Converting First Edition monsters from DRAGON magazine

[BOZ]

Whoopsie! Consider it fixed on the first page of this thread at least.

 

[Filby]

Ahh, thanks! I'd been wondering what sorts of critters were hanging around in there. (Explodestool, hm...)

 

[Shade]

Any thoughts yet on the avari? I'd be willing to type 'em up if ya need me to.

 

[BOZ]

combination busy/lazy/forgetful as usual. i will get to them sooner or later. maybe tonight... maybe not.

 

[BOZ]

no need to worry, here they are.

AVARI
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: -4
MOVE: 9”/15" (MC: C)
HIT DICE: 9 + 3
% IN LAIR: 15 %
TREASURE TYPE: C
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 claws and 1 bite
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 7-l2/7-12/7-18
SPECIAL ATTACKS: poisonous bite, screech, surprise on 1-5
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Various immunities and resistances, rarely surprised
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 35%
INTELLIGENCE: Very to high
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
SIZE: M (6’ tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: IX/5700 + 14/hp

Avari are batlike humanoids native to the Middle Lower Planes, where they are the unfortunate rivals of daemonkind for territory. There they dwell in dank caverns filled with bats, and are usually encountered in similar surroundings on the Prime Material Plane.

Avari love the taste of human flesh, and their saliva contains a powerful poison that affects the victim’s nervous system; anyone bitten by an Avari must save vs. paralyzation or writhe in agony for 4-16 rounds, with the same effect as a symbol of pain. An avari may also screech like a mobat (6" radius), but may not bite in the same round.

Avari telepathically command all bats and can summon 1-4 mobats up to three times per day. They are unaffected by non-magical weapons, paralysis, poisons, and acid attack forms, take half damage from cold, electricity, and magic missiles, but take full damage from fire.

Avari long ago dwelt in a central community, but their wars against daemonkind shattered their unity and forced them to exist as isolated clans in the most desolate reaches of their planes. They do not deserve pity, for the avari are among the cruelest races of the Lower Planes, and love torture for its own sake.

In the few places where avari flourish, they have set up a feudal system using slaves to satisfy their whims; as they often feed upon these serfs, the efficiency of this system is questionable. They have been known to negotiate with humans, particularly for gold (which avari crave), and will manipulate adventurers into attacking their enemies. They will usually try to eat anyone who appears incapable of resistance. Avari occasionally come to the Prime Material Plane via gates cast by other individuals, and certain forms of magic have proven successful in summoning them, through the use of the personal names which all avari possess.

Due to their acute sonar senses, avari surprise opponents on a 1-5 on a d6, and are surprised only on a 1. They see into the ultraviolet and infrared spectrums, and telepathically communicate with all creatures of low intelligence or better. They have huge leathery wings and are brown-green in color.


some preliminary stats for an avari:

Avari
Medium Outsider? (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 9d8+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 25 ft (5 squares), fly 40 ft (average)
Armor Class: 24 (+X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+X
Attack: X
Full Attack: 2 claws +X melee (1d6+X) and bite +X melee (1d12+X plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: poison, screech, summon mobats
Special Qualities: command bats, damage reduction X/magic, darkvision 60 ft, immunity to acid, paralysis, and poison, resistance to cold X and electricity X, (resistance to magic missiles/force effects), spell resistance X, telepathy 100 ft
Saves: Fort +X Ref +X Will +X
Abilities: Str 22? (if Str is 22, then above damage ranges make sense), Dex X, Con X, Int 13, Wis X, Cha X
Skills: 108 (Listen & Move Silently bonus)
Feats: 4

Environment: Gehenna? Grey Waste?
Organization: 1-4
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: X
Level Adjustment: +X

An avari is 6 feet tall, and weighs X pounds.

An avari speaks (Abyssal, Infernal?).

COMBAT

Originally found in Dragon Magazine #101 ("Creature Catalog III," September 1985, Scott Bennie).

 

[Shade]

Sweet. Thanks!

Definitely Outsider. We already have a batlike extraplanar magical beast (the varrangoin).

I'd prefer to go with the Grey Wastes of Hades, since they "long ago dwelt in a central community, but their wars against daemonkind shattered their unity and forced them to exist as isolated clans in the most desolate reaches of their planes", possibly before the yugoloths moved to Gehenna. Also, the gloom seems to suit them. We can leave in flavor text that they inhabit most of the Lower Planes, though.

