Monsterize Me! Beholder (all editions of D&D)

I've been getting a few requests over at Pelgrane Press' forums regarding the conversion of monsters from other systems to 13th Age.  While I've already given my guidelines in the thread, I think it's appropriate that I  dedicate a portion of my blog to converting monsters as well, using information found in Pelgrane Press' archives and, from time to time, my own creative twist to them. 

The monster featured today is the Beholder.  Actually I've already posted this in the Google+ community site as part of a community project last July on converting iconic monsters, and there's at least one alternative by +David Eglinton that's available for other DMs to use, but for the sake of keeping everything in one place, I'll post this here.

GM NOTE: Because of how this monster is designed, this creature plus its eyestalks is an average fight for four level 6 PCs.

Oculus
An anomaly created from one of the Archmage's efforts to create an all-seeing ward, the oculi are floating mass of eyeballs, with a giant eyeball and a large set of teeth for its central body.  It's known to fire a kaleidoscope of rays that spell death to those affected by them; an awesome sight to behold, thus they have eventually earned the nickname "Beholder".
Level 7 Large (Double-Strength) Caster (Aberrant)
Initiative +10
Gaping Maw, one engaged enemy: +12 vs AC, 28 damage. On a natural 20, make one eyestalk attack as a free action. Levitation: the dread oculus floats a few inches off the ground, and can fly to a nearby location as a move action, falling back to its normal levitation height at the end of its movement.
Central Eye: When an enemy targets the dread oculus with a spell, the dread oculus can roll a save; success means the spell has no effect on the oculus. If the level of the spell is lower than the dread oculus' level, it’s a normal save (11+). Against an equal or higher-level spell, the save is a hard save (16+). If the dread oculus is staggered, the save target increases by +5 (normal becomes hard, hard becomes 21+: impossible unless the dread oculus has a save bonus from some other source).
Self-Preservation: Once per round as a reaction to an attack while staggered, the dread oculus can redirect the damage it takes to its eyestalks instead.
Eye Rays: As a standard action, cause one eyestalk (chosen at random) to attack a nearby enemy.  On a natural even with that eyestalk's attack, make a second eyestalk (chosen at random) attack as a free action.  On a 6+ with the second eyestalk's attack while the dread oculus is staggered, make a third and fourth eyestalk (both chosen at random) attack as a free action.  You cannot use the same stalk for each attack, and if the oculus has less than four eyestalks, all subsequent attacks after the last stalk that hasn't attacked will automatically fail to trigger.
Nastier Specials
Eye for Carnage: After the last eye rays attack has been resolved, make a number of eyestalks equal to the escalation die attack as a free action.
Eye for an Eye: When reduced to 0 HP the dread oculus can cause all remaining eyestalks to become unstuck as a free action.  Once per day the dread oculus can also cause one eyestalk to become unstuck as a standard action while staggered.  The surviving eyestalks all retain the memory of the last creature that the dread oculus faced. GM Note: While this does nothing for the current session, after 1d4+1 sessions (or whenever you feel is appropriate), the eyestalks that survive that long would grow back to full-fledged dread oculi, and would take vengeance on the creatures whose memory they hold on to with utmost hatred.
AC 21
PD 18	HP 216
MD 22

---

Oculus Eyestalk
Typically oculi have a total of 10 eyestalks, each one having a bit of sentience, although all are under the will of the main eye of the oculus. Each stalk has its own effect and in the face of multiple enemies the eyestalks will collectively try to attack as many as possible.
Level 7 Large (Double-Strength) Caster (Aberrant)
Initiative +10, or immediately before or after the oculus
Eye Ray Blast (close-quarters), one nearby enemy: +12 to hit, target defense and other effects depends on which of the stalks attack.
	Searing: vs. PD, 18 positive energy damage
	Withering: vs. PD, ongoing 18 negative damage and weakened (save ends both)
	Sleep: vs. MD, if the target is staggered, they are unconscious (hard save ends), effect also ends when target takes 10+ damage.  Otherwise they are hampered, weakened and take a -4 penalty to disengage checks (save ends all).
	Telekinesis: vs. PD, target pops free if engaged, and they are forcibly moved to a nearby location
	Hold: vs. PD, target is stuck (save ends)
	Confusion: vs. MD, the target is confused until the end of their next turn
	Fear: vs. MD, 18 psychic damage, and the target is afraid (under fear condition) until they move far away from the dread oculus
	Petrify: vs. PD, the target must start making last gasp saves as they turn to stone
	Death: vs. PD, 18 negative energy damage, and the target must start making last gasp saves as they fight for their life
	Disintegrate: vs. PD, 36 damage and 56 ongoing damage.
Unique Eye Blasts: For each eyestalk killed, disable one random type of eye ray blast
Attached: Oculus eyestalks are stuck to the dread oculus, until unstuck. Once unstuck, they gain the oculus' levitation ability.
AC 19
PD 19	HP 27 (mook)
MD 23
Mook: Kill one eyestalk mook for every 27 damage

