#hackmaster 5e

[bloodnok91]

Been toying around with an idea for a new dnd campaign. Please excuse the ramblings.

I've been reading knights of the dinner table again, which makes me want to run hackmaster. But my players cant stand the system, it's too crunchy for them. I'm not going back to 5e any time soon, tho. So I'm thinking a middle ground might be appropriate. Something that lets me run the kind of adventure I want to run, while letting the players avoid the parts of hackmaster they like the least.

I'm thinking 3.5 dnd, but with a few rules from hackmaster. specifically I want the wound rules (each instance of damage is a separate wound that has to heal on it's own), the protegee rules (you can give an npc a chunk of your xp as a way to pre level your next character) and the leveling up rules (you have to find a trainer to level you up, or you level on your own but gain less from it).

I want to run a more open world sort of adventure. Like, skyrim or runescape or sunless sea sort of thing. There's a sort of main plot, but it's not urgent. The focus of the story is about the players exploring, leveling, and managing resources. The last campaign I ran, they wanted to focus on like, magic item creation, but there was always a force working against them to keep them moving. I want them to be able to spend a few weeks in a town just healing without the an army of giants on the horizon. I want them to delve a dungeon because they heard it could be a good payday, not because the fate of the world is at stake. I want them to do side quests to convince a mage with a weird prestige class to teach it to the wizard, just because they want it.

This'll be a huge departure from what I've done before. My focus has always been narrative and character arcs. I'll need to put a lot of effort into fleshing out the general shape of the setting long before I start the thing, and once it starts I'll need a lot of city and town flavouring and minutia. Plus dungeons, side quests, npcs. Fortunately 3.5 has about 5 and a half million supplements, and they're all a lot more detailed than anything 5e's put out this decade. So I'll have options to draw from at least. They really expected dms to do a lot more reading back then. And I can always rip off knights, I suppose. See how my players handle some of the stuff B.A.'s table was put through. Could be fun.

One thing about 3.5 is it was not a well balanced system, especially at later levels. I'm thinking higher cost to level up for casters might actually help. Also the slightly more brutal nature of the damage might keep the casters at a lower level. I dunno.

[thecreaturecodex]

Scowl

Image by Anthony Carpenter,  © Kenzer and Co.

[I normally dislike names that are just ordinary words, but I do make exceptions for puns. And the scowl is a perfect name for a sour-faced owl monster. The scowl feels of a kind with the blood hawk from classic D&D; it’s an excuse to have your players fight birds of prey when they’re shy and solitary in real life (and so your players don’t feel too bad about beating up an endangered species).]

Scowl CR ½ N Magical Beast This creature looks like a chimera of bird and bat, with membranous wings and a feathered body. It has the hooked beak and talons of an owl, and its face is set in a human-like expression of distaste.

Scowls are magical avian-like creatures that hunt prey large and small. If conditions are good and ample small game is available, they will happily subsist on rodents, cats and other such creatures. If these are scarce, they will happily move on to prey the size of an elephant. A scowl attacks these by latching on with its talons and pulling off chunks of flesh.  Scowls hunt larger prey in unison, flocking to the same target and overwhelming them with clawing and pecking.

Scowls are common in any land where it doesn’t snow—scowls dislike the cold. They are fairly common in cities, but are stealthy enough that they are usually mistaken for mundane owls until they start attacking horses or vagrants. Scowl roosts are decorated with pellets of indigestible material—usually bones and hair, but occasionally coins or small pieces of jewelry. Scowls are good parents, rearing two to three chicks a year who stay in the nest until they are large enough to fly and hunt on their own. Although they are fearsome hunters, they are also inquisitive and playful, although their form of play often involves destroying things with their strong beaks.

An arcane spellcaster of at least 3rd level can take a scowl as a familiar with the Improved Familiar feat.

Scowl                         CR ½ XP 200 N Small magical beast Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +5 Defense AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+1 size, +2 Dex) hp 8 (1d10+3) Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1 Offense Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (average) Melee talons +2 (1d4 plus grab) Special Attacks grab (Huge), pull down, rake (bite +2, 1d4), ride prey Statistics Str 10, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8 Base Atk +1; CMB +2 (+6 grapple); CMD 12 Feats Agile Maneuvers, Toughness (B) Skills Fly +4, Perception +5 (+9 in low-light), Stealth +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception in low-light, +4 Stealth Ecology Environment warm and temperate land and urban Organization solitary, roost (2-5) or swarm (6-24) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Pull Down (Ex) A scowl that succeeds on a combat maneuver check to grab an opponent may attempt a second CMB check to trip that opponent as a free action. Ride Prey (Ex) A creature of Medium or larger size grabbed by a scowl is not immobilized, and can move normally. The scowl moves along with the grabbed creature unless it succeeds a CMB check or Escape Artist check to escape the grapple.

[lord-greyhawk]

I just wanted to go over the various editions and variations of the Dungeons & Dragons role playing game which I have had experience with going frpm earliest to most recent. This should also give a bit of history on the evolution of the game. Basic D&D (White box, 1974). It's the original, based directly off of and usable with Chainmail. I bought and still own the 7 small booklets that made up the game. Very simplistic and easy to get into for those who already know the basics of an RPG. (This tended to be a problem in the 1970s because few knew what this new thing was.) AD&D, 1st Edition (1978). The Hardcover books that seemed to start the first wave of new players. They took the original rules and expanded them, added color artwork and vastly improved printing quality from the white box. I think it was the permanence of hard covers that led me to first believe that this game would be something more permanent than many others believed. This edition completely hooked me on the hobby. D&D, basic editions (1978- the mid 80s). I pile all of the basic box sets here bacause, while they were many and varied, they were esentially the same game. These were where I started, and while I moved quickly to AD&D, I borrowed heavily from these sets. Also, there was something very cool about the idea of getting that set of dice and a crayon to color them that seemed to make to boxes a must have. AD&D, 2nd Edition (1988 I believe). 1st efition was great, but was starting to feel glutted and played out. 2nd Edition seemed like a nice, new way of looking at the game. Book quality improved again and thing were better balanced. Over time, there was book about anything you might want to add to your came. New settings were created and covered by dozens of books. Now your D&D collection required whole bookshelves, rather than half a single shelf. This did come with a price (other than the sticker price of a hundred book). The game became ever more complex. While the experienced players loved it, new players were quickly lost. Finally they ran out of ideas and the game almost died. D&D, Rules Cyclopedia (1995?). This was a great attempt to bring back Basic D&D. It was well written and designed to bring in new players, but never really took off. Borrowed some cool ideas, but never really bothered playing it because I was already invested in 2nd Edition. D&D, 3rd/3.5 Edition (2001/2005?). Love it or hate it, this is the edition the brought the game back to life. Many stayed with earlier editions, but I embraced these. ( I include these together because 3.5 was simply a much meeded fix to 3.0) WOTC listened to players, included the house rules, opened up the game to vastly more options, and simplified it, bringing in millions of new players around the world. While the number of books outnumbered those of 2nd edition and 3rd party companies could now create suppliments freely, the ideas just kept pouring in. Then Hasbro took over..... Hackmaster (2003?). This RPG was based on the Knights of the Dinner Table comics and was a perfect rework of 1st Edition. I came close to converting to this one when 4e hit the shelves. It is one of the most enjoyable RPGs I have ever played. D&D, 4th Edition (2008). I don't intend to discuss the Hasbro buyout of WOTC at this time, but must stated that D&D took a major turn from what many players expected. I personally greatly disliked it. It became overly simplified and limited. The setting had minimal flavor and it felt more like a bad attempt at a pen and paper MMO. I no longer had the options to create a multitude of interesting characters and didn't even have the option of converting old characters. I opted out quickly. There was one good thing though. The simplicity allowed more new players to get into the hobby. Pathfinder (2009). This was the game tje majority of players turned to when 4e replaced 3.5. Paizo took the system, streamlined and polished it, and turned it into tje most popular RPG today. To add to this much wanted continuation, a greater emphasis was placed on interesting settings. This was the first RPG I found myself wanting to run modules for unchanged. In every otjer edition, I avoided modules because they tended to lack flavor. Then they created the Pathfinder Society, the best designef organized play system I have ever been part of, and I have been hooked ever since. D&D, 5th Edition (2012?). This is a huge improvement over 4th ed. The system is sound, borrowing from every other edition listed here. Flavor is great and print quality is very good. I play and enjoy 5th and have few complaints, but it just doesn't hold me quite like Pathfinder. That being said, for those that prefered the feel of 1st, 2nd, or 4th editions, 5e is a good game to consider, worthy of the D&D logo. There are other RPGs I left off, but this was either because they used their own system, or because I simply have too little experience with them togive them the write-up they deserve. Hopefully you find this trek through D&D history enjoyable.

