Converting World of Greyhawk monsters

[BOZ]

This thread continues my idea of "cooperative conversions" started in this thread, converting a series of monsters from similar sources. For this thread, we will be focusing on monsters that first appeared in various World of Greyhawk products.

What I will do is first post the creature's original stats and flavor text. Then, I will post a basic outline of the things I think it needs, and then I will give you an opportunity to suggest stats and ideas on how powers and abilities should work. Then, I will add more to it and we will continue to discuss it until I feel it's done and time to move on to the next. As we work on these creatures, they will be posted in this thread, and after 10 conversions are complete they will be added to the Creature Catalog. You may comment on monsters already finished, of course.

The following is a list of monsters from Greyhawk that haven't yet appeared in official WotC products, the Tome of Horrors, or the Creature Catalog. You may feel free to make suggestions, but ultimately I will pick what to convert and when. If I'm missing any monsters from this list or if any of these have appeared elsewhere already, feel free to inform me.

* WG9 - Gargoyle
Gargoyle of the Tors

* WG12 - Vale of the Mage
Jaleeda Bird
Jakar
Griveling
Grist (True Gargoyle)

* WGA1 - Falcon's Revenge
Scryxull
Grythok
Carpet Snake

* WGA2 - Falconmaster
Strangleweed
Weisshund
Yphoz

WGA3 - Flames of the Falcon
Fish (4 varieties)

* WG4 - Vecna Lives
The Demigod Vecna
The Avatar of Vecna

* WGR3 - Rary the Traitor
Manscorpion
Monarch Scorpion

* SJR6 - Greyspace
Horg
Porton
Skykine

Scarlet Brotherhood
Tlokasazotz (Olman Bat-Vampire)
Thousandtooth
Su-Monkey
Ravenous
Onco
Gibbering Mouther, Greater
Bredthralls (slave races)- Komazar, Kurg, Rullhow


* Dragon #241, Legacies of the Suel Imperium
Lerara
Su-Doppleganger

Dragon #270, Dragon's Bestiary "Minions of Iuz" (is this 3e?)
Dirtwraith (Sargusian Fungus)
Murdakus


* - I actually have this one!

 

[BOZ]

i'm sure there are more monsters, probably from modules and other sourcebooks that i don't have or haven't looked in, so list em if you can.

any suggestions on what to start with?

 

[Filby]

Here's a few other creatures from 2E Greyhawk...

Rary the Traitor (WGR3)
Centaur, Desert (I think this may have appeared in the last Polyhedron?)
Manscorpion (converted as the stinger in MoF)
Monarch Scorpion
Monarch Scorpion, Master Scorpion

Vale of the Mage (WG12)
Grist (True Gargoyle)
Griveling
Jakar
Jaleeda Bird

Vecna Lives (WGA4)
The Eye
The Hand

 

[Shade]

A few more:

WGA1 - Falcon's Revenge
Scryxull, Grythok, Carpet Snake

WGA2 - Falconmaster
Strangleweed, Weisshund, Yphoz

 

[BOZ]

it's a short list; why not start at the top and work our way down?

Crystalmist

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate and subtropical/Mountains
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Swarm
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night
DIET: Special
INTELLIGENCE: Non- (0)/Animal (1)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral

NO. APPEARING: Swarm of 200 + 1d100
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVEMENT: FI 6 (A)
HIT DICE: 50 hp
THAC0: 13
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Light beams
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: T (1' diameter)
MORALE: Steady (11-12)
XP VALUE: 2, 000

Crystalmists are interesting and unusual hive entities. Individual crystalmists look much like snowflakes, drifting about in the air and absorbing sunlight to power their crystalline structures. At the heart of each crystalmist is a pulsating pinpoint of light that gradually changes colors throughout the day.

When most people speak of a crystalmist, however, they are referring to the shape the swarm takes on when it is threatened. At such times, the various individuals drift together to form a sphere roughly one foot in diameter. The sphere throbs with a deep, ominous sound and radiates a shimmering white light. The statistics provided above are for this configuration; individuals are non-intelligent, AC 10, have 1 hit point (thus there are 50 individuals in a crystalmist community), no effective attack, and a movement rate of 18.

