Tarrasque, Redux

The Tarrasque; Init +20; Atk claw (x2) +21 melee (1d8); bite +21 melee (1d12); tail slap +21 melee (1d20); AC 30; HD 20d12; hp 141; MV 80' or swim 160'; Act 5d20; 1d20; SP see below; SV Fort +20, Ref +20, Will +20; Al C.

• The Tarrasque can use its claws to pick up and throw boulders. The attack requires one action die and is treated as missile fire with a +21 attack bonus with a range of 300’, doing 1d12 damage.

• Amphibious. The Tarrasque can breathe water and swim effortlessly.

• Scavengers. The Tarrasque is always accompanied by a retinue of scavangers (warriors, cultists, allies, and slaves); 5 followers of 4 HD each, armed with swords and chain mail (or equivalent weapons).

• Teleport (1/hour). The Tarrasque can transport itself plus up to three other creatures instantaneously. Target location must be a place the Tarrasque has seen before; including another plane. Distance covered: up to 1 mile.

• Regeneration: The Tarrasque regenerates 5 hp/round. Nothing can prevent this regeneration, and, without the intervention of deities or other powerful supernatural beings, even if reduced to 0 hp the Tarrasque cannot be killed.

• Spell Resistance: Spells directly affecting the Tarrasque have a 1 in 3 chance of simply failing when coming in contact with the creature. 

• Charm Reptiles (1/hour). All reptiles within 100’ become friendly to the Tarrasque (Will save DC 30 to resist).

Okay, then, here's your Tarrasque. I made a Godlike dragon on the Crawler's Companion, then stripped out wings, spells, and breath weapon, made a few other small changes (added regeneration and spell resistance, took away reversal of gravity) and voila!

Behold, the End of Times!

Kobolds from Dimension Zed

My final request comes from bygrinstow, whose Kobold write-up can be found here. There is, of course, a kobold in the Dungeon Crawl Classics core rulebook. In addition, Sean Ellis did an excellent kobold write-up in Crawl #3. So, we do have a trio of kobolds already. Well, a quartet, because the Pellas Troth in my own The Black Goat are really kobolds reskinned using the excellent guides in the Dungeon Crawl Classics rulebook.

Of course, I didn’t do the tarrasque because it had effectively “been done” for DCC…in Harley Stroh’s Colossus, Arise! and in Michael Curtis’ The Making of the Ghost Ring, if nowhere else. The “monster you can’t effectively fight” also appears in Joseph Goodman’s The Emerald Enchanter and The Balance Blade. You could also just jump over to the Crawler’s Companion and make yourself a godlike immortal dragon. Take away its flight, and you have a pretty good tarrasque.

Things like goblins and kobolds are, in some ways, more interesting than the tarrasque because they actually show up in games. Repeatedly. You can alter them in all sorts of ways to keep them interesting, but, ultimately, games need more low-level fodder than high-level fodder. Even higher-level games need low-level fodder to demonstrate just how cool the higher-level PCs have become.

So then, here are three kobolds for your home games, one of which is, as requested, “out there”.

Blood Diggers: Init +1; Atk claw -2 melee (1d4-1); AC 11; HD 1d4; MV 20’ or dig 10’; Act 2d20; SP infravision 100’; SV Fort -2, Ref +0, Will -2; AL N.

These small humanoid creatures are bright red in colour, with enormous claws on hands and feet, like those of a mole. Their faces resemble those of shrews, save they have fleshy “feelers” growing in a crown around their heads, allowing them to feel their way while tunnelling. Blood diggers are not normally dangerous, although they can attack with two claws if pressed. They often will trade with nearby human settlements, but sometimes become warlike, raiding afar mounted on giant forest pigs. There seems to be no purpose to these periodic outbursts, for the blood diggers use them neither to pillage or to expand their territory. Some sages speculate that the blood diggers worship strange gods, or have made deals with eldritch patrons, that require occasional bloodbaths.

Giant Forest Pig: Init +2; Atk bite +0 melee (1d3); AC 12; HD 2d6; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will -4; AL N.

This version of the humble kobold was devised by using the Variety in Humanoids section (pp. 379-380 in the core rulebook), along with a little bit of imagination. For those who are curious, the rolls were 9 on Table 9-1, 3 on Table 9-2, 19 on Table 9-3, and 4 on Table 9-4. You will note that the actual stat block is changed very little – an extra Action Die for the extra attack, a dig speed, and claws replace tiny swords as weapons (but the damage is the same).

This is an easy way to add sparkle to the various humanoids in your campaign world. You can still allow them to be called by the generic race name (i.e., “green orcs”) or obscure their origins even farther (“the Foresters of Qoy”).

Sometimes, though, you are creating a specific adventure, and you have a niche to fill. Say, for example, that you want rooster-men to attack the PCs in a 0-level funnel adventure. You could stat them up from scratch (pun!) or you could build them out of the existing creatures (in this case, the kobold), thusly:

Rooster-men: Init +1; Atk peck or spur -2 melee (1d4-1); AC 11; HD 1d4; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP short flight, difficult to surprise, crow; SV Fort -2, Ref +0, Will -2; AL C.

These creatures are humanoid roosters, with clumsy “hands” growing from the joint halfway along their wings. They attack with beaks or leg spurs, both augmented by sharp metal blades supplied by the green dwarves and their un-dead master.

Rooster-men can fly up to 20’ in a given round, but must use their Action Die as well as their move to do so. They can only fly for 1 round before landing, but can move at up to a 45 degree angle when flying (thus attaining heights of up to 10’ without a rest). A rooster-man who is injured, but not slain, if 50% likely to be unable to fly.

Because their eyes are not forward-facing, rooster-men are difficult to surprise. If a rooster-man would otherwise be surprised, he is allowed a 1 in 5 chance to negate that surprise.

Finally, every rooster-man can crow once per day. Unlike the crowing of a real rooster, which is harmful to the un-dead and other night spirits, the crowing of a rooster-man actually bolsters the un-dead, healing each un-dead creature within 100’ to a maximum of 1d5 hit points.

