New Monster: Voorian Mind-demons

Voorian Mind-demons

Hit Dice: 12+12

Armor Class: 17

Attacks: 1 sorcerous blast (4d4 + possible knockdown)

Saving Throw: 3

Special:  Immune to mind-affecting magic, immune to sleep magic, spells, sense presence, knockdown

Movement: 9

CL/XP: 15/2900

Only three such beings exist at any one time in the Necropolis of Voor.  They appear as robed figures with strange features, but unlike most undead, they are highly intelligent and were formerly leaders in their mortal lives.  If one of the mind-demons is slain,  the Necropolis itself will seek out a replacement from the remains within the Necropolis, and the sorcery responsible for the mountain's semi-sentience will animate and empower the appropriate corpse.  This process takes 3d6 days.

In combat, Voorian mind-demons have a few options.  Their main attack is a blast of invisible, sorcerous force that may be conjured at will as a normal attack, at melee range and at missile range up to 30 feet.  If struck, a target must make a saving throw or be knocked prone by the force of the blast, in addition to taking damage.  Mind-demons may also use spells as a 6th-level wizard.

Perhaps the most unsettling of the mind-demons' abilities is their ability to locate intruders in the Necropolis.  They can execute this location with alarming accuracy, to within 300 feet of the interloper.  An intruder is classified as any individual that the Necropolis does not want to permit access.

New Monster: Sapphire Guardian of Kanaan

SAPPHIRE GUARDIAN OF KANAAN

Hit Dice: 5 (30 hp)

Armor Class: 17

Attacks:  1 sapphire longsword (1d12+3)

Saving Throw:  12

Special:  Magic Resistance 75%, immune to fear effects and mind-affecting spells, blue gaze, deadly quickness (+1 to initiative rolls), cannot be disarmed

Movement:  12

Size:  M

Challenge Level/XP:  7/600

The Sapphire Guardians of Kanaan are a group of magical constructs created by the Founders, who settled Mirkania and built the city of Kanaan, and whose actual identities are lost to time.  Fortunately, the secret of the creation of the Sapphire Guardians has been handed down through the priestly caste of the city, and they are created and repaired on a regular basis.  This method is regarded as a holy secret, and people have died to protect it.

The Sapphire Guardians are made completely of a deep blue sapphire, mined from the surrounding land.  They are fashioned to appear in garb typical of Mirkania at the time of their construction.  Some of the oldest Guardians are centuries old, becoming a sort of window to the customs of past eras in the city, and for this reason some are deployed in festivals and in tutoring the noble caste.

As a rule, the Guardians are used as the police force of Kanaan.  Their priestly overseers command them in each and every task, but once commanded they function autonomously.  They can speak to impart knowledge to their commanding priest, but their voices sound as if they submerged in deep water - an eerie sound, to be sure.  Some Sapphire Guardians are promoted and assigned to the command of an entire unit of other Guardians, given the ability to command for themselves by the assigned priest.  Sapphire Guardians who have this ability never misuse it or disobey, for to do so means sure destruction.  Commanding Guardians want to keep "living," programmed to have this desire by the priests.

Every 1d4 rounds, a Sapphire Guardian can emit a blue ray from its eyes, affecting a single target at ranges of up to 30 feet.  If the target fails a saving throw, it is paralyzed for 1d6 minutes.  If destroyed, a Guardian becomes a fine blue powder - beautiful, but of no value.

New Monster: Vampire Raider of Kochab

VAMPIRE RAIDER OF KOCHAB

Hit Dice: 2+6

Armor Class: 15

Attacks:  1 weapon (1d10 + weapon modifier) or bite (1d8 + disease)

Saving Throw:  16

Special:  Necrotic bite, otherworldly presence

Movement:  9

Size:  M

Challenge Level/XP:  4/120

Just southeast of the mountains called The Spear that nestle the sage-city of Taltun lies a ruined city once known by the name of Kochab.  It was part of the Voori empire that had spread over the continent before recorded history.  Its only current inhabitants are what the people of the city of Antioch call the Vampire Raiders, a pale but strong race of people that sustain themselves largely by taking slaves and using them for labor and food.  They are cursed with an unnaturally long life, which is said to be uncountable centuries, dislike (but are not hindered by) sunlight, and prefer to dwell in the places below the surface of their city that they have constructed for themselves (this under-city is rumored to extend below The Throne and perhaps to Taltun itself).

