12 Goblin Gadgets

1. STEAM-POWERED CORK SCREW – Multi-purpose tool for aged wine and tonsured heads.

2. U-SHAPED Electro Magnet – Mounted, U-shaped turret that’s great for those pesky armored warriors.

3. ROCKET BOOTS – 1 in 6 chance per turn to crash into a wall.

4. SEGWAY – The newest in dungeon-safe chariots.

5. COFFEE-MAKER – Orcs will pay handsomely for freshly brewed rage-muck.

6. FLAME THROWER – 3d6 fire damage to all within 15’ cone; explodes on natural one.

7. STEAM-POWERED GRAPPLING HOOK – Hauls up to 3000 GP in weight.

8. ROBOTIC POODLE – 2HD, 1d6 bite; barks, yips, and enjoys its metallic tummy rubbed.

9. JACK-HAMMER – Hard hat and yellow caution tape included.

10. GYROCOPTER – 2 seats plus 600 GP storage. 1 in 6 chance per turn to crash into a wall.

11. MODDLE TRAIN SET – Goblins love their strange collections of odds and ends.

12. FAN TURRET – Redirects arrows; 1 in 6 chance to blow away magic-users.

Wandering Monsters and Dungeon Re-Stocking

When restocking my Vats of Mazarin dungeon, I have been heavily reliant on wondering monster tables. Rather than completely rewrite sections of  the map key between each session, I have taken to stocking the dungeon on the fly.

Here's an example of one of my wandering monster tables that I have been using:

1. Berserkers (1-8)

2. Mole Men (1-8)

3. Magic-Users (1-4; lvl 1-4)

4. Giant Ferrets (1-8)
5. Bandits (1-8) 
6. Crystal Statues (1-6)
7. Crab Spiders (1-4) 
8. Centipedes, giant (1-8)
9. Fire Beetles (1-8)
10. Green Slime (1)
11. Adventurers (5-8)
12. Roll on “Vats lvl 2”

I'd love to elaborate about the role of each of these creatures in the dungeon, but I'll save that for another post, once more of the complex has been thoroughly explored.

But to give you an example of how all of this has worked, in the previous session, the party returned to the site of the berserkers' encampment. I decided that in ~12 rooms there would be at least one new monsters, so I rolled on the wandering monster chart, generating two magic-users. These magic-users became, after a good reaction roll, "Fred" and "George" (fake names), two companions in search a map written by Fred's great grandfather, a former student of Mazarin's.

While it was useful to have a sentence detailing each room at the beginning of the campaign, and will probably continue to do so with each dungeon level, I am now comfortable enough with the first level of the complex to run off almost pure improvisation, instead of roughly half and half preparation and making everything up on the fly.

However, this table has its limits. I've gotten to the point where I do need to rewrite the first dungeon level. The barbarians have been driven out, the Mole-Men weakened and angry, a new group of white cloaked men lead by a magic-user of at least 5th level have come in, and roughly half of the level has been explored. Instead of completely restrocking the entire dungeon level, however, I am learning that I only really need to rewrite a couple room of interest if I revamp my wandering monster chart of reflect the new inhabitants.

OD&D Monster Level Tables

Looking over pages 10 and 11 of Vol. 3: The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures, I'm beginning to notice that dungeon level in OD&D does not necessarily equal the appropriate character level. On level 6, for example, a group of character may regularly encounter 1-8 giants, a 9-12 head hydra, 1-6 basilisks, 1-4 gorgons, 1-4 chimeras, 1-6 vampires, lords, balrogs, wizards, evil high priests, and 1-4 purple worms. I'm not sure a group of 6th level character can really take those on with much chance of survival.

However, myrmidons (6th level fights) can be found on level 4 and enchanter (6th level magic-users) on level 3. Bishops are not included on the monster level tables. This I would guess that levels 3-ish to 4-ish are more suitable for a group of 6th level characters. Similarly, Men and Magic provides rules for characters up to 12 level (wizards), but provides only 6 levels of monster tables.