[yeahwesaidthat]

TWWS: The Best of D&D

Ladiiiiiiiies and gentlemeeeeeeeeeeen! Welcome to the ultimate showdown: THE BEST OF D&D!

This post contains the best of the best of the D&D/RPG posts over the years of TWWS, all the way from the beginning. At the end of the post, there will be a link to a survey where you can vote for your favourites in each category (other/3.5e, 4e, and 5e) and nominate MVPs for each category. If the person you want to vote MVP has only been referenced as “Player,” just note down what quote they’re responsible for. A week from today (or until enough of you fill out the survey), Round 2 of the competition begins.

Everybody roll for initiative!

Overheard During Other RPGs

During Hackmaster, about a bottle label: SB: “It says ‘Thou shalt not question the DM over inane shit!’”

Overheard During D&D 3.5e

Unarmed damage?: MM: “It’s the difference between a slap and a bitch-slap.”

So wrong it's right: MM (IC): “I like your spunk.” KH (OOC): “So does [gay player].”

Rogue equipment: KB (IC): “I need [boots] that are…soft-sounding.” MM (IC): “We have socks.”

Describing a character: SO: “She is built like a brick shithouse.” DM: “She shits brick houses.” Bubbles: “She makes brick houses shit bricks.”

When the party has two rogues: KH (IC): “I can find it!” KB (IC): “I can find it better.”

RD (IC): “[Wizard], if you do not stop right now, I will arrest you for terminal stupidity, and I can assure you, I will find a law against it!”

A discount on services rendered: SO: “What’s 75% off of ‘I run and do whatever you ask without question’?”

Calling for divine help in very specific situations: MM: “Please state your current medical emergency.” KB: “Head-splosion.” SO: “If you have been stabbed, press one. If you are currently being stabbed, press two.” MM: “If your head’s detonated and you’ve launched into a wall, press three.” RD: “Why did you press three? We never expected anyone to press three!” SO: “We don’t know what to do in this medical emergency! Please dial again!”

IO: “[Wizard] is going to say - ” KB: “Can I tell you why this is a bad idea?” IO: “No.”

Proper procedure when everything goes to hell: RD: “[Cleric] goes outside and makes a magic circle, sits in it, and cries.”

KH (IC): “That stupid fucking son of a flea-ridden bitch cunt wizard - ” MM (IC): “Oh, him.”

How to pray to the god Ao: KB, KH, and MM: “I throw my hands up in the air sometimes sayin’ heeeeey-oh! I worship Aaaaaaa-o!” Bubbles: “[The wizard’s] gaaaaaaaay-o!"

Overheard During D&D 4e

SIDE NOTE: A Quiplash commentary on D&D 4e: A more environment-friendly alternative to toilet paper - 4th ed character sheets

What we think we saw - again?: Player: “If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and weighs the same as a duck, it must be a witch.” KH: “It’s a witch.” RJ: “Build a bridge out of 'er!”

Healing needed: Player: “I have a mess kit, will that help?” WS: “Only if you want to make a mess.”

Captain: “Neverwinter ho!” Dwarf: “Hos? Where?”

SB: “Eventually you end up at the most popular stall in the market.” Player: “Porn?”

About attacking a character that may or may not be good: SB: “Wait, what’s your alignment?” Player: “Lawful Paranoid.”

Taunting the kraken: Player: “Your tentacles are so short even an anime girl wouldn’t take 'em!”

Questioning the legitimacy of an NPC: SB (IC as Priest): “I have a degree in polytheism from the University of Phoenix Online!”

Making sure it’s really dead: SB: "You kick the head and it goes sailing through the open door of the tomb. You hear a voice in the darkness go ’Gooooooooal!’”

Killing the undead: SB: “Congratulations, you choked something to death that doesn’t breathe.”

Mass undead murder: Player: “We made a ghoul-ash. An evil gumbo, really.”

Architecture: Player: “I like big buttresses and I cannot lie.”

Interesting kills: SB: “You decapitated him with a bludgeoning weapon.”

About flying books: Player 1: “The window opens in! How do they fly out?” Player 2: “They’re paperbacks."

Player: “Thank God I decided to engage the dragon in melee.” MW: “You’ll never hear that in any other D&D campaign ever again.”

Player: “Is the food still on the table?” Three Of Us: “DON’T EAT IT!!!”

Overheard During D&D 5e

Annoying Teen: (about his character) “Would he still hate me?” AD: (not about his character) “I think everyone hates you.”

Don’t mess with a dire bear: JI: “There’s one inside who attacks the bear…" (rolls) "...and misses horribly ‘cause he shits his pants.”

JI: “He doesn’t have 100 hit points. He has 95.”

Demonic insight: KH: “I say in Infernal, ‘Peace! We mean you no harm!’” JI: “There’s no word in Infernal for ‘peace.’” Retroactive Edit: Demons actually speak Abyssal. Devils speak Infernal.

Animal form disadvantages: AD: “I’m going to bite [the zombie].” Everyone Else: (mass noise of disgust)

JI: “You feel a pinch in your mind as if she’s flipping through your yellow pages.” AD: “That’s got to be a euphemism for something.” ST: “Oh, yeah, baby, turn my yellow pages.” JB: “Turn to ‘F’ for fun.”

What happens in every religious venue in every D&D campaign ever: JB: “Here is the church, here is the steeple,” KH: “Open the door, and here are the zombies.”

KH: “Did you sneak off to her house in the middle of the night?” ST: “Does that sound like something I would do?” KH, AD, and CD: “Yes.”

JI: “You guys came in here - ” AD: “ - like a wrecking ball - ”

Post-adventure considerations: KH: “[Rogue] wouldn’t know what to do with her life.” AD: “She can bail herself out of jail.”

Switching to melee for a change: CD: “Let’s see if this ‘offense’ thing you do all the time really works.” (rolls a critical hit)

The logistics of being swallowed by a sea monster: ST: “Am I going to take damage if I move further along his digestive tract?”

EC: “If you had leprosy and your ears fell off would you be a deaf leper?”

Identifying mysterious cults: KH: “What’s the Cult of Howling Hatred?” EC: “The Westboro Baptist Church, obviously.”

DR: “Apparently your god has personally intervened due to your badassery.”

A Mass Effect cameo on a dexterity check for dancing: EC: “If you roll a one, you dance like Shepard.”

EC (IC): “So what you’re saying is that it’s very dangerous and we shouldn’t go in. I’ll take point.”

Things to worry about in combat: KH: “You don’t have enough hit points to take it like a man, honey.”

The ends justify the means?: Bubbles: “Did you have fun role-playing an interrogation?” DR: “You guys are fucked up.”

KH: “How do you stun-lock a Terrasque?!?” JB: “Fourth Edition.”

ST: “Do we have to kill them before we eat? I hate murdering on an empty stomach.”

About a revenant and a possible lover: EC: “Well the beast is committing necrophilia and the necro is committing bestiality…” DR: “What happens in Faerun, et cetera.”

Rolling high on a seduction check: DR: “Frankly, I didn’t think you’d go down this road.” KH: “Oh, I went down all right.”

More on the seduction roll: Bubbles: “Try to convince her to come with us. The way she came with you last night.”

About a nonviolent kua-toa: Player: “He’s a paci-fish.”

About dealing with face-hugging enemies: CD: “You swung at yourself and missed?” AD: “I swung at myself and missed.”

ST (IC): “I’ll be staying in the boat unless you have need of my specific skills.” CD (OOC): “Dying first is not a skill.”

About cultists: DM (IC): “They are water people. Maybe they’re just going with the flow.”

About a minotaur who keeps missing: DM: “At least when you put a bull in a china shop he’ll break shit.”

About bottles of brandy: EC: “I have two questions: how many of them are there and how many of them can I carry?”

Ideas so bad they’re good: KH: “We’re gonna blow up the temple with the distillery.” F: “The temple, the lich, half the plot…”

About going forward: KH: “Against our better judgment.” DM: “What better judgment?” KH: “Good point.”

About shooting arrows: KH: “'Nock’ yourself out.”

About using a lot of magic: JS: “We’re blowing a big load here right now.”

JS: “You wanna go up the shaft?” ST and T: “That’s what he said.”

About flirting with an efreet: JI: “Below her waist is a trailing cloud of black smoke, so you’re not getting anything.”

Questioning the guardian imp: Player (IC): “What happens if someone disturbs the sarcophagus before your time is up?” WS (IC): “There’ll be six more weeks of winter.”

MR (IC): “Trying to undercut me on my quest to restore my former glory?” KH (IC): “You have no glory to restore.” Other Players: “Oooooooh!” SW: “Quick, someone cast heal!”

