Converting World of Greyhawk monsters

[Mortis]

I think this text from the Driving Attack feat in the PHBII is fairly close to the original intent:

There was bound to be something in one book or another

Driving Attack looks like it does the job, so something similar as a special ability then?

Regards
Mortis

 

[Shade]

How's this?

Devastating Charge (Ex): A manotaur typically begins a battle by charging at an opponent, lowering its head to bring its mighty horns into play. In addition to the normal benefits and hazards of a charge, this allows the beast to make a single gore attack with a +x attack bonus that deals X+X points of damage.

Additionally, if the manotaur succeeds on its attack, it can initiate a special bull rush attempt against the target. The bull rush uses its total bonus on damage rolls in place of its Strength modifier. The manotaur does not provoke an attack of opportunity with this bull rush, and cannot move forward with its opponent.

If the manotaur succeeds in pushing an opponent back 10 feet or more, it can reduce the distance pushed by 10 feet. In return, the foe falls prone in the square when he ends his movement. Note that by reducing the distance it pushes its opponent, the manotaur can have him fall prone in his current space.

 

[Mortis]

How's this?

Devastating Charge (Ex): A manotaur typically begins a battle by charging at an opponent, lowering its head to bring its mighty horns into play. In addition to the normal benefits and hazards of a charge, this allows the beast to make a single gore attack with a +x attack bonus that deals X+X points of damage.

Additionally, if the manotaur succeeds on its attack, it can initiate a special bull rush attempt against the target. The bull rush uses its total bonus on damage rolls in place of its Strength modifier. The manotaur does not provoke an attack of opportunity with this bull rush, and cannot move forward with its opponent.

If the manotaur succeeds in pushing an opponent back 10 feet or more, it can reduce the distance pushed by 10 feet. In return, the foe falls prone in the square when he ends his movement. Note that by reducing the distance it pushes its opponent, the manotaur can have him fall prone in his current space.

Looks good - it's beginning to remind me of a Tactical feat.

Regards
Mortis

 

[Shade]

Looks good - it's beginning to remind me of a Tactical feat.

Indeed!

 

[freyar]

Looks good - it's beginning to remind me of a Tactical feat.

Do you mean overpowered compared to a core feat? But I agree that it looks good for these guys.

 

[Shade]

A manotaur usually speaks its own language, as well as minotaur, ogre, and hill giant.

Since all the other creatures mentioned speak Giant, shall we stick with that as its sole language?

Because of its superior senses of smell and hearing, a manotaur is surprised only on a 1 in 10 chnce. Since manotaurs run with absolute silence through their woodland lairs, opponent surprise rolls are at a -3 penalty. A manotaur will typically charge if it surprises an opponent.

Alertness was suggested earlier. Minotaurs have a +4 racial bonus on Search, Spot, and Listen checks. Shall we retain that? Perhaps a bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks in forest terrain?

Manotaurs are intelligent opponents that rely upon brute force when battling smaller creatures and guile against well-armed foes. A common ploy by manotaurs is to surprise the opponent, deliver a single charge attack, then disappear into the forest. A manotaur repeats this tactic time and again, slowly wearing down the foe before closing for the kill.

Power Attack and Spring Attack?

Habitat/Society: Manotaurs are evil by nature, hating all good things. Their lairs are usually overgrown, desolate forests, in which they gallop to and fro, beating out a series of twisted interlocking paths with their hooves. These paths are known only to the manotaur who lives there: Any creature attempting to follow the paths in a manotaur forest is 75% likely to become disoriented and unable to find its way back out of the forest. A person trapped in a manotaur forest has only a 10% chance per day of finding his way out without magical aid. At seemingly random points, the forest's paths straighten out for as much as 30 feet at a time. This is where the manotaur will wait, timing his charge to hit just as the victim rounds the bend and steps onto the straightened path.

Hmmm...some variation of the maze spell?

Should we use this (or modify it)?

Natural Cunning (Ex): Although minotaurs are not especially intelligent, they possess innate cunning and logical ability. This gives them immunity to maze spells, prevents them from ever becoming lost, and enables them to track enemies. Further, they are never caught flat-footed.

The personalities of manotaurs vary widely; some guard their forest jealously, killing all who dare enter. Others fill the woodland with wicked creatures, such as giant spiders, orcs, and even an occasional ogre or two. They use these creatures to spread terror through the forest and as spies in the outside world.

A manotaur colt is born with 2 Hit Dice. The colt remains with its father until it reaches 5 Hit Dice. At that point it is driven out of the forest. A manotaur colt that reenters its father's forest is immediately slain.