In combat, Vampire Raiders are quite fierce, and will generally use weapons unless they are disarmed.  They have a terrible bite, complete with vampire-like fangs, and a victim of this bite must make a saving throw or face infection with disease.  The Raiders' disease is debilitating and deadly, causing damage on the second day of infection in the amount of 1d6 points of Constitution damage.  This disease will last for 1d6 days, each subsequent day after the first causing this Con damage.  When a victim reaches 0 Con, he dies.  A saving throw can be made each day to end the disease (after Con damage is assessed, of course).

The most deadly aspect of the Vampire Raiders, however, is their otherworldly presence.  Simply being within 60 feet of a Raider forces characters to make a saving throw, with failure indicating that they are fascinated by the creature for 1d4 rounds, or until the fascination is broken in the usual ways.

New Monsters: Jackal Inheritor & Jackal Brood

JACKAL INHERITOR

Hit Dice: 2+4

Armor Class: 13

Attacks:  1 weapon (1d6 + weapon modifier) or bite (1d6)

Saving Throw:  16

Special:  Hideous howling, pack tactics, scavenger's purse

Movement:  9

Size:  M

Challenge Level/XP:  4/120

Jackal inheritors can be found throughout Sebkhedis and the Plains of  Ash in the south of Antediluvia.  They are worshippers of Zuhid, the Dead God of Irem, and are thought to traffick with the denizens of the Plateau of Leng.  Jackal inheritors are humanoid, with the heads of jackals, and are of slight but wiry build.  They are pack hunters of a nomadic bent that consider every other creature prey, plunder, or slave.

When three or more jackal inheritors are encountered, they will begin a terrifying howling when they sight prey.  When a character hears this howling they must save or be panicked for as long as the howling continues or there are less than three jackal inheritors left in combat.  Jackal inheritors are also notorious for working as a pack.  If two or more jackal inheritors are in adjacent positions in combat, they cannot be flanked and gain a +1 to attack.  If characters search the body of a fallen jackal inheritor, who are known scavengers, there will be a 50% chance of finding any mundane item they need upon the body (within reason).

JACKAL BROOD

Hit Dice: 1+1

Armor Class: 12

Attacks:  1 bite (1d6)

Saving Throw:  17

Special:  Hideous howling, swarming fury

Movement:  12

Size:  S

Challenge Level/XP:  3/60

The jackal brood is a supernatural breed of jackals under the exclusive command of the jackal inheritors.  Empowered by the same dark forces, they obey every whim of the jackal inheritors and display a strange intelligence beyond the levels of a normal animal, and can in fact understand speech and complex instructions.  It is rumored that the spirits of demons are bound within their bodies.

When three or more of the jackal brood are encountered, they will begin a terrifying howling when they sight prey.  When a character hears this howling they must save or be panicked for as long as the howling continues or there are less than three jackals left in combat. The jackal brood's members count as jackal inheritors for the purpose of this howling ability, and vice verse, and the two groups often use this ability in tandem.

When six or more of the jackal brood are encountered as a pack, they attack in a mad swarm of fangs and fur, doing 1d8 points of damage and gaining a +1 to saving throws until their number falls below six.

New Monster: Ectoplasmic Interloper

Note that this monster makes heavy use of my Conditions house rules for S&W.

ECTOPLASMIC INTERLOPER

Hit Dice: 6+6

Armor Class: 16

Attacks:  4 pseudopod slams (1d8 + ectoplasm sickness)

Saving Throw:  11

Special:  Immune to open-ended damage, ectoplasm sickness, blindsense 240', insane telepathy, alien mind, entangle, engulf

Movement: 6

Size: L

Challenge Level/XP:  14/2600

Ectoplasmic Interlopers are creatures spawned in another dimension, likely brought to the world of Antediluvia by black magic or long forgotten science.  They appear as formless, ever-shifting blobs of slime, sickly iridescent in color, and almost translucent.

