Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

[Shade]

And can we call it a frill? I'm getting a frilled lizard/Jurassic Park dilophosaurus vibe, which sounds a lot better than "Elizabethan ruff".

Hell and yeah!

The other idea sounds interesting as well. Limited to say once per round?

 

[freyar]

I'm busy for one day, and look at all you guys do! There's a chemosit in the homebrews, by the way.

The Reflex save idea sounds good.

I lean slightly toward paralysis/insanity, but we can describe it more or less as scintillating pattern (or go the other way, my opinion isn't strong).

I don't quite get the reach of the different natural weapons myself.

 

[demiurge1138]

I do like paralysis/insanity as well, and am currently leaning towards it as more differentiation. I think the tail should have five feet more of reach than its other natural weapons. And 1/round is good for the half damage (melee evasion? deflect blows?)

 

[Cleon]

I like the scintillating pattern version. Perhaps the mapmaker has some sort of ability where it can make Reflex saves against attack rolls to take half damage, as they strike the deflective ruff instead?

And can we call it a frill? I'm getting a frilled lizard/Jurassic Park dilophosaurus vibe, which sounds a lot better than "Elizabethan ruff".

You sir are a scallywag! No gentleman weasel from the more select parts of Pandemonium would disgrace himself by comparing his neck adornments with parts of some vulgar reptile.

I insist we keep the "Elizabethan Ruff" reference, although I will be willing to stoop to the whims of the common crowd and make references to this noble appurtenance as being a "Frill".

 

[Cleon]

I like the scintillating pattern version. Perhaps the mapmaker has some sort of ability where it can make Reflex saves against attack rolls to take half damage, as they strike the deflective ruff instead?

Although I like the suggestion of it having a Reflex save to take half damage from a weapon attack by absorbing them with its ruff.

As for the hump taking 150% damage, maybe we could make the Mapmaker more vulnerable to criticals? Say, it takes an extra crit multiplier, so a x2 crit becomes x3. That's the same 50% markup as the original write-up and is a better fit with 3E rules.

 

[demiurge1138]

Ah, reminds me of my "impeded fortification" rules from my Mystery Science Theater Monster Project:

Impeded Fortification (Ex): The armor plates of a Metalunan mutant help protect its vulnerable organs, but, ironically, its brain is almost entirely exposed. Critical hits and sneak attacks have a 50% chance of inflicting only normal damage against a mutant, but if they succeed, a critical hit deals an extra multiplier of damage (a greatsword dealing x3 damage, or a pick x5) and a sneak attack deals an extra 2d6 damage.

 

[freyar]

Impeded Fortification could work, though I think that Ref for 1/2 damage from attacks 1/rd plus vulnerability to crits, as Cleon suggests, is somehow simpler.

 

[demiurge1138]

Oh, I agree. I was just putting another option on the table/pointing out the similarity.

 

[Shade]

We did something similar with the great elder wyrm...

Weak Spot (Ex): A confirmed critical hit on a natural 20 with a slashing or piercing weapon allows a creature to take advantage of an elder wyrm’s weak spot (if it remains exposed), increasing the weapon’s damage multiplier by one step (for example, a longsword which has a multiplier of x2 would have a multiplier of x3 against a great elder wyrm’s weak spot).

Just throwing it out there for more inspiration. Take it or leave it.

 

[freyar]

The weak spot does seem like a nice compromise, too.