Special Conversion Thread: Moldvay's Undead

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

Callicantzari have dead-black skin. Most of them are covered with a coat of shaggy black hair, but a bald variety is sometimes mentioned. Their heads are huge, out of all proportion to the rest of their bodies. Their faces are dark black, and their eyes glare redly. They have the ears of goats or asses. From their huge mouths, blood-red tongues loll out, flanked by ferocious-looking tusks. Their bodies are generally lean and tall, but some are shorter and thick-set.

Callicantzari have the arms and hands of monkeys. Their nails are as long again as their fingers, and are curled like the talons of a vulture. Some have the legs of a goat or an ass, some have one human leg and one bestial one, and some have human legs with the foot so distorted that the toes come out where the heel should be. Hence, it is not surprising that these monsters are often lame, but even so, they are swift of foot and terrible in strength. They run with a peculiar shambling gait which, while appearing awkward, still allows them to run quickly.

Despite only originally having one attack, I'm thinking bite and two claws for the most common configuration. Thoughts?

 

[freyar]

Yeah, I'd go with bite primary, 2 claws secondary.

These are really ugly, huh? Something in the description reminds me of "Where the Wild Things Are," but not quite as friendly as the monsters in that book.

 

[Shade]

These are really ugly, huh? Something in the description reminds me of "Where the Wild Things Are," but not quite as friendly as the monsters in that book.

I can definitely see that! My first thought was of trollocs from Wheel of Time.

1d8 bite, 1d4 claws?

 

[freyar]

The damage sounds about right. How are these looking?

 

[Shade]

Updated.

The larger callicantzari are malicious and deadly. Their size varies from human-size to twice the height of a cottage. Usually, they are about 6-8' tall.

"twice the height of a cottage" suggests advancement to Huge, at least, eh?

Despite their uncouth shapes, the monsters delight in dancing. Sometimes a person can trick them into dancing all night. But people must beware, for the callicantzari delight in the taste of human flesh.

It gets 27 skill ranks (max rank 9). Put 9 ranks in Perform (dance)?

Callicantzari are on the borderland between the undead and other monsters. While the final choice of whether or not to make them undead is up to the DM, I have classed them as undead because, in legends, they operate only at night, can be scared away by unarmed clerics, take damage from holy water, are man-eaters, and traditionally appear only at the 12 days of Christmas - a time, like Halloween, when the harriers between the dead and the living are weak.

Clerics can turn callicantzari with the same chances as they have against wights.

Holy water causes 2-8 hp damage per vial against callicantzari.

Borrowing Demiurge's suggestion above, how is this?

Tomb-Tainted (Ex): Although fey, callicantzari are harmed by positive energy and healed by negative energy. They are treated as undead for purposes of spells and effects that treat undead differently (such as searing light or a holy water). A callicantzari may be turned as if it were an undead creature.

Daylight does not actually hurt them, but they will avoid it if at all possible.

Wanna borrow this from orcs?

Light Sensitivity (Ex): Callicantzari are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.

 

[freyar]

I would think they should advance to Huge, but the Great Callicantzaros is only 10ft tall, which I think is still Large. So I think advancement might depend on whether we want the Great C to be a special individual (and whether we bump his size or not) or a separate species. I'm almost inclined to make a separate species.

All the rest seems perfect. Skills: max out Perform (dance), Intimidate, Disguise?

 

[demiurge1138]

The Great should be a seperate species, with the lessers advancing up to Huge.

With all those ranks in Perform (dance), we should give them (and/or the Great) some sort of bard-like dancing power. Perhaps the lesser ones can dance as a full-round action to inspire fear? They can dance themselves into a frenzy?

 

[freyar]

If Shade agrees, let's do the separate species.

I kind of like the frenzy idea, as it kind of goes along with this:

Despite their uncouth shapes, the monsters delight in dancing. Sometimes a person can trick them into dancing all night. But people must beware, for the callicantzari delight in the taste of human flesh.

Here's an idea.

Dancing Frenzy (Ex): If a callicantzaros spends X full rounds dancing, it gains +4 Str, +4 Con, and a +2 circumstance bonus to Ref saves (due to its constant motion) while it continues dancing (for at least a move action per round) and for X rounds thereafter. However, the callicantzaros must make a DC X Will save to take any action other than dancing in a given round and a DC X Will save to stop dancing altogether.

Thoughts?

 

[Shade]

I like the dancing frenzy.

Maybe 3 rounds "prep time", 1d4 rounds thereafter, DC 15/20 for the saves?

Advancement: 7-9 HD (Medium); 10-14 HD (Large); 15-18 HD (Huge)?

 

[freyar]

All sounds good to me!