Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Cleon
Legend
Air Fish Working Draft
Air Fish
This fish flies through the air as if it were swimming in water.
Air fish are aquatic animals that have been magically altered to live in the air. They have a natural ability to levitate, and "swim" through the air by moving their tails and fins.
Air fish breathe air, they have lost their ancestors' ability to breathe water and can drown like most air-breathing creatures. Wild air fish are only found in hot, humid environments, such as rainforests or tropical swamps. They must keep their skins and gills moist to avoid death by dehydration.
Creating an Air Fish
"Air Fish" is an inherited template that can be added to any animal with the Aquatic subtype (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Size and Type
The base creature's type changes to Magical Beast and it loses its Aquatic subtype. An air fish retains all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted below.
Hit Dice
An air fish's Hit Dice increase to 1d10; recalculate the base creature's hit points.
Speed
An air fish gains a fly speed equal to the base creature's fastest movement rate. Its aerial maneuverability rating is average if the base creature Small or larger, good if it is Tiny or smaller.
Cleon Special Version
An air fish gains a fly speed equal to the base creature's fastest movement rate. Its aerial maneuverability rating is average if the base creature Small-size or larger, good if it it Tiny-sized or smaller, If the base creature has a Dexterity of 16 or more, its aerial maneuverability rating increases by 1 step, if it has a Dexterity of 6 or less, its aerial maneuverability class lowers by 1 step.
Base Attack Bonus
An air fish has a base attack bonus equal to its total Hit Dice (as a Magical Beast).
Special Qualities
An air fish retains all the abilities of the base creature and gains the following abilities.
Flight (Ex): An air fish's body is naturally buoyant. This buoyancy allows it to fly and also grants it a permanent feather fall effect (as the spell) with personal range.
Humidity Dependent (Ex): If an air fish spends more than 24 hours outside a humid environment, its skin grows dry and brittle. An air fish with dried-out skin must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of damage. The air fish can cure its dried-out skin by soaking in water for one minute, or by staying in a humid atmosphere for an hour.
Feats
An air fish gains Hover as a bonus feat. If the base creature has a feat that is only usable in water (like Swimby Attack) it can exchange it for another feat (such as Flyby Attack).
Environment
Any warm land.
Challenge Rating
Same as the base creature.
Level Adjustment
Same as the base creature.
Sample Air Fish
The following creatures have gained the air fish template.
Air Shark, Large
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 7d10+7 (45 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: Swim 60 ft. (12 squares), fly 60 ft. (average) [(good) in Cleon Special version]
Armor Class: 15 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+14
Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+4)
Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Blindsense, flight, humidity dependency, keen scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +7, Swim +11
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Hover (B), Improved Initiative
Environment: Warm land
Organization: Solitary, school (2–5), or pack (6–11)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 8–9 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
These carnivorous flying fish are aggressive and liable to make unprovoked attacks against anything that approaches them. Large air sharks can reach around 15 feet in length and are a serious threat.
COMBAT
Air sharks circle and observe potential prey, then dart in and bite with their powerful jaws.
Blindsense (Ex) : A shark can locate creatures underwater within a 30-foot radius. This ability works only when the shark is underwater.
Flight (Ex): An air shark's body is naturally buoyant. This buoyancy allows it to fly and also grants it a permanent feather fall effect (as the spells) with personal range.
Humidity Dependent (Ex): If an air shark spends more than 24 hours outside a humid environment, its skin grows dry and brittle. An air shark with dried-out skin must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of damage. The air shark can cure its dried-out skin by soaking in water for one minute, or by staying in a humid atmosphere for an hour.
Keen Scent (Ex) : A shark can notice creatures by scent in a 180-foot radius and detect blood in the water at ranges of up to a mile.
Skills: A shark has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Air Fish
This fish flies through the air as if it were swimming in water.
Air fish are aquatic animals that have been magically altered to live in the air. They have a natural ability to levitate, and "swim" through the air by moving their tails and fins.