Monsterize Me! Themes, Templates, and Mass Combat (4E, Ars Magica)

I've been getting a few requests over at Pelgrane Press' forums regarding the conversion of monsters from other systems to 13th Age.  While I've already given my guidelines in the thread, I think it's appropriate that I  dedicate a portion of my blog to converting monsters as well, using information found in Pelgrane Press' archives and, from time to time, my own creative twist to them.

Today I'll be focusing a little less on specific monsters, and instead focusing on customizing monsters. I'll be focusing on three things in particular: themes, templates and mass combat.  While I take inspiration from both D&D 4E and, for mass combat in particular, Ars Magica 5E, as much as possible I'll take ideas from what already exists in 13th Age and utilize them in different ways, for the benefit of both myself and other GMs who would like to use these.

Themes

Themes allow you to group different monsters under one collective theme that's appropriate to the scenario.  Highlighted in Dungeon Master's Guide 2, these are very interesting toys to play with as they add story elements on top of tactical elements to the game; after all, there should be a better in-story reason for having X Archers, Y Blockers, and a couple of Mooks all under the banner of a Leader than just tactical considerations, right?

In utilizing themes, you show how outside influences change your creatures' habits as well as abilities, so even if you have wildly different creatures stat-wise, their common theme makes explaining their existence not only in the area but in the campaign itself much easier.  It's particularly useful if you're the type who tends to roll on random monster tables but want to make sure that there's a logical explanation for a goblin, a dragon, and an owlbear being in the same encounter, on the same side.

With that, I give you this sample theme:

Goblin Allies

For more details on the story behind this theme, see Dungeon Master's Guide 2 for 4th Edition, pages 110-111.  The gist of it is that living among the goblin races for years does allow you to pick up a thing or two from these creatures.  Devils, wolves, drakes, etc. can be in contact with certain goblin tribes for long periods of time, and sometimes bear the same symbols and markings as that of the goblin tribe, and work together -- through fear, loyalty or both towards yet another victory for the tribe (although devils may either resent being marked -- having them marked at all may mean that the tribe's shaman is VERY powerful -- or accept the marking a bit too willingly (which might mean that the devil's manipulating the goblins instead of the other way around).  Adding particular in-story conflicts between the various related factions that the more ingenious PCs could take advantage of would be a neat addition; for instance, having the hobgoblins and bugbears fight each other so that the mother owlbear that was being held captive (which forced her children to fight for them) could be freed and allowed to wreak havoc on the goblin tribe would certainly help spice up a campaign, especially one that uses themes.

Feel free to add one utility and one attack power from the list below to the monsters in a campaign:

Attack Powers

• Give Yourself To The Tribe! Standard Action vs. one nearby mook who is engaged to at least one enemy.  Effect: that mook makes a melee attack against one enemy he's engaged to (commanding creature's choice) and is reduced to zero hit points.  In addition to taking damage on a hit, that enemy is dazed until the end of his next turn.
• Blindside The Enemy Quick Action 1/battle. Add 3 damage per level to your next melee attack this turn, provided that he's engaged with one of your allies (1 damage per level if you're a mook).
• Protect Me You Fool! Free Action 1/round.  Whenever you fail to disengage and an opportunity attack misses you, shout the name of this power at an ally that's engaged with you.  That ally can make an attack against the enemy that attempted an opportunity attack against you (even if he is normally out of reach) as a reaction.
• Protect the Tribe! Reaction.  Whenever an ally you're engaged with fails to disengage from a nearby opponent and the resulting opportunity attack misses, make an attack against that enemy even if he's normally out of reach.
• Follow My Lead, You Useless Rabble! Trait.  Adds 3 damage to the attacks of all nearby allies (1 damage if they're mooks) whenever two or more of them are engaged to an enemy.