Based on pages 10 and 11, here is my best guess at to suitable dungeon levels for players characters in OD&D:

Dungeon Level 1 - 1st & 2nd level characters

Dungeon Level 2 - 2nd & 3rd level characters

Dungeon Level 3 - 4th to 6th level characters

Dungeon Level 4 - 6th & 7th level characters

Dungeon Level 5 - 7th to 9th level characters

Dungeon Level 6 - 8th to 12th level characters

What do you guys think?

Monsters & Treasure Assortment: Levels One-Nine

I have recently acquired a cope of the  Monsters & Treasure Assortment: Levels One-Nine supplement. Essentially, the Monsters & Treasure Assortment is a set of random d% tables to help the DM determine the monsters and treasure on each level of their dungeon. There are also a number of more minor tables scattered throughout the first few pages, such as one for traps guarding treasure ("Treasure is guarded by...") or a table for where the treasure is hidden ("Treasure is hidden by/in...").

What intrigues me most is that the monsters are treasure found in this book are not specific to any one version of the game. Monsters solely found in AD&D and presented right next to monsters only found in Moldvay basic scatted with treasure found only in OD&D. This is a supplement that obviously defies a single, unified game.

While the monsters and treasure presented in the book are obviously scaled by the level of the PCs, there is definitely an attempt to keep players on their toes, such as including a Warlock (8th level magic-users) as a possible opponent on the second level of the dungeon. If that doesn't for the players to start using their heads (assuming the warlock does just cast fireball), I don't know what will. At the same time, there are a number of opponents that would normally be considered much too easy on lower dungeon levels.

Treasure, on the other hand, is much more uniform. There are no curse weapons on the first level and the first time a +2 weapon shows up is a dagger +2 on level three (never mind, there's a spear +3 on level 2) . Similarly, there is a much larger percentage of monetary treasure on the first level compared to more difficult areas. In general, like monsters, treasure seems to scale with dungeon level, but there are definitely some major wrenches in those gears, much to my appreciation.

Overall, I'm finding the Monsters & Treasure Assortment to be a great resource, something that games like Labyrinth Lord or Swords and Wizardry should consider cloning.

Wilderness Sightings, Surprise, and Getting Lost

Continuing my investigation of the highlights from Underworld & Wilderness Adventures, I'll next be dealing with surprise and monster sightings as well as getting lost in the wilderness.

Monster Sightings: "Players will see monsters at from 40-240 yards...unless the monster has surprised the characters involved" (pg 17). I guess this is where the range of missile weapons actually matters. if you want to make that crossbow a decent weapon, here you go: determine the distance of the monsters from the players and suddenly the advantages of a crossbow become clear.

Surprise: "This is the same as in the underworld, except that the distance is from 10-30 yards, and if there are three or more monsters involved they will have moved into a circle around the adventurers. Monsters at 10 yards distance will be able to attack" (pg 17). So not only do monsters close quickly with the players, but they also circle them, if possible. If you find that fighting-men are dying much more often than the magic-users in your campaign, this rule isn't being use enough (or that there are enough fighting-men to completely encircle the other members of the adventuring party).

Lost Parties: It's easiest (3 in 6 chance) to get lost in the a swamp and the desert where everything looks the same. 2 in 6 chance for mountains and woods. Those are some pretty high chances, in my opinion. Luckily (if I'm reading the text correctly), you won't veer too far in the wrong direction after only a single day of travel.

What confuses me is that there character have a 1 in 6 chance to get lost along a river. If anyone had an explanation or reading on this one, I'd love to hear it.

Wandering Monsters: In mountains and swamps, there is a 3 in 6 chance of encountering monsters and a 2 in 6 chance while adventuring in woods, near rivers, or in the desert.

So remember, adventurers, stay in the plains or near rivers and avoid deserts, mountains, and (especially) swamps.

6 Jungle Hexes

Brainstorming some ideas for my jungle hex map has lead to creation of a new random table off you readers to plunder, pluck, transmute, and use in your own games.

