Converting Maztica and Horde monsters

[Big Mac]

Knew I'd seen something like that somewhere. I don't suppose you have the cranium rat text hndy, do you?

Someone already asked that in this thead:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=40222

This was put up on PS3e, but the website was down. (It is now one of those spam-search-engine websites.)

Luckily somone called Bugbear had a copy on his computer:

Monster: Cranium Rats (arcane)

Type: Tiny Magical Beast
Hit Dice: ½d10+1 (3 hp)
Initiative: +2 (Dex)
Speed: 40 ft., climb 15 ft.
AC: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex)
Attacks: Bite +4 melee
Damage: Bite 1d3-1
Face/Reach: 2½ ft. by 2½ ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Mental powers
Special Qualities: Communal defenses, hive mind, scent
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 2+, Wis 12, Cha 2+
Skills: Balance +10, Climb +4, Hide +14, Move Silently +6
Feats: Weapon Finesse (bite)

Climate/Terrain: Any underground
Organization: Swarm (10-100)
Challenge Rating: 1/8 per rat; +1 CR for every ten rats above 34.
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: -
Description: Cranium rats are verminous creatures not uncommon in Sigil and pestilent cities of the Lower Planes. Cranium rats are distinguishable from their normal cousins by the pulsating brains that protrude from the tops of their skulls. They are many creatures and one all at once, for they possess a type of group mind.
Cranium rats exist as the eyes and ears of Ilsensine, the great god-brain of the illithids. The extent and purpose of their powers are held closely secret, lest Ilsensine's instruments be discovered. Those who discover the true purpose of the cranium rats are undersentance of swift and terrible death.
Combat: The cranium rat is not an aggressive creature, avoiding open attacks in favour of flight or ambushes. Cranium rats usually move in swarms of ten or more.
Communal Defenses (Su): When calculating damage from area-affecting spells, the cranium rat swarm is treated as a single creature with one pool of hit points. For example, a fireball that inflicts 20 points of damage kills of 20 hit points of cranium rats, rather than all of them.
Hive Mind (Ex): Cranium rats are automatically in telepathic contact with all other cranium rats within 10 fet, and possess a group mind that allows them to share not just thoughts, but also brain capacity - every five rats in contact generate 1 point of Intelligence and Charisma, and grant a +1 bonus to all saving throws. However, the rats quickly break the telepathic link with any individual that falls under another creature's control. Consequently, spells such as suggestion and charm monster affect but a single rat.
Mental Powers: With increasing Intelligence comes increasing powers, as shown below. These powers are cumulative.
# RatsInt/ChaAbilities
1-4 </TD1 None
5-34 2-6 None
35-39 7 1 level of sorcerer spells
40-44 8+1 level of sorcerer spells
45-49 9 Mind Blast, 1/3 rounds
50-54 10+1 levels of sorcerer spells
55-59 11+1 levels of sorcerer spells
60-64 12 Mind Blast, 1/2 rounds
65-69 13+1 levels of sorcerer spells
70-74 14+1 levels of sorcerer spells
75-79 15 Mind Blast 1/round
80-84 16 Immune to gases
85-89 17 Immune to cold
90-94 18SR 13
95-99 19SR 19
100+ 20SR 25
Sorcerer Spells (Sp): Cranium rats can cast a number of spell-levels of sorcerer spells each day; for example, a 55-rat swarm might cast two 2nd-level spells, one 3rd-level and one 1st level spell, or one 4th-level spell each day. The cranium rat swarm casts these spells at a level equal to half its Intelligence score. The save DC of these spells is 10 + the spell level + the swarm's Charisma modifier.
Mind Blast (Sp): This attack is a cone 60 feet long. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed at a Will save or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. The DC of this saving throw is 10 + ½ the swarm's Intelligence score + the swarm's Charisma modifier.
Skills: Cranium rats receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks and a +8 racial bonus to Balance checks. They use their Dexterity modifier for Climb checks.
Habitat/Society: None
Ecology: None

I've just found this on the Wayback Machine. The page has some elements missing, but it looks a little bit neater:
http://web.archive.org/web/20031110224715/http://www.ps3e.com/monsterDetail.asp?id=43

 

[freyar]

Hmm, the cranium rats posted here are more complicated than what we need. How about this?

