Converting "generic setting" Second Edition monsters

[Cleon]

I'd be ok with moving silent movement into a separate ability. Keeping it is ok.

Go ahead and make it a separate ability if it helps.

For the manifestation, should we maybe spell out a little more clearly what incorporeal benefits it keeps and doesnt?

I thought it was pretty clear, but I'm open to suggestions.

 

[freyar]

Why don't we try something like this? I didn't see evidence that they stop being fully ethereal when fully manifested, either, so I changed that for simplicity.

Creepy (Su): A spectral wizard, even when fully manifested and corporeal, never makes noise without choosing and may move silently at will.

Manifestation (Su): A spectral wizard normally dwells on the Ethereal Plane where, as an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. However, a spectral wizard can partially or fully manifest on the Material Plane. It takes 1 move action for a spectral wizard to partially manifest and 1 full-round action to fully manifest. It takes the spectral twice as long to manifest in areas of bright light, such as daylight or a continual flame spell. A spectral wizard may un-manifest as a move action.

A spectral wizard has two home planes, the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane. It is not considered extraplanar when on either of these planes. Manifested spectral wizards can be attacked by foes from either the Material or Ethereal Planes, but are somewhat protected by incorporeality unless fully manifested.

When a spellcasting ghost is not manifested and is on the Ethereal Plane, its spells cannot affect targets on the Material Plane, but they work normally against ethereal targets.

A partially manifested spectral wizard becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. It can pass through solid objects at will, and has an incorporeal touch attack. Its incorporeality protects it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane. Its spells continue to affect ethereal targets and can affect targets on the Material Plane normally unless the spells rely on touch. A partially manifested spectral wizard's touch spells don't work on nonethereal targets.

A fully manifested spectral wizard has assumed physical substance on the Material Plane and loses the incorporeal subtype. Fully manifest spectral wizards have no incorporeal touch attack, but can manipulate material objects, wield weapons (using Str to modify melee attack rolls), grapple creatures, and cast spells, since they are corporeal. Fully manifested spectral wizards are also affected normally by non-magic weapons and mundane fire, cold and acid, but they retain their deflection bonus to AC and remain weightless. Despite being corporeal, spectral wizards are still etheral and interact normally with foes on the Ethereal Plane. Its spells affect targets both on the Material Plane and Ethereal Plane normally.

 

[Cleon]

Why don't we try something like this? I didn't see evidence that they stop being fully ethereal when fully manifested, either, so I changed that for simplicity.

I don't mind that if it's OK with Shade.

I liked the symmetry of the partially ethereal version, but I accept it's not close to the original.

 

[Shade]

It works for me. Updated.

 

[freyar]

I don't mind that if it's OK with Shade.

I liked the symmetry of the partially ethereal version, but I accept it's not close to the original.

The symmetry was appealing, but it seemed like introducing a whole new condition.

Shall we fix up the numbing touch now?

 

[Shade]

Rather than numbing touch, perhaps this?

You choose to wither either the arms or the legs of a humanoid. Withered legs force a subject to fall prone while at the same time reducing the subject's land speed to 5 feet. Withered arms make it impossible for the subject to use objects or cast spells with somatic components.

A withered limb can be restored to normal by a successful dispel magic from a spellcaster of a level higher than the level of the wither limb caster.

I just thought I'd throw that out there.

 

[Cleon]

Rather than numbing touch, perhaps this?

I just thought I'd throw that out there.

Well wither was permanent in its AD&D original. I'd rather keep it temporary, although I wouldn't object to complete incapacity of the affected part for the duration.

Numbing Touch (Su): Any living creature a spectral wizard hits with its touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save or be suffer incapacitating numbness in either their head or a limb (spectral wizard's choice) for X rounds. A numbed arm make it impossible for the subject to cast spells with somatic components to use objects in with that arm. A numbed leg forces the subject to fall prone and reduces their land speed to 10 feet (or 5 ft. if all their legs are numbed). A numbed head makes it impossible for the subject to speak, which also prevents them casting spells with verbal components. Numbness can be removed with a dispel magic or lesser restoration spell if the caster can succeed at a caster level check against a DC of 10 plus the spectral wizard's hit dice.

 

[Shade]

That'll work!

 

[freyar]

Perfect! Make it a minute or two duration, I think. Somehow, this seems like it might be even more frustrating than normal lich paralysis since you can just do something...

 

[Cleon]

Perfect! Make it a minute or two duration, I think. Somehow, this seems like it might be even more frustrating than normal lich paralysis since you can just do something...

So what shall we put for the duration: 3d6 rounds? 1d3 minutes?