Raven Crowking's Nest

Thursday, 20 October 2022

Hey Paisons!

If you want your very own copy of the LaSalle Man action figure write-up from tonight's Joey Royale's Pizza Party, you can get it here.

And if you want, throw a tip in the tip jar on my Patreon.

If nothing else, throw both Joey Royale and Brendan LaSalle some love in the DCC Rocks Facebook Group. I didn't see the chat when I was doing the show tonight, but I did see it after. Thank you for all the kind words!

And, don't worry! The end of the Fiend Folio posts is closer than you might think - only S and T have a significant number of entries! The end is near, but the moment has been prepared for.

Doing all of these conversions, and reading queries bout the conversion process, has made me consider doing edition-by-edition posts about what is required. How do you make 5e, 4e, 3e, or even Traveller work with DCC? What if you want to use your old Gamma World modules with MCC or Umerica? What if you wanted to convert Metamorphosis Alpha or MERP? Anyway, this is one idea that I'm toying with.

Last winter, I had considered doing full (or partial) patron write-ups for Heat Miser and Snow Miser. There is a very real possibility that these might get done this year.

Unless they're too much. 𝅘𝅥𝅯Too much! 𝅘𝅥𝅮

The point is, there is no end of things to talk about, so there should be no real concern over where the blog will be going as 2022 rolls over into 2023. I have really gotten behind, though, on the DCC Trove of Treasures, so the upcoming years might see me passing some of that work on to others. The amount of amazing DCC product grows exponentially, but, unfortunately, my time does not.

I want to give a really huge "Thank You" to Joey Royale, Cousin Marty, and Doctor Metal. Well, really a really big "Thank You" to all of the people I've had the pleasure to meet in this community, and for all of the times that I've been invited on podcasts or twitch. It really is humbling, and, no matter what you think about me or my writing, I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for you.

This really is the best community. You really are some great people!

Thank you so very, very much!

(Oh, and that bit about not recognizing Joey when he took his mask off? That comes from The Tick, and you can see it in the original live-action version where the Tick is played by Patrick Warburton. Which you should see, if you ever get the chance.)

Wednesday, 19 October 2022

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Quaggoth, Quipper, and Qullan

There are only three creatures for the letter “Q”, so we will include them all in a single post.

The Quaggoth is a fairly basic creature, but its appearance and behavior is iconic for the genre, and its ability to berserk when reduced to 0 hp is good stuff. I put a little bit of randomness into the ability, and translated it into Dungeon Crawl Classics terms, but otherwise the monster is a very faithful conversion.

The Quipper is a bit different, because it was created for an edition of Dungeons & Dragons that didn’t have great mechanics for dealing with swarms. I rebuilt it off the piranha swarm stats I had created for The Joy of Swarms. In truth, the only difference is that the Fiend Folio includes a method to determine whether or not Quippers attack, so I built something along those lines using the Luck check mechanic. Knowing that a danger could exist, even if it doesn’t manifest, helps to build tension.

The Qullan, though, is where we get into a bit of trouble. Yes, the Fiend Folio was written – and illustrated! – in a different time. Yes, a lot of pulp literature has troubling depictions of racial and cultural stereotypes. Like the Xvart (upcoming), I have some serious issues with the illustration for the Qullan. I do have a (thus unpublished) adventure which makes use of some of the basic ideas of the Qullan – but in that they are completely human, the colors are not painted on, and they are shipwreck survivors who became devotees of the prehuman god Sliggeth (which some of you may remember from The Arwich Grinder). I am including the illustration as a historical artifact, but please realize that I do so with some trepidation.

The Qullan in the Fiend Folio uses a broad sword with two hands (which grants it no bonus). Mine uses a short sword, dropping the two-handed usage. A halfling could dual-wield Qullan short swords, but each would have a 25% chance of blunting each round, so that is fine with me. I lowered the damage die on blunted swords so that there would be some downside to using them (apart from the bonus being temporary). I used d5’s for their Hit Dice because (1) the d5 doesn’t get used enough, and (2) creatures which are so elementally chaotic should use a weird die.

Quaggoth

Quaggoth: Init +0; Atk Claw +1 melee (1d4) or weapon +2 melee (by weapon +1); AC 14; HD 2d8; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP immunity to poison, damage resistance 5 to cold, berserking; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +1; AL N.

Little is known of these great white shaggy humanoids, for they are extremely aggressive and attack any fleeing or threatening group they outnumber. Although primitive, and of low intelligence, there is a 30% chance of any group possessing primitive weapons – stone axes, heavy cudgels, spears, and the like. Quaggoths eat flesh, and particularly hate (and therefore relish the flesh of) surface-dwelling elves. There are tales of quaggoth tribes enslaving themselves to the drow just to satisfy this craving.

