#monster conversion

One of the coolest manga I have read recently was Dungeon Meshi, or “Delicious in Dungeon”, a story about a traditional fantasy universe centering around a party of adventurers exploring the depths of a self-replenishing megadungeon… and finding out how to cook and eat the monsters on the way down.

In honor of that, one of my “pay to see it now, will be free eventually” posts on my Patreon revolved around converting one of my favorite of the early monsters in the series to Pathfinder, the Mimics of Dungeon Meshi, or as I refer to them here “mimic hermits”

Now, fantasy RPGs, jRPGs in particular, all have their own interpretations of the classic mimic as a monster, ranging from being a shapeshifter just like the original, to being a bizarre creature that folds up to look like a treasure chest, to the disturbingly sexy gams on the Mimicuties from Kid Icarus: Uprising, but today’s subject falls into the category of mimics that find a chest or other container and just live in it, ambushing prey that goes poking around inside.

Indeed, the mimic hermit really is just a giant hermit crab that lives on land and hides out in various containers, switching out for new ones as they grow bigger much like their mundane counterparts. Such a combination of real-world animal behavior and classic RPG tropes was incredibly endearing to me, (and the idea of some hot crab meat elicited my hunger response), so I decided to write them up!

 mimic hermit CR 4

XP 1,200

N Small vermin

Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft.; Perception +0

Defense

AC 18, touch 14,   flat-footed 15 (+2 armor, +3 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)

hp 37 (5d8+15)

Fort +7, Ref +4,   Will +1

Immune mind-affecting effects

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee 2 claw +8 (1d3+4 plus grab)

Special Attacks Ambush Strike

Statistics

Str 18, Dex 16, Con 17, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 11

Base Atk +3; CMB +6 (+10 grapple); CMD 19

Skills Stealth +11; Racial   Modifiers +4 Stealth

SQ Shell Container

Special Abilities

Ambush Strike (Ex): A mimic hermit that is currently retracted into its shell container may as an immediate action make two claw attacks against a creature that opens, looks into, or otherwise interacts with its container. This causes the mimic hermit to automatically extend its limbs, as described in the shell container ability., constrict (1d3+6), grab (medium)

Shell Container(Ex): A mimic hermit inhabits a container roughly the same size as itself, which provides it with protection and a place to hide. Regardless of its composition, the container provides a +2 armor bonus to AC. The shell can be sundered and damaged like normal armor, using the hardness and hp of an object of its type. Additionally, a mimic hermit can retract its limbs into its container as a full-round action. In this case its armor bonus increased to +8, it's speed drops to 0, it gains the freeze universal monster ability to pretend to be an ordinary container, and it cannot attack except with its ambush strike special attack. Extending its limbs again is a standard action. A mimic hermit can also be pulled out of its container with an opposed strength check which the mimic hermit gains a +4 bonus to. A mimic hermit whose container has been removed or destroyed loses its armor bonus to AC and cannot retract its limbs.

Mimic hermits are unusually large hermit crab-like creatures that favor a subterranean lifestyle. Like their mundane kin, they protect their softer rear carapace by wearing protection. In the untamed caverns, these usually take the form of the shells of giant gastropods, but those that find their way into settled subterranean complexes or dungeons are what give these creatures their name. Such mimic hermits often make shells out of containers that they find in such complexes, such as treasure chests, ornate vases, and more.

Good morning!!

I’m in the process of converting an old 2nd Edition adventure to 5e.  There is one thing that has been going over my mind.  This is mostly for DMs.

When running an adventure, do you prefer to have the monster stat blocks inline with the adventure or added as an appendix?  Some of the stat blocks can be very lengthy and take up to half a page (a couple taking a full page.)  Where as if it was put into the appendix, it leaves more room for information for the adventure itself.

