Converting Monsters from Dungeon Magazine

[Cleon]

I'll go for Small, but not the Con penalty. I could probably live without the dwarven Con bonus, though.

Well I was thinking they should have a lower Constitution than a SRD Dwarf rather than an absolute penalty, I'd be fine with a +0 racial adjustment to Con.

A regular AD&D human has 1-6 hit points too, and they're +0 Con.

Is there anything to suggest a racial bonus in any ability scores? They have the standard range of intelligence, and no mention of high Dexterity or Strength.

The "natives of the Dark Continent have superstitious fears of their spiritual powers, and avoid them" bit may suggest some gain levels in spellcasting classes, so perhaps a bonus to Wisdom or Charisma?

I suppose we could just not give them any racial bonuses to ability scores. It'd make a change!

The fang attack sounds like it would best be served with a normal bite attack combined with powerful charge.

Agreed to poison use, racial bonus to Hide, and masterwork Hide armor.

Powerful Charge fits well.

 

[freyar]

+0 Con bonus sounds right. No ability score bonus is interesting as a change indeed!

I can agree to all the rest, too.

 

[Cleon]

+0 Con bonus sounds right. No ability score bonus is interesting as a change indeed!

I can agree to all the rest, too.

Let's start roughing something out then...

 

[Cleon]

Utuchekulu Working Draft

Utuchekulu
Utuchekulu, 1st level warrior
Small Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+1 size, +3 masterwork hide armor), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-2
Attack: Spear +3 melee (1d6+1/×3) or bite +3 melee (1d6+1) or mighty [+1] shortbow +2 ranged (1d4+1/×3 plus poison) or spear +2 ranged (1d6+1/×3)
[maybe add shortsword +3 melee (1d6+1/19-20×3)?]
Full Attack: Spear +3 melee (1d6+1/×3) or bite +3 melee (1d6+1) or mighty [+1] shortbow +2 ranged (1d4+1/×3 plus poison) or spear +2 ranged (1d6+1/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison use, powerful charge
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., utuchekulu traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8
Skills: 8
Feats: 1
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Team (2-4), squad (5-8 plus 1 3rd-level champion), or tribe (10-30 plus 200% noncombatants plus 2-4 3rd-level champions and 1 chief of 4th-7th level)
Challenge Rating: 1?
Treasure: Standard coins; double goods; standard items?
Alignment: Usually lawful evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +0?


Description

Stuff

The utuchekulu warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.

COMBAT
Tactics

Utuchekulu Traits (Ex): Armour bearing, stonecunning, stability, +2 save vs poison, spells and SLAs, +2 racial bonus to Hide checks, +2 racial bonus on Appraise or Craft checks related to stone or leather. [As dwarf, except for the bits in red]

Poison Use (Ex): Utuchekulu typically carry X doses of Y or Z, poison to apply to their arrowheads. Utuchekulu are not at risk of poisoning themselves when handling poison.

Powerful Charge (Ex): When a utuchekulu charges, its bite attack deals 2d6+2 points of damage.

Skills: Utuchekulu have a +2 racial bonus to Hide checks. *Utuchekulu have a +2 racial bonus on Appraise or Craft checks related to stone or leather.

 

[freyar]

We could probably shoehorn some of the SRD poisons into these, but we might want to write up a new paralysis-based poison. What do you think?

 

[Shade]

Utuchekulu Traits (Ex): Armour bearing, stonecunning, stability, +2 save vs poison, spells and SLAs, +2 racial bonus to Hide checks, +2 racial bonus on Appraise or Craft checks related to stone or leather. [As dwarf, except for the bits in red]

By "armour bearing" do you mean the dwarf's ability to move at its base speed in heavy armor?

We might as well keep the following as well:

• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids (might swap 'em out for different jungle-dwelling humanoids)
• weapon familiarity (but to spears, short bows, knives, clubs, and machetes instead)

We could probably shoehorn some of the SRD poisons into these, but we might want to write up a new paralysis-based poison. What do you think?

Yeah, let's do the "hunting poisons" as their own writeup.

 

[freyar]

Agreed to keeping those racial features, and I would swap the orcs out at least. There are some giants and goblinoids that live in jungles in some monster books, though.

 

[Shade]

Agreed to keeping those racial features, and I would swap the orcs out at least. There are some giants and goblinoids that live in jungles in some monster books, though.

How about replacing orcs with yuan-ti?

 

[freyar]

Works for me.

 

[Cleon]

By "armour bearing" do you mean the dwarf's ability to move at its base speed in heavy armor?

Yes I do.

We might as well keep the following as well:

• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids (might swap 'em out for different jungle-dwelling humanoids)
• weapon familiarity (but to spears, short bows, knives, clubs, and machetes instead)

I'd included most of that in the traits list. I'd be happy to drop the attack bonus vs. particular humanoid(s). They already get +1 to hit for being Small.

No point giving them familiarity with spears, knives or clubs, since those are simple weapons. I'd go for shortsword & falchion to represent "machetes" (either little ones of great big choppers).

Maybe add a few more weapons, like the dwarven axe or double-axe.

Yeah, let's do the "hunting poisons" as their own writeup.

Sounds reasonable.