Per the conversion guidelines, they should have spell resistance 18.

Since it looks like their damage bonus is +6, shall we give 'em a Strength score of 22-23? Dex 16+? Con 13-17? Wis 15? Cha 16?

 

[Shade]

Attempting to break down some of the abilities...

Avari love the taste of human flesh, and their saliva contains a powerful poison that affects the victim’s nervous system; anyone bitten by an Avari must save vs. paralyzation or writhe in agony for 4-16 rounds, with the same effect as a symbol of pain. An avari may also screech like a mobat (6" radius), but may not bite in the same round.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC X, initial damage wracking pains that impose a –4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks for 4d4 rounds, secondary damage none. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Sonic Screech (Su): An avari can screech once per round affecting all those within a 60-foot radius that fail a Will save (DC X). On a failed save, the victim is stunned for 1d3 rounds. This is a sonic, mind-affecting attack. The save DC is Constitution-based. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the same avari's sonic screech for 24 hours.

Avari telepathically command all bats and can summon 1-4 mobats up to three times per day.

Summon Mobats (Sp): Three times per day, an avari can automatically summon 1d4 mobats. This ability is the equivalent of a Xth-level spell.

Perhaps we could also let them summon regular bats, dire bats, and/or bat swarms?

Due to their acute sonar senses, avari surprise opponents on a 1-5 on a d6, and are surprised only on a 1.

Improved Initiative and Alertness (as feats or bonus feats), racial bonus to Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen?

 

[Shade]

Some random thoughts on these guys:

Damage reduction: 10/silver (for some reason, this just seems more appropriate)

Resistance to cold 10 and electricity 10

For the resistance to magic missiles/force effects, how about:

Force Resistance (Ex): Avari gain a +4 racial bonus on saving throws against force-based spells and effects. If an effect does not allow a saving throw, but deals damage (such as magic missle), the avari instead takes only half damage from the effect.

I borrowed the first part from the Tarterian dragon.

Spell resistance 11 + CR (once that's determined).

Suggested Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Hide, Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Spot

Suggested Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative

Organization: Solitary, squad (2-4), or colony (5-20 plus slaves)

Advancement: 10-18 HD (Medium); 19-27 HD (Large)

An avari is 6 feet tall, and weighs 150 pounds.

An avari speaks Abyssal, Infernal and Undercommon.

The creature appears to be a man-sized bat. It has huge leathery wings and its fur is brownish-green. Saliva drips from its fanged mouth, and its eyes burn with hatred and cunning.

 

[BOZ]

Looks like I forgot to mention it before, but here is how I set the ability scores:
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 16

First part first:

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC X, initial damage wracking pains that impose a –4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks for 4d4 rounds, secondary damage none. The save DC is Constitution-based.

why not just say “affected as by symbol of pain”? I like the idea of having a secondary effect. We can make that some minor Str/Dex/ and/or Con damage, or sunning or temporary paralysis or something, or we can split up the pain duration (2d4 and 2d4, or 1d4 and 3d4, etc). agree or disagree?

Sonic Screech (Su): An avari can screech once per round affecting all those within a 60-foot radius that fail a Will save (DC X). On a failed save, the victim is stunned for 1d3 rounds. This is a sonic, mind-affecting attack. The save DC is Constitution-based. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the same avari's sonic screech for 24 hours.

don’t really need “sonic” in the title – although since they are bats, maybe supersonic or subsonic (not sure which one is which)? Did you get this writeup from the ToH mobat or from somewhere else? Should we add that they cannot bite and screech in the same round or is that assumed?

Summon Mobats (Sp): Three times per day, an avari can automatically summon 1d4 mobats. This ability is the equivalent of a Xth-level spell.

Perhaps we could also let them summon regular bats, dire bats, and/or bat swarms?

maybe… nowadays is it not “summon” for extraplanar creatures and “call” for creatures on the same plane? And you didn’t write anything for “Avari telepathically command all bats”

Improved Initiative and Alertness (as feats or bonus feats), racial bonus to Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen?

definitely some of that, at least. I was thinking sonar would help them more with Listen and Move Silently than anything else, so definite bonuses there. Alertness and Stealthy would also be advisable.


Second part second:

Damage reduction: 10/silver (for some reason, this just seems more appropriate)

sure, DR/magic is boring now. but, with “They are unaffected by non-magical weapons” should that be “magic and silver” or “magic or silver” or would you figure the silver alone is enough?