Quaggoths are immune to poisons and venoms of all types. They reduce the damage from any cold-based attack by 5 points. When they are reduced to 0 hp, quaggoths berserk, attacking with a +1d bonus on the dice chain to both attack rolls and damage, with an extended crit range of 20-24. After 1d4-1 rounds of berserking, a quaggoth drops dead. Any quaggoth struck for additional damage while berserking dies instantly.

For every 12 quaggoths encountered, there will be one leader with 3 Hit Dice and AC 16. Leaders are always armed, even when their tribe is not.

Quaggoths speak a halting, primitive form of the common tongue and can only grasp very simple concepts. Some sages believe they are a warlike, degenerate offshoot of the ith’n ya’roo.

Quipper

Quipper Swarm: Init +0; Atk Swarming bite +5 melee (1d3 plus frenzy); AC 15; HD 7d8; MV swim 40’; Act special; SP bite all targets within 20’ x 20’ space, half damage from non-area attacks, water protects from fire-based spells, frenzy; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will -2; AL N.

Quippers are small, vicious fish, dark green in color, which usually swim in large shoals in temperate and cold fresh-water lakes and streams. They do not always attack; creatures entering quipper-infested waters make a Luck check using 1d16 for each round spent in the water. The swarm only attacks once a Luck check has failed, and only attack those who failed their Luck check in the first round. So long as blood is not drawn, Luck checks may be made the next round (and subsequent rounds) to avoid attacks. If there is blood in the water – due to a successful swarming bite or some other reason – the quipper swarm attacks all potential targets in every subsequent round.

Water protects quipper swarms from fire-based magic and similar effects, granting a +2d shift on the dice chain to saving throws and reducing any damage suffered to one-quarter. The judge may rule that the medium allows electricity-based spells to affect all targets in range (including any potential PCs), and cold-based spells to affect all targets in half normal range, so long as they are at least partly in the water.

When characters are successfully attacked by the swarming bite of quippers, they must succeed in a Luck check, or the quippers attack in a frenzy that round, doing an additional 1d5 damage to all targets that failed their Luck check. For creatures without Luck scores, assume a base score of 10. Particularly cruel judges may have "exploding" frenzy damage. Each time a "5" is rolled, add an additional 1d5 damage. In this way, cattle - and adventurers! - may be stripped to the bone in seconds.

Tuesday, 18 October 2022

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Phantom Stalker, Poltergeist, and Protein Polymorph

Wrapping up the letter “P”, we have three creatures but only one illustration – Poltergeists are invisible and Protein Polymorphs can appear as anything. Dungeon Crawl Classics has a great take on monsters, both with Making Monsters Mysterious and with variations on monsters created by rolling on tables within the monster descriptions themselves. Because of this, we probably didn’t need to supply unique statistics for each creature, but we wouldn’t have a fully converted Fiend Folio if we didn’t, so here you go!

Phantom Stalker

Phantom Stalker: Init +3; Atk Claw +3 melee (1d4); AC 17; HD 4d8; MV 30’ or fly 60’; Act 2d20; SP shapechange, immunity to fire, healed by magical fire, cold vulnerability, track summoner’s slayer, death throes; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4; AL N.

Phantom stalkers are summoned from the Elemental Plane of Fire to serve wizards or similar spellcasters, and can take any form, although their coloration is always reddish in hue. Their most common appearance is a crimson humanoid, 8 feet tall, with huge fiery eyes. Their ability to fly is not impaired by their form, although the manifestation of their attacks (normally claws) may vary based on their configuration. A phantom stalker may spend an Action Die to change its form an unlimited number of times, but this doesn’t affect the creature’s statistics.

Phantom stalkers are invulnerable to damage from fire, and magical fire attacks actually heal them 1 hit point for each die or damage normally caused. However, they are vulnerable to cold-based attacks, saving at -1d on the dice chain and taking twice normal damage.

These creatures may serve as body-guards, fighting to protect their masters, or be sent on errands, but great care must be exercised in instructing a phantom stalker, for it follows orders to the letter, perverting the intent if possible, anxious for release back to its native plane. If its summoner is killed, a phantom stalker will instantly vanish – however, it reappears 1d4 hours later, intent on vengeance, having unerringly tracked the summoner's slayer from the aether. Phantom stalkers only gain this ethereal tracking ability upon the expiration of their masters, and it disappears as soon as the summoner's slayer has been tracked.

When a phantom stalker is reduced to 0 hp, its life essence explodes in a fireball, causing 6d6 damage to all within 30’ (Reflex DC 15 for half). If the phantom stalker's summoner (unless directly and immediately responsible for the phantom stalker's demise) is within 30’, the phantom stalker merely disappears in a puff of flame instead.

