Moana's Stingray Cove

Something I've been tinkering with on the side: a spot under the tropics where one can relax with a margarita, enjoying a marine breeze and the sight of a turquoise sea crashing on the nearby beach. Since vacations aren't in the cards these days, I figured I'd dream a bit and make it a Calidar feature as well. Those of you with PG1 "Players' Guide to Meryath" will recognize this place. Feel free to adapt this material to your game.

Click on the map for a full-res view

Moana's Stingray Cove is a greasy spoon for pirates and thieves rather than a vacation resort. Its bar faces a wooden deck. The front and sides are open, save for fishing nets and ropes adorned with sea-themed decorations like shells, bits or coral, and ship gear. An old sail stretches overhead from the main building to surrounding wooden posts. Beach bums often sit out front at sunset, by a campfire. Sturdy shutters above the bar's countertop can be swung down and locked after business hours to close off the deck area from the building. The entire structure sits on posts, about two feet above the sandy surface. The ground floor includes a kitchen, a pantry, and staircase to the upper level. The area beneath the stairs is walled off, although a removable panel may conceal ill-gotten gains stored there, as well as a one-way passage leading under the house.

Odd detail: A woodstove is used to prepare hot meals. The fireplace, though a pile of ashes lies within, is not in use. A cauldron sits inside, with some bone-dry, crusted mealy remains. The reason for this is that a tall mast stands inside the chimney conduit. It is invisible, therefore someone would have to search the ashes to feel the mast's presence. Reaching well above the building's roof, it supports a crow's nest (equally invisible). It is used to keep an eye on the neighborhood.

Click on the map for a full-res view

The staircase runs past a gallery on its right hand side (going up). In case of trouble, rogues might stand there, ready to shoot their crossbows over the railing, down at unwanted visitors. A number of eye symbols show the position of peep holes to spy on various places on that floor. The main room is a place where those in the know meet to plan future missions. The owner's bedchamber opens on a balcony. Ratlines connect its left side railing to a trapdoor in the crow's nest floor. They are invisible like the mast. Two unusual features might catch the eye of observant PCs. Three large metal bolts protrude from the railing (securing the ratlines' lower end). A part of the building's roof is indented to make room for the intervening ratlines.

Click on the map for a full-res view

Anyone investigating the bolts can feel the unseen ratlines. Anyone climbing the ratlines also becomes invisible, and can plainly see the hidden structure. Yardarms jut out from under the crow's nest. From there, it is easy to push open the trapdoor and climb onto the platform. Gunwale-like railing secures the spot, and a wooden roof protects occupants from the tropical sun. A watcher always occupies the crow's nest, relying on a magical scroll to communicate with the cove's owner. If alerted of a potential piracy target sailing by, the owner uses a similar device to tip off nearby pirates. I'm sure you got the idea.

Yardarm, Ratlines, Roof Indentation

Fighting on the roof is definitely an idea. Someone trying to flee could easily jump into the fronds of an adjacent palm tree, or leap onto the sail stretched above the bar's deck. It is old, but it might still hold someone's weight, or at least soften a fall.

CAL1 Conversion Booklets

After nearly a month since I ordered the print proofs, they finally got delivered on July 2nd. They both look good. Numbered "CAL1a" and CAL1b," these books provide all the game stats from earlier titles for use with Labyrinth Lord and the OSRIC system respectively. The stats come from CAL1 "In Stranger Skies," PG1 "A Players' Guide to Meryath," and CA1 "Dreams of Aerie," which constitute Calidar's Series 1. They go a bit further since they actually include game stats that weren't available in the original gazetteer, so that's a big plus.

CAL1a and CAL1b came out *after* CAL2a and CAL2b which cover the three books in Series 2: CAL2 "On Wings of Darkness," PG2 "A Players' Guide to Caldwen," and CA2 "How to Train your Wizard." The reason for this is that PG1 did not yet exist at the time Series 2 was completed. PG1 was a retrofitted into Calidar's title line up, so I could organize them into Series (one gazetteer, one players' guide, and one adventure each). Once PG1 was born, CAL1a and CAL1b could finally come through.

This being said, product bundles available from DTRPG are being split accordingly, resulting in separate bundles for Series 1 and Series 2, which should be more manageable. Calidar's page on DTRPG has been reorganized to help sort out its growing list of titles. Click here for more about the existing series and what comes next.

The only hiccup in all this is that CAL1a and CAL1b each have an extra blank sheet in the back, for whatever reason. This wasn't intended. Given the situation with Covid-19 and the production delays resulting from it, I'm not going to withhold these two conversion books to fix the irksome issue at this time. So there! You have an extra sheet for notes, front and back!

Previous Kickstarter Backers: These conversion booklets were not included in the kickstarters for CAL1 or CAL2. If you were a backer in either of them, you'll need to obtain these two titles separately through DTRPG. 

