Converting Psionic Creatures

Cleon

Legend
We might as well put this thread to sleep.

Actually, I think we'd about run out of clear candidates for Psionic Monsters, so we might have trouble finding anything to convert even if we wanted to keep this thread busy.

We had a request from Filby to update the cessirid and the illithidae to 3.5.

Shall we do those?

Better late than never.
 

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Cleon

Legend
Illithidae, Cessirid - Earlier Versions

Cessirid [Original Stats from Dragon #150]
FREQUENCY: Rare (common near Illithids)
NO. APPEARING: 1-20
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 18”//15”
HIT DICE: 8 + 16
% IN LAIR: 5%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 bite
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-16
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poisonous bite, psionics
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Psionics
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 5%
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Lawful neutral (evil tendencies)
SIZE: M (2’ at shoulder)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 90
Attack/Defense Modes: B,E/F,G

Cessirids travel in packs. A cessirid’s body is canine, with a large head, outsize eyes, and a rending beak in place of teeth. There are four short tentacles around the mouth. Short spines jut from the back. The skin is smooth, slimy, and pale gray in color. The spaces between the toes are webbed. Though small, cessirids are shockingly powerful.

In combat, a cessirid leaps and bites at its adversary, inflicting horrible damage with its outer jaws. The tentacles around the mouth cause a stinging and burning sensation upon contact with flesh (save vs. poison for each bite that hits; failure yields a -3 penalty to armor class, saving throws, and to-hit rolls) that lasts for 3-12 turns.

Cessirids may use the following psionic disciplines at the 6th level of mastery: body equilibrium, ESP and dimension door. They use these in the pursuit and detection of prey, or to escape if attacked by a superior force.

These creatures live in tightly knit packs, working together silently and efficiently to bring down prey of any sort (they can communicate with others of their kind telepathically over distances of up to 24” at no cost to psionic strength). Though they are willing at times to negotiate with other intelligent creatures, they have little desire for anything but food and reproduction. In general, they are wily and treacherous. On occasion, if they are not hungry, cessirids will harry and torment prey for hours before killing it. Rivalry between cessirid packs is sharp, but they will generally band together against other creatures.

Reproduction is accomplished by depositing 1-3 larvae in the body of a victim. The juveniles grow quickly and seem able to prevent the decay of the corpse during their development. Adults guard the larvae until the latter metamorphose. For reasons not entirely clear, cessirids prefer intelligent creatures for larval food.

Thanks to millenia of training and breeding, the dogs of the githyanki (kaoulgrim, from “Hounds of Space and Darkness,” in DRAGON issue #117) and the cessirids are fanatic enemies, and will fight one another regardless of other constraints (even magical charms). Szarkel, the dogs of the githzerai (from the same article and issue as kaoulgrim) will always avoid meetings with cessirids. Szarkel can detect the approach of cessirids within one mile, probably by detecting the use of the latter’s psionic talents.

Illithidae, Cessirid [Enworld Creature Catalog 3.0 Conversion]
Medium-size Aberration
Hit Dice: 8d8+16 (52 hp)
Initiative: +3 (Dex)
Speed: 50 ft, swim 40 ft
AC: 19 (+3 Dex, +6 natural)
Attacks:Bite +8 melee
Damage: Bite 2d8+3 and poison
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Psionics, poison, trip
Special Qualities: Telepathy, SR 12, amphibious, slime, light vulnerability
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +8
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +9, Jump +7, Listen +8, Move Silently +9, Spot +8, Swim +7
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse (bite)
Climate: Any underground
Organization: Solitary or pack (1-20)
Challenge Rating: 07
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually lawful neutral (with evil tendencies)
Advancement: 9-16 HD (Medium-Size); 17-24 HD (Large)

The cessirid is a small pack hunter, similar to canines. This monster has a large head and oversized eyes, and a fearsome jaw with a spiked beak at the end. This creature's horrible mouth has four feeding tentacles surrounding it, two on each side of the face. Its canine body is 2 feet high at the shoulder, and has smooth, slimy skin of a pale gray color. Its webbed feet help it to swim as well as run. Jutting out from its back are a series of short spines. These creatures live and work together in silent, tightly-knit, efficient packs. They are often used as hounds by illithids.

COMBAT
Cessirids like to leap at their opponents and bite with their beaks. The tentacles around the mouth hit automatically on every successful bite attack, and sting with poison that disorients foes. They use their psionic powers to locate and pursue prey, or to escape if outmatched.

Psionics (Sp): At will - body equilibrium, detect thoughts, and dimension door. These abilities are as the powers manifested by a 6th-level psion.
Attack/Defense Modes (Sp): At will - mind thrust, psychic crush/empty mind, thought shield

Poison (Ex): Contact, Fortitude save (DC 16); initial damage 1d6 temporary Dexterity; secondary damage 1d4 temporary Dexterity.

