Converting Greyhawk monsters
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Cleon
Legend
No, I don't think it does, because its +6 Escape Artist modifier is lower than its +7 Grapple modifier.
We could increase its Escape Artist even more (+8?) An octopus is +10, but I don't think a weisshund should be as good as something without any bones.
However, there's nothing in the original description to indicate a weisshund is expert as squeezing through tight places, it's just good at wriggling free of a grip, so I'm not convinced a high Escape Artist is the way to go.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Beware the ninja! 
I'm fine with limiting the Escape Artist bonus to avoiding a grapple, but I don't want it as a separate ability. Rather, an asterixed exception like environmental Hide bonuses and tracking by scent bonuses in the skills section.
How about +6 normal bonus, improving to +10 to avoid being grappled?
I'm fine with limiting the Escape Artist bonus to avoiding a grapple, but I don't want it as a separate ability. Rather, an asterixed exception like environmental Hide bonuses and tracking by scent bonuses in the skills section.
How about +6 normal bonus, improving to +10 to avoid being grappled?
Cleon
Legend
Beware the ninja!
I'm fine with limiting the Escape Artist bonus to avoiding a grapple, but I don't want it as a separate ability. Rather, an asterixed exception like environmental Hide bonuses and tracking by scent bonuses in the skills section.
How about +6 normal bonus, improving to +10 to avoid being grappled?
Still wouldn't give it the same bonus as a cephalopod, which is why I suggested +4 earlier.
How about this:
Skills: Weisshunds have a +4 racial bonus on Sense Motive checks. A weisshund's loose, elastic skin gives it a +4 racial bonus on Escape Artist checks, this racial bonus increases to +8 for Escape Artist checks to escape from a grapple.
*Weisshunds have a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent.
Cleon
Legend
Looks alright to me, except it needs an asterisk after Escape Artist in the Skills line now:
Skills: Escape Artist +6*, Jump +11, Listen +7, Sense Motive +7, Spot +7, Survival +2*
Oh, and there's a couple of typos - an "althought {although}" at the start of the second paragraph of background info, plus an "agressive {aggressive}" in the Combat entry.
Cleon
Legend
Shade
Monster Junkie
Yphoz
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subterranean
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Swarm
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Scavenger
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil
NO.APPEARING: 4-32
ARMOR CLASS: 9
MOVEMENT: 6, Sw 12
HIT DICE: 2
THAC0: 19
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: T (1'-2' long)
MORALE: Unreliable (2-4)
XP VALUE: 65
Yphoz appear in a variety of shapes and sizes. Old adult yphoz may reach a length of 2'. Newborn young are typically 2-3" in diameter. They are composed of a gelatinous substance that matches the color of the water in which they live, ranging from black to varying shades of brown to varying shades of green or yellow. They may even be colorless. This feature makes them almost impossible to detect in their home pool (PCs in yphoz-infested water rolling 4 or less on 1d6 are surprised).
A yphoz is typically shaped like a short, broad cone with a low dorsal fin, but its gelatinous composition allows it to vary this as necessary. They are not amorphous, but their bodies can change shape to allow for movement over almost any kind of surface, including traveling on land, up cave walls, and across ceilings. They also possess two long, whip-like tentacles. Their bodies excrete a sticky slime that helps them adhere to walls and ceilings. This slime will dry to a gummy substance on walls, floors, and ceilings, and a cave inhabited by a large number of yphoz will aquire [sic] a build-up of this elastic, gummy substance over time.
Combat: When a yphoz is in water and another creature swims within 20', the disturbance of the water will alert the yphoz to the presence of a potential meal. It will swim toward its victim and use its tentacles as "feelers" to locate its prey. Once it contacts something solid, it will swim in that direction and begin wrapping its tentacles around the victim. Should the victim start to swim in another direction, the yphoz can follow, towing itself on its unsuspecting meal.
The yphoz have no teeth, but are able to suck blood directly through a victim's skin, draining a victim of hit points. The gummy substance excreted by the yphoz will adhere to a victim even underwater, and contains a numbing contact poison. While the poison will not kill a victim, the numbness can cause a victim to lose muscle control, and if swimming, the victim could potentially drown. One yphoz can cause one limb or torso to become numb and useless in 3 rounds. Three yphoz can cause one limb to become numb and useless in one round. A victim may make a saving throw vs. poison to avoid these effects. The victim must save once per round for each yphoz it contacts. Once all yphoz are removed from the victim, the poison will wear off and the limb will function normally after 4-6 turns. If a victim's head is touched by a yphoz, the victim will fall unconscious after six unsuccessful saves (e.g. six yphoz contact it in one round, or one yphoz contacts it for six rounds, etc.).
