Converting monsters from Second Edition Monstrous Compendiums

Cleon

Legend
Enchant Dragon never seemed to make it to homebrews. I've added it at 3/day. Updated.

The question is which of those can we improve without being boring? :p I think there are one or two easy improvements to Anti-Dragon Casting, but I'm not so sure about some of the others.

Boring becomes interesting if it helps you win a fight!

I'd leave off adding an "Improved Anti-Dragon Casting" give it boosted forms of the Metamagic-like special abilities - e.g. a +1 or +2 bonus to the DC for Enchant/Transmute Dragon, a similar bonus to the spell penetration checks for Scry Dragon, and increasing the Evocation's force damage bonus to +100% or so.

We probably need to impose some prereqs to the Improved abilities, so it just doesn't select Improved versions of all the combat spell options as its first picks.
 

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freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Hmmm. Give them a minimum BAB/caster level of 11 or 13 or something? Should we do the same for Improved Dazzling Display?
 

Cleon

Legend
Hmmm. Give them a minimum BAB/caster level of 11 or 13 or something? Should we do the same for Improved Dazzling Display?

Yes.

It'll be simplest if we separate out the "Improved Options" from the "Standard Options" and give all of the former the same BAB/CL minimum.

Hmm, or we could do it like a rogue, and give them one "special option" at level X, plus an additional one every Y levels?
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Well, we kind of are following the rogue with 4? special abilities when taking the template plus 1 per +X in BAB/CL. So it seems easiest to just add a BAB/CL minimum to the improved options. If you want to separate them out later, that would be ok. I think I'd set the minimum at 13.
 

Cleon

Legend
Well, we kind of are following the rogue with 4? special abilities when taking the template plus 1 per +X in BAB/CL. So it seems easiest to just add a BAB/CL minimum to the improved options. If you want to separate them out later, that would be ok. I think I'd set the minimum at 13.

I don't much mind either way, it just seemed simpler to separate them into "Basic" and "Improved" Additional Special Abilities rather than setting a BAB/CL for every ability. Still, if you prefer the latter I'll go along with it.

Although I am wondering whether we're giving them too many Additional Special Abilities.
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Separating them is fine if you prefer. Something like this?

Additional Special Abilities
An undead dragon slayer may select [any 4?] of the following special abilities.

Anti-Dragon Evocation (Sp): 3 times per day, an undead dragon slayer may alter any evocation spell they cast so that it does an extra 50% of force damage against dragons. For example, a caster level 10 fireball does 10d6 hp of fire damage, plus an additional 5d6 points of force damage to dragons. Anti-dragon force damage stacks with Metamagic feats that increase a spell's damage: e.g. a CL 12 Empowered flame strike would do (12d6 increased by 50%) fire damage, plus an additional 9d6 force damage to dragons.

Bind Wings (Su): Once per day, an undead dragon slayer may spend a full attack action to make a single attack imbued with the ability to bind a dragon's wings. If the attack hits a creature with the dragon subtype, bands of force wrap around the dragon, preventing flight for 1d6 rounds. If the dragon is in flight at the time that this ability takes effect, the dragon falls immediately, taking falling damage (unless prevented by a feather fall spell or similar ability). The bands of force are immune to damage and cannot be burst by Strength checks, but they can be destroyed by any effect that can destroy a wall of force. A bound dragon may escape with a successful Escape Artist check (DC equals 10 + undead dragon slayer's HD + undead dragon slayer's Cha modifier).

Dazzling Display (Su): As a standard action or part of a full attack action, an undead dragon slayer may make a series of complicated motions with its weapons which befuddles any dragon that sees it. Any dragon within 120 feet that can see the slayer must make a Fortitude save or become dazzled for 1d6 rounds. In addition, the dragon must make a Concentration check to cast any spell, use a spell-like ability, or maintain a spell that requires Concentration (DC equals 10 + undead dragon slayer's HD + undead dragon slayer's Cha modifier). If the dazzling display is part of a full attack action, all attacks take a -2 attack penalty.

Enchant Dragon (Sp): 3/day an undead dragon slayer can alter an Enchantment spell that usually has no effect on dragons, such as charm person, so it will affect dragons as if they were the type of creature the spell is most effective against.

