Converting World of Greyhawk monsters

[freyar]

Yeah, improved grab + swallow whole. Those swallowing mechanics are pretty standard for 2e. Do we want to replace the acid damage with save or mold spores once swallowed?

Excellent idea!

Speaking of the mold spores, should we make those be a coughing effect plus a disease?

 

[Shade]

Updated, using the tendriculos's abilities as a framework.

Let's get working on the spores/spore cough.

We may be able to use the mu spore's similarly-named ability for inspiration...

Spore Cough (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds a mu spore can release a cloud of burrowing spores. This spore cough is treated as a 100-foot-cone breath weapon. The burrowing spores deal 20d8 points of damage to all creatures and structures in the area, or half damage to any creatures that make a Reflex save (DC 36). The DC is Charisma-based.

The closest thing I could find to coughing effects are the effects of smoke...

"A character who breathes heavy smoke must make a Fortitude save each round (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or spend that round choking and coughing. A character who chokes for 2 consecutive rounds takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage."

 

[demiurge1138]

Smoke, or dust of choking and coughing from the cursed magic items... they have similar mechanical effects.

 

[Shade]

Nice find. Here's the relevant bit...

Dust of Sneezing and Choking: This fine dust appears to be dust of appearance. If cast into the air, it causes those within a 20-foot spread to fall into fits of sneezing and coughing. Those failing a DC 15 Fortitude save take 2d6 points of Constitution damage immediately. In addition, those failing a second DC 15 Fortitude save 1 minute later are dealt 1d6 points of Constitution damage. Those who succeed on either saving throw are nonetheless disabled by choking (treat as stunned) for 5d4 rounds.

 

[demiurge1138]

Oh man, those mechanics aren't the same at all! The dust of... seems way too deadly, especially with the create spawn. We'd have multiplicative mold spores all over the map.

 

[Shade]

Three times per day, the mold wyrm can cough forth a cloud of greenish-gray spores. Any nonvegetable creature within a 30 x 30 foot area must make a successful saving throw vs. death magic or cough for ld4+2 rounds, suffering ld6 points of damage per round and incurring a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, and proficiency checks until the coughing stops. A slow, poison, neutralize poison, or cure disease applied during this time dispels the coughing fit and prevents the infection that would (otherwise follow. Victims who stop coughing without benefit of healing magic have incorporated the mold wyrm spores into their own bodies. This infection suspends all natural healing and causes victims to become ravenous. If they do not eat double their normal rations each day, they begin to waste away, losing 10% of their original hit points each day. Though slow poison, neutralize poison, or cure disease can remove the affliction instantly, infected characters become very protective of the "warmth" they feel growing within, refusing all magical healing and escaping at the earliest opportunity from any companions who try to cure them. After ld6+6 days of infection, the victim's skin sloughs away, revealing a gelatinous mass of grayish mold that has replaced his or her internal organs. This goo splashes down like a column of viscous water to form a scaly mold layer covering a 30-foot-diameter area. The victim is now a brand-new mold wyrm with one-fourth of such a creature's normal Hit Dice. The new wyrm must rest for 8 hours before it can assume its active form.

Even with a successful saving throw against the spore cough, any creature within the spore cloud's area of effect breathes in a whiff of the disruptive spores and coughs violently, suffering the same damage and action penalty as those who failed their saving throws, but for only 1 round. They do not, however, become infected with spores. Vegetable- and fungus-based creatures (such as fungus hulks) that fail their saving throws suffer 1d10 points of damage from invading spores, but no infection.

Here's a rough start...

Spore Cough (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds a mold wyrm can release a cloud of greenish-gray spores. This spore cough is treated as a 30-foot-cone breath weapon. Creatures in the area must make a Fortitude save each round (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or spend that round choking and coughing. A character who chokes for 2 or more consecutive rounds takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage each round. A character who chokes for 6 consecutive rounds stops choking as the spores have been incorporated into its body. At this point, the victim has become infected and...The save DC is Constitution-based.

 

[demiurge1138]

We should specify what "spends that round coughing and choking" entails. Can take no actions? Is nauseated? If the DC is Con based, it should be considerably more than 15.

 

[freyar]

I'd like to say staggered, except that has a standard cause. Con-based would make sense, though this might be one of those standardized DCs.

I can't say I like the 6 rounds coughing mechanic for infection, though I guess it could work. In any event, I think this infection should progress basically like a disease (maybe healing only magically?), probably doing Con damage and causing metamorphosis into a mold wyrm on death. What do you think?

 

[Shade]

We should specify what "spends that round coughing and choking" entails. Can take no actions? Is nauseated? If the DC is Con based, it should be considerably more than 15.

I borrowed that from smoke effects, and I'm assuming "take no actions", but we could state that explicitly. Good point on the DC.

I'd like to say staggered, except that has a standard cause. Con-based would make sense, though this might be one of those standardized DCs.

Nah, lets avoid standardized DCs. I lifted that from the smoke mechanics, which would make sense with a static DC, but I loathe static DCs for creature and character powers.

I can't say I like the 6 rounds coughing mechanic for infection, though I guess it could work. In any event, I think this infection should progress basically like a disease (maybe healing only magically?), probably doing Con damage and causing metamorphosis into a mold wyrm on death. What do you think?

I could see that. We should look at how they treat it for similar effects, like the red slaad's implantation.

 

[freyar]

Let's just say "takes no actions" for the coughing. Any other ideas for the infection? I guess I'd like to make it just a second save, independent of how many rounds you cough. What do you guys think?