Converting Maztica and Horde monsters

[Shade]

Gaumahavi is the Great Dragon of the Desert Winds. As such, she has complete control over air currents within a 500-yard radius, and twice per day can create five rounds of dust storm causing 2d4 points of damage per round and knocking the victim off his feet (save vs. breath weapon for half damage and to retain footing).

Control winds at will for the former? Control weather (duststorm only) for the latter?

Gaumahavi's breath weapon, which she can use up to nine times a day, consists of a great cloud of powdery purple dust 100 feet long. This cloud is 5 feet in diameter at the base and 50 feet at the end. It does 8d10 points of choking damage to any breathing creature (save vs. breath weapons for half damage).

Should we have it doe 8d10 damage of some sort, then apply the choking effects of smoke?

She can polymorph into any predatory animal or assume astral -form at will. When in astral form, a shadow of her body, in the form of purple dust, remains on the Prime Material Plane. This form can only be struck by +3 or better magical weapons. By dissolving one dust body and forming another in a different part of the world, she is able to move over great distances instantaneously.

Alternate form/change shape for the former? Gaseous form and/or astral projection for the latter?

 

[BOZ]

promise to take some time to look at this one as soon as i can...

 

[BOZ]

see? i don't lie.

The following spells do not exist in 3.5:
gaze reflection

skip it.

animal friendship (this was rolled into animal companion class feature)

skip it.

locate animals or plants (locate creature?)

that should do.

snake charm (charm monster, but only reptilies?)

isn’t there some kind of spell that charms or controls animals?

summon insects (summon swarm?)

that will work, too.

Control winds at will for the former? Control weather (duststorm only) for the latter?

as supernatural abilities, that sounds more or less right.

Should we have it doe 8d10 damage of some sort, then apply the choking effects of smoke?

well, that certainly is a tricky one for the breath weapon. What sort of asphyxiation damage is there? Something like suffocation?

Alternate form/change shape for the former? Gaseous form and/or astral projection for the latter?

alternate form is usually what is used for creatures that take a specific set of forms isn’t it?

I like the idea of a special form of astral projection that leaves a gaseous form-like “imprint” on the material form.


More…
Ideas for natural armor? Translating directly, she would have an AC of 22, which means –8 for size, and her natural armor would be +30. want to make it higher?

And here is a new stat block:

Gaumahavi, Greater Purple Dragon
Colossal Dragon (Air)
Hit Dice: 36d12+396 (633 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft (8 squares), fly 100 ft (X)
Armor Class: X (-8 size, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +36/+70
Attack:
Full Attack: Bite?? +46 melee (2d8+X)
Space/Reach: 30 ft/20 ft (30 with bite?)
Special Attacks: breath weapon, dust storm, spells/spell-likes
Special Qualities: astral (dust) form, polymorph, spell resistance X
Saves: Fort +31 Ref +20 Will +28 (base 20 for all?)
Abilities: Str 47, Dex 10, Con 33, Int 26, Wis 27, Cha 26
Skills: 546
Feats: 13

 

[Krishnath]

Using the official dragons as a guideline would indicate that her natural armor should be equal to her HD-1, or 35 at her current HD.

 

[Shade]

isn’t there some kind of spell that charms or controls animals?

Yeah, charm animal.

I was thinking along the lines of this ability from the black dragon:

Charm Reptiles (Sp): A great wyrm black dragon can use this ability three times per day. It works as a mass charm spell that affects only reptilian animals. The dragon can communicate with any charmed reptiles as though casting a speak with animals spell. This ability is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell.

well, that certainly is a tricky one for the breath weapon. What sort of asphyxiation damage is there? Something like suffocation?

I'd imagine that one of the following is as close as we'll get...

SMOKE EFFECTS
A character who breathes heavy smoke must make a Fortitude save each round (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or spend that round choking and coughing. A character who chokes for 2 consecutive rounds takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.

Smoke obscures vision, giving concealment (20% miss chance) to characters within it.

SUFFOCATION
A character who has no air to breathe can hold her breath for 2 rounds per point of Constitution. After this period of time, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution check in order to continue holding her breath. The save must be repeated each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous success.

When the character fails one of these Constitution checks, she begins to suffocate. In the first round, she falls unconscious (0 hit points). In the following round, she drops to –1 hit points and is dying. In the third round, she suffocates.

Slow Suffocation: A Medium character can breathe easily for 6 hours in a sealed chamber measuring 10 feet on a side. After that time, the character takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage every 15 minutes. Each additional Medium character or significant fire source (a torch, for example) proportionally reduces the time the air will last. Small characters consume half as much air as Medium characters. A larger volume of air, of course, lasts for a longer time.

alternate form is usually what is used for creatures that take a specific set of forms isn’t it?

You are correct, sir.

Ideas for natural armor? Translating directly, she would have an AC of 22, which means –8 for size, and her natural armor would be +30. want to make it higher?

Higher. It sounds like Krishnath has the answer.

 

[BOZ]

took a crack at working up some of her powers:

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day - animal growth (DC X), blink, color spray (DC X), control weather, deeper darkness, dimension door (DC X), giant vermin, hold animal (DC X), locate creature, project image (DC X), rainbow pattern (DC X), repel vermin, reverse gravity (DC X), speak with animals, summon swarm, telekinesis (DC X), teleport (DC X), vanish (DC X), whispering wind, wind wall. Caster level Xth. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

We should consider changing some of those times per day to “at will”. Maybe not most of them, though.

Charm Reptiles (Sp): Gaumahavi can use this ability X times per day. It works as a mass charm spell that affects only reptilian animals. Gaumahavi can communicate with any charmed reptiles as though casting a speak with animals spell. This ability is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell.

