Special Conversion Thread: Finishing off the fey

Giving them Martial Weapon Prof works for me.

Do you mean Martial Weapon Proficiency as a bonus feat? That would only make them proficient in one martial weapon, which would likely be subsumed in the standard "if it has a weapon in the attack line, it is proficient in it" rule for reading monster's stats.

Thus, I fancy giving them blanket proficiency in all martial melee weapons in the description text.
 

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Well, I meant proficiency in all the martial weapons, which is what I thought demiurge meant also. I'm also getting the sneaking suspicion that there's already a SQ for this.
 


Well, I meant proficiency in all the martial weapons, which is what I thought demiurge meant also. I'm also getting the sneaking suspicion that there's already a SQ for this.

Fine by me. We don't need a SQ though, we can just put a line on weapon proficiencies in the description.
 

Updated with the proficiencies.

Here's the next one (or two)...

The two boggarts seem like different creatures, both closely related to brownies. Maybe they could be converted as a boggart (#239 version) and a "fallen" boggart (#54 version)?

Boggart
From Dragon #54, created by Roger E. Moore

(Note: The text for doesn't seem correctly typeset in the PDF version from the Dragon Magazine archive. Several words seem to be missing. I don't have a print copy of #54 to check, alas.)

FREQUENCY: Very rare
NUMBER APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 3
MOVE: 12"
HIT DICE: 1⁄2
% IN LAIR: 10%
TREASURE TYPE: J, K, L on individual
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 7-3
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Never surprised; save as 9th-level cleric
MAGIC RESISTANCE: As above
INTELLIGENCE: Average to low
ALIGNMENT: See below
SIZE: S (1 1/2' tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

When, for any reason, an alignment change brownie, the formerly lawful good creature is transformed into a boggart, or "boggie." Boggarts are solitary little creatures, with extraordinary senses and dexterity (just as the they are not surprised and have 18 dexterity with a capabilities) and may also become effectively invisible in natural terrain because of their skills at hiding.
Boggarts do not possess the same spell powers as brownies do; three times a day a boggart may shapechange, hideous form that will cause a save vs. fear, at +2, for it. In their normal shape, boggarts are small, hairy folk, something like a miniature bugbear. They have dark tan brown fur, with light nut-brown skin on their hands, feet (soles only), and faces.
Boggarts enjoy creating mischief, but can be and aren't very wise at all. A randomly encountered boggart can be chaotic neutral (60%), chaotic evil (20%), true or neutral evil (5%). Evil ones may be found as servants of assassins. Neutral (with respect to good and evil) boggarts can sometimes be found living with families in cottages, more or less as pets, occasionally harassing the occupants with (usually) harmless practical jokes.
Boggarts speak only their alignment tongue (a corrupted form of the brownie language, understandable by 50% of all brownies) and common. The change from brownie to boggart is reversible only by a Wish spell. If a brownie was a familiar to a lawful good or lawful neutral magic-user before the change, he will become hard to manage (at best) in boggart form and will run away.

Boggart
From Dragon #239, created by Brian Corvello

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate/Urban
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night
DIET: Omnivorous
INTELLIGENCE: Very (11-12)
TREASURE: F
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good

NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 1
THAC0: 20
NO. OF ATTACKS: 0
DAMAGE/ATTACK: n/a
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Invisibility
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 10%
SIZE: T (1' tall)
MORALE: Steady (11-12)
XP VALUE: 270

Boggarts are tiny, helpful cousins to brownies who live in extremely old buildings. They much prefer inhabited homes to abandoned structures.
Boggarts are invisible to all but the most innocent of humans. These are usually children, but occasionally a very good paladin or lawful good priest can see them. Those who have viewed boggarts describe them as funny little men with big noses and colorful clothes. Boggarts speak the common tongue as well as the languages of elves and brownies.

Combat: Boggarts shun fighting, and they hate evil creatures. When one enters their home, they use their spell abilities to torment the creature in hopes of driving it away. Boggart pranks may include making an offending creature’s hair grow, turning it green, or making it trip over the furniture.
Boggarts have several spell-like powers to help them with their jokes. At will they can use faerie fire, ventriloquism, dimension door, audible glamer, cantrip, and telekinesis (50 lb..). As noted, they are invisible to most creatures, and only detection spells can reveal their presence.
Anyone who is cowardly enough actually to kill a boggart becomes the recipient of a debilitating curse of the DM's design. This may be lifted only by a remove curse spell by a caster of no less than 12th level.
Boggarts have a particular weakness: they are frightened by loud noises, which cause them to make a Morale check or flee.
Those who can communicate with boggarts find them a great source of information. Assume that any boggart is 50% likely to know any fact about the area in which they live, 80% if that knowledge involves other fairies.

Habitat/Society: Boggarts are helpful creatures who live in houses belonging to very good people, helping out with chores and such after the family goes to bed. They also have been known to play with young children, but they vanish when a disbelieving adult is near.
Boggarts never accept payment for their help, though if someone leaves out small scraps of food for them, they gladly gobble it up.
Boggarts are usually solitary, though every month at the night of the full moon, dozens--or even hundreds--of boggarts gather in one area for a big festival. Very few mortals have seen these merry occurrences, and those who have tell that strange secrets can be gleaned from them.

