Spes Magna Games

About two years ago, I posted conversions to the The Black Hack of some favorite Fiend Folio monsters. That was for the first edition of The Black Hack. Well, now there’s a second edition, and it’s a great game. Seriously. You need the second edition of The Black Hack. (Nota Bene: The aforementioned product links are affiliate links.)

So, in the spirit of second editions, here’re those same Fiend Folio monsters, updated for the new The Black Hack, an even ebonier slice of RPG genius.

Al-Mi’Raj (HD 1)

This large, yellow rabbit sports a unicorn-like horn. Adventurers may find al-mi’rajes in pastures and woodlands, or perhaps lairing in a small cave.

Melee: STR (1 Close) 2 dmg
They Dart! Gives Disadvantage to Attacks made against it by Characters farther away than Close.

Bloodworm (HD 6)

Found in shallow pools in underground caverns. Cannot swim, but instead wriggle along the bottom of their watery lairs. Reach lengths of nearly 20 feet, but slender and lithe.

Melee: STR (1 Close) 7 dmg
Blood Drain! Deals Ongoing Damage that requires a STR Test to end.

Coffer Corpse (HD 2)

Emaciated, rotting flesh, eyes burning with hatred, fingernails grown into talons.

Melee: STR (2 Close) 2 dmg
Not Dead Yet! Collapses after taking Damage only to jump back up on its next action. A WIS Test avoid being forced by fear to Move away from the Coffer Corpse next turn.

Death Knight (HD 9)

Skeletal creature in ancient, decaying finery and plate armor.

Melee: STR (1 Close) 10 dmg
Spellcaster! As an Action, cast one of the following spells. Each spell as a Usage Die to track its limited power.

* Detect Magic (Ud8): Everything Nearby that is magic glows. Lasts for Ud6 Minutes.
* Fireball (Ud4): 1d4 Nearby Creatures take 9d6 damage.
* Power Word, Kill (Ud4): A Nearby Creature with fewer than 50 HP must make a CON Test or die without possiblity of resurrection.
* See Invisibility (Ud8): Everything Nearby that is invisible becomes visible to the Death Knight. Lasts for Ud6 Minutes.
* Wall of Ice (Ud8): Wall of ice covers a Nearby area. Any Creature that comes Close takes damage equal to its HD.

Tags: monsters, The Black Hack

Behold I will bring them from the north country, and will gather them from the ends of the earth: and among them shall be the blind, and the lame, the woman with child, and she that is bringing forth, together, a great company of them returning hither. They shall come with weeping: and I will bring them back in mercy: and I will bring them through the torrents of waters in a right way, and they shall not stumble in it: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. (Prophecy Of Jeremias 31:8-9)

Safer Route
2nd-level divination (ritual)

Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (an iron needle and a bit of magnetite)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 day

You touch a willing creature, granting it a heightened ability to navigate through and survive in the wilderness. For the spell’s duration, the target makes all ability checks and skill checks with advantage so long as those checks deal with overcoming or avoiding hazards presented by terrain, weather, and becoming lost. The target also makes Wisdom (Survival) checks with advantage when foraging for food and water, and, when successful, the target increases the amount of food (in pounds) and water (in gallons) by the target’s proficiency modifier (1d6 + the target’s Wisdom modifier + the target’s proficiency modifier, to be precise).

Tags: 5E D&D, Catholic, spells

In 2002, I contributed several spells to Spells and Spellcraft, published by Fantasy Flight Games. Not too long ago, I retooled a few of the spells I contributed to Spells and Spellcraft for folks to use with 5E D&D game. Many of the spells I wrote for Spells and Spellcraft were third-edition versions of spells I created for AD&D way back when. (Nota Bene: The link for Spells and Spellcraft is an affiliate link.)

Catalytic Mouth
3rd-level illusion (ritual)

Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (a small bit of honeycomb from the hive of giant bees and jade dust worth at least 10 gp, which the spell consumes)
Duration: Until dispelled or activated

This spell duplicates the effects of magic mouth, but with the additional ability that the magical mouth can speak a command word or phrase used to trigger a spell or magic item within 30 feet of the space in which the catalytic mouth is placed. Once the catalytic mouth speaks the command word or phrase, it is dispelled.

Crescendo of Indefatigably
1st-level enchantment

Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when about to attempt an action
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous

You sing a single, pure note when you are about to attempt an action. You have advantage on the die roll made to attempt that action.

Debilitating Decrescendo
3rd-level enchantment

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous

You sing a powerful, clear note that degenerates into a discordant gasp directed at a creature you can see within range. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 5d6 psychic damage and acquires one level of exhaustion. On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage and doesn’t gain a level of exhaustion. The target can never acquire more than one level of exhaustion from this spell.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 3rd.

Tags: 5E D&D, spells

Taking a break from statting up heroes from the Finnish Mythos of the AD&D Deities & Demigods. Today, we have a few magic items. Direct quotes all come from Deities & Demigods. (N.B. I’ve noticed on a couple of sites that it’s customary to note that some links are affiliate links. The link to the Deities & Demigods book is an affiliate link. That means if you click here and buy there, I get a small amount of money for the transaction.)

