Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: the Tween

There are now six more posts before the Fiend Folio conversions are complete.

We are close. We are very, very close.

So what can we say about the Tween? Its original power was so interesting that it could almost have become a game mechanic for some version of the Great Game. In my conversion, I made use of the dice chain instead of forcing two rolls.

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Tween

Tween: Init +4; Atk Non-corporeal weapon +3 melee (1d6); AC 10; HD 1d8; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP Non-corporeal, symbiosis; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +3; AL N.

These strange creatures exist in a non-corporeal state, and can only be harmed by magic weapons or spells as a result. To material beings, they appear as smoky outlines, most often taking a squat humanoid shape.

A tween can bond at will with a host in the Lands We Know, and gradually assumes the general shape and characteristics of that host, appearing as a smoky “shadow” of that being. A tween who has selected a host usually stays with them until either host or tween dies, although some magic (such as banish) may drive a tween away or make it select another host. Tweens prefer intelligent humanoid hosts, and once a tween has bonded symbiotically with a host, it has the following abilities and effects:

• The tween and host can communicate telepathically.

• The tween has the ability to see a few seconds into the future and manipulate the motion of material things. As a result, any character or creature with a tween symbiant always makes every roll with a +1d shift on the dice chain.

• In contrast, while a tween has a beneficial effect on the actions of its host, it has the reverse effect on any other creature – friend or foe – within 50 feet of its host, who are forced to make every roll with a -1d shift. This power is not within the tween’s control, and no amount of threatening or cajoling by the symbiotic host has any effect. A character with a tween partner is therefore something of a mixed blessing to any companions.

•  A tween effects its host’s Luck, allowing the host to regenerate 1 point of Luck each week to a maximum of its original (0-level starting) Luck.

 

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: TROLLS! Giant Troll, Giant Two-Headed Troll, Ice Troll, and Spirit Troll

Trolls in Dungeon Crawl Classics are very much cut from the mold of Poul Anderson’s Troll in Three Hearts and Three Lions. Trolls in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons were sort of a mixture of qualities: Anderson’s Troll smooshed together with the Trolls in The Roaring Trumpet (part of The Incompleat Enchanter by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt). Michael Curtis introduced yet another take on Trolls – a more folkloric take somewhere between the DCC core rulebook Troll and the AD&D Trolls – in The Chained Coffin. And that is not all. Tales From the Smoking Wyrm introduces three playable Troll sub-classes in Issue #4, and these are taking straight from Scandinavian folklore!

So what does that mean when converting these Trolls? Are Giant Trolls just core rulebook Trolls, but bigger? Or should they appear more like they did in the Fiend Folio? There isn’t any one answer that is going to please everyone. Nor should there be. Let Make Monsters Mysterious be your watchword, and adjust any and every creature you wish until it is exactly what you want it to be, and your players are confounded. 

Ultimately, I went with the illustrations, and they show trolls with at least a glimmer of intelligence.

The end is in sight. At this point, there should be seven more posts to do, and the Fiend Folio conversions will be complete.

If you feel like tipping, here is a way to do so.

Troll

Giant Troll: Init +6; Atk Enormous spiked club +10 melee (2d8+6) bite +8 melee (2d8+6) or claw +10 melee (2d6); AC 16; HD 10d8+8; MV 40’; Act 3d24; SP Infravision 90’, acute senses, regeneration (1d6/round), vulnerable to fire, crit as giant (20-24 crit range); SV Fort +12, Ref +4, Will +8; AL C.

Giant trolls are similar to normal trolls, but which have crossbred with hill giants of questionable standards. They are more intelligent than normal trolls, certainly have better hygiene, and lack a normal troll’s hideous stench. Because they are not mindless, they are not immune to mind-affecting spells.

Giant trolls have the rubbery flesh of their lesser kin, but have differentiated organs, and can be affected by critical hits. They regenerates only 1d6 points of damage at the end of each round, including the round it they are killed. Like normal trolls, only if their regeneration fails to bring them above 0 hp can they be truly killed. Severed limbs from giant trolls also continue to attack, and can crawl back and re-attach, but a severed head is beyond the creature’s ability to deal with. They do not regenerate fire damage.

Giant trolls are as tall as hill giants, but heavier, being about 12 feet tall and weighing an average of 14,000 pounds. They can be found in nearly any clime, and are noted for their acute senses – and in particular, their acute sense of smell.

Giant Two-Headed Troll: Init +4; Atk Bite +9 melee (2d8+6) or claw +11 melee (2d6); AC 16; HD 12d8+10; MV 40’; Act 4d24; SP Infravision 60’, regeneration (1d4/round), two saves vs. mind-affecting spells, never surprised, vulnerable to fire, crit as giant (20-24 crit range); SV Fort +14, Ref +4, Will +10; AL C.

