Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

[abe ray]

Please do.

 

[Cleon]

Your tactics look good to me!
And I think the sample lizardfolk looks fine. Do you want a description and background for the template and sample? I'm inclined to skip for the sample at least.

So are we skipping the Description and Background for the powered lizardfolk, right?

I'd be OK having some of the SRD text:

A tailed reptilian humanoid the height of a tall human.

A lizardfolk is usually 6 to 7 feet tall with green, gray, or brown scales and a tail 3 to 4 feet long. They can weigh 200 to 250 pounds.

Lizardfolk speak Draconic.

Oh, and I realized there's some grammatical errors in the current version's Tactics:

A powered lizardfolk are even less organized but occasionally attack in small groups with their powered or non-powered kinfolk. They generally attack in a frothing frenzy of claws and teeth. A powered lizardfolk usually doesn't bother carrying a shield, and those that do often forget to use them. They prefer to wield their clubs two-handed.​

It should either be:

Tactics #2
A powered lizardfolk is even less organized but occasionally attacks in small groups with its powered or non-powered kinfolk. They generally attack in a frothing frenzy of claws and teeth. A powered lizardfolk usually doesn't bother carrying a shield, and those that do often forget to use them. They prefer to wield their clubs two-handed.​

Or (more consistently with the SRD lizardfolk Tactics) use an all plural presentation.

How about:

Tactics #3
Powered lizardfolk are even less organized but occasionally fight in small groups with powered or non-powered kinfolk; they generally attack in a frothing frenzy of claws and teeth. Powered lizardfolk usually don't bother carrying shields, and those that do often forget to use them. They prefer to wield their clubs two-handed.​

I like the version #3 better. Shall I put it in the Working Draft?

 

[freyar]

That all looks good, including the bit on reproduction.

Do you agree with skipping the description and background for the sample powered lizardfolk? Because then I think these are done.

 

[Cleon]

That all looks good, including the bit on reproduction.

Do you agree with skipping the description and background for the sample powered lizardfolk? Because then I think these are done.

Updating the Powered Creature and the Powerslug.

Yes, I think they're done.

[EDIT] Upon reflection, I've added the sentence "A creature fully infested by a powerslug gains the powered creature template" to the powerslug. [/EDIT]

 

[freyar]

Looks good on a quick glance! Only 14 months!

I think we had some ideas for the next monsters in this thread. What about the Ihagnim?

 

[abe ray]

Looks good on a quick glance! Only 14 months!

I think we had some ideas for the next monsters in this thread. What about the Ihagnim?

I thought we we’re doing the lich blood or another creature from that article?

 

[freyar]

Sure, whenever anyone can post the original stats!

 

[Cleon]

I thought we we’re doing the lich blood or another creature from that article?

Looks good on a quick glance! Only 14 months!

I think we had some ideas for the next monsters in this thread. What about the Ihagnim?

I'd rather do the Ihagnim, if only because we referred to it in a previous conversion.

 

[Cleon]

Sure, whenever anyone can post the original stats!

Here you go…

IHAGNIM
FREQUENCY: Rare on Astral Plane; unknown elsewhere
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVE: 8″ to 16″ (see below)
HIT DICE: 8-16
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: See below
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1-4 tentacles
DAMAGE/ATTACK: See below
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Dissolving; bag of devouring lure; multiple attacks; “swallowing” whole
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spell and psionic immunities; blunt weapons do ½ damage
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average to exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (8′-16′ diameter)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VII to X/1975 + l0/hp to 13100 + 20/hp

