Converting monsters from First Edition modules

[BOZ]

good picks! Their ability scores are largely meaningless anyway, since they explode on contact. still, if they have a lower attack bonus, you might well survive longer against a horde of these things!

 

[Shade]

So true!

A Vitriolus explodes when hit or when it hits an opponent. The explosion has a 5-foot radius, and produces both fire and acid damage. Each victim in the area must make two Saving Throws vs. Breath Weapon. The fire damage is 1d8 points plus the original hit points of the Vitriolus. The acid damage is 2d4 points. A successful saving throw reduces damage to one-half in each case. Failure of either saving throw requires further saving throws for items carried. The explosion can also cause structural damage: I point to wood, 1/2 point to metal, but no damage to earth or stone. The Vitriolus is immune to fire and acid-based attacks. It loses 1 hit point per 6 hours spent away from its home plane, disintegrating when reaching 0 hit points.

For this ability, do we want to simplify it to simply being like the fire elemental's burn ability?

Burn (Ex): A fire elemental’s slam attack deals bludgeoning damage plus fire damage from the elemental’s flaming body. Those hit by a fire elemental‘s slam attack also must succeed on a Reflex save or catch on fire. The flame burns for 1d4 rounds. The save DC varies with the elemental’s size (see the table below). A burning creature can take a move action to put out the flame. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Creatures hitting a fire elemental with natural weapons or unarmed attacks take fire damage as though hit by the elemental’s attack, and also catch on fire unless they succeed on a Reflex save.

 

[BOZ]

i was under the impression that when these things explode, they really explode - that is, they die. was i reading it wrong?

 

[Shade]

After re-reading it, I think you are right. Here's a stab at it...

Explosion (Ex): A vitriolus explodes when hit or when it hits an opponent. Each creature in a 5-foot radius takes 1d8+3 points of fire damage and 2d4 points of acid damage. A successful Reflex save (DC X) halves the damage.
Unattended nonmagical objects within the radius also take the damage, and are not entitled to a saving throw. Note that fire attacks deal half damage to most objects, while acid deals full damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Should we force attended items to make a save if the wielder fails a save, or stick with the usual format that attended items only need to make a save on a critical failure (natural 1)?

 

[BOZ]

now that's much better.

i would make this sentence a little more specific though:

A vitriolus explodes when hit or when it hits an opponent.

i would assume that it only explodes from weapons, claws, slams, and the like, and not energy attacks. fire and acid, of course, it is immune to. other attacks, i'd say will hurt it but not cause it to explode.

i don't see why attended items should need a save beyond the character's save. and we're merging the separate save for each type of damage into one? (i'm ok with that, just asking if that's intentional)

 

[Shade]

Yeah, it was intentional. Two saves for essentially the same thing seemed kinda pointless. Maybe in past editions this was common, but nowadays many dragons deal more than one energy type with their breath weapon, for example.How about: "A vitriolus explodes when it hits an opponent with its slam attack. It also explodes when a creature hits the vitriolus with a manufactured weapon, natural attack, or unarmed attack."

 

[BOZ]

OK, this was a pretty quick easy conversion. the only real time we might spend is working on this:

Vitrioliquid: A cleric may create a vial of this rare fluid by combining three types of acid, swamp water, and graveyard soil in the proper proportions. The following spells must be cast on the mixture, in this order: light, flame strike, animate object, command, implore, and quest. Some knowledge of the Para-elemental Plane of Ooze is also required. There is a 30% chance that the finished liquid suddenly and permanently drains 1 point of Constitution from the caster, probably because of some force emanating from the monsters' home plane. Such damage cannot be avoided except by chance, though it can be repaired in the usual ways.

Vitrioliquid is always kept in a glass vial, for glass is the only known substance through which the liquid cannot eat. If the entire potion is poured out or the vial broken on earth or stone,

10-100 vitrioli appear from the spot at the rate of one each two segments (5 per round). If only part of the liquid is used, the number of creatures appearing is proportionately fewer. If the liquid is poured into a swamp or other mixture of water and abundant plant life, the number of creatures summoned is greater by tenfold (100- 1,000), as the rich muck beneath the water somehow enhances the effect. If the liquid is poured out onto any other substance except glass, it eats its way through and continues downward until it reaches stone or earth.

