Impressionable Young Shoggoth (Class/Race option for Labyrinth Lord)

Matthew from Rended Press demanded that we provide a Class/Race write-up for Irving the Shoggoth, so here it is, at least the first draft. We kept it to one page. A lot is intentionally left to the devious imagination of the GM. We've uploaded the Free PDF to our Freebie-Folder over at BOX. Use at your own risk. Monsters may be hazardous to your health. Side effects may include nose bleeds, sporadic fevers, discoloration to the skin or schlera, sudden weight-gain, night sweats, mild hallucinations, uncontrollable flatulence, and brief periods of disorientation or even acute paranoia coupled with violent outbursts. Consult your local GM in case of any lingering strange rashes, itching/oozy sores that seem to move about on their own or any sort of writhing lump in your throat or belly that just won't go away. These are all temporary and nothing to worry about. Void where prohibited.

Irving the Impressionable Young Shoggoth

This is Irving.

He wants to be an adventurer.

Irving is a youngish shoggoth, whose bud-parent only shed him just a short time ago (362 years...). In shoggoth terms Irving is the equivalent of 13 years old. A precocious 13 years old. He'd like to join your party...

In fact, that small, timid and oh so child-like voice calling out from the darkness "Is there anybody out there?" just might be Irving.

Irving isn't like the other shoggoths. At least not at first.

He's a little bit shy, at first, but after a bit of conversation and some wheedling, and a CHAR reaction roll or three, Irving will eventually ooze forwards from the shadows and try to prove himself to the group.

He's young, inexperienced, and very naieve. Or so it seems. At first.

Did we mention that he's a shoggoth?

Yeah.

You'd have to be insane to let such a thing join your party...but how do you turn it away without really getting it angry? Chances are, you wouldn't like Irving when he gets angry...

After all, he's a frikkin' shoggoth...

Irving's character sheet for Labyrinth Lord:

or



A few of the Pros in accepting Irving into the party:

• The half-ton or so of this dim-witted blob of praeterhuman plasticity won't attempt to eat you, yet
• The thing can extrude sensory organs and appendages at will, enabling it to spot things you'd never think of checking for. Of course you might not have words in your language for some of this stuff...
• You could have a shoggoth to help break down doors, lug around godsawful-heavy piles of loot, and intimidate the goblins
• It floats
• Irving loves to learn new tricks
• He is terribly loyal to his friends
• His flesh is a lot like silly putty and has a 40% chance of reproducing any scroll you mush into it (with an additional 10% chance that the spell becomes lodged in Irving's brain and he's now a multi-class Fighter/Magic User...with just that one spell, so far...)
• He's practically indestructible, regenerating even if reduced to a thin coat of slime by some particularly wicked trap or major demon...

Some of the Cons incurred by accepting Irving as a fellow adventurer (and by no means all of them):

• It's a frikkin' shoggoth
• It will eat you. It's only a matter of time...
• There's something very wrong with this creature
• Irving has wild mood swings depending on how long he goes without eating human brains -- the more brains he eats, the more human he thinks he is -- its a strange allergic reaction that he'll eventually grow out of before he gets too much older...
• Every time Irving gets reduced to zero hit points, his brain has a 30% chance to reset as it regenerates and he loses all trace of his previous pseudo-human persona instantly
• Never, ever let the shoggoth bind someone's wounds...
• That's probably not water in your canteens/water-skins any more...
• This thing can eat several horses in one go and might ask for seconds
• Irving has a base 25% chance to go berserk if his most favoritist friend of all time gets hurt...
• Detect Lie won't work on this creature -- its brain(s) are too alien for it to register properly -- which is an automatic red flag right there...
• Irving may just be too incredibly clever for your puny intellects and this has all been a malevolent ruse that has allowed him to herd your party into a diabolical trap...
• These things are older than your entire species...
• He's practically indestructible, regenerating even if reduced to a thin coat of slime by some particularly wicked trap or major demon...

Last, but no means least -- keep in mind that this is the kind of creature that could get a human as one of the low-end options for its familiar...

TEKELI LI!

Unnamed Monster: You Do The Name and Stats

The above artwork is officially declared Public Domain. It is now YOURS, freely and clearly. We have surrendered our claims/rights to this image.

This thing is neither named nor statted, so we're inviting folks to name this monster and stat it up for whichever retro-clone, official edition or whatever rules-set you like, and let us know what you've come up with, if you'd be so kind.

The image and creature is yours to use freely on your blog, or even in your game or whatever you want, hopefully you name it something cool and add some stats for the system you prefer and let us know about it.

Please give it a good home.

All we are asking is that you let us know where you've posted the name/stats so we can include a link below. Maybe, if we get more than 3 or 4 sets of stats, we'll run a poll and let readers vote for the one they like the most. It would be fun to see how many different rules-sets we can get stats from for this critter.

The PNG version is here: http://www.box.com/s/lmivz8upioafj2983hhl
The Jpeg version is here: http://www.box.com/s/vsf39vgj0ldxzn7svm9n

If you need a different format, let us know and we'll do what we can.

The Monster has been spotted at the following blogs:

• Porky's Expanse: Lesser Daemon of Malal?
• Ix: Saturday Night Specials--The Trarkku
• Lunching on Lamias: The Monstrous Challenge of Netherwerks/Blair's Artwork First Monster Manual
• Kranj: Degenerate Shock Troops for Terminal Space
• Calis: Avian Demons of Pazuzu by Brian Libarge at Stuffer Shack
• More?

