Let’s Convert the Monster Manual: Sahuagin, Salamander, Satyr, Giant Scorpion, and Sea Hag

Here are some monsters that I think most of us have used. Sahuagin raiders on a port town is a classic.

Sahuagin Warrior: Init +2; Atk spear +3 melee (1d8+1) or claw +3 melee (1d3) or bite +1 melee (1d6); AC 12; HD 2d8+2; MV 25’ or swim 50’; Act 1d20; SP control sharks, grapple ships; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +5; AL C.

Sahuagin Mutant: Init +2; Atk spear +3 melee (1d8+1) or claw +3 melee (1d3) or bite +1 melee (1d6); AC 12; HD 2d8+2; MV 25’ or swim 50’; Act 2d20; SP control sharks, grapple ships, four arms; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +5; AL C. (Four arms.)

Sahuagin Mutant: Init +2; Atk spear +4 melee (1d8+2) or claw +4 melee (1d3+1) or bite +2 melee (1d6+1); AC 12; HD 3d8+3; MV 25’ or swim 50’; Act 1d20; SP control sharks (6 HD), grapple ships, psionic attack (120’ range, 1d8 dam, Will DC 13 half); SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +5; AL C. (Larger, shark-attuned, psionic.)

Sahuagin Mutant: Init +2; Atk spear +5 melee (1d8+3) or claw +5 melee (1d3+2) or bite +3 melee (1d10); AC 12; HD 4d8+4; MV 25’ or swim 50’; Act 1d20; SP control sharks, grapple ships; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +5; AL C. (Larger twice, feral bite three times.)

Cunning and savage fish-folk, the sahuagin hate everybody. Especially aquatic elves…perhaps by extension all elves. They attack ships. They work well with sharks, which they can command, so perhaps they don’t hate everything. The sahuagin are subject to mutation, sometimes having four arms. They are also, apparently, sometimes far more human-like and at other times far more fish- or shark-like in their skeletal structure.

Elves have always gained their magical powers by making pacts with supernatural entities – powerful demons, nature spirits, fey lords, and eldritch beings from the dawn of time. Thousands of years ago, on the Isles of Sahua, there was a group of elves whose devotion to the shark-god, Kuawangu. They fed slaves to the sharks in His sacred pools, and in return they gained the bounty and protection of the seas.

Sahua is long gone, brought beneath the waves in a fiery volcanic cataclysm. Some say that there was a schism between the followers of jealous patrons, and that the followers of Kuawangu were transformed to carry their lord’s vengeance against all others. Some say that the elves of Sahua turned from the shark-god, and He wreaked the destruction of their islands, elevating the sharks from His sacred pools to rule the watery palaces where proud elven folk once strode. Whatever the truth may be, Sahua is gone, and the Sahuagin swarm where ancient charts once placed the island chain.

Sahuagin are tall, slender humanoids with green scaled skin, shark-like teeth, and sharp claws. They favor tridents as weapons, but, like elves, avoid the use of iron and steel. This may be an indication of their elven ancestry, or it may be because such metal rusts quickly in the salty brine of their ocean home. Their scales are darker toward their spines, fading to a green-white on their bellies. Only a careful examination can determine the gender of a non-pregnant female sahuagin, or an unaroused male.

Sahuagin warriors can control up to 2 Hit Dice of sharks each. They are capable of using strong lines of seaweed fibres and animal sinews to grapple ships from below. The sahuagin holding each line adds drag to the ship, slowing it until it is brought to a stop. The sahuagin then board the ship, slaughtering all aboard before sinking the hapless vessel.

Sahuagin mutants call themselves “Scions of Kuawangu”, and claim that their mutations are the result of the Shark-God’s divine bloodline. When rolling up a small band of sahuagin, the judge may use 1d30 to see which are mutated. Alternately, roll 1d10 and use the numbers in parenthesis for whichever sahuagin you decide are mutated.

Die Roll                 Mutation

1-20                       None

21-24 (1-4)          Additional pair of arms. +1 Action Die, and it is possible to wield a second trident.

25 (5)                     Extended fish tail. +20’ to swim speed, -5’ to land speed.

26 (6)                     Larger. Increase HD by 1d8+1. Increase melee attack rolls and damage by +1.

27 (7)                     Shark-attuned. Can control double the normal HD of sharks.

28 (8)                     Feral bite. Bite damage increases by +1d on the dice chain. Worse, wound continues bleeding for 1 damage each round until staunched (requires 1 minute) or magical healing is applied.

29 (9)                     Psionic. Enlarged head and brain. Can make a psychic attack for 1d8 damage within 120’. Will save (DC 1d20 + sahuagin’s HD) for half. If this is rolled more than once, increase damage by +1d on the dice chain.

30 (10)                  Multiple mutations. Roll 1d3. Ignore future instances of multiple mutations. Or don’t, and make a truly terrifying adversary.

Taken from this post.

Salamander: Init +6; Atk claw +5 melee (1d4) or bite +3 melee (1d8) or by weapon +5 melee (by weapon + 1d3 heat); AC 16; HD 6d8; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP heat (1d8 each round to all within 20’; Fort DC 12 for half), cold vulnerability (+1d12 damage per die), immunities (fire, non-magical weapons, sleep, and charm), death throes; SV Fort +3, Ref +12, Will +8; AL C.

