Grellican

This comes to you thanks to Reddit user timplausible from their comment on this post.

Grellican: Init +3; Atk Tentacle +2 melee (1d2 plus grab and stuff) or beak +0 melee (1d4 plus swallow); AC 12; HD 2d8; MV fly 40’; Act 5d20; SP grab and stuff, swallow, bill pouch, death throes; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +3; AL C.

Swarming around piers of sardonyx and quays of porphyry in the Dreamlands, these creatures sometimes pass into the waking world at twilight when the borders are thin. What they consume in the Dreamlands is a mystery, but once within the waking world their appetites cannot be appeased.

A grellican is a creature similar to a grell or a grell-ba-tross, and is found along seacoasts during twilight hours and early morning, when the borders between Dream and Reality are thin. A grellican looks like a giant brown-white brain, some two feet in diameter, with birdlike wings, a pelican-like bill, and four long dangling tentacles.

Each tentacle can grab its target unless they succeed in an opposed Strength check (vs. +2), and the victim is automatically stuffed into the grellican’s bill pouch the next round unless it somehow escapes. Each tentacle has 2 hp; these do not count against the creature’s normal hit points, and a severed tentacle regenerates in 1d3 days. Blunt weapons cannot be used to sever tentacles. A victim can also use an action die to force another opposed Strength check, escaping if successful.

Likewise, if the grellican makes a successful bill attack against a target, the target much succeed in a DC 7 Reflex save or be swallowed and deposited into the grellican’s bill pouch. No matter how many creatures are stuffed into a grellican’s pouch, or how large they are, the pouch never appears larger than then of a pelican from outside.

A grellican’s bill can open to nightmarish dimensions, allowing the creature to force creatures as large as a cow into its bill pouch. The bill pouch itself is an extra-dimensional space which confines and slowly dissolves its victims at a rate of 1d3 hp per turn. A character within the bill pouch can attack it with a bladed weapon, with a -2d penalty to attack rolls and damage (AC 16), but the damage they do does not count against the grellican’s total hit points. Should they succeed in causing 8 hp damage in a single attack, a rent is created and everything in the grellican’s pouch is sucked into a dreamworld. If you backed the Painted Wastelands kickstarter and ordered the DCC Conversion Guide, this is an excellent chance to use it!

Otherwise, when a grellican is reduced to 0 hp, it begins to dissolve into dreamstuff and is fully gone in 1d6+1 rounds. One creature per round can be rescued from the grellican’s bill pouch per round while this is happening, should anyone think to do so. Those still within the bill pouch may be deposited into some distant Dreamland with a successful Luck check. The judge may allow some special quest to recover those who fail. Otherwise, they are forever lost.

Grell-Ba-Tross

 

Illustration by Noble Hardesty

Grell-Ba-Tross: Init +2; Atk Tentacle +2 melee (1d2 plus venom) or beak +0 melee (1d8) or screech; AC 14; HD 3d8; MV fly 30’; Act 7d20; SP Blindsense 120’, venom (1d3 temporary Agility damage, Fort DC 5 negates), screech (30’ radius, DC 8 Will or lose next action), tentacle vulnerability, afraid of cats; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3; AL C.

These smaller cousins of the grell lurk under wharves and in seaside sewers, scavenging fish guts and rats to sustain themselves unless some unlucky sailor, vagrant, or sewer-jack should encounter them. Ship’s cats and the strays which are found around the same places are singularly immune to the grell-ba-tross’s hunger; indeed, although the monster makes nocturnal forays along the docks and in the shallows, it is never seen in the presence of a cat. Some old sea dogs claim that the sudden appearance of a cat has saved them from a grisly fate. According to these ancient mariners, grell-ba-tross will even be so bold as to come aboard harbored ships on moonless nights, but flee from the sight of even a peg-legged cat, even though an easy meal was otherwise in their slimy grasp.  

The grell-ba-tross looks much like its cousin, the grell, but it is only three feet in diameter, with a large beak resembling that of an albatross, and only six tentacles long and strong enough to attack. Its tentacles exude a mild paralytic venom that causes 1d3 points of temporary Agility damage unless a DC 5 Fort save succeeds. This damage heals at the rate of 1 point per minute, starting 1 turn after it first affects a victim. Each tentacle has 3 hp; these do not count against the creature’s normal hit points, and a severed tentacle regenerates in 1d3 days. Blunt weapons cannot be used to sever tentacles.

A grell-ba-tross which forgoes a beak attack can also shriek – a powerful sonic and psionic attack which forces all creatures within a 30’ radius to make a DC 12 Fort save or lose their next action. Creatures with multiple action dice lose only their largest action die, and may still act using any additional action dice.

The venom sacs in a grell-ba-tross’s tentacles can yield 1d3 usable doses of venom with a successful Handle Poison check, and each of the six large tentacles (severed or not) can be milked of this numbing agent. This thin venom can be used as a contact poison, but if there is a way to further distill or strengthen it, it has yet to be discovered.

