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Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
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Cleon
Legend
Whatever the appropriate Knowledge would be is probably the best option. Or, instead of Diplomacy, we could use Handle Animal since the regular shadowsponges are only Int 3.
I'd considered that, but under the Rules As Written you can only use Handle Animal on Animals and Magical Beasts.
While I wondered about giving them a SQ "can use Handle Animal checks on Shadowsponges", it seemed to make just as much sense having them employ Diplomacy on their dim relatives.
Cleon
Legend
I'd add a larger group:
Organization: Solitary, group (1 plus 2-6 shadowsponges) or herd (1-6 plus 5-40 shadowsponges)
How can they be called Herd Clouds if they don't have a herd?
Challenge Rating 6 seems reasonable.
Still think they need an extra Hit Dice, since the original Herd Clouds were 8+8 HD:
Herd Cloud
Huge Aberration
Hit Dice: 8d8+64 (100 hp)
Initiative: -2
Speed: Fly 30 ft. (6 squares)(average)
Armor Class: 11 (-2 Dex, -2 size, +5 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+18
Attack: Slam +9 melee (1d4+6)
Full Attack: Slam +9 melee (1d4+6)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Engulf, lightning, overrun, steal air, toxic fumes
Special Qualities: All-around vision, oozelike, sense air
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +0, Will +8
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 6, Con 26, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 7
Skills: Diplomacy +9, Search +4, Spot +17
Feats: Endurance, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (slam)
Environment: Space
Organization: Solitary, group (1 plus 2-6 shadowsponges) or herd (1-6 plus 5-40 shadowsponges)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always chaotic neutral
Advancement: 9-16 HD (Huge); 17-24 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —
Lightning (Su): A herd cloud can generate bolts of lightning. Twice per day it can produce two 400-foot lines of lightning, each dealing 6d6 points of electricity damage. These "twinned" lightning bolts cannot overlap. Once per day a herd cloud can produce a lightning bolt that strikes a target within 400 feet for 9d6 points of electricity damage and then forks out to hit all targets within 30 feet of the initial target for 4d6 electricity damage, in a similar fashion to a chain lightning spell. A DC 22 Reflex save halves the damage of any bolt. The save DCs are Constitution-based.
Cleon
Legend
Shade
Monster Junkie
Flame Swallow
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any (fire worlds only)
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVE TIME: Any
DIET: Special
INTEllIGENCE: Animal (1)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1-4 (3-12)
ARMOR CLASS: 3
MOVEMENT: 6, Fl 30
HIT DICE: 3
THAC0: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Fire
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Fire resistance
MAGIC RESISTANCE: None
SIZE: S (5' wingspan)
MORALE: Unsteady (5)
XP VALUE: 75
Flame swallows are magnificent, graceful birds similar in appearance to terrestrial swallows, except that their wingspan is often five feet or more. They have the same forked tail as swallows. Their color is bright red on the back of the head and down the back, shading to brilliant orange on the upper surfaces of the wings and on the tail. Their bellies and the undersides of their wings are bright yellow. Their beaks are short, but sharply-pointed, and can deliver a nasty bite.
Flame swallows are always surrounded by a nimbus of bright orange fire. This nimbus extends to a range of about three feet from the body of the bird, and is hot enough to ignite inflammable materials on contact. Flame swallows love fire in all its forms, and enjoy darting through flames and playing in the hot, turbulent air above the surface of fire worlds. They can live equally as well in the superheated atmosphere or in the fiery body of such a world. They are exceptionally curious creatures, and will investigate anything out of the ordinary. If danger - or apparent danger - appears, however, they usually flee. The creatures enjoy starting fires so that they can then play in them, and are thus highly dangerous to spelljamming vessels approaching fire worlds. Such a ship will often attract several of the beautiful creatures who approach to investigate... and then probably ignite the ship's rigging.
