Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters

[Shade]

I'll settle for hazard at this point, because I don't think we'll ever agree on the size and mechanics.

 

[Cleon]

I'll settle for hazard at this point, because I don't think we'll ever agree on the size and mechanics.

I feel your pain.

Perhaps we should each stat up our own version, and just post them all.

 

[freyar]

How about we start them at Medium and take a fresh look at the strangling vines?

 

[Cleon]

How about we start them at Medium and take a fresh look at the strangling vines?

I'm game. What do you suggest?

 

[Shade]

Ditto here.

 

[freyar]

We currently have:

Strangling Vines (Ex): Any creature that enters the space of a strangle vine must succeed at a DC10 Reflex save or be seized by its vines. If they succeed, they must check again every round they remain within the plant's space.

Seized creatures are entangled, cannot move out of the space they where standing in when the vines seized them, and take 1d4 damage (plus Strength bonus, if any) per round from being "strangled". Any creature in a strangle vine's grasp cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components, because the vines wrap round their head and neck and try forcing themselves down their victim's throat.

A seized creature can escape by succeeding at a DC14 Strength check or a DC14 Escape Artist check. They can also break free by killing the strangle vine or cutting the vines that hold them; the vines are AC13 and have 4 hit points (8 hp for Medium strangle vines, 12 hp for Large, 18 hp for Huge, 24 hp for Gargantuan and 30 hp for Colossal). Severing the vines does half the vines' hit points in damage to the main plant. The DCs are Strength-based and include a +4 racial bonus on the Strength and Escape Artist checks.

I think the biggest thing that doesn't sit doesn't feel right to me is the changing hp for the vines. If the point is that you are wrapped up by multiple vines, shouldn't you just get tangled again as you try to cut out? Or maybe even burst out with a Str check?

 

[Shade]

Yeah, that seems to be the biggest issue for me. If the thing is Small, then it is essentially the whole plant as far as I'm concerned, and cutting the "vines" is cutting the whole plant.

If it were Large, it would make much, much more sense as written.

 

[Cleon]

I think the biggest thing that doesn't sit doesn't feel right to me is the changing hp for the vines. If the point is that you are wrapped up by multiple vines, shouldn't you just get tangled again as you try to cut out? Or maybe even burst out with a Str check?

Well if we followed the original version the vines hit points represent all the vines in a square, so once you cut a creature free the strangler vine can't attack them in that square.

While that seems OK for a hazard, it doesn't feel quite right for a creature.

My rationale for having larger patches have more hp was that they'd have more and longer vines to hold a victim, an argument I think still holds water.

However, I agree that it should just add new vines while a victim is trying to cut themselves free, so how about we say the damage has to be done in one round, so it doesn't have time to add more tendrils?

How about the following:

Strangling Vines (Ex): Any creature that enters the space of a strangle vine must succeed at a DC10 Reflex save or be seized by its vines. If they succeed, they must check again every round they remain within the plant's space.

Seized creatures are entangled, cannot move out of the space they where standing in when the vines seized them, and take 1d4 damage (plus Strength bonus, if any) per round from being "strangled". Any creature in a strangle vine's grasp cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components, because the vines wrap round their head and neck and try forcing themselves down their victim's throat.

A seized creature can escape by succeeding at a DC14 Strength check or a DC14 Escape Artist check. They can also break free by killing the strangle vine or cutting the vines that hold them; an opponent must do at least 4 points of damage to the AC 13 vines in a single round to free a seized creature (8 hp for Large strangle vines, 12 hp for Huge, 16 hp for Gargantuan and 20 hp for Colossal). The damage must be done over a single round because the strangle vine will wraps fresh tendrils around the seized victim the next round to replace any that have been severed or crushed. Damage done to the vines is subtracted from the hit points of the entire plant. The DCs are Strength-based and include a +4 racial bonus on the Strength and Escape Artist checks.

 

[freyar]

Hmm, I still think that a bigger strangle vine won't be more dense, just take up more squares. So this is ok with me if we just drop the "advancement rules" for the vine hp. (And leaving it out leaves room for DM interpretation. )

 

[Shade]

I'm with ya, freyar.