Converting Psionic Creatures

[freyar]

Want to update the treasure, HD advancement, and alignment lines (dropping the ? marks)? Didn't we also decide on SR=CR+12 for the egg?

I would say LA should be -, but I suppose a PC could end up as a victim of the wonderform spell. Urgh.

Tactics: Alkada blunder around, oblivious to nearly everything, sometimes even stumbling through the middle of ongoing battles. When they actually decide to eat something, they grab it and bite. [Wingless wonders unleash their wonder blast at a seemingly random time during combat.]

 

[Cleon]

Want to update the treasure, HD advancement, and alignment lines (dropping the ? marks)? Didn't we also decide on SR=CR+12 for the egg?

I would say LA should be -, but I suppose a PC could end up as a victim of the wonderform spell. Urgh.

Updating them will have to wait. I'm off to the cinema soon!

Tactics: Alkada blunder around, oblivious to nearly everything, sometimes even stumbling through the middle of ongoing battles. When they actually decide to eat something, they grab it and bite. [Wingless wonders unleash their wonder blast at a seemingly random time during combat.]

The original versions talks about them feeling everything with their tentacles and chittering when excited. We ought to work that in the tactics or background somewhere.

 

[freyar]

Hmmm, something like this?

Alkada blunder around, seemingly oblivious, sometimes even stumbling through the middle of ongoing battles. As they walk, they feel everything around themselves with their tentacles; when they actually decide to eat something, they grab it and bite. [Wingless wonders unleash their wonder blast at a seemingly random time during combat.]

 

[Cleon]

Hmmm, something like this?

Alkada blunder around, seemingly oblivious, sometimes even stumbling through the middle of ongoing battles. As they walk, they feel everything around themselves with their tentacles; when they actually decide to eat something, they grab it and bite. [Wingless wonders unleash their wonder blast at a seemingly random time during combat.]

A lot of that looks like it belongs in the background info more than tactics, but I guess it makes sense to put it all in the same place.

If an alkada decides to eat something, it tries to grab it in its tentacles and bite.

COMBAT
An alkada wanders about aimlessly, feeling everything around itself with its tentacles. If it touches something that feels tasty it may decide to attack, chittering excitedly as it tries to grab the prospective meal and bite it.

Alkadas are erratic creatures who seem oblivious to their surroundings. They may blunder into the midst of a battle or ignore a threatening enemy, but will defend themselves once attacked. Wingless wonders often use their wonder blast attacks if they get in a serious fight, but may also unleash a wonder blast seemingly at random.

 

[freyar]

That looks pretty good to me. It seems like background will probably have enough if we include anything about transformed alkada, etc.

Description: This odd creature is roughly egg-shaped with color fading from a dark purple to a blue-ish green. It wobbles around on two apparently weak legs, and two tiny arms flap ineffectually at its mid-body. A mass of tentacles sprout from the top of the egg.

 

[Cleon]

That looks pretty good to me. It seems like background will probably have enough if we include anything about transformed alkada, etc.

Hmm, that last line doesn't need the "may". How about amending it to:

COMBAT
An alkada wanders about aimlessly, feeling everything around itself with its tentacles. If it touches something that feels tasty it may decide to attack, chittering excitedly as it tries to grab the prospective meal and bite it.

Alkadas are erratic creatures who seem oblivious to their surroundings. They may blunder into the midst of a battle or ignore a threatening enemy, but will defend themselves once attacked. Wingless wonders often use their wonder blast special attack if they get in a serious fight, but also unleash wonder blasts seemingly at random.

Description: This odd creature is roughly egg-shaped with color fading from a dark purple to a blue-ish green. It wobbles around on two apparently weak legs, and two tiny arms flap ineffectually at its mid-body. A mass of tentacles sprout from the top of the egg.

You forgot the eyes and mouth.

How's this...

This creature looks like an upright, blue-green egg with a purple base. A writhing nest of tentacles emerge from the pointed top of the "egg", just above a pair of large, sad-looking eyes. Set in the center of its tentacles is an oversized beak-like mouth. The creature walks on two rubbery legs and had a pair of puny arms near its mid-body. Its arms flap constantly, as if the bizarre lifeform were trying to fly.

 

[freyar]

I can agree to all that. And I think the combat section works for the walking egg if you just drop the wonder blast sentence, too.

 

[Cleon]

I can agree to all that. And I think the combat section works for the walking egg if you just drop the wonder blast sentence, too.

That's agreeable...

Updating the Walking Egg Working Draft and Wingless Wonder Working Draft.

 

[freyar]

I think using the same descriptive text for both of these works.

Whooo boy, time for flavor. Or shall we deal with the wonderform spell first? Is it worth writing a separate spell, or should we just note that alkadas have, at some times and in some societies, been a favored form for victims of baleful polymorph?

 

[Cleon]

I think using the same descriptive text for both of these works.

Agreed.

Whooo boy, time for flavor. Or shall we deal with the wonderform spell first?

I'd rather do the flavour first.

Is it worth writing a separate spell, or should we just note that alkadas have, at some times and in some societies, been a favored form for victims of baleful polymorph?

A baleful polymorph can only transform the target into an Animal of 1 HD or less, an alkada is (a) an Aberration and (b) has 2 Hit Dice, so is ineligible on two counts.

You'd need a polymorph any object spell or using the RAW.

I'm OK whipping up a wonderform spell, or even a wonderform and baleful wonderform depending on whether it's a benign or malign spell.