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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    Wolfswift's Avatar

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    Apr 2013
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    The Plane of Fire

    Default Monstrous Manual HD?

    We're gonna be starting up an AD&D 2E Planescape campaign soon and I'm going to be playing an Aasimar Ranger/Druid with the Shapechanger kit but after looking at the MM, I'm fairly confused on HD. A shapeshifter can only shapeshift into animals with half her HD, but few in the MM actually list ½ HD, some list 1-2 hp rather than a flat number of HD, very few actually list ½ HD and some I'm not even sure seem right...

    I'm mostly trying to figure out what my options for shapeshifting at level 1 actually are as my DM wasn't really certain either. We included the 1-2 hp ones presuming they were probably ½ HD or less. But we came up with Rat, Cat, Bat and Raven. 3 mammals, 1 bird and no reptiles... I'm also trying to decide best options for Animal Friendship to get like an Animal Companion.

    Also, before anyone says anything, DM is letting me take Ranger/Druid multiclass because Aasimar says Ranger/Priest as an option, not specifically Ranger/Cleric and Ranger/Druid seems to follow a good theme together. Secondly, he's letting us take a single class kit despite being multiclassed so long as we only take 1 kit overall. Third, I'm not sure if Planar Factions acting like kits means a Planar character can't take a class or race kit at all, I intend to discuss that with him next time we meet, but if being required to have a Faction bars the ability to take a kit I might play a Prime race instead as I really wanna do this Shapeshifter kit.

    Edit: Oh, another thing I'm a bit confused about in the Monstrous Manual is the 1+2 and such listed for HD, is that 3 or what?
    Last edited by Wolfswift; 2020-09-27 at 11:50 AM.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Troll in the Playground
     
    JadedDM's Avatar

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    Mar 2006
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    Default Re: Monstrous Manual HD?

    If it were up to me, I'd say anything with less than 1 HD would count. Usually it doesn't say 1/2 HD or 1/8 HD or whatever, but instead just designates HP (like 1-2 HP or something like that).

    No, 1+2 would not be 3 HD, it would just be 1 HD with two more HP added to it. So if you rolled a 8, then that creature would have 10 HP.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Telok's Avatar

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    Mar 2005
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    Default Re: Monstrous Manual HD?

    Since hit die are d8 a half hit die is the same as a d4 and a quarter hit die is a d2. There's no real standard below 1 hit die. Half, quarter, d2, d4, 1-4, 1-2, you just sort of have to figure out what they're trying for.

    There are notes in one of the DMGs on how to deal with hit dice, mostly for xp. I think it went something like the 1+1 to 1+3 per die still only counted as one hit die.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    Wolfswift's Avatar

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    Apr 2013
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    The Plane of Fire

    Default Re: Monstrous Manual HD?

    Okay, that's most helpful, thank you.

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