5E: Converting Monsters from White Dwarf Magazine for Fifth Edition

[Casimir Liber]

Yeah - 5ft wide and 6d6 is good, and agree on the ignite like the spell

(meant to reply yesterday but had my 2nd COVID booster and was

 

[Cleon]

Yeah - 5ft wide and 6d6 is good, and agree on the ignite like the spell

Updated the Gurgohemoth.

(meant to reply yesterday but had my 2nd COVID booster and was

That's unlucky, especially with the second booster.

With me it was only the first vaccination that made me feel off-colour, which seems to be how it usually goes.

Anyhow, Breath Weapon next?

 

[Casimir Liber]

Ok how are you thinking of phrasing the breath weapon

 

[Cleon]

Ok how are you thinking of phrasing the breath weapon

Well let's see, how about:

Breath Weapon (Recharge 6). The gurgohemoth exhales a 40-foot-radius cloud of toxic gas centered on a point within 40 feet. The cloud spreads around corners. Gurgohemoths and gurgotches are immune to this attack, so a gurgohemoth can safely center the gas cloud on itself. Each creature within the cloud must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw. On a failed roll they take 39 (6d12) poison damage and are poisoned for 1 minute, on a successful one they take half as much damage and are not poisoned. Poisoned targets can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the poisoned condition with a success.​

Obviously, the cloud needs to be larger than the 20-ft. radius Breath Weapon of a Gurgotch and the damage needs to be 42-ish to fit the Challenge Rating DPR. (AoEs count double, so we need half of 84 or 42 damage.)

We could hit the target exactly with 42 (12d6) or 42 (4d20) or go a little over with 44 (8d10) or a shade under with 40 (9d8), but I like the d12 version. Dodecahedrons don't get enough love!

 

[Cleon]

Just noticed a typo in the Gurgotch:

Breath Weapon (Recharge 6). The gurgotch exhales a 20-foot-radius cloud of a noxious gas centered on a point within 20 feet The cloud spreads around corners. Gurgotches can center the gas cloud on themselves and are immune to its effects. Each creature within the cloud has its Dexterity score reduced by 1d6 and its Strength score reduced by 1d3 and must succeed at a DC 15 Constitution saving throw against poison or fall prone and become tetraplegic (see below) for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending its tetraplegia on a success. If the neurotoxin reduces the target's Strength or Dexterity to 0 it is paralysed as long as their Strength and Dexterity scores are reduced. Finishing a long rest or receiving a greater restoration spell ends the reduction, a short rest or lesser restoration removes 1 point of Strength reduction and 1 point of Dexterity reduction.

It's missing a period: the "on a point within 20 feet The cloud spreads" should be "on a point within 20 feet. The cloud spreads" to be grammatical.

I've corrected the Enworld Gurgotch, but the D&D Beyond Gurgotch has the same error.

 

[Cleon]

Breath Weapon (Recharge 6). The gurgohemoth exhales a 40-foot-radius cloud of toxic gas centered on a point within 40 feet. The cloud spreads around corners. Gurgohemoths and gurgotches are immune to this attack, so a gurgohemoth can safely center the gas cloud on itself. Each creature within the cloud must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw. On a failed roll they take 39 (6d12) poison damage and are poisoned for 1 minute, on a successful one they take half as much damage and are not poisoned. Poisoned targets can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the poisoned condition with a success.

I'd consider modifying the Recharge rate, either upwards to Recharge 5-6 or downwards to Recharge on a Short Rest.

If the latter we could be justified increasing the damage to, say, 52 (8d12) as it will only use the attack once per battle.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Gurgotch corrected and at here

happy with 39 (6d12) damage and 40 radius. I'm not following the logic of EITHER up or down for recharge. is '6' just a bit uncommon so predictiable to keep rolling "not 6"? - if so let's make it 5-6 on recharge...?

 

[Cleon]

Gurgotch corrected and at here

Updated the White Dwarf Conversion Index and the Completed Fifth Edition Creatures Index.

happy with 39 (6d12) damage and 40 radius. I'm not following the logic of EITHER up or down for recharge. is '6' just a bit uncommon so predictiable to keep rolling "not 6"? - if so let's make it 5-6 on recharge...?

I'm more inclined to keep it 6 like the Gurgotch. Mainly because the Gurgohemoth has a bunch of Recharge powers. Keeping the Recharge odds low will encourage it to switch between them.

Breath Weapon (Recharge 6). The gurgohemoth exhales a 40-foot-radius cloud of toxic gas centered on a point within 40 feet. The cloud spreads around corners. Gurgohemoths and gurgotches are immune to this attack, so a gurgohemoth can safely center the gas cloud on itself. Each creature within the cloud must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw. On a failed roll they take 39 (6d12) poison damage and are poisoned for 1 minute, on a successful one they take half as much damage and are not poisoned. Poisoned targets can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the poisoned condition with a success.

So are you OK to adding the current Breath Weapon (as above) to the Gurgohemoth?

 

[Casimir Liber]

fair point (on 6 only) and yes

 

[Cleon]

fair point (on 6 only) and yes

Updating the Gurgohemoth.

I'd like to do Trunk-Snort next, since it's basically a downpowered version of the Breath Weapon.

How about:

Trunk-Snort. The gurgohemoth puffs a 10-foot-radius cloud of toxic gas centered on a point within 20 feet. The cloud spreads around corners. Gurgohemoths and gurgotches are immune to this attack, so a gurgohemoth can safely center the gas cloud on itself. Each creature within the cloud must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw. On a failed roll they take 3 (1d6) poison damage and are poisoned for 3 (1d6) rounds, on a successful one they take half as much damage and are not poisoned. Poisoned targets can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the poisoned condition with a success.​

Does that work for you?