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

Cleon

Legend
Description #3!

Amiraspian cyclopes are one-eyed man-eaters known for their savage attacks on humans and other humanoids. A cyclops stands around 9 feet tall and resembles a man in general shape, with powerful arms, clawed hands and a horrible mouth, broad and crammed with flesh-ripping fangs. Its single massive eye is clear sea green and eerily human apart from its size. The cyclops's weathered skin is tan in color, with scattered clumps of straggly green-black hair.
Foes of Humankind. Amiraspian cyclopes are carnivores with an innate fondness for humanoid flesh. Their favorite food is halfling, followed by gnome, dwarf, elf, gnome and human, but they loathe the taste of orcflesh. Only a starving cyclops would eat an orc or half-orc, it would rather leave the corpse as carrion.
 Cyclopes are notorious for raiding undefended settlements, repeatedly attacking them whenever they feel hungry. Like many predators, cyclopes prefer weak victims (e.g. abducting unarmed villagers from hamlets or farmhouses) over hunting strong prey that might injure them (e.g. fighting warriors or adventurers).
Cave Tyrants. These monsters can live off most types of terrain, including subterranean, and normally lair in caves. Amiraspian cyclopes often dominate bands of humanoid monsters (orcs, gnolls, goblins, et cetera) as their minions. The group is ruled by the strongest and fiercest cyclops (see Amiraspian Cyclops Chief for an example). A cyclops lair might also contain young cyclopes and captured humanoids. Often human, these living prisoners are held to be eaten. Unlucky captives suffer ghastly fates before being devoured.
 A cyclops may attract scavengers that feed on the gory remains of its prey. They are sometimes trailed by carrion-eaters such as buzzards or jackals, and their dwellings are usually infested with corpse-flies and similar vermin.
Cursed Births. While their chest and shoulders might resemble male humanoids and giants in form, these cyclopes are incapable of natural procreation. Instead, they somehow curse pregnant human women they have captured so their offspring are sometimes born as cyclopes. This "Amiraspian curse" must be performed during the delivery; pregnant humans who escape or are rescued from a cyclops den birth regular infants. Little is known of this unholy rite save it requires the human mother be eaten once the baby is born and does not always work. Instead of a cyclops whelp, the newborn may be fully human (in which case it is eaten too), or a one-eyed humanoid called an amiraspian hybrid [?](described separately). Hybrid infants grow to resemble a cyclopian human rather than a cyclops, and are cast out once the cyclopes realize they aren't their kind. The type of baby can be randomly determined with a d10 roll: 1-4 is a cyclops, 5-7 a human, 8-10 a hybrid.
 
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ilgatto

How inconvenient
It was plural in the previous draft. Either I got bored and changed it, or swapped it to singular to see if you'd notice! :p
:)
Suspected you wouldn't. Although I could argue that White Dwarf #21 doesn't actually say they are all male, but that no female cyclopes exist. Admittedly if they're not male it's harder to explain how they reproduce via an "unholy union" with captive human females, but that doesn't prevent them being hermaphrodites or using some strange magical method. Indeed "strange magical method" is what we went for.
Then can we pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaase have that there are no female cyclops, or at least sages beleiving there aren't?
It wasn't to avoid mentioning women, but just to make it a bit less wordy. At one stage the sentence had "captive pregnant human women" and it just seemed too long.
Agreed.

Hmm, I'd go for "once it is born" instead.
Agreed.
Yeah, I started including a sentence like that in one draft but cut it out again. Maybe next time!
(y)
My idea was one ugly one-eyed baby looks much like another, so it's only once it's grown a bit that it's obvious which is a cyclops and which an amiraspian. The clincher would be that the amiraspian doesn't develop a hypno-eye, although not having the claws and fangs of a true cyclops is probably a bit of a giveaway too.
Having the cyclopean-human infants stick with the tribe for a while would solve the problem of tossing out babies to fend for themselves - which would then of course instantly be devoured by the omnipresent hyenas. :)
It could even lead to them finding their own way to the griffon riders, so there needn't be any delegations of these visiting the lair from time to time to collect them,

Note to self: Must... stop... using... smilies....
 

Cleon

Legend
My idea was one ugly one-eyed baby looks much like another, so it's only once it's grown a bit that it's obvious which is a cyclops and which an amiraspian. The clincher would be that the amiraspian doesn't develop a hypno-eye, although not having the claws and fangs of a true cyclops is probably a bit of a giveaway too.
Still like a link to the other cyclopean humans though, for I do see these griffon riders travel to the cyclops lair every once in a while to collect the cyclopean-human infants.

I thought we'd leave that kind of stuff to the Description of the cyclopian humans writeup.

Assuming we actually get around to that!

I don't think the griffon-riders routinely visit cyclops lairs to collect the offspring, although it wouldn't surprise me if they do flyovers now and again to pick up new recruits.

However, if they do indeed have a "hidden kingdom" that suggests the hybrids breed true, which implies either that female hybrids can exist, or that the all-male High Plainsmen have to constantly find wives who'll accept their ocular shortcomings.

I prefer the "one eyed women" solution, although one does wonder how often a cyclops would miss that a one-eyed baby is a girl!

Speaking of odds, I did wonder about including the original probabilities in Cursed Births, i.e. "(the type of baby can be randomly determined with a d10 roll: 1-4 is a cyclops, 5-7 a human, 8-10 a hybrid)" but couldn't decide whether to bother.
 

Cleon

Legend
Having the cyclopean-human infants stick with the tribe for a while would solve the problem of tossing out babies to fend for themselves - which would then of course instantly be devoured by the omnipresent hyenas. :)

What hyenas? I made no mention of hyenas.