Ecology: Boggarts are primarily vegetarians, though they may eat sausages and smoked meats at their festivals.
Boggarts don't hoard wealth, but some may have a small amount of treasure collected over the years. A boggart may be convinced to give up his treasure if he's sure it will go to a worthy cause.

We'll need to compare both to the official 3.5 boggart as well to determine if conversion is necessary.
 

The fallen one is clearly different, and I think the other seems to have different SLAs/special attacks. I'd be fine with a new conversion. Actually, two new ones. ;)
 

Updated with the proficiencies.

Here's the next one (or two)...

We'll need to compare both to the official 3.5 boggart as well to determine if conversion is necessary.

Both of those are so different from the 3.5 version they'd need different stats. They're also very different from each other, so I think we'd better stat them up separately. Brian Corvello's 2HD version of the boggle is not that much different from the brownie, so we could just use the brownie with a few cosmetic and SLA tweaks.

Incidentally, that "official" 3.5 boggart is more-or-less a direct translation of the AD&D 1st edition boggart by the late lamented Gygax, which originally appeared in The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun. The original version was stated to be an juvenile will-o'-wisp which had to kill sapient beings to grow to maturity, which is presumable were the 3.4 version's "Many scholars contend that the boggart is an immature form of the will-o'-wisp, and that seems so."comes from.
 


The fallen one is clearly different, and I think the other seems to have different SLAs/special attacks. I'd be fine with a new conversion. Actually, two new ones. ;)

Right, let's start on converting Roger E Moore's "Fallen Brownie" version...

Shall we call it a "Boggie", to distinguish from the official Boggart?

Since a Boggart/Boggie is supposed to be a corrupted form of a Brownie, and it has the same 1/2 HD and Tiny size as the 3.5 Brownie, it would seem to make sense to take the wizards.com stats of a Brownie and "Boggify" them:

Brownie
Tiny Fey
Hit Dice: 1/2 d6+2 (3 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+2 size, +5 Dex), touch 17, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-11
Attack: Masterwork short sword +0 melee (1d3-3/19-20) or sling +7 ranged (1d2-3)
Full Attack: Masterwork short sword +0 melee (1d3-3/19-20) or sling +7 ranged (1d3-3)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Calm animal, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Darkvision 30 ft., evasion, hide in plain sight, low-light vision, uncanny dodge, wild empathy +8 (+4 magical beasts)
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 5, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 13
Skills: Balance+9, Climb +7, Craft (any one) +10, Diplomacy+4, Escape Artist +10, Handle Animal +3, Hide +17, Listen +6, Move Silently +8, Sense Motive +4, Spot +3, Tumble +8
Feats: Agile, Dodge
Environment: Temperate and warm forests and plains
Organization: Solitary, pair, band (3-6), or company (7-16)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: 50% coins, 50% goods, standard items, plus masterwork short sword and masterwork artisan's tools
Alignment: Usually lawful good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +4
The Boggie/Boggart is a lot stupider, with Intelligence Low to Average (or 5-10, median 7.5), so shall we halve the Brownie's Intelligence?

Moore's version has Dex 18, but so does the AD&D 1E version of the Brownie, if I remember correctly, so I think we'll keep the Dex at 20. That will let us retain the AC17 without having to give it another point from somewhere else.

Since these are a brutish, vicious form of Brownie, I suggest adding a point to its Strength.

That would give it the following stats:

Abilities: Str 6, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 13, Cha 13

Apart from that, the main difference appears to be Boggie don't have as many skills and abilities.

The Boggie will retain the Brownie's Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight and Uncanny Dodge, but should lose Calm Animals and Wild Empathy. The only special attack it has is assuming a terrifying form thrice a day. This could be a supernatural ability, but the text mentions "spell powers", suggesting a SLA. I suggest using the more powerful fear rather than the single-target cause fear, since this is the only real offensive ability the nasty little critter has. The brownie has some higher level SLA's like confusion and dimension door, so that seems reasonable to me.

If we give them Int 7 they'll only have half the skill points of the Int 14 Brownie, so we'll need to cut out a bunch of the Brownie's skills. They're supposed to be sneaky, so we should max-out Hide and Move Silently. I don't think they'll need the Brownie's Craft, Diplomacy and Sense motive skill ranks, so we can distribute the remaining 8 skill points between Climb, Escape Artist, Listen, Spot and Tumble. 2 points in Listen, Spot & Tumble, 1 in the other skills?
Skills: Climb 1, Escape Artist 1, Hide 4, Listen 2, Move Silently 4, Spot 2, Tumble 2.
I'm thinking we should keep the Brownie's Agile feat and give the boggie a racial bonus to Spot and Listen (as it has "extraordinary senses") - say a +4 bonus?

With its size and Dexterity it will have the same +17 modifier to Hide as the Brownie, so I don't think it needs a racial bonus to its stealth skills.

Its Challenge Rating is probably less than the Brownie's 3. Maybe CR2?

The Treasure type looks alright, except it needs to drop the masterwork artisan's tools.

Apart from that, the other changes I can see are:

Organisation: Solitary
Alignment: Often chaotic neutral, never good
 

That seems like a pretty reasonable approach. Makes me wonder if we can justify adding a little more, though.
 

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