Converting Al-Qadim and Oriental Adventures creatures

[demiurge1138]

Those ability scores are pretty good, I think.

 

[freyar]

Once per day, they can cause disease; to use this ability, they need merely to point at any victim within 10 feet.

Something unique, or just give them contagion (modified to a single target in 10 ft)?

Three times per day, shan sao can polymorph into the shape of a bird. (Note the flying speed above.) They usually assume the forms of crows, ravens, or other common birds native to the immediate area.

Change shape or alternate form to birds Tiny or smaller?

Once per day, they can summon 1-3 tigers within a half-mile radius, provided tigers are in this area. These tigers arrive in 1-6 turns. The animals fight for the shan sao and can understand the humanoids desires and needs. The tigers remain with the shan sao for up to a full day, although they will leave earlier if no longer needed.

Borrow from outsiders?

 

[Shade]

I'm thinking contagion, yes, and yes.

 

[freyar]

SLA: 1/day - contagion (as a ranged touch attack with range 10 ft), caster level ? Should we specify the disease?

Summon Tigers (Sp): Once per day, a shan sao may summon 1d3 tigers as long as the shan sao is within a warm or temperate jungle. This is the equivalent of an X-level spell.

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

Which of these gnome traits should we retain?

• Weapon Familiarity: Gnomes may treat gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
• Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells cast by gnomes. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects, such as the Spell Focus feat.
• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids (including goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears).
• +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against creatures of the giant type (such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants).
• +2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
• +2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Gnome. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, Orc.
• Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). A gnome with a Charisma score of at least 10 also has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + gnome’s Cha modifier + spell level.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Speak with animals should be kept but changed to tigers rather than burrowing animals.

Keep the bonus to illusion spell DCs since shan sao can be wu jen. And keep the saves versus illusion spells. Probably the alchemy bonus too.

Not sure about the attack bonus. There aren't that many kobolds in the Orient, but the bakemono are goblinoids.

They probably shouldn't get weapon familiarity (not with gnome hooked hammers anyway) and probably shouldn't get elven, giant, goblin, and orc as bonus languages (they could still get draconic and possibly dwarven).

Note about Challenge Rating: a tiger is CR 4.

 

[freyar]

I'd agree with GrayLinnorm on what to keep. I'd probably drop the attack bonus and dodge bonus.

Should we drop the tiger summoning to just 1 tiger and/or give it a percentage chance?

 

[demiurge1138]

Just one tiger is fine. How about we change the ranged touch thing with the contagion into within Close range? That way, we don't need a ray to hit and a saving throw, which is nice.

 

[Shade]

Agreed. Updated.

How's this?

Change Shape (Su): A shan sao can assume the form of any Tiny or smaller bird.

 

[demiurge1138]

Can it still speak, cast spells, etc in bird form? The intricacies of change shape/alternate form always elude me.