Converting monsters from Tales From The Infinite Staircase

[Cleon]

I like your proposal for wormwork. Let's go with that.

Guess that spell's done then. Updating Wormwork working draft.

A regular purple worm is CR 12. So we just need something to make it extraplanar to be summoned without changing its CR (much), I guess. If we don't have a suitable template in the CC, we could probably specify it summons one from the ethereal plane or something. Or we could look for an appropriate monster in the CC.

Had a look through the Creature Catalog and couldn't find any templates that would add the Extraplanar subtype to a Magical Beast.

We must have something wormy and extraplanar in there.

Well there's the "Wraithworm" which is a Magical Beast (Extraplanar) but is also a snake with energy drain AND venom but is CR 5 and can be turned/controlled as if it were an Undead. Doesn't feel appropriate for a generic worm-themed summon monster IX.

The Tenebrous Worm is an Outsider that's basically a giant caterpillar not an earthworm-type creature. Plus the conversion's 3.0 and I'd rather use a 3.5 one.

There's a few worm-ey creatures with the Earth subtype that don't have Extraplanar, like the Glitterworm. I thought we had a conversion of the Thoqqua in the Creature Catalog too, but can't find it. That's a Fire creature though, so would seem unsuitable despite its resemblance to an earthworm.

Overall, it would be easier just biting the bullet and add an arbitrary note that the summon monster IX spell conjures a Purple Worm with the Extraplanar subtype without bothering with a template.

 

[Cleon]

I thought we had a conversion of the Thoqqua in the Creature Catalog too, but can't find it.

Come to think of it, the Thoqqua is in the 3E Monster Manual - I completely forgot it was one of the core SRD monsters.

How many people use those things anyway? I can't recall ever using Thoqqua in my games or them featuring in published material such as Dungeon magazine adventures. Or if I did, it wasn't memorable enough to have made an impression on me.

Lava-worms ought to be more interesting!

 

[freyar]

Hmmmph. I think I'll go along with an extraplanar Purple Worm. The old OGC Book of Templates does have an ethereal template that would work (though a summoned ethereal creature would lose its ethereal jaunt ability, I think). But we've always kept to SRD and CC as our sources.

I've always thought thoqqua look interesting but not terribly useful in most settings.

What would be next on this?

 

[Cleon]

Hmmmph. I think I'll go along with an extraplanar Purple Worm. The old OGC Book of Templates does have an ethereal template that would work (though a summoned ethereal creature would lose its ethereal jaunt ability, I think). But we've always kept to SRD and CC as our sources.

We do sometimes make references to non-SRD non-CC sources but avoid actually duplicating the sources themselves. For example, with the Jackal Composite Mummy we had this note for the Dire Jackal it could summon: "**If you have access to Sandstorm, use the dire jackal statistics found within that book. If not, use a dire wolf dropped to 4 HD, with the following feats and skills: "

Since I like the idea of using the Manual of the Planes Earth Element Creature or Water Element Creature templates I'd mention those as a possibility. The Earth Purple Worm strikes me as the most appropriate "default". We could do something like:

summon monster IX (purple earthworm*)
*A purple earthworm is a purple worm with the Earth and Extraplanar subtypes, damage reduction 10/magic and the Earth Mastery extraordinary ability of an earth elemental. If you have access to the Manual of the Planes, an earth element creature purple worm may be used.

I've always thought thoqqua look interesting but not terribly useful in most settings.

Likewise. I can see them working as a random encounter or background fauna but there's isn't much you can do with them. Unless they turn out to be the maggots of Pyrokinetic Lava Flies…

What would be next on this?

I guess we should actually flesh out the Worm Domain before we get too far ahead writing the spells it contains.

Like agreeing on its granted power, for example.

 

[Cleon]

Likewise. I can see them working as a random encounter or background fauna but there's isn't much you can do with them. Unless they turn out to be the maggots of Pyrokinetic Lava Flies…

…or there being millions of them pouring in from the Elemental Plane of Fire as part of a plot by Salamanders/Efreet/Imix to invade the world and change it to magma!

