Converting Oriental Adventures creatures

[Cleon]

Actually, I'd be more in favour of tweaking the Child's Dex up to a +3 bonus and dropping the NA bonus since it means the undead will have the "naked" AC of 10 when flat-footed and be 2-points lower than the Maidens like in the original. If you prefer AC 17 I'd be willing to make the Dex bonus +4. We did give the Veiled Maidens a Dex of 19 rather than the original's 15 after all.

Incidentally, I'm developing a nasty suspicion the original Veiled Maidens might have had Intelligence 8 rather than 18. The Stat line could go "S 15, 18, W 15, D 15, C 16, Ch 16" or "S 15, I8, W 15, D 15, C 16, Ch 16" and I just can't tell whether it's a missing space between an "I" and an "8" or a missing I before an "18".

In AD&D Monks have minimum attribute requirements in Str, Wis, Dex and Con but not Int and Cha, so Int 8 is quite possible. There were a lot of dumb and unlikeable monks in AD&D games due to this!

Since there's no way to tell which is correct I am happy leaving those undead girls' Intelligence score at 18.

 

[freyar]

I'm happy to go for your newest suggest AC revisions for all of them, putting the Screaming Child at AC 16.

Let's keep the Veiled Maidens at Int 18.

Here are some suggested skills (all at max ranks):
Concentration, Hide, Knowledge (arcana), Listen, Move Silently, Spellcraft, Spot
I'm not tied to Move Silently or Listen or Spot really, but I'm not seeing much else thematically appropriate. Hide seems to fit the described tactics in the original write-up.

 

[Cleon]

How about we amend it by adding or increasing some natural armor bonuses like so:

The Reaper #2 (AC 2 originally): AC 22 (+4 Dex, +2 insight, +6 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 18
The Veiled Maidens #2 (AC 8 originally): AC 18 (+4 Dex, +4 deflection), touch 18, flat-footed 14
The General #2 (AC 2 originally): AC 22 (+3 Dex, +7 +2 mithral breastplate, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 19
The Shadow Warrior #2 (AC 0 originally): AC 23 or 24* (+3 Dex, +2 Wis, +1 intrinsic, bracers of armor +2, + 2 dodge, +1* shield, +3 natural), touch 18, flat-footed 18 or 19* [*when using Two-Weapon Defense]
The Paper Warrior #2 (AC 5 originally): AC 19 (+3 Dex, +4 monk bonus, +2 natural) , touch 17, flat-footed 16
The Screaming Child #3 (AC 10 originally): AC 16 (+3 Dex, +3 dodge), touch 16, flat-footed 10
The Keeper #2 (AC 3 originally): AC 21 (+? Dex, +? bonus, +? bonus), touch ??, flat-footed ??

I'm happy to go for your newest suggest AC revisions for all of them, putting the Screaming Child at AC 16.

Updating The Reaper Working Draft.
Updating The Veiled Maidens Working Draft.
Updating The General Working Draft.
Updating The Shadow Warrior Working Draft.
Updating The Paper Warrior Working Draft.
Updating The Screaming Child Working Draft.

While updating I changed the size of the title and subtitle text of the old ones that got changed during our last couple of "Server Hiccups" so they aren't ridiculously small anymore.

I'll also amended the versions for the next Creature Catalog Download update.

Let's keep the Veiled Maidens at Int 18.

That's my inclination too.

Here are some suggested skills (all at max ranks):
Concentration, Hide, Knowledge (arcana), Listen, Move Silently, Spellcraft, Spot
I'm not tied to Move Silently or Listen or Spot really, but I'm not seeing much else thematically appropriate. Hide seems to fit the described tactics in the original write-up.

Hmm…

Screaming Child Skills #1: Concentration +15, Hide +18, Knowledge (arcana) +18, Listen +17, Move Silently +18, Spellcraft +20, Spot +17

There's something about "Screaming Child" and "Move Silently" that seems contradictory, although I can't quite put my finger on what it is…

How about Tumble instead instead?

That'd be:

Screaming Child Skills #2: Concentration +15, Hide +18, Knowledge (arcana) +18, Listen +17, Spellcraft +20, Spot +17, Tumble +18

Most of the Seven Swords "appear out of nowhere" when encountered. I'm presuming it's a supernatural feature of the encounter rather than them being really good at hiding. They are haunts in a ghostly castle, after all.

How about swapping the Hide for Use Magic Device?:

Screaming Child Skills #3: Concentration +15, Knowledge (arcana) +18, Listen +17, Spellcraft +22 (+24 deciphering scrolls), Spot +17, Tumble +18, Use Magic Device +17 (+19 with scrolls)

 

[Cleon]

Most of the Seven Swords "appear out of nowhere" when encountered. I'm presuming it's a supernatural feature of the encounter rather than them being really good at hiding. They are haunts in a ghostly castle, after all.