These ferocious creatures are similar to giant trolls, but somewhat larger, and they sport two heads. They regenerate only 1d4 hp each round, and cannot re-attach severed limbs. When faced with mid-affecting spells (or similar), they are allowed two saving throws – one for each head – and takes the better of the two results.

These nocturnal creatures stand 14 feet tall and weigh 15,000 pounds on average. They prefer darkness, dwelling in underground caverns where possible. They wear moth-eaten and filthy animal skins, which is certainly an indication that they are smarter than normal trolls.

Ice Troll: Init +3; Atk Claw +3 melee (1d6); AC 14; HD 2d8; MV 30’ or swim 30’; Act 2d20; SP Infravision 90’, keen senses, water-dependent regeneration (1d3/round), immunity to cold, half damage from non-magical weapons, vulnerable to fire (x2 damage); SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +5; AL C.

Ice trolls are smarter, weaker relatives of trolls with extremely cold semi-transparent bodies. These creatures dwell in moist areas, usually near running water as they can only regenerate (or re-attach severed limbs) if the regenerating body parts can immerse themselves in water. A severed limb can move a distance of 1d5 rounds in search of water (at a rate of 10’ per round) and will always move towards water if there is some in range. After it stops crawling, the limb is dormant for 2d6 rounds, and then expires.

Although they are immune to cold, and take only half damage from non-magical weapons, ice trolls take twice normal damage from fire, and cannot regenerate these attacks.

 

Spirit Troll: Init +8; Atk bite +4 melee (1d6+2 plus heal) or claw +6 melee (1d4 plus strength drain); AC 18; HD 5d8+5; MV 40’; Act 3d20; SP Infravision 120’, invisibility, heal, strength drain, regeneration (1d4/round), immune to cold and non-magical weapons, 30% magic resistance, vulnerable to fire; SV Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +6; AL C.

These odious creatures are said to be the product of some perverse breeding experiment whose details have been lost to antiquity. These beings are invisible and can only be hit by magical weapons or fire (which does only normal damage, but does not regenerate). Creatures who cannot see invisible beings suffer a 50% miss chance even on a successful hit. Spirit trolls can ignore spells and their effects 30% of the time, rolled before any applicable saving throw.

When a spirit troll hits with its bite, it immediately heals the amount of damage inflicted on its opponent. When it strikes with a claw, its target must succeed in a DC 12 Fort save or take 1 point of Strength damage (which heals normally).

 

So, there is this Patreon experiment....

As you may be aware, late last year I started a modest Patreon. Part of my goal was to force myself to write something every month. With a 6-month exclusivity clause for patrons, that meant that around mid-2023 I would also automatically have publishable content and a pool of potential playtesters. The other part of my goal was to create additional income to help prepare for when health issues inevitably take me out of the workforce.

I missed part of my December goal, and issued refunds as a result. On the other hand, I expect two adventures to drop this month instead of one. Also, some good news on the health front suggests that my health is going to hold out longer than I feared. So, you win some and you lose some. I am hoping to win more than lose, but then, I am a perpetual optimist. Frankly, I am still figuring out how best to do this.

This post is my pitch to make you consider joining my Patreon. I realize that January is the worst financial month of the year, and traditionally the most depressing. I realize that the shitstorm brought on by WotC is adding to both. You might as well treat yourself to something nice. In fact, at the very least you should drop by and pick up the free stuff. I understand that, for many of us, that is all we can really do...but there is free stuff, and you should have it.

So far, patrons of my Patreon have received:

Adventures:

Down Among the Wreckers

The Invisible Man Has Risen from the Grave

The Mound of Sorrows

Monster Supplements:

 A Germanic Bestiary

Faeries of the Twilight World

Monsters of the Autumn Moon

Monsters of Doré

Strange & Perilous Beings ot the Waves

Fifteen Feculent Fungi

Encounters:

Heart's Ease and the Weight of the World

In the Forest of the Night

The Hungry Islands

The Tainted Scroll of Aranha

The Urchin Gambit

And, more widely available (by which I mean, free stuff):

When Snowmen Attack!

LaSalle Man

I am also participating in the 365-Day Challenge (365-area adventure module in 365 days), so far up to day 15, free for all patrons (including the tippers). Eventually these, too, will be compiled into some sort of publishable order.  But why wait until all is done to have input into what is done?

The final line is this: This blog is going to be here as long as I am able to maintain it. There is always going to be a plethora of free stuff - I am 8 posts away from completing conversions from the Fiend Folio, for instance - and the material going out to patrons will eventually, if all goes to plan, get expanded, corrected, and then repackaged and sold through a publisher as yet unknown. You don't need to do this. But if you want to do this, here is the link.

Gary Con Events

 Hope to see you there!

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Tirapheg and Trilloch

Every monster ever devised, in the Fiend Folio or not, is somebody’s favorite monster. This time out, we are doing two monsters which I don’t believe that I have ever used. Surely, though, they were someone’s favorites, and if you have ever put them to good use, please share in the comments!

