Converting Planescape monsters

[Shade]

Let's add the piercing quills to the tail attack. Frankly, I also fancy letting them attack with quills at melee, too, like the howler.

Agreed!

Its Inexorable Gnawing should choose one option from "victims opponents".

Good point.

We need to give it the Dire Beast SQ to explain the good Will save.

Better yet, let's just fix the Will save as appropriate for magical beasts.

I see no need for these to have good Will saves.

I'm tempted to remove the separate "Quills" attack from the melee line and incorporate it into its tail slap, e.g::

Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+2) or tail +5 melee (1d6+3 plus quills) or 4 quills +5 ranged (1d3)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+2) and tail +0 melee (1d6+3 plus quills) or 4 quills +5 ranged (1d3)

Quills (Ex): Melee combat with a quill is dangerous. An opponent who attacks a quill with a melee weapon that does not have reach must succeed on a DC 16 Reflex save or be struck by 1d4 quills. Each quill does 1d3 point of piercing damage (plus half the quill's Strength bonus, if any) and lodges in the opponent's flesh, imposing a -1 circumstance penalty to attacks, saves, and checks per quill (maximum -4 penalty). Removing a quill inflicts 1d3 point of additional damage to the victim unless a DC 15 Heal check is made.

Furthermore, any opponent a quill hits with its tail attack will also be struck by its quills, with damage as above. If the opponent succeeds on the DC 16 Reflex save, it takes half damage and the quills do not lodge in its flesh. The save DCs are Constitution-based.

That'll do.

 

[freyar]

Cleon's quill text is probably sufficient, but I still wouldn't mind the separate quill attack....

 

[Cleon]

Cleon's quill text is probably sufficient, but I still wouldn't mind the separate quill attack....

Would that mean it has three attacks when full attacking - a bite, a tail and its quills - or a choice between bite + quills or tail-slap?

Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+2) or tail +5 melee (1d6+3 plus quills) or quills +5 melee (special) or 4 quills +5 ranged (1d3)

Full Attack #1: Bite +5 melee (1d6+2) and tail +0 melee (1d6+3 plus quills) or 4 quills +5 ranged (1d3)
Full Attack #2: Bite +5 melee (1d6+2) and tail +0 melee (1d6+3 plus quills) and quills +0 melee (special) or 4 quills +5 ranged (1d3)
Full Attack #3: Bite +5 melee (1d6+2) and quills +0 melee (special), or tail +5 melee (1d6+3 plus quills), or 4 quills +5 ranged (1d3)

Hmm, I prefer options #1 or #3. Giving it two lots of quills in a full attack seems excessive.

 

[freyar]

I had meant #2, following the howler, but the damage would be given by dice.

But we can leave it off entirely (#1) if you prefer.

 

[Cleon]

I had meant #2, following the howler, but the damage would be given by dice.

But we can leave it off entirely (#1) if you prefer.

I don't mind #2 if you and Shade prefer it. Does the quills attack have a Reflex save for half damage like the tail's bonus quills do?

Something like this?:

Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+2) or tail +5 melee (1d6+3 plus quills) or 1d4 quills +5 melee (1d3) or 4 quills +5 ranged (1d3)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+2) and tail +0 melee (1d6+3 plus quills) and 1d4 quills +0 melee (1d3) or 4 quills +5 ranged (1d3)

Quills (Ex): Melee combat with a quill is dangerous. An opponent who attacks a quill with a melee weapon that does not have reach must succeed on a DC 16 Reflex save or be struck by 1d4 quills. Any opponent a quill hits with its tail attack must also succeed at a DC 16 Reflex save or be be struck by 1d4 quills.

Each quill does 1d3 point of piercing damage (plus half the quill's Strength bonus, if any) and lodges in the opponent's flesh, imposing a -1 circumstance penalty to attacks, saves, and checks per quill (maximum -4 penalty). Removing a quill inflicts 1d3 point of additional damage to the victim unless a DC 15 Heal check is made.

Furthermore, a quill can also attack an opponent with 1d4 quills as a standard or secondary attack inflicting damage and additional effects as above, with no Reflex save to avoid the attack.

The save DCs are Constitution-based.

 

[Cleon]

You know, I'm tempted to give it Multiattack and Point Blank Shot to make it a more effective combatant.

It does have to defend itself against Outer Plane predators, after all!

 

[freyar]

Those attacks look about right to me. Judging from the howler, yes, the quill melee attack has the same Ref save as the tail.

Agreed to Multiattack and PBS.

 

[Shade]

Agreed! Updated.

CR?

 

[freyar]

The full attack seems like quite a bit. CR 3 maybe even?

 

[Shade]

The full attack seems like quite a bit. CR 3 maybe even?

Yeah, maybe. It's pretty damn dangerous.