I have to admit, I don't like Kopru. Flat out don't like 'em. Don't like them for a number of reasons - their maneuverability is too limited, they have improved grab (grapple monsters get boring for me) and their one trick - domination - is all or nothing and easily countered with a first level spell.
I think they are one trick ponies.
Fortunately, Dragon's own Erik Mona's fanboy obsession with China Mieville has come to my rescue. The article on Bas Lag includes a fantastic CR 5 version of the Grindylow. Now HERE is a perfect critter for the STAP. Comes with 4 levels of Sorc built in, can fly, swim and has pretty decent combat abilities without relying on grappling.
Easily customizable. Whack on another 4 or five levels of sorc and you have a very decent caster.
What creatures have you switched out and why?
Jason, that's a cool idea with the grindylow. I might do something similar now!
Myself, I've changed a few encounters here and there, mostly in The Bullywug Gambit:
- The Lotus Dragons became ninjas.
- The savage monkey encounter in Bullywug Gambit was changed to savage webbirds - they really freaked my PCs out!
- The savage krenshar encounter from Bullywug Gambit was changed to a savage chupacabra (the one from Dragon mag).
- I was pondering trying to fit in some levels of Thrall of Dagon on the bullywug cleric, but he just ended up with a few more levels in cleric. The bullywug chieftan was changed to an ex-monk/barbarian/drunken master - both were more powerful than they were written but I wanted something to really challenge my group of 6.
- Rao-yin, my ninja version of Rowyn, died to a natural 20 headshot (Dragon Compendium crit. hit rules ftw), so I needed something to spice up the beginning of the Sea Wyvern's Wake. I decided to spring a redcap attack while the PCs were spending the night in Fort Blackwell. They pursued the little buggers to their home in the ruined lighthouse, where they faced the survivors who escaped their inital clash, the grandpa redcap, and an unseelie joystealer (unseelie template from Advanced Bestiary, joystealer from MMIV).
The PCs have yet to leave Fort Blackwell, but more altered encounters are in store. The Brotherhood blockade got buffed up so as to be a real threat to the PCs, and the aquatic hydra was switched out for a poisonous aquatic dragon, using the poisonous template from Advanced Bestiary and the seawrack dragon from Creature Compendium as a guideline.
Easily customizable. Whack on another 4 or five levels of sorc and you have a very decent caster.
What # was that issue?
Are the baslag baddies aquatic though? or are you gonna make them aquatic...?
Issue #352.
Easily customizable. Whack on another 4 or five levels of sorc and you have a very decent caster.
What # was that issue?
Are the baslag baddies aquatic though? or are you gonna make them aquatic...?
The grindylow are a race of eel people. They're euryhalinic (sp?) which means they can live in fresh and salt water, and they're amphibious. They do have the aquatic subtype.
After reading the grindylow over again, I think I'll be using the mechanics of the grindylow but the look and ecology of the kopru. Consider the idea stolen, graciously of course.
It's gonna be a hoot retooling all those koprus!
Switched out some of the encounters on the Isle. Gargoyles got switched for some savage feral Aaracocra (FR), Giant Anaconda (Jaguar temple) became an improved Boalisk (all-time favourite monster).
Ooo, like the idea of using Ninjae instead of rogues. Sounds like fun.
One other thought that occured was again from the same Dragon issue, and switching out the gargoyles for Anaphole (sp), the mosquito people. Tone them down a touch perhaps, but, the idea of disease ridden mosquito people on the Isle of Dread just appeals.
Thanks all.
I'm still in TINH, in fact the PCs are about to assault the Lotus Dragon headquarters. I haven't yet switched anything out, but I am thinking I will work up some alternates to the rogues as written - probably going with ninjas as an alternative. It sort of struck me that with all the rogues in the headquarters it is likely to become a bit monotonous.
I'll also be looking to change out some of the other stuff later on as well. Thanks for the ideas!
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
|
There are a few posts hidden in the archives which have good ideas for the Lotus:
NUMERO UNO
NUMERO DUE
I like the idea of subbing out the kopru. Have to admit I'm not a fan of them - even though they're the 'traditional' denizens below the Isle, I find them rather uninspiring. Grindylows are an idea, or I might even go with sahuagin or kuo-toa.
With the Lotus Dragons - I replaced Cruncher with a 3rd-level ninja - a visiting ambassador from a ninja clan from another city, whose death is bound to come back and haunt the PCs at some point in time. I also added a 2nd-level cleric of the thief god, and a 3rd-level disgraced samurai who acted as Rowyn's bodyguard. Main reason for this is that my PCs escaped Parrot Island without using the Elemental Gem, and the gem is powerful enough that the Lotus would have been an utter cakewalk otherwise. Plus, the samurai had magic great armour and I could challenge the PC samurai's sense of honour by pointing out that bushido required him to return the armour to the fallen enemy's family.
Currently looking at Bullywug Gambit. The only real substitution I'm planning to make there is to swap the rust monster for a fiendish ethereal filcher. It probably won't be quite as dangerous to the PCs, but I'm running War of the Wielded as a sidequest next up, and didn't want to overdose on the rust monsters...