Planescape Converting Planescape monsters

[Shade]

Updated. Does blinded for 1d2 rounds seem reasonable for the breath weapon?

 

[Mortis]

Updated. Does blinded for 1d2 rounds seem reasonable for the breath weapon?

Yup

Regards
Mortis

 

[Shade]

Great! This fella's done, then. Give it a lookover and make sure I didn't forget anything or make any typos/miscalculations.

 

[Shade]

Here's the next one...

Ash Mephit
Clim/Terr: Any
Freq: Common
Org: Solitary
Activity: Any
Diet: Special
Int: Average (8-10)
Treasure: Nil
AL: Neutral
# Appearing: 1
AC: 5
Movement: 12, FL 24 (B)
HD: 3
THAC0: 17
# Att: 2
Dmg: 1d3/1d3
SA: Belaborment
SD: See below
MR: Nil
Size: M (5' tall)
Morale: Average (8-10)
XP: 420

Profoundly depressed and lugubrious, ash mephits make adequate sentries and messengers, but they impose upon passersby with endless tales of their sorrows, boredom, and frustrations.

Ash mephits have powdery gray skin and wings, no external ears, and a nasal whining voice. Scholars suppose that lower-planar beings can create ash mephits more easily than those of other types; why else would anyone create one?

Combat: Ash mephits cannot claw or bite, but they can spray a cloud of choking ash in a 10' radius at a cost of 1 hp from their current total (1d6 damage, save vs. breath weapons for half damage).

Once per day an ash mephit can harangue good and neutral creatures with a lengthy recitation of its woes. This works as Leomund's lamentable belaborment. (It does not work on evil creatures, who care nothing for the mephit's troubles).

Ash mephits are immune to nonmagical cutting and impaling weapons, to fire, heat, and cold (magical and non-magical), and to poison. They take double damage from liquid-based attacks, and wind-based attacks inflict maximum damage. They do not breathe.

Once an hour an ash mephit can gate in another ash mephit (usually to commiserate).

Source: PSMC1.

 

[freyar]

DR 5/bludgeoning or magic ?

Immune to fire, cold, and poison

Vulnerable to liquid and wind (not quite sure how to word this, since wind doesn't seem like a usual elemental vulnerability)

Summoning: should we make it automatic or give it the usual 25% chance of success?

I'd make the cloud breath weapon into a 10ft cone with 1d6 damage, etc. Making the mephit take 1hp damage to use the breath is an interesting exchange for waiting 1d4 rounds, but I don't know what you think about something nonstandard like that. If we really don't want it to have natural attacks, it might be good to give an option to use the breath more often.

Don't know the lamentable belaborment spell. What source is that from? Is it updated? Or should we just make something up?

 

[Khisanth the Ancient]

Maybe make it vulnerable to sonic instead of "wind"?

I'd say 25%.

Lamentable belaborment is a 2nd ed. spell that isn't in 3e.

 

[Shade]

This guy breaks the mold a bit from the typical mephits.

Normally, something from the Quasielemental Plane of Ash would have the Fire subtype. However, this fella is immune to cold as well (probably do to the Negative Energy Plane part of the Plane of Ash). So the question is do we just give it the Extraplanar subtype, or do we stick with fire, but metion that it is immune to cold (rather than vulnerable)?

I found Leomund's Lamentable Belaborment online here.

DR 5/bludgeoning or magic looks about right.

Vulnerability to wind would appear to work like this:

A gaseous creature can’t run, but it can fly at a speed of 10 feet (maneuverability perfect). It can pass through small holes or narrow openings, even mere cracks, with all it was wearing or holding in its hands, as long as the spell persists. The creature is subject to the effects of wind, and it can’t enter water or other liquid. It also can’t manipulate objects or activate items, even those carried along with its gaseous form. Continuously active items remain active, though in some cases their effects may be moot.

In addition to the effects noted, a gust of wind can do anything that a sudden blast of wind would be expected to do. It can create a stinging spray of sand or dust, fan a large fire, overturn delicate awnings or hangings, heel over a small boat, and blow gases or vapors to the edge of its range.

Monsters with similar consistencies (belker, phiuhl, etc.) seem to defer to gaseous form for effects.

 

[freyar]

Ok, let's stick with vulnerability to wind and liquid as in gaseous form. Should spells with an air descriptor (is there such a thing?) deal max or double damage? Is there such a thing as a liquid descriptor? In other words, is it worth saying that these things are damaged if you throw water on them (or take double damage if blasted by a decanter of endless water)?

For the other thing, I suggest
Harangue (Sp): An ash mephit can harangue good and neutral creatures with a lengthy recitation of its woes once per day (this effect does not work on evil-aligned creatures, because they do not care about the mephit's troubles). The subjects must make a DCX Will save or become engrossed in conversation with the mephit and each other for 3 rounds, ceasing only if attacked. On the fourth round, each subject must make a DCX Will save again or become confused for 1d10+2 rounds. A successful save merely indicates that the subject continues in conversation. On the 7th round, each subject still in conversation must make an additional DCX Will save or fall into a rage, attacking all the other conversationalists (except the mephit) for 1d4 rounds.

I've already simplified it a bit (like leaving out the Int bonus to the saves, etc), but it's still complicated. Any ideas?

 

[GrayLinnorm]

There are indeed spells with the air descriptror. Cyclonic blast and defenestrating sphere (both from Spell Compendium) have it.

 

[Shade]

Ok, let's stick with vulnerability to wind and liquid as in gaseous form. Should spells with an air descriptor (is there such a thing?) deal max or double damage? Is there such a thing as a liquid descriptor? In other words, is it worth saying that these things are damaged if you throw water on them (or take double damage if blasted by a decanter of endless water)?

Rather than max or double damage for spells with the air descriptor, I'd stick with the usual vulnerability (+50% damage).

Here's something we can borrow from the desert troll...

Water Vulnerability (Ex): Desert trolls are particularly vulnerable to water, and contact with it (such as reaching into a pool or being splashed with a vial or bucket of water) inflicts 2d6 points of damage per strike. Complete immersion (including being caught in the rain or being subjected to a high volume of water, as from the geyser function of a decanter of endless water) inflicts 6d6 points of damage per round.

For the other thing, I suggest
Harangue (Sp): An ash mephit can harangue good and neutral creatures with a lengthy recitation of its woes once per day (this effect does not work on evil-aligned creatures, because they do not care about the mephit's troubles). The subjects must make a DCX Will save or become engrossed in conversation with the mephit and each other for 3 rounds, ceasing only if attacked. On the fourth round, each subject must make a DCX Will save again or become confused for 1d10+2 rounds. A successful save merely indicates that the subject continues in conversation. On the 7th round, each subject still in conversation must make an additional DCX Will save or fall into a rage, attacking all the other conversationalists (except the mephit) for 1d4 rounds.

I've already simplified it a bit (like leaving out the Int bonus to the saves, etc), but it's still complicated. Any ideas?

It looks like a great start. We'll need to state that the effect lasts as long as the mephit continues speaking (a standard action each round?). It should also be listed as a language-dependent, mind-affecting compulsion effect.