<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557</id><updated>2025-02-01T16:06:55.744-08:00</updated><category term="King of Kings"/><category term="B/X"/><category term="monsters"/><category term="AD&D"/><category term="Fiend Folio"/><category term="bestiaries"/><category term="my art"/><category term="after action report"/><category term="bugs"/><category term="classes"/><category term="undead"/><category term="goblins"/><category term="history"/><category term="Gamma Ohio"/><category term="Gamma World"/><category term="jinn"/><category term="oozes"/><category term="worldbuilding"/><category term="biology"/><category term="combat"/><category term="curses"/><category term="disease"/><category term="personal"/><category term="post-apocalypse"/><category term="worms"/><category term="amphibians"/><category term="dog-headed men"/><category term="froglings"/><category term="giants"/><category term="house rules"/><category term="inspiration"/><category term="magic"/><category term="religion"/><category term="reptiles"/><category term="GLOG"/><category term="NPCs"/><category term="OD&D"/><category term="Toward a More Perfect Statblock"/><category term="adventures"/><category term="mind flayers"/><category term="polity post"/><category term="random encounters"/><category term="ten room dungeons"/><category term="Chainmail"/><category term="Elden Ring"/><category term="Sea Tyrants"/><category term="Teufelland"/><category term="Underneath"/><category term="books"/><category term="cats"/><category term="cities"/><category term="food"/><category term="fungus"/><category term="gnostic elves"/><category term="horror"/><category term="poison"/><category term="prehistory"/><category term="psionics"/><category term="revolution"/><category term="setting concepts"/><category term="sword and sorcery"/><category term="wormplague"/><title type='text'>Save vs. Worm</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default?start-index=26&max-results=25'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>93</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-678711403253445609</id><published>2024-08-19T14:32:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-08-19T14:50:41.240-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AD&D"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bestiaries"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fiend Folio"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="oozes"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="undead"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="worms"/><title type='text'>Goin' Through the Fiend Folio Part 15 (Shocker to Symbiotic Jelly)</title><content type='html'><p>Back at it again! <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/07/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-14.html">Here's the last entry</a> in this series, <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/12/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-1.html">here's a link to the first post</a>, etc. etc., time to pick back up where we last left off!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnlgwFmQ90Cism9TYsK1gs52SlflWn_6bS6JqVvarsfhbgU9mQxY0uWCzQGgYdcDjTpb-2lB9L1V_gjpmgKJuplMix2qSvRDrqB9tkUsukWdDc4IiYScMmS20AEvXhsyHIaLoDLNGy7EL_sFlorowi_nw-kcysZmCHGvFLv5dUuqKo9SuHW4tksZipTk/s442/sheet-phantom-factory.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="442" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnlgwFmQ90Cism9TYsK1gs52SlflWn_6bS6JqVvarsfhbgU9mQxY0uWCzQGgYdcDjTpb-2lB9L1V_gjpmgKJuplMix2qSvRDrqB9tkUsukWdDc4IiYScMmS20AEvXhsyHIaLoDLNGy7EL_sFlorowi_nw-kcysZmCHGvFLv5dUuqKo9SuHW4tksZipTk/s320/sheet-phantom-factory.PNG" width="320" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: left;">To begin with, however, I'd like to make some notes of a couple monsters that I accidentally missed had original versions in Fiend Factory! First, my overwhelming favorite from the last entry, the SHEET PHANTOM!!! You can't imagine my delight when I was scrolling through my pdf of the Factory column and saw this delightful illustration of the undead fabric that I had somehow completely missed. Content-wise, the Factory sheet phantom is just a simpler presentation of the phantom and ghoul in the Folio; I really appreciate the economy of language on display. For instance, the sheet ghoul is just one sentence rather than a whole separate entry. I could learn a thing or two from that!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kalJYKEcFSl7OQPhnv7RcgGtzInA-30VAtJAefr1Qogrn_XcqmG1_0HLJX8bVSeHGuhEO6YtBFebVLc9Kr1Y_1HE7uKu2xwrd6M9R8yqwhbNWxO3z0LSD3mhPslUJmL2gUz4tAuBaqSIsjxMXmzP2bjH1i-hHMZKLo-QdEHuFa1j6zz5bvnln8fDKsA/s456/berbalang-fiend-factory.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="456" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kalJYKEcFSl7OQPhnv7RcgGtzInA-30VAtJAefr1Qogrn_XcqmG1_0HLJX8bVSeHGuhEO6YtBFebVLc9Kr1Y_1HE7uKu2xwrd6M9R8yqwhbNWxO3z0LSD3mhPslUJmL2gUz4tAuBaqSIsjxMXmzP2bjH1i-hHMZKLo-QdEHuFa1j6zz5bvnln8fDKsA/s320/berbalang-fiend-factory.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On top of that (literally), it turned out that the berbalang, a Malay vampire that we covered <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/12/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-2-b-team.html">much earlier in this series</a> (like four years ago, embarrassingly enough), was also first present in Fiend Factory! I really like the way they rendered the name, with those cool bat wings on either side; and while the Russ Nicholson illustration in the Folio is distinctive, this one is pretty good too! The description is very similar to the Folio berbalang, so I don't really have anything to add there. Just wanted to make sure to note it!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Shocker</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b></b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>Not the... worst monster I've seen, it's definitely very usable and I think there could be something interesting here, but the way its presented here leaves a Lot to be desired. Basically, its a hazy humanoid crackling with energy that has an electrical shock attack. That's about it; the only other interesting detail is that there are 1d4 gemstones within the shocker's body that will become apparent when it attacks; I quite like that, it feels kinda videogamey in a good way. Everything else is either incredibly basic and boring or just unnecessary. The entire first paragraph is a waste of ink, taking up almost half the creature's description just to say "we don't know where it comes from, maybe this plane, maybe that plane, who knows." Boring! Just commit to something interesting, please. Would be 1 star except I do think I'd use an electricity monster with gems inside, I just would want it to be more interesting than this.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQ3He0ipPUInSWYrQ4uTJMZbKMW3sFVqBKUWEN-G9AmaQHY1VT-aPELXeEA4gXjuNuaSt1ZjQrNvPM0C5y5zgsD3xNaalihIctzEwMc_1mhXWLDZ29zHHQEUsjBQKbbhjONTaDhjSfQ3f7C4fSquONzdYmGYn5ZWjs47uZfpvow-SZvGjg27vAJLJ1MM/s331/skeleton-warrior.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="140" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQ3He0ipPUInSWYrQ4uTJMZbKMW3sFVqBKUWEN-G9AmaQHY1VT-aPELXeEA4gXjuNuaSt1ZjQrNvPM0C5y5zgsD3xNaalihIctzEwMc_1mhXWLDZ29zHHQEUsjBQKbbhjONTaDhjSfQ3f7C4fSquONzdYmGYn5ZWjs47uZfpvow-SZvGjg27vAJLJ1MM/s320/skeleton-warrior.PNG" width="135" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b>Skeleton Warrior</b></div><div>★★★★☆</div><div>At first glance, this one looks really generic, typical of the overly taxonomic listings of various undead types in AD&amp;D manuals; it's basically just a fighter class equivalent of the lich. While a fighter-lich might have some abstract value for gameplay, what I find more interesting and more compelling here is the tragic quality implicit in the skeleton warrior's description. They are "clad in the rich, but faded and rotting trappings of a powerful warrior," and are constantly in search of golden circlets which hold their soul similar to a lich's phylactery. Unlike the lich, the skeleton warrior doesn't necessarily know where this circlet is, and if one puts the circlet on their head and is within 240 feet of the skeleton warrior, they <i>control the skeleton warrior's movements and actions</i>. If the skeleton warrior is more than 240 feet away, or one takes off the circlet, the control goes away; and if the circlet is still in the possession of the skeleton warrior's former controller, they will rush at their former controller and attempt to kill them and take the circlet for themselves; for when they put the golden circlet on their head, they immediately die, and the circlet collapses into worthless dust. It also mentions that skeleton warriors will become aware of you the moment you acquire one such golden circlet even if you don't know how it works and seek you out too. This is amazing stuff! The implicit narrative here, of a long dead once-great warrior forced to cling to a pitiful existence while constantly at risk of being turned into little more than a puppet, violently seeking out his own destruction by seizing the golden circlet from its current owner at the first chance he gets, is incredibly compelling! I think that element alone makes me interested in putting a skeleton warrior in my game, although I'd probably make it somewhat unique rather than a whole "type" of undead; and maybe he will plead for the adventurers' mercy, begging to be allowed to collapse into dust, while being controlled by one of the players.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jiZ0Ejh7D4hyphenhyphenBhkQ2vXEcWNvCJoUK3Z9gpGIhH0oUVGm_BeMpIaAOYGRtbKLSTRuD5Bu9c2dI18zp7TJCjRzbPMVcCDTvz2Yr8MNfeoDsbZ96MZPeQTlsrb-4MbW8O4qdPoJ-sK7CdpDwxc4MM-kWuRAXzbtYcOcnfCj-yerqOc8Los_h2KsJ-5o0DQ/s272/skulk-folio.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="208" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jiZ0Ejh7D4hyphenhyphenBhkQ2vXEcWNvCJoUK3Z9gpGIhH0oUVGm_BeMpIaAOYGRtbKLSTRuD5Bu9c2dI18zp7TJCjRzbPMVcCDTvz2Yr8MNfeoDsbZ96MZPeQTlsrb-4MbW8O4qdPoJ-sK7CdpDwxc4MM-kWuRAXzbtYcOcnfCj-yerqOc8Los_h2KsJ-5o0DQ/s1600/skulk-folio.PNG" width="208" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Skulk</b></div><div>★★★☆☆</div><div>Just neat! Apparently, a people group known for cowardice can eventually evolve to develop chameleon-like camouflage powers (only a 10% chance of sighting one when they're not moving!). Who knew! They sneak and skulk (hehehe) around, stealing stuff to survive, using their heightened camouflage to blend into their surroundings. The note that these were once normal human beings who evolved chameleon-like powers makes them much more interesting than if they were just another demihuman race. The description is overwrought but that's to be expected I guess.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZkWCbW3XnBTlu66I46WtMWdfFeB7wotssIS322Y_nw7_fq8pFrEz1GmMaamI6UWAk9Uq_PQbPuX6iSrmy2LngeM0UC_5hAZxzKl2-SiHwH2sGyVvvLdj7DoV-4Zp-Ne_I59cEXNXSpBv_jIVtxNIygxZO5DfwpBKdNVTpI4R-Jv4OK0bmZGMJDLbIXY/s726/all-the-slaadi.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="726" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZkWCbW3XnBTlu66I46WtMWdfFeB7wotssIS322Y_nw7_fq8pFrEz1GmMaamI6UWAk9Uq_PQbPuX6iSrmy2LngeM0UC_5hAZxzKl2-SiHwH2sGyVvvLdj7DoV-4Zp-Ne_I59cEXNXSpBv_jIVtxNIygxZO5DfwpBKdNVTpI4R-Jv4OK0bmZGMJDLbIXY/s320/all-the-slaadi.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The five types of slaadi: clockwise from top left, Blue, Green, Red, Grey, and Death Slaadi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><b>SLAAD</b></div><div>★★★★☆</div><div>The slaadi might be one of the best, most enduring, most distinctive and fun of the "races" of entities created for the Fiend Folio. I can't help but love an army of extradimensional color-coded frog-men, drawn in Russ Nicholson's delightfully grotty style each sporting somewhere between a shit-eating grin and a toothy grimace. While they dwell in the outer plane of Limbo along with the githzerai (who I explored the implications of in this previous installment), they can also be found "roaming the Prime Material Plane on missions of woe." MISSIONS OF WOE!!!! I love missions of woe!!</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Even though there are five different types of slaadi, I'm bundling them all together because they're all basically the same. This is where I struggle; while I like the kind of videogamey color-coding of the ranks of malignant slaad, they take up just about two full pages of text to basically just say that this slaad has access to this spell list while this other kind has a this other spell list. It's incredibly unnecessary, and I think could be done in a much more succinct way. All slaadi have a gemstone-like symbol embedded in their skull which, when possessed, allows the holder to give the slaad three commands (although they must be rightfully rewarded for performing the commanded actions or else they'll kill you!). In addition, blue slaadi have sharp blades embedded in the backs of their hands that give them extra attacks, death slaadi are extra powerful (only four are known to exist), green slaadi reincarnate as blue slaadi if their bodies are destroyed but their symbol isn't (weird?), grey slaadi are the Executioners sent to the material plane to do the bidding of slaad leaders, and red slaadi have toxic pellets they inject when they attack that kill the target in 3-36 hours (weird range) on a failed save. Some of these are more distinctive than others; I'm docking one point mostly for the kinda annoying over-taxonomization of it all, but in general, as a <i>concept</i> I love the slaad... and that concept is only strengthened by the entities that lead this merry band of atrocious amphibians.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYskZ_VVsgdglOgzr1StJqBiwtzpDwgOEExi7UX3HJi-Gm3EOqsTEcnXNZuLsJ7ManLYJujU9goqdw27yEjJ7dw5mmrBcA8y_RMz5WayRsvib0o_MeOgz1S21v1_417uc1LMry0ga8Vrqcm-ZU8k-FEoRb83O10XUmfZJRRJ4H2fE7pHf8vEQIE1ZFhg/s319/SSENDAM%20INSANE%20LORD.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="241" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYskZ_VVsgdglOgzr1StJqBiwtzpDwgOEExi7UX3HJi-Gm3EOqsTEcnXNZuLsJ7ManLYJujU9goqdw27yEjJ7dw5mmrBcA8y_RMz5WayRsvib0o_MeOgz1S21v1_417uc1LMry0ga8Vrqcm-ZU8k-FEoRb83O10XUmfZJRRJ4H2fE7pHf8vEQIE1ZFhg/s1600/SSENDAM%20INSANE%20LORD.PNG" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WOE BETIDE BEFORE SSENDAM<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b>Ssendam - Lord of the Insane</b></div><div>★★★★★</div><div>The first of the two slaad lords is SSENDAM, a shapeshifter (the more powerful slaadi have the ability to shapeshift between their frog-like form and a human form) that appears either as a human with an accursed black sword or as a <b><i>golden amoeba with a human brain instead of a nucleus</i></b>. DUDE!!! That's SICK!!! In actuality, Ssendam's original form is just a golden frog-slaad unconscious in the plane of Limbo while his amoeboid form is in the Prime Material Plane, which I think is much more boring than if he was just a brain-amoeba all the time, but I gotta hand it to them for the amazing image of a shimmering slimy amoeba with a human brain floating at its center commanding an army of devil-frogs. I just love it!! He attacks with corrosive pseudopods, casts a lot of powerful spells, can summon any of the five types of slaadi, and regenerates 3 hp per round in combat, so he's a hefty opponent! Also: "When encountered, Ssendam always gives his true name, though woe betide he who tries to use it." I don't often get to the level of play where my players would be facing off against a creature as powerful as Ssendam, but in terms of high level monsters, this is a great one; I think I'd just make it so he's always in amoeba form (ooh or maybe he can shape his amoeba body into a vaguely humanoid silhouette rather than being able to shapeshift perfectly into a human).</div><div>&nbsp;<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbfjHVYQXGpOH4KqGcfI_SuwqxcijGa2VesndefWM_68PHEm09vgXFYYEFxvFGhSCDB1YsdxeZ0-LRQFfa_cVOT3oErkxq3_ofRpYFBdCnrnW9WSln9Hf5W7sdKA0i-sqheKkkd7T1XpEbzpIPFK7zvoCVQ6cj1fheEkPMl6UBkcXnXBuQrkLvgNTuwA/s338/ygorl-lord.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="222" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbfjHVYQXGpOH4KqGcfI_SuwqxcijGa2VesndefWM_68PHEm09vgXFYYEFxvFGhSCDB1YsdxeZ0-LRQFfa_cVOT3oErkxq3_ofRpYFBdCnrnW9WSln9Hf5W7sdKA0i-sqheKkkd7T1XpEbzpIPFK7zvoCVQ6cj1fheEkPMl6UBkcXnXBuQrkLvgNTuwA/s320/ygorl-lord.PNG" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COWER BEFORE "DEATH" IN THE CLAWS OF YGORL<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><b>Ygorl - Lord of Entropy</b></div><div>★★★★★</div><div>It's ya gorl! Just like with Ssendam, Ygorl is a slaad lord with a delightfully incongruent design: a pitch black, skeletal, bat-winged figure wielding a large scythe on the side of which is inscribed the word "DEATH", riding on an ancient brass dragon which the description informs us is named Shkiv. Ygorl doesn't change his form, unlike Ssendam, and nobody has seen his original frog-like form in Limbo (though the description includes speculation that it is a large black-colored slaad; again, I'd much rather Ygorl just always be the dark skeletal figure atop the dragon). Ygorl's death-scythe kills instantly on a failed save, and he attacks with it twice per round (in addition to Shkiv's presumed dragon-breath), as well as having a whole litany of spells and once-per-day powers (including power word: kill; maybe a bit overboard when your scythe already does basically the same thing!). Facing off against either Ssendam or Ygorl would be incredibly difficult, with all the various powers afforded them and their ability to summon other slaadi. I'd like to think that Ssendam and Ygorl are rivals; perhaps their interminable conflict (and whatever annoyance comes from the clone-like githzerai) is the only thing stopping the slaadi from completely overrunning the world; getting caught up in a space-faring extradimensional demon-frog cold war (with the gith as a wild card element) would make for an interesting higher level game!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Snyad (aka Pestie)</b></div><div>★☆☆☆☆</div><div>Mischievous and violent small humanoid #1589459. The description even notes that they're a cousin of <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/goin-through-fiend-folio-lamia-noble-to.html">the mite</a>, which makes it even more obvious just how similar the two are! Not even the two grotty Russ Nicholson drawings featured alongside it can save this one. They dwell in tunnels dug into the sides of corridors that are really well hidden and only emerge to steal from adventuring parties, and never attack; they sometimes work with mites to lay traps, and have no spoken language yet somehow work together. Please just use a goblin.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0bckVvQ8n3JyH2_X9UB01sj_1idZ98h3PlX8LWQYItD-F8JRhoUlssRvNZE12eq0ZTo62st4u_Br5YLmlo3qKpqSX-_LQ6BrHZ4FBoRR-5k_WixRCtsOW5vXPYVMNxJGmmKQ5LjiCNc1OVzCLS9h2nUGoXbyvJyCMNvh5uJaoiIxjNw6pvu0Ia0NouU/s270/SON%20OF%20KYUSS.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="200" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0bckVvQ8n3JyH2_X9UB01sj_1idZ98h3PlX8LWQYItD-F8JRhoUlssRvNZE12eq0ZTo62st4u_Br5YLmlo3qKpqSX-_LQ6BrHZ4FBoRR-5k_WixRCtsOW5vXPYVMNxJGmmKQ5LjiCNc1OVzCLS9h2nUGoXbyvJyCMNvh5uJaoiIxjNw6pvu0Ia0NouU/s1600/SON%20OF%20KYUSS.PNG" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Son of Kyuss</b></div><div>★★★★★</div><div>YEAHHH!!! The Son of Kyuss always stuck out to me, like some of the really iconic and distinctly "fiend folio" monsters from toward the beginning of the book. A staggering, shuddering walking corpse, animated by some evil priest long ago whose name still clings to them, with great big green worms writhing around in their eye sockets, nose hole, and mouth. It's an incredibly striking visual!! Just the simple addition of the worms takes this from Yet Another Undead to a <i>unique</i> type of undead that has its own distinctive associations. Mechanically, they're relatively simple yet distinct; they attack primarily by just flailing around their rotten fists which is so unsettling and gross, feeling less like an actual calculated attack and more like them just forcing their dead bulk on you, and there's a chance that the worms in their face-holes can jump out at a target and burrow into their flesh, beelining for the brain in 1d4 rounds. The worms end up feeling like they have more agency than the corpses themselves! On top of that, the Son of Kyuss's unfeeling fists cause LEPROSY. What's not to love! I think that the Sons of Kyuss would fit perfectly in the world of King of Kings, alongside my <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/05/on-assassins-geckos-and-leprosy.html">leprosy-causing assassin-geckos</a> and <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/03/parrot-fiends-of-house-manati-and.html">parrot-fiends</a>.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDXCfCQvyqNRqZ7QCE47-9lPeaDYJzYvbTTYXSehVNHXjdq1_XzqgqjKtzOuz52AzBEk11CAej5_hAV5RJ3owIruF8xg0gkXIVBUoBqjF0bfEeE_0lCIaxPF9VJmT0AiC7wENmjSTqwBymoHPLHbJAXOgUILYM1TNpAn3rdqsueWpL4DFz0JZbvMaFuE/s291/stunjelly.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="207" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDXCfCQvyqNRqZ7QCE47-9lPeaDYJzYvbTTYXSehVNHXjdq1_XzqgqjKtzOuz52AzBEk11CAej5_hAV5RJ3owIruF8xg0gkXIVBUoBqjF0bfEeE_0lCIaxPF9VJmT0AiC7wENmjSTqwBymoHPLHbJAXOgUILYM1TNpAn3rdqsueWpL4DFz0JZbvMaFuE/s1600/stunjelly.PNG" width="207" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hobbitses (aka silly little guys) are constantly in danger of being in the dungeon</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><b><br />Stunjelly <br /></b></div><div>★★★☆☆</div><div>A relative of the gelatinous cube that trades the cube's transparent hallway-filling slime for a translucent surface that visually imitates the look of a stone wall. A lesser-known entrant into the "every single surface and object in the dungeon can and will kill you" genre! I personally find this less fun and evocative than the kinda weirder lurker above or trapper, but I guess it fills the space between those two! Paralyzes targets with a touch before trying to engulf and digest them. It's okay!&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPLmxDndEHLg9z868VCUbkPS09S4yOTImUmCQjrt6sw-TsD4ZDxRCJKXg5jWXcPJTdkFgYCS-8hEfbTiCgJyR1SNKTjMFdpXNxE5GU8y1dr6NoWSVM4Pwr6KkqqNVNWJNgJd55NZm-jbF2Uhg37b0vOXbEpF6R4YGf2Y0G9p0TfJbkhuSriZWfJRoTSA/s398/sussurus.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="398" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPLmxDndEHLg9z868VCUbkPS09S4yOTImUmCQjrt6sw-TsD4ZDxRCJKXg5jWXcPJTdkFgYCS-8hEfbTiCgJyR1SNKTjMFdpXNxE5GU8y1dr6NoWSVM4Pwr6KkqqNVNWJNgJd55NZm-jbF2Uhg37b0vOXbEpF6R4YGf2Y0G9p0TfJbkhuSriZWfJRoTSA/s320/sussurus.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Sussurus</b></div><div>★★★★★</div><div>The sussurus (taking its name from susurration, a term for a murmuring, whispering sound) is another Fiend Folio classic, a weird headless ape-thing made out of knotted thorny matter (it looks like a plant but the description doesn't say it is), criss-crossed with hollow tunnels that produce a droning sound when air moves through them. The sussurus "sees" through vibrations, feeds on the air, and is rendered briefly immobile by strong enough wind surging through its passageways. The "drone song" of the sussurus causes undead creatures to become placid, to enter a "sleep of the dead" where they stand there listlessly, only breaking out of it when attacked. Additionally, it hates fire; not because it is susceptible to burning, but because fire burns away oxygen! I just love how weird all of the various elements of the sussurus are, yet they feel just <i>right</i> all together, and mysterious enough to prompt interesting questions from the hypothetical players: where did these things come from, and why does the droning sound of their breathing cause undead to fall into a peaceful standing-sleep? I'd also recommend checking out <a href="https://bogleech.com/dnd/sussurus">this really great article over at Bogleech.com</a> all about the various forms the sussurus has taken across the different editions of D&amp;D!</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhfimjVN2xkEXAvwKMPqMIGm2N_uwBT5UFqqNDj76OPgKTgrqsg45uBmMnW_ytJcGaqgYwIxzJfdoAcAVH3Q0tgfjsGFBpCB_1mRRg7V3PXO3_iDDvFI-McOIGnPUV6Mj7DMd-8uo5dn4JCgSwYleaSdzuIl-_FtC-Di-cWN4bViYKVwqulZWEFHqwfI/s340/svirfneblin.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="201" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhfimjVN2xkEXAvwKMPqMIGm2N_uwBT5UFqqNDj76OPgKTgrqsg45uBmMnW_ytJcGaqgYwIxzJfdoAcAVH3Q0tgfjsGFBpCB_1mRRg7V3PXO3_iDDvFI-McOIGnPUV6Mj7DMd-8uo5dn4JCgSwYleaSdzuIl-_FtC-Di-cWN4bViYKVwqulZWEFHqwfI/s320/svirfneblin.PNG" width="189" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Svirfneblin (aka Deep Gnome)</b></div><div>★★☆☆☆</div><div>Please Gary... no more demihuman races... there's too many of them... Svirfneblin first appear in the original series of adventure modules that first introduced the Underdark, the same origin point as the Drow and Kuo-Toa. Perhaps this is just due to my inclination toward weird evil things but the Svirfneblin feel like the weakest of the new subterranean races introduced in that line of modules. And yet, the Folio takes almost a <i>page and a half</i> to describe Deep Gnome powers and abilities, the weapons they carry, the makeup of their parties, etc. etc. It's a lot like the overwrought description for the Kuo-Toa honestly. Notably, they can summon earth elementals, and when the going gets tough they flee into tunnels carved exactly to their size (so I guess the players wouldn't be able to follow after... unless they were halflings or gnomes themselves?), and they'll only assist the players for a fee. The Russ Nicholson illustration does have a Jim Henson's Labyrinth quality to it which I like, but Svirfneblin are kinda meh... kinda like the name though! I think I'd just prefer something more like folkloric kobolds than yet-another-gnome-variant.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><b>Symbiotic Jelly</b></div><div>★☆☆☆☆</div><div>Ahh... the furtive symbiotic jelly, so easily forgotten... and for good reason! I love weird slimes and oozes, I love monsters with very particular niches and lifestyles, but there is just Too Much going on with this monster in terms of what it does. The description itself isn't particularly long, but it proscribes such a particular mode of behavior for the jelly that I can't imagine ever actually putting it into a game. In basic terms, the symbiotic jelly has to feed on a carnivorous creature at the same time as the carnivore is feeding; weird, but alright. What it does to ensure this happens is, it hangs around in a monster's lair, and when the monster returns, it charms the creature and makes it attack whatever enters the lair afterward, and then uses a magical illusion power to make the carnivorous monster look weaker than it really is, and make the lair look like its filled with treasure when it isn't. I guess, to trick players into going into the lair because it'll seem like treasure that they can easily grab without having to worry about the monster. What is even the point of this. Moreso than the stunjelly or the lurker above or whatever, this monster seems like it only exists to fuck with the players.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>...strangely enough though, this player-fucking-with monster is actually our only creature in this post (not counting the ones I missed previously at the top) that has an original from the Fiend Factory; and the original name is So much better.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS9zZleOjNk7RbLXGjspO8ayxAbxeM8PgHFmiaaSrY5JTiTmCnP9Abz83LBYU7rRK5PbyfA3Z9cBgjnxvgYVhBK9i8rLTfweT439Jv9rhpmP0Q2pzQANPyzTxewisdBXPj0m0sKWp7l3G06QlTmzQq3Vhm-j2yHRilpA6QsW2wuRV-1tW5uyVX3GngGw/s442/chaoticus-symbioticus.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="442" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS9zZleOjNk7RbLXGjspO8ayxAbxeM8PgHFmiaaSrY5JTiTmCnP9Abz83LBYU7rRK5PbyfA3Z9cBgjnxvgYVhBK9i8rLTfweT439Jv9rhpmP0Q2pzQANPyzTxewisdBXPj0m0sKWp7l3G06QlTmzQq3Vhm-j2yHRilpA6QsW2wuRV-1tW5uyVX3GngGw/s320/chaoticus-symbioticus.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>The CHAOTICUS SYMBIOTICUS??? I kinda really love the illustration here actually; the description is, as expected, much simpler, but basically hits the same notes as the Folio description. Don Turnbull <i>loved</i> this thing apparently:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmunhx2OlMy3umRQZNvu-0PQ6QJl77GkHvLDpZAYpUzOrutyuKd8Y-8hf7XTWJoDr7Tf4YFuKOsOyvCR2hSALv4pXGEBopPX-F9SLJcsum4LT83MunfRb6rDeG2_I1I-wpnQei6QJSpnug6t7a_ZtUV1INwDlByVqfmOsH6BMF9FERdAqgQZvwg3xBXQ/s428/turnbull-comment.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="428" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmunhx2OlMy3umRQZNvu-0PQ6QJl77GkHvLDpZAYpUzOrutyuKd8Y-8hf7XTWJoDr7Tf4YFuKOsOyvCR2hSALv4pXGEBopPX-F9SLJcsum4LT83MunfRb6rDeG2_I1I-wpnQei6QJSpnug6t7a_ZtUV1INwDlByVqfmOsH6BMF9FERdAqgQZvwg3xBXQ/s320/turnbull-comment.png" width="320" /></a></div>Cheerio Fred! Perhaps his suggestion of only one per dungeon is a good one; I for one would only want one of these per campaign, if at all!<br /><div><br /></div><div>Now that was way more monsters than I originally planned on covering, but I didn't want to cut S into even smaller chunks. Sorry about that! I hope it's still interesting and fun to read :) Stay tuned next time for even more weirdos, starting with the letter T!<br /></div></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/678711403253445609/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/08/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-15.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/678711403253445609'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/678711403253445609'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/08/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-15.html' title='Goin' Through the Fiend Folio Part 15 (Shocker to Symbiotic Jelly)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnlgwFmQ90Cism9TYsK1gs52SlflWn_6bS6JqVvarsfhbgU9mQxY0uWCzQGgYdcDjTpb-2lB9L1V_gjpmgKJuplMix2qSvRDrqB9tkUsukWdDc4IiYScMmS20AEvXhsyHIaLoDLNGy7EL_sFlorowi_nw-kcysZmCHGvFLv5dUuqKo9SuHW4tksZipTk/s72-c/sheet-phantom-factory.PNG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-4055515658918554292</id><published>2024-07-30T14:11:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-08-01T09:33:18.840-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="history"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="polity post"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="worldbuilding"/><title type='text'>The World of King of Kings: The Kingdom of the Straits</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: left;">Just like with my last post, it has <i>also</i> been more than a year since <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-world-of-king-of-kings-brief.html">my last King of Kings worldbuilding post!</a> I won't bore y'all with a rehashing of my intentions for the series; this is the second part in a hopefully multi-part series of posts about various parts of the world of King of Kings, told primarily through rumors, character backgrounds, random encounters, and the like. Check out the previous World of King of Kings post for a rundown on the general historical timeline of the setting and stuff about the Enlightened Empire, the core setting of the campaign!</div><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gi0L6tTDip5zTBqgSOnduLGmKei453Ns4GM0f42usBA0Ybc9-P83-yGLORv1YKijEKMLgNpKMxYIjYdgPpLqftxLgrQzYtvwYZiFytEt1Rikmx0pftupiHMNzg1-iINy2g3w71NWr6z4JEFTjVHIxAxMo2i7nzObL9UDq3ap7YfO8VIaKs3lXdkRFFI/s1012/tigray-church-3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1012" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gi0L6tTDip5zTBqgSOnduLGmKei453Ns4GM0f42usBA0Ybc9-P83-yGLORv1YKijEKMLgNpKMxYIjYdgPpLqftxLgrQzYtvwYZiFytEt1Rikmx0pftupiHMNzg1-iINy2g3w71NWr6z4JEFTjVHIxAxMo2i7nzObL9UDq3ap7YfO8VIaKs3lXdkRFFI/w400-h313/tigray-church-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the Church of Abreha wa Atsbeha, near Wukro, East Tigray, Ethiopia<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3byVd0POXVT5Ad_Wmx3hNj13aMPkcz8klwU1Ax0Fcvbx0YMBYifT3No7-8TTr-nL9ORTM39v3KNa_O-YQH34CUF5HBa0PdEDrZoC1mr6cxvboetZr1CKTsFSIWzLoUWWYCBjavK9nYv_RBhcHr0affIE7x82kBtFSMvXM_xa__B-FWB_6cdHdX-KO4JM/s804/20240725_160640.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="804" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3byVd0POXVT5Ad_Wmx3hNj13aMPkcz8klwU1Ax0Fcvbx0YMBYifT3No7-8TTr-nL9ORTM39v3KNa_O-YQH34CUF5HBa0PdEDrZoC1mr6cxvboetZr1CKTsFSIWzLoUWWYCBjavK9nYv_RBhcHr0affIE7x82kBtFSMvXM_xa__B-FWB_6cdHdX-KO4JM/s320/20240725_160640.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A map of the Kingdom of the Straits, with south on top.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">THE KINGDOM OF THE STRAITS</div><div style="text-align: left;">Situated to the southwest of the Enlightened Empire is the commercially powerful Kingdom of the Straits, so called because it stands astride three points which control the flow of east-west trade. The Kingdom's capital, She-ako, abides among looming obelisks in the heat of the southern continent, although its influence reaches much farther. The wise and magnanimous kings of She-ako are rich off of trade, and patronize the only bank which loans to Shahanistanis, Gnostic Elves, and Dog-Headed Men alike. It was this grand bank that, along with the kingdom's fleet of Frogling-operated sea vessels, bailed out the Enlightened Empire during the Fifty Years' Crisis (when amazons, dog-headed men, and rebels almost tore the Empire apart).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Due to its geography, the Kingdom of the Straits can be neatly divided into three parts. The Kingdom's mainland stretches from windy highlands (the old heartland, where the capital is located) down to the sweltering lowlands, where the Kingdom's two main rivers empty into the sea. Across from the mainland is the arid peninsular province, rich in frankincense, myrrh, and cinnamon. This was its own independent kingdom centuries ago, before one of the kings of She-ako invaded and razed its capital, Hudh, to the ground. The last of the Kingdom's territories is the small settlement of Kago on the heavily forested Isle of the Moon, little more than a trading outpost for tropical fruits and pygmy elephants.</div><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIyJuY0LYVPmD-OaAWRxRLQUT7YG33R_eytcFnDa8wzDw8Yz95x6pxOQ8xuTT3rrGEoySz_8K-hnpQt0B2ncR03mtf-5Q-qph3Fh56bzjhRychWzdlS9txaCA-49p7EUEs85zXjbCclvSH_MMc0REq4FUfmgdsYM-oPSIRcCNVYyXcg9v-j9cHvGGdx4/s835/358ec96e0e35a59816a78f0af35a042b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="643" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIyJuY0LYVPmD-OaAWRxRLQUT7YG33R_eytcFnDa8wzDw8Yz95x6pxOQ8xuTT3rrGEoySz_8K-hnpQt0B2ncR03mtf-5Q-qph3Fh56bzjhRychWzdlS9txaCA-49p7EUEs85zXjbCclvSH_MMc0REq4FUfmgdsYM-oPSIRcCNVYyXcg9v-j9cHvGGdx4/w308-h400/358ec96e0e35a59816a78f0af35a042b.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aksumite governor and Arabian troops, Angus McBride<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">RUMORS ABOUT THE STRAITS</div><div style="text-align: left;">Roll 1d12:</div><div style="text-align: left;">1: In the markets of New Hudh and elsewhere, a message is preached aloud and whispered at night: the last of Hudh's ancient kings still lives, and his return will usher in a millennium of independence for the peninsula.&nbsp;</div>2: Beyond the southern mountain passes dwells the man-eating, four-eyed, ax-headed ogre Bulgu. The country is defended from him by a great warrior that wields stelae as if they were clubs.</div><div style="text-align: left;">3: A frogling sorcerer from She-ako has cast a spell on select coins from the grand bank that lets him see through the drachmae as if they were eyes. Only small signs, the barest of distinct notches, will show which coins are ensorcelled.</div><div style="text-align: left;">4: In the highlands around She-ako, every blacksmith in every town can transform into a hyena simply by biting his metalworking tongs.</div><div style="text-align: left;">5:&nbsp; There is a frogling sailor who moors in the port of Kago with a ship made of banana peels, propelled by fruit flies. To some he is kindly despite his gross exterior, to others he is a rapacious pirate.</div><div style="text-align: left;">6: Dwelling in the mountainous highlands are emaciated ants with the faces of lions.</div><div style="text-align: left;">7: The southern amazons are engaged in a jungle war with the merchant princes in Kago. They burst out of tunnels dug beneath the undergrowth.</div><div style="text-align: left;">8: The elephants from the Kingdom of the Straits are the wisest of elephants, baptizing themselves in rivers and performing funerals for their dead. However, they are cursed, because they worship the moon.</div><div style="text-align: left;">9: Ostrich-hunters will trick these anxious birds by bending over and holding up an arm in imitation of the ostrich's silhouette, holding their spear between their toes until it is time to strike.</div><div style="text-align: left;">10: The bank of She-ako puts out bounties for those who have debased or defaced the currency; punching a hole through a coin is a death sentence.</div><div style="text-align: left;">11: Laughing leucrottas, with reddish fur, cloven hooves, and a single solid flat tooth on bottom and top jaw, lurk in the highlands. They compete with ghuls for corpseflesh, which they masticate into a paste. The King of Kings has been seeking out one to add to his menagerie.</div><div style="text-align: left;">12: A fisher-witch of the lowlands rides on twin crocodiles, one foot on each, as she evades the soldiers of the king that keep peace in the river deltas.</div><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLIVkKcgFG0tos4OaASG-tEh3220A7a3H32hwAVjyM5zysb_Z6cTVkG7XzwDImaa4gOrQwTnPkrKWjWUA-tbWgQQ3ckdGonaxRn8WsNN_XYrvqZhgeYFAan1PDvl7o2momBDySDDCDJz57_PVD8QK-b-XouOosUiTwV8lfyOUHpbIFAw-zDDqA0RtdqI/s1003/Dhamar_Ali_Yahbur_(bust).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1003" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLIVkKcgFG0tos4OaASG-tEh3220A7a3H32hwAVjyM5zysb_Z6cTVkG7XzwDImaa4gOrQwTnPkrKWjWUA-tbWgQQ3ckdGonaxRn8WsNN_XYrvqZhgeYFAan1PDvl7o2momBDySDDCDJz57_PVD8QK-b-XouOosUiTwV8lfyOUHpbIFAw-zDDqA0RtdqI/s320/Dhamar_Ali_Yahbur_(bust).jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of the Occulted King (in reality, Dhamar'aliy Yuhbabirr of the Himyarite Kingdom of Yemen)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS FROM THE STRAITS</div><div style="text-align: left;">Roll 1d10 or pick (in parentheses are the starting items afforded by the background)<br />1: Abandoned Ambassador (letter of introduction, a tattered and stained gabi, a walking stick, a gold and pearl memento of home)<br />2: Agent of the Occulted King (eyes that glance back and forth, a quiet whisper, a silver icon of the Occulted King's hand, a curved jambiya dagger)<br />3: Dhow Sailor (a dhow, your sea legs, 40' of rope, a short dagger)<br />4: Disgraced Banker (stolen lockbox with 30 coins in it (1 drachm each), one ear cut off, a great sense of appraisal)<br />5: Elephant Wrangler (A baby elephant, 60' of rope, 2 spears, experience grappling large animals)<br />6: Exiled Moneyer (a defaced coin on a string, a crucible for melting metal, a hammer and anvil die, quick feet)<br />7: Incense Harvester (a thick cloth used for climbing trees, a hammer and scraping tool, thick calluses, a hunk of sweet-smelling resin)<br />8: Orator of the Occulted King (a scroll of propaganda poetry, a silver tongue, a silver icon of the Occulted King's eye, a curved jambiya dagger)<br />9: Spice Merchant (a crate of cinnamon, a laboring servant, a set of scales)<br />10: Stele Carver (a hammer and chisel, extensive construction experience and knowledge of stone, a cowrie-shell necklace declaring your importance)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcayzoosPRp8osfU3XPFj9NIlqbuGAjuYM8ImxK0V-B-Y4yq7sOG1Aw58lFYrUoyZWqCyuHgdGAIXWUNdAiQjLDr4awad_cRUXb6dNEQJvar1ajN2CgZc9H5jAwa8ZfGIpHKKCMn_Ee58OoaV4n2i_heQynAai12FUqlgf-yoGPbp1DL_5b8XZjmk4hM/s2560/Feature_Aksum_Opener-scaled.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1707" data-original-width="2560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcayzoosPRp8osfU3XPFj9NIlqbuGAjuYM8ImxK0V-B-Y4yq7sOG1Aw58lFYrUoyZWqCyuHgdGAIXWUNdAiQjLDr4awad_cRUXb6dNEQJvar1ajN2CgZc9H5jAwa8ZfGIpHKKCMn_Ee58OoaV4n2i_heQynAai12FUqlgf-yoGPbp1DL_5b8XZjmk4hM/w400-h266/Feature_Aksum_Opener-scaled.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fallen obelisk, more standing in the background, Aksum, Ethiopia<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">TREASURES FROM THE STRAITS</div><div style="text-align: left;">Roll 1d10 or pick: <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1: Silver filigreed censer, filled with frankincense.</div><div style="text-align: left;">2: Specialized mancatcher, used by the march-rangers of the northern borderlands to ensnare headless man-eaters whose faces are in their chests. Its wider grip grabs them at the waist.</div><div style="text-align: left;">3: Jambiya dagger in a jewel-encrusted sheath.</div><div style="text-align: left;">4: Fan made from ostrich feathers.</div><div style="text-align: left;">5: Statuette of a previous king of She-ako carved from elephant ivory, set into an ebony base.</div><div style="text-align: left;">6: Wooden helmet that covers the neck and head, with a visor of ivory that can be lowered to block the gaze of the dreadful catoblepas.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">7: Amphora with swirling designs, filled with hundreds of coins.</div><div style="text-align: left;">8: Silver necklace with a small walnut shell, complete with hinge and lock; when the walnut locket is opened, it contains a lock of the Occulted King's hair.</div><div style="text-align: left;">9: A gold statuette of a crocodile with a woman sitting atop it.</div><div style="text-align: left;">10: A stone chest full of cinnamon; but be careful! There is a 2-in-6 chance the cinnamon has been adulterated with wood shavings!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqrznXpGk9iNszhLDbWKAkA8oR2k4XEg6yBiSfreJ1Z8M1FT0skPdHmD0u0f1xrhUEeyllO-CHRjbEwwRjeL7PhjGsNh-lsDxyj9DfxznDaT6OkdgdnrXv-ZfRj5tD42sVUJY6AixWEJFeeQn4DG3EQKAoHfEvdAen9vjoO5UES8QZnntRJ_fQed33IM/s1034/Dawit+II.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqrznXpGk9iNszhLDbWKAkA8oR2k4XEg6yBiSfreJ1Z8M1FT0skPdHmD0u0f1xrhUEeyllO-CHRjbEwwRjeL7PhjGsNh-lsDxyj9DfxznDaT6OkdgdnrXv-ZfRj5tD42sVUJY6AixWEJFeeQn4DG3EQKAoHfEvdAen9vjoO5UES8QZnntRJ_fQed33IM/w310-h400/Dawit+II.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawit II, emperor of Ethiopia 1507-1540 (its kinda tough to find Ethiopian pictures contemporary with late antiquity unfortunately)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">EMBASSY FROM THE STRAITS</div><div style="text-align: left;">The embassy from the straits is a potential random encounter (namely a subtype of the "nobles and veterans" encounter type).</div><div style="text-align: left;">Composition of the embassy:</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Ambassador: as a 1+1 HD noble. Carrying a letter of introduction that declares their stated purpose (roll on the table below). Wields a gold and silver staff topped with a wooden carving of the local god of She-ako.</div><div style="text-align: left;">2d6 slaves.</div><div style="text-align: left;">1d6 lesser ambassadorial staff. </div><div style="text-align: left;">1d3 cooks.</div><div style="text-align: left;">1d3 merchants.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 augur trained in ornithomancy.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2d6+1 guards (as veterans).</div><div style="text-align: left;">Horses and mules enough for all the above and to transport all the embassy's food, supplies, and any gifts or tribute they bring with them.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The embassy's stated purpose:</div><div style="text-align: left;">Roll 1d6:</div><div style="text-align: left;">1: Summoned on behalf of the satrap to observe local games (and do some trade-related dealings on the side).</div><div style="text-align: left;">2: Investigating rumors of activity by partisans of the Occulted King in the satrapy.</div><div style="text-align: left;">3: Delivering a bank loan (transported in amphorae and lockboxes) to a noble client.</div><div style="text-align: left;">4: Negotiations with a Gnostic Elf merchant (the embassy has gotten lost, in no small part due to the chaos on the border between the ever-warring Gnostic Elves and the Enlightened Empire).</div><div style="text-align: left;">5: Giving tribute to the Kanarang in recognition of his essential role in keeping the lands of civilization safe from the barbarous Land of Darkness.</div><div style="text-align: left;">6: The embassy is more or less autonomous, the ambassador having received a vision in a dream telling him to go north.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The embassy will have with it treasure and tribute, including:</div><div style="text-align: left;">1d3 items from the above treasure list.</div><div style="text-align: left;">4d6x10 She-ako coins (worth 1 drachm each)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Animal skins (incl. elephant, lion, catoblepas, ape, and ostrich feathers) collectively worth 2d6x20 drachmae</div><div style="text-align: left;">Crates of cinnamon, sesame, frankincense, and myrrh worth 500 drachmae or more.