I am not as good as others at converting creatures from one system to another. So, I thought I would ask for some help here on the forums. As I am gearing up to run Paizo's Ruins of Azlant using the Genesys system, I am in need of some new statblocks.
Based on what their D20 stats are, how would you all stat out an Aboleth in Genesys?
Aboleth [Rival]
Brawn 4 | Agility 1 | Intellect 3 | Cunning 3 | Willpower 3 | Presence 3
Soak 4 | Wound Threshold 25 | Defense Melee/Ranged: 0/0
Skills : Arcana 4, Brawl 1, Coercion 2, Deception 2, Perception 3.
Talents : Adversary 1 (upgrade difficulty of all combat checks against this target once), Darkvision (when making skill checks, aboleths remove up to [setback][setback] imposed due to darkness.
Abilites : Silhouette 2 , Amphibious (Aboleths may breathe underwather without penalty through water), Slime (a creture affected by the slime over the aboleth's tentacle would feel his skin and flesh transform into a clear, slimy membrane in the next round. The creature's new flash is soft and tender, imposing [setback][setback][setback] in all Brawn checks made by the creature. Outside the water, the creature would feel their meat burning, like in a corrosive atmosphere with rating 1. A Heal magic or a Medicine check with dif 3 can heal this. Illusory Images [Utility] (Aboleths have magical powers to distort the reallity. They usually use to create illusions to modify the environment)
Equipment : Tentacles (Brawl; Damage 5; Critical 4; Range [Engaged]; Knockdown, Slime).
This thing is a beast . Good luck to anyone who ends up facing this thing in a fight! This is about the closest approximation I could make, translating it from the Pathfinder wiki.
____________________
Aboleth (Nemesis)
Brawn: 5 | Agility: 2 | Intellect: 3 | Cunning: 4 | Willpower: 5 | Presence: 4
Soak: 6 | Would Threshold: 25 | Strain Threshold: 20 | Defense Melee/Ranged: 1/0
Skills: Arcana 3, Athletics 5, Brawl 2, Coercion 4, Deception 3, Knowledge (Forbidden) 3, Perception 3 , Vigilance 2
Talents:
Adversary 2 (upgrade the difficulty of all combat checks against this target twice), Darkvision (when making skill checks, aboleths remove up to
imposed due to darkness)
Abilities:
Silhouette 2, Amphibious (aboleths may breathe underwater without penalty), Slime (when the aboleth attacks, it may spend
to affect its target with slime. Affected characters must make a
Hard (
) Resilience check
. If the target fails the check, their skin will begin to transform into a clear, slimy membrane. The new flesh is soft and tender, imposing a
on all Brawn-related checks until the condition is healed. Additionally, each uncancelled
may be used to inflict 1 wound. The target must then make the same check at the beginning of their next turn (including the
imposed from failing the check). Failure imposes a second
on all Brawn-related checks and another Resilience check on their next turn. This continues until the condition has imposed
, after which no more Resilience checks are required. A single success on any Resilience check prevents further penalties. The condition may be healed with a
Hard (
) Medicine check
or a
Hard (
) Divine
or
Primal check
to heal a critical injury
.) Mucus Cloud (while underwater, an aboleth exudes a cloud of transparent slime. All creatures engaged with the aboleth must succeed on a
Hard (
) Resilience check
or lose the ability to breathe air (while gaining the ability to breath water) for 3 hours. Renewed contact with the aboleth and failing another save extends the effect for another three hours.)
Spells:
An aboleth can use only the
Illude
magic action. The spells they cast most often are as follows:
Hypnotic Pattern:
The aboleth selects one target within short range and makes a
Hard (
) Arcana check
. If successful, the target creature becomes fascinated with a pattern of subtle, shifting colors weaving through the air. The aboleth can spend
to
affect one other creature engaged with the target (and may trigger this effect multiple times, spending an additional
each time). Fascinated creatures upgrade the difficulty of all
Perception
and
Vigilance checks
.
Illusory Wall:
The aboleth selects a location within short range and makes an
Average (
) Arcana check
. If successful, they manifest the illusion of a wall, ceiling, floor, or similar surface. This surface appears to be real when viewed, but physical objects pass through it. The wall provides +4 dice to conceal any object on the opposite side of it.
Equipment: Tentacles (Brawl, Damage 8, Crit 4, Range [Short], Ensnare 3, Knockdown, Linked 2) (An aboleth has three tentacles and can have up to three targets ensnared at a time (or two targets ensnared while still using its one remaining tentacle to attack. For each target ensnared, reduce the tentacles’ Linked rating by one, while the targets remain ensnared.)
Edited by Simon RetoldWow! Thank you two. Those are spectacular statblocks.
