Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Elemental Princes of Evil

There are a few monsters in the Fiend Folio which are intrusions on the pure United Kingdom flavor, as they were written by TSR in the United States and had to be included. We have already had a conversion of Lolth from Queen of the Demonweb Pits. Now we are looking at the Princes of Elemental Evil from The Temple of Elemental Evil. Goodman Games did an expansion and conversion of this adventure for 5^th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. For those of us who would like to use this material with Dungeon Crawl Classics, hopefully this conversion will help.

It should be noted that this conversion is based on the Fiend Folio only; I did not consult the original adventure or any material that was created to expand or convert it. As a result, there might be some absolutely stellar ideas that I missed.

Readers are also encouraged to look at Ithha, Prince of Elemental Wind, on page 356 of the core rulebook. The invoke patron tables in Playing the Game, published by Purple Duck Games, may also provide some inspiration.

 

 

The Elemental Princes of Evil

These powerful beings are principally active upon the Elemental Planes, but have followers in the Lands We Know as well. They are powerful enough to be treated as minor gods, providing spell to those clerics, acolytes, and other priests who worship them.

These five individuals represent the evil (for mortals) aspects of air, cold, earth, fire and water. They may work together, but are often at odds through the actions of their followers or due to their disparate natures. Each of the following statistics represents an avatar of the Elemental Prince which manifests upon the material plane. In their native haunts, the elemental princes are far more powerful.

All Elemental Princes can communicate with telepathy within a 240’ range.

Elves and wizards may choose to bond with an Elemental Prince of Evil via the patron bond spell. The ceremony to do so must take place adjacent to an appropriate elemental node, or where there is a large (and potentially dangerous) exposure to the appropriate element. At the end of each day casting, all involved must succeed in a Fort save (DC 10 + 2 per day after the first) or take damage. This starts at 1d3, but increases by +1d up the dice chain for each failed save. This does not affect the spell casting; any loss of concentration is made up for by the potential patron’s delight in the pain and damage caused. It is, however, beyond the scope of this post to provide patron details for these creatures.

 

Cryonax (Prince of Evil Cold)

Cryonax (Avatar): Init -4; Atk Suckered arm +10 melee (3d8 plus paralysis) or spell; AC 26; HD 12d12+36; MV 20’; Act 2d20; SP Cold aura, paralysis, half damage from non-magical weapons, shatter weapons, 75% magic resistance, spellcasting, healed by cold, fire vulnerability; SV Fort +14; Ref +6; Will +24; AL C.

            Spells (+15 to spell check): Chill touch, control ice, dispel magic, monster summoning, planar step, and shatter.

Cryonax’s avatar appears as a 15-foot tall yeti with tentacles rather than arms. He radiates cold, causing 1d6 damage to any creature within 60’, and 2d6 damage to creatures within 30’. If the avatar hits with a tentacle, the target must succeed in a DC 15 Fort save or be frozen in place, paralyzed for 3d4 rounds. In addition to taking half damage from non-magical weapons, Cryonax is so cold that there is a chance (equal to damage dealt) that a mundane weapon will shatter, negating the damage and destroying the weapon. In addition, there is a 75% chance that Cryonax simply ignores all effects of any spell cast (although secondary effects can still affect the avatar; for instance, if a spell causes a cliff to collapse on the avatar, Cryonax’s magic resistance does not protect the avatar from this).

Cryonax casts spells as a wizard, but suffers no ill effects from rolling a “1” (except losing the spell). When Cryonax summons monsters, they are always cold-based. For example, bumbles, ice piercers, Kovacsian wizard snowmen, laser snowmen, raven wolves, giant walruses, and yeti may all be appropriate.

He is healed by spells causing cold rather than harmed, but takes double damage from fire- or heat-based spells and effects which get past his magic resistance.

It is said by some sages that Cryonax lives in a huge castle of ice, quartz and glass, possibly situated at the juncture of the Planes of Air and Water and drawing power from the Negative Material Plane. Other sages scoff at this planar cosmology, placing Cryonax’s castle in the coldest of the Hells. Still others pace the Elemental Prince’s abode in other planes, or even distant places in the Lands We Know. Who is to say which is true?

 

Imix (Prince of Evil Fire)

Imix (Avatar): Init +5; Atk flaming strike +10 melee (5d8) or spell; AC 24; HD 12d12+36; MV 50’; Act 1d20; SP Flaming aura, half damage from non-magical weapons, shatter weapons, 85% magic resistance, spellcasting, healed by fire, cold and water vulnerability; SV Fort +8; Ref +14; Will +24; AL C.

