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

[ilgatto]

Also have split claws

I like that.

also have an alternate club attack maybe to give it some options...?

I also like the club attack for reasons that greatly mattered when I was trying to convert them - but which I have now forgotten.

Right, I think giving it this as a bit of flavour then:

Aggressive. As a bonus action, the cyclopskin can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see.

Being as purist as I can be as noted earlier, I'll leave any abilities that are not in the original to you two.

 

[ilgatto]

The main difference to making its Hypno Glare a Bonus Action rather than part of a Multiattack depends on whether we give it any more Bonus Action options (like Dash or a bonus Claw Attack, for example).

If it doesn't have any Bonus Actions to choose from, it doesn't make much difference.

So I guess the Hypnotic Glare (and what it's gonna be) is gonna have to wait until you guys have figured out any additional flavor moves/actions?

 

[Casimir Liber]

I have it modelled on hypnotic pattern...which made it into 5e, just a matter of where to slot it in. On thinking about it, I like the idea of leaving it as a bonus action -EITHER it uses its eye, OR it can (at a pinch), move that bit extra to melee with an opponent.

I have trouble visualising how a monster can use a weapon and bite attack, so have made it EITHER claw/claw/bite OR 2 weapon attacks and kept them with similar damages

 

[Cleon]

Maybe the construction of this could lead to people first thinking that only the canines from a young or adult dragon could be used and then ending up confused when you mention ancient dragons - which happened to me. But maybe that's me?

Hmm, yes.

Changing it to "a dragon of young age or older" or the like would be clearer.

Also, have no idea why I put "jaws" in that line. Where else would teeth come from?

So I'll change it to "all canine teeth from a deceased dragon of young age or olderall canine teeth from a deceased dragon of young age or older."

This could suggest that the tooth survives the event and can be used again?

"It reverts to a tooth and crumbles to dust early if it drops to 0 hit points or if you use an action to speak the command word again while touching it."?

I'd just use "It crumbles to dust early" or "it crumbles early" instead.

I suppose this all depends on how long an "Action" takes and how fast someone can move?

It's 5E, the term Action has a well defined meaning in the rules. Why do you think the monster has an "Actions" section?

Maybe also mention the "fighting to the death" thing after (earlier):

I thought it was pretty clear that the "immediate" and "trap" dragon warriors behaved differently, but if it bothers you I can add a sentence to the trap version as explication, like "This dragon warrior ignores you and your orders, and will attack if you trigger its hostility."

So it attacks the second creature but cannot sense it's presence?

"If the triggering creature flees, the warrior pursues it unerringly, sensing its direction as if it was using a locate creature spell. If another creature injures the dragon warrior, the dragon warrior views it as a new triggering creature and attacks them too, although it can only ever locate a fleeing opponent as if it was using a locate creature spell if this concerns the original triggering creature ."?

Yes, that was the intent.

Hmm… "its locate creature ability only locates the original triggering creature."

Oh, I've also realized it doesn't need "delayed action" in the second paragraph, and I'm now thinking two/four for the planting/sowing is too low. I'd rather the user be able to push all four teeth from a standard set as one action.

I'll put the revisions in the Dragon Warriors, but it comes to:

New Magic Item​

​

DRAGON TOOTH​

Wondrous item, rarity by dragon: very rare for gold, red and silver; rare for black, blue, brass, bronze, copper, green and white ​

​

A dragon tooth is a reptilian fang three to six inches long, small enough to fit in a pocket. They are usually found in pairs or sets of four, all canine teeth from a deceased dragon of young age or older, and their command word is often a nickname of that dragon (e.g. "Emerald Emperor Salvia" for a set of green dragon teeth). Some legendary ancient dragons have had a score or even dozens of dragon teeth harvested from their remains, but the normal limit is four per dragon.​

 When activated by use of its command word, the tooth becomes a living creature, a dragon warrior whose type matches the tooth's dragon (black, blue, brass, bronze, copper, gold, green, red, silver, white). A dragon tooth may be used in one of two ways: it can become a dragon warrior immediately, or it can transform into a trap that becomes a dragon warrior when triggered. See the individual dragon warrior entries for the creature's statistics.​

 The dragon tooth warrior exists for 1 hour. At the end of this duration, the creature reverts to its tooth form and crumbles to dust, destroying the dragon tooth. It crumbles to dust early if it drops to 0 hit points or if you use an action to speak the command word again while touching it.​

