In which Dan made stuff up, and everyone got seduced by a snake.

This weekend passed, I had the luxury of visiting a cabin with some friends and new acquaintances. Part of the festivities was a request to play Dungeons and Dragons. while two of the newcomers had never played the game before, the others were familiar with 3rd edition D&D. Not my favorite edition, but playing the game is more important than waving my edition banner.

The adventure was run with no prep other than looking at the lake and a picture of a boat for inspiration. 

What followed was nothing that memorable, a boat-crawl that culminated in a battle with a serpent demon from the Frozen Hells. The guys had a blast with the snake, so I thought I'd share it here. Stats are somewhere between 3.5 D&D and an OSR block, so take of it what you will.

The Frozen God:

AC-16 

HP-26

Move - 50

Attacks: Bite (1d6 cold damage + Save vs Poison (paralysis)

The Frozen God fights through domination, saving its bite for a last resort. Choosing the strongest looking foe, the serpent offers all other targets promises of power, plucking their heart's desire and framing it in a seductive air. They will have their wishes, if only they slay the Frozen God's intended victim.

The Frozen God's flesh is bitterly cold. Sucessful melee attacks inflict 1 point of subdual damage, and impart a chill that never quite leaves the character.

Finally, the Frozen God's  flesh is scribed with writhing  patterns of infernal runes, offering it a shield against spells arcane and divine. There is a 20% chance that the spell will backfire, resulting in a roll on the minor corruption table from DCC.

Not bad for a Level 1 mini-dungeon end boss, aye?

A Prentice's Foe: The Merry Winds

First post of the new year! It's raining here, and the coyotes are out in force. Never did like the beasties, their cackling, laughing cries always leaves me feeling skittish. I wonder how many pioneers went mad from the sound? Oh well, only one thing for it...


Let's turn the sound into a monster!

Odd Encounters

A random encounter table for some solo Deep Country play. Using Christopher McDowall's Into The Odd.


1   1-3 Boggles
2   Unhuman Adventurer
3   1-2 Quiet Folk + 1-4 children
4   Bull Tusker Ox
5   Wywulf
6   Mad King John

Boggle (HP 1 Armour 1)
STR 11 DEX 13 WIL 6
WANTS TO EAT EVERYTHING. Hunger given form, Boggles are obscene caricatures of fat children with too-wide mouths. A Boggle's belly is as flexible as a toad's throat.  When biting for Critical Damage, the Boggle swallows their target whole.  The victim loses 1 HP per round until a successful STR check is made. Then, the Boggle explodes, freeing its victim. Everyone (including boggles) must make a successful WIL save or be impaired on attaks for the rest of combat.

Quiet Folk (HP 2 Armour 1)
STR 13 DEX  15 WIL 12 
WANTS TO GNAW THE DEAD. Quiet Folk are a strange, unsettling lot. Driven to eat the dead, they acquire a taste for the strange fare. Dwelling apart from other folk, the Quiet Ones tend to their own, robbing fresh graves and scavenging carrion. They are not, however, above hunting.  Bow (d6) Club (d4). Treat Children lack any combat skills, but will swarm potential meals, impairing their attacks.

Bull Tusker Ox (HP 8 Armour 2)
STR 20 DEX 10 WIL 2
WANTS TO BE LEFT ALONE TO EAT GRASS AND RUT FEMALES. Not much to see here. Big, angry. Will chase anyone wearing the colors red, puce or orange. Bull Tuskers will gore with their broad, sharp tusks (d10).


Wywulf (HP  9 Armour 2)
STR 19 DEX 15 WIL 12
WANTS TO TAUNT ITS PREY. Twisted hybrid of lizard and wolf, the Wywulf stalks the forests and ruins of the deep country. Against its armored hide, slashing weapons are impaired  while blunt attacks are enhanced. The Wywulf likes to taunt its prey, and is capable of mimicking human speech with eerie accuracy. Specific voices, inflection etc are all tools which this natural mimic puts to use.  Attacks with claws (d8)

Mad King John (Special)
STR 10 DEX 20 WIL 20
WANTS TO GIVE YOU SHINY THINGS. The ghost of a beggar. Mad King John appears... at strange times. Singing a Winterfest dirge, he presents a random piece of junk to each party member before vanishing.

Painted in Scarlet: Mhengyon

Mehngyon
No. Appear:	1	Morale:	10
Armor Class:	-1	Hit Dice:	20
Attacks:	2 Claws OR Breath Weapon
Damage	1d8/1d8/special	Skill Bonus:	+6
Move:	Fly 120', Special	Treasure:	Special

To ask Mehngyon of his people, the great serpent will claim there is only Mehngyon. Multiple sightings, all within the same day, lead to claims that there are several such entities in existince, or, more worrisome, there is only one, possessing great powers.

