Converting Dark*Matter Creatures

[Cleon]

Alright then, here's a suggested baseline upon that. We can give it a machete instead of a dagger if we want more pure damage, since it was mentioned as a favored weapon in the flavor text.

I'd give it a machete or other weapon plus secondary claw and bite attacks, otherwise it has little reason to use anything but its claws & teeth.

Full attack: +2 melee (1d6+1, 2 claws) and -3 melee (1d4, bite); or +2 melee (XdX+1, weapon) and -3 melee (1d6+1, claw) and -3 melee (1d4, bite)

 

[Rappy]

Updated, then.

Any thoughts on how to flesh out the Rejuvenation ability?

 

[freyar]

Rather than rejuvenation, we might go with something like "vampire weaknesses" for these. I'll poke around and see if I can find something I might have done for a decapitation type mechanic that we might be able to adapt to a called shot.

 

[Rappy]

Alright then. Until something's found, I'll set my mind ahead to skills and feats.

Feats: Perhaps Toughness, plus Weapon Focus (Machete)?

Skills: Maybe six ranks each of Climb and Jump, and then three ranks of Listen and Spot?

 

[freyar]

I don't like Toughness much, but Power Attack would work if we just boost the Str. How about Str 15, since they're melee mashers anyway? Yes on Weapon Focus, though I might consider using it for the claws.

Skills sound fine.

Digging through my own notes, I'd say just modify Rejuvenation as follows:

Rejuvenation (Su): A drabbuck reduced to 0 hit points falls apart into a mass of twitching body parts, seemingly slain. In [1d3?] days, however, it rises, fully restored, unless its brain is destroyed. While a drabbuk that is already dismantled can have its brain destroyed easily by a full round action that functions like a coup de grace attack, a "live" drabbuk can only be truly slain by destroying the head with a called shot. This requires an attack at a -2 circumstance penalty against AC 15 that reduces the drabbuk to 0 hp (decapitation, as by vorpal weapons, also automatically destroys the head).

 

[Rappy]

Updated.

Well, with that, we just have the fluff, "In D&D" section, and the Challenge Rating.

 

[Cleon]

I don't like Toughness much, but Power Attack would work if we just boost the Str. How about Str 15, since they're melee mashers anyway? Yes on Weapon Focus, though I might consider using it for the claws.

Skills sound fine.

Digging through my own notes, I'd say just modify Rejuvenation as follows:

Rejuvenation (Su): A drabbuck reduced to 0 hit points falls apart into a mass of twitching body parts, seemingly slain. In [1d3?] days, however, it rises, fully restored, unless its brain is destroyed. While a drabbuk that is already dismantled can have its brain destroyed easily by a full round action that functions like a coup de grace attack, a "live" drabbuk can only be truly slain by destroying the head with a called shot. This requires an attack at a -2 circumstance penalty against AC 15 that reduces the drabbuk to 0 hp (decapitation, as by vorpal weapons, also automatically destroys the head).

Looks good but the sentence in the middle is rather cumbersome - "While a drabbuk that is already dismantled can have its brain destroyed easily by a full round action that functions like a coup de grace attack, a "live" drabbuk can only be truly slain by destroying the head with a called shot."

How about:

Rejuvenation (Su): A drabbuck reduced to 0 hit points falls apart into a mass of twitching body parts, seemingly slain. In 1d3 days, however, it rises, fully restored, unless its brain is destroyed. A drabbuk that is already "dismantled" (or otherwise helpless) can have its brain destroyed by a coup de grace attack. Otherwise, a "live" drabbuk can only be truly slain by destroying the head with a called shot. This requires an attack at a -2 circumstance penalty against Defense 15 that reduces the drabbuk to 0 hp (decapitation, as by vorpal weapons, also automatically destroys the head).

 

[Rappy]

I can go for that wording, yeah.

Also, how's this for the "In Dungeons and Dragons" blurb?

"Drabbuks are forged deep in the pits of the Abyss by demon lords, most often by Orcus. They crawl in the depths that blasted realm, typically in the company of stronger undead. A drabbuk is somewhat hard to distinguish from a mummy (Spot DC 16 to differentiate the two)."

 

[freyar]

The In D&D bit is good.

The problem with specifically calling it a coup de grace is that undead are immune to coup de grace attacks. Not sure of a good way around that without being clunky.

 

[Cleon]

The In D&D bit is good.

The problem with specifically calling it a coup de grace is that undead are immune to coup de grace attacks. Not sure of a good way around that without being clunky.

Well since specific monsters sometimes overturn the normal Type rules so I thought it'd be OK.

Still, we can simply replace it with "a full round attack with a lethal weapon" and it'd be basically the same mechanically:

Rejuvenation (Su): A drabbuck reduced to 0 hit points falls apart into a mass of twitching body parts, seemingly slain. In 1d3 days, however, it rises, fully restored, unless its brain is destroyed. A drabbuk that is already "dismantled" (or otherwise helpless) can have its brain destroyed by a full round attack with a lethal weapon. Otherwise, a "live" drabbuk can only be truly slain by destroying the head with a called shot. This requires an attack at a -2 circumstance penalty against Defense 15 that reduces the drabbuk to 0 hp (decapitation, as by vorpal weapons, also automatically destroys the head).