Converting "generic setting" second edition monsters

[Filby]

Oh, huzzah! The conversions begin again!!!

I'm for making them aberrations with half-undead traits from Dragon #313. For ease of reference, if that's what you'd like to do...


Call of Undeath (Ex): There is a 3% chance per Hit Die that, upon a half-undead's death, it will rise as a full undead creature of its undead progenitor's kind. (I think this would be left out as they're not created by an undead creature.)
Darkvision (Ex): A half-undead gains darkvision with a range of 60 feet. If the base creature already had darkvision, use the greater range. (Yep, aberration traits already give it darkvision 60 ft.)
Detection (Ex): Half-undead register as undead creatures for the purposes of spells and effects that detect undead (such as detect undead). A half-undead counts as half its HD for the purposes of aura strength.
Fortification (Ex): When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on the half-undead, there is a 50% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated, and damage is instead rolled normally. If a half-undead wears magic armor with any form of fortification quality, use the better percentage value.
Immunity to Energy Drain (Ex): A half-undead is immune to energy drain attacks.
Necrotic Life (Ex): Even on a failed save, a half-undead suffers only half damage from spells or effects that deal hit point damage due to negative energy, such as inflict spells, and with a successful save, a half-undead suffers no damage.
Slow Aging (Ex): Upon reaching maturity, a half-undead ages at one-fourth of the base creature's normal rate. (We wouldn't need to note this.)
Turn Kind (Ex): A half-undead cleric gains a +2 bonus on checks made to turn, rebuke, command, or bolster undead creatures of its ancestral kind. (Once again, they have no ancestral kind, so there's no need to point this out.)
Vulnerability to Holy Water (Ex): Holy water scalds the flesh of a half-undead, dealing 1d4 points of damage per direct hit with a flask.
Vulnerability to Turning (Ex): Any turning attempt targeting the half-undead that would turn or rebuke an undead of the half-undead's HD imposes a -4 penalty on the half-undead's attacks, saves, skill checks, and ability checks. This effect lasts for 10 rounds or until the creature that turned or rebuked the half-undead attacks the half-undead. A turn attempt that would destroy or command an undead of equivalent Hit Dice instead stuns a half-undead for 2d4 rounds.
Saves: A half-undead creature gains a +2 racial bonus on saves against fear, poison, disease, paralysis, and spells from the necromancy school.

 

[BOZ]

thanks filby... your help is appreciated as always.

 

[Shade]

Yugoloth, Least Guardian, Yagdoo

Sweet, a forgotten yugoloth! I'd like to vote for this fella for an upcoming conversion.

Do you Yagdoo?

 

[BOZ]

hehe i'll keep that in mind, but remind me later all the same.

As posted by filby, I’m keeping these parts as-is (with some slight alterations):
Undead Aura (Ex): An apodalypse registers as an undead creature for the purposes of spells and effects that detect undead (such as detect undead). An apodalypse counts as half its HD for the purposes of aura strength.
Fortification (Ex): When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on an apodalypse, there is a 50% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated, and damage is instead rolled normally.
Necrotic Life (Ex): Even on a failed save, an apodalypse suffers only half damage from spells or effects that deal hit point damage due to negative energy, such as inflict spells, and with a successful save, a apodalypse suffers no damage.
Vulnerability to Holy Water (Ex): Holy water scalds the flesh of an apodalypse, dealing 1d4 points of damage per direct hit with a flask.

Some things to change:
For the turning, it is listed that both apodalypse and progeny are “paralyzed” or “frozen” for one round when turned. Let’s rework that a bit like this:
Vulnerability to Turning (Ex): Any turning attempt targeting an apodalypse that would turn or rebuke an undead of the apodalypse's HD dazes the apodalypse for 1 round. A turn attempt that would destroy or command an undead of equivalent Hit Dice instead stuns an apodalypse for 2d4 rounds.

The apodalypse is listed as immune to sleep, charm, hold, cold, poison, and paralyzation. I would nix the immunity to energy drain, and replace it with this:
Unliving Immunities (Ex): An apodalypse is immune to mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, and death effects. An apodalypse is not subject to ability drain or energy drain. An apodalypse is immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.

