Death Grippli, or, What in the Nine Hells is wrong with that frog?!

I ran into this lovely image whilst trawling with my Inter-net at Worth1000. I thought to myself, man, that's an angry frog.

Death Grippli.

Frequency: Very Rare.
No. appearing: 2-4
Armor class: 7
Move: 9"/15", on the ground/in the trees.
Hit Dice: 2
% in lair: 40%
Treasure Type: nil, or random
No. of attacks: 1, bite
Damage/Attacks: 1-6
Special attacks: surprise on 1-3
Special Defenses: nil
Magic Resistance: standard
Intelligence: low
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Size: S, 2.5' tall
Psionic ability: nil
Level/xp value: II/50+2/hp

Most often encountered on the outskirts of a community of normal grippli, Death grippli are believed to be victims of a peculiar, amphibian rabies. The disease causes madness, which increases the grippli's strength, while also causing it to develop heavy, blunt, tusk-like teeth. The grippli is also seized by insane rage, and driven by constant, gnawing hunger. Without fail, a Death Grippli will immediately attack when encountered.

As they are no longer intelligent enough to use weapons, they attack by biting only. Leaping from concealment as soon as a target presents itself.

A successful hit indicates the Death Grippli has clamped it's jaws around the target's throat. It will then use it's sticky hand pads, and it's lunatic strength to hang on. Once it has bitten a target, a Death Grippli will not let go, instead, grinding and chewing for a further 1-6 points of damage per round until it is killed. Only death will cause it to release it's grip.

Death Grippli are silent, except for the odd croaking-trilling vocalization they make once attached to a victim. Few who have heard that sound, "AHMMM-NAHMMM-NAHMMM!" , have lived to tell of it.

* I defaulted to standard AD&D stats for this one, cause I'm tired, and I didn't feel like messing with the html.

Fear the Spear!

In my folder of old characters, I have a chaotic neutral human fighter that I used to run named, Maeglyn the Bastard. Maeglyn had joie de vivre, and while something of a loose arbalest, and liable to kick in doors without prior consultation with the party, usually came through for his comrades.

He didn't get killed, just sort of fell out of rotation.

Anyway, I had Maeglyn use a hewing spear as his primary weapon. The hewing spear is a weapon that is referred to in the sagas, but no one is sure what it looked like, or exactly how it was used. No original examples have been found.

The above pic is a spear head made by Museum Replicas ltd as a theoretical reconstruction. It's got a 16" blade that can be used in a slashing or chopping attack, as well as the normal thrust.

It's nearly a short sword on a pole.

The spear in all it's forms has been the weapon of choice for most of history.

It's easy to use, it takes less time and material to make than other weapons, and it gives the user a longer reach than the sword or axe. A spear is also a multi-attack weapon, it can be thrown as a missile weapon, as well as used hand to hand. With a good butt cap on it, it can be used in lieu of the famous ten-foot-pole as a probe or a door spike. There's just no end of things a good spear can be used for.

The spear never seems to get much love from D&D players though, Maeglyn was the only character played in the group that used it. Everyone always wants to be the mighty sword-wielder, or the brutal axe-man.

I've been thinking about ways to maybe make the use of a spear more interesting. I don't know if I'd actually institute any of these ideas in the game, I think if you start detailing weapons too much, things get overly complicated fast.

I think I might try a rule letting a spear wielder always strike first in the beginning round of a melee, provided he is not surprised. This would be to reflect the fact that the spear head is already halfway between the attacker and defender to begin with.

Or, I thought I might let a spear-wielder who is in retreat, or defending only, to use the spear to perform a Stop-thrust that halts an attackers attempt to hit, if the defenders Dexterity is higher than that of the attacker.

I think I'd have to assign a standard Dexterity to all humanoid monster races though, or maybe just throw 3d6 to get a quick dex rating for each attacker on a case by case basis.

Or, You could have a spear hit on a natural twenty mean that the target has been transfixed or impaled, and if not killed out-right, must spend the next round attempting to pull itself off the spear.

I think, that something like these rulings, combined with Trollsmith's great shield rule ideas, would make the spear and shield combination a more formidable duo, and push this classic pairing back to the forefront of combat where they belong.

At the least, it would make henchmen and accompanying men-at-arms a more potent threat

What do you guys think? Any suggestions?

Non-gaming post. I haven't felt that bloggy lately.

I've had too many other things going on this last week or so to really have time for the blog. I'm expanding the garden, and remodeling the kitchen, and mowing my uncle's place while he's away, and repainting grandma's house, and helping Dad with his kitchen remodel, and job hunting, planting fruit trees, digging a duck pond, straightening and reorganizing the shop, and lots of other stuff. I've got some new posts in the works, my Greyhawk's version of the Paladin, my Monk replacement character class, several more monsters are cooking in the vats, etc...