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbv9JiOmBrNZbm_ltr-F0NRBiHvxa0TtYbA1qZ5hKDHMyurgrIdm7z0t80a-pJ_x9Xg52059LByotxtUhWjARMD_5q6I9I4fTRcLmsbXxdYg9HFqk5fZPR90viz-LB7zVKdKtPEHUhp3egGrpDGaDlUMUwgGK6nnVUApQ0lXkOEwmLN7_iNaSOez1UJw/s1920/1920px-Hijra_Abyssinia_(Rashid_ad-Din).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="1920" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbv9JiOmBrNZbm_ltr-F0NRBiHvxa0TtYbA1qZ5hKDHMyurgrIdm7z0t80a-pJ_x9Xg52059LByotxtUhWjARMD_5q6I9I4fTRcLmsbXxdYg9HFqk5fZPR90viz-LB7zVKdKtPEHUhp3egGrpDGaDlUMUwgGK6nnVUApQ0lXkOEwmLN7_iNaSOez1UJw/w400-h165/1920px-Hijra_Abyssinia_(Rashid_ad-Din).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The King of She-ako confronting notables of Hudh... or, in reality, Negus Najashi (possibly the king Armah) refusing the request by the Quraysh to send back the Muslims who emigrated to Ethiopia back to Mecca (from a 14th century manuscript by Rashid ad-Din Hamadani)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuZoUIJrC40B2gHHLDSY69TMFZDfV7NbBt6aGzir47V9z6HyqvBHYDtl5_-waoB2PX7pcHOgmfmIWctmctPTENCJcz3Sjf5NSXssBAm4UWKJTxnBQDmET0GzPPz-Qyj07gDD3aKTGqMRlL4UB8w_ecSEFoag0_7mC4iH1pVs15S6ShvvlpXHR5D2sXVg/s672/Yemerehne_kristos_interno_affreschi_e_decorazioni_del_xii_secolo_03_leopardo_cropped.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="672" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuZoUIJrC40B2gHHLDSY69TMFZDfV7NbBt6aGzir47V9z6HyqvBHYDtl5_-waoB2PX7pcHOgmfmIWctmctPTENCJcz3Sjf5NSXssBAm4UWKJTxnBQDmET0GzPPz-Qyj07gDD3aKTGqMRlL4UB8w_ecSEFoag0_7mC4iH1pVs15S6ShvvlpXHR5D2sXVg/s320/Yemerehne_kristos_interno_affreschi_e_decorazioni_del_xii_secolo_03_leopardo_cropped.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much later than the period I usually take inspiration from, but this was too cool to not include: a plaque depicting a lion from a Zagwe dynasty era church, originally manufactured in southwest India!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/4055515658918554292/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-world-of-king-of-kings-kingdom-of.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/4055515658918554292'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/4055515658918554292'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-world-of-king-of-kings-kingdom-of.html' title='The World of King of Kings: The Kingdom of the Straits'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gi0L6tTDip5zTBqgSOnduLGmKei453Ns4GM0f42usBA0Ybc9-P83-yGLORv1YKijEKMLgNpKMxYIjYdgPpLqftxLgrQzYtvwYZiFytEt1Rikmx0pftupiHMNzg1-iINy2g3w71NWr6z4JEFTjVHIxAxMo2i7nzObL9UDq3ap7YfO8VIaKs3lXdkRFFI/s72-w400-h313-c/tigray-church-3.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-4222997894388635449</id><published>2024-07-23T14:31:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-07-23T14:31:51.919-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AD&D"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bestiaries"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fiend Folio"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="undead"/><title type='text'>Goin' Through the Fiend Folio Part 14 (Retriever to Sheet Phantom)</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: left;">Alright, back to reviewing every monster in the Fiend Folio, a classic series on this blog that... jeeze louise, the last time I posted one of these was <i>more than a year ago</i>! Uh, my bad. I already talked about why I wasn't so active on the blog in a post back in May, but like, all that goes double for just never getting around to reviewing the FF again. Anyway, here's <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/12/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-1.html">the first installment in the Goin' Through the Fiend Folio series</a>, here's <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/05/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-13.html">the last installment</a>, etc etc, let's pick up where we left off!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPGwmFNAx-dqrIRBGqik5iTJh9b4keZYpi0HcDBpgvJFvFDzT-Rh4W7Vx9JLUPabCc1F3UderZe6A8qXyGC4-GjiG3-hI84h7cL2WGhbUfKCiV8KzQErU7jPJ1TWJyv3YJyf6rOAk1Qy6tLPp1eg6mLpJcoNgUii7LrqRNVhO7govneYdUWb_KMGSu6Q/s278/retriver_orig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="210" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPGwmFNAx-dqrIRBGqik5iTJh9b4keZYpi0HcDBpgvJFvFDzT-Rh4W7Vx9JLUPabCc1F3UderZe6A8qXyGC4-GjiG3-hI84h7cL2WGhbUfKCiV8KzQErU7jPJ1TWJyv3YJyf6rOAk1Qy6tLPp1eg6mLpJcoNgUii7LrqRNVhO7govneYdUWb_KMGSu6Q/s1600/retriver_orig.png" width="210" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Retriever</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b></b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>Nasty, bloody, and real effective, the retriever is a certified Fiend Folio classic! Six-eyed (with four different eye-rays that cast fire, cold, lightning, and a transmutation spell!) and four-bladed spider-things, constructed by the demon-lord Demogorgon, built in such a way that they "strike maximum terror into their victims." In this description, Demogorgon comes out sounding like a mad scientist of some sort, like a Dr. Frankenstein or a Yakub, except instead of making the white devil race, he made a bunch of evil robot spiders. Or, well, me calling them robots is maybe projecting back onto them somewhat. You see, I was first introduced to the retriever in the <i>4e</i> Monster Manual 2, the <i>very first</i> D&amp;D book I ever owned, before I even knew what D&amp;D really was! I think I've mentioned this on the blog before, albeit briefly; I basically treated it as a bestiary that communicated an implied setting all its own, with no connection to anything else. And I <i>loved</i> the retriever in the MM2.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>You won't hear me say this often, but I actually prefer the version of the monster in 4e than I do here in the AD&amp;D Fiend Folio. This is doubly shocking to me because the FF retriever has art by my favorite Russ Nicholson, with his grotty style bringing a slimy hairy vibe to the original retriever's illustration. And I love grotty, slimy, hairy beasties; but the sleek, explicitly robotic design on the 4e retriever stands out so starkly against monster other demonic entities, giving it a quality almost similar to the smooth slicked-back look of Giger's xenomorph design. Mechanically, the two aren't actually that different; both have four eye rays (though the 4e retriever has each ray pairing a damage type and a lasting effect, so an acid spray that also blinds the target, a thunder-ray (whatever that is) that stuns the target, etc.), both have bladed claws they make melee attacks with, etc.; the major differences are that the AD&amp;D retriever has a fear effect that causes all characters of level 5 or less, or all monsters of HD 6 or less, to save or flee, and that the 4e retriever has a self-healing ability, a "retrieve" ability that grabs a target on a failed save, and "Unerring Accuracy," which allows it to TELEPORT to the approximate location of a given target. That is <i>so</i> cool, and means that the retriever actually, y'know, retrieves; it is a creation given a particular target to teleport to, grab, and then disappear (tho there's a "cooldown" on its unerring accuracy ability). I don't like 4e mechanically, but this retriever that actually retrieves is a much more compelling creature than Dr. Demogorgon's fucked up and evil spider (as much as I love Dr. Demogorgon's creation; one of the more boring elements of the 4e retriever is that it isn't related to any particular demon, but just to "the primordials" in general).</div><div>&nbsp;</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkA3O5By682JSGpKTQkypeTRBnr-mCH0SLleFHZL_MHGTJF1g9Jf4gJ_jeqsbDnWyGW0M_qRaqr3uZ63m5hxC9jpVr5xqjk4tffuKkU-BbsVccHsfZInRc9Y-IjqDAFh8Xas6NejmuTU_CKf9vC-LnjJyHPmyFdbrIaBtIcJHWIE5ULPDG4-yx4t0fnU/s394/wir-mm2-4e-retriever.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkA3O5By682JSGpKTQkypeTRBnr-mCH0SLleFHZL_MHGTJF1g9Jf4gJ_jeqsbDnWyGW0M_qRaqr3uZ63m5hxC9jpVr5xqjk4tffuKkU-BbsVccHsfZInRc9Y-IjqDAFh8Xas6NejmuTU_CKf9vC-LnjJyHPmyFdbrIaBtIcJHWIE5ULPDG4-yx4t0fnU/s320/wir-mm2-4e-retriever.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 4e MM2 retriever<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHLx7C3VEv83rLdpJNyQ5OH5kSYR1o5s_0z63a-OBuC4R8oVOhnT6AtapMNpe_w3g8Cb5NbfRE1WOWvs9rUKAvlLLAUHh1uAN3kL8U2SGcns3q4HSCgWhyX0Dg2gaSiIDMRnYw7S9rJZuQIm-ZNg4oBho9Sf7Bu9leEteVDIPBRBB3FODdmBZ-j1h-PA/s788/1e_FF_RevenantFight.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="555" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHLx7C3VEv83rLdpJNyQ5OH5kSYR1o5s_0z63a-OBuC4R8oVOhnT6AtapMNpe_w3g8Cb5NbfRE1WOWvs9rUKAvlLLAUHh1uAN3kL8U2SGcns3q4HSCgWhyX0Dg2gaSiIDMRnYw7S9rJZuQIm-ZNg4oBho9Sf7Bu9leEteVDIPBRBB3FODdmBZ-j1h-PA/s320/1e_FF_RevenantFight.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The revenant in COMBAT<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Revenant</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>This creature has pretty much the same problem as the penanngalan from our last entry: a way too long description that prescribes one particular narrative arc of dealing with it. The revenant (another example of AD&amp;D statting up every single synonym for an undead monster as its own separate entity) takes up a full page and some change to more or less just describe an animated corpse motivated by vengeance against whoever killed it, ceaselessly seeking out its murderer and their associates; on top of that, it cannot be killed by any means except fire, and its limbs will continue to attack even after being severed, and will reattach themselves if they are able to. There you go! Doesn't need <i>a full page of description</i>! But, of course, they have to go into what specific ability scores someone must have to become a revenant when killed, the fact that its immune to turn undead (for the reason that it isn't evil but instead is neutral? Didn't know a cleric's turn undead only works against evil undead, apparently), the fact that it will only attack by strangulation not with weapons, its immunities, eye-based fear ability, when it will hunt down the killer's associates, and how it doesn't even have to be the body of the person killed (very weird and arbitrary decision). This is pretty clearly intended to be a punishment for murder-happy players, unceasingly hunting down the party but with abilities that counteract most strategies players would use to combat the undead. A murder victim hunting down their killer from beyond the grave is incredibly compelling, but the execution here is clunky and overwrought. <i>Love</i> the two Russ Nicholson illustrations they gave it though.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roth</b><b>é</b></div><div><b></b><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>Shaggy-furred bovines that live underground. That's about it. They're smaller (only 4 feet tall), presumably as an adaptation for their subterranean environs, but other than that they are little more than cows or yaks. I like the image of underground bovines, but I think I would rather just use normal cows or some kind of explicitly troglobitic cow, rather than this bespoke fictional species. Just kinda meh.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><b></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYuvhCyW6Q-4IPxUz7ntu7jPblogSOdyOVGaWe7VfqKU1hRzl7oO6tZBLf1qGvnnj3xQwaH0twhgydnRgFmIW3kLkh4Wz0i-TlfvrTQcMKlOQqkTw479WUdTG5iwKSBbW4_GgMvKdOh_VC_Nf7t-1s09e_blXYx4lcpYzkc8FtjBW3rZtYDMIOdFPsXY/s270/sandman_orig.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="206" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYuvhCyW6Q-4IPxUz7ntu7jPblogSOdyOVGaWe7VfqKU1hRzl7oO6tZBLf1qGvnnj3xQwaH0twhgydnRgFmIW3kLkh4Wz0i-TlfvrTQcMKlOQqkTw479WUdTG5iwKSBbW4_GgMvKdOh_VC_Nf7t-1s09e_blXYx4lcpYzkc8FtjBW3rZtYDMIOdFPsXY/s1600/sandman_orig.png" width="206" /></a></div></div></div></div><p></p><p><b>Sandman<br /></b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><br />"The sandman's name describes it exactly"-- I have to appreciate a monster description that opens with that! Mysterious humanoids made from sand that make all who come within 20 feet (or who touch them) very very sleepy. They aren't hostile, only acting to forcibly remove someone asleep under their power if they happen to be in the sandman's lair. Simple but effective! I think I would want one more incongruous weird element to add some depth; as it is right now, the sandman is little more than a word-association game between the fairy tale sandman and literal sand.&nbsp;</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgIcG2CuMZteZjeSQ8NrDcUIkTxPEfDpi-OQ3qogeuAyINKPRw159QNNGKNmzkBpbqAb5R1mTRLuYZm51Z57Z7ysHC4EgYeJm_XazVlUIh0Hd_5bWo-9_HKdxB7fzwY1cf2wWFFCswtY9bReKVhJDFEQLhfSIzaDkpD-RxjKBBM3NHdXw8k2ozkCSWzI/s442/sandman-fiend-factory.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="442" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgIcG2CuMZteZjeSQ8NrDcUIkTxPEfDpi-OQ3qogeuAyINKPRw159QNNGKNmzkBpbqAb5R1mTRLuYZm51Z57Z7ysHC4EgYeJm_XazVlUIh0Hd_5bWo-9_HKdxB7fzwY1cf2wWFFCswtY9bReKVhJDFEQLhfSIzaDkpD-RxjKBBM3NHdXw8k2ozkCSWzI/s320/sandman-fiend-factory.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The sandman is our first Fiend Factory creature in this post! The original Factory sandman is more or less the same, just left a bit vaguer in terms of mechanics; though it is also noted that the sandman will attack players at least until they fall asleep, whereas the Folio description doesn't mention attacks on players (though perhaps its assumed). Don Turnbull, in his note on the monster, remarks that the sleep effect means defenseless players left open to wandering monster checks! That's such a good thing to point out; a generally non-hostile creature that incapacitates the players and leaves them open to wandering monsters is always a good thing to have in the dungeon. He also asks why the AC is so high, and y'know thats a good question, I hadn't noticed that: both the Factory and Folio versions of the sandman have AC 3, one point less than plate and shield. Also, the illustration is different, the Factory sandman being much more indistinct, leaning over into a crumbling limp, with "hair" caught in the wind, while the Folio sandman is just a frowning dude done in a stippled style.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNyp_wQHMSg_Ge_XieUNvkr7D-dH_3RABVSnOvUlxU6Ymb39Q0EX1MkzdEQ6lnsdLdVk5a6tBQw3RUt7CWTgPcLCwlp8MNCAFbmIM2UMsvEAy0mKTp7n9cm3CXtCaNHEmSuIJa1bi6O3MWfbzt4Lw5N33Sc57Ff8bBrG9emSZBrv5I0JPzkVgobe-TcQ/s768/image-asset.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="618" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNyp_wQHMSg_Ge_XieUNvkr7D-dH_3RABVSnOvUlxU6Ymb39Q0EX1MkzdEQ6lnsdLdVk5a6tBQw3RUt7CWTgPcLCwlp8MNCAFbmIM2UMsvEAy0mKTp7n9cm3CXtCaNHEmSuIJa1bi6O3MWfbzt4Lw5N33Sc57Ff8bBrG9emSZBrv5I0JPzkVgobe-TcQ/s320/image-asset.jpeg" width="258" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Scarecrow<br /></b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆<br /></b>It's a scarecrow! The opening line to the sandman's description could work just as well here. Everybody loves a good spooky scarecrow. These are magical constructs that "always... appear evil and of malign intent," and they have turnips and (based on the illustration) gourds for heads. The one weird thing is that the scarecrow has a charm effect that causes the viewer to be stand shock still, as if under the effect of a hold person spell, out of "fascination." Don't know how I feel about that effect, its pretty basic and incongruous but not really in an interesting way. Nothing much else to say, although gotta shout out another great Russ Nicholson illustration!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBD6qwHxnZHIdYvTR46-tWeromfKoWKYhbKYdhwzQ9f20reTJnmLiadC1eduhzb4-4ke8V69Tx8_o6Nr6ZD26w_4pW5widSegFVyuise-Aoa06AmRGX_RFhxEf-H967C8pjE3NAqDasOSBkHQv4fTVhgBPgEVYDtRXmgIhGYThzPioqNK6tSGDVatE9Dg/s363/scremd_orig.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="363" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBD6qwHxnZHIdYvTR46-tWeromfKoWKYhbKYdhwzQ9f20reTJnmLiadC1eduhzb4-4ke8V69Tx8_o6Nr6ZD26w_4pW5widSegFVyuise-Aoa06AmRGX_RFhxEf-H967C8pjE3NAqDasOSBkHQv4fTVhgBPgEVYDtRXmgIhGYThzPioqNK6tSGDVatE9Dg/s320/scremd_orig.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Screaming Devilkin<br /></b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><br />Despite appearances, not actually a demon or devil, but simply a mundane creature that looks like one. The description specifically compares screaming devilkin to <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/goin-through-fiend-folio-lamia-noble-to.html">mephits</a>, although its illustration is much more like a chubby little devil baby than the more gremlinesque mephits. Always hostile, always attacks (boring!!), although it attacks with a barbed tail which is always fun. More notably, the screaming devilkin, well, <i>screams</i>! It will constantly scream in the presence of other living creatures, and its screaming is so loud that conversations can't be heard through it and all those in the range of the screaming have to make a save to even just attack or cast a spell. Not the worst power to have, although it's more or less the same thing that the classic Monster Manual monster the shrieker has; I definitely prefer weird screaming mushrooms to weird screaming devil babies.</p><p><b>Shadow Demon<br /></b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆<br /></b>Incredibly boring. Maybe doesn't quite deserve a 1 star, because it <i>is</i> honestly usable mechanics-wise, but conceptually and mechanically its just boring. "The essence of a demon imprisoned in the form of a shadow," whatever that means; ultimately, it just means that its a souped up alternative to the shadow from the Monster Manual, with a more typical sorta-edgy demon silhouette complete with bat wings and an evil glare. It is more powerful in darkness and weaker in light (yawn! who could've seen that coming!), can cast the darkness spell, has a strong jump because of its wings but can't fly, etc. And it takes up half a page of description to basically say everything that someone would just guess from "shadow but with more magic powers." Very low <a href="http://udan-adan.blogspot.com/2016/11/conceptual-density-or-what-are-rpg.html">conceptual density</a>!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBAC4jCn1k69kRPLXE-udB9Dl4g-aSDlsaEhE93Y2TqtdyeMpDrInOZAHMQXLuLQ9QS0-ORL6pcQ2hKo2MVSleI5FKSHpYX3pDFJiNUAQYSUaG-oeiDM2_FvtlHVwvvOqBvnbQwS2yLrDpT0bix6jkWr2I3ggVox5joTqqz9a9JneMoLbNZmEkk6wmGU/s810/tumblr_mcirvcRlKF1ro2bqto1_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBAC4jCn1k69kRPLXE-udB9Dl4g-aSDlsaEhE93Y2TqtdyeMpDrInOZAHMQXLuLQ9QS0-ORL6pcQ2hKo2MVSleI5FKSHpYX3pDFJiNUAQYSUaG-oeiDM2_FvtlHVwvvOqBvnbQwS2yLrDpT0bix6jkWr2I3ggVox5joTqqz9a9JneMoLbNZmEkk6wmGU/s320/tumblr_mcirvcRlKF1ro2bqto1_540.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Sheet Phantom</b> and <b>Sheet Ghoul<br /></b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★<br /></b>YEAH I'M GIVING THE SHEET PHANTOM FIVE STARS SO WHAT!!! This is one of those classic Fiend Folio monsters that everyone loves to crack jokes about and say is stupid, but that's because everyone hates IMAGINATION and the horror that can come from something incongruous or somewhat goofy. These two monsters are actually listed in reverse order from how I have them here, just due to the alphabetical order, but the sheet phantom is the more important of the two. Sheet phantoms are wraithlike undead that appear as rectangular pieces of cloth (translucent and ghostly? The exact appearance of the rectangle is unclear in the text, just the measurement) and crawl up onto ceilings to drop down on their victims, suffocating them until they perish and rise anew as a sheet ghoul. The description for the sheet ghoul doesn't mention that the sheet phantom hangs on the ghoul, but many later illustrations (see below) depict it that way. Sheet ghouls don't have the paralysis powers of the ghoul, but in exchange they can <i>shoot acid from their nostrils</i>!!!! I <i>love</i> that so much!! Why does the wraithlike sheet phantom cause its undead thralls to snort acid? It feels so gnarly, and like maybe it would slowly corrode and destroy the sheet ghoul as it uses the attack; maybe a sheet ghoul under a sheet phantom's thrall for long enough has a dripping, melting hole in the center of its face where its nose once was, corroded away by its acidic snot. The imagery of the sheet phantom's suffocating attack is also delightfully horrid; I can't help but love the pathetic horror of someone flailing on the ground as they are choked to death by a piece of cloth. I love every single thing about the sheet phantom, this is a sleeper hit!!! The description does note how similar the sheet phantom is to some of AD&amp;D's similar drop-attacking monsters, namely the Lurker Above, a similarly maligned creature from the Monster Manual that I just love (and recently mentioned in the description for my <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/05/a-friend-and-coworker-of-mine-gave-me.html">Man-Mimic Lizard</a>!); it even notes the possibility that the sheet phantom is in fact an <i>undead Lurker Above</i>, which is pretty thought-provoking (although I don't know how much it adds to the funny creepiness of the sheet phantom itself).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpMTZwify_eghGojvIyyGAfTRIdBexTqoNaXIDhWoqqAwQOxXko-cu8eAIPOM17-3p2TVNZALc5wQ0-5KB78ZDepSb003-a7VFRLMff6SNx0_JbCj3boKGiyXVE_i4ssHvpw_YEV6o_Nk5WV_r0uWsvKGdQEH-mBsabfAnwCenhBTUZq6Ib4d79P5Enk/s452/8030543_orig.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="382" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpMTZwify_eghGojvIyyGAfTRIdBexTqoNaXIDhWoqqAwQOxXko-cu8eAIPOM17-3p2TVNZALc5wQ0-5KB78ZDepSb003-a7VFRLMff6SNx0_JbCj3boKGiyXVE_i4ssHvpw_YEV6o_Nk5WV_r0uWsvKGdQEH-mBsabfAnwCenhBTUZq6Ib4d79P5Enk/s320/8030543_orig.png" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the illustration from the 2e Monstrous Manual Compendium Fiend Folio; I think the sheet phantom ought to be bigger than that, but I love the image of it hanging on the sheet ghoul's head like that.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>That's all for now! The letter S also just so happens to be one of the most monsterful letters in the Folio, so we will be picking up where we left off next time, with the Shocker and, more notably, all the types of Slaad! Stay tuned!<br /></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/4222997894388635449/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/07/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-14.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/4222997894388635449'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/4222997894388635449'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/07/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-14.html' title='Goin' Through the Fiend Folio Part 14 (Retriever to Sheet Phantom)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPGwmFNAx-dqrIRBGqik5iTJh9b4keZYpi0HcDBpgvJFvFDzT-Rh4W7Vx9JLUPabCc1F3UderZe6A8qXyGC4-GjiG3-hI84h7cL2WGhbUfKCiV8KzQErU7jPJ1TWJyv3YJyf6rOAk1Qy6tLPp1eg6mLpJcoNgUii7LrqRNVhO7govneYdUWb_KMGSu6Q/s72-c/retriver_orig.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-6874625615430065028</id><published>2024-05-27T15:03:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-05-27T17:36:24.680-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="adventures"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="my art"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="ten room dungeons"/><title type='text'>The Carven Carapace (A Ten Room Dungeon for King of Kings)</title><content type='html'><p>Back in December, I purchased a little Japanese graph paper notebook, with the intention of filling its pages with as many adventure locations as I could come up with. I wrote up one (which I will be sharing here today) and then... subsequently didn't make any <i>more</i> until yesterday. In my defense, stuff's been goin' on. But anyway, here's the first dungeon I made for this notebook, using my favorite, the <a href="http://priestessofspiders.blogspot.com/2022/05/how-to-make-ten-room30-minute-dungeon.html">Ten Room Dungeon</a> format from friend of the blog Tristyn. All the text is exactly as I wrote it in the notebook, with the addition of some monster stats that I couldn't actually fit into the three little pages I wrote this on and some slight edits for grammar.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>THE CARVEN CARAPACE</u></b></p><p style="text-align: left;">The skeletal remains of a great tortoise, half-buried in the ground, made into a shrine dedicated to the poet laureate of the long-dead tyrant Shama-Khur. Ancient rumors once told that Shama-Khur was in a torrid homosexual relationship with his beloved poet. The shrine has been abandoned for centuries, other than the occasional peasant giving offerings and paying their respects. It is said, however, that a most beautiful lost poem of the laureate is buried in the turtle, on a slab of stone too heavy to carry out.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynz_EjFp3cNV7DQV7Pe3djg3s1T7CMsqo8batwtMUPlpr8oio_sR_ILcc1pwq3XwfXUtzp2ECs0_fxgdVQ4CzXNSY0D5aaVrbn6vxqhsIAAxqM2ETOCfGyU1HgkNzHsZML8mopCQfMIafOnKCeecS3rrHhkShkfGdPAZv293ZMrefCEWIYU79xF6W0f4/s3561/20240527_154819.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3561" data-original-width="2466" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynz_EjFp3cNV7DQV7Pe3djg3s1T7CMsqo8batwtMUPlpr8oio_sR_ILcc1pwq3XwfXUtzp2ECs0_fxgdVQ4CzXNSY0D5aaVrbn6vxqhsIAAxqM2ETOCfGyU1HgkNzHsZML8mopCQfMIafOnKCeecS3rrHhkShkfGdPAZv293ZMrefCEWIYU79xF6W0f4/w278-h400/20240527_154819.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the original unedited version of (part of) that description in the corner up there lol</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><u>Random Encounters<br /></u></b>D6:<br />1-3: D4 Giant Ground Beetles<br />4-5: D3 Giant Shrews<br />6: D6 Dust Bunnies</p><p><b><u>Random Events</u></b> [this, like most of my dungeons, assumes an Overloaded Encounter Die, where one of the results is a random dungeon-specific event]<br />D6:<br />1: Whispered poetry drifts into earshot.<br />2: The shell settles, sinking slightly into the ground.<br />3: Ghostly lewd moaning echoes off the walls.<br />4: The wafting scent of smokey incense.<br />5: One of the party members uncontrollably recites a line of verse.<br />6: A sudden draft animates a little dust cyclone on the floor.</p><p><b><u>Room Descriptions</u></b></p><p>1: The altar room. Cones of incense burning, and husks of sacrificed fruit left on the shrine. Stone brick walls depict mythological scenes, and one wall has the great poet on it. Lines of poetry circle the chamber near the ceiling.</p><p>2: Former shrine storage chamber. Stone door broken down. Inhabited by Jamshir, wandering vagabond. Desirous of warm clothes and money, but a philistine who cares not for art.</p><p>3: 6 of the zodiac signs are on the floor in a circle. A broken alcove in the wall hides a silver necklace worth 160 drachmae.</p><p>4: 6 next zodiac signs on the floor in a circle. Line up the 2 circles so that Libra and Gemini face each other through the door between the two chambers, and a secret door opens, as well as revealing an ebony box in a hidden alcove (long looted, but the box is worth 50 drachmae).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjEPwKsAXBVV9ng_ZixaCy8ALHSc9woW-mpze5dD8kXxnGVepYEeXl1mvsOAffzG6QC2jnuhLWkSsBW2oxoJd6V60GSXTTmlVcd85ovREe34uvfZobYAjEF0ztz0TPthnhsoGnrZBGdCp2eMuIAsEYu80l0hwDlCqLax5IKqgrxz8KEsx70zzlBbC7xs/s2951/20240527_154910.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2951" data-original-width="1933" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjEPwKsAXBVV9ng_ZixaCy8ALHSc9woW-mpze5dD8kXxnGVepYEeXl1mvsOAffzG6QC2jnuhLWkSsBW2oxoJd6V60GSXTTmlVcd85ovREe34uvfZobYAjEF0ztz0TPthnhsoGnrZBGdCp2eMuIAsEYu80l0hwDlCqLax5IKqgrxz8KEsx70zzlBbC7xs/s320/20240527_154910.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>[Edit: Had a couple people express confusion over the zodiac wheel thing, which is fair because this text is the very pared down version directly from the notebook so I won't act like its super developed. Rotating the wheels to a given combination would take an exploration turn due to the weight of the wheels. When it comes to communicating the solution to the puzzle, I would likely do it one of two ways: if the dungeon is being ran as a one-shot, there would be a poetic mention of their star signs in the carvings in Room 1; if it is being ran as part of a larger campaign, their respective zodiac signs would be found outside of the dungeon, from an NPC or an ancient scroll.]<br /><p></p><p>5: Secret passageway, intended for the tyrant's heir.</p><p>6: Semicircular staircase chamber, hidden behind a half-broken stone door connecting to room 2. Holds a stone chest with 200 drachmae worth of jewels, and a shiny obsidian blade that, on a failed save, slices open the fingers of whoever attempts to pick it up.</p><p>7: The inside of the tortoise skull. A crawling mass of black worms blankets the floor.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4Qb5aXJ_gXbbl1yrPs3wWQ-BJON5mxbLDrqV92ejYtpGmlSu7tdCpPCAfyqULZm-xSV115aO9O5ICnzk1XTo9GVS8cEJZ8Dxn-b8xzhecpssvnaqoktno6C_tG-q49KEv9KRJR8a1-FeSZx8j36TXvYXkJZMECrF8gW_uP0WEw7IeD9DCAYwcoE5Zf8/s3315/20240527_154913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3315" data-original-width="1827" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4Qb5aXJ_gXbbl1yrPs3wWQ-BJON5mxbLDrqV92ejYtpGmlSu7tdCpPCAfyqULZm-xSV115aO9O5ICnzk1XTo9GVS8cEJZ8Dxn-b8xzhecpssvnaqoktno6C_tG-q49KEv9KRJR8a1-FeSZx8j36TXvYXkJZMECrF8gW_uP0WEw7IeD9DCAYwcoE5Zf8/s320/20240527_154913.jpg" width="176" /></a></div><p></p><p></p>8: The ultimate chamber, the heart of hearts. A large, octagonal room, dug out of the ground, lined with stone bricks. In the center is a stone table, upon which sits a clay effigy of the poet laureate, and at his feet is a stone chest within which is a papyrus roll of poetry, which would be worth upwards of 3,000 drachmae to the right buyer. When the scroll is removed from the chest, 4d6 dust bunnies take shape and confront the adventurers.<br /><p></p><p>9: A smaller side chamber, carved out of the tortoise's femur bone: the tomb of the poet laureate's mad brother. Clutched in his desiccated claw is a scroll with a vindictive spell of jealousy scrawled on it. He sits on a rotted fleece, next to a crust of bread and jug of wine.</p><p>10: The dug-out underground burrow of a mated pair of badgers, and their 4 offspring (who hide in the phalanges of the tortoise). Connected by a tunnel to a hollowed-out tree stump that can serve as an alternate entrance or exit point.</p><p><b>Badger<br /></b>Number Encountered: 2 (+4 young)<br />Hit Dice: 1-1<br />Attacks: 2 bite (2 points of damage)<br />Armor: none<br />Morale: 9<br /></p><p><b>Beetle, Giant Ground<br /></b>Number Encountered: 1d4<br />Hit Dice: 1+4<br />Attacks: 2 bite (1d6+1) or 1 slam (1d6 and save or be pinned against wall)<br />Armor: as leather + shield<br />Morale: 7</p><p><b>Dust Bunny<br /></b>Number Encountered: 1d6<br />Hit Dice: 1-1<br />Attacks: 1 bite (1d4) + 1 kick (1d4)<br />Armor: none<br />Morale: 5<br /><i>Dispel and Disperse: </i>Dust bunnies are animated by lingering feelings of sorrow and yearning. They can be dispersed by gusts of wind or the movement of fans, but will eventually reform (though this may give the players an opportunity to flee). They take no damage from mundane weaponry. Dust bunnies are immediately dispelled by the spell <i>Remove Fear</i>.</p><p><b>Shrew, Giant<br /></b>Number Encountered: 1d3<br />Hit Dice: 1+1<br />Attacks: 2 bite (1d6)<br />Armor: as leather<br />Morale: 9<br /><i>Agility: </i>Always win initiative on the first round of combat, and +1 to initiative each round after.<br /><i>Venom: </i>On a successful hit, the victim of the shrew's bite must save vs. poison or be weakened and sickly, taking 2 points of damage each turn for the next 1d12 turns.</p><p>The above dungeon is, at times (not always, given how I gave into my proclivity for more flowery language there in those last two rooms), much more terse than the usual material I post to the blog. I think the constraint of the paper size in the notebook is a good influence there, causing me to really think through what I have to actually note or describe (which is why, for instance, the monster stats were originally left out). Anyway, hope y'all at least get something out of this dungeon!<br /></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/6874625615430065028/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-carven-carapace-ten-room-dungeon.html#comment-form' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/6874625615430065028'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/6874625615430065028'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-carven-carapace-ten-room-dungeon.html' title='The Carven Carapace (A Ten Room Dungeon for King of Kings)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynz_EjFp3cNV7DQV7Pe3djg3s1T7CMsqo8batwtMUPlpr8oio_sR_ILcc1pwq3XwfXUtzp2ECs0_fxgdVQ4CzXNSY0D5aaVrbn6vxqhsIAAxqM2ETOCfGyU1HgkNzHsZML8mopCQfMIafOnKCeecS3rrHhkShkfGdPAZv293ZMrefCEWIYU79xF6W0f4/s72-w278-h400-c/20240527_154819.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-8704295469364039564</id><published>2024-05-22T09:39:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-05-22T09:39:47.818-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="biology"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monsters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="my art"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reptiles"/><title type='text'>The Short-Legged Man-Mimic Lizard</title><content type='html'><p>A friend and coworker of mine gave me an old drawing tablet she no longer uses, as a gift. I haven't used drawing tablets all that much, mostly because when I was younger I just sorta bounced off of the only one I had ever attempted to use, not quite able to wrap my head around drawing without looking at my hand holding the pen. This time, it has come much easier to me; I guess I just needed time to grow and improve or whatever. Anyway, here's a monster I drew (in MSPaint) with that drawing tablet the day I was given it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aasKSjTjZCpLkilRdjfmb7pc15wJavO17SO7SbVd-2k3l7h3WnNPGY8b0p7qNc7CZNaHbeSXNXD69BU8Sua7nfE6Gdc8D9aLkrZBkUhg4_xEcfvJY07smPSLiX7l_-KoAriG14lHytbWY50JZKqIRGR16GvF5tjBc9TO5urPnWu6dB5chdI6rqVu6Hc/s592/man%20mimicking%20lizard.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="592" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aasKSjTjZCpLkilRdjfmb7pc15wJavO17SO7SbVd-2k3l7h3WnNPGY8b0p7qNc7CZNaHbeSXNXD69BU8Sua7nfE6Gdc8D9aLkrZBkUhg4_xEcfvJY07smPSLiX7l_-KoAriG14lHytbWY50JZKqIRGR16GvF5tjBc9TO5urPnWu6dB5chdI6rqVu6Hc/w400-h355/man%20mimicking%20lizard.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><b>Short-Legged Man-Mimic Lizard<br /></b>Number Encountered: 1d3<br />Hit Dice: 1<br />Attacks: 2 claw (1d4) + 1 bite (1d6)<br />Armor: as leather + shield<br />Morale: 6<br /><i>False Face: </i>The short-legged man-mimic lizard sports a false human face on the underside of its neck, which, in low-light conditions, vaguely resembles a real human face. Human beings will recognize that it isn't a person, but non-humans and animals may be tricked by it.<br /><i>Mating Display: </i>Male short-legged man-mimic lizards create elaborate, almost sculptural, structures to entice females during their mating season; these often incorporate large collections of pearls collected from the insides of their prey, deliberately placed in pillars of dried lizard waste and mud. These courtship structures will contain 3d6 pearls worth 2d4*5 gold [or silver if using a silver standard] each.<br /><i>Toe Pads: </i>The short-legged man-mimic lizard has subtly hooked scaly pads on the underside of its feet, allowing it to climb walls and ceilings.</p><p>A true result of the intertwined ecosystems in subterranean dungeons, the short-legged man-mimic lizard is an active, skittering predator that prowls dimly lit halls and cavern tunnels in search of its prey. Its method of hunting: subterfuge. These reptiles feature an uncanny imitation of a human face on the pale green underside their necks, complete with bumps that resemble a nose, ears, and the folds of the cheeks and brows, a crescent moon of scarlet a la lipsticked lips, and large orange and white eyespots that, in low light conditions, would look like a human's eyes, wide in shock, to any dumb beast of the underground. One might assume the man-mimic lizard uses this facsimile to ensnare human prey, but this couldn't be further from the truth: the short-legged man-mimic lizard isn't a man-eater, but an <i>eater of man-eaters</i>!</p><p>Dungeons are full of monsters that have taken a liking to the taste of human flesh, namely soft-bodied invertebrates and cartilaginous creatures like Ropers, <a href="https://bogleech.com/dnd/lurkers">Trappers, Lurkers Above</a>, and Cloakers. Coming upon one such man-eater, the man-mimic rears its neck, inflates the red wattles so that they sway about like hair in nonexistent wind, and positions itself right in front of its quarry's beady little eyes. When the Roper ensnares it in its tentacles or the Trapper curls its stiff body around the lizard, the man-mimic begins its vicious struggle, its needle teeth and razor claws slicing through mollusc and cave-ray flesh like butter. While sometimes the man-eater wins out, most often the man-mimic lizard leaves with a belly full of slimy flesh and its prey's green ichor blood strewn all across the dungeon floor.</p><p>Adventurers have nothing to fear from short-legged man-mimic lizards; they generally (unless under the influence of a spell or disease that addles the mind) do not engage with human or demihuman interlopers, and tend to avoid adventuring parties. The man-mimicry won't work half as well if there's real humans right next to them! They will attempt some resistance if, during their mating season, adventurers attempt to pilfer their courtship structures. Embedded in the guano and mud daub pillars of their elaborate courtship nests are pearls, little marbles of glimmering white, torn from the gullets of Ropers and Lurkers Above; these can be valuable collections for enterprising dungeon delvers. If these dungeon-pearls are large enough, they can fetch high prices from jewellers and collectors up top!<br /></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/8704295469364039564/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/05/a-friend-and-coworker-of-mine-gave-me.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/8704295469364039564'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/8704295469364039564'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/05/a-friend-and-coworker-of-mine-gave-me.html' title='The Short-Legged Man-Mimic Lizard'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aasKSjTjZCpLkilRdjfmb7pc15wJavO17SO7SbVd-2k3l7h3WnNPGY8b0p7qNc7CZNaHbeSXNXD69BU8Sua7nfE6Gdc8D9aLkrZBkUhg4_xEcfvJY07smPSLiX7l_-KoAriG14lHytbWY50JZKqIRGR16GvF5tjBc9TO5urPnWu6dB5chdI6rqVu6Hc/s72-w400-h355-c/man%20mimicking%20lizard.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-6838003385929385955</id><published>2024-05-21T10:12:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-05-21T10:12:48.521-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="personal"/><title type='text'>It's been too long redux (this time it's longer!)</title><content type='html'><p>I have kinda hesitated on making this post because it is a genre of post that has unfortunately come to typify my online creative spaces; the perennial "I miss this place, its been too too long since the last time I posted, sorry about the hiatus" post. I've even <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/it-has-been-too-long.html">already made this post a year and a half ago</a>, and <i>that</i> hiatus was barely more than 3 months; I haven't posted to this blog in more than 5 months, almost a full half a year. I've been in quite possibly the worst creative slump of my life, which had definitely started before my last post here, but definitely got worse in January-February. Haven't ran any more sessions of the King of Kings game since <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/07/king-of-kings-session-15-after-action.html">the last session report</a>, haven't really written anything TTRPG related other than a couple of dungeons, and outside of RPGs, I've been struggling with motivation to work on <a href="https://squirmzone.neocities.org/">my neocities site</a>, to start and finish short stories, and to draw (though the latter has come back much more than the rest).</p><p>In my defense (not like I really need a defense or justification, but you know), it has been a very eventful and difficult past 5-6 months. Most significantly, and many of you who know me personally will already know this of course, on January 27, 2024, my grandfather was struck by a car and passed away; subsequently, a blood vessel burst in my grandmother's spine in an example of very sudden "broken heart syndrome," causing her to be paralyzed from the waist down. For pretty obvious reasons, this event and its aftermath dominated the subsequent few months. My grandma is doing better now to be clear, but she very much is paralyzed from now on, and having to navigate that; but obviously I'm not the one experiencing that, so I can't say much more than that.</p><p>(As an aside, I was originally going to make a drawing dedicated in memory to my grandpa, but hit some... snags in the process of making that, so I'm not able to share that right now like I originally wanted to. Not having that done was another thing contributing to me not writing anything for the blog; I wanted to have that to share along with the explanation for what's been going on.)</p><p>I don't really have much more to say, other than that I want to get back into the swing of posting to this blog over the summer; I'm going to set twin goals of finishing the Goin' Through the Fiend Folio series (which has been ongoing, unfinished since pretty much the creation of the blog!) and finishing up the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-world-of-king-of-kings-brief.html">King of Kings country overviews</a> that I started last year. In the fall, I will (hopefully) be starting a graduate school program in Library Science, so who knows what will come of Save vs. Worm at that point, but hey we're not there yet.</p><p>Anyway, love you all, keep checking back here if you want to see more D&amp;D stuff this summer, and uhh that's pretty much it.<br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Requiescat in Pace<br />Ralph Miller, September 10, 1947-January 27, 2024<br /></h3></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/6838003385929385955/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/05/its-been-too-long-redux-this-time-its.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/6838003385929385955'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/6838003385929385955'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2024/05/its-been-too-long-redux-this-time-its.html' title='It's been too long redux (this time it's longer!)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-7003923673678313096</id><published>2023-11-07T11:19:00.006-08:00</published><updated>2023-11-07T11:19:55.879-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="cats"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monsters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="personal"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="worldbuilding"/><title type='text'>Wild Cats of the Eastern Satrapies</title><content type='html'><p>Its been a while! Uh, way too long in fact. I still haven't ran a session of KoK since my last post, but I figured the best thing to get me back into the groove of writing RPG stuff and getting back to running King of Kings would be to just write somethin! Its been a really busy few months since I last posted; in August I moved into my first apartment after graduating, in September I went to see a friend of mine in New York City and another in New Jersey, and that same month my girlfriend started staying with me while she worked on getting an apartment in the same city as me! Then just last month I set a goal of watching a spooky movie a day for the month of October (perhaps something I should write some about... maybe a topic more fitting for my neocities site!) and helped my girlfriend move into her new apartment... but now things have calmed down some so I can get back to blogging!</p><p>Something that has been a central part of the King of Kings setting ever since I started working on it is aiming for, in addition to a kind of historical authenticity (a subject I might write more about in future!), a general accuracy of the <i>flora and fauna</i> to those that would have been living in the Iranian plateau and central Asia during late antiquity. I think so much of the distinctive vibe of a place and time can be communicated by the environment, and just as much as someone running a science fiction game might be interested in developing the alien biosphere, or a cyberpunk worldbuilder in describing what sorts of vermin flit about the concrete jungle, I am fascinated by discovering what sorts of animals lived in Iran in late antiquity and including them in my game and in my encounter tables.