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Converting monsters from Dragon magazine
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Cleon
Legend
If you don't have any preferences for the next Dragon Mag monster, maybe we could continue converting the monsters from the original Creature Catalog that the Ihagnim debuted in?
There's eight remaining: Corkie, Fachan, Flailtail, Millikan, Seastar, Scallion, Giant Shrike and Sind.
The Fachan is not the same as the Fachan or Lesser Fachan we've already got CC conversions for.
The Fachan conversion is a small Forgotten Realms monster from MC11 - Forgotten Realms Appendix II (1991) while the Lesser Fachan is a man-sized monster from HR3 - Celts Campaign Sourcebook (1992) so is the closest to the original myth.
The Fachan from the Dragon #89 (1989) creature catalog is a mutant ogre who can throw rocks.
Incidentally, the Fachan in the Savage Coast Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1996) is also a mutant ogre who can throw rocks. There are so many similarities in the description and statistics it's obviously based to the Dragon #89 version. The only functional difference is the Savage Coast species is affected by the Red Curse, usually with multiple Legacies, and has two more Hit Dice. It's got 8+3 HD instead of the original fachan's 6+3 HD.
There's eight remaining: Corkie, Fachan, Flailtail, Millikan, Seastar, Scallion, Giant Shrike and Sind.
The Fachan is not the same as the Fachan or Lesser Fachan we've already got CC conversions for.
The Fachan conversion is a small Forgotten Realms monster from MC11 - Forgotten Realms Appendix II (1991) while the Lesser Fachan is a man-sized monster from HR3 - Celts Campaign Sourcebook (1992) so is the closest to the original myth.
The Fachan from the Dragon #89 (1989) creature catalog is a mutant ogre who can throw rocks.
Incidentally, the Fachan in the Savage Coast Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1996) is also a mutant ogre who can throw rocks. There are so many similarities in the description and statistics it's obviously based to the Dragon #89 version. The only functional difference is the Savage Coast species is affected by the Red Curse, usually with multiple Legacies, and has two more Hit Dice. It's got 8+3 HD instead of the original fachan's 6+3 HD.
Cleon
Legend
Suits me.
We can give the Savage Coast version a subentry I guess.
Will start a blank Working Draft and post the original stats.
Cleon
Legend
Fachan?
Size Type
Hit Dice: d+ ( hp)
Initiative: +–
Speed: ft. ( squares)
Armor Class: 1 (+– size, Dex, + natural), touch 1, flat-footed 1
Base Attack/Grapple: +/+
Attack: X + melee (d+); or Z + ranged (d+)
Full Attack: X + melee (d+) and Y + melee (d+); or Z + ranged (d+)
Space/Reach: ft./ ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: —
Saves: Fort +, Ref +, Will +
Abilities: Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
Skills: Skill
Feats: Feat, Bonusᴮ
Environment: Any/Temperate/Cold/Warm aquatic/plains/deserts/forests//hills/marshes/mountains/tundra/underground/[A Plane]
e.g. Cold or temperate plains and forests
Organization: Solitary or ()
Challenge Rating: #
Treasure: None/Standard/% coins, % goods and % items/Double/Triple
Alignment: Always/Usually/Often lawful/neutral/chaotic good/evil/neutral
Advancement: – HD () or by character class
Level Adjustment: —/+#
Description.
Background.
Combat
Tactics.
Ability (Ex/Su/Sp/Ps): .
Skills: .
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #89 (“Creature Catalog,” September 1984, Roger Moore).
Size Type
Hit Dice: d+ ( hp)
Initiative: +–
Speed: ft. ( squares)
Armor Class: 1 (+– size, Dex, + natural), touch 1, flat-footed 1
Base Attack/Grapple: +/+
Attack: X + melee (d+); or Z + ranged (d+)
Full Attack: X + melee (d+) and Y + melee (d+); or Z + ranged (d+)
Space/Reach: ft./ ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: —
Saves: Fort +, Ref +, Will +
Abilities: Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
Skills: Skill
Feats: Feat, Bonusᴮ
Environment: Any/Temperate/Cold/Warm aquatic/plains/deserts/forests//hills/marshes/mountains/tundra/underground/[A Plane]
e.g. Cold or temperate plains and forests
Organization: Solitary or ()
Challenge Rating: #
Treasure: None/Standard/% coins, % goods and % items/Double/Triple
Alignment: Always/Usually/Often lawful/neutral/chaotic good/evil/neutral
Advancement: – HD () or by character class
Level Adjustment: —/+#
Description.