D&D: The Horror Below

            The Teekal were native fellfolk who turned into jellyfish-like wraiths. Eons earlier, these stone-age nomads dwelled along Grand Valley of Khargandal’s southern shores. They dabbled with dark magic Ghülean raiders left behind for them to unearth. While the Teekal learned much in the necromantic arts, their newfound knowledge slowly transformed them into their present form: translucent and devoid of bones, fundamentally evil, undead, and craving the vitality of the living. Their arid homeland and the scorching light of the tropics drove them to seek the cool dimness of the deep, claiming the Teekal Seaway as their new realm. Save for parietal art hinting at the fellfolk’s sinister fate, little remains of their past existence on land. They are now irretrievably beholden to alien gods of Ghüle whose emissary they await. 

Skull Jellyfish by Manzanedo ©2020 Manzanedo

            Those intruding upon the seaway’s depths will probably encounter the Teekal’s marauders first. These are soulless constructs indistinguishable from large jellyfish. They occasionally foray into nearby seas, in search of prey near the shores of the Taslan Peninsula and the Island of Mareas. They usually attack small boats at night. Their purpose is to fetch what their makers covet the most: the souls and memories of the living. With their long tentacles, they ensnare their quarry and paralyze them. While kept alive and fully conscious by means only necromancers can fathom, their heads are cut off and their bodies discarded. All flesh other than eyes and brain matter is digested, after which the skulls and their contents are sucked into the marauders’ translucent innards and taken back to their makers.

            The Teekal upper bodies appear humanoid, while their lower halves looks more like bell-shaped cnidarians, with whorls of writhing tentacles where legs ought to be. With one such tentacle, one may pierce through a captured head and burrow into its brain in order to examine its owner’s past life. The process may last many days of sheer pain and horror for the victim, as the inquisitor sifts through items of interest and dwells with unholy relish upon emotional moments defining one’s entire life. All memories are meticulously observed, organized, and mentally marked for future use.

            Should captives offer little of interest, their flesh is sucked out and their souls devoured. Marauders regurgitate the bones and return to their previous duties. The others remain in a great hall made from hollowed out skulls, in alcoves where marauders and their captives are kept alive. By then, most victims have gone utterly mad from terror and despair, but such isn’t the Teekal’s concern. Their intent is to preserve all the information they gathered and turn it over to the Ghülean emissary, should it ever show up.

Marauder: Body AC 9/tentacles AC 6, HD 4**, 15 hp +1/tentacle, MV 30 (10’), AT 1d4+1 tentacles, D 1d4 each, Save F8, Int 0, ML 12, AL Chaotic, Size: M, XP 175.

            Abilities: Invisible from more than 30’ unless holding a skull. Paralysis as a ghoul. It fights with up to 5 of its fifteen 30’ long tentacles each round. Each hit requires a saving throw. The marauder wraps 1d4+4 tentacles around a paralyzed victim and floats away, fending off any pursuers with 1d4+1 of its remaining tentacles. Unless rescue takes place, the victim’s head is sucked in and extraneous flesh and hair melted off within the next 3 combat rounds +1 per experience level or HD of the victim. Death occurs if the disembodied head is taken from the marauder or if the creature is slain.

            Each tentacle requires at least 1 hp damage to cut off. They are immune to blunt and piercing/stabbing weapons, except for their magical bonuses, if any. The marauder’s bell-shaped body incurs half damage from slashing and blunt weapons except for their magical bonuses. It suffers normal damage from piercing/stabbing* weapons and magical attacks (* includes most swords if their owners clearly announce they are stabbing only). The creature uses tentacles with which it performs attacks to keep these foes away from its body. It receives a +2 bonus to hit foes ignoring tentacle attacks in order to reach its body. Tentacles can strike foes up to 30’ away. Inflicting 15 hp of damage to the body kills the creature. Marauders suffer an immediate Morale Check with a –2 penalty during each round of exposure to sunlight.

Jellyfish Mermaid by Castaguer
© 2015 - 2020 Castaguer93

Teekal*: Body AC 7/tentacles AC 4, HD 7*****, 32 hp +6/tentacle, MV 60 (20’), AT 4 tentacles or 1 spear or 1 spell, D tentacles and spear 1d6 each or by spell, Save F10, Int 10+2d4, ML 7, AL Chaotic, Size: S (fellfolk body size), XP 2,450.

            Abilities: Spellcasting as level 6 clerics—spell levels I-II x2 each, level III x1. Same general abilities as the marauder (they do not carry their foes' skulls). Teekals attack with all four of their 20’ long main tentacles; they require 6 hp damage to sever although they regenerate within a day. Their bodies can withstand up to 32 hp.
            They possess two arms as part of their torsos, although their hands and fingers are worm like. Some may wield a long spear whose head was coated with poison. The toxin is discharged with the first successful attack, liquefying the foe’s internal organs for 6d6 damage (save for half).
            Teekal speak a more sophisticated version of their old language, which other creatures in the region may understand (such as the Hanāi published earlier). They developed a written form, and can produce magical items.

