5E: Converting Monsters from White Dwarf Magazine for Fifth Edition
- Thread starter Cleon
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Cleon
Legend
That'll do.
I also just realized that I'd accidentally overwritten the Enworld Amiraspian Cyclops with one of the Amiraspian Cyclops Young updates and had to restore it back to the way it should be.
Oops!
Deblued the Young Cyclops and updated see White Dwarf Conversion Index and the Completed Fifth Edition Creatures Index.
Cleon
Legend
I've slightly updated the Amiraspian Hybrid with mild tweaking of its Age and Alignment entries to better match the information on Childhood in the Young Amiraspian Cyclops.
That is:
The blue text for the basic Hybrid looks fine to me, so do we just need a Description for it?
Not sure how much information to go into, but I think we need to address a few questions like whether female Amiraspian hybrids exist.
It seems unlikely that their entire population is formed from the few hybrids who survive being exiled from a Cyclops lair and make it to the Amiraspian's mountain settlements, so presumably hybrids can breed more of their kind.
I was thinking that rather than being an all-male species (which means they'd have to marry two-eyed wives), a union between an Amiraspian hybrid and a human sometimes results in a cyclopean baby of either gender, although the ratio could be a bit different than normal, with fewer girls than boys.
Also, is there any chance that a hybrid-hybrid could produce an Amiraspian Cyclops? I'd say this never happens, since such cyclopes require the special Amiraspian Curse to be produced, but we should consider the possibility.
That is:
Age. Amiraspian hybrids mature noticeably faster than humans, becoming full sized adults in their early teens. They have similar lifespans to a human and live less than a century.
Alignment. Like humans, amiraspian hybrids can be any alignment and the best and the worst are found among them. They inherit a tendency toward chaos from their cyclopean ancestry but a few reject this in favor of law. Amiraspian hybrids embrace extreme alignments more often than humans, so are more likely to be chaotic good or lawful evil than neutral. Those hybrids that favor neutrality favor radical neutral philosophies like those of a druid or anarchist.
Alignment. Like humans, amiraspian hybrids can be any alignment and the best and the worst are found among them. They inherit a tendency toward chaos from their cyclopean ancestry but a few reject this in favor of law. Amiraspian hybrids embrace extreme alignments more often than humans, so are more likely to be chaotic good or lawful evil than neutral. Those hybrids that favor neutrality favor radical neutral philosophies like those of a druid or anarchist.
The blue text for the basic Hybrid looks fine to me, so do we just need a Description for it?
Not sure how much information to go into, but I think we need to address a few questions like whether female Amiraspian hybrids exist.
It seems unlikely that their entire population is formed from the few hybrids who survive being exiled from a Cyclops lair and make it to the Amiraspian's mountain settlements, so presumably hybrids can breed more of their kind.
I was thinking that rather than being an all-male species (which means they'd have to marry two-eyed wives), a union between an Amiraspian hybrid and a human sometimes results in a cyclopean baby of either gender, although the ratio could be a bit different than normal, with fewer girls than boys.
Also, is there any chance that a hybrid-hybrid could produce an Amiraspian Cyclops? I'd say this never happens, since such cyclopes require the special Amiraspian Curse to be produced, but we should consider the possibility.
Casimir Liber
Adventurer
Need to muse on it. I'd discount producing a cyclops. Maybe there are females born but they are rarer.
Cleon
Legend
Yeah, I could see there maybe being a legend of an evil Amiraspian Chieftain who was so sinful he bad a cyclops son, but I wouldn't make it something that happens "naturally".
Might rough out some ideas for a Description in a few days, but it probably won't happen tomorrow.
Cleon
Legend
Righty-oh, I came up with the following:
Description
Amiraspian Hybrid is a scholarly name for a people who call themselves Amiraspians, known among common folk as Griffon Riders. The game mechanics presented above are for an ordinary amiraspian hybrid militia member or guard.
An amiraspian appears to be a powerfully built human apart from one obvious difference: it has a single eye set in the centre of its face. This eyeball and its socket are a good half again wider than a regular humanoid of its size, but otherwise look extremely human. A typical amiraspian has tan skin, a sea green eye, and jet black hair with a green sheen resembling a raven's wing. Amiraspian hybrids can have any skin tone or hair color possible for a human, plus their hair may have an inhuman green tint or be outright green. Any shade of green found in Nature seems possible: the color of a leaf, frog, treesnake or tropical bird, or even the dark metallic green of a beetle.
Descendants of a Cursed Lineage. The origins of this race is tied to the Amiraspian Cyclops, a monstrous man-eating fey that can only produce more of its kind by cursing a pregnant human woman so they give birth to a cyclops baby. Sometimes these births result in a one-eyed humanoid instead of a fey monstrosity, and these hybrid human-cyclops children became the first amiraspians. Very few modern amiraspian hybrids are escapees from a Cyclops Lair, most are descended from amiraspian parents. While amiraspian cyclopes are always male, amiraspian hybrids can be female as well. Amiraspian women appear to be rarer than the menfolk, but the one-eyed ladies could just be more reclusive. An amiraspian who marries a human can have offspring who are either fully human or normal amiraspian hybrids (equal chance of either), while two amiraspians always have amiraspian hybrid children.
As far as is known, amiraspian hybrids cannot have amiraspian cyclops offspring. However, they do have a cautionary tale about a nameless Griffon Rider so wicked and evil his son was born with the Amiraspian Curse. Seemingly normal at first, the child transformed into a Young Amiraspian Cyclops on his thirteenth birthday and devoured his sinful father.