Individual crystalmists are not intelligent enough to have any language per se, but they are believed to have a rudimentary form of communication within their species based on color modulation.

Combat: While individual crystalmists have no combat capabilities, they can quickly form into a community being that is very dangerous. Coalescing into the larger form requires only one round, during which time the crystalmist can be attacked with impunity.

The globular crystalmist community can unleash a powerful beam of light each round, using the energy stored in the bodies of its component creatures. The beam has a range of 20 feet, beyond which limit it is too diffuse to cause injury. A normal attack roll is required for the crystalmist to hit a target with its beams. Each successful strike inflicts 1d6 points of damage.

If the crystalmist fails to hit its target, but still rolls above a 3 on its attack die, then the beam of light is assumed to have struck the target, but been deflected by armor, a shield, or some other object on the target’s person (if possible). DMs should determine at random what has been hit, taking into account relative sizes and positions of objects.

Any flammable object (such as a wooden shield or padded armor) hit by the light ray must roll a successful saving throw vs. magical fire (see DMG page 39) or instantly ignite. Persons wearing clothing that bursts into flames suffer 1d4 points of damage each round until they can extinguish the fire or remove the burning garb. Objects (such as lanterns) that contain very flammable materials may actually explode (10% chance), doing damage as the DM sees fit.

In addition to its light powers, the crystalmist is immune to a number of spells. It cannot be affected by sleep, charm, illusion, or other mind-altering spells. If the crystalmist is fighting in the presence of a bright light source (such as a continual light spell), the damage done by its beam is doubled to 2d6 points.

When a crystalmist suffers 10 points of damage, it fragments into its individual components. Each point of damage inflicted upon the community destroys one individual (thus 12 points of damage means the community fragments into its 38 remaining individuals). The remaining individuals cannot form another community for five rounds.

Habitat/Society: As the individual crystalmists that make up a crystalmist community have less intelligence than the average grasshopper, they have no recognizable society. Still, they do hive a basic natural drive to remain with others of their kind and form of several hundred individual crystalmists.

Crystalmist individuals reproduce rarely, by binary fission like unicellular creatures.

Ecology: Crystalmists do not hunt, nor are they hunted. From time to time they may be scooped out of the air by a passing bat or avian in search of a few minerals to balance its diet, but as a rule they are ignored by the animals around them.

It is believed that the mysterious timeglass of the mage was crafted with ground crystalmists. While this has never been confirmed, it may indeed be true as the unique physiology of the crystalmist makes it very valuable to those who have in interest in arcane devices.

Other uses for the crystalmist include the creation of high quality smoke powder and dust of illusion. It is also rumored that the priceless oracles of Greyhawk are fashioned from crystalmist colonies captured and trapped forever by powerful magic.



some preliminary stats for the crystalmist:

Crystalmist
Tiny Aberration (Swarm)
Hit Dice: Xd8+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: Fly 20 ft (perfect) (4 squares)
Armor Class: X (+2 size, +X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +X/+X
Attack:
Full Attack:
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Light ray/beam (1-6), combustion
Special Qualities: immune to mind-affecting
Saves: Fort +X Ref +X Will +X
Abilities: Str X, Dex X, Con X, Int 1, Wis X, Cha X
Skills: X
Feats: X

Environment: Temperate and warm mountains
Organization: X
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: X
Level Adjustment: ---



COMBAT


Originally found in Greyhawk Adventures (1988, James M. Ward), and Monstrous Compendium MC5 - Greyhawk Appendix (1990).

 

[Krishnath]

Wouldn't that be a diminuative aberration (swarm)?

 

[BOZ]

diminutive, tiny... could go either way. 1-foot diameter is right on the border is it not? which sounds better?

