Converting monsters from the second edition Monstrous Compendiums

[BOZ]

good ol' 15 will probably work here, as it should be more easily identifiable by someone who knows what to look for.

 

[Shade]

Good ol' 15, ever-reliable.

 

[BOZ]

Gave some thought to ability scores last night. How about these:

Str 35-40, Dex 6-7, Con ---, Int 10, Wis 10-14, Cha 13-17

 

[Shade]

Looking at some comparable (stone-like constructs) creatures:

Stone Colossus (Colossal): Str 70, Dex 5, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
Stone Golem, Greater (Large): Str 37, Dex 7, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Juggernaut (Huge): Str 31, Dex 3, Con --, Int --, Wis 15, Cha 16
Death Hurler (Huge; from Dragon 309): Str 26, Dex 18, Con --, Int --, Wis 12, Cha 1

I'd say that Strength should be more in the 50-60 range, and Dexterity 3-7. Considering its a bridge, I'd vote for the low end of the Dex range. I think your mental stats are good.

 

[BOZ]

i don't think it needs to be that strong. it's not going to hit anything, after all. maybe i'm wrong.

 

[Shade]

Yeah, but it does have to hold itself in bridge position for long periods of time.

 

[BOZ]

maybe so, but given how many tons it is likely to weigh, that might just put it out of the ratings altogehter.

let's look at it this way. a creature would have to have a 40 Str to carry 1 ton as a light load, based on the carrying capacity chart in the PHB. and that's just one ton. adding multiples of 10 results in that number quadrupling, so roughly: 50 Str = 4 tons, 60 Str = 16 tons, 70 Str = 64 tons, and so on.

so, how many tons do you think a 100-ft long stone bridge would weigh?

 

[Shade]

so, how many tons do you think a 100-ft long stone bridge would weigh?

Lots?

OK, it'll definitely take supernatural forces to keep it in place. I still think it should be at least 10 points higher than a Large stone golem.

 

[BOZ]

also, i'm going with 5 for Dex. check out the PHB in the front, where it gives examples of what would have each ability score. "Colossal animated object" gets a 4-5 Dex.

 

[Shade]

Since when do you follow the examples?

5 sounds fine, though.

You know, lesser variants of the spanner would be cool. I know that it is beyond the scope of conversions, but I'm thinking that a wood bridge (possibly covered) and a rope bridge variant would be fun. Imagine Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom's bridge scene...now imagine if the bridge were sentient.