Mountain Fastnesses. Amiraspians live in fortified settlements hidden among the mountains. Each community is largely self-sufficient, meeting most of their needs from nearby mines, alpine meadows and terraced fields. The rocky trails between these villages and towns can be very difficult and hazardous, so the cyclops folk rely on signalling devices and messenger birds for routine communications.
The Griffon Riders. Every settlement of note includes a giant mews that can house two or more griffons. These are ridden by elite champions who play several vital roles in the cyclops folk's society, including dealing with strangers. Intruders to Amiraspian territory may spot flying patrols watching them from griffon back. Many visitors only ever interact with these riders and never meet civilian amiraspian hybrids or see their homes. This led outsiders to use "Griffon Rider" as a generic term for Amiraspian, although only a select few amiraspians properly deserve the title. See Amiraspian Hybrid Griffon Rider for additional information.
Amiraspian Hybrid is a scholarly name for a people who call themselves Amiraspians, known among common folk as Griffon Riders. The game mechanics presented above are for an ordinary amiraspian hybrid militia member or guard.
An amiraspian appears to be a powerfully built human apart from one obvious difference: it has a single eye set in the centre of its face. This eyeball and its socket are a good half again wider than a regular humanoid of its size, but otherwise look extremely human. A typical amiraspian has tan skin, a sea green eye, and jet black hair with a green sheen resembling a raven's wing. Amiraspian hybrids can have any skin tone or hair color possible for a human, plus their hair may have an inhuman green tint or be outright green. Any shade of green found in Nature seems possible: the color of a leaf, frog, treesnake or tropical bird, or even the dark metallic green of a beetle.
Descendants of a Cursed Lineage. The origins of this race is tied to the Amiraspian Cyclops, a monstrous man-eating fey that can only produce more of its kind by cursing a pregnant human woman so they give birth to a cyclops baby. Sometimes these births result in a one-eyed humanoid instead of a fey monstrosity, and these hybrid human-cyclops children became the first amiraspians. Very few modern amiraspian hybrids are escapees from a Cyclops Lair, most are descended from amiraspian parents. While amiraspian cyclopes are always male, amiraspian hybrids can be female as well. Amiraspian women appear to be rarer than the menfolk, but the one-eyed ladies could just be more reclusive. An amiraspian who marries a human can have offspring who are either fully human or normal amiraspian hybrids (equal chance of either), while two amiraspians always have amiraspian hybrid children.
As far as is known, amiraspian hybrids cannot have amiraspian cyclops offspring. However, they do have a cautionary tale about a nameless Griffon Rider so wicked and evil his son was born with the Amiraspian Curse. Seemingly normal at first, the child transformed into a Young Amiraspian Cyclops on his thirteenth birthday and devoured his sinful father.
Mountain Fastnesses. Amiraspians live in fortified settlements hidden among the mountains. Each community is largely self-sufficient, meeting most of their needs from nearby mines, alpine meadows and terraced fields. The rocky trails between these villages and towns can be very difficult and hazardous, so the cyclops folk rely on signalling devices and messenger birds for routine communications.
The Griffon Riders. Every settlement of note includes a giant mews that can house two or more griffons. These are ridden by elite champions who play several vital roles in the cyclops folk's society, including dealing with strangers. Intruders to Amiraspian territory may spot flying patrols watching them from griffon back. Many visitors only ever interact with these riders and never meet civilian amiraspian hybrids or see their homes. This led outsiders to use "Griffon Rider" as a generic term for Amiraspian, although only a select few amiraspians properly deserve the title. See Amiraspian Hybrid Griffon Rider for additional information.
Casimir Liber
Adventurer
Interestingly, this is the illustration of the Amiraspi in Inventorum Natura (1979) by Pliny and Una Woodruff
Amiraspian Hybrid
Right - I guess CR 2 is a good spot to make the Griffin Rider - may as well do that to finish the cohort
Amiraspian Hybrid
Right - I guess CR 2 is a good spot to make the Griffin Rider - may as well do that to finish the cohort
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Casimir Liber
Adventurer
Used bandit captain as a place to start - though studded leather sounds like a good armour for a rider anyway. Lance/scimitar and...what would a one-eyed person use as a missile weapon? A sling with an AoE type effect missile maybe? Also pondering - replacing Parry with some similar manoeuvre to zest combat...but what?
Attachments
Cleon
Legend
Una Woodruff's version bears little resemblance to ancient depictions of Amiraspi, or Gryphons for that matter!
Greek painted vases showing Amiraspians fighting Grypes like this one show Amiraspian warriors (the guy on the right) dressed in trousers and long coats like a steppe nomad.
Not surprising, since Amiraspi were steppe nomads, going by Pliny calling them natives of northern Scythia. The clothes on those vase paintings are very similar to traditional steppe nomad dress today (like this Kazakh).
Oh, and here's some Scythian gold showing some warriors on a comb and a rider on a brooch for good measure.
Cleon
Legend
Both the Monocular Illusion Resistance and Poor Depth Perception in its Special Traits should say "amiraspian" as that's a generic racial trait common to all amiraspians.
It's been replaced with hybrid warrior for some reason.
The Poor Depth Perception also has the wrong description. It should be "The amiraspian has disadvantage on attack rolls with a ranged weapon or melee weapon if the target is more than 5 feet away."
EDIT: Dammit! I just noticed it has the same error in the Current D&D Beyond Cyclops Chief and Young Cyclops.
Apart from that there's a few minor formatting issues.
There's some missing spaces in the Actions: its Battleaxe should have "6 (1d8 + 2)" and the Heavy Crossbow "6 (1d8 + 2)".
Its lost the linespace between the end of the Description and the "(Originally created…" credit.
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