Converting monsters from First Edition modules

[BOZ]

This thread continues my idea of “cooperative conversions” started in this thread, converting a series of monsters from similar sources. For this thread, we will be focusing on monsters that first appeared in various First Edition modules.

What I will do is first post the creature’s original stats and flavor text. Then, I will post a basic outline of the things I think it needs, and then I will give you an opportunity to suggest stats and ideas on how powers and abilities should work. Then, I will add more to it and we will continue to discuss it until I feel it’s done and time to move on to the next. As we work on these creatures, they will be posted in this thread, and after 10 conversions are complete they will be added to the Creature Catalog. You may comment on monsters already finished, of course.

The following is a list of monsters from 1E modules that haven’t yet appeared in official WotC products, the Tome of Horrors, or the Creature Catalog. You may feel free to make suggestions, but ultimately I will pick what to convert and when. If I’m missing any monsters from this list or if any of these have appeared elsewhere already, feel free to inform me.

A2 - Secret of the Slavers' Stockade
Cave Beetle
Cave Lizard
Cave Spider
Caveling

C5 - Bane of Llywelyn
Viper Vines

CB1 - Conan: Unchained!
Summonings

CB2 - Conan: Against Darkness!
Crawler in the Dark
Fire Guardians
Serpent Folk
Winged Gaunt

DQ1 - Shattered Statue
Dragonwright
Hydravine, Giant

I5 – Lost Tomb of Martek
Cryptknights

I8 – Ravager of Time
Golem, Slime
Life-Bane Duplicates

I13 - Adventure Pack I
Ape, Giant
Caterpillar, Giant
Living Pool
Lure Lichen
Mouse, Giant
Rat, Gigantic
Snake Grass
Spear Grass
Spyder Plant
Sunflower, Giant
Topiary Plant
Walking Stick

OP1 - Tales of the Outer Planes
Flame Roper
Wartle

RS1 - Red Sonja Unconquered
Drowner
Nika

S3 - Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
Android
Robot, Worker

UK5 - Eye of the Serpent
Splanxty

UK6 - All that Glitters...
Atem
Hek

 

[BOZ]

here's my first conversion for this thread, from module C3:

FERAL SLASHER
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
ARMORCLASS: 2
MOVE: 24”
HIT DICE: 2+3
% IN LAIR: 20%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 4
DAMAGE ATTACK: 1-6 / 1-6 / 1-4 / 1-4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Ferocity may stun or cause fear
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral
SIZE: S (3’ tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: 11\65 + 3/hp
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil/Nil

This three-foot-tall mammalian carnivore relies on blinding speed and ferocity to stun and panic its prey. It is dull-witted, attacking regardless of the size of its victim, and slow to respond to the unexpected. It resembles a hyena but with oversized hind legs. The multiple attacks represent two jaw and two claw attacks per round. A victim must roll his charisma or less on 1d20 to avoid being stunned or panicked. If the roll fails, roll ld6. 1-4 indicates that the victim is stunned for one melee round; 5-6 indicates panic, and the victim runs from the attack for two rounds.



here is my basic outline for the feral slasher:

Feral Slasher
Small Magical Beast
HD: 2d10+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 60 ft (12 squares)
AC: 18 (+1 size, +X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+X
Attack: Claw +X melee (1d4+X) or bite +X (1d6+X)
Full Attack: Bite +X/+X melee (1d6+X) and 2 claws (1d4+X)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Ferocity
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +X Ref +X Will +X
Abilities: Str X Dex X Con X Int 2 Wis X Chr X
Skills: Listen +, Spot +
Feats: 1 (Multiattack?)

Environment: X
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always chaotic neutral
Advancement: 2-4 HD (Small); 5-6 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: ---



Also, I found a 3.0 conversion of the feral slasher here: http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=889 - perhaps we can make use of this version in our new one.

 

[Echohawk]

C3 – Lost Island of Castanamir
Gingwatzim

Dragon #295 already has 3.0 stats for five types of Gingwatzim (Eoluzim, Graegzim, Maronzim, Naranzim and Pakim). Are there any other flavours in C3?

 

[BOZ]

ah, that's right, i had heard they were somewhere but couldn't remember... in c3 there were those 5 types, as well as the Tim (the enchanter?) variety, which are the weakest kind. that being the case, i don't think i'll bother converting them.

 

[Echohawk]

ah, that's right, i had heard they were somewhere but couldn't remember...

There is definitely a need for a master index of D&D creatures, listing all of their appearances during the last 30-odd years. Shouldn't take more than a few months to compile

 

[BOZ]

more discussion here!

ok...

am i right in thinking this should be a magical beast? under 3.0 it clearly would qualify as a beast, but in 3.5 i'm not as sure.

i included this link to provoke discussion:

Also, I found a 3.0 conversion of the feral slasher here: http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=889 - perhaps we can make use of this version in our new one.

and i liked some things and disliked other things from that conversion.

i like that he gave it scent, but i think pounce is wrong. if anything, it should have trip since it is like a hyena. and also, we need to figure out how its "ferocity" power should work. i know it sounds like frightful presence, but there needs to be a way for a 3 foot tall creature to affect a 6 foot tall creature like that. i don't know, give it some thought. get back to me on that.

