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

Cleon · Sep 9, 2022

I'm also thinking it could have something similar to the Rooted trait I invented for the Root-Ogre, since the Chthon is basically a huge boulder embedded in the ground so should be hard to push about or knock over.

Cleon · Sep 9, 2022

Cleon said:
Speed 0 ft.

I'm wondering whether a Chthon is capable of moving very very slowly. If it were literally immobile, then surely it'd fall prone at some time in its life whereupon it'd be unable to get its face out of the dirt. Also, how would it turn to face an enemy?

We could give it Speed 5 ft., burrow 5 ft. or maybe even lower (1 ft., burrow 1 ft.?).

Alternatively, what if it's too slow to move in "combat time". Perhaps it moves a few feet if if it spends a full minute taking the Dash action?

I'm thinking it should be able to stand up from prone and turn on the spot as easily as a fully mobile creature. Maybe rather than literally moving, the Chthon has a limited ability to reshape its mineral body, so when it "turns round" its face is absorbed into its boulder body and reemerges on the other side of its mass.

That might also be how it can move about (very very slowly).

Should its movement ability also be a Special Trait?

Casimir Liber · Sep 9, 2022

Okay, what I am thinking is that it has to unroot itself to move. So before moving it can spend an action (bonus action?) unrooting itself during which time it loses its rooted trait. The following round it can move at 5 ft/turn (walking or burrowing). I also gave it the false appearance trait of the galeb duhr (?)

Cleon · Sep 9, 2022

Casimir Liber said:
Okay, what I am thinking is that it has to unroot itself to move. So before moving it can spend an action (bonus action?) unrooting itself during which time it loses its rooted trait. The following round it can move at 5 ft/turn (walking or burrowing). I also gave it the false appearance trait of the galeb duhr (?)

I'm not keen on that, since being basically fixed in one place was one of the few traits of the original monster. We'd be removing a characteristic feature of the thing if we let it just walk and burrow around like a regular Earth Elemental.

Also, if it can burrow, it would just hide underground and use its nature's allies and supernatural powers against surface targets while being safe behind yards of dirt. If it has tremorsense AND the familiar like sense links with a horde of animals and plants, wouldn't it be able to target creatures on the surface without having to see them?

It's the Mimic that has False Appearance, not the Xorn. Those have Stone Camouflage (advantage on Stealth in rocky terrain). If you prefer False Appearance I have no particular objection to adding that, although if has that trait what is the point of the Stealth proficiency? False Appearance would make it indistiguishable from a boulder, so no skill check would be needed.

Why has version #2 of the Chthon got passive Perception 16? It doesn't have Perception +6 or a +6 WIS modifier.

Oh, and it shouldn't have Damage Resistance like an actual Earth Elemental. The original monster could be damaged normally by weapons.

Casimir Liber · Sep 9, 2022

Ok - then maybe just leave as speed=0 - with a note in the description that they can move very slowly if needed but much too slow to be perceptible in combat? Not sure how/why had perception like that. tweaked now. Ditched false appearance (was pinched from Galeb Duhr)

Cleon · Sep 10, 2022

Casimir Liber said:
Ok - then maybe just leave as speed=0 - with a note in the description that they can move very slowly if needed but much too slow to be perceptible in combat? Not sure how/why had perception like that. tweaked now. Ditched false appearance (was pinched from Galeb Duhr)

Updating the Chthon.

It's still Medium in your latest update, I thought you'd agreed on Large like a standard Earth Elemental?

I'd be OK giving it False Appearance or Stony Camouflage if you want to make it stealthy, but I'm equally fine without it.

Oh, if they have Challenge 5 worth of critters at their command shouldn't that be included in their CR? That would make them at least Challenge 6.

Now let's talk Mental Stats.

The original had High Intelligence, which in AD&D is Intelligence 13 or 14. It's two steps up from Average intelligence so I'm thinking INT 14 so it gets a +2 modifier. Your latest draft has INT 15, which also gives a +2 but is in the next higher Exceptional Intelligence bracket in AD&D, the next rung up.

If we kept the +1 for WIS, +2 for CHA ability modifiers of your draft and followed the usual "three odd scores, three even scores" rule, then the WIS needs to go up one to 13 but we can keep the CHA at 15:

Mental Chthon #1: INT 14 (+2), WIS 13 (+1), CHA 15 (+2)

I like Wisdom as its lowest mental stat, considering it "resents animal intelligence with paranoid fervour" I'd think it might be lower than that since the thing may be smart but it's pretty crazy. I'd consider having it WIS 10 like a regular Xorn or Earth Elemental and lowering the INT to the Highly Intelligent starting value of 13:

Mental Chthon #2: INT 13 (+1), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 15 (+2)

Of the two I'm leaning towards #2.

Might want to give it Saving Throws in Wisdom and possibly Intelligence and/or Charisma too. I imagine its mind is as stubbornly resistant as a rock.

Cleon · Sep 10, 2022

I'm thinking we should remove the immunity to being Unconscious as Galeb Duhr don't have it, unlike an Earth Elemental.

Casimir Liber · Sep 10, 2022

ok....I like the idea of its mind being a solid as a rock...with all mental-based saves...

Casimir Liber · Sep 10, 2022

NB: trying to break the formatting impass of the gurgohemoth, the only workaround I canthink of is to slot this into special traits section:

Thick Hide. The gurgohemoth takes no damage from nonmagical weapon atttacks from opponents of size Large or smaller on account of its thick hide.