Encounter Guide

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For Gods & Monsters Adventure Guides

Encounter Guide

For Gods & Monsters Adventure Guides

by Jerry Stratton

Copyright © 2018

godsmonsters.com/Encounters

“Yes, it is easy not to believe in monsters, considerably more difficult to escape their dread and loathsome clutches.”—Stanislaw Lem, The Cyberiad

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3, published by the Free Software Foundation. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.

June 23, 2018

Bestiary Terminology

While many creatures are presented, you will often find it useful to choose only a few at any time, and add further detail to your chosen creatures’ lives in your world. You can add to or create their culture (if they have one), their eating, mating, and sleeping habits, create legends about them specific to your world’s peoples, and even modify them, perhaps adding special powers on occasion or special goals.

The Adventure Guide’s Handbook has more advice on populating your campaign world.

Creature statistics

Abilities and reaction rolls

Sometimes you’ll need to make ability rolls for creatures. If you have a good estimate of a creature’s ability score and skill, use it. If you don’t, a good rule of thumb is that the creature will roll against 10 plus half level plus any appropriate bonuses the creature has. Use this rule of thumb wisely, and remember that most creatures already have an estimate of intelligence and charisma. When wisdom is necessary, assume the lower of intelligence or charisma. Reaction rolls will be 4 plus half level, or 4 plus level for their archetypal reaction.

A creature’s size will affect fortitude rolls for large or larger creatures. Large creatures gain +2, huge creatures +4, gigantic creatures +8, and titanic creatures +16. If they have any bonuses on their level numbers these affect strength, endurance, fortitude, and health.

Frequency

Some creatures are common, some are rare, some are one of a kind. These ratings are especially variable from world to world and campaign to campaign, and can be only seen as the vaguest of guidelines. Within your own games, these creatures may have widely varying goals and desires, inhabit different areas, and be more or less common.

Frequency Meaning
Individual Only one such creature exists.
Very Rare Few people have ever seen such a creature in its environment.
Rare Sighting such a creature is a once-in a lifetime event.
Uncommon Such creatures are rarely seen.
Common Such creatures are often seen.
Ubiquitous Such creatures are seen regularly and often.

Reactions and survival

Creatures acquire their creature level through natural growth to maturity; younger creatures have lower levels. Intelligent monsters may also acquire archetypal levels. When doing so, their creature level counts in their total number of levels for experience costs. They also do not gain initial skills or an initial specialty when taking an initial archetypal level. Their first archetype was monster, and that was their specialty.

Creatures gain survival, fighting skill, and reaction bonuses according to their creature level. The archetypal reaction of most creatures is according to their creature type, unless otherwise specified in the description.

Creature Type Archetypal Reaction Survival die per level Fighting Arts bonus per level
Fantastic: Health d8 1
Undead: None d10 ½
Animal: Health d6 ½
Faerie: Evasion d6 ½
Divine: Perception d8 1
Demon: Fortitude d8 1
Dragon: Health d10 1
Plant: Health d6 ½

Non-player characters and creatures regain level survival each night. Once their survival is at maximum, they lose one injury per night. Non-player characters go unconscious or are incapacitated, unless otherwise specified, on a failed fortitude roll when they lose all survival or gain injuries. When they gain more injuries than their current survival, they die on a failed endurance roll at a penalty of their injuries. There is no contest between endurance and injuries as for player characters. Endurance is 10, plus half level, plus the per-level modifier if there is one.

Statistics block

Many of the statistics listed for creatures are there to assist rather than dictate. For example, the number appearing can be used when you didn’t have anything planned and need to let the dice determine what’s happening.

Activity cycle

Diurnal creatures are active during the day and sleep at night. Nocturnal creatures are active during the night, and sleep during the day. Crepuscular creatures are active during twilight, dusk, and dawn.

Attacks

Poisons and other carried attacks require a called shot. Whether creatures make a called shot is up to the Guide, and will often depend on how much damage the creature does without their carried attack.

Charisma

A creature’s charisma is its force of personality and leadership capability. When in a hurry, a creature or group’s morale may be rolled on d20 vs. charisma, to determine if the creature is willing to stand its ground. Most often you’ll know when the creature’s fear of continuing a fight exceeds their fear of running. Otherwise, you can make a morale roll whenever you think they might run but aren’t sure.

Charisma/wisdom Range Perception modifier Willpower modifier
None Not applicable Not applicable
Animal 1-2 -5 -3
Very low 3 -3 -2
Low 4-6 -1 -1
Low average 7-9
Average 7-13
Good 11-13
High 14-16 +1 +1
Very high 17-18 +3 +2
Incredible 19-20 +5 +3
Divine 21- +7+ +3+
Intelligence

Creatures do not by default have all of the ability scores that player characters have. This would be tedious over the long-term. But intelligence and charisma are useful enough to be separated out into general categories.

Intelligence Range Reason bonus Evasion bonus
Unintelligent/plant Not applicable Not applicable
Animal 1-2 -5 -3
Semi-intelligent 3 -3 -2
Low 4-6 -1 -1
Low average 7-9
Average 7-13
Good 11-13
High 14-16 +1 +1
Very high 17-18 +3 +2
Incredible 19-20 +5 +3
Divine 21- +7+ +3+

Mindless unintelligent creatures such as walking corpses, skeletons, and moss will not be affected by attacks or divinations that work on or control the mind. Creatures of alien disposition, such as ash-shubab al-muthlimum, will gain a bonus of 2 to reactions against such effects.

Level

Creatures grow into their level as they mature. A creature with a listed level of 5 will have the benefit of fifth level as a creature if full-grown, and less if not full-grown. Some creatures have a bonus or penalty after their level. This is the number of additional survival points the creature receives (or loses, if negative) per survival point die. This modifier also applies to health, fortitude, endurance, and strength.

For example, Orcs have 2+1 listed for level. The average Orc will get two dice for survival and another +1 per die, for a total of 2d8+2 survival. The average Orc also gains a bonus of 1 on health rolls, fortitude rolls, endurance rolls, and strength rolls. Individual creatures can have greater or lesser bonuses as you wish. No survival die can produce less than 1 point, regardless of penalties.

When level is listed as ½ or ¼, the creature is otherwise treated as a level one creature except for survival. Multiply the survival rolled on the creature’s per-level die by that fraction and round up, or use an appropriately lowered die. For ½, use d3 instead of d6, d4 instead of d8, or d5 instead of d10. For ¼, use d2 instead of d8.

Magic resistance

Some creatures, especially demons and powerful spirits, will cause havoc with magic by their presence. Magic resistance is rated from one on up. Whenever a spell is cast or targeted within range of a resistant creature, the Guide should roll d20; if the result is less than or equal to the creature’s magic resistance, the spell fails. For every yard beyond the first yard, the creature’s magic resistance drops by one.

Magic resistance applies to any spellcasting devices as well, such as wands. If the resistance that blocks a spell affects the caster (or the spellcasting device), spells are not lost from the caster’s mind, charges are not lost, and verve is not used. But if the resistance only takes effect at the target, spells and charges are lost, and verve is used.

Magic resistance does not affect prophet spirits or psychic powers unless specified.

Moral code

In general, most individuals are not bound to a moral code, but the species as a whole has a cultural or inborn affinity for this moral code. In some cases, especially for divine or demonic creatures, the nature of the creature will require that moral code.

Movement

Many creatures have more than one means of moving, such as walking and flying, or walking and swimming. Flying creatures can move more easily than walkers. Outside, long-distance movement for fliers is movement miles per hour rather than miles per day, which lets them move eight times further in a day than a walker of the same movement could go.

Flying creatures attacking land-bound creatures usually receive a high ground bonus in combat.

Number

This estimates how many creatures are usually found together when encountered. This number varies greatly depending on circumstances.

Size

Creatures have a general size of fine, tiny, small, medium, large, huge, gigantic, or titanic. Size affects the fortitude roll of large or larger creatures: +2 for large, +4 for huge, +8 for gigantic, and +16 for titanic.

Smaller and larger warriors adjust combat movement differently. Small, medium, and large warriors are all able to add 3 to combat movement per combat bonus point used. Tiny creatures can add 2 per point, and fine creatures 1 per point. Huge creatures can add 6 per point, gigantic creatures 12 per point, and titanic creatures 24 per point.

Special Defenses

Some creatures will have as their special defense “+1 or better required to attack”. This means that any attacks on the creature will be unsuccessful unless the weapon used has at least a bonus of 1 to attack. The bonus must be a magical or divine bonus.

Special Vision

Many monsters have underground or night vision. Night vision is the ability to see in darkness using ambient light from stars or a sliver of a moon. This ability is useless around bright lights. A creature with night vision suffers fewer, if any, penalties due to darkness. Underground vision is a combination of senses, with the creature able to see differences in heat, feel the motion of air, and triangulate from sounds and echoes. A creature with underground vision is able to see and work with no light within enclosed spaces. In the open and outdoors, this vision is less useful. The default penalty for using underground vision in the outdoors is increased by 3. Determining fine differences with underground vision is difficult if not impossible. It can’t be used to read normal text, for example.

Special vision is rarely as good as daylight vision. Creatures have a penalty to perception rolls as shown in their entry. Circumstances may make the special vision less useful, and at the extreme not function at all. If there is no ambient light whatsoever, night vision will not function. If the character is in a wide open space such as a desert, underground vision will function poorly or not at all.

Badlands

Barking spiders

Bobcats

Carrion worms

Cougars

Grey men

Lizards, giant

Orcs

Caves

Barking spiders

Bears, black

Crickets, giant

Dwarves

Hill giants

Ogres

Orcs

Mountain giants

Petraiads

Rats

Snakes, poisonous

Spiders, large and huge

Trolls

Xolome

Chaotic Mist

Bandersnatch

Beaked sweepers

Borogoves

Crazy crabs

Cyclopeata

Fire spiders

Hooded dashers

Jabberwock

Jubjub birds

Leeches, giant

Mist wraiths

Pink horrors

Pink trumpets

Raths

Spinneretts

Toves

Violents

Cities and Towns

Brownies

Elves

Halflings

Humans

Restless dead

Revenants

Wererats

Death Havens

Barrowmen

Carrion worms

Ghosts

Ghouls

Phantoms

Restless dead

Vampires

Vampire slaves

Deserts

Bobcats

Cougars

Grey men

Ogres

Saurians

Spiders, giant

Spiders, large and huge

Lizards, giant

Rocs

Dry City

Echoes

Greythorn vines

Headless men

Memory moss

Not flies

Oblivion fleas

Poltergeists

Prayer bees

Scissormen

Trivial pursuits

Forests

Bears

Bloodthorrns

Bobcats

Brownies

Buzzflies

Carrion worms

Centaurs

Cougars

Dire wolves

Dryads

Gnomes

Gorillas

Grey-hooked bats

Hop snakes

Jaguars

Naiads

Ogres

Orochs

Pigasi

Pixies

Snakes, poisonous

Snakes, large and giant

Spiders, giant

Spiders, large and huge

Squirrel, faerie

Treeherders

Unicorns

Werebears

Werewolves

Wolverines

Wolves

Hell

Bat, screeching

Blood puddles

Crowns of Eyes

Death’s heads

Emotional demons

Gargoyls

Gorgons

Perytons

Shadows

Strigae

Jungles

Bloodthorns

Buzzflies

Gorillas

Ground sloths, giant

Jaguars

Leeches, giant

Lizards, giant

Mold zombies

Pigasi

Pixies

Snakes, poisonous

Snakes, large and giant

Spiders, large and huge

Treeherders

Lakes

Dunkleosteus

Ghouls

Naiads

Snakes, poisonous

Mountains

Bats, giant

Bears

Bobcats

Blood hawks

Cheimon

Cougars

Dire wolves

Dwarves

Goblins

Grey-hooked bats

Grey men

Gryphons

Hill giants

Hippogriffs

Manticores

Mountain giants

Ogres

Pegasi

Petraiads

Phoenix

Pixies

Rocs

Snakes, poisonous

Storm giants

Trolls

Werebears

Wolverines

Wolves

Wyverns

Xolome

Yeti

Plains

Bobcats

Buzzflies

Hop snakes

Horses, wild

Orochs

Snakes, poisonous

Snakes, large and giant

Spiders, large and huge

Prehistoric Lands

Ankylosaurus

Achaeopteryxes

Beetles, giant

Brontosaurus

Burrweeds, giant

Butterflies, giant

Capybara, giant

Centipedes, giant

Crocodiles, giant

Deer, dwarf

Dire wolves

Dragonflies, giant

Dunkleosteus

Great lizards

Ground sloths, giant

Horned gophers

Leeches, giant

Lizards, giant

Mosquitos, giant

Moths, giant

Pterodactyls

Saurians

Stegosaurus

Swinging chain cacti

Triceratops

Tyrannosaurus

Venus flytrap, giant

Wetas, giant

Summoned

Ash-shubab al-muthlimum

Bats, creeching

Blood puddles

Crowns of eyes

Death’s heads

Perytons

Shadows

Skeletons

Strigae

Walking corpses

Swamps

Buzzflies

Jaguars

Killer toads

Leeches, giant

Mold zombies

Pixies

Saurians

Underground

Aeagarsut

Bats, giant

Brilliarch wights

Bubbling eyes

Carrion worms

Creeping slimes

Crickets, giant

Cucumbers, giant

Gakemai

Gangai

Gas molds

Great lizards

Grey men

Hanging vines

Kamekkipialo

Karuat

Ketelekrae

Kugesum

Lizards, giant

Oruat

Sakmat

Spiders, giant

Spiders, large and huge

Tentamort

Trolls

Creatures

Animals

Bats

Normal Giant
Uncommon: mountains, underground
Class: animal
Organization: swarms
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 3d20
Level: 1 point 1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 2/16 3/18
Attacks: bite or claws claws
Damage: 1 point d4
Defense: +3 +2
Size: tiny small (2-3 feet)
Special Vision: sonic-2 sonic-1

These bats have adapted to life underground by developing their sense of hearing to such a degree it resembles sight. While darkness, fog, and other sight impairments do not affect bats, silence blinds them.

The normal bat is unlikely to attack anything larger than rat or rabbit-sized creatures. They are more likely to be dangerous in fear, as when a swarm of bats escaping one danger swarms someone while on the run. Normal bats, when they do attack, use their claws or (more often) their sharp but tiny teeth.

The giant bat will attack small creatures alone, or swarm with three or more other giant bats to attack medium-sized creatures. The giant bat has a wingspan of three to six feet and attacks with its sharp claws rather than by biting.

Bears

Black Brown Polar
Common: forests, mountains arctic
Class: animal
Organization: solitary
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 1 or d6
Level: 4+1 6+2 7+2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 15 16 16
Attacks: claws
Damage: d12 d12 3d6
Special Attacks: bear hug
Defense: +4 +5 +7
Size: medium large large

Bears will generally eat nuts, berries, grasses, insects, fish, deer and moose fawns, and carrion, and become more carnivorous as you move from black to brown to polar. They are solitary, though they may come together at feeding or watering holes. The territories of male bears can range to 200 square miles or more and may overlap with other males’ territories. Female territories will be much smaller and generally will not overlap. Females usually weight about half what males weigh.

Bears hibernate in dens in winter, from October or November to March or April (for males) or until April or May (for females).

Bears most commonly move on all fours. They can stand and walk on their hind legs, but this is usually done in order to see farther. They are very intelligent for animals, and very curious.

Bears attack with their front claws, getting two attacks per round doing so. Bears will often, especially if attacked with long weapons, attack as a called shot. If both called shots are successful, the opponent must make an evasion roll or be caught in a bear hug. Once its victim is caught in a hug, the bear is at a bonus of four to attack and two to damage, and only short weapons, such as knives or daggers, may be used against the bear. The victim may attempt to struggle out of the bear hug instead of attacking by making further evasion rolls each round.

Black Bears: Black bears are the smallest and least aggressive of these three bears. They are generally aggressive only when mating, injured, or protecting young. They den in caves, in hollow trees, or behind fallen trees. They are fond of honey. They tend to avoid habitats that include the more aggressive brown bear. They mark their territories with scent, and by making claw marks on trees. Black bears are from four to six feet long and generally weigh 150 to 400 pounds. Males average about 300 pounds but may weigh up to 800 pounds.

Black bears have shorter claws then the brown bear. Their claws are curved. They are agile tree-climbers. A female will often have her cubs climb a tree when danger lurks. The black bear has small eyes, rounded ears, a long snout, and a short tail. Their color ranges from white through chocolate brown, but most are black or dark brown.

Brown Bears: The brown bear includes the grizzly and the Kodiak. Their color varies from creamy brown to black. They have long claws and are known for their aggressive behavior. They have been known to go after larger animals such as moose and elk. Males weigh from 300 to 850 pounds. They can be up to nine and a half feet long.

Brown bears prefer dense forests, tundra, and lower alpine mountain regions. They have a concave face, high-humped shoulders, and shorter, rounder ears than black bears. They den by digging through the roots of large trees.

Polar Bears: The polar bear is the most carnivorous and aggressive of bears. They are almost exclusively carnivores, preying on seals, walruses, and even narwhals or beluga whales. They are patient, sitting near a known hole or den for hours waiting for an animal to emerge. The polar bear eats only the skin and fat of its prey, leaving the rest of the carcass for other animals such as the arctic fox.

Polar bears are from eight to eleven feet long and generally weigh 500 to 1,000 pounds but can weigh up to 1,700 pounds. They sport a four inch layer of fat that keeps them warm and protects them from physical aggression. The polar bear has a longer, narrower head and nose, and smaller ears, than other bears. The polar bear appears white because of the optical qualities of its fur, but its skin is black to draw in heat. It can easily handle temperatures as low as –34 degrees Fahrenheit.

The polar bear can walk on ice easily due to special adaptations on their feet. They are also excellent swimmers. They move as well on ice or under water as they do on land. They do not hibernate unless pregnant. They tend to live in areas of annual ice such as northern shores. They spend their winters on pack ice. Pregnant females will, however, winter by digging a large den in the snow. They are not particularly territorial.

Cats, wild

Bobcat Cougar Jaguar
Common: wide areas
Class: animal
Organization: solitary
Activity Cycle: crepuscular
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 1
Level: 1+3 4+1 4+3
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 16 18 18
Attacks: claws and bite
Damage: d8/d4 2d6/2d6 2d6/2d8
Defense: +4 +5 +5
Special Defenses: +2 camouflage
Size: small medium medium
Special vision: night-1

The wild cats are all fearsome, known for their cunning and regal mien. Whether for their ferocity or their piercing, almost unearthly eyes, these cats will often play an important role in local lore. Cats are solitary, with each male patrolling a territory that includes one or more females.

They have keen senses: sight, hearing, and smell, gaining a bonus of 2 to any perception rolls. All are excellent climbers, all can swim (though most avoid water), and all are exceptionally strong for their size. They can jump great distances even with large prey in their mouths.

Their camouflage makes them difficult to see in forest or brush. There is a penalty of 2 to perception rolls to see a wild cat that is hiding.

Bobcat: The bobcat is only about twice the size of a housecat. Their fur is somewhat brown with dark streaks and a mottled appearance. Bobcats are great climbers, and will wait in trees for prey to come by, or for predators to leave. The bobcat primarily hunts small prey such as rabbits, squirrels, and birds. When hungry they may hunt prey as large as a deer. When they do, they will cover the remains with snow or leaves and return to it later.

Bobcat territories run from one square mile to twenty square miles. Their territories can double in winter or other times of scarcity, and their territories will often overlap with other bobcat territories. The bobcat is the most adaptable of the wild cats, and will live anywhere from the far north to near-desert areas, including right near urban areas.

Cougar: The cougar’s fur is brown to orange with lighter patches, though this varies from region to region. The cougar’s habitat ranges from snow to desert, and to mountains throughout that spread.

Cougars weigh about 200 pounds. They will drag prey up to a thousand pounds, and prefer large mammals such as deer and elk. Their territories run from ten to four hundred square miles. They run up to 40 miles an hour, jump up to ten feet straight up (even carrying prey), and leap up to forty feet, half that from a standing position.

The cougar is also known as panther, puma, or mountain lion. Unlike other large cats, it will not roar, instead sounding more like smaller cats.

Jaguar: The jaguar’s fur is yellow or orangish yellow, with dark patterns spotting it. A rare and fearsome form is all black. The jaguar prefers dense jungle, but will also live in forests and areas of water. The jaguar, unlike other cats, enjoys swimming.

Jaguars weigh about 200 pounds, and will carry creatures of up to 600 pounds in its jaws. Their territories range from fifty to a hundred square miles. They will occasionally share territory with a cougar.

The jaguar prefers large prey, and will even attack and kill armored creatures, its powerful bite piercing right through the armor. Its preferred attack is to bite straight through the top of the skull.

Jaguars are also known as panthers (especially the black version) and in some areas will be called a lion or tiger if no actual lions or tigers exist.

Crickets, giant

Rare: caves, underground
Class: animal
Organization: swarm
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: 2d4
Level: 2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 6/12
Attacks: legs
Damage: d4
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: noise
Size: medium (under 2 yards)
Special Vision: underground-4

These noisy crickets are more annoying than dangerous, though any victim caught in a swarm of them may disagree. The cricket’s chirping drowns out any normal noise; even yells are nearly impossible to hear over the chirping of three or more giant crickets.

While the giant cricket is herbivorous (eating any sort of plant product, including paper and cloth), they will investigate any new creatures within six yards as a possible source of food, hopping onto the creature and causing (on a successful attack roll) d4 points of damage.

They tend to live in large open caverns underground, where they will have room to hop (giving them their faster movement rate).

Gorillas

Normal Giant
Uncommon: jungles, forests
Class: animal
Organization: swarms
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d30 d12
Level: 5 9
Intelligence: low
Charisma: low
Movement: 2/16 3/18
Attacks: two claws
Damage: d12 3d8
Defense: +4 +6
Size: medium large

Because of their resemblance to humans, gorillas often have a special place in the local mythology. Gorillas are highly intelligent for animals and will use crude tools to solve simple problems. The giant gorilla will throw rocks at enemies, for 2d6 points damage.

A troop of gorillas will be lead by a silverback, usually the strongest or canniest among them, the alpha male. The silverback will likely have more survival points than the rest of the gorillas and may have a bonus of one or two to damage per attack.

Normal gorillas run about five and a half to six feet tall, and weigh 300 to 450 pounds The giant gorilla stands ten to fourteen feet tall, and weighs 1,200 to 2,000 pounds.

Ground sloths, giant

Rare: jungles
Class: animal
Organization: solitary
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d4
Level: 5+1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 11
Attacks: claws or tail
Damage: d12 or d4
Defense: +6
Special Attacks: tail, scream
Size: large (3 yards)

In shape vaguely like a bear, with thick red skin and long spiked tails, the giant ground sloth is a fearsome predator. The creature can stand and fight upright, but usually moves on all fours. It has a long face, almost like a camel’s or horse’s.

The giant ground sloth is also known for its unearthly scream, which gives other creatures a penalty of 2 to surprise rolls if they have not yet detected the sloth. The thick skin of the sloth can be difficult to penetrate, even by arrows, and provides the sloth with its high defense.

One species of giant ground sloth sports a prehensile, spiked tail. When attacking smaller creatures (small or smaller), the sloth will often swing this tail. On a successful attack, the target must make an evasion roll or be stuck. The sloth will then be more easily able to attack with its claws, as the opponent is now immobilized.

Horses, domestic and wild

Pack Riding War Wild
Uncommon: domesticated plains
Class: animal
Organization: domesticated herd
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: special 2d10
Level: 2+2 3 3+3 2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 10 14 14 16
Attacks: bite or kick
Damage: d4 or d6 d4 or d6 d6 or 2d6 d4 or d6
Defense: +2 +3 +3 +3
Size: large

Horses are commonly used as pack, draft, and riding animals among humans and, sometimes, Elves. In some areas, domesticated horses outnumber wild horses.

Wild horses roam plains and other relatively unforested grasslands, such as plains, steppes, and lightly-forested low hills. They graze on the grasses almost continuously. Each herd is led by a dominant mare and stallion, other mares, and offspring. They are mildly territorial, and more protective of the herd (especially mares) than of the territory.

Other herds can consist of colts who have been driven away by the lead stallion but who have not yet established dominance in another herd.

Some wild horse herds are actually herds of feral domestic horses. The statistics for a feral domestic horse is the same as for its fully domesticated relatives. Feral horses will be much more skittish, however, and more easily frightened. While riding horses can be captured and trained by skilled horsemen, feral warhorses cannot be trained as warhorses unless captured very young.

Horses can sleep lying down or standing up, and are ready to awaken and flee predators at a moment’s notice. Horses only need two or three hours of sleep each day, and may grab it in slices as short as 15 minutes. They need one to two hours of deep sleep—lying down—every day or two.

Humans

Ubiquitous: human cities
Class: animal
Organization: civilization
Moral Code: order
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 12
Attacks: fist
Damage: d3
Defense:
Size: medium (under 2 yards)

Humans are short-lived bipedal creatures. They come in many colors. Humans usually attack with weapons, though they can attack bare-handed. Humans live in tribal orders, often based on families. Families will often congregate together to form villages, which, if economically advantaged, may attract other families to form towns or cities.

Humans grow plants in fields for consumption, and will also both hunt animals and keep them for slaughter. They may also forage for foodstuffs, and will eat anything if they have enough salt or other spices available.

Leeches, giant

Uncommon: chaotic mist, swamps, jungles
Class: animal
Organization: masses
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: blood
Number: 2d10
Level: 1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: very low
Movement: 4
Attacks: bite at -2
Damage: 1
Defense: +3
Special Attacks: attachment
Size: small (one foot)

Purplish black, bloated slugs a foot long and half as wide, giant leeches attach to creatures and suck their blood. While slow, their rubbery skin makes it difficult to harm them.

On a successful attack by one of these creatures, the victim must make an evasion roll or the leech has attached itself and does one point of damage per round. It will unattach itself after taking ten points.

Salt or other such material will cause two points of damage per round to the leech. Removing a living leech requires a successful attack roll at a bonus of 3, and causes d4 points of damage to the victim. Removing a dead leech only causes 1 point of damage to the victim.

Lizards, giant

Uncommon: jungles, caves, underground, badlands
Class: animal
Organization: clans
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d8
Level: 5+1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 14
Attacks: claw/tail
Damage: d8/2d6
Defense: +4
Size: medium

These great green lizards resemble the much smaller desert iguana. They have long, thin bodies with a longer tail extending the length again of their bodies and more. They can sit motionless for hours and blend in well in jungle or cavern. Giant lizards are mostly herbivorous but do eat large insects, worms, and small creatures, and can be dangerous if attacked. They defend with their sharp claws and with their whip-like tail, which can snap even at targets in front of them. For this, the giant lizard is often known as a tailsnapper.

Octopuses, giant

Rare: seas
Class: animal
Organization: solitary
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 1
Level: 3 to 7
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 9/15
Attacks: tentacles (2) or bite
Damage: d6 or d8
Defense: +4
Special Defenses: ink, camouflage
Size: medium (2 to 10 yards)

These undersea creatures have a pouch-shaped bodies and eight sucker-covered tentacles. Their bodies and tentacles can grow up to eight yards end to end.

When threatened, the giant octopus can loose a cloud of blank ink that darkens an area twice level yards in diameter. The octopus will then leave as quickly as possible. Giant octopuses rarely attack anything that is as large as they are. Besides their ink, they can also change their color to blend in to their surroundings, granting a penalty of four on any rolls to detect the octopus. They may eject ink level times per day.

Giant octopuses will attack with their strong tentacles or their hard, sharp beak. The giant octopus may make up to two attacks with its tentacles, using its powerful suckers to tear its prey apart. On a successful called shot, if the victim fails an evasion roll the octopus has grabbed the victim and further tentacle or beak attacks are as for immobile targets. This may only be done on medium or smaller targets.

Giant octopuses move either by walking or by propelling themselves through the water by sucking in and then expelling water. Giant octopuses are very intelligent for animals and will learn from experience and may even be trained. They have excellent visual, smell, and taste perception.

Giant octopuses den beneath coral, rocks, or other natural features. Their dens are filled with the remains of their prey. They may squeeze through very narrow passages, as long as their hard beak can fit.

Orochs

Uncommon: forests, plains
Class: animal
Organization: herds
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d20
Level: 6+1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 14
Attacks: horns
Damage: 2d6 to 2d8
Defense: +3
Size: large
Special Vision: underground-3

Standing six feet tall at the shoulder or more, with horns two to four feet long, these fierce ancestors to domesticated cattle cannot be taken lightly. Rare except for in deep, virgin forests and isolated plains, these herbivores will nonetheless attack at the slightest provocation those who encroach on their territory.

Rats

Normal Giant
Uncommon: sewers, ponds, garbage swamps, sewers, ponds
Class: animal
Organization: packs
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d20
Level: 1 pt 1-1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 8 12
Attacks: bite or claw
Damage: 1 pt d3
Defense: +1
Special Attacks: none disease
Size: tiny small (2-3 ft)
Special Vision: underground-4 underground-3

The normal rat is generally cautious, avoiding human contact. It is only dangerous in packs, where the packs use the mass combat rules.

The giant rat, also known as the swamp beaver, is a furry, black-eyed giant rat, inhabiting both fresh and salt water areas. It is a master swimmer. It can easily stay submerged for ten minutes, and under extreme conditions for up to half an hour.

Giant rats often carry disease, and on a successful attack there is a 1 in 20 chance that the victim must make a health roll to avoid disease.

