[3.5] Scarecrow (Monster)

[Thurbane]

So, I was a fan of the Scarecrow that originally appeared in the 1E FF.

I don't think it ever got an "official" 3.0 or 3.5 version.

These are the sources I've tracked down so far:


Dragon # 355/Dungeon # 154: Scarecrow, CR 3 Construct
Tome of Horrors (Revised): Scarecrow, CR 4 Construct
Enworld Creature Catalog (http://www.enworld.org/creaturecatalog/Conversions/Scarecrow.htm): Scarecrow, CR 5 Construct
Pathfinder (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/scarecrow/): Scarecrow, CR 4 Construct

...the Dungeon seems to be the most "official" version for 3.5, but is also the least similar to the 1E version.

Just idly musing: which one would you use for a 3.5 game? I mean, I'm the DM and I'll use whichever one I want, but just wondering which people think is the best mechanically and fluff wise.

Cheers - T.

[RoboEmperor]

Typo in your title.

I'll never use Dragon Magazine.
I'll never use Pathfinder
I'll never use homebrew

So that leaves Tome of Horrors.

[Bullet06320]

Dragon 355 pg 49 cr 3

I recall a 2nd edition version, just not the source, we converted it to 3rd, and created a small army of them to guard our wheat fields in our private demi plane, looking for my notes, we haven't done anything with them in a few years, so having a lot to dig through

[Thurbane]

Dragon 355 pg 49 cr 3

Thanks for that: just checked - the Dragon and Dungeon versions seem identical.

[Uncle Pine]

I'm not particularly excited about the Dragon version but that's probably the one I'd use, as I'm not a fan of backporting stuff from PF or using homebrewed material. I've never heard of this Tome of Horror, is it 3rd party?

I also remember a scarecrow-like monster that was basically a straw man with a cage of sort attached to it which could trap people and set itself on fire. It looked really interesting to me but sadly I can't remember what book it's from.

[ShurikVch]

Note: Dragon #355 also have some variants - Quested Scarecrows (continuous locate creature effect), Dread Scarecrows (summon swarm 3/day), and Conscious Scarecrows (Int 10, skills/feats, and LA +4)

There was also slightly different version of Scarecrows in "The Dying of the Light" adventure (Dungeon #84). While pre-3.5, it's still worth mentioning


EDIT:
I also remember a scarecrow-like monster that was basically a straw man with a cage of sort attached to it which could trap people and set itself on fire. It looked really interesting to me but sadly I can't remember what book it's from.Wicker Man (Fiend Folio)

[Thurbane]

I'm not particularly excited about the Dragon version but that's probably the one I'd use, as I'm not a fan of backporting stuff from PF or using homebrewed material. I've never heard of this Tome of Horror, is it 3rd party?

Yes, Tome of Horrors is a 3rd party book from Necromancer Games. It's mainly monsters from pre-3.0 D&D sources that (at the time of printing) hadn't had an official update, but there's also a fair amount of original monsters in there.

It's well worth a look: I consider it one of my highest quality 3rd party books. Originally released for 3.0, it got a soft-copy update to 3.5. I believe they've since done a PF edition, possibly 5E as well.


Note: Dragon #355 also have some variants - Quested Scarecrows (continuous locate creature effect), Dread Scarecrows (summon swarm 3/day), and Conscious Scarecrows (Int 10, skills/feats, and LA +4)

There was also slightly different version of Scarecrows in "The Dying of the Light" adventure (Dungeon #84). While pre-3.5, it's still worth mentioning

Thanks for the additional info.