Converting monsters from the second edition Monstrous Compendiums
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I don’t mind doing either the whipsting or continuing the linnorms.
BOZ
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Dragon 182
Linnorm, Frost
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any arctic or subarctic
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Family
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Special
INTELLIGENCE: Genius (17-18)
TREASURE: Special
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: l-8
ARMOR CLASS: -4 (base)
MOVEMENT: 12, Sw 18
HIT DICE: 15 (base)
THAC0: 5 (at 15 HD)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 bite/l tail slap + special
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 3d10/14dl0
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells, breath weapon
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spells
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Variable
SIZE: G (48? base)
MORALE: Elite (13-14)
XP VALUE: Variable
Frost linnorms are perhaps the most territorial of all Norse dragons, never resting until all other intelligent creatures within their domains are destroyed. They are greedy, covetous, and consider all life?besides others of their own kind?beneath them.
At birth, frost linnorms appear to have fur rather than scales, but by the time they have passed through the hatchling stage, small, white, pearl-like scales appear. As the linnorms age, the scales become thicker (although not larger) and sharp like jagged ice. The scales are ever-shifting in color, changing from white to pale blue to transparent to blend in with the frigid environment. Unlike many other linnorms, frost linnorms have small forelegs with manipulative claws, though the forelegs are too weak to be used for combat.
All frost linnorms speak their own language and the languages of other Norse dragons. In addition, hatchling frost linnorms have a 25% chance to magically communicate with any intelligent creature. The chance to possess this ability increases 15% per age category. By the time frost linnorms have reached the age category of adult, they can communicate with any creature with an intelligence of 2 or better.
Combat: More intelligent than most other linnorms, the frost linnorms spend months scheming and plotting against human settlements they discover, playing out the battles in their minds until all the strategies are worked out. Then the linnorms attack in the winter when the weather is on their side. Unless somehow taken by surprise, frost linnorms will avoid fighting without such plans. DMs should take such planning into account and should work out details of an attack to make it as efficient and deadly as possible.
Frost linnorms play upon their victims? weaknesses, and always use breath weapons, runes, and magical abilities before physically fighting. Further, they will employ any magical items they can use from their lairs against their chosen foes. Frost linnorms prefer to attack from any location that will put their foes at a disadvantage. They also attempt to keep their foes fighting on ice, increasing their chances of keeping the opponents off-balance. Frost linnorms are themselves incapable of losing their balance, timing, or orientation due to slippery terrain.
Breath Weapon/Special Abilities: The frost linnorm?s breath weapon is a cloud of ice particles 80? long, 60? wide, and 40? high. All creatures caught in this cloud must save vs. breath weapon for half damage.
Frost linnorms are immune to all forms of natural and magical cold. In addition, they gain the following abilities as they age, each usable at will three times a day: young adult?audible glamer, meld into ice; adult?phantasmal force, ice shape; mature adult? improved phantasmal force, control temperature 40? radius; old? spectral force, transmute rock to ice; very old? heal; venerable? advanced illusion, transport via ice; wyrm? transmute wood to ice; great wyrm? programmed illusion, transmute metal to ice. The frost linnorms? special abilities approximate similarly named spells from the Player?s Handbook. Frost linnorms use their spells and magical abilities at a level equal to seven plus their combat modifier. They are always successful in casting rune spells.
Habitat/Society: Frost linnorms are found in frigid climes, moving south in the winter months to devastate and plunder small human settlements. The older linnorms use their magical abilities to transform their territory into ice and shape it into elaborate, strikingly beautiful lairs. Walls and floors within the lairs contain large sections of mirrorlike ice that the linnorms often sit in front of so they can admire themselves. Frost linnorms are familial, and the larger a family, the larger the lair will be. Frost linnorms are perhaps the only Norse dragons that cherish the company of their own kind, valuing offspring and keeping them close until the offspring are adults. All offspring are included in the elaborate battle plans the eldest in the family develops.
