Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings

[Cleon]

I like the advancement, but perhaps we could figure out how to do it without referring to "number of zombies"? I also think the way the HD range is laid out in the 2nd table is slightly confusing because the "base" HD is below the "starting" HD of the size. I also don't want to call the individual bodies "zombies."

Well "zombies" is just a placeholder, we could just as easily call them "bodies", "wanderers" or "lost souls".

I quite liked using the total number of "wanderers" in the 2nd table, since it makes it easier to adjudicate merging lost souls.

It's fairly easy to fold the two tables together, though:

HD Advancement (by size)
. . Medium = 4HD and 2 wanderers, +1 HD per +1 wanderer
. .. Large = 8HD and 6 wanderers, +1 HD per +2 wanderers
. . . Huge = 17HD and 24 wanderers, +1 HD per +12 wanderers
Gargantuan = 32HD and 200 wanderers, +1 HD per +40 wanderers
. Colossal = 72HD and 1800 wanderers, +1 HD per +100 wanderers

To simplify a bit, could we make the merging process something that takes long enough it won't affect a battle immediately, so the DM doesn't need to track the corpses? Then we might be able to keep this framework but simplify somehow.

That's OK, I was thinking it was something that didn't take place in combat-time, especially with the larger lost souls that need to absorb scores of victims to grow.

There's nothing to stop us saying that merging corpses takes, say, 1 minute per wanderer, during which time the wanderer being absorbed can't attack but can be targeted and destroyed to forestall its absorption.

 

[freyar]

Well, the point of taking it out of combat would be not to need to list all the wanderer numbers! Hrmph. Need to keep thinking about this.

 

[Shade]

Well, the point of taking it out of combat would be not to need to list all the wanderer numbers! Hrmph. Need to keep thinking about this.

Exactly!

 

[freyar]

Hmm, Cleon has almost suggested something like this table (if we disregard the sizes for now)

HD     # wanderers
 4     2
 8     6
16     24 (changed from Cleon's 22)
32     200
64     1200 (compared to Cleon's 1280)

This would almost be multiplying by 3, 4, 5, 6 at each HD doubling, just a hitch at 32 HD. Playing around with plots, it looks almost like a power law. I'm going to see if I can figure out some easy formula for this...

But I still just want it to be an easy rule for DMs: 2 lost souls of so many HD each merge to form a new one of approximately so many HD. This just feels fiddly. And it's not quite on a formula!

 

[Cleon]

Hmm, Cleon has almost suggested something like this table (if we disregard the sizes for now)

HD     # wanderers
 4     2
 8     6
16     24 (changed from Cleon's 22)
32     200
64     1200 (compared to Cleon's 1280)

This would almost be multiplying by 3, 4, 5, 6 at each HD doubling, just a hitch at 32 HD. Playing around with plots, it looks almost like a power law. I'm going to see if I can figure out some easy formula for this...

What?

Where did the 22 and 1280 wanderers come from? I used 24 and 1800 for those sizes.

But I still just want it to be an easy rule for DMs: 2 lost souls of so many HD each merge to form a new one of approximately so many HD. This just feels fiddly. And it's not quite on a formula!

A rule of thumb that's pretty close to the proposed tables is two lost souls of the same size merge together to form a Lost Soul with 4 more HD.

The obvious problem with that it's often less of a threat merged together than before it was separated.

What do you think of going back to my earlier proposal of just adding the HD together, and saying they form extra bodies/body mass out of soil, carrion or "nightmare stuff"?

 

[Shade]

What do you think of going back to my earlier proposal of just adding the HD together, and saying they form extra bodies/body mass out of soil, carrion or "nightmare stuff"?

If it allows us to avoid a fiddly table, add an emphatic "hell" before my "yeah".

 

[freyar]

What?

Where did the 22 and 1280 wanderers come from? I used 24 and 1800 for those sizes.

If you notice, I changed what HD I was considering. I didn't just look at the base HD for each new size category.

What do you think of going back to my earlier proposal of just adding the HD together, and saying they form extra bodies/body mass out of soil, carrion or "nightmare stuff"?

If it allows us to avoid a fiddly table, add an emphatic "hell" before my "yeah".

Yes, I think that works best, too. Amusing detour, though.

 

[Shade]

Yes, I think that works best, too. Amusing detour, though.

Indeed. About as amusing as having our unliving animated corpses fused together.

 

[freyar]

Well, unless you're also a ghost, you won't be around to know about it!

 

[Cleon]

Indeed. About as amusing as having our unliving animated corpses fused together.

For all you know they could be having a wonderful time.