Finally, we turn to an “out there” concept:

Kobold from Dimension Zed: Init +1; Atk probing instrument -2 melee (1d3 or more) or paralysis ray +1 ranged (paralysis); AC 11; HD 1d4; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP infravision 100’, walk through walls, probe weapon, paralysis, telepathy 100’; SV Fort -2, Ref +0, Will +6; AL N.

These kobolds come from another dimension, where their silvery skin and bulbous black eyes are the norm. They carry probing instruments which do 1d3 damage initially, but move up the dice chain to a maximum of 1d12 each round during which a given character is hit. The weapons effectively probe the weaknesses of characters, and then exploit them for increased damage. All the weapons of a group are linked; if one increases damage, all do. This does not transfer to other characters, but only to the character hit. The probing weapons lose information after 1 hour, and must start from 1d3 damage again. Although they can be used by non-kobolds, each time such a weapon is used, telepathic feedback forces the wielder to make a DC 10 + damage done Will save or take Prs damage equal to the damage done by the weapon.

These kobolds can also fire a psionic beam that paralyzes an opponent for 1d5 minutes unless a DC 12 Fort save is successful. A creature that makes the saving throw is immune to the beam for 24 hours, and each successful save allows future saves against this effect to be made at a cumulative +2 bonus.

Through mental discipline, kobolds from Dimension Zed are able to walk through mundane walls. It takes 1d3 rounds to walk through a typical wooden wall, or 1d7 rounds to walk through a foot of stone. While a kobold is walking through walls, it is out of phase with this dimension, and is immune to all attacks except magic missiles and force attacks (such as from force manipulation).

Strange flashing and/or moving lights are often seen in the sky, heralding the arrival of these kobolds from Dimension Zed to our own world. While they communicate telepathically to each other with a range of 100’, they must physically touch non-kobolds to communicate with them in this way. Kobolds from Dimension Zed do not speak aloud. They have been known to kidnap creatures, bringing them to Dimension Zed in order to dissect or otherwise experiment upon them.

Beware the Wheelers

Wheeler: Init +2; Atk bump +3 melee (1d2); AC 13; HD 2d6; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP taunt,

disorientate, knock prone, never provoke free whacks; SV Fort +0, Ref +2, Will -1 AL C.

A wheeler strikes with its body or wheels, doing minimal damage, but requiring a DC 5 Reflex save to avoid being knocked prone.

In addition to its attacks, a wheeler may taunt every 1d3 rounds, targeting a specific victim, who must succeed in a DC 5 Will save or take a -1d penalty on the dice chain for its next action, effectively demoralized by the wheeler’s jeering and laughter. Multiple wheelers can taunt the same individual, and effects stack.

Finally, wheelers who forgo attacks can whizz around their victims in an attempt to disorient them. All victims must make a Will save (DC 10 + number of wheelers disorienting) or suffer a -1d penalty to all rolls in the next round.

Wheelers never grant free whacks so long as they are mobile – they can whizz in and out of combat range with impunity.

Enter the Stargate, if You Dare!

I watched the original Stargate movie in the theatre back in 1994. At the time, I characterized it as “Power Rangers for adults”…which is not to say that I thought it was bad, but that there is a certain flash to the effects, and a lack of grit to the story that reminded me of my son’s (then current) obsession with the Power Rangers. I dismissed it early, and never watched the television series, which I understand has a somewhat different continuity.

I rewatched it to create this blog post, and my opinions have changed somewhat. The plot is still lacking in grit. The protagonists have things far too easy in the film. The effects are far too clean…like prequel Star Wars compared to the grittier, used-universe feel of the original trilogy. And, time having passed, it looked very much like “John Denver’s clone travels to another world”.

On the other hand, there is a lot of potential here for gaming. Although much of what follows is based on the extended version of the Stargate film, I have delved a little into the spin-off series via Wikipedia and the Internet in general. Because I am not greatly familiar with the extended Stargate mythology, feel free to correct me, make changes for your own game, etc. – stuff you should feel free to do anyway!

(As a side note, since other things happened between re-watching and writing, I might still not be so great in this post, but it is an attempt!)

Stargates

These devices appear as large, circular rings of an unknown metal. Each requires seven tablets to be decoded in order to align properly (DC 18 Intelligence check per tablet; a retry is allowed each day for three days, then each week for three weeks, then each month for three months, and so on). When properly aligned, the symbols on the stargate allow a portal to open between the current stargate, and another stargate on another world. This second stargate opens only briefly, and must also be properly aligned to allow a return journey. Once a PC has decoded one series of tablets, it requires only a DC 10 Intelligence check to align the return stargate, as long as all tablets are available.

The Judge should not feel constrained to the locations used in the film, television, or novel series. A stargate can lead to any world or plane the Judge wishes. The stargate in the film led to an unnamed world ruled by Ra. Although there might have been more to it than seen in the film, it appeared to be a desert world with a definite Egyptian motif, which nonetheless managed to sustain a rather large population of human slaves. Ra took the ancestors of these slaves from Earth, so they are not native to Ra’s slave world.

The mere existence of the stargates suggests an obvious adventure possibility: One or more tablets must be recovered to open the stargate, either to pass through it initially or to return home thereafter. If this brings Perils of the Purple Planet to your mind, you’re not alone. I would not be surprised if Stargate was inspirational to some aspects of Harley Stroh’s masterpiece.

Domesticated Animal

The one creature we see which is, presumably, native to Ra’s slave world is a domesticated creature – strong, easily spooked, but apparently also reasonably friendly and loyal. It has a good sense of smell, apparently using it to find the sparse vegetation on the slave world, as well as the occasional chocolate bar travellers might be carrying.

This creature also gives us a good example of a really bad Luck check. When you burn too much Luck, ropes just kind of get wrapped around your ankle, and creatures sort of drag you through the sand for a while. Luckily, in this case, it was all subdual damage.

Domesticated animal from Ra’s slave world: Init +0; Atk bite +0 melee (1d4) or kick +1 melee (1d3); AC 12; HD 3d8+3; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP strong sense of smell; SV Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +0; AL N.

