Converting Psionic Creatures

[Cleon]

These aren't very tough aside from the mind blast, so the CR shouldn't be very high. A racial bonus of +2 should be enough for the wonderblast.

Well they have a lot of attacks (albeit ones that do little damage), Reach, and impressive Spell Resistance, so they shouldn't have a negligible Challenge Rating.

 

[freyar]

Still, probably CR 2, 3 max.

 

[Cleon]

Still, probably CR 2, 3 max.

I'd accept either, but I'm leaning towards 3.

 

[freyar]

It'd be a bit of a glass canon at CR 3, though; wish we could go CR 2.5. Really, it's not going to get to do much if a figher makes the Will save vs the mind blast.

By the way, did we decide on bite damage?

 

[Cleon]

It'd be a bit of a glass canon at CR 3, though; wish we could go CR 2.5. Really, it's not going to get to do much if a figher makes the Will save vs the mind blast.

I'm OK pegging them at CR 2 for the time being.

By the way, did we decide on bite damage?

Yes, we settled on 2d4 for the "Wingless Wonder" and 3d4 for the "Walking Egg".

 

[freyar]

Ah, right.

Are we about done with the stats on these?

 

[Cleon]

Ah, right.

Are we about done with the stats on these?

Haven't we decided to give the standard Wingless Wonder 10 tentacle attacks, not 9 as it is in the Working Draft?

Also, doesn't it need a Death Throes? Or is that only the Walking Egg version?

Maybe I should start up a Working Draft so we can keep track of the changes, since Shade seems to be occupied elsewhere.

 

[freyar]

Sigh. I guess it's time to get back on the horse, or try to anyway. Thinking about Shade a lot today.

Looking at the original monster, I see a bunch of stuff I think we've missed:

Curiously, wonders cannot be held by any sort of webs, or by sovereign glue or viscid globs (produced by the wand of the same name, detailed in FOR2/The Drow of the Underdark), although spells such as entangle do affect them.

Some sort of immunity to stickiness? Or a racial bonus to Escape Artist or similar?

Wonders regenerate naturally, regaining 1 lost hit point every 2 rounds. This healing power does not seem to extend to the delicate, fuzz-covered outer skin of an alkada: it does not heal quickly, and many wonders are bleeding copiously when found, leaving a bloody trail wherever they go. Wonders are immune to damage from all forms and sources of fire.

Immunity to fire for sure. Also looks like fast healing 1 with weird flavor (which I'd be fine with ignoring).

Wingless wonders also exhibit a permanent, seemingly-unbreakable mind bar. This functions as the telepathic devotion (detailed in PHBR5/The Complete Psionics Handbook), but attempts to engage a wonder in psionic combat always fail; the wonder’s mind seems to “slip” away. In similar fashion, magical spells that aim to contact or influence the mind fail when used on a wonder; there is a momentary impression of colorful mental chaos, and then the wonder’s mind seems to “slip” away.

Permanent mind blank or something like the closed mind feat? I think I like mind blank better.

The only other psionic activity that a wonder ever exhibits occurs if it is slain: a “dying scream” directed at its killers. This is similar to the mental blast of a mind flayer: it manifests as a cone, aimed by the dying wonder, 60 feet long, 5 feet wide at the base, and 20 feet wide at its end. All creatures in the area of effect must save versus wands at -4 or be confused (as in the wizard spell confusion) for 1d10+2 rounds. They must also save vs. breath weapon or be feebleminded (as the wizard spell). A creature who fails both saves is not mentally affected at all, but is “mind-burnt” for a physical loss of 2d12 hp.

I wonder if we got the psionic blast mixed up. It seems like it should only work during the death throes, and then it is pretty far from the 3.X mind flayer psionic blast. Did mind flayers' blasts previously cause confusion and feebleminding?

Wonders cannot be stunned or subdued by magical or physical means, and seem mentally unaffected by disasters or great violence occurring around them, chittering and waddling unconcernedly in the midst of a battlefield, or trotting in the heart of an attacking dragon’s breath weapon!

Immunity to stunning? I think the bit about the battlefield is handled by the SR and immunity to fire.

 

[Echohawk]

Sigh. I guess it's time to get back on the horse, or try to anyway. Thinking about Shade a lot today.

Me too

I wonder if we got the psionic blast mixed up. It seems like it should only work during the death throes, and then it is pretty far from the 3.X mind flayer psionic blast. Did mind flayers' blasts previously cause confusion and feebleminding?

Not as far as I can tell from their entries in the original Monster Manual or the 2e Monstrous Manual.

 

[Cleon]

Sigh. I guess it's time to get back on the horse, or try to anyway. Thinking about Shade a lot today.

Yes, I've been feeling down about it every now and again too. Better not to get morbid about it, I think.

Looking at the original monster, I see a bunch of stuff I think we've missed:

Yes, there's a lot of other bits and bobs to do. Some of them are only mentioned in one entry, so I think we should consider only applying them to the "Wingless Wonder" version of the Alkeda.

Some sort of immunity to stickiness? Or a racial bonus to Escape Artist or similar?

I'd prefer the former option, e.g.:

Immunity To Adhesion (Ex): No known adhesive will stick to a wingless wonder's skin. This makes wingless wonders immune to effects such as tanglefoot bags, adhesive webs (both from monstrous spiders and the web spell) and even sovereign glue. This immunity offers no protection against other sorts of grappling or entangling attack.

Immunity to fire for sure. Also looks like fast healing 1 with weird flavor (which I'd be fine with ignoring).

The immunity to fire's fine.

That first bit suggests its Fast Healing 1 might not work against wounding weapons or attacks that cause Blood Drain.

Permanent mind blank or something like the closed mind feat? I think I like mind blank better.

Using mind blank seems a much better fit than Closed Mind.

I wonder if we got the psionic blast mixed up. It seems like it should only work during the death throes, and then it is pretty far from the 3.X mind flayer psionic blast. Did mind flayers' blasts previously cause confusion and feebleminding?

Yes, the mental blast only works when it's dying.

Mind flayers stunned their opponents with their special mind blast in 1st edition AD&D, same as later editions. A 1st edition psionic character couldconfuse an opponent with a Psionic Blast and cause idiocy with an Ego Whip. However, standard mind flayers don't have those attacks in that edition - their only psionic attacks are Mind Thrust and their special Mind Blast.

Immunity to stunning? I think the bit about the battlefield is handled by the SR and immunity to fire.

Immunity to stunning, fear and non-lethal damage, perhaps?

Maybe increase that to stunning, mind-affecting effects and non-lethal damage?