In 2nd Edition, TSR (pre-WotC) had a small informational inline stat block that had all the pertinent information set for the encounter along with additional information in the adventure itself (in case ‘special attacks’ had to be described).  that looked something like this:

Spectres (2): Int high; AL LE; AC 2; MV 15, Fl 30 (B); HD 7 +3; hp 55 each; THAC0 13; #AT 1; Dmg 1d8; SA successful attacks drain two life energy levels from victim; SD + 1 or better weapon to hit; immune to sleep, charm, hold, and cold-based attacks; immune to all poisons and paralyzation attacks; SZ M; ML 15; XP 3,000.

As opposed to the current: 

Thankfully, since I ran 2e back in the day, I know how to read this.  But there is no equivalent for 5e and so much more information needed to effectively run the encounters.  I’m having to uses full stat blocks for the time being and thus asking this question.

I’m  almost done with the monster conversion for this adventure.  I then have to go through the traps and set the DCs for them rather than ‘save vs spells’ and the like that 2e used.  Then there is the map rebuild.  My original is kinda beat up and hard to scan since it’s on a 24″ x 36″ poster, double sided.

Let me know what you DMs prefer or like.

Thanks!

This Reddit thread led me to Demongnome’s Manual of Monsters. Sixty nine monster conversions from 3.0, 3.5 and Pathfinder. The converted monsters are listed below.

It should come as no surprise to longtime fans of this blog that I love video games just as much as I love traditional tabletop, and I love even more that that two have a long history of influencing the other, with entire genres of game in both mediums being invented to emulate each other in different ways.

Starfinder is no exception here, and it would be foolish to assume that certain elements of the system weren’t influenced by the Metroid franchise, what with it emulating the horror of the Alien franchise and having a protagonist that progressively gets stronger over time (albeit thanks to her equipment rather than “leveling up” per se.

 In any case, I decided to do a monster conversion for a classic Metroid alien hailing back from the very first game!

 Dessgeega CR 9

XP 6400

N Medium Animal

Init +6 ; Senses low-light vision; Perception +17;

Defense

HP 145

EAC 22 ; KAC 24

Fort +13; Ref +13; Will +8

Immunities fall damage, fire

Offense

Speed 20 ft, climb 20, personal gravity

Melee Pounce +21 2d10+13

Offensive Abilities Adhesive Spittle +18, entangle DC 16

Statistics

Str +4; Dex +6; Con +3; Int -4; Wis +2; Cha +0

Skills Acrobatics +17, Athletics +22, Survival +17

Other Abilities leaping charge

Ecology

Environment warm underground (Zebes)

Organization solitary, pair, or clan (3-4)

Special Abilities

Leaping Charge

A Dessgeega may leap as part as a charge attack, making an athletics check as part of the movement, and potentially falling after the attack resolves.

Personal Gravity

Dessgeegas have the curious ability to treat down as up and and the reverse, as if under the effects of the reverse gravity variant of a control gravity spell. While in this state, the dessgeega falls upwards, and may walk upside-down and even leap off of inverted surfaces. A dessgeega can turn this ability off or on as a full-round action.

A handful of life forms on the planet Zebes have evolved a body plan centered around a central body with a pair of powerful leaping legs, and one of the strongest is the species native to Norfair known as dessgeegas. Dessgeegas possess an insect-like head complete with mandibles and antennae, as well as armored chitin and spikes on their legs. Like many other zebesian native species sharing this body plan, not only are they powerful leapers, but also possess a curious ability to invert their personal relationship to gravity, allowing them to traverse along the ceilings of their subterranean lava tunnel homes with ease and ambush prey from above.

A hungry dessgeega will attack potential prey by pouncing upon it, often leaping upon a prey creature several times to strike with their taloned feet until they are subdued. However, vexing prey might be subjected to a spray of the silk-like adhesive that dessgeegas typically use to protect their egg sacs, immobilizing them.

The carapace of a dessgeega is extremely tough to deal with the rigors of Norfair’s volcanic environment, which warrants heavier ordinance to defend oneself from them.

Pardon the literal ten minute sketch, but here’s my conversion of the 1981 Field Folio monster the Adherer. I’ve run a couple groups past this monster and it goes differently every time. Is anyone interested in any of my other conversions?