Converting monsters from Tales From The Infinite Staircase
Cleon
Legend
So would you like to build it from scratch or base it on an existing creature?
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
Seems like we should start from scratch. Should we just call it a "Maturing Baatorian"? 6HD Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful), I guess. Immunities suggest it should not have Devil traits. Barbazu might be a decent comparison for ability scores.
Oh, and this seems like a prime opportunity to do age categories if we don't want to stick to normal advancement.
Oh, and this seems like a prime opportunity to do age categories if we don't want to stick to normal advancement.
Cleon
Legend
I'm reluctant to detail the more mature forms of Baatorian since there's virtually no information about them.
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
That seems like a good reason to make them up ourselves!
Anyway, what do you think about starting with the barbazu's ability scores?
Cleon
Legend
That seems like a good reason to make them up ourselves!
While I enjoy making up monsters as much as the next "eccentric thaumatological researcher", I don't think such a production should end up in the Creature Catalog when (at least I hope it's a when) it's back up and running.
Sure, why not.
I'd tweak the Intelligence up to 7, since that's the only ability score we actually have a number for. Maybe drop the Dex to 14 to compensate?
Cleon
Legend
I'd be fine cutting it to Dex 10, since that's what the 3E Nupperibo in Fiendish Codex II has.
Cleon
Legend
Maturing Baatorian Working Draft
Baatorian, Maturing
Medium Outsider (Baatorian, Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 6d8+21 (48 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+7 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8
Attack: Claw +8 melee (1d4+2); or halberd +9 melee (1d10+3/×3); or tentacle +8 melee (1d6+2 plus 1 Con damage)
Full Attack: 2 claws +8 melee (1d4+2) and 10 tentacles +6 melee (1d6+2 plus 1 Con damage); or halberd +9/+4 melee (1d10+3/×3) and 10 tentacles +8 melee (1d6+2 plus 1 Con damage)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. (15 ft. with tentacles)
Special Attacks: Constitution damage, fear aura
Special Qualities: Alternate form, blindsight 30 ft., immunities (cold, fire and electricity), regeneration 3, see in darkness, spell resistance 13
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +5
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +11, Hide +9, Jump +11, Listen +9, Spot +9, Swim +11
Feats: Toughnessᴮ, Improved Multiattack, Multiattack, Weapon Focus (halberd)
Environment: Nine Hells of Baator
Organization: Solitary, mob (1 plus 3-7 nupperibo devils) or army (1 plus 9-99 nupperibo devils)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: 7-9 HD (Medium); 10-18 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
A grotesque being whose flesh quivers and flows with no stable shape. It vaguely resembling an obese humanoid with a nest of pinkish tentacles squirming from where its stomach would be. The creature has four blobby appendages that could be arms and legs. A lump on top apparently serves as a head, for the thing is peering about itself using two eyeless pits above the mewling hole it has instead of a mouth.
The baatorians are a race of fiends native to the Nine Hells of Baator that is so obscure even noted scholars know very little about them. The larval form of a baatorian is indistinguishable from a nupperibo devil. After an immensely long time in this stage, the baatorian begins to metamorphose into a maturing baatorian. The first symptom of this transformation is the creature begins to look at its environment and speak, a distinct contrast to the blind and mute nupperibo. The process is complete when the developing creature gains the ability to sprout a mess of slimy tentacles from its belly.
Fully mature baatorians, or ancient baatorians as they are known, are believed to rival pit fiends or even arch devils in power. The appearance and powers of such creatures is unknown, but there are rumors that living ancient baatorians are hiding in the most remote and inhospitable areas of the Nine Hells.
A maturing baatorian is about 5 feet tall and weighs 250 pounds or more.
Baatorians speak their own language, Baator.
COMBAT
A maturing baatorian is a straightforward combatant. It sprouts tentacles and attacks any enemy it can reach. They tend to spread their attacks among multiple opponents rather than concentrating them to destroy a single enemy.
Unlike nupperibos, a maturing baatorian will not mindlessly fight until destroyed but will readily flee a fight that is not in its favor.
Alternate Form (Su): At will, a maturing baatorian creature can sprout a mass of grotesque tentacles from its torso. All its abilities remain unchanged despite the alien appearance, with the following exceptions: the maturing baatorian can only use its 10 tentacle attacks (as described above) when in its alternate form, plus it gains a +12 racial bonus to Escape Artist checks and a +6 racial bonus to Strength checks to break free from any sort of bonds (manacles, webs, et cetera). Changing shape is a standard action.
Constitution Damage (Su): Living creatures hit by a maturing nupperibo’s tentacle attack take 1 point of Constitution damage.
Fear Aura (Su) At the end of each of a maturing baatorian's turns, creatures within 10 feet of it must succeed on a DC 13 Will saving throw or be panicked for 5 rounds. The save is Charisma-based.
A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by that same baatorian's aura for 24 hours. Baatorians are immune to the aura.
Regeneration (Ex): Maturing baatorians take normal damage from good-aligned weapons, and spells or effects with the good descriptor.
See in Darkness (Su): Maturing baatorians can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell.