Special Encounter: This creature is a stray, wearing a harness with a long, dangling rope. The first being who approaches it must succeed in a Luck check, or the creature is spooked, running away for 1d5+4 turns. Unless the approaching PC succeeds in a DC 10 Reflex save, the rope catches around his ankle, allowing the creature to drag him away. The sand causes 1d5 subdual damage for each turn of dragging. A PC rendered unconscious in this way awakes to the animal licking him in the face.

Troopers

Ra is protected and served by troopers wearing futuristic armour. Their animal-headed masks withdraw at will, disappearing completely into the body of the armour. Trooper armour has a +4 AC bonus, a –4 check penalty, and a d8 fumble die. This armour reduces movement by 5’.

Trooper weapons are treated as polearms with slashing blades (1d10), but they can also fire an energy beam up to 500’ (3d6). Once fired, these weapons need time to recharge – there is a 1 in 5 chance per round that the weapon is ready to fire again (i.e., 1 in 5 on the first round, 2 in 5 on the second round, etc.). If an attempt to fire the weapon is made before the recharge cycle is complete on the 5^th round, and the weapon is not recharged, nothing is accomplished apart from looking menacing.

NOTE: PCs may spend Luck to move the recharge die roll in their favour. For example, if John Denver fires a trooper weapon one round, and then tries to fire it again on the subsequent round, he rolls a die to see if it can fire. It comes up a “3”. By spending two points of Luck (3 – 2 = 1), he can shift that to a successful recharge.

Trooper: Init +0; Atk polearm +1 melee (1d10) or energy beam +3 ranged (3d6); AC 14; HD 1d6; MV 25’; Act 1d20; SP weapon recharge; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0; AL L.

It should be noted that Ra’s troopers are human. They are simply the most privileged slaves on a slave world. Both armour and weapons are powered by a unique, unnamed metal that has the ability to store and amplify power.

Air Support

Some of the troopers also fly cool-looking fighters, which are presumably capable of travelling in space as well as in the atmosphere. A half-way descent tactician would use these far more effectively than Ra. Ra uses them for the occasional strafing run and little else. Perhaps this is due to a limitation on Ra’s unique metal’s storage capacities…the Crawljammer stats below assume that this is the case.

Ra’s fighter: Init +3; Atk energy beams +3 ranged (2d6); AC 15; HD 5d10; MV 90’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +2; Crit d8; Fumble d4; Composition: metal; Luck pool: 0.

Strafing Run: The sky is split by the scream of alien ships. They pulse beams of blue fire toward the people massed below, followed by panic, screams, and explosions.

Somehow, for all their destructiveness, the strafing runs seldom injure important characters. Each PC (and significant NPC) make a Luck check. On a failure, they take 2d6 damage from incidental shrapnel, trampling, etc. If an NPC has no Luck score, assume success 50% of the time. Background NPCs are not so fortunate – 3d8 of them are killed. The judge may modify the number killed depending upon circumstances.

Miracles and Wonders

Teleporters: Ra has mastered the use of teleporting machines. Each of these machines must have a terminal at both ends to function.

Resurrection: Ra has a machine that can resurrect the fallen. If recently slain (within 48 hours), the machine is 100% effective, and the subject suffers no ability score loss. Every day thereafter, there is a 5% reduction in the chance of a successful resurrection, and a +5% chance that a point is lost from a random ability score (not including Luck). If an ability point is lost, there is chance that another point is lost (base chance –10%). If that is lost, there is another chance (10% less than the previous) that another point is lost, and so on, until the chance reaches 0 or it is rolled without ability point loss.

Non-human characters have a –25% chance of resurrection, and a +25% chance of ability point loss if resurrection succeeds. Something about humans makes them easier for Ra’s machines to repair.

Nameless Metal: In its pure form, this may be used as a special material component in spells which capture or release energy. The caster gains a +1 bonus to the spell check for every ½ pound of the metal sacrificed for this purpose. Extracting this metal to a usable form for spellcasting requires an Intelligence-based DC 20 Skill check related to smelting, metallurgy, or smithcraft. Failure by 5 or more causes an explosion for 1d6 damage per ½ pound of metal, with a radius of 30’. Failure by 10 or more doubles both damage and radius. A natural “1” on a failed check triples the damage and radius.

Ra

Long ago, an alien from an unnamed species was dying, and searched the universe for the means to stave off death. Eventually, it came to Earth, where it became known to the Egyptians as the god, Ra. By possessing a human host, the alien was able to prolong life indefinitely. Although Ra now appears as a rather androgynous adolescent boy, when he is angry flashes of the possessing alien become visible – a dark-eyed creature similar in many ways to the classic “Close Encounters”-type aliens.

When Ra strikes a creature, there is a 1 in 3 chance that an energy discharge will cause an additional 1d6 damage and fling the creature back 3d6 feet. Any creature subject to this attack must roll a DC 10 Fort save or drop any held items, and a DC 15 Reflex save or be knocked prone.

Ra: Init +3; Atk unarmed strike +3 melee (1d5) or by weapon +5 melee; AC 13; HD 8d6; hp 30; MV 30’; Act 2d20; SP energy discharge, regenerate 3 hp/round, damage reduction 5; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +10; AL L.

Goa'uld System Lords and Anubis Prime

In the movie, Ra was the last of a humanoid alien species, but in the television series he was one of the “Goa’uld System Lords” – a species of eel-like parasites from planet P3X-888, which could infest and possess humanoid hosts. Remorseless creatures bent on dominating others, the Goa’uld parasites could be encountered on many worlds. The most powerful of these creatures was known as Anubis. Anubis was so dangerous that even the other Goa'uld System Lords didn’t want him around.

I don’t have enough knowledge of the Stargate universe to even attempt to stat out the Goa’uld System Lords or Anubis. Anyone more knowledgeable than myself, who cares to take a crack at it in the comments section, is more than welcome to do so!

Bending Time & Space: Kzaddich & Tsalakians

Footprints, the free electronic magazine put out by Dragonsfoot, introduces the Kzaddich and Tsalakian (creator John Turcotte) in Issue 13. The original work is copyright © 2008 John Turcotte, and I make no contest to this copyright. Moreover, I highly encourage you to check out Footprints and the other free resources available at Dragonsfoot, as well as dropping by their forums.

