Converting Al-Qadim creatures

[freyar]

Didn't the infinite staircase come with its own falling damage rules?

Ok, I think we need to wait for a homebrews to make any more progress (or do we have one that I just forgot about?).

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

I'd rather find something a bit more exciting than Epic Will for the additional feat. If it's not another epic feat, we can simply swap Epic Will for Iron Will, though.

 

[Cleon]

Added to Homebrews.

I'd rather find something a bit more exciting than Epic Will for the additional feat. If it's not another epic feat, we can simply swap Epic Will for Iron Will, though.

Well how about Dire Charge? We'd need to swap one of its other feats for Improved Initiative as the prerequisite - maybe Wingover, since a bird that big could be too massive to manoeuvre that quickly.

That would change its stats to:

Initiative: +6
Feats: Alertness, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Snatch
Epic Feat: Dire Charge

 

[freyar]

Sounds reasonable!

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Ready for the two-headed variety?

 

[Cleon]

Updated.

Ready for the two-headed variety?

We can as far as I'm concerned.

I'll just give the Great Roc a quick once over to make sure we haven't missed anything...

The Great Roc's statblock doesn't have an Epic Feat line for the Dire Charge, it is just stuck in with the standard feats.

The description has "The wing tips of a common Zakharan roc are azure." when it should obviously be "great Zakharan roc".

...Nothing worth arguing over, so shall we move on to the double-header?

 

[Shade]

The Great Roc's statblock doesn't have an Epic Feat line for the Dire Charge, it is just stuck in with the standard feats.

It is actually standard to list the epic feats among the normal feats, post-Epic Level Handbook. I prefer that method myself, as it cuts out a(n unnecessary) line.

The two-headed variety looks to be a smarter version of the standard variety, with an extra bite attack. I strongly suggest that we drop the second boulder attack for these things, as that will boost their damage far outside their relative power level. Besides, just because it has an extra head doesn't necessitate doubling all potential attacks.

 

[Cleon]

My internet started acting up and I got a duplicated post.

Nothing to see here, just move along...

 

[Cleon]

It is actually standard to list the epic feats among the normal feats, post-Epic Level Handbook. I prefer that method myself, as it cuts out a(n unnecessary) line.

Oh right, I prefer it as a separate line, because it makes it obvious were to look for the feat. Different strokes for different folks and all.

 

[Cleon]

The two-headed variety looks to be a smarter version of the standard variety, with an extra bite attack. I strongly suggest that we drop the second boulder attack for these things, as that will boost their damage far outside their relative power level. Besides, just because it has an extra head doesn't necessitate doubling all potential attacks.

That's more or less my thinking. Just give a Common Roc the same intelligence, language and rock-dropping as a Great Roc and we're most of the way there, plus the two-header is also slower than a Common (24" like a Great Roc).

The only significant mechanical difference is the 2-headed has 16 Hit Dice.

Do we want to keep its HD lower than the similarly-sized Common Roc?

Most multiheaded 3E monsters I can think of have more HD than their monocephalic brethren, so we could consider boosting its HD to 20 or 21.

If we go for 16HD we'll have to decide which of a Common Roc's feats to drop.

I would drop Alertness and boost its racial bonuses on Spot and Listen, since it has two heads to watch for enemies.

I'd also swap its Wingover for the Hover feat, so it can fight like the 2-Headed Roc Harryhausen animated in the film The 7th Voyage of Sinbad - striking out with talons and beaks while hanging in midair.

Not much else to do apart from change its flavour text.