Snakes, large and giant

Common: forests, jungles, plains
Class: animal
Organization: den
Activity Cycle: many
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d6 d2
Level: 2 5 to 9
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 14 18
Attacks: 1 1
Damage: d6 2d8
Defense: +4 +6
Special Attacks: possible poison or constriction
Size: medium huge
Special Vision: underground-4

These larger than normal snakes come in many varieties. Large snakes can be four inches to six inches in diameter, and up to seven to twelve yards long. Giant snakes will be two or more feet in diameter and twenty to forty yards long or more.

Medium snakes can constrict around small or smaller victims. Huge snakes can constrict around large or smaller victims. Constriction requires a called shot, and the victim is allowed an evasion roll to avoid. Large snakes cause d6 points of constriction damage and giant snakes cause d10 points of constriction damage. Constriction damage is automatic, per round, once the evasion roll is failed. A victim trapped by a constriction attack can devote their efforts to trying to get out; an evasion roll will get them out, or a fortitude roll at a penalty of the snake’s level.

Most larger snakes are not poisonous, but some can be. As a general guideline large snake poison will have a strength of 4, an action time of one round, and cause d3 injuries. Giant snakes will not be poisonous.

Snake, poisonous

Common: forests, mountains
Class: animal
Organization: den
Activity Cycle: many
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 3d10
Level: 1/4
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 12
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1 point
Defense: +2
Special Attacks: poison
Size: small
Special Vision: underground-4

Poisonous snakes come in many varieties, and can be described as needed. Poisonous snake venom can vary in potency depending on the species, but as a general guideline has a strength of 2, an action time of one round, and causes d2 injuries.

Spiders, large and huge

Large Huge
Uncommon: underground, forests, plains
Class: animal
Organization: small roving bands
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d20 d10
Level: 1 2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 10
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1 point d3
Defense: +2 +1
Special Attacks: poison
Size: small
Special Vision: underground-2

Large spiders are fairly horrific: they look like large tarantulas the size of a small house cat, with the same temperament (they'll kill anything in sight as long as it moves) but not nearly as cuddly. Huge spiders are even worse, two to three feet high and as wide.

Anyone bitten by a spider must make an evasion roll or be poisoned. Large spider poison is relatively powerful. It has a strength of 1, an action time of one round, and causes d2 injuries. Huge spider poison has a strength of 2 and causes d3 injuries.

Many spiders will have a poison that, rather than injures, paralyzes for d2 or d3 minutes. They will then wrap the victim in webbing, drag back to their web, and eat the living victim at their leisure.

Squirrels, faerie

Common: forests (northern)
Class: animal
Organization: den
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: 4d10
Level: 1 point
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 12
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1 point
Defense: +3
Size: tiny
Special Vision: night-1

The faerie squirrel is generally indistinguishable from a normal grey squirrel during the summer and fall, but during winter its fur turns a light blue, its bushy tail a faded white.

The most amazing appearance given by the faerie squirrel (known as the komorleran, or snow squirrel among the Elves), is the twice yearly mating season. In early spring or early fall, the faerie squirrel turns nocturnal, and its bushy white tail becomes phosphorescent. At such a time a traveler in the northern forests can suddenly see tens or hundreds of glowing lights move quickly from tree to tree and finally out of sight again.

Faerie squirrel nest in trees, building their nests from twigs, leaves, and broad ferns.

Wolves

Normal wolf Dire wolf
Common: forests, mountains
Class: animal
Organization: pack
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Number: 2d8 2d6
Level: 3 4+1
Intelligence: animal low
Charisma: average
Movement: 16 18
Attacks: 2 claws, or bite 2 claws, or bite
Damage: d4 or d8 d6 or 2d6
Defense: +3 +4
Size: small medium
Special Vision: night-2 night-1

Wolves are carnivorous pack animals. They will usually stay away from humans unless conditions warrant otherwise, but they do eat domesticated animals whenever it is easy to do so. The wolf attacks with its claws and powerful jaws. If both claws are successful, it will also bite.

The dire wolf is an ancient animal, dating from the Pleistocene. In size only a little larger than a normal wolf, its jaws are much larger and more dangerous, tearing flesh and crushing bone. Dire wolves travel in slightly smaller packs, but are somewhat more cunning than the wolf, and make dangerous opponents in the dark forests of the world where older creatures still lurk.

Otherwise very much like a wolf, the dire wolf is braver around humans and preys on larger herd animals.

Wolverines

Common: mountains (northern)
Class: animal
Organization: den
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d8
Level: 2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 14
Attacks: 1
Damage: d6
Defense: +4
Size: small
Special Vision: underground-4

Wolverines live in high rocky foothills, usually near or above the timberline. They tunnel dens out of the hillsides and their tunnels can reach fifty yards. Their dens are sometimes hidden behind snowfields. They live in areas of high snowfall and their fur is particularly adapted to surviving in snow and cold. Because of this, wolverine fur is highly regarded and desired among human populations.

Wolverines are a form of weasel rather than wolf. They can sometimes resemble a small bear, with dark brown fur sometimes with a silvery facial pattern and sometimes streaked with two tan stripes down their length. They range from 30 to 60 pounds. Wolverines tend to live off of rodents such as squirrels and hare, and carrion of larger animals, but are capable of taking down larger prey. They have powerful teeth.

Wolverines generally travel or nest in groups of one male and one or more females, with one to three young per female. Wolverines can and will climb trees. While considered diurnal, the wolverine can be active both day and night and ranges widely in search of food. The wolverine will not generally attack any creature larger than itself but may scavenge among packs and tents for food, or attack weakened creatures.

The Chaotic Mist and the Dry City

The mist and the city are loosely inspired by some of the writings of Stephen King, some of the comic book work of Grant Morrison, some science fiction novels by Frank Herbert, and the Alice books of Lewis Carroll. In some places, the mist is a permanent fixture that none dare enter. In others, it appears and disappears on a regular basis, once every hundred years, or according to the stars. The chaotic mist is aimless chaos, wetness, swamp, jungle. The Dry City is empty order, desiccation, desert, ghost town.

Bandersnatch

Uncommon: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: schools
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 2d4
Level: 1-3
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 20
Attacks: 1
Damage: d2
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: burrowing
Size: tiny (3-5 inches

Bandersnatch (also, nerve runners) are tiny, fish-like creatures that burrow into their victims towards the victim’s brain. They are thin and flat, and usually live in swamps or ponds. They spawn once a month. During spawning ‘season’, the fish will attempt to lay their eggs in their victim. On a successful attack by the fish, the target must make an evasion roll or the bandersnatch has attached itself to the character’s flesh. The character has two rounds to pull it off (fortitude roll) or it has successfully burrowed into the victim. It does d6 points damage while burrowing in automatically. If the victim fails a fortitude roll (independent of any attempts to pull the creature off), the bandersnatch has successfully burrowed in and now does d10 points damage per round. If the victim fails another fortitude roll, the bandersnatch has reached the spinal cord (the victim will be unable to walk). Another failed fortitude roll (made each round) indicates that the bandersnatch has reached the brain, and the victim is dead. It will lay 10+d10 eggs, from which 2d4 nerve runners will hatch in seven days. The bandersnatch itself will die on laying its eggs.

Borogoves

Common: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: packs
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: 2d100
Level: 1-1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 8/4
Attacks: claw/claw/bite
Damage: 1/1/1
Defense: +2
Size: small (6-12 inches)
Special Vision: night-2

Borogoves are small, rodent-like creatures, furry, and green, with large, flat tails. These membranous tails expand when the borogoves eat, filling with an extremely light gas and expanding to six or more feet across, lifting the borogoves into the air. Their feet are very tiny, serving mostly to move them from mouthful to mouthful. They have long snouts. Borogoves will generally not attack unless provoked.

Crazy crabs

Common: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: hordes
Activity Cycle: nocturnal by tide
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d20 to 2d100
Level: 1+2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 6 (4 underwater)
Attacks: claws
Damage: d8
Defense: +4
Size: small (up to one yard)
Special Vision: underground-4

Crazy crabs are crab-or lobster-like creatures, mottled brown and pink, with unevenly-sized legs and claws. They breathe air, but may remain active underwater for two days and can remain inactive for months. Crazy crabs prefer meat and will swarm living creatures.

Cyclopeata

Rare: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Activity Cycle: active 1-2 hours at noon
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 1
Level: 27
Intelligence: low animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 30
Attacks: stomp or bite
Damage: 3d6 or 3d8
Defense:
Size: gigantic (60 yards)

These gigantic creatures feed on trees, water plants and creatures, and other large animals. The Cyclopeata reproduce asexually by leaving huge, rock-like eggs two to three yards wide. These things are huge. A cyclopeata averages 120 yards long, 40 yards wide, and sixty yards tall. Their legs alone (they have about sixteen, eight pairs) are three yards wide, and their “stumpy” tail can extend another fifteen yards.

Echos

Rare: dry city
Class: fantastic
Organization: none
Moral Code: evil, chaotic evil, or ordered evil
Number: 1

There are strange angles that reflect not the world, but distortions of it. Viewing such a reflection can return an echo of the viewer: the echo will be an almost identical counterpart of the character and will have the same abilities (with perhaps one or two different abilities which, if not opposite, will be strangely similar). However, the echo will be malevolent. It will be Evil. If the original is Ordered, their echo will be Chaotic. If the original is Chaotic, their echo will be Ordered. The echo will always work in opposition to the original, even if both are Evil.

An echo cannot be permanently killed while reflected in a mirror or other reflective surface. Echos will always try to ensure that there are mirrors nearby. Their lairs are reflection-filled junkyards. If an echo is killed while reflected, the echo’s reflection will take form when the echo feels it is safe to return. The echo will return one level higher. At the first new level and each odd level thereafter, the echo gains a new specialty according to the nature of the reflection.

Enveloping grasp: The echo can grow forward in hideously lengthened shapes to attack and move, bypassing any obstacles as long as some reasonable route exists to their destination. Their combat movement is multiplied by their echo level, and they gain +2 to attack. Often gained if killed while reflected in a funhouse or large concave mirror.

Eyelink: If killed while reflected in someone’s eyes, the echo can view the world through that person’s eyes, no matter where that person is.

Facial reflection: The echo may reflect and hold a person’s face. While their body remains the same (the original body they are an echo of), their face, hair, and head become a perfect duplicate of the person they’re looking at. They can then hold this reflection for as long as they wish. The person whose face they’re reflecting will usually notice it since it happens immediately, so this power is most often used against captives or sleeping individuals. Often gained if killed while reflected in a hand mirror or bureau mirror.

Insubstantiality: The echo can fade to a translucent, insubstantial form. This form is difficult to see at night and makes it easier to hide in shadows, behind windows, and around corners during the day. There is a penalty of the echo’s level to any attempts to see the echo. The echo can also walk through transparent and translucent barriers at half movement. This will include not only glass but thin ice, rice paper, and gauzy fabrics. If lights and shapes are visible through the barrier, the echo can move through it. Often gained if reflected in dusty or misty mirrors, or hazy bodies of water.

Invisible corner: The echo can turn around any corner into an extradimensional space. The echo ceases to exist in the “real world” and can neither see nor be seen, but can hear and be heard as if they still were at or in that corner. Often gained if killed while reflected in a faceted crystal or mirror.

Mirror motion: The echo can travel from mirror to mirror as long as the mirrors are in line of sight or the same building. Often gained if killed while reflected in a mirror, especially a full-length mirror.

Quicksilver motion: The echo can take a mercury-like form and move at 24 through any terrain or passage, however small. The liquid form cannot attack. It has +2 to defense and is immune to non-magical weapons. Often gained if killed while reflected in liquid.

New form: The echo returns from the mirror with the form of another person who had been reflected when the echo died. The echo can switch between their new form and their old form by stepping into a mirror, then stepping out in the new form.

Refracted damage: Half of all damage done to the echo goes to the original instead. Often gained if killed while fighting their original, and both are reflected.

Shiver: The echo can break into up to charisma smaller, identical bodies, each with identical clothes, weapons, etc. If the echo splits into two bodies, each will be half the size of the other with half the survival. Each will attack as normal, although size will likely reduce the damage of their weapons as normal. If a shiver dies, that shiver’s survival is lost as normal, and can be healed as normal. Often gained if killed while reflected in a faceted crystal or broken mirror.

Shadowcast: The echo may become a two-dimensional shadow and move about walls and other mostly vertical surfaces at movement 18. The shadow must remain in contact with the point where the vertical surface meets the ground, but can otherwise move about, foreshorten, and lengthen, as desired. The shadow cannot attack. It has a +4 to defense and is immune to non-magical weapons. Often gained if killed while reflected in obsidian or other jet-black material.

Fire spiders

Common: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: ant-like
Activity Cycle: a third active at any time
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d8 (4d6 in lair)
Level: 4+2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 8 (normal)/10 (web)
Attacks: bite or web
Damage: 2d4 or d8
Defense: +3
Size: medium (3.5 to 4.5 feet)
Special Vision: underground-2

Fire spiders are huge, white, spider-like creatures with red eyes and slavering teeth. They appear mostly in caves or dense forest.

The webs of fire spiders burn flesh. Each fire spider can shoot one strand of web each round, up to three yards away. If the target fails an evasion roll, the web sticks and thus continues doing damage even after the initial hit, for d6 points per round. It will do this for d4+3 rounds. Characters can devote their attention to removing the web strand and are allowed an evasion roll each round. A successful reaction removes the web and no damage is taken that round. The webs burn hotter in water. If a character attempts to put the fire out by jumping in water, the damage is increased to 2d6 per round.

Greythorn vines

Uncommon: dry city
Class: fantastic
Organization: patches
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 2d6
Level: 2
Intelligence: plant
Charisma: plant
Movement: none
Attacks: three vines
Damage: d6 per vine
Defense: +3
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground-1

These tall, grayish-green fuzzy plants sport six flailing vines extending from a central bulbous axle on a thick stalk. Each vine ends in a bulbous, spiked, star-like appendage. The stalk rises from a fuzzy grayish-green mound of roots. The greythorn may attack up to three targets with one vine each, or may attack any one target with two vines.

Headless men

Very Rare: dry city
Class: fantastic
Organization: squadrons
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d8
Level: 3
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 11
Attacks: weapon
Damage: weapon+2
Defense: +2
Special Attacks: terror, wind
Size: medium

The headless men, or acephali, are strange creatures of the dry city with, as their name implies, no head. Their eyes, and their huge mouth, are in their chest.

Any three or more headless men may, instead of attacking, emit a silent scream that causes terror in all other living creatures within range. The range is ten yards forward for each headless man screaming. Victims must make a fortitude roll or run directly away from the headless screamers. Headless men may scream once per hour. The scream of the headless men also creates a great wind. Those within the path of the wind who are holding papers or similar light objects must make an evasion roll or the papers blow away out of their hands at least to the end of the scream’s range.

The headless men appear as muscular men. Their gaping mouths contain large teeth but no apparent tongue. Their eyes, where nipples would normally be, are slightly larger and blink slightly less often, than a human’s. They generally use spears to attack any who withstand their terror attack, though they may use any weapon. Because of their peculiarity, they do not wear armor, nor any clothing above the waist.

Hooded dasher

Uncommon: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: herds
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivores
Number: 2d4 (2d20)
Level: 2+2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 18 (6 water)
Attacks: claws/bite
Damage: d6/d2
Defense: +3
Special Attacks: crawling
Size: small (about a yard long)

Hooded dashers are flat, silvery, jellyfish-like creatures that live among gently rolling hills. If both front claws successfully hit an opponent, the victim must make an evasion roll or the dasher has crawled upon them and also attacks with the rear claws, and bites them as well.

Jabberwocks

Uncommon: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic evil
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 1
Level: 7
Intelligence: low
Charisma: high
Movement: 9 (6 flying)
Attacks: claws/bite
Damage: d10/d8
Defense: +7
Special Attacks: desiccation gaze
Size: large (3-5 yards)
Special Vision: night

Jabberwocks are winged, dragon-like creatures, slate grey, with tough scaly skin and eyes of fire. They appear on dry plains or in the dry cities of the mist. Anyone meeting a jabberwock’s gaze loses 2d10 survival from desiccation. If they die from the gaze they turn to grey ash, falling apart at the slightest touch. Any wishing to fight the jabberwocky without meeting its gaze must make a perception roll each round.

Jubjub birds

Uncommon: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: nuclear family
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: snakes, grubs, worms
Number: d4
Level: 3+1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: very low
Movement: 8 (32 flying)
Attacks: claws/bite
Damage: d4/d4
Defense: +3
Special Attacks: paralyzing scream
Size: medium (5 yard wingspan)

The jubjub is a vulture-like creature with grey feathers tinged with a metallic green at the edges, mottled black on the underside. They usually live on rocky cliffs.

Jubjubs rarely attack large creatures, doing so only if the nest is threatened or if they need a corpse for laying eggs. The nest of the jubjub is lined with bodies. The young eat the grubs and worms which form on the corpses.

Adult jubjubs have a paralyzing scream which they may use once per day. It affects a cone three yards wide at six yards. Targets are allowed a fortitude roll to avoid paralysis. Paralysis lasts 2d4 rounds.

Memory moss

Rare: dry city
Class: fantastic
Organization: plant
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: memories
Number: 1
Level: 2
Defense:
Special Attacks: thought loss
Size: small (3-foot patches)

Memory moss appears as a thick bright green moss growing in small patches on man-made structures, usually stone walls.

Memory moss has only one attack: it can shoot small astral tendrils out towards anyone within ten feet. If the target is within three feet, physical tendrils come out as well, giving the target a penalty of 2 to the reaction roll. Victims are allowed a willpower roll to avoid short term memory loss: the moss eats their memory of what they were just doing, and they forget the last d4 minutes. Memory moss may attack one potential victim at a time.

Anyone eating memory moss will acquire some of the memories that the moss has eaten, but must make a perception roll or go insane for d20 hours. They must also make a health roll or lose d6 survival.

Mist wraith

Rare: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: 8 hours awake, 20 asleep
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 1
Level: 8+6
Intelligence: semi-intelligent
Charisma: average
Movement: 1
Attacks: 1-6
Damage: d4
Defense: +3 body/+6 tentacle
Size: huge (5-10 yard diameter)
Special Vision: night

Mist wraiths inhabit deep swamps, and their tentacles can reach 30 to 100 yards. Most adventurers attack only the tentacles, which have 2d6 survival points each. A mist wraith which loses one tentacle is unlikely to risk more.

Mist wraiths may attack with up to six tentacles at a time, and may extend one tentacle per round. (At their center, they may attack simultaneously with up to twelve tentacles.) The tentacles can “hear” rough sounds, at a perception penalty of four.

On a successful attack, the target must make an evasion roll or be caught by the tentacle, losing d4+1 survival points per round thereafter. The defense of the tentacle while it is holding a victim is reduced to +3.

Mushroom walker

Uncommon: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: groves
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: soil nutrients, corpses
Number: d12
Level: 5
Intelligence: plant
Charisma: none
Movement: 5
Defense: +6
Special Attacks: spores, hallucinations
Size: medium (2 yards)
Special Vision: night-2

These mottled brown and orange upside-down mushrooms with woody, ambulatory trunks are the scourge of the swamps of the Chaotic Mist.

The tough, woody mushroom walker can eject three kinds of spores: protective spores, hallucinatory spores, and reproductive spores. It may eject protective spores once per round for up to four rounds, whereupon it may eject protective spores once every four rounds. Protective spores are a chronic ailment of strength 3, that cause d4 survival points of damage per round from choking.

It may eject hallucinatory spores given three rounds of not ejecting any other spores. These are a chronic poison with a strength of 2 and an action time of one round, that cause extreme hallucinations of fear. Affected characters are likely to see extreme versions of what they fear from the mist or from swamps: mold zombies, quicksand, thousands of poisonous spiders, huge spiders, poisonous snakes writhing all over their bodies, suffocation, leeches covering their bodies.

It may eject reproductive spores four hours after deciding to. Reproductive spores are chronic poisons with strength zero, that cause d4 injuries per day. Six days after death, the corpse of the victim will sprout d4 more mushroom walkers.

If it detects movement over a period of three rounds, it will usually eject hallucinatory spores. If it is attacked, or the second round after it ejects hallucinatory spores, it will eject protective spores. After ejecting protective spores, it will usually eject reproductive spores.

Not flies

Uncommon: dry city
Class: fantastic
Organization: swarms
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: nothing
Number: 2d20
Level: 1 hp
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 16
Defense: +9
Special Attacks: distraction
Size: tiny
Special Vision: night-1

Not Flies are attracted to nothing. They have the head of humans and perpetually look as if they are about to say something. The look on the face of the Not Fly requires its opponents to make a willpower roll or lose concentration and not do anything for a round.

Unlike normal flies, which are attracted to and feed of animal dung or human waste, Not Flies are attracted to nothing and they feed of the waste of time. When nothing is getting accomplished, or nothing is getting done, Not Flies are sure to swarm about, leaving as soon as something is accomplished.

Anyone who dies in the vicinity of a Not Fly is likely to bear a swarm of 2d20 Not Flies, each with the corpse’s likeness, in 13 to 24 hours, depending on how little is getting done during that time period.

Oblivion fleas

Common: dry city
Class: fantastic
Organization: small swarms
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: dreams
Number: d20
Level: 1 hp
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 2
Attacks: bite
Damage: none
Defense: +11
Special Attacks: eat dreams
Size: fine
Special Vision: underground-2

Oblivion fleas infest people who are dreaming, and suck away their dreams. Those bitten by a swarm of oblivion fleas are allowed a willpower roll. If successful, the fleas could not suck their dreams away. If unsuccessful, that character is infested with oblivion fleas, which will try to suck the character’s dreams every time the character sleeps (as well as infect the sleeper’s companions).

Not dreaming incurs the same penalties as not sleeping; even though the character might have received a full night’s sleep, it is as if the character hasn’t slept at all.

Pink horror

Common: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: hive
Activity Cycle: a third active at any time
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d100
Level: 1+1
Intelligence: low
Charisma: very low
Movement: 18 flying/8 walking
Attacks: claw/claw/bite
Damage: d8/d8/d4
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: poison
Special Defenses: immune to acids and fire
Size: small (1-2 feet)
Special Vision: night-1

Pink horrors are the pink of burnt flesh healed over. They have fiery red eyes set upon two short, limber stalks, twelve pod-feet with fat sucker-pods, and a triangular head with a heavy, hooked beak.

Three times per day, a pink horror may make a called shot bite for poison in addition to its other attacks, and will usually do so if a potential meal has fallen or is very bloody. The chronic poison has a strength of 0, an action time of 2 rounds, and its effect is to paralyze the victim. The pink horror will not bite unless biting to poison.

Pink horrors are generally of low intelligence, however, some exceptional Horrors may have average intelligence.

Pink trumpets

Common: ruins of the chaotic mist
Class: plant
Organization: patches
Activity Cycle: special
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d20 square yards
Level: 1 per square yard
Intelligence: plant
Charisma: none
Movement: 1
Attacks: strangulation (at –4)
Damage: d4
Defense:
Special Attacks: acid cone
Size: small
Special Vision: underground-2

Pink trumpets are a crawling vine that grows to cover the ruins and dead trees of the Chaotic Mist. Their trumpet-like, bright pink flowers hang down from the masses of vines that overrun wall, ceiling, branch, and stone. The acidic juice of their flowers digests wood, bone, and stone, very slowly over time.

Once every six rounds, per level, they can shoot a cone of acid that does d6 points of damage to anyone within a cone one yard at the start and three yards at the end, four yards long. Victims can make an evasion roll for half damage.

If disturbed (or attacked), the vines will move to strangle the source of their discomfort. On a successful attack (at –4), the victim must make an evasion roll or a fortitude roll to avoid being caught in the vines. Caught victims will take d4 points damage automatically each round thereafter until the vine patch is destroyed (or the victim destroys at least 4d6 points of vine in a four round period).

Prayer bees

Very rare: dry city
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: noise (prayers)
Number: 1
Level: 5
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 24
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2d4
Defense: +3
Special Defenses: +1 weapon required
Special Attacks: noise
Size: medium
Special Vision: night-1

Prayer bees are creatures of pure sound, brought forth by strident prayer. Out of the Dry City they are attracted to any loud noises, especially prayer meetings. The Prayer Bee sounds like a swarm of bees, though if a victim listens closely they might hear the high-pitched mumblings of the prayers or other monologues the Prayer Bee has eaten.

Prayer bees may be attacked with magical weapons (+1 or greater needed), or by creating silence. Each round of normal silence, the Prayer Bee loses one survival point; each round of magical silence causes the Prayer Bee to lose two survival points.

Prayer bees attack with pure noise. Their standard attack is a powerful noise attack that causes 2d4 points damage to armored individuals, 3d4 to those wearing plated armor, and d4 to those wearing padded, leather, or no armor.

The Prayer bee may instead, however, send forth a destructive cone of sound three yards long, one yard wide at the start and two yards wide at the end. All items within the cone must make a fortitude roll or shatter.

Or, the prayer bee may send forth a thunderclap of immense sound in a deafening cone seven yards long, one yard wide at the start and three yards wide at the end. Any characters in the cone must make a fortitude roll or be deafened for 2d4 rounds. Characters deafened by the prayer bee’s deafening cone will be at a penalty of 1 to attack and 1 to defense.

Raths

Common: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: tribes
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d8 (5d10 per tribe)
Level: 2
Intelligence: low
Charisma: low
Movement: 10 (6 in trees)
Attacks: 1
Damage: d4+2 or per weapon, +2
Defense: +3
Size: medium (4.5 to 6 feet)

Raths are darkish, chimp-like creatures, but thinner. They have low intelligence, and some tribes or individuals within tribes may use clubs or spears. Many also continue to fight unarmed. Their long arms are very strong.

Raths gain a bonus of 2 to damage due to their strength. Raths have their own language, and are attracted to shiny objects left unattended.

Scissormen

Very Rare: dry city
Class: fantastic
Organization: special
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: none
Number: 1 or d10
Level: 1-1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: very high
Movement: 8
Attacks: scissors
Damage: d4
Defense: +4
Special Attacks: cut victim from reality
Special Defenses: partial invisibility
Magic Resistance: 2
Size: medium (2 yards or under)
Special Vision: night

The scissormen herald the coming of the Dry City. They appear as paper-thin (and may be mistaken for playing card men, usually red-clothed jacks). They carry huge scissors, which they use to attack. They prefer to hunt children and young women.

Scissormen are rarely surprised and have a bonus of 3 on perception rolls for surprise. Outside of the dry city, victims who are hit by their scissors must make a willpower roll or they are cut out of this world and into the Dry City. All that remains is a paper-like outline covered in the words of the victim’s life. Inside the city, the victim mindlessly rushes about searching for nothing they can vocalize. If the victim and the victim’s words are brought together, the victim returns to normal.

Scissormen can become invisible, if they are away from bright light, by turning to their sides and remaining still. Scissormen can travel from the dry city through open books. They can return to the city through the cut-out words of their victims.

Dead scissormen float to the ground as children’s drawings.

Spinnerett

Uncommon: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: herds
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d8 (2d10)
Level: 4
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: very low
Movement: 4+windspeed (1 vertically)
Attacks: 2-3 tentacles
Damage: d4 each
Defense: +2
Special Attacks: paralyzing web
Size: large (3-5 yards diameter)
Special Vision: night-2

Spinneretts are balloon-shaped creatures with flaps and baffles and six tentacles hanging down two or three yards. They have a tail which acts as a rudder in the wind, so they may move in any direction except directly against the wind.

Spinneretts achieve buoyancy with hydrogen, and any flame attack has a 10% change per point of damage of causing one to explode. When a Spinnerett explodes, anyone in a radius equal to twice its diameter must make a fortitude roll or lose 3d6 survival points. Those who succeed take half damage.

Up to three tentacles may attack in unison, only two may attack a single medium-sized individual.

Once per day, a spinnerett may drop a three yard diameter web from their tail area. Anyone hit by the web (evasion roll) must make a health roll at a penalty of one (cumulative) for each round that they remain trapped by the web. A successful fortitude roll gets them out of the web.

Toves

Commonly Found: chaotic mist
Class: fantastic
Organization: pack
Activity Cycle: 2-3 hours/2-3 hours
Diet: dirt and flesh
Number: 2d20
Level: 2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: high
Movement: 6 burrowing/24 flying
Attacks: 1
Damage: d4+2
Defense: +6
Size: tiny (12-18 inches)
Special Vision: underground-3

Toves are scaled, lizard-like creatures with many wings and no legs. They inhabit areas where a small bit of sunlight shines through the mist, usually a meadow or clearing. Their mouths are a corkscrew-like appendage able to dig through dirt and tear through flesh. They can act cute and cuddly (to those who like lizards, anyway) when multiple creatures are nearby, but attack in droves (at least six toves) if they encounter a lone creature.

Toves attack by burrowing. A corpse that has been fed on by toves will be riddled with holes.

Trivial pursuits

Uncommon: dry city
Class: undead
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: ordered
Activity Cycle: always active
Number: 1
Level: 1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 9
Special Attacks: possession
Special Vision: night

Trivial pursuits (or trivial tasks) are the pathetic ghosts of people who died while desperately worried over some trivially inane task.

Trivial pursuits possess their victims to complete their task. Victims are allowed a willpower roll to avoid possession. If possessed, the victim will complete the task, which can include things like going to the bathroom, making a shopping list, or writing a thank you note. Most trivial pursuits are sated once their task is completed. Some (perhaps 10%) are doomed to continually perform the same task over and over; they will leave the victim once the task is completed in either case.

Violents

Very Rare: chaotic mist
Class: plant
Organization: carpets
Activity Cycle: always
Number: d12
Level: 1/2
Intelligence: plant
Charisma: none
Movement:
Attacks: special
Damage: 1
Defense: -1
Size: tiny (5-12 inches)

The violet, deliciously-fragrant clover-like flowers of the violents carpet some forests of the Chaotic mist. The sticky flowers emit an intoxicating smell. Those walking through a carpet of violents must make a health roll or be affected by the delicious but deadly fragrance of these plants. The odor of the plants is a strength zero sleep poison, with an action time of three rounds. It causes those affected to sleep for 2d6 hours.

