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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 6340091" data-attributes="member: 20323">[MENTION=10148]JEB[/MENTION] thanks for those handy conversion guides! I've decided to try my hand at converting an old 2e monster from Planescape, the <a href="http://www.lomion.de/cmm/astrsear.php" target="_blank">Astral Searcher</a>.<img src="http://dotd.com/planescape/ps_ms_002.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Right away there's a dilemma. The astral searcher has 2 HD (and so it should be worth about 35 XP), but instead it is valued at 175 XP! What gives?Well, there a three potent characteristics of the monster:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">It can only be hit by +1 or better weapons and it has 50% magic resistance. It also seems to be implied that they're incorporeal.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Its ghostly claws are touch attacks that bypass armor, treating all targets as AC 5, yet strangely allowing the target to apply their Wisdom modifier to their AC against this attack.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">When it reduces you to 0 HP, it kills you outright and possesses your body.</li> </ol>Those are potent, so it makes sense it has a higher than normal XP value, but I'm thinking I can tone some of those down a bit and come up with a Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) or 1/2 (100 XP) monster.I'm thinking leaving it as a 2 HD monster (rather than upgrading it to 3) because it's meant to be a fragile tenuous being made of emotional echoes & because it already has the "+1 or better to hit" feature. Speaking of, I'll convert that to "resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magic weapons." I'll probably get rid of its 50% magic resistance altogether, since it's not an iconic feature like it is for the flame skull (which in 2e has 88% resistance and spell turning).Not sure yet how I'll handle it being incorporeal, or maybe the above sufficiently covers it. There were no rules in 2e for its incorporeality, but it was strongly suggested in the flavor.With its strange touch attack, I'm considering making it a melee attack that involves a Dexterity or Wisdom saving throw (target's choice to avoid or endure), rather than an attack versus AC. Still, the wraith attacks AC, so maybe the astral searcher should too? I'm thinking this is one of its main features so I shouldn't nix it altogether.As for it's possession ability, I'm thinking of modifying it so that it doesn't automatically kill when it redux you to 0 HP but rather puts the target's consciousness in a comatose state, which slowly deteriorates to death while possessed. I'm thinking the astral searcher can be expelled from the target with one of the restoration spells or a plot device, so there's a chance to save an ally who has been possessed by a searcher, which sounds like a great adventure hook.I'd like to get your critique on these ideas before I post the converted monster.</blockquote>

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