Hey BOZ!! is this where you're gonna post your conversion of the Vampiric Mist? I'd vote for that next after Shade's idea (or even sooner if you're willing - sorry Shade <sg>!!
thom
thomas@jtbs.net
thom
thomas@jtbs.net
Converting monsters from First Edition modules
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BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
You got it fella! I’ve moved your notes here. We can form a queue: vampiric mist fist, then horgar/stone-eater, and then life-bane duplicates. 
remind me if I forget.
I7
VAMPIRE MIST
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-3
ARMOR CLASS: 4 (8)
MOVE: 12 " (6" after feeding)
HIT DICE: 3
% IN LAIR: 60%
TREASURE TYPE: E
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil/Nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: IV/280 + 3 per hp
The vampire mist is related to the crimson death, and is suspected to be the immature form of that horror. It appears as a pale cloud, normally 5-8 feet in diameter but variable in size and density. It is encountered only in bogs, swamps, and similar chill and damp places, including dank subterranean areas.
Healthy vampire mists have maximum hit points (8 per die), but are almost never encountered in this state. A 'mist loses I hp for each 12 hours without feeding, and is thus always hungry when encountered wandering. It regains hit points by enveloping its victim with its gaseous tendrils, and draining the victim's fluids, turning a pink hue after feeding. The 'mist regains I hit point for each 2 points of blood drained, but this is not regeneration.
Though this is the 'mist's primary reason for attacking, it is quite capable of defending itself even when fully sated. The slightest touch of its airy tendril inflicts 1-8 points of damage, draining blood that the monster simply discards.
Non-magical protections are usually of no value against the 'mist's attacks. Character types are thus treated as base AC 10, modified only by Dexterity and magical protections (shields having no effect).
If the 'mist's hit roll is 4 or greater than the minimum needed, its enveloping attempt is successful. No further hit rolls are needed; the 'mist automatically inflicts 1d8 points of damage each round thereafter until it flees or is slain. If the 'mist is struck while its victim is enveloped, the damage from the blow is divided evenly between the victim and the 'mist. An enveloped victim may attack the mist physically, without risk of sharing the damage. However, the enveloping damage is constant, disrupting concentration, and thus preventing the victim's use of spells and most magical devices.
A 'mist can normally be damaged only by magical weapons and spells that affect air, including lightning and magic missile spells. After feeding, however, the monster takes on substance; it slows to 6" rate, its Armor Class drops to 8, and it can then be damaged by normal weapons.
MC5
Mist, Vampiric
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Non-arctic/Swamps and subterranean
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night
DIET: Blood
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8-10)
TREASURE: (D)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO, APPEARING: 1-3
ARMOR CLASS: 4 (8 when substantial)
MOVEMENT: 12 (6 when substantial)
HIT DICE: 3
THAC0: See below
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: M (5’-8’ tall)
MORALE: Elite (13-14)
XP VALUE: 270
These gaseous monsters prey on all living creatures, enveloping them with their gaseous tendrils, then draining the blood for food.
Vampiric mists appear as thick, billowing clouds, five to eight feet in diameter. Color ranges from pale pink when hungry to crimson red when sated. Vampiric mists speak no language, but they communicate through a limited form of telepathy. These creatures reek of old blood and are often smelled before seen.
Combat: Vampiric mists automatically sense the presence of any warm-blooded creature within 50 feet. Hungry mists take the shortest route possible to the victim, navigating by touch, flowing easily over water or through narrow cracks. Their path can be blocked by nonporous obstacles, but vampiric mists are intelligent and if any reasonable path exists they will find it.
All vampiric mists have maximum hit points (8 per die) when full, but they are almost never encountered in this state. For each 12 hours a mist goes unfed, it loses 1 hit point. Vampiric mists whose hit point totals reach 0 due to starvation die. To regain hit points, vampiric mists must drain fresh blood from living victims (hence the mist's name). For each 2 hit points of blood drained, the mist regains 1 hit point.