Simon and Bellyon, could you give us some insights on how you translated the stats? One nice thing about d20 bestiaries is they typically have a "CR" (challenge rating) or something analogous to it that's at least roughly helpful, and a CR 7 is a tough beast. Genesys is much more freeform. Not having GMed Star Wars for years and then Genesys only for the playtest, I'm not at all certain how to balance an encounter based on whether I want it to be a nuisance, interesting challenge, or dangerous. Obviously I won't set newbie PC's against an Aboleth...
btw, I realize this is an art, not a science, but I'm looking for some general tips.
Oh, just a few observations: I agree with Simon that it could be a Nemesis and the Knowledge is fine (was my mistake to forget about this).
Few things are just different approachs. But I'd avoid so much complexity and a big list of things. I know we have the impulse to be literal as we find in the book, but Genesys need a different approach.
Mechanically, Aboleth have something like: Str around 20, Dex around 12, Con, Int, Sab and Car around 18. CA around 17 (a lot of this is the natural armor, which means a reinforced skin). ~11 HPs per CR/level.
Despite the fact I've followed the Path Bestiary like him, I think we should use the D&D 5th version to do this... in the 5th, the creatures have less things, but they are supposed to be more relevant. The 4th edition version also have something interesting as well.
In both versions (DD 4th and 5th) the Aboleth have basically some relevant aspects:
Psychic powers : illusions, mental control and psyonic attacks. It's a big fish from the abyss with a huge knowledge about mystical things and no mercy to use this to illude and control their enemies. We could create more magical powers to him.
Tentacle attacks : three or four, with makes him able to attack more than one adversary at the same time. Nothing special with them, but they are good enough to disorient the enemy with a well done hit.
Mucus Clound : in each version (Path, DD4, DD5) this cloud has a different effect. Reduce the capacity to breath, difficult the ability to swin near him or became sick, with the meat becoming clear and slimy. All are good effects, it's up to you pick what you think is better. The thing here is: fight engaged an Aboleth and you will have problems!
Slime : there is something in the Aboleth that can cause this sickness, changing the creature to something amphibious. I assume that is imporant to an Aboleth, after mentally dominate a creature, to keep it near, underwater.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATRIBUTES
Obs.: Brawn is something between the Str and Con. Strong creatures with no constiturtion could have more damage in the attacks. There are a lot of ways to adapt this. More soak, more wounds, more damage, a special talent or ability, etc.
ARMOR CLASS, DAMAGE REDUCTION, NATURAL ARMOR, ETC.
CA
is hard to adapt, cause in Genesys we have Soak and Defense. It's how the armor works in Genesys, but in D&D it's the same, CA is more abstract than in Genesys (crazy!
).
Armor and natural armor are hard to adapt. They would provide something between 0 to 3 in Soak as a bonus and up to 0 to 2 in Defense. Using the Aboleth as an example, you could assume that the Mucus Clound could be as simple as 2 in Melee Defense and it's fine!
Soft
armors
should provide 0 in Soak. Reinforced protection should provide 1 in Soak. Massive and rigid protections should provide 2 in Soak.
Natural armor
: 0-3 = +0 Soak. 4-6 = +1 Soak. 7-9 = +2 Soak. 9-15 = +3 Soak. 16-22 = +4 Soak. 23-30 = +5 Soak. 31+ = +6 Soak.
SKILLS RANKS, CONJURER LEVEL, ATTACK BONUS, ETC.
In general I guess it's something like :
SAVES
In Genesys we have some skills that are used to avoid some threats. It's comlex to convert, but try to follow the rank impact of the skills. 1 for bad, 5 to very very good.
ADVERSARY TYPE
HEALTH POINTS / WOUND THRESHOLD
SIZE CATEGORY / SILHOUETTE
I'd be really curious to see how you all would handle something like a Lich
How do you convert something who's big aspect is a giant list of spells?
9 hours ago, Mogloth said:I'd be really curious to see how you all would handle something like a Lich
How do you convert something who's big aspect is a giant list of spells?
I’d wing it and let him do whatever he wants lol.
On 5/5/2018 at 11:04 AM, Mogloth said:I'd be really curious to see how you all would handle something like a Lich
How do you convert something who's big aspect is a giant list of spells?
I would probably give him special qualities that allow him to downgrade spell difficulties. Maybe even tie that to story point usage so the players see the point used and up the tension (and it flips some points towads the players to respond in kind).
Another potential solution is to give the Lich a special quality that makes his magic only use 1 strain instead of 2, thus being able to "cast more spells."
2 hours ago, Noahjam325 said:I would probably give him special qualities that allow him to downgrade spell difficulties. Maybe even tie that to story point usage so the players see the point used and up the tension (and it flips some points towads the players to respond in kind).
