Knight Otu
First Post
Are you sure this is the right source? If so, it has gained wings during the conversion process. And yes, I think DR 15/magic should fit.
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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
D&D 3E/3.5 Creature Catalog 3.5 Overhaul Project
- Thread starter BOZ
- Start date
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
Knight Otu said:
no.
and that's the very reason this thread needs to rest for a little bit. in fact, since you mention it, i think whoever was converting it at the time (erica, maybe scott?) may have been using the MCA3 version and asked "does anyone know if there was an earlier source to credit" and i may have said Dragon #54. so, when i can locate and scan the MC Annual version (moving is so damned chaotic) we can pick this thread back up.
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
OK, the first step towards getting this thread back on track is to get the MCA3 stats posted so we can compare and move on. i have been entirely too lazy about that, even when i had the time to work on it. so, here they finally are. now, i need input: should we 1.) merge the two set of stats/information into one conversion, 2.) use only the older stuff from Dragon mag, or 3.) use only the newer stuff below?
Jabberwock
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Forest
FREQUENCY: Unique?
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Semi- (4)
TREASURE: Incidental
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -10
MOVEMENT: 15, fly 15 (C)
HIT DICE: 15 (99 hp)
THAC0: 5
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3d10
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Burble, eyebeams, fear aura, grasp, flurry attack
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to non-vorpal weapons
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%
SIZE: G (30‘ body, 25’ tail)
MORALE: Fearless (20)
XP VALUE: 25,000
The jabberwock is a curious creature found only in dense, virgin forests. In appearance it resembles a dragon in it general outlines but lacks a breath weapon or any treasure-hoarding instinct. It is, however, fiercely territorial and attempts to slay and devour any intruders it finds prowling about in its woods.
Due to the creature‘s burble attack (described below), accurate descriptions of the jabberwock are difficult to come by, as dazed survivors often retain only a confused impression of parts and not the whole. However, the sage Ludovicus Humphrey made a careful study of the beast before his untimely demise on a recent research trip and reported that it has a stout draconian torso with sturdy hind legs, long forearms each ending in four feathery talons (each talon being some four feet long and fully prehensile), a long sinuous neck ending in an enormous head, a pair of elegant wings, and a long thin tail. The creature can rear up on its hind legs and actually take a few steps in biped fashion if the need occurs (say, to retrieve a quarry who has climbed a tree), beating its wings for balance. It can fly but rarely does, as it prefers to keep to the shelter of the trees. The baleful yellow eyes have red pupils and actually emit beams of light - said to be an unnerving sight when spotted approaching in a dark forest. Moss fills the tiny cracks between its scales, and it’s possible that the “feathery” appendages hanging from its claws are actually parasitic growths similar to Spanish moss. The scales themselves are tawny, the color of tarnished gold (if gold could tarnish), darkening to brown at the extremities (the wings and claws).
Combat: The jabberwock is a fearsome opponent, more for its relentlessness pursuit of a target than any other factor. Once a jabberwock has chosen a target, it concentrates all its attacks on him or her (or it) until the victim is killed (and devoured), until the jabberwock itself is slain (a very unlikely event), or until the target escapes via teleportation or some similar means. Note that like true dragons the jabberwock has exceptionally keen senses and can detect invisible or hidden opponents; so long as the chosen target remains within its forest, the jabberwock will pursue it.
The jabberwock’s preferred method of attack is a straight-forward bite with its huge front teeth; its snaky neck enables its head to dart out and attack targets a surprising distance away. However, it has several special attacks which make its task easier and the victim’s life harder (and, often, shorter). First, it constantly mutters or burbles to itself - a low, rumbling bubbling sound that carries up to 200 feet. Anyone who hears this sound must make a saving throw vs. spell at a 4 penalty or become confused. A jabberwock’s confusion is more potent than the wizard spell of the same name, lasting as long as the victim is within range and able to hear the noise; in addition, it distorts perception, causing hallucinations and strangely skewed judgment of distance: objects, or parts of objects, may appear much closer or further away than they actually are (this translates into a -3 penalty on the attack roll of anyone suffering from this confused warping of depth perception). A curious side effect of the burble is that it acts as a sort of babble spell (a reversed tongues): the victim’s words slide, shift, and blend, producing odd hybrids that make communication very difficult.
