Spes Magna Games

One of the advantages of being a one-man show of a game company is that I get to set all of my deadlines without having to worry about committees or what not. When I started writing Tiamat’s Throne, I had set a deadline of the end of February 2013 to have the playtest documents ready. I’m not too sure that’s going to happen, but I’m plodding along regardless. While the possibility of missing my deadline is a bit annoying, at least I haven’t taken anyone’s money in exchange for nothing. I guess that’s something.

Regarding Tiamat’s Throne, I’m most behind on my planet write-ups (see an example of a rough-drafted planet here). I’m trying to have a variety of planets to make it easier for GMs to mix and match various science fiction and fantasy tropes. So, for example, Castor is a undead apocalypse planet. Deneb is an arctic world. I know I want to have a dinosaur planet because dinosaurs are cool. This also means I get to make up new dinosaurs, such as:

Mngurumo

Stars Without Number Stats

Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 8
Attack Bonus: +6
Damage: 3d4 tail
No. Appearing: 4-16
Saving Throw: 11+
Movement: 20 ft.
Morale: 7

Swords & Wizardry Stats

Hit Dice: 8
Armor Class: 4 [15]
Attacks: Tail (3d4)
Saving Throw: 8
Special: Blind, breath weapon, immune to sonic effects, sonar
Move: 9
Alignment: Neutrality
Challenge Level/XP: 10/1,400

The mngurumo (ming-uru-mo) is a sauropod that travels savannahs in family herds. Adult bulls average 10 feet in length, excluding the tail, which adds about another 10 feet, and weigh around one ton. Cows are somewhat smaller. Mngurumos possess some unusual abilities. They are sightless, completely lacking any visual organs. What appear to be ocular cavities in the creature’s skull contain highly sensitive sonar organs. As a result, mngurumos function nearly as well as sighted creatures in most respects. When threatened, mngurumos prefer to flee, but if hard-pressed, they will fight. A mngurumo’s tail lash strikes with devastating force. Adult mngurumos also possesses a powerful breath weapon that inflicts 8d4 points of sonic damage in a cone with a length of 70 feet and a base of 30 feet. A mngurumo can use its breath weapon once per hour.

Tags: monsters, Stars Without Number, Swords & Wizardry, Tiamat's Throne

Are you unfamiliar with the work of Darren M. A. Calvert? If so, you owe it to yourself to reverse that sad situation. Today’s creature is inspired by Darren’s Shaolin frog picture, featured with his kind permission to the right of these words.

For Swords & Wizardry:

Qing Wa (Kung Frogman)
Hit Dice: 1+1
Armor Class: 8 [11]
Attacks: By weapon (1d6) or kick (1d6)
Saving Throw: 17
Special: camouflage, flurry, flying kick
Move: 12, 9 (swimming)
Alignment: Lawful
Challenge Level/XP: 2/30

Native to the swampy jungles of Kung, the qing wa, or Kung frogmen as they are sometimes called, are a race of philosophical humanoid amphibians. Slight of build, about three-quarters the size of humans, qing wa are admirably adapted to life in their hidden temple-city and jungle environs. Qing wa are excellent climbers, quick swimmers, and are so well camouflaged due to natural coloration and skill that they are practically invisible when motionless. An integral part of qing wa culture is intense philosophical speculation combined with martial arts training. A qing wa can perform a flurry with any weapon, attacking several times in a single round. This is treated as a single attack roll with a -2 penalty that inflicts an additional 1d6 points of damage with a successful hit. A qing wa can also make a flying kick with a -2 attack roll penalty against a target up to 20 feet away. A successful flying kick inflicts 2d6+2 points of damage.

Rumor has it that rarely a qing wa strays from the path of enlightenment and embraces Chaos. These dark masters are reputed to have terrifying supernatural powers. Regarding the truth of these rumors, the qing wa themselves remain politely silent.

Tags: Darren M. A. Calvert, monsters, Swords & Wizardry

The House
No family in the region had a worse reputation than the Stadgaar clan. The list of deeds attributed to members of the clan reads like a catalog of infamy: murder, treachery, torture, extortion, demon worship, et cetera. When at long last the family line declined and vanished with the death of the dowager Grenda Stadgaar more than a decade ago, the family mansion fell into disuse and disrepair.

Locals give the Stadgaar lands and ancestral home wide berth nowadays. Eventually, they say, the wilderness, time, and the elements will blot out the evil stain left on the land by the Stadgaars. Until then, foul spirits haunt the mansion, and only the foolish or the wicked would trespass on the estate.

