Let’s Convert the Monster Manual: Finishing the “E”s: Elemental, Elephant, Elf, Ettin, Floating Eye, and Eye of the Deep

As we go on with converting the original Monster Manual, we will eventually run into more creatures which have already been converted in the DCC core rulebook or in my blog. In the case of blog conversions, I will include both a link to the original post and statistics here. I have already made one exception (drow elves) which I covered when converting the original Fiend Folio.

Elves appear in the core rulebook, but we will do the same thing we did with dwarves, and provide some “Men and Magicians” style elves as NPC templates. These will differ somewhat from the elves of The Revelation of Mulmo and Stars in the Darkness, but not so much that you cannot use them together.

It might be argued that Ettins are covered in the rules for variations on giants, but this monster is simple enough to convert that we might as well offer full statistics. I am sure that I have used ettins in the past, but I can’t remember any single use of them. This is a shame, because ettins are an iconic monster both in folklore and in the original Monster Manual.

I have never used the floating eye or the eye of the deep, but who knows what tomorrow brings? As far as I know, the floating eye was not even popular enough to include in later editions of D&D. I am not even sure that it appeared in any AD&D modules….? Anyway, that sounds like a challenge to turn it into a useful monster, so you will have to judge whether or not I met that challenge.

Elemental: See the core rulebook, pages 411 to 412.

Elephant: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals. If these posts are beginning to seem like an extended advertisement for that work, that is simply because the Cyclopedia covers so much.

I am, I hope fairly, proud of how much it covers, as I really did try to make it useful. As the last post saw, however, there were still a few more animals I could have included!

Elven Commoner: Init +0; Atk staff +0 melee (1d4); AC 10; HD 1d4; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP heightened senses, sensitivity to iron; SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +0; AL C.

Elven Soldier: Init +0; Atk spear +1 melee (1d8); AC 13; HD 1d6; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP 60’ infravision, sensitivity to iron; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +1; AL C.

Elven soldiers are armed with bronze-tipped spears, wear leather armor, and bear shields.

Elven Archer: Init +1; Atk short bow +2 ranged (1d6) or dagger +1 melee (1d4); AC 11; HD 1d6; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP 60’ infravision, sensitivity to iron; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +1; AL C.

Elven archers use flint-tipped arrows, as well as daggers of bronze or stone.

Elven Knight: Init +2; Atk mithral longsword +2 melee (1d8) or mithral dagger +2 melee (1d4); AC 18; HD 3d6; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP 60’ infravision, sensitivity to iron; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +2; AL C.

Armed with mithral weapons, and wearing mithral full plate mail, an elven knight may be mounted on an exception warhorse, or even a unicorn at the judge’s discretion.

Elven Sorcerer: Init +2; Atk staff +2 melee (1d4) or dagger +2 melee (1d4) or spell; AC 12; HD 3d6; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP 60’ infravision, sensitivity to iron, spellcasting; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +3; AL C.

Elven sorcerers can cast up to three spells each day, and can choose from the following effects:

(1) Charm a target within 60’ (as charm person spell result 14-17, Will DC 15 negates but leaves target dazed 1d4 rounds as result 12-13).

(2) Second sight (spell check 1d20+6, cannot result in disapproval).

(3) Elf shot (120’ range, 1d8 damage, Ref DC 15 for half, negated by magic shield).

Elven Lord: Init +0; Atk mithral longsword +3 melee (1d8) or longbow +3 ranged (1d6) or spell; AC 13; HD 5d6; MV 30’; Act 1d20 + 1d14; SP 60’ infravision, sensitivity to iron, spellcasting (+5 spell check: animal summoning, detect magic, invoke patron, locate object, and phantasm); SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +3; AL C.

Elven King: Init +2; Atk mithral longsword +4 melee (1d8) or spell; AC 15; HD 7d6; MV 30’; Act 2d20; SP 60’ infravision, sensitivity to iron, spellcasting (+9 spell check: animal summoning, charm person, detect magic, invoke patron, invisible companion, magic shield, runic alphabet [fey], sleep, and shatter; SV Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +6; AL C.

