Special Conversion Thread: Moldvay's Undead

I think this just sort of happened. Why don't we say this?

Blood Drain (Ex): As a swift action, a ghost-stone may automatically deal 1d3 points of Con damage to a single creature caught in its shadowtrap aura. Each time it drains blood, the ghost-stone gains 5 temporary hit points.

I went for swift because the blood drain doesn't seem like it should interfere with the ghost's attacks.

Suits me.

I tried out swift in an earlier draft of the shadowtrap's blood drain but erased it for some reason.

Oh, I remember why - can't it use a move or standard action to perform a swift action, allowing it to Blood Drain three times a round.

Rephrase it slightly?:

Blood Drain (Ex): Once per round as a swift action, a ghost-stone may automatically deal 1d3 points of Con damage to a single creature caught in its shadowtrap aura. Each time it drains blood, the ghost-stone gains 5 temporary hit points.
 

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I've never heard such a thing. Link or page number?

Sorry, it looks like I was wrong, the SRDs "You can perform only a single swift action per turn" is pretty clear!

For some reason I was thinking they were exchangeable, like you can use a standard action to take a move action, so standard-move-swift actions nestled inside each other like Russian dolls.

My desire for symmetry must have misled me.:o
 



Just modify the MM ghost?

Ghost-Stone, 5th-Level Human Fighter
Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid)(Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 5d12 (32 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: Fly 30 ft. (perfect)(6 squares)
AC: 12 (+1 Dex, +1 deflection) touch 12, flat-footed 11 or 21 (+1 Dex, +8 full plate, +2 heavy shield), touch 11, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+8
Attack: Incorporeal touch +6 melee or +8 against ethereal foes (1d6 or 1d6+3 against ethereal foes); or masterwork bastard sword +10 melee (1d10+3/19-20); or masterwork shortbow +7 ranged (1d6/x3)
Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +6 melee or +8 against ethereal foes (1d6 or 1d6+3 against ethereal foes); or masterwork bastard sword +10 melee (1d10+3/19-20); or masterwork shortbow +7 ranged (1d6/x3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Blood drain, corrupting touch, malevolence, manifestation, shadowtrap aura
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., incorporeal traits, stone phylactery, +4 turn resistance, undead traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +2
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 13, Con -, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +1, Hide -1, Listen +11, Ride +9, Search +8, Spot +11
Feats: Blind-Fight, Cleave, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (bastard sword)
Climate/Terrain: Temperate plains
Organization: Solitary, gang (2-4), or mob (7-12)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Any
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +5

Combat

Blood Drain (Ex): As a swift action, a ghost-stone may automatically deal 1d3 points of Con damage to a single creature caught in its shadowtrap aura. Each time it drains blood, the ghost-stone gains 5 temporary hit points.

Corrupting Touch (Su): A ghost that hits a living target with its incorporeal touch attack deals 1d6 points of damage. Against ethereal opponents, it adds its Strength modifier to attack and damage rolls. Against nonethereal opponents, it adds its Dexterity modifier to attack rolls only.

Malevolence (Su): Once per round, an ethereal ghost can merge its body with a creature on the Material Plane. This ability is similar to a magic jar spell (caster level 10th or the ghost’s Hit Dice, whichever is higher), except that it does not require a receptacle. To use this ability, the ghost must be manifested and it must try move into the target’s space; moving into the target’s space to use the malevolence ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The target can resist the attack with a successful Will save (DC 16). A creature that successfully saves is immune to that same ghost’s malevolence for 24 hours, and the ghost cannot enter the target’s space. If the save fails, the ghost vanishes into the target’s body.

Manifestation (Su): Every ghost has this ability. A ghost dwells on the Ethereal Plane and, as an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When a ghost manifests, it partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. A manifested ghost can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or spells, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. A manifested ghost can pass through solid objects at will, and its own attacks pass through armor. A manifested ghost always moves silently. A manifested ghost can strike with its touch attack or with a ghost touch weapon (see Ghostly Equipment, below). A manifested ghost remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where is it not incorporeal. A manifested ghost can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Ethereal Plane. The ghost’s incorporeality helps protect it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane.

