Monsters of Legend 2

[The Wolf]

Hi all, I've been hard at work on the first draft of this one and whilst I am pleased with where it seems to be going - I am going to warn you it's a book of pretty powerful monsters which have been culled from a huge d20 document on monsters. Some of the things have been changed to protect the innocent (and divorce the creature from d20) and I am approaching this one in the same way I did with Spider God's Bride 1 and 2.

My plan is to put around 60 monsters into MoL 2 - many of them will be truly different creatures compared to the bog-standard wererat and so on, this is a concious decision by Mongoose and it may not sit well with everyone. I personally relish the chance to take some of these hard-hitters into Legend and put my own little twist on them.

So sit back and relax, there be monsters!

 

[tarkhan bey]

Good stuff, I look forward to it. Don't forget the Succubus...... :wink:

 

[The Wolf]

I can only work with what I have in the document (and what Mongoose already has art for), so I'm not sure this one will have a succubus in there. I have a few ideas for a take on the succubus for my own thing, which I'll be thinking of for a stand-alone adventure.

It would be easy to convert to Legend.

 

[The Wolf]

There are however:

Alchemical Duplicate
Describe this creature as if it were the individual it is pretending to be.
Alchemical duplicates are artificial beings created by magicians from vats of alchemical compounds and blood. Alchemical duplicates are unnaturally tough and quite strong, but they are also rather stolid and dull, incapable of much imagination or deviation from their programmed instructions.

To create a duplicate, the creator needs a drop of blood from another creature, called the original. It does not gain any racial abilities possessed by the original or Supernatural abilities – it can only gain learned traits. The process by which these creatures are made is imperfect; thusly they gain the skills of the original but at a reduced score – usually at -20% to account for their imperfect creation.

Duplicates are used for all sorts of purposes. Some are used in diabolical political ploys, replacing a king with a copy controlled by its creator. Others are used as shields against assassination, or as a means of recovering lost information.

Combat Notes
An alchemical duplicate uses the skills and combat styles it learned from the original. They are best suited to battling against their original form and know all their tricks and techniques. When fighting their original, an alchemical duplicate gains a +30% to related combat skills and styles.

When it is killed it dissolves into a pool of alchemical slime which slowly gurgles away.

Alchemical Duplicates possess only fragmented memories of their original, so they must make appropriate tests at -40% unless they first manage to make a successful Routine INT test. If they succeed then all is well and good, they can use the skill as it should be. If they fail then there’s a 5% chance this stresses the duplicate out enough to drive it insane.

Repeated questioning increases the Difficulty of the test by one step, a Routine becomes a Hard and so on. If given enough time to rest (a day) the Difficulty drops by one step until it returns to Routine. This represents the duplicate’s mind healing. The alchemical duplicate here is based on a human frame and there are other types of duplicate which can be created with the process.


Dice Average 1D20 Hit Location AP/HP
STR 3D6 14 1-3 Right Leg -/6
CON 3D6 15 4-6 Left Leg -/6
SIZ 3D6 15 7-9 Abdomen -/7
INT 3D6 9 10-12 Chest -/8
POW 3D6 9 13-15 Right Arm -/5
DEX 3D6 13 16-18 Left Arm -/5
CHA 3D6 10 19-20 Head -/6



Combat Actions 2 Armour: May wear any armour of the original.
Damage Modifier +1D2
Magic Points 9 Traits: None.
Movement 8m
Strike Rank +11 Skills: Any possessed by the original.

Combat Styles
Any from the Original (attack 1, attack 2) 70%

Weapons
Type Range Size Reach Damage AP/HP
Any weapon the original uses.

 

[Bifford]

Awesome stuff!

Looking forward to this even more now

 

[The Wolf]

Anachra
These creatures come from another plane; they are the guardians and servitors of greater powers beyond the ken of mortals. They have several features in common and are broken into different sub-types, for ease of play and creation we are only detailing the most important of these mysterious beings here and the Games Master can create many more.

All Anachra possess the following special traits, unless otherwise noted in their entry.

Aura of Glory: When an Anachra begins to go into battle it becomes angry. Any allies within a 15 meter radius of an Anachra are bathed in their aura, a bright sphere of light which begins to shine from within the Anachra and covers the area. Allied creatures and the Anachra inside the aura’s area of effect gain a +10% bonus to all resistance tests made whilst inside the effect, as well as being able to move at their movement rate +2m. For normal humans that means 10m.

Mystic Circle against Evil: A circle of power always surrounds the creature; it blocks offensive magic akin to the Absorption spell in the Legend Core Rulebook.

Teleportation: The creature teleports itself as per the Teleport spell in the Legend Core Rulebook. It can carry only what it has on its person, no additional objects can be teleported.

Superlative Language: The creature can speak and understand any creature that has a language, they are able to converse in multiple languages and this ability is always active.

A sample of my Anachra conversion (so far).

