Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

[Cleon]

Let's give this a try:

Voluntary Barbed Defense (Ex): A vampire squid can invert its toothy maw as a defensive measure; in this form, it cannot use its bite attack and takes a -X penalty on tentacle attacks. However, any creature striking it with handheld weapons or natural weapons takes X points of piercing and slashing damage from the squid's exposed teeth. Note that weapons with exceptional reach, such as longspears, do not endanger their users in this way.

The basic idea's sound but I don't like the name that much. I'd also like to include a save - probably Reflex for half damage, probably with a Con-based DC.

We also need to say what action is required, and I think we should note it can not jet or run when in a defensive ball.

I wouldn't bother with the attack penalty for the tentacles.

So, I'm thinking something like...

Ball of Fangs (Ex): A vampire squid can invert its toothy maw as a defensive measure, surrounding its body with its sword-long teeth. Inverting its maw takes a swift action, as does reverting back to its normal configuration. An inverted vampire squid can not use its bite attack, charge, Run or use its jet special ability.

Any creature striking an inverted vampire squid with a handheld or natural weapon takes 1d10+6 points of piercing and slashing damage (halved on a successful DC 15 Reflex save); except for opponents wielding handheld weapons with exceptional reach, such as longspears, who can attack the squid without taking damage from the exposed teeth. The save DC is Constitution-based.

 

[freyar]

Changing to the ball of fangs should probably take a move action; seems like that's been our standard. Plus, I'm not sure I like these switching back and forth too much. The damage also seems a bit too high. Maybe 1d8+Con? At the moment, you have much more damage than the much tougher barbed devil.

 

[Cleon]

Changing to the ball of fangs should probably take a move action; seems like that's been our standard. Plus, I'm not sure I like these switching back and forth too much. The damage also seems a bit too high. Maybe 1d8+Con? At the moment, you have much more damage than the much tougher barbed devil.

I would rather keep it a swift action so it can deploy its defense quickly, but I could like with making it a move action. Alternatively, we could have it a swift action to invert and a move action to revert.

As for cutting the damage, at first I thought reducing it to 1d8+2 would make its ball of fangs far to feeble, but then I remembered it can still makes tentacle attacks as normal so it doesn't seem so bad.

Could we meet halfway and make it 1d10+Con?

 

[freyar]

Somehow that's more than a barbed devil (1d8+Con), but maybe. In that case, I really don't want them to be able to just switch back and forth every round, or this is "better" than what a barbed devil (at probably 6 CR higher!) has. See what I'm saying?

 

[Shade]

While you guys continue to debate, I've added the rest to Homebrews.

 

[freyar]

Gee, Shade, can't you just pick a side? We need parental supervision.

 

[Shade]

OK, go with either move action and 1d10+Con, or swift action and 1d8+Con.

 

[freyar]

I guess I'll go with swift and 1d8+Con. At least it only gets one swift action per round.

 

[Shade]

Unless we do this!

Swifter than Swift (Ex): A vampire squid may take more than one swift action each round.



Updated.

 

[freyar]

Noooooo!!!!!!!

Just noticed an extraneous ink cloud in the SQ line.

Maybe Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Spot 6 for skills since they like to ambush?

Stealthy, Power Attack, Blind Fight? Or maybe Iron Will instead of Blind Fight?