Converting Oriental Adventures creatures

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Ugh. Part of the point of the simulationism of 3E is so things are consistent and make sense! Anyway, given that state of affairs, I'm happy to make the Push (Su) and the Speed (Ex).

We should probably just take the 3E sohei's ki frenzy and modify it to account for the lack of Con. I guess just drop the fatigue and pick a set duration or maybe something like 1d6 or 1d8 rounds. What do you think?
 

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Cleon

Legend
Ugh. Part of the point of the simulationism of 3E is so things are consistent and make sense! Anyway, given that state of affairs, I'm happy to make the Push (Su) and the Speed (Ex).

Okay, I'll update The Paper Warrior Working Draft.

We should probably just take the 3E sohei's ki frenzy and modify it to account for the lack of Con. I guess just drop the fatigue and pick a set duration or maybe something like 1d6 or 1d8 rounds. What do you think?

I'd rather have something with the useful features of the 1E version (mainly the simple Extra Attack instead of the expanded flurry and still being able to use other abilities like spell casting, but wouldn't mind doing something with the missile deflection ability. The old Deflect Arrows only works once per round, although it succeeds automatically (which I don't care for either!). The AD&D versions made saving throws to deflect arrows.
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
How about this?

Ki Frenzy (Su): Once per day, the Keeper of the Keys can focus its ki to become filled with berserk energy. The Keeper gains the effects of a haste spell and the Deflect Arrows feat for X rounds.

That pretty well reproduces the original except for a bonus on Fort and Will saves. Want to add those in?
 

Cleon

Legend
How about this?

Ki Frenzy (Su): Once per day, the Keeper of the Keys can focus its ki to become filled with berserk energy. The Keeper gains the effects of a haste spell and the Deflect Arrows feat for X rounds.

That pretty well reproduces the original except for a bonus on Fort and Will saves. Want to add those in?

The original also gained a +1 increase to damage.

Given the choice, I prefer the "save to deflect missile" approach of 1E over the automatically deflect one missile of the 3E Feat, which doesn't sit right with me.

Why only one ranged weapon attack and having it always succeed no matter how skilled or fast it was? Taken RAW, that means the character can literally catch a rifle bullet every time, but only once every six seconds!

A Giant at least needs to make a Reflex save to catch a rock.
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Ki Frenzy (Su): Once per day, the Keeper of the Keys can focus its ki to become filled with berserk energy. For X rounds, the Keeper gains the effects of a haste spell, a +1 enhancement bonus to damage and to Fort and Will saves, and the ability to deflect missiles. X times per round as a free action while frenzied, the Keeper can make a DC X Ref save to prevent a missile weapon from hitting him.

What do you think?
 

Cleon

Legend
Ki Frenzy (Su): Once per day, the Keeper of the Keys can focus its ki to become filled with berserk energy. For X rounds, the Keeper gains the effects of a haste spell, a +1 enhancement bonus to damage and to Fort and Will saves, and the ability to deflect missiles. X times per round as a free action while frenzied, the Keeper can make a DC X Ref save to prevent a missile weapon from hitting him.

What do you think?

Rather than quoting the haste spell and requiring the DM to look up the adjustments, I'd list the benefits and add a note that they don't stack with haste.

How's this for the "hasty part"?:

Ki Frenzy (Su): Once per day, the Keeper of the Keys can focus its ki to act in a fanatical frenzy of superhuman speed. For X rounds, the frenzied Keeper gains a +2 morale bonus on Strength and Dexterity, a +1 morale bonus on Will saves, immunity to fear effects, and all of its modes of movement gain an enhancement bonus of 30 feet, to a maximum of twice the Keeper's normal speed using that form of movement. If the frenzied Keeper makes a full attack action, it may make one extra attack with any weapon it is holding using its full base attack bonus, plus any appropriate modifiers. The effects of ki frenzy are not cumulative with similar effects, such as a haste spell or weapon of speed.

X times per round as a free action while frenzied, the Keeper can make a DC X Ref save to prevent a missile weapon from hitting him.

Hmm, didn't we give the Reaper a deflect missiles ability?

