Converting Forgotten Realms monsters

[Shade]

Right-ho. They're pretty straightforward.

Energy Drain (1 negative level per touch), complete drain causes "permanent, irreversible death".

Yep.

Turned as Mummies => Turn Resistance.

Oddly, mummies lack turn resistance.

They can disguise (or Disguise) themselves as living creatures if their negative energy spots are hidden. Want to do anything with that?

Sure. It helps differentiate them.

 

[freyar]

Should we allow divine intervention to reverse the irreversible death?

They also are mute and can't use command word magic items -- or presumably anything with a verbal component (do scrolls count?). We should probably keep that to differentiate them too. There's not much to them otherwise.

 

[Shade]

Should we allow divine intervention to reverse the irreversible death?

Yeah, probably the usual "nothing short of a true ressurection, wish, or miracle" bit.

They also are mute and can't use command word magic items -- or presumably anything with a verbal component (do scrolls count?). We should probably keep that to differentiate them too. There's not much to them otherwise.

Nice catch!

 

[Cleon]

Should we allow divine intervention to reverse the irreversible death?

I'd be inclined to allow a properly worded miracle/wish to circumvent it.

They also are mute and can't use command word magic items -- or presumably anything with a verbal component (do scrolls count?). We should probably keep that to differentiate them too. There's not much to them otherwise.

Yes, I was wondering whether we should include that. Guess we'd better.

Shouldn't lesser shadowraths be mute as well?

Is that enough for a SQ?

Mute (Ex): A shadowrath is as voiceless as the dead. It cannot speak, or cast spells with a verbal component, or use magic items that require a command word.

Seems a bit thin. Maybe add "Powers that grant a creature the ability to speak, such as the tongues spell, do not work on a shadowrath."?

 

[Shade]

It can't use spell completion items, either.

Spell Completion: This is the activation method for scrolls. A scroll is a spell that is mostly finished. The preparation is done for the caster, so no preparation time is needed beforehand as with normal spellcasting. All that’s left to do is perform the finishing parts of the spellcasting (the final gestures, words, and so on).

 

[Cleon]

It can't use spell completion items, either.

Spell Completion: This is the activation method for scrolls. A scroll is a spell that is mostly finished. The preparation is done for the caster, so no preparation time is needed beforehand as with normal spellcasting. All that’s left to do is perform the finishing parts of the spellcasting (the final gestures, words, and so on).

Surely that only applies when the spell cast from the scroll has a verbal component, which is already covered?

 

[Shade]

Surely that only applies when the spell cast from the scroll has a verbal component, which is already covered?

That's essentially true, although some third-party addons (like Arcana Unearth) have added other spell completion items, so it might be nice for the DM to just cover all bases.

 

[Cleon]

That's essentially true, although some third-party addons (like Arcana Unearth) have added other spell completion items, so it might be nice for the DM to just cover all bases.

Well the "spell with verbal component" bit is more relevant than the "spell completion" bit. I'd think it could use non-verbal spell completion items.

 

[freyar]

How about "cast spells (or use spell-completion items) with a verbal component"?

 

[Cleon]

How about "cast spells (or use spell-completion items) with a verbal component"?

So, something like this?

Mute (Ex): A shadowrath is as voiceless as the dead. It cannot speak, or cast spells (including spells from spell-completion items) that have a verbal component, or use magic items that require a command word.