 To use a dragon tooth immediately, you use an action to speak the command word, crush the tooth, and then throw it to a point on the ground within 60 feet of you, where the tooth becomes a dragon warrior. If the space where the warrior would appear is occupied by other creatures or objects, or if there isn't enough space for the creature, the tooth doesn't become a dragon warrior. This dragon warrior is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your spoken commands. It speaks Common and Draconic, but the magic of the tooth allows the dragon tooth warrior to understand commands given in any of your languages. If you issue no commands, the warrior defends itself but takes no other actions.​

 To use a dragon tooth as a trap, you use an action to speak the command word and then plant the trap, either by laying it onto a firm and level surface within 5 feet (floor, table, etc.), pushing it into earth within 5 feet, or sowing it onto plowed soil within 60 feet. You can use one action to activate multiple dragon teeth from the same set and lay them on a surface within an adjacent 5-foot square, but planting them may require additional actions: it takes one action to push four [?] teeth into earth within an adjacent 5-foot square, or one action to sow eight [?] teeth onto plowed soil within a 60-foot cone. You can also use an action to move up to your speed and plant teeth from another location, allowing you to set dragon tooth traps at multiple positions. If you are killed or incapacitated, you will drop any trap-activated dragon teeth you have not yet planted, laying it onto a random surface within 5 feet.​

 Once planted, a trap dragon tooth will become a dragon warrior if it takes any damage or is stepped upon by a creature (including stepping on soil the tooth is buried under, which causes the warrior to sprout from the ground). This dragon warrior ignores you and your orders, and will attack you if its hostility is triggered. The warrior attacks the creature that triggered the trap, fighting to the death. If the triggering creature flees, the warrior pursues it unerringly, sensing its direction as if it was using a locate creature spell. If another creature injures the dragon warrior, the warrior views it as a new triggering creature to fight to the death, although its locate creature ability only locates the original triggering creature. If no triggering creature is alive, the warrior defends itself but takes no action.​

 

[Cleon]

I have trouble visualising how a monster can use a weapon and bite attack, so have made it EITHER claw/claw/bite OR 2 weapon attacks and kept them with similar damages

If you think that's bad, imagine what contortions a Minotaur has to use to hit an opponent with a two-handed axe AND the horns atop its skull at the same time.

It gives me a headache just trying to visualize it (presumably the Minotaur risks a headache too, depending on what it's horning).

The explanation is obvious: a round lasts 6 seconds in 3E and later, while in AD&D it's an entire minute. That's plenty of time for a creature to swing two different parts of its body at an enemy.

 

[Cleon]

I have it modelled on hypnotic pattern...which made it into 5e, just a matter of where to slot it in. On thinking about it, I like the idea of leaving it as a bonus action -EITHER it uses its eye, OR it can (at a pinch), move that bit extra to melee with an opponent.

I have trouble visualising how a monster can use a weapon and bite attack, so have made it EITHER claw/claw/bite OR 2 weapon attacks and kept them with similar damages

Okay, it still has too many Hit Points and I feel its Armour Class is too high.

AC 15 is the same as a 5E Troll, while the AD&D-ish original monster had AC 6, two points easier to hit than an AD&D Troll and the same as an average Orc.

I'd prefer AC 13.

For the Multiattack, I'd phrase it "The cyclops makes three attacks: two with its claws and one with its bite, or it makes two attacks with its morningstar."

All the melee attacks should be +6 to hit, not +7, and I'd have the Morningstar do the normal 2d8+4 damage rather than add a +2 proficiency bonus rider. That way its average DPR is identical with both Multiattack Options (one does 4d6+12 and the other 4d8+8, for a 26 average both ways).

I ran both sets of numbers through the CR Calculator.

The AC 13/76hp/+6 to hit version came out as Challenge 3.

The AC 15/95hp/+7 to hit version came out as Challenge 4.

Both those don't make allowance for the Hypnotic Glare, the closest equivalent that I can toggle on the CR Calculator is Web, since that's the only single target "reduce opponent's combat abilities at a distance" power on the tools' Monster Features list. Adding Web didn't increase the CR for the above Cyclopes.

Adding Aggressive didn't make any difference to the CR either, with or without Web.

Oh, Aggressive is listed as a Trait, not a Bonus Action. At least in the Monster Manual.

But then the Monster Manual doesn't have a Bonus Actions section in any of its monsters as far as I can tell, despite some of them having Bonus Action options like the aforementioned Aggressive of an Orc. The book only has Actions, Reactions and Legendary Actions as possibilities.

