5E: Converting Monsters from White Dwarf Magazine for Fifth Edition

[Cleon]

okay, first up, here's the thrall - ditched the multiattack. just left it with a slam. Insanely annoyingly - in DnDbeyond template, there is no option for resistance to nonmagical piercing weapons only ..so left like ofther kindred

Well we know in our hearts that it's nonmagical piercing!

 

[Cleon]

Pine Kindred, Thrall

Special Traits

Pine Blood. Pine kindred count as both plant and undead for any effect related to type.

Actions

Multiattack. The pine thrall makes two claw attacks.

Spear. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage or 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage if used with two hands. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 20/60 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.

Dart. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) slashing damage.

Will modify the text version of the Thrall so the Actions match (but left the Piercing how we wanted it).

Oh, and better correct the text version's Passive Perception while I'm at it.

 

[Cleon]

Checking the latest Pine Kindred, it still doesn't have "The kindred must take a multiattack action on its subsequent turns to continue wailing" in Shrieking Wail and I think we've both messed up its Passive Perception. It is 10 plus its Perception skill isn't it? So that's Passive Perception 12 not 8.

Oh, and there appears to be a space missing in "Multiattack.The" and "Dart.Ranged" which is odd, since version 6 was properly spaced there.

EDIT: Oh, and I also increase CHA to 7 (−2) so it's (a) higher than the Thrall's and (b) matches the Shrieking Wail's DC.

 

[Casimir Liber]

and jarl up to speed....circle text to be determined...need to read up on circles....

thinking about it, I think I prefer them at 6th level spellcasting rather than 8th level. I envisage them as local influence creatures only I think

 

[Cleon]

Checking the latest Pine Kindred Thane, I've made quite a few tweaks in my proposal (see Pine Kindred Thane Text Version). To whit:

Hit Points are now 45 (7d8 + 14)
Since I increased the Con to 14 (+2).

Saving Throws added Dex +4.

Senses has Passive Perception 14.
(Due to its Perception +4 skill.)

The Spellcasting still needs a bit of polish (will talk about that separately).

Actions are fine.

The Bonus Actions needs removing, as its wailing is now an Action.

 

[Cleon]

Checking the latest Pine Kindred Jarl.

One reason I liked making them 8th-level casters is a 6th level druid has a +3 Proficiency Bonus like a Monster with Challenge 5 and I liked the idea of spacing the Kindred / Thane / Jarl a couple of Challenges apart.

I have no great objection to keeping them 6th-level spellcasters, but if we do that I feel the Jarl ought to be Challenge 4 rather than my text draft's current CR 5 PB +3.

That'd require some additional tweaking to the Pine Kindred Jarl Text Version, mainly due to the lower Proficiency Bonus:

Hit Points 67 (9d8 + 27)
Increased due to higher Con. I was thinking of adding a couple more since 67 hp felt a trifle feeble for CR 5. However, it'is more acceptable for CR 4, especially for a spellcaster.

Saving Throws Dex +5, Int +3, Wis +5
Skills Arcana +3, Nature +5, Perception +5, Religion +5, Stealth +5
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15
Challenge 4 (1,100) Proficiency Bonus +2

Spellcasting. The pine kindred jarl is a 6th-level spellcaster that used Wisdom as its spellcasting ability (spell save DC 13; +5 to hit with spell attacks). The thane has the following spells prepared from the druid's spell list. [maybe increase to 8th-level spellcaster?]

Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, second cantrip, third cantrip
1st level (4 slots): [spells to be decided]
2nd level (3 slots): [spells to be decided]
3rd level (3 slots): [spells to be decided]

Some pine kindred know spells from outside the druid's spell list (see Dark Druidic Mysteries).

…Oh, and its Attack "to hit" values drop by one since its Proficiency Bonus is lower:

Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage, or 7 (1d10 + 2) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Dart. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.

Shrieking Wail should be DC 13 now.

 

[Cleon]

Spellcasting

A 4th-level druid with a +2 Wisdom bonus can prepare six spells, which matches with the current Thane.

A 6th-level druid with a +3 Wisdom bonus can prepare nine spells, but the current Jarl has only six. It needs another three.

Oh, almost forgot. There's something else rather important missing:

Create Kindred. [to be decided]

 

[Cleon]

Blast it, I've got a whole pile of "Hit Dice" that should be "Hit Points". Better correct them.

Force of habit from writing so many standard-issue 3E conversions.

 

[Cleon]

Checking the latest Pine Kindred Jarl.

Oh, and the Pine Kindred Jarl has AC 16 not 15, as its Dexterity bonus is one higher than a Kindred or Thane.

 

[Cleon]

Okay (touch wood) that's got all the errors corrected on this page and the previous one.

I think that'll do me for this evening. Toodles!