Samaz Symbol

An Unexpected Guest: A sea god of Caldwen, Samaz is in fact a renegade who fled his alien masters in the Ghülean dimension. Powerful in his own right, he rose as a deity, hiding his true origins and watching for portents of his former overlords coming into Calidar’s universe. He’s found the Teekal and knows their purpose. Working surreptitiously from the shadows, he endeavors to manipulate their race, occasionally posing as a Ghülean emissary when the Teekal commune for their spells, hopefully to divert them from their evil quest. Some may already be under his sway. Ghülean gods have not detected his influence so far. Nonetheless, Samaz posted aquatic servants of his at narrow straits outside the Teekal Seeway and the Sea of Daor. Their objective is to slay marauders attempting to cross through, and launch an invasion should a Ghülean emissary show up. These forces often rely on beguiled sharks, swordfish, sea turtles, which are natural jellyfish predators.

Source: The map was cropped and altered from the revised climate chart by Thorfinn Tait, available as a poster map on DTRPG ©2019 Bruce A. Heard. Ghüle was introduced in Calidar’s CAL1 In Stranger Skies, page 55. Ghüle and Samaz were developed in CC1 Beyond the Skies, pages 102 and 245. The marauder and the Teekal as fantasy creatures constitute original content ©2020 Bruce A. Heard.

D&D: Death in the Night

Here’s a new creature that, as far as I know, has not yet been described as an RPG monster (correct me if I’m wrong). Definitely far-eastern in style, this one concerns both Calidar and the mysterious world of Lao-Kwei. Your PCs may come to fear and hate them. Game stats are written for D&D BECMI.

Tatzelwurm by FelineFire on Deviantart. © 2017-2020 FelineFire

            Also known as dark ophidians, the Bào shé (豹蛇) possess the lower bodies of large snakes, human-like torsos and arms covered with short fur, and the heads of black panthers. A powerful sorcerer in faraway Lao-Kwei had bred these creatures to assassinate greedy imperial officials. For all their troubles, the empress cast a forever curse upon their kind that they may never again enjoy the light of day. After taking revenge upon their creator for their somber fates, they fled Lao-Kwei to escape imperial bounties posted there for their eradication.
            Their flight took them through a malfunctioning Kahuulkin portal. Their skyship materialized close to the ground on Calidar whereupon they crashed. Survivors found a cavern where they could hide during the day, and they eventually reproduced. The Bào shé are content to be left to their devices, but their nature compels them to hunt and slay those who defy them. They dwell in the Uplands of Aghea’s tropical savanna, 2,500 miles southeast of the Great Caldera.

            Over time, they established several independent clans jealously guarding their territories against other sapient races, usually marauding fellfolk, occasional humanoid remnants of a past Ghülean raid, or wayward Calderans. Exceedingly rare are foreigners trading with the Bào shé, let alone enjoying their nefarious services. They’ve come to dislike Felisean visitors the least. The existence of these ancient creatures has so far escaped the notice of present-day Lao-Kweian rulers whom the dark ophidians hate above all.

            Clan strongholds are indistinguishable from rocky bluffs in the veldt. Their true natures and their gates only appear under moonlight. Save for their sentinels, the Bào shé sleep during the day in dwellings carved out of the region’s natural sandstone. They come out at night to hunt and to patrol their vast territories stretching from the shores on the Sound of Az to the Sea of Gormon.

Bào shé: AC 4 (unarmored), HD 4***, 18 hp, MV 90 (30’), AT 1 bite/2 claws or 1 weapon, D bite 1d8/claws 1d4 each or by weapon, Save T5, Str 8+, Dex 13+, Con 8+, Int 8+, Wis 8+, Cha –2 penalty vs. other races, ML 9, AL Varies (usually Chaotic or Neutral*), Size: M (5½-6’ tall, 12’ long tail,) XP 225.

            Abilities: As a thief level 5 including backstab, although hide in shadows success odds are 66% (+1 per HD above 4); dimension door between shadows (see description below); spellcasting elders with 10+ HD are known to have existed on Lao-Kwei and are thought to have been exterminated. (*) In games that also consider the good vs. evil ethos, any alignment but Good is acceptable depending on the clan’s philosophy.

            The erstwhile enchantment bestowed upon the ancestral ones still runs deep in today’s Bào shé. It enables them to move through shadows nearly at will. This stealthy movement extends from one shadowy area to another within direct line of sight up to 150’. This ability can be used repeatedly, once per combat round, as long as the Bào shé succeeds a Con Check; if one fails, the ability can no longer be used until after proper rest is obtained. Shadowy areas are defined as those spots in which a thief may attempt to hide. Each move is considered a full action, although a hide in shadows roll is allowed upon arrival.

            Dark ophidians also know the ancient ritual of spectral blades. A Bào shé can only ever own one such weapon at any single time. With a successful attack, the blade disintegrates and its wielder steals the victim’s soul (no save). The stricken foe’s body is still alive, but in a catatonic state until it starves or falls prey to some other peril. The stolen soul remains inside its captor’s body who can then can access its memories (but not its skills). If either a Bào shé or its victims are killed, stolen souls fade into the netherworld (or return to their bodies, if still alive). A catatonic victim can be kept alive indefinitely with a daily healing spell.