In combat, they lash out with pseudopods that seem to be almost self-guided, especially considering that these beings have no eyes or sensory organs in any standard sense.  They can sense all around them in a 240' radius, even if the area or creatures in the area have been magically silenced or made invisible.  Ectoplasmic interlopers cannot be backstabbed or flanked or knocked down, and are immune to any magic that affects or controls the mind or emotions, including fear effects.  They are also immune to open-ended damage, and damage against them is limited to the result on the initial roll.  Anyone within 240' of an interloper must save or be affected by the alien telepathic powers of the creature, causing the victim to be confused for 1d4 rounds.

If an ectoplasmic interloper hits with a pseudopod, the target must make a saving throw or be affected by ectoplasm sickness, becoming sickened for 1d6 rounds.  A creature can only be sickened in this fashion once per combat.  If a victim is hit by two pseudopods in the same round, he becomes entangled until he makes a successful saving throw, which will release him (however, he may take no other actions in the round he frees himself).  

If the ectoplasmic interloper entangles a character, it may attempt to engulf him.  Ectoplasmic interlopers may engulf size M or smaller targets by drawing entangled creatures into its gelatinous ectoplasmic body.  It can do this the round after it has entangled a target, and characters within the body of the interloper take 1d6 points of damage per round.  A successful saving throw will free the character.

New "Monster": Moon Lord of Nibiru

MOON LORD OF NIBIRU

 

Hit Dice: 1

Armor Class: 10 (or by armor)

Attacks:  1 weapon (1d6 + weapon modifier)

Saving Throw:  17

Special: Vast intellect, immortal

Movement: 9

Size:  M

Challenge Level/XP:  1/15

 

On the dead moon of Nibiru dwells a race that appears similar to humans.  They call themselves the Moon Lords, and dwell in a city of white stone called Ither-Merast.  They are a generally peaceful people, but tales of their valor in battle are widespread amongst the peoples of the Dead Moon.  It is said they once controlled the methods used to construct and operate the moon-gates found on Antediluvia, Negalu, and Nibiru, and numerous tales of the Moon Lords exist in one form or another on all three worlds.

 

Moon Lords have a vast intellect, and they have a 50% chance of knowing and being able to recall any obscure fact that someone seeks, no matter the subject.  This is also due to their lifespan - the Moon Lords are immortal.  They never die of natural causes other than bodily harm, and the oldest Moon Lords have forgotten their age over the passing millennia.

My kids learn old-school roleplaying - with a play report and a lesson

So, a few days ago, I introduced my two daughters, ages 7 (about to be 8) and 6, to the idea of roleplaying games.  They were curious about a "game that never ends" and where they work together instead of against each other.  And they especially like the idea of using all of my miniatures, so they can "play with Daddy's monsters."  (They love the figures and set them up all the time just to play around with them.)

I wasn't supposed to get the kids this weekend, since it's technically an "off-weekend" for me due to the parenting time schedule, but my youngest had been wanting to see more of me, so I decided to make this weekend special.  I got a PDF copy of the game Dagger by Brave Halfling Publishing, which is appropriately billed as old-school roleplaying rules for kids.  It works perfectly.  In combination with my Rules Cyclopedia for found treasures and additional monster stats (I usually just made up monster stats on the fly, however), I found Dagger to be one of the best rules-lite systems I've come across.

The kids chose to play Elves, since they are already familiar with fairies from cartoons and such, and they have watched The Hobbit and the first Lord of the Rings movie, and liked the elves in it.  Plus they wanted to use magic and be good at fighting (which I made sure to emphasize as "defending themselves" - as Christians of the Mennonite denomination we are non-resistant and do not believe in violence as means to an end and I try to keep violent material in the home minimal where the children are concerned).  They immediately chose Cure Light Wounds as their spell.  Possible influence from Sunday School was noted by me here.  They are learning of the various miracles of Jesus right now, focusing on the different healing miracles.  I was happy with that choice, since I knew they would try to fight every monster.  I did the same thing when I first played D&D.

They began in the elf city of Lightbottle in the Woodwind Forest (the forest was named by my oldest, I was proud!).  Pretty soon they heard a scream, so they went to look.  I had to prompt a bit here since they didn't realize they couldn't actually see what was happening, that it was in the distance.  When they arrived at the scene, a giant spider was trying to get into an elf cottage, owned by their friend Myrtle (by the way, my kids named their characters Selena and Roknee Fear - excellent names!).  They won the fight, vanquishing the spider and saving their friend.  

