Converting monsters from Dragon magazine
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Cleon
Legend
abe ray
Explorer
Maybe we can include that in the description (just a thought for the future)A blemish of warts.
Cleon
Legend
They don't appear in groups though. The Number Appearing/Organization is "1"/"Solitary".
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
Hmmm, ok, so DC 20 Heal with 2 Con damage?
I can go for your ideas on remove disease, heal, limited wish, wish, and miracle. Bend reality is good (with a note "in campaigns using psionic rules"), but psionic chirurgery doesn't remove physical diseases, so I'd leave that off. I think I'd leave the "boring it out" for flavor. I can also agree with your take on banishment and dismissal.
Yes, let's treat them like a hive mind for flat-footed.
I can go for your ideas on remove disease, heal, limited wish, wish, and miracle. Bend reality is good (with a note "in campaigns using psionic rules"), but psionic chirurgery doesn't remove physical diseases, so I'd leave that off. I think I'd leave the "boring it out" for flavor. I can also agree with your take on banishment and dismissal.
Yes, let's treat them like a hive mind for flat-footed.
Cleon
Legend
My thinking was since psionic chirurgery allows the healing of ability damage, the rewiring of nervous systems and cures energy drain and insanity it ought to be able to undo all the nerve and blood vessel connections between the worry-wart and its host - although the warts themselves may remain physically, the chirurgery effectively "severs" the nibish-riule from its host.
Upon reflection, how about if the surgical DC increases over time, as follows:
Worry-warts are very hard to get rid of once they infest a host. If it is in the process of merging with a host, the worry-wart can be surgically excised by a Heal check with a DC equal to the number of days it has spent merging (minimum DC 20), each surgical attempt does 2 Constitution damage to the host. A merging worry-wart can also be removed by the spells remove disease, heal or limited wish.
A merging worry-wart can also be removed by any method that removes a worry-wart that has completed its symbiotic network. Complete networks cannot be removed surgically, but a properly worded wish or miracle spell can cause the wart network to vanish. The spells banishment and dismissal can force the extraplanar portion of the nibish-riule away and sever it from the network if the nibish-riule fails a Will save (it has a Will save of +10 since the complete entity has to be exorcized). If the campaign used Psionics, the psychic chirurgery power can be used to sever the nibish-riule's nerve-links to the worry-wart network. Severing the nibish-riule from a symbiotic network leaves its unsightly warts behind, but they become inanimate and eventually heal and fade away like ordinary warts.
I'd like to mention the "plaster option" in the text though:
After 2d10+20 days the symbiotic network is completed with a total of 1d4+2 beauty marks. The worry-wart gains the ability to communicate with its host telepathically and grants its host the benefits of its constant vigilance ability. Each "beauty mark" of a complete network is an eye the worry-wart can open to view its surroundings. These eyes can pop out on stalks to peer around itself, the flexible eyestalks can easily curl round to stare at the host's body or face. The stalk can extend up to a foot in length, support its own weight and wriggle under clothing to peer out of cuffs or collars if necessary. Placing a well-secured plaster or patch over a wart can prevent the eye emerging, but this causes the nibish-riule to constantly complain it cannot see properly.
Do you think we can fit that into the Constant Vigilance SQ?
Upon reflection, it's no different from an ally calling "it's behind you!" since the host doesn't share the worry-wart's senses. It's nowhere near the complete situational awareness of a proper hive mine.
What about flanking? I suppose the worry-wart's ability to warn the host of an incoming attack might have some benefit in that area, although not full immunity á la All-Around Vision.
How about:
If the worry-wart is aware of a particular danger, its host is too. If the worry-wart is not flat-footed, neither is its host. Opponents who flank the host have their flanking bonus reduced to +1.
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
OK, I'll go with the addition of the plaster/patch text and the bulk of the removal methods, but let's keep the surgical attempt DC at a flat 20. I'd rather the DM didn't have to track the number of days too precisely. If you really want something to increase, what if we make the Con cost 1 Con per eyestalk?
That's fair for Constant Vigilance. We should make sure to keep the various damage-reducing symbiont traits, too.
We need to finish the ability scores! Dex 14 is fine, assuming that refers to the eyestalk's ability to twist around. I like Wis 12 and Cha 9 (or maybe even 7). The endless questions and sometimes nagging character should reduce Cha a bit!
That's fair for Constant Vigilance. We should make sure to keep the various damage-reducing symbiont traits, too.
We need to finish the ability scores! Dex 14 is fine, assuming that refers to the eyestalk's ability to twist around. I like Wis 12 and Cha 9 (or maybe even 7). The endless questions and sometimes nagging character should reduce Cha a bit!
Cleon
Legend
The surgery wouldn't work if the worry-wart has eyestalks, since that requires a complete network.
Okay, I can go along with a flat Heal DC 20 if we make it 1d2 Con damage per wart.
Updating Worry-Wart Working Draft.
