Converting monsters from First Edition modules

Status
Not open for further replies.

BOZ

Creature Cataloguer
sorry, i can be annoying. :D

as far as the caster levels changing... i noticed that the caster levels were identical for the stone golem and the greater stone golem as were the spells used to create them (although, not surprisingly, the costs increased). should we heed that or is it good to have a lower caster level for this lil' golemite?
 

log in or register to remove this ad


Shade

Monster Junkie
Let's heed the tradition. Besides, the caster level isn't going to make much difference when it requires a 16th-level caster to pop out polymorph any object, right?
 


Shade

Monster Junkie
What first appeared to be a 3 foot tall statue of an armored figure begins to move, revealing it to be a tiny automaton.
 

BOZ

Creature Cataloguer
ok, next we're doing monsters from the module WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure!


Colchiln

FREQUENCY Rare (on the Prime Material Plane)
NO. APPEARING: 2-16
ARMORCLASS: 4
MOVE: 10”
HIT DICE: 4-7
% IN LAIR: 60%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 4-9/4-9 (plus strength bonus)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSE: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 20%
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil
SIZE: S (4 ft.)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil/nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: (4 HD) III/130 + 5/hp; (7 HD) V/500 + 10/hp

The Colchiln are a most uncommon demon-spawn, set upon this world to assist high-level evil beings (demons or similar creatures). They may be found wherever major concentrations of evil are located, but are most often found underground in mountainous caves that extend into the inky depths of the earth, lower level dungeons where abominable rites are practiced and horned non-human deities are worshipped. The colchiln are possibly created from larvae, but the complete process is unknown. Their mission is to serve and follow. They do this very well, for even if they are incapable of imaginative thought, they usually have a good memory and can follow orders explicitly. They are thus often incorporated into legions to fight subterranean wars to which those “evil ones of the pits and caverns” are accustomed.
The colchiln attack with their iron-hard claws, but have no teeth. They usually (55%) move silently, and when set for ambush, surprise their victims two-thirds of the time.
Their strengths range from 18/01 to 18/00, but the creatures gain only the +3, +4, +5, or +6 damage bonus (add to the base ld6.3 points of damage) and not the corresponding “to hit” bonus, as they are rather uncoordinated. However, their appearance provides no indication of their great strength. They never check morale, and will impassively fight to the death in all situations.

Description
A colchiln is black in color, bipedal, with scale-like skin and lidless, bulbous white eyes. Its mouth sports no teeth, but its red forked serpent’s tongue is used to sense things. Its four-fingered hands have iron-hard claws, adamantite-hard in larger varieties of colchiln.



here are some preliminary stats:

Colchiln
Medium Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar)
HD: 4d8+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 25 ft (5 squares)
AC: 15 (+X size, +X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+X
Attack: Claw +X melee (2d4+X)
Full Attack: 2 claws +X melee (2d4+X)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: X
Special Qualities: darkvision 60 ft, (damage reduction X/X?), (fearless?), spell resistance 15
Saves: Fort +X Ref +X Will +X
Abilities: Str 19 (at least) Dex X Con X Int 6 Wis X Chr X
Skills: Move Silently (+6 bonus)
Feats: ---

Environment: (Gehenna? Hades? Carceri? – probably created from larva)
Organization: 2-16
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: X
Level Adjustment: +X



COMBAT


Originally found in module WG5 - Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (1984, Robert J. Kuntz and Gary Gygax).
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
Interesting beastie. Shouldn't it be size Small, since it is only 4 feet tall? Also, it is "demon-spawned" but Neutral Evil. So, should we just say fiend-spawned and make a creation of the yugoloths? Then we can make its plane of origin Gehenna.

Here's a few preliminary ideas filled into what you had. I used the Mane and the Dretch for inspiration for its ability scores other than Strength, and gave it a low Dex to account for its "rather uncoordinated" nature.

I suggest we state that they always Power Attack at their full base attack bonus, to simulate the Strength bonus to damage but not on attack rolls. Whaddya think?

