Spes Magna Games

Not too long ago, whilst talking with Terry and Eric instead of continuing our small-scale post-apoc Savage Worlds campaign, we brainstormed a bit about running D&D’s The Keep on the Borderlands as a reverse dungeon. The players would make up orcs, goblins, et cetera as characters to defend the Caves of Chaos against the human invaders who’ve set up shop in the nearby keep.

Around the same time, I almost got to play in a Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) game (but the GM backed out before the start). I’ve never played DCC, but I’ve read parts of the rulebook, especially the character creation material. For those unfamiliar, DCC players make up two 0-level characters who have little in the way of equipment, abilities, or hit points. The process is highly random. Ability scores, race, and background are all generated via dice rolls. These character are then run through an introductory adventure, called a funnel, and those that survive become 1st-level characters.

These two things — the reverse dungeon and DCC character creation — merged in mind. I’ve put together about a half dozen pages written for 5E D&D that address semi-DCC-esque character creation that randomly generates ability scores, race, and background.

(N.B. The two links above are affiliate links.)

Here’s an example of a 0-level character made using the process I’ve come up with:

Orc Guild Artisan (Cobbler)

Strength 15
Dexterity 12
Constitution 15
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 17
Charisma 10
Luck 12

Birth Sign/Boon Unicorn/Medicine Skill Expertise

Hit Points 4
Proficiency Bonus +2

Skills Insight, Persuasion
Tool Proficiencies Cobbler’s Tools
Languages Common, Giant, Orc
Equipment Cobbler’s tools, a letter of introduction from your guild, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a pouch containing 15 gp

Tags: 5E D&D

Let’s return to 1983’s Monster Manual II to find a creature suitable for translation to Swords & Wizardry and Mutant Future. For reasons that become thematically apparent, I’m searching for an aquatic monster. After some flipping out and checking ideas against the Swords and Wizardry SRD, I settle upon the Giant Catfish.

A huge catfish occasionally survives to grow even larger and become a giant of its kind. Catfish of all sorts inhabit fresh waters in warm-temperate to tropical climate regions. Giant catfish are found only in very large rivers or in lakes fed or emptied by them. They are principally bottom-feeding scavengers, although they are sufficiently aggressive to attack any creature recognized as “food” and of a size small enough to swallow. The largest giant catfish reaches a length of 24 feet (Monster Manual II 23).

For Swords & Wizardry

Hit Dice: 7-10
Armor Class: 7 [12]
Attack (Damage): 1 bite (3d4), 1d2 spines (2d4 + poison)
Move: 0/18 swimming
Save: 9, 8, 6, or 5
Alignment: Neutrality
Challenge Level/XP: 7 HD (9/1,100); 8 HD (10/1,400); 9 HD (11/1,700); 10 HD (12/2,000)
Special: Poison spines, swallow whole

When biting, a giant catfish swallows its prey whole on a natural roll of 18-20, assuming the prey is small enough. A 7-HD giant catfish can swallow a gnome or halfling whole. At 8 HD, a giant catfish can swallow whole a dwarf or elf. At 9 HD, the giant catfish can swallow whole a human, while a 10 HD giant catfish can swallow whole a creature as large as an ogre. In addition to its bite attack, a giant catfish has several stiff feelers around its mouth and gills. A giant catfish lashes its head about in combat, which lets it makes one or two spine attacks each round. A creature hit by a spine must make a saving throw to avoid suffering an additional 1d4 points of damage from the giant catfish’s painful venom.

For Mutant Future

Number Encountered: 1
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: Swim 180′ (60′)
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 10
Attacks: 1 (bite) plus 1d2 (spines)
Damage: 3d4+4 plus 2d4+4, poison
Save: L5
Morale: 9
Hoard Class: None
XP: 3,100

Mutations: Gigantism, Toxic Weapon

When biting, a giant catfish swallows its prey whole on a natural roll of 18-20, so long as that prey is no larger than horse. A victim swallowed whole takes 1 point of damage per round from digestive fluids and has a 5% chance of suffocating each round. These hazards stop when the victim dies, the catfish is killed, or the victim escapes. A giant catfish lashes its head about in combat, which lets it makes one or two spine attacks each round. The giant catfish’s spines carry class 1 poison (save or take 1d6 points of damage).

