Converting First Edition monsters from DRAGON magazine

[freyar]

Reading that, I can't help but think of "pipers piping" and a partridge in a pear tree.

Me, too. Any more special abilities on these, or should we move on to skills and feats?

 

[Shade]

The following creatures and monsters are not affected by wirching: Gods, Demigods, Arch-Devils, Demon Lords and Princes, Greater Devils, Type V and higher Demons, Beholders, Black Puddings, Blink Dogs, Brain Moles, Couatls, Cerebral Parasites, Djinni, Dragons, Dragon Turtles, Ear Seekers, Efreet, Violet Fungi, Gas Spores, Gelatinous Cubes, Ghosts, all Giants except Hill and Stone Giants, Golems, Gray Oozes, Green Slimes, Harpies, Hydrae, Intellect Devourers, Ki-Rin, Lammasi, Liches, Manticores, Mind Flayers, Molds, Ochre Jellies, Purple Worms, Rakshasi, Shambling Mounds, Skeletons, Spectres, Strangle Weeds, Su-Monsters, Thought Eaters, Water Weirds, Wights, Wraiths, Wyverns and Zombies.

I'd say we simplify that feat to simply "fiends (evil outsiders)". Any objections?

PSIONIC ABILITY: 50
Attack/Defense Modes: B/H, I

I'll need to revisit 1e psionics, unless someone else has suggestions.

 

[freyar]

I'd say we simplify that feat to simply "fiends (evil outsiders)". Any objections?

I'd make it evil outsiders and mindless creatures.

I'll need to revisit 1e psionics, unless someone else has suggestions.

Not something I know anything about!

 

[Shade]

I'd make it evil outsiders and mindless creatures.

"This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability" should take care of the latter.

 

[freyar]

Excellent, I should really read more carefully.

 

[Shade]

I keep forgetting to check my 1e DMG when I'm at home for the psionics.

 

[Shade]

I keep forgetting to check my 1e DMG when I'm at home for the psionics.

And it wasn't the DMG I needed to check, but the PHB.

Anyway, it appears that B,H,and I are:

B. Mind Thrust
H. Mental Barrier
I. Intellect Fortress

So I think we can just give them these as psi-like abilities. Since mental barrier provides a +4 deflection bonus to AC (which can be augmented to gain higher bonus), and we've already given them a +5 deflection bonus to AC, I'd recommend we either drop the permanent bonus or drop the psi-like ability.

 

[freyar]

I think the AC is pretty good for something of their likely CR, so maybe we should drop the deflection bonus and give them the psi ability.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

If a Wirchler is found in its lair in Gehenna, it may have (30% chance) a Firegem. Fire-gems, worth 1,000 g.p. each, are made by Wirchlers in underground smithies. The gems have the following powers: Can shoot flames as per the Naming Hands spell a total of 20 times, as a 19th-level Magic-User; can shoot a Fireball (as per a wand) a total of 10 times; can create a Fire Trap (as a 10thlevel M-U) 5 times, and can create an Incendiary Cloud once. The gem will also act as a Gem of seeing as long as any of the above abilities remains functional. Each ability (except the seeing power) needs a different command word to function. The wirchler owning a fire-gem will certainly use it against attackers.

Here's a stab at this:

Firegem: This woundrous item resembles a fire opal. Upon utterance of a command word, the crystal emits one of the following fire effects.

One command word causes the gem to shoot a cone of flames, as the burning hands spell. This use of the gem expends 1 charge.

Another command word causes the firegem to release a fireball (as the spell). This use of the gem expends 2 charges.

The third command word wards an item touched with a fire trap (as the spell). This use expends 4 charges.

A final command word uses all remaining charges to create an incendiary cloud that lasts for a number of rounds equal to half the remaining charges.

A newly created firegem has 50 charges. As long as at least one charge remains, the firegem functions as a gem of seeing. When all its charges are expended, the gem becomes nonmagical. X evocation; CL 19th; Craft Wondrous Item, burning hands, fireball, fire trap, incendiary cloud, true seeing; Price x gp.

 

[freyar]

Looks pretty good, actually. I'd have to go look at my books go guess a price, though. What's the X before evocation?

Skills: Concentration, Psicraft? or Spellcraft?, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (The Planes), Autohypnosis?, Tumble?, Spot?