Converting Planescape monsters

[freyar]

All good points. Let's plug the easy stuff into homebrews and then work on the song.

 

[Cleon]

All good points. Let's plug the easy stuff into homebrews and then work on the song.

Since Shade seems to be busy at the moment, we might as well begin a Working Draft with the rough outline we've got so far...

 

[Cleon]

Delphon Working Draft

Delphon (Songshark)
Large Magical Beast (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 5d10+5 (32 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: Swim 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+11
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d8+3) or slam +7 melee (1d6+2) or tail-slap +7 melee (1d10+2)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d8+3); or slam +7 melee (1d6+2) and tail-slap +2 melee (1d10+1)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Song
Special Qualities: Blindsense, keen scent, oceanus jaunt
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16
Skills: Diplomacy +5, Knowledge (the planes) +15*, Listen +12, Perform (sing) +15, Spot +10, Swim +10, Tumble +6
Feats: Improved Initiative, Open-Minded
Environment: Oceanus
Organization: Solitary, chorus (2-5), or clan (5-8)
Challenge Rating: 4
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Large); 11-15 (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —

A sleek, silvery fish resembling a shark with long, powerful fins. Its body is adorned with intricate patterns, which appear to be tattoos scarified into its hide. A wide mouth is filled with sharp teeth.

Delphons, or "Songsharks" are extraplanar creatures that live in the river Oceanus. They are renowned for their beautiful, oddly discordant singing. This alien music confound the wits of many who hear it, but some creatures who succumb to the delphon's song learn some secret of the multiverse.

Delphons know many of the secrets of the River Oceanus and its multiplanar, multidimensional nature. They discuss these secrets with each other in their song. They are able to swim to any plane the river Oceanus touches, and can carry other creatures with them as they do so.

Songsharks are highly gregarious, intelligent creatures who live in tight-knit clans. Egalitarian creatures, they have neither leaders or inferiors, settling all their decisions and disputes via singing debates.

Delphons are carnivores, but prefer fish. They only attack humanoids out of self-defense or starvation. A few exceptional non-delphons have learned to understand enough of their song to form partnerships with them.

The majority of delphons have bodies like polished silver, but a few have scales or fins of different color - brilliant red, deep blue, or vibrant green. Delphons often carve beautiful tattoos into their skin by rubbing themselves against rocks.

A typical delphon is 8 feet long and weighs 500 pounds.

Delphons speak, or rather sing, their own language. A delphon that partners with another creature could learn other languages (they prefer Aquan and Draconic).

COMBAT
Delphons seldom attack intelligent creatures unless they are desperate with hunger. They try to bewilder opponents with their song first, then close and concentrate their attacks on whichever enemies are worse affected by their singing. A threatened or injured delphon will use its oceanic jaunt ability to flee to an adjacent plane of existence.

Blindsense (Ex) : A delphon can locate creatures underwater within a 30-foot radius. This ability works only when the delphon is underwater.

Keen Scent (Ex) : A delphon can notice creatures by scent in a 180-foot radius and detect blood in the water at ranges of up to a mile.

Oceanus Jaunt (Su): A delphon moves freely through Oceanus and the planes it touches. A delphon can shift from Oceanus to any adjoining plane as part of any move action, and shift back again as a free action; this ability is otherwise identical with the ethereal jaunt spell (caster level 15). In addition, a delphon can teleport at will between points within Oceanus, allowing it to use dimension door as a swift action (caster level 15th) and blink as the spell (caster level 15th, it can evoke or end the blink effect as a free action). Oceanus jaunt affects only the delphon, which never appears within a solid object and can act immediately after jaunting.

Song (Su): The song of a delphon is so alien and mysterious to other creatures that it has profound effects on them. The delphon may sing as a free action each round, affecting all creatures within 300 feet. This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability, and the creature must be able to hear the delphon for it to take effect. Affected creatures must make a DC 15 Will saving throw or suffer a random effect below. The save DC is Charisma-based. If the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected by that delphon's song for 24 hours.

A delphon gains a +15 insight bonus to Knowledge (the planes) checks whenever it sings or hears the song of another delphon.

If an affected creature has an Intelligence score of 3 or lower, it is charmed (as the charm monster spell) for 1d10 hours. Roll 1d12 and consult the table below for the affects on creatures of Intelligence 4 or higher:

• 1-4: Charmed for 1d10 hours
• 5-7: Confused for 3d6 rounds
• 8-9: Fascinated for 1d10 rounds
• 10-11: Rendered unconscious for 3d10 rounds
• 12: Listener is struck by the sound so completely that it begins to learn the meaning of the song, and suddenly understands something new about the multiverse. This manifests as a free Knowledge (the planes) check with a +10 insight bonus (or equal to the delphon's modifier, whichever is higher). This check must be made with 24 hours of hearing the delphon's song

Skills: Delphons have a +4 racial bonus to Listen checks. A delphon has a +8 racial bonus on Knowledge (the planes) checks and Perform (sing) checks. A delphon has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

* A delphon gains a +15 insight bonus to Knowledge (the planes) checks when it hears a delphon's song (including its own song).

