Special Conversion Thread: Lycanthropes and their ilk
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Shade
Monster Junkie
Lycanthrope, Werecamel
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 21"
HIT DICE: 6 + 6
% IN LAIR: 20%
TREASURE TYPE: B,S
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spitting
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only by silver or magic weapons
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: V/475 + 8/hp
Werecamels are lycanthropes able to assume camel form. (For more general details on lycanthropy, see page 63 of the Monster Manual.). A werecamel can summon 1-4 camels, which arrive in 2-12 turns. In camel form, it can go for weeks in the desert without requiring water.
Werecamels can attack by biting, which may infect the victim with lycanthropy according to AD&D Game specifications, or by spitting. This spit has a 30' range. If a normal "to hit" roll is successful, the spittle has a 50% chance of blinding the victim for 2-8 rounds. There is no saving throw.
Originally appeared in Polyhedron #29 (1986).
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 21"
HIT DICE: 6 + 6
% IN LAIR: 20%
TREASURE TYPE: B,S
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spitting
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only by silver or magic weapons
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: V/475 + 8/hp
Werecamels are lycanthropes able to assume camel form. (For more general details on lycanthropy, see page 63 of the Monster Manual.). A werecamel can summon 1-4 camels, which arrive in 2-12 turns. In camel form, it can go for weeks in the desert without requiring water.
Werecamels can attack by biting, which may infect the victim with lycanthropy according to AD&D Game specifications, or by spitting. This spit has a 30' range. If a normal "to hit" roll is successful, the spittle has a 50% chance of blinding the victim for 2-8 rounds. There is no saving throw.
Originally appeared in Polyhedron #29 (1986).
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
Well, at least we're not starting with anything too weird.
Ability score modifications in hybrid or animal forms should be Str +8, Dex +6, Con +4 from the SRD camel. Or we could use a dire camel, which I feel we did some conversion of not too long ago.
The hybrid supposedly gets claws and a bite, but I don't see a hybrid camel getting claws. Add in a spit attack (even though the camel doesn't have it)?
Do we want to upgrade the usual lycanthropic empathy to summoning as in the original?
And add in flavor about surviving without water?
Ability score modifications in hybrid or animal forms should be Str +8, Dex +6, Con +4 from the SRD camel. Or we could use a dire camel, which I feel we did some conversion of not too long ago.
The hybrid supposedly gets claws and a bite, but I don't see a hybrid camel getting claws. Add in a spit attack (even though the camel doesn't have it)?
Do we want to upgrade the usual lycanthropic empathy to summoning as in the original?
And add in flavor about surviving without water?
Cleon
Legend
Oh dear heavens, we're starting on the novelty lycanthropes.
The SRD Camel would seem a good place to start:
The AC and attacks look OK, just make the bite a standard attack/damage natural weapon instead of a secondary attack/damage one.
If it can transmit lycanthropy through its bite does that mean it's via saliva? In that case, shouldn't its spit attack be infectious as well?
Adding the SRD camel to a 1st level warrior "Lyco-style" would result in a 4 Hit Dice creature, 2 HD fewer than the Polyhedron version.
What we really need is a 5HD Camel as a base creature. Enworld's got a 14 HD Dire Camel and a 7 HD Giant Camel, but both of those are too powerful. Hmm, the War Camel in Sandstorm has 4 HD but I don't think it's OGL, it also has hoof attacks that the werecamel doesn't. We could use it as inspiration, though.
The SRD Camel would seem a good place to start:
SRD said:
The AC and attacks look OK, just make the bite a standard attack/damage natural weapon instead of a secondary attack/damage one.
If it can transmit lycanthropy through its bite does that mean it's via saliva? In that case, shouldn't its spit attack be infectious as well?
Adding the SRD camel to a 1st level warrior "Lyco-style" would result in a 4 Hit Dice creature, 2 HD fewer than the Polyhedron version.
