Converting "generic setting" second edition monsters

[demiurge1138]

I'll let freyar field that one.

You're the one that said Wis should be higher than Dex. Did you mean Int, perhaps?

 

[Shade]

I sure did! What on earth was I thinking?

Scale it back to 15-16?

 

[demiurge1138]

Agreed to 15.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Thoughts on the number of melee "spear-shoots" it can employ?

Blindsense or tremorsense? Range of chosen sense?

 

[demiurge1138]

Blindsight, yes? 60 feet? How about 4 melee attacks? Perhaps it can only attach to one foe at a time?

 

[freyar]

The attach is bothering me a little. I generally prefer to go with standard mechanics, but, the way I understand the anatomy of these things (sort of like a stand of bamboo), having one shoot attached to someone shouldn't really make the whole thing (the other shoots) lose the Dex bonus to AC. Am I not picturing these right?

 

[Shade]

I, too, am bothered by it. Perhaps we could make it function more like a harpoon attack?

Maybe modify this to fit...

Impale (Ex): If a cadaver collector has successfully grappled a Medium or smaller creature, it can attempt to impale the creature on its back spikes by making a successful grapple check. Doing so is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If the collector successfully impales a creature, the creature takes 4d8+15 points of damage and is considered pinned. Each round, the creature takes another 2d8 points of damage as the movement of the cadaver collector causes additional pain to the impaled creature.

The creature cannot break free unless it makes a DC 28 Strength check. Success indicates the creature is free of the spike but takes an additional 2d8 points of damage in the process. Failure means the creature takes 4d8 points of damage and remains pinned in place. An ally can try to free an impaled creature with a DC 20 Strength check.

Once a cadaver collector has a creature or creatures impaled on its back spikes, it is no longer considered to be in a grapple and can attack other opponents without penalty. It cannot use its slam attacks against impaled opponents. Creatures that get free of a cadaver collector become its immediate and most urgent targets. It typically pursues such creatures exclusively if it has any chance of catching and impaling them again.

A cadaver collector's back spikes can hold up to 4 Medium creatures, 16 Small creatures, or 64 Tiny creatures. Creatures smaller than Tiny are too miniscule to be impaled on the collector's back spikes, although the collector can still deal 4d8+15 points of damage to such opponents by grinding them into its back spikes with a successful grapple check once it has them grappled.

 

[freyar]

Hmmm.....

Impale (Ex): If a spear grass successfully hits a creature with a spear-shoot attack, it impales the victim on the shoot and can drain blood. The impaled creature is considered to be grappled, but the spear grass is not.

The creature can break free with a DC X Strength check. Success indicates the creature is free but takes an additional XdX points of damage in the process. Failure means the creature takes XdX points of damage and remains pinned in place. An ally can try to free an impaled creature with a DC X Strength check and can avoid damage with a DC X Heal check.

A spear grass can hold one creature per spear-shoot. Creatures of Diminutive size and smaller are too small to be held effectively.

 

[Shade]

Looks good!

The check DC for self-removal per the cadaver collector appears to be Str-based, while the "assisted removal" options works out to be 10 + Str modifier (rather than 10 + 1/2 HD + Str modifier).

So in this case, it would be DC 15 and DC 12, respectively. Does that work?

 

[demiurge1138]

Works for me.