Let’s Convert the Monster Manual: Lamia, Lammasu, Lamprey, Larva, Giant Leech, Leopard, Leprechaun, and Leucrotta

This post is a bit longer than the last one. Reaching “L” we are into some interesting, yet-to-be-done monsters again.

Today’s monsters are all classics, and most of them are ones I’ve used “back in the day”. The Monster Manual version of leprechauns in particular, though, was one that I never really cared for – it had too much in common with the game’s wargaming roots and not enough similarity to folklore.

The lammasu is Sumerian/Assyrian, and I will try to pull from mythology in my conversion. The mythological lamassu has a bull’s body (like the Monster Manual shedu), while the Monster Manual version has a lion’s body. It is, in fact, the same creature, so I will have some decisions to make when I reach “Shedu” in these conversions.

The leucrotta is similarly mythological, and described in old bestiaries. This should allow an interpretation which can be used later in my own monster book.

I already did a direct conversion of the Monster Manual lamia for this post, and it is here that we begin….

Lamia: Init +5; Atk Dagger +4 melee (1d4+2) or touch +2 melee (1d3 Personality drain); AC 17; HD 7d8; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP Spellcasting (+7 spell check: charm person, ESP, and forget), Personality drain; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +6; AL C.

Lamias prefer to dwell in deserts — in ruined cities, caves, or the like. Their upper torso, arms, and head resemble a human female, while their lower body is that of a beast. They are able to cast spells like a wizard, and typically use these to lure victims to them. The lamia’s touch (in combat or otherwise) drains 1d3 Personality (Will DC 15 to negate; 1 point is permanent on a natural 1). If a victim’s Personality falls to 3 or lower, they willingly do whatever the lamia tells them to do.

Lamias first drain their prey of blood and then feast upon their flesh.

An alternative version of the lamia, more in tune with Greek myth, occurred here, and is reproduced below for your reference:

Lamia: Init +2; Atk tail grapple +4 melee (1d6+2); AC 14; HD 6d8; hp 30; MV 30’; Act 2d20; SP Charming gaze, constrict, kiss, death throes; SV Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +4; AL C.

A beautiful woman from the waist upwards, and an enormous serpent from the waist down, Lamia was transformed by the jealous goddess Thera to her present state after Lamia bore the hero Aclueus by the goddess’s husband, Xanxes. Lamia was forced to devour her mortal children, and cursed with a great craving for the lives of the young. It is also her desire to inflict revenge upon all men, and especially upon Xanxes and Thera, their priests, and their followers.

Lamia can charm another with her gaze, using an Action Die. Her victim must succeed in a Will save (DC 12) or do nothing on his next initiative except move in a straight line towards Lamia at his best speed. Lamia cannot charm adult women, although she can charm girls below the age of 10, and males of all ages.

When Lamia makes a successful grapple with her tail, she thereafter constricts for 1d6+2 damage each round thereafter until either she or her victim are dead, or her victim succeeds in a DC 15 Strength check. Lamia can kiss a willing victim automatically, or a grappled victim with a successful attack roll. Each kiss causes 1d3 points of Strength damage.

When Lamia is reduced to 0 hp, a swarm of venomous serpents issues forth from her wounds, and forms from her spilled blood. These serpents attack everyone in a 20’ radius for 1d3+1 rounds, and then the swarm disperses. Each remaining hit point the swarm possess when dispersed indicates a surviving serpent, and each of these serpents becomes a member of the Brood of Lamia.

Venomous serpent swarm: Init +4; Atk swarming bite +3 melee (1d3 plus poison); AC 12; HD 6d8; MV 30’; Act special; SP swarm traits, poison, transformation; SV Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +0; AL C.

The poison of these serpents does 1d3 damage, with a Fort save (DC 10) to avoid 1d3 Strength damage as well. Each of these serpents grows into a brood-born of Lamia over a period of 1d12 months.

Brood-born of Lamia: Init +2; Atk tail grapple +2 melee (1d4+2) or spit venom +3 ranged (poison); AC 12; HD 2d8; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP Spit venom, constrict, kiss, death throes, transformation; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +2; AL C.

Any serpent that survives from the venomous serpent swarm becomes a brood-born of Lamia. This creature resembles her progenitor, but is clearly reptilian even in her upper extremities. Her scaled head is crowned with a frilled crest rather than hair, and her unblinking eyes are incapable of charming anyone. Like Lamia, though, the brood-born can constrict with a successful attack, doing automatic damage each round (Strength DC 12 escapes grapple).

The brood-born can also spit a stream of venom in a line up to 10’ long. Those who come into contact with this venom must succeed in a DC 15 Fort save or take 1d5 points of Strength damage (1 point on a successful save).

When a brood-born is slain, it loses all of its human features, becoming nothing more than an enormous frilled serpent. When only one brood-born remains, it goes through a transformation lasting 1d24 hours, during which it sheds its skin to become the reborn Lamia. During the transformation, the brood-born has only a 1d16 Action Die. Afterwards, it has the full powers, as well as all of the memories, of the original Lamia.

The only ways to truly end the threat of Lamia are to destroy all of the venomous serpents before they can transform into brood-born, or to destroy the last brood-born before she can become the reborn Lamia.

