Ruins of Myth Drannor conversions

[BOZ]

DREAD

Whatcha got for us next?

what's next? how about this little fella?

DREAD
Small Undead
Hit Dice: 3d12 (19 hp)
Initiative: +6 (Dex, Improved Initiative)
Speed: 15 ft, fly 40 ft (good), swim 20 ft
AC: 17 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural)
Attacks: Claw +3 melee; or masterwork longsword +4 melee
Damage: Claw 1d4+1; or masterwork longsword 1d8+2
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft
Special Qualities: Undead, half damage from slashing and piercing, immunities, blindsight, flight
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con ---, Int ---, Wis 10, Cha 12
Skills: Jump +5, Swim +5
Feats: Improved Initiative

Climate/Terrain: Any land, underground, and aquatic
Organization: Solitary or patrol (1-6)
Activity Cycle: Any
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4-9 HD (Small)

Dread are animated humanoid skeletal arms created to be guardians. Wizards and clerics may create these undead using magic that gives them a specific set of instructions on how and where to operate. They are often ordered to attack all intruders into an area that don’t present a particular badge or speak a set password. They exist only to serve their creator (even after the creator’s death) as guardians, or sometimes for other practical purposes, such as sparring partners or wizards’ laboratory assistants. Sometimes, they are created for families to guard a tomb or treasure vault, wielding magical or masterwork swords, as these mindless undead are more trustworthy than mercenaries.

COMBAT
Dread often wield weapons, such as scimitars or hand axes (they can carry up to 50 pounds of weight, and wield anything 10 feet or less in overall length). They can also use their sharpened fingertips as claws. They fly through the darkness, or hide in small spaces, positioning themselves to surprise opponents. They can also hurl rocks and thrown weapons (but are not coordinated enough to use bows or crossbows). They are often concealed among normal bones, where they lie in wait, and then use the bones as skulls as weapons (1d4 damage each, 50% chance to shatter on impact).
Dread can be turned like most undead, but are often found in areas where magic is used to prevent or weaken clerical turning. The magic used to create them allows them to regenerate all damage in time, healing at a rate of 2 hit points per day.
Undead: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, and disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage.
Half Damage From Piercing and Slashing (Ex): Piercing and slashing weapons deal only half damage to a dread, with a minimum of 1 point of damage.
Immunities (Ex): Dread are immune to cold, polymorph, hold spells, and shatter and disintegrate spells and effects.
Flight (Su): The magic that creates a dread allows it to fly as the spell, as a free action, at a speed of 40 feet. This magic also grants it a permanent feather fall effect with personal range.
Skills: Dread receive a +4 racial bonus to Jump and Swim checks.

VAMPIRIC DREAD
Certain specimens of dread have been enspelled in a way that requires them to slay a living creature at least once a year. When such a dread hits with a claw attack, half of the hit points (rounding down) caused by the attack are transferred to the dread. Any hit points above the dread’s normal hit point total are bonus hit points, and remain with the dread until they fade away at a rate of one hit point per ten days. If a whole year passes before a vampiric dread is able to kill a living being, it will crumble into dust.

The dread first appeared in the Ruins of Myth Drannor boxed set, then in the Monstrous Compendium Annual One.

Edit: added the flight ability, fixed some minor errors.

 

[BOZ]

Great Wyrm Force Dragon (an epic level creature)

ee-gads, that's a horrible name! i hope the rest of the epic creatures are a bit more inspired than that.

 

[Krishnath]

Dread and the Electrum Dragon, my, my, arent *I* the lucky one Well I have never heard of the Dread before, but it looks like a lot of fun...

 

[qstor]

shouldn't the dread be given some "flight" ability like the beholder? Since they are in effect floating arms?


Mike

 

[BOZ]

good idea.

 

[BOZ]

LYTHLYX

any suggestions on how to convert the psionics into "spell-like ability" psionics are more than welcome.

