Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings

[demiurge1138]

Good idea on the packages. That I like.

 

[freyar]

We could also have "packages" of spell-like abilities based upon the fey's theme, like deceiver, protector, and whatnot.

That seems best and is really along the lines of what you mentioned earlier, too.

 

[Shade]

Here are the categories again...

The Deceiver
Some faeries intentionally try to deceive those they encounter. The creatures habitually give poor directions, misleading information, and bad advice. Though they do so not out of real malice—to them, it is all a grand game—their deceptions sometimes have dire consequences for travelers in a land where a single wrong turn could prove fatal.

The Innocent
Though all seelie faeries exhibit a certain amount of childlike innocence (as evidenced in their literal interpretation of speech), some carry it to an extreme. They tag along, asking “why” eighteen times in a row, poking and prodding at unfamiliar objects and people, letting curiosity guide them until the beleaguered traveler is driven to distraction. Innocents tend to be very young faeries (only a couple centuries old).

The Helper
Some faeries make a genuine effort to aid travelers they encounter. Usually, this philanthropy comes as the result of a kindness shown them by the recipient or other travelers who came before. (For example, a faerie might help a Khinasi adventurer because a century ago another Khinasi did it a good turn.) The helper may reveal itself to the recipient, or offer aid secretly (for example, magically replenishing a party’s diminishing rations while they sleep). The attempt at aid is not always successful—faeries have been known to inadvertently make a situation worse instead of better—but the intentions are good. The assistance is generally limited to a single instance.

The Protector
Occasionally, a faerie chooses to serve as a protector to an individual or party. Perhaps the faerie believes itself to be in the individual ’s debt (if, for example, the traveler saved the creature’s life or outsmarted it somehow). Or perhaps the faerie seeks to aid the person’s mission. Regardless of motive, the faerie watches over its charge from a distance, rendering aid or fending o ff harm as the need arises. As in the case of helper faeries, recipients of a faerie’s protection may not even be aware of the attention or its source. But unlike helpers, protectors stick with their self-appointed charges until their protection is no longer needed (for example, the recipient leaves the Shadow World) or the obligation is fulfilled (for example, the faerie saves a life in exchange for its own being saved).

The Trickster
While all faeries delight in puzzles and games (particularly verbal contests of wit) some turn every encounter into an opportunity for amusement—at the travelers’ expense. Such a creature tries to trap the unwary into commitments they would rather not keep or actions they would be wise not to take. Some of the ploys in a trickster’s arsenal are downright menacing, while others are meant merely to amuse the faerie. Rumplestiltskin’s bargain is an example of a trickster’s plot. Because one never knows whether a faerie might be a trickster, the wise individual exercises caution while speaking with any faerie. It is easier to avoid entering a trickster’s power than to extricate oneself from it.

Here is the SLA list to choose from...

They can cast any priestly enchantment/charm spell of 1st or 2nd level, plus create water, entangle, faerie fire, light, protection from evil, purify food and drink, shillelagh; barkskin, goodberry, produce flame, speak with animals, warp wood; continual light, create food and water, pyrotechnics, seelie spell of forgetting, tree, water walk. They can cast five spells per day, and the seelie spell of forgetting an unlimited number of times.

Feel free to expand on that list to better fit the themes.

 

[freyar]

Quick thoughts:

Deceiver -- should have plenty of illusions
Innocent -- not sure
Helper -- things like goodberry, purify food and drink, create food and water, etc.
Protector -- some abjurations, maybe some enchantments to drive things away
Trickster -- enchantments, I think. Maybe some destructive stuff.

 

[Shade]

Thinking further, perhaps the lists should be based on size/Hit Dice as well? Thus a Huge trickster would have access to tougher SLAs than the relatively weak Diminutive trickster?

 

[freyar]

Perhaps for each archetype, have a list that is cumulative by HD? Sort of like the seelie/unseelie fey in DCv1, but multiple tables?

 

[Shade]

Sure, something like this?

Spell-Like Abilities: A deceiver gains the following spell-like abilities. These abilities are cumulative, so a Medium deceiver gains the abilities of Small, Tiny, and Diminutive deceivers. Caster level equals deceiver's Hit Dice. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Diminutive: dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation
Tiny: magic aura, silent image, ventriloquism
Small: minor image, mirror image, misdirection, phantom trap
Medium: hallucinatory terrain, major image, secret page
Large: illusory wall, mirage arcana, persistent image
Huge: maze, mislead, project image, veil

 

[demiurge1138]

Something like that. That's a huge load of SLAs, though, so perhaps we should "choose two" for most levels.

 

[freyar]

Agreed to choose 2.

 

[Shade]

Help fill in the blanks...

Spell-Like Abilities: A seelie faerie gains spell-like abilities based upon its theme (deceiver, helper, and so forth). The seelie faerie gains two spell-like abilities at Diminutive size, and two additional spell-like abilities for each size category greater. Thus, a Medium deceiver gains the abilities of Small, Tiny, and Diminutive deceivers. Caster level equals faerie's Hit Dice. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Deceivers choose from the following list:
Diminutive: dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation
Tiny: magic aura, silent image, ventriloquism
Small: minor image, mirror image, misdirection, phantom trap
Medium: hallucinatory terrain, major image, secret page
Large: illusory wall, mirage arcana, persistent image
Huge: maze, mislead, project image, veil

Innocents choose from the following list:
Diminutive: x
Tiny: x
Small: x
Medium: x
Large: x
Huge: x

Helpers choose from the following list:
Diminutive: mending
Tiny: remove fear
Small: aid, goodberry
Medium: create food and water
Large: repel vermin
Huge: find the path

Protectors choose from the following list:
Diminutive: resistance
Tiny: sanctuary
Small: shield other
Medium: protection from energy
Large: spell resistance
Huge: mind blank

Tricksters choose from the following list:
Diminutive: faerie fire, ghost sound, prestidigitation
Tiny: entangle
Small: misdirection
Medium: warp wood
Large: confusion
Huge: maze, mislead, repel gravity