Converting Planescape monsters

[Shade]

Yes, I realized that. I just feel in my bones that someone's going to find an augmented animal or vermin somewhere that qualifies.

If they did, they'd be breaking the basic rules, so they've got bigger problems.

 

[freyar]

Ok, it's not specified in the original monster (I think), but it seems like other stats should be boosted a bit also. Maybe +2 Wis and Cha (since they're already around average for most animals) and more for physical stats?

 

[Cleon]

Ok, it's not specified in the original monster (I think), but it seems like other stats should be boosted a bit also. Maybe +2 Wis and Cha (since they're already around average for most animals) and more for physical stats?

I'd rather it be a heftier boost than that, perhaps +4 to all the other stats?

 

[Shade]

I'd definitely agree to the +4, maybe even more for Cha. I'm not sure the physical stats need a boost, although I'm not opposed.

 

[Cleon]

I'd definitely agree to the +4, maybe even more for Cha. I'm not sure the physical stats need a boost, although I'm not opposed.

I'm imagining them as having physical stats at least as good as a Dire Beast, and good Will saves too boot.

 

[freyar]

I'll agree to +4 to just about everything. I definitely imagine them as being more powerful physically than the regular animals.

 

[Cleon]

I'll agree to +4 to just about everything. I definitely imagine them as being more powerful physically than the regular animals.

Looks like Shade is outvoted!

 

[Cleon]

To recap, so far we've got something like this:

Warden Beast
This template can be applied to any Animal or Vermin. Only animals found on the Beastlands have a warden beast, this template can not be applied to creatures with magical powers or other criteria excluding them from the Beastland.

Type: Change to Magical Beast and gains the Extraplanar subtype.

Hit Dice: Increase by 3 (minimum of 6 Hit Dice?).

Abilities: A warden beast gains a +8 racial bonus to Intelligence (if the base creature lacks an intelligence score the Warden Beast has Int 8), a +6 racial bonus to Charisma, and a +4 racial bonus to Strength, Dexterity, Constitution and Wisdom.
​

We'll need to sort out its SQs. The Spell-Like Abilities, Spell Resistance, and Summoning are pretty straightforward, although I think we should consider changing Summon Animal Lord (Sp) to summoning another Warden Beast, since the Animal Lords are far more powerful.

"Warden beasts can speak with all creatures, and can always sense the true emotions of those around them" suggests telepathy and probably Sense Emotions like we gave the Al-Jahar.

The tricky bit is their ability to sense their territories and influence the animal inhabitants within it. I think we should divide that into two abilities, one for sensing and one for calling. The sensing application reminded me a bit of the Brown Unicorn's Psychic territory, which we converted as:

Psychic Warning Fence (Sp): A brown unicorn can use its horn to trace an invisible barrier of mental energies around an area of up to 1 square mile. The barrier warns any creatures with a psi-like ability, power point reserve, or telepathy that they are entering the brown unicorn's territory. A psychic warning fence lasts for 1 week, and can be dispelled as if it were a spell-like ability (caster level equals unicorn's HD). A brown unicorn may only have one psychic warning fence active at a time; creating a second immediately removes the first.

So, I'm thinking the SQs will look something like this:

Special Abilities:

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At-will---detect snares and pits, entangle, protection from evil, summon nature's ally I, cure light wounds (limited to 1/day for any given individual), 3/day---plant growth, 1/day---animal growth (the warden beast can use this power on itself), commune with nature . Caster level 10th, the save DCs are Charisma-based.

"Call of the Beastlands?": [Because of their link with their ecosystem, the warden beast is also able to contact (again, on a very basic level) any animal within this radius of 5 miles. The guardian may raise an alarm to cause all animals in this area to flee, swarm, calm, or take some other very basic action. The warden beasts use this only in times of dire need, such as during a forest fire. They will not use this power to simply save their own lives – and, in fact, will never put one of their charges in danger to further their own ends.]

"Sense Territory?" (Su): [Because they are not just focused on their own animal subjects but are tied in with all of nature on a basic primal level, warden beasts are 90% likely to become aware of any major event that occurs within 5 miles of their home.]

"Summon Ally" (Sp) [Another Warden Beast or an Animal Lord?]

Special Defenses:

Animal Friendship (?): [We'll need something to replace the original's at-will animal friendship spell. We could just give them an all-purpose version of a Lycanthrope's Empathy SQ, iei:

Animal Empathy (Ex): A warden beast can communicate with all animals and vermin, and gains a +X racial bonus on Charisma-based skill checks against animals and vermin.]

Sense Emotions (Ex): A warden beast can sense strong emotions such as anger, despair, elation, greed, hatred, love, or lust. It can sense such emotions in any intelligent creatures within a X ft. radius. This functions like the psionic power empathy. This ability gives the warden beast a +2 insight bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Sense Motive checks against creatures that are susceptible to mind-affecting powers.

Telepathy (Su): [To explain the "can speak with all creatures" trick. With a 100 ft. range?]

Spell Resistance (Su): [Some CR dependent value or a fixed value?]

 

[Cleon]

Oh, they original could also hit creatures that required +1 or +2 enchanted weapons to hurt. We'd better include that to. "A warden beast's natural weapons are considered magic for the purpose of penetrating Damage Reduction".

Maybe add some alignments, since plain DR/magic isn't up to much in 3E?

EDIT: Maybe we should just give the warden beasts a +2 enhancement to their natural weapons? If it's good enough for a unicorn's horn, it's good enough for a warden beast lion's claws.

 

[Cleon]

I've just checked the source material, and the posted Warden Beast stats are those from Planes of Conflict. The original Outer Planes Appendix version is basically the same, except it adds a 1/day sticks to snakes to its list of spells.

I don't think that fits the concept very well, so I'm happy leaving it out.