Spes Magna Games

The shipwrecked adventurers followed the freed sprites to Brú na Bóinne, a magically hidden fort home to a community of friendly fey creatures ruled by the aloof Queen Titania. From this safe haven, the adventurers split into two groups determined to find a way off the island. Group one set out in search of the Mad Hermit said to live in the woods. After several hours of careful travel, the party encountered a trio of savage, dwarf-like creatures trying to kill an ensnared mountain lion, which wore a collar.

The adventurers freed the mountain lion, which fled the battle, and also defeated the savages. Then, tge adventurers tracked the mountain lion back to its lair: a massive tree in the center of a circular clearing. The heroes circled the clearing, spotting a dimly lit entrance into the tree. After they had reached about the half way point to the tree, a voice boomed:

“Turn back! The Mad Hermit tolerates no trespassers!”

Phosterius the Mad Hermit
Size: Medium
HD: 5 (d6)
HP: 25
AC: 15 (leather armor, small wooden shield, +1 ring of true protection, DEX)
Saves: M, P
Move: 30 ft.
Attacks: +1 dagger (1d4+1)
Special: Druid and rogue abilities (see below)
INT: High
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Type: Humanoid
Treasure: 5
XP: 365

Phosterius, known as the Mad Hermit, has lived on Shipwreck Island for a bit more than two decades. His reputation for insanity and wild dangerousness is not completely without merit, but he neither truly mad nor murderous. What he values most is being left alone with his only companion, Susuarana, his daughter who was an infant when they were stranded on the island.

Phosterius has all the skills of a 3rd-level rogue, and he can sneak attack and back attack as a 5th-level rogue (+2 “to hit” and +4 damage versus an unsuspecting target or +4 “to hit” and triple damage with a successful move silently or hide check). He also zealously protects the territory around his tree-home, striving to live in harmony with nature. He enjoys a +2 bonus to saving throws against air, earth, fire, water, lightning, and cold attacks, speaks the druidic language, and casts spells as a 5th-level druid. Phosterius prepares four 0-level, four 1st-level, three 2nd-level, and one 3rd-level druid spells per day. He typically prepares these spells:

0th Level: create water, endure elements, first aid, light
1st Level: alarm, entangle, goodberry, invisibility to animals
2nd Level: cure light wounds, heat metal, summon swarm
3rd Level: snare

Phosterius avoids direct combat when possible. If pressed, he uses his +1 dagger. His magic ring adds its +1 bonus to both armor class and saving throws, but the former bonus does not function with magic armor. He owns a magic collar. When worn, the wearer becomes a mountain lion (M&T 204-205) in all ways except intelligence, maintaining this form as long as the collar is worn. Phosterius’s daughter often wears the magic collar on her jaunts through the forest.

Tags: C&C, Ludi Fabularum, monsters

While searching for shelter from the icy wind and the coming night, the shipwrecked adventurers trekked to the forest where they encountered encamped frogbolds and several war-trained axe beaks. The fight was fierce but brief. The adventurers won, and several frogbolds escaped into the deeper woods. Among the camp gear the frogbolds abandoned, the adventurers discovered several crude boxes on a cart. In the boxes? Sprites captured by the frogbolds for some dark purpose.

Frogbold
Number: 4-24, 40-400
Size: Small
HD: 1 (d4)
AC: 15
Saves: P
Move: 20 ft., hop 30 ft., swim 20 ft.
Attacks: By weapon
Special: Darkvision, 60 ft., Hopping Charge, Light Sensitivity
INT: Low
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Type: Humanoid
Treasure: 1
XP: 7 + 1

Frogbolds are small, frog-like humanoids, the largest being somewhat bigger than a halfling. They have moist, smooth skin that has an almost leather-like toughness. Neither particularly clever nor notably brave, frogbolds prefer to attack outnumbered or obviously injured prey. Their tactics tend to be simple: charge into the fray and gang up on enemies as often as possible.

