Spes Magna Games

The prolific virtual pen of Bearded-Devil has written about me. How exciting! Elsewhere on the interwebz, Matt Jackson’s CollaboDungeon 02 has gone live. CollaboDungeon 02 is bigger and perhaps niftier than its predecessor. Check it out, and be a collaborator. (It’s okay in this instance; normally, collaborators get shot.)

My previous post perhaps included one too many puns, assuming such a thing is possible. It’s okay. I forgive me. Since only a fool laughs at his own jokes, I’m still kind of giggling about the Sybil ants. Therefore, today’s monster, written for the wonderful Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game. (Nota Bene: The link for the Basic Fantasy RPG is an affiliate link.)

Swarm of Sybil Ants
Armor Class: 12
Hit Dice: 4**
No. of Attacks: 1 bite plus paralysis
Damage: 2d4
Movement: 60′ (10′)
No. Appearing: 1d6, Wild 2d6 , Lair 4d6
Save As: Fighter: 4
Morale: 7 on first sighting, 12 after engaged
Treasure Type: U
XP: 320

The hissing Sybil ants build vast networks of tunnels and chambers in the Saar Chasm. These stealthy, precognitive insects have swarmed more than one careless traveler, their venom quickly inducing paralysis but not unconsciousness, making it easier to drag their hapless prey underground to be drained of blood over a period of several days.

A swarm of Sybil ants covers up to a 10-foot square, but it may move in column, et cetera. It makes only one melee attack against a creature adjacent to or within its mass. If more than one target exists, randomly determine which one is affected. A creature bitten by the swarm must make a save versus Poison or become paralyzed for 1d4 days. A creature that starts its turn within a swarm must make a saving throw versus Poison or be unable to take any actions other than moving at half speed due to the large number of insects crawling and biting the creature.

A swarm of Sybil ants takes half damage from weapons. It is immune to magical effects that target a single creature. Since Sybil ants have low-level precognitive abilities, they are surprised only a 1 (in 6). If a swarm of Sybil ants has lost at least 50% of its hit points, its bite inflicts 1d4 points of damage and saving throws against the swarm’s effects are made with a +2 bonus.

Tags: Basic Fantasy RPG, monsters

Most people in the typical D&D 5E world are commoners (MM, p. 345). A commoner is likely to lose initiative to a feral zombie. Even if the commoner wins initiative, he or she is unlikely to survive the first round of combat against a feral zombie. The feral zombie is only 20% likely to miss a commoner with an attack, and its claws are going to take a commoner to 0 hit points with one successful attack. The commoner is 60% likely to be infected by the feral zombie’s claw attack. Say one feral zombie breaks into a household in which five commoners live. All of the commoners are killed. Four hours after the attack, one feral zombie has become four feral zombies (with three-fifths of the dead commoners becoming new feral zombies). In a commoner-rich environment, such as a city, the presence of a pack of feral zombies quickly becomes a serious threat.

That major urban’s center first line of defense, the guard (MM, p. 347), is also a poor match against a feral zombie. A pouncing feral zombie can kill a guard in one round about half the time, and the guard is unlikely to survive a second round of combat against a feral zombie. The city’s first response to the feral zombies is going to fail, and every guard killed is 55% likely to become a new feral zombie.

Since feral zombies abhor sunlight, the majority of attacks occur after sunset. During daylight hours, feral zombies move into hiding. They aren’t inactive, however. Defenders who move into an infected area to root out the monsters still have a fight on their hands as they move from house to house, shop to shop, sewer tunnel to sewer tunnel. Meanwhile, the majority of those injured but not killed are suffering the effects of feral zombie infection. Many of them are dead six hours after being attacked, and the initial attacks (at least) are likely to overwhelm the city’s healing capabilities.

A group of adventurers using the city as its base of operations could depart on some heroic endeavor and return days later to find the city overrun with undead monsters. The adventurers could also face problems related to refugees who flee the city with infected friends and family, hoping to find succor in a nearby town and bringing the infection with them to a new location. In cases where the nearest other community to is too far to reach before the infection kills its host, the adventurers then must deal with feral zombies running loose in the countryside, preying on farmers and travelers. As the plague spreads, society breaks down. Structures that nourished communities become compromised, and people become desperate. Opportunists loot homes and shops, and even otherwise decent people are more likely to take drastic steps to survive and protect their loved ones. Law and order give way to what Jack London called “the law of the club” (see chapter two of The Call of the Wild).