Salamanders are fire spirits, which are often armed with red-hot metal weapons – usually spears, but this can vary by individual. They are so hot that even getting close to them is damaging, but this also makes them extremely vulnerable to cold.

A slain salamander simply winks out of existence unless bound to the Lands We Know. A bound salamander turns into a warm pool of glistening liquid – its essence, which can be used as a power component for fire-based spells. A bound salamander leaves 2d3 doses of this substance behind, each of which can be used to grant a +1d3 bonus to a fire-based spell when cast.

Modified from this post.

Satyr: Init +2; Atk by weapon +2 melee (by weapon) or kick +1 melee (1d3) or pan pipes; AC 13; HD 3d6; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP pan pipes; SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +2; AL C.

Faun: Init +3; Atk by weapon +0 melee (by weapon); AC 13; HD 1d8; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP stealth (+6), iron vulnerability; SV Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +1; AL N.

Satyrs are male creatures half-human and half-goat, which embody human passions of gluttony, lust, fear, and rage. Although they may use weapons, a satyr carrying pan pipes (a syrinx) can use this instrument to cast charm person, scare, or sleep with a +8 bonus to the spell check.

Satyrs are not automatically antagonistic, but they are prone to licentiousness, rudeness, and violence as the mood strikes them. 

Fauns are similar to satyrs, but smaller, less volatile, and more civil in both their attitudes and behavior. Fauns are very hard to spot in natural environs, having a +6 bonus to any attempts at stealth. They are vulnerable to iron weapons, taking double damage from any weapon made specifically of iron.

Both of these creatures featured in November 2022’s Faeries of the Twilight World, and both will be included in the upcoming Cyclopedia of Common Faeries.

Giant Scorpion: See the core rulebook, page 425. The Cyclopedia of Common Animals includes scorpions, scorpion swarms, and monstrous scorpions which are closer in size to those in the Monster Manual.

Sea Hag: Init +0; Atk dagger +1 melee (1d4) or death gaze; AC 13; HD 3d6; MV 30’ or swim 40’; SP death gaze (3/day, 1d6 damage plus DC 13 Will save or die), weakness (1d4 temporary Strength damage, DC 13 Will negates); Act 1d20; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +5; AL C.

These fey creatures are so hideous that, on seeing them, creatures must succeed in a DC 13 Will save or suffer 1d4 Strength damage for 1d4 turns. They can be found in dismal and unlovely shallow seas and shores, where they seek to slay mortal creatures and consume them. The weakness they cause aid in drowning victims, and three times each day they can gaze upon a creature within 30’, causing 1d6 damage and requiring a DC 13 Will save to prevent the victim from simply dying.

Let’s Convert the Monster Manual: Finishing the “R”s: Remorhaz, Rhinoceros, Roc, Roper, Rot Grub, and Rust Monster

So here we go with a few more monsters. “S” and “T” are fairly lengthy in the Monster Manual, but we are getting near the end of the book. When I first had access to the Dungeon Master’s Guide but not the Monster Manual (way back in my freshman year of high school), we thought that the “roper” listed in the appendixes was probably an equine creature that “roped” adventurers with some form of lariat. I never really did anything with that idea, but I have included it here for your enjoyment. Who knows? It may be useful in Weird Frontiers!

A DCC version of rot grubs appears in Sailors on the Starless Sea, but I do not assume everyone owns that adventure, although they should. I have therefore included a version which can easily be used as a hazard without treating non-giant insect larvae like a combat encounter.

Probably the best use of a roc in AD&D was in Eye of the Serpent, where the roc was used in the set-up. A hatchling remorhaz also appears in that adventure. Apart from that and The Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, I can’t remember using either a roc or a remorhaz in my 1e days. Ropers and rust monsters, or course, I have used. I am not certain if I ever used a rhinoceros then either, although I may have.

Remorhaz: Init +0; Atk bite +6 melee (3d8); AC 20; HD 9d12+18; MV 30’ or burrow 30’; Act 1d20; SP infravision 100’, surprise prey, swallow whole (attack roll 6 over target AC, DC 22 reflex avoids), internal heat (destroy non-magical weapons [DC 15 Ref negates] or 2d6 damage from natural attack); SV Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +5; AL N.

These many-legged creatures live in polar and other cold regions, where they hunt prey by using their extraordinary internal heat to melt snow and ice, burrowing beneath it to surprise prey 25% of the time. When it fails to surprise prey, it is usually because its internal heat is so great that whatever it is hunting becomes aware of a noticeable rise in temperature.

The creature’s bite attack is horrific, and its attack roll is 6 or more higher than the target AC, it swallows its prey whole (DC 22 Reflex negates), where its internal body temperature instantly kills almost any living creature, and does 6d6 damage per round to creatures with resistance to heat. Creatures completely immune to heat and fire take only 1d6 damage per round.

Mundane weapons striking a remorhaz are destroyed unless the wielder succeeds in a DC 15 Reflex save with each attack. A creature using natural weapons to make melee attacks against a remorhaz takes 2d6 damage itself from the intense heat with each successful attack.

These creatures are 1d20+20 feet long.

Rhinoceros: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals. Not only do you get both rhinoceroses and wooly rhinoceroses, but you get white, black, and Indian varieties.

Small Roc: Init +3; Atk beak +6 melee (2d8) or claws +8 melee (2d6 plus snatch); AC 14; HD 7d6; MV 10’ or fly 120’; Act 1d20; SP snatch (DC 20 Reflex negates); SV Fort +6; Ref +4; Will +4; AL N.

