Converting Monsters from Dungeon Magazine

[freyar]

Scaling a stirge gives 125-225 lb, roughly.

 

[Cleon]

Scaling a stirge gives 125-225 lb, roughly.

Well crane flies are skinny, so call it 125 pounds?

 

[freyar]

Works for me.

 

[Cleon]

Works for me.

Right, once Shade plugs that weight in it just needs some tactics and a bit more background text.

 

[Shade]

Plugged in.

 

[Cleon]

Plugged in.

It's still missing the original's summon swarm ability.

How's this:

Insect Summoning (Sp): Once per day a demonic sawfly can summon a swarm of gnats and flies. This functions like a summon swarm spell (CL X) except it summons a gnat swarm with the following statistics:

Gnat Swarm
Fine Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 3d8-3 (10 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), fly 40 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 22 (+8 size, +4 Dex), touch 22, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/—
Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, wounding
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immune to weapon damage, swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 19, Con 8, Int –, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +4
Feats: —
Challenge Rating: 2
Alignment: Always neutral

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 11 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Wounding (Ex): Any living creature damaged by a gnat swarm continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds do not result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 Heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.

Skills: A gnat swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.

Not sure about the Gnat Swarm. Its AC seems rather high. Maybe we'd be getter off making them "giant" gnats (Diminutive Vermin) and maybe lowering the Dex by 2 or 4, giving them Armour Class 18 to 16.

A high Dex and AC does seem appropriate for flies though, and it saves us having to rewrite masquerade to allow for a swarm of non-Fine sized insects. Although we might as well consider the possibility:

Masquerade (Ex): When a demonic sawfly assumes Diminutive or Fine size, it appears to be a verminous insect unless the viewer succeeds on a Spot check opposed by the sawfly's Disguise check. The demonic sawfly gains a +12 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks to masquerade if it is within a swarm of vermin.
​

Speaking of which, the original monster could only shrink to the size of an ordinary insect, suggesting the Change Size should be:

Change Size (Su): As a standard action, a demonic sawfly can magically shrink to the size of an ordinary insect. This functions like a reduce person spell, except that the ability can work on the demonic sawfly and it reduces its size to Fine. A demonic sawfly can return to normal size as a swift action.
​

Alternatively, we could make the Swarm distraction only, but IIRC the AD&D insect swarm spell inflicted damage.

 

[Cleon]

Right, once Shade plugs that weight in it just needs some tactics and a bit more background text.

How's this for the rest of the text:

This creature resembles a winged, reddish-brown daddy longlegs with long, spindly limbs.

Demonic sawflies swarm in the lower planes, but can be encountered on the prime material plane in small numbers, since they are occasionally summoned by foolish black magicians.

These fiendish insects must feed off blood to survive. When no blood is available they can hibernate for up to a century, awakening instantly if they smell a warm-blooded creature. if no blood is available. Individuals can live up to 50 years (not including periods spent in hibernation). Their long lifespan is balanced by slow reproduction; a female demonic sawfly lays merely 1 or 2 eggs per year.

A demonic sawfly stands 5 to 6 feet tall and weighs 125 pounds.

COMBAT
Demonic sawflies spend most of their time shrunk to Fine size, either hiding in a closet or crevice or accompanying a swarm of flying insects. Upon sensing prey they revert to their full size and attack, seeking to batten on to an opponent and suck their blood.

If a demonic sawfly is injured to less than half its hit points it instinctively shrinks to gnat-size and seeks to flee.

 

[Shade]

Flavor text and tactics look good. Updated.

Not sure about the Gnat Swarm. Its AC seems rather high. Maybe we'd be getter off making them "giant" gnats (Diminutive Vermin) and maybe lowering the Dex by 2 or 4, giving them Armour Class 18 to 16.

A high Dex and AC does seem appropriate for flies though, and it saves us having to rewrite masquerade to allow for a swarm of non-Fine sized insects. Although we might as well consider the possibility

I'd prefer Fine gnats.

Speaking of which, the original monster could only shrink to the size of an ordinary insect, suggesting the Change Size should be:

Change Size (Su): As a standard action, a demonic sawfly can magically shrink to the size of an ordinary insect. This functions like a reduce person spell, except that the ability can work on the demonic sawfly and it reduces its size to Fine. A demonic sawfly can return to normal size as a swift action.
​

I suppose we need to decide, then. I'm perfectly content with just Fine size, and thus using the revised Change Size (but current Masquerade).

Alternatively, we could make the Swarm distraction only, but IIRC the AD&D insect swarm spell inflicted damage.

I like sticking with damage, but I'm not sure it needs wounding. Swarms of gnats don't generally leave me in a pool of my own blood!

 

[Cleon]

Flavor text and tactics look good. Updated.

I'd prefer Fine gnats.

I suppose we need to decide, then. I'm perfectly content with just Fine size, and thus using the revised Change Size (but current Masquerade).

I like sticking with damage, but I'm not sure it needs wounding. Swarms of gnats don't generally leave me in a pool of my own blood!

Swarms of gnats don't normally kill an average Commoner in a few rounds either.

If the swarm's powerful enough to inflict 1d6 damage per round, it felt right that a swarm of blood-sucking insects (gnats, mosquitoes, horse flies or whatever) would have Wounding too.

 

[Shade]

Swarms of gnats don't normally kill an average Commoner in a few rounds either.

Good point! Maybe your idea of distraction only makes sense. The sawfly doesn't really want the swarm it summons to kill the victim, just keep it busy so it can make a surpise attack and feed. Thoughts?