Converting monsters from Dungeon Magazine

[Shade]

Attempt #1....

Mark of the Phantasm (Su): A phantasm may attempt target a single creature within 30 feet that has attacked it with a special curse. The target must succeed on a DC X Will save or become a pariah among all humanoids and phantams. An affected creature is indeliby marked as a foe of phantasms, and all phantasms can detect the creature's presence if within one mile. All humanoids within 30 feet of the creature must succeed on a DC X Will save or gain an aversion to the victim for 10 minutes. Affected humanoids must stay at least 20 feet from the victim, alive or dead; if already within 20 feet, they move away. A humanoid unable to move away, or one attacked by the victim, is overcome with revulsion. This revulsion reduces the creature's Dexterity score by 4 points until the effect wears off or the humanoid is no longer within 20 feet of the victim. The aversion is a compulsion effect. This ability is otherwise similar to antipathy as the spell (caster level 16th). The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.

 

[freyar]

I'm not sure I like this part "This revulsion reduces the creature's Dexterity score by 4 points until the effect wears off or the humanoid is no longer within 20 feet of the victim." since the victim of the curse could use it as a weapon of sorts. Maybe instead say "This revulsion causes the humanoid to become hostile to the victim and lasts until the humanoid is no longer within 20 ft of the curse's victim."

 

[Shade]

Agreed.

Updated.

Should we limit the mark to 1/day or even 1/week?

 

[Cleon]

This could easily be exploited as a "Repel Enemies" special quality, especially it the subject is a creature with mainly non-humanoid allies. I'd suggest using one of the following alterations:

(a) It only repels Humanoids with an Indifferent or better disposition towards the subject (so Unfriendly or Hostile folk can pick on the subject without penalty).

(b) Rather than repelling humanoids, the Mark worsens their disposition towards the subject to Unfriendly if they fail their save (kind of a "reverse charm" effect).

I'd prefer to drop the Dex penalty.

Attempt #1....

Mark of the Phantasm (Su): A phantasm may attempt target a single creature within 30 feet that has attacked it with a special curse. The target must succeed on a DC X Will save or become a pariah among all humanoids and phantams. An affected creature is indeliby marked as a foe of phantasms, and all phantasms can detect the creature's presence if within one mile. All humanoids within 30 feet of the creature must succeed on a DC X Will save or gain an aversion to the victim for 10 minutes. Affected humanoids must stay at least 20 feet from the victim, alive or dead; if already within 20 feet, they move away. A humanoid unable to move away, or one attacked by the victim, is overcome with revulsion. This revulsion reduces the creature's Dexterity score by 4 points until the effect wears off or the humanoid is no longer within 20 feet of the victim. The aversion is a compulsion effect. This ability is otherwise similar to antipathy as the spell (caster level 16th). The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.

 

[Cleon]

Agreed.

Updated.

Should we limit the mark to 1/day or even 1/week?

I'd go for once a day.

 

[freyar]

I'd be ok with 1/day.

Skills: Appraise, Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Spot, Use Magic Device?

I gave them Appraise, Know (arcana), and UMD because they like to collect magic items.

 

[freyar]

This could easily be exploited as a "Repel Enemies" special quality, especially it the subject is a creature with mainly non-humanoid allies. I'd suggest using one of the following alterations:

(a) It only repels Humanoids with an Indifferent or better disposition towards the subject (so Unfriendly or Hostile folk can pick on the subject without penalty).

(b) Rather than repelling humanoids, the Mark worsens their disposition towards the subject to Unfriendly if they fail their save (kind of a "reverse charm" effect).

I'd prefer to drop the Dex penalty.

Cleon, did you see the revised version? It might still need some tweaking along the lines you suggest, but not as much as the first version.

 

[Cleon]

Cleon, did you see the revised version? It might still need some tweaking along the lines you suggest, but not as much as the first version.

Yes, I did see it. As written, the target(s) can only melee with the Marked victim if they made the Will DC of the Marked one runs up and attacks then before they can move away, and even then they are at -4 Dex. That would be a pretty useful power for a creature that relies on ranged attacks, and I'd prefer the Mark to be quite clearly detrimental - ie it penalizes the Marked, not those they interact with.

Thus, I'd prefer it to cause hostility rather than revulsion.

 

[freyar]

The revised version does cause hostility as a result of revulsion with no penalty (ie, no -4 Dex penalty). I think having humanoids move away is exactly the point of the curse -- to make it easy for other phantasms to see who's cursed.

 

[Cleon]

The revised version does cause hostility as a result of revulsion with no penalty (ie, no -4 Dex penalty). I think having humanoids move away is exactly the point of the curse -- to make it easy for other phantasms to see who's cursed.

So which post is the revised version in? I didn't notice one without the Dex penalty.

As for the other phantasms, doesn't the curse magically inform all Phantasms within a mile as to the Marked position, which rather obviates the need for them to see humanoids being repelled by them to known who's been Marked.