Converting monsters from Tales From The Infinite Staircase

[Cleon]

Alrighty, then, let's do Feats: Combat Casting, Craft Wand(B), Great Fortitude, Spell Penetration.

That text looks fine for magic items.

I'd go with standard treasure. And I'd think org should follow from the other kamerel we've already done.

That's agreeable, so I'll update the Working Draft once I finish work today.

Any thought's about spells? I'd probably stay away from enchantments, since they wouldn't want to touch others' minds. And similarly for conjuration (at least summoning) spells. Things like evocation, transmutation, and abjuration make the most sense to me.

Oddly, the original adventure featured them summoning a lot of monsters to attack the intruders, although they used special versions of their "transport mirror" spell to do so and the monsters summoned were all shrunk to Small size (because their transport mirrors cannot transport anything bigger than that).

We'll need to do something with that, although I'd rather leave it to a magic items & new spells sub-entry.

For their spells, the original adventure had them prepare burning hands, darkness, detect magic, light, magic missile, reduce, scry mirror, shield and transport mirror, which is enough to get us started.

I suggest we add "mirror summoning" (their version of monster summoning) to that list.

For their mirror spells, I suggest daylight/blacklight, arcane lock/knock and enlarge/reduce person - or possibly continual flame/deeper darkness instead of the 2nd level one.

Oh dang it, kamerel can't use enlarge/reduce on themselves with a 1st level spell like they could in AD&D. I'd address that by with a new spell as follows:

Enlarge/Reduce
Transmutation (Mirror)
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
This mirror magic spell functions as either enlarge person or reduce person, except that it affects kamerel as well as humanoids.

 

[freyar]

Isn't enlargement already a racial ability? Not that I'm necessarily against a new mirror spell...

I'd be ok with a "mirror summoning" spell, but it might be easiest just to use normal summoning spells.

 

[Cleon]

That's agreeable, so I'll update the Working Draft once I finish work today.

Updating Kamerel Mage Working Draft.

I made a first stab at a spell to account for the Kamerel summoning shrunken monsters in the adventure. I'm not yet decided whether it should be an Illusion or a Conjuration so listed both, but am leaning slightly towards Conjuration.

My original idea was to base this magic more on the summon monster spells than shadow conjuration, so we have versions at each spell level (e.g. mirror monster I, mirror monster II, et cetera), but now I'm thinking maybe we should make it a single mid- to high-level spell that can temporarily create a creature whose abilities, Hit Dice and/or CR are limited by caster level.

Mirror Monster I
Illusion [Shadow, Mirror] OR Conjuration [Creation, Mirror]
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M, F
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: See text
Duration: 1 minute/level plus special (see text) (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell combines material from the Plane of Shadows with an image from the Plane of Reflection to create a magical duplicate of a creature. It can create any creature on the summoning lists of summon monster I and summon nature's ally I. [?]

The creature appears where you designate and acts immediately, on your turn. It attacks your opponents to the best of its ability. If you can communicate with the creature, you can direct it not to attack, to attack particular enemies, or to perform other actions.

Mirror monster can create a creature up to Small size. If the monster being duplicating is larger, the created creature is reduced to Small size, giving it a space of 5 feet and a natural reach of 5 feet. The reduction in size also changes the creature's attributes according to the table given below. All of the creature's weapons deal less damage in proportion to their smaller size, but the spell duration is increased by the amount listed in the table.

The creature is created with any equipment it normally possesses. If the creature is created smaller than its natural size, the created equipment will be proportional to its reduced size.

Original Size	Length Ratio*	Weight Ratio*	Strength Penalty	Dexterity Bonus	Natural Armor	Bonus Duration
Medium	1/2	1/8	–2	+2	–2	+2 minutes
Large	1/4	1/64	–4	+2	–3	+4 minutes
Huge	1/8	1/512	–6	+2	–4	+6 minutes
Gargantuan	1/16	1/4096	–10	+2	–6	+8 minutes
Colossal	1/32	1/32,768	–18	+2	–10	+10 minutes

*multiply the length and weight of the original monster by this factor to determine how much smaller the mirror monster version is.

Casting mirror monster requires a portable light source and a specially prepared mirror. The mirror is consumed when the spell expires, shattering to dust. The spell immediately ends if the mirror is destroyed or the light is extinguished.

