Converting World of Greyhawk monsters

[demiurge1138]

That skill spread works for me.

 

[freyar]

Those skills are fine with me, too. But for the record, I'm with Shade. I don't really see these as great hiders. The way the read-out-loud text sounds to me is that it's trying to hide behind a column but is pretty durn obvious. It's just fast. But this isn't a big deal.

 

[Cleon]

Alright...I surrender.

That organization works for me.

Which one, solitary or pack?

In honour of my semi-plagiaristic ditty I'd like to propose changing pack to family:

Organization: Solitary, pair or family (3-6)
​

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

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

Let's see, with its stats, +4 racial on Search & Spot and +8 racial on Hide that adds up to:

Skills: Hide +10, Listen +3, Move Silently +7, Search +5, Spot +7
​

Those look fine to me, let's make it so!

That only leaves Challenge Rating, doesn't it? I'm thinking somewhere in the region of 6-7. They're mean up close but can't hurt you from a distance. I'm often uncertain about CRs, what do you fine persons think?

 

[freyar]

I'm thinking CR 7. It's about as good as a CR 6 tendriculos, but I think the critical and all-around vision bump it.

 

[Cleon]

I'm thinking CR 7. It's about as good as a CR 6 tendriculos, but I think the critical and all-around vision bump it.

Yes, I think I'll agree. The CR6 chain devil and babau demon eyeball as about equal in lethality to the Quickbiter, but I suspect that's more a sign that those fiends are undervalued challenge rating wise.

Comparing it with the CR6 Annis, Girallon, Megaraptor and Shambling Mound it may not have quite the raw damage capacity, but its nasty special attack hands it an advantage.

It looks to me like it's equivalent in nastiness to a CR7 Chull.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to mention Cleon's "etheral amputator".

 

[freyar]

Looks good, is it done?

 

[Cleon]

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to mention Cleon's "etheral amputator".

Fame at last!

Looks good, is it done?

Almost. There's a typo mispelling of "ethereal jaunt" as "etheral jaunt".
Also, shouldn't it be something like "A severed hand make it impossible for the subject to use objects in that hand or cast spells with somatic components." in the Sever Limb writeup? Presumably their other hand still works alright.

Apart from that I think it's good to go.

 

[Shade]

Nice catches. Fixed.

Since we've exceeded the 1,000 post count, time to close this thread and start part two to avoid crashing the servers.

 

[Cleon]

Nice catches. Fixed.

Since we've exceeded the 1,000 post count, time to close this thread and start part two to avoid crashing the servers.

Right, I'll just offer this little charmer to bite off this thread. I couldn't help statting up the truth that lies behind the "fireside tales" those adventurer's tell...

Ethereal Decapitator
Large Magical Beast (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 13d10+52 (136 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +8 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +13/+23
Attack: Bite +18 melee (2d6+9/18-20/×3)
Full Attack: Bite +18 melee (2d6+9/18-20/×3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Augmented critical, penetrating bite, severing bite
Special Qualities: All-around vision, damage reduction 10/magic, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fear, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +11, Will +6
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 17, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 9
Skills: Hide +11, Listen +5, Move Silently +8, Search +5, Spot +10
Feats: Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative (B) , Improved Sunder, Mobility* (B) , Power Attack, Spring Attack* (B)
Environment: Ethereal Plane
Organization: Solitary, pair or family (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 14–20 HD (Large); 21–30 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —

A strange creature built like an upright lizard; at the end of its tail is a cluster of inhuman eyes and where its head should be is a large mouth with numerous rows of sharp metal teeth.

A typical ethereal decapitator stands 8 feet tall and is 14 feet long from nose to tail, it weighs about 700 pounds.

There is much debate as to whether these rare creatures are close relatives of the quickbiter, or quickbiters that have advanced to the next stage in their lifecycle. So far, no sage who has ventured to research the subject has lived to publish any discovery that answers this question.

Combat
Ethereal decapitators use their ethereal jaunt and Spring Attack feat to make bite-and-run attacks from the ethereal plane, leaping into the material world, biting one or more victims, then retreating into the ether to avoid counter-attacks. Its Great Cleave feat and decapitating bite may allow it to kill multiple opponents in one pass. Although just as bloodthirsty as quickbiters, they seldom battle to the death; ethereal decapitators escape to their home plane when badly hurt or wounded rather than continuing the fight.

All-Around Vision (Ex): Ethereal decapitators are exceptionally alert and circumspect. Their many eyes give them a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks, and they can't be flanked.

Augmented Critical (Ex)
An ethereal decapitator's bite threatens a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 18–20, dealing triple damage on a successful critical hit.

Ethereal Jaunt (Su)
An ethereal decapitator can shift from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane as a free action, and can shift back again with a move action, which can include a standard move of 40 feet. The ability is otherwise identical with the ethereal jaunt spell (caster level 15th or the creature's Hit Dice, whichever is higher).

An ethereal decapitator gains the benefits of Mobility and Spring Attack as bonus feats when it uses its ethereal jaunt movement against opponents that lack such an advanced form of interdimensional travel.

Penetrating Bite (Ex)
A Large ethereal decapitator's bite attack ignores the first 15 points of hardness. A Huge ethereal decapitator's bite attack ignores the first 20 points of hardness.

Severing Bite (Su)
If an ethereal decapitator confirms a critical hit with its bite attack, the target must make a DC 22 Fortitude or the decapitator's bite severs a valuable piece of their anatomy. If the original attack roll was a natural 18 or 19 the victim loses an arm or leg (determined randomly) while a natural 20 means the ethereal decapitator bites their target's head off.

A victim who loses a leg falls prone and has its land speed reduced to 5 feet. A severed arm makes it impossible for the subject to use objects in that hand or cast spells with somatic components.

A severed head kills most creatures but some, such as many aberrations and all oozes, have no heads (in which case the ethereal decapitator just bites off a limb instead), and others, such as golems and undead creatures other than vampires, are not killed by the loss of their heads. Headless victims who can survive are usually rendered deaf, blind and dumb, the latter makes it impossible for the victim to cast spells with verbal components.

Ethereal decapitators can automatically swallow any limbs or heads they sever, provided the opponent is no larger than the decapitator, taking these body parts with them into the ethereal plane.

An ethereal decapitator with the Improved Critical feat (which most ethereal decapitators obtain at 15 or 18 hit dice) bites off limbs with a confirmed critical that rolls a natural 15-18, and decapitates its victim on a natural 19-20.

The save DC is Strength-based.

Skills
An ethereal decapitator has a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks.

Inspired by the Quickbiter, which originally appeared in Crypt of Lyzandred the Mad (1998).