Utility Powers

• Group Morale Trait.  Gain +4 to hit while your faction has more creatures than any other faction in battle.  If you are the only member of your faction left in battle (or the GM determines that your faction is clearly losing), you are weakened.
• Goblin Cunning Trait.  Gain +5 to disengage checks (just like goblins, you only need to roll a 6+ to disengage)
• Goblin Phalanx Trait.  Gain the Group tactics trait found in the Hobgoblin Captain and Hobgoblin Warrior entry. For purposes of this trait (and the associated Well-Armored group power), you are treated as a Hobgoblin
• Rally To Me! Quick Action 1/battle.  Each nearby ally gains temporary hit points equal to 3 + their level.  Double this value at champion tier.  Triple this value at epic tier.

Templates

Sometimes you just want to throw a PC-like opponent at the group, and may be tempted to build an entire PC out of the existing rules to do so.  While there is nothing wrong with that approach -- in fact, I may actually recommend the said approach to those GMs if they want to -- some GMs may find that it can easily become a tiring task due to the number of abilities as well as talents and feats that PCs have, and more often most of those abilities won't even see the day of light if those monsters die too quickly.  Finally, it's one thing for five players to sift through 3+ options at a time, while it's another thing for one player (the GM) to sift through 12+ options at a time (and this is counting only selectable talents, not even powers or feats or what not).

The simplest solution, if you want to evoke the feel of a class without actually going through the mechanics over and over again, is the use of a template.  There's already a default template anyway (the universal monster table), so it's just a matter of adding the "toppings" that would make a monster feel like a PC without actually having to make a PC.  And it's not as hard as you might think: mooks don't really need much highlight anyway, so give them either 2 talents, or 1 talent + 1 power, in addition to their basic attack.  Most opponents will be fine with 2 talents + 1 power, or 1 talent + 2 powers, although if they're really important, feel free to throw in 3 talents + 3 powers as well as the Escalation trait (which will allow them to benefit from the Escalation die, just like any PC would).  This is in addition to whatever racial powers a PC would get by the way.

So a sample level 1 Half-Orc Barbarian Mook:

Half-Orc Barbarian

1st Level Mook (humanoid)

Initiative: +1

Club +6 vs. AC, 4 damage Miss: 1

Barbarian Rage: As a quick action 1/day the barbarian can enter a ferocious rage for an entire battle.  Roll 2d20 for attacks; if both attacks are 11+ and one of them hits, the attack is a crit.

Lethal: Once per battle, reroll a melee attack and use the roll you prefer as the result.

AC 17 PD 15 MD 11

HP 7

Mass Combat

Sometimes having five individuals in a party against a group of 20 mooks doesn't feel epic enough.  How about  five individuals leading thousands of warriors into battle against an army at least twice their size and winning?  While role-playing might be able to handle this, some groups prefer to have wargame rules utilized, and this is where I bring in Ars Magica, which already has several similarities with 13th Age anyway -- particularly the freeform nature of some forms of magic (in Ars Magica it's the spontaneous magic, in 13th Age it's the ritual magic).  Given how Ars Magica already has mass combat rules -- I know that there's at least one D&D 4E monster that's supposed to work with mass combat as well (aside from Swarm type monsters) just can't seem to find it -- I might as well port that in and make it work with 13th Age.

Basic rules are as follows:

1. As much as possible, use mooks.  They already have a semblance of group combat anyway, might as well take advantage of it.
2. Group creatures of the same level and the same relative capabilities into one group.  Mooks with mooks, large with large, casters with casters, etc.
3. Assign one member of each group as the Vanguard.
4. During the group's turn, roll the Vanguard's attack against the opponent's defense.  Likewise, whenever the group is attacked, use the Vanguard's defenses.
5. Whenever the Vanguard hits, deal damage equal to the Vanguard's damage multiplied by the number of members in his group.

• For groups that don't consist of mooks, note that the above total represents the combined force's attack, so feel free to deal the Vanguard's damage to each member of the defending group until the total damage is reached; just remember that the Vanguard should take at least as many hits as all his allies, if not more.  For example, an enemy deals 9 * 10 = 90 damage against a group consisting of 7 individuals that aren't mooks.  In this case, each member of the group takes 9 damage except for the Vanguard, who will take 36 damage (9 * (10 - 6 other members) = 9 * 4 = 36).

