Converting monsters from Tales From The Infinite Staircase

[Cleon]

We've had a request to convert some of the monsters from this adventure, and since the Planescape thread is busy I'm starting a new conversion thread to work on these beasties.

There are a lot of new monsters in Tales From The Infinite Staircase, only two of which appear in Echohawk's Index (the Hgaun and the Nameless Limbo Thing). I'll make a list of the monsters in the book and post it here, then update this post thread as we work our way through them.

Note: Post #2 in this thread has a list of all the New Monsters in the adventure, including links to those monsters which have completed 3E conversions on this thread.

Infinite Staircase Monsters (in page order)
Jazriul, a Hound Archon (page 10, standard monster)

Tale 1: Planewalkers
Einheriar (page 14, standard monster)
Shard (page 15, NEW MONSTER)
Silver Golem (page 15, NEW MONSTER)
Lillend (page 15, standard monster)
Manticore (page 20, standard monster)
Giant Spiders (page 25, standard monster)
Manes (page 26, standard monster)Gerrzog, a Glabrezu (page 28, standard monster)
Grimlocks (page 28, standard monster)
Grimlock Leader (page 29, standard monster)
Illithid (page 29, standard monster)

Tale 2: Lost Sovereignty
Blue Slaad (page 31, standard monster)
Lurker (page 35, standard monster)
Formian Workers (page 36, standard monster)
Formian Warriors (page 37, standard monster)
Giant Crayfish (page 37, standard monster)
Delus, a Einheriar (page 38, standard monster)
Rea, an Agathinon (page 38, standard monster)
Talleax, a very young Bronze Dragon (page 40, standard monster)
Formian Workers, Warriors & Myrmarch (page 41, standard monster)
Ghundarania, a Bariaur Wizard (page 42, standard monster)

Tale 3: Lord of the Worms
Valgoss (page 48, NEW MONSTER)
Slaiyith (page 48, NEW MONSTER)
Taker of Life Water Creation (page 49, NEW MONSTER)
Single Portion of the Dark Dweller (page 50, NEW MONSTER)
Master Slaiyiths (page 54, NEW MONSTER, no stats)
Fly Swarm (page 55, NEW MONSTER)
Large Beetles (page 56, stats = standard fire beetle)
Giant Centipedes (page 56, standard monster)
Leech Swarm (page 56, standard monster)
Green Slimes (page 56, standard monster)
Giant Leeches (page 56, standard monster)
Ravens (page 56, standard monster)
Brain Moles (page 56, standard monster)
Land Urchins (page 56, No "Official" Conversion)
Azmyth Rats (page 56, standard monster)
Sinister Bats (page 56, standard monster)
Giant Fly Mounts (page 56, variant monster)(stats = giant horsefly with MC: A)
Black Pudding (page 56, standard monster)
Death Kiss Beholder (page 56, standard monster)

Tale 4: In Disarray
Hvix'mnac, a Formian Queen (page 59, standard monster)
Rav, a Dao (page 63, standard monster)
Shad Slaves (page 63, NEW MONSTER)
Mulk, a Shad (page 63, NEW MONSTER)
Chaax, an injured Blue Slaad (page 63, standard monster)
Nameless Limbo Thing (page 64, NEW MONSTER, converted)
Atomie Sprite (page 65, standard monster)
A bit on Slaadi Ecology (page 65, notes on a standard monster)
Torpellin of the Golden Spires, a githzerai (page 65, standard monster)
Phegamor's Servants (page 67, NEW MONSTER)
Weasel, Giant (page 67, standard monster)
Cahm'Fel, a githzerai (page 69, standard monster)
The Secret of the Slaadi (page 71, notes on a standard monster)

Tale 5: Winds of Change
Hgaun (page 75, NEW MONSTER, converted)
Evonia, a Phantom (page 77, standard monster)
Vassilon, an Abiorach (page 81-82, standard monster)
Ert, a Peryton (page 82, standard monster)
Hippogriffs (page 82, standard monster)
Myess Breezewing, the Gasping Strangler, an Air Genasi (page 83, standard monster)

