A Few Good Fiends (MMII conversions, updated 9/16: added chain golem!)

[demiurge1138]

Next up is the dread linnorm, which is accurately named.

Dread Linnorm
Colossal Dragon
Hit Dice: 30d12+360 (555 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50ft (10 squares), swim 30ft
Armor Class: 45 (-8 size, -1 Dex, +46 natural), touch 1, flat-footed 45
Base Attack/Grapple: +30/+66
Attack: Bite +43 melee (4d8+20 plus energy drain)
Full Attack: 2 bites +43 melee (4d8+20 plus energy drain), 2 claws +40 melee (4d6+10) and tail slap +40 melee (4d8+10)
Space/Reach: 40ft/40ft
Special Attacks: Breath weapons, crush 4d8+30, energy drain, rend 8d8+30, spell-like abilities, spells, tail sweep 2d8+30
Special Qualities: Blindsense 120ft, DR 20/ magic and good, immunity to mind-influencing effects, paralysis and sleep effects, keen senses, SR 36
Saves: Fort +29, Ref +16, Will +23
Abilities: Str 50, Dex 8, Con 34, Int 18, Wis 22, Cha 26
Skills: Bluff +41, Concentration +45, Craft (trapmaking) +37, Diplomacy +12, Intimidate +43, Knowledge (arcana) +37, Listen +41, Search +37, Sense Motive +39, Spellcraft +37, Spot +41, Swim +28
Feats: Awesome Blow, Alertness, Cleave, Flyby Attack, Improved Bull’s Rush, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-like Ability (overland flight, telekinesis), Snatch, Weapon Focus (bite)
Environment: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 25
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 31-90 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: -

A truly colossal serpentine creature drags itself before you on huge iron claws. Two draconic heads with shaggy manes top its mammoth body, each with its own long neck. The creature’s scales are black and glimmer as if lit from within.

The largest of the non-unique linnorms, dread linnorms are ancient, highly territorial beings. Their lairs can be anyplace with enough space for them, as dread linnorms prefer to nest deep within the earth, securely ensconced in a labyrinthine network of tunnels and caves. Since few natural caves are large enough to enclose a dread linnorm, they excavate their homes themselves with spells and manual labor, connecting multiple natural cave systems and strewing their lair with all sorts of gruesome traps. There, they plot unholy amounts of destruction, but rarely do these plans ever come to pass.

Dread linnorms care little for treasure, leaving the remains of their victims and their goods wherever they happen to lie. However, if so much as one copper coin is stolen from them, the rage of the dread linnorm is truly catastrophic. The sanctity of its lair violated, the linnorm will not hesitate to lay waste to entire countries in revenge.

A dread linnorm grows up to 150 feet long, and easily weighs several hundred tons. They speak Abyssal, Common and Draconic, but refuse to speak to their lesser (which, in their mind, is all life).

Combat
Dread linnorms use their breath weapons and spells to initiate combat, and then switch to their fearsome natural weapons after their opponents have been “softened up”.

Breath Weapon (Su): A dread linnorm has two breath weapons; it can breath fire or cold in a 70ft cone or 140ft line, whichever it so desires. It can use one or both breath weapons as a standard action. Creatures caught in either breath weapon must make Reflex saves (DC 37) or take 30d6 points of fire damage or 30d6 points of cold damage. The save DC is Constitution based. Once a dread linnorm has used a breath weapon, it must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again.

Crush (Ex): This special attack allows a flying or jumping dread linnorm to land on opponents as a standard action, using its whole body to crush them. Crush attacks are effective only against Medium or smaller opponents (though it can attempt normal overrun or grapple attacks against larger opponents).

A crush attack affects as many creatures as can fit under the dragon’s body. Creatures in the affected area must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 37) or be pinned, automatically taking 4d8+30 bludgeoning damage during the next round unless the dragon moves off them. If the dragon chooses to maintain the pin, treat it as a normal grapple attack. Pinned opponents take damage from the crush each round if they don’t escape. The save DC is Constitution based.

Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a dread linnorm’s bite attack gain 2 negative levels. The Fortitude save DC to remove a negative level is 33. The save DC is Charisma based. For each such negative level bestowed, the dread linnorm gains 5 temporary hit points.

Rend (Ex): If a dread linnorm hits with both bite attacks, it grabs hold and pulls the opponent’s flesh, dealing an additional 8d8+30 points of damage.

