Converting Monsters from Dungeon Magazine
- Thread starter Shade
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Shade
Monster Junkie
Added to Homebrews.
We can probably just modify this...
Frightful Appearance (Su): A galley beggar can unsettle foes with its mere presence. The ability takes effect automatically whenever the beggar attacks, charges, or suddenly appears (usually by dropping its greater invisibility). Creatures within a radius of 60 feet are subject to the effect unless they have more HD than the galley beggar. A potentially affected creature that succeeds on a DC 14 Will save remains immune to that galley beggar's frightful appearance for 24 hours. On a failure, creatures with up to half the beggar's HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds, while those with more HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.
We can probably just modify this...
Frightful Appearance (Su): A galley beggar can unsettle foes with its mere presence. The ability takes effect automatically whenever the beggar attacks, charges, or suddenly appears (usually by dropping its greater invisibility). Creatures within a radius of 60 feet are subject to the effect unless they have more HD than the galley beggar. A potentially affected creature that succeeds on a DC 14 Will save remains immune to that galley beggar's frightful appearance for 24 hours. On a failure, creatures with up to half the beggar's HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds, while those with more HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Cleon
Legend
That's what I was thinking of using. We'd probably need to increase the HD multiplier, probably by a factor of two, since the Trophy Heads are so weak.
Frightful Appearance (Su): An undead trophy head can unsettle foes with its mere presence. The ability takes effect automatically whenever the trophy head attacks, charges, or suddenly appears (usually by flying out of hiding). Creatures within a radius of 60 feet are subject to the effect unless they have more than twice the trophy head's HD. A potentially affected creature that succeeds on a DC 14 Will save remains immune to that trophy head's frightful appearance for 24 hours. On a failure, creatures with equal or fewer HD than the undead trophy head become panicked for 4d6 rounds, while creatures with more HD than the trophy head become shaken for 4d6 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Updated.
I realize you left the DC from the previous critter, but I liked it so added a +2 racial bonus to the save DC.
Shall we give them damage reduction 5/slashing and/or Toughness as a bonus feat like zombies? I slightly favor the latter only.
CR 1/3? Even without either of the abilities described above, they still are at least as dangerous as a human warrior skeleton, thanks to their fear and flight. Adding Toughness would probably cement them at CR 1/3.
Organization: Solitary, pair, or x (3-x) x=Flight?
An undead trophy head is about 1 foot in diameter and weighs x pounds.
An undead trophy head can be created with an animate dead spell, but in addition to all the normal requirements of the spell, the caster must also cast cause fear immediately thereafter?
I realize you left the DC from the previous critter, but I liked it so added a +2 racial bonus to the save DC.
Shall we give them damage reduction 5/slashing and/or Toughness as a bonus feat like zombies? I slightly favor the latter only.
CR 1/3? Even without either of the abilities described above, they still are at least as dangerous as a human warrior skeleton, thanks to their fear and flight. Adding Toughness would probably cement them at CR 1/3.
Organization: Solitary, pair, or x (3-x) x=Flight?
An undead trophy head is about 1 foot in diameter and weighs x pounds.
An undead trophy head can be created with an animate dead spell, but in addition to all the normal requirements of the spell, the caster must also cast cause fear immediately thereafter?
Cleon
Legend
Updated.
I realize you left the DC from the previous critter, but I liked it so added a +2 racial bonus to the save DC.
It was entirely deliberate I assure you.
Looks around shiftily to see whether anyone fell for it.
I'd like DR 5/bludgeoning plus Toughness. They're basically skulls, so it makes little sense for them to be vulnerable to slashing weapons - you need something to crack them open.
Give them DR 5/bludgeoning and make them 1/2?
Don't like flight, how about a display of undead trophy heads?
Organization: Solitary, pair, or display (3-18)
"about 10 pounds"?
I'd add a level requirement to create them. Maybe 9th level? They are worse than a vanilla skeleton, but not as nasty as a ghoul.
Shade
Monster Junkie
All that looks good. However, when I saw 10 pounds for a human skull I went "WHAT?!?"...but then I realized they are Small. That means they must be giant skulls or those of large animals. Perhaps we should start them at Diminutive, and allow them to advance all the way to Medium to account for a wide variety of source skulls?
Cleon
Legend
I've already said I prefer keeping them Small so they don't have a Reach of 0 ft. If you want to rationalize it, maybe their creation process magically enlarges (part of) a normal-sized corpse, like the 2E AD&D Giant Skeleton.
Besides, 10 pounds probably isn't that much above what a human head ought to weigh. A back-of-the envelope calculation suggests it weighs about 7 pounds (approximating it as a 6 by 7 by 9 in spheroid made of water), so add a few pounds for a neck-stump and you're there!
Cleon
Legend
What about the "magically enlarged" trick.
Just say the creator needs a humanoid head and the spells animate dead, enlarge person and scare.
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