Converting Epic Level Creatures

[Shade]

Sure, we can be explicit in the text.

Skills: 13 at 47 ranks
Lesser thunderbirds have Intimidate, Knowledge (nature), Listen, and Spot

Feats: 15 (8 can be epic)
Lesser thunderbirds have Flyby Attack, Hover, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Snatch.

 

[freyar]

Skills (all maxed): Bluff, Diplomacy, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Spot, Survival.

I went heavy on Knowledge b/c I had a hard time coming up with 13 really useful skills. Its special abilities don't really seem to require Concentration, but we could swap that in for something (Survival?) if you like.

 

[Shade]

Let's swap out Knowledge (arcana) for Tumble, as I can see it "rolling" through the clouds. Sense Motive seems a good option as well, maybe in place of Knowledge (geography) or Survival?

 

[freyar]

Tumble is good. Let's put Sense Motive in for Survival. I think geography might be useful for knowing where evil tribes, etc, are. This thing has to travel a lot.

Quick question: the effects of a storm of vengeance are cumulative, right? So the 3rd round effect occurs also in the 4th-10th rounds?

Feats: Flyby Attack, Hover, Cleave, Multiattack, Power Attack, Snatch, Ability Focus (Surrounding Storm), Penetrate Damage Reduction (silver), Penetrate Damage Reduction (cold iron), Aligned Attack, Improved Flyby Attack, Great Cleave, Weapon Focus (talons), Improved Critical (talons), Overwhelming Critical (talons)

Instead of the Cleave, Great Cleave, WF, IC, OC chain, I could also see going to Epic Will, Imp Bull Rush, Awesome Blow, Leadership, Epic Leadership. I picked Penetrate DR twice and Aligned Attack (even though it's psionic) because the Thunder Bird fights summoned critters a lot, probably including demons and devils.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Yes, I believe the effects of storm of vengeance are cumulative.

For the feats, we can drop aligned attack. I forgot to give it the Chaotic and Good subtypes, which will automatically treat all its natural attacks as chaotic and good for overcoming DR (a sentence which I'll add to the combat section, as usual).

I'd rather avoid Leadership, since it randomly appears by itself. Plus, with its crazy high Diplomacy, it can easily rally some troops if needed.

How about...

Ability Focus (Surrounding Storm), Blinding Speed, Epic Will, Fast Healing, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Critical (talons), Improved Flyby Attack, Improved Multiattack, Multiattack, Penetrate Damage Reduction (cold iron), Penetrate Damage Reduction (silver), Power Attack, Snatch?

If you'd rather just give it fast healing as an ability, we can replace that feat.

 

[freyar]

This works for me. As for Fast Healing, I'm not sure what feat to replace it with if we drop it.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

I rewrote the surrounding storm ability to avoid having to reference the storm of vengeance spell (and also to help work in the save DCs for the various effects).

Environment: x

Challenge Rating: x

Treasure: None?

The thunder bird is 12 feet long with a x foot wingspan and weighs about x pounds.

The thunder bird speaks x.

 

[freyar]

Looks good.

Environment: Any land.
CR: upper 30s?
Treasure: None is ok. Was there not a treasure entry in the original?
30 foot wingspan, not sure about weight. Any other large birds to compare?
Common, Celestial, Draconic, Sylvan, Auran, more?

 

[GrayLinnorm]

In the original entry, it had treasure type Ux3.

The thunderbird from Sandstorm has standard coins, double goods and items.

 

[freyar]

Then let's give this thing some treasure, shall we? If Ux3 is big enough, we can even equip it.