If the Vanguard dies or is unable to fight, the group will be forced to separate.  Each individual can later on choose to reform the group during their turn, so by the round after that they can work as one again.

The more advanced version of mass combat would involve picking a leader.  If the leader is a monster that has a leader role, he can effectively command a number of creatures as a trained group equal to his level.  If the leader is a PC that has a background pertaining to leadership, he must make a Charisma check the moment the group is formed; succeeding against a very hard DC lets him command an army that's up to twice times the combined value of his level and his applicable background, otherwise he can command an army that's up to his level plus his applicable background (NOTE: the leader and the vanguard can be one and the same).  In either case, if the group is too large, it becomes impossible for them to effectively guide their attacks, reverting to the basic rules of combat as above**.

A trained group has one distinct advantage: during the group's turn, the leader can call for the group to focus on either offense or defense.  While on offense, the Vanguard gains a bonus attack and damage equal to the number of members in the group (except for the Vanguard), up to a given limit; for monsters this is +4 at adventurer tier, +5 at champion tier, and +6 at epic tier; while for PCs this limit equals the leader's Charisma modifier + applicable background.  While on defense, the same bonuses and limitations apply, but instead of to attack and damage, they apply to all defenses.

So for example, a 16 CHA level 1 Fighter with a +3 military officer background can easily command a group of 6 members (himself included).  During his group's turn he can grant himself +5 to hit and damage, or +5 to all defenses (but not both), due to his high Charisma and background bonus -- he is effective at barking orders to make sure that they all work effectively in spite of superior forces.  If he already does +4 to hit and 1d8+3 damage (let's average it to 7 damage shall we?), that means he can easily deal 12 * 6 = 72 damage instead of 7 damage to an opposing group (which can easily take out as many as 8 mooks in one go).

If for example let's literally ramp it up to the thousands.  The PCs with leader-type backgrounds can make checks to improve the odds of winning, but as every good plan goes out the window when the fighting really starts, all you can do is just divide the thousands of opponents between each PC and then using the basic mass combat rules as mentioned above; either that, or organize the groups so that there'd be a chain of command that'd allow the PCs to coordinate attacks with other groups, allowing maximum bonuses and army-vs.-army realism.  Consider also having the opposing team divided into groups as well, to both maintain multi-opponent dynamics*** and to make sure that each player participates in the fight and not just one guy.

** although assigning sub-leaders -- commanding officers, non-commissioned officers, etc. -- might work if you REALLY want to keep (and stack up) the bonuses and invoke more realism in your game.

*** it'd be effective if you had 10,000 mooks gather and fight one group at a time, yes... but it'd be anti-climactic unless you consider allowing the PCs to utilize traps and what not, which would whittle the 10,000 strong in a jiffy.  That said, there's a reason why you rarely hear stories about that one guy who solos an entire army of 10,000... although feel free to throw 10,000 level 1 mooks against a cocky level 8+ PC; if he does take out even a third of them by himself before dying, he deserves to be in epic tier.

Monsterize Me! Mimic (4E, PF)

I've been getting a few requests over at Pelgrane Press' forums regarding the conversion of monsters from other systems to 13th Age.  While I've already given my guidelines in the thread, I think it's appropriate that I  dedicate a portion of my blog to converting monsters as well, using information found in Pelgrane Press' archives and, from time to time, my own creative twist to them.

The monster featured today is the Mimic, the horror that classically takes the form of a treasure chest, which is often the last thing that many an unwary adventurer would see.  While I love how the Pathfinder lore states how you could have entire dungeons or houses as Mimics, there are no stats for these larger Mimics so I must make them myself.  Meanwhile, the 4E version of the Mimic provides interesting concepts, as it takes the shape shifting Mimic from object-only to creepy town and there's even note of "Mimic Spawn", which further provides some interesting thoughts on what could be done with the Mimic.

My take on the concept is that the Mimic is an ooze-like aberration that eats just about everything, whose size determines age, number of objects and creatures consumed, and how big a threat they are to everything.  From the tiny Mimic Spawn that feeds off dungeon mold and ordinary utensils (and the occasional creature's fingers), to the Mimic Complex that quite literally is a type of living dungeon as featured in 13th Age, how big can these monsters get?

