Jalamere: Encounters Within 100 Miles of the Black Ziggurat

This table provides random encounters for those areas with a 100 mile radius surrounding the Black Ziggurat of Jalamere using Swords & Wizardry (White Box) rules.

This is a continuation of what we began in the previous Black Ziggurat of Jalamere post. We want to thank Blair of Planet Algol for his feed-back, encouragement and the contribution of a couple of entries to further flesh out the special encounters that might take place in the area surrounding this version of the Black Ziggurat.

[Get the free Swords & Wizardry (White Box) RPG: http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm]

Encounters Within 100 Miles of the Black Ziggurat

1. Harpies (zombified) (1d6): HD 3; HP 11, AC 7[12], Atk Talons or weapon (+Shriek), Move 6/18 (when flying), Save 16, HDE/XP 4/120, Special: shriek [Shriek=Putrefy Food and Drink, replaces usual Harpies Siren Song ability] One in Six is a Lich-Spawn Harpy (HD 6;  HP 42; AC 4[15]; Atk 1 Talons, Bite or Weapons; Move 6/18 (flies); Save 13; HDE/XP 8/800 ; Special 2d6 random spells.)
2. Phalanxipede (1d4):  HD 3; HP 20, AC 5[14], Atk 1 Claws, Move 10, Save 16, HDE/XP 4/120, Special:  On a roll of '20' the Phalanxipede wraps around its victim doing double damage and improving its exterior AC by +2. The overlapping bands of chitinous armor on their broad backs will often have distorted, spiky structures jutting outwards that they can use in place of their claws, like the spears of an infantry phalanx. There are rumors of these things being used as war beasts...
3. Free Minds (2d4): HD 3; HP 9; AC 8[11]; Atk 1 Scathing Word; Move 12/8; Save 16; HDE/XP 5/250; Special: Immune to sleep, Gains a Save versus Physical attacks, has no Save versus Spells. Most have 1d4 random spells available. They will often agree not to harm anyone who willingly teaches them a new spell.
4. Alkaline Ooze (1): HD 3, HP 16, AC 8[11], Atk 1 strike; Move 1, Save 16, HDE/XP5/240; Special: Immune to Heat, Cold, Spells, Stone, takes half-damage from metal, takes double damage from wood--item then bursts into flames
5. Gargantupede (1d2): HD 6, HP 30, AC 0[18], Atk 1 bite, Move 20; Save 13; HDE/XP 8/800; Special: poison (+6 modifier to opponent's saving throw). Note: Gargantupedes tend to be 60' long and are attracted to the sound of flutes...
6. Dopplegangers (2d4): HD 4; HP 15; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 Claw; Move 9; Save 15; HDE/XP 5/240; Special: Immune to Sleep and charm, +5 on saving throw versus magic of all kinds; change appearance at will. They are mounted on zombie camels and are looking for the promised prophet of their people. Player characters must roll a D30, on a roll of '30' the Player character is 'recognized' as the Prophet by one of the dopplegangers. Keep rolling for each doppleganger. If they 'recognize' more than one 'prophet' then they begin fighting among themselves. Should the Player Character attempt to take advantage of the situation, the dopplegangers will re-roll for 'recognition' every time they encounter a group of non-dopplegangers...which could lead to some interesting results...
7. Dry Hags (1d4): HD 3; HP 11, AC 7[12], Atk Talons or weapon (+Spells), Move 6, Save 15, HDE/XP 4/120, Special: Dry Hags can attack with a Dessicatory Embrace on any To Hit roll of 19 or 20 forcing the target to Save or suffer 2d4 extra damage from being drained of moisture. Anyone killed in this manner becomes a Dry Dead slave to the Hags. Each one has 2d4 random spells and 1 or 2 magical weapons.
8. Starlit Mire (1): HD 3, HP 16, AC 8[11], Atk 1 Emanation of the Void; Move 0, Save 14, HDE/XP 5/240; Special: Anyone stepping into an area within a 30' radius of the Starlit Mire must Save or be exposed to the flesh-blasting cold of deep space. Should anyone be enveloped by the Mire for longer than 5 minutes, their corpse will be randomly teleported across space and time and lost forever.
9. Skin-Eaters (2d4): HD 2; HP 14; AC 6[13]; Atk 1 Claw or weapon; Move 9; Save 14; HDE/XP 4/120; Special: Every 6 points of damage inflicted by a Skin Eater results in the loss of 1 CHAR point, permanently (unless restored by magic/medicine). They may only have one over-sized claw, but they wield a wickedly barbed hook-cleaver in the more humanish off-hand. They really do eat the skin flayed from their victims.
10. Manticore (1d2): HD 6+4; HP 32; AC 4[15]; Atk 1 Claw, Bite or Tail-spikes; Move 12/8 (flies); Save 13; HDE/XP 8/800; Special flight and tail-spikes. (Manticore starts with 24 spikes and can hurl up to six spikes per attack to a maximum range of 180 feet.)
