Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters

[freyar]

The problem is that's a very non-3e mechanic, especially the 10% of hp version. Can you think of any spell or effect in 3.X that works like this?

 

[Cleon]

The problem is that's a very non-3e mechanic, especially the 10% of hp version. Can you think of any spell or effect in 3.X that works like this?

Not really, there are a few items/powers/effect that kill a target in a set time (i.e. 1 round, 2 rounds) but most do X damage per Y period until the target dies.

However, I don't consider that prevents us honouring the original's "ten rounds to fatality" progression.

 

[freyar]

I'd prefer to maintain the spirit of it while converting it to the 3e ethos.

How about a compromise? Each victim that stays in range for all 10 rounds dies (or can save to instead take xdX damage?). Any creature that leaves the range instead takes ydY damage for each round it was exposed, but only at the end of the 10th round. If the caprine doesn't finish playing, the second option applies to all victims.

 

[Cleon]

I'd prefer to maintain the spirit of it while converting it to the 3e ethos.

How about a compromise? Each victim that stays in range for all 10 rounds dies (or can save to instead take xdX damage?). Any creature that leaves the range instead takes ydY damage for each round it was exposed, but only at the end of the 10th round. If the caprine doesn't finish playing, the second option applies to all victims.

Hmm, so it only inflicts damage at the end of a minute's playing?

But how often does a 3E combat lasts 10 rounds. It seems more likely the caprine will get kakked before they ever finish playing the tune.

I'd rather it do ongoing damage each round. If you insist on it not being one-tenth of the target's hit points like the original mechanism I'd prefer it doing a fixed or random amount per round and then save-or-die at the end of the 10th round if the target survives.

Never mind, easily fixed.

…once I remember to fix it!

 

[Cleon]

Hmm, so it only inflicts damage at the end of a minute's playing?

But how often does a 3E combat lasts 10 rounds. It seems more likely the caprine will get kakked before they ever finish playing the tune.

I'd rather it do ongoing damage each round. If you insist on it not being one-tenth of the target's hit points like the original mechanism I'd prefer it doing a fixed or random amount per round and then save-or-die at the end of the 10th round if the target survives.

How about it does #d# damage per round but cannot reduce the target below the 0 hit point "dying" level. Then on the end of round 10, targets at 0 hp automatically die but targets with some hit points remaining get a saving throw to avoid death?

 

[freyar]

How about it does #d# damage per round but cannot reduce the target below the 0 hit point "dying" level. Then on the end of round 10, targets at 0 hp automatically die but targets with some hit points remaining get a saving throw to avoid death?

I like that! What do you think for the xdx damage? To have enough resonance notes to use the ability, a caprine would need 18 HD (if I recall the max notes rule correctly), so how about 2d8 per round? That would give it a reasonable chance of killing another caprine of the same level, just as a reference point.

Want to do something funny like give a target a saving throw bonus based on hp remaining or something?

 

[Cleon]

I like that! What do you think for the xdx damage? To have enough resonance notes to use the ability, a caprine would need 18 HD (if I recall the max notes rule correctly), so how about 2d8 per round? That would give it a reasonable chance of killing another caprine of the same level, just as a reference point.

So 90 damage over the entire minute? A caprine of that level with the basic Con 12 would have 18d8+18 Hit Dice for 99 hit points, bur would likely have a better Constitution than that, for another 18 hp per point of Con bonus. It could also receive healing during the 10 rounds. I'd think it'd have fair odds of being at positive HP and making its saving throw when the time comes.

Let's see, the Resonance Working Draft caps Resonance at five times HD plus ability score (CHA or CON), which is…

Hold on, ability score? Should that be ability bonus? One interpretation of that would suggest a very ordinary 8th level caprine would be able to use Sound of Death: 5 × (HD 8 + Cha 13) = 5 × 21 = 105 max resonance. That's assuming the caprine doesn't use its ability advancements on its resonance stats.

Or did we mean ability score plus quintuple HD, which, as you figure above, would require around 18 HD to use Sound of Death: Cha 13 + (5 × HD 18) = 13 + 90 = 103 max resonance.

Perhaps we should rephrase that to be clearer?

How about "The maximum number of resonance notes a caprine can sustain at any one time is equal to its Charisma or Constitution score (whichever is higher), plus 5 notes for each of the caprine's Hit Dice."?

I think we discussed using a formula based on Hit Dice multipled by the number based on the caprine's ability modifier, but decided that would make the influence of the Hit Dice too heavy, since the caprine adds its Cha or Con modifier for every HD. I guess one could express that using "The maximum number of resonance notes a caprine can sustain at any one time is equal to its Hit Dice multiplied by (5 plus its Charisma or Constitution modifier, whichever is higher, minimum multiple is 1)."

