Spes Magna Games

I entered active duty in the U.S. Army on July 12, 1985, about a month and a half after I graduated high school. While stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, I gamed regularly with two different groups, usually in civilian domiciles. Of course, there were soldiers in those groups, but our hosts were not always military. Wayne’s group alternated from his house and Marty’s house. Marty was a supply sergeant somewhere in the 82nd Airborne; I forget which unit. The other group met at Lewis’s house. This particular Lewis was Lewis Pulsipher, game designer and author of early Dragon articles as well as the Fiend Folio stats for the Princes of Elemental Evil.

With Wayne’s group, we varied our gaming diet. I don’t recall AD&D often being on the menu. We played Traveller, Champions, and DC Heroes. Those I remember. Lewis’s group had a steady diet of AD&D, all 1E because that’s what was available for AD&D back then. I remained at Fort Bragg for about four years and then re-enlisted.

My next duty station was Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and I arrived there roundabout the fall of 1989. Shortly after, I found a new gaming group that met in Ron’s on-base housing. Ron was an Air Force guy, and this new gaming group was all military. They introduced me to 2E AD&D, although we did brief forays in other game systems, such as Torg, Rifts, DC Heroes, and Stormbringer.

I didn’t touch 3E D&D until years after my honorable discharge in January 1993. Back in Houston, Texas, I started gaming again with a few friends who I’d gamed with in junior high and high school. I switched to 3E D&D not long after it was published. Before that, we still mostly played 2E AD&D. I made the switch because my good friend Fred insisted. He DMed The Sunless Citadel as our first adventure. My character was a half-orc barbarian.

Along the way to 3E D&D (and after), new gamers were met. Most of them didn’t make the cut, but two of them I still game with regularly. My good friend Fred, whom I met in junior high, died from an aneurysm several years ago. Ben, whom I gamed with in high school, got married and vanished. No one I game with today is someone I gamed with way back circa 1978 after I found a Basic D&D book in a desk at school.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve pulled out my 2E AD&D stuff. It’s still a great game, with better mechanics, I think, than 1E AD&D, which is itself a great game. I’ve typed up about 20 pages of notes for a 2E AD&D player’s guide for a campaign that starts in a frontier area centered on Tanelorn Keep. While piecing together the player’s guide — tweaking this race, modifying that class, importing this idea from that other game, system, et cetera — I’ve remembered why I enjoyed 2E AD&D so much for about a decade.

And, just so it doesn’t seem like this post is nothing but a grognard grognarding, here’s an excerpt from the Tanelorn Keep Player’s Guide:

Dwarves

Moradin Forge-Lord carved the first dwarves from stones and forged their souls on the Dread Anvil. During the Second Age, dwarven culture reached its pinnacle. The dwarves expanded to the westward across the Duna, driving the elves from their cities and liberating the humans whom the elves had ruled. Dwarves built and controlled the most powerful cities, crafting an empire that radiated out from Ironspyre, the mightiest dwarven mountain home.

Dwarven hegemony shattered during the Gargarizein, when gargoyles erupted from Elemental Earth into the Deeps of several major dwarven strongholds. Thousands of dwarves died defending their domains. Thousands more abandoned their homes when it became clear that hope was lost.

Today, dwarves are uncommon. The surviving clans have scattered, forming enclaves in a handful of cities along the Duna, the great river that separates the western lands from plains beneath the Sundered Chain, that range of mountains that was once the backbone of dwarven military and political power. Within these enclaves, dwarven guilds dominate all aspects of metalworking while the scions of once-great clans dream of reclaiming their ancient mountain halls.

Tags: AD&D, Tanelorn

And, at long last, here’s Wastri the Hopping Prophet in all his splendor!

Since Wastri is a deity, albeit a Material Plane demigod, he should almost certainly have lair actions and regional effects as well. Given his preference for swamps, the lair actions and regional effects of the ancient green dragon are a good starting point.

Wastri the Hopping Prophet
Medium humanoid (human), lawful evil

Armor Class 21
Hit Points 255 (30d8+120)
Speed 45 ft., swim 30 ft.

