Category Archives: Homebrew

S&W Bestiary: Dung Spider

Wherein your humble scribe presents another new monster for Swords & Wizardry (Core Rules), the Dung Spider.

Dung Spiders are poisonous arachnids roughly the size of two large fists held together. They take their name from the unique way in which they lie in wait for prey. A dung spider curls its long legs in on itself and sits on the ground, appearing to be a small pile of animal feces, biding its time until some unfortunate creature passes close enough for it to strike. When a target comes within 10′ of the dung spider, it uncoils rapidly and launches itself at its victim. The first time a creature encounters a dung spider surprise is automatic. Any future encounters will also result in automatic surprise unless the victim is particularly wary of being attacked by a dung spider.

Dung Spider: HD 1; AC 6 [13]; Atk 1 bite (1d2 + poison); Move 12; Save 16; CL/XP 3/60; Special: lethal poison (+3 saving throw), automatic surprise.

S&W Bestiary: Coineater

Wherein your humble scribe presents a new monster for Swords & Wizardry (Core Rules), the Coineater. Don’t read too much into the timing of this particular post.

Coineaters are man-sized humanoids with remora-like heads. They actively seek out individuals in possession of any quantity of coins greater than a handful and will follow them about while emitting an annoying high-pitched whine. This sound increases the chance of a wandering monster encounter to 3-in-6 per turn.

If the target of the coineater’s pursuit leaves a pile of his coins equal to approximately 1/3 of the gp value possessed in a small neat stack the coineater will devote its attention to devouring the previous metals and cease following the target. A coineater so appeased will not follow the same individual for a full year.

If attacked, or if not provided with appropriate tribute within 2d4 turns, a coineater will respond by latching onto the target with its vicious, rasping mouth and will begin sucking the unfortunate victim’s blood. A coineater will cease this blood drain immediately if the appropriate tribute is offered. Otherwise, it will continue to drink until the victim is dead. After the death of its victim the coineater will devour 50% of the target’s coins and then head off in pursuit of a new source of nourishment.

Coineater: HD 10; AC -1 [20]; Atk 1 bite (1d4); Move 15; Save 6; CL/XP 12/2000; Special: blood drain (1d6).

S&W Bestiary: Pra Saguna

Wherein your humble scribe presents another quick monster for Swords & Wizardry (Core Rules), the dreaded Pra Saguna.

Pra Saguna are the restless dead warriors of certain remote cultures found deep within the jungles of the southern continents. Their corpse-like bodies are garishly decorated with paints and dyes, and their hollow eye sockets glow green beneath the full moon under which they prefer to hunt.

In addition to using the wickedly curved blades common to their culture, Pra Saguna possess a breath attack, in the form of a cloud of deadly spores, that does 12 hit points of damage. They may use this attack up to 5 times per day, though no more than twice per combat.

Pra Saguna encountered when the moon is full regenerate 3 hit points per round. Outside of this time frame, they are much easier to dispatch, as their regeneration ability weakens to only 1 hit point per round in other lunar phases.

Pra Saguna: HD 6; AC 3[16]; Atk 1 weapon (1d8); Move 9; Save 11; CL/XP 8/800; Special: Undead, Regeneration, Breath Attack.

Traveller: The Claybourne Subsector

Wherein your humble scribe, desperate to fill up space while he feverishly works away at the next batch of entries in the Demons Of Adad Untash, posts some old Traveller homebrew stuff that might be interesting to someone. Maybe. OK, probably not. But still…

For what it’s worth, this subsector was put together during a brief and ill-advised flirtation with T4 a long time ago. I don’t think there was anything in there that would make these hard to use with Classic Traveller or any other edition. But I could be wrong. In any case, you’ve been warned.

The Claybourne subsector occupies grid location A of the KOBE Sector. The fringeward and trailing boundaries of the Shardyn Alliance meet in the Claybourne. The Claybourne was named for Kenneth Claybourne, legendary explorer, statesman, and founding father of the Alliance.