Mr. Turcotte says, in his Author’s Note, that these creatures came to him in a dream, wherein they were part of the Fiend Folio II, which he located in a game store in The Hague.

Kzaddich

Kzaddich: Init +8; Atk by weapon +3 melee (by weapon) or by weapon +1 ranged (by weapon); AC 26; HD 1d8+1; MV 30’ or levitate 10’; Act 2d20; SP cannot be surprised, haste, psionic blast, time travel, telepathy, “death throes”, magic resistance, immune to charm and hold, self-healing, augury; SV Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +9; AL L.

A strange species from another time, or from outside time altogether, the Kzaddich may be from the distant past or future, or from some alternate temporal plane. They are the mortal enemies of the Tsalakians (see below), and are most often encountered working against Tsalakian interests.

The Kzaddich (singular and plural) appear as cloaked man-sized figures, their features completely hidden by their cowls. Their true form appears to be an amalgamation of shifting, softly glowing spheres in a rough approximation of a bipedal form, but this may be nothing more than what their multi-dimensional shapes appear like to our temporally limited eyes. Their voices sound like wind chimes, and they have a natural telepathic ability to a range of 120’. This same telepathy allows them to make a psionic blast attack at an enemy target within 90’, causing 2d6 damage (Will DC 15 for half).

The Kzaddich can slip in and out of the time-stream at will, resulting in their high initiative bonus, AC, and saving throw bonuses. As a result, they are exceedingly difficult to harm. Their magic resistance allows them to save against any spell, even if no save is normally allowed, saving at the spell check value if a lower DC is not listed in the spell description. If a spell normally allows a save, the Kzaddich take half damage if the save is failed, and are completely unaffected if they successfully save. They  cannot be affected by anything, magical or otherwise, that affects time or causes aging.

The Kzaddich perceive the past, present, and potential futures, making them impossible to surprise, and making them able to make predictions with a 90% chance of success. A Kzaddich can stop time twice per day, for 2 rounds, bringing up to two touched beings with it into the stopped time.

Although the Kzaddich are predominantly pacifists, when attacked they can speed themselves up, gaining an additional Action Die and increasing their move to 45’ for 1d5 rounds. A wounded Kzaddich can use an Action Die to rapidly heal 1d3 damage. If reduced to 0 hp, or otherwise faced with certain capture or death, a Kzaddich simply slips into the far future or past to avoid the situation.

According to the sage Turcotte the Dreamer, “Almost nothing is known of the Kzaddich culture. They vie against the machinations of the Tsalakians on a scale that mortal creatures cannot comprehend and hint at a vast war between the two races. Kzaddich do not appear to have individual names, but often adopt pseudonyms when dealing with others (who they refer to, not unkindly, as ‘linears’).

Tsalakians

Tsalakian: Init +5; Atk bite +3 melee (1d4); AC 20; HD 2d8+2; MV 20’ or infinite; Act 4d20; SP bend and fold space, teleport, empathic projection, immune to mind-affecting and paralysis, special senses, magic resistance, free action, death throes; SV Fort +5, Ref +9, Will +0; AL C.

The Tsalakians appear as tall men, completely enshrouded in cloaks, their faces concealed by heavy cowls. They can speak any language, using voices that seem to come from random, ever-changing, locations all around them. The Tsalakians come from outside normal space-time, and their true forms are difficult to comprehend. The sage Turcotte the Dreamer describes them, uncloaked, as “a blurry whirl of teeth forming a rough approximation of a man-like form.”

These creatures, said to be the servitors of some great malign power, have no individual will of their own. Their origin is unknown, but they seek always to cause great harm. They oppose, and are opposed by, the Kzaddich. Preferring to work through others, they perpetually strive to bend all other sentient beings to the will of their dread master. The sage Turcotte the Dreamer does not identify this being, but it is suspected by some that Pesh Joomang (http://ravencrowking.blogspot.ca/2014/06/pesh-joomang-gate-and-keeper.html), the Patron of Patrons, might be the Dread Master of the Tsalalkians, as He is the Dark Master of the Judges of Spellburn.

Tsalakians can bend and fold through space, and are able to attack from multiple locations at once. They can thus attack any opponent within 20’, and never offer a free attack when withdrawing. Although they shuffle along when pretending to be humanoid, in truth they can travel an infinite distance during any round, ignoring physical or magic obstacles in their path, using an inborn form of teleportation. When slain, a Tsalakian disappears in a howling void of folded space, getting ever smaller until it can no longer be seen. Still, its anguished cries remain dimly audible for 1d5 rounds.

Tsalakians can detect hidden spaces, being able to “see” around corners and through walls, floors, and ceilings. They are never surprised, except when magic is used, for they cannot perceive invisible, out of phase, ethereal or astral objects or creatures, although they can see anything hidden in shadows or otherwise concealed without magic. Although Tsalakians are generally immune to mind-affecting spells and effects, they can be fooled by illusions. They automatically detect alignment and magic through their weird senses.

Like the Kzaddich, Tsalakians have magic resistance which allows them to save against any spell, even if no save is normally allowed, saving at the spell check value if a lower DC is not listed in the spell description. If a spell normally allows a save, a Tsalakian takes half damage if the save is failed, and is completely unaffected if successful. In addition, they cannot be restrained by any impediment, paralysis, or magical hold.

Tsalakians detect the emotions of others, and can project emotions empathically, allowing them to cast cause fear at will, by using all of their Action Dice for that round.  This works similarly to the ability to instill fear with a result of 20-23 when casting Ekim’s mystical mask, except that it affects all targets within 20’ or the Tsalakian and the save is only DC 15. They can project other emotions as well as fear, and the judge can use the spell result as a rough gauge of the effects of other emotions.

The sage also wrote, “Tsalakians, when encountered, are usually in the act of planning or carrying out some great ill, for they prefer to work through others, themselves remaining out of the fray if possible, revealing their fearsome abilities only if pressed. Their hatred of the Kzaddich knows no bounds and they can detect the presence of those creatures and will always attack them on sight.”

