Converting Monsters from Dungeon Magazine

[Shade]

Great! Updated. All done?

 

[Cleon]

Great! Updated. All done?

Looks done apart from "resemblies a rock" in the description.

What strange tongue does "resemblies" come from?

Incidentally, I don't remember us discussing the namechange from the Dungeon article's "Scorpion Fish" (two words) to "Scorpionfish". The latter seems to be preferred for fish of this group.

For example, I did a quick Google and there are about 176,000 results for "Scorpionfish" and about 63,300 for "Scorpion Fish".

So shall we move on to out "weird scorpion-fish monster"?

Since we're crafting it out of whole cloth we can more or less do what we like.

I'm imagining something with the front half of a scorpion and the back half of a moray eel with a scorpion's sting in its tail, with venomous spines all around.

 

[Shade]

What strange tongue does "resemblies" come from?

It's Typosian.

Incidentally, I don't remember us discussing the namechange from the Dungeon article's "Scorpion Fish" (two words) to "Scorpionfish". The latter seems to be preferred for fish of this group.

For example, I did a quick Google and there are about 176,000 results for "Scorpionfish" and about 63,300 for "Scorpion Fish".

I'm not sure we discussed it, but my quick search showed more of the blended name, so I ran with it.

So shall we move on to out "weird scorpion-fish monster"?

Since we're crafting it out of whole cloth we can more or less do what we like.

I'm imagining something with the front half of a scorpion and the back half of a moray eel with a scorpion's sting in its tail, with venomous spines all around.

I like it! And I'd suggest calling this one a "Scorpion-fish". If only they'd used a hyphen in "Sea Lion" to avoid confusion with the real creature. That's probably why they changed it eventually to "Sea Cat".

 

[freyar]

Didn't one of the MMs (2 or 3) make a Sea Tiger or something?

Anyway, if we're going hyphenated, might as well capitalize the "Fish" part too.

 

[Cleon]

It's Typosian.

Ah yes, that ancient dialect has as vibrant a life as ever.

I'm not sure we discussed it, but my quick search showed more of the blended name, so I ran with it.

It's OK by me.

I like it! And I'd suggest calling this one a "Scorpion-fish". If only they'd used a hyphen in "Sea Lion" to avoid confusion with the real creature. That's probably why they changed it eventually to "Sea Cat".

Maybe a Fish-Scorpion to make certain there's no confusion?

Magical Beast (Aquatic) presumably.

What size shall we start them?

If we give them Improved Grab / Constrict like a Monstrous Scorpion I think they ought to start out at Medium or so, otherwise they won't be able to grapple adventurers.

 

[Cleon]

Didn't one of the MMs (2 or 3) make a Sea Tiger or something?

Sea Tigers are Monster Manual III.

 

[Cleon]

If only they'd used a hyphen in "Sea Lion" to avoid confusion with the real creature. That's probably why they changed it eventually to "Sea Cat".

It's a glorious pun which they should have defended to the death.

To add insult to injury the "Sea Cat" is a poor conversion of the AD&D Sea Lion. For starters, the Sea Cat is an air-breather while the Sea Lion is fully amphibious, with both lungs and gills. They're clearly different species, which is why I have a Cleon Special TM conversion of the original and true Sea Lion sitting on my hard drive...

 

[GrayLinnorm]

I also think they should have kept Sea Lion too. As for the excuse that they changed it because a sea lion is a real animal, a salamander is a real animal but they kept that name.

 

[Cleon]

I also think they should have kept Sea Lion too. As for the excuse that they changed it because a sea lion is a real animal, a salamander is a real animal but they kept that name.

Same here, I still call them Sea Lions.

 

[Shade]

But where does one find the Sea Leopard?

Maybe a Fish-Scorpion to make certain there's no confusion?

Magical Beast (Aquatic) presumably.

What size shall we start them?

If we give them Improved Grab / Constrict like a Monstrous Scorpion I think they ought to start out at Medium or so, otherwise they won't be able to grapple adventurers.

Medium Magical Beast (Aquatic) Fish-Scorpion appeals.

Here are the ability scores of Medium Monstrous Scorpion:
Str 13, Dex 10, Con 14, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2

Boost Int to 2? What other changes?