Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine

[Cleon]

PLANTMAN (MALATRAN MOLD MAN)
Medium Plant
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural) touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/+1
Attack: Claw +1 melee (1d4+1) or longspear +1 melee (1d8+1/x3) or spear +2 ranged (1d8+2/x3)
Full Attack: Claw +1 melee (1d4+1) or longspear +1 melee (1d8+1/x3) or spear +2 ranged (1d8+2/x3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: None
Special Qualities: fear fire, low-light vision, immunities (charms & compulsions, electricity and sleep), vulnerability to fire, plant weaknesses
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +0
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +6*[+14 in swamps or forest], Listen +4, Move Silently +6, Spot +4
[8 skill ranks, half in Listen and half in Spot]
Feats: 1
Environment: Warm forest or swamp
Organization: Solitary, Gang (4-9), band (10-100 plus 2-5 5 HD bodyguards and one 7-8 HD sub-chief per 50 plantmen, plus one 10 HD chief), warband (6-24), or tribe (30-300 plus 2-5 5 HD bodyguards and one 7-8 HD sub-chief per 50 plantman, plus 2-8 6 HD bodyguards and one 10-12 HD chief)
Challenge Rating: 1?
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 2-6 (Medium); 7–12 HD (Large) or by character class - see below
Level Adjustment: ?

Proficient in simple weapons?

Plantman communicate with each other via sign-language, percussion and crude vocalisations, using the same language as Vegepygmies. They can learn to speak humanoid languages.

Combat

Plant Weaknesses (Ex): A plantman does not have all the standard immunities of the Plant type, it is affected normally by poison, paralysis, polymorph, stun and critical hits. It has a limited immunity to mind-affecting effects, being immune to charms and compulsions but normally affected by phantasms, patterns, and morale effects. It is immune to sleep.

Skills: Plantmen receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide and Move Silently, their racial bonus to Hide increases to +12 bonus when in a swampy or forested areas.

Advancing a Plantman
+2 Strength per extra Plant Hit Dice. +2 Con and +1 natural armour at 5 plant HD and another +2 Con +1 NA at 7 plant HD. Large size at 7 plant HD with -2 Dex and increased Space/Reach but no ability score or NA boosts.

Favoured class fighter?

Plantmen Spellcasters
Most plantmen clerics worship vegetable gods. Such priests can not cast fire or cold spells, and their spontaneous cure spells will only heal creatures of the Plant type.

Chiefs
Add a special attack:
Spores (Ex):

Plantmen as Player Characters

 

[freyar]

Generally, I like this, but I'm not sure the nonstandard advancement is quite necessary in this case (you can sell me on it, though ).

Agreed to no camouflage.

We'll want the usual PC race block, too.

 

[Cleon]

Generally, I like this, but I'm not sure the nonstandard advancement is quite necessary in this case (you can sell me on it, though ).

My reasoning behind the nonstandard advancement is that it's a kind of cutdown savage species progression. That way, the hypothetical Plantman PC can advance in levels of Plantman or levels of their adventuring class.

We'll want the usual PC race block, too.

Yes, I'll see what I can do.

 

[Shade]

I wouldn't boost Con myself. I'm imagining these plantmen as being taller and slimmer than Vegepygmies, but no tougher.

I'm OK with that.

I was going to propose giving the Chiefs a subentry similar to a Stone Giant Elder, and adding another subentry for "Plantmen Spellcasters".

I agree with the Chief subentry, but think we need to drop the archaic limiters on spellcasting (like we do with most converted creatures).

As for the over 7' plantmen being struck as Large, I'd just make them Large monsters at 7-12 HD. I was thinking of giving them a non-standard Advancement scheme.

Yep, we decided on Large for the high end of the advancement scale.

I'm sorely tempted to take away most of the Plant immunities (namely immunity to poison, paralysis, polymorph, stun and critical hits) and just leave them immunity to mind-affecting spells (except charm plant) and sleep. The main reason for this is that these are supposed to be a playable race, and a PC-race with all those immunities would have too high a level adjustment. Imagine it a vegetable equivalent of a warforged, a Plant-type monster that isn't invulnerable to half the conditions it's likely to face when adventuring.

