Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year!


Were-Shades [Labyrinth Lord]

Were-Shades of Uttonj
No. Enc.: 1 (1d4)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 2 (weapon or spell)
Damage: 2d4/by spell
Save: F4
Morale: 8

Furtive and  duplicitous, the Were-Shades of Uttonj are militant spell-casters who belong to a little-known sect that bases their doctrines and practices around an old, much maligned manuscript that has a tendency to circulate along various covert and underground channels outside of more conventional publishing. This manuscript is in itself a shadow of itself and only those who can successfully read the tenebrous non-tome can hope to make use of the Umbral Threshold spell encrypted and encoded within the text.

Successfully casting the secret spell opens the way to Uttonj, a dim and dismal Parallel Realm dominated by a grotesquely bloated blue-white sun that writhes fitfully within a midnight sky. This 'sun' does little to illuminate the darkness and instead tends to wash-out any bright colors. Nothing in Uttonj has any real color to it after exposure to the toxically-dim sun. It is a place of shadows, forlorn and desolate pools of absence, empty voids within the visual spectrum. The trees are invisible, and the few native fauna are unseeable to most normal eyes. The Damned Beasts prowl through the whispering patches of transparent grasses and the Horla are said to hunt them from within the crumbling estates and towers they have reclaimed from even stranger and far more ancient enemies.

Those who survive their arrival in Uttonj are either noticed and gathered-up by the Were-Shades or enslaved by the Horla, unless they are devoured by some damned thing first.

The Were-Shades maintain something of a watch on the areas most likely to see new entrants into their realm, but it is a rather hit-or-miss kind of thing and they sometimes take as long as four days to finally notice a potential new-comer.

A candidate is expected to have at least a minimum of four levels of training as a fighter or warrior in addition to their dabbling in magic or sorcery. There are very few clerics who'd ever be welcomed within Uttonj. Those who survive the initial vigil will find their advancement within the ranks of the Were-Shades difficult and often blocked, challenged or stymied by those who do not trust them.

One who survives the challenges of their potential sponsor and who gains acceptance into the ranks of the Were-Shades both gains and loses something precious. The newly-made Were-Shade gains the ability to Assume Umbral Form once per day per hit die. They also lose all of their natural coloration and become somewhat porous to light. For some this means their skin becomes translucent, for others it means that they lose all ability to remain visibly coherent in any but the dim sun of Uttonj or under the rays of a Strangelight or similar spell. They look like dim shadows of their former selves, literally. Their visible forms become murky and what is still able to register within the usual spectrum appears to be an odd, disquieting reversal or negative image of sorts. (-4 Char Reaction outside of shadows or dark places.)

Should the new-made Were-Shade persevere and apply themselves diligently to the tasks appointed to them by the Grim Hierarchy of their fellows, and stay in the good graces of their sponsor or patron, they will, in time, gain access to various rare and obscure spells, rites of attunement, and other abilities. Some have even developed a sorcerous analog of the Umbra-Blade wielded by the Jaladari, whom the majority of Were-Shades hate and revile for esoteric, mostly doctrinal reasons.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Drab Jelly (Wermspittle)

Drab Jelly
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 30' (10')
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 2
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d6
Save: F1
Morale: 9 (3 if exposed to purple fire)

Mostly translucent gelatinous patches of quivering goo, the Drab Jellies are patient, slow and opportunistic oozlings who lurk within the shadows of abandoned buildings and along the dank walls of alleys. Over time a Drab Jelly truly earns its name by leaching the color and vibrancy right out of anything that they remain in contact with for any length of time. When they attack, they not only cause acidic damage, but they fade the colors from their target, right down to their very bones, should they have bones.

The dyers and cloth-makers will buy Drab Jellies scraped into barrels lined with copper, wax or glass. A barrel filled with one large Drab Jelly or a dozen smaller ones will fetch the same price, as the buyers tend to pay by the pound. A common trick among Jelly-Catchers is to let the things gorge on artworks salvaged or liberated from boarded-up galleries or estates, especially the most colorful stuff. That will cause the Drab Jelly to bloat a bit and gain some weight, thus making it more likely to bring in a few more coins for their troubles.

There are also formulae within certain grimoires that allude to sorcerous applications of Drab Jellies in the pursuit of invisibility or in confronting Horla, Unseen Beasts, Yellow Wallpaper or even the Dread Colours. But these are highly dangerous pursuits, typically left incomplete and more often than not very likely to draw the attentions of those things one is seeking to dissuade, drive off or defeat.

Drab Jellies dislike strong light and fire, but they fear purple fire more than anything else. Jelly-catchers often use panes of purplish-stained glass in their lamps or lanterns in an attempt to fool the creatures when they do not have access to a spell or device that can produce the purple fire. The sham lamps work about 10% of the time. The purple light of the sham lamps is also highly likely to enrage Ochre Jellies, so it is not a trick to use unless one is certain which and what kind of Jelly is being dealt with...as the consequences could be dire indeed.


Thursday, December 29, 2011

What Valja Want

Things a Valja Wants...
Don't know what a Valja (Val-Jah) is? No problem. Click over to this post and you can find out all about them. There's even a Paper Miniature over there.
  1. Companionship. Valja can only really, truly perceive the universe they are experiencing through others. On their own, they are deaf, dumb and blind and cannot play pinball worth a damn. They need companions, not just as 'seeing eye dogs,' but as filters for sorting out the details and complexities of experience.
  2. Stories told by master story-tellers. A good tale, well told, will enthrall a Valja more effectively than a Charm. They have been known to hover in a trance-like state completely oblivious to everything else while a raconteur kept the Valja's attention upon a dramatic reading or re-enactment of some historical drama or folktale.
  3. A night at the opera. Literally. But only in good company.
  4. Bad jokes, especially the kind that relate to bodily functions which the Valja find completely esoteric, obscure and thoroughly ridiculous. But then a Valja excretes its bodily wastes in the form of tightly-packed pellets that they leave in-between walls or in discrete cavities by way of their native Passwall ability.
  5. A good glutton who is also a gourmand. The Valja are starved for experience, and gustatory excess intrigues them, as does the very peculiar relationship between chemistry and sensation such as taste. They are puzzled by spices and simply enthralled with the recitation of recipes. The strange emotional-symbollical-mathematics (a weird experiential calculus) that the Valja use for evaluating all things has never previously accounted for taste, seasoning, or enjoyment of food, opening up entirely new areas of conjecture and exploration for those Valja inclined to dabble in such nutritionally-oriented realms of esoteric inquiry.
  6. Bar hopping. Valja enjoy migrating from one tavern to another, so long as they are surrounded by a suitable coterie of body-guards and fellow aesthetes who can both protect it and guide it and serve as interpreters of what is observed or encountered. It is not uncommon for a Valja to engage the services of a few down-on-their-luck sailors or other such types to take it out for a night on the town or to go wandering through the seedy underbelly of the less reputable parts of town.
  7. Recitations of poetry. The Valja cannot process poetry. At all. It affects them oddly, disorienting them and causing a reaction not unlike getting drunk. Valja will sometimes discover new emotions, develop fresh obsessions or even exhibit new powers of perception or awareness under the influence of poetry.
  8. Sensuality. Valja are extraordinarily embryonic in more than just their gross outward appearance. They are innately hyper-tactile creatures, but most are completely unaware of it, often sublimating their need for touch and contact by their observational efforts. But once a Valja discovers their own capacity for tactile perception they begin to change, to develop and grow into something other than the usual pupae-stage. The first sign of this transformation is when the Valjas manipulative flipper-pincers become more hand-like and a secondary cartilaginous skeleton begins to form from their finger-tips back through all their body. There are rumors that those Valja so affected grow to become Weavers, but this is vigorously disputed by the Valja and has never been proven.
  9. Gambling. Valja love gambling, but are incredibly bad at it, from the point of view of the gamblers. Instead of trying to win or to beat the odds, a Valja is more interested in riding the waves of excitement and focused attention that surround this curious social enterprise. Some casinos will welcome Valja into the outer salons and open games as they have a tendency to skew probabilities to the house's favor, thus driving more serious patrons to the higher-stakes private amusements. More than one Valja has run-up a substantial line of credit at one or more houses of gambling as a 'cooler.' More than one such Valja has also been brutally beaten and sometimes killed by broke gamblers who have blamed these creatures for their losing streaks.
  10. Certain young and impressionable Valja have, from time to time, entered into dubious arrangements with various scholars, sorcerers and others to serve as companions, special assistants or even familiars for contractually-agreed-upon terms. The Valja develops a deeper than usual bond with their master, granting them a suite of enhanced cross-planar sensory abilities and allowing the Valja to learn, to really and actually learn through an osmotic-like process of knowledge assimilation. Given enough time, a Valja might learn to read, and a spell-caster might learn a wide array of transplanar secrets essential to their overall work.
  11. Rings. Valja are non-materialist and tend to eschew clothes, jewels or even money, but they are intrigued by enchanted rings and will often attempt to collect as many of the things as they can find or acquire. A Valja can wear dozens of rings at any one time, but only eight in any one space, shifting any excess rings across the planes/worlds to their alternate selves. Likewise a Valja can switch-out any one ring for another in their possession with a moment of concentration.
  12. They Don't Want To Grow Up. Valja are precocious, everything is just beginning to open up for them now and they fear, even loathe the thought of giving up their new-found awareness and circles of associates and friends. More and more Valja are seeking ways to forestall their inevitable transformation into the Pupae-stage of development. For every potion of longevity that a Valja ingests, they can hold-off the transition to Pupae-stage for 2d10 years. It is also rumored that clerical healing spells have some sort of transition-delaying effect, but the details are unclear.

