Converting "generic setting" second edition monsters

[Shade]

Vagabond Gem: A vagabond can create a gem from psionic ectoplasm, which it gives to those creatures who have acted as its host and helped it achieve its mission. The bearer can use word of recall 3/day. The sanctuary is chosen at the time the vagabond creates the gem. The vagabond can create a gem as a standard action, without meeting the prerequisites or expending any components. A vagabond may create only one gem per host in its lifetime.
Strong conjuration; CL (at least 11th); Craft Wondrous Item, word of recall; Price - (gift from vagabond only).

 

[BOZ]

the original description was a bit more generous, so unless that is really unbalancing i think i will be a bit more generous too.

updating in homebrews...

 

[Shade]

That's fine. Since the DM controls the vagabond, he controls the gem creation.

Since it is created psionically, it shoudl be ML and Craft Universal Item.

 

[Shade]

Here's a start. I think we need to add the Psionic subtype to both the Vagabond and Vagabond Vessel template.

Vagabond Vessel Girallon
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 7d10+14 (52 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), climb 40 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+17
Attack: Claw +12 melee (1d4+6)
Full Attack: 4 claws +12 melee (1d4+6) and bite +7 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Rend 2d4+9
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +3
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 23, Cha 25
Skills: 15 x (8 + Int modifier [5])
Feats: 5
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary or company (5–8)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 8–10 HD (Large); 11–21 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: --

Girallons are savage, magical cousins of the gorilla. They are aggressive, bloodthirsty, highly territorial, and incredibly strong.

When moving on the ground, a girallon walks on its legs and lower arms. An adult girallon is about 8 feet tall, broad-chested, and covered in thick, pure white fur. It weighs about 800 pounds.

Combat

Girallons attack anything that enters their territory, even others of their kind. Their senseless belligerence is the one characteristic that keeps their numbers in check. Still, the creatures show some cunning.

A solitary girallon usually conceals itself in the branches of a tree or under a pile of leaves and brush, with only its nose showing. When it spots or scents prey, it charges to the attack. A girallon picks up prey that is small enough to carry and withdraws, often vanishing into the trees before the victim's companions can do anything to retaliate. Against larger foes, a girallon seeks to tear a single opponent to bits as quickly as it can.

Psionic Powers: A vagabond manifests powers as a psion (telepath) of 12th level. The save DCs are Intelligence-based.
Typical Psion Powers Known (power points 156): 1st - call to mind, detect psionics, empathy, empty mind, mind thrust (DC 16), mindlink, missive, skate; 2nd - ego whip (DC 17), id insinuation (DC 17), mass missive, read thoughts (DC 17), thought shield; 3rd - psionic blast (DC 18); 4th - correspond, psionic dimension door, psionic divination, schism; 5th - catapsi (DC 20), mind probe (DC 20), psionic plane shift, psychic crush (DC 20), tower of iron will; 6th - aura alteration.

Rend (Ex): A girallon that hits with two or more claw attacks latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an extra 2d4+12 points of damage.

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.

Immunity to Mind-Affecting Effects (Ex): A vagabond is immune to mind-affecting effects that are not psionic in nature.

Senses (Ex): The vagabond vessel sees and hears everything that the base creature is able to.

Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except that the vagabond has a +6 racial bonus on the check.

Skills: A girallon has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.

 

[BOZ]

Agreed on the subtype, hello!

The main vagabond stat block still has a couple missing/uncertain items.

 

[BOZ]

also, the flavor text will need to be changed... after all, as a vessel of a vagabond, the girallon will probably not behave that way (unless the vagabond had a chance to obseve the girallon's behavior).


also, should we state somewhere that the vagabond inside a creature loses the incorporeal subtype?

 

[Shade]

Heh...I didn't figure the templated girallon posted...ENWorld slowed down to a crawl when I left work, so I just killed my browser while it was still posting.

Anyway, it definitely still needs work. Here's take two:

Vagabond Vessel Girallon
Large Magical Beast (Psionic)
Hit Dice: 7d10+14 (52 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), climb 40 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+17
Attack: Claw +12 melee (1d4+6)
Full Attack: 4 claws +12 melee (1d4+6) and bite +7 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Psionics, rend 2d4+9
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., detect vagabond, immunity to mind-affecting effects, low-light vision, scent, senses, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +3
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 23, Cha 25
Skills: Bluff +22, Concentration +15, Diplomacy +26, Disguise +7 (+9 acting), Gather Information +22, Handle Animal +22, Intimidate +24, Knowledge (psionics) +20, Listen +21, Psicraft +20, Search +20, Sense Motive +21, Spot +21, Survival +6 (+8 following tracks), Use Magic Device +22
Feats: Negotiator, Power Penetration, Psionic Affinity, Psionic Endowment, Psionic Meditation
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary or company (5–8)
Challenge Rating: 6 + ?
Treasure: None
Alignment: (as vagabond)
Advancement: 8–10 HD (Large); 11–21 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: --

Girallons are savage, magical cousins of the gorilla. They are aggressive, bloodthirsty, highly territorial, and incredibly strong.

When moving on the ground, a girallon walks on its legs and lower arms. An adult girallon is about 8 feet tall, broad-chested, and covered in thick, pure white fur. It weighs about 800 pounds.

Combat

A vagabond vessel girallon behaves quite differently from others of its kind. It prefers to avoid combat, and when engaged relies on its psionic powers before resorting to melee assaults.

Psionic Powers: A vagabond vessel girallon manifests powers as a psion (telepath) of 12th level. The save DCs are Intelligence-based.

Typical Psion Powers Known (power points 156): 1st - call to mind, detect psionics, empathy, empty mind, mind thrust (DC 16), mindlink, missive, skate; 2nd - ego whip (DC 17), id insinuation (DC 17), mass missive, read thoughts (DC 17), thought shield; 3rd - psionic blast (DC 18); 4th - correspond, psionic dimension door, psionic divination, schism; 5th - catapsi (DC 20), mind probe (DC 20), psionic plane shift, psychic crush (DC 20), tower of iron will; 6th - aura alteration.

Rend (Ex): A vagabond vessel girallon that hits with two or more claw attacks latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an extra 2d4+12 points of damage.

Detect Vagabond (Ex): A vagabond vessel girallon 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.

Senses (Ex): The vagabond sees and hears everything that the girallon is able to.

Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except that the vagabond vessel girallon has a +6 racial bonus on the check.

Skills: A vagabond vessel girallon has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.

 

[BOZ]

cool, that works.

any idea on that CR adjustment?

 

[Shade]

At least +6...if we were adding psion levels to a girallon, they'd be unassoicated class levels, so 1/2 CR, or 12/2=6.

Which raises a question...what happens when a vagabond inhabits a host who is already a manifester? Do they treat their power points and powers known separately, or do they pool them? Is the XP award for defeating an inhabited host a sum of both the host and the vagabond? Mind beginning to boggle...

 

[BOZ]

when inhabiting a living manifester, i guess they could form a power point pool, how would that work?