11. Womanticore (1d4): HD 6+3; HP 30; AC 4[15]; Atk 2 Claw, Bite or Tail-spikes; Move 12/8 (flies); Save 12; HDE/XP 9/900; Special flight and tail-spikes. (Womanticore starts with 36 spikes and can hurl up to four spikes per attack to a maximum range of 200 feet.) Special: Sussurussic Sibillance -- Womanticores can attempt to Charm any who listen to their voice and they make slaves of those who prove vulnerable to their uncanny wiles.
12. Mindless Shamblers (2d12): HD 1; HP 4; AC 8[11]; Atk 1 Strike or weapon; Move 6; Save 18; HDE/XP 2/25; Special: Immune to Sleep, Charm, all mind-related affects. On any roll of '20' the Mindless Shambler latches onto their victim and drains either 1 INT, WIS or CHAR, gaining that point for their own stats. Any Mindless Shambler achieving more than 3 points in each of the three affected areas begins to regain/develop their own points for these attributes at a rate of 1 point per attribute each week, but of course they can always speed this process up by absorbing points from victims. Anyone killed by a Mindless Shambler rises as one themself in 1d4 hours. Those who regain enough points become new personalities, lacking all recollection of whomever they might have been before, and are effectively new people...but they are a weird form of demi-undead, incapable of benefiting from Clerical healing (unless the cleric serves a deity of abominations/undead). Victims can recover their drained stats as normal, or speed the process via a Restoration spell.
13. Grollaks (3d6); HD 2+1; HP 16; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 Bite; Move 9; Save 16; HDE/XP 6/60; Special: Attack from below--they literally burrow underneath their prey and then burst forth from their shallow tunnel and attempt to drag the meat down into the darkness. Anyone who makes a Save hears or notices the shifting of the soil in time to prepare for the onslaught...otherwise the nasty little creatures will gain surprise. Note: Grollaks cannot burrow effectively through rock, they prefer loose soils and turf. One in Six encounters is not with a pack of Grollaks, but the collapse of one of their old tunnels.
14. Sting Worms (1d4): HD 7; HP 34; AC 3[16]; Atk 1 Sting; Move 8; Save 16; HDE/XP 9/1,100; Special: poison sting (poison is incredibly virulent and requires 3 consecutive saves to beat it).
15. Seething Seepage (1): HD 4; HP 26; AC 8[11]; Atk 1 Corrosive Saturation; Move 3; Save 15; HDE/XP 5/240; Special: Remains unseen as it lurks beneath debris and sand, waiting for victims to walk over its body, then it rears up and attempts to form a gelatinous crater or bowl from its own flesh that it then fills with a potent, corrosive stew of digestive juices. It takes less than 3 minutes for the 'bowl' to fill to capacity. The juices destroy leather, corrode metals, and discolor flesh that survives the attack to a grotesque mottled green and yellow that is easily recognized as the 'mark of the lurker.'
16. Dry Dead (2d6): HD 1; HP 4; AC 8[11]; Atk 1 Strike or weapon; Move 6; Save 18; HDE/XP 2/25; Special: One in six can perform Call Hag in place of an attack. Spell will summon 1d4 Dry Hags. When killed, these bodies crumble into clouds of choking, cloying dust that impedes visibility to 50% in a 30' radius.
17. Rampant Flesh (1d4); HD 4; HP 30; AC 5[14]; Atk 2 Bulgy Pseudopods; Move 6; Save 16; HDE/XP 6/400. Autonomous masses of living flesh that crawl about bonelessly and malevolently across the sands looking for things to eat.
18. Rock Giant (1d2): HD 8; HP 46; AC 4[15]; Atk 1 weapon or thrown rocks; Move 12; Save 11; HDE/XP 10/1,300; Special: Throw rocks for 3d6 damage or assume rock-form (immobile) to surprise prey/victims. Rock Giants can also cause Petrification by way of their gaze attack up to 3/times per day. These hulking brutes remain unaffected by all mental attacks, Charms or illusions. They will reform from rubble if not completely scattered over an area equal to one square mile per HD. Some rocks are actually the scattered remains of Rock Giants and can be caused to sprout into a small 1 HD version of the creature if soaked in blood for 1d4 hours. They tend to mature rather quickly, so long as they get plenty to eat...
19. Slimefall. Foul-smelling masses of greenish slime drizzle over everything for the next 1d4 hours and covering an area of roughly (3d6 miles). The slime seems inert, rotting and is thoroughly inedible. If it is exposed to necrotized flesh for longer than a day, it coalesces into a mass of actual Green Slime.
20. Special Encounter.