If the affected creature falls within a carpet, the violents will begin to grow over the creature, doing one point of damage per hour. If the affected creature falls outside of a carpet, there is still a 30% chance that the carpet was able to attach some flowers to the creatures feet and legs, which will begin to work in d6 hours. After that time, they will act as above, doing one point of damage per hour.

Demons

“Know that there are two worlds of life and death: one of which you now behold, but the other is underneath the grave, where inhabit the shadows of all forms that think and live, till death unite them and they part no more.”——Percy Bysshe Shelley, Prometheus Unbound

With the first light on the Gods was cast the first shadow. Demons are almost a mockery of the Gods, but are more aptly the shadow of them. Demons will have strange powers, and the more powerful ones will have spheres of influence. By their nature, demons will form hierarchies of control. This is not to say that they are Ordered, but that stronger ones will attempt to rule over weaker ones. Demons are the embodiment of evil: everything is practical; morality is a myth.

Where the pantheons exist separately for many cultures, the shadows are a hodge-podge, jumbled together and ill-defined. Some demons will take part in some pantheons, but will always live apart.

Major demons are generally restricted from appearing in the normal world unless summoned or in weakened avatars. When they do appear it will usually be at night. While in the normal world, they are susceptible to banishment by prophets and to dispel or control by ritual.

Demons are not susceptible to old age, malnourishment, starvation, or disease. They are not born, they are created from their own flaws. Where a demon type is noted as eating their victims’ flesh or drinking their victims’ blood, this is not for physical nourishment but to satisfy a spiritual craving or addiction.

If a demon is killed on the physical plane, it will usually bubble away to nothing within a number of rounds equal to its level. Once dead, its spirit returns to the plane that spawned it.

Demons will take d6 points of damage from appropriately blessed holy water. Against demons who have the ability to regenerate damage, holy water damage will not heal at greater than 1 survival point per night.

All demons, unless otherwise specified, have the equivalent of underground vision at a penalty of two. In many cases it isn’t actually vision—some demons don’t have eyes—but is an equivalent sense common to the shadows.

Demonic Powers

Named demons usually have access to demonic abilities. Some of these abilities require the use of demonic power points.

Places of power that are morally aligned with evil grant demons more power. For every use of their demonic powers, the level of the place of power reduces the demonic power point cost. Every power that would otherwise cost power points must still cost at least 1 point, however.

When attempting to use demonic power in Good areas, such as holy ground or blessed areas, costs are ten times normal.

These powers are most easily used within level times two yards. If the demon tries to use the power within level times twenty yards, the cost is increased by one, success chances are penalized by (or victim reaction rolls increased by) two. If within level times 200 yards, cost is increased by two and success chances penalized by four. If within level times 2,000 yards, cost is increased by three and success chances penalized by six, etc.

For free powers, costs are not increased, but the penalty to the chance of success is doubled.

Demonic powers can work across dimensions if there are doorways that cross those dimensions. Apply distance penalties according to the distance to and from the doorway.

Power Cost Casting time
Burn 1 point 1 hour
Delusions 1 point per sense Instant
Dominate 6 points 1 minute
Emotional High 1 point 1 round
Glamer of Life 1-2 points Instant
Influence 1 point 3
Invisibility Free Instant
Notice Power Free Instant
Raise Skeleton/Corpse Level points Level times ten minutes
Ride-along 1 point Instant
Summon Unnamed Demon Level points Level hours
Surface Telepathy Free Instant
Teleport Self 1 point 4
Teleport Other 2 points 8
Words of Power Free Instant

Casting time is the amount of time it takes to use the power. Each additional demonic power point will half the casting time.

If the victim is allowed a reaction roll, the demon may penalize that reaction by the number of extra power points used for that purpose. The demon may apply extra points to any roll affecting them as a bonus on a one to one basis, as needed. That is, if a successful summoning were to require a 13 or less, and the Guide rolls 15, the Guide can have the demon use two extra points to turn the failure into a success.

If a power summons or creates creatures that have a level, the demon may only easily summon or create creatures with a level equal to or less than their own level. The per level costs are doubled if the summoned or created creature is higher level than the demon.

Normally, summoned or created creatures are like henchmen. They will take orders from the demon but are basically autonomous. If the demon would like to summon or create a creature under their domination, the per level costs are increased by one point. The demon may then fully control the creature.

Burn: Burning takes a long time. The demon may brown up to one square inch of burnable material such as paper or cloth. Burning twice blackens. Burning three times will burn the target into ash. (Flammable material such as oil can be lit aflame with one use of burn.)

Delusions: The demon can twist the victim’s perceptions so that what they see, hear, taste, touch, and smell take on different meanings and altered forms. People are still there, but their gender is altered, hair changes shape, and teeth perceived as fangs; footsteps might sound like gunfire (or gunfire like footsteps); or the sweet aroma of baking bread like bodies baking in the sun. Delusions may be disbelieved in the same way that illusions can.

Dominate: Dominate gives the demon full control over the victim’s actions. Victims are allowed a willpower roll to avoid domination. Attempts to make the victim perform suicidal actions or seriously harm close friends will allow further willpower rolls to throw off the domination.

Emotional High: The emotional demon can cause any target to feel the emotions that the demon normally feeds on. Victims are allowed a willpower roll to avoid the effects. The demon cannot feed off of emotions that they cause through emotional high but they can benefit from any appropriate emotions that the victim might cause.

Glamer of Life: Glamer of Life makes a skeleton or corpse appear as it did in life. It can also affect food, making it appear as it did when fresh. For an extra point, this can apply to a raised skeleton or corpse’s actions. The corpse won’t be as intelligent or loquacious as it was in life, but it will have the same verbal and physical mannerisms that it had in life.

Influence: Influence allows the demon cause the victim to perform one action. The act being influenced must be somewhat reasonable. The influence will manifest itself as a strong desire. Victims are allowed a willpower roll to overcome the influence.

Invisibility: If the demon is inhabiting a living creature, the demon may make their host invisible to normal, night, and underground vision. They are not so much invisible as they are unnoticeable.

Notice Power: The demon can sense magical or divine power used within range. Every time such power is used, roll d20 against the demon’s level, with a bonus of the spell level or the spirit level. On a success, the demon knows that a spell was cast or that a spirit was manifested. It does not know what the spell or spirit manifestation was, however.

Raise Skeleton/Corpse: The demon may animate a skeleton or corpse as an undead creature. The Guide makes a roll against the demon’s wisdom, with a penalty of half the level of the undead. The demon can give these undead simple instructions from anywhere, and can see through the eyes of one such undead at a time. Improperly buried or vandalized corpses are easier to turn into undead: it only takes one minute per desired level, and there is no penalty to the demon’s wisdom roll. If the demon ties the undead to some earthly treasure, or limits them to a specific action, the point cost and wisdom penalty is halved.

Ride-along: The demon can ride along in the mind of an intelligent creature, seeing what they see and perceiving what they perceive. The demon can also manifest their powers from the ride-along. The target gets a willpower roll to avoid becoming an unwitting host to the demon, but once the demon is riding along, the demon can enter or leave that creature at will, for as long as its demonic power point(s) remain in play.

Summon Unnamed Demon: The demon may summon a demonic creature from the shadows. Only general creatures may be summoned, such as a screeching bat or a blood puddle. Named or specific demons cannot be summoned with this power. The Guide must make a roll against the demon’s charisma, with a penalty of the level of the summoned creature. The summoning demon can sense where the summoned demons are at any time as a conscious action.

Surface Telepathy: The demon may read the surface thoughts of anyone in range. The chance of success is ten plus the demon’s level. Surface thoughts are limited mostly to what the victim is actually saying. The demon may also speak to the victims telepathically, either as an external voice or an internal voice. To the unaware, it will seem as if they are thinking these thoughts themselves (internal) or that someone is speaking to them (external). Internal speaking can give the victim a penalty of two on any rolls to do things that they aren’t so sure about, such as looking for secret doors (there might not be any at all). If the victim recognizes that such influence is happening or otherwise actively resists their own insecurity, the penalty will not apply. If the demon is inhabiting a host, surface telepathy can give it a bonus of two to attack.

Teleport: The range of teleport is normally level times two yards. For every additional cost, range can be multiplied by ten. For example, to teleport someone else level times 20,000 yards away (normal range multiplied by ten, four times) will cost eight points instead of two. Victims of teleport are allowed an evasion roll to avoid the teleport. The demon may teleport up to level times ten pounds, and may double this for each additional power point used.

Words of Power: There is a special phrase that will draw the demon’s attention and allow the demon a presence where the words are spoken. The demon must somehow have access to the plane or dimension that the words are spoken on, such as by being on that world or having doors to that world. The demon can choose to manifest their powers——or themselves——within level yards of the speaker. The words of power will include the demon’s name and usually some honorific, such as “Lord of Chaos” or “Heaven’s Scourge”.

Bats, screeching

Common: hellish areas
Class: demon
Organization: flocks
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d8
Level: 3
Intelligence: low
Charisma: high
Movement: 3/15
Attacks: bite
Damage: 2d4
Defense: +3
Special Attacks: painful distraction
Magic Resistance: 1
Size: small

A screeching bat is a large, dangerous bat-like creature, pitch black with ice-blue unblinking eyes. It is a touch and ferocious creature.

When the screeching bat screeches, any who can hear it within six yards must make a fortitude roll or be unable to do anything except cover their ears and try to avoid the painful noise. Their defense is at a penalty of four.

Screeching bats do not usually appear in large numbers in hell, but appear on Earth in hellish infestations or accompanying a demon.

Blood puddles

Very Rare: hell
Class: demon
Organization: puddles
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d6
Level: 1 per yard square
Intelligence: low
Charisma: low
Movement: 6
Attacks: engulf
Damage: level d6
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: armor only half effective
Special Defenses: immune to normal weapons
Magic Resistance: level
Size: special

Blood puddles are black putrescent slowly bubbling puddles of thick, gooey blood, formed from the tormented souls of murderers and torturers. The puddles are immune to normal weapons. They may be affected by fire or cold attacks (at half damage). Magical weapons do only their bonus in damage.

Blood puddles may combine into larger puddles. Multiple blood puddles may combine into a single blood puddle with a level equal to their total levels. Large puddles may break apart into smaller puddles of lesser levels.

Blood puddles move by pooling across and up surfaces. They move at half speed moving straight up a surface. Their touch burns living flesh for level d6 points of damage. Armor is only half effective against the blood puddle’s oozing attack. Thus, armor that would give a bonus of 4 only gives a bonus of 2 against a puddle attack.

Brood of Kerberos

Common: hell
Class: demon
Organization: packs or as summoned
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 3 to 5
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 13
Attacks: one bite per head
Damage: d8 per bite
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: poison, tail
Special Defenses: alertness
Magic Resistance: 2+headcount
Size: medium

The brood of Kerberos are the offspring of the underworld’s canine guardian. These hell hounds have from one to three canine heads. The more heads they have, the more powerful they are. Their level is two plus the number of heads they have. They may attack as many times per round as they have heads.

The brood look like dogs at first sight, but closer examination reveals a reptilian cast to their thick skin. Some even have a snake for a tail.

The brood are often summoned to serve as guardians, and are difficult to surprise. They have a bonus of 4 to surprise and other perception rolls even when sleeping.

The bite of one of these hell hounds is poisonous. The poison is strength 5, with an action time of 1 minute, and causes d4 injuries.

A quarter of the brood have a snake for a tail. The snake may attack separately from the head(s) and is as poisonous as a head.

Crowns of eyes

Very Rare: hell
Class: demon
Organization: crowds
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: flesh
Number: 1-10
Level: 2
Intelligence: low
Charisma: average
Movement: 20
Attacks: claw
Damage: d4
Defense: +6
Special Attacks: death explosion, grip
Special Defenses: eyes, blunt weapons, heat
Magic Resistance: 1
Size: small

Crowns of eyes often appear as part of a demon lord’s retinue. It appears as a rubbery, rust-red ball of bumps and cracks, two to three feet in diameter. Seven blood-red heavy-lidded eyeballs emerge from prehensile stalks around the top, forming the Crown of Eyes. The eyes are equidistant, allowing the Crown to see in any direction. When sleeping, four of the eyes sleep at a time, leaving three eyes awake covering most directions.

It has three clawed, bird-like legs. Crowns move quickly and are difficult to surprise. They may jump to a height of two yards, and may crawl up walls and upside down on wooden or dirt ceilings. They will often try to attach their long, sharp claws to their victims. A called shot is required, and the victim is allowed an evasion roll to avoid attachment. Once attached, the crown of eyes does d6 points automatically each round, though its defense bonus is reduced to 2.

Blunt weapons do little harm to a crown of eyes. Unless the blunt weapon has a bonus of at least +1, it causes no damage to the crown, otherwise it does one quarter damage. A crown of eyes is generally immune to non-magical fire, and will take no damage if it makes its reaction against magical fire, half if it fails.

When a crown of eyes ruptures, it explodes in a fire of hot ash, causing 2d4 points of damage to anyone in two yards, or d4 to anyone in four yards. An evasion roll is allowed to take half damage. (This counts as magical fire, so it might damage nearby crowns, rupturing them also.)

The crown of eyes eats the eyeballs, ears, and tongues of its victims with its gummy grey mouth. Crowns may talk, but generally make little sense. These souls have been tortured beyond imagining in the fires of hell and have lost all semblance of sanity.

Death’s heads

Very Rare: hell
Class: demon
Organization: as summoned
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: always awake
Diet: none
Number: 1
Level: 2
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 9
Attacks: bite or strangle
Damage: d8 or d4
Defense: +8
Special Attacks: paralysis
Special Defenses: silent
Magic Resistance: 5
Size: medium

The death’s head is a skull attached to a boney spinal column. It moves in a snake-like fashion, its rear bones slithering silently, its forward bones supporting the grinning skull. Death’s heads are usually encountered guarding some place or item for an evil master.

It may gaze to paralyze once per three rounds. The victim must make a willpower roll to avoid being paralyzed for d6 rounds. A paralyzed victim drops to the ground quivering. Otherwise, the death’s head attacks by biting or by strangling. Strangling requires that it make a called shot, though on a paralyzed victim this might not be difficult. If not paralyzed, the victim may make an evasion roll to avoid strangulation. If the evasion roll is failed, the death’s head automatically strangles the victim for d4 points per round thereafter.

Emotional demons

Rare: hell
Class: demon
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: emotions
Number: 1
Level: 5+
Intelligence: high or very high
Charisma: high or very high
Movement: host +2
Defense: host +2
Special Attacks: demonic powers
Special Defenses: immune to normal weapons
Magic Resistance: level

Emotional demons are individual, named demons that have no physical form of their own, but only of the thing or creature they are summoned into or take control of. They may possess other creatures if the appropriate ritual is performed.

Each emotional demon has a name. As named demons, emotional demons may gain demonic power. They gain their power through the intense emotions of living, intelligent creatures. Each emotional demon feeds off of a specific emotion, such as fear, lust, or anger. When any living, intelligent creature within level hundred yards of the demon undergoes intense emotion of the type the demon feeds from, that creature should make a willpower roll at a penalty of the demon’s level, or gain one injury point. That injury point becomes one point of demonic power for the demon. An emotional demon can suck no more than one demonic power point per creature per day.

An emotional demon may store up to level times three points of demonic power. They may have up to level times four points of power in play at any one time. If they start to exceed that number, they’ll need to start dismissing summoned creatures, dropping illusions or mental control, or de-animating undead.

Emotional demons will have three demonic powers or specialties, plus one demonic power for every odd level.

Emotional demons usually start at fifth level when summoned from the shadows, but may gain levels over time.

While emotional demons are immune to normal weapons, their hosts might not be. The demon may or may not care if the host body dies. They can retain control of the host body after it dies, as long as they had control when it was alive.

Gargoyle

Rare: hell
Class: demon
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d4
Level: 5
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 10 walking, 12 flying
Attacks: claws or weapon, and horn
Damage: d6 or by weapon, d8
Defense: +8
Special Defenses: immune to normal weapons
Magic Resistance: 3
Size: large (7-10 feet)

Gargoyles are covered in a crusty, stone-like skin. These grey creatures sport curved horns and dark, bat-like wings that seem far too small to lift them into the air. The gargoyle is immune to non-magical weapons.

Gargoyles are often found as part of the retinue of demon lords, and are sometimes summoned by powerful evil sorcerors or sent to the service of powerful evil rulers. They are crafted from the souls of thin-skinned petty tyrants and vindictive bureaucrats.

Gorgon

Very Rare: hell or hell’s doorways
Class: demon
Organization: solitary or small groups
Moral Code: ordered evil
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 1 or d6
Level: 4
Intelligence: average
Charisma: low
Movement: 11
Attacks: snakes and weapon
Damage: d4 each and by weapon
Defense: +4
Special Attacks: gaze, poison, blood
Special Defenses: immune to normal weapons
Magic Resistance: 6
Size: medium

Gorgons are beauty and terror combined. They often guard paths to the underworld. They are formed from the souls of those narcissistic sinners whose own physical beauty seduced themselves. Their demonic forms are extremely beautiful, except for their hair, which is covered in writhing and hissing snakes.

When attacked, the gorgon may attack up to three opponents at a time with these snakes, and may also attack with a weapon if so skilled. The snakes are venomous. On a successful called shot, the victim must make an evasion roll or be poisoned. Gorgon poison is strength 3, with an action time of one round, and causes d3 injuries.

Worst of all, though, is that merely to look upon the hideous snakes of a gorgon’s head is to become petrified, turned to a marbled statue. Each look requires a willpower roll to avoid petrification.

If a viewer attempts not to view the snakes, this can become an evasion roll instead. However, anyone in combat with the gorgon under such circumstances will be at a penalty of two to attack the gorgon and the evasion roll will need to be made each round.

The blood of a gorgon, if allowed to fall to natural ground, spawns poisonous snakes. On any successful bladed or pointed attack against a gorgon, roll d20 against the damage done. If successful, a number of snakes equal to the d29 roll rise in the next round. When a gorgon is killed, it spawns d6 snakes per round while it bubbles away, if it dies on natural ground. Snakes automatically attack the gorgon’s opponents.

Gorgons are lesser named demons. Normally they have no demonic powers beyond the special ones listed here, but at 5th level and every odd level afterwards they can gain one demonic power. Gorgons do not gain demonic power points on their own, but are granted it while performing specific tasks.

Perytons

Special: hell
Class: demon
Organization: flock
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d10
Level: 4
Intelligence: low
Charisma: average
Movement: 24 flying/14 ground
Attacks: horns or hooves
Damage: 2d8 or d10
Defense: +3
Special Defenses: immune to non-magical weapons
Magic Resistance: 2
Size: medium

Having deer-like heads and feet, with bird-like bodies covered in shining green feathers (which shine turquoise in the sun), but with man-like shadows when they fly, the peryton is a beautiful but deadly creature. Their hooves and horns are sharp and hard. A peryton may attack with its hooves while flying or its horns while on the ground.

Perytons are usually found in the service of some Evil, and attack if seen. If time permits, perytons wallow in the gore of their victims.

Perytons are said to be made from the souls of travelers who have left their land and faith, explaining their shadows.

Shadow

Common: hell
Class: demon
Organization: reels
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: none
Number: 1 or 2d10
Level: 1
Intelligence: low
Charisma: low
Movement: 12
Attacks: cold grab, suffocation
Damage: d6
Defense: +9
Special Defenses: immune to normal weapons
Magic Resistance: 1
Size: medium

Shadows are human-like shadows formed from souls too insignificant to make into other demonic servants. They are the most common demonic servants in Hell.

Wherever there are normal shadows, shadows may become nearly undetectable. Attempts to perceive a shadow in such circumstances are at a penalty of 10. Even when a shadow is attacking, it is difficult to see, which is why it has such a high defense.

The grab of a shadow is a soul-chilling cold. Shadows will also often throttle their opponents. The latter requires a called shot by the shadow. Targets are allowed an evasion roll. If the evasion roll is failed, the shadow has grabbed the victim by the neck and its cold grey hands automatically hit every round.

Because a shadow clings so well to its victims, anyone attacking a shadow runs the risk of harming the shadow’s victim, in the same way as firing into close combat. Even attacks that automatically hit the target can also hurt the shadow’s victim.

Striga

Common: hellish areas
Class: demon
Organization: flocks
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: blood
Number: 3d10
Level: 1
Intelligence: low
Charisma: low
Movement: 18 flying/3 walking
Attacks: 1
Damage: d3
Defense: +2
Special Attacks: paralyzing screech, blood sucking
Magic Resistance: 1
Size: small

The strigae are hideous bird-creatures with long beaks that suck the blood of the living. They are the size of large birds, vaguely resembling a huge hummingbird up to a foot and a half long with a nose-like beak extending half that distance again. Their feathers are a hellish red the color of dried blood and their eyes glow yellow like a wolf's.

In Roman legend, the strigae are made from the twisted souls of old hags, and are said to take the souls of bad children into hell. In flocks, striga make a horrible screeching noise when they attack that can paralyze with fear. Anyone hearing the screeching of a flock of at least ten strigae must make a willpower roll or freeze in fear, able to defend at a penalty of three but unable to attack. This reaction may be made once per round, and once made need not be made again.

When a striga successfully attacks, the victim must make an evasion roll or the striga has attached its beak and will begin sucking blood the next round. It will do an automatic d4 points of damage per round.

For every two survival points that a striga does through bloodsucking, the striga regains one point of lost survival. When hungry, they will continue sucking for six more of the victims' survival points before detaching and flying away. Detaching (whether by the striga or by someone else) does another d3 points of damage to the victim.

Striga do not generally appear in large number in hell, but appear on Earth in areas of hellish infestation or accompanying a demon.

Waxen assassin

Rare: hell
Class: demon
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic evil
Activity Cycle: any
Diet: unnecessary
Number: 1
Level: 4+
Intelligence: average to high
Charisma: very high
Movement: as form
Attacks: 1
Damage: d6
Defense: as form, +5
Special Attacks: illusions
Special Defenses: immune to normal weapons and cold, resistant to elements
Magic Resistance: 6
Size: as form

Waxen assassins (or shadowcasts) are clever, wily, and cunning. They will use their charisma and illusions to take over their twin’s life. These demons are summoned in the form of another creature, their twin, usually the victim they’re sent to kill or someone emotionally attached to their victim (whether through love or hate). The summoning ritual will require something special from the form they’re assuming, as well as a mass of bee’s wax. When destroyed, the waxen assassin leaves behind a mass of wax.

Waxen assassins take on the mannerisms, voice, and basic knowledge (important memories, skills, and fields but not archetypal abilities) of their twin. They don’t actually know these things, but they will have the knowledge when the knowledge is necessary. For example, a waxen assassin wouldn’t know the name of their twin’s distant cousin—until that distant cousin shows up, or someone else discusses them. The knowledge and skills arrive as necessary to perform the twin’s duties. For all practical purposes this means that they have this knowledge but can only use it for purposes of fitting in.

An assassin’s clothing can be part of its form, and they can quickly change to any appropriate clothing that their twin might wear for the occasion.

Waxen assassins are masters of illusion and will use illusion to mimic any archetypal or magical abilities of their current form. They will also use it to move surreptitiously, for spying and escape. An assassin’s illusions can take place within level yards of the assassin. On a perception roll at a penalty of the assassin’s level, a wary victim will recognize the illusion for what it is, a stringy and brittle waxy simulacrum. The assassin’s illusions stimulate all senses of either their summoned form or their current form, and can cause damage as normal for phantasms. There can be level minus three independent illusions within the overall illusion.

Assassins may use their illusions at will, but the illusion will fade half level rounds after they stop concentrating, for example by becoming involved in combat. They fade immediately if the assassin leaves.

Waxen assassins are immune to non-magical weapons and dangers. They are immune even to magical cold, and magical fire, lightning, or other elemental attacks cause half damage.

Waxen assassins cannot withstand the daylight kiss or embrace of someone who deeply cares for their twin. Within such an embrace, their form will melt away as wax, revealing a necrotic shadowy core.

Waxen assassins can temporarily take other forms, but they must ingest a part of the person or creature they’re trying to mimic. The portion must be at least the size of a finger or earlobe. Such temporary forms melt away in high sunlight, and in divine light the waxen assassin must make a fortitude roll to avoid losing the form.

Once an assassin’s form melts they cannot regain it, but they can continue to take on temporary forms.

Waxen assassins do not need to eat, but relish the eating of souls. If a waxen assassin eats the soul of a defeated creature, it may take that creature’s form at any time, even after melting and across summonings. If possible, a waxen assassin will eat the soul of anyone they kill. The soul of their twin is especially desired, and will raise the assassin’s level by one, though it also sends them back to hell for a time.

Any particular waxen assassin will have at least level minus four alternative forms and probably several more, though some of them may be archaic or alien. It takes one minute and touch to eat a soul.

Dinosaurs

From Skull Island to the Land of the Lost to Jurassic Park, prehistoric creatures tiny and titanic hold a special place in our fantasies.

Inspirational material

1864 Journey to the Center of the Earth Jules Verne
1912 The Lost World Arthur Conan Doyle
1918 The Land That Time Forgot Edgar Rice Burroughs
1933 King Kong Merian C. Cooper
1959 Turok, Son of Stone Western Publishing
1974 Land of the Lost Sid & Marty Krofft
1995 Jurassic Park Michael Crichton

Ankylosaur

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: herd
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d12
Level: 7+2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 12
Attacks: bite, tail
Damage: d8, 2d8
Defense: +11
Size: huge (20-30 feet)

In a world of predators, the ankylosaur survives by being difficult to eat. They attack as they flee, swinging a large lump of tailbone at pursuers. Their backs are covered in a shell of fused bone lumps and spikes. Their heads form a beak almost like a bird’s.

Archaeopteryx

Common: prehistory
Archeopteryx Tall.png
Class: animal
Organization: flock
Activity Cycle: diurnval
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 32
Attacks: bite, claw
Damage: d2, d3
Defense: +4
Size: small (1-2 feet)

Often encountered in a flock, the archaeopteryx is at home above and below the canopy. While it looks like a bird, it is almost as much a dinosaur. Its mouth has teeth, which it uses to eat small rodents, smaller birds, and fish in shallow water.

Beetles, giant

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: swarm
Activity Cycle: any
Diet: necrophagous
Number: d100
Level: 1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 8
Attacks: bite
Damage: d2
Defense: +3
Size: tiny (6 inches)
Special Vision: underground-3

These bugs eat plants, fungi, and dead things in the jungle. Giant corpses deserve giant beetles to clean them! Giant beetles break down dinosaur corpses so that smaller, normal-sized insects can eat the rest.

Brontosaur

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: herd
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d6
Level: 14+5
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 18
Attacks: tail, feet, bite
Damage: d20, 2d12, d6
Defense: +8
Size: gigantic (25 yards)

One of the largest land animals ever, the brontosaur weighed up to 64,000 pounds. They eat constantly, preferring wide open fields or plant-choked marshes and rivers. They whip their long tails to ward off predators; the sound alone is loud enough to deafen anyone in 20 yards for d10 rounds on a failed health roll. Even leisurely flicking their tail makes a loud whip-like crack that sends smaller creatures fleeing. They walk on all fours, but their young can run partially upright. Their heads are remarkably small, the size of a large horse’s head, and their eyes are mounted atop their head like an amphibian’s.

The brontosaur can attack two targets with its feet, doing 2d12 to each, if both targets are within 18 feet of each other.

Burrweeds, giant

Common: prehistory
Class: plant
Organization: fields
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 4d20
Level: 2
Intelligence: none
Movement:
Attacks: none
Defense: +2
Size: small

Burrweeds develop a relationship with local carnivores. Their roots thrive in bloody soil. There is always a faint musty odor within burrweed patches. These giant reed-like plants are covered in a sharp, stiff fuzz that digs deeply into hair, fibers, and fur. A character caught in a burrweed patch must make an evasion roll; if failed, the number failed by is the number of reeds attached to the character. The character gains that as a penalty to all actions.

If victims thrash about trying to escape, they’ll gain d4 more reeds each round, and the burrweeds will emit a special odor to attract carnivores. The more the victim(s) struggle, the more carnivores will appear. The best way to escape a burrweed patch is to remain perfectly still and carefully remove the fabric (or hair) that is attached to the reeds.

Victims can cut the reeds or tear them up, but this will cause the weeds to release their odor, and the victim will need to make an evasion roll or gain d4 more reeds.

After one minute of thrashing, the reed and all reeds nearby will soften their unused hooks. Any victims caught will remain caught, but the patch will be safe temporarily for anyone who needs to pass through it—such as carnivores arriving for a tasty snack.

Butterflies, giant

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: swarm
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: pollen
Number: d100
Level: 1/2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 13
Attacks: none
Defense: +4
Size: tiny (2 foot wingspan)

Giant butterflies live above the canopy and in open fields. There’s nothing like climbing above the canopy to see a flock of these colorful creatures flitting about. Beautiful creatures, they have no attack. When threatened, they flee, and they’ll do so at the slightest provocation.

Cacti, swinging chain

Common: prehistory
Class: plant
Organization: chains
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: soil, sun, water
Number: d20
Level: 2
Intelligence: none
Movement:
Attacks: chain or fruit
Damage: 2d6 or d6
Defense: 4
Size: large (8-20 feet)
Special Vision: underground

These large, tree-like cacti have spiny, oblong, fuzzy fruit hanging down in long chains, with fruit growing out of other fruit. The spines are sharp and dangerous. It’s goal, as far as plants have goals, is to spread its seed far and wide.