So what official 5E publications, if any, are there with monsters that have a Bonus Actions section in their statblock?

 

[ilgatto]

It's 5E, the term Action has a well defined meaning in the rules. Why do you think the monster has an "Actions" section?

Point taken.

"This dragon warrior ignores you and your orders, and will attack if you trigger its hostility."

Nice.

I'll put the revisions in the Dragon Warriors, but it comes to:

New Magic Item​

​

DRAGON TOOTH​

Wondrous item, rarity by dragon: very rare for gold, red and silver; rare for black, blue, brass, bronze, copper, green and white ​

​

A dragon tooth is a reptilian fang three to six inches long, small enough to fit in a pocket. They are usually found in pairs or sets of four, all canine teeth from a deceased dragon of young age or older, and their command word is often a nickname of that dragon (e.g. "Emerald Emperor Salvia" for a set of green dragon teeth). Some legendary ancient dragons have had a score or even dozens of dragon teeth harvested from their remains, but the normal limit is four per dragon.​

 When activated by use of its command word, the tooth becomes a living creature, a dragon warrior whose type matches the tooth's dragon (black, blue, brass, bronze, copper, gold, green, red, silver, white). A dragon tooth may be used in one of two ways: it can become a dragon warrior immediately, or it can transform into a trap that becomes a dragon warrior when triggered. See the individual dragon warrior entries for the creature's statistics.​

 The dragon tooth warrior exists for 1 hour. At the end of this duration, the creature reverts to its tooth form and crumbles to dust, destroying the dragon tooth. It crumbles to dust early if it drops to 0 hit points or if you use an action to speak the command word again while touching it.​

 To use a dragon tooth immediately, you use an action to speak the command word, crush the tooth, and then throw it to a point on the ground within 60 feet of you, where the tooth becomes a dragon warrior. If the space where the warrior would appear is occupied by other creatures or objects, or if there isn't enough space for the creature, the tooth doesn't become a dragon warrior. This dragon warrior is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your spoken commands. It speaks Common and Draconic, but the magic of the tooth allows the dragon tooth warrior to understand commands given in any of your languages. If you issue no commands, the warrior defends itself but takes no other actions.​

 To use a dragon tooth as a trap, you use an action to speak the command word and then plant the trap, either by laying it onto a firm and level surface within 5 feet (floor, table, etc.), pushing it into earth within 5 feet, or sowing it onto plowed soil within 60 feet. You can use one action to activate multiple dragon teeth from the same set and lay them on a surface within an adjacent 5-foot square, but planting them may require additional actions: it takes one action to push four [?] teeth into earth within an adjacent 5-foot square, or one action to sow eight [?] teeth onto plowed soil within a 60-foot cone. You can also use an action to move up to your speed and plant teeth from another location, allowing you to set dragon tooth traps at multiple positions. If you are killed or incapacitated, you will drop any trap-activated dragon teeth you have not yet planted, laying it onto a random surface within 5 feet.​

 Once planted, a trap dragon tooth will become a dragon warrior if it takes any damage or is stepped upon by a creature (including stepping on soil the tooth is buried under, which causes the warrior to sprout from the ground). This dragon warrior ignores you and your orders, and will attack you if its hostility is triggered. The warrior attacks the creature that triggered the trap, fighting to the death. If the triggering creature flees, the warrior pursues it unerringly, sensing its direction as if it was using a locate creature spell. If another creature injures the dragon warrior, the warrior views it as a new triggering creature to fight to the death, although its locate creature ability only locates the original triggering creature. If no triggering creature is alive, the warrior defends itself but takes no action.​

I'd ask why there's still question marks after the "four" and "eight" but that's probably got to do with "Actions" and my comments on that subject have already turned out to be ... uninformed.

Still:

"To use a dragon tooth as a trap, you use an action to speak the command word and then plant the trap, either by laying it onto a firm and level surface within 5 feet (floor, table, etc.), pushing it into earth within 5 feet, or sowing it onto plowed soil within 60 feet. You can use one action to activate multiple dragon teeth from the same set and lay them on a surface within an adjacent 5-foot square, but planting them may require additional actions: it takes one action to push four [?] teeth into earth within an adjacent 5-foot square, or one action to sow eight [?] teeth onto plowed soil within a 60-foot cone. You can also use an action to move up to your speed and plant teeth from another location, allowing you to set dragon tooth traps at multiple positions. If you are killed or incapacitated, you will drop any trap-activated dragon teeth you have not yet planted, laying it onto a random surface within 5 feet.