In addition to its burble, the jabberwock also has several other special attacks. Its eye-beams act as the rays from a wand of paralysis, freezing in place any target who fails a saving throw vs. paralyzation. The jabberwock also shares the fear aura of true dragons. While its normal attack is a simple bite with its enormous incisors, it can also grasp prey in its great talons, holding a man-sized creature helplessly immobilized in either forepaw (it then gains a +2 bonus to bite a target so restrained - +4 if the victim is held by both forepaws). If seriously inconvenienced (that is, if attacked by a large party of well-armed and well-coordinated adventurers), it will go into a flurry of activity, striking out in all directions like a hurricane with swipes of its forepaw claws (1d10/ld10), wing buffets (2d10/2d10), hind leg stomps (2d6/2d6), bite (3d10), and tail lash (2d8). Each of these attacks is at a -2 penalty on the creature's attack roll; those struck must make a saving throw vs. paralysis or be knocked down or driven back (50% chance of either), enabling the jabberwock to refocus its attack.
The only effective means of attacking a jabberwock is with a vorpal weapon; its extremely tough scales repel all other blows (all non-vorpal weapons inflict only nonlethal subdual damage). Even its eyes - traditionally a vulnerable spot in armored creatures - are protected by tough semitransparent inner eyelids. Its superior magic resistance prevents most spells from being effective as well.
Habitat/Society: The jabberwock is a solitary creature that apparently treats all other beings it meets as prey. The only exceptions to this rule are druids, which the jabberwock ignores, and sylvan creatures such as dryads, treants, forest gnomes, and the like, who can sense its approach and discreetly withdraw in order to avoid a confrontation. It is generally believed that, like the tarrasque or phoenix, only one jabberwock exists at any one time; certainly only one will be encountered in any one forest. The sage Ludovicus Humphrey maintained that the jabberwock was created by the forest itself as a sort of genius foci, a manifestation of the woodland designed to protect it from intruders. In theory, then, more than one jabberwock could exist, each in its own primal forest, although no duplication has ever been recorded. It must be a large and ancient forest to manifest a jabberwock, which then acts as a sort of antibody to repel or destroy interlopers. Should the jabberwock be destroyed, it will reappear within a generation, either in the same forest (unless it has been too badly damaged in the interim by logging or settlement) or in a far-distant one. No immature jabberwock has ever been sighted, and the creature does not appear to age, although there are some indications that it continues to grow throughout its long life.
Ecology: Despite its unwavering ferocity, the jabberwock serves a very important function for the forest it inhabits. In essence, it is the woods' protector, its very presence serving to keep away most of those who would exploit or destroy the woodlands. It is doubtful that the jabberwock is aware of, or cares about, the purpose for which it was created; it simply fulfills that function by its sheer efficiency as a predator.
Jabberwock
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Forest
FREQUENCY: Unique?
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Semi- (4)
TREASURE: Incidental
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -10
MOVEMENT: 15, fly 15 (C)
HIT DICE: 15 (99 hp)
THAC0: 5
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3d10
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Burble, eyebeams, fear aura, grasp, flurry attack
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to non-vorpal weapons
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%
SIZE: G (30‘ body, 25’ tail)
MORALE: Fearless (20)
XP VALUE: 25,000
The jabberwock is a curious creature found only in dense, virgin forests. In appearance it resembles a dragon in it general outlines but lacks a breath weapon or any treasure-hoarding instinct. It is, however, fiercely territorial and attempts to slay and devour any intruders it finds prowling about in its woods.
