Devil, Gelugon (Ice Devil)

A pair of frozen, multifaceted eyes coldly judge all before this towering, insectile monstrosity.

Source: Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix I
     
     Technically they are not devils in 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. They are Baatezu. In all other editions they are Devils so that is what they are to me. The Gelugons are high level opponents commonly known as Ice Devils. They guard the eighth level of the Nine Hells. Cania is the frigid layer that protects the only portal to lowest level of the depths of Hell. 

     Gelugons are the ultimate guardians of Hell. Despite dwelling in the frigid cold of Cania they actually dislike the cold and prefer the hotter layers. They are loyal soldiers of their dark masters. One day they hope to be promoted to a Pit Fiend. After serving 777 years with an unblemished record they are eligible for promotion. 

     Now promotion kinda sucks. If they are selected to be a Pit Fiend they must endure the Pit of Flame. There they are tormented for 1,001 days. After nearly three years of torture they emerge as Pit Fiends.                                                                                                              
     The Ice Devils are known to be the most stoic of all devils.It is rumored that inside their chest is a heart of a frozen mortal. This allows them to make decisions without any emotions. 

Combat: In AD&D 2nd Edition the Gelugons are high level opponents. They are worth 19,000 experience if defeated.

-Strong like Bull: Gelugons are extremely strong and possess a 18/76 Strength. They attack four times a round with two claws, pincers, and tail. 

-Numbing Cold: If struck by the tail of the Ice Devil the victim must save vs. paralyzation or be paralyzed by numbing cold for 1d6 rounds. One in four Gelugons carries a long spear and it can direct it's numbing attack through the spear. A failed save slows(as the spell) the victim for 2d4 rounds. 

-Spell-like Abilities: At will detect invisibility(always active), detect magic, fly, polymorph self, and wall of ice. 

-Gate: They can attempt to gate in allies. 2 to 12 barbazu with a 50% chance once a day. 2 to 8 Osyluth with a 35% chance one a day. 1 to 2 Gelugons with a 20% chance. 

-Regenerate: Ice Devils regenerate 2 hit points per round

-Senses: Gelugons see perfectly in the dark.

-Fear: The Ice Devil radiates a 10ft radius fear aura. All within the aura must save vs rod, staff, wand or flee in panic for 1d6 rounds.

-Misc: 50% Magic Resistance and a +2 or better weapon to be hit.

     If by chance you are wandering around in Cania and trying to get to Lucifer's palace....the only entrance is guarded by 9,999 Gelugons. Just make sure you bring a large army of Angels with you.

Khaei

This short, stunted humanoid is bald and has weirdly twisted limbs, its body seeming to fade and come apart at the edges.

Source: Inner Sea Bestiary (Pathfinder RPG)

     The Khaei are believed by scholars to be degenerate humans. They are awkward humanoid who shamble around with twisted limbs. As the Khaei move along their bodies trail off into shadow and mist. Their appearance is in a constant blur. Interacting with the Khaei leaves something to be desired. They come off as dull and apathetic.

     The few scholars who have studied the Khaei believe they are a race lost in time. Perhaps they were sent from the distant past or far future in preparation for a great event. The few Khaei that are known to exist appear to isolate themselves in caverns deep underground. The most interesting ability is how they can manipulate time. Once per day and usually as a last resort the Khaei can touch an individual and permanently age them.

     A gang or village of Khaei when threatened will gang up on a victim and use their aging ability to quickly age individuals into a decrepit state. Using this ability has a toll though. They are physically weakened when their aging ability is used.

     Khaei typical stand 4ft tall and weight 100 pounds.

Combat: The Khaei are small monstrous humanoids who dwell underground. They are a Challenge Rating 3.

-Spell-like Abilities: A constant blur effect is in place at all times. They can cast dancing lights once per day. The constant blur gives opponents a 20% miss chance on all attacks.

-Lost in Time: As a touch attack a Khaei can prematurely age a victim. The victim must make a DC 14 Fortitude save or be aged 1d10 years and take 1d4 Constitution damage. This effect also deals 1d4 points of damage to the Khaei. It can only used once. Multiple Khaei touch attacks do stack.

     The Khaei are a interesting race. The combination of blur and lost in time abilities give them two nice mechanics. They can be used as a long lost race from the distant past. Maybe the preceding empire devolved into the Khaei and retreated underground. With no knowledge of their mysterious past. 

