Converting monsters from Dragon magazine (Part Two)
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Cleon
Legend
Looks fine, except that I reckon its Spot and Listen skills should be +9.
I suspect it's missing the +1 for Wisdom 12.
Apart from that it's good to go, who (or rather what) do we have up next?
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Shade
Monster Junkie
Bloodstinger
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate or subtropical mountain forests and jungles
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
TREASURE: Incidental
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 3
MOVEMENT: 18, fly 24 (D)
HIT DICE: 5
THAC0: 15
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8/1-4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: H (15’ long, 20’ wingspan)
MORALE: Elite (14)
XP VALUE: 650
Other than size, the most obvious difference between the pseudodragon and the wyvern is the number of limbs: the wyvern lacks the front legs of its smaller cousin. The recent discovery of the bloodstinger, a wyvern-like creature with small forelimbs, has led many to believe the creature is a “missing link” between the two reptiles. Whether the bloodstinger is an intermediate form showing how the pseudodragon evolved into the wyvern or how the wyvern evolved into the smaller pseudodragon is a matter of contention in academic circles; many sages discount both theories, believing both creatures are the result of divergent lines of evolution from the “original” bloodstinger stock.
Standing upright on huge, powerful legs, the bloodstinger is rather tyrannosaur-like in build. However, its lengthy tail is equipped with a foot-long stinger, and it sports a pair of batlike wings. Two backward-curving horns project from the top of its skull, further evidence of a common ancestry with the wyvern. Its skin is pebbly, with a texture and coloration similar to that of a gila monster: mottled black and red. It is from its red coloration that the bloodstinger gets its name.
Combat: Oddly enough, the bloodstinger prefers to attack from the ground, using its wings merely as a means of rapid transportation to prey. It delivers a vicious bite for 2-8 hp damage and also stings with its tail-spike for an additional 1-4 hp damage. Those struck by the tail-spike must save vs. poison or be slowed for 4-20 rounds, after which time they must save vs. poison again or die. Subsequent stinger hits are not cumulative; the victim suffers the poison effects of the first hit only (although he suffers 1-4 puncture damage from each subsequent stinger hit). Bloodstingers are immune to the effects of their own poison.
Habitat/Society: Bloodstingers are loners, gathering only during mating season in the spring. After an elaborate mating ritual, including aggressive roars and an intricate bobbing dance, the mating itself occurs in flight. The females lay their eggs (3-6 in a clutch) in their mountain-top nests, caring for the young for the first year only.
Strictly carnivorous, a bloodstinger attacks just about anything that moves, regardless of its size. If it finds it has “bitten off more than it can chew,” it relies on flight to escape. There is no safety in numbers when dealing with bloodstingers, for they are not intimidated by large numbers of adversaries.
Perhaps because of their relatively poor maneuverability, bloodstingers tend to ignore aerial prey. Strangely, being airborne is one of the safest places to be in combat against one of these flying creatures, for they are much more likely to break away from combat and search out easier, landbound prey than they are to pursue prey once it takes to the skies. It is believed that a bloodstinger’s wings tire quickly; except for their mating flights, they are never spotted in the air for long periods.
Some have thought that bloodstingers would make excellent riding mounts. Unfortunately , this has never been successfully accomplished; even when raised in captivity, bloodstingers refuse to acknowledge any master and seek to devour those who would use them as steeds. Only through charm monster spells can these creatures be used in such a manner.
Ecology: Bloodstinger flesh is next to inedible, but their brightly-colored skin is often sought after by primitive hunters (and several lizard man tribes) for shields or hide armor. The poison sacs in their tails can be used to harvest the equivalent of 1-3 potions of poison, each with the same effects as a bloodstinger’s stinger attack once ingested. In addition, the hard, bony stinger itself is often used as a weapon, either as a one-handed weapon as is or mounted on a pole to create a spear.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #251 (1998).
