Spes Magna Games

I took 12 isometric dungeon maps that I’ve drawn and put them together as Map Collection I, which is now available at DriveThruRPG at the cost of 10 cents a map.

And now, a new monster for Swords & Wizardry!

Kobold spiders worship various horrifying demons that invariably take forms resembling monstrous arachnids. Rumor has it that Buibui, their chief deity, is a terrifying spider king that rules a hell full of twisting passages, vast webs, and shriveled corpses that scream constantly.

Kobold Spider
Armor Class: 7 [12]
Hit Dice: 1/2
Attacks: Claws/fangs (1d4) or weapon -1
Special: Arachnophilia, climbing
Move: 6
Save: 19
HDE/XP: 1/15

Kobold spiders, strange creatures that start their lives as evil dog-like men with hairless, scaly rust-brown skin. As mentioned above, they worship various horrifying demons that invariably take forms resembling monstrous arachnids. Rumor has it that Buibui, their chief deity, is a terrifying spider king that rules a hell full of twisting passages, vast webs, and shriveled corpses that scream constantly.

Kobold spiders that survive into adulthood often slowly mutate, taking on arachnid characteristics and becoming more powerful. For every 10 kobold spiders in an encounter, roll 1d3 times on Table: Early Kobold Spider Mutations to create an elite monster. A lair with 30 or more kobold spiders will be ruled by a chieftain. Roll 1d4 times on Table: Early Kobold Spider Mutations and once on Table: Chieftain Kobold Spider Mutations. Adjust HDE/XP of elite and chieftain kobold spiders appropriately.

Kobold spiders always have an affinity for arachnids. Such monsters never attack kobold spiders unless controlled. Otherwise, the monsters either ignore kobold spiders or attempt to flee. Kobold spiders cannot control arachnids, but they often live in close proximity to monstrous spiders. Kobold spiders are expert climbs, able to scurry up sheer surfaces and even across ceilings at normal speed.

Spider Swarm
Armor Class: 7 [12]
Hit Dice: 1-4
Attacks: Swarm (see below)
Special: Swarm (see below)
Move: 3
Save: 18 (1 HD); 17 (2 HD); 16 (3 HD), 15 (4 HD)
HDE/XP: 2/30 (1 HD); 3/60 (2 HD); 4/120 (3 HD), 5/240 (4 HD)

A spider swarm covers a number of 5×5-foot squares equal its Hit Dice. They do not make attack rolls. Any creature within the swarm automatically suffers 1d3-1 points of damage if armored, or 1d6-1 points of damage if unarmored. Once a victim has moved out of the area of a swarm, the victim continues to suffer damage for 1d3 rounds. If a victim wards off the spiders, he or she takes half damage (round down). A creature may ward off a swarm with swinging a weapon or similar object around, but most weapons cannot harm a swarm. A torch inflicts 1d6 points of damage on a swarm with a successful attack. A swarm is considered to be a single creature for the purposes of spell effects (such as Sleep).

Tags: monsters, Swords & Wizardry

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned Dangerous Monsters for 5E over on Patreon. Dangerous Monsters 3 is on track for release by Easter. Here’s a preview. Here’s another preview.

Did you know that most of what I write for Spes Magna Games gets published on this site and then that’s it? In many cases, this is because I’m writing monsters or villains for game systems for which one cannot publish. For example, check these posts related to AD&D.

If you’ve ever thought that it’d be nice to help support this site, please notice the addition of a tip jar in the sidebar to the left. One may choose to drop $1, $5, or $10 into the tip jar. PayPal processes the payments, which then helps me do things like buy groceries, pay for Internet access, et cetera.

And now for more fun with The Black Hack.

The hamlet of Blato has seen better times. Few residents remain. Most have abandoned their homes. With one exception, ruin has visited the surrounding farms, and the one remaining farm family fights a losing battle against the creeping blight that has devastated crops and livestock.

Blato’s end started when Eadgar Iarna, proprietor of the Brass Knave, decided to expand his basements. Workers broke through a layer of rock and plunged into flood caverns. The shift in pressure altered water levels, and ruined the hamlet’s well water. A few days later, the worms arrived, burrowing up through poorer residents’ hard-packed dirt floors in the dark of night. Nearly a dozen residents died screaming that night.

Between the contaminated well water, the deadly worms, and the altered water levels turning the streets and much of the immediate countryside into a sodden mess, the first typhus outbreak did not come as a surprise. Today, Blato is almost a ghost town. Eadgar remains, trying to eke out a living even as the Brass Knave slowly sinks into the muck. One farm family struggles to bring in a crop. A handful of others stubbornly refuse to leave. One of those who remains is a thief and possibly a murderer as well.

