The finer points of creating an Undead Frost Giant

[Ferox4]

I am creating an Undead Frost Giant for my campaign and I could use some help with calculating some of its statistics. This is a conversion of the Frostmourn from Dragon #254. Here's what I have thus far:

Frostmourn, Huge Undead (21')
HD: 18d12 (108 HP)
Initiative: -1 (Dex)
Speed: 40'
AC: 20 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +9 natural, +4 chain shirt)
Attacks: Huge Greataxe, Rock Throwing
Damage: Huge Greataxe 2d8+21, Rock 2d6
Face/Reach: 10' x 10'/15'
SA: Rock Throwing, Freezing Touch
SQ: Cold subtype, Undead Immunities, DR 10/+3, SR ?,
Saves: ?
Abilities: STR 38, Dex 8, Con -, Int 5, Wis 10, Cha 14

Freezing Touch (Su): When touched by a Frostmourn a creature must make a Fortitude save (DC 20) or take 2-20 additional points of cold damage. A successful saving throw reduces the damage by half. In addition, any metallic items held or carried by the object creature must save vs, cold or become brittle, falling to pieces almost instantly.


Questions:
1. How should I gauge its BAB? In the MM under Undead advancement it says: Total HD x 1/2 (as wizard). Should it be +4 then (9th lvl wizard)?

2. I think it should have SR. How much?

3. What should its saves be? Sure Fort will be low, as will Reflex, but Will should be its best.

4. Is the Fort Save too high for the Freezing Touch supernatural ability?

Any suggestions are welcome.

Is there a 3E Undead template? I have MM & MM2 & Monsters of Faerun, but there isn't one in there.

Cheers,
F4

 

[Savage Wombat]

1 - It advances as a Wizard, so it has the BAB of an 18th level wiz - +9. This may not apply if someone finds an Undead template you like; there are several.

2 - Isn't the cardinal rule 11+CR of monster?

3 - Fort and Reflex are poor for undead, Will is good. So you've got bases of +6 / +6 / +11.

4 - As a rough guess, use 10 + 1/2 monsters HD, + CHA bonus. That gives a DC of 21.

These numbers are subject to modification due to my poor memory and lack of source materials.

 

[Celebrim]

That basically looks good to me.

CR? 8? 9?

 

[Dash Dannigan]

Why not just use the Vampiric Template, hehe

 

[DevoutlyApathetic]

Why not just use the Vampiric Template, hehe

Because it can't be applied to Giants?

 

[Celebrim]

Because it is not a vampire?

 

[dravot]

Because it can't be applied to Giants?

Yeah, but that's a weak argument at best. There was a vampiric gibbering mouther in one of the WotC modules, and aberrations can't be vampires either.

I see nothing wrong with a vampiric giant...unless I had to face one

 

[Ferox4]

Thanks for the feedback.

I am going to give it another Special Attack which will bump the CR up to about 10 or 11.

Hey, Savage Wombat (or anyone else who knows), where is it stated that undead advance as wizards? The MM seems to indicate that they advance at half the rate of a wizard (Total HD x1/2 (as wizards)). Can anyone clear this up please?

Vampiric Giants.....why not? Maybe down the line.

Cheers all,
F4

 

[Berk]

The (as wizards) is in parenthesis for a reason. It's to just mean that the HDx1/2 is the same (as wizards).

 

[Ferox4]

The (as wizards) is in parenthesis for a reason. It's to just mean that the HDx1/2 is the same (as wizards).

Excuse my density, but I still don't understand.