 

[demiurge1138]

I'd say Diminutive. Swarm usually have no advancement, so that gets that out of the way. I'd give them a pathetically low Str (like 1), decent Dex (15-19), and decent Wis and Cha for something of animal intelligence.
Personally, I'd give it 6 HD (6 x 4.5 = 27) and a Con of 18-19 (4 x 6 = 24), for a total of 51 HP, almost identical to the 2e original. This would put the save DC of the light rays at 17, assuming the rays are Con based.

Demiurge out.

 

[Krishnath]

The swarms face/reach should be 10'/- to keep it consistant with the swarm subtype. Also, I think the light ray's DC should be cha based.

Fixed a typo regarding the face/reach...

 

[Shade]

Check out the shimmer swarm at the end of this article for a comparable swarm:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fey/20031010a

 

[BOZ]

I'd say Diminutive. Swarm usually have no advancement, so that gets that out of the way. I'd give them a pathetically low Str (like 1), decent Dex (15-19), and decent Wis and Cha for something of animal intelligence.
Personally, I'd give it 6 HD (6 x 4.5 = 27) and a Con of 18-19 (4 x 6 = 24), for a total of 51 HP, almost identical to the 2e original. This would put the save DC of the light rays at 17, assuming the rays are Con based.

i think i'll raise that to 8 HD with Con 15. also, i'll make the Dex just a bit higher.

i'm also thinking that the hellwasp swarm's hive mind ability is very similar to information in the original crystalmist text.

here are some updated stats:

Crystalmist
Diminutive Aberration (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 8d8+16 (52 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: Fly 20 ft (perfect) (4 squares)
Armor Class: 23 (+4 size, +6 Dex, +3 natural), touch 20, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/---
Attack:
Full Attack:
Space/Reach: 10 ft/0 ft
Special Attacks: Light ray/beam (1-6), combustion, distraction
Special Qualities: darkvision 60 ft, hive mind, immune to mind-affecting, immune to weapon damage, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +4 Ref +8 Will +7
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 22, Con 15, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 8
Skills: 11
Feats: 3

Environment: Temperate and warm mountains
Organization: X
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: ---

 

[Shade]

The base damage for an 8 HD swarm should be 2d6. If you stick with this, you'll have:

Attack: Swarm (2d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (2d6)

Suggested Feats (3 of the following): Ability Focus (light beam--if save is allowed), Alertness, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot
Suggested Skill Ranks: Listen 5, Spot 6

I'd roll the combust SQ into the light beam SQ.

Organization: Solitary or cloud (2-8 swarms)

 

[BOZ]

The base damage for an 8 HD swarm should be 2d6. If you stick with this, you'll have:

Attack: Swarm (2d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (2d6)

ooh, that might be a bit high...

Suggested Feats (3 of the following): Ability Focus (light beam--if save is allowed), Alertness, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot
Suggested Skill Ranks: Listen 5, Spot 6

cool - i'll figure those out soon enough.

I'd roll the combust SQ into the light beam SQ.

right, i was thinking of doing that anyway. one question - should the light beam be a ranged touch attack, or should it be a power with a reflex save instead?

Organization: Solitary or cloud (2-8 swarms)

that works, but i think i'll lower that to maybe 2-5.

 

[Shade]

ooh, that might be a bit high...

That was just the suggested damage for its HD from the swarm entry. Go with whatever you'd like.

right, i was thinking of doing that anyway. one question - should the light beam be a ranged touch attack, or should it be a power with a reflex save instead?

It sounds like a ranged touch attack to me.

that works, but i think i'll lower that to maybe 2-5.

 

[Krishnath]

Definetly a ranged touch attack.

 

[BOZ]

It sounds like a ranged touch attack to me.

me too, but i have one question... can swarms use a ranged touch attack?

 

[Krishnath]

The rules doesn't specifically say that they can't.

 

[BOZ]

that's why i was asking. well, if they groupmind says "yes", then that's what we go with...

 

[BOZ]

Ok, time to break it down!

Combat: While individual crystalmists have no combat capabilities, they can quickly form into a community being that is very dangerous. Coalescing into the larger form requires only one round, during which time the crystalmist can be attacked with impunity.

full round action? see below!