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I’ve added Aquatic Depths & Denizens to the short list of Spes Magna OSR products that are on sale this month. If you click on this link, Aquatic Depths & Denizens shall be added to your DriveThruRPG cart for the discount price of 75 cents.

Aquatic Depths & Denizens dives into Old School aquatic environs, offering the Referee and the players several tools to help bring new worlds of excitement to life via guidelines for adventuring underwater, the addition of five aquatic races suitable for PCs, and many new spells and monsters to be cast or fought while submerged.

(N.B. The other two products on sale are That’s a Goblin!? and Terrors of the Toxic Waste, details to be found in this post.)

Tags: monsters, Mutant Future, Swords & Wizardry

Once upon a time, I owned issue 42 of Marvel’s Master of Kung Fu. Via my Marvel on-line subscription, I’ve read or re-read about half of these remarkable Shang-Chi stories from the 70s. Doug Moench wrote the best of these stories with the help of Paul Gulacy’s astonishing pencils. The cover art shown in this post is by the legendary Gil Kane and Al Milgrom.

Not long after our gaming group got its hands on TSR’s Marvel Super Heroes Roleplaying Game, I created the villainous Volt, who was patterned heavily after Shockwave. I’ve written about Volt here. Here’s Volt designed for Villains and Vigilantes from Monkey House Games. (N.B. That last link is an affiliate link.)

Volt (Real Name Unknown)
Level 5 Villain

Strength 16
Endurance 26
Agility 27
Intelligence 13
Charisma 14

Height 6 ft. 2 in.
Weight 200 lbs.

Basic Hits 4
Hit Point Modifier 7.2
Hit Points 29
Healing Rate 2.8/day

Detect Hidden 10%
Detect Danger 14%

Damage Modifier +3
Accuracy +8

Reaction from Good -1
Reaction from Evil +1

Carrying Capacity 420 lbs.
Basic HTH Damage 1d6+3
Movement Rate 47
Power 74

Training +3 HTH combat accuracy, +2 Lightning Control damage
Inventing Points 6.5

Super Powers

Absorption (Electricity Only)
Heightened Agility A: +11
Heightened Endurance A: +11
Invulnerability (Electricity Only): 17 points
Lightning Control: 52 range, 2d8+2 damage, PR=4.

Tags: superhero games, supervillains

I’m now heading further back in time to 1978’s Gamma World to find a new monster for conversion to both Swords & Wizardry and Mutant Future. Way back in the day, we played Gamma World quite a lot. For a time, it completely replaced AD&D as our game of choice. It remains one of my most favoritest RPGs. This post is not my first foray into Gamma World conversions. Click here for other such posts.

These oddly mutated plants have a horizontal trunk and movable branches, adapted to rapid locomotion. A large clump of roots, and keen visual and olfactory appendages at the base of its trunk vaguely resembles a shaggy horse’s head. It feeds on nutrimental matter, which its tendrils thrust into the trunk cavity where it is absorbed by thousands of tiny rootlets. The pineto takes on moisture much like an animal, by dipping its “head” (root clump) into a stream or pond. Pinetos can be domesticated for riding or work as a beast of burden (carrying up to 800kg on their backs). Control is by a sharp goad stick which is jammed into the pineto, just behind the root clump. (Gamma World 25).

For Swords & Wizardry

Hit Dice: 3
Armor Class: 4 [15]
Attack (Damage): 1 slam (1d6+2)
Move: 18
Save: 14
Alignment: Neutrality
Challenge Level/XP: 3/60
Special: Needles

A pineto is covered with short, sharp needles. It attacks by slamming these needles into its target. A target with an armor class of 7 [12] or better takes half damage from this attack. A rider without a saddle or other suitable protection takes 1 point of damage each round it rides the pineto.

