Special Conversion Thread: Moldvay's Undead

[freyar]

Looks good! I suggested CL=4 (or really =HD for advancement purposes). How's that sound?

 

[Shade]

Sounds good. Another one finished!

 

[Shade]

A type of ghoul found in Haiti is the baka. A baka is similar to a zombie with several important differences. The corpse which forms a baka belonged to a member of a secret magical society that practices ritual cannibalism. The cannibalism is believed to give the eaters magical powers and is a form of necromancy.

While a baka has to be animated like a zombie, the baka is no mindless slave. In the realms of death, the dead person has merged with certain evil spirits and now has their powers. This supernatural monster can bring luck, power, or wealth to its master. But the baka must be treated in the proper manner (which includes a steady diet of fresh corpses), or the owner will be destroyed by uncontrollable magical energy. In fact, the baka is often quite willing to return from the grave to continue the horrid practices of its life.

Baka
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 2-16
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 12”
HIT DICE: 3
% IN LAIR: 10%
TREASURE TYPE: C
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Baka are the animated undead corpses of members of a secret cannibalistic society. They have gained some demonic magical powers and have the clerical spells command and hold person. Baka can influence the luck of their enemies. Anyone fighting a baka has a -1 to hit, to do damage, and to all saving throws for the duration of the combat.

Baka are essentially a variety of ghoul, and clerics have the same chances to turn them as they do ghouls. Like ghouls, baka are immune to sleep and charm spells.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #138 (1988).

 

[freyar]

Sounds like a monster, rather than template. I definitely think we should spice up this

They have gained some demonic magical powers and have the clerical spells command and hold person. Baka can influence the luck of their enemies. Anyone fighting a baka has a -1 to hit, to do damage, and to all saving throws for the duration of the combat.

along the lines of

This supernatural monster can bring luck, power, or wealth to its master. But the baka must be treated in the proper manner (which includes a steady diet of fresh corpses), or the owner will be destroyed by uncontrollable magical energy.

 

[demiurge1138]

Radiates a good hope or crushing despair spell, perhaps?

 

[freyar]

Radiates a good hope or crushing despair spell, perhaps?

I'd go with crushing despair and maybe some kind of luck bonus for the "master." But the penalties for the despair aura are somewhere between Bane and Crushing Despair. Know of a spell that fits those parameters?

 

[Shade]

I'd go with crushing despair and maybe some kind of luck bonus for the "master." But the penalties for the despair aura are somewhere between Bane and Crushing Despair. Know of a spell that fits those parameters?

How about crushing despair on a failed save, but bane effects if the save succeeds?

 

[freyar]

Excellent idea! I think we should set up the idea that bakas are bound to a master. Then we'd have something like this:

Aura of Despair (Su): Any creature other than the baka's master that enters within 30 ft of the baka must make a DC X Will save or be subject to the effects of crushing despair (as the spell) for X rounds. On a successful save, the creature is subject to bane as the spell for X rounds instead. The save DC is Cha-based.

That probably needs a little work.

The HD are between a ghoul and a ghast, so maybe Str 15, Dex 16, Con -, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 14, right in between? I think we should probably leave off the disease and paralysis, or else these might be a little overpowered for their HD.

 

[demiurge1138]

How about crushing despair on a failed save, but bane effects if the save succeeds?

Ooh, I like that.

Since they're listed as being variant ghouls, I say they should get paralysis or disease, but not both. Keep 'em ghoulish. Definitely no stench.

 

[Shade]

Paralysis feels more "traditional ghoulish" to me, so how about retaining that?