demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Ooh, good point. Let's keep it, then.
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Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters
- Thread starter Shade
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Shade
Monster Junkie
Taking a brief break from the elementals of law and chaos due to a request...
Shark-Kin
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any ocean
FREQUENCY: Common
ORGANIZATION: Tribal
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8-10)
TREASURE: U
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1d4x20
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: Sw 24
HIT DICE: 2
THACO: 19
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 or 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d3 (claw)/1d3 (claw)/1d6 (bite) or 1d6 (bite) and by weapon
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (6’-7’ long)
MORALE: Steady (12)
These nomadic marine humanoids have large, staring eyes, fin-crested heads, and scaly skin. Their hands and feet are webbed and clawed. A shark-kin’s legs are vestigial; the creature swims by means of its powerful, alligatorlike tail.
Most shark-kin are reddish brown, though some are dark blue or blue-black. Their skin is usually covered with patterns of spots or bands of lighter color-white or yellow in reddish-brown individuals, silver, light blue, or mettalic green in blue or blue-black shark-kin. Each individual’s pattern of spots or bands is unique.
A shark-kin’s eyes have a reflective laver that concentrates any available light. This allows them to see well even in dark or murky water; it also makes their eyes seem to glow, like a cat’s, when bright light strikes them.
Adult shark-kin of both sexes are between 6 and 7 feet long, measured from nose to tail, and weigh 190 to 250 pounds. Most live to be 120 years old, though some individuals have been known to live twice that long.
Shark-kin speak their own tongue; 40% also speak Common or the tongue of another ocean race.
Combat: Shark-kin are aggressive hunters but usually avoid combat with intelligent species, attacking only in self defense or to defend their territory. Adult shark-kin carry javelins and tridents. One out of every four in a hunting or war party also carries a net. Unarmed shark-kin attack with claws and bite; those carrying a weapon can both attack with the weapon and bite in the same round.
The most important part of any group’s defense is its pack of pet sharks. Each shark-kin tribe maintains a pack of 4d6 sharks, one for every two or three adult shark-kin: 25% of the sharks in the pack have 7 or 8 Hit Dice, 25% have 5 or 6 Hit Dice, and the remainder have 3 or 4 Hit Dice. If the shark-kin tribe numbers 50 or more, one of their sharks will be a giant specimen with 10 to 12 Hit Dice. Shark-kin have an empathic link with their sharks and can give them basic commands (such as come, go, turn, stop, and attack) at a range of 360 yards.
In battle, shark-kin and their sharks attack on a broad front, trying to surround their foes in all three dimensions. Then, at a sign from their elder, they all converge on a single point in the enemy ranks, trying to fight as few foes as possible with as many allies as possible.
Habitat/Society: Shark-kin live in tribal groups led by an elder with 3 Hit Dice. Each tribe claims a territory covering about 120 square miles, which they vigorously defend from all other ocean races. They tend to be hospitable to strangers, but visitors are not encouraged to stay long. No outsider is allowed to hunt in their territory or to take anything from it without permission from the tribal elder. Shark-kin tend to be very possessive of any shipwrecks in their temtory, as these usually act as artificial reefs teeming with sea life. Adventurers seeking salvage rights must be prepared to bargain well or fight hard.
Shark-kin spend their time foraging and hunting for food or caring for their sharks, who serve them much as hunting dogs serve humans. If the hunting in an area is particularly good, such as near a spawning ground for fish, a shark-kin tribe will construct temporaly homes out of whatever materials are at hand and settle down as long as the bounty lasts. Otherwise they never stay in one area within their territory for long.
If a tribe’s elder is killed or dies, the surviving adults undergo a mysterious change. Over the next few weeks, their legs grow and their gills change to allow them to breathe both air and water. This change (which sages believe is a throwback to the races' ancient terrestrial origins) allows the shark-kin to move on land as easily as a human. The tribe's senior adults (10 +1d10 individuals of both sexes) walk ashore and head to a traditional site, usually a hilltop or mountain, where they conduct an age-old ceremony to select a new elder. Thereafter, the group returns to the sea and all the skark-kin revert to their normal forms.
Ecology: Shark-kin eat whatever seafood they can catch. Fish and mollusks form the basis of their diet, though they also prey upon sea mammals when they are available.
Originally appeared in AC9 - Creature Catalogue (1986).
Shark-Kin
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any ocean
FREQUENCY: Common
ORGANIZATION: Tribal
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8-10)
TREASURE: U
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1d4x20
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: Sw 24
HIT DICE: 2
THACO: 19
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 or 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d3 (claw)/1d3 (claw)/1d6 (bite) or 1d6 (bite) and by weapon
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (6’-7’ long)
MORALE: Steady (12)
These nomadic marine humanoids have large, staring eyes, fin-crested heads, and scaly skin. Their hands and feet are webbed and clawed. A shark-kin’s legs are vestigial; the creature swims by means of its powerful, alligatorlike tail.
Most shark-kin are reddish brown, though some are dark blue or blue-black. Their skin is usually covered with patterns of spots or bands of lighter color-white or yellow in reddish-brown individuals, silver, light blue, or mettalic green in blue or blue-black shark-kin. Each individual’s pattern of spots or bands is unique.
A shark-kin’s eyes have a reflective laver that concentrates any available light. This allows them to see well even in dark or murky water; it also makes their eyes seem to glow, like a cat’s, when bright light strikes them.