Background.
Combat
Tactics.
Ability (Ex/Su/Sp/Ps): .
Skills: .
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #89 (“Creature Catalog,” September 1984, Roger Moore).
Cleon
Legend
Here's the original 1E AD&D Creature Catalogue entry.
FACHAN
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 12″
HIT DICE: 6 + 3
% IN LAIR: 20%
TREASURE TYPE: D
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 kick or 1 weapon
DAMAGE/ATTACK : 2-12 or by weapon type (plus strength bonuses)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Hurling rocks
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Surprised only on a 1
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: L (9′-11′ tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: V/475 + 8/hp
The fachan is an unusual creature that lives in rocky, unforested hills and rough terrain. It is vaguely humanoid in appearance, but has only one arm, one leg, and one eye (set in the center of its face like that of a cyclops). The leg is attached to a special joint in the center of its pelvis, and the arm is joined to a socket set in the middle of its chest. In many other respects the fachan looks like an ogre; indeed, one birth in every 400 among ogrekind produces a fachan. Fachans are found with 5% of all ogre tribes, and in 1% of all orc lairs.
Fachans have dark grey-brown skin and thick, wiry, blue-black hair. Their eyes are purple with white pupils, like those of ogres. They have a life span of approximately 90 years and speak the tongues of ogres, trolls, and orcs.
The musculature of the fachan’s two limbs is exceptional; the arm has the gripping and striking power of a fighter with exceptional strength (roll percentage randomly for each individual). They move about with a sort of hopping run and are quite agile.They can make great leaps of as much as 10′ in distance and can clear a 6′-tall hurdle from a standing start. If unarmed, a fachan may kick or stomp creatures of 6′ height or less, doing 2-12 points of damage on each successful hit. Fachans weigh between 550 and 1,000 lbs., depending on their size, but despite this bulk can leap from a prone to a standing position in one segment.
Humans and demi-humans hate fachans, mainly because the creatures share the same dietary preferences for dwarven, elven, and halfling flesh that normal ogres have. Most other humanoid creatures cannot stand them either, since fachans are prone to exceptionally cruel behavior which they will direct against anyone nearby. Only orcs and ogres have made any attempt to get along with fachans, and some orcish tribes have succeeded in getting fachans to serve as scouts and guards. Fachans have exceptionally acute hearing, enabling them to pick up the sound of approaching horsemen from up to five miles away. They can only be surprised on a roll of 1 on a six-sided die.
In combat, fachans will usually use clubs or morning stars as weapons, though some can be induced to use axes or swords. Because they have only one hand, they cannot use missile weapons or polearms, but they can (because of their great strength) use swords of up to bastard size, and they get the full “two-handed” damage results from the latter (2-8/2-16). While a fachan can use a shield to defend itself, it would be unable to hold a shield and make any attack other than by kicking or stomping; this would be an extremely rare situation.
Fachans can hurl rocks weighing up to 40 lbs. apiece to a maximum range of 60 yards, causing 4-10 points of damage for each rock that hits its target. However, the fachan’s body structure and lack of depth perception (because of the single eye) cause the creature to take a -2 penalty “to hit” on a rock throw out to any range (cumulative with the -2 medium range and -5 long range penalties normally assessed). Medium range for a fachan’s rock throw starts at 20 yards, and long range is anything from 40 to 60 yards.
Though fachans are technically giant-class humanoids, their weird body arrangement causes a ranger to receive only one-half (round fractions down) of the normal damage bonus that members of that class get against such creatures. Dwarves and gnomes cannot evade fachans as they can ogres and giants, and fachans have normal chances to strike these smaller folk.