September Short Adventures 20: Time For Bed

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 20

Title: Time For Bed

Rules: Labyrinth Lord

Ready

Warm and snug in the local Inn orHostelry, the Player Characters pull themselves back from theirtables and head off to bed after a good night of celebratory feastingand drinking in celebration of some excellent good luck, fortuitousdiscoveries, and/or some job well-done.

Set

Ah, but the life of an adventurer israrely an easy one. The windows explode inwards as the roof goes upin flames and all erupts into chaos, panic and much running aboutwith a goodly amount of screaming and all the customary chaos.

Go!

The Inn issurrounded by very despicable sorts in grim, even morbidly detailedarmor who sit astride things that might once have been horses. Theriders watch the Inn burn. No one leaves. They are very obviously waiting for something to happen, or for someone to come out to them.

The Player Characters could all roll an INT check to get a clue. The clue would be that these Riders are after someone; burning the Inn is merely a means to an end, not the end itself.

Should no oneattempt to confront the Grim Riders, the Inn will burn to the groundand all will perish, allowing the undead minions of a greater evil tosort them all out at their leisure before morning. That is the path of least resistance, hence their choice of strategy in this situation. Simple, direct, effective. These are professionals, military-types, not chicken-thieves or half-drunk bandits.

The Grim Ones arelooking for a very specific someone. They are ruthless and direct intheir approach to recapturing this person. They have every intention of making this person their prisoner, either dead or alive. They are not picky.

Should anyoneattempt to communicate with the Grim Ones, they will be told that theRiders are there for someone named 'Taffydaddle Treeroot' or somesuch very, very proper Fantasy name. This person is hiding inside theInn. If the rest of the patrons present this person to the Riders,they will leave in peace and no one need die. Tonight.

Some Questions the Player Characters Might be Asking:

• Who is this person?
• Why are these nasty Riders after them?
• What makes this person sospecial that someone would send these things out after them in thefirst place?

What do the Player Characters DO?

• Do they try to find out which of them is this person?
• Do they turn themover to the Riders?
• Do the patrons and PCs bandtogether and attempt to drive off the Riders?*

*Of course, someonewill conveniently remember that these Riders cannot stand thelight of day. But then one asks, how many hours do they have to holdthem off and keep from burning to death before the Riders mustpull out? Roll some dice or make a choice...it's up to you.

Whatever you do, this confrontation is something that the PCs can very much do something about.
They do not have to just sit and burn, nor do they necessarily have to fight the Grim Riders.
There could be a tunnel or opening to the sewers in the Inn's basement...and anyone smart enough to look for a way out should at least receive the benefit of a chance at escaping. The Grim Riders are far from omnipotent. But escaping only delays the inevitable questions...and the Grim Riders are very likely to return the next night unless they get the person they are after...

So many choices...

Where does all thislead?

Notes / NPCs

Grim Spectral Riders(3d4) [AL C, MV 150' (50')/Fly 300' (100')/Ride 600' (200'), AC 2, HD6, #ATK 1 (Touch, Weapon or Spell), DG 1d8+Level Drain/3d4+Poison/byspell, SV F6, ML11] Immunity:Unharmed by normal weapons, including silver. Immune to Charm,Hold or Sleep.They each are armed with a +1 Cruelly-Forked-Lance that is poisonedwith a terrible Necrosiseffect similar to the rotting produced by a mummy, but with a +2 onthe victims' Save. Note: Grim Riders take 1d4 damage every turn spent in natural sunlight until destroyed or they get out of the sun. If destroyed in this manner, they are non-recoverable. Lastly, just in case it comes in handy: Arcane scholars have noted that these riders are susceptible to Bronze Weapons that have been inscribed with the swirling spirally-patterns of the Miktal culture that died-out millennia ago, but no one really knows precisely just why that would be...whether or not someone among the Inn patrons or one of the PCs knows this little bit of trivia is entirely up to DM/GM whim, fancy or choice. (LLp. 96)

It is suggested that the DM/GM adjust the number of Grim Riders to suit the overall strength of the party/patrons so that they are not a completely overwhelming force, but a challenging obstacle. A smart, determined and clever party should definitely have a good shot at holding these things off until sunrise, or maybe even defeating them. In the event that more than half of the Grim Riders are destroyed and/or Turned, the surviving Grim Riders will withdraw and report back to their Evil Overlord...which will undoubtedly lead to further inconveniences and eldritch interruptions down the road...

Eldritch Mounts(3d4=as many as Grim Riders) [AL C, MV 600' (200'), AC 4, HD 3, #ATK 1 (Trample), DG 3d4, SVF8, ML 11] Special:These things are unnatural, twisted semi-intangible parodies ofhorses who radiate a weak Fear effect (Save +2 or suffer effects ofCause Fear spell: LLp. 25). They cannot abide sunlight (take 1d6 damage every turn spent in sunlight, if thus destroyed they are completely unrecoverable). These twisted, loathsome things are devoid of loyalty and lack any volition ontheir own and thus will do their best to obey any command they aregiven by whomever mounts them in the most direct and literal mannerpossible.

September Short Adventures 19: The Elephant

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 19

Title: The Elephant in theHallway

Rules: Labyrinth Lord

Ready

Your group turns the corner of thecorridor only to find yourselves faced with...an elephant?