Psionics

Both the Kzaddich and the Tsalakians are described by their author as having power psionic powers. Although it is beyond the scope of this blog post to create an entire system of psychic abilities, the judge is encouraged to consider the psionics systems presented in The Wizardarium of Calabraxis or Crawljammer#3, both of which are resources that any self-respecting judge should own in any event. Barring those resources, roll 1d7 and consult the table from the Githyanki/Githzerai posting on this blog.

Uses

The eternal war between the Kzaddich and the Tsalakians could easily appear in the background of many an adventure. Especially given the methodology of the Tsalakians, who prefer to act through others, they could easily be behind the events of even high-level adventures. The Kzaddich give aid, specifically in the form of information, but prefer to avoid direct confrontation as well.

Even so, the best use I can imagine for both creatures is in a 0-level funnel, where the PCs may not initially know that the Kzaddich are well-meaning. I think that would make a fun, and possibly very creepy, adventure.

The Descendents of Gith

My githyanki hail from the 1st Edition AD&D Fiend Folio, created by Charles Stross. Just seeing the creatures on the cover made my heart race. Indeed, I found the Fiend Folio indispensable, and its wild exuberance informs my monster creation to this day. Not every creature was equally well realized, but the attempt to do something great often overshadowed an individual creature's failings.

Without further preamble, I present to you my version of the githyanki and their adversarial brethren, the githzerai.

Githyanki: Init +2; Atk two-handed sword +3 melee (1d10) or psychic blast +2 ranged (1d6); AC 14; HD 2d10; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP psychic blast, astral projection, possible special abilities, infravision 60’, +4 to saves vs. magic; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +10; AL C.

The githyanki were a race of evil humans, conquered millennia ago by squid-faced psionic flayers. Bound to service by their conquerors, they were used as slaves and occasional food, for the flayers ate the brains of humanoid creatures. After centuries of servitude, the humans arose against the psionic flayers under the leadership of Gith. Having developed their own psychic and physical powers, they succeeded in throwing off the horrid yoke of slavery to the brain-eating creatures. Taking their name from their leader, they became known as the githyanki.

The githyanki dwell in huge castles floating in the astral plane, but can project themselves to material worlds, where they seek to obtain slaves and riches of their own, or to defeat their former masters wherever they may find them. They are said to worship an immensely powerful lich-queen. In some cases, they have allied with powerful fire-breathing dragon for mutual benefit. Each castle is ruled by a Supreme Leader who automatically carries a silver sword (see below).

Let there be no doubt – the githyanki have a well-deserved reputation for violence. For each githyanki encountered, roll percentile dice and apply the following adjustments:

01-40     No change.

41-56     Tougher: Add +1d3 HD, and raise saves by 1 per 2 full HD increase.

57-60     Superior Psychic Blast: Does +1d6 damage.

61-64     Superior Psychic Shield: Gains a +4 bonus to Will saves.

65-70     Psychic Power: The githyanki possesses a special psionic power. See below.

71-77     Spellcasting: Can cast spells as a (1d3: 1-2 wizard or 3 cleric) of level 1d3. If rolled again, the githyanki may be able to cast spells as if it had two classes. Levels of the same class stack, up to a maximum of 6^th level.

78-80     Illusion Generation: The githyanki can project mental illusions to a range of 60’. These cannot cause damage directly, but can mislead or otherwise cause targets to damage themselves. The githyanki must concentrate to maintain the illusion. Will DC 20 negates when the illusion is interacted with.

81-90     Arcane Blade: The two-handed sword used by the githyanki has a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage, and can strike creatures as though it were magical.

91-94     Knight: The githyanki gains 2d3 HD, and gains a +1 bonus to all saves per 2 full HD gained. The githyanki knight can cause damage or heal with a touch. Each instance uses the Hit Die type of the target. Each day, the knight can heal or cause damage in dice equal to the knight’s own Hit Dice. Each touch can use a part, or the whole, of this effect. For instance, a 4 HD knight could heal 1 HD to himself, and later cause 3 HD to another. There is a 5% chance per Hit Die that a knight will have a silver sword (see below).

95-99     Silver Sword: The githayanki possesses a silver sword. See below.

00           Roll again twice.

Githzerai: Init +4; Atk open-handed blow +4 melee (1d6+1) or two-handed sword +2 melee (1d10) or psychic blast +3 ranged (1d6); AC 15; HD 1d10; MV 30’; Act 2d20; SP psychic blast, astral projection, possible special abilities, infravision 60’, +8 to saves vs. magic; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +10; AL N.

Another offshoot of the same evil humans who spawned the githyanki, the githzerai dwell on Limbo, but may be found upon material worlds as well. Their war with the githyanki is vicious and eternal, as neither side can gain supremacy for long. The githzerai have an uneasy truce with the psychic flayers which enslaved their ancestors, which is constantly broken in isolated raids and skirmishes. They are said to be ruled by an undying wizard-king.

10% of githzerai have an additional 1d5 Hit Dice (and gain a +1 bonus to all attack rolls per 2 full HD added). 25% of githzerai have 1d3 psychic powers.

Silver Swords

The silver swords of the githyanki act as +3 weapons, but they are not magical. They have a critical range of 19-20. On a “20”, instead of rolling for effect, a silver sword severs the astral cord of an astral traveller unless it succeeds in a DC 20 Will save, or decapitates a material foe unless it succeeds in a DC 20 Fort save. If either save succeeds, the attack instead does double normal damage. If a silver sword falls into non-githyanki hands, they will go to any length to recover it.

Psychic Powers

If psychic powers are indicated, the judge is encouraged to consider the psionics systems presented in The Wizardarium of Calabraxis or Crawljammer#3, both of which are resources that any self-respecting judge should own in any event. Barring those resources, roll 1d7 and consult the following table:

1d7	Psychic Power	Effect
1	Teleportation	Can use an Action Die to move instantly 1d6 x 10 feet away in a direction chosen by the creature.
2	Telekinesis	Can move up to HD x 10 pounds up to 30’ away, as if the object where in hand. Attacks require an Action Die.
3	Pyrokinesis	Start a normal fire with an Action Die, or inflict 1d6 to a target within 30’; Reflex DC 10 or catch fire (1d6 damage each round until a DC 10 Agility check puts the fire out). Uses an Action Die
4	Telepathy	Can speak silently to all, or selected, targets within line of sight.
5	Telekinetic Blast	Can attack all targets in a cone 60’ long with a 30’ base, by hurling a myriad of small objects. All within need to make a DC 10 Reflex save or suffer 1d6+1 damage. Uses an Action Die.
6	Psychic Defence	Spend 1 Action Die to gain a +1d12 bonus to AC for one round.
7	Fear	Target within 30’ must make a DC 10 Will save or take a –1d penalty on the dice chain to all die rolls for 1d5 rounds. Multiple instances stack. This uses an Action Die.

