Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

[Cleon]

How about this?

Fast Healing (Ex): A tyerkow heals 2 points of damage each round so long as it has at least 1 hit point, its fast healing does not function in sunlight when it is not wearing a Human Skin (see below). If reduced to 0 hit points in combat it falls to the floor, at which point it is helpless. It regains 1 hit point after 1 hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the rate of 2 hit points per round.

Human Skin (Ex): A tyerkow can take on the guise of a living humanoid by putting on a skin. The tyerkow then appears just as it did when alive. When wearing Human Skin a tyerkow is not harmed by sunlight. There are rumours some tyerkow can strip the skin off their victims and assume their appearance.

Under weaknesses:

Leave in the bit about sunlight, but add a sentence "A tyerkow wearing its Human Skin is, however, not harmed by sunlight (see above)." Then add "Separating the Human Skin from a tyerkow and burning the skin (doing X hp of fire damage to it) destroys the tyerkow utterly." Not sure if we need the bit about water or not.

Looks worthwhile to me, although I'm thinking you should be able to burn a tyerkow to destruction while it is wearing its skin as well as without. Also, I'd quite like to keep the "destroyed at dawn" bit. Maybe something like.

A tyerkow wearing a Human Skin can be destroyed by burning it to ashes (reducing it to -10 or fewer hit points via fire damage). If a tyerkow's human skin is burnt while the monster is not wearing it (this requires 5 or more points of fire damage), the tyerkow will be forever destroyed at the next dawn.​

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Better?

Thoughts on the +10 bonus on Disguise checks when wearing skin of the living?

 

[freyar]

I'm happy with it, and I like the higher amount of fire damage to burn the skin.

Maybe +10 to Disguise from the skin to impersonate a living humanoid (not anyone specific)?

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Complete?

 

[demiurge1138]

We might want to talk about how it gets a skin. Does it actually kill someone and steal their skin? Can they replace a skin that's lost or destroyed?

 

[freyar]

Good idea. I don't think they can replace a burnt skin, as they then die at the next sunrise (well, maybe they can move fast).

Ok, let's add the following to skin of the living:
A tyerkow acquires its skin by murdering a humanoid or giant of appropriate size and stripping off the skin (using a weapon or sometimes its teeth). A tyerkow may have only a single skin of the living at a time.

And to the weaknesses, just after talking about burning the skin and destruction of the monster:
The tyerkow only avoids this fate if it murders and steals the skin from a new victim before sunrise.

 

[Shade]

Good ideas!

Updated.

 

[freyar]

Hopefully done now.

 

[Cleon]

Good ideas!

Updated.

Looks good, I'd suggest a few of minor additions.

Firstly, the combat tactics should mention its dominating gaze, something like:

Tyerkow attempt to grapple living prey in order to suck blood, often after using their domination special attack or Stunning Fist feat to subdue their victim.
​

Secondly, I'm wondering about adding Monstrous Humanoid to their Skin of the Living power, but wouldn't be heart-broken if you didn't.

Thirdly, since Skin of the Living is such an important ability for them, maybe we should transfer a few skill points into Disguise, and/or let them "take 10" in the skill? At the moment its Bluff and Sense Motive bonuses are better than its Skin of the Living Disguise bonus, which doesn't seem quite right.

Perhaps swap a couple of points out from each, for Bluff and Sense Motive +13, Disguise +6 (+8 acting, +18 skin of the living) ?

 

[freyar]

Skill suggestions sound good to me!