Alchemists and magic-users have found that the hearing organs of a fachan may be used to make potions of clairaudience, It is also known that the hide of a fachan’s hand, properly treated and enchanted, may be made into a single glove or gauntlet for either a right or left hand, depending on the handedness of the fachan from which the hide was taken (50% chance for either result). This gauntlet of fachan power will impart 18/00 strength to the wearer’s arm, hand, and shoulder. Only one such glove may be worn by a person at one time; two of them worn simultaneously will negate each other’s effects. The user gains all bonuses to grip and use a weapon in that hand (+3 to hit, +6 to damage); however, he may not lift weights that his body could not normally support, since the glove only strengthens the limb on which it is worn. The user gets a strength bonus for hurled weapons thrown by the hand wearing the gauntlet. The gauntlet may be used by dwarves in conjunction with a girdle of giant strength and a +3 dwarven thrower warhammer, just as if using gauntlets of ogre power, but humans may not use such a glove with a hammer of thunderbolts because the weapon is too large to use one-handed.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #89 accredited to Roger Moore (“Creature Catalog”, September 1984).
Here's the 2E Savage Coast version:
Fachan
This unusual creature looks grotesque even compared to other ogres. Its vaguely humanoid body possesses only one leg, one arm, and one eye. The leg attaches to a special joint in the center of its pelvis, and the arm hangs from a socket set in the middle of the creature’s chest. The fachan’s eye is centered in its face like that of a cyclops.
A fachan has dull gray skin, wiry black hair on its head, and no body hair. Its eye is purple with a white pupil, like an ogre’s, and they tend to possess very large ears. A fachan’s heavily muscled body is actually quite agile. They move about with a short hopping run, sometimes making leaps as great as 10 feet in distance and clearing over 6 feet in height.
Fachans have a lifespan of approximately 90 years. They usually speak the languages of local ogres, trolls, and orcs.
The Red Curse: Fachans gain multiple Legacies, sometimes as many as 5 (1d4+1). Fachans require cinnabryl, and because they have trouble acquiring the metal, most are heavily Afflicted. Only their strong desire to inflict equal suffering on others keeps them functioning. Fachan wear cinnabryl when it can be found, but they prefer taking it from others.
Combat: In combat, fachans use clubs or morning stars as weapons, though some have discovered the usefulness of axes or swords. Because they have only one hand, fachans cannot use missile weapons or polearms, but they can wield a two-handed weapon (up to bastard sword size) and still deliver the full two-handed damage. In addition, fachans have a +4 damage bonus when striking with any hand-held weapon.
If unarmed, a fachan may kick or stomp any creatures less than 6 feet tall, doing 2d6 points of damage on each successful hit. Fachans can also hurl rocks weighing up to 40 pounds apiece to a maximum range of 60 yards, each causing 2d4+2 points of damage with a successful hit. However, the fachan’s body structure and lack of depth perception (because of the single eye) gives the creature a –2 penalty to hit when throwing rocks (cumulative with the normal –2 medium range and –5 long range penalties).
Though fachans are considered giant class, rangers only gain one half the normal damage bonus because of the fachan’s strange body arrangement. Fachans are very alert and are surprised only on a roll of 1.
Habitat/Society: One out of every 400 ogre births produces a fachan, which may stay with the tribe but usually seeks out its own kind. Fachans prey on any creature other than ogres, showing marked preference for the flesh of humans and demihumans. Fachans are also prone to exceptionally cruel behavior, directing it at anyone nearby. Only orcs and ogres make any attempt to get along with the creatures. Ogres try only because of the thin bonds of kinship between them; orcs bribe fachans to work as scouts and guards because of their great strength and exceptional hearing. Fachans can detect the sound of an approaching horseman from up to 5 miles away. Fachans also have a 10% chance of possessing a legacy leech.
Ecology: Alchemists and wizards have found that the hearing organs of a fachan may be made into a potion of clairaudience. Also, the hide of a fachan’s hand can be made into a single gauntlet of fachan power for either the left or right hand depending on the fachan (50% chance either way). This gauntlet bestows 18/00 strength to the wearer’s arm, hand, and shoulder for purposes of grip and damage bonuses.
Originally from Savage Coast Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1996, Loren L. Coleman and Ted James Thomas Zuvich).
