Planescape Converting Planescape monsters

[BOZ]

that sounds good. and i can increase the speed to 30 if a higher Dex is just too unbelievable - 12 will be just fine anyway.

 

[demiurge1138]

Alright, and I like Shade's wording. Nice and clear.

Have we thought about its feats yet? Combat Manifestation and Psionic Endowment are good for the psionic focus, and maybe Power Attack or Weapon Focus (slam) for the melee side. And, of course, it's possible to just give him a few utility feats, like Alertness or Improved Initiative.

Demiurge out.

 

[Shade]

Looking at some of its "family":

Illithid: Combat Casting/Manifestation, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Ulitharid: Combat Casting/Manifestation, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack, Iron Will, Spell/Power Penetration
Alhoon: Alertness, Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, Improved Initiative, Spell Penetration, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (tentacle)

I'd say Combat Casting/Manifestation, Improved Initiative, and Spell/Power Penetration should be stronly considered. Weapon Focus (slam), as you suggested, would also be a good choice.

 

[BOZ]

i'll take the Weapon Focus and Improved Init off the bat. as for the others, i'll reserve judgement and keep the slots open until we have a better look at its psionic powers.

so, let's have a look at the combat text we have not yet dealt with:

Normally, an eater of knowledge won’t release its victim until it has completely consumed the brain. The damage and loss of ability scores stop if the victim is pulled free or the eater's forced to let go. If the victim's friends help him in his attempt to pull away, he gains a +4 bonus on his chance to escape the eater's grasp. The eater can he forced to let go by being killed or reduced to 10 hp or fewer; the creature will flee rather than die. A single attack or spell that inflicts at least 20 hp of damage in 1 round also forces the eater to let go.

(that paragraph relates to abilities we have already written, but will probably become mostly combat flavor text)


While the eater of knowledge's special abilities make it an exceptionally dangerous opponent in hand-to-hand combat, this is not its preferred method of fighting. The monster relies on its mental powers and the stolen powers of those it has fed on to lure lone victims away from their companions, where if can feed uninterrupted. A typical eater may have one or more of the special abilities noted below:

d10 Roll Special Ability
1-2 No special abilities currently available
3-5 Spell powers of a 2nd - 7th-level cleric
6-8 Spell powers of a 1st - 8th-level wizard
9 Thief abilities of a 3rd - 12th-level thief
0 Two of the above


In addition to its stolen powers, the eater of knowledge can use the following powers, once per round, at will: confusion, detect invisibility, domination, ESP, forget, hold person, levitate, and shadow walk. Eaters communicate with a natural power of telepathy; their mental voices're a discordant chorus of every sentient creature they've devoured. The eater of knowledge is itself completely immune to any mental attacks or mind-affecting powers, including illusions and charm or hold effects.

Psionics Summary
Level Dis/Sci/Dev Attack/Defense Score PSPs
10 3/7/14 All/All 16 210

Eaters of knowledge have the following psionic powers:
· Psyhcoportive – Sciences: probability travel. Devotions: astral projection, dimensional door.
· Psychokinesis – Sciences: telekinesis, disintegrate, project force. Devotions: animate object, control body, control wind, inertial barrier, molecular agitation, soften.
· Telepathy – Sciences: domination, mindlink, probe. Devotions: contact, ESP, inflict pain, invincible foes, invisibility, synaptic static.

 

[demiurge1138]

You know, I really don't think you should keep the text about them letting go of a grappled opponent with only 20 hit points of damage. Everything deals 20 or so points of damage at 10th level - if you're going to keep that idea, you should change the damage to something more reasonable for 3.5. Most of those psionic powers can be pretty easily translated into 3.5 psionics. What about the class abilities? The spells make sense (as long as we include into the absorb text that it temporarily gains access to an opponent's spells once it eats its brain), but rogue abilities? Should those count as sneak attack, evasion and uncanny dodge, that sort of thing? Or should these be bonuses to rogue-type skills as well?

Demiurge out.

 

[BOZ]

as far as the ability stealing goes, the rogue part will take some thought. and it doesn't seem like there's a time limit for the ability theft.

 

[Shade]

You know, I really don't think you should keep the text about them letting go of a grappled opponent with only 20 hit points of damage. Everything deals 20 or so points of damage at 10th level - if you're going to keep that idea, you should change the damage to something more reasonable for 3.5.

Agreed. This is too easy. I'd say half its total hp might be reasonalble, and would scale if the creature was advanced.

As for the stolen abilities, could we not just use the similar abilities of the illithid savant from Savage Species?

Edit: yoink!

 

[BOZ]

that's darn near perfect. don't want to use all of that though, but it can certainly be compressed...

 

[BOZ]

The monster relies on its mental powers and the stolen powers of those it has fed on to lure lone victims away from their companions, where if can feed uninterrupted. A typical eater may have one or more of the special abilities noted below:

d10 Roll Special Ability
1-2 No special abilities currently available
3-5 Spell powers of a 2nd - 7th-level cleric
6-8 Spell powers of a 1st - 8th-level wizard
9 Thief abilities of a 3rd - 12th-level thief
0 Two of the above

is this too much?

Acquire Skills (Ex): An eater of knowledge can acquire one skill known by a creature whose brain it has consumed, chosen at the time of consumption. It permanently gains all of the creature’s ranks in that skill (but not racial or ability score bonuses to the skill modifier) even if its new total is more ranks than the eater's Hit Dice would normally allow. This skill becomes a class skill for the eater of knowledge, and it may buy more ranks in the skill if the new ranks do not cause it to exceed the maximum ranks in the skill.

Acquire Feat (Ex): An illithid savant permanently acquires two of the feats of a consumed creature, provided it meets the feats' prerequisites.

Acquire Class Features (Ex): At 3rd level, an illithid savant permanently gains the ability to cast the spells of a spellcaster whose brain it has consumed. The eater of knowledge is able to cast one spell of each level available to the character (if the victim was a wizard, the eater of knowledge must still consult a spellbook or learn from scrolls), as well as any bonus spells provided by the eater's ability scores. If the eater of knowledge already has spellcasting levels, these spells are in addition to those granted by the eater's spellcasting class levels.

 

[Shade]

I think this is doable. I'd add that the eater must meet the minimum prereqs for the primary ability score used for casting of the stolen spells (Int for Wiz, Cha for Sor, and son forth). I'd also place a limit on the highest-level spell it can learn, comparing its Hit Dice to the spellcaster class level charts to determine the highest-level spell it can cast. (Thus, a 10-HD eater could only cast stolen wizard spells up to 5th-level).

I'd also rename it to "Acquire Spellcasting" since it is the only class feature it can acquire with that ability. Unless you want to open the bigger can of worms, allowng it to steal evasion, favored enemy, lay on hands, etc.