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

[Casimir Liber]

ok

 

[Cleon]

ok

Updating the Chthon.

So that's it for the mechanical elements right?

Just the Description to do…

A chthon is a bizarre elemental lifeform resembling an enormous boulder with a face set in its front. This face resemble an old man with skin split by fissures, baleful black eyes, and a large jagged-edged mouth. Chthons are sedentary creatures who never (or almost never) move from the spot they've claimed as the center of their territory. The base of a chthon's boulder-like body is partially buried in the ground, rooting the creature to the bedrock.​

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 Mineral Tyrants. All chthons despise non-elemental lifeforms and have an implacable paranoia about intelligent flesh-and-blood creatures more mobile than they are, particularly humanoids and sapient beasts. A chthon always strives to murder any "intelligent animal" that enters its territory.​

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 Control of Flora and Fauna. A chthon has a strange control over non-intelligent animals and plants that live in its vicinity. It telepathically commands these creatures to become its spies and fighters. A chthon will callously send its minions to attack intelligent lifeforms without a care whether they live or die.​

 

[Casimir Liber]

looks good. Going to bed now. Will check on Chthon enworld page when I wake up, align and publish....

 

[Cleon]

looks good. Going to bed now. Will check on Chthon enworld page when I wake up, align and publish....

Updating the Chthon.

Hopefully that's another conversion finished.

 

[ilgatto]

Shadowdancer
(...) Inhumanly tall and slim creatures of fiendish origin, an inactive shadowdancer is indistinguishable from a ebon statue of unearthly dark beauty. These "12 foot tall statues" move when touched by moonlight, walking with an elegant skipping gait as if they were dancing. Active shadowdancers become demonic-looking; their hawk-like face reveal flame-red eyes and a fanged mouth, and their hands are armed with sharp claws. (...)

(...) By the way, if you didn't already know, these creatures are clearly inspired by Robert E Howard's Conan story Shadows in the Moonlight (now Public Domain, so available on Project Gutenberg in it's Howard, Robert E. collection).
Those statues were not demons, but men (black-skinned hawk-faced warriors of a now forgotten race) cursed to become iron statues who came alive to attack intruders when the moon's light touched them. A survivor of the attack described them as "devils", "flame-eyed shadows, with tearing fangs and sharp talons", but the story does not say much more, since neither of the story's two viewpoint characters (Conan & Olivia) was present when the statues animated. The fight was offscreen when the "shadows" fell upon a crew of pirates camping in their ancient hall. Most of the description of them is actually from a dream Olivia had while sleeping in the hall.

There might also be a similarity to the inhuman black-skinned beings in The Pool of the Black One, which appears to still be in copyright in some territories. But it's out of copyright in Australia, which I believe is your neck of the woods, so you can read it on Gutenberg.net.au. (...)

Very interesting info indeed on the Howard connection!

However, if I may so bold, I would argue against describing the shadowdancers as having "hawk-like" faces and then some.

Albie Fiore doesn't describe them as such (to my knowledge, at least, so please correct me if I'm wrong) and I'd say that one could see the iron/ebon thing as "further evidence that we're dealing with different entities", as it were.

And then, last but not least, there is that I've always pictured shadow dancers as having only hints of facial features ever since I first met (and ran) them.

Gentlemen, you have shattered a cherished memory!

 

[Cleon]

Very interesting info indeed on the Howard connection!

However, if I may so bold, I would argue against describing the shadowdancers as having "hawk-like" faces and then some.

Albie Fiore doesn't describe them as such (to my knowledge, at least, so please correct me if I'm wrong) and I'd say that one could see the iron/ebon thing as "further evidence that we're dealing with different entities", as it were.

And then, last but not least, there is that I've always pictured shadow dancers as having only hints of facial features ever since I first met (and ran) them.

Gentlemen, you have shattered a cherished memory!

From what I recall, the accipeter features were inspired by the Howard story that serves as a pretty obvious inspiration rather than the White Dwarf monster version.

If you prefer vague shadowy faces for the Dancers I'll make no objection.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Ilgatto were they lethal when you ran the adventure? AC-5 at lvl 1 in AD&D....ouch...

anyway.....Chthon published here

as far as next...been working on converting Sunfire's Heart but now not an immediate chore (hence buggane), will most likely be using Adonides next weekend.....also keen on adding my own weresnake as ilgatto's buff is good. Then I got an inspiration on how to do Grey Sqaarg this week (lightbulb goes on....)

 

[ilgatto]

(...) If you prefer vague shadowy faces for the Dancers I'll make no objection.

Certainly not, good Sir!

Smooth and ebon!

 

[ilgatto]

Ilgatto were they lethal when you ran the adventure? AC-5 at lvl 1 in AD&D....ouch...
(...)
Then I got an inspiration on how to do Grey Sqaarg this week (lightbulb goes on....)

Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall numerous speedy retreats...

As well as a sense of "I beg your lamping pardon AC -5 at 1st level!?" when I first ran into them - even with the meager experience I had at the time.

Grey Sqaargs? Be interesting to see where these come from.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Smooth and ebon!

Well...they're smooth and ebon when passive....

(you're gonna hate it when I post a svart 5e conversion as I've just re-read Weirdstone of Brisingamen)