Special Conversion Thread: Microscopic Monsters

[freyar]

I have no problem whatsoever with Cha 21. Go for it!

Spells per day are then 6/8/7/7/7/7/6/6/5/3. Spells known are
0th - 9
1st - 5
2nd - 5
3rd - 4
4th - 4
5th - 4
6th - 3
7th - 3
8th - 2
9th - 1

 

[Cleon]

I have no problem whatsoever with Cha 21. Go for it!

I suppose we should start at the top and work out way down.

Although, before we do that we might as well add in the spells mentioned in the article:

Protiston is highly intelligent and has gained the powers of a 12th-level magic-user, being able to cast spells like push, shield, continual darkness/light, ray of enfeeblement, stinking cloud (above water), hold person, protection from normal missiles, slow, hallucinatory terrain, plant growth, cloudkill (above water), hold monster, telekinesis, transmute rock to mud, and control weather. Other spells may be possible, but no spell will be used that involves fire or that considers other beings to be intelligent (such as charm spells).
​

0th - 9
1st - shield, 5
2nd - protection from arrows [instead of protection from normal missiles], 5
3rd - blacklight [instead of continual darkness/light], ray of enfeeblement, slow, stinking cloud, 4
4th - hallucinatory terrain, 4
5th - cloudkill, hold monster, telekinesis, transmute rock to mud, 4
6th - forceful hand [instead of push], 3
7th - control weather, 3
8th - polymorph any object [instead of plant growth], 2
9th - 1

I had to remove hold person (since the 3rd level spells were filled up and hold monster made more sense) and plant growth (since it isn't available to sorcerers). I though polymorph any object would be a good substitute for the latter.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Isn't ray of enfeeblement 1st level in 3e?

How about shapechange for its 9th level spell, horrid wilting for its other 8th level spell, insanity, contagion, and extract water elemental (from Spell Compendium)?

 

[Cleon]

Isn't ray of enfeeblement 1st level in 3e?

How about shapechange for its 9th level spell, horrid wilting for its other 8th level spell, insanity, contagion, and extract water elemental (from Spell Compendium)?

Dang it, I thought it was 2nd level and still put it in the wrong slot!

Still, that means I can return the excised hold person.

0th - 9
1st - shield, 5
2nd - ray of enfeeblement, protection from arrows [instead of protection from normal missiles], 5
3rd - blacklight [instead of continual darkness/light], hold person, slow, stinking cloud, 4
4th - hallucinatory terrain, 4
5th - cloudkill, hold monster, telekinesis, transmute rock to mud, 4
6th - forceful hand [instead of push], 3
7th - control weather, 3
8th - polymorph any object [instead of plant growth], 2
9th - 1

So, we've got one 9th, one 8th, two 7th, two 6th, three 4th, three 2nd and four 1st-level spells to come up with.

Any preferences?

 

[freyar]

We don't really use anything from Spell Compendium, but GrayLinnorm's other suggestions sound good. That is: shapechange, horrid wilting, insanity, & contagion. Ray of enfeeblement still hasn't made it all the way to 1st level.

 

[Cleon]

We don't really use anything from Spell Compendium, but GrayLinnorm's other suggestions sound good. That is: shapechange, horrid wilting, insanity, & contagion.

I'd rather leave out shapechange since it'd make Protiston even more of a sod to use in game.

Protiston does not use any spell "that considers other beings to be intelligent" so I'd cut insanity as well. Surely a creature normally requires some intelligence to be considered sane or insane. It basically means most Mind-Affecting spells are out.

I'm OK with horrid wilting and contagion, though.

Ray of enfeeblement still hasn't made it all the way to 1st level.

It's literally going one (spell level) step at a time.

So, energy drain or wail of the banshee for the 9th level spell?

For 7th level, symbol of stunning and grasping hand are tempting. If we give them the latter we should swap the 6th level list's forceful hand for something else. Like disintegrate, antimagic field or acid fog... Or just give it all three...