I've just had to put more effort into getting the old homestead better prepared for the oncoming economic apocalypse, since at this point, it's pretty much unavoidable. The accumulated bad decisions of the last hundred years have given the hand basket to hell a momentum and inertia that can no longer be guided by human arrogance.

I will have some more good game stuff soon though, so, when you're finished rooting through the ruins of civilization for food for the day, you'll still be able to get a game together with your fellow survivors. At least, the ones you haven't eaten.

Old School ice cream headache!

The rampant expansion of the Old School Renaissance is driving me mad, mad I tell you! For nearly twenty years, I thought I was just about the last guy on earth who gave a crap about AD&D, or OD&D. I was pretty isolated, I guess. I just didn't run into anyone else who still played.
I hadn't paid any attention to the internet since the late eighties, when it was all still bulletin boards and Zork. My wife finally insisted we get access, and so I start poking and googling around, and low and behold, Dragonsfoot.
I lurked there for years, then Knights & Knaves, Original D&D Discussion, more, more, blogs show up, It's an embarrassment of riches.
Now the game blogs are multiplying like Borg, I can't friggen keep up! I've only got a few listed in my side bar, but my gaming folder in my favorites on IE takes a 12 count to scroll to the bottom. I feel like I've been dragging myself across the desert for two decades and fallen into a gaming oasis. Now there are so many great sites, and bloggers, putting up so much great stuff, that I know I'm missing a lot of it. There isn't time in the day for me to hit all the rpg sites I like. It's maddening!
I can stuff myself on tasty new Old Guard gaming until d20s and character sheets come out my nose. I have to pace myself now, it's gotten to the point where I'm considering working out a blog visiting schedule, since I can only spend so much time online, and there's so much ground to cover.
Even the fights are awesome to me. So much eye-gouging and hair-pulling is only possible because the game is still important, and thus, still alive.
So, create, share, argue, discuss, theorize, and fight on you mad bastards, fight on!

Goblor, or, Heironious's brass balls! That goblin's got a big head!

Goblor

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All editions.	Armor Class : 4
All editions.	Hit Dice :2
All editions.	Movement :6"
All editions.	Number of Attacks :1
All editions.	Damage/Attack :1-6 (claws)
S&W, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Special Attacks :mind blast, 2-8dmg,plus random effect
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Special Defenses :nil
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Magic Resistance :nil
S&W, LL, BFRGP.	Save (as) : 2 hit die monster, or 2nd level fighter
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Frequency :very rare
OD&D, LL, BFRPG, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Number Appearing :1-3
OD&D, AD&D.	% in lair :60%
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Intelligence :low
LL, BFRPG, 2E, HM4E.	Morale :high
LL, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Alignment :Lawful evil
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Size :S, 4 feet tall
OD&D, LL, BFRPG, AD&D, 2E.	Treasure Type :nil
S&W, BFRPG, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Level/XP Value :3rd/85+4 per hp
AD&D, HM4E.	Psionic Ability :mind blast only
2E, HM4E.	Climate/Terrain :underground
2E, HM4E.	Organization :unthinking follower
2E, HM4E.	Activity Cycle :nocturnal
2E, HM4E.	Diet :omnivore, prefers brains
2E.	THACO :19
HM4E.	AKA :none

Twisted into existance by infusions of beholder bile, elder brain fluid, and possibly cave cricket essence, goblors are mutated goblins created by the mind flayers to serve as expendable weapons and obedient guard beasts. Goblors have very little self-will, and dutifully follow the orders of those they perceive to be in authority.
A goblor appears as a thin and freakish goblin with a hugely expanded brain-case and a fist-sized third eye on the end of a semi-moveable stalk which protrudes from it's forehead. They wear no armor and little clothing, but are covered with chitinous protective plates.
Despite their enormous brains, goblor are of low intelligence. Their great mass of brain tissue serves only to generate the psionic energy needed to drive their special attack.
Three times per day, a goblor may fire a mind blast similar to that of a mind flayer. All within a 6" directional cone of 1/2" diameter at the point of emanation, (the third eye), and 2" diameter at the extreme range are affected. Unlike the mental weapon of a mind flayer, the mind blast of a goblor is raw and unfocused. Those struck by it take 2-8 points of damage directly, and also must save vs psionic attack at short range, or else suffer a random temporary effect.

On a d10 roll.
1. blindness
2. deafness
3. confusion
4. stunned
5. madness
6. spontaneous loss of bowl control
7. vomiting
8. panic
9. paralyzation
10. memory loss

effects last for 2-8 turns.

Goblors are most often encountered in the service of their makers, the illithids. Some few of them have been stolen, or lured away from the slippery clutches of the mind flayers to find places amongst tribes of normal humanoids. Goblin and Hobgoblin chieftains prize them for their unthinking obedience, and for the unsettling effect they have on underlings.

