Spelljammer Converting Spelljammer creatures

[freyar]

Well, we can make it Con-based. Nasty ability, though!

I agree with most of those immunities, but I am not too happy about the "time" spells since there's no descriptor we can use to specify them. I suppose we should write an SQ that specifies all the SRD spells affected. Something like

Immune to Temporal Effects (Su): Portons are immune to transmutation spells that allow spell resistance and affect the porton's flow of time. These include haste, slow, temporal stasis, ....


I like Blind and Deaf, but I don't like Blindsense. Then they would automatically know the location of smaller objects and critters, so that's a problem.

 

[Cleon]

Well, we can make it Con-based. Nasty ability, though!

Shall I update the Lightning then?

I agree with most of those immunities, but I am not too happy about the "time" spells since there's no descriptor we can use to specify them. I suppose we should write an SQ that specifies all the SRD spells affected. Something like

Immune to Temporal Effects (Su): Portons are immune to transmutation spells that allow spell resistance and affect the porton's flow of time. These include haste, slow, temporal stasis, ....

That's pretty close to what I had in mind.

Hmm, if it's a negative energy creature than shouldn't it have vulnerability to positive energy damage?

Well, the Manual of the Planes Xeg-Yi doesn't have vulnerability to positive energy, so I suppose it can do without. It just seems odd, is all.

I like Blind and Deaf, but I don't like Blindsense. Then they would automatically know the location of smaller objects and critters, so that's a problem.

Said objects and critters still get total concealment though, so the Porton can't actually "see" them and has a 50% miss chance.

How about giving them some kind of "Inferior Blindsense" that works poorly for smaller objects?

 

[freyar]

Yeah, let's update the lightning.

Anything else to add to the temporal immunity?

We can leave off the positive energy vulnerability.

Hmmm.
Inferior Blindsense (Ex): This ability functions like blindsense, but the porton cannot automatically detect the presence of objects or creatures of Medium size or smaller.

 

[Cleon]

Yeah, let's update the lightning.

Updating the Porton Working Draft.

Anything else to add to the temporal immunity?

I guess it should be immune to aging effect as well.

We can leave off the positive energy vulnerability.

Yeah, it's already taking damage from magical healing, that ought to be enough.

Hmmm.
Inferior Blindsense (Ex): This ability functions like blindsense, but the porton cannot automatically detect the presence of objects or creatures of Medium size or smaller.

The original monster could only "see" Huge or larger objects. Hmm, how about making it a graduated ability using the grades of concealment rules, like so:

Imprecise Blindsight (Ex): Portons have a mysterious ability to perceive objects or creatures with a X feet range, but this sense can only clearly "see" massive objects. Imprecise blindsight works like normal blindsight against targets that are Gargantuan size or larger. Huge targets have concealment against a porton's blindsight (note that concealment's 20% miss chance does not apply to a porton's Dark Lightning attack). Large targets have total concealment against the porton (50% miss chance, which does apply to Dark Lightning), although the porton can still notice and locate them as if it were using blindsense. Targets that are Medium sized or smaller are undetectable to the Porton's blindsight.

 

[freyar]

Immune to Temporal Effects (Su): Portons are immune to transmutation spells that allow spell resistance and affect the porton's flow of time. These include haste, slow, temporal stasis, and aging effects (including magical ones).

I like the Imprecise Blindsight, even if it is a bit fiddly. Let's go with that.

 

[Cleon]

Immune to Temporal Effects (Su): Portons are immune to transmutation spells that allow spell resistance and affect the porton's flow of time. These include haste, slow, temporal stasis, and aging effects (including magical ones).

That looks fine. Updating the Porton Working Draft.

I like the Imprecise Blindsight, even if it is a bit fiddly. Let's go with that.

It's still got an X for range, but I reckon it'll have to be the same as its Dark Lightning, since it's the only targeting sense a Porton possesses.

I wondered about doing a less fiddly version that cuts out the 20% miss version, e.g.:

Imprecise Blindsight (Ex) [Huge]: Portons have a mysterious ability to perceive objects or creatures within a 750 [?] feet range, but this sense can only clearly "see" massive objects. Imprecise blindsight works like normal blindsight against targets that are Gargantuan size or larger. It works like blindsense (50% miss chance, which does apply to Dark Lightning) against Huge targets. Targets that are Large or smaller are undetectable to a Porton's blindsight.

Imprecise Blindsight (Ex) [Medium]: Portons have a mysterious ability to perceive objects or creatures within a 750 [?] feet range, but this sense can only clearly "see" massive objects. Imprecise blindsight works like normal blindsight against targets that are Gargantuan size or larger. It works like blindsense (50% miss chance, which does apply to Dark Lightning) against Huge or Large targets. Targets that are Medium sized or smaller are undetectable to a Porton's blindsight.

I'm leaning toward the "Huge" version since the original writeup has "Porton senses seem unable to detect any object of less than size H".

 

[Cleon]

We've still got the "Void Field" special quality to figure out - the one that sucks things into the Negative Energy Plane.

I'm wondering whether we should give the Porton a touch attack that exposes the target to its Void Field. Either a non-damaging one or one that also does some negative energy damage.

 

[freyar]

The Huge version is fine, and I agree to keeping the same range as Dark Lightning or even up to 1000 ft if you like.

Hmmm.

Void Field (Su): Portons form a natural conduit to the Negative Energy Plane. Any creature or object that touches a porton is instantly gated to the Negative Energy Plane (at the DM's discretion, the destination could be any negative-dominant plane). SAVE? A porton can expose another creature or object to its void field by making a successful touch attack.

 

[Cleon]

The Huge version is fine, and I agree to keeping the same range as Dark Lightning or even up to 1000 ft if you like.

I like the nice round 1000 feet.

Updating the Porton Working Draft.

Hmmm.

Void Field (Su): Portons form a natural conduit to the Negative Energy Plane. Any creature or object that touches a porton is instantly gated to the Negative Energy Plane (at the DM's discretion, the destination could be any negative-dominant plane). SAVE? A porton can expose another creature or object to its void field by making a successful touch attack.

What about the proposal to have it do negative energy damage?

 

[freyar]

In addition to throwing the victim into the Negative Energy Plane?