Volcano Pig

[Casimir Liber]

Yeah - like #4 - the cold modifier is a logical add. Let's go with that.

 

[Cleon]

Yeah - like #4 - the cold modifier is a logical add. Let's go with that.

As you like, updating Volcano Pig.

During the update I tweaked the wording of Hot Inside slightly, changing:

Once the pig is reduced to 30 hp or less, its cracked hide produces a gout of heat if it takes any amount of damage from an attack that does not include cold damage.​

To:

Once the pig is reduced to 30 hp or less, its cracked hide produces a gout of heat whenever it takes any amount of damage from an attack that does not include cold damage.​

Since I thought it read slightly better.

Oh, and I just realized I'd forgotten to change the "elemental" in Water Susceptibility to "volcano pig" so fixed that too.

That just leaves the Description to finalize!

 

[Casimir Liber]

Right now I have:

Volcano pigs (also known as magma boars) are beings from the Plane of Magma (the border plane between the Elemental Planes of Fire and Earth). They resemble sturdy giant boars with a thick, crusty dark brown-black rocklike hide. Their eyes, veins and sinews glow red from internal magma-like material.

How they came to be is unknown. Volcano pigs have been summoned to the Material Plane to wreak havoc by conjuration magic, though some have come through gates by their own accord in such places as volcanoes or lava flows.

Although neutral (maybe I make them chaotic neutral as they love mayhem...or their int suggests non-aligned?), they are highly destructive, enjoying setting flammable objects alight and revelling in the fumes. They eat material indiscriminately as long as the material is in some way flammable. Dried timber, thatched houses and wooden fences are particular favourites. Malevolent wizards have been known to summon them in places to cause the most mayhem, such as forests or crowded cities.

 

[Cleon]

Okay, let's go through the Description so far…

Volcano pigs (also known as magma boars) are beings from the Plane of Magma (the border plane between the Elemental Planes of Fire and Earth). They resemble sturdy giant boars with a thick, crusty dark brown-black rocklike hide. Their eyes, veins and sinews glow red from internal magma-like material.

Doesn't need two sets of parentheses in the same sentence. Not sure it needs the "dark brown." Maybe describe their interior as incandescently hot, with "magma" for blood, but insulated by its thick hide.

I can understand its veins, eyes and orifices like nostrils & mouth glowing, but wonder why its sinews would glow with heat. Does the heat generated by its muscles concentrate in its sinewy areas? I'm thinking maybe we should cut out references to the sinews.

Perhaps mention that an injured volcano pig's wounds/gashes glow and some text that ties into the Hot Inside trait?

How's this:

Volcano pigs, also known as magma boars, are beings from the Plane of Magma (the border plane between the Elemental Planes of Fire and Earth). They resemble sturdy giant boars with a crusty brown-black rocklike hide. These creatures have magma-like fluid for blood and their vital organs are incandescently hot. However, their stony exterior is so thick and insulating their skin only feels uncomfortably hot to the touch. The pigs' eyes, nostrils, mouth and veins glow orange-red from their internal heat, and their fiery lungs continuously breathe out smoke, hot ashes and cinders. If a volcano pig's skin is cracked by disease or injury its wounds spurt scorching fluids or gases, then angrily glow redly until they heal.​

The rest of the description basically covers two topics: (a) them being destructive and liking arson & eating, plus (b) the summoning to the material planes stuff.

Currently the Description has a bit of both topics in the last two paragraphs, but it seems prudent to have separate paragraphs for each topic, presumably with some catchy descriptive subtitle.

That'll have to wait. I have stuff to do now.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Ok sounds good - I have adopted first para...

Read a few monsters - trying this for paras 2 and 3 (pondering on which noun in header of para 3 to use....):

Elemental Beasts. How they came to be is unknown. Volcano pigs have been summoned to the Material Plane by conjuration magic, though some have come through gates by their own accord in such places as volcanoes or lava flows.

Agents of Mayhem/Destruction/Combustion. Volcano pigs are highly destructive, relishing in setting flammable objects alight and inhaling the fumes. Any material is fair game as long as it burns in some way. Timber, thatched houses and wooden fences are particular favourites. Whether they merely savour the fumes or gain some form of sustenance from them is unknown. Malevolent wizards have been known to summon them in places to cause the most mayhem, such as forests or crowded cities.

 

[Cleon]

Ok sounds good - I have adopted first para...

Read a few monsters - trying this for paras 2 and 3 (pondering on which noun in header of para 3 to use....):

Elemental Beasts. How they came to be is unknown. Volcano pigs have been summoned to the Material Plane by conjuration magic, though some have come through gates by their own accord in such places as volcanoes or lava flows.

Does the "How they came to be is unknown" sentence fill any useful purpose? It can be cut out without losing anything. The bit about malevolent wizards in the next paragraph seems a better fit here since you've already mentioned conjuration magic.