LYTHLYX
Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 5d8+20 (42 hp)
Initiative: +8 (Dex, Improved Initiative)
Speed: 15 ft, fly 30 ft (perfect), swim 20 ft
AC: 23 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +10 natural)
Attacks: Body whip +8 melee; or 20 bites +8 melee
Damage: Body whip 2d6+9; or bite (drain blood)
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 10 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Improved grab, constrict, drain blood, psionics
Special Qualities: Immunities, darkvision 90 ft
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 19, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 13
Skills: Listen +11, Swim +14, Spot +11
Feats: Improved Initiative

Climate/Terrain: Any land, underground, and aquatic
Organization: Solitary or group (3-18)
Activity Cycle: Any
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Large); 11-15 HD (Huge)

Lythlyx are bizarre creatures of unknown origin, who seem to have no purpose in life but to continue their strange dance. These eel-like creatures, also known as "spirals", are always seen dancing in mid-air or underwater. This dance makes them look like spinning, rotating corkscrews or springs. This dance continues for years on end in one spot, almost always in a remote area.
Lythlyx have long, worm-like bodies, between 14 - 21 feet in length, and about as thick as a human thigh. Their rubbery skin is flexible, as it needs to flatten and twist to permit the creature's movement through air and water. This flesh is mottled green and black, and excretes an oil that is useful to make certain magical inks. They do not seem to have a distinct head or eyes, but are able to see with normal darkvision from numerous sensitive areas located all over their bodies.
Lythlyx do not speak, or attempt to communicate with other intelligent creatures. They seem to live for centuries, spending most of that time spinning in the same spot in an unending dance.

COMBAT
These creatures are decidedly aggressive, but appear to attack at whim. When they choose an appropriate target, they attack by whipping with the length of their bodies. They can move with lightning speed, dropping their coils around one or more victims, either to constrict or drain blood. It can only use one or the other of these attacks per round on a grappled victim, but the same attack can be used on multiple victims. They will usually only use psionics if badly wounded, if facing considerably more powerful opponents, or if anything else is using psionics within 90 feet of them. They fight to the death if cornered.
Lythlyx are never grounded by choice, and will thrash about violently if forced to the ground. As they spin in the air, they can revolve a full 360 turn about 50 times in a normal round and can hover with no effort. They can dive at twice their normal flight speed, gaining momentum and steering with almost perfect accuracy. Lythlyx can only be stopped from spinning if paralyzed, which will cause them to fall to the ground, helpless. Air resistance will turn and thereby slow the creature, so that it takes only 1 hit point of damage for every 10 feet fallen when it hits the ground.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the lythlyx must hit with its body whip attack. If it gets a hold, it can either constrict or drain blood, but not both. The lythlyx may grab up to two Large, four Medium-Size, or eight Small or smaller creatures, once per round.
Constrict (Ex): A lythlyx deals 3d6 points of damage with a successful grapple check against all creatures held in its body, per round.
Blood Drain (Ex): A lythlyx may use any or all of its 20 mouths to try to drain blood from living creatures trapped in its coils. Up to six mouths may attack a single victim (four mouths for Small or smaller creatures), dealing 1d4 points of blood drain on a successful bite.
When a lythlyx has drained twice as many hit points worth of blood as its own maximum hit point value, it becomes satiated and moves away from its victims. Within two rounds, this drained blood is converted into energy with which the lythlyx may heal itself. This energy allows the lythlyx to regain 1 hit point per 4 hit points worth of blood, though it does not permit “bonus” extra hit points. Once the blood has been converted into energy, the lythlyx may resume draining blood. Lythlyx often explode when killed violently, spraying blood over everything nearby.
Psionics (Sp): At will – body equilibrium, control flames, control object, control sound, create sound, major creation, matter agitation, suspend life, telempathic projection, teleport, and teleport trigger. (also, summon plant creature? - psychoportation) These abilities are as the powers manifested by a 9th level psion.
Attack/Defense Modes (Sp): At will – id insinuation, mind blast, mind thrust, psychic crush/empty mind, intellect fortress, tower of iron will.
Immunities (Ex): A lythlyx is immune to mind-influencing effects, sleep, and hold spells. They are also not subject to critical hits or subdual damage. Lythlyx are not affected by changes in pressure, such as those found in ocean depths, or at high altitudes.

