Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings

[Shade]

Are you sure about the benevolent bit?

Well, I'm something ending in "evolent".

Yeah, this is definitely on my "10 least enjoyable conversions" list.

Transient immunities works

I'm fancying a house cat and a dwarf fighter. Maybe make the latter a retired adventurer who's become a butcher...

Shine on you crazy diamond.

 

[freyar]

Before we get to the samples, can we work out the blood draining touch and get the rest of the template cleaned up?

 

[Cleon]

Before we get to the samples, can we work out the blood draining touch and get the rest of the template cleaned up?

Sure. The last draft we were arguing about was as follows. It seems pretty complete, but we may be able to trim down the wording a bit:

Steal Blood (Su): A transient golem duplicate has an incorporeal touch attack that does 1 point of Constitution damage, it can literally reach inside a victim to sup upon their blood and life force. Any open wounds the victim may have will instantly close and stop bleeding (this stops any continuing damage from a wounding weapon or the like). This attack is subtle and completely painless. The victim will not realize they have been attacked unless they succeed at a DC25 Spot check or a DC20 Autohypnosis check - they will notice any miraculously closed wounds, of course, but that appears to be healing rather than an attack. Another character who closely examines the victim can notice their anemia with a successful DC 20 Heal check.

A transient golem duplicate can also Steal Blood through any natural attacks possessed by the creature it has duplicated, adding 1 point of Constitution damage to each such attack that hits.

Transient golem duplicates must use Steal Blood to maintain their corporeal form. For every day they spend without stealing blood they will lose 1d3 points of Constitution. The duplicate can regain this lost Constitution using Steal Blood, regaining 1 point of Constitution for every point of Constitution damage it steals. If its Constitution should ever fall to zero it will immediately lose its transient golem duplicate template and Discorporate, becoming an incorporeal transient golem once more. The golem can not use Steal Blood to gain a Constitution score higher than the base creature it is duplicating, instead the creature gains 5 temporary hit points for every excess point of Constitution damage it steals, to a maximum equal to the bonus hit points of a Construct of its size. (e.g. a Medium-sized duplicate can gain up to 20 temporary hit points through excess Blood Stealing.)

 

[freyar]

Well, the only thing there to wonder about (besides maybe quick edits) is attaching it to a natural attack. The original monster didn't mention that (I think), but it was certainly vague enough to leave us the wiggle room. It just seems a little contrary to the flavor of "stealing" the blood, though. I'm a bit torn on this.

Oh, and another question: does the victim need to have an "open wound" (ie, unhealed hp damage)? That seemed to be implied in the original flavor.

 

[Cleon]

Well, the only thing there to wonder about (besides maybe quick edits) is attaching it to a natural attack. The original monster didn't mention that (I think), but it was certainly vague enough to leave us the wiggle room. It just seems a little contrary to the flavor of "stealing" the blood, though. I'm a bit torn on this.

Oh, and another question: does the victim need to have an "open wound" (ie, unhealed hp damage)? That seemed to be implied in the original flavor.

The original text said a transient golem in housecat form could blood-feed by scratching someone with its claws, so I reckon they ought to be able to do so via their natural attacks.

 

[freyar]

Fair enough. Adding in the bit about "open wounds" gives

Steal Blood (Su): A transient golem duplicate has an incorporeal touch attack that does 1 point of Constitution damage, it can literally reach inside a victim to sup upon their blood and life force, as long as that victim has unhealed hit point damage. Any open wounds the victim may have will instantly close and stop bleeding (this stops any continuing damage from a wounding weapon or the like). This attack is subtle and completely painless. The victim will not realize they have been attacked unless they succeed at a DC25 Spot check or a DC20 Autohypnosis check - they will notice any miraculously closed wounds, of course, but that appears to be healing rather than an attack. Another character who closely examines the victim can notice their anemia with a successful DC 20 Heal check.

A transient golem duplicate can also Steal Blood through any natural attacks possessed by the creature it has duplicated, adding 1 point of Constitution damage to each such attack that hits.

Transient golem duplicates must use Steal Blood to maintain their corporeal form. For every day they spend without stealing blood they will lose 1d3 points of Constitution. The duplicate can regain this lost Constitution using Steal Blood, regaining 1 point of Constitution for every point of Constitution damage it steals. If its Constitution should ever fall to zero it will immediately lose its transient golem duplicate template and Discorporate, becoming an incorporeal transient golem once more. The golem can not use Steal Blood to gain a Constitution score higher than the base creature it is duplicating, instead the creature gains 5 temporary hit points for every excess point of Constitution damage it steals, to a maximum equal to the bonus hit points of a Construct of its size. (e.g. a Medium-sized duplicate can gain up to 20 temporary hit points through excess Blood Stealing.)

 

[Cleon]

Fair enough. Adding in the bit about "open wounds" gives

Steal Blood (Su): A transient golem duplicate has an incorporeal touch attack that does 1 point of Constitution damage, it can literally reach inside a victim to sup upon their blood and life force, as long as that victim has unhealed hit point damage. Any open wounds the victim may have will instantly close and stop bleeding (this stops any continuing damage from a wounding weapon or the like). This attack is subtle and completely painless. The victim will not realize they have been attacked unless they succeed at a DC25 Spot check or a DC20 Autohypnosis check - they will notice any miraculously closed wounds, of course, but that appears to be healing rather than an attack. Another character who closely examines the victim can notice their anemia with a successful DC 20 Heal check.

A transient golem duplicate can also Steal Blood through any natural attacks possessed by the creature it has duplicated, adding 1 point of Constitution damage to each such attack that hits.

Transient golem duplicates must use Steal Blood to maintain their corporeal form. For every day they spend without stealing blood they will lose 1d3 points of Constitution. The duplicate can regain this lost Constitution using Steal Blood, regaining 1 point of Constitution for every point of Constitution damage it steals. If its Constitution should ever fall to zero it will immediately lose its transient golem duplicate template and Discorporate, becoming an incorporeal transient golem once more. The golem can not use Steal Blood to gain a Constitution score higher than the base creature it is duplicating, instead the creature gains 5 temporary hit points for every excess point of Constitution damage it steals, to a maximum equal to the bonus hit points of a Construct of its size. (e.g. a Medium-sized duplicate can gain up to 20 temporary hit points through excess Blood Stealing.)

That looks good to me. Can't think of anything worth adding.

Shall we whip up some sample creatures then?

 

[freyar]

I'd still like to see the homebrews template tidied (things like the immunities), just so we can check over it one more time.

 

[Shade]

Tidied.

Did I miss anything?

 

[freyar]

I think it's ok. Maybe Cleon has the samples all ready to go.