Set

There is indeed an elephant standing inthe middle of the stretch of corridor just up ahead. How it got thereor why is unknown.

Go!

The elephant growsincreasingly skittish and nervous as the seconds tick by and it isnot finding that this is all a bad dream.

The elephant iseventually going to go mad from its sudden and completely unforeseenunnatural juxtaposition from the warm savannas of some far off placeto this dreary, dismal and rank-smelling hole in the ground. Itdoesn't help matters any that the elephant only barely fits into thesection of corridor it is in.

If provoked, theelephant will attempt to charge and trample.

Right now, justabout anything would constitute a provocation.

Notes / NPCs

Elephant(1) [AL N, MV 120' (40'), AC 5, HD 9, #ATK 2 or 1 (2 tusks, 1trample), DG 2d4/2d4 or 4d8, SV F5, ML 4] (LLp. 74)

September Short Adventure 18: Sitting Pretty

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 18

Title: Sitting Pretty

Rules: Labyrinth Lord

Ready

The passage ahead opens out onto aprecipitous ledge with one side being a sheer wall going upwards intothe gloom for more feet than you have rope, poles or light. The otherside is a rough, ragged slope that stops abruptly as it tumbles downto what you think might be a subterranean river far, far below.Across the ledge is another opening flanked by a pillar on each sidethat support a shelf-like lintel atop of which there appears to besome sort of grotesquely leering statue.

Set

A quick examination will reveal thatthe opening on the party's end is pretty much the same as the one allthe way across the ledge. They match, more or less.

The ledge is wide enough for only oneperson to walk along at a time.

It is precisely level and nicely pavedwith cobblestones recovered from an ancient villa that was toppledunderground by volcanic eruptions ages ago.

The air is fresh and even a bit chillyno doubt due to the underground river down below.

Go!

The statues arejust that; statues. The nest of gargoyles is located about40-50' down the sheer face of the vertical drop overlooking the riverbelow. They will wait until half the party is across the ledge orstrung-out along the ledge and are just simply too good a target toignore before making themselves known.

The gargoyle youngwill take up positions near the larger statues atop either lintel andlob rocks at the party from the piles they have already preparedahead of time. The sporadic hail of rocks will do 1d4 damage/turnrandomly assigned to a different party member, unless you care toroll to hit each one in succession. Your choice.

The adults willseek to grab hold of anyone they can catch and dive backwards off ofthe ledge so that even if their victim breaks free, they'll fall intothe river. Or provide a target for attempted mid-air capture byanother gargoyle.

Notes / NPCs

Gargoyles(2d4) [AL C, MV 90' (30')/Fly 150' (50'), AC 5, HD 4, #ATK 4 (2claws, 1 bite, 1 horn), DG 1d3/1d3/1d6/1d4, SV F8, ML 11] (LLp. 75) In the event that the gargoyles areout-matched by the PCs, they will withdraw to their cave-nest belowand wait for 2d4 hours and then consider either tracking them downfor an ambush in order to avenge the deaths of their fellows (60%),or go on with their lives, put the player's attack behind them, andtry to forget that the whole sorry thing ever happened.

Gargoylettes(1) [AL C, MV 60' (20') Fly 120' (40'), AC 6, HD 1, #ATK 4 (2 claws,1 bite), DG 1d2/1d2/1d3/1d2, SV F2, ML 8] Special: The kids won'tnormally engage in melee except as a last resort. They generally hurlsmall rocks at intruders as specified above.

September Short Adventures 17: A Light In The Darkness

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 17

Title: A Light InThe Darkness

Rules: Labyrinth Lord

Ready

Your group just entered a series ofcold, dark and draughty caverns. All your torches are pretty-muchuseless, even if they can stay lit.

Set

The walls are covered with a thick,viscous black slime with the consistency of body-temperature tar. Theair becomes slightly warmer, denser, more humid as the groupprogresses and the floor is soon covered in this stuff as well. It ishighly sticky, and quickly coats everything it comes into contactwith, but at least it is not animated.

The draft blowing through thesepassages is persistent until the group gets past the section coatedwith the black residue seeping through the walls and ceiling.

Then the draft stops. The torches canbe lit now, if they like.

Go!

Lighting a torch orotherwise causing a spark or open flame within 30' of the last bit ofthe tarry black residue will have a base 80% chance to start itburning, which will produce cloying, suffocating black smoke thatwill quickly fill the available space and call for Saves to avoidsuffocation; or a 15% chance that the residue just fizzles and goesinert; or a 5% chance of a massive explosion that runs away from thePCs back the way they just came, collapsing tunnels and shakingthings up enough that 1d4 random/wandering monsters will come outfrom the devastated area in an attempt to flee the destruction.

The explosion willdeafen everyone within 30' of the residue for 1d4 turns, butotherwise will not cause any damage to the PCs directly.

The creaturesdriven out of their nests and dens and lairs by the explosion, well,that's an entirely different matter.

There is also agood chance, DM/GM willing, that the explosion might open-up anotherwise unknown and hither-to unexplored section of dungeon or apassage to some new sub-level, etc.

Notes

TheCaves & Caverns Hazards Table might comein handyhere: http://netherwerks.blogspot.com/2011/07/cave-tunnel-hazards-table-one.html

It might also be a good time to try out someGeomorphs...just saying...

