D&D 3.x Converting monsters from Mayfair Games Role Aids product line

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

I dropped the Air and Earth subtypes, since magical beasts usually lack subtypes other than cold, fire, or extraplanar.

Suggested poison damage? For some reason, I see them dealing Dex damage, but I'm open to suggestions.

 

[freyar]

Dex damage appeals to me. Just 1d2/1d2 perhaps, or 1d3/1d2 (midway between 1/2 HD Tiny monstrous spiders and 1 HD Small monstrous spiders)?

 

[Cleon]

Dex damage appeals to me. Just 1d2/1d2 perhaps, or 1d3/1d2 (midway between 1/2 HD Tiny monstrous spiders and 1 HD Small monstrous spiders)?

Dex damage is a great idea!

I'd go for 1d3/1d3 myself, different values for initial and secondary damage is a trifle confusing.

Shall we flesh out the other abilities a bit more.

Death Throes (Ex): When a lesser dust spider dies its body explodes into a 5 foot burst of irritating dust. All creatures within the area must succeed at a DC X Reflex save or be dazzled for Y rounds, those that succeed are dazzled for 1 round. The save is Constitution-based and includes a +Z racial bonus.
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I think it needs a racial bonus and an automatic minimum of 1 round otherwise the effect will be even more negligible than the original.

As for the dust form, I was thinking of something like this (the Greater Dust Spider would have a far more effective dust form). I thought about it taking damage if its "blown away" while in dust form, but I felt that would be more appropriate for the Greater Dust Spider.

Dust Form (Ex): A lesser dust spider can collapse into a pile of dust as a move action. It can coalesce from a dust pile back into a spider with another move action. As a dust pile, the spider can sense its surroundings normally and gains Damage Reduction 10/-, but it can not move, attack or take any action (including spellcasting) which has a verbal, somatic or material component. It takes a DC Y Spot check to distinguish a lesser dust spider in dust form from an ordinary pile of dust. If a lesser dust spider is struck by a moderate wind (windspeed 11 mph or higher) while in dust form it is forced to resume its normal spider form, and must make a Fortitude save (DC equals 10 or DC of the wind effect, whichever is higher) or be knocked prone and stunned for 1 round.​

 

[freyar]

I think those are ok. Let's do dazzled for Y=1d4 rounds on a failed save. I can wait to see how the rest looks before deciding on the racial bonus. For dust form, instead of saying "but it can not move, attack or take any action (including spellcasting) which has a verbal, somatic or material component" why not say "but can take only purely mental actions"?

 

[demiurge1138]

Cannot move, but can reform as a move action? I get it, but it has the potential to be confusing. There has to be a better way of phrasing.

 

[Cleon]

I think those are ok. Let's do dazzled for Y=1d4 rounds on a failed save. I can wait to see how the rest looks before deciding on the racial bonus. For dust form, instead of saying "but it can not move, attack or take any action (including spellcasting) which has a verbal, somatic or material component" why not say "but can take only purely mental actions"?

Good idea, although I'd add sensory actions too.

Cannot move, but can reform as a move action? I get it, but it has the potential to be confusing. There has to be a better way of phrasing.

Well there's always "move-equivalent", or we could just make it a swift action.

Upon reflection, I fancy the idea of it slowly creeping about in dust form, like a rolling pile of dustbunnies.

I'll try to rephrase it:

Dust Form (Ex): A lesser dust spider can collapse into a pile of dust as a move action. It can coalesce from a dust pile back into a spider as a swift action. As a dust pile, the spider can sense its surroundings normally and move around at a speed of 10 (ground speed or climbing) but is incapable of making any other actions (such as attacks) except for purely mental ones. A dust spider in dust form gains Damage Reduction 10/- and cannot be flanked or rendered flat-footed. It takes a DC Y Spot check to distinguish a lesser dust spider in dust form from an ordinary pile of dust when it is not moving. If a lesser dust spider is struck by a moderate wind (windspeed 11 mph or higher) while in dust form it is forced to resume its normal spider form, and must make a Fortitude save (DC equals 10 or DC of the wind effect, whichever is higher) or be knocked prone and stunned for 1 round.
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Any better?

 

[freyar]

I don't actually like it moving around (especially at 10 ft/rd!). And I think it should probably be Su, not Ex. But otherwise, I think it's good.

 

[demiurge1138]

Like a lot of your abilities, Cleon, it's too long. I see a wall of text and I don't want to read it. All of the actual abilities look pretty reasonable, but there has to be a simpler way. I agree with freyar that I don't want them moving.

 

[Shade]

For the dustform, perhaps one of these more simplistic solutions can be adapted...

Unravel (Ex): Once per day as a standard action, a hangman golem can unravel its form to become a heap of tangled ropes that fills a 10-foot-by-10-foot area. While in this form, the rope golem cannot attack or move, but it gains fast healing 10. A hangman golem can reform into its humanoid appearance as a full-round action.

Boulder Defense (Ex): A thomil can change its shape to a smooth, immobile, boulderlike form. In this form, the thomil's damage reduction increases to 15/- and its spell resistance increases by 5, but it cannot move or make attacks. Assuming this form takes a standard action, while returning to its semihumanoid form is a free action.

 

[Cleon]

For the dustform, perhaps one of these more simplistic solutions can be adapted...

Unravel (Ex): Once per day as a standard action, a hangman golem can unravel its form to become a heap of tangled ropes that fills a 10-foot-by-10-foot area. While in this form, the rope golem cannot attack or move, but it gains fast healing 10. A hangman golem can reform into its humanoid appearance as a full-round action.

Boulder Defense (Ex): A thomil can change its shape to a smooth, immobile, boulderlike form. In this form, the thomil's damage reduction increases to 15/- and its spell resistance increases by 5, but it cannot move or make attacks. Assuming this form takes a standard action, while returning to its semihumanoid form is a free action.

The Boulder Defence seems the closer of the two, I'll try to adapt that.

I like the "wind forces it to return to spider form" idea but have no objection to making them immobile again (although I would like the Greater Form could blow about as a cloud of dust, gaseous form style).

Oh, and I agree it should be Supernatural - that slipped in as a result of my copy & pasting the Dust Body immunities.

Do we still want a Spot DC to distinguish it from a mundane pile of dust?

If not, we can boil it down to:

Dust Form (Su): A lesser dust spider can change its shape to a pile of dist. In this form, the dust spider gains damage reduction 10/-, but it cannot move or make attacks. Assuming this form takes a move action, while returning to its spider form is a free action.

A lesser dust spider that is struck by a moderate wind (windspeed 11 mph or higher) while in dust form is forced to resume its normal spider form and must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC equals 10 or DC of the wind effect, whichever is higher) or be knocked prone and stunned for 1 round.
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Better?