The Tirapheg is difficult to describe, but as it is not automatically hostile, it could be a fairly interesting encounter. Slow-moving eaters of decomposing meat, they might be used as an encounter simply to heighten the weirdness of an area. At seven feet tall, their looming forms will certainly seem eerie. But what if they were taller? Hence, the Giant Tirapheg entry! Because, why not?

The Trilloch is just another way to make standard encounters more interesting, like a wandering living curse, and a creature you cannot affect with weapons or spells doesn’t need a statblock. I did include a Move speed because characters or monsters might find a way to outrun the thing. Save modifiers are included in case it needs to save to avoid being forced away. Dungeon Crawl Classics is a different beast than Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and this is also reflected in the write-up.

There are only two more blog posts to get through the letter “T” – next up are the Trolls!

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Tirapheg

Tirapheg: Init +3; Atk Spike +3 melee (1d4 plus power of three) or claw +3 melee (1d4 plus strangle); AC 10; HD 2d8; MV 10’; Act 3d20; SP Infravision 30’, power of three, strangle, mirror image; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +3; AL C.

Giant Tirapheg: Init +3; Atk Spike +3 melee (1d6 plus power of three) or claw +3 melee (1d6 plus strangle); AC 13; HD 6d8; MV 20’; Act 3d24; SP Infravision 60’, power of three, strangle, mirror image, crits using Crit Table G; SV Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +6; AL C.

The tirapheg is strange indeed – a naked and hairless tripedal hermaphrodite, of generally humanoid shape, and seven feet tall. The creature has three heads of which the outer two are featureless. The middle head has three large, deeply-inset eyes, two to the front and one to the rear. It has ear-like organs on each side of the central head, but its mouth is located on its torso.

Tiraphegs have three arms. Two are jointed at the shoulders so that they can attack to the rear as easily as to the front, terminating in six-inch long spikes. The third arm, emerging from the center of the chest, ends in a three-fingered hand. Of the creature's three legs, the outer two end in stumps while the central one has three unusually long and strong toes. The creature’s mouth is below its central arm.

Above the mouth are three tentacles, each three inches long, which writhe continuously but which have no obvious function.

Tiraphegs can only attack targets in front of them with their central arms. If the creature hits the same target with both spikes, and it can bring its central arm to bear, it gains the power of three – its central arm automatically hits. This arm grabs its victim around the neck and strangles for automatic damage each round, although a victim can free themselves with an opposed Strength check vs. +3.

When it wishes to retreat from a combat, a tirapheg can create a mirror image effect without spending an Action Die. There is a blinding flash (creatures within 30’ must succeed in a DC 13 Reflex save or be blinded and confused for 1 round), and two illusory projections are created (as result 16-19 on the mirror image spell, page 183 of the core rulebook).

Tiraphegs eat carrion, and seem to show a greater preference to meat the more decomposed it is. Normally, tiraphegs avoid other creatures, but their behavior can be unpredictable and it has been known for a tirapheg to attack a party of adventurers for no apparent reason. Usually, they are encountered singly, but trios are also possible, and it is thought that three must come together for the creatures to reproduce (although this is mere speculation, as the creatures seem to have no means of reproduction). They do not speak, and are seemingly no more intelligent than animals.

The giant tirapheg is very much like its smaller kin, but it is 14 feet tall, and uses Crit Table G. The opposed Strength check to break a giant tirapheg’s strangle is against +6.

 

Trilloch

An extraplanar creature that can not normally be detected, the trilloch lived on the waning life-force of dying creatures. Detect magic can reveal the creature, and dispel magic, banish, exorcism, or a cleric’s ability to turn the unholy may drive it away. No other magic has any effect on a trilloch, so far as is known, and no weapon can harm it.

All melee attacks within 100’ of a trilloch are at +1 to hit, do +1 damage, and have their critical range increased by +1 (so that most creatures crit on a 19-20). The creature can also influence the behavior of unintelligent monsters, making them twice as aggressive. Trillochs accompany large, powerful monsters, thriving on the huge amounts of life-force released by their victims. If a trilloch’s “host” is killed, the trilloch attaches itself to the victor until driven off or until another, even more powerful creature, kills its new host. At that point, it transfers to the new creature.

A trilloch can fly noncorporeally with a 40’ Move speed, and has a +6 bonus to saves.

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Thork, Throat Leech and Tiger Fly

We’re doing three entries today because the Throat Leech is not a monster in the traditional sense. It is far better treated as a hazard. The judge is encouraged to use caution when placing these things; choose bodies of water where they are found, and then choose the odds of drinking one with unfiltered water. The chance was 10% in the Fiend Folio. This may be too high for an area which will be revisited during a campaign…or too low if the encounter is unlikely to occur. I would suggest no more than 5% for a persistent location, but using Luck checks for special encounters. In a tropical environment, you might include throat leeches that seek out the unlucky, moving across the jungle floor to infiltrate sleeping victims. This would be a pretty nasty thing to do, but not so nasty that you should avoid doing it!

