Converting monsters from First Edition modules

[Shade]

Rather than go the usual geas/quest, limited wish, or animate objects route, how about fox's cunning to keep the caster level down?

Updated.

How's it look?

 

[freyar]

Sounds good and looks done!

 

[Mortis]

Sounds good and looks done!

I agree

Regards
Mortis

 

[Shade]

Cryptknights
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
NUMBER APPEARING: 1-10
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVE: 12”
HIT DICE: 9
% IN LAIR: 100%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NUMBER OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: continual fear
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Semi
ALIGNMENT: LE
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Cryptknights are only known to exist in the wizard Martek’s tomb. Cryptknights are creatures that were time-trapped (see the SPECIAL NOTE in the MOBIUS TOWER PROLOGUE on page 20) just as they died. Thus, they became trapped in their deaths. Because of their frightening deaths, 70% of all Cryptknights emanate continuous fear (as the fourth level magic users’ spell fear). Over the centuries, some cryptknights escaped from the Mobius tower to other parts of Martek’s tomb. Cryptknights look like skeletal forms of the people they were before they were time-trapped.

From I5 - Lost Tomb of Martek (1983).

 

[demiurge1138]

I say horrid appearance, as per a sea hag, for that level of fear.

Do they attack with a slam for a d12, or should they carry around greataxes?

Demiurge out.

 

[freyar]

Good call on horrid appearance.

The greataxes would be interesting, but I get the feeling these would have slam attacks.

 

[Shade]

Semi-Intelligent is 2-4.

Nothing seems to cry out for anything other than average physical scores.
Wis is at least average, and Cha is probably low.

 

[freyar]

Well, we could reduce the slam damage and go with higher strength, but here's a provisional list:
Str 13, Dex 10, Con -, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 14. I bumped Cha because the fear/horrid appearance DC will be based on Cha.

 

[Shade]

Those scores should work.

These things are terribly uninteresting. Here's one idea to spice them up a tad: Since they are "time-trapped", perhaps they should be immune to all time-affecting spells (slow, haste, time stop, etc.)?

 

[freyar]

Also, do we have any more information on time-trapping? Maybe there are more SAs we could dig out of that to make these a little more interesting.