Yup, as part of Scythe Parry:

Scythe Parry (Ex): The Reaper can use its scythe to parry attacks from melee weapons or ranged weapons. The Reaper can make one parry attempt per round, plus additional parry attempts in place of Attacks of Opportunity.

To parry, the Reaper makes an attack roll with its scythe (+16 modifier). If this roll is equal to or greater than the opponent's attack roll, the attack is deflected harmlessly. Parrying causes no damage to the opponent's weapon (or to the opponent, if the latter was using a natural weapon).

The Reaper can parry while fighting defensively (+2 dodge, –4 attack rolls). The -4 attack penalty for fighting defensively does not apply to parry rolls. If the Reaper uses the total defense action, it can attempt to parry all attacks made against it in that round.

How about we repurpose that?

Ki Frenzy (Su): Once per day…

While in a ki frenzy, the Keeper can deflect attacks from ranged weapons. The Keeper can make one deflection attempt per round, plus additional deflect attempts in place of Attacks of Opportunity.

To deflect, the Keeper makes an attack roll with an unarmed strike (+## modifier) or a monk's weapon (i.e. the +## modifier of its chimes). If this roll is equal to or greater than the opponent's ranged attack roll, the attack is deflected harmlessly. Deflection causes no damage to the missile. Unusually massive ranged weapons and ranged attacks generated by spell effects can’t be deflected.

The Keeper can deflect missiles while fighting defensively (+2 dodge, –4 attack rolls). The -4 attack penalty for fighting defensively does not apply to deflect rolls. If the Keeper uses the total defense action, it can attempt to parry all ranged attacks made against it in that round.
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
That will all work fine, I think. In place of AoOs just means it has a common pool of AoO and deflection attempts per round, right?
 


freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Yup, that looks good!

Chimes next? Basically, it's a flail, but the Keeper can also use it to throw crystal chimes (as a shuriken). One thing I'm not sure of is if the Keeper has to take any time to detach the crystals or if it's some kind of flicking motion. Did one of the other ones have a similar melee/ranged weapon like this? Plus there's a deflect/parry type ability, which I guess should be an immediate action.
 

Cleon

Legend
Yup, that looks good!

Updating The Keeper of the Key Working Draft.

We need a duration for the frenzy. It might be easier just to have it last until the end of the encounter with a maximum of 1 minute, but we could have a duration in rounds as in the Working Draft.

Chimes next? Basically, it's a flail,

A footman's flail going by the original's 2-7 damage, meaning it's a heavy flail in 3E terms. A standard 3E one-handed flail is presumable equivalent to the AD&D horseman's flail that does 2-5 damage, as that's the lighter of the two.

Since it's a magical item I guess we should make it a +1 weapon at least.

but the Keeper can also use it to throw crystal chimes (as a shuriken). One thing I'm not sure of is if the Keeper has to take any time to detach the crystals or if it's some kind of flicking motion.

I'm assuming it's a free action so it can make iterative attacks and flurries with it.

If it's an action, the Keeper can only throw one a round when it Full Attacks which is pretty much a waste of a round considering the poor damage shuriken do.

Did one of the other ones have a similar melee/ranged weapon like this?

The Shadow Walker has special shuriken, the shadow stars.

We could modify the "slashing stars" version of those to become piercing crystal spikes. I'd be tempted to keep the original's stats (Gargantuan sized +1 keen ghost touch shuriken doing 1d6 damage) rather than watering down the damage to 1d3 like the Keeper's OA1 stats indicate, but would consider meeting you halfway at 1d4 damage.

Do we want to limit it to 20 crystals per night like the original? I'd rather they be unlimited to the DM doesn't have to keep track of the dang things. This is a complicated enough monster without adding even more bookkeeping!

Plus there's a deflect/parry type ability, which I guess should be an immediate action.

Yes, that's the only action that makes sense really.

We also need to decide what kinds of attack it can deflect since the original does not specify. Does it let the Keeper take half damage from area of effect attacks like a fireball or is it only deflecting things that actually require an attack roll?
 

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