Scholar by vocation, Mehngyon swims the Boundless Mists, that murky sea of dreams linking all humanity. By delving in to one sleeper's dreams, the great dragon is capable of emerging elsewhere in the world, giving rise to the rumors there are many of his kind.

Collector by nature, Mehngyon prowls the Boundless Mists, gathering up dreams both interesting and profane. Such dreams are the only sustenance Mehngyon requires, though he delights in cakes of honey.

Within Mehnyon's mouth lies a portal to the Boundless Mists, and when threatened, the great serpent will spew forth a cloying cloud of iridescent, abalone mist. This mist occupies an area 20 feet on a side.  A number of creatures whose total Hit Die equal  Mehngyon's caught in this mist are placed into a magical slumber lasting a day and a night.  Gentleman that he is, Mehngyon will oft remain to ensure no harm befalls the sleepers.

Thriving on the dreams of others, Mehngyon has no need for treasure. However, his scales are studded with numerous pearls, the precious baubles often shed after a good scratch. These gems range in value from 4 to 100GP, depending on size, and are well prized by practitioners of the arcane arts for their use in various occult rituals.

The Odd Encounter: Sellachocta

So, I recently discovered Into the Odd, a lightweight OD&D homage with a focus on quick entry into a Dark Sci-Fantasy setting. Absolutely love it, and thought I'd convert one of my favorite new bad monster movie monsters over.

Sellachocta
STR	DEX	WIL	HP	Armour
16	12	6	18	2

Amphibious predators that have recently infested the sewers of Bastion.
Slithering behemoths, these 6 meter long abominations resemble a mottled
shark, its tail replaced by undulating tentacles that composed two-thirds
of the thing's bulk. Ambush predators, the Sellachocta often lunge from
their murky habitats to seize prey in their jaws (2d6 damage). In lieue
of this, the Sellachocta will use its tentacles to try and snare potential
prey (1d4 damage). On Critical Damage, the target is captured and crushed
by the Sellachocta's tentacles, inflicting 1d6 Strength damage until the
tentacle is severed (2 points of damage or more).

Rumors exist of a variant species of Sellachocta, one able to manipulate the
texture and color of its hide. No such specimens have yet been found in
the sewers of Bastion. But then, such abilities would make the beasts
nigh impossible to detect...

A Prentice's Foe: Basilisk Wren

Note: Just a critter this time, inspired by the wonderful art found over at RPG Creatures and Monsters by Email. Go check 'em out.

Gharlakan (Basilisk Wren)

AC	6	Dexterity	14
HD	2	Move	40
Attacks	1 swipe 1 peck	Alignment	Evil
Damage	1d6+1 Special	Treasure	9

These subterranean abominations infest the cavernous realms below, calling tunnel and cave alike home. Roughly the size of a man's fist, the Gharlakan are the bane of dwarf and delver alike.

Lairing in crevasses scratched into stone, Gharlaken nests can be identified by a blue-white phosphorescence, an artifact of the glowing moss which grows on the Gharlakan's leathery hides. When disturbed, 1d10 Gharlakan swarm forth, attacking with the spined ends of their whip-like tails and a more insidious venom.

This venom, delivered by the nib-like beak, hardens flesh, leaving it a strong, dead stone. When pecked, the victim must save vs paralysis or suffer a point of damage to their dexterity as skin hardens and loses its pliability.  If dexterity is reduced to zero, the victim is transformed wholly, leaving behind a statue locked in a rictus of pain and fear. It is these statues that give the Gharlakan its common name.


1D6 rumors

1. Among certain dwarven cultures, the Gharlakan's venom is part of holy rite, ritual scarification in which intricate patterns of stone are worked onto the dwarf's body. The artful application and minute quantities used inflict a no penalty if performed properly.
2. Gharlakan are an experiment in eradicating Stirges. It didn't work
3. The statues are not truly dead, and the victims remain aware of what is going on around them.
4. Gharlakan tastes like chicken
5. The court of the Crimson Emperor employs a nest of Gharlakan as part of its torture.
6. There are rumors of rare albino Gharlakan that transform flesh to gems or precious metals. These are surely myths, but then, the dwarven princess does sport a rather fetching silver tattoo.