Adult shark-kin of both sexes are between 6 and 7 feet long, measured from nose to tail, and weigh 190 to 250 pounds. Most live to be 120 years old, though some individuals have been known to live twice that long.
Shark-kin speak their own tongue; 40% also speak Common or the tongue of another ocean race.
Combat: Shark-kin are aggressive hunters but usually avoid combat with intelligent species, attacking only in self defense or to defend their territory. Adult shark-kin carry javelins and tridents. One out of every four in a hunting or war party also carries a net. Unarmed shark-kin attack with claws and bite; those carrying a weapon can both attack with the weapon and bite in the same round.
The most important part of any group’s defense is its pack of pet sharks. Each shark-kin tribe maintains a pack of 4d6 sharks, one for every two or three adult shark-kin: 25% of the sharks in the pack have 7 or 8 Hit Dice, 25% have 5 or 6 Hit Dice, and the remainder have 3 or 4 Hit Dice. If the shark-kin tribe numbers 50 or more, one of their sharks will be a giant specimen with 10 to 12 Hit Dice. Shark-kin have an empathic link with their sharks and can give them basic commands (such as come, go, turn, stop, and attack) at a range of 360 yards.
In battle, shark-kin and their sharks attack on a broad front, trying to surround their foes in all three dimensions. Then, at a sign from their elder, they all converge on a single point in the enemy ranks, trying to fight as few foes as possible with as many allies as possible.
Habitat/Society: Shark-kin live in tribal groups led by an elder with 3 Hit Dice. Each tribe claims a territory covering about 120 square miles, which they vigorously defend from all other ocean races. They tend to be hospitable to strangers, but visitors are not encouraged to stay long. No outsider is allowed to hunt in their territory or to take anything from it without permission from the tribal elder. Shark-kin tend to be very possessive of any shipwrecks in their temtory, as these usually act as artificial reefs teeming with sea life. Adventurers seeking salvage rights must be prepared to bargain well or fight hard.
Shark-kin spend their time foraging and hunting for food or caring for their sharks, who serve them much as hunting dogs serve humans. If the hunting in an area is particularly good, such as near a spawning ground for fish, a shark-kin tribe will construct temporaly homes out of whatever materials are at hand and settle down as long as the bounty lasts. Otherwise they never stay in one area within their territory for long.
If a tribe’s elder is killed or dies, the surviving adults undergo a mysterious change. Over the next few weeks, their legs grow and their gills change to allow them to breathe both air and water. This change (which sages believe is a throwback to the races' ancient terrestrial origins) allows the shark-kin to move on land as easily as a human. The tribe's senior adults (10 +1d10 individuals of both sexes) walk ashore and head to a traditional site, usually a hilltop or mountain, where they conduct an age-old ceremony to select a new elder. Thereafter, the group returns to the sea and all the skark-kin revert to their normal forms.
Ecology: Shark-kin eat whatever seafood they can catch. Fish and mollusks form the basis of their diet, though they also prey upon sea mammals when they are available.
Originally appeared in AC9 - Creature Catalogue (1986).
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
I gotta go with Monstrous Humanoid (aquatic), but I could be convinced possibly to go for Humanoid by someone persuasive enough...
Pretty straightforward: bite & 2 claws; javelin, trident, and/or net; the empathic link to the sharks might be trickiest but could probably be modeled on a wizard's familiar. We should definitely up some of the sharks in the organization line to the dire variety.
Pretty straightforward: bite & 2 claws; javelin, trident, and/or net; the empathic link to the sharks might be trickiest but could probably be modeled on a wizard's familiar. We should definitely up some of the sharks in the organization line to the dire variety.
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Sahuagin get some shark empathy, don't they?
And the lack of working legs, plus the transformation for dispersal, makes me think monstrous humanoid or magical beast.
And the lack of working legs, plus the transformation for dispersal, makes me think monstrous humanoid or magical beast.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Sure enough.
Speak with Sharks (Ex): Sahuagin can communicate telepathically with sharks up to 150 feet away. The communication is limited to fairly simple concepts such as “food,” “danger,” and “enemy.” Sahuagin can use the Handle Animal skill to befriend and train sharks.
*A sahuagin has a +4 racial bonus on Handle Animal checks when working with sharks.
I'm leaning toward monstrous humanoid.
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
Let's go monstrous humanoid. They seem too humanoid to be magical beasts.
Seems like we can pretty much copy that from sahuagin.
Not much to go on for abilities. Sahuagin at same HD are Str 14, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 9. To distinguish these, maybe slightly greater Str and less Dex (could then leave natural AC at +5 like sahuagin or drop it and give them leather or something). Lower Int and Wis, better Cha? So something like Str 16, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 11?
Seems like we can pretty much copy that from sahuagin.
Not much to go on for abilities. Sahuagin at same HD are Str 14, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 9. To distinguish these, maybe slightly greater Str and less Dex (could then leave natural AC at +5 like sahuagin or drop it and give them leather or something). Lower Int and Wis, better Cha? So something like Str 16, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 11?
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Aquatic creatures don't take penalties for fighting underwater with piercing weapons. So trident is wise.
Shade
Monster Junkie
DMG said:
How's this?
"Murkvision" (Ex): A shark-kin's vision is not limited in dark or murky water. It treats all water as clear water for purposes of determining vision.
Shark-kin speak their own language. Many also learn Common and Aquan?
Advance by Hit Dice or character class?
Flavor text?
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