Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine

[Cleon]

Frost Treants
The trees are frost treants, an evil variety of treant. If the PCs move to within 20 feet, take any hostile action, or leave the path, they attack.

Frost Treants (15): INT: Average (10); AL: CE; AC: 0; MV: 12; HD: 7; HP: 38 each (seven in front group) 10 (eight in rear guard); THAC0: 13; #AT: 2; DMG: 2d8; SA: nil (these treants cannot animate the tree around them); SD: Never surprised; SZ: H; ML: 15.

Frost treants hate all living, breathing things, but they tend to attack sentient beings rather than animals. They will continue to attack until they or the PCs are dead. The runestone lies in a clearing further down the path past the frost treants. The treants will not enter the clearing, so if the party can win their way past the seven that were at the front of the party, they will be safe from further attacks by them.

Originally appeared in Polyhedron #116 (1996).

These aren't very exciting as written. Perhaps we can take the "frost" aspect a bit further than simply making them evil. Maybe they are cold-weather trees, such as pine trees, and have some cold-based abilities?

Something about the "hate all living, breathing things" makes me think Undead Cold Treants.

 

[Shade]

I could go for that. Treants that succumbed to death from cold?

 

[Cleon]

I could go for that. Treants that succumbed to death from cold?

That's the idea.

Leafless branches, trunks split open by frozen water, icicles dangling from every twig, heart filled with frozen malice.

Although I'd be as happy making them standard Plant monsters with the Cold subtype. Malevolent conifers to the benevolent deciduous nature of regular treants.

Their stats seem identical to a standard AD&D Treant except for them lacking the animate tree ability.

I'm getting tempted to do two different monsters, a "living" and an "undead" Frost Treant.

The living version could have the ability to throw a shower of needles to pincushion foes, the undead one could be able to feel the warm breath of its victims from a javelin's throw away, and freeze them to death with its aura (like brown mold?).

 

[Shade]

What the hell, let's go with both versions.

Retain the name "Frost Treant" for the living, conifer version? Call the undead version a "Hoartree" or "Rimetrunk"?

 

[Cleon]

What the hell, let's go with both versions.

Retain the name "Frost Treant" for the living, conifer version? Call the undead version a "Hoartree" or "Rimetrunk"?

I'll agree to Frost Treant for the Cold-subtype Plant but "Hoartree rimetrunk" doesn't suit me.

It seems a bit rather "4th edition" to me and sounds disturbingly like the name of a Treant pornstar...

If we start on the Frost Treant first we'll hopefully be able to think up a better name for the Undead variety.

So, start with a regular Treant and give it the Cold subtype.

Do we want to modify its ability scores any, or shall we just slap on a few powers to substitute for its lack of animate tree?

 

[Shade]

I could see a conifer being less physically strong than a "mighty oak". So maybe drop Str a bit.

Boost Con a tad for the environmental extremes?

 

[Cleon]

I could see a conifer being less physically strong than a "mighty oak". So maybe drop Str a bit.

Boost Con a tad for the environmental extremes?

-4 Strength, +2 Con?

-2 to all their Mental stats, since they're Average Intelligence (8-10)?

 

[freyar]

These will become fun, I think! As for names, I kind of like "hoartree" all by itself. Or even "hoartreant."

Agreed to Cleon's proposed stat changes. And we might borrow the needles from the manticore.

 

[Shade]

We can borrow this borrowing (minus the poison).

Poison Needle Volley (Ex): With a flick of its branches, a killer spruce can loose a volley of six poisonous needles as a standard action (make an attack roll for each needle). This attack has a range of 180 feet with no range increment. All targets must be within 30 feet of each other. The killer spruce can launch only 36 needles in any 24-hour period.

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

Do we want to add some cold damage? If so, add it to the needles as well?

Other special abilities? Maybe it can slough piles of snow off its upper body to create a mini-avalanche or otherwise bury/impede foes?