Fallen Squamoids [Mythos Future]

Fallen Squamoids
(Blighted Barbaric Serpent People)
Number Appearing: 1-12 (3d12)
Hit Dice: 6+
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Attacks: 2 (Weapon, Bite or tail-sweep)
Move: 8
Save: 13
HDE/XP: 5/400
Special: Tail-Sweep has base 30% chance to trip bipeds (Save or fall)

The Fallen Squamoids are the sad, last remnants of those serpent people enclaves that have reverted to barbarism in the aftermath of having been infected by virulent forms of fungi that have entirely infiltrated their bodies, genes and minds.

Any successful hit on a fallen Squamoid with an edged weapon will result in a blood spatter with a 10' radius. Anyone caught within the spatter must roll a save or become infected with a variant form of cordyceptrian fungi that will inflict 1d4 damage every turn until removed/sterilized or until it reduces the new host to 0 hit points, at which time they become a living fungal host under the control and direction of a fresh new colony of the cordyceptrian fungal (re-roll INT, WIS, reduce CHAR by 1d6).

One in Six Fallen Squamoids are Mycologically Mutated and have the following statistics:

Mycologically Mutated Squamoids
Number Appearing: 1
Hit Dice: 12
Armor Class: 4[15]
Attacks: 2 (Spew and Weapon)
Move: 6
Save: 7
HDE/XP:  12/2,000

Special: Spew attack covers a cone 3' at origin and extending out to a range of 60' with a width of 30' across. It has the same basic effect of the lesser Squamoids' blood spatter: Anyone caught within the spatter must roll a save or become infected with a variant form of cordyceptrian fungi that will inflict 1d4 damage every turn until removed/sterilized or until it reduces the new host to 0 hit points, at which time they become a living fungal host under the control and direction of a fresh new colony of the cordyceptrian fungal (re-roll INT, WIS, reduce CHAR by 1d6).

Larger, more bloated-looking and almost half-melted in appearance, the Mycologically Mutated Squamoids are massive, walking fungi-colonies that only have a vague, passing resemblance to the serpentine humanoids who once were their hosts. They lumber about the battlefield spewing massive gouts of fungally-infected ichor that linger as miasmic clouds for 2d4 minutes, and often form small pools of virulent foullness that can persist for up to 1d4 days afterwards.

It is a good thing that there are not very many of these horrid things within the ranks of the Fallen Squamoids, but then all that is required is just a little time for another one to mature into one of these hulking beasts...

The Labyrinth Lord version of these infected ophidians is slightly different...

Spaceship-Sized Monsters (Terminal Space)

Terminal Space has a section in the last part on ships that presents a few Space Ship Sized Monsters such as Space Squids, Space Rays and Asteroid Worms. Here are a few more massive void-faring creatures for your players to encounter out along the weird worlds of the rim or beyond.

Quick Table of Space Ship Sized Monsters

1. Astronemone Colony
2. Space Squid (Terminal Space, page 51).
3. Void-Coral Reef
4. Space Ray (TS, p. 51)
5. Solar Slugs
6. Asteroid Worms (TS, p.51)
7. Orbital Decay
8. Polypous Invasion-Mass
9. Heliosphere Luminalities
10. Fungal Mega-Hulk

Descriptions/Stats


Astronemone Colony
Colorful, luminous mega-cnidarian creatures that extend their feeding disks into outer space from some other plane in order to capture and consume asteroids and other interplanetary debris. They are blind and non-sentient, at least according to anyone who has studied the things from this end of their transplanar forms. Astronemone Colonies are incredibly sensitive but passive psychics, capable of detecting thoughts and emotions from as far as 4 hexes, but completely incapable to communicating...except to certain strange beings cataloged in the recovered Accepted and Ancient Orthodox Yaddithian Archives as being some form of hybrid 'Anemomanity.' Very little is really known of these beings, but they are said to be in turn served by armadas of space-faring anemodrones...which may or may not be spawned within Astronemone Colonies...

Number Appearing: 1 (Colony)
Durability Points: 30
Move Speed: 0
Maneuverability: 20%
Chance to Hit: 20% Sting, 20% Crush


Void-Coral Reef
Terrible hazards to intra-system shipping, Void-Coral Reefs are difficult to detect as they tend to be radar absorbent and psychically transparent. It can be disastrous to run aground on a orbiting reef. The coral tends to be ambiguous in terms of what plane it is on at any time, until it becomes aware of a foreign object (within 3 hexes), at which time the entire reef begins to shift into resonant alignment with the potential food-source. Contact with a Void-Coral Reef will allow the reef to assume a super-dense state in the immediate vicinity of the victim, preventing use of most star-drives and summarily terminating all teleportation or phase protocols. Very few have escaped at that point.

Number Appearing: Special
Durability Points: 100
Move Speed: 0
Maneuverability: 0
Chance to Hit: 20% Sting

Solar Slugs
Gigantic fluorescent slugs the size of continents that soar through interplanetary space by way of psychically-modulated electromagnetic fields. In some respects they are living solar sails, but in others they affect a much larger region of space than is readily apparent, even to most sensor arrays. The Shimmering Death-Haze attack of a Solar Slug has a range of 6 hexes and is capable of searing through planetary atmospheres and melting most metal-based ship hulls into rapidly expanding spheres of slag.

Number Appearing: 1d4
Durability Points: 200
Move Speed: 2
Maneuverability: 2
Chance to Hit: 10% Sting, 40% Shimmering Death-Haze


Orbital Decay
Vast swaths of hyper-adapted mold colonies that occupy the orbital paths of infected planets like trailing veils composed of trillions of mold filaments. Orbital Decay grows to fully encompass an entire world, extend outwards from this root-world to fill most of the orbital path of that world, and slowly spin-seep outwards to eventually reach the orbits of other planets within an infected solar system. There are several solar systems, such as Mu Arae, that were infected over the course of the wars between the mostly wiped-out Polyp Hegemony, the Yithic Sphere-Minds and the Primordials.