Another potential solution is to give the Lich a special quality that makes his magic only use 1 strain instead of 2, thus being able to "cast more spells."
Don't forget some variation of either Second Wind or Heroic Recovery, possibly both to show the 'breaking the rules' approach that Liches take (becoming Undead abominations in order to learn more for longer).
7 hours ago, Noahjam325 said:Another potential solution is to give the Lich a special quality that makes his magic only use 1 strain instead of 2, thus being able to "cast more spells."
There's no really need to do this at all. Look that the encounters should last between 3 and 5 rounds, it's the common in Genesys. The caster just need enough strain to last enough to cast every turn in the fight. They don't need more strain. And being a Nemesis, we can think in something around 15 for his Strain Threshold, should be enough.
On 5/5/2018 at 12:04 PM, Mogloth said:I'd be really curious to see how you all would handle something like a Lich
How do you convert something who's big aspect is a giant list of spells?
I did something, let's check:
Lich (Nemesis)
Brawn
2
| Agility
3
| Intellect
5
| Cunning
4
| Willpower
3
| Presence
3
Soak
5
| WT
33
| ST
13
| M/R Defense
2/0
Skills
: Alchemy 4, Arcana 4, Coercion 3, Discipline 2, Knowledge 4, Perception 3, Resilience 2, Stealth 3, Vigilance 4.
Talents
: Adversary 2, Scathing Tirade, (maybe an advanced version of Scathing Tirade also, to works like his aura of fear).
Abilities
: Undead (works like Robots), Phylactery (return in 1d10 days next his phylactery after he was destroyed), Rise, My Minions! (onde per session, may make a Hard Arcane check; for each uncanceled success, one incapacited minion within mediu range heals all wounds and rejoins the encounter; it may act in the current round).
Equipment
: Paralyzing Touch (Brawl; Damage 7; Critical 3; Range [Engaged]; Stun Damage), Magic Staff.
It's enough. But I know that people are looking for a lot of spells and in Genesys there's no need of this. But I'd say that a lich would use a lot of attack and dispel spells. He would use curse and utility spells somethimes.
All his spells are something like: do a lot of damage (attack spell cover it). Stun his enemies (stun or stun damage implement in his attack spells do it). Teleport (utility spell do it). Protection (barrier spell do it). Small magic tricks (utility spell do it). Some curses (curse spell do it). Create some minions (conjure spell can do it, but I used the Rise, My Minions! ability, looks easier to resolve this, leting he free to cast his deadly spells).
For the attack spells, I think he would prefer the Deadly additional effect, but he can use something with Fire or Ice + Blast somethimes (Fireballs or Blizzards).
Using a magic staff, his base magic damage would be 9 (5 Intellect + 4 staff), and the first range increment is for free. So he could use his "Death Touch" causing 9 damage, in anyone up to medium range, critical 2 and vicious 4, for a difficult 2. Or a empowered version causing 14, with difficult 4. Would be his main spell in my opinion.
Obs.: Use a lot of skeleton minions and this kind of stuff in the fights versus a lich, like a good boss - and to create a good situation for his ability (Rise, My Minions!).
Edited by BellyonAnd don't forget about the Counterspell maneuver which (if I remember correctly) upgrades the difficulty of all spells that are being cast in short range. I would think a Lich would be doing that every turn to lock down the spell casters.
That Lich is.... badass. I love the Rise my minions! ability. Wow. Excellent job.
This one is from the Arcane Scientist, p. 163
much more easier than use a conjure magic during the fight, in my opinion.
About the badass, despite the fact that I've used the lich from all the D&D versions to do this one, I think he would be something between CR 15 and 20 in Pathfinder, instead of 12, as the Bestiary 1 version.
It's possible to create a weaker version, reducing the Int and several skills by 1, and from 10 to 15 less Wounds also. He would still being a Nemesis, but weaker.
On 5/8/2018 at 9:30 AM, Bellyon said:Rise, My Minions! (onde per session, may make a Hard Arcane check; for each uncanceled success, one incapacited minion within mediu range heals all wounds and rejoins the encounter; it may act in the current round).
Maybe add:
Oh, well, I've picked whats in the book, just changed the skill. But certainly the GM could spend 1 Story Point to adjust the effect or upgrade his own test, and expend any advantages and tryumphs to add more layers of dramacity, like new minions or rivals incomming to the fight, like a regular use of Despairs for a character.
Converting characters or monsters from one game system to another is hit-or-miss in my experience since systems can differ so much, but Bellyon's tables and guidelines look pretty darned good to me. I'm going to copy them into a Word file and hang onto it for future reference. ?
Edited by finarvynYeah, they are pretty good.
And I wasn't asking for a point by point recreation. But the creations in this thread are fantastic!