Converting monsters from Second Edition Monstrous Compendiums

[Shade]

Note that Mullonga is a unique 13 HD creature. We can convert her next.

 

[freyar]

Should we perhaps boost the HD on the arcane heads to make them a bit more challenging for parties that are reasonably capable of taking on Mullonga. At 2HD, 5 of them is likely to be only CR 5 or so.

Tiny Undead, I suppose!

 

[Shade]

That's one option. Another option that occurred to me is to genericize them to work with hags (any variety), and then make an underbar describing Mullonga's own bevy of arcane heads.

 

[Cleon]

Seem pretty straightforward.

2HD Tiny Undead.

Flies at 50 ft. (average) - probably give it Hover as a bonus feat.

Bites for 1d6.

Has a special stunning "bash" attack, probably a charge.

Can summon their mistress.

Agree that we should generalize them to summon other hags. The 2HD version should probably just summon an Annis or Sea Hag.

 

[freyar]

I'll also agree to making these work with generic hags and then an underbar to talk about advanced ones for Mullonga.

I don't think the bash is a charge. It's pretty clear that it's a supernatural touch attack.

Need some kind of telepathy with their hag mistress, too.

 

[Cleon]

I'll also agree to making these work with generic hags and then an underbar to talk about advanced ones for Mullonga.

I don't think the bash is a charge. It's pretty clear that it's a supernatural touch attack.

I agree it is a Su touch attack, I was thinking the "dive" would be like a charge attack - double move and then attack.

Need some kind of telepathy with their hag mistress, too.

Maybe give them the equivalent of some familiar abilities, like Speak With Master or Scry on Familiar?

 

[freyar]

Could work with the dive/charge.

I think I like a long range telepathic link rather than speak with master, but scry on familiar might do the trick.

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

We could give it a dive attack like we gave one of the tiny true dragons.

EDIT: Found this one...

Deadly Dive (Ex): When a crow's-nest dragon dives at least 30 feet and makes a successful bite attack at the end of the dive, it deals an extra 1d4 points of damage.

Telepathic link and "scry on familiar" sounds good. An arcane head might also count as a hag eye for similar purposes.

Should it have the Su flight ability, like this?

Flight (Su): An arcane head can fly at a speed of 50 feet. This supernatural flight also grants it a permanent feather fall effect (as the spell) with personal range.

That way, if it passes through an antimagic field, it will drift to the ground and lay helpless.

 

[Cleon]

Added to Homebrews.

We could give it a dive attack like we gave one of the tiny true dragons.

EDIT: Found this one...

Deadly Dive (Ex): When a crow's-nest dragon dives at least 30 feet and makes a successful bite attack at the end of the dive, it deals an extra 1d4 points of damage.

Something like that. I would rather give it a different name than "bash".

e.g.

Stunning Dive (Su): An arcane head can make a dive attack that stuns its opponent for X rounds if it makes a successful touch attack at the end of the dive. If the opponent succeeds at a DC Y [Fortitude?] save they are [sickened? dazzled?] for that duration instead of being stunned. The save DC is Charisma-based

Telepathic link and "scry on familiar" sounds good. An arcane head might also count as a hag eye for similar purposes.

Should it have the Su flight ability, like this?

Flight (Su): An arcane head can fly at a speed of 50 feet. This supernatural flight also grants it a permanent feather fall effect (as the spell) with personal range.

That way, if it passes through an antimagic field, it will drift to the ground and lay helpless.

Yes, I was thinking of Supernatural Flight too.

 

[freyar]

Cleon's dive and Su flight work for me.

Looking back at this

The only sounds made by an arcane head are low, pathetic moans and the grinding of sharp teeth. It appears they can communicate with Mullonga in some way, but they do not speak or otherwise talk to their victims.

I wonder if I was too hasty about the telepathic link. This very well could be speak with master and/or empathic link. I still like scry on familiar, too.

Maybe these are variant hag familiars. We could add in some other familiar abilities and allow a hag to have up to 13 of them.