Valja [Labyrinth Lord] (+Paper Mini)

Valja (Larvae)
No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120' (omnidirectional levitation, Plane Shift, Passwall)
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: 2 (Bite or spells)
Damage:  1d4 or by spell
Save: M3
Morale: 6

Sly and manipulative schemers, the Valja simultaneously exist and operate on multiple planes, most often having some form of existence/influence upon one plane or adjacent world per hit die. Each Valja is able to shift their awareness back and forth between each of their various physical extensions across the planes/worlds that they are aware of at will.

In the event that a Valja sustains more than 70% damage on any one plane/world, it will withdraw its essence from the wounded form and reabsorb it into another of its selves on another plane/world, leaving behind a sooty, greasy stain and little else. Since they never forget anything, those Valja that have been driven forcibly off of a particular plane or world will sometimes become obsessively focused on monitoring those realms so that they can plot their revenge once they have gained in power and can once again extend their awareness and manifest a new form in those places, or they might wait patiently until they begin the transformation to their pupae or adult stage of growth and development and strike back at that time.

Valja, in their larval stage, lack eyes, but make up for this by a form of ESP that allows them to sympathetically resonate with nearly any other nervous system within 120' of any of their physical forms. This allows the Valja to see through others' eyes, hear through their ears, and likewise experience the perceptions and senses of those entities with whom they are currently sympathetically resonant. The Valja are limited to 1 such 'sympathizer' per hit die. A Valja in sympathetic Resonance with another entity can make free use of that creature's senses without any ill effect. This also opens up a form of communication that begins fairly crude and imprecise, mostly shapes, impressions and emotions, but can develop over time into a more coherent form of telepathic rapport--if the other creature(s) are open to the Valja's effort to establish such a connection.

Should a Valja so desire, they are also capable of Communing With Lower Entities -- in effect gaining the ability to ask three questions of any one entity with whom they are already also sympathetically resonant. This special sub-ability can only be used once per day. The Valja can opt to learn a skill, copy a spell*, or steal a secret in place of the 3 questions, but the target must fail their Save for this to take place, even if it is a willing exchange. In the event that the target makes their Save, the Valja ends up with nothing more than some vague impressions and must try again another day. When communicating with the Valja, it is important to remember that they cannot differentiate fiction from fact, nor can they appreciate sarcasm or puns. They tend to be a literal lot, very concrete in their thinking and not terribly imaginative...unless they become inspired through interaction with other creatures.

 Valja do not normally dream, or at least they had no recorded accounts of such things until only recently, as they have dealt with more and more humanoids who do dream. The Valja are changing. The Valja are developing emotions, creative impulses, child-like imaginations, and even ambitions. Some have learned how to tell jokes, to appreciate poetry or even to lie. There are rumors that they are even beginning to develop rudimentary communities deep within peripheral regions surrounding the more populous planes where the Valja are deliberately working to understand and to consciously adapt to the changes that they seem to be going through.

Valja progress as magic users and have full spell-casting capabilities of a level equal to their hit dice. Their limbs are weak and barely able to wield a basic wand or wear an enchanted ring, and they never wield weapons...unless they have developed a far more robust physicality than is their norm. They also quickly learn any spoken language they are exposed to for short periods of time, but cannot read, not even through other creature's sensory processes.

*Note: To the Valja a cast-able spell is a symbol, not a statement. They see spells as ideoglyphic images, but they cannot appreciate formulae or equations nor the sort of research and study that goes into creating spells. They do not create spells of their own, but rather copy them whenever they are able.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Garganta-Slug [Labyrinth Lord]

Garganta-Slug
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 150' (50')
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 8
Attacks: 2
Damage: 2d6 or see below
Save: F4
Morale: 9

Implacable, voracious gastropods of prodigious girth, the Garganta-Slugs prowl the murky littoral zones around the crumbling, lushly canopied flooded-craters of Oro-Vidra and numerous other regions. These massive brutes slither and slide along hunting works, especially gigantic burrowing worms, purple and gray worms. The dense mucus left behind Garganta-Slugs is harvested by the Brickmasters of Balram, who then mix the fetid, gloppy stuff with a number of other substances (the exact formulas and recipes are closely-guarded secrets) in order to produce powerful adhesives, translucent sheets of pliable material, and to bond their bricks into very durable blocks of molded stone-like material that can endure for centuries, even under the harsh conditions of vicious sandstorms, extreme variations in temperature, and the unpredictable conditions that tend to prevail in the deep wastes where the Wermilok Brickmasters are most likely to build their ceremonial ziggurats, arched dome-cities, or reservoir-gardens.

Garganta-Slugs are not interested in non-worm-like prey, however, if attacked, they will spew forth gouts of noxious smelling acid with a range of 300'. They will also attempt to crush any attackers who get close enough for the massive beasts to flop over on top of them, causing 1d4/turn to anyone so trapped. Anyone trapped for more than 3 turns beneath a Garganta-Slug must make a Save or suffocate from being saturated in the creature's mucus. A terrible way to die...

Garganta-Slugs are exceptionally prone to dessication and all fire/heat based attacks do double damage.

In the regions of the Bitter Sea, Garganta-Slugs are captured while still young, and then harnessed and bound to serve as the living propulsion systems of Slug Boats. So far any attempt to use Garganta-Slugs in siege warfare have ended very badly for those trying to use them thusly...though there are rumors of Wermilok Eremites who have formed exceptional bonds with these creatures, but no one really believes that anyone can actually control one of these hulking brutes...

