Converting Oriental Adventures creatures

[Cleon]

That'll work.

Updating to The Reaper Working Draft.

I've also updated the text so the Reaper's name is consistently capitalized.

 

[freyar]

It would seem like special abilities are done unless you can think of some we've missed.

Are skills set, too? Ready for feats?

 

[Cleon]

It would seem like special abilities are done unless you can think of some we've missed.

Are skills set, too? Ready for feats?

Yes, I'm OK with the skills as they are.

I've got eight feats listed already as "minimums". Six of them are the prereqs for the Kensei prestige class (which I think it'd better have as it uses many of the Kensei abilities), and Improved Critical and Improved Trip are inferred from the original abilities.

We'll have to make four of those proposed feats bonus feats. Do you have any preferences which?

Come to think of it, the Reaper gains feats as if its HD were fighter levels, so it gets fighter bonus feats! A 9th level fighter has five fighter feats, so we should give him another feat. Weapon Specialisation (scythe)(B?) wouldn't hurt that much...

...well it'd probably hurt someone, but not the Reaper!

I knew there was a reason I gave it that ability.

That seems enough to me.

 

[freyar]

Yup, that's a handy ability. I will agree to adding Weapon Spec as the last fighter bonus feat.

CR 8 would probably be ok, as an erinyes seems like a decent comp.
Environment should probably be something more standard, like any land.

The treasure seems to be covered by the quote "In the shack is an everfull grain sack that refills itself every fortnight. There is also a watering pot of the kappa; a plant sprinkled with the pure water from this pot gains a full year’s growth in a single turn. The pot refills itself each day." But that seems to be more associated with the locale than the reaper. What do you think? Standard treasure?

 

[Cleon]

Yup, that's a handy ability. I will agree to adding Weapon Spec as the last fighter bonus feat.

Okay, I'll update the The Reaper Working Draft with:

Feats: Dodge (B), Mobility (B), Combat Reflexes (B), Combat Expertise, Improved Critical (scythe)(B), Improved Trip, Weapon Focus (scythe), Weapon Focus (specialization), Whirlwind Attack (B)

I've tweaked the "Seven Blades" writeup since the wording

Once deployed, the Reaper can whirl the Seven Blades like a buzzsaw, giving it bonuses of +2 to attack and 2d6+6 damage on subsequent rounds.

Makes it sound like the scythe does 2d4+8+2d6+6 damage, while I wanted it to just increase the base damage from 2d4 to 2d6.

CR 8 would probably be ok, as an erinyes seems like a decent comp.

Sounds OK. It doesn't have any ranged attacks or spells.

Environment should probably be something more standard, like any land.

Any land seems appropriate.

The treasure seems to be covered by the quote "In the shack is an everfull grain sack that refills itself every fortnight. There is also a watering pot of the kappa; a plant sprinkled with the pure water from this pot gains a full year’s growth in a single turn. The pot refills itself each day." But that seems to be more associated with the locale than the reaper. What do you think? Standard treasure?

Standard would be fine.

 

[Cleon]

We've still got a few of things to sort out.

First, the Jump and Tumble skills of +18 include a +2 bonus — I believe I originally planned on giving it the Acrobatic Feat.

Shall we make that a racial bonus, a bonus feat, or cut it out and reduce those skills to +16?

Alternatively, we can make it a super-acrobatic +4 racial bonus for +20?

Secondly, I wanted to give it a "burst out of the ground and attack" special attack, based on:

A round later, the earth before the fence mounds and the Reaper erupts from the ground, holding a scythe. Whistling to himself, and with an evil leer, he steps forward to begin his harvest.

Third and last, all the Seven Swords have their own Special Weakness, the Reaper's is Antaeus syndrome.

A special note for the DM: each of the seven swords possesses a special weakness. If the characters specifically attack the item or achieve the condition, the weapon master suffers double damage from hits scored and has a -2 on initiative for the next round. The weaknesses are:

Reaper: Loss of contact with the ground (receives increased damage when levitated/falling/thrown etc.).

 

[freyar]

Ahh, a new special abiilty or two! The weakness sounds kind of like Earth Mastery (from earth elementals). Could the "burst out of the ground" be earth glide or a burrow speed?

I don't think he needs to be super-acrobatic, but I won't necessarily object to a +4 racial bonus.

 

[Cleon]

Ahh, a new special abiilty or two! The weakness sounds kind of like Earth Mastery (from earth elementals).

Earth Mastery weakens a Earth Elemental's offensive ability, but this is a vulnerability that makes the Reaper take more damage.

The two don't seem much alike.

Could the "burst out of the ground" be earth glide or a burrow speed?

I was thinking something more like the Reaper melts into the ground and sometime later erupts out from the same square for a surprise attack.

Presumably it can sense its surroundings while "sunken".

Basically, have it work like statue or tree shape except the Reaper becomes a dead patch of soil.

I don't think he needs to be super-acrobatic, but I won't necessarily object to a +4 racial bonus.

So how much would you like its acrobatic skills? The present +18 or +16/+20?

 

[freyar]

I think a total Jump +16 is sufficient but I'll go along with +18 or +20 if you insist.

I feel like we've done some similar ability to bursting out of the ground before. Maybe some variant of meld into stone?

Yeah, the abilities are a bit different, but it's the similar feeling I mean. Anyway, do you have a concrete proposal for our Reaper's vulnerability?

 

[Cleon]

I think a total Jump +16 is sufficient but I'll go along with +18 or +20 if you insist.

Let's stick to the current +18 then.

I'll update the The Reaper Working Draft with Acrobatic as a bonus feat since that was my original intentions, although I'd be just as happy making it a racial bonus.

I feel like we've done some similar ability to bursting out of the ground before. Maybe some variant of meld into stone?

We've done so many abilities I'm sure of it, although I can't think of one right now.

Hmm...

...didn't we do a dwarven guardian construct that could look like a mural and then burst out of a wall?

Hmm, I was thinking of the Tomb Warden, but that doesn't have quite the ability we're looking for.

Yeah, the abilities are a bit different, but it's the similar feeling I mean. Anyway, do you have a concrete proposal for our Reaper's vulnerability?

No I didn't, but it'd be easy enough to whip up. How about:

Special Weakness - Earth (Ex): Each of the seven swords have a different special weakness. The Reaper's is that its existence is tied to the land. Any attack that hits The Reaper when it is not in contact with the ground (due to being levitated, thrown through the air, grappled and lifted up, et cetera) does 50% extra damage.