Tale 6: The Dream Well
Hvix'mnac, a Formian Queen (page 85, standard monster)
Wilcirel and Erecirel, two Shedu (page 88, standard monster)
Spectral Hounds (page 89, standard monster)
Sahuagin (page 91, standard monster)
Sahuagin Leader (page 91, standard monster)
Githyanki (page 91-92, standard monster) (Gaath Lir, Mericass, Jen'Lig, Tonijin and Byin)
Psurlon (page 93, standard monster)
Nightmare Rat (page 94, NEW MONSTER)
Aeryv'nir, a Githyanki (page 97, standard monster)

Tale 7: Reflections
Terrmanath, an Argenach Alchemist (page 107, standard monster)
Ferrimach (page 107, standard monster)
Plumach (page 107, standard monster)
Bariaurs (page 107, standard monster)
Lizard Man (page 107, standard monster)
Leucrotta, shrunk to 20% size (page 110, variant monster)
Giant Bombardier Beetle, shrunk to 50% size (page 110, variant monster)
Rust Monster, shrunk to 40% size (page 110, variant monster)
Kyton, Chainless (page 110, variant monster)
Kamerel warrior, Fighter 3 (page 110, NEW MONSTER)
Kamerel driver, Fighter 6 (page 111, NEW MONSTER)
Kamerel driver, Wizard 6 (page 111, NEW MONSTER)
Nen Itan, the Kamerel leader, Wizard 10 (page 111, NEW MONSTER)
Kyton, Lesser (page 113, variant monster)
Kyton, Normal (page 113, standard monster)

Tale 8: A Devil's Dream
Gibbaren, an Erinyes (page 117, standard monster)
Kyton, Lesser (page 120, variant monster)
Kyton, Normal (page 120, standard monster)
Nupperibos (page 120, standard monster)
Lemures (page 120, standard monster)
Barbazu (page 121, standard monster)
Kocrachon (page 121, standard monster)
Tieflings (page 121, standard monster)
Hellcat (page 121, standard monster)
Hell Hounds (page 121, standard monster)
Imps (page 121, standard monster)
Kyton, Lesser (page 124, variant monster)
Kyton, Normal (page 124, standard monster)
Hell Hounds (page 125, standard monster)
Iron Cobras (page 126, standard monster)
Quimath, a Kyton lord (page 126, standard kyton with Int high)
The "Nupperibo," Maturing Baatorian (page 127, NEW MONSTER)
Derm, a Hill Giant (page 127, standard monster)
Temrian, a Kyton (page 127, standard monster)
Black Pudding (page 127-128, standard monster)
Grey Ooze (page 128, standard monster)

 

[Cleon]

Infinite Staircase Conversions

Okay, cutting out all the new and variant monsters from the above and putting them in order, we have:

Infinite Staircase Monsters (alphabetical)
Dark Dweller, Single Portion (page 50, NEW MONSTER)
Fly Swarm (page 55, NEW MONSTER)
Fly, Giant Mount (page 56, variant monster)
Golem, Silver (page 15, NEW MONSTER)
Hgaun (page 75, NEW, CONVERTED)[broken link, see Creature Catalog (Download)]
Kamerel (page 110, NEW MONSTER)
- Kamerel warrior, Fighter 3
- Kamerel driver, Fighter 6
- Kamerel mage, Wizard 6
- Kamerel leader, Wizard 10 (named Nen Itan)
Kyton, Chainless (page 110, variant monster)
Kyton, Lesser (page 113, variant monster)
Land Urchins (page 56, No "Official" Conversion)
Maturing Baatorian (page 127, NEW MONSTER)
Nameless Limbo Thing (page 64, NEW, CONVERTED)
Nightmare Rat (page 94, NEW MONSTER)
Phegamor's Servants (page 67, NEW MONSTER)
Shad (page 63, NEW MONSTER) (slaves, one named Mulk)
Shard (page 15, NEW, converted in Dragon 353 as "Sliver")
Shrunken Monsters (page 110, variant monster)[See greater reduce in Kamerel Mage]
- Leucrotta, shrunk to 20% size
- Giant Bombardier Beetle, shrunk to 50% size
- Rust Monster, shrunk to 40% size
Slaiyith (page 48, NEW MONSTER)
Slaiyiths, Master (page 54, NEW MONSTER, no stats)
Valgoss (page 48, NEW MONSTER)[added Valgoss Host with Hanim Warrior, Worm Lord and Maelost Worm Magic]
Taker of Life Water Creation (page 49, NEW MONSTER)