Thorks bring to mind the Stymphalian Birds of Greek legend, so I am going to provide some statistics for those as well. The Thork is a surprisingly good monster. It just wants you to keep your distance, or get away if you don’t take the hint.

Tiger Flies are yet another creature that wants to lay its eggs in you. It would be goofy were it not quite so horrific, and the larvae make a good, solid monster to find at the bottom of a pit. All in all, these were some pretty solid Fiend Folio entries, which should work well in your Dungeon Crawl Classics game.

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Thork

Thork: Init +3; Atk Beak +0 melee (1d6) or jet of boiling water +4 ranged (3d4, 40’ range); AC 17; HD 1d6; MV 20’ or fly 40’; Act 1d20; SP Jet of boiling water; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will -2; AL N.

Thorks are large birds, about nine feet tall as adults, which are similar to storks. Their plumage is made of pure copper, and wisps of steam rise from the birds’ beaks. A thork can shoot a jet of boiling water up to 40’ away, ignoring all armor (but not shields or Agility modifiers). They have to spend an Action Die siphoning up water before they can use this ranged attack, although they are 90% likely to have water ready when encountered. Despite this strange ability, thorks do not radiate unusual heat themselves.

These creatures live on fish and amphibians, which they hunt for in marshes and bogs. They have no interest in adventurers, apart from defending themselves, seeking to escape any that are not warned off by the thorks’ initial attacks. Their feathers are valuable, though, and a single thork’s plumage can sell for as much as 1d12+10 gp for its metal value.

Stymphalian Bird: Init +4; Atk Beak +2 melee (1d6) or feathers (3d6, 30’ range, Reflexes DC 15 for half) or poisonous dung; AC 18; HD 2d6; MV 20’ or fly 40’; Act 1d20; SP Feathers (30’ range with a 10’ base, Reflexes DC 15 for half, 3/day), poisonous dung (1d4 damage plus Fort DC 12 or additional 4d4 damage); SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0; AL C.

Altogether more horrid than thorks, these birds were the subject of the sixth labor of Hercules. They have bronze beaks and sharp metallic feathers which can be launched in a cone 30’ long with a 10’ base. Any creature caught in the cone suffers 3d6 damage (Reflex save DC 15 for half). A Stymphalian bird can only launch such an attack once every 1d3 rounds, up to 3 times per day.

Their dung is poisonous (1d4 damage and Fort DC 12 or additional 4d4 damage), and can be released in a 20’ x 20’ area when a flock of these birds flies overhead.

For the metal content of beak and feathers, each bird is worth 1d20+10 gp. The lure of wealth draws foolish hunters to try their luck in the marshes where these creatures dwell, and few ever return. Stymphalian birds are maneaters.

 

Throat Leech

These tiny leeches are at most about an inch long, and may be mistaken for nothing more than twigs or other detritus in slow-moving fresh water. Although some authorities claim they are common, the fields would be choked with dead livestock, and the forests with dead game, if this were true. A throat leech may be swallowed when drinking unfiltered water, where it fastens itself onto the soft flesh at the back of the victim's throat, becoming distended through sucking blood over the next 1d3 minutes.

After the first minute, there is a cumulative 1 in 30 chance that the leech will swell enough to begin asphyxiating its victim. Once it has swollen, the victim can hold their breath for ½ Stamina rounds (unless they took a large breath for some reason just prior to choking, such as if they were preparing to dive), taking 1d3 temporary Stamina damage each round thereafter, with death occurring at 0 Stamina. This temporary Stamina damage is recovered with one turn of unrestricted breathing.

After the initial 1d3 minutes of sucking blood are concluded, there is a 1 in 6 chance each round that the throat leech releases, to eventually pass unscathed through the victim’s digestive system. If a victim can survive long enough, therefore, they can survive because the throat leech itself removes the obstruction. Otherwise, unless some magical means to remove the creature presents itself, allies of the victim may attempt to pierce the bloated leech with a thin heated metal object such as a wire. Doing so required a DC 12 Agility check to avoid causing the victim 1d4 damage instead or removing the leech.

 

Tiger Fly

Male Tiger Fly: Init +2; Atk Scything blade +3 melee (1d6) or grasp +0 melee (0) or sting (1d8 plus venom); AC 16; HD 5d6; MV 20’ or fly 40’; Act 4d20; SP Grasp, sting, venom; SV Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3; AL N.

Female Tiger Fly: Init +3; Atk Grasp +2 melee (0) or sting (1d6 plus venom); AC 16; HD 4d6; MV 20’ or fly 50’; Act 4d20; SP Grasp, sting, venom, inject eggs; SV Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +4; AL N.

Tiger Fly Larva: Init +0; Atk Bite +0 melee (2d4); AC 11; HD 1d6; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0; AL N.