     The Khaei also work well as a race used by the Great Old Ones. Maybe an asteroid smashes down in the forest. Inside the asteroid is a cave complex and a village of Khaei. The painting on the walls depict gruesome masters from the dark between the stars. Their arrival foreshadows something greater. 

Maelephant

The Maelephant is humanoid in shape with hands that appear oversized for its body and tipped with claws. It's head is similar to a small-eared elephant's head. It has a small mouth filled with tiny teeth, small red eyes, and a long, coiling trunk tipped with a long, thin spike.


Source: Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix AD&D 2nd Edition
Fiend Folio 3.5

     The Maelephants are lower planes guardians. They are used by demons and devils to guard an object or area. Typically that agreement will be for 100 years. When not guarding something the Maelephant travels the lower planes with an intense urge to protect and guard although it has nothing of it's own to secure. If provided with large amount of living flesh it needs for sustenance the Maelephant will be greatly swayed to act an a guardians.
     Once a Maelephant has agreed to protect or guard something they will not leave their post and will fight to the death. They never pursue beyond their boundary of guardianship. The Maelephant has an arsenal of abilities to deal with trespassers. From a memory erasing breath weapon to spell-like abilities.

Combat: The Maelephant is very high powered foe. Worth 10,000 experience in 2nd Edition.

-Defenses: Requires a magical weapon to be hit, can never be surprised, and never needs to roll for a morale check


-Claw/Claw/Trunk: The Maelephant has three attacks. Two claws that deal 1d6 damage and a slam with their trunk spike which deals 2d6 damage.

-Breath Weapon: The Maelephant can unleash a cloud of noxious vapor three times a day. The vapors requires a save vs poison or suffer complete memory loss. You completely forget who you are and all your abilities. It can be cured by a neutralize poison. The vapor does however require contact with skin. If more then 50% of the body is covered the opponent receives a +2 to it's saving throw.

-Charge: Can increase it's movement to 18 and get a +2 to all attack rolls for the first round of combat

-Crush: If both claws hit the opponent is held. The victim takes 1d3 crushing damage each round and it's spiked trunk attack automatically hits. To break free the victim needs to make a -5 strength check or the Maelephant needs to take 12 points of damage.

Spell-like Abilities: At will they can cast alarm, bind, entangle, gust of wind, light, true seeing, and warp wood. Three times a day they can cast blade barrier and polymorph others.

     To me the most fascinating aspect of the Maelephant is the ability to erase player
characters memories. If you lose all your memories you are in deep trouble. Forgetting how to cast spell or use a sword could be disastrous.

Gremlin, Pugwampi

As if the world’s most revolting lapdog had somehow learned to walk on its back legs, this sickly creature slinks forward carefully.

Source: Bestiary 2 Pathfinder

     Gremlins are tiny mischievous creatures that hail from the realm of fey. When ties between the material plane and the realm of fey overlap you can find Gremlins residing in the world's unseen reaches. Abandoned buildings, sewers, ruins, etc are the homes of the Gremlins. These Gremlins delight in ruining and breaking things. Each Gremlin has a particular specialty that could include magical auras, complex machinery, luck, etc. 

    Pugwampis are a type of Gremlins that are known to cause bad luck. These dog faced Gremlins enjoy accidents and missteps of other creatures. They go to great length to create traps and wait as oblivious victims set them off. As the unfortunate soul sets off the trap the Pugwampi burst out in laughter in delightful joy. The chances of mischief is greatly increased when victims are within 20ft of the Pugwampi and it's aura of unluck forces them to roll twice and take the worse results. 

     Pugwampis are weak combatants and tend to be found in a mob of 3 to 12. They are enamored with Gnolls and honor them as Gods. Gnolls on the other hand hate Pugwampis because they are weak. They will sometimes keep a Pugwampi around simply to torment them. 

Combat: Pugwampis are neutral evil tiny fey with a challenge rating of 1/2. They are weak in combat situations and tend to prefer creating havoc then engaging in melee.

-Spell-like abilities: At will prestidigitation and speak with animal. Once a day shatter.

 -Unluck Aura: Any creature within 20ft must make two D20 rolls whenever they are called for and take the lowest of the two. This is a mind-affecting effect that does not work on animals, gremlins, or gnolls. Any character who gains a luck bonus negates the Unluck Aura effect.

