Converting Oriental Adventures creatures

[Cleon]

Might as well post a Working Draft for the killer beetles…

 

[Cleon]

Carnivorous Beetle Swarm
Tiny Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: d8+ ( hp)
Initiative: +–
Speed: ft. ( squares)
Armor Class: 1 (+– size, Dex, + natural), touch 1, flat-footed 1
Base Attack/Grapple: +/—
Attack: Swarm (#d#)
Full Attack: Swarm (#d#)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: half damage from slashing and piercing, swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +, Ref +, Will +
Abilities: Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
Skills: Skill
Feats: —
Environment: Any/Temperate/Cold/Warm aquatic/plains/deserts/forests//hills/marshes/mountains/tundra/underground/[A Plane]
e.g. Cold or temperate plains and forests
Organization: Solitary, (swarms), or (swarms)
Challenge Rating: #
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —

Description.

Background.

Combat
Tactics.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a beetle swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 1# Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Skills: .

(Originally appeared in OA2 Night of the Seven Swords (1986).

 

[freyar]

With the update, is the Keeper done?
Ready to deal with the beetles? (And did you post the original buggy stats somewhere already?)

 

[Cleon]

With the update, is the Keeper done?

Unless you can see anything wrong with it!

Updating The Keeper of the Key Working Draft.

Ready to deal with the beetles? (And did you post the original buggy stats somewhere already?)

Well "buggy" about says it since there are three encounters with swarming beetles in OA2 and they all had different stats!

I don't recall posting them and it'd be handy having the text near the conversion anyway, so I'll put the stats here.

First off, there's an entry on a random encounter table as follows:

Beetle swarm: This approaches from the rear at a speed of 60’ per round and trails the PCs for a whole turn. The swarm does 1 point of damage per round to each character in a 10’ radius. Each character attacking the swarm in melee inflicts 1-2 points of damage (AC 7); the swarm is dispersed after taking 15 points of damage. Fire or smoke disperses the swarm in 1 round.
​

Second, there's a nuisance encounter in the grounds of the castle:

12. Ornamental Garden
Anyone who steps off the path is swarmed by small beetles, which collectively bite for 1 point of damage per round. Removing the beetles by brushing, swatting, etc. takes 1-6 rounds after leaving the area, during which time they continue to inflict damage.
​

Third, the final encounter in the upper castle is 42. Keeper, which ends:

 The shrine bears red prayer cloths hanging on the walls, their lettering faded by the sunlight. Upon the marble altar is a small katana-shaped charm which fits into the medallion. The altar has a secret catch on either side that allows it to slide forward.
 With two people manipulating the secret catches on either side of the altar, it may be slid forward on the dais. Beneath is a four foot shallow pit. The pit is alive with a swarm of carnivorous beetles.
 Sliding back the block immediately cuts off the beetles. Otherwise, they swarm out, attacking characters in a 10’ radius for 1-4 points per round. The swarm is AC 7 and has 40 hit points: edged weapons do 1 point, blunt weapons/swatting do 1-4, fire damage is double normal.
 Suspended on two cross wires two feet from the base of the pit is a wire basket holding 8 pieces of tarnished jewelry valued at 800 taels.
 The base of the pit is a concealed trapdoor that leads to the Inner Path.
​

 

[freyar]

The main thing different is the damage range and hp. Maybe the swarm with the Keeper is really 2 or 3 swarms together. These are probably something like a weaker spider swarm without the poison.

 

[Cleon]

The main thing different is the damage range and hp. Maybe the swarm with the Keeper is really 2 or 3 swarms together. These are probably something like a weaker spider swarm without the poison.

We could do them as two swarms, a weaker "beetle swarm" based on the Random Encounter Table's 15 hit point version and a stronger "carnivorous beetle swarm" based on Encounter 42's 40 hit point version.

Similar to the approach we took for the Tales of the Infinite Staircase's worm swarms, which we converted as a CR 2 Carnivorous Worm Swarm plus a CR 4 Deadly Worm Swarm.

Either way, they'll be pretty simple mechanically.

 

[Cleon]

We could do them as two swarms, a weaker "beetle swarm" based on the Random Encounter Table's 15 hit point version and a stronger "carnivorous beetle swarm" based on Encounter 42's 40 hit point version.

Similar to the approach we took for the Tales of the Infinite Staircase's worm swarms, which we converted as a CR 2 Carnivorous Worm Swarm plus a CR 4 Deadly Worm Swarm.

Either way, they'll be pretty simple mechanically.

Come to think of it, if we do them as two separate swarms we can give the weaker one some kind of vulnerability to smoke and fire like the original monster had.

 

[freyar]

That sounds fair. Shall we do the weaker one first? What did you think about taking a spider swarm, adding a couple HD, and nerfing the damage/removing poison?

 

[Cleon]

That sounds fair. Shall we do the weaker one first? What did you think about taking a spider swarm, adding a couple HD, and nerfing the damage/removing poison?

Works for me.

Will post a couple of blank Working Drafts and then we can start arguing debating the details.

 

[Cleon]

Beetle Swarm
Size Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: d8+ ( hp)
Initiative: +–
Speed: ft. ( squares)
Armor Class: 1 (+– size, Dex, + natural), touch 1, flat-footed 1
Base Attack/Grapple: +/—
Attack: Swarm (d+)
Full Attack: Swarm (d+)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction (DC 1#), ???
Special Qualities: ???
Saves: Fort +, Ref +, Will +
Abilities: Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
Skills: Skill
Feats: Feat, Bonusᴮ
Environment: Any/Temperate/Cold/Warm aquatic/plains/deserts/forests//hills/marshes/mountains/tundra/underground/[A Plane]
e.g. Cold or temperate plains and forests
Organization: Solitary or ()
Challenge Rating: #
Treasure: None?
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —

Description.

Background.

Combat
Tactics.

Ability (Ex/Su/Sp/Ps): .


Skills: .

Originally from OA2 - Night of the Seven Swords (1986)