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

[ilgatto]

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

OK

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".

Er, yes, I liked the difference and the current text is what I was aiming for. Pray forgive the confusion.

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."

OK but note that this excludes sprites and imps (5EMM, p. 6).
I suppose specifying size along such lines as "2 1/2 foot or larger" would be undesirable given typical 5E wording?
Maybe "size Tiny or bigger" since 5EMM defines size T as 2.5x2.5 ft?
Hmm..., come to think of it, perhaps it doesn't really matter that DW traps don't activate to attack sprites or imps or similarly small creatures.

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,​

Bah! Another one I didn't see earlier, although perhaps it doesn't matter in English.
Starting with "A dragon tooth" singular and then switching to plural in the next sentence is perhaps undesirable?

"A dragon tooth is a reptilian fang three to six inches long, small enough to fit in a pocket. Usually found in pairs or sets of four, dragon teeth are all canine teeth from a deceased dragon of young age or older, (...)"

On the other hand, this doesn't feel as right as I would have thought either.

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.​

"dragon warrior"?
"warrior"?

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.​

"... warrior, and the tooth is wasted"?
Too much?

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​

"dragon warrior"?
"warrior"?

Pff! Please remind me to never say "good to go" again!

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.​

 

[Cleon]

OK but note that this excludes sprites and imps (5EMM, p. 6).
I suppose specifying size along such lines as "2 1/2 foot or larger" would be undesirable given typical 5E wording?
Maybe "size Tiny or bigger" since 5EMM defines size T as 2.5x2.5 ft?
Hmm..., come to think of it, perhaps it doesn't really matter that DW traps don't activate to attack sprites or imps or similarly small creatures.

Tiny is the smallest size in the 5E rule system, so "Tiny or bigger" would mean EVERY creature.

"dragon warrior"?
"warrior"?

Just didn't want to waste word count by using "dragon warrior" every time.

"... warrior, and the tooth is wasted"?
Too much?

Not sure I follow you. Do you mean the dragon tooth is expended uselessly? Would not support that.

 

[Cleon]

Er..., yes, that's mostly what I said? Where do you get the notion of a 1E troll having Strength 18/00 from?

Frankly, I can't remember. I ran so much 1E AD&D back in the day it's just blended together and became almost instinctual.

Perhaps it was from an article in Dragon Magazine or from some adventure by Gary Gygax that featured a Troll?

It seems more salient that 5E Trolls are Large in size and have Strength 18, while ALL the standard True Giants are Huge in 5E, which suggests that 5E Giants are closer in size to their 2E incarnations (e.g. a 16′ tall Hill Giant) than 1E (where a Hill Giant is 10½′ tall).

Since even the Cyclops Chieftain in White Dwarf #21 has Strength 18/76-90 (+2 to hit, +3 damage), I see no reason to give the basic Cyclops a higher Strength than an Ogre.

I would be game to stat up a Cyclops Chieftain that's a bit meatier than the regular version.

Once we finish the standard Cyclops that is!

 

[ilgatto]

Tiny is the smallest size in the 5E rule system, so "Tiny or bigger" would mean EVERY creature.

Ah, sorry, checking the 5EMM size table again I now see that I didn't read it correctly. It doesn't define size Tiny creatures as "2.5x2.5 ft" but rather states that they occupy a space of these dimensions in combat, which can be a different thing. Learning all the time.

Just didn't want to waste word count by using "dragon warrior" every time.

OK

Not sure I follow you. Do you mean the dragon tooth is expended uselessly? Would not support that.

Doesn't that follow from having crushed the tooth earlier?:
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.

 

[ilgatto]

It seems more salient that 5E Trolls are Large in size and have Strength 18, while ALL the standard True Giants are Huge in 5E, which suggests that 5E Giants are closer in size to their 2E incarnations (e.g. a 16′ tall Hill Giant) than 1E (where a Hill Giant is 10½′ tall).

Smooth!

Since even the Cyclops Chieftain in White Dwarf #21 has Strength 18/76-90 (+2 to hit, +3 damage), I see no reason to give the basic Cyclops a higher Strength than an Ogre.

OK. STR 19 it is, then, as per current blue write-up? (Somehow linking to posts without quoting them the way I did earlier doesn't alway work)

I would be game to stat up a Cyclops Chieftain that's a bit meatier than the regular version.

Once we finish the standard Cyclops that is!

Agree that "Chieftain" is better than org "Leader".

 

[Casimir Liber]

I have an idea of modelling the chieftain on the 4e cyclops battleweaver, which has an interesting statblock

Anyway, adjusted the cyclopskin thus:

 

[Cleon]

Doesn't that follow from having crushed the tooth earlier?:
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.

Hmm, I'd rather follow the precedent of the 5E figurine of wondrous power, which, although slightly vaguely worded, does not "waste a use" if the figurine is activated in a space it cannot become a creature.

If one thinks about it that's pretty clear: a creature can hardly revert to figurine form when its duration or hit points run out if it never became a creature in the first place.

That would clash with the "crushing the teeth" wording of the original White Dwarf #21 tooth activation though, but I'm reluctant to change it that much.

Based on the original myth (or rather the 1963 version of Jason and the Argonauts), I'm wondering about amending that to "squeeze the tooth in your hand," since that's what King Aeëtes does to the Hydra's Teeth in that movie.

Then again, that implies the user has hands: quite a few creatures in D&D lack such appendages. Better make it "firmly squeeze the tooth" instead!

I'm also changing the Dragon Warriors dragon tooth from "crumbles to dust early" to "reverts and crumbles early" so it's slightly clearer.

 

[Cleon]

I have an idea of modelling the chieftain on the 4e cyclops battleweaver, which has an interesting statblock

Anyway, adjusted the cyclopskin thus:

So are you set on CON 18 (+4) and Hit Points 76 (8d10 + 32) over CON 16 (+3) and Hit Points 76 (9d10 + 27)?

Both give the same HP, but one offers a better CON save.

An Ogre has CON 16 in 5E, a Hill Giant CON 19 and a Troll CON 18.

Of the three, I prefer the same CON as an Ogre, but if you and Ilgatto prefer CON 18 I'll go along with it.

 

[Cleon]

OK. STR 19 it is, then, as per current blue write-up? (Somehow linking to posts without quoting them the way I did earlier doesn't alway work)

Well I like STR 18 better, but would accept STR 19.

There's no effective difference in 5E since they both give the same ability modifier.

 

[Casimir Liber]

I've made it STR 18 and bumped CHA to 15 (that big eye....)