Number Appearing: Special
Durability Points: 100
Move Speed: 0
Maneuverability: 0
Chance to Hit: 60% Encrustation


Polypous Invasion Mass
Myriads of bulbous, grotesque almost tumorous collections of highly reflective black masses of voidflesh and secondary technicytical symbiote-systems have been scattered through the deep void by the nearly extinct Polyp Hegemony in a last-ditch effort to escape total annihilation. When such a mass latches onto a dark body within the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud of a solar system, they burrow in and patiently wait in the deep dark to begin again. Anyone disturbing or discovering one of these things is considered a high order threat and the Invading Polypous Mass will quickly go into overdrive, producing war-spores and worse in order to destroy the interlopers. Once activated, the Polypous Invasion Mass will begin the systematic colonization of the entire solar system, as happened at Achenar.

Number Appearing: Special
Durability Points: 500
Move Speed: 0
Maneuverability: 0
Chance to Hit: 30% Swarm-stream*
* Also can produce and release a full range of War Spores in exponentially-increasing increments until total solar system subjugation by saturation is achieved.


Heliosphere Luminalities
Strange, aurora-like proto-conscious entities composed of plasma and subtle fields of force who occupy the Heliospheres of various stars where they leap, flicker and encircle the worlds within the deeper gravity well. Little is known of these things, other than that they have destroyed a number of ships that tried to either pass through them or attack the things. The Mi-Go treat these entities with an almost religious awe. The Armitage Collectory claims to have uncovered evidence that links these things with the so-called Colours From Space, but that is still just so much conjecture on the part of discredited clone-scholars.

Number Appearing: Special
Durability Points: 300 (Recovers 4d10/24 hour period, unless distracted outside the Heliosphere)
Move Speed: Special (Occupies entire Heliosphere of solar system and freely shifts about it at lightspeed)
Maneuverability: 2
Chance to Hit: 30% Polychromatic Cascade


Fungal Mega-Hulk
Vast clouds of massively inter-networked fungal mycellium that form cloud-like structures big enough to encompass, envelope and extract all nutrition from entire solar systems. Thankfully, these are rare and mostly occupied with reducing the solar systems formerly claimed by the enemies of the Mi-Go. Mega-Hulks are so big that they have thousands of parasitical micro-ecologies scattered through-out their fibers, filaments and tendrils. It is whispered that entire cultures have sprung up within these spaces, and that some of the civilizations that have been destroyed/consumed by the Mega-Hulks have in fact turned the tables on the Mi-Go and now infect them, living off of the internal systems of the very thing that devoured their home systems long ago.

Number Appearing: 1
Durability Points: 1000
Move Speed: Special (Occupies entire Heliopause and shifts about within it at speed of light)
Maneuverability: 2
Chance to Hit: 30% Polychromatic Cascade

NOTE:

There's another SEVEN Mega-Monsters available over at Swords & Stitchery!

Terminal Space RPG

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Terminal Space Updates at Underworld Kingdom

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Space Age Sorcery Spells

More Spells for Old School Space Fantasy & Lovecraftian Space Opera

Alter Signal (Magic User 4th level): Caster can cause any kind of signal or transmission to reverse itself with a chance of causing a short circuit to occur. (base: 5% per level of caster) A variant is noted that will allow the caster to manipulate a particular signal and reform it to suit their whims, but this is a Mi-Go secret.

Altered States (Magic User 5th level): Spell forces target to devolve backwards into a simpler, primordial version of its earliest ancestral form, usually pond scum, amoebas, gelatinous goo--something like that.

Animate Machinery (Magic User 2nd level): Caster imbues inert machinery with a strange semblance of life, but has no control over the newly awakened mechanism. (Can be used to instill sentience in robots at great peril; make a reaction roll at -3 penalty...)

Anthropophagy (Cleric 2nd level/Magic User 2nd level): Caster becomes capable of devouring/digesting human flesh as though a ghoul. There is a cumulative 1d4% chance of becoming an actual ghoul each time the spell is used.

Autoparthenogenesis (Magic User 5th level): Spell allows caster to form a fresh new cloned body from within their original one.

Barker's Sensory Overload (Magic User 3rd level/4th level): Blasts the target with an assortment of painful wound stigmata manifested through the expansion of sensation to an extremely painful point of sensory overload, and enduring excruciating pain through incessant tortures that transcend traditional laws of physics. The Target gets to make a save vs or explodes for 1d6/level of caster in a bloody rain of organs & goo. [Needles]

Bastion's Barbwire Blast (Magic User 4th level): The magic user channels a blast of strange twisted bloody wires from the Outer Darkness through the palm of their hands. The dark black twisting wires extend from the caster's palm to the target accompanied by the dire of damned souls lost to this spell in the mists of the space ways! The target must make a save vs 1d6 damage/level of caster. Casting this spell more than 3 times per day attracts the attentions of the God who controls these weird soul blasting wires. It may in fact take both the target of this spell & the caster. [Needles]

Brainfire (Cleric 2nd level/Magic User 3rd level): Causes a debilitating fever to rage through victim, making them -2 on all physical and -4 on all mental activities. Any victim attempting to cast spells or fire missile weapons under the effects of this spell rolls for a random target, including themselves.

