Special Conversion Thread: Microscopic Monsters

[Cleon]

Are basketball size creatures too big to form a swarm?

A basketball is under 2 feet across so I'd think a creature that big ought to be Tiny, and hence swarm-worthy.

 

[Shade]

Let's just make 'em Tiny, as they'd make a great swarm.

 

[freyar]

No swarm damage but distraction and exposure to the poison?

 

[Shade]

Yeah, it sounds like contact poison.

 

[Cleon]

No swarm damage but distraction and exposure to the poison?

I'd go for 1d6 swarm damage.

Even individually harmless creatures like bats do damage in a swarm.

 

[Shade]

Fair enough. Added to Homebrews.

Let's work on the poison...

As individuals they are relatively harmless, but in large blooms (any group of 1000 or more) they secrete enough toxin to kill water-breathing creatures that cannot escape, and will eventually deplete the oxygen in a given small body of water. The toxin causes paralysis of all muscles (including lungs and heart) if the victim does not save against it. Because the poison is so weak, it a saving throw of 2 is sufficient against it . but the save must be repeated every round, and a roll of 1, regardless of any other circumstances, is enough to cause death by drowning to helpless victims in one round.

Per Wikipedia: They produce a potent toxin known as Saxitoxin which affects nerve impulses and can lead to paralysis of muscles and may eventually end in asphyxiation.

 

[Cleon]

Fair enough. Added to Homebrews.

Strength 10 is way too high. I suggest Str 2.

Are we doing an individual version too? Something like:

Giant Gonyaulax
Tiny Ooze (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 1/2d10 (2 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: Swim 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+2 size, +1 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-8
Attack: —
Full Attack: —
Space/Reach: 2 1/5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Blinding flash, poison
Special Qualities: Blind, blindsight 60 ft., ooze traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +0, Will -5
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 10, Con 10, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: Swim +8
Feats: —
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary, cluster (2-20) or bloom (20-400)
Challenge Rating: x
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —

The 1/2 HD Tiny version is based on the 1 HD Small sample in the original.

A swarm of Gonyaulax ought to have more than 1 Hit Dice if an individual has 1 (or 1/2) HD. How about 13 Hit Dice, for the sake of argument?

Let's work on the poison...

Per Wikipedia: They produce a potent toxin known as Saxitoxin which affects nerve impulses and can lead to paralysis of muscles and may eventually end in asphyxiation.

I would have it do initial Dexterity damage and secondary Constitution damage. The original version only affects water breathing creatures, but that means it's harmless to typical air breathing adventures. I suggest making it Contact/Inhaled.

Say, an individual Gonyaulax's poison is only strong enough to affect a creature in the same square as it:

Poison: Gonyaulax produce a cloud of poison, any creature in the water that occupies the same 5 ft. square as a Gonyaulax is exposed to its poison.

Gonyaulax poison—Contact/inhaled poison, Fort DC 6, initial damage 1 Dex, secondary damage 1 Con, the save DC is Constitution-based and includes a -4 racial penalty).
​

A swarm poisons the water within, say, a 30 ft. range, for 1d6 damage?

Poison: Gonyaulax swarms produce a cloud of poison, any creature in the water within 30 ft. of a Gonyaulax swarm is exposed to its poison.

Gonyaulax swarm poison—Contact/inhaled poison, Fort DC 12, initial damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage 1d6 Con, the save DC is Constitution-based and includes a -4 racial penalty).
​

The DC assumes we make the swarm 13 Hit Dice like I suggested.

 

[freyar]

Hmm, I think I'd make the secondary damage a few rounds of paralysis and note that an air-breathing creature paralyzed under water can start to drown. EDIT: unless that makes it too strong. Hmmm.

 

[Cleon]

Hmm, I think I'd make the secondary damage a few rounds of paralysis and note that an air-breathing creature paralyzed under water can start to drown. EDIT: unless that makes it too strong. Hmmm.

I'd rather have the paralysis be due to cumulative Dexterity damage. Maybe make the Dex damage higher than the Con damage, or have the secondary damage Dex plus Con.

e.g.:

Poison: Gonyaulax produce a cloud of poison, any creature in the water that occupies the same 5 ft. square as a Gonyaulax is exposed to its poison.

Gonyaulax poison—Contact/inhaled poison, Fort DC 6, initial damage 1d3 Dex, secondary damage 1 Dex and 1 Con, the save DC is Constitution-based and includes a -4 racial penalty).
​

Poison: Gonyaulax swarms produce a cloud of poison, any creature in the water within 30 ft. of a Gonyaulax swarm is exposed to its poison.

Gonyaulax swarm poison—Contact/inhaled poison, Fort DC 12, initial damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con, the save DC is Constitution-based and includes a -4 racial penalty).
​

I like that better than the original draft.

 

[freyar]

Frankly, I'd rather do all Dex and no Con. Both the original monster and wikipedia say paralysis, which is all a Dex thing. So how about 1d3 Dex/1d3 Dex for the individual and 1d6 Dex/1d6 Dex for the swarm? And we just have to call it saxitoxin, since it has a real name.