When talking with a spirit: MR (IC): “You can’t just ask someone if they’re dead! That’s incredibly rude! The correct term is ‘mortally challenged’!”

After a petrifying encounter with some basilisks: BC: “I always thought she was stone-hearted.” KT: “I dunno, I thought she rocked.” JS: “I am going to kill all of you.”

What to do with windmills: KH: “If we had a lance, we could go tilting.” MR: “Cavalier idea.”

Quest priorities: Player 1: “No one’s going to pay us to do it right now. It’s not worth the attention.”

JF: “Roll to see if you hit me by accident.” KH: “Oh, I’d hit you on purpose.”

K’s paladin chastising A’s paladin about her sex habits: A (IC): “I thought you were the paladin of joy!” K (IC): “Not that kind of joy!”

About a previous edition of D&D: KH: “[What] the hell couldn’t you do in 3.5?” SW: “Win.”

KH: “Technically you’re underage.” ST: “That’s never stopped me before.” AD: “You or your character?” ST: “Do I have to answer that?”

D: “We’re gonna make the Underdark great again!” ST: “We’re gonna build a wall - a really big wall in the Underdark, and we’re gonna make the gnomes pay for it.” A: “We pay for everything already! Screw you!”

About a character who caught fire: T: “He’s not rolling initiative; he’s rolling on the ground.”

T (IC): “Let’s go before the men’s egos get us killed.”

JB (IC): “My god believes in good opportunities. Not dying is a good opportunity.”

Passing on some bad news: JI (IC): “[Chief] not sick!” AD (IC): “He was when we were done with him.”

To a healer: KH (IC): “I don’t suppose you have a cure for the common cold?” JI (IC): “I’m not a miracle worker.”

Reassuring a woman scorned: AA (IC): “Go tell her - all men dogs.” JI (OOC): “Says the cat.”

To the tune of “Like a G6”: ST and KH: “Roll a d6, roll a d6!”

KH: “Of course it’s always about dirty sex - I’m a bard!” AD: “The hell are you two talking about down there?!”

To a mindflayer, about a stupid character: KH (IC): “I’d offer you his brain to eat, but I don’t think he has one.” JS (IC as mindflayer): “I don’t eat junk food.”

MGW: “It’s Tza…Zsa…his name is Jasper.”

Saying goodbye to the barkeep: MR (IC): “I’ll be back visiting the northern parts soon.” KH (OOC): “And then you can visit her southern parts.”

About a questionable NPC: ST (IC): “I would never dream of hurting you!” KH (IC): “I would.”

About prison visitations: JB (IC): “How often is it that a [gypsy] walks in here voluntarily?”

Failing a romance/persuasion check: AA: “Ooh, she cast Zone of Friend!”

Preparing for a swamp adventure: CD: “I want to buy some insect repellant.” AD: “What, your personality doesn’t drive them away?”

About a magic boat: JB (IC): “I saw it grow!” ST (IC): “Are you sure you didn’t rub it? That sometimes happens with wood.” JB (IC): “You would know.” ST (IC): “You wouldn’t.” JB (IC): “Tell that to my two children.”

About an injured drow: MGW (IC): “Look at that poor girl! She has a black eye! You can’t see it, ‘cause her skin is black, but still!”

Last-minute aliases: RD (IC): “Unfortunately, no, my name is Dick Ballsenshaft.”

To a half-orc and Sir Bearington, regarding weirdness: MGW (IC): “…but for me to assume you’re in a loving relationship with a talking bear is where we draw the line?!”

Wisdom for stealing magic items: KC: “Anything that glows goes.”

About fleeing: RD: “I’m going to run like an Amazon employee during the holidays.”

MGW: “You were doing so well until everybody died.” JF: “D&D in a summary.”

Once more about fleeing: RD: “A smart man knows when to run like a little bitch.” J: “Why do you think that’s the first thing I did?”

Recapping the previous session: A: “There was a shitshow, but we got away with it.” S: “So the usual, then.”

About creature size: MR: “Is an ettin large or huge?” MGW: “I think he’s just large.” A: “He’s probably large but pretends he’s huge.” AS: “Typical guy.”

When a pervy character is disgusted by a perv: RD: “Dear Kettle, I have an issue with your current hue. Signed, the Pot.”

A: “He told us to send a message.” KH: “A sword in the stomach is a message.” SW: “The Lannisters send their regards.”

The pervy paladin: A: “I used Lay On Hands. I healed him.” KH: “Yeah, but where did you lay your hands?” MGW: “Wherever she wanted.”

About our tactics: SW: “We put the 'fun’ in 'dysfunctional.’”

About possible activities: MGW (IC): “I know you’re a tiefling, but we’re all the same color in the dark, right?”

Interesting weapon material: MGW: “You all take a moment of reflective silence.” JB: “Nah, I’m just cleaning my bone.” KH: “Technically that’s a moment of reflective silence.” KC: “Not if you’ve seen the barbarian do it.”

Scrying like bad cell reception: KH: “Switch to AD&D.” JB: “Can you scry me now?”

About the taste of human: SW: “You would know.” A: “Nah, I don’t swallow.” MR: “This conversation is making me uncomfortable.”

Wrestling prep: MR (IC): “I want a good, clean fight.” A (IC): “No we don’t.” JB (IC): “What’s a clean fight?” A (IC): “It means you have to take a bath first.” JB (IC): “What’s a bath?”

MGW: “There’s a bridge that looks like it may have collapsed at some point.” JB: “Is it a-bridged?”

Beautiful references (read in Rorschach’s voice): AA: “I’m not grappled with YOU,” ST, AA, and KH: “YOU’RE grappled with ME!”

About remaining spells: KH: “I have three 1st-level slots and one 2nd-level slot.” CD: “Those are 'keeping people alive’ slots.”

Dealing with extra-limbed gorillas: ST: “Uh-oh! They must have been forewarned!” AD: “What makes you say that?” ST: “Forewarned is four-armed.” AD: -_-

Negotiation skills: AD: “It’s just me trying to bullshit him.” JI: “Why don’t you make a bullshit check?”

Trying to figure out if the staff is necromantic: CD: “We could kill a mouse in front of the staff. We could kill a mouse with the staff. How much is it to buy a mouse?”

JB: “Anyone die while I was gone?” SW: “Not on the outside.”

Wizarding limits: JS: “You may not polymorph your zombies into t-rexes.”

Zombies aren’t too smart: BC (IC): “Bobs, attack the closest gnoll!” Bobs: (run at gnoll party member) KH (OOC): “Et tu, Bob?” JS (OOC): “If this doesn’t belong in your blog, I dunno what does.”

Far too relatable: JS: “Twenty psychic damage.” BC: “I’ve taken more psychic damage from my mother.”

Worst-laid plans: KH (IC): “I have a very bad feeling about this.” MR (IC): “You should.”

Our go-to combat tactic: MR: “Are we going to stupid the guy to death?”

Zing!: MGW (IC): “If you join me, I can make you the greatest dwarf who ever lived.” TP (IC): “I am the greatest dwarf who ever lived.” Whole Table (OOC): “Ooooohhhhh!!!”

Another verbal duel with a sea god/character class limitations: KH: “I would say 'what is a god to a nonbeliever,’ but I’m a cleric.”

Activating the mysterious device: BC (IC): “We did it! I wonder what we did?”

Business as usual: KH: “This seems like a bad idea, but go ahead.”

Old adages: MR: “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” (IC) “But then, no enemy has survived contact with us!” (OOC) “Was that quote-worthy?” KH: “Yes.”

KC: “She can ride me. I don’t care.” KH: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) KC: “…I’M A BEAR IN ARMOR.”

Advantageous druidic inanity: KC: “Are you still riding the flying bear?” MR: “It’s flying now?” KC: “Yeah, he flew up to unlock the door.” AS: “…So he’s a flying bear with armor…”

Spell modifications for humourous purposes: MR: “Using a Dex[terity] save for Zone of Truth means they’re literally dodging the question.”

About a wild, crazy, out-of-left-field hypothesis: RD (IC): “I figured if you pulled something that big our of your ass there’d be bleeding involved.” MR (IC): “…That’s between me and my proctologist.” SW (OOC): “Did you take fire damage for that? That’s like Taco Bell levels of burn.”

As is per usual: MR: “We may have once again survived this by the skin of bullshit.”

Take the survey and vote for your favourites!

[thecreaturecodex]

Okrillimari

Image by Anthony Carpenter, © Kenzer and Co.

[Exhibit B as to why I think Hacklopedia of Beasts 2 remembers its comedy roots. This monster mashes up “krill” and “calamari” in its name, and can give your PCs something called “seal meat madness”. But it’s a dang good monster, one of the best fantasy parasitoids I’ve ever seen. As an aside, does anyone working for Paizo know what size a seal is supposed to be? The default seal is Small, which is really only appropriate for the two Asian lake seals (which are shorter but heavier on average than a wolf, which is Medium). Most seals are between 1.5 and 2 meters long and weigh as much or more than a human. So they should be Medium.]