Blasphemous Rumors (Cleric 2nd level): Victim loses 1 point of Wisdom.

Coagulation (Cleric 4th level/Magic User 3rd level): Causes target's blood and bodily fluids to clot into a solid mass. Save or die. Very effective against gelatinous masses.

Control Fungi (Magic User 4th Level): Similar to Control Robot only affecting fungi (possibly molds), Mi-Go get a saving throw.

Cranial Detonation (Magic User 3rd level): Target gets to make a save or their skull explodes for 1d6/level of caster. Useless against invertebrates or fungi. Only has a 50-50% chance of affecting humanoid-configuration robots or androids.

Degeneration (Cleric 3rd level): Save or gain 1d4 minor mutations. (Note: A specific Degeneration Table will be forthcoming, we'll update with the link when it's posted.)

Destroy Fungi (Magic User 4th level): Similar to Destroy Robot only affecting fungi, Mi-Go get a saving throw.

Detect Machine (Magic User 1st level ): Similar to Detect Magic only affecting machinery, cybernetics, implants and robots.

Extract Brain (Cleric 3rd level): Save or have your brain removed. Successful caster now has the victim's brain in their hands, what now? Oh, and yes, the victim remains alive, sentient, conscious and aware the whole time, assuming they were any of those things to begin with.

Fungal Armor (Cleric 1st level/Magic User 2nd level): Envelopes caster in a form-fitting suit of ultra-pliable fungal sheathing equivalent to enchanted leather armor that gains an additional +1  defense value every three levels of the caster. Prolonged use results in caster becoming a host to the fungus and it remains a permanent part of the caster's body.

General Chang's Clinging Cloak Of The Cloying Darkness (Magic User 5th level/Cleric 4th level): The caster becomes a channel for the strange rolling black light of dead stars from the Outer Darkness. The black light does not behave as light but rather a black moaning gas that exits every orifice of the caster. It continues to roll & moan as it covers the entire ship making it invisible to normal sensors for 4 rounds. This rolling cloak of darkness allows normal weapons to be fired even as the space ship is invisible in the normal universe. If cast more than twice a day the ship begins to lose normality within the normal space time continuum! [Needles]

Hybridification (Magic User 4th level): Caster combines features from two or more test subjects or targets into a completely new creature combining traits from its source-donors (roll up a random creature: HD=caster's level plus or minus 4--roll d8, even add that amount, odd subtract that amount). Unfortunately, this new being is 70% likely to be insane or 30% chance to be a total catatonic, and hence not terribly useful beyond certain nefarious purposes.

Implant (Cleric 1st level/Magic User 3rd level): Allows caster to embed an object or device (or stolen organ) into target and keep both intact and functional.

Infect (Magic User 2nd level/Cleric 1st level): Caster inflicts magically-enhanced pathogens on target. Save or become infected, and thus subject to effects of sorcerous affliction. (Sorcerous Affliction Table fothcoming...or use Gorgonmilk's handy Dungeon Funk Table instead.)

Instill Ennui (Cleric level 3rd): Target becomes so bored they wander off mumbling to themselves and require a saving throw to prevent them from doing something rash or dangerous just to relieve the crushing burden of sheer unmitigated boredom.

Molt (Cleric 2nd level/Magic User 3rd level): Forces target to shed their epidermal layers. Causes 1d4/level of caster unless victim is naturally able to molt.

(A) Momentary Lapse Of Reason (Cleric 3rd level): The caster becomes one with The Outer Darkness for 6 rounds. Strange pulsing veins appear across the forehead of the caster as the cranium expands to hold the power of the Outer Darkness within the caster's brain. The caster is temporarily able to see the lines of hyper space intersects & direct nearby ships to these passages. At the end of 6 rounds the caster must make a save vs or his head shall retain these strange abnormal veins, brain expansion, & cranium adjustment. Multiple castings will cause insanity, mutations, & eventual death of the caster. There really are some things man wasn't meant to know. [Needles]

No Signal (Magic User 3rd level): No artificial signal can get past the zone of anullment erected by this spell. (Area of effect equals 10' cube per level. Yes, robots make a save or are rendered inert akin to Sleep).

Parasitizatory Embrace (Cleric 4th level/Magic User 5th level): By embracing target, the caster drains 1d4 hit points/level from the victim and gains them as temporary hit points themself. Caster takes full consequence of being in contact with target. Anyone reduced to 0 or fewer hit points via this spell will go into a coma for 1d4 hours after which they will awaken as a thrall to the caster who can now drain 1d4 hit points from them each turn with a range of 10'/level of caster. Thralls are not undead, but lack volition or the ability to go against their master's wishes. Each thrall counts as a retainer/henchman, depending on their vitality/utility/ability to fight, cast spells, or carry out simple commands.

Repair Machine/Robot/Ship (Magic 5th User level): Restores 1d4 hit points to target per caster's level.

Slow Ship (Magic User 5th level): Diminishes ship speed by 10% per level of caster.