            The ancient enchantment is such that if a captor holds nine souls at any single time, it vanishes from Calidar and reappears inside the abandoned abode of the Bào shé’s original creator on Lao-Kwei. Others have already made it to this ancestral birthplace. They gather their forces there to strike down the now-deceased monarch’s present dynasty and its heirs following a legendary prediction that "whensoever the ancient empress's blood be extinct, shall the forever curse be forfeit." It is the reason why dark ophidians do not slay victims of spectral blades; rather than abandoning survivors to the outrages of wildlife, the Bào shé occasionally leave their victims’ bodies near a village so they may be kept alive.

            Spectral blades are +2 magical weapons. Dark ophidians are known to craft other enchanted items through ancient rituals, such as various potions, magical rings, smoke bombs, paralyzing poisons, and powerful narcotics. They use equipment normally allowed for thieves such as swords, daggers, throwing stars, short bows, blowguns, leather armor, (etc.) as well as certain specialty items like war claws, flying claws, steel fans, nunchakus, chain whips, dragon beard hooks, and rope darts.

            As the result of the empress’s forever curse, direct sunlight (whether natural or magical) prevents the Bào shé’s shadow movement, inflicts 1d4 hp of damage per hour of exposure, and instantly disintegrates unsheathed spectral blades (no save). Dark ophidians suffering exposure also incur a –2 penalty to their hit rolls, to their saving throws, and to their initiative rolls.

Source: The map was cropped and altered from the revised climate chart by Thorfinn Tait, available as a poster map on DTRPG ©2019 Bruce A. Heard. The Lao-Kwei setting was introduced in Calidar’s CAL1 In Stranger Skies, page 54. The Bào shé as fantasy creatures and their realm is original content ©2020 Bruce A. Heard.

Don't Badmouth the Sewers

Aside from grungy rats and dripping slimes, worse things lurk where skyships do not venture, presented here in D&D BECMI style.

Underground Sewer by AbstractLuva, Deviantart © 2013-2020 AbstractLuva

Longhand Description from CAL1

            Also known as the crapulous Alorean sewer mouther, this giant aquatic fungus grows at the bottom of a sewer chasm or a murky swamp lake. Up to a dozen barbed roots anchor its knobby, bulbous body under the surface of the water. A very long, muscular tentacle that can rise well past the surface grows on top. It supports a large knot of wriggling, slimy feelers ending with tiny suckers. A translucent core bulges at the center of the feelers.
            The sewer mouther feels vibrations in the ground and in the surrounding water. When it senses something, it sends its head to investigate. The translucent bulge can emit a powerful flash capable of stunning most creatures, or at least temporarily blinding them. If the feelers detect edible prey, they attach themselves to its flesh. Tiny thorns inside the suckers inject paralyzing venom. Once a victim is disabled, its blood and life force are gradually drained. If a prey is killed, its memories survive in the mouther’s fungal brain. The creature’s mental acuity is that of its smartest prey. Through its head’s translucent bulge, it can cast spells its victims had at their disposal at the time of their deaths.

            When facing multiple foes, the head may shoot up to twenty thorns before retreating under the water’s surface. If it is cut off, another regrows in a week. The mouther can generate an electrical discharge if its lower body is attacked. It can also use up to four of its barbed roots at a time to defend itself. At least four must remain imbedded in the muck below to anchor the creature.

            A particularly clever mouther can imper­sonate previous victims. It creates fungal doubles of them, and sends them out to interact with intruders. The mouther con­trols these simulacra through empathy. Merely ruses to lead foes into a trap, they are fairly weak, and their true natures become apparent if they sustain any dam­age. Simulacra can speak any of the lan­guages available to the original victims. The controlling mouther can see and hear through these doubles.

CAL1a Interpretation for Labyrinth Lord
            Body: AC 4 (natural armor), HD 10****, 50 hp, MV 30’ per hour, AT 1 electrical discharge or 1-4 barbed roots, D electrical discharge 10d6 once per day (save vs. spell for ½ damage) or barbed roots 1d6+1 each, Save F10; Size L—Int 1d4+4 or last victim's Int, ML n/a, AL Neutral, XP 4,000.

            Tentacle (1): AC 7 (natural armor), attacks as F5, 25 hp, MV nil (can reach 90’ from body), AT 1 flash or 1-20 thorns or 1 spell, D flash (stun) or thorn 1 hp each + paralysis (one per target/round; ranges: 20/30/40) or by spell; Size L, ML 7 (retracts into the body with a failed Morale Check).