</p><p>So, this post is an example of that! Rather than just writing about this interest in authentic flora and fauna in a generic way, I figured it would be fun to hone in on a specific group of animals that I think highlight the incredible diversity of animalia in the pre-modern world, many species driven to extinction or to ever shrinking ranges due to human action: big cats! </p><p>I'm only providing stats for the ones that I think really need it, so big cats and cats used for hunting. Also, I'm pairing <a href="https://maziriansgarden.blogspot.com/2021/03/animal-terror.html">this post from Ben L. over at Mazirian's Garden</a> with these wild carnivores; his animal terror grappling rules are one of my all-time favorite takes on this idea that I've seen anywhere! So check out his post too! It might also be a good idea to go check out <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-lands-of-east.html">my post about the geography of the Eastern Satrapies</a>, since I mention a number of locations in this post.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDe-np4PcG_JryeknJIem5BosTxGxD0lvmZfkP0IaCYr641MsNHXGykfZvXMWZqg6Z_Sqd-LHHZw5tDjmopZ-bmXgba0eXCEr4mTzWneEgBipPjljyjDsagPwcskV_K0FU7GlJxG0GORcNIGtO0KVDymJbV7WkW6MJAxQTcNQ9f8Afq9ipYQLmQZUfNfo/s2592/Persian_Leopard_sitting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDe-np4PcG_JryeknJIem5BosTxGxD0lvmZfkP0IaCYr641MsNHXGykfZvXMWZqg6Z_Sqd-LHHZw5tDjmopZ-bmXgba0eXCEr4mTzWneEgBipPjljyjDsagPwcskV_K0FU7GlJxG0GORcNIGtO0KVDymJbV7WkW6MJAxQTcNQ9f8Afq9ipYQLmQZUfNfo/s320/Persian_Leopard_sitting.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Persian/Anatolian/Caucasian Leopard <br />(I'll be noting the real world subspecies names in parentheses)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The <b>Leopard (Persian Leopard, Anatolian Leopard, etc.)</b>, known in Shahanistani as <b>Palang</b>, is a mountain-dwelling pouncer that rests in the branches of looming juniper trees, to which it drags its prey, mountain goats and deer and smaller beasts. Its hide is a greyish or reddish color with dark rosettes scattered across, some leopards darker, some paler; its claws and teeth are curved knives that dive into flesh as if it were water, split with the prow of a boat. A male leopard claims sovereignty over a certain section of territory, and is joined by typically up to three females, and their cubs; unlike the glorious lion, King of All Beasts, the palang is jealous and vindictive, and will spar with any rivals who dare entreat on his territory.</p><p>Since even before the Deluge, the leopard has been a beast of terrible significance. Antediluvian statuary has washed up on muddy shores depicting long forgotten tyrant-queens on leopard thrones, and pallid shivering naked men brought before the palang as sacrifice. It is an omen of death and chaos, the very symbol of nature's uncaring grip on man. In the valleys of Elburz Satrapy, it is said that leopards appear before mudslides, floods, and terrible storms. The appearance of a palang's hide is a sign, among the Shahanistani sailors of Humakuyun-on-the-Sea, to avoid a seaborne trip; froglings, in their typical hubris, oft ignore this omen, confident in their fly-powered vessels. The leopard is the beastly mirror of the murderer; there are many folk tales of men driven mad by their vengeful killings of wives or sons who find themselves circled by leopards in the rugged wilds, keeping a distance out of respect for one of their own. Kings have slung leopard skins beneath their feet to symbolize victory against evil. The leopard is the favored beast of a drunkard god from a western island, now under the domain of the Gnostic Elves, who pull his sloshing carriage across land as the dolphin pull his dinghy across water. Thus,leopards can be tempted by wine.<br /></p><p>Those bitten by a leopard are sought out by mice, who are urged by instinct to urinate on them. If one who has been bitten by a leopard is urinated on by a mouse, they will surely die; the only thing to certainly dispel the rodent is sumac blossom.&nbsp;</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2tXVn6Y1qAJEuW0rcN6NwWXZtQn1e5H7ROBS_f5GoXSrUA46o-jHB_Jf5zBwhh6cRD2oY0urVXQJdxjC9eMzDOiZhWQUKajGGwD-uSX9QD5ar5gpnI-0Vo_BpleeoUZzllWyvoxDZBSjFF5JLdQMMsqxjEvX-w8-9Cld4MoA94_7Z6Ez1e5CRwHbAuU/s1920/1920-deven-chauhan-img-8039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2tXVn6Y1qAJEuW0rcN6NwWXZtQn1e5H7ROBS_f5GoXSrUA46o-jHB_Jf5zBwhh6cRD2oY0urVXQJdxjC9eMzDOiZhWQUKajGGwD-uSX9QD5ar5gpnI-0Vo_BpleeoUZzllWyvoxDZBSjFF5JLdQMMsqxjEvX-w8-9Cld4MoA94_7Z6Ez1e5CRwHbAuU/s320/1920-deven-chauhan-img-8039.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The male Asiatic Lion<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The <b>Lion (Asiatic Lion)</b>, or <b>Shir</b>, is King of All Beasts, the mirror in the world of animals of the Shahanshah of the Enlightened Empire, or of Truth. He is beige or yellow-grey in color, with a mane cleaving close to his neck or, in the lioness, no mane at all, but commonly faint stripes on the limbs. They live in prides, the males in small groups of only up to three or four, the lionesses in much larger groups of up to twelve not including their cubs. Lionesses are fiercely protective of their cubs, and will fight much more ferociously if they see their cubs threatened or cornered. Despite their more righteous associations, lions are, like leopards, more active at twilight and in darkness, while they sleep during the day.</p><p>The lion is the other symbol of kingship, alongside the blessed Huma bird whose shadow bestows royalty. The personal standard of the Shahanshah is a lion and a sun on a purple field, fringed with gold and crimson; in times of strife, such as during the Mountain Uprising which established the Enlightened Empire, and during the Fifty Years' Crisis, the King of Kings has employed a simple lionskin hoisted on a pole as a standard. The killing of lions is heavily restricted; villages under the terrible shadow of a ravenous shir hunting their herds down to nothing must receive special license to catch and kill the beast. At the front of a mob of peasants and herdsmen marches a village headman holding aloft a scroll emblazoned with the satrap's seal; a hunter entrusted to track down a lioness wears the papyrus on her chest. The nomads of the western frontier, on the roiling border of the Neverending War with the Gnostic Elves, carve their headstones in the shapes of lions; it is said that they guard over the dead, and snap their jaws at those who dare attempt grave robbery.&nbsp;</p><p>Lions are a common target of heretical revolutionary sects, who desecrate their bodies as a symbolic act of defiance. A cult hidden deep in the mountains of eastern Elburz has been known to butcher and eat lionflesh around a great fire in a ritual asserting the immortality of flame as against that of the king. The lion is a predatory beast that pounces on the weak, just as a noble dehqan pounces on the peasants; even some of the most orthodox prophets have called upon the rich to not behave as lions do, hungrily snatching at those most vulnerable. The lion is said to have been made by Deceit, but using a model created by Truth. This is the two-sided coin of the shir; righteous king on one side, slavering hunter on the other.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOeQJLyWMheEbM4QbW3Y2VEyCplDEzmYHtYSlkxQvhXYdFGR3BFv-anN4vv3qbXiXILP4-Io8k7Fw0u8lwCSnuIQmUTZP3O-hevoSjiuVX_fVTIKL1sOXaR5xMQEzc-dZvYPAj4cNbslORMo0zq-bM2mOB7t7wFkJPIZN3ljxno1eutQwHzicw5Gutik/s606/Panthera_tigris_virgata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="606" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOeQJLyWMheEbM4QbW3Y2VEyCplDEzmYHtYSlkxQvhXYdFGR3BFv-anN4vv3qbXiXILP4-Io8k7Fw0u8lwCSnuIQmUTZP3O-hevoSjiuVX_fVTIKL1sOXaR5xMQEzc-dZvYPAj4cNbslORMo0zq-bM2mOB7t7wFkJPIZN3ljxno1eutQwHzicw5Gutik/s320/Panthera_tigris_virgata.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Caspian/Hyrcanian/Persian/etc. Tiger<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>This leaves <b>Tigers (Caspian Tiger, Hyrcanian Tiger, etc.)</b>, also known as the <b>Babr</b>, final among the three greatest of felines. They are the largest, strongest, and fiercest of cats, broad faced, broad shouldered, and stout. They lack the lion's mane, but instead have orange and black variegated stripes on their fur, each tiger completely individual in its stripe pattern. Lions and tigers respect each other and keep an arm's length when encountered; it is only especially cruel or rabid tigers that provoke lions into battle. Unlike the lion and leopard, the tiger is typically active during the day. They dwell in mountains, foothills, steppes, and coastlines, and while they tend to live solitary lives, they are not hostile to one another and will share their meals.<br /></p><p>Learned scholars in the First City assert that the tigress is impregnated by the wind, from which the beast acquires its extraordinary quickness. It is second only to the cheetah for swiftness among the beasts, and it is believed that tying a length of tiger hide to an arrow makes it fly faster and truer. As such powerful and wild beasts, the babr is the subject of much struggle to capture, dominate, and kill. In the grand menageries of the Shahanshah in the First City, a number of portly tigers are kept in gilded cages, who have been rumored to be fed heretics and rebels by some of the especially cruel Kings of Kings. There were once grand gladiatorial games in the lands now ruled by the Gnostic Elves, which pitted ravenous tigers against pit-fighters for the entertainment of the crowds. The Gnostic Elves despise such excesses, and have cracked down on the practice; but the smuggling of eastern tigers still brings lucrative rewards. Amulets and artifacts made from the skin, teeth, claws, bones, and mummified limbs of the babr are vested with the natural qualities of the beast. There are tales of a sect of sorcerers that transform themselves into tigers and dwell in reedy marshes; and it is said that in the far north, in the Land of Darkness, there dwell giant tigers, pale white in place of vivid orange, with teeth that stab through metal as if it wasn't even there.</p><p><b>Big Cat (Lion, Tiger, Leopard)<br /></b>Number Appearing: 1d4<br />Hit Dice: 5<br />Attacks: See below<br />Armor: as leather and shield<br />Morale: 9<br /><i>Pounce: </i>Big cats' preferred mode of attack is pouncing into a grapple with their victim. They receive a bonus of +3 (tiger, lion (+2 STR, +1 size)) or +2 (leopard (+2 STR)) to grappling rolls against human-sized opponents. When in a grapple, they deal 1d6+3 damage; if they fail to enter a grapple, they can attack twice in a turn, dealing 1d6+1 damage with each attack. Big cats can <i>maul </i>and are <i>ferocious</i> (see Ben's post above).</p><p><b>Leopards</b> also <i>drag</i>.&nbsp;</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7R-nxLFMtDOuVA9M-edMNV6ffl-SrZO8QCKQy7itasRUjOJNnOImwVmb8kaoRqqULArZmdiX8yAuQaigXFat79uWRpkOPEPSD-rgvv_bm-tLloZDIxAMqOuVPEiBrL6LRA-FNu9VxjXgUeWgVm0ARNCek16ZQu4xJyiAUi0F34rD8DebrJpaWcIwTf8/s1200/Iranian-Cheetah-Society-_1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7R-nxLFMtDOuVA9M-edMNV6ffl-SrZO8QCKQy7itasRUjOJNnOImwVmb8kaoRqqULArZmdiX8yAuQaigXFat79uWRpkOPEPSD-rgvv_bm-tLloZDIxAMqOuVPEiBrL6LRA-FNu9VxjXgUeWgVm0ARNCek16ZQu4xJyiAUi0F34rD8DebrJpaWcIwTf8/s320/Iranian-Cheetah-Society-_1_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Asiatic Cheetah<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Leaving the great cats behind, there are three kinds of middling-sized cat tamed for hunting, each unique to a given territory.&nbsp;</p><p>From south to north, first there is the <b>Cheetah (Asiatic Cheetah)</b>, or <b>Yoz</b>, the favored hunting companion of kings and nobles. Its name in Shahanistani means "leap," for that is how it hunts; by chasing down its prey on its extraordinarily quick feet, before bringing down its quarry with "but a single bound," as a poet extolling its virtues once said. It is the fastest creature in the whole world, with tan-colored fur bedecked all over with black spots. The cheetah dwells in arid grasslands and sandy deserts; it was first tamed in the southern continent, although now hunters using cheetahs range as far north as the Kavir-e Bozorg. They are honorable beasts, and much poetry has been penned about them; the yoz is a very moral creature. There is a special saddle design oft used by members of the nobility with a second seat for a cheetah to accompany them on hunts. Subjects of the Gnostic Elves foolishly believe that cheetahs are the bastard offspring of a lion and a leopard, due to their appearance and the difficulty of their breeding in captivity. The yoz is a lucrative item for trade with the Empire of the Great East; their princes and emperors are fascinated by these hunting cats from distant lands.</p><p><b>Cheetah<br /></b>Number Appearing: 1d6<br />Hit Dice: 2+1<br />Attacks: See below<br />Armor: as leather and shield<br />Morale: 8<br /><i>Swiftness: </i>Cheetahs are the fastest of beasts. They have advantage on opposed rolls for chases and on initiative rolls.<br /><i>Pounce: </i>The cheetah's preferred mode of attack is to chase their quarry before pouncing on them. They receive a bonus of +1 (+1 STR) to all grappling rolls. When in a grapple, they deal 1d6+1 damage. Cheetahs can <i>maul</i> and <i>drag</i> (see Ben's post).&nbsp;</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBT_V2GGnrf5g6SIgWdX7kVtiYbhfistispV0-itXf0obw7b8giBnURCJXP07dZPxqbXYOPTCw2hKC4doNEbwUiad1uEshU-vERudXUBnSRzE1HfcCRL3T-QzuVh5VZ89IthdlGbFHUz5MAeSM4CG65PpoyC4CioD6hUsp6peui6pYApQFF_EvXl2GiC0/s1486/Caracal_on_the_road,_early_morning_in_Kgalagadi_(36173878220)_(cropped).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1486" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBT_V2GGnrf5g6SIgWdX7kVtiYbhfistispV0-itXf0obw7b8giBnURCJXP07dZPxqbXYOPTCw2hKC4doNEbwUiad1uEshU-vERudXUBnSRzE1HfcCRL3T-QzuVh5VZ89IthdlGbFHUz5MAeSM4CG65PpoyC4CioD6hUsp6peui6pYApQFF_EvXl2GiC0/s320/Caracal_on_the_road,_early_morning_in_Kgalagadi_(36173878220)_(cropped).jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Caracal, or Siahgush<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Then, in similar arid regions as the cheetah, there is the <b>Caracal</b>, or <b>Siahgush</b>, meaning "black-eared" in Shahanistani. It is of reddish hue, with a handsome face and tall black-tipped ears. This hunting cat is smaller than the cheetah, and is thus more suited to hunting hares and birds; as a result, it is less favored by the nobility, who are most interested in big game, and is instead the hunting cat of choice of bazaaris and the better off peasants. The fur of the siahgush is amazingly soft, oft used for the lining of coats; less expensive than sables from the Land of Darkness, but still rich in quality. The caracal is also known as "the herald of the lion," for it travels before a lion on the prowl, alerting the other beasts of the king's coming. Then, after the lion's attack, the siahgush feasts on the remains, safe in the knowledge that the lion is sated. Thus, the caracal is depicted as the greedy courtier to the lion's kingdom, at once fearful of the sovereign's wrath and reliant on his generosity. A caracal crossing one's path is a sure sign that lions are nearby.&nbsp;</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iM6qKY11TjR7d0WTpbItQ9u-ETTpQvC7bmWwflJ5f589zAXuPB0sm2k_j5J3j-qS7aMIjQhQ6j_NdRrKtFTQO6u1cGdOcc6ZgewAHEIjAAMW6L1ppqRp25OibYC2mqQYRb9aAv7uisR9EnXcfHTLSj0H8HgqVTmgPiR3UrXO01x6aaxKlaSkcK0JZAo/s601/0pa24xoa80z51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="399" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iM6qKY11TjR7d0WTpbItQ9u-ETTpQvC7bmWwflJ5f589zAXuPB0sm2k_j5J3j-qS7aMIjQhQ6j_NdRrKtFTQO6u1cGdOcc6ZgewAHEIjAAMW6L1ppqRp25OibYC2mqQYRb9aAv7uisR9EnXcfHTLSj0H8HgqVTmgPiR3UrXO01x6aaxKlaSkcK0JZAo/s320/0pa24xoa80z51.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Caucasian Lynxes<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>In the mountainous north of the Enlightened Empire, in the forested hills surrounding The Conqueror's Wall and the coastal lowlands south of the Sea of Giants, there dwell <b>Lynxes (Caucasian Lynx)</b>, also known as the <b>Vashaq</b>, the favored hunting cat of the Land of Darkness. They are larger than the caracal, but with smaller ears and shorter tails, a mottled grey and brown with scattered black spots. Their paws are large and cushioned, making traversing snow easier. Northerners traditionally tame them for hunting similarly to the cheetah and caracal. The sacred order which presides over the Conqueror's Wall keeps 200 lynxes for hunting small game to supply their food. It is said that barbarians in the Land of Darkness, beyond the wall and mountains, don't even keep dogs, instead hunting exclusively with the vashaq. A far northern goddess of love, war, and sorcery rides a chariot pulled by lynxes through the snowy twilit forests; even those barbarians not in the tribes she presides over are wary of killing lynxes or blaspheming in their presence, worrying that they will report back to her. The pelt of the vashaq is soft, warm, and has especial properties: wearing it inspires sexual desire and virility and holds off hemorrhoids and similar illness. Burning lynx hair can heal festering wounds. Lynx urine crystallizes into an amber-like gemstone termed a <b>lynx stone</b>, which cures jaundice and other diseases of the kidney, and when rubbed against cloth has an attractive power on many substances.</p><p><b>Caracal/Lynx<br /></b>Number Appearing: 1d4<br />Hit Dice: 1+1<br />Attacks: 2 claw (1d4)<br />Armor: as leather<br />Morale: 7<br /><i>Pounce: </i>Caracals and lynxes' preferred mode of attack is pouncing; however, due to their size, they cannot meaningfully grapple with human-sized opponents. Do you really want to have to roll for a caracal grappling with a duck?</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWsc4nteS0HwGaRAV7xHh9uHkmHtAFUBRnxf0cZpzflRGRY1wHHgfXdJ0lMwxwa5PIjnFxLQi5mFRyhkgdaf7Dl9RBr0GNOgZ3jve0q2aH5n_9KbSkpXhmWgp9128-m5IQQX0ij3Il1HSMEi2_Gm0UDEh-cvv0kYC4ENQlGEMDXlgDGCm-T8LTZp95nM/s1000/SandCat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWsc4nteS0HwGaRAV7xHh9uHkmHtAFUBRnxf0cZpzflRGRY1wHHgfXdJ0lMwxwa5PIjnFxLQi5mFRyhkgdaf7Dl9RBr0GNOgZ3jve0q2aH5n_9KbSkpXhmWgp9128-m5IQQX0ij3Il1HSMEi2_Gm0UDEh-cvv0kYC4ENQlGEMDXlgDGCm-T8LTZp95nM/s320/SandCat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Sand Cat<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYbYG-y6wn_3WV765Kh03vI4pBGauGvWkURe4srMSUk9Qyit9QBhYGfCBb5LgZiPLXxS_2fxdsjzKmUFecWKJT17Qta2_559DCD5XOIXRS2tVaouVVS_UgzrtQ3xfZmkaVzsAUpDCUDCzcINcdNlZoEsnIeWjUr7AxhxsGmDxuAFRAU_aoz-h7Me1umY/s1122/31fd4c52b5dd869416a651a92e8a5118.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1122" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYbYG-y6wn_3WV765Kh03vI4pBGauGvWkURe4srMSUk9Qyit9QBhYGfCBb5LgZiPLXxS_2fxdsjzKmUFecWKJT17Qta2_559DCD5XOIXRS2tVaouVVS_UgzrtQ3xfZmkaVzsAUpDCUDCzcINcdNlZoEsnIeWjUr7AxhxsGmDxuAFRAU_aoz-h7Me1umY/s320/31fd4c52b5dd869416a651a92e8a5118.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Steppe Cat (Asiatic Wildcat)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDK-0orvvmT8EdnEeEr8a9HFcblaCKjH-BFtJ2J_8ex5b-3I0G-QY9l-I-OsPMIbzHjzRbYfrN5maBl8HmT_K9d2-XNKs5zRT3GGjsByu26fWlbUwc2QpzOHYNMJgnf8hSTk685yIOC3doPhhxNJaFylP_U7uQiUPRxIkPj3pn4myddGHuJ122S0Aifqc/s609/Jungle-Cat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="484" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDK-0orvvmT8EdnEeEr8a9HFcblaCKjH-BFtJ2J_8ex5b-3I0G-QY9l-I-OsPMIbzHjzRbYfrN5maBl8HmT_K9d2-XNKs5zRT3GGjsByu26fWlbUwc2QpzOHYNMJgnf8hSTk685yIOC3doPhhxNJaFylP_U7uQiUPRxIkPj3pn4myddGHuJ122S0Aifqc/s320/Jungle-Cat.png" width="254" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Jungle Cat<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Then there are the four kinds of least cats. Three are of similar size and appearance to the cat kept as a pet: the <b>Jungle Cat</b>, <b>Sand Cat</b>, and <b>Steppe Cat (Asiatic Wildcat)</b>. Each of these types of cat are solitary hunters that tend to keep a wide berth from towns and villages; thus, they are more often encountered as surprise omens by travelers than beasts sought out for their fur or hunting capability. The jungle cat is widespread in marshy and riverine environments; they are especially notable in the Hinterbog on the edge of Elburz Satrapy and in the lake country of Numistan. Travellers across the Hinterbog must always remember to leave gifts for the jungle cats, for some among their number are jinn in disguise. The bite of the jungle cat is liable to fester and rot more readily than that of other felines. Sand cats are the most elusive cat of them all, small tan-colored things that crawl through the driest depths of the Kavir-e Bozorg, so rare that even most desert-dwellers have never seen one. They are active only at night, and leave small faint footprints where they walk. They often nap in the shade of ancient ruins, to which a traveller can furtively follow them for treasure. The steppe cat is the furtive companion of travellers along the routes between the Enlightened Empire and the Empire of the Great East, dashing in and out of view in its shyness. The Southern Dog-Headed Men despise steppe cats, putting their skins as tassels on their spears and banners.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacqPIs0LwrOL9O3ZVcEjgohTjIcqaHB6jJnmWhVcW8wSOw4Y27TZZGC_baSd0CLQePQaRuVWoeZ0FcSZZquZ1DU6ifb4Ooo33dKCuZozkw2JW9OyvzBn3qVNk0EG_a5RjmS095qFnR2cUEQfMOb4TIh1bABH0ZjqD8v5uXp11ZIkS6FVMSr9QPR712Ds/s500/sub-buzz-3861-1524171509-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacqPIs0LwrOL9O3ZVcEjgohTjIcqaHB6jJnmWhVcW8wSOw4Y27TZZGC_baSd0CLQePQaRuVWoeZ0FcSZZquZ1DU6ifb4Ooo33dKCuZozkw2JW9OyvzBn3qVNk0EG_a5RjmS095qFnR2cUEQfMOb4TIh1bABH0ZjqD8v5uXp11ZIkS6FVMSr9QPR712Ds/s320/sub-buzz-3861-1524171509-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my favorite pallas cat picture<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>And, finally, there is the strangest cat of them all: the <b>Manul (Pallas' Cat)</b>. This most secretive of cats ranges across mountains from the Elburz range north of the Kavir-e Bozorg east through Numistan and into even more arid and wintry plateaus, from whence whispers of fabled Kadath emerge. They are small in size by covered all over with an excessively fluffy coat, giving them a rotund and soft appearance. Their faces are incredibly expressive, and they have qualities in sympathy with humanity that have led some to say that they are the ghosts of mountaineers who perished in avalanches or froze solid from frigid winds. The distinctive image of the eastern mountains is the frostbitten corpse with a manul curled up in its lap. Their coats are so pillowy soft that they are sometimes termed the "eastern sable," so valuable and rich their rare hides are. The hurdle to acquiring sable furs is the great distance and danger in venturing into the Lands of Darkness; the difficulty in hunting the manul is solely their secrecy, for they hide in shadows and snowbanks and are only very rarely seen in person.</p><p>And, for those curious, here are some of the sources I used for inspiration when writing this post!<br /><a href="https://www.iranicaonline.org/">Encyclopaedia Iranica</a> (especially their pages on <a href="https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/mammals-01-iran-afghanistan-ca">Mammals of Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia</a>, on <a href="https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/mammals-03-in-zoroastrianism">The Classification of Mammals and Other Animal Classes According to Zoroastrian Tradition</a>, on the <a href="https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/caracal-felis-caracal-schreber-lynx">Caracal</a> (this page is especially of interest because it includes direct citations from medieval Iranian treatises on hunting cats!), and on <a href="https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/lion-tombstones">Lion Tombstones</a>.<br /><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316708/the-ultimate-ambition-in-the-arts-of-erudition-by-shihab-al-din-al-nuwayri-edited-translated-and-with-an-introduction-and-notes-by-elias-muhanna/">The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition</a> by Shihab al-Din al-Nuwayri (Penguin edition)<br /><a href="https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Plin.+Nat.+toc">The Natural History</a> of Pliny the Elder<br /><a href="https://bestiary.ca/">The Medieval Bestiary: Animals in the Middle Ages</a> (A really fantastic resource in general! Gathers all sorts of information from several medieval European bestiaries in one digital location!)<br />And, to be completely honest, also Wikipedia.<br /></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/7003923673678313096/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/11/wild-cats-of-eastern-satrapies.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/7003923673678313096'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/7003923673678313096'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/11/wild-cats-of-eastern-satrapies.html' title='Wild Cats of the Eastern Satrapies'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDe-np4PcG_JryeknJIem5BosTxGxD0lvmZfkP0IaCYr641MsNHXGykfZvXMWZqg6Z_Sqd-LHHZw5tDjmopZ-bmXgba0eXCEr4mTzWneEgBipPjljyjDsagPwcskV_K0FU7GlJxG0GORcNIGtO0KVDymJbV7WkW6MJAxQTcNQ9f8Afq9ipYQLmQZUfNfo/s72-c/Persian_Leopard_sitting.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-1892712979565128614</id><published>2023-07-30T14:50:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2023-07-30T14:50:06.714-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="after action report"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bugs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="oozes"/><title type='text'>King of Kings Session 15 After Action Report</title><content type='html'><p>Been too long since my last post, and even longer since the last session report! Had the first King of Kings session in a full year like a month ago, but kept on putting off writing the after action report until now. Gonna get back to posting more regularly soon hopefully!</p><p>A bit of a shorter expedition this time, while we were getting back into the swing of things; trying to get back into running a game after a year's absence is kinda hard!</p><p><u><b>Dramatis Personae</b></u> <br />Coro the Esoterian, level one magic-user<br />Ishthyromeda the Small, level one amazon<br />Manchugo Coldeswain, level one cleric dedicated to Damir, foreign god of the trade routes<br />and Parsani, scrawny son of a rural matriarch<br />...and quite a few hirelings! 9 in total, 6 of which were thugs from the streets of Tabur, one of which was a light-bearer boy, another a girl from the dye works of Tabur, and another which was the most pious street beggar Manchugo could find</p><p>Yeah, the party decided to shell out for hirelings for the first time! This made the decision making calculus a bit different, though I think the full impact won't be seen until later sessions.</p><p>So after spending probably too long figuring out hirelings and resupply (I'll need to figure out some way to streamline that), the party went off to the abandoned farmstead beneath which they found, at the last session, a massive subterranean structure spiraling down into the earth. In addition to the new hirelings, they brought with them three pounds of salt, in preparation to confront the giant slug that blocked their path one week previous.</p><p>(Unfortunately not very long after getting to the depths, Ish's player had a bad headache and had to leave, so it was decided that Ishthyromeda and Parsani would stay guard at the group's wagon aboveground while the rest delved.)</p><p>First, they kept an eye out for the aforementioned giant slug, in roughly thirty minutes coming upon the very spot where the mollusk lay across the slick algal-coated stone causeway. There was no slug in sight, however, only a wide swash of faintly yellow slime on the wall that goes up the wall and then turns around; presumably the slug descended down from where it was previously.&nbsp;</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxfRv8DRxC-o-acRXzqJToxg0j_ympWoxj5f1pRCNRE2KVMHN6IiAWK8OOB-2-Ofj_synS5LpszVCHVflTuwVUUywLMrh3dEWJc2xKQRsoj32ET9KJZqKBgmZaSFRGn4UtEVFjsKIungSeZ8Vu9V67D8mMVrGG2kN4XhcnIW9ff0OQptcb_OplzmozYA/s1280/trx_018j__01568.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="939" data-original-width="1280" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxfRv8DRxC-o-acRXzqJToxg0j_ympWoxj5f1pRCNRE2KVMHN6IiAWK8OOB-2-Ofj_synS5LpszVCHVflTuwVUUywLMrh3dEWJc2xKQRsoj32ET9KJZqKBgmZaSFRGn4UtEVFjsKIungSeZ8Vu9V67D8mMVrGG2kN4XhcnIW9ff0OQptcb_OplzmozYA/s320/trx_018j__01568.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trilobites!</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>About another half hour later, slowly shuffling as a mass down the slimy walkway, the group heard an arthropoid chittering up ahead. Inching forward, the light of their torches revealed a pile of 13 trilobites! None of them had ever seen such strange bugs before, eyeless and mostly flat, tendrils flailing in the air. The things at first showed no interest in the group, but were attracted to the warmth of their torches as they approached. Coro lit a candle and threw it to the ground to distract them, while gesturing to the mercenaries and city youths to crawl around the arthropods single file, careful not to disturb them. It takes some time, but they ultimately are able to get around them.</p><p>Another twenty or thirty minutes later, having lost a few torches sputtering in the dark and forced to light new ones, they came across a square open tunnel in the wall of the structure. Before going in, Manchugo dropped an iron spike down the open side of the slimy walkway, to try and estimate how far down the bottom of the structure was. He only heard a distant wet splash after a full 45 seconds.</p><p>They then ventured into the square tunnel, flanked on either side by ancient metal doors with strange looking locks on them. The tunnel eventually made a hard turn to the right, right next to a door rusted off its hinges and with an insectile chittering behind it. Our adventurers decided to not deal with whatever was behind that door and ventured on, inspecting some of the metallic doors and finding little inside them but small dusty cells. Right before another right turn in the tunnel, they came across another door, this time with a wet burbling noise crawling out from within. As they approach the burbling room, they see a pitch black ooze clinging to the walls and filling up the floor in the little chamber, pushing the door out at its hinges, which immediately made them want to leave, despite the glittering emeralds revealed by the flickering torchlight that the slime recedes from. They were only able to force the door shut with the help of several of their hired thugs.&nbsp;</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxhRa48lSV2lOBhdMzbZ2qqKIBf54C4SrbcXbgQkfyU0F026NAzFKCkuh9dJ-XWH8gbaCz3hSpWpTtUJGgYH4h0oSzPZtCvnFhemKkg9o3Ch1_NDj3pMbE_dxGiHLJ0BJlEiDirauXA3vT-0Itu5gEOJgFhDZ1kmFVLaVNGlGIBYHJeyBaAk5T5Ki6Os/s512/Untitled1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxhRa48lSV2lOBhdMzbZ2qqKIBf54C4SrbcXbgQkfyU0F026NAzFKCkuh9dJ-XWH8gbaCz3hSpWpTtUJGgYH4h0oSzPZtCvnFhemKkg9o3Ch1_NDj3pMbE_dxGiHLJ0BJlEiDirauXA3vT-0Itu5gEOJgFhDZ1kmFVLaVNGlGIBYHJeyBaAk5T5Ki6Os/s320/Untitled1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very sketchy map of this tunnel I drew since there was some confusion while describing it. The starred cell is the one with the insectile chirping, the crescent moon cell is the one with the burbling slime.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>And that's where the session ended! Like I said, not a whole lot (which makes it doubly bad that it took me this long to finish writing this augh), but I'm just glad to have gotten back to King of Kings! The next session will open up in media res in the dungeon, picking up where we left off right after the second right turn in this tunnel.<br /></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/1892712979565128614/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/07/king-of-kings-session-15-after-action.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/1892712979565128614'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/1892712979565128614'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/07/king-of-kings-session-15-after-action.html' title='King of Kings Session 15 After Action Report'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxfRv8DRxC-o-acRXzqJToxg0j_ympWoxj5f1pRCNRE2KVMHN6IiAWK8OOB-2-Ofj_synS5LpszVCHVflTuwVUUywLMrh3dEWJc2xKQRsoj32ET9KJZqKBgmZaSFRGn4UtEVFjsKIungSeZ8Vu9V67D8mMVrGG2kN4XhcnIW9ff0OQptcb_OplzmozYA/s72-c/trx_018j__01568.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-4499196328788437230</id><published>2023-05-23T07:44:00.008-07:00</published><updated>2023-05-23T07:44:59.095-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AD&D"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bestiaries"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bugs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fiend Folio"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="oozes"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="undead"/><title type='text'>Goin' Through the Fiend Folio Part 13 (Penanggalan to Qullan)</title><content type='html'>Been way too long on this! But, before we begin, I have to recognize a person very important to me, to Old School D&amp;D, and to the Fiend Folio: Russ Nicholson.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjml8Yt6-ZSyFTi2FNN_Psnmx2_yJ41w144Suv3F32DY4ZuNYNyUW11aTQ7kqlDv1wDqyiLkor3s-PWxvp6-kubNh0TrPGnqbgDwuaNFJQEDKt41ONqosuskrDO-Q3gWbY_KTdcd27j2Zr-c6wf72qYbcxncNjyOimNcL5vk3Yx_Q7Kby2pK12YaYME/s720/Russ_book_signing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjml8Yt6-ZSyFTi2FNN_Psnmx2_yJ41w144Suv3F32DY4ZuNYNyUW11aTQ7kqlDv1wDqyiLkor3s-PWxvp6-kubNh0TrPGnqbgDwuaNFJQEDKt41ONqosuskrDO-Q3gWbY_KTdcd27j2Zr-c6wf72qYbcxncNjyOimNcL5vk3Yx_Q7Kby2pK12YaYME/s320/Russ_book_signing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Russ Nicholson, whose illustrations populate much of the Fiend Folio, passed away on May 10, 2023. His grotty, incredibly detailed art style is one of the most defining aesthetics in my mind for old school D&amp;D, along with other great artists like Erol Otus, and more specifically an evocation of the messier, darker, more cynical, British approach to fantasy (he contributed art to Warhammer too!). Nicholson was active in making art for roleplaying games just about up to his passing, including Dungeon Crawl Classics, Old School Essentials, and Through Ultan's Door. The Fiend Folio was, I believe, my first exposure to Russ Nicholson's art, and the Fiend Folio was one of the first AD&amp;D books I ever had; Nicholson's art was one of the major reasons I got so into old school D&amp;D, a visual aesthetic that spoke to me and grabbed me. I think Nicholson has to be given credit for getting a lot of people into old school D&amp;D, or at least contributing to the image and aesthetic of going on an adventure into a decrepit dungeon with strange monsters. Rest In Peace to Russ Nicholson, we've lost a truly great artist and contributor to D&amp;D and other roleplaying games.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWD2lFC-dm4-a7pNgDn55sZLn5a7ZAf8riGvmeBrlZiU4fznJOK1Umdx9BLr-OR8Nki_0ksd5vUUwr-eHbct4xCTDZX7Adit16auGWYQHR9tvcMFqy_bzunpH-rShIxlzsSROJLe0iG5F1sh96SrDYFCkPdxNHSKe87hiczMRIHtp8HcrYGn8JdmTq/s399/penanggalan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="291" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWD2lFC-dm4-a7pNgDn55sZLn5a7ZAf8riGvmeBrlZiU4fznJOK1Umdx9BLr-OR8Nki_0ksd5vUUwr-eHbct4xCTDZX7Adit16auGWYQHR9tvcMFqy_bzunpH-rShIxlzsSROJLe0iG5F1sh96SrDYFCkPdxNHSKe87hiczMRIHtp8HcrYGn8JdmTq/s320/penanggalan.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great example of art by Russ Nicholson!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div><b>Penanggalan</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>The penanggalan is a longtime personal favorite monster of mine, ever since I first found out about it from a now ancient article on Bogleech.com! The image of a pale woman's head flying through the sky, entrails hanging down below, sucking blood and killing children through the thatched roofs of houses is just the best, and the idea of it being a normal woman during the day and leaving her body behind at night provides a fantastic narrative and seed for adventure. Malay vampires (and really Malay folklore monsters in general) are really cool, I might make some posts statting some more up. But uh... does this need a full <i>page and a half</i>&nbsp;of description??? This is, unfortunately, probably the most unwieldy and long monster description for any AD&amp;D monster. A PAGE AND A HALF!! I do not think that the specifics of whether the penanggalan was a cleric when she was alive, or what a know alignment spell will do when cast on it, or the feeblemind effect of seeing the transformation from human woman to flying undead head, or the slow and steady effect of the penanggalan's feeding, its hypnosis, etc etc etc, none of that is necessary in this amount of detail. The penanggalan as written is an adventure in and of itself, a specific narrative arc that progresses from it selecting a victim to the victim's death and aftermath, and there's barely any deviation from that path other than "the party figures out its a penanggalan and fights and kills it OR finds the body and kills it." I can't believe the Fiend Folio, otherwise a great monster book, completely ruined one of the world's greatest folkloric creatures by making it a damn <i>railroad</i>. This is a 5/5 monster brought down to 2/5 by how awful the implementation is. Just cleave close to the folklore and keep it simple!!! That's all I ask!!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tZ6ojiGLJ3rWHILmJDwoXV4N-x1ENfDC8G-ciwchNjsYmgZVdqLbebXn-6WWq8ZjEmXA95p2d5c5g75trG6fBL-e306sm2gtXeZisH-pQB1VJB0lGrbSf7YBwErpIHs1_a9nECichwqyt5vn4NU5XDlS9QI-4kv6YXvDuQNoUxvJ4gHvtWKDtvTq/s349/Pernicon1e.JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="223" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tZ6ojiGLJ3rWHILmJDwoXV4N-x1ENfDC8G-ciwchNjsYmgZVdqLbebXn-6WWq8ZjEmXA95p2d5c5g75trG6fBL-e306sm2gtXeZisH-pQB1VJB0lGrbSf7YBwErpIHs1_a9nECichwqyt5vn4NU5XDlS9QI-4kv6YXvDuQNoUxvJ4gHvtWKDtvTq/s320/Pernicon1e.JPG.jpg" width="204" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Russ!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>Pernicon</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b></div><div>Now THIS is a great and well implemented monster! A large, grasshopper like insect that dwells in deserts, prized for its water divining antennae but dangerous because of its deathgrip pincers. Sweet, simple, and effective. I think giving an animalistic monster some body part that is prized or valuable, whether monetarily or for a directly applicable use, is one of the best ways to make an otherwise mundane animal relevant to the players, and the pernicon's water divining antennae are a great example of the latter. Its antennae vibrate and give off a low hum when within 120 feet of water; very useful in a desert, especially if you're actually going to make water matter to the player characters! The pincers are also delightfully terrible, only dealing 3 points of damage but also taking a point of constitution from "drain[ing] the water and other body fluids from the victim,"; AND this repeats every round! The pernicon's pincers don't just let up, even after the victim dies it will continue to grip, and forcibly removing it will only deal an additional 1d4 damage. That might not sound like much, but these guys are encountered in numbers of 4 to <i>40</i>! Nasty, but reasonably so! Also, interestingly enough, they are listed as semi intelligent, and the delightfully rendered Russ Nicholson illustration has its hand raised as if it were giving a speech; the description doesn't really describe them as intelligent, but that could be an interesting angle to take.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2N7dqpceEjIWd5PXiMF-UQyy4Hnyvy6uFCH5nUJL4Z2u9L6etf_3YAwXU3c1ui4DzO_wA-R5-gbasYWdh-7G5PLe8e8rNdTL6nrdR9-bixuXHfAEELz3kuZfZ-LxjuzubLHRFXXogfCHymO9ggMV8BKEUc-Q67YrpPvYrhnggtsJvJWZPGIL75JR6/s541/phantom_stalker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2N7dqpceEjIWd5PXiMF-UQyy4Hnyvy6uFCH5nUJL4Z2u9L6etf_3YAwXU3c1ui4DzO_wA-R5-gbasYWdh-7G5PLe8e8rNdTL6nrdR9-bixuXHfAEELz3kuZfZ-LxjuzubLHRFXXogfCHymO9ggMV8BKEUc-Q67YrpPvYrhnggtsJvJWZPGIL75JR6/s320/phantom_stalker.jpg" width="188" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Phantom Stalker</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>Not really that interesting. Basically just a weird summonable fire elemental that serves the summoner and, when the summoner is killed, disappears only to reappear "intent on vengeance" 1d4 hours later. They can shapeshift, are immune to fire and weak to cold, deal fire damage, yadda yadda. Nothing super notable. I like how the illustration makes them look like a kind of weird B movie monster, though. Very rubber suit esque. The description only calls their typical form a "reddish, 8' tall humanoid with huge fiery eyes," so I'm glad the illustrator went in this more alien direction.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Poltergeist</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>Very basic, but very effective. Yet another type of ghost (it's almost comical how AD&amp;D statted up every synonym for "ghost" as a completely separate monster—ghost, specter, apparition, etc etc etc), but in this case it feels more earned since a poltergeist is such a specific image: an invisible ghost that can only act on the physical environment, throwing objects around. That the Folio poltergeist can't even deal damage with its thrown objects is kinda funny; all a successful hit does is cause a fear effect that makes the target flee, with a chance of dropping objects they are holding. I like fear effects and effects that force the PC to flee, they're fun. Otherwise, just another incorporeal undead; but does it need to be much more? A poltergeist can just be an immaterial force that throws stuff around! I think I might not stat it up though, treat it more like a room hazard; giving it HP feels kind of wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Protein Polymorph</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>What a name!!! This hearkens back, to me at least, to some of the more sci-fi inspirations to early D&amp;D; a "protein polymorph" feels like something that could have appeared in an episode of Star Trek or something. But what actually is it? Well, its a colonial organism made up of intelligent single cells that can take on the appearance of anything, including inanimate objects, living beings, even Groups of living beings (its described as joining these independent bodies together by a near invisible cord or film of protoplasm which is just so cool). So, it's a weirder doppelgänger with a wider range of transformative abilities. Not the most distinct niche for a monster, given the whole slew of other imitation creatures that already exist in D&amp;D, but I think the weird colonial single celled organism angle and its ability to imitate groups of living creatures make it a bit more interesting. Also, it can't imitate noises nor accurately recreate facial expressions, which provides a much clearer way to identify whether something is an imitation; I always wonder how the hell you're supposed to figure out a doppelgänger is a doppelgänger. Really, I kinda think this is just a 2/5 creature, but it being a slime mold and the ability to imitate a group of creatures connected by a film of protoplasm bumps it up a star for me. I'm a sucker for a gooey guy.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKg3lfReH76ngkzKqjEpjK1mV6nE1aYu_1DJFEqlmYBGIv78x-oYS0G4Fk9KJIxvKdU9CgVvGFd3fwoJ_XS9454sY9OzshzhTHMiH2r8FcPodAZeTewicSw1wO6B5gETjSWckrSpHcA1YaICrxeh9eKtNKRzMZSGT18Y9am59oEGXeYw9IKiSufY2/s336/Quag.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="278" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKg3lfReH76ngkzKqjEpjK1mV6nE1aYu_1DJFEqlmYBGIv78x-oYS0G4Fk9KJIxvKdU9CgVvGFd3fwoJ_XS9454sY9OzshzhTHMiH2r8FcPodAZeTewicSw1wO6B5gETjSWckrSpHcA1YaICrxeh9eKtNKRzMZSGT18Y9am59oEGXeYw9IKiSufY2/s320/Quag.png" width="265" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Quaggoth</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>Kinda mid. Yet another tribal humanoid monster that dwells underground, except this time they are mysterious pale shaggy humanoids that uh... wait a minute, why not just use white apes? Yeah, literally just use white apes. These guys are just apemen except no they're not apemen they're like, weird little eared bear men, murderous care bear types. They have leaders, they wield axes and swords, they berserk when they reach a certain HP threshold (that part is at least kind of interesting I guess), and they hate surface dwelling elves and... become slaves of the drow to assist in their war on elves? That's really weird. Why wouldn't they just be allies of the dark elves? Why <i>slaves</i>? That feels weird, justifying themselves... enslaving themselves to the dark elves? Weird. I would just use like, white ape men or something.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Quipper</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>These are cold water piranhas. The description even explicitly calls them that. They are bloodthirsty and swarm ravenously if blood is spilt, up to twenty can attack a human sized target at once and it has an... incredibly cumbersome way to handle that. At first I thought it was pretty interesting, since it involved rolling a percentile die to see how many even attempt to attack, but as it turns out you still end up needing to roll an individual attack roll for every single damn fish. That's so stupid. By the way, did you know piranhas don't really do the whole "swarm uncontrollably if even a bit of blood is spilt in the water" thing? Piranhas don't actually devour large animals like humans, cows, etc to the bone under normal circumstances. That myth originated in a piranha attack coordinated by Brazilian fishermen when Theodore Roosevelt visited the country on a hunting trip in 1913 (they blocked off parts of the river and didn't feed them for a very long time so that they would be desperate for meat when they threw a cow into the water) and he wrote about it in a book that he published the next year, popularizing the image of the piranha as a killer fish for American audiences. Having a killer fish is valuable for a D&amp;D bestiary, of course, but this implementation is boring.