Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

OK, stats are mostly done.

How about a weak CR 5? They're not as difficult as a greater barghest I think but probably more than a minotaur.

I was thinking Challenge Rating 5 as well, based on their combatworthiness being roughly halfway between a CR 3 Ogre and CR 7 Hill Giant.

They're definitely a rung up from a Minotaur.

I think I'd leave off LA for this one. They're just a bit too weird.

Considering how weird some of the things that have Level Adjustment are I don't think I'd agree with you.

How about LA +3, since Ogre's are +2 and Hill Giant's +4?
 

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Considered LA +2 like an Ogre or Minotaur, but the Greater Fachan's got better Dexterity, Constitution and NA than both of those. It's Monocular Vision is a slight handicap, but the –2 penalty to ranged attacks is compensated for by the higher Dex.

An Ogre's Dex 8 gives it a 3 points lower ability adjustment to ranged attacks while a Minotaur's Dex 10 puts it on par with a Dex 14 Fachan.
 

CR 5 it is, then.
I'd be ok with LA +3.
Tactics: Fachans will hurl rocks when forced to remain at range, but they prefer to close to melee combat as quickly as possible.
 

CR 5 it is, then.
I'd be ok with LA +3.

Updating the Greater Fachan Working Draft.

Tactics: Fachans will hurl rocks when forced to remain at range, but they prefer to close to melee combat as quickly as possible.

It could do with a "greater" and a bit more pizzazz.

Greater fachan prefer to leap into melee as quickly as possible but will hurl rocks when forced to remain at range.
Thought about adding a bit more tactics but the original texts hardly give me anything to work with. They seem to have similar personalities to their ogre kindred, including exceptional cruelty and fondness for demi-human flesh, but that belongs in the flavour texts rather than tactics.

A regular ogre's Monstrous Manual entry has tactic of "Ogres favor overwhelming odds, sneak attacks, and ambushes over a fair fight. They are intelligent enough to fire ranged weapons first to soften up their foes before closing, but ogre gangs and bands fight as unorganized individuals."

Maybe crib the last bit?

Greater fachan prefer to leap into melee as quickly as possible, hurling rocks when forced to remain at range. Groups of fachans fight as unorganized individuals.
 

Yes, that will work for me!

Flavor next? I agree with the personality type that you suggest. We should also include the magic items.
 

Yes, that will work for me!

Will include the Tactics in the next update.

Flavor next? I agree with the personality type that you suggest. We should also include the magic items.

The third edition SRD doesn't have potions of clairaudience so how about letting them be an alternative arcane focus for the spell instead?
How's this:
This grotesque being stands almost twice as tall as a human and vaguely resembles a humanoid with one arm, one leg and one eye. Its cyclops-like eye is set above its nose, the burly arm sprouts from a socket in the center of its chest and the leg attaches to a special joint in the middle of its pelvis. The creature is heavily muscled with dull gray skin. Its head has thick, wiry black hair and overly large ears.​
Greater fachans are a rare mutation of ogre. Most live alone or with others of their kind but some stay with their ogre relatives or tribes of orcs and a few associate with gangs of trolls. These savage brutes are extraordinarily cruel even by ogre standards and their favorite food is humanoid flesh. Their general habits are similar to normal ogres.​
An adult greater fachan stands 9 to 11 feet tall and weigh 600 to 900 pounds. They normally dress in scavenged clothing and crudely tanned skins and furs, exacerbating the repulsive smell of their ogrish bodies.​
Greater fachan speak Giant, and those specimens who boast Intelligence scores of at least 10 also speak Orc.​
A greater fachan's hearing organs can be used as the arcane focus of a clairaudience spell and the hide of its hand can be enchanted into a gauntlet of fachan power.​
Gauntlet of Fachan Power: A single gauntlet made of tough leather with iron studs running across the back of the hands and fingers. The gauntlet is either left-handed or right-handed (50% of each) and grants the wearer great strength, adding a +4 enhancement bonus to the wearer's Strength score to melee and thrown attacks with weapons wielded solely with that hand, including Disarm and Sunder attempts. The gauntlet's enhancement bonus does not affect any other application of the wearer's Strength score such as carrying capacity or missile weapon use. A character who wears both a left-handed and right-handed gauntlets of fachan power can add the +4 enhancement bonus to their Strength score to melee and thrown attacks when wielding two-handed weapons.​
Moderate transmutation; CL 8th; Craft Wondrous Item, bull's strength; Price 8,000 gp; Weight 2 lb.​
 

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