The globular crystalmist community can unleash a powerful beam of light each round, using the energy stored in the bodies of its component creatures. The beam has a range of 20 feet, beyond which limit it is too diffuse to cause injury. A normal attack roll is required for the crystalmist to hit a target with its beams. Each successful strike inflicts 1d6 points of damage.

copied from lantern archon:

Light Ray (Ex): A crystalmist swarm’s light rays have a range of 20 feet.

If the crystalmist fails to hit its target, but still rolls above a 3 on its attack die, then the beam of light is assumed to have struck the target, but been deflected by armor, a shield, or some other object on the target’s person (if possible). DMs should determine at random what has been hit, taking into account relative sizes and positions of objects.

should we keep this at all? Would it work something like the “grenade-like missile” chart in the DMG?

Any flammable object (such as a wooden shield or padded armor) hit by the light ray must roll a successful saving throw vs. magical fire (see DMG page 39) or instantly ignite. Persons wearing clothing that bursts into flames suffer 1d4 points of damage each round until they can extinguish the fire or remove the burning garb. Objects (such as lanterns) that contain very flammable materials may actually explode (10% chance), doing damage as the DM sees fit.

add this to the light ray, of course:

The light ray sets fire to combustibles and damages objects struck. It can melt metals with low melting points, such as lead, gold, copper, silver, and bronze. (do we need any more info here?)

In addition to its light powers, the crystalmist is immune to a number of spells. It cannot be affected by sleep, charm, illusion, or other mind-altering spells.

immune to mind-affecting good enough eh?

If the crystalmist is fighting in the presence of a bright light source (such as a continual light spell), the damage done by its beam is doubled to 2d6 points.

add a line about double damage?

When a crystalmist suffers 10 points of damage, it fragments into its individual components. Each point of damage inflicted upon the community destroys one individual (thus 12 points of damage means the community fragments into its 38 remaining individuals). The remaining individuals cannot form another community for five rounds.

how about:

Hive Mind (Ex): Any crystalmist swarm with at least 1 hit point per Hit Dice (or 8 hit points, for a standard crystalmist swarm) forms a hive mind, giving it an Intelligence of 1. When a crystalmist swarm is reduced below this hit point threshold, it becomes mindless.

When a crystalmist swarm suffers 10 points of damage, it fragments into its individual components. The remaining individuals cannot form another swarm for five rounds while they regroup. Forming into a new swarm is a full-round action, and the swarm loses its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class in that round.

 

[Shade]

me too, but i have one question... can swarms use a ranged touch attack?

Currently, there does not appear to be a precedent for a swarm making any type of attack other than a swarm attack, which doesn't require an attack roll. However, some do have ranged spells or spell-like abilities, so I don't see why a ray attack would be an exception.

full round action? see below!

Looking below.

copied from lantern archon:

Light Ray (Ex): A crystalmist swarm’s light rays have a range of 20 feet.

Cool.

should we keep this at all? Would it work something like the “grenade-like missile” chart in the DMG?

My instincts say to get rid of it, put it would be challenging to write this effectively, so I'm up for either.

add this to the light ray, of course:

The light ray sets fire to combustibles and damages objects struck. It can melt metals with low melting points, such as lead, gold, copper, silver, and bronze. (do we need any more info here?)

I'd vote for less info (lose the melting point business; fireball used to have it and no longer does).

immune to mind-affecting good enough eh?

Good enough for me.

add a line about double damage?

Sounds good.

how about:

Hive Mind (Ex): Any crystalmist swarm with at least 1 hit point per Hit Dice (or 8 hit points, for a standard crystalmist swarm) forms a hive mind, giving it an Intelligence of 1. When a crystalmist swarm is reduced below this hit point threshold, it becomes mindless.

When a crystalmist swarm suffers 10 points of damage, it fragments into its individual components. The remaining individuals cannot form another swarm for five rounds while they regroup. Forming into a new swarm is a full-round action, and the swarm loses its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class in that round.

Nice!