Resistance to cold 10 and electricity 10

is that the value you’d expect to see on a 9-HD outsider?

For the resistance to magic missiles/force effects, how about:

Force Resistance (Ex): Avari gain a +4 racial bonus on saving throws against force-based spells and effects. If an effect does not allow a saving throw, but deals damage (such as magic missle), the avari instead takes only half damage from the effect.

I borrowed the first part from the Tarterian dragon.

where is the Tarterian dragon – Draconomicon? Otherwise, looks just fine to me. instead of “force-based spells” should that be “spells with the force descriptor”?

Spell resistance 11 + CR (once that's determined).

Suggested Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Hide, Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Spot

Suggested Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative

I’ll take all of that into consideration.

Organization: Solitary, squad (2-4), or colony (5-20 plus slaves)

“There they dwell in dank caverns filled with bats, and are usually encountered in similar surroundings on the Prime Material Plane.”

Advancement: 10-18 HD (Medium); 19-27 HD (Large)

An avari is 6 feet tall, and weighs 150 pounds.

An avari speaks Abyssal, Infernal and Undercommon.

that all works, as-is.

The creature appears to be a man-sized bat. It has huge leathery wings and its fur is brownish-green. Saliva drips from its fanged mouth, and its eyes burn with hatred and cunning.

also, I’ll point this out:

Avari occasionally come to the Prime Material Plane via gates cast by other individuals, and certain forms of magic have proven successful in summoning them, through the use of the personal names which all avari possess.

 

[Shade]

Woo-hoo! Back to the avari conversion.

Looks like I forgot to mention it before, but here is how I set the ability scores:
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 16

Great.

why not just say “affected as by symbol of pain”? I like the idea of having a secondary effect. We can make that some minor Str/Dex/ and/or Con damage, or sunning or temporary paralysis or something, or we can split up the pain duration (2d4 and 2d4, or 1d4 and 3d4, etc). agree or disagree?

Because I hate having to look up a spell to find out what a monster's ability does.

Seriously, though, I've noticed more and more newer creatures reprinting the relative text when an ability mimics part of a spell.

I kinda like the temporary paralysis option.

don’t really need “sonic” in the title – although since they are bats, maybe supersonic or subsonic (not sure which one is which)? Did you get this writeup from the ToH mobat or from somewhere else? Should we add that they cannot bite and screech in the same round or is that assumed?

True. It's been awhile since I wrote that , but I believe I took it from the CC mobat. I like "supersonic" in this instance. By default, they shouldn't be able to bite and screech in the same round, as both would be standard actions, right?

maybe… nowadays is it not “summon” for extraplanar creatures and “call” for creatures on the same plane? And you didn’t write anything for “Avari telepathically command all bats”

Is it that way? I was just going by summon monster and summon nature's ally. Good catch on the telepathic command.

definitely some of that, at least. I was thinking sonar would help them more with Listen and Move Silently than anything else, so definite bonuses there. Alertness and Stealthy would also be advisable.

Agreed. I could see dumping the Spot bonus, though, as bats don't usually have very keen eyesight.

sure, DR/magic is boring now. but, with “They are unaffected by non-magical weapons” should that be “magic and silver” or “magic or silver” or would you figure the silver alone is enough?

Silver alone. The varrangoins have dr/cold iron, so I figured we could be similar, but not too similar, to the other fiendish bat-folk.

is that the value you’d expect to see on a 9-HD outsider?

Resistance doesn't seem limited by HD anymore. Check out the baatezu and tanar'ri...all have the same values.

where is the Tarterian dragon – Draconomicon? Otherwise, looks just fine to me. instead of “force-based spells” should that be “spells with the force descriptor”?

Yes to Draconomicon, and I agree with the "force descriptor" bit being better.

“There they dwell in dank caverns filled with bats, and are usually encountered in similar surroundings on the Prime Material Plane.”

So I think you are trying to tell me to add some bats to the organization line, right?

How about adding "and 5-8 dire bats and/or 11-20 bat swarms"?

Dragon #101][/b]Avari occasionally come to the Prime Material Plane via gates cast by other individuals, and certain forms of magic have proven successful in summoning them, through the use of the personal names which all avari possess.

Should we figure out a summon monster spell appropriate for them, or mention that they are often brought to the Material Plane via planar ally spells?