I suppose the moving to another location is 1 action and the subsequent planting another?

"You can also use an action to move up to your speed and plant teeth from another location using another action, (...)"?


(Nice touch).

Otherwise, I think it's good to go from my limited perspective.

 

[Cleon]

I'd ask why there's still question marks after the "four" and "eight" but that's probably got to do with "Actions" and my comments on that subject have already turned out to be ... uninformed.

The question marks are still there since I haven't 100% decided on how many teeth it can plant with an action.

Upon reflection, perhaps I should rephrase the "plant a trap" to "set a trap" and use "plant" for the "pushing into the earth" option of tooth-setting?

I suppose the moving to another location is 1 action and the subsequent planting another?

"You can also use an action to move up to your speed and plant teeth from another location using another action, (...)"?

My idea was you could move and set ONE tooth at the destination as one action, then lay/plant/sow more teeth from that location with subsequent actions.

Let's see, what's the best way to express that…

 To use a dragon tooth as a trap, you use an action to speak the command word and then set the trap-activated tooth, either by laying it upon a firm and level surface within 5 feet (floor, table, etc.), planting it into earth within 5 feet, or sowing it onto plowed soil within 60 feet. You can use one action to activate multiple dragon teeth from the same set as traps and lay any number of them upon a surface within an adjacent 5-foot square, but setting them may require additional actions: it takes one action to plant up to four teeth into earth within an adjacent 5-foot square, or one action to sow up to eight teeth onto plowed soil within a 60-foot cone. You can also use an action to move up to your speed and set one tooth, allowing you to set dragon tooth traps from multiple positions. If you are killed or incapacitated, you will drop any trap-activated dragon teeth you have not yet set, laying each upon a random surface within 5 feet.​

 Once planted, a trap-activated dragon tooth will become a dragon warrior if it takes any damage or is stepped upon by a creature (including stepping on soil the tooth is buried under, which causes the warrior to sprout from the ground). This dragon warrior ignores you and your orders, and will attack you if its hostility is triggered. The warrior attacks the creature that triggered the trap, fighting to the death. If the triggering creature flees, the warrior pursues it unerringly, sensing its direction as if it was using a locate creature spell. If another creature injures the dragon warrior, the warrior views it as a new triggering creature to fight to the death, although its locate creature ability only locates the original triggering creature. If no triggering creature is alive, the warrior defends itself but takes no action.​

 

[ilgatto]

The question marks are still there since I haven't 100% decided on how many teeth it can plant with an action.

Upon reflection, perhaps I should rephrase the "plant a trap" to "set a trap" and use "plant" for the "pushing into the earth" option of tooth-setting?

Absolutely! Good catch.

My idea was you could move and set ONE tooth at the destination as one action, then lay/plant/sow more teeth from that location with subsequent actions.

Let's see, what's the best way to express that…

 To use a dragon tooth as a trap, you use an action to speak the command word and then set the trap-activated tooth, (...)​

Awkward "trap-activated tooth"?

Simply "activated"? (And then note uses below).

(...) either by laying it upon a firm and level surface within 5 feet (floor, table, etc.), planting it into earth within 5 feet, or sowing it onto plowed soil within 60 feet. You can use one action to activate multiple dragon teeth from the same set as traps and lay any number of them upon a surface within an adjacent 5-foot square, but setting them may require additional actions: it takes one action to plant up to four teeth into earth within an adjacent 5-foot square, or one action to sow up to eight teeth onto plowed soil within a 60-foot cone. You can also use an action to move up to your speed and set one tooth, allowing you to set dragon tooth traps from multiple positions. If you are killed or incapacitated, you will drop any trap-activated dragon teeth you have not yet set, laying each upon a random surface within 5 feet.​

 Once planted, a trap-activated dragon tooth will become a dragon warrior if it takes any damage or is stepped upon by a creature (including stepping on soil (...)​

Minor detail, but you use "earth" and "soil" earlier and only "soil" here.

(...) the tooth is buried under, which causes the warrior to sprout from the ground). This dragon warrior ignores you and your orders, and will attack you if its hostility is triggered. The warrior attacks the creature that triggered the trap, fighting to the death. If the triggering creature flees, the warrior pursues it unerringly, sensing its direction as if it was using a locate creature spell. If another creature injures the dragon warrior, the warrior views it as a new triggering creature to fight to the death, although its locate creature ability only locates (...)​

"can only ever locate"?
Sorry, should have suggested this earlier. Just goes to show.

the original triggering creature. If no triggering creature is alive, the warrior defends itself but takes no action.​

 

[Cleon]

Awkward "trap-activated tooth"?

