Converting Forgotten Realms monsters

[Shade]

Updated.

There wasn't much to go on for flavor text, so its rather sparse.

Lesser shadowraths are immune to the effects of normal and silver weapons.

Does DR 5/magic sufficently cover this? I'm wondering if we shouldn't increase it to 10...

 

[Cleon]

Updated.

What about the original's "Creatures completely drained of Strength points by lesser shadowraths die, and such a death is irreversible, even with a wish."

That's way too harsh, but how about a creature killed by a shadowrath is cursed so it can't be raised, unless a remove curse is used to remove the affliction?

There wasn't much to go on for flavor text, so its rather sparse.

We've got a few things to work in.

1. If left without direct control, they always seek out and destroy wizards and worshippers of Mystra.
2. Nonmagical equipment worn by these victims is consumed during the transformation; magical equipment are simply abandoned or collected for the Crown bearer.
3. They can understand instructions given them by the Crown’s wearer and can perform complex tasks set for them.

So, hows about:

Shadowraths are specialized undead first created by an artifact dedicated to a death deity. Lesser shadowraths, or "blackbones", are completely subservient to their creator or the possessor of the artifact that created them.

A lesser shadowrath is as intelligent as most humanoids, and is able to follow complex instructions from their master. However, they have no motivation of their own apart from a compulsion to kill the living. Lesser shadowraths have no interest in equipment or treasure, although their master may instruct them to use equipment or collect treasure for them. Unless instructed otherwise, they will abandon any possessions they might have owned when alive.

An uncontrolled lesser shadowrath will attack any living thing it sees, even plants or the tiniest insects. Being influenced by a death deity, they always seek to kill good-aligned clerics before any other target. Uncontrolled shadowraths remain in one spot, which they only leave long enough to kill. Eventually, a lesser shadowrath will kill all creatures in its vicinity and drain the life out of the soil, leaving nothing but barrenness.

A create undead spell (minimum caster level 14th) can create a lesser shadowrath.

A lesser shadowrath is 5 to 6 feet tall and weighs around 70 pounds.

COMBAT

Lesser shadowraths strike with a chilling touch. They use stealth and ambushes to maximize their chance of murdering their opponents.

Does DR 5/magic sufficently cover this? I'm wondering if we shouldn't increase it to 10...

We could make it 5/cold iron?

 

[Shade]

The revised flavor text looks good.

Updated.

We could make it 5/cold iron?

I'm not opposed to /magic, I just though the amount should be higher since it is "nearly immune".

 

[Cleon]

I'm not opposed to /magic, I just though the amount should be higher since it is "nearly immune".

The originals weren't "nearly immune", they were simply immune to non-magical weapons. It made no difference whether they were normal and silver weapons.

That's no worse than an AD&D Vampire "Spawn", which is also completely immune to non-magical weapons.

Vampire Spawn have a DR 5 in 3rd edition, so why not the same for a Blackbones? 3E Vampires have DR /silver, but the Blackbones flavour says they're resistant to silver, hence my suggestion of DR 5/cold iron.

If you want to make them tougher, I'd be willing to go so far as DR 5/magic and cold iron.

 

[freyar]

DR 5/magic seems right. They shouldn't require any material beyond magic, and DR 10 seems a bit out of line for their CR. I'm also in favor of Cleon's suggestion that a victim of the touch can only be raised/resurrected/etc if they receive a remove curse spell first. Just add that to the chilling touch description.

 

[Cleon]

DR 5/magic seems right. They shouldn't require any material beyond magic, and DR 10 seems a bit out of line for their CR.

So you prefer 5/magic to 5/cold iron?

I'm also in favor of Cleon's suggestion that a victim of the touch can only be raised/resurrected/etc if they receive a remove curse spell first. Just add that to the chilling touch description.

Do we put any restrictions on the "remove curse" like a minimum CL, level check, or just let the spell automatically succeed?

 

[Shade]

Do we put any restrictions on the "remove curse" like a minimum CL, level check, or just let the spell automatically succeed?

Consdering their power level, I'd say auto success is acceptable.

 

[Cleon]

Consdering their power level, I'd say auto success is acceptable.

Fine by me.

What about the "cold iron question"?

 

[Shade]

Fine by me.

What about the "cold iron question"?

I'm torn. On the one hand, I find DR/magic to be nigh-useless in actual play. On the other hand, nothing seemed to indicate any reason to give 'em a special material component in the original writeup (although, to be fair, nothing prevents us making that leap, either).

<looks at Crown of Horns>

Well, nothing in the artifact imparts DR, and it changes the wearer's alignment to neutral evil, so it offers no obvious ties to silver (devils) or cold iron (demons). The neutral evil demodands and yugoloths have DR/good.

You know, DR/good actually seems quite a good fit for undead created by an major artifact of pure evil!

 

[Cleon]

I'm torn. On the one hand, I find DR/magic to be nigh-useless in actual play. On the other hand, nothing seemed to indicate any reason to give 'em a special material component in the original writeup (although, to be fair, nothing prevents us making that leap, either).

<looks at Crown of Horns>

Well, there's nothing in the AD&D version of the vampire that supports DR/silver for their Spawn. Ordinary silver weapons are as useless against a 1E/2E vampire as any other mundane weapon.

Well, nothing in the artifact imparts DR, and it changes the wearer's alignment to neutral evil, so it offers no obvious ties to silver (devils) or cold iron (demons). The neutral evil demodands and yugoloths have DR/good.

You know, DR/good actually seems quite a good fit for undead created by an major artifact of pure evil!

I like that solution! So DR 5/good for the lesser, 10/good for the greater? I wouldn't bother about the /magic component, since how many non-magical weapons are aligned to good?

No, hitting the enemy with your cleric does not count.