Converting monsters from First Edition modules

[BOZ]

i guess we could give them a 1d6, but i'm not particularly comfortable with that. and yes, fire protection would make these creatures no real threat to you (even with the 1d6, assuming you've got higher HD to have fire protection in the first place) but these are not the type of monster you would send against people who have that kind of protection are they?

 

[BOZ]

Heat (Ex): An enraged remorhaz generates heat so intense that anything touching its body takes 8d6 points of fire damage. Creatures striking a remorhaz with natural attacks or unarmed attacks are subject to this damage, but creatures striking with melee weapons do not take damage from the remorhaz’s heat. This heat can melt or char weapons; any weapon that strikes a remorhaz is allowed a DC 18 Fortitude save to avoid destruction. The save DC is Constitution-based.

let's see here...

WG5:

These fish have super-heated bodies (350 degrees Fahrenheit), which can actually bum objects touched. ... These fish are attracted by motion in the water. When their “den” is disturbed, they swarm en masse to meet the intruder. Their mode of attack is to bump or ram their intended targets, inflicting 1 point of heat damage per touch per fish. Hetfish have been known to continue these swarming attacks indefinitely. A victim may be “boiled alive” due to the proximity of great numbers of these fish heating the water nearby. Hetfish have been known to ram small ships and other waterborne vessels. Wooden ships sustain 1 point of structural damage per 30 small (1 ft.), 20 medium (2 ft.) or 10 large (3 ft.) hetfish attacking.

MCA2:

Hetfish have super-heated bodies whose temperatures exceed 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This effectively turns the water within several inches of them to steam.
When their den is disturbed, these fish swarm en masse to meet the intruder. Each hetfish has as many Hit Dice as feet in length (one to three), and the entire den bumps or rams the intruders, doing 1 point of damage per fish. Hetfish have been known to continue these attacks indefinitely, long after the target has been boiled to bone.
Even if a victim cannot be touched directly, he can be injured by merely remaining in the vicinity of hetfish for too long. Every round a creature swims within 20 feet of a den of hetfish, it suffers 2 points of damage from the hot water.

 

[Shade]

We'll have to keep this in mind for their structural damage:

"Electricity and fire attacks deal half damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the hardness."

 

[BOZ]

i'll try to get to this guy today...

 

[BOZ]

how aboot this?

Heat (Ex): A hetfish generates heat so intense that anything within a swarm takes X points of fire damage. Creatures striking a hetfish swarm with natural attacks or unarmed attacks are subject to this damage, as well as any creature trying to touch a hetfish. This heat can melt or char weapons; any weapon that strikes a hetfish swarm is allowed a DC X Fortitude save to avoid destruction. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Likewise, the heat generated by a hetfish swarm is so intense that it causes the water nearby to boil and scald creatures. Anything within 20 feet of a hetfish swarm suffers X points of fire damage per round.

 

[BOZ]

here's a very telling line: "There are very few creatures that can endure 30-40 points of damage each round, and thus there are very few creatures that live in the hetfish's territory."

 

[Shade]

So do we want to have it deal 1d10+30 fire damage?

 

[BOZ]

not necessarily, but that makes a good indicator. i think what we need to do is figure out how much damage comes from being in a hetfish sqaure, and how much damage comes from being in the 20 radius.

 

[Shade]

Well, if we stick with the swarm standard damage, 3d6 would be the amount for a swarm of this HD. However, if we gave it the superior swarm quality (like the scarab beetle swarm), it would do 5d6 damage.

On the other hand, we can just ignore the "swarm standard" altogether, since this is heat damage and not true swarm damage.

Since the remorhaz is Huge, and a Swarm is basically Large, I don't think the hetfish swarm should exceed the 8d6 damage of the remorhaz. Perhaps 5d6 would be reasonable for being in its square, and 2d6 for being in the 20 foot radius?

 

[BOZ]

On the other hand, we can just ignore the "swarm standard" altogether, since this is heat damage and not true swarm damage.

yes.