Special Conversion Thread: Moldvay's Undead

[Shade]

Here are a few more. Look OK?

Ruby Eyes
Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid)
Hit Dice: 5d12 (32 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+5
Attack: Claw +5 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: 2 claws +5 melee (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, immunity to cold, +2 turn resistance
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 15, Con -, Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 14
Skills: Concentration +11
Feats: Skill Focus (Concentration), Spell Penetration
Environment: Any
Organization: Any
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -

Spell-Like Abilities: 2/day--scorching ray (+4 ranged touch). Caster level 5th. The save DC is Charsima-based.


Emerald Eyes
Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid)
Hit Dice: 9d12 (58 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+7
Attack: Claw +8 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: 2 claws +8 melee (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, immunity to cold, +2 turn resistance
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +6
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 15, Con -, Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 14
Skills: Concentration +15
Feats: Ability Focus (ray of exhaustion), Skill Focus (Concentration), Spell Penetration, Weapon Focus (claw)
Environment: Any
Organization: Any
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -

Spell-Like Abilities: 2/day--ray of exhaustion (+6 ranged touch, DC 17). Caster level 5th. The save DC is Charsima-based.

 

[freyar]

Those look great to me!

 

[Shade]

Updated. Another one done?

 

[freyar]

Check!

 

[demiurge1138]

Looks like it to me!

 

[Shade]

Next! How about an easy one for a change?

A classic Walt Disney cartoon featured dancing skeletons, and animated skeletons often appear in cartoon features. Such skeletons not only dance but trade heads, fall into piles of bones, and reform into skeletons again. The skeleton variation herein called dry bones is inspired by the antics of cartoon skeletons. The name "dry bones" comes from the song of the same name ("The leg bone's connected to the hip bone," etc.).

Dry Bones
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 2-20
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 12"
HIT DICE: 4; see below
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Dry bones are the same as skeletons with one important difference. They can only be destroyed when all their bones are pulverized or otherwise completely destroyed. Each dry bones has 4 HD (with 32 hp)but attacks as a 1-HD creature A dry bones taking a total of 8 or more hp damage collapses into a pile of bones. After one round, the bones re-form into a skeleton and attack again. The process continues until the dry bones has taken a total of 32 or more hp damage in combat, at which point the dry bones falls apart forever.

Dry bones often masquerade as mere piles of old bones, being able to dismember themselves at will until they are destroyed. Clerics have the same chances to turn dry bones as they would zombies.

While dry bones have no treasure themselves, they often act as treasure guards.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #138 (1988).

 

[demiurge1138]

Was it the coffer corpse that has a similar "play dead" mechanic?

 

[Shade]

Sure enough...

Deceiving Death (Ex): In any round in which a coffer
corpse is struck for 6 or more points of damage (whether the
damage bypasses the creature’s damage reduction or not),
the creature slumps to the ground, seemingly destroyed. If it
has fastened its death grip on a victim, it releases its hold
when is falls. A character viewing the coffer corpse’s destruction
can make a DC 20 Sense Motive check to see through
the ruse. Necromancers get a +2 competence bonus on their
check.

On its next turn, the coffer corpse rises again as if
reanimated. A creature viewing this “reanimation” is subject
to the coffer corpse’s fear effect (see above).

 

[freyar]

Wow, that's just about perfect. I think we just need to revise the numbers (and drop the fear effect). Is there anything else about these different than normal skeletons other than the HD? And do we think these should just be a modified skeleton template?

 

[Shade]

I agree. It should be a very simple modification to the skeleton template.

Here's a first attempt at a revision...

Deceiving Death (Ex): In any round in which a dry bones is struck for 8 or more points of damage (whether the damage bypasses the creature’s damage reduction or not), the creature slumps to the ground, seemingly destroyed. If it is currently grappling another creature, it releases its hold when is falls. A character viewing the dry bones's destruction can make a DC 20 Sense Motive check to see through the ruse. Necromancers get a +2 competence bonus on their check.

If so commanded, a dry bones can lie in its pile of bones state until a specific condition is triggered (such as "Lie here until a trespasser enters the room").