FACHAN
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 12″
HIT DICE: 6 + 3
% IN LAIR: 20%
TREASURE TYPE: D
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 kick or 1 weapon
DAMAGE/ATTACK : 2-12 or by weapon type (plus strength bonuses)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Hurling rocks
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Surprised only on a 1
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: L (9′-11′ tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: V/475 + 8/hp
The fachan is an unusual creature that lives in rocky, unforested hills and rough terrain. It is vaguely humanoid in appearance, but has only one arm, one leg, and one eye (set in the center of its face like that of a cyclops). The leg is attached to a special joint in the center of its pelvis, and the arm is joined to a socket set in the middle of its chest. In many other respects the fachan looks like an ogre; indeed, one birth in every 400 among ogrekind produces a fachan. Fachans are found with 5% of all ogre tribes, and in 1% of all orc lairs.
Fachans have dark grey-brown skin and thick, wiry, blue-black hair. Their eyes are purple with white pupils, like those of ogres. They have a life span of approximately 90 years and speak the tongues of ogres, trolls, and orcs.
The musculature of the fachan’s two limbs is exceptional; the arm has the gripping and striking power of a fighter with exceptional strength (roll percentage randomly for each individual). They move about with a sort of hopping run and are quite agile.They can make great leaps of as much as 10′ in distance and can clear a 6′-tall hurdle from a standing start. If unarmed, a fachan may kick or stomp creatures of 6′ height or less, doing 2-12 points of damage on each successful hit. Fachans weigh between 550 and 1,000 lbs., depending on their size, but despite this bulk can leap from a prone to a standing position in one segment.
Humans and demi-humans hate fachans, mainly because the creatures share the same dietary preferences for dwarven, elven, and halfling flesh that normal ogres have. Most other humanoid creatures cannot stand them either, since fachans are prone to exceptionally cruel behavior which they will direct against anyone nearby. Only orcs and ogres have made any attempt to get along with fachans, and some orcish tribes have succeeded in getting fachans to serve as scouts and guards. Fachans have exceptionally acute hearing, enabling them to pick up the sound of approaching horsemen from up to five miles away. They can only be surprised on a roll of 1 on a six-sided die.
In combat, fachans will usually use clubs or morning stars as weapons, though some can be induced to use axes or swords. Because they have only one hand, they cannot use missile weapons or polearms, but they can (because of their great strength) use swords of up to bastard size, and they get the full “two-handed” damage results from the latter (2-8/2-16). While a fachan can use a shield to defend itself, it would be unable to hold a shield and make any attack other than by kicking or stomping; this would be an extremely rare situation.
Fachans can hurl rocks weighing up to 40 lbs. apiece to a maximum range of 60 yards, causing 4-10 points of damage for each rock that hits its target. However, the fachan’s body structure and lack of depth perception (because of the single eye) cause the creature to take a -2 penalty “to hit” on a rock throw out to any range (cumulative with the -2 medium range and -5 long range penalties normally assessed). Medium range for a fachan’s rock throw starts at 20 yards, and long range is anything from 40 to 60 yards.
Though fachans are technically giant-class humanoids, their weird body arrangement causes a ranger to receive only one-half (round fractions down) of the normal damage bonus that members of that class get against such creatures. Dwarves and gnomes cannot evade fachans as they can ogres and giants, and fachans have normal chances to strike these smaller folk.
Alchemists and magic-users have found that the hearing organs of a fachan may be used to make potions of clairaudience, It is also known that the hide of a fachan’s hand, properly treated and enchanted, may be made into a single glove or gauntlet for either a right or left hand, depending on the handedness of the fachan from which the hide was taken (50% chance for either result). This gauntlet of fachan power will impart 18/00 strength to the wearer’s arm, hand, and shoulder. Only one such glove may be worn by a person at one time; two of them worn simultaneously will negate each other’s effects. The user gains all bonuses to grip and use a weapon in that hand (+3 to hit, +6 to damage); however, he may not lift weights that his body could not normally support, since the glove only strengthens the limb on which it is worn. The user gets a strength bonus for hurled weapons thrown by the hand wearing the gauntlet. The gauntlet may be used by dwarves in conjunction with a girdle of giant strength and a +3 dwarven thrower warhammer, just as if using gauntlets of ogre power, but humans may not use such a glove with a hammer of thunderbolts because the weapon is too large to use one-handed.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #89 accredited to Roger Moore (“Creature Catalog”, September 1984).