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate or subtropical mountain forests and jungles
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
TREASURE: Incidental
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 3
MOVEMENT: 18, fly 24 (D)
HIT DICE: 5
THAC0: 15
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8/1-4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: H (15’ long, 20’ wingspan)
MORALE: Elite (14)
XP VALUE: 650
Other than size, the most obvious difference between the pseudodragon and the wyvern is the number of limbs: the wyvern lacks the front legs of its smaller cousin. The recent discovery of the bloodstinger, a wyvern-like creature with small forelimbs, has led many to believe the creature is a “missing link” between the two reptiles. Whether the bloodstinger is an intermediate form showing how the pseudodragon evolved into the wyvern or how the wyvern evolved into the smaller pseudodragon is a matter of contention in academic circles; many sages discount both theories, believing both creatures are the result of divergent lines of evolution from the “original” bloodstinger stock.
Standing upright on huge, powerful legs, the bloodstinger is rather tyrannosaur-like in build. However, its lengthy tail is equipped with a foot-long stinger, and it sports a pair of batlike wings. Two backward-curving horns project from the top of its skull, further evidence of a common ancestry with the wyvern. Its skin is pebbly, with a texture and coloration similar to that of a gila monster: mottled black and red. It is from its red coloration that the bloodstinger gets its name.
Combat: Oddly enough, the bloodstinger prefers to attack from the ground, using its wings merely as a means of rapid transportation to prey. It delivers a vicious bite for 2-8 hp damage and also stings with its tail-spike for an additional 1-4 hp damage. Those struck by the tail-spike must save vs. poison or be slowed for 4-20 rounds, after which time they must save vs. poison again or die. Subsequent stinger hits are not cumulative; the victim suffers the poison effects of the first hit only (although he suffers 1-4 puncture damage from each subsequent stinger hit). Bloodstingers are immune to the effects of their own poison.
Habitat/Society: Bloodstingers are loners, gathering only during mating season in the spring. After an elaborate mating ritual, including aggressive roars and an intricate bobbing dance, the mating itself occurs in flight. The females lay their eggs (3-6 in a clutch) in their mountain-top nests, caring for the young for the first year only.
Strictly carnivorous, a bloodstinger attacks just about anything that moves, regardless of its size. If it finds it has “bitten off more than it can chew,” it relies on flight to escape. There is no safety in numbers when dealing with bloodstingers, for they are not intimidated by large numbers of adversaries.
Perhaps because of their relatively poor maneuverability, bloodstingers tend to ignore aerial prey. Strangely, being airborne is one of the safest places to be in combat against one of these flying creatures, for they are much more likely to break away from combat and search out easier, landbound prey than they are to pursue prey once it takes to the skies. It is believed that a bloodstinger’s wings tire quickly; except for their mating flights, they are never spotted in the air for long periods.
Some have thought that bloodstingers would make excellent riding mounts. Unfortunately , this has never been successfully accomplished; even when raised in captivity, bloodstingers refuse to acknowledge any master and seek to devour those who would use them as steeds. Only through charm monster spells can these creatures be used in such a manner.
Ecology: Bloodstinger flesh is next to inedible, but their brightly-colored skin is often sought after by primitive hunters (and several lizard man tribes) for shields or hide armor. The poison sacs in their tails can be used to harvest the equivalent of 1-3 potions of poison, each with the same effects as a bloodstinger’s stinger attack once ingested. In addition, the hard, bony stinger itself is often used as a weapon, either as a one-handed weapon as is or mounted on a pole to create a spear.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #251 (1998).
Shade
Monster Junkie
Comparing to the 2e wyvern and pseudodragon stats, this does indeed appear to be a missing link between the two. Its poison is essentially a blending of the two.
Ironically, its size is exactly indentical to that of the 3e wyvern. However, the 2e wyvern was much larger (35-foot long with 50-foot wingspan), so I could see reducing these to Medium for our conversion.
So, shall we downsize a wyvern to Medium, reduce mental stats as appropriate for animal intelligence, and make the other minor changes?
Ironically, its size is exactly indentical to that of the 3e wyvern. However, the 2e wyvern was much larger (35-foot long with 50-foot wingspan), so I could see reducing these to Medium for our conversion.
So, shall we downsize a wyvern to Medium, reduce mental stats as appropriate for animal intelligence, and make the other minor changes?
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