Converting Monsters from Dungeon Magazine

[freyar]

That's reasonable, including the logic on Survival and Track.

What did you think about a little fire damage from the leftover heat of the fire? Too far from the original?

 

[Shade]

Since they stand in the fire, perhaps they can do some fire damage also for a time afterwards? They should be immune to fire, too, I guess.

It's only a regular log fire, so 15 points of fire resistance would be plenty to protect them.

Fire heals 'em, guys.

How about giving them a single bite attack with the Trip special attack ?

Sure!

Since they're mindless I'm a bit reluctant to give them this unless there's some evidence they're designed for that task. However, the description makes me suspect they're plain old combat monsters.

Yeah, it doesn't appear they stray far from their fireplace.

What did you think about a little fire damage from the leftover heat of the fire? Too far from the original?

I like it. These things are so boring, that every little bit helps!

 

[freyar]

Magical fire heals them in the original text; I'd like at least the immunity to fire damage to extend to mundane fire.

Ok, so bite plus trip, fire damage if they've been standing in a fire. Start with Cleon's framework, then?

 

[Shade]

Interesting...I'd never thought of it that way. We've always had iron golems healed by any fires, but the RAW implies otherwise (although it makes no sense whatsoever).

Rather than give 'em fire resistance, then, let's just pull the fire effects from immunity to magic and slap 'em into a catch-all ability like this...

Healed by Flames (Ex): An attack that deals fire damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. For example, a firedog hit by a fireball gains back 6 hit points if the damage total is 18 points. The firedog gets no saving throw against fire effects.

Does that suffice?

 

[freyar]

Maybe a cap of 10 temporary hp or something. Otherwise, they'll just stand in their fires and get a huge stack of hp!

Let's try this...

Flame Bite (Su/Ex?): When a firedog retains any temporary hp from its Healed by Flames abilities, its bite attacks carry heat and deal an extra 1d6? hp of fire damage.

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

 

[freyar]

Looks pretty good! And I don't think they need much else. CR 10 may be fair, though the hp are a bit low for it, aren't they?

 

[Cleon]

Looks pretty good! And I don't think they need much else. CR 10 may be fair, though the hp are a bit low for it, aren't they?

I'd say Challenge Rating 9. They don't have an Iron Golem's multiple attacks and poison breath.

Healed by Flames looks good. We could make the temp hp cap scale with size - maybe equal to the golem's Construct bonus hps?

Healed by Flames (Ex): An attack that deals fire damage breaks any slow effect on the firedog and heals 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points (to a maximum equal to a Construct's bonus hit points, 20 temporary hit points for a Medium-sized firedog). For example, a firedog hit by a fireball gains back 6 hit points if the damage total is 18 points. The firedog gets no saving throw against fire effects.

Regardless, Healed by Flames needs to be added to Special Qualities where the "fire resistance 15 or immunity to fire" is.

Apart from that it's just construction. We can use the Iron Golem's with something fire-related instead of cloudkill (how about fire shield for the sake of argument) and lower weights and gp values.

Price 50,000 or 60,000 gp? It's somewhere between a Clay and Stone Golem in nastiness.

How about this for a start:

Construction
A firedog’s body is sculpted from 600 pounds of pure iron, smelted with rare tinctures and admixtures costing at least 1,000 gp. Assembling the body requires a DC 16 Craft (armorsmithing) check or a DC 16 Craft (weaponsmithing) check.

CL 14th; Craft Construct, fire shield, geas/quest, limited wish, caster must be at least 14th level; Price 150,000 gp; Cost 80,000 gp + 5,600 XP.

 

[Shade]

Great idea on using the construct bonus hps.

Updated.

CR 9 is probably workable, but note that they do have the poisonous breath of the larger iron golem.

The construction looks fine to me.

Are we finished?

 

[freyar]

Looks good.