            Abilities: The sewer mouther’s fungal brain lies inside its body; it is only subject to mind-affecting spells cast by druids. Inflicting 50 hp of damage to the body kills the creature. Inflicting 25 hp of damage to the tentacle and its feelers destroys the whole limb. It will not attack anyone more than 50’ from its body. Flash—all victims within 40’ of the tentacle’s edge are stunned unless they succeed their saving throws (effect: move at 1/3 MV, can’t attack or cast spells, –2 penalty to both AC and saves). Thorns—no attack roll is needed to hit a victim at point-blank range; treat as a ghoul’s paralysis (lasts 2d4 Turns). Feeding—suckers drain 2d4 hp per Turn from a paralyzed victim (no save); surviving victims may be infected with fungal spores (at the referee’s discretion). Spells—roll 2d4–1: result indicates the experience level of the previous spellcasting victim (magic-user spells only); which ones are cast is random. Barbed Roots—can whip or ensnare victims up to 20 ft. away. Simulacra—can spawn 1-4 simulacra per day (see below).

            Simulacrum: AC 9, HD 1–1, 5hp, MV 90’ (30’), AT nil, D nil, Save F1; Size S or M—everything else as body; the creature controls its simulacra telepathically up to 100 yards away; can be used to communicate with the sewer mouther. XP nil.

Source: Original design from CAL1 "In Stranger Skies." Conversion for use with Labyrinth Lord in CAL1a "Conversion Guide to Meryath" (coming soon at DTRPG).

PG1 Print Proof Preview

How nice to receive a new print proof from DTRPG in less than 10 days despite dire predictions concerning delays due to the pandemic. Kudos for that. Here's a quick preview of Calidar's Players' Guide to Meryath. It will become available from DTRPG starting Sunday morning, May 24.

PG1 isn't a Kickstarter reward. It is a new title developed separately. It complements
CAL1 "In Stranger Skies" which had been published in 2014.

Gotta have a table of contents...

Aside from the geography and history section, "Heroes of Meryath" gives useful info on rolling up new characters and their bloodlines, including three new classes: dragon slayers, draconic knights, and Meryath minstrels.

Here's the standard text layout with a chart enabling easy conversion of a character class into a variety of OSR games. 

A quick look at the deities of Calidar helps players pick a cult for their heroes, and some idea on how to run a cleric. This connects directly with CC1 "Beyond the Skies," which is Calidar's version of Deities & Demigods (see earlier articles on this blog about this topic.)

PG1 picks up where CAL1 stopped as regards Meryath's capital city: Glorathon

The booklet ends with a Travel Guide detailing local currency, best bar and taverns for Meryath minstrels to ply their trade between adventures, various advisories to caution visiting heroes, as well as a guide to local customs and festivals.

Players' Guide to Meryath

PG1 Players' Guide to Meryath will be available in PDF format Sunday morning, May 17 (US central time). Its printed format will take several more weeks due to the pandemic. The print proof has been ordered, which is likely to take 4-6 weeks. Barring unforeseen printing issues during final approval, the printed format will be released then. PG1 is intended to supplement the core gazetteer, CAL1 "In Stranger Skies." It focuses on information to help players roll up heroes in the Kingdom of Meryath. It provides three new character classes with guidelines on how to make them work with OSR games (D&D BECMI, AD&D 1st and 2nd Edition, and so forth). Two conversion booklets will be following PG1 that convert all game stats from CAL1, PG1, and CA1 "Dreams of Aerie" for use with Labyrinth Lord and the OSRIC system. Two other booklets of this type are presently available for CAL2, PG2, and CA2.

Click here on Sunday Morning for PG1.

What on Calidar is a Vultron?

Here’s a beastie from a dark world far way from Calidar, rendered in D&D BECMI format. It hails from Draconia, a world that is dead on its surface but entirely hollow. Within its inner space dwells a realm beholden to a queen of black dragons and their living goddess. She commands, as you might have guessed, the Draconic knights, sworn enemies of the Hero Kingdom of Meryath. The queen enjoys power over defeated rivals who submitted to her, while she still wages war against a loosely allied coalition of unyielding red, white and blue rulers. Rumors of gold dragons persist, but no one seems to have seen any. Dragons and their knights have the power to teleport in and out of their hollow world, which is otherwise impenetrable other than through natural cracks in its mantle. As with Calidar, Draconia possesses its own world soul, which makes the entire setting defy the laws of physics and enable life within.

Zarnese Vultron by John Dollar ©2014 Calidar Publishing

Zarnese Vultron
Dragon-Kin (4-6)	AC 4 (natural scale armor), HD 6+2**, 32 hp, MV 120’ (40’)/300’ (100’) flying, AT 2 talons/1 beak or breath, D talons 1d4 each/beak 2d8 or special, Save F4; Size L—Dex 10, Int 5, ML 9, AL Chaotic, XP 950.
Abilities	Breath of decay—30 ft.-large cloud; victims contract a rotting disease unless they succeed their saving throws (treat as mummy rot); organic equipment may suffer decay as well. A swarm of four vultrons can effect a limited teleportation once per day, up to 20 miles.  A horde of ten led by a hetman can teleport once a week up to 100 miles. A vultron hetman has 10+2 HD, Int 9, and spellcasting (as a cleric)—level I x3, level II x2, level III x1.
Immunities	Gas-based attacks.