Medium Roc: Init +0; Atk beak +8 melee (3d8) or claws +10 melee (3d6 plus snatch); AC 14; HD 10d6; MV 20’ or fly 150’; Act 1d20; SP snatch; SV Fort +8; Ref +2; Will +6; AL N.

Large Roc: Init -3; Atk beak +12 melee (4d8) or claws +14 melee (4d6 plus snatch); AC 16; HD 18d6; MV 30’ or fly 200’; Act 1d20; SP snatch; SV Fort +14; Ref +0; Will +8; AL N.

Rocs are gigantic, eagle-like birds, the largest of which is big enough to carry a full-grown elephant away in its talons. When they attack with their talons, they can snatch foes and carry them aloft – usually to some place where they can feed at their leisure, or to a nest where hungry chicks await. Once talons have gripped flesh, victims can only resist being snatched away by small rocs (DC 20 Reflex save negates); for larger specimens, this is unavoidable.

The wingspan of a small roc is 1d20+20 feet. The wingspan of a medium roc is 1d24+24 feet. The wingspan of a large roc is 1d30+30 feet.

Roper: Init +2; Atk tentacle +8 melee (2d6) or bite +10 melee (3d10); AC 20; HD 5d10+10; MV 10’; Act 6d20; SP infravision 120', reach, surprise, constrict, draw; SV Fort +10,Ref +3, Will +14; AL C.

These creatures can reach up to 50' away with their tentacles, surprising foes fully 50% of the time due to their stalagmite-like appearance (before they move). A creature so struck is held by the creature, who can use an Action Die to automatically cause constriction damage (2d6) or draw the victim 1d3 x 10' closer (opposed Strength check vs.+4 negates). The creature can only bite victims drawn adjacent to it.

10% of ropers have a special ability. Roll 1d7:

1. Stony Carapace: +4 bonus to AC.

2. Spellcasting: The roper has the spell abilities equal to a level 1d3 wizard.

3. Extendable Mouth: The roper can bite victims up to 10' away. If this is rolled again, the range is extended by +5'.

4. Better Camouflage: The roper has a +10% chance to surprise.

5. Stronger: The roper gains a +1d5 bonus to opposed Strength checks. Each of its attacks has its damage increased by the same amount.

6. Increased Hit Dice: The roper gains +1d3 Hit Dice. For every full 3 HD, it gains a +1 bonus to all attack rolls, a +1 bonus to Fort saves, a +2 bonus to Will saves, and a -2 penalty to Ref saves.

7. Roll twice and keep both results. This result can occur any number of times.

From this post.

Equine Roper: Init +4; Atk bite +1 melee (1d6) or lariat +5 ranged (capture); AC 16; HD 6d8; MV 60’; SP capture (DC 20 Strength escapes), drag (2d6, DC 15 Fort for half), draw (10’, opposed Strength vs. +6 negates); Act 1d20; SV Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +2; AL N.

Rare creatures of the plains, equine ropers look like large scaled horses with lariat-like appendages growing from their nasal cavities. These organic nooses are strong and elastic, and can be used to capture prey up to 60 feet away. A trapped creature can use an action to escape with a DC 20 Strength check. Otherwise, the equine roper can run with its victim, dragging them for 2d6 damage (DC 15 Fort for half) or attempt to drag it 10 feet closer (opposed Strength vs. +6 resists). Equine ropers have 1d3+1 nasal lariats, any of which could potentially be severed by a blow doing 10+ damage with a sharp instrument.

Equine ropers subdue their prey by dragging them, then drag them closer to consume.

Rot Grub: Init -2; 1 Stamina damage per grub per round, cut out for 1d3 damage per grub in the first round, treat as disease thereafter.

Rot grubs are the larval forms of a subterranean beetle which develop in rotting matter, bodies, offal, and similar decaying material. When rot grubs are present, anyone searching through waste material containing them must succeed in a Luck check or be infested by 1d3 grubs. Wading through, or being submerged in, this sort of foulness requires a Luck check on 1d30 to avoid infestation by 1d6 rot grubs.

Each round of infestation, the victim takes 1 Stamina damage per grub. During the first round, the grubs can be cut out, doing 1d3 damage per grub to the victim. Thereafter, the grubs can only be treated as a disease. If the victim reaches 0 Stamina, they die.

Rust Monster: Init +0; Atk antennae +4 melee (rusting) or bite +1 melee (1d3); AC 18; HD 3d6; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP rusting, smell metal ferrous 500’; SV Fort +6; Ref +0; Will +0; AL N.

These weird creatures have antennae which can turn ferrous metals (such as iron and steel) into rust. If an attack misses due to the AC bonus of a creature wearing metal armor, it is considered to be a hit against that armor. They can target metal weapons and gear with standard attack rolls, and ferrous metal weapons that hit them are also subject to rusting.

Armor takes a permanent -1d6 penalty to its AC bonus, collapsing into rusty fragments when it reaches +0. Weapons have their damage reduced by 1d3d on the dice chain, likewise falling completely into rust when they go below 1d3 damage. Magical items resist this rusting to some degree; armor is reduced by 1 point less for each “plus” it has, and magic weapon are reduced by 1d less per “plus”. Other magic items must be adjudicated by the judge.

