Converting monsters from Imagine Magazine

[Shade]

From the information about them replacing bodies with duplicates, it sounds like they should have skill ranks in Craft (woodcarving).

Sounds good.

Agreed. Abilities? I earlier suggested Int 12, Str 8-9, but I don't have much of an idea for the other ones. I guess it sounds like Dex is ok, maybe in the 12-15 range.

Since they didn't have a damage penalty before, I'd stick with at least Str 10 (the balbal variant should be stronger, though). Int 12 is good. I'd say Dex should be the high stat, since it requires fine agility with that tongue. Cha could be decent for disguises.

How about Str 10, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 15?

 

[freyar]

Looks pretty good. Alternate form or change shape for this? (Meaning specific human-like form, change of physical ability scores or not?) I think I'd vote for change shape.

 

[Shade]

I think change shape is a good choice.

 

[freyar]

Ok, we have change shape and Con damage (1pt per round?). Natural attack is talons with 1d3 damage. Let's write these up:

Change Shape (Su): An aswang can assume the form of any humanoid female. In addition, an aswang can take the form of a Medium birdlike creature with a woman's face and a long, tube-like tongue. The aswang may use its talon attacks in its natural form or its birdlike form but not in humanoid form.

Blood Drain (Ex): An aswang in birdlike form may insert its tongue into a sleeping or helpless victim and drain blood, dealing 1 points of Constitution damage per round that its tongue is attached.

Do we want to use the following adapted from the stirge?

Once it has dealt 4 points of Constitution damage, it detaches and flies off to digest the meal. If its victim dies before the aswang’s appetite has been sated, the aswang detaches and seeks a new target.

 

[Shade]

Yes to all that.

Added to Homebrews.

 

[freyar]

Need to move the bit about detaching up above change shape. Also, I was thinking, based on the flavor text, to change Blood Drain to:

Blood Drain (Ex): An aswang in birdlike form may insert its tongue into a sleeping or helpless victim and drain blood, dealing 1 points of Constitution damage per round that its tongue is attached. Once it has dealt 5 (1/2 the aswang's Constitution score) points of Constitution damage, it detaches and flies off to digest the meal. While digesting, which takes one day per point of Constitution drained, the aswang appears to be pregnant. If its victim dies, the aswang will replace the corpse with a likeness carved from a tree trunk.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

 

[freyar]

Environment: Forest or Urban?
Feats: Deceitful and Stealthy?

Should we add the bit about the tongue including a sleeping poison?

 

[Shade]

Environment: Forest or Urban?

I get the impression that the aswang is urban, while the balbal is the forest-dweller.

Feats: Deceitful and Stealthy?

Those look appropriate.

Should we add the bit about the tongue including a sleeping poison?

Here's another creature with an anesthetic ability...

Anesthetize (Ex): A creature attacked by a leech swarm must succeed on a Spot check (opposed by the swarm's Hide check) to notice the attack if both the leech swarm and its target are in murky water at least 2 feet deep. Each round of blood drain entitles the creature to another Spot check to notice the leeches, with a cumulative +2 bonus on the check per round after the first. Characters attacked in clear water, or who have some means of detecting the leech swarm without seeing it, notice the attack immediately.

 

[freyar]

Ok, but the victims are asleep, so I don't know if Spot is quite right, especially since the tongue is supposed to be super-thin. How about:

Anesthetize (Ex): A victim of an aswang's Blood Drain ability must succeed on a DC X Wisdom check (the save DC is Constitution based?) to notice the attack. Since aswangs generally attack sleeping victims, this Wisdom check is usually made with a -10 penalty. Each round of blood drain entitles the creature to another Wisdom check to notice the aswang, with a cumulative +2 bonus on the check per round after the first. Characters who have some means of detecting the aswang notice the attack immediately.

How's that look?