Frogbolds make their lairs in caves near bodies of water, whether fresh or salt. When above ground, they may set up crude shelters for a temporary camp used as a central location from which to radiate out and make raids to capture weapons, armor, and prisoners (for use as food or sacrifices). Frogbolds know little of crafting or mining, and so they seldom modify their cave lairs to any great extent, nor do they manufacture their own tools.

Female frogbolds lay eggs, which must be deposited in water (again, either salt or fresh). The frogbold spawn consist of round clusters of eggs connected into ribbons by a gelatinous substance. The tadpoles develop and hatch quickly, and they are cannibalistic, ensuring that only the strongest survive the few weeks necessary to grow into air-breathing humanoid form.

Most frogbold lairs have no more than 40 or so adult male members. Rarely, a strong chieftain (2 d8-HD) rises up to rally several family groups into a tribe numbering as many as 400 adults. A chieftain is served by one sub-chief (1 d8-HD) for every 10 frogbolds in the tribe. The number of females in a tribe typically equals two-thirds the number of adult males with an additional one-fourth the number of adult males in hatchlings.

Combat: Frogbolds can make a hopping charge into melee combat, leaping up to 30 feet (reaching a height of 15 feet during the jump), thus gaining a +2 to hit and damage for that attack (but suffering a -4 to AC until the start of their next turn). They use basic weapons, especially spears and javelins. They wear crude leather or hide armor, and seldom use shields. Chieftains and sub-chiefs have better armor and weapons, and any magic items possessed by the tribe are surely in the possession of these leaders. Due to their light sensitivity, frogbolds suffer a -1 to hit penalty when fighting in bright light.

Special: Frogbold witchdoctors are druid/wizards, but they are limited to fifth level. They do not use spellbooks even for their wizard spells, but instead prepare their spells once per day as does a druid. Some chieftains may have levels as a barbarian or a ranger, but they seldom have advanced to higher than third level in either class.

Tags: C&C, Ludi Fabularum, monsters

“Spider-Deer! Spider-Deer! Its fleshy antlers causing fear!”

The spider-deer is a cunning, malevolent predator, usually solitary but during mating seasons large numbers of aggressive males competing for females could be encountered. These creatures stand about five feet high at the shoulder. Their hairless flesh is spottled darker on the back, head, and haunches than on the legs and belly. They move quickly, and seldom fail to attack creatures that appear weak, injured, or elfish.

Init +4; Atk bite +1 melee (1d4 plus poison), gore +5 melee (2d5 plus grab), or web +5 ranged (entangled); AC 15; HD 5d10; MV 40′, climb 30′; Act 2d20; SP immune to charm and fear, weird glow; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +2; AL C.

Entangle: Roll the spider-deer’s action die plus HD opposed by defender’s action die plus the higher of AGI or STR modifier. If the spider-deer wins, the defender is grappled and pinned. The original roll is the DC to escape from the webbing.

Grab: The gored victim man-sized or smaller is grabbed by the spider-deer’s fleshy antlers. The spider-deer’s attack roll is the DC to break free from the grab. A spider-deer gets a +4 bonus on bite attacks against a grabbed target.

Poison: DC 13 Fort save or 1d4+1 Dex. Fail by 5 or more causes paralysis for 2d3 hours. Paralyzed victims are conscience but can take no actions, move, or speak.

Weird Glow: Spider-deer’s glow in the target when agitated. The glow sheds light in a 20-foot radius. Each spider-deer’s glow might also have a special effect. Roll 1d5.

1-2: No special effect.
3: The spider-deer is invisible to creatures with infravision that are within the glow’s radius.
4: The spider-deer is displaced. Ranged attacks suffer a -4 attack roll penalty. Melee attacks suffer a -2 attack roll penalty. Spells that specifically target the spider-deer suffer a -2 spell check penalty.
5: The spider-deer’s glow is charged and regularly emits electrical arcs. Once per round, 1d3 random targets within 20 feet are shocked for 1d8 points of damage. A DC 13 REF saves halves the damage. A target wearing metal armor suffers a -4 saving throw penalty.