Poltergeist

Poltergeist: Init +2; Atk Telekinetically thrown object +0 melee (1d3 plus fear); AC 10; HD 2d12; MV fly 20’; Act 1d20; SP Un-dead, telekinesis, fear, invisible, turn resistance, non-corporeal, immune to non-magical weapons; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +6; AL N.

Poltergeists are a form of ghost (see the core rulebook, pages 412-413) which are invisible and tied to a certain location (usually the place where they died). Like all ghosts, poltergeists yearn to be put to rest, and if the conditions are met to do so, they can achieve eternal rest.

These ghosts are telekinetic, being able to move up to 4 objects weighing as much as 100 lbs at a single time. A poltergeist can telekinetically hurl an object at a creature, and if the creature is struck it must succeed in a DC 12 Will save or flee for 3d10 minutes, dropping any held items unless a Luck check is successful. If forced to fight, a frightened creature has a -4 attack penalty to all attack rolls. Once a creature has made their saving throw, they are immune to further fear effects from the poltergeist while in that area.

Because they are so strongly tied to specific areas, poltergeists use 1d30 to make any save related to resisting Turn the Unholy attempts, banish spells, or similar.

Protein Polymorph

Protein Polymorph: Init +2; Atk Bludgeon +3 melee (2d6), enfold +4 melee (crush), or by weapon +5 melee (by weapon); AC 18; HD 7d8; MV 20’; Act 3d20; SP Versatile form, crush (6d6 per round, Fort DC 12 for half); SV Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +5; AL C.

These rare beings are intelligent primeval slimes (see core rulebook, pages 423-424), colonies of protein cells which are able to assume any form they choose, animate or not. They may even appear to be several forms, their mass connected by a near-invisible (Intelligence DC 18 to spot) cord or film of protoplasm. The cells of the protein polymorph colony may specialize or de-specialize at will, taking on different textures and colors, changing completely without expending an Action Die.

These versatile cellular colonies may imitate anything – a pile of treasure, a small-sized room, a warband of half a dozen humans, or a dozen kobolds. They assume any form likely to draw prey, for they feed on humans and animals with little regard for type and size. They may even mix inanimate objects within their structure to add authenticity – a room or a corridor may, for instance, be part-stone and part protein polymorph. Likewise, imitated creatures may wear real clothing and wield real weapons (often acquired from previous victims).

Despite their phenomenally flexible transformative powers, protein polymorphs cannot accurately copy facial expressions or duplicate the sound of speech, limitations may lead to their exposure when imitating animate creatures. A protein polymorph disguised as an inanimate object may be discovered from 10 feet away with a DC 15 Intelligence check (elves check automatically due to their keen senses), and touching a protein polymorph always reveals that it is a living mass.

Protein polymorphs can bludgeon prey by extruding weapon-like pseudopodia. If they are able to enfold a target, they automatically crush for 6d6 damage each round thereafter (Fort DC 12 for half). Finally, a protein polymorph imitating one or more weapon-wielding creatures can attack as though using whatever weapon type is being imitated (or wielded). Protein polymorphs do not gain the special abilities of imitated creatures.

Monday, 10 October 2022

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Pĕnanggalan and Pernicon

As we launch into the “P”s, we start with two of the Fiend Folio’s coolest creatures, but also two creatures that need a lot of reworking. The Pĕnanggalan presented in the tome is an un-dead creature living in dungeons. The Pĕnanggalan from folklore is a bit different, and could easily lend itself to some non-dungeon horror stories. I have tried to go the folklore route, and present a creature wildly different in some aspects from that in the Fiend Folio. The Pĕnanggalan itself is Malaysian, with the alternate creatures mentioned herein being found throughout southeast Asia. Knowing where these creatures come from may, or may not, inform the prospective judge when placing them in their worlds.

The Pernicon is a great idea, and makes complete sense within the context of a fantasy world, but the Pernicon described in the Fiend Folio is a two-inch grasshopper-like insect that has as many hit points, and a far better Armor Class, than the average rutabaga farmer in Dungeon Crawl Classics. Building the creature instead from the insect swarm in the core rulebook creates a creature that scales far better with the world and, individually, won’t go around slaying the local blacksmith. I increased the range at which the Pernicon can detect water as well, because when you are lost in the scrubland or desert, a 120-foot range isn’t going to help all that much. Finally, I tied the damage from removing the things to having actually captured some, because Pernicons find their greatest use in the campaign milieu when people in the campaign milieu can actually use them!

Pĕnanggalan

Pĕnanggalan: Init +3; Atk Bite +1 melee (1d3 plus latch and paralysis); AC 16; HD 3d12; MV 5’ or fly 40’; Act 1d20; SP infravision 60’, consume blood for power, stealth +6, latch, paralysis, drain blood, hideous separation; SV Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +5; AL C.