Spell-like Abilities: At will – overland flight, telekinesis (DC 23); 3/day – antipathy (DC 26), move earth, power word: stun, sympathy (DC 26). Caster level 20th. The save DCs are Charisma based.

Spells: Dread linnorms have access to arcane spells as if they were 19th level sorcerers.
Typical spells known (6/8/8/8/8/7/7/7/7/5; save DC 16+spell level); 0th – arcane mark, dancing lights, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound, light, mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic; 1st – alarm, expeditious retreat, ray of enfeeblement, shield, true strike; 2nd – blindness/deafness, bull’s strength, hideous laughter, mirror image, web; 3rd – displacement, protection from energy, ray of exhaustion, slow; 4th – confusion, fear, greater invisibility, scrying; 5th – cloudkill, dominate person, feeblemind, wall of stone; 6th – disintegrate, greater dispel magic, true seeing; 7th – greater teleport, mass hold person, prismatic spray; 8th – horrid wilting, mind blank, trap the soul; 9th – time stop, wail of the banshee.

Tail Sweep (Ex): This special attack allows a dread linnorm to sweep with its tail as a standard action. The sweep affects a half-circle with a radius of 40 feet extending from an intersection on the edge of the dragon’s space in any direction. Creatures within the swept area are affected if they are Medium or smaller. A tail sweep automatically deals 2d8+30. Affected creatures can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage (DC 37). The save DC is Constitution based.

Keen Senses (Ex): A dread linnorm sees four times as well as a human in low-light and twice as well in normal light. It also has darkvision to a range of 120ft.

Skills: A dread linnorm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check made to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

Demiurge out.

 

[Justice Gundam]

The linnorms... the linnorms... they're back and worth their CR!

Yes, the MM2 versions were clearly pathetic, even in the eyes of a newbie such as myself. Your re-edited primeval dragons of evil have the right amount of HD for creatures of this CR, and you gave them some convincing flavour text and nasty special abilities. The gray linnorm's poison and your description of the dread linnorm's rend ability made me cringe in fear!
Anyway, yes, appropriate abilities for beasts of pure evil and destruction, and at the right DCs as well.

In short, these linnorms rock and kick the living snot out of the MM2's versions. I'm eagerly waiting for your re-statting of the horrid Corpse Tearer!

 

[BOZ]

Corpse Tearer was originally a unique, legendary being...

 

[demiurge1138]

Corpse Tearer was originally a unique, legendary being...

Was he really? I'm halfway through that conversion and my (non-unique) corpse tearer's pretty nasty, but I don't have a copy of the MCA 1 to check on the original stats (at least, I think it was MCA 1...)

Demiurge out.

Edit: Oh, right. Corpse Tearer = Niddogh.

 

[BOZ]

it was MCA1, as well as a Dragon issue.

 

[demiurge1138]

This one took a while. A long while, considering I decided to give it two types of spellcasting. It's a proper CR 30 (maybe even a bit much, maybe), as opposed to the lackluster CR 28 of the original. And I used it as an opportunity to reference the rest of my conversions. Hopefully, at least one person out there uses this to scare the hell out of their players.

This concludes my MMII conversion project. Unless, of course, there's any requests.

Corpse Tearer Linnorm
Gargantuan Dragon
Hit Dice: 48d12+576 (888 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 60ft (12 squares), burrow 50ft, swim 50ft
Armor Class: 55 (-4 size, -1 Dex, +50 natural), touch 5, flat-footed 55
Base Attack/Grapple: +48/+78
Attack: Bite +63 melee (4d6+18 plus energy drain)
Full Attack: Bite +63 melee (4d6+18 plus energy drain), 2 claws +60 melee (2d8+9) and tail slap +60 melee (4d6+9)
Space/Reach: 20ft/30ft
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, create grand undead, crush 4d6+27, energy drain, spell-like abilities, spells, tail sweep 4d6+27
Special Qualities: Blindsense 120ft, DR 20/ epic and good, immunity to disease, energy drain, paralysis, poison and sleep effects, keen senses, SR 41, undead control
Saves: Fort +38, Ref +25, Will +35
Abilities: Str 46, Dex 8, Con 34, Int 22, Wis 28, Cha 28
Skills: Bluff +60, Concentration +63, Diplomacy +64, Intimidate +62, Knowledge (arcana, history, religion) +57, Listen +60, Search +57, Sense Motive +60, Spellcraft +57, Spot +60, Swim +26
Feats: Ability Focus (breath weapon), Awesome Blow, Cleave, Empower Spell, Great Cleave, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Improved Bull’s Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Spell Capacity (x2), Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, Spell Focus (necromancy), Weapon Focus (bite)
Environment: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary, or horde (1 plus 288 HD of undead)
Challenge Rating: 30
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 49-96 HD (Gargantuan), 97-144 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: -