These creatures resemble human-sized wasps, with human-like faces, which move on one set of legs so that the others become four “arms”. Males are dull red in color, but females are black and yellow, as with many lesser wasps.

Males have two sickle-like blades on their upper forelimbs, and “hands” on their lower. The creature makes one attack with each. Although the hands do no damage, they do grasp the victim (Strength DC 15 to escape; each hand must be escaped separately), and it both hands grasp the same opponent, the tiger fly can sting on the next round (using the two Action Dice normally reserved for its hands), hitting automatically. The sting is venomous (1d6 damage plus Fort DC 15 or 1d4 Strength damage, which heals normally). Once a male tiger fly has grasped a victim, it will not willingly release it until one or the other is dead.

Female tiger flies do not have the slashing forelimbs of their male counterparts, instead attacking with four “hands”. While these do no damage, if the female manages to grab hold with at least two of these limbs, it can sting the next round (using two Action Dice, so potentially stinging twice if all four limbs have grasped an opponent), hitting automatically. The sting is venomous (1d3 temporary Agility damage and Fort DC 10 or be paralyzed for 4d4 minutes; temporary Agility damage heals at the rate of 1 point per minute, and a victim with 0 Agility is effectively paralyzed). Female tiger flies can inject eggs into a paralyzed victim if they are given 1d3 rounds to do so, and these eggs hatch into 1d3 tiger fly larvae after 1d12+12 hours. Each hour, the victim takes 1 point each of Strength, Stamina, and Agility damage from internal hemorrhaging, and, unless the eggs are destroyed by magic (treat as a disease), the victim dies when they hatch the larvae burrow out of their body.

Tiger fly larvae are white grubs with horned black heads and large mandibles, which grow quickly to a length of 3 to 4 feet. They attack anything that moves, even each other.

Despite their appearance, tiger flies are not intelligent.

 

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Terithran and Thoqqua

The Terithran is a reasonable enough creature to include in an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, I suppose, to limit the prevalence of spell casters and add some risk to using magic items. The magic system in Dungeon Crawl Classics is somewhat different, which requires making some changes to the nature of the monster, when it is encountered, and how its powers work. It is recommended that, rather than tediously rolling to determine whether or not a Terithran is summoned every time large amounts of spellburn are used, or a spell is fumbled, the judge includes this chance as part of certain adventures and locations in the campaign milieu. It will save you some headaches.

The Fiend Folio includes more than one monster designed to jump out at you from the walls, and it contains more than one monster designed to create (or explain) some of the traversable tunnels in an underground maze. The Thoqqua is one of these, although the tunnels it creates are only 3 feet in diameter. What if there were giant Thoqqua, creating passages that larger characters could easily use? Well, since I brought it up, I suppose I should include it!

If you feel like tipping, here is a way to do so.

 

Terithran

Terithran: Init +0; Atk Claw +2 melee (1d4+1) or magic attack; AC 17; HD 5d6; MV 40’; Act 2d20; SP Immune to normal weapons (silver or magic to hit), 50% magic resistance, detect magic 100’ radius, magic attacks; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +8; AL C.

These short humanoids are a mere four feet tall, with long sinewy arms and an unusually large misshapen head. They have a faint, shadowy appearance, for they are not from the Lands We Know, but only visitors of circumstance, summoned at times when occult forces go either horribly awry or when great sacrifice has been made to bring forth arcane powers. In general, there is a 1% chance per spell level that a terithais summoned when a natural “1” is rolled, and a 1% chance per point of spellburn when a caster utilizes 10 or more points of spellburn. This may be restricted further as determined by the judge; there may only be certain places in the campaign milieu which abut those areas Beyond where terithrans dwell.

In any event, such creatures are found in the aether and phlogiston, bathing in the swirls, eddies and warps which are natural to these hidden regions. The use of arcane magic forces some amount of order into the natural chaos, sometimes forcing the creatures at least partially into the Lands We Know, and terithrans are never happy to be within our world.

In the Lands We Know, a terithran is immune to all non-magical weapons, unless they are made of silver. They have a 50% chance of simply ignoring any spell or spell effect as though it didn’t exist, and this is determined before any potential saves are rolled. They can automatically detect and understand the function of any magic item or ongoing spell effect within a 100’ radius.

A terithran can attack using its claws, or can use both Action Dice to create one of the effects below (roll 1d4):

(1) Stunning blast: a charge of phlogistonic and aetherial waves stun all creatures within 10’ for 1d5 rounds, rendering them unable to take any action during this period, unless they succeed in a DC 15 Will save.

(2) Drain power: Removes the use of one random spell from a wizard or elf within 100’ unless they succeed in a DC 20 Will save. The spell is always of the highest available level, and the terithran heals 1d6 hp per spell level. The wizard or elf regains access to any lost spells after 1d3 + spell level days (roll for each spell separately); the spell cannot be regained or reused through spellburn, nor can the spell slots be refilled with alternative spells. It is as though the caster didn’t have these slots.