The true value in grell-ba-tross is in the meat of its tentacles, which is variable in flavor and can sometimes yield a high price from epicures and wealthy trenchermen. Untested grell-ba-tross tentacles can be sold for 1d6 sp each, but the potential value is higher if the seller samples a portion themselves. Even then, a buyer will wish to ascertain the flavor of a given tentacle before purchase.

1 in 20 grell-ba-tross have poisonous tentacles (1d6 damage plus DC 16 Fort or additional 2d8 damage and an additional DC 16 Fort or death). For non-poisonous tentacles, roll 1d6 and consult below:

1. You are what you eat, and this grell-ba-tross had a steady diet of garbage. Worthless.

2. Rather rubbery and gamey, but there is a lot of meat here. Worth 2d4 cp per tentacle.

3. What flavor is it? It’s bloody albatross flavored! Worth 3d10 cp per tentacle.

4. Tastes a bit like chicken. Worth 1d6 sp per tentacle.

5. Fine grainy texture and the taste of well-aged marinated beef. Worth 1d6 gp per tentacle.

6. Ambrosia steeped in nectar! These magnificent tentacles are worth 3d20 gp each!

Note that all of any specific grell-ba-tross’s tentacles have the same flavor. And, yes, grilling up poisonous grell-ba-tross tentacles to feed to regents, enemies, and overbearing supervisors has been known to occur!

 

Adventures that Matter

Cross-posted from reddit:

The only thing that makes adventure matter is presenting players with choices where the consequences matter, and where there is enough context that they have at least some idea of what those consequences may be. And I don't mean a choice where there is an obviously right answer.

To use Lord of the Rings, when the Company sets out from Rivendell, they don't know that they are making the right choice. Going around the mountains and passing through Gondor, trying the mountain pass, and going through Moria all have potential risks, and they do not know which is the right way. LotR, especially the novels, is full of points where the characters make choices, and do not know which is the right choice to make. They do, however, have some idea of the consequences of their options, and they do discuss them,

The first adventure I wrote for Goodman Games has the quest-giver as the villain. It is pretty clear that this is the case, and pretty clear that giving her what she wants will not end well. Less clear, but equally true, is that taking what she wants for one of the PCs (explicitly possible in the adventure) will cause problems in the long run. There is also a magic sword with a similar issue: you gain power, but have to deal with the drawbacks if you take it.

I have run this adventure many times, for many players, and every group has made different choices when dealing with the issues it presents. The adventure matters to them because their choices drive the narrative, for good or ill. The adventure matters to me because I get to be just as surprised as anyone else at the table because I am not the one driving the narrative.

And that's really the whole secret. Making player choices that matter makes an adventure that matters.

Launch Alert

I have been a huge fan of Tales From the Smoking Worm. Since the first issue the quality is mercilessly hard to beat. With Issue #10 coming soon, I wanted to take the chance to get the word out.

I've done a few reviews of past offerings, and I have found things to enjoy and to use at the game table in every issue thus far. I don't think that is going to change soon! These really are well-written, professional-grade zines, and I hope you will support them.

Ostrich Skeleton

Ostrich Skeleton: Init +2; Atk kick +1 melee (1d6+1); AC 12; HD 2d6; MV 50’; Act 1d20; SP un-dead, half damage from cutting and piercing weapons; SV Fort +3; Ref +3; Will -2; AL C.

For some reason, ostrich skeletons are attracted to picnickers and love to disrupt joyful outings of all types.

Bag of the Fates

In honor of this beautiful dice bag, made for me by my brother at Vault 0, here is a magic item: 

Bag of the Fates

This pouch is found with an assortment of small stones within, each associated with good or bad luck. Larger stones are typically indicative of greater variations in luck.

This object is represented by a dice bag with a random assortment of dice therein. The owning player may choose to select a single die and roll it when the judge requires any roll. The result is added to the die roll as if it were spent Luck, although thieves and halflings gain no special bonus and this bonus cannot be spent to help the rolls of an ally (as with halflings, fleeting luck, or similar).

Once the owning player has gained a positive modifier, the judge may require that they select another die at any time and roll it, subtracting the result from a selected roll. The judge may continue requiring that the player select a die until the penalty equals or surpasses the previous bonus. At this time, selection again becomes the player's choice, and the die becomes a bonus until the player has again received more bonuses than penalties (the bag confers a bonus whenever the bonuses and penalties are in balance).

Only one draw can be made per roll, whether as a bonus or penalty, and the Bag of the Fates disappears once the last die is drawn, regardless of where the ledger stands.

Note that the player drawing from the Bag of Fate need not draw dice randomly; they may attempt to "game fortune" if they choose by selected larger or smaller dice on specific rolls. It is recommended that the judge keep track of the current tally of bonuses to penalties.

Something similar to the lovely dice bag pictured here is available to order from Vault 0. The embroidered raven design can be purchased; the "Crowking" with the crown was created as a unique artifact!

The Rusted Wyrm

When I was in the US last month, I picked up some awesome metal business cards from The Rusted Wyrm. Mostly, they just looked too cool to pass up. The picture really doesn't do them justice.

