Converting First Edition monsters from DRAGON magazine

[BOZ]

Ok then, since it does make sense, which sounds better? 10th to match the original save, or 7th to match the 60%?

Consume Magical Writing (Su): An ekrat has the ability to ingest the energy of magical writing into its body for nourishment. To accomplish this, it can use erase, as the spell (Caster level Xth), 4 times per day. This power can also affect symbol spells (such as symbol of death, etc.) in the same manner, with a failure indicating that the symbol is activated instead.

An ekrat can also use this power to consume a magical book (such as a manual of bodily health, a tome of clear thought, or even a vacuous grimoire, but not an artifact). An ekrat must succeed at caster level checks in four consecutive rounds to destroy such a work. Each round that the check succeeds, the book must make a Fortitude save (DC X). If the ekrat fails on a caster level check or if the tome makes a successful saving throw, then the consume attempt fails. The ekrat may retry the next round, (and this attempt does not count against the ekrat’s usages per day?).

 

[Shade]

I like 7th/60%.

Shouldn't it count against its uses per day? It did try, afterall, but failed.

 

[BOZ]

that's why i put it in parenthesis. i thought about just adding it, then i thought again.

what should the fort save DC be for the books?

 

[Shade]

10 + half its HD + its Cha modifier? (Would that be 13 or 14, rounding 1/2 of 1 HD to 1 or 0?)

 

[BOZ]

The HD modifier is probably going to be 0, since we round down, making the DC 13. Ability Focus should help make this ability more effective.

Note that a small viper has 1-HD, a Con of 11, and its poison save is DC 10.

 

[Shade]

Cool. Thanks for the explanation!

 

[BOZ]

posting

 

[Shade]

A grig is one and 1/2 feet tall and weighs 1 pound. I'd go with 1 pound for these guys, because I don't think we want to go into fractional pounds, do we?

I'd suggest a +8 racial bonus on Listen checks.

I like how the grig's language line reads: "Grigs speak Sylvan. Some also speak Common." I think that would work for ekrat as well.

CR 1/2? Their abilities don't actually threaten characters, just their stuff.

Treasure: See text (????)

LA +1? (considering damage reduction and erase ability).

 

[Filby]

Considering that ekrats live in libraries I think that they might all speak Common. Possibly Draconic, too, since they eat spellbooks.

 

[BOZ]

Shade, I agree that we don’t need to go less than a pound, since the difference there is small – I’d say that the ekrat is a bit “chunkier” than a slim grig anyway. Page 314 in the MM shows that creatures smaller than Tiny will often be less than a pound though.

Filby, they don’t necessarily need to be able to read the language in a book to be able to read the magic therein. not that those are bad ideas…

Which gives me an idea… should they have an innate ability to recognize magical writing for what it is, or is that just something that is understood? Should they have detect magic and read magic or is that superfluous?