     Pugwampis are great encounters in frustration. Having multiple of these Gremlins can spice up combat. It could make a mundane scenario into something memorable. With multiple D20s being rolled and the worse results being taken things could be quite amusing. The threat of death from a Pugwampis in combat is relatively minor and they should be paired with a compliment creature like Gnolls or other Gremlins.

Remorhaz

An immense centipede-like beast erupts from the snow, rows of chitinous plates on its back glowing red-hot.

Source: Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual 5th Edition

     Living in glaciers or the tundra of the north. Laying silent in their carved out warrens created by their intense heat the Remorhaz wait. A sudden vibration in the snow and ice above springs this creature into action. With a sudden explosion of ice beneath your feet this fearsome arctic predators burst forth from the ground. With one intent to have you as dinner.

     Remorhaz are found in arctic climate. Generally feeding on local prey like elk and polar bears. Their bodies generate intense heat that let's them create mazes of tunnels beneath the ice and snow. When waiting for prey they can lower their body temperature so it doesn't melt it's cover. They are cunning predator with low intelligence but can understand the giant tongue and at times controlled by the local frost giant tribes.

     Remorhaz are huge creatures. Typically being 25 feet long and weighing 10,000 pounds. This mid-level challenge employ a vicious bite and ability to eat their prey whole.

Combat: Remorhaz is a huge monstrosity with a challenge rating of 11.

-Movement: 30ft, Burrow 20ft

-Damage Immunities: Cold & Fire

-Senses: Darkvision 60ft, Tremorsense 60ft, and a Passive Perception of 10.

-Bite: +11 to bite with a 10ft reach. If hit by a bite attack the victim takes 6d10+7 points of damage plus 3d6 of fire damage. If a target is hit it is grappled. A DC 17 escape check to get out.

-Swallow Whole: The Remorhaz can make a bite attempt at the victim it is grappling. If the attack hits the victim takes the bite damage and is swallowed whole. While swallowed the victim is blinded and restrained. While inside the Remorhaz the victim takes 6d6 acid damage at the start of each of the Remorhaz turns. If the Remorhaz takes 30 or more damage on a single turn from inside it's body it must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or regurgitate the contents of it's stomach.

     The Remorhaz makes for a great random encounter while travelling through an arctic climate. They are the perfect ambush predator. With a massive amount of damage from their bite attack and the ability to eat your players characters whole makes an encounter with a Remorhaz quite deadly. Add in environmental hazard of the frigid cold and you can have a perilous situation on your hands.
 

Frost Fir

The faint scent of pine sap accompanies this vaguely tree-shaped creature, which stands on two towering trunklike legs. Its arms resemble the branches of a snow-laden conifer.

Source: Pathfinder Adventure Path 67: Snows of Summer

     Frost Firs are evil tree creatures who are rumored to have descended from Treants. These stoic creatures are reclusive and keep to their groves hidden away in the coldest forest of the north. They have grown to hate those who defile their homelands. Tales from the north tell of entire caravans disappearing as they travel through a Frost Fir domain. While at camp at night a band of 3 to 6 Frost Fir descend upon caravans, smothering flames and lives in a blink of an eye.

     Once the caravan has been subdued. The Frost Fir drag their victims back to their grove to be butchered and used as fertilizer for their young. The remaining bones are crafted into trophies and warning sign for potential trespassers. With their intense hatred for opens flames any northern traveler must be weary of a potential attack. If the foes are deemed too powerful the Frost Fir will resort to hit and run tactics. 

     They will use pit traps or draw their prey into ambushes. Their assaults are relentless and only stop when the interloper or Frost Fir is dead.

Combat: Frost Fir are medium plants with a Challenge Rating of 1. Their main special qualities is the ability to appear as a normal tree and the resin that coats their bodies.

-Special Qualities: Low light vision, damage resistance of 5 against slashing weapons, and immunity to cold.

-Sticky Resin: The Frost Firs bark exudes a sticky resin. This grants them a +2 bonus to combat maneuvers such as disarm, grapple, and steal. Anyone who touches a Frost Fir must make DC 13 Reflex Save or be coated in sticky resin. This imposes -2 to attack rolls and concentration checks. This save is also needed if the Frost Fir successfully attacks an opponent. Any strong alcohol, universal solvent, or any fire damage removes the resin.

-Freeze. The creature can hold itself so still it appears to be an inanimate object of the appropriate shape (a statue, patch of fungus, and so on). The creature can take 20 on its stealth check to hide in plain sight as this kind of inanimate object.