The above includes links to the CC entries for completed Infinite Staircase monsters, which will get updated as we finish them.

In addition, I have created a number of Homebrews of Infinite Staircase monsters, some of which may get repurposed as CC monsters (or at least serve as inspiration for our conversions).

The following includes links to the homebrews I have posted here, plus the Working Draft of whichever Infinite Staircase monster we're currently converting for the Creature Catalog.

Homebrews
Baatorian, Maturing ("Nupperibo")
Golem, Argent
Dark Dweller Portion
Fly, Giant Mount
Kamerel (incomplete)
Kyton, Lesser
Kyton, Unchained
Land Urchin
Nightmare Rat
Phlegamor's Servant
Shad
Slaiyith
Sliver, Lesser
Taker of Life Water Creation
Valgoss

Infinite Staircase "Works in Progress"
Slaiyith.

 

[Cleon]

Well the first of the monsters Oryan77 requested was the Kamerel, from Tale 7: Reflections of Tales from the Infinite Staircase.

The adventure has a lot of backstory for the Kamerel that I won't bother with for now, especially as I'll have to type it all out from the adventure.

Basically, the kamerel are an extraplanar race who had a great empire in the Concordant Domain of the Outlands eons before the rilmani existed. They are so absolutely xenophobic that their entire population used mirror magic to disappear from the Outlands to avoid the encroachment of the rilmani. (There's more to the story involving a dispute over a magical library, but it seems irrelevant to determining their game stats)

Anyhow, here's the basics:

THE KAMEREL STRIKE BACK
​

Ages ago, the kamerel, retreating from the advancing rilmani, passed into reflection. That is to say, they took their entire existence and placed it within an undefined quasi-realm that existed where a mirror or other reflective surface cast a reflection. And, by definition, this realm only exists when another being is looking into the reflection—for how can there be a reflection without someone to view it?

Thus, the kamerel’s desperate attempt at escape put them in a position where they only existed when other beings looked at them. Their xenophobia drove them mad in this situation, and they’ve remained within the reflection of mirrors and other shiny places for centuries now. Their entire existence consisted of hiding their ever-so-slight movements so that they were nothing more than a brief flicker in the corner of some mirror-gazer’s eye, so subtle that the viewer almost never noticed them. An unpleasant way to live to say the least. The disappearance of the rilmani and the appearance of the kytons triggered a reaction within the kamerel. Sensing that things had changed, a few kamerel stepped out of the mirrors in the library—the place that they once had hated—and saw that the time was right for their return. As time passes, more and more of them arrive.

The kamerel don’t know where the rilmani went—but that knowledge is not their first priority. Their first priority is to secure the library as a safe headquarters, which entails driving out both the kytons and the PCs. After that, the order of the day is simple: revenge. Revenge upon the rilmani, revenge upon anyone who they were forced to watch as they gazed into the reflection where the kamerel lived.

Kamerel look like short, white-skinned humans. They usually have long shocks of wild hair in which they weave greenery and flowers. Kamerel teeth are slightly pointed. They favour clothing in blue, green, or white and carry short-bladed weapons and light crossbows (much of the time, these items carry Outlands-based enchantments, but never more than +1). For the most part they can be considered normal humans, advancing in levels as fighters, thieves, or wizards. They speak their own language, but have learned (reluctantly) the common trade language of the planes.

