Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine

[Cleon]

I'll await Cleon's final lookthrough before moving on, as this was a complex one.

Shouldn't the impaler use a 1.5 Str bonus when wielded as a single weapon, since presumably the Geran will use both hands?

Also, there's no point listing the impaler twice in the Attack Line, since both ends do the same amount of damage, just different types.

Revising...

Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d4+3) or impaler +7 melee (2d4+4/x3)
Full Attack: 2 claws +7 melee (1d4+3); or impaler +7 melee (2d4+4/x3); or impaler +5 melee (2d4+3/x3) and impaler +5 melee (2d4+1/x3)

Apart from that tweak I think we're OK.

 

[Cleon]

I'd make this a template that can be applied to any aquatic animal w/o the amphibious SQ (maybe). But I'm not sure if there are trout, goldfish, etc, anywhere.

Tricky. The shark, sting ray and piranha are basically just aerial versions of the regular creature, but the rest of them look like originals.

To make it more difficult, I don't believe the official 3E Sting Ray and Piranha are OGL.

My current preference is starting with a template with a Medium-sized shark as the sample creature, then create the rest as new monsters using that for inspiration.

Incidentally, some of these smaller critters seem overpowered - 1-1 HD and 1-2 damage for a trout!

Maybe make Air Fish all Dire Animals, to explain why they're so tough?

 

[Shade]

Updated Geran.

Tricky. The shark, sting ray and piranha are basically just aerial versions of the regular creature, but the rest of them look like originals.

To make it more difficult, I don't believe the official 3E Sting Ray and Piranha are OGL.

Correct. In fact, no "piranha" exists...only a piranha swarm.

My current preference is starting with a template with a Medium-sized shark as the sample creature, then create the rest as new monsters using that for inspiration.

I'm fine with starting that way, although I'd like to keep a template option.

Incidentally, some of these smaller critters seem overpowered - 1-1 HD and 1-2 damage for a trout!

Maybe make Air Fish all Dire Animals, to explain why they're so tough?

I'd rather reduce their power level than make them dire. I still think a simple airfish in Fine, Diminutive, and Tiny size would work, and just note the special bits for the named variants.

 

[freyar]

Less is more here, methinks. Let's figure out the template by working on the shark.

I also don't think we're required to stat out each one individually if we make it as a template.

 

[Cleon]

Less is more here, methinks. Let's figure out the template by working on the shark.

I also don't think we're required to stat out each one individually if we make it as a template.

Well, they obviously either lose their Aquatic subtype or gain the Amphibious SQ.

Add a fly speed, obviously.

The sample's got the 5 HD of a mid-sized AD&D shark, so do we drop it to 3 HD like the Medium-sized SRD or make the Skyfish Template increase HD? I prefer increased Hit Dice, to explain the 1/2 HD trout!

 

[Shade]

I'd prefer to not tamper with HD. I'd rather ignore the original (wonky) HD and try to shoehorn them into compatible 3.5 HD.

Medium shark is fine. Definitely add flight. I favor adding amphibious rather than dropping Aquatic, but could be convinced otherwise.

 

[Cleon]

I'd prefer to not tamper with HD. I'd rather ignore the original (wonky) HD and try to shoehorn them into compatible 3.5 HD.

Medium shark is fine. Definitely add flight. I favor adding amphibious rather than dropping Aquatic, but could be convinced otherwise.

My first instinct was to make them Amphibious, but reading the entry I don't see any mention of them being able to breathe water. It says "air fish are creatures which can breathe air and fly" and "air-fish can survive in any damp environment, they prefer forests or other congested areas which offer places to hide. They are comfortable only in humid air, which they need to keep their skins moist".

Furthermore, the air-shark entry says they "are just as dangerous in their new environment as their cousins are in water", which implies that they don't live in water like their "cousins".

I think I'm going to vote for dropping the Aquatic.

 

[Cleon]

Oh, and the Air Stingray is missing a manoeuverability class. I'm thinking the original would most likely be MC:C, since that's the most common.

Is the stat missing from the original article?

 

[Cleon]

We'd better settle on what name to give this conversion.

We've got eight "air fish" against one "air-fish" plus an "air-catfish", so the numbers favour the former.

 

[Cleon]

Moisture Dependent (Ex): If an air fish spends more than 24 hours outside a humid environment, its skin grows dry and brittle. An air fish with dried-out skin must must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of damage. The air fish can cure its dried-out skin by soaking in water for one minute.

By the way, I like this Moisture Dependent write up.

Should we change the name to Humidity Dependent?

I'd also like to add an "or by staying in a humid atmosphere for an hour" to the end.

e.g.:

Humidity Dependent (Ex): If an air fish spends more than 24 hours outside a humid environment, its skin grows dry and brittle. An air fish with dried-out skin must must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of damage. The air fish can cure its dried-out skin by soaking in water for one minute, or by staying in a humid atmosphere for an hour.