Rust monsters can bite, but this is purely defensive. They survive by consuming oxidized ferrous metals.

Revisit the Original

In December of 2012, with the artistic renderings of Bygrinstow and the hand-drawn maps of your truly, the first (unofficial) holiday adventure for DCC became available. In 2013, it was republished with a follow-up adventure by Purple Duck Games on December 16th. A week later, Michael Curtis' masterpiece, The Old Gods Return, hit DriveThruRPG as the first of many Goodman Games DCC holiday modules.

The link for the original version of The Thing in the Chimney is long dead, but this holiday season, why not revisit the original? This link to the original version of the adventure will be active through the month of December. If you find you like it, why not throw Purple Duck a few pennies for the sequel? 

In fact, the sequel was designed to allow judges to create a campaign out of yuletide occurrences, with the Cinder Claws being a patron who sends PCs on quests to rectify events which would otherwise disrupt the Christmas season.

At the waning of every year, as the sun grows closer to the horizon, and spends less time in the sky, there comes a time of terrible cold and deep snow to the lands of the north.   The world waits with hushed breath for this, the longest night of the year, to be over.  Soon, the sun will begin to climb higher each day, and the days grow longer.  Although long stretches of cold weather are yet to come, this is the night in which winter’s back is broken.  After tonight, the world turns slowly back to warmth and light. 

But that is after tonight.

Good gaming and Happy Holidays! 

Let’s Convert the Monster Manual: Quasit, Rakshasa, Giant Ram, Giant Rat, and Ray

When writing the Cyclopedia of Common Animals, I tried to be thorough, but some critters that belonged therein just got away. I was actually quite disappointed with myself when I sat down to write this post, because I had to include two animals that were not in that work. Giant rams are not real, of course, but I am surprised that I failed to include them.

When it got to the rays, though, I really thought I had failed. When I was doing research for the Cyclopedia, how could I have failed to include pungi rays? So, of course, I set about to learn what I could, and make the most accurate – and gameable! – version of this animal possible. What I learned, and what most of you probably already know, is that pungi rays don’t really exist. Still, if they did exist, I hope they would be something like what I included below.

Quasit: The servitor on page 425 of the core rulebook is an excellent replacement for this creature.

Rakshasa: Init +2; Atk claw +3 melee (1d4+6) or bite +1 melee (1d6+6) or by weapon +5 melee (by weapon +6) or spell; AC 14; HD 5d8+5; MV 30’; Act 2d20; SP shapechanging, half damage from non-magical weapons, spellcasting (+6 spell check), spells: (1st) cantrip, comprehend languages, enlarge, (2nd) detect invisible, invisibility, and phantasm; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +4; AL C.

The living embodiments of lusts and hunger, Rakshasas are thought to be kin to demons living in the wild places of the mortal world, and many of them are man-eaters. In their natural form, rakshasas appear to be large humanoids, towering over humans at 8 feet in height, and immensely strong. They have clawed hands and animal-like heads (most often, but not exclusively those of monkeys or tigers) of terrible aspect. A rakshasa can change its shape, though, to appear as a less imposing version of itself, a human, or an animal, using an action die. Rakshasas can use this ability to mimic specific individuals, but when wearing another shape, a rakshasa has a 10% chance of making some error in its duplication…most often, it switches the right hand for the left, or has the hands attach backwards on the wrists, so that the rakshasa’s palms face outward when its arms are at rest.

Although they are terrible foes of humanity for the most part, some few rakshasas (20%), while still chaotic, side with the benevolent deities and their servants. These rakshasas may live hidden among human dwellings, and may even be vegetarians.

Readers are also directed to this post for an example of converting rakshasas in an adventure to a different kind of creature. Judges should never be afraid of altering monsters when doing conversions.

Giant Ram: Init +4; Atk butt +3 melee (1d8 rams or 1d6 ewes) or kick +1 melee (1d4); AC 12; HD 4d6; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP ram charge (x2 damage plus crit 19-20), enhanced senses +8, sure-footed; SV Fort +3; Ref +7; Will +0; AL N.

This entry is based off the bighorn sheep in the Cyclopedia of Common Animals, and like  that creature it gains a +8 bonus to any opposed checks to sneak up on it, and treats any attempts at stealth (such as by a  halfling or thief) as if the roll result were 8 points lower. They gain a +2d bonus when resisting any attempts to knock them down or make them lose their footing.

Giant Rat: See the Core Rulebook, page 424.

Manta Ray: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals.

Pungi Ray: Init +2; Atk spine +4 melee (1 plus venom); AC 12; HD 2d6; MV swim 40’; Act special; SP venom (1d4 Stamina plus Fort DC 16 or 2d6 hp), camouflage +10; SV Fort +4; Ref +2; Will +0; AL N.

This tropical fish buries itself below the sand in tropical estuaries and brackish water. Relatively flat for their size, even for rays, pungi rays weigh 4d10 pounds with a main body and “wings” about 6 feet across. Venomous spines grow from their spines, so that anything accidently stepping on one suffers 1d3 attacks (using 1d16), and a creature falling across one suffers 2d3 attacks. These are passive attacks only; the pungi ray itself tries only to swim away and hide once more.

Pungi rays are sometimes sought by thieves and assassins due to their potent venom. A thief can extract 1d3 doses with a successful Handle Poison check from a dead pungi ray, and can make 2d3 attempts before the creature’s venom sacs are dry.