Kamerel name their sergeants “drivers.” Usually, these individuals practice wizardry, but some train as warriors. Kamerel leaders, above the drivers in rank, are always wizards. Further, the leaders and drivers develop a special ability that allows them to memorize and prepare additional 1st-level spells instead of spells of other levels (which are useless here). Therefore, a 5th-level wizard, with four first-level spells, two second-level spells, and one of third level can memorize seven first-level spells instead—a distinct advantage here so near the spire.

*SECTION SNIPPED*
​

KAMEREL WARRIOR, F3: AC 3 (banded mail and shield); MV 9; hp 17; THAC0 18; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (shortsword) or 1d4 (small crossbow); SD immune to electricity, blinding or deafening attacks, and petrification; SZ S (4’ tall); ML average (9); Int avg (10); AL N; XP 175.

KAMEREL DRIVER, F6: AC 2 (plate mail and shield); MV 12; hp 40; THAC0 15 (14 with sword); #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+1 (short sword +1) or 1d4 (small crossbow); SD immune to electricity, blinding or deafening attacks, and petrification; SZ M (5’ tall); ML champion (15); Int very (11); AL N; XP 975.

Special equipment: short sword +1 (Outlands forged).

KAMEREL DRIVER, W6: AC 10; MV 12; hp 20; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1d4 (dagger); SA spells; SD immune to electricity, blinding or deafening attacks, and petrification; SZ S (4’ tall); ML elite (13); Int high (13); AL N; XP 1,400.

Spells (8): darkness, detect magic, light, magic missile, reduce, scry mirror, shield, transport mirror.

NEN ITAN, KAMEREL LEADER, W10: AC 4 (bracers AC 4); MV 12; hp 28; THAC0 17 (16 with dagger); #AT 1; Dmg 1d4+1 (dagger +1); SA spells; SD immune to electricity, blinding or deafening attacks, and petrification; SZ M (5’ tall); ML champion (16); Int genius (17); AL N; XP 4,000.

Spells (15): burning hands (×2), darkness, detect magic, magic missile, reduce (×2), scry mirror (×4), shield, transport mirror (×2).

MIRROR MAGIC
​

Mirror magic only works in the skilled hands of the kamerel. The spells (which are more appropriately thought of as special abilities) presented here will not function for any non-kamerel caster. For purposes of the Outlands’ cancellation of magic, all of these abilities should be considered to be the equivalent of 1st level spells.

SCRY MIRROR: Not nearly as powerful as a magic mirror spell, a scry mirror is limited to looking upon an area already shown in a mirror somewhere. The target mirror must be within 10 miles per level of the mirror’s creator and the user must be aware of its exact location and position.

No spells can be cast through a scry mirror. Once the scrying attempt is finished, the mirror shatters. It takes a full day to create a scry mirror—although once created, they last up to 3 weeks + 1 week per level or HD total of the creator.

TRANSPORT MIRROR: Using two different, specially prepared mirrors, kamerel can transport small items or creatures from one to the other. The item can be no more than two feet long or wide, and cannot weigh more than 50 pounds. The kamerel use a reduce spell (the reverse of the enlarge spell) to make themselves or other items smaller, enabling them to be moved via a transport mirror. The distance that separates the two mirrors can be no greater than 1 mile per level or HD total of the creator of the mirrors.

Each transport mirror requires a week of preparation. Both mirrors must be created by the same sorcerer. Both shatter upon completion after use.

SPACIAL MIRROR: This ability allows the kamerel to create more space by making the area within a mirror’s refection real. This ability can create, at most, an extra 20-foot cube per mirror—which explains the layout of the main library.

When two or more spacial mirrors reflect each other, the reflections within the initial reflections also create infinite space. Quickly, without even trying, an infinite amount of space comes into being. This represents the height of mirror magic development and the pinnacle of a mirror sorcerer’s power. Unlike scry mirror or transport mirror, special mirror needs only be cast during the mirror’s creation, and then works indefinitely.

