Spes Magna Games

Back when I played 2E AD&D, I enjoyed tweaking the races and classes to fit a specific vision for a campaign world. Sure, dwarves in the Forgotten Realms might have X, Y, and Z, but dwarves in my world don’t. Instead, they have A, B, and C. I did the same thing for monsters. In one campaign world, my ghouls weren’t undead. Instead, they were cannibals who gradually mutated in feral humanoids. My giant rats possessed almost human levels of intelligent, and they continued to grow through their lives, introducing something akin to dragon-like age category for monstrous rodents.

In the Tanelorn Keep Player’s Guide, I’ve re-imagined elves as a seafaring race of warrior-poets. Deep Sashelas, the elven deity, created elves from coral and sea foam, giving them traits in common with dolphins and sharks. Consequently, my take on elves differ in some ways substantially from elves as described in the 2E Player’s Handbook.

Elves

Deep Sashelas created the elves from coral and seafoam, and blessed them with the playful heart of a dolphin and the predatory calm of a shark. These poet-warriors built cities and ships. The First Age began when elven longships cut through the waves from Avallen, the elves’ ancestral homeland, to land on the Western Shore.

The elves conquered most of Belgica and Gaal, imposing elven administration over the disparate human tribes of the region. The elves controlled the region from the Western Shore to the Duna, along the shores of which they built several fortress-cities to guard against the militaristic dwarven clans that were consolidating their control over the mountains lands and plains of the East.

The First Age ended when those dwarven clans forded the Duna to wage a war of conquest against the elves. Many humans sided with the dwarves, adding civil war to the chaos caused by dwarven aggression. Today, the elves still control a few strongholds along the Western Shore as well as several islands, most of which serve as ports of call for elven pirate-lords.

Elf Abilities

Your elf PC has the abilities described on PH 21-22, with the following changes:

Iron Will: Elves have a +1 bonus on saving throws against all charm– and fear-related spells and abilities. Elves also receive a saving throw against sleep magic, even when the magic does not normally permit a saving throw.

Keen Senses: Your elf’s eyesight is not especially acute or able to pierce darkness, but his senses of hearing and smell are keen. Against a creature that can be heard, an elf adds +1 to his surprise roll. If an undetected, injured creature that can bleed is within 30 feet of your elf, he enjoys a +1 to his surprise roll against that creature. The DM may adjudicate that extenuating circumstances modify the range of this latter ability. These bonuses are cumulative.

Proficiencies: All elves receive a bonus weapon proficiency that must be used to learn one of these weapons: long sword, short sword, longbow, or short bow. An elf can use the chosen weapon regardless of class. All elves receive a bonus NWP that must be used to learn astrology, musical instrument, seamanship, singing, or swimming.

Tags: AD&D, Tanelorn

The various iterations of D&D have more than a handful of silly monsters. One of my favorites I first saw in AD&D’s Monster Manual II, wherein on page 114, we meet the giant black squirrel.

These semi-intelligent, neutral (evil) rodents “are found only in old, dark forests possessed by Evil.” Love the use of the significant capitalization there. The forest isn’t evil; instead, Evil possesses it. The book goes on to warn us that “[t]hese creatures are malicious and will attack weak or helpless creatures.” Since the giant black squirrel has the same HD as a hobgoblin, pretty much every 0-level person in the campaign world numbers among the weak or helpless.

Also, giant black squirrels covet. “They will steal from careless individuals, taking small, shiny objects (coins, rings, jewelry, flasks, etc. to secrete in their nests.” Ew! Not sure why giant black squirrels need these things to secrete, and I don’t want to know what they secrete either.

I’ve used giant black squirrels in adventures. They love to creep into wilderness camps at night, relying on their speed and small size to get past guards. Then, some of them deliver painful bites to sleep victims while others abscond with shiny items. Giant black squirrels do not stick around for the fight. They bite, grab, and flee, rushing back to their lairs high in the trees.

In the wilds around Tanelorn Keep, a vicious variant of the giant black squirrel exists. Known locally as kateritsas, these wicked rodents often work with jermlaine allies.

Kateritsas excel at ambushes and setting snares. They seldom kill their victims, not really having the stomach for violent confrontation. Instead, kateritsas strike quickly by surprise and then retreat after only a round or two of combat. They steal food and small valuables left unattended. Their paths of retreat lead into snares or dangerous natural hazards, such as quicksand.

Tags: AD&D, Tanelorn

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

Our every-other-Sunday 5E D&D game continues today. Terry DMed the first part of the campaign, running our characters through 5E conversions of AD&D’s Against the Cult of the Reptile God and the laughably bad The Forest Oracle. I’m DMing the game now with everyone running new characters.

