Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine

[freyar]

Malevolent is great, but ripples drags that down. Go with vile wake, methinks. The ability itself looks really good.

Work on the drowning aspect? Or the alluring business?

 

[Cleon]

Malevolent is great, but ripples drags that down. Go with vile wake, methinks. The ability itself looks really good.

Or we could continue an evil stream of suggestions until the wicked undertow drags us under.

Work on the drowning aspect? Or the alluring business?

Well they've got to tempt their victims close before they can get them, so let's aim for alluring...

 

[freyar]

Wicked undertow would be nice if it were only an Overrun option.

Did we settle on a gaze affecting any single target with a racial bonus to DC vs the killer?

 

[Shade]

Vile Streams of Malevolent Wake.

Affirmative on single-target gaze attack.

 

[freyar]

Seems like a good candidate to merge a vampire and a harpy:

Captivating Gaze (Su): A drowned maiden can attract any characterl just by looking onto his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that the maiden must use a standard action, and those merely looking at her are not affected. Anyone the potoplenytsia targets must succeed on a DC X Will save or become captivated. This is a mind-affecting charm effect. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same drowned maiden's gaze for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based, and gains a +4 racial bonus against the drowned maiden's killer. The ability has a range of 30 feet.

A captivated victim walks toward the drowned maiden, taking the most direct route available. If the path leads into a dangerous area (through flame, off a cliff, or the like), that creature gets a second saving throw. Captivated creatures can take no actions other than to defend themselves. (Thus, a fighter cannot run away or attack but takes no defensive penalties.) A victim within 5 feet of the drowned maiden stands there and offers no resistance to the monster’s attacks.



Going back to the original text suggests an alluring song, too, so we could do a more direct rip-off of the harpy if you prefer.

 

[Cleon]

Seems like a good candidate to merge a vampire and a harpy:

Captivating Gaze (Su): A drowned maiden can attract any characterl just by looking onto his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that the maiden must use a standard action, and those merely looking at her are not affected. Anyone the potoplenytsia targets must succeed on a DC X Will save or become captivated. This is a mind-affecting charm effect. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same drowned maiden's gaze for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based, and gains a +4 racial bonus against the drowned maiden's killer. The ability has a range of 30 feet.

A captivated victim walks toward the drowned maiden, taking the most direct route available. If the path leads into a dangerous area (through flame, off a cliff, or the like), that creature gets a second saving throw. Captivated creatures can take no actions other than to defend themselves. (Thus, a fighter cannot run away or attack but takes no defensive penalties.) A victim within 5 feet of the drowned maiden stands there and offers no resistance to the monster’s attacks.

Going back to the original text suggests an alluring song, too, so we could do a more direct rip-off of the harpy if you prefer.

Hmm, the original text says they "attempt to lure their victims to their deaths with siren songs" but "neither their song nor their appearance have any magical allure".

That suggests their song is (Ex) rather than (Su), maybe it's some kind of "Super Diplomacy" that affects PCs?

Alternatively, we could just give it the bardic music fascinate/suggestion powers?

 

[freyar]

We agreed upthread that it would be a gaze attack, though maybe it should be more standard than the vampire one. But I think we'd forgotten about the music.

Here's my suggested compromise. Give them a big racial bonus on Diplomacy but retain the gaze attack that works only against their killer, or maybe once a day or something.

 

[Shade]

Here's my suggested compromise. Give them a big racial bonus on Diplomacy but retain the gaze attack that works only against their killer, or maybe once a day or something.

I'd definitely like to retain the gaze attack against the killer, and would be fine with expanding it to 1/day (or more) against others. These things need a "hook".

 

[freyar]

Ok, I say keep the gaze mostly as written but with some use restrictions. I'll agree to against the killer plus either 1/day or 3/day against all others. And a high Diplomacy bonus when singing? Oooh, maybe they can use a Perform check instead of Diplomacy? Nah, can't see giving them that much Perform.

Cleon, can you agree?

 

[Cleon]

Ok, I say keep the gaze mostly as written but with some use restrictions. I'll agree to against the killer plus either 1/day or 3/day against all others. And a high Diplomacy bonus when singing? Oooh, maybe they can use a Perform check instead of Diplomacy? Nah, can't see giving them that much Perform.

Cleon, can you agree?

I can agree to that ... and I will!

What about the Bardic Music proposal for their singing?