Spes Magna Games

Merry Third Day of Christmas!

This day, I shift from 5E D&D to Mutant Future, the game of mutants in the future.

Paindeer appear much like ordinary reindeer, but their large eyes show intelligence. It is common for paindeer to wear simple items of humanoid apparrel, such as caps or scarfs. They also make use of tools, including gizmos and medical equipment. The paindeer live in strictly regimented communities in which each family is typically led by the eldest married male. Clever and territorial, paindeer aggressively defend their domains. They honor physical strength, and much of their education system emphasizes various “paindeer games” that inculcate skills and attitudes useful for discipline and combat. About one in a hundred paindeer is born with an unusual mutation similar to optic emissions, but with the generated energy coming from the paindeer’s nose. Few of these rare paindeer survive to adulthood as the community exiles the mutant in early adolescence for a period of not less than several years. Those that survive and return are viewed with awe and afforded special status.

Paindeer

Number Encountered: 2-12 (40-80)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 240′ (80′), fly 120′ (40′)
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1 (butt, +4 to hit)
Damage: 1d8+1d6
Save: L4
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: XV
XP: 245

Mutations: Martial Affinity, Neural Telekinesis (120 lbs.), Psionic Flight

Tags: Christmas, monsters, Mutant Future

Merry Second Day of Christmas!

Most important of all, he taught his son to beware of…[t]he Abominable Snow Monster of the North: he’s mean, he’s nasty, and he hates everything to do with Christmas. (Sam the Snowman, describing the Abominable Snow Monster)

The Abominable Snow Monster of the North
Large giant, chaotic evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 114 (12d10+48)
Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft.

STR 20 (+5), DEX 12 (+1), CON 18 (+4), INT 7 (-2), WIS 11 (+0), CHA 7 (-2)

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances bludgeoning from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities cold
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Giant
Challenge 5 (1,800)

Bounces. The abominable snow monster has an elastic body. It takes half damage from falls.

Enraged by Red. The abominable snow monster hates the color red, which it can see even with its darkvision. When attacking a target bearing the color red, the abominable snow monster has advantage on its attacks.

Keen Smell. The abominable snow monster has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Non-Swimmer. The abominable snow monster cannot swim. Its swim speed is 0 feet, and it always fails Strength (Athletics) checks made to swim.

Snow Camouflage. The abominable snow monster has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in snowy terrain.

Actions

Multiattack. The abominable snow monster makes two attacks: one with its fangs and one with either its greatclub or its talons.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10+5) piercing damage.

Greatclub. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning damage.

Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) slashing damage.

Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 50/200 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10+5) bludgeoning damage.

Reactions

Bounce Back. The abominable snow monster can use its reaction to immediately stand up when knocked prone.

Tags: 5E D&D, Christmas, monsters

Among the many reasons I’m thankful for Canada, my national neighbor to the north, is the gleefully awful movie The Brain. The plot, such as it is, revolves around the evil machinations of Dr. Blakely (B-movie icon David Gale), the host of television’s Independent Thinkers, a pseudo-religious self-help program that serves as an alien brain’s platform for world domination. Fortunately for the people of Earth, high-school prankster Jim Majelewski (played by then 23-year-old Tom Bresnahan) can resist the Brain’s hypnotic powers. Unfortunately, resisting the Brain’s hypnotic powers causes bizarre hallucinations, which for prankster Jim often involve a topless nurse.

Brilliant!

Alien Brain

Number Encountered: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90′ (30′)
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 12+12
Attacks: 1 (tongue-tacle or bite)
Damage: 1d6 tongue-tacle or 4d4 bite
Save: L10
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: XIX
XP: 4,400

Mutations: Mental Phantasm (unique), Neural Telepathy, Possession (unique)

An alien brain has remarkable Intelligence and Willpower (20 and 18, respectively). In melee combat, it lashes out with its barbed tongue-tacle, which has a range of 15 feet. If the tentacle hits, it grabs the victim and draws him 10 feet per round toward the alien brain’s huge, tooth-filled mouth. There is a 2 in 6 chance to break free from the tongue-tacle, modified by Strength, and the attempt counts as an attack. The alien brain swallows its prey whole on a roll 4 higher than the needed number, or if the alien brain rolls a natural 20. It can swallow anything the size of a man or smaller. A swallowed victim suffers 2d8+2 hit points of damage per round inside the alien brain’s digestive tract. The damage stops if the alien brain is killed.

The alien brain’s most insidious attack is its unique possession mutation. If the alien brain’s psionic energies are broadcast and received via technology, the Brain can affect dozens (or even hundreds or more!) of intelligent creatures at once. It can broadcast a simple instruction to all affected creatures, or it can specifically take over one creature, as normal for the possession mutation. A creature who resists the alien brain’s mental control is automatically subjected to mental phantasms, the nature of which are drawn from the victim’s subconscious.

