Converting monsters from the second edition Monstrous Compendiums
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BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
here is what we had. how much of this do you want to keep, and should we do something about stealing class features as well?
Acquire Feats (Ex): An eater of knowledge permanently acquires two of the feats of a consumed creature as bonus feats, provided it meets the feats' prerequisites.
Acquire Skills (Ex): An eater of knowledge can acquire one skill known by a creature whose brain it has consumed, chosen at the time of consumption. It permanently gains all of the creature’s ranks in that skill (but not racial or ability score bonuses to the skill modifier) even if its new total is more ranks than the eater's Hit Dice would normally allow. This skill becomes a class skill for the eater of knowledge, and it may buy more ranks in the skill if the new ranks do not cause it to exceed the maximum ranks in the skill.
Acquire Feats (Ex): An eater of knowledge permanently acquires two of the feats of a consumed creature as bonus feats, provided it meets the feats' prerequisites.
Acquire Skills (Ex): An eater of knowledge can acquire one skill known by a creature whose brain it has consumed, chosen at the time of consumption. It permanently gains all of the creature’s ranks in that skill (but not racial or ability score bonuses to the skill modifier) even if its new total is more ranks than the eater's Hit Dice would normally allow. This skill becomes a class skill for the eater of knowledge, and it may buy more ranks in the skill if the new ranks do not cause it to exceed the maximum ranks in the skill.
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
OK, just keeping the skills part. let me tone it down a bit, too:
Acquire Skills (Ex): A sea hermit can acquire one skill known by a creature. It permanently gains all of the creature’s ranks in that skill (but not racial or ability score bonuses to the skill modifier) though it cannot exceed the maximum ranks that the sea hermit's Hit Dice would normally allow. This skill becomes a class skill for the sea hermit, and it may buy more ranks in the skill if the new ranks do not cause it to exceed the maximum ranks in the skill.
for this and the gaining of spells, we should add a caveat that the creature can be recently dead (how recent?), and how long it should take (1 hour, 1 day?) to probe the mind.
Acquire Skills (Ex): A sea hermit can acquire one skill known by a creature. It permanently gains all of the creature’s ranks in that skill (but not racial or ability score bonuses to the skill modifier) though it cannot exceed the maximum ranks that the sea hermit's Hit Dice would normally allow. This skill becomes a class skill for the sea hermit, and it may buy more ranks in the skill if the new ranks do not cause it to exceed the maximum ranks in the skill.
for this and the gaining of spells, we should add a caveat that the creature can be recently dead (how recent?), and how long it should take (1 hour, 1 day?) to probe the mind.
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
8 hours to gain one skill or one spell? that does make sense with the flavor text too. 
(why it needs to drag a person to the depths to extract its info rather than just doing it on the surface - it is not likely to be disturbed underwater).
how about since it prefers to take its victims alive, if we give it an incentive for doing so. how about a shorter duration to steal from living creatures? (we could make dead creatures take 8 hours and living ones 4 hours, or dead take 16 and living take 8, or whatever makes sense).
and should we force it to make a check to learn a skill, as it does with spells?
(why it needs to drag a person to the depths to extract its info rather than just doing it on the surface - it is not likely to be disturbed underwater). how about since it prefers to take its victims alive, if we give it an incentive for doing so. how about a shorter duration to steal from living creatures? (we could make dead creatures take 8 hours and living ones 4 hours, or dead take 16 and living take 8, or whatever makes sense).
and should we force it to make a check to learn a skill, as it does with spells?
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Shade
Monster Junkie
Yeah, I like that idea. How about 8 hours for a living creature, and 1 day for dead (same as copying a spell from another caster's spellbook)? And I think it should have the usual limits on strenuous activity like crafting items, etc.
What would be the appropriate check and DC to learn a skill? Intelligence seems likely, and the DC would probably be static. Or...opposed Int checks if creature is living?
What would be the appropriate check and DC to learn a skill? Intelligence seems likely, and the DC would probably be static. Or...opposed Int checks if creature is living?
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
Shade said:
maybe a Will save instead of opposed Int checks, maybe a penalty for dead creatures (or not). how shall we state the usual limits on strenuous activity and such?
Mortis said:
i don't know about that - i mean, the victim is usually dead (or will be killed), so that may not matter much.
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