And, of course, D&D being a fantasy game full of monsters, strange cults, and dark gods, the feral zombie outbreak could have sinister origins. Cultists and cult fanatics (MM, p. 345) under the sway of evil priests (MM, p. 348) direct the chaos. They smuggle feral zombies into new locations. Masquerading as beneficient helpers, they finagle their way into positions of trust and authority within populations of survivors. If the adventurers figure out what’s going on, they find themselves opposed by good but desperate people who have been duped by the forces of evil. Before the adventurers figure out what’s going on, they themselves might number among the dupes, embarking on missions of mercy that really expand the influence of those who seek to spread the undead plague. Meanwhile, other groups and creatures inimical to civilization muster at the borders of the affected regions. When the center fails to hold, the frontiers run the risk of collapsing as well.

One way to outline the horror unleashed by a single pack of feral zombies set loose in a city comes from the wonderful RPG Dungeon World, which uses a technique called a front. If you’re not familiar with fronts, check them out by clicking here. A front “is a collection of linked dangers—threats to the characters specifically and to the people, places, and things the characters care about.” If the characters don’t intervene, the front progresses to its natural conclusion, usually ending in widespread death and destruction.

A series of zombie plague adventurers can be started as two or three types of dangers. The most obvious type of danger is the Horde, described at the aforelinked site. Combine the Horde danger with an Ambitious Organization and Arcane Enemies, and you’ve got a wealth of material that can be spun into several adventures to challenge any group of characters.

Tags: 5E D&D, Dungeon World, monsters

In the competition for most done-to-death horror movie genre, the battle between zombie survival and found footage has probably been won by found footage, much to the detriment of movie making. My hypothesis is that movies are like books in terms of quality. Most books aren’t all that bad, but they’re not very good either. Many books, a week or so after I’ve read them, I’ve pretty much forgotten them. Same too with movies, especially, it seems, horror movies.

Thus, Feral, starring Scout Taylor-Compton and Lew Temple, along with several others who mostly serve as a combination of plot point and monster food. There’s nothing original in Feral. Zombie virus? Check. Grizzled cabin-dweller with a dark secret that’s revealed as a prologue? Check. Stuck-up girlfriend? Check. Spurned ex-boyfriend with a chip on his shoulder? Check. Zombies that growl and pose before attacking? Check. Hackneyed moral dilemma explored via characters screaming at each other? Check. Unsurprising surprise ending? Check.

Et cetera, et cetera.

Taylor-Compton almost delivers a strong performance, but the script holds her back. So too with Temple. The earlier parts of the film work better than the climax and ending. Taylor-Compton’s Alice manages to be determined and strong, and Temple’s Talbot comes across as haunted and regretful. Then the script degenerates into “Do it!” “I won’t do it!” repetition while the zombies alternate between lightning quick stealth and plodding stomach growls.

Feral is a mess, and a minimally entertaining one at that.

Zombie, Feral
Medium undead, unaligned

Armor Class 12
Hit Points 22 (3d8+9)
Speed 30 ft.

Ability Scores STR 16 (+3), DEX 14 (+2), CON 17 (+3), INT 7 (-2), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 9 (-1)

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Skills Athletics +5, Perception +2, Stealth +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages understands the languages it knew in life but can’t speak
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Aggressive. As a bonus action, the feral zombie can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see.

Critically Hit. The feral zombie’s damage resistance does not apply to critical hits.

Daylight Torpor. The feral zombie gains a level of exhaustion when it starts its turn in sunlight.

Keen Sight. The feral zombie has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Pounce. If the feral zombie moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits with a claws attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the feral zombie can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.

Actions

Multiattack. The feral zombie can make up two attacks, using its claws and bite one time each.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4+3) slashing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become infected. The target gains a level of exhaustion and can’t regain hit points. Its hit point maximum decreases by 5 (1d10) for every hour that elapses. Each hour, the target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or gain another level of exhaustion. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0 or it reaches 6 levels of exhaustion. The infection can be removed by a lesser restoration spell or other magic.

A humanoid that dies while infected rises 4 (1d8) hours later as a feral zombie, unless the humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed. The new feral zombie is not under the control of the feral zombie that created it.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature that is prone, grappled by the feral zombie, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 7 (1d6+3) piercing damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 13) and restrained until the grapple ends.

