Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin

[lordxaviar]

finnally getting involved... Leeches

put these up a few places...but like the way you all get together and adjust things... so have a look

CR: 1/10;
Sz: Fine Vermin; ; HD: 2d8-2; H p: 7 for swarm or 1 hp each;
Init: +1;
Spd: 1' Swim 10’;
AC: 19 (+1 Dex, +8 size), T: 19, FF: 18;
BaB: +1; Grap: N/A;
Atk: +1 melee (1d4-3 touch plus blood drain); F
ull Atk: ; Spc/Rch: 5"x5";
SA: Attach, Anticoagulant salivary juices, Blood Drain, Panic;
SQ: Tremor-sense;;
SQ: ; ; AL: N;
Sv: F: +3, R: +1, W: 0;
Abil: S: 1/-5, D: 12/+1, C: 10/0, I: -/-, W: 10/0, Ch: 1/-5;
Weapro: ; Skills: Hide +18;
Feats: Weap Finesse (bite);
Equip: ; Loot: ; Possess: ; Holdings: ; Treas: None (but captured & kept alive 80 of them will fetch 1gp;;Tactics: ; RPGL: ; Descrip: ; History: ;
Envir: widespread in marine waters and exist in freshwater and on land in temperate & tropical region; Org: Solitary or plague (2–4 swarms); Org: ; Adv: ; Lv Adj: ; Exp:
Leeches are carnivorous or bloodsucking worms, used widely used by barbers, wise women and other non-magical healers for bloodletting and cleaning wounds. Leeches are flattened ringed worms, from 0.2" to 18" long, with a sucking disk at both ends. Blood ingested by leeches is mixed with salivary juices containing an anticoagulant substance, which can be extracted and used as a serious contact poison that prevents blood clotting Leeches are hermaphroditic and typically lay their eggs in mucous cases known as cocoons. They have a rubbery outer skin and appear brownish black and blend in well with the rotting vegetation and muck in which they dwell.

(DM Tip: Take note of the PCs’ Spot checks and AC before running an encounter with a leech swarm. Record damage dealt by undetected leeches, but do not inform the player of the damage until his or her character notices the attack.)
Combat: Normal leeches don’t attack, so much as feed. They attach to various parts of the body (even getting under clothes) and upon reaching the skin excrete slightly anesthetizing mucus which allows them to bite without being detected. They must be seen to be noticed, but than can be easily removed or killed. Falling on the ground, moving through dense wet foliage, or any sort of stagnant water will give leeches the opportunity to attack, each person getting 1d20 on their person. Leeches will suck blood at 1/8 hit point per round, to a max of 2 hit points, when they are sated, but will not detach voluntarily and will not feed again for a week. If the victim looses 5 or more hit points, they will feel fatigue and wish to rest right then. 10 or more and they will want to sleep.
Anesthetizing mucus (Ex): Leeches have an anesthetic enzyme in their saliva that prevents creatures from feeling its bite. Creatures in the water that are bitten by a leech must make a Spot check, (opposed by the swarms Hide check) Each round of blood drain entitles the creature to another Spot check to notice the leeches, with a cumulative +2 bonus on the check per round after the first. Characters attacked in clear water, or who have some means of detecting the leech swarm without seeing it, notice the attack automatically.
Attach (Ex): If a leech hits an opponent with its touch attack, it has latched on with its suckered mouth and remains attached. An attached leech loses it Dexterity bonus and negates its size bonus to AC (it is AC 10 while attached).
Blood Drain (Ex): Any living creature damaged by a leech swarm also takes 1 point of Constitution damage as the swarm drains its blood. This damage repeats every round thereafter unless the creature successfully exits the swarm and spends a full-round action removing leeches from its body.
Panic: Once the victim notices or is told about them, they make a DC 15 Will Sv or begin ripping off all armor and clothing to remove the parasites. A failed save less than 5 will mean they used a dagger and ruined the armor and clothing in the panic to remove it.
Tremor-sense (Ex): Leeches in the water can automatically detect the presence of anything within 30 feet that is also in contact with the water.
Poison: DC 15 Initial damage 1d6 Con, Secondary damage additional 2hp per round blood loss from wound (edged weapons only). Normal healing will lessen the loss to .5 hp per round. It will last 5 rounds if not magically healed, or treated with garlic. It cannot be allowed to dry or it looses all its properties, thus making it unusable on traps.
Skills: A leech swarm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

 

[lordxaviar]