The pĕnanggalan begins life as a normal human woman, but through the study of black magic and pacts with demons, she learns to remove her head and internal organs from her body in order to seek blood and perform mischief. The pĕnanggalan has other names – balan-balan, leyak, kuyang, palasik, kra-sue, kasu, ahp, and manananggal – and this last version may also be male. Part of the ritual magic involves soaking in a tub of vinegar, which loosens the creature’s bowels enough to detach from its body, and later to allow the creature to rejoin into its human form. The statistics here are for the pĕnanggalan in its monstrous form; as a human, it may be an (almost) common villager, a witch, a magician, or a wizard – but she will always carry at least a faint scent of vinegar, by which she may be recognized. In her human form, the pĕnanggalan has no exception powers, except as noted below.

A separated pĕnanggalan is able to fly quietly using its long hair as though it were wings, and will hide if it can below the floorboards when a woman is menstruating or a child is being born. It gains power by consuming this blood, and on an evening where the pĕnanggalan has fed well, it gains 3d3 which it can use to increase attack rolls, saving throws, or skill checks – and this ability is retaining in human form. In human form, these dice can also be used for spell checks. The pĕnanggalan gains a similar power by draining human children of blood, but this is even stronger – the creature gains 1d5 per child killed in this manner.

The blood of others is of lesser value to the pĕnanggalan, so that it will try to avoid combat if it can. Nonetheless, if it is in danger of having its human identity exposed, these creatures will do their best to destroy their enemies, whether through the community as a human, or through direct action as a monster. Their bite allows them to latch on, and automatically drain 1d5 points of Stamina damage each round. The victim of the bite must succeed in a DC 15 Will save or be paralyzed until the creature stops feeding, and for 1d6 rounds thereafter. Each point of Stamina damage drained heals the pĕnanggalan of 1 hp damage. The creature can be removed with an opposed Strength check (vs. +2) or a successful Mighty Deed. Any melee attack against a latched pĕnanggalan which misses must be re-rolled against the creature’s victim, however.

According to some sources, the pĕnanggalan is an un-dead creature. This is not true, although they are hideous when detached. In fact, so terrible is the separation process that those who witness it take 1d5 points of Intelligence damage and must succeed in a DC 10 Will save or die on the spot.

Pernicon

Pernicon Swarm: Init +5; Atk Swarming pincers +1 melee (1 plus moisture drain); AC 13; HD 4d10; MV fly 40’; Act Special; SP Swam traits (attack all targets in 20’ x 20’ space, half damage from non-area attacks), moisture drain, damage upon removal; SV Fort +1, Ref +8, Will -1; AL N.

The pernicon is a brightly-colored insect related to grasshoppers and locusts, which inhabits the dry lands near the edges of deserts. These two-inch long insects are prized by those who dwell in such areas, because it can divine the presence of water with its antennae, which vibrate and hum when within 10 miles of a large quantity of water, and can be used to indicate the direction of the water, growing in pitch and intensity until within 120’.

These creatures are harmless individually, but in a swarm they can grip exposed flesh with the pincers at the rear of their abdomens. A single such pinch is negligible, but in numbers (as with a swarm attack), pernicons drain body fluids from the victim (Fort DC 10 to avoid 1 Stamina damage), and once this damage starts it continues each round until the swarm is dispersed. No matter how many times a victim is hit, damage never exceeds 1 Stamina per round, and there is no additional Fort save once one has failed.

Even when the pernicon swarm is dispersed, 1d5 pernicons continue to grip fast, causing 1 point of subdual damage when removed (Fort DC 10 negates), but allowing the insects to be captured and used as water diviners.

Thursday, 6 October 2022

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Ogrillon and Osquip

I wanted to talk a little bit about the utility of the Variety in Humanoids section of the core rulebook (pages 379-380) in the last post, but I was having a really hard time focusing on the screen. I am doing a little better now, and, as the same issues apply to Ogrillons as Norkers, I will discuss it here. Simply put, when Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was penned, to have a new variety of humanoid usually required a completely new monster write-up. This isn’t true in Dungeon Crawl Classics, where you are given full permission – nay, encouraged! – to make changes to a monster and use the goblin statblock. The versatility of this cannot be overstated.

The Osquip is probably inspired by the ulsio of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Mars books. I have tried to make use of that in my write-up, and would strongly urge judges to consider adding these monsters to their interplanetary adventures, whether you are using Crawljammer, trapped on the Purple Planet, or visiting Madkeen.

This completes the letter O for the Fiend Folio!

Ogrillon

Ogrillon: Init +0; Atk Fist +3 melee (1d3+3); AC 14; HD 2d10+4; MV 30’; Act 2d20; SP infravision 60’, exceptional Strength; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +1; AL C.