Name	Hex	UWP	Gas Giant	Naval Base	Scout Base	Notes
Pentheus	102	D-7765969-N	yes	no	no	–
Shintara	104	D-333125A-N	no	no	no	–
Janus II	106	A-989989D-N	no	no	no	–
	109	D-113124A-N	yes	no	yes	–
	201	E-2576575-N	yes	no	no	–
Gato	203	A-00067AE-N	yes	no	no	Research Station
	205	X5850000C-N	yes	no	no	–
Evans	207	E-548742A-N	yes	no	no	–
Budapest	209	B-AA89B8C-N	yes	yes	no	–
	301	E-AA9674B-N	yes	no	no	–
Farven	303	E-8604409-N	yes	no	no	–
Backbreaker	304	B-3238BB-H	no	no	no	–
Gaiman	306	X-835656B-N	no	no	no	–
Sellers	307	X-2416208-N	yes	no	no	–
Hepaxion	310	E-636AAB9-N	yes	no	no	–
Farhome	402	C-462624B-H	no	no	no	–
Pennick	403	C-332232A-N	yes	no	no	–
McInnis	405	B-987AA9C-L	yes	no	yes	–
Pipe	408	B-443235A-N	yes	no	no	–
Deerfly	410	C-7566569-N	yes	no	no	–
	502	E-524341A-N	yes	no	no	–
Freedom	505	D-7AAAC9B-N	yes	no	yes	–
Elaine	506	E-89A898A-N	yes	no	no	–
Maas	510	C-666986D-N	yes	no	yes	Research Station
Haven	603	C-333450A-N	yes	no	no	–
Albian	605	A-856877C-H	yes	yes	no	–
Posada	605	C-665411B-N	yes	no	no	–
	606	X-5564236-N	yes	no	no	–
Bis Gamma	609	A-131430B-N	yes	yes	no	–
	701	E-3635008-N	yes	no	no	–
	702	E-4625347-N	yes	no	no	–
	703	E-16239-N	yes	no	no	–
Yangto-Kim	5706	B-8AA316C-N	yes	no	no	–
Emental	707	B-000541C-N	yes	no	yes	–
Trade	709	B-9A6599D-L	yes	no	no	–
Acorn	710	D-251113B-N	yes	no	yes	–
	802	C-562857C-N	yes	no	no	–
Dinjara	805	C-466988B-N	yes	no	no	–
Claybourne	809	B-987AA5D-N	yes	yes	yes	Subsector Capital
Keyen	810	D-976866B-H	yes	no	no	Prison World

S&W Bestiary: Vampire Toad

Wherein your humble scribe presents, for no reason in particular, a new monster for Swords & Wizardry (Core Rules), the Vampire Toad.

Vampire Toads are large (5′ long), ebon-hued amphibians who have been infected with an arcane affliction akin to “normal” vampirism. The bite of these creatures drains a level from the victim if a save is not made. Each level so drained adds 1 hit die to the Vampire Toad (to a maximum of 8 total HD), increasing its hit points as well as its ferocity in combat.

Though they are not truly Undead, Vampire Toads may be turned as though they were by anyone wielding a silver mirror.

Vampire Toad: HD 4; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 bite (1d6 + level drain); Move 6; Save 13; CL/XP 9/1100; Special: +1 or better magic weapon to hit, 35% magic resistance, level drain (save applies).

The Sunken Temple Of Arn

In honor of the late Dave Arneson, who left us one year ago today, I present my (non-winning) entry in last year’s One Page Dungeon Contest. I was gunning for the “old school” category and took my inspiration almost 100% from Supplement II: Blackmoor.

So in case you missed it (and you know you did) here’s your chance to visit .

Here’s the entirety of the background, as a teaser:

In ancient days the monastic assassins known as the Sons of Arn built a great temple to their strange god on an island off the southern coast.

For many years they managed a troubled coexistence with the other religions. But when they dared to strike down the high priest of the sea god, their island temple was cast beneath the waves forever in an act of divine retribution.

