Converting First Edition monsters from DRAGON magazine

[Shade]

not sure why it needs this one?

I thought it went well with this...

A cantobele has a high-pitched, soft, feminine voice, and uses it effectively to lure prey and deceive hostile creatures by remaining hidden in underbrush and employing its voice in combination with its innate abilities of <I>ESP</I> (9" range) and <I>tongues</I>.

Hiding in underbrush, it employs its voice in combination with its innate ability of ESP (90 yard range) and tongues.
(I think that if tongues is going to be constant, detect thoughts should too.)

Agreed.

When a cantobele attempts to knock an opponent off its feet, the victim must roll a successful Dexterity check with a -4 penalty to maintain balance. If the check fails, the victim falls, and the cantobele attacks with a +4 bonus with each of its attacks.
(maybe this is where Knight Otu got the idea that it should make Trip attacks. Close, but maybe it should be something else?)

I could see trip for this, or modify this...

Knock Down [Fighter, General]
Your mighty blows can knock foes off their feet.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +2, Improved Trip, Str 15+
Benefit: Whenever you deal 10 or more points of damage to your opponent in melee with a single attack, you may make a trip attack as a free action against the same target. Use of this feat cannot be combined with Improved Trip to generate an extra attack, and successful use of this feat does not grant an extra attack through the Cleave or Great Cleave feats.
Source:Sword & Fist (Corrected from errata).

Their claws and six-legged gait make them sure-footed on the slickest ice, in deep snow, or on tree boughs. Spells such as grease and fumble have no effect on them. They can climb any surface, except sheer walls and cliffs, at their normal movement rate. Sheer surfaces reduce their movement by one-half.
(something similar to spider climb, but maybe as an Ex ability?)

Check out the wallcrawler ability we gave the gacholoth. I think it was similar.

 

[BOZ]

I thought it went well with this...

yeah, but i don't see anything there that suggests it can mimic sounds, only speech. if you like, i can change it to:

Voice Imitation (Ex): A cantobele can mimic any voice it has heard, anytime it likes. Listeners must succeed on a Will save to detect the ruse. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Agreed.

Spell-like Abilities: 2/day - ice storm; 1/day - misdirection. Caster level Xth. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
The following abilities are always active on a cantobele's person, as the spells (caster level Xth): detect thoughts, tongues. They can be dispelled, but the cantobele can reactivate them as a free action.

I could see trip for this, or modify this...

Knock Down [Fighter, General]
Your mighty blows can knock foes off their feet.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +2, Improved Trip, Str 15+
Benefit: Whenever you deal 10 or more points of damage to your opponent in melee with a single attack, you may make a trip attack as a free action against the same target. Use of this feat cannot be combined with Improved Trip to generate an extra attack, and successful use of this feat does not grant an extra attack through the Cleave or Great Cleave feats.
Source:Sword & Fist (Corrected from errata).

how about if we just give it Improved Overrun and call it a day?

Check out the wallcrawler ability we gave the gacholoth. I think it was similar.

"Wallcrawling (Ex): The gacholoth need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). It retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while climbing and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it."

close... how about:

"Super Duper Stability" (Ex): A cantobele always succeeds on Balance checks in any type of natural terrain. A cantobele always succeeds on Climb checks on any surface except sheer walls and cliffs. Sheer and horizontal surfaces reduce a cantobele's speed by (half). It retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while climbing and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it.

 

[Shade]

yeah, but i don't see anything there that suggests it can mimic sounds, only speech. if you like, i can change it to:

Voice Imitation (Ex): A cantobele can mimic any voice it has heard, anytime it likes. Listeners must succeed on a Will save to detect the ruse. The save DC is Charisma-based.

That'll do.

Spell-like Abilities: 2/day - ice storm; 1/day - misdirection. Caster level Xth. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
The following abilities are always active on a cantobele's person, as the spells (caster level Xth): detect thoughts, tongues. They can be dispelled, but the cantobele can reactivate them as a free action.

I'd keep tongues as a separate ability, like most creatures that have it always active. Can detect thoughts be always active? It seems that most creatures that can use some sort of detect spell all the time have it at will rather than continuous.

how about if we just give it Improved Overrun and call it a day?

I'm agreeable.

"Wallcrawling (Ex): The gacholoth need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). It retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while climbing and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it."

close... how about:

"Super Duper Stability" (Ex): A cantobele always succeeds on Balance checks in any type of natural terrain. A cantobele always succeeds on Climb checks on any surface except sheer walls and cliffs. Sheer and horizontal surfaces reduce a cantobele's speed by (half). It retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while climbing and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it.

Note the semantics change: "need not make Climb checks" to "always succeeds on Climb checks". The problem with this is that it will automatically be reduced in speed with the auto success. I'd go with the former wording, and note that sheer and horizontal surfaces still reduces its speed by half.

BTW, I love that ability name.

 

[BOZ]

I'll just keep the spell-likes as you wrote them originally.

how about this now?

"Six-Legged Support/Stability" (Ex): A cantobele always succeeds on Balance checks in any type of natural terrain. A cantobele need not make Climb checks on any surface except sheer walls and cliffs. Sheer and horizontal surfaces reduce a cantobele's speed by half. It retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while climbing and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it.

 

[Shade]

I think that'll work.

 

[BOZ]

did we talk about ability scores yet?

 

[Shade]

Not as far as I can tell. Since they are built like "great cats", I'd use them for inspiration:

Leopard (Medium): Str 16, Dex 19, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Lion (Large): Str 21, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Tiger (Large): Str 23, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6

I'm thinking Str 16, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 13.

 

[BOZ]

are you reflecting the fact that it has six legs in any of those stats?

 

[Shade]

Yeah, that's why it gets decent Wisdom.

But seriously, what affect should that have? Higher Str?

 

[BOZ]

*shrug* maybe nothing at all. probably Str if anything.