Yeesh. It’s been about a month and a half since my last post. That’s probably not my worst lag, but it’s an impressive anti-accomplishment nonetheless.
So, I had been posting about converting content from the 1989 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WHF) for use with Castles and Crusades. Today, at long last, is no exception. I took the Mutation tables from the Chaos Beastmen (WHF 216) and Warrior of Chaos (WHF 230) to create a Chaos Goblin Mutations table.
Enjoy!
The 1989 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WHF) has few undead not already part of Castles and Crusades. Last post, I converted the Carrion. This post? The Marshlight.
Marshlight
Size: Small to Medium
HD: 1 (d8)
AC: 12
Saves: M, P
Move: Fly 40 ft.
Attacks: None
Special: Darkvision 60 ft., Incorporeal, Mesmerism, Undead Instability
INT: None
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Type: Undead
Treasure: 1
XP: 15 + 1/hp
From WHF 252: “Marshlights are ethereal creatures which take the form of glowing lights; they can appear to be lanterns, vaguely humanoid figures or other crude shapes. …. They are dangerous not because of any physical damage they cause, but because of the compelling hypnotic effect, by which they lead mesmerised characters to their deaths. It is thought they feed in some vampiric way upon the ebbing life forces of their victims.”
Combat: A living creature with greater than animal intelligence must make a successful charisma save upon seeing a Marshlight that is within 300 feet. Elves and half-elves apply their resistance to charms to his save. If the save is successful, the creature is immune to that Marshlight’s mesmerism for 24 hours. Mesmerised victims walk toward the Marshlight, taking the most direct route available. Mesmerised victims takes no actions other than to defend themselves and move toward the Marshlight. A mesmerised victim who takes damage or who loses line-of-sight to the Marshlight is freed from that Marshlight’s enchantment.
Incorporeal: Marshlights exist only partially within the mortal realms; most of their essence resides in the ethereal. A creature in the mortal realms cannot attack a Marshlight except with magical weapons of +1 or better. Marshlights are immune to cold- and fire-based attacks.
Let’s take some undead monsters from the 1989 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WHF) and adapt them to Castles and Crusades, to include WHF’s idea that undead are subject to instability.
Undead Instability: Undead do not belong on the Material Plane. Some of whatever gives unlife to what should be a dead thing comes from another plane of existence. Undead might be subject to instability. This is common with uncontrolled undead who venture outside of desecrated or unholy places. Undead directly controlled by a necromancer or similarly powerful master may also avoid instability. Otherwise, check for instability by rolling 1d8 when an undead creature:
1-2: The source of the undead’s power and the Material Plane separate. The undead becomes incorporeal and can longer use any of its physical attacks. Each round, there is a 50% chance the undead becomes unable to act at all. The undead may be harmed by magical attacks (including magic weapons) as normal. This effect is permanent; don’t check for instability again.
3-4: The source of the undead’s power and the Material Plane separate. The undead becomes incorporeal and can no longer use any of its physical attacks. The undead is reduced to 1 hit point per hit die (if lower than its current hit point total). The undead may be harmed by magical attacks (including magic weapons) as normal.
5: The source of the undead’s power and the Material Plane flux. The undead’s move is halved, and it suffers a -2 penalty to attack rolls and saving throws for 1d6 rounds. If normally struck only by magic weapons, the undead can be harmed by normal weapons during this time.
6: The flow of negative energy from the source of the undead’s power to the Material Plane reverses. Roll the undead’s hit dice, reading the result as damage. Intelligent undead suffer half damage from this effect.
7: The flow of negative energy from the source of the undead’s power increases. For 1d6 rounds, the undead’s move is doubled, and it enjoys a +2 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws. If normally struck only by magic weapons, the undead takes half damage from such weapons during this period. If normally struck by normal weapons, the undead takes half damage from such weapons during this period.
8: The flow of negative energy from the source of the undead’s power increases. For 1d6 rounds, the undead benefits from number 7 above. Furthermore, the undead regenerates 1d4 hit points per round during the same period.
Carrion
Size: Large (7 ft. tall, 20 ft. wingspan)
HD: 6 (d8)
AC: 14
Saves: P
Move: 20 ft., fly 90 ft.
Attacks: 2 Claws (1d6), 1 Bite (1d8)
Special: Darkvision 60 ft., Dive, Fear, Twilight Vision, Undead Instability
INT: Inferior
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Type: Undead (Extraordinary)
Treasure: 2
XP: 300 + 6/hp
From WHF 248: “Carrion were once great birds of prey inhabiting the northern fringes of the Worlds Edge Mountains. Now are scarcely recognizable, having been captured and warped by Chaos into the present form. These great, Undead birds now serve the forces of Chaos as aerial scouts and fighters. Occassionally, they will carry a rider – typically a small Chaos Goblin mutant armed with a lance and a bow. They cannot carry heavier riders.”
“Carrion are skeletal flying beasts, mostly birdlike but with membranous wings and tails, reminiscent of bats or pterodactyls.”
Combat: “In combat, Carrion attack with two claws and one bite per round.” In melee combat, Carrion cause fear (PH 175-176) in a 10-foot radius; a creature that makes its charisma check against this effect is immune to that Carrion’s fear for 24 hours. A Carrion’s rider is immune to this fear. A Carrion bearing a rider is not subject to undead instability.
Dive: A Carrion can dive at a foe, gaining a +4 attack roll bonus, but it must move at least 45 feet in one round to do so. A successful attack means the target takes damage from both claws. Furthermore, the target must succeed at a dexterity check to avoid being grasped in the Carrion’s talons. If the check fails, and the target weighs no more than 100 pounds, the Carrion picks up the target and carries into the air. If the victim manages to stab or otherwise harm the Carrion, it immediately drops the victim. A Carrion cannot carry off a target and carry a mount at the same time.
