Converting Oriental Adventures creatures
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Shade
Monster Junkie
Chinese Undead
Type # Appearing AC Move HD %Lair Treasure
Celestial Stag / 2-12 / 3 / 12 / 3 / 0%
Celestial Stag
An appetizing name for an unappetizing creature, whose amoebalike form normally looks like a green nightmare deer but can ooze through any nook or cranny and reform. The creature attacks with 2 hooves 1-4 and 2 1-6. Clerics turn them as for Wraiths. Celestial Stags live underground and light equivalent to full daylight will dissolve them.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #26 (1979).
From Wikipedia
http://www.borges.pitt.edu/vakalo/zf/html/body_the_celestial_stag.html
Giants, monsters, and dragons: an encyclopedia of folklore, legend, and myth
http://www.angelfire.com/sk3/asianhorror/c.html
Type # Appearing AC Move HD %Lair Treasure
Celestial Stag / 2-12 / 3 / 12 / 3 / 0%
Celestial Stag
An appetizing name for an unappetizing creature, whose amoebalike form normally looks like a green nightmare deer but can ooze through any nook or cranny and reform. The creature attacks with 2 hooves 1-4 and 2 1-6. Clerics turn them as for Wraiths. Celestial Stags live underground and light equivalent to full daylight will dissolve them.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #26 (1979).
From Wikipedia
http://www.borges.pitt.edu/vakalo/zf/html/body_the_celestial_stag.html
Giants, monsters, and dragons: an encyclopedia of folklore, legend, and myth
http://www.angelfire.com/sk3/asianhorror/c.html
Last edited:
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
That's... very odd. So, do we want it to be an undead or an incorporeal magical beast?
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Good point. If they were incorporeal, they could fly through the walls of the mine to find the surface. Is extraplanar a possibility (from Carceri or the Plane of Shadow), or do we want to stick to native?
Shade
Monster Junkie
I'd be fine with extraplanar, and with their ties to tunnels, I could easily see them hailing from Pandemonium. Of course, their desire to get to the surface could explain Carceri as demiurge suggested, as evidence of them trying to escape the prison plane.
As for type, any of those freyar mentioned are plausible. Despite coming from a "Chinese Undead" article, that type seems the least appropriate of those mentioned. I'm leaning slightly toward aberration, but I'm not ready to rule out magical beast or ooze.
As for type, any of those freyar mentioned are plausible. Despite coming from a "Chinese Undead" article, that type seems the least appropriate of those mentioned. I'm leaning slightly toward aberration, but I'm not ready to rule out magical beast or ooze.
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Aberration seems pretty fair.
Cleon
Hero
Just to make those stats a bit easier to read.
Type: Celestial Stag
#Appearing: 2-12
AC: 3
Move: 12
Hit Dice: 3
% in Lair: 0%
Amoeba like form normally looks like a green nightmare deer
Can ooze through any nook or cranny and reform
Attacks with 2 hooves 1-4 and 2 1-6 (2 hooves and 2 antlers?)
Turned as Wraiths.
Celestial Stags live underground and light equivalent to full daylight will dissolve them.
The Book of Imaginary Beings entry adds the following information:#Appearing: 2-12
AC: 3
Move: 12
Hit Dice: 3
% in Lair: 0%
Amoeba like form normally looks like a green nightmare deer
Can ooze through any nook or cranny and reform
Attacks with 2 hooves 1-4 and 2 1-6 (2 hooves and 2 antlers?)
Turned as Wraiths.
Celestial Stags live underground and light equivalent to full daylight will dissolve them.
We know absolutely nothing about the appearance of the Celestial Stag (maybe because nobody has ever had a good look at one), but we do know that these tragic animals live underground in mines and desire nothing more than to reach the light of day. They have the power of speech and implore the miners to help them to the surface. At first, a Celestial Stag attempts to bribe the workmen with the promise of revealing hidden veins of silver and gold; when this gambit fails, the beast becomes troublesome and the miners are forced to overpower it and wall it up in one of the mine galleries. It is also rumored that miners outnumbered by the Stags have been tortured to death. Legend has it that if the Celestial Stag finds 'its way into the open air, it becomes a foul-smelling liquid that can breed death and pestilence.