For example, with the HD × (5 + ability modifier) formula a sound of death is achievable by a Charisma 13 caprine with 17 Hit Dice: 17 × (5 + 1) = 17 × 6 = 102 max resonance, but a caprine with Charisma 20 only needs 11 Hit Dice: 11 × (5+5) = 11 × 10 = 110 max resonance.

For contrast, a 12 HD Charisma 20 caprine would have an 80 notes max resonance with the "abilityscore+(5×HD) formula" and a 120 notes max resonance with "HD×(5+abilitymod)".

Want to do something funny like give a target a saving throw bonus based on hp remaining or something?

That might give a creature with piles of hit points a large advantage, especially considering such creatures would have good Fortitude saves in the first place.

A more serious restriction is that, as written, the targets must remain within 40 feet of the caprine for the entire 10 round music session to risk death from the sound.

That seems unlikely. So I'm thinking maybe a target must be within 40 feet to start the deadly resonance, but after that it merely needs to be within earshot of the caprine for the deadly resonances to continue. Maybe a 300 ft. spread like the Captivating Song of a Harpy?

Sound of Death #3: A caprine with a resonance score of 101 or more can play a terrible cacophany on a musical instrument that lasts 10 rounds. This heart-wrenching sound starts harmful vibrations in any living creature who hears the tune and is within 40 feet of the caprine when it starts to play. The caprine can tune sound of death so it affects or spares particular creatures, specifying what individuals, races or species the sound harms or does not harm. At the end of each round, the caprine takes 1d8 [?] hit points of damage, and all creatures affected by the sound's initial vibrations that are within earshot of the tune (a 300 ft. spread) take #d# damage [?]. However, this damage cannot reduce the affected creature below 0 hit points. At the end of the final tenth round, all creatures affected by sound of death (apart from the caprine) will automatically die (no save) if they are at 0 or negative hit points, or die if they fail a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 plus half the caprine's HD plus its Charisma modifier) if they have positive hit points.​

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If the caprine is forced to stop playing the sound of death before the tune finished on the 10th round, the caprine takes 1d3 Constitution drain damage with no saving throw.​

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[Bardic countersong?]​

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Sound of Death is a sonic death effect.​

What action does the caprine need to use to continue playing the sound? If it's a standard action, that's a crippling problem for high-level combat, so I'm thinking maybe we should make it a swift or free action to continue the tune once it's begun (which'd presumably require a standard action).

Plus there's the "what can the Bard do" question.

 

[Cleon]

Also, should we rename the resonance power Summon Fairy Folk to Summon Sylvan Folk since we allow it to summon Sylvan creatures that aren't Fey?

 

[freyar]

On the last question, "Sylvan" works for me.

I like "The maximum number of resonance notes a caprine can sustain at any one time is equal to its Charisma or Constitution score (whichever is higher), plus 5 notes for each of the caprine's Hit Dice."

And I can go with Sound of Death #3. Are you ok with 1d8 hp damage to the caprine and 2d8 to victims per round? The example of killing another caprine was just a rough estimate, and I still think there's enough of a chance. I don't think it necessarily needs to be able to kill another 18HD critter that easily.

 

[Cleon]

On the last question, "Sylvan" works for me.

Agreed.

I like "The maximum number of resonance notes a caprine can sustain at any one time is equal to its Charisma or Constitution score (whichever is higher), plus 5 notes for each of the caprine's Hit Dice."

Updated the Resonance Working Draft.

And I can go with Sound of Death #3. Are you ok with 1d8 hp damage to the caprine and 2d8 to victims per round? The example of killing another caprine was just a rough estimate, and I still think there's enough of a chance. I don't think it necessarily needs to be able to kill another 18HD critter that easily.

Yeah, I can go along with that.

We still need to state what action the Caprine needs to spend to start and sustain the tune.

I'm thinking it'd be a standard action to start a tune, but either a swift action or free action to continue playing.

If it had to do a standard action every round for 10 rounds that makes it VERY costly. There's a lot of other things an 18 HD creature could probably do over a minute that'd cause more than 2d8 damage to its opponents.

Besides, the way 3E combats go, a caprine would have to be very lucky to keep its tune going for 10 rounds without being interrupted.

Speaking of interruptions, what would do that? Is it like a spell that requires Concentration, or does the caprine merely have to remain conscious and capable of holding its musical instrument to continue making the deadly sound?