Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin

[Shade]

Sounds good.

Stick with standard poison for a Large monstrous spider?

Give it the usual spider skill bonuses?

 

[freyar]

My inclination is to say yes to both. However, I could also see reducing the Jump bonus some and increasing the Hide bonus even more than the usual web-spinning spider. Also, this is missing in the SRD too, but shouldn't the stat block reflect the racial Move Silently bonus?

 

[Shade]

We could drop the bonus on Jump and Spot checks for hunting spiders, and just give them the web-spinning spider bonuses.

I believe the Move Silently isn't listed on the skills line since it only pertains to their web. Of course, it makes sense to have the usual asterix like they do with conditional Hide bonuses.

 

[freyar]

That works for me.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

 

[freyar]

Looks good; is it done?

 

[Shade]

Updated with flavor text.

Now we might be done.

 

[freyar]

Quite right!

 

[Shade]

Walking Stick
AC:5 MV:6 HD:9 hp:54 #AT:3 Dmg:1-2/1-2/1-4 SA:Nil SD:Camouflage AL:N THAC0:12

"Against a vine-covered tree leans an eight-foot tall bare wood staff. There is no sign of its owner"

If the characters look away, when they look back the staff will have moved. This is a giant walking stick, a relative of the praying mantis, but not nearly as aggressive as one, It moves if touched, standing up and waving its four forelegs. If unmolested, it then walks away. If the creature is attacked, it retreats into a stand of tall grasses from which it can fight using cover and gaining +2 on initiative.

Originally appeared in Adventure Pack I (1987).

Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stick_insect

I've always been fascinated by these things.

 

[freyar]

Large vermin, then? The giant praying mantis has Str 19, Dex 8, Con 15, Int —, Wis 14, Cha 11. Why don't we drop Str a little and increase Dex (due to that initiative bit in the blurb)? So Str 17, Dex 12, Con 15, Int —, Wis 14, Cha 11?