A vampiric mist may attack one victim per round by reaching out with a gaseous tendril. Targets of a vampiric mist are treated as AC 10. Modify this number by the victim's Dexterity, and by the magical protection worn (+1, +2, etc.) but ignore magical shields, The touch of a vampiric mist drains 1d8 points of blood. A hit 4 above the needed to hit number means the mist has enveloped its victim. Enveloped victims are automatically hit each round until either the mist dies, finishes feeding, or retreats. Attacks by other characters against an enveloping vampiric mist divide their damage evenly - half against the mist, half against the victim. Only the enveloped victim may attack the mist without harm to himself. However, because of the disorienting effect of rapid blood loss, enveloped victims may not use any spells or magical devices that require concentration.
While blood draining is mainly used to feed, the ability can also be used in defense by sated vampiric mists. Extra blood is simply dumped upon the ground.
Normally, a vampiric mist is damaged only by magical weapons or by spells that effect air. Lightning bolt and magic missile are also effective. However, immediately after reaching maximum hit points a vampiric mist takes on substance. This substantial stage
last 1d6 turns. During this time the mist's movement rate slows to 6, its AC drops to 8, and it may be hit by normal weapons.
Blood draining is not a form of regeneration; a mist that loses hit points in combat must heal those points normally. Keep track of a mist's current hit points and its maximum possible for that combat (this total starts at 24 and goes down with damage caused to the mist). Each time the mist is wounded, reduce both the current hit points and the maximum. If the current hit point total ever reaches 0, the mist dies. Hit points gained by draining blood are added to the current hit points, which cannot exceed the maximum total (24 minus damage to the mist). Hit points lost due to starvation are subtracted from the current hit points only. The current hit points may never exceed the mist's maximum hit point total. (After the current battle is over, the maximum hit point totals for any surviving mists return to 24.)
Habitat/Society: These dread monsters inhabit both swamps, where they creep along mixing in with morning and night fog, and subterranean caverns, where they stalk prey in absolute darkness. Vampiric mists attack at night or early morning, flowing over the ground in search of warm-blooded victims. They prefer lone victims, but hungry mists sometimes raid towns at night, slaying livestock and draining victims in their sleep, before slipping out at dawn.
Ecology: First thought to be immature forms of crimson death, it is now known that these fiends were deliberately created by a powerful vampire wizard.
Vampiric mists reproduce via division. A mist is 10% likely to divide during its substantial stage immediately after feeding. The two mists created have 3 Hit Dice each, but only 4 hit points per die (thus they are born ravenously hungry).
Vampiric mists prey on all warm-blooded creatures. No animals hunt vampiric mist deliberately, though stirges, leeches, and other bloodsuckers are sometimes drawn (fatally) to their smell. Vampiric mists have no known life span. They live until they starve, are slain, or reproduce.
some preliminary stats for the vampire mist:
Mist, Vampiric
Medium Aberration?
Hit Dice: 3d8+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 30 ft (6 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +X/+X
Attack: Tendril (touch) +X melee (drain blood)
Full Attack: Tendril (touch) +X melee (drain blood)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: drain blood, envelop
Special Qualities: damage reduction (10?)/(magic?), immunities, satiation, sense blood, telepathy (weak)
Saves: Fort +X, Ref +X, Will +X
Abilities: Str X, Dex X, Con X, Int 10, Wis X, Cha X
Skills: 12
Feats: 2
Environment: Temperate and warm marsh and underground
Organization: Solitary or (1-3)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: X (Standard?)