Elemental Beasts. Volcano pigs can be summoned to the Material Plane by conjuration magic, though some wander through natural gates of their own accord in such places as volcanoes or lava flows. Malevolent wizards have been known to summon them in forests or crowded cities to spread burning mayhem.​

Agents of Mayhem/Destruction/Combustion. Volcano pigs are highly destructive, relishing in setting flammable objects alight and inhaling the fumes. Any material is fair game as long as it burns in some way. Timber, thatched houses and wooden fences are particular favourites. Whether they merely savour the fumes or gain some form of sustenance from them is unknown. Malevolent wizards have been known to summon them in places to cause the most mayhem, such as forests or crowded cities.

I'd expand on their diet a bit.

Gluttonous Arsonists. Outside their native plane, a volcano pig's nature is highly destructive to its surroundings. They eat almost any material that will burn, with timber and thatch cottages being particular favorites. Volcano pigs also consume heat, inhaling flames and drinking molten lava. They relish setting objects alight and savoring the fumes. A volcano pig can live in places cool enough for normal humanoids to inhabit, but it finds them uncomfortably cold and must eat vast quantities of flammable materials to fuel its internal fires (keeping a pet magma boar is as costly as continuously running a forge). They prefer to sustain their heat using external sources such as magma pools or forest fires.​

Also, doesn't it make better sense to have the diet section in the middle and the summoning bit at the end?

That'd make the Description:

Volcano pigs, also known as magma boars, are beings from the Plane of Magma (the border plane between the Elemental Planes of Fire and Earth). They resemble sturdy giant boars with a crusty brown-black rocklike hide. These creatures have magma-like fluid for blood and their vital organs are incandescently hot. However, their stony exterior is so thick and insulating their skin only feels uncomfortably hot to the touch. The pigs' eyes, nostrils, mouth and veins glow orange-red from their internal heat, and their fiery lungs continuously breathe out smoke, hot ashes and cinders. If a volcano pig's skin is cracked by disease or injury its wounds spurt scorching fluids or gases, then angrily glow redly until they heal.​

 Gluttonous Arsonists. Outside their native plane, a volcano pig's nature is highly destructive to its surroundings. They eat almost any material that will burn, with timber and thatch cottages being particular favorites. Volcano pigs also consume heat, inhaling flames and drinking molten lava. They relish setting objects alight and savoring the fumes. A volcano pig can live in places cool enough for normal humanoids to inhabit, but it finds them uncomfortably cold and must eat vast quantities of flammable materials to fuel its internal fires (keeping a pet magma boar is as costly as continuously running a forge). They prefer to sustain their heat using external sources such as magma pools or forest fires.​

 Elemental Beasts. Volcano pigs can be summoned to the Material Plane by conjuration magic, though some wander through natural gates of their own accord in such places as volcanoes or lava flows. Malevolent wizards have been known to summon them in forests or crowded cities to spread burning mayhem.​

 

[Casimir Liber]

Volcano pigs, also known as magma boars, are beings from the Plane of Magma (the border plane between the Elemental Planes of Fire and Earth). They resemble sturdy giant boars with a crusty brown-black rocklike hide. These creatures have magma-like fluid for blood and their vital organs are incandescently hot. However, their stony exterior is so thick and insulating their skin only feels uncomfortably hot to the touch. The pigs' eyes, nostrils, mouth and veins glow orange-red from their internal heat, and their fiery lungs continuously breathe out smoke, hot ashes and cinders. If a volcano pig's skin is cracked by disease or injury its wounds spurt scorching fluids or gases, then angrily glow redly until they heal. Gluttonous Arsonists. Outside their native plane, a volcano pig's nature is highly destructive to its surroundings. They eat almost any material that will burn, with timber and thatch cottages being particular favorites. Volcano pigs also consume heat, inhaling flames and drinking molten lava. They relish setting objects alight and savoring the fumes. A volcano pig can live in places cool enough for normal humanoids to inhabit, but it finds them uncomfortably cold and must eat vast quantities of flammable materials to fuel its internal fires (keeping a pet magma boar is as costly as continuously running a forge). They prefers to sustain their heat using external sources such as magma pools or forest fires. Elemental Beasts. Volcano pigs can be summoned to the Material Plane by conjuration magic, though some wander through natural gates of their own accord in such places as volcanoes or lava flows. Malevolent wizards have been known to summon them in forests or crowded cities to spread burning mayhem.

Good point re "unknown" - yeah I like the description and will put in the dndbeyond version. Also you have "they prefers" above...

 

[Cleon]

Good point re "unknown" - yeah I like the description and will put in the dndbeyond version. Also you have "they prefers" above...

Fixed the "prefers". No idea where that typo came from.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Okay. So you feel that's a wrap then?

 

[Cleon]

Well, I'm happy with it at the moment..

I need to update the Volcano Pig post and add it to the 5E Index once you release it on D&DBeyond.

That's assuming I don't notice and errors while transcribing it. Knowing our luck I won't rule that out!