Herculoids: The Amatons

Amaton: Init +0; Atk strike +1 melee (1d8) or by weapon +2 melee (by weapon +1) or blast rifle +1 ranged (2d8 nonlethal); AC 17; HD 3d8+3; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP weird technology; SV Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +4; AL L.

This is a race of small machine entities who travel to different planets and dimensions in flying disc ships. They seek to enslave powerful monsters, and then use these to battle all who oppose them. The Amatons appear to be spindly humanoids encased in outlandish orange armour. Their heads are flattened ovals with odd projections. The Amatons rely upon their weird technology, as outlined below.

Blast Rifle: This is an energy projection weapon with a maximum range of 500’ and range increments of 100’/200’/400’. When used by an Amaton, a blast rifle always has sufficient energy to work, as it can draw energy from the Amaton itself. When used by another, the blast rifle ceases to function on any natural attack roll of 1-2 (in addition to any other effects), or immediately after any damage roll of 2. A blast rifle only does nonlethal damage; any creature reduced to 0 hp is stunned for 2d6 minutes.

Control Ring: This large glowing metal ring is in two parts before being snapped around the neck of a creature. The ring can adjust its size to some degree, once closed, to fit its wearer. In order to attach a control ring, two Amatons, each carrying half the ring, must succeed in an attack roll (ignore all armour when determining AC; the judge may adjust to determine the effective AC of monsters, or simply grant a +4 bonus to this check). If both succeed, the control ring is set in place and activated. Amatons prefer to attach control rings to stunned monsters, where success is certain. A creature fitted with a control ring follows the orders of the Amaton leader without question. A humanoid foe is allowed a DC 10 Will save to shake off the control ring, but non-humanoids gain no save. It may be destroyed by inflicting 10+ points of damage in a single attack against AC 16.

Flying Sled: This single-being unit is controlled by the Amatons through sheer mental force via contact, and cannot usually be used by other creatures. It allows the Amaton to fly at a rate of 60’. AC 12, 20 hp. For Crawling Under a Broken Moon stats, see below:

Flying sled: Init +0; Atk rundown +0 melee (2d3+Ram); AC 12; HD 6d6; Speed cruise 1/max 3; Act 1d20; SA open, very nimble; SV Fort +0, Ref +4, Will NA; Fuel Tank special; Guzzle special.

Flying Disc: The Amaton flying disc is equipped with a stun turret that does 4d8 points of nonlethal damage, stunning targets reduced to 0 hp for 4d6 minutes. The stun turret is located on the disc’s underside. A flying disc can hold up to 25 Amatons, as well as their flying sleds, control rings, and blaster rifles. It is capable of flying between worlds and stars, and can even traverse dimensional planes. AC 16, 100 hp. For Crawling Under a Broken Moon (atmospheric) and Crawljammer (interplanetary) stats, see below.

Flying disc: Init +2; Atk stun turret +3 ranged (4d6 nonlethal); AC 16; HD 20d10; Speed cruise 3/max 6; Act 1d20; SA passengers cannot be targeted, weapon mount; SV Fort +8, Ref +2, Will NA; Fuel Tank special; Guzzle special.

Flying disc: Init +2; Atk stun turret +4 ranged (4d6 nonlethal); AC 16; HD 20d10; MV 60’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +8, Ref +2, Will +6; Crit d10; Fumble d6; Composition: metal; Luck pool: 2.

Source: The Herculoids (Hanna Barbera Productions). Modified from original write-up by Abacus Ape, via Turgenev’s PDF collection. These are AD&D stats, but are worth a visit. You can download free PDFs of many Herculoids creatures.

Next up: Githyanki and Githzerai.

Finding Monsters in My Adventures

As a complimentary post to this one, the following can be considered as an aid for judges who are interested in locating a particular creature in an adventure (or other product) that I have written. As with the previous entry, I will attempt to update this blog post periodically after new adventures have been released for some time into the wild. This list is not complete. It is not even up to date for all of my published material so far. But it is a start.

LAST UPDATE: 17 July 2019

If enough creatures related to a specific adventure intrigue you, please consider supporting the publisher in question.

Although I have done several conversions for Goodman Games (Tower of the Black Pearl, Well of the Worm, Dragora’s Dungeon, Xcrawl: Dungeonbattle Brooklyn, Curse of the Kingsire), I have not included creatures from these adventures. They are good adventures, though, and I recommend them. Be aware that the Xcrawl adventure has different base assumptions from core DCC. Likewise, I have not included adventures where I was aiding another, such as The Perplexing Disappearances in Brambury by Brave Halfling. Again, that doesn’t mean you should avoid those adventures. I simply didn’t want the appearance of taking credit for the work of others. Where individual authorship is clear, I have included a product.

To break up the wall of text, the following is separated alphabetically:

A: Aagazzbagh the Golden; Agent of Chaos; Aggor, Ape-Man Priestess; Albino Alligator; Alien Cat; Alien Rat; Allosaur; Allosaurus; Almost-Mummified Cat-Things; Ammonites; the Anger; Animated Apple Tree; Ambulating Fungus; Ancient Horror; Animated Broom; Animated Rug; Animated Willow Tree; Anklosaurus; Antelope; Anvar; Anweman, Prince of Eagles; Argodile; Arvind Shar; Assassin Worm; Avatar of Osmon; Azith; Azith Cadaver; Azzam and Azzizza. 