When a yphoz hits a victim, the DM should roll 1d6 to determine which part of the victim's body was hit: 1-head, 2-right arm, 3-left arm, 4-torso, 5-right leg, 5-left leg [sic].
Habitat/Society: A yphoz will never venture farther than 100 yards from its water source unless fleeing an attack or seeking a new habitat. It can survive no longer than 24 hours if isolated from water under damp conditions, and will die sooner if conditions are dry. A yphoz would probably survive no more than one hour in a desert setting.
Yphozs feed by absorbing organic matter, insects, and small worms. They also feed in the manner of a leech, attaching themselves to a victim and sucking blood directly through the victim's skin. If a potential meal is too large to be absorbed, the yphoz will feed in this manner. A yphoz will feed on cold- and warmblooded creatures alike, but cannot attach to animals with fur thicker than that of a rabbit. The yphoz also cannot feed on animals with hard scales (fish and snakes are in the yphoz's diet, but turtles are not).
Ecology: These slimy, filthy creatures make their homes in wet caves and pools of stagnant water. Their survival depends on a source of water, whether fresh or putrid.
Originally appeared in WGA2 – Falconmaster (1990).
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subterranean
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Swarm
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Scavenger
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil
NO.APPEARING: 4-32
ARMOR CLASS: 9
MOVEMENT: 6, Sw 12
HIT DICE: 2
THAC0: 19
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: T (1'-2' long)
MORALE: Unreliable (2-4)
XP VALUE: 65
Yphoz appear in a variety of shapes and sizes. Old adult yphoz may reach a length of 2'. Newborn young are typically 2-3" in diameter. They are composed of a gelatinous substance that matches the color of the water in which they live, ranging from black to varying shades of brown to varying shades of green or yellow. They may even be colorless. This feature makes them almost impossible to detect in their home pool (PCs in yphoz-infested water rolling 4 or less on 1d6 are surprised).
A yphoz is typically shaped like a short, broad cone with a low dorsal fin, but its gelatinous composition allows it to vary this as necessary. They are not amorphous, but their bodies can change shape to allow for movement over almost any kind of surface, including traveling on land, up cave walls, and across ceilings. They also possess two long, whip-like tentacles. Their bodies excrete a sticky slime that helps them adhere to walls and ceilings. This slime will dry to a gummy substance on walls, floors, and ceilings, and a cave inhabited by a large number of yphoz will aquire [sic] a build-up of this elastic, gummy substance over time.
Combat: When a yphoz is in water and another creature swims within 20', the disturbance of the water will alert the yphoz to the presence of a potential meal. It will swim toward its victim and use its tentacles as "feelers" to locate its prey. Once it contacts something solid, it will swim in that direction and begin wrapping its tentacles around the victim. Should the victim start to swim in another direction, the yphoz can follow, towing itself on its unsuspecting meal.
The yphoz have no teeth, but are able to suck blood directly through a victim's skin, draining a victim of hit points. The gummy substance excreted by the yphoz will adhere to a victim even underwater, and contains a numbing contact poison. While the poison will not kill a victim, the numbness can cause a victim to lose muscle control, and if swimming, the victim could potentially drown. One yphoz can cause one limb or torso to become numb and useless in 3 rounds. Three yphoz can cause one limb to become numb and useless in one round. A victim may make a saving throw vs. poison to avoid these effects. The victim must save once per round for each yphoz it contacts. Once all yphoz are removed from the victim, the poison will wear off and the limb will function normally after 4-6 turns. If a victim's head is touched by a yphoz, the victim will fall unconscious after six unsuccessful saves (e.g. six yphoz contact it in one round, or one yphoz contacts it for six rounds, etc.).
When a yphoz hits a victim, the DM should roll 1d6 to determine which part of the victim's body was hit: 1-head, 2-right arm, 3-left arm, 4-torso, 5-right leg, 5-left leg [sic].
Habitat/Society: A yphoz will never venture farther than 100 yards from its water source unless fleeing an attack or seeking a new habitat. It can survive no longer than 24 hours if isolated from water under damp conditions, and will die sooner if conditions are dry. A yphoz would probably survive no more than one hour in a desert setting.
Yphozs feed by absorbing organic matter, insects, and small worms. They also feed in the manner of a leech, attaching themselves to a victim and sucking blood directly through the victim's skin. If a potential meal is too large to be absorbed, the yphoz will feed in this manner. A yphoz will feed on cold- and warmblooded creatures alike, but cannot attach to animals with fur thicker than that of a rabbit. The yphoz also cannot feed on animals with hard scales (fish and snakes are in the yphoz's diet, but turtles are not).
Ecology: These slimy, filthy creatures make their homes in wet caves and pools of stagnant water. Their survival depends on a source of water, whether fresh or putrid.
Originally appeared in WGA2 – Falconmaster (1990).
