Converting monsters from Second Edition Monstrous Compendiums

[Shade]

Updated.

Environment: Any?

Organization: Solitary or x (2–4) [x="fury", "riot", "brawl"?]

Challenge Rating: x

Treasure: None?

Advancement: 9-24 HD (Large)?

Ekimmu speak x. [x="Any languages they knew in life (usually Common)"?]

 

[freyar]

Suggestions are good. I like "brawl" for organization. CR 5?

 

[demiurge1138]

CR 5 seems right.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

We may have missed a few things...

The ekimmu gives its host many of its undead powers: immunity to sleep, charm, hold, paralysis, cold-based spells and poison. However, it (and its host) takes 2d4 points of damage from a vial of holy water. A protection from evil spell will block its possession attack. A dispel evil exorcises it from its host and gives the host immunity as if a successful saving throw had been made. A holy word immediately exorcises all ekimmu in its area and drives them away, ending the encounter.

I'm not sure that magic jar, as written, allows it to retain its undead immunities (and vulnerabilities) while possessing the host, as this seems to imply.

If the characters cn find the remains of the ekimmu and give it a proper burial, the ekimmu will dissipate, abandoning any host it controls.

As long as its remains are unburied, a dissipated ekimmu will eventually reform, though this may take some days or weeks.

It sounds like we need rejuvenation as well, and maybe an additional note that performing the proper burial rites immediately destroys it.

 

[freyar]

Shouldn't it still retain immunity to mind-affecting, since its mind is in the body? But I do think we need to add the being driven out by dispel evil, etc. Protection from evil should already work, right?

Agreed to rejuvenation, etc.

 

[Shade]

I'd suppose, but that spell is effin' confusing.

If you are successful, your life force occupies the host body, and the host’s life force is imprisoned in the magic jar. You keep your Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, level, class, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, alignment, and mental abilities. The body retains its Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, hit points, natural abilities, and automatic abilities. A body with extra limbs does not allow you to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal. You can’t choose to activate the body’s extraordinary or supernatural abilities. The creature’s spells and spell-like abilities do not stay with the body.

 

[freyar]

No joke. Perhaps we should spell out a couple of things and leave the rest for DM interpretation?

 

[Shade]

We may have to!

 

[Shade]

How's this (new stuff in bold)?

Malevolence (Su): Once per round, an ekimmu can merge its body with a creature on the Material Plane. This ability is similar to a magic jar spell (caster level 10th or the ekimmu's Hit Dice, whichever is higher), except that it does not require a receptacle. To use this ability, the ekimmu must be move into the target’s space; moving into the target’s space to use the malevolence ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The target can resist the attack with a successful DC 19 Will save. A creature that successfully saves is immune to that same ekimmu's malevolence for 24 hours, and the ekimmu cannot enter the target’s space. If the save fails, the ekimmu vanishes into the target’s body. The save DC is Charisma-based.

The host body benefits from the ekimmu's undead immunities, but also takes damage from holy water and positive energy as if it were an undead creature.

If the host body is damaged while possessed by the ekimmu, the damage is taken only by the host creature and not the ekimmu, though the ekimmu is expelled if the host body is killed.

 

[demiurge1138]

That looks pretty good to me.