Spes Magna Games

Merry Christmas!

Over at DriveThruRPG, you can find Santa’s Holiday Bag of PDFs. This bundle includes ten PDFs for 5E D&D that are full of monsters, magic items, character options, maps, and more. The normal cost for all ten PDFs together is almost four bits over $14, but Santa has slashed prices by about 50%, making the bundle’s cost $7. Appropriately, the bundle remains available through all twelve days of Christmas.

And here’s a new magic item!

The Golden Crozier
Staff, very rare (requires attunement by a cleric)

This powerful magic item functions just like a staff of the python, and it has further powers as well.

The crozier has 10 charges for the following properties. It regains 1d6+4 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the crozier thereafter functions only as a staff of the python.

Magic Weapon. You can use an action to expend 1 charge, which lets you wield the crozier as a magic quarterstaff that grants a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls. This effect lasts for 1 minute.

Spells. You can use an action to expend 1 or more of the crozier’s charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell save DC: aid (2 charges), control water (4 charges), create food and water (3 charges), create or destroy water (1 charge), dispel evil and good (5 charges), guiding bolt (1 charge), hold person (2 charges), and magic circle (3 charges).

With aid, create or destroy water, guiding bolt, hold person, and magic circle, you can expend more than the requires number of charges. Each additional charge expended for one of those spells count as if you had cast the spell using a higher spell slot.

Tags: 5E D&D, Christmas, magic items

My next stop in the AD&D Deities & Demigods is the sanity-threatening Cthulhu Mythos. For the first post, I present the Byakhee, those monstrous servants of He Who Must Not Be Named, statted for 5E D&D.

These giant furry bat-like creatures have humanoid legs that enable them to stand like men. They can be summoned by clerics of Hastur through use of a gate spell (1-4 Byakhee will appear). (Deities & Demigods, page 44)

Byakhee
Huge aberration, chaotic evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 125 (10d12+60)
Speed 15 ft., fly 60 ft.
Ability Scores STR 25 (+7), DEX 11 (+0), CON 23 (+6), INT 10 (+0), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 12 (+1)

Damage Immunities cold, fire
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Innate Spellcasting.. The Byakhee’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: dimension door, plane shift (to and from Carcosa only), teleport

Magic Resistance.. The Byakhee has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. If an Elder Sign is used as an additional material component for a spell, the Byakhee’s magic resistance does not apply.

Unnatural. The Byakhee does not require air.

Actions

Multiattack. The Byakhee makes two claw attacks.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (1d10+7) slashing damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, the Byakhee can automatically hit the target with its claws, and the Byakhee can’t use those claws against another target. The Byakhee has two claw attacks, each of which can grapple one target.

Reactions

Abduct. When a Byakhee has restrained a target with its claws, at the end of a target’s turn if that target remains restrained, the Byakhee may attempt to plane shift to Carcosa. The restrained target must make a DC 13 Charisma saving throw. If the target fails, the target and the Byakhee are transported to Carcosa.

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Penance, Texas for The Four Color Hack is up and running. Not only has my Patreon site has been transformed and relaunched, but all three tiers of patron-only perks have been posted. These perks include a new villain for all patrons, a new scenario for Avengers and League Members, and a special surprise for League Members only.

Tags: 5E D&D, Deities & Demigods, monsters, TFCH

I say again, welcome to Penance, Texas!

That’s right. My Patreon site has been transformed and relaunched. The first Patron-only PDF has been uploaded and can be downloaded by Defenders, Avengers, and League Members.

You might ask, “What is this PDF?”

Well, it’s Putty: The Malleable Menace, a Penance-born super villain. In a few more days, I’ll also release a new scenario entitled Putty in Her Hands. Available to Avengers and League Members, this scenario gives your heroes a chance to thwart not only Putty but also a mysterious femme fatale.

If you’re thinking about being a League Member, there’s something just for you as well, specifically a way to get The Four Color Hack print-on-demand rulebook for printing costs plus shipping & handling.

Tags: Spes Magna Products, TFCH

Spes Magna Games has been in business since December 2009. In that time, I’ve published more than 50 PDFs for various game systems. About two years ago, I released The Four Color Hack. At the time, I had vague plans of eventually releasing TFCH as a print-on-demand game.

Well, eventually has arrived, and TFCH is officially Spes Magna’s first real book.

You can get TFCH as a 6-by-9-inch 80-page black-and-white softcover for $10.95 (not including shipping and handling). The softcover includes the $3 PDF. If you’ve not checked out TFCH yet, start with the PDF. If you like what you see, and you want the book, use this link right here to get the print-on-demand version for $7.95. Caveat: The discount link in the previous sentence expires at the end of September 2018.

Ms. Jessica Dow deserves a big “Thanks!” for picking up the dropped ball of formatting TFCH for print-on-demand. I hope to work with Ms. Dow again on another print-on-demand job in the near future.