Okrillamari CR 5 N Magical Beast This creature resembles a crustacean the size of a rhinoceros, each of its forelimbs shaped like the end of a polearm.

An okrillamari, also called a seal herder, is a giant parasitoid amphipod that lays eggs in seals and guards them from other predators, up to and including humanoids. Its foreclaws are the size and shape of the business end of a bill-guisarme, but it uses them primarily for defense rather than hunting. Okrillimari are omnivorous scavengers, and much of their diet comes from seaweed, driftwood, tide pool animals and even the feces of their seal charges. Their jaws are relatively weak, but contain potent paralytic enzymes. Most creatures they paralyze they leave behind, but a seal is injected with a slurry of eggs and microbes carried in an ovipositor. Seals and other pinnipeds that consume such a mixture become hosts for the next generation of okrillimari, which grow inside the animal for three months before bloodily emerging. The eggs cannot develop inside of any other creature, but they do cause increasing irrational behavior and eventually dangerous delirium. This “seal meat madness” is most commonly experienced by creatures that eat a seal hosting okrillimari eggs.

A seal herder is treated as an alpha by infected pinnipeds, and the animals behave favorably towards it even as their young kills the animal slowly. By concentrating, an okrillimari can see through the eyes of seals hosting its young, and thus are able to monitor a wide span of beach and ocean nearby. Okrillimari are simultaneous hermaphrodites that fertilize each other when they cross paths, but otherwise usually ignore others of their own kind. They can apparently smell the eggs inside a seal, and so do not attempt to parasitize a pinniped already hosting okrillimari eggs.

An okrillimari is most comfortable on the shoreline, but can remain on land or underwater indefinitely. Rumors exist of variant okrillimari capable of infecting any carnivoran animal, such as big cats, wolves and bears, with their young.

Okrillamari             CR 5 XP 1,600 N Large magical beast (aquatic) Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +9, scent Defense AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +6 natural) hp 59 (7d10+21) Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +6 Defensive Abilities roll up Offense Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft. Melee 2 claws +9 (1d10+3), bite +7 (1d4+1 plus paralysis) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (5 ft. with bite) Special Attacks disease, implant, paralysis (2d4 rounds, Fort DC 16), weak bite Statistics Str 17, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 10 Base Atk +7; CMB +11; CMD 24 (36 vs. trip) Feats Combat Reflexes, Iron Will, Multiattack, Stand Still Skills Perception +9, Swim +17 SQ amphibious, seal spies Ecology Environment any coastlines Organization solitary or pair Treasure none Special Abilities Disease (Ex) Seal meat madness—ingested; save Fort DC 16; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Cha damage; target must make a second save or 1 point of Cha damage is drain instead; creature suffering any Charisma damage or drain from seal meat madness is treated as suffering from delirium; cure 2 consecutive saves. A creature that bites or eats a creature hosting okrillimari eggs is exposed to this disease. The save DC is Constitution based. Implant (Ex) As a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, an okrillamari can insert its ovipositor down the throat of a helpless or paralyzed creature. A pinniped of any kind (seal, sea lion or walrus) must succeed a DC 16 Fortitude save or become charmed by the okrillamari for 3 months, whereupon a juvenile okrillamari bursts from the animal’s body, killing it. Other creatures are instead exposed to the okrillamari’s disease. The save DC is Constitution based. Roll Up (Ex) An okrillimari gains a +2 natural armor bonus when using the fighting defensively or total defense actions. Seal Spies (Su) An okrillamari can see through the eyes of any pinniped it has charmed by concentrating, as long as the okrillamari and the pinniped are within 1 mile of each other. An okrillamari is considered to be blind from its own position when seeing through the eyes of another in this fashion. Weak Bite (Ex) An okrillamari treats its bite attack as a secondary natural weapon.

[thecreaturecodex]

Tarantubat Swarm

Image by Anthony Carpenter, © Kenzer and Co.

[The tarantubat existed in Hackmaster 4e, but I didn’t pay much attention to it then. It’s not very mechanically distinctive in either edition. But this art! It’s definitely more than just a winged tarantula, and I feel like if these were real, some people would try to keep them as pets.]

Tarantubat Swarm CR 3 N Magical Beast This swarm of fluttering creatures contains hand-sized creatures that combine the features of a tarantula and a bat. Each has large ears, multiple eyes and eight legs, six of which serve as support structures for two leathery wings.

Tarantubats are forest dwelling chimeras combining features of spiders and bats. They are believed to be distant relatives of spiderbats, but their overall body plan is much more arachnid than chiropteran. Tarantubats are subsocial carnivores, nesting in trees covered with webbing and descending en masse to attack large prey. Creatures that are close to a ravenous swarm are dusted with the tiny, itchy hairs of the tarantubats, which form a cloud around them when in flight. Prey is incapacitated with venomous bites, wrapped in webs and slowly consumed. Tarantubat swarms have more males than females—males are smaller and shorter-lived, and females are large in order to produce lots of glistening eggs. Egg sacs are embedded inside of paralyzed prey, and the juveniles feed on the provisions granted to them by the colony.

A single tarantubat can be taken as a familiar. Treat it as a scarlet spider familiar, except that it has a fly speed of 30 feet (average maneuverability).

Tarantubat Swarm          CR 3 XP 800 N Tiny magical beast (swarm) Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +4 Aura urticating (5 ft., Fort DC 13) Defense AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +1 natural) hp 30 (4d10+8) Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +1 Defensive Abilities half damage from slashing and piercing, swarm traits; Weakness vulnerable to area of effect spells Offense Speed 15 ft., climb 15 ft., fly 30 ft. (average) Melee swarm (1d6 plus distraction and poison) Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft. Special Abilities distraction (DC 13) Statistics Str 3, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 6 Base Atk +4; CMB -; CMD 10 Feats Improved Initiative, Toughness Skills Climb +14, Fly +10, Perception +4, Stealth +14; Racial Modifiers uses Dex to Climb Ecology Environment warm and temperate forests Organization solitary or cluster (2-5 swarms) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 13; duration 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1 Str damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution based. Urticating Aura (Ex) All creatures within 5 feet of a tarantubat swarm must succeed a DC 13 Fortitude save or become sickened for 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Constitution based.

[thecreaturecodex]

Rooftop Prowler

Image © Kenzer and Co, by Anthony Carpenter

[I love me an urban predator, so the rooftop prowler was right up my alley. They first appeared in Kingdoms of Kalamar: Denizens of Tellene, where the stats were somewhat strange. Despite their total lack of magical abilities and relatively mundane anatomy (they’re all mammal), they were classified as aberrations, and given an Intelligence of 13 that the flavor text really didn’t reflect. Their flavor text was also pretty gross, namely that all reproduction in the species was the product of rape, and that childbirth was universally fatal for the mother. This weirdly misogynistic background was kept in the Hackmaster conversion, but there’s no need for that, so I cut it entirely. I also went ahead and gave them some minor magical abilities, to make the stat block more unique.]

Rooftop Prowler CR 5 CN Magical Beast This creature has a lean, panther like body, and its head looks like a cross between a man’s and a bat’s. It has large ears, a nose leaf, and rows of sharp teeth. All four of its legs end in clawed toes as flexible as a man’s fingers.

Rooftop prowlers are predators of cliffs and caves that have made themselves at home in the urban jungle. They think and hunt three dimensionally, clambering down ledges, along roofs and squeezing down alleys in search of prey. They are highly active creatures and prefer fattier meals—merchants and the wealthy classes are often their targets, leading some of their attacks to be mistaken for revenge killings or a serial murderer. They will also happily hunt non-sapient prey if it is available, and rats, dogs, cats and especially pigs are all components of their diet.

Rooftop prowlers attack from ambush. They are usually solitary hunters—on occasion two siblings will share a territory, but for the most part they repel attempts of other prowlers to enter their hunting grounds. They strike from above, leaping down onto prey and biting and clawing it rapidly to death. Their senses are keen and bat-like, and they are adept at detecting those that would try to counter-ambush them with a baited trap. Most rooftop prowlers are more skittish than determined, and retreat and hide if they find a potential meal puts up a strong fight.

Rooftop prowlers call themselves “kurra”. They are mostly asocial among each other except during mating and child care, in part because of the difficulties of finding ample prey in a city. There is little sexual dimorphism among kurra. A pregnant kurra relies on her mate to hunt for both of them during the time, and she always gives births to twins. Rooftop prowlers raise their young until they are strong enough to hunt on their own, whereupon they are chased from their home territory and must find new hunting grounds. Rooftop prowlers compete for territory with gargoyles, and where the two species overlap, the gargoyles nearly always win because the kurras’ claws and teeth cannot penetrate their stony hides.

