Converting monsters from Dungeon Magazine

[Shade]

what are we waiting for on this one?

Nothing. It's finished.

We generally don't have all the conversion threads "active" at one time. We usually work on up to 10 of them at a time, but any more than that gets a bit difficult to track and drowns out any non-conversion posts from the front page. If you have any requests, please post them in the "Current Conversion Requests" thread stickied at the top of this forum.

 

[Shade]

When a scion perishes in the Shadow World near Mhelliviene, he becomes either a skelter or a zombire (50% chance of either) with no powers or special abilities beyond those listed below.

Skelters

The skelter is an emaciated creature resembling a lich, with its leathery skin drawn tightly over its bony frame. The eyes of a skelter burn with an intense hatred for all life, and its voice is raspy and spiteful. These guant creatures have a chilling touch similar to that of a spectre. The attack inflicts 1d8 hp damage and drains one level of experience from the victim. (A save vs. death magic negates loss.) The energy drain is only temporary, and lost levels (and hit points) are restored at a rate of one level/day. A non-blooded individual slain by a skelter (or drained of all levels) rises as a zombie under the skelter's control; a blooded victim rises as a free-minded skelter.

Skelter: INT very; AL CE; AC 6; MV 12; HD 2+3; THAC0 17; #At 1; Dmg 1d8; SA energy drain (see above); SD silver or magical weapons needed to hit; immune to cold, poison, paralysis, and death magic; MR immune to sleep, charm, hold, and fear-related magic; SZ M; ML 12; XP 650. Skelters are turned as ghasts. One vial of holy water causes them 2d4 hp damage.

Skelters and zombires can control mindless undead within 30 yards. When slain, skelters and zombires moulder into piles of flesh and bone.

Originally appeared in Dungeon #59 (1996).

 

[Shade]

Template or not?

There's this...

When a scion perishes in the Shadow World near Mhelliviene, he becomes either a skelter or a zombire (50% chance of either) with no powers or special abilities beyond those listed below.

...but of course skeleton is a template too, and retains none of the original's abilities.

 

[freyar]

I guess I'd feel like doing these as templates. Is there any other background info?

 

[Shade]

Not really. Basically, they appear a way to make more powerful skeletons and zombies out of "blooded" creatures in the Birthright setting.

 

[freyar]

Hmm, why don't we start with the skeleton template and add SAs?

 

[Shade]

Hmmm...although I mentioned them as skeletal, the description proves me wrong:

The skelter is an emaciated creature resembling a lich, with its leathery skin drawn tightly over its bony frame.

Maybe we can work backwards from the lich template?

Here's what we know we need:

Turned as ghast = +2 turn resistance

DR/silver or magic

Touch attack deals 1d8 damage plus energy drain.

Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a spectre’s incorporeal touch attack gain two negative levels. The DC is 15 for the Fortitude save to remove a negative level. The save DC is Charisma-based. For each such negative level bestowed, the spectre gains 5 temporary hit points.

Immunity to Cold

 

[freyar]

Also able to control mindless undead within 90 ft (as a cleric?). Anything else? Allow the base creature to keep armor and weapon proficiency, class abilities (if not racial SA)?

 

[Shade]

Sounds good.

Since bloodlines are in the SRD, should we make that prereq for creation?

 

[freyar]

I don't know the old Birthright rules; is "blooded" anything like a bloodline?