Long story short, some Dryads from the forest came to find them and took them to the King of the Forest, a huge treant (for which I had a pre-painted plastic mini from an old D&D Minis line, and I'd been itching to use it somehow).  They loved it when I sat that sucker down on the floor with their characters (we played on the floor, with me in a recliner - I don't have much furniture after the divorce, so we make do more often than not with less than optimal seating).  The King of the Forest charged them with finding the spiders and what is causing their attacks.  As it turns out, they discover in the nearby village of Pinecone that orcs are involved with the spiders.  They track them to an abandoned castle surrounded by a huge graveyard, and getting through the graveyard involved fighting a group of skeletons.

Upon entering the castle, they immediately alerted the orc guards by barging in and making lots of noise (note that by this time I'm fudging all kinds of rolls to keep it moving, because they're out of spells and healing potions because they're fighting and not running - my youngest's exact words were "I'm always going to attack!").  They destroy the orcs and move on, but not before the last orc escaped and returned with an ettercap in tow!  They chose to proceed directly to the largest room, the old throne room, where a swarm of spiders was located.  The finished dispersing the swarm, searched the room (with a bit of prompting), and found the secret door to the dragon's lair.

At this point you're asking why I would subject them to a dragon at first level.  Well, they love dragons, and I can fudge rolls all day and they won't know the difference.  They had a blast and that's all that matters.  Plus, I gave it 1 hp per hit die and an AC of 3.  It breathed at them and "missed" but nailed one of them with a Magic Missile spell.  The best part was when after defeating the dragon and finding evidence that the dragon was what was commanding the spiders and orcs, they wanted to clear every room in the castle.  Unbelievable.  Especially considering the recent OSR meme of empty rooms and completist players.  It turns out my children are completists.  They absolutely hated the two empty rooms in the castle.  They looked at me like they got robbed!  They wanted a monster behind every door.  In a megadungeon I'd have to use every monster in the book to keep them satisfied.  Sounds kind of fun....

Here's where I wanted to show them what the treasure in the game is all about.  I loaded them up with GP, gems, and 4 magic items (an egg of wonder, a wand of magic detection, a short bow +1, and a scroll of something or other that I can't remember right now).  They made out big time, and had so much fun.  They went back to the King of the Forest and reported what they learned.  I made them try to remember, especially since my oldest is having trouble with reading comprehension and remembering what happened in a story - very little prompting was needed here.  Random rolls for a magic item reward were next, and out of it came a wand of lightning bolts and a ring of protection +1.  Now, that may sound like way too much treasure, but it was meant to show them the cool things in the game.  Plus, I can toss some tougher monsters at them.

In the end, they reached 2nd level, gained 2 more hp each, dropped their saves to 13, and got to pick a 2nd level spell each.  They both picked Invisibility.  My oldest wants to "haunt" someone while invisible.  That should be a entertaining!

The only problem I ran into, and this is simply due to my youngest only being in Kindergarten, is that I had to spell everything she wrote down and help her to read what she wrote and read the character sheet.  She can read, but not fast like my oldest.  But they have both declared that Dagger is the "most fun game they have ever played."  When I asked if it was better than Monopoly, I was treated to an enthusiastic "Yes!"  I may have myself two new enthusiasts.  They love playing games with Daddy, and I live for our time together, and it has become really the only thing I truly look forward to every week.  We're inseparable when we have our time together and we love to play games together - they often fight over who gets to sit next to me, which is a good feeling.  The hardest thing about the divorce has been coming home to an empty apartment with no children.  If you've never had the experience, the pain can be awful, especially when you're used to those two munchkins running around and causing chaos.  It's worse than just someone not being there when you get home.  Think about it - your kids do not live with you any more and it's just the way it has to be.  It's been a really hard year.  Please, if you have kids, treasure each moment of time with them.  You could lose that all too easily.

New Magic Item: Chain Mail of Gaseous Skulduggery

This is my last entry into the OSR Superstar contest.  "Gaseous Skulduggery" kind of sounds like something I do in the bathroom, though....

