Yeesh. It’s been about a month and a half since my last post. That’s probably not my worst lag, but it’s an impressive anti-accomplishment nonetheless.
So, I had been posting about converting content from the 1989 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WHF) for use with Castles and Crusades. Today, at long last, is no exception. I took the Mutation tables from the Chaos Beastmen (WHF 216) and Warrior of Chaos (WHF 230) to create a Chaos Goblin Mutations table.
Enjoy!
The 1989 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WHF) has few undead not already part of Castles and Crusades. Last post, I converted the Carrion. This post? The Marshlight.
Marshlight
Size: Small to Medium
HD: 1 (d8)
AC: 12
Saves: M, P
Move: Fly 40 ft.
Attacks: None
Special: Darkvision 60 ft., Incorporeal, Mesmerism, Undead Instability
INT: None
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Type: Undead
Treasure: 1
XP: 15 + 1/hp
From WHF 252: “Marshlights are ethereal creatures which take the form of glowing lights; they can appear to be lanterns, vaguely humanoid figures or other crude shapes. …. They are dangerous not because of any physical damage they cause, but because of the compelling hypnotic effect, by which they lead mesmerised characters to their deaths. It is thought they feed in some vampiric way upon the ebbing life forces of their victims.”
Combat: A living creature with greater than animal intelligence must make a successful charisma save upon seeing a Marshlight that is within 300 feet. Elves and half-elves apply their resistance to charms to his save. If the save is successful, the creature is immune to that Marshlight’s mesmerism for 24 hours. Mesmerised victims walk toward the Marshlight, taking the most direct route available. Mesmerised victims takes no actions other than to defend themselves and move toward the Marshlight. A mesmerised victim who takes damage or who loses line-of-sight to the Marshlight is freed from that Marshlight’s enchantment.
Incorporeal: Marshlights exist only partially within the mortal realms; most of their essence resides in the ethereal. A creature in the mortal realms cannot attack a Marshlight except with magical weapons of +1 or better. Marshlights are immune to cold- and fire-based attacks.
Let’s take some undead monsters from the 1989 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WHF) and adapt them to Castles and Crusades, to include WHF’s idea that undead are subject to instability.
Undead Instability: Undead do not belong on the Material Plane. Some of whatever gives unlife to what should be a dead thing comes from another plane of existence. Undead might be subject to instability. This is common with uncontrolled undead who venture outside of desecrated or unholy places. Undead directly controlled by a necromancer or similarly powerful master may also avoid instability. Otherwise, check for instability by rolling 1d8 when an undead creature:
1-2: The source of the undead’s power and the Material Plane separate. The undead becomes incorporeal and can longer use any of its physical attacks. Each round, there is a 50% chance the undead becomes unable to act at all. The undead may be harmed by magical attacks (including magic weapons) as normal. This effect is permanent; don’t check for instability again.
3-4: The source of the undead’s power and the Material Plane separate. The undead becomes incorporeal and can no longer use any of its physical attacks. The undead is reduced to 1 hit point per hit die (if lower than its current hit point total). The undead may be harmed by magical attacks (including magic weapons) as normal.
5: The source of the undead’s power and the Material Plane flux. The undead’s move is halved, and it suffers a -2 penalty to attack rolls and saving throws for 1d6 rounds. If normally struck only by magic weapons, the undead can be harmed by normal weapons during this time.
6: The flow of negative energy from the source of the undead’s power to the Material Plane reverses. Roll the undead’s hit dice, reading the result as damage. Intelligent undead suffer half damage from this effect.
7: The flow of negative energy from the source of the undead’s power increases. For 1d6 rounds, the undead’s move is doubled, and it enjoys a +2 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws. If normally struck only by magic weapons, the undead takes half damage from such weapons during this period. If normally struck by normal weapons, the undead takes half damage from such weapons during this period.
8: The flow of negative energy from the source of the undead’s power increases. For 1d6 rounds, the undead benefits from number 7 above. Furthermore, the undead regenerates 1d4 hit points per round during the same period.
Carrion
Size: Large (7 ft. tall, 20 ft. wingspan)
HD: 6 (d8)
AC: 14
Saves: P
Move: 20 ft., fly 90 ft.
Attacks: 2 Claws (1d6), 1 Bite (1d8)
Special: Darkvision 60 ft., Dive, Fear, Twilight Vision, Undead Instability
INT: Inferior
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Type: Undead (Extraordinary)
Treasure: 2
XP: 300 + 6/hp
From WHF 248: “Carrion were once great birds of prey inhabiting the northern fringes of the Worlds Edge Mountains. Now are scarcely recognizable, having been captured and warped by Chaos into the present form. These great, Undead birds now serve the forces of Chaos as aerial scouts and fighters. Occassionally, they will carry a rider – typically a small Chaos Goblin mutant armed with a lance and a bow. They cannot carry heavier riders.”
“Carrion are skeletal flying beasts, mostly birdlike but with membranous wings and tails, reminiscent of bats or pterodactyls.”
Combat: “In combat, Carrion attack with two claws and one bite per round.” In melee combat, Carrion cause fear (PH 175-176) in a 10-foot radius; a creature that makes its charisma check against this effect is immune to that Carrion’s fear for 24 hours. A Carrion’s rider is immune to this fear. A Carrion bearing a rider is not subject to undead instability.
