Spes Magna Games

More than two centuries ago, stars fell from the night sky, bringing with them the Ancient Ones, conquerors who commanded terrible technologies. Wars raged for decades. Cities fell. Alien energies burned forests and reduced grasslands to dust. Little by little, Oerth’s defenders turned back the blood-dimmed tide. The stellar invader’s defenses failed, and they either retreated back to the stars or vanished into the Nether Gloom.

A few weeks ago, I started running a sporadic DCC/MCC mashup set in a post-apocalyptic World of Greyhawk. The funnel adventure took place in the Hommlet on a dark, stormy night during which a mob of bullywugs attacked the village. Below are the stats for the bullywugs and two mutant forms of bullywug. Enjoy!

Bullywug

Bullywugs, vicious humanoid frog-men, primitive and violent, live in wetlands and rainforests, venturing forth to raid and kill. These creatures are given to religious mania, and charismatic leaders find bullywugs useful servants. This is especially true among followers of Wastri the Hopping Prophet.

Bullywugs speak their own language. Leaders often speak one or two other languages as well. It is rumored that perverse matings of bullywugs and humans produce degenerate humans afflicted by froggish features and behaviors.

#APP 10d8 (20% in lair); Init +1; Atk as weapon +1 melee or tongue spike +2 ranged (1d4 plus poison); AC 11 + armor; HD 1d8+1; MV 20 ft., 20 ft. climb, 30 ft. jump, 20 ft. swim; Act 1d20; SP camouflage, jump, tongue spike; SV Fort +2, Ref +2; Will -1; AL C.

Camouflage: Skin coloration varies from light to dark shades of gray, green, or brown. If motionless, a bullywug is 75% like to be unseen.

Jump: A bullywug’s jump clears a vertical distance equal to half the horizontal distance. With a standing jump, a bullywug can leap 15 feet straight up.

Tongue Spike: Range 20 ft. with no range modifers. Fort SV DC 10 or paralyzed for 1d5 melee rounds.

Armor & Weapons: Bullywugs seldom wear armor heavier than leather or use shields. They prefer spears.

For every 10 bullywugs: 1 bullywug with 9 hit points.
For every 10 bullywugs: A cumulative 10% chance of a tribal shaman with 3+3 hit dice who has the abilities of a 3rd-level Cleric.
For every 20 bullywugs: 1d5-1 tad-things and 1d3-1 bull bullywug.
For every 30 bullwugs: 1 leader with 2+2 HD and at least 10 hit points.
If 60 or more bullywugs: 1 great chief with 4+4 HD and at least 16 hit points. A great chief has an effective STR bonus of +2.

Bullywug, Bull

A bull bullywug (sometimes called bullywug ogres) grows to greater size and strength than normal for even the healthiest bullywugs. Normal bullywugs fear these mutant bullywugs, and bullywug chiefs reward bulls with special privileges. Bulls have all the abilities of normal bullywugs.

#APP 1d3-1 per 20 bullywugs; Init +0; Atk as weapon +5 melee (+3 damage) or tongue spike +3 ranged (1d6 plus poison); AC 12 + armor; HD 4d10+8; MV 30 ft., 20 ft. climb, 30 ft. jump, 20 ft. swim; Act 1d20; SP camouflage, jump, tongue spike; SV Fort +4, Ref +2; Will +2; AL C.

Bullywug, Tad-Thing

Tad-things are not immature bullywugs as many assume. They are a strange bullywug mutation. A tad-thing has a ball-like body roughly the size of a grapefruit. A half dozen or so sinuous tentacles grow from the body, which is split by a sphincter-like mouth full of sharp teeth. Bullywug raiders often carry buckets holding water and 1d3 tad-things. Bullywugs throw the tad-things as a ranged weapon with range increments of 10/20/30.

#APP 1d5-1 per 20 bullywugs; Init +2; Atk tentacles +1 melee (1d4 plus blood drain); AC 12; HD 2d6; MV 10 ft., 10 ft. climb, 30 ft. swim; Act 1d20; SP blood drain (automatic 1d4 damage after bite), tentacles (10-ft. reach), zombification; SV Fort +0, Ref +2; Will +0; AL C.

Zombification: A humanoid creature killed by a tad-thing rises as a 1-HD zombie in 1d5 rounds (DCC 431).

Tags: DCC, MCC, monsters

Today I revisit Old-School Essentials via a portrait from Jeshields – RPG Stock Art.

Through the open flaps of the ragged, colorful tent, you see an unpleasant creature. Stunted and wizened, large pointed ears below his stained turban, the stench of urine thick in the air around him, the aged goblin grins, showing scab-black gums almost devoid of teeth. Rats wriggle in the folds of his baggy clothes. One fat rodent sprawls atop his turban, its shiny eyes studying you.