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1M6CJuoYWswYYko9-UgNavTskvULCcoAbjdmWFPkBGimuWZwri5WIBEvlZM_ZFp-8ZIBUDrOpgg-bWqONdd7gdffaJBbO3VEz6TpiG5oSr3BtfssJ1KGto7v9wSEagRPnb0IJBf1soAuMxByYEj1H7K0N3a2VcX4JGG4d7ZQtFjshSCASUNJt9S--/s450/Qullan.JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1M6CJuoYWswYYko9-UgNavTskvULCcoAbjdmWFPkBGimuWZwri5WIBEvlZM_ZFp-8ZIBUDrOpgg-bWqONdd7gdffaJBbO3VEz6TpiG5oSr3BtfssJ1KGto7v9wSEagRPnb0IJBf1soAuMxByYEj1H7K0N3a2VcX4JGG4d7ZQtFjshSCASUNJt9S--/s320/Qullan.JPG.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately also a Russ Nicholson... they can't all be winners</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>Qullan</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>Uh oh!! Uh oh!!! This one looks really racist! A "seemingly insane" race of humanoids that just so happen to... wear animal skins and warpaint? Very unfortunate! I think this, along with the quaggoth, is another great example of the unnecessary inflation of different humanoid types in AD&amp;D; when you get down to it, this is just a pretty overtly weirdly racist humanoid monster. Well, with the exception of its Two Kind Of Interesting Ideas. So, Qullans exude an aura of confusion that causes all attempts at communication and interchange between them and other intelligent peoples to fail; I fear that this is just a weird justification for unquestionable violence directed toward them, but I can't help but find the idea of a whole group of people cursed to supernaturally confuse those around them just interesting! Maybe that supernatural confusion is the cause of their seeming "insanity"? Also, they have swords that are so sharp that they deal +3 damage and have +3 to hit, and if someone manages to get one of these swords the bonuses sticks around... until the sword gets blunted, and unfortunately due to the confusion effect ruining all attempts at communication, nobody knows how they keep their swords so sharp. That's kinda cool actually! Very intriguing! I generally think that making bonuses be from nonmagical stuff is pretty cool, to keep magic sticking to the really genuinely weird stuff, and connecting this mysterious sharpness to their confusion effect makes it all feel very tight conceptually. Too bad its uh, really weird and unnecessary otherwise. This is really a 1/5 monster, but the combination of the confusion effect and the super sharp swords nets it another sword; I'm just more likely to steal those ideas for something else than use this monster as is.</div></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/4499196328788437230/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/05/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-13.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/4499196328788437230'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/4499196328788437230'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/05/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-13.html' title='Goin' Through the Fiend Folio Part 13 (Penanggalan to Qullan)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjml8Yt6-ZSyFTi2FNN_Psnmx2_yJ41w144Suv3F32DY4ZuNYNyUW11aTQ7kqlDv1wDqyiLkor3s-PWxvp6-kubNh0TrPGnqbgDwuaNFJQEDKt41ONqosuskrDO-Q3gWbY_KTdcd27j2Zr-c6wf72qYbcxncNjyOimNcL5vk3Yx_Q7Kby2pK12YaYME/s72-c/Russ_book_signing.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-7176725985372612435</id><published>2023-05-22T07:05:00.004-07:00</published><updated>2023-05-22T07:05:48.829-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="my art"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="polity post"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="religion"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="worldbuilding"/><title type='text'>The World of King of Kings: A Brief Timeline and the Enlightened Empire</title><content type='html'><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmZrQfFckDq2DMcu4zmRqWO9eeoMAixO2QK_MM5EUqDAww1emLqK7AYkXDA-JHr_8oBaTeO7-cQGYDlexFje9p8PwmmrAJxpzTTYIrIoEfw3RJt00l7pp3AYyRLHXPNiLD71IS3jStOWmARjvfvf6Hc3Y1Y4SH7bph3KmZa46HYtcOAjrg6-9LKF4/s854/MIK_-_Sassaniden_Jagdschale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmZrQfFckDq2DMcu4zmRqWO9eeoMAixO2QK_MM5EUqDAww1emLqK7AYkXDA-JHr_8oBaTeO7-cQGYDlexFje9p8PwmmrAJxpzTTYIrIoEfw3RJt00l7pp3AYyRLHXPNiLD71IS3jStOWmARjvfvf6Hc3Y1Y4SH7bph3KmZa46HYtcOAjrg6-9LKF4/s320/MIK_-_Sassaniden_Jagdschale.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7th century silver and gold bowl depicting a King of Kings hunting</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>I've been meaning to get back on writing King of Kings posts, namely world building posts to fill in a lot of the big foundational gaps that have been left in my approach to writing about it on the blog up to now. So here we have a series of posts about the major empires and states of the KoK world, beginning with a brief timeline and description of the Enlightened Empire, the vast realm in which KoK is set. There'll be six of these polity posts, so look out for those when they come by!<div><br /></div><div>But, to begin with, a bit of a reflection. I'm constantly struggling to balance my love for writing world building detail, evocative elements, and things that bring verisimilitude to a setting, with the need to primarily write things that can actually be gameable or primarily just contribute to inspiration rather than telling a referee or reader exactly what to do with a setting. That's been on my mind for a while, but was most clearly brought forward with Prismatic Wasteland's post <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/lore-what-is-it-good-for">Lore! What is it Good For?</a> I really want to write lore, in a broad sense, for King of Kings, but also not just make it a boring Forgotten Realms Dragonlance Mystara gazetteer y'know? So, my hope in these posts is to try and strike a balance. Future posts in this series will center on things like character backgrounds, random encounters, and rumors about a given part of the world from the perspective of those in the eastern satrapies. While I'll be writing about places that can be really far afield from where my game currently is, the goal is to always tie things back to the needs of the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>This first post won't have as much of that, because it is about the very empire that the King of Kings game is set in; it will be given much more detail in plenty of more posts about the game!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpz3egkoSXE8S8a1v9uOtIJhRVrsW6klG4IT4h3mDuvNb1-7-5QzIqBXfy4XtFMzZOkVxUvKRRr_F6oplE_oLUZdnMC5-UbhJ3U-yiVrap8d4dDK1dTiQva3j_aRPgMc2_IdYTmmiuk86hhDltrdM2pXXsft0jKZL7GZ70LAk_4Dh4GbC5kB4IHMKI/s807/Noah's_Ark_by_Miskin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpz3egkoSXE8S8a1v9uOtIJhRVrsW6klG4IT4h3mDuvNb1-7-5QzIqBXfy4XtFMzZOkVxUvKRRr_F6oplE_oLUZdnMC5-UbhJ3U-yiVrap8d4dDK1dTiQva3j_aRPgMc2_IdYTmmiuk86hhDltrdM2pXXsft0jKZL7GZ70LAk_4Dh4GbC5kB4IHMKI/s320/Noah's_Ark_by_Miskin.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noah and his Ark, from a 16th century Mughal miniature</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF AGES AND YEARS SINCE THE DELUGE</div><div>[This is meant as a small set of events to anchor the world's history on, not a comprehensive history that players would need to memorize.]</div><div>Roughly 1,000 years ago, the dreadful Sea Tyrants flooded the world with their sinister star magic, in a last ditch attempt to seize control of all the world. This is the start of history, as before the Deluge there are only vague myths, and a world almost unrecognizable. The First City, now capital of the Enlightened Empire, was able to survive the Deluge with magic stolen for them by a promethean Traitor Frog, ancestor of the Froglings, ensuring the survival of humanity and other land animals. In the Empire of the Great East, they have a different telling; that a sagely lord and his family went to the top of the tallest mountain in the world and made a deal with a great Olm and a Dragon to channel the waters into the Great East's two rivers, draining the land before it could even flood completely.</div><div><br /></div><div>The below is a general timeline of years since the Deluge:</div><div>0-150: The Age of Heroes, wherein half mythic warriors and newly born sorcerers began to seize holdings for themselves, slay lingering batrachian horrors left all over by the Deluge, and scout out the first spells and rituals.</div><div>150-400: The Age of Tyrants, wherein the sons and daughters of the Heroes rule arbitrarily and with the legitimacy of their Heroic descent. Tyrant is here meant not solely as a pejorative, though many rulers in this period were murderous despots. Kingdoms rise and fall. This era is when the Dinosaur Kings ruled over what are now the eastern satrapies.</div><div>400: Invasion of the Conquering King, wherein the great Ruler of the World conquered most of the known world (other than the Empire of the Great East), from his island homeland in the western archipelago. He would die without an heir and leave his world empire to his generals.</div><div>400-500: The Wars of the Successors.</div><div>500: The Mountain Uprising which established the Enlightened Empire.</div><div>500-800: Golden Age of the Enlightened Empire, the Great Three-Coin Age</div><div>800-850: The Fifty Years' Crisis, wherein the Enlightened Empire was brought low by the invasions of the Gnostic Elves to the west and the nomad confederation led by the Amazons from the north, along with a rebellion within its own territory.&nbsp;</div><div>850-present: The Never-ending War with the Gnostic Elves, the Rule of the Kanarang in the east, the Enlightened Empire as it is today.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15ysVaBMM-48eyjF_SkJIoMz2PUhHPlhU3z9jgxYAvUOE1XTdZ6Au9oIqiw_i_CasZT8Qu9KiqZbtvhwIISZWs3-zBl-6unFN1M0tNZgxLsrL0WqFhNTplTS7uZdJV4T6jNIhFIrR_H-X7TjiJCDuwRTFYljnQYjih9g_SoTJwX-QS4u7tckk4Gej/s1024/1024px-Naqsh-e-Rostam_(Iran)_Relief_Sassanid_Period.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15ysVaBMM-48eyjF_SkJIoMz2PUhHPlhU3z9jgxYAvUOE1XTdZ6Au9oIqiw_i_CasZT8Qu9KiqZbtvhwIISZWs3-zBl-6unFN1M0tNZgxLsrL0WqFhNTplTS7uZdJV4T6jNIhFIrR_H-X7TjiJCDuwRTFYljnQYjih9g_SoTJwX-QS4u7tckk4Gej/s320/1024px-Naqsh-e-Rostam_(Iran)_Relief_Sassanid_Period.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardashir_I">Ardashir I</a> receiving the ring of power from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahura_Mazda">Ahura Mazda</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>STATE, GOVERNANCE, AND RELIGION IN THE ENLIGHTENED EMPIRE</div><div>The Enlightened Empire is a monarchy under the rule of the King of Kings (or Shahanshah), currently a boy of only 9 years named Khosrau III (in the East, he is more commonly known as "He Whose Face is on the Coins"). Ostensibly an absolute monarch, power is in reality delegated to and mediated by a number of lesser authorities, most notably the Satraps that govern the provinces on behalf of the Shahanshah. There are more than a dozen such petty rulers in the satrapies, and an even greater number of lesser leaders, ranging from tribal chiefs to village matriarchs to temple priests and priestesses. The satrap of <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/11/elburz-satrapy-dazur-valley.html">Elburz satrapy, where the King of Kings campaign is currently set</a>, is an aged former warrior named Gholam Ruyanian, who also serves as the urbanarch of the city of Tabur. The satraps of other satrapies will be detailed when those provinces are described.</div><div><br /></div><div>While the boy King of Kings plays and studies in the echoing halls of the great palace in the First City, ultimate rule is truly in the hands of two authorities in an uneasy alliance. The boy sovereign's mother governs in his stead, keeping the peace in the First City, greatest city in the whole of the world, with her diplomacy, alliances, and temple obligations. This dowager empress, regent of the greatest empire in the whole of the world, is the most powerful person in the world. However, in the East, there sits the black gloved tyrant, the Kanarang, military governor of the whole of the East. The position of Kanarang was established in the days of the Fifty Years' Crisis, to crush the intrusions of the Amazons, Dog Headed Men, and other Barbarian Nomad Tribes, and since then he has ruled the East. Whatever lines may be drawn on parchment in the libraries and thronerooms of the First City, the East is not truly divided into sovereign satrapies; they are all under the authority of the Kanarang. The Kanarang is a traveling tyrant, always astride his black horse, with his men and their hangers on in tow.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fFodtAEWfY0IgLVm7pNK63tv653p3yXbf-BK96F0emnhEGjNK1ZlOQGE5tSBUvY-1Axj4kRoBM0mB92971qg3iYWerwaee-8Zhi9BAqLT7c-RQLVbnTi7K86GywLHZzVEejLm0BE0V7zgOvjHz-DHzLmbW0bvteCjbtcc4uhOwHH6vTKwx0erLHY/s2048/FeKvTSMXEAAP1Jn.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1616" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fFodtAEWfY0IgLVm7pNK63tv653p3yXbf-BK96F0emnhEGjNK1ZlOQGE5tSBUvY-1Axj4kRoBM0mB92971qg3iYWerwaee-8Zhi9BAqLT7c-RQLVbnTi7K86GywLHZzVEejLm0BE0V7zgOvjHz-DHzLmbW0bvteCjbtcc4uhOwHH6vTKwx0erLHY/s320/FeKvTSMXEAAP1Jn.jpeg" width="253" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khosrow_II">Khosrow II Parwiz</a> on his throne, by 3d artist <a href="https://twitter.com/JoanFrancescOl1/status/1577015584276873216">Joan Francesc Olivera</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>In the First City, the boy King of Kings sits upon a wooden throne emblazoned with jewels. Next to him stands his mother, and flanking them both are the thrones of the other great rulers of the world: the Moon Emperor of the Great East, the King of the Straits, and, more recently, the Kings of the Southern Dog Headed Men and of the Gnostic Elves. These other four thrones are set at lower heights than the Shahanshah's throne; were they to ever meet in the First City, they would be forced to look up to His Most Glorious and Enlightened Magnanimity, Blessed by Truth and Sunlight.</div><div><br /></div><div>The symbol of the King of Kings' authority is the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-huma-bird.html">Huma bird</a>, whose shadow bestows royalty. A high flying Huma is kept in a cage in the First City, and a ceremony is held shortly before the Shahanshah's coronation where the bird's shadow passes over the crown prince. If the bird refuses to fly over the Mirza, this forebodes doom; anything bad happening to the Imperial Huma is an evil omen.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEanB0dbIWo_QSsw-DcrKDOWYnB5AQ-T8uxB1W7O4X5uqKavVszOnlH6EwrgRGHIgAPXRQgaH-2O1b1DzvSWgc23o8IcXLYUgM8zE4wy7SEyQKfX9EkyPHN9ZovwunGQCuPqIGLLsNZLS5mW6Mm1a0ySPyxF-kq-etjOK8SzsTPFfj9xlsaa5DA9Hc/s1024/Naqshe_Rajab_Darafsh_Ordibehesht_93_(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1024" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEanB0dbIWo_QSsw-DcrKDOWYnB5AQ-T8uxB1W7O4X5uqKavVszOnlH6EwrgRGHIgAPXRQgaH-2O1b1DzvSWgc23o8IcXLYUgM8zE4wy7SEyQKfX9EkyPHN9ZovwunGQCuPqIGLLsNZLS5mW6Mm1a0ySPyxF-kq-etjOK8SzsTPFfj9xlsaa5DA9Hc/s320/Naqshe_Rajab_Darafsh_Ordibehesht_93_(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inscription of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kartir">Kartir</a>, most influential Zoroastrian priest in the early Sasanian Empire, at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naqsh-e_Rajab">Naqsh-e Rajab</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Closely intertwined with temporal authority are the spiritual authorities, the Temple Bureaucracy of the True Religion, official state religion of the Enlightened Empire. It would perhaps be most accurate to describe the Enlightened Empire as a coalition made up of the Imperial system centered on the King of Kings and the Temple hierarchy of the True Religion (the Kanarang is a newer element but could be considered the third pillar of the state, as the premier military leader in an age dominated by armies). The True Religion has as its major centers a number of ancient cities and temples in the Southern Heartland satrapy, where the Mountain Rebellion that founded the Enlightened Empire began, along with the First City. A whole hierarchy of mobads, herbads, and other priests administer state sacrifices and official rituals, maintaining proper practice in order to sustain the Enlightened Empire, under the beloved light of the Sun, manifestation of Truth. Further afield from the core of the Empire, religious practice and belief becomes more heterodox; in the King of Kings campaign, religious life is a mix of official authority, unusual local practices (from the perspective of the core), and heretical sects.</div><div><br /></div><div>[I'll make a post about religion in King of Kings at some later point. The interactions between a hierarchical state religion and a number of more vaguely defined local practices on the hinterlands of empire is a topic that fascinates me, and I want to communicate that in KoK. I don't want the True Religion to be Too much of just a "fantasy Zoroastrianism," but a lot of that is kind of inevitable (the name "The True Religion" even comes from late antique Zoroastrianism, terming itself "The Good Religion").]</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_MiRYX-JzXw4YsmZnkVRgIRHC9ZX0ZUIcdsxXwpPnFWy8mYA1R_-cE30m4l1bk4FJSas3l7K7fCnOGLJWhCZCIt342TjEQQAehiduLRoFFGwFVypYz1cnO2PYkdYNLvOWS6pRRPhU4X7MFTcQT1tdylF9cp0skxCqS_DPrmVnnFfGphej4mMC_JJ/s545/Bishapur_zan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_MiRYX-JzXw4YsmZnkVRgIRHC9ZX0ZUIcdsxXwpPnFWy8mYA1R_-cE30m4l1bk4FJSas3l7K7fCnOGLJWhCZCIt342TjEQQAehiduLRoFFGwFVypYz1cnO2PYkdYNLvOWS6pRRPhU4X7MFTcQT1tdylF9cp0skxCqS_DPrmVnnFfGphej4mMC_JJ/s320/Bishapur_zan.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Sasanian era mosaic from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishapur">Bishapur</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>1D8 RUMORS ABOUT THE IMPERIAL COURT</div><div>1: Khosrau III, boy King of Kings, delights in torture and mockery. He ties the legs of prisoners and peasants to gryphons and lets them fly in opposite directions, clapping and laughing as the gore rains down from the sky.</div><div>2: Khosrau III, boy King of Kings, has a terrible sickness that will likely keep him from reigning for much longer.</div><div>3: Khosrau III, boy King of Kings, is a kind hearted soul who loves animal life; there is a constant need for new pets for the curious child.</div><div>4: The queen mother has been taken in by a long bearded wilderness wiseman in a horsehair robe, who claims to be able to teach her son sorcery.</div><div>5: The harem-in-waiting for the boy shah is currently open to women (and eunuchs, who may be impressed into the guard corps); perhaps an in into court life?</div><div>6: The queen mother attempted to appoint a priest at the Holy Mountain in Elburz Satrapy that would be friendly to state interests, but the Kanarang kidnapped the appointee.</div><div>7: The uncle of the boy King of Kings is a repugnant pervert who lords over a personal estate in the hills outside the First City, casting an evil shadow over the city in his impurity.</div><div>8: A son of <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/03/tabur-grand-capital-of-elburz-satrapy.html">House Manati</a>&nbsp;[keepers of the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/03/parrot-fiends-of-house-manati-and.html">Parrot Fiends</a>!] is kept as a hostage in the imperial palace, not allowed to leave the palace complex.</div><div><br /></div><div>GEOGRAPHY OF THE ENLIGHTENED EMPIRE</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-f6RfuqVEAQy3iAkuUOQMzMUzTfXp4XmY2zLzpMTVYuMiFS_uq7VELObFGmegZXh6kVUS0rQjKYaJVHWYIXH4AWdyL_qXlNiJiXUNXeefvOTVFp-PB5VFDxScSuMd2750WTwIwFBqY1Grq2kewC66t69uyTin_x3a1GtbEUac7MOs__207I2jtcit/s4160/20230521_233548~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-f6RfuqVEAQy3iAkuUOQMzMUzTfXp4XmY2zLzpMTVYuMiFS_uq7VELObFGmegZXh6kVUS0rQjKYaJVHWYIXH4AWdyL_qXlNiJiXUNXeefvOTVFp-PB5VFDxScSuMd2750WTwIwFBqY1Grq2kewC66t69uyTin_x3a1GtbEUac7MOs__207I2jtcit/w400-h300/20230521_233548~2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very sketchy map of the Enlightened Empire; also, south is on the top here!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I don't think I should outline the geography in too much detail, especially since I've already zoomed in on the geography of the Eastern Satrapies in <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-lands-of-east.html">a previous post</a>.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Briefly, though:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>West of the Enlightened Empire is the Empire of the Gnostic Elves, across the Pazu river, where the Never-ending War has been ongoing for the past 150 years.</li><li>the Pazu Rud and Arvand Rud form the lowland riverine section of the Empire's heartland. Sitting at the confluence of the Pazu and Arvand is the First City, greatest and most ancient city in the world.</li><li>Just east are the mountains of the plateau, namely the Heartland Satrapies in the south, which form the highland section of the Empire's heartland.</li><li>South of the Heartland Satrapies is the Ocean. East are the Hinterland Satrapies which border on the Empire of the Southern Dog Headed Men.</li><li>North of the Heartland Satrapies is the Kavir-e Bozorg, that desiccated desert which forms the dead center of the Enlightened Empire and divides north from south.</li><li>North of the Kavir-e Bozorg are the World's Edge Mountains, along with the Wall of the Conquering King, which keeps the giants and barbarians of the Land of Darkness out of the lands of the south.</li><li>Northeast of the Kavir-e Bozorg are the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-lands-of-east.html">Eastern Satrapies</a>, Elburz and Numistan.</li><li>North of the Eastern Satrapies are the Sea of Giants, the Hinterbog, and the Realm of the Client King, that nomad subject of the Shahanshah and Kanarang.</li></ul><div>FUTURE POLITY POSTS:</div></div><div>The Empire of the Gnostic Elves</div><div>The Kingdom of the Straits</div><div>The Kingdom of the Southern Dog Headed Men</div><div>The Empire of the Great East</div><div>The King of the Nomads</div><div>Lesser States</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/7176725985372612435/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-world-of-king-of-kings-brief.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/7176725985372612435'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/7176725985372612435'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-world-of-king-of-kings-brief.html' title='The World of King of Kings: A Brief Timeline and the Enlightened Empire'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmZrQfFckDq2DMcu4zmRqWO9eeoMAixO2QK_MM5EUqDAww1emLqK7AYkXDA-JHr_8oBaTeO7-cQGYDlexFje9p8PwmmrAJxpzTTYIrIoEfw3RJt00l7pp3AYyRLHXPNiLD71IS3jStOWmARjvfvf6Hc3Y1Y4SH7bph3KmZa46HYtcOAjrg6-9LKF4/s72-c/MIK_-_Sassaniden_Jagdschale.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-1527573208168883611</id><published>2023-04-12T13:28:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2023-04-12T13:28:14.246-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monsters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="my art"/><title type='text'>THE PANOPTIKHAN</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: left;">Hey so remember in the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/product-identity-schmoduct-schmidentity.html">product identity monsters post</a> from like, way back in December I mentioned that I was gonna make a part 2 riffing on an alternate name for the Beholder that Warren of Prismatic Wasteland came up with? Yeah I never posted that huh. Well anywho, here it is!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Fear the dread PANOPTIKHAN, the Scourge of Gods Underneath, the All-Seeing Eye, the War-Bek of Cave-Mules! Tremble before his twelve fingered majesty, great and terrible Lord of the Conjunction!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImA2wvR3ATyRVqiNR-qdZBhbitL5thWvbRNCrDZHP1LasITFh_CU9SICMAultt66o3Urb38LgdSD5vLh3XXQ-8nOvFbdSzsdVB_sQwtUUbbpZDL0e8TTtK-lprCkd5oOzgjc-fVfJkBhe0Bnvhz5H2nPs5fvyiSesnfxjya_vf_1E4ni5thY2tqA5/s4160/panoptikhan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImA2wvR3ATyRVqiNR-qdZBhbitL5thWvbRNCrDZHP1LasITFh_CU9SICMAultt66o3Urb38LgdSD5vLh3XXQ-8nOvFbdSzsdVB_sQwtUUbbpZDL0e8TTtK-lprCkd5oOzgjc-fVfJkBhe0Bnvhz5H2nPs5fvyiSesnfxjya_vf_1E4ni5thY2tqA5/s320/panoptikhan.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Panoptikhan</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Number Encountered: 1</div><div style="text-align: left;">Hit Dice: 9</div><div style="text-align: left;">Attacks: 6 tentacles (1d6) + 1 eye beam (see below) OR 1 feeding (see below)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Armor: as leather and shield (as chain and shield on horseback)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Morale: 10</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Horde Lord: </i>The panoptikhan [or panoptikhans, if one wishes this to be a whole race of creatures] rules over a subterranean horde, made up primarily of whatever poor underground dwellers the scourge impressed into service. There will be at least two deputy beks which command sections of the panoptikhan's horde and delegate authority from him.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Mounted: </i>Frequently found riding horses or cave-mules, especially when leading a section of its horde.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Paranoiavore</i>: The panoptikhan feeds on feelings on paranoia and anxiety through the many eyes on its towering stalk. In combat, if the panoptikhan chooses not to use its eye beam, it can instead choose to feed on any fear or anxiety in any target within view; if it feeds on the worry of a combatant, they must make a Save vs. Overconfidence [I'd probably make that a Save vs. Wands for the five saving throw categories, I just like having kind of silly overly specific saving throws] or begin acting brashly and without thinking, possibly putting themself or others in danger.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>All-Seeing Eye Beam: </i>In combat, if the panoptikhan choose not to feed on the worry of a being within view, it can instead choose to release excess waste emotion in the form of an eye beam fired from the singular eye on the top of its stalk. The target of the eye beam must make a Save vs. Anxiety or begin breaking down, laying down their weapons and attempting to flee.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Weaponry: </i>The panoptikhan typically fights with his bare tentacles, but can wield melee weapons, most commonly sabres and pikes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The panoptikhan is a malformed and monstrous thing which feeds on feelings of paranoia, anxiety, and worry and, in service of providing itself with a neverending supply of paranoid, anxious, and worrisome underlings to feed on, it establishes a warrior host which roves the tunnels and caverns underground, capturing more half-men and underground dwellers along the way. While perhaps a more straightforward prison scenario would instill a constant feeling of paranoia in its prisoners, the panoptikhan's horde provides enough contrasting feeling to allow the scourge to not be glutted with fear and worry, and to give the warlord something which even towers of unblinking eyes need: a feeling of accomplishment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It is an eight foot tall spindly tower of wide staring eyes atop a cone-shaped base ringed by six tentacles tipped with two-fingered "hands." It also is fond of horseback riding.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Think a Tomyris, Attila, Chinggis Khan, or Timur if they were also a tentacle monster.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I originally came up with this design back when Warren was workshopping <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/no-one-owns-these-monsters">alternate, product-identity free names for the copyrighted D&amp;D monsters like the beholder</a>. I said, if I remember correctly at least, that I really liked the name panoptikhan, but that it evoked some kind of monster which took on the role of a steppe warlord in a dungeon environment moreso than the floating sphere of baleful eyes that is the beholder. When I got back to the concept, I just incorporated the "feeding on anxiety" thing as another element on there, taking cues from Jeremy Bentham's original Panopticon (which is also in the design pretty obviously); felt like it needed some extra power/ability, and I think that adds a fun extra dimension to the concept.</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/1527573208168883611/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-panoptikhan.html#comment-form' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/1527573208168883611'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/1527573208168883611'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-panoptikhan.html' title='THE PANOPTIKHAN'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImA2wvR3ATyRVqiNR-qdZBhbitL5thWvbRNCrDZHP1LasITFh_CU9SICMAultt66o3Urb38LgdSD5vLh3XXQ-8nOvFbdSzsdVB_sQwtUUbbpZDL0e8TTtK-lprCkd5oOzgjc-fVfJkBhe0Bnvhz5H2nPs5fvyiSesnfxjya_vf_1E4ni5thY2tqA5/s72-c/panoptikhan.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-5445136903076520810</id><published>2023-04-01T19:54:00.006-07:00</published><updated>2023-04-01T20:17:49.238-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monsters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="my art"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reptiles"/><title type='text'>A Forgotten Monster: The Cruel Jackdog</title><content type='html'>I've shared some of my love and appreciation for the monstrous creations of the early D&amp;D hobby before; the original creatures of referees from the late seventies have been a regular appearance in my Fiend Folio review series (which, as an aside, will return shortly; apologies for the lull in posting). But what I have not been able to share with you all, until now, has been anything truly new, truly undiscovered, truly forgotten to the annals of history... but I (or, rather, my girlfriend) made a discovery! You see, her dad was one of the founders of the fanzine <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factsheet_Five">Factsheet Five</a>, one of the early SciFi/Fantasy fanzines, and in that capacity he acquired or was sent an extensive amount of material related to SFF fandom, including Dungeons and Dragons material. Most of the actual zine material is now in an archive in New York, but a lot of the D&amp;D stuff has been handed off to my girlfriend in big cardboard boxes, things that he used in his games or that didn't make it into the zine itself. In going through this collection of material on the early days of the RPG hobby, she found the following creature, sent to Mike Gunderloy by a certain David "Dinkie" Rizzle, an obscure early hobby personality.<div><br /></div><div>Below is the text reproduced in full.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Cruel Jackdog</b></div><div>Hit Dice: 3</div><div>Armor Class: 5</div><div>Move: 9"</div><div>IQ: 1d6+2</div><div>Dext.: 2d6+4</div><div>% Lair: 45%</div><div>No. Enctd.: 2-24</div><div>Alignment: Animal (Chaos)</div><div>Attacks: 3 (claw/tail/bite)</div><div>Description: Waiste [sic] high reptilian doggies with sharp hooked beaks and featherless wings like a chicken wing, a knifelike spike on the tip. Orignally [sic] dwelling in fetid swamps and sweaty jungles, cruel jackdogs became favorite pets of evil figures like evil MUs and warlords. They are sadistic little shits with a penchant for toying with prey before eating it, and tend to hoard shiny objects. Evil owners of cruel jackdogs often use them as scouts to go out and snatch stuff up to bring back to them. Cruel jackdogs can climb on walls and ceilings with their hooked feet, and will use that to sneak up on interlopers. Their bite is rife with bacteria that will cause any successful hit with the bite to fester, the limb liable to rot off. Their tail spikes can hit multiple targets at once with a swipe, spreading damage rolled between them. Anyone who casts speak with animal [sic] to talk with a cruel jackdog must save vs. wands or be overwhelmed by the freakishly fast thoughts of the jackdog and succumb for 1d6 rounds. They can flare their ears and scream for a fear effect, test hireling morale; if they scream, they lose their bite and claw attack that round.</div><div><br /></div><div>Note for Mike: Hey man, heard you were wondering about the monsters from my campaign back in Milwaukee. Figured I could at least send a couple your way. Here's one of the oldest, from around when I left Gary's game to start my own. He gave me the mini for this guy at least, I guess that was nice of him. Hope you get some use out of it!</div><div><br /></div><div>---------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div>So now for some HISTORICAL ANALYSIS.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately it seems we don't have the other monsters that Mr. Rizzle sent to Mr. Gunderloy, or at least can't find them as of right now. What we do know, at least, from both this document and other available sources on the mysterious Dinkie Rizzle is that he was a player in Gary Gygax's Greyhawk campaign, albeit likely not one of the earliest batch of players. From the "note for Mike" at the bottom of the document, we can tell that he left Gary's game to start his own campaign; not uncommon for the Twin Cities scene at the time, where obviously Arneson had a preexisting game before Gygax, and a number of Gygax's other players also refereed. But it seems that the parting between Gygax and Rizzle was not on the best of terms; there is no mention here of Rizzle returning to play in Gygax's Greyhawk game, and, while maybe this is me reading into it a bit, the aside "I guess that was nice of him" implies to me that he felt Gygax was hostile to him, the only good thing he gave Rizzle being the miniature for the cruel jackdog.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think it may be possible that Rizzle and Gygax split over personal conflict that manifested itself in fundamental rules disagreements. Notice how idiosyncratic the cruel jackdog stat block is; it incorporates verbiage from OD&amp;D Monsters and Treasure, of course, but lacks a treasure type listing and, most importantly, features IQ and Dexterity. And, unlike in the AD&amp;D Monster Manual, Intelligence here is not listed using an adjective, but with a dice expression! I think that these elements of the stat block show influence from the <a href="http://expeditiousadvance.ebongryphon.com/2016/05/toward-history-of-rpg-mechanics-part-11.html">Perrin Conventions</a>, the rules overhaul for D&amp;D written by Steve Perrin of RuneQuest fame. The Perrin Conventions were before RuneQuest's time, however, and were first widely published in Chaosium's <i>All the World's Monsters</i>&nbsp;in 1977, shortly before the publication of the AD&amp;D Monster Manual. There, every monster has an Intelligence and Dexterity score, sometimes expressed as a static number, sometimes a dice range. Perhaps Dinkie Rizzle had taken an interest in Perrin's attempt at a more "realistic" D&amp;D combat, to the chagrin of Gygax, and started his own campaign to allow him to use elements of the Perrin Conventions, divorced of their original California context, in the heart of the hobby: the Twin Cities.</div><div><br /></div><div>And what about that miniature Rizzle mentioned? He says that Gary gave it to him, so the ultimate source for the creature must be Gygax, by way of whatever he was using as miniatures. Here's my theory: I think Dinkie Rizzle's cruel jackdog is inspired by one of the "<a href="https://diterlizzi.com/essay/owlbears-rust-monsters-and-bulettes-oh-my/">chinasaurs</a>", a set of plastic figurines from Hong Kong that were likely <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-plastic-ancestry-of-the-umber-hulk.672616/">inspired by kaiju from Ultraman</a> (which, as an aside, is one of my favorite shows ever, watched it a lot as a kid). These little plastic figures have a bit of fame in the old school D&amp;D community, since they are the seeming origin of a number of original D&amp;D monsters, such as the bulette and rust monster. However, the chinasaur derived creatures in the AD&amp;D Monster Manual are only a selection of the complete set of figurines; what happened to the other chinasaurs? Did they ever play a part in inspiring a monster in the early days of the hobby?</div><div><br /></div><div>To be specific, there is one chinasaur in particular that I believe is the origin of Rizzle's cruel jackdog. This guy:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf9xRW15gUOoupXYqD-HhIPjydxiGyrR2h8p2lcn05C4mcWIZvyhB5ikmZp82BuxK57x-Mqjr8n6BhIbiqjgsOABMiA5h-P1fC9jgNYrhqeajeZ_XeylKmUd1REbern-WvhO4PbY-FJ99IpOSxAlfkrIONBAwn7GvP3KuJ_TZXSy9fobRfWECoo4B/s300/IMG_4085.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="300" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf9xRW15gUOoupXYqD-HhIPjydxiGyrR2h8p2lcn05C4mcWIZvyhB5ikmZp82BuxK57x-Mqjr8n6BhIbiqjgsOABMiA5h-P1fC9jgNYrhqeajeZ_XeylKmUd1REbern-WvhO4PbY-FJ99IpOSxAlfkrIONBAwn7GvP3KuJ_TZXSy9fobRfWECoo4B/s1600/IMG_4085.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, there's no illustration to go along with the document so I can't confirm for <i>certain</i>&nbsp;that this specific chinasaur is the inspiration, but based on the line about it being a mini from Gygax and elements of the description ("reptilian doggies with sharp hooked beaks and featherless wings like a chicken wing", "Cruel jackdogs can climb on walls and ceilings with their hooked feet", "they can flare their ears", also the mention of a tail attack), I'm pretty confident that it has to be this one. No other figure from the chinasaur set has all of these discrete elements. It's gotta be this guy.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, to bring it all together:</div><div>The cruel jackdog was an original monster made by David "Dinkie" Rizzle for his campaign in Milwaukee, most likely in 1977 or 1978, given 1977 was the year <i>All the World's Monsters</i>&nbsp;came out and made the Perrin Conventions widely available. They were only even created in 1976, and at that time they were only used at DRAGONCON 1 in San Francisco, so no dice on them getting to Rizzle all the way in Milwaukee. Rizzle was a player in Gygax's Greyhawk game (who seems to have traveled from Milwaukee to Lake Geneva just to play in Gygax's game?), who left that campaign and started his own when he and Gygax butted heads, presumably beginning with some personal slight that then expressed itself in game mechanics disagreements. Despite the breakup, Gygax had given Rizzle one of his chinasaurs as a mini, presumably one that Gygax didn't intend on using, which explains why this toy never made it into the Monster Manual or Fiend Folio. And then, some time well after all of this happened, Mike Gunderloy asked Rizzle for some of the monsters from his campaign, and that document ended up in a box collecting all of his TTRPG material from the early hobby, and ended up in the hands of my girlfriend and then on my blog!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWAhxQTPlW6zFBEf-yd0oSpmJJ898D_DTKxNgFuS2uZnJhkqzS06c5jLN503thUEVC_A68SYeZJ20JcV8KOIPl4M34L1e4xBM0SPE0PIvoKE73Hfy8vw23pPvgf94ZvaRRPCEymnMdAYXqR1V6TPb7pmsTOF8DCk18oRMXlgQrA3VxfA4TCkLq2_jn/s4160/20230401_224456.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWAhxQTPlW6zFBEf-yd0oSpmJJ898D_DTKxNgFuS2uZnJhkqzS06c5jLN503thUEVC_A68SYeZJ20JcV8KOIPl4M34L1e4xBM0SPE0PIvoKE73Hfy8vw23pPvgf94ZvaRRPCEymnMdAYXqR1V6TPb7pmsTOF8DCk18oRMXlgQrA3VxfA4TCkLq2_jn/s320/20230401_224456.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wanted to try my hand at drawing one of these guys!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>While this curiosity isn't the most representative item from the Gunderloy collection that is currently in my girlfriend's possession, I figured it'd be something of interest to you all, especially those among you who are dedicated Rizzle sleuths, trying to put together the life story of quite possibly the most obscure figure in the early D&amp;D scene. Hope this small contribution helps!</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/5445136903076520810/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/04/a-forgotten-monster-cruel-jackdog.html#comment-form' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/5445136903076520810'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/5445136903076520810'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2023/04/a-forgotten-monster-cruel-jackdog.html' title='A Forgotten Monster: The Cruel Jackdog'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf9xRW15gUOoupXYqD-HhIPjydxiGyrR2h8p2lcn05C4mcWIZvyhB5ikmZp82BuxK57x-Mqjr8n6BhIbiqjgsOABMiA5h-P1fC9jgNYrhqeajeZ_XeylKmUd1REbern-WvhO4PbY-FJ99IpOSxAlfkrIONBAwn7GvP3KuJ_TZXSy9fobRfWECoo4B/s72-c/IMG_4085.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-7263367259856935286</id><published>2022-12-29T20:13:00.002-08:00</published><updated>2022-12-29T20:39:16.317-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="amphibians"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bestiaries"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fiend Folio"/><title type='text'>Product Identity Schmoduct Schmidentity</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;My friend and colleague over at <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com">Prismatic Wasteland</a> made a post recently all about coming up with non OGL names for those monsters considered Product Identity by Wizards of the Coast and the Open Gaming License. Check out that post <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/no-one-owns-these-monsters">over here</a>! But I noticed some... discrepancies, which left me an opportunity for a post in response.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So the whole premise of Mr. Wasteland's post over there is going through the whole list of Product Identity monsters, cataloguing which legally acceptable names have been used by other games over the years, and coming up with the best new name to use. But I noticed two monsters that I thought were listed as Product Identity which weren't included: the Kuo Toa and the Slaad. Now, this is where the discrepancy comes in. Turns out there's some inconsistency in the listings of Product Identity on different versions of the OGL/websites that refer to the OGL. Namely, the OGL document that he referred to <i>did not include the&nbsp;Kuo&nbsp;toa nor the slaad</i>, but I found them on <a href="https://www.d20srd.org/faq.htm">the d20 SRD</a>, and on multiple online references to the OGL... so what is the truth? It would seem that the law says you can use Kuo Toa and Slaad just fine, but the SRD and just about all online mentions of it include those two. What a conundrum!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But really, who cares? I sure don't! What's more interesting than the question of whether WotC considers these two monsters to be Product Identity is just talking about the monsters themselves and coming up with names for them!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmcwZzRgtBXZgq_oQEcGNZSLs6KbtMtG_j2DT9cAobl_3U86VD_HaFvE7xhELf4mztiIpWR-cBZg5_DZ5jH1mMBuvdSy0Xp1YOG7t85vxeVRveb6D3yEBnhteTOpyavpJ_b0UWm8nYjH938tIuP3F_wiRvk4Vic6XfkxFoE3XuTnLS7uZlVW1J0a1/s583/Kuo-Toa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmcwZzRgtBXZgq_oQEcGNZSLs6KbtMtG_j2DT9cAobl_3U86VD_HaFvE7xhELf4mztiIpWR-cBZg5_DZ5jH1mMBuvdSy0Xp1YOG7t85vxeVRveb6D3yEBnhteTOpyavpJ_b0UWm8nYjH938tIuP3F_wiRvk4Vic6XfkxFoE3XuTnLS7uZlVW1J0a1/s320/Kuo-Toa.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Kuo Toa</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I already wrote out my thoughts about the Kuo Toa here in an earlier entry in the Goin' Through the Fiend Folio series [which, as an aside, will make a return soon!]. Suffice to say, I think they're my favorite of the many piscine humanoids in AD&amp;D, perhaps tied only with the morkoth.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Dwiz over at A Knight at the Opera has already begun a list of names for Kuo Toa over here in <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2022/12/product-identity-in-my-monsters.html">his response to Warren</a>, including the classic Deep Ones from Lovecraft and Darkest Dungeon's Pelagics. Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy also uses the term Deep Ones, although they drop some of the more interesting elements of the Kuo Toa lore from the Fiend Folio, basically just making them underground dwelling fishmen led by cultic clerics. A great archetype nonetheless of course! OSRIC, meanwhile, appears to have made an attempt at dodging the Kuo Toa problem; I can't find them or anything like them in the OSRIC monster listing, despite including both of AD&amp;D's other main fishmen types [Locathah and Sahuagin] as well as a number of other monsters from the Fiend Folio. Same for Labyrinth Lord. What gives?!? The Kuo Toa are much much more interesting fishmen than the alternatives, why are they just avoiding them. Outside the realm of retroclones, Pathfinder has the Skum as their replacement for the underground dwelling fishmen niche that the Kuo Toa hold in D&amp;D.