The cacti can tighten any of their chains and swing them sharply around. When any medium-sized creature comes within ten yards without being careful, the cacti will swing their chains towards the creature(s), hurling spiny oblong fruit towards them. Generally about half will hurl fruit the first round, and the other half (if there is still movement towards the cacti) the second round. Victims will, if hit, be covered with bits of the fruit, and if they fail an evasion roll they’ll have a fruit stuck on them.

When the cactus or its fruit are touched, this will also initiate a swing, swinging the full chain of fruit at the person touching.

Capybara, giant

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: herd
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d12
Level: 4+1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 14/9
Attacks: bite
Damage: d6
Defense: 3
Size: large (8-10 feet)

The largest rodent known, its skull is 20 inches long and it weighs 2,000 pounds. It lives in marshy areas, and its slightly webbed feet allow it to swim quickly. It eats plants and fruit. Outside its home environment, the giant capybara is easy prey for predators.

Centipedes, giant

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: swarm
Activity Cycle: any
Diet: herbivorous or so
Number: d8
Level: 3
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 15
Attacks: bite
Damage: d12
Defense: 11
Size: large (9 feet)
Special Vision: underground-3

It moves quickly across the jungle floor and can also go underwater. Its tough crustacean-like shell protects it from predators. It is vulnerable underwater when it molts. Its low profile lets it survive even brontosaur stomps sometimes. Powerful jaws allow it to eat any vegetation and many tiny creatures. It has 30 pairs of legs and skitters through the underbrush. In a hurry its body stretches and twists like an accordion.

Crocodiles, giant

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: family
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 1
Level: 9+2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 15
Attacks: bite
Damage: 2d10
Defense: 6
Size: huge (38 feet)

The giant crocodile’s skull is as long as a man. It can make a called attack on any large or smaller creature to grab that creature in its jaws. The victim is allowed an evasion roll. While chomped, the victim takes 2d6 damage per round as the crocodile carries it to its watery lair. Giant crocodiles usually lie in wait submerged, only their eyes above water.

Deer, dwarf

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: herd
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d20
Level: 1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 12
Attacks: antlers
Damage: d3
Defense: 3
Size: small (2 feet tall)

These tiny deer sport long two-pronged antlers, used for fighting amongst themselves. They avoid prey by hiding in the underbrush. Their hide is reddish brown and sometimes mottled white.

Dragonflies, giant

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: swarm
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: insectivorous
Number: d40
Level: 1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 14
Attacks: bite
Damage: 1 point
Defense: 3
Size: small (3 foot wingspan)

Found skimming the surface of the marshes and lakes of the jungle searching for smaller insects and young amphibians, dragonflies have two pairs of wings, large, bulbous, multi-faceted eyes, and a long, thick, segmented body.

Dunkleosteus

Rare: oceans
Dunkleosteus.png
Class: animal
Organization: solitary
Activity Cycle: any
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d4
Level: 6
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 18
Attacks: jaws
Damage: 3d6
Defense: +8
Special Attacks: suction, tail
Size: huge (6-8 yards)

This giant, toothed fish from the late Devonian measures six to eight yards and weighs a ton. It is the top of its food chain. Despite lacking predators, it is heavily armored, probably because dunkleosteus are perfectly willing to attack other one another with their powerful jaws.

The dunkleosteus opens its jaws so rapidly that it creates a powerful suction underwater. Any creature within three yards of its mouth must make a fortitude roll or be sucked into the jaws; creatures at the edge—two to three yards away—have a bonus of two on the roll. The dunkleosteus gains a bonus of four to bite anyone overcome by suction. Victims of suction have a penalty of two to any action, including attacking the dunkleosteus and avoiding subsequent suction attacks.

The dunkleosteus can attack simultaneously with its tail if there are targets within reach. Its tail does not require an attack roll: anyone within its sweep must make an evasion roll or take d10 points damage.

Gophers, horned

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: herd
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d100
Level: 1/2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 9
Attacks: horns and claws
Damage: 1 point
Defense: 3
Size: tiny (6 inches)

This ancient offshoot of the gopher closely resembles their modern counterpart: they burrow underground and live on roots and seeds. They also sport two horns a centimeter long between their eyes and nose. They use their horns and claws for defense.

Mosquitos, giant

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: swarm
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: blood
Number: d100
Level: 1 pt
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 12
Attacks: bite
Damage: 1/2 point
Defense: 4
Size: tiny (2-3 inches long)
Special Vision: underground-3

Compared to the other giant insects of the jungle, this 2 to 3 inch long bug might not seem like much of a threat, but it’s a 2 to 3 inch long mosquito. They prefer larger creatures such as the triceratops, capybara, and ground sloths but will also suck the blood of smaller creatures such as humans if the need arises. Because the bite only does a half point damage, victims take no damage unless hit by a swarm.

Moths, giant

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: swarm
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: none
Number: d100
Level: 1/2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 13
Attacks: none
Defense: 4
Size: tiny (2-foot wingspan)
Special Vision: underground-3

The giant moth’s wings are a dull brownish red mottled with white spots and yellow lines. This nocturnal creature does not eat; it survives on fat reserves from its larval life. The larvae eat plant leaves. Moths are eaten by birds (such as the archaeopteryx), by capybara, and by Saurians. They will congregate around light sources, flying randomly around and into lanterns and flames like a drunken tornado of wings.

Pterodactyl

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: family
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d4
Level: 6
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 40/14
Attacks: bite, claw
Damage: d10, 2d8
Defense: 4
Size: huge (40-foot wingspan)

The pterodactyl’s head is three yards long, with a long crest extending above it into the air. When they walk, they walk on all fours, and can move fairly quickly. They can take off from the ground, and will soar where they can but can also power their flight with their wings. They bury their eggs, and live in the lagoon-like lakes and marshes of the jungle. They eat fish and giant insects.

Stegosaur

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: herd
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d10
Level: 8+2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 12
Attacks: bite, tail
Damage: d8, 2d10
Defense: 6
Size: huge (30 feet)

Easily recognizable by two rows of plates along its back and an odd cat-like walk, the stegosaur’s main defense is its four powerful bone tail spikes. Fourteen feet tall, it has shortened forelimbs and an arched back. It walks with its head close to the ground and its tail in the air. It eats green plants, fruit, and seeds. Its small teeth are augmented by stones in its stomach to masticate its food. It can walk partially up trees (leaving its hind limbs on the ground) to access fruits, seeds, and leaves.

Triceratops

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: herd
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d8
Level: 10+2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 16
Attacks: horns
Damage: 2d12
Defense: 8
Size: huge (30 feet)

One of the most iconic of dinosaurs, the triceratops is easily recognized by the three horns in front of a flared shield-like bone on its head. They stand ten feet tall and weigh over 20,000 pounds. Their head is six-feet long. They eat large plants low to the ground. They will charge creatures smaller than them, and stand their ground against creatures larger than them if they can’t easily run.

While they only eat plants, triceratops are aggressive and easily agitated. They will charge any creature large enough to catch their eyes 20% of the time. The more triceratops in the herd, the more likely stampede becomes: at 5% for each extra triceratops.

Tyrannosaur

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: family
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d2
Level: 15+3
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 24
Attacks: jaws, claws
Damage: 3d10, d12
Defense: 6
Size: huge (42 feet)

The tyrannosaur’s head is five feet long, its jaws incredibly powerful. Its forelimbs are small compared to its body, but they are very strong. The arms can hold prey in place while they’re being eaten. A called shot will grab a medium-sized creature in its mouth and hands (an evasion roll is allowed to avoid capture), doing 2d12 damage each round thereafter.

Standing 13 feet tall at the hips, they run with their tail thrust behind and their head thrust forward. Their feet are 3 feet long and 2 feet wide.

They have a strong sense of smell and are difficult to surprise. The smell of prey near a tyrannosaur will even awaken the creature from sleep. Unless smell is somehow masked, the tyrannosaur gains a bonus of four to detect hidden creatures and creatures have a penalty of four on attempts to hide or surprise the tyrannosaur.

Venus flytrap, giant

Very Rare: bogs and swamps
Class: plant
Organization: none
Activity Cycle: always
Number: d12
Level: 2
Intelligence: plant
Charisma: none
Movement:
Attacks: special
Damage: d3
Defense: -1
Size: medium (5-7 feet)

The white clustering flowers of the flytrap stand on a long stalk high above the flytrap's billowy, spiked, reddish, vaguely heart-shaped leaves, which lay close to the ground and have a slight, sour smell reminiscent of peaches. Some leaves point upwards to attract flying creatures; others point sideways and down to attract crawling creatures.

Normally the soft leaves of the flytrap are wide open, but if anything touches the sensitive hairs inside the leaves, the spikes immediately stiffen and the leaves snap shut (evasion roll at -2). The spikes cause d3 points of damage on snapping shut, and the leaves’ digestive juices then cause 1 point of damage per round thereafter. One day after killing its prey, the leaves will open and let the bones or shells fall to the ground.

The flytrap is not mobile, and will not attack other than as above.

Weta, giant

Common: prehistory
Class: animal
Organization: swarm
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d20
Level: 1
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 8
Attacks: bite
Damage: d3
Defense: 2
Size: tiny (8 inches)
Special Vision: underground-3

The weta looks like a cross between a grasshopper and cricket. Its long back legs let it jump four feet up. They eat plants and other insects smaller than them, and usually flee if threatened by larger creatures. They can play dead, suddenly bite if a creature nears (at +4 to attack), then flee. A minor poison in their bite causes discomforting pain giving a penalty of 1 to any action for d4 hours.

Dragons

“Where there have been dragons, there have always been dragon-slayers, and the story of their struggle runs as a thread through the narrative of all cultures.”——Jonathan D. Evans, “Mythical and Fabulous Creatures”

Dragons are guardians of treasures; one way or another, the defeat of a dragon opens the path to great wealth, though this wealth will not always be obvious to the victor. Dragons are rumored to love games of riddling and to also be very vain, but to have a cleverness that outmatches vanity. The treatment of dragons, more than any other creature, determines the flavor and course of a campaign. In some campaigns, dragons will be extremely rare, possibly with a unique or elder dragon for each type, or at least (as assumed here) for each greater type, with bastard dragons of lesser types existing in greater quantity.

Common dragons

Fire Dragon Water Dragon Storm Dragon Forest Dragon
Very Rare: caverns, deserts lakes, seas mountains forests
Class: dragon
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: Chaotic Evil Ordered Evil Ordered Good Chaotic Good
Activity Cycle: any
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 1-2
Level: 12+ 10+ 12+ 10+
Intelligence: very high
Charisma: high
Movement: 12 walking/25 flying 10 walking/28 flying/16 water 12 walking/28 flying 16 walking/24 flying
Attacks: claws, bite
Damage: 2d8/3d10 2d10/3d8 2d8/3d8 2d10/3d10
Defense: +11 +12 +12 +11
Breath: fire cold lightning methane
Eyes: charm numbness, daze dreams of desire illusions of pride
Size: gigantic
Special Vision: underground

Each dragon is descended from the two greater dragons corresponding to its moral codes. A fire dragon, Chaotic Evil, is descended from Absoloth and Tiemen, for example. Dragons often are sorcerors. They will either be non-specialized, or specialized in one of the two types of magic of their greater ancestors. Dragons are vain, and prone to riddle-solving even if no riddle exists. They are cunning and crafty, but not always wise.

Dragons may use their breath attack once every four rounds, and their eye attack once every two rounds. Eye attacks must be targeted at a specific individual. Dragons may use their breath attack at half power and thus use it again at half power in the very next round if they wish.

Entire adventures can be played around the defeat of a dragon, as in Tolkien’s Hobbit. The adventure won’t end with the dragon’s defeat. The death or removal of a creature as powerful, as wily, and as old as a dragon can easily create a bloody and wide-ranging power struggle in the region the creature once controlled, as we saw in Tolkien’s story. The dragon’s treasures didn’t come from nowhere. Everyone is going to want their old treasures back, and some will want someone else’s old treasures. The Elves will want the items of cultural and historical significance to them. The Dwarves will want the items the Dwarves created or were given. Elves and Dwarves may or may not bicker over the ownership of items of joint manufacture, but both will agree that such creations should not fall into the grubby, clumsy hands of humans. Each local government will send armies and representatives to bargain for their fair share of what was once theirs, or which they believe should be theirs because of the depredations they have suffered under the dragon’s tyranny. Merchants will petition their governments to send armies; and if the merchants are powerful enough to have their own armies, the local governments will send representatives to ensure that these private armies do not become too powerful. Even those who do not want treasure will want a say in how the treasure is distributed.

And then all the old enmities that were held in check by the dragon’s power will awaken, nearly fresh because they’ve been held in check only by tyrannical might, ensuring that such enmities have been nursed in private to even greater heights than such enmities originally scaled. (See the fall of the Soviet Union.)

The dragon held treasure and power, and both will be vied for when the dragon is gone.

Fire Dragon: The most commonly-known dragon is the red, or fire, dragon, and when “dragon” is mentioned, it is the fire-breathing dragon that comes to mind. Its scales glisten an earthy red and orange when it leaves its brooding and takes to the air.

Its fiery breath melts iron and burns stone, and boils water to steam in an instant. Those caught in its flame will lose 8d6 survival points, half if they make a successful Evasion roll. Its flame affects a cone a hundred yards long and thirty yards wide at its end.

Anyone caught in the gaze of the fire dragon’s evil eye must make a willpower roll or be charmed into submission. A charmed individual will assume a generally trusting attitude towards the dragon and be inclined to assist it. The charmed individual will not immediately attack friends and comrades, but may be convinced by the dragon over time.

The fire dragon is solitary and ruthless. Its depredations turn the surrounding lands into a wasteland, devoid of life, filled with the charred remains of forest and city.

Forest Dragon: The golden green dragon of the wood haunts the great forests of antiquity in solitude. Its gaseous green breath is poison to all who breath it. Those caught in its billow will lose 3d6 survival points, and must make an evasion roll or be sickened. This chronic ailment is strength 6, has an action time of 1 round, and causes 2d6 survival damage. The cloud can be up to twenty yards diameter, up to 70 yards from the dragon.

Those caught by the forest dragon’s eye must make a perception roll or fall into a dangerous pride. The victim will accept nothing even remotely resembling an order or command. They will expect their own orders, commands, and suggestions to be followed immediately. Their own judgment is infallible; that of others should always be second-guessed by their own. They are as great as the dragon, and only the dragon is worthy of their companionship.

The forest dragon is often the leader of a small roving band of like-minded, powerful creatures. It has no love for cities, nor for the steady expansion of farmland and field.

Storm Dragon: The bright blue, white-tinged storm dragon lives atop tall mountains and amidst high clouds. Its lightning breath splits tall trees and. Those caught in its lightning will lose 4d6 survival points, and must make an Evasion roll or be stunned for d6 rounds. All surprise, advantage, attack, and defense rolls while stunned will be at a penalty of half the damage done. Movement is similarly penalized. The storm dragon’s lightning affects everything in a straight line two yards wide at its start, four yards wide at its end, and a hundred yards long.

The storm dragon’s gaze awakens intense desire in the victim. The victim must make a willpower roll or intensely desire whatever the storm dragon has chosen: it might be a great treasure, or sexual desire for another individual, or some great knowledge, for example. The victim will move immediately to acquire that which is desired.

The storm dragon often stands at the head of a wide-ranging organization of righteous Order. It rules in secret from a strict hierarchy where each level often knows only its head and its subordinates.

Water Dragon: This grayish-blue monstrosity may move quickly in the air and under water, but not as quickly on land. They move at 28 while flying and at 16 while in or on water. Its breath freezes water to ice in a moment, shatters glass, and chills to the marrow. Anyone caught by its breath will lose 6d6 survival points, half on a successful Evasion roll. Its icy breath affects everything in a cone 80 yards long and twenty yards wide at its end.

The numbing gaze of the water dragon removes all willpower. A perception roll is required to withstand the gaze. If failed, the victim must make a willpower roll to initiate any action; even when taking action, attack rolls, defense rolls, reactions, and movement are at a penalty of six.

The water dragon is cunning and selfish, often heading great undersea kingdoms with an icy rule.

Dragon young

Age Form Level Breath Eye Special
Infant: birth snake 2 or 4 no no
Tongued: 3 years talking snake 3 or 6 no reactions at +4
Winged: 6 years flying snake 5 or 8 no reactions at +3
Clawed: 20 years fat snake 7 or 12 quarter damage reactions at +2 claws at half damage
Puberty: 40 years dragon 9 or 16 half damage reactions at +1
Adult: 100 years dragon normal full damage full power claws at full damage
Elder: 500 years dragon normal+ full damage reactions at –1 level 1-10 sorceror
Ancient: 1,500 years dragon normal+ full damage reactions at –3 high level sorceror

Dragons hatch from eggs as long, coiled snakes with prehensile heads. Within three years they learn to speak and are as intelligent as a child. They will usually by this time know both the dragon tongue and the local human or humanoid tongue. By the time they are six years old they have grown wings and can fly, but are still, in appearance, large flying snakes. In intelligence, the flying snake is a teen-ager. By the time they are twenty years old, they have grown claws and have begun to fatten around the middle. They have entered dragon puberty and will go through immense changes. By the time they are forty, they are recognizable as a dragon and may use their special breath attack. They are now a young adult dragon and will grow to adulthood, gaining increased size and power.

Throughout these stages they are always cunning, but cunning in different ways. Their cunning begins as childishness, progresses through naïve idealism, and finally progresses through greater and greater skills of manipulation as they grow older. Even a Good dragon cannot be trusted. Their goals are not the goals of mortals.

Greater dragons

Sun Dragon Night Dragon Cloud Dragon Rainbow Dragon
Name: alamen absoloth erilenian tiemen
Unique: edges of kingdoms deep forests, deep caverns clouds or mountaintops seas or deep lakes
Class: dragon
Organization: unique
Moral Code: good evil ordered chaotic
Activity Cycle: diurnal nocturnal any any
Diet: omnivorous
Level: 24+
Intelligence: incredible
Charisma: very high
Movement: 12 walking/48 flying
Attacks: claws, bite
Damage: 2d20/3d6
Defense: +10
Breath: sunfire decay storm melting acid
Eyes: vices decadence sleep and dreams illusion
Specialization: transmutation summoning conjuring divination
Forms: old man young rake noble crone peasant maiden
Size: gigantic
Special Vision: underground

Greater dragons live practically forever, outliving even Elves. Some have been worshipped as gods.

Greater dragons may fight with their powerful claws, however, they also have great magical attacks. Each has a unique breath attack, which attacks their opponents physically, and an insidious eye attack which attacks their opponents mentally.

Greater dragons are also sorcerors of great power. Each individual is a classical sorceror, specialized, of at least tenth level. Besides their gigantic winged serpentine form, the greater dragons may also change to a human form and so walk among mankind in secret. In human form, the greater dragons retain their level and their sorcerous and eye powers, but may not use their breath. An eye power may affect any number of creatures in a 90 degree arc from the dragon’s head.

Greater dragons may use their eye attack once per round, and their breath attack once every two rounds. They may use their breath attack at half power and be able to use it every round.

If a greater dragon is destroyed, a new greater dragon of that type will be born from one of its offspring.

Sun Dragon: The golden flame of the Sun Dragon can melt even metal and stone. It does 12d6 survival points to whatever it contacts (an evasion roll will result in half damage), in a range of 120 yards, with a diameter of thirty yards. Items not carried by a character and caught in the direct breath of the Sun Dragon make their reaction rolls at a penalty of five.

The eyes of the Sun Dragon will exacerbate any vices of the victim; only the most pure may withstand the gaze of the Sun Dragon without melting inside. Anyone falling under the gaze of a Sun Dragon must make a willpower roll at a penalty of four, or fall immediately into a frenzy of their top one to three vices.

Night Dragon: Diving up into the night sky, the Night Dragon’s bluish-grey form will blot out the stars like a huge thundercloud. The Night Dragon’s breath causes rot and decay. Food and flesh will bubble with maggots, leather and wood deteriorate and crack. The breath has a range of 120 yards and a diameter of thirty yards. It does 6d6 points damage, 3d6 on a successful evasion roll. On an unsuccessful evasion roll, items that the character carries must make reactions (at –2) or deteriorate. Armor will lose 2d4 points of defense; weapons gain a penalty of 2d3 to attack and to damage. Paper, wood, and cloth will fall to dust.

The eyes of the Night Dragon will decay mental and physical faculties. On a failed willpower roll, the target will lose 1 point each of intelligence, strength, agility, and endurance.

Cloud Dragon: Erilenian appears as a dragon of pure white, its white wings tinged with red at their tips. The storm breath of the Cloud Dragon may be ice storm, lightning storm, rain storm, wind storm, and/or cloud. The storm breath has a range of 200 yards and a diameter of 100 yards.

Cloud obscures all vision in a roiling, misty white vapor within the area of the vapor. A rain storm is a driving rain that soaks into everything, extinguishing any non-magical flame (and probably many magical flames). A lightning storm may target up to five victims per round. Victims must make an evasion roll or take 6d6 points damage from the lightning. An ice storm is a forceful hail that tears into everything. Victims will take 8d6 points damage, but may make an evasion roll to take only half that. Items such as papers or glass may need to make reaction rolls or be destroyed. A wind storm is a gale-force wind that blows anything and anyone who fails a fortitude roll 10 to 60 yards. (Non-medium sizes gain a bonus or penalty to this roll of twice the distance from medium.)

Erilenian may use any combination of storms each round the storm is in effect. Storms (except for lightning storms) last at half intensity for two rounds after they are started. (Reactions are at a bonus of four.)

Erilenian’s gaze causes sleep and then dreams. Victims must make a willpower roll at a penalty of 2 to avoid falling asleep. Once asleep, their dreams are under Erilenian’s control, though further willpower rolls may be allowed to break out of the dream at the Guide’s discretion.

Rainbow Dragon: The Chaos Dragon’s silvery skin reflects the full spectrum of colors. The defeat of the Chaos Dragon by culture heroes heralds the coming of civilization. In Sumerian, her Elvish name, Tiemed, became synonymous with Chaos itself.

Tiemen’s acidic breath tears down metals and clings to its victims. It does 6d6 survival points in the first round, 4d6 in the second, 3d6 in the third, 2d6 in the fourth, and d6 in the fifth. An evasion roll will result in half damage, but once failed is no longer applicable. It has a range of 100 yards, with a diameter of twenty yards.

The gaze of Tiemen can create fantastic, utterly immersive illusions covering all senses. Tiemen can thus apparently grant any wish. Tiemen’s illusions may draw on both Tiemen’s knowledge and the knowledge of the target, as long as Tiemen knows how to name that knowledge. Thus, a person asking for the return of their long-lost love could apparently be granted this return, even though Tiemen has no idea what that person or thing looks like.

Victims are allowed a perception roll, at a penalty of five, to avoid falling sway to the illusion. Tiemen’s illusions last for one day; at the end of that day the victim is allowed another perception roll with no penalty; if failed, the illusion lasts forever.

Lesser dragons

Mud Dragon Rotting Dragon Albino Dragon Laughing Dragon
Very Rare: forests ruins deep caverns jungles or swamps
Class: dragon
Organization: solitary or small groups of 2-8
Moral Code: any good any evil any ordered any chaotic
Activity Cycle: diurnal nocturnal nocturnal diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Level: 6 to 8
Intelligence: high
Charisma: average
Movement: 12 walking/24 flying
Attacks: claws, bite
Damage: 2d6/2d4
Defense: +7
Breath: mud maggots obsidian shards laughing gas
Eyes: grow, control plants control vermin single command overperception
Forms: flock of birds swarm of insects pale human human child
Size: huge (5-7 yards tall)
Special Vision: underground-1

Lesser dragons are the result of interbreeding between common dragons. While generally weaker than normal dragons some of their powers hearken back to their Greater forebears and they are less limited by the constraints of their bloodlines. Lesser dragons retain the haughtiness, craftiness, and obsessiveness of their forebears, and while they have a lower intelligence it is still quite high.

Lesser dragons are long-lived. Many are mid- to high-level sorcerors.

The breath attacks, eye powers, and special forms of lesser dragons vary from dragon to dragon. They generally resemble those of their immediate ancestors, or of their dominant greater ancestor. Some lesser dragons will only have breath attacks, some will have a breath attack and either an eye power or a special form, and some will have all three.

Lesser dragons may use their breath attacks three times per day. If they have a medium-sized form, that form may use the breath attack at half power, six times per day. If they have an eye attack, they may use it once per day, and it will last up to an hour. If they have a secondary form, it may be used at any time. It will take one round to change.

Mud Dragon: Descended from water and forest dragons, the mottled-brown mud dragon may bury its opponents in a spew of thick, clay-like mud and roots. The spew entangles its victims for 2d6 rounds (d6 for large creatures, and d4 for huge creatures). An evasion or fortitude roll is allowed to half this time.

The mud dragon’s gaze can cause plants to grow tall and dense, and may also control such plants and grant them limb-like movement. The mud dragon may use this control to attack nearby victims for up to 3d6 points damage divided amongst up to three victims.

The mud dragon may transform into a flock of birds that may claw and peck for 2d6 points of damage to up to two opponents. It may separate itself into its separate forms of one bird per survival point which may exist up to two hundred yards apart.

Rotting Dragon: Descended from fire and water dragons, the dark blue rotting dragon lives amidst vermin and death. As its breath, it may spew clouds of maggots and biting insects onto its victims, doing 4d6 damage the first round, 3d6 the next, 2d6, and then d6. Victims may make an evasion roll each round for half damage. The vermin will affect any creature in a cloud centered up to five yards diameter, and up to 30 yards from the dragon.

The rotting dragon may also control any animal-intelligence insects, worms, rodents, or other vermin in their sight.

The rotting dragon may take the form of a swarm of insects. In this form it bites for 3d4 damage, and may do so to up to three opponents. It may separate itself into up to three swarms which may be up to a hundred yards apart and do d4 damage to up to three opponents.

Albino Dragon: Descended from water and storm dragons, the pale albino dragon takes obsessiveness to new levels. Albino dragons often have hobbies that require immense categorization and record-keeping. When the albino dragon screams, sharp obsidian shards spew from its mouth in a tearing spray. These shards do 6d6 points of damage to any in their path. An evasion roll is allowed for half damage. The shard beam is one yard at its base, and ten yards wide at its end forty yards down.

The albino dragon may command any victim that meets its eyes. The target is allowed a willpower roll to avoid the command. The target will remain under the effects of the command for 2d10 minutes.

The albino dragon may take the form of a normal sized, if gangly, pale human.

The albino dragon prefers darkness, and is at a penalty of one to attack and defense in bright light.

Laughing Dragon: Descended from fire and forest dragons, the yellow laughing dragon’s breath attack is an invisible gaseous cloud that causes its victims to laugh uncontrollably for 2d6 rounds. An evasion roll is allowed to avoid the effects, after which a health roll must be made each round, until the gas fades away or the victim leaves the gaseous cloud. The cloud is ten yards in diameter and up to thirty yards from the dragon.

The laughing dragon may affect any creature meeting its gaze with overperception. The victim will lose all ability to filter or prioritize incoming information or to tell the difference between their internal thoughts and external voices, people, and things. A willpower roll may be made to avoid the effects.

The laughing dragon may take the form of a human child.

Cheimon

Rare: mountains
Class: dragon
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: any
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 1
Level: 9+1
Intelligence: high
Charisma: high
Movement: 16 walking/24 flying
Attacks: claws, bite or tongue, tail
Damage: 2d8, d8, or d10
Defense: +8
Special Attacks: fire, ice, and wind
Size: huge (5-7 yards long)
Special Vision: underground-1

These stormy creatures resemble great, winged lions from the front. Their massive cat-like heads sport two long, sharp horns, and their sharp teeth conceal an iron-strong tongue that can slash flesh and bone. The cheimon has relatively small wings, scaled on the bottom and feathered above, in the middle of its body. It has two claws, in its front. Its hind part is of a huge, slithering serpent or dragon’s tail. Its sharp tongue can impale or slice.

The cheimon may move quickly both on land and in the air. On land, its front part is upright and it slithers on its tail.

The cheimon breathes blazing fire and intense cold. its breath affects a cone fifty yards long, fifteen yards wide at its end. Its flame causes a loss of 6d6 survival points, and its cold a loss of 4d6. These losses are halved on a successful evasion roll. Further, anyone caught in its cold breath must make a fortitude roll at a penalty of two or be chilled: a penalty of three to attacks, reaction, and movement for as many rounds as they lost survival points. The cheimon may use each of its breath attacks once every eight rounds.

The cheimon’s wings can create an intense wind. It may choose to beat its wings and blow back any creature of large size or smaller. This wind extends in a cone thirty yards long, ten yards wide at its end. Anyone caught in the wind must make a fortitude roll or fall backwards as many yards as they missed the reaction roll by. Small creatures are at a penalty of 2, tiny creatures at a penalty of 4, and fine creatures at a penalty of 6 on this roll. Large creatures are at a bonus of 2.

The cheimon may choose either its physical attacks or one of its breath attacks (if available) or its wind attack, in any round.

These ancient creatures are of unknown origin, but may be some strange offspring of Tiemen or birthed by lightning in great storms atop the tallest of mountains.

Wyverns

Rare: mountains
Class: dragon
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 1 or d4
Level: 6
Intelligence: average
Charisma: low
Movement: 13 walking/20 flying
Attacks: claws and bite, or tail
Damage: 2d6 and/or d6+poison
Defense: +6
Special Attacks: poisoned tail and bite
Size: huge (4-6 yards tall)
Special Vision: underground-2

The bastard children of dragons are often deceptively beautiful but not the bat-winged, barbed, and leathery wyvern. This predatory and destructive creature symbolizes war, pestilence, envy, and viciousness. Its attacks do not heal, and its tail can putrefy water, turning it into an undrinkable, poisonous mess.

