[BFRPG] New Monsters

[maddog]

Hey all!

I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread for new monsters for BFRPG. To start things off, here's a conversion of the Couatl.

Couatl

Armor Class: 21
Hit Dice: 13**** (+10)
No of Attacks: 1 Bite + special
Damage: 1d3 + poison, 2d8
Movement: 20 ft., fly 60 ft.
No. Appearing: 1d6 Wild/Lair 1d2
Save as: F13
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: B, I
XP Value: 2615

A couatl is about 12 feet long, with a wingspan of about 15 feet. It weighs about 1,800 pounds and can be found in warm forests. They can speak the Common tongue, however, it can communicate telepathically with any creature within 90 feet that has an Intelligence score. The creature can respond to the couatl if it wishes,no common language is needed. They have darkvision to 60 ft.

A couatl uses its ESP ability on any creature that arouses its suspicions. Since it is highly intelligent, a couatl usually casts spells from a distance before closing. If more than one couatl is involved, they discuss their strategy before a battle. A couatl deals 2d8 points of constriction damage with a successful hit with it's bite attack. The bite injects a deadly poison and the victim must save vs. poison or die.

A couatl has these spell-like abilities and may use them at will,detect evil, ESP and invisibility. A couatl casts spells as a 9th-level wizard and can choose its spells known from the wizard and cleric list. The cleric spells are considered arcane spells for a couatl, meaning that the creature does not need a diety to cast them.

A couatl can polymorph themselves into any small or medium humanoid as well as become intangible. When intangible, the coatl is invisible, insubstantial, and capable of moving in any direction, even up or down, albeit at half normal speed. As an intangible creature, it can move through solid objects, including living creatures. It can see and hear on the Material Plane, but everything looks gray and ephemeral. Sight and hearing onto the Material Plane are limited to 60 feet.

EDIT: Changed creature to fit Cosmological Neutrality and removed a forgotten d20 reference.

2ND EDIT: Changed constriction damage to 2d8 from 2d8+6.

[maddog]

Assassin Vine

Armor Class: 15
Hit Dice: 6 (+6)
No of Attacks: 1 + special
Damage: 1d6 + special
Movement: 5'
No. Appearing: 2d2
Save as: F6
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: U
XP Value: 555

The assassin vine is a semi-mobile plant found in temperate forests that collects its own grisly fertilizer by grabbing and crushing animals and depositing the carcasses near its roots.

A mature plant consists of a main vine, about 20 feet long. Smaller vines up to 5 feet long branch off from the main vine about every 6 inches. These small vines bear clusters of leaves, and in late summer they produce bunches of small fruits that resemble wild grapes. The fruit is tough and has a hearty but bitter flavor. Assassin vine berries make a heady wine.

An assassin vine can move about, albeit very slowly, but usually stays put unless it needs to seek prey in a new vicinity. They have no visual organs but can ascertain all foes within 30 feet using sound and vibration.

A subterranean version of the assassin vine grows near hot springs, volcanic vents, and other sources of thermal energy. These plants have thin, wiry stems and gray leaves shot through with silver, brown, and white veins so that they resemble mineral deposits. An assassin vine growing underground usually generates enough offal to support a thriving colony of mushrooms and other fungi, which spring up around the plant and help conceal it.

An assassin vine uses simple tactics: It lies still until prey comes within reach, then attacks. It uses its entangle ability both to catch prey and to deter counterattacks. An assassin vine deals 1d6 points of damage with a successful hit upon which it entangles the victim and does 1d6 points of damage each round thereafter.

EDIT: Lowered damage to 1d6 from 1d6+7.

[maddog]

BTW, if anyone else would like to try their hand at converting a few monsters, I'm just pulling the ones I like from the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/) and doing a simple conversion back to BFRPG. The more people we have working on this the better!

--Ray.

[maddog]

Bulette

Armor Class: 22
Hit Dice: 19* (+12)
No of Attacks: 1 Btie/2 Claws or 4 Claws
Damage: 2d6x2/2d8 or 2d6x4
Movement: 40 ft. (10 ft. burrow)
No. Appearing: 1d2
Save as: F19
Morale: 12
Treasure: None
XP Value: 4675

Also known as the landshark, the bulette is a terrifying predator that lives only to eat. A bulette attacks anything it regards as edible, choosing the easiest or closest prey first. The only creatures it refuses to eat are elves (and it dislikes the taste of dwarves). These creatures are found in temperate hill regions.