This iridescent green, scaly creature has the body of a griffin, with feathered wings and the neck and head of a vulture. Zarn is the realm of Lord High Viridar, who rules green dragons on Draconia. He’d created the vultrons as part of his army to defend the skies above Zarn. At the height of his war against the Black Queen, vultrons fought a huge aerial battle with Draconic skyships above Viridar’s fortress at Tarnhûss. Casualties were heavy on both sides. Since then, the lord high submitted to Sayble, and units of Zarnese vultrons occasionally fight alongside her forces.

            These flying creatures are slightly smarter than primates. They see clearly through the perpetual darkness of Inner Draconia, at least up to 100 yards. They can breathe clouds of decay once a day, about thirty feet across. Aside from immediate damage, they cause rotting diseases to those whose stamina is insufficient to resist. The infections inflict progressive damage until healed at a temple. The clouds’ effects are such that organic materials (leather, clothing, food, potions) may also be damaged. Scarring from advanced decay can never be healed. Vultrons are immune to poison and their own breath.

            They typically fight in swarms of four to six that concentrate on a single target before moving on to the next. The strongest in the swarm is the leader. A swarm of at least four possesses a limited ability to teleport—once a day, up to twenty miles away (or to the closest spot if an obstacle stands there). Ten swarms form a sky horde under a hetman’s control. This commander is a spellcaster that can be recognized by tattoo-like birthmarks on its skin. As smart as a human being, a hetman is the vultrons’ equivalent of a prior. Though bound to the lord high it serves, it obtains its spells from Draconia’s world soul. A sky horde has a greater ability to teleport: once a week, up to a hundred miles.

            Vultrons often feed on carrion which helps them develop their breath weapons. They live in small flocks, hunting local wildlife and taking their carcasses to a common rotting pile in a crevasse or some place generally hard to reach. Males and females reproduce only a few times during their life cycles of two or three hundred years. The brightest of them become hetmans. Their calling leads them to seek out the lord high and serve him. The best of them are assigned to military units when summoned to war. Mature vultrons responding to Viridar’s call are fiercely loyal to their master and the hetman he appoints to command them. 

            Though it is uncommon, these creatures can be used as mounts. The lord high maintains a cadre of dragon kin heroes who possess an innate bond with such mounts. The Warriors Green or Viridar’s Few, as they are called, act as the lord high’s elite bodyguard, commandos fighting behind enemy lines, scouts and champions among vultron forces. Though now allies, Draconic knights and Viridar’s Few maintain a visceral hatred of each other.

A Gargantuan Beastie for D&D BECMI

While I’m on a roll to show off miscellaneous Calidar stuff in D&D BECMI format and before diving into the subject of demigods, here’s a fun monster few adventurers are likely to encounter in a dungeon. This was taken from CAL1 “In Stranger Skies.” There’s more of this where it wandered from. All of CAL1’s game stats are due to be published soon for Labyrinth Lord (OSR) in the near future as part of CAL1a, the “Conversion Guide to Meryath,” and for the OSRIC system in CAL1b. The material below is published with written permission from the author… oh, that’s me! Never mind.

Ghülean Grön, John Dollar ©2013 Calidar Publishing.

Ghülean Grön™

These creatures are native of Ghüle, the orcs’ alien world. They are colossal, grossly fat, mangy worms partially covered with gray fur except where orcs have bolted armor plates onto them. Orcish standards and the bones of defeated monsters sometimes adorn the beasts. Like those on humpback anglerfish, appendages with glowing lures extend from the top of the gröns’ monstrous heads. Two huge, greenish eyes complete the picture. Gröns vary from the size of small galleys to something large enough to swallow several thousand orcs and their war machines.

Ghülean Grön (CAL1 p. 106)
Pup	AC 3 (head) or AC 5 (body), HD 20**, 100 hp, MV 90’ (30’) levitating only, AT nil, D nil, Save F15; Size Huge (as a small galley)—Dex 3, Int 6, ML 9, AL Neutral, XP 5,975.
Bull	AC 0 (head) or AC 3 (body), HD 80**, 400 hp, MV 120’ (40’) levitating only, AT nil, D nil, Save F20; Size Giant (400ft. length, 80 ft. girth)—Dex 2, Int 7, ML 8, AL Neutral, XP 50,750.
Elder	AC –3 (head) or AC 1 (body), HD 320**, 1,600 hp, MV 150’ (50’) levitating only, AT nil, D nil, Save F25; Size Gargantuan (1,000 ft. length, 200 ft. girth)—Dex 1, Int 8, ML 7, AL Neutral, XP 230,750 (Think you’ll level up already?)
Abilities	Apnea for multiple hours at a time; resistant to outer-space conditions; can open a wormhole twice per day. No internal digestive system; though functional, mouths are vestigial remains predating their ability to drain World Soul energy. Can transport passengers and freight internally. Though they can’t attack individual foes, gröns can ram ships; they automatically hit a vessel in their path, inflicting hull damage equivalent to a quarter their total Hit Dice +10 (thus, a 320 HD grön can inflict 90 points of ramming damage). If damage exceeds half the ship’s hull rating, it is pushed out of the grön’s way.
Capacity	Pup—50-200 orcs and personal gear Bull—300-900 orcs and personal gear Elder—1,000-4,000 orcs and personal gear. Use lower numbers if relevant freight is included (such as war machines, long-term field supplies, booty, captured slaves, etc.)
Defenses	All gröns—cold-based attacks. Spells cast at gröns may fail entirely and, if so, feed/heal them instead, as follows: Pup—10% chance Bull—20% chance Elder—30% chance. Spells absorbed in this manner heal 1d8 hp per spell level, thus a 9th level spell can heal up to 9d8 of the creature’s total hit points. When able to drain World Soul energy, gröns heal combat damage as follows: Pup—2d6+8 hp/day Bull—7d10+10 hp/day Elder—3d%+20 hp/day.