Ecology: Manotaurs hunt sylvan creatures (brownies, sprites, elves, and the like). They hate unicorns and can sense them anywhere in their forests. The only time two manotaurs will cooperate is to track down and destroy a unicorn.

Eh?

Organization: Solitary, pair (manotaur and noncombatant colt), unicorn-hunting party (2), wickedness (manotaur plus 1-2 ogres, X Large monstrous spiders, and X orcs)

 

[freyar]

Since all the other creatures mentioned speak Giant, shall we stick with that as its sole language?

Sure.

Alertness was suggested earlier. Minotaurs have a +4 racial bonus on Search, Spot, and Listen checks. Shall we retain that? Perhaps a bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks in forest terrain?

Let's drop Alertness and go with the racial bonus like the minotaur. The Hide and Move Silently bonuses are ok too.

Power Attack and Spring Attack?

Makes sense.

Hmmm...some variation of the maze spell?

Should we use this (or modify it)?

Natural Cunning (Ex): Although minotaurs are not especially intelligent, they possess innate cunning and logical ability. This gives them immunity to maze spells, prevents them from ever becoming lost, and enables them to track enemies. Further, they are never caught flat-footed.

Essentially giving it maze as an SLA with some restriction to the area near its lair might work. I think Natural Cunning then makes a lot of sense, especially since manotaurs are definitely related to minotaurs.

Organization: Solitary, pair (manotaur and noncombatant colt), unicorn-hunting party (2), wickedness (manotaur plus 1-2 ogres, X Large monstrous spiders, and X orcs)

Looks pretty good. Maybe 1d4 spiders and 1d6 orcs?

 

[Mortis]

Since all the other creatures mentioned speak Giant, shall we stick with that as its sole language?

Yes

Alertness was suggested earlier. Minotaurs have a +4 racial bonus on Search, Spot, and Listen checks. Shall we retain that? Perhaps a bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks in forest terrain?

No problems with any of that.

A common ploy by manotaurs is to surprise the opponent, deliver a single charge attack, then disappear into the forest.

Power Attack and Spring Attack?

There's one problem with employing Spring Attack with a charge - you can't
Spring Attack is part of the attack action whereas a charge is special full round action so you can't combine the two AFAIK.

We would also have to give the manotaur Dodge and Mobility to qualify for Spring Attack unless we grant it as a bonus feat.

IMO Ride-by Attack works better as it works as part of the charge action. We would still have to make it a bonus feat as the manotaur will not meet the prereq's (ride 1 rank, mounted combat).

Essentially giving it maze as an SLA with some restriction to the area near its lair might work. I think Natural Cunning then makes a lot of sense, especially since manotaurs are definitely related to minotaurs.

Works for me.

Looks pretty good. Maybe 1d4 spiders and 1d6 orcs?

OK with me but i'd up the orcs to 2d6.

Regards
Mortis

 

[Shade]

Here's the text from the maze spell:

You banish the subject into an extradimensional labyrinth of force planes. Each round on its turn, it may attempt a DC 20 Intelligence check to escape the labyrinth as a full-round action. If the subject doesn’t escape, the maze disappears after 10 minutes, forcing the subject to leave.

On escaping or leaving the maze, the subject reappears where it had been when the maze spell was cast. If this location is filled with a solid object, the subject appears in the nearest open space. Spells and abilities that move a creature within a plane, such as teleport and dimension door, do not help a creature escape a maze spell, although a plane shift spell allows it to exit to whatever plane is designated in that spell. Minotaurs are not affected by this spell.

I think we should rewrite it so that rather than going to an extradimensional place, it occurs within the actual forest. In that case, perhaps teleport and dim door are acceptable?

We may be able to modify this ability to allow the manotaur to use the Ride-By Attack feat...

Cavalry Charge (Ex): An armanite is considered to be mounted for determining the effects of charge attacks with lances. An armanite gains a +4 bonus on attack rolls when charging with a lance and does not take a penalty to Armor Class as a result of its charge.

 

[freyar]

I think we should rewrite it so that rather than going to an extradimensional place, it occurs within the actual forest. In that case, perhaps teleport and dim door are acceptable?

Sounds good.

We may be able to modify this ability to allow the manotaur to use the Ride-By Attack feat...

Cavalry Charge (Ex): An armanite is considered to be mounted for determining the effects of charge attacks with lances. An armanite gains a +4 bonus on attack rolls when charging with a lance and does not take a penalty to Armor Class as a result of its charge.

Why not just add that a manotaur is considered mounted when making its devastating charge (along these lines)? Or something like

Naturally Mounted (Ex): A manotaur is considered to have X ranks in the Ride skill and to have the Mounted Combat feat (and others?) for the purposes of determining feat prerequisites.