Improved Breath Evasion (Ex): The undead dragon slayer gains improved evasion (as the rogue class feature) against breath weapons.

Scry Dragon (Sp): 3 times per day, the Undead Dragon Slayer can modify any divination spell so it is especially effective against dragons. The spell gains a +1 bonus on caster level checks to overcome a dragon's spell resistance and its range increases by 100%. These adjustments stack with spell augmentations from other sources, such as the Spell Penetration or Enlarge Spell metamagic feats.

A spell modified by scry dragon is only capable of detecting dragons. Thus a modified detect evil spell is able to detect evil dragons to a 120 ft. range, but cannot detect evil creatures that are not dragons. Scry Dragon can only modify divination spells that are capable of detecting dragons or phenomena of a draconic nature. It could not modify locate object (since dragons are not objects), but could modify detect undead or detect thought (to detect an undead dragon or a dragon's thoughts).

Smite Dragon (Su): Once per day, an undead dragon slayer may attempt to smite a dragon with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per HD. If the paladin accidentally smites a non-dragon, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.

Transmute Dragon (Sp): As Enchant Dragon (see above), except it alters a Transmutation spell, such as reduce person, so it affect dragons.

True Strike (Sp): The undead dragon slayer may use true strike once per day as a move action on any attack against a dragon.

Improved Additional Special Abilities
For every 2 points of BAB above +11 or 2 levels of caster level above 11th, the undead dragon slayer may choose one of the following special abilities (or one of the "additional special abilities" listed above). To choose an improved ability, the undead dragon slayer must already possess the corresponding special ability given above.

Improved Dazzling Display (Su): The undead dragon slayer may make a dazzling display as part of a standard attack action or a full attack action, and the dazzling display DC gains a +2 enhancement bonus (see Dazzling Display above). To select this special ability, the undead dragon slayer must already have the Dazzling Display special attack.

Improved Dragon Defense (Ex): The undead dragon slayer gains an additional +2 dodge bonus to AC and a +1 bonus to Reflex saves against attacks made by dragons, which stacks with Dragon Defense.

Improved Weapon Throwing (Ex): An undead dragon slayer can throw any weapon as an attack against a dragon. The attack does not take any penalties for being an improvised weapon but instead gains a +4 racial attack bonus and does additional damage equal to 1d6 plus 1d6 per 2 HD of the undead dragon slayer. The attack bonus does not stack with that gained from the Weapon Throwing ability.
 

Cleon

Legend
Separating them is fine if you prefer. Something like this?

Additional Special Abilities
An undead dragon slayer may select [any 4?] of the following special abilities.

*snip*.

Improved Additional Special Abilities
For every 2 points of BAB above +11 or 2 levels of caster level above 11th, the undead dragon slayer may choose one of the following special abilities (or one of the "additional special abilities" listed above). To choose an improved ability, the undead dragon slayer must already possess the corresponding special ability given above.

Looks pretty good, except that wording suggests casters get additional special abilities from their BAB and their CL.

So, a fighter would get +1 at levels 13/15/17/19th, while a cleric would get +1 at levels 13/15/17/18/19/20 (with the 18th and 20th level ones due to gaining +13 BAB and +15 BAB.

Also, caster levels don't stop progressing with level increases (assuming the DM is using the Epic Rules) while BAB tops off at 20th level, so a "Cleric-progression" UDS will add another SA at 21st level and every two levels thereafter from its higher CL.

Maybe we should just base it off levels/hit dice to even the playing field?
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
I'd get on board with that except that the template prereq is in terms of BAB or CL (since HD prereqs are considered improper). So the entry into the template isn't at a set HD. Which means an undead dragon slayer may not get the extra abilities after the same amount of advancement for all classes. Well, every odd HD starting at 13HD is probably ok, I suppose.
 

Cleon

Legend
I'd get on board with that except that the template prereq is in terms of BAB or CL (since HD prereqs are considered improper). So the entry into the template isn't at a set HD. Which means an undead dragon slayer may not get the extra abilities after the same amount of advancement for all classes. Well, every odd HD starting at 13HD is probably ok, I suppose.

It'd be easier to give it a number of special abilities equal to half its BAB or CL, whichever is higher, and say it can pick Improved SAs once it gets a BAB/CL of +12/12th or +14/14th.
 


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