I disagree. The volodni and cactacae, for example, are both playable plant races with fairly low LAs. I'm not fond of odd exceptions like this just for the sake of lowering LA (the warforged being a perfect example).

Regarding racial skill bonuses, my original thought was just giving them the same as a Vegepygmy (+4 to Hide, Listen, Move Silently and Spot) but I think I like your suggestion of just Hide & MS better.

I don't think I'd bother with camouflage, if they're in a forest there's already plenty of cover.

Fair enough.

 

[freyar]

I'll let Shade decide on advancement. But if you treat the plant HD as normal, you still get BAB increases, and we could note that they get ability increases based on total HD if played as a PC, etc.

I think I agree with Shade about the normal plant features.

 

[Cleon]

I agree with the Chief subentry, but think we need to drop the archaic limiters on spellcasting (like we do with most converted creatures).

I agree that it shouldn't be an innate restriction, but I like the notion of it being a religious/social bar. Hence my idea that standard plantmen worship gods that do not grant divine spells of fire, cold or healing non-plants, while leaving room open for standard spellcasters.

I disagree. The volodni and cactacae, for example, are both playable plant races with fairly low LAs. I'm not fond of odd exceptions like this just for the sake of lowering LA (the warforged being a perfect example).

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Immunity to mind-affecting, poison, paralysis, polymorph, sleep, stun and critical hits seems an extremely powerful boost for a PC class to me.

As you may have gathered by now, I like to bend the rules to fit the monster rather than the other way around so I think I'll stat up a lower LA version so we have an alternative for people who prefer it.

Speaking of Level Adjustment, what level adjustment do you think would be appropriate? I was thinking of around +2 or +3, since they have some handy immunities and respectable natural armour.

EDIT: Upon reconsidering I've decided LA +1 or +2 is probably closer, going by comparisons with low LA races.

I've started working on a "savage species" style level progression for 1-12 Hit Dice plantmen following my particular idiosyncracies, but it's not quite ready yet.

EDITED EDIT: Oh yes, I originally suggested Fighter for favoured class, since the 2E write-up has fighter listed twice, once by itself and once as a fighter-priest. However, upon reflection I prefer the idea of Ranger as the Plantmen's favoured class.

Although I've finished roughing out a PC block, as follows:

Plantmen as Player Characters

• Strength +2, Dexterity +4.
• Size Medium.
• A plantman’s base land speed is 30 feet.
• Low-light vision.
• Racial Hit Dice: A plantman begins with one level of humanoid, which provide 1d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +0, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +2, Ref +0, and Will +0.
• Racial Skills: A plantman’s plant levels give it skill points equal to 4 × (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Hide, Listen, Move Silently and Spot.
• Racial skill bonuses: A plantman has a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks, its racial bonus on Hide increases to +12 in swamp or forest terrain.
• Racial Feats: A plantman’s plant levels give it one feat.
• +4 natural armor bonus.
• Automatic Languages: Plantman. Bonus Languages: Common, Elven.
• Favored Class: Ranger.
• Plant Weaknesses (Ex): A plantman does not have all the standard immunities of the Plant type, it is affected normally by poison, paralysis, polymorph, stun and critical hits. It has a limited immunity to mind-affecting effects, being immune to charms and compulsions (except for those which specifically affect Plants) but normally affected by phantasms, patterns, and morale effects. It is immune to sleep.
  OR
  Plant Traits (Ex): A plantman is immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, paralysis, polymorph, sleep, stun and critical hits.
  [To cover both my preferences and the competition's]
  
• Immunity to Electricity: A plantman takes no damage from electricity.
• Vulnerability to Fire (Ex): A plantman takes 50% extra damage from fire.
• Fear Fire (Ex): ?
• Level adjustment +1? +2?

 

[Shade]

I agree that it shouldn't be an innate restriction, but I like the notion of it being a religious/social bar. Hence my idea that standard plantmen worship gods that do not grant divine spells of fire, cold or healing non-plants, while leaving room open for standard spellcasters.

I don't mind it as a flavor text, as opposed to a hard-and-fast rule.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Immunity to mind-affecting, poison, paralysis, polymorph, sleep, stun and critical hits seems an extremely powerful boost for a PC class to me.