1. Ancient monolith car a thousand screaming faces. Each face in the shape of a thousand screaming faces. In a bygone age, the each of the visage’s eyes beheld a tiny shining sapphire. Now only 1d8 remain—claimed by the hands of gluttonous thieves. Each sapphire is worth 500 gold pieces, but cursed. After 2-12 days the pilferer will awake that morning covered in a sticky, aqua colored mold. Unless burnt to ash, the mold will, after another 1-6 days, form into a fungal mummy, and will stop at nothing to being about the thief’s demise.

2. An ancient pit, tunneling deep into the earth--much further than torch-light will shine. The pit is a remnant tunnel of a purple worm that roams the surrounding region in search of its mate--who was long ago imprisoned below the earth.

3. A bramble of thick vines that conceals the entrance to a mad-wizard's lair. If the vines are disturbed, they will come to life and assemble into a abomination of swamp muck and thorns: AC 4; HD 7; #AT 3; D 1-8/1-8/1 + poison (save vs poison or die), MV 90' (30'), Save F1, ML 12). Within the mad-wizard's lair is a well stocked library, comfortable living quarters, a summoning circle filled with skeletons of four sets of conjoined twins, and slime filled vats (also used as a kitchen).

4. A skeleton with a gold signet ring. If closely examined, a thief or any character with at least 9 intelligence will notice that the spine has been delicately severed--likely the cause of death. The ring is the symbol of a lost royal line. Whomever possesses the ring can, by "birthright," claim control of a nearby kingdom, but doing so may have dire consequences if the right precautions are not taken.

5. A group of cultists have constructed a giant stone statue in the shape of a kneeling man in the middle of a small clearing. The statue is hollow, but can only be accessed via the statue's mouth. If encountered at night, 3d10 cultists will be gathering for a sacrificial rite. An albino priest in purple and gold robes will be performing a act of human sacrifice from within the mouth of the statue. The cultists are normal, but their leader is a level 7 magic-user.

6. A gold citadel built into the jungle itself. If detect evil is used, the whole site will radiate evil so strongly that the user is blinded for 1-4 hours afterwards. The citadel is barren except for a blind hermit of a lawful alignment - the last guardian of an imprisoned demon. He fights as a level 5 cleric with but 5 hit points, and will defend the citadel against any intruder. If the hermit is killed, a Carcosian beast will be released once again into the world above.

Monster-Based Campaign Design: The Fungal Tombs

Any potential players of mine, stop reading now! Spoilers below.

Now that that's out of the way...

I've started work on the first dungeon for my monster-inspired campaign setting: the Fungal Tombs. I've got about 30 rooms mapped out, about a quarter of those keys, and many of those left to actually put down on paper floating around my head.

The Fungal Tombs are loosely based off of James Raggi's Death Frost Doom and inspired by an old post done by Michael Curtis from the Knights and Knaves Alehouse forum considering fungal mummies. How much more awesome does it get, right?

The basic gist of the the tombs are that a group of chaotic cultists once disguised one of their strongholds as a shrine to Artemis. They specialized in the cremation of bodies after death, but instead of cremating the bodies, the cult kept them below in the catacombs, slowly transforming them into fungal mummies. When the catacombs filled up, the cultists destroyed the village and likewise killed themselves within the catacombs, leaving the mummies to fully mature and themselves to immortalize as the greatest of their specimens. The cult left the tomb moderately filled with treasure, to encourage adventurers to wander into the bygone temple and one day awaken the spongy flesh that has waited for decades below the ruined temple.