Chain Mail of Gaseous Skulduggery

This suit of typical-looking chain mail provides the wearer with a strange ability.  Once per day the wearer may invoke the power of the armor, which is to make the wearer gaseous immediately for 1d4 rounds.  In gaseous form the wearer cannot manipulate the physical world, so all equipment falls to the ground, except for the armor and one weapon chosen at the time of the power’s invocation, which turns gaseous like the wearer and returns to solid form along with the character.  A gaseous character may pass through cracks in walls, through holes, and through other areas too small for his body to fit, as well as over walls and other barriers. He gains a flying speed of 9 while transformed.  The character is immune to physical attacks of all kinds during the time he is in this form, but a forceful wind or similar effect will cause the character 2d6 points of damage as his form is pulled apart temporarily, not to mention falling from height if he chose to fly upward while gaseous.  The Referee should roll the duration of the change in secret and not reveal how long the transformation will last.

New Monster: Fungal Scion of Negalu

Oh they are going to hate me...  so much.  

Fungal Scion of Negalu

Hit Dice: 4+4

Armor Class: 11

Attacks: 1 weapon (1d6 + weapon modifier) or spores of influence (special) or rotgun (1d10 + special)

Saving Throw: 13

Special: Spores of influence, infestation, rotgun

Movement: 9

CL/XP: 6/400

The fungal scions of Negalu are tall, lanky folk that are much more plant than man.  Native to the Green Moon, also called Negalu by Antediluvian sages and natives, they control a handful of powerful city-states in the Fungal Forests near the moon's equator.  They have a fascistic government, and leaders of the city-states are autocratic as a whole - their dictates are law.  One supreme leader rules over them, and often decides the direction of the leaders' decrees.  Other natives of Negalu steer clear of the fungal scions, due to their well-earned reputation as merciless slave-takers.  The scions' use of spores to affect the minds of their victims helps, rightly, to perpetuate this fear.  The Negalu-men are their primary rivals when it comes to territory and expansion, and a constant state of war exists between the two races, the Negalu-men raiding from above in their sky-ships, and the scions enslaving them at every turn.

Three times per day a fungal scion can emit a cloud of spores from its mouth that affects a 20' radius and lingers for 1d4 rounds.  Any living creature with above animal intelligence that enters this space and fails a saving throw will inhale these microscopic spores.  Affected creatures can be commanded by the fungal scion who released the spores, and there is no limit to the quantity of thralls he may command.  Commands that are obviously harmful to the victim, such as a command to inflict harm on the victim's self, receive another save at a +3 bonus, success indicating that the command influence is broken and the target is free.  Commands to attack allies are generally followed, since the victim will view the scion as his ally instead, and will want to help it achieve its goals.  This control lasts for 1d10 days.  A new save is granted each day to break the spell of the scion's spores.  However, there is cumulative 5% chance per day that this control becomes permanent, broken only by the death of the fungal scion that initiated control.

A fungal scion can also release a special cloud of spores over a dead organic being the size of a typical man or larger.  The spores will begin to feast on the decaying body, and 1d4 days later, a new scion emerges, grown directly from the corpse the spores infected.  It will rise with full HD and all typical abilities of fungal scions.

Perhaps the most feared item, among many, that the fungal scions possess is the rotgun.  It is a missile weapon reminiscent of a modern day rifle, but is somehow alive.  Those who have touched one can verify that it seems alive in some way - in fact, they are grown by the scions, not made.  In fact, they cannot simply be picked up and used by those who are not infected or carrying the spores of the scions.  They shoot a thorned projectile not much bigger than a bullet.  Rotguns never run out of ammunition, since the projectiles they shoot are grown within the gun itself.  Once per round, a rotgun can be shot at a target, potentially dealing 1d10 points of damage.  If a target is struck by a rotgun blast he must make a saving throw in addition to the projectile's damage.  If the saving throw is failed, the projectile will begin to burrow itself deeper into the victim's body, dealing 1d3 points of damage per round.  Once this process begins, it can only be stopped by digging out the projectile with a sharp object (essentially battlefield surgery).  The Referee can determine the detrimental physical effects of this sort of surgery on the PC as he sees fit, but one method of resolution would be to allow a saving throw to determine success on the part of the surgeon, with a failure indicating he deals weapon damage to the injured party.