Lamassu: Init +4; Atk trample +4 melee (1d8+3) or spell; AC 16; HD 5d6+10; MV 40’ or fly 80’; Act 1d20; SP 30% magic resistance, spellcasting (+12 to spell check): spells (1st) blessing, comprehend languages, detect evil, detect magic, food of the gods, holy sanctuary, magic shield, protection from evil, second sight, sleep, (2nd) banish, neutralize poison or disease, and restore vitality; SV Fort +8; Ref +6; Will +18; AL L.

With human-like faces, the bodies of bulls, and giant eagle wings, the lamassu act as messengers for celestial gods. They sometimes protect travelers of good heart who wander in desert and broken lands. In places where lamassu are sometimes found, mortals often carve them on or around doorways for protection, and ritual castings of ward portal or holy sanctuary may include burying fired clay tablets bearing the lamassu’s image. The efficacy of such measures is up to the judge, but it is not unknown for lamassu to protect lawful temples in arid lands, or to come to the aid of the devout.

In addition to its formidable spell-casting abilities, spells and similar magics have a 30% chance of not affecting a lamassu at all (roll before any applicable save). This means lamassu can often ignore magical protections (including those which reduce damage done to foes) or even walk through walls of magical force. This chance is only rolled once per spell, rather than for each interaction with a persistent spell. Note that this resistance does not protect lamassu from secondary effects of spells, such as the attacks of summoned creatures or the collapse of a shattered wall.

Lamprey: See the Cyclopediaof Common Animals for both lamprey swarms and giant lampreys.

Larva: Init +0; Atk bite -1 melee (1d4+1); AC 13; HD 1d6; MV 10’; Act 1d20;; SV Fort +2, Ref -2, Will +0; AL C.

The most selfishly evil souls who sink to the infernal planes after death, larvae appear as human-sized sickly yellow worms with distorted human faces. Those who knew a larva in life can still recognize their features in death, although the larva itself frequently (60%) does not remember its mortal existence.

Larvae are a traded commodity on the Demon Worlds, Hell Planes, and other infernal regions. They are used to form various minor demons and devils, such as imps and quasits, and some liches employ their essence in order to retain their un-dead status and powers. Finally, larvae are sometimes used for nothing more glamorous than food.

Giant Leech: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals for both leech swarms and giant leeches. See the core rulebook, page 420, for colossal leeches.

Leopard: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals.  Also included are the clouded leopard and snow leopard.

Leprechaun: Init +6; Atk none; AC 15; HD 1d6; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP invisible at will, illusions, bound to word, supernatural treasure; SV Fort +0; Ref +8; Will +10; AL C.

Solitary fey appearing no more than a foot high, leprechauns are often encountered as fairy cobblers, and they can make any sort of footwear quickly and well. At the judge’s discretion, they can make magical shoes and boots which can give bonuses to stealth, feather fall if needed, and so on, and a leprechaun who is friendly with a mortal may gift them with such accoutrements.

Leprechauns are best known, perhaps, as the keepers of fairy gold, and often (75%) know the location of a hidden cache worth 1d4 x 100 gp. Such fairy gold cannot be found without the leprechaun’s help – even the sensitive noses of dwarves cannot sniff it out – but a captured leprechaun is bound by his word, so that hopeful treasure-seekers may seek to capture these fey in order to gain their gold. A leprechaun is tricky, however, and can create illusions at will, which seem real until interacted with. A would-be treasure hunter who learns a leprechaun’s treasure is buried under a tree in a field may return to discover a thousand identical trees.

Leucrotta: Init +4; Atk bite +4 melee (1d6 plus grip and drag); AC 15; HD 5d8; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP mimic, eerie knowledge, grip and drag, stealth +6; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +6; AL C.

This large carnivore is similar to a hyena, but it is as large as a small horse and has human intelligence and cunning. A leucrotta can mimic humanoid voices perfectly, and is able to sound like specific individuals. It calls potential victims by name to lure them away from the safety of walls or campfire. In fact, leucrottas possess eerie knowledge allowing them to know the names of their desired victims, as well as the details needed to lure them into danger.

If a leucrotta succeeds in a bite attack, it does not let go, but instead pulls its victim off to kill and devour at its leisure. It requires a DC 19 Strength check to prevent the creature from pulling its victim away, and a DC 24 Strength check to actually get free from the locked jaws.

Leucrottas can not only mimic voices, but they can mimic sounds, such as a baby crying or gold coins clinking together. They can use this power to speak with other beings if they so choose, and the creatures know all mortal languages. If a deal can be struck, a wizard may gain information from a leucrotta’s eerie knowledge, but the price is often higher than the wizard desires to pay, for leucrottas are cunning and know what any would-be bargainer can afford to pay. The creatures seem to live to cause chaos and pain; any bargain they make will be for this purpose.

A dead leucrotta’s eyes are as hard as gemstones, appearing like striped cat’s eye gemstones and worth 1d20+15 gp each. If consumed when casting a divinatory spell, such as second sight, each eye grants a +2 bonus to the spell check. This destroys the eye gems, and may be the source of the leucrotta’s eerie knowledge when alive.