Converting monsters from Dragon magazine

Shade

Monster Junkie
So, let's agree on the Big Question, once that's answered we I can start a Working Draft.

Keep the original's 10 HD or give it 18 HD like an Iron Golem?

Since it's more powerful in many ways than an Iron Golem (sweep attack, psionic blast, higher AC), I think we ought to go for the higher HD.

Agreed?

Agreed!
 

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Cleon

Legend
Sentinel Eidolon Working Draft

Sentinel Eidolon
Large Construct
Hit Dice: 18d10+30 (129 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 36 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +26 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 35
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+28
Attack: Psiforged blade +27 melee (3d6+26)
Full Attack: Psiforged blade +27/+27/+17 melee (3d6+26)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. (15 ft. with psiforged blade)
Special Attacks: Psiforged blade, psychic assault
Special Qualities: Construct traits, damage reduction 15/adamantine, darkvision 60 ft., healed by acid & electricity, immunity to fire, low-light vision, rust vulnerability, spell resistance 24
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities: Str 33, Dex 13, Con --, Int --, Wis 11, Cha 15
Skills: —
Feats: Whirlwind Attack (B)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or vigil (2-4)
Challenge Rating: 14
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 19-24 HD (Large); 25-54 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —

An iron statue at least twice as tall as a human. It stands on two legs and is shaped something like a humanoid with a grotesquely alien head. Its 'face' has two bulbous eyes separated by a bony ridge and eight cilia-covered tentacles where its mouth should be. The statue holds a huge, oddly-shaped, sword in its two 3-fingered hands.


Sentinel eidolons are powerful constructs whose origins are lost to the ages. Sages speculate they were created by an elder race of aberrations---possibly illithids, due to the similarities in appearance between these constructs and the flayers. If this is the case, one wonders why all sentinel eidolons appear to be at least several centuries old.

The glowing orbs of a destroyed sentinel eidolon function as if a continual flame spell had been cast upon each of them. The effect cannot be dispelled.

A sentinel eidolon stands 13 feet tall and weighs about 5,000 pounds.

COMBAT

A sentinel eidolon follows whatever combat instructions its ancient masters programmed it with. It normally begins combat with a psychic assault, then close to melee with its psiforged blade. Most eidolons are programmed to quickly kill creatures stunned by its psychic assault, eliminating them before they can recover.

Psiforged Blade: A sentinel eidolon wields a huge, bizarrely-shaped blade in both hands. This psiforged blade functions as a +4 psychokinetic collision greatsword with a 15-foot reach (20-foot for a Huge sentinel eidolon). The psiforged blade is an intrinsic part of the eidolon. A sentinel eidolon cannot be disarmed or sundered, and if it is destroyed its psiforged blade is also destroyed.

Healed by Acid & Electricity (Ex): If a sentinel eidolon is hit by an attack that deals acid or electricity damage (whether magical or mundane) it heals 1 point of damage for each point of acid or electricity damage the attack would normally deal. If the amount of healing would cause the eidolon to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points.

Psychic Assault (Su): Once per day, a sentinel eidolon can unleash a potent psionic blast in a cone 60 feet long. Anyone caught in this cone takes 7d8 damage and must succeed on a DC 21 Will save or be stunned for 4d4 rounds. Creatures with immunity to mind-affecting attacks take the damage but are immune to the stunning. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Rust Vulnerability (Ex): A sentinel eidolon is affected normally by rust attacks, such as that of a rust monster or a rusting grasp spell.
 
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Shade

Monster Junkie
I'm not fond of "eldritch" in this case, since they seem more psionically-themed (and illithid-themed). Maybe "Psychic Guardian" or "Cerebral Sentinel"...something along those lines?

Dex 13 is fine.

Whirlwind Attack needs a "(B)".

I'm fine with changing "gang". We could borrow "inquisition" from the mind flayer, or choose something along those lines.
 


Cleon

Legend
I'm not fond of "eldritch" in this case, since they seem more psionically-themed (and illithid-themed). Maybe "Psychic Guardian" or "Cerebral Sentinel"...something along those lines?

Don't like either of those.

Psychic Guardian makes them sound like they should be protecting someone's mind.

As for Cerebral Sentinel, they're hardly intellectuals.

How about "Guardian Eidolon"? D&D already has animated statues called Eidolons and, if I remember correctly, there's some mention of eidolons in Lovecraftian fiction.

Whirlwind Attack needs a "(B)".

Dang it, I thought I'd put the (B) in.

I'm fine with changing "gang". We could borrow "inquisition" from the mind flayer, or choose something along those lines.

That hardly carries the right meaning. These things are sentries, not examiners.

Maybe a vigil of these golems?
 



freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Guardian Eidolon has the right flavor, and vigil works well, too.

Shall we work on the psionic blast?
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
Guardian Eidolon has the right flavor, and vigil works well, too.

Checking Wikipedia...

In ancient Greek thought, which has influenced modern literature and Theosophy, an eidolon (Greek εἴδωλον: "image, idol, double, apparition, phantom, ghost") is a spirit-image of a living or dead person; a shade or phantom look-alike of the human form. If of a dead person, the phantom can appear under certain conditions to survivors of the deceased.

I suppose that will work, since it is an idol and looks like a mind flayer. I still favor "sentinel" to "guardian", though. How about "Sentinel Eidolon"?

Shall we work on the psionic blast?

Sure. Any reason to not model it off the psionic power of the same name (and mind flayer ability)?

Mind Blast (Sp): This psionic attack is a cone 60 feet long. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a DC 17 Will save or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. Mind flayers often hunt using this power and then drag off one or two of their stunned victims to feed upon. The save DC is Charisma-based. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell.
 

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