Spore Blast (Magic User 3rd level): Causes a sputtering stream of alien spores to spray out from caster's hands that inflicts 1d4-1 damage per level of caster, with a 10% chance of infecting those hit by the blast with a random Fungal Infection (see table).

Summon Beast Of The Fire Maidens From Outer Space (Cleric 4th level/Magic User 5th level): This spell summons "the man with the head of a beast". This nasty, dangerous monster comes from the 13th Moon of Jupiter. The creature is slender, with dark, pitted skin and is impervious to bullets. Legend states that the monster is relentless & will follow its victim through the very dimensions beyond space & time itself. Even those who survive an attack by the beast must contend with its infect ability. Roll on Gorgonmilk's handy Dungeon Funk Table! [Needles]

Summon Mugwump (Magic User 4th level): The caster needs a drug called "black meat," derived from the guts of giant space centipedes. The mugwump will arrive within 3 rounds from the deep echoes of the ID. Mugwump will act as a NPC go between for the caster with certain shady underworld figures known as the Nova Mob. Care should be taken as these planar powers are malevolent in the extreme. The banishment ritual involves the use of a rare substance called bug powder & the burning of a mechanism known as a typewriter. Very little is know of the powers of the mugwumps & their intentions are often murky & hazy at best. The Nova Mob is rumored to have destroyed several star spanning empires. [Needles]

Summon Thought Monster (Cleric Spell 4th level): Summons an invisible ID monster that rips its way from the victim's body. The monsters  mutated "bodies" are revealed to be the missing brains and connected spinal cords taken from their victims; the spinal cords have become very flexible and also sprouted feelers. This allows them to move quickly and even to leap; each brain has also developed a pair of small eyes on extended eye stalks. [Needles]

Transfer Brain (Magic User 4th level): Caster extracts the target's brain and transfers it to some ready receptacle or another body, including any convenient corpses or undead.

Transvective Dismemberment (Magic User 6th level): Victim must make a save versus spell or else have 1d4 limbs detached from their torso and scattered 1d100 feet in randomly determined directions. A second save lets them live through this. The clerical version of this spell allows for the caster to determine which specific limbs (or organs) are involved, and precisely where they go. It is often used for committing sacrifices.

Kranj

Kranj are horrible, degenerate descendents of isolated and abandoned convicts on offworld penal colonies that were discovered by something only known as The Vanaxicant. This terrible entity/force/alien race reshaped and revised the originally mostly human convicts into more adaptable, useful shock troops for use in what has become a centuries-long campaign against the entrenched serpent-people installations with dozens of solar systems.

There are rumors that the Vanaxicant has been developing even more twisted and weird forms of Kranj shock troops to use in its unfathomable and obscure, but no less frightening and devastating war upon the serpent people.

 :

Kranj (Degenerate Shock Troops)
No. App.: 1d20
Hit Dice: 3
Armor Class: 6
Attacks: 2 (Fist, Kick or Weapon)
Move: 60'
Save: 18
HDE/XP: 5/240+

Special: Immune to Undead life-draining attacks

[Illustration above is from the Unnamed Monster post and is available for use in other rules-systems...]

Autonomous Technophagous Fungi [Terminal Space]

Originally developed by servants of the Mi-Go as aerial scouts and scavengers, the Autonomous Technophagous Fungi have since gone on to colonise dozens of worlds and habitats and are no longer in service to anyone but themself--yes themself--they are of one mind, literally.

All the physical bodies of this particular space-faring sentient fungus are drone-like fruiting bodies manipulated by a central solar-system-scale entity that rejects Mi-Go bio-oppression and works to topple their one time masters from power.

It is rumored that these voidfaring creatures might be related to the 'Oblong Swimmers in Darkness,' which might lead a curious investigator into something of an explanation as to their occasional use of Tcho-Tchoids as agents among the few remaining human dominated worlds.

Autonomous Technophagous Fungi
No. App.: 1-6
Hit Dice: 8
Armor Class: 6
Attack(s): 2 (spores or spells)
Damage: 2d4 (spores)/by spell
Move: 160' (psionic flight)
Save: 16
HDE/XP: 7/1,200

Special: Invasive Telepathy, Telekinesis, Personal Levitation, 1d4 random Psychic Abilities

Terminal Space (Free RPG)

Swords & Wizardry (White Box) [Free RPG]
Terminal Space Updates at Underworld Kingdom

Terminal Space Resources at Swords & Stitchery

Petrocloptrian [Swords and Wizardry (White Box)]

Here are the basic stats for the Petrocloptrian using Swords & Wizardry (White Box):

Petrocloptrian


No. App.: 1d2
Hit Dice: 7
Armor Class: 4[15]
Attacks: 1d6+1 (1d4 each, or by weapon)
Move: 120' hover/levitate
Save: 10
HDE/XP: 7/1,200
Special: Contact-Telepathy, Close-Quarters Telekinesis, Personal Levitation, 1d4 random spells as Psychic Abilities (all with a range of Touch)

Large, rugose beings that seem to be carved from some form of greenish stone, the Petrocloptrians are wily and clever hunters who seek the most incredible trophies possible. Anyone or anything that is neither a Petrocloptrian or suitable prey, is deemed uninteresting and will be ignored. They can attack up to seven opponents at once and have no scruples about overwhelming lesser opponents whatsoever. Little is known about them other than they tend to ignore most creatures under 5 HD unless threatened, then they are implacable, unrelenting and ruthless.