Giant leech for comparison

CR: ½; Sz: Sm Vermin, H: 2 to 3’ long Up to 5’, W: ; Age: ; HD: 1d8+1 Hp: 5; Init: +2; Spd: 5', swim 10'; AC: 13 (+1 Size, +2 Dex); T: 11, FF: 11; BaB: 0; Grap: ; Atk:; Full Atk: Att: +1 melee (1d6-3 Touch); Spc/Rch: 5'x5'/5'; SA: anesthetizing mucus, Attach, blood drain, disease; SQ: Tremor-sense; Lang: ; AL: N; Sv: F: +3, R: +1, W: +0; Abil: S: 4/-3, D: 14/+2, C: 12/+1, I: -/, W: 10/0, Ch: 2/-4; Skills: Hide +13, Swim +6; Feats: Weap Finesse (bite): Equip: ; Loot: ; Possess: ; Holdings: ; Treas: None;; Tactics: Leeches wait in the mud and slime for prey to pass by. Generally, there will be some larger leeches (of greater HD) in any given group; RPGL: ; Descrip: Giant leeches are horrid, slug-like creatures that dwell in wet, slimy areas and suck the blood of warm-blooded creatures. Their skin is a mottled brown and tan with an occasional shade of grey. Leeches have a sucking disk at both ends and can attack in either of two directions. Once attached the other side will go dormant.; History: ; Envir: widespread in marine waters and exist in freshwater and on land in temperate & tropical region; Org: Cluster (2-5) or swarm (4-16); Lv Advance: 2-4 HD (Sm); 5-6 HD (Med); Exp:
Attach (Ex): If a leech hits an opponent with its touch attack, it has latched on with its suckered mouth and remains attached. An attached leech loses it Dexterity bonus to AC (it is AC 10 while attached).
Anesthetizing mucus (Ex): A leech has an anesthetic enzyme in its saliva that prevents warm-blooded creatures from feeling its bite. Creatures in the water that are bitten by a leech must make a Spot check (DC 33) or a Wilderness Lore check (DC 20) to notice being bitten.
Blood drain (Ex): A giant leech drains blood, doing 1d3 points of temporary Con damage each round that it remains attached. Once it has drained 4 points of Con, it releases its hold and swims off to digest its meal.
Disease (Ex): Swamp fever - bite, Fort save (DC 11), incubation period 1d4 days; damage 1d3 temporary Con.
Tremor-sense (Ex): Leeches in the water can automatically detect the presence of anything within 30 feet that is also in contact with the water.
Notes: (From “The Ecology of the Giant Leech DR 123 p 50-52
1. Leeches (both the small variety of our world and the giant variety of AD&D® game worlds) are segmented worms. The posterior and anterior segments of leeches are modified into suction disks. The posterior disk is larger and is used only to hold the leech in place against rocks and the like. The smaller anterior disk contains the leech’s mouth, which is equipped with three jaws of teeth which make a clean, Y-shaped incision.
A leech’s saliva contains an anesthetic; because of this, a leech bite is painless and almost always goes unnoticed. This viscous saliva acts immediately upon contact with the victim’s skin, and is only removed by alcohol, ether, or similar liquids. Additionally, leech saliva contains an anticoagulant (hirudin) and a substance which enlarges the blood vessels in the area of the bite (a vasodilator, in medical terms) for increased blood flow. Some leech saliva even contains a substance which dissolves pre-existing blood clots.
Due to these anticoagulants, blood continues to flow from a leech bite much longer than from a normal wound. Characters bitten by a leech lose blood at the rate of 1-4 hp per melee round for l-12 rounds after the leech is removed (or until the wound is bound). Clerical healing spells negate this excessive blood loss, as may other actions at the DM’s discretion. As an example, some swamp-dwelling races commonly use spider webs to help
clot leech bites. In addition to anticoagulants and vasodilators, a leech’s saliva contains antibiotics, so leech bites rarely become infected. It is suggested that the Monster Manual section dealing with increased chance of disease from leech bites be disregarded, and that leech bites should be treated as any other wound for chances of infection.
2. Not all leech species are blood-sucking parasites. Many are predacious species which feed on other animals, and many parasitic species eat other animals on occasion. Some leech species also eat carrion. Leeches typically rest attached to plants and other underwater objects, waiting for prey to pass by. Extremely sensitive to vibrations, leeches become restless and attempt to locate the source of the vibrations by stretching and waving their anterior disk through the water. A leech may thrive for months on a single meal. Once sated, a leech typically finds a sheltered place and stays relatively inactive for a time. A well-fed leech cannot be induced to feed again for weeks. It has long been known that blood in a leech’s digestive tract does not coagulate. his knowledge may be exploited by some evil forces in the AD&D® game world to keep blood used in ceremonial liquids for
a longer duration
3. A leech’s eyes typically consist of groups of light receptive cells (ocelli) which register light intensity but cannot see images. Leeches often react when light conditions change, such as when a shadow is cast by a passing boat, fish, or a wading person. Receptor cells on the leech’s skin are sensitive to slight amounts of certain chemicals. This keen sense of ‘smell’ allows leeches to home in on substances or organisms attractive to the leech or to avoid those which may be harmful.
4. Leeches have two main modes of locomotion. The most common is an ‘inchworm’ movement, by which the leech stretches forward and attaches its anterior disk, then moves the posterior disk forward and attaches it in turn. This method is slow (3/round) but very efficient. A leech can climb any vertical or overhanging surface in this manner, although it generally avoids those that are potentially harmful (such as one covered with thorns or salt). Additionally, a leech may swim very rapidly (12 /round) by employing vertical undulations, but it will not attack prey in this manner.
Leeches do not bite in self-defense. If attacked while unattached, a leech tries to escape as soon as it is wounded. An escaping leech swims away or attempts to crawl into a protective tangle. Since leeches are invertebrates, a relatively large leech can crawl through a very small space.
5. While attached to prey, leeches are very unresponsive to outside stimuli. Salt, ashes, or other dehydrating substances cause them to release their hold quickly, as will an open flame. An attached leech which is slain continues to draw blood at the normal rate for an additional 1d4 rounds.
6. Leeches are hermaphroditic, but they cannot fertilize their own eggs. Eggs may be laid in protective cocoons attached to underwater rocks or logs, or buried in the bottom ooze. Some species of leech carry their eggs in membranous sacs on their underside. In such cases, the young live for a time attached to the parent’s ventral surface, although they gain no nourishment from the parent in this manner.
[FONT=&quot]7.[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Leeches are very sensitive to traces of metals in the water. Copper in their water always proves fatal to captive leeches. Additionally, captive leeches must be provided with a rock or other rough surface to rub against, in order to slough off old skin.[/FONT]