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDrioxGqy0T34eITXR5m953YNT-o7rtB8DojqapZXvbjowQIavNnKXQyRuy3F8cS_IJWj_T4mM5aBWFKWiNFTXsMa6hyVHefAwt2oZsWdBTgPwxcHTK6ozb2bjOLRv8XLsHxw9_USCZbdg58whAGB0ZNXEn-T-y5dqxsw9E7fHdamJwZtZNUPEver/s995/kuotoa-1178334.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="995" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDrioxGqy0T34eITXR5m953YNT-o7rtB8DojqapZXvbjowQIavNnKXQyRuy3F8cS_IJWj_T4mM5aBWFKWiNFTXsMa6hyVHefAwt2oZsWdBTgPwxcHTK6ozb2bjOLRv8XLsHxw9_USCZbdg58whAGB0ZNXEn-T-y5dqxsw9E7fHdamJwZtZNUPEver/s320/kuotoa-1178334.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(As an aside, as I was scrolling through a PDF of Advanced Labyrinth Lord, I noticed that while they avoided including the Kuo Toa at all, they renamed the <i>thoul</i>&nbsp;of all things, instead calling it a "throghrin". That is SUCH a terrible name, literally why would you use that fantasy gibberish vaguely orcish sorta name instead of the weird Thoul... I just really like thouls, so I figured I'd comment on it.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If I'm being completely honest, while I really like iconic well established names like Deep Ones for the Kuo Toa, I am not inclined to use them personally. I'm honestly just more likely to call them fishmen, or even more likely <b>gillmen</b>. I am a Universal monster movie kid after all! Perhaps another option for the Kuo Toa could be something evoking their dark, cultic, superstitious nature... maybe <b>paranoiacs</b>? Yeah, I think I like that. It makes them feel less like dark masters a la Lovecraft's Deep Ones and more like paranoid cultists. The Kuo Toa aren't really their own masters in the Drow series adventures anyway! Perhaps they could be&nbsp;<b>godmakers</b>&nbsp;(of no relation to the Frank Herbert novel of the same name) due to their psychic ability to create their own gods in physical form.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUxYoOjoh_ZlwiYOts7etzdwJ0WF6QJ8or2zdwP534BcU1KpUTYdF08aZVoSsqmLgRG5JL_jFEKK3M44RCUq5KktVApzspMaKYtQOzM43Or7ExfVjB7V_SYeuOFH_pXtlCau8PO5W-NfI6o58uWGxKV2KGCj4JkZ24soJ0B2w-QACKZ4225q_FwhD/s286/Slaad.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="200" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUxYoOjoh_ZlwiYOts7etzdwJ0WF6QJ8or2zdwP534BcU1KpUTYdF08aZVoSsqmLgRG5JL_jFEKK3M44RCUq5KktVApzspMaKYtQOzM43Or7ExfVjB7V_SYeuOFH_pXtlCau8PO5W-NfI6o58uWGxKV2KGCj4JkZ24soJ0B2w-QACKZ4225q_FwhD/s1600/Slaad.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A green Slaad, despite appearances</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Slaad</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oooooohh the slaad. I will save sharing my more detailed thoughts on these nefarious toadies for the future Fiend Folio review post that will feature them, but suffice to say I quite like them. My first introduction to them was actually in the very first D&amp;D book I ever personally owned, the D&amp;D 4e Monster Manual 2, which uh... was not <i>necessarily</i>&nbsp;the best introduction to the game. Nor was it the best form of the Slaad, but I think the basic idea was impressed on me. They ultimately fit into the honestly unnecessary taxonomic impulse in AD&amp;D, as the chaotic neutral inhabitants of the plane of Limbo, but other than that they are honestly more interesting paranormal inhabitants of the outer realms than most demons and devils! Weird sadistic chaotic frogs, coming in a variety of types, led by [in the Fiend Folio version] a strange skeletal warlord riding on a dragon? Vastly prefer these guys to Asmodeus.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPQvV52eQozjJCOOEDCBAlUYYDjpto4KxABkep8LDmEy0HrPhreuKbRbvjYa1G7oIUOn-p9_eKosWlgxDrlsbb5VJv-wjFjSvIFJIqaMrLQYyAXx2wHXndojWFGVbzK8ryBaPRQe76iiqm-pojHi4klrKtubAZO_MlfyceSXWoiap64ftI4y4SIHH/s412/1e_FF_RedSlaad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="292" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPQvV52eQozjJCOOEDCBAlUYYDjpto4KxABkep8LDmEy0HrPhreuKbRbvjYa1G7oIUOn-p9_eKosWlgxDrlsbb5VJv-wjFjSvIFJIqaMrLQYyAXx2wHXndojWFGVbzK8ryBaPRQe76iiqm-pojHi4klrKtubAZO_MlfyceSXWoiap64ftI4y4SIHH/s320/1e_FF_RedSlaad.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A red Slaad</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, the Slaad seem to not be featured in the bestiaries of Advanced Labyrinth Lord or Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy. They also aren't featured in OSRIC, but strangely enough there is a type of devil called "Scaly Devil" that has almost the same colored subtypes as the Slaad; otherwise they don't have anything in common with the Slaad so I'm honestly just confused. They also don't appear in Pathfinder, where instead the inhabitants of Limbo are the serpentine Proteans. A crying shame that it seems most games aren't interested in including these kooky guys!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On to the new names: maybe something emphasizing their amphibian nature... <b>battletoads</b>, perhaps?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf0CEllRCQHrfaCeSRdMYzwrkQz4RZ3tduo-sX9MU46G5K8XRE-ouNrRhTdxGNkucelCk3OFcKSlGEDJr_fj_OloVjjovhhfsLsUkTLQQiFXucswEVrx6oAG6CcLxdp5L6LL4zpYk_BVd3DKE1KU9oQL2n41w2SrJoyG8e6maxZXs66fGHctWWvD_/s2100/MV5BYTFmM2FiMTEtYTlmZS00OWU0LWI0N2QtYTkzMzE4MDk2YzkxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjExODE1MDc@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf0CEllRCQHrfaCeSRdMYzwrkQz4RZ3tduo-sX9MU46G5K8XRE-ouNrRhTdxGNkucelCk3OFcKSlGEDJr_fj_OloVjjovhhfsLsUkTLQQiFXucswEVrx6oAG6CcLxdp5L6LL4zpYk_BVd3DKE1KU9oQL2n41w2SrJoyG8e6maxZXs66fGHctWWvD_/s320/MV5BYTFmM2FiMTEtYTlmZS00OWU0LWI0N2QtYTkzMzE4MDk2YzkxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjExODE1MDc@._V1_.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Or well, maybe <b>chaos frogs</b>&nbsp;is more honest than a reference to the classic 1991 beat 'em up. To me that evokes the <a href="https://whfb.lexicanum.com/wiki/Chaos_Dwarf">chaos dwarfs from Warhammer Fantasy</a>, a personal favorite of their lesser appreciated armies. If one wants a name in keeping with the sinister otherworldly vibes of the name Slaad, maybe one part or the other of the line from Aristophanes' <i>The Frogs: </i><b>Brekekekex&nbsp;koax koax</b>. More than a bit unwieldy, but maybe that's the point. I could see Brekekekex koax koax as the proper name for these off brand Slaad, while mortals, fearful of their sadistic mischief, call them some more mundane like <b>chaos toads</b> or something more direct like <b>The Terrors</b>. Otherworldly entities like these are a fantastic opportunity for having a more esoteric name only used by wizards and other spirits and a name used in more normal conversation.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As an aside, isn't it interesting how overrepresented the Fiend Folio is among the product identity monsters? Four on the list are FF originals: Kuo Toa, Slaad, Githyanki, and Githzerai. And only one of those was created by Gary! I find it kinda interesting how, in the case of the slaad and gith, the creations of British fans ended up treated as important copyright by a company that at the time didn't even exist.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Coming Up Next</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not quite done with Mr. Warren Wasteland's Product Identity post just yet. Coming up next is going to be a new original monster, an alternate take on his alternate name for a beholder, <b>panoptikhan</b>. Along with that, on an unrelated note, will be the return of the Goin' Through the Fiend Folio series, picking back up with the Penanggalan!</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/7263367259856935286/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/product-identity-schmoduct-schmidentity.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/7263367259856935286'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/7263367259856935286'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/product-identity-schmoduct-schmidentity.html' title='Product Identity Schmoduct Schmidentity'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmcwZzRgtBXZgq_oQEcGNZSLs6KbtMtG_j2DT9cAobl_3U86VD_HaFvE7xhELf4mztiIpWR-cBZg5_DZ5jH1mMBuvdSy0Xp1YOG7t85vxeVRveb6D3yEBnhteTOpyavpJ_b0UWm8nYjH938tIuP3F_wiRvk4Vic6XfkxFoE3XuTnLS7uZlVW1J0a1/s72-c/Kuo-Toa.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-5116878899514065006</id><published>2022-12-21T07:49:00.002-08:00</published><updated>2022-12-21T07:49:57.827-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Gamma Ohio"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Gamma World"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monsters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="my art"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="oozes"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="post-apocalypse"/><title type='text'>The Taste Testers (A Monster for Gamma World)</title><content type='html'>Oozing along the crumbled alleyways of Gamma Ohio are the pitiful taste testers, half mobile and half intelligent, vaguely humanoid forms made from spewing vomit. They grasp at the air with the silhouettes of hands, dripping with sick, bubbling coughs that occasionally reach their permeable surfaces. They tend to congregate in small pitiful packs, huddling together in sewers and ruins, scraping every surface for food to sate their search for deliciousness that they can rarely find. They reach for interlopers' faces with their stinking puke paws, both to get an idea of what they look like since the taste testers lack eyes and to slurp up any dead skin cells or oils accumulated on a traveller's face. Unfortunately for the taste testers, however, most don't take kindly to having their faces fondled by living vomit.<div><br /></div><div>Taste testers are unfortunately maligned and disgusting creatures born into the worst of circumstances. At their core they are ambulatory living entrails, a simple mouth, esophagus, stomach, and set of intestines to be exact, all perfectly human in genetics. Lacking a brain, the taste tester is instead animated by a neural net that it is able to extrude through its mouth in order to puppet objects, most often its own vomit. These accursed things were made this way by a long forgotten candy and chicken byproduct meal company, in house, in an effort to replace human taste testers for their product. Originally centered on the first production center in what was once Cincinnati, they later expanded in their use, including to companies bought up by the taste testers' parent firm. Thus, they were made as a genetically modified human clone, a hominid worm made up of the human digestive system and with the bare minimum of the rest of human anatomy, with the express intention of mass testing product for human consumption with simple binary outputs of acceptable or unacceptable, communicated through the only method left available: vomiting.</div><div><br /></div><div>That was all before armageddon, of course. With the supply chains drying up and the factories collapsing in on themselves, the vermiform taste testers found themselves surprisingly resilient, fleeing into the sewers to proliferate. The unfortunate thing is, however, that what might be available to eat in sewers or post apocalyptic ruins is nothing compared to the mind numbingly delicious treats they were genetically engineered to taste test, leaving them constantly vomiting up whatever filth they ate. In time, however, the smarter of the taste testers figured out how to extrude their neural net to puppet around their puke, allowing them to venture further afield and be more discerning with what they put in their mouths. They do still have to eat awful things in order to produce the vomit that makes up their very own bodies, however; it is an awful cycle indeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thus the taste tester of today is born: a squirming worm of guts controlling a puppet of puke vaguely shaped into a humanoid form by faint recollections of what their ancestors were and who they were around in the ancient factories. The product of the profit hungry hubris of ancient humanity clinging to existence as a blind pitiful gourmand of discerning taste and hazy memories.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes, taste testers are kept as an unusual pet by certain distasteful types, or they are taken in by the more well meaning cults and secret societies. They are unlikely to seriously hurt anyone individually, but some warlords and crime lords keep taste testers as torture devices, putting people in a room with an especially stinky vomitoid or keeping a well fed one as a mockery to prisoners they keep starving.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZs7Q9QZRpoHsVRlQE6Dd2Vtiwdt18kRca9jcjQw32gPa2y_uHzdkyvi9IH7QLNlBB5wzbulwmMcnMi2SgZ18SCGl3gJ7FC_BpSLezhWpsZ59X1r5xe5YCoskkP19JpPFlifWX2ahowFC1QXWT7WJ97IWWgUvZ4gxlRYGKCUk26VquAbqJMcktKD5/s4160/20221220_215914.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZs7Q9QZRpoHsVRlQE6Dd2Vtiwdt18kRca9jcjQw32gPa2y_uHzdkyvi9IH7QLNlBB5wzbulwmMcnMi2SgZ18SCGl3gJ7FC_BpSLezhWpsZ59X1r5xe5YCoskkP19JpPFlifWX2ahowFC1QXWT7WJ97IWWgUvZ4gxlRYGKCUk26VquAbqJMcktKD5/s320/20221220_215914.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Taste Tester</b></div><div>Number Encountered: 2d6</div><div>Hit Dice: 1</div><div>Attacks: 1 vomit swipe (1d6)</div><div>Armor: none</div><div>Morale: 4</div><div><i>Reticent: </i>Taste testers will never initiate combat, although they may approach the players and even touch them without realizing any problems with that.</div><div><i>Stench: </i>Taste testers smell so bad. Those with sensitive senses of smell must save or puke themselves when close to them.</div><div><i>Oozing Body: </i>Attacks to the main body of a taste tester deal no damage; all you're attacking is congealed vomit! To damage it, the worm like digestive system "true body" must be targeted, giving disadvantage to most attacks. When submerged in water or blasted with water, the vomit body dissipates.</div><div><i>Vomit Swipe: </i>Taste testers can attack with a swipe of a pukey tentacle dripping with stomach acid. This weakens armor; for every 2 hits, -1 AC.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Taste Tester for GW 1e</b></div><div>No. Appearing: 2d6</div><div>Armor Class: 10</div><div>Movement: 5</div><div>Hit Dice: 2</div><div>These slimy humanoids are the half sapient pitiful result of corporate genetic engineering, now abandoned. They have worm like "true" body made of a stomach and intestines, and a false body made of vomit. They are constantly in search of good tasting food, and rarely find it. They are timid creatures and will never initiate combat. Their vomit bodies take no damage, but dissipate in water; their "true" body is hard to hit due to its relatively smaller size, giving you disadvantage on attempts to hit it. Their acidic swipe gives -1 to AC for every 2 hits.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Taste Tester for GW 2e</b></div><div>Number: 2d6</div><div>Morale: 3</div><div>Hit Dice: 2d6</div><div>Armor: 10</div><div>Speed: 5/300/2</div><div>MS: 1d6<span>&nbsp; &nbsp; <span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span>IN: 1d4</span></div><div><span>DX: 1d6<span>&nbsp; &nbsp;<span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span> <span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span>CH: 1d4</span></span></div><div><span><span>CN: 1d1</span></span>0+8&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; PS: 1d6</div><div><span><span><span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span>Attacks: Vomit swipe</span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span>Mutations: N/A</span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span>Description: see description above</span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3utW3sCcX4WvnmoEFyvcsJAR5EdQkGF993mP3nZ06wQyo29exLm6F_BGTlCnzC4hr72Tn2mkpiXktrt1wCsn8qw3M6sY3R1Dg8uKWkOZcAGu3MYNRckKnVq_vT5Aw3jE8lJ5Jx5MHHLGMP78_rmv0P300IYFJqwsgv8lK9nYvXeACmJe6Igr9N7sB/s555/Puke.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="555" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3utW3sCcX4WvnmoEFyvcsJAR5EdQkGF993mP3nZ06wQyo29exLm6F_BGTlCnzC4hr72Tn2mkpiXktrt1wCsn8qw3M6sY3R1Dg8uKWkOZcAGu3MYNRckKnVq_vT5Aw3jE8lJ5Jx5MHHLGMP78_rmv0P300IYFJqwsgv8lK9nYvXeACmJe6Igr9N7sB/s320/Puke.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also do realize that the above drawing takes a lot of cues from Sickly Stomach from Awful Hospital but I'm pretty sure I drew my original doodle of these guys before AH even started, I've had Gamma World vomit oozes kicking around in my head for a while</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></span></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/5116878899514065006/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-taste-testers-monster-for-gamma.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/5116878899514065006'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/5116878899514065006'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-taste-testers-monster-for-gamma.html' title='The Taste Testers (A Monster for Gamma World)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZs7Q9QZRpoHsVRlQE6Dd2Vtiwdt18kRca9jcjQw32gPa2y_uHzdkyvi9IH7QLNlBB5wzbulwmMcnMi2SgZ18SCGl3gJ7FC_BpSLezhWpsZ59X1r5xe5YCoskkP19JpPFlifWX2ahowFC1QXWT7WJ97IWWgUvZ4gxlRYGKCUk26VquAbqJMcktKD5/s72-c/20221220_215914.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-3017769368303224492</id><published>2022-12-19T12:28:00.003-08:00</published><updated>2022-12-19T12:28:52.988-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="adventures"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="curses"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="giants"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monsters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="my art"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="random encounters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="ten room dungeons"/><title type='text'>Isle of the Cyclopean Monolith (A Ten Room Dungeon for King of Kings)</title><content type='html'>So I've been wanting to post more adventure locations for a while, and a format that I think is great is Tristyn's <a href="http://priestessofspiders.blogspot.com/2022/05/how-to-make-ten-room30-minute-dungeon.html">Ten Room Dungeon</a>. She made a bunch of them earlier in her blog's existence, but recently made that post I just linked to with a general overview of the format. So here I've made a ten room dungeon for King of Kings, Tristyn style! The rooms don't really stick completely to the guidelines in the post, but yknow its close enough. I'll start posting more of these, its a really fun way to make a nice lil adventure location!<div><br /></div><div>Your ship rocking in the rough waves of the Sea of Giants, you spot a little black crag poking out of the seafoam... "Land ho!" you cry, turning toward what you hope is a respite from the storms and the schools of raucous dolphins, but instead you find...<br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>THE ISLE OF THE CYCLOPEAN MONOLITH</u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmTFj3rovC5P5VMOdquyNSFcYorY4GGDKo-w9ZHAs8ZAxq9koyBQ4BNSmGApDVlRVbElmAluxLO0O68Fabl2Xn8VF3b4_9xQ4alUKs_TLfSLeuJ8io83tHs8qdAo8uUrjjKUG8gvOIJhl3kd981m7u-zMH-CSF1xZBTOAAQn2JgvNp6iMglj6xBCm/s4160/20221218_220840.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmTFj3rovC5P5VMOdquyNSFcYorY4GGDKo-w9ZHAs8ZAxq9koyBQ4BNSmGApDVlRVbElmAluxLO0O68Fabl2Xn8VF3b4_9xQ4alUKs_TLfSLeuJ8io83tHs8qdAo8uUrjjKUG8gvOIJhl3kd981m7u-zMH-CSF1xZBTOAAQn2JgvNp6iMglj6xBCm/s320/20221218_220840.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're gonna take this sketchy almost purely relational dungeon map and you're gonna LIKE IT</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Wandering Monsters</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Roll 1d6</div><div style="text-align: left;">1-2: <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/08/pygmy-giants.html">Pygmy Giants</a> [Total number: 16]</div><div style="text-align: left;">3-5: Pariah Dogs [Total number: 23]</div><div style="text-align: left;">6: The Piscine Apparition [Total number: 1]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Piscine Apparition % in Lair: 50%&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">Pygmy Giant % in Lair: 80%&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">[I include % in Lair here to account for reaching the lair/house of the respective creature while they may not be there.]&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Platform 1:</b> A platform made of lashed together driftwood. The smell of briny sea air, the bitter feeling of salt on your face, the sound of yipping dogs. Small wood and rope pens hold a total of <b>21 fat pariah dogs</b>. Connected to the pier by a wooden walkway, and to platform 2 by a rickety wooden staircase.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Platform 2:</b> A platform made of lashed together driftwood. Frigid wind rushing through your hair, the floor shifting beneath your feet. Five small tents serve as houses for <b>10 pygmy giants</b>, as well as <b>2 pariah dogs</b> that sleep up here. Not all of the pygmy giants will be here all at once. Connected to platform 1 by a rickety wooden staircase, and to platform 4 by a wooden rope bridge. Beneath the platform lives a degenerate <b>octopus</b> that has grown fat and lazy on the waste and effluvia of dogs and does not take kindly to being bothered. It roosts on a large clam that holds a <b>pearl</b> worth <b>325 drachmae</b>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yiGA1v6xrEdzOzt9dd_dgANvgk96lSgDurXaA2VT97zV7JaF7qnf0zN8MIvC1vZlwQmeYL6fVSVkvKe2dgjNrxe_cIC-bUMKU_m1cOzVjejOUcY9yMc9hV-PeHNPa-HuvQBoHOqkWM6L_UwAG1B50kYNfPyZjtImGkF0F-nYF885Nn9VskrXlRWW/s4160/20221219_134610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yiGA1v6xrEdzOzt9dd_dgANvgk96lSgDurXaA2VT97zV7JaF7qnf0zN8MIvC1vZlwQmeYL6fVSVkvKe2dgjNrxe_cIC-bUMKU_m1cOzVjejOUcY9yMc9hV-PeHNPa-HuvQBoHOqkWM6L_UwAG1B50kYNfPyZjtImGkF0F-nYF885Nn9VskrXlRWW/w240-h320/20221219_134610.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The octopus</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpI9RaMbWhtS1GwxVoIGJgM1mAzdbZpkurHPIKWRKUPtHfGvqknJsKm8jS2erblbPmMOKiEMS5Ho7v5Je8PveLnEqW-okawZNjLah1yNeKTwyH4ePxqiHuM5q2cbym5B2u4BVMPFpDl6ot9Dtsc_t9I8Cpr20EHCbH8DMn3lNOjRHGm5RNLyzM1BFc/s4160/20221219_134607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpI9RaMbWhtS1GwxVoIGJgM1mAzdbZpkurHPIKWRKUPtHfGvqknJsKm8jS2erblbPmMOKiEMS5Ho7v5Je8PveLnEqW-okawZNjLah1yNeKTwyH4ePxqiHuM5q2cbym5B2u4BVMPFpDl6ot9Dtsc_t9I8Cpr20EHCbH8DMn3lNOjRHGm5RNLyzM1BFc/w240-h320/20221219_134607.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pygmy giant</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Platform 3:</b> A platform made of lashed together driftwood. The smell of briny sea air, the bitter feeling of salt on your face, the feeling that something you wouldn’t want to see has happened here regularly. Most of the platform is taken up by a pen used for breeding dogs. Beneath the platform is the little moray eel style lair of the <b>piscine apparition.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>PISCINE APPARITION&nbsp;</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Number Encountered: 1&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">Hit Dice: 3&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">Attacks: 1 kick (1d6)&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">Armor: none&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">Morale: 8&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Aquatic Curse:</i> The piscine apparition can cast a curse of water breathing. Pointing with its big toe, which puts it off balance, the target must make a save vs. spells or have their respiration transformed to water breathing.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Mischievous:</i> The piscine apparition is a silly little thing that delights in causing problems. &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Spirit Being:</i> The piscine apparition is a spirit of the Sea of Giants. It is immune to damage from mundane weaponry, fire, acid, electricity, etc. The only things that can harm it are immaterial weapons, spirit wards, and magic. &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A gawping fish thing sat upon two chubby humanoid legs. It wishes to get to the antediluvian monolith but cannot pierce the wards placed around it by the pygmy giants.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXLZ8NKpwqog63Z2T5U80L2tI9hNYj6jKP3dHSaMtU9wG5US8uuunCGUhnKQ-VTXjlTIeDSTGImU680p_eQjNiPE9WyCCx6NAR0DT0-7yzibKmjNQR8vqciDlZ1IV0WOfPcgYZN7j-ufosshy-zuFFkM4Jyj_KlKH7rI18Je2UlXtYYc4VPB2CUz2/s4160/20221219_134614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXLZ8NKpwqog63Z2T5U80L2tI9hNYj6jKP3dHSaMtU9wG5US8uuunCGUhnKQ-VTXjlTIeDSTGImU680p_eQjNiPE9WyCCx6NAR0DT0-7yzibKmjNQR8vqciDlZ1IV0WOfPcgYZN7j-ufosshy-zuFFkM4Jyj_KlKH7rI18Je2UlXtYYc4VPB2CUz2/s320/20221219_134614.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Piscine Apparition<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b>Platform 4:</b> A platform made of lashed together driftwood. Frigid wind rushing through your hair, the floor shifting beneath your feet. Three small tents serve as houses for <b>6 pygmy giants</b>, with a fourth serving as a smokehouse for dog flesh. Not all of the pygmy giants will be here all at once. Connected to platform 2 by a wooden rope bridge, and to platform 3 by a wooden staircase.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cave Room 5:</b> Smoked dog meat and dog cheese storage facility used by the pygmy giants. Connects to room 8 and cave room 6. The passage to room 8 is marked by multicolored ragged flags and occult wards.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cave Room 6:</b> A chamber of things gleaned from the sea. A <b>hostage sailor</b> is tied up against the slick cave wall. He is desperate to be freed, but is liable to steal from the party if he has the chance. There is also a <b>box of gold teeth, small pearls, sea glass, and scrimshaw</b> collectively worth <b>450 drachmae</b>. Connects to cave room 5 and cave room 7.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cave Room 7:</b> Soggy cave smell and the sound of dripping water. Empty except for a cave painting of octopuses, dolphins, and the outlines of squat hands. Connects to room 8, cave room 6, and cave room 9. The passage to room 8 is marked by multicolored ragged flags and occult wards.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Room 8, the Open Air Clearing:</b> Wide open under the cloudy sky, ringed by the cracked craggy rocks at the peak of the island, sits <b>the ancient, antediluvian monolith</b> carved in days long forgotten. It exudes a terrible aura that causes intense nausea and confusion the closer you get to it, the cnidarian tentacles stabbed into its surface seeming to squirm in the corner of your vision. It is covered with a thin layer of green and black slime, algal and fungal, which prickles the skin to the touch. The pygmy giants hate to approach it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Save vs. poison or be unable to approach the antediluvian monolith without collapsing and/or vomiting. If touched with bare skin, it deals 2 points of damage per turn to all touching it. The monolith is worth immense amounts to the right buyer, upwards of <b>2,500 drachmae</b> if you can find someone who can stomach its unwholesome vibrations. If yanked out of the ground, beneath the monolith are the mummified remains of an <b>anomalocaris</b>. Connects to cave room 5 and cave room 7.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxgirkk83P5vGQlouo3_yaxn20up0LLmP5cs_761P5OXsCcKx87x2iK31VMOwMiEVbItlZaD7o7eD_qxgCh09to9B8vy5DDrDqzstP4oAdGE-bn__CqyL6mn-y7OcPGSoWZIEfvcB7CHiunAFJ8ujl3vm_jAKYG3vLc79L8fPNMFtQSpEwDC6tw8H/s4160/20221219_134636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxgirkk83P5vGQlouo3_yaxn20up0LLmP5cs_761P5OXsCcKx87x2iK31VMOwMiEVbItlZaD7o7eD_qxgCh09to9B8vy5DDrDqzstP4oAdGE-bn__CqyL6mn-y7OcPGSoWZIEfvcB7CHiunAFJ8ujl3vm_jAKYG3vLc79L8fPNMFtQSpEwDC6tw8H/s320/20221219_134636.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cyclopean monolith</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><b>Cave Room 9:</b> An eroded cavern dripping with <b>caustic&nbsp;green slime</b>. On the ground, amidst the half melted remnants of a human corpse, is a <b>lapis lazuli statuette of a goat shaped goddess</b>, worth <b>400 drachmae</b>. Connects to cave room 7 and cave room 10.<div><br /></div><div><b>Cave Room 10:</b> A small cave marked only by a single cave painting of an eye in a star. Connected to platform 3 by a <b>rock cliff</b> that can be navigated with rope.<br /><div><br /></div></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/3017769368303224492/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/isle-of-cyclopean-monolith-ten-room.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/3017769368303224492'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/3017769368303224492'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/isle-of-cyclopean-monolith-ten-room.html' title='Isle of the Cyclopean Monolith (A Ten Room Dungeon for King of Kings)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmTFj3rovC5P5VMOdquyNSFcYorY4GGDKo-w9ZHAs8ZAxq9koyBQ4BNSmGApDVlRVbElmAluxLO0O68Fabl2Xn8VF3b4_9xQ4alUKs_TLfSLeuJ8io83tHs8qdAo8uUrjjKUG8gvOIJhl3kd981m7u-zMH-CSF1xZBTOAAQn2JgvNp6iMglj6xBCm/s72-c/20221218_220840.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-6308931494941482253</id><published>2022-12-17T16:29:00.003-08:00</published><updated>2022-12-17T16:29:28.027-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B/X"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monsters"/><title type='text'>A Terrible Weight Pins you Down (A Monster for King of Kings)</title><content type='html'>On occasion one may wake up in the middle of the night, pinned down by a terrible weight, barely able to move. Sleep paralysis and terror in the night, shadowy forms crawling about you, your breath forced out from your lungs and your ribs pressed in to not let you take in air to replace it. Eyes staring out at you from the dark, hungry and avaricious.<div><br /></div><div>This is the terrible bakhtak!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_qo7sn6lIvUNnrQkIEKgnZ5jrvMiR5kDqu1XJOkRf-sck_N3tgq-uFrh_2Div3osbVG7gPgamHp4F5M0v5RP2K15kwKZRN9FsmH7wDMpFnvk6BBaUNfZmMstM4mU3LbVOb6sQ1cxKD7zGE_40nh_qFhAoHhgJ_GdGDy26FePky1fjUoI9gqN66yR/s640/ab67616d0000b273d0db58df488fc6ba03ff5c27.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_qo7sn6lIvUNnrQkIEKgnZ5jrvMiR5kDqu1XJOkRf-sck_N3tgq-uFrh_2Div3osbVG7gPgamHp4F5M0v5RP2K15kwKZRN9FsmH7wDMpFnvk6BBaUNfZmMstM4mU3LbVOb6sQ1cxKD7zGE_40nh_qFhAoHhgJ_GdGDy26FePky1fjUoI9gqN66yR/s320/ab67616d0000b273d0db58df488fc6ba03ff5c27.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Norma Tattoo, for the album Bakhtak by Hassan K., which you can <a href="https://hassank.bandcamp.com/album/bakhtak">listen to here</a>. It's pretty good!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><b>Bakhtak</b><div>Number Encountered: 1</div><div>Hit Dice: 5</div><div>Attacks: 2 claws (1d6+1)</div><div>Armor: as chain</div><div>Morale: 8</div><div><i>Nightmare: </i>The bakhtak can induce sleep and a sudden night terror in a target by simply pointing and giving them the evil eye. Save vs. paralysis or fall asleep and thrash about in an intense nightmare, with the chance of dealing damage to yourself if holding a weapon. The bakhtak's nightmare ability is stopped if its eyes are covered.</div><div><i>Nocturnal: </i>A bakhtak is only ever encountered at night.</div><div><i>Nose for Treasure: </i>A bakhtak can smell gold, silver, and jewels. If its nose is held, it will point you in the direction of nearby treasure.</div><div><i>Sleep Paralysis: </i>The bakhtak sits on the chest of a slumberer, pinning them down. Determine who the bakhtak sits upon randomly, or if there is a particular member of the party which attracts the attentions of unclean spirits. They who the bakhtak sits upon, once they have woken up, must make a save vs. paralysis with disadvantage to be able to move at all, repeating every other round. The one sat upon by the bakhtak loses one point of CON and one point of WIS.</div><div><i>Unclean Spirit: </i>Bakhtaks are unclean spirits and as such are able to be turned by those with the proper capability. They are immune to damage from mundane weaponry, and are immune to fire, acid, electricity, and large blunt force attacks like boulders. The only thing that can harm a bakhtak are immaterial weapons &nbsp;and items specifically aimed at warding off unclean spirits.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxScQ18x-PcjRc82rkVIYG8Fz_HLYIcAZz6I7oHrDXwVzqQkvty_zTiCRYkSxIAJDA6qIwZyKQi7BGTPv5BUYPqRmMFt6-kQ05krUaBSHIe16LkGzSImbOZJgockqYJ49XT3k7HIWSnVGWtZ_JZnuphqws4HJCfVgjrzW5saciorS3D1q_NDcH7LbE/s800/274209b49fa178e7a3021d4f43d2e401.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="800" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxScQ18x-PcjRc82rkVIYG8Fz_HLYIcAZz6I7oHrDXwVzqQkvty_zTiCRYkSxIAJDA6qIwZyKQi7BGTPv5BUYPqRmMFt6-kQ05krUaBSHIe16LkGzSImbOZJgockqYJ49XT3k7HIWSnVGWtZ_JZnuphqws4HJCfVgjrzW5saciorS3D1q_NDcH7LbE/s320/274209b49fa178e7a3021d4f43d2e401.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>The bakhtak appears as a dark, shaggy, shadowy thing, its long awful hairs swimming about in the air as if it were submerged. Above its moustache as dark as night sits a pale nose, and above that are two pinprick eyes which stare out like baleful stars. Its hands are like those of a woman more than a century old, knobby, lanky, and bent, but its legs are bestial and on thick haunches. It is these creatures which cause sleep paralysis, solely out of malice, taking delight in the discomfort and pain they cause when they suck all the air out of a sleeper's lungs in the night.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the very least, however, the bakhtak does not wish violence on anyone. While they will use their crone claws to their defense in the rare circumstance that one has an ectoplasmic sword or painful warding rune of some sort, they will never kill anyone, only bring them near to death. After all, if they killed someone that is one less person to torment in their sleep. On top of this, if the sleeper or a friend of theirs is at least able to feebly reach up and grasp the nightmare's moon pale nose, the bakhtak will panic and point them toward the nearest cache of treasure. Normally, the bakhtak uses their awareness of nearby gold to mock the poor sleeper, tantalizingly bringing bounty to their attention in their fitful sleep only for it to be forgotten the next morning, but if one is able to grasp the thing's nose it can be very fruitful indeed. There are tales of great thief kings making their start extorting a sleep paralysis demon for its buried treasure.</div><div><br /></div><div>But such successes are few and far between. Much more likely than grasping the bakhtak by the nose and forcing it to guide you to gold is that you stay pinned under its weight, for they are far heavier than their small hirsute appearance would suggest, barely able to breathe as you slide in and out of consciousness, the only thing remaining in your mind the vision of terrible hateful stars, a pair of them, staring at you from the night sky above, as shadowy hands surround you.</div><div><br /></div><div>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</div><div><br /></div><div>The bakhtak has been on my encounter tables for KoK for a while but I hadn't really written it up yet. It's not intended to be a fully fledged combat encounter, more a stressful weird set piece encounter, but I suppose you could fight it with the intention of grabbing its nose and pointing you toward treasure! RIP to whoever it is that got sat on though, unfortunate for them really.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, here's three drawings of nightmares/night hags by the great German expressionist Fritz Schwimbeck that don't really have much to do with the Iranian bakhtak but which I just think are cool:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2yGug5sb7hGkxMOhVqpuw32Nkp5_XIpCOo8kWTH3QukDMeaS4SKOmWD1Ll5afPhYL-1Rs_Sic_dCKWbLy5dHTfFLHchdSf9GpjsggGTwcCehUnPiOPlHlBFJwZM3Pjk_i-4b5CnGF4iZK96uYdYoAm-OprjWpFaS6W1RsX2jLvimmcP5n-1xrkSp/s1310/50974677438_10983b17a6_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="1310" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2yGug5sb7hGkxMOhVqpuw32Nkp5_XIpCOo8kWTH3QukDMeaS4SKOmWD1Ll5afPhYL-1Rs_Sic_dCKWbLy5dHTfFLHchdSf9GpjsggGTwcCehUnPiOPlHlBFJwZM3Pjk_i-4b5CnGF4iZK96uYdYoAm-OprjWpFaS6W1RsX2jLvimmcP5n-1xrkSp/s320/50974677438_10983b17a6_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu-7-kl3z-P9dmql14mgd5I0IDYOwCnX-qUn4TZqyLwHbDJYwHVSWlyUdwWkmTluhkPgjbmf92evvku9SUwi_LAh1HwYlEqQ88N8GUALZLRAo63IWc5YUNgdd2BKf-mNIRw_OwaQ4oAkCU9Bhz-JcdDLoW2WNY72ch3VqSPeCq-_SazGVtYZva8hd/s640/640px-Fritz_Schwimbeck_-_My_Dream,_My_Bad_Dream._1915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="640" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu-7-kl3z-P9dmql14mgd5I0IDYOwCnX-qUn4TZqyLwHbDJYwHVSWlyUdwWkmTluhkPgjbmf92evvku9SUwi_LAh1HwYlEqQ88N8GUALZLRAo63IWc5YUNgdd2BKf-mNIRw_OwaQ4oAkCU9Bhz-JcdDLoW2WNY72ch3VqSPeCq-_SazGVtYZva8hd/s320/640px-Fritz_Schwimbeck_-_My_Dream,_My_Bad_Dream._1915.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfKwn5sMS651IfKgGazWenuFUErGdCHHUSR9ibRouJNxzax3fQo1qw9Yj5D1Mh5Qq8LsawRW5cYiKanmf5TplZL0Cp1nJ2PJxPkbOl5RchU4cnCp2wDw8Mw7uoBRndDQ-Eq_y1tQ8SiQ8kowsQ0E-aUipMroqKxFq9Bz-SNdDy1SK-Sl2hd2mhG4c/s1310/50975367241_2600f39010_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1310" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfKwn5sMS651IfKgGazWenuFUErGdCHHUSR9ibRouJNxzax3fQo1qw9Yj5D1Mh5Qq8LsawRW5cYiKanmf5TplZL0Cp1nJ2PJxPkbOl5RchU4cnCp2wDw8Mw7uoBRndDQ-Eq_y1tQ8SiQ8kowsQ0E-aUipMroqKxFq9Bz-SNdDy1SK-Sl2hd2mhG4c/s320/50975367241_2600f39010_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/6308931494941482253/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-terrible-weight-pins-you-down-monster.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/6308931494941482253'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/6308931494941482253'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-terrible-weight-pins-you-down-monster.html' title='A Terrible Weight Pins you Down (A Monster for King of Kings)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_qo7sn6lIvUNnrQkIEKgnZ5jrvMiR5kDqu1XJOkRf-sck_N3tgq-uFrh_2Div3osbVG7gPgamHp4F5M0v5RP2K15kwKZRN9FsmH7wDMpFnvk6BBaUNfZmMstM4mU3LbVOb6sQ1cxKD7zGE_40nh_qFhAoHhgJ_GdGDy26FePky1fjUoI9gqN66yR/s72-c/ab67616d0000b273d0db58df488fc6ba03ff5c27.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-9094587053607772292</id><published>2022-12-17T14:39:00.002-08:00</published><updated>2022-12-17T14:39:14.327-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="personal"/><title type='text'>It has been too long</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;Had yet another hiatus of posting, my bad! I was so very busy this semester with two research projects at the same time taking a large chunk of my time, but now one of them is completely done with and the other just has to be edited over the course of the next several months. So I'm going to get back to posting on this here blog!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">King of Kings has been on a hiatus just as long as the blog, so no new session reports unfortunately. I also made the stupid mistake of not packing my physical notes and maps and such when I left for winter break from university, leaving me unable to run the game. Whoops! KoK will get back on track in January, when I have access to my notes again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Other plans:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>FINISHING THE FIEND FOLIO REVIEWS. I meant to finish it by the end of this year, but as is probably painfully obvious that is not going to be the case. I'll get back to reviewing Folio fiends this month, aiming to finish up the series ASAP. I low-key can't believe how long I've been doing that one review series, but its just taken so long because of long gaps in posting, so.</li><li>More monsters!!! King of Kings, Gamma World, horror games, etc. Always got more ideas for creatures for games.</li><li>Continue making worldbuilding posts for King of Kings. The next one I intend on making is about religion in the Enlightened Empire, building on some of the mentions of gods and cults from some of the other posts. I have also been thinking a lot about expanding out to make worldbuilding posts about other parts of the King of Kings world, including posting a world map.</li><li>ADVENTURES!!! I have a zine esque adventure set in the world of King of Kings that I have been working on off and on since last August, which I intend on finishing at some point in the not too distant future. I also just want to post more adventure locations, because ultimately its adventure locations that are the backbone of this kind of adventure fantasy that I'm a big fan of, not classes or worldbuilding nor even really monsters.</li><li>Putting together the notes for my <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/six-horror-monsters-for-underneath.html">previously mentioned Underneath minicampaign</a> and publishing it on here. I've had the ability to do that all this time I just keep putting it off so I'll do that soon.</li><li>Unrelated to the blog but I really want to get back to working on <a href="https://squirmzone.neocities.org">my neocities site</a>.</li></ul><div>Keep an eye out for more posts forthcoming!! Love you all, happy holidays, and hope you're having a good one!</div></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/9094587053607772292/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/it-has-been-too-long.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/9094587053607772292'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/9094587053607772292'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/12/it-has-been-too-long.html' title='It has been too long'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-3576673191658864762</id><published>2022-08-29T20:17:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2022-08-29T20:17:38.869-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="biology"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="giants"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monsters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="my art"/><title type='text'>Pygmy Giants</title><content type='html'><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRX4VlG5opOVfwRjWvDAlYcydl6TvrSFY9ENO2_tJ4NmoLIdKvWKvBth5-G1ATYkJgwiATvtpL_k26i-67K36qkIhRBDGzDdUKG_M1gMgCorFRL_LK1aqKXFydvGv3GkQ0tKU53EaxX4tTv_By-LYAx1XZiwK2au6KVCmXg6nMecU3ymcwIyhD1T4c/s712/20220828_231845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRX4VlG5opOVfwRjWvDAlYcydl6TvrSFY9ENO2_tJ4NmoLIdKvWKvBth5-G1ATYkJgwiATvtpL_k26i-67K36qkIhRBDGzDdUKG_M1gMgCorFRL_LK1aqKXFydvGv3GkQ0tKU53EaxX4tTv_By-LYAx1XZiwK2au6KVCmXg6nMecU3ymcwIyhD1T4c/s320/20220828_231845.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawn by yours truly</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Pygmy Giant</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Number Encountered: 1d8 (5d8)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Hit Dice: 3</div><div style="text-align: left;">Attacks: 1 weapon</div><div style="text-align: left;">Armor: as leather</div><div style="text-align: left;">Morale: 8</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Bullied Followers: </i>Pygmy giants are often bullied or otherwise forced into submission by other giants and sometimes the few humans who come by their islands, and will often be found in the service of giants and sometimes in the crews of sailors and pirates.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Herding and Fishing: </i>Pygmy giants are avid herdsmen and fishermen; they will react violently if their herds or nets are disturbed.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Weapons: </i>Wield clubs, stones, and spears.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Pygmy giants are children of 'Ajuj and Majuj, the monstrous pair of the far north, the twin fathers of monsters, beasts, and giants... but unlike 'Ajuj and Majuj's other children, they are much, much smaller. Having been confined to isolated islands in the Sea of Giants, or distant frigid crags on the always frozen sea far to the north, they have undergone <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insular_dwarfism">insular dwarfism</a>, shrinking down to just under the average size of a human. They are just as muscular and dense as true giants, however, packing a lot of punch in a rather small package. Their heavily plodding feet leave deep furrows and prints in the wet sand of their salty islands, as they herd beasts of burden and fish from the depths. However, sometimes pygmy giants are pressed into service for their larger brothers and sisters, sometimes especially callous giants depopulating whole islands of their pygmy giant inhabitants for some raiding campaign thousands of miles away. The pygmy giants are xenophobic and wary of outsiders, and resentful of their elder brothers and sisters, but size and might makes right in the terrible family of 'Ajuj and Majuj.