Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine

[freyar]

Any thoughts about whether these should be completely incorporeal like the ghost or get some sort of semi-corporeal property when manifested?

Also, I haven't asked, but do you want to make these a template? We both seemed to assume not.

 

[Shade]

Dunno about the first bit. I always find these semi-incorporeal monsters to be about the biggest pain in the ass (second only to Astral creatures) to convert.

It is funny that we dove in without considering a template. Looking at them again, with the Low intelligence they might just work better as a standard creature. Anyone have a strong opinion?

 

[freyar]

Well, other than the AC change, there's not a lot to indicate that these need to work so much differently than ghosts. After all, even if they stay incorporeal, they go from being completely absent on the material plane to hittable when they manifest. We could just give them incorporeal touch with hp damage plus paralysis.

My first instinct is just to make these a regular monster, but I could be swayed.

 

[Shade]

Since no one else seems to interested in them, let's just go with standard monster like our guts suggest.

I'm fine with incorporeal touch with hp damage plus paralysis.

Shall we give them some roguish abilities like trapfinding and trap sense? Maybe even sneak attack and evasion?

 

[freyar]

Since they're incorporeal and can only steal from living creatures, I don't think they need the trap stuff. But sneak attack and evasion would be good.

So we'll just keep them incorporeal as usual?

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Now, in death, scavenger spirits are cursed to steal from the living. Scavenger spirits can pickpocket with a 70% chance of success. To do this, they must assume a semimaterial form. When the scavenger spirit has acquired an item of value, the spirit will flee to its lair and add the ill-gotten gains to its hoard. Characters who are successfully pickpocketed do not see the scavenger spirit.

Hmmm...they probably need some sort of "ghost touch pickpocketing" ability, eh?

Also, a +8 racial bonus on Sleight of Hand checks?

They long so desperately for the wealth carried by the dead that they will whisper a suggestion to passing humans and demi-humans to stop and take the objects left behind. Once a living person has acquired the wealth, the scavenger spirits are free to steal it. The spirits can use their suggestion ability once each turn.

Suggestion as a 1/minute SLA?

When two or more scavenger spirits are together, they can combine their energies to cast a dig spell. This can be used up to three times a day. The spirits often unearth coffins or clear the way to buried tombs in the hopes passing adventurers will stop and loot the dead. The spirits will add a suggestion or two if necessary. Again, once the living have acquired the treasure, the spirits are free to steal it from them.

We can borrow the dig ability freyar came up with for a recent creature, or simply go with move earth.

In combat, scavenger spirits attack with their filthy claws -- up to four of them depending on the form chosen. Each claw attack causes 1-6 points of damage. In addition, victims must save vs. spells, at a -2 penalty, or be paralyzed with fear and disgust for 1d6 rounds. If the scavenger spirit is not involved in any other melees, it will loot the paralyzed body and return to its lair. Lawful good priests are immune to the paralysis touch.

Stick with 1d6 rounds? Do we keep the LG cleric immunity (I'm thinking "no").

Scavenger spirits must remain in their semi-material state during combat. The spirits can be harmed only by silver or magical weapons. They are immune to sleep, charm, hold, death magic, poisons and cold-based spells. These spirits are turned as "special" on the priest undead turning table.

DR x/silver? (Incorporeality already requires magic)
Immunity to cold?
+4 turn resistance?

Animals can sense scavenger spirits' unnatural origins and instinctively avoid them.

Unnatural presence like wraiths?

 

[freyar]

Hmmm...they probably need some sort of "ghost touch pickpocketing" ability, eh?

Also, a +8 racial bonus on Sleight of Hand checks?

Absolutely on both of these! How about this?

Incorporeal Pickpocket (Su): A manifested scavenger spirit may make Sleight of Hand checks to manipulate material objects (for example, using Sleight of Hand to pick a character's pocket). If the scavenger spirit succeeds in taking control of the object, the object becomes incorporeal, like the scavenger spirit, and the scavenger spirit may carry it to the Ethereal Plane when its manifestation ends.

Or we could look up the Spectral Mage from Magic of Faerun that I think uses mage hand or something similar to manipulate spell components. I can't get to that book until tonight, though.

Suggestion as a 1/minute SLA?

I think so.

We can borrow the dig ability freyar came up with for a recent creature, or simply go with move earth.

After looking up move earth, I think I like dig better for this. What do you think? (Dig was for the mole dragonet, I think, if you're trying to remember.)

Stick with 1d6 rounds? Do we keep the LG cleric immunity (I'm thinking "no").

Let's go with 1d6 round paralysis but negate with a Will save. I think no on the immunity, but a cleric will probably have a good chance to make the save anyway.

DR x/silver? (Incorporeality already requires magic)
Immunity to cold?
+4 turn resistance?

Let's go with DR 5 since they're already incorporeal and tough enough to hit. Yes to the rest.

Unnatural presence like wraiths?

Something like that. This doesn't quite sound as potent. We could increase the range and reduce to frightened, like this, if you want:

Unnatural Aura (Su): Animals, whether wild or domesticated, can sense the unnatural presence of a scavenger spirit at a distance of 60 feet. They will not willingly approach nearer than that and become frightened if forced to do so; they remain frightened as long as they are within that range.

 

[Shade]

I like what you came up with for the incorporeal pickpocket.

Here are the pertinent abilities from the spectral mage:

Corporeal Manipulation (Su): A spectral mage can manipulate material objects as a standard action. Its ability to manipulate objects is limited to what can be accomplished with a mage hand spell. This allows a spectral mage to use material components for spells and turn pages in its spellbook so it can prepare spells. The spectral mage needs to be in contact with the item to use this ability, so it must be touching the components it wishes to use in order to cast spells needing those components. This also allows the spectral mage to use magic items that do not need to be worn to function.

Item Link (Su): A spectral mage has a magical link to the items it carried when it died. It can sense the exact location of these objects as a standard action. Most spectral mages search for and gather their material possessions, guarding them to a paranoid extent.


Updated.

 

[freyar]

Should we put some limitation on the Incorporeal Pickpocket? Maybe that they are restricted by their strength like usual?

Item Link sort of makes sense, but since these are compelled to steal anything and everything, I don't think it's necessary.

Should we put in the section about "ghostly equipment" from the SRD?

CL 4th for everything?

 

[Shade]

Should we put some limitation on the Incorporeal Pickpocket? Maybe that they are restricted by their strength like usual?

Hmmm...since incorporeal creatures usually lack Strength scores, that might confuse people.

Item Link sort of makes sense, but since these are compelled to steal anything and everything, I don't think it's necessary.

Good point.

Should we put in the section about "ghostly equipment" from the SRD?

We could probably just mention it.

CL 4th for everything?

Sounds good.