My next project (#5)!

[BOZ]

Hello!

If you do not know what this is about, don't ask; just go with the flow. I'm going to try to keep things brief, but still keep you all involved. This thread is about making sure a large series of monsters is in proper 3.5 format. I do not plan on spending a lot of time on each of them, and I will only be asking about things that I am not entirely sure of myself (which makes this very different from other "converting" threads) and doing the ones I can relatively be certain of on my own. This, hopefully, will allow me to retain enough free time to continue working on usual Creature Catalog business.

I will not be intentionally revealing the identity of each monster, thus the name will be replaced with a generic term such as THING or MONSTER, etc. If you are able to guess what it is and where it came from, good for you! Keep it to yourself though - I will neither confirm nor deny such guesses, and I'd prefer if you didn't try to tip people off. In fact, if you do, I will probably edit your post.

I will be posting each query by number (Query #1, #2, #3, etc) to keep things straight. When responding to a particular query, it would help if you listed which number you are referring to. If you see something you can give input to, jump right in and speak up.

Most of these queries will involve rules accuracy, language consistency, or both. Many of these creatures were originally in 3.0 format and need to be in 3.5 format now. For some, I will describe the creature and ask you to help me come up with a new name. Don't feel you have to solve a problem; giving me just a little hint may unblock whatever my mind needs to figure it out myself. If you need a little bit of information (type, size, ability scores, skills, feats, etc.) to help understand what I am looking for, ask and I may give it to you. Please do point out bad grammar, typos and other spelling mistakes, etc.

 

[BOZ]

#1
Large Giant
Hit Dice: 10d8+10 (55 hp)
Initiative: +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30-ft. (chainmail); base 40-ft. (6 Squares, 8
Squares)
Armour Class: 22 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +6 natural, +5
chainmail)
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+16
Attack: Falchion +12/+7 melee, mighty composite
longbow +10/+5 ranged or rock +11/+6 ranged
Full Attack: Falchion +12/+7 melee (2d6+7) or
mighty composite longbow (+5) +10/+5 ranged
(2d6+5) or rock +11/+6 ranged (2d6+5)
Space/Reach: 10-ft. (2)/10-ft. (2)
Special Attacks: Rock Throwing
Special Qualities: Rock Catching, Desert
Adaptation
Saves: Fort+10, Ref+2, Will+3
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 15,
Chal2
Skills: Climb +8, Craft (weaponsmithing or
armoursmithing) +5 or Handle Animal +7 or Survival
+8, Jump +8, Spot +9
Feats: Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Rapid
Shot
Environment: Warm desert, hills, plains and
mountains
Organisation: Solitary, family (2-4 plus 30% non-combatants), raiding party (6-9 plus one adept or sorcerer of ^^-5^ level plus 3-5 war chariots plus 6-10 dire lions, or tribe (31-40, plus 30% non-combatants, plus 0 to 7 war chariots each with 2-3 dire lions, plus 1-3 adepts or sorcerers of 1 st-6th level) Challenge Rating: 4 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually neutral evil Advancement: By character class
The GIANT are taller than humans, but are more rangy and lean than most of the heavily muscled giants of similar size. Almost all are blond, with a thick, shaggy mop of hair often caught up in a topknot, but little or no beard. Their eyes are silver-grey, glinting with hints of blues and greens. Other than having six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, and their great height, they resemble ordinary humans.
Most GIANT adults stand around 9-ft. tall and weigh 850 to 950 pounds. They are somewhat shorter-lived than humans, living up to at most 90 years old.
Though they are a savage and barbarous people, the GIANT are possessed of no mean smithing ability and are typically clad in mail armour and armed with great curved swords and powerful bows. The GIANT are said to be closely related to the nephilim, though without that people's intelligence and civilisation.
GIANT rarely carry their possessions in bags, unlike most other giants. Most of their wealth will be worn, in the form of gold or silver jewellery, especially tores, lunulas, pendants or other neck adornments (their name is said to mean 'those who wear necklaces'). Other items will be stored in the low clay or stone houses in which they live.
Lyombat
GIANT are extremely warlike and love to fight anyone available. If no enemies are nearby, they will often brawl among themselves, with squabbles over the most minor issues leading to fights to the death. GIANT prefer to engage foes from a distance to begin with, loosing massive arrows from their deadly longbows when those weapons are available or hurling rocks if not. When GIANT use thrown rocks, their range increment is 90-ft. The outsize composite longbows favoured by GIANT have a range increment of 130-ft..
Once within melee combat range, GIANT launch themselves at their opponents with all the savage speed and fury of panthers, dealing out great hacking blows and rib-splitting stabs. Often the initial attack will be a charge, but the GIANT are tactically aware, and if facing determined or experienced opponents, will take a step back to take advantage of the greater reach of their massive falchions. They are also highly courageous, and quite prepared to take risks if they see an advantage in so doing.
GIANT who are going raiding or are in defence of their tribe use war chariots, each pulled by a pair of dire lions.
Rock Throwing (Ex): Adult giants are accomplished rock throwers and receive a +1 racial bonus to attack rolls when throwing rocks. A giant of at least Large size can hurl rocks weighing 40 to 50 pounds each up to 5 range increments. The size of the range increment varies with the giant variety. A Huge giant can hurl rocks of 60 to 80 pounds. A Gargantuan giant can hurl rocks of 100 to 200 pounds, and a Colossal giant can hurl rocks of 300 pounds or more.
Rock Catching (Ex): A giant of at least Large size can catch most giant-hurled rocks (or projectiles of similar shape) thrown by giants or other creatures of up to one size category larger than the giant. Once per round, a giant that would normally be hit by a rock can catch it as a free action. The giant must be aware of the attack.
Desert Adaptation: GIANT have a +2 circumstance bonus to all Spot, Listen and Survival checks while in desert terrain, due to their long familiarity with such regions.

 

[demiurge1138]

More!

Give them Power Attack as their 4th feat, unless you'd prefer Improved Critical. What else needs doing?

Demiurge out.

 

[BOZ]

not sure; i haven't really looked at them yet. just got some new ones yesterday, but i figured i would get the ball rolling at least.

 

[Knight Otu]

Skills need some looking at.

By the way, Boz - how often do you check your PMs?

 

[demiurge1138]

This creature should have 13 skill points. It seems to have, however, 19. And I think that the Craft or Handle Animal or Survival be pared down or eliminated. Even when statblocks "cheat" skills like this in the MM, they do something like "any two Craft or Profession".

Demiurge out.

 

[Knight Otu]

Saves are completely wrong. They should be Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +4.

Melee Attacks should be +11/+6. Ranged Attacks should be +9/+4 (+10/+5 with rocks). Was the size penalty missed?

Add a [+3] behind the Dex bonus to AC, or otherwise indicate that it is reduced from the normal Dex bonus due to armor.

CR 4? Better look closely at that one later...

Is there supposed to be a parenthetical note for the Space/Reach entry? Or are the (2) scan corpses?

 

[BOZ]

expect a lot of errors in this next batch. although they were technically *supposed* to be 3.5, the editing was poor to say the least. i'll comment more in this thread sometime during the week.

By the way, Boz - how often do you check your PMs?

not often enough, apparently.

 

[demiurge1138]

Definately not CR 4. More like 6 or so.

Not really 3.5? Oh boy, looks like we're in for the long haul with this round...

Demiurge out.

 

[BOZ]

let's just say that the previous publisher declared them to be 3.5 compatible conversions of previously-appeared 3.0 monsters, without realizing that his editor was a douchebag that did little or no work (so i'm the guy who gets to do all the work that should have been done in the first place).