Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine

[Cleon]

These things are applicable to be Player Characters so we don't want to make them too tough. If we want to advance them out we can make them have levels in barbarian with an average of 1-2 levels for your common monster.

How tough is too tough? I doubt they'll end up tougher than an ogre, and that's only a 4HD +2LA.

How about giving them the skill bonuses of a monstrous scorpion (+4 racial bonus on Climb, Hide, and Spot checks) rather than the +4 Listen/+4 Spot? That would help with the climbing.

I'll go with Climb/Hide/Spot. These aren't the stealthiest critters on the planet. What about Jump or we just using their str as part of it?

A racial bonus to Climb, Hide and Spot seems a good idea to me. They'll need something to help them out, since their low Int will make them short of skill points.

I don't see anything to suggest they'll have a racial bonus in Jump, though.

I'd give them Survival as a class skill, without any racial bonus.

 

[Leopold]

How tough is too tough? I doubt they'll end up tougher than an ogre, and that's only a 4HD +2LA.

I was thinking of these as a LA of 1 or ECL 4. A 5th level cleric would have about 20AC with shield and such so it would be about right if we moved their armor up a notch.

Since we are plan on working these in with Barbarians do we want to change their HD to d12s to make it mesh better?


Survival is fine addition. I threw in jump as it would climb rocks then jump down on it's prey. Scorpions lie in wait and it was just a thought with these guys climbing up rocks and then falling on their prey.

 

[Cleon]

I was thinking of these as a LA of 1 or ECL 4. A 5th level cleric would have about 20AC with shield and such so it would be about right if we moved their armor up a notch.

Quite, either full plate and heavy shield or lighter armour and a good Dex to get AC20 is easily achievable by a 4th level character.

Since we are plan on working these in with Barbarians do we want to change their HD to d12s to make it mesh better?

Are you suggesting changing their Monstrous Humanoid Hit Dice from d8 to d12? That doesn't sound a very good idea to me, plus I don't believe there's a precedent for it.

 

[Leopold]

Are you suggesting changing their Monstrous Humanoid Hit Dice from d8 to d12? That doesn't sound a very good idea to me, plus I don't believe there's a precedent for it.

Yes I was. It was an idea, didn't know the feasability of said idea. Figured it would be easy on the math (all d12s vs d8+d12), but in the end isn't normal conversion so skip it.

 

[freyar]

Lots to read there, and I don't think I'll process it all until Shade updates.

Still, I don't really like the hide armor idea so much because of this:

The skorpio's low Armor Class is due to its tough exoskeleton and exceptional dexterity.

Unless we want the AC to go above 20. I think the reason they're slower than other scorpion-critters is that they're bipedal.

 

[Shade]

Good point, freyar. Let's ditch the Hide armor, and go back to +6 natural if you guys really want AC 20.

CR 3 sounds about right. They can't dish out as much direct damage as an ogre, and have one less HD, but the Con-damaging poison every round evens that out.

Updated.

By the Savage Species guidelines, LA breaks down as follows:
+2 for poison where the affected ability score is constitution
+2 for natural armor greater than +5
+1 for three or more racial bonuses on skill checks
-----
+5 total

I could see going as low as +3, though.

 

[freyar]

100-200 lb.

Whatever works for the LA is fine with me. I know a lot of people in the rules forum complain about LA (think it's too much of a penalty), so I guess reducing the LA is ok.

 

[Leopold]

I'll be honest, this is my favorite part of the monster conversion. Something about this LA/ECL gets me giddy. I know, I need therapy but work with me.

Let's not forget it's massive ability score swing:
+2 STR
+8 Dex
+2 Con
-6 Int
+2 Wis

(I think everything is in multiples of 2, it's been YEARS since I read SS religiously )

I would give it +2 at max.

This creature vs a 6th level cleric vs a Skorpoid/Bar1 a cleric would trounce him easily with his spells, more feats, greater skill range (-6 to INT hurts), and ability to wear more/better armor. Sure this thing has the poison, but's DC12 and the cleric's spells are at least 15 or better (Average Wis of 16+Second level spells).

When you hit 7th level this creature will fall behind in the damage dealing, abilties, and access to a few magical items that's level appropriate.. Skorpoid doesn't move faster, or have anything to edge it out in combat except it's tail sting, darkvision, and ability scores.

3 is too much, 2 makes it look tempting with those ability bonus', 1 is too low vs a 5th level cleric.

Favored Class: Barbarian

I could really see this thing as a 6th level barbarian with uncanny dodge weaving in and out of combat and beating the snot out of characters.

 

[Shade]

I gotta stand by +3. An ogre is +2, with worse natural armor, worse overall ability modifiers (both have +14 total, but ogre is -10 compared to skorpio's -6), and no poison (which can be deadly).

Scorpionfolk have +4, and although better on ability scores and a few extra natural attacks and trample, their poison is less deadly (Dex rather than Con), and their limited SLAs are almost non-factors.

 

[Leopold]

Ogre also has:
Large size
an additional HD
Reach (10')
Lowlight and Darkvsion
Faster speed +10'

3 just seems a bit much, 2 seems reasonable. If you want to make it 3 then I defer to you.