B: Baal Zymymar; The Balmorphos Serpent; Barkeep; Beast of the Old Darkness; Beggar; Bellwart, the Azure Dwarf; Big Ants; Big Bad Wolf; Billy Cloven-Foot; Bird Swarm; Biting Spider; Black Dog; the Black Goat; Black Goat; Black Skeleton; Blackbell; The Blessed; Bloat Leech; Blood Goddess; Blood Piranha Swarm; Blood Slug; Blooderfly Cloud; Bloodrake; Blue Kobold; The Blue Toad of Squallas; Bogey Bear; Boneless Leech Rats; Born of the Old Ones; Bottle Imp; the Boundless Philosopher; Brides of Blood; Brood-Born of Lamia; Bubosis; Builders; Burrower; Buying Agent.

C: Calobras; Capering Goat-Things; Carnivorous Cows; Carnivorous Sky Whale; Carproach; Carproach, Giant; Carproach Swarm; Carrion Moth; Cat; Cat Swarm; Catkin; Ceratosaurs; Cerberus; Cesscaeda Swarm; Chaos Ooze; Charonite; Children of the Deep; the Cinder Claws; Cinder Ella; Clackbeetle; Clerics of Kala Môr; Cloak; Cobra; Cockroach Marauder; Cockroach Swarm; Cold Stinger; Colossal Salt Leeches; Column of Flesh; Compsognathus; Corpse Eater; Corpse Puppets; Corpse Worm; Corrodile; Cosmic Harriers; Cowardly Lion; Crawling Worm; Crayfisher; the Creator’s Dragon; Crimson Demon; Crimson Void Wraith; Crocodiles; Crossroad Guardian; Crow Swarm; Cthulhu Cultist; Cthulhu Cultist Assassin; Cult Initiate; Cult Priest; Cultist; Cyber-zombies; Cyclops.

D: Dagonite; Dagonite Assassin; Dallspero’s Tin Soldiers; Damned Things; Dancing Horror; Dancing Skeletons; Dark Lily; Darkslime; Death Jackal; Deathjay; Deep Elders; Deer; Demo-grue; Demon of Tsathoggua (Type II); Demon Shadow; Demonic Fly; Demonic Larvae; Demonic Spider; Devil Spider; Dimorphodon; Dire Foxglove; Dive Patron; Doctor Chapman; Doctor Fell; Draconic Scorpion; Draconic Water Nymphs; Drain Runner; Drakes (Black, Green, Grey, and Red); the Dread God Al-Khazadar; Dread Guardian; Dream Analogue; Dream Ghouls; Dream-Beast of Somnos; Drippling; The Drowned Maid; Duani; Duskfeather; Dust Worm; Dying Cave Lion.

E: The Ebony Stag; Ectoplasmic Filaments; Elder Kindred; Elemental Wind Grue; Elf-like Fey; Elven Skeletons; Emissary of Nimlurun; Empara; Empousa; Eohippus; Erasmus Cordwainer Blood; Erinyes; Eurayle; Evil Bird Swarm; Evolved Otyugh; the Experiment Man; Extra-Dimensional Hornet; Eye of Uburtosis.

F: Faceless Gray Horror; Faerie Animals; Faerie Knight; Faerie Spider; Faerie Sylphs; Fakhreddin; Famine Spirits; Farmer Rowantree; Father of Pigs; Fecal Ooze; Fey Cat-Things; Fey Hounds; Figgy Pudding; Filament Crickets; Filth Elemental; Filthlark; Fire Bee; Flame Serpent; Flame Serpent of Set-Utekh; Flesh-Eating Sheep; Flower Zombie; Flying Howler Monkeys; Fog Monsters; Folk of Osmon; the Following Thing; Fugitive; Fungal Wasp Swarm; Fungus Creature.

G: Gaoler’s Skeleton; Gatekeeper; Gaulmurk, the Ogre-Sorcerer; Gelatinous Slime Mold; Gelid Tentacle; General Miriamum; Gentleman Clubber; Ghoul, Durdarian; Ghoul, Portsmouth; Giant Ants; Giant Bee; Giant Black Widow; Giant Bloodworm; Giant Conch Stomach; Giant Dire Mole; Giant Flatworm; Giant Frog; Giant Hornets; Giant Leech; Giant Muckworm; Giant Mutated Snapping Turtle; Giant Rabbit; Giant Salamander; Giant Spider; Giant Talking Rat; Giant Vampiric Fleas; Giant War Turtle; Giant Wasp; Giant Wolf Spider; Gigantic Crab; Gigantic Invertebrate; Gingerbread Men; Glitterjaws; Globlin; Glowing Violet Fungus; Gnarl-Gnarl; Goblin Animal Trainer; Goblin Guardsman; Goblin Knight; Goblin Leader; Goblin Sheep; Goblin Steed; Golden Angels; the Goremera; Graceful Wormfolk; Grallistrix; Grandfather of the Forest; Great Black Bear; Great Butterfly; Great Guardian; Great Horned Owl; Greater Larvae; Greater Mummy; Green-white Centipede; Grendel; Grey Humanoids; Grey Ones; Grimperrault, the Sea Dragon; Grunkle; Grydris, Alpha Female Ape-Woman; Guard; Guardian Brood; Guardian of the Deep; Guardian Slime; Guardians of the Temple; Guttersnake.

H: Hadrosaur; Hags of Barg’herzarag; Hanging Moss; Head Hunter; Hellroot; Hellsnakes; Hellspore Fungus; Hexopus; Hoardling; Hobgoblin; Hobyah; Hodag; Homeless Person; Horse-Headed Demons; Howling Serpent; Hungry Goat; Hunter Spider; Hunting Faun; Hutarrak; Hyaenodon; Hybrid Acolyte; Hybrid Dagonite; Hydra Worm.

I: Ice Spider; Icon of Tsathoggua; Ifhane, Goblin King; Impenitent; Impenitent Abbot; Incabulus; Incabulus Spawn; Invisible Guardian; Invisible Lunar Creature; Ipotane; Ironroach Swarm; Ivrian the Unkind.

J: J'Aleth, Empress of the Elder Kindred; Jabbering Skull; Jabberwock; Jackal; Jailor's Assistant; Jane Johnson; Jarnath; Jelly Ants.

K: Kala Môr; King George; King Kroll; the Klarashton.