Harpy Talonists Race Class [Labyrinth Lord]

Harpy Talonists

Requirements: STR 9+, DEX 9+

Prime Requisite: DEX

Hit Dice: 1d6

Maximum Level: 8

Special: Innate Magic Resistance (+2 on all Saves), Magical Songs

Attacks: Talonists get up to 3 attacks when using their talons followed up by a scream, or once a day the Talonist may make an all-out combined attack on one target using just their talons, doing double damage and using the third attack to re-roll any misses.

Harpy Talonists are notably brutal, bloodthirsty and crude, even among other harpies. They will sometimes wear armor looted from past victims, especially if they realize that it is magic, but they prefer to rely upon their wicked scimitar-like talons as their primary weapons which inflict 1d6+1 damage each. Unlike their sisters, these harpies do not rely overly much on their song-spells, but rather prefer to use their primary wounding scream attack in combination with their filthy talons.

Harpy Talonists gain 1 Magical Song every other level. The duration of the effect is contingent on the harpy continuing to sing, mutter, or chant the song-spell. Any time that they are interrupted, the song-spell is ended. Magical forms of Silence only block their use of the magical song-spells.

Song-Spells of theTalonists

1. As Curse (LL p. 20)
2. Cause Fear (LL p. 25)
3. Confusion (LL p.28)
4. Bleeder-chant; causes all open wounds to profusely bleed for double damage.

Harpy Screechers Race Class [Labyrinth Lord]

Harpy Screechers

Requirements: WIS 10+

Prime Requisite: WIS

Hit Dice: 1d6

Maximum Level: 10

Special: Innate Magic Resistance (+1 onall Saves), Magical Songs

Wing Buffet Attack: Screechers get a wing-buffet attack that can strike up to two adjacent targets for 1d4/level of the Screecher in place of the usual claw attacks.

Screech Attack: 1d4 damage/level of Screecher, 1 designated target must make Save or be deafened for 3d4 turns. They may use this attack only if they are not already casting a song-spell.

Vicious and spiteful winged hags, the Screechers concoct foul potions and worse poisons from the remains of their victims, as well as crafting bone-marionettes and scalp-dolls that they use as tiny minions. A Screecher rarely engages in melee combat, preferring instead to fly off a short distance and cast spells or shoot poisoned arrows at their enemies. If they cannot withdraw and attack from a distance, Screechers will spastically flutter about the place making wing buffets, slashing away at random with a dagger and making full use of their screech attack.

Harpy Screechers gain 1 Magical Song every level. The duration of the effect is contingent on the harpy continuing to sing, mutter, or chant the song-spell. Any time that they are interrupted, the song-spell is ended. Magical forms of Silence cause 2d4 damage to the Screechers, in addition to preventing their use of the magical song-spells.

Song-Spells of the Screechers

1. Animate Objects (LL p. 20); limited to bones, rags and offal strung together with bits of cast-off wire, cordage or their own hair and excrement.
2. Conjure Animals (LL p. 20); limited to Giant Owls only.
3. As Curse (LL p. 20)
4. Cause Light Wounds (LL p. 21); inflicts 1d6 damage, +1 point/level of Screecher.
5. Curdle Potions; Save or all potions within 20' radius are ruined.
6. Horrid Revulsion; Save or flee in terror, as Feeblemind (LL p. 31)
7. Charm Monster (LL p. 27)
8. Charm Person (LL p. 28)
9. Corrosive Calumnifying Chant; Save or lose 1 point of WIS (base 30% chance of being permanent).
10. Blood-Curdling Scream; Save or take 3d4 as your blood literally curdles in your veins.

Harpy Tormenters Race Class [Labyrinth Lord]

Harpy Tormentors

Requirements: INT 10+, DEX 9+

Prime Requisite: INT and DEX

Hit Dice: 1d6

Maximum Level: 12

Special: Innate Magic Resistance (+1 on all Saves), Magical Songs

Harpy Tormentors delight in rigging-up traps and fiendishly clever ambushes for their prey. Cruel and devious slave-masters, the Tormentors delight in the misery and suffering of others. They gain spells as though they were a magic user of the same level but must cast all their spells as chants, dirges and recitations. They learn their spells from grizzled and wizened elder-crone harpies who recite each spell as part of a foul and twisted oral tradition that only a harpy may hear without suffering from Confusion effects (Save -1).

Tormentors rig-up traps as a Thief of the same level.

Harpy Tormenters gain 1 Magical Song every level. The duration of the effect is contingent on the harpy continuing to sing, mutter, or chant the song-spell. Any time that they are interrupted, the song-spell is ended. Magical forms of Silence cause 2d4 damage to the Tormentors, in addition to preventing their use of the magical song-spells.

The Songs of theTormentors

1. Putrify Food and Drink [Reverse form of Purify Food and Water] (LL p. 24)
2. Cause Fear (LL p. 25)
3. Song of Pain; All creatures within 30' radius suffer -4 penalty on all attacks and -2 penalty to DEX for 1d8 turns.
4. Chant of Hopelessness; Make Save or surrender for 2d4 turns.
5. Charm Monster (LL p. 27)
6. Charm Person (LL p. 28)
7. Confusion (LL p.28)
8. Dispel Magic (LL p.30)
9. Song of Withering; Harpy needs to score a hit, then victim rolls a Save or their extremities begin to shrivel and rot, causing 1d6 damage/turn for 2d4 turns. The damage is permanent unless healed by magic.
10. Chant of Hallucinations; as Hallucinatory Terrain (LL p. 31)

September Short Adventures 16: Where There is Smoke...