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Hexapodalite: Polyp (Type III)

Hexapodalite
Polyp (Type III)


No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (levitation)
Armor Class: 5 (improves by 1 every 3 HD)
Hit Dice: 2 to 12
Attacks: 2d4 (Can split attacks among as many as 6 opponents at a time)
Damage: 1d6 scratch, 2d6 bite, or by weapon
Save: F2 to 12
Morale: 10

Special: Use Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Ventriloquism and Arcane Eye at will. Can use Shield once per day per HD.
Immune to gaze attacks, illusions and Charm spells.

Note: Hexapodalites are only able to use Discern Weak Points when focused on locating nexii, portals or cross-over points to the exclusion of all other actions.

Hexapodalite Polyps prefer to hover in dark, dismal places away from sunlight and weather. They detest natural weather and instead tend to seek out regions of relatively stable, even stagnant atmosphere. Extreme heat, cold and even pressure are not significant problems to these creature's bizarre biology and they can endure, even thrive within the most poisonous vapors and searing steam of volcanic vents and other, deeper and stranger environs.

They are bound to answer to the Hexagon of Bohz, but only if it is inscribed properly in the prescribed form of bronze mixed to the six-fold proportions set out in the moldering Scrolls of Jalam.


Monday, December 26, 2011

Ferric Blob [Labyrinth Lord] (+Paper Mini)

Ferric Blob
No. Enc.:  1 (1d4 at reduced HD possible)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 30' (10')
Armor Class: 1
Hit Dice: 10
Attacks: 1 (Consume Iron, Globule, Crush)
Damage: 3d4, see below
Save: F9 (Special Effect/Electrical Attacks)
Morale: 11

Ponderous and noticeably warm, Ferric Blobs are noisy brutes who clatter and clank as they roll and scrape their huge gelatinous bulks through passages and tunnels. The slime-trail produced by a Ferric Blob quickly dries and flakes away, resembling a streak of rust. The entire body of a Ferric Blob is super-saturated with flakes and particles of iron. They hunger for iron and will pursue it with all the considerable vigor that they can exert--including the iron contained within human blood, which they can sense (possibly some sort of olfactory process?) up to 120' away.

Ferric Blobs are surprisingly malleable and able to squeeze through apertures as small as 1' in diameter, but at drastically reduced speed, of course (1/3 normal movement). They also have a disconcerting tendency to go berserk for 1d4 turns when struck by electrical attacks such as a Lightning Bolt. Any electrical attack that manages to do more than one-half of the Ferric Blob's remaining hit points in damage will also cause the creature to emit a terrible scream followed by it erupting into a cascade of blue-white sparks causing 5d4 damage to everything within a 30' radius, after which the entire Ferric Blob will be reduced to a single, massive piece of slightly magnetic iron welded to the spot.

Consume Iron
A Ferric Blob will generally just roll over on top of some loose bit of iron, lump of ore, stray sword or piece of armor and simply let nature take its course as the powerful digestive process of the creature reduces and assimilates the iron into its body. This process takes 1d6 minutes per square inch of the metal affected.

In combat situations, any iron weapons that successfully strike a Ferric Blob have a percent chance of being corroded into rust equal to the amount of damage the weapon inflicts, i.e. a short sword is used to inflict 4 points of damage on a Ferric Blob, that weapon has a 4% chance to corrode into rust. This effect could be cumulative for non-magical weapons and all enchanted weapons would gain a Save.

Globule
Ferric Blobs can extrude and shoot a tightly packed globule of itself at targets as a missile weapon. They get one such globule per HD per day. A 10 HD Ferric Blob thus has 10 such missiles. Each Globule strikes as a +1 weapon, does 4d4 damage (Save to take only half damage), and can be used to break down doors and barricades. There are rumors of Ferric Blobs being used as living siege weapons, but that is probably a lot of stuff and nonsense. One hopes...

Crush
On average, Ferric Blobs weigh 1d6X100 lbs per HD. When they roll over an opponent, they get a free attack for as long as they care to hold their position and let their massive weight simply crush their foe for 3d4 each attack.

Trivia and Notes

  • Aside from the vulnerability to electrical attacks/spells, all magnetized weapons automatically score a hit on Ferric Blobs, and the Eldritch Song of Corrosion spell does triple damage. Too bad that particular spell is only available in Andrew's Album of Arcanery, a very rare grimoire reputed to be locked away upon an endoplanar sepulchre known to be haunted by the tremulous shadow of a lichified tumor-lord.
  • It is conjectured by several theoretical sorcerers that it might be possible to somehow fragment and re-shape a Ferric Blob into weapons, armor or some sort of automaton or golem by skillful application of electricity...but so far no one has made this work out quite as theorized...
  • There are alleged to be a number of sub-types or variant forms of Ferric Blobs that have either developed electromagnetic abilities, or that have shifted their digestion to handle other metals such as copper or zinc.
  • The Scrapmongers tell tales of an ancient Ferric Blob that wallows deep down in the smoking Pits of Katuum, where it works as a blacksmith, hammering out various pieces and parts from its own gargantuan body. Only a Scrapmonger would be stupid enough to actually believe such a wild tale...

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Cerebroblob [Labyrinth Lord]

Blob Larger Than It Appears In Rear-View Mirror
Cerebroblob
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 30' (too heavy to climb walls, but does float nicely)
Armor Class: 8 (only takes half damage from sharp/edged attacks)
Hit Dice: 5 (Improves with age)
Attacks: 2
Damage: 1d6, see below
Save: F6
Morale: 8

Special: ESP, Telepathy, Feeblemind-Ray

Slow, ponderous and ungainly blobs of macroplanar goo, Cerebroblobs ooze along at a stately pace gobbling up anything they can catch, capture of simply roll over.

Arrogant gelatinous beings, Cerebroblobs consider themselves to be the most intelligent beings in the metacosmos. Their personal bulk is so vast that it spills across multiple planes simultaneously and they are often the living epicenters of their own personal Weak Point in the fabric of the metacosmos, producing a random Damned Thing encounter every 1d4 hours.

A Cerebroblob has 1d4 levels of spell-casting ability and a completely random assortment of spells.

They also can project a psychic form of Feeblemind as a Ray once per hour. This effect is line-of-sight, and affects everyone caught within a 90' long cone that reaches 10' in width at the far end.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Yelg-Froth (Wermspittle)

This IS the 30mm-scale version...
Yelg-Froth
No. Enc.: 1 (1)
Alignment: (50%) Neutral (50%) Chaotic
Movement: 30' (10') [any surface, cannot swim/cross open water]
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d4+ see below
Save: F4
Morale: 10

Huge, noisome masses of blood-tinged bubbles wreathed in an unwholesome frothiness derived from the inner-cellular plasm of their former prey, Yelg-Froth slither, shimmy and slide along floors, walls and ceiling alike, seeking out their next morsel.

They reek of fermentation and exude a constant localized miasma of partly-flammable gasses that will cause torches and similar open flames to flicker fitfully and to emit a rancid, sooty smoke that will reduce visibility to under 10' for as long as the fire-source remains within 60' of the Yelg-Froth.

A Foul Lingering Stench
Yelg-Froths belch forth a nauseating stream of noxious vapors in a cone that is 90' long and 30' wide at the farthest extent. Anyone caught in this conical stream of foul gasses must make a Save or take 1d4 damage and suffer a penalty of -2 to DEX for 2d10 turns. Even if the victim does make their Save, the stench will linger upon their gear for 3d4 days, making all CHAR reactions suffer a penalty of -2 during that period of time. A number of remedies for eliminating the lingering stench are specified in various herbals, apothecary manuals and the like, and there are snake-oil salesfolk who will gladly tout their various illicit elixirs as having the ability to remove this stench...but alas...nothing really works. It stinks and it sticks.