STR 18 (+4), DEX 22 (+6), CON 19 (+4), INT 10 (+0), WIS 20 (+5), CHA 11 (+0)

Saving Throws STR +10, DEX +12, INT +6, WIS +11, CHA +6
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Skills Acrobatics +12, Athletics +10, Deception +6, Perception +11, Persuasion +6, Religion +6, Stealth +12
Senses passive Perception 21
Languages Common, Bullywug
Challenge 19 (22,000 XP)

Amphibious. Wastri can breath air and water.

Assassinate. During his first turn, Wastri has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn. Any hit Wastri scores against a surprised creature is a critical hit.

Bane of False Humans. As a bonus action, Wastri can expend a spell slot to cause his melee weapon attacks to magically deal an extra 10 (3d6) radiant damage to a non-human humanoid target on a hit. This benefit lasts until the end of the turn. If Wastri expends a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the extra damage increases by 1d6 for each level above 1st.

Evasion. If Wastri is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, Wastri instead takes no damage if he succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if he fails.

Sneak Attack. Once per turn, Wastri deals an extra 14 (4d6) damage when he hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Wastri that isn’t incapacitated and Wastri doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Innate Spellcasting. As a demigod, Wastri has innate magical abilities. His innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14). He can innately cast the following spells as a 15th-level caster, requiring no material components.

At will: command, comprehend languages, detect evil and good, gate, geas, teleport, true seeing
1/day each: Wastri’s croak, dampness, plague of warts

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

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

Spellcasting. Wastri is a 15th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 19, +11 to hit with spell attacks). Wastri has the following cleric spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): guidance, light, resistance, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): bane, cure wounds, guiding bolt, protection from evil and good, sanctuary
2nd level (3 slots): hold person, protection from poison, warding bond
3rd level (3 slots): dispel magic, protection from energy, water walk
4th level (3 slots): control water, freedom of movement, guardian of faith
5th level (2 slots): insect plague, scrying
6th level (1 slot): word of recall
7th level (1 slot): symbol
8th level (1 slot): antimagic field

Standing Leap. Wastri’s long jump is up to 30 feet and its high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.

Unarmored Defense. While Wastri is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, his AC includes his Wisdom modifier.

Actions

Multiattack. Wastri makes two attacks when he takes the Attack action.

Skewer of the Impure. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (1d10+7) piercing or slashing damage. Nota Bene: The Skewer of the Impure is a magic glaive. It has a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls. It requires attunement by a human for its magic to function.

Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d6+6) bludgeoning damage.

Conjure Frogs (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). Wastri conjures eight giant frogs, which appear in unoccupied spaces the priest can see within 60 feet. Each beast disappears when it drops to 0 hit points. The summoned frogs are friendly to Wastri and Wastri’s companions. Roll initiative for the summoned frogs as a group, which has its own turns. They obey any verbal commands Wastri issues to them (no action required). If Wastri doesn’t any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions. The frogs remain until killed or until Wastri takes a short or long rest.

Legendary Actions

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

Attack. Wastri makes one attack.

Cantrip. Wasti casts a cantrip.

Detect. Wastri makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.

Move. Wastri moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

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

We jump right into today’s Wastri-centric post!

Wastri is the demigod of amphibians, bigotry, and self-deception. This week’s posts have hit the first two. There’ve been monster frogs, “false human” hunters, and jumping priests. But what about self-deception? What is it, and why would anyone emulate a deity who encourages it? Let’s start with a definition taken from the on-line Stanford Encylopedia of Philosophy:

What is self-deception? Traditionally, self-deception has been modeled on interpersonal deception, where A intentionally gets B to believe some proposition p, all the while knowing or believing truly that ~p. Such deception is intentional and requires the deceiver to know or believe that ~p and the deceived to believe that p. One reason for thinking self-deception is analogous to interpersonal deception of this sort is that it helps us to distinguish self-deception from mere error, since the acquisition and maintenance of the false belief is intentional not accidental.

In other words, that aspiring Hopeful of Wastri knows that Wastri’s doctrine about human superiority is not true, but he deliberately chooses to believe and act as if the doctrine is true. In the Hopeful’s mind, we find two conflicting beliefs:

p: Humans are superior to all other humanoids.
~p: Humans are not superior to all other humanoids.

