Converting monsters from Tales From The Infinite Staircase

[freyar]

With the original spell, the mirrors aren't foci but spell components that require a week's preparation! That makes them magic items. This is a darned expensive spell. Presumably that would keep the level down, or else we should convert the mirrors to reusable foci.

Here's my feeling: the spell should have a duration but end after the first creature traverses the mirrors. That seems to be the intent. Sending an unwilling critter requires a melee touch attack with the mirror, probably with no save (since spells requiring attacks usually don't have saves). Sound about right to you?

 

[Cleon]

With the original spell, the mirrors aren't foci but spell components that require a week's preparation! That makes them magic items. This is a darned expensive spell. Presumably that would keep the level down, or else we should convert the mirrors to reusable foci.

I don't think the mirror spell components are actually magic items, since they don't have any magical powers in themselves. They're more like an alchemical item, which are not technically magic items but can only be made by spellcasters.

A week's crafting time is hardly "damn expensive" in 3E terms, since a week is the standard time unit for any Craft check to make an object.

Also, It doesn't say the spellcaster who casts the transport mirror has to make the mirrors themselves. They could just buy or trade them with some kamerel mirrorsmith to get one.

If we decide on a Craft DC we'd also be able to say how much the item costs. If it's DC 20 and takes a week to make, then it'll have a market price of 40 gp. By comparison, a scroll of dimension door has a minimum price of 700 gp.

Here's my feeling: the spell should have a duration but end after the first creature traverses the mirrors. That seems to be the intent. Sending an unwilling critter requires a melee touch attack with the mirror, probably with no save (since spells requiring attacks usually don't have saves). Sound about right to you?

That seems a reasonable compromise. I'll start statting up a rough draft.

 

[Cleon]

Here's what I had in mind. I still prefer an "Instantaneous" version for the basic spell, but it wouldn't be that hard to tweak it to add a duration.

Transport Mirror
Conjuration (Teleportation)
Level: Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: You or one touched creature or object
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell requires a specially crafted pair of mirrors that cost 40 gp. You touch an object or creature with one mirror and instantly transfer it to the location of the other mirror, which may be as distant as 1 mile per caster level. Interplanar travel is not possible. If the target is unwilling, you must succeed at a melee touch attack to touch them with the mirror and transport them. Transported creatures can bring along gear or objects as long as their weight doesn't exceed their maximum load.

This spell cannot transport a creature or object larger than Small size. The spell fails harmlessly if the target is larger than Small, the destination mirror is too far away, or if there is no clear space adjacent to the destination mirror large enough for the target to arrive in. The spell fails if the destination mirror is in a container or enclosure too small to hold the transferred target, no matter how fragile the container is.

Both mirrors shatter into powder immediately after a successful casting of transport mirror. If the spell fails for any of the above reasons, the mirrors remain intact and can be used in another casting of the spell.

Note that the "departure" and "destination" mirrors are interchangeable. Another spellcaster could pick up a mirror at a distant location and cast transport mirror to transfer a target to a mirror you're holding.

Spell Components: Two identical mirrors crafted by the same spellcaster.

 

[freyar]

For what it does, 40 gp seems pretty expensive --- after all, most spells when cast without a scroll are free. But I guess making it 3rd level (instead of 4th like DD) is a good way to compensate.

If you change the name to Transport Mirror, I'm happy with that draft.

 

[Cleon]

For what it does, 40 gp seems pretty expensive --- after all, most spells when cast without a scroll are free. But I guess making it 3rd level (instead of 4th like DD) is a good way to compensate.

If you change the name to Transport Mirror, I'm happy with that draft.

What the blazes? I could have sworn I'd change it.

Correcting name of transport mirror.

Updating Kamerel Mage Working Draft.

So what's next?

They also need a reduce spell that works on monsters and can shrink a creature two size categories to account for their "mirror kidnapping" trick.

It would be simplest just folding it all together as one spell:

Greater Reduce
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 3?
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell functions like reduce person, except that the effect is not restricted by creature type.

If your caster level is 7th or higher, you can choose to shrink a creature by two size categories instead of one: reducing its height, length, and width to one-fourth; dividing its weight by 64; and giving it a +2 size bonus to Dexterity and a –4 size penalty to Strength (minimum of 1). The target's new size will also change its size modifiers to attack rolls, AC, and other combat actions such as grapple and bull rush.

If an enlarge person is cast on a creature greater reduced by two size categories it partially counters the effect so the creature is only diminished by one size category (as per reduce person).

Material Components: A pinch of powdered iron.

If we were to follow the example of the SRD (charm person, charm monster and dispel magic & greater dispel magic), it'd require multiple spells - e.g.:

Enlarge Monster
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 3?
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell functions like enlarge person, except that the effect is not restricted by creature type.

Reduce Monster
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 3?
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell functions like reduce person, except that the effect is not restricted by creature type.

Greater Reduce Person
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 3?
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell functions like reduce person, except that it can instantly diminish a humanoid creature by two size categories instead of one, reducing its height, length, and width to one-fourth and dividing its weight by 64. The target attributes gains a +2 size bonus to Dexterity and a –4 size penalty to Strength (minimum of 1). Their new size will also change their size modifiers to attack rolls, AC and other combat actions such as grapple and bull rush.

An enlarge person spell partially counteracts greater reduce person, causing the target to only be reduced by one size category (effects as per reduce person).

Greater Reduce Monster
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 4?
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell functions like greater reduce person, except that the effect is not restricted by creature type.

 

[freyar]

I'd just go with the single spell.

 

[Cleon]

I'd just go with the single spell.

I thought you'd say that, and it has the benefit of being closer to the AD&D reduce spell.

Shall I add it to the Working Draft then?

 

[freyar]

I think so.

EDIT: It seems like none of the kamerel working drafts have an org filled in. Shall we go ahead and do that? I'd expect they should be pretty similar for all of them.

And are we doing any other kamerel, like their overall leader?

 

[Cleon]

I think so.

Updating Kamerel Mage Working Draft.

EDIT: It seems like none of the kamerel working drafts have an org filled in. Shall we go ahead and do that? I'd expect they should be pretty similar for all of them.

I think I left off filling in the Organization until we have all the kamerel worked out, since presumably it will incorporate all of them, but we might as well start working one out.

Going by the encounters, they normally move in bands that combine warriors and multiple drivers - the adventure's "Darkness" Ambush involves three mages plus a party-sized group of warriors, while its "Lure" Ambush had one mage, one driver plus a party-sized group of warriors.

The adventure says there are nineteen kamerel in the group, including the leader. It doesn't say how many are drivers/mages, but there must be at least four of them according to the Ambush encounters (assuming the mage in the "Lure" Ambush also participates in the "Darkness" one). So it appears they have a lot of NCOs in their units!

Of course, the kamerel fighting group in the adventure may have an unusual composition for their species, but it's the only example we've got.

Anyhow, that suggests an organisation along the lines of:

Organization: Solitary, team (3-10 3rd-level warriors plus 1-3 6th-level sergeants) or troop (10-20 3rd-level warriors, plus 3-6 6th-level sergeants and 1 leader of 8th-10th level)

And are we doing any other kamerel, like their overall leader?

Yes, I expect we'll do the leader - if Oryan's going to be running the scenario he'd need stats for Nen Itan, after all.

He's a 10th-level wizard, which is WAY overpowered for the 4th or 5th level party the adventure claims to be designed for, but I guess we should stick to that level for our conversion.

 

[freyar]

That organization is good enough for me with whatever modifications are necessary. Or should we specify the sargeants as "drivers" or "mages"?