 

[Shade]

am i right in thinking this should be a magical beast? under 3.0 it clearly would qualify as a beast, but in 3.5 i'm not as sure.

I'd say you are correct. From the MM 3.5 Making Monsters chapter:

"If your creature resembles an animal, but is intelligent or has supernatural or spell-like abilities, it's probably a magical beast. You can also use this type for animallike creatures that combine the features of two or more animals, or are similar to animals but just tougher."

i like that he gave it scent, but i think pounce is wrong. if anything, it should have trip since it is like a hyena. and also, we need to figure out how its "ferocity" power should work. i know it sounds like frightful presence, but there needs to be a way for a 3 foot tall creature to affect a 6 foot tall creature like that. i don't know, give it some thought. get back to me on that.

How about:

Ferocity (Ex): Any creature struck by the feral slasher's natural attacks must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 feral slaher's HD + feral slasher's Constitution modifier) or be stunned for 1 round. If the Fortitude save is successful, the victim must then make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 feral slaher's HD + feral slasher's Constitution modifier) or become panicked for 2 rounds.

I agree with you on Multiattack as its feat.

 

[BOZ]

it's got promise... i'll see what i can do when i have some time to work with it.

 

[Filby]

Is the steeder from H2 the duergar spider? If so, it's already in 'Races of Faerun'.

Btw, it's nice to see some new conversions from you, in this thread and the other... always excellent quality.

 

[BOZ]

thanks filby; are you sure they're the same spider?

 

[BOZ]

shade; i like the writeup for the ferocity, but charisma should be the DC base for all fear-type effects. and also, i think we need to rename it a bit since "ferocity" is now the ability to stay conscious after 0 hp.

also, i think the effect should have a limit, like only working once or once per encounter.

 

[Filby]

No prob. I can't say for sure, since I've never seen H2... I'm only going by the name.

 

[Shade]

shade; i like the writeup for the ferocity, but charisma should be the DC base for all fear-type effects. and also, i think we need to rename it a bit since "ferocity" is now the ability to stay conscious after 0 hp.

also, i think the effect should have a limit, like only working once or once per encounter.

How about calling it "Feral Slash" since that's the name of the monster, and is unlikely to be used for another ability down the line?

I'm in favor of either once per encounter, or stating that once a creature successfully saves, it is immune to that feral slashers special attack name for 24 hours.

 

[BOZ]

i rewrote it like this:

Feral Fury (Ex): Any creature struck by the feral slasher's natural attacks must succeed on a Will save (DC 11 + feral slasher's Charisma modifier) or become panicked for two rounds. If the first save was successful, the victim must then make another Will save (DC 11 + feral slasher's Charisma modifier) or be stunned for one round. After the first successful attack from a feral slasher, that victim is immune to this effect for the remainder of the encounter. The save DC is Charisma-based.

the power wasn't meant to be super strong, but it should mess up lower level guys pretty good, and i think this covers it a little better.

now, to work on ability scores...

how about Str 8, Dex 21, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 8, Cha 14?

 

[Shade]

i rewrote it like this:

Feral Fury (Ex): Any creature struck by the feral slasher's natural attacks must succeed on a Will save (DC 11 + feral slasher's Charisma modifier) or become panicked for two rounds. If the first save was successful, the victim must then make another Will save (DC 11 + feral slasher's Charisma modifier) or be stunned for one round. After the first successful attack from a feral slasher, that victim is immune to this effect for the remainder of the encounter. The save DC is Charisma-based.

the power wasn't meant to be super strong, but it should mess up lower level guys pretty good, and i think this covers it a little better.

now, to work on ability scores...

how about Str 8, Dex 21, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 8, Cha 14?

I like your name for the ability much better. I'd recommend making the stun save first, as it is the more powerful ability. It seems logical, that after getting hit so hard you were nearly stunned that you might be scared afterward, rather than not being scared, but finding yourself possibly stunned instead.

I think you've chosen appropriate ability scores for the critter.

 

[BOZ]

why would you say the stun is a worse effect? it only lasts one round, and it doesn't send you running away. now, of course, while stunned the slasher will be attacking you mercilessly...

 

[Shade]

why would you say the stun is a worse effect? it only lasts one round, and it doesn't send you running away. now, of course, while stunned the slasher will be attacking you mercilessly...

Both effects are troublesome, but one allows you to try to get away.

I guess it could go either way. I was thinking more of a pair of them, where one stunned you while the other tore you apart with your reduced AC. Plus, while you are only stunned for 1 round, the next round will be spent picking up your weapon unless you've got a decent backup. I can see your logic, though, and since you're the monster-guru, I'd go with what feels right to you.

 

[BOZ]

i'm not sure which one is better, it could go either way i guess.

 

[BOZ]

i meant to update this little beast yesterday, but i fixed it now. let me know if there's anything i should change about it, or if i should move on.

 

[Shade]

He looks good. Before you move on, don't forget the description. I suppose you could pretty much throw italics around the first paragraph and call it a day.