In terms of campaign continuity, the first group of heroes are still out and about dealing the The Forest Oracle. Our new group of heroes have traveled to Dark Shelf (a site found in another AD&D adventure that I’m converting more or less on the fly) to investigate strange goings on at the quarry. So far, the heroes have discovered that the dwarven night shift at the quarry is actually a mob of goblins (moblins?). Among those goblins are a number of tunnel goblins, the second of three new monsters I’ve statted up for the game.

The heroes’ first foray into the quarry tunnels didn’t go well. A lack of common sense alerted goblin and human guards, and the heroes quickly found themselves outnumbered and nearly overwhelmed while enemy reinforcements could be heard echoing in the tunnels. With unconscious allies in tow, the heroes beat feet and found a hiding place in the wooded hills northeast of the quarry. Later the next day, the heroes limped back into Dark Quarry. They regrouped, recovered, and hired a couple of river guides. Heading up the river from the coast, the heroes found a way into what they rightly believe to be the lowest levels of the quarry. They defeated a couple of ooze para-elementals without too much trouble, and then the session ended.

Since Jesús, one of the players and a former student whom I taught many years ago, plays a parrot-themed aarakocra ranger whose favored enemies are goblins, the heroes have a solid idea about the capabilities of tunnel goblins even though they have yet to face them in combat. That’s likely to change today. Also, as the party has leveled up, I can pull out some tougher opposition for them. Might be a good excuse to try out a goblin swarm or two. Cue evil laughter.

Tunnel goblins excel at mining and underground construction. Goblin tribes use tunnel goblins as a skilled labor force as well as scouts and guards. With their innate nimbleness and magical ability to move through rock, tunnel goblins may prove to be more than a nuisance to unwary trespassers.

Goblin, Tunnel
Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil

Armor Class 12
Hit Points 5 (2d6-2)
Speed 30 ft., climb 15 ft.

STR 8 (-1), DEX 14 (+2), CON 9 (-1), INT 9 (-1), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 7 (-2)

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +6
Senses darkvision 90 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Goblin
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

Keen Hearing. The tunnel goblin has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing.

Light Sensitivity. While in bright light, the tunnel goblin has disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Nimble Escape. The goblin can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.

Actions

Multiattack. The tunnel goblin makes two attacks with its rocks. It makes the second rock attack roll with disadvantage.

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

Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 20/80 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage.

Reactions

Rocky Step. When a tunnel goblin uses Nimble Escape and ends its turn out of line of sight of an enemy, it may make a rocky step as its reaction. The tunnel goblin merges with a stone surface. At the start of its next turn, it uses its reaction to exit a stone surface within 30 feet of its point of entry.

Tags: 5E D&D, AD&D, monsters

A post for today featuring yet another new AD&D monster? Can do easy!

Zeni
Frequency: Uncommon
No. Appearing: 4-24
Armor Class: 8, 6, or 4 (see below)
Move: up to 12″
Hit Dice: 1+1 to 3+3
% in Lair: Nil
Treasure Type: Nil
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: See below
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Animal
Alignment: Neutral
Size: S to L (3′ diameter per HD)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Level/XP Value: 1+1 HD (III/56 + 2/hp), 2+2 HD (III/95 + 3/hp), 3+3 HD (IV/160 + 4/hp)

Zenis resemble ordinary barrel cacti, at least until they attack or move. These carnivorous plants move via rolling, and it takes time for them to build up speed. On the first round, zenis roll at 3″, and this speed increases by 3″ per round until a maximum speed of 12″ is reached.

As zenis increase in size, their exteriors become thicker and more resistant to injury. The smallest zenis are AC 8. Medium-size zenis are AC 6, and the largest zenis are AC 4.

Zenis attack one of two ways: rolling into their prey or by releasing a cloud of spines. A creature struck by a rolling zeni takes damage based on the zeni’s size and speed. A 1+1 hit die zeni inflicts 1-4 points of damage. This damage increases to 2-8 points for a 2+2 hit dice zeni and to 3-12 points for a 3+3 hit dice zeni. The monster inflicts additional damage equal to its movement rate divided by 3. So, a 3+3 hit dice zeni moving at 9″ inflicts 6-15 points of damage when it rolls into a creature. If the creature struck by a rolling zeni is not larger than the zeni, the creature may be knocked down unless it succeeds on a saving throw versus breath weapon. The saving throw is made with a +4 modifier if the creature is same size as the zeni.

Usually after it rolls into its prey, a zeni releases a cloud of spines. Each spine has wing-like structures that enable it to buzz about much like an insect. The spines fill a sphere in a 10-foot radius around the zeni. Creatures within the cloud sustain 1 hit point of damage for each melee round they remain in it, regardless of armour class. The referee will cause all creatures with one or fewer hit dice to check morale. Fire will force the spines back to their zeni, and a fireball clears the spines from its blast area. The spines lasts for up to 2 melee rounds for each of the zeni’s hit dice, and then they return to their zeni.

Zenis take half damage from lightning attacks. They are immune to fear, poison, and paralysis.

Tags: AD&D, monsters