Converting Greyhawk monsters

[Cleon]

I guess I can go for all those equivalences.

So do you prefer slow or confusion for the psionic blast equivalent?

That's a difficult matchup, because all the SRD spells that stun creatures are rather high level.

Upon second thought, we should use the same solution as the 3E Mind Flayer — give it a Mind Blast SLA:

Mind Blast (Sp): This psionic attack is a cone 60 feet long. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a DC 17 Will save or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. Mind flayers often hunt using this power and then drag off one or two of their stunned victims to feed upon. The save DC is Charisma-based. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell.​

I'd prefer to down-power it a bit to match the 3E psionic power. If we make it different from an Illithid mind blast we ought to consider renaming the power though.

How about:

Psychic Blast (Sp): This psionic attack is a cone 30 feet long. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a DC X Will save or be stunned for 1d4 rounds. Monarch scorpions often hunt using this power and then drag off one or two of their stunned victims to feed upon. The save DC is Charisma-based. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd-level spell.​

I do actually think displacement is a better match to greater concealing amorpha, but the option for the two invisibility spells works very well.

Yeah, displacement is a more literal interpretation of greater concealing amorpha, but the lack of a "lesser displacement" with the same 20% miss chance of regular concealing amorpha makes it a bit more tricky.

Hang about, there's an obvious alternative:

concealing amorpha => blur.
greater concealing amorpha => displacement.

That said, the main reason I was using invisibility was that was the name of that particular psionic devotion in the original AD&D Monarch Scorpion, so using invisibility as the SLA seemed a bit closer to the original.

Only a bit though, since the AD&D version of psionic invisibility worked a lot differently to the spell version. The former targeted creatures and telepathically convinces them they cannot see the invisible subject(s), requiring a separate Power Check for every creature-subject match. That made it a lot weaker than spell invisibility.

That distinction is a bit academic for our purposes, since none of the spells under consideration are mind-affecting.

 

[freyar]

I like the psychic blast Sp there; we can always upgrade to the mind flayer's mind blast for the master scorpion if we want.

I still prefer blur and displacement for the two concealing amorpha replacements.

 

[Cleon]

I like the psychic blast Sp there; we can always upgrade to the mind flayer's mind blast for the master scorpion if we want.

I was fancying giving the Master Scorpion a stronger version of the Monarch Scorpion's psychic blast with an increased stun duration - say, 2d4 rounds. That's still a bit weaker than an Illithid's Mind Blast.

I still prefer blur and displacement for the two concealing amorpha replacements.

That's fine by me, so...

Updating Monarch Scorpion Working Draft.

 

[freyar]

Is there anything left to figure out for the psi-like abilities, or do you just need to remove some of the red color?

I know the original doesn't have it, but I feel like these should probably have a burrow speed since they dig themselves under the sand to hide (like an ankheg). Or else they need some kind of special ability for digging.

 

[Cleon]

Is there anything left to figure out for the psi-like abilities, or do you just need to remove some of the red color?

The Master Scorpion has a lot more powers than the Monarch, so it's still in the Red.

The AD&D differences between the two are:

The Master adds ballistic attack, body control, control body, create sound, ectoplasmic form, ESP, immovability, inertial barrier, inflict pain, life draining, magnify, mind thrust, mindwipe, project force, prolong, suspend animation, telekinesis and tower of iron will.

Curiously enough, the AD&D Master doesn't have invisibility, life detection, psionic sense, psionic inflation or psychic drain like the Monarchs do.

Oh, and the Master's psionic defense is different - it has mental barrier instead of mind blank, although I'm tempted to give it another defence, maybe tower of iron will, since mental barrier is a very different power in 3E than it is in AD&D.

It feels a bit wrong for the Master Scorpion to lack psionic powers the Monarch Scorpions have. In the original adventure the Monarchs "were smaller versions of their deadly master" so shouldn't their psionic powers be similar but fewer/lesser rather than half of them being different?

I'd be inclined to at least keep the greater concealing amorpha/invisibility, otherwise we'd have wasted all that time arguing over it!

Anyhow, let's finish the Monarch Scorpion first before starting on the Master Scorpion. It has a fair few additional powers.

I know the original doesn't have it, but I feel like these should probably have a burrow speed since they dig themselves under the sand to hide (like an ankheg). Or else they need some kind of special ability for digging.

It doesn't require advanced tunneling powers to cover oneself in sand. Even I can do it!

We may want to add the standard "+X concealment for being covered" trick. I'd modify the Dune Dragon version, including a racial bonus to Hide (since they'll presumably be sand coloured like most desert scorpions). Maybe drop the "immobile bonus" bit and tweak the other numbers.

Skills: A dune dragon gains a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks when in beach or desert areas. Further, a dune dragon can burrow through sand with only its eyes and nostrils showing, gaining a +8 cover bonus on Hide checks, which increases to a +24 cover bonus when the dune dragon is immobile.

 

[Cleon]

Anyhow, let's finish the Monarch Scorpion first before starting on the Master Scorpion. It has a fair few additional powers.

When we get to the Master Scorpion, should we give it (him) an ability to attract and/or control standard Monstrous Scorpions as well as Monarch Scorpions? In the Rary the Traitor adventure the Master Scorpion's palace is jam packed with both of them.

Also, should it be able to create Monarch Scorpions and possibly Manscorpions? In the original adventure, the scorpion crown artifact that transformed Shattador into "the" Master Scorpion also spontaneously produced Monarchs in the surrounding desert and transformed the Master's allies into Manscorpions. Furthermore, all the Monarchs and Manscorpions the scorpion crown creates are destroyed if the artifact is. That might just be a power of the crown, rather than the "generic" Master Scorpion we're working on.

...and I'm risking starting arguing about the Master before we finish the Monarch. Let's put the above issues on the back burner.

 

[freyar]

I agree with you that the Master ought to have at least the same psi-like abilities as the Monarch, plus some. But I also agree that we should finish the Monarch first.

It should definitely have a racial Hide bonus. I can see a smallish bonus just for being in a sandy area and then a bigger one for being covered in sand. But, you know, I do kind of think they could use some kind of SQ to "dig in" since they're pretty big and would likely take a long time to bury themselves otherwise.

 

[Cleon]

I agree with you that the Master ought to have at least the same psi-like abilities as the Monarch, plus some. But I also agree that we should finish the Monarch first.

It should definitely have a racial Hide bonus. I can see a smallish bonus just for being in a sandy area and then a bigger one for being covered in sand.

That's convenient, because it's what I had in mind!

But, you know, I do kind of think they could use some kind of SQ to "dig in" since they're pretty big and would likely take a long time to bury themselves otherwise.

You mean like some cheliceratan version of an aardvark? The flavour text indicates they bury to lie in wait for prey, so to me it doesn't matter if it takes them some time to do so - they're burying themselves before their victims arrive.

Still, if you'd like some kind of "rapid burial" SQ I'm game.

 

[freyar]

I just don't want them to be stuck digging for hours to cover their Huge body. That doesn't seem worthwhile as a regular strategy for a single ambush. If there were an appropriate skill that we could boost to allow them to scoop more sand at a time, but I'm at a loss for that.

 

[Cleon]

I just don't want them to be stuck digging for hours to cover their Huge body. That doesn't seem worthwhile as a regular strategy for a single ambush. If there were an appropriate skill that we could boost to allow them to scoop more sand at a time, but I'm at a loss for that.

Erm, I'm unaware of there being any official 3E rules for how long it takes for a creature of a particular size to cover itself in sand, or what skills or other attributes it checks against to do so.

Couldn't we just mention in the flavour text it can cover itself in sand in a few rounds and leave it at that?