If one is to believe the sages, the ogrillon is a crossbreed between ogres (core rulebook, page 422) and orcs (page 423), being smaller than a true ogre, but somewhat smarter, and having some clear orcish traits in their appearance. Which orcish traits are passed on varies between individuals, and might have some real variation based on the strain of orc. All ogrillons are very strong (+3 to Strength checks), but never use weapons, preferring to attack with their horny fists (which do lethal, rather than subdual, damage).

Ogrillons are often found among orcs, when they are encountered at all, and it may not be immediately apparent that they are not orcs themselves. The Venerable Gygyz has suggested that there may indeed be many more of these creatures than are generally supposed, but that they may take after their orcish ancestry even more, use weapons, and be mistaken for orcs when sighted. It is an interesting speculation, although there is no obvious mean of determining whether or not the speculation is reflected in the truth.

Osquip

Osquip: Init +0; Atk Bite +1 melee (2d4); AC 13; HD 3d4; MV 30’ or burrow 10’; Act 1d20; SP Infravision 60’, variable number of legs; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +0; AL N.

If you can imagine a hairless rodent-like creature about two feet long, with huge spade-like teeth and too many legs, you come close to envisioning the osquip. These creatures lair amidst extensive tunnel complexes, often beneath the basements of buildings in a town, and are sometimes found in tunnel systems running below and alongside the main corridors of dungeons. The entrances to these tunnels are too small to permit comfortable passage for humans, dwarves, or elves, and are often difficult to locate, as the creature hides them instinctively.

Osquips normally feed on rats, mice and other small vermin, which make them beneficial to their neighbors, but they are extremely territorial, and will sometimes emerge from their hidden burrows to attack larger victims, up to and including those the size of a horse. An osquip infestation reduces the rodent population, but it may also result in missing pets, children, and even adults.

Osquips are sometimes found working with other tunnel-dwelling creatures, such as jermlaine, mites and snyads, but even more frequently they treat them as they do everything else – as a potential source of food.

These creatures have an unusual, and variable, number of legs. Roll 1d20 per individual: (1-14) six legs, (15-19) eight legs (MV 35’), or (20) 10 legs (MV 40’). This strange characteristic has caused some to speculate that the osquip might have originated on some other world, and have been brought to this one by accident, misadventure, or malice.

Monday, 3 October 2022

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Norker and Nycadaemon

As I write this, I am wearing an eye patch over my right eye so that I can focus on the page. Call it an experiment in therapeutic pharmacology, something that had a chance of increasing my sense of balance but just didn’t pan out. Now I am waiting to see how long it will take for the unwanted side effects to go away. I am hoping not more than a day or two. I am really hoping missing a second dose in the morning will be enough.

Anyway, the Fiend Folio has only six monsters starting with the letter N. These are the last two.

Next post in this series will do all of the monsters starting with O, but as there are only two in the Fiend Folio, that isn’t as huge as it sounds. We really are more than halfway through!

Norker

Norker: Init +2; Atk Club +2 melee (1d4+2) or bite +3 melee (1d3); AC 17; HD 1d10+2; MV 25’; Act 1d20; SP infravision 60’, free bite attack if club hits; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +1; AL C.

Distant cousins of the hobgoblins (see page 417 of the core rulebook), norkers have developed 3-inch fangs, with which they can deliver a nasty bite as a free action if their club attack hits. The norker also has a very tough skin, forming a type of exoskeleton, accounting for its high Armor Class.

By all accounts, norkers are more primitive than their hobgoblin cousins – in terms of arms and armor, biology, and tactics. Clubs are the height of norker technology, but if they have the means to get hold of better weapons, these become prized possessions and family heirlooms. Norkers still get a free bite attack if their weapon attack hits, no matter what that weapon is.

Nycadaemon

Daemons are Neutral spirits, equivalent in some ways to the demons of Chaos and the angels of Law. There are many types of daemons, but regardless of type, all share the following traits: Immunity to non-magical weapons; immunity to mind-affecting spells and effects; immunity to any spell or effect that would forcibly change the daemon’s shape, form, or substance (including petrifaction); and the ability to speak and understand all languages.

Nycadaemon: Init +5; Atk Claws +8 melee (2d6+8) or by weapon +12 melee (by weapon +8) or spell; AC 24; HD 12d12; MV 30’ or fly 90’; Act 1d20; SP Daemon traits, exceptional Strength (+8 bonus), immunity to weapons of less than +2 value, magic resistance, spellcasting, personal name, telepathy; SV Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +15; AL N.

