Spes Magna Games

Inspired by Larry Buchanan’s awful The Eye Creatures, which was a rip off of the less-than-good Invasion of the Saucer Men, which was inspired by Paul W. Fairman’s short story “The Cosmic Frame”, today for Old-School Essentials I present a grade-B alien menace.

Hailing from some distant space void or strange dimension, the bizarre eye creatures travel in saucer-shaped flying vehicles of unfathomable construction and operation. Highly intelligent and dispassionate, these alien beings view other forms of life as inferior and suitable for a wide range of horrifying experiments. Bright light is fatal to them.

Eye Creature

AC 7 [12], HD 2+2 (11 hp), Att 2 x claws (1d4) or 1 x ray gun (2d6), THAC0 17 [+2], MV 120′ (40′), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (2), ML 7, AL Chaotic, XP 500, NA 2d4 (1d4), TT V

▶ Detachable Hands: Hands detach (even after death). Hands move at half speed, have 3 hp each, and make melee attacks.
▶ Infravision: 120′.
▶ Light Vulnerability: Take 2d10 damage from contact with bright light. Save versus breath weapon halves the damage.
▶ Ray Gun: Requires two hands. Fires a bolt of electricity. 120′ range with no range modifiers. Battery is good for 6 shots.

Tags: B-Movies, monsters, movies, OSE

“It was a monster boar indeed–one as huge as a bull, with tusks as great as an elephant’s; the bristles on its back stood up like spear points, and the hot breath of the creature withered the growth on the ground. The boar tore up the corn in the fields and trampled down the vines with their clusters and heavy bunches of grapes; also it rushed against the cattle and destroyed them in the fields. And no hounds the huntsmen were able to bring could stand before it. And so it came to pass that men had to leave their farms and take refuge behind the walls of the city because of the ravages of the boar.”

From “Atalanta the Huntress” in The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived before Achilles by Padraic Colum.

Boar, Monster

AC 5 [14], HD 6* (26 hp), Att 2 x tusk (2d4) or 1 x trample (2d6) or 1 x breath (2d6), THAC0 14 [+5], MV 180′ (60′), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (6), ML 11, AL Neutral, XP 500, NA 0 (1), TT None

▶ Charge: If disturbed or threatened, will charge to attack. Requires a run of at least 20 yards. Make a tusk attack that inflicts double damage on all in the path.
▶ Fearsome Aura: Animals within 30 feet affected by fear (save versus spells resists).
▶ Scalding Breath: 3-in-20 chance per round of exhaling scalding air. 15′ long, 15′ wide, 15′ high cloud. Save versus breath for half damage.
▶ Trample: 10-in-20 chance of trampling each round. +4 to hit human-sized or smaller creatures.

Tags: monsters, Old School Essentials, OSE

Probably my favorite thing about the Old-School Essentials combat sequence is the declaration phase at the start of each round. This phase occurs before initiative is rolled. Placing the declaration phase prior to initiative injects a further degree of uncertainty into something as dangerous as combat involving swords, spells, and sinister monsters. Since I’m looking to start something like an OSE campaign about mid-January, I’ve started tweaking the core rules a bit. One of the things that’s gotten the tweak is the combat sequence. My rough draft version follows this paragraph. Nota Bene: Thirds of movement are always bumped up to the next 5-foot increment (e.g., 13.33 feet rounds to 15 feet).

Phase 1 – Monster Morale. Checked after the first round of combat in most cases.
Phase 2 – Declare Spells. PCs that are going to cast spells start the process this phase by committing to spellcasting.
Phase 3 – Initiative. Roll 1d6 for each side. Individual modifiers are applied to the roll. Tied initiative is possible.
Phase 4 – Actions. The initiative-winning side acts first during each subphase. Slow weapons always act last in a subphase regardless of initiative.
▶ 4A – First Third Movement. A PC casting a spell may not move.
▶ 4B – Missile Attacks. Resolve all missile attacks before the next phase begins.
▶ 4C – Second Third Movement. A PC casting a spell may not move.
▶ 4D – Spells Are Cast. Resolve all spell effects before the next phase begins.
▶ 4E – Third Third Movement. A PC who cast a spell may move.
▶ 4F – Melee Attacks. Resolve all melee attacks before the next round begins.