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Pygmy giants in the northern reaches of the Land of Darkness tend to be furrier and woolier than their more southerly cousins, but there isn't a hard divide of pygmy giants into two groups, and they can be just as visually diverse as other giants.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I just really love including real world biological concepts in my games and in my settings, and insular dwarfism is such a fun phenomenon! I also just love the image of little squat giants fending off adventurers trying to land on their island, or using these little guys as go to humanoid opponents in scenarios involving giants. Thinking up adventure locations using them as we speak!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1d12 Herds of the Pygmy Giants</div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Sheep</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Walruses</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Land octopuses</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Cows</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Coconut crabs</div><div style="text-align: left;">6. Giant (or normal sized) snails</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. Goats</div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Sturgeon (herded in water for their caviar)</div><div style="text-align: left;">9. Dogs</div><div style="text-align: left;">10. Pygmy wooly mammoths</div><div style="text-align: left;">11. Pygmy wooly rhinoceroses</div><div style="text-align: left;">12. Ostriches</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1d12 Pygmy Giant encounter activities (home islands)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Spearfishing in the craggy shoals, the salty waves licking at their ankles.</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Roasting a herd animal whole over a fire, filling the air with jokes and booming laughter.</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Cooking one of those comically large cauldrons, or possibly a clay vessel, full of boiling broth over a fire.</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Reciting poetry to one another in their gravelly deep voices.</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Goading on a pair of crabs to fight each other.</div><div style="text-align: left;">6. Crushing seashells between two stones to create pigment.</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. Absentmindedly staring out over their herd, leaning on a club or crook.</div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Squeezing a very stressed looking sturgeon to push out its caviar directly into their mouths.</div><div style="text-align: left;">9. Painting an elaborate scene of dolphins and flying fish on a cliff face.</div><div style="text-align: left;">10. Curing beast skin into leather on a rack of driftwood.</div><div style="text-align: left;">11. Wrestling each other in a dusty circle on the ground.</div><div style="text-align: left;">12. Butchering a herd animal into pieces, and attempting to glean prophecies from its guts.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1d12 Pygmy Giant encounter activities (elsewhere)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Being beaten with a whip by a giant general.</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Getting in a fistfight with one another, with brass knuckles made from seashells.</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Getting their teeth pulled out.</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Riding on wooly rhinos, two or three pygmy giants to a beast.</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Practicing combat maneuvers in a field.</div><div style="text-align: left;">6. Roving the countryside harvesting branches to make wicker shields and arrows.</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. Rolling a boulder through the valley to bring to their giant master.</div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Hunting birds with spears and slings.</div><div style="text-align: left;">9. Groaning in pain, recovering from injuries.</div><div style="text-align: left;">10. Carrying armfuls of eggs in a panic, chased by angry chickens and/or peasants.</div><div style="text-align: left;">11. Sharpening their tusks to razor sharp points.</div><div style="text-align: left;">12. Playing games of dice carved from sheep bones, betting on meager pieces of fish and mutton.</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/3576673191658864762/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/08/pygmy-giants.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/3576673191658864762'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/3576673191658864762'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/08/pygmy-giants.html' title='Pygmy Giants'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRX4VlG5opOVfwRjWvDAlYcydl6TvrSFY9ENO2_tJ4NmoLIdKvWKvBth5-G1ATYkJgwiATvtpL_k26i-67K36qkIhRBDGzDdUKG_M1gMgCorFRL_LK1aqKXFydvGv3GkQ0tKU53EaxX4tTv_By-LYAx1XZiwK2au6KVCmXg6nMecU3ymcwIyhD1T4c/s72-c/20220828_231845.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-4899052002336069071</id><published>2022-08-27T12:55:00.003-07:00</published><updated>2022-08-27T12:55:28.777-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="amphibians"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dog-headed men"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="froglings"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="giants"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gnostic elves"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="history"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="inspiration"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="jinn"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sea Tyrants"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="worldbuilding"/><title type='text'>Inhabitants of the World (Peoples of King of Kings)</title><content type='html'>I puzzled over what to title this post for a good while, mostly because I don't want to use the clumsy language of "races" that D&amp;D stuff has been stuck with for a while, but inversely trying to puzzle out what the name for a broad group of people groups was really difficult and I didn't really want to use super scientific terms like "species", "genus", or "family". I think the incredibly vague and unhelpful word "inhabitants" does the closest thing to justice to the topic of this post, so it's what I went with.<div><br /></div><div>So yeah, this is a setting post for King of Kings about the intelligent inhabitants of the world! It is more of a semi "world bible" of sorts, rather than an in universe statement of lore; the creatures and characters described in this post, and the categories into which they are placed in, are more for my benefit to define what sorts of creatures I use in the world rather than pure world building. I'm personally not a huge fan of the intense taxonomical drive that is present in a lot of D&amp;D stuff, which you can read a very interesting and good post about <a href="https://zedecksiew.tumblr.com/post/693356847419293696/dds-obsession-with-taxonomy">here</a>, from the wonderful Zedeck Siew. Obviously I am still putting things into categories in this post, but I'm aiming for relatively vague and general categories defined more by connections to fictional cosmology and myth than by how D&amp;D races work, taking cues more from groups of spirits and creatures from real world myth and folklore. So there is still a taxonomic impulse, guilty as charged in that regard, but for King of Kings I want to keep taxonomy as light as possible, and instead emphasize geographic location, familial ties, or political/religious allegiance. If I ever make a KoK book in the future, I'd lean more in that direction for that more "official" presentation, but this post isn't the final official presentation, its basically just a collection of notes put together here for my sake and for anyone who wants to read about my setting.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe that rant was unwarranted, I don't know, I just think about this stuff a lot!</div><div><br /></div><div>Without further ado!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowd3XQmgQzpLOV_G7UOAOr7ywyBsX44VJGgUE6KoGzXVEKPVwQ0-nOJ09jgiZmUrbMWoPxgdV8Im29lQ-0qAVef0oOzzOVC-D59e9d7odWXU0wyVRqNK2lRUpyFUdVgKgHpIIo_qGqFBNL5doFQLUXjdyHDafQ7ov3asSWLRM72J7NG_bk01O5XFB/s768/10054661_master.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowd3XQmgQzpLOV_G7UOAOr7ywyBsX44VJGgUE6KoGzXVEKPVwQ0-nOJ09jgiZmUrbMWoPxgdV8Im29lQ-0qAVef0oOzzOVC-D59e9d7odWXU0wyVRqNK2lRUpyFUdVgKgHpIIo_qGqFBNL5doFQLUXjdyHDafQ7ov3asSWLRM72J7NG_bk01O5XFB/s320/10054661_master.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A person, on a rug</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>Humans/People</b></div><div>I think I would hope that everyone reading this post knows what these are. While King of Kings takes its cues from the world of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, fundamentally people back then were still just people! Humans are the main inhabitant of the world, living just about everywhere, forming tribes and nations and polities together, etc. etc. Not all humans are visually identical, however, and this is where KoK leans into ancient and medieval conceptions. People groups that would appear at first to be very different from humanity, such as <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-dog-who-speaks-softly-and-woman-who.html">dog headed men</a>, <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-amazon-class-for-king-of-kings.html">amazons</a>, <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/10/man-of-deluge.html">men of the deluge</a>, and the mouthless astomi, are all still human no matter their, from the perspective of people in the Enlightened Empire, strange customs and appearances. Here I'm trying to lean into ideas of the "monstrous races" from Ancient Greek natural histories and travelogues from Greece, Rome, and the Christian and Muslim Middle Ages. There's a really good book that I'd recommend about this topic that provides a detailed listing of such peoples from ancient and medieval sources, <i><a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Monstrous_Races_in_Medieval_Art_and/DCS0AAAAIAAJ?hl=en">The Monstrous Races in Medieval Art and Thought</a></i>. I find this topic super interesting, honestly kind of deserving of its own post, obviously of even more than a post because its a historical topic that has garnered plenty of attention in like, book length works and such. These ancient and medieval conceptions of people from faraway lands being monstrous are something to be careful about though because they're, yknow, tangential to and prefacing racism that developed in the modern period &amp; etc. I find them to be a very fascinating and fantastical element of how real premodern people perceived their world, and I like using them as inspiration for KoK, as a basis to then provide some real depth and complexity onto, but just as with anything else really it's good to try and be mindful and whatnot.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VNgBQK_oV-6xP7lT1Yz9to6s1WEh9-bg5XgOPEqA-xTE8jPgNORyTMfv6K0oIi_4LjVKBJzWkNtTrT2ZLreoAXBfLw9halD-t5Kergp8wLNxY1tXMbS7sRX-SQr4Wsf3xAg63-_duq54M1JRbfrvtlkKd6tIVNk8AJ-vfLeXJsyqpRh8DDiGlUkr/s220/220px-Kievskaya_psaltir_kinocefal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="220" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VNgBQK_oV-6xP7lT1Yz9to6s1WEh9-bg5XgOPEqA-xTE8jPgNORyTMfv6K0oIi_4LjVKBJzWkNtTrT2ZLreoAXBfLw9halD-t5Kergp8wLNxY1tXMbS7sRX-SQr4Wsf3xAg63-_duq54M1JRbfrvtlkKd6tIVNk8AJ-vfLeXJsyqpRh8DDiGlUkr/w320-h300/220px-Kievskaya_psaltir_kinocefal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also people</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>But yeah uh, other than humans like the dog headed men and amazons, there are also humans that are closer to real world ancient human cultures. <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/11/king-of-kings-city-folk.html">City dwelling Shahanistanis</a>, rural farmers, nomadic pastoralists or raiding warriors, etc. etc. I'm going to make more posts in the future with more character backgrounds and stuff about different polities in different parts of the world, so there's plenty more to say. But yknow, its just humans.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xRBrHHG0BaBKBuT7ezBdlLobkiT6x_G65OlyE95Wz1dWTr6oM-BuUyrNaR-15ZYKZN32LfqHENgSduyKR7hoABjz9w0on8h9PDA2dJMF5fE7FQtfygIvUi1vZP90NHssC1kGd22KYqG7gMbn87056twzFi2yPt5E5D9UXWL7wbfhAKNULCITu9cv/s1000/Kitab_al-Bulhan_--_jinns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="677" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xRBrHHG0BaBKBuT7ezBdlLobkiT6x_G65OlyE95Wz1dWTr6oM-BuUyrNaR-15ZYKZN32LfqHENgSduyKR7hoABjz9w0on8h9PDA2dJMF5fE7FQtfygIvUi1vZP90NHssC1kGd22KYqG7gMbn87056twzFi2yPt5E5D9UXWL7wbfhAKNULCITu9cv/s320/Kitab_al-Bulhan_--_jinns.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from the Kitab al-Bulhan</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>Spirits, including Jinn</b></div><div>Possibly the broadest group mentioned here, spirits encompasses all manner of immaterial and supernatural entities that dwell all across the world of King of Kings. Mischievous&nbsp;<a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/12/kalikantzaroi-just-use-goblins.html">kalikantzaroi</a>, morning star worshiping liliths, burgeoning bakhtaks, all manner of ghosts and <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-grand-hospital-of-humakuyun-d8.html">lingering auras</a>, localized nature gods, and jinn of all sorts, including afarit like <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/01/king-of-kings-session-4-after-action.html">Fire Eater</a>, ghuls, marids like <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/07/king-of-kings-session-9-after-action.html">the headless bull thing</a>, and the half jinni half human <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/12/accursed-ancestry-of-agonizing.html">nasnas</a>. Spirits can be basically anything, which is kind of on purpose so that I can encompass all sorts of supernal immaterial entities and atmospheres in here. Jinn are to the world of spirits as humans are to the material world, and so jinn come in just as much staggering variety if not more than people do. They share in all being made from smokeless fire, and have a parallel and often very different society to that of humanity, but are otherwise incredibly diverse. I would never want to try to make any attempt at like, summarizing all spirits or all jinn in a single paragraph, let alone a whole post or book, though I do want to start writing up more spirits for King of Kings for the blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>For resources that I've taken inspiration from for spirits and jinn in KoK, check out <i>Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar</i>&nbsp;by Robert Lebling, <i>Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn </i>by Amira el‐Zein, relevant entries in the <i>Encyclopedia of Islam</i>&nbsp;and the <i>Encyclopaedia Iranica</i>, and of course <i>The Thousand and One Nights</i>. Also I'd be lying if I didn't sometimes just take info from Wikipedia for folkloric creatures, or at least as a starting point. Who doesn't use Wikipedia as a resource these days? It's generally pretty good.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkmI76ndQJ5DRy9rF67Sm5WWDtprSrmZ5Klp4G9vgX8xPqSHbl0ylU7O9GpnUt7MEHPl37IAXuM8PE6sfOJAw8xnZ_EZJBYnyZozx1o5om8AVPqNd7dWtESvOrQzWxH51Pcx4wn7_9mI8wAxXugYbHqDoceN8Bp1aVKOD8rM1IoHsmHGurhwMdAbF/s900/sea-monsters_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="900" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkmI76ndQJ5DRy9rF67Sm5WWDtprSrmZ5Klp4G9vgX8xPqSHbl0ylU7O9GpnUt7MEHPl37IAXuM8PE6sfOJAw8xnZ_EZJBYnyZozx1o5om8AVPqNd7dWtESvOrQzWxH51Pcx4wn7_9mI8wAxXugYbHqDoceN8Bp1aVKOD8rM1IoHsmHGurhwMdAbF/s320/sea-monsters_0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sea Tyrants, including Amphibians</b></div><div>I've made <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/10/half-forgotten-times-and-nature-of.html">a&nbsp;post</a>&nbsp;about these before, although I'll definitely return to the topic in the future. The sea tyrants are the primordial once rulers of the world, the ancient despots from when the world was wet and the world was young. They flooded the world in an effort to take control of it in its entirety, but were rebuffed when some among them acted as a sorcerous Prometheus and stole star magic to give to mortals. Ever since then, they have dwelled deep at the bottom of the sea and deep in the depths of the earth, while humanity and the traitors to the sea tyrants thrive on the surface. The sea tyrants who betrayed their brethren and stole magic to give to humanity were the amphibians, namely the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/06/froglings-of-enlightened-empire.html">froglings</a>, salamen, and elder olms. The froglings live among humans, in their <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/03/tabur-grand-capital-of-elburz-satrapy.html">cities</a> and towns, and continue to practice magic and &nbsp;serve as sailors and merchants, while salamen tend to live out on their own in isolated wilderness and swamp communities, and elder olms serve as a potential friendly faction in delves underground. I have so many ideas for sea tyrant related stuff, so keep an eye out for that in the future.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you couldn't tell, the main point of reference for these guys is almost entirely Lovecraft stuff, yknow Deep Ones and Cthulhu and the subterranean city of K'nyan from The Mound and all that. Add in aboleths and mind flayers from D&amp;D and other underdark goodies and you've got it. And with regards to the froglings, I can't help but bring up my love for Frog from Chrono Trigger, even if my frog people here don't have That much to do with him. Sure these are some of my most overtly pop culture inspiration creatures but who cares its my setting.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Zs0LD_HNxOAEIBGFz0zf7WVzyI6RQM-tGc8fyUI5iz3fX_ZRfuB2HwGpG2ePpHKqY5X_yc1Nh7D4qggQNPQ2gV1i5SeZyAZYoWbvEKGNd_-LyYR1g01DmRGL09P2q2CbrX692qMqu7JyxO9vBjUxUQxcUkBzGiZ8Ogcp6eNILa3hRluY-xhyZuNC/s550/m466_111r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Zs0LD_HNxOAEIBGFz0zf7WVzyI6RQM-tGc8fyUI5iz3fX_ZRfuB2HwGpG2ePpHKqY5X_yc1Nh7D4qggQNPQ2gV1i5SeZyAZYoWbvEKGNd_-LyYR1g01DmRGL09P2q2CbrX692qMqu7JyxO9vBjUxUQxcUkBzGiZ8Ogcp6eNILa3hRluY-xhyZuNC/s320/m466_111r.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moses tells the giant Cuj ibn Canaq how to curb an appetite</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>Giants, or the Children of 'Ajuj and Majuj</b></div><div>Far to the north, in the snowy Land of Darkness, dwell the ancient 'Ajuj and Majuj, twin fathers of monsters. Their offspring form monstrous man-eating lineages that roam the wintry vastnesses, attack human settlements of northern nomads, and on occasion raid down south. The Conquering King, when he took hold of all the world, built a great metal and stone wall with a great looming gate in the mountains on the southern edge of the Land of Darkness, to keep the Children of 'Ajuj and Majuj out. Also, I have an idea for a horizontal megadungeon of sorts which would be the slowly rotting body of a giant that you could dungeon crawl in, I think it'd be super fun and cool.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like I keep on saying, keep an eye out for more posts about giants, especially since I haven't posted really anything about them so far. With regards to references, check out the Penguin book <i>Ibn Fadlan and the Land of Darkness: Arab Travellers in the Far North</i>&nbsp;and certain versions of <i>The Romance of Alexander</i>. King of Kings's giants are another example of taking cues and inspiration from how premodern people perceived people from other parts of the world, similarly to the dog headed men et al. I discussed in the section about people above.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfWefHVNunoHI3KY4Q4I1B7t0fMEdoNRRHAiQxNWBvhfbnjioUnAUkTBb4OXpQa4KNxFV2D_rv50JtP-G4kLZFHzwt7p8FWfB0ZhPTbcHuxsFG99p5zdgRpAGzYM56NAGS45HhKHSatjhRbRWkHbuV66baGGjanng4p3lKJ8LiJXPRBTwmgyvvO6o/s600/DCbP8L5UQAIO5cc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfWefHVNunoHI3KY4Q4I1B7t0fMEdoNRRHAiQxNWBvhfbnjioUnAUkTBb4OXpQa4KNxFV2D_rv50JtP-G4kLZFHzwt7p8FWfB0ZhPTbcHuxsFG99p5zdgRpAGzYM56NAGS45HhKHSatjhRbRWkHbuV66baGGjanng4p3lKJ8LiJXPRBTwmgyvvO6o/s320/DCbP8L5UQAIO5cc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't know the source of this one unfortunately</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>Daevas, or Divs/Dews</b></div><div>Dwelling on the upside down underside of the world, daevas are embodiments of all forms of evil and untruth. They are more than simple unclean spirits, they are the living forms of deceit and lies, and live completely alien and surreal lives on the flat plane of the underside. Some divs are collaborating with the sea tyrants in their efforts to slowly seize the surface world, but most divs are lonesome creatures serving only deceit. Like I keep saying, keep an eye out for more posts about these guys.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here, the main point of reference is to daevas from Zoroastrianism and, later, the Islamic Persianate div; while the names are super similar, it's an important distinction to make, I think, between these religious/historic references and devas in Hinduism, especially since Zoroastrian daevas are comparable to demons. Just sorta making a note of that. For stuff I've taken inspiration from, the <i>Shahnameh</i>&nbsp;by Ferdowsi <strike>which I need to read more of, I haven't actually finished it</strike>&nbsp;and <i>Manifestation of Evil in Persian Mythology from the Perspective of Zoroastrian Religion</i>&nbsp;by Elnaz Bakhshayeh and Reza Ebrahimil. Also the&nbsp;<i>Encyclopedia Iranica</i>&nbsp;and Wikipedia again. I wanna do more reading to find good inspiration for these entities.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8nam5TKj0K49RYj-gG1qgkyXintUZ2vrROwlkMcgVmy2tbIlrjuWfr8MfKOvoCrSxZOwBwFtDnmmh2gbghTRkDzoRn0rRvQhW41v5L3nYetr-9AT3DgfHpOgq_vWftTHzH33s8UNQX0/s2048/IMG_20210102_000017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8nam5TKj0K49RYj-gG1qgkyXintUZ2vrROwlkMcgVmy2tbIlrjuWfr8MfKOvoCrSxZOwBwFtDnmmh2gbghTRkDzoRn0rRvQhW41v5L3nYetr-9AT3DgfHpOgq_vWftTHzH33s8UNQX0/s320/IMG_20210102_000017.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skeleboy with some carvings made by the ancient Dinosaur Kings</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>Dinosaurs</b></div><div>A bit of an outlier for this post, because the dinosaurs are more or less all dead. Once the rulers of the eastern satrapies and other lands before the time of the Conquering King, many of them were killed or forced into hiding once they were defeated by his armies, either by his very soldiers or by their human subjects' retribution. Today, they are little more than carvings on walls and rumors of ancient tombs.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beasts and Birds</b></div><div>Yknow, animals. I wasn't going to include them in this post because I feel like it's kinda self explanatory that animals exist in the setting, but I figured hey why not I can still say some stuff about some weirdos. Obviously, most beasts and birds are just normal animals, but King of Kings has some unusual creatures, whether they are fictional animals that are still more or less comparable to real world things like the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/09/lizardmen-of-eastern-satrapies.html">lizardmen</a> herded and bred by the Dinosaur Kings, or intelligent beasts like manticores or <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/11/on-pigs.html">pigmen</a>, or birds so beautiful that their plumage inspires awe like the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-huma-bird.html">huma</a>, or monotremes like gryphons, owlbears, or the swamp dwelling platypus. Just figured I'd note them.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhroMQTW2leqCTNzDaJn2LPcoHxUYSjU9vlmYzl_0g2rjKzeSDG9dCfiDIjQaJUfoQDa47MabQyO7vVQ6q40EzmSWskxOdshImeBAw-OalKBeM0rOFHwCWDY_-_85DBSf5ikk4e1xpSDtbKC0SxMSQ-uOQzDHbmWp-fE-d-MrJwrhHC6bNnk8Crtf/s1452/byzantine_elf_by_libra_marig_ddid6bx-fullview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhroMQTW2leqCTNzDaJn2LPcoHxUYSjU9vlmYzl_0g2rjKzeSDG9dCfiDIjQaJUfoQDa47MabQyO7vVQ6q40EzmSWskxOdshImeBAw-OalKBeM0rOFHwCWDY_-_85DBSf5ikk4e1xpSDtbKC0SxMSQ-uOQzDHbmWp-fE-d-MrJwrhHC6bNnk8Crtf/s320/byzantine_elf_by_libra_marig_ddid6bx-fullview.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what came up when I googled "byzantine elf". <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/libra-marig/art/Byzantine-elf-816908109">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>Elves, namely the Gnostic Elves</b></div><div>A last but not least, the newcomers on the scene, the Gnostic Elves. The Gnostic Elves rule an empire directly to the west of the Enlightened Empire, the two neighbors being in a constant slow and grinding war that has been going on for generations. They took over the western archipelago and their portions of the mainland a few centuries ago, having come in from across the sea on pale white boats. They wrap themselves up in full body coverings and often wear masks, and believe that the flesh is sinful and must be destroyed, and that through ascertaining hidden knowledge the material world can be transcended. There are, however, heretic sects of elves who reject that gnosis, most notably the Hedonist Elves who dwell underground in isolated colonies.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know I sound like a broken record but yeah keep an eye out for more posts about the gnostic elves and about the never-ending war between the gnostic elves and the enlightened empire. The Gnostic Elves have taken a lot of inspiration from a variety of sources: obviously their religion is derived from ancient Gnosticism, while visually and with regards to their role in the fictional world they take cues from the Eastern Roman Empire (for which I really like to refer to <i>The World of Late Antiquity </i>by Peter Brown and the <i>History</i>&nbsp;and <i>Secret History</i>&nbsp;of Prokopios), and their history of having come here from across the ocean to conquer takes inspiration from the Tarascans/Purépecha of Mexico who have a similar story of coming from across the Pacific, and the Seljuqs who conquered Anatolia from Central Asia.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's it! Those eight inhabitants of the world are going to serve more or less as a guide for my world building and adventure location making, and a bit of a taste of some posts to come as I elaborate on some more of these in more detail! Hope you have a lovely day!</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/4899052002336069071/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/08/inhabitants-of-world-peoples-of-king-of.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/4899052002336069071'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/4899052002336069071'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/08/inhabitants-of-world-peoples-of-king-of.html' title='Inhabitants of the World (Peoples of King of Kings)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowd3XQmgQzpLOV_G7UOAOr7ywyBsX44VJGgUE6KoGzXVEKPVwQ0-nOJ09jgiZmUrbMWoPxgdV8Im29lQ-0qAVef0oOzzOVC-D59e9d7odWXU0wyVRqNK2lRUpyFUdVgKgHpIIo_qGqFBNL5doFQLUXjdyHDafQ7ov3asSWLRM72J7NG_bk01O5XFB/s72-c/10054661_master.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-7043865757786792517</id><published>2022-07-31T15:42:00.003-07:00</published><updated>2022-07-31T15:42:33.509-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="after action report"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="biology"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bugs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><title type='text'>King of Kings Session 14 After Action Report</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: left;">A bit of a shorter one! Not as much happened this session, so it mostly ended up as a sort of information gathering session. Also, this sesh happened like half a month ago, July 17th; I kept on putting off writing the post. My bad!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Dramatis Personae</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ishthyromeda the Small, level one Amazon</div><div style="text-align: left;">Manchugo Coldeswain, level one cleric dedicated to Damir, foreign god of the trade routes</div><div style="text-align: left;">She-That-Is-Harrowed-By-Our-Lord-In-The-Stars-Is-Blessed-With-Prophecy, level one scholar</div><div style="text-align: left;">also Parsani, scrawny son of a rural matriarch</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Note: She-That-Is-Harrowed-By-Our-Lord-In-The-Stars-Is-Blessed-With-Prophecy will be referred to as "Harrowed" for the remainder of this report and also probably for all future session reports)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The day previous, the group used a charm spell to get information out of the nasnas in the basement and to let them know that they wouldn't harm them. After making camp, they rested there in the walled farming compound. In the morning, the group realizes that they have been robbed! Manchugo having lost some rope and Ish having lost some food. After breakfast, Rohm'Daan had to depart for religious obligations back in Tabur (i.e. his player couldn't make it), and while the day's plans were being discussed Coro the Esoterian, tired and old, agreed to watch the group's supplies above ground while the rest of them ventured down below (i.e. his player also couldn't make it). Passing Rohm'Daan on the road back to Tabur, however, was a foreigner who had recently made contact with Farzaneh Taburi, and who had heard talk of the group's expedition. This was Harrowed, a scholar from a far off land with an affinity for insects, who joined the group for the day's venture back into the abandoned basement.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Note: I had the players choose what got stolen in the night, and since Rohm'Daan and Coro's players weren't present for the session they didn't get to pick. I'll just bring it up next time they join.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf-Li8S6u8Aj0THdfgAH4ncI17eYjd3gV6rALTwuItBfLH6vZDSHjzQ98jjpbrC_lnTwbTnefqc6IASTPK8_wlOh8KjrGpBlyVNM0rO7sPtMjlsBJvrzyn1lKFWARQzz1I_evPASX6i93K6ZDV_Vdn75RGXrCpZjk5dFt0BQzaJsuKSIR0WDEEMmc/s3072/Western_Caspian_turtle_(Mauremys_rivulata),_El-Al_river.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf-Li8S6u8Aj0THdfgAH4ncI17eYjd3gV6rALTwuItBfLH6vZDSHjzQ98jjpbrC_lnTwbTnefqc6IASTPK8_wlOh8KjrGpBlyVNM0rO7sPtMjlsBJvrzyn1lKFWARQzz1I_evPASX6i93K6ZDV_Vdn75RGXrCpZjk5dFt0BQzaJsuKSIR0WDEEMmc/s320/Western_Caspian_turtle_(Mauremys_rivulata),_El-Al_river.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Caspian Turtle (<i>Mauremys caspica</i><span style="text-align: left;">)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After introductions were exchanged between Harrowed, Ish, Manchugo, and Parsani, the four set about finishing up where they left off the day previous. First, they went back to the outhouse where they heard a mysterious hissing yesterday, and opened the door to find... a very large turtle, its legs splayed out on the outhouse seat, hissing at the interlopers! They pick the turt up and gently place them down in the overgrown vegetable garden, although they agreed to pick him back up before they left to go back to Tabur.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After the small encounter with the outhouse turtle, the small group of adventurers went back down into the basement to enlarge the ant hole that they went through previously, so it would work better as a potential escape route or for repeated visits. Using some rusted shovels found leaning on the wall of the house outside, they set to work and make it large enough for someone to walk through, rather than having to crawl on hands and feet like before. They notice, as they work, that there are no sounds of the nasnases in the other room, and when they check the room before venturing further they notice that the creatures are gone!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Their work attracts a large group of the giant ants who live in a network of tunnels connected to the basement. Ish is cautious around the ants, and while she wants to explore the ants' tunnels she doesn't wish to anger them. Harrowed, after the digging at the hole is done, goes to the giant ants that have crowded around them and attempts to speak with them. Harrowed's monastic sect has a careful and considered relationship with insects, and so by relying on bodily communication a very simple sort of back and forth can be established, although it takes time. (Note: I just ruled that this bug communication works the same as a normal scholar class specialization, which you can see described here. It took basically an hour for Harrowed and the ant to have what would between two humans be only a few short sentences exchanged back and forth).&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While Harrowed attempts to make contact with the ants, the others take a break to eat some of their rations, and then one turn later they hear some snuffling sounds from the sloping passageway into the basement they entered through. Slowly moving back to check on it, Manchugo sees a pair of oversized weasels, which the group decide not to engage with.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After Harrowed's hour of focus, they report that the giant ants will allow the group to go straight through their tunnels and to a carved out passageway on the other end of their nest, a passageway that they dread, but that they are not allowed to enter any other chambers of the ant nest. The group agrees, and gently crawls into the giant ant's nest, as guests passing through. They crawl through one empty chamber dug out of the earth, then through a second round chamber that has on its southern edge a sloping tunnel carved out of the earth by tools not by ant mandibles, immediately apparent that something else dug it out, not the ants. In that chamber, they also find, hidden under a small pile of loose dirt, ten drachmae and a crystal syringe full of a strange green liquid. After pocketing the coins and the syringe, they venture into the dark dug out passageway that the ants dread.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After a lengthy march down the sloping passage, the four of them end up in a strange immense structure that none of them recognize. It is a massive open space, completely dark except for the minuscule spheres of light from their lamps, with a walkway that curves past them and out of view. This walkway seems to spiral around the edge of an immense cylinder, so large that they can't even clearly see the other side from where they stand, and they can only just make out the vaunted, curved ceiling high above them when they lift their lanterns up high. Above them is a stony dome shimmering with slime and dripping water, the walls similarly covered with green algae and slowly dripping slime. In this ancient structure, these adventurers are deeper in the earth than they have ever been before.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">They realize that this place is likely That Which Yawns Deep which they heard in prophecy, and agree not to spend too long down here with such a small group. They plan to scout a little and then return to Tabur, to come back with a larger group. With that plan in mind, they send Parsani back to the surface; they don't want to have to tell his mother that he died in this dark and dingy place. They begin to crawl down the slowly sloping spiraling walkway, careful with their footing so as to not fall into the unknown depths below.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlUYALIXF2qZBbIBWvFSZazfDtX4CAeB0IVQrcxZr1t2dPc3OsaMyJfqnKEDr79_y0kBxYhLeYahU6jHLZPcjH8Jn29VHML5uLtk877gYeOz5VVMoKOCzhrtmmDsRUosdZRvQS1LGMfMlGOlzTWh9p2zs5CNLk8881lKDZnwHnxif6sSiVOaURpxY/s928/GiantSlug_mm2e.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="892" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlUYALIXF2qZBbIBWvFSZazfDtX4CAeB0IVQrcxZr1t2dPc3OsaMyJfqnKEDr79_y0kBxYhLeYahU6jHLZPcjH8Jn29VHML5uLtk877gYeOz5VVMoKOCzhrtmmDsRUosdZRvQS1LGMfMlGOlzTWh9p2zs5CNLk8881lKDZnwHnxif6sSiVOaURpxY/s320/GiantSlug_mm2e.png" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A giant slug by Tony DiTerlizzi!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Up ahead, they make out a scraping noise that catches their attention. Weapons at the ready and slowly inching forward, a vague lumpy shape takes form on the edge of their lantern light, slowly coming into focus as they get closer and see... a giant slug! It is larger than any of the adventurers, and is adhered to the wall and walkway at a right angle, scraping algae off the wall with its rough radula. After some discussion, they decide to just not mess with it and to not bother trying to climb over it, and so turn around and go back up to the surface.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPlGpX8MDY9oQiZGjaC-DQt_mWDTeVIzN8ug7zmjGzqZpyb7jyIanumMC1QEt9hpBUnrxqibdgIsVaLyhz6riN5sR1-o0eCKJPTDuDwVo98QRqziCazqBXbUfZ_feWnRX_GEMaO4idFf7A9JgEvHkBDOn082sBDjFMNxG_YxBvUG3qXNjArui3PCl/s321/GiantSlug1e.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPlGpX8MDY9oQiZGjaC-DQt_mWDTeVIzN8ug7zmjGzqZpyb7jyIanumMC1QEt9hpBUnrxqibdgIsVaLyhz6riN5sR1-o0eCKJPTDuDwVo98QRqziCazqBXbUfZ_feWnRX_GEMaO4idFf7A9JgEvHkBDOn082sBDjFMNxG_YxBvUG3qXNjArui3PCl/s320/GiantSlug1e.jpeg" width="297" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The classic giant slug from the AD&amp;D Monster Manual!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Grouping back up with Coro and Parsani on the surface, they set out for Tabur. Just outside Tabur, they run into a group of noblemen and their hangers on who are playing a game of polo out in the rolling hills of the valley. Manchugo strikes up a small conversation with one of them, who takes kindly to his polo advice and throws him a golden denar as a gift. Passing through the northern gate into the Tigerskin District, they get by with only an inspection of their goods. When they report to Farzaneh, she is very glad to hear the news of Parsani's family switching allegiances to her noble house, and is interested in the alien cylinder buried deep within the earth that the group discovered. And with that, the session drew to a close!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Treasure Acquired</u></div><div style="text-align: left;">10 drachmae</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 denar (worth 100 drachmae)</div><div style="text-align: left;">A crystal syringe filled with a strange green liquid</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Non Treasure XP Acquired</u></div><div style="text-align: left;">50 each for discovering That Which Yawns Deep</div><div style="text-align: left;">10 for Harrowed for successfully making contact with ants</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/7043865757786792517/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/07/king-of-kings-session-14-after-action.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/7043865757786792517'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/7043865757786792517'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/07/king-of-kings-session-14-after-action.html' title='King of Kings Session 14 After Action Report'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf-Li8S6u8Aj0THdfgAH4ncI17eYjd3gV6rALTwuItBfLH6vZDSHjzQ98jjpbrC_lnTwbTnefqc6IASTPK8_wlOh8KjrGpBlyVNM0rO7sPtMjlsBJvrzyn1lKFWARQzz1I_evPASX6i93K6ZDV_Vdn75RGXrCpZjk5dFt0BQzaJsuKSIR0WDEEMmc/s72-c/Western_Caspian_turtle_(Mauremys_rivulata),_El-Al_river.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-5949262262764714158</id><published>2022-07-16T06:12:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2022-07-16T06:12:25.209-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AD&D"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bestiaries"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fiend Folio"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="goblins"/><title type='text'>Goin' Through the Fiend Folio Part 12 (Necrophidius to Osquip)</title><content type='html'>Meant to get back to the Fiend Folio review posts a bit sooner than this, but that's how the cookie crumbles. Picking up <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/goin-through-fiend-folio-lamia-noble-to.html">where we left off</a>, starting with the monsters of the letter N!<div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3EtUlAWYOKCYCviml3_s-XHXoiznkdxp2pKBIG1QImDeF0RQDH9Y3jxWEiSvpgA_UtEr-hIYxTcLmnvCwuKBlbP-kk67tnW2dLSO6WKgDC5sBadfTmbTJxOiXrnDppSoAAITTyefLnW_NvsU9HqI2wOk6NH1pqYkJSvAphu8Elaj5AdjPAzorI3A/s500/tumblr_os4qblztDU1scpq9co1_500.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="500" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3EtUlAWYOKCYCviml3_s-XHXoiznkdxp2pKBIG1QImDeF0RQDH9Y3jxWEiSvpgA_UtEr-hIYxTcLmnvCwuKBlbP-kk67tnW2dLSO6WKgDC5sBadfTmbTJxOiXrnDppSoAAITTyefLnW_NvsU9HqI2wOk6NH1pqYkJSvAphu8Elaj5AdjPAzorI3A/s320/tumblr_os4qblztDU1scpq9co1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wiggly boy!!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>Necrophidius (<i>Death Worm</i>)</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>A very iconic monster, very usable, but nothing super special. The necrophidius is a skeletal serpent with a human skull that has a paralytic bite, increased chance to surprise, and a hypnotic dance. Love the hypnotic dance, that is such a good evocative power, reminiscent of snake charming and such; I also just think that hypnosis powers are cool! Unfortunately, however, the specific details kind of make it a bit dull. That it doesn't check morale yet also cannot be turned by clerics is something that I don't like. I'm just partial to morale rules! Also, the litany of rituals that can be used to create it is unnecessary in my opinion. I like the specific aspect of the materials needed for the third ritual, namely that it needs the skull of a cold blooded murderer who was killed within the previous 24 hours, that's great that's fun. What I don't love is saying which specific spells from the cleric spell list need to be cast, or being able to pick and choose from a list of three different rituals, etc etc. I just would prefer more evocative stuff. A human headed skeleton snake is a great image though, and its got hypnosis powers, of course I'd use that.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypAeHX6l_yn6bZMaFX6BLvDcBd3gwwxYVVg15e0tKnf3WCkzP97Pp9Q2hANOWRghkt5xL0wKWSMAq-TjuXf7os5YWWv7Azn3dmmjUwrIuwQ5hJq4UbwD4LPLea5K06aD-oSpgg0tT6J7PMAHLvZrWodCmUuCnQ_V0FC6XypjZCIqfDWn2XR-YGW_j/s478/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-16%20at%2012.24.01%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="478" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypAeHX6l_yn6bZMaFX6BLvDcBd3gwwxYVVg15e0tKnf3WCkzP97Pp9Q2hANOWRghkt5xL0wKWSMAq-TjuXf7os5YWWv7Azn3dmmjUwrIuwQ5hJq4UbwD4LPLea5K06aD-oSpgg0tT6J7PMAHLvZrWodCmUuCnQ_V0FC6XypjZCIqfDWn2XR-YGW_j/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-16%20at%2012.24.01%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The necrophidius originally appeared in the Fiend Factory column in White Dwarf, giving us another great opportunity to see the earlier version of a Folio monster! First, the illustration, which is so much more characterful and interesting than the Folio version. No offense to the original illustrator Alan Hunter, but I just have so much more <i>fun</i>&nbsp;with the scraggly lumpy smiling skull snake depicted here. Also, the Factory necrophidius actually was an undead monster rather than a construct, meaning that it can be turned by clerics (as a wight, according to the description), which resolves one of my major gripes with the Folio version. Its powers are exactly the same, but rather than being tied to three different possible rituals it specifies the one that involves the skeleton of a giant snake and a human skull, although with no mention of the murderer thing which is unfortunate; on top of this it names a specific sorcerer as the creator which I really love: "Karalkan (who was later to 'see the dark' and build the temple of the archdemon Kong)". See, that makes it so much more evocative, so much more interesting than a checklist of three mostly flavorless rituals to make it setting neutral. Don Turnbull comments that the hypnotic dance is a better way to make undead dangerous than level draining, and I completely agree! He also expounds on how he would run the power, with a saving throw to resist and if you fail the saving throw you're only in thrall until the necrophidius is distracted; I like that being presented as just his interpretation, rather than a set mechanic. The Fiend Factory necrophidius is a five out of five monster in my opinion! It sucks how much personality and flavor it lost in the transition to the Folio.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDZC565TILIadysmKuCJ1D-4cWX6EwS5hRMrPK131dmlaBdSVM7zTYMOkFVDwo5guKmNPNmjs15PJC_iNhwhqcoH_dDKJHdYEV4ZPG_W8u1Wb7O-dPupp6H_yvJzG_budZRQlI52r97Y9z8dLuQcWIwGfS5ctWPYgbP02qHsvzrStJQ45zPuihNt7/s420/896557-1981,%20Copyright%20Tsr,%20Dungeons%20And%20Dragons,%20Fiend%20Folio,%20Monsters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="420" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDZC565TILIadysmKuCJ1D-4cWX6EwS5hRMrPK131dmlaBdSVM7zTYMOkFVDwo5guKmNPNmjs15PJC_iNhwhqcoH_dDKJHdYEV4ZPG_W8u1Wb7O-dPupp6H_yvJzG_budZRQlI52r97Y9z8dLuQcWIwGfS5ctWPYgbP02qHsvzrStJQ45zPuihNt7/s320/896557-1981,%20Copyright%20Tsr,%20Dungeons%20And%20Dragons,%20Fiend%20Folio,%20Monsters.