Converting Planescape monsters

[GrayLinnorm]

If they're mindless, shouldn't they be vermin, rather than magical beasts?

 

[freyar]

Hmm, with a butterfly-like body, Diminutive probably works.

You're right that the iron body should count for a high AC, but that won't do much for a Diminutive swarm. I agree with the immunities and resistances you list (maybe just resistance to fire so it's possible to kill these, don't know), but I'd like the iron to play in somehow.

 

[freyar]

If they're mindless, shouldn't they be vermin, rather than magical beasts?

Interesting question. Do magical beasts have to have Int?

 

[Shade]

Good question. I'll hunt and see if I can find one. The ankheg was my first guess, but they "cheated" and gave it Int 1.

However, in this case, vermin will probably work. None of the proposed abilities thus far are supernatural in origin.

 

[freyar]

Oddly enough, I guess that will work. I wonder why resistance is Ex and not Su? (Well, I guess some RL plants have fire resistance, sort of.) Are immunities also Ex? I can't find a listing in the SRD for that.

 

[Shade]

I'm guessing since it is fairly mundane.

Immunities are usually Ex. It makes sense; many real-world creatures are immune to various venoms, diseases, etc.

If we want the iron to factor in more, we could give it DR (which still can be Ex; some dinosaurs have it).

 

[freyar]

Good enough.

The problem with DR is the same as wth natural armor. As Diminutive swarms, they're already immune to weapon damage, right?

 

[Shade]

Indeed they are!

Perhaps we should increase them to Tiny after all? That way, it would only take half damage from slashing and piercing weapons.

 

[Cleon]

Indeed they are!

Perhaps we should increase them to Tiny after all? That way, it would only take half damage from slashing and piercing weapons.

I'd definitely make them Tiny. They're 1 foot long, just on the cusp of Diminutive/Tiny, but being "solid iron" should make them pretty massive for their, so I feel they should fall into the higher size category.

Magical Beast (Extraplanar) would be my preference, although they could be mindless Outsiders like the SRD's Lemure.

High NA and some DR seems to be in order.

EDIT: Oh, and can we stat up an individual batfly as well as a swarm.

 

[freyar]

Tiny, it is. Can we settle on type? I'm also in the magical beast camp, but I can see arguments for outsider or vermin due to being mindless.

If we do an individual, maybe we should make it a grown one, a bit bigger and more of an individual threat.