Special Conversion Thread: Moldvay's Undead

[Cleon]

These are looking pretty good. I like the Bleeding Wounds SA and how it ties into Burning Blood.

Speaking of Burning Blood, DC11 is pretty weak, especially as it only gets one shot at it. Shall we give it a racial bonus of +2 or +4?

I agree with them looking like a CR2, albeit a nasty one.

As for creation, I'm thinking create undead from a 12th level caster. We could add a Craft check if we wanted to mirror the "The thorns must be specially carved from bones taken from the same type of creature that is to be animated" - DC10 Craft (sculpting) or Craft (engraving)?

There's a couple of minor problems with the current writeup. In the combat tactics there's an "except the never wield" which looks like it should have a "they".

Oh, and their melee spike attack should have bleeding wounds and spike burst for damage, not just bleeding wounds.

Finally, I think their spikes should be a bit longer than an inch, since they can do 1d6 damage with a punch. I'd think 3-6 inches would be more credible.

 

[Shade]

Sounds good. Let's leave off the Craft checks, as they feel tacked on at such a high caster level.

Updated.

What's left?

 

[demiurge1138]

The name of the "spike burst" ability is actually "bonespray". So it should be changed in the attack line.

 

[Shade]

Fixed.

 

[Cleon]

Fixed.

They look done, unless you fancy giving them a height and weight (5-6 feet, ~60 pounds?).

 

[Shade]

Here's the next variant...

Dust skeleton
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Band
ACTIVITY CYCLES: Any
DIET: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Non- (0)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 2-20 (2d10)
ARMOR CLASS: 10
MOVEMENT: 9
HIT DICE: 1-1
THACO: 20
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1 point
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Choking cloud
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: As skeleton
SIZE: M (5’-6’)
MORALE: Special
XP VALUE: 65

Although they look like normal skeletons, dust skeletons weigh about one-fifth as much, as their bones are dried almost to the point of disintegration. Wherever they walk, they leave a trail of blue-gray dust hanging in the air. This dust is poisonous, and anyone approaching within 10’ feels mildly nauseous. Dust skeletons are used to break enemy formations by disabling large numbers of troops.

Combat: Since they were created specifically to be destroyed, dust skeletons never carry weapons and cause very little damage in melee. Unlike regular skeletons, dust skeletons take full damage from edged and piercing weapons. When they are reduced to 0 hp, the skeletons shatter, spreading a cloud of dust in a 10’ radius. Anyone breathing in the dust must make a save vs. poison or be paralyzed for 2-12 rounds. Those who make their saves spend one round coughing and choking, and are unable to attack or cast spells but are otherwise unaffected.

Special ingredients: Bones used to create dust skeletons must be specially dried to the point where they are ready to crumble. A special resin containing a paralyzing venom is then used to coat the bones. Transmute water to dust is used in conjunction with animate dead to dry the bones further.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #234 (1996).

 

[demiurge1138]

OK, so they leave behind a trail for Fort save or sickened? Death throes for the dust burst, but we might want to reduce paralyzed to dazed or stunned.

 

[freyar]

Death throes is right, and I can see reducing to dazed or stunned.

Since 3.5 doesn't have facing, what if we switch the trail to an aura like stench?

 

[Shade]

What effect would facing have upon a trail? I picture it just linger in the last x spaces the skeleton traveled through. I can live with an aura, though, if that seems too complex to adjudicate.

 

[Cleon]

OK, so they leave behind a trail for Fort save or sickened? Death throes for the dust burst, but we might want to reduce paralyzed to dazed or stunned.

Since mild exposure to the dust causes mild sickness, I'd prefer the stronger exposure of its death throes to make its victims sickened/nauseated/dazed depending on their save.

So, how about a 10-foot radius dazzling aura for its regular dust-cloud, and its dust burst causes 2d6 rounds of nausea plus 1 round of dazed on a failed save, and a successful save just results in 1 round of nauseated?

I'm wondering what to do about them being easier to destroy than regular skeletons. We could either give them a 1/2 HD or vulnerability to all weapons. They shouldn't have a regular SRD skeleton's Damage Resistance, in either case.