Converting monsters from the second edition Monstrous Compendiums

[Shade]

i'll have to look that up again - isn't it essentially that any damage not specifically intended for sundering goes straight to the body?

I'm not sure what we can do with this, but here it is:

A hydra can be killed either by severing all its heads or by slaying its body. To sever a head, an opponent must make a successful sunder attempt with a slashing weapon. (The player should declare where the attack is aimed before making the attack roll.) Making a sunder attempt provokes an attack of opportunity unless the foe has the Improved Sunder feat. An opponent can strike at a hydra’s heads from any position in which he could strike at the hydra itself, because the hydra’s head writhe and whip about in combat. An opponent can ready an action to attempt to sunder a hydra’s head when the creature bites at him.

Each of a hydra’s heads has hit points equal to the creature's full normal hit point total, divided by its original number of heads. Losing a head deals damage to the body equal to half the head’s full normal hit points. A natural reflex seals the neck shut to prevent further blood loss. A hydra can no longer attack with a severed head but takes no other penalties.

Each time a head is severed, two new heads spring from the stump in 1d4 rounds. A hydra can never have more than twice its original number of heads at any one time, and any extra heads it gains beyond its original number wither and die within a day. To prevent a severed head from growing back into two heads, at least 5 points of fire or acid damage must be dealt to the stump (a touch attack to hit) before the new heads appear. A flaming weapon (or similar effect) deals its energy damage to the stump in the same blow in which a head is severed. Fire or acid damage from an area effect may burn multiple stumps in addition to dealing damage to the hydra’s body. A hydra does not die from losing its heads until all its heads have been cut off and the stumps seared by fire or acid.

A hydra’s body can be slain just like any other creature’s, but hydras possess fast healing (see below) and are difficult to defeat in this fashion. Any attack that is not (or cannot be) an attempt to sunder a head affects the body. For example, area effects deal damage to a hydra's body, not to its heads.

Targeted magical effects cannot sever a hydra’s heads (and thus must be directed at the body) unless they deal slashing damage and could be used to make sunder attempts.

How about this?

Sensory Vines (Ex): A bloodsipper's body is composed of a mass of vines spread throughout its space; creatures can move through a bloodsipper's space, but treat its space as light undergrowth. A bloodsipper can automatically pinpoint the location of anything within its space, and ignores any concealment penalties imposed by the light undergrowth. A creature that succeeds on a DC 20 Spot check can avoid contact with the vines, but treats the space as heavy undergrowth rather than light, and must make a new check each round.

I like it!

 

[Kafkonia]

i'll have to look that up again - isn't it essentially that any damage not specifically intended for sundering goes straight to the body?

If you have Tome of Horrors III, the abyssal harvester has a similar design wrt appendages vs. main body -- you might be able to port that over easily.

 

[Aspect of BOZ]

How about this?

Sensory Vines (Ex): A bloodsipper's body is composed of a mass of vines spread throughout its space; creatures can move through a bloodsipper's space, but treat its space as light undergrowth. A bloodsipper can automatically pinpoint the location of anything within its space, and ignores any concealment penalties imposed by the light undergrowth. A creature that succeeds on a DC 20 Spot check can avoid contact with the vines, but treats the space as heavy undergrowth rather than light, and must make a new check each round.

great! the only change i would make is to say "ignores any concealment penalties imposed by the vines" instead, as that would cover creatures who treat it as heavy undergrowth (because, anything trying to move without being detected will treat it as heavy undergrowth, whether it makes the Spot check or not).

I'm not sure what we can do with this, but here it is:

A hydra can be killed either by severing all its heads or by slaying its body. To sever a head, an opponent must make a successful sunder attempt with a slashing weapon. (The player should declare where the attack is aimed before making the attack roll.) Making a sunder attempt provokes an attack of opportunity unless the foe has the Improved Sunder feat. An opponent can strike at a hydra’s heads from any position in which he could strike at the hydra itself, because the hydra’s head writhe and whip about in combat. An opponent can ready an action to attempt to sunder a hydra’s head when the creature bites at him.

Each of a hydra’s heads has hit points equal to the creature's full normal hit point total, divided by its original number of heads. Losing a head deals damage to the body equal to half the head’s full normal hit points. A natural reflex seals the neck shut to prevent further blood loss. A hydra can no longer attack with a severed head but takes no other penalties.

Each time a head is severed, two new heads spring from the stump in 1d4 rounds. A hydra can never have more than twice its original number of heads at any one time, and any extra heads it gains beyond its original number wither and die within a day. To prevent a severed head from growing back into two heads, at least 5 points of fire or acid damage must be dealt to the stump (a touch attack to hit) before the new heads appear. A flaming weapon (or similar effect) deals its energy damage to the stump in the same blow in which a head is severed. Fire or acid damage from an area effect may burn multiple stumps in addition to dealing damage to the hydra’s body. A hydra does not die from losing its heads until all its heads have been cut off and the stumps seared by fire or acid.

A hydra’s body can be slain just like any other creature’s, but hydras possess fast healing (see below) and are difficult to defeat in this fashion. Any attack that is not (or cannot be) an attempt to sunder a head affects the body. For example, area effects deal damage to a hydra's body, not to its heads.

