Spes Magna Games

Yesterday it was the servants of He Who Must Not Be Named. Today’s trip into the AD&D Deities & Demigods brings us the fiery minions of Cthuga, the “master of the fire element”, statted for 5E D&D.

These creatures appear to be smaller versions of their master. This means a flame creature resembles a flaming amoeba with tentacles that appear to be flames emanating from its body. (Deities & Demigods, page 44)

Flame Creature of Cthuga
Huge elemental, chaotic evil

Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 184 (16d12+80)
Speed 60 ft.
Ability Scores STR 14 (+2), DEX 21 (+5), CON 20 (+5), INT 10 (+0), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 9 (-1)

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities fire, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Ignan
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)

Amorphous. The flame creature can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

Elemental Nature. The flame creature doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Flame Aura. At the start of each of the flame creature’s turns, each creature within 60 feet of it takes 10 (3d6) fire damage, and flammable objects in the aura that aren’t being worn or carried ignite. A creature that touches the flame creature or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 10 (3d6) fire damage.

Illumination. The fire creature sheds bright light in a 45-foot radius and dim light in an additional 45 feet.

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

Actions

Multiattack. The flame creature attacks twice with its tentacle and/or its heat ray.

Heat Ray. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10+5) fire damage. If the target is a creature or a flammable object, it ignites. Until a creature takes an action to douse the fire, the target takes 6 (1d12) fire damage at the start of each of its turns.

Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) fire damage. If the target is a creature or a flammable object, it ignites. Until a creature takes an action to douse the fire, the target takes 6 (1d12) fire damage at the start of each of its turns.

Tags: 5E D&D, Deities & Demigods, monsters

My next stop in the AD&D Deities & Demigods is the sanity-threatening Cthulhu Mythos. For the first post, I present the Byakhee, those monstrous servants of He Who Must Not Be Named, statted for 5E D&D.

These giant furry bat-like creatures have humanoid legs that enable them to stand like men. They can be summoned by clerics of Hastur through use of a gate spell (1-4 Byakhee will appear). (Deities & Demigods, page 44)

Byakhee
Huge aberration, chaotic evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 125 (10d12+60)
Speed 15 ft., fly 60 ft.
Ability Scores STR 25 (+7), DEX 11 (+0), CON 23 (+6), INT 10 (+0), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 12 (+1)

Damage Immunities cold, fire
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Innate Spellcasting.. The Byakhee’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: dimension door, plane shift (to and from Carcosa only), teleport

Magic Resistance.. The Byakhee has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. If an Elder Sign is used as an additional material component for a spell, the Byakhee’s magic resistance does not apply.

Unnatural. The Byakhee does not require air.

Actions

Multiattack. The Byakhee makes two claw attacks.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (1d10+7) slashing damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, the Byakhee can automatically hit the target with its claws, and the Byakhee can’t use those claws against another target. The Byakhee has two claw attacks, each of which can grapple one target.

Reactions

Abduct. When a Byakhee has restrained a target with its claws, at the end of a target’s turn if that target remains restrained, the Byakhee may attempt to plane shift to Carcosa. The restrained target must make a DC 13 Charisma saving throw. If the target fails, the target and the Byakhee are transported to Carcosa.

*****

Penance, Texas for The Four Color Hack is up and running. Not only has my Patreon site has been transformed and relaunched, but all three tiers of patron-only perks have been posted. These perks include a new villain for all patrons, a new scenario for Avengers and League Members, and a special surprise for League Members only.

Tags: 5E D&D, Deities & Demigods, monsters, TFCH

And here’s my final foray into into the Chinese Mythos from the AD&D Deities & Demigods. Way back in the day, the spirits of the air were among the few creatures in Deities & Demigods that I ever used as a DM. Here they are for 5E D&D.

These minions of the wind gods can be summoned by them in number of up to 100 every day…. They exist to fight for the gods. (Deities & Demigods, page 41)

Spirits of the Air
Large elemental, neutral

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 104 (11d10+44)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)
Ability Scores STR 23 (+6), DEX 16 (+3), CON 18 (+4), INT 10 (+0), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 11 (+0)

Saving Throws DEX +8
Skills Athletics +10, Perception +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages all
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

Flyby. The spirit of the air doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.

Actions

Multiattack. The spirit of the air attacks twice with its claws.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6+6) slashing damage.

Wings. The spirit of the air beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the spirit of the air must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (1d8+6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The spirit of the air can then fly up to half its flying speed.

Tags: 5E D&D, Deities & Demigods, monsters

A new threat for Mutant Future:

Manesthoid
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 150′ (50′), fly 180′ (60′)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 8
Attacks: 3 (2 claws/1 bite)
Damage: 2d4+6/2d4+6/1d6+3 plus poison
Save: L8
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: XVII
XP: 2,560

Mutations: Chameleon Epidermis; Unique (Combat Precognition, Ootheca, Sensory Adaptations)

The manesthoids are 12-foot-tall, highly intelligent, mutant praying mantises. By means of specialized cells in its chitin, a manesthoid can instantly alter the lucidness, appearance, and color of its exoskeleton. When stationary, a manesthoid can be nearly invisible. With its ability to rotate its head 180 degrees combined with its compound eyes and frequency-sensitive organs in its thorax, a manesthoid has keen senses. It is surprised only 1 in 8 times, and its hearing extends into frequencies inaudible to the human ear.

