Converting Planescape monsters

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
These things can't do damage if they're disbelieved, though, which is unlike a shadow spell.

I guess the only "new" bit I see to them is the "illusion to real" mechanic. Otherwise, the stats are so generic to me that they don't really seem like new monsters if we want to go with a standard shadow illusion for them --- there is just not enough to them. I'm honestly coming around to the point of view that maybe this is a new wondrous item rather than a group of new monsters. Does this make any sense?
 

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Cleon

Legend
These things can't do damage if they're disbelieved, though, which is unlike a shadow spell.

I guess the only "new" bit I see to them is the "illusion to real" mechanic. Otherwise, the stats are so generic to me that they don't really seem like new monsters if we want to go with a standard shadow illusion for them --- there is just not enough to them. I'm honestly coming around to the point of view that maybe this is a new wondrous item rather than a group of new monsters. Does this make any sense?

Well they've got more stats and descriptive text than some of the beasties we've done on this forum.

If you're not interested in doing them how about I whip up a more-or-less finished working draft myself? If we decide to bother with the Figments again we could either add my version to the CC or restart the collaborative conversions where it was and consider whatever I come up with a Cleon Special™.
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Well, perhaps.

Part of the problem is that the descriptive text is very generic and doesn't describe a single particular type of beastie. The other part of the problem is that I'm not sure what we're converting. If we go with the shades/shadow conjuration approach, then we should be converting the new monsters that Tomin is shadow conjuring rather than anything to do with an illusion at all. But I thought we were converting partly illusionary critters. So I'm a bit confused.

You could just go with your own Cleon Special, or I guess we could go with the "new monster that Tomin summons using shadow conjuration." I'd like to have some better schtick for the new monsters, though. If we go with partly illusory critters, I'd like to make them distinct from shadows.
 

Cleon

Legend
I think the main schtick of these figments is that they "take any shape he can imagine".

The question is how to interpret that. Do they appear in a particular shape and stick to it, or are they able to shift shape at will?

I was thinking they'd have an "appendage" attack that can be any natural attack desired (bite for a shark-headed goblin, etc.)

Although one of the forms mentioned for the large figment is "scimitar arms and dagger teeth" suggesting at least the biggest form can imitate artificial weapons with their appendages.
 

Oryan77

Adventurer
I just thought I'd mention this. I asked about the Figment conversion back in August. I estimate that my players will be encountering these Figments within the next 6 weeks (we play every 2 weeks). Is this conversion not worth doing? Should I be re-skinning another creature instead and calling them Figments?

I just don't want you guys to feel like I wasted any of your time discussing this if I end up needing to use other stats instead due my player encountering them already.
 

Cleon

Legend
I just thought I'd mention this. I asked about the Figment conversion back in August. I estimate that my players will be encountering these Figments within the next 6 weeks (we play every 2 weeks). Is this conversion not worth doing? Should I be re-skinning another creature instead and calling them Figments?

I just don't want you guys to feel like I wasted any of your time discussing this if I end up needing to use other stats instead due my player encountering them already.

It appears that Freyar isn't keen on working on them to add to the Creature Catalog database, but I'd be happy to finish the conversion myself as a Homebrew monster.

Just to be clear, you're saying you need them by June?
 

Oryan77

Adventurer
It appears that Freyar isn't keen on working on them to add to the Creature Catalog database, but I'd be happy to finish the conversion myself as a Homebrew monster.

Just to be clear, you're saying you need them by June?

Yeah I think we may reach this encounter by June. If you had a homebrew version to use that would be just fine. Thanks!
 

Cleon

Legend
Yeah I think we may reach this encounter by June. If you had a homebrew version to use that would be just fine. Thanks!

I don't have a finished Homebrew written up but I have most of the details 'floating about in my head' so hopefully it wouldn't take long to write up.

The way things are going I ought to have ample spare time this month…
 

Cleon

Legend
Figment, Astral (Cleon Special™ Version)

Astral Figment, Small
Small Construct
Hit Dice: 2d10+2 (13 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: AC 12 (+1 size, +1 Dex), touch 12, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/–3
Attack: Appendage* +4 melee (1d4+1)
Full Attack: Appendage* +4 melee (1d4+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Appendages, demand credence
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/magic, darkvision 60 ft., illusory form, living figment construct, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +1
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 8, Cha 11
Skills: Hide +5* (+9 in shadows), Spot +4
Feats: Iron Willᴮ, Weapon Focus (appendage)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or (2–16 figments of various sizes)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement:
Level Adjustment:


