Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings

[Shade]

We could probably interpret "forked" as either chain lighting or a twinned lightning bolt.

 

[Cleon]

We could probably interpret "forked" as either chain lighting or a twinned lightning bolt.

It has a separate chain lightning attack in the original going by the 1/day 9d6 chain lightning and 2/day forked lightning attacks.

I remember the 1st edition AD&D version of the lightning bolt spell could be cast in 2 forms, a single bolt (8" long by ½" wide) and a double-width forked bolt (4" long by 1" wide) and I suspect the 2E version was the same, so I'd guess they meant it was the wide version.

So what to do, give its lightning a 10 ft. wide path or just two 5 ft. lines originating from the same point that cannot overlap?

I prefer the "two lines of lightning" option, since it's actually "forked".

 

[Shade]

Added basic stats to underbar in Shadowsponge entry.

I like the "twinned" bolt as well. Make these SLAs or Su abilities?

 

[Cleon]

Added basic stats to underbar in Shadowsponge entry.

I like the "twinned" bolt as well. Make these SLAs or Su abilities?

I'd go for Supernatural, something like this...

Lightning (Su): A herd cloud can generate bolts of lightning. Twice per day it can produce two 400 ft. long lines of lightning, each doing 6d6 damage (DC 21 Reflex save for half damage). These "twinned" lightning bolts can not overlap. Once per day a herd cloud can produce a lightning bolt that strikes a target within 400 ft. for 9d6 electricity damage (DC 21 Reflex save for half) and then forks out to hit all targets within 30 ft. of the initial target for 4d6 electricity damage (DC 21 Reflex save for half), in a similar fashion to a chain lightning spell. The save DCs are Constitution based.

 

[freyar]

I was going to suggest a normal SLA for the chain lightning and a unique Sp for the forked. Something like

Forked Lightning (Sp): Twice per day, a herd cloud can release a forked lightning bolt consisting of two X ft long lines of electricty, each doing 6d6 damage. A DC X Reflex save halves the damage, and the two lines cannot overlap. This is the equivalent of a 5th? level spell.

The only problem with the Sp is that the DC will be a bit weak unless we boost the Cha. On the other hand, DC 21 is probably too high at the likely CR.

 

[Shade]

I think I prefer combining them into a single ability, and I'm comfortable with the higher DC.

 

[freyar]

Let's do it then.

 

[Cleon]

I think I prefer combining them into a single ability, and I'm comfortable with the higher DC.

I prefer it as a single Supernatural ability too.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Skills: 20 ranks

Retain the same feats as the standard shadowsponge?

 

[Cleon]

Updated.

Skills: 20 ranks

The SJR1 Herd Cloud has 8 Hit Dice, not seven.

As for skills, I'd presume one of them is maxed-out Spot like a standard Shadowsponge, but I'm not sure what to use the rest of its ranks for.

Since they "herd" their fellows, something that's useful for leading shadowsponges seems in order.

Diplomacy to convince them?

Survival to find the best air sources and avoid space hazards?

Knowledge (something appropriate to wildspace) ?

Retain the same feats as the standard shadowsponge?

Sounds fair to me.