Special Conversion Thread: Moldvay's Undead

[Shade]

SHOCK BONES
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO APPEARING: 3-18
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 12"
HIT DICE:1
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Electricity
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Electricity
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Shock bones are skeletons animated by both magic and electricity. Their attacks do damage from electrical shock. Anyone hitting a shock bones with a metallic weapon that conducts electricity automatically takes 2-12 hp damage. Clerics have the same chances to turn shock bones as they do zombies. While shock bones have no treasure themselves, they often act as treasure guards.

A shock bones might also be created by an alchemist or sage in a sort of Dr. Frankenstein-type experiment. Such a monster would not truly be undead, and though it would conform to the above statistics, it could not be turned by clerics.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #138 (1988).

 

[Rappy]

This seems like another fairly lightly altered skeleton variant. Although 2d12 damage for a 1 HD creatures makes it admittedly rather menacing...sure we want to keep that high a dosage?

 

[freyar]

Well, it's actually 2d6=2-12, not 2d12. I think it's ok. I could agree to doing these in a similar mini-template for a normal skeleton like the last one.

 

[Rappy]

Well, it's actually 2d6=2-12, not 2d12. I think it's ok. I could agree to doing these in a similar mini-template for a normal skeleton like the last one.

This is why I shouldn't read things when I'm just waking up. If that's the case, I agree with you fully.

 

[Cleon]

This is why I shouldn't read things when I'm just waking up. If that's the case, I agree with you fully.

These look pretty straightforward. We can give them the equivalent of a caster level 2 shocking grasp as their electrical attack/defence:

Your successful melee touch attackhttp://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatStatistics.htm#touchAttacks deals 1d6 points of electricity damage per caster level (maximum 5d6). When delivering the jolt, you gain a +3 bonus on attack rolls if the opponent is wearing metal armor (or made out of metal, carrying a lot of metal, or the like).

Hmm, are we going for regular monster or template?

If we decide on template, a Mini-Template applied to the SRD skeleton would meet all its powers. We could give it a Shocking Touch whose damage scales with size, something like:

Diminutive or Fine = 1d4 electricity
Tiny = 1d6 electricity
Small = 1d8 electricity
Medium = 2d6 electricity
Large = 3d6 electricity
Huge = 4d6 electricity
Gargantuan = 6d6 electricity
Colossal = 8d6 electricity

I'd also give it immunity to electricity, for obvious reasons.

Do we want to have these things keep a regular undead skeleton's weapon use and claws? I suppose we might as well, although the Shocking Touch would be their preferred attack.

 

[freyar]

I think this is easiest to do as a mini-template added to the SRD skeleton, like the last one. I'd say that the shocking is attached to the skeleton's claws, not a separate attack. Also, they have an electric aura kind of defense that does damage to anyone hitting them with a metallic melee weapon.

 

[Cleon]

I think this is easiest to do as a mini-template added to the SRD skeleton, like the last one. I'd say that the shocking is attached to the skeleton's claws, not a separate attack. Also, they have an electric aura kind of defense that does damage to anyone hitting them with a metallic melee weapon.

I prefer template too.

At the moment I prefer making it a single "Shocking Touch" attack, with claws as a back-up option for electrical-resistant targets.

If we give them "Shocking Claws" then they'll probably have more attacks than the original monster - e.g. a "Warrior Shocking Skeleton" has two 1d4 claw attacks.

Also, if each claw attack adds 2d6 electricity damage they'll do a lot more damage - two claws for 1d4+1 plus 2d6 electricity average three times the damage of a single 2d6 shock or two 1d4+1 claws.

I guess we could reduce the electricity damage to something like the following:

Diminutive or Fine = 1d2 electricity
Tiny = 1d3 electricity
Small = 1d4 electricity
Medium = 1d6 electricity
Large = 1d8 electricity
Huge = 2d6 electricity
Gargantuan = 3d6 electricity
Colossal = 4d6 electricity

The basic claw damage can remain at the SRD Skeleton template's default level, which would combine with the above electricity proposal to make:

Diminutive or Fine = 1 claw plus 1d2 electricity
Tiny = 1d2 claw plus 1d3 electricity
Small = 1d3 claw plus 1d4 electricity
Medium = 1d4 claw plus 1d6 electricity
Large = 1d6 claw plus 1d8 electricity
Huge = 1d8 claw plus 2d6 electricity
Gargantuan = 2d6 claw plus 3d6 electricity
Colossal = 3d6 claw plus 4d6 electricity

Overall I prefer the shocking touch or claws approach.

 

[Shade]

I'd like the shock to transmit through the metallic weapons they wield, similar to a salamander's heat ability...

Heat (Ex): A salamander generates so much heat that its mere touch deals additional fire damage. Salamanders’ metallic weapons also conduct this heat.

 

[demiurge1138]

Agreed to the shock transfer, and I'd rather have claws that did bonus electricity damage than give it an electrical touch attack. Considering that it's turned as a zombie, giving it a wee bit of turn resistance would also be appropriate.

 

[Shade]

Yes, that sounds best to me as well.