Converting Monsters from D&D Official Video Games

[dhaga]

They all look good to me. I like these little guys. Almost cute, in a minorly destructive sort of way.

 

[freyar]

They all look good to me. I like these little guys. Almost cute, in a minorly destructive sort of way.

I agree, these look done. But the acid blobs still seem cuter, in a Pathfinder goblin kind of way.

 

[Shade]

I agree, these look done. But the acid blobs still seem cuter, in a Pathfinder goblin kind of way.

Indeed!

 

[Shade]

Here's the second-to-last of the new monsters from Genie's Curse. This basically looks like a dire rat advanced to Medium, eh?

Rat, Giant Zakharan
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subterranean
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Pack
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Animal- (1)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1-12
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVEMENT: 14
HIT DICE: 4
THACØ: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (4’-7’)
MORALE: (10)
EXP. POINT VALUE: 175

The giant Zakharan rat is a cousin to the giant rat with the main difference being size. Zakharan rats are huge, with lengths of up to seven feet (not including the tail). They are just as filthy, disease ridden, ferocious, and fleet of foot as their smaller cousins. Their fur is generally brownish and their eyes a deep red.

Combat: Giant Zakharan rats are annoying creatures which rush into a fight with extreme quickness and then maddeningly gnaw and claw until they are killed. It is rare to find a single rat; they tend to roam in packs. While generally easy to kill, there are stories of giant rats closing in and killing a hero weakened after the hero has just defeated a major foe.

Unlike other rats, this variety is not particularly afraid of flames. Many tales exist of adventurers expecting torches or bonfires to keep them safe from the rats only to be viciously attacked while unprepared.

Ecology: The giant Zakharan rat tends to live in dank underground areas like dungeons. It can slip through tight openings as the creature’s skeletal system compresses drastically. The rats are usually found in groups, but it is very rare to find more than a dozen in any one place. Their diet is anything and everything which they encounter that is, or was once, living.

Source: Al-Qadim: Genie's Curse, p. 55.

 

[freyar]

Here's the second-to-last of the new monsters from Genie's Curse. This basically looks like a dire rat advanced to Medium, eh?

And missing the filth fever bite. But yeah.

 

[Shade]

They are just as filthy, disease ridden, ferocious, and fleet of foot as their smaller cousins.

I suppose you could argue either way for the diseased bite. The standard rat doesn't have it, but perhaps the dire rat only does because it's bigger. And these guys are bigger yet.

Here's a dire rat scaled up to Medium and accounting for some of the other minor differences from the original text. I left the filth fever bite in, but we can drop it if all of you want to do so.

Giant Zakharan Rat
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 4d8+8 (26 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+3 plus disease)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+3 plus disease)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Disease
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 4
Skills: Climb +10, Hide +3, Listen +4, Move Silently +3, Spot +4, Swim +10 (3 more ranks to distribute)
Feats: Alertness, 1 more
Environment: Any underground
Organization: Solitary or pack (2–12)
Challenge Rating: x
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 5–8 HD (Medium); 6–12 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: --

A dire rat can grow to be up to 4 feet long and weigh over 50 pounds.

Combat

Disease (Ex): Filth fever—bite, Fortitude DC 14, incubation period 1d3 days, damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Skills: Dire rats have a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks. Dire rats have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

Dire rats use their Dexterity modifier for Climb and Swim checks.

 

[dhaga]

I vote that it keeps the diseased bite.

 

[freyar]

Ehh, we're friends of RBDMs everywhere -- leave filth fever in.

What other differences were there between this and an advanced dire rat?

 

[dhaga]

What other differences were there between this and an advanced dire rat?

Not much that I can see, except for some flavor: "Unlike other rats, this variety is not particularly afraid of flames. Many tales exist of adventurers expecting torches or bonfires to keep them safe from the rats only to be viciously attacked while unprepared."

 

[Shade]

Not much that I can see, except for some flavor: "Unlike other rats, this variety is not particularly afraid of flames. Many tales exist of adventurers expecting torches or bonfires to keep them safe from the rats only to be viciously attacked while unprepared."

I'm not really sure we can do much with this. None of the other rats mention a fear of fire, and I don't think any fire-based fear effects exist.