-
Monstrous Menagerie II: Hordes & Heroes has a launch date! Mark your calendars for November 12th, 2024. 300+ more monsters for your D&D 2024, or Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition games, plus new horde rules and rules for heroic monsters who level up alongside you--whether they be allies, companions, or foes! Click here to follow on Kickstarter!
Special Conversion Thread: Finishing off giants and their kin
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Shade
Monster Junkie
Last one!
Temperament
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Mountains peaks, cloud islands, sea caverns
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: See below
INELLIGENCE: Exceptional (16)
TREASURE: E, Q (x10), S
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -6
MOVEMENT: 12, swim 12, fly 15 (E)
HIT DICE: 21
THAC0: 5
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-20 or by weapon (3-36+12)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy-draining lightning bolt
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Impervious to electricity, +3 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: G (26’ tall)
MORALE: Fanatic (18)
XP VALUE: 21,000
Temperaments are undead storm giants. Their skin is the deep black of a thunderhead just before an electrical storm. Sparks and lightning bolts, neon blue in color, dance along their bodies, while larger lightning bolts several yards in length constantly shoot forth from the eyes and mouth. When they are outside, they can summon at will a miniature thunderhead above their heads to enshroud them in their own private thunderstorm. It doesn’t inflict damage in combat, but it’s frightfully impressive, especially at night. They can also take the form of a crackling thunderhead, though in that case, the only attack they can make is the lightning strike listed below. The giant’s movement rate in this form is 15, but all other attributes remain the same.
Combat: Temperaments have one physical attack per round: either a blow form a lightning-sheathed fist that inflicts 2d10+12 hp damage, or a weapon strike that inflicts 3d12+12 hp damage on the foe. Unlike other undead giants, they cannot hurl boulders.
Once per round, in lieu of a physical attack, a temperament may shoot a massive bolt of blue lightning. This lightning strike inflicts 1d10 hp damage to the victim, or half that if a saving throw vs. wands is successful. Making a second save vs. death magic protects the victim from the energy-draining properties of this lightning bolt, which steals one level away from the target. (Unlike other undead giants, temperaments can only make an energy draining attack as part of a lightning strike, not by physically touching the victim.) Those who are slain by this attack become half-strength temperaments under the control of their slayer. Giants are the exception to this, becoming regular temperaments. The electrical attack of these new recruits inflicts only 1d8 hp damage, while their Strength is not greater than it was in life. Upon the death of their “creator”, these new monsters become free-willed undead who wander off to find their own lairs.
Temperaments are immune to both cold- and electrical-based attacks, as well as mind -affecting magic, sleep, hold, poison, death, and paralyzation. Holy water inflicts 2-8 hp damage epr vial, and a raise dead spell utterly destroys them. Normal weapons, or magical ones of less than +3 enchantment, do not harm them. Although they wear no armor, their skin is dessicated to the point that it has a natural armor class of -6. These undead creatures are immune to sunlight and are not bothered by it in the least. This is partly because of their light-producing electrical nature but also because the thunderhead that they invariably summon up when they go outside provides them with ample shade.
Habitat/Society: Temperaments are the most solitary of all undead giants; they are only found alone. The only exceptions are half-strength creatures created by the slaying of other giants, and these are not true equals. Temperaments often make revenge attacks upon their former families, wipiong them out so as to deny them the pleasures of life.
Ecology: Temperaments eat no food and are sustained entirely by energy from the Negative Material Plane. They do, however, obetain satisfaction from draining the life energy of living things. All animals sense the presence of these undead monsters and shun the areas they call home; temperaments dwell in the same places where storm giants do. Temperament bone or essence is considered just the thing for the finest quality wands of lightning, or a nonmetallic ring of shocking grasp.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #254 (1998).
Temperament
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Mountains peaks, cloud islands, sea caverns
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: See below
INELLIGENCE: Exceptional (16)
TREASURE: E, Q (x10), S
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -6
MOVEMENT: 12, swim 12, fly 15 (E)
HIT DICE: 21
THAC0: 5
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-20 or by weapon (3-36+12)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy-draining lightning bolt
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Impervious to electricity, +3 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: G (26’ tall)
MORALE: Fanatic (18)
XP VALUE: 21,000
Temperaments are undead storm giants. Their skin is the deep black of a thunderhead just before an electrical storm. Sparks and lightning bolts, neon blue in color, dance along their bodies, while larger lightning bolts several yards in length constantly shoot forth from the eyes and mouth. When they are outside, they can summon at will a miniature thunderhead above their heads to enshroud them in their own private thunderstorm. It doesn’t inflict damage in combat, but it’s frightfully impressive, especially at night. They can also take the form of a crackling thunderhead, though in that case, the only attack they can make is the lightning strike listed below. The giant’s movement rate in this form is 15, but all other attributes remain the same.