The sculpture that they get their name from? I have plans to provide DCC statistics for that! 

(You can see the sculpture in action if you follow the link above!)

Full Disclosure: Rusted Wyrm is owned by my brother-in-law. A stand-up guy, and one I am happy to suppport!

DCC Day: When Snowmen Attack!

 

        Saturday July 20th

12 - 4

At the 

Sword & Board

All Materials Provided!

Let’s Convert the Hawkmoon Bestiary: Sea Dragon, Stenchrunner, Swampsnapper, War Jaguar, and Wraith-Folk of Soryandum

This is a bit of a longer post, but the goal is to finish off creature conversions from the Hawkmoon role-playing game. Again, I am finding creatures which the 1e Fiend Folio seems to pay homage to. The stenchrunner is very different in some ways to the witherstench, but I would think the latter was inspired by the former. Similarly, the swampsnapper may well have provided the inspiration for the bonesnapper.

As always, I am adjusting material to meet DCC’s design, and using the Hawkmoon bestiary, rather then the original source material, as the basis of statistics.

Sea Dragon

Sea Dragon: Init +0; Atk claw +10 melee (1d8) or bite +10 melee (1d12) or tail lash +10 melee (1d20) or wing buffet +10 melee (2d12); AC 23; HD 8d12; MV 60’ or fly 120’ or swim 120’; Act 4d20; SV Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +8; AL N.

Although not true dragons, sea dragons are fearsome foes which are formidable on land, in water, and in the air. They serve the Runestaff, but are themselves thoroughly evil, and sometimes attack coastal settlements. Luckily, they are also weaker than true dragons, and lack both breath weapon and spells.

Stenchrunner

Stenchrunner: Init +0; Atk bite +0 melee (1d6) or claw +2 melee (1d4); AC 12; HD 2d8; MV 30’ or climb 30’; Act 2d20; SP stench, stealth +4; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0; AL C.

Stenchrunners are nocturnal baboon-like creatures with toothed bird-like beaks and long cat-like claws. They inhabit ruined cities, where they stealthily stalk and ambush prey. Their oily fur gives off a nauseating reek, and any other creature within 10’ of a stenchrunner takes an automatic -2 penalty to attack rolls, AC, and spell checks as a result, unless they have no sense of smell. When stenchrunners attack, they emit a horrible hissing sound.

Swampsnapper

Swampsnapper: Init +4; Atk bite +2 melee (1d8) or claw +3 melee (1d4); AC 14; HD 4d8; MV 30’ or or swim 30’; Act 2d20; SP stealth +10, leap; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +0; AL C.

These fast-breeding marshland creatures have alligator-like snouts and squat, heavily bristled bodies. They can leap up to 10’ as part of a move, using their muscular legs for power and their long thick tails for balance. They vary greatly in color, but all can hide in marshy environments and move stealthily, often sneaking up and leaping upon prey. They lay heaps of eggs in mud nests, which hatch into young capable of hunting in 1d3 weeks.

Swampsnappers are evil-tempered, and once they have set their mind on eating a particular creature, nothing short of death can change it. Some magic, such as charm person and forget, may dull this instinct for a while, but never permanently. Luckily, swampsnappers are extremely stupid.

War Jaguar

War Jaguar: Init +4; Atk bite +7 melee (1d10+3) or claws +4 melee (1d5+3) or tail lash +3 melee (1d6); AC 16; HD 6d8; MV 40’ or climb 20’ or swim 30’; Act 3d20; SP rake, stealthy (+6 to surprise), tracking; SV Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +5; AL N.

War jaguars are enormous creatures with heads as large as those of oxen. Their backs are lined with a foot-high row of yellow spines, running down to their barb-tipped tails. Bred long ago in Asia Communista, they are incapable of breeding, but their natural lifespans are millennia long. Although magic may give limited control over these vicious animals, hungry war jaguars will sometimes attack their handlers and trainers when using more conventional methods.

 Wraith-Folk of Soryandum

Wraith-Folk: Init +4; Atk none; AC 10; HD 1d6; MV fly 30’ or swim 30’; Act 1d20; SP immaterial, carry, hide +10, ESP; SV Fort +0; Ref +4; Will +8; AL N.

Similar to the Great Good Ones, the Wraith-folk also gave up corporeal existence to survive the Tragic Millennium. They are immaterial, and therefore immune to most attacks, although some forms of magical energy may harm them at the judge’s discretion. They are able to carry creatures up to human-sized individually (or larger as a group) while flying or moving through water.  Because they exist in another dimension, they are difficult to see and can hide very easily. They have a limited form of ESP, by reading mental vibrations, which allows them to discern intentions and to tell friends from foes.

The Wraith-folk have no effective attacks, although they can give guidance and instruction to those they deem friends. Before they transferred to the other dimension, the Wraith-folk stored a great number of artifacts in a cavern outside Soryandum, guarded by the machine beast, which must be outwitted or otherwise dealt with before items can be removed. At the judge’s discretion, these artifacts may be technological in nature, magical, or some combination of the two.