Compare with the dragonfish.

Stingray: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals.

Deal of the Day

Deities & Powers of the Middle World: Preview Edition is today's Deal of the Day at DriveThruRPG!

If you've been following this blog, you know the spiel. Still, $4 for 61 pages of content is as low as this is ever going to get.

I have been running games since late 1979, and over the course of many years I have used various gods, either of my own creation or with my own spin. Moving into the realm of Dungeon Crawl Classics, the path of least resistance was to simply use the gods in the core rulebook.

But those old gods refused to go away. They showed up in The Falcate Idol, The Crimson Void, The Invisible Man Has Risen from the Grave, and others. I am 59 as I write this, and I have begun the task of pulling over four decades of role- playing game materials into a cohesive whole. The goal is to present a world others may wish to run games in. To create something which will, I hope, live on long after I am gone.

So, I have been working on these gods, both because Player Characters need them in order to define their relationship to the divine, and also because these beings tend to anchor towns, villages, and whole societies.

Deities & Powers of the Middle World: Preview Edition is both part of my world-building for the Middle World campaign setting, and an answer to my need for real information related to the gods. This work is far from completed, but I hope to have the final version out by late 2026, with new spells, patrons, rules for Luck, etc. The Preview Edition contains the opening article, a list of deities which will eventually populate the work, and a few mostly-developed gods (new spells and god-as-patron write-ups are not included).

The gods included herein are Aedor (Lord of the Forge), Amaethon (the Master of Grain), Death (the Silent Reaper), Fortuna (the Coin-Tosser), Hermes (Thief of the Gods), and Zal-Rah (the Ape-God). Because the cleric class as it existed did not fit Fortuna, I devised a new class for Her devotees. Right now, the project consists of 49 gods, some of which are also patrons for wizards and elves. I have been using these gods in my open-table online Shanthopal game, and they have been very well received so far. Unique spells and patron write-ups are not included. A list of gods for the full release (when available) is included, with alignment and portfolios. 

When I wrote The Crimson Void for Purple Duck Games, I created an expanded format for gods which was, unfortunately, not used in the DCC Annual. In Deities & Powers of the Middle World, I am combining and expanding upon these two formats. Some gods grant spellburn even to non-client wizards, and I have included tables for those. More importantly, each deity has a “When Offended” table so that the judge can quickly and easily determine what response follows a theft at some temple, killing a monster sacred to some power, or forcefully thwarting a god’s plans.

This work is far from finished. You will see references to patron write-ups which do not yet exist, for instance, as well as unique spells. I hope it gives you some useful material though, and whets your appetite for things to come. I am hoping to have a completed book by late 2026. As you can see, the scope of the work is massive.

The full release will also include four druidic branches, one of which is mentioned in my write-up for Death. These first appeared in my games in the early 90s. Because these gods have lived in my psyche and my games for so long – in some cases since the 80s – some of them have appeared in my previous published adventures. Hopefully, that will give people some fun connections to play with.

So, at the end of the day, the Preview Version is intended to drum up interest in a final version. It is also intended to help me see that interest, because this is a monumental project and your interest (or lack thereof) helps me decide how much time and energy I should devote to it.

Let’s Convert the Monster Manual: All the “P”s: Pegasus, Peryton, Piercer, Giant Pike, Pixie, Giant Porcupine, Portuguese Man-O-War, Pseudo-Dragon, and Purple Worm

Then I got to the “P”s, which could have been maybe two posts, and I thought “Why not do them all?” Three of the entries are included in the Cyclopedia of Common Animals, and frankly these entries are just plain fun. Pseudo-dragons are technically covered in the “dragon” entry on pages 406-410 of the core rulebook, but I thought you might like something a little closer to the Monster Manual, and there is no reason not to use both. The dragon generator at Purple Sorcerer Games was a big help here.

Pegasus: Init +1; Atk hoof +3 melee (1d5+2); AC 14; HD 5d8; MV 60’ or fly 180’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +6; AL N.

These divinely-favored winged horses are difficult to capture, but may be fiercely loyal once they have accepted a rider.

Peryton: Init +0; Atk antlers +4 melee (1d6) or hoof +4 melee (1d4+1) or claws +2 melee (1d4 and snatch) or bite +0 melee (1d6); AC 14; HD 5d8; MV 40’ or fly 50’; Act 1d20; SP snatch, consume hearts and souls, half damage from non-magical weapons, death throes; SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +3; AL C.

These magical creatures have the forequarters of giant stags, and the wings and hind talons of gigantic eagles. Their teeth are sharp fangs capable of rending flesh and bone, and for the greater part of their lives they cast human-appearing shadows. A peryton is large enough to bear a human-sized figure aloft on its back or should it snatch it from the ground with its hind talons.

Perytons hunt humans by preference, and prefer to snatch them, carrying them to some lonely location far from help. When they have reduced a human to 0 hp, perytons spend the next 1d6 rounds chewing through flesh and bone to consume their victim’s heart. For the 2d6+6 days following a human kill, a peryton casts its own shadow as it digests the heart and soul of its victim. It then lays a single egg for each human heart consumed; these hatch into new perytons 3d10 days later.

Because only human hearts and souls can fuel their reproduction, perytons will sometimes serve evil masters capable of providing them with plentiful victims. When a peryton is slain, its human shadow flees, becoming a monstrous shadow (as shadow, core rulebook pages 425-426) upon the next new moon. The lairs of such masters, as well as other places where these creatures congregate, thereby become the haunt of shadows over time.