What you thought was merely a decaying old hillock begins to move, and you realize with horror that it is in fact a grotesque bloated creature, its serpentine form covered in gray and brown scales and a mane like dead vegetation crowning its loathsome, toothy head. The beast roars in defiance, shaking the fungus and lichen that grows from its skin.

Generally considered to be the worst of a very bad lot, the linnorms known as corpse tearers are the direct descendents of Nidhogg the Corpse Tearer, the dragon that gnaws on the root of the World Tree of the Asgardian pantheon. They are living paragons of rot and stagnation, creatures devoted to utter entropy working to bring about the End of All Things. Cruel and avaricious, they have no use for the living and no respect for the dead.

Corpse tearers prefer to lair in ancient necropolises, burial grounds and other sites of mass death. There, they have ample access to bodies, which they animate and control with ease. They keep vast hoards of wealth in these lairs, guarded by all manner of undead horrors. Time not spent contemplating destruction or bringing it to bear is spent cataloging and sorting treasure, and woe betide any who dares even look at the treasures of a corpse tearer.

Combat
A corpse tearer prefers not to fight in its home, because it hopes to never reveal the location of its lair. Any potential threat is either spotted by magical surveillance or undead patrols, and the linnorm makes itself known only after the threat is weakened by swarms of the undead. Corpse tearers prefer to fight from the sky, using breath weapons and spells and directing undead to finish off any paralyzed or diseased foes.

Breath Weapon (Su): A corpse tearer linnorm has two breath weapons; it can breathe paralysis or disease in a 60ft cone or 120ft line, whichever it so desires. It can use one or both breath weapons as a standard action. Creatures caught in the paralysis breath must make a Fortitude save (DC 48) or be paralyzed for 1d6+12 rounds. Creatures caught in the disease breath must make a Fortitude save (DC 48) or be affected by linnorm fever. The incubation period of linnorm fever is 1 minute, and the disease deals 2d6 points of Strength damage and 1d6 points of Constitution drain. The save DC is Constitution based. Once a corpse tearer has used a breath weapon, it must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again.

Create Grand Undead (Sp): Once per day, a corpse tearer linnorm may conduct a ritual lasting one hour, involving a dead body and a black onyx gem worth at least 1000 gp. Once this ritual is finished, the body is animated as a burning effigy, corpse gatherer, deathbringer, dread banshee or famine spirit under the control of the linnorm. These undead count towards the limit of Hit Dice of undead the corpse tearer can control. This is the equivalent of a 10th level spell.

Crush (Ex): This special attack allows a flying or jumping corpse tearer linnorm to land on opponents as a standard action, using its whole body to crush them. Crush attacks are effective only against Small or smaller opponents (though it can attempt normal overrun or grapple attacks against larger opponents).

A crush attack affects as many creatures as can fit under the dragon’s body. Creatures in the affected area must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 46) or be pinned, automatically taking 4d6+27 bludgeoning damage during the next round unless the dragon moves off them. If the dragon chooses to maintain the pin, treat it as a normal grapple attack. Pinned opponents take damage from the crush each round if they don’t escape. The save DC is Constitution based.

Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a corpse tearer linnorm’s bite attack gain 4 negative levels. The Fortitude save DC to remove a negative level is 43. The save DC is Charisma based. For each such negative level bestowed, the linnorm gains 5 temporary hit points.

Spell-like Abilities: At will – animate dead, overland flight, water breathing; 3/day – darkness, speak with dead (DC 21), vampiric touch; 1/day – control undead, create greater undead, create undead, etherealness. Caster level 25th. The save DCs are Charisma based.

Spells: Corpse tearer linnorms cast spells as a 25th level cleric and as a 25th level sorcerer. A corpse tearer linnorm has access to the following domains: Death, Destruction, Evil, Trickery and War.