Perhaps the most powerful of the daemons, the nycadaemons roam the nether planes at will, avoided by all lesser creatures (even many demons), for they are totally wicked and domineering, caring not who or what they enslave or exploit, but always acting with genius-level intelligence to maximizing their own power and security. They will co-operate with other evil beings whenever mutual actions are likely to prove beneficial to themselves, betraying them only when it offers an even greater advantage. If they can successfully blame one of their rivals for the evil they do, so much the better.

Nycadaemons can communicate telepathically to any target within 500’, as well as possessing the ability to understand and speak all languages. They are enormously strong (+8 Strength bonus). If they have a weapon, it is 50% likely to be magical (as created by the judge). They may also use shields, which increase their AC as normal, and are 25% likely to have at least a +1d3 enchantment (as per judge).

Nycadaemons can cast the following spells with a +12 bonus to their spell checks: Detect invisible, detect magic, enlarge, gust of wind, invisibility, mirror image, phantasm, planar step, read magic, and scare. Conversely, they are incredibly resistant to magic created by others. In this case, there is a 110% minus 10% per spell level that a spell cast at a nycadaemon simply fails, or that an existing spell collapses when a nycadaemon interacts with it. This means that nycadaemons are completely immune to 1st level spells, and even 5th level spells fail 60% of the time.

Nycadaemons have a personal names, which the keep secret as a a being that knows a nycadaemon’s person name can use it when casting spells to bypass the daemon’s magic resistance and natural immunities (such as to mind-affecting spells). Such audacity is almost certainly the death warrant of the caster, as a nycademon will not stop plotting the audacious one’s demise until it or the offender is dead. Nycadaemons are well versed in such plots, having millennia of practice.

Sunday, 2 October 2022

Some Background

Okay, let's talk about why I have started a Patreon, and why now.

I've been running RPGs since Christmas day 1979, starting with Holmes Blue Box. There have been fallow periods, but I've been sitting in the GM's chair pretty steadily for over 40 years. Right from the start, I was writing my own material, but also right from the start I delighted in running things others have written. Just as our world does not have a single architect designing its buildings, or a single voice for the people therein, using materials created by others allows for variation and, through that variation, greater verisimilitude. The fantasy world seems more real.

I had published fiction, non-fiction, and poetry previously, but my first published RPG work was in the 3.x era of the World's Most Popular RPG through Dragon Roots Magazine. Since then, I have done some work for Old School games, including artwork and a couple of magic items in Petty Gods. I have over 90 credits to my name in the Dungeon Crawl Classics system - for adventure writing, conversions, additional writing, articles, and advice.

Before the pandemic, I was working a fulltime job, participating in the "DM & Dine" program at Storm Crow Manor in Toronto (essentially, being paid to run games), running regular and Con games, and writing. But the pandemic shifted things for all of us, some of us more than others. For one thing, the "DM & Dine" program closed by necessity, cutting off one income stream. The slow emergence from the pandemic had other effects, making me far more aware that my employer's changes in management could well threaten my primary income.

Then during the pandemic symptoms progressed that I was no longer able to ignore, and I was diagnosed with spinal-cerebral ataxia, a progressive disease that will eventually take away both mobility and speech. While I certainly hope that is a long way in the future, I am more than a little aware of a sense of time running out.

So, yes, this is obviously an attempt to build a new income stream against the worst that might happen. But it is also an attempt to make a real contribution, on my own terms, to the hobby and the game that we all love while I still can. Again, that may be decades - and I hope that it is! - but I no longer have the luxury of assuming time is on my side.

For those of you who have joined me on the journey, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And, yes, I know that a lot of us are feeling the squeeze these days. Don't feel bad if you cannot, or even simply don't want to, join my Patreon. The main blog and the DCC Trove of Treasures are still going to exist, as long as I am able to maintain them!

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Nilbog and Nonafel

I am not really sure if anyone is still reading my ruminations on the Fiend Folio, or if you are jumping right to the monsters, but today we include two monsters that I have never used in an adventure.

I’ve never used the Nilbog due to its basic premise. I mean, within the general parameters of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, this is a monster that is hard to make anything more than a mean-spirited “gotcha”. I think that Dungeon Crawl
Classics may be more robust in this regard, in that patrons and divine intervention are baked into the rules, and might provide a party of harried adventurers at least some control over their actions. That nilbogism affects the area around the Nilbog is also baked into the text, but if the signs you have entered such a dangerous zone make you want to retreat, the chances are that you are only going deeper.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the Nonafel, but the creature (as it appeared in the Fiend Folio) was a bit hard to run, and never really grabbed me. I have cleaned it up a bit here, and I hope that it grabs you. If you use this version of the Nonafel, or used the Fiend Folio version, I would love to hear about it. Likewise the Nilbog. There have to be some really great stories out there, which will add a whole new dimension to my gaming!