The smaller the number of frost linnorms encountered, the older they will be. Single linnorms encountered will always be of the venerable category or older, as only the oldest of linnorms are without family?their mates dead and their offspring long since left to start their own families.
Frost linnorms bury their treasure within their lairs, usually beneath sheets of ice that would be difficult for trespassers to locate or move. They value gems, jewelry, and coins. However, they especially prize works of art. Some objects they consider too beautiful to hide with their treasure hoard, and these they place carefully about their lair so they can be admired.
Ecology: Frost linnorms require little sustenance and do not eat the creatures they kill. Sages believe these linnorms gain nourishment from inhaling frigid winds. They seem especially fond of early morning snow falls, lying on their backs with their mouths open to catch the most succulent flakes.
MCA1:
Dragon, Linnorm, Frost
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Arctic or subarctic land
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Family
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Special
INTELLIGENCE: Genius (17-18)
TREASURE: See below
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 1d8
ARMOR CLASS: -4 (base)
MOVEMENT: 12, Sw 18
HIT DICE: 15 (base)
THACO: 5 (base)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 plus special
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3d10/4d10/special
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells, breath weapon
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spells
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: G (48' base length)
MORALE: Elite (13-14)
XP VALUE: See below
Frost linnorms are perhaps the most territorial of all Norse dragons, never resting until all other intelligent creatures within their domains are destroyed.
At birth, frosts appear to have fur, but small pearly scales appear by the time they pass the hatchling stage. Eventually the scales become thicker and sharp like jagged ice, ever shifting in hue from white to pale blue to transparent, blending with the environment. Frosts have small forelegs with manipulative claws, though they are too weak for combat.
These creatures speak their own language and those of other Norse dragons. Hatchlings have a 25% chance to magically communicate with any creature with an Intelligence of 2 or higher, and that chance increases by 15% per age category.
Combat: Frosts spend months plotting against enemies, playing out battles in their minds until all strategies are worked out. They like to attack in the winter and play upon victims' weaknesses, always using breath weapons, runes (see the Viking Campaign Sourcebook, TSR stock #9322), and magical items and abilities before, fighting with a bite and tail slap. They often attempt to confront their foes, on ice, as they never lose their balance, timing, or orientation on slippery terrain.
Breath Weapon/Special Abilities: The frost's breath weapon is a cloud of ice particles 80 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 40 feet high (save for half damage). They are immune to natural and magical cold, and gain the following abilities as they age, each usable at will, three times a day: young adult ? audible glamer, meld into ice; adult - phantasmal force, ice shape; mature adult - improved phantasmal force, control temperature 40' radius; old - spectral force, transmute rock to ice; very old - heal; venerable ? advanced illusion, transport via ice; wyrm - transmute wood to ice; great wyrm - programmed illusion, transmute metal to ice. (Ice spells are variants of those found in the PHB.) All magic is wielded it a level equal to 7 plus the dragon's combat modifier. They are always successful casting rune spells.
Habitat/Society: Frost linnorms are found in frigid climes, ranging from the poles in winter months to devastate and plunder human settlements. Older linnorms use their magical abilities to transform their territories into ice and shape them into elaborate, reflective lairs.
Frosts are familial and keep their young close until they reach adulthood. Offspring are frequently included in the complex battle plans conceived by the eldest dragon. The smaller the number of frost linnorms encountered, the older they will tend to be; solitary frosts are always venerable or older, their mates dead and their offspring long gone.
Frost linnorms bury treasure within their lairs, usually beneath sheets of ice. They value gems, jewelry, coins, and especially art. Some objects are considered so beautiful that they place them about the lair where they can be admired.
Ecology: Frost linnorms require little sustenance and don't eat creatures they kill. Sages believe they gain nourishment from inhaling frigid winds.