L: Lady Orialle; Lamia; Lamprey Swarm; Land Bat; Land Bat Swarm; Large Crocodile; Large Slug; Large Spider; Large Tree Spider; Lesser Hag; Librarian's Ghost; Lillit; Living Flowstone; Lizard; the Loathly One; "Lord" Urtokki, Azith Sorcerer; Lunar Centaur; Lunar People; Lurk.

M: Mabtophis, Demon of the Chained Stars; Machen, the Rat Sorcerer; Madka; Mahmat Troth; Malcupine; Man-Eating Cowslip; Manchine; Mansoon Viper; Market Guardian; McCrackers; Martian Skeleton Man; Mayag; Mechanical Brain; Medusa; Mercury Dragon Lizard; Merchant; Merlew; Mermaid; Mermaids from Yuggoth; Migjoyon; Mob Member; Monkey; Moon Reaper; Moon Spider; Moonshroom; Mordent Centipede; Morgil the Moon-Sage; Morhern the Exquisite; Mormurg; Mycarnos, the Violet Jelly.

N: Nick Cutter, the Iron Axeman; Night Soil Catfish; Nightmare Fleas; Nutkins.

O: One-Legged Tin Soldier; the Only; Ontothere; Ooloi; Ophiotaurus; Orange Slime; Ornithomimus; Otyugh.

P: Pachycephalosaurus; Pallid Reflections; Pallid Thorn; Panes; Patricians; Pellas Troth; Penumbral Bees; Peter's Shadow; Phantom; the Phantom Gentleman; Phenoton; Phororhacos; Pickpocket; Pierceblossom; Pink Jellyfish Swarm; Pit-Roses; Plaghorn; Platoon Trooper; Pleth; Poisonous Adder; Poisonous Spider; Poisonous Viper; Polypus White Thing; P'quoth; Praexi; Predatory Donkey; Predatory Fish Spirit; Prince Charming; Prince John; Prisoner Skeleton; Prostitute; Psilamander; Psionomold; Pterosaurs (Small, Large, and Enormous); Pus Bear; Pustule Ooze.

Q: Qophu.

R: Rabbit Swarm; Radiant Brotherhood; Rangdayak; Raptor; Ratfields; Raven; Raven-Headed Horror; Razor Hawk; Red Hood Goblins; Reptile Swarm; Reptilemen; Resurrection Man; Retrimax; Revenant; Revenant of Zin; Rhamphorhynchus; Rheddosus; Rhinoceros; Rhinorc; Ribbon Snake; Riding Moth; Ring Bat; Rishi, Handmaiden of the Empress; Rock Lizard; Rockshell Crab; Root; the Rose Dragon; R'yalas, Lord of the Drowned Ones.

S: Sabre-Tooth; Salamander; Salt Hounds; Satrampa; Satryx; Saturn Cat; Saturnian Ape-Men; Sauropod (Small and Large); Savages; Scarlet Bones; Scarlet Succubus; Scarlet Worm Swarm; Scions of Logos (Tiny to Huge); Sea King; Sea Witch; Seal; Segmented Worm; Selden Esh; Selenites; Sending of Sliggeth; Septic Monkey; Servant of Darkness; Servitor; Severed Hands; Sewer Troll; Sewer Worker; Sewer Zombies; Shadow Creatures; Shaft Crawler; Shimmer Lizard; Shoggoth; Sir Amoral the Misbegotten; Skagaart; Skin Flake; Slaugh; Sleeping Beauty; Slime Crawler; Small Cavemen; Smoke Rat; Smuggler; Snailtaur Guard; Snailtaur Potion Master; Snow White; Snowmen; Sons of the Dragon’s Teeth; Sorcerer’s Skeleton; Sotark the Destroyer; Soul Hunter; Spawn of Yagzarrid; Spider; Spider Sisters; Spinner Queen; The Spinwoman; Spiked Tortoise; Ssethmariss; Star, Lesser and Greater; Stegosaurus; Stellar Ghoul; Stiltman; Stinkdew; Stomoan Shaman; Stone Ape-Man Guardian; Stone Dragon; Strangling Vines; Suanggi; Sugar Plum Faeries; Swamp Light Faerie; Swarm of Corpse Parts.

T: Tabattax; Talking Owls; Tarzan of the Apes; Temporal Serpent; Tentacled Beast; Tentacled Thing; Terrorpin; Theropod; Thief; Thunder Log; Tiger Rat; Tiger-Sized Rat; Tinsel Spiders; Tiny Moon Calf; Tiny Reindeer; Tiny Spider Swarm; Titanosaurus; Toad Things; Toadfish; Translucent Red Slime; Tree Spirit; Triceratops; Troglodyte; Trolligator; Trow; Tunnel Things; Twiggy Man; Two-Headed Roc; Two-Headed Wolf; Type III Demon; Tyrannosaur(us).

U: Um, the Hook-Nosed Gobbler; Un-dead Beauty; Un-dead Crocodile; Un-dead Fiddler; Un-dead Flying Monkey; Un-dead Guts; Un-dead Horror; Un-dead Horror (same name, different monster); Un-dead Imp; Un-dead Mormurg; Un-dead Runners; Un-dead Skeleton Man; Un-dead Slaves; Un-dead Stepsisters; Underbelly Stalker; Unicorn; Unicorn (different from the first); Urstah, the Star Drinker; Ussa-La, Space Princess.

V: Valgazur, the Bone Dragon; Vanth; Vatta; Venomous Serpent Swarm; Venomous Snake; Vermillion Rat; Very Large Men; Vile Drop-Crawler; Vine Warriors; Violet Goblin; Void Stalker; Void Wolf; Vos the Spell-Thief; Vulture-Griffons, Vuthmal Swarm.

W: The Walking God; Walrus; Walrus,Giant; Waspmires; Waste Viper; Water Nymphs; Whisperer; Whisperer of the Void; Whispering Shades; Wild Cat; Wild Pig; Wise Rabbit; Wood Viper; Wooden Guardians; Wormwalker.

X: Nothing for X. Something to fix in future adventures!

Y: Young Wolf Spider Swarm.

Z: Zanatar; Zardu and Zarya; Zombie Bride; Zombie Groom; Zug.