A sip of vitrioliquid causes 1-6 points of damage; drinking more than a sip is extremely dangerous. The foolish imbiber must roll ld20; a result of 1-19 indicates death (immediate reduction to -20 hit points), and a result of 20 means that the victim survives the experience but with only 14 hit points remaining. This effect supercedes and negates the usual effects of the liquid; no creatures are summoned, and the liquid does not eat its way out of the victim.

 

[Shade]

Here's an initital attempt at the stuff. Since spellcasting is involved, it seemed more appropriate as a magic item than as an alchemical substance.

Vitrioliquid: Vitrioliquid is always kept in a glass vial, for glass is the only known substance through which the liquid cannot eat. If the entire potion is poured out or the vial broken on earth or stone, 10d10 vitrioli appear from the spot at the rate of 5 per round. If only part of the liquid is used, the number of creatures appearing is proportionately fewer. If the liquid is poured into a swamp or other mixture of water and abundant plant life, the number of creatures summoned is greater by tenfold (10d100), as the rich muck beneath the water somehow enhances the effect. If the liquid is poured out onto any other substance except glass, it eats its way through and continues downward until it reaches stone or earth.

A sip of vitrioliquid deals 1d6 points of acid damage to the imbiber; drinking more than a sip is extremely dangerous. The foolish imbiber must succeed on a DC X Fortitude save or die. A successful save reduces's the imbiber's current hit point total to 14. This effect supercedes and negates the usual effects of the liquid; no creatures are summoned, and the liquid does not eat its way out of the victim. Strong conjuration; CL Xth; Craft Wondrous Item, Craft (alchemy) X ranks, Knowledge (the planes) X ranks, animate object, command, flame strike, light, and quest; Price X gp.

 

[BOZ]

“vitrioliquid” as a magic item rather than alchemical substance sounds good to me.

should we keep the caveat in there that only clerics can make it?

How about the notes of combining acid, swamp water, and cemetery soil to make it? And the possible Con drain for the creator?

If the entire potion is poured out or the vial broken on earth or stone, 10d10 vitrioli appear from the spot at the rate of 5 per round. If only part of the liquid is used, the number of creatures appearing is proportionately fewer.

there’s got to be a better way to more specifically state what happens when using less than 100% of the vial, or else we might as well nix that second line.

The foolish imbiber must succeed on a DC X Fortitude save or die. A successful save reduces the imbiber's current hit point total to 14.

it boggles my mind as to how and why they chose 14 in the first place. What if he only had 16 hit points in the first place – that’s hardly a punishment! We need to come up with a better way to hurt the dumbass who would drink this stuff.

other than those comments, I dig what you did shade-man! I will reorganize and rewrite some of the text though, since we’re not really supposed to use it verbatim.

 

[Shade]

should we keep the caveat in there that only clerics can make it?

Nah, the prereq of quest shoud take care of it.

How about the notes of combining acid, swamp water, and cemetery soil to make it? And the possible Con drain for the creator?

I'd leave those out, just to be consistent with other magic item creation.

there’s got to be a better way to more specifically state what happens when using less than 100% of the vial, or else we might as well nix that second line.

Agreed. I thought about borrowing from the sovereign glue like thus...

A vial of vitrioliquid, when found, holds anywhere from 1 to 10 ounces of the stuff (1d10). A newly created vial always contains 10 ounces. Each ounce used summons 1d10 vitrioli, while using the whole vial at ounce summons 10d10 vitrioli.

it boggles my mind as to how and why they chose 14 in the first place. What if he only had 16 hit points in the first place – that’s hardly a punishment! We need to come up with a better way to hurt the dumbass who would drink this stuff.

I found that odd as well. Those past versions had so many wacky rules. Maybe have it do Con damage?

other than those comments, I dig what you did shade-man! I will reorganize and rewrite some of the text though, since we’re not really supposed to use it verbatim.

Stop it...you'll make me blush.