Converting Planescape monsters

[Cleon]

Probably faster if you get a chance --- I'm busy again at the moment. On the other hand, if I catch up with all the threads, I'll tackle it.

Here goes nothing...

Globes (Ex): Once per round, a lightning quasi-elemental can generate a small globe of electricity as a free action. These globes randomly follow the lightning quasi-elemental around wherever it goes.

If a grounded object or a metallic object comes within the lightning quasi-elemental's Reach, its globes automatically make a single touch attack against this target as a free action. This touch attack has an attack bonus equal to the quasi-elemental's slam attack, plus a circumstance bonus equal to the total number of globes deployed. If the globes' attack hits, one of the globes discharges itself into the target and vanishes, inflicting damage equal to the lightning quasi-elemental's Electricity special attack. The globes can attack multiple targets in the same round, but an individual target can only be attacked once in any given round. As the saying goes, "lightning never strikes the same place twice".

A globe discharges itself harmlessly if it has not struck a target within 10 minutes of being generated. The lightning quasi-elemental can also re-absorb any number of its globes as a free action. A lightning quasi-elemental can produce a maximum number of globe discharges per day equal to its Hit Dice. Re-absorbed globes have not been discharged, so do not count against this limit.

 

[freyar]

Pretty good. Is there more of a way to clarify that "harmless discharges" do count against the limit? Maybe change the last sentence to "Re-absorbed globes have not been discharged, so they do not count against this limit, but globes that discharge without striking a target do."

 

[Cleon]

Pretty good. Is there more of a way to clarify that "harmless discharges" do count against the limit? Maybe change the last sentence to "Re-absorbed globes have not been discharged, so they do not count against this limit, but globes that discharge without striking a target do."

That works for me, shall I update the Lightning Quasi-Elemental Working Draft.

 

[freyar]

Yes, please.

Water Vulnerability next, I guess. There aren't many SRD spells with the Water descriptor, so this needs some work. On the other hand, there are some spells like ice storm that have a heavy water component. Should we just list examples and say that the DM can adjudicate other ones?

 

[Cleon]

Yes, please.

Updating the Lightning Quasi-Elemental Working Draft.

Water Vulnerability next, I guess. There aren't many SRD spells with the Water descriptor, so this needs some work. On the other hand, there are some spells like ice storm that have a heavy water component. Should we just list examples and say that the DM can adjudicate other ones?

Hasn't the Salt Quasi-Elemental got Water Vulnerability? We could adapt that...

 

[Cleon]

Hasn't the Salt Quasi-Elemental got Water Vulnerability? We could adapt that...

Yup, here it is...

Susceptibility to Water (Ex): A salt quasi-elemental takes half again as much damage (+50%) when injured by a water-based attack. In addition, if a salt quasi-elemental enters a body of water its own size or larger, it must succeed at a DC 20 Constitution check at the end of each round it is immersed or it explodes, dying in a burst of salt shards. See Death Throes for the effects of this explosion.

 

[freyar]

Good memory! We can just cut the Death Throes bit. Do you want to keep the "drowning" part or not?

Susceptibility to Water (Ex): A lightning quasi-elemental takes half again as much damage (+50%) when injured by a water-based attack. In addition, if a lightning quasi-elemental enters a body of water its own size or larger, it must succeed at a DC 20 Constitution check at the end of each round it is immersed or it dies instantly.

 

[Cleon]

Good memory! We can just cut the Death Throes bit. Do you want to keep the "drowning" part or not?

Susceptibility to Water (Ex): A lightning quasi-elemental takes half again as much damage (+50%) when injured by a water-based attack. In addition, if a lightning quasi-elemental enters a body of water its own size or larger, it must succeed at a DC 20 Constitution check at the end of each round it is immersed or it dies instantly.

Hmm... on one immersing oneself in water when you're made of electricity can't be good for you, on the other hand there's no mention of them having that vulnerability.

Maybe water has no deleterious effect. It might actually strengthen them, like the way a 1E AD&D lightning bolt worked better underwater?

 

[freyar]

It's pretty clear in the original that exposure to water is damaging; it even says it takes so much damage per gallon of water that hits it, etc. I don't really mind one way or the other about whether immersion kills them, but it certainly shouldn't help them!

 

[Cleon]

It's pretty clear in the original that exposure to water is damaging; it even says it takes so much damage per gallon of water that hits it, etc. I don't really mind one way or the other about whether immersion kills them, but it certainly shouldn't help them!

That's what I get for forgetting to check the entry before posting!

Hmm...

It probably makes more sense to have them take hit points damage from water, rather than making it an all-on-nothing "save or die".

I vaguely recall us having something similar with another of our monster conversions, but I can't recall which one - there are too many of the dang things!