Converting Oriental Adventures creatures

[Cleon]

I like the 12th level paladin/ranger spell progression with a unique spell list. I guess we could say that the Keeper always prepares the same spells every day, so we don't need to write out the full spell list. How's that?

Works for me.

 

[Cleon]

Let's see, how about…

Spells: The Keeper of the Keys has the spellcasting ability of a 12th level paladin, but selects spells as if it were an evil cleric, including an evil cleric's spontaneous casting ability to convert prepared spells into inflict spells. Its caster level is 6th.

Typical Cleric Spells Prepared (2/2/1; save DC 12 + spell level):
1st—bane, shield of faith;
2nd—darkness, hold person;
3rd—blindness.
​

I believe those are the closest SRD equivalents to the original's cleric spells.

 

[freyar]

That looks good enough to me!

Starting to think about feats, I'd go with Imp Disarm for the last monk bonus feat, especially since the original mentions that the chimes can act like a flail. Just a quick question: is blind fight as a bonus feat due to the "blind fighting" maneuver mentioned in the original monster text?

 

[Cleon]

That looks good enough to me!

Updating The Keeper of the Key Working Draft.

Starting to think about feats, I'd go with Imp Disarm for the last monk bonus feat, especially since the original mentions that the chimes can act like a flail.

Works for me!

Just a quick question: is blind fight as a bonus feat due to the "blind fighting" maneuver mentioned in the original monster text?

You would be correct.

So shall we sort out the fighter bonus feats first. Weapon Specialization seems a no-brainer, and that'll require Weapon Focus.

Will we be giving it specialization with both its crystal chimes and unarmed strike? I'd say just the chimes, if only to free up two feats.

Let's see, what else is there…

Fighter bonus feats include:

Blind-Fight
Combat Expertise
Improved Disarm
Improved Feint
Improved Trip
Whirlwind Attack
Combat Reflexes
Dodge
Mobility
Spring Attack
Exotic Weapon Proficiency
Improved Critical

Improved Initiative
Improved Shield Bash
Improved Unarmed Strike
Deflect Arrows
Improved Grapple
Snatch Arrows
Stunning Fist
Mounted Combat
Mounted Archery
Ride-By Attack
Spirited Charge
Trample

Point Blank Shot
Far Shot
Precise Shot
Rapid Shot
Manyshot
Shot On The Run
Improved Precise Shot
Power Attack
Cleave
Great Cleave
Improved Bull Rush
Improved Overrun
Improved Sunder

Quick Draw
Rapid Reload
Two-Weapon Fighting
Two-Weapon Defense
Improved Two-Weapon Fighting
Greater Two-Weapon Fighting
Weapon Finesse
Weapon Focus
Weapon Specialization
Greater Weapon Focus
Greater Weapon Specialization

Can't have Combat Expertise as Mr Warrior doesn't have Intelligence 13+.

Deflect Arrows would be useful if its Martial Parry fails to stop a missile. Snatch Arrows is thematically cool but doesn't really add much.

Improved Critical and Improved Initiative are always handy, as is Point Blank Shot and Power Attack and its derivatives Cleave and Great Cleave.

The only other feat I think would get a lot of use is Greater Weapon Focus.

Let's say:

Fighter Feats: Greater Weapon Focus (chimes), Improved Critical (chimes), Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus (chimes), Weapon Specialization (chimes)
​

Hardly interesting, but the Paper Warrior is already overburdened with combat options.

If we decide we can't do without Cleave or whatever we can always use on of the five regular feats.

 

[freyar]

Yeah, that list is fine for the fighter bonus feats.

For other feats: I could kind of see Rapid Shot on top of the flurry of blows. :demon: How about also Great Fortitude and some skill boosters?

 

[Cleon]

Yeah, that list is fine for the fighter bonus feats.

Will add those with the next update.

For other feats: I could kind of see Rapid Shot on top of the flurry of blows. :demon: How about also Great Fortitude and some skill boosters?

Hmm…

Rapid Shot I like.

Don't see much use for Great Fortitude.

It already has a good Fortitude save from Martial Resilience and undead are immune to a lot of Fortitude save abilities.

For skills, I don't think feats would give a decent cost-reward ratio.

For "booster feats" I would think Improved Initiative would be better as a +4 on Initiative is more valuable than a +2 on a couple of skills.

Combat Reflexes is obviously useful, as it's likely to be in a many-on-one combat and it can also use the extra Attacks of Opportunity with Martial Parry.

Let's see…

We could go for Power Attack and Cleave like you suggested earlier, if you think we can spare the feats. The next feat on the Point Blank Shot queue is Manyshot, but I don't think that'll be much use.

There are a few martial-compatible general feats from the Psionic SRD, namely Reckless Offense and Stand Still, while the Divine Abilities SRD offers Power Critical and Hold The Line (if we give it Combat Reflexes).

We could maybe give it a spell-related feat such as Combat Casting, Spell Focus or Spell Penetration? The Keeper has one Necromancy spell with a save (blindness/deafness) and two Enchantment spells (bane, hold person). Would adding +1 to the DC of those be worth a feat?

Failing that, we could boost its unarmed strike ability with Improved Critical, Improved Natural Attack, Weapon Focus or Weapon Specialization. I'm not keen on the Improved NA option as, while legal by RAW it feels really cheesy plus making it 2d8 unarmed strike damage would render the chimes somewhat superfluous.

So how about the following for a start:

Feats: Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, 3rd Feat, 4th Feat, 5th Feat
[possibilities: Cleave, Power Attack, Reckless Offense, Spell Focus (enchantment or necromancy?), Spell Penetration]​

 

[freyar]

We both liked Rapid Shot, so we just need two more. I like Stand Still (since Combat Reflexes is a monk bonus feat already). And let's just go with Power Critical. Reckless Offense would be fun but somehow seems out of character. Sound ok to you?

 

[Cleon]

Updating The Keeper of the Key Working Draft with the fighter feats.

We both liked Rapid Shot, so we just need two more. I like Stand Still (since Combat Reflexes is a monk bonus feat already). And let's just go with Power Critical. Reckless Offense would be fun but somehow seems out of character. Sound ok to you?

So you're proposing Improved Initiative, Power Critical (chimes), Rapid Shot, Stand Still and dropping Reckless Offense as an option?

That's four feats, so we still need a fifth.

I'd lean towards a spell-enhancing feat like Spell Focus in, say, Necromancy so the blindness/deafness become DC 16. If we go for that, we could maybe swap the bane for doom so it gets a +1 to the DC, or give it death knell instead of one of the current 2nd-level spells.

 

[freyar]

Sure, let's do Spell Focus (necromancy) and both replace bane with doom and darkness with death knell. Work for you?

For skills, what about Spot and Listen, then split the remaining 30 points over the four skills with the Acrobatics bonus?

 

[Cleon]

Sure, let's do Spell Focus (necromancy) and both replace bane with doom and darkness with death knell. Work for you?

I think the current 2nd-level spells of darkness and hold person have far more utility than death knell so I'd leave them as-is, but change the bane to doom.

For skills, what about Spot and Listen, then split the remaining 30 points over the four skills with the Acrobatics bonus?

With a +15 bonus from Acrobatics we don't need that many ranks for respectable modifiers in those skills.

I'd rather give it some functional ability in Concentration and maybe some leftover levels in Knowledge (religion)?

So perhaps:

Concentration - 15 ranks
Listen - 15 ranks
Spot - 15 ranks
Balance and Jump - 1 rank
Climb - 2 ranks
Tumble - 5 ranks for the synergy bonus to Balance & Jump
Knowledge (religion) - 6 ranks​