-Weaknesses: Vulnerable to fire. 

Mythic Skeleton

Its eyes glowing like bluish-white flames amid the shadows of its kingly helm, this skeleton wields two fearsome scimitars.

Source: Mythic Adventures (Pathfinder RPG)

Everyone who has played any type of Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder should know what a skeleton is. Your animated bones of the dead. Walking mindless low level creatures created by foul magic. They have a tiny bit of cunning which allows them to use a weapon and wear armor. That is in a nutshell a Skeleton. They are your bread and butter low level foe.

A Mythic Skeleton is a rare version of your basic undead. It has powers your typical boneless wonder does not possess. Maybe they were created by ancient necromancers with a long lost rituals. They might be servant of a dark god. Ancient undead lost in time. There are a number ways you can make them special.

Combat: Mythic Skeletons use the Mythic Rules from Mythic Adventures. For the most part they are basic Pathfinder monster with maybe a new gimmick or two. The Mythic Skeleton is a Challenge Rating 1 monster with 1 mythic rank. Essentially a mythic rank allow them a pool of mythic power that can augment a roll or a special ability.

-Mythic Powers: 1/day. Once a day the Mythic Skeleton can augment a roll by 1d6. So if he attacks someone with 12 on a roll he can spend his mythic power to roll 1d6 and add that to his total. Possible hitting the target with that extra push.

-Defensive Abilities: Undead Traits, Channel Resistance +2, cold immunity, and damage resistance 5 against blunt weapons.

-Relentless: Any melee attack against the Mythic Skeleton provokes an attack of opportunity. A very cool ability that allows the skeleton multiple attacks. Each adventurer attacking him allows him to make an attack back.

-Superior Two-Weapon Fighting: A Mythic Skeleton fights usually with two weapons. They take no penalties for doing so.

For comparison your typical skeleton is Challange Rating of 1/3 and lacks Mythic Powers, Relentless, and Superior Two-Weapon Fighting.


I'm not a big fan adding more bloat on top of a complex rules system but I did find the monsters in Mythic Adventures enjoyable. The mechanics are fantastic and add another dynamic to the game. You can use Mythic opponents against non-mythic groups with no alterations. Just follow your challenge rating guidelines. They are a nice variation of your standard critters.
  

Jolly Jelly

This creature appears to be a bright pink ooze speckled with spots of green, yellow, and blue. Scattered across the body of the ooze are small spiracles through which it apparently breathes.

Source: Tome of Horror IV Pathfinder

     Jolly Jellies are psychic vampire that feed on emotions. The mere presence of a Jolly Jelly causes creatures to become sullen. Victims of the Jelly tends to erupt into violence as all traces of joy is drained from their body. The Jolly Jelly receives all it's nourishment from feeding on victims emotions. They can go for months before meals.
     Jolly Jellies are most active at sunrise and sunset. They hide dormant in underground lairs and hollow logs waiting for their prey. They lack the acid most oozes possess and tend to attack with their pseudopods. Once close to death they release their pheromones. The buildup of positive emotions can cause adventurers to break out in uncontrollable laughter.

Combat: Jolly Jellies are a Challenge Rating 5 Medium Oooze. They have three slam attacks dealing 1d6+2 damage. They have a very low armor class of 10 and decent hit points that average around 63.

-Aura of Gloom: Any living creature within 30ft of the Jelly must make a DC 14 will save or take 2 points of charisma damage. Each round that adventurer is within 30ft they must make another save. If the victim takes 6 points of charisma damage they come under a rage effect.

-Pheromones: Once per day as a swift action they Jolly Jelly can release it pheromones in a 20ft radius. This is the distilled positive emotions it has stored. All creatures in that radius must make DC 19 fort save or fall under the effect of hideous laughter for 2d4 rounds. While you are laughing you fall prone and can do nothing but chuckle.

-Traits: The Jolly Jolly has the Ooze type, blindsight 60ft, and immune to fire.

     The Jolly Jelly is an interesting creature. Having multiple Jellies can cause havoc on party members who decided to dump their charisma. If you are reduced to zero charisma you can't do anything. Also making multiple Will saves each round targets a fighter weak save. The pheromones is a nice last resort ability to send the party in a fit of laughter while the ooze slithers away.

Bloodhulk

This might have been a human, once. Now it's a bloated horror, distended veins sprawling across its livid skin. Scraps of rotting cloth are all that cover its swollen body. Its empty eyes fix on you, and it lurches forward swinging massive fist.