Their knowledge lost and their religion destroyed, the Sons of Arn vanished from the world, leaving only half-remembered whispers in their stead. But now rumors abound of a shipwreck whose lone survivor escaped from a Sahuagin band that makes its home in a submerged ruin eerily reminiscent of the legendary Sunken Temple of Arn.

As a One Page Dungeon, The Sunken Temple Of Arn lacks game stats, but should be useable with pretty much any system you want. I specifically had OD&D in mind when I wrote it (obviously), but Swords & Wizardry (Core or WhiteBox) or Labyrinth Lord should work fine. Of course, so would Barbarians of Lemuria, Basic RolePlaying, OSRIC, or any other system that tickles your fancy.

One quick note for those who might not be familiar with a couple of the monster names: per Blackmoor (and some later books):

Koalinth are aquatic hobgoblins
Kopoacinth are aquatic gargoyles
Lacedon are aquatic ghouls

Most people who happen across this post probably know that stuff already. But hey, it never hurts to pass along a bit of (slightly) lost wisdom, eh?

Ringside!

Wherein your humble scribe presents a stable of boxers for use with RINGSIDE, that odd little boxing simulation game by Brian Blume that appeared in Dragon #38.

Boxing, like baseball, has always fascinated me. I can’t quite put my finger on why. It’s certainly not something I’m good at. But that’s not the point of this post, so we won’t dally there. Instead, here’s a small stable of boxers I rolled up for RINGSIDE. I’d love to figure out how to do something with them – a campaign or tournament or something.

Side Note: I absolutely adore the idea of strange, convoluted campaigns for war and sim games (like the great Starfire! campaign I never got off the ground back in ’95), but they never come to fruition. Blame it on real life. Blame it on laziness. Blame it on being unable to find other people who share my level of weirdness. Who can say?

Anyway, I don’t expect that many (if any) of y’all are even aware of the existence of RINGSIDE, but hey, consider this post a reason to rush out and track down a copy of Dragon #38 (and #61, where the aging rules for boxers appear). You know you want to 🙂

And now, without further ado, here are the boxers who train at Pao’s Gym:

Heavyweights

Israel Rasmusson
A classic out-fighter.
Agility 60
Uppercut 3
Right Jab 3
Right Hook 3
Combo 3
Left Jab 3
Left Hook 1
Endurance 13
Counter 23

Nigel Oginski
Pure brawler, baby.
Agility 53
Uppercut 3
Right Jab 1
Right Hook 4
Combo 2
Left Jab 2
Left Hook 1
Endurance 9
Counter 13

Rodney Madrid
A crafty counter puncher.
Agility 46
Uppercut 1
Right Jab 3
Right Hook 3
Combo 2
Left Jab 2
Left Hook 1
Endurance 19
Counter 30

Eleazar Mancuso
A dangerous in-fighter.
Agility 42
Uppercut 2
Right Jab 2
Right Hook 4
Combo 4
Left Jab 3
Left Hook 1
Endurance 19
Counter 24

Welterweights

Emmett Ashby
A well-rounded boxer-puncher.
Agility 55
Uppercut 1
Right Jab 3
Right Hook 2
Combo 4
Left Jab 1
Left Hook 2
Endurance 19
Counter 16

Roy Hollinger
A glass-jawed counter-puncher
Agility 53
Uppercut 3
Right Jab 3
Right Hook 1
Combo 1
Left Jab 2
Left Hook 4
Endurance 3
Counter 27

Alberto Charron
A southpaw in-fighter.
Agility 50
Uppercut 3
Right Jab 1
Right Hook 1
Combo 1
Left Jab 3
Left Hook 3
Endurance 24
Counter 18

Clarence Hibbs
An aging out-fighter.
Agility 44
Uppercut 2
Right Jab 3
Right Hook 3
Combo 3
Left Jab 3
Left Hook 2
Endurance 15
Counter 20

Lightweights

Abraham Levario
A fiery-tempered out-fighter.
Agility 60
Uppercut 3
Right Jab 3
Right Hook 2
Combo 2
Left Jab 3
Left Hook 2
Endurance 10
Counter 30

