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.
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.
I'll call it A Farewell To Limbs.
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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Cleon
Hero
Training a Quickbiter...It'll cost you an arm and a leg.
10 improving to 15 sounds good.
Give that man a hand, there will be plenty of them lying about.
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.
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."Hey, Krusk, didn't you have two arms?"
Cleon
Hero
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
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.
Shade
Monster Junkie
I'll fix the hardness bit.
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).
It's more the "giving its targets a -2 penalty to surprise rolls" bit in the room description.
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
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.
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.
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
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.They're bitey and they're meanie.
They're altogether nasty.
They're the Quickbiter family.
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.
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