Tags: DCC, monsters

Every year for more than a decade, I’ve included Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Song of Hiawatha in my middle school literature curriculum. Today’s post is not the first time I’ve adapted creatures or characters from that classic poem for gaming purposes. For other examples, click here. And so, I return to lands around the Big-Sea-Water and revisit the pukwudjies, this time for use with Castles & Crusades.

The pukwudjies are mean-spirited fey creatures who live in coniferous forests in cold climes, often near lakes or coasts. Pukwudjies especially dislike humans, whom they harrass and endanger for sport. Evil pukwudjies delight in luring humans to their deaths.

Pukwudjies are shapeshifters. In their natural form, they resemble a diminutive, spindly-limbed cross between a humanoid and a porcupine. Their scalps and back bristle with thick quills. Their arms and legs are disproportionately long compared to their torsos. They wear simple clothes made from hide, and they decorate their quills with feathers, shells, and shruken skulls.

Number: 3-36
Size: Small (2-3 ft. tall)
HD: 2 (d6)
AC: 12
Saves: M
Move: 25 ft.
Attacks: By weapon
Special: Duskvision, Lure, Magic, Poison Arrows, Quills
INT: Average
Alignment: Any chaotic
Type: Fey
Treasure: 1
XP: 35 + 2

Combat: Pukwudjies avoid melee combat, preferring to use their spells and ranged weapons.

Lure: A pukwudjie can enchant a living creature within 100 feet. The target must succeed at a charisma check or become enchanted. Elves and half-elves apply their resistance to charm to this save. If the save is successful, the target is immune to that pukwudjies lure ability for 24 hours. Otherwise, the enchanted victim walks in the most direct possible toward the pukwudjie (even if the pukwudjie cannot be seen or heard). If the path leads into a dangerous area, the victim is allowed a second saving throw to resist the charm. If more than 100 feet separates the victim and the pukwudjie, the charm is broken. Otherwise, the victim can take no actions other than to defend themselves and move toward the pukwudjie.

Magic: Pukwudjies casts spells as a 1st-level druid with sufficient wisdom to gain an extra 1st-level spell. Typical prepared spells are (0-level) endure elements, first aid, and light, and (1st-level) entangle and pass without trace. They may use these spell-like abilities: invisibility (at will); magic stones (affects pine cones only); polymorph (self only, 1/day); or produce flame (3/day).

Poison Arrows: Pukwudjies coat their arrowheads with a numbing poison. A creature struck by a pukwudjie arrow must make a constitution check or suffer a cumulative -5 feet movement and a -1 penalty to AC. If movement is reduced to 0 feet, the creature becomes paralyzed. Rest restores lost movement and AC as if each reduction were a lost hit point.

Quills: When attacked from a flank or the rear with a one-handed melee weapon, any successful hit on a pukwudjie causes 1d4 points of damage to the attacker. A successful dexterity check modified by the attacker’s AC bonus from armor avoids this damage.

Tags: C&C, monsters, The Song of Hiawatha

From out of the fogs enshrouding the Scottish highlands hops the fearsome fachan!

“He held a very thick iron flail-club in his skinny hand, and twenty chains out of it, and fifty apples on each chain of them, and a venomous spell on each great apple of them, and a girdle of the skins of deer and roebuck around the thing that was his body, and one eye in the forehead of his black-faced countenance, and one bare, hard, very hairy hand coming out of his chest, and one veiny, thick-soled leg supporting him and a close, firm, dark blue mantle of twisted hard-thick feathers, protecting his body, and surely he was more like unto devil than to man” (Popular Tales of the West Highlands, Vol. IV, John F. Campbell).

The average fachan stands about nine feet tall.

Fachan: Init +1; Atk flail +5 melee (1d6+4) and fear gaze; AC 14; HD 6d10; MV 30′; Act 2d20; SP fear gaze, incredible balance; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +1; AL C.

Fear Gaze: Once per round, a fachan may use one of its action dice to cast scare with a +6 caster bonus. On a critical failure, the fachan loses its fear gaze ability for one day and is struck blind for 1d5 rounds.

Incredible Balance: A fachan always makes saving throws against being tripped or knocked off balance. It ignores fumble and critical hit results that result in being tripped or knocked off balance.

Tags: DCC, monsters