Hive Mind (Ex): All bacars are automatically in telepathic contact with all other bacars within 20 ft that allows them to share thoughts and generate extra brain capacity. The group Intelligence of a group of bacars is equal to 5 + the number of bacars in telepathic contact. That is, a single bacar has Int 6, 3 bacars have Int 8, and 6 have Int 11, for example. Bacars only use weapons at Int 11 and higher. They are only allowed to operate on their own for extended periods at Int 13 and higher.

 

[Shade]

Looks good.

At the Highly Intelligent level (13 or better), bacars may operate outside the valley. In addition, at that stage they may mentally command colonies of army ants in the area. This allows them to effectively cast the priest's creeping doom spell once per day in a typical jungle. (See the valley area itself for locations of ant colonies in the Ixtzul Vale.)

Creeping doom now just allows calling multiple centipede swarms.

There are no stats for an ant swarm. Abyssal ant swarms are probably too powerful for this case. It might be simplest to just let them summon a number of locust swarms to represent ant swarms, and just drop the fly speed.

Thoughts?

 

[freyar]

How about adding the following to the Hive Mind entry?

In addition, groups of bacars with Int 13 or higher can summon up to 1 ant swarm per bacar per day (use the statistics for locust swarms but drop the fly speed). This supernatural ability is the equivalent of a 7th level spell.

 

[Shade]

Very nice.

 

[freyar]

Anything else in the way of SAs for these?

Gather: Bring back carrion, small living creatures, and succulent leaves and vines to feed the colony.

Scout: Look for things that were not there before. If things are present, or changed, report immediately back to the nest. If there is a potential danger (one of the scouting bacars is killed), one scout is sent back, the others forming a rearguard.

Guard: Let nothing that is not bacar (except Mirandos and her followers) pass. Do not report back; fight until dead (18 morale when in this state).

Attack: Used when a particular enemy is identified (usually by scent). The enemy is to be slain. All non-bacars are slain. Use of creeping doom where applicable.

Capture: As for Attack, but the targets are to be knocked unconscious and taken alive. If the creeping doom is used, it is to herd the target to the bacars.

Track: Used against a retreating foe. The prey is to be tracked down. If possible use the creeping doom. All other potential targets are ignored unless they attack the trackers. Once captured or slain, the trackers return to Ixtzul.

Maintain: The most common function of the bacars when not involved in battle, they patrol the grounds, cleaning up bits of vegetation and debris, checking with their antennae to maintain the wards that hold the Star Worm. The colony has the power to reinstate the wards that weaken over time. Bacars engaged in maintenance do not fight unless attacked. They report strange activity in their area.

I think we can mostly just copy this and drop the stuff that's specific to the adventure (?) they're from.

 

[Shade]

That sounds mostly like flavor texts/tactics, eh?

ECOLOGY: The bacars have a queen to which all defer, who provides both the eggs for new bacars (though not at levels of a normal ant colony), and orders for her soldiers. The queen is a large, bloated creature with no defenses of her own, AC 9, with 50 hp. Attacking the queen brings all bacars within 50 yards, with an additional 2-12 arriving each round thereafter.

If the queen is slain, the bacars lose their telepathic abilities. They act as individual monsters, attacking when attacked or hungry. Killing the queen also breaks the bonds holding H'Calos the Star Worm in check.

Should we add a section for the queen? It sounds like in 3e terms, they'd lose hive mind if the queen is destroyed.

 

[freyar]

Right, definitely flavor. I guess I made it sound like those should be part of the SAs. Actually, no!

We should probably put something in the flavor just to describe the queen and then put a line in Hive Mind that bacars lose the Hive Mind ability if the colony's queen is killed.

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

 

[freyar]

I don't think these have any other SAs, so should we work on the weapons? We have obsidian knives (seem to be daggers) used in pairs, slings, and macas. Any idea what a maca is? Any source for those?