Source: Monster Manual IV 3.5

Corpses animated through the blood of the innocent through horrible rituals. These bloated undead are filled with gore and unholy liquids. Bloodhulks are bloated bags of undead goodness that can withstand a tremendous amount of punishment. The Bloodhulks are created by vile priest and necromancers. They are the ultimate mindless zombie.

The Bloodhulks come in three varieties: Bloodhulk Fighter, Bloodhulk Giant, and Bloodhulk Crusher. They are used by evil spellcasters as bodyguards and servants. They are much stronger then your typical zombie. They have inflated hit points but are fragile to piercing and slashing weapons due to their bloated bodies being filled with fluids.

Combat: The Bloodhulk is an undead creatures. The Bloodhulk Fighter is a Challenge Rating of 4 that is medium size, low armor class of 11, and a boatload of hit points averaging 140. They have a single slam attack that does 1d8+4 points of damage. The Bloodhulk Giant is Challenge Rating of 6 that is large size, low armor class of 13, hit points averaging at 196, and a powerful slam that does 2d6+16 points of damage. The Bloodhulk Crusher is a Challenge Rating of 8 that is a giant size, low armor class of 14, massive hit points that average around 280, and a wicked slam that does 3d6+24 points of damage.

-Special Qualities: Bloodhulks are undead and have all the traits of that type. They have darkvision, low-light vision, and can understand their creators orders.

-Fragile: Bloodhulks take an extra 1d6 points of damage from piercing and slashing weapons.

-Blood Bloated: A Bloodhulk always gain the maximum amount of hit points for each hit die they possess.

Bloodhulks are essentially super-sized steroid zombies. They hit hard and are very resilient. Their only down fall is their poor armor class and their vulnerability to piercing/slashing weapons. Fighting a Bloodhulk is a race against time. You must unload a massive amount of damage or potentially be smashed to pieces.

Session Report: Tower of the Black Pearl

Last Night on January 1/21/15 we had our second session of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition. We ran it on Roll20 for about two and half hours. Our band of adventurers are....

Lefira: Halfling Fighter
Azurith: Elven Cleric
Taurnil: Elven Thief/Mage
Rin: Human Paladin
Shnozola: Gnome Druid
All 1st level dudes and dudette

We ran the second session of the Tower of the Black Pearl. Some bullet points of the session below. If you plan on playing that module don't read ahead. The Tower of the Black Pearl is from Dungeon Crawl Classic and I have converted it over to AD&D 2nd Edition. Conversion is pretty much done on the fly. Sweet thing about 2e and DCC is the traps/monster are rules light and can be eyeballed quite easily. The group is about 80% done with the module and I have enjoyed it thus far.

-The group last session use some blood to activate a teleport sigil and appeared elsewhere in the tower. They were surrounded by bandits who were on guard. Fight commence. Bandits died. The room had walls depicting a wizard dude turning into a five head dragons.

-Group discovers room with gold plated organs painted black and a gold bowl. How nice.

-The Group explores a bit more and come across an underground lake. They meet Charon I mean undead ferryboat dude who requires payment to cross the lake. They kindly pay him. While passing through the lake they see some shiny objects in the water. Smarter then they look they decide not jump into the lake. Plus the lake is brick cold.

-The group is escorted under a rickety bridge high above and meet some more bandits at a dock near by. The head bandit tries to strike a deal with the group to open a door he can't. 

-The group suspects head bandit is a jackoff and for a brief moment entertains his truce. The gnome decides to hug the head bandit. Head bandit gets angry and fight erupts. Our thief/wizard gets one-shotted by a bandit. The group prevails though and heal up the thief/wizard.

-Group disarms the door that had some blade trap on it.

-They find a room with skeletons on the floor and high water marks. Yeah smells like a trap. Half the group enter, half the group stays behind. Trap sprung. Room is flooding. Group is panicking. Two rounds away from drowning the group is able to open another door leading to stairs upward. The trap reset and everyone get through okay.

-Going up the stairs they run into that rickety bridge. The elves, gnome, and halfling take off their gear and slowly cross the bridge. The Paladin even with no gear is a fat bastard and a broken plank almost drops him to the lake floor. Quick on his feet and a successful dex check he hold on for dear life. The group safely passes over the bridge.

-On the other side of the bridge is an immense sarcophagus. How fun. That is were we ended.

Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix I, II, & III

I have a lot of monster books. From Basic to Fifth Edition and almost everything in between. Plus throw in the crap load of books from Pathfinder and D20 I probably have two whole shelves devoted to monsters. I'm always on the lookout for great books of beast. Now for most part the majority of them are pretty repetitive and boring. You do however find a bunch of gems that inspire you.

My favorite monster books are the Planescape Monstrous Compendiums. Planescape being one of my favorite setting. The three books making up the series have such a wonderful layout and art style. The writing is top notch and very flavorful. There are a tremendous amount of interesting creatures. If you like plane hopping or throwing in an occasionally outer planar creature you can't go wrong with any of these books.

If you are fan of the OSR then these three books are simple conversions to Basic D&D, AD&D 1E, and any Retro-Clone. You do have an overlap with previous edition monster books but for the most part there is new text and fluff which are worth the price of admission. Hopefully Drivethrurpg will have them up on their site soon. The first two books are pretty easy to find but the third appendix I've seen very high asking prices.

I know it's a pipe dream but maybe one day Wizards of the Coast would collect all three books plus the four 32 page compendium found in the boxsets to make a massive tome of outer planar goodness. Then again if they don't I'm sure once all the PDFs are out you could probably combine them together and create one via Lulu.

Out of curiosity what are your favorite monster books? Any game or edition. With the exception of the core book which is your staples.



                                                 

Eye of Fear and Flame

Draped in a ragged, hooded cloak, an eye of fear and flame is a skeletal figure with a gem set into each eye socket - one red and one black

Source: AD&D Fiend Folio 1E
Book of Vile Darkness 3.0

     Created by chaotic evil gods the Eye of Fear and Flame are let loose to inspire dark deeds. An Eye of Fear and Flame might approach a couple in the woods. He threatens to kill both of them if the wife doesn't take her husband life. If she decides to kill her husband the Eye of Fear and Flame will spare her life and revel in her shock and misery. The Eye of Fear and Flame seeks out individuals to commit dark deeds and hideous crimes.

     As agents of chaos they are created when Dark Gods take the soul of a chaotic evil madmen and give them an animated skeletal form in which to roam and do their will. The defining feature of the Eye of Fear and Flame is it's gems. The black gem creates a fear effect and the red gem unleashes an inferno of fire. It is rumored that only 20 of these creatures are known to exist.

Combat: In AD&D 1E the Eye of Fear and Flame is a level VII creature.

-Red Gem: Unleashes a 12 dice fireball once every three rounds.

-Black Gem: Acts as a fear wand every melee round

-Planeshift: If combat is going against the Eye of Fear and Flame it can take two melee rounds to shift to the Ethereal Plane.

-Resistances: If Blindness or Power Word: Blind is cast on the Eye of Fear and Flame they are reflected back at the caster.

The Gems are worth 1,000 to 2,000 gold pieces each.

     The Eye of Fear and Flame makes for a great villain. In a sleepy village chaos has erupted. Normal everyday folk are committing horrendous acts of evil. Killing love ones, stealing, etc. All prompted by the Eye. The adventurers must find the root cause of this evil and put an end to it. Maybe destroying the divine servant of the Dark Gods will lead to greater retribution.

Nothic

This hunched creature has a single huge eye that dominates its entire face. Its body is bloated and misshappen, and its limbs are wiry but strong, Its arms end in claws that reach the ground as it moves in awkward hop.

Source: Miniatures Handbook 3.5
D&D Monster Manual 5E

     Nothic are aberrations that live in underground lairs and ruins. Rumor has it that wizards who dabble in the arcane secrets are transformed into a Nothic when a rituals goes wrong. The Nothic retain no memory of their former selves. They do have an urge to seek out magic. They can be encountered lurking in cellars of the local arcane academy or ruins of a great wizards tower.
     The Nothic seek forbidden lore and knowledge. They covet magic items and will easily accept them as payment for lore they may possess. The Nothic hope that one day their desire for magical secrets will revert their condition.


Combat: In D&D 3.5 the Nothic is a CR 3 creature. It has relatively high hit points that average out at 42. They have two claw attacks that deal 1d4+4 damage.

-Flesh Rotting Gaze: Anyone who see a Nothic within 30ft must make a Will Save 16 or take 1d6 points of damage.

-Sight: Nothic can see invisibility and have darkvision 120ft.