Thanks Bifford, it'll certainly be an interesting book full of powerful (and unique) monsters (from what I can see)

 

[Bifford]

Anachra sound nice, but that text does not Describe them. I imagine them to be some form of aracnid, but there is no physical description so am unsure. Or is this in a separate bit of text?

Does the aura of Glory not have an adverse effect on the enemies within it? Demoralizing them while boosting moral of kindred folk?

 

[The Wolf]

Anachra sound nice, but that text does not Describe them. I imagine them to be some form of aracnid, but there is no physical description so am unsure. Or is this in a separate bit of text?

Does the aura of Glory not have an adverse effect on the enemies within it? Demoralizing them while boosting moral of kindred folk?

Anachra are a group of celestial beings which are sub-divided into different types, the seperate bit of text describes them and any special powers they might have. I like the idea that the aura effects enemies, so I've modded that a bit.

Cat Anarchon
The figure is that of a humanoid cat, albeit one some twelve feet in height. Despite its size, it moves with tremendous grace and speed. It wields a large, three-flanged whip, and seems poised to pounce at any moment, though is body language gives no clue as to the direction or target Its garb is a simple tunic of elegant make, cut tight to the body so as not to interfere with its movements..

Cat anarchons are agile, athletic, celestial beings who spend a great deal of time exploring, either on other planes, or on the various material worlds. They are intensely curious and activist beings, not willing to wait around to be summoned to battle evil. When summoned, they are generally wilful, even while obeying the terms of the summoner (if such obedience is part of the spell). They tend to have a free-wheeling interpretation of orders, generally clinging to the overall spirit but not necessarily to the letter.

When on the material plane, they will usually adopt the guise of a human or cat form, though they may take other forms if it suits them to do so. Their agility and athletic skill makes them excellent urban scouts and spies, and they often serve the cause of good by gathering information rather than by direct conflict.

They wield a special whip which has a spell-like ability, it Confuses enemies as per the Legend Core Rulebook’s entry on poisons and diseases.

 

[Bifford]

Anachra are a group of celestial beings which are sub-divided into different types, the seperate bit of text describes them and any special powers they might have. I like the idea that the aura effects enemies, so I've modded that a bit.

Cat Anarchon
The figure is that of a humanoid cat, albeit one some twelve feet in height. Despite its size, it moves with tremendous grace and speed. It wields a large, three-flanged whip, and seems poised to pounce at any moment, though is body language gives no clue as to the direction or target Its garb is a simple tunic of elegant make, cut tight to the body so as not to interfere with its movements..

Might want to check your first paragraph there wolf (highlighted)

Otherwise very nice. They sound like a very cool "race".

 

[tarkhan bey]

Pity about the Succubus. Still, what you have shown us so far looks very interesting.

 

[The Wolf]

Anachra are a group of celestial beings which are sub-divided into different types, the seperate bit of text describes them and any special powers they might have. I like the idea that the aura effects enemies, so I've modded that a bit.

Cat Anarchon
The figure is that of a humanoid cat, albeit one some twelve feet in height. Despite its size, it moves with tremendous grace and speed. It wields a large, three-flanged whip, and seems poised to pounce at any moment, though is body language gives no clue as to the direction or target Its garb is a simple tunic of elegant make, cut tight to the body so as not to interfere with its movements..

Might want to check your first paragraph there wolf (highlighted)

Otherwise very nice. They sound like a very cool "race".

The majority of the text is taken direct from the document I'm working on (there was a d20 book with a lot of neat monsters in) - so I haven't checked the text in that description yet, I just pulled it as is to show off the cat anarchron. Thanks for the spot though, because it was tricky to find in the original - it's fixed in my MoL 2 doc.

 

[The Wolf]

Cat Anarchon
The figure is that of a humanoid cat, albeit one some twelve feet in height. Despite its size, it moves with tremendous grace and speed. It wields a large, three-flanged whip, and seems poised to pounce at any moment, though is body language gives no clue as to the direction or target. Its garb is a simple tunic of elegant make, cut tight to the body so as not to interfere with its movements..

Cat anarchons are agile, athletic, celestial beings who spend a great deal of time exploring, either on other planes, or on the various material worlds. They are intensely curious and activist beings, not willing to wait around to be summoned to battle evil. When summoned, they are generally wilful, even while obeying the terms of the summoner (if such obedience is part of the spell). They tend to have a free-wheeling interpretation of orders, generally clinging to the overall spirit but not necessarily to the letter.

When on the material plane, they will usually adopt the guise of a human or cat form, though they may take other forms if it suits them to do so. Their agility and athletic skill makes them excellent urban scouts and spies, and they often serve the cause of good by gathering information rather than by direct conflict.

They wield a special whip which has a spell-like ability, it Confuses enemies as per the Legend Core Rulebook’s entry on poisons and diseases.