Trip (Ex): A cessirid that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action (see page 139 in the Player's Handbook) without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the cessirid.

Telepathy (Su): Cessirids can communicate telepathically with any illithid-kin within 24 feet.

Amphibious (Ex): Illithidae possess both lungs and gills, and can survive indefinitely on land and in water.

Slime (Ex): The slimy coating that covers the skin of illithidae is proof against adhesion. Illithidae are completely protected against the nonmagical glues of creatures such as the mimic and the roper. Additionally, their slimy skin imposes a -4 penalty on all grapple checks against them.

Light Vulnerability (Ex): The eyes and bodies of illithidae are vulnerable to normal sunlight and anything above a dim light source. Illumination equal to the light spell or brighter imposes a -1 penalty to the illithidae's attack rolls. Additionally, exposure to full sunlight causes 1 hit point of damage per minute to any unprotected illithidae.
 

Cleon

Legend
Illithidae, Cessirid Update to 3.5 Working Draft

Illithidae, Cessirid
Medium Aberration (Psionic)
Hit Dice: 8d8+32 (68 hp)
Initiative: +3 (Dex)
Speed: 50 ft, swim 40 ft
Armor Class: 19 (+3 Dex, +6 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+10 [plus slime]
Attack: Bite +10 melee (10d10+6 and poison)
Full Attack: Bite +10 melee (10d10+6 and poison) and tentacles +5 melee touch (improved grab plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, poison, psi-like abilities, trip
Special Qualities: Amphibious, light vulnerability, slime, power resistance 12, telepathy
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +8
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 16, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 15
Skills: Concentration +9, Hide +9, Jump +12, Listen +9, Move Silently +9, Spot +9, Swim +12
Feats: Alertness, Open Minded, Psionic Weapon
Environment: Any underground
Organization: Solitary or pack (2-20)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually lawful neutral (with evil tendencies)
Advancement: 9-16 HD (Medium-Size); 17-24 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment:

A pale gray creature shaped like a canine, but its beak and smooth slimy skin show it's no dog. Its large head has oversized eyes as black as pools of ink. Four short tentacles surround its toothless, rending jaws. There are short spines jutting from its back. Its paws are webbed for swimming.

Cessirids are a form of illithidae analogous to pack hunting canines like wolves or hyenas. Cessirids live in tight-knit packs that use telepathy to cooperate with silent efficiency. The mind flayers have used them as "hounds" for thousands of years.

A cessirid stands roughly 2 feet high at the shoulder and weighs up to 150 pounds.

Cessirids can communicate telepathically with any illithid-kin (illithids and illithidae). Their telepathy can not "speak" to non-illithids, but it does allow them to understand the languages of any intelligent creature. Cessirids can speak Undercommon in a growling, yapping voice.

Combat
Cessirids like to leap at their opponents and bite with their beaks. The tentacles around the mouth hit automatically on every successful bite attack, and sting with poison that disorients foes. They use their psionic powers to locate and pursue prey, or to escape if outmatched.

Amphibious (Ex): Illithidae possess both lungs and gills, and can survive indefinitely on land and in water.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a cessirid must hit with its tentacles attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and affects its opponent with its poison.

Light Vulnerability (Ex): The eyes and bodies of illithidae are vulnerable to normal sunlight and anything above a dim light source. Illumination equal to the light spell or brighter imposes a -1 penalty to the illithidae's attack rolls. Additionally, exposure to full sunlight causes 1 hit point of damage per minute to any unprotected illithidae.

Psi-Like Abilities (Ps): At will—body equilibrium, read thoughts, psionic dimension door, empty mind, mind thrust, psychic crush and thought shield. These abilities are as the powers manifested by a 6th-level psion. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Poison (Ex): A cessirid's mouth-tentacles constantly ooze poison. Any creature hit by a cessirid's bite or tentacle attacks must save against this venomous slime. An opponent must also save against a cessirid's poison every time the illithidae makes an opposed grapple check against them. The cessirid does not need to win the grapple check, since mere contact is enough to poison its foe.

Cessirid Slime: Contact or injury, Fortitude save (DC 18); initial damage sickened for 1d10 minutes; secondary damage 1d6 Dex and sickened for 1d2 hours.

Slime (Ex): The slimy coating that covers the skin of illithidae is proof against adhesion. Illithidae are completely protected against the nonmagical glues of creatures such as the mimic and the roper. Additionally, their slimy skin imposes a -4 penalty on all grapple checks against them.

Telepathy (Su): Cessirids can communicate telepathically with any illithid-kin within 300 feet.

Trip (Ex): A cessirid that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent (+4 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the cessirid.