A landshark can sense vibrations of the movement of prey up to 60 ft. away. When it senses something edible (that is, senses movement), it breaks to the surface, crest first, and begins its attack. A bulette can jump into the air during combat. This allows it to make four claw attacks instead of two, but it cannot bite.

Bulettes have Darkvision 60 ft.

EDIT: Lowered damage from 2d6+4x2/2d8+8 or 2d6+4x4 to 2d6x2/2d8 or 2d6x4.

[maddog]

Cloaker

Armor Class: 19
Hit Dice: 10* (+9)
No of Attacks: 1 Tail + special
Damage: 1d6 + special
Movement: 10 ft., fly 40 ft.
No. Appearing: 1d3 Wild/Lair 1
Save as: F10
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: C
XP Value: 1390

When resting or lying in wait, these creatures are almost impossible to distinguish from common black cloaks (the cloaker's ivory claws look very much like bone clasps). Only when it unfurls does the horrific nature of the creature become apparent. A cloaker has a wingspan of about 8 feet. It weighs about 100 pounds.

Cloakers usually lie still, watching and listening for prey. If facing a single opponent, a cloaker tries to engulf it's prey. If it hits with it's bite attack, it engulfs victim. Each round thereafter, the cloaker causes 1d4 points of damage plus the target's AC subtracted from 20 (e.g., 1d4+(20-target's AC)). It can still use its whiplike tail to strike at other targets. Attacks that hit an engulfing cloaker deal half their damage to the monster and half to the trapped victim.

Against multiple foes, it lashes with its tail in concert with its moan to reduce the opposition's numbers, then engulfs a survivor. Multiple cloakers usually split up, leaving one or two behind to use special abilities while the rest make melee attacks.

A cloaker can emit a dangerous subsonic moan as an attack. By changing the frequency, the cloaker can cause one of four effects. Cloakers are immune to these sonic, mind-affecting attacks. Unless otherwise specified, a creature that successfully saves against one of these effects cannot be affected by the same moan effect from the same cloaker for 24 hours. If a Cloaker moans, it can not use it's bite attack in the same round.

Unnerve: Anyone within a 60-foot spread automatically takes a -2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. There is no save against this attack

Fear: Anyone within a 30-foot spread must succeed on a save vs. spells or become panicked for 2 rounds.

Nausea: Anyone in a 30-foot cone must succeed on a save vs. poison or be overcome by nausea and weakness. Affected characters fall prone and become nauseated for 1d4+1 rounds.

Stupor: A single creature within 30 feet of the cloaker must succeed on a save vs. spells or be affected as a hold person spell for 5 rounds. Even after a successful save, the creature must repeat the save if the cloaker uses this effect again.

EDIT: change tail attack damage to 1d6 from 1d6+5.

[Solomoriah]

... sorry this has become a one-man show, maddog... but I'm impressed.

[maddog]

... sorry this has become a one-man show, maddog... but I'm impressed.

No need to apologize. I'm certain others will submit a monster or two at some point.

--Ray.

[maddog]

Aranea

Armor Class: 13
Hit Dice: 4** (+4)
No of Attacks: 1 Bite or 1 Web or spells
Damage: 1d6+poison or web or spells
Movement: 50 ft., climb 25 ft.
No. Appearing: 1d6 Wild/Lair 1d6
Save as: M4
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: D
XP Value: 320

An aranea is an intelligent, shapechanging spider with sorcerous powers. In its natural form, an aranea resembles a big spider, with a humpbacked body a little bigger than a human torso. It has fanged mandibles like a normal spider. Two small arms, each about 2 feet long, lie below the mandibles. Each arm has a hand with four many-jointed fingers and a double-jointed thumb.

An aranea has darkvision to 60 ft. and weighs about 150 pounds. The hump on its back houses its brain. Araneas speak Common and Elven.

An aranea avoids physical combat and uses its webs and spells when it can. In a battle, it tries to immobilize or distract the most aggressive opponents first. Araneas often subdue opponents for ransom. The bite attack of an aranea is poisonous. The victim of a bite must save vs. poison or die.

