Converting Monsters from Dungeon Magazine

[Cleon]

If we're dropping wraithform, let's drop "throw rider" as well.

I'll regretfully go along with that.

Skills: 12 ranks
Disguise 6, Listen 3, Spot 3?

Feats: 2
Alertness, Run like most mounts?

Environment: Any deserts and plains?

Organization: Solitary or herd (x-x plus x-x ordinary herd animals)?

Challenge Rating: 3? (It's better than a war camel or heavy war horse)

That all looks good.

Advancement: 4-11 HD (Huge); 12–15 HD (Huge)? (This would allow for elephants and other Huge mounts to be represented)

Hmm, I would rather just give them 4-9 HD (Large). If you really fancy them Huge too I'd add 10-18 HD (Huge).

Advancement: 4-9 HD (Large); 10-18 HD (Huge)

That all sounds good. For herd, maybe 2-8 and 10-30 ordinary herd animals?

For height/weight, just state "A ghost mount is the same height and length as a living mount of its type, but weighs only half as much"?

Those are both good.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

We still need to decide upon ghost vs. wraith. My vote's for ghost.

After that, on to the lesser? Should that be a separate entry, or simply an underbar?

 

[freyar]

Mmm, seems like wraith fits better to me, but I guess I'm not too picky.

I'd just do an underbar for the lesser ones.

 

[Shade]

FWIW, my desire for ghost over wraith stems from:

1.) The ghost template retains the original creature's abilities. Since the PCs could fall victim to a ghost mount, this makes for the best option, IMHO.

2.) We have no easily-available OGL wraith template, as far as I can tell.

 

[Cleon]

Mmm, seems like wraith fits better to me, but I guess I'm not too picky.

I'd just do an underbar for the lesser ones.

I'm with freyar here, I prefer wraiths but it's no big deal.

An underbar for the Lesser Ghost Mount would be OK.

 

[freyar]

The ghost template is awfully complicated, though, and comes with a big LA of +5. The Savage Progression ghost might work, though.

Alternately, the Advanced Bestiary from Green Ronin has suggestions on a wraith template, I think. I'll check that.

We could list both options and leave it to DM's discretion.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Why would wraiths spawned by a ghost mount need to be templated? Creatures who become wraiths don't usually retain former abilities?

I would prefer victims killed by a ghost mount to be standard issue wraiths.

 

[Cleon]

Why would wraiths spawned by a ghost mount need to be templated? Creatures who become wraiths don't usually retain former abilities?

I would prefer victims killed by a ghost mount to be standard issue wraiths.

Me too, just make it a bog-standard SRD wraith.

Also, shouldn't we include a few wraiths in the organization, since they may have previous victims?

e.g.:

Organization: Solitary, herd (2-8 plus 10-30 ordinary herd animals) or ride (1-8 plus 1-8 wraiths)

 

[freyar]

Well, the wraiths are free-willed, right? Why would they stick around the ghost mounts.

I'm happy enough with a standard wraith, but a monster undead (as opposed to a template) doesn't keep, for example, the class abilities. I think Shade's worried about a PC turning into a standard wraith.

 

[Cleon]

Well, the wraiths are free-willed, right? Why would they stick around the ghost mounts.

I'm happy enough with a standard wraith, but a monster undead (as opposed to a template) doesn't keep, for example, the class abilities. I think Shade's worried about a PC turning into a standard wraith.

Well, wraiths normally hang around wherever they originally died, and these ones died in the saddle!

As for Shade, I'm not sure what he's worried about vis-à-vis the wraith issue. We'll have to wait for him to finish holidaying so he can tell us.