Converting First Edition monsters from DRAGON magazine

[Shade]

An incubus is 6-7 feet tall in its natural form and weighs about 175-200 pounds.

Incubi speak Abyssal, Celestial, and Draconic.

An incubus’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as chaotic-aligned and evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by an incubus's claw attack gain one negative level. The DC is X for the Fortitude save to remove a negative level. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will—ethereal jaunt (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), polymorph (humanoid form only, no limit on duration). Caster level X (succubus is 12th). The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Succubus also has charm monster, detect good, detect thoughts, suggestion.

Other succubus abilities that might be applicable...

Tongues (Su): A succubus has a permanent tongues ability (as the spell, caster level 12th). Succubi usually use verbal communication with mortals.

Skills: Succubi have a +8 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.

*While using her alter self ability, a succubus gains a +10 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks.

 

[Shade]

An incubus can attempt to gate in a Type IV (80% chance) or a Type VI (20% chance) demon, but the probability of the gate opening is only 25%.

This will be the biggest challenge. The succubus was extremely nerfed with this ability, no longer able to get a balor and only able to get a vrock with 20% success. The incubus could get a nalfeshnee or balor. Should we limit this to something less powerful, like a hezrou? Or stick with the nalfeshnee but give it a very low success rate? I'd definitely drop the balor.

 

[Shade]

I'm assuming we'll want to keep it pretty close to the succubus in CR. Here are ability scores of demons in that range to help fill in the blanks:

Succubus: Str 13, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 26
Vrock: Str 23, Dex 15, Con 25, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 16
Palrethee: Str 19, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 11
Maurezhi: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 17
Zovvut: Str 17, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 14

So, I'm thinking...

Str 20, Dex 15-16, Con 14-16, Int 10, Wis 12-14, Cha 20-24

 

[BOZ]

This conversion should be a relatively quick one.

I'd make the caster level lower than that of a succubus. Perhaps CL=HD?

How about Str 20, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 21?


For comparison, a 1E succubus (off which this incubus was based), had, at will: darkness 5' radius, become ethereal, charm person, ESP (aka detect thoughts), clairaudience, suggestion, shape change (any humanoid form), gate a type IV (aka nalfeshnee 70% chance), type VI (aka balor 25%) or one of the lords or princes (5%), with a 40% chance of success.

A 3.5 succubus has at will: charm monster, detect good, detect thoughts, ethereal jaunt (self plus 50 pounds), polymorph (humanoid only), suggestion, greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds). She now only summons a vrock, with only a 30% chance of success (way nerfed!)

So, darkness was removed, charm person changed to charm monster, detect good added, clairaudience removed, shape change altered to polymorph, and the same changes should apply to the incubus.

Therefore:
Spell-Like Abilities: At will – detect good, ethereal jaunt (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), polymorph (humanoid form only, no limit on duration). Caster level Xth. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Charm, detect thoughts/ESP, and suggestion were unique to the succubus, so the incubus should not get them now. However, I like the idea of giving them the Tongues spell, as well as those skill bonuses.

This will be the biggest challenge. The succubus was extremely nerfed with this ability, no longer able to get a balor and only able to get a vrock with 20% success. The incubus could get a nalfeshnee or balor. Should we limit this to something less powerful, like a hezrou? Or stick with the nalfeshnee but give it a very low success rate? I'd definitely drop the balor.

The incubus had a less powerful version of this ability (could not summon a prince, only 25% chance of success as opposed to the 1E succubus' 40%). I'd say therefore, we might want to cut him all the way down to a vrock, with no more than a 25% chance of success.

 

[Shade]

All that sounds doable.

 

[BOZ]

so...?:

Summon Tanar'ri (Sp): Once per day, an incubus can attempt to summon 1 vrock with a 20% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd?-level spell.

 

[Shade]

Yessir.

 

[BOZ]

cool - posting in homebrews.

 

[Shade]

As a demon, CR = 8 + CR (once we determine that).

Succubus has the following skill ranks: Bluff 15, Concentration 9, Diplomacy 2, Disguise 9, Escape Artist 9, Hide 9, Intimidate 7, Knowledge (any one) 9, Listen 9, Move Silently 9, Search 9, Spot 9

Incy would probably select many of the same.

For feats, Succy has Dodge, Mobility, Persuasive. Incy might differ, might not.

I don't see any reason the LA should differ from Succy (+6).

 

[BOZ]

i could definitely see keeping Persuasive. Dodge and Mobility are not bad feats, but incubus is definitely more geared towards combat than the succubus.

for skills, you're probably right. while incy has more HD, it has less Int, so he gets less skill ranks. how about Bluff 12, Concentration 7, Disguise 8, Escape Artist 7, Hide 8, Intimidate 7, Knowledge (any one) 8, Listen 8, Move Silently 7, Search 8, Spot 8

the LA might be less because he has less in the way of SLAs?

for CR, do we want to make him the same as succubus, give or take 1 CR?