Whitehack Monsters 101: Converting a Chimera

I often see folks looking for some guidelines on converting classic dragon game monsters to Whitehack. Common points are:

• Multiple attacks? Do I leave them as is?
• Abilities? Do I make them keywords? Or do I treat them as described?
• Spells? Do I make each a miracle? Do they use HP to cast them?

What do?

Well, what better way to try things out than a Chimera? The Monster Manual of old gives us this:

Chimera from the 1e Monser Manual

CHIMERA

FREQUENCY: Rare

NO. APPEARING: 1-4

ARMOR CLASS: 6/5/2

MOVE: 9"/18"

HIT DICE: 9

% IN LAIR: 40%

TREASURE TYPE: F

NO. OF ATTACKS: 6

DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1-3/1-3/1-4/1-4/2-8/3-12

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

INTELLIGENCE: Semi-

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil

SIZE: L(4' at shoulder)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

    Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Beyond the basics, it also mentions that if a chimera desires (50% chance) its dragon head can breathe fire with a range of 5” causing 3-24 points damage (saving throw applicable). Chimerae speak a very limited form of the red dragon language.

---

So basically I just follow the guidelines on p. 129 and look at the basic monster examples. It really could be as simple as:

Chimera, HD 9, AC 5, MV 25/40, Spl: Breath.

But let's flesh it out a bit like the Example Monsters in Chapter VI! We could get something like:

Chimera

AC: 5   HD: 9   MV: 25/40

Special: Speak limited Draconic, flame breath.

Chimera possesses the hind quarters of a huge goat, the foreparts of a lion, the wings of a dragon, and three large heads: a lion, goat, and dragon. These horrific monstrosities typically dwell in wild, hilly areas, or sometimes in dungeons.

The flame breath of the dragon head is an area attack, a cone 10' wide and 50' long. Targets in the area can save to avoid damage or take 3d6 damage.

Note that the multiple attacks and flight are taken care of via HD and MV. Its 9 Hit Dice means that it will attack twice per turn doing a d6 damage each. No need to adjust the melee damage up or down.

The abilities that felt more intrinsic I turned into keywords. Since I'm defining them in advance and not on the fly, I shouldn't have to pay HP for them (p.129). I could cut out the specifics on the fire breath however and play it very loosely. Maybe it's a fireball? Maybe it's a blow torch cutting ray. I don't really need to interpret "flame breath" the same for every chimera that comes up. In any case, paying a few HP for the ability helps lessen the impact if anything that is maybe a bit too potent.

Now let's say I adjust the above!

Pyrovore Chimera, HD 9, AC 5, MV 25/40, Spl: Consume flame, fire miracles.

It's now a flame-maned lion, with a molten horned goat, and a red dragon head! It now eats fire and spits out pyromantic magicks! Red fur and a ball of flame on the end of its tail. Hell yeah!

I'm not gonna define the miracles ahead of time here though. I could... but I'm going to improvise in play. I have to pay some HP to use these and I see no reason why miracle-working enemies couldn't use things such as ingredients, long casting times, items, etc. to reduce their cost either! Mind you, I don't play it out as a negotiation, but I do keep it in mind when it comes to "paying a few HP". It works perfectly well all around for PCs and NPCs in my opinion!

At the end of the day, the "idk pay some hp for it" is a good self-correcting way to make converting and running monsters quick and easy, which lets the actual play at the table take center stage!