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 16

Title: Where There's Smoke...

Rules: Labyrinth Lord

Ready

The Bee Keepers of Connallarra have aproblem. Autumn is fast approaching and they need to transfer theprize queen-bees out of the flimsy summer apiaries into the recentlyre-built winter hives. Perhaps the Player Characters could beprevailed upon to assist them in this effort. The pay is prettydecent...and includes all the top-quality mead they can guzzle...but no one probably mentioned that these are Giant Bees that they keep...

Set

The old Winter Hives were sabotagedlast season. No culprit was ever caught, but everyone suspects one oranother of the rival bee-keeping villages in the area. What theydon't know is that several of the other villages were likewisesabotaged over the winter by agents of Aleedri, a mysterious criminalmastermind seemingly determined to set up some sort of extortionracket whereby she will sell each of the bee-keeper villages'protection' from such unfortunate accidents as what happened lastyear.

The Council of Combs that runs thingsin this village has received a formal letter offering them'protection' against further off-season calamities. The letter iselegantly inscribed on an expensive sheet of custom-made vellum andcompletely cleansed of any and all traces of identity by clever useof criminal sortilege and magics sure to confound any attempt totrace its origins.

At first the Council was going to stayquiet and ignore the letter, but then one of the Summer Hives was seton fire in the middle of the night.

The Council is still arguing about whatthey ought to do, being split evenly down the middle, one sidewanting to pay Aleedri so that nothing more happens, the other sidewanting to find out who this Aleedri might be and send someone toteach her a violent lesson in manners and to get herself out of theirbusiness.

The Player Characters have beenapproached to help with the transferring of the Queen Bees. If theyhire-on, then they can either help with the insect-wrangling orprovide defense against any rogue bees or 'interference.'

If the PCs turn down the opportunity tohelp out with the transfer, there is a 50% chance that things gohay-wire due to more sabotage and one or more of the Queens aredestroyed or injured. This will provoke a -2 penalty on all futureReaction Rolls in the village as the Bee-Keepers won't appreciatethe PCs not helping them out and might even begin to blame them, orsuspect them of being behind the sabotage. If the transfer goes offwithout a hitch, the Council will consider hiring the PCs toinvestigate this Aleedri and whomever is behind the sabotage.

If the PCs dither about and try not toget involved, they wind up making themselves into excellent fall-guysand scapegoats for Aleedri's agents to set-up in order to hide theirown tracks and to continue stirring-up trouble.

Go!

The sabotage willcontinue and even escalate until the Council gives in and paysAleedri, or the bees are all driven-off or dead and the Bee-Keepersare ruined.

Rogue Bees will bea regular problem and a constant encounter until things get settledonce and for all, or the PCs leave the village behind them. Ofcourse, if they do leave the village, the informers will alertAleedri's agents who will in turn alert the bandits who'll prepare asuitable ambush for them somewhere down the road. (If the party isexceptionally well-equipped and obviously outclasses the bandits,they could decide to attempt to recruit the party...)

Aleedri has atleast one agent in the village, and possibly 1d4 conspiratorialinformer/collaborators who are getting paid in foreign coins fortheir passing along information and keeping an eye on things.

Aleedri's letterspecifies that the village's payment is to be several hundred goldpieces bundled into a stout leather sack to be left hanging from anold, gnarly oak tree just down the road about five or so miles southof the village, in a heavily overgrown area that is a perfectambush-site.

Since the agentsand informers have had a chance to notice the PCs, the letter mightspecify one or more of them as the preferred money-carriers, orperhaps the Council wishes to hire the PCs to deliver the moneybecause none of them trust one another or are too afraid to make thedrop on their own.

The bandits thatare watching the old oak tree for the village's payment will have 1d4of Aleedri's agents in their midst and there's a good chance that thePCs could learn a clue or two from these bandits if they take aprisoner or two to place under questioning, or from examining theirremains.

One ofthe bandits is carrying a map of the route to be used in Short Adventure 15: The Nervous Bride, and yes, there is a connection, if the DM/GM wishes to make it...

Puffers

The Bee-Keepers use a Smoke-Bellows or 'Puffer' in order to mollify and calm-down the giant bees. A Puffer is a small bronze pan affixed to a bellow, the pan holds a few smoldering coals and the keeper adds bundles of dried herbs or some resinous incense to the pan in order to produce smoke and they then use the bellows to direct the smoke at the bees. This creates an area effect due to dispersal of the smoke and grants the wielder a +4 Reaction Roll in terms of mollifying otherwise agitated bees. The smoke causes the bees to become docile and sluggish for 1d6 turns per exposure, which allows Bee-Wranglers to get them moved and transferred from hive to hive, etc.

Comb-Stone

A 3' long section of fossilized honey-comb is kept within the home of whomever currently leads the Council. This stone is enchanted to emanate a strong Sympathy effect that only affects Bees (giant and otherwise), attracting them to the area and making them comfortable with the people in the area. It would be a pity if the Comb-Stone were stolen or lost. It would be very bad indeed if one of the PCs was either implicated or found to have had the Comb-Stone planted on them. A very angry mob intent on a lynching can almost be guaranteed. The Comb-Stone might wind up in the hands of an informer or even a doppleganger agent of Aleedri...and that would be even worse...

