

Ferocity (Ex): A dire boar is such a tenacious combatant that it continues to fight without penalty even while disabled or dying.

+17 natural armor? The similarly-sized rain has +16, and the gray has +19. It sits between the two in HD, but is closer to the rain.

Here's the relevant info from the wither limb spell that we can incorporate into the breath weapon...

Fortitude negates

You choose to wither either the arms or the legs of a humanoid. Withered legs force a subject to fall prone while at the same time reducing the subject's land speed to 5 feet. Withered arms make it impossible for the subject to use objects or cast spells with somatic components.

A withered limb can be restored to normal by a successful dispel magic from a spellcaster of a level higher than the level of the wither limb caster.

For the spell-like abilities, we can extrapolate the following:

Spell-Like Abilities: At will -- hide from animals; 3/day -- plant growth, spike growth, warp wood. Caster level xth. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

We'll need a replacement for pass plant (I'd recommend tree stride). Sticks to snakes is a non-core, Dragon magazine spell in 3e. We can either drop it or extrapolate it into a separate spell-like ability.

 

[dhaga]

Ferocity (Ex): A dire boar is such a tenacious combatant that it continues to fight without penalty even while disabled or dying.

Let's grant it Ferocity. That's better than using up the Feat slots.

+17 natural armor? The similarly-sized rain has +16, and the gray has +19. It sits between the two in HD, but is closer to the rain.

+17 sounds good to me.

For the spell-like abilities, we can extrapolate the following:

Spell-Like Abilities: At will -- hide from animals; 3/day -- plant growth, spike growth, warp wood. Caster level xth. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

We'll need a replacement for pass plant (I'd recommend tree stride). Sticks to snakes is a non-core, Dragon magazine spell in 3e. We can either drop it or extrapolate it into a separate spell-like ability.

I was also thinking of Tree Stride, so let's use that. Sticks to Snakes is a fun spell; we'll see what SLA we can make out of it

The text for the Wither Limb spell can be attached to the breath weapon, as an additional effect (nasty). Can the creature choose what withers, or should we say equal, random chance of either arms or legs?

 

[Shade]

Let's grant it Ferocity. That's better than using up the Feat slots.

Great!

+17 sounds good to me.

I'll make it so.

I was also thinking of Tree Stride, so let's use that. Sticks to Snakes is a fun spell; we'll see what SLA we can make out of it

Assuming a caster level equal to Hit Dice, it would look like this:

Sticks to Snakes (Sp): A forest linnorm can turn up to two dead branches or other long slender pieces of wood (arrow shafts, sticks, staffs, and so on) into Huge vipers. The object is entitled to a DC 17 Will save to avoid transformation. Any snakes created by this spell do not attempt to harm the linnorm, and the linnorm can control their actions telepathically as a free action. Left to their own devices, the snakes attack whomever or whatever is near them, but while the linnorm controls them they can perform any stunt or action they are physically capable of doing. When reduced to 0 hit points or less, the snakes revert to their original, undamaged form.

The text for the Wither Limb spell can be attached to the breath weapon, as an additional effect (nasty). Can the creature choose what withers, or should we say equal, random chance of either arms or legs?

I think random makes the most sense here.

 

[dhaga]

Sticks to Snakes (Sp): A forest linnorm can turn up to two dead branches or other long slender pieces of wood (arrow shafts, sticks, staffs, and so on) into Huge vipers. The object is entitled to a DC 17 Will save to avoid transformation. Any snakes created by this spell do not attempt to harm the linnorm, and the linnorm can control their actions telepathically as a free action. Left to their own devices, the snakes attack whomever or whatever is near them, but while the linnorm controls them they can perform any stunt or action they are physically capable of doing. When reduced to 0 hit points or less, the snakes revert to their original, undamaged form.

Looks pretty complete to me. Let's add it!

Random on the withering is my vote, as well.

The description doesn't say anything about them flying, so I would say remove the fly speed and Crush ability.

 

[freyar]

Don't all linnorms fly magically?

 

[Shade]

Don't all linnorms fly magically?

Yes. At least in 3e they do.

 

[Shade]

How's this?

Breath Weapon (Su): 90-foot line of caustic liquid, once every 1d4 rounds; damage 12d4 acid, Reflex DC 21 half. Additionally, a creature damaged by the breath weapon must succeed on a DC 21 Fortitude save or a random limb is withered. Withered legs force a subject to fall prone while at the same time reducing the subject's land speed to 5 feet. Withered arms make it impossible for the subject to use objects or cast spells with somatic components. A withered limb can be restored to normal by a successful dispel magic or similar effect, with a dispe check DC equal to the linnorm's breath weapon DC. The save DC is Constitution-based.

 

[dhaga]

Yes. At least in 3e they do.

Well hey, now I know. 1/2 the battle, right?

Breath Weapon (Su): 90-foot line of caustic liquid, once every 1d4 rounds; damage 12d4 acid, Reflex DC 21 half. Additionally, a creature damaged by the breath weapon must succeed on a DC 21 Fortitude save or a random limb is withered. Withered legs force a subject to fall prone while at the same time reducing the subject's land speed to 5 feet. Withered arms make it impossible for the subject to use objects or cast spells with somatic components. A withered limb can be restored to normal by a successful dispel magic or similar effect, with a dispe check DC equal to the linnorm's breath weapon DC. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Looks good to me.

 

[Shade]

Well hey, now I know. 1/2 the battle, right?

Yo Joe!

Actually, almost all of 'em have it. The recent sea linnorm does not.

Those that do have it simply list fly as an at will spell-like ability, but also denote the flight on the speed line.