Converting Planescape monsters
Shade
Monster Junkie
Trelon
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any shadowy area
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Hive
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Nocturnal
DIET: Mages
INTELLIGENCE: Low (7)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 1-3/mage
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 3+1
THAC0: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-7/2-7
SPECIAL ATTACKS: -3 penalty to opponents’ surprise
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to illusions, phantasms, and shadow magic
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 35%
SIZE: L
MORALE: Fearless (19-20)
LEVEL/XP VALUE: 420
Trelons originated on one of the Prime Worlds and were brought to the Outlands by a sorcerer living on the ninth ring. This sorcerer used them as weapons, transporting them into the Academy of Weavers near Curst, where the trelons murdered the entire school of illusionists in their sleep.
Trelons have been described as a “mixture of orange and shadow.” They have two long arms that end in curved spikes, two mandibles near the mouth for feeding, and two spindly legs. According to legend, trelons were created to exterminate mages on some long-dead Prime world. True or not, the trelons seem to hate mages and magic in general.
Trelons do not like natural light, and torches or strong lanterns can prevent a trelon from attacking its target. Light sorceries, however, drive them into frenzies, and they attack any opponent using them without hesitation.
Combat: A trelon swarm is terrible to behold. When they appear, they mob any nearby creature, tearing through their victims like scythes. Trelons attack with their two armspikes, bisecting a target like a pair of cutting shears. When they have killed a target, the mandibles around their mouth scoop up the remains of the victims. They do not stop to feed until they have killed every non-trelon in sight.
Trelons never “appear” at distances greater than 30 feet from their victim. Until a victim comes within range, the trelons simply don’t exist. A target might never even know that he or she is in the middle of a swarm of trelons until they suddenly begin to materialize, imposing a -3 penalty to their prey’s surprise roll. Where these creatures come from is unknown, but they seem to appear only in shadowy conditions where there is no natural light. It is not known where they retreat to once they have finished their attack.
No one knows how these creatures hunt. Some believe that the trelons track a creature by its spellcasting, its shadow, its emotions, or its sound. It is known that trelons have the ability to track a victim through almost any spell or magical item designed to cloak the victim. They are drawn to invisibility, dust of disappearance, displacements, and shadow magic. Trelons can sense a target no matter how well they are hidden. It has been observed (under extremely bloody circumstances) that magical cloaking effects seem to drive trelons into a rage, and they prefer to attack any invisible or cloaked target in range.
Trelons are immune to hold monster, protection from evil, illusions, shadow magic, and mind-influencing spells. They are the bane of illusionists, so much so that a trelon’s claw is often a component used in the creation of arrows or other weapons designed to slay illusionists, shadows, or creatures from the Ethereal plane.
Habitat/Society: Trelons speak in soft clicks and chittering noises, which rise to a near-deafening screeching when they strike. Their insect nature makes several sages suspect that they may have a hive mentality, but like much that is known about trelons, it is only speculation.
Trelons are valued for their talons, which are long enough to be used as swordblades. When properly enchanted, they can become fearsome mage-slaying weapons. There have been tales that such weapons prefer to attack mages in combat, sometimes twisting in their owner’s grip to stab at magic-users, no matter what the intended target. There are rumors that trelons eventually come to reclaim the piece of their kin taken from them.
Trelon blood is said to give arrows of slaying (notably those that slay mages, illusionists, and shadows) extra abilities, but these abilities are unknown. Any attempt to use trelon blood to boost spellcasting or in a magical ritual has caused the spell to fail and has, in some circumstances, summoned a swarm of trelons to the scene.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #262 (1999).
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any shadowy area
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Hive
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Nocturnal
DIET: Mages
INTELLIGENCE: Low (7)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 1-3/mage
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 3+1
THAC0: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-7/2-7
SPECIAL ATTACKS: -3 penalty to opponents’ surprise
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to illusions, phantasms, and shadow magic
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 35%
SIZE: L
MORALE: Fearless (19-20)
LEVEL/XP VALUE: 420
Trelons originated on one of the Prime Worlds and were brought to the Outlands by a sorcerer living on the ninth ring. This sorcerer used them as weapons, transporting them into the Academy of Weavers near Curst, where the trelons murdered the entire school of illusionists in their sleep.