For another version of the peryton, see this post.

Piercer (Small): Init -4; Atk pierce +1 melee (1d4); AC 18; HD 1d6; MV 5’ or climb 5’; Act 1d20; SP camouflage +15, immunity to falling damage; SV Fort +4, Ref -8, Will -2; AL N.

Piercer (Medium): Init -2; Atk pierce +3 melee (1d4); AC 18; HD 2d6; MV 5’ or climb 5’; Act 1d20; SP camouflage +13, immunity to falling damage; SV Fort +6, Ref -8, Will -2; AL N.

Piercer (Small): Init +0; Atk pierce +4 melee (1d6); AC 20; HD 4d6; MV 5’ or climb 5’; Act 1d20; SP camouflage +10, immunity to falling damage; SV Fort +8, Ref -8, Will -2; AL N.

Crustaceans with stony shells which appear like stalactites of various lengths, piercers dwell on cavern roofs among real cave formations. Because their shells are nearly indistinguishable from stone, they are difficult to spot. Small piercers draw they eye less, and are even harder to note.

Piercers sense vibrations, dropping on prey from above, hoping to pierce it with their shells so that they may feast on it thereafter. These creatures have no effective attacks beyond this, being forced to rely on their shells for protection as they make their slow way ceiling-ward once more.

Giant Pike: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals.

Pixie: Init +4; Atk tiny club +2 melee (1d4-2) or tiny bow +4 ranged (1d3 plus sleep or elfshot); AC 16; HD 1d3; MV 10’ or fly 40’; Act 1d20; SP sleep (2d4 hours, Will DC 15 negates), elfshot, invisible at will, illusions; SV Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +4; AL C.

These fey are about half the height of a halfling, and are often dressed in rags or have no clothing at all. They are dwell near dolmens, standing stones, stone circles, and similar ancient places. They can turn invisible at will, and can make visual illusions (Will DC 16 to negate when interacted with) that are often used to bewilder local folk or make them lost. It is a joy for pixies to force drunkards to sleep in ditches, or steal away neglected children, although they are equally likely to reward the good-hearted they meet (or even simply observe). They love finery and usually react well to gifts of clothing, ribbons, and the like.

Pixies can fit two types of ammunition to their bows. The first causes those struck to succeed in a DC 15 Will save or fall into a magical slumber for 2d4 hours. The more dangerous missiles are elfshot, where the flint arrowheads remain in the wound and work their way inward. Every day, the victim must succeed in a DC 10 Fort save for each elfshot or take an additional 1d3 damage as it does further damage. Succeeding in three saves in a row stops the movement and the damage. Elfshot may otherwise be removed as a minor curse.

Giant Porcupine: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals.

Portuguese Man-o-War: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals (as Man o’ War).

Pseudo-Dragon: Init +4; Atk bite +2 melee (1d6) or tail sting +7 melee (1d4 plus venom); AC 18; HD 2d12; MV 20’ or fly 40’; Act 1d20; SP venom (DC 15 Fort or catalepsy 1d6 days plus DC 5 Fort or die), camouflage +10, telepathy 60’; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +2; AL N.

These rare relatives of dragons can sting with a scorpion-like tail, and those who fail a DC 15 Fort save fall into a cataleptic state which can be mistaken for death (DC 5 Intelligence check; healers and the like are trained). At the end of the catalepsy, another save must be made or the victim dies.

These creatures have the ability to blend into their surroundings. They are telepathic, and able to transmit feelings or sensory impressions, but cannot “speak” in words.

Purple Worm: Init +0; Atk bite +4 melee (2d12 plus swallow whole) or tail sting +2 melee (2d4 plus venom); AC 14; HD 15d8+30; MV 20’ or burrow 20’; Act 1d24; SP sense vibrations 120’, swallow whole (2d12 per round, DC 7 Reflex negates), venomous sting (1d3 Stamina damage plus DC 12 Fort or 3d6 damage), crit 20-24; SV Fort +22, Ref -8, Will +0; AL N.

Hatchling Purple Worm: Init +2; Atk bite +0 melee (1d3); AC 16; HD 1d3+3; MV 10’ or burrow 10’; Act 1d16; SP sense vibrations 120’; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0; AL N.

Juvenile Purple Worm: Init +1; Atk bite +4 melee (2d6) or tail sting +2 melee (2d3 plus venom); AC 13; HD 6d8+12; MV 20’ or burrow 20’; Act 1d20; SP sense vibrations 120’, venomous sting (1d3 Stamina damage plus DC 12 Fort or 3d6 damage); SV Fort +12, Ref -4, Will +0; AL N.

These enormous predators resemble gigantic violet earthworms, but they are 1d3+3 x 10 feet long, with a cavernous maw at one end filled with sharp downward-pointing teeth and a poisonous sting at the other. They dwell deep underground, tunneling through the earth creating tunnels 1d4+5 feet in diameter. How purple worms normally sustain themselves is unknown, but they take any opportunity to add fresh meat to their diets.

These beings are blind, but can sense vibrations within 120 feet. A purple worm normally attacks with a bite, swallowing whole any opponent who fails a DC 7 Reflex save on a successful hit. Swallowed creatures are unable to act, taking 2d12 damage each round and being completely digested 1d12+6 turns after being swallowed (thus making recovering the body impossible).

