Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine

[Cleon]

Shall we limit the futuristic weapons to an underbar, or incorporate them into the main stats?

I'd put them in an underbar, and give the "regular dimension" version use alchemical weapons like tanglebags and alchemical fire.

 

[Shade]

That appeals, with magical (or even psionic) weapons for the leaders.

The kobalt leader, PTKs, and guards are often equipped with heavier sorts of technological or magical armor. If the weapons they use permit it, they will use small shields to improve their armor class. The leader of a kobalt clan possesses 1-3 technological artifacts from the table below and also uses magical weapons, if they exist in the treasure hoard and are of the right size. Distributed among the rest of the guards and the PTKs will be 2-16 other technological devices with 1-4 energy cells per device if required. The leader and PTKs always get the best weapons. There is a 15% chance that a colony of kobalts will possess a robotic or automotive device of some kind.

Racial bonus on Use Magic Device/Use Psionic Device?

Prolonged experience in underground living makes them 75% likely to detect slopes, 60% likely to tell new construction, and 50% likely to know the approximate depth underground and the direction of travel.

Stonecunning?

 

[Cleon]

That appeals, with magical (or even psionic) weapons for the leaders.

I think we can leave the magic items to its normal treasure/NPC equipment.

Shall we give them +2 NA then?

Racial bonus on Use Magic Device/Use Psionic Device?

Stonecunning?

I'd say yes to both.

+2 racial bonus to UMD/UPD?

Stonecunning (Ex): A kobalt has a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn't stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A kobalt who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a kobalt can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A kobalt can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.

The way these chaps are developing I'm thinking they may get a "Kobalts as Player Characters" entry and a LA.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

We might be able to repurpose this underbar...

Technological Noble Aboleths
Some variant noble aboleths focus on technology, rather than magic or psionics. These noble aboleths have access to technology far beyond that of most other races.

These "futuretech items" mimic the effects of standard magic items, but do not detect as magic, and are not vulnerable to antimagic and magic-suppressing effects. A noble aboleth may create these items using its item master ability.

 

[freyar]

That's a good underbar to take.

It seems like we keep running into cobalt-blue kobolds somehow. Didn't we do something very similar a while ago?

Anyway, I admit I got lost in all the text a little, but were there some of these with SLAs we should think about?

 

[Shade]

It seems like we keep running into cobalt-blue kobolds somehow. Didn't we do something very similar a while ago?

You may be thinking of the cobalt dragon, which I decided to tie to kobolds.

Anyway, I admit I got lost in all the text a little, but were there some of these with SLAs we should think about?

Yeah, they were the result of random mutations, and we decided upon a standard "random mutation table", which would be a d100 with only the first 20 results granting a mutation. As Cleon pointed out, this way you can simply roll a d20 if you know you want to grant a mutation to a specific kobalt.

 

[freyar]

Shall we start on the table again?

Dunno about the cobalt kobolds. These guys sound really really familiar. Maybe we started converting them or something. Just can't quite remember.

 

[Cleon]

Updated.

We might be able to repurpose this underbar...

Technological Noble Aboleths
Some variant noble aboleths focus on technology, rather than magic or psionics. These noble aboleths have access to technology far beyond that of most other races.

These "futuretech items" mimic the effects of standard magic items, but do not detect as magic, and are not vulnerable to antimagic and magic-suppressing effects. A noble aboleth may create these items using its item master ability.

That looks good. We could give them wands of searing light for "laser pistols", wands of produce flame for "blasters", and wands of hold person for "stunners".

 

[Cleon]

Shall we start on the table again?

Dunno about the cobalt kobolds. These guys sound really really familiar. Maybe we started converting them or something. Just can't quite remember.

OK, we need to have their Mass Plane Travel power as the main ability, say from numbers 1-5. I'm thinking we should allow for the possibility of multiple mutations.

I'm thinking something like:

1 - Mass Plane Travel plus two other mutations (roll 1d12+8 for each)
2 - Mass Plane Travel plus one other mutations (roll 1d12+8)
3-5 - Mass Plane Travel
6 - Three mutations (roll 1d12+8 for each)
7-8 Two mutations (roll 1d12+8 for each)

Then we just need to come up with 12 interesting mutations for numbers 9 to 20. Something like heightened senses, carapace, vomit acid, extra arm, claws, long legs (increases speed) et cetera.

 

[freyar]

Seems like an ok start. We can look to cavelings and troll mutate lists for inspiration. Besides the extra limbs and sensory organs, I'm fond of the internal organ from the troll mutate (like caveling modified anatomy), tail whip (from both), and acidic blood from the caveling.