The wyvern can attack with either its deadly claws and its rough and tearing teeth, or its barbed tail. Biting or tail biting each do d6 damage, but each are also poisoned. On a successful attack, the target must make an evasion roll or the damage—both injuries and the scratches and bruises of survival—do not heal. Only rest, and careful and repeated cleaning will allow the damage to heal, and then only per week instead of per day. The wyvern may attack separately with its claws/bite and its tail.

The wyvern’s tail contains a deadly poison that can be used three times per day. Its effect is d3 injuries, with an action time of one round and a strength of 4.

Once per day, if it has not used its tail poison, the wyvern can discharge its poison into a small body of water, causing the water to turn murky and brown, and making it poisonous and unable to maintain life. Wyvern lairs tend to be stinking cesspools, barren and devoid of any life other than that of the wyvern itself.

Faerie

NEED A DESCRIPTION OF WHAT ARE FAERIE.

Brownies

Common: forest, field, and home
Class: faerie
Organization: solitary, family, or tribe
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d2 or d20
Level: 1/2
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 13
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1 or by weapon
Defense: +4
Special Defenses: shift elsewhere
Special Attacks: elf-shot
Size: tiny (9-12 inches)
Special Vision: night

Known as domovoi in Russia and lares in Rome, these shy, tiny sprites may live in hearth, field, or forest. One must never speak of a brownie by name. Rather, call them “the good people,” “the gentle folk”, “grandfather”, or “himself/herself”. Brownies love singing and dancing. While they are almost always invisible to human eyes, they may be heard faintly, as if through a long distance. Their singing and dancing can be heard as groans, creaks, or a very soft conversation.

Domestic brownies often wear brown; their wild cousins green. In groups they may sing forth fog, rain, and flood. One brownie may fog up a house. Two brownies may call a short (d20 minutes) rain over a single house. More brownies may call stronger, wider, and longer rain. Each additional brownie may double the duration, the size, or the strength (five brownies may call a tiny thunderstorm). A dance of sixteen brownies may call a great thunderstorm that lasts for a week.

Instead of a storm, the brownies may instead call forth a river. A dance of twenty brownies may call a flash flood of sufficient force to destroy a house. The flood arrives 2d10 minutes after called.

Brownies may also prevent or ameliorate rain and flood for the same period of time, reducing by equivalent strength.

Brownies are not so much invisible as elsewhere. Brownies live in a world adjacent to our own, and which shares many of the places of our world. Thus they may be here and not here at the same time. They may not attack while elsewhere, and must come fully here to attack. This they rarely do. While here, brownies may take the form of small animals such as cats, rats, puppies, and foxes.

Brownies may move from elsewhere to here or back, or shift shape, at will. They take little notice of humans though they live in the same house or farm. They will use food, livestock, and household objects without regard to ownership, and may even clean up after themselves and the other inhabitants of the house. They will take offense to being called thieves or to attempts to block them from using these things. But they are just as likely to take offense at direct attempts to appease them or to thank them for something they’ve done. If one wishes to leave food or rewards for brownies, they must be placed in such a manner as to have reasonably been accidentally left and be accidentally found.

Brownies are especially fond of fireplaces and campfires. They will keep such fires going as long as they need them, and they are also mindful of the need to extinguish fires when they are no longer needed. (They are not mindful of the desires of those who actually started the fire.)

Brownies keep tiny treated darts and blowguns. The sleep poison of a brownie’s elf-shot is an ailment with a one round action time, and a strength of zero; its effect is to immediately put the victim to sleep.

Brownies rarely acknowledge the presence of humans, and speak to them even less often. They may over time view one reasonably friendly, non-threatening human with favor, and perhaps even speak with them.

Centaurs

Uncommon: forests and meadows
Class: faerie
Organization: tribe
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 4+1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 20
Attacks: hooves and weapon
Damage: d6 and by weapon
Defense: +5
Size: large
Special Vision: night-3

The origin of the centaur is obscured behind the gauze curtains of prehistory. In the past they involved themselves far more in the affairs of Elves and Men than they do today. Now, they frequent only the out-of-the-way forests where Nymphs and Pixies live.

With its six limbs, the Centaur is an odd hybrid. It has two humanoid arms and four horse-like legs. The male may mate, horse-like, with other Centaurs, or humanoid-like with Nymphs, Elves, or humans. From their torso up, they resemble an extremely muscular Elf or Half-Elf. From the waist down and back they resemble a warhorse or strong pony. They have limited night vision, at a penalty of 4.

Often loud and boisterous, like the Dwarves Centaurs tend to love their drink and their socializing. The celebrations of the Centaurs of old are renowned even among the gods. Centaur society also values medicine, music, and hunting. The Centaur warrior’s knowledge of the art of war is unparalleled. While Centaurs tend towards the Chaotic moral code, they might also be Good, or more rarely, Evil.

Centaur warriors are masters of the bow, and gain a bonus of 2 to attack when using one. Centaurs usually fight with swords and short bows, though they may also fight with their powerful feet. When fighting with short swords, they may use their feet in addition to their sword, for two attacks per round.

Centaurs live about four times as long as a human.

Dryads

Very Rare: forests
Class: faerie
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: noon to midnight
Diet: herbivore
Number: d8
Level: 2
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 10
Attacks: dagger
Defense: +1
Special Attacks: fast friend
Special Defenses: tree-walking
Magic Resistance: 10
Size: medium
Special Vision: night-1

These are red-cheeked, fair-haired, beautiful, green-clad, female faerie. They live inside of special trees, and wane to death if they leave their tree for any appreciable length of time, or if their tree is destroyed.

Their homes have no entrance: a dryad may enter her own home magically, and may take one medium-sized creature if desired. While alive, their trees are larger inside than outside. Dryads are initially shy, but may be friendly to individuals. Their shyness increases in proportion to the number of non-dryads. A party of adventurers is likely to send dryads scurrying to their trees, where an individual may well find himself befriended. Dryads are often happy to hear well-told tales of great doings in other forests.

Dryads may tree-walk, entering one tree and exiting another within one hundred yards. They speak with plants as if plants were young children.

Dryads can cast Fast Friend three times per day, and will do so if threatened or to capture a handsome or powerful male. Targets have a penalty of three to their reaction roll. Once “befriended” in this way and brought into a dryad’s home, a target must make an endurance roll or never return; on a successful roll they will return 2d20 months later.

Dwarves

Ubiquitous: Dwarven cities
Class: faerie
Organization: civilization
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: individual choice
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d12
Level: 1+1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average to low
Movement: 10
Attacks: fists or weapon
Damage: d3 or weapon
Defense:
Special Defenses: magic immunity
Size: small
Special Vision: underground-2

Dwarves live in caverns and mines under mountains. They are short, stout, and long-lived, and competitive. Dwarves are resistant to certain magicks, and are very hardy. They gain a bonus of two on health rolls, and a bonus of 3 to reactions against magical items and spells.

Elves

Ubiquitous: Elven cities
Class: faerie
Organization: civilization
Moral Code: good
Activity Cycle: whatever
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average to high
Movement: 12
Attacks: fists or weapon
Damage: d3 or weapon
Defense:
Special Defenses: immunity to charm
Size: medium
Special Vision: night-1

Elves live in out-of-the way, usually heavily forested, places, with bodies of water nearby. Elves are very long-lived, perhaps the most long-lived civilizing species. They tend to be thin, with swept-back ears and keen vision. Elves are difficult to mind control or surprise, and gain a bonus of 3 on reactions against sleep and mind control effects, and a bonus of 2 on perception rolls. When traveling unarmored, Elves’ opponents have a penalty of 3 on surprise rolls.

Half-Elves have +1 to perception and against sleep or mind control.

Gnome

Ubiquitous: Gnome villages
Class: faerie
Organization: civilization
Moral Code: chaotic good
Activity Cycle: late sleepers
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 8
Attacks: fists or weapon
Damage: d2 or weapon
Defense: +1
Special Defenses: perception bonus
Size: small
Special Vision: night-1

Gnomes are very short, and live in remote wooded and hilly areas. They are difficult to surprise, hide from, and misdirect, and gain a bonus of 3 to all perception rolls. They can make a perception roll to know if an item is cursed.

Goblins

Ubiquitous: Goblin villages
Class: faerie
Organization: civilization
Moral Code: chaotic evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: low
Movement: 8
Attacks: fists or weapon
Damage: d2 or weapon
Defense: +1 (plus leather and shield)
Special Defenses: health bonus, surprise
Size: small
Special Vision: night-1

Goblins are tiny, pale creatures with ugly but elflike features. They tend to live in dark forests or shallow caves. When traveling unarmored Goblins’ opponents have a penalty of 2 to surprise. Goblins are hardy creatures, and gain +3 to reactions against disease, sickness, and poison.

Halfling

Ubiquitous: Halfling villages
Class: faerie
Organization: civilization
Moral Code: ordered good
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d20
Level: 1+1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 8
Attacks: fists or weapon
Damage: d2 or weapon
Defense:
Special Defenses: magical immunity, health bonus, surprise
Size: small
Special Vision: night-2

Halflings are small, human-like creatures who live in small huts or long houses in hills, in wooded areas, though they will often farm as well. Halflings have some immunity to magicks and gain a bonus of 3 on reactions any magical effects. They are hardy, and gain a bonus of 1 to health rolls. When traveling unarmored, Halfling opponents have a penalty of three to surprise rolls)

Naiads

Very Rare: rivers, lakes, seas
Class: faerie
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: noon to midnight
Diet: herbivore
Number: d12
Level: 3
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 10
Attacks: dagger
Defense: +1
Special Attacks: fast friend
Special Defenses: tree-walking
Magic Resistance: 10
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground-1

These shyly playful, beautiful, sea-weed-clad, female faerie live within bodies of water, usually springs, small rivers, or remote lakes. They wane to death if they leave their water for any appreciable length of time, or if their water source dies out. Naiads like to eat lilies, roses, and other flowers. Their hair is the green, yellow, red, and orange of the flowers they eat.

The Naiad lives underwater, often in giant shells, undersea caverns, or sunken ships. Like other nymphs they are shy, but may be friendly to individuals. They are more playful than other nymphs, and more likely to travel out of sight of their home. They are very suspicious of non-playful strangers, and will hide (preferably underwater) at the first opportunity. Larger bodies of water may hold larger numbers of Naiads, who will usually be on friendly terms with each other.

Naiads can breathe water, and can grant the ability to breathe water to anyone they’ve charmed. They can speak with fish as if the fish were young children.

Naiads can cast fast friend once per day, and will do so if threatened or to capture a handsome or powerful male. Targets have a penalty of three to their reaction roll. Usually the Naiad will send the new friend on a hastily-made quest, however, prized specimens may be brought into their underwater home. Once befriended in this way, a target must make an endurance roll or never return; on a successful roll the victim will return 2d20 months later.

Nymphs

There are currently three known types of nymph: the dryad, the petraiad, and the naiad. Nymphs are all female. They generally mate with satyrs, occasionally with centaurs or other faerie. The offspring of a nymph and a faerie is either another nymph of the same kind (if a girl) or a faerie of the father’s type (if a boy). Nymphs will also sometimes try to charm a human (and sometimes a human will try to charm a nymph). The offspring of a human and a nymph is a nymph (if a girl) or a unique monstrosity (if a male).

Among the more primitive or remote, nymphs may be worshipped as goddesses, more for their beauty and capriciousness than any wisdom or power. They often collect items powerful enough to serve as gifts to the appropriate culture hero.

Nymphs are dangerous creatures to cross. Immortal or practically so, they are also charismatic and know everyone. The gods themselves are often counted among a Nymph’s allies. The unfortunate who harms a Nymph usually finds that they have made more enemies than they can handle.

Petraiads

Very Rare: mountains
Class: faerie
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: midnight to noon
Diet: herbivore
Number: d8
Level: 4
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 8
Attacks: dagger
Defense: +4
Special Attacks: rock to mud
Special Defenses: fast friend
Magic Resistance: 12
Size: medium
Special Vision: night-1

These are hauntingly beautiful, pale, female faerie, like tree dryads, but who live in huge geodes or hidden caves. Petraiads wane to death if they leave their rock home for any appreciable length of time, or if their home is destroyed.

Their homes have no entrance: a petraiad may enter her own home magically, and may take one medium-sized creature if desired. While intact, their homes appear larger inside than outside. Petraiads are shy and non-violent, but very suspicious of strangers.

A petraiad can cast mud to rock or rock to mud up to four times per day, and can cast fast friend once per week (with a penalty of three to the reaction roll), usually sending the charmed person away unless it is a particularly handsome human or Elven male with great musical ability.

A petraiad can bestow a phase through rocks ability, which lasts one day, upon any person they have charmed.

Pixies

Common: Pixie clans
Class: faerie
Organization: civilization
Activity Cycle: special
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d20
Level: 1-2
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 14/3
Attacks: fists or weapon
Damage: 1 or weapon
Defense:
Special Defenses: immunity to charm
Size: tiny
Special Vision: night

Pixies tend to live far from civilization, in forests, mountains, or swamps. Pixies are Elvish in appearance, with swept-back ears and keen vision. They are known for their emerald green eyes, and their gossamer wings which flutter constantly, even twitching in their rare sleep.

Pixies sleep only for short periods when they feel like it, usually about an hour or two in half hour increments throughout any twenty-four hour period. Pixies tend to be difficult to mind control or surprise. They gain a bonus of 3 to reactions against sleep and mind control, and a bonus of 1 to perception rolls. When they walk, their opponents have a penalty of three to their surprise rolls.

Pixies tend to live as high off of the ground as they can, in treetops, or on mountains or plateaus. They have short lives, perhaps thirty years is a good average, and their social structure reflects this. Pixies prize experiences of all kinds and rarely tie themselves down to one place or one situation.

Some Christians believe Pixies to be fallen angels diminished in stature along with their morals, but not quite as evil as the angels fallen to hell. Most of the faerie races believe them to be related to Elves.

Satyrs

Uncommon: forests
Class: faerie
Organization: individual
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: afternoon to early morning
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d6
Level: 5
Intelligence: average
Charisma: high
Movement: 16
Attacks: horns or weapon
Damage: 2d4 or weapon
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: piping
Magic Resistance: 10
Size: medium (5-6 feet)
Special Vision: night

Satyr are known by many names in many languages (faun in Latin, ljeschi in Slavic). They are licentious and lecherous, half-man, half goat creatures. Their horns are sharp and deadly. They are fond of wine, revelry, and mischief. They will turn angry and violent if their jokes are not taken in good nature. They will always welcome a friendly face with a jug of wine, especially if accompanied by good fruit and other foods.

When satyrs play music on their pipes, everyone wants to join in on the revelry. Anyone within six yards, plus one yard per satyr, must make a willpower roll or fall into the revelry along with the satyrs. There is a penalty of one to the roll for two satyrs pipe, a penalty of two if four satyrs pipe, a penalty of three if eight satyrs pipe, and so on. The revelry generally lasts until the “victim” falls asleep from exhaustion. When the victim awakes late the following afternoon, the satyrs will be gone (along with, perhaps, any items or people the satyrs wanted to bring along with them).

Satyrs are not easily surprised. They gain a bonus of two to perception rolls to avoid any kind of surprise. They may also hide and move silently on a roll of 15 or less, with a bonus of two in the forest.

Satyrs especially enjoy frolicking with nymphs, and with female humans.

Satyrs will often fight with spears as well as their horns.

Xolome

Common: caves
Class: faerie
Organization: civilization
Moral Code: ordered evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d20
Level: 1 - 1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: low
Movement: 8
Attacks: fists or weapon
Damage: d2 or weapon
Defense: +2 (plus leather and shield)
Size: small (2 to 2 1/2 feet)
Special Vision: underground

Xolome are tiny, misshapen humanoids who live in caves and deep warrens. Xolome will often herd and ride small animals such as dogs, raccoons, or weasels. Xolome dislike light but are not adversely affected by it.

Xolome are known for playing tricks on miners, and are hated by Dwarves. Xolome can transform good ore into bad: gold ore into fool’s gold, or silver ore into cobalt, for example. They can also cause rock-falls and cave-ins by merely slapping against loose or cracked stone.

To appease them, human miners will sometimes call them “the good men” or “the good men of the mountains”.

Fantastic Creatures

Need some notes on fantastic creatures.

Aeagarsut

Rare: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: clans
Moral Code: ordered evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 1 or 2d8
Level: 5+
Intelligence: very high
Charisma: high
Movement: 14
Attacks: claws or 4 tentacle pairs
Damage: d6 or d4
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: charge for 2d8
Special Defenses: regeneration
Magic Resistance: 5
Size: large (8-10 feet)
Special Vision: underground

Eight tentacles extending from a blubbery face, hands ending in sharp, rending claws, one almost misses the vestigial leathery wings protruding from the tall creature’s back. This ancient race of underground creatures is as at home under deep waters as in caverns deep below the ground.

The Aeagarsut have white, pupil-less eyes that see clearly in even the darkest places of the world. Their greater members are all powerful psychics, with additional monk levels and Telepathic powers. Their most powerful members will also have Dimensional powers.

Aeagarsut may attack with their claws, or with four tentacle pairs, up to two pairs per opponent. If they can make a successful called shot with two pairs on a single opponent in the same round, they will begin to suck out their opponent’s brains. This causes d6 points of damage per round, and reduces intelligence by 1 point.

Aeagarsut regenerate 1 point damage per round unless they’re dead.

The race is old, older than most human cultures, but the legend of them sometimes remains in primitive lands. The one thing all cultures whose myths remember them recall is that their favorite delicacy is the brain of intelligent creatures. Whether, in the stories, they suck it out the ear, insert a straw, or lop the top of the skull off and dig in, the Aeagarsut are a feared portion of any culture’s mythologies if they appear at all.

Ash-shubab al-Muthlimum

Very rare: summoned
Class: fantastic
Organization: horde, or solitary when summoned
Moral Code: chaotic evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: as summoned
Level: 8
Intelligence: low
Charisma: high
Movement: 12
Attacks: 2-4
Damage: 2d6
Defense: +4
Special Defenses: immunity to esp, mind control etc.
Magic Resistance: 5
Size: large (8-10 feet)
Special Vision: night-2

The Ash-shubab are shambling, hairy creatures with a multitude of hooved legs and tentacled hoof-claws. They may attack with up to four clawed tentacles at a time, although only two on any one medium-sized creature, and only one on a small or smaller creature. It may attack more than one creature at once.

With the proper magical rituals, Ash-shubab can interbreed with humans. These half-breeds will vary in appearance from almost human (of primitive and rough appearance) to as inhuman as the Ash-shubab with only a hint of humanity remaining.

Barking spiders

Common: badlands
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary or family
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 1, or d6
Level: 1 point
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 15
Attacks: 1
Damage: d2
Defense: +1
Special Defenses: noxious expulsion
Size: tiny (6 inches)
Special Vision: underground-3

The barking spider is relatively small for giant spiders, and usually blends into the ground. Barking spiders in different areas will have different colors—they seem to adapt to new surroundings within three to five years.

The barking spider is relatively weak and non-poisonous, living mostly on large insects or small rodents. It has developed a skunk-like defense, however, that meets the skunk and betters it. If the barking spider is losing to potential food, or threatened by something it doesn’t see as food, it can emit noxious fumes that cause any victims to run uncontrollably away. The fumes cover a 4 yard radius around the spider, and anyone in that radius must make a health roll or run for the nearest clear area. If the reaction roll is failed but running is not an option, the victim will be rendered immobile from retching until the fumes dissipate four rounds later.

It can emit the fumes up to three times in succession, and can regenerate one fume attack per hour. While unaffected by their own noxious fumes, a barking spider can be affected by another spider’s fumes. The reaction roll is at a bonus of 2.

The spiders get their name from the loud noise that they make when they emit their noxious defense.

Beaked Sweepers

Uncommon: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: individuals
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 1
Level: 5
Intelligence: low
Charisma: high
Movement: 13
Attacks: tentacles or beak
Damage: 2d6 or d6
Defense: +4
Special Attacks: paralyzation
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground

Resembling brains with hooked beaks and long hanging tentacles, few creatures are more horrific than the beaked sweeper. Its tentacles resemble those of the octopus, and the pustules of its brain-like body writhe and pulsate as separate creatures.

On a successful tentacle called attack, opponents must make an evasion roll to avoid being injected with a strength 0 chronic poison whose action time is 1 round and whose effect is full paralyzation.

The creature attacks with all of its tentacles, for an attack bonus of 2. (This is also why the damage is so high for the tentacle attack.) When attacking a paralyzed opponent, the beaked sweeper uses its bite attack, essentially feeding off of the paralyzed creature.

The creature moves by floating, usually two or so yards above the ground. It can carry up to a hundred pounds while floating and can use this to carry paralyzed food sources out of danger.

Blood hawks

Uncommon: mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: families
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d8
Level: 2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 8/25
Attacks: claws and bite
Damage: d6/d6
Defense: +3
Size: small
Special Vision: night-2

A fat hawk with red-tinged wings and red eyes, perhaps half again as large as a normal hawk. The talons and claws of the blood hawk are very sharp, and prized because of this. They are known to prize gemstones and other bright stones, though not coins, for their nests.

Bloodthorn bushes

Rare: forests, jungles
Class: fantastic
Organization: bushes
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d6
Level: 2
Intelligence: plant
Charisma: none
Movement: none
Attacks: special
Damage: d4
Defense: +3
Size: medium

Bloodthorn bushes grow extremely thick. A dark, rich green that would look right at home in a hedgerow or a maze garden, bloodthorn bushes normally grow slowly. Give them blood, however, and they grow prolifically and quickly.

The bloodthorn bush has no motility. It is a fully rooted plant. It is extremely prickly, however, and anyone who brushes against it must make an evasion roll or the bush is “stuck” to them. If they fail by more than 10, it is stuck hard, and pulling it away from them causes d4 points of damage. If the character tries to pull themself out of the bush, the player must make another evasion roll as above or be even more stuck, but this time at a penalty of two. Each failed evasion roll increases the penalty by two; each successful one reduces it by two. If reduced to zero, the character is free.

However, there is a chance that a thorn or piece of thorn remains under the character’s skin. A perception roll, at a penalty of four if the character was ever stuck hard, is required to remove all bits of the thorns.

If some thorn remains on the character, it will shoot threadlike tendrils into the character’s skin, doing d4 points damage per half day, until the character dies or falls asleep. When the character dies or is no longer awake, the bloodthorn will begin growing a bush across the character’s skin, causing d4 points damage per hour.

Bubbling eyes

Uncommon: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic evil
Activity Cycle: always waking
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d8
Level: 4 to 8
Intelligence: low to average
Charisma: low
Movement: 15
Attacks: two to four bites
Damage: d6 per bite, 3d6 engulf
Defense: +6
Special Defenses: resists weapons, lightning, fire, cold; regeneration
Size: medium or large
Special Vision: underground-1

Known in the underground as the santaeraeagar, these disgusting creatures are rumored to be the offspring of some demented power. These slimy creatures blurble through the tunnels of the underground, their myriad tongues mumbling all the languages of the worlds, always watching from their pulsating blinking eyes. They enjoy the brains of their prey, especially sorceror or magical brains.

These amorphous creatures are composed of myriad eyes, mouths, noses, gills, and ears protruding from a slimy black pudding. It moves by roiling and rolling across the ground. Their size ranges about one foot in radius per level. Bubbling eyes may move on land and underwater at the same speed.

A bubbling eye may bite once for every two levels it has. It can instead choose to engulf an equally-sized or smaller opponent and do 3d6 damage. It must make a called shot, and the opponent is allowed an evasion roll to avoid the attack. Bubblers can split into smaller bubblers to a minimum of second level. A bubbler will often split into three to four bubblers after a magical spell is cast, with two of the new bubblers converging on the caster.

Its sloshing skin is difficult to penetrate; sharp weapons do only half damage against it on a called shot to the eyes. They do only 1 point damage otherwise (with strength bonuses having no effect). Blunt weapons do 1 point damage on a called shot, or none otherwise, and again, strength bonuses have no effect.

A well-fed bubbler will regenerate one survival point every round. A hungry bubbler will regenerate one point every minute. A starved bubbler will not regenerate at all. Cold-based attacks do no damage to the bubbler. Heat-based attacks do half damage. Electrical attacks do damage as normal. Electrical energy and magical or psychic energy cause regeneration to increase to three per round for as many rounds as the attack did damage (at least one round).

Bubblers are very strong. If they can ooze beneath heavy objects, they can lift up to three hundred pounds per level. They can sunder stone and splinter wood that they can surround.

Bubblers live forever unless killed. They are bred for specific tasks. They can hibernate in adverse environments so that they don’t need nourishment or liquid, surviving in intense cold or heat, in dry deserts or underwater. When dormant even fire only does a quarter damage and lightning does no damage (both will wake the creature).

While they are normally single-minded towards their specific task, a bubbler can grow brains for special-purpose problem solving. This gives them a high intelligence for solving that problem. The problem must be something simple and mechanical, such as traversing a maze, raising a bridge, or overcoming some obstacle in their path.

They are excellent trackers, and gain a bonus of level to perception rolls.

Butterfliders

Very Rare: forests, jungles, swamps
Class: fantastic
Organization: small flocks
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d12
Level: 1/2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 14 flying, 4 walking
Attacks: bite
Damage: 1
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: acidic bite
Size: tiny (4-6 inches)

Known as eyanvir to the Elves they invariably live nearby, the beautiful butterfliders spin a web of utmost strength and resilience. This web may be carefully unraveled, treated, and spun into strong, supple clothing. The process is time consuming and expensive, making butterflider thread highly sought after in trade and sometimes war. In worlds where the butterflider exists, they are protected as a national resource and secret.

Butterfliders have a wingspan of seven to ten inches, and their wings are all the colors of the rainbow in almost hypnotic swirls across the wings. A flock of butterfliders in flight is a mesmerizing sight.

The true danger of the butterflider is their web. While they resemble normal spider webs, they are incredibly strong and quite sticky. Merely touching the web will require a strength roll at a bonus of five to detach from the web; on detaching a health roll is required to avoid d3 points damage.

When fully caught in a butterflider web, the victim must make a strength roll at a penalty of 3, and the resulting damage is d10 points if a health roll (at a penalty of two) is failed.

The butterflider’s bite is acidic. Besides de-activating their web it also corrodes metal and burns flesh. On being bitten by a butterflider that chooses to use its acid, the victim must make an evasion roll or the acid has taken effect. It will cause d4 points damage per round for d6 rounds. Every four points of damage also reduces worn armor’s defense by one. Butterfliders may use their acidic attack three times per day, though they always have enough to avoid being caught in a butterflider web.

Buzzflies

Very Rare: forests, jungles, swamps, plains
Class: fantastic
Organization: swarms
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d20
Level: 1/2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 14 flying, 7 walking
Attacks: wing saw
Damage: d3
Defense: +5
Size: tiny (6 inches)

Buzzflies shine a shimmering iridescent green. In a swarm they appear as an iridescent cloud from a distance. Their buzzing back wings are sharp and constantly cut at whatever they fly near. A swarm of buzzflies flying through a forest will leave a trail of flying leaves and cut foliage behind them.

Buzzflies generally attack in swarms. Use the group effort rules.

Carrion Worms

Uncommon: forests, badlands
Class: fantastic
Organization: swarms
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d6
Level: 4
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 10
Attacks: 8 tentacles, claws, or bite
Damage: paralysis, d8, or d6
Defense: +3
Special Attacks: paralysis
Special Defenses: armored head
Size: large (3 yards)
Special Vision: underground-2

Giant, segmented, centipede-like creatures with long, twitching tentacles extending from their heads, these are not things you want to see waking up in the forest at night. Carrion worms are mislabeled twice: they are more like a centipede than a worm, and they do not feed only on carrion. They are just as likely to attempt to paralyze sleeping victims, or surprise smaller victims.

Their tentacles can paralyze on a successful called shot if the victim fails an evasion roll. This chronic poison has a strength of 1, an action time of 1 round, and an effect of complete paralysis. If the poison takes effect, the effect will linger even after it is thrown off. For d6 minutes, movement is at half normal, initiative and attacks are at a penalty of 3, and defense is at a penalty of 1. (These lingering effects are cumulative if the victim was paralyzed more than once). The worm may attack up to three facing opponents with any combination of its eight tentacles. Once a victim is paralyzed, the worm will feed on it while still living.

The worm may tunnel through earth at half its movement rate, and lives in warrens in the ground. On any sort of normal earth, stone, or wood construction where its strong claws can take hold, the worm may crawl vertically up walls and across ceilings at its normal speed.

The worm’s segments are armored, but it is heavily armored up front. When attacked from a frontal position (which, with its ability to writhe it may easily maintain against any single opponent) it gains a further bonus of four to defense.

Creeping Slimes

Uncommon: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: cellular
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d6
Level: 1+ (usually 3 to 10)
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 3+ half level
Attacks: slime(s)
Damage: d6
Defense: +8
Special Attacks: engulf
Special Defenses: many immunities, regeneration
Size: small to large or more
Special Vision: underground-2

The various creeping slimes are all conglomerations of monocellular organisms which combine into larger and more cunning organisms. While always of animal intelligence, the larger a slime, the more cunning and dangerous the slime can be. Slimes cannot be killed in normal ways. Cutting up a slime only results in multiple smaller (and somewhat stupider) slimes.