Each special mirror needs a full year of preparation. Spacial mirrors reflecting each other must be created by the same sorcerer. Mirrors of different creators reflecting each other in this way shatter.

 

[Oryan77]

The Shad were converted in Denizens of the Inner Planes. Echohawk mentioned that the Shard are actually the Sliver that appears in Dragon Mag #353.

 

[freyar]

So we don't have too much here other than a favored class (Wiz or I guess a case could be made for Sorc). I wouldn't do separate stats for the drivers and leaders, but I probably would give them a small Int bonus (like +2 or maybe +4). I'd probably make them Humanoid (extraplanar) but could go with Outsider; either way, it looks like they probably have about 4 racial HD.

And, just to make them more interesting, I'd make at least Transport Mirror an ability of all kamerel, not a spell.

 

[Cleon]

So we don't have too much here other than a favored class (Wiz or I guess a case could be made for Sorc). I wouldn't do separate stats for the drivers and leaders, but I probably would give them a small Int bonus (like +2 or maybe +4). I'd probably make them Humanoid (extraplanar) but could go with Outsider; either way, it looks like they probably have about 4 racial HD.

And, just to make them more interesting, I'd make at least Transport Mirror an ability of all kamerel, not a spell.

They don't have racial HD in the original, but advance by character class. "For the most part they can be considered normal humans, advancing in levels as fighters, thieves, or wizards."

However, their "wizards" use Mirror Magic instead of conventional arcane magic. There's more stuff about mirror magic scattered about the adventure, which says some of the spells work a bit differently - kamerel spells are easier to cast in the Outlands and some of them are reversible (e.g. light/darkness instead of light).

Also, kamerel can't use "normal" magic, they are only capable of "mirror magic", at least according to the following quote:

Many of these books detail the mirror magic used by the kamerel. Although a portion of the spells and abilities involved in mirror magic are detailed near the end of this chapter, mirror magic works only for the kamerel. Other plane-walkers cannot fathom its mysteries any more than the kamerel could understand the secrets of standard AD&D magic.

It'd seem easier if we convert a kamerel warrior first and leave the "magic stuff" for later.

Oh, and I'm thinking we should give them the Madness SQ like Derro, since they seem a right bunch of nutters.

 

[Cleon]

The Shad were converted in Denizens of the Inner Planes. Echohawk mentioned that the Shard are actually the Sliver that appears in Dragon Mag #353.

Well Denizens of the Inner Planes is about as unofficial as the CC, so we can do our own conversion of the Shad if we fancy it.

Checking Dragon #353 the Sliver are definitely the same creature as the Shard, so there's no need to bother about them.

I'll amend the Infinite Staircase Monsters List.

 

[Cleon]

And, just to make them more interesting, I'd make at least Transport Mirror an ability of all kamerel, not a spell.

I've been mulling over what to do to make the Kamerel more interesting.

For a start, all the Kamerel in the adventure are ones that passed into reflection to avoid the Rilmani and have now reemerged. That suggests we should give them all a "Pass Into Reflection" SQ. I'd like to keep transport mirror a spell.

I've got some more detailed ideas on that, but I think they need separate discussion otherwise this post will get too confusing.

Secondly, I noticed something funny about the sizes of the example Kamerel. The Warrior and the Wizard Driver are both Small size, while the Warrior Driver and Kamerel Leader are both Medium size. That seems rather odd, so I wondered how to explain it. In the Reflections adventure there are distorting mirrors (like a fun house mirror, except they can also distort a creature's reflection in the mirror so they appear to change other aspects like sex, race, colour etc). So, how about if the Kamerel can change their size?