What we really need is a 5HD Camel as a base creature. Enworld's got a 14 HD Dire Camel and a 7 HD Giant Camel, but both of those are too powerful. Hmm, the War Camel in Sandstorm has 4 HD but I don't think it's OGL, it also has hoof attacks that the werecamel doesn't. We could use it as inspiration, though.
Cleon
Legend
That's OK by me. I'll use the Lycanthrope template on a Camel and 1st level human warrior, then add a Spit attack and the Sure Step SQ some of the Sandstorm camels have. I like the idea of them wielding glaives, for some reason.
That gives us:
Cleon
Legend
Werecamel Working Draft
Werecamel
Werecamel, Human Form
Medium Humanoid (Human, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 plus 3d8+9 (28 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+2 natural, +3 studded leather armor), touch 10, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4
Attack: Glaive +4 melee (1d10+1/×3) or javelin +3 ranged (1d6+1)
Full Attack: Glaive +4 melee (1d10+1/×3) or javelin +3 ranged (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Alternate form, camel empathy, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8
Skills: 8 (warrior) plus 6 (camel)
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will (B), plus one (B)
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary, pair, family (3-4), or troupe (2-4 plus 6-30 camels)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3
Werecamel, Camel Form
Large Humanoid (Human, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 plus 3d8+9 (28 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+12
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d8+7)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d8+7)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Curse of lycanthropy, spit
Special Qualities: Alternate form, camel empathy, damage reduction 10/silver, low-light vision, scent, sure feet
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8
Skills: 8 (warrior) plus 6 (camel)
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will (B), plus one (B)
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary, pair, family (3-4), or troupe (2-4 plus 6-30 camels)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3
Werecamel, Hybrid Form
Large Humanoid (Human, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 plus 3d8+9 (28 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+12
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d8+5); or claw +7 melee (1d6+5); or glaive +5 melee (1d10+7/×3)
Full Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d6+5) and glaive +3 melee (1d10+2/×3) and bite +2 melee (1d8+2) or 2 claws +7 melee (1d6+5) and bite +2 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Curse of lycanthropy
Special Qualities: Alternate form, camel empathy, damage reduction 10/silver, low-light vision, scent, sure feet
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8
Skills: 8 (warrior) plus 6 (camel)
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will (B), plus one (B)
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary, pair, family (3-4), or troupe (2-4 plus 6-30 camels)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3
Werecamels in humanoid form tend to be gangly and hunch-backed. Their features are usually coarse, with large, broad noses. They dress in simple cloth and leather garments that are easy to remove, repair, or replace.
COMBAT
Werecamels fight just as camels do in animal form. In humanoid or hybrid form, they favour javelins and 2-handed slashing polearms such as glaives. The werecamel’s glaive is a Medium weapon, so it can wield the weapon in one hand in hybrid form.
Alternate Form (Su): A werecamel can assume the form of a camel or a camel-humanoid hybrid.
Camel Empathy (Ex): Communicate with camels and dire camels, and +4 racial bonus on Charisma-based checks against camels and dire camels.
Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): Any humanoid or giant hit by a werecamel’s bite or spit attack in animal or hybrid form must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or contract lycanthropy.
Spit (Ex): A werecamel in animal or hybrid form can spit in an enemy's face as a standard attack. This is a ranged touch attack with a 20 ft. range. If it hits, the opponent must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex save or be blinded for 1d3 rounds. If the spit blinds a humanoid or giant they must also save versus the werecamel's curse of lycanthropy. An opponent can remove the blindness by spending a standard-action to shake or rub the spittle out of their eyes. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Sure Feet (Ex): Werecamels in animal or hybrid form have broad feet that help them travel easily over sand and similar loose surfaces. They treat shallow sand as normal terrain and deep sand as shallow sand. See Sandstorm, page 18, for descriptions of shallow and deep sand.
Skills: Werecamels have a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks in any camel form. This is a copy-and-paste holdover from the werebear and should be ignored
The werecamel presented here is a 1st-level human warrior and natural lycanthrope, using the following base ability scores: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.