Rooftop Prowler    CR 5 XP 1,600 CN Medium magical beast Init +4; Senses blindsight 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., Perception +6 Defense AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+4 Dex, +4 natural) hp 47 (5d10+20) Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +3 Defensive Abilities uncanny dodge Offense Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft. Melee bite +9 (2d4+2), 2 claws +9 (1d6+2 plus grab) Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 claws +9, 1d6+2) Statistics Str 15, Dex 19, Con 19, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 8 Base Atk +5; CMB +9 (+13 grappling); CMD 21 (25 vs. trip) Feats Agile Maneuvers, Stealthy, Weapon Finesse Skills Acrobatics +12 (+16 when jumping), Climb +18, Escape Artist +7, Perception +6, Stealth +14; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Climb, +4 Stealth Languages Terran SQ catfall, master leaper, scentless Ecology Environment urban and underground Organization solitary or pair Treasure none Special Abilities Catfall (Su) A rooftop prowler ignores the first forty feet fallen for purposes of taking falling damage. Whether it takes damage or not, a rooftop prowler always lands on its feet. Master Leaper (Ex) A rooftop prowler takes no penalty to Acrobatics checks made to jump without a running start. If it does get a running start, it doubles the distance traveled. Scentless (Su) A rooftop prowler has no scent. It cannot be tracked or detected by scent. Pungent odors from outside sources can impart a scent to a rooftop prowler until they are cleaned off.

[thecreaturecodex]

Phantom Hound

Image by Anthony Carpenter, © Kenzer and Co.

[I’m trying to pull myself back into a more frequent schedule. Not sure how long it will last, but I’m feeling more focused creatively than I have in months. I’m trying to post Monday through Saturday, two monsters of each theme block per week. We’ll see how long I can keep it up.

As previously mentioned, Hackmaster 5e is a much more serious game than its predecessor, but bits and pieces of jokes, like vestigial organs, still crop up. For example, most of the canines in Hackmaster are no longer “dawgs”, but orcish wardawgs are, and other canine monsters have similarly mangled spellings. Like the fantom dog here.]

Phantom Hound CR 5 NE Undead This great black hound stands half as tall as a man at the shoulder. Its eyes are gaping pits with a pinprick of red light glowing within.

Phantom hounds, sometimes called black dogs, moor hounds, or hounds of ill omen, are cursed undead that hunt the living. They are believed to be created from the souls of mortals who were afraid of going to the afterlife to receive the punishment they had earned, and so dwell in between life and death. They are dimly sapient and hunt well together, but will gladly cooperate with a more intelligent undead master. Packs of these creatures can be found in desolate areas around the world, but prefer to lair close to caves where they can hide from the sun during the day. Being undead, they do not truly sleep, and may venture out at any time during storms or other weather that dampens the hated effects of sunlight. Many people who live in areas where phantom hounds dwell consider seeing any black dog at night, undead or not, as an ill omen.

A single phantom hound typically hunts by stealth. If packs of these creatures are present together, however, they begin combat with a howl in order to panic and flush out potential prey. A phantom hound runs along air, and so often attacks from cliff edges, over mud or quicksand, or otherwise takes advantage of terrain features to impede their targets. Their strategies are fairly simple—bite until enemies are dead—but if they cannot reach a foe, or if it proves difficult to bite onto, a phantom hound will curse it with terrible luck.

Phantom Hound    CR 5 XP 1,600 NE Medium undead Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +9, scent Defense AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +5 natural) hp 52 (7d8+21) Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +7 DR 10/silver; Immune undead traits Weakness sunlight powerlessness Offense Speed 40 ft.; air walk Melee bite +9 (1d6+4 plus ability drain) Special Attacks ability drain (Fort DC 16, 1d4 Con), cursed gaze, howl Statistics Str 16, Dex 13, Con -, Int 5, Wis 15, Cha 16 Base Atk +5; CMB +8; CMD 19 (23 vs. trip) Feats Alertness, Blind-fight, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (bite) Skills Perception +9, Sense Motive +4, Stealth +7, Survival +4 (+12 when tracking by scent); Racial Modifiers +8 Survival tracking by scent Languages Common (cannot speak) Ecology Environment any land Organization solitary, pair or pack (3-12) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Ability Drain (Su) A creature bitten by a phantom hound must succeed a DC 16 Fortitude save or take 1d4 points of Constitution drain. On each successful attack, the phantom hound gains 5 hit points. The save DC is Charisma based. Air Walk (Su) A phantom hound moves as if under the effect of an air walk spell. Cursed Gaze (Su) As a standard action, a phantom hound may curse a creature that it can see and that can see it. A creature so cursed must succeed a DC 16 Will save or suffer from unluck for 1 day, rolling all d20 rolls twice and taking the lower of the two results. A creature that succeeds this save is immune to the cursed gaze of that phantom hound for the next 24 hours. This is a curse effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Howl (Su) The howl of a single phantom hound is unnerving, but harmless. If three or more phantom hounds howl in unison as a standard action, all creatures within 240 feet  of a howling phantom hound must succeed a DC 16 Will save or be panicked for 1 minute. The save DC increases by 1 for every hound over three that howls together. This is a mind-influencing fear effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex) A phantom hound caught in sunlight (not merely a daylight spell) is staggered and cannot attack.

[thecreaturecodex]

Woolly Cheetah

Image by Anthony Carpenter, © Kenzer and Co.

[All of the monsters in the 5e Hacklopedias come with multiple alternate names, to reflect their names in different languages or for different cultures. This means that the woolly cheetah is supposedly Miracinonyx, the American cheetah. Unlikely. The American cheetah was slightly larger than a modern cheetah, but as in “the size range of a mountain lion”, not “the size range of an actual lion”. There was a true giant cheetah, but it’s currently classified in Acinonyx, the same genus as the modern cheetah. My version is designed to help fill in the CR gap between the CR 5 dire lion and the CR 8 dire tiger/smilodon.]

Woolly Cheetah CR 6 N Animal This big cat looks like a cheetah, with a short face and long limbs, except twice the size. Its hide is dense and woolly, spotted on the upper side and plain below.

Woolly cheetahs are larger, stronger kin to the cheetah. They also live in plains environments, but prefer the cold steppe to warm savannah. They are more than capable of tackling prey as large as elk or moose, but also feed on smaller game such as hares and geese if such prey is available. Among people of the cold plains, woolly cheetahs are notorious for attacking penned livestock. Nomadic peoples are more likely to admire their strength and speed than view them as pests.

A woolly cheetah hunts in a similar fashion to its smaller kin. It attacks from ambush, charging at unsuspecting prey and knocking them to the ground. Woolly cheetahs go for the throat to subdue prey, and their strong jaws crush the larynx, preventing a humanoid grabbed in its jaws from speaking. Woolly cheetahs are somewhat skittish of fire, and flee from enemies so armed.

Woolly Cheetahs as Animal Companions Treat a woolly cheetah as a big cat animal companion, except that it gains sprint instead of pounce at 7th level.

Woolly Cheetah     CR 6 XP 2,400 N Large animal Init +7; Senses low-light vision, Perception +7, scent Defense AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +6 natural) hp 76 (9d8+36) Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +6 Offense Speed 50 ft., sprint Melee 2 claws +11 (1d6+6 plus trip), bite +11 (1d8+6 plus grab) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks rake (2 claws, +11, 1d6+6), strangle Statistics Str 23, Dex 17, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Base Atk +6; CMB +13 (+17 grapple); CMD 26 (30 vs. trip) Feats Endurance, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Run, Skill Focus (Stealth) Skills Acrobatics +9 (+17 when jumping), Perception +7, Stealth +8 (+12 in plains); Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth in plains Ecology Environment cold plains Organization solitary, pair or family (3-4) Treasure none Special Abilities Sprint (Ex) Once per hour, a woolly cheetah can move ten times its normal speed on when making a charge attack.

[thecreaturecodex]

Chasm Lurker

Image by Anthony Carpenter, © Kenzer and Co.

[Hacklopedia of Beasts 2 has more original monsters than the first 5e Hacklopedia, so I’ll be spending some more time with it. In the original, the chasm lurker here could only use its webs in non-combat situations, which is boring. So I gave it a unique ability tied to the webbing.]

Chasm Lurker CR 11 NE Dragon This creature has a dragon’s body and a spider’s legs. Its head is broad and nostrils flaring, and a row of low plates runs along its back. Its eight legs each end in a razor-sharp claw.

