Converting monsters from Dragon magazine
Cleon
Legend
Well we ought to do a bit more than just taking a Gargantuan Monstrous Centipede and adding a swim speed and Aquatic subtype.
Any ideas?
Cleon
Legend
It's really up to us whether we give it a poison attack or not.
I did a good deal of rummaging around the interwebs and couldn't find any references to it being poisonous. Then again, I didn't find any mention of it not being poisonous either.
If it is literally a centipede it ought to be venomous, while if it is a millipede it could be poisonous, but only defensively so, assuming they match regular Myriapods in their abilities. I'm under the impression the Vietnamese name for them is a general term that covers both hundred- and thousand-leggers, but for sure.
There are some cryptologists who speculate that it's a crustacean (in which case it wouldn't be venomous) or a surviving eurypterid (which we have no idea whether they were venomous since they've been extinct for hundreds of millions of years).
Unfortunately I couldn't find any references to them biting anything, or even what kind of mouth or jaws they have. There's a description of a carcass washed up on the Vietnamese coast in 1883, but it was missing its head.
A few articles claim Con Rit are "the same segmented dragon that appears in the classic folklore book Chich-Quai". That appears to be a reference to a Vietnamese origin myth centered on a personage called the Dragon Lord of the Lac. A classic Vietnamese Dragon has its body divided into twelve sections which represent the 12 months of the year. From what I could find about the Vietnamese Myth, the dragons don't appear to resemble Con Rit.
We had discussed that for the Many-Finned and decided to drop the idea, but I'm game for giving it to the Con-Rit. There's one description that says they have a hard "metallic" shell.
Cleon
Legend
Let's give it a spikey-defense power and poison then.
Centipedes are one of the classic "venomous creatures" in China and Japan. I don't know about Vietnam, but I suspect they're probably viewed as an eponymously toxic animal there as well.
Cleon
Legend
Agreed. Since these are a new conversion we might as well make it reasonably tough.
If you're game to write a working draft, that'd be a good start.
If you're lucky I'll start one after finishing work today.
Come to think of it, I like the idea of using many elements from the Great Orm as well as the Gargantuan Monstrous Centipede. It's a lot tougher - 20 HD vs 12 HD, Str 34 vs Str 23 - which'll make it a more respectable foe.
I also like the Water Dependent trait for it, so they can crawl onto shore or aboard ships and menace the citizenry.
A "realistic" version of the Con Rit probably ought to be 12 HD and Str 23 like a Monstrous Centipede though.
Which do you prefer?
Cleon
Legend
Con Rit (Giant Sea Centipede) Working Draft
Con Rit (Great Sea Centipede)
Gargantuan Vermin (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 20d8+160 (250 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 square), swim 50 ft.
Armor Class: 24 (-4 size, +2 Dex, +16 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+39
Attack: Bite +23 melee (3d8+12 plus poison) or spikes +23 melee (3d6+12)
Full Attack: Bite +23 melee (3d8+12 plus poison) and spikes +18 melee (3d6+6)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Impale, improved grab, spikes
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, spiny defense, vermin traits, water dependent
Saves: Fort +20, Ref +8, Will +7
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 14, Con 26, Int —, Wis 13, Cha 7
Skills: Swim +20
Feats: —
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 21-30 HD (Gargantuan), 31-60 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: —
An enormous centipede-like swimming creature formed from a line of hexagonal segments. Each segment sports a pair of fin-like legs, one on each side, that end in sharp spikes. The last segment has two flexible spines that trail behind it like tails, while the head has a pair of black beady eyes, a cluster of feelers and sharp jaws at its tip. The creature is dark brown, with a yellow underside.
The con rit, or great sea centipede, is an aquatic relative of the monstrous centipede, just as its appearance suggests. They occasionally surface near tropical coastlines, but spend most of their lives in the depths of the ocean floor. The hard carapace casing a con rit's body sounds metallic when struck, and some sea dwelling races fashion it into tools or armor.