A purple worm’s tail is equipped with a venomous sting, and it may make a free attack each round if approached from this direction. A thief may recover 1d6 doses of this venom with a successful Handle Poison check from a dead purple worm, and may make 1d3+2 checks before further attempts are useless.

Purple worms hatch from leathery eggs, at an average length of 1d3+3 feet long. A juvenile worm, 1d12+15 feet long, is too small to swallow living opponents whole, but its sting is developed enough to inject full-strength venom. Because slain juveniles allow 1d4 doses of venom each to be recovered with 1d3 Handle Poison checks, they are sometimes sought by adventurers and would-be assassins.

From this post.

What I’m Up To

During the pandemic, I discovered two things which would profoundly affect my life going forward. The first was that I had inherited a genetic degenerative ataxia affecting speech and motor control. The second, happier, discovery was that a player in a game I ran during the late 80s to early 90s in California was still being run. One of my players had taken over as DM, and he was still running the same world to the best of his notes and memory.

The first discovery means that I have limited time to contribute meaningfully to the community, but the second affirmed that others had found meaning in the material I had created. I had previously published adventures, of course, and I have received some awesome feedback on those over the years. Writing is a lonely business, though, and there is never really enough feedback to keep imposter syndrome at bay!

(I am not really better than anyone else at providing feedback, and our community has some tremendously talented and honestly lovely people who I still haven’t written – or written enough – about!)

Anyway, I have finally decided that I don’t have enough time to make other people’s visions come to life. I really only have enough time and energy to focus on the projects I want to see come to fruition. That doesn’t mean I will never contribute to others’ projects again, but it will no longer be a focus of my work. I decided that I need to become my own publisher if I want to make the material I want to exist. Hence Crowking Press. I cannot write quickly anymore….things I could do over a weekend now take months….but I think what I am writing is worth the time spent.

Fasten your seat belts. The sales pitches are coming.

The Cyclopedia of Common Animals is something I’ve wanted forever. Game stats for animals are always useful, and this book comes with tools to help them become more useful. It starts with a long(ish) article on using animals in rpgs, and includes information on climate, habitat, and the relatively rarity of animals within these. Generating encounter tables is discussed, and I included a revised faerie animal class with a plethora of options…including faerie dinosaurs!

I also included rules for diseases like malaria, rabies, and sleeping sickness, rules for homing pigeons, and expansions on the core rules for donkeys, mules, warhorses, and the like.

But nothing explains like examples, so here are four examples taken at random:

Giant Banana Spider: Init +3; Atk +2 melee (1d4 plus venom); AC 14; HD 1d8; MV 30’ or climb 30’; Act 1d20; SP venom (Fort DC 17, 1d4+2 Strength and 1d4+2 Stamina damage on a success, 2d4+2 Strength and 3d5+2 Stamina on a failure plus save again or permanent impotence), camouflage +6; SV Fort +2; Ref +4; Will +2; AL N.

Getting bitten by the normal version of this highly venomous tropical spider isn’t due to an attack roll; it is due to being unlucky. These spiders hide during the day in dark places such as termite mounds, beneath logs, or in bunches of bananas. At night, they roam the jungle floor in search of prey. A potential victim coming into contact with a banana spider with exposed skin may attempt a Luck check to avoid being bitten. Within their range, the judge may include banana spiders as a potential encounter, and may include these spiders as a potential consequence of searching a location one is hidden in.

Giant banana spiders are halfling-sized nocturnal predators. Their camouflage ability typically comes into play while hiding during daylight hours. A thief may extract 1d4 doses of venom from a giant banana spider with a successful Handle Poison check.

Other names: wandering spider.

Cassowary: Init +0; Atk claw +0 melee (1d4) or peck +1 melee (1); AC 10; HD 1d6; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +1; Ref +1; Will -2; AL N.

This flightless bird is usually 5 feet + 1d12 inches tall, with a maximum height of 6 feet 3 inches. Males weight 1d12+63 pounds, and females weight an average of 2d30+100 pounds, with a maximum recorded weight of 187 pounds. Although their normal diet consists of fruit, fungi, insects, and small animals, they can be aggressive, leaping to kick with dagger-like inner claws.

Stonefish: Init +0; Atk spine +0 melee (venom); AC 10; HD 1 hp; MV swim 20’; Act 1d16; SP venom (see below), camouflage +8; SV Fort +0; Ref +0; Will -4; AL N.

These fish are found in warm tropical seas, or more rarely rivers, and often in coral reef areas. They average 11 inches, but can grow up to 16 inches. Like the closely related scorpion fish, they are not aggressive, but unlucky adventurers who step on or touch them may be subject to a defensive attack before the creature attempts to retreat. Because stonefish can survive out of the water for a full 24 hours, even touching an unmoving stonefish on the beach may result in a sting.

Stonefish venom is especially deadly, requiring a DC 12 Fort save. Even if the save succeeds, the victim takes 1d4 Strength damage and is incapacitated by pain for 2d5 turns. If the save fails, the victim takes 1d3 permanent Strength damage and must make a second DC 12 Fort save. If the second save fails, the victim is paralyzed for 1d7 days and must succeed in a third DC 12 Fort save or die in 1d3 hours. Ingestion of the venom has the same effect, but the Fort save DC is increased to 16. Nonetheless, stonefish is considered a delicacy, and if properly prepared, it is not poisonous. Heating the venom can also destroy its potency (determine with a Luck check).