The lythlyx first appeared in Dragon Magazine #43, then in the Ruins of Myth Drannor boxed set, and Monstrous Compendium Annual One.

 

[BOZ]

BONE NAGA

NAGA, BONE
Large Undead
Hit Dice: 7d12 (45 hp)
Initiative: +2 (Dex)
Speed: 30 ft
AC: 17 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +6 natural)
Attacks: Bite +6 melee, tail sting +1 melee
Damage: Bite 1d4+4 and strength drain, tail sting 3d4+2 and chill
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft (coiled)/10 ft
Special Attacks: Spells, strength drain, chill
Special Qualities: Undead, telepathy, immune to hold spells and cold
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +8
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 15, Con ---, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 17
Skills: Bluff +12, Concentration +17, Listen +15, Sense Motive +12, Spellcraft +11, Spot +15
Feats: Alertness, Combat Casting, Dodge, Lightning Reflexes, Spell Focus (any one school)

Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary or patrol (1-12)
Activity Cycle: Any
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: 8-14 HD (Large); 15-21 HD (Huge)

Bone nagas are undead created by dark nagas, or the occasional evil wizard. They appear something like skeletal worms, topped with an overly large humanlike skull, with empty eyesockets filled with a hateful glow. These undead are created as guardians, usually of young nagas or treasure hoards. They use their spells to serve their master with unswerving loyalty, until that master is destroyed or abandons them. In such cases, they become free and travel the world on their own, sometimes gathering lesser undead to serve them as they were once servants.
Bone nagas do not speak, but sometimes communicate telepathically when the need strikes them.

COMBAT
Bone nagas enjoy physical combat more than most nagas, as both of their attack forms cause special damage. They are also able to cast one spell per round, besides these attacks, and rarely miss an opportunity to do so. They can’t use magic items, but certain items may be fitted or grafted onto them.
Bone nagas always attack creatures that have psionic abilities, as they have been programmed to hate and fear psionics. Attempts to psionically control a bone naga will cause the undead to be confused momentarily, then angry at the source of the psionics. They cannot be compelled to cast spells by anyone, with the exception of their creator or creators.
Strength Drain (Su): The bite of a bone naga does temporary Strength damage if the victim fails a Fortitude save (DC 16). This attack deals an additional 1d4 points of damage, and the victim loses one point of Strength, which returns at a rate of 1 point per hour.
Chill (Su): A bone naga drains energy from a living being every time it hits with a tail attack. Each hit drains 1d4 hit points (no saving throw). Undead, constructs, and anything immune to energy drain is immune to this attack.
Spells: Bone nagas cast spells as 6th-level sorcerers, and can cast spells without needing components, through force of will. It spells are set when it is created, and cannot be altered. When a spell is cast, it automatically returns exactly 20 hours later. A typical set of spells for a bone naga would be: blindness, flaming sphere, lightning bolt (x2), and magic missile (x4).
Undead: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, and disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage.
Telepathy (Su): Bone nagas can communicate telepathically with any creature within 60 feet that has a language. Though they can broadcast their thoughts, they prefer to keep their thoughts shielded with mental chaos, and usually only communicate telepathically with their creator.

The bone naga first appeared in the Ruins of Myth Drannor boxed set, then in the Monstrous Compendium Annual One.

 

[BOZ]

windghost?

hi all. the next conversion i have lined up is the windghost. opinion - is this an aberration or an outsider?

 

[qstor]

Boz - could you do the flameskull from Dragon #197 while you are doing FR cratures? Please....

I think it sucks that Dragon won't do any conversions. I wish there was going to be a Monsters of Faerun II but I SERIOUSLY doubt it...

Mike

 

[BOZ]

i hear ya. i feel the same way about an MoF2. but i'm a bit more optimistic about it.
flameskull's already in the queue.