Converting World of Greyhawk monsters

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Cleon

Hero
I can get on board with Supernatural and random, but it should stick to Strength-based. Sure, the save DC is high, but critical hits aren't too difficult to divert at mid-levels (fortification armor immediately leaps to mind).

18-20/x3 is standard for augmented critical. :)

As you like, just remind your PCs to enjoy their limbs while they still have them.:devil:
EDIT: Now I'm tempted to rough out an adventure path were the PCs are fighting of an invasion of Quickbiters, and related extraplanar monsters, that are spilling through an interdimensional rift.

I'll call it A Farewell To Limbs.;)
Maybe 10?

10 was my original proposal, I thought about 15 (mithral teeth?) but didn't fancy the idea of it casually chewing its way through a wall of iron...

Then again, it would be worth it to see the look on the PCs faces.

Maybe a base of 10 and a Huge Quickbiter's teeth toughen to penetrate hardness 15?
 
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Shade

Monster Junkie
Training a Quickbiter...It'll cost you an arm and a leg. :p

10 improving to 15 sounds good.

Updated.

Make Ethereal Plane its home plane (since we've linked them to ethereal marauders)?
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
I don't think training these would be very easy. :eek:

Yes to the ethereal plane.

Feats look ok.

Racial bonus to Spot (+8?)? Maybe split ranks between Spot and Listen?
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
We could borrow the ethereal marauder's skill bonuses...

Skills: Ethereal marauders have a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Move Silently, and Spot checks.

SA bite acts as a sword of sharpness, +2 to initiative

Improved Inititative as bonus feat?
 


freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Agreed.

Ethereal marauder skill bonuses are ok, but I'd be even happier with a bigger bonus on Spot due to all the eyes on this thing. +2 on the others, +4 on Spot?
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
Look again (pardon the pun!) It already gets a a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks from all-around vision. ;)
 


Cleon

Hero
Training a Quickbiter...It'll cost you an arm and a leg. :p

10 improving to 15 sounds good.

Give that man a hand, there will be plenty of them lying about.:D

What I was proposing was "ignores hardness less than X", not "ignores the first X points of hardness". i.e. like an adamantine weapon, which ignores the hardness of steel (10) or mithral (15) but faces the full 20 hardness of other adamantine weapons.

Make Ethereal Plane its home plane (since we've linked them to ethereal marauders)?

The ethereal plane bit doesn't do much for me, but leave it in if you like.

Although it does make me think about an Ethereal Amputator variant, a Quickbiter with ethereal jaunt...
Adventurers walking through a dungeon, something pops out of the ethereal plane and back again in a flash of movement.

"Hey, Krusk, didn't you have two arms?"
Still it could be worse, give it a vorpal bite and make an Ethereal Decapitator.:devil:
 

Cleon

Hero
True enough! Ok, very good.

Did we decide on ranks?

Not yet, no.

I still say it needs a racial bonus to Hide so it can ambush effectively.

Skills: A Quickbiter has a +8 racial bonus to Hide and a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search check.

13 Skill points

How about:

Jump - 0 ranks + 6Str + 4 speed = Jump +10
Hide - 4 ranks + 2Dex + 8 racial - 4 size = Hide +10
Listen - 5 ranks + 1Wis = Listen +6
Search - 0 ranks - 4Int + 4 racial = Search +0
Spot
- 4 ranks +1Wis + 4 racial = Spot +9

Skills: Jump +10, Hide +10, Listen +6, Search +0, Spot +9
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Ahh, sneaky on the hardness issue! I like what you're proposing better, too.

Those skills seem ok. Is the ambush bit because it's hiding in the room description? I kind of got the feeling it wasn't hiding too well if it's in the box text! ;)
 

Cleon

Hero
Those skills seem ok. Is the ambush bit because it's hiding in the room description? I kind of got the feeling it wasn't hiding too well if it's in the box text! ;)

It's more the "giving its targets a -2 penalty to surprise rolls" bit in the room description.:p
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
I'll fix the hardness bit. :)

It's more the "giving its targets a -2 penalty to surprise rolls" bit in the room description.:p

I took this more as the "quick" part of its name, not any skills at ambushing. It seems to just be waiting there, and is so swift that it "gets the jump" on those entering the area. Hence Improved Initiative as a bonus feat.

So I propose Listen, Move Silently, and Spot, like the Ethereal Marauder, although I'm fine with adding Jump (or even Tumble).
 

Cleon

Hero
I took this more as the "quick" part of its name, not any skills at ambushing. It seems to just be waiting there, and is so swift that it "gets the jump" on those entering the area. Hence Improved Initiative as a bonus feat.

Pardon? Surely surprise is mostly a matter of determining awareness, i.e. Hide/MS versus Spot/Listen. The Initiative bonus only affects what order it would act in a surprise round.

So I propose Listen, Move Silently, and Spot, like the Ethereal Marauder, although I'm fine with adding Jump (or even Tumble).

No Hide at all? Wouldn't that make it hard for them to surprise a foe.

Tumble's an interesting idea, although I'm not sure how well it fits my concept of its attack strategy, which is basically "all the biting, all the time". It would be useful if the Quickbiter likes to dash past the fighters to reach the soft, juicy characters in the back rows.
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
In past conversion guidelines, they suggested that a bonus to the creature's/penalty to others' initiative or surpise checks could be extrapolated as some combination of Improved Initiative and bonus on Listen/Spot checks.

I can live with Hide for these things, but I just don't really picture them doing so. They strike me more as pit bulls barking at the ends of their chains, just waiting to sink their teeth into anything that comes their way, then striking with blinding swiftness.

That's the beauty (and problem) with these abbreviated statblock creatures that only appear in modules...much is left open to interpretation. :)
 

Cleon

Hero
That's the beauty (and problem) with these abbreviated statblock creatures that only appear in modules...much is left open to interpretation. :)

True enough. My stance is if in doubt, give the quickbiter both beanies - a good Hide and Improved Initiative as a bonus feat. That let's the DM have them follow either (or both!) paths to surprising their victims.
 

demiurge1138

Inventor of Super-Toast
Again, I agree with Cleon (that's really remarkable how often this is happening these days)--they're stealthy and springy, what with them hiding behind columns and things. A racial bonus to Hide strikes me as appropriate.
 

Cleon

Hero
Again, I agree with Cleon (that's really remarkable how often this is happening these days)--they're stealthy and springy, what with them hiding behind columns and things. A racial bonus to Hide strikes me as appropriate.
They're stealthy and they're springy.
They're bitey and they're meanie.
They're altogether nasty.
They're the Quickbiter family.
Sorry, it had to be done.:eek:

Anyhow that bring's us neatly to the subject of Organization. We've got nothing to go on here. The original example could have been living by itself or as part of a huge pack before it was snatched between the planes.

I feel it's probably a loner like an Ethereal Marauder [Organization: Solitary], although it may occasionally gather in mated pairs or small family packs like a Megaraptor [Organization: Solitary, pair or pack (3-6)]. You pays your money and you makes your choice.
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
Alright...I surrender. ;)

That organization works for me.

Getting back to skills, +8 racial bonus on Hide?

Hide 4, Listen 2, Move Silently 5, Spot 2?
 

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