“Welcome!” the goblin says, “I am Yad Al-shaytan. Enter my shop freely and in peace.”

Yad Al-shaytan appears as an aged goblin, itself an unlikely encounter given how nasty, brutish, and short goblin lives tend to be. In truth, Yad has more than goblin blood coursing through his veins. He has lived several decades beyond the normal lifespan for goblins. Despite his apparent age, he remains healthy and vigorous. Some of Yad’s abilities have birthed rumors that Yad is some sort of half-vampire, but he is not undead.

Yad’s colorful, ragged tent looks to have a diameter of about 20 feet with a 20-foot tall center pole. Its inner dimensions are considerably larger, and tables, chests, barrels, freestanding shelves, taxidermied creatures, et cetera crowd the interior, turning the inside into a veritable maze of twisting aisles. Visitors often catch glimpses of strange shadows moving about, but direct observation fails to reveal the true nature of these fleeting impressions.

Yad Al-Shaytan: AC 4 [15], HD 3+3 (16 hp), Att 1 × weapon (1d6+1 or by weapon +1), THAC0 16 [+3], MV 90’ (30’), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (5), ML 8, AL Chaotic, XP 35, NA 1, TT S x4, T x2
Hates the Sun: -1 to-hit in full daylight.

• Infravision: 90’.
• Regeneration: Yad gains 3 hp at the start of each round, as long as he is alive.
• Summon Beasts: Creatures from the surrounding area: 1d8 x 8 rats, 4d4 giant rats, 1d8 x 8 bats, 3d4 giant bats, 2d4 wolves, or 1d4 dire wolves. Yad uses speak with animals to communicate with these types of beasts.
• Teleport Shop: Within his shop, Yad can cast teleport once per day, causing him, his shop, and all of his property to vanish.

Tags: monsters, NPCs, Old School Essentials

If you’re wondering, no, I’ve not forgotten about the goblin spider lair. I just have to remember to find the maps that I was working on.

And, so, onto today’s post.

Patreon artist Fernando Salvaterra recently posted this fun illustration of three skeletons about to teach a group of tomb trespassers a lesson about property rights. Nota Bene: If you click on the pic, it embiggens.

Each skeleton has a magic item it uses in combat. These magic items detect as evil. Each has the same deleterious effect when used by non-evil creatures, namely that the creature suffers a -1 penalty to saving throws against fear effects per item used.

The Archer
Number: 1
Size: Medium
HD: 2 (d12) (13)
AC: 13
Saves: P
Move: 30 ft.
Attacks: 2 with Short Bow (1d6 plus magical effect) or 1 with Short Sword (1d6)
Special: +1 or Better Weapon to Hit, Magic Quiver, Regeneration 1, Undead
Int: Average
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Type: Undead (Unique)
Treasure: 4
XP: 56

Combat: The Archer prefers ranged combat, firing two arrows per round from its shortbow. If forced into melee, it pulls the short sword from its skull. The Archer cannot be harmed by nonmagical weapons, and even magical slashing or piercing weapons inflict but half damage to it.

Magic Quiver: The Archer’s magic quiver holds a dozen arrows. Each day at sundown, the magic quiver refills with a dozen arrows. When an arrow is pulled from the magic quiver, roll 1d6 to determine that arrow’s magical effect:

1-4 = +1 to hit and damage
5 = +2 to hit and damage
6 = +3 to hit and +1d6 damage against a living creature

Regeneration: The Archer regenerates 1 hit point per round until reduced to 0 hit points, at which time it regenerates 1 hit point per hour. The Archer cannot regenerate damage from holy water.

Undead: The Archer is immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and all mind-affecting spells (charms, compulsions, et cetera).

The Spearman
Number: 1
Size: Medium
HD: 3 (d12) (20)
AC: 13
Saves: P
Move: 30 ft.
Attacks: 2 with Magic Spear (1d6+1)
Special: +1 or Better Weapon to Hit, Magic Spear, Regeneration 1, Undead
Int: Average
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Type: Undead (Unique)
Treasure: 4
XP: 120

Combat: The Spearman prefers melee combat, attacking twice per round with its magic spear. The Spearman cannot be harmed by nonmagical weapons, and even magical slashing or piercing weapons inflict but half damage to it.

Magic Spear: The Spearman’s magic spear is a +1 weapon. If thrown, it splits into two spears that may target any two creatures within 10 feet of each other (or both may target a single creature within spear range). The thrown magic spears disappear at the end of the round, reappearing in the Spearman’s hand as a single spear.

Regeneration: The Spearman regenerates 1 hit point per round until reduced to 0 hit points, at which time it regenerates 1 hit point per hour. The Archer cannot regenerate damage from holy water.