Resolving this contradictory set of beliefs is the function of bigotry. Bigotry helps the Hopeful generalize and specify in ways that explain the contradiction between his beliefs and reality. Euphemisms likely help this process. For example, consider what a simple change in terms accomplishes:

p: Humanity is superior to false humanity.

The first step in Wastri’s doctrine of self-deception must be to redefine terms. “Humans” is too specific. “Humanity” is abstract enough that the term becomes elastic, capable of stretching to reach whichever conclusions are most desired. Changing “all other humanoids” to “false humanity” not only creates a useful euphemism, but it also turns p into a statement that verges on self-evident. By definition, it seems, “false humanity” must be bad. “Humanity” is the opposite of “false humanity”; therefore, since “false humanity” is bad, “humanity” must be good. The Hopeful knows this is really just a semantic trick, but it creates a powerful motive for rationalizing his self-deception.

As the Hopeful progresses in his devotion to Wastri, he becomes more adept at rationalizing away the contradiction between p and ~p. Everything good about “false humanity” becomes a flaw obvious to the properly indoctrinated Hopeful. A dwarf’s ability to see in the dark? That’s not an example of a dwarf being superior to a human. Dwarves can see in the dark because they are creatures of darkness, hiding their wickedness from human eyes out of fear of just judgment. An elf’s centuries-long life span? This enables elves to both inflict their wickedness of the world for a long time and also encourages the vice of sloth. Why accomplish something today when one has decades to spare?

Et cetera.

The Hopeful’s process of rationalization also explains Wastri’s doctrines of self-improvement. The Hopeful sees his personal failures as sins related to not fully embodying humanity’s innate superiority. Thus, the Hopeful must study more, exercise more, work more, sacrifice more. Wastri’s followers who’ve advanced further along the path to personal perfection are there to help. Imagine a caste system of Wastrian self-improvement coaches, croaking out inspiring aphorisms to motivate the faithful and entice the curious.

Which bring us to Wastri’s alignment: lawful neutral (evil). Wastri’s worshipers are either lawful neutral or lawful evil. (See Dragon 71 from March 1983.) Now picture Wastri missionaries, all lawful neutral, establishing schools and gymnasiums, available for humans only, of course. As enrollment at the schools and gymansiums increases, so too does the revenue they generate, which Wastri’s faithful put back into the community, building better homes, improving infrastructure, providing employment, et cetera, but, as always, only for humans.

Years ago, in a 3E D&D campaign, I used Wastri, redefining his alignment to lawful neutral. In 3E’s rules, a cleric’s alignment could be “‘one step’ away from” his deity’s alignment (3E PH 29). So, a cleric of Wastri in that campaign could be lawful neutral, lawful evil, or lawful good. Based on this idea, I introduced into the campaign a lawful good paladin of Wastri, a missionary working hard to establish within the city a zone for humans to live and thrive along side other humans. The so-called “false humans” were not to be persecuted. The paladin encouraged “false humans” to live among their own kinds, to establish their own “racially pure” communities. Of course, the humans would occupy all important positions in the city’s government, and strict rules would be implemented to ensure that “false humans” did not infect the city with their inferior ways of living.

The players had to make a decision about what to do with the paladin. Despite his racist doctrines, he was a paladin. He was a lawful good man genuinely motivated to help the human community. He really believed that his program of racial segregation within a city ruled only by humans would ultimately benefit everyone — human and “false human” alike. The paladin was popular among the city’s humans as well as personally powerful with a small army of faithful at his command. The war waged by the forces of Hextor and his allies (the campaign’s major focus) was drawing closer to the city with each passing week. Compared to the slaughter looming on the horizon, could the PCs afford to not forge an alliance with Wastri’s paladin?

Unfortunately, we never answered that question. Due to player loss, the campaign sort of fizzled out. Among the PCs was another paladin, a human champion of Hieroneous. I had hoped that the clash of ideologies between the paladins would led to a situation in which Wastri’s doctrines of self-deception might have been undone. Maybe our current campaign can feature the return of this conflict? Only time will tell!

Tags: 5E D&D, game play

In the Tome of Horrors by Frog God Games, we find the killer frog, a delightful monster hearkening back to the early years of D&D. I like Frog God’s take on the killer frog. It remains true to its roots. It’s small and attacks with claws and a fanged bite. There’s no mention, however, of killer frogs being “specially bred mutants” (to quote AD&D’s Monster Manual). Specially bred by whom? Well, by followers of Wastri, of course!

