Spelljammer Converting Spelljammer creatures

[freyar]

+6 racial to Climb checks is ok, but I don't think I'd steal more than 1 rank for Climb. I think the Warriors should have a decent Spot check.

 

[Cleon]

+6 racial to Climb checks is ok, but I don't think I'd steal more than 1 rank for Climb. I think the Warriors should have a decent Spot check.

If we give him +6 racial I don't think it needs any ranks as well. Its Strength bonus is high enough to give the Warrior a decent skill mod.

Updating Isopterite Warrior Working Draft.

 

[freyar]

CR looks about right.

Tactics: Given the opportunity, isopterite warriors open combat at range by spitting acid in an attempt to blind as many opponents as possible. In melee, they coordinate through their hive mind to flank opponents. Although not aggressive, isopterite warriors will fight to the death in defense of their colony and queen.

 

[Cleon]

CR looks about right.

Tactics: Given the opportunity, isopterite warriors open combat at range by spitting acid in an attempt to blind as many opponents as possible. In melee, they coordinate through their hive mind to flank opponents. Although not aggressive, isopterite warriors will fight to the death in defense of their colony and queen.

Let's see...

An isopterite warrior attacks with its claws and acid spit. Isopterite warriors will fight to the death to defend their colony, flawlessly coordinating their tactics through the isopterite hive mind. Their preferred approach is overwhelming the enemy with flanking attacks.

 

[freyar]

Very good, then.

I just saw on wikipedia that termites are closely related to cockroaches. Now that's a horrifying thought --- cockroach people!

I'll leave the description to you, I guess, since I'm not sure how to describe them other than as 12-foot tall termites. Thick-bodied, insect-form humanoids is all that comes to mind.

For flavor: exceedingly colony-oriented, tied together by a strong hive mind. Should we hypothesize that their main enemies are formians?

 

[Cleon]

Very good, then.

I just saw on wikipedia that termites are closely related to cockroaches. Now that's a horrifying thought --- cockroach people!

I'll leave the description to you, I guess, since I'm not sure how to describe them other than as 12-foot tall termites. Thick-bodied, insect-form humanoids is all that comes to mind.

Well their MC entry has an illustration as well as the rather vague description.

You can view the picture in an old thread on rpg.net. See post #116 of "[Let's Read] AD&D 2e Spelljammer Aliens Unleashed".

For flavor: exceedingly colony-oriented, tied together by a strong hive mind. Should we hypothesize that their main enemies are formians?

I'd rather not make up a conflict that isn't mentioned in the original.

 

[freyar]

Rats, it would fit so well with real life! If I ever run an adventure with isopterites, I know what I'm doing.

Anyway, I'm not sure that picture really inspires me much, but maybe it gives you some ideas!

 

[Cleon]

Rats, it would fit so well with real life! If I ever run an adventure with isopterites, I know what I'm doing.

Anyway, I'm not sure that picture really inspires me much, but maybe it gives you some ideas!

Well it might not inspire us much, but it does give us a long pointy "nose" to mention.

Oh, and those bead-like dangly things that I suspect might be supposed to be over-hefty antennae.

 

[freyar]

12-foot tall, insect-form humanoids with a long pointy proboscis and droopy antennae?

 

[Cleon]

12-foot tall, insect-form humanoids with a long pointy proboscis and droopy antennae?

These things are supposed to be based on termites, and termites don't have proboscises, but ant-like jaws. Still, the picture does shows them with a really pointy head.

Still, there's an obvious solution. Some termites (the Nasutitermitinae) have a caste with a pointy tube-like head for shooting nasty gluey stuff at their enemies. (Like this one). So the pointy nose is what the Warrior Isopterite shoots acid out of.

A giant insectoid being that stands upright on two rather humanoid legs. Its legs emerge from a horizontal thorax below four arms equipped with lethal-looking serrated blades. Protruding from behind the legs is a segmented abdomen. Atop the thorax is a large gourd-like head, which tapers into a long pointed nose set below and between the creature's black segmented eyes. A thick, bulbous antennae hangs below the eyes, resembling two giant strings of beads that dangle alongside the nose. A shorter, thinner pair of antennae emerge from beneath the base of the nose, flanking the being's hidden mouth, and hang between the bead-like antennae. A third pair of antennae juts from the crown of its head.

Hmm, that seems way too wordy.

This giant insectoid has a vaguely humanoid posture. It stands upright on two legs set below four arms than end in serrated blades. A segmented abdomen juts behind its legs. The insectoid's bulbous head has two black segmented eyes above a long tapering nose flanked by two pairs of antennae, the outermost pair is so thickly bulbous it resemble two strings of beads. A third pair of antennae crowns its head.

That seems a lot better, and has pretty much the same information content.