Colchiln
Medium Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar)
HD: 4d8+8 (26 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 25 ft (5 squares)
AC: 15 (+0 size, +5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+9
Attack: Claw +9 melee (2d4+5)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (2d4+5)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft, damage reduction 5/cold iron or good, immunity to fear, spell resistance 15
Saves: Fort +6 Ref +3 Will +5
Abilities: Str 21 Dex 9 Con 14 Int 6 Wis 12 Chr 4
Skills: Hide +7, Listen +7, Move Silently +13 (includes +6 racial bonus) , Spot +7 14 total
Feats: Improved Initiative, Power Attack

Environment: (Gehenna? Hades? Carceri? – probably created from larva)
Organization: Solitary, pair, or legion (2-16)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 5-8 HD (Medium); 9-12 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +X
 

BOZ

Creature Cataloguer
Interesting beastie.

I thought so. Definitely different. :)

Shouldn't it be size Small, since it is only 4 feet tall?

I wondered about this one myself. Dwarves are 4 feet tall, after all, and in 3E they are considered Medium. But I can go either way on that…

Also, it is "demon-spawned" but Neutral Evil. So, should we just say fiend-spawned and make a creation of the yugoloths? Then we can make its plane of origin Gehenna.

it’s a matter of 1E terminology being less precise than 3E. Sean Reynolds would have a field day with this one. :D I would say that this thing is considered a “multi-purpose” servitor. Yugoloths sound like a good idea, but we can always give them an ambiguous origin. The text suggests that they are “possibly created from larvae”, so maybe it’s really the night hags that created them? That would make their plane of origin Hades. It’s something to puzzle over. ;)

Here's a few preliminary ideas filled into what you had. I used the Mane and the Dretch for inspiration for its ability scores other than Strength, and gave it a low Dex to account for its "rather uncoordinated" nature.

good call!

I suggest we state that they always Power Attack at their full base attack bonus, to simulate the Strength bonus to damage but not on attack rolls. Whaddya think?

that could work nicely. :D flavor text all the way, though.

Special Qualities: immunity to fear

would this work like the paladin’s Aura of Courage, except that it only affects the colchiln?


Skills: Hide +7, Listen +7, Move Silently +13 (includes +6 racial bonus) , Spot +7 14 total

that’s definitely more than 14… unless you forgot to adjust Hide and MS by –1 for low Dex?

Feats: Improved Initiative

didn’t you say they were uncoordinated? ;)
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
BOZ said:
I wondered about this one myself. Dwarves are 4 feet tall, after all, and in 3E they are considered Medium. But I can go either way on that…

The dretch is 4 feet tall and Small. Besides, dwarves just get that because they are the 3.5 uber-race. :D

BOZ said:
it’s a matter of 1E terminology being less precise than 3E. Sean Reynolds would have a field day with this one. :D I would say that this thing is considered a “multi-purpose” servitor. Yugoloths sound like a good idea, but we can always give them an ambiguous origin. The text suggests that they are “possibly created from larvae”, so maybe it’s really the night hags that created them? That would make their plane of origin Hades. It’s something to puzzle over. ;)

No kidding! SKR would blow a gasket, especially if we outfitted them with "enchanted" weapons. How about stick with the ambiguous origin, but instead of demonic say "fiendish". We could set the environment simply as "Lower Planes", right?

BOZ said:
would this work like the paladin’s Aura of Courage, except that it only affects the colchiln?

That sounds do-able.

BOZ said:
that’s definitely more than 14… unless you forgot to adjust Hide and MS by –1 for low Dex?

Oops! That should state "14 remaining", as it has a total of 42 skill points and I allocated all but 14. But...I did forget to adjust everything for low Dex. For some reason, I always think of 9 as +0 instead of -1 for stats.

BOZ said:
didn’t you say they were uncoordinated? ;)

Yep, but many monsters with Dex-penalties have Imp. Init. It's one of the only ways to simulate "suprise" in 3E, right?
 

BOZ

Creature Cataloguer
Shade said:
The dretch is 4 feet tall and Small. Besides, dwarves just get that because they are the 3.5 uber-race. :D

good point - Small it is then!