Air fish breathe air, they have lost their ancestors' ability to breathe water and can drown like most air-breathing creatures. Wild air fish are only found in hot, humid environments, such as rainforests or tropical swamps. They must keep their skins and gills moist to avoid death by dehydration.
Creating an Air Fish
"Air Fish" is an inherited template that can be added to any animal with the Aquatic subtype (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Size and Type
The base creature's type changes to Magical Beast and it loses its Aquatic subtype. An air fish retains all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted below.
Hit Dice
An air fish's Hit Dice increase to 1d10; recalculate the base creature's hit points.
Speed
An air fish gains a fly speed equal to the base creature's fastest movement rate. Its aerial maneuverability rating is average if the base creature Small or larger, good if it is Tiny or smaller.
Cleon Special Version
An air fish gains a fly speed equal to the base creature's fastest movement rate. Its aerial maneuverability rating is average if the base creature Small-size or larger, good if it it Tiny-sized or smaller, If the base creature has a Dexterity of 16 or more, its aerial maneuverability rating increases by 1 step, if it has a Dexterity of 6 or less, its aerial maneuverability class lowers by 1 step.
Base Attack Bonus
An air fish has a base attack bonus equal to its total Hit Dice (as a Magical Beast).
Special Qualities
An air fish retains all the abilities of the base creature and gains the following abilities.
Flight (Ex): An air fish's body is naturally buoyant. This buoyancy allows it to fly and also grants it a permanent feather fall effect (as the spell) with personal range.
Humidity Dependent (Ex): If an air fish spends more than 24 hours outside a humid environment, its skin grows dry and brittle. An air fish with dried-out skin must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of damage. The air fish can cure its dried-out skin by soaking in water for one minute, or by staying in a humid atmosphere for an hour.
Feats
An air fish gains Hover as a bonus feat. If the base creature has a feat that is only usable in water (like Swimby Attack) it can exchange it for another feat (such as Flyby Attack).
Environment
Any warm land.
Challenge Rating
Same as the base creature.
Level Adjustment
Same as the base creature.
Sample Air Fish
The following creatures have gained the air fish template.
Air Shark, Large
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 7d10+7 (45 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: Swim 60 ft. (12 squares), fly 60 ft. (average) [(good) in Cleon Special version]
Armor Class: 15 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+14
Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+4)
Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Blindsense, flight, humidity dependency, keen scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +7, Swim +11
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Hover (B), Improved Initiative
Environment: Warm land
Organization: Solitary, school (2–5), or pack (6–11)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 8–9 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
These carnivorous flying fish are aggressive and liable to make unprovoked attacks against anything that approaches them. Large air sharks can reach around 15 feet in length and are a serious threat.
COMBAT
Air sharks circle and observe potential prey, then dart in and bite with their powerful jaws.
Blindsense (Ex) : A shark can locate creatures underwater within a 30-foot radius. This ability works only when the shark is underwater.
Flight (Ex): An air shark's body is naturally buoyant. This buoyancy allows it to fly and also grants it a permanent feather fall effect (as the spells) with personal range.
Humidity Dependent (Ex): If an air shark spends more than 24 hours outside a humid environment, its skin grows dry and brittle. An air shark with dried-out skin must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of damage. The air shark can cure its dried-out skin by soaking in water for one minute, or by staying in a humid atmosphere for an hour.
Keen Scent (Ex) : A shark can notice creatures by scent in a 180-foot radius and detect blood in the water at ranges of up to a mile.
Skills: A shark has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Last edited:
Cleon
Legend
Cleon
Legend
I don't mind doing generic little air fish, but I'd rather allow for templated ones as well so we can do specific little air fish such as "air weed eels", "air scorpionfish".
Shade
Monster Junkie
Cleon
Legend
That WAS the simple method.
We could just go "average manoeuvrabililty for Small or bigger, good manoeuvrabililty for Tiny or less" I suppose.
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