Converting "generic setting" second edition monsters

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Started working on the vagabond template. Some of these fields will be left blank, so no big deal there.

CREATING A VAGABOND
“Vagabond” is an acquired template that can be added to any living corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A vagabond uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type:
Hit Dice:
Speed:
Armor Class:
Attack:
Full Attack:
Damage:
Special Attacks: A vagabond retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following attacks.
(Psionics)
Special Qualities: A vagabond retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following qualities.
– Immunity to non-psionic mind-affecting effects.
Detect Vagabond (Ex?): A vagabond can detect the presence of another vagabond at a range of up to a mile, regardless of whether the other vagabond has taken a corporeal form or not.
Abilities: Same as the base creature, but Intelligence is at least X, Wisdom is at least X, and Charisma is at least X.
Skills:
Feats:
Environment: Any, usually same as base creature.
Organization: Solitary.
Challenge Rating:
Treasure:
Alignment: Same as base creature.
Advancement:
Level Adjustment:


Need to write something up for the psionics, so let’s start by working this into an XPH-style writeup:

Psionics Summary:
Level Dis/Sci/Dev Attack/Defense Score
12 4/6/19 See below/All =Int 1d100+200

Vagabonds never have psychokinetic powers. They have a particular affinity for these:

· Clairsentience - Any power which lets them learn things.
· Psychometabolisrn - Any power which allows them to change form or travel in difficult terrain.
· Metapsionics - They are masters of this discipline, having access to all its powers without regard to their total number of disciplines, science, and devotions.
· Telepathy - The creature can use any telepathic power to communicate or gain information, plus enough attack forms to psionically defend themselves.
· Psychoportation - Any which allows them to travel.
 

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Size and Type: The creature's type does not change, but it gains the Psionic subtype. Size is unchanged.

As far as psionics go, here are some possibilities:

Clairsentience - Any power which lets them learn things.

Precognition
Clairvoyant Sense
Object Reading
Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions
Escape Detection
Fate Link
Remote Viewing
Precognition, Greater
Fate of One
Hypercognition
Metafaculty

Psychometabolisrn - Any power which allows them to change form or travel in difficult terrain.

Thicken Skin
Animal Affinity
Chameleon
Ectoplasmic Form
Metamorphosis
Fusion
Metamorphosis, Greater

Metapsionics - They are masters of this discipline, having access to all its powers without regard to their total number of disciplines, science, and devotions.

Assuming Metapsionics became Metacreativity:

Astral Construct
Minor Creation, Psionic
Psionic Repair Damage
Concealing Amorpha, Greater
Ectoplasmic Cocoon
Fabricate, Psionic
Quintessence
Hail of Crystals
Crystallize
Fabricate, Greater Psionic
Ectoplasmic Cocoon, Mass
Astral Seed
Genesis
True Creation

Telepathy - The creature can use any telepathic power to communicate or gain information, plus enough attack forms to psionically defend themselves.

Mindlink
Aversion
Brain Lock
Read Thoughts
Suggestion, Psionic
Crisis of Breath
Empathic Transfer, Hostile
Dominate, Psionic
Mindlink, Thieving
Modify Memory, Psionic
Mind Probe
Crisis of Life

Psychoportation - Any which allows them to travel.

Dimension Swap
Levitate, Psionic
Astral Caravan
Fly, Psionic
Teleport, Psionic
Teleport Trigger
Dream Travel
Ethereal Jaunt, Psionic
Time Hop, Mass
Teleportation Circle, Psionic

Note that the fusion and fate link abilities almost described the vagabond perfectly.
 


Took a look through the 2E handbook yesterday and made a list of powers that seem to match the concepts given under the vagabond – just for reference. Haven’t really had time to look at the XPH yet for the ones Shade listed, but I will sooner or later.

In the meantime, the manifester level listed in the 2E book was 12. it also gave them 4 disciplines, 6 sciences, and 19 devotions to work with, as well as all the defense modes and “enough attack forms to psionically defend themselves”. I’m going to estimate that into being roughly 35 psionic powers – that should be the upper limit to how many powers we wind up assigning our vagabond, and we may want to consider even giving it less than that.

Clairsentience – clairaudience, clairvoyance, object reading, precognition, sensitivity to psychic impressions

Psychometabolism – animal affinity, metamorphosis, shadow-form, body control, body equilibrium, body weaponry, catfall, chameleon power, ectoplasmic form, expansion, flesh armor, reduction

Psychoportation – probability control, teleport, astral projection, dimensional door, dimension walk, dream travel, teleport trigger

Telepathy – ejection, mind link, probe, psychic crush, tower of iron will, conceal thoughts, ego whip, empathy, ESP, id insinuation, incarnation awareness, intellect fortress, mental barrier, mind bar, mind blank, mind thrust, psionic blast, psychic messenger, psychic impersonation, send thoughts, sight link, sound link, taste link, thought shield, truthear

Metapsionics (listed all in chapter) – appraise, aura alteration, empower, psychic clone, psychic surgery, split personality, ultrablast, cannibalize, convergence, enhancement, gird, intensify, magnify, martial trance, prolong, psionic inflation, psionic sense, psychic drain, receptacle, retrospection, splice, stasis field, wrench
 

It seems to me that we have several options:

  • Give 'em tons of psi-like abilities.
  • Give 'em the spellcasting ability of a 12th-level psion.
  • Some combination of the two.

Personally, I think the combo option would work best.
 




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