The Elder Sign
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)

“This small grey (sometimes greenish) stone in the shape of a five-pointed star is a powerful protection against all minions of the Old Ones. The true potent Elder Signs are few in number and incredibly ancient, having been made by the elder gods. They have the following powers:”

* While carrying the Elder Sign, you have immunity to psionic powers (such as the innate spellcasting of the Great Race of Yith). Your Armor Class improves by +3 against attacks from the minions of the Old Ones.

* When you use an action to strongly present the Elder Sign, minions of the Old Ones such as Shoggoths, Byakhee, Flame Creatures, Deep Ones, and Mi-Go flee from you. An affected creature moves as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.

Magic Wool
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)

“Certain mighty persons of Pohjola [the land of evil and wizardry] have some of this material which, when rubbed against the flesh, produces a flock of thirty sheep once a month.”

Magical Brush
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)

When you are injured or otherwise in trouble, the magical brush sheds blood, no matter the distance between you and the magical brush.

Magical Sledge
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)

The magical sledge “pulls itself…and can travel over land or water.” It moves at a speed of 60 feet according to your spoken directions. The magical sledge can carry 600 pounds.

The Necronomicon
Wondrous item, artifact (requires attunement by a spellcaster)

“The Necronomicon is a powerful and perilous magical tome of ancient origins. It was originally written by Abdul Alhazred, a great magic-user known to some as the ‘Mad Arab’. After ten years alone in the desert he wrote a book called Al Azif — words used to denote the nocturnal sounds of insects which may be the voices of demons. Alhazred was later seized in the streets of a desert city by invisible demons and devoured horribly in front of many witnesses.”

A creature attuned to the book must spend 80 hours reading and studying it to have a chance of understanding its contents. If the creature is non-evil, that creature must make a DC 17 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s alignment shifts one step closer to chaotic evil (see Slip into Madness below).

Forbidden Knowledge. You can reference the Necronomicon whenever you make an Intelligence check to find information about the Old Ones and their minions. When you do so, double your proficiency bonus on that check.

Open What Ought To Stay Closed. Using the blasphemous incantations in the Necronomicon, you can open portals to alien realms. As a ritual, you can use contact other plane, gate, or plane shift.

Slip into Madness. Each time you use the Necronomicon, you must make a DC 17 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, your alignment shifts one step closer to chaotic evil, shifting from law to neutrality to chaos before shifting from good to neutral to evil. With each shift in alignment, you acquire a minor detrimental property (DMG, page 220). When you become chaotic evil, you become an NPC under the DM’s control. If you were already chaotic evil, you become irrevocably mad (and an NPC under the DM’s control).

Random Properties. The Necronomicon has two randomly determined two minor beneficial properties.

Rake of Iron
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)

“This item appears to be 3′ in length but, because of its magical nature and purpose, it can elongate to as far as the user wishes (up to 200 yards).” When used to rake an area as part of a search, you double your proficiency bonus to find what you’re searching for.

Snowshoes of Speed and Traveling
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)

While wearing these snowshoes, your walking speed is doubled, and any creature that makes an opportunity attack against you has disadvantage on the attack roll. You ignore difficult terrain created by ice or snow.

True Ankh
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a cleric of the Life domain)

“This magical device, carried by all the gods of the Nile at one time or another, enables them to raise any dead creature fully….”

The true ankh combines the powers of a rod of resurrection and a staff of healing. It has 10 charges. It regains 1 expended charge daily at dawn. If the true ankh is reduced to 0 charges, it disappears in a burst of radiance, returning to the realm of the gods.

For reasons unknown to me, these three magic items do not appear in the 5E DMG. They might appear somewhere else, but I don’t own somewhere else. These are strange omissions. Some version of these crossbows have been part of D&D for decades.

Crossbow of Accuracy
Weapon (crossbow), very rare (requires attunement)

The crossbow of accuracy is a +3 weapon. All ranges are considered normal. One in 10 of these weapons are heavy crossbows.

Crossbow of Distance
Weapon (crossbow), rare (requires attunement)

The crossbow of distance has double range in both categories. Otherwise, it is a +1 crossbow. One in 10 of these weapons are heavy crossbows.

Crossbow of Speed
Weapon (crossbow), very rare (requires attunement)

This +1 crossbow automatically cocks itself when it is grasped. When you use the crossbow of speed in combat, you roll initiative with advantage. If you are wielding this weapon when surprised, you may make one attack with it during the round in which you are surprised. The crossbow of speed does not have the load property.

Tags: 5E D&D, Deities & Demigods, magic items

And James and John the sons of Zebedee, come to him, saying: Master, we desire that whatsoever we shall ask, thou wouldst do it for us: But he said to them: What would you that I should do for you? And they said: Grant to us, that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. (The Gospel According to St. Mark 10:35-37)

Guard of Glory
3rd-level abjuration

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 19 feet
Components: V, S, M (a vial of holy water)
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You sprinkle yourself and one or two willing creatures with holy water while chanting words of consecration. For the duration of the spell, you and the spell’s targets gain certain protections:

* Aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead have disadvantage on attack rolls against the target. The target also can’t be charmed, frightened, or possessed by these creatures.

* When making a saving throw, a creature affected by this spell rolls with advantage.

* All affected creatures have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

The spell’s targets must remain within 10 feet of you to enjoy the benefits of this spell. At least one of the spell’s targets must remain within 10 feet of you for you to enjoy the benefits of this spell.

Tags: 5E D&D, Catholic, spells