Converting Psionic Creatures

[Cleon]

I think we can give them the psionic subtype, don't you?

I'll agree with your change to alignment and changing the pack to (2-20).

CR is interesting. They might be almost comparable to the CR 7 succubus, except the succubus has energy drain. They are probably also a bit worse than a CR 7 aboleth. CR 6 seems about right.

That all sounds right to me.

Updating Cessirid Update Working Draft.

Apart from that, we just need to refigure the Skills & Feats.

 

[freyar]

Looking at the skills, I'm wondering, where does the Jump +10 come from? Is that an unlisted racial bonus or a special abiilty I'm just not seeing for some reason?

Anyway, we could distribute the 22 ranks as Hide 5, Listen 6, Move Silently 5, Spot 6. I don't think Jump or Swim necessarily need more.

 

[Cleon]

Looking at the skills, I'm wondering, where does the Jump +10 come from? Is that an unlisted racial bonus or a special abiilty I'm just not seeing for some reason?

The original's Jump has +2 from Strength and +8 from its 50 ft. speed.

It should now have +12 due to its higher Strength score, but I haven't adjusted it yet.

Anyway, we could distribute the 22 ranks as Hide 5, Listen 6, Move Silently 5, Spot 6. I don't think Jump or Swim necessarily need more.

I reckon we ought to give it at least the same skill modifiers as the 3.0 original, which has Hide +9, Jump +7, Listen +8, Move Silently +9, Spot +8, Swim +7 plus Alertness.

That works out as skill ranks Hide 6, Jump ?, Listen 4, Move Silently 6, Spot 4, Swim ?, which leaves us with 2 skill ranks in our budget.

Splitting those between Listen and Spot seems to make sense.

Since we're keeping Alertness like the original, that'd mean it has:

Skills: Hide +9, Jump +12, Listen +9, Move Silently +9, Spot +9, Swim +12

Any preferences for the other two skills? I'm thinking we should make one of them a Psionic feat, and maybe Weapon Focus (bite) for the other one.

 

[freyar]

Those skills are fine.

Assuming you mean the other 2 feats , WF (bite) is ok, and maybe Psionic Weapon would be fun.

 

[Cleon]

Those skills are fine.

Assuming you mean the other 2 feats , WF (bite) is ok, and maybe Psionic Weapon would be fun.

I sent the correct word telepathically to test your psionic latency.

Psionic Weapon is a good idea, but it'd need some ranks in Concentration for it to be much use.

Come to think of it, Concentration would also be useful for its Psi-Like Abilities.

Hmm...

How about we give it Open Minded plus Psionic Weapon for the two feats, then use the 5 SPs from Open Minded to give it Concentration +9?

A decent Concentration skills seems more useful than another +1 to hit, since its melee attack is already pretty good.

 

[freyar]

I'll agree to that!

Did we need to edit description, flavor, or tactics any?

 

[Cleon]

I'll agree to that!

Updating Cessirid Update Working Draft.

Did we need to edit description, flavor, or tactics any?

I'd like to rearrange it a bit to conform closer to the usual 3.5 Monster Manual layout:

A pale gray creature shaped like a canine, but its beak and smooth slimy skin show it's no dog. Its large head has oversized eyes as black as pools of ink. Four short tentacles surround its toothless, rending jaws. There are short spines jutting from its back. Its paws are webbed for swimming.

Cessirids are a form of illithidae analogous to pack hunting canines like wolves or hyenas. Cessirids live in tight-knit packs that use telepathy to cooperate with silent efficiency. The mind flayers have used them as "hounds" for thousands of years.

A cessirid stands roughly 2 feet high at the shoulder and weighs up to 150 pounds.

Cessirids can communicate telepathically with any illithid-kin (illithids and illithidae). Their telepathy can not "speak" to non-illithids, but it does allow them to understand the languages of any intelligent creature. Cessirids can speak Undercommon in a growling, yapping voice.
​

 

[freyar]

This looks fine, though you have some color tags popping up at the end again. It's legible this time at least.

Anything else? I'd say they look done if we add the credits.

 

[Cleon]

This looks fine, though you have some color tags popping up at the end again. It's legible this time at least.

Updating Cessirid Update Working Draft.

Anything else? I'd say they look done if we add the credits.

No, I think we're done.

 

[freyar]

OK, I'm not sure the "urgency" of the remaining critters for this thread (I think you had some lined up). Like I mentioned before, I'd like to focus on completing some of our groups of ten, so we can eventually post something to the CC.