Trelons have been described as a “mixture of orange and shadow.” They have two long arms that end in curved spikes, two mandibles near the mouth for feeding, and two spindly legs. According to legend, trelons were created to exterminate mages on some long-dead Prime world. True or not, the trelons seem to hate mages and magic in general.
Trelons do not like natural light, and torches or strong lanterns can prevent a trelon from attacking its target. Light sorceries, however, drive them into frenzies, and they attack any opponent using them without hesitation.
Combat: A trelon swarm is terrible to behold. When they appear, they mob any nearby creature, tearing through their victims like scythes. Trelons attack with their two armspikes, bisecting a target like a pair of cutting shears. When they have killed a target, the mandibles around their mouth scoop up the remains of the victims. They do not stop to feed until they have killed every non-trelon in sight.
Trelons never “appear” at distances greater than 30 feet from their victim. Until a victim comes within range, the trelons simply don’t exist. A target might never even know that he or she is in the middle of a swarm of trelons until they suddenly begin to materialize, imposing a -3 penalty to their prey’s surprise roll. Where these creatures come from is unknown, but they seem to appear only in shadowy conditions where there is no natural light. It is not known where they retreat to once they have finished their attack.
No one knows how these creatures hunt. Some believe that the trelons track a creature by its spellcasting, its shadow, its emotions, or its sound. It is known that trelons have the ability to track a victim through almost any spell or magical item designed to cloak the victim. They are drawn to invisibility, dust of disappearance, displacements, and shadow magic. Trelons can sense a target no matter how well they are hidden. It has been observed (under extremely bloody circumstances) that magical cloaking effects seem to drive trelons into a rage, and they prefer to attack any invisible or cloaked target in range.
Trelons are immune to hold monster, protection from evil, illusions, shadow magic, and mind-influencing spells. They are the bane of illusionists, so much so that a trelon’s claw is often a component used in the creation of arrows or other weapons designed to slay illusionists, shadows, or creatures from the Ethereal plane.
Habitat/Society: Trelons speak in soft clicks and chittering noises, which rise to a near-deafening screeching when they strike. Their insect nature makes several sages suspect that they may have a hive mentality, but like much that is known about trelons, it is only speculation.
Trelons are valued for their talons, which are long enough to be used as swordblades. When properly enchanted, they can become fearsome mage-slaying weapons. There have been tales that such weapons prefer to attack mages in combat, sometimes twisting in their owner’s grip to stab at magic-users, no matter what the intended target. There are rumors that trelons eventually come to reclaim the piece of their kin taken from them.
Trelon blood is said to give arrows of slaying (notably those that slay mages, illusionists, and shadows) extra abilities, but these abilities are unknown. Any attempt to use trelon blood to boost spellcasting or in a magical ritual has caused the spell to fail and has, in some circumstances, summoned a swarm of trelons to the scene.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #262 (1999).
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
OK, true seeing, immunity to mind-influencing effects, shadow blend... should we give them shadow walk as well?
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
They originated on a prime world--sounds like an aberration to me.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Extraplanar aberration sounds apporpriate.
Let's figure out ability scores...
Int is 7.
Dex and natural armor need to add up to +8 in some combination.
HD "3+1" would seem to indicate decent Con.
Str could go either way. Although they are melee monsters, they are at least partially composed of shadow, which typically results in more of a finesse critter. The damage of "2-7" would seem to imply at least a +1 Str bonus.
Let's figure out ability scores...
Int is 7.
Dex and natural armor need to add up to +8 in some combination.
HD "3+1" would seem to indicate decent Con.
Str could go either way. Although they are melee monsters, they are at least partially composed of shadow, which typically results in more of a finesse critter. The damage of "2-7" would seem to imply at least a +1 Str bonus.
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