Giant Burrowing Worm
A thick as a man’s arm and twice as long, its smooth skin glistens with slime, its wedge-shaped head cracks open to reveal a jagged beak.

Hit Dice: 1
Damage: 1d4 (2)
Special: This horrid worm burrows through earth. It moves somewhere Close as part of an action at any stage of the move, or it can forgo its action and burrow somewhere Nearby. Its venomous bite forces a CON test to avoid paralysis. Make a new CON test at the end of each of your turns to recover.

Tags: monsters, places of power, The Black Hack

First up, a sales pitch for Spes Magna’s newest product and second release for the fifth edition of D&D:

Glory draws nigh! Grab your shield and axe! Defend dwarvenkind against your ancient foes!

Old School meets New School in The Dwarf. Now you can relive the glory days of the World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game, back when a dwarf was a dwarf instead of a dwarf fighter or rogue or whatever. The Dwarf presents a complete race-as-class that includes two new subraces, three new archetypes, and three new backgrounds, all for a mere $2 US.

Speaking of 5E, Dangerous Monsters over on Patreon welcomed four new monsters this past weekend. I hoping Dangerous Monsters 3 will go out to patrons by Easter.

Next up, how about a quick movie review of Leprechaun: Origins? It’s 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Here’s the official trailer. Watch it carefully. Who didn’t you see? That’s right. You didn’t see Warwick Davis as the Leprechaun. You don’t even see a leprechaun. Let’s face facts. No one can label any of the movies in the Leprechaun franchise as “good”. They’re all horrible, but at least some of them are memorable and entertaining in a way that one might not want to admit. In short, as horrible as the Leprechaun franchise is, Leprechaun: Origins is worse. Seriously. Leprechaun: Origins is dull, shrill, repetitive, and includes about 11 minutes of end credits punctuated by shots of someone off camera with a flashlight spotlighting the movie’s props because, gosh darnit!, I really loved that toolshed interior the first time it showed up in the film.

Rather than watch Leprechaun: Origins, just watch the trailer while swabbing a nostril with a Q-Tip dipped in Tabasco. It’s just as unpleasant, but is over in a fraction of the movie’s actual running time.

And now, it’s time to revisit the wonderfulness that is The Black Hack with a quick trip into the Gloaming Cave.

The Gloaming Cave gapes in a low hillside not far from a sluggish creek somewhere in Razorleaf Wood. Few travel too deep into that accursed forest, and not only because of the skulking greenteeth and mobs of arboreal spider-kobolds. Razorleaf Wood conceals many hazards both natural and supernatural.

No one says with accuracy where the Gloaming Cave waits because it doesn’t seem to stay in one place. Characters searching for the Gloaming Cave must contend with its penchant for not being where it’s supposed to be. Each Day of travel in Razorleaf Wood looking for the Gloaming Cave requires rolling the d6 On the Trail Usage die. Any result other than 1-2 with the On the Trail Usage die results in an encounter. Select a monster or monsters whose HD total the die result. On a 1-2, the characters draw closer to the Gloaming Cave, and the On the Trail Usage die is downgraded one step. When the On the Trail Usage die is used up, the characters find the Gloaming Cave.

The Gloaming Cave hates light. Even on the brightest day, sunlight penetrates the cave no more than a Nearby distance. Most of the time, sunlight reaches no farther than Close. After that, lightless black reigns. In the Gloaming Cave, Flasks of Oil and Torches have a d4 instead of a d6 Usage die. Even magical Light may fail; treat such spells as if they had a d6 Usage die.

The cave’s malevolent magic plays tricks with the senses. WIS saves to avoid sensory confusion are made with Disadvantage. Of course, the undead shadows lairing in the Gloaming Cave are immune to these effects.

Whether it is true that blind cultists interred Senka, that infamous shadow sorcerer, within the Gloaming Cave has yet to be confirmed. If the Gloaming Cave hides Senka’s tomb, it seems likely that his final resting place remains unplundered. Who knows what fantastic treasures may remain undisturbed?

Greenteeth
Silent, well-camouflaged, its wide mouth full of fangs, the greenteeth skulks at the water’s edge, waiting patiently for a victim to drown and devour.

Hit Dice: 3
Damage: 2d4 (4)
Special: WIS saves to detect the greenteeth while it hides are made with Disadvantage. If it inflicts damage, it grabs its victim, who must make a STR save to avoid being dragged under the water.

