Creating juvenile monsters [Archive] - Wizards Community

Creating juvenile monsters [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Halornn_Kaala
02-03-05, 04:10 PM Is there any guidance anywhere for creating juvenile versions of monsters in the MM etc.? For example, in the Dungeon Adventure Path adventure "Life's Bazaar" one of the baddies has a pet juvenile howler. I'm thinking about doing the same for a shadow mastiff in an adventure I'm writing.

Has anyone done this? How did you go about making the change? Is it easy enough to work backward rather than forward using the advancing monsters guidelines? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Halornn
HomebrewedMonster
02-03-05, 09:52 PM Is there any guidance anywhere for creating juvenile versions of monsters in the MM etc.? For example, in the Dungeon Adventure Path adventure "Life's Bazaar" one of the baddies has a pet juvenile howler. I'm thinking about doing the same for a shadow mastiff in an adventure I'm writing.

Has anyone done this? How did you go about making the change? Is it easy enough to work backward rather than forward using the advancing monsters guidelines? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Halornn

Its just reverse engineering, take away some natural armor, strength, constitution, hit points, feats, and skill points, and add a size modifier (maybe) and dexterity modifier.
GrandMarquis
02-04-05, 02:23 AM I never understood why there's rules for advancement but not de-... advancement.... It seems anything younger or otherwise weaker than than the 'normal' creauture is just considered a 'noncombatant' with no rules. As far as I know at least, which isn't very far....
RavinRay
02-04-05, 04:55 AM I found rules for creating juvenile monsters from a 3rd-party source, in a PDF document. Can't remember the website or company. Interested?
Halornn_Kaala
02-04-05, 09:04 AM I found rules for creating juvenile monsters from a 3rd-party source, in a PDF document. Can't remember the website or company. Interested?

If they look useful, I'd be interested in taking a look.

Thanks!
RavinRay
02-04-05, 04:08 PM I found the PDF. It's the "Monster’s Handbook Bonus Chapter: Magical Beasts" web preview from Fantasy Flight Publishing. The template is designated OGC, so I can post it here with due acknowledgement to FFP. Note that it uses 3.0 rules.

Young Magical Beast
Ayoung magical beast is a creature that has not yet grown to its full potential. Its attacks are weaker, it has fewer HD, and its magical abilities are easier to resist in comparison to a fully grown member if its species. A young magical beast is best used to set a powerful monster against a party not yet powerful enough to take on a standard magical beast.

Creating a Young Magical Beast
“Young” is a template that may be added to any magical beast. The beast’s creature type remains the same. Its combat abilities, special qualities, and magical attacks are weaker than normal, but its lower challenge rating allows the creature to be incorporated into low-level adventures.
A young magical beast uses its base creature’s characteristics except where noted below.