No kidding! SKR would blow a gasket, especially if we outfitted them with "enchanted" weapons. How about stick with the ambiguous origin, but instead of demonic say "fiendish". We could set the environment simply as "Lower Planes", right?

heh heh heh...

and i guess that could work, but what would be the effect of having it be native to the Lower Planes - does that mean it couldn't be banished from any evil plane or something?


i'm going to alter your statblock a little, and post a new version of it in the homebrews forum in a little while.
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
Some official creatures have their environment listed as "Lower Planes" or "Upper Planes" (for example, solars). I take it to mean that you pick a home plane for the individual beastie, so it Joe Wizard casts banishment, you can cast one back to Carceri, another to Gehenna, etc.

I checked out your updated stats. It looks good. Here are my suggestions for skills: 7 ranks each in Climb, Hide, Listen, Spot, Move Silently, Survival.

For weight, I'd go with 45 lbs.
 

BOZ

Creature Cataloguer
i guess it's done then? would we want to put an LA on it? is CR 4 about right?

it's kind of fat in the picture, and bulky otherwise, so i made it 95 lbs instead.
 
Last edited:

Shade

Monster Junkie
I'm glad you described the picture. I got the impression that it was gaunt! The dretch is described as bloated and caps out at the "max" weight of 60 lb. for a Small critter. But we can bend the rules to 95 lb. if you want.

CR 4 might be too high, as it has no special attacks. Compare to a Rutterkin, which is CR 3, and has spell-like abilities and summon tanar'ri. I'm thinking more like CR 2.

Let's ask our resident LA expert if it needs one. ;)
 


Shade

Monster Junkie
This four-foot tall bipedal creature is bloated with black-scaled skin. Its arms end in four-fingered claws, and its lidless eyes are bulbous. A red forked serpent’s tongue darts out of its toothless maw.
 

BOZ

Creature Cataloguer
next!!

Tyrg (Spotted Hound)
FREQUENCY Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-10
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 18”
HIT DICE: 5-8
% IN LAIR: 30%
TREASURE TYPE: C
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (6-9 ft. long)
PSIONIC ABILITY Nil
Atack/Defense Modes: Nil/nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: (5 HD) IV/130 + 5/hp; (8 HD) VI/550 + 10/hp

The Tyrg is a cross between a dog (in watchfulness) and a tiger (in stalking ability). These creatures are often found in the mountains, but not too far from woods (wherein they prefer to hunt). When they engage prey in melee, they emit fierce howls which will serve to mildly stun the victims engaged (-1 penalty to initiative, -2 penalty to hit) for the following three rounds. The effects of this stunning are not cumulative, and only after the first three rounds of stunning have worn off can those affected be stunned once again. After howling, a tyrg attacks. Tyrgs can move silently 75% of the time, and are surprised only on a roll of 1 on ld6.
If encountered in their lair, there will be 1-4 young present (20-70% grown). These will fight with the adults to preserve the lair. All others in the lair will be adults, the majority male, though the sexes cannot be told apart
because of a lack of general knowledge regarding these hounds.

Description
A tyrg stands 3 ft. tall at the shoulder and varies in length, as noted above. Its overall coloring is white with grey, black, and tan splotches. Its sleek stance while hunting is reminiscent of’a cat, but its powerful jaws, containing many fangs, demonstrate its relation to the world of dogs.



MC5:

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any/Mountains or hilly forests
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Pack
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Low (5-7)
TREASURE: C
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic neutral

NO. APPEARING: 1-10
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 18
HIT DICE: 5-8
THAC0: 5-6 HD: 15
7-8 HD: 13
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Stunning howl, paw rake
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L (6'-9' long)
MORALE: Elite (13-14)
XP VALUE: 5 HD: 270
6 HD: 420
7HD:650
8 HD: 975

The tyrg is a cross between a dog (in watchfulness) and a tiger (in stalking ability).
A tyrg stands three feet tall at the shoulder and varies in length from six to nine feet. Its overall coloring is white with gray, black, and tan splotches. The tyrg’s sleek stance while hunting is reminiscent of a cat, but its powerful jaws, containing many fangs, demonstrates its relation to the world’s dogs.