Breath Weapon (Su?): Gaumahavi can breathe out a great cloud of powdery, purple dust, 9 times per day. This cloud is 5 feet in diameter at her end, and 50 feet long at the end, and 100 feet long total. All breathing creatures in that area must succeed at a Fort save (DC X) or spend that round choking and coughing. Any creature that fails its saving throw must make a new saving throw every subsequent round, or continue choking on the dust. For every round a creature spends choking, it takes (3d6?) points of nonlethal damage.

Control Winds (Sp?): Gaumahavi can use control winds, at will. She can affect up to a 1500-foot radius around her.

Is this what you meant for this? (not sure how to incorporate the 2d4 points of damage per round):

Dust Storm (Sp?): Gaumahavi can create a dust storm twice per day. This functions as the control weather spell, except that she can only create or do away with dust storms. This effect lasts for five rounds, knocking characters off their feet on a failed Reflex save (DC X). The save DC is Constitution-based.

Alternate Form (Su?): Gaumahavi can assume the form of any predatory animal of (Colossal?) size or smaller as a standard action. This ability functions as a polymorph spell cast on herself (caster level Xth), except that Gaumahavi does not regain hit points for changing form. Gaumahavi can remain in her alternate form until she chooses to assume a new one or return to her natural form.

Very very rough, but:

“Astral Form” (Su?): Gaumahavi can use astral projection on herself only, as a standard action. She leaves behind a small portion of herself, consisting of a form of purple dust, on the Material plane. This form functions as the gaseous form spell, and allows her to see and hear anything that goes on around her. She can guide this form to any location on the Material plane, using her winds. She can reenter the Material plane wherever her dust form exists.

 

[Krishnath]

Suggestion: Change the breathweapon to be usable once every 1d4 rounds instead of 9 time per day. This suggestion is for two reasons. 1, It causes consistency with other dragons (which reminds me, I really should start with the amber...) and 2, It will rarely come into play more than a few times in combat anyway.

 

[Shade]

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day - animal growth (DC X), blink, color spray (DC X), control weather, deeper darkness, dimension door (DC X), giant vermin, hold animal (DC X), locate creature, project image (DC X), rainbow pattern (DC X), repel vermin, reverse gravity (DC X), speak with animals, summon swarm, telekinesis (DC X), teleport (DC X), vanish (DC X), whispering wind, wind wall. Caster level Xth. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

We should consider changing some of those times per day to “at will”. Maybe not most of them, though.

I'd recommend the following "at will": color spray, speak with animals, telekinesis, and whispering wind.

Charm Reptiles (Sp): Gaumahavi can use this ability X times per day. It works as a mass charm spell that affects only reptilian animals. Gaumahavi can communicate with any charmed reptiles as though casting a speak with animals spell. This ability is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell.

I'd go with 3 times per day like the black dragon.

Breath Weapon (Su?): Gaumahavi can breathe out a great cloud of powdery, purple dust, 9 times per day. This cloud is 5 feet in diameter at her end, and 50 feet long at the end, and 100 feet long total. All breathing creatures in that area must succeed at a Fort save (DC X) or spend that round choking and coughing. Any creature that fails its saving throw must make a new saving throw every subsequent round, or continue choking on the dust. For every round a creature spends choking, it takes (3d6?) points of nonlethal damage.

Definitely Supernatural. I agree with Krishnath on changing it to once every 1d4 rounds instead of 9 time per day. 3d6 nonlethal damage could work, since it is dust instead of smoke, and probably causes scratching as well as chocking. I'd also add in something about it obscuring vision. Would we be better off making this a standard cone rather than a cloud?

Control Winds (Sp?): Gaumahavi can use control winds, at will. She can affect up to a 1500-foot radius around her.

Spell-like is probably right for this ability.

Dust Storm (Sp?): Gaumahavi can create a dust storm twice per day. This functions as the control weather spell, except that she can only create or do away with dust storms. This effect lasts for five rounds, knocking characters off their feet on a failed Reflex save (DC X). The save DC is Constitution-based.

Spell-like sounds right again.

Alternate Form (Su?): Gaumahavi can assume the form of any predatory animal of (Colossal?) size or smaller as a standard action. This ability functions as a polymorph spell cast on herself (caster level Xth), except that Gaumahavi does not regain hit points for changing form. Gaumahavi can remain in her alternate form until she chooses to assume a new one or return to her natural form.

Su - yes. Colossal - yes. Caster level - 20th.

“Astral Form” (Su?): Gaumahavi can use astral projection on herself only, as a standard action. She leaves behind a small portion of herself, consisting of a form of purple dust, on the Material plane. This form functions as the gaseous form spell, and allows her to see and hear anything that goes on around her. She can guide this form to any location on the Material plane, using her winds. She can reenter the Material plane wherever her dust form exists.

This looks like a good start. Astral travel has always been one of those areas of the D&D rules I just don't get. Same goes for illusions. I might not be much help on this one. But hey, maybe I'll learn something.

 

[BOZ]

Definitely Supernatural. I agree with Krishnath on changing it to once every 1d4 rounds instead of 9 time per day. 3d6 nonlethal damage could work, since it is dust instead of smoke, and probably causes scratching as well as chocking. I'd also add in something about it obscuring vision. Would we be better off making this a standard cone rather than a cloud?

is there a dragon breath weapon precedence in 3E for a cloud? if not, we might as well switch to cone.

This looks like a good start. Astral travel has always been one of those areas of the D&D rules I just don't get. Same goes for illusions. I might not be much help on this one. But hey, maybe I'll learn something.

keep on truckin! we'll get there sooner or later.

 

[Shade]

is there a dragon breath weapon precedence in 3E for a cloud? if not, we might as well switch to cone.

Not that I have seen. It looks like line or cone.