Tags: 5E D&D, monsters, place of power, The Black Hack

The bake-kujira, the curse of the whale, seeks to bring famine, plague, and other disasters to coastal communities. It appears as a huge skeleton of some great fish or whale, invariably accompanied by a host of strange birds and fish.

Ghost or Demon? Stories differ about the bake-kujira’s origin. Some claim the monster is the vengeful spirit of a butchered whale, while others declare the bake-kujira is a demon from some hellish abyssal ocean. Whatever the truth, the bake-kujira displays a number of seemingly contradictory abilities. It is both incorporeal and immensely strong. It swims through the water as well flies through the air. It combines potent innate spellcasting with crushing physical attacks.

Guardian or Destroyer? The bake-kujira usually brings doom to coastal communities near its lair. It ruins crops, sinks boats, and burns homes. Residents of afflicted communities who abase themselves sufficiently may purchase a measure of mercy and even protection from the bake-kujira. The cost for the bake-kujira’s sufferance is high, however, and the monster delights in demanding ever greater outrages be performed in its honor.

Bake-Kujira
Huge undead, chaotic evil

Armor Class 15
Hit Points 102 (12d12+24)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover), swim 60 ft.
Ability Scores STR 19 (+4), DEX 14 (+2), CON 15 (+2), INT 8 (-1), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 14 (+2)

Saving Throws Con +6, Wis +7
Skills Perception +7
Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning; bludgeoning and slashing from nonmagical attacks; piercing from magical attacks
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison; piercing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages Abyssal, Primordial, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)

Echolocation. The bake-kujira can’t use its blindsight while deafened.

Incorporeal Movement. The bake-kujira can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Innate Spellcasting. The bake-kujira’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom. It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:

At will: flaming sphere, fog cloud, thunderwave
3/day each: gust of wind, sleet storm, wind wall
2/day each: blight, control water, ice storm
1/day each: contagion (Spell Attack Bonus: +7), insect plague

Keen Hearing. The bake-kujira has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the bake-kujira fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Turn Resistance. The bake-kujira has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.

Actions

Multiattack. The bake-kujira makes two attacks: one with its bite and one one with its tail.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (5d6+4) piercing damage.

Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (5d4+4) bludgeoning damage.

Legendary Actions

The bake-kujira can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The bake-kujira regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Innate Spellcasting (Costs 3 Actions). The bake-kujira can use its innate spellcasting ability.

Psychic Attack. The bake-kujira chooses a living creature it can sense within 120 feet of it. The creature must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw against this attack, taking 21 (6d6) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Sonic Boom (Costs 2 Actions). Each creature within 20 feet of the bake-kujira must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw against this burst of sound, taking 17 (5d6) thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

A Bake-Kujira’s Lair

The bake-kujira lairs in flooded sea caves or deep sea trenches. The water near its lair is always colder than surrounding waters, and the waves above its lair are choppy, tossed by gusting winds beneath scudding, dark clouds. Flocks of bizarre birds and schools of strange fish live in the region around the bake-kujira’s lair.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the bake-kujira takes a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects:

* A strong current moves through the bake-kujira’s lair. Each creature within 60 feet of the bake-kujira must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be pushed 60 feet away from the bake-kujira. On a success, the creature is pushed 10 feet away from the bake-kujira.

* Beasts arrive to defend the bake-kujira. In the water, four swarms of quippers arrive. Above the waves, sixteen swarms of ravens arrive. Otherwise, treat this lair action as conjure animals, to include the requirement for concentration.

* The water in the bake-kujira’s lair becomes uncannily cold. All creatures within 120 feet of the bake-kujira must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Regional Effects

The region around a bake-kujira’s lair is warped by the unnatural presence of the monster, creating the following magical effects:

* The weather and water currents in a 6-mile radius centered on the bake-kujira’s lair becomes unstable and hostile. The weather is always 1d4x10 degrees Fahrenheit colder than normal. When rolling to determine wind and precipitation, treat results less than 13 as 13 (see DMG, p. 109). Checks made related to swimming, navigation, et cetera, are made with disadvantage in the area of effect.

* Aquatic and avian creatures within 6 miles of the lair that have an Intelligence score of 2 or lower are charmed by the bake-kujira and aggressive toward intruders in the area.

If the bake-kujira dies, these effects fade immediately.

Tags: 5E D&D, monsters, place of power

First, I must show off my exquisitely barbaric miniature for Tupke the Red, my character in my son Christopher’s new D&D campaign. Tupke rocks, and too does Rob of Pennyfew Painting. Click on the pic for the embiggening. The miniature itself comes from Reaper, specifically this model here. Rob brought it to life. I would normally never spend $50 on something that doesn’t contain single malt, but every rule has its exceptions. I couldn’t be more pleased with Rob’s work, and I’m pretty sure that such an awesome miniature is worth at least 50 bonus XP per game session.