Sharp and pointed weapons cause no damage to slimes. Bludgeoning weapons generally also cause no damage; if they would have caused ten or more points of damage, they will cause one point of damage per ten points. For every two points of damage caused to the slime, the slime will divide into an extra slime.

Fire causes normal damage to slimes. Lightning causes a quarter damage, and also results in the division of the slime into one or more smaller slimes. The slime will divide into one extra slime for every two points of damage caused to it. Cold does no damage to a slime, but can slow it down. If a slime is frozen, it becomes immobile, but will be none the worse for wear on thawing out.

Slimes can break apart at will, though they will rarely do so except to escape. They can also ooze through any hole or opening that is larger than a quarter inch per level. They can traverse walls or ceilings as easily as floors.

Slimes attack by engulfing their potential victims. They do d6 points of damage in a normal attack. If they successfully make a called shot and the target fails an evasion roll, they have engulfed the victim and will do an automatic 2d6 points damage per round thereafter. Very small slimes (less than one level) will only do d6 points damage per round after engulfing. Levels one through three are small. Levels four through eight are medium, and levels nine through fourteen are large. Slimes can attack one opponent for every three levels. (Two at level four, three at level seven, four at level ten, etc.)

Slimes can regenerate in darkness if they are well fed, at level points per minute for up to level minutes in any hour.

Green Slime: Green slime is a nearly phosphorescent pale green. It can shoot blobs of a putrescent chunky green goo at its enemies, besides the normal slime attack. On a failed evasion roll, its victims are covered in the slippery goo. Vision will be obscured for at least one round (until the character finds time to wipe the goo away, which will take one full round). The sticky, slippery goo will make it difficult to grasp items until the goo is thoroughly cleaned off the victim’s hands, which will take d3 rounds. Until that time, the victim must make an evasion roll for every item used, or the item will slip out of the victim’s hands.

The green slime can slime the foremost characters in a cone half level feet across at its base and level feet across at its terminus level yards away. It may expel this goo three times per day.

If a green slime is killed before it has expelled its goo, it will generally expel it in the direction of the killing attack on its death.

Orange Slime: Orange slime is a bright orange, translucent, smooth, and jelly-like. If it has fed recently, bits of its meal may still be barely visible, suspended within its jelly-like body.

Orange slime is a telepathic reflector. When hungry its surface will bubble and will form into emotional scenes from the minds of potential victims within level yards. Victims who see these orange scenes reflected from their minds must make a willpower roll or be drawn towards the slime at their normal movement. Once within half level feet of the slime’s edge, the scene will morph into jellied orange tentacles that will grab onto the victim and either draw the victim into the slime’s body or detach as a smaller slime onto the victim.

Once attached, the slime will extend over the surface of the victim and dissolve the victim slowly away. Fortunately, most victims suffocate quickly, as per the normal slime rules.

Orange slimes may telepathically beckon up to half level victims at any one time. While digesting a victim, scenes from the victim’s memories will play out over the surface of the slime.

Red Slime: Red slime is so corrosive that it can degrade the quality of metal weapons used against it, and will corrode any susceptible metal worn by an engulfed victim. Metal must make a reaction roll or take 2d6 damage (or d6 for very small slimes) just like the victim. The reaction roll (vs. acid) is at a penalty of three due to the corrosiveness of the red slime’s acid.

Steaming Slime: These steaming, gray slimes build up a deadly, sticky, burning jelly within their cells, which they can expel as a burning cloud, up to three times per day. When the cloud is expelled, everyone within one foot per level of the slime must make an evasion roll or be struck for 2d6 points of damage. The jelly will stick to its victims. They will take d6 points for the next two rounds after that, and d3 for the three rounds after that. Those making their evasion roll will take only d6 points of damage, and only during the first round. If a steaming slime is killed before it has expelled its jelly, a burning jelly will generally be expelled on its death.

Cucumber, giant

Common: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: schools
Activity Cycle: four-five hour cycles
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d6
Level: 3
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 8 (9 internal)
Attacks: bite (internals: 2 tentacles)
Damage: d6 (d4/d4)
Defense:
Special Attacks: internal organs
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground-3

Giant cucumbers (related to the sea cucumber) resemble long, well, snake-like cucumbers, covered with greenish skin and spiny red points. It has a rudimentary head and sharp beak (some actually have two such heads, and will thus receive two attacks per round).

The most disconcerting ability of the giant cucumber is its ability to expel its internal digestive and respiratory tract through the rear as a second attack form. The expelled innards may attack on their own and will live for 3d6 minutes following expulsion. The innards attack with sticky tentacles that do d4 points damage. On a successful attack, the target must make an agility roll or the tentacle is attached, doing d4 points automatically twice per round thereafter. (A successful fortitude roll, doing d6 points damage to the character, is required to disengage from the sticky tentacles.) A “stuck” victim is at a penalty of 1 to attack any opponent other than the internal organs.

The internal organs may attack up to two characters at once, with two tentacles each. They will attempt to attack the cucumber’s forward attackers. The cucumber will usually attempt to leave (so that it can regenerate its innards, a process that takes two days) after this tactic. Without its internal organs, the giant cucumber’s movement rate is increased by 2.

Gakemai

Very Rare: underground, mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: mining villages
Moral Code: ordered evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d12 or d100
Level: 3
Intelligence: high
Charisma: average
Movement: 14 walking/26 flying
Attacks: 2 pincers or tail
Damage: d8/d8 or d10
Defense: +5
Size: medium
Special Vision: night-1, underground-3

Gakemai are visitors from another place, some alien plane. They come to this world to mine metals from deep within mountains and deep underground. They vaguely resemble pastel-pink wasps with inhuman faces and paper-thin pink and grey wings. Their eight arms end in sharp pincers, and their prehensile tail is sharp as a scythe. Gakemai may attack up to three targets at once, two with pincers and one with their tail. They cannot attack the same victim with both tail and pincers, as this would cause them to lose their aerial balance.

When Gakemai walk on the ground, they scuttle like beetles, and can move up walls as quickly as on a flat surface. When they fly, they fly somewhat like hummingbirds, hovering in place or darting quickly from place to place.

While among themselves they ‘speak’ through color shifts in the transparent, crystalline antenna-like appendages on t heir faces, Gakemai may speak to their slaves through ‘normal’ language, although their voices resemble a high-pitched buzzing much like the noise that occasionally emanates from high-voltage power lines.

Gakemai are completely inhuman, and immune to all mental attacks. They usually build their mining operations with slaves captured from terrorized local populations. They also will build hybrid species from the various races they have enslaved. When a Gakemai dies, it slowly, over a few hours, degrades into an slimy black liquid.

Gangai

Uncommon: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: packs
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 5
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: high
Movement: 15
Attacks: bite, shift
Damage: 2d6
Defense: +6
Special Defenses: empathy, shift
Size: medium (1.5 yards long)
Special Vision: underground-2

Gangai run swiftly on all fours, their ropy bodies undulating from the ends of their waving tail to the tips of their six writhing tentacles. They attack with powerful teeth behind short beak-like lips. They may manipulate objects using their tentacles. Their wide, pale eyes and their wide nostrils share space on a hound-like head. They have an acute sense of smell, so sensitive that it is nearly as useful as eyesight at short ranges, within three yards. Even small winds will confuse their sense of smell, however.

Gangai can shift short distances through strange angles. They can shift up to 8 yards and stay “shifted” for up to three rounds (though normally their shifts will take no time at all). They may do this up to three times per hour. They can detect any strong emotion, such as anger, lust, or fear, within thirty yards. They will know the location of the emotional person and can shift to that person unerringly. They can communicate with each other both through a low-pitched guttural growl and through rudimentary empathic signals. They are cunning hunters and will use all of these abilities to the best of their animal intelligence.

Gangai receive two actions per round if they intend to use their shift in a round. The second (or first, if they can see their target) action must be the shift.

Gangai are unused to light, and in filtered sunlight or in light as bright as sunlight they will be at a penalty of one to attack. In true sunlight they will be at a penalty of two to attack, and they will generally avoid sunlight if at all possible.

Gas molds

Rare: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: mold colonies
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d4
Level: 1+
Intelligence: plant
Charisma: plant
Movement:
Attacks: none
Defense: +2
Special Attacks: spore gas
Special Defenses: immunities
Size: small to large
Special Vision: underground-2

When they have a steady stream of creatures for food, gas molds are moderately dangerous. If their food supply dries up, however, the spores shrivel up and become a fine, dormant dust of spores. Even a slight touch to a dormant mold can send thousands of fine spores into the air. These fine spores, like any fine dust, are difficult to fully remove and can get absolutely anywhere.

Whenever a gas mold is touched or disturbed, it is likely to send up a cloud of “gas”. This gas is really the spores of the mold. If it takes root in a victim’s lungs or in a moist part of the character’s body, the mold will begin to grow and spread throughout the victim’s body.

Active molds will release spores 5% of the time if touched or moderately disturbed. If damaged, there is a 10% chance per point of damage that a gas cloud will be released. Gas clouds will be one yard in diameter per level and any patch can release four such patches per day. Dormant molds will release spores 50% of the time if touched or moderately disturbed, and 100% of the time if damaged. Such clouds will be two yards in diameter per level and can be released once per day.

The reaction roll vs. active mold is at a bonus of 4. The reaction roll vs. dormant mold is at no bonus or penalty. In each case, it is an evasion roll. In the latter case, even on a successful roll the mold will attach itself to the victim unless the victim made their roll by at least five points. The mold can then spread to other victims and can activate if the carrier sweats a lot or does not clean themselves thoroughly (as the mold spreads to a moist spot, such as the eyes, mouth, or scratchable areas of the body). In the latter case a health roll is required every day, at a penalty of three.

If mold activates on a victim, it acts like an ailment with a strength of four and an activation time of one day. Its effects are a loss of d8 survival points per day, one point of endurance per day, and one point of agility per day as the mold grows throughout the victim’s body. Once activated it cannot be washed off.

While active, gas molds live and die, with the living feeding off of the dead. When dormant, gas molds can remain potent, as far as has been observed, for ever. Molds are pretty much immune to any attack except fire, lightning, or other high-energy attacks. Acid can affect active mold, but not inactive mold.

Great lizard

Very Rare: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: families
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d4
Level: 6
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 12
Attacks: bite
Damage: d8
Defense: +5
Size: large (2-3 yards)
Special Vision: underground-2

News of their extinction has not yet reached the deep places these creatures live. They are descended from dinosaurs and walk upright, balancing themselves with a long tail. They can bend down (using their tail for balance) to walk through low caves, though they prefer not to. They can move quickly, and are ferocious fighters. They fight with their powerful teeth, rending flesh and snapping bone. They often travel in pairs, male and female and perhaps some cubs. They tend to prefer the warmer areas of the underground and the open spaces of great underground caverns. They are quite intelligent and will often work together to hunt prey—and mated pairs will also sometimes work together with other pairs to hunt dangerous prey.

Grey-hooked Bat

Very Rare: mountains, forests
Class: fantastic
Organization: clans
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 2d8
Level: 2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 4/20
Attacks: bite or claw
Damage: d4 or 2d6
Defense: +5
Size: small
Special Vision: underground-2

The feeding frenzy of the grey-hooked bat is a sickening sight. This fearsome creature attacks and eats large creatures, raking them from behind with deadly clawed tails and finishing off the injured victim with sharp teeth. They resemble bats by skin tone and their bat-like wings. They have no feet, only a sharp, clawed, twisting tail that can move them along the ground like a snake. Their tail can also throw them into the air where they may take flight.

Gryphon

Very Rare: mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: families
Moral Code: evil or none
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d6
Level: 7
Intelligence: low
Charisma: high
Movement: 12/30
Attacks: claws/bite
Damage: d10/2d8
Defense: +7
Size: large (8-10 yards long)

The gryphon is a fearsome creature, with the body, feet, and claws of a lion and the wings, head, and beak of an eagle. It is said to have the strength of eight lions and claws like the horns of oxen.

The gryphon has a prodigious appetite and is likely to attack and carry off any domestic horses, cows, or oxen it sees. It is known to be aggressive towards humans also. It is territorial, and will fight off both other gryphons and hippogriffs.

Hanging vines

Rare: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: groves
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 2
Intelligence: plant
Charisma: plant
Movement:
Attacks: vine
Damage: d3
Defense: +5
Size: medium (20-30 yards)
Special Vision: underground-3

Hanging vines grow from the ceilings and outcroppings of the underground, and sometimes from the stunted grey trees of the underground’s demented forests. They may attack with their thorny vines for d3 points, but will usually only attack from surprise and with a called shot to the neck: the victim must then make an evasion roll or be caught in the vine. The vine will then tighten for d6 points of damage per round.

While strangling a victim, the vine has a penalty of two to defense.

Hippogriff

Very Rare: mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: families
Moral Code: none
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d12
Level: 4
Intelligence: low
Charisma: low
Movement: 18/36
Attacks: claws/bite
Damage: d10/d10
Defense: +5
Size: large (4-5 yards long)

The hippogriff is a cross between a gryphon—a strange enough creature on its own—and a mare, normally the gryphon’s prey. Its back legs are like that of a horse, its front like a lion, and its wings and head like an eagle.

What possesses the gryphon to mate with a horse is unknown (the mare probably has no choice in the matter). The very thought of such a creature is a symbol of impossibility, “Jungentur jam grypes equis” something that cannot be done. The hippogriff can bear offspring with other hippogriffs, however, so this impossible state of affairs is not required in abundance.

Hop snakes

Rare: forests, plains
Class: fantastic
Organization: swarm
Activity Cycle: early morning to afternoon
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d20
Level: 1 pt
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 8 slither/14 hoop/12 coil
Attacks: bite
Damage: 1/2 pt
Defense: +3
Size: tiny

These brilliantly-striped, multicolored snake-like lizards come in three forms: the hoop snake grabs its tail in its mouth and rolls by undulating its body. The coil snake wraps itself into a helical shape and bounces to where it needs to go. The balloon snake blows up to an iridescent sphere and floats down hills and across fields. All of them can slither when necessary but (except for the balloon snake) move faster using their special form. The balloon snake moves at the speed of wind, and may be caught on updrafts.

Hop snakes appear to be all the same species with different forms or possibly genders. They may be tri-gendered species. Hop snakes are herbivorous, and almost never attack. When they do, their only weapon is a bite. They do have a tendency to knock things over, however, as they roll, bounce, or float about a room or anywhere people have set things up.

Kamekkipialo

Very Rare: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: individual or swarm
Activity Cycle: sleep 3-4 hours
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d2 or 2d8
Level: 4
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 8 slither/10 fly
Attacks: tail slap
Damage: d6
Defense: +4
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground

Among the most fearsome creatures of the underground are the shadowy, slithering kamekkipialo. These grey, leathery creatures slide through the tunnels of the underground on long, snake-like bodies, their heads and chests supported by small wings. They can raise themselves up to five to seven feet on their wings, and can use their wings to cushion long falls, but may not use them for flying.

The kamekkipialo strikes with its powerful tail, slapping out at its enemies while its bright eyes dance in the darkness. When attacking medium or smaller creatures, it may choose to make a called shot; on a failed evasion roll the victim is coiled in the creature’s powerful body and takes 2d6 points damage per round thereafter.

The most feared ability of the kamekkipialo, however, is its poisonous stare. Within the pale, faceted eyes of the creature lurk deadly visions. Once per hour, the kamekkipialo can reflect these poisons back from the light of torch or lantern to any target within a thirty degree arc of the light’s bearer. This chronic mental poison has an action time of three rounds, a strength of two, and reduces strength and endurance by d3 points. The reaction to avoid the poison taking effect is a willpower roll.

Karuat

Uncommon: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: tribal
Moral Code: ordered, ordered evil, or none
Activity Cycle: 11/20 hours sleep/awake
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d6
Level: 3
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 9 walking, 6 water
Attacks: 2 claws
Damage: d4/d4
Defense: +6
Size: medium (6-8 feet tall)
Special Vision: underground-2

The Karuat are crab-like humanoids of the Underground. They have a hard exoskeleton, crab-like claws, and beaked heads.

The Karuat are relatively peaceful for underground dwellers, but they will defend their lands and sacred sites savagely. They generally have no respect for life forms without an exoskeleton. They are equally at home in the water as on land, and may survive underwater for as many hours as a human could survive for minutes.

Ketelekrae

Uncommon: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: groves
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d4
Level: 3 to 9
Intelligence: low
Charisma: low
Movement: 2
Attacks: 2-4 bites
Damage: d6 to 3d6 per bite
Defense: +8
Special Defenses: empathy, regeneration
Size: small, medium, or large
Special Vision: underground-3

Ketelekrae are more plant than animal. Their roots dig into the rock of the underground, but can be removed if necessary, allowing the ketelekrae to walk slowly on its roots. Ketelekrae consist of pale violet sac-like bodies atop bronze-red roots, with two to four beaked heads protruding from the sac on long necks and myriad tentacles protruding among the heads. They attack separately with each head. Ketelekrae range from one yard to three yards across. Their leathery, bulbous body is difficult to penetrate with even edged or pointed weapons.

Ketelekrae prefer to live in corners, cracks, or crevasses. As long as they are not killed they can re-grow roots, tentacles, and head at the rate of one damage point per ten minutes. They eat through their tentacles, which swarm over a fallen victim and slowly suck the fat and blood and liquids from the body.

Ketelekrae are intelligent creatures, their alien brains deep within their sac-like bodies. They collect treasures and can use some magical items. They can lull potential victims with an empathic burst three times per day, using one of the following forms of empathy:

Forgetfulness: Every creature within ten yards must make a perception roll or completely forget the last minute.

Sleep: Every creature within five yards must make a perception roll or fall to sleep for at least two rounds.

Anger: Every creature in four yards must make a perception roll or attack the nearest creature other than the ketelekrae for two rounds.

Love: Every creature within four yards must make a perception roll or immediately cease any hostilities in favor of a feeling of universal love and peacefulness. The effect lasts for three rounds, but may be broken after the first round if the victim is attacked.

Kugesum

Uncommon: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 1 or d4
Level: 6
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 13
Attacks: claws/bite
Damage: d12/2d6
Defense: +6
Special Attacks: poison tentacles
Special Defenses: telepathy, regeneration
Size: medium (2 yards)
Special Vision: underground-2

The Kugesum sports a broad beaked face flanked by six snaking thorny tentacles and two large white eyes. They normally walk on all fours but may stand and walk upright, much as a bear does. Their pale grey skin, even to their tentacles, is covered in warts and thorny bumps. They are fierce and aggressive. They will attack with their claws and their beak. On a successful called shot with their beak, their tentacles will try to grab hold of their victim (an evasion roll is required to avoid this) and scrape a irritating poison across the affected region. This chronic poison is strength 3, has an action time of one round, and causes a penalty of two to attack, advantage, and defense. The skin will turn bright red, blister, and an intensely painful itching will ensue.

On killing a victim, they will usually drag it to their lair, but may crack open the skull and scoop out the brains immediately, dragging the rest of the body home only when the delicacy has been tasted.

Kugesum may mimic sounds they have heard with near perfect accuracy. They also have rudimentary telepathic ability, and may mimic sounds that their victims have recently heard if the victim fails a willpower roll. They also can detect any minds within ten yards if they are looking, or within twenty yards if the target fails a perception roll.

Kugesum are unused to light, and in filtered sunlight or in light as bright as sunlight they will be at a penalty of 1 to attack. In true sunlight they will be at a penalty of 2 to attack.

Kugesum regenerate 1 point damage every minute unless they’re dead.

Manticores

Uncommon: mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: nuclear family
Moral Code: ordered evil
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d4
Level: 7
Intelligence: average
Charisma: high
Movement: 12 (18 jumping)
Attacks: claws/bite
Damage: d6/d8
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: poison spikes
Size: large (8-12 feet long)
Special Vision: underground-4

The manticore is at the same time silly and horrific. It has a tail like a scorpion’s that shoots off poisoned spikes. With the body of a lion, and the face of a man, its eyes burn blood red, its voice is like a flute, but it is the teeth that make its victims fearful: two sets of powerful teeth one inside the other. While carnivorous and able to live off of any flesh, the manticore strongly prefers human flesh.

The manticore has up to 12 poison spines in its tail which it may shoot off in pairs every other round towards one target. (When it does this, it cannot attack normally.) The spines do d4 points damage, and the victim must make an evasion roll or be inflicted with Poison of strength 3, action time of 1 round, and an effect of d3 injuries. It also has a paralysis effect which gives the victim a penalty of 1 to attack, defense, and concentration for one minute.

The manticore has powerful hind legs and may leap great distances, up to ten times its length given a running start, and four times its length from a standstill. It may scale nearly sheer cliffs with ease.

Mold zombies

Uncommon: swamps
Class: fantastic
Organization: viral
Activity Cycle: active in warmth
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d8
Level: 3
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 8
Attacks: bite or claw
Damage: d4
Defense: +1
Special Attacks: mold
Special Defenses: regeneration
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground-3

Mold zombies appear as walking corpses of putrescent colors. They are actually a gelatinous mold that eats flesh and takes over the skeleton. They seek out flesh to eat and will spread to their victims’ skeletons. When the flesh is eaten from the bones, some mold will remain and animate the skeleton.

Mold zombies are not undead. They can animate any creature that they kill or that are found flesh intact. It takes about two days to eat (and thus animate) a human-sized creature. The mold prefers human-sized creatures but can animate any human-sized or smaller creature with an internal skeleton and musculature. Smaller mold zombies will have commensurately lower levels.

Mold zombies are difficult to kill. Thrusting weapons such as spears will cause only one point of damage, slashing weapons and bludgeoning weapons will cause only half damage.

The Mold can regenerate one point of damage every round as long as the temperature is above 70 degrees; they can regenerate two points of damage per round if the temperature is above 90 degrees and there is high humidity. Lightning will cause half damage; however, for the next ten rounds the mold will regenerate three points per round.

Cold will slow them. If the air turns 60 degrees or colder, the mold zombie’s movement drops to 6 and it has a penalty of 1 to attack. If the air turns 50 degrees or colder, the mold zombie’s movement drops to 4 and it has a penalty of 2 to attack. If the air turns 45 degrees or colder for longer than two rounds they will simply stop. Cold attacks do not regenerate immediately—it takes ten minutes for the mold to warm up enough to regenerate cold damage. This does not stop them from regenerating other damage, however.

On a successful attack, the victim must make an evasion roll or some of the mold attaches to the victim, causing one point of damage every ten minutes (20 minutes under seventy degrees, 40 minutes under sixty degrees, and every hour under fifty degrees).

The mold may be cleaned off; however, a perception roll is required. If failed, enough mold remains to begin again 2-5 days later.

Oruat

Uncommon: vast open caverns
Class: fantastic
Organization: tribal
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: 16 hours/6 hours
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d8 (2d100 in tribe)
Level: 2
Intelligence: average
Charisma: low to average
Movement: 8/20
Attacks: 2 claws or 1 weapon
Damage: d4 or weapon
Defense: +4 (+5 flying)
Special Attacks: paralyzing scream
Size: small (3-4.5 feet)
Special Vision: sound

The Oruat are large, humanoid, flying bats. They live off of rats, snakes, giant rats, fish, and anything else that crawls in the underground, as well as certain fungi.

Oruat have no eyesight. Their eyes are useless and white. They see only through sound (with their keen hearing) and air motion (with their whiskers). Their ears can see out to 120 feet or more, and their whiskers can see out to six to ten feet.

Oruat attack with their hand claws when on the ground, or with their feet when flying. In either case, they may use two unarmed attacks or one armed attack. Once every three rounds, two or more Oruat can emit an inaudible scream rather than attack. Anyone in a 30 degree arc in front of those Oruat must make a fortitude roll or be paralyzed one round. (Additional Oruat can add 10 degrees to the arc each.)

Warrior Oruat have a higher charisma (average) than normal Oruat (low).

Owl, Great

Individual: one per world or less
Class: fantastic
Organization: parliament
Moral Code: any
Activity Cycle: sleep 2-4 hours
Diet: color
Level: 8
Intelligence: very high
Charisma: high
Movement: 9/24
Attacks: 2 claws and 1 beak
Damage: d12/d12/d8
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: color drain, special
Special Defenses: magnetism, special
Size: large (10-12 feet)

The Great Owl, an immensely old, immensely large owl, will spend two to three hours every day reading. They are otherwise nocturnal, doing their sleeping and reading during the day.

The Great Owl lives off of color. Their lairs are usually black, devoid of color, where the Owl itself is pure white (the hungrier it is, the less white it will be). Great Owls tend to be fairly sociable and friendly, and will occasionally live in secrecy in towns or cities, otherwise preferring mountain retreats. Those that stay in one place tend towards Order, those that roam the known worlds tend towards Chaos.

Great Owls tend to sorcery as well. By their third creature level the Great Owl will usually have acquired d6 levels as sorcerors, usually gaining another d6 every three levels thereafter. This is not automatic—it requires study. But the nature of the Great Owl is towards intense study.

The Great Owl has several special abilities, besides eating the color of something (which leaves it black until the color restores itself naturally). The Great Owl may perform one of these abilities per eye per round instead of attacking physically.

Disenchant: Dispels magic and undoes enchantments as the sorceror spell, at twice the creature’s creature level plus the creature’s sorceror level, if any.

Violent Colors: There are colors in the Great Owl’s eyes that should not exist. The Owl can bring these colors forth so that all looking at the Owl must roll against fortitude or fall into a color trance, a counterfeit one-ness with the universe that allows no movement except for defense at half effectiveness.

Violent colors may also be thrown to a target, once per minute per eye, doing creature level d6 survival points. A fortitude roll is allowed for half damage. The violent colors otherwise never miss.

Attraction: The target must roll against willpower or start walking (or otherwise moving under their own power) towards the dragon, unable to perform any other action. When within level feet from the Owl, the Owl may ‘hold’ the target motionless (this requires the use of one eye; the eye can perform no other ability while holding the target, though the Owl may attack physically while so holding).

Shrink: The victim must make a fortitude roll or shrink to half their current size. The effect is permanent; Owls may also Grow targets, doubling their size, although they rarely do so.

Detection: The Great Owl may sight a target or location and know about that target and its history. They can see magic, invisible objects, illusions, and general information about a target. If they want specific information, such as what a spell is, who cast it, what a magic item does, or who slept here three weeks ago, they can concentrate with both eyes for a minute or more and usually get the answer.

Detection drains all color out of the target, leaving it black, and weakens the target (1 point of damage per round per eye). Detection may be used on anything within sight of the Owl.

Mindspell: The Great Owl can stare at a target with both eyes and do pretty much whatever it wants with the target’s memory. It can add plausible memories, remove existing ones, and mix them around. Targets are allowed a fortitude roll to resist the effects. Memories so modified will sort themselves out over a year or more (the target receives a new reaction roll every year and during specially relevant traumatic events).

Age Level Height Abilities
4 2 4 feet Eat Color
8 3 6 feet Disenchant
20 4 7-8 feet Violent Colors
50 5 9-10 feet Attraction
100 6 10-11 feet Shrink
200 7 10-12 feet Detection
500 8 10-16 feet Mindspell

Pegasi

Very Rare: mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: family or individual
Moral Code: good or chaotic good
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: 1 or d4
Level: 4
Intelligence: average
Charisma: high
Movement: 20/40
Attacks: hooves and bite
Damage: d12/d3
Defense: +4
Size: large

These tan, black, or dappled grey horses with gold-tinged wings are said to arise from the foam of the sea at dusk, fly to the mountains, and centuries later return to the sea to die. Their wingspan as adults is eight yards or more; the strongest may bear an armored knight into the sky.

The pegasi live in the tallest mountains and shun civilization, though they may be curious about individuals in the wild. Pegasi have been known to lead Good folk lost in the wild to water, though they may be further lost by the time they get to it.

Pegasi often have archetype levels, usually warriors or prophets of a major sea god such as Poseidon.

Phoenix

Very Rare: mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: ordered good
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 1
Level: 9
Intelligence: high
Charisma: high
Movement: 36 flying/6 ground
Attacks: claws or beak
Damage: 2d6 or 2d8
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: pentatonic song
Special Defenses: immunity to fire
Size: large
Special Vision: night

Its feathers shining purple in the sun, their underside a metallic red, a gold mane upon its back, and a wing span that exceeds that of the eagle, the great Phoenix presents a majestic sight—when it is seen. The proverbial wise old bird, there is usually but one phoenix within any hundred mile radius, if any. The phoenix welcomes those seeking wisdom.

The full lifespan of the Phoenix is unknown. Every five hundred years, it arranges a bed of spices and lays down to die. On its death, a great pyre of flame consumes its body. Within three days, the corpse is forged into a golden egg—and the flames continue, pure white, for forty days beyond, after which a young phoenix pushes its way out of the egg. As it grows to maturity (a hundred-year process), it gains cognizance of all of its previous lives.

Few have seen the flame of the phoenix’s nest. The flame of the original pyre will cause 2d6 damage per round to anyone in five yards, and d6 to anyone within twenty. The white flame surrounding the egg will cause 2d6 damage to anyone within one yard, and d6 to anyone within five. The phoenix itself is immune to both magical and mundane fire.

The phoenix may command any birds in their area, and are usually on very friendly terms with the rest of the animals—even those on whom it feeds, for life and death are natural parts of the cycle of nature.

The song of the phoenix has an intoxicating pentatonic harmony similar to blues. Those hearing it must make a willpower roll or stand in rapture until it stops and for 2d6 minutes afterwards.

Pigasi

Very Rare: forests, jungles
Class: fantastic
Organization: packs
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: herbivorous
Number: d20
Level: 2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: animal
Movement: 12 walking, 15 flying
Attacks: horn
Damage: d8
Defense: +3
Size: small

These mottled green wild boars are often hunted for their succulent meat, but they are dangerous prey. The pigasus has short wings that allow it to lift itself into the air, and a long crystalline orange horn that can pierce flesh and hard leather.