Reuben Aguila
A brawler through-and-through.
Agility 53
Uppercut 3
Right Jab 2
Right Hook 3
Combo 2
Left Jab 2
Left Hook 2
Endurance 15
Counter 12

Mervin Tiley
A boxer-puncher who has seen better days.
Agility 50
Uppercut 1
Right Jab 3
Right Hook 2
Combo 2
Left Jab 1
Left Hook 3
Endurance 3
Counter 11

Salvador Taveras
A lefty in-fighter.
Agility 44
Uppercut 2
Right Jab 1
Right Hook 1
Combo 3
Left Jab 2
Left Hook 4
Endurance 17
Counter 22

Bantamweights

Edwin Fane
A boxer-puncher and former Olympian.
Agility 58
Uppercut 2
Right Jab 1
Right Hook 3
Combo 3
Left Jab 3
Left Hook 2
Endurance 16
Counter 24

Dallas Langley
An out-fighter known for his intricate tattoos.
Agility 54
Uppercut 2
Right Jab 4
Right Hook 2
Combo 4
Left Jab 2
Left Hook 2
Endurance 10
Counter 15

Clark Wair
A counter-puncher with good foot speed.
Agility 52
Uppercut 1
Right Jab 3
Right Hook 2
Combo 2
Left Jab 1
Left Hook 3
Endurance 6
Counter 28

Steven Overton
A brawler with big dreams.
Agility 44
Uppercut 3
Right Jab 2
Right Hook 3
Combo 3
Left Jab 2
Left Hook 3
Endurance 19
Counter 17

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: Sub-Classes Assemble

Wherein your humble scribe, endeavoring to get his ass back into the swing of blogging, finally gets around to presenting the final entry in his Labyrinth Lord/Advanced Edition Companion Rogues Gallery series. This time, it’s a passel of characters from the ranks of the sub-class classes.

As noted in earlier installments, these characters are all 1st level, were granted maximum HP (default LL/AEC HD, not the Advanced option), and have a bare minimum of equipment. They were all created with 3d6 for stats, more often than not in order. I did throw out the absolute weaklings, though.

Assassins

Crowbeard / Dwarf Assassin 1 NE
STR 13 INT 12 WIS 9 DEX 15 CON 13 CHR 10
HP 5 AC 6 Gold 136
Scimitar, Dagger, Leather Armor, Shield

Grimskull / Half-Orc Assassin 1 CE
STR 16 INT 13 WIS 6 DEX 13 CON 12 CHR 9
HP 4 AC 6 Gold 105
Battle Axe, Dagger, Leather Armor, Shield

Druids

Danaar / Human Druid 1 N
STR 11 INT 9 WIS 15 DEX 12 CON 14 CHR 15
HP 7 AC 7 Gold 82
Scimitar, Sling & 10 Bolts, Leather Armor, Wooden Shield
Druid Spells: Detect Snares & Pits; Entangle; Faerie Fire; Invisibility, Animal

Savareen / Human Druid 1 N
STR 16 INT 10 WIS 17 DEX 9 CON 9 CHR 16
HP 6 AC 7 Gold 100
Sickle, Sling & 10 Bolts, Leather Armor, Wooden Shield
Druid Spells: Entangle, Locate Creature, Purify Water, Shillelagh

Monks

Maartense / Human Monk 1 LN
STR 14 INT 10 WIS 17 DEX 17 CON 13 CHR 10
HP 9 AC 9 Gold 13
Hand Axe, Light Crossbow & 10 Quarrels

Ling Po / Human Monk 1 CG
STR 12 INT 13 WIS 15 DEX 16 CON 9 CHR 6
HP 8 AC 9 Gold 24
Quarterstaff, Sling & 10 Bullets

Illusionists

Rhodanthe / Human Illusionist 1 CG
STR 10 INT 15 WIS 10 DEX 18 CON 13 CHR 9
HP 5 AC 6 Gold 150
Quarterstaff, Spell Book
Illusionist Spells: Detect Illusion, Phantasmal Force