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Needleman</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b></div><div>A super fun monster, and one that to me feels iconic to the Fiend Folio! A humanoid plant creature that at first appears to be a zombie, with needles embedded across its body that it can fire at will 1d6 at a time. I love the image of a shambling silhouette coming out from between trees in the fog, before spiny needles fly out at you. Personally, I wouldn't lean into the visual similarity with a zombie; it isn't really compelling enough to be a good trick, in my opinion. I think it would be more effective to make it seem like a person at first; fog or other visual impairments would help in that regard. The massively increased surprise chance in places with thick conifers or heavy undergrowth fits in that regard too! It is super vulnerable to magic, which is an alright weakness, although I don't really understand why. The charm plants spell is triple effective against it for some reason. Also, evidently they hate elves and attack them on sight? I mean, who doesn't.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPVX2Rhxc4lkFGEBM36uenVkk1RwJBfF_bcTElcvxMwp1XnR1chWSjtKm_YOHGSZOBUuIdc9Xl7bFg40_JNmuCXZU1Rx9AAdn-kVERb7k4XHofi2I66jkBRXgZRjVicyJN5kosq47MP06S105DiuLCVgVS4e8sZq8-z3JB8fnbRsvv40XIN8kKar_/s462/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-16%20at%2012.27.13%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="462" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPVX2Rhxc4lkFGEBM36uenVkk1RwJBfF_bcTElcvxMwp1XnR1chWSjtKm_YOHGSZOBUuIdc9Xl7bFg40_JNmuCXZU1Rx9AAdn-kVERb7k4XHofi2I66jkBRXgZRjVicyJN5kosq47MP06S105DiuLCVgVS4e8sZq8-z3JB8fnbRsvv40XIN8kKar_/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-16%20at%2012.27.13%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The needleman also first appears in the Fiend Factory and OH MY GOD THAT ILLUSTRATION. Just on the illustration alone this is instantly a five out of five monster. Its empty staring eye sockets, the stance that it has which makes it seem so plodding and looming, maybe its taller than a person, a Boris Karloff esque marching figure, and the needles are so much more <i>prominent</i>, you couldn't possibly miss them. I feel bad saying this about the Folio illustration because it's by Russ Nicholson, a personal favorite of mine, but this original art is just so much better. Rather than being a plant that for no discernible reason looks like a zombie, the Factory needleman is a corpse that had Raise Dead imperfectly cast on it while it lay in a shallow grave lined with pine needles; such a specific backstory, it almost feels like a folk tale, like there would only really be One needleman. I think I like both versions equally, a mysteriously humanoid plant thing is super fun but a weird grave wanderer with pine needles embedded like pins in a pin cushion is super fun too. Maybe you could find the failed necromancer who bungled the spell? The version here, mechanics wise, is simpler and more effective, things that take a whole paragraph in AD&amp;D are half a sentence here. Also, Turnbull ends his commentary by saying "Should it really be called the Aspirin? It is, after all, a pine killer..."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Nilbog</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b></div><div>An all time great trick monster, well deserved infamy. Though, Mr. Roger Musson wasn't the only one to discover how good the word "goblin" sounds when you flip it around; the folks over at Troll 2 named it a whole street! At its core, the nilbog is a five out of five monster, a weird little goblin that works inverted because of weird space time shenanigans, healing when hit and being harmed by healing potions. This effect even extends to the players, who feel intense urges to do the opposites of what they would normally do, i.e. they would load up treasure into a chest and leave empty handed if they attempt to loot a treasure chest, etc. I'm a tad torn on that aspect, mostly because I feel like there has to have been some shitty referee to forced their players to do something with no recourse to the contrary; I figure the intention is that the players should make the concerted effort to do the opposite of what they really want to do, but once that reverse psychology puzzle is figured out it kind of loses a bit of oomph. I also just don't like how this is specific to goblins, I think nilbogism should be something that can be present in many species. On top of that, were I to use nilbogized creatures, I'd love to give them interesting visual cues like weird sped back movements like they were being rewound on a VHS tape, or making them look like a photo with an inverted color palette. That perhaps ruins the trick part, but I personally would vastly prefer something that has a consistent problem the players have to work around to a trick that only really hits once.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTh_pG39CHlcz6_taZFXasQ4p4e80PwkVhrm3W-H9hK5tJrgVXvO7VXH9Z1nO5K3lq-CTkv3jGEhaYiBPprufMZ8I8OzRlMvXglHAiQj_8kV1k1cTnAW4s4Ogu8zfAArPbZ1MNv3GNQvL3iPT5HCfK0GZ9QV2OiYP0RdDtseQDOC5jvQxpcJ-8Yrw9/s471/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-16%20at%2012.29.44%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="471" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTh_pG39CHlcz6_taZFXasQ4p4e80PwkVhrm3W-H9hK5tJrgVXvO7VXH9Z1nO5K3lq-CTkv3jGEhaYiBPprufMZ8I8OzRlMvXglHAiQj_8kV1k1cTnAW4s4Ogu8zfAArPbZ1MNv3GNQvL3iPT5HCfK0GZ9QV2OiYP0RdDtseQDOC5jvQxpcJ-8Yrw9/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-16%20at%2012.29.44%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a slimy little bastard man</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>So many of these N monsters thankfully appear in the Fiend Factory! The nilbog is a fascinating example of a Factory creature, because, very unusually, Don Turnbull's commentary is <i>considerably longer</i>&nbsp;than the actual monster description. The original nilbog's description just describes that they look like goblins and their HP works backwards. <i>None of the rest of the&nbsp;nilbog's powers are there at all</i>. Turnbull does a good bit of extrapolation, comparison to other trick encounters, even suggests the deviously horrible idea of a troll beset with nilbogism which would be absolutely terrible. He also provides a snippet of additional information provided by the original creator of the nilbog, including a description of a nilbog encounter which I may as well share in its entirety.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2Wand2cTn08UZjXd5shybsZGhB7PgY6DOCK-ECMIJG6gXjSLTDR72vlkuNKMeDPB9_djJ8LO_C1bTpXrFYsoynqx1jqu5BTKWmHKeQpxqPTZrAOXmWx8GQJaBDKzEes1pdcevszujKHUuVetAtZGd1QGz8w6_9Q765tL9qoA8M1K1NedhLDCJxNF/s449/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-16%20at%2012.30.30%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="449" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2Wand2cTn08UZjXd5shybsZGhB7PgY6DOCK-ECMIJG6gXjSLTDR72vlkuNKMeDPB9_djJ8LO_C1bTpXrFYsoynqx1jqu5BTKWmHKeQpxqPTZrAOXmWx8GQJaBDKzEes1pdcevszujKHUuVetAtZGd1QGz8w6_9Q765tL9qoA8M1K1NedhLDCJxNF/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-16%20at%2012.30.30%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I... don't think I would run such an encounter in such detail, but oh my gosh that is just insane. I definitely agree with Turnbull that "for sheer creativity, the Nilbog will take some beating." While I still feel pretty strongly that the four star rating is correct, it truly deserves its place as an iconic AD&amp;D trick monster.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Nonafel (<i>Cat O' Nine Tails</i></b><b>)</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>A large black panther with a long tail, which it can attack with despite no stinger or thorny end being mentioned or depicted in the illustration so I guess it is just the tail whipping at the players, which has the ability to split itself into nine different identical big cats. I think that the description spends far too long to describe the mechanics of this Naruto esque ability, how hit dice are distributed, etc. On top of that, a black big cat with a whiplike attack and strange spatial abilities... hasn't that already been done before? Unlike the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/03/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-10-jaculi.html">kamadan</a> which has even less in common with the good ol' displacer beast, the nonafel's description makes no attempted connection. I think the splitting into multiple identical copies is a nice enough ability, but there's not enough else here to really make it worth it I don't think.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tdJB6XabvGUEZ_j9JRvUe57RatFexeNJ3ZWaf86Nf-1mG6o2r_1o2J_gimNGGgO5PbPVArYxlBIc8k6HJVBdENkAl3BvtFEjoJCO0Qx-fywqXAJPCCg6Cmnfx-N2wup4i6suvu3S_Tn_qOBCckx12ZYSTUHaSHo7DPnHBO7eDVb3hWGcJn_b-c5I/s600/norker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tdJB6XabvGUEZ_j9JRvUe57RatFexeNJ3ZWaf86Nf-1mG6o2r_1o2J_gimNGGgO5PbPVArYxlBIc8k6HJVBdENkAl3BvtFEjoJCO0Qx-fywqXAJPCCg6Cmnfx-N2wup4i6suvu3S_Tn_qOBCckx12ZYSTUHaSHo7DPnHBO7eDVb3hWGcJn_b-c5I/s320/norker.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDfKuGaL3AAmHaqDwYIE48hqQg5SFIM1yL1xH448xWmKl-ETj_cR3Lzapvw7EOBSgoXMl998NSD01GJf4YwbvPb8O13FvPu7xB934U1OfYE9WmNKnKfFAt71txe1eCMsVz_ynv75EITnN7mBawOOsPUy9Z-5ln178VVhag_XqU4lxSl05vfaxPAYB/s764/nycad2_orig.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="764" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDfKuGaL3AAmHaqDwYIE48hqQg5SFIM1yL1xH448xWmKl-ETj_cR3Lzapvw7EOBSgoXMl998NSD01GJf4YwbvPb8O13FvPu7xB934U1OfYE9WmNKnKfFAt71txe1eCMsVz_ynv75EITnN7mBawOOsPUy9Z-5ln178VVhag_XqU4lxSl05vfaxPAYB/s320/nycad2_orig.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to share both the illustrations!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><b>Norker</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b></div><div>NORKERS!!! Maybe I'm the only person who actually feels this way about these guys, but I love norkers! I love their name, I love their weird slouched illustrations, I love the weird surreal idea of a like, cro magnon man equivalent for a nonhuman humanoid species of monster, it's just such a fun and simple humanoid! It sucks that they're basically never really utilized after the Folio, at least as far as I'm aware. I am much more open to these "missing link" hobgoblinoids than I am to other members in the AD&amp;D expanded humanoid hierarchy, they feel more distinctive and unique, a lot more personality than just "goblin but stronger". The tusks do a lot! More things need tusks. I wonder why other goblinoids lost their tusks? Does the presence of tusks on these close (hob)goblin relatives imply that they have like, male combat hierarchies for mating? Are they for digging through dirt? I would love to puzzle out what their society might be like.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Nycadaemon</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>The nycadaemon is almost identical to the mezzodaemon, so just check out <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/goin-through-fiend-folio-lamia-noble-to.html">my review</a> for that inhabitant of Tarterus. Most of my complaints then hold true here: the nycadaemon is more or less just a bundle of expected demonic powers and weaknesses, including having a secret true name, magic resistance, immunity to non magical weapons and even magic weapons of +1, having a bunch of spells, etc. They don't even have the distinctive insectile appearance of the mezzodaemon, instead being more thorny reptilian with bat like wings, a more generic devil like appearance. The only real distinction from the mezzodaemon is that they are stronger, with physical strength comparable to a stone giant and stronger resistances. Not a fan.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ogrillon</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>Not a big fan of the ever expanding roster of more or less identical humanoids in AD&amp;D, and not a fan of generic hybrids of humanoid types where every possible combination has to be filled in. The ogrillon is a crossbreed between an orc and an ogre, and the rest of it basically flows out from what you probably assumed from that description. They look like orcs, they speak ogreish, even though both orcs and ogres use weapons they don't for some reason instead fighting with their "horny fists" (a bit of unusual word choice there). I'm kinda fascinated by the illustrations of them making them look all lumpy all over, but it's not that interesting of a visual just kinda quirky. The bottom illustration shows a lumpy man identical to the main ogrillon illustration, a humanoid with pointy ears and a single horn on the top of their head, and a boar headed man fighting a human fighter; are these <i>all</i>&nbsp;ogrillons? I'm down for that kind of visual diversity in a humanoid type, I just don't know if that was the intention here.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fdDVgVKNrcTFYu_U4A4LEjSr2G-hX16Z4AeN30wHiWsdmqt_-a_88laax6hI69_PFP3zkVz0Gn6JpYkIp_TKf370NsWhgj6KNSyJL1NfWbrM85mR3o8uo151DcSA-HikWu2zgAJOuNZi8Ah8v2m-eUtoPnKU4JHr95r8qYJWbY6Xwcw3R3l4MtAM/s208/osquip_orig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="208" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fdDVgVKNrcTFYu_U4A4LEjSr2G-hX16Z4AeN30wHiWsdmqt_-a_88laax6hI69_PFP3zkVz0Gn6JpYkIp_TKf370NsWhgj6KNSyJL1NfWbrM85mR3o8uo151DcSA-HikWu2zgAJOuNZi8Ah8v2m-eUtoPnKU4JHr95r8qYJWbY6Xwcw3R3l4MtAM/s1600/osquip_orig.png" width="208" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Osquip</b></div><div><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div>Not gonna lie, there's actually not a whole lot here. They're basically just messed up rats, they live in tunnel systems underground and do things that you would expect tunnel dwelling beasts to do, and are invariably hostile. If I'm being completely honest, I would probably just use rats or some other real life digging creature, like naked mole rats perhaps. I love naked mole rats. Full of personality. The osquip gets three stars, however, for its own personality. While the description is super basic and spends way too many words to just say "these things live in tunnels underground and are ravenous predators", the illustrations show a horrible skuzzy little thing, completely hairless, with a toothless maw of forward pointing teeth almost forming an enamel beak. I love how awful they look!! I think I would totally use something that <i>looks</i>&nbsp;like the osquip, but just say that it's mutated rats or squirrels or something. Or just use really big naked mole rats. While I love the visuals, the mostly boring baggage of the rest of it doesn't really make me want to use it over a real world animal or a mutated version thereof. ALSO they oughta have a weird gross tail, it feels like they're missing out in the tail department.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's all for now! We are a bit over halfway done with the Fiend Folio now. My goal is to finish this series of reviews before the end of the year; I really should have already finished it by now, but long gaps between posting will do that to the most well laid plans. See you next time when I review monsters that begin with P and Q!</div></div><br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/5949262262764714158/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/07/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-12.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/5949262262764714158'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/5949262262764714158'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/07/goin-through-fiend-folio-part-12.html' title='Goin' Through the Fiend Folio Part 12 (Necrophidius to Osquip)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3EtUlAWYOKCYCviml3_s-XHXoiznkdxp2pKBIG1QImDeF0RQDH9Y3jxWEiSvpgA_UtEr-hIYxTcLmnvCwuKBlbP-kk67tnW2dLSO6WKgDC5sBadfTmbTJxOiXrnDppSoAAITTyefLnW_NvsU9HqI2wOk6NH1pqYkJSvAphu8Elaj5AdjPAzorI3A/s72-c/tumblr_os4qblztDU1scpq9co1_500.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-4355065021480261123</id><published>2022-06-21T05:53:00.002-07:00</published><updated>2022-06-21T06:06:52.890-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Chainmail"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="combat"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="history"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="OD&D"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="prehistory"/><title type='text'>Prehistoric War!!!</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;Something that's been in the back of my mind for the past couple of days is making a combat system for a paleolithic/neolithic type game based on combat in the good ol' TSR war-game Chainmail. This has nothing to do with anything really, and in fact I have a bunch of other things I probably ought to be working on, but yknow this was on my mind so I had to bring it into the world. Maybe I could do some kind of Stone Age game at some point? Wouldn't wanna step on <a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/pariah">Pariah</a>'s toes too much!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcvKkZKsnsDXcuvZMfzycuARCch2k2QyTetw13tReSR7DLk6B5okziWBtXuuXKWb013ccs0jLpyezDstyFC09ea3e9spiRXCVNojcu7sffJ13GcqnIZcmALIY1GzyX1yeb3P8jAEJzD8_EQpfvAN4cmf7_NDZ5Zpm8TWdVHHAwlvSTmPnhyAQiFNG/s800/800px-Morella_(combate-de-arquero.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="800" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcvKkZKsnsDXcuvZMfzycuARCch2k2QyTetw13tReSR7DLk6B5okziWBtXuuXKWb013ccs0jLpyezDstyFC09ea3e9spiRXCVNojcu7sffJ13GcqnIZcmALIY1GzyX1yeb3P8jAEJzD8_EQpfvAN4cmf7_NDZ5Zpm8TWdVHHAwlvSTmPnhyAQiFNG/s320/800px-Morella_(combate-de-arquero.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, the basics: the core of this is based on the Chainmail man to man table, but it also includes missile attacks and attacks and defenses from animals since I figure those would likely also be prominent in a Stone Age type game. Its a weapon vs. armor table, where the target number determined by the combination of the attacker's weapon and defender's armor is to be rolled equal to or over on 2d6. Could use it basically as a replacement for the d20 roll in the "Alternate Combat System", or using it straightforwardly with the Chainmail man to man system, do whatever really.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Chainmail also has a separate combat system for fantasy combats between fantastical/magical opponents, which I could totally see as an alternative to the modified man to man table I wrote up below. I prefer the idea of the modified man to man table though, because in the kind of culture that would exist in a late paleolithic/early neolithic environment things like weaponry would take more precedence than training or any kind of superhuman ability; no heroes or superheroes in the Stone Age! Perhaps some things could give a bonus, like having taken part in an empowering collective ritual? I don't know.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2h9-ahq38V3P8_IjnRdTscNHn1nLo5Vyg-tvnw357AslRKMMd6Bwlx5LrJAGlClDpdoEwM7mBrdkAhVfSz1plaiZ6dgwsBoUIl6X3YCX0LRFqB0pvilQyxGKZKB6J_EsII651a38XmwjQWfd7Wk7GMAIrJdvof5N9j6SFguUGRUETyPBxZELNKcgH/s762/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-20%20at%206.12.39%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="762" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2h9-ahq38V3P8_IjnRdTscNHn1nLo5Vyg-tvnw357AslRKMMd6Bwlx5LrJAGlClDpdoEwM7mBrdkAhVfSz1plaiZ6dgwsBoUIl6X3YCX0LRFqB0pvilQyxGKZKB6J_EsII651a38XmwjQWfd7Wk7GMAIrJdvof5N9j6SFguUGRUETyPBxZELNKcgH/w400-h276/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-20%20at%206.12.39%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting the table in as an image because I don't think it would display right if I tried to squeeze it in the post as text</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Since this is assuming the context of the Stone Age, specifically the late Paleolithic into the early neolithic (think the time around the building of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Göbekli_Tepe">Göbekli Tepe</a> in what is now Turkey; I was actually writing this with early neolithic Anatolia in mind, or a more fantastical version at the very least), don't have to worry about horses, don't have to worry about metal armors, I also don't think have to consider shields much? I'm not aware of shields in the neolithic or paleolithic, if there are shields maybe they give a small bonus or something, like idk minus 1 to attacker roll or somesuch.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dVRPV4QtPVsoYwYNq5j7ty_DCH9r_Tqlkvb9Khnyrrj3sSvpumE55jysKNjO8heY7GqvnNXuXcYDqRQhqe7EVCn9G1pLGNEp_eSaSi3mIxhccqw1paNbE1eaXWVx3UFK3b8Wp61SBjD9nmfVd4HO2HMrFA6SDpMCkNRspHTUIM1m6afRwjLFPyGa/s1625/Go%CC%88bekli-Tepe-secret.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1625" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dVRPV4QtPVsoYwYNq5j7ty_DCH9r_Tqlkvb9Khnyrrj3sSvpumE55jysKNjO8heY7GqvnNXuXcYDqRQhqe7EVCn9G1pLGNEp_eSaSi3mIxhccqw1paNbE1eaXWVx3UFK3b8Wp61SBjD9nmfVd4HO2HMrFA6SDpMCkNRspHTUIM1m6afRwjLFPyGa/s320/Go%CC%88bekli-Tepe-secret.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Instead, most armors are animal skins of different types, with the only entirely human made armors being textile and lamellar made from bone and wood. The different animal skins/hides/leathers on the table do double duty for both those actual animals in combat <i>and</i>&nbsp;humans wearing the skins of said animals. I just thought that that would be an interesting way to include animals and people in the same combat system while also communicating a type of shamanic or animistic element to the worldview of the people in the game. I was thinking of the practice of the berserkers in old Norse Scandinavia and of figurines like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion-man">Lowenmensch</a> that combine human and animal features and the general preponderance of animals at places like Gobekli Tepe and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Çatalhöyük">Catalhoyuk</a>. Maybe that could be expanded for specific types of animals, like wearing a lion skin gives you traits of a lion in combat, or it could be a bear, or a crocodile, or an ostrich, whatever.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bird Skin: Primarily intended for flightless birds like ostriches and terror birds. Obviously none of those live around ancient Anatolia, but yknow I can include whatever prehistoric animals I want to include.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5dUkQV9Dsk7zy6_d6qHZohN8zvm8H0Z70lUFLfxCEtCMVWB9hiMGtW87bDa_-XdDSRim8iaGk8GW_07ajMqKEHuNzwuWZ3uXIEP3nGGA9mWWahAExkfuHpTVeYBzDklHwXr9zoOUF_Zi3Jjk-xH6iOaTIh8qU_8M6s4hbNQjxeXtS2Wkd_J49aNB/s790/Skin%20Yami%20fish%20leather%20and%20rattan%20helmet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5dUkQV9Dsk7zy6_d6qHZohN8zvm8H0Z70lUFLfxCEtCMVWB9hiMGtW87bDa_-XdDSRim8iaGk8GW_07ajMqKEHuNzwuWZ3uXIEP3nGGA9mWWahAExkfuHpTVeYBzDklHwXr9zoOUF_Zi3Jjk-xH6iOaTIh8qU_8M6s4hbNQjxeXtS2Wkd_J49aNB/s320/Skin%20Yami%20fish%20leather%20and%20rattan%20helmet.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some real fish leather armor, from Taiwan</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Fish Leather: I think I'd use this for any aquatic creatures and for the skins thereof. Fish leather is a real thing you know! I don't think it would be very effective at stopping most things, but who knows.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thin Beast Hide: Originally I called this tier "Herbivore Hide", with the idea that herbivores are meeker, etc. Functionally, however, I think differentiating between thin vs thick is probably a better idea. Thin beast hides would be deer, antelopes, probably rabbit skins I bet, but also most carnivores such as lions.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Textile Armor: I feel like a lot of the time textile armor gets ignored! Textiles, quilted armor, and padded armor were much more common historically than leather armor was. I have no clue if textile armor was really used much in the neolithic, but I figure since people were able to make textiles by this point it isn't exactly impossible.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZDk3AVKudNJ0UynGdgASrzzAEcLFRBPlThhOJufnACQw-yLNav3IskL1lMRCbG9e0uCxZJGjWCfbftEkwK3c7X72y1mQxWeok-9O1pz70qFtBTcjNuGix1wJYTHb69gXsnGlUhodtlc_I9wzoz8FUT0vn8V30TFUPFIAPZQQgeH4mkTapwjF-DiO/s600/D331_8_337_0004_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZDk3AVKudNJ0UynGdgASrzzAEcLFRBPlThhOJufnACQw-yLNav3IskL1lMRCbG9e0uCxZJGjWCfbftEkwK3c7X72y1mQxWeok-9O1pz70qFtBTcjNuGix1wJYTHb69gXsnGlUhodtlc_I9wzoz8FUT0vn8V30TFUPFIAPZQQgeH4mkTapwjF-DiO/s320/D331_8_337_0004_600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the Cederberg Mountains, South Africa</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thick Beast Hide: Refer to thin beast hide, above. Elephants, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, oxen, I have no idea how thick their hide actually is compared to those but I feel like I'd put bears here too; they're pretty hardy animals!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtbLxw4nm7VaJjmY9GXQ0Y5w_PHgWtknvKaVtU386PLDqtQVjbmV8QGTI3pzyuIO0GjQFMgMMYVWdoZUk67ddDT9GIRIdDrcxHP9xI4srQhKllufEiHc6prmqd42yRduhV7M6Gb5WJECdyeZLNKP2_fhRgNJXDNaP4ere3sE3H73bU_M8ZeMPvyWd/s900/17y41unud9yigjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="900" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtbLxw4nm7VaJjmY9GXQ0Y5w_PHgWtknvKaVtU386PLDqtQVjbmV8QGTI3pzyuIO0GjQFMgMMYVWdoZUk67ddDT9GIRIdDrcxHP9xI4srQhKllufEiHc6prmqd42yRduhV7M6Gb5WJECdyeZLNKP2_fhRgNJXDNaP4ere3sE3H73bU_M8ZeMPvyWd/s320/17y41unud9yigjpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Reptile Hide: Self explanatory. Again, no real prehistoric basis for this, but I do have a <i>historic</i>&nbsp;basis, in that reptile leather was used at times in certain ancient and medieval societies, like the ceremonial crocodile leather armor from Roman Egypt above. Also reptiles are a staple of prehistoric stuff.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzD0CAfeeOq35jmsDqbo8ZdOybQdRomeE25tcbxXJ0P7YUj1PobKmh0gehm-ravO-vqSjVPDhMgVwr6zutpAe-JnKolvq5TKMgQysdD_QkR24PRKdQ0O4ePnaSuMEq8ZJQRoPnCBQvU4L7DrTvk3DlddxKEZUDy8ohyOhQgCM-gcRtpJmlYTH5-ewT/s853/9ae4d7766f839283e95bd53763e1c659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzD0CAfeeOq35jmsDqbo8ZdOybQdRomeE25tcbxXJ0P7YUj1PobKmh0gehm-ravO-vqSjVPDhMgVwr6zutpAe-JnKolvq5TKMgQysdD_QkR24PRKdQ0O4ePnaSuMEq8ZJQRoPnCBQvU4L7DrTvk3DlddxKEZUDy8ohyOhQgCM-gcRtpJmlYTH5-ewT/s320/9ae4d7766f839283e95bd53763e1c659.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bone lamellar chest piece from prehistoric Russia, near Omsk</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bone/Wood Lamellar: Again, no real prehistoric basis, but all of the technology to make lamellar with materials like bone and wood were around so I just sorta assume that they had it. Lamellar, if you're not aware, is small plates of material, in this case bone or wood, together forming armor by being connected to one another.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Turtle Shell: Self explanatory.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Also I think the attacker weapons are mostly self explanatory. I included animal natural weaponry because I wanted to integrate animals and humans into the same combat system like I mention. I realized after writing the table that I didn't include anything for unnaturally large arthropods, which was an unfortunate omission! Big bugs are a staple of all tabletop roleplaying games, especially ones that I run; I think I would have them range from thick beast hide to turtle shell depending on the species, with either beak or crocodile bite for their attack again depending on species. What are mandibles if not a beak but sideways?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With carnivores and herbivores no longer divided, I was thinking that carnivores should get some sort of bonus. Perhaps extra attacks, or a penalty to the attacker's roll? I think that could work. This was partially suggested by a certain Gus L. Carnivores, no matter what type of hide they have, put a penalty of 1 or 2, depending on their size, to their opponent's roll. Terror birds get that minus 1, wolves get that minus 1, bears and lions get that minus 2, a crocodile would probably be minus 2 also which would make someone fighting a croc with fists impossible to succeed but yknow that's okay, who do you know that won in a fist fight with a crocodile?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAKR3ozXalglnZhG9PkgGGN1CmS8ySsx63UjQYnfZFh10sorrfYQidFbJutNkTNCRUSrHQgeHh5vu5U64QNwWm1XmacIBIWr11lnClYsh2dutwI8QtQRNiYdFPMOgzCszOTbxUlrlu6bqzJzwqy5KgRhzTwqYZH8dMto80aJwau3MrNQg47ziu8wT/s600/579a530ca305f0e324005a4cf3d53bbf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="600" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAKR3ozXalglnZhG9PkgGGN1CmS8ySsx63UjQYnfZFh10sorrfYQidFbJutNkTNCRUSrHQgeHh5vu5U64QNwWm1XmacIBIWr11lnClYsh2dutwI8QtQRNiYdFPMOgzCszOTbxUlrlu6bqzJzwqy5KgRhzTwqYZH8dMto80aJwau3MrNQg47ziu8wT/s320/579a530ca305f0e324005a4cf3d53bbf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Other ideas for this that are unrelated to the modified Chainmail man to man combat: EXP from wasting food? No currency in this world, trade done through ritualized barter between communities but inside communities stuff is just shared communally, etc. Things are given calorie values, and you have to eat a certain amount of game calories when you get exhausted, but to gain EXP you have to <i>waste</i>&nbsp;calories in the form of a ritual sacrifice or an ostentatious feast or by giving it to other people. No combat EXP; you can get the EXP from killing a deer or a shark or whatever by bringing the quarry back with you to your encampment or your local ritual site. Perhaps the best way to earn EXP would be sacrificing food in a ritual; go to a stone temple complex a la Göbekli Tepe and give up your quarry. I think I'd likely supplement that with EXP for exploration, like finding new locations and stuff. I've actually had EXP for food in some stuff before, but I like the idea of this one the most of the different ways I've implemented it. No clue what EXP or leveling would even really do for you though, when you can't really improve to hit chances or whatever since its a weapon based system. Maybe ability scores matter a lot and advancing in level improves ability scores? IDK!!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Other stuff for me to consider I guess: possible inclusion of ritual cannibalism? rules for taking prisoners? Maybe the ones that are already in Chainmail are good enough. It seems that massacres were rather common in the occasional circumstances of prehistoric warfare, so maybe that should be the assumed result of any kind of combat between human foes. If I wanted to include the extremely fantastical, like maybe super science stuff or shamanic magic or whatever, like if this were a sword and sorcery, erm, spear and sorcery type setting perhaps, how would that integrate into all this?&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Honestly, I don't really know what I'll do with this, if anything. It's not nearly as interesting an approach to prehistoric roleplaying as Pariah; really, go check out the link at the top! And check out <a href="http://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com">their amazing blog</a> too while you're at it.</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/4355065021480261123/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/06/prehistoric-war.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/4355065021480261123'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/4355065021480261123'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/06/prehistoric-war.html' title='Prehistoric War!!!'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcvKkZKsnsDXcuvZMfzycuARCch2k2QyTetw13tReSR7DLk6B5okziWBtXuuXKWb013ccs0jLpyezDstyFC09ea3e9spiRXCVNojcu7sffJ13GcqnIZcmALIY1GzyX1yeb3P8jAEJzD8_EQpfvAN4cmf7_NDZ5Zpm8TWdVHHAwlvSTmPnhyAQiFNG/s72-c/800px-Morella_(combate-de-arquero.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-5178350989401971052</id><published>2022-05-23T10:55:00.002-07:00</published><updated>2022-05-23T10:55:30.923-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="after action report"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B/X"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bugs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="King of Kings"/><title type='text'>King of Kings Session 13 After Action Report</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;It's been a good while since the last time a session report was posted here, and even longer still since I posted a session report that I actually wrote! You see, that's because unfortunately King of Kings has been on hiatus ever since October of last year, but yesterday the campaign made its valiant return, and this time I'm deadset on avoiding such long gaps between sessions. So without further ado, here's a report on what my players got up to in the world of the eastern satrapies of the Enlightened Empire!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Dramatis Personae</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Coro the Esoterian, level one magic user</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ishthyromeda the Small, level one amazon</div><div style="text-align: left;">Manchugo Coldeswain, level one cleric dedicated to Damir, foreign god of the trade routes</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rohm'Daan, level one cleric dedicated to Anzhalar, a local chthonic god of subterranean flame</div><div style="text-align: left;">also Parsani, scrawny son of a rural matriarch</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The session began in Tabur, with the group awakening to the terrible news that Zana the Charlatan, their fellow adventurer and client of Farzaneh Taburi, was arrested by the city guard and jailed in the Iron Pit in connection to an accusation of arson by his rival Jamshid the Merchant! <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/06/king-of-kings-session-7-after-action.html">A few sessions before</a>, when the group was traveling to Temple Town for the festival of Saint Jumhura, Kusa had set fire to Jamshid's cart, and when Zana left the group to go back to Tabur while the rest went on to explore the valley, Jamshid pinned the blame on him. Much of the beginning of the session was taken by discussing what to do, with the group ultimately just deciding to pick up on exploring the abandoned farmsteads in the valley, since there was one more abandoned peasant commune to check out. Also they geared up, namely buying a large number of iron spikes to use against any possible jinn they may encounter.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As an aside, a note on Zana's situation. Long term imprisonment isn't really a practice in the Enlightened Empire, at least for anyone who isn't an antimartyr heretic; rather, Zana is in jail pending the trial, which is to happen one in game week from the day of the previous session. Jamshid is also in jail pending the trial. At the trial, testimony of witnesses and associates of the accused and accuser will be brought forth to testify, and if there is any inconsistency in testimony then Zana can possibly be tried by fire, to suss out the truth. If Zana is found guilty, then he will be publicly lashed, branded as an arsonist, and fined. If Zana is found not guilty, then Jamshid will be publicly lashed and fined. If the truth comes out that Kusa is the one who actually set the fire, then Kusa will be publicly lashed, branded as an arsonist, and fined. That's just how it be!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once the group decided what to do, they set off for the road, in the process meeting Coro the Esoterian, a new player's character who brought along with them a ragged old camel. They followed the road north, the one that leads ultimately to Humakuyun on the sea, first stopping by the little compound of Parsani's farming family to let them know about the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/08/king-of-kings-session-10-11-105-after.html">kallikantzaroi</a> and <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2021/07/king-of-kings-session-9-after-action.html">headless bull thing</a> that they encountered at the abandoned farmstead they went to previously. After this quick stop, they went on, passing by a fork in the road, one path leading north to Humakuyun and the other leading east to the ragged village of Broken Huts, which I totally didn't steal from Gus L.'s <a href="https://alldeadgenerations.blogspot.com/2020/10/prison-of-hated-pretender-2020-release.html">Prison of the Hated Pretender</a>. Sticking to the northern path, they eventually came upon the only remaining farmstead to investigate: a small walled compound surrounded by fields, a waist high mud brick wall encircling it. On the way there I didn't roll a single random wilderness encounter so they just got a nice wilderness stroll it seems.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The compound is a small oval shaped thing, with a little goat pen off to one side, a small copse of trees, a well in the middle, an outhouse, and a main hut where the family presumably lived. The group first set about corralling the goats into the pen and closing it back up, because a number of them had escaped and were running amok in the compound. Manchugo and Rohm'Daan went to investigate the trees, because they were swaying in the wind in such a way that caught their attention, but other than finding a little bright green caterpillar on a branch they didn't find anything. Though once Manchugo turned away from the copse of trees, a strange sound like a high pitched laugh filled the air, which caught their attention but they didn't really do anything about.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Manchugo next went over to the outhouse, but knocking on the door just prompted a loud hissing that they chose not to investigate further. They assumed it to be a snake that was using the outhouse, and didn't want to intrude on their privacy. At the same time, Rohm'Daan poured a bit of goat's milk that Coro harvested from the goats into the well, which did nothing.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyNgU2DA2e7nCkBz2imGtzQ-tnbgryU_ncWJx-3HHZUWbXvd-KvDWPRUkwk0wbGwCodFtYAbg5OSloZJ7p7Uz3Vsh8FPn-2nWuCODc27dGvMvenfOV9GhRd0-jdMpSGvZ5Hz25KH641Wyudlsa3Wkpgd-5B3u1ju8sxkazl0Zq4g_GdZ3zrBYpUki/s450/44902533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="357" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyNgU2DA2e7nCkBz2imGtzQ-tnbgryU_ncWJx-3HHZUWbXvd-KvDWPRUkwk0wbGwCodFtYAbg5OSloZJ7p7Uz3Vsh8FPn-2nWuCODc27dGvMvenfOV9GhRd0-jdMpSGvZ5Hz25KH641Wyudlsa3Wkpgd-5B3u1ju8sxkazl0Zq4g_GdZ3zrBYpUki/s320/44902533.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is just what came up when I googled "skinless people sitting"</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With the area outside seemingly fully explored, the group next decided to go into the main house building. The first thing they saw upon entering was the large wooden table off to the side, with a family of four arrayed around it, all completely missing their skin. At this point, I did a bit of a small infodump about the <a href="https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2020/12/accursed-ancestry-of-agonizing.html">nasnas</a>, who it seemed were the most likely culprit for removing the family's skin. The group did a quick look around the rest of the room, seeing the large rug on the floor, the two beds, the hearth with four chairs arrayed around it, the faint hint of a footprints on the floor, and the opening to a sloping passageway seemingly leading to the basement. Before going any further, they took the skinless family and buried them outside the compound with a respectful little ceremony, similarly to how they treated the other dead peasants they found at the last abandoned farm.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Returning to the building, they decided to go down into the basement. After crawling down the low ceiling sloping passageway to the basement, they discovered that it was a storage place for cured meats, including a number of slaughtered and cured goats or cuts of goat hanging from the ceiling. There was a little pile of dirt on the wall opposite the doorway leading back up, and a locked door off to the side. Ishthyromeda poked at the dirt with one of her weapons, dislodging the pile and revealing an opening behind it. At the same time, Rohm'Daan and Manchugo investigated one of the hanging goats because it made a strange clinking sound on the inside when poked. They ended up cutting open the goat, causing ten drachmae to clatter to the dirt floor below! At the same time, a group of four giant ants crawled out of the tunnel, although they did not seem hostile. Coro and Rohm'Daan set about feeding them some of the goat milk and meat, to calm them down and keep them there.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxWJtoftAPRTO1qQBdRjS19c7OV8I2SyuHaFQ29M6aIe79rFvmmzSuJ6QVav9kbDsFjIyeiw1Y9mcy3dT95iSYw1zQTa5pQ2KUo-2MrEipZMYRer29k-QMqd4G8Z8XqfYgHrTaaM0m-_eHnTnLSrqlqP2x8GR-eF_Yi3MN9QzcyvWU1i0dyLexf75/s500/tumblr_n7bpysUoCt1ro2bqto1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="500" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxWJtoftAPRTO1qQBdRjS19c7OV8I2SyuHaFQ29M6aIe79rFvmmzSuJ6QVav9kbDsFjIyeiw1Y9mcy3dT95iSYw1zQTa5pQ2KUo-2MrEipZMYRer29k-QMqd4G8Z8XqfYgHrTaaM0m-_eHnTnLSrqlqP2x8GR-eF_Yi3MN9QzcyvWU1i0dyLexf75/w400-h170/tumblr_n7bpysUoCt1ro2bqto1_500.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It wasn't nearly as bad as this</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ishthyromeda decided to crawl through the tunnel the ants came out of, ending up in another square room where a good half of the walls had been dug out with both ant mandibles and shovels, with a doorway on one side that had a broken down door and four ant tunnels forking out of the chamber in different directions. As she approached the broken down door, with a candle in hand for light, Manchugo decided to knock on the locked door, hearing the scrambling of human feet on the other side. When Ishthyromeda heard the knocking through the broken down doorway, she went back to the tunnel she crawled through to notify the group that it was the same room connected by both doors. The group then concocted a plan: Ish, Rohm'Daan, and Parsani would approach from the room connected by the broken down door, while Coro would guard the sloping passageway back up, and Manchugo would continue knocking to distract the inhabitants of the room.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What Rohm'Daan and Ish saw when they entered the room, however, was not a hostile group of creatures, but three nasnas cowering in the corner from the sound of the knocking. Rohm'Daan went over to unlock the door, letting Coro and Manchugo in once they realized that the nasnas weren't going to fight them. They then attempted to let the nasnas know that they weren't going to hurt them, offering them food and attempting to speak to them and communicate with them by writing, but the creatures' fear stopped them from eating in the adventurers' presence, and their half formed voice boxes stopped them from verbally communicating. It took Coro casting a charm person spell on one of them, which the creature failed the saving throw for, for them to respond with simple nods for yes and shaking of the head for no. But at this point, it was getting late in the day, so they left the terrified creatures in the basement and set up camp outside, in the low lying mud brick walls of the compound.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Treasure Acquired</u></div><div style="text-align: left;">10 drachmae</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Non Treasure XP Acquired</u></div><div style="text-align: left;">20 XP each for burying the skinless family, since I gave XP for burying dead peasants last time.</div><div style="text-align: left;">15 XP each for coordinating the approach of the nasnas room, just because it illustrated good group coordination</div><div style="text-align: left;">10 XP for Coro for charming the nasnas</div><div style="text-align: left;">Total: 35 XP/45 for Coro</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/5178350989401971052/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/king-of-kings-session-13-after-action.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/5178350989401971052'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/5178350989401971052'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/king-of-kings-session-13-after-action.html' title='King of Kings Session 13 After Action Report'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyNgU2DA2e7nCkBz2imGtzQ-tnbgryU_ncWJx-3HHZUWbXvd-KvDWPRUkwk0wbGwCodFtYAbg5OSloZJ7p7Uz3Vsh8FPn-2nWuCODc27dGvMvenfOV9GhRd0-jdMpSGvZ5Hz25KH641Wyudlsa3Wkpgd-5B3u1ju8sxkazl0Zq4g_GdZ3zrBYpUki/s72-c/44902533.