(3) Cause serious wounds: With a successful attack roll, the creature automatically does 1d4+1 base damage and gains the effects of a critical hit.

(4) Transportation: The terithran makes an attack with a +2 bonus (total attack modifier +4), grasping a victim (usually the offending wizard or elf) and transporting both itself and its victim to its home in the phlogiston. There is no save, and the victim is lost unless the judge allows a special quest to recover them. This power causes no damage.

These statistics represent terithrans as they appear in the Lands We Know. In their own lands, they may be more powerful.

 

Thoqqua

Thoqqua: Init +0; Atk Charge +2 melee (3d4 plus 2d6 heat) or touch +0 melee (2d6 heat); AC 18; HD 3d8; MV 10’ or burrow 30’; Act 1d20; SP Blindsense 120’, charge heat (2d6), fire damage heals creature, cold vulnerability; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +0; AL N.

Giant Thoqqua: Init +0; Atk Charge +4 melee (5d4 plus 3d6 heat) or touch +2 melee (3d6 heat); AC 20; HD 6d8; MV 20’ or burrow 40’; Act 1d20; SP Blindsense 120’, charge heat (3d6), fire damage heals creature, cold vulnerability; SV Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +0; AL N.

Colossal Thoqqua: Init +0; Atk Charge +6 melee (7d4 plus 4d6 heat) or touch +4 melee (4d6 heat); AC 22; HD 8d8; MV 30’ or burrow 50’; Act 1d20; SP Blindsense 120’, charge heat (4d6), fire damage heals creature, cold vulnerability; SV Fort +10, Ref +0, Will +0; AL N.

Also called “rockworms”, these creatures are 2 feet in diameter and 1d4+1 feet long, with reddish-silver skin and a super-heated “head” which allows them to burrow through solid stone, creating red-hot tunnels about 3 feet in diameter. Even after a thoqqua has passed, the tunnels remain hot enough to cause 2d7 damage for the first turn and 1d7 for the second. After two turns, the tunnel cools down enough to enter, but remains warm to the touch for days. During the first turn, the rock is discernibly red from the heat, and while the rock causes damage, the heat radiating from it is easily felt from a distance.

Thoqquas start combat with a charge, being able to move up to 30’ to do so. Thereafter, it is restricted to its normal movement rate. Fire- or heat-based attacks heal the thoqqua equal to the damage done (and may grant the creature temporary hit points above its normal maximum), but cold attacks inflict twice normal damage.

A giant thoqqua is like its smaller cousin, but 4’ feet in diameter and 2d5+2 feet long, and able to charge up to 50’. It creates tunnels up to 5’ in diameter. A colossal thoqqua is even larger; 6’ in diameter and 4d7+4’ long, able to charge up to 60’, and creating tunnels 8’ in diameter. Even larger thoqquas might exist in the lightless depths far below the surface of the world!

Some sages speculate that the thoqqua is a larval form of some other creature native to the elemental planes of earth or fire. What that would mean for the truly enormous specimens deep beneath the surface is, perhaps, a question better left alone.

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Tabaxi and Tentamort

As we start the letter “T”, we get two of the coolest critters in the Fiend Folio. I mean, almost everyone has used the Tabaxi – in later editions, perhaps played them. It does say something about the original writing that I did almost no editing on the descriptive text for the Tabaxi. And something about later editions that a species which avoids other sentient beings is now forming adventuring parties with them. Not that there is anything wrong with wanting to play a cat person. If you want a cat-person race-class, may I recommend the Zaria? But there is also a real value to having something intriguing show up in your game milieu which isn't instantly a PC option.

On the other hand, the Tentamort is a criminally underused monster. I had to do a bit more work to translate it into Dungeon Crawl Classics terms – and I certainly didn’t want to reduce the horror of the creature in any appreciable way! I have also used fewer Tentamorts than I really should have, but this is an example of a design where a little can go a very long ways indeed!

If you feel like tipping, here is a way to do so.

 

Tabaxi

Tabaxi: Init +4; Atk Claw +1 melee (1d3) or bite +0 melee (1) or by weapon +1 melee (by weapon); AC 14; HD 2d6; MV 40’ or climb 20’; Act 1d20; SP Detect traps +10, move silently and hide in shadows +7; SV Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +0; AL C.

The tabaxi (or cat-men, as they are known to most humans) are a race of intelligent feline humanoids which inhabit the far reaches of tropical jungles, avoiding humans and other intelligent creatures. They live in small prides of 2d4 members, each pride roaming a large territory and rarely having anything to do with other prides.

The tabaxi are extraordinary hunters, taking their prey through surprise and quick ambush. Two of them will often chase an animal directly onto the claws of a third. They have learned how to avoid detection by disguising their scent with aromatic herbs. This, combined with their natural camouflage and ability to move quickly and silently, makes them deadly opponents in the tropical forest. Like other cats, they will sometimes “play” with their wounded prey until it expires.