Originally found in Dragon Magazine #182 (?The Vikings? Dragons,? June 1992, Jean Rabe), and Monstrous Compendium Annual One (1994).
for the hell of it, here are the aging tables:
Linnorm, Frost
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any arctic or subarctic
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Family
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Special
INTELLIGENCE: Genius (17-18)
TREASURE: Special
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: l-8
ARMOR CLASS: -4 (base)
MOVEMENT: 12, Sw 18
HIT DICE: 15 (base)
THAC0: 5 (at 15 HD)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 bite/l tail slap + special
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 3d10/14dl0
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells, breath weapon
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spells
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Variable
SIZE: G (48? base)
MORALE: Elite (13-14)
XP VALUE: Variable
Frost linnorms are perhaps the most territorial of all Norse dragons, never resting until all other intelligent creatures within their domains are destroyed. They are greedy, covetous, and consider all life?besides others of their own kind?beneath them.
At birth, frost linnorms appear to have fur rather than scales, but by the time they have passed through the hatchling stage, small, white, pearl-like scales appear. As the linnorms age, the scales become thicker (although not larger) and sharp like jagged ice. The scales are ever-shifting in color, changing from white to pale blue to transparent to blend in with the frigid environment. Unlike many other linnorms, frost linnorms have small forelegs with manipulative claws, though the forelegs are too weak to be used for combat.
All frost linnorms speak their own language and the languages of other Norse dragons. In addition, hatchling frost linnorms have a 25% chance to magically communicate with any intelligent creature. The chance to possess this ability increases 15% per age category. By the time frost linnorms have reached the age category of adult, they can communicate with any creature with an intelligence of 2 or better.
Combat: More intelligent than most other linnorms, the frost linnorms spend months scheming and plotting against human settlements they discover, playing out the battles in their minds until all the strategies are worked out. Then the linnorms attack in the winter when the weather is on their side. Unless somehow taken by surprise, frost linnorms will avoid fighting without such plans. DMs should take such planning into account and should work out details of an attack to make it as efficient and deadly as possible.
Frost linnorms play upon their victims? weaknesses, and always use breath weapons, runes, and magical abilities before physically fighting. Further, they will employ any magical items they can use from their lairs against their chosen foes. Frost linnorms prefer to attack from any location that will put their foes at a disadvantage. They also attempt to keep their foes fighting on ice, increasing their chances of keeping the opponents off-balance. Frost linnorms are themselves incapable of losing their balance, timing, or orientation due to slippery terrain.
Breath Weapon/Special Abilities: The frost linnorm?s breath weapon is a cloud of ice particles 80? long, 60? wide, and 40? high. All creatures caught in this cloud must save vs. breath weapon for half damage.
Frost linnorms are immune to all forms of natural and magical cold. In addition, they gain the following abilities as they age, each usable at will three times a day: young adult?audible glamer, meld into ice; adult?phantasmal force, ice shape; mature adult? improved phantasmal force, control temperature 40? radius; old? spectral force, transmute rock to ice; very old? heal; venerable? advanced illusion, transport via ice; wyrm? transmute wood to ice; great wyrm? programmed illusion, transmute metal to ice. The frost linnorms? special abilities approximate similarly named spells from the Player?s Handbook. Frost linnorms use their spells and magical abilities at a level equal to seven plus their combat modifier. They are always successful in casting rune spells.
Habitat/Society: Frost linnorms are found in frigid climes, moving south in the winter months to devastate and plunder small human settlements. The older linnorms use their magical abilities to transform their territory into ice and shape it into elaborate, strikingly beautiful lairs. Walls and floors within the lairs contain large sections of mirrorlike ice that the linnorms often sit in front of so they can admire themselves. Frost linnorms are familial, and the larger a family, the larger the lair will be. Frost linnorms are perhaps the only Norse dragons that cherish the company of their own kind, valuing offspring and keeping them close until the offspring are adults. All offspring are included in the elaborate battle plans the eldest in the family develops.