Right, Christopher?

Next, I expand on my minotaur variants, adding some additional types to go along with the standard minotaur and the last post’s minotaur shaman. If you want versions of the minotaurs in this post for AD&D, please click here.

The minotaur blood prophet is the largest and most savage of minotaurs. It eschews the use of manufactured weapons, preferring to rend foes to bloody pieces with its claws, fangs, and horns. When it tastes blood drawn by its fangs, the minotaur blood prophet gains limited precognitive abilities regarding the creature it bit.

Minotaur Blood Prophet
Huge monstrosity, chaotic evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 138 (12d12+60)
Speed 45 ft.
Ability Scores STR 22 (+6), DEX 8 (-1), CON 20 (+5), INT 6 (-2), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 9 (-1)

Skills Perception +6
Senses darkvision 90 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Abyssal
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

Blood Prophecy (Recharge after Short or Long Rest). When the minotaur blood prophet damages a living creature with its bite, the minotaur blood prophet gains limited precognitive abilities related to that creature. Roll 1d20 twice and record the rolls. So long as the minotaur blood prophet can see the creature it damaged with its bite, the minotaur blood prophet can substitute one of the recorded d20 rolls for any d20 roll made by the creature it damaged with its bite, doing so as a bonus action. When the minotaur blood prophet takes a short rest or a long rest, it loses any unused d20 rolls and the precognitive link with the bitten creature vanishes.

Charge. If the minotaur shaman moves at least 10 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 13 (2d12) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked prone.

Labyrinthine Recall. The minotaur blood prophet can perfectly recall any path it has traveled.

Reckless. At the start of its turn, the minotaur blood prophet can gain advantage on all melee attack rolls it makes during that turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its next turn.

Actions

Multiattack. The minotaur blood prophet makes three attacks: two with its claws and one with its gore or one with its bite.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6+6) slashing damage.

Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d12+6) piercing damage.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d4+6) piercing damage.

The spirit minotaur, rare and seldom seen in its natural form, furthers the aims of the Lord of Mazes by sowing the seeds of chaos and fear. It does so through the use of magical powers, which include telepathy and shapeshifting as well as illusions and potent attacks.

Spirit Minotaur
Large monstrosity (shapechanger), chaotic evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 85 (10d10+30)
Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
Ability Scores STR 18 (+4), DEX 11 (+0), CON 16 (+3), INT 15 (+2), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 12 (+1)

Skills Deception +3, Perception +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Abyssal, two other languages, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Charge. If the spirit minotaur moves at least 10 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked prone.

Innate Spellcasting. The spirit minotaur’s spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). The spirit minotaur can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: detect thoughts, minor illusion, prestidigitation
3/day each: silent image, thunderwave
2/day each: invisibility, ray of enfeeblement
1/day each: lightning bolt, major image

Labyrinthine Recall. The spirit minotaur can perfectly recall any path it has traveled.

Reckless. At the start of its turn, the spirit minotaur can gain advantage on all melee attack rolls it makes during that turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its next turn.

Regeneration. The spirit minotaur regains 5 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 30 hit points.

Shapechanger. The spirit minotaur can use its action to polymorph into a Medium humanoid or Small or Medium beast it has seen, or back into its true form. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Actions

Multiattack. The spirit minotaur makes two attacks: one with its greatsword and one with its gore.

Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6+4) slashing damage.

Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) piercing damage.

Beastman
Medium monstrosity, chaotic evil

The beastman is a goat-headed monstrosity. It represents the lowest rung on the ladder of those who serve the Lord of Mazes. The beastman lives in fear of its more powerful kind. Minotaurs barely tolerate the beastman, and during lean times a beastman’s flesh chews just as easily as a human’s. The beastman’s cowardice does not extend to creatures it believes it can bully or hurt.

Armor Class 13
Hit Points 22 (4d8+4)
Speed 35 ft.
Ability Scores STR 14 (+2), DEX 16 (+3), CON 12 (+1), INT 8 (-1), WIS 13 (+1), CHA 8 (-1)

Skills Perception +3
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Abyssal
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)

Charge. If the beastman moves at least 10 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 4 (1d8) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked prone.

Reckless. At the start of its turn, the beastman can gain advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls it makes during that turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its next turn.

Actions

Battle Axe. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) slashing damage.

Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+3) piercing damage.

Tags: 1E AD&D, 5E D&D, monsters, Pennyfew Painting