Typical cleric spells prepared (6/9/8/8/8/8/6/6/6/6/1/1; save DC 19 + spell level, 21 + spell level for necromancy): 0th – detect magic, guidance, read magic, resistance (x2); 1st – bane (x2), cause fear*, comprehend languages, divine favor, doom (x2), entropic shield, protection from good; 2nd – bear’s endurance, bull’s strength (x2), cure moderate wounds, death knell*, desecrate, resist energy, spiritual weapon; 3rd – bestow curse (x2), blindness/deafness, contagion, cure serious wounds, dispel magic, invisibility purge, non-detection*; 4th – confusion*, death ward, divination, freedom of movement (x2), poison, spell immunity, tongues; 5th – dispel good, flame strike, greater command, insect plague, slay living*, symbol of pain, true seeing, wall of stone; 6th – antilife shell, blade barrier, greater dispel magic, heal, mislead*, empowered poison; 7th –quickened blindness/deafness, destruction, empowered flame strike, greater scrying, screen*, repulsion; 8th – empowered blade barrier, discern location, quickened divine power, greater spell immunity, polymorph any object*, unholy aura; 9th – astral projection, energy drain, implosion (x2), soul bind, wail of the banshee*; 10th – quickened heal; 11th – quickened blasphemy.
* Domain spell. Domains: Death and Trickery

Typical sorcerer spells known (6/9/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/1/1; save DC 19 + spell level, 21 + spell level for necromancy); 0th – arcane mark, dancing lights, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound, light, mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic; 1st – alarm, expeditious retreat, ray of enfeeblement, shield, true strike; 2nd – ghoul touch, glitterdust, hideous laughter, mirror image, web; 3rd – displacement, protection from energy, ray of exhaustion, slow; 4th – dimension door, enervation, fear, greater invisibility; 5th – cloudkill, dominate person, feeblemind, magic jar; 6th – disintegrate, eyebite, mass suggestion; 7th – greater teleport, mass hold person, prismatic spray; 8th – greater shadow evocation, horrid wilting, mind blank; 9th – gate, shapechange, time stop; 10th – empowered horrid wilting; 11th – empowered time stop.

Tail Sweep (Ex): This special attack allows a corpse tearer linnorm to sweep with its tail as a standard action. The sweep affects a half-circle with a radius of 30 feet extending from an intersection on the edge of the dragon’s space in any direction. Creatures within the swept area are affected if they are Small or smaller. A tail sweep automatically deals 2d6+27 damage to all creatures in the area. Affected creatures can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage (DC 46). The save DC is Constitution based.

Keen Senses (Ex): A corpse tearer linnorm sees four times as well as a human in low-light and twice as well in normal light. It also has darkvision to a range of 120ft.

Undead Control (Ex): A corpse tearer linnorm can control up to 6 times it Hit Dice in undead, as opposed to the normal limit of 4 times its caster level.

Skills: A corpse tearer linnorm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check made to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

Demiurge out.

 

[Olly]

Any chance of a 3.5 update for the chain golem and the meenlocks? I've always had a soft spot for those little blighters.

 

[demiurge1138]

Sorry for the delay, but I've been rather busy.

I personally don't think the meenlocks need converting. The original designers did a better job of it than I could, and all it needs are a few skill points and feat juggling to be 3.5 kosher. The chain golem, on the other hand...

Chain Golem
Medium Construct (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 7d10+20 (58 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30ft (6 squares), climb 20ft
Armor Class: 22 (+4 Dex, +8 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+10
Attack: Chain +10 melee (1d8+4 plus infernal wound)
Full Attack: 2 chains +10 melee (1d8+4 plus infernal wound)
Space/Reach: 5ft/10ft
Special Attacks: Bleeding wound, chain barrier
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60ft, DR 5/adamantine, immune to magic, low-light vision, resistance to ranged attacks
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 18, Con -, Int -, Wis 11, Cha 1
Skills: Climb +13
Feats: Improved Disarm (B), Improved Trip (B)
Environment: Nine Hell of Baator (Jangling Hiter)
Organization: Solitary, pair or guard (1-2 plus 2-4 chain devils)
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 8-14 HD (Medium), 15-21 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: -

Before you stands a humanoid mass of chains. The chains that form its body continually writhe and coil, lashing out with thin edges or thick chains ending in wicked barbs, blades and spikes.