Dive: A Carrion can dive at a foe, gaining a +4 attack roll bonus, but it must move at least 45 feet in one round to do so. A successful attack means the target takes damage from both claws. Furthermore, the target must succeed at a dexterity check to avoid being grasped in the Carrion’s talons. If the check fails, and the target weighs no more than 100 pounds, the Carrion picks up the target and carries into the air. If the victim manages to stab or otherwise harm the Carrion, it immediately drops the victim. A Carrion cannot carry off a target and carry a mount at the same time.
My Ludi Fabularum game club continues for another school year, this time running during the lunch/recess period, which lets more students play more often and keeps me from having to stay after school. Win, win. So far, I’ve got more than a dozen middle school lads divided into two groups playing an old-school hexcrawl using Castles & Crusades and several TSR D&D and AD&D modules along with a dash of Dungeon Crawl Classics. The picture below is the slowly expanding campaign map.
And here’s action so far:
Star. The shipwrecked adventurers swam to shore, ending up on the cold beach. To the northwest, they could see ice-capped mountains behind a vast forest. To the east? Nothing but rolling, grassy hills dotted with small woods.
1. To the Forest. The adventurers traveled to the forest to seek shelter from the icy wind and the coming night. They encountered a frogbold raiding party. After a fierce but brief battle, the adventurers won the fight. Several surviving frogbold’s fled deeper into the forest. The adventurers rescued several sprites who had been captured by the frogbolds.
2. A Home Away From. The sprites led the adventurers to Brú na Bóinne, a magically hidden fort home to a community of friendly sprites ruled by the aloof Queen Titania. This fort now serves as the adventurers’ home base.
3. The Mad Hermit. The adventurers split into two teams that set out to explore Shipwreck Island. They hope to find a way off the island. One of the teams traveled north through the forest, where they found savage, dwarf-like creatures that had caught a mountain lion. The adventurers freed the mountain lion, which fled, and then defeated the dwarf-like creatures. They tracked the mountain lion to the tree-home of Phosterius and his shape-shifting daughter Susuarana. Phosterius told the adventurers that a way home might be found in lost Quasqueton, which lies somewhere to the west near the sea cliffs.
Group two meets tomorrow for the first of three consecutive sessions of gameplay. I’ve no idea to where group two’s PCs will travel other than they’re not heading out to look for the Mad Hermit.
The shipwrecked adventurers followed the freed sprites to Brú na Bóinne, a magically hidden fort home to a community of friendly fey creatures ruled by the aloof Queen Titania. From this safe haven, the adventurers split into two groups determined to find a way off the island. Group one set out in search of the Mad Hermit said to live in the woods. After several hours of careful travel, the party encountered a trio of savage, dwarf-like creatures trying to kill an ensnared mountain lion, which wore a collar.
The adventurers freed the mountain lion, which fled the battle, and also defeated the savages. Then, tge adventurers tracked the mountain lion back to its lair: a massive tree in the center of a circular clearing. The heroes circled the clearing, spotting a dimly lit entrance into the tree. After they had reached about the half way point to the tree, a voice boomed:
“Turn back! The Mad Hermit tolerates no trespassers!”
Phosterius the Mad Hermit
Size: Medium
HD: 5 (d6)
HP: 25
AC: 15 (leather armor, small wooden shield, +1 ring of true protection, DEX)
Saves: M, P
Move: 30 ft.
Attacks: +1 dagger (1d4+1)
Special: Druid and rogue abilities (see below)
INT: High
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Type: Humanoid
Treasure: 5
XP: 365
Phosterius, known as the Mad Hermit, has lived on Shipwreck Island for a bit more than two decades. His reputation for insanity and wild dangerousness is not completely without merit, but he neither truly mad nor murderous. What he values most is being left alone with his only companion, Susuarana, his daughter who was an infant when they were stranded on the island.
Phosterius has all the skills of a 3rd-level rogue, and he can sneak attack and back attack as a 5th-level rogue (+2 “to hit” and +4 damage versus an unsuspecting target or +4 “to hit” and triple damage with a successful move silently or hide check). He also zealously protects the territory around his tree-home, striving to live in harmony with nature. He enjoys a +2 bonus to saving throws against air, earth, fire, water, lightning, and cold attacks, speaks the druidic language, and casts spells as a 5th-level druid. Phosterius prepares four 0-level, four 1st-level, three 2nd-level, and one 3rd-level druid spells per day. He typically prepares these spells:
0th Level: create water, endure elements, first aid, light
1st Level: alarm, entangle, goodberry, invisibility to animals
2nd Level: cure light wounds, heat metal, summon swarm
3rd Level: snare
Phosterius avoids direct combat when possible. If pressed, he uses his +1 dagger. His magic ring adds its +1 bonus to both armor class and saving throws, but the former bonus does not function with magic armor. He owns a magic collar. When worn, the wearer becomes a mountain lion (M&T 204-205) in all ways except intelligence, maintaining this form as long as the collar is worn. Phosterius’s daughter often wears the magic collar on her jaunts through the forest.
