Spes Magna Games

A few days ago in a Facebook group, a gamer wondered what sorts of abilities an intelligent dog might have as a player character. I didn’t offer any helpful suggestions, but what I did offer inspired the rest of this post.

Blink Dog Deities

In the Forgotten Realms, a few deities think blink dogs are special to them. This doesn’t mean that blink dogs worship those deities, but it does provide idea fodder. For example, Baravar Cloakshadow, gnomish deity of illusion and deception, honors blink dogs. The other two deities are gods of wanderers, earth, and death. Interesting, I think, and a good starting point for blink dog deities.

Bupguau

Bupgau appears as an idealized blink dog: intelligently shining eyes, lean and strong, lustrous coat of fur, et cetera. He is clearly not of mortal origin. Bupgau is the father of all blink dogs, and it is from Bupgau that blink dogs learned how to teleport. Bupgau is clever, playful, and even a bit of a trickster, but his pranks are never malicious.

Ghavau

Ghavau resembles a blink dog, but her coat is black and dusty and her fangs glow whitely. She vanishes into shadows with ease and appears without warning. Ghavau is the mother of all blink dogs. She is the protectress of the den and pups, and she also welcomes blink dogs into paradise after death.

Vufhaf

Vufhaf, son of Bupgau and Ghavau, is the brother of all blink dogs. His fur is wild, his eyes always seek, and he runs so fast that no arrow can catch him. Vufhaf teaches blink dogs the art of the hunt and the skills needed to defend the pack. He is a warrior and a provider. His battles against displacer beasts are legendary.

Blink Dog Clerics

Blink dog clerics are not common, but they do exist. A blink dog cleric seldom honors only one of the three blink dog deities. Rather, all three are paid homage at appropriate times. A blink dog cleric casts spells as a 4th-level cleric. Three special blink dog cleric spells are known to exist.

Barkskin
Level: 1st
Range: 0
Duration: Until discharged

When the blink dog cleric casts this spell and touches a creature, the spell imbues the recipient’s skin with magic. If the recipient takes damage from a melee attack, the recipient’s skin barks like an enraged dog. The creature who triggered the spell must make a saving throw versus Spells with a -2 penalty on the die roll. If the creature fails this saving throw, it flees for two turns (as if affected by cause fear).

Fetch
Level: 1st
Range: 0 (caster only)
Duration: 1 round

The blink dog cleric casts this spell and immediately teleports up to 20 feet to make an attack against a creature. If the attack succeeds, the creature takes damage as normal. The blink dog then teleports another 20 feet, taking a single object from the creature. The object must be of an appropriate size and weight so that the blink dog can carry the object in its jaws.

Heel to Heal
Level: 2nd
Range: 0
Duration: 1 turn

When the blink dog cleric completes this spell, a 5-foot-radius zone is established around the caster. The zone moves with the caster. Once per round for the duration of the spell, a creature that teleports into the zone is healed 1d6+1 points of damage.

Tags: B/X D&D, monsters, spells

Merry Fifth Day of Christmas!

Presenting for B/X D&D: Five Golden Rings!

These rings, fashioned by a powerful wizard for her most loyal companions, bind the ring-wearers together by means of magical effects that each can use via a command word. Like all magical rings, one of the Five Golden Rings “must be worn on a hand to have the given effects, but may be carried and put on when desired” (Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Advenure Game Expert Rulebook, page X49).

Five Golden Rings: The wearer of one of these rings can use locate object once per hour, but only to locate any one of the other four rings. Once per day, the wearer can use clairvoyance to see through the eyes of anyone wearing one of the other rings. By spending one round concentrating, the wearer can “shift” the clairvoyance to a different ring-wearer, doing so any number of times until the effect ends (after 12 turns or until dispelled or negated). The wearer can transfer up to 8 of his own hit points to another ring-bearer by touching the recipient for one round. This power can be used once per day.

Tags: B/X D&D, Christmas, magic items

Today, I take a break from my AD&D Deities & Demigods-to-5E conversions because I got distracted by the critter in the video above. If you’ve not seen this critter in action, check it out, and then read on to meet it statted out for three versions of D&D.

The tethydida is a monstrous marine predator that inhabits warm, tropical waters near reefs. It has a green, semi-transparent hide of thick, spongy tissue encasing thousands of gallons of viscous slime in which float various organelles. The tethydid is voracious and aggressive. It reaches lengths of 30 feet.

For B/X D&D:

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 9*
Move: 30′ (10′), Swimming: 60′ (20′)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 3-18
No. Appearing: 1-2 (1-4)
Save As: Fighter: 5
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: Nil
Alignment: Neutral

The tethydida attacks by expanding its bulbous head and biting at everything in a 10-foot radius. Make a “to hit” roll against all targets in the area of effect. If a “to hit” roll for the bite is 4 or more than the number required (or a 20, in any case), creatures of man-size or smaller will be swallowed whole and absorbed by a digestive organelle, taking 3-12 (3d4) points of damage each round thereafter.

For AD&D:

Frequency: Rare
No. Appearing: 1-4
Armor Class: 6
Move: 3″//6″
Hit Dice: 9
% in Lair: Nil
Treasure Type: Nil
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 3-18
Special Attacks: Swallow whole
Special Defenses: Nil
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Animal
Alignment: Neutral
Size: L (30′ long)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Level/XP Value: VII/1,300 + 12/hp

The tethydid attacks by biting. Its bite affects a 10-foot radius. Any hit 20% over the required score (that is 4 or more over the required number) or a 100% (die roll of 20) score in any case indicates the tethydid has engulfed its victim. A mature tethydid can swallow, whole, a creature as large as 6′ or so tall and up to 4′ wide, or vice versa. Any creature swallowed whole is absorbed by a digestive organelle and will be dead in 6 melee rounds. The tethydid will digest its meal in 12 turns, and that time the victim is totally gone and cannot be raised from the dead. Note, however, that a creature swallowed can try to cut its way out of the tethydid. The inner armor class of the tethydid is 9, but each round the creature is in the tethydid, subtract 1 from the damage each attack against the tethydid’s interior. This subtraction is cumulative (-2 on the second round, -3 on the third round, et cetera).

For 5E:

Huge beast, unaligned

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 85 (9d12+27)
Speed 10 ft., swim 20 ft.
Ability Scores STR 22 (+6), DEX 9 (-1), CON 17 (+3), INT 2 (-4), WIS 11 (+0), CHA 5 (-3)

Saving Throws CON +6, WIS +3
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages —
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Hold Breath. While out of water, the tethydid can hold its breath for 1 hour.

Water Breathing. The tethydid can breathe only underwater.

Actions

Massive Bite. The tethydid targets a point it can see within 10 feet. Each target within 10 feet of that point must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 16 (3d6+6) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. If the target that fails its saving throw is a Medium or smaller creature, the target is also swallowed by the tethydid. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the tethydid, and it takes 15 (6d4) acid damage at the start of the tethydid’s turn.

If the tethydid takes 18 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the tethydid must succeed on a DC 16 saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the tethydid. If the tethydid dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 10 feet of movement, exiting prone.

Tags: 1E AD&D, 5E D&D, B/X D&D, monsters