            Spells (+15 to spell check): Control fire, dispel magic, fireball, flaming hands, monster summoning, planar step, and scorching ray.

The avatar of Imix appear to be an 18’ tall pillar of fire. So hot is the Elemental Prince that those within 60’ take 1d10 damage each round, and those within 10’ take 1d20 damage. Non-magical weapons cause only half damage to the avatar, and the avatar has an 85% chance to simply ignore any spell cast against him (as with Cryonax).

Imix uses spells s a wizard, but has no further effect with a natural “1” than losing the spell. When Imix summons monsters, they are always fire-themed, such as flaming heads and salamanders. While fire attacks heal Imix, water and cold attacks do double damage, to a minimum of 2d6. Even 25% immersion in water is sufficient to destroy Imix’s avatar.

Lmix is said to live in the depths of a monstrous active volcano on the Elemental Plane of Fire. There is great enmity between lmix and Olhydra.

 

Ogrémoch (Prince of Evil Earth)

Ogrémoch (Avatar): Init +0; Atk Bludgeon +10 melee (1d20+20) or spell; AC 27; HD 22d12+88; MV 20’; Act 2d20; SP Half damage from non-magical weapons and magical weapons of less than +2 value, 85% magic resistance, spellcasting, immune to fire, half damage (cold and electricity); SV Fort +24; Ref +0; Will +24; AL C.

            Spells (+10 to spell check): Cause earthquake, dispel magic, monster summoning, planar step, transmute earth, and turn to stone.

Ogrémoch’s avatar appears to be a rough, apparently unfinished, bipedal form, 70 feet tall. He is said to live in a great flat-topped mountain on the Elemental Plane of Earth.

Ogrémoch’s magic resistance works as does that for the other Elemental Princes. Ogrémoch casts spells as do the other Elemental Princes. When he summons monsters, they are stone- or earth-based, such as xorn and ropers.

 

Olhydra (Princess of Evil Water)

Olhydra (Avatar): Init +2; Atk Wave +10 melee (2d12 plus drowning) or spell; AC 25; HD 12d12+36; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP Drowning, half damage from non-magical weapons, half damage from slashing and piercing weapons, 75% magic resistance, spellcasting, ram ships, only slowed by cold, extinguish flames, fire vulnerability; SV Fort +10; Ref +12; Will +24; AL C.

            Spells (+15 to spell check): Dispel magic, monster summoning, and planar step.

The avatar of Olhydra appears as an amorphous watery blob 20 feet in diameter. She only appears near water. She is said to live in a great undersea castle on the Elemental Plane of Water. There is great enmity between her and Imix.

When Olhydra hits a victim with her wave attack, the target must make a DC 15 Fort save or take 2d6 points of temporary Stamina damage due to drowning. This damage heals completely with 10 minutes of rest and breathable air, but if the victim’s Stamina drops to 0, they die of drowning (recovering the body may still apply).

Olhydra’s spellcasting and magic resistance work the same as with the other Elemental Princes. When she summons monsters, she summons creatures related to the oceans or water, such as sahuagin, giant ammonites, and crab swarms. She takes only half damage from non-magical weapons, and half damage from piercing or bladed weapons – these stack, so that Olhydra’s avatar takes only ¼ damage from a non-magical sword.

Olhydra can also ram ships with the force of two heavy galleys, almost certainly destroying them utterly. Cold slows her to half speed and prevents her from attacking or casting spells for 1 round per spell level, but does not otherwise harm her. She takes twice normal damage from fire- and heat-based attacks, but any normal fire within 10' of Olhydra is automatically extinguished.

 

Yan-C-Bin (Prince of Evil Air)

Yan-C-Bin (Avatar): Init +7; Atk Wind buffet +8 melee (2d10) or spell; AC 26; HD 8d12+24; MV fly 60’; Act 2d20; SP Invisible, immune to non-magical weapons and missiles, 90% magic resistance, spellcasting; SV Fort +6; Ref +18; Will +24; AL C.

            Spells (+15 to spell check): Choking cloud, dispel magic, gust of wind, invisible companion, monster summoning, planar step, and weather control.

Perhaps the most dangerous of the Elemental Princes, Yan-C-Bin is naturally formless and invisible, being roughly 10 feet in diameter. He is said to live in a great airy palace on the Elemental Plane of Air.

Yan-C-Bin’s magic resistance and spellcaster work as do those of the other Elemental Princes. When Yan-C-Bin summons monsters, they are those related to the air or flyers.