Material Component: A mirror costing 25 gp. This material component is consumed when the spell expires, not when it is cast.

Focal Component: A portable light source (a lit candle, sunrod, everburning torch, etc.).

 

[Cleon]

Original Size	Length Ratio*	Weight Ratio*	Strength Penalty	Dexterity Bonus	Natural Armor	Bonus Duration
Medium	1/2	1/8	–2	+2	–2	+2 minutes
Large	1/4	1/64	–4	+2	–3	+4 minutes
Huge	1/8	1/512	–6	+2	–4	+6 minutes
Gargantuan	1/16	1/4096	–10	+2	–6	+8 minutes
Colossal	1/32	1/32,768	–18	+2	–10	+10 minutes

*multiply the length and weight of the original monster by this factor to determine how much smaller the mirror monster version is.

These adjustments were set so the "Mirror-Reduced" monster has the same AC and attack bonus (more-or-less) than the original monster.

The original adventure has the Kamerel mirror-summoning a Giant Bombardier Beetle, Rust Monster and Leucrotta.

Applying the above table to the Beetle and old Rustie produces:

Mirror-Reduced Giant Bombardier Beetle (Small Vermin; Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp); Init: +1; Speed: 30 ft.; AC: 16 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15; Base Attack/Grapple: +1/–3; Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d3); Full Attack: bite +2 melee (1d3); Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.; Special Attacks: acid spray (DC 13 Fort or take 1d4+2 damage); Special Qualities: darkvision 60 ft., vermin traits; Saves: Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +0; Abilities: Str 11, Dex 12, Con 14, Int –, Wis 10, Cha 9; Skills: —; Feats: —; CR: 2)

Mirror-Reduced Rust Monster (Small Aberration; Hit Dice: 5d8+5 (27 hp); Init: +4; Speed: 40 ft.; AC: 18 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 14; Base Attack/Grapple: +3/–2; Attack: Antennae touch +3 melee (rust); Full Attack: Antennae touch +3 melee (rust) and bite –2 melee (1d2–1); Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.; Special Attacks: rust (DC 17); Special Qualities: darkvision 60 ft., scent; Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +5; Abilities: Str 8, Dex 19, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8; Skills: Listen +7, Spot +7; Feats: Alertness, Track; CR: ??)

The Leucrotta is a bit problematic. Because it's a non-OGL monster, I'm reluctant to include it in our official conversion of the Kamerel. For Oryan77's convenience, here's what the stats would look like; I used the City of Splendors Leucrotta as the base monster, not the 3.0 Monsters of Faerûn version.

Mirror-Reduced Leucrotta (Small Magical Beast; Hit Dice: 6d10+24 (57 hp); Init: +2; Speed: 50 ft., climb 20 ft.; AC: 16 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 14; Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+4; Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d4+3/×3); Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d4+3/×3); Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.; Special Attacks: adamantine bite; Special Qualities: darkvision 60 ft., immune to charm and compulsion effects, iron guts, low-light vision, mimicry, scent, sure-footed; Saves: Fort +9 (+13 vs disease/poison), Ref +7, Will +2; Abilities: Str 15, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 5; Skills: Balance +6, Bluff +3 (+11 mimicking voices), Climb +10, Hide +12 (+16 in mountainous terrain), Jump +10, Move Silently +8, Spot +6, Survival +6; Feats: Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunderᴮ, Power Attack, Trackᴮ, Weapon Focus (bite); CR: ??)

 

[Oryan77]

I believe that the Kamerel were luring monsters into Transport Mirrors, not summoning any. I don't remember there being any text about them summoning things.

They go out into the Outlands and bring along their Transport Mirror, find a creature, then cast their Transport Mirror spell to send the creature through the mirror and out from the other mirror. The spell shrinks them in the process.

Would it not be easier to create a Transport Mirror spell that works similar to a Teleportation Circle? I know that's a level 9 spell, but maybe it can be dumbed down a lot?

What would be the reason for not just adding a new version of a Reduce Person spell effect to shrink a creature rather than creating charts for customizing creatures? The sizes in the book were something like 40%-50% of their original size. Isn't that about the same as going down a size category?

 

[Cleon]

Isn't enlargement already a racial ability? Not that I'm necessarily against a new mirror spell...