The tale is from China and is recorded by G. Willoughby Meade in his book Chinese Ghouls and Goblins.
From which we get:The tale is from China and is recorded by G. Willoughby Meade in his book Chinese Ghouls and Goblins.
Able to speak and negotiate with humans (-> sapient, knows Common)
Wants to reach the surface
If it reaches open air it becomes a foul fluid than causes disease?
The only way to contain one is to wall them up in a mine galley, encase them in clay or similarly seal them into a confined space
So, that suggestsWants to reach the surface
If it reaches open air it becomes a foul fluid than causes disease?
The only way to contain one is to wall them up in a mine galley, encase them in clay or similarly seal them into a confined space
Undead of Gravetouched Aberration
3 Hit Dice
Speed 30 ft
AC around 17
Speaks Common
Intelligence 8-12?
I'm thinking we may want to rationalize its 2 hooves and 2 antlers into
Two hooves (1d4) and horns (2d6)
I was tempted to give them regeneration, to explain why the miners don't just kill them - they just flow back together again - but a simpler explanation is anyone who kills one would be exposed to the Liquid Pestilence of their deliquescing remains.3 Hit Dice
Speed 30 ft
AC around 17
Speaks Common
Intelligence 8-12?
I'm thinking we may want to rationalize its 2 hooves and 2 antlers into
Two hooves (1d4) and horns (2d6)
Cleon
Hero
By the way, I'm a bit skeptical of the provenance of this creature, from what I can find out a Chinese "Celestial Stag" is either a Kirin or Dragon, or a creature very similar to one, rather than resembling the creature described.
Since Borges The Book of Imaginary Beings included many purely fictional creatures (like the Cheshire Cat), many obscure creatures and at least one (the Peryton) which I can't find any mention of from an earlier source, the mine-dwelling version of the Celestial Stag may well be a "made up from scratch" or a local talltale, rather than a true mythical beast.
That doesn't mean we can't convert it though, it does make a cool monster.
Since Borges The Book of Imaginary Beings included many purely fictional creatures (like the Cheshire Cat), many obscure creatures and at least one (the Peryton) which I can't find any mention of from an earlier source, the mine-dwelling version of the Celestial Stag may well be a "made up from scratch" or a local talltale, rather than a true mythical beast.
That doesn't mean we can't convert it though, it does make a cool monster.
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
Hmm, I'd overlooked the turning instructions. We could make them tomb-tainted or vulnerable to turning, if we all feel like it.
Most of Cleon's suggestions look good. I think the reason they turn into mush in the open air is that they are exposed to daylight in open air, at least combining the two reasons. I do like the idea of making the liquid pestilence be a kind of death throes.
Most of Cleon's suggestions look good. I think the reason they turn into mush in the open air is that they are exposed to daylight in open air, at least combining the two reasons. I do like the idea of making the liquid pestilence be a kind of death throes.
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Death throes liquid pestilence and regeneration both work for me. Making them tomb-tainted is also a good idea.
Shade
Monster Junkie
I could've sworn that the squeezing bit was usually part of the amorphous ability, but I'm failing to locate it.
Found one odd variant on the ability...
Amorphous (Ex): Bludgeoning weapons and impact damage deal no damage to Juiblex. He is able to slip through spaces that otherwise could accommodate a creature no larger than Tiny because of his jellylike substance.
Or we could borrow this...
Boneless (Ex): The tyrannabyss has no bones or solid organs and is able to squeeze itself through openings much smaller than its apparent size. Treat the tyrannabyss as a creature two size categories smaller for purposes of determining what hampers movement and when squeezing (see Player's Handbook, page 148).
Found one odd variant on the ability...
Amorphous (Ex): Bludgeoning weapons and impact damage deal no damage to Juiblex. He is able to slip through spaces that otherwise could accommodate a creature no larger than Tiny because of his jellylike substance.
Or we could borrow this...
Boneless (Ex): The tyrannabyss has no bones or solid organs and is able to squeeze itself through openings much smaller than its apparent size. Treat the tyrannabyss as a creature two size categories smaller for purposes of determining what hampers movement and when squeezing (see Player's Handbook, page 148).
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Like the Juiblex squeezing, but let's just give it DR/slashing or piercing. Let's go for slimy doom. It's under-used.
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