Converting World of Greyhawk monsters

[Echohawk]

Mossmutter is looking good (although I'm not the best person to ask to check the detailed maths). Does the DC increase from effective HD mean that the False Keraptis template doesn't need to be fixed to deal with higher DCs after all?

One change to Mossmutter's hierarchical mind is that it can't transfer if Mossmutter dies: "If Mossmutter dies, so too does his hierarchical mind. Any remaining skin puppets immediately split and burst, forming new, quarter-strength, passive-state mold wyrms. (Because of Mossmutter's unique inception, none of his subsumed minds have the capacity to contain his fungoid consciousness.)"

For the tactics section, this text might be useful:

Melee Tactics
If the PCs have encountered any group of skin puppets prior to entering this chamber, Mossmutter has already summoned the other two groups (6d4+12 skin puppets) to his side as backup for the six who always work here. If the heroes bypassed all three skin puppet rings, the False Keraptis mobilizes them as soon as the party arrives. All 9d4+18 skin puppets begin moving to this chamber, arriving at a rate of six per round, beginning 3 rounds after Mossmutter notices the characters.
The False Keraptis can bend his gray, scaly length with ease to position his mouth anywhere within a 50-foot-radius of his base. He uses his rows of gnashing
teeth to bite opponents or coughs his spores over a group of foes. Meanwhile, Saprophis engages the nearest fighter with Frostrazor, the fungus hulk attacks any
convenient foe with its horrible violet-dripping claws, and the six skin puppets initially in the chamber attack physically. As more skin puppets arrive, three from each
group of six find a relatively safe location and channel spells for Mossmutter while the other three wade into melee. Note that Saprophis will not attack his brother Thallo under any circumstances, but Mossmutter is more than willing to cough on the gnome and infect him with spores.

Drat. I've just discovered that Mossmutter is larger than we thought. He is described as a "50-foot-tall, 10-foot-diameter tower" that is rooted to the ground. Would that mean he is larger than Huge?

 

[freyar]

Mossmutter is looking good (although I'm not the best person to ask to check the detailed maths). Does the DC increase from effective HD mean that the False Keraptis template doesn't need to be fixed to deal with higher DCs after all?

Well, I wanted to fix the caster level in the false K template, which (oddly enough) doesn't have anything to do with DC, really.

One change to Mossmutter's hierarchical mind is that it can't transfer if Mossmutter dies: "If Mossmutter dies, so too does his hierarchical mind. Any remaining skin puppets immediately split and burst, forming new, quarter-strength, passive-state mold wyrms. (Because of Mossmutter's unique inception, none of his subsumed minds have the capacity to contain his fungoid consciousness.)"

I'll add that and something similar for tactics.

Drat. I've just discovered that Mossmutter is larger than we thought. He is described as a "50-foot-tall, 10-foot-diameter tower" that is rooted to the ground. Would that mean he is larger than Huge?

Sounds Gargantuan to me. I guess we should advance him; ironically, the lowest HD Gargantuan mold wyrm in our conversion is 17HD! I'll see if I can get to that later today.

By rooted to the ground, you mean he can't move around? He just gets more and more complicated!

 

[Echohawk]

By rooted to the ground, you mean he can't move around? He just gets more and more complicated!

Apparently so, yes. It seems that in the battle with Mossmutter in RtWPM, Mossmutter relies heavily on his minions, seemingly including at least one gnome that hasn't been subsumed but whom Mossmutter has some sort of telepathic communication with which doesn't seem to be entirely explained by the mechanics of either moldwyms or the False Keraptis template. I'll investigate this in more detail a little later today.

 

[freyar]

I think Mossmutter has reached the pinnacle of exception-based design! I'll try to advance him and cut his movement rate down (if I get a chance today). Unless the telepathy is really important, I may be inclined to ignore that part. Anyway, with luck, we can have him done when Shade gets back.

 

[freyar]

I think I've got him advanced, but I need to rejigger the text and special abilities.

 

[Shade]

Lookin' good!

 

[freyar]

Heheh, we tried to get a lot done. It's a big chunk to go back and read, so I'll try to write up a summary for you in a bit.

Edit: Summary here!
Subsumed Mind template
Adjust CR of false K template upwards for extra Subsumed Minds
Add Int +2 to the false K template to go with the Cha boost
In Hierarchical Mind, also increase CL of SLAs by 1 for every 10 Subsumed Minds
Mossmutter (not quite done).

Echohawk, was there anything else we wanted to change about the false K template?

 

[Echohawk]

Without re-reading the thread, I vaguely recall suggesting that a False Keraptis which subsumes a creature with more than 20HD should probably transfer the seat of the Heirarchical Mind to the new mind.

I haven't yet checked on Mossmutter's mobility. I'll do that now.

 

[Echohawk]

Um, by "checked on Mossmutter's mobility" I mean "checked on Mossmutter's telepathy".

Mossmutter does indeed seem to have the ability to see through the eyes of his gnomish servant Saprophis as well as communicate with him telepathically. Saprophis is quite specifically not a subsumed mind, so quite how Mossmutter is able to communicate with the gnome doesn't seem to be explained anywhere. There is also no reason given as to why the gnome has decided to obediently serve a mysteriously-telephathic delusion mold wyrm...

I think this aspect of Mossmutter can probably be safely ignored.

On the plus side, Saprophis is carrying Mossmutter's weapon McGuffin (Frostrazor the Unneccessarily Complicated) so at least we don't need to worry about converting that in order to finish Mossmutter

 

[freyar]

Without re-reading the thread, I vaguely recall suggesting that a False Keraptis which subsumes a creature with more than 20HD should probably transfer the seat of the Heirarchical Mind to the new mind.

I did write this into the Subsumed Mind template, I think, when noting that creatures of more than 20HD can't become Subsumed Minds.

Um, by "checked on Mossmutter's mobility" I mean "checked on Mossmutter's telepathy".

Mossmutter does indeed seem to have the ability to see through the eyes of his gnomish servant Saprophis as well as communicate with him telepathically. Saprophis is quite specifically not a subsumed mind, so quite how Mossmutter is able to communicate with the gnome doesn't seem to be explained anywhere. There is also no reason given as to why the gnome has decided to obediently serve a mysteriously-telephathic delusion mold wyrm...

I think this aspect of Mossmutter can probably be safely ignored.

On the plus side, Saprophis is carrying Mossmutter's weapon McGuffin (Frostrazor the Unneccessarily Complicated) so at least we don't need to worry about converting that in order to finish Mossmutter

I'm all for ignoring all this!

I'm going to check a couple other threads, then go back and try to finish Mossmutter. I may need to wait until tonight to check his space/reach, though.