Chasm lurkers are also known as spider dragons. They are hunters who dwell in rocky and uneven terrain, such as canyons and mountain passes, where they feed on creatures flying overhead or trying to scale their heights. Giant spiders are especially favored prey, and chasm lurkers tend to wipe out monstrous spiders of all sizes in the areas where they dwell. In these areas, chasm lurkers lair in caves and under overhangs, lining them with webbing as both a safety and comfort measure and keeping their treasures scattered about.

A chasm lurker typically hunts from ambush and when prey is in a difficult or precarious position—crossing a bridge, climbing a ledge, flying through a narrow pass. They do not merely spin webs, but breathe them in a cone with crushing force. Weaker prey is simply beaten to death by the force of this blast, but stronger prey becomes hopelessly entangled. A chasm lurker will usually focus on a single trapped food item, biting it to death while using its long, clawed legs to keep others from coming to its aid. Chasm lurkers enjoy violence and killing, and will kill more than they can eat at once, wrapping up further victims in silk to eat later, or just taking their treasures to delight in them. Chasm lurkers aren’t terribly intelligent, and lack prehensile limbs, so they tend to focus on items large enough to carry and shiny enough to be interesting.

Chasm lurkers are solitary for most of their lives. They mate only rarely, and the parents do little to raise their offspring, merely burying the eggs someplace warm and protected and hoping for the best. Chasm lurkers bully weaker dragons in their territory, like drakes, wyverns and juveniles of true dragon species, but kowtow rapidly to stronger (or particularly intimidating) dragons. Although chasm lurkers will certainly eat humanoids, they do not go out of their way to prey on settlements or attract attention. 

Chasm Lurker        CR 11 XP 12,800 NE Huge dragon Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +15, tremorsense 30 ft. Defense AC 25, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (-2 size, +4 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural) hp 147 (14d12+56) Fort +13, Ref +13, Will +11 DR 10/magic; Immune poison Defensive Abilities freedom of movement Offense Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. Melee bite +16 (2d6+7), 4 claws +16 (1d8+7), tail slap +14 (1d10+3) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. (10 ft. with bite) Special Attacks breath weapon (50 ft. cone, 5d12 bludgeoning plus webbing, Reflex DC 21, once every 1d4 rounds) Statistics Str 25, Dex 19, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 12 Base Atk +11; CMB +20; CMD 35 (47 vs. trip) Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Multiattack, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Stealth), Stand Still Skills Acrobatics +18, Climb +37, Perception +15, Stealth +16; Racial Modifiers +16 Climb Languages Draconic SQ expert climber Ecology Environment warm and temperate mountains and hills Organization standard or pair Treasure standard Special Abilities Breath Weapon (Su) A creature that fails its Reflex save against a chasm lurker’s breath weapon is entangled in webbing. This webbing has DR 5/- and 14 hp. An entangled creature can escape with a successful DC 21 Escape Artist check or a DC 25 Strength check. A chasm lurker may also use its breath weapon to create sheet webs, as per the web universal monster ability. The save DC is Constitution based. Expert Climber (Ex) A chasm lurker is treated as being under the effects of a nonmagical spider climb effect, and its racial bonus to Climb checks for having a climb speed is doubled to +16. Freedom of Movement (Su) A chasm lurker is permanently under the effects of a freedom of movement spell as a supernatural ability.

[thecreaturecodex]

Wandering Mucor

Image by Anthony Carpenter, © Kenzer and Co.

[Before doing the research for this entry, I didn’t realize that Mucor was a genus of mold. I wrestled for a while about whether to make this an ooze or plant type creature; I ended up going with ooze because I made the thematically similar muck man from the same book a plant a few weeks back.]

Wandering Mucor CR 3 N Ooze This roiling mass is comprised of millions of filamentous threads in blue and grey hues, fluid-tipped stalks rising from its mass. It twitches and coils, forming a column and moving with purpose.

The wandering mucor is an ambulatory mass of mold, held together with mucus, filaments and hunger. They slowly roll around caves and refuse piles, consuming any organic matter they can sink their hyphae into. Once they find an ample food source, they collapse into a wide pile of fungal matter—such a lump is difficult to distinguish as an animate creature. The wandering mucor coils up into a seething column in order to fight if it detects a possible threat or meal. A creature struck by a wandering mucor is exposed not only to their digestive enzymes, but to their noxious spores, which inflict a fungal disease. Creatures suffering from mucormycosis suffer first from swollen eyes and seeping wounds, and eventually die as the mold infests their heart and lungs. A new wandering mucor rapidly grows from the corpse, ready to move and kill again within a day.

Wandering mucors are facultatively asexual, capable of both mating and reproducing through mitosis. They split when either having consumed a massive meal or when struck by a sharp blow with a slashing weapon. If multiple wandering mucors come together, they will try to mate—the creatures have dozens of sexes, which are cross-compatible in a variety of ways only understood by sages. Cults of rot and disease may collect wandering mucors and keep them in pits to sacrifice captives; unlike many other oozes they are poor at both climbing and swimming, and so can be contained with relative ease.

Wandering Mucor            CR 3 XP 800 N Medium ooze Init +0 (+4 when discorporated); Senses blind, blindsight 30 ft., Perception +0, tremorsense 30 ft. Defense AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10 hp 34 (4d8+16) Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +1 DR 5/-; Immune gaze attacks, mind-influencing effects, ooze traits, visual spells and effects Defensive Abilities split (slashing, 10 hp) Offense Speed 20 ft. Melee slam +6 (1d6+4 plus 1d6 acid plus disease) Statistics Str 16, Dex 10, Con 16, Int -, Wis 11, Cha 1 Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 16 (cannot be tripped) Feats Toughness (B) Skills Disguise -5 (+11 as inanimate mold); Racial Modifiers +16 Disguise to appear as inanimate mold when discorporated SQ discorporate Ecology Environment underground and urban Organization solitary, pair or infestation (3-12) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Discorporate (Ex) As an immediate action, a wandering mucor can collapse into a loose tangle of mold. While discorporated, a wandering mucor gains a +16 racial bonus on Disguise checks to appear as a mound of inanimate mold. Any attempt to disperse or scatter the mold immediately ends the disguise. A wandering mucor can return to its normal shape as a swift action—if it does so in the same round it rolls initiative, it gains a +4 racial bonus on its initiative check. Disease (Ex) Mucormycosis—injury; save Fort DC 15; onset immediate; frequency 1/day; initial damage afflicted creature cannot heal hit point or ability point damage naturally; secondary damage 1d4 Con; cure 2 consecutive saves. If a creature dies of mucormycosis, a new wandering mucor grows from the corpse and emerges in 24 hours. The save DC is Constitution based.

[thecreaturecodex]

Corrosive Ooze

Image  © Kenzer and Co., by Anthony Carpenter

[Since Hackmaster 5e doesn’t use the Open Gaming License, it has to have plausible deniability for the various monsters that it uses from D&D. Gnolls are “gnoles”, for example. And the gray ooze is the corrosive ooze, albeit with a few tweaks (size, what it corrodes, an elemental weakness to go with its immunities). And those tweaks are sufficient enough for me to take a crack at converting it to Pathfinder.

As I’ve said before, I’m not terribly fond of the oozes in Bestiary 1. I feel like their defenses are too low to compensate for their higher than average hp and good immunities, and they often don’t work the way they’re intended to. For example, in previous editions, and in 5e, gray oozes break weapons. In 3.x and Pathfinder, the amount of acid damage they deal isn’t enough to get through the hardness of a metal weapon unless they are in contact with it for a full round.]

Corrosive Ooze CR 4 N Ooze This glistening fluid lurches to life, raising its body into a bulbous pseudopod.

Corrosive oozes are subterranean creatures that slowly creep through the world, consuming metal as they go. A corrosive ooze requires a damp environment, and rarely range far from their home territory. Corrosive oozes can survive on relatively small amounts of metals, absorbing traces of iron, nickel and other ferrous metals.  If they sense larger quantities of metal (such as a suit of armor or a weapon), they will track it down and absorb it, and can survive for weeks between large meals.

A corrosive ooze is simple and straightforward as a combatant, but focuses on the largest source of metal before other targets. Because they are concerned with food, they can be distracted with a metallic snack thrown one direction, while adventurers flee in the other direction. Cold and fire do not harm them, but they are highly conductive to electricity, and will flee from electrical attacks.

As long as there is suitable moisture, corrosive oozes can survive in a wide variety of habitats. Some are found in subterranean aquifers, pulling traces of toxic metals out of the water and keeping groundwater safe to drink. In such lands, a few nails or copper coins may be scattered regularly in wells in order to appease the ooze and keep it from roaming forth. They are considered pests in sewers, however, as they eat pipes, manhole covers, and occasionally workers carrying iron tools.