Fungal Mummy

Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 5
Move: 60' (20')
Attack: 1 touch
Damage: 1d12
No. Appearing: 2-8 (50-500)
Save As: Fighter 5
Moral: 12
Treasure Type: D
Alignment: Chaotic

After decades of transformation, the flesh of a fungal mummy has become a spongy, greenish-fungoid mass. The usual mummy wrappings are covered in vines and poisonous mushrooms--which have a 1 in 6 chance to explode in a mist of violet spores, engulfing all within 10' whenever the mummy is hit. Creatures caught in the spores must make a saving throw versus poison or fall dangerously ill with hypnotic flashes, overcome by the effects of confusion, as per the magic-user spell, for 1d6 melee round. Furthermore, the spores are extremely convulsive and will completely ingrate if there is a torch within the cloud, sending fiery blast out to a 25' radius for 2d6 points of damage.

The fungal flesh renders the mummy immune to the attacks of blunt weapons that rely on impact rather than the splitting of flesh to deal damage, such as maces and flails. They are, however, extremely susceptible to fire. Burning oil or fire-based spells which cause damage deal an additional 1d6 points to fungal mummies. Torches can be used to set a mummy afire, dealing 1d6 points of damage the first round, and 1d4 points of damage each subsequent rounds until a 1 is rolled for damage. Fungal Mummies can be turned my Lawful clerics as they do normal mummies.

Any creature killed by a fungal mummy will rise as a fungal mummy in 2-12 years until the body is completely burned to ash or left in a climate nearly complete devoid of moisture.

Greater Fungal Mummies have 7 hit dice, save as level 7 clerics, and attack twice each round per 1-10 points of damage with each attack. Their spores instead send out a lethal poison (save versus poison or die) and cause confusion on a failed saving throw. Greater Fungal Mummies can likewise be turned by lawful clerics, but as vampires rather than mummies.

Monster-Based Campaign Design (part 1)

After coming up with my list of favorite B/X monsters, I'm realizing that hardly any of them are used in the adventures I've been looking at (B1-B4).  I guess I'm just not a big fan of the typically D&D humanoids, goblin, kobolds, and the like. That isn't to say they can't be made to work well; Waysoftheeath's Hinterlands player by post campaign on the ODD74 boards, for example, has been fantastic. But I think I'd like to do something a little more pulpy.

So I'm going to try a little different approach to adventure design. Looking at my list of monsters, I can see that many of them are either typically found in desert (mummies, efreeti, djinni), jungle (frog men, giant lizards, insect swarms), or coastal (buccaneers, sea dragons, water termites) regions. Thus, those will become the basic geography for the campaign.

The only monster that doesn't really work in any of those environments are the Titans from the B/X Companion. Luckily, I had an idea of them already. Titans in my world, are going to be similar to the Olympian gods. In fact, I may just use the Olympian gods--in which case I'll call them Olympians instead of Titans. Regardless, Titans are the most powerful group of creatures that actually play an role in the events of the campaign world, and most of the human population worships them as gods. Most of their priests, however, are normal men, with the higher ranking members as magic-users or fighters.

Clerics have nothing to do with the titans. They are members of a Zoroastrian-like religion, where the forces of Law and Chaos are locked in an unending battle for the universe.

I'm considering steeling the City State of Pelengos from my City State of the Emerald Eye PBP campaign. It is a decadent metropolis that functions are the focal point of the civilized world surrounded by a gibbering wilderness. Here's a short except from the campaign concerning the city's history:

The  "Tyrant" is the coloquial name for the  "Prince of the Emerald Eye", the autocrat that rules over the City State of the Emerald Eye. His grandfather, the first Tyrant, for was foreign conqueror from a civilized land and built Pelengos to rule over the newly captured territory. During the short reign of his son, his control over the surrounding land diminished and is now no more than the land within the walls of the City State.

Another major city is the legendary City of Brass, the city of the Efreeti, which will be located either in the desert region in a low valley or on a distant planet that can be accessed via a portal located in a lost desert ruin. Either is almost impossible to reach due to its distance from any oases, but the city filled with both great danger and great treasure. In my mind, the City of Brass is the pinocle of adventuring sites in terms of difficultly and potential pay off.

Alright, that's what I've got for now. More tomorrow, hopefully.