Notes / NPCs

Rogue Giant Killer Bees(1d6/10d6) [AL N, MV 150' (50'), AC 7, HD 1d4 hit points, #ATK 1(sting), DG 1d3+poison, SV F1, ML 9] (LLp. 65)

Queen Bee(2d4 – but only one in any hive) [AL N, MV 150' (50'), AC 6, HD 6,#ATK 1 (sting), DG 1d8+Poison, SV F3, ML 12]

Doppleganger Agents ofAleedri (1d4) [AL C, MV 90' (30'), AC 5, HD5, #ATK 1, DG 1d12, SV F10, ML 10] Uses a small polished bronze enchanted mirror to contact their mistress via a variant form of embedded Arcane Eye spell (LL p. 27).

Bandits of the OldForest (6d10)[AL C, MV 120' (40', AC 6, HD 3,#ATK 1 (Short bow or spear), DG 1d6/1d6, SV F3, ML 7] Mostly human with some slight scaliness here and there on some of them, which suggests some sort of ancestral hybridization or degeneration of some sort...

If you need a few random villagers you might consider trying out Chaotic Shiny's Random Generator for Crowds: http://chaoticshiny.com/crowdgen.php

Spell: Zymurgic Disgestion

Zymurgic Disgestion
Level: 3
Duration: 3d4 Turns
Range: 5' per level

With a hearty belch the caster spews a noxious gout of disgusting fumes at the target who then must make a Save or have their digestive system thrown into turmoil as it begins to self-ferment, producing painful amounts of excess gas, intense heat, and thoroughly unpleasant and disorienting amount of pain that will quickly incapacitate them as they fall to the ground writhing in agony, ejecting copious amounts of horrid smelling gas and other effluvia from every orifice of their bodies. The spell inflicts one additional 1d6 accumulating damage every turn the spell is in effect (first 1d6, followed by 2d6, then 3d6, and so on until the spell ends or the victim expires messily...).

---

Certain groups of humanoids enjoy using this spell as a form of execution as they then slash open the grossly distended guts of the victim and imbibe the freshly brewed stomach-liquor...an experience definitely not for the faint of heart...

Spell: Zaftigery

Zaftigery
Level: 2
Duration: Permanent
Range: Touch

The caster causes the recipient of this spell to quickly plump-up and become well-rounded, even pulchritudinous. This may, or may not confer a -1/+1 modifier to the recipient's CHAR depending on cultural norms and expectations. It will, however serve as a quick and effective visual disguise.

September Short Adventure 15: The Nervous Bride

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 15

Title: The Nervous Bride

Rules: Labyrinth Lord

Ready

While resting from their wildernessadventures safely inside the walls of a mid-sized walled city, thegroup stumbles across the lurid allure of easy money and within notime at all the Player Characters have been engaged to provideprotection to a small entourage traveling to a near-by sea port. Ayoung lady of a local noble family is about to get married.

Set

The Lady is hidden behind a series ofveils and ensconced within a richly decorated coach. According tolocal tradition it would be grossly inappropriate for a male otherthan her immediate family or her betrothed to see her now that shehas been ritually purified and prepared for her wedding ceremony.

The PCs are to accompany the coach anda small retinue of family members and servants along the West Roadand see that they all get to the wedding safely and on time.

Go!

The road ahead iseasy and well-patrolled. It's a short trip. The weather is excellent.What could go wrong?

Nothing. Absolutelynothing. Except that the bride-to-be is a Medusa. Her entourage areall dopplegangers. The real bride is either dead or imprisonedsomewhere known only to the Medusa and her minions. Oh, and thesenefarious villains intend to not only crash the wedding, but tobutcher everyone there and arrange it so that it gets blamed on thebride's family, which the Medusa hopes will start a war between thetwo city-states.

The Playercharacters may escort the 'bride' and her entourage to theirdestination and part ways without the PCs ever being any the wiser.

The PlayerCharacters might discover something of the scheme along the trip tothe sea port. If they choose to meddle, then there's a fight and theMedusa may arrange to blame the PCs for the abduction or murder ofthe actual bride. If the PCs decide to do nothing more than collecttheir pay and keep their mouths shut, the Medusa might have need oftheir services in making a hasty exit from the sea port city-state –or maybe she'll set them up as a distraction so she can escape.

This could eitherbe a very simple scenario, or spin all out of control and grow into afull-fledged campaign of fantastic cloak and dagger/sorcery &espionage/assassination & skullduggery sort of thing alldepending on what the Player Characters do, or don't do.

Notes / NPCs

Dopplegangers(2d4) [AL C, MV 90' (30'), AC 5, HD 4, #ATK 1 (long sword or shortbow), DG 1d6/1d6, SV F10, ML 10] (LLp. 70)

Medusa(1) [AL C, MV 90' (30'), AC 8, HD 6, #ATK 1 (bite, weapon orspecial), DG 1d6+poison/1d4+poison, SV F4, ML 8] (LLp. 87) Gaze attack: Save or be turned to stone.

September Short Adventure 14: Who Goes Where?

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 14

Title: Who Goes Where?

Rules: Labyrinth Lord

Ready

The Player Characters are out in thewilderness either on the way towards or returning from a trip to thelocal ruined pile or dungeon complex and have made camp for thenight. Shortly after darkness the ominous growling and weird hootingstarts...