Do Not Expose To Open Flame
Yelg-Froth are highly flammable, once you get past their protective layer of oozy post-cellular slime. Dousing them with flaming oil, especially after piercing their defenses has a 50-50% chance of causing the creature to explode, violently inflicting 4d6 on everything caught within a 90' radius and forcing a Save at -2 or else catch on fire as well. The burning goo that was formerly a Yelg-Froth will stick like napalm or Greek fire and inflict another 1d2 points of smoldering damage per turn that it remains on fire, typically lasting for 2d4 turns. Water will not extinguish this stuff. Some adventurers have reported marked success in using one or another variety of Vacuum spell in extinguishing this horrid material. It permanently stains metal and leather a terrible, scabrous and bruised-looking maroon-brown-black.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Circles Turn: The Complete Series

Porky has now completed his 5-part Circles Turn series in which he provides a fictionalized account of the recent expedition of three stalwart adventurers as they sought to delve the depths of Zilgor's Repose.

The Cleave, Gruff and Wilt bravely dared to enter this notorious place in search of treasure.

They faced blood-thirsty worms, confronted the scittering-chittering arachnomites and won past the initial hazards only to run afoul of an ancient, diabolical trap.


Zilgor's Repose has claimed a terrible price. Again.

But there are those who still seek treasure or to learn the secret of this ancient crypt.

Perhaps others will be more fortunate...

...there are always others drawn to this place. There have been others who have returned with rare jewels and rich loot. And all adventurers think that it will be they who are the lucky ones...

Circles Turn
The Complete Saga is now available in one consolidated post, or you can click through the story one episode at a time, whichever works best for you.
Zilgor's Repose

Raging Blob [Labyrinth Lord]

Raging Blob
No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 60' (cling to any surface)
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 4 (Regenerates)
Attacks: 1d4, can attack up to 3 opponents at one time
Damage: 1d6 per tentacle, 2d4 bite
Save: F5
Morale: 12

Special: Constrict, Engulf, Regurgitation, Regeneration

Raging Blobs gurgle, wail and gibber madly as they slide along any and every surface of those underground areas that they have taken to prowling. They leave a nasty, viscous slime-trail everywhere they go, including ceilings and walls. They are seemingly intelligent, but in very foul, violent moods and prone to attack anything and anyone at any moment. They fear nothing (and are naturally immune to Cause Fear) and will only break off from an attack after suffering more than 80% damage in the course of any one encounter. They cannot be Charmed, Controlled, nor are they affected by Sleep or Confusion.

In combat, a Raging Blob can simultaneously fight up to three different opponents at one time, lashing out in any direction with no regard to position or orientation. They can unleash 1d4 attacks upon each opponent, but on a roll of 1-3 these are only tentacle slaps, on a roll of 4 they can attempt to Constrict, Engulf, or Regurgitate.

Constrict (Come Here)
When a Raging Blob has 4 attacks on a single opponent it can opt to wrap its tentacles around the victim and Constrict for 1d6 damage while it attempts to drag them into its slavering maw. Consider each tentacle as having 2d8 for its STR score and add together the STR of all four tentacles to see how long it takes the Raging Blob to gobble-up the victim. Multiple characters can latch onto their comrade and attempt to drag them back. Doing so allows for a Save by the victim; make the Save and the hold is broken, fail the Save and the helpers lose their grip and need to make a DEX check or fall down, making them an opportune target for the Raging Blob's next volley of tentacle slaps.

Engulf (Down the Gullet)
If a Raging Blob is able to successfully grab hold and inflict a Constrict attack and drag the victim directly in front of its big stinky mouth, they will attempt to swallow the victim whole. If the Raging Blob can roll a 19 or 20 for any of its attack rolls in the round immediately following a successful Constrict, that unfortunate being is swallowed whole and suffers an immediate 2d4 acid damage and will take 1d4 damage every round they remain inside the nasty thing and they will be so squished that they have a -4 penalty to attack the creature from within. Attempts to cut them out have a 25% chance to damage the swallowed victim.

Regurgitation
Raging Blobs are gross, not just ill-tempered. Any time they want, they can disgorge the contents of their digestive tract and spew forth a glorious, green mass of half-digested flesh that will inflict 1d4 acid damage on anyone caught within a 10' radius. They can vomit-up 1d4 of these masses in any given day. The acid effect persists for 1d4 days and smells terrible. It will fade paint, stain fabrics that don't dissolve, and eat through leather unless it is washed-off with a lot of water or salt.

Regeneration
The Raging Blob gains 1 hit point for every 4 points of damage it inflicts upon anyone it has successfully swallowed.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Orb Cluster (Wermspittle)

Orb Cluster (Type I)
No. Enc.: 1 (0)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (Omnidirectional)
Armor Class: 7 (only take half damage from non-magical weapons)
Hit Dice: 4+1 (Improves)
Attacks: 1
Damage: (Fear, Paralysis, Suffocation or Dissolve)
Save: F3
Morale: 9

Special: Breach Weak Point, Call Damned Things

Orb clusters are strange, viridescent congeries of soap-bubble-like spheres that hover about on the very fringes of consciousness prowling for lost souls, negligent dreamers or arrogant mentalists to prey upon.


Be Afraid
All Orb Clusters (there are other types...) emanate a constant Fear effect in a 20' radius that seeps across planes and into adjacent worlds. This is a constant effect and causes all who come within 20' of the Orb Cluster to make a Save at a penalty of -4 or suffer the effects of a Fear spell. (LL. p.25)

Stopping Power
Orb Clusters attack by extending a portion of the slime-like ectoplasmic material that surrounds them like an aethyric sheath. This corrupted ecto-stuff is a foul, milky green and  causes paralysis on contact for 1d4 turns. Fantomists collect this material for use in some of the illicit substances that they peddle in the back alleys of Wermspittle and other such unsavory locales. It is conjectured that this matter is some sort of residue of those that the Orb Cluster has already digested in the past.

A Nasty Follow-Up 
Orb Clusters that score a successful follow-up attack on an already paralyzed victim will then envelope their prey, either suffocating them for 1d4 damage/turn or saturating them with the weird sorcerous digestive fluids they exude from inside each of their bubble-like segments. This attack inflicts 1d6 damage per turn, but also grants the paralyzed victim a new Save each time they sustain damage. Anyone completely consumed by an Orb Cluster is lost completely and unrecoverable. There is a slight 10% chance per point of INT above 12 of the victim that they might find themself the abiding intelligence of the Orb Cluster that devoured them.

Orb Clusters can innately Detect Ley-Lines, Discern Weak Points and Find Dreamer. They also can Breach Weak Point once per week, allowing them to cross-over from one plane or world at random so long as they have access to a Weak Point. Once per day an Orb Cluster can cast Call Damned Thing, allowing it to summon forth one random effect from any of the Damned Things Tables.

Little Known Facts Regarding Orb Clusters
  • Orb Clusters avoid Ordrang at all costs and will automatically flee any location where an Ordrang is present.
  • The spell Dispel Ectoplasm causes 1d6 damage per level of the caster when used against one of these things, while Ectoplasmic Wall will effectively trap one for the duration of the spell.
  • The Moth-Wing Scrolls of Nildru are reputed to hold the secret of binding Orb Clusters into various sorts of magical items and/or weapons.

Reaper [Labyrinth Lord]

Reaper
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: n/a
Movement: 90'
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 1
Damage: 3d4 + CON drain or Fear
Save: F7
Morale: 12

Tall, gaunt figures who look like they stepped right out of some plague-chapel's statuary, the Reapers roam about at random, selecting victims by some inscrutable means no mortal could appreciate. When a Reaper attacks they do so as though wielding a weapon with a +1 bonus to hit. When they hit the victim must make a Save. Making the Save results in them suffering the effects of a Cause Fear spell for 1d4 turns. Failing the Save means they lose 1 point of CON. If the Reaper is driven off (i.e. suffers more than 70% damage in any particular encounter), those drained of CON will recover their points at a rate of 1 point restored for every full week of rest. If the Reaper is destroyed, the points drained are recovered at a rate of 1 point per full day of rest. Anyone slain by a Reaper is no longer able to be Raised or Resurrected by Clerical spells.