Tabaxi are also very adept at recognizing a trap for what it is – even if the trap is very carefully hidden and cunningly constructed. Their ability to find traps does not extend beyond their habitat (to dungeons or cities, for example). They are tool-users when they find it convenient to be so. Their tools usually consist of bone or wood, but tabaxi have an amazing aptitude for weaponry, and can discover the use of a weapon, and become adept in its use, in a remarkably short time so long as the weapon is not overly complex.

Tabaxi are tall and lithe and move with the smooth-easy grace of cats. Their fine fur is tawny and striped with black, in a pattern similar to that of a tiger. They wear no clothing. Their eyes are green-yellow with catlike slit-pupils, and they have retractable claws. They may speak a small amount of the common tongue in addition to their own language, but do not engage in trade, as they consider it demeaning.

 

Tentamort

Tentamort: Init +3; Atk Tentacle +2 melee (1d6 plus grapple and special); AC 17 or 19; HD 2d8 + 2d8 + 4d8; MV 10’ or climb 10’; Act 2d20; SP Strange senses 100’, grapple, pin, constrict, digestive fluid; SV Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +0; AL C.

The tentamort is a 2-foot diameter sphere from which grow a plethora of small suckered tentacles for ambulation and two large (10 foot long) tentacles used for attacks. These long tentacles are effectively separated from the main body of the creature – they can attack independently, and damage done to them does not affect the core hit points of the main body. The body and each tentacle is considered a separate target when the creature is attacked by missile weapons or spells. However, if the main body is killed, both tentacles become dormant. Tentamorts have no external sense organs, but they are somehow able to sense their surroundings within 100 feet.

The two attacking tentacles can be up to 5 inches diameter. One is a powerful constrictor, and successfully hit targets must succeed in a DC 12 Strength check or be successfully grappled, receiving automatic constriction damage (1d6) each round. Worse, a grappled character must make a Reflex save – if the result is less then 10, both of the victim’s arms are pinned, from 10-14, one arm is pinned, and from 15 or better the victim has free use of both arms. It requires a DC 20 Strength check or a successful Mighty Deed of 5+ to escape a tentamort’s grapple.

The other long tentacle has a six-inch-long hollow needle of bone at its end. It can also grapple a victim (with the same effects; Strength DC 10 negates), but it does not constrict; instead, the tentamort can insert its bone needle into its victim’s flesh on its next action (no attack roll needed), paralyzing the victim unless they succeed in a DC 15 Fort save. Over the next 1d3 rounds, the needle injects a saliva-like fluid into the victim, causing the victim's internal organs to soften. The creature can then suck the internal organs out of the victim’s body through the needle, causing 2d6 damage each round.

If the tentacle is killed while the fluid is still being injected, the victim takes 1d3 damage each minute until the process is halted with even 1 HD of magical healing used for that purpose. If the fluid has been fully injected, the victim takes 1d3 damage each round, and must receive 2 HD of magical healing used for that purpose for the damage to halt. A successful casting of neutralize poison or disease is also effective.

So long as any part of a tentamort survives, the strange creature will eventually heal and become whole.

Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Svirfneblin and Symbiotic Jelly

And, at last, we come to the end of the letter “S”, and it only took eleven posts. I think we should be able to get through “T” with only six posts, and then we really are close to sliding into home. But you know what? There really were some wonderful creatures in the Fiend Factory from White Dwarf which never made it into the Fiend Folio, and I am strongly considering converting some of these as well. Do you have a favorite? If so, you are far more likely to see it converted here if you let me know!

Some of the contents of the Fiend Folio were from earlier AD&D modules. The Svirfneblin was from D3: Vault of the Drow, and I believe that this entry (and previous entries) should now make converting that adventure quite a bit easier. I decided to make my Deep Gnomes a little more down to earth (pun intended) than Gary Gygax’s originals, eliminating automatic spellcasting while keeping their basic nature as unchanged as I could. I tried to make them creatures who could, at least somewhat realistically, survive in passages haunted by the Drow and the Kuo-Toans.

It was a bit difficult to decide whether to do full creature stats for the Symbiotic Jelly at all, but I realized that it was more than a simple hazard. Adventurers who encounter this thing will want to kill it. In the Fiend Folio, these beings were able to feed in some way through the act of their hosts consuming flesh, rather than through the death of their host’s victims, and some judges may wish to include this as a horrifying side-effect of PCs being controlled by such a Jelly. To me, the death itself seemed more likely to provide sustenance, and I tried to tie all of the creature’s abilities into its telepathic field. Also interestingly, in the original write-up, the Symbiotic Jelly is very intelligent. One has to wonder what it does with its intelligence, as its ability to communicate appears extremely limited.

If you feel like tipping, here is a way to do so.

