Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters

[freyar]

I'd say standard action to start, free to continue. My feeling is that it should require Concentration, though that means a standard action to maintain for Bardic Music at least --- oddly, the Concentration skill description doesn't say that. But the caprine shouldn't be able to use a weapon or cast spells with somatic components since it's playing an instrument. Do you agree?

 

[Cleon]

I'd say standard action to start, free to continue. My feeling is that it should require Concentration, though that means a standard action to maintain for Bardic Music at least --- oddly, the Concentration skill description doesn't say that. But the caprine shouldn't be able to use a weapon or cast spells with somatic components since it's playing an instrument. Do you agree?

I'm not in favour of Concentration since it makes the ability pretty useless against level-appropriate opponents except for really special circumstances.

I'd like the caprine to be able to do something while continuing the Sound of Death.

It is there ultimate resonance ability after all.

A non-concentration Bardic Music still prevents spell casting, so I'm fine with that, as per the SRD:

Starting a bardic music effect is a standard action. Some bardic music abilities require concentration, which means the bard must take a standard action each round to maintain the ability. Even while using bardic music that doesn’t require concentration, a bard cannot cast spells, activate magic items by spell completion (such as scrolls), spell trigger (such as wands), or command word. Just as for casting a spell with a verbal component, a deaf bard has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use bardic music. If he fails, the attempt still counts against his daily limit.

So maybe.

Starting sound of death is a standard action that requires concentration. The caprine must sing or play a musical instrument each round they maintain the sound, this is a free action that doesn't require concentration.​

We don't need to mention the "can't use spells or command word" stuff as that's already in the Resonance Abilities intro.

 

[freyar]

Yes, that will work. Do we need anything else for this ability?

 

[Cleon]

Yes, that will work. Do we need anything else for this ability?

There's just the question of how it interacts with bardic countersong.

I'm thinking a countersong would work as a substitute for the final round's save-vs-death and maybe allows a save if the target is at 0 or negative hit points (although I'm not quite decided on the latter).

Putting it all together, so far we've got:

Sound of Death: A caprine with a resonance score of 101 or more can play a terrible cacophany on a musical instrument that lasts 10 rounds. This heart-wrenching sound starts harmful vibrations in any living creature who hears the tune and is within 40 feet of the caprine when it starts to play. Starting sound of death is a standard action that requires concentration. The caprine must sing or play a musical instrument each round they maintain the sound, this is a free action that doesn't require concentration.​

​

The caprine can tune sound of death so it affects or spares particular creatures, specifying what individuals, races or species the sound harms or does not harm. At the end of each round, the caprine takes 1d8 hit points of damage, and all creatures affected by the sound's initial vibrations that are within earshot of the tune (a 300 ft. spread) take 2d8 damage. However, this damage cannot reduce the affected creature below 0 hit points. At the end of the final tenth round, all creatures affected by sound of death (apart from the caprine) will automatically die (no save) if they are at 0 or negative hit points, or die if they fail a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 plus half the caprine's HD plus its Charisma modifier) if they have positive hit points.​

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If the caprine is forced to stop playing the sound of death before the tune finished on the 10th round, the caprine takes 1d3 Constitution drain damage with no saving throw.​

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[Bardic countersong?]​

Sound of Death is a sonic death effect.​

Looks OK apart from the bit in red. We can trim down the wording a bit. I see several sentences that are a bit padded out with extraneous words.

 

[freyar]

How about this? A bardic countersong played in the last round of Sound of Death can substitute for the usual save. If the countersong is played for the whole 10 rounds, it can grant a save for 0 or negative hp critters.

 

[Cleon]

How about this? A bardic countersong played in the last round of Sound of Death can substitute for the usual save. If the countersong is played for the whole 10 rounds, it can grant a save for 0 or negative hp critters.

Having the bardic countersong have to cover all 10 rounds for a 0 or negative hp critter seems a bit harsh. There's a high chance of a bard getting interrupted during the minute, or just not starting to play until the 1st round's effect has kicked in.

How about it can prevent damage on the round it's played (both the 2d8 resonance damage and the Final Death effect of the 10th round) if the Perform check that round is high enough?

 

[freyar]

Hmmm. OK. How about it prevents damage each round if the Perform check beats the Cha-based DC? And it can substitute for the save (like normal) on the final round for victims with positve hp but can only do so for 0hp or less victims if it exceeds the DC by X (say X=5)?

 

[Cleon]

Hmmm. OK. How about it prevents damage each round if the Perform check beats the Cha-based DC? And it can substitute for the save (like normal) on the final round for victims with positve hp but can only do so for 0hp or less victims if it exceeds the DC by X (say X=5)?

Maybe the DC depends on the degree of dying as expressed by how many HP they are at?

So if they are merely disabled (0 hit points) it's just the Cha-based DC or the DC +X, but if they're at minus Y hit points the DC increases by some derivative of Y, like say 1Y or 2Y.

That is, if the DC is normally 20, then at 0 hp (disabled) it's 20+X, while at –4 hp (dying) it's 24+X or 28+X.

Or we could allow the victim a Fortitude saving throw if countersong is used, and if the save is good enough it gives a circumstance bonus to the Perform check or vice versa.

Another idea I had was that the sonic damage can't drop the target into negative HP except on the last round, so the victims are at 0 hp (disabled) until the final lethal tone which either drops them to –10 hp (dead) or they make a Fort Save (possibly substituted/augmented by a Perform Check) to determine whether they remain at 0 hp, are dying from –1 hp to –9 hp or are pining for the Fjords at –10 hp.

 

[freyar]

I like your last idea with the Fort save and countersong allowed...

 

[Cleon]

I like your last idea with the Fort save and countersong allowed...

Works for me, so how shall we write it up?

I am still thinking the effect of Countersong on the final "fatal vibration" should maybe be a bit mixed compared to the standard "completely neutralizes if it beats DC" approach, although maybe that'd only only apply to creatures that'd otherwise suffer autodeath because they're at 0 or negative hit points.

Also, regarding the earlier "How about it prevents damage each round" idea for Bardic Countersong:

Hmmm. OK. How about it prevents damage each round if the Perform check beats the Cha-based DC? And it can substitute for the save (like normal) on the final round for victims with positve hp but can only do so for 0hp or less victims if it exceeds the DC by X (say X=5)?

How about it prevents the damage that round if the countersonger's Perform Check matches a Perform Check by the Caprine, rather than using the Charisma-based save DC which is going to be a heck of a lot lower than a decent level-appropriate Bard's Perform modifier?