 

[lordxaviar]

sorry if i got large here, the giant leech post is one that i altered before they put them out. I think they got it wrong... I am working on a post on Giant ants as well they really didnt get them right.. (that will be in a new thread...)

 

[Cleon]

sorry if i got large here, the giant leech post is one that i altered before they put them out. I think they got it wrong...

Not bad, not bad. Am I wrong to think that you share my preference the more detailed AD&D versions of most of these monsters?

I like the "Panic" special attack, although the DC may be a bit high.

The formatting is rather idiosyncratic (e.g. 3E always uses inches or feet/ft. instead of ' or ".)

Swarms do auto-damage in melee, so it shouldn't have a melee attack modifier in the attack line, or a Strength modifier, so it should just have "Swarm (1d4)" or maybe "Swarm (1d6)" for its attack. (Also, even if it did have a Strength penalty its 1 Strength would give it 1d4-5 damage, not 1d4-3).

Its got "anticoagulant salivary juices" listed in SA but no such SA under combat, I'm thinking you meant to swap it for "Anesthetizing mucus" and "poison".

I am working on a post on Giant ants as well they really didnt get them right.. (that will be in a new thread...)

That's a curious coincidence. I happened to be my own retread of the Giant Ant last month, after reading the SRD version and thinking they were all wrong. It'll be interesting to see how your take differs from mine...

 

[Cleon]

Updated with the revised description and lower Str mod for trample.

Rather than "half-orc", you could have gone with "otyugh", though.

They're not that smelly.

 

[Shade]

Here's the next one. This should help when we deal with our Gargantua carp.


Carp, Giant
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Tropical, subtropical, and temperate fresh water
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Solitary or school
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVEMENT: Sw18
HIT DICE: 8-12
THAC0: 8 HD: 13 11 HD: 9
9HD:11 12 HD: 9
10 HD: 11
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-20
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Swallow whole
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L (20’-30’ long)
MORALE: Average (9)
XP VALUE: 8 HD: 3,000 11 HD: 6,000
9 HD: 4,000 12 HD: 7,000
10 HD 5,000

The giant carp is a game fish favored by many races. It lives in all types of freshwater lakes and rivers.

A relative of the goldfish, the giant carp has golden scales evenly covering its plump body. The scales of some varieties are shiny enough to resemble tiny mirrors, while the scales of others are extremely thin, and look more like yellowish skin. The giant carp has a single, broad dorsal fin centered on its back. A wide caudal fin, which extends from its thickly muscled tail, helps propel the fish through the water. Its paired pectoral and pelvic fins are often shredded or gone entirely, owing to the carp’s tendency to poke among sharp rocks in search of food.

Combat: Giant carp are usually docile, harmless creatures. However, some have reportedly surfaced to attack small boats or swimmers. Others allegedly have taken the bait of a simple fishhook, much to the fisherman’s surprise. If the carp are feeding, they will attack any creature who disturbs them. Females are especially touchy when spawning.