Updating Worry-Wart Working Draft.
So what Charisma do you like for them. 9 or 7?
Cleon
Legend
Originally, I was just going to leave this text in it:
Symbiont Traits: While attached to a host, a symbiont acts on its host's turn each round, regardless of its own initiative modifier. It is not flat-footed unless its host is, and it is aware of any danger its host is aware of. If clearly visible, opponents can attack the symbiont instead of the host creature. This works the same way as attacking an object. The symbiont gains the benefit of the host's Dexterity modifier to AC instead of its own, and gains any deflection bonus to AC the host has as well. Its own size modifier and natural armor bonus apply. Attacking a symbiont instead of its host provokes an attack of opportunity from the host.
A symbiont never takes damage from attacks directed at the host. Like a worn magic item, a symbiont is usually unaffected by spells that damage the host, but if the host rolls a 1 on its saving throw, the symbiont is one of the "items" that can be affected by the spell. A symbiont uses its host's base saving throw bonuses if they are better than its own.
Any spell the host creature casts on itself automatically also affects the symbiont. Additionally, the host may cast a spell with a target of "You" on the symbiont instead of on itself. The symbiont may do likewise with any spell or spell-like ability it uses. The host and symbiont can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the host's or the symbiont's type. Spells targeted on the host by another spellcaster do not affect the symbiont, and vice versa.
A symbiont never takes damage from attacks directed at the host. Like a worn magic item, a symbiont is usually unaffected by spells that damage the host, but if the host rolls a 1 on its saving throw, the symbiont is one of the "items" that can be affected by the spell. A symbiont uses its host's base saving throw bonuses if they are better than its own.
Any spell the host creature casts on itself automatically also affects the symbiont. Additionally, the host may cast a spell with a target of "You" on the symbiont instead of on itself. The symbiont may do likewise with any spell or spell-like ability it uses. The host and symbiont can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the host's or the symbiont's type. Spells targeted on the host by another spellcaster do not affect the symbiont, and vice versa.
But upon reflection, I'd alter the "attacking an object" text since it mostly doesn't apply as the worry-wart is inside the host. Except for its eyestalks, which I guess it can rapidly replace if they happen to get damaged. The original text makes no mention of severing them.
How about:
Symbiont Traits: While attached to a host, a symbiont acts on its host's turn each round, regardless of its own initiative modifier. It is not flat-footed unless its host is, and it is aware of any danger its host is aware of. Opponents may strike at a worry-wart's eyestalks as if they were attacking an object but can not attack the symbiont itself, since the nibish-riule infestation is inside the host creature. The eyestalk gains the benefit of the host's Dexterity modifier to AC instead of its own (if better than the worry-wart's), and gains any deflection bonus to AC the host has as well. Its own size modifier and natural armor bonus apply. Each eyestalk has 1 hit point. Severing an eyestalk deals no damage to the worry-wart. The symbiont regrows severed eyestalks in 1d10+10 minutes. Attacking a symbiont instead of its host provokes an attack of opportunity from the host.
A symbiont never takes damage from attacks directed at the host. Like a worn magic item, a symbiont is usually unaffected by spells that damage the host, but if the host rolls a 1 on its saving throw, the symbiont is one of the "items" that can be affected by the spell. A symbiont uses its host's base saving throw bonuses if they are better than its own.
Any spell the host creature casts on itself automatically also affects the symbiont. Additionally, the host may cast a spell with a target of "You" on the symbiont instead of on itself. The symbiont may do likewise with any spell or spell-like ability it uses. The host and symbiont can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the host's or the symbiont's type. Spells targeted on the host by another spellcaster do not affect the symbiont, and vice versa.
A symbiont never takes damage from attacks directed at the host. Like a worn magic item, a symbiont is usually unaffected by spells that damage the host, but if the host rolls a 1 on its saving throw, the symbiont is one of the "items" that can be affected by the spell. A symbiont uses its host's base saving throw bonuses if they are better than its own.
Any spell the host creature casts on itself automatically also affects the symbiont. Additionally, the host may cast a spell with a target of "You" on the symbiont instead of on itself. The symbiont may do likewise with any spell or spell-like ability it uses. The host and symbiont can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the host's or the symbiont's type. Spells targeted on the host by another spellcaster do not affect the symbiont, and vice versa.
I think we should remove this section:
A symbiont never takes damage from attacks directed at the host. Like a worn magic item, a symbiont is usually unaffected by spells that damage the host, but if the host rolls a 1 on its saving throw, the symbiont is one of the "items" that can be affected by the spell. A symbiont uses its host's base saving throw bonuses if they are better than its own.
Since if we left it in it'd provide a simple method of removing the worry-wart. Just cast resist energy (fire) on the host (since "Spells targeted on the host by another spellcaster do not affect the symbiont") and then spam burning hands at them until the host rolls a 1 on their reflex save and the worry-wart is burned away by the fire damage.
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