(this mini is now corrected thanks to Adam Souza and his thoughtful feedback! Much appreciated!)

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Gloomswallow Paper Mini

The Gloomswallow's stats for Labyrinth Lord can be found HERE. They really like Weak Points and Ley-Lines in addition to long strolls along the beach with unsuspecting dreamers...

You can find more of our Paper Miniatures by searching on the label 'Paper Miniatures,' use the handy link in the right-hand sidebar, or just click HERE.

More Paper Monstrosities coming up...

Dim Ichor (Wermspittle)

Dim Ichor
Going Price: 40gp/dose minimum. (4D20 for current price)
Availability: Uncommon
Effect: As a poison, this substance does no actual physical damage, however it forces a Save or the victim will lose 1d4 INT for 3d6 days. Every day the victim can attempt to make another Save. Success means that the effect wears off one day earlier, failure means that the effect will linger twice as long.

Certain libertines and other daring wastrels will sometimes add a splash of Dim Ichor to a drink, especially if it is strong liquor. This will produce a powerful euphoria, lower inhibitions scandalously, and cause complete forgetfulness for 1d30 hours. Not even Hypnosis, ESP, or psychometry will be able to recover those memories.

If mixed with Brown Jenkin Whiskey the resulting drink will grant visions of non-euclidean spaces and instill a deep appreciation for hypergeometries in the drinker who will find themself experiencing these things first-hand in their dreams for the next 1d4 nights. When in this curiously excited state, the drinker will either attract the attention of a Gloomswallow (30%), have an opportunity to go exploring the nearby regions of the Oneirium or dream-states (50%), or encounter some sort of lurking thing on the very threshold of consciousness (20%).

Tables to Consult: Oneiric Encounters, and Lurking Things

When distilled into a brandy or schnapps form on its own, Dim Ichor produces a terrible liqueur that can permanently diminish the imbiber's INT. Several people reputed to have a distinct taste for this stuff have disappeared without a trace. But that just makes the stuff all the more lurid, fascinating and sought-after by students, mad-men, and daredevils.

Dim Ichor is extracted from the flesh of a Gloomswallow and as such it is both difficult and dangerous to acquire without taking very special preparations. Those who frequently handle or harvest the raw ichor of Gloomswallows often have a purplish-gray discoloration to their wrists and hands. Frequent usage of the stuff turns the sclera of the eyes purplish-gray, making them look like they are bruised from within.

Wednesday Werk: Gronks, Octs & Synchronocitors

S.P. over at How To Succeed in RPGs or Die Trying has launched a new series, Wednesday Werk, where he is converting some of our monsters over to the Fourth Edition of the World's Most Popular Fantasy RPG. He's a brave soul and we wish him luck. The first installment tackles Gronk Swords, Octoscholars and those strange plane-shifting mechanisms known as Synchronocitors.

Wednesday Werk has inspired us to re-visit the Octopoidal Degenerates that are a major force within The Cliff-Tomb of Vhonj that we submitted to Blair's The Jewel Throne. We'll post a few of those critters -- and a few New Rituals that the Octoscholars can perform for your characters...at a price. Then there's the matter of that Gronk Navy Wading Infantry floating around out there...

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Spell: Tap Ley-Line

Tap Ley-Line
Level: 3
Duration: 1 turn per level
Range: Touch

Caster regains 1d4 hit points/level and can regain any one spell they previously had memorized in the last 12 hours. There is only a base 10% chance of attracting a Random Ley-Line Encounter...

Playable Races: Phorain

Phorain Player Characters

The Phorain as monsters are detailed in This Post.

Requirements: STR 15+ and CON 15+
Prime Requisites: STR and CON
Hit Dice: D12
Maximum Level: No limit as Fighters, all other classes 6th level.

Phorain never surrender, never retreat. In extreme circumstances they will go berserk, laying waste about them until they themselves are reduced to zero CON (Burning 1d4 CON to regain full hit points until running out of CON), but once they begin this process there is no going back and they will surely die at the end of their Berserk Fury.

They kick for 1d6 (+STR bonus), Bite for 1d8 (+STR bonus), and can use most weapons. A Phorain will do their best to acquire, adapt or purchase the best armor that they can afford/find/get their hands on. If they are vain about any one thing, it is how spiffy their armor is and they will invest loads of money for enameling, inlays, carving, special tassels, etc. This is often mentioned as to why Phorain mercenaries typically cost double anyone else's given price. The truth of the matter is that any one Phorain is generally worth at least two of any other troop-type they are likely to face on the battlefield and they make incredibly good commanders and leaders.

Phorain have a +2 bonus on all saves, with a +4 bonus versus poison specifically and they always save as one level higher than their current level as a Fighter. In addition, they can take 1d8 damage in order to re-roll one missed Save once a day. When a Phorain fails on any save, they take an additional 1d4 damage automatically.

When confronted with magical Fear effects, a Phorain will tend to seek out the source and attack it with all available means at its disposal. Should a Phorain succumb to magically induced Fear, they will take 1d4 damage, shrug off the effect and charge headlong at whomever targeted them with the spell. If the caster is not visible, or it is an environmental effect, the Phorain will designate a target that they believe is causing the Fear effect and strike at them.

They have double the normal carrying capacity for their strength.

Healing Potions only do one-half effect on them, but they do pretty well against poison, so it's a trade-off.

They prefer electrum to all other coinage and have an innate loathing of Serpent People based upon a long, long standing enmity between the species.

Spell: Forestall Collapse

Forestall Collapse
Level: 2
Duration: 1d4 Turns/level
Range: Touch

Caster magically reinforces walls and ceilings so that they hold fast for the duration of the spell, allowing them to pass through the area before it fully collapses.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Pig in a Poke: Scenario Seeds for Mutant Future


Pig In A Poke
A Series of Scenario Seeds for Mutant Future

Initial Reports
Out past the more heavily patrolled outskirts of the palisades protecting the local fort/trading camp, a group of Pigmen have been spotted. So far the Pigmen have stayed away from the roads, off of the fields, and pretty-much out of the way. All of which is very uncharacteristic and unusual behavior for these nasty, brutish things.

This Looks Like A Job For Player Characters...
A small band of adventurer-types has been hired to go investigate, but are warned Not To Stir Up Trouble. They are supposed to find out what the Pigmen are up to, and to report back. They are not to start a war.

A Quick Sit-Rep
The fortifications of the trading camp are still under construction and there is a distinct lack of manpower to defend the place. The traders, farmers and scavengers who have banded together here are very vulnerable and they know it all too well. The Pigmen have everyone spooked and the militia is pulling double-shifts in order to complete whatever make-shift defenses they can prepare, hopefully in time. Everyone 'knows' that the Pigmen will attack. It's just a matter of time.

A Revolting Development
Signs of Pigmen activity will increase as the group moves out and away from the trading camp towards the direction specified in the earlier reports.

The Pigmen are very busy. They have set-up a camp-site built right into the side of an old crater. They do not bother patrolling the area as it is constantly criss-crossed with Pigmen going about the hard work of digging-up ore and hauling it to the forges day and night. They have set up forges and smithies. Somehow the Pigmen have learned to harness their Energy Ray (Heat) ability to work iron and steel. The crater is their source of metal.