(Nota Bene: That link above is an affiliate link.)

My Wastri’s killer frog, domesticated and trained to hunt in packs, starts with Frog God’s version as the base. The italicized description below comes directly from the Tome of Horrors.

This frog stands partially erect and has dark-green skin fading to light on its underbelly. A trio of defensive horn-like protuberances just upward, one from its nose and each brow, and its smiling countenance reveals sharp fangs lining its entire gum line.

Wastri’s Killer Frog
Small beast, unaligned

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 16 (3d6+6)
Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft.

STR 13 (+1), DEX 14 (+2), CON 15 (+2), INT 3 (-4), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 7 (-2)

Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages —
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Amphibious. The killer frog can breathe air and water.

Keen Smell. The killer frog has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Pack Tactics. The killer frog has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the killer frog’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.

Standing Leap. The killer frog’s long jump is up to 20 feet and its high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.

Actions

Multiattack. The killer frog makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) slashing damage.

Tags: 5E D&D, monsters

Not too long ago, WotC rebooted the classic U1-U3 Series of modules, adding in some retooling of other nautical-themed material, all released in the 200+ page long Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Ghosts introduces into 5E D&D several new monsters, including bullywug croakers (a sort of bullywug bard) and giant-frog-riding bullywug royals.

(Nota Bene: That first link above is an affiliate link for the U1-U3 Underwater Series bundle for 1E AD&D.)

As mentioned in my last post, Wastri admires amphibians for their ability to survive both on land and in the water. This versatility shows that amphibians point toward a better way of living. This leads to a paradox at the heart of Wastri’s dogma. Untainted humanity is the superior state of being while at the same time untained humanity is imperfect. A perfected humanity would be like Wastri himself, a hybrid of human and amphibian, which explains why Wastri’s Hopefuls engage in rigorous conditioning aimed at greater proficiency with jumping and swimming.

Among Wastri’s followers are found many bullywugs and grungs. Ramenos, the bullywug’s deity, might object to his creatures honoring Wastri. Ramenos is an Abyssal power and the lesser deity somnolence, intoxication, and decay, a portfolio that seems at odds with Wastri’s patronage of amphibians, bigotry, and self-deception. Bullywugs that demonstrate exceptional zeal for Wastri may be promoted to the rank of Skewer.

Wastri’s Hopeful
Medium humanoid (human), lawful evil

Armor Class 12 (leather armor)
Hit Points 9 (2d8)
Speed 30 ft.

STR 10 (+0), DEX 12 (+1), CON 10 (+0), INT 10 (+0), WIS 11 (+0), CHA 10 (+0)

Saving Throws WIS +2
Skills Athletics +2 (+4), Religion +2
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Bullywug
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

Froggish Aspirations. When making a Strength (Athletics) check to jump or swim, the Hopeful’s proficiency bonus is doubled.

Actions

Glaive. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d10) slashing damage.

Net. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 5/15 ft., one target. Hit: Target is restrained. A net has no effect on creatures that are formless, or creatures that are Huge or larger. A creature can use its action to make a DC 10 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. Dealing 5 slashing damage to the net (AC 10) also frees the creature without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the net.

Wastri’s Skewer
Medium humanoid (bullywug), lawful evil

Armor Class 16 (hide armor, shield)
Hit Points 22 (4d8+4)
Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.

STR 14 (+2), DEX 14 (+2), CON 13 (+1), INT 8 (-1), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 8 (-1)

Skills Stealth +4, Survival +3
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Common, Bullywug
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Amphibious. The bullwug can breath air and water.

False Humanity’s Foe. The bullywug has advantage on any attack roll against a dwarf, elf, gnome, or halfling.

Speak with Frogs and Toads. The bullywug can communicate simple concepts to frogs and toads when it speaks in Bullywug.

Swamp Camouflage. The bullywug has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in swampy terrain.

Standing Leap. The bullwug’s long jump is up to 20 feet and its high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.

Actions

Multiattack. The bullywug makes two melee attacks: either one with its spear and its bite, or two with its spear.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage.

Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage, or 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.

Tags: 5E D&D, monsters