As with the previous post, if you are enjoying these conversions, and feel like tipping, please consider supporting my Patreon. There is a $1 per month “tip jar” option, but October is Halloween Month and I have plans for the backer rewards.

Nilbog

Nilbog: Init -1; Atk bite -1 melee (1d3) or as weapon -1 melee; AC 10 + armor; HD 1d6-1; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP infravision 60’, nilbogism; SV Fort -2, Ref +1, Will -2; AL L.

This creature is in all ways like a normal goblin (see page 417 of the core rulebook) with one important exception – it suffers from a curious spatio-temporal reversal called nilbogism. This strange disorder occurs when magic strains the fabric of the space-time continuum, due to a phlogiston disturbance, perhaps, or a mercurial effect, and leads to some very strange localized events. The rare conditions which lead to nilbogism are only imperfectly understood, and only goblins seem to be directly infected by or carry the disorder.

Many and varied accounts have been received about the nature of the space-time disturbances which take place in the presence of nilbogs. Only one factor appears to be common – those who encounter a nilbog have no control over their own actions and will generally pursue courses of action contrary to their normal intent. For example they may feel an overwhelming compulsion to load all their treasure into an empty treasure chest in the nilbog lair and leave empty-handed. There are no saves against these effects, nor is there any known defense, although patrons and gods may be able to offer some assistance there.

Another curious feature of nilbog power is that the creature gains hit points when it is struck, equal to the damage rolled. It only loses hit points by such means as a clerics Lay on Hands, forcibly feeding it healing potions, and the like.

For obvious reasons, encounters with these strange creatures are dreaded. Where nilbogs have been encountered, normal goblins tend to be treated with extreme caution, as there appears to be no way to distinguishing between normal goblins and nilbogs, save by creative spell use or trial and error.

Judges who include nilbogs in their adventures need to be ready both with generalized distortion of the space-time continuum (rabbits eating wolves, flowers pollinating bees, and so on), as well as being ready to ad-lib how the aura of nilbogism distorts the PCs’ actions from their stated intents. The judge should determine how far these effects extend from the creature (3d10 x 10’ to 1d6 miles). Finding a way to defeat a nilbog is more a mental puzzle than a tactical challenge.

Nonafel

Nonafel (Parent): Init +5; Atk Tail +7 melee (2d10) or bite +5 melee (1d8) or claw +3 melee (1d5); AC 15; HD 9d8; MV 50’; Act 1d20; SP Disassociate, regenerate when reintegrated; SV Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +5; AL C.

Nonafel (Child): Init +5; Atk Tail +5 melee (1d8) or bite +3 melee (1d5) or claw +1 melee (1d3); AC 13; HD 1d8; MV 50’; Act 1d20; SP Reintegrate, regenerate when reintegrated; SV Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +3; AL C.

Also known as a cat o’ nine tails, this carnivorous feline monster resembles a large black panther with yellow, bloodshot eyes. Their secondary name comes from their unusual dissociative power, which enables them to divide into nine individual black panthers, or to reintegrate back into a single creature. This power doesn’t use an Action Die, is almost instantaneous, and appears to be instinctive.

Dissociation: The “parent” creature turns into nine “child” creatures, each of which appears within 5’ of another. They share the same mind, and can coordinate their actions, usually attempting to surround prey so that it cannot escape. The parent beast has 9 Hit Dice, each child 1 Hit Die. When the creature dissociates, the parent's hits will be divided as equally as possible between the children (so a parent of 49 hits will divide into five children with 5 hits each and four with 6 hits each; judges are encouraged to calculate an unwounded baseline ahead of time). A parent nonafel dissociates every 1d3 rounds (1 indicating the first round of combat, or the first round of reintegration).

Reintegration: If one or more of the “children” are damaged during melee there is a 1 in 4 non-cumulative chance each round that the creature will reintegrate to form the parent creature, so long as no child creature is more than 20’ from another. This does not take an Action Die, and occurs at the end of the round (after normal attacks). Dead children also disappear, reintegrated into the whole. When reintegrated, the parent regenerate 1 hp per round per surviving child (up to 9 hp). There is a new dissociation in 1d3 rounds, which, if a child is killed, results in fewer offspring. The bodies of slain children do not reappear.

Although they can use claws and bite, the nonafel’s most devastating attack is its long flail-like, which it swings over its head to strike targets in front of it.

When a disassociated nonafel is slain, it always reverts to its parent form; there are never multiple feline corpses left behind. This is unfortunate, as the skin of these creatures can fetch up to 150 gp if undamaged…and each hit point of slashing damage done to it (for example, by swords or axes) reduces its value by 1 gp.