Pigman In The Iron Mask
There is a pit with a heavy grate placed over it. A special prisoner is held there. This prisoner is a smarter-than-average Pigman with grand ambitions. He originally set-up the worksite, but was betrayed by his number two lieutenant. The Lieutenant had the Pigman smiths forge a special mask, more like a full helm that covers his entire head. The mask is rough iron and prevents him from using his Energy Ray (Heat) ability without boiling his own brains and killing himself.

Rescuing the Pigman in the Iron Mask could prove either very helpful or disastrous, depending entirely on how well the player characters succeed in avoiding detection, overcoming the token guards, and getting the prisoner to cooperate with them long enough to get out of the Pigmen's constantly busy work-site.

Where Does This Lead?
Will the Pigmen attack the trading camp? Do the Pigmen even know about the trading camp yet? Probably not. But if the Pigmen do learn about the trading camp, they will most likely see it as a ready-made source of slaves to work in their forges and brand new mine.

Can the Player Characters convince the former prisoner to work with them, or will the Pigman in the Iron Mask seek to turn things to his own advantage? Who will betray whom first?

It might be possible to bargain with the new leader of the Pigmen. For some unknown reason he does not want to kill the previous leader. He will parley for the return of the Pigman in the Iron Mask, possibly even negotiating some sort of a truce. He won't keep it any longer than suits his long-term plans of conquest, but it could buy the people of the trading camp a little more time to prepare for the inevitable onslaught.

An enterprising, if seemingly unethical merchant might be tempted to make a deal to supply the Pigmen with food and possibly some tools or even knowledge about metal-working. Perhaps this merchant can harness the Pigmen and exploit them to great short-term benefit followed by mass slaughter. Possibly the merchant could exert the sort of influence upon these Pigmen that could have them become skilled metalworkers who channel their aggression into their newfound craft and set themselves up as master craftsmen who are sought after for their skills in working metal. The Pigmen could quickly become something other than just savage berserk swine on endless killing rampages...at least until someone exposes them to 180 proof moonshine from some backwoods still...


Krampus Koal from Wermspittle

Krampus Koal for Naughty Adventurers (D10)
  1. Burning this potato-shaped lump of blackness will radiate a comforting warmness through-out a 30' radius for 2d4 hours. Anyone falling asleep within this radius will dream of all the unkind and unpleasant things that they did over the last year. When the koal goes out, 1d4 small, smoky fires will spontaneously burst into flame at  random locations within the 30' radius.
  2. This lump of koal produces a sweet-smelling cloud of pearlescent smoke that clings to everything that comes into contact with it. In fact the smell won't come out unless vigorously scrubbed for a couple of hours using vinegar, turpentine or kerosene. One hour after exposure, the smell turns bad and produces a choking, noxious stench that will make it impossible to remain within an enclosed space.
  3. Upon being lit to serve within a stove or fire-place, this piece of koal will radiate intense, freezing cold for 1d4 hours. Anyone caught within the area of effect must make a Save or suffer 1d4 frost damage.
  4. (1d4) random coins within a 30' radius will crumble into ashes for every turn this piece of koal remains burning. It will not be extinguished by water, but wine, brandy or blood will douse it effectively.
  5. The person possessing this lump of koal, even if it is never burned, will take on the face and form of Krampus for 1d4 hours during one random night over the course of either the weeks preceding or following the Winter Solstice. They will have no memory of what acts of mischief they committed.
  6. As this piece of koal burns, 1d6 random pre-existing/already owned magical items are randomly re-distributed among those within a 30' radius.
  7. All potions with a 30' radius are converted to egg nog. This includes poisons, however the poisons remain toxic.
  8. This lump of anthracite will reappear on a regular basis inside whatever foot-wear worn by the one cursed with it, making them suffer a -2 penalty to all DEX checks and reducing thier speed by half, and making it impossible to climb ropes or walls even if they are a Thief. Untended, this lump will cause 1 point of damage every 60' the sufferer attempts to walk with it in their shoe or boot. A simple Remove Curse will rid them of the koal.
  9. All gems within a 30' radius are transformed into faceted pieces of coal.
  10. This lump of blackness is in fact a somnolent and slightly compressed Black Pudding that will be released from its magical torpor by exposure to heat or flame.

Artwork Courtesy of Steve Austin 
This is our contribution to the Krampus Christmas Blog Carnival hosted by Nevermet Press.
Steve Austin's artwork featured above is available at RPGnow for Free and is licensed under the Creative Commons so you can use it too!

Triss [Labyrinth Lord]

Triss
No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 1+1
Attacks: 2 (bite, scratch or gaze)
Damage: 1d4-1(+Rot), 1d4-1(+Rot), see below
Save: F4
Morale: 6

Diminutive and vile-natured, Triss are the questionably reptilian remnants of past indiscretions at a particular homunculists' laboratory. Some believe the Triss to be some sort of amalgam of left-over fragments or cast-off bits, but that has never been verified. All that anyone really knows about these vicious little monsters is that they have proliferated far, far too quickly for anyone's comfort and they have a disturbing ability to intermingle with a wide variety of other species in order to spawn weird mutant offspring that sometimes go on to become distinct derivative supra-species in and of themselves.

A Triss attacks by biting with its turtlish beak, scratching with its tiny claws, or using its gaze attack. They do 1d4-1 damage; if they roll a "1" for damage that means they do no damage but still transfer their rotting effect which is suspected to be the work of sorcerously twisted bacteria.

A Rotten Bite
Their bite is capable of severing small cords, cutting through leather and snipping rope (usually taking two or three bites to get through a standard rope), however their bite also transfers a copious amount of their saliva onto the target and their saliva forces a Save or else the area affected will begin to rot. The area affected is 1d4 inches in diameter and persists for 1d4 days, after which it dries up, the victim must make another Save or take an additional 1d4 damage, and the area heals normally, but has a strange greenish blemish left behind to remind them of the Triss. The rotting effect can be cured by magical healing (Cure Disease works nicely, Neutralize Poison will cut the duration of the rotting in half), but the greenish blemish will still remain.

A Horrid Scratch
The scratch of a Triss does little real damage, but it also spreads the rotting effect just as their bite does, but in addition, a Triss can use their scratch attack to target items such as those made from leather, parchment, hide or even wood and cause them to rot. To carry out this sort of vandalism the Triss must forego harming their opponent and instead target the victim's equipment and gear. Wine-skins and water bladders are common targets for this sort of thing, and even if the Triss fails to ruin them, there is a chance that they spoil or poison the contents.

A Dim View of Things
The Triss also possess a gaze attack that allows them to project a cone of magical Darkness extending from their snout to a range of 20'. This conical Darkness effect only lasts for 2d4 turns and the Triss can only use this effect 1d4 times per day. The attack itself causes no damage, but it is used by the Triss to lay-down a coating of saliva upon the ground or floor right around their enemies so as to ruin their boots, dissolve sandals, or cause their bare feet to rot. (Note: Phorain are immune to the rotting effect of Triss bacteria).

Wretched Things
Normally, such a despicable and unpleasant (they also smell like rotten milk) creature as the Triss would be relegated to the not-so-tender mercies of vermin-killers, but alas the foul things have been found to be of incredible utility to alchemists, homunculists, golemists, and quite a few other specialized scholars, sorcerers and scientists. The Triss are especially useful in developing compounds to assist in the creation of hybrids, stitching-together chimerae, creating homunculi or pseudri or other forms of synthesized life and more. In places such as Wermspittle a single Triss can bring as much as 2d4 gold pieces, double or triple that if it is still alive. Many refugees and some feral children have gotten quite adept at capturing Triss to sell in the Supplier's Market and other such places.

