Converting First Edition monsters from DRAGON magazine

[Shade]

Chasm is why I picked hills and mountains, but I suppose it is technically underground as well.

 

[BOZ]

sounds good; i'll go with all of that then.

 

[BOZ]

can we make use of these bits, and if so, how?

The web is made of non-glossy, nearly transparent strands which cannot be detected by torchlight from farther than 5 feet away.

The strands of the devil spider's web are very strong. Any particular strand will be broken only if it takes 10 points of damage in a single round, from one or more hits on the same spot. If a web strand takes less than 10 points of damage in a single round, it will be able to absorb up to 10 more in a subsequent round, because the attacker(s) is not able to hit precisely the same spot with attacks in two different rounds. It takes 40 points of damage to sever a web at the intersection of two strands, where the material is much thicker, but damage to a web intersection is cumulative over more than one round.

Blunt weapons do only half damage to the web. It is fireproof, but takes double damage from cold-based attacks.


And for the modifiers given for the bull rush:

On a result of 11 or higher on a d20, this "push attack" will succeed.
The die roll is modified by the following factors:
Target smaller than man-sized: -2
Target larger than man-sized: +2

I think these are covered already, given on page 154 of the PHB.

Target surprised: -2

flat-footed? That does apply against a charge attack already doesn't it?

Target secured in position (using rope, spikes, or other devices): +1 to +4
Target in precarious position (clinging to cliff wall, etc.): -1 to ?4

These might not already be accounted for. Should we add something about that?

 

[Shade]

can we make use of these bits, and if so, how?

The web is made of non-glossy, nearly transparent strands which cannot be detected by torchlight from farther than 5 feet away.

I think this covers it: "They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack."

The strands of the devil spider's web are very strong. Any particular strand will be broken only if it takes 10 points of damage in a single round, from one or more hits on the same spot. If a web strand takes less than 10 points of damage in a single round, it will be able to absorb up to 10 more in a subsequent round, because the attacker(s) is not able to hit precisely the same spot with attacks in two different rounds. It takes 40 points of damage to sever a web at the intersection of two strands, where the material is much thicker, but damage to a web intersection is cumulative over more than one round.

I don't want to get into the whole "called shots" thing, but we could give the strands fast healing to simulate this.

Blunt weapons do only half damage to the web. It is fireproof, but takes double damage from cold-based attacks.

I think the usual monstrous spider's sheet webs' damage reduction 5/— handles the first part, and we can state that they are immune to fire but have vulnerability to cold.

And for the modifiers given for the bull rush:

I think these are covered already, given on page 154 of the PHB.

Agreed.

flat-footed? That does apply against a charge attack already doesn't it?

These might not already be accounted for. Should we add something about that?

I don't think we need to add any of this. It just appears that since they lacked a bull rush mechanic in past editions, they were trying to create one for the devil spider. I'd just stick with the standard bull rush modifiers.

 

[BOZ]

I think this covers it: "They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack."

Maybe, but maybe the "cannot be detected by torchlight from farther than 5 feet away" might mean that they are harder to see than normal spider webs?

I don't want to get into the whole "called shots" thing, but we could give the strands fast healing to simulate this.

Nah, I'll just skip that part.

I think the usual monstrous spider's sheet webs' damage reduction 5/— handles the first part, and we can state that they are immune to fire but have vulnerability to cold.

In 3.0, weren't spider webs more vulnerable to fire? Did they get rid of that quality in 3.5?

 

[Shade]

Maybe, but maybe the "cannot be detected by torchlight from farther than 5 feet away" might mean that they are harder to see than normal spider webs?

Maybe. We could say they benefit from total concealment from more than 5 feet away, similar to some of the fog spells, etc.

In 3.0, weren't spider webs more vulnerable to fire? Did they get rid of that quality in 3.5?

Yeah, they use to have damage reduction 5/fire...which was odd. Now it's simply 5/-.

 

[Mortis]

Yeah, they use to have damage reduction 5/fire...which was odd. Now it's simply 5/-.

As 3.5 did away with DR/energy, WotC should have given webs the Vulnerability to Fire trait.

Regards
Mortis

 

[Shade]

Probably, since fire only deals half damage to objects.

 

[BOZ]

i just gave them this line:
A devil spider's webs have immunity to fire, and vulnerability to cold.

and how about this for the other part:
In addition, a devil spider's webs are so transparent that they have total concealment against any creature more than 5 feet away.

i think blindsight would allow someone to see the webs though.

 

[Shade]

That'll work, and blindsight will let them be seen, which is fine.