Yes, but it's only 6 HD or greater Kamerel that have it. Giving it to them as a spell means they can enlarge lower level kamerel warriors to increase their combat power as well as reduce their enemies to make them less effective fighters.

 

[Cleon]

I believe that the Kamerel were luring monsters into Transport Mirrors, not summoning any. I don't remember there being any text about them summoning things.

They go out into the Outlands and bring along their Transport Mirror, find a creature, then cast their Transport Mirror spell to send the creature through the mirror and out from the other mirror. The spell shrinks them in the process.

Yes, the way they sicced monsters on the party in the original adventure was different.

In the adventure some kamerel went out into the wilderness, found a monster, cast reduce on it, then cast transport mirror to send it to a linked transport mirror that some other kamerel had hidden near the PCs.

That's hardly simpler - what if they can't find any monsters? or the monster makes its save against reduce? Or the PCs don't go near the transport mirror the monster pops out of? Or the monster attacks the kamerel rather than the PCs - indeed, wouldn't it be more likely to attack the creatures who've been doing weird things to it with mirrors rather than the PCs, since the original approach gave the kamerel no way to control the monsters.

Also, there is no reduce monster spell in the SRD so we'd have to give them yet another new spell to do so.

Plus, it means the kamerel wandering around the countryside aren't back in the Library to fight the intruders - and these kamerel had to be driver wizards to be able to cast these spells, so surely their presence would have been sorely needed. (Well, I suppose they could use their transport mirrors to return - hopefully not the ones that would cause them to appear close to the invading party of adventurers.).

It just seems simpler to "reimagine it" as a new type of conjuration or illusion spell, and have the kamerel set "mirror monster summoning traps" were the PCs would stumble across them.

Would it not be easier to create a Transport Mirror spell that works similar to a Teleportation Circle? I know that's a level 9 spell, but maybe it can be dumbed down a lot?

What would be the reason for not just adding a new version of a Reduce Person spell effect to shrink a creature rather than creating charts for customizing creatures? The sizes in the book were something like 40%-50% of their original size. Isn't that about the same as going down a size category?

I was going to stat up a transport mirror later. It doesn't seem a practical means for sending monsters to attack people, but it'll be useful for the kamerel to move about. I'm thinking it ought to be something like a 3rd or 4th level spell. It's got a longer range than dimension door but you've got to physically place the "destination mirror" wherever you're going, and the mirrors could easily be broken or moved before use.

There's also a "trap version" of the transport mirror they used to abduct a person who touched it.

Actually, that trap had the reduce effect built into the transport mirror - which makes me wonder why the kamerel were using separate reduce spells on the monsters they abducted.

We could make the "Mirror Monster" a Conjuration (teleportation) effect that brings a monster from elsewhere and temporarily compels it to attack non-kamerel. That'd be closer to the original approach.

However, it' does raise the question why the kamerel wouldn't return the monsters to their natural size after transporting them, so they do their full-sized damage when attacking the PCs.

 

[freyar]

After looking back at the module, I have to agree with Oryan77. We should just work out Transportation Mirror (either as a spell or wondrous item), rather than summoning spells.

 

[Cleon]

After looking back at the module, I have to agree with Oryan77. We should just work out Transportation Mirror (either as a spell or wondrous item), rather than summoning spells.

Oh if you insist, the effect will be similar whatever we do. Most likely we'll be giving the kamerel mage one-use magic items to do the "summoning" with.

The original version is definitely described as a spell, so our mage is presumably going to have it on the equivalent of a scroll.

In any case, I think we'd better treat the "transport personnel", "transport monster" and "transport trap" as separate magics.

 

[Cleon]

Oh if you insist, the effect will be similar whatever we do. Most likely we'll be giving the kamerel mage one-use magic items to do the "summoning" with.

The original version is definitely described as a spell, so our mage is presumably going to have it on the equivalent of a scroll.

In any case, I think we'd better treat the "transport personnel", "transport monster" and "transport trap" as separate magics.

Anyhow, it wouldn't require that much of a change to the "Mirror Monster" draft, since most of the current mechanics are the monster-reduction rules.

I'm thinking that a Conjuration school spell makes the most sense, and while the (Teleportation) subschool would be closest to the original technique, it just seems a poor fit to the normal 3E approach to conjured monsters. I'm still thinking we should consider another subschool, most likely (Summoning).