D&D 3E/3.5 Creature Catalog 3.5 Overhaul Project

[BOZ]

Astral Searcher

OK, this one might need some significant revision. I was able to find the Astral Searcher in the original Planescape Campaign Setting, so the 2E revision should shed some light on some of its weirder aspects.

Astral Searcher

First off, here is the revised stat block as I see it:

Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Incorporeal)
HD: 2d8 (9 hp)
Init: +0 (Dex)
Speed: Fly 30 ft (perfect) (6 squares)
AC: 15 (+5 deflection), touch ?, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/?
Attack: Incorporeal touch +3 melee (1d6)
Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +3 melee (1d6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft /5 ft
Special Attacks: Touch psyche, possession
Special Qualities: Incorporeal, SR 21
Saves: Fort +3 Ref +3 Will +5
Abilities: Str --- Dex 11 Con 11 Int --- Wis 14 Chr 20
Skills: None
Feats: Weapon focus (Touch)

Environment: The Astral Plane
Organization: Solitary or swarm (4-24)
Challenge Rating: 2?
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 3-6HD (Medium-size)


I think the psyche touch needs some work. As I see it, the touch damage would work better as subdual damage. When a victim reaches 0 hp, it goes into a coma and the astral searcher is able to possess it. That requires a lot less explanation than the paragraph above. It also fits better with the original description. (Deflection bonuses, rings of protection, and Wisdom bonuses to AC such as the monk’s would all still work against the touch attack.) The PSCS goes into a little more detail on who can be affected by this; Prime Material travels on the Astral Plane are immune to its attacks, due to their silver cord – thus, on the Astral Plane a searcher can only attack planar travelers from other planes who have no silver cord. It can attack anyone on the Material plane, if it is able to get there. It only considers living beings with humanoid forms to be suitable prey.

As for the possession, it should be noted that the searcher can only possess a body that has been reduced to 0 hp through the psyche touch attack. I think it should require a full round action to possess a body, as this provides PCs with a slim chance to rescue a friend. It is the act of possession, according to the PSCS, that kills the victim, not the psyche touch. In possessing the body, the astral searcher casts out the mind of the victim, dissipating it into nothingness – only a wish spell can restore it, and only after the searcher is cast out of the body. This new body provides the searcher with the physical ability scores and intelligence of the victim, and the body is restored to its full hit points. It also gains a new personality and a random alignment (I’d rather let the DM figure out how to determine the alignment than include a table for it). Skills, languages, and class abilities are temporarily lost, but the searcher can choose to regain them within a few hours. The searcher permanently loses the victim’s memories and the ability to gain levels, however. If the searcher is cast out of the body, it will lose all of these benefits.

Discuss!

 

[Leopold]

well start on the orb and someone will whip up the description real quick


oh i dunno:

a phatsmal gas shape hovers before you, bits of astral energy dance and eminate from it's body as it's thinner than air form approaches you, no eyes or face appears but nevertheless it knows where you are...

 

[BOZ]

Elder Orb

ok, on to the elder orb it is...

Elder Orb

Now, updates to the elder orb will be more concerned with making it more in line with the changes to the beholder from 3.0 to 3.5 than anything else.

The beholder’s physique was upped a bit from Dex 10 to Dex 14 (to give it a better ranged attack, most likely), and from Con 12 to Con 18 (to give it better HP and Fort saves, of course!) so we should make a similar change to the elder orb – makes no sense to have the older version weaker and slower than junior – at least not for a beholder!

The natural armor was also buffed up from +11 to +15.

Under 3.5 it would have 180 skill ranks, and 6 feats. Maybe we could still keep some of those extra feats as bonus feats? Give me your input on skills and feats.

Other changes to stablock:

Speed: 5 ft (1 square), fly 20 ft (good)
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/?
Attack: Eye rays +11 (+new Dex modifier) ranged touch and bite +6 melee (2d4)
Full Attack: Eye rays +11 (+new Dex modifier) ranged touch and bite +6 melee (2d4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft/ 5 ft
Special Attacks: Eye rays, spells
Special Qualities: All-around vision, antimagic cone, darkvision 60 ft, SR 21, flight, poison resistance 20

There are additional changes to the flavor text that I will implement later.

 

[Shade]

anyone have comments on the ability score, natural armor, and skills and feats issues? any other comments at all?

I agree with your suggestion of upping the elder orb's stats so that it maintains its superiority over its lesser cousin.

For skills, I'd recommend the following: Concentration 20, Hide 20, Intimidate 10, Knowledge (arcana) 20, Knowledge (any two) 10, Listen 20, Search 20, Sense Motive 10, Spellcraft 20, Spot 20, Survival 0 (the normal beholder only has its Wis bonus and synergy). These are ranks only, I didn't factor in stat modifiers.

For the feats, I'd definitely keep Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, and Iron Will, as these are the feats a standard beholder possesses. Alertness should be a bonus feat, just like normal beholders. Of the remaining feats, I would lose Expertise, Combat Casting, and Shot on the Run. I have a hard time picturing a floating orb using expertise. With its high Concentration score, Combat Casting isn't really needed. Shot on the Run doesn't seem as useful due to its slow speed. That leaves two feat slots and Empower Spell, Extend Spell, Quicken Spell, Still Spell. I'd probably keep 'em all, making Quicken and Still be the bonus feats.