Combat: When tyrgs engage prey in melee, they emit fierce howls that serve to mildly stun their victims ( +2 penalty to initiative, -2 penalty to attack rolls) for the following three rounds. There is no saving throw for these howls. Note that the effects of this stunning are not cumulative, and only after the first three rounds of stunning have worn off can those affected be stunned again. After howling, tyrgs attack. Their powerful jaws full of massive teeth cause ld12 points of damage with every vicious bite. If an opponent is overborne, or otherwise finds himself prone on the ground, the tyrg's raking forepaws can inflict ld4 points each on the already besieged victim.
Tyrgs can move silently 75 % of the time and are surprised only on a roll of 1 due to their superior senses.

Habitat/Society Little is known about tyrgs, as they have been encountered only relatively recently. What has been gathered has been from wholly unreliable observation carried out by completely inexperienced information gatherers (i.e., adventurers). Tyrgs have been reportedly sighted in roving packs, leading one to believe they lean heavily to the wild dog branch of their ancestry. However, the few lairs that have been breached successfully tend to support the idea that the female tyrgs do the majority of the hunting. This observation tends to suggest the pride-like nature of tigers and lions.
Combining the two observations is difficult, but a suitable hypothesis has been proposed. Pending verification by trustworthy sources, it is believed that tyrgs travel in roving, almost nomadic, packs across the wilderness. Every few seasons, or perhaps years, the current lair is abandoned, and the pack moves on (under the leading male's guidance). However, when the pack is stationary, having chosen a suitable lair, the tyrgs settle back and form a new pride.
Females, after giving birth to their young, forage out to seek food. The males remain behind, guarding the lair and the young, and proceeding to test the strength and power of the other males, thereby reestablishing or reorganizing the ruling hierarchy. If tyrgs are encountered in their lair (usually a cave or deep hole in the ground), there are ld4 young present (20-70% grown). These fight with the adults to presenre the lair. All others in the lair are adults.

Ecology: It is important to note that the sexes cannot yet be told apart from afar, because of a lack of general knowledge regarding these hounds. Coloration notes or behavioral anecdotes might provide a clue.
Otherwise, tyrgs are straight-forward predatory carnivores. They have no natural enemies, other than monsters even nastier and hungrier than they are, and have no natural allies. Even related species, like wild dogs and tigers, are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, meaning that sometimes they are greeted, sometimes they are attacked. Again, no obvious behavioral patterns have been observed.


here are some preliminary stats for the tyrg:

Tyrg
Medium Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 5d10+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 50 ft (10 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+X
Attack: Bite +X melee (1d12+X)
Full Attack: Bite +X melee (1d12+X)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Howl, rake
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft, scent
Saves: Fort +X Ref +X Will +X
Abilities: Str X Dex X Con X Int 6 Wis X Chr X
Skills: Move Silently (+ bonus) – 8 total
Feats: 2 (alertness?)

Environment: Any mountains, hills, and forest
Organization: Pack (1-10) or pride (includes young)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Medium); 11-15 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +X



COMBAT



Originally found in module WG5 - Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (1984, Robert J. Kuntz and Gary Gygax), and Monstrous Compendium MC5 - Greyhawk Appendix (1990).
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
I added some ideas to your stat block, BOZ.

Tyrg
Medium Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 5d10+10 (37 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50 ft (10 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+7
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d12+2)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d12+2) and 2 claws +2 melee (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Howl, rake (1d6+1)
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +4 Ref +4 Will +1
Abilities: Str 15 Dex 17 Con 15 Int 6 Wis 12 Chr 6
Skills: Hide +X, Listen +X, Move Silently (+ bonus), Spot +X – 8 total
Feats: Alertness, 1 more

Environment: Any mountains, hills, and forest
Organization: Pack (1-10) or pride (includes young)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Medium); 11-15 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +X

I based the ability scores on downsizing a tiger from Large to Medium, and then factoring in the relevant dog traits.
 




Status
Not open for further replies.

An Advertisement

Advertisement4

Top