Tweaking the combat sequence made tweaking Movement in Melee rules sensible:

Movement in Melee: If engaged in melee combat, movement is halved for the phase. Choosing to move at more than half speed means the mover cannot attack, and foes in melee with the mover get a free, immediate attack with a +3 bonus to hit.

Also, since I’m not particularly fond of precision archery into or while in melee combat, I’ve added this rule:

Missiles in Melee: Making a missile attack while engaged in melee combat imposes a -2 “to-hit” penalty. Launching a missile attack into melee? Roll to hit and then determine the actual target randomly. Small creatures count as 1, man-sized as 2, and larger creatures as 3 or more (at Referee’s discretion). For example, an elf fires an arrow at the ogre fighting a dwarf, a cleric, and a halfling. That’s 7 “size points” of creatures in the melee. Roll 1d8. 1 targets the dwarf, 2-3 targets the cleric, 4 targets the halfling, and 5-8 targets the ogre.

Tags: OSE

To create the giant vulture, I took the dire wolf’s stats and tweaked them a wee bit, indulging in a variation on the Just Use Bears idea.

Vulture, Giant
Large, scabrous, semi-intelligent birds. Dwell in remote places.

AC 6 [13], HD 4+1 (19 hp), Att 1 x bite (2d4), THAC0 15 [+4], MV 90′ (30′) / 150′ (50′) flying, SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (2), ML 8, AL Neutral, XP 125, NA 2d4 (4d4), TT None.

▶ Keen Senses: Acute vision and olfactory senses. Can track by scent. Surprised only on a 1 (in 6).

▶ Mounts: Sometimes trained as mounts by goblins.

▶ Training: At the referee’s discretion, captured chicks may be trained like falcons. Giant vultures are rebellious and extremely difficult to train.

And because they’re in the picture: Goblin vulture-riders often bomb their victims (Core Rules 132). The two most common bombs goblins use are described below.

▶ Bomb: Explodes on impact. Inflicts 2d4 damage in a 5-foot radius. Successful save versus breath halves damage.

▶ Slime Sack: Bursts on impact. Entangles targets in a 5-foot radius. Open doors check to break free. Successful save versus breath grants +1 on checks to break free.

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

I dove back into Erin D. Smale’s BX Options: Class Builder to put together a phanaton character class, perhaps useful to people playing The Isle of Dread. Nota Bene: Those previous links are affiliate links. If you click and purchase, I get a few coppers.

Phanaton

“The phanaton looks like a cross between raccoons and monkeys. They are roughly halfling-size and have 4-foot long tails can grasp objects. …. In addition, phanaton have membrances of skin stretching from arm to leg. They can spread these membrances and glide…” (quoted from 1983’s D&D Expert Rules by Frank Mentzer)

Requirements: Minimum DEX 11
Prime Requisite: DEX
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 8
Armor and Shields: Shields only
Weapons: Any appropriate to size
Languages: Alignment, Common, Dryad, Elvish, Phanaton, Treant

Damage Bonus: At 6th level, a phanaton receives a +1 bonus to melee and missile damage rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at 8th level.

Climb Sheer Surfaces: A phanaton can climb sheer surfaces as a thief of the same level.

Combat: A phanaton makes attacks as a monster (Rules Tome 135) and saving throws as fighters (Rules Tome 29). Phanaton cannot use longbows or two-handed swords.

Gliding: A phanaton glides via its wing-like membranes, dropping 5 feet for every 10 feet it moves.

Prehensile Tail: An adult phanaton’s tail is about four feet long. It can manipulate items somewhat clumsily.

Stronghold: When phanaton reach 6th level, they may build strongholds.

Tags: B/X D&D, Character Classes, OSE