Werecamel
Werecamel, Human Form
Medium Humanoid (Human, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 plus 3d8+9 (28 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+2 natural, +3 studded leather armor), touch 10, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4
Attack: Glaive +4 melee (1d10+1/×3) or javelin +3 ranged (1d6+1)
Full Attack: Glaive +4 melee (1d10+1/×3) or javelin +3 ranged (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Alternate form, camel empathy, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8
Skills: 8 (warrior) plus 6 (camel)
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will (B), plus one (B)
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary, pair, family (3-4), or troupe (2-4 plus 6-30 camels)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3
Werecamel, Camel Form
Large Humanoid (Human, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 plus 3d8+9 (28 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+12
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d8+7)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d8+7)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Curse of lycanthropy, spit
Special Qualities: Alternate form, camel empathy, damage reduction 10/silver, low-light vision, scent, sure feet
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8
Skills: 8 (warrior) plus 6 (camel)
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will (B), plus one (B)
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary, pair, family (3-4), or troupe (2-4 plus 6-30 camels)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3
Werecamel, Hybrid Form
Large Humanoid (Human, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 plus 3d8+9 (28 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+12
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d8+5); or claw +7 melee (1d6+5); or glaive +5 melee (1d10+7/×3)
Full Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d6+5) and glaive +3 melee (1d10+2/×3) and bite +2 melee (1d8+2) or 2 claws +7 melee (1d6+5) and bite +2 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Curse of lycanthropy
Special Qualities: Alternate form, camel empathy, damage reduction 10/silver, low-light vision, scent, sure feet
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8
Skills: 8 (warrior) plus 6 (camel)
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will (B), plus one (B)
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary, pair, family (3-4), or troupe (2-4 plus 6-30 camels)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3
Werecamels in humanoid form tend to be gangly and hunch-backed. Their features are usually coarse, with large, broad noses. They dress in simple cloth and leather garments that are easy to remove, repair, or replace.
COMBAT
Werecamels fight just as camels do in animal form. In humanoid or hybrid form, they favour javelins and 2-handed slashing polearms such as glaives. The werecamel’s glaive is a Medium weapon, so it can wield the weapon in one hand in hybrid form.
Alternate Form (Su): A werecamel can assume the form of a camel or a camel-humanoid hybrid.
Camel Empathy (Ex): Communicate with camels and dire camels, and +4 racial bonus on Charisma-based checks against camels and dire camels.
Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): Any humanoid or giant hit by a werecamel’s bite or spit attack in animal or hybrid form must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or contract lycanthropy.
Spit (Ex): A werecamel in animal or hybrid form can spit in an enemy's face as a standard attack. This is a ranged touch attack with a 20 ft. range. If it hits, the opponent must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex save or be blinded for 1d3 rounds. If the spit blinds a humanoid or giant they must also save versus the werecamel's curse of lycanthropy. An opponent can remove the blindness by spending a standard-action to shake or rub the spittle out of their eyes. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Sure Feet (Ex): Werecamels in animal or hybrid form have broad feet that help them travel easily over sand and similar loose surfaces. They treat shallow sand as normal terrain and deep sand as shallow sand. See Sandstorm, page 18, for descriptions of shallow and deep sand.
The werecamel presented here is a 1st-level human warrior and natural lycanthrope, using the following base ability scores: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.
Last edited:
Cleon
Legend
I'd rather max out Intimidate and split the rest between Handle Animal and Ride.
Skills Ranks: Handle Animal 2, Intimidate 4, Listen 3, Spot 3, Ride 2
Skills (Human Form): Handle Animal +1*, Intimidate +3*, Listen +3, Spot +3, Ride +2
Skills (Were Forms): Handle Animal +1*, Intimidate +3*, Listen +3, Spot +3, Ride +5
*skills have +4 bonus vs camels.
It sure looks silly to have a higher Ride skill in its wereforms but it's an inevitable consequence of the higher Dex bonus (just imagine what it looks like!)
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