Astral Figment, Medium
Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 5d10+10 (37 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +3 NA, +1 deflection), touch 13, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Appendage* +6 melee (1d6+2)
Full Attack: 2 appendages* +6 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Appendages, demand credence
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/magic, darkvision 60 ft., illusory form, living figment construct, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 13
Skills: Hide +2* (+6 in shadows), Spot +8
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Iron Willᴮ, Weapon Focus (appendage)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or (2–16 figments of various sizes)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement:
Level Adjustment:


Astral Figment, Large
Large Construct
Hit Dice: 8d10+24 (68 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +6 NA, +2 deflection), touch 14, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+14
Attack: Appendage* +10 melee (1d8+4/19–20)
Full Attack: 3 appendages* +10 melee (1d8+4/19–20)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Appendages, demand credence
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 15/magic, darkvision 60 ft., illusory form, living figment construct, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 15
Skills: Hide –1* (+3 in shadows), Spot +12
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (Appendage), Iron Willᴮ, Weapon Focus (appendage)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or delusion (2–16 figments of various sizes)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement:
Level Adjustment:

Description.

Background.

Astral figments can freely change their height and length within the normal ranges of a creature their size. A Small astral figment can alter its dimensions between 2 feet and 4 feet, a Medium astral figment can shift from 4 feet to 8 feet, and a Large astral figment ranges from 8 feet to 16 feet.

An astral figment is weightless in its natural illusory form. When using Demand Credence to assume physical reality they generally weigh 15 pounds for Small astral figment, 125 pounds for a Medium astral figment and 1,000 pounds for a Large astral figment.

COMBAT
Tactics.

Appendages (Ex): An astral figment can alter its head and other limbs to any shape it likes as a free action. Its attacking appendages can take any form imaginable — claws, tentacles, scimitars, shark-toothed maws or whatever — and inflict whatever type of damage (slashing, piercing and/or crushing) the astral figment. Astral figments can freely swap damage types when making multiple attacks, including attacks of opportunity. For example, a Large astral figment could use its three appendages to make two slashing "scimitar" attacks and a piercing or slashing "dagger" bite attack and perform attacks of opportunity with both a crushing "tentacle" and piercing "horn" in the same round.

Demand Credence (Ex): The first time an astral figment hits an intelligent opponent with an attack, that opponent must make a Will save. If the opponent fails the save they take damage from the attack and their belief in the reality of the astral figment grants it a material form. If the opponent succeeds on its Will save, it takes no damage and becomes immune to that astral figment's Demand Credence ability for 24 hours. The saving throw is normally DC 13 for Small astral figments, DC 15 for Medium figments and DC 18 for Large figments. The save DCs are Charisma-based and include a +2 racial bonus.

An astral figment in material form is not an illusion and can interact with and attack creatures and objects as a physical creature with the statistics presented above. The astral figment can remain in material form for up to 1 hour per hit dice is possesses before it must revert to its illusory form. It can dismiss its material form as a free action. An astral figment will return to illusory form if there are no intelligent creatures present for it to interact with.

Illusory Form (Ex): An astral figments' natural state is an insubstantial illusion, though they can gain a material form through their Demand Credence special attack (see above).

The illusory form functions as the spell programmed image with the following exceptions. Astral figments are permanent and capable of self-directed action and intelligible speech. The illusory form has the AC and hit points presented above but has no Strength score and is incapable of attacking or even touching anything. Successful attacks against the astral figment deal damage to it normally, and the astral figments will be destroyed if its hit points reach zero.

Living Figment Construct (Ex): These creatures are living constructs formed from astral shadow-stuff which grants them the following traits:
—Unlike other constructs, a living figment has a Constitution score.
—Unlike other constructs, a living figment is not immune to mind-affecting spells and abilities.
—Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, effects that cause the sickened condition, and energy drain.
—A living figment cannot heal damage naturally.
—Living figments are not truly alive and cannot be raised or resurrected.
—Unlike other constructs, living figments are subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, and death effects or necromancy effects.
—As shadow constructs, living figments can be affected by spells that target living creatures as well as by those that target constructs. Damage dealt to a living figment can be healed by a cure light wounds spell or a repair light damage spell, for example, and a living figment is vulnerable to disable construct and harm.
—A living figment always treats spells with the Shadow descriptor as if they were 100% real with no Will save to recognize the spell's true nature.
—A warforged does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, but he can still benefit from the effects of consumable spells and magic items such as heroes’ feast and potions.

Mutability (Ex): An astral figment can freely change form to look like literally any imaginable living creature, although it always looks like it's made of moving shadows.

Skills: *An astral figment gains a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks in areas of shadowy illumination.

Originally appeared in Harbinger House (1995)
 
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Cleon

Legend
Yeah I think we may reach this encounter by June. If you had a homebrew version to use that would be just fine. Thanks!

There you go.

I wrote up all the mechanical aspects I'd worked out but there didn't seem much point adding the flavour text, background or tactics.
 

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