Special Conversion Thread: Microscopic Monsters

[Cleon]

Frankly, I'd rather do all Dex and no Con. Both the original monster and wikipedia say paralysis, which is all a Dex thing. So how about 1d3 Dex/1d3 Dex for the individual and 1d6 Dex/1d6 Dex for the swarm? And we just have to call it saxitoxin, since it has a real name.

But it doesn't just paralyze, it kills too. Also, this poison kills aquatic lifeforms, not just airbreathers who drown while paralyzed.

We could add a "special effect" that breathing creatures who are paralyzed by the toxin will start to suffocate. That would be the closest to the real-world mechanism of the poison, but just having it do Con damage seemed simpler.

 

[freyar]

Hmm, I think I prefer saying that critters reduced to Dex 0 begin to suffocate (maybe give them Con checks). That's what both the original monster and wikipedia imply, I think. Or we could just add that victims reduced to Dex 0 die. There are poisons and/or diseases that work like that.

 

[Cleon]

Hmm, I think I prefer saying that critters reduced to Dex 0 begin to suffocate (maybe give them Con checks). That's what both the original monster and wikipedia imply, I think. Or we could just add that victims reduced to Dex 0 die. There are poisons and/or diseases that work like that.

Of those I prefer suffocation with Con checks. Maybe allow Heal checks to keep the victim breathing?

 

[Shade]

Hmm, I think I prefer saying that critters reduced to Dex 0 begin to suffocate (maybe give them Con checks). That's what both the original monster and wikipedia imply, I think. Or we could just add that victims reduced to Dex 0 die. There are poisons and/or diseases that work like that.

Agreed. No Con damage.

Of those I prefer suffocation with Con checks. Maybe allow Heal checks to keep the victim breathing?

While I'm not adamantly opposed to the Heal check, I don't think it's necessary.

 

[Cleon]

Agreed. No Con damage.

While I'm not adamantly opposed to the Heal check, I don't think it's necessary.

So just default to the standard Heal checks to treat poison, then?

If I understand things right, the current proposal might look something like:

Poison #1: Gonyaulax produce a cloud of poison, any creature in the water that occupies the same 5 ft. square as a Gonyaulax is exposed to its poison.

Gonyaulax poison—Contact/inhaled poison, Fort DC 6, initial damage 1 Dex, secondary damage 1 Dex. If the poison reduces a victim's Dexterity to 0 the victim starts to suffocate and must make Constitution checks every round to avoid drowning (DC 10 plus 1 per round). The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a -4 racial penalty.

Poison: Gonyaulax swarms produce a cloud of poison, any creature in the water within 30 ft. of a Gonyaulax swarm is exposed to its poison.

Gonyaulax swarm poison—Contact/inhaled poison, Fort DC 12, initial damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage 1d6 Dex. If the poison reduces a victim's Dexterity to 0 the victim starts to suffocate and must make Constitution checks every round to avoid drowning (DC 10 plus 1 per round). The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a -4 racial penalty.
​

Hmm, maybe it would work better to modify the rules for Slow Suffocation. I'd change the 1d6 per 15 minutes to 1d6 per minute:

Poison: Gonyaulax produce a cloud of poison, any creature in the water that occupies the same 5 ft. square as a Gonyaulax is exposed to its poison.

Gonyaulax poison—Contact/inhaled poison, Fort DC 6, initial damage 1 Dex, secondary damage 1. If the poison reduces a victim's Dexterity to 0 the victim starts to die from slow suffocation, taking 1d6 nonlethal damage every minute, characters who fall unconscious drop to -1 hit points and are dying, then suffocate to death the next round. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a -4 racial penalty.
​

The Gonyaulax swarm poison is the same except its 1d6/1d6 damage Dex with DC12.

 

[Shade]

The slow suffocation does seem less cruel. But is that a good thing?

 

[freyar]

Slow suffocation might drag out the tension a bit longer if they have trouble beating the poison. And it befits a low-CR critter. Let's go with the 2nd version.

 

[Cleon]

Slow suffocation might drag out the tension a bit longer if they have trouble beating the poison. And it befits a low-CR critter. Let's go with the 2nd version.

That's my favourite amongst the options.

 

[Shade]

I'm a bit confused.

Is it option #2 for the swarm, and #3 for an individual? Or should #2 be modified to include the slow suffocation as well?

 

[Cleon]

I'm a bit confused.

Is it option #2 for the swarm, and #3 for an individual? Or should #2 be modified to include the slow suffocation as well?

The "Slow Suffocation" write up was for an individual, but just needs a few changes for a swarm, eg...

Individual Gonyaulax:

Poison: Gonyaulax produce a cloud of poison, any creature in the water that occupies the same 5 ft. square as a Gonyaulax is exposed to its poison.

Gonyaulax poison—Contact/inhaled poison, Fort DC 6, initial damage 1 Dex, secondary damage 1 Dex. If the poison reduces a victim's Dexterity to 0 the victim starts to die from slow suffocation, taking 1d6 nonlethal damage every minute, characters who fall unconscious drop to -1 hit points and are dying, then suffocate to death the next round. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a -4 racial penalty.

Gonyaulax swarm:

Poison: Gonyaulax swarms produce a cloud of poison, any creature in the water within 30 ft. of a Gonyaulax swarm is exposed to its poison.

Gonyaulax swarm poison—Contact/inhaled poison, Fort DC 12, initial damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage 1d6 Dex. If the poison reduces a victim's Dexterity to 0 the victim starts to die from slow suffocation, taking 1d6 nonlethal damage every minute, characters who fall unconscious drop to -1 hit points and are dying, then suffocate to death the next round. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a -4 racial penalty.