Due to the creature‘s burble attack (described below), accurate descriptions of the jabberwock are difficult to come by, as dazed survivors often retain only a confused impression of parts and not the whole. However, the sage Ludovicus Humphrey made a careful study of the beast before his untimely demise on a recent research trip and reported that it has a stout draconian torso with sturdy hind legs, long forearms each ending in four feathery talons (each talon being some four feet long and fully prehensile), a long sinuous neck ending in an enormous head, a pair of elegant wings, and a long thin tail. The creature can rear up on its hind legs and actually take a few steps in biped fashion if the need occurs (say, to retrieve a quarry who has climbed a tree), beating its wings for balance. It can fly but rarely does, as it prefers to keep to the shelter of the trees. The baleful yellow eyes have red pupils and actually emit beams of light - said to be an unnerving sight when spotted approaching in a dark forest. Moss fills the tiny cracks between its scales, and it’s possible that the “feathery” appendages hanging from its claws are actually parasitic growths similar to Spanish moss. The scales themselves are tawny, the color of tarnished gold (if gold could tarnish), darkening to brown at the extremities (the wings and claws).
Combat: The jabberwock is a fearsome opponent, more for its relentlessness pursuit of a target than any other factor. Once a jabberwock has chosen a target, it concentrates all its attacks on him or her (or it) until the victim is killed (and devoured), until the jabberwock itself is slain (a very unlikely event), or until the target escapes via teleportation or some similar means. Note that like true dragons the jabberwock has exceptionally keen senses and can detect invisible or hidden opponents; so long as the chosen target remains within its forest, the jabberwock will pursue it.
The jabberwock’s preferred method of attack is a straight-forward bite with its huge front teeth; its snaky neck enables its head to dart out and attack targets a surprising distance away. However, it has several special attacks which make its task easier and the victim’s life harder (and, often, shorter). First, it constantly mutters or burbles to itself - a low, rumbling bubbling sound that carries up to 200 feet. Anyone who hears this sound must make a saving throw vs. spell at a 4 penalty or become confused. A jabberwock’s confusion is more potent than the wizard spell of the same name, lasting as long as the victim is within range and able to hear the noise; in addition, it distorts perception, causing hallucinations and strangely skewed judgment of distance: objects, or parts of objects, may appear much closer or further away than they actually are (this translates into a -3 penalty on the attack roll of anyone suffering from this confused warping of depth perception). A curious side effect of the burble is that it acts as a sort of babble spell (a reversed tongues): the victim’s words slide, shift, and blend, producing odd hybrids that make communication very difficult.
In addition to its burble, the jabberwock also has several other special attacks. Its eye-beams act as the rays from a wand of paralysis, freezing in place any target who fails a saving throw vs. paralyzation. The jabberwock also shares the fear aura of true dragons. While its normal attack is a simple bite with its enormous incisors, it can also grasp prey in its great talons, holding a man-sized creature helplessly immobilized in either forepaw (it then gains a +2 bonus to bite a target so restrained - +4 if the victim is held by both forepaws). If seriously inconvenienced (that is, if attacked by a large party of well-armed and well-coordinated adventurers), it will go into a flurry of activity, striking out in all directions like a hurricane with swipes of its forepaw claws (1d10/ld10), wing buffets (2d10/2d10), hind leg stomps (2d6/2d6), bite (3d10), and tail lash (2d8). Each of these attacks is at a -2 penalty on the creature's attack roll; those struck must make a saving throw vs. paralysis or be knocked down or driven back (50% chance of either), enabling the jabberwock to refocus its attack.
The only effective means of attacking a jabberwock is with a vorpal weapon; its extremely tough scales repel all other blows (all non-vorpal weapons inflict only nonlethal subdual damage). Even its eyes - traditionally a vulnerable spot in armored creatures - are protected by tough semitransparent inner eyelids. Its superior magic resistance prevents most spells from being effective as well.
