D&D 3.x Creature Catalog 3.5 Overhaul Project

MM2 said:
PSIONIC ABILITY: 180 +2-24
Attack/Defense Modes:
B,E/F,G,I

Baku can become ethereal and travel in this mode. They can also travel astrally. They have the following psionic powers: 12th-level animal telepathy, 6th-level body control, body equilibrium, 12th-level fighter cell adjustment, 12th-level detection of good or evil, 12th level reduction, and shape alteration.

OK, first of all, you know how I am with giving preference to old things over more recent things, when they seem to make sense. ;) I think we should give a baku all attack/defense modes listed in the original description, as well as any other powers that translate over into 3.5 powers well enough.

B=mind thrust, E=psychic crush, F=mind blank, G=thought shield, I=intellect fortress

Animal Telepathy
Range: Special
Duration: Time of Concentration
Strength Point Cost: 1/round
Saving Throw: None

Area of Effect: 1" wide directional
Path
Explanation/Description: This discipline allows the possessor to communicate with various forms of living things, the type of animal life and the range determined by the level of mastery of the possessor. Animal telepathy allows clear communication but no command or influence beyond the possessor's own persuasiveness. The discipline operates as follows:
level of mastery * Range * Type of Animal Life which can be Communicated with
first * 6" + I"/level * mammals
third * 5" + I"/level * marsupials, et. al.
fifth * 3" + l"/level * avians
sixth * 2" + I"/level * reptiles
seventh * 1" + l"/level * amphibians
eighth * 1 "/level * fish and similar creatures
tenth * 2" + 1"/2levels * arachnids and myriapodae
twelfth * 1 " + 1 "/2 levels * "monsters"
fourteenth + * 1"/2 levels * plants

Search for creatures can be made at the rate of one path of area (1" width X range) per round.


Body control = adapt body
Body equilibrium = body equilibrium
Cell adjustment = body adjustment (in 1E, a 12th-level fighter healed 48 hp)
Detection of good or evil = ?
Reduction = compression?


Shape Alteration
Range: 0
Duration: Until again altered
Area of Effect: Individual
Strength Point Cost: Special
Saving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: The science of shape alteration closely resembles the magic-user spell, polymorph self. The reader is referred to that spell for informational purposes. By means of this discipline, the individual is able to alter his or her body size, form and composition to nearly any other, the garments and equipment he or she wears and carries being altered to conform to parts of the new body shape assumed. Note that shape alteration bestows the normal means of respiration and locomotion of the new form assumed, and strength proportionate to the size and characteristics, but no other characteristics peculiar to a certain life form are thus gained, i.e. assuming the shape of a red dragon does not allow the individual a fiery breath weapon. Note also that the new shape might preclude the use of weapons, spells, etc. The strength point cost for shape alteration is 3 points, plus any of the following additional costs:

Alteration - Strength Point Cost
each +/-1,000 g.p. weight equivalent in a body - 1/1,000 g.p. weight equivalent
vegetable material to animal material or vice versa* - 1/100 g.p. weight equivalent
mineral material to vegetable material or vice versa* - 2/100 g.p. weight equivalent
mineral material to animal material or vice versa* - 3/100 g.p. weight equivalent
*includes alteration of garments and equipment if any class exceeds 50 g.p. weight.

Example: The psionic individual wishes to make a shape alteration to become a red dragon. The individual is a fighter wearing/carrying 200 g.p. weight equivalent of vegetable material and 500 g.p. weight equivalent of mineral material. The latter add 19 points of psionic strength costs to the basic cost of 3, or 19 + 3 = 22. The dragon size desired is assumed to be about 5 tons, or 10,000 pounds, or 100,000 g.p. weight equivalent. This means that 100 psionic strength points ore required here, and the total cost for the whole alteration is 122 points. Assuming the individual has this strength, the equipment et al. would become parts of the dragon shape the armor scales, weapons claws, etc.
 

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For simplicity's sake, I'd make the animal telepathy a separate ability, stating that it works like teletpahy, but can even communicate with creatures that don't have a language or somesuch.

For alter shape, couldn't we simply add polymorph to its psi-like abilities?
 
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Detection of good or evil = once again, just add these spells to psi-like abilities list, or list them separately as a continuously active spell-like ability.

BOZ said:
Reduction = compression?

That should work.
 



and i forgot these: "Baku can become ethereal and travel in this mode. They can also travel astrally."

astral traveller as FMD suggested? what power do they have for etherealness?
 



A few more thoughts - sorry if I "go on" a bit!!

Boz said:
OK, first of all, you know how I am with giving preference to old things over more recent things, when they seem to make sense. I think we should give a baku all attack/defense modes listed in the original description, as well as any other powers that translate over into 3.5 powers well enough.
Whoops
Hadn't realise that we were giving preference to the oldest version!!! Otherwise I'd have converted that one instead of the newer one! Sorry - my bad! it must have been on one of the MANY pages of this thread that I skipped :uhoh:

Bits & Pieces
1. Yeap, I'd certainly agree with taking across the attack defence modes! Forgot about that one :o I'm not 100% sure about giving the "standard" baku ALL the powers that the original description details - I mean, it does kind of infer that not ALL baku have these capabilities.
2. Question: Where do the descriptions of "Animal telepathy" & "Shape alteration" come from? My minds melting tonight & I can't remember :confused:
3. How do you propose to cope with translating the original "pool of power points" plus "psionic powers"? I can well understand you not wanting to take the Elder Brain/Solar route - this is after all not a creature as "legendary" as these two!
4. However, to not give it a pool of power points to "run" these abilities ("psionic abilities" rather than "psi-like abilities"?) does rather seem to limit the creature - but on the other hand making them all "at will" does seem to give it an advantage that it didn't have in the original write up!
5. May be it would (on reflection) be the most accurate conversion to actually treat it as able to manifest as a 12th level psion (or wilder?) & give it the power points it's stats & manifester level would indicate? - it's a tuff call, depends how close to the original one wishes to stick - "closer the better" in my books :)

Your call folks - just putting in my 5c worth!

Cheers - FMD
 


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