 

Svirfneblin

Svirfneblin: Init +2; Atk Pick +2 melee (1d6) or dagger +2 melee (1d4) or dart +3 ranged (1d3 plus poison or 1d3 plus acid); AC 18; HD 4d6; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP Infravision 120’, poison, acid, +6 move silently and hide in shadows, immunity to mind-affecting and detection spells, 20% magic resistance, +2 to saves vs. poison; SV Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2; AL N.

Svirfneblin Burrow Warden: Init +2; Atk Pick +3 melee (1d6) or dagger +3 melee (1d4) or dart +4 ranged (1d3 plus poison or 1d3 plus acid); AC 18; HD 6d6; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP Infravision 120’, poison, acid, 25% spells or 50% summon elemental, +6 move silently and hide in shadows, immunity to mind-affecting and detection spells, 20% magic resistance, +2 to saves vs. poison; SV Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +5; AL N.

Far beneath the surface of the earth dwell the svirfnebli, or deep gnomes, a diminutive group of humanoids about the size of halflings, related to the gnomes of the bright surface world. Explorers have sometimes encountered small parties of these beings far below the Lands We Know, seeking gems and precious metals in the mazelike passages of the underworld.

Svirfnebli wear leathern jacks sewn with rings of mithral-steel alloy over fine chainmail shirts (+6 AC, d10 Fumble Die, -4 check penalty, no reduction in move). They do not usually carry shields, which would hinder their movement through tight subterranean spaces. Their darts contain a small glass which breaks upon impact, releasing a poison gas that affects their target on a successful hit (slowed to half normal speed and actions for 1d4 rounds, plus Fort DC 14 or be stunned and unable to act for the first round). Leader types (see below) also carry darts which contain an acid which eats 1d3 points of AC protection of the target’s armor on a hit, as well as inflicting an additional 1d4 damage from the acid. Svirfnebli typically carry 1d5+2 poison darts; leaders also carry 1d4+2 acid darts.

Deep gnomes have keen senses, similar to those of elves. They have a +12 bonus to Move Silently and Hide in Shadows (+6 with their armor taken into account), and are able to “freeze” in place for long periods without any hint of movement. The are immune to mind-affecting spells, and any form of detection spell. There is a 20% chance that any other spell fails when it comes into contact with a svirfneblin, and this is rolled before any saving throws. Further, they gain an additional +2 bonus to saves vs. poison.

For every four svirfnebli encountered, there will be an additional leader-type with 4 HD. If more than twenty normal deep gnomes are encountered (and this is extremely rare) their party will include a “burrow warden” with 6 HD and two 5 HD assistants. It is 25% likely that a burrow warden will have the spellcasting abilities of a level 1d4 wizard, with a focus on illusions and mind-affecting spells. There is a 50% chance that a burrow warden without these powers can summon an 8 HD earth elemental (see core rulebook, pages 411 to 412) once per day, with a 1 in 5 chance of success each round spent doing so. The summoned elemental aids the burrow warden for up to 1d3 turns before departing peacefully to its elemental plane.

 

Symbiotic Jelly

Symbiotic Jelly: Init +0; Atk None; AC 12; HD 1d6; MV 1’; Act none; SP Telepathic field 500’ range, symbiosis, +10 hide, illusion generation; SV Fort +1, Ref -10, Will +5; AL N.

A globule of yellowish protoplasm 1-3 inches in diameter, the symbiotic jelly exists through draining energy from the anguish of living creatures as they die. To obtain sustenance the jelly finds a location frequented by carnivores. It sticks to the ceiling, where its telepathic field and natural illusion-generating abilities help it to hide. When a suitable (living, non-magical, flesh-consuming) creature comes within its 500’ range, it attempts to establish symbiosis telepathically (Will DC 20 to resist).

Once it has established symbiosis, the jelly uses its abilities to keep the host creature nearby, attacking anything coming close. The jelly then projects a telepathic illusion to make the host creature appear to be far weaker than it truly is. The jelly can also project illusions of treasure to lure creatures into its host’s range. Potential victims can see through these illusions, if they attempt to disbelieve, with a DC 15 Will save.

If the host is killed by its would-be victim, the jelly attempts to establish symbiosis with the victor (or one of the victors), persuading it to replace the former host if it is successful. The jelly can only make one attempt at establishing symbiosis per round, and a creature which has successfully saves is immune for the next 24 hours. If the symbiotic jelly is itself discovered, its primary goal becomes to have any host creature available protect it by any means necessary.

The remains of a symbiotic jelly can be used to empower charm person, ESP, and phantasm spells, giving a +4 bonus to the spell check. The remains can also be used in conjunction with the make potion spell when creating potions of animal control or human control, or to create potions which mimic charm person, ESP, or phantasm. The exact nature of the bonus in these cases is up to the judge, but should make the risk of procuring the symbiotic jelly worthwhile.