Spes Magna Games

So, I’m just going to pretend that I haven’t posted anything since July 2025. That’s easier than making excuses.

Ludi Fabularum, the game club I facilitate where I teach, continues to grow. I’ve got more than 20 middle school boys playing Castles & Crusades in a shared campaign world. The boys are divided into four groups. After Thanksgiving break, these groups branch out from Junnmiv, the campaign’s central community, ready to investigate various problems ranging from livestock-stealing stealth humanoids to a city in the mountains that is said to have appeared from nowhere. Three 8th graders help with the GMing.

At home, my Storm Clouds Gather and Heroes of Tejas City campaigns have run into issues. The former is down to two players as our third has had to drop out due to Real Life. The latter has gone into suspended animation because I kept running into a lack of time to prep for the sessions. The heroes did manage to defeat the machinations of Pulcinella and his cabal of villains, but Pulcinella escaped capture.

Since I’m off work this week, tomorrow I’m heading over to a friend’s house with my son Christopher to run a post-apoc game that combines 1978’s Gamma World with elements from Kevin Crawford’s Ashes without Number and Wolves of God. Everything Kevin Crawford writes is RPG gold. If I had few hundred extra dollars just laying around, I’d likely spend it on Sine Nomine Publishing print-on-demand books.

And, since it’s been a few years since I posted anything B-movie related, here’s a new mutant animal inspired by 1957’s classic The Monster That Challenged the World. If you’ve not seen this one, you own it to yourself and all your friends to host a viewing to thrill at the only movie ever made with both giant, flesh-eating sea snails and Chekov’s thermostat.

Syrinx
No. Appearing: 1-10
Armor Class: 2 or 6
Movement: 3/6 swimming
Hit Dice: 12

The syrinx is an enormous sea snail. Fully grown, its shell is about 2 meters across. Attacks against the shell are versus AC 2 and only inflict half damage. The syrinx’s body is slimy and caterpillar-like, capable of extending 3 meters from its shell. The body’s rugged hide is AC 6, and attacks against it inflict normal damage. The syrinx has ultravision. Its powerful mandibles bite for 1-12 points of damage. The mucus that covers its body is an intensity 12 poison that kills by asphyxiation. Each syrinx is a hermaphrodite, capable of fertilizing itself. A syrinx lays a clutch of several hundred eggs over a period of several days in the late summer months.

Tags: B-Movies, Gamma World, monsters

The hodag is a creature of folklore and the subject of a famous hoax perpetrated by Wisconsinite Eugene Shepard in 1893. Here’s the hodag for Shadowdark. Enjoy!

Hodag

More than 10 feet long and at least four feet high at the shoulder. A visage that combines the features of a grinning man and a horned beast. Bony spikes down its spine. A hairless, rat-like tail. Sparse, brown hair covering its body. Powerful legs ending with clawed paws.

AC 14, HP 31, ATK 2 claws +3 (1d6) or gore +3 (1d8), MV double near, S +4, D +0, C +4, I -2, W +2, Ch -2, AL N, LV 6

Poor Climber. The hodag has disadvantage on climbing checks.

Charge. In place of attacks, move up to double near in a straight line and made one horn attack that inflicts 2d8 damage on up to two adjacent targets.

Tough Hide. Damage against a hodag from nonmagical slashing or piercing attacks is rolled with disadvantage.

Nota Bene: The first hodags — one male, the other female– were woodland carnivores incarnated from the pain and terror of abused animals. Their offspring, hatched from eggs, stalk forests to this day. It is wise to know that hodags are poor climbers.

Tags: folklore, monsters, Shadowdark

Another old monster made a new monster for Shadowdark. The art below is copyright 2015 by Dean Spencer and is used with permission (all rights reserved).

Mephit, Ice

A mephit, a wicked creature from some strange borderland between planes elemental and infernal, loves to torment the weak.

AC 14, HP 14, ATK 2 claws +2 (1d3 plus 1 point of cold damage) or spew ice +2 (see below), MV double near (fly), S +0, D +1, C +1, I +0, W +1, Ch -1, AL C, LV 3

Extremely Cold. Touching with bare skin causes 1 point of cold damage.

Gate Other Mephits. Once per day, 1-in-4 chance to summon another ice mephit. A summoned ice mephit cannot use this ability for a day.

Spew Ice. Single target within double near. Inflicts 1d8+1 points of cold damage, or 50% chance of extinguishing a torch or 25% chance of extinguishing a lantern if carried by the target.

Tags: monsters, Shadowdark

I’ve a couple new offerings for Shadowdark today.

First, at this link right here, you can download a new class: the Paddingtonian! With his Hard Stare and Jars of Marmalade, the Paddingtonian is an asset to any group of crawlers.

Second, a new monster, which is really an old monster updated for Shadowdark.

Golem, Bronze

A tall, broad statue cast in bronze that moves to block your path.

AC 16, HP 45, ATK 2 slam +7 (2d6), MV near, S +4, D -1, C +4, I -3, W +1, Ch -3, AL N, LV 9

Golem. Immune to damage from cold or nonmagical sources. Healed by fire.

Crush. Deals an extra die of damage if it hits the same target with both slams.

Slowed by Lightning. Immune to lightning damage, but speed is halved for 1d4 rounds.

Tags: Character Classes, monsters, Shadowdark

The Borderlands

My The Borderlands campaign continues, as does the growth of the campaign’s Scabard site.

Middangeard

I’ve made more progress on my homage to D&D of the late 1970s to early 1980s. The player’s guide to Middangeard now sits at almost 5,000 words. I estimate that puts it about 20-25% complete, at least in rough draft form.

Also!

A new monster!

Bear, Gelatinous

A mighty, translucent bear-shaped slime that thrives in arctic environments.

AC 12, HP 29, ATK 2 slams +5 (1d10 + toxic), MV near (climb), S +4, D +1, C +3, I -3, W +1, Ch -3, AL N, LV 6

Arctic-Born. Cold immune.

Crush. Deals an extra die of damage if it hits the same target with both slams.

Engulf. If crush hits, DC 12 STR or trapped inside cube. Engulfed targets automatically take 1d8 damage each round. DC 12 STR on turn to escape. Fail checks if paralyzed.

Rubbery. Half damage from stabbing weapons.

Toxin. DC 15 CON or paralyzed 1d4 rounds.

Tags: Middangeard, monsters, Shadowdark, The Borderlands