NOTE: Not all Living Dungeons are Mimic Complexes, although it is easy to mistake one for the other.  Two things differentiate the Mimic Complex from other Living Dungeons; first, Mimic Complexes do not have dungeon hearts.  Second, Mimic Complexes tend to take the form of overground cities rather than elaborate dungeons.

If a bunch of houses start turning to slime and then moving in unison, those are probably not a group of Mimic Houses.  That's likely a singular Mimic Complex.  And the scariest type of Mimic Complex: the Mimic that perfectly copies an entire city, complete with all its people, where many an unwary settler or urbanized animal would not realize that the bartender they meet, the room they stay in, and the bed that eats them, are all just one creature.

Mimic Spawn

Level 0 Tiny or Small Spoiler, Initiative +5

Aberration

Traits

Resist 3 Acid: Magical acid attacks must roll 3 or higher on the attack roll, or deal half damage.  Mundane acid has no effect on this creature.

Mimic Shapeshift: The Mimic can change its shape as a quick action once per round.  It typically switches between three forms: ooze, object, and animated object.  As an ooze it gets a +5 to disengage checks and can move through tiny spaces normally.  As an object it gains resistance to natural weapons equal to its level, and is virtually indistinguishable to the original (it tends to take the shape of the last object of the same size as itself), but cannot make any attacks.  As an animated object, it has resistance to natural weapons equal to half its level and can attack.

Attacks

Acid Tendrils: +5 vs. PD, ongoing 4 acid damage, Nat 16+ Mimic Spawn heals 2 HP and the target takes 4 ongoing acid damage and suffers a -5 to disengage checks.

'Sticky' Special (if a target fails their disengage check): 4 acid damage and the target is constrained (save ends, hard save ends and target pops free).

Higher Level Special: Delicious Gear

Every time a creature has been hit five consecutive times by any Mimic Spawn, randomly choose an item that the creature has on his person that is small or smaller (perhaps a dagger, perhaps some rope).  That item is consumed by the Mimic Spawn, and can take its shape the next time it changes shape into an object.

Stats

AC 16

PD 14

MD 10

HP 20

LORE: At the earliest stages of development, the Mimic Spawn is a juvenile that breaks off from its parent, and is often one of thousands of tiny spawns that are released into the wild.  Due to the solitary nature of mimics however, it is unsurprising that as soon as they are released, they begin consuming one another, sometimes with the parent eating its own progeny.  Those that survive would begin consuming tiny things and eventually grow bigger and stronger.  It is rare for adventurers to see Mimic Spawns shortly after birth, and rarer still are adventurers who live through the experience, as they are often consumed by both Mimic Spawns and the Mimic they spawned from.

Mimic Object

Level 3 Medium Spoiler, Initiative +4

Aberration

Traits

Resist 3 Acid: Magical acid attacks must roll 3 or higher on the attack roll, or deal half damage.  Mundane acid has no effect on this creature.

Mimic Shapeshift: The Mimic can change its shape as a quick action once per round.  It typically switches between three forms: ooze, object, and animated object.  As an ooze it gets a +5 to disengage checks and can move through tiny spaces normally.  As an object it gains resistance to natural weapons equal to its level, and is virtually indistinguishable to the original (it tends to take the shape of the last object of the same size as itself), but cannot make any attacks.  As an animated object, it has resistance to natural weapons equal to half its level and can attack.

Attacks

Acid Tendrils: +8 vs. PD, ongoing 7 acid damage, Nat 16+ Mimic Object heals 3 HP the target takes 10 ongoing acid damage  and the target is constrained (save to escape constrained).
'Engulf and Digest' Special (if the target fails to escape being constrained): 14 damage and the target finds itself trapped inside the Mimic.  Until it successfully forces its way out (DC 20) target takes 10 acid damage each round, and the target takes half damage from any attacks made against the mimic from outside.

Higher Level Special: Mimic Reproduction

The first time a creature is wounded by "'Engulf and Digest' Special", 1d10 tiny Mimic Spawns appear nearby, all of which will tend to either eat the nearest creature (even if it is another Mimic Spawn), or run away.