Combat Notes
Cat anarchons enjoy a fight – but only if they're winning. They will flee as soon as it is obvious they are being overpowered, unless the cause is especially vital – they will never abandon innocents to evil or fail to hold some vital point to the end, but they will also not die for the sake of seeming "brave" or "honourable". In combat, they will use their agility (especially their teleport ability and acrobatics skill) to keep away from powerful melee opponents, using their extremely long reach with the whip to deal damage without being touched. When most of their foes are confused, the cat anarchon will pick them off one by one, at its leisure.

Agility: Cat anarchons are nimble and quick, they gain a bonus of +20% to their Athletics and Acrobatics skills.

Deafening Yowl: Once per day a cat anarchon can let loose with a deafening roar, this yowling noise terrifies lesser beasts and any creature within a 40m radius must make a Hard Persistence test or be so frightened of the creature they move their maximum movement away from it for 2D4 rounds. The affected creatures are also deafened for 3D6 rounds.

Confusing Whip: A target struck in melee by the weapon must make a Difficult Resilience test or be Confused as per the Legend Core Rulebook for 2D6 rounds.


Dice Average 1D20 Hit Location AP/HP
STR 4D6+4 18 1-3 Right Leg 3/7
CON 3D6+5 16 4-6 Left Leg 3/7
SIZ 3D6+6 17 7-9 Abdomen 3/8
INT 3D6+1 12 10-12 Chest 3/9
POW 4D6+4 18 13-15 Right Arm 3/6
DEX 4D6+7 21 16-18 Left Arm 3/6
CHA 3D6+9 20 19-20 Head 3/7



Combat Actions 3 Armour: Celestial cloth. No Armour Penalty.
Damage Modifier +1D4
Magic Points 18 Traits: Dark Sight
Movement 8m
Strike Rank +17 Common Skills: Athletics 69%, Brawn 57%, Evade 66%, Insight 60%, Lore (Celestial Beings) 97%, Perception 70%, Persistence 66%, Resilience 70%, Stealth 80%, Unarmed 73%,
Advanced Skills: Acrobatics 80%, Language (All) 90%, Lore (Celestial Magic), Pact (Celestial Powers) 89%, Track 88%
Spells: Blessing, Cure Disease/Poison, Dismiss Magic, Exorcism, Heal Body, Heal Mind, Heal Wound, Illusion

Combat Styles
Feline Grace (1-H Sword, 2-H Sword, Whip, Bite, Claw) 87%

Weapons
Type Range Size Reach Damage AP/HP
Bite -- M T 1D8+1D4 As for Head
Claw -- M M 1D6+1D4 As for Arm
Whip -- M VL 1D4+1D4 Entangle, Special 3/8

Stats edited.

 

[Bifford]

Wolf, you caught one error in that paragraph that I bolded, but not the other

" though is body language" should read "though its body language"....

Also, is it possible to provide a page number (or even just a chapter) when referencing the Core Rulebook??? It's slightly confusing as to whether you pertain to a spell for confusion or to a poison that causes confusion and this would help pin things down.

Also, is that aura thing only on certain Anarchon's? Cause the Cat appears not to have it..?

 

[The Wolf]

Yeah, the page number is now in the description and the error sorted. It will save Matt or someone else an edit job

The Anarchons all get that aura, so it appears in a description about them as a whole - not in each individual one.

Chain and Hammer to come.

 

[tarkhan bey]

Hey Wolf, the Stat averages seem to be off on the Cat Anarchron. It's affecting quite a few of the derivative stats.

 

[The Wolf]

I always understood that the average entry on the monsters meant, an average member of that species. Which is why there's a POW of 3D6 average 9 for the Praying Mantis, but a 3D6 average 11 for the Giant Scorpion.

The actual dice average is more like 10.50

The stats were taken from the d20 doc and converted to Legend (as I did with SGB) - the actual dice to randomise them may need tweaking (which is always going to happen). Skills have been tweaked the same way as I did with the NPCs from SGB, through bonus points and so on since these creatures are intelligent enough to have a class etc.

If not they'll have a stat range of 13's and 17's (since that should be the average) +3 of course

 

[Bifford]

I read it like that too. So a species average DEX could be 14, but individuals may be 10 or 11 or even 16 or 17.

 

[Prime_Evil]

I'm going to cry if I don't get a succubus

Interesting choice of creatures to convert - I assumed that MoL II would round out the list of critters that are common in 'generic' fantasy settings rather than converting fairly obscure d20 monsters. Not that I'm complaining - if the conversions are coming from the source that I think they're coming from, there's some good stuff in there.

 

[DamonJynx]

I always understood that the average entry on the monsters meant, an average member of that species. Which is why there's a POW of 3D6 average 9 for the Praying Mantis, but a 3D6 average 11 for the Giant Scorpion.

The actual dice average is more like 10.50

That's interesting, I always thought the average was 'supposed' to be the average of the die roll, i.e. 3D6 = 10.5 rounded to 11. This makes much more sense.

 

[tarkhan bey]

As did I Damonjynx. However, I had always rounded down.