Size Distortion (Ex): A kamerel can reduce its size to Small as a full-round action. This size reduction does not alter the kamerel's ability scores, but grants it all the other benefits and penalties of Small size (+1 size bonus to AC and attacks, +4 to Hide checks, -4 to Grapple checks, smaller weapons). All equipment worn or carried by the kamerel is similarly reduced by this ability, but instantly return to their normal size if they leave the shrunken kamerel's possession. This means that thrown weapons deal their normal (Medium) damage.

Thirdly, I thought we should give them the Madness SQ. I'm toying with the idea of giving them a Charisma bonus and making the spellcasters sorcerers instead of wizards.

Fourthly, we should emphasize the alienness of their "Mirror Magic" and that Kamerel are incapable of being normal spellcasters. There are a lot of mirror-related magical places and items in the adventure, so we have stuff to work with.

Fifthly, I guess we could give Kamerel some minor mirror-related special abilities, like being immune to penalties from reflections and visual distortions (including mirror image?) as well as never breaking a mirror unless they want to.

 

[Cleon]

Well Denizens of the Inner Planes is about as unofficial as the CC, so we can do our own conversion of the Shad if we fancy it.

Checking Dragon #353 the Sliver are definitely the same creature as the Shard, so there's no need to bother about them.

I'll amend the Infinite Staircase Monsters List.

After reading the Dragon Magazine in question, while the appearance, personality, and background info of the Sliver are practically identical to the Shard from Tales From the Infinite Staircase [henceforth TftIS], mechanically it has quite a few differences.

While both of them have 3 Hit Dice, the TftIS Shard is a lot less powerful - it has a single 1d4 damage fist instead of the sliver's two 1d8+2 damage "starfire hand" touch attacks, it cannot sprout wings and fly like the Sliver, has no cleric spellcasting, fewer spell-like abilities and doesn't appear to have many (or, possibly, any) of the Sliver's other special abilities (Moon Magic, Moonglow, Moonshield, Pure Sight, Smite Evil).

The difference are great enough I'd be game for converting the TftIS Shard as a "Lesser Sliver".

I've also read the Denizens of the Inner Plane version of the Shad and don't like it. It makes them humanoids with no racial HD, while their original stats look much more like 2 Hit Dice outsiders to me. Heck, the Denizens version doesn't even have the Earth subtype.

So, I'd do the Shad as a CC conversion, possibly using bits of the Pech and Azer as a foundation.

 

[Cleon]

After reading the Dragon Magazine in question, while the appearance, personality, and background info of the Sliver are practically identical to the Shard from Tales From the Infinite Staircase [henceforth TftIS], mechanically it has quite a few differences.

While both of them have 3 Hit Dice, the TftIS Shard is a lot less powerful - it has a single 1d4 damage fist instead of the sliver's two 1d8+2 damage "starfire hand" touch attacks, it cannot sprout wings and fly like the Sliver, has no cleric spellcasting, fewer spell-like abilities and doesn't appear to have many (or, possibly, any) of the Sliver's other special abilities (Moon Magic, Moonglow, Moonshield, Pure Sight, Smite Evil).

The difference are great enough I'd be game for converting the TftIS Shard as a "Lesser Sliver".

I've also read the Denizens of the Inner Plane version of the Shad and don't like it. It makes them humanoids with no racial HD, while their original stats look much more like 2 Hit Dice outsiders to me. Heck, the Denizens version doesn't even have the Earth subtype.

So, I'd do the Shad as a CC conversion, possibly using bits of the Pech and Azer as a foundation.

I've finished homebrews of the Shard and Shad, so I might as well post them here.

They're both basically camera-ready if we decide to upload them to the CC as-is. If anyone can suggest any improvement, I'd be happy to change them, or we could use some of their stats or abilities in a collaborative conversion of those monsters.

I have feeling we should leave the "Lesser Sliver" here in the conversion forums rather than uploading it to the CC, since the Sliver is an 'official' monster. If we do decide to upload it, I would probably rename it a "Shard" like the original monster.

I don't have any compunctions against uploading the Shad to the CC though.