It's buzzards and jackals for life! :p

Either that, or I mentioned different carrion-eaters for the sake of variety. Crocutas and vultures all the time might get monotonous.
 

ilgatto

How inconvenient
I thought we'd leave that kind of stuff to the Description of the cyclopian humans writeup.
Ah. OK. Must have missed that.

Assuming we actually get around to that!
Well, progress has been made!

I don't think the griffon-riders routinely visit cyclops lairs to collect the offspring, although it wouldn't surprise me if they do flyovers now and again to pick up new recruits.
Nah. Forget I ever mentioned it. Your idea of suggesting the cyclopean-human infants grow up with the tribe until they're somehow found out is better.

However, if they do indeed have a "hidden kingdom" that suggests the hybrids breed true, which implies either that female hybrids can exist, or that the all-male High Plainsmen have to constantly find wives who'll accept their ocular shortcomings.
I seem to recall the original Arimaspi [sic] doing stuff like that, but I'll have to check.

I prefer the "one eyed women" solution, although one does wonder how often a cyclops would miss that a one-eyed baby is a girl!
One certainly does.

Speaking of odds, I did wonder about including the original probabilities in Cursed Births, i.e. "(the type of baby can be randomly determined with a d10 roll: 1-4 is a cyclops, 5-7 a human, 8-10 a hybrid)" but couldn't decide whether to bother.
Sounds like a plan. I left it out because I didn't think 5E would like it.
 

Cleon

Legend
Oh, and will we be statting up a Young Cyclops as well as an Amiraspian Hybrid?

It's basically a half-strength cyclops, going by its stats of AC 7, 3 HD, 1d3/1d3/1d6 attacks,no hypnotic stare.
 


ilgatto

How inconvenient
Description #3!
Cursed Births. While their chest and shoulders might resemble male humanoids and giants in form, there cyclops are incapable of natural procreation.
Isn't mentioning the "chest and shoulders" thing a bit... too much in light of what follows? I've forgotten why we weren't allowed to mention that there were only males, but if we go for sowing confusion and limiting the ... getting women in a certain way ... to the Amiraspian curse it is rapidly becoming, I no longer see a reason not to mention that there's males only. Maybe we an even link the phenomenon to the mysterious Amiraspian curse?
I think I started using the "Amiraspian cyclopes are always male (...)" because we were gonna avoid using "Amiraspian" mid-sentence at your suggestion.

Instead, they somehow curse pregnant human women they have captured so their offspring are sometimes born as cyclopes. This "Amiraspian curse" must be performed during the delivery; pregnant humans who escape or are rescued from a cyclops den birth regular infants. Little is known of this unholy rite save it requires the human mother be eaten once the baby is born and does not always work.
It seems to me that having the "pregnant humans (...) regular infants" in between "delivery" and "Little is known" disturbs the flow of the section on the curse. I can see why it's mentioned, but wouldn't it be better placed somewhere else?

Instead of a cyclops whelp, the newborn may be fully human (in which case it is eaten too), or a one-eyed humanoid called an amiraspian hybrid [?](described separately). Hybrid infants grow to resemble a cyclopian human rather than a cyclops, and are cast out once the cyclopes realize they aren't their kind. The type of baby can be randomly determined with a d10 roll: 1-4 is a cyclops, 5-7 a human, 8-10 a hybrid.

Soooo. how about this?

Amiraspian cyclopes are always male. They propagate their kind by cursing pregnant human women they have captured so their offspring are sometimes born as cyclopes. This Amiraspian curse is performed after the infant is born and the infant is always male. Little else is known known of this unholy curse, but it seems certain that it requires the woman be devoured after she has given birth. It is also said that the curse does not always work and there is a chance that the newborn is either fully human (in which case it is eaten too) or a one-eyed humanoid/hybrid known as a cyclopean human, which grows up with the clan until it transpires that it is not a true cyclops and is cast out of the lair. The type of baby can be randomly determined with a d10 roll: 1-4 is a cyclops, 5-7 a human, 8-10 a hybrid.
Cursed women who escape or are rescued from a cyclops lair before their child is born give birth to normal children.

1) Not fond of using the word "baby" because there's a lot of devouring people going on and..., well..., the whole NY pizza parlor thing.
2) Agree that the women ecsaping/being rescued is now a bit of an afterthought but see notes above.
 


Cleon

Legend
Isn't mentioning the "chest and shoulders" thing a bit... too much in light of what follows? I've forgotten why we weren't allowed to mention that there were only males, but if we go for sowing confusion and limiting the ... getting women in a certain way ... to the Amiraspian curse it is rapidly becoming, I no longer see a reason not to mention that there's males only. Maybe we an even link the phenomenon to the mysterious Amiraspian curse?
I think I started using the "Amiraspian cyclopes are always male (...)" because we were gonna avoid using "Amiraspian" mid-sentence at your suggestion.

Don't like the "always male." If they only propagate using their Curse on already pregnant women they technically can't be male or female, since they don't reproduce sexually.

It makes more sense saying they have the appearance of males, but are either not actually male or are incapable of natural procreation (the option I went for).

This Amiraspian curse is performed after the infant is born and the infant is always male.

How could this work? Does the curse turn girl babies into boys! Surely some of the babies the curse doesn't affect are girls?

Don't like the curse being performed after birth. That'd motivate a cyclops to kidnap infants to turn into cyclopes, and the original did not do that.

Cursed women who escape or are rescued from a cyclops lair before their child is born give birth to normal children.

That's impossible if the curse is performed after the infant is born.
 

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