Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine

[freyar]

Balance, Climb, Listen, Spot, Swim?

Different web sites give possible names for groups of hippos, including pod and bloat. For the 1-2 plus 2-4 mummies, I think I prefer pod. Bloat is awfully good, but it would probably work better in place of herd with the actual hippos. Speaking of, 2d6 hippos in the herd?

Let's make them a little bigger than the crocs. 11 ft and 800 lb?

 

[Cleon]

Balance, Climb, Listen, Spot, Swim?

Well, with its Strength and racial bonus it doesn't really need any ranks in Swim.

Balance & Climb don't feel right for a hippopotamus. I would prefer Hide (for lurking in the water), Listen & Spot and maybe some social skill to interact with temple visitors and detect imposters (Diplomacy?, Sense Motive?) and maybe some ranks in Survival to help track down idolators.

Let's make them a little bigger than the crocs. 11 ft and 800 lb?

I was thinking about the same height or a little shorter, but stockier and heavier than the other composite mummies.

 

[Shade]

I love the org name "bloat".

I concur with Balance and Climb seeming out of place. Let's also skip Survival, since it doesn't have the Track feat and has no other application for the skill.

How about Hide, Knowledge (religion), Listen, Sense Motive, Spot?

9 ft and 800 lb?

 

[demiurge1138]

Those skills and dimensions sound right.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Did we ever figure out the "x" in the ability below?

Summon Crocodiles (Sp): Once per day, a hippopotamus composite mummy can automatically summon x hippopotami. This ability is the equivalent of a 5th-level spell.

Did we want to reassign Ability Focus to birthing curse rather than mummy scourge, as discussed upthread?

Anything else?

 

[Cleon]

I love the org name "bloat".

I concur with Balance and Climb seeming out of place. Let's also skip Survival, since it doesn't have the Track feat and has no other application for the skill.

How about Hide, Knowledge (religion), Listen, Sense Motive, Spot?

9 ft and 800 lb?

That all looks fine to me except for Knowledge (religion), since (a) why doesn't the Croc have it? and (b) if any of the composite mummies get that skill, I'd prefer it to be the Jackal-headed one.

 

[Shade]

The croc probably should, but we didn't give it to it.

That said, I'm fine with replacing it here, or revising the croc again.

 

[freyar]

Let's give it to the croc, too.

Everything looks ok for the hippo as far as I'm concerned.

 

[demiurge1138]

Considering that there are no hippos in the MM, where would these stats come from for the summonned ones?

 

[freyar]

Considering that there are no hippos in the MM, where would these stats come from for the summonned ones?

You would have to find the fly in the ointment, wouldn't you?

I know, let's convert one!