I could probably add more on to those immunities, but I figure that is enough for now.

and here are a couple stat blocks to start 'er off:

Apodalypse, Progeny
Small Aberration (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 3d8+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 20 ft (4 squares), swim 30 ft
Armor Class: 14 (+1 size, +X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+X
Attack: Bite +X melee (1d4+X)
Full Attack: Bite +X melee (1d4+X)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: subsume
Special Qualities: damage reduction X/magic?, darkvision 60 ft
Saves: Fort +X Ref +X Will +X
Abilities: Str (14+?), Dex X, Con (12+), Int (0 or 1?), Wis X, Cha X
Skills: X
Feats: X

Environment: Any land and underground
Organization: Cluster (1-4)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: ---


An apodalypse progeny is about 2 feet long and weighs X pounds.

COMBAT


Apodalypse
Huge Aberration (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 13d8+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: Swim 20 ft (4 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (-2 size, +X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+X
Attack: Bite +X melee (4d6+X)
Full Attack: Bite +X melee (4d6+X) and 4 extra limbs +X melee (1d8+X)
Space/Reach: 15 ft/10 ft
Special Attacks: swallow, extra limbs
Special Qualities: damage reduction X/magic?, darkvision 60 ft, spell resistance (18+)
Saves: Fort +X Ref +X Will +X
Abilities: Str X, Dex X, Con X, Int (6?), Wis X, Cha X
Skills: X
Feats: 5

Environment: Any aquatic and underground
Organization: Solitary or clutch (1 apodalypse plus 1-6 progeny)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: Double standard?
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 14-26 HD (Huge); 27-39 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: ---


An apodalypse is about 30 feet in diameter and weighs X pounds.

COMBAT

 

[Hashmalum]

Return to the Tomb of Horrors – TSR 1162 (1998)
Moilian Heart
Moilian Zombie
Negative Energy Elemental
Negative Fundamental
Vestige

The Vestige is also in Libris Mortis.

 

[BOZ]

man, i really need a good look at that book.

 

[Knight Otu]

I'd guess that Swallow should become Improved Grab, Swallow Whole and a (Energy Drain)-like ability, a la the nightcrawler nightshade.

 

[BOZ]

Quite correct. I’d say the damage section should be removed from the swallow whole though, as since this creature does not digest in any normal sort of way. Also, the text states that the only way to get out is to destroy the apodalypse – should we use that or keep the standard “cut through the stomach with a light weapon” routine?

Another thing would be to make it more like the tendriculous’ swallow attack, and keep the energy draining part within the swallow whole.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an apodalypse must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can try to swallow the foe the following round.

Swallow Whole (Ex): An apodalypse can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of Large or smaller size by making a successful grapple check. The swallowed creature (is drained). (A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal X points of damage to the apodalypse’s gut (AC X). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.)
An apodalypse’s interior can hold 2 Large, 8 Medium, 32 Small, 128 Tiny, or 512 Diminutive or smaller opponents.


As for the draining effect, we could go with either of these options, depending on what works the best:

Living creatures inside an apodalypse’s interior gain X negative level(s) each round. The DC is X for the Fortitude save to remove a negative level. The save DC is (Charisma)-based. For each such negative level bestowed, the apodalypse gains X temporary hit points.

Once inside the apodalypse’s mass, the opponent must succeed on a DC X Fortitude save or die immediately. A new save is required each round inside the monster. This is a death effect. The save DC is (Charisma?)-based. The apodalypse gains 1 temporary hit point for every hit point the victim had when it died, but it cannot have more hit points than one and a half times its normal maximum.

 

[Alzrius]

good enough for me. Does that also include the Moilian Heart?

Actually, no. That creature wasn't in the book.

The Vestige is also in Libris Mortis.

Yep. It's under the "Dream Vestige" entry. It even notes that the Vestige from RttToH was the original one.

 

[Shade]

Quite correct. I’d say the damage section should be removed from the swallow whole though, as since this creature does not digest in any normal sort of way. Also, the text states that the only way to get out is to destroy the apodalypse – should we use that or keep the standard “cut through the stomach with a light weapon” routine?

There is precedent for "deal enough damage to kill the creature" to escape.

As for the draining effect, we could go with either of these options, depending on what works the best:

Living creatures inside an apodalypse’s interior gain X negative level(s) each round. The DC is X for the Fortitude save to remove a negative level. The save DC is (Charisma)-based. For each such negative level bestowed, the apodalypse gains X temporary hit points.

Once inside the apodalypse’s mass, the opponent must succeed on a DC X Fortitude save or die immediately. A new save is required each round inside the monster. This is a death effect. The save DC is (Charisma?)-based. The apodalypse gains 1 temporary hit point for every hit point the victim had when it died, but it cannot have more hit points than one and a half times its normal maximum.

I prefer the former.