-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Converting First Edition monsters from DRAGON magazine
- Thread starter BOZ
- Start date
- Status
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
Actually, I think I’m going to do the dyll before the living web, as this is something new for us. This one was designed to be a swarm, so here is our first Swarm creature! 
Dyll
Created by Ed Greenwood
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 30-300
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 6'/18"
HIT DICE: 1-3 hit points
% IN LAIR: 45%
TREASURE TYPE: See below
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S (4-8 inches long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
The bloodsucking swarms of the dyll occasionally descend upon herds of cattle or small settlements, and are greatly feared. Dyll are small, leech-like creatures. Teardrop-shaped and glossy silver in color, they wriggle in the manner of worms when on the ground, but prefer to fly upon their rubbery “wings,” darting about with great maneuverability (Flight Class A).
Dyll locate their prey by sensing vibrations, by, smell, and by homing in on sources of heat. These senses act in combination, and are effective up to a range of 6". Dyll swarms will attack creatures of any size, surrounding their victims in a blinding, hampering cloud. Creatures in the cloud attack at -1 “to hit” and are unable to read spell books, scrolls, or inscriptions, for these are obscured. Such a swarm will always contain at least 30 dyll and perhaps as many as 100. Groups of more than 100 dyll are extremely rare, and if such a large group attacks it will always form at least two swarms.
A swarm can hamper as many as three human-sized victims at a time, if they are within 5 feet of each other. Within the swarm, from 2-24 dyll will attempt to strike at each victim every round. Solitary dyll will attack only motionless (i.e., sleeping or disabled) creatures.
A dyll is covered with thousands of microscopic, hollow spines. Using these, it sucks 1-3 hit points worth of blood from a victim each round. The initial strike of the dyll does 1 point of damage as it attaches itself. It begins draining blood on the round thereafter.
A dyll gains strength from the blood it ingests, at the rate of 1 hit point for each 2 points of blood-draining damage it causes. It will remain attached and continue to drain blood until it is killed or until it reaches 9 hit points, whereupon it will loosen its grip and fly away.
Dyll typically lair in rocky areas or caverns, usually near water where creatures come to drink. Such lairs often contain the drained husks of past victims, and any treasure borne in by those unfortunates.
One dyll in every 10 creatures will be able to cast a Sleep spell affecting creatures with up to 3 hit dice when attacking a victim. If its initial strike is successful, the spell is cast. Sleep spells cast by dyll striking in the same round are cumulative; thus, a pair of dyll may strike and sleep a creature of up to 6 hit dice, three dyll can affect a creature of 9 hit dice, and so on.
Dragon Magazine #55 (“Dragon’s Bestiary,” November 1981, Ed Greenwood)
Dyll
Created by Ed Greenwood
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 30-300
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 6'/18"
HIT DICE: 1-3 hit points
% IN LAIR: 45%
TREASURE TYPE: See below
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S (4-8 inches long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
The bloodsucking swarms of the dyll occasionally descend upon herds of cattle or small settlements, and are greatly feared. Dyll are small, leech-like creatures. Teardrop-shaped and glossy silver in color, they wriggle in the manner of worms when on the ground, but prefer to fly upon their rubbery “wings,” darting about with great maneuverability (Flight Class A).
Dyll locate their prey by sensing vibrations, by, smell, and by homing in on sources of heat. These senses act in combination, and are effective up to a range of 6". Dyll swarms will attack creatures of any size, surrounding their victims in a blinding, hampering cloud. Creatures in the cloud attack at -1 “to hit” and are unable to read spell books, scrolls, or inscriptions, for these are obscured. Such a swarm will always contain at least 30 dyll and perhaps as many as 100. Groups of more than 100 dyll are extremely rare, and if such a large group attacks it will always form at least two swarms.
A swarm can hamper as many as three human-sized victims at a time, if they are within 5 feet of each other. Within the swarm, from 2-24 dyll will attempt to strike at each victim every round. Solitary dyll will attack only motionless (i.e., sleeping or disabled) creatures.
A dyll is covered with thousands of microscopic, hollow spines. Using these, it sucks 1-3 hit points worth of blood from a victim each round. The initial strike of the dyll does 1 point of damage as it attaches itself. It begins draining blood on the round thereafter.
A dyll gains strength from the blood it ingests, at the rate of 1 hit point for each 2 points of blood-draining damage it causes. It will remain attached and continue to drain blood until it is killed or until it reaches 9 hit points, whereupon it will loosen its grip and fly away.
Dyll typically lair in rocky areas or caverns, usually near water where creatures come to drink. Such lairs often contain the drained husks of past victims, and any treasure borne in by those unfortunates.
One dyll in every 10 creatures will be able to cast a Sleep spell affecting creatures with up to 3 hit dice when attacking a victim. If its initial strike is successful, the spell is cast. Sleep spells cast by dyll striking in the same round are cumulative; thus, a pair of dyll may strike and sleep a creature of up to 6 hit dice, three dyll can affect a creature of 9 hit dice, and so on.
Dragon Magazine #55 (“Dragon’s Bestiary,” November 1981, Ed Greenwood)
Shade
Monster Junkie
Sweet! Here's an initial attempt at a stat block:
Diminutive Magical Beast (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), fly 50 ft. (perfect)
AC: X (+4 size, +X Dex), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-
Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Blood drain, distraction, sleep
Special Qualities: Blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., immune to weapon damage, scent, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +1
Abilities: Str X, Dex X, Con X, Int 2, Wis X, Cha X
Skills: 6 total
Feats: 2
Environment: Any ?
Organization: Solitary or cloud (2–4 swarms)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: -
I chose the magical beast type since it could cast sleep. By the conversion guidelines, it should have an AC of 13. However, this would require a Dex penalty, since it gains +4 for size. I don't really picture these guys as having poor Dexterity, so I'd suggest bumping the AC.
I picked 3 HD because the bat swarm has 3 HD, and a bat seemed comparable in size to the dyll.
Whaddya think?
Diminutive Magical Beast (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), fly 50 ft. (perfect)
AC: X (+4 size, +X Dex), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-
Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Blood drain, distraction, sleep
Special Qualities: Blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., immune to weapon damage, scent, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +1
Abilities: Str X, Dex X, Con X, Int 2, Wis X, Cha X
Skills: 6 total
Feats: 2
Environment: Any ?
Organization: Solitary or cloud (2–4 swarms)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: -
I chose the magical beast type since it could cast sleep. By the conversion guidelines, it should have an AC of 13. However, this would require a Dex penalty, since it gains +4 for size. I don't really picture these guys as having poor Dexterity, so I'd suggest bumping the AC.
I picked 3 HD because the bat swarm has 3 HD, and a bat seemed comparable in size to the dyll.
Whaddya think?
- Status