Higher Level Special: Humanoid Mimic

If enough creatures have been consumed by the Mimic, it eventually gains a sort of sentience that allows it to mimic creatures in addition to objects.  The Mimic Object can now change shape into any humanoid or beast that it has consumed (killed while trapped inside the Mimic), in addition to the object it can normally change into.  It is just as difficult to detect the Mimic Object as a Humanoid, as it retains everything its last victim had -- even its memories and scent.

Stats

AC 19

PD 17

MD 13

HP 45

Mimic House

Level 6 Large Spoiler, Initiative +3

Aberration

Traits

Resist 6 Acid: Magical acid attacks must roll 6 or higher on the attack roll, or deal half damage.  Mundane acid has no effect on this creature.

Mimic Shapeshift: The Mimic can change its shape as a quick action once per round.  It typically switches between three forms: ooze, object, and animated object.  As an ooze it gets a +5 to disengage checks and can move through small spaces normally.  As an object it gains resistance to natural weapons equal to its level, and is virtually indistinguishable to the original (it tends to take the shape of the last object of the same size as itself), but cannot make any attacks.  As an animated object, it has resistance to natural weapons equal to half its level and can attack.

Attacks

Acid Tendrils: +11 vs. PD, one creature and each creature inside it, ongoing 36 acid damage, Nat 16+ Mimic Object heals 18 HP the target takes 10 ongoing acid damage  and the target is constrained (save to escape constrained).
'Engulf and Digest' Special (if the target fails to escape being constrained): 56 damage and the target finds itself trapped inside the Mimic.  Until it successfully forces its way out (DC 20) target takes 42 acid damage each round, and the target takes half damage from any attacks made against the mimic from outside.

Higher Level Special: Mimic Furniture

Everything found in the Mimic House is a small part of it.  Subtract a number of hit points from the Mimic House equal to the hit points of all the Mimic Spawns and Mimic Objects inside of it.  Treat all Mimic Spawns and Mimic Objects as if they were mooks.

Stats

AC 22

PD 20

MD 16

HP 180

LORE: Originally these Mimics merely took the forms of giant boulders or the occasional stone golem, but as humanoids entered the lands where Mimics thrived in, some of the more sentient of these Mimics began not only eating away the individual pieces of furniture, but entire houses as well, occupants and all.  Some of these Mimics even took the time and effort to duplicate the residents they consumed, in order to lull unwitting victims into a false sense of security.

Mimic Complex

Level 12 Huge Spoiler, Initiative +2

Aberration

Traits

Resist 9 Acid: Magical acid attacks must roll 9 or higher on the attack roll, or deal half damage.  Mundane acid has no effect on this creature.

Mimic Shapeshift: The Mimic can change its shape as a quick action once per round.  It typically switches between three forms: ooze, object, and animated object.  As an ooze it can automatically pop free and can move through medium spaces normally.  As an object it gains resistance to natural weapons equal to its level, and is virtually indistinguishable to the original (it tends to take the shape of the last object of the same size as itself), but cannot make any attacks.  As an animated object, it has resistance to natural weapons equal to half its level and can attack.

Attacks

Acid Tendrils: +17 vs. PD, each creature engaged with it and inside it, ongoing 210 acid damage, Nat 16+ Mimic Object heals 105 HP the target takes 270 ongoing acid damage  and the target is constrained (save to escape constrained).
'Engulf and Digest' Special (if the target fails to escape being constrained): 330 damage and the target finds itself trapped inside the Mimic.  Until it successfully forces its way out (DC 20) target takes 270 acid damage each round, and the target takes half damage from any attacks made against the mimic from outside.

Higher Level Special: Mimic City

Everything found in the Mimic Complex is a small part of it.  Subtract a number of hit points from the Mimic House equal to the hit points of all the Mimic Houses inside of it.  Treat all Mimic Houses in the Mimic City as if they were mooks.

Stats

AC 28

PD 26

MD 22

HP 1080

LORE: Not much is known about Mimic Complexes other than the rumors of entire cities vanishing in the night, only to reappear miles from where they were at, without a trace of magic being used.  That, and rumors of entire forests being cleared as huge blobs of ooze traverse the land.

Monsterize Me! Ancient Red Dragon (4E, PF)

I've been getting a few requests over at Pelgrane Press' forums regarding the conversion of monsters from other systems to 13th Age.  While I've already given my guidelines in the thread, I think it's appropriate that I  dedicate a portion of my blog to converting monsters as well, using information found in Pelgrane Press' archives and, from time to time, my own creative twist to them.