Pigasi are cute creatures by most standards but they are also aggressive, and defend their territories with deadly force.

Rocs

Uncommon: mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: any
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d2
Level: 8
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 48 flying, 10 ground
Attacks: claws or beak
Damage: 2d12 or 2d8
Defense: +5
Size: huge (10 yards)

The Roc is a great eagle-like bird that dwarfs even elephants. Its wingspan is twenty yards and a single feather can be two yards long. They can lift huge creatures, and drop great stones carried from the mountains. (They can carry stones heavy enough to cause 4d6 points of damage.) Roc eggs are often mistaken for stony monoliths, pitted like granite and larger than a human, half-buried in the mountainside. If the roc attacks (and it will fiercely defend its young and its eggs) it will usually sweep its claws across its foes.

The wings of the roc can create a wind that will blow away smaller creatures. A fortitude roll is required to withstand the buffeting winds, at a penalty of two for tiny, a bonus of two for medium, and a bonus of four for large.

Rarely are more than two adult Rocs encountered together. Rocs are solitary and defend their hunting ranges against other rocs. They are intelligent, however, and do maintain friends among other rocs. If multiple rocs are encountered, it is the Adventure Guide’s call, but some will likely be young of lesser level and damage capability (level four to eight, damage from d8, 2d6, 2d8, 2d10, 2d12).

Saurians

Uncommon: swamps, deserts
Class: fantastic
Organization: tribal
Moral Code: none
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 3d8
Level: 4 to 5
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 12 on two legs, 15 on four
Attacks: claws or weapon
Damage: d6+2 or weapon+2
Defense: +5
Special Defenses: +2 to death rolls
Size: large (7-9 feet tall)
Special Vision: underground-2

Saurians, or Lizard-men, are bi-pedal lizard-like creatures, with long forking tongues, bulbous eyes, and ears behind eye-lid-like membranes. Their shiny, iridescent scales reflect green and blue in sunlight, and also make them appear wet or slimy even in dry conditions. They have underground vision, though they prefer not to be out at night.

Saurians will eat plants and animals, but find insects a delicacy, and farm them in their swampy lairs. They will hunt giant insects if such creatures exist near them.

They can move quickly on all fours, using their long arms as legs. When Saurians are slaves, they are sometimes bred for size and used as intelligent mounts.

Saurian females lay their eggs in warm marshy springs or beneath desert sand where they will stay very warm but not too hot.

Saurians will regrow arms, legs, and tails if they lose them. Regrowth of a single limb takes about a week for an adult lizard-man, and less for younger Saurians. Under extreme circumstances they may voluntarily break their tail, for example to escape capture. However, without their tail their movement drops by two.

Saurians gain a bonus of two to any death rolls, as well as to unconsciousness rolls brought on by gaining injury points. They don’t feel pain in the debilitating sense that other creatures do.

Sakmat

Uncommon: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: hierarchical
Moral Code: ordered evil
Activity Cycle: 4.5 hours/1 hour
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d20 (2d100 in lair)
Level: 1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: low
Movement: 12
Attacks: 2
Damage: d3/d3 or weapon
Defense: +5
Special Defenses: +2 vs. surprise
Size: medium (5-6 feet)
Special Vision: underground-2

Sakmat are huge, pale white, vaguely humanoid spider-like creatures. They have six arms, two legs, and eight eyes clustered where a human’s head would be. Web-dwellers, they can also use their claws and legs to scuttle vertically up walls, as a spider.

The Sakmat prefer rocky and warmer areas of the underground. They will eat both plants and animals, but prefer animals—up to man-sized—and will store their prey in preserving webs. Sakmat will use large and huge spiders as pets, and giant spiders as guardians.

Sakmat may use two weapons at a time, or one weapon and a shield.

Their leadership is extremely hierarchical: at each level, the leader has full authority over their immediate underlings. The highest level of Sakmat authority is held by their prophets.

Sakmat will often have 1-4 levels in warrior or, less often, 1-3 levels in prophet. Prophet spirits will be charm, prophet, war, and death. Warrior Sakmat may use up to three weapons or two weapons and a shield, or even one weapon and two shields. A Sakmat using two weapons receives a penalty of 1 to attack; using three weapons, a penalty of 2 to attack.

Sakmat are difficult to surprise, having 270 degree vision and acute smell and hearing. Warriors and prophets will have higher morale (generally 12) than common Sakmat.

Spiders, giant

Uncommon: underground, forests
Class: fantastic
Organization: small roving bands
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d12
Level: 6
Intelligence: low
Charisma: low
Movement: 14
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2d6
Defense: +4
Special Attacks: poison
Size: medium (5-7 feet)
Special Vision: underground-1

Giant spiders stand tall as a man, with a bulky, bulbous body the size of a small cow. Their grey, sometimes mottled brown or green, skin coloration allows them to blend in to the background of the underground, caves, or dark forests despite their size.

Anyone bitten by a giant spider must make an evasion roll or succumb to the giant spider’s powerful poison. It has an action time of one round and a strength of four. It paralyzes for d4 minutes.

A giant spider can wrap a tiny creature in a cocoon in two rounds, a small creature in three rounds, and a medium creature in four. Once cocooned, a creature must make a fortitude or evasion roll at a penalty of six to begin to escape: on a successful roll, they can do half damage with any sharp weapon to hand, and must do eight points to escape. However, the cocoon itself is coated with poison, and any struggling requires an evasion roll to avoid taking more poison (cocoon poison is only strength 2, but is otherwise the same as the spider’s bite poison).

Giant spiders are intelligent creatures, able to manipulate items and make long-term plans.

Splinters

Rare: forests
Class: divine
Organization: solitary or small bands
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: special
Diet: none
Number: 1 or 1-6
Level: 3 to 6
Intelligence: average
Charisma: high
Forms: man tree goat bird
Movement: 12 14 18
Attacks: 1 1 1 1
Damage: weapon 2d4 d6 d4
Defense: +2 +7 +3 +4
Size: medium medium medium small
Special Vision: night

Known as Pooka among the Celts, these creatures are branches off of the World Tree. They can take several forms at will: an old Odin-like man with horns covered by a large flat floppy hat; a goat with a vaguely man-like face; or a giant black raven with a piercing scream. They may take the form of a small tree, an old, lichen-covered trunk, or a fallen branch for years, decades, or centuries, but when a visitor to their forest passes by they can take many forms to vex them.

Splinters act as hinderers and dark pranksters, but may also act as a messenger of the World Tree. Splinters are only found in the wood and will never enter civilized dwellings. They tend to be more active in the spring and summer, less active in the autumn and especially winter.

A splinter may only be damaged by magic or by iron or steel. In human form they often use a gnarled wooden staff, with which they gain a bonus of 1 to attack and damage. Splinters of sixth level gain a further bonus of one to attack and damage in all forms, as well as an additional attack in tree form.

Within their forest, the ground, leaves, and weeds provide Pooka with intelligence. They are thus unaffected by any camouflage, such as invisibility, that does not affect all senses and plants. They are also unaffected by mental magics such as illusions.

Splinters are often found in the company of Pixies or other faerie.

Tentamort

Uncommon: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: any
Activity Cycle: 30-hour cycle
Diet: meat and metal
Number: 1-2
Level: 9 fully grown
Intelligence: semi-intelligent
Charisma: low
Movement: 3 per tentacle
Attacks: 1 per tentacle
Damage: d6 per attack
Defense: +7 (tentacles), +9 (body)
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground-2

A tentamort is a hideous creature. It has 1 tentacle per level minus 2, and can attack with any number of them at a time. Their body is two to four feet wide and bloated, a disgusting yellowish-purple. The tentacles are purplish, and twelve to fifteen feet long.

Tentamort eat metals, and can live for a long period slowly digesting a small amount of pure metal, for example metal armor. They need to augment their diet with animal flesh at least once every three months. They live underground, and burrow through dirt and through stone, at a tenth of their movement and a hundredth of it, respectively.

The tentamort live solitary lives, coming together only to mate. Their eggs hatch without benefit of mother or father.

Toads, killer

Rare: swamps
Class: fantastic
Organization: pack
Activity Cycle: active late day, evening
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d7
Level: 2
Intelligence: animal
Charisma: low
Movement: 6, 12 jumping
Attacks: claws
Damage: d4
Defense: +2
Special Attacks: bite for d6
Size: medium

Killer toads are huge, big enough to swallow small mammals whole. Their dank yellowish skin is covered in dark green warts and their tongues reach out for at least a yard when attacking. Because of their leaping ability, killer toads have a bonus of 4 to surprise. They leap up to eight yards to attack. Their claw attacks gain a bonus of 2 to damage each if successful on a leap attack.

They can attack small creatures with their tongue, on a successful hit capturing any creature within two yards. The victim is allowed an evasion roll to avoid getting caught. If caught, a fortitude roll is required each round until the victim is drawn into the toad’s mouth, where the toad can bite each round in addition to clawing. There is a bonus to the fortitude roll for every 10 pounds above 100 the victim is, and a penalty for every 10 pounds below 100.

Killer toads won’t use their tongues on things too large to eat. While the tongue is extended, there is a bonus of 1 to attack and damage the toad.

Tree-herders

Very Rare: forests
Class: fantastic
Organization: tribal
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: long
Number: d20
Level: 7+
Intelligence: high
Charisma: high
Movement: 10
Attacks: special
Damage: d6 per two levels
Defense: +10
Special Attacks: summon tree-spirits
Size: large or huge (half level yards)
Special Vision: underground-3

The tree-herders are tree-like creatures of wood and bark, with feet like roots that dig deep into the earth, and mossy hair among their branches. Their brown eyes, hidden beneath mossy brows, shine with wisdom and strength. Any branch may act as an arm; they may attack as many opponents as they have branches. The total dice divided up among their attacks must be less than half their level.

Though a tree-herder may move as fast as a human, they rarely do. Both their movements and their speech are deliberate, slow, and careful. When walking quickly, the tree-herder wades through the ground like a bird through water. Their walk tears through stone, and their branches may crush steel. The speech of the tree-herders rolls deep and slow, as thunder in dreams. Their conversations may cross seasons.

Tree-herders are voracious learners, given the opportunity, and will especially attempt to learn the languages of any races within and nearby their forest. The tree-herders “manage” or “herd” the trees of the forest. They may “speak” with trees, and learn of anything that has happened near a tree for as long as that tree has been alive, although such knowledge will be skewed towards things trees “find important”.

Tree-herders live forever, though some will fall to seed, a half-sleep, half-vegetable state of treeness. Such tree-herders may be awoken by other tree-herders for emergencies, but the longer the sleep, the less likely the sleeper will awake. There are male and female tree-herders, and their saplings are more active than their patient, gentle parents.

Tree-herders may, in an emergency, summon the spirits of the wood into normal trees, which then act nearly as powerfully as the tree-herders themselves. These lesser tree-creatures are sixth level with animal intelligence and charisma, but otherwise act as tree-herders. Each tree-herder may summon as many tree-spirits as their own level.

Unicorn

Very Rare: forests
Class: divine
Organization: family
Moral Code: good
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: herbivore
Number: 1 or d8
Level: 4
Intelligence: average
Charisma: high
Movement: 25
Attacks: hooves/horn
Damage: d8/d10
Defense: +6
Special Attacks: charge for 2d8
Special Defenses: immune to poison, hiding
Magic Resistance: 4
Size: large
Special Vision: night-2

With a small beard like a goat and a single spiral horn twisting around itself pointing straight out of their foreheads, the unicorn makes a striking appearance. Unicorns are generally white, with a horn a foot and a half to two feet long.

The unicorn’s horn has great curative and purifying power. A Unicorn may purify poisoned water by dipping its horn into the water. A single unicorn may purify a well, a small pond, or bend in the river. Unicorns are themselves immune to poisons. The shavings from a unicorn’s horn, taken internally, can cure any natural disease, and grant a bonus of 3 to health rolls against unnatural diseases.

Unicorns are sometimes seen with Dryads, sometimes in groups, but are usually seen alone. The unicorn prefers solitude and appears to humans only at times of great portent. Unicorns are a bridge between the mortal and the divine, and can act as messengers of the divine or of fate. Their very appearance is itself a sign. When an upright ruler takes power, or at the death of a great sage, a unicorn may appear at the outskirts of the kingdom. They will occasionally seek out the wise.

If sought in the wild, they can lead upright seekers to wisdom: ancient ruins of importance, temples of the wise, sage hermits. They must be chased steadfastly; when found by a seeker they will usually run, and are very good at blending in with the forest, despite their unnaturally white appearance. Keeping a unicorn in sight requires a perception roll, at a penalty of up to five if the unicorn wills it.

Unicorns may lead imperfect seekers to their doom in bogs, quicksand, or sudden cliffs. Anyone considering giving chase to a unicorn should look first into their heart.

They are extremely gentle unless provoked, but can be deadly. They can charge with their horn as their initial attack and still attack normally that round.

Werebear

Very Rare: forests and mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic good
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Number: 1
Level: 8
Intelligence: average
Charisma: high
Movement: 12/15
Attacks: claws/bite
Damage: d6/d8
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: bearhug
Special Defenses: +1 or better to attack, or a silver or iron weapon
Size: large
Special Vision: underground-2

Werebears are generally hereditary creatures, another race, or almost another race, of a single line of born leaders, the remnants of a lost race of man or bear. What part the werebears played in the dim history of the world is known only to Elves and perhaps a few dedicated scholars. Today they appear to act, if they act at all, as protectors of the far outskirts of human civilization. They may speak with animals, and generally remain on friendly terms with them. They will often have stables of domesticated animals, such as horses and pigs. They will usually have some bears at their service, which they may call when trouble appears. A werebear may generally call d4 bears in d6 minutes, and up to 3d6 in d6 hours.

They are properly shape-shifters, or “wearers of bear-skin” in the most commonly-used euphemism to describe them. In human form they are large (but still medium-sized), generally quite hairy, and extremely solitary. While they may lead a tribe of fierce men, they will not live with that tribe, and will be considered chieftains of almost god-like status.

Werebears shun the eating of animals, although they have no problems with others eating animals or killing animals for the eating, and will even do the killing themselves and serve venison or other meats to their guests, suggesting that this is some form of taboo on the hereditary line. They do enjoy food from animals, such as milk, butter, honey, and eggs, and when entertaining guests often appear to subsist on nothing but those foods.

In human form, the werebear may fight unarmed for d4 points damage, or with a weapon at +2 damage. In bear form, they fight tooth and nail. If both claws successfully hit, and the target fails an evasion roll, the bear may bearhug the target for 2d6 points each round until the target escapes (a fortitude or evasion roll is required). Werebear in bear form are immune to normal weapons, and may be damaged only with magical weapons and cold iron (a more primitive form of iron no longer in general use). They are immune to both wood and steel.

Wererat

Rare: human cities
Class: fantastic
Organization: clans
Moral Code: ordered evil
Activity Cycle: as humans
Number: d20
Level: 2+
Intelligence: average
Charisma: average
Movement: 11
Attacks: claw or bite or weapon
Damage: d4 or d4 or by weapon
Defense: +4 in rat form
Special Attacks: disease
Special Defenses: +1 or better to attack, or a silver or iron weapon
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground-1

Wererats are an ancient race or family that has lived intermingled with mankind since the dawn of recorded history. Like the Werebear, they are more on the order of shapechangers than werewolves. They pass quite easily as humans in their human form. They may change from human to huge rat at will, though they do so only rarely. They are loathe to let any outsider see the change occur, and so wait until they are certainly alone and unobserved, even by their own kind. They must assume rat form at least once a month, however, and often wererat clans will hold monthly revels beneath a new moon. They are at home in ruins, cities, and forests, but always near or within large human settlements.

All wererats may hide in shadows or move silently as a thief, with a bonus equal to their total levels. On a bite, their victim must make a health roll or be stricken with plague, an ailment with a strength of 2 and an action time of one day. Its effects are the inability to heal and the loss of 1 point of endurance per day.

Wererats may also control rats and giant rats. Each wererat may command up to twice level giant rats, or four times level normal rats.

Wererats often have levels as thief or monk. They use cunning to spread plague and dissension, reveling in the death of civilization and culture. They infiltrate the political classes and seek power in all its forms.

Weresnake

Rare: anywhere
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic evil
Activity Cycle: as humans
Number: d4
Level: 4+
Intelligence: high
Charisma: high
Movement: 12/14/18
Attacks: weapon, bite, or crush
Damage: by weapon or special
Defense: +5 in snake form
Special Attacks: poison
Special Defenses: +1 or better to attack, or a silver or iron weapon
Size: medium or large
Special Vision: underground-1

Weresnakes are an immortal race with the power to shapeshift between the form of men and the form of snakes. In human form they are thin, shapely, and graceful, sensuously beautiful. In human form they have a bonus of 1 to advantage and a bonus of 2 to defense, though they will disdain deadly combat.

They may also form into a large snake with a human-like body and a long, coiling tail extending four to eight yards. In this form they may lash out with their tail to crush for 2d8 points damage; on a successful called shot, the victim must make an evasion roll or be crushed for d8 points each round automatically. The weresnake may also lash out with their tongue, doing d4 points, and on a called shot the victim must make an evasion roll or be poisoned. In snake form they gain a bonus of three to advantage. If they fight with a weapon in this form, damage will be at a bonus of 2.

Finally, they may form into a swarm of ten small snakes, each snake having a tenth of the weresnake’s survival points. The snakes will not be able to cause normal damage, but on a successful called shot the victim must make an evasion roll or be poisoned. The swarm will never spread further than five yards apart (or the lost snake will die in d4 rounds, and the weresnake will lose those survival points). To take this form they drop whatever they were carrying.

The poison of the weresnake has a strength of one, an action time of 1 round, and causes either unconsciousness for 2d10 minutes, or d3 injuries. (The choice of sleep or injuring poison is up to the weresnake.)

Weresnakes are more shapechangers than werewolves. They pass easily as humans. They may change from form to form at will. They will usually have levels in warrior or sorceror, or both, concentrating (or even specializing) in mental or summoning magics. As immortals, they have long-term goals and are willing to do anything to achieve those goals. They are determined, but often vain, and will horde treasure in special places.

Every two centuries or so, they must lose their skin and grow new skin. During this time they are more vulnerable; their defense is only +1, and they gain no advantage bonus. This period lasts for about a week.

Yeti

Very Rare: mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: tribal (matriarchal)
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Number: 2d6
Level: 4
Intelligence: average
Charisma: low
Movement: 12
Attacks: claws
Damage: d10
Defense: +3
Size: small (4-5 feet)

The Yeti are small, hairy, man-like animals, with monkey-like tails. Their hair is a reddish brown and covers their bodies lightly.

The yeti attacks with its sharp claws. They are reputed to be ancestors of the Monkey King and an Ogress who loved him. The Monkey King and his wife died in the mountains, but their evil children live on. Some mountaineers believe that a man killed by a yeti will become a wandering spirit on the mountain.

Yeti live in the highest, snow-covered mountains. They live in natural caves, or in caves built of snow. Yeti “palaces of snow” can be quite impressive.

Giants

From time immemorial, mankind has feared greater versions of themselves. Giants share all the foibles of man, taking mankind’s faults to extremes. For civilization to proceed giants must be expelled from the lands of men. Remnants of giants, such as giant’s causeways, precarious boulders, and monolithic towers, remain scattered about the edges of civilization. Their passing is marked by the rivers they’ve dug, the mountains they’ve carved, and the islands they’ve raised. Their continued existence is shown when they cause the earth to shake and the heavens to thunder. Giants were here when the world was formed, and share the rawness and brutality of the primal world.

Giants share a common language, and any giant can communicate with any other giant. Lesser giants will often be willing to take orders from greater giants, even of vastly different moral codes. Between the highly intelligent and the least intelligent, the style of the language may change, but even between Good and Evil, or Chaos and Order, there is a common nature that assists understanding. Giants were here when the world began; they will likewise be here when it ends.

Cloud giants

Very Rare: clouds
Class: fantastic
Organization: aristocratic
Moral Code: ordered, ordered good, and ordered evil
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d12
Level: 16+4
Intelligence: high
Charisma: high
Movement: 24/18
Attacks: fists or mace
Damage: 4d8 or 4d12
Defense: +8
Size: gigantic (12-16 yards)
Special Vision: night-1

Cloud giants can float at a movement of 18. They often appear albino, with pink veins and blue-streaked hair. They wear long, flowing robes, and love music and food—and sometimes that food is other intelligent races, such as humans and Halflings. They are extremely proud and narcissistic. They maintain precise lists of the relative status of all cloud giants, who is allowed to float at what heights, and so on.

Cloud giants live in great cloudstone castles atop huge white clouds. Their castles are filled with pale marble arches and columns; the floors are obscured in rivers of mist. The cloud giant’s castle will often be guarded by a pride of giant cats, such as giant lions or lynxes, who are loyal and friendly to their master. Cloud giants will often be served by lesser creatures, whose loyalty depends on how they are treated.

Cloud giants can make their clouds rain and thunder at will, and can make their clouds spit lightning to the ground, up to one per minute. These bolts affect an area five yards wide and cause 5d8 points damage. Victims can make an evasion roll for half damage. Their clouds can rain up to ten days within any month; thunderstorms can last up to forty-eight hours within any month.

Common giants

Hill giants Mountain giants
Rare: foothills mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: feudal
Moral Code: chaotic evil
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 8+1 10+1
Intelligence: low low average
Charisma: low high
Movement: 16 18
Attacks: fists, club or stones
Damage: 2d6, 2d8, or 2d6 2d10, 2d12, or 2d10
Defense: +6 +7
Size: huge (4-5 yards) huge (5-8 yards)
Special Vision: underground-3

Hill giants and mountain giants are cannibals, though they’re more intelligent about it than ogres. They are misshapen, though not as much as ogres, and typically wear primitive clothing made from giant animal hides. Their clubs are often little more than tree branches or trunks. Giants will also throw stones, with a range of 20 (hill giants) or 30 (mountain giants).

Giants live in caves or rough wooden “castles”. Mountain giants may also construct rough stone castles out of boulders. In any area inhabited by giants, there tend to be several small communities, with one chief wielding power as the “king of all giants”.

Because of their low intelligence, hill giants can sometimes be taken advantage of by smaller, more mentally agile creatures. They have been known to join bands of Gnome, Halfling, or Goblin brigands. Mountain giants have more normal intelligence. They’re smart enough to know that they are easily tricked, and tend to eat outsiders before any trouble can come of it.

Grey men

Uncommon: rocky badlands
Class: fantastic
Organization: individual
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 1 or d8
Level: 9+1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: low average
Movement: 14
Attacks: fists, club, or stones
Damage: 2d6, 3d6, or d12
Defense: +10
Size: huge (3-5 yards)
Special Vision: underground-1

Grey men resemble huge boulders when they’re sleeping or resting. Their skin is a touch, stone-like grey. They are very slow physically, which makes them appear mentally slow, but they have normal intelligence. They will trade in the hides of giant creatures and enjoy shiny, heavy things.

When they speak with creatures other than grey men, they will use very short, simple sentences, so that their slow speech doesn’t take too much time; of course, this intelligent choice makes them appear less intelligent to the “faster” races.

Grey men travel alone, but will gather for mysterious celebrations at seemingly arbitrary times every couple of years.

Ogres

Uncommon: forests, mountains
Class: fantastic
Organization: families or clans
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d12
Level: 5+1
Intelligence: low average
Charisma: low
Movement: 12
Attacks: fists or weapon
Damage: d6 or weapon
Defense: +2
Size: large (3 to 4 yards)
Special Vision: underground-2

Misshapen, their skin covered in warts, their nails long as talons and sharp as knives, ogres are known for their ferocity, their eating habits, and their size. ogres are usually greedy and always hungry. They are voracious meat-eaters. They prefer the flesh of men, Elves, and other intelligent human-like creatures. They live in caves and in thick woods, and avoid sunlight if possible. They have a penalty of one to attack rolls, health rolls, and perception rolls in sunlight.

Ogres can and do wear armor, often wearing leather, increasing their defense by another two points. They will also use weapons, preferring spears and clubs (which are resized for them). They generally have a bonus of 1 to attack and 2 to damage due to strength.

Ogres travel and live in small groups. They squabble and bicker in large groups before finally breaking apart or killing each other until the group is smaller. They tend also to find themselves in conflict with Orcs who, while weaker, are better organized and use Goblins as war fodder. Ogres occasionally enslave such lesser creatures but find it difficult to refrain from eating them. When faced with a common enemy, especially a Good enemy, Ogres and Orcs can forget their differences, fight together, and return to squabbling when the enemy is on the spit.

Orcs

Ubiquitous: Orc villages
Class: fantastic
Organization: clans
Moral Code: ordered evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: 2d20
Level: 2+1
Intelligence: average
Charisma: low
Movement: 12
Attacks: fists or weapon
Damage: d4 or weapon
Defense: +1 (plus leather or chain)
Size: medium (2 yards plus)
Special Vision: underground-3

Orcs are ugly humanoids with faces vaguely like a tusked pig (mostly it is their snout that gives this impression). Orcs tend to live in badlands and craggy hills. The term orc derives from the Roman word for “demon”, for the appearance of the Orc resembles many cultures’ imagination of the appearance of demons. That they prefer darkness and shun light did not help their public relations.

Where Orcs lead Goblins, they are often called hobgoblins.

Orcs will attack with their hands if necessary, but almost always use weapons. They organize themselves into clans with strict hierarchies of the strong ruling the weak—or, as is usually the case, the strong ruling the less strong. The weak do not survive in Orc society.

Orcs act with a penalty of 1 to attack during daylight.

Storm giants

Very Rare: mountaintops
Class: fantastic
Organization: feudal
Moral Code: chaotic good
Activity Cycle: diurnal
Diet: omnivorous
Number: d6
Level: 14+2
Intelligence: high
Charisma: very high
Movement: 20
Attacks: fists or sword
Damage: 3d8 or 3d12
Defense: +9
Special Attacks: lightning bolt
Size: huge (8-12 yards)
Special Vision: night-2

The storm giant’s lightning bolt does 6d8 points damage in a bolt 200 yards long and four yards wide. It may be used three times per day. An evasion roll allows half damage. They can summon or clear storms, including wind storms, thunderstorms, and hail storms, at any time. The storms take one minute to fully form. A storm giant is never harmed by falling: the wind will come to their rescue. They can leap up to a thousand yards in any direction.

They often commune with dragons, great owls, and phoenixes within their great stone castles. Their castle is often guarded by rocs or gryphons of above normal intelligence for their species.

Storm giants are often knowledgeable about current events and styles in the human world, and will wear clothing appropriate for the modern era or one generation back.

Trolls

Common: underground
Class: fantastic
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d4
Level: 8 to 10, +1
Intelligence: low
Charisma: average
Movement: 16
Attacks: fists or weapon
Damage: 2d8 or weapon
Defense: +6
Size: huge (4 to 6 yards)
Special Vision: underground-2

Cursed to live in darkness, these ugly, hairy giants are fearsome creatures. Their faces and skin are scaled, hairy, and bumpy. They live in caves, coming out only at night. Some have retreated deeper into the earth and rarely come to the surface. These are the most hopeless, for like their Ogre cousins they prefer the flesh of intelligent day-dwelling creatures.

Sunlight significantly harms them. In sunlight they have a penalty of two to attack, health, and perception. Even under overcast skies they suffer a penalty of one to those rolls. In true sunlight they lose one survival every round, slowly turning to a black, pitted stone.

In times of darkness, the trolls often ally themselves with Orcs and Ogres. They look forward to the day that the sun is blotted out forever, and the trolls will return to the surface to reclaim their own. Trolls are generally quite stupid, but are mildly cunning and very powerful. They live for centuries and zealously guard the treasures of those they have killed.

Undead and Other Creatures of the Night

Different kinds of undead come into being for different reasons, usually centering around the circumstances of the creature’s death.

Skeletons and corpses are mindless, retaining none of their living memories or personality. They are simply dead bones and corpses reanimated in a mockery of both life and death, through sorcerous power. Sorcerors may use spells to raise skeletons and corpses. In areas where the dead lie unconsecrated in masses, where they died in agony or pain (both physical and mental) and where necromantic, summoning, or general evil sorcery is concentrated, skeletons and corpses may arise unbidden. Rituals can also animate them.

Ghouls may form when the dead lie in unholy ground. Burial grounds can become unholy because of a rising evil in the land, or because of another undead, such as a vampire, lying in crypt. Because of their feeding patterns, ghouls are often mistaken for vampires by non- adventurers.

Ghosts are the spirits of humans with an unfulfilled obsession. The most powerful are phantasms, who, because of the nature of the kind of obsession required to become a phantasm, are almost always evil. The phantasm may sometimes control others to carry out this obsession. Similar creatures are poltergeists and apparitions, but these are much less powerful ghosts. Apparitions especially are often mostly pathetic or pitiful creatures who haunt the living with little power beyond that of scaring whoever they come in contact with.

Vampires are the risen bodies of those who were so bloodthirsty in life that they remain bloodthirsty in death. Subservient vampires may be created through the bite of free-willed vampires. Free-willed vampires will be evil, because of the requirement that they be the epitome of bloodthirsty in life. Subservient vampires will often start out of any moral code, horrified by what they have become but unable to control their own will. Vampires, especially free-willed ones, may sometimes even pass for human if they feed well. If there is a religion of a god of light, dead and reborn, the vampire is often seen as the evil antithesis of this god’s story.

Undead will take 2d4 points of damage from appropriately blessed holy water. In undead who have the ability to regenerate damage, holy water damage will not heal at greater than 1 survival point per night.