But enough of that. Let’s head back into the Chinese Mythos from the AD&D Deities & Demigods. Today, we meet Mu Yuan, the 70-foot-tall killer of the gods, for use with 5E D&D.

This monster has 3 eyes in his tyrannosaurus-shaped head, and has 4 large humanoid arms. He has the strength of a storm giant…. He also has a powerful magical device shaped in the form of a small triangular piece of stone that has the power to turn into any weapon [Ma Yuan] wishes, magical or otherwise. (Deities & Demigods, page 40)

Ma Yuan
Gargantuan monstrosity, chaotic evil

Armor Class 24 (natural armor)
Hit Points 615 (30d20+270)
Speed 60 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 60 ft.
Ability Scores STR 29 (+9), DEX 10 (+0), CON 28 (+9), INT 13 (+1), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 13 (+1)

Saving Throws INT +9, WIS +10, CHA +9
Skills Religion +9
Damage Resistances fire (due to Morphic Stone); bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-legendary attacks
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Abyssal
Challenge 28 (120,000 XP)

Amphibious. Ma Yuan can breathe water and air.

Frightful Presence. Each creature of Ma Yuan’s choice that is within 120 feet of him and aware of him must succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Ma Yuan’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Ma Yuan fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. Ma Yuan has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magical Weapons. Ma Yuan’s weapon attacks are magical.

Siege Monster. Ma Yuan deals double damage to objects and structures.

Actions

Multiattack. Ma Yuan can use his Frightful Presence. He then makes up to five attacks: one with his bite and four with his claws. He can make a Morphic Stone attack in place of one or two claw attacks, depending on whether the Morphic Stone takes the form of a one-handed weapon or a two-handed weapon.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 48 (6d12+9) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 22). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and Ma Yuan can’t bite another target.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d8+9) slashing damage.

Morphic Stone. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 37 (8d6+9) slashing damage plus 14 (4d6) cold damage. As an action, Ma Yuan can transform the Morphic Stone into any melee weapon, magical or otherwise, that he wants to wield. Quadruple the weapon’s damage dice since Ma Yuan is Gargantuan. The preceding attack and damage values reflect Ma Yuan using a Gargantuan greatsword frost brand.

Legendary Actions

Ma Yuan can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary option can be used at time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Ma Yuan regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Change Morphic Stone. Ma Yuan can change the Morphic Stone into a different melee weapon and then attack with that weapon.

Move. Ma Yuan moves up to half his speed.

Swallow (Costs 2 Actions). Ma Yuan makes one bite attack against a Large or smaller creature it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target takes the bite’s damage, the target is swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside Ma Yuan, and it takes 49 (14d6) acid damage at the start of each of Ma Yuan’s turns.

If Ma Yuan takes 60 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, Ma Yuan must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of Ma Yuan. If Ma Yuan dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 30 feet of movement, exiting prone.

Tags: 5E D&D, Deities & Demigods, monsters, TFCH

I’ve been watching The Prisoner via Amazon Prime. I’m five episodes into the seventeen episode run. I vaguely recall watching an episode or two decades ago, but, if so, I don’t think I liked it. Not so now. It’s a fascinating examination of the conflict of two forms of tyranny: unrestrained individualism and collectivism, both of which lead to the dictatorship of relativism.

But this post isn’t about that. It’s about Mutant Future.

The Rover
Hit Dice: 15
Frame: Armature
Locomotion: Forced Air
Manipulators: Special Use Gripper
Armor: Ballistic Nylon (AC 5)
Sensors: Nerve Web
Mental Programming: Artificial Intelligence
Accessories: AV Transmitter, Inertial Inhibitor, Internal Storage Unit
Weaponry: paralytic cnidocytoids, sonic screamer

The Rover is an advanced construct of sorts that keeps people from leaving the Island on which the Village is located. The Rover appears to be an underinflated, spherical weather balloon. A sophisticated, nearly microscopic web of artificial neurons and sensors form a web between the layers of its highly flexible ballistic nylon body. The Rover’s forced air propulsion system is loud but effective with a top speed in excess of 120 miles per hour and capable of movement across water, terrain, and even limited flight. It attacks by means of a short-range sonic screamer (range 75 feet/150 feet) that acts like a stun pistol. The Rover closes for melee combat, ramming its target, which activates thousands of paralytic cnidocytoids. These artificial stinging cells deliver a load of Class 11 poison (saving throw versus poison to avoid paralysis for 2d6 rounds with movement halves for 1d6 with a successful saving throw). The Rover can absorb a human-sized target, storing the target in its internal storage unit for transport back to the Island.

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In other news, Spes Magna Games has a new 5E D&D product available for purchase at DriveThruRPG:

Dangerous Women presents Khatira Amrat, archer raised by fey knights, Kona Hættuleg, pirate queen of blades, and Menyw Beryglus, hell-touched outcast wizard. These strong women can challenge or assist your players’ characters as you see fit. Each NPC is CR 8, and with their special team actions, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

Tags: 5E D&D, monsters, Mutant Future, Spes Magna Products