Simply "activated"? (And then note uses below).

It is a bit clunky but I prefer having "trap" in their to make it clear that's what the activated tooth has become.

Minor detail, but you use "earth" and "soil" earlier and only "soil" here.

I thought it made the two forms of trap-setting more distinct if I used "soil" for one and "earth" for the other.

For ploughing, using "soil" is slightly more favored over "earth" (at leas a Bing search got about 71,100 results for "plowed soil" and about 50,700 results for "plowed earth"), while planting favours the other way around (about 6,970,000 results for "plant in earth" and 5,200,000 results for "plant in soil").

So I'm leaving it the way it is, although I'd change "stepping on soil the tooth is buried under" to "stepping on earth or soil the tooth is buried in".

Also planned on adding a size limit to said stepping, so it doesn't attack the first rat or cockroach that walks across it.

I'm thinking "is stepped upon by a creature sized Small or bigger."

Oh, and I just realized the can/may in the multiple tooth setting actions works better the other way around.

That makes the Dragon Warriors' New Magic Item subsection:

DRAGON TOOTH​

Wondrous item, rarity by dragon: very rare for gold, red and silver; rare for black, blue, brass, bronze, copper, green and white ​

​

A dragon tooth is a reptilian fang three to six inches long, small enough to fit in a pocket. They are usually found in pairs or sets of four, all canine teeth from a deceased dragon of young age or older, and their command word is often a nickname of that dragon (e.g. "Emerald Emperor Salvia" for a set of green dragon teeth). Some legendary ancient dragons have had a score or even dozens of dragon teeth harvested from their remains, but the normal limit is four per dragon.​

 When activated by use of its command word, the tooth becomes a living creature, a dragon warrior whose type matches the tooth's dragon (black, blue, brass, bronze, copper, gold, green, red, silver, white). A dragon tooth may be used in one of two ways: it can become a dragon warrior immediately, or it can transform into a trap that becomes a dragon warrior when triggered. See the individual dragon warrior entries for the creature's statistics.​

 The dragon tooth warrior exists for 1 hour. At the end of this duration, the creature reverts to its tooth form and crumbles to dust, destroying the dragon tooth. It crumbles to dust early if it drops to 0 hit points or if you use an action to speak the command word again while touching it.​

 To use a dragon tooth immediately, you use an action to speak the command word, crush the tooth, and then throw it to a point on the ground within 60 feet of you, where the tooth becomes a dragon warrior. If the space where the warrior would appear is occupied by other creatures or objects, or if there isn't enough space for the creature, the tooth doesn't become a dragon warrior. This dragon warrior is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your spoken commands. It speaks Common and Draconic, but the magic of the tooth allows the dragon tooth warrior to understand commands given in any of your languages. If you issue no commands, the warrior defends itself but takes no other actions.​

 To use a dragon tooth as a trap, you use an action to speak the command word and then set the trap-activated tooth, either by laying it upon a firm and level surface within 5 feet (floor, table, etc.), planting it into earth within 5 feet, or sowing it onto plowed soil within 60 feet. You can use one action to activate multiple dragon teeth from the same set as traps and lay any number of them upon a surface within an adjacent 5-foot square, but setting them can require additional actions: it takes one action to plant up to four teeth into earth within an adjacent 5-foot square, or one action to sow up to eight teeth onto plowed soil within a 60-foot cone. You may also use an action to move up to your speed and set one tooth, allowing you to set dragon tooth traps from multiple positions. If you are killed or incapacitated, you will drop any trap-activated dragon teeth you have not yet set, laying each upon a random surface within 5 feet.​

 Once planted, a trap-activated dragon tooth will become a dragon warrior if it takes any damage or is stepped upon by a creature sized Small or bigger (including stepping on earth or soil the tooth is buried in, which causes the warrior to sprout from the ground). This dragon warrior ignores you and your orders, and will attack you if its hostility is triggered. The warrior attacks the creature that triggered the trap, fighting to the death. If the triggering creature flees, the warrior pursues it unerringly, sensing its direction as if it was using a locate creature spell. If another creature injures the dragon warrior, the warrior views it as a new triggering creature to fight to the death, although its locate creature ability can only locate the original triggering creature. If no triggering creature is alive, the warrior defends itself but takes no action.​