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

[Cleon]

Also, I miscalculated the DCs:

Trample/Trunk. Base 8 & STR +6 & Proficiency +3 = 17 (not 18 since it's a point weaker than the Mammoth I copy-pasted the numbers from).

Breath Weapon. Base 8 & CON +4 & Proficiency +3 = 15 (must have used Base 10 as if it were an melee attack! Breath Weapons usually use Base 8).

If it becomes Challenge 9+, which seems likely, that becomes Trample/Trunk DC 18, Breath DC 16.

 

[Casimir Liber]

I've made it CR 8 if that's what you think it is and other changes above

 

[Cleon]

Have to check the DMG advice on paralysing attacks to figure out what Challenge is appropriate for the beastie, then I'll recalculate the bunch of numbers…

…and the blinking DMG doesn't have any advice on creatures with paralyzing attacks!

Okay, using the 5e.tools calculator I make it to be CR 8 if I use the WEB and STENCH options to represent its Breath Weapon as there's no Paralysing Cloud equivalent. I didn't forget MAGIC RESISTANCE.

The calculator gives it Offensive CR 8, Defensive CR 7.

I didn't include "Resistances" as they would only affect a small fraction of PC attacks, but they might be enough to put the Defensive up to CR 8. Seems unlikely

More importantly, the Tetraplegia effect could give its Offensive CR a kick up to 9 or even 10+, which makes Challenge 9 a possibility (especially as that'll increase all those DC and attack numbers).

Hmm…​

Long story short, I'm OK making it Challenge 8 or Challenge 9.

Don't really mind which. Care to pick one and I'll set the other numbers to match?

 

[Cleon]

Long story short, I'm OK making it Challenge 8 or Challenge 9.

Don't really mind which. Care to pick one and I'll set the other numbers to match?

I've made it CR 8 if that's what you think it is and other changes above

Looks like you've picked Challenge 8 while I was writing that!

Updating the Gurgotch.

 

[Cleon]

I've made it CR 8 if that's what you think it is and other changes above

Oh, did you remember the Saving Throws CON +7, WIS +4, CHA +2 or did D&DBeyond update that automatically?

 

[Casimir Liber]

Oh, did you remember the Saving Throws CON +7, WIS +4, CHA +2 or did D&DBeyond update that automatically?

they were automatic. left at CR 8 due to inertia.

 

[Cleon]

So we're done with it now?

All that's left is a last check to make sure the Enworld and D&DBeyond version's text matches.

 

[Casimir Liber]

see below - description is unchanged apart from parenthetic bit re author and WD as noted by you above

 

[Cleon]

see below - description is unchanged apart from parenthetic bit re author and WD as noted by you above

Dang it, the Enworld version doesn't have (Demon) in its type line. How did I miss that?

…updating the Gurgotch…​

…Well it does now!​

Well I guess this one's finished then. Might as well start on the superjumbo version.

Care to provide a link to the D&D Beyond version so I can update the Index?

Oh, and whatever happened to those Starfish conversions we started. Shouldn't we get back to those sometime?

 

[Cleon]

Dang it, the Enworld version doesn't have (Demon) in its type line. How did I miss that?

Come to think of it, didn't we decide it was a generic fiend like, say, a Nightmare rather than being a true Demon?

Indeed, I believe that was my thinking when making the Enworld Gurgotch a Huge fiend, chaotic evil rather than Huge fiend (demon), chaotic evil.

So should we revert to that?

Maybe the reason Gurgotches got left on the Prime Material when the demon armies were defeated was because they fiendish hordes got hit by anti-demon spells and they aren't actually demons?