Specialized sub-types of Petrocloptrians will be featured in further posts and in certain of the forthcoming setting/monster PDFs...

Eight Magical Weapons

September Short Adventure 26: Let's Make a Deal featured a mysterious Magical Weapon. Just in case you're too busy or a bit stumped on what the Magical Weapon might be, here are a few to choose from. Feel free to modify or adapt these to best suit your campaign's needs or your own sensibilities. Also, do keep in mind that what we're detailing here are just the obvious or openly revealed aspects of these weapons, they could all be hiding their own secrets...and they definitely have minds and personalities of their own...

Eight Magical Weapons

1. A massive two-handed sword hammered out of a still smoldering shard of meteoric black metal.
2. An incredibly delicate-looking translucent battle-axe.
3. A pair of mother-of-pearl inlaid flintlock revolvers from an ancient brothel.
4. The last five-and-three-quarters foot-long section of a slender, blackened and rune-inscribed spear that is now effectively a staff.
5. A grotesque, almost fluid-looking hammer of some disgustingly green-tinged alloy.
6. A composite short bow assembled from overlapping layers of dragon scales, monstrous chitin, and what appear to be bones.
7. A triple-headed mace sculpted in the form of a Cerberus-like canine monster.
8. A sleek and shimmery longsword with a blade forged from a shaft of moonlight.

Details are as Follows:

1. Signurtifhardrume; +2 to hit/+2 damage (Double damage against all hybrids on a natural roll of 18 or better); INT 12; speaks to wielder only via telepathy; Casts Detect Hybrid twice a day and Cause/Cure Light Wounds three times a day (wielder's choice). This blade requires blood every 1d4 days or it becomes discontent and will actively sabotage the current wielder's next combat by with-holding curative spells or holding back on either the to hit bonus or the damage bonus. This blade is very likely hiding any number of other possible powers, abilities or bad habits from its current wielder...and it is a pathological liar.
2. Shimradrikath; +2 to hit/+2 to damage; INT 5; Grants one bonus attack every day; Casts Knock on a successful hit; Able to cast Dispel Magic once per week on a successful hit; On any natural '20' the wielder must roll a Save or go berserk for 1d4 turns, during which time they get double attacks, double damage, and can continue fighting even if they are at negative hit points; This weapon will not tolerate any armor better than a bronze breastplate and will never serve anyone who can cast spells of their own; once per day this weapon can attempt to break any other magic weapon—wielder just needs to roll two 20s in a row is all.
3. Armistice & Easykill; +2 to hit/+2damage; Any natural roll of a 17 or 18 results in target needing to make a Save or be stunned for 1d4 turns, a roll of 19 equals double damage, a roll of 20 is triple damage; Wielder gains +1 to DEX and has the ability to wield both guns at one time; Wielding only one gun at a time penalizes wielder by loss of -2 to DEX and -2 to hit; INT14 (each); Opponents get to make a CHAR reaction roll to determine if the guns decide that they like the target, in which case they will not fire upon them.
4. Udramakkim; +2 to hit/Target must Save or be stunned for 1d4 turns (no damage); INT 16; Casts spells as a 5^th level Magic User (4,2,1); Will absorb 1d4 spells from any spell book or scroll it is allowed to destroy; Confers 1d4 bonus hit points to wielder (permanently) for every 1,000 gp of loot or treasure it is allowed to destroy; Will never back down from a confrontation with its 'lessers.'
5. Gronditing; +3 to hit/+1 damage; Grants wielder one additional attack on every roll of 19 or better; Affects target as though Green Slime on any natural roll of '20' to hit; Wielder is immune to effects of Green Slime while weapon is in use, upon losing or surrendering the hammer the former wielder must make a Save or have all of their armor transmogrify into Green Slime.
6. Zalalaftrium; +2 to hit/+1 damage; INT17 (CHAR 12); Casts Cause Light Wounds on any three arrows used in an attack per day; Any arrow fired from this bow can affect target as though it were a +2 weapon; All arrows fired from this bow are treated as if they were silver-headed despite their actual make-up; This weapon is a relic of an ancient empire of serpentine warrior-wizards and will compel the wielder to seek out serpent-descended beings so that it can be returned to those unto which it belongs.
7. Barog'Garmigon; +2 to hit/+2 damage against anyone wearing magic armor; INT 4; on command of the wielder this mace can attempt to bite any target already hit for an additional 1d6 damage (but only three times in a given day); Once it bites successfully, the mace will hold on and continue fighting/inflicting normal damage all on its own; If this mace is taken more than 60' away from the wielder, it goes inactive for 1d20 turns and can be claimed by anyone else that then picks it up.
8. Xuchichatlikol; +2 to hit/+2 damage; INT 15; Inflicts double-damage on all shape-shifters; Hits all gaseous, out-of-phase or shadow-form monsters as though normal; Wielder always has initiative; Blade cannot function in sunlight.

An Adventure in Unspeakable Old School Randomness

Revised: 11/22/2011

Our Adventure won the contest!