Combat: Temperaments have one physical attack per round: either a blow form a lightning-sheathed fist that inflicts 2d10+12 hp damage, or a weapon strike that inflicts 3d12+12 hp damage on the foe. Unlike other undead giants, they cannot hurl boulders.
Once per round, in lieu of a physical attack, a temperament may shoot a massive bolt of blue lightning. This lightning strike inflicts 1d10 hp damage to the victim, or half that if a saving throw vs. wands is successful. Making a second save vs. death magic protects the victim from the energy-draining properties of this lightning bolt, which steals one level away from the target. (Unlike other undead giants, temperaments can only make an energy draining attack as part of a lightning strike, not by physically touching the victim.) Those who are slain by this attack become half-strength temperaments under the control of their slayer. Giants are the exception to this, becoming regular temperaments. The electrical attack of these new recruits inflicts only 1d8 hp damage, while their Strength is not greater than it was in life. Upon the death of their “creator”, these new monsters become free-willed undead who wander off to find their own lairs.
Temperaments are immune to both cold- and electrical-based attacks, as well as mind -affecting magic, sleep, hold, poison, death, and paralyzation. Holy water inflicts 2-8 hp damage epr vial, and a raise dead spell utterly destroys them. Normal weapons, or magical ones of less than +3 enchantment, do not harm them. Although they wear no armor, their skin is dessicated to the point that it has a natural armor class of -6. These undead creatures are immune to sunlight and are not bothered by it in the least. This is partly because of their light-producing electrical nature but also because the thunderhead that they invariably summon up when they go outside provides them with ample shade.
Habitat/Society: Temperaments are the most solitary of all undead giants; they are only found alone. The only exceptions are half-strength creatures created by the slaying of other giants, and these are not true equals. Temperaments often make revenge attacks upon their former families, wipiong them out so as to deny them the pleasures of life.
Ecology: Temperaments eat no food and are sustained entirely by energy from the Negative Material Plane. They do, however, obetain satisfaction from draining the life energy of living things. All animals sense the presence of these undead monsters and shun the areas they call home; temperaments dwell in the same places where storm giants do. Temperament bone or essence is considered just the thing for the finest quality wands of lightning, or a nonmetallic ring of shocking grasp.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #254 (1998).
Shade
Monster Junkie
Indeed.
Create Spawn (Su): Any giant slain by a spectral cloud's energy drain attack becomes a spectral cloud in 1d4 rounds. Any humanoid slain by a spectral cloud becomes a lesser spectral cloud (see below) in 1d4 rounds. Spawn are under the command of the spectral cloud that created them and remain enslaved until its death. They do not possess any of the abilities they had in life.
Lesser Spectral Cloud
Medium Undead (Air)
Hit Dice: xd12+x (x hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +x/+x
Attack: Chilling touch +x melee touch (1d8 plus energy drain)
Full Attack: Chilling touch +x melee touch (1d8 plus energy drain)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Energy drain, engulfing fog
Special Qualities: Cloudform, damage reduction 15/magic, darkvision 60 ft., gaseous form, low-light vision, unholy toughness
Saves: Fort +x, Ref +x, Will +x
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 13, Con —, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 17
Skills: x
Feats: x
Environment: Temperate mountains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: x
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Create Spawn (Su): Any giant slain by a spectral cloud's energy drain attack becomes a spectral cloud in 1d4 rounds. Any humanoid slain by a spectral cloud becomes a lesser spectral cloud (see below) in 1d4 rounds. Spawn are under the command of the spectral cloud that created them and remain enslaved until its death. They do not possess any of the abilities they had in life.
Lesser Spectral Cloud
Medium Undead (Air)
Hit Dice: xd12+x (x hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +x/+x
Attack: Chilling touch +x melee touch (1d8 plus energy drain)
Full Attack: Chilling touch +x melee touch (1d8 plus energy drain)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Energy drain, engulfing fog
Special Qualities: Cloudform, damage reduction 15/magic, darkvision 60 ft., gaseous form, low-light vision, unholy toughness
Saves: Fort +x, Ref +x, Will +x
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 13, Con —, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 17
Skills: x
Feats: x
Environment: Temperate mountains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: x
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
Agreed. Actually, I think we can remove the energy drain if we want, though perhaps they need it to be viable at 9HD. Reduce DR to DR 10 or even 5. And I guess we should change it so that the engulfing fog can only engulf Small or smaller (or drop the engulf altogether).
