Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

[freyar]

I'm going to go with CR 4. Attack bonus is a bit low, but it has good defense and reasonable damage (esp with drown). If we want to give extra credit for being able to grant a limited wish, we could go CR 5, but I think that might be pushing it.

10 ft tall and 2000 lb? For a 6HD one, that is.

 

[demiurge1138]

The regeneration, I think, is a pretty good argument in favor of CR 5.

 

[Shade]

Good point. Despite having less HD, they seem quite a bit better than a Large water elemental.

Updated. Finished?

 

[Cleon]

I'm going to go with CR 4. Attack bonus is a bit low, but it has good defense and reasonable damage (esp with drown). If we want to give extra credit for being able to grant a limited wish, we could go CR 5, but I think that might be pushing it.

The regeneration, I think, is a pretty good argument in favor of CR 5.

They've got damage reduction 5/- AND regeneration 5. Together I think those merit Challenge Rating 5, since that's a tricky combination for low-level characters, especially as they've got a decent AC so Power Attack will be of little use.

10 ft tall and 2000 lb? For a 6HD one, that is.

That's a little under 1/8th the weight of a Greater Well Spirit but 1/3rd the height. I think half the Greater's height (15 feet) would be more proportional.

 

[Cleon]

Good point. Despite having less HD, they seem quite a bit better than a Large water elemental.

Updated. Finished?

It looks finished as far as the stats go.

Although I still prefer Knowledge (arcana) over Knowledge (the planes), since Lesser Well Spirits are juveniles who have not started plane-travelling yet.

I'm not really bothered about changing the height to 15 ft. to cleave closer to the Greater version's height/weight ratio.

 

[Shade]

I'm fine with the increase to 15 feet, but I vastly prefer K (the planes) to (arcana), as these things need to know their origins/destinies.

 

[freyar]

I prefer Know (planes) also for similar reasons. 15 ft is ok, and I thought about that as a possibility, too.

 

[Shade]

Updated. I believe we are finished now. That one took near to forever!

These next ones appear to be an overlooked gem...

PHOENIX SPIDER
Created by: K.L. Campbell
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-10
ARMOR CLASS: 7 to 1
MOVE: 12. *24.
HIT DICE: 3-10
% IN LAIR: 95%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1 bite
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison, web
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 25%
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: S-L (1-20' across)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: Variable, as per incarnation

The phoenix spider was created through a mutual effort by the demon queen Lolth and an unknown powerful being from the Elemental Plane of Fire. These creatures now serve both lordlings.

The phoenix spider appears to be a small crimson spider like a black widow, with a black hourglass on the top of the abdomen. They are vicious and attack anything not spider- or flame-like in nature. They can be killed by normal means and take double damage from cold attacks and temperatures. Fire-based attacks of sufficient power (doing damage greater than or equal to their current hit-point totals) will seem to kill them. However, such attacks actually strengthen these creatures, causingthem to reform in three rounds. If slain by other means, it takes nine rounds for these monsters to reform their essences into a more powerful creature.

Only being killed by cold-based spells prevents these beasts from reforming again.

Form # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Size 1' 2' 4' 8' 12' 16' 20'
AC 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Hit dice 3 4 5 6 7 8 10
Bite damage 1 1-3 1-4 1-6 1-8 1-10 1-12
Poison damage 4 5 6 10 12 16 20

The poison, which is injected with each bite, kills if a save vs. poison is missed; the damage listed is taken for a successful saving throw. In addition, a phoenix spider is able to fire a strand of webbing across a distance five times as far as the spider’s size (i.e., a phoenix spider in its first form can fire a web only 5’ distant, but a seventh-form spider could fire a web up to 100’). One creature may be the victim of such a web-shot, and must save vs. spells as per the magic-user spell web, or else suffer all the usual effects of the spell itself. Note that the webs of the phoenix spider are not flammable.

If a spider has reached its seventh transformation (20’) and it is slain by fire, it reverses its growth process, shrinking one size lower with each death. Any other method of killing it after its seventh life will permanently kill it.

Phoenix spiders are found in various places in the Abyss, and some have been summoned through special rituals by evil drow and human cults. Because they like hot temperatures, these monsters are extremely rare and almost never found away from the place where they were summoned (which is usually kept warm).

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #118 (1987).

 

[freyar]

Interesting. Something like a very rapid rejuvenation plus advancement? Think there's a way to handle this to make it less tricky?

 

[Shade]

Possibly a reverse approach to the walking dead?

Here's the phoenix and phoelarch's similar abilities...

Immolation (Su): When it knows that death is near, a phoenix immolates itself as a full-round action. This produces a cloud of flame in a 20-foot-high, 15-foot-radius spread. Each creature in the area takes 40d6 points of damage (Reflex DC 22 half). Half of this damage is fire; the rest results directly from divine power and is therefore not subject to reduction by protection from elements (fire), fire shield (chill shield), or similar magic. This action kills the original phoenix and produces a new one, fully grown and unharmed, from the ashes. This new bird arrives at the end of the round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Healing Fire (Su): Any fire attack that would normally deal damage instead heals a phoelarch. Any fire effect targeted on a phoelarch heals 1 points of damage for every 3 points of damage it would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the phoelarch to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. For example, a phoelarch exposed to a fireball that deals 30 points of damage would heal up to 10 points of damage, or provide the phoelarch with up to 10 temporary hit points.

Rise From the Ashes (Su): When a phoelarch is slain (reduced to -10 hit points or below), its body is immolated, leaving nothing but ash and a chrysalis form in the shape of a small black egg roughly 6 inches across. The egg remains dormant for 24 hours, after which time it hatches, releasing a fully grown phoera.

The ash and chrysalis left behind when a phoelarch dies can be used to resurrect the phoelarch, but the creature cannot be raised by any means. Once a phoera has burst free from its chrysalis, the phoelarch cannot be brought back to life by any means. A gentle repose spell or similar magic cast on a chrysalis can keep the egg from hatching, allowing the phoelarch to possibly be brought back to life at a later time. Once the gentle repose effect ends, however, the egg hatches 24 hours later.

A wish or miracle spell used in conjunction with a ressurection effect can restore a phoelarch to life after its chrysalis has hatched.