Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

[Shade]

I think the death knellish temporary boost seems Su, but I can be convinced otherwise.

Updated.

Environment: Warm forests?

Organization: Solitary or x (2–4)

Challenge Rating: 4-5? It's fairly comparable to a tiger on damage output (even considering all the special abilities), but the devour brain might be enough to push it to the next CR.

Treasure: Type D looks like standard or even double standard at its level (and of course, note in flavor that it is found only in its lair)

Advancement: 6-15 HD (Large); 16-20 HD (Huge)?

A getiet is about x feet long and weighs about x pounds. (We made the hyaenadon about 8 feet long and around 750 pounds. )

Getiets speak Common and Abyssal?

 

[Cleon]

I think the death knellish temporary boost seems Su, but I can be convinced otherwise.

Updated.

I'm fine with dropping the deceptive skills, but I'm wondering whether we shouldn't switch a few points from Spot & Listen to Hide. A Hide of +1 isn't going to help it much in an ambush.

The feats are OK, as is Warm Forest and the organization.

I'll back CR4. It isn't that much tougher than a tiger. It's certainly not as nasty as a greater barghest or dire lion.

Standard treasure I suppose, it's not noted for liking to hoard loot.

Advancement to 20 Hit Dice is fine, but I'd prefer the switchover to Huge is a bit lower. 6-12 HD (Large); 13-20 HD (Huge) maybe?

Using the Hyaenodon's size and weight seems a good fit:

A typical getiet is about 8 feet long, stands 4 feet high at the shoulder, and weighs 750 pounds.

 

[demiurge1138]

I'll sponsor CR 5. A tiger can do a lot of damage on a pounce, but the getiet's more dangerous in a straight up melee--much higher to hits, for example. And the death knell is pretty mean.

Also, greater barghests should not be a touchstone for the comparison of anything's CR, except maybe as "is it as broken as a greater barghest?"

I'll also come out in favor of a racial bonus to Hide checks for the ambushing.

 

[freyar]

This all looks fine to me. As for Devour Brain, I thought Ex -- it gets the temp hp and Str boost because brains are nutritious!

 

[Shade]

Taking the greater barghest out of the equation, CR 5 looks pretty appealing. Although they have less HD/hp than a dire lion, damage output and attack modifiers are similar, and the special abilities even it out.

Give 'em the hyena's +4 racial bonus on Hide checks in areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth?

Cleon's suggestions for height/weight and advancement sound good.

Suggested name for a group? Borrow "pack" from hyenas, or something more along the lines of a "murder" of crows, like "brainfeast"?

 

[freyar]

The racial Hide bonus sounds right.

I like the organization name idea in general, but "brainfeast" just sounds gross. Maybe that's the idea, but maybe something like "slaughter" or "massacre" works better.

 

[demiurge1138]

A slaughter of getiets sounds about right.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Finished?

 

[freyar]

Looks done to me.

 

[demiurge1138]

Same here. I like how it turned out.