 

[Shade]

Off to a good start!

I believe some of these abilities have been covered by some of the critters in Book of Exalted Deeds. I'll have to look at 'em when I get a chance.

 

[Cleon]

Off to a good start!

I believe some of these abilities have been covered by some of the critters in Book of Exalted Deeds. I'll have to look at 'em when I get a chance.

I can wait...

 

[Shade]

Sorry it took so long. It didn't pan out quite as well as expected.

The song is somewhat similar to bardic music (fascinate, for example) so we could build from this:

Song (Su): A firre has a captivating voice and can use bardic music just as a bard can, inspiring courage, fascinating, inspiring competence, or giving suggestions to those who hear it (see Bardic Music in Chapter 3 of the Player's Handbook). Unlike a bard, however, a firre can sing as often as it likes.

The plane shift ability sounds like the limited plane shift ability of genies, but rather than the Elemental Planes, it can go to and from any plane that touches the River Oceanus. It also sounds a bit like ethereal jaunt of the stalker/ficher/marauder, once again with different planes involved.

 

[Cleon]

Sorry it took so long. It didn't pan out quite as well as expected.

The song is somewhat similar to bardic music (fascinate, for example) so we could build from this:

Song (Su): A firre has a captivating voice and can use bardic music just as a bard can, inspiring courage, fascinating, inspiring competence, or giving suggestions to those who hear it (see Bardic Music in Chapter 3 of the Player's Handbook). Unlike a bard, however, a firre can sing as often as it likes.

That doesn't resemble the Delphon's song, I think we need something similar to the confusion spell.

The plane shift ability sounds like the limited plane shift ability of genies, but rather than the Elemental Planes, it can go to and from any plane that touches the River Oceanus. It also sounds a bit like ethereal jaunt of the stalker/ficher/marauder, once again with different planes involved.

I was thinking of an Ethereal Filcher cum Blink Dog approach, since it can avoid attacks and get behind enemies with it.

 

[Shade]

That doesn't resemble the Delphon's song, I think we need something similar to the confusion spell.

Hmm...I think that is part of it, but it almost more like a prismatic spray, or maybe even like a holy word with greater effects on weaker creatures.

The song of a dolphin is so alien and mysterious to other creatures that it has profound effects on them. If an intelligent creature hears the keening voice of a delphon, a saving throw versus paralyzation is required to avoid the effects. If the saving throw is failed, roll 1d12 to determine what happens to the listener.

D12 Roll Effect
1-4 Listener is charmed for 1d10 hours, enamored by the sound of the sweet melodies.
5-7 Listener is affected by confusion for 3d6 rounds, unable to comprehend the alieness of the bizarre sounds
8-9 Listener is spellbound (held) by the sound for 1d10 rounds
10-11 Listener is rendered unconscious for 3d10 rounds, unable to handle the mind-shattering notes and their profound meanings
12 Listener is struck by the sound so completely that he begins to learn the the meaning of the song, and suddenly understands something new about the multiverse

Those that make a successful saving throw hear nothing more than odd, discordant music. Creatures that avoid the negative effects of the song gain a bit of planar knowledge about travel on Oceanus, the relationships between the planes (especially those that Oceanus touches), or places on and around Oceanus. In game terms, characters that fail the saving throw but roll a 12 on the die may ask the DM one question pertaining to Oceanus and its environs. Some such questions include: the location of the nearest gate to a neighboring plane; how to reach the Isles of the Blessed in Thalasia; whether or not the River Oceanus is truly beginning to “leak” over into Ysgard through the Gates of the Moon; or how to avoid the natural hazards of travel on Oceanus.

Nonintelligent listeners are always charmed by the delphon’s song. Eventually, intelligent beings that spend time around the dolphins grow immune to the strange consequences of their songs, learning to more fully understand their deep and complicated meanings.

To summarize:

Creatures of less than Int 3 are simply charmed.

The random effects:

• Charmed for 1d10 hours
• Confused for 3d6 rounds
• Held or maybe fascinated for 1d10 rounds (I prefer the latter)
• Rendered unconscious for 3d10 rounds
• Gain a free Knowledge (the planes) check with a bonus (or equal to the delphon's modifier?)

I was thinking of an Ethereal Filcher cum Blink Dog approach, since it can avoid attacks and get behind enemies with it.

Yeah, that makes sense.

 

[Cleon]

Hmm...I think that is part of it, but it almost more like a prismatic spray, or maybe even like a holy word with greater effects on weaker creatures.

Eh? It doesn't has a lesser effect against powerful creatures. It just has a variable effect against sapient (Int 3+) opponents.

To summarize:

Creatures of less than Int 3 are simply charmed.

The random effects:

• Charmed for 1d10 hours
• Confused for 3d6 rounds
• Held or maybe fascinated for 1d10 rounds (I prefer the latter)
• Rendered unconscious for 3d10 rounds
• Gain a free Knowledge (the planes) check with a bonus (or equal to the delphon's modifier?)

That looks about right. I suggest adding a time limit to the Knowledge check bonus.

 

[Shade]

That looks about right. I suggest adding a time limit to the Knowledge check bonus.

Good idea.