Converting monsters from First Edition modules

[freyar]

What about 1d3/1d4 as a compromise? They're 2HD, which should make them slightly tougher than the Small monstrous spiders.

 

[Cleon]

What about 1d3/1d4 as a compromise? They're 2HD, which should make them slightly tougher than the Small monstrous spiders.

I don't mind 1d4/1d4 Str damage for the poison. The more the nastier.

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

 

[Cleon]

Added to Homebrews.

Blast, I forgot to apply the Str penalty to its Grapple too. It should have Grapple -1, not +1.

Let's fill in the other blanks.

The original was in a pot in a dungeon, showing they can live underground, but there's also something about them that says "Tropical Jungle" to me.

Environment: Warm forests or underground ?

Number-wise, I imagine they propagate using stolons - the "spider shoot" roots itself and becomes a new plant, maybe it sometimes separates from its parent and wanders away before rooting?

In either case, should they form colonies of some sort like Monstrous Spiders? I'd like to change the name though.

Organization: Solitary; patch (2-5) or web (6-16) ?

As for Challenge Rating, I'm thinking CR 1, the same as a pair of Small Monstrous Spiders.

Challenge Rating: 1

Advancement following the usual "double HD" schema?

Advancement: 3-4 HD (Large); 5-8 HD (Huge); 9-16 HD (Gargantuan)

 

[Shade]

All looks good. Updated.

A spyder plant is x feet in diameter and weighs x pounds.

 

[freyar]

4 ft and 20 lb???

The bit about stolons is how the houseplant reproduces, at least.

 

[Shade]

That seems reasonable to me.

 

[Cleon]

4 ft and 20 lb???

The bit about stolons is how the houseplant reproduces, at least.

Isn't that a bit light for a Medium sized creature? I'd prefer 40 to 50 pounds.

Shall we add a bit about stolons to its description?

Speaking of which...

Spider-like creatures formed out of leaves and fronds, with sharp thorns for fangs. They are attached to a fern-like plant by long creepers.

Spider plants are carnivorous plant that use their mobile, arachnoid shoots to prey on animals. These spider-shoots may resemble individual creatures, but they are merely appendages of the main plant. Spider plants are mindless and attack anything that appears edible.

Spider plants reproduce by turning their spider-like shoots into reproductive creepers known as stolons. The shoot buries itself into the soil and grows into a new plant, then the creeper attaching it to its parent withers and dies. Occasionally, a spider plant will separate one or more of its spider-shoots to colonize new territory, but the reproductive shoot must find suitable soil with a few hours or it will die.

A typical spider plant is about 4 feet in diameter, with two spider-shoots about 2 feet across. The entire plant weighs 40 or 50 pounds.
​

The combat entry looks fine as is.

 

[Shade]

Updated. Finished?

 

[Cleon]

Updated. Finished?

Looks fine.

I'm glad you remembered to change all those spiders into spyders.

EDIT: Hold on, It's got Special Defenses instead of Special Qualities - I must be reading too many AD&D monsters recently!

EDITED EDIT: If I'm feeling energetic I might stat up the Advanced versions.