Lone Survivors II (Encounters/Kalaramar Drifts)

Lone Survivors: Table II (D12)
  1. A filthy, smelly old man with long, bedraggled hair and grizzled eyes. He has no fingernails left, as he has spent countless hours trying to dig himself out of here by scratching away at the bare stone. His mind is broken. All he sees around him any more are slithering little Triss, each taunting him with a slow, painful death by rotting. He holds a folded leather map in his jerkin. It shows 2d6 rooms of some unnamed dungeon in great detail...but shows none of the interconnecting passages.
  2. The smell of putrescent meat is incredible. Anyone with a CON lower than 14 needs to Save or vomit uncontrollably for 1d4 rounds. A shambling, massively decayed figure of what once was some sort of humanoid being lurches towards you. Over a third of this thing's body is skeletonized, the rest glistens wetly as it drips, dribbles and peels off of the bones with each movement. It holds a roughly one foot long section of a black metal javelin or spike or blade that seems to have broken off in the process of impaling the mostly undead former adventurer. He wants you to have it...
  3. A laughing green hyena follows you for 1d4 turns. It seems to be laughing at some sort of inside joke. Arrows and other missiles harmlessly go through the thing's body with a wet popping noise. It will fade away at the end of its time and leave behind a patch of greenish phlegm-like stuff on the wall where it walked through. The patch is a perfect outline of the hyena.
  4. A tall, regal-looking woman in heavily corroded chainmail lies dead on the floor. Her entire left arm and part of her left torso is missing. There are 1d4 Gore-worms incubating in what is left of her abdomen and they will burst forth if anyone disturbs the corpse. She has 2d6 silver coins in her belt pouch and a dagger that is still in decent shape. There is also a slender bone scroll-tube capped with platinum in her pouch. This scroll-tube contains a contract with a Revivalist in one of the near-by City-States who is bound to resurrect and/or recover this adventurer's body in the event of its untimely demise. If you can transport the body to this place, there is a fair-sized reward involved.
  5. A dwarf in full plate armor sits in the corner. His head is in his lap. Literally. He will request a drink of wine, or anything stronger if it be available. Anyone giving the dead, decapitated dwarf a drink will receive a +1 bonus to hit with their chosen weapon, permanently. The dwarf fades away after a riotous belch.
  6. A duck.
  7. A translucent, greenish worm is gobbling-down the remains of a robed figure. The worm is the magic-user's familiar and it is attempting to absorb all of its former master's knowledge, intelligence, spells and abilities by devouring the master's corpse whole.
  8. Someone is crawling towards you. They are obviously exerting themselves terribly and you can smell blood. It is what is left of a scale-mail clad man-at-arms from the waist-up. There is nothing left of him from the waist down any more. He is going into shock and will die from extreme blood loss in 1d4 turns. He has left a trail back to where he received his terrible wound...
  9. A mauled-looking mule stands off to the side. It stares at you accusingly for 1d4 turns then disappears, leaving behind only a patch of wet blood and the scent of worm-spit. Investigating the patch of blood will reveal 1d4 random items of Low-End Loot. (Roll on any of the Low-End Loot Tables.)
  10. A Harpy on a 12' length of chain can be heard grumbling, as well as smelled, well before you see her. Her wings have been expertly clipped and what was once a well-tailored maid's outfit is in tatters. She was a domestic servant to some gentleman adventurer who has since gone missing and she is at loose ends. She might have references...
  11. A skull. If asked a single question, it will respond truthfully then crumble into dust.
  12. Three sheep and a goat. They were desperate. Afraid. Besides, they'll never talk about what really happened after the party got scragged by whatever that thing was...uh...yeah...they kinda do talk...a lot. They're not very bright and they've seen a lot. They've seen too much. The goat tends to just shiver uncontrollably and babble fragments of blasphemous spells or rituals that it might have observed or participated in--it's unclear and the sheep don't know nothin' about any of that weird crap. For crying out loud, they're nervous and want to go home. (Double Wandering Monster checks as long as these critters can still jabber freely.)

Playable Races: Drilg

Drilg Player Characters

The Drilg as monsters are detailed in This Post.

Requirements: DEX 9
Prime Requisite: none
Hit Dice: 2d4 at first level, 1d4+2 each level afterwards
Maximum Level: 8th (Exceptional Drilg can progress to 10th, even 12th level in certain special circumstances)

Drilg are small, furry bipedal humanoids with a single crooked horn jutting out of their heads. Their Horn does 1d4+1 (plus STR bonus, if any) as a naturally magical weapon and gains a +1 to hit bonus.

Their base AC is 6 and improves with the addition of shields, leather armor, etc. It is rare for a Drilg to have access to plate armor, though there are tales of a Drilg who appropriated the ceremonial armor of a child-noble, but that's a rather special case and far from typical.

Drilg can Move Silently up to 4 times a day, at half their normal movement rate, regardless of their class or level.

Drilg use True Seeing at will, and can cast Detect Magic twice a day.

Any curse that affects a Drilg will slough off in 2d4 days.

A Drilg will start out with 1d4 random magic items suitable to their level.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Spell: Black Touch

Black Touch
Level: 3
Duration: 1d4 rounds
Range: Touch

Caster's fingers/hands take on the form of small black puddings, doing 3d6 damage and allowing them to climb surfaces as though they were a black pudding. Black Puddings will respond as though caster has made a neutral CHAR Reaction while the spell is in effect. Use of ESP (or possibly Empathy, or a variant of Speak With [whatever] such as Speak With Blobs) during the duration of this spell will enable direct communication with Black Puddings and the caster attempting this gets to roll a formal CHAR Reaction Roll with a +4 bonus. Any Black Pudding befriended in this manner will remain friendly to the caster until such time as the caster either attacks, harms or attempts to coerce the Black Pudding with some version of Charm or Control magic.

It is rumored that repeated use of this spell runs a slight chance of permanently corrupting the caster's flesh, causing them to take on more and more of the appearance and form of a Black Pudding...but of course that is rubbish and nonsense, and totally unconfirmed by any reputable scholar or spell-caster...

Xal-Daemon (Paper Mini)

Xal-Daemon
No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (Passwall at will)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 7+1
Attacks: 2 (Weapon, Eye-Beam)
Damage: 2d6, see Random Eye Beam Table
Save: F9
Morale: 11

Xal-Daemons are horrid, cyclopean beasts from some squalid, tumorous fragmentary anteplane referred to as 'Daldrimog' in the Septimariner's Almanack and Concordance. They wield hungry, writhing maces of living metal and blast their opponents with terrifying beams of energy from their central eyes.

Lacking any real depth perception, Xal-Daemons prefer to blast the ground close to them and then sweep their eye-beams outwards towards their targets. This will often devastate the local area and leave once pristine meadows jumbled heaps of glassy-slag or worse.

Any location that three or more Xal-Daemons occupy for longer than 10 turns becomes a Weak Spot for 1d4 hours. Roll 2d6 every half hour and on a roll of 10 or better consult one of the Damned Things Tables for a random Fortean cross-over event.

Should three or more Xal-Daemons be allowed to remain in one place for longer than one full day, that area becomes a permanent Weak Spot, and Damned Things are regular events on any roll of 1 on a D6 every 1d6 hours.

Xal-Daemons are automatically banished by use of Holy/Unholy Word.

It is hinted at within the Septimariner's Almanack that there are other, more powerful forms of Daemonic entities prowling the smoldering green-glass wastes of Daldrimog, but the sections detailing them -- and how to summon them -- are missing and have never seen print. Yet.