Updated list...

0th - 9
1st - ray of enfeeblement, shield, 5
2nd - protection from arrows [instead of protection from normal missiles], 5
3rd - blacklight [instead of continual darkness/light], hold person, slow, stinking cloud, 4
4th - contagion, hallucinatory terrain, 4
5th - cloudkill, hold monster, telekinesis, transmute rock to mud, 4
6th - forceful hand [instead of push], 3
7th - control weather, 3
8th - horrid wilting, polymorph any object [instead of plant growth], 2
9th - 1

 

[freyar]

Good point on those.

How about wail of the banshee? There's something appealing about a blob of slime mold suddenly screeching like crazy.

I like your suggestions for 6th and 7th level. That leaves us one more for each of those two levels. How about freezing sphere, as we don't use that often? Perhaps finger of death at 7th level?

 

[Cleon]

Good point on those.

How about wail of the banshee? There's something appealing about a blob of slime mold suddenly screeching like crazy.

I like your suggestions for 6th and 7th level. That leaves us one more for each of those two levels. How about freezing sphere, as we don't use that often? Perhaps finger of death at 7th level?

Hmm, I'd wondered about wail of the banshee and finger of death but it seemed a little redundant in a "a death spell plus another death spell" kind of way.

Also, if we use the previous suggestions we aren't left with 1 spell for the 6th & 7th levels, since it would give us.

6th - acid fog, antimagic field, disintegrate 3
7th - control weather, grasping hand [instead of push], symbol of stunning 3

I'd be fine giving it freezing sphere instead of acid fog - since solid fog would make a decent substitute for it. Keeping symbol of stunning seems a better choice than finger of death. The former's too slow to case during a fight, but Protiston (and its Ooze minions) are all immune to stunning, so having lots of stun symbols in its lair should give it a great tactical advantage. Hmm, maybe too great, plus the stunned folks will lose out on the fun of screaming in terror as they're eaten alive. Oh well, let's change it to the death finger.

0th - 9
1st - ray of enfeeblement, shield, 5
2nd - protection from arrows [instead of protection from normal missiles], 5
3rd - blacklight [instead of continual darkness/light], hold person, slow, stinking cloud, 4
4th - contagion, hallucinatory terrain, solid fog 4
5th - cloudkill, hold monster, telekinesis, transmute rock to mud, 4
6th - freezing sphere, antimagic field, disintegrate 3
7th - control weather, finger of death, grasping hand [instead of push] 3
8th - horrid wilting, polymorph any object [instead of plant growth], 2
9th - wail of the banshee 1

Okay, so we need one 4th level spell (polymorph? scrying? bestow curse?), four 2nd level spells (eagle's splendor? invisibility? resist energy? web?), and three 1st level spells (expeditious retreat or jump? mage armor or shield? two of one and one of the other?).

 

[freyar]

I must have miscounted there somehow. Or read the numbers as those remaining.

I think I like polymorph best of your 4th level suggestions, but that duplicates the 8th level selection a bit. Wall of Ice might work at 4th level instead. I actually don't like illusions (hallucinatory terrain, for ex) as much for this, because they sort of imply some kind of mind in the victim, but I guess a glamer works on animals, so it's ok if you want to keep it.

 

[Cleon]

I must have miscounted there somehow. Or read the numbers as those remaining.

I think I like polymorph best of your 4th level suggestions, but that duplicates the 8th level selection a bit. Wall of Ice might work at 4th level instead. I actually don't like illusions (hallucinatory terrain, for ex) as much for this, because they sort of imply some kind of mind in the victim, but I guess a glamer works on animals, so it's ok if you want to keep it.

The hallucinatory terrain is only there because it's on the original spell list. I prefer wall of ice over polymorph. With its slow movement speed there will be many occasions when it will want to stop its victims running away.

Hmm, a black tentacles spell would also be useful for that, and it fits the beastie thematically.