Converting "generic setting" Second Edition monsters

[freyar]

Since it's just character level advancement, I don't see a need to. But I won't complain if the rest of you want to do it.

 

[demiurge1138]

I don't think so, but let's give them an "as characters" paragraph. Favored class wizard?

 

[Cleon]

I don't think so, but let's give them an "as characters" paragraph. Favored class wizard?

Sure, put in a Flawder As Characters section, we've already got Wizards as favoured class.

As for the text. Firstly, if they are MARINE creatures they wouldn't live in lakes, so I'd cut that out. The bit about their shells not being spiralled ought to be in the description. Some of the rest of it can be paraphrased. Oh, and I reckon a weight of 60 pounds for them:

This creature resembles an upright snail, although its beautiful shell does not spiral like a snail. Two eyestalks sprout from its head. A pair of tentacles extend beneath the eyestalks, above a round mouth with several rows of blunt teeth.

Flawder are peaceful nomads who roam the floor of seas and large lakes. They live in small tribes, each tribe has shells of a different, distinctive pattern and coloration.

Flawder are hermaphroditic and can breed at any time, producing 2-12 soft eggs per pair, which they hide throughout their territory. Flawder reproduce at an alarming rate, hatching in 6 weeks and reaching adulthood in 6 months. If predators are absent, a tribe of flawder will quickly grow so numerous it eats all plant matter in the area, resulting in the tribe's death by starvation.

Flawder are led by wizards. A flawder chief rules absolutely, leading the others in search of food. In rare instances, a chief leads their tribe to attack a particularly dangerous predator.

All of a tribes' leaders share one "spell book" make from inscribed flat pieces of shell. This spell book is carried by a specially chosen common flawder. Tribes may also carry 1-20 similar shell books which record histories, legends, and songs. A few flawder carry special or magical items, mostly crafted by their wizard leaders. A flawder may contain gemstones or pearls in its gullet, and their beautiful shells are valued as artistic works.

Flawder are quite tasty, and are therefore hunted by many other races. As a result, flawder are nervous around almost any other aquatic race, but will sometimes associate with tritons, mermen, or aquatic elves.

A typical flawder is 3-1/2 to 4 feet long and weighs about 60 pounds. A flawder can live for up to 40 years.

Flawder speak a dialect of Aquan in a beautiful, musical tongue.

 

[Shade]

Updated, with an "as characters" section. Do the domains and bonus languages look OK?

 

[demiurge1138]

Makes sense to me. Both elves and dragons sometimes hang out under water.

 

[Cleon]

Updated, with an "as characters" section. Do the domains and bonus languages look OK?

The languages and domains are fine, except I don't like Travel for them. I'd prefer Knowledge, Protection or Weather.

Hmm, going by the original description they should only bite when they lack weapons. Their bite is also pretty feeble, so may be a secondary-only attack like the SRD Camel's.

That would make their Full Attack line and Attack lines one of the following:

Primary Bite version
Attack: Dagger +2 melee (1d3/19-20) or bite +2 melee (1d2) or dagger +0 ranged (1d3/19-20)
Full Attack: Dagger +2 melee (1d3/19-20) or bite -3 melee (1d2) or dagger +0 ranged (1d3/19-20)

Secondary Bite version
Attack: Dagger +2 melee (1d3/19-20) or bite* +2 melee (1d2) or dagger +0 ranged (1d3/19-20)
Full Attack: Dagger +2 melee (1d3/19-20) or bite* -3 melee (1d2) or dagger +0 ranged (1d3/19-20)

COMBAT
Flawder prefer to avoid combat, but will fight to defend themselves and their tribe. Only about half of the flawder encountered will be armed, and the others will flee at any sign of trouble, fighting only if cornered.
​

*A flawder's bite is treated as a secondary attack and adds only half the flawder's Strength bonus to the damage roll.

Oh, and we should make clear that they're herbivores. I'd change the first paragraph to:

Flawder are peaceful herbivores who roam the floor of seas and large lakes. They live in small nomadic tribes, each tribe's shells has a distinctive pattern and coloration.
​

Apart from that I don't see anything worth fussing with. You know me, I don't like to fuss unnecessarily.

 

[Shade]

The languages and domains are fine, except I don't like Travel for them. I'd prefer Knowledge, Protection or Weather.

I went with Travel because they were nomadic, but Knowledge is fine.

Hmm, going by the original description they should only bite when they lack weapons. Their bite is also pretty feeble, so may be a secondary-only attack like the SRD Camel's.

Good call.

Oh, and we should make clear that they're herbivores. I'd change the first paragraph to:

Flawder are peaceful herbivores who roam the floor of seas and large lakes. They live in small nomadic tribes, each tribe's shells has a distinctive pattern and coloration.
​

Apart from that I don't see anything worth fussing with. You know me, I don't like to fuss unnecessarily.

No, not you, never.

Updated.

 

[freyar]

Looks pretty good. Next?

 

[Cleon]

No, not you, never.

Updated.

My unfussy self still thinks that "each tribe's shells has a distinctive pattern and coloration." is a better wording than "each with shells of a different, distinctive pattern and coloration". It's just clearer that the whole tribe has a particular shell pattern.

Oh, and I mucked up the Attack line bite in my secondary bite sample. It should be -3 melee for both, since it always has the -5 attack penalty for being secondary:

Secondary Bite version
Attack: Dagger +2 melee (1d3/19-20) or bite* -3 melee (1d2) or dagger +0 ranged (1d3/19-20)
Full Attack: Dagger +2 melee (1d3/19-20) or bite* -3 melee (1d2) or dagger +0 ranged (1d3/19-20)
​

 

[Shade]

My unfussy self still thinks that "each tribe's shells has a distinctive pattern and coloration." is a better wording than "each with shells of a different, distinctive pattern and coloration". It's just clearer that the whole tribe has a particular shell pattern.

That's fine, but it doesn't work within this sentence:

They live in small nomadic tribes, each tribe's shells has a distinctive pattern and coloration.

It's probably just a difference in punctuation on both sides of the ocean, but we can't separate two complete sentences by a comma on this side.

How about...

Flawder are peaceful herbivores who live in small nomadic tribes on the floor of seas and large lakes. Each tribe's shells has a distinctive pattern and coloration.