Spell: Charnel Breath

Charnel Breath
Level: 1
Duration: 1d4 Turns/level of caster
Range: 10'

Caster emits a foul stench that will temporarily immobilize non-ghouls within its area of effect for 1d4 rounds/level of caster on a missed Save. It also is a customary greeting amongst certain factions among the ghouls. Use of this spell allows the caster to breathe freely amid necro-toxic vapors, tomb miasmas and most forms of poison gas. It also allows the caster to ignore terrible scents and smells, like those associated with the domains of the ghouls and the like.

Spell: Dirt to Meat

Dirt to Meat
Level: 3
Duration: Permanent*
Range: 10'

Caster converts 1d4 pounds of dirt or gravel into lumps of raw, quivering meat that will almost certainly attract flies, carcass scavengers and others. The lump of meat produced by this spell will quickly rot if not provided a regular blood-flow or otherwise supported such as by being immersed in special alchemical solutions or by being stitched into a golemic matrix. Left untended, the mass of pseudoflesh will spoil within 1d4 hours, after which it will begin to deliquesce, leaving behind a thoroughly nasty residue that will reek of decayed flesh for 3d4 days.

The meat is edible.

It is also a prime component in various rites and spells having to deal with the creation of certain types of golems, animated entities, and other constructs.

There are several dozen variant forms of this spell, most developed either by Grafters, Pseudri or Morlocks. Those developed by the Morlocks are exceeding disgusting, disconcerting or just plain grotesque in the extreme.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Berge Golem [Labyrinth Lord]

'Berge Golem
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 1
Hit Dice: 10 (can be built bigger and more powerful at significant cost)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 3d8+3 (dispel magic on 19+)
Save: F12
Morale: 12

'Berge Golems are massive, heavily-armored humanoid figures manufactured by use of the Ildravar Schematics. They are rare, costly to build and endure for centuries.

The great two-handed flamberge wielded by these golems is wrought of a special nickle-iron alloy derived from fallen meteorites. The methods for locating these deposits of metal, mining it and processing it into a suitable weapons-grade alloy are known only to those who have had access to the Ildravar Schematics. The weapon manufactured from this process is +3 to hit, +3 to damage, and dispels magic on any attack roll of 19 or better. The weapon and the golem are inextricably bound and cannot be separated so long as both survive. Upon removal from the golem specially crafted to wield it, the sword will teleport back to the golem, or if the golem is destroyed, the sword will shift itself to an unknown, unnamed plane -- the very same plane from which the golem's motivating spirit is drawn.

As with most other golem-types, 'Berge Golems are unaffected by ordinary weapons and are immune to Hold, Charm and Sleep spells or poison. They do not breathe, have no true intelligence and cannot be healed by the usual spells, instead they require the use of specialized forms of artifice, unique spells, or even rare rites that draw upon ancient transplanar mechanisms.


Circles Turn: Porky's Visit to Zilgor's Repose

Porky has sent in an intrepid trio of grave-robbers Brave Adventurers to explore Zilgor's Repose. Instead of just doing a play report, Porky is delivering the details of his group's depredations  investigations and vandalization  examinations of this old, old tomb in the form of a serialized short-story.

Part One of his group's exploits can be found at Porky's Blog.

Weird Adventures Is Now Available!

Trey Causey's Magnum Opus Weird Adventures is now ready for immediate download as a PDF at RPGnow and DrivethruRPG both.

It's 165 pages (black and white with 4 full color maps) featuring:
  • City Confidential--A guide to the 5 baronies, numerous neighborhood, and weird locales of the City.
  • A guide to the Strange New World beyond the City, including the mysterious jungles of Asciana, morbid and insurrection-torn Zingaro, the gambler-haven of Faro City, and much more.
  • Thirty new monsters from "Black Blizzard" para-elemental to "Zombie, Cuijatepecan."
  • Adventure seeds and a mini-crawl through the City's largest (and weirdest) park.
  • Art by old school stalwarts Johnathan Bingham, Chris Huth, and Stefan Poag, plus great work for comic artists Reno Maniquis and Adam Moore, among others.
We highly recommend this book -- it is a highly enjoyable read, even if you never ever use it in a game.
It is simply gorgeous, filled with excellent artwork, and a real pleasure to flip through. Trey's setting truly comes alive before your very eyes and before too long you'll be caught up in his imaginative tour de force. The City is an amazing place. You won't regret your time spent there.

Shell-Back

Shell-Back
No. Enc.: 2d4 (4d4)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 1+1 (improves with age)
Attacks: 3 (claw/claw/bite)
Damage: 1d6+2, 1d6+2, 3d4
Save: F2
Morale: 6

Special: Deliberate Adaptation, Closed Gestalt

Shell-Backs are an old, little regarded type of abhuman hybrid left-over from the grim days of the despot Mardalle and her blasphemous experiments in mixing and mingling the life-stuff of countless animals, plants and slaves. Most reputable scholars have long since rejected the methods first explored by Mardalle, but few can avoid the real and significant contributions that she made to science and natural philosophy, not the least of which are several varieties of abhumans and pseudohumans that survive, even thrive, to this very day. But few of them see themselves as any sort of living testament to their creator. Most revile her name and have rejected the society of those who would honor the dubious 'achievements' of the long-dead despot.

To Serve One's Betters
Originally bred to serve as laborers, porters, teamsters and the like within the dismal marshes and other wetland regions of Mardalle's demesne, the Shell-backs were also formed to act as an impromptu militia of sorts. They were intended to not only serve their masters, but to protect them from the giant leeches, bog worms and other dangerous flora and fauna of these areas.

Over time the Shell-Backs proved themselves to be eminently good at their various tasks and duties. Diligent and plodding, methodical and seemingly unimaginative, they served for generations without complaint or even the merest hint of displeasure or restiveness. But this may all have been part of an elaborate ruse...

More Than They Seem...
There are several varieties of Shell-Backs. Some truly are little more than animals, but these are by far in the minority. Most Shell-Backs are not only intelligent, they possess souls, harbor ambitions, and in some cases even develop sorcerous and/or psychic ability. But so far they have revealed only the very least of what they are truly capable of to outsiders. One major ability that few have ever suspected is that the Shell-Backs share a form of closed-loop telepathy, making them a Closed Gestalt -- a group-mind that remains withdrawn, hidden and so far unsuspected by outsiders. Whatever one Shell-Back sees, hears or learns, the rest likewise have access to according to their individual abilities (This is based on WIS).

A Shell-Back also has the innate ability to adapt to whatever natural environment they find themselves in, so long as they make a successful Save against any environmental effects. This takes the form of their shift from amphibian to desert-oriented bipeds who now have the means to store water and survive great amounts of heat, cold and deprivation. This capacity to adapt has not been fully studied, mostly for lack of funding and academic apathy--no one has ever really been all that interested in the Shell-Backs.

Until recently.

The More Some Things Tend To Stay The Same...
The prevailing expert opinion for centuries has been that the Shell-Backs are stable, amalgam-beings composed of only a small percentage of human characteristics, remaining mostly animals. They have been enslaved and taught simple tasks, even used as cannon-fodder (literally) during sieges and other extreme events, but for the most part no one has regarded the creatures as being more than slightly clever animals. This has been a mistake.

Shell-Backs are not just semi-mindless, bipedal animals that can be exploited as cheap labor and trained as simple servants. They are intelligent, very patient and have been extremely secretive about their true natures and capabilities. In effect, Shell-Backs have been hiding in plain sight, learning a great deal about the other races while serving them as slaves, lackeys, and the like.

The More Other Things Change...
The more advanced Shell-Backs have turned away from their ancestral wet-lands and have begun to establish enclaves deep in the dry wastes, deliberately adapting themselves to an alien environment as they master the arts and sciences that they have learned over the course of their long observation and service to the other races.

An army of Shell-Back pike-men is rumored to be forming out past the Ruined Perimeter...