Corrosive Ooze      CR 4 XP 1,200 N Large ooze (aquatic) Init +0; Senses blind, blindsight 30 ft., Perception -3 Defense AC 9, touch 9, flat-footed 9 (-1 size) hp 46 (4d8+28) Fort +8, Ref +1, Will -2 DR 10/slashing; Immune cold, fire, gaze attacks, mindless, ooze traits, visual spells and effects Defensive Abilities corrosive body; Weakness vulnerable to electricity Offense Speed 10 ft., climb 10 ft., swim 10 ft. Melee slam +6 (2d6+6 plus corrode) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Statistics Str 18, Dex 11, Con 25, Int -, Wis 4, Cha 1 Base Atk +3; CMB +8; CMD 18 (cannot be tripped) Skills Climb +12, Swim +12 SQ amphibious, transparent Ecology Environment underground Organization solitary or clot (2-4) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Corrode (Ex) Any metal object struck by a corrosive ooze gains the broken condition. A broken item is destroyed. An attended or magical item can negate this with a DC 17 Fortitude save. The save DC is Constitution based, and has a -2 racial penalty. Corrosive Body (Ex) Any metal weapon that strikes a corrosive ooze must succeed a DC 17 Fortitude save or gain the broken condition. An item with the broken condition is destroyed. The save DC is Constitution based, and has a -2 racial penalty. Transparent (Ex) A DC 15 Perception check is required to see a corrosive ooze. A creature that does not see a corrosive ooze and walks into its space is automatically affected as if it were hit by the ooze’s slam attack.

[thecreaturecodex]

Klizzyn

“Cockroach Men” © Kenzer and Co, by Anthony Carpenter

[The original entry for Cockroach Men emphasizes them as either pests to be eliminated (see that note with the drawing) or as arena slaves in decadent Romanesque gladitorial matches. It doesn’t really seem to want to treat them as actual people. Which is a shame. They’re noted as not being typically hostile, just kind of off-putting and gross, and I wanted to heighten that in my interpretation of their flavor text. The “contaminate weapon” ability is new, but is inspired by the Hackmaster version leaving whether or not they spread disease up to the GM.]

Klizzyn CR 7 CN Monstrous Humanoid This creature looks like a giant cockroach the size of a man. It walks on its hindmost pair of legs, and carries two swords and a shield in its other limbs.

The klizzyn are disparagingly referred to as “cockroach men”, but they have their own society and culture, albeit one that is strange and off-putting to most outsiders. The klizzyn believe that construction is a waste of time and energy, and that by scavenging off of the leavings of other species, they are better able to spend their time enjoying the world of sensation. Tastes and smells that are disgusting to other species are pleasant to klizzyn. Horse manure is a favorite. This love of refuse, coupled with their immunity to most afflictions, means that they are often found in rubbish heaps, sewers and other polluted areas. They rely on other creatures to make things for them, but they are adept at turning trash into treasure, and usually carry scavenged weapons and armor.

A klizzyn typically moves on five of its six limbs, reserving one to carry a shield for defense while cruising the tunnels and alleys they live in. They rear up onto their hind legs to fight. Although a klizzyn does have sharp claws, they prefer to use manufactured weapons, especially two-weapon fighting styles. A klizzyn can magically contaminate the weapons they wield, using the threat of disease to get potential foes to back down, or to weaken a determined and strong enemy. Klizzyn dislike bright lights, and are almost always found aboveground after dark. They rarely fight to the death, in part because a klizzyn is very difficult to kill. They flee from serious injuries or bright lights, but if cornered will continue to fight until slain, even as their bodies fail them.

The klizzyn language is based on pheromones and gestures of the antennae—it can be interpreted by humanoid creatures, but not spoken without mechanical or magical accommodations. Klizzyn typically also speak the language most common in the lands they dwell, although they have buzzing voices that are seen as sinister by most people. They are omnivorous detritivores, feeding on whatever organic refuse they can get hold of. Female klizzyn require large protein meals in order to make their egg sacs, which can be filled with up to a dozen squirming nymphs. It is during this time when klizzyn are most likely to come into direct conflict with the societies they live beneath, as they emerge at night to hunt pets, livestock, vagrants, and other unsupervised sources of meat.

When standing on its hind legs, a klizzyn is typically around six feet tall. They are light for their size, rarely exceeding 150 pounds.

Klizzyn                      CR 7 XP 3,200 CN Medium monstrous humanoid Init +4; Senses blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., Perception +12 Defense AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+4 Dex, +3 natural, +2 shield) hp 85 (10d10+30) Fort +6, Ref +11, Will +8 Immune disease, pain, poison Defensive Abilities ferocity; Weakness light blindness Offense Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft., skitter Melee 2 short swords +11/+6 (1d6+3/19-20), claw +8 (1d4+1) or 3 claws +13 (1d4+3) Special Attacks contaminate weapon (4/day) Statistics Str 16, Dex 19, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 13 Base Atk +10; CMB +13; CMD 27 Feats Blind-fight, Double Slice, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Quick Draw, Two Weapon Fighting Skills Climb +20, Escape Artist +16, Perception +12, Stealth +19, Swim +12; Racial Modifiers +4 Escape Artist, +4 Stealth Languages Common, Klizzyn Ecology Environment urban and underground Organization solitary or cluster (2-20) Treasure standard (two short swords, heavy steel shield, other treasure) Special Abilities Contaminate Weapon (Su) As a swift action, a klizzyn may touch a weapon in order to charge it with magical disease. The next time it hits with this weapon within 1 minute, the creature struck must succeed a DC 16 Fortitude save or be affected by a contagion spell. A klizzyn may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + its Charisma modifier. The save DC is Charisma based. Skitter (Ex) As a swift action, a klizzyn may drop to the ground and move on four of its limbs. It must have at least two hands free to use this ability. When it does so, it gains a +10 foot competence bonus to all of its movement speeds, and is treated as having the Mobility feat. The klizzyn may stand up as a swift action without provoking an attack of opportunity, either from prone or when using skitter.

[thecreaturecodex]

Asura, Ledikkarthr

“Polar Devil” © Kenzer and Co., by Anthony Carpenter.

[In the source material, as the name above suggests, this is a devil. Making the ice devil analogue in your D&D clone a polar bear is a fun idea. But I decided to make it an asura, both in order to avoid devil redundancy and because I don’t have a lot of asuras in the Codex. I think about half of them are currently asura ranas, which is a weird power imbalance.]

Asura, Ledikkarthr CR 16 LE Outsider (extraplanar) This creature resembles a bipedal polar bear, except it has a pair of forward facing horns growing from its brow. It stands twice as tall as a man, and as it opens its mouth, its jaws stretch abnormally wide. Its gut hangs in a potbelly, but its limbs seem fast and strong.

One of the oldest and most dramatic religious practices is sacrifice. As the values of cultures change and the attitudes of the gods towards their worshipers vary, some faiths have relied on the sacrifice of sapient creatures at some times and then turned away from it at others. It is not the rite of humanoid sacrifice that has created the ledikkarthr, a form of asura devoted to the practice. Rather, it is the allowing and then withholding of the ritual, and the uncertainty in the divine inspired by this deific flip-flopping, that created these creatures, sometimes called “polar asuras” or “sacrifice asuras”.

A leddikarthr delights in veneration, and most of the creatures maintain some sort of cult to which they serve as idol. Unlike many outsiders, they allow their names and natures to leak out into the mortal world, hoping to be summoned by a conjurer with more ambition then sense. In Hell, they are decidedly servitors—most leddikarthrs act as adjutants and bodyguards for the more intelligent ice devils—but on the Material Plane they can be godlings. A leddikarthr demands tribute in both lives and treasure, and they often accumulate impressive hoards.

In combat, a leddikarthr begins by surrounding itself in an aura of whipping winds and blinding snow. The asura can see the life force of creatures, and so rarely suffers penalties from its own concealing magic. A leddikarthr usually begins combat by instilling fear into their enemies, and then picking off those that do not scatter in terror. Their claws inflict the agony of divine torment, and they delight in swallowing weak prey whole.

Despite their bear-like frames, leddikarthr never walk on four legs. They stand between ten and twelve feet tall.