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-3794545679253837974</id><published>2022-05-15T10:35:00.005-07:00</published><updated>2022-05-15T10:35:47.939-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bugs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="horror"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monsters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Underneath"/><title type='text'>Six Horror Monsters for Underneath</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;I love horror, as a genre with its own tropes and aesthetics and as a general vibe or atmosphere. While most of the stuff on this blog has been primarily "fantasy", I think it is probably apparent that my love of horror and spooky stuff generally suffuses my creative work. I actually honestly think that the stark genre divisions between fantasy, horror, science fiction, etc. that exist today are both unrepresentative of the realities of fantastical fiction and honestly bad to the kind of cross pollination and creative admixture that makes really interesting fiction, but that's beside the point. The point is, I finally got around to making and running a <i>primarily</i>&nbsp;horror tabletop game last year, and this post is gonna be all about one part of it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I wrote the scenario for and ran the game with the ruleset <a href="https://goodberrymonthly.blogspot.com/2020/10/underneath.html">Underneath</a>, created by Martin O. over at the <a href="https://goodberrymonthly.blogspot.com">Goodberry Monthly</a> blog. It's a fantastic, effective, and simple ruleset that really grabbed me the first time I read it at the suggestion of a friend of mine, and I knew right away that it was what I wanted to use as the foundation for my game scenario. Below are six monsters that I wrote for the scenario, which as an aside I've been calling More Than Regulation in my notes, all statted up + described using the format described in the original Underneath rules post. For a basic explanation, monsters in Underneath are primarily defined by their Hit Dice, which are both the number of successful hits from the players it takes to subdue them and also the number of d6s that the monster gets to roll to injure the players. Each die has a 3 in 6 chance of success, so the referee rolls all the d6s, counts how many successes the monster rolled, and then goes from there. Monsters also have an "Insight Threshold", which is the mechanic that really made me fall in love with the game. Rather than having a sanity counter that slowly spirals down and down a la Call of Cthulhu (which, as an aside, I really want to run sometime soon), Underneath has Insight, which steadily climbs higher and higher, revealing new realities when it hits certain thresholds. The insight threshold on a monster is the level of insight that the character has to have to see the uh... well, it might not be the "true" appearance, if you catch my drift. Etc, etc. I really love that mechanic, it's super cool, reminds me a lot of the similarly named insight mechanic from Bloodborne.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So anyway! More Than Regulation is a horror scenario set in the present day in the fictional town of Bone Lick, Wisconsin, situated between Milwaukee and the southern border of the state, on the other side of a foggy marshy wetland that definitely doesn't actually exist in that part of Wisconsin but yknow that's whatever. The town's biggest employer, the main factory of a certain Sweetie Jay's Peanut Butter Company, has recently been temporarily closed pending an investigation by health inspectors from Milwaukee after a few employees have come up dead under very mysterious circumstances. The health inspectors are gonna take a few days to get there, but everyone in town knows that nothing is really gonna come of it; the cops haven't said anything about the situation and have even left the spouses of the deceased in the dark, and the Sweetie Jay's company has its fingers in a lot of pots in the area. The goal of the scenario is for the players to find out as much as they can about what's going on before making their way into the Sweetie Jay's factory to take things into their own hands before the health inspectors get there and cover everything up.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish the scenario, though that may change at some point, some of my players expressed an interest in finishing the game over discord. I wanted it to just be a one shot but it ended up being like three or four sessions before scheduling problems caused it to stop continuing.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I described my inspirations for the scenario as being Karl Marx, Franz Kafka, David Lynch, and Junji Ito. I really want to release it sometime, though I should probably polish it up before then. Anyway, here's six monsters from the scenario! These aren't all of the monsters I wrote up for it, I just wanted to do six of them as a bit of a sample I guess.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzmwhRgt_Ignpz4XS_HRIOa2V8JfUTX-_rZOyCBRUL2Gt-7t-PFaUvBysA_s7gUcj9bqKmz6_s8fxRt9KfEe3YTLAz_o6O40_Al-FmZ2uJHVkJh_AKrTUann44ZsZMnMDetycScGWj43IpDEPFT4lhNoxzgsbhZry0cxgIEGQ2vSX_kViTFAtYgvK/s3300/20220515_131941~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1888" data-original-width="3300" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzmwhRgt_Ignpz4XS_HRIOa2V8JfUTX-_rZOyCBRUL2Gt-7t-PFaUvBysA_s7gUcj9bqKmz6_s8fxRt9KfEe3YTLAz_o6O40_Al-FmZ2uJHVkJh_AKrTUann44ZsZMnMDetycScGWj43IpDEPFT4lhNoxzgsbhZry0cxgIEGQ2vSX_kViTFAtYgvK/s320/20220515_131941~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All art in this post is by me</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>SHUDDERING BUG CLOT</b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Hit Dice:</b> 1</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Insight Threshold:</b> 3&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Low Insight Appearance:</b> A very large cockroach. Sometimes encountered rolling around a mostly empty jar of peanut butter.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Description:</b> A shivering mass of chitinous limbs seemingly stuffed haphazardly into a congealed blob of wet peanut butter. Leaves a trail as it crawls on the ground. Smells much too clean for how it appears.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Injuries</u></b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">(1 Hit): Scratch: The thing’s wretched claws dig into your flesh. -1 Body.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0e2er0L1IhoWQVEbbb1PLl2P7X0KSeQDEQZAEEntB44ov8KMbBTYxV_K3G-FlffT140gUoWKom8_Ga-PcHEDnc6biu8OzCeDs65Y0HvPDGNrBPpx1TSW4Askz33DWQS1gUxya64Ue0CCX6hQYHVNkvYEo8KmYDrkAeBMBFNoqBldE0BqNyjeDmNX/s3248/20220515_131949~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2273" data-original-width="3248" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0e2er0L1IhoWQVEbbb1PLl2P7X0KSeQDEQZAEEntB44ov8KMbBTYxV_K3G-FlffT140gUoWKom8_Ga-PcHEDnc6biu8OzCeDs65Y0HvPDGNrBPpx1TSW4Askz33DWQS1gUxya64Ue0CCX6hQYHVNkvYEo8KmYDrkAeBMBFNoqBldE0BqNyjeDmNX/s320/20220515_131949~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>CRAWLING FLAVOR TENDRIL&nbsp;</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Hit Dice:</b> 1&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Insight Threshold:</b> 1&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Low-Insight Appearance:</b> A very large slug of a sickeningly orange hue. The smell of msg and steamy water. A mane of thick noodles.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Description:</b> Desperation against the teeth. A thick goop of powder and water combined into a clawing hand slinking along the ground. It doesn’t want to be eaten.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Injuries</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">(1 Hit): The Flavor: It fills your nose. -1 Instinct.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lFuU2svkyErIOG2SRkv3bp2L2ExZ68Nwm2Hi3VYNAHk6bl1wdJ2FFfuXTZoy5lHSFKhNX3wfLBWCITFQsACixgfpOYvk_EtHe15Elv2u4hgRv0cPRPWdiriJGQjxInf5EgzruWvKQF4uRwaInAHj0jU9E8Swivf7gnGP-jLax31FnKxjVl6Qkv1f/s4160/20220515_132252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lFuU2svkyErIOG2SRkv3bp2L2ExZ68Nwm2Hi3VYNAHk6bl1wdJ2FFfuXTZoy5lHSFKhNX3wfLBWCITFQsACixgfpOYvk_EtHe15Elv2u4hgRv0cPRPWdiriJGQjxInf5EgzruWvKQF4uRwaInAHj0jU9E8Swivf7gnGP-jLax31FnKxjVl6Qkv1f/s320/20220515_132252.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>AQUEOUS SLUDGE NYMPH</b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Hit Dice:</b> 1&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Insight Threshold:</b> 3&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Low-Insight Appearance:</b> A tendril of rope or vine, caked completely in an oozing algal skin, moving about in the water with unusual purpose, but you can easily explain that away with the currents of the marsh.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Description:</b> A clump of something gooey and wet, presumably some other color before its time rotting in the swamp. It is a sickeningly slick blackness which cloys to any surface it touches, the void broken only by the myriad simple insectile limbs which claw at the air and water and the single plastic baby doll face peeking out from the sludge.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Injuries</u></b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">(1 Hit): Half-Remembered Depths of Childhood: The sludge seeping into your pores draws forth the hazy recollections of childhood trauma. -1 Empathy.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihz_bBR2XESJwbcmc4OgfHXx2DZFwIu4HDPcmdK20On-HRmswKSMc5P_HD-a79rKQpgQjxC6wQjWJi4uW_G-ehl5SVw6bJM0VD775CkW2Z5F6__EG9wOdDomrsx6aGDGKdvD7AeaZqk1NQ8rKEWL7A3nUJF-wZQq0dssmYyONwKr5SWNR_6ByUhoot/s3278/20220515_132137~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3278" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihz_bBR2XESJwbcmc4OgfHXx2DZFwIu4HDPcmdK20On-HRmswKSMc5P_HD-a79rKQpgQjxC6wQjWJi4uW_G-ehl5SVw6bJM0VD775CkW2Z5F6__EG9wOdDomrsx6aGDGKdvD7AeaZqk1NQ8rKEWL7A3nUJF-wZQq0dssmYyONwKr5SWNR_6ByUhoot/s320/20220515_132137~2.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>A SPOUSE POSSESSED</b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Hit Dice:</b> 1&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Insight Threshold:</b> 4&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Low-Insight Appearance:</b> A woman or a man, tears streaming down their face, their clothes tattered and their hair disheveled. They hold a knife in their hands.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Description:</b> A vague and shadowy thing looms over them. The memory of what they’ve lost, the hopeful memories of what could have been. All of it was stolen so that the woman in the factory could get some cash. The shadowy thing digs its claws into their shoulders. It could happen to you too. It could happen to anyone.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Injuries</u></b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">(1 Hit): Nothing to Lose Anymore: While sobbing uncontrollably, the poor spouse lunges for you, trying to dig their blade into your flesh, your flesh that reminds them too much of the one that they love. -1 EMPATHY.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUECz2GIPTohu0knzFYdxICHJQ9KYeP5ewk82ZEeMDsC8yqpiDIFxIUZe6Y787raKaLAApHT5ZjVUQJYUEVAybR1dOCWPghf4BZN7fFxpQlH7-cp0pcC3netTGxDkjZTGC7iYjTc3i-blNPjuHzrFdvHq9vGyjcF8LHUpUMN3A692ArpD8ctUeHmU/s4160/20220515_132147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUECz2GIPTohu0knzFYdxICHJQ9KYeP5ewk82ZEeMDsC8yqpiDIFxIUZe6Y787raKaLAApHT5ZjVUQJYUEVAybR1dOCWPghf4BZN7fFxpQlH7-cp0pcC3netTGxDkjZTGC7iYjTc3i-blNPjuHzrFdvHq9vGyjcF8LHUpUMN3A692ArpD8ctUeHmU/s320/20220515_132147.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>KNOTTED RAT THING</b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Hit Dice:</b> 1&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Insight Threshold:</b> 3&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Low-Insight Appearance:</b> A very fat rat with a long worm-like tail.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Description:</b> A messy knot of long slimy hairs, slick with water, or is it spit? Small flecks of nail clippings poke out from between the nasty strands, as the thing bares its still all too rodent-like teeth, a full set of rat teeth in this alien environment. Its tail is a raw electrical wire, spitting sparks like mad.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Injuries</u></b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">(1 Hit): Slimy Shock: The thing clambers onto you, its live wiring making contact with your skin, the disgusting spittle of its hair conducting the current into your flesh. -1 RESOLVE.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BezL5wf3t_wTrcWUNMEqXmzGAzSLrzeLHD-nePRjFQlsZh99SG-u8r8bTka_c_Md0xE8MJhJ7xL1mFPv3Z-kNYXOjEkW1UMpGP8jdzxd4ebmbTLwmYfjUMtXRW2aT4UKJ4A0mKV3GhZYXOdZ-r2c7bWSzKT_JXWv6kXjItwIPmNdj0PiF7z4WOKe/s4160/20220515_132239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BezL5wf3t_wTrcWUNMEqXmzGAzSLrzeLHD-nePRjFQlsZh99SG-u8r8bTka_c_Md0xE8MJhJ7xL1mFPv3Z-kNYXOjEkW1UMpGP8jdzxd4ebmbTLwmYfjUMtXRW2aT4UKJ4A0mKV3GhZYXOdZ-r2c7bWSzKT_JXWv6kXjItwIPmNdj0PiF7z4WOKe/s320/20220515_132239.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>WIDE EYED HOPPER</b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Hit Dice:</b> 1&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Insight Threshold: </b>3&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Low-Insight Appearance:</b> A very large cricket, with a much too loud chirp.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Description:</b> Two gargantuan cricket legs that tower over the average person when outstretched whilst jumping. A pair of crazed and fearful eyes floating above, the iris drawn in leaving only the depths of the pupil void within.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Injuries</u></b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">(1 Hit): The Deep Dark Depths: The thing stares into your eyes, ensnaring you for just a moment. As it hops around, you can do nothing but follow the blackness within its pupils. -1 INSTINCT.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I just realized that all of these are 1 HD monsters, I swear I wrote up monsters with more than 1 it just so happened that the ones I wanted to share only have 1.</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/3794545679253837974/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/six-horror-monsters-for-underneath.html#comment-form' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/3794545679253837974'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/3794545679253837974'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/six-horror-monsters-for-underneath.html' title='Six Horror Monsters for Underneath'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzmwhRgt_Ignpz4XS_HRIOa2V8JfUTX-_rZOyCBRUL2Gt-7t-PFaUvBysA_s7gUcj9bqKmz6_s8fxRt9KfEe3YTLAz_o6O40_Al-FmZ2uJHVkJh_AKrTUann44ZsZMnMDetycScGWj43IpDEPFT4lhNoxzgsbhZry0cxgIEGQ2vSX_kViTFAtYgvK/s72-c/20220515_131941~2.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383621001528691557.post-8756149085738948164</id><published>2022-05-13T19:26:00.004-07:00</published><updated>2022-05-13T21:15:23.953-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AD&D"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bestiaries"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fiend Folio"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="goblins"/><title type='text'>Goin' Through the Fiend Folio Part 11 (Lamia Noble to Mite)</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;Hey! It's been a bit since the last time I did one of these. But I am <i>deadset</i>&nbsp;on finishing the Fiend Folio review series by the end of the summer. I think I can do it!!! And with this post, we're roughly halfway done with the monsters too! So let's just get into it!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Lamia Noble</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Dang, off to a not so good start. I really don't like the tendency to have monsters that are just another, already established monster but more powerful; not a fan of the Neo Otyugh, not a fan of the Margoyle though at one time I kinda was, etc. It feels a bit different when it's well executed, but here it just is not. The lamia noble is a leader type for lamias, which were originally in the Monster Manual as monsters with the torsos of human women and the lower bodies of big cats. Here, however, lamia nobles have the lower bodies of snakes (which is cool), but they can be either male or female, and their abilities vary by sex with males being fighters and females being magic users. That's really cringe. Also, lamia nobles can disguise themselves as humans, but it says that "intelligent humanoids will always be able to penetrate the disguise", and then in the next paragraph it says that humans and demihumans of high enough level have a chance to identify them, all of which is just incredibly clumsy and annoying. They can also take away points of wisdom, and if the character goes below 3 wisdom then they are under the lamia noble's thrall... that's just a very underpowered charm ability. Why not just have it be a saving throw? So stupid. I like evil snake women, I don't like evil snake women or men with vaguely defined disguise powers and really weak charm abilities that have no real distinct identity. The note that they "are given to outbursts of senseless violence" is fun though.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrirAVwde6EAS1kD5HPPbHT3aYjlhxPeUcVyX71creFaZzh9Ddu4sX3MY3yGfMmtcaNBGg4TINgPB6IaE4cO-HUwUAfeJPSbvQdrbc2UB4oK3hOvN-KMbTwJaGHqM81IFeUFs995ik4i_AXqch2BL0ZzEo9Dopt90be0029sUQB3pRde_qVQpKGrB/s431/Lava_child-1e.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrirAVwde6EAS1kD5HPPbHT3aYjlhxPeUcVyX71creFaZzh9Ddu4sX3MY3yGfMmtcaNBGg4TINgPB6IaE4cO-HUwUAfeJPSbvQdrbc2UB4oK3hOvN-KMbTwJaGHqM81IFeUFs995ik4i_AXqch2BL0ZzEo9Dopt90be0029sUQB3pRde_qVQpKGrB/s320/Lava_child-1e.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Lava Children</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">OKAY HEAR ME OUT. I know that these are one of the Fiend Folio monsters very commonly made fun of and mocked, but I honestly think that they are really surreally fascinating. The offspring of earth spirits and fire spirits, lava children are like elemental mutant mules with an uncanny appearance and unnatural powers. They have a broad shouldered body with pale skin, but their hands have fingers tipped with long sharp claws and their faces look like <i>constantly smiling children</i>. I especially love the illustration that goes across the bottom of the page, where its shown that not only do the lava children have childlike appearances they are all <i>exactly identical</i>. These things are so creepy!!! And it seems that the folks over at Paizo felt somewhat similarly, when they included the lava children in their book of often maligned old school monsters, <a href="https://paizo.com/products/btpy8gnj">Misfit Monsters Redeemed</a>. I honestly don't think they need "redeeming" though; they're already really cool! In terms of powers, they fight with their claws and bite, which is wonderfully animalistic for something so human looking, and it is explicitly stated that <i>metal doesn't exist for them</i>. Not that they are just immune to metal weapons, no, metal phases through them as if it doesn't exist, as if the lava children exist on a parallel plane only vaguely intersecting with the prime material. That is just so cool!!! It also means that their attacks ignore metal armor, which is cool. Most of the rest of their description is pretty much what one expects for an AD&amp;D humanoid race, describing the types of leaders that they have (which, for the record, are mostly fighters but large enough groups also include magic users and clerics, with a note about rumors that their leaders are triple classed fighters/magic users/clerics), which I can really take or leave, it doesn't do anything for me here, feels very generic. The implication of a society that can support trained warriors, wizards, and priests is kinda weird to me, I don't know if it jives with how I read these creatures. One last note: their language is described as "sibilant", which is such a cool and delightful additional detail.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjWNJO6mC8ewTuuU_yb2KYSq6o9kkP13MTKAvYBwFLI0Su8-wNS42QZEzj5P9vsn7NCukhxSZcZd7NtnBjiq4zVKtZh7kaPQoNMNN4BSKgGUqF8asj2pptlhgRiax2hfOUX9Cfcn0a3TaY5nERcZZsV2H0-0cNgmBAi0wgcWzVo4pwzlnJg-gPyPI/s600/897018_sm-1981,%20Copyright%20Tsr,%20Dungeons%20And%20Dragons,%20Fiend%20Folio,%20Monsters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="600" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjWNJO6mC8ewTuuU_yb2KYSq6o9kkP13MTKAvYBwFLI0Su8-wNS42QZEzj5P9vsn7NCukhxSZcZd7NtnBjiq4zVKtZh7kaPQoNMNN4BSKgGUqF8asj2pptlhgRiax2hfOUX9Cfcn0a3TaY5nERcZZsV2H0-0cNgmBAi0wgcWzVo4pwzlnJg-gPyPI/w640-h222/897018_sm-1981,%20Copyright%20Tsr,%20Dungeons%20And%20Dragons,%20Fiend%20Folio,%20Monsters.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Lizard King</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A lot of what I said about the lamia noble applies here. I'm not a fan of monsters that are just another monster but more powerful, the infatuation with cataloging humanoid leader types in AD&amp;D most of the time doesn't do much for me especially if it's way too detailed, etc etc. The lizard king is alright though, for what it is. It's just a more powerful, more intelligent, and "more human" (that's what the description says) lizard man that rules over other lizard men. It gets an extra star over the lamia noble though because, for one, it is way simpler and more evocative than the lamia noble is, the lamia noble sacrifices anything interesting for overthought mechanics and generic vibes. Of note, the lizard king demands HUMAN SACRIFICES from the lizard men it governs, and if they don't provide human sacrifices then he will start taking his own followers as sacrifices. That's fun! They also wield a trident, which is a cool iconic weapon that deals extra damage on certain circumstances, though its bullshit that the extra damage and special abilities only count for when a lizard king wields them; the players should be able to get them too! Also the art just looks really cool, I love the tongue sticking out.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Magnesium Spirit</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm gonna be honest, this is the first time I've read this monster's description. I think I just skipped over it a lot since it doesn't have an illustration! The magnesium spirit is actually a super interesting monster, one that I think I could see myself building a whole scenario around. The description mentions that there are only three or four of these things, summoned to the prime material plane ages ago by a powerful sorcerer, and they are constantly in search of humans to possess in order to perform the ritual to send them back to their plane of origin. That is really cool and evocative! Visuals wise, they're also pretty cool, a column of pale flame with a wispy tale, and it mentions how they move faster than even characters that have had the haste spell cast on them and that they can do a flash of blinding light. Love that stuff, super cool. What is not so cool is the extremely detailed stuff all about the magnesium spirit's powers, the detailed process of them merging with a human host to perform the ritual, how many levels a host has to have for the ritual to go forward, etc etc. It suffers so much from the kind of rules bloat that plagues a lot of AD&amp;D monsters. I'm really not gonna get into how complex the whole thing is; suffice to say that there are so many hurdles the magnesium spirit has to go through that it is really a miracle if it is even at all able to do the one goal it has. I think I would love to use the magnesium spirit in a game, but what I would use would be a much simpler version; rather than tying so many things to player level, perhaps I would specify that they seek to take over a magic user to perform the ritual. I would give this monster four or perhaps even five stars if the description weren't so overwrought.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsFBMHcZfcL1Lc5kqmeK42XX0Cz9vhaIKmLsgqB74A9Jm8g6jdNn8r4FY1yJFRFtHQkftNVVVDJ8LD53tFueMh7fBgvppC9rjTw6E1UAhBnDJxdGM9_peEUYgtkW5m3Xy7Z7gzwffcRbrbSKgU3yj10RWyMQyHNvMHKsPABKvuP3qGIh0bbsEg9kC/s366/mantari_orig.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="207" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsFBMHcZfcL1Lc5kqmeK42XX0Cz9vhaIKmLsgqB74A9Jm8g6jdNn8r4FY1yJFRFtHQkftNVVVDJ8LD53tFueMh7fBgvppC9rjTw6E1UAhBnDJxdGM9_peEUYgtkW5m3Xy7Z7gzwffcRbrbSKgU3yj10RWyMQyHNvMHKsPABKvuP3qGIh0bbsEg9kC/s320/mantari_orig.png" width="181" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lookit their sad little face!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Mantari</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The mantari is basically just a big airborne stingray. Not much more than that, and honestly that's alright! It attacks with its tail, which is described as "not poisonous" but instead acting on the victim's nervous system which uh... that means it <i>is</i>&nbsp;venomous, actually, it just has a neurotoxin instead of a haemotoxin, but yknow that's beside the point. Unlike the real world stingray's more defensive bestinged tail, the mantari uses its tail like a spear, pointing it at a victim and diving at them from the air. Also if you get hit twice by the mantari's tail it deals <i>four times </i>the damage. Jeeze!! That's a bit overkill honestly. I love the note that they usually prey on giant rats, it's such a lovely little piece of dungeon ecology, which is doubly asserted by the mention that their "preferred haunts are dirty dungeon chambers where its prey abounds". I love that! I think I'll definitely use the mantari in a certain dungeon I'm working on that will hopefully get some use. One thing I really don't like though is that they are 85% aggressive toward other creatures and humans. I just like the nice 2d6 reaction roll! Anyway, these things just seem like animals, albeit ambush predators; I don't think they should be so aggressive.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2P-rFB0syv2rTVaAbCmKnOAWKMvSQ2laCR9b7HMCu4D7jALNl0zP8AIo66TWO9ploUu-h0VcGH8MMHI8Tkcsi40CbIS0SfyX_0OL8ZhhO8UJAMXvTVIKgQPyggKtB11m6I1tffVW-22rfoJYhHkdy-Bt_hs-y8zPBMAbOhaTO8ZcpXfa-95yA71xg/s509/meazel2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="509" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2P-rFB0syv2rTVaAbCmKnOAWKMvSQ2laCR9b7HMCu4D7jALNl0zP8AIo66TWO9ploUu-h0VcGH8MMHI8Tkcsi40CbIS0SfyX_0OL8ZhhO8UJAMXvTVIKgQPyggKtB11m6I1tffVW-22rfoJYhHkdy-Bt_hs-y8zPBMAbOhaTO8ZcpXfa-95yA71xg/s320/meazel2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Meazel</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The meazel isn't anything really all that special, but what it is its pretty good at! These little shits are yet another kind of awful small humanoid who will do awful things to you underground, but they're at least a bit more fun and, more importantly, waaaaay simpler than the godawful jermlaine that didn't need to have such a long description. These guys are little thieves, with the same abilities as a level 4 thief, and often they fight with garrotes which is pretty cool, though the first illustration depicts one holding a sword. I really love the note that they are the enemies of orcs and kobolds, and that "most creatures of the underworld will attack meazels, for they have a nasty reputation even among dungeon denizens". Everyone HATES them. That's just so fun! I would love to have them as a faction in a dungeon. I similarly love that they don't recognize the value of gems, instead dumping any gemstones they get from the people they capture and eat along with the bones in big bags outside their lairs. That's so evocative and fun, and it provides a cool opportunity for players to acquire treasure without combat. Also they apparently almost all have a noncontagious skin disease that makes them look leprous. They are just so nasty!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HaA-y98qRK_LIEYrGAXletPzu1LXF6RXWq4r2G-mOogjq5oLY3bRwtzqQu7iISeTxjV_CzGCHg5CmUn7wNPFcYowSGSloK7MbxhAEMcESicB8kjdBjgWfbPsBmdsOGBQ5k0jPS3PeOKdpF2tiylTS6hdNb0GjepEuo-4ttAcSD8mMcDCZWPGKJ9j/s314/Meenlock.JPG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="200" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HaA-y98qRK_LIEYrGAXletPzu1LXF6RXWq4r2G-mOogjq5oLY3bRwtzqQu7iISeTxjV_CzGCHg5CmUn7wNPFcYowSGSloK7MbxhAEMcESicB8kjdBjgWfbPsBmdsOGBQ5k0jPS3PeOKdpF2tiylTS6hdNb0GjepEuo-4ttAcSD8mMcDCZWPGKJ9j/s1600/Meenlock.JPG.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Meenlock</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm kinda breaking my own rule here, because I <i>really</i>&nbsp;how long and overly detailed in terms of specific creature behaviors the meenlock description is, but I honestly think that the monster's vibe and atmosphere still shine through to the point that I'm willing to give them a five out of five despite the overwrought description. Basically, meenlocks are awful little humanoids that dwell in mysterious deep shafts in the ground that are so dark and twist around in strange directions that you can't see the bottom, completely lined with moss so movements are silent in them. They have psychic abilities that allow them to create false smells, which they use to defend their tunnels by making it smell like there are rotting corpses at the bottom, and they can communicate telepathically. If the players open up one of their shafts and go down in, they will find the nest lair of the meenlocks at the bottom, in a little cave; the meenlocks will fight to defend their lair using their claws that have paralytic venom, but they are scared by light so their first priority is putting any lights the party has out. If the players open up one of their shafts and then leave without going down in, then the meenlocks will <i>crawl out of the shaft and follow the party, sneaking so as to not be found, and they will select one member of the party to&nbsp;basically psychically harass into being stressed and paranoid, and then when the party goes to rest the meenlocks will come by and KIDNAP THEM, taking them back to the mossy shaft where they are TRANSFORMED INTO A MEENLOCK. </i>It is so pulpy and fun! They seem a lot like awful little humanoids like Shaver's deros, or like children's bogeymen. My only problem is how overwrought their description is. In fact, this is one monster where I think I'd like to see my good friend the <a href="https://thecosmicorrery.blogspot.com/search/label/my%20edition">Cosmic Orrery</a> make a FKR version! The vibes are all there, just gotta be certain about the execution.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDCi1avN8xz3UpFNTF-Mm5HdjrBGh_lL9XJSPV7_-vKpekmJupZrfbY4TZ9ZkSLlgDD9-eB9juew4DL0wiXLsWkaIAHxdK1McrACTpOGWgz4Rj9QcGkOSmcMkVtvXss8D7Ziy5IU0kZLObndd2XOb3L5q4WXyOAYuLPgenosGLPJrpT5H5ny-h8wo/s319/tumblr_1b0a570cb9113deb59561f654d6a97d1_591e5459_250.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="250" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDCi1avN8xz3UpFNTF-Mm5HdjrBGh_lL9XJSPV7_-vKpekmJupZrfbY4TZ9ZkSLlgDD9-eB9juew4DL0wiXLsWkaIAHxdK1McrACTpOGWgz4Rj9QcGkOSmcMkVtvXss8D7Ziy5IU0kZLObndd2XOb3L5q4WXyOAYuLPgenosGLPJrpT5H5ny-h8wo/s1600/tumblr_1b0a570cb9113deb59561f654d6a97d1_591e5459_250.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A steam mephit</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Mephits</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm going to be reviewing the mephits as one creature even though there's four subtypes, mostly because in general there is a lot in common between them. I did it before with some of the other monsters that had a bunch of subtypes, it's alright. Mephits aren't really my favorite personally, but I can see why they exist in the game. They are the, to use the description's wording, "evil messengers and errand runners of the powerful creatures of the Lower Planes", which is definitely a sort of conceptual niche that is needed in fantasy games like D&amp;D. Personally I think I'd be more inclined to use things with more literary vibes than the elemental themed mephits; like, I dunno, maybe basing things on Lovecraft's servitors of the outer gods or Poe's imps of the perverse. In fact, why not just use imps, which were literally in the Monster Manual? Okay okay, there is one thing that I really love about how the mephits are described, which honestly let me just quote it in its entirety:</div><div style="text-align: left;">"Mephits are connoisseurs of the vulgar and tasteless; they share an extraordinarily twisted sense of humor (to a mephitic, the sight of a creature writhing in agony is excruciatingly funny). They delight particularly in tormenting the helpless. If they can obtain them (and it is usual that they do) they will wear clothes of the most garish design and color possible. They are often seen puffing upon smoking rolls of exceedingly foul smelling dried vegetation. They adopt a strutting gait and have shrill voices."</div><div style="text-align: left;">They are evil assholes with a mean sense of humor and they're described as <i>stoners</i>&nbsp;who dress in gaudy outfits. I bet they listen to breakcore or 100 Gecs or something (I really like 100 Gecs actually so that's a good thing lol). Now, for the sake of brevity, let me just summarize my thoughts on the four subtypes of mephits. In general, I really don't think there needs to be so many subtypes, and since the publication of the Folio there have been many, many more. It is typical of the kind of overly taxonomic gygaxian impulse to just constantly add new variations on monsters as canon "subtypes", "breeds", etc., and I am decidedly not a fan. However, here's how I feel about the four types of mephits described here:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fire Mephit:</b>&nbsp;Pretty basic, they're always on fire so touching them deals damage, they have a breath weapon of fire that they can change the shape of between either a jet of flame or a blanket of flame, I guess that changes how many targets it can hit? Also they can do heat metal and magic missile. Pretty generic.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Lava Mephit: </b>These guys are delightfully gloopy, their illustration has such a shitty expression on its face, even its nose is drooping with dripping lava. They're not actually made of lava either; lava mephits instead <i>sweat lava</i>, it's described as oozing from their skin. I really like that, it's so messed up. The lava sweat obviously produces a lot of heat, so they can be detected from a good distance away, touching them deals damage, etc. They can also spit lava and their touch dissolves/melts stuff and they can shape change into a pool of lava. A bit too many powers in my opinion, but pretty alright!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Smoke Mephit: </b>Honestly these guys are just a reskinned fire mephit. The description even directly compares them. Rather than spitting fire, their breath weapon is a "sooty ball of smoke" that can also blind you in addition to dealing damage, and they can turn invisible and use the spell dancing lights. Also when they die they "cough up" 1 point of fire damage to everyone nearby, which is kinda fun.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Steam Mephit: </b>Like the lava mephit, these guys aren't actually made out of steam but instead sweat boiling steamy water, which I really quite like. Their breath weapon is a jet of scalding water; more importantly though, they can also summon a magical rainstorm of <i>boiling rain</i>, that is treated as an ice storm but just with the temperature reversed to really hot. That's an amazingly messed up power. I think I might steal that for a different monster sometime.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I kinda hate that I felt the need to write so much about the mephits. My favorite ones are the lava and steam mephits.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0l9LBv2vU9trHbPXfRVzk7vDDXAaYawSZjZn4GmAO6jgxMh1A6cvVeLlVYBnVBRP8xY-3bGHFCQVpZM2IpYl09zc5eLpsFW-wiHxkaP4kP6419sH9TY96cJA3mr5NEfOd48d4GiIMWt3UggCalvpEyMPk9Bd24jImJGHlDYPal9Ojx0hOiiePHMb/s476/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-13%20at%2010.20.28%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="476" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0l9LBv2vU9trHbPXfRVzk7vDDXAaYawSZjZn4GmAO6jgxMh1A6cvVeLlVYBnVBRP8xY-3bGHFCQVpZM2IpYl09zc5eLpsFW-wiHxkaP4kP6419sH9TY96cJA3mr5NEfOd48d4GiIMWt3UggCalvpEyMPk9Bd24jImJGHlDYPal9Ojx0hOiiePHMb/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-13%20at%2010.20.28%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mephits are also our first monster in this post to have originally been featured in the Fiend Factory column in White Dwarf! Notably, however, you will not find them if you go looking for the name "mephit"... That's because they're actually new types of IMPS. I WAS RIGHT. I SAID THEY SHOULD JUST BE IMPS AND THEY ORIGINALLY WERE!!! I have no idea why they were changed from just being new subtypes of imp to being a completely separate type of monster in the transition from Factory to Folio, but that's just what happened. The four types are all here, but lava mephits are instead called molten imps. In terms of powers and abilities, they are roughly the same, though the powers are stated in much simpler language in the Factory versions, which is very welcome. The smoke imp/mephit is described as oozing smoke in a similar fashion to how the steam and lava/molten mephits/imps ooze their respective material, so that's super cool. Also Don Turnbull remarks that cautious DMs may want to avoid having certain types of imps in the same encounter together, saying that the steam imp's rain of boiling water and the molten imp's lava would interact in really bad ways. I say screw that, the awful clouds of steam and the sudden reaction of the water with lava would be great for an encounter! I will say, also, that the Fiend Folio version has a lot more personality, with the mentions of their gaudy clothing and awful senses of humor. Normally I find the Folio versions to be relatively worse than the originals, but here there is much more personality in the Folio version.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMHA5rwOco0ywPo6kVwMxIlYhXIdWgq1Fb1o-Xcu4rRSSVJlbyqX8WfLymjOKVFvT293awGJ88z_FF8QdHF6B4ZQlF_izhKlQTlfaAFriiKL6FEDtvjCJXiBeBlPEI7uxRn8tKOs_EBGVhBciluP7WlUHek3jF-w1WKCwE2uKnm4fBIQuclKJE1pn/s318/mezzo_orig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="214" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMHA5rwOco0ywPo6kVwMxIlYhXIdWgq1Fb1o-Xcu4rRSSVJlbyqX8WfLymjOKVFvT293awGJ88z_FF8QdHF6B4ZQlF_izhKlQTlfaAFriiKL6FEDtvjCJXiBeBlPEI7uxRn8tKOs_EBGVhBciluP7WlUHek3jF-w1WKCwE2uKnm4fBIQuclKJE1pn/w214-h318/mezzo_orig.png" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Mezzodaemon</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mezzodaemons are Okay. I really love the illustration, like I really really love it, its such a good creature, but basically everything else is generic as hell. It feels almost like they were just created to fill in a gap in the AD&amp;D cosmology so that there would be monsters for the planes between the nine hells and the abyss. &nbsp;They really have no distinctive or unique powers, abilities, or flavor; they just have great strength, fight with their "horny hands and talons" (a bit of unfortunate word choice there) or sometimes with magical weapons, they can use basically any magical item and can cast a handful of specific spells, they're immune to nonmagical weapons and take half damage from acid and cold and fire, they have magic resistance, they can see infrared and ultraviolet, and they have unique names that if someone else knows then they can control them. All of that is basically the same stuff that every other fiendish creature in AD&amp;D has. The name thing, the magic resistance, the immunities, the spells, it's pretty much the same as a given demon or devil, and pretty much all the time the demon or devil will be more interesting or iconic. Really sucks though, the illustration is great.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZi5N_YqcwyTIGCVxGH3Uqi-JwIcBPKBxEM_1ow4jK0eKu5ANQ3fwPiBF3e197QxSJDVp2WVN-SWDRKNNtLOGhfLpbA5MA398X9P-4wJob3_lWGsjx8lEW7g19eQ2D3JdkXtFIn4xkjtuDLRotub8aiZ-Ii5ZMpeWiit07D8MMXyqYKUORLbemnBhW/s298/mite_orig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="208" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZi5N_YqcwyTIGCVxGH3Uqi-JwIcBPKBxEM_1ow4jK0eKu5ANQ3fwPiBF3e197QxSJDVp2WVN-SWDRKNNtLOGhfLpbA5MA398X9P-4wJob3_lWGsjx8lEW7g19eQ2D3JdkXtFIn4xkjtuDLRotub8aiZ-Ii5ZMpeWiit07D8MMXyqYKUORLbemnBhW/s1600/mite_orig.png" width="208" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Mite</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>★</b><b>★</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b><b>☆</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Yet another awful little humanoid that will do awful things to the player characters in the dungeon? These guys are getting a bit repetitive at this point. These ones are actually specified as being related to the jermlaine and the snyad, which we will get to in a future post; yet another instance of annoying gygaxian naturalism, feeling the need to establish these unnecessary genetic relationships between monsters. I personally don't really benefit from having a taxonomy of very similar awful little humanoids that live in dungeons, at least not the way its done here. Mites capture adventurers with traps, tripwires, etc., beat them half unconscious and rob them, strip them of their armor, tie them up, and then drag them to a main corridor of the dungeon to be killed by a wandering monster. I guess the mites are on better terms with the other dungeon inhabitants than the meazels are. I really like the detail that adventurers can sometimes hear them scurrying around in their little tunnels that wrap around the larger dungeon corridors, that's cool. Other than that, though, I honestly think that the meazel is a much more interesting alternative. This one has a great illustration by Russ Nicholson, though.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5rPtqMx6mAzcKi1RfIiEWKEAjU9zVIa8wJuRWPha2xuiTKnYnzcEwQjSPin3Ukc9SpqQSO67RLCAPpLozgXYOenGWP-OJg1YGn5wm73V5-vYhIjN7QNKxA5YCPmGAeglOVynSV575X_h8U7N4-wN8yWUHvGOALTuTvPe5PvlqnIso6ltRe1_gGhc/s464/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-13%20at%2010.23.36%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="464" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5rPtqMx6mAzcKi1RfIiEWKEAjU9zVIa8wJuRWPha2xuiTKnYnzcEwQjSPin3Ukc9SpqQSO67RLCAPpLozgXYOenGWP-OJg1YGn5wm73V5-vYhIjN7QNKxA5YCPmGAeglOVynSV575X_h8U7N4-wN8yWUHvGOALTuTvPe5PvlqnIso6ltRe1_gGhc/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-13%20at%2010.23.36%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The humble mite is also our only other Fiend Factory original for today. And, other than the uh, very lackluster illustration, the Factory version is <i>much</i>&nbsp;better. All the basic beats are there; mites live in small tunnels all around dungeon corridors, adventurers can sometimes hear them scurry around in there, they use traps and tripwires to capture adventurers and beat them up and steal all their stuff before leaving them back in the dungeon to be killed by wandering monsters. However, and this is an important thing, <i>there's no mention of the stupid forced genetic relationship with the jermlaine and&nbsp;snyads. </i>I know that the jermlaine were Gygax's creation, so of course he would force other people's monsters to have explicit "canonical" relationships with his. Typical Gary move. Also, there is one thing in the Fiend Factory version's description that is so good I simply can't believe it was left out from the Folio version. Since the tunnels are so small that most human sized creatures can't effectively fight in them, the most effective way to combat mites is to <i>fill their tunnels with smoke</i>. I love that!!! It's such a cool, creative weakness that really feels like something adventurers could feasibly figure out, AND it's evocative of bees. You just have to find all the openings to their tunnels, cover up all but one of them, fill the tunnel with smoke, and then bada bing bada boom you can fight them as they come out. Really fun! If that had been included in the Folio version, I honestly probably would have given them three stars.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hey so I'm really sorry about the length of this one! I just really didn't want to break up the letter M and it turned out that I apparently had a lot to say about some monsters that I felt mostly mixed on. Well I hope you are having a lovely day and stay tuned for the next entry in the Fiend Folio review series, where we will do the letters N and O!</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/feeds/8756149085738948164/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/goin-through-fiend-folio-lamia-noble-to.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/8756149085738948164'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2383621001528691557/posts/default/8756149085738948164'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://savevsworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/goin-through-fiend-folio-lamia-noble-to.html' title='Goin' Through the Fiend Folio Part 11 (Lamia Noble to Mite)'/><author><name>Marsworms</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17843700572318878635</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrirAVwde6EAS1kD5HPPbHT3aYjlhxPeUcVyX71creFaZzh9Ddu4sX3MY3yGfMmtcaNBGg4TINgPB6IaE4cO-HUwUAfeJPSbvQdrbc2UB4oK3hOvN-KMbTwJaGHqM81IFeUFs995ik4i_AXqch2BL0ZzEo9Dopt90be0029sUQB3pRde_qVQpKGrB/s72-c/Lava_child-1e.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry></feed>

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