Converting Al-Qadim creatures

[freyar]

Pretty good! Do they need any more special abilities?

 

[Shade]

Maybe a sneak attack and/or death attack?

 

[freyar]

Ooooh, absolutely yes to both. Sneak attack as 12HD rogue, whatever that works out to be. Could maybe also find justification for poison use here: "No trick is too cruel, no tactic too immoral, no job too unsavory for them to undertake." But it doesn't quite seem their style.

You know, I wonder if "If they reveal their true form they can cause fear in creatures of 3 Hit Dice or less." is more like a fear aura based on a fear or cause fear spell rather than frightful presence. But it's not a big deal.

 

[Cleon]

Ooooh, absolutely yes to both. Sneak attack as 12HD rogue, whatever that works out to be. Could maybe also find justification for poison use here: "No trick is too cruel, no tactic too immoral, no job too unsavory for them to undertake." But it doesn't quite seem their style.

You know, I wonder if "If they reveal their true form they can cause fear in creatures of 3 Hit Dice or less." is more like a fear aura based on a fear or cause fear spell rather than frightful presence. But it's not a big deal.

I was thinking more an assassin-style death attack than a sneak attack, but we need the latter to qualify for the former.

Death Attack (Ex): If a slayer genie studies his opponent for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target (genie's choice). While studying the victim, the slayer genie can undertake other actions so long as his attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect the slayer genie or recognize the genie as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 18) against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per level of the slayer genie. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once the slayer genie has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds. The save DC is Intelligence-based.

If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the slayer genie does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.

Since slayer genies are all about the slaying, should we keep the paralysis option? I suppose their master could order them to capture someone alive, but I'm not sure they do that!

Non-paralysis version:

Death Attack (Ex): If a slayer genie studies an opponent for 3 rounds and then makes a melee sneak attack that successfully deals damage, the opponent must succeed at a DC 18 Fortitude save (DC 18) or die. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. The save DC is Intelligence-based.

The slayer genie can undertake other actions while studying the victim, so long as his attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect the slayer genie or recognize the genie as an enemy. Once the slayer genie has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds. If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save), or if the slayer genie does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.

 

[freyar]

I'm ok with dropping the paralysis bit. And I definitely wanted both death attack and sneak attack.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Caster level 14th (2 higher than HD, like the efreet) for SLAs?

Skills: 10 at 15 ranks
Diplomacy, Hide, Intimidate, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival...

Feats: Improved Initiative (B), Multiweapon Fighting (B), 5 more
Combat Reflexes, Deadly Precison (I don't think we've ever used this feat!), Improved Critical (scimitar), Quicken Spell-Like Ability (silence), Track?

 

[Number 6]

Yeah, let's avoid the paralysis option on the death strike.


And for feats, I think we might want to consider Power Attack and Cleave... and possibly Great Cleave.

Improved Critical (scimitar) and Track are must-haves. Deadly Precision ain't a bad idea, either... at least on the basis that we haven't yet used it. If any creature needs it, perhaps this is the one.

 

[freyar]

You'd be substituting Power Attack and Cleave for Combat Reflexes and Quicken SLA? I'd go back and forth between Power Attack and Combat Reflexes, but I like the Quicken SLA a lot. Very useful for attacking magic types. And CL 14 sounds good.

 

[Shade]

Cleave and Great Cleave don't seem a good fit, since these guys will usually be tracking down and slaying a single target. I suppose it could be explained as "mowing down their bodyguards/companions", though.

 

[freyar]

I can see that, too, but I definitely like Quicken SLA more than Cleave, and Combat Reflexes seems just as good as Power Attack.

Maybe Climb, Jump, and Tumble for the last skills?