To be specific, when an intruding party of adventures encounters one of the Seven Swords they:

The Reaper — erupt from the ground.
The Veiled Maidens — step out from behind banners when "summoned" by touching a veil.
The General — found sitting in meditation behind a screen.
The Shadow Warrior — lurks unseen "near" its chambers. [maybe uses "hide in plain sight" blending ability?]
The Paper Warrior — When its papers are disturbed, the ink springs up and becomes the Warrior.
The Screaming Child — Sits behind bamboo screens, "has cast chameleon on himself and is difficult to see".
The Keeper — If PCs enter a shrine it "materializes behind the altar", if they retreat it "materializes before them".

So three of the Swords definitely materialize out of thin air (or paper), one bursts from the ground, one probably uses shadowy ninja hiding skills and the other two might just be hiding behind screens.

It seems simplest all of the Seven Swords a ghostly power to appear out of thin air.

I am tempted to give some or most of them a special ability to materialize into existence when the place they are haunting is disturbed.

Something like the following:

Ghostform (Su): A Seven Swords undead is normally invisible and intangible but senses its surroundings normally. Should the site it is haunting be disturbed, the spirit assumes a corporeal form as a swift action. The Reaper materializes by erupting from the ground. The Veiled Maidens materialize by stepping out from behind hanging banners. The General/Screaming Child materializes sitting behind a screen. The Shadow Warrior materializes by leaping out of a shadow. The Paper Warrior materializes by ink flowing from an inkstone to write on blank paper, the words then leap up to become its tattooed body. The Keeper materializes out of thin air wherever it wishes, usually in front of intruders. Once materialized, the undead spirit can remain in solid form until the sun rises. It can resume ghostform as a full-round action.

 

[Cleon]

Ghostform (Su): A Seven Swords undead is normally invisible and intangible but senses its surroundings normally. Should the site it is haunting be disturbed, the spirit assumes a corporeal form as a swift action. The Reaper materializes by erupting from the ground. The Veiled Maidens materialize by stepping out from behind hanging banners. The General/Screaming Child materializes sitting behind a screen. The Shadow Warrior materializes by leaping out of a shadow. The Paper Warrior materializes from sheets of writing, the ink leaping up to form the words tattoeing its body. The Keeper materializes out of thin air wherever it wishes, usually in front of intruders. Once materialized, the undead spirit can remain in solid form until the sun rises. It can resume ghostform as a full-round action.

Might be worth adding the "special effects" before the materialization:

The Reaper — "the wind howls, lightning flashes, and the earth trembles."
The Maidens — "the wind suddenly dies and the night song of the insects takes on the sound of lyrical lutes."
The General — no special effect mentioned.
The Shadow — "a gust of wind blows up a flurry of dust."
The Paper Man — "If the papers or the quill pen are disturbed, they are snatched away by an invisible force and the ink flows from the dish forming words on a clean sheet of paper." (which become the Paper Warrior)
The Child — "a wail that sounds like a cross between a bawling child and a braying mule rends the air."
The Keeper — "When the door is opened, the chime rings, and any light dances off the faceted crystals."

Hmm… I've just realized I've got the Paper Warrior's materialization description wrong. Better edit it.

 

[freyar]

I'm good with Skills #3.

Ghostform is good, but let's make them helpless while resuming ghostform. That way they pay more of a price if they want to attempt it to escape.

 

[Cleon]

I'm good with Skills #3.

Fine by me!

Updating The Screaming Child Working Draft.

So feats next I guess.

Ghostform is good, but let's make them helpless while resuming ghostform. That way they pay more of a price if they want to attempt it to escape.

Updating The Reaper Working Draft.
Updating The Veiled Maidens Working Draft.
Updating The General Working Draft.
Updating The Shadow Warrior Working Draft.
Updating The Paper Warrior Working Draft.
Updating The Screaming Child Working Draft.

 

[Cleon]

Ghostform is good, but let's make them helpless while resuming ghostform. That way they pay more of a price if they want to attempt it to escape.

It's already a full-round action for them to revert, that's a pretty hefty price already. I don't fancy making them helpless. Do you really want the PCs "coup de gracing" a Seven Sword in such circumstances? I'd rather they be able to at least use their regular AC and other basic defenses at full capacity while fading out.

 

[Thirteenspades]

I was just wondering (I'm new to this site) where you have a pdf link of these updated monsters that I can download? Preferably one that will be updated?

 

[Cleon]

I was just wondering (I'm new to this site) where you have a pdf link of these updated monsters that I can download? Preferably one that will be updated?

Well there are PDFs of some of the older conversions plus HTML versions of nearly all of them in the zip file Creature Catalog (Download Version) hosted in Resources. The few recent/unfinished conversions that haven't been uploaded to that yet should have links in Creatures Awaiting Upload & Current Conversions (assuming I remember to add them!).

It does get updated periodically.