An aranea casts spells as a 3rd-level magic-user. It prefers illusions and avoids fire spells.

In spider or hybrid form (see below), an aranea can throw a web up to six times per day. This is similar to a web spell but has a maximum range of 50 feet, and is effective against targets of up to Large size.

An aranea's natural form is that of a human-sized spider. It can assume two other forms. The first is a unique humanoid of halfling to human-size; an aranea in its humanoid form always assumes the same appearance and traits. In humanoid form, an aranea cannot use its bite attack, webs, or poison.

The second form is a spider-humanoid hybrid. In hybrid form, an aranea looks like a humanoid at first glance, but a second look reveals the creature's fangs and spinnerets. The aranea retains its bite attack, webs, and poison in this form, and can also wield weapons or wear armor. When in hybrid form, an aranea's speed is 30 ft..

An aranea remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, nor does an aranea revert to its natural form when killed. A true seeing spell, however, reveals its natural form if it is in humanoid or hybrid form.

[maddog]

Behir

Armor Class: 20
Hit Dice: 11** (+9)
No of Attacks: 1 Bite/6 claws or breath
Damage: 2d10, 1d6 or breath + special
Movement: 40'
No. Appearing: 1d2
Save as: F11
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: L
XP Value: 1765

The behir is a serpentine monster that can slither like a snake or use its dozen legs to move with considerable speed. A behir is about 40 feet long and weighs about 4,000 pounds. It can fold its limbs close to its long, narrow body and slither in snake fashion if it desires. The coloration of behirs ranges from ultramarine to deep blue with bands of gray-brown. The belly is pale blue. The two large horns curving back over the head look dangerous but are actually used for preening the creature's scales, not for fighting. Behirs are found in warm hilly areas and speak Common.

A behir usually bites and grabs its prey first, then either swallows or constricts the opponent. It can employ its claws only against foes caught in its coils. If beset by a large number of foes, it uses its breath weapon. A Behir's breath weapon is a 20-foot line that it can use once every 10 rounds for 7d6 of electricity damage. A behir can deal 1d8 points of constriction damage on the following round with a successful hit with the bite attack or it may swallow the victim whole. A swallowed creature takes 1d8 points of damage per round from the behir's gizzard. However, a swallowed creature may cut its way out by using a small edged weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 15). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.

EDIT: changed damage from 2d4+12, 1d4+4 or breath to 2d10, 1d6 or breath + special. Also changed constriction damage listed in the text.

[maddog]

Had to spend some time off. We all do. I give you the Ankheg!
--Ray.

Ankheg

Armor Class: 18
Hit Dice: 5* (+5)
No. of Attacks: 1 + special
Damage: 2d6 + special
Movement: 30 ft. Burrow 20 ft.
No. Appearing: 2d8 Wild/Lair 1
Save As: F5
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: Nil
XP Value: 405

The ankheg is a burrowing monster with a taste for fresh meat. An ankheg has six legs, and some specimens are yellow rather than brown. It is about 10 feet long and weighs about 800 pounds.

An ankheg burrows with legs and mandibles. A burrowing ankheg usually does not make a usable tunnel, but can construct a tunnel; it burrows at half speed when it does so. It often digs a winding tunnel up to 40 feet below the surface in the rich soil of forests or farmlands. The tunnel is 5 feet tall and wide, and from 60 to 150 feet long ([1d10 + 5] × 10).

An ankheg usually lies 5 to 10 feet below the surface until its antennae detect the approach of prey. It then burrows up to attack. Clusters of ankhegs share the same territory but do not cooperate.

If an ankheg hits with its bite attack, it has grabbed it's prey and will retreat down it's tunnel at it's burrow speed,dragging the victim with it. If the ankheg is damaged after grabbing its prey, it will retreat backward down its tunnel at its land speed (not its burrow speed), dragging the victim with it.

An ankheg can spit a 30-ft. line of acid but it does not use this ability unless it is desperate or frustrated. It most often spits acid when reduced to fewer than half its hit points or when it has not successfully grabbed an opponent. One such attack depletes the ankheg’s acid supply for 6 hours. It cannot spit acid or deal acid damage during this time.