Undead do not go unconscious, and so do not have to make a health roll to remain conscious.

Barrowmen

Rare: crypts
Class: undead
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: sacrifice
Number: 1 or d10
Level: 5 to 9
Intelligence: high
Charisma: high
Movement: 12
Attacks: claw or weapon
Damage: d6 or weapon
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: voice, chilling touch
Special Defenses: +1 magic required to attack, special immunities
Magic Resistance: 4
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground

Barrowmen are strange demons or spirits from the land of the dead which inhabit the remains of men where treasure is laid. Barrowmen are often found in ancient crypts, mausoleums, and ring-hordes, after a shadow of Evil has fallen across once rich lands.

The voice of the barrowman is numbing. Anyone hearing its ancient songs or poems must make a willpower roll or lose all control and fall as if into a fugue state, led by the barrowman. The barrowman will sacrifice any victims of its voice, often dressing the victim in the clothing and treasure of the dead before the sacrifice is performed.

Barrowmen are immune to cold, lightning, and normal weapons. They are not immune to fire, and unfiltered sunlight causes d6 points damage per round to a barrowman. A light spell causes 1 point damage per round. A sunlight spirit causes 2 points damage per round.

Its icy touch chills the soul. On a successful called attack by the barrowman, targets must make an evasion roll or gain d3 injuries.

Bean-Si

Very Rare: old forests
Class: undead
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: none
Number: 1
Level: 10
Intelligence: high
Charisma: high
Movement: 18
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2d6
Defense: +7
Special Attacks: wail
Special Defenses: +2 magic required to attack
Magic Resistance: 6
Size: medium
Special Vision: night

The bean-si are ancient shades of Elven witches. They are the daughters of Elven kings from the old times when mankind was still a high race. They await the ancient race of man in the old places of the world, at trees, rivers, and stones. When one of the old race will soon die, they keen a beautiful chorus that echoes from hill to hill.

Their chorus is all that most will know of the bean-si. They are rarely seen by the living in their remote places, though they sometimes do walk the old roads. They are known in legend as the “woman of the hills” or “lady of the lake”. Their often wedge-shaped stones are known as banshee chairs. The bean-si are attended by sparrows and other small birds. When they move they are always followed by a fluttering of wings. They appear as a shrouded woman wearing a veil, with a grey cloak over a green dress and the impression of golden beauty beyond the veil.

Those who interfere with a bean-si’s walk or activities will face her wrath, but a bean-si may be befriended—or perhaps merely consulted—by one of the old race. The touch of a bean-si is ancient and cold. On a called attack it ignores armor (though not magical bonuses from armor). High races are immune to this touch.

In contrast to their beautiful chorus, the song of a wrathful banshee may cause the hearer to pale or even die. Those who hear the song will gain one injury point, and must make a willpower roll at a penalty of six (four for high races) or gain d4 additional injury points. If the bean-si chooses, this song (though still damaging) can give visions of the distant past to those who hear it.

Brilliarch wights

Rare: underground
Class: undead
Organization: small roving bands
Moral Code: chaotic evil
Activity Cycle: always active
Diet: intelligent flesh
Number: 2d10
Level: 3
Intelligence: high
Charisma: high
Movement: 10
Attacks: 2 (claws/bite)
Damage: d10/d6
Defense: +1
Special Attacks: disease
Special Defenses: +1 magic required to attack, special immunities
Magic Resistance: 3
Size: medium
Special Vision: sonic

In days so old that even younger Elves doubt its truth, the Brillig were a race allied so closely with Elfenkind that they came to speak the same language. Elfs, Dwarfs, Brillig, and the ancient of Men fought in the dawn wars of Good and Evil. But the Brillig grew powerful enough in their own right and conceitful. They turned to Evil because they thought themselves strong enough that in the end it would matter not. The Brilliarch, the Brillig leaders, lost themselves to the Deadless Lord and were ruled by him. The Brillig people died, and their armies became wights in the service of the Brilliarch.

Brilliarch wights are found deep underground in the ancient, ruined cities of the Brillig. They are a pale, pasty white, with three stalks (four to eight inches long) coming out where their eyes ought to be. Their feet and hands have six long fingers and one thumb. They see via sound. Their membranous stalks allow them to see nearly as accurately with sound as we do with sight.

On a successful bite, living opponents must make a health roll at a bonus of 1 or be diseased, permanent, severity 2d4. Brilliarch wights are immune to cold and heat, and take half damage from sharp or pointed weapons.

Corpse lamps

Rare: swamps, graveyards
Class: undead
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: fear, emotion
Number: 1
Level: 4
Intelligence: high
Charisma: high
Movement: 16
Attacks: lightning spark
Damage: d6
Defense: +6
Special Attacks: festering emotion
Special Defenses: +1 magic required to attack, special immunities
Magic Resistance: 5
Size: small
Special Vision: night

Often associated with mass murderers, slave drivers, and evil wizards, the corpse-light is distilled Evil. It is the essence of the evil of a man, forbidden from following its former owner’s soul into the underworld. Corpse lamps appear as a shimmering, hovering ball of light that dance and beckon in the distance. They are often called will o’ the wisps.

Corpse lamps most often appear in swamps, marshes, or old graveyards, but may occur anywhere. Their goal is to bring travelers off of the well-worn path and into deadly danger. A corpse lamp will usually have a special place of danger that they lure solitary travelers into. These bogs or marshes or quicksand pits may be filled with the remains and belongings of past victims.

Besides tempting unwary travelers into a lonely death, they may also tempt jealous, seething, or angry victims into torturing and eventually murdering the object of their festering emotion. When a corpse lamp finds victims who harbor a grudge against each other, it will nurse this anger and build it up slowly action by action, so that the victims’ anger is never checked until they destroy each other. Wary victims are allowed a willpower roll against this effect, but the effect itself never goes away. The urge to greater and greater retribution may only be held in check until leaving the area of the corpse lamp.

When threatened, the corpse lamp can shoot off a lightning-like spark four times every night, once per round, to any target within two yards.

The corpse lamp is immune to most physical and energy attacks. It is immune to fire, cold, and lightning, for example.

Ghosts

Apparition Poltergeist Phantasm
Uncommon: ruins or place of death
Class: undead
Organization: none solitary solitary
Moral Code: any evil/none evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal any any
Number: as when died
Level: as died+1 as died as died+3
Intelligence: low average any
Charisma: low low high
Movement: 20
Attacks: none
Defense: +2
Special Defenses: spaceshifting, immune to non-magical weapons
Special Attacks: cold fear cold fear, debris many
Magic Resistance: 5 5 10
Size: medium/none
Special Vision: night

When souls leave their bodies, they also leave behind a psychic shell that tends to repeat what the person did in life, or , if their death was particularly traumatic, how they died. Ghosts are the remnants of dead humans, the dried husks of the dead. An aura of cold fear surrounds ghosts. When an apparitional effect manifests, the temperature will seem to drop, and anyone within the area must make a willpower roll or run in fear for d6 rounds (apparitions), d4 rounds (poltergeists), or d10 rounds (phantasms). Phantasms and poltergeists maintain some control over their cold fear effect.

Ghosts may move quickly, or may simply shift in space to any location within their haunting area. Poltergeists and phantasms can move small items, up to level pounds. Only 20% of apparitions may do so. Ghosts have no physical form, although phantasms might create the illusion of physical form.

If their death involved other deaths, ghosts are occasionally accompanied by the phantoms of those close to them when they died or who played a part in their death.

Apparitions

Apparitions are the ghosts of normal people lost at the moment of their death or in some memorable or desirable part of their lifetime. Apparitions have little control and often little knowledge of their surroundings, continuing to use parts of buildings that no longer exist.

Perhaps 20% of apparitions may exert a minimum control over their environment. They may attempt to move small items back to their original location, open doors to pass through them (even though they don’t need to, they don’t necessarily know they don’t need to and often wish to pretend that they do need to), and perhaps leave some clue as to their demise scrawled in the dust of floors or in the mist on glass or steel.

Apparitions are generally unable or unwilling to contact the living. Even when trying to leave a clue to their demise, they will leave the clues whether a person is there to see it or not.

Poltergeists

Poltergeists are ghosts with a temper tantrum, often the result of suicide or death from bullying. They are very similar to Apparitions, but are at least partially aware of their environment, and they don’t like the changes taking place. However, they don’t have the presence and power of Phantasms, and are limited to throwing light objects. Phantasms may move quickly, or may simply shift in space to any location within their haunting area. Poltergeists are almost always unwilling to show themselves in any way except through the throwing of objects. Thrown objects cause normal damage for the object, perhaps one point or d2 points for objects that don’t normally cause damage.

Poltergeists, unlike phantasms and apparitions, are not particularly attached to their haunting area. Some may attach themselves to a particularly annoying individual. The poltergeist must make a willpower roll to leave their current haunting area or the person they are currently attached to. If attached to a person, the haunting area is line of sight of the victim.

Phantasms

Phantasms are the ghosts of powerful evil humans who have remained among the living to cause havoc within their haunting area. Phantasms are restricted to their area of haunting, but unlike apparitions are fully aware of their surroundings and of the people within their surroundings. Phantasms hate the living and seek to destroy them, but seek to destroy them in twisted, subtle ways. Their major weapon is the ability to create convincing illusions and cause humans to do their job for them. Phantasms may make use of the following specialties:

Cold Fear: Fear reactions are penalized by half the phantasm’s level.

Dreamwalk: The ghost can enter and affect the dreams of anyone in the phantasm’s haunting area.

Illusions: Their illusions affect up to level individuals, or they may provide a penalty of level to reactions against the illusions, or any combination thereof. A fifth level phantasm might affect three individuals, giving each a penalty of two to reactions.

Multidimensional Appearance: The ghost may appear, with lessened power, in multiple places within their haunting area at the same time. The phantasm must divide their levels between the appearances.

Poltergeist Power: The phantasm may cause light objects, weighing no more than level pounds, to fling themselves, and may cause heavier objects weighing no more than ten pounds per level to shake violently. Dangerous objects cause normal damage if they successfully hit. Objects which do not normally do damage will do perhaps one or d2 points.

Retain Mortal Power: If the phantasm was a monk in life, they retain their psychic power. If they were a sorceror, they retain their ability to memorize and cast spells, however, in order to cast spells which require material components they may need to trick their victims into bringing the components together.

Ghouls

Very Rare: death havens
Class: undead
Organization: mobs
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: d20
Level: 2+1
Intelligence: low
Charisma: low
Movement: 10
Attacks: claws/bite
Damage: d6/d6
Defense: +4
Special Attacks: infection
Special Defenses: regeneration
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground-1

The ghoul is an undead creature that feeds off of the living and the recently deceased. Ghouls usually shamble, hunch, and claw at their prey, and dress in the rags of whatever they were buried or killed in. If a ghoul successfully attacks with both claws, it will also attempt to bite its opponent. Anyone hit by a ghoul’s claw or bite must make an evasion roll or they are infected. This roll is at +4 if one claw hit, +2 if two claws hit, and normal if the character is bitten. If an infected victim dies, they will rise that night as a newly formed ghoul with only the vaguest recollections of their past—just enough to single out their former companions as food.

Anyone infected by a ghoul who does not die must make a willpower roll each night or act as a ghoul, and lose d4 survival points unless they feed on flesh. A bless spirit can cure an infected person: they are allowed a willpower roll to throw off the infection, with a penalty of 2 if they have fed on flesh as a ghoul. A demi-ghoul has half their level, maximum survival points, intelligence, wisdom, charisma, and other skill scores, until they die and become full ghouls. Demi-ghouls do not infect victims on a successful attack, nor do they regenerate. They can be damaged by holy water or other blessed objects in the same manner as other undead. The demi-ghoul is allowed another willpower roll (at normal levels) each morning to return to normal for that day. If failed, no further roll is allowed that night.

Full ghouls regenerate any damage that is not caused by silver, magic weapons, or holy water, at the rate of one point per round. Beheading a ghoul will fully kill a ghoul, although in some especially evil areas even decapitation will not stop the regeneration. Ghouls cannot regrow lost limbs (or their head), however, and must reattach them.

Phantoms

Uncommon: places of death
Class: undead
Organization: solitary
Activity Cycle: any
Diet: none
Number: d6
Level: as in life
Intelligence: as in life
Charisma: as in life
Movement: as in life
Attacks: none
Defense: +2
Special Defenses: weapon immunity
Size: medium
Special Vision: night-2

Phantoms are ghosts, somewhat like apparitions but not lost and confused; they either know they are trapped and dead or do not know, but otherwise retain their full mental capacity. Phantoms often accompany more powerful ghosts, such as Apparitions, Poltergeists, and Phantasms, trapped by the ghost’s presence.

If they have some knowledge of their state, they may leave clues, but usually are too much in fear of their powerful “captor”. Usually, they are not aware of their condition.

Phantoms have no power, even of cold fear, nor do they retain any of the archetypal abilities they held in life. At best they can appear in dreams, reliving their life, their death, or their desires. Under certain circumstances, a phantom may be able to become substantial and affect the physical world. These circumstances are usually related to their death. For example, if they died during a full moon, then every year that the date of their death coincides with a full moon they return to substantiality for the duration of the full moon.

Phantoms are immune to non-magical weapons, though their substantial form can be destroyed temporarily by non-magical attacks.

Restless dead

Uncommon: graveyards
Class: undead
Organization: solitary
Activity Cycle: usually nocturnal
Diet: none
Number: d4
Level: half life, plus 2 levels
Intelligence: low
Charisma: low
Movement: 18 incorporeal, 8 corporeal
Attacks: claw/bite
Damage: d6/d4
Defense: +2
Special Attacks: disease
Special Defenses: weapon immunity
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground

The restless dead are spirits lost in the earthly plane due to an untoward death, insufficient burial, or inappropriate burial. Pregnant women may bear their child in death and return as restless dead.

Restless dead sleep in their graves and bother the living, especially those who knew them in life. They appear bloated, red or brown.

Dogs and wolves are the natural enemies of restless dead, and dogs may ward off even incorporeal restless dead if the undead fails a willpower roll. Dogs may also sense the presence of restless dead.

The restless dead may act both corporeally and incorporeally, through dreams, reflections, or shadows. The restless dead may also dig their way out of their graves if they are restless enough, and return to their loved ones or enemies. The restless dead cannot cross natural bodies of fresh water and may be immobilized by weighting them down in water (but it takes a lot to weight down a dead body!).

The restless dead are immune to normal weapons, but may be harmed by silver, ash, or hawthorn (which they will regenerate at level points per night), or magical weapons, which will not regenerate. (Incorporeal undead may not be harmed by any of those methods.)

There are many ways in every culture to immobilize the restless dead, but, paradoxically, applying these methods to a body pre-emptively may also—because it is an inappropriate burial—result in the creation of restless dead, who wish to be buried “normally”. Sometimes it seems as though an improper burial is more likely to keep the dead from resting than an untimely death, even to the extent that a murderer can placate their victim by returning to ensure a proper burial.

Revenant

Very Rare: anywhere
Class: undead
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: usually nocturnal
Diet: none
Number: 1
Level: life, +1 level or more
Intelligence: as living
Charisma: high (as living)
Movement: as living
Attacks: as living
Defense: +2
Special Attacks: see below
Special Defenses: see below
Size: as living
Special Vision: night-1

Revenants are undead out for revenge, usually revenge over their death. Revenants are pure evil. They have a specific purpose in mind and towards that end all means are justified.

The revenant has entered into a bargain with the infernal. It will not die again until its purpose is completed. As it takes damage it will become gory, tattered, full of holes, and even piecework, but it will not die nor lose consciousness. If its penalties due to being below zero become too much, it will attempt to leave and return later. Revenants restore one point of damage per hour.

A revenant that is destroyed through turning will lose its physical form temporarily, and will be immobile for 2d10 hours.

When alive, revenants may have been of any moral code. Their desire for revenge has turned them evil. They are only dimly aware of their past life, except insofar as it fuels their need for revenge. When their revenge is complete, they fade to death.

Revenants maintain the abilities they had in life, as much as is possible, but may never increase their level in their pre-death archetype(s). In addition they have one level of revenant. Revenants may gain some revenant-only specialties as normal through advancement in their revenant level. These specialties are:

Cornering: The revenant may walk through corners, moving from corner to corner in any building or artificially-made or excavated structure.

Fear: The revenant may instill a complete, unreasoning fear in any one viewer per round. The target must make a willpower roll or run in fear for 2d10 rounds.

Paralysis: The revenant may paralyze any one viewer per round. The victim is allowed a willpower roll to avoid paralysis. Paralysis lasts 2d6 rounds.

Possess: The revenant may transfer its spirit to another target. The target must make a willpower roll to avoid possession. During the course of the possession, the victim will slowly come to resemble the bargain-time appearance of the revenant. While the revenant’s spirit sleeps or if the revenant is surprised in some way, the possessed may come forward on a willpower roll; if so, the revenant must re-possess, though the victim’s willpower roll is at a penalty of 2. It takes d4 minutes to possess.

Resist Turning: The revenant gains a bonus of level to any attempts to turn the revenant.

Rest: The revenant may sleep forever, waiting, unchanging, until they are disturbed or a pre-determined set of events are set in motion. During this period, the revenant is to all appearances dead, but in a preserved state. While waiting, they continue to “heal” as normal, and even restore to their original (at the time of their bargain) appearance. It takes one hour to enter a state of rest, and one minute to come out of a state of rest.

Restoration: Once per night, the revenant may restore their survival points to their maximum. Their appearance remains the same, however. It takes one round to effect a restoration.

Soul Trap (Death): The revenant may trap the spirit of any victim that dies within its vision. The soul is lost in a twisted world of the revenant’s design. The victim’s spirit does not go to its afterlife, and any attempts to resurrect the victim will require retrieving the spirit from the world created by the revenant. (All spirits trapped are in the same twisted world.) Prerequisite: Possess.

Soul Trap (Dreams): The revenant may trap the spirit of any victim that falls asleep within its vision. The spirit is lost in a twisted world of the revenant’s design. The victim is allowed a willpower roll to avoid being trapped, and another willpower roll to wake up at morning, or when shaken awake. If both rolls are failed, the victim is trapped forever. All spirits trapped are in the same twisted world, so it is possible for friends to come to the victim’s aid by also sleeping, if the revenant pulls them into the dream or they have some other means of entering dreams. Of course, their savior will need to make their own willpower roll to leave, but if made they can take any other victims who are willing. Prerequisite: Soul Trap (Death).

Undetectable: The revenant may move without making any noise whatsoever, nor emitting any smell, nor even being seen. Unless their victims look directly at the revenant, the revenant will gain complete surprise. On any attack, their victims will presumably be looking directly at them, and will from then on be able to see the revenant until the revenant disengages and leaves their sight for at least a few seconds.

Sailor’s spirit: The revenant may, if it died by drowning and its body is currently under water, cause that water to take on their shape. The water form shares the survival of the revenant’s normal form. It may not leave the borders of the body of water that formed it (it may climb aboard ships or other vessels that lie within those borders). It can attack and act just as the revenant can. It may only be attacked by magic or magic weapons; it takes one point damage from slashing or piercing weapons, and half damage from bludgeoning weapons (plus the magical bonus, if any). Energy attacks do not damage it; they either slow it or do not affect it; for example, lightning will not affect it; cold and heat will delay it for as many rounds as the damage done to it (due to being frozen or turned to steam). The revenant’s corpse is immobile while the water form is active. The water form can be activated and deactivated at will.

Vampire

Rare: death havens
Class: undead
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: ordered evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: blood
Number: 1-2
Level: life, +1 level or more
Intelligence: as in life
Charisma: high (as in life)
Movement: 16
Attacks: claws or weapon+1
Damage: d8 or weapon+2
Defense: +5
Special Attacks: vampirism, forgetfulness, endurance loss
Special Defenses: magic, silver, or wood
Size: medium
Special Vision: night

Vampires are lean, pale, vaguely cadaverous, and cold to the touch. There is perhaps a redness to their lips, a faintly canine look to their teeth which increases when they feed. Their fingers are long, with twisting and hardened fingernails. Most vampires are created by other vampires. Some are humans who were so evil in life that their souls were corrupted enough on their own that they rose as undead. Vampires were often nobles or leaders when alive, because the kind of person who can become a vampire—concerned with order, self-centered, and charismatic—is also the kind of person who does well as a politician.

Vampires cannot be truly killed. Even a vampire that is completely destroyed, such as in sunlight, will reform itself eventually. This is part of the Vampire’s curse. They cannot even be hurt by non-magical weapons, except weapons of hawthorn, silver, or aspen. Vampires may be disabled with a stake through the heart or mouth. This will immobilize the vampire until the stake is removed. Sunlight harms the vampire. Vampires in sunlight lose all special abilities and lose d6 survival points per round.

Vampires may only truly be destroyed by sending their cursed soul home, which generally can only be done through divine intervention.

Vampires must feed on fresh human blood. Every day without feeding, the vampire loses 1 survival point. They may hibernate in their burial soil. This slows the loss to 1 point every week. Vampires may regenerate damage through drinking blood: each point of the victim’s endurance is a survival point regained. This endurance loss is permanent and cannot be regained through normal means. Anyone undergoing such endurance loss must make a fortitude roll or lose consciousness and forget the last thirty minutes to half an hour.

Vampires will feed from humans near a place of importance, such as the neck, the chest, or the inner thigh.

Normally, a vampire will only attempt to feed on a subdued human. However, the vampire may attempt feeding on any human opponent, if the vampire makes a called attack to the opponent. The opponent is allowed an evasion roll. The vampire may drain one endurance point per round.

Vampires maintain the abilities they had in life, as much as is possible, and in addition have one level of vampire. Vampires may gain some vampire-only specialties as normal through advancement in their vampire level. These specialties are:

Misty Form: The vampire may become a cloud-like mist. This is often the first specialty, as it allows buried vampires to leave their graves. The misty form is immune even to silver and wood, and may only be attacked with magical weapons. The misty form has a movement rate of 24, and may only be assumed twice per night.

Charm Others: The vampire may target one creature per round, who is allowed a willpower roll to avoid the effects.

Control Animals: The vampire may control one class of animals for every two vampire levels: dogs/wolves, tigers/cats, bats, rats, flies, beetles/roaches, owls, for example. The vampire may directly control a number of creature levels equal to their vampire level, and attract ten times that number.

See Through Animal Eyes: The vampire is able to see through the eyes of a controlled animal, up to vampire level times ten miles away.

Animal Form: The vampire may assume the form of any animal the vampire can control. The animal form is vulnerable to normal weapons but maintains the vampire’s survival points.

Speed: One extra attack with weapons, +8 movement, +1 defense, +4 advantage.

Vampire slave

Rare: death havens
Class: undead
Organization: thralls
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: blood
Number: d6
Level: half life, plus 0 to 2 levels
Intelligence: life
Charisma: low
Movement: 10
Attacks: 1 or weapon
Damage: d6 or weapon+1
Defense: +3
Special Attacks: none
Special Defenses: special weapons required
Size: medium
Special Vision: night-3

A human embraced by a vampire becomes a vampire slave, a pale, hungry, shadow of their former self. Vampire slaves retain the abilities they had in life, however, all archetype levels are at half level (divide survival points by two to make that calculation easy). Also halved are charisma, wisdom, and any skill rolls. They can gain up to two levels of vampire when embraced, if the vampire that embraced them wishes.

Vampire slaves are like normal vampires except that they gain no specialties, may not hibernate, and do not advance in level. They do have the ability to feed and regain survival points through feeding.

Vampire slaves are under the near-complete control of the vampire that created them. In extreme circumstances, a vampire slave might be allowed a willpower roll, with all the penalties from their lower wisdom and charisma.

Vampire slaves must be specifically created over three nightly visits to the victim. (A victim killed in a single vampire attack is simply dead.) On the third nightly visit, the potential slave dies. Three nights later it rises again as a vampire slave.

When a vampire slave’s master dies, any slave who is not of the Ordered Evil moral code will also die. Slaves who are Ordered Evil may make a charisma roll (unlowered), with level as a major contributor, to remain as an undead vampire.

Skeletons

Very Rare: as summoned
Class: undead
Organization: as summoned
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: as commanded
Number: 2d20 or as summoned
Level: 1
Intelligence: unintelligent
Charisma: none
Movement: 10
Attacks: 1
Damage: d4 or weapon
Defense: +3
Special Defenses: certain weapon immunities
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground-2

Skeletons are the bones of the dead, usually human, reanimated through sorcerous power. Skeletons are difficult to defeat with pointed thrusting weapons, which do only a point of damage. Slashing weapons do one half damage. Magical and strength bonuses add in as normal. Skeleton level can vary depending on the strength which summoned the skeletons. The size of the original creature can also limit the level of the skeleton; small skeletons, for example, will likely be ½ level.

Walking Corpse

Very Rare: as summoned
Class: undead
Organization: as summoned
Moral Code: evil
Activity Cycle: as commanded
Number: 2d12 or as summoned
Level: 2
Intelligence: none
Charisma: none
Movement: 9
Attacks: 1
Damage: d6+1 or weapon+1
Defense:
Size: medium
Special Vision: underground-2

Like skeletons, walking corpses are the mindlessly reanimated corpses of the dead. Corpse level can vary according to the strength of the sorcery which summoned the corpses and the size of the original creature. Small corpses are likely to be level 1, for example. Walking corpses rarely use weapons.

Werewolf

Rare: forests
Class: undead
Organization: solitary
Moral Code: chaotic evil
Activity Cycle: nocturnal
Diet: carnivorous
Number: 1
Level: +2
Intelligence: average (as in life)
Charisma: average (as in life)
Movement: 18
Attacks: claws/bite
Damage: d12/d8
Defense: +4
Special Attacks: lycanthropy
Special Defenses: +1 or better to attack, or blessed silver, greater level during full moon
Size: medium
Special Vision: night-1

The werewolf is both man and wolf. In human form they are like any human. In wolf form they are a huge and vicious wolf. Werewolves are humans who devoted their lives to bestial pleasures. Animal urges were all that mattered to the werewolf when alive. Where medieval culture usually means that most vampires are men, werewolves may be nearly equally female or male. Werewolves will usually come from the upper classes, those with the leisure to give themselves over to bacchanalia.

Unlike most undead who are more dead than living, the werewolf is more alive than dead. Their exploits of pleasure, exploits that would kill lesser evils, have brought them to a new plane of bestiality: they may transform themselves into powerful wolves. While they prefer nocturnal activities, the werewolf may hunt by day if desired. In general, the afflicted may change to a werewolf simply by willing it. This requires a successful willpower roll, which may be tried once per minute. On nights of the full moon, the werewolf generally has no choice: on a failed fortitude roll, a change will occur. The full moon also grants an increase of two levels to the beast, and a defense increase of 1.

While the werewolf retains the relative intelligence of its human form, this is not a human intelligence. It is more of a crafty animal intelligence, which allows the werewolf to avoid traps, pitfalls, and dangers that other animals might fall prey to.

A dead werewolf returns to human form. In human form, the werewolf has no special abilities.

A werewolf may be turned by a prophet with the ability to turn undead, however, only in werewolf form, and on a destruction result, the only effect is to return the werewolf to human form. Being semi-alive, the werewolf may make a willpower roll to avoid turning, or to turn destruction into a turning.

Werewolves may, and often do, lead normal wolf packs. Such wolf packs will become as bloodthirsty as the werewolf.

Any victim who is brought to zero or fewer survival points, but who survives, must make a health roll or be afflicted with lycanthropy: they are a werewolf, but with no control over their curse. On nights of the full moon, they must make fortitude rolls or become werewolves. If an afflicted person is able to go for nine full moons without tasting human flesh, they will be cured of their affliction. Such an afflicted werewolf does not gain the defense and level bonuses of the full moon.

Open Source License

Gnu Free Documentation License

Version 1.3, 3 November 2008

Copyright (C) 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc. <http://fsf.org/>

Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

Preamble

The purpose of this License is to make a manual, textbook, or other functional and useful document “free” in the sense of freedom: to assure everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it, with or without modifying it, either commercially or noncommercially. Secondarily, this License preserves for the author and publisher a way to get credit for their work, while not being considered responsible for modifications made by others.

This License is a kind of “copyleft”, which means that derivative works of the document must themselves be free in the same sense. It complements the GNU General Public License, which is a copyleft license designed for free software.

We have designed this License in order to use it for manuals for free software, because free software needs free documentation: a free program should come with manuals providing the same freedoms that the software does. But this License is not limited to software manuals; it can be used for any textual work, regardless of subject matter or whether it is published as a printed book. We recommend this License principally for works whose purpose is instruction or reference.

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I. Preserve the section Entitled “History”, Preserve its Title, and add to it an item stating at least the title, year, new authors, and publisher of the Modified Version as given on the Title Page. If there is no section Entitled “History” in the Document, create one stating the title, year, authors, and publisher of the Document as given on its Title Page, then add an item describing the Modified Version as stated in the previous sentence.

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The Free Software Foundation may publish new, revised versions of the GNU Free Documentation License from time to time. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. See http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/.

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The operator of an MMC Site may republish an MMC contained in the site under CC-BY-SA on the same site at any time before August 1, 2009, provided the MMC is eligible for relicensing.

Gods & Monsters Encounter Guide

Dragons, demons, vampires, and revenants. Pixies, unicorns, and barking spiders. As a Gods & Monsters Adventure Guide you need fantastic encounters to populate your fantastic adventures. Within all of the great cities, lost ruins, and deep forests of your campaign hide horrendous and fantastic creatures of myth.

The Gods & Monsters Encounter Guide contains a full complement of rare and wondrous creatures, from brilliarch wights and gryphons to violents and yeti.

Within these pages lie Dragons.