Special Conversion Thread: Moldvay's Undead
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Shade
Monster Junkie
For the creatures striking the shock bones, we have a few precedents...
Electricity (Su): A thunderspiker's body carries a constant and powerful electrical charge. Any creature that strikes a thunderspiker with a natural weapon automatically takes 1d6 points of electricity damage.
Shocking Discharge (Ex): If touched with bare flesh (including being struck in combat with a fist or claw) or a metallic weapon, the shocker delivers 1d8 points of damage to the attacker. This is true whether or not the attack is capable of affecting the shocker. The damage it inflicts is subtracted from the shocker's hit point total as well.
(The last sentence is a weird effect of the shocker's physiology...not something I'm suggesting we borrow)
Electricity (Su): A thunderspiker's body carries a constant and powerful electrical charge. Any creature that strikes a thunderspiker with a natural weapon automatically takes 1d6 points of electricity damage.
Shocking Discharge (Ex): If touched with bare flesh (including being struck in combat with a fist or claw) or a metallic weapon, the shocker delivers 1d8 points of damage to the attacker. This is true whether or not the attack is capable of affecting the shocker. The damage it inflicts is subtracted from the shocker's hit point total as well.
(The last sentence is a weird effect of the shocker's physiology...not something I'm suggesting we borrow)
Cleon
Legend
OK, I give in, looks like I'm the only one that preferred to separate the claws and shock. Something like:
Shock Attack (Ex): A shock skeleton carries a constant and powerful electrical charge. Whenever the skeleton hits with a melee attack using a natural or metallic weapon, it automatically adds electricity damage to the attack according to the following table.
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
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 Shocker's looks the closest to me, we just need to cut out the last sentence and fiddle with the damage. Something like:
Shocking Discharge (Ex): If touched with bare flesh (including being struck in combat with a fist or claw) or a metallic weapon, a shock skeleton delivers electrical damage to the attacker equal to its Shock Attack ability. This is true whether or not the attack is capable of affecting the shock skeleton.
Cleon
Legend
Yes, that makes sense, and the template looks finished now...
...although there's something screwy with the saves of the sample creature. As a 6 HD Undead with Dex 17 and Wis 10, the Troll Shock Skeleton should have Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +5.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Good catch. I must've copied the wrong line from the SRD.
Fixed.
Defiling 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: 6
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 4+4
THACO: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d6/1d6 or by Weapon
SPECIAL ATTACKS: None
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Defiling regeneration
MAGIC RESISTANCE: As skeleton
SIZE: M (5’-6’)
MORALE: Special
XP VALUE: 975
Defiling skeletons are found only in the DARK SUN® campaign, where they are among the most feared and reviled of undead soldiers. An obsidian jewel is imbedded in each skeleton’s forehead. Many of them have blackened bones, as though they’ve been burned. All carry weapons, usually swords or clubs.
Combat: Defiling skeletons absorb life energy in order to regenerate. When a defiling skeleton is reduced to 0 hp, it collapses and becomes inert for one round. The next round, it defiles an area equal to the casting of a 3rd-level spell. While this defiling takes place, the obsidian jewel in the skeleton’s forehead glows brightly. The next round it rises up, restored to full hit points. Striking the skeleton while it is inert or regenerating has no effect, nor does it delay the regeneration. Only the destruction of the jewel embedded in its forehead or a successful dispel magic can stop the regeneration.
The jewel is AC 4 and has 6 hp (which do not regenerate). During melee, it can be struck with a called shot. Dispel magic prevents regeneration for one round per level of the caster and causes the skeleton to collapse. During this time the jewel must be destroyed, or the regeneration starts again.
Special Ingredients: An obsidianjewel must be implanted in the skeleton’s forehead. The jewel is inscribed with a special glyph. A second animate dead spell must be cast in conjunction with the first, along with vampiric touch.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #234 (1996).
Fixed.
Defiling 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: 6
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 4+4
THACO: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d6/1d6 or by Weapon
SPECIAL ATTACKS: None
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Defiling regeneration
MAGIC RESISTANCE: As skeleton
SIZE: M (5’-6’)
MORALE: Special
XP VALUE: 975
Defiling skeletons are found only in the DARK SUN® campaign, where they are among the most feared and reviled of undead soldiers. An obsidian jewel is imbedded in each skeleton’s forehead. Many of them have blackened bones, as though they’ve been burned. All carry weapons, usually swords or clubs.
Combat: Defiling skeletons absorb life energy in order to regenerate. When a defiling skeleton is reduced to 0 hp, it collapses and becomes inert for one round. The next round, it defiles an area equal to the casting of a 3rd-level spell. While this defiling takes place, the obsidian jewel in the skeleton’s forehead glows brightly. The next round it rises up, restored to full hit points. Striking the skeleton while it is inert or regenerating has no effect, nor does it delay the regeneration. Only the destruction of the jewel embedded in its forehead or a successful dispel magic can stop the regeneration.
The jewel is AC 4 and has 6 hp (which do not regenerate). During melee, it can be struck with a called shot. Dispel magic prevents regeneration for one round per level of the caster and causes the skeleton to collapse. During this time the jewel must be destroyed, or the regeneration starts again.
Special Ingredients: An obsidianjewel must be implanted in the skeleton’s forehead. The jewel is inscribed with a special glyph. A second animate dead spell must be cast in conjunction with the first, along with vampiric touch.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #234 (1996).
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