* The image at the top is actually a preliminary rough from 1982 by Dave Powell for the Mars Attacks! card set done by Wally Wood. I saw it and the first thing that popped into my mind was, Psionic goblin!

I got this image at my favorite non-gaming blog, Golden age comic book stories. The blogger, Mr Door Tree, puts up beautiful scans of pop art in dozens of catagories, including comics, pulp magazine covers and illustrations, golden age illustrations, and many others. I highly recommend visiting, if you have a couple of weeks to kill. His archive is huge and fascinating. You will find much relating to the fiction that The Game is founded on.

http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/

Strangler Crows, or, Hey, look Blorfindel, that bird's got a rope!

Strangler Crow.

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All editions.	Armor Class : 6
All editions.	Hit Dice :1+2
All editions.	Movement :1"/25"
All editions.	Number of Attacks :1
All editions.	Damage/Attack :1-2,beak
S&W, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Special Attacks :strangulation
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Special Defenses :nil
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Magic Resistance :nil
S&W, LL, BFRGP.	Save (as) : 1 hit die monster, or 1st level fighter
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Frequency :very rare
OD&D, LL, BFRPG, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Number Appearing :2-8
OD&D, AD&D.	% in lair :15%
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Intelligence :average
LL, BFRPG, 2E, HM4E.	Morale :good
LL, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Alignment :neutral evil
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Size :M, six foot wingspan
OD&D, LL, BFRPG, AD&D, 2E.	Treasure Type :I,U.
S&W, BFRPG, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Level/XP Value :3rd/40 plus 4 per hp
AD&D, HM4E.	Psionic Ability :nil
2E, HM4E.	Climate/Terrain :any
2E, HM4E.	Organization :pairs, or small flocks
2E, HM4E.	Activity Cycle :diurnal
2E, HM4E.	Diet :omnivore
2E.	THACO :18
HM4E.	AKA :Murder birds

Blame for the existance of these malignent birds is often laid at the taloned feet of Corvekli, the infamous murder wizard. It is unknown if he created the foul things, or simply found and taught them. What is understood is that the gravediggers fear no lack of work where strangler crows fly.
Strangler crows get their name from the method of their special attack. The birds are always encountered in pairs as this attack requires that they work in conjunction.
The birds carry a length of rope or a cord, or sometimes a scarf of at least eight feet. When they find a suitable victim in the open, the crows fly directly at him at throat level, with the cord stretched between them. They cross paths behind the target and fly with all their might straight up.
Strangler crows are unnaturally strong for their size. A pair can easily lift an elf-size or smaller victim to his toes, if not off his feet entirely.
Two pairs working together can hoist a large man in the same manner.
If the crows act with surprise, and score a successful hit, the victim has a number of rounds equal to half of his constitution score to free himself of the garrote before he passes out from lack of air.
Should they manage to murder a victim successfully, the crows will loot the body of any small valuables, and probably eat the eyes.
Such loot as they obtain, the crows trade to willing humanoids, or others who are able to provide them with the delicacies they crave.


The art is clipped from a larger illustration by Ciruelo Cabral.

Max Davenport Rocks! Stat Column reloaded.

Giant Ground Stirge.


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All editions.	Armor Class : 5
All editions.	Hit Dice :4+4
All editions.	Movement :8" (max when fleeing)
All editions.	Number of Attacks :1
All editions.	Damage/Attack :1-6
S&W, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Special Attacks :blood drain
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Special Defenses :natural camouflage, as elven cloak.
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Magic Resistance :nil
S&W, LL, BFRGP.	Save (as) : 4 hit die monster, or 4th level fighter
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Frequency :rare
OD&D, LL, BFRPG, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Number Appearing :1-3
OD&D, AD&D.	% in lair :30%
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Intelligence :animal
LL, BFRPG, 2E, HM4E.	Morale :low
LL, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Alignment :neutral
AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Size :M, six feet long
OD&D, LL, BFRPG, AD&D, 2E.	Treasure Type :nil
S&W, BFRPG, AD&D, 2E, HM4E.	Level/XP Value :4th/150+3 per hp
AD&D, HM4E.	Psionic Ability :nil
2E, HM4E.	Climate/Terrain :woods and scrub lands
2E, HM4E.	Organization :solitary
2E, HM4E.	Activity Cycle :nocturnal
2E, HM4E.	Diet :living blood
2E.	THACO :17
HM4E.	AKA :Throat stabber

Thanks to the help of Max Davenport, this is what the Multi-Edition Stat Column is supposed to look like. Max sent me an e-mail with half the column showing me how to use the colegroup tag to format the information. I have absolutely no idea what that means, but, I can cut and past. I finished the column by clipping bits of Max's example and sticking them in here and there until I got what I wanted.

I've enjoyed Max's blog, Malevolent & Benign, for some time now. Go there and say nice things about him.
http://mbenign.blogspot.com/