EDIT: Changed damage to 2d6 + special. Removed the +7.

[maddog]

Ettin

Armor Class: 18
Hit Dice: 13 (+10)
No of Attacks: 2 Weapons
Damage: By weapon type
Movement: 30 ft.
No. Appearing: 1d4 Wild/Lair 1d4
Save as: F13
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: J (or Y in lair)
XP Value: 2175

Ettins, or two-headed giants, are vicious and unpredictable hunters that stalk the night. An ettin never bathes if it can help it, which usually leaves it so grimy and dirty its skin resembles thick, gray hide. Adult ettins are about 13 feet tall and weigh 5,200 pounds and live about 75 years.

Ettins have no language of their own but speak a pidgin of Orc, Goblin, and Giant. Creatures that can speak any of these languages must succeed on an Intelligence check to communicate with an ettin.

Though ettins aren't very intelligent, they are cunning fighters. They prefer to ambush their victims rather than charge into a straight fight, but once the battle has started, an ettin usually fights furiously until all enemies are dead. An ettin fights with a morningstar or javelin in each hand. Because each of its two heads controls an arm, the ettin does not take a penalty on attack or damage rolls for attacking with two weapons.

[rich]

Good stuff so far MD. Quick question though, before I take a shot at posting up a couple.

You have any sort of formula or guidelines for the conversions from standard D20 to BFRPG? Or do you just convert "on the fly"?

No big deal either way, but I figure if there's some accepted formula we can use, the resulting monsters would be more consistent.

[maddog]

Good stuff so far MD. Quick question though, before I take a shot at posting up a couple.

You have any sort of formula or guidelines for the conversions from standard D20 to BFRPG? Or do you just convert "on the fly"?

Thanks. I've been doing it on-the-fly but yes there is a method I am using. I'm at work right now so I will post it tonight.

--Ray.

[maddog]

I forgot to add the "*"s for special abilities and added an XP Value line to each. I will make my SRD2BFRPG conversion document tonight.

--Ray.

EDIT: Well, there alot more to explain about this conversion process than I thought. It's a simple process but not very easy to explain! Needless to say, I won't post the document tonight.

[Solomoriah]

maddog's article is now available for download:

Announcing!

The Fine Art of Monster Conversion 2006.1 by Ray Allen -- September 3, 2006: Here as requested are Ray's instructions for converting d20 monsters to BFRPG. Enjoy!

http://basicfantasy.newcenturycomputers.net/

[maddog]

Morning!

Sol has editted my method for converting monsters and suggested some changes to it. In the near future I will go back over the monsters that I have already posted and "fix" them. For example, the Couatl will become a 13 HD monster.

--Ray.

[maddog]

Hey All!

I have updated all of the posted monsters to comply with The Fine Art of Monster Conversion 2006.1. I'll get back to posting more monsters soon.

--Ray.

[Solomoriah]

I foresee an Almanack article...

[Solomoriah]

Thulid

Armor Class: 15
Hit Dice: 8* (8** if a magic-user)
No of Attacks: 1
Damage: by weapon or special
Movement: 40'
No. Appearing: 1d4
Save as: M8
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: F
XP Value: 945 (1015)

A thulid is a highly intelligent manlike creature with a head shaped like an octopus with four to eight tentacles surrounding its beak-like mouth. Though omnivorous, thulids prefer the brains of sentient creatures as food. They can read minds (as the ESP spell) and communicate with each other telepathically. They also have a primitive spoken language which is used mostly to command slaves.

A thulid uses its tentacles to extract the brain from a foe. It takes one to four turns for the tentacles to reach the brain, killing the victim. Obviously this is quite a long time, and thus brain extraction is not used as an actual attack form in combat. In fact, most thulids are disinterested in physical combat, preferring to use their mental blast (see below) or magic to attack, or (even better) using slave creatures for this purpose. 25% of thulids are magic-users; roll 2d6 for level. (Obviously, a magic-using thulid is worth more experience points than one not so gifted.) A thulid will flee if an encounter is going against it.