Favorite B/X/C Monsters

Tonight I read through B/X as well as the B/X Companion and wrote down all of the monsters I wanted to write into upcoming adventures. Some are common monsters that I've always been fond of, while others are monster's that caught my eye or a monster I've always wanted to try; some will need modifying to make them work in a lower level campaign, others will need a complete overhaul. Regardless, I'd like to keep this list around and I can't think of a better place to store it than here.

Basic

• Centipede, Giant
• Insect Swarm
• Living Statue
• Lizard, giant
• Shrieker
• Skeleton
• Spiders
• Sprite
• Snakes
• Yellow Mold

Expert

• Cockatrice
• Cyclops
• Devil Swine (the monster that inspired me to write up this list)
• Dinni, lesser
• Efreeti, lesser
• Elephant
• Golem
• Men, buccaneers
• Men, devishes
• Mermen
• Mummy
• Octopus, giant
• Purple Worm
• Sea Dragon
• Scorpion, giant
• Shark
• Toad, giant
• Water Termite

B/X Companion

• Frog Folk
• Djinni, greater
• Efreeti, greater
• Gorgon, greater
• Luck Devourer
• Hag
• Jubjub Bird
• Land Shark
• Mummy, greater
• Ogre Mage
• Ponaturi
• Phoenix
• Rakshasa
• Sewer Abomination
• Sphinx
• Swamp Shambler
• Titans
• Viper Moth

Monsters in Midgaurd

A couple of days ago, Blue Maru asked whether there would be monsters and magic in my viking campaign

Yes, there will be both magic and monsters the viking age, but neither will be as prevalent as in a normal D&D campaign. One of the reason I chose to work with Chainmail as the bases for my combat system is to de-D&Dize the mechanics and, hopefully, some of the underlying assumptions of the game. But Anyway, Blue Maru, you asked about monsters and maqgic. Well, I'll cover monsters today and magic in a day or two.

I have plans for a number of monsters appearing in the campaign. The most prominent of those are elves, dwarves, giants, ghosts, faeries, and, of course, dragons. Note that I have added my own additions and subtraction to these creatures, and these representations are not mythologically accurate accounts of Norse mythology.

Elves: The spirits men who have made exceptionally great or terrible achievements in life may rematerialize as elves after their death and endowed magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of men. There are two types of elves, light elves, who where heroes of men and live in Álfheim, and dark elves, who were the bane of men and reside in the cavernous realm of Svartalfheim, deep under the earth--fearful of the sun's rays. Elves retain their past personalities and skills as they pass

Dwarves: Dwarves are skilled craftsmen, and most of their magic involves labour, craftsmanship, and metallurgy. In their underground mountain hall, Nidavellir, dwarves make the treasures of the gods (such as Thor's hammer) and hold a repository of secret wisdom. They live under the earth, away from light, because sunlight causes them to turn to stone. As a people, dwarves are stubborn and easily offended.

Giants: Giants are characterized by their hideous size, superhuman strength, and are often act in opposition to the gods. Although most gaints appear as oversized men, some giants sport claws, fangs, and deformed features, such as having two heads. Unlike the average D&D giant, some are extremely wise and knowledgeable; others are dumber than rocks.

Ghosts: Ghosts of dead people. Some dead people, not content to lie in their grave mounds, live on after death. Usually, these are people who committed an evil deed during their life. The ghosts return to harass the living, causing illness, insanity, and death. The only way to force a ghost to move on to the afterlife, is to fulfill the dreams and desires that they had in life or to strike them with a magical sword.

Faeries: Spirits of nature, faeries reside outside the realm of good and evil; they are tricksters of the purist sort, playing games with mortals that pass into their dominion. Faeries are sometimes attached to particular families or natural landmarks and will use their menacing games to harass the families enemies or intruders of the land.

Dragons: These great, winged lizards make their homes in cavernous lairs where they amass knowledge and treasure stolen from men, elves, dwarves, and giants. It is said that the dragon's fiery breath can slay the mightiest of giants and melt the strongest metals.