D&D Monsters as T20 Aliens

[Falkayn]

I was perusing my D&D 3E Monster Manual today and I noticed that several of the monsters in it would make excellent aliens.

They break down into three main types, here are some for a start:

Non/Semi Intelligent Alien Wildlife
Ankheg - great for bug hunts!
Assassin Vine - watch where you're stepping.
Behir - dumb them down a bit and they'd make great aliens for an ice planet.
Bulette - one of these landsharks could really ruin your day (and ATV).
Carrion Crawler - just nasty.
Darkmantle - nasty cave dwellers, make their Darkness ability psionic.
Digester - get an acidic surprise from these otherwise normal dinosaurs.
Dire Animals - great everywhere (Ancients' manipulations again, or Solomani experiments?).
Frost Worm - again great for cold worlds - treat their Cold ability as a kind of super-heatsink that makes them impossible to detect on infrared.
Krenshar - alien great cat replacement.
Oozes - fantastic trappers.

Intelligent Aliens
Aboleth - just treat ALL of its abilities as psionics, of a particularly alien kind.
Dopplegangers - obviously psionic aliens with that classic sci-fi ability to mimic a target's appearance (alien spy creature got loose?).
Mind Flayers - evil psionic predators, even the Zhodani are afraid of these guys.

Possible PC Aliens
Formians - play an insect!
Gnolls - Vargr's ugly cousins?
Goblins, Orcs, Kobolds, etc. - good barbarian cannon fodder.
Grimlocks - interesting alien race.
Kua-Toa - nasty frogmen.
Lizardfolk - just give them FGMP-14's and let them go for it!
Locathah - nasty fishmen.

Lots more ideas in there ... what are yours?

 

[BigBadRon]

Sea Lion: Nasty aquatic predator for those water planets.
Stirge: Blood-sucking alien critter.
Tarrasque: A BIG alien omnivore.
Yrthak: A creature that uses ultrasonic attacks to kill its prey.
Displacer Beast: Make the displacement effect a psionic ability designed to confuse prey.

More interesting though is what you get if you combine Call of Cthulhu with Traveller. Imagine humans spreading to the stars and finding worlds full of bhyakee, dholes, fire vampires...
Leave the things with their described powers and you suddenly find the universe just got nastier.
Picture a future where the stars were right and Cthulhu and his minions have returned to rule the Earth after the discovery of Jump Drive.
The scattered remnants of free humanity live in hidden colonies and wait for the chance when they can rise up against those who have taken their homeworld...
Of course the new masters of Earth don't want that and send out all these hunter-killer missions to find and destroy the colony worlds.
And maybe Nyarlethotep lives in Jump space?

 

[Falkayn]

Originally posted by BigBadRon:
Leave the things with their described powers and you suddenly find the universe just got nastier.

This is a good point. The average fantasy party of PCs has the ability to deal with a wide range of energy/substance attacks (acid, poison, sonic, etc). For Travellers it will be important to research a world before meeting the nasties, so they can buy the appropriate acid-proof armour, ear-protectors etc.

I can just imagine a Merc ticket where they;re asked to wipe out a bunch of bulettes that have been terrorising a bunch of colonist farmers ... reminds me a bit of the movie Pitch Black.

 

[Ellros]

Shocker Lizards

I can just imagine a Merc ticket where they;re asked to wipe out a bunch of bulettes that have been terrorising a bunch of colonist farmers ... reminds me a bit of the movie Pitch Black.

Reminds me of 'Tremors' myself

 

[lightsenshi]

You left out everyone's favorite monster.
Trolls.

 

[BigBadRon]

Originally posted by lightsenshi:
You left out everyone's favorite monster.
Trolls.

Um... trolls might've been bioengineered by the Ancients to serve as soldiers in the Final War. Of course they've degenerated over the millenia (as to REgenerating which they do a lot quicker) until now they're just nearly mindless savages.

 

[Liam Devlin]

You've left out my favorite villain monsters...
the undead! (Shades of Ghosts of Mars/ Night of the living dead etc). Bad stuff on haunted ships--Things from beyond (Event Horizon?)...You can do a lot without the C-monster chappie of Lovecraft infamy. Or toss him into the mix as well for a truly frightening new adventure. (I confess, I cannae read HPL anymore after the sun goers down. wes Craven is a piker compared to him, IMHO.). Vampires ("Life Force" comes to mind) in space?

 

[kafka47]

Wasn't there a Roger E. Moore article ("Dwarves in Space") that addressed this whole issue of conversion?

 

[savage]

The undead.

vampiric lizard king with full spell casting abilities... could it get worse?

Savage

 

[Falkayn]

Originally posted by savage:
The undead.

vampiric lizard king with full spell casting abilities... could it get worse?

Savage

Well ... IMTU the spells don't exist, and a lot of that stuff is too wild to pass off as psionics.

I mainly started this topic because I was amazed at how well described the creatures were from the POV of aliens. A lot of them have very detailed notes about their preferred habitat, feeding habits, social organisation, attack forms, etc. and surprisingly few 'magic' abilities that can't be passed off as inherent psionics/unusual alien physiology.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by kafka47:
Wasn't there a Roger E. Moore article ("Dwarves in Space") that addressed this whole issue of conversion?

____________________________________
There was, but I'd have to dig in me hard copy archives later to find it. Kafka47(Grins)!

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by Falkayn:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by savage:
The undead.

vampiric lizard king with full spell casting abilities... could it get worse?

Savage

Well ... IMTU the spells don't exist, and a lot of that stuff is too wild to pass off as psionics.