Tags: 5E D&D, monsters, movies

Check out this pic by MitchGrave on DeviantArt.

The veikindi is voracious undead horror formed when a humanoid creature dies from a wasting disease. The combination of the sufferer’s pain, anger, and remorse becomes twisted into a refusal to pass on to what lies beyond mortal life.

Veikindi
Medium undead, neutral evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 39 (6d8+12)
Speed 30 ft.

Ability Scores STR 14 (+2), DEX 15 (+2), CON 14 (+2), INT 6 (-2), WIS 13 (+1), CHA 7 (-2)

Damage Resistances cold
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
Skills Athletics +4, Perception +3, Stealth +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages the languages it knew in life
Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Blood Frenzy. The veikindi has advantage on melee attack rolls against any living creature that doesn’t have all its hit points.

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

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

Actions

Multiattack. The veikindi makes three attacks, only one of which may be an oversized arm attack.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.

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

Oversized Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d12+2) slashing damage. If the target is a living creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw against disease or become poisoned until the disease is cured. Every hour that elapses, the target must repeat the saving throw, reducing its hit point maximum by 3 (1d6) on a failure. The disease is cured on a success. The target dies if the disease reduces its hit point maximum to 0. This reduction to the target’s hit point maximum lasts until the disease is cured.

A humanoid slain by the veikindi’s disease rises 24 hours later as a veikindi, unless the humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed. The newly risen veikindi is not under the control of its creator.

Tags: 5E D&D, monsters

Well, I’ve gone against my better judgment. We ended our Savage Worlds campaign, and I’ve started a d20 Modern/d20 Future campaign that started in the near future of 2069 aboard Space Station Alpha. By the conclusion of the first session, a strange solar event transported the station and all its personnel approximately 250,000,000 years into the future.

During session two, the PCs stepped into leadership roles. The station’s position was stabilized. Plans for food rationing were made. Maintenance drones were repurposed for long-range scouting. One drone found what appeared to be a collection of stone structures on the so-called dark side of the Moon. Another identified two possible areas in a temperate zone on Earth that looked like promising landing sites.

The PCs decided to scout the Moon location first as it was closer to the station. Two NPC pilots took the four PCs on a trip around the Moon. They maneuvered in for a closer look, noting the ramps between buildings, the presence of black-sailed galleons, and, unfortunately for CPO Scharff (Alex’s character), a brief glimpse of one of the monstrous inhabitants (depicted just below).

The players got to add a Sanity score to their character sheets, and Scharff failed the first SAN check of the campaign. LT Mantis (Eric’s character) managed to calm the dangerously panicked Scharff down, and the pilots made a hasty retreat. Back on the station, those in charge decided to not inform station personnel about the moon monsters.

A couple of days later, the PCs loaded up the shuttle with personnel and supplies, and made a landing on the island identified as a possible site via probe. They found fresh water, strange piscean statues, and a collection of ponderous stone structures near the beach. They decided to set up camp near the crater lake above what they take to be an abandoned village. The security detail went off to scout.

In the “village”, the PCs found the strange bird-creature captured via tangle gun by the security detail. They also found three strange statues of smallish size and a sealed clay pot. Scharff found faint tracks of something bipedal but not human leading from the “village” to the surf. The group found a resinous material in the clay pot that chemical analysis showed to be highly psychoactive.

The Bird-Creature
Small Animal
HD: 2d8+2 (11 hp)
Init: +2
Spd: 15 ft., fly 80 ft., swim 30 ft.
Def: 14 (+2 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size), touch 13, flat-footed 12
BAB/Grp: +1/-3
Atk: Beak +3 melee (1d4)
Full Atk: Beak +3 melee (1d4) and 2 talons +0 melee (1d4)
FS/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
SQ: Low-light vision
AL: None
SV: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +2
AP: 0
Rep: +0
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Spot +13, Swim +13
Feats: Weapon Finesse (beak, talons)
Environment: Temperate coasts
Organization: Solitary, pair, or flock (3-12)
Advancement: None

This avian creature resembles the albatross in size and coloration, but its feet are both webbed and sport sharp talons. Its beak has serrations and can inflict serious wounds with a sawing-motion bite. The bird-creature has been observed to dive into the sea and swim in pursuit of its prey. It appears to feed exclusively on fish.

Tags: d20 System, monsters, Tuesday Terror