Converting D&D 3.5 Monsters to HERO

[SKJAM!]

This will be a sometimes feature, since some of the assumptions behind the creatures of D&D don't translate very well. Rather than do it alphabetically, which is just asking for pain, I've decided to "start from the bottom" going by Challenge Ratings.

 

Remember, Dungeons and Dragons is property of Wizards of the Coast.

 

Typical Kobold

 

Player: NPC

 

Val Char Cost

9 STR -1

13 DEX 9

10 CON 0

4 BODY -12

10 INT 0

9 EGO -2

8 PRE -2

8 COM -1

 

3 PD 1

3 ED 1

2 SPD 0

4 REC 0

20 END 0

14 STUN 0

 

6" RUN 0

2" SWIM 0

1 1/2" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: -7

 

Cost Power

10 Small: +2 with DCV

3 Small: +2 with Concealment (4 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Self only; -1/2)

5 Darkvision: Nightvision

6 Alertness: +2 PER with Sight Group and Normal Hearing

Powers Cost: 24

 

 

Cost Skill

9 Concealment 14-

0 Language: Draconic (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)

3 PS: MIner 12-

3 PS: Trapmaker 12-

5 Stealth 13-

3 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Sling

Skills Cost: 23

 

 

 

Total Character Cost: 40

 

Pts. Disadvantage

15 Psychological Limitation: Xenophobic (Common, Strong)

10 Physical Limitation: Light sensitivity: -1 to all rolls in daylight or equivalent (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)

5 Physical Limitation: Small: +3" KB (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)

Disadvantage Points: 30

Base Points: 50

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

 

 

APPEARANCE

Hair Color: None

Eye Color: Glowing red

Height: 0.60 m

Weight: 16.00 kg

Description:

Kobolds look like a semi-erect cross between a lizard and a rat, with a non-prehensile tail and two tiny horns on the head. Their scaly hides vary from rusty brown to rusty black. Culturally, kobolds favor reds and oranges for clothing.

 

BACKGROUND

Kobolds are small reptilian humanoids who live underground or in overgrown forests with little light. Their own legends say they're descended from dragons, but most other races are skeptical about that. They're generally enslaved by more powerful beings, or exterminated like vermin, so Kobolds have an understandable fear and hatred of beings who aren't Kobolds. They're pretty good miners, though not as advanced as dwarves, so they can make a decent living trading ore and uncut gems for finished items. They're nocturnal in nature, and are not fond of fire except as an attack form.

 

Kobolds are omnivores, usually subsisting on edible plants and small animals they've trapped, but have no compunctions about eating intelligent beings they've managed to overcome--baby is especially tasty. They are egg-layers, and breed rapidly, managing to keep up replacement rates even under war conditions.

 

PERSONALITY

Mostly, the kobolds want to be left alone to get on with their own lives. Unfortunately, given their massive unpopularily, this is deemed to require killing anything that could endanger the kobolds, which makes them even more unpopular.

 

By human standards, most kobolds are cowardly sneaks, without honor or mercy.

 

QUOTE

Kobolds sound like yappy dogs to humans.

 

POWERS/TACTICS

As nocturnal creatures, kobolds can see in the dark, but do poorly in daylight. Their small size makes it easy for them to hide in places larger races can't get into. They're also strongly aware of sights and sounds in their environment.

 

Kobolds are well aware that they're not a physical match for most of the bigger races. Thus they spend a lot of time rigging their territory with traps (pits, deadfalls and nets are common) to cut down on the number of intruders that can pass through. Nor do the kobolds directly attack unless they have at least two attackers for each defender. They'll open up with sling bullets and other missiles to soften up the targets, not closing to spear range until they run out of ammunition or the enemy is severely weakened. Even then, kobolds have no qualms about fleeing if the fight is going badly.

 

The usual equipment load for a kobold warrior is leather armor, a sling with a pouch full of bullets, a short spear and a dagger (for coup de gras, rather than direct combat.) Kobolds caught by surprise in their nest are likely to have crude mining tools to hand as weapons. It's rare for a kobold to have an useful magic item, but they'll certainly use them if they can.

 

CAMPAIGN USE

Kobolds are the "wimp enemy race" of the standard D&D world. They make a good warm-up enemy for beginning adventurers, or a "wake-up call" for overconfident parties who've forgotten how effective tactics and knowing the terrain can make even the weakest of foes.

 

Kobold adventurers are rare, since unusual strength or talents will shoot a kobold to the top of their tribe's social ladder without them needing to interact with non-kobolds. Most tougher kobolds will have fighter-style power-ups, but kobolds have an unusually high occurance of natural sorcerors in their population, possibly due to their dragon ancestry. Kobold clerics are rare, and worship Kurtulmak, god of kobolds (and only kobolds, thank you very much.) Large tribes may have tamed dire weasels as guard beasts, and if a sufficiently powerful cleric is on hand, a scattering of zombie kobolds.