I mainly started this topic because I was amazed at how well described the creatures were from the POV of aliens. A lot of them have very detailed notes about their preferred habitat, feeding habits, social organisation, attack forms, etc. and surprisingly few 'magic' abilities that can't be passed off as inherent psionics/unusual alien physiology.</font>[/QUOTE]_______________________________
And then the Psionic Lich...oh my...Goodness!

 

[Liam Devlin]

Get tooo happy with em, and yer in Stardrive Universe, not Traveller, though... best use the critters paringly. save the Mongo stuff fer 'special sessions" or larfs, if'n ye ask me.

 

[SteveS]

I'm not to crazy about the idea. Most D&D monsters aren't great in terms of fitting into an ecology with any kind of feeling of realism. Even those old Dragon articles titled "The Ecology of the ..." were mostly retcons to creatures invented mostly as a combat challenge for one kind of overpowered character or another.

They would work in a silly campaign or a genre-crossing campaign, but I don't see them fitting into anything I'd call "real" Traveller.

I can see some useful points to the idea though. One is as an inspiration to creatures that actually do have a Traveller feel. Another is as a description aid -- "You remember the old carrion crawler D&D monster? This thing looks kind of like that, but you don't know what it is.

 

[Lord Iron Wolf]

The ancients may of picked up more than humans: Neanderthals, Homo Erectus, Giganthropus and others of the human lineage. What about Ice Age critters: Mammoths, sabertooth cats, Marsupial Predators, Giant Sharks (Megalondon-sp)crocodiles, lizards and other things to spice things up.

What would of these creatures be engineered to and how have they gone feral since.

Just an Idea Spark,
Lord Iron Wolf

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by Steve Schonberger:
I'm not to crazy about the idea. Most D&D monsters aren't great in terms of fitting into an ecology with any kind of feeling of realism.

Well the idea's bound to happen in any D20 product at some point. That network synergy whatsit at work.
I'd suggest you take a look at the Monsternomicon by Privateer Press, fewer monsters than a regular D&D monster book, and the entries are set up more like an animal guide. The company even made a list of monsters *not* to use from Monster Manual as not fitting the setting.
http://www.privateerpress.com/support/docs/mm_in_ik.pdf

preview monster, Bridge Troll
http://66.34.111.89/Publishers/pp_monsternomicon_preview.pdf

For example,I'm planning on using Gobbers (civilized goblins) as a minor annoying race infesting spaceports and such in a subsector.

They would work in a silly campaign or a genre-crossing campaign, but I don't see them fitting into anything I'd call "real" Traveller.

I can see some useful points to the idea though. One is as an inspiration to creatures that actually do have a Traveller feel.
Another is as a description aid -- "You remember the old carrion crawler D&D monster? This thing looks kind of like that, but you don't know what it is.

A good visual image/recognition can be useful. Two of my favorite RPG books are the picture books for Call of Cthulhu, complete with size comparison drawings in the back. (and you turn the corner and see...THIS!) Both player and character would loss Sanity points.

I'm curious as to what is the difference between using a D20 stated Carrion Crawler in a T20 game and using a T20 stated Carrion Crawler with a Traveller* feel. And in 3rd Ed. D&D (and by extension D20) you can easily stack levels or templates onto creatures, so the Carrion Crawler you run into might not be anything like the one in the MM!

i.e. what would you be looking for in Traveller Alien Handbooks as opposed to a D&D Monster Manual?

Granted the more magical creatures are a bit fantastic but at some point magic and science are the same from the POV of us lowly mortals. Still I admit a little goes a long way.

Casey

* as always Your Traveller Universe Mileage May Vary

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by kafka47:
Wasn't there a Roger E. Moore article ("Dwarves in Space") that addressed this whole issue of conversion?

Yes Dragon#70, February 1983 (gah almost 20 years ago ) has the smith NPC and a fantasy Aztec adventure in it. My first Dragon. I still have it, no cover alas.

Best legal bet is the excellent (and cheap for what you're getting) Dragon Magazine Archive, esp. if you also like D&D. The whole archive is probaly less expensive than some of the issues around this number.

I'm sure it's also out there somewhere.

Main suggestions are no magic items or spells, expand the range of archaic weapons, use custom-made environments when needed. The main problem he ran into was converting AD&D stats to Traveller, which is largely avoided with T20. Still the article is worth reading.

And the old Fantasy Games Unlimited games, a Judges Guild ad with Traveller Dice depicted, What's New? and Wormy comics, and a GDW ad for The Traveller Book are great nostaliga.

Casey

 

[trader jim]

after re-reading these posts....i agree..some of these would and could be used..in traveller..

 

[savage]

It's really a monster by monster decision. But no reason that dragons, orcs and goblins haven't been passed down through our mythos by Ancient research leaks, etc...

It might be fun using a grav tank versus a red dragon.

Savage

 

[Ellros]

Originally posted by Casey:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by kafka47:
Wasn't there a Roger E. Moore article ("Dwarves in Space") that addressed this whole issue of conversion?

Yes Dragon#70, February 1983 (gah almost 20 years ago ) has the smith NPC and a fantasy Aztec adventure in it. My first Dragon. I still have it, no cover alas.

Best legal bet is the excellent (and cheap for what you're getting) Dragon Magazine Archive, esp. if you also like D&D. The whole archive is probaly less expensive than some of the issues around this number.

I'm sure it's also out there somewhere.

Main suggestions are no magic items or spells, expand the range of archaic weapons, use custom-made environments when needed. The main problem he ran into was converting AD&D stats to Traveller, which is largely avoided with T20. Still the article is worth reading.

And the old Fantasy Games Unlimited games, a Judges Guild ad with Traveller Dice depicted, What's New? and Wormy comics, and a GDW ad for The Traveller Book are great nostaliga.

Casey</font>[/QUOTE]$39.99 at Amazon.com

Dragon Magazine CD archive