A thief can extract 2d3 doses of stonefish venom from a dead stonefish with a successful Handle Poison check.

Quokka: Init +2; Atk bite +0 melee (disease); AC 8; HD 1-2 hp; MV 30’ or climb 10’; Act 1d14; SP disease; SV Fort +1; Ref +2; Will +1; AL N.

This cat-sized marsupial weighs 1d6+5 pounds. Related to wallabies, they have pleasant-seeming faces which appear to be smiling and large front teeth. They also seem to have little fear of humans, although that is probably due to lack of familiarity more than anything else. They can bite if touched and the person disturbing them fails a Luck check, and they may carry diseases, as determined by the judge. The bitten target is allowed a second Luck check to avoid possible exposure.

And, because dinosaurs are always useful, here is an example from the appendix detailing them (along with several other prehistoric creatures):

Pachycephalosaurus: Init +0; Atk head butt +2 melee (2d6) or bite +1 melee (1d4); AC 15; HD 3d8; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP Charge (head butt +4 to hit and +2d6 damage), trample for 1d6 per creature; SV Fort +6, Ref +2, Will -4; AL N.

At 1d6+12 feet long, these dinosaurs have thick, reinforced skulls which allow them to use their heads as rams, both to establish herd dominance and as a method of defense. Typical herds consist of 4d6 members.

I am currently working on a companion volume, the Cyclopedia of Common Faeries, which I hope to have completed next year. A third volume in the series, the Cyclopedia of Common Monsters of the Middle World is intended for late 2026 or 2027.

Best yet, any published material approved by Goodman Games can use up to 10 complete write-ups from the Cyclopedia of Common Animals with proper attribution. I also released the revised text of the Golden Lion rule into the public domain. I intend to include similarly generous terms in the other two volumes.

The Cyclopedia Domestica is a digest-sized companion volume to the Cyclopedia of Common Animals, which includes those animals likely to appear in DCC funnels or owned and utilized by characters in later play. If you need to know the AC of a goose, or the hit points of a goat, this book is a handy reference. Everything herein is reproduced in the larger Cyclopedia of Common Animals, but if you travel to conventions or your friend’s house to play, the Domestica is smaller and lighter.

Another way to imagine it is that the Cyclopedia of Common Animals is designed for world-building and adventure creation, and is therefore primarily judge-facing. Assuming it is allowed in play, the Cyclopedia Domestica contains a sub-set of stats and rules used primarily in actual game play, and is primarily player-facing.

I believe that both fill a real niche, even though the contents of the smaller work is also contained in the larger.

Deities & Powers of the Middle World: Preview Edition is both part of my world-building for the Middle World campaign setting, and an answer to my need for real information related to the gods. This work is far from completed, but I hope to have the final version out by late 2026, with new spells, patrons, rules for Luck, etc. The Preview Edition contains the opening article, a list of deities which will eventually populate the work, and a few mostly-developed gods (new spells and god-as-patron write-ups are not included).

The gods included herein are Aedor (Lord of the Forge), Amaethon (the Master of Grain), Death (the Silent Reaper), Fortuna (the Coin-Tosser), Hermes (Thief of the Gods), and Zal-Rah (the Ape-God). Because the cleric class as it existed did not fit Fortuna, I devised a new class for Her devotees. Right now, the project consists of 49 gods, some of which are also patrons for wizards and elves. I have been using these gods in my open-table online Shanthopal game, and they have been very well received so far.

When I wrote The Crimson Void for Purple Duck Games, I created an expanded format for gods which was, unfortunately, not used in the DCC Annual. In Deities & Powers of the Middle World, I am combining and expanding upon these two formats. Some gods grant spellburn even to non-client wizards, and I have included tables for those. More importantly, each deity has a “When Offended” table so that the judge can quickly and easily determine what response follows a theft at some temple, killing a monster sacred to some power, or forcefully thwarting a god’s plans.

The final version will also contain a druid class and four branches of druidism, which first appeared in my games in the early 90s. Because these gods have lived in my psyche and my games for so long – in some cases since the 80s – some of them have appeared in my previous published adventures. Hopefully, that will give people some fun connections to play with.

Finally, D120 Treasures is a system-agnostic collection of 120 treasures, mostly non-magical, which you can throw directly into your game. Or published adventure, as all of the treasures are Open Gaming Content. The pdf is only $2.00, so I think that is a good value for a small investment…even if the pdf is not pretty!

As a side note, if it interests you, many of these items are based on actual items which were on display when I visited the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. I am currently also working on a follow-up containing just magic items, although many of them are minor. Like the first volume, I intend this one to be system-neutral and open for others to use. I am not sure yet what that will look like, but it will probably look the same as in D120 Treasures.

I sincerely hope that I can open up my game world to your tables.

I have even started a book on how I GM, because both blog posts and Dispatches articles on the topic have proven popular. I have no idea how long that will take me. Some days are better than others.

I started off this blog post mentioning ataxia, and I will end on the same note. I am not morose about this, but things take much longer to accomplish than they used to. I am no longer able to do non-hobby work. If I was able to keep the same schedule I could 10 years ago, most of this stuff I’ve mentioned would be out by Christmas, and all of it by the next Gary Con in March. If you do end up picking any of these things up, your feedback is important to me. It helps me keep writing!