Converting Monsters from Dungeon Magazine

[Cleon]

No problem.

It thought they were barracudas, not eels.

Oh, you're right it does compare them to barracuda. I have no idea were the eel comparison came from.

Although from what I remember Barracuda aren't ambush hunters, don't they live in open water, where they slowly stalk prey and then use a burst of speed to catch them? Kind of like underwater cheetahs.

Here was our previous "underwater tremorsense" justification:

Tremorsense (Ex): A jellyfish swarm can detect and pinpoint any creature in the water within 30 feet.

Since they pinpoint creatures, what's effective difference is there between that and blindsight 30 ft.?

 

[freyar]

The justification for tremorsense underwater is straight from the tremorsense definition in the SRD: "Aquatic creatures with tremorsense can also sense the location of creatures moving through water."

From digging a bit through the special ability descriptions, the effective difference between blindsight and tremorsense is that (1) you need line of effect to use blindsight (or blindsense) on something but don't with tremorsense and (2) tremorsense only picks up things that are moving or taking physical action (so, not, say, a rock that's just sitting there).

I just kind of prefer making them feel their way around their homes like a blind person would with tremorsense to detect intruders from some distance a way. Just seems more right. I'm not totally against blindsight, but this feels more right to me.

 

[Cleon]

I'm OK with tremorsense, but it means they'll have a miss chance.

Maybe compromise on 60 ft. tremorsense, 10 ft. blindsight?

 

[Shade]

I'll accept that compromise.

Updated.

Feats: Weapon Finesse, 1 more

Challenge Rating: 2?

A tunnel fish is 5 feet long and weighs 35 pounds?

 

[freyar]

Maybe Reckless Offense for those charges? The rest seems ok.

 

[Shade]

That works for me! Updated.

 

[freyar]

All done?

 

[Shade]

Yes, I think so!

 

[Cleon]

Yes, I think so!

They're a bit weak for Challenge Rating 2. They only do 1d4 damage and have weedy AC.

Oh well, the high Reflex saves, sprint, blindfight-tremorsense, and immunity to mind-affecting attacks are worth something, I suppose.

I'd have them weigh more than 35 pounds though.

A great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) can grow to about 6 feet and somewhere around 100-110 pounds. Scaling that down to 5 feet would give a weight about 60 pounds.

 

[Shade]

They are too tough for CR 1.

I'll go for 60 pounds, though.