The creation of the kytons, a wicked race of chain-wrapped devils, the chain golem is the perfect bodyguard – obedient, attentive and undeniably lethal. The kytons use these golems to guard their prized treasures and foundries and as bodyguards to the influential among them. Other devils and their allies consider it a sign of esteem to have a cadre of chain devils among their staff.

A chain golem on the Material Plane is invariably there for a reason, such as object retrieval, on loan to a powerful mortal ally of the kytons, or as an assassin. But what few even in the infernal hierarchy know is that all chain golems default to the mastery of the kyton that created them. Thousands of chain golems, many with access to high-ranking baatezu, have the possibility to be controlled by the kytons at a moment’s notice. If the kytons will ever use this to their advantage, and to what end, remains unknown.

A chain golem stands about 7 feet tall and weighs in the neighborhood of 300 pounds. They cannot speak, but constantly echo with the noise of scraping and creaking chains.

Combat
A chain golem follows its master’s orders to the letter, sacrificing itself without thought if necessary. They use their superior reach to trim and disarm opponents, seeming to take mindless pleasure from rending the flesh of a fallen foe with their chain barrier.

A chain golem’s natural attacks can act as silver, cold iron or adamantine for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction, but a chain golem must take a move action to switch between these forms of attack (as it shifts the chains within its body to accommodate others for use).

Bleeding Wound (Ex): The chains of a chain golem are deeply serrated and pocked with bits of infernal filth and cruel prongs of fiendish design. An injured creature loses 2 additional hit points each round. The wound does not heal naturally. The continuing hit point loss can be stopped by a DC 13 Heal check, a cure spell, or a heal spell. A successful Heal check automatically stops the continuing hit point loss as well as restoring hit points. The check DC is Constitution-based.

Chain Barrier (Ex): As a full-round action, a chain golem can unravel its extremities into a barrier of whirling chains, acting as a blade barrier spell (caster level 7th, DC 17) centered on the golem. It may maintain the chain barrier as a standard action on its turn. The save DC is Wisdom based, and includes a +4 racial bonus.

Immunity to Magic (Ex): A chain golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.

A magical attack that deals electricity damage slows a chain golem (as the slow spell) for 3 rounds, with no saving throw.

A magical attack that deals fire damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. For example, a chain golem hit by a fireball gains back 6 hit points if the damage total is 18 points. A chain golem gets no saving throw against fire effects.

Resistance to Ranged Attacks (Su): A chain golem has a +2 resistance bonus on saves against any ranged magical attack that specifically targets it and can affect it (except for ranged touch attacks).

Construction
The construction of a chain golem is a secret known only to the kytons. They are very protective of the secrets of chain golem creation and anyone stealing their methods or developing their own through independent research is sure to be the target of kyton assassins.

Demiurge out.

 

[Justice Gundam]

Hello, Demiurge! Been some time since I last visited these boards... and I just had to take a look at your converted Corpse Tearer and Chain Golem!

What to say... just know that, for a campaign I'm cooking up, I was thinking of a final battle against a powerful ruler of the undead, but I didn't like the idea of using a vampire or a lich (too predictable...) or an Atropal from the ELH (hey, I think Atropals are powerful, but cheap, and just don't have what it takes to be truly memorable). Your Corpse Tearer solved my problems - it is just the CR I wanted my big boss to be, and has nasty signature abilities that give it great flavour. Thank you very much, and I'll patiently wait for the day my pet Corpse Tearer (whom, pointless trivia, I named Anthraxim...) unleashes his fury on the players!

Chain golems, on the other hand, are great for Hell-oriented adventures and campaigns! Excellent job as always!

One last question: I'm not asking for a convertion as much as a small correction: I found the MM2 Sirine to be an interesting fey (*gets hit by flying shoes for being an hentai* ), but its CR is way too high - I don't think the beautiful, scantily clad marine girl could last even two rounds against four 5th level chars (Yeah, I know she isn't designed for combat, but hey...). Keeping her stats the way they are, what do you think would be the right CR?

Thanks for any answer, and peace out!

 

[Gidien]

Now I wish I were still playing just so I could unleash some linnorms... My first campaign featured them as the BBEGs in a dragon heavy campaign, and I was horrified at their treatment in the MMII. Thanks for the great conversions Demiurge.