This Blog Has A Monster Index

Hello, folks.  I figured it was time, since I have 28 monsters (I think) up on this blog at this point, to create an index for them so they can be browsed easily.  You can find the link at the top of the page under the Hit Adjacent Ally logo.  Alternatively, you can click here.  They should pop up in a new window for you, making navigating the list easier.  Happy PC killing!

New Magic Item: Wardingbell

So here's an item I've submitted to the OSR Superstar contest that's running out there in OSR land:

Wardingbell

A wardingbell is commonly used by people with a desire for secrecy, privacy, and protection.  Wardingbells appear much as any other ordinary bell, but do not have a mechanism to cause the bell to actually ring.  Typically they are installed near doors, in hallways, and on gates, although they have found creative uses among adventurers who occasionally mount them on poles as a protection while camping.  Wardingbells must remain stationary for 1 hour before they activate.  Anyone not specifically named by the owner of the wardingbell when it is installed will have difficulty passing through the area it protects.  A wardingbell affects a 20' radius area.  Any character passing through this area must make a saving throw at a -2 penalty.  If the save is successful, the character feels a little strange, but can pass through the wardingbell's area of effect.  If the save is failed, the character will stop in his tracks, paralyzed.  This paralysis lasts for 1d6x10 minutes.  The Referee may decide what effects paralysis has in his or her game, but it is recommended that the character is frozen in place, unable to move or act.  The character is considered helpless and may only take mental actions.

House Rule: The "Good-At" System

More relevant to this post than I originally intended!

In trying to define the human cultures of my game world (the only race that will be present in my campaign is human, but with various cultures), I am modeling them after different real-world cultures I find interesting, or a mix of real-world cultures that I think creates a fun role to play.  However, I was faced with the fact that my players are number-crunching, game-busting, min/max-happy power gamers who are going to have to get used to old-school RPGs again.  Some of them have never played anything older than 3rd Edition, and most haven't played anything other than 3rd or 4th Edition for over 10 years.  I'm certain they'll be sold on it once we get underway, but I wanted a bonus to dangle under their noses to make their choice of a human culture "mechanically" different as well as a different shade of fluff.  

So, I came up with the "good-at" system.  What is it?  Just what it says.  A character of the nationality in question is "good at" something that is needed in his society, giving him a +1 or +5% on any D20 or D100 roll required in relation to a task that is relevant to his "good-at" ability.  There might be a few choices for some cultures.  For example, Ingurista is a coastal nation that is modeled after medieval Spain in quite a few ways.  Fishing is their main occupation and fish are responsible for the livelihood of many of their citizens.  A player with an Inguristan character could choose to be "good at" sailing on a boat.  He would receive a +1 or +5% to any D20 roll or D100 roll relating to sailing a ship.  Think of it as Secondary Skills from AD&D without the random roll or subsystem to determine what skill you get.  A player with a Horseclanner character, modeled on a mix of Mongolian and Native American culture, who live on the cold Deathwind Steppe, might choose a "good-at" ability of surviving in the cold, granting a +1 or +5% to any roll relating to surviving in cold weather.  It would certainly apply in foraging situations, building a shelter, etc.

If you have any ideas after you read this, feel free to comment.  It's a system that works for me and is very simple and open to interpretation, which is what the OSR is all about to me. 

Keep on playing!

New Monster: Chameleon-Warrior of Xotath

 

Chameleon-Warrior of Xotath

Hit Dice: 1

Armor Class: 11

Attacks: 1 weapon (1d6 + weapon modifier)

Saving Throw: 18

Special:  Camouflage

Movement: 9

Size:  Medium

CL/XP: 2/30

The Chameleon-Warriors are typical Xotathi in every way except that they have endured a grueling ceremonial religious rite at a location deep within the Naquggian Fens that has changed them into something more than human.  This secret rite has bestowed upon them the ability to change the color of their skin to match their surroundings exactly, granting them a near-perfect camouflage.

When standing completely still and attempting to hide, a Chameleon-Warrior can only be detected on a roll of 1 on 1d6 if the area is actively being searched for his presence.  There is no chance at all of casually noticing a Chameleon-Warrior.  Missile attacks at medium to long range suffer an additional -1 penalty to hit these men, due to the difficulty of tracking them across terrain.