Set

Congratulations—you've set-up camppractically smack-dab on top of a den of owlbears (LLp. 91).

Go!

Either kill orsubdue the owlbears or get eaten. Duh!

The owlbears' denis literally right beneath the campsite and there is a base 30%chance of it caving-in during the course of any struggles. This willconvert what was pleasantly flat terrain to treacherously tumbledrocks, loose soil, and gaping pits that open up at random as things slump further downwards into the void that was once a very shallowcave.

Pit: 1d4x10'deep, inflicts 1d6/10' drop.

Collapsingrubble: Everyone in 10' radius must make Save/DEX check or suffer1d6 damage.

Inside the wreckedden there are 1d6 unbroken, unhatched and unclaimed owlbear eggs.

Notes / NPCs

Owlbear(1d4) [AL N, MV 120' (40'), AC 5, HD 5, #ATK 3 (2 claws, 1 bite), DG1d8/1d8/1d8, SV F3, ML 9] (LLp. 91)

Mama Owlbear(1) [AL N, MV 120' (40'), AC 4, HD 6, #ATK 3 (2 claws, 1 bite), DG1d8/1d8/1d8, SV F3, ML 12]

Daddy Owlbear(1) [AL N, MV 120' (40'), AC 5, HD 7, #ATK 3 (2 claws, 1 bite), DG1d8/1d8/1d8, SV F4, ML 10]

September Short Adventure 13: The Beer Must Roll!

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 13

Title: The Beer Must Roll!

Rules: Labyrinth Lord

Ready

The Player Characters reach a ruttedand muddy road that they believe will lead to a walled-city only afew more miles away. But less than a mile down the road theyencounter a cluster of six ox-wagons mired in the mud.

Set

The wagons are carrying a load of beerto the walled-city which is suffering from a terrible outbreak ofplague due to contaminated wells. The water has gone bad and peopleare dying of illness and thirst. The wagon-master is grimlydetermined to get the beer into the city no matter what, but theweather has made the roads all but impassable and now his guards havespotted orc scouts off to the west. Several of the guards havealready deserted. If there are orcs up in the hills ahead, things could get very, very bloody.

Go!

The guards willresent the PCs at first, at least until the orcs attack, butWagon-Master Burt will welcome them heartily and quickly explain thesituation and request their assistance.

If the PCs run offand leave the wagons behind, the orcs will slaughter everyone, takethe beer and launch into a full-out siege of the walled-city. Thereis a 20% chance that Burt will survive, maimed and angry anddetermined to hunt down the cowardly curs who left him and his peopleto die like dogs.

If the PCs join thelittle caravan and help defend it, they will earn Burt's respect andfriendship for life, which they will eventually learn is no smallthing.

Should the firstparty of orc scouts be completely killed before they can return tocamp, the orcs will march in the wrong direction and the wagons willhave an extra 3d4 hours to get through the muck, the mud, and theblood to the walled-city.

Should any of theorc scouts get away, it will take 1d4 hours for the regular orcinfantry-types will come marching on the double to cut the wagons offfrom the walled-city, with more orc scouts running in to harry andharass the guards, hoping to draw them off and ambush them in thetrees or around a bend in the road, etc.

The Three-Eyed OrcRaiders will reach the wagons exactly one hour after the rest oftheir forces have already engaged.

The Wagons willmake progress as determined by the following table:

RandomRoad Conditions

1. Clear stretch; all wagons make 1d4 miles progress without getting stuck.
2. Partly dried mud; each wagon-driver must roll Save or skid off the road. Delay of 1d4 hours as everyone must work to get the wagons back on the road and to re-adjust their loads which may have shifted.
3. Axle breaks on one wagon. It will have to be abandoned.
4. Rough Patch; Wagon-drivers need to make Save or get stuck (50%) or break a wheel (50%).
5. One wagon loses a wheel. It can be repaired in 1d4 hours. (50% chance of 1d6 Orc Scouts harassing the wagons during this process.)
6. Deep mud; 1d4 wagons stuck up to their axles. It will take 1d6 hours to get them unstuck, with a base 25% chance of damaging the axles of each of them, slowing those damaged to half normal movement.
7. Fallen Tree; 50% chance this is an ambush set-up by 2d6 Orc Scouts. Requires 1 hour to clear.
8. Uphill slope; movement rate reduced by 25%.
9. Loose gravel; base 20% chance to lose control of any given wagon.
10. Rain starts up again. Movement reduced to half normal movement. Base 25% chance of 1d4 wagons getting stuck every hour of continued movement.
11. Road washed out ahead; requires 2d4 hours to make passable. Base 30% chance of Orc Scouts ambushing the wagons while they sit idle.
12. Random Wilderness Monster Encounter. (Creature was stirred-up by advancing orc troops...)

Just how far it isto the walled-city, and what forces might be available to rush out tothe assistance of the beer wagons is left to the GM's discretion andimagination.

One thing will befor certain however; by the completion of this adventure the PCs willlikely need a drink.