Targeted magical effects cannot sever a hydra’s heads (and thus must be directed at the body) unless they deal slashing damage and could be used to make sunder attempts.

Well, we can really use that only under one condition. We can say that pod denizens cannot be harmed until severed from their tether (essentially, normal attacks on them harm the bloodsipper instead). If you think that sounds like a good idea, I’m willing to go that route.

If you have Tome of Horrors III, the abyssal harvester has a similar design wrt appendages vs. main body -- you might be able to port that over easily.

no, i never did get #3...

 

[Shade]

great! the only change i would make is to say "ignores any concealment penalties imposed by the vines" instead, as that would cover creatures who treat it as heavy undergrowth (because, anything trying to move without being detected will treat it as heavy undergrowth, whether it makes the Spot check or not).

Sounds good.

Well, we can really use that only under one condition. We can say that pod denizens cannot be harmed until severed from their tether (essentially, normal attacks on them harm the bloodsipper instead). If you think that sounds like a good idea, I’m willing to go that route.

Yeah, let's go that route.

 

[Kafkonia]

great! the only change i would make is to say "ignores any concealment penalties imposed by the vines" instead, as that would cover creatures who treat it as heavy undergrowth (because, anything trying to move without being detected will treat it as heavy undergrowth, whether it makes the Spot check or not).

Good call.

no, i never did get #3...

My book's at home. I'll type it up if I feel up to logging on tonight.

It only sprung to mind because I happened to be browsing it this morning.

 

[Aspect of BOZ]

Yeah, let's go that route.

OK, you asked for it.


To sever a bloodsipper’s pod denizen tether, an opponent must make a successful sunder attempt with a slashing weapon. (The player should declare where the attack is aimed before making the attack roll.) Making a sunder attempt provokes an attack of opportunity unless the foe has the Improved Sunder feat. An opponent can ready an action to attempt to sunder a bloodsipper’s tether when its pod denizen bites at him.

A bloodsipper’s tethers have 10 hit points each. If a pod denizen currently grappling a target is attached to a bloodsipper with the tether that is being attacked, another pod denizen usually makes the bloodsipper's attack of opportunity against the opponent making the sunder attempt. Severing one of a bloodsipper’s tethers deals 5 points of damage to the creature. The creature regrows severed tethers and pods in 1d10+10 days.

A bloodsipper’s body can be slain just like any other creature’s. Any attack that is not (or cannot be) an attempt to sunder a tether affects the body. For example, area effects deal damage to a bloodsipper's body, not to its tether. A pod denizen cannot be harmed so long as it remains tethered. Killing the bloodsipper automatically severs the tethers of all remaining pod denizens.

Targeted magical effects cannot sever a bloodsipper’s tethers (and thus must be directed at the body) unless they deal slashing damage and could be used to make sunder attempts.

 

[Shade]

That looks pretty good. My brain is firing on all cylinders this morning, so I can't really offer any expansion on it.

 

[Aspect of BOZ]

i'm going to go back and proofread that, just to be on the safe side. if i get a chance today, i'll work on some flavor text and see what else needs to be done for this guy.

forgot about this:

do we have a precedent for using grainy stuff like salt as a splash weapon? if not, would it be enough to say that a handful of salt can be throw and that works like throwing a flask?

Yes. Feather powder in BoVD and sleep powder in a 3.5 Dragon mag are both splash weapons.

don't know what dragon mag i'd look in, but the other one was easy enough to find. note that this too comes in a vial rather than thrown as a handful of powder, but we could probably still take inspiration from it:

Feather Powder: Originally designed as a weapon against devas and lammasus, this dark red alchemical powder comes in a small glass vial thrown as a grenadelike weapon. Anyone struck or splashed by the powder must succeed at a Fortitude saveing throw (DC 15) or take a -1 circumstance penalty on attack and damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks for 1 minute due to irritation and itching. Creatures with feathers are particularly susceptible, taking a -2 penalty on the Fortitude save against feather powder and suffering double the effect (-2 penalty) if they fail the save.

 

[Shade]

Here ya go:

Sneezing Powder: When thrown as a grenade-like weapon, a direct hit causes the target to suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to all rolls for 1d4 rounds unless they make a successful fortitude save (DC 15). Creatures immune to gases or poisons and those with no olfactory sense are immune to sneezing powder.
Source: Dragon Magazine #280, p. 52.

 

[Aspect of BOZ]

That’s actually much more useful!

Salt in quantity makes a vine or head pull away convulsively; a handful inflicting 2d4 points of damage (much as holy water affects undead).

Vulnerability to Holy Water (Ex): Abishai take 2d4 damage from a flask of holy water, or 1 point of damage from a splash of holy water.

Let’s give that a shot:

Vulnerability to Salt (Ex): A bloodsipper or pod denizen is affected by a quantity of salt, and will pull away from salt convulsively. If an opponent throws a handful or flask of salt as a grenade-like weapon, a direct hit deals 2d4 points of damage to a bloodsipper or pod denizen.

Do we want to add something about splash damage?