These statistics may be used to represent average elves. If the judge wishes to differentiate types o elves they may consider the following changes:

Aquatic elves are amphibious and gain a Move speed of Swim 50’. However, they suffer an inability to heal away from water similar to (and in addition to) sensitivity to iron.

Drow elves are fully covered in this post and will not be reproduced here.

Gray elves have a +2 bonus to spell checks and Will saves. The judge may also consider using the elder kith from Curse of the Kingspire and Through the Dragonwall to replace gray elves.

Half elves gain +1 hit point per Hit Die and a +1 bonus to Fort saves, but have a -2 penalty to spell checks and Will saves. These suggestions pertain only to quick NPCs; both third party sources and XCrawl Classics contain half elf classes which can be used for more detailed work.

Wood elves have a +2 bonus per Hit Die on stealth checks, but a -4 bonus on spell checks.

Ettin (13’ tall, 1,400 lbs.): Init +1; Atk club +15 melee (3d6+8); AC 17; HD 10d10; MV 30’; Act 2d20; SP infravision 60’, hard to surprise, two heads; SV Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +5; AL C.

The ettin is a giant which has two heads, which are completely individual and often in disagreement. This disagreement is reflected in a reduced move speed and reduced action dice (for giants). Because of their two heads, though, they are difficult to surprise and, where Will saves are required, each head counts as a separate target and is allowed a separate saving throw (if any).

Thankfully, although they have two brains, ettins are rather stupid and may be tricked by canny adventurers.

Floating Eye: Init +0; Atk hypnotism (Will DC 12 negates); AC 11; HD 1d4; MV swim 60’; Act 1d20; SP hypnotism; SV Fort -1, Ref +1, Will -2; AL N.

Floating Eye Swarm: Init +0; Atk swarming bite +1 melee (1d3) or hypnotism (Will DC 15 negates); AC 11; HD 4d10; MV swim 60’; Act 1d20; SP attack all targets in a 20’ x 20’ x 20’ area, half damage from non-area attacks, hypnotism; SV Fort +1, Ref +10, Will +0; AL N.

These rare fish are transparent, about a foot long, and have a single large eye about three inches in diameter. They are found in warm salt water, where those who see them are often hypnotized by the sight of their seemingly-disembodied eyes, becoming paralyzed until a save succeeds.

Solitary floating eyes often accompany predatory fish, which consume paralyzed creatures, allowing the floating eye to feed off of the scraps. Sometimes, though, shoals of floating eyes come together to form a swarm, which can be deadly to victims where a single fish would not be.

For surface-dwelling adventurers, hypnotism has the added danger of death by drowning. Since there is no compulsion to approach the creatures, however, sailors have been entranced by floating eyes, watching as long as they were visible, in a disquieting but not overtly dangerous trance.

Eye of the Deep: Init +2; Atk claw +3 melee (2d4) or bite +1 melee (1d6) or eyes; AC 15; HD 10d8; MV swim 20’; Act 3d20; SP eyes (see below); SV Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +12; AL L.

Found only at great ocean depths, the eye of the deep has two huge crab-like pincers to seize its victims and a mouth full of small sharp teeth. Its primary weapons, however, are its eyes. The creature has a large central eye which emits a blinding flash of light in a 30’ cone with a 20’ base (Fort DC 20 or stunned and unable to do more than move at half speed for 2d4 rounds) and two smaller eyes on long stalks with which it is able to create illusions which appear real until touched or interacted with. Acting independently (which dispels any ongoing illusion), each eye can paralyze a single target within 60’ for 1d6 rounds (Will DC 13 negates). Its eye stalks can potentially be severed with a Mighty Deed of 5+ per eye stalk, growing back in about a week if the creature survives.

The eye of the deep is hateful and aggressive, using its great intelligence to organize other deep-dwelling creatures with similar temperaments. It is fortunate for surface-dwellers that these creatures are seldom seen outside of ocean trenches or other areas of great depth and pressure, for they hate us and constantly seek to do us harm.