Notes / NPCs

Wagon-Master Burt(1) [Half-dwarf AL N, MV 60' (20'), AC 6, HD 4, #ATK 1 (hammer), DG1d6, SV F2, ML 7]

Wagon Guards(3d4) [AL N, MV 60' (20'), AC 5, HD 2, #ATK 1 (spear), DG 1d6, SV F2,ML 6]

Wagon Drivers(6) [AL N, MV 60' (20'), AC 6, HD 1-1, #ATK 1 (slings), DG 1d4, SV0-lvl human, ML 6]

Orc Scouts(3d6) [AL C, MV 120' (40'), AC 7, HD 2, #ATK 1 (short bow), DG 1d6,SV F1, ML 8]

Orcs(1d6x10) [AL C, MV 120' (40'), AC 6, HD 1, #ATK 1 (weapon), DG 1d6,SV F1, ML 8] (LL p.90)

Three-Eyed Orc Raiders(4d10) [AL C, MV 90' (30'), AC 4, HD 3, #ATK 1 (serrated scimitar), DG1d6+2 (bonus to damage only), SV F3, ML 8, special: Detect Magic as afree action, 1 in 4 have 1d4 random spells.]

September Short Adventure 10: Pounding Sand

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 10

Title: Pounding Sand

Rules: Mutant Future

Ready

The Player Characters have reached asandy shoreline running along a sizable body of water, perhaps a lakeor even a small in-land sea.

Set

A small group of colorfully-dressedEloi (MF p. 70) arevery intently walking in formation across a stretch of sand, just upfrom the low-water mark, pounding it with rough wooden poles. Theyare looking for something in the sand...and they do not seem tonotice the PCs if they choose to approach.

Go!

If the PCs decide to investigate theEloi and what they're doing, they will pass through a carefullytended hedge that borders the sandy stretch leading up from theshoreline itself. The hedge is cut into a bewildering array oftopiary-shapes as though designed by a madman.

The Eloi will not acknowledge the PCsunless or until one or more of the PCs come onto the sand in theimmediate vicinity of the Eloi. Then they will stop all at once andturn to face the PCs with a collective, glassy stare that makes mostplayers uneasy.

There is a large Brain Plant (MFp. 64) carefully hidden within the topiary-hedge. It istelepathically directing and influencing the Eloi who serve it theway they tend to serve anything that orders them about.

The Eloi have been pounding the sandwith poles in search of Vampire Stars (MFp. 100). The Brain Plant has strange plans for how todomesticate or possibly meddle with the genetics of these mutatedstarfish...

There is a 30% chance that any PCwalking across the sand will disturb a Vampire Star colony...the Eloiwill cheerfully remove the Vampire Stars from the PC as it will maketheir task that much easier.

The Brain Plant will not be inclined toreveal itself to the PCs and will direct the Eloi to get rid of themat the first opportunity.

Notes / NPCs

Eloi Slaves (3d6) [AL N, MV 120'(40'), AC 9, HD 3, #ATK 1 (weapon), DG 1d4, SV L1, ML 4, Mutations:Atrophied Cerebellum, Weak Will] (MFp. 70)

Brain Plant (1) [AL N, MV (asmutation), AC 8, HD 3, #ATK (as mutation), DG (as mutation), SV L10,ML 10, Mutations: Empathy, Metaconcert, 1d6 Mental Mutations and 1d4Plant Mutations] (MF p.64)

Vampire Stars (2d10) [AL C, MV20' (7'), AC 8, HD 1, #ATK 1 (bite), DG 1d6, SV L1, ML 12, Mutations:Toxic Weapon] (MF p.100)

Spell: Gloomlight (Glyph of Gloom)

Gloomlight
Level: 1
Duration: 1d6 turns (can be extended by expending hit points)
Range: 10'

Caster forms the Lurmish Glyph of Gloom and infuses it with a slight bit of their personal essence, just enough to create a dim sphere of murky radiance that does not interfere with infrared senses or night-adapted eyes.

Koponu [Labyrinth Lord]

Koponu
No. Enc.: 1d4 (2d4)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 40' (120' swim)
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 1
Attacks: 1+slime
Damage: 1d4+poison
Save: 0-level human
Morale: 4

Koponu are a species of small (roughly goblin-sized), hunched bipedal amphibians who glow softly in the dark. Their fish-belly pale skin is covered by a slime that forces anyone they strike to save versus poison or else have their own skin take on a softly luminous glow similar to a low-power Light spell for 4d4 hours. Troglodytes and other subterranean beings are known to hunt, trap and enslave the Koponu as living torches, or as meat.

Those Koponu that have escaped being enslaved live as subterranean scavengers who hop and flop about in the wet caverns, ancient cisterns, aqueducts and wells of ruined or forgotten estates. They are known to frequently drink to excess and are fond of newts, salamanders and frogs, often raising such creatures as beasts of burden, meat-cattle and pets. Some bands of Koponu have learned how to breed and raise warfrogs, salamander-soldiers and fighting-newts.

Spell: Pensive Contemplation

Pensive Contemplation
Level: 1
Duration: 1d4 turns/Level of caster
Range: 0

Caster gains the ability to roll a save versus spells in order to recall some fact or pertinent bit of information about some feature or fixture they have just encountered. It doesn't matter if they've ever seen such a thing before. The spell takes up to 4 turns to finally bear fruit or deliver some result. Often times the spell will only offer very basic facts, some trivial nugget of information, but occasionally it will go into great detail, and entrance the caster for 1d6 additional turns as they are regaled with what amounts to a deeply meaningful scholarly lecture delivered in a dull, monotonous voice that only they can hear, at the end of which they need to make one more save or forget everything from sheer boredom.