Flame swallows are thought to have arisen on the Elemental Plane of Fire, but are extremely rare there. Some sages think that the creatures find fire worlds on the Prime Material Plane as more attractive homes than their native plane. Flame swallows can't survive in an environment colder than the environs of a fire world. If the ambient temperature drops below that of boiling water (212° F), a flame swallow suffers 1d6 points of damage each round that it's exposed to this "frigid" environment.
Combat: Flame swallows will almost never enter combat unless there's no alternative. If combat is necessary, they can deliver a damaging bite, but their main danger is the flame aura that surrounds them. This aura causes 1-8 points of damage to any creature not somehow immune to fire (save vs. breath weapon for half damage), and immediately ignites any flammable clothing or equipment exposed to it.
Flame swallows are totally immune to all fire- or heat-based attacks. Electrical attacks do normal damage, while cold-based attacks do triple damage.
Habitat/Society: Flame swallows congregate in small family-based flocks. Occasionally multiple flocks can be encountered, although this is very rare. Next to nothing is known about the reproductive behavior of flame swallows. Presumably they lay eggs, and - judging by the size of family flocks - presumably these eggs are few in number, or few are viable. Nobody knows, however, where the eggs are laid; no flame swallow nest has ever been discovered. The question is even more interesting because flame swallows have been reported on fire worlds with absolutely no solid surfaces on which those nests could be built. Some sages theorize that the creatures return to the Elemental Plane of Fire to lay and hatch their eggs, but this has yet to be confirmed. Further adding to the confusion, no obviously immature flame swallow has ever been seen.
Although not overly intelligent, flame swallows are amenable to training by creatures that can survive in the environment flame swallows need. Efreet on Ignia keep trained flame swallows as pets.
Ecology: Although flame swallows seem to prey on other fire-dwelling creatures such as fire bats when these other creatures are available, this seems to represent a preference rather than a necessity. Flame swallows seem to be able to survive without any such source of food. Sages theorize that they draw the energy they need to survive directly from their environment. This has yet to be confirmed, however.
Flame swallows in turn are preyed upon by other firedwelling creatures. (Fire bats and flame swallows seem particularly inimical, and generally attack each other on sight.)
Because of their ability to subsist on no food, there is much controversy over just what position flame swallows hold in the food chain.
Originally appeared in SJR4 Practical Planetology (1991).
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any (fire worlds only)
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVE TIME: Any
DIET: Special
INTEllIGENCE: Animal (1)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1-4 (3-12)
ARMOR CLASS: 3
MOVEMENT: 6, Fl 30
HIT DICE: 3
THAC0: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Fire
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Fire resistance
MAGIC RESISTANCE: None
SIZE: S (5' wingspan)
MORALE: Unsteady (5)
XP VALUE: 75
Flame swallows are magnificent, graceful birds similar in appearance to terrestrial swallows, except that their wingspan is often five feet or more. They have the same forked tail as swallows. Their color is bright red on the back of the head and down the back, shading to brilliant orange on the upper surfaces of the wings and on the tail. Their bellies and the undersides of their wings are bright yellow. Their beaks are short, but sharply-pointed, and can deliver a nasty bite.
Flame swallows are always surrounded by a nimbus of bright orange fire. This nimbus extends to a range of about three feet from the body of the bird, and is hot enough to ignite inflammable materials on contact. Flame swallows love fire in all its forms, and enjoy darting through flames and playing in the hot, turbulent air above the surface of fire worlds. They can live equally as well in the superheated atmosphere or in the fiery body of such a world. They are exceptionally curious creatures, and will investigate anything out of the ordinary. If danger - or apparent danger - appears, however, they usually flee. The creatures enjoy starting fires so that they can then play in them, and are thus highly dangerous to spelljamming vessels approaching fire worlds. Such a ship will often attract several of the beautiful creatures who approach to investigate... and then probably ignite the ship's rigging.
Flame swallows are thought to have arisen on the Elemental Plane of Fire, but are extremely rare there. Some sages think that the creatures find fire worlds on the Prime Material Plane as more attractive homes than their native plane. Flame swallows can't survive in an environment colder than the environs of a fire world. If the ambient temperature drops below that of boiling water (212° F), a flame swallow suffers 1d6 points of damage each round that it's exposed to this "frigid" environment.