IN PLANESCAPE
The baatorians were the original rulers of the Nine Hells, which is why the planes are named the Nine Hells of Baator. The baatezu devils conquered the baatorians and took their place, much as the tanar'ri demons of the Abyss supplanted the obyriths. Unlike the demons, the devils then went to immense effort to eliminate every trace of the baatorians' existence to prevent them ever returning to power.
In modern times, only the highest ranking devils know the great secret of the baatorians, which is that nupperibos are not baatezu at all — every one of them is a baatorian. It takes countless years for a nupperibo to become a maturing baatorian, so each maturation is an extraordinarily rare event. The Dukes of Hell have established special operatives to secretly monitor the nupperibo population and eliminate any that look like they might mature, normally by transforming the suspected nascent baatorian into a lemure.
Originally appeared in Tales From the Infinite Staircase (1998).
Baatorian, Maturing
Medium Outsider (Baatorian, Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 6d8+21 (48 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+7 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8
Attack: Claw +8 melee (1d4+2); or halberd +9 melee (1d10+3/×3); or tentacle +8 melee (1d6+2 plus 1 Con damage)
Full Attack: 2 claws +8 melee (1d4+2) and 10 tentacles +6 melee (1d6+2 plus 1 Con damage); or halberd +9/+4 melee (1d10+3/×3) and 10 tentacles +8 melee (1d6+2 plus 1 Con damage)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. (15 ft. with tentacles)
Special Attacks: Constitution damage, fear aura
Special Qualities: Alternate form, blindsight 30 ft., immunities (cold, fire and electricity), regeneration 3, see in darkness, spell resistance 13
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +5
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +11, Hide +9, Jump +11, Listen +9, Spot +9, Swim +11
Feats: Toughnessᴮ, Improved Multiattack, Multiattack, Weapon Focus (halberd)
Environment: Nine Hells of Baator
Organization: Solitary, mob (1 plus 3-7 nupperibo devils) or army (1 plus 9-99 nupperibo devils)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: 7-9 HD (Medium); 10-18 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
A grotesque being whose flesh quivers and flows with no stable shape. It vaguely resembling an obese humanoid with a nest of pinkish tentacles squirming from where its stomach would be. The creature has four blobby appendages that could be arms and legs. A lump on top apparently serves as a head, for the thing is peering about itself using two eyeless pits above the mewling hole it has instead of a mouth.
The baatorians are a race of fiends native to the Nine Hells of Baator that is so obscure even noted scholars know very little about them. The larval form of a baatorian is indistinguishable from a nupperibo devil. After an immensely long time in this stage, the baatorian begins to metamorphose into a maturing baatorian. The first symptom of this transformation is the creature begins to look at its environment and speak, a distinct contrast to the blind and mute nupperibo. The process is complete when the developing creature gains the ability to sprout a mess of slimy tentacles from its belly.
Fully mature baatorians, or ancient baatorians as they are known, are believed to rival pit fiends or even arch devils in power. The appearance and powers of such creatures is unknown, but there are rumors that living ancient baatorians are hiding in the most remote and inhospitable areas of the Nine Hells.
A maturing baatorian is about 5 feet tall and weighs 250 pounds or more.
Baatorians speak their own language, Baator.
COMBAT
A maturing baatorian is a straightforward combatant. It sprouts tentacles and attacks any enemy it can reach. They tend to spread their attacks among multiple opponents rather than concentrating them to destroy a single enemy.
Unlike nupperibos, a maturing baatorian will not mindlessly fight until destroyed but will readily flee a fight that is not in its favor.
Alternate Form (Su): At will, a maturing baatorian creature can sprout a mass of grotesque tentacles from its torso. All its abilities remain unchanged despite the alien appearance, with the following exceptions: the maturing baatorian can only use its 10 tentacle attacks (as described above) when in its alternate form, plus it gains a +12 racial bonus to Escape Artist checks and a +6 racial bonus to Strength checks to break free from any sort of bonds (manacles, webs, et cetera). Changing shape is a standard action.
Constitution Damage (Su): Living creatures hit by a maturing nupperibo’s tentacle attack take 1 point of Constitution damage.
Fear Aura (Su) At the end of each of a maturing baatorian's turns, creatures within 10 feet of it must succeed on a DC 13 Will saving throw or be panicked for 5 rounds. The save is Charisma-based.
A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by that same baatorian's aura for 24 hours. Baatorians are immune to the aura.
Regeneration (Ex): Maturing baatorians take normal damage from good-aligned weapons, and spells or effects with the good descriptor.
See in Darkness (Su): Maturing baatorians can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell.
IN PLANESCAPE
The baatorians were the original rulers of the Nine Hells, which is why the planes are named the Nine Hells of Baator. The baatezu devils conquered the baatorians and took their place, much as the tanar'ri demons of the Abyss supplanted the obyriths. Unlike the demons, the devils then went to immense effort to eliminate every trace of the baatorians' existence to prevent them ever returning to power.
In modern times, only the highest ranking devils know the great secret of the baatorians, which is that nupperibos are not baatezu at all — every one of them is a baatorian. It takes countless years for a nupperibo to become a maturing baatorian, so each maturation is an extraordinarily rare event. The Dukes of Hell have established special operatives to secretly monitor the nupperibo population and eliminate any that look like they might mature, normally by transforming the suspected nascent baatorian into a lemure.
Originally appeared in Tales From the Infinite Staircase (1998).
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