Let’s Convert the Monster Manual: All the “F”s: Flightless Bird, Giant Frog, and Violet Fungi

This is a pretty short post, but we can easily get it out of the way.

Flightless Bird: The Monster Manual doesn’t differentiate between ostrich, emu, and rhea. The Cyclopedia of Common Animals contains these, plus the axe-beak, cassowary, dodo, giant dodo, elephant bird, and giant ostrich as flightless birds. It also covers kiwis and penguins.

If this is seemingly like another advertisement for the Cyclopedia of Common Animals, it is just because the work covers so much. It is, essentially, a product I have been wanting since the early 80s.

Giant Frog: The original Monster Manual includes giant frogs, poisonous frogs, and killer frogs. Let’s face it, giant frogs are fun to use…I know that I have used them on multiple occasions! Both giant frogs and giant poison dart frogs are covered in the Cyclopedia of Common Animals, but killer frogs are not.

According to the Monster Manual, killer frogs are on the small side and “employ talons and teeth in attack. They are man-eating, specially bred mutants. Only their cannibalistic habits keep them from becoming common and thus a real threat.” It seems reasonable enough, then, to build them from the giant frogs in the Cyclopedia, like so:

Killer Frog: Init +2; Atk bite +0 melee (1d4+1) or claws +1 melee (1d3); AC 11; HD 1d4; MV 20’ or swim 30’ or jump 30’; Act 2d20; SV Fort -4, Ref +5, Will +0; AL N.

Killer frogs average a length of 2 feet and weigh about 50 pounds. They are almost never found alone; where one is encountered, 3d6 are certain to be lurking nearby.

Violet Fungi: Init +0; Atk branch-like growth +0 melee (rotting excretions); AC 13; HD 3d6; MV swim 1’; Act (1d4)d16; SP fungi, rotting excretions; SV Fort +4, Ref -10, Will +0; AL N.

These hardy fungal growths look like shriekers, and when they are found, it is often in symbiotic relationships with them. Shriekers provide camouflage for violet fungi, and in return the violet fungi provide rotting animal matter for both fungi types to consume.

Violet fungi can be distinguished from shriekers by 1d4 branch-like growths coated with a thick semi-liquid excretion. Animals coming into contact with these excretions must succeed in a DC 15 Fort save, or their flesh rots starting from the point of contact at a rate of 1d3 Stamina damage per round, with every full 3 points resulting in an additional 1 point of permanent point of Strength, Agility, or Stamina damage (equal chances of each). Once it begins, this rotting can be halted as a disease via magic, clerical laying on of hands, or by a DC 20 Intelligence check made by a healer, dwarven mushroom farmer, or similar.

Violet fungi have one action die per branch-like growth. A thief can harvest 1d3 doses of the rot-inducing excretions from a dead violet fungus with a successful Handle Poison check, per branch-like growth. These excretions remain potent for 1d6 after collection.

I have, of course, used violet fungi, and converted them previously for Purple Mountain II: Desolate Dwarven Delve (Purple Duck Games). I did not consult that conversion when doing this one. Apart from being an iconic danger when exploring deep places below ground, violet fungi reward players for paying attention to their surroundings. With their slow movement rate, they are easy to avoid in many cases, and their threat can be removed with ranged weapons. They, do, however, make silencing shriekers more difficult!