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Medium); 7-9 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +X
COMBAT
Originally found in module I7 – Baltron’s Beacon (1985, Philip Meyers) and Monstrous Compendium MC5 - Greyhawk Appendix (1990).
remind me if I forget.I7
VAMPIRE MIST
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-3
ARMOR CLASS: 4 (8)
MOVE: 12 " (6" after feeding)
HIT DICE: 3
% IN LAIR: 60%
TREASURE TYPE: E
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil/Nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: IV/280 + 3 per hp
The vampire mist is related to the crimson death, and is suspected to be the immature form of that horror. It appears as a pale cloud, normally 5-8 feet in diameter but variable in size and density. It is encountered only in bogs, swamps, and similar chill and damp places, including dank subterranean areas.
Healthy vampire mists have maximum hit points (8 per die), but are almost never encountered in this state. A 'mist loses I hp for each 12 hours without feeding, and is thus always hungry when encountered wandering. It regains hit points by enveloping its victim with its gaseous tendrils, and draining the victim's fluids, turning a pink hue after feeding. The 'mist regains I hit point for each 2 points of blood drained, but this is not regeneration.
Though this is the 'mist's primary reason for attacking, it is quite capable of defending itself even when fully sated. The slightest touch of its airy tendril inflicts 1-8 points of damage, draining blood that the monster simply discards.
Non-magical protections are usually of no value against the 'mist's attacks. Character types are thus treated as base AC 10, modified only by Dexterity and magical protections (shields having no effect).
If the 'mist's hit roll is 4 or greater than the minimum needed, its enveloping attempt is successful. No further hit rolls are needed; the 'mist automatically inflicts 1d8 points of damage each round thereafter until it flees or is slain. If the 'mist is struck while its victim is enveloped, the damage from the blow is divided evenly between the victim and the 'mist. An enveloped victim may attack the mist physically, without risk of sharing the damage. However, the enveloping damage is constant, disrupting concentration, and thus preventing the victim's use of spells and most magical devices.
A 'mist can normally be damaged only by magical weapons and spells that affect air, including lightning and magic missile spells. After feeding, however, the monster takes on substance; it slows to 6" rate, its Armor Class drops to 8, and it can then be damaged by normal weapons.
MC5
Mist, Vampiric
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Non-arctic/Swamps and subterranean
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night
DIET: Blood
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8-10)
TREASURE: (D)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO, APPEARING: 1-3
ARMOR CLASS: 4 (8 when substantial)
MOVEMENT: 12 (6 when substantial)
HIT DICE: 3
THAC0: See below
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: M (5’-8’ tall)
MORALE: Elite (13-14)
XP VALUE: 270
These gaseous monsters prey on all living creatures, enveloping them with their gaseous tendrils, then draining the blood for food.
Vampiric mists appear as thick, billowing clouds, five to eight feet in diameter. Color ranges from pale pink when hungry to crimson red when sated. Vampiric mists speak no language, but they communicate through a limited form of telepathy. These creatures reek of old blood and are often smelled before seen.
Combat: Vampiric mists automatically sense the presence of any warm-blooded creature within 50 feet. Hungry mists take the shortest route possible to the victim, navigating by touch, flowing easily over water or through narrow cracks. Their path can be blocked by nonporous obstacles, but vampiric mists are intelligent and if any reasonable path exists they will find it.
All vampiric mists have maximum hit points (8 per die) when full, but they are almost never encountered in this state. For each 12 hours a mist goes unfed, it loses 1 hit point. Vampiric mists whose hit point totals reach 0 due to starvation die. To regain hit points, vampiric mists must drain fresh blood from living victims (hence the mist's name). For each 2 hit points of blood drained, the mist regains 1 hit point.
A vampiric mist may attack one victim per round by reaching out with a gaseous tendril. Targets of a vampiric mist are treated as AC 10. Modify this number by the victim's Dexterity, and by the magical protection worn (+1, +2, etc.) but ignore magical shields, The touch of a vampiric mist drains 1d8 points of blood. A hit 4 above the needed to hit number means the mist has enveloped its victim. Enveloped victims are automatically hit each round until either the mist dies, finishes feeding, or retreats. Attacks by other characters against an enveloping vampiric mist divide their damage evenly - half against the mist, half against the victim. Only the enveloped victim may attack the mist without harm to himself. However, because of the disorienting effect of rapid blood loss, enveloped victims may not use any spells or magical devices that require concentration.
