Converting First Edition Monsters

[Cleon]

Make it blind, vestigial eyes mean they don't work.

In the attach, the critical hit bit needs to mention that it uses its "facehugging attack" instead of just its "attack," but these are almost done otherwise.

Do you think they could actually be CR 1/4?

I still feel 1/6 is closer, since they're so weak in combat.

An average Dire Rat is CR 1/3 and could probably kill two of these things.

We could meet halfway at 1/5 I suppose?

I think I'd go with around 1 to 2 lb for the weight on these.

Yes, "A typical scum creeper is about a foot long, 6 inches in diameter, and weighs between 1 and 2 pounds" sounds right.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Finished?

 

[Cleon]

Updated.

Finished?

Its Attach is missing a hug:

Attach (Ex): If a scum creeper hits with a bite attack, it uses its myriad legs and suckers to latch onto the opponent's body and begins to use its gnaw attack (see below), if its bite attack scores a critical hit it also uses its [facehugging] attack (see below). An attached scum creeper is effectively grappling its prey and gets a +12 racial bonus on grapple checks (already figured into the Base Attack/Grapple entry above).

Apart from that it's done.

 

[Shade]

Fixed.

 

[Cleon]

Fixed.

I guess it's done then.

 

[freyar]

Agreed. Got another one coming up for this thread?

 

[Shade]

Flame Roper

A five-foot-tall pillar of orange-red fire stands between low-lying shrubs flickering with dull blue flames. Flares of yellow gas shoot out from the pillar and dissipate in the air.

There are three flame ropers in the efreeti's garden. Trained not to leave the confines, they keep down the population of animentals and troublesome fire bats. PCs are not likely to recognize this creature as a roper. Regarded by Marshud as a captive, semi-sentient ornamental plant, the flame roper gladly ensnares anyone foolish enough to walk within its grasp. Like its mundane counterpart, it can disguise itself as a tree of fire, grabbing victims with the yellow flares of gas it can release. Ropers move within attack range of characters on a roll of 1 in 6, checked once per turn.

Flame roper (3); AC 0; MV 3"; HD 5; hp 30 ech; #AT 1; Dmg 2-12; THAC0 15; MR 50%; SA rope-like flares shoot out to a range of 20 feet; disguise as fire tree; hit causes weakness (-50% strength in 1-3 rounds); prey is drawn in, 10" per round; SD unaffected by lightning, very susceptible to water (-4 on saving throws); AL CE; XP 1,615 each.

Originally appeared in Tales of the Outer Planes (1988).

 

[freyar]

Err, start with a roper and add an unusual form of change shape? Maybe some burning ability or something to the fire form?

 

[Shade]

Since most of the other creatures in this area are creatures of elemental fire, I'd recommend going that route here as well.

Basically, an elemental (fire) with some traits in common with a roper. Sound OK?

 

[Cleon]

How big are these things?

They've got half the HD of a regular roper, so are they half the size?

Their "flame ropes" ought to do some fire damage, surely?

I prefer freyar's approach of modifying a Roper rather than modifying a Fire Elemental.

Take a Roper, add the Fire subtype, halve the HD, subtract half a size step from its physical stats (-4 Str, -2 Con).