            These beasts can fly, though a bit more slowly than an average skyship, and are unmaneuverable. The largest ones require miles to turn when moving at full speed, or several long minutes if hovering. Gröns can sustain flight in space’s airless void for several hours before suffocating. Once outside a planet’s atmosphere, elder worms use the appendages on their heads to generate wormholes and reach nearby worlds. They appear just outside their destinations’ atmosphere where the wormholes end. Younger gröns travel alongside their parents and through their wormholes. If the appendage is destroyed or cut off, it regrows in one to three Calidaran years. Flying through space is the gröns’ favored way of ridding themselves of vermin and other unsavory creatures dwelling on their skins.

            Gröns are parasites without means of attacking anything, at least intentionally. Their natural life involves nesting in the deepest caverns of a world and feeding upon its natural magic core. This energy is what allows them to fly and control wormholes. When a world is stripped bare of its soul, gröns migrate to another and resume the process. Orcs of Ghüle do not allow this to happen, at least to protect their own world, and therefore keep the number of gröns within safe limits. A great many elder gröns would be needed for a long time to deplete Calidar’s world soul, but they could potentially succeed if allowed to multiply.

            Gröns can live more than a thousand years. They reproduce not more than once per century. Ghülean clans breed them in captivity and use them as troop transports between their world and another they wish to raid. Orcs enter through the beasts’ cavernous mouths and wait inside their bodies, among hollow innards. Pups can hold a few hundred orcs, elder worms up to several thousand. Air supply is limited but sufficient for an hour-long journey through space. Gröns stranded outside a wormhole eventually die, along with their passengers. Ghülean shamans wield spells altering the layout of organs and flesh inside their gröns, which allows them to open a passage into the beasts’ heads. A shaman may stand inside a cranium and commune with the host, sensing all that it sees and feels. This allows the shaman to train the creature from its youngest age and control its flight, including forming wormholes. Gröns are the pride and joy of the orcish clans who raise them, a source of even more delight than tormenting slaves and ripping the wings off flies.

Ghülean Grön ©2013 Calidar Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

D&D® Game and BECMI game mechanics ©1983-1991 TSR, Inc., Wizards of the Coast.

Epic Heroes for D&D BECMI

It occurred to me that I made a number of statements throughout CC1 "Beyond the Skies" regarding Calidar’s epic heroes without actually developing them specifically. Since I posted the BECMI conversion of demon game stats, now is a good time to address epic heroes (and legendary villains) in a more focused and coherent manner in a format familiar to D&D BECMI players.

Adventurers © 2015 - 2020 Sandara, Deviantart.

What are Epic Heroes?

The notion of Eternal Glory is central to Calidar’s narrative. It originated from the idea that no one truly dies as long as they are remembered. This thought grew into the concept that epic heroes and legendary villains do not age so long as they are being talked about, revered, or dreaded. It is the first step toward ascending to demigodhood. Gods of Calidar are comparable to Mystara’s immortals, with demigods qualifying as Initiates and Temporals in that universe.
            During their lifetimes, adventurers earn Notoriety Points (NPs) aside from their normal experience points, leading them to attain “epicdom” well before 20^th level. This scheme is strongest in the Kingdom of Meryath, which is Calidar’s alter ego to Mystara’s Ierendi, a realm of heroes. This is explained in more detail in CAL1 “In Stranger Skies,” p. 86. Though demons and demigods receive ample treatment in CC1 “Beyond the Skies,” epic heroes do not. Clues about their abilities are scattered across nearly 400 pages across CAL1 and CC1.