It does, but since we have precedent of other low-LA races, I'd rather not break the mold here. If I were to revise all of them, though...

As you may have gathered by now, I like to bend the rules to fit the monster rather than the other way around so I think I'll stat up a lower LA version so we have an alternative for people who prefer it.

Sure, go for it. It's always good to have alternatives.

Speaking of Level Adjustment, what level adjustment do you think would be appropriate? I was thinking of around +2 or +3, since they have some handy immunities and respectable natural armour.

The volodni and cactacae both have +2 LA, and both have nearly the same immunities and an additional special ability or two, so +1 or +2 would work. I think I'd stick with +2 here as well, though, due to the immunities and the lack of any ability score penalties to offset the decent boosts (including Strength, which is "worth more"). By the Savage Species method, they'd actually have a much higher LA, but if you apply those same rules to most monsters WotC has done since 3.5, they generally understate them by a few points.

EDITED EDIT: Oh yes, I originally suggested Fighter for favoured class, since the 2E write-up has fighter listed twice, once by itself and once as a fighter-priest. However, upon reflection I prefer the idea of Ranger as the Plantmen's favoured class.

Ditto here. Ranger for the win!

I also think that as 1-HD races, the stat block should reflect a 1st-level warrior (and thus the ability scores modifiers may end up different based upon the application of the standard array.

I'm thinking Str 13, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 8.
Then modify the racial modifiers to +4 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom.

Thoughts?

(As an aside, I think the vegepygmies could use an update, reducing them to 1-HD warriors as well).

 

[freyar]

I think I agree with all of that, including proposed abilities.

 

[Cleon]

Originally Posted by Cleon
I agree that it shouldn't be an innate restriction, but I like the notion of it being a religious/social bar. Hence my idea that standard plantmen worship gods that do not grant divine spells of fire, cold or healing non-plants, while leaving room open for standard spellcasters.

I don't mind it as a flavor text, as opposed to a hard-and-fast rule.

Fine by me, that's more or less what I was aiming at.

Ditto here. Ranger for the win!

And the rangers score again! Winning the match three-nil.

Yes, it just seems appropriate. I imagine heroic Plantmen rangers picking Animal and Human as their favoured foes, the better to slay the herbivores which menace their tribe and "recruit" the local humans to become bodyguards.

I also think that as 1-HD races, the stat block should reflect a 1st-level warrior (and thus the ability scores modifiers may end up different based upon the application of the standard array.

I'm thinking Str 13, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 8.
Then modify the racial modifiers to +4 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom.

Thoughts?

(As an aside, I think the vegepygmies could use an update, reducing them to 1-HD warriors as well).

Right, I'm going to go the Savage Species increase-with-Plant-level route, with only exceptional individuals having character class levels and leave you to go the NPC Warrior class level route.

I'll probably break a few more molds on the way.

As for the ability scores, I was assuming the base Plantman was a "completely average" specimen with 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10 stats plus +2 Str and +4 Dex rather than giving them the nonelite array, which I usually reserve for minor 'name' beasties.

As for the Vegepygmies, they started out with 2 hit dice in AD&D, so maybe 1 level in Plant and 1 level in Warrior?

 

[Shade]

Plantmen can suffer from dehydration when adventuring outside of very moist, swampy areas. They must wet themselves twice a day or lose two Constitution points per missed bath. Lost Constitution points are regained at the rate of two points per bath. A waterskin provides enough water for a single wetting.

How's this? I based it off heat dangers, rather than drowning like the sahuagin.

Dampness Dependent (Ex): Plantmen must keep their bodies wet or become easily dehydrated. Plantmen can survive in dry environments for 1 hour per 2 points of Constitution. After that, it must make a Fortitude saving throw each hour (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Plantmen reduced to unconsciousness begin taking lethal damage (1d4 points per hour). An application of 1 gallon of water is sufficient to re-wet the plantman's body.

Fire-based attacks cause double damage and require plantmen to make a saving throw vs. paralyzation or flee for 1d6 rounds before another save can be attempted.

How's this?

Fear of Flames (Ex): A plantman that suffers fire damage from an attack must succeed on a Will save (DC = damage dealt) or become panicked for 1d6 rounds.