Converting Monsters from Dungeon Magazine

[Cleon]

This could use a little jazzing up perhaps.

First of all, magical beast or outsider? 9 HD, or 72 hp/4.5? I think I favor the latter in both cases: 16 HD Medium Outsider (though maybe a 5 ft tall boar is Large). I wonder if some of the aspects might be decent inspiration if we decide to add a few abilities.

Fine by me, 9 Hit Dice did seem a bit few for a "godlike avatar".

What divine characteristics do you feel are appropriate?

A Quasi-Deity gets:

Immortality
DR 10/epic
Immunity to Transmutation, Energy Drain, Ability Drain, Ability Damage and Mind-Affecting Effects
Energy Resistance 5 and Spell Resistance 32

Do any of the Salient Divine Abilities look appropriate for its role of finding and destroying this Bulette monster?

In any case, most those Quasi-Deity SQs look too meaty for a 16HD creature, so we should either trim them down a bit or increase its Hit Dice (24HD?).

 

[Shade]

Let's try to keep it at 16 HD, and see how it develops.

Despite being less than 20 HD, I could see giving it DR/epic in this case. It's essentially DR/- at that level, but barbarians and some critters have that ability.

Let's keep the SR at CR+11 (50%) like the original

Immunity to Transmutation makes good sense, but we can skip the rest of those immunities.

Energy Resistance 5 seems quite plausible.

 

[Cleon]

Let's try to keep it at 16 HD, and see how it develops.

Despite being less than 20 HD, I could see giving it DR/epic in this case. It's essentially DR/- at that level, but barbarians and some critters have that ability.

Let's keep the SR at CR+11 (50%) like the original

Immunity to Transmutation makes good sense, but we can skip the rest of those immunities.

Energy Resistance 5 seems quite plausible.

That's reasonable.

I'd like to give it the Immortality trait as well, more for flavour than functionality.

 

[Shade]

Sure, I'll go for that. Let's figure out ability scores. Here are similar creatures:

Dire Boar (L): Str 27, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8
Razor Boar (L): Str 27, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 9
Nightmare Beast (H): Str 28, Dex 13, Con 24, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 11
Fhorge (L): Str 29, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 10

 

[freyar]

Well, I'd go for the high end for all those: Str 29, Dex 13, Con 24, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 15? Possibly boost Wis and Cha some more, too.

 

[Cleon]

Sure, I'll go for that. Let's figure out ability scores. Here are similar creatures:

Dire Boar (L): Str 27, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8
Razor Boar (L): Str 27, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 9
Nightmare Beast (H): Str 28, Dex 13, Con 24, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 11
Fhorge (L): Str 29, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 10

How about taking the highest of those and applying the "Half-Celestial" template's ability bonuses of Str +4, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +4, Cha +4?

Highest: Str 29, Dex 13, Con 24, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 11
Celestialised: Str 33, Dex 15, Con 28, Int 16, Wis 19, Cha 15

I'd increase the Charisma a bit from that. Maybe 18?

The White Boar: Str 33, Dex 15, Con 28, Int 16, Wis 19, Cha 18

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

 

[Cleon]

Added to Homebrews.

Looks a sound start.

What do you fancy for Special Attacks.

Some kind of charge-based attack?

Trample?

Improved critical from supernaturally sharp tusks?

 

[Shade]

I'm not sure it needs any special attacks, but I could go for augmented critical.

We might give it a "locate creature" type ability so it can always locate its nemesis.

 

[Cleon]

I'm not sure it needs any special attacks, but I could go for augmented critical.

Yes it doesn't have any special attacks listed, I just felt it needed jazzing up a bit.

Augmented Critical will do - expanded threat range, increased multiple, or both?

We might give it a "locate creature" type ability so it can always locate its nemesis.

Yes that makes sense.

Are we doing something with this:

normal boars will have nothing to do with it, even attacking their keepers to run away from it if necessary.