Arvo Tir / Gnome Illusionist 1 LE
STR 9 INT 17 WIS 9 DEX 16 CON 13 CHR 10
HP 5 AC 8 Gold 120
Dagger, Spell Book
Illusionist Spells: Color Spray, Hypnotism

Paladins

Etienne The Chaste / Human Paladin 1 LG
STR 14 INT 16 WIS 16 DEX 14 CON 14 CHR 18
HP 9 AC 4 Gold 10
Long Sword, Scale Mail, Shield

Sorvan Of The Candle / Human Paladin 1 LG
STR 13 INT 9 WIS 13 DEX 8 CON 12 CHR 17
HP 8 AC 4 Gold 85
Mace, Banded Mail, Shield

Rangers

Alyx / Half-Elf Ranger 1 CG
STR 14 INT 12 WIS 17 DEX 12 CON 15 CHR 14
HP 13 AC 5 Gold 35
Long Sword, Long Bow & 20 Arrows, Scale Mail, Shield

Jorn / Human Ranger 1 NG
STR 11 INT 12 WIS 15 DEX 10 CON 15 CHR 9
HP 13 AC 5 Gold 21
Long Sword, Hand Axe, Heavy Crossbow & 10 Quarrels, Chain Mail

Green Demons Of The Fevered Dream

When the mighty sorcerer Krug Jas cast Prince Asaam and King Riaz into the realm of the Fevered Dream, he trapped them in eternal battle against the Green Demons who live there.

Though 1,000 years passed in Kaalmuria, time all but stood still for the warriors who fought beneath the Golden Eagle banner of Kharnum Dhrynn. There they remained, fighting a ceaseless horde of demons who all-but-completely resembled their original foes, the army of their nation’s chief rival, the Emirate of Bateer Falim.

Bereft of its leaders and army, Kharnum Dhrynn fell before the might of its enemies (as they themselves would later fall when Krug Dras had squeezed them dry for his own benefit), leaving little but legend of the once proud nation in its wake.

Today all that remains of Kharnum Dhrynn are three strange onion-domed towers hidden in a canyon deep within the Great Western Desert. There, atop her decaying throne, sits the ancient, undying body of Queen Svetla, who works slowly at the embroidery she holds in her dry, brittle hands as she awaits the return of her husband and son from their campaign against the minions of Krug Jas.

The Green Demons appear as human soldiers armed with swords, axes, or whatever one-handed melee weapons are used by the foes they mimic. Except for a slight greenish cast to their skin and a wolf-like lengthening of their canine teeth, the Green Demons are indiscernable from those they are meant to resemble.

The Green Demons are classified as rabble.

Attributes
Strength 2
Agility 0
Mind 0
Appeal -2

Combat Abilities
Brawl 0
Melee 2
Ranged 0
Defense 0

Career
Soldier 2

Lifeblood 3

Protection: 1d3 (light armor & shield)
Weapons: Swords, Axes, or other 1-handed weapons, 1d6

BoL Bestiary: Vaarloi Death Worms

Vaarloi Death Worms are 5′ long with smooth blood-red skin covering their thick bodies. Though they are often found in deserts, these creatures avoid the heat of the day and are only active at dawn and dusk, unless skies are overcast.

Vaarloi Death Worms attack by discharging static electricity from their bodies. They begin combat by “spitting” their full charge (to a range of 30′) at foes as they are approached. After this large discharge, the worms are left with only small electrical “bites” until they have had a significant amount of time to recharge (typically longer than any given encounter).

Vaarloi Death Worms occasionally bleed off excess electrical charge with a crackling burst that creates a small cloud of ozone in their vicinity, which smells like an approaching rain storm. This aroma may be the source of the ancient warning against traveling through the desert when rain is likely.

Attributes
Strength 1
Agility 2
Mind -3

Combat Abilities
Attack with electrical “bite” +2; damage 1d3
Attack with electrical “spit” +0; damage 2d6 (once per encounter)
Defense: 2
Protection: 1d2-1/1d6-1 vs blunt weapons (rubbery skin & body)
Lifeblood: 5

Strange Stones

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