Here's the 2E Savage Coast version:
Fachan
| CLIMATE/TERRAIN: | Barren mountains |
| FREQUENCY: | Very rare |
| ORGANIZATION: | Tribal |
| ACTIVITY CYCLE: | Day |
| DIET: | Carnivore |
| INTELLIGENCE: | Low (5–7) |
| TREASURE: | M, Q (B) |
| ALIGNMENT: | Chaotic evil |
| NO. APPEARING: | 1d4 |
| ARMOR CLASS: | 4 |
| MOVEMENT: | 10 |
| HIT DICE: | 8+3 |
| THAC0: | 11 |
| NO. OF ATTACKS: | 1 (kick or weapon) |
| DAMAGE/ATTACK: | 2d6 (or by weapon) |
| SPECIAL ATTACKS: | Hurling rocks |
| SPECIAL DEFENSES: | Surprised only on a 1 |
| MAGIC RESISTANCE: | Nil |
| SIZE: | L (9’–11’ tall) |
| MORALE: | Steady (11–12) |
| XP VALUE: | 2,000 (+1,000 per Legacy) |
This unusual creature looks grotesque even compared to other ogres. Its vaguely humanoid body possesses only one leg, one arm, and one eye. The leg attaches to a special joint in the center of its pelvis, and the arm hangs from a socket set in the middle of the creature’s chest. The fachan’s eye is centered in its face like that of a cyclops.
A fachan has dull gray skin, wiry black hair on its head, and no body hair. Its eye is purple with a white pupil, like an ogre’s, and they tend to possess very large ears. A fachan’s heavily muscled body is actually quite agile. They move about with a short hopping run, sometimes making leaps as great as 10 feet in distance and clearing over 6 feet in height.
Fachans have a lifespan of approximately 90 years. They usually speak the languages of local ogres, trolls, and orcs.
The Red Curse: Fachans gain multiple Legacies, sometimes as many as 5 (1d4+1). Fachans require cinnabryl, and because they have trouble acquiring the metal, most are heavily Afflicted. Only their strong desire to inflict equal suffering on others keeps them functioning. Fachan wear cinnabryl when it can be found, but they prefer taking it from others.
Combat: In combat, fachans use clubs or morning stars as weapons, though some have discovered the usefulness of axes or swords. Because they have only one hand, fachans cannot use missile weapons or polearms, but they can wield a two-handed weapon (up to bastard sword size) and still deliver the full two-handed damage. In addition, fachans have a +4 damage bonus when striking with any hand-held weapon.
If unarmed, a fachan may kick or stomp any creatures less than 6 feet tall, doing 2d6 points of damage on each successful hit. Fachans can also hurl rocks weighing up to 40 pounds apiece to a maximum range of 60 yards, each causing 2d4+2 points of damage with a successful hit. However, the fachan’s body structure and lack of depth perception (because of the single eye) gives the creature a –2 penalty to hit when throwing rocks (cumulative with the normal –2 medium range and –5 long range penalties).
Though fachans are considered giant class, rangers only gain one half the normal damage bonus because of the fachan’s strange body arrangement. Fachans are very alert and are surprised only on a roll of 1.
Habitat/Society: One out of every 400 ogre births produces a fachan, which may stay with the tribe but usually seeks out its own kind. Fachans prey on any creature other than ogres, showing marked preference for the flesh of humans and demihumans. Fachans are also prone to exceptionally cruel behavior, directing it at anyone nearby. Only orcs and ogres make any attempt to get along with the creatures. Ogres try only because of the thin bonds of kinship between them; orcs bribe fachans to work as scouts and guards because of their great strength and exceptional hearing. Fachans can detect the sound of an approaching horseman from up to 5 miles away. Fachans also have a 10% chance of possessing a legacy leech.
Ecology: Alchemists and wizards have found that the hearing organs of a fachan may be made into a potion of clairaudience. Also, the hide of a fachan’s hand can be made into a single gauntlet of fachan power for either the left or right hand depending on the fachan (50% chance either way). This gauntlet bestows 18/00 strength to the wearer’s arm, hand, and shoulder for purposes of grip and damage bonuses.
Originally from Savage Coast Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1996, Loren L. Coleman and Ted James Thomas Zuvich).
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