Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters

[Cleon]

Fair point. I agree that the net is an additional SA requiring a second bielgorad within reach I guess, who presumably needs to expend some kind of action to hold the net open. Maybe a readied action or an immediate action.

So we're adding Crook (Ex) and Immobilizing Net (Ex and Su) special attacks?

 

[freyar]

Yes.

I think the crook should borrow text from trip weapons (ie, flails or dire flails) as well as the Improved Grab SA. But can it do damage or just grapple?

 

[Cleon]

Yes.

I think the crook should borrow text from trip weapons (ie, flails or dire flails) as well as the Improved Grab SA. But can it do damage or just grapple?

The statblock has "2 fists or 1 weapon" as its Attacks, and the weapon does 1d10+5 (+3 from its Strength, +2 from magic).

Bielgorad "wield +2 magical weapons" and "these oversized weapons include a crook" so I'm presuming that it's a polearm with some kind of hooked mancatcher attached to it. Maybe it's got a blade end for normal polearm attacks and a crook end to snag opponents?

We could have it not do any damage when used to entrap opponents, or we could have do nonlethal damage.

In any case, I was thinking the Bielgorad would have to deliberately choose to try to capture a target with the crook. I don't think snagging a humanoid's target neck isn't something that happens automatically whenever the Shepherd wacks a human sized opponent with its polearm.

 

[freyar]

The statblock has "2 fists or 1 weapon" as its Attacks, and the weapon does 1d10+5 (+3 from its Strength, +2 from magic).

Bielgorad "wield +2 magical weapons" and "these oversized weapons include a crook" so I'm presuming that it's a polearm with some kind of hooked mancatcher attached to it. Maybe it's got a blade end for normal polearm attacks and a crook end to snag opponents?

I can agree to that. And the blade can be 1d10 damage.

We could have it not do any damage when used to entrap opponents, or we could have do nonlethal damage.

Since the crook is basically a grapple, it could do nonlethal damage when holding after the initial grapple (like the normal grapple rules).

In any case, I was thinking the Bielgorad would have to deliberately choose to try to capture a target with the crook. I don't think snagging a humanoid's target neck isn't something that happens automatically whenever the Shepherd wacks a human sized opponent with its polearm.

That would be similar to a trip weapon, I believe (you can attack normally or make a trip attempt with a flail, for example). So I'd support that.

 

[Cleon]

I can agree to that. And the blade can be 1d10 damage.


Since the crook is basically a grapple, it could do nonlethal damage when holding after the initial grapple (like the normal grapple rules).


That would be similar to a trip weapon, I believe (you can attack normally or make a trip attempt with a flail, for example). So I'd support that.

Hmm… If the bielgorad snags an opponent's leg with the hook instead of their neck wouldn't that trip them up?

How's this for a writeup:

Crook (Ex): A bielgorad's shepherd's crook is a melee weapon that is a Large +2 one-handed magical weapon when wielded by a bielgorad. In the hands of any other creature, it functions as a Medium masterwork halberd that only does normal damage against charging opponents when set against a charge.

The crook has a ×3 critical multiplier and is equipped with a complex blade that does 1d10 piercing or slashing damage. It has a large hook that can be used to make trip attacks or strike for 1d10 nonlethal bludgeoning damage with a –4 penalty on your attack roll. If the crook's wielder is tripped during a trip attempt, they can drop the crook to avoid being tripped. When striking with the hook, a bielgorad can choose to do nonlethal or lethal damage without penalty as if the bielgorad was making unarmed attacks with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat.

A bielgorad can use the hook of a shepherd's crook to make grapple attacks against creatures of a smaller size category than itself. When grappling with the hook, a bielgorad is treated as if it had the Improved Grapple feat: it does not provoke an attack of opportunity to make a touch attack to start a grapple and gains a +4 bonus on all grapple checks. If the bielgorad chooses the "Damage Your Opponent" option while grappling with a crook it inflicts the hook's 1d10 bludgeoning damage instead of the bielgorad's normal unarmed strike damage.

In addition, whenever a bielgorad pins an opponent with its crook or makes a successful grapple check against an opponent already pinned, the opponent must succeed at a DC 14 Will saving throw or be stunned? for 1 minute? or until the opponent is released from the hook's grapple. An opponent stunned by a bielgorad's shepherd's crook is still able to attempt "Escape from Grapple" opposed grapple checks but is unable to take any other action. The save DC is Charisma-based.
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Thought about making the pinned opponent paralyzed, but a paralyzed opponent can still cast spells if they're mental only which wouldn't match with the description's "While entrapped, a victim cannot cast magic or fight."