Undead: The Spearman is immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and all mind-affecting spells (charms, compulsions, et cetera).

The Captain
Number: 1
Size: Medium
HD: 4 (d12) (26)
AC: 18
Saves: P
Move: 30 ft.
Attacks: 2 with Magic Sword (1d8+1)
Special: +1 or Better Weapon to Hit, Magic Sword, Regeneration 1, Undead
Int: Average
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Type: Undead (Unique)
Treasure: 4
XP: 224

Combat: The Captain prefers melee combat, attacking twice per round with its magic sword. The Captain cannot be harmed by nonmagical weapons, and even magical slashing or piercing weapons inflict but half damage to it.

Magic Sword: The Captain’s magic longsword is a +1 weapon. Against lawful good creatures, the sword inflicts an addition 1d6 points of damage with a successful hit.

Regeneration: The Captain regenerates 1 hit point per round until reduced to 0 hit points, at which time it regenerates 1 hit point per hour. The Archer cannot regenerate damage from holy water.

Undead: The Captain is immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and all mind-affecting spells (charms, compulsions, et cetera).

Tags: C&C, Goblin Spider Lair, monsters, undead

I’m still not back on track with what’s supposed to be regular posting. It’s not that I’ve accomplished nothing since my last post, but nothing I’ve accomplished explores the goblin-spider’s lair enough to be worth a post.

But, I did do this!

Unidentified Female Observer
Number: 1-4, 6-24
Size: Medium
HD: 6 (d8)
AC: 15
Saves: M, P
Move: 40 ft.
Attacks: By weapon (see below)
Special: Alien Technology, Telepathy
Int: Superior to Genius
Alignment: Lawful Neutral/Evil
Type: Extraplanar
Treasure: 6
XP: 330 + 6

UFOs appear much like lovely humans (or maybe half-elves) who wear tight clothes made from what looks like shiny, metallic fabric. They wear strange masks and helmets or headdresses. Graceful and strong, many UFOs avoid combat, seeking to study what to them are strange forms of life, but evil UFOs may abduct creatures in order to perform painful experiments upon them.

UFOs speak their own language. They may choose to communicate telepathically, and this ability transcends language barriers.

Combat: UFOs use weapons in combat. A certain UFO will have 2-3 weapons available. See below for a suggestions.

Alien Physiognomy: A UFO’s Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores range from 13-18 (1d6+12). Adjust attacks, damage, hit points, et cetera as appropriate. When determining encumbrance, count Strength and Constitution as prime attributes.

Shiny Metal Fabric: A UFO’s clothing has a +5 AC bonus and an EV of 1.

Strange Helmet/Headdress: A UFO’s helmet/headdress has a +5 AC bonus and an EV of 1. It can be set to deepvision, see invisibility, locate object, or twilight vision.

Telepathy: UFOs may communicate telepathically. They understand all languages and can communicate with all creatures, save those with no discernible intelligence.

Weapon – Belt: When activated, the belt duplicates protection from arrows (1 charge), invisibility sphere (2 charges), teleport (3 charges), or wall of force (3 charges). These operate as if cast by a 9th-level wizard. The belt has 9 charges when fully charged. It regains 3 charges per day.

Weapon – Blaster: This hand-held ranged weapon fires a blast of destructive energy that duplicates burning hands (1 charge), magic missile (1 charge), shatter (2 charges), or lightning bolt (3 charges). These operate as if cast by a 5th-level wizard. The blaster has 7 charges when fully charged. It regains 3 charges per day.

Weapon – Rod: This hand-held melee weapon carries a powerful electrical charge that inflicts 1d8+5 points of damage with a touch attack roll.

Tags: C&C, monsters

I shall return to regular posts on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays aiming at a more-or-less complete goblin-spider lair. Work has begun. For example….

On the Water Pit Level of Bosukumo’s domain, intrepid adventurers can find a hidden door in the floor that opens to reveal a dark shaft leading down toward the unknown. While descending this shaft, adventurers pass through a planar effect. The top of the shaft begins in the Material Plane. The bottom ends into a pocket plane heavily affected by the Elemental Plane of Earth.

The Earth Level is the first of four more interconnected geomorphs. Exits from the Earth Level lead to twisting passages that randomly lead to another geomorph (most of the time). The Air, Fire, and Water Levels all present different environmental challenges.

Aside from completing the elemental geomorphs, I’m also working on a more detailed description of Bosukumo’s lair. This bit of effort will likely result in a downloadable PDF. Whether or not I further polish this projected rough diamond into something publishable remains to be seen.

The challenge in all of this is to complete a sufficient amount of drawing and writing so that I’m ahead of the game by enough that future posts in the series don’t get delayed.

Tags: Wednesday Lore