Converting "generic setting" Second Edition monsters

[Cleon]

Ooh yeah, the jaculi! It's in Serpent Kingdoms.

Here are the relevant abilities...

Flying Gore (Ex): A jaculi can hurl itself down on an opponent like an arrow from a point 30 feet or more above. This flying gore attack (+10 melee) deals 1d8+6 points of piercing damage from the jaculi's horns and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Spring (Ex): A jaculi can gather its coils and then launch itself in a jump. The jump DCs for both long jumps and high jumps are halved, and no running start is required. Furthermore, when jumping down, the jaculi takes damage as if it had dropped 70 fewer feet than it actually did.

Neither of those seem right. How about this:

Water Leap (Ex): If a water leaper jumps out of water it can fly for 1 round at a speed of X feet (poor maneuverability). It can make a charge attack as part of a water leap. A water leaper can also use its wings as airbrakes, negating falling damage from a fall of any height.

 

[Shade]

That seems serviceable enough.

 

[Cleon]

That seems serviceable enough.

I'll add it to the Working Draft.

What speed would you like for the flying? I'm thinking 30 feet.

 

[Shade]

I'll add it to the Working Draft.

What speed would you like for the flying? I'm thinking 30 feet.

That will probably suffice.

 

[Cleon]

That will probably suffice.

Updating Working Draft.

Come to think of it, shouldn't they be Aquatic (being fish-frog things) and either have Amphibious or Water Dependent?

I prefer Aquatic & Water Dependent.

 

[freyar]

The Water Leap is good, so you can now drop the Leap SA from the working draft.

I also like Aquatic and Water Dependent.

Mortis suggested that the Water Leap should include bull rushing as an option. How about we give them Imp Bull Rush as a bonus feat?

Moving to the Shriek. Stunned sounds like the original, but it might be too powerful at 1HD. Maybe stunned for 1 round with a Fort save to negate & can't be affected by the same leaper for 24 hours regardless of the save? Otherwise, I'd probably argue that we should reduce to dazed.

 

[Cleon]

The Water Leap is good, so you can now drop the Leap SA from the working draft.

I also like Aquatic and Water Dependent.

Mortis suggested that the Water Leap should include bull rushing as an option. How about we give them Imp Bull Rush as a bonus feat?

That all sounds good.

Updating Working Draft.

Moving to the Shriek. Stunned sounds like the original, but it might be too powerful at 1HD. Maybe stunned for 1 round with a Fort save to negate & can't be affected by the same leaper for 24 hours regardless of the save? Otherwise, I'd probably argue that we should reduce to dazed.

Stunned for 1 round (Fort negates) is fine by me, but if you both don't like that I'd be willing to consider staggered or one of the fear conditions (e.g. panicked or frightened). Dazed seems too weak.

The original tactics suggest the victims only need to make a single saving throw in any round they're hit by a Shriek, no matter how many Leapers are shrieking, otherwise the Leapers would shriek en masse while a couple of their number chew their opponents to death.

 

[Shade]

I'm fine with stunned for 1 round.

 

[Cleon]

I'm fine with stunned for 1 round.

What about the "only 1 save per round"?

How's this?:

Stunning Shriek (Su): A water leaper can produce a horrible shriek as a standard action. All living creatures within 30 ft. must succeed at a DC X Fort save or be stunned for 1 round. If a creature is shrieked at by multiple water leapers over the course of 1 round, they only need to make a single saving throw, which is compared to the DC of every stunning shriek that affects them in that round. The saving throw is Charisma-based.

 

[freyar]

First off, this should be called out as a sonic effect. Second, I'd suggest probably making this Ex and Con-based. And, finally, that's an odd mechanic. Why not say that a victim cannot be affected by another shriek for a round after a successful save?

Stunning Shriek (Ex?): A water leaper can produce a horrible shriek as a standard action. All living creatures within 30 ft. must succeed at a DC X Fort save or be stunned for 1 round. In addition, a creature cannot be affected by any water leaper's stunning shriek for one? round after a successful save. This is a sonic effect, and the saving throw is Constitution-based.