Non-Psionic Cessirids
If you wish to use cessirids in a campaign without psionic powers or the Expanded Psionics Handbook, remove the cessirid's Psionic subtype, substitute spell resistance for power resistance, and give them psionics as spell-like abilities.

Psionics (Sp): At will—dimension door, detect thoughts, magic missile, owl's wisdom, phantasmal killer (DC 16), shield and water walk. Effective caster level 6th. The save DCs are Charisma-based. These abilities replace the cessirid's psi-like psionics.
 
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freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
The 3.0 CC version isn't too bad of a start, but I might adjust Con up a bit. I know the Con gives +16 hp, like the original monster, but usually +2 hp/HD in an older edition is worth more in 3.5e.

Quick psionic conversions: detect thoughts -> read thoughts and dimension door -> dimension door, psionic. The attack/defense modes just convert to the same powers, but psychic crush and empty mind should be separated.
 

Cleon

Legend
The 3.0 CC version isn't too bad of a start, but I might adjust Con up a bit. I know the Con gives +16 hp, like the original monster, but usually +2 hp/HD in an older edition is worth more in 3.5e.

Yes, a +16 hp bonus is exceptionally high for AD&D. I'd be game for giving it Con 19.

Alternatively, or in addition, we could give it Unholy Toughness and a higher Charisma.

Hmm, you know it ought to have a better Charisma anyway. A dimension door normally requires a 14+ ability score to cast, so it feels odd for the Cessirid to have it as an at-will SLA with only Charisma 10.

Quick psionic conversions: detect thoughts -> read thoughts and dimension door -> dimension door, psionic. The attack/defense modes just convert to the same powers, but psychic crush and empty mind should be separated.

They are separated, just by a / instead of a comma. The 3.0 Attack/Defense format divides the attack powers (mind thrust, psychic crush) and defense powers (empty mind, thought shield) by the /.

We should just fold them together, anyway. We also need both (Sp) and (Ps) versions, will spell-equivalents instead of psionic powers for the former.

Let's see, how about:

3.0 Original
Psionics (Sp): At will—body equilibrium, detect thoughts, dimension door, empty mind, mind thrust, psychic crush and thought shield. These abilities are as the powers manifested by a 6th-level psion.

Power to Spell Conversions:
body equilibrium => water walk?
detect thoughts => detect thoughts
dimension door => dimension door
empty mind => owl's wisdom?
mind thrust => magic missile?
psychic crush => phantasmal killer?
thought shield => shield?

Resulting 3.5 Update:
Psionics (Sp): At will—dimension door, detect thoughts, magic missile, owl's wisdom, phantasmal killer, shield and water walk. Effective caster level 6th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Plus:

Psionic Cessirids
If you are using the Expanded Psionics Handbook and running a psionic campaign, cessirids gain the psionic subtype, have power resistance rather than spell resistance, and gain psi-like abilities.

Psi-Like Abilities (Ps): At will—body equilibrium, read thoughts, psionic dimension door, empty mind, mind thrust, psychic crush and thought shield. These abilities are as the powers manifested by a 6th-level psion. The save DCs are Charisma-based. These abilities replace the cessirid's spell-like psionics.
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
I just meant that we should keep them as separate Ps powers, that's all.

Correct me by example if I'm wrong, but we typically do psionic-only versions for psionic critters with Ps abilities unless we have reason to do both versions. For example, see the rautym and hook spider for somewhat recent examples. Is there a particular reason you want to do both versions for these? Given the poor mapping of the powers to spells, I'd probably rather just stick to a psionic version.
 

Cleon

Legend
I just meant that we should keep them as separate Ps powers, that's all.

Correct me by example if I'm wrong, but we typically do psionic-only versions for psionic critters with Ps abilities unless we have reason to do both versions. For example, see the rautym and hook spider for somewhat recent examples. Is there a particular reason you want to do both versions for these? Given the poor mapping of the powers to spells, I'd probably rather just stick to a psionic version.

I was just in the mood to figure out an SLA version, like we did with the Mozgriken or Tzakandi Ceremorphs.

Hmm, we could include the SLA version as an option, I suppose, e.g.:

Non-Psionic Cessirids
If you wish to use cessirids in a campaign without psionic powers or the Expanded Psionics Handbook, remove the cessirid's psionic subtype, substitute spell resistance for power resistance, and give them psionics as spell-like abilities.

Psionics (Sp): At will—dimension door, detect thoughts, magic missile, owl's wisdom, phantasmal killer, shield and water walk. Effective caster level 6th. The save DCs are Charisma-based. These abilities replace the cessirid's psi-like psionics.
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Hmmmm. These are probably closer to the ceremorphs, so let's do the magic and psionic versions separately. But I might suggest revising some of the spell equivalencies to unique abilities. Mind thrust or psychic crush (or both?) could probably be replaced with something like a mind flayer's mind blast.
 

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