Chris at Hill Cantons recently announced another one of his famous contests. It was about cobbling together a random adventure, and it sounded like fun, so we entered the contest.

First we rolled on the cliche-driven Old School Module-Naming Tables at Hill Cantons and came up with the result: 'Tomb of the Forgotten Toad-People.'

Not too shabby. Nothing to necessarily get too excited about, but a nice start.

So then we rolled on Raggi's Weird Fantasy Module-Naming Table and produced the following result: 'Planet of the Nameless Grimoire.'

Mashing those two titles together we have 'The Tomb of the Forgotten Toad-People from the Planet of the Nameless Grimoire.'

According to the rules set forth at the Hill Cantons blog (see THIS post), we kept things to one page and we decided to use the free Swords & Wizardry (White Box) set of retro-clone rules for this particular experiment.

• Just to keep it interesting, we incorporated a random sentence from the Random Sentence Generator that Porky mentioned in THIS post.
• Since this adventure called for a Nameless Grimoire we incorporated the Nameless Tome from Old School Heretic as both an encounter and a possible treasure.
• Since we rolled the 'Toad' result the first time out, we took it as a favorable omen and incorporated a faded-out version of our own little Toader-dude illustration into the background of the One Page Adventure.

And now, without any further to-do, our little Award-Winning adventure into unspeakable old school randomness is now available at DrivethruRPG and/or RPGNow.

Necropixies [Swords and Wizardry (Whitebox)]

Necropixies
No. App.: 1d6
Hit Dice: 2
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Attack: 1 scythe 1d4+1
Move: 6 (Fly 15)
Save: 18
HDE/XP: 5/240
Special: Spell-like abilities.

Necropixies can turn invisible and cast Dancing Lights at will, they can also cast Dispel Magic once a day. On any natural roll of '20' on any of their attacks a Necropixie does no physical damage, but instead inflicts permanent Confusion (victim still gets to Save: successful Save leaves them Confused for 1d6 turns). They are immune to polymorph and highly susceptible to Charms...(read: prone to fall for...)

Flytaur (Swords and Wizardry[White Box])

Flytaur
(Drone-Soldier Type I)
No. App.: 1d6
Hit Dice: 2
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Attacks: 1d6+1 (2 claws 1d4, or by weapon [1d4 atlatl-javelins or 1d6 harpoon])
Move: 60' on any solid surface, Leap 120' once every 4 rounds
Save: 18
HDE/XP: 5/240
Special: Dissolving Vomit

Flytaurs are consummate scavengers who have a complete and total lack of appreciation for any form of life, including their own. They are notorious for sending wave after wave of drone-soldiers into what anyone else would see as hopeless or futile efforts and eventually overwhelming their opponents through a horrid and costly attrition.

A typical Flytaur has incredible peripheral vision, excellent hearing and motion sense, making it very difficult to sneak up on one and nigh impossible to back-stab. The arms of a Flytaur are multiple-jointed and they can effectively attack from any angle or in any direction with either limb at no penalty. They can also attack freely while in the middle of a leap or at any point during their movement. Flytaur drone-soldiers (Type I-III) never parry or use shields.

Special Attack: Should a Flytaur succeed in immobilizing or incapacitating an enemy combatant, they will spend 1 turn vomiting frothy white digestive juices upon them, inflicting 2d4 acid damage. During this turn, the disgorging Flytaur is immobile and cannot defend itself.

Queen Lobster (Revised)

Queen Lobster
No. Enc.: 1 (Hopefully Unique)
Alignment: Inhumanly Tyrannical
Movement: 30'
          Swim: 90'
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 12
Attacks: 2 (Pincers)
Damage: 3d4/3d4/Special
Save: MU 12
Morale: 11

Bigger than any three warriors and better armored as well, the Queen Lobster is a formidable opponent to anyone who dares to trespass upon Her realm beneath the Bitter Sea. Any boat, ship or vessel --including aerostats-- that try to cross the section of the Bitter Sea claimed by the Sixteen Regents* of the Queen Lobster will find themself served notice that they are trespassing and offered a chance to pay tribute. Killing the messenger results in the Queen Lobster attacking immediately from beneath the waves with her devastating psychic assault, followed-up by swarms of larva-soldiers scuttling aboard with hooks and choppers to finish-off anyone they find amidst the charred remains of the vessel. The Queen Lobster's special attack is a ferocious combination of psychically-induced Feeblemind combined with a hyper-flammable Cloudkill effect that affects a 360' radius. Most people just offer up some tribute as it hurts a whole lot less...

(*a group of telepathic lobster-dolphin or lobster-merfolk hybrids who are fanatically loyal to the Queen Lobster)

This was our first of four monsters in response to the challenge put forth by Noisms at this post: http://monstersandmanuals.blogspot.com/2011/08/forge-some-monsters-you-do-it-now.html.

Queen Lobster

for Sword and Wizardry (White Box)

No. App.: 1
Hit Dice: 9
Armor Class: 4[15]
Attacks: 2 (Pincers for 2d6 each)
Move: 12 (30 swim)
Save: 10
HDE/XP: 10/1,400
Special: Psychoclastic Dysjunction (See details above)