The shipwrecked adventurers followed the freed sprites to Brú na Bóinne, a magically hidden fort home to a community of friendly fey creatures ruled by the aloof Queen Titania. From this safe haven, the adventurers split into two groups determined to find a way off the island. Group one set out in search of the Mad Hermit said to live in the woods. After several hours of careful travel, the party encountered a trio of savage, dwarf-like creatures trying to kill an ensnared mountain lion, which wore a collar.
The adventurers freed the mountain lion, which fled the battle, and also defeated the savages. Then, tge adventurers tracked the mountain lion back to its lair: a massive tree in the center of a circular clearing. The heroes circled the clearing, spotting a dimly lit entrance into the tree. After they had reached about the half way point to the tree, a voice boomed:
“Turn back! The Mad Hermit tolerates no trespassers!”
Phosterius the Mad Hermit
Size: Medium
HD: 5 (d6)
HP: 25
AC: 15 (leather armor, small wooden shield, +1 ring of true protection, DEX)
Saves: M, P
Move: 30 ft.
Attacks: +1 dagger (1d4+1)
Special: Druid and rogue abilities (see below)
INT: High
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Type: Humanoid
Treasure: 5
XP: 365
Phosterius, known as the Mad Hermit, has lived on Shipwreck Island for a bit more than two decades. His reputation for insanity and wild dangerousness is not completely without merit, but he neither truly mad nor murderous. What he values most is being left alone with his only companion, Susuarana, his daughter who was an infant when they were stranded on the island.
Phosterius has all the skills of a 3rd-level rogue, and he can sneak attack and back attack as a 5th-level rogue (+2 “to hit” and +4 damage versus an unsuspecting target or +4 “to hit” and triple damage with a successful move silently or hide check). He also zealously protects the territory around his tree-home, striving to live in harmony with nature. He enjoys a +2 bonus to saving throws against air, earth, fire, water, lightning, and cold attacks, speaks the druidic language, and casts spells as a 5th-level druid. Phosterius prepares four 0-level, four 1st-level, three 2nd-level, and one 3rd-level druid spells per day. He typically prepares these spells:
0th Level: create water, endure elements, first aid, light
1st Level: alarm, entangle, goodberry, invisibility to animals
2nd Level: cure light wounds, heat metal, summon swarm
3rd Level: snare
Phosterius avoids direct combat when possible. If pressed, he uses his +1 dagger. His magic ring adds its +1 bonus to both armor class and saving throws, but the former bonus does not function with magic armor. He owns a magic collar. When worn, the wearer becomes a mountain lion (M&T 204-205) in all ways except intelligence, maintaining this form as long as the collar is worn. Phosterius’s daughter often wears the magic collar on her jaunts through the forest.
While searching for shelter from the icy wind and the coming night, the shipwrecked adventurers trekked to the forest where they encountered encamped frogbolds and several war-trained axe beaks. The fight was fierce but brief. The adventurers won, and several frogbolds escaped into the deeper woods. Among the camp gear the frogbolds abandoned, the adventurers discovered several crude boxes on a cart. In the boxes? Sprites captured by the frogbolds for some dark purpose.
Frogbold
Number: 4-24, 40-400
Size: Small
HD: 1 (d4)
AC: 15
Saves: P
Move: 20 ft., hop 30 ft., swim 20 ft.
Attacks: By weapon
Special: Darkvision, 60 ft., Hopping Charge, Light Sensitivity
INT: Low
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Type: Humanoid
Treasure: 1
XP: 7 + 1
Frogbolds are small, frog-like humanoids, the largest being somewhat bigger than a halfling. They have moist, smooth skin that has an almost leather-like toughness. Neither particularly clever nor notably brave, frogbolds prefer to attack outnumbered or obviously injured prey. Their tactics tend to be simple: charge into the fray and gang up on enemies as often as possible.
Frogbolds make their lairs in caves near bodies of water, whether fresh or salt. When above ground, they may set up crude shelters for a temporary camp used as a central location from which to radiate out and make raids to capture weapons, armor, and prisoners (for use as food or sacrifices). Frogbolds know little of crafting or mining, and so they seldom modify their cave lairs to any great extent, nor do they manufacture their own tools.
Female frogbolds lay eggs, which must be deposited in water (again, either salt or fresh). The frogbold spawn consist of round clusters of eggs connected into ribbons by a gelatinous substance. The tadpoles develop and hatch quickly, and they are cannibalistic, ensuring that only the strongest survive the few weeks necessary to grow into air-breathing humanoid form.
Most frogbold lairs have no more than 40 or so adult male members. Rarely, a strong chieftain (2 d8-HD) rises up to rally several family groups into a tribe numbering as many as 400 adults. A chieftain is served by one sub-chief (1 d8-HD) for every 10 frogbolds in the tribe. The number of females in a tribe typically equals two-thirds the number of adult males with an additional one-fourth the number of adult males in hatchlings.
Combat: Frogbolds can make a hopping charge into melee combat, leaping up to 30 feet (reaching a height of 15 feet during the jump), thus gaining a +2 to hit and damage for that attack (but suffering a -4 to AC until the start of their next turn). They use basic weapons, especially spears and javelins. They wear crude leather or hide armor, and seldom use shields. Chieftains and sub-chiefs have better armor and weapons, and any magic items possessed by the tribe are surely in the possession of these leaders. Due to their light sensitivity, frogbolds suffer a -1 to hit penalty when fighting in bright light.
Special: Frogbold witchdoctors are druid/wizards, but they are limited to fifth level. They do not use spellbooks even for their wizard spells, but instead prepare their spells once per day as does a druid. Some chieftains may have levels as a barbarian or a ranger, but they seldom have advanced to higher than third level in either class.
