Spes Magna Games

Well, I might not have posted consistently on-time, but I’m finishing on time. Here’re the last two days of the OSR Christmas Calendar. If you’ve never watched the short film from where the image below comes, you’re wrong. Click on the image to start being right.

Evil things hide in the dark. They haunt lightless places, hungering and waiting for a chance to terrorize and hurt, and children are all too often these monsters’ preferred prey. If only champion toys were more common.

1E Stats

Frequency: Very rare
No. Appearing: 1-12
Armor Class: 3
Move: 12″
Hit Dice: 3+3
% in Lair: 90%
Treasure Type: Nil
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 1-8
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Average
Alignment: Any good
Size: S
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defens Modes: Nil
Level/XP Value: IV/185 XP + 4 XP/hp

A champion toy appears to be a normal toy, usually some sort of stuffed animal such as a bear or a dog. Indeed, much of the time, a champion toy is nothing more than a child’s plaything. At night, in darkness, or when evil is near, however, a champion toy comes alive to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Legends say that champion toys are brought to life by the spirits of holy warriors who died in battle.

A champion toy can detect evil at will. It makes all saving throws as a 5th-level fighter with a +2 bonus on the dice. A champion toy is immune to all diseases, including magical ones. It can use cure light wounds twice per day and cure disease once per day to heal another creature. When within 10 feet of a noncombatant or otherwise helpless creature, a champion toy continually emanates protection from evil in a 1″ radius.

It attacks with natural weapons or a perhaps a toy weapon. Regardless, its attacks are treated as a magical weapons for determining what creatures it can damage, and a champion toy’s attacks inflict double damage (2-16) against the undead and evil extraplanar creatures.

A champion toy is fearless. It cannot be affected by fear or similar magic, and it never fails morale checks. When reduced to fewer than 6 but more than 0 hero points, a champion toy attempts a saving throw versus death magic. If it succeeds, it immediately recovers 3d4+3 hit points (but its hit point total cannot exceed its normal amount).

5E Stats

Tiny celestial, any good

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 18 (4d4+8)
Speed 30 ft.
Ability Scores STR 10 (+0), DEX 18 (+4), CON 14 (+2), INT 11 (+0), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 15 (+2)
Saving Throws STR +2, DEX +5, CON +4, INT +2, WIS +5, CHA +4
Skills Perception +5
Condition Immunities charmed, diseased, exhaustion, frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Celestial, Common
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Champion Aura: When within 10 feet of an incapacitated creature, the champion toy and the incapacitated creature are affected by protection from evil and good. The champion toy does not have to concentrate to maintain this effect.

Champion Fortitude: If damage reduces the champion toy to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is necrotic or from a critical hit. On a success, the champion toy drops to 1 hit point instead.

Champion Weapons: The champion toy’s melee attacks are magical. When the champion toy hits a fiend or an undead with a melee attack, the attack deals an extra 9 (2d8) radiant damage.

False Appearance: While the champion toy remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary toy.

Innate Spellcasting: The champion toy’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 11). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components.

At will: detect evil and good
2/day: cure wounds (other creatures only)
1/day: lesser restoration (other creatures only)

Actions

* Champion Attack: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, depending on the champion toy’s specific form of attack.

Tags: 1E AD&D, 5E D&D, monsters, OSR Christmas Calendar

Before today’s post, did you know that I wrote an OD&D style dwarf class for 5E D&D? Well, I did. You can find the playtest draft at this link.

And now, a new monster:

Abominable snowmen hunt icy landscapes for the sheer pleasure they derive from inflicting pain. These monsters hail from the Paraelemental Plane of Ice, a frozen waste formed where the Planes of Elemental Air and Water intersect.

1E Stats

Frequency: Very rare
No. Appearing: 1-6
Armor Class: 6
Move: 15″ (see below)
Hit Dice: 4+4
% in Lair: 10%
Treasure Type: O, Q
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 1-6/1-6
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Average
Alignment: Neutral evil
Size: M
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defens Modes: Nil
Level/XP Value: V/325 XP + 5 XP/hp

An abominable snowman attacks with its claw-like fingers. If both claw attacks strike the same creature, the snowman’s target must make a saving throw versus paralyzation. A failed saving throw means the target becomes slowed for 1-3 melee rounds. Each of these rounds, the victim also suffers 1-6 points of damage from the unnatural cold caused by the snowman’s elemental powers. Twice per day, a snowman can form a wall of ice from snowy or icy terrain, and once per day it can use cone of cold. These powers function as if the snowman were a 9th-level magic-user.

In snowy, icy terrain, an abominable snowman is invisible and silent so long as it does nothing but move no more than 15′ per round. When stealth is not desired, a snowman moves across predominantly icy or snowy terrain with remarkable speed and agility. Otherwise, its movement rate is 12″. A snowman takes half damage from piercing and slashing weapons, but bludgeoning weapons inflict normal damage. Of course, a snowman is immune to cold-based attacks, but it is very susceptible to fire, suffering 50% greater damage from such attacks.

5E Stats

Medium elemental, neutral evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 67 (9d8+27)
Speed 30 ft.
Ability Scores STR 18 (+4), DEX 13 (+1), CON 16 (+3), INT 10 (+0), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 12 (+1)
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Resistances piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities cold, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Aquan, Auran
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Arctic Adaptations: In icy or snowy terrain, the abominable snowman is magically invisible and inaudible so long as it does nothing but move no more than 15 feet per round. The abominable snowman treats ice and snow as normal terrain.

Innate Spellcasting: The abominable snowman’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components.

2/day: wall of ice (only in icy/snowy terrain)
1/day: cone of cold (9d8 cold damage)

Actions

* Multiattack: The abominable snowman makes two claw attacks. If both attacks hit a target, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 14) or be slowed (as the spell). A creature affected by this ability makes another Wisdom saving throw at the end of its turn. On a successful save, the effect ends, but the effect lasts no more than 3 rounds.

* Claws: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10+4) slashing damage.

* Unnatural Cold: A creature slowed by the abominable snowman’s claw attacks takes 9 (2d8) cold damage at the start of its turn.

Tags: 1E AD&D, 5E D&D, monsters, OSR Christmas Calendar