Saturday, 1 October 2022

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Necrophidius and Needleman

The Fiend Folio is full of cool creatures. Yes, some are probably duds, but it is also true your or my dud is someone else’s favorite creature. There are no duds in this entry – the Necrophidius and Needleman are definitely cool. In fact, the Needlemen are so cool that, although they have yet to attack anyone in the games I run, I did use them in my Castle Xyntillan conversion for Dungeon Crawl Classics! Between the monastery which forms the last safe spot, and the valley where the castle lies, there is a pine-shrouded mountain trail. More than one party has seen what appear to be green faces peering out from the foliage.

The Necrophidius is a near-perfect monster for a funnel. It is likely to surprise, and uses the surprise round to hypnotize part of a mob with its dance of death. It has a high AC, but relatively low hit points, so that the still-mobile Zeroes have a chance of avoiding a TPK, but also know how close to a TPK they came. Poetry in motion. And the judge can include a tome of instructions to tempt the PCs into Questing For a giant snake’s bones, a murder’s head, and enough gold to pay for the thing!

As with the previous post, if you are enjoying these conversions, and feel like tipping, please consider supporting my Patreon. There is a $1 per month “tip jar” option, but October is Halloween Month and I have plans for the backer rewards.

As always, if you use any of these creatures, I would love to hear about it. If you want to use them in a published product, let me know, because some of the text is reworked from the Fiend Folio, and you will need to know what to rework. A lot of Fiend Folio monsters are usable due to the 3e Tome of Horrors, but a few will need the serial numbers filed off before than can be used commercially.

Necrophidius

Necrophidius: Init +6; Atk Bite +2 melee (1d8 plus paralysis) or dance of death; AC 18; HD 2d12; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP Construct, paralysis, dance of death, silence, magic vulnerability; SV Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +0; AL N.

Sometimes known as a death worm, the necrophidius appears to be the skeleton of a giant snake with a fanged human skull for its head. These are not un-dead, but rather constructed monsters, similar in some ways to golems. As constructs, they are immune to sleep, mind-affecting magic or effects, and substances that affect metabolic processes (such as poison).

The bite of a necrophidius carries a magical paralysis that lasts 1d4 turns (Will DC 16 negates). It is also able to perform the dance of death – a hypnotic, semi-magical swaying which rivets the attention of any victim who sees it and fails DC 13 Will save. This allows the necrophidius to advance and attack without opposition, for the creature only uses an Action Die to begin the dance of death, and can maintain it for free. Once potential victims save, they do not need to save again unless the necrophidius uses another Action Die to start a new dance of death, and it must stop the previous one for 1d3 rounds in order to do so.

These monsters can move with complete silence, and are often able to achieve surprise by approaching inattentive victims from behind. However, the processes used in their creation leave necrophidiae strangely vulnerable to magic. Any magic that is capable of harming the constructs causes three times the normal effect. Magic that does not harm them, but is able to affect them, also has three times the normal effect (as interpreted by the judge).

A necrophidius is created for one specific purpose and is therefore generally met in the role of assassin or guard. There are at least three ways known to create a necrophidius. The first is by means of a magical tome of instructions, which removes the need for spellcasting, but not the associated costs. The second method is for a wizard to cast breathe life, paralysis, and charm person with a minimum spell check of 18 to each spell, and a minimum of 3 points of spellburn in addition to any used to cast the spells. The final method is for a cleric to cast paralysis, curse, word of command, and snake charm, with a minimum spell check of 16 to each spell. For both the wizardly and clerical methods, the spells have no other effect than to imbue the necrophidius with a semblance of life, and establish its master’s control over it.

All of three methods require the complete articulated skeleton of a giant serpent and the skull of a cold-blooded murderer killed within the previous 24 hours (at the time construction begins). Construction costs 50 gp per hit point of the creature (between 100 and 1,200 gp) and 3d6 days of work.

Needlemen

Needleman: Init +0; Atk Needles +2 ranged (2d6, 20’ range); AC 14; HD 3d6+3; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP Plant, camouflage +10; SV Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +2; AL N.

Needlemen are intelligent plants which live in conifer forests, and are rarely encountered elsewhere. They appear something like green-brown zombies covered with pine-like needle, although they are neither animal nor un-dead. It can fire these needles up to a range of 20’, and, while each individual needle does little damage, the Needleman fires so many of them that the effect is substantial. For practical purposes, its supply of needles is infinite.

In some cases, travelers will claim to have caught half-seen glimpses of green faces when travelling in pine woods, thinking them fey when in fact they were needlemen. Beyond their normal haunts, the camouflage bonus of needlemen is limited, or eliminated altogether (as determined by the judge). They appear to hate elves, and attack them on sight, but as they have neither language nor an animal-like nervous system, the true cause of their behavior is merely conjecture. Some speculate that the needlemen originated in Elfland, but were banished to the Lands We Know so long ago that only the trees – and the needlemen – remember.