Tags: monsters, movies, Mutant Future

I’ve not posted a new monster for 5E D&D since December 2020. Shocking, I know. So, to remedy that oversight, here’s an oldie-but-goodie glommed from 1978’s Gamma World from TSR. Merry Christmas in July!

N.B. That link goes to my DriveThruRPG store’s products, which are on sale for a few more days.

Standing nearly 10 feet tall with a wingspan of just over 25 feet, the yexil move clumsily on the ground but with grace while in flight. It has deep orange fur, a sinuous neck, and a leonine head with large eyes and insect-like mandibles. Yexils are omnivores with a fondness for eating manufactured clothing, the more colorful and fashionable the better.

Yexil
Large beast, neutral

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 75 (10d10+20)
Speed 25 ft., fly 75 ft.

STR 18 (+4), DEX 11 (+0), CON 15 (+2), INT 8 (-1), WIS 13 (+1), CHA 10 (+0)

Saving Throws CON +4
Skills Perception +3
Damage Resistances cold
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages understands Common but can’t speak
Challenge 4 (1,100)

Dive Attack. If the yexil is flying and dives at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a melee weapon attack, the attack deals an extra 9 (2d8) damage to the target.

Flyby. The yexil doesn’t provoke an opportunity attack when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.

Keen Sight. The yexil has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Actions

Multiattack. The yexil makes two attacks: one with its mandibles and one with its talons.

Mandibles. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) piercing damage.

Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) slashing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the yexil can’t use its talons on another target.

Searing Eyes (Recharge 5-6). The yexil fires twin beams of intense heat from its eyes, affecting a line 75-foot long line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 17 (5d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Tags: 5E D&D, Gamma World, monsters

Just when you thought it was safe to adventure in the water again, here come two new monsters, one for Swords & Wizardry and the other for Mutant Future.

Carcharidaemon for Swords & Wizardy

The fearsome carcharidaemon prowls the watery depths as well as the coasts of hellish realms. It preys on lesser creatures not because it must eat to live but because it enjoys inflicting pain and causing death. A carcharidaemon is equally at home swimming in the water or crawling and hopping frog-like on land. Twenty feet long and immensely strong, few creatures dare challenge the might of the carcharidaemon.

Hit Dice: 20
Armor Class: 0 [19]
Attack (Damage): 1 bite (3d6), 2 tentacles (1d6), 2 claws (2d6)
Move: 15/24 swimming
Save: 3
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 30/7,400
Special: +1 or better weapons to hit, constriction, immunity to acid and poison, magic resistance (75%), spells, swallow whole, telepathy 100 ft.

A carcharidaemon swallows a person whole on any attack roll in which the die rolled is 4 or more over the required number, and always if the die roll is a 20. Swallowed victims suffer 1d6 points of damage each round from powerful digestive fluids. This monster’s tentacles extend to 20 feet. If a tentacle hits, it automatically constricts, claws, and gnaws for 2d6 points of damage per round (instead of the normal 1d6). There is a 50% chance that the tentacle also pinions one of its victims limbs. A carcharidaemon can always Detect Invisibility, and it can cast Dispel Magic up to thrice per day. Once per day, it may Raise Water (treat as the reverse of Lower Water).

Sharktopus for Mutant Future

A monstrous combination of giant octopus and great white shark, the sharktopus may have its origins in an ancient military lab. Released or escaped into the oceans, the sharktopus threatens both open water and coastal regions. This cunning beast attacks quickly, especially once it senses blood (which it can do to a range of 300 feet). When in its feeding frenzy, a sharktopus never checks morale. Its tentacles grow to lengths of 15 feet. On land, these tentacles are strong enough to act as legs, and the sharktopus can survive out of water for several minutes.

Number Encountered: 0 (1d3)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 90′ (30′), Swim 120′ (40′)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 15
Attacks: 9 (tentacles x8, bite)
Damage: 1d6 tentacle/2d8 bite
Save: L7
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: None
XP: 3,300

Mutations: Chameleon Epidermis, Echolocation

When swimming to attack, the sharktopus jets at three times its normal speed. Once in melee range, it sprays a 40-foot-radius cloud of black ink that obscures its prey’s vision. With a successful hit, a tentacle constricts a victim, automatically inflicting damage each successive round. The victim suffers a cumulative -1 attack penalty per tentacle constricting it. A hit with an edged weapon that inflicts at least 8 points of damage with a single blow severs a tentacle.

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In keeping with the theme of this post, I’ve put both versions of Sharks & Shallows on sale for a mere $0.50 for the rest of this month. The title link goes to the product description page. The discount link adds the PDF to your cart at the discounted price. In either case, Shallows & Sharks presents a half dozen predators to challenge your players.

Shallows & Sharks: Old School Fantasy Version and its discount link

Shallows & Sharks: Old School Mutant Apocalypse Version and its discount link

If you missed the two other posts with discounts, this post includes Aquatic Depths & Denizens at a discount whereas this other post includes That’s a Goblin!? and Terrors of the Toxic Waste at reduced prices.

Tags: monsters, Mutant Future, Swords & Wizardry