A Prentice's Foe: The Constrictus

The Constrictus

 HD: 11d8
AC:  2
Dexterity: 7
Move: 40 (swim 120)
Attacks:  4 Bites  or 2 claws
Damage:  4d6 per bite 2d6 pet claw
Alignment: Neutral
Treasure: 1



No one is certain where this nightmarish creature hails from. Never encountered in the wild, rumors guess at fantastic origins, of corrupt Ecomantic experiments performed to combine multiple lifeforms into the perfect predator. At present, only one Constrictus is truly known to exist,  as the pet and punishment of the pirate lord Bloth.  Over 20 feet long, the Constrictus' tough,leathery hide is covered by armored plates.  Within its titanic maw, four pharyngal jaws rest on stalks that extend up to eight feet away. In combat, the Constrictus  will attempt to bite the victim, drawing their prey into their maw. A successful strength check is required to break the hold of any mouth that has successfully bitten its target.

Driven only by blind hunger, the Constrictus cares nothing for treasure. However, the waterways that riddle the Maelstrom are ripe with piles of the thing's excrement, containing bits of the wealth in its supper's possession at the time of consumption.



 

Dreamblade Boogie: Lady of the Manor

Courtesy of Ridureyu1

Before the coming of Nightmare, Lady Cassandra Dreweul kept a wicked house. Aspiring to luxury, the Lady Dreweul poisoned her husband when she was the tender age of 15. Keeping the man in a stroke-like stupor, Dreweul used his wealth to feed her more sinister tastes. Sadistic orgies and drugged debauchery were the order of the day,  feeding the nightmarish beast that lurked behind the pretty face.

With the coming of Nightmare, truth was given form, now, amidst an ever-shifting nightmare playground in the ruins of her once-fine manor, the monster that was Cassandra Dreweul tries to lure unwary interlopers to their demise. From the front, Dreweul appears as a flesh-toned spectre. In truth, this is merely a facade for the real Cassandra, a bulbous, fleshy beast that feeds on pain and torment. The Lady of the Manor prefers deception and poison to outright conflict, but if pressed, the beast will slam into its prey, attempting to secure a grip with its large, crushing fangs.


((expect a couple of these to pop up each week as I work on fleshing out Nightmare.))

Dreamblade Boogie: Temple Lion

What's this? Dreamblade Boogie on schedule?! Pretty much!




Temple Lion
Armor Class: 3 [16]
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: Bite
Special:  Unform Nightmare
Move: 12
HDE/XP: 4/240

"Temple Lions, sometimes known as Shishas, have protected Dreamers for thousands of years..."


Not all that treads Nightmare is evil. Beloved servants of the spider goddess Namerasae, the Temple Lions patrol the borders of Nightmare, cutting back the ever-spreading threat. Further blessed by Namerasae, the Temple Lion can focus its attention on any one creature of Nightmare. That creature must pass a saving throw -2, or be Unformed, destroyed instantly. Because of this,  Temple Lion pelts draw a king's ransom from the Lichking of Nightmare.

Dreamblade Boogie: Dreamreef Marauder

Dreamreef Marauder

Courtesy of Ridureyu1

Armor Class: 6 [13] 
Hit Dice: 15 
Attacks: Bite (2d6)
Special: Swallow Whole
Move: 9 
HDE/XP: 17/3,500


"No one cares for a shark's company, not even another shark."


The dreamstuff of Nightmare covers the land, clinging like a thick fog
to hide dangerous pitfalls. More dangerous, however, are the things
which swim its depths.

Thankfully rare, the Dreamreef Marauder is a titanic shark whose fin
cuts the dreamstuff as it hunts, towering taller than a man. A horror
in battle, the Marauder's preferred tactic is to lunge from below, catching
unsuspecting prey in its many teeth. In addition, when the Marauder rolls
ten or more higher than the target's Armor Class, the target is swallowed
whole.

Dreamblade Boogie: The Lungthief Beetle

Lungthief Beetle

Beetle, Lungthief
Armor Class: 4 [15]
Hit Dice: 1+4
Attacks: Bite
Special: Shatter
Move: 12
HDE/XP: 1/15



"The secret of immortality is carved in its carapace, 
in runes only the dead can decipher."

Serving as a living phylactery for the Lich-Kings of the
Dreamland, Lungthief Beetles are rat-sized insects that
search the battlefields for corpses. Relatively weak, they
defend themselves with a painful bite that deals 1d2 damage.

Upon finding a suitable corpse, the Lungthief Beetle burrows
into the chest and animates the corpse, allowing the Lich to
claim a new body (hence the name). Due to the malevolent force
of the soul held within their carapace, any time the Lungthief
Beetle fumbles, scores a critical hit, or a critical hit is scored against
it, the beetle explodes, shards of its shell doing 1d4 damage to 1d3
creatures in a 10' area, determined randomly.


((Image courtesy of Ridureyu1))