An average sized con rit is about 60 feet long, with each body segment being roughly 2 feet long and a yard wide, not including its 2½ foot long legs. A reported sighting of a 150 foot long sea centipede suggests these creatures can grow to monstrous size.
Combat
Con rit attack by biting, instinctively trying to seize prey with their venomous fangs. They thrash out with their spines if they have to defend themselves while their jaws are occupied.
Impale (Ex): A con rit deals 3d6+12 hp of piercing damage to a grabbed opponent with a successful grapple check.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a con rit must hit with its bite 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 can attempt to constrict the foe the following round.
Poison (Ex): A con rit has a poisonous bite. Injury, Fortitude DC 28, initial and secondary damage 1d8 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Spiny Defense (Ex): Any creature that hits a con rit in melee with a natural or handheld weapon (but not a reach weapon) must succeed on a DC 22 Reflex save or take 3d6+12 point of piercing damage from its spikes. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Water Dependent (Ex): Con rits can survive out of the water for 5 minutes per 2 points of Constitution (after that, refer to the drowning rules).
Skills: A con rit has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #190 (1993).
Con Rit (Great Sea Centipede)
Gargantuan Vermin (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 20d8+160 (250 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 square), swim 50 ft.
Armor Class: 24 (-4 size, +2 Dex, +16 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+39
Attack: Bite +23 melee (3d8+12 plus poison) or spikes +23 melee (3d6+12)
Full Attack: Bite +23 melee (3d8+12 plus poison) and spikes +18 melee (3d6+6)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Impale, improved grab, spikes
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, spiny defense, vermin traits, water dependent
Saves: Fort +20, Ref +8, Will +7
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 14, Con 26, Int —, Wis 13, Cha 7
Skills: Swim +20
Feats: —
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 21-30 HD (Gargantuan), 31-60 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: —
An enormous centipede-like swimming creature formed from a line of hexagonal segments. Each segment sports a pair of fin-like legs, one on each side, that end in sharp spikes. The last segment has two flexible spines that trail behind it like tails, while the head has a pair of black beady eyes, a cluster of feelers and sharp jaws at its tip. The creature is dark brown, with a yellow underside.
The con rit, or great sea centipede, is an aquatic relative of the monstrous centipede, just as its appearance suggests. They occasionally surface near tropical coastlines, but spend most of their lives in the depths of the ocean floor. The hard carapace casing a con rit's body sounds metallic when struck, and some sea dwelling races fashion it into tools or armor.
An average sized con rit is about 60 feet long, with each body segment being roughly 2 feet long and a yard wide, not including its 2½ foot long legs. A reported sighting of a 150 foot long sea centipede suggests these creatures can grow to monstrous size.
Combat
Con rit attack by biting, instinctively trying to seize prey with their venomous fangs. They thrash out with their spines if they have to defend themselves while their jaws are occupied.
Impale (Ex): A con rit deals 3d6+12 hp of piercing damage to a grabbed opponent with a successful grapple check.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a con rit must hit with its bite 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 can attempt to constrict the foe the following round.
Poison (Ex): A con rit has a poisonous bite. Injury, Fortitude DC 28, initial and secondary damage 1d8 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Spiny Defense (Ex): Any creature that hits a con rit in melee with a natural or handheld weapon (but not a reach weapon) must succeed on a DC 22 Reflex save or take 3d6+12 point of piercing damage from its spikes. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Water Dependent (Ex): Con rits can survive out of the water for 5 minutes per 2 points of Constitution (after that, refer to the drowning rules).
Skills: A con rit has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #190 (1993).
Last edited:
Cleon
Legend
I've started a Working Draft that's basically just a clone of the Great Orm with a few modifications (basically +9 AC, offensive and defensive spikes and the same poison as a Gargantuan Monstrous Centipede).
We'll probably want to tweak it a little more - or a lot more if we're going for the 12 HD alternative.
We'll probably want to tweak it a little more - or a lot more if we're going for the 12 HD alternative.
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