 (Note: See DRAGON® Magazine #67 for more information on the Astral Plane and the nature of movement and combat in that environment).
 Ihagnim are among the very few known creatures that normally inhabit the Astral Plane. Being native to this plane, they experience normal feelings of hunger (unlike visitors from other planes) and have developed special talents for getting their food.
 An ihagnim appears to be a large, plastic amoeba with a translucent body. It is difficult to see against the background of the Astral Plane and sighting distances to it are reduced to 10% of the normal range. The surface of an ihagnim is generally smooth, though it is capable of forming large tentacles to reach out and catch its prey. An ihagnim moves through astral space by mental concentration, like all other astral creatures (10 yards per round per point of intelligence, which in this case equates to hit dice).
 There are two major organs within an ihagnim’s body; one is the nucleus, containing the brain and other organs, and the other is the stomach (having a volume of 30 cubic feet). The nucleus is capable of manufacturing a special organ that has a transplanar link to the stomach; this organ looks remarkably like a bag or sack and radiates magic if this is checked for. Ihagnim can cause their baglike organs to plane shift across to the Prime Material Plane, where curious humans or other creatures find them and believe them to be bags of holding (since the bag connects directly to the stomach, simulating an extra-dimensional space). Some ihagnim have a special lure in their stomachs that resembles a cluster of beans or a small fuzzy ball, thus causing the unwary users of the bag to confuse it with other sorts of magical sacks. Those who are familiar with such devices call them bags of devouring, see the description of that item in the DMG.
 Ihagnim reproduce by fission. A newly created ihagnim has 8 HD and 57 hp, an intelligence of 8, and a movement allowance of 8″ in astral space (80 yds./round). It is capable of detecting any living creatures within 240 yards and is aware of their exact locations, and as soon as it finds such creatures it will make directly for them to attack. The ihagnim will lash out at its prey with 1-4 tentacles each round; a tentacle can reach out to a distance of up to twice as far as the ihagnim’s body diameter (thus an 8 HD monster, 8′ across, can reach out to 16′). If a tentacle hits an opponent, it wraps around it and pulls it toward the monster’s body. A victim has a chance of pulling free from the tentacle equal to his chance of pulling free of a bag of devouring (i.e., a 25% base chance, plus 5% for every point of the figure’s strength bonus on damage; a man with 18/00 strength has a 55% chance of pulling free). If the opponent pulls away, the ihagnim may roll to attack the same figure on the next round if that target is still within range. Those who are dragged to the ihagnim’s body are transferred to the stomach in the same round, where digestion by powerful acids begins. A character will be fully digested on the following round, and will not be recoverable by any means.
 The only way to avoid being digested is to expose the stomach lining to some sort of poison, which (if it doesn’t kill the ihagnim) will cause it to “spit out” its stomach contents immediately. This could only be done on the round in which the ihagnim is trying to digest its meal; if the attempt to introduce poison fails (the character has no poison potions or misses an attack against the AC 0 stomach wall with a poisoned dagger), the character is lost. Afterward, there is a 5% chance per turn that the ihagnim will “spit out” any nondigestible items (armor, weapons, equipment, etc.).
 Ihagnim can eat any number of creatures at one “sitting,” subject to the rules below. For every 100 lbs. of living material consumed by an ihagnim, the ihagnim gains 1 hit point. For every 8 hp gained, the ihagnim gains another effective hit die (57-64 hp = 8 HD, 65-72 hp = 9 HD, and so on up to 121-128 hp = 16 HD). Thus, an 8 HD (57 hp) ihagnim that eats a 112 lb. figure gains a point to 58 hp; after eating an 88 lb. figure on the following round, it gains another point to 59 hp (carrying over the excess weight amount from the previous feeding). Once an ihagnim reaches a total of 128 hp, it will begin to divide into two smaller ihagnim, each with 8 HD and 57 hp. This process takes 5-10 rounds; the creature cannot move during that time.
 The number of hit dice an ihagnim possesses is equal to its diameter in feet, its intelligence score, and its movement rate in tens of yards per round. Thus, a 16 HD ihagnim that undergoes fission will produce two smaller ihagnim that move at half the speed of the original one (8″ instead of 16″). The thick, plasticlike bodies of ihagnim reduce all damage taken by blunt weapons to one-half of its original amount; sharpedged weapons do normal damage. All ihagnim are immune to haste, slow, paralysis, hold, or charm attacks. Fire-based spells do half-damage; cold spells do normal damage and render the creature unable to attack (though it can still move) for 1-4 rounds thereafter. Psionic attacks do not affect ihagnim, and they cannot communicate with any creature, except each other.
 Anyone entering the Astral Plane in possession of a bag of devouring will attract the ihagnim who made it within 1-12 turns as an extra encounter. Destroying a bag of devouring does no harm to the ihagnim, except to cause the nucleus to start manufacturing another bag, which will be completed in 1-4 weeks. An ihagnim may have only one such bag at any time.
 When encountered, there is a 10% chance that an ihagnim will have various treasures contained in its stomach, put there by someone on the Prime Material Plane who thinks he or she is filling a bag of holding. The usual amounts of treasure found can be determined as follows:
 30% chance of 100-400 gp
 40 % chance of 200-800 ep
 50% chance of 200-1200 sp
 30% chance of 1-4 jewels
 10% chance of 1-2 small magical items (potion, scroll, misc.)

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #89 (“Creature Catalog”, September 1984) accredited to Roger Moore.

 

[Cleon]

Posting a Working Draft as a placeholder.