The Things in the House
Yes, the Stadgaars were a wicked clan, but their wickedness had nothing to do with demon worship, murder, or torture. Theirs was a more common sort of wickedness: greed, emotional cruelty, dishonest business dealings, et cetera. Rumors of infernal activities started among the locals as malicious gossip, and the Stadgaars did little to discourage such rumors. Some family scions reveled in the dread they saw in people’s eyes. Over time, what started as gossip took on a life of its own, becoming part of the oral history of the region.

The decaying mansion and surrounding woods are not haunted either. Rather a family of fayeryes have moved onto the estate. Fayeryes are a type of woodland faerie with a fondness for places abandoned by humans and halflings. Secretive and territorial, fayeryes use their magical powers to discourage intruders. If that doesn’t work, they hide and wait for the intruders to leave. Fayeryes avoid violence unless attacked or their youngs’ nurseries are threatened. In the latter case, fayeryes become especially fearsome.

For Swords & Wizardry:

Fayerye
Hit Dice: 1
Armor Class: 7 [12]
Attacks: Bite (1d3)
Saving Throw: 17
Special: magical abilities, stealth
Move: 18
Alignment: Neutral
Challenge Level/XP: 3/60

Fayeryes appear to be a cross between a long-tailed monkey and a wild cat. It would be easy to mistake a fayerye for a beast of the forest but for their large, intelligent eyes and expressive faces. Once per day each, a fayerye can “cast” darkness 15′ radius, hold portal, sleep, and mirror image. At will, a fayerye can “cast” phantasmal force. Fayeryes are stealthy and fast. They can hide in shadows and move silently (85% both). They infallibly climb walls and vegetation. When defending their young and/or a nursery, fayeryes can “cast” monster summoning I once per day. These summoned monsters fight with a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls.

Tags: monsters, places of power, Swords & Wizardry

Okay, I admit it. I love Grace Jones. Well, not her personally. We’ve never met, although I have seen her once in concert in a nightclub in Oaha, Hawaii. But I do love her music, her voice, and I find her various presentations of herself fascinating. How I could not turn Grace Jones into a demonic servitor of the god of deceit?

For Swords & Wizardry:

Masked Diva
Hit Dice: 8+16
Armor Class: 8 [11] (due to DEX)
Attacks: by weapon (1d8)
Saving Throw: 8+
Special: 18 DEX, backstab x3, immune to deception, half damage from non-magic weapons, magic resistance (50%), magical abilities, thieving skills
Move: 15
Alignment: Chaotic
Challenge Level/XP: 12/2,000

A masked diva is type of demon that serves Li, god of deceit. Infrequently, one is sent to bedevil and assist Li’s faithful. She may also be sent to destroy those who offend Li. A masked diva possesses incredible dexterity. She can backstab as an 8th-level thief, and has the thieving abilities of the same, but with a +20% bonus to hide in shadows and move silently (75% and 80%, respectively). It is impossible to deceive a masked diva. She always sees through disguises (including magical ones), detects illusions for what they are, and cannot be fooled by even the most clever of lies. A masked diva sings and dances with great skill. Her songs have magical properties as well. A masked diva can “cast” charm monster, confusion, fear, or suggestion at will through the power of her song. The songs are so potent that saving throws against their effects are made with a -2 penalty.

Tags: Grace Jones, monsters, Swords & Wizardry

For Swords & Wizardry:

Sleeping Knight
Hit Dice: 9+9
Armor Class: 2 [17] (platemail & shield)
Attacks: longsword (1d8+2)
Saving Throw: 6+
Special: 17 Strength, multiple attacks, parry enemy attacks, sleep eternally
Move: 12
Alignment: Lawful or Chaotic
Challenge Level/XP: 10/1,400

A sleeping knight is an enchanted warrior who rests in eternal slumber as a guardian over some place, be it a kingdom, a mountain pass, a tomb, et cetera. While the nature of guarded site varies, it is always home to dozens if not scores of ravens. When the sleeping knight’s site is threatened, the ravens die, and the knight awakens to confront the menace. A sleeping knight is treated as a 9th-level fighter with a 17 Strength. He gains multiple attacks against creatures of 1 HD or less, and he can parry enemy attacks. A sleeping knight does not age, breathe, or require food or water while he slumbers, and there seems to be no limit to how long his sleep may last. Sleeping knights are not undead creatures.

Tags: monsters, Swords & Wizardry