2nd-level Monster Conversions

[Orius]

Hmm, the earth weird is a good one- but I'm trying to take a policy of "get a cursory set of stats for a large number of monsters, then fill in details later"... and elemental weirds are one of those monsters that I've done a couple of stat blocks for and filed away under "more later".

Just an idea, and since it's already been done you don't have to start it from scratch.

The chitine is a good'un, though I've borne some criticism for having too many spidery monsters. (Hey, they're hideous goddamn monsters, it's only natural that I'd use them as such! But them, I'm a trifle arachniphobic...) Still, I'll muse on that one.

I'll have to try to find my copy of MCA1 to check out the rest of these to see if I'll do them... I remember 3.x stats for the chitine, but that's it.

My thought on this would be if you've got 3.x stats, start with those, since they're closest to 4e, and probably easier to work with. Older stats are a good source for inspriation in that they include stuff that 3.x might not, plus it'll help you connect it back to it roots.

Yeah, I'm amazed that nobody has proposed it before...

Me too, I looked at the lists you had long and hard to make sure it wasn't there.

No, too Forgotten Realms for my taste. I have plenty of lizard dudes, between, well, lizardfolk, dragonkin, dragonborn, trogs, firenewts, etc. I don't really "get" what makes saurials different from the rest, or what makes them special. I have to pass on that one, sorry.

Yeah, I get what you're saying, there's so many reptilian humanoids that they all kind of blend together after a while. I've always kind of liked the saurials myself because they're dinosaur people.

I'll have to dig out my MCA4, too- I remember the name, and I remember liking it, but I can't remember what it is.

Bainligor were bat humanoids that live in the Underdark.

Rakasta, to me, are redundant with tabaxi. (Same thing with catfolk- I'll stick to tabaxi, thankyouverymuch, they're a long tradition in my campaign.) This is strictly a matter of personal taste, but imho you can take the tabaxi stats I did and just change the name and you're fine. (I could be wrong- there might be some rakasta/catfolk abilities that I'm unaware of- but even so, that would be easy enough to plug in imho.)

Hmm. I'm remembering a few years back there was a very long conversation about rakasta conversion in one of BOZ's many converstion threads; I figured someone would definitely want to see these gus in 4e. I guees it's because they're a classic Basic humanoid, so there's a big nostalgia factor there/

Tortles- ahhh, even sans source material, these guys go on the list!

Yeah, you could probably do them without the appendix, I'm pretty sure the Savage Coast appendix that was released online also had tortle stats. They were also statted for 3.5 in Dragon #315.

 

[Orius]

Oh, and when you do the flumph, you should give one of the entries the name of Flumph Squirter. I just think the name fits.

 

[the Jester]

Oh, and when you do the flumph, you should give one of the entries the name of Flumph Squirter. I just think the name fits.

Damn straight!

 

[Xeveninti]

The Brown Bear has "Perception +x, special senses" for it's Senses entry. What does that mean?

 

[the Jester]

The Brown Bear has "Perception +x, special senses" for it's Senses entry. What does that mean?

Whoops, that's part of the template I am using for monster creation. It means that I didn't fill that part in!

Thanks for catching it- I'll go fix it right now.

 

[the Jester]

Huh, looks like I hadn't formatted that entry properly either... should all be fixed now. I must have been posting half-asleep or something (or else walked away from the computer and not realized I wasn't done with it when I came back).

Thanks again!

 

[Xeveninti]

I noticed that the Ape (Level 2 Soldier) has "+x, special senses" for its Senses entry.

 

[the Jester]

I have this vague notion of updating a lot of these conversions to MM3/MV "standards". I prolly won't bother with critters that have official conversions now (which, it turns out, is an awful lot of 'em), but here's a pdf of the revised blindheim (including a variant not originally posted).

Because of formatting issues, I just exported to pdf from OpenOffice and attached it. Fixing the formatting in order to post it is a pain in the ass. Hope y'all don't mind too much that it's an attachment; at least this way the headings are green.

 

[the Jester]

Notes on revising the blindheim: almost all I did was add the "blind advantage" ability to increase their damage to expected levels.

My original amber-eyed blindheim only inflicted a penalty to attacks, there was no provision for actually blinding. I used the two types together in one of the earliest 4e sessions I ran, in a dark underground cavern, and they were cool and creepy. I'll have to use them again one of these days.

 

[Knightfall]

I have this vague notion of updating a lot of these conversions to MM3/MV "standards". I prolly won't bother with critters that have official conversions now (which, it turns out, is an awful lot of 'em), but here's a pdf of the revised blindheim (including a variant not originally posted).

Because of formatting issues, I just exported to pdf from OpenOffice and attached it. Fixing the formatting in order to post it is a pain in the ass. Hope y'all don't mind too much that it's an attachment; at least this way the headings are green.

Cool.