Size: Not yet fully grown, the young beast is one size category smaller than its base creature. Adjust its size modifiers to attacks and AC as normal.
Hit Dice: The young magical beast loses four HD to a minimum of one. Adjust its hit points accordingly.
Speed: Younger creatures are slower than their adult versions, as they lack the strength, long limbs, and agility of their elder counterparts. Reduce their speed by 10 feet for all movement modes. If this reduces a mode’s speed to 0 or less, the creature cannot make use of that mode. If this eliminates all of a creature’s movement methods, grant it a speed of 5 feet in one of its movement modes.
AC: Reduce the base creature’s natural AC modifier, if any, by two to a minimum of 0. Younger creatures have thinner hides than their adult counterparts.
Attacks: Reduce the young beast’s base attack bonus by one for each hit die it lost as a result of this template. See the HD header above for more information.
Damage: The younger creature’s natural attacks deal less damage than normal. Use the standard rules for increasing a creature’s HD to determine the creature’s new attack damage. Instead of looking up the creature’s damage and finding its corresponding damage for increasing its size, reverse the process by finding its base damage in the increased size column and finding the corresponding base damage.
Face/Reach: The younger creature has a face and reach appropriate to its new size.
Special Attacks and Qualities: Reduce the save DC for the younger creature’s supernatural and spell-like abilities by two.
Saves: Reduce the young beast’s Fortitude save by two and its Reflex and Will saves by one each.
Abilities: The younger creature is weaker and less aware of its environment than adults of its species. Apply the following modifiers to its scores, reducing no ability below 1: Strength –4, Constitution –2, Wisdom –2, Charisma –2.
Skills: The young beast loses eight skill ranks.
Feats: The young beast loses one feat.
Climate/Terrain: As base creature.
Organization: As base creature.
Challenge Rating: As base creature –2.
Treasure: Half normal.
Alignment: As base creature.
Halornn_Kaala
02-06-05, 08:03 PM Thanks, RavinRay!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Halornn_Kaala 02-03-05, 04:10 PM	Is there any guidance anywhere for creating juvenile versions of monsters in the MM etc.? For example, in the Dungeon Adventure Path adventure "Life's Bazaar" one of the baddies has a pet juvenile howler. I'm thinking about doing the same for a shadow mastiff in an adventure I'm writing. Has anyone done this? How did you go about making the change? Is it easy enough to work backward rather than forward using the advancing monsters guidelines? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks, Halornn
HomebrewedMonster 02-03-05, 09:52 PM	Is there any guidance anywhere for creating juvenile versions of monsters in the MM etc.? For example, in the Dungeon Adventure Path adventure "Life's Bazaar" one of the baddies has a pet juvenile howler. I'm thinking about doing the same for a shadow mastiff in an adventure I'm writing. Has anyone done this? How did you go about making the change? Is it easy enough to work backward rather than forward using the advancing monsters guidelines? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks, Halornn Its just reverse engineering, take away some natural armor, strength, constitution, hit points, feats, and skill points, and add a size modifier (maybe) and dexterity modifier.
GrandMarquis 02-04-05, 02:23 AM	I never understood why there's rules for advancement but not de-... advancement.... It seems anything younger or otherwise weaker than than the 'normal' creauture is just considered a 'noncombatant' with no rules. As far as I know at least, which isn't very far....
RavinRay 02-04-05, 04:55 AM	I found rules for creating juvenile monsters from a 3rd-party source, in a PDF document. Can't remember the website or company. Interested?
Halornn_Kaala 02-04-05, 09:04 AM	I found rules for creating juvenile monsters from a 3rd-party source, in a PDF document. Can't remember the website or company. Interested? If they look useful, I'd be interested in taking a look. Thanks!
RavinRay 02-04-05, 04:08 PM	I found the PDF. It's the "Monster’s Handbook Bonus Chapter: Magical Beasts" web preview from Fantasy Flight Publishing. The template is designated OGC, so I can post it here with due acknowledgement to FFP. Note that it uses 3.0 rules. Young Magical Beast Ayoung magical beast is a creature that has not yet grown to its full potential. Its attacks are weaker, it has fewer HD, and its magical abilities are easier to resist in comparison to a fully grown member if its species. A young magical beast is best used to set a powerful monster against a party not yet powerful enough to take on a standard magical beast. Creating a Young Magical Beast “Young” is a template that may be added to any magical beast. The beast’s creature type remains the same. Its combat abilities, special qualities, and magical attacks are weaker than normal, but its lower challenge rating allows the creature to be incorporated into low-level adventures. A young magical beast uses its base creature’s characteristics except where noted below. Size: Not yet fully grown, the young beast is one size category smaller than its base creature. Adjust its size modifiers to attacks and AC as normal. Hit Dice: The young magical beast loses four HD to a minimum of one. Adjust its hit points accordingly. Speed: Younger creatures are slower than their adult versions, as they lack the strength, long limbs, and agility of their elder counterparts. Reduce their speed by 10 feet for all movement modes. If this reduces a mode’s speed to 0 or less, the creature cannot make use of that mode. If this eliminates all of a creature’s movement methods, grant it a speed of 5 feet in one of its movement modes. AC: Reduce the base creature’s natural AC modifier, if any, by two to a minimum of 0. Younger creatures have thinner hides than their adult counterparts. Attacks: Reduce the young beast’s base attack bonus by one for each hit die it lost as a result of this template. See the HD header above for more information. Damage: The younger creature’s natural attacks deal less damage than normal. Use the standard rules for increasing a creature’s HD to determine the creature’s new attack damage. Instead of looking up the creature’s damage and finding its corresponding damage for increasing its size, reverse the process by finding its base damage in the increased size column and finding the corresponding base damage. Face/Reach: The younger creature has a face and reach appropriate to its new size. Special Attacks and Qualities: Reduce the save DC for the younger creature’s supernatural and spell-like abilities by two. Saves: Reduce the young beast’s Fortitude save by two and its Reflex and Will saves by one each. Abilities: The younger creature is weaker and less aware of its environment than adults of its species. Apply the following modifiers to its scores, reducing no ability below 1: Strength –4, Constitution –2, Wisdom –2, Charisma –2. Skills: The young beast loses eight skill ranks. Feats: The young beast loses one feat. Climate/Terrain: As base creature. Organization: As base creature. Challenge Rating: As base creature –2. Treasure: Half normal. Alignment: As base creature.
Halornn_Kaala 02-06-05, 08:03 PM	Thanks, RavinRay!