In combat, a manesthoid strikes with its hooked forelimbs and its powerful bite. The manesthoid’s saliva is a Class 9 poison (save or fall asleep for 2d4 rounds). Due to its combat precognition, it strikes with a +4 bonus to hit in combat, and its attacks inflict +3 points of damage per damage die. Once per combat round, roll 1d20. On a 10+, the manesthoid’s perceives enough of the future in sufficient time to take defensive action against one attack. The manesthoid takes one-half damage from the attack.

Against a helpless target, a female manesthoid extrudes an ootheca, which is a porous, adhesive material containing 1d8 manesthoid eggs. It takes the female 1d4 rounds to extrude the ootheca, and it sets to concrete-like hardness in another 1d4 rounds. The eggs hatch in 1d10 days, and the immature manesthoids consume the entrapped creature.

Tags: monsters, Mutant Future

Spes Magna Games has been in business since December 2009. In that time, I’ve published more than 50 PDFs for various game systems. About two years ago, I released The Four Color Hack. At the time, I had vague plans of eventually releasing TFCH as a print-on-demand game.

Well, eventually has arrived, and TFCH is officially Spes Magna’s first real book.

You can get TFCH as a 6-by-9-inch 80-page black-and-white softcover for $10.95 (not including shipping and handling). The softcover includes the $3 PDF. If you’ve not checked out TFCH yet, start with the PDF. If you like what you see, and you want the book, use this link right here to get the print-on-demand version for $7.95. Caveat: The discount link in the previous sentence expires at the end of September 2018.

Ms. Jessica Dow deserves a big “Thanks!” for picking up the dropped ball of formatting TFCH for print-on-demand. I hope to work with Ms. Dow again on another print-on-demand job in the near future.

But enough of that. Let’s head back into the Chinese Mythos from the AD&D Deities & Demigods. Today, we meet Mu Yuan, the 70-foot-tall killer of the gods, for use with 5E D&D.

This monster has 3 eyes in his tyrannosaurus-shaped head, and has 4 large humanoid arms. He has the strength of a storm giant…. He also has a powerful magical device shaped in the form of a small triangular piece of stone that has the power to turn into any weapon [Ma Yuan] wishes, magical or otherwise. (Deities & Demigods, page 40)

Ma Yuan
Gargantuan monstrosity, chaotic evil

Armor Class 24 (natural armor)
Hit Points 615 (30d20+270)
Speed 60 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 60 ft.
Ability Scores STR 29 (+9), DEX 10 (+0), CON 28 (+9), INT 13 (+1), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 13 (+1)

Saving Throws INT +9, WIS +10, CHA +9
Skills Religion +9
Damage Resistances fire (due to Morphic Stone); bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-legendary attacks
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Abyssal
Challenge 28 (120,000 XP)

Amphibious. Ma Yuan can breathe water and air.

Frightful Presence. Each creature of Ma Yuan’s choice that is within 120 feet of him and aware of him must succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Ma Yuan’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Ma Yuan fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. Ma Yuan has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magical Weapons. Ma Yuan’s weapon attacks are magical.

Siege Monster. Ma Yuan deals double damage to objects and structures.

Actions

Multiattack. Ma Yuan can use his Frightful Presence. He then makes up to five attacks: one with his bite and four with his claws. He can make a Morphic Stone attack in place of one or two claw attacks, depending on whether the Morphic Stone takes the form of a one-handed weapon or a two-handed weapon.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 48 (6d12+9) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 22). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and Ma Yuan can’t bite another target.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d8+9) slashing damage.

Morphic Stone. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 37 (8d6+9) slashing damage plus 14 (4d6) cold damage. As an action, Ma Yuan can transform the Morphic Stone into any melee weapon, magical or otherwise, that he wants to wield. Quadruple the weapon’s damage dice since Ma Yuan is Gargantuan. The preceding attack and damage values reflect Ma Yuan using a Gargantuan greatsword frost brand.

Legendary Actions

Ma Yuan can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary option can be used at time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Ma Yuan regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Change Morphic Stone. Ma Yuan can change the Morphic Stone into a different melee weapon and then attack with that weapon.

Move. Ma Yuan moves up to half his speed.

Swallow (Costs 2 Actions). Ma Yuan makes one bite attack against a Large or smaller creature it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target takes the bite’s damage, the target is swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside Ma Yuan, and it takes 49 (14d6) acid damage at the start of each of Ma Yuan’s turns.

If Ma Yuan takes 60 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, Ma Yuan must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of Ma Yuan. If Ma Yuan dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 30 feet of movement, exiting prone.

Tags: 5E D&D, Deities & Demigods, monsters, TFCH