Notoriety Points

Based on personal merit entirely, adventurers earn (or lose) NPs, which represents how the ever-watchful servants of gods perceive them. NPs aren’t that easy to obtain and remain entirely at the discretion of the referee. The following analogy comes to mind: XPs are to basketball scoring what NPs are to soccer goals. They are meant as a tool to entice players to get more personally involved during the game rather than sit back and go along with a group of more assertive gamers. It rewards risk taking, clever behavior, and illustrious roleplaying as much as combat. A successful adventurer might expect to gain 1 or 2 NPs at the end of a foray, up to 5 NPs for some truly extraordinary feat. At 60 NPs (or more), one becomes an epic hero. Inactivity or lackluster gameplay unrelated to bad die rolls may also result in lost NPs, so it is possible to “fade out” of epicdom until enough NPs are regained.

            Along the way, adventurers can also receive divine favors when they please their patron deities—usually a temporary magical ability of some sort, described in CC1. Since the game master controls their attribution, NPs can be adjusted to help characters to attain epic status well before experience levels gleaming out of reach to most players (games beyond 15^th level are rare, especially in an OSR context). At 1,000 NPs, epic heroes and legendary villains have garnered enough divine attention to ascend as demigods at the service of sponsoring deities. You are welcome to guess that the next blog entry will focus on demigods and their interface with D&D BECMI.

Death Battlefield by Manthos Lappas © 2016-2020 mlappas

Epic Benefits

The nature of being "epic" comes directly from the thoughts and admiration (or dread) of common people hearing fantastic tales, amplified and brought into existence by Calidar's World Soul. It is in fact how gods are created at a much greater scale. Note that although epic heroes are politically empowered in the Kingdom of Meryath, their behavior is legally regulated on the islands. Meryath minstrels, a new character class (soon to be published in PG1 “Players’ Guide to Meryath”), enjoy alternate ways of earning notoriety for themselves and their companions.
            What follows includes a compilation of various statements scattered throughout CAL1 and CC1, with new powers added at the end. 

• Epic heroes and legendary villains do not age. They can be killed in combat like any other character.
• If killed, they can be called to serve their liege deities as powerful divine servants (see CC1 p. 211 for their stats and abilities.)
• Odds epic heroes/villains contract limbo sickness are limited to a maximum 10% regardless of ability scores.
• Their attacks are considered magic weapons as regards monsters immune to non-magical attacks; this benefit applies whether these heroes fight with melee and projectile weapons or bare-handed.
• They can inflict combat damage and cast spells upon demigods and archfiends* (which lesser mortals cannot, even when using magic). They can also slay dormant gods.
• Epic heroes can directly influence how mortals perceive their gods, possibly altering in the long term the behaviors, alignments, and appearances of these deities. With respect to this ability, epic heroes may face conflicts with threatened cults or with related clergies seeing their own influences challenged.
• Upon achieving a related quest, an epic hero can rally enough mortals to revive a dormant god.
• Epic heroes have a better chance than lesser mortals at calling for divine intervention.
• In general, they receive saving throws (with appropriate penalties) against godly magic or against the powers of divine artifacts, while lesser mortals do not. As a result, they may be able to shield their thoughts from gods and archfiends, or refuse to honor an imperious order.
• Epic heroes may be called upon to work as their divine lieges’ scouts, spies, and informants. They may be tasked with quests to handle godly business among mortals.
• They may be summoned to command a part of a liege deity’s army in battle on outer planes.
• When reaching “name level,” they earn the Leadership and Military Tactics skills, or substantial bonuses for skills already possessed.
• Elves and dwarves especially may be tasked with crafting and enchanting artifacts with necessary divine powers willingly proffered by liege deities, usually in exchange for a service of some kind as payment for their work.

(*) Referees should feel free to discard the original rule that epic heroes are unable to fight demigods with more than twice their Hit Dice. The simpler approach might work better, with epic heroes able to fight any demigod instead.

Upon reaching “name-level” and for each new experience level from this point onward, epic heroes can earn One of the following advantages:

• +10 hit points (first time) and +5 hp (if picked again).
• Improve their natural AC +2 in addition to any other ability, armor, and magical bonuses.
• Improve an ability score +1 (even beyond the maximum normally available to normal adventurers).
• Magic Resistance +5%.
• Regenerate +1 hp per hour.
• Detect invisible 15’ radius.
• Detect evil (or good) 30’ radius.
• Immunity to poison and drugs (one-time choice).
• Immunity to paralysis and “hold” magic (one-time choice).
• Immunity to normal and curse-type diseases (one-time choice).
• Immunity to fear and mind-affecting attacks (one-time choice).
• Turn into a Rascal-type demon with appropriate HD (one-time choice, irreversible; NPs and XPs are no longer relevant).

Conclusion: Although by no means impervious to godly wrath, epic heroes can prove to divine society as useful as they are exasperating. Some deities will eventually resort to elevate to demigod status an impertinent but irrepressibly glorious mortal as a scheme to better control the pesky offender who now is obligated to faithfully serve the divine sponsor in every possible way. Most, fortunately, attain demigodhood as a rightful and timely reward willingly given for their loyal services.

Coming Next: Demigods of Calidar with D&D BECMI game stats.

For discussions on Calidar, feel free to visit the chat groups on Facebook or Mewe.