While blood draining is mainly used to feed, the ability can also be used in defense by sated vampiric mists. Extra blood is simply dumped upon the ground.
Normally, a vampiric mist is damaged only by magical weapons or by spells that effect air. Lightning bolt and magic missile are also effective. However, immediately after reaching maximum hit points a vampiric mist takes on substance. This substantial stage
last 1d6 turns. During this time the mist's movement rate slows to 6, its AC drops to 8, and it may be hit by normal weapons.
Blood draining is not a form of regeneration; a mist that loses hit points in combat must heal those points normally. Keep track of a mist's current hit points and its maximum possible for that combat (this total starts at 24 and goes down with damage caused to the mist). Each time the mist is wounded, reduce both the current hit points and the maximum. If the current hit point total ever reaches 0, the mist dies. Hit points gained by draining blood are added to the current hit points, which cannot exceed the maximum total (24 minus damage to the mist). Hit points lost due to starvation are subtracted from the current hit points only. The current hit points may never exceed the mist's maximum hit point total. (After the current battle is over, the maximum hit point totals for any surviving mists return to 24.)
Habitat/Society: These dread monsters inhabit both swamps, where they creep along mixing in with morning and night fog, and subterranean caverns, where they stalk prey in absolute darkness. Vampiric mists attack at night or early morning, flowing over the ground in search of warm-blooded victims. They prefer lone victims, but hungry mists sometimes raid towns at night, slaying livestock and draining victims in their sleep, before slipping out at dawn.
Ecology: First thought to be immature forms of crimson death, it is now known that these fiends were deliberately created by a powerful vampire wizard.
Vampiric mists reproduce via division. A mist is 10% likely to divide during its substantial stage immediately after feeding. The two mists created have 3 Hit Dice each, but only 4 hit points per die (thus they are born ravenously hungry).
Vampiric mists prey on all warm-blooded creatures. No animals hunt vampiric mist deliberately, though stirges, leeches, and other bloodsuckers are sometimes drawn (fatally) to their smell. Vampiric mists have no known life span. They live until they starve, are slain, or reproduce.
some preliminary stats for the vampire mist:
Mist, Vampiric
Medium Aberration?
Hit Dice: 3d8+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 30 ft (6 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +X/+X
Attack: Tendril (touch) +X melee (drain blood)
Full Attack: Tendril (touch) +X melee (drain blood)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: drain blood, envelop
Special Qualities: damage reduction (10?)/(magic?), immunities, satiation, sense blood, telepathy (weak)
Saves: Fort +X, Ref +X, Will +X
Abilities: Str X, Dex X, Con X, Int 10, Wis X, Cha X
Skills: 12
Feats: 2
Environment: Temperate and warm marsh and underground
Organization: Solitary or (1-3)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: X (Standard?)
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Medium); 7-9 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +X
COMBAT
Originally found in module I7 – Baltron’s Beacon (1985, Philip Meyers) and Monstrous Compendium MC5 - Greyhawk Appendix (1990).
Shade
Monster Junkie
I find this hilarious, since the crimson death is an undead creature. I guess I'll start referring to my elf character as "the immature form of a baelnorn".
I'd go with aberration or elemental. Its relationship to the crimson death reminds me of that of the phiuhl from the Fiend Folio to elementals.
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
Comparing thom99’s version to what I have so far:
Aberration it is. I find it odd that crimson deaths are considered undead – they never were before, were they? I don’t remember ever thinking of them that way, despite the original drawing from the old MM2.
