Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

[Cleon]

I suppose that will work, since it is an idol and looks like a mind flayer. I still favor "sentinel" to "guardian", though. How about "Sentinel Eidolon"?

Sentinel Eidolon's fine by me.

Updated.

Sure. Any reason to not model it off the psionic power of the same name (and mind flayer ability)?

Only that the original did damage as well. 7d6 to be precise.

That's pretty weak for a monster of its rank, but it isn't them main point of the attack. I'd suggest making it force damage and probably increasing the amount of dice or their size. It also stunned for a set 10 rounds, which is more than the average of 3d4. How about making it 4d4, so the average is 10 rounds?

e.g.:

Psychic Assault (Sp): Once per day, a sentinel eidolon can unleash a potent psionic blast in a cone 60 feet long [or 40 feet like in Dragon 46?]. Anyone caught in this cone takes 7d12 [?] force damage and must succeed on a DC X Will save or be stunned for 4d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.

e.g.

 

[Shade]

I'd like to go back and look at the earlier edition's mind flayers and their kin and see if they used to do damage with their mind blasts as well. If they did, and no longer do, then I'd say we can drop the damage for these fellas as well.

If not, then let's look for a similar damage-dealing psionic power before deciding upon an energy type.

 

[Cleon]

I'd like to go back and look at the earlier edition's mind flayers and their kin and see if they used to do damage with their mind blasts as well. If they did, and no longer do, then I'd say we can drop the damage for these fellas as well.

If not, then let's look for a similar damage-dealing psionic power before deciding upon an energy type.

AD&D Mind Flayers' mind blasts just stunned the target for 3-12 rounds.

 

[Shade]

AD&D Mind Flayers' mind blasts just stunned the target for 3-12 rounds.

OK, then we'll keep the damage.

Let's see...mind thrust deals untyped damage, concussion blast force damage...I could be persuaded for either type.

 

[Cleon]

OK, then we'll keep the damage.

Let's see...mind thrust deals untyped damage, concussion blast force damage...I could be persuaded for either type.

In that case, untyped like mind thrust probably makes better sense, since it's a psychic assault.

 

[freyar]

I'd go for untyped also. Now we can haggle over the damage amount. The average of 7d12 is about 45hp, which seems maybe a bit high for not being the main point. What about d8s?

 

[Cleon]

I'd go for untyped also. Now we can haggle over the damage amount. The average of 7d12 is about 45hp, which seems maybe a bit high for not being the main point. What about d8s?

Hmm, the 45.5 hit point average damage doesn't seem that much for a creature of its likely Challenge Rating (although the full damage even on a save is quite nasty), but I'd wouldn't complain that much about making it 7d8 for 31.5 average damage.

Certainly, the long-duration stunning is by far the nastiest component.

Hmm, the stun probably doesn't affect creatures that are immune to mind-affecting effects. Should we add that proviso to the special attack?

 

[Shade]

7d8 appeals.

Hmm, the stun probably doesn't affect creatures that are immune to mind-affecting effects. Should we add that proviso to the special attack?

Nope. Immunity to mind-affecting effects should provide full immunity to this as well, since it's essentially psionic.

 

[freyar]

There's actually nothing in the mind flayer's mind blast that it's mind-affecting. There's also nothing about psionics all being mind-affecting, and there's nothing about stunning that mindless (or immune to mind-affecting) creatures can't be stunned. If you want to put in the immunity, we need to put it in explicitly. However, like the mind-flayer, I'd leave it out. Why couldn't this stun a vermin? Granted, this is a little sticky if they're battling other constructs, but still.

 

[Shade]

There's actually nothing in the mind flayer's mind blast that it's mind-affecting. There's also nothing about psionics all being mind-affecting, and there's nothing about stunning that mindless (or immune to mind-affecting) creatures can't be stunned. If you want to put in the immunity, we need to put it in explicitly. However, like the mind-flayer, I'd leave it out. Why couldn't this stun a vermin? Granted, this is a little sticky if they're battling other constructs, but still.

Interesting. I could've sworn creatures immune to mind-affecting abilities were immune to psionics. I'm not sure where I got that, as the psionics overview only points out that Telepathy powers are mind-affecting.

Anyway, I'd like to model it as close to the mind flayer's power as possible.