The monster featured today is the Ancient Red Dragon, found in both D&D 4E and Pathfinder.  The most iconic type of dragon -- so iconic that one of the Three (an Icon in 13th Age) is a red dragon called the Red -- this dragon breathes scorching flames that incinerates just about anything in its path, and the destruction this creature can bring when it reaches Ancient status is phenomenal... but still not yet to the level that the legendary Red can bring (I think).

Dragon, Red (Huge Ancient)

level 10 Wrecker, Initiative +9

Traits

Greater Fear Aura (72 HP): Creatures with hit points equal to or lower than the given threshold suffer the Fear condition.
Fire 10 Aura: Creatures engaged with the Red Dragon take 10 Fire damage on their turn
Resist 18 Fire: Magical fire attacks must roll 18+ (no bonuses) to deal full damage.  Rolling too low results in half damage.  Mundane fire has no effect on the Red Dragon.
Vulnerable Cold: Cold attacks that critically hit the Red Dragon deals quadruple damage instead of double damage.
Dangerous: The Red Dragon's crit range while wounded is 17+.
And Again: A natural 16+ on the attack roll allows the Red Dragon to make an additional attack

Attacks

Claw: +16 vs. AC, 165 (30d10) damage, hit disengages the target

Bite: +15 vs. AC, 210 (6d6 x10) damage

Tail Sweep: Quick action, +14 vs. PD, 75 (15d10) damage, hit disengages the target unless the target chooses to lose its next move action

Furnace Roar: Daily, Quick action, +15 vs. PD, 1d3 nearby creatures or each creature engaged with the Red Dragon, 165 fire damage and ongoing 15 fire damage. Recharges when the dragon makes an even miss with Claw, Bite or Tail Sweep.

Stats

AC 26

PD 23

MD 21

HP 648

ALTERNATIVE ATTACKS

(remove the And Again trait if you choose to use these)

Claw, Claw, Bite
ONE or TWO enemies that are nearby the dragon (due to the size of the dragon it can reach them even if they are not engaged with it).
Claw: +16 vs. AC, 150 damage.
Hit on a Natural 16+ '... Claw'  extra 150 damage (total of 300)
Hit on a Natural 18+ '... Bite' extra 200 damage (total of 500!)
Miss
Special (always): A miss causes the target to pop free as it is knocked away by the edge of the dragon's swipe.
Special (odd miss): A natural odd miss causes the dragon to catch you with it's tail. (Tail Sweep: 75 damage and target is either knocked far away if possible or is stunned until the end of the targets next turn).
Special (even miss): A natural even miss enrages the dragon, recharging it's Furnace Roar and allowing it to use it if it has yet to use it this round.
Furnace Roar
Daily, Quick action, +15 vs. PD, 1d3 creatures in a group, 150 fire damage and ongoing 15 fire damage. Recharges when the dragon makes a natural even miss with the Claw/Claw/Bite attack.

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Author's Note: With the number of attacks this Red Dragon can already generate, I see little reason for adding stuff like Cleave and Multiattack.  In addition, GMs who want a more caster-like Red Dragon can choose spells from the Sorcerer or Wizard class, but I generally assume that these abilities alone can be a bit taxing on the micromanagement and the overall build would make it very difficult (if at all possible) to take on this behemoth.

Fear Aura normally applies to creatures engaged to the one that has the aura, but I'm keen on making this monster a truly epic threat, which is why I'll be bending/breaking the normal rules on the Fear aura and have anyone who is heavily wounded and seeing the majesty of an enraged powerhouse that the Ancient Red Dragon is to seriously, seriously consider running away...

Update: I originally had the Tail Swipe's effect to be "and the target must choose to either remain engaged to the Red Dragon or lose its next move action", but an interesting comment made me consider the revision as found above.

Update: I added Ash Law's suggestion as an alternative for those who want less rolls and faster round resolution.  At first I thought of replacing the original attacks, but some groups may actually prefer the longer turn and higher tension from the multi-attacking Ancient Red Dragon, as the And Again trait easily allows this beast to make a lot of attacks.  So, I place the two sets side by side, with the decision to use which type of Red Dragon left to the GM running it.