The thulid's mental blast is a cone of mental force with a 60' range and a diameter of 50' at the far end. A thulid can choose to either stun or kill those within the affected area. If the thulid chooses to stun, those in the area of effect must save vs. Spells or be rendered unconscious (as if by a sleep spell) for 2d6 rounds. A killing blast allows a save vs. Death Ray, with failure resulting in immediate death. Mindless creatures (golems, living statues, and the like) and the undead are unaffected. Add +2 to the saving throw if the victim is more than 20' from the thulid, or +5 if more than 40' away. A helm of telepathy adds an additional +4 to saving throws, and when such saves are made the attacking thulid is stunned for 3 turns.

Thulids are actually a strange sort of parasite. When a group of thulids are encountered, the GM should roll 1d20. If the result of this roll is equal to or less than the number encountered, one of the thulids is ready to spawn. In this case, that thulid will notify its brethren which of their opponents it wants to impregnate. The rest of the group will concentrate on defending the pregnant thulid as it concentrates its attacks on its chosen opponent, attacking to subdue. If the thulids prevail, the pregnant one will begin using its tentacles to penetrate the skull of the subdued opponent, but instead of extracting the brain, an egg will be laid. The subdued opponent will then be bound and carried off by the thulid party. Thulids seem to prefer male host bodies, for no apparent reason. Humans are preferred over elves, and elves over dwarves or halflings.

The egg hatches in 3d6 hours, but as the brain feels no sensation the victim will not realize this. In another 1d6 hours the victim will become confused (as if by the spell confusion), then in 2d6 more hours will fall into a coma. Up to this point, the condition is reversible with a cure disease spell, but after the coma begins the growth of the infant thulid cannot be stopped that way. In 4-9 (3+1d6) days, the victim will suddenly awaken, still appearing normal but with the psyche (and mental blast power) of a thulid. Over the course of the next year, the new thulid will slowly transform, taking on a reddish skin tone and developing the distinctive thulid head. Note that the new thulid can speak the thulid language as well as any languages formerly known by the host body, though little or none of that host's mind is left otherwise.

If the victim is rescued from the thulids but the egg not slain, the development will be exactly as given. When the victim awakens as a thulid it will instinctively realize that it is not among its own kind and feign amnesia or other illness to avoid discovery until it can find its way underground and attempt to find its "people." It is aided in this by its telepathy, which can be used to scan for other thulids within a 5 mile radius.

[Nikosandros]

Nice moster... quite powerfull though. The killing blast seems excessive to me and I would put some limitiations on it like a smaller area and some after effect. For example the thulid is stunned or somehow impaired for a short time afterwards.

I'm still deciding what I think about the name... at first I thought that something more guttural would be ebtter, but it's starting to grow on me...

[Solomoriah]

How about a limited number of uses per day? One per hit die, or three times straight up, or something like that?

The monster it "replaces" has a similarly dangerous but more random attack (random in the sense that it affects different characters different ways in one blast, based on their Intelligence scores).

[maddog]

Sol,

How about making the Killing Blast do a huge flat amount of damage? 50 points?

--Ray.

[Nikosandros]

How about a limited number of uses per day? One per hit die, or three times straight up, or something like that?

Three per day sounds right. How about a waiting period between uses? Maybe 1 turn...

The monster it "replaces" has a similarly dangerous but more random attack (random in the sense that it affects different characters different ways in one blast, based on their Intelligence scores).

Yes, I'm aware of the fact...

Another thing: how do thulids control their slaves? Maybe they could be given some kind of domination power.

[maddog]

Another thing: how do thulids control their slaves? Maybe they could be given some kind of domination power.

I like that but make it so they have to stun them first.
--Ray.

[Nikosandros]

Another thing: how do thulids control their slaves? Maybe they could be given some kind of domination power.

I like that but make it so they have to stun them first.

Yes. Actually it might be even better if the domination power is "slow" so that it can be used only on prisoners and not in the middle of a battle.

[Solomoriah]

Nah, they dominate the old-fashioned way: fear. I mean, imagine being a slave in a world where all the masters can kill with a thought...

[Nikosandros]

So, what's the final virdict on the Thulid's Killing Blast?

[Solomoriah]

I've made a few revisions to the monster as a whole; I'll post an update soon.

[Nikosandros]

I've made a few revisions to the monster as a whole; I'll post an update soon.

What happened to the Thulid?

[Solomoriah]

Oops.

Tonight, hopefully.