Spes Magna Games

A few days ago in a Facebook group, a gamer wondered what sorts of abilities an intelligent dog might have as a player character. I didn’t offer any helpful suggestions, but what I did offer inspired the rest of this post.

Blink Dog Deities

In the Forgotten Realms, a few deities think blink dogs are special to them. This doesn’t mean that blink dogs worship those deities, but it does provide idea fodder. For example, Baravar Cloakshadow, gnomish deity of illusion and deception, honors blink dogs. The other two deities are gods of wanderers, earth, and death. Interesting, I think, and a good starting point for blink dog deities.

Bupguau

Bupgau appears as an idealized blink dog: intelligently shining eyes, lean and strong, lustrous coat of fur, et cetera. He is clearly not of mortal origin. Bupgau is the father of all blink dogs, and it is from Bupgau that blink dogs learned how to teleport. Bupgau is clever, playful, and even a bit of a trickster, but his pranks are never malicious.

Ghavau

Ghavau resembles a blink dog, but her coat is black and dusty and her fangs glow whitely. She vanishes into shadows with ease and appears without warning. Ghavau is the mother of all blink dogs. She is the protectress of the den and pups, and she also welcomes blink dogs into paradise after death.

Vufhaf

Vufhaf, son of Bupgau and Ghavau, is the brother of all blink dogs. His fur is wild, his eyes always seek, and he runs so fast that no arrow can catch him. Vufhaf teaches blink dogs the art of the hunt and the skills needed to defend the pack. He is a warrior and a provider. His battles against displacer beasts are legendary.

Blink Dog Clerics

Blink dog clerics are not common, but they do exist. A blink dog cleric seldom honors only one of the three blink dog deities. Rather, all three are paid homage at appropriate times. A blink dog cleric casts spells as a 4th-level cleric. Three special blink dog cleric spells are known to exist.

Barkskin
Level: 1st
Range: 0
Duration: Until discharged

When the blink dog cleric casts this spell and touches a creature, the spell imbues the recipient’s skin with magic. If the recipient takes damage from a melee attack, the recipient’s skin barks like an enraged dog. The creature who triggered the spell must make a saving throw versus Spells with a -2 penalty on the die roll. If the creature fails this saving throw, it flees for two turns (as if affected by cause fear).

Fetch
Level: 1st
Range: 0 (caster only)
Duration: 1 round

The blink dog cleric casts this spell and immediately teleports up to 20 feet to make an attack against a creature. If the attack succeeds, the creature takes damage as normal. The blink dog then teleports another 20 feet, taking a single object from the creature. The object must be of an appropriate size and weight so that the blink dog can carry the object in its jaws.

Heel to Heal
Level: 2nd
Range: 0
Duration: 1 turn

When the blink dog cleric completes this spell, a 5-foot-radius zone is established around the caster. The zone moves with the caster. Once per round for the duration of the spell, a creature that teleports into the zone is healed 1d6+1 points of damage.

Tags: B/X D&D, monsters, spells

Merry Eighth Day of Christmas, and welcome to the first day of a Happy New Year!

In keeping with today’s numbers of eight and one, I’m taking a familiar theme (the monstrous spider) into new terror-tory. Well, new to me. For Christmas, I picked up Green Ronin’s Fantasy AGE Basic Rulebook and Fantasy AGE Campaign Builder’s Guide. Below is my first ever attempt at making a new monster for Fantasy AGE.

The ng’urud, a monstrous arachnid, live in arid regions, preferring rocky terrain. Intelligent and clever, it monitors game trails, paths, and roads. It prefers to hunker down, perhaps camouflaging itself with sand or scrub, bursting from its hiding spot to ambush its prey. The ng’urud usually hunt alone, but several ng’urud may band together in order to stalk and kill more effectively.

Ng’urud

Abilities (Focuses)
3 Accuracy (Bite)
0 Communication
3 Constitution (Stamina)
4 Dexterity (Stealth)
3 Fighting (Leg Spike)
0 Intelligence
2 Perception (Tracking)
4 Strength (Intimidation)
2 Willpower (Morale)

Speed 14, Health 40, Defense 14, Armor Rating 5

Attacks
Bite: +5 attack roll, 2d6+4 damage
Leg Spike: +6 attack roll, 2d6+4 damage

Special Qualities
Favored Stunts: Knock Prone, Lightning Attack (2 SP), Poison Spit (2 SP), Skirmish

Exoskeleton: The ng’urud’s hardy exoskeleton provides an AR of 5.

Frenzied Attack: The ng’urud makes one bite and one leg spike attack as a single attack action. Both of these attacks can generated stunt points.

Lightning Quick: The ng’urud performs the Lightning Attack stunt for -1 SP.

Many Legs: The Knock Prone stunt used against an ng’urud requires 1 more SP than normal to work.

Poison Spit Stunt: The ng’urud spits venom at a visible enemy within 12 yards as a special stunt costing 2 SP. The venom numbs the target’s higher brain functions and senses as well as causes searing pain. The target must make a TN 13 Constitution (Stamina) test or suffer the venom’s effects. An affected target takes 1d6 penetrating damage. The target also incurs a -2 penalty to Communication, Intelligence, and Perception, which remain until the end of the encounter or until the target receives magical healing.

Talent: Quick Reflexes (Journeyman)

Wall Crawler: The ng’urud can walk up walls and even on ceilings.