 

[Cleon]

Summon Worms
Level: Worm 2
Components: V, S, M, DF

By the way, I changed the components to M, DF from the earlier drafts M/DF since it's a cleric Domain spell rather than a Bard-Druid-Sorcerer/Wizard like the summon swarm it's based on. Making summon worm M/DF would reserve the spell's Material Component to a non-existent arcane version.

Worm Domain
* summons a mass of flesh-eating worms that use the statistics of centipede swarms.

Upon reflection, I prefer:

* summons a mass of flesh-eating worms that fight as centipede swarms with burrow 20 ft. instead of climb 20 ft.​

Maybe we should tweak the spell name while we're at it to make the change explicit?

Like so:

7. Squirming Doom*: A venomous mass of flesh-eating worms attacks at your command.

*Spell functions like creeping doom, the worms fight as centipede swarms with burrow 20 ft. instead of climb 20 ft.​

 

[Cleon]

*Spell functions like creeping doom, the worms fight as centipede swarms with burrow 20 ft. instead of climb 20 ft.

Upon reflection, maybe we should match the speeds of the SRD purple worm and make it:

*Spell functions like creeping doom, the worms fight as centipede swarms with speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., swim 10 ft. instead of the centipede swarm's 20 ft., climb 20 ft. speed.

 

[freyar]

I like the proposed purple worm modifications.

I also like squirming doom, including with your proposed speeds.

But are you also proposing the same kind of power for the domain power? Seems a bit strong as well as redundant. The power to command/rebuke worms or vermin (worm-like only) would be closer to standard.

 

[Cleon]

I like the proposed purple worm modifications.

I also like squirming doom, including with your proposed speeds.

Updating the Worm Domain working draft.

But are you also proposing the same kind of power for the domain power? Seems a bit strong as well as redundant. The power to command/rebuke worms or vermin (worm-like only) would be closer to standard.

I don't think I got around to proposing anything for the Domain power.

Command/rebuke worms is a nice idea although I fear if a PC actually had this ability it'd cause a lot of arguments as to what counts as a "worm". A more conventional power based on one of the SRD Domains might be easier.

Maybe a free Blind-Fight feat like the Darkness Domain?

That said, if we can come up with a workable wording I'd be game. If it's good enough for the Scalykind domain it's good enough for the Worm domain. How about:

Granted Power #1: Rebuke or command vermin (worms only) as an evil cleric rebukes or commands undead.​

​

Use this ability a total number of times per day equal to 3 + Charisma modifier.​

​

Hmm… that works OK. I wondered about adding Magical Beasts with Int 0 or 1 to the options since some of the "worm" monsters aren't vermin (i.e. Devil Wyrm, Glitterworm, Lukhorn, Purple Worm etc). Some of them aren't truly worms of course, such as the "Light Worm" which is a snake.

Granted Power #2: Rebuke or command worms (only affects vermin and magical beasts with Intelligence 0 or 1) as an evil cleric rebukes or commands undead.​

​

Use this ability a total number of times per day equal to 3 + Charisma modifier.​

​

Oh, and an further thoughts on the 6th and 8th level Domain spells? I'm still liking earthquake for the latter.

The rough draft proposes move earth for the former but I can't help feeling it rather overlaps with the wormwork 3rd-level spell so wouldn't mind an alternative.

How about this:

6. Worm Tell: Worms tell you the ground's secrets.¹
7. Squirming Doom: A venomous mass of flesh-eating worms attacks at your command.²
8. Earthquake: Intense tremor shakes 80-ft.-radius.
9. Summon Monster IXᴰ: calls a purple earthworm to fight.³

ᴰ requires divine focus component
¹ Spell functions like stone tell, but affects earth or stone inhabited by living worms.
² Spell functions like creeping doom, the worms fight as centipede swarms with speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., swim 10 ft. instead of the centipede swarm's 20 ft., climb 20 ft. speed.
³ A purple earthworm is a purple worm with the Earth and Extraplanar subtypes, damage reduction 10/magic and the Earth Mastery extraordinary ability of an earth elemental. If you have access to the Manual of the Planes, an earth element creature purple worm may be used instead.

 

[freyar]

Granted power draft #2 works for me if you don't feel it's too vague about what constitutes a "worm." I think it should be ok to leave that to DM's discretion.

Earthquake works at 8th level. I also like worm tell at 6th level, but you have footnotes 1 and 2 reversed (I hope ).