 

[Krishnath]

"A large fleshy orb with a central eye and crowned by eyestalks floats towards you, as it comes closer you can see that the creature is covered in the scars of battle and age."

Good?

 

[BOZ]

Hamadryad

ok, here are the original CC stats for this green-haired beauty...

Hamadryad

OK, not that many changes involved with this one, much like we did with the elder orb we’ll be bringing this creature in line with the changes in her lesser cousin.

Observe the changes to the dryad’s stats: 2 more HD, +4 to her Dex score, and +3 to her natural armor.

Skills and feats have been altered significantly – we may want to follow suit, or just keep her unique. She should have 2 feats and 56 skill points at 4HD, but that would have to be recalculated if we raise her HD.

Nature Mastery should probably be rewritten. Note that regular dryads have been given the druid’s Wild Empathy power.

She should probably get DR, as most fey have this now. 5/cold iron like the dryad should do it.



I wanted to compare with the article I found in Dragon #101 where the hamadryad first appeared, but I don’t have access to that since the fuse in the basement was blown (hoping to get that fixed soon). I might have to install the Dragon Magazine archives at work just to save myself some hassle.



Some additional bits I gleaned from looking at MC11 again:

Their charm person spell like ability is given a –3 penalty to saving throws. Is there a way we can reflect that in the rules?

They are listed as having Hold Plant as a spell-like ability (4th level priest spell), but there is no 3E analog that I know of. They are also listed as having the Transport via Plants (6th level priest spell) spell-like ability.

I also missed the fact that the hamadryad has an additional charming ability, beyond the spell-like ability as listed above. This charm is apparently used against spellcasters that are magically inhabiting a tree (via spells like plant door, pass plant, and transport via plants), and there was a –6 penalty to the saving throw, and this charm can even effect druids that are immune to fey charms.

 

[DonaldRumsfeldsTofu]

I didn't read the entire topic, but I have a question. Have any of the Creature Catalogue monsters been converted as of yet? I'm a 3.0 guy myself, and I want to save all of the monsters before they do.

 

[BOZ]

the 3.0 monsters are not going to be removed from the site, if that's what you're asking. but there won't be any more new ones.

 

[BOZ]

i don't know how much this will add to the conversion, but here is the original text of the hamadryad from Dragon #101:

HAMADRYAD
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 16”
HIT DICE: 4
% IN LAIR: 5%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 weapon
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Magic resistance, spell-like abilities
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 75%
INTELLIGENCE: High
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: IV/ 175 + 4/hp

This extremely rare creature is a guardian of the woodlands, found only in old, vast forests far from civilization. Like a dryad, a hamadryad is linked to an individual oak tree and will quickly die if the tree is destroyed. But unlike a dryad, a hamadryad can leave the vicinity of the oak tree and travel any distance from the tree. A hamadryad often carries daggers or daggerlike weapons.
Hamadryads dislike non-forest environments intensely and almost never leave wooded areas. They prefer well water or mineral water, and derive energy from sunlight through the chlorophyll in their bright green hair. Shorn or dungeon-imprisoned hamadryads will die in 10-20 days if they cannot get sunlight and are not allowed to regrow their hair.
Hamadryads appear to be beautiful elven or human females, but have deep, sparkling green eyes and long green hair. They are shy but noble of manner, and they rarely speak. They will often cooperate with rangers and druids, acting first to protect their own woods. Hamadryads can use the following powers at will, one per round: animal friendship, entangle, pass without trace, speak with animals, and quench fire (16’ square area of effect). They will always successfully detect snares and pits, and cannot be entangled. They can dimension door from any tree to any other tree (maximum range of this ability is 66“), and can enter inside any living tree. Hamadryads will always see non-real trees (such as those caused by a massmorph or tree spell) for what they truly are. They also recognize treants and treant-controlled trees on sight.
Once a day, a hamadryad can cast a hold plant spell, and thrice per day can cast a powerful charm person spell (save vs. magic at -3). If a person is taken away by a hamadryad, he will be compelled to perform one service (usually aid in protecting the woodlands from woodcutters or the like), and will then be released in the depths of the forest in a dryad grove, whereupon he may be charmed in turn by a dryad. If not, no forest creature of good or neutral alignment will attack the person if he does not bother them and is attempting to leave the forest. If a hamadryad enters a tree which contains a druid (cf. pass plant and plant door spells), she can charm that druid if she so wishes with great efficacy (save at -6). She can converse with the druid normally, and there is room for both within the tree.
Hamadryads speak the tongue of dryads, elves, pixies, sprites, and can speak with plants. Sometimes (33%) they can speak the Common tongue as well (having learned it from charmed individuals). Hamadryads are 90% likely to speak each of the following languages as well: centaur, faun, treantish, and the druidic secret language. Hamadryads are immune to the effects of a call woodland beings spell, but will feel its summons and will usually (90% of the time) go to the caster’s location to observe; they give aid of their own free will.
Hamadryads give any treasure they gain to dryads. They have exact knowledge of the forest in which they dwell.
A hamadryad’s tree is always old and large, but does not radiate magic. The hamadryad will rarely fight other woodland creatures and is most friendly with dryads and treants. She will often aid the latter with her quench fire abilities.
The touch of a hamadryad is also said to cure nilbogism (see the FIEND FOLIO® Tome, Nilbog), but truth of this rumor is as much a mystery as the condition itself.

 

[Krishnath]

A suggestion for spell resistance. CR + 15 is roughly the equivalent of a 75% magic resistance.