In D&D 5E the Nothic is a Challenge Rating of 2. It has 45 hit points, Armor Class of 15, and two claw attacks that deal 1d6+3 damage.

Rotting Gaze: The Nothic can target one creature with it's gaze within 30ft. The victim must make a DC 12 Constitution Saving Throw or take 3d6 necrotic damage.

Weird Insight: The Nothic can target a creature within 30ft to steal a piece of knowledge from them. It's a contest between the victims Charisma(Deception) vs the Nothics Wisdom(Insight). Failure allows that Nothic to steal one fact or secret from the victim.

The Miniatures Handbook version is pretty sparse about the Nothic. It mentions nothing about their arcane past and has them as simple subterranean lurkers. The D&D 5E Monster Manual gives them some backstory and depth. I like the Weird Insight ability of the Nothic for 5E. Stealing a Secret from a prominent NPC can lead to an interesting sidetrek.


                                                         

Gas Spore

A bulbous body floats towards you. It has a central, unblinking eye, and a large maw filled with daggerlike teeth. Smaller eyes, attached to wriggling stalks, sprout from the top of the orb-like body.

Source: Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations 3.5
Original Source was AD&D Monster Manual

     The Gas Spore is a giant flying fungal ball. They were created by Beholder Mages. Since their creation they have spread far and wide. Repopulating through their infestation ability. The Gas Spore looks like Beholders and can easily deceive an adventuring party by appearing as so. They are hollow creatures filled with spores under intense pressure to burst.
     The Gas Spore main purpose is to be destroyed. The destruction of the Gas Spore allows it's Death Throe and Infestation abilities to take full effect. Having multiple Gas Spore in an encounter can wreck havoc on a party. On a positive note the spores from this creature can be harvested with a DC 20 Alchemy check. You can turn the Gas Spores into powder and it can be used as a contact poison. Harvesting a living Gas Spore can be tricky and failure could expose you to an infestation.

Combat: The Gas Spore is a CR 3 Large Plant. It's primary abilities are it's death throe and infestation abilities. For a CR 3 creature they have very low Armor Class. Perfect for blowing them up.

-Death Throes: A Gas Spore when it is reduced to 0 hit points explodes. The explosion causes 6d6 points of Sonic Damage in a 10ft Radius. A DC 10 Reflex save is allowed to halve the damage. Characters caught in the explosion are exposed to the infestation ability.

-Infestation: Any living non-plant creature exposed to the Gas Spore's slam or death throw ability must make a DC 12 Fort Save or be infested by spores. The spores rapidly grow and eat flesh. Initial effect is 1d4 Con damage and requires an additional save each hour or lose an additional 1d4 Con. If a character dies from the spores he turns into a formless mush that spawns 1d4 small Gas Spores.
Any ability that neutralizes or delays poison can cure/delay the infestation.

-All-Around Vision: A Gas Spore can see in all directions and cannot be flanked.

-Beholder Camouflage: They get +20 to disguise check to appear as Beholders.

-Flight: Naturally buoyant and can fly 20ft per round.

Returning to My Roots Part II

     Last Wednesday I had my first session of AD&D 2nd Edition since the 90s. I ran it on Wednesday Night on Roll20. The game was fantastic. It played much better then I remembered. When I last played AD&D 2e I was a teenager. The system ran quite well. I enjoyed that not everything was codified in the rules and I was just making rulings on the spot. It was refreshing from the modern versions of D&D.


     I am running Tower of the Black Pearl from Goodman games. The module is a nice short adventure about a Tower that appears in the Ocean once a decade. We completed half the module before the session ended. Should complete it by next week. The module originally appeared in The Adventure Begins Hardcover for 3rd Edition. It was recently redone for Dungeon Crawl Classic. I have both of them but converting from DCC.

Here is the cast of characters we have...

Halfling Fighter
Elven Cleric
Elven Thief/Mage
Human Paladin
Gnome Druid
*Yes I know Gnomes can't be druids but he wanted to play one so who give a crap. ;-)

Monster Tokens II

Monster tokens for VTTs using internet art and tokentools.

Air Elemental

Chain Golem

Deep Spawn

Ettin

Frost Giant

Frost Giant

Frost Giant

Goat

Gorgon

Gray Jester

Green Hag

Green Hag

Ice Elemental

Korred

Annis Hag

Lava Child

Peryton

Shadow

Leech Swarm

Bone Golem

Raven Swarm

Ice Troll

Will-o’-wisp

Shadow