Converting Al-Qadim creatures

[Shade]

Updated.

Modifying the dragon turtle's cloud-shaped breath with the combustible effects of the lightning bolt spell gives us...

Breath Weapon (Su): Cloud of dancing sparks 10 feet high, 10 feet wide, and 10 feet long, once every minute, damage 2d8 electricity, Reflex DC x half. The spark shower also sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in its path. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Look OK?

Give it the usual snake skill bonuses?

Skills: Snakes have a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, and Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Balance and Climb checks. A snake can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened. Snakes use either their Strength modifier or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher. A snake has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

 

[Cleon]

Spider climb as an at will SLA, or give 'em wallcrawling?

I'm fine either way. There isn't much to say its specifically magical as opposed to a tree snake's usual superb climbing, so Wallcrawling.

Improved Init as bonus feat?

Fine by me.

Simplify to vulnerability to fire? I'm not fond of the "burn off the wings" mechanic, especially since they lack regeneration.

I'd prefer to have either either a "flammable wings" special quality or nothing. The original doesn't take extra damage from fire.

Since you don't like a burn off the wings SQ, I guess that means I'm voting for no vulnerability.

 

[Cleon]

Updated.

Modifying the dragon turtle's cloud-shaped breath with the combustible effects of the lightning bolt spell gives us...

Breath Weapon (Su): Cloud of dancing sparks 10 feet high, 10 feet wide, and 10 feet long, once every minute, damage 2d8 electricity, Reflex DC x half. The spark shower also sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in its path. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Look OK?

Looks that way to me.

Give it the usual snake skill bonuses?

It doesn't have a Swim Speed, so we should drop the associated skill bonuses.

 

[Shade]

I'd prefer to have either either a "flammable wings" special quality or nothing. The original doesn't take extra damage from fire.

Since you don't like a burn off the wings SQ, I guess that means I'm voting for no vulnerability.

It does suffer a penalty on saves vs. fire effects, though. I'll leave it until Demiurge weighs in to give another vote one way or the other.

Updated.

Skills: 7

Winged serpents must eat constantly in order to survive. They flit about the jungle in small flocks, searching for tropical fruits, from which they draw their nourishment.

Put ranks in Search and/or Survival?

Feats: Improved Initiative (B), 2 more

Alignment: Usually neutral?

Advancement: x

A winged serpent is 8 to 10 feet in length and weighs x pounds.

Winged serpents speak x.

 

[demiurge1138]

2 ranks Search and Spot, 3 ranks Survival?

As for feats, how about Flyby Attack and Weapon Finesse?

 

[freyar]

Those skills and feats appeal. And I like the suggested breath weapon. demiurge, thoughts on the vulnerability to fire or not?

Following the messenger snake, advancement: 5-8 HD (Medium), 9-11 HD (Large)? Usually neutral works. 300 to 450 lb? That's a bit lighter than scaling the messenger snake.

 

[Cleon]

2 ranks Search and Spot, 3 ranks Survival?

I don't care for Search for them, I suspect they would "search" for fruit with the Spot skill as far as 3E mechanics go - the fruit trees are probably not hidden behind secret doors, you know.

How about Escape Artist instead?

Escape Artist 2, Spot 2, Survival 3?

Should they have a racial bonus in Escape Artist for being all wiggly?

As for feats, how about Flyby Attack and Weapon Finesse?

Great minds think alike! Those were the feats I was going to propose.

 

[Cleon]

Alignment: Usually neutral?

Usually neutral makes good sense.

Advancement: x

I was thinking 5-7 HD (Medium); 8-12 HD (Large), but freyar's proposal works too.

A winged serpent is 8 to 10 feet in length and weighs x pounds.

Scaling an 80-foot, 40000 pound Purple Worm down to 8-10 feet long works out at 40-78 pounds. Call it 60 pounds, or at the lower end of Medium - seems quite appropriate for a lightweight flying creature.

The 300-450 pounds Freyar suggests is awfully high for a ten-foot snake. An anaconda that heavy would be a 20-footer (and it's well over the reliably recorded weight of such a snake).

Winged serpents speak x.

There's no mention of sapiency or language-use in the original text.

Therefore I'll vote for "Winged snakes cannot speak".

EDIT: Just to expand on the length & weight a bit, I'm basing this on the assumption that the 8-10 feet is the nose to tail length, since this seems to me to be the best match to how snakes have their lengths listed in the 2nd edition Monstrous Manual.

It might make sense to make them a little heavier than my original proposal, since they have wings and all, but I wouldn't want to put them over 75-80 pounds.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

I don't think a racial bonus in Escape Artist is warranted, as they seem no more "wiggly" than other snakes.

I'm OK with shifting the ranks from Search into Spot or Survival though. Preferences?

 

[freyar]

I'm not seeing much more call for Survival than an animal has, so I guess I'd go with Spot. Survival is ok, though, if there is demand.

Cleon is the weight expert, so let's go with his.