The smaller the number of frost linnorms encountered, the older they will be. Single linnorms encountered will always be of the venerable category or older, as only the oldest of linnorms are without family?their mates dead and their offspring long since left to start their own families.
Frost linnorms bury their treasure within their lairs, usually beneath sheets of ice that would be difficult for trespassers to locate or move. They value gems, jewelry, and coins. However, they especially prize works of art. Some objects they consider too beautiful to hide with their treasure hoard, and these they place carefully about their lair so they can be admired.
Ecology: Frost linnorms require little sustenance and do not eat the creatures they kill. Sages believe these linnorms gain nourishment from inhaling frigid winds. They seem especially fond of early morning snow falls, lying on their backs with their mouths open to catch the most succulent flakes.
MCA1:
Dragon, Linnorm, Frost
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Arctic or subarctic land
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Family
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Special
INTELLIGENCE: Genius (17-18)
TREASURE: See below
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 1d8
ARMOR CLASS: -4 (base)
MOVEMENT: 12, Sw 18
HIT DICE: 15 (base)
THACO: 5 (base)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 plus special
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3d10/4d10/special
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells, breath weapon
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spells
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: G (48' base length)
MORALE: Elite (13-14)
XP VALUE: See below
Frost linnorms are perhaps the most territorial of all Norse dragons, never resting until all other intelligent creatures within their domains are destroyed.
At birth, frosts appear to have fur, but small pearly scales appear by the time they pass the hatchling stage. Eventually the scales become thicker and sharp like jagged ice, ever shifting in hue from white to pale blue to transparent, blending with the environment. Frosts have small forelegs with manipulative claws, though they are too weak for combat.
These creatures speak their own language and those of other Norse dragons. Hatchlings have a 25% chance to magically communicate with any creature with an Intelligence of 2 or higher, and that chance increases by 15% per age category.
Combat: Frosts spend months plotting against enemies, playing out battles in their minds until all strategies are worked out. They like to attack in the winter and play upon victims' weaknesses, always using breath weapons, runes (see the Viking Campaign Sourcebook, TSR stock #9322), and magical items and abilities before, fighting with a bite and tail slap. They often attempt to confront their foes, on ice, as they never lose their balance, timing, or orientation on slippery terrain.
Breath Weapon/Special Abilities: The frost's breath weapon is a cloud of ice particles 80 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 40 feet high (save for half damage). They are immune to natural and magical cold, and gain the following abilities as they age, each usable at will, three times a day: young adult ? audible glamer, meld into ice; adult - phantasmal force, ice shape; mature adult - improved phantasmal force, control temperature 40' radius; old - spectral force, transmute rock to ice; very old - heal; venerable ? advanced illusion, transport via ice; wyrm - transmute wood to ice; great wyrm - programmed illusion, transmute metal to ice. (Ice spells are variants of those found in the PHB.) All magic is wielded it a level equal to 7 plus the dragon's combat modifier. They are always successful casting rune spells.
Habitat/Society: Frost linnorms are found in frigid climes, ranging from the poles in winter months to devastate and plunder human settlements. Older linnorms use their magical abilities to transform their territories into ice and shape them into elaborate, reflective lairs.
Frosts are familial and keep their young close until they reach adulthood. Offspring are frequently included in the complex battle plans conceived by the eldest dragon. The smaller the number of frost linnorms encountered, the older they will tend to be; solitary frosts are always venerable or older, their mates dead and their offspring long gone.
Frost linnorms bury treasure within their lairs, usually beneath sheets of ice. They value gems, jewelry, coins, and especially art. Some objects are considered so beautiful that they place them about the lair where they can be admired.
Ecology: Frost linnorms require little sustenance and don't eat creatures they kill. Sages believe they gain nourishment from inhaling frigid winds.
Originally found in Dragon Magazine #182 (?The Vikings? Dragons,? June 1992, Jean Rabe), and Monstrous Compendium Annual One (1994).
for the hell of it, here are the aging tables:
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