Spes Magna Games

Merry Seventh Day of Christmas!

Let’s go all the way back to 1987 in a galaxy far, far away to visit the Star Wars Roleplaying Game from West End Games, Inc.

CLAU5
Critical Law Authority Unit 5

Dexterity 2D
Blaster 3D
Heavy Weapons 3D

Knowledge 2D
Streetwise 3D

Mechanical 1D

Perception 2D
Search 3D

Strength 4D+1
Brawling 5D+1
Lifting 5D+1

Technical 1D
Security 3D

The CLAU5 is the latest model of law enforcement droids. Their use is confined almost exclusively to the largest, wealthiest cities. Law enforcement groups use CLAU5 droids as force multipliers deployed to support riot police or to patrol high crime areas. The CLAU5 has a built-in blaster pistol housed in its left arm. Its right arm has a built-in grenade launcher. In hand-to-hand combat, its construction grants it a +1D damage bonus. It has the equivalent of 1D of armor.

Tags: Christmas, monsters, Star Wars RPG

Merry Sixth Day of Christmas!

Dashing through the snow? Not as quickly as the snowdasher, a deadly predator for 2E AD&D.

Snowdasher

Climate/Terrain: Any cold
Frequency: Very rare
Organization: Solitary or family
Activity Cycle: Night
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: Low (5-7)
Treasure: E
Alignment: Chaotic evil

No. Appearing: 1-4
Armor Class: 4
Movement: 15, Cl 9, Sw 9
Hit Dice: 10
THACO: 11
No. of Attacks: 5
Damage/Attack: 3-10/3-10/3-10/3-10/4-14
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: Impervious to cold
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: H (about 16′ tall)
Morale: Champion (15-16)
XP Value: 4,000

The snowdasher appears much like a polar bear from a distance, but it is larger, more intelligent, and far more malicious than any polar bear. It has six legs ending with enormous paws and fearsome claws. From its snout grows an iron-hard horn of twisted bone. The snowdasher speaks a debased form of the frost giant language.

Combat: The snowdasher blends in well with ice and snow. In such environs, the snowdasher imposes a -2 penalty on others’ surprise rolls. It often charges into battle, using its horn much like a lance. To make this charge, there must be at least 30 feet of open space between the snowdasher and its opponent (and ice and snow — even of a magical variety — never impede a snowdasher’s movement). An opponent struck by a charging snowdasher’s horn suffers 4-32 points of damage from impaling. The snowdasher cannot attack with its claws on the same round it charges, but it can bite the target of its horn. The snowdasher can also attack with its claws and fangs. A paw hit of 18 or better indicates a “hug”. This attack inflicts 4-18 (2d8+2) points of additional damage, and a snowdasher can “hug” up to twice per round.

Habitat/Society: The snowdasher usually stalks frozen regions alone, but may be encountered in a small family group of up to four, usually a solitary female adult and its offspring. This monster most often lairs in ice caves, glacial crevasses, or mountain caverns. The snowdasher survives by hunting, and it is an indiscriminate killer. Although territorial, it often ventures to new hunting grounds when prey becomes scarce. Arctic hunters from have unwittingly led a snowchaser back to their communities, and the monster revels in slaughtering humans, demi-humans, and humanoids.

Ecology: The snowdasher seldom has reason to fear other arctic predators. It has the strength needed to prey on a lone polar bear or even a small or sickly killer whale.

Tags: AD&D, Christmas, monsters

Merry Fifth Day of Christmas!

Presenting for B/X D&D: Five Golden Rings!

These rings, fashioned by a powerful wizard for her most loyal companions, bind the ring-wearers together by means of magical effects that each can use via a command word. Like all magical rings, one of the Five Golden Rings “must be worn on a hand to have the given effects, but may be carried and put on when desired” (Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Advenure Game Expert Rulebook, page X49).

Five Golden Rings: The wearer of one of these rings can use locate object once per hour, but only to locate any one of the other four rings. Once per day, the wearer can use clairvoyance to see through the eyes of anyone wearing one of the other rings. By spending one round concentrating, the wearer can “shift” the clairvoyance to a different ring-wearer, doing so any number of times until the effect ends (after 12 turns or until dispelled or negated). The wearer can transfer up to 8 of his own hit points to another ring-bearer by touching the recipient for one round. This power can be used once per day.

Tags: B/X D&D, Christmas, magic items

Merry Fourth Day of Christmas!

Today we sail for beautiful Iceland to watch the selfish and indolent get eaten by the fearsome Jólakötturinn.

Also known as the Yule Cat, the Jólakötturinn is a monstrous feline with an unpleasant disposition. In the days leading up to Christmas, it hides in the snow drifts outside town. In the days following Christmas Eve, it stalks the selfish and indolent who could not earn new clothes, which, according to about ten minutes of “research” on the internet, was a common form of payment to employees. The Jólakötturinn especially enjoys hunting and eating naughty children.

The Jólakötturinn appears much like an enormous housecat. It is about 21 feet long from nose to tail-tip, about six feet high at the shoulder, and it weighs about one and a half tons. Its fur adapts to provide excellent camouflage in snowy fields, icy woodlands, and darkened village streets. Its eyes, yellow-green in color, shine with baleful light when its draws blood.

Jólakötturinn
Frequency: Very rare
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 5
Move: 15″
Hit Dice: 8+3
% in Lair: 15%
Treasure Type: Nil
No. of Attacks: 3
Damage/Attack: 2-7/2-7/2-16
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Low
Alignment: Neutral evil
Size: L
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Level/XP Value: VII/1,500 + 12/hp

The Jólakötturinn climbs well, and it can leap 15 feet upwards and 45 to 75 feet ahead in attack. When it scores two forepaw hits in one melee round, it rakes its victim with its rear claws, attacking twice more for 2-12 points of damage per attack. The Jólakötturinn’s magical eyes enable it to see the selfishness and laziness, and this monstrous cat attacks those “stained” by these moral failings, doing so with a +2 on the “to hit” die. Due its keen senses, the Jólakötturinn is surprised only on a 1. It takes only half damage from cold-based attacks.

Tags: AD&D, Christmas, monsters

Merry Third Day of Christmas!

This day, I shift from 5E D&D to Mutant Future, the game of mutants in the future.

Paindeer appear much like ordinary reindeer, but their large eyes show intelligence. It is common for paindeer to wear simple items of humanoid apparrel, such as caps or scarfs. They also make use of tools, including gizmos and medical equipment. The paindeer live in strictly regimented communities in which each family is typically led by the eldest married male. Clever and territorial, paindeer aggressively defend their domains. They honor physical strength, and much of their education system emphasizes various “paindeer games” that inculcate skills and attitudes useful for discipline and combat. About one in a hundred paindeer is born with an unusual mutation similar to optic emissions, but with the generated energy coming from the paindeer’s nose. Few of these rare paindeer survive to adulthood as the community exiles the mutant in early adolescence for a period of not less than several years. Those that survive and return are viewed with awe and afforded special status.

Paindeer

Number Encountered: 2-12 (40-80)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 240′ (80′), fly 120′ (40′)
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1 (butt, +4 to hit)
Damage: 1d8+1d6
Save: L4
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: XV
XP: 245

Mutations: Martial Affinity, Neural Telekinesis (120 lbs.), Psionic Flight

Tags: Christmas, monsters, Mutant Future