For Mutant Future

Number Encountered: 1 (1d8)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 180′ (45′)
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: 1 (slam)
Damage: 1d6+2
Save: L2
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: None
XP: 110

Mutations: Free Movement, Full Senses, Natural Armor (Plant), Vegetal Weapon (Needles)

A pineto is covered with short, sharp needles. It attacks by slamming these needles into its target. A target with an armor class of 7 or better takes half damage from this attack. A rider without a saddle or other suitable protection takes 1 point of damage each round it rides the pineto.

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In other news, if you’ve enjoyed my recent monster posts, you might enjoy these for-sale offerings available via DriveThruRPG. Both are on sale for July at half their normal price. For each PDF, the first link takes you to the product page and the second link applies the discount code to your cart for checkout.

That’s a Goblin!? (Discount Link)

Catch your players off guard with That’s a Goblin!?. This Old School supplement presents 23 goblin mutations, 15 fey goblin abilities, 3 goblin subspecies, and 6 goblin tactical specialties. Mix and match to create scores of different goblins! That’s a Goblin!? also includes Tributary of Terror, a mini-adventure taking place within Reyr’s Well, a detailed fantasy hamlet suitable for just about any campaign world.

Terrors of the Toxic Waste (Discount Link)

Terrors of the Toxic Waste presents 21 new mutant foes, hazards, and NPCs – from the psychotic killdren to the benevolent Yozuvchi of the Endless Tales – all ready to add more danger and excitement to your post-apocalyptic world.

Tags: monsters, Mutant Future, Swords & Wizardry

Time for another old AD&D favorite re-imagined for Swords & Wizardry and Mutant Future!

According to a few gaming sites, the boalisk appeared first in one of my favorite modules: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. I can’t find my copy of that module, and I don’t remember the boalisk being part of it, but my memory could be wrong. Regardless from where, the boalisk slithered its way into AD&D’s Monster Manual II in 1983.

The boalisk, a variety of tropical snake, is nearly identical to the constrictor snake (q.v.) in all respects, and it has a gaze attack. Those who fall victim to the boalisk’s gaze attack contract a rotting disease. In tropical climes, constrictors encountered may be accompanied by boalisks (25%), and vice versa (Monster Manual II 71).

For Swords & Wizardry

Hit Dice: 5+1
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Attack (Damage): 1 bite (1d3)
Move: 12
Save: 12
Alignment: Neutrality
Challenge Level/XP: 7/600
Special: Constriction, gaze causes rotting disease

If a boalisk’s bite hits, its coils automatically wrap about its victim, causing 1d6+1 points of constriction damage per round thereafter, but a boalisk can constrict only one target a time. The boalisk gazes each round. A surprised target meets the boalisk’s gaze automatically and gets no saving throw. Otherwise, a creature who meets the boalisk’s gaze must make a saving throw to avoid affliction with a rotting disease. This disease prevents magical healing and causes wounds to heal at one-tenth the normal rate. A Cure Disease increases healing to one-half normal rate, but only a Remove Curse completely cures a victim of the boalisk’s rotting disease. A boalisk’s gaze does not affect others of its kind, including normal constrictor snakes.

For Mutant Future

Number Encountered: 1d3 (1d3)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120′ (40′)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 5+1
Attacks: 2 (bite, constrict)
Damage: 1d3+1/1d6+1
Save: L3
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: VI
XP: 660

Mutations: Gigantism, Unique (Disease Gaze)

A boalisk’s first attack is its bite. If the bite hits, the boalisk constricts its victim for an additional 1d6+1 damage. Constriction damage continues on subsequent rounds. A creature that meets a boalisk’s gaze must make a saving throw versus poison or contract a rotting disease. This disease’s infection duration, affected stats, and damage per day are identical to flesh-eating bacteria (Mutant Future 48).

Tags: monsters, Mutant Future, Swords & Wizardry