Giant carp attack by biting, inflicting 2-20 (2d10) hit points of damage with their sharp, curved teeth. Additionally, if an attack causes 12 or more hit points of damage, the carp may swallow its victim whole. The carp’s ability to swallow large victims increases with its Hit Dice: at 8 HD, it can swallow a victim the size of a dog; at 9 HD, a large dog or colt; at 10 HD, a small man; at 11 HD, a normal-sized man; at 12 HD, a small ogre or oni.

Victims who have been swallowed suffer normal damage from the attack. Each round thereafter, they suffer 1 hit point of damage from the carp’s digestive juices. A swallowed victim also has a 5% cumulative chance per round of suffocating.

To escape from the carp’s stomach, a swallowed victim can cut his way free if he has a sharp-edged weapon. He also may be rescued by someone cutting or tearing at the carp from outside. When the carp has lost 50% of its hit points from such attempts, the victim can break free. A character on the inside suffers no penalty when making these attacks. Rescuers on the outside make attacks with a -2 penalty to their chance to hit, because they are attempting to aim a series of blows at the same area. Thrusting and stabbing weapons have a 20% chance of striking the swallowed victim.

Habitat/Society: A giant carp has no lair as such. It spends most of its time scavenging for food on the oozy bottom of a lake or river, and seldom strays far from the area in which it was born.

A female carp lays thousands of eggs when spawning, though the vast majority of these are never fertilized. A carp becomes sexually mature between 10 and 20 years of age, and lives about 50 years.

Ecology: Giant carp eat any decayed matter they find in the muck and ooze. In addition, they swallow the eggs of other species of fish, as well as the fish themselves. Giant carp also feed on worms, weeds, frogs, snakes, crabs, and plankton.

Peoples of many races enjoy eating giant carp. A single fish can supply the needs of a village for quite some time. In spite of the dangers, the hunt for giant carp is often considered worth the risk, and fishermen sometimes organize expeditions specifically for catching these creatures. Giant carp can be eaten fresh or smoked.

In many places in Kara-Tur, the giant carp is considered a symbol of wealth, owing to the creature’s golden scales. It also symbolizes perseverance, since the fish stubbornly persists in its chosen niche regardless of adversity. Wealthy nobles sometimes build tanks or pools in the courtyards of their temples, specifically for keeping giant carp. The nobles believe the fish will protect their fortunes.

Some primitive tribes believe a mystic link exists between particular species of fish, such as giant carp, and particular species of birds, such as peacocks and ravens, since both types of creatures lay eggs and both are associated with foretelling the future. These tribes believe that during certain times of the year, giant carp
acquire the ability to breathe air. Though these rumors persist, no evidence of flying carp has been verified.

Originally appeared in Monstrous Compendium Kara-Tur Appendix (1990).

 

[freyar]

Sounds pretty straightforward: bite with imp grab and swallow whole. The bit about attacking boats makes me think about adding capsize (maybe) or some kind of "boat slam" attack, though.

 

[Shade]

Huge?

Here are some other big fish for ability score ideas:

Ramfish (L): Str 21, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 5
Dire Barracuda (L): Str 19, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Bichir (L): Str 17, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Giant Anglerfish (L): Str 20, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 2
Giant Viperfish (H): Str 28, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 2

 

[lordxaviar]

Not bad, not bad. Am I wrong to think that you share my preference the more detailed AD&D versions of most of these monsters?

The formatting is rather idiosyncratic (e.g. 3E always uses inches or feet/ft. instead of ' or ".)

just space saving

Swarms do auto-damage in melee, so it shouldn't have a melee attack modifier in the attack line, or a Strength modifier, so it should just have "Swarm (1d4)" or maybe "Swarm (1d6)" for its attack. (Also, even if it did have a Strength penalty its 1 Strength would give it 1d4-5 damage, not 1d4-3).


Its got "anticoagulant salivary juices" listed in SA but no such SA under combat, I'm thinking you meant to swap it for "Anesthetizing mucus" and "poison".



That's a curious coincidence. I happened to be my own retread of the Giant Ant last month, after reading the SRD version and thinking they were all wrong. It'll be interesting to see how your take differs from mine...

well i went to use an update as I am running two very novice players... (they didnt know how to deal with green slime! most amusing more on that later)
but the new ants are 6' long? omg... how silly... I am trying to dig out the article on bugs from dragon,,, found it...
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?p=5398373#post5398373

 

[freyar]

Huge?

Here are some other big fish for ability score ideas:

Ramfish (L): Str 21, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 5
Dire Barracuda (L): Str 19, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Bichir (L): Str 17, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Giant Anglerfish (L): Str 20, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 2
Giant Viperfish (H): Str 28, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 2

Let's go with Huge. Because the bite damage is fairly high (2-20), I'd suggest a reasonably high Str there. Maybe go for something similar to the viperfish?