Converting monsters from Dragon magazine (Part Two)

[Shade]

I kinda like the bite n' grab, then sting at its leisure.

Updated.

So where are we at on the poison? Let's get a quick vote on Dex damage vs. slow.

Cleon's for slow.
Demiurge is for Dex damage.

Where do the rest of you stand?

 

[Leopold]

Attach the grab to the bite. This thing picks up it's prey and tosses it around and then rips it apart with it's mouth. It has claws but aren't used much as it's primary attack. T-Rex with Wings.

 

[Cleon]

Attach the grab to the bite. This thing picks up it's prey and tosses it around and then rips it apart with it's mouth. It has claws but aren't used much as it's primary attack. T-Rex with Wings.

Switching the Improved Grab to bite works for me too, at least we seem to have a broad agreement on that.

Shall we start on skills & feats while we're voting on the venom?

Wyverns have the following skills:

Skills: Hide +7, Listen +13, Move Silently +11, Spot +16
+3 racial bonus on Spot checks
​

Pseudodragons have:

Skills: Diplomacy +2, Hide +20*, Listen +9, Search +6, Sense Motive +7, Spot +9, Survival +1 (+3 following tracks)
+4 racial bonus on Hide checks, improves to +8 inn forests or overgrown areas.
​

Diplomacy, Search and Sense Motive seem inappropriate, which leaves:

Skills: Hide +?, Listen +?, Move Silently +?, Spot +?, Survival?
​

Give it +3 racial to Spot like a Wyvern and the pseudodragons +4/+8 racial to Hide?

It will only have 16 skill points (5HD+3 times 6 + -4 Int penalty = 8 times 2) so we'll need to spend them carefully. Might drop the Survival skill if we decide it can't spare the skill points. May have to add some more racial bonuses if we decide to bump up the skills.

I think the bloodstinger is a pursuit predator, so it finds its prey and chase it rather than lies in ambush or sneaks up on it. So, I'd put most of its points in Spot and Survival and a point or two in the others.

Hide 2, Listen 2, Move Silently 2, Spot 5, Survival 5
​

Add in the ability modifiers and the previously suggested racial bonuses and we get:

Skills: Hide +7*, Listen +5, Move Silently +3, Spot +11, Survival +6
​

Maybe move a couple of the skill points in Survival over to Move Silently, if we decide it needs more of a sneakiness to tracking balance.

Skills: Hide +7*, Listen +5, Move Silently +5, Spot +11, Survival +4
​

Hmm, the Move Silently may be a bit low if we go the sneaky route. If we want to mend that we could switch all its survival skill points into MS or give it a +3 racial bonus to Move Silently to get:

Skills: Hide +7*, Listen +5, Move Silently +8, Spot +11, Survival +1 or +4
​

As for feats, I'd say Alertness (as both wyverns and pseudodragon's have it), plus Ability Focus (poison) from the wyvern, the wyvern's other feat, FLyby attack, is inappropriate as the bloodstinger is a clumsy flier.

Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Multiattack (B)
​

Which do you lot prefer?

 

[Leopold]

Skills: Hide +7*, Listen +5, Move Silently +3, Spot +11, Survival +6

I like this thing as a wait and then pounce. although it's similar to a raptor type critter it can hide and then attack.

I like the feats, they work for this guy

I'll vote for Dex Damage. cripple it then kill it.

 

[demiurge1138]

Except that Alertness is a crappy, boring feat and the bloodstinger already has very good senses. Drop Alertness, give it Iron Will or Power Attack or something.

 

[Cleon]

Except that Alertness is a crappy, boring feat and the bloodstinger already has very good senses. Drop Alertness, give it Iron Will or Power Attack or something.

Yes, I know it's not a very exciting feat but the thing's only got Int 2, maybe it's too dumb to pick a good feat. Or it's played by a newbie.

That said, I would be fine with Iron Will as an alternative. I haven't crunched the numbers, but I think its attack bonus & damage is likely too low for it to get a lot of benefit from Power Attack.

 

[Shade]

That's true. Opens up the Dodge tree, among others.

I still like this idea.

How about: Ability Focus (poison), Dodge (B), Multiattack (B), Spring Attack?

Let's drop Survival and reallocate those ranks. That skill is about as boring and useless to most (i.e. non-tracking) creatures as Toughness.

 

[demiurge1138]

Well, in order to get Spring Attack, it needs Mobility, and I'm fine with dropping Ability Focus (poison).

 

[freyar]

You know, with that flavor about playing with food, a slow effect might be nice for the poison. But Dex damage might be easier to deal with. I'm torn.

I'm also fine with dropping ability focus for mobility if we like.

 

[Cleon]

Let's drop Survival and reallocate those ranks. That skill is about as boring and useless to most (i.e. non-tracking) creatures as Toughness.

Well it may not be exciting, but I think Survival skill is useful and appropriate for most wild creatures in 3E. They're not like civilized humanoids with houses, herds and crops to sustain them, but need to hunt/forage, find shelter, avoid natural hazards and not get lost or they may die. Given the choice, I'd give most of the SRD animals some racial bonus in survival just to help them, like, survive.

As for Dodge/Mobility/Spring Attack idea, that doesn't go with my concept of the beast (I see it more brutish than agile) but I'm fine with it if the rest of you prefer the bloodstinger that way.

Since bonus feats don't need prerequisites, you could drop the Dodge and Mobility and just give it Spring Attack (B), that would let us keep Ability Focus (poison) if we want it.