Converting First Edition monsters from DRAGON magazine
- Thread starter BOZ
- Start date
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I just found it odd. But that's the fun of converting some of these older creatures; some of them are pretty odd 
Shade
Monster Junkie
Updated Homebrews.
I went with CR 4 as they don't seem any more powerful than the similar HD ice trolls and forest trolls, both CR 4.
We still need weight. Normal trolls are 9 feet tall and weigh 500 pounds, while forest trolls are 6 to 6-1/2 feet tall and weigh 250 pounds.
Do we want to do anything with this?
I went with CR 4 as they don't seem any more powerful than the similar HD ice trolls and forest trolls, both CR 4.
We still need weight. Normal trolls are 9 feet tall and weigh 500 pounds, while forest trolls are 6 to 6-1/2 feet tall and weigh 250 pounds.
Do we want to do anything with this?
Shade
Monster Junkie
Giant Vampire Frog
Written by Alan Fomorin
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 3-18
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 6”/18”
HIT DICE: 2
% IN LAIR: 80%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-2/1-2/1-6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Drain blood
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
The giant vampire frog is a particularly noxious reptile which grows to weights of up to thirty pounds. Its bile-green body is covered with mucous, and two transluscent membranes of slimy tissue connect its fore and rear limbs, enabling it to glide from treetop perches much as does a flying squirrel. Its forelimbs are fingered with small claws which enable the vampire frog to climb and to hold prey, and it possesses two large front teeth — each up to three inches long, sharp as needles, and hollow.
The frog hangs upside down in a treetop, camouflaged by its color. When a warm-blooded animal walks near its perch, the vampire frog releases its hold on the limb, extends its gliding membranes, and silently (gaining complete surprise) swoops down on its prey in a long, low glide. It extends its fangs and pierces the back of the neck of the victim like a double-headed arrow. At the same time, it begins to entwine its body in the prey’s hair, aided in adhesion by the mucous body slime. It grabs on to the prey’s ears with its clawed feet, fastens its mouth around the point of the wounds, and, hanging upside down, sucks the victim’s blood for an automatic 1-4 points of damage per round.
These creatures have a good armor class rating because of their rubbery hides and the violent gyrations their victims undergo after being bitten. Also because of the victim’s thrashing around, there is a 50% chance that any blow aimed at the vampire frog — by its
current victim or another character — will hit the victim instead, doing full normal damage. If the victim does not take the full brunt of such a blow, there is still a 30% chance (roll again) that the vampire frog will only absorb half of the damage from the hit and, because the frog adheres so closely to the victim’s body, the victim will also suffer half damage.
Fortunately, these repulsive creatures only inhabit swamp areas overgrown with large trees. To date, no one has found a redeeming quality in them.
From Dragon Magazine #50 (1981)
Written by Alan Fomorin
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 3-18
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 6”/18”
HIT DICE: 2
% IN LAIR: 80%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-2/1-2/1-6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Drain blood
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
The giant vampire frog is a particularly noxious reptile which grows to weights of up to thirty pounds. Its bile-green body is covered with mucous, and two transluscent membranes of slimy tissue connect its fore and rear limbs, enabling it to glide from treetop perches much as does a flying squirrel. Its forelimbs are fingered with small claws which enable the vampire frog to climb and to hold prey, and it possesses two large front teeth — each up to three inches long, sharp as needles, and hollow.
The frog hangs upside down in a treetop, camouflaged by its color. When a warm-blooded animal walks near its perch, the vampire frog releases its hold on the limb, extends its gliding membranes, and silently (gaining complete surprise) swoops down on its prey in a long, low glide. It extends its fangs and pierces the back of the neck of the victim like a double-headed arrow. At the same time, it begins to entwine its body in the prey’s hair, aided in adhesion by the mucous body slime. It grabs on to the prey’s ears with its clawed feet, fastens its mouth around the point of the wounds, and, hanging upside down, sucks the victim’s blood for an automatic 1-4 points of damage per round.
These creatures have a good armor class rating because of their rubbery hides and the violent gyrations their victims undergo after being bitten. Also because of the victim’s thrashing around, there is a 50% chance that any blow aimed at the vampire frog — by its
current victim or another character — will hit the victim instead, doing full normal damage. If the victim does not take the full brunt of such a blow, there is still a 30% chance (roll again) that the vampire frog will only absorb half of the damage from the hit and, because the frog adheres so closely to the victim’s body, the victim will also suffer half damage.
Fortunately, these repulsive creatures only inhabit swamp areas overgrown with large trees. To date, no one has found a redeeming quality in them.
From Dragon Magazine #50 (1981)
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