Converting Al-Qadim and Oriental Adventures creatures

[Cleon]

Updated.

Ability Focus (beguile) and Weapon Finesse for the remaining feats?

Organization: Solitary or crew (2–10)?

Treasure: Standard?

Alignment: Always neutral, usually evil?

Advancement: 10-18 HD (Medium)?

Amiq rasol speak any languages they knew in life (usually Common)?

That all looks good to me.

 

[Shade]

We're just about finished here.

CR 7?

 

[demiurge1138]

CR 6. They've got nice DR and beguile, but they're pretty squishy, and aren't liable to hit very often in melee.

 

[Shade]

Sounds good. Finished here?

 

[demiurge1138]

I'm inclined to say "yes"

 

[freyar]

Looks pretty good!

 

[Shade]

Up next we have the Chinese Undead from Dragon Magazine #26 (1979).

These are really small stat blocks, so we should have alot of room for customization.

Let's start with the sea bonze since I could find the most additional information for them.

Type # Appearing AC Move HD %Lair Treasure
Sea Bonze / 1-6 / 2 / 9" / 6 / 20% / None

Sea Bonze
This creature lives underwater and looks like a black man with white lips and eye sockets. It has an ordinary attack of 2 claws 1-3 and bite 1-8, but it prefers to use, three times a day, its Charm breath in a 2 X 1 cone which is effective as soon as it leaves the creature’s lips. Those who fail to save as if against dragon breath must jump over and swim to the Sea Bonze’s lair, a course the dead body will complete if the unfortunate victim is an air breather. Destruction of the Sea Bonze removes the charm. Once at the lair, a still-living victim will wait passively to be eaten. Clerics turn Sea Bonzes as if they were vampires.

CALL-OF-THE-SEA.COM: Myths: Sea-Monsters
Umibozu - Monstropedia - the largest encyclopedia about monsters

 

[Cleon]

CR 6. They've got nice DR and beguile, but they're pretty squishy, and aren't liable to hit very often in melee.

I agree with CR6, they're roughly equivalent to what you'd get if you advanced a standard challenge Rating 4 Vampire Spawn a couple of CRs worth of Hit Dice (assuming you could advance Vamp Spawn, of course).

We're not quite done yet, they don't have a Tactics entry!

Something like:

An amiq rasol often pretend to be a shipwrecked sailor to get close to its prospective prey. They like to use their Bluff skill or Beguile power to try to lure away a victim from their companions, hoping to pick off intruders one on one. They also like to use ambush tactics, and will be extremely familiar with the terrain around their lair.

 

[Cleon]

Sea Bonze
This creature lives underwater and looks like a black man with white lips and eye sockets. It has an ordinary attack of 2 claws 1-3 and bite 1-8, but it prefers to use, three times a day, its Charm breath in a 2 X 1 cone which is effective as soon as it leaves the creature’s lips. Those who fail to save as if against dragon breath must jump over and swim to the Sea Bonze’s lair, a course the dead body will complete if the unfortunate victim is an air breather. Destruction of the Sea Bonze removes the charm. Once at the lair, a still-living victim will wait passively to be eaten. Clerics turn Sea Bonzes as if they were vampires.

I know there's a long Asian tradition of ghouls with jet black skin, but the mention of "white lips and eye sockets" makes me imagine an undead aquatic Al Jolson in blackface, which is presumably not the intended effect.

*Ahem*

So, let's see. Its D&D stats are AC2, 6 Hit Dice, Speed 9", 1-8/1-3/1-3 claw/bite/bite, no treasure, charm breath 3/day.
20% in lair

Not a lot to go on there, but its a start.

Speed 20 ft, AC around 18, 1d8 bite and 2 1d3 claws.

So, what type are these creatures? They look as much like a Monstrous Humanoid or a natural Outsider than an Undead to me. We'd need to give them the grave-touched trait if we decide we want them to be Outsiders, so they still get that "turned as Vampires".

The "Call of the Sea" article says they have tremendous Strength and can capsize ships. The monstropedia version says they're of giant size, and may have tentacles, while the Dragon magazine version describes a man-shaped and man-sized being.

So, is it a shapechanger which can assume the form of humanoid or a giant octopus/squid with a huge, half-humanoid head, or do we stat up two versions, a regular and a giant Umibozu?

Hmm, I think I like the idea of doing a regular humanoid variety and a more powerful shapechanging form with the Dragon Turtle's capsize power. We could call the greater version a "Sea Abbot".

Do some or all Sea Bonze have spellcasting? "Bonze" does mean monk, although it could just a reference to their appearance, we could say some gain levels in cleric.

The charm breath is an interesting power. We can use a rewrite of the Harpy's Captivating Song. Dragon Breath is one of the toughest saves in AD&D, so it may have a racial bonus to its DC.

 

[Shade]

Yeah, two critters makes the most sense. When I was looking for information, the Umibozu sounded like a separate, gigantic critter. I picture the sea bonze more as undead, aquatic monks.