Threat: Moderate

Tags: Christmas, Fantasy AGE, monsters

Merry Seventh Day of Christmas!

Let’s go all the way back to 1987 in a galaxy far, far away to visit the Star Wars Roleplaying Game from West End Games, Inc.

CLAU5
Critical Law Authority Unit 5

Dexterity 2D
Blaster 3D
Heavy Weapons 3D

Knowledge 2D
Streetwise 3D

Mechanical 1D

Perception 2D
Search 3D

Strength 4D+1
Brawling 5D+1
Lifting 5D+1

Technical 1D
Security 3D

The CLAU5 is the latest model of law enforcement droids. Their use is confined almost exclusively to the largest, wealthiest cities. Law enforcement groups use CLAU5 droids as force multipliers deployed to support riot police or to patrol high crime areas. The CLAU5 has a built-in blaster pistol housed in its left arm. Its right arm has a built-in grenade launcher. In hand-to-hand combat, its construction grants it a +1D damage bonus. It has the equivalent of 1D of armor.

Tags: Christmas, monsters, Star Wars RPG

Merry Sixth Day of Christmas!

Dashing through the snow? Not as quickly as the snowdasher, a deadly predator for 2E AD&D.

Snowdasher

Climate/Terrain: Any cold
Frequency: Very rare
Organization: Solitary or family
Activity Cycle: Night
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: Low (5-7)
Treasure: E
Alignment: Chaotic evil

No. Appearing: 1-4
Armor Class: 4
Movement: 15, Cl 9, Sw 9
Hit Dice: 10
THACO: 11
No. of Attacks: 5
Damage/Attack: 3-10/3-10/3-10/3-10/4-14
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: Impervious to cold
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: H (about 16′ tall)
Morale: Champion (15-16)
XP Value: 4,000

The snowdasher appears much like a polar bear from a distance, but it is larger, more intelligent, and far more malicious than any polar bear. It has six legs ending with enormous paws and fearsome claws. From its snout grows an iron-hard horn of twisted bone. The snowdasher speaks a debased form of the frost giant language.

Combat: The snowdasher blends in well with ice and snow. In such environs, the snowdasher imposes a -2 penalty on others’ surprise rolls. It often charges into battle, using its horn much like a lance. To make this charge, there must be at least 30 feet of open space between the snowdasher and its opponent (and ice and snow — even of a magical variety — never impede a snowdasher’s movement). An opponent struck by a charging snowdasher’s horn suffers 4-32 points of damage from impaling. The snowdasher cannot attack with its claws on the same round it charges, but it can bite the target of its horn. The snowdasher can also attack with its claws and fangs. A paw hit of 18 or better indicates a “hug”. This attack inflicts 4-18 (2d8+2) points of additional damage, and a snowdasher can “hug” up to twice per round.

Habitat/Society: The snowdasher usually stalks frozen regions alone, but may be encountered in a small family group of up to four, usually a solitary female adult and its offspring. This monster most often lairs in ice caves, glacial crevasses, or mountain caverns. The snowdasher survives by hunting, and it is an indiscriminate killer. Although territorial, it often ventures to new hunting grounds when prey becomes scarce. Arctic hunters from have unwittingly led a snowchaser back to their communities, and the monster revels in slaughtering humans, demi-humans, and humanoids.

Ecology: The snowdasher seldom has reason to fear other arctic predators. It has the strength needed to prey on a lone polar bear or even a small or sickly killer whale.

Tags: AD&D, Christmas, monsters

Merry Fourth Day of Christmas!

Today we sail for beautiful Iceland to watch the selfish and indolent get eaten by the fearsome Jólakötturinn.

Also known as the Yule Cat, the Jólakötturinn is a monstrous feline with an unpleasant disposition. In the days leading up to Christmas, it hides in the snow drifts outside town. In the days following Christmas Eve, it stalks the selfish and indolent who could not earn new clothes, which, according to about ten minutes of “research” on the internet, was a common form of payment to employees. The Jólakötturinn especially enjoys hunting and eating naughty children.

The Jólakötturinn appears much like an enormous housecat. It is about 21 feet long from nose to tail-tip, about six feet high at the shoulder, and it weighs about one and a half tons. Its fur adapts to provide excellent camouflage in snowy fields, icy woodlands, and darkened village streets. Its eyes, yellow-green in color, shine with baleful light when its draws blood.

Jólakötturinn
Frequency: Very rare
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 5
Move: 15″
Hit Dice: 8+3
% in Lair: 15%
Treasure Type: Nil
No. of Attacks: 3
Damage/Attack: 2-7/2-7/2-16
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Low
Alignment: Neutral evil
Size: L
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Level/XP Value: VII/1,500 + 12/hp

The Jólakötturinn climbs well, and it can leap 15 feet upwards and 45 to 75 feet ahead in attack. When it scores two forepaw hits in one melee round, it rakes its victim with its rear claws, attacking twice more for 2-12 points of damage per attack. The Jólakötturinn’s magical eyes enable it to see the selfishness and laziness, and this monstrous cat attacks those “stained” by these moral failings, doing so with a +2 on the “to hit” die. Due its keen senses, the Jólakötturinn is surprised only on a 1. It takes only half damage from cold-based attacks.

Tags: AD&D, Christmas, monsters