Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

[Shade]

If you'd like.

 

[Cleon]

Indeed. Speaking of which, it sounds like their talons should be treated as adamantine weapons for the purposes of overcoming DR.

I was assuming they would be.

 

[Cleon]

Modifying the catoblepas' death ray...

Death Ray (Su): An apollyon can project a thin, gray ray up to 100 feet from its eyes. Any living creature struck by this ray takes 1d100 points of damage (Fort DC x half). After striking one target, the ray dissipates and cannot be used again for 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.

My preference is for throwing in a "save or die" in there, and some mention of the ranged touch attack bonus of the ray.

Hmm, that's odd, the original doesn't list a range. Well, 100 feet is reasonable in comparison to a finger of death spell. I'm a bit uncertain about the "once every 1d4 round" bit. A Bodak can death-gaze every round if it wants to, after all. Still, it would encourage the Appolyon to use its other offensive abilities instead of spamming kill-beams all the time.

So, I was thinking of something like:

Death Ray (Su): An apollyon can project a thin, gray ray from its eyes with a range of up to 100 feet. The first living creature struck by this ray (+X ranged touch) takes 1d100 points of damage and must succeed at a DCX Fortitude save or die instantly. The save DC is Charisma-based.
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I would have no objection to putting the 1d4 round thing back in, but am fairly committed to the save-or-die.

 

[Shade]

I'm not a fan of the save or die; in this case, the damage should be enough.

Now I would be quite happy if we made it work like disintegrate, whereupon if enough damage is taken to kill the victim, then their body is destroyed or some other "eternal death" type effect.

I'll go with the majority on this one, though.

 

[demiurge1138]

Don't like save or die on this one--I like the straight damage. And I thought that the majority had already come out in favor of it. The ray acting like a death effect for the purposes of spells makes sense and would make it harder to come back from (resurrect, instead of raise/reincarnate), but we could make it worse and have it only be miracle/wish.

 

[Cleon]

Don't like save or die on this one--I like the straight damage. And I thought that the majority had already come out in favor of it. The ray acting like a death effect for the purposes of spells makes sense and would make it harder to come back from (resurrect, instead of raise/reincarnate), but we could make it worse and have it only be miracle/wish.

Making the victim harder to bring back to life's a good idea, maybe require a level check vs DCX for the cleric casting the resurrection?

 

[Shade]

Making the victim harder to bring back to life's a good idea, maybe require a level check vs DCX for the cleric casting the resurrection?

I like it. It can symbolize the caster battling against "Death's grip".

So...

Death Ray (Su): An apollyon can project a thin, gray ray up to 100 feet from its eyes. Any living creature struck by this ray takes 1d100 points of damage (Fort DC x half). After striking one target, the ray dissipates and cannot be used again for 1d4 rounds. This is a death effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Death's grip is so strong on those slain by one of his apollyon's death rays that a DC X caster level check is required to restore life via raise dead, ressurrection, and similar life-restoring magic.

Look OK?

 

[freyar]

That's good, but note that raise dead doesn't work because this is a death effect. So we should take out the raise dead reference.

 

[Shade]

DC 25 for the caster level check?

 

[demiurge1138]

Sure. DC 25 sounds pretty good.