Ledikkarthr            CR 16 XP 76,800 LE Large outsider (asura, evil, extraplanar, lawful) Init +4; Senses darkvision 120 ft., lifesense 60 ft., Perception +24 Aura frightful presence (100 ft., 5d6 rounds, Will DC 24), polar vortex (30 ft., Fort DC 26) Defense AC 31, touch 14, flat-footed 26 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +1 dodge, +17 natural) hp 243 (18d10+144); regeneration 10 (good weapons or spells) Fort +13, Ref +15, Will +17; +2 vs. enchantment DR 10/good and silver; Immune cold, curses, disease, poison; Resist acid 10, electricity 10; SR 27 Defensive Abilities freedom of movement Offense Speed 40 ft., air walk Melee 2 claws +25 (3d6+8 plus agony), bite +25 (2d10+8 plus grab), gore +25 (2d8+8) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks fast swallow, swallow whole (AC 18, 24 hp, 2d6+12 bludgeoning) Spell-like Abilities CL 16th, concentration +21 (+25 casting defensively) Constant—air walk, freedom of movement At will—detect magic, detect thoughts (DC 17), fear (DC 19), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. objects only), ice storm 3/day—empowered cone of cold (DC 20), greater dispel magic, quickened wall of ice 1/day—dictum (DC 22), mass hold person (DC 21), polar ray (DC 23), summon (level 7, 1 aghasura, 50%) Statistics Str 26, Dex 19, Con 24, Int 13, Wis 22, Cha 21 Base Atk +18; CMB +27 (+31 grapple); CMD 42 Feats Blind-fight, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Empower SLA (cone of cold), Improved Critical (claw), Power Attack, Quicken SLA (wall of ice), Toughness Skills Acrobatics +18 (+22 jumping), Bluff +19, Escape Artist +18, Intimidate +19, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge (planes, religion) +14, Perception +24, Sense Motive +20, Spellcraft +11, Stealth +14, Swim +21; Racial Modifiers +6 Escape Artist, +4 Perception Languages Common, Infernal, telepathy 100 ft. SQ icewalking Ecology Environment any cold (Hell) Organization solitary Treasure double standard Special Abilities Agony (Su) A creature struck by a ledikkarthr’s claw attack must succeed a DC 24 Fortitude save or be wracked with pain, suffering a -4 penalty to attack rolls, skill checks and ability checks for the next 10 minutes. Multiple failed saves do not increase the penalty or extend the duration. This is a pain effect and the save DC is Charisma based. Icewalking (Ex) A ledikkarthr can move without penalty in mundane or magical snow, ice or other frozen terrain. Polar Vortex (Su) A ledikkarthr is surrounded by a supernatural blizzard in a 30 foot radius. All creatures in the area take 4d6 points of cold damage each round (Fortitude DC 26 half). In addition, the vortex blocks vision, granting creatures concealment if they are more than five feet from each other. The blizzard affects ranged attacks and movement as if it were an area of severe wind. A ledikkarthr can suppress or resume this aura as a swift action. The save DC is Constitution based.

[thecreaturecodex]

Wrenganan

Image © Kenzer and Co.

[I don’t know if this piece is by Anthony Carpenter or not. It doesn’t look like his style, but matches a few other pieces in the book. There’s some additional art credits in the frontmatter of the Hacklopedias, but none that refer to specific illustrations.

In the original Hackmaster, the wrenganans just drink the corpse juice they collect. I wanted to give it some sort of mechanical effect, so I went with Brew Potion. After all, undead NPCs in Pathfinder often have potions of inflict X wounds in their equipment--who makes them? Also a head’s up: this one is gross.]

Wrenganan CR 7 NE Undead This humanoid appears stretched out, standing almost twice as tall as a man. Its face has sunken, somewhat bat-like features. Its hands are oversized with spidery fingers, and it stinks like offal and bile.

Wrenganans are vampire-like undead that feed not directly on blood or life force, but instead on the fluids of decay that drip from a rotting corpse. These vile effluents they collect in urns and brew into disgusting potions, as well as drinking them fresh from the source, so to speak. A wrenganan’s potions are prized by other undead creatures, and some wrenganans work for more powerful undead as a supplier in exchange for ample access to victims. Anyone living who drinks these brews find them foul tasting but surprisingly invigorating, acting as a necromantic drug.

A wrenganan usually hides during the day, as they despise the light of the sun. At night they go abroad to hunt. They work well in groups, cooperating to isolate prey. A wrenganan’s typical strategy is to attack from ambush, grab a foe by the neck, choke them unconscious and then snap their spine with a coup de grace. They know that their constant stench is able to give them away, and so attack sleeping targets, from upwind, or attempt to conceal their aroma with spices and perfumes.

A wrenganan’s lair is truly horrific to behold, as they string their victims up to rot in the sun and collect the juices that flow from the corpse. The stench often attracts scavenging animals, whose presence is tolerated to a certain extent—urine, feces and maggots are incorporated into the accursed potions, and any beast that presses its luck and feeds too heavily ends up killed and rotting for a later batch. Wrenganans can be found in any habitat, but prefer moister climates to facilitate decomposition.

Wrenganan             CR 7 XP 3,200 NE Large undead Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., lifesense 30 ft., Perception +13 Aura stench (30 ft., Fort DC 18) Defense AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +9 natural) hp 85 (10d8+40) Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +9; channel resistance +2 DR 10/magic; Immune undead traits Weakness light blindness Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee 2 slams +11 (1d8+4 plus grab) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks constrict (1d8+6), crushing pin, strangle Statistics Str 19, Dex 14, Con -, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 16 Base Atk +7; CMB +12 (+16 grapple); CMD 26 Feats Brew Potion (B), Combat Expertise, Magical Aptitude, Stealthy, Toughness, Weapon Focus (slam) Skills Climb +15, Escape Artist +12, Knowledge (arcana) +13, Perception +13, Spellcraft +15, Stealth +15, Use Magic Device +15 Languages Abyssal, Common, Necril SQ accursed potions Ecology Environment any land and underground Organization solitary, pair or clutch (3-7) Treasure double standard (potions) Special Abilities Accursed Potions (Ex) A wrenganan gains Brew Potion as a bonus feat, and treats all cleric spells as being on its class list for the purposes of crafting potions. Any potion it makes is infused with rot—it functions as normal for an undead creature, but a living creature treats it as a dose of mumia as well as gaining the potion’s benefits. Crushing Pin (Ex) A creature pinned by a wrenganan must succeed a DC 19 Fortitude save or be knocked unconscious for 1d8 rounds. The save DC is Strength based.

[thecreaturecodex]

Slushie

Image by Anthony Carpenter, © Kenzer and Co.

[I know, I know, I changed the name of the “blue gunky” to “blue slime”, but am keeping the slushie. I am inconstant as the tides. I like how Hackmaster keeps a pseudoscientific veneer with its monster abilities; it reminds me of the “Ecology of the X” articles in Dragon Magazine, and fits well with my writing style. Of course a cold based ooze is filled with alcohol to keep it liquid enough to move!]

Slushie CR 2 N Ooze This mass is a semi-solid slurry, with ice crystals studding its surface. It has a strongly antiseptic odor.

A slushie is a frozen ooze, native to tundra, mountains and other cold terrain. They are a colonial organism, made out of millions of microscopic creatures working in conjunction to create a mobile body to capture and process food. The space between the cells is a thick fluid, syrup-like in consistency, kept from freezing by the production of alcohol. Water in its body constantly wicks to the surface and freezes into thin shards of ice, which both help serve as armor and allow it to blend into its environment. Creatures struck by a slushie rapidly succumb to hypothermia, and the ooze engulfs and digests them once they are helpless.

Because of the rich supply of alcohol found in a slushie’s body, they are hunted by the people roaming frozen lands as often as the slushies hunt people. This alcohol is quite strong, around 80 proof, but can be rapidly spoiled by leaking cell contents when the creature is killed. A successful DC 20 Craft (alchemy) or Profession (brewer) check made within 10 minutes of a slushie’s death is required to purify the alcohol it contains, which yields distilled alcohol valued at ½ the gp value of a standard treasure of the slushie’s CR.

Slushie CR 2 XP 600 N Medium ooze (cold) Init +2; Senses blind, blindsight 60 ft., Perception +0 Defense AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural) hp 27 (3d8+15) Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +1 Immune cold, mind-influencing effects, ooze traits; Weakness vulnerable to fire Defensive Abilities toxic Offense Speed 20 ft., icewalking Melee slam +4 (1d6+3 plus frostbite) Statistics Str 14, Dex 14, Con 21, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1 Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 16 (cannot be tripped) Skills Stealth +2 (+10 in ice or snow); Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in ice or snow) Ecology Environment cold land Organization solitary or cluster (2-5) Treasure special (see above) Special Abilities Frostbite (Ex) A creature struck by a slushie must succeed a DC 16 Fortitude save or suffer from frostbite. It takes 1d6 points of nonlethal cold damage and is fatigued until the nonlethal damage is healed. Repeated failed saves against this attack deal more damage, but do not increase the fatigue to exhaustion. The save DC is Constitution based. Icewalking (Ex) A slushie ignores difficult terrain from ice and snow. Toxic (Ex) A creature that bites a slushie must succeed a DC 16 Fortitude save or become sickened for 1 hour. Repeated failed saves increase the duration. This is a poison effect, and the save DC is Constitution based.