Still, as suggested by the text, the creatures do have a lot of similarities, so we can borrow some things from the crimson death in the 3E MM2. to support this, I’m going to take this line from MC5 to heart: “First thought to be immature forms of crimson death, it is now known that these fiends were deliberately created by a powerful vampire wizard.”
thom99’s suggesting DR 5/magic. I looked under the gaseous form spell, and noted that it gives you DR 10/magic. it could go either way, I’d imagine, but I do think magic weapons should be the component.
Making them incorporeal gives them that nifty deflection bonus, and a gaseous creature doesn’t make a lot of sense having a natural armor bonus. How can we keep the creature consisting of matter but still having an AC of 16? It doesn’t need a Dex of 22…
Improved Initiative and Stealthy as feats, that might work (definitely keep Stealthy)
Skills: Hide, Listen, Move Silently, that might be sufficient though I would add Search and/or Spot (just cause I like everything to see and hear!)
Ability scores Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
We might negate the Strength score, and I’m not sure if I want to use a use a grapple check, but if so we can always increase the Cha score and use that instead. Otherwise, I guess the rest of those scores look allright.
Aberration it is.
I find it odd that crimson deaths are considered undead – they never were before, were they? I don’t remember ever thinking of them that way, despite the original drawing from the old MM2. Still, as suggested by the text, the creatures do have a lot of similarities, so we can borrow some things from the crimson death in the 3E MM2. to support this, I’m going to take this line from MC5 to heart: “First thought to be immature forms of crimson death, it is now known that these fiends were deliberately created by a powerful vampire wizard.”
thom99’s suggesting DR 5/magic. I looked under the gaseous form spell, and noted that it gives you DR 10/magic. it could go either way, I’d imagine, but I do think magic weapons should be the component.
Making them incorporeal gives them that nifty deflection bonus, and a gaseous creature doesn’t make a lot of sense having a natural armor bonus. How can we keep the creature consisting of matter but still having an AC of 16? It doesn’t need a Dex of 22…
Improved Initiative and Stealthy as feats, that might work (definitely keep Stealthy)
Skills: Hide, Listen, Move Silently, that might be sufficient though I would add Search and/or Spot (just cause I like everything to see and hear!)
Ability scores Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
We might negate the Strength score, and I’m not sure if I want to use a use a grapple check, but if so we can always increase the Cha score and use that instead. Otherwise, I guess the rest of those scores look allright.
Shade
Monster Junkie
I always assumed that they were undead, basically spirits.BOZ said:Aberration it is.
So now they're fiends?BOZ said:
I'd go with 10/magic...all the creatures that emulate gaseous form have that.BOZ said:
Check out the phiuhl in the FF. It's a gaseous aberrations with...natural armor.BOZ said:
That works for me.BOZ said:
Spot. Search is really only useful for rogues, trackers, and secret-door seekers.BOZ said:Skills: Hide, Listen, Move Silently, that might be sufficient though I would add Search and/or Spot (just cause I like everything to see and hear!)
Once again, look to the phiuhl: Str 11, Dex 20, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10. Its got a Strength score, and crazy-high Dex.BOZ said:
I pity the fool that don't look at the phiuhl.
Sorry I'm late to the party!
I'm quite happy with 10/magic, I was going with 5/magic based on the coversion from 3.0 to 3.5 guide about monster stats.
The guide also mentioned about how to figure AC (usually CR + 13); I was shooting for a CR3 creature so that's how I arrived at AC16. Natural armor does sound kinda funky for a mist, but Shade's example does give us some wiggle room.
I agree with the spot, I didn't think it that far in my earlier example. This looks great so far guys!
thom
I'm quite happy with 10/magic, I was going with 5/magic based on the coversion from 3.0 to 3.5 guide about monster stats.
The guide also mentioned about how to figure AC (usually CR + 13); I was shooting for a CR3 creature so that's how I arrived at AC16. Natural armor does sound kinda funky for a mist, but Shade's example does give us some wiggle room.
I agree with the spot, I didn't think it that far in my earlier example. This looks great so far guys!
thom
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