Combat: Flame swallows will almost never enter combat unless there's no alternative. If combat is necessary, they can deliver a damaging bite, but their main danger is the flame aura that surrounds them. This aura causes 1-8 points of damage to any creature not somehow immune to fire (save vs. breath weapon for half damage), and immediately ignites any flammable clothing or equipment exposed to it.
Flame swallows are totally immune to all fire- or heat-based attacks. Electrical attacks do normal damage, while cold-based attacks do triple damage.
Habitat/Society: Flame swallows congregate in small family-based flocks. Occasionally multiple flocks can be encountered, although this is very rare. Next to nothing is known about the reproductive behavior of flame swallows. Presumably they lay eggs, and - judging by the size of family flocks - presumably these eggs are few in number, or few are viable. Nobody knows, however, where the eggs are laid; no flame swallow nest has ever been discovered. The question is even more interesting because flame swallows have been reported on fire worlds with absolutely no solid surfaces on which those nests could be built. Some sages theorize that the creatures return to the Elemental Plane of Fire to lay and hatch their eggs, but this has yet to be confirmed. Further adding to the confusion, no obviously immature flame swallow has ever been seen.
Although not overly intelligent, flame swallows are amenable to training by creatures that can survive in the environment flame swallows need. Efreet on Ignia keep trained flame swallows as pets.
Ecology: Although flame swallows seem to prey on other fire-dwelling creatures such as fire bats when these other creatures are available, this seems to represent a preference rather than a necessity. Flame swallows seem to be able to survive without any such source of food. Sages theorize that they draw the energy they need to survive directly from their environment. This has yet to be confirmed, however.
Flame swallows in turn are preyed upon by other firedwelling creatures. (Fire bats and flame swallows seem particularly inimical, and generally attack each other on sight.)
Because of their ability to subsist on no food, there is much controversy over just what position flame swallows hold in the food chain.
Originally appeared in SJR4 Practical Planetology (1991).
Cleon
Legend
These look pretty straightforward.
Magical Beast (Fire)
Stats like a Giant Eagle reduced to Small size or a regular Eagle?
Flame Swallow
Small Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 3d10+3 (18 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 80 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 17 (+1 size, +5 Dex, +1 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-1
Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d4 plus X fire)
Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d4 plus X fire)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Fire
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., evasion, immunity to fire, low-light vision, vulnerability to cold
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 21, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills: ?
Feats: Alertness, Flyby Attack, Weapon Finesse (B) ?
Environment: ?
Organization: Solitary, family (2-4), or flock (3-12) ?
Challenge Rating: 2?
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Small); 7-9 HD (Medium) ?
Level Adjustment: +2 (cohort) ?
Shade
Monster Junkie
That's a good start. Let's stick with the 1d8 fire mentioned in the original. I could also see reducing the bite damage to 1d3 like the original, as a swallow isn't a match for an eagle.
Added to Homebrews.
It looks like its fiery aura combines two of the magmin's abilities...
Combustion (Ex): Anyone a magmin touches must succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save or take an extra 1d8 points of fire damage as clothes ignite or armor becomes searing hot. The damage continues for another 1d4+2 rounds after the magmin’s last successful attack. Magmins can also ignite flammable materials with a touch. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Fiery Aura (Ex): Anyone within 20 feet of a magmin must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of heat damage per round from the intense heat. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Added to Homebrews.
It looks like its fiery aura combines two of the magmin's abilities...
Combustion (Ex): Anyone a magmin touches must succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save or take an extra 1d8 points of fire damage as clothes ignite or armor becomes searing hot. The damage continues for another 1d4+2 rounds after the magmin’s last successful attack. Magmins can also ignite flammable materials with a touch. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Fiery Aura (Ex): Anyone within 20 feet of a magmin must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of heat damage per round from the intense heat. The save DC is Constitution-based.
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