Habitat/Society: The jabberwock is a solitary creature that apparently treats all other beings it meets as prey. The only exceptions to this rule are druids, which the jabberwock ignores, and sylvan creatures such as dryads, treants, forest gnomes, and the like, who can sense its approach and discreetly withdraw in order to avoid a confrontation. It is generally believed that, like the tarrasque or phoenix, only one jabberwock exists at any one time; certainly only one will be encountered in any one forest. The sage Ludovicus Humphrey maintained that the jabberwock was created by the forest itself as a sort of genius foci, a manifestation of the woodland designed to protect it from intruders. In theory, then, more than one jabberwock could exist, each in its own primal forest, although no duplication has ever been recorded. It must be a large and ancient forest to manifest a jabberwock, which then acts as a sort of antibody to repel or destroy interlopers. Should the jabberwock be destroyed, it will reappear within a generation, either in the same forest (unless it has been too badly damaged in the interim by logging or settlement) or in a far-distant one. No immature jabberwock has ever been sighted, and the creature does not appear to age, although there are some indications that it continues to grow throughout its long life.
Ecology: Despite its unwavering ferocity, the jabberwock serves a very important function for the forest it inhabits. In essence, it is the woods' protector, its very presence serving to keep away most of those who would exploit or destroy the woodlands. It is doubtful that the jabberwock is aware of, or cares about, the purpose for which it was created; it simply fulfills that function by its sheer efficiency as a predator.
Knight Otu
First Post
I don't see much of a point in combining the two versions. The Dragon stats seem a bit weaker. The only things that I can see are the "Surprised on a 1" and the tail attack. The MCA3 stats also mention the extraordinary senses of the jabberwock, so it would make sense to give it some bonus. Certainly lowlight vision, darkvision and blindsense, like true dragons have.
It also seems it could have an attack sequence much like true dragons, replacing the flurry of blows.
That one is interesting. We could go give it DR/magic and slashing, DR/vorpal, or regeneration that can be penetrated only by vorpal weapons.
Knight Otu
First Post
BOZMaster, you're confuzzling me.BOZ said:so then, shall we ditch the current version of the jabberwock found on the CC site which uses the older Dragon magazine version and redo the MCA3 version as a brand-new conversion? (we can do that on this thread, just this once)
The version in the CC is based on the MCA3 version, not the Dragon version (though the credits state otherwise). I'd say keep the current (MCA3) version, and add a few tidbits from the Dragon version, as I said above.
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
Oh no, I actually confuzzled myself. that’s what I get for having long gaps where I don’t work on something and come back to it later and forget some important details…
You’re right – I’m pretty sure I remember it was probably Erica that did the original conversion, in fact based on this here recently posted MCA3 version as you said. I remember bringing up the fact that it had previously appeared in Dragon #54, and so that was added on as the source in place of MCA3, while really having nothing to do with that older source at all. now that we have spent about 2 months going back and forth on this, let us just revise what we have already rather than starting over.
The new credits will read like so:
“Originally found in Monstrous Compendium Annual Three (1996). A different version of the Jabberwock was found in Dragon Magazine #54 (“Beware the Jabberwock,” October 1981, Mark Nuiver).”
We will not be involving ourselves with the older version of the jabberwock. but yes, we may add little bits from it as appropriate.
that’s what I get for having long gaps where I don’t work on something and come back to it later and forget some important details…You’re right – I’m pretty sure I remember it was probably Erica that did the original conversion, in fact based on this here recently posted MCA3 version as you said. I remember bringing up the fact that it had previously appeared in Dragon #54, and so that was added on as the source in place of MCA3, while really having nothing to do with that older source at all. now that we have spent about 2 months going back and forth on this, let us just revise what we have already rather than starting over.
The new credits will read like so:
“Originally found in Monstrous Compendium Annual Three (1996). A different version of the Jabberwock was found in Dragon Magazine #54 (“Beware the Jabberwock,” October 1981, Mark Nuiver).”
We will not be involving ourselves with the older version of the jabberwock.
but yes, we may add little bits from it as appropriate.