When a spellcasting ghost is not manifested and is on the Ethereal Plane, its spells cannot affect targets on the Material Plane, but they work normally against ethereal targets. When a spellcasting ghost manifests, its spells continue to affect ethereal targets and can affect targets on the Material Plane normally unless the spells rely on touch. A manifested ghost’s touch spells don’t work on nonethereal targets.

A ghost has two home planes, the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane. It is not considered extraplanar when on either of these planes.

Shadowtrap Aura (Su): A ghost-stone continually projects an aura to a radius of 10-feet that captures creatures' shadows. Any creature within the area that casts a shadow must succeed on a DC 13 Will save or become tethered to the ghost-stone via its shadow. A ghost-stone's shadowtrap aura does not function in areas of total darkness. The save DC is Charisma-based.

A creature trapped by the aura may not physically move outside the aura's area (or be physically moved by others), but is otherwise unhindered. The shadowtrap area is under an effect similar to dimensional anchor: a trapped creature cannot escape via plane shift, teleport, or other forms of extraplanar travel, although a creature with the shadow jump ability or other mode of shadow travel (such as the shadow walk spell) may escape the area as normal for the spell or ability. A freedom of movement spell has no effect on a shadowtrap, but creatures under a freedom spell are immune to its effects. If the ghost-stone is successfully turned or rebuked, the shadowtrap aura is disrupted for as long as the turning persists, granting trapped creatures a chance to escape the aura. A consecrate or hallow spell cast within the shadowtrap area also temporarily disrupts the aura for 1 round per caster level.

The ghost-stone can use its blood drain special attack (see above) to make incorporeal ranged touch attacks against a opponents within its shadowtrap.

Stone Phylactery (Su): This sqecial quality of a ghost-stone replaces the standard ghost's rejuvenation ability. Each ghost-stone is bound to a Large stone, which has hardness 8, 540 hp, and a break DC of 50. The ghost is unable to move more than 10 feet from the stone phylactery. If this stone phylactery is not destroyed, a ghost-stone which is reduced to 0 hp or less will rejuvenate automatically in the stone in 1 day. A dispel evil (or similar spell) ast on the stone with a successful DC 15 caster level check breaks the connection between the ghost and the phylactery; in that case, the ghost loses the shadowtrap aura and can no longer rejuvenate unless it undergoes a new ritual binding it to the stone (a process that takes at least an uninterrupted day).

Skills: Ghosts have a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Search, and Spot checks.
 

It looks like we never finished deciding upon telekinesis...

Telekinesis (Su): A kada can use telekinesis as a standard action (caster level 2nd). When a kada uses this power, it must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again. A kada can typically use its telekinesis only to affect a certain type of item (usually the same type as its bonded object). For example, a departed warrior might affect swords, while a farmer might affect scythes and an alchemist might have power over glass containers.

Yes, that fits. If we just keep the CL low on telekinesis, it can't do too much with it. We could also limit it to the "sustained force" version. Or even just switch to mage hand.

It all depends on whether we want it using it in combat or not.

I'm think the "Combat Maneuver" version of telekinesis would be the best option. It doesn't do damage directly, but it could use it to grapple & drag or bull rush an enemy into range of its deadly aura.

...we could swap the standard telekinesis with limited telekinesis (or just state that the ghost's telekinesis ability has no power over its own stone)...

It does depend on how we want to use telekinesis. I'm ok with all uses as long as the CL is fairly low.
 

You know, I'm not so bothered by telekinesis now that we've done it as a variant ghost. On the other hand, malevolence doesn't seem to work so well for this variant, since they can't leave the shadowtrap aura. What if we change the note about the variant to the following?

"It functions as a normal ghost, except it never possesses the standard malevolence or rejuvenation powers, may not use telekinesis against its stone phylactery, and always possesses the following abilities:"
 


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