Crafting Factions within a Megadugneon

The lifeblood of megadungeons is the faction. Today, I am going to build a faction for a dungeon. I am currently designing a red dragon lair, so I will build one of the factions for that place. In my notes, I list several groups that are servile to the dragon: kobolds, lizard-men, mushroom-men and a few others. I will write up the kobolds. They are a common enemies, so others may get some use out of this and they are interesting in this environment. One interesting note for this particular scenario is that the red dragon is already dead. The PCs know this going into the adventure, but the factions within its lair do not.

A look within my notebook

What are the steps to making a faction within a dungeon?

1. Decide what the faction is
2. Are there factions/sub-factions within the main group?
   (If so repeat these steps for them)
3. Determine size of the faction
4. Why does the faction exist?
   
5. What does the faction need?
6. Who are the NPCs within the faction?
7. What other real world, game, or other factors need to be defined? Define them.
8. How does the faction react to stimuli?
9. How does the faction interact with the other factions in the area?

I decided very early on that the kobolds that worship the red dragon would actually be mostly white dragon bloodline kobolds. I decided to make them white dragon bloodline to keep the adventurers guessing. The majority of the creatures within the dungeon are fire-based, so having some cold using creatures available would be fun. 

As you can see from my bad handwriting, the kobolds are pretty populous, 113 total with 88 being white, and 25 being red. I don't need to know the personality of each, but I do need to know if there are factions/sub-factions within the group.  The kobolds believe they are working for a living god, and therefore always try to work towards its goals instead of their own. The act as a unified group, believing everything the king says comes directly from the mouth of their god, the red dragon. 

This is why the faction exists: to serve the red dragon. To fulfill this, their first faction goal is protect the god. If they believe interlopers are there to kill the dragon, the kobolds become and stay hostile. 

After protecting the dragon, the kobolds generally want survival. What does a group of kobolds need to survive? Food, water, resources to make weapons/armor (not all of the factions within the dungeon are pro-dragon), and a safe place for the group are necessities the kobolds look for. Any of these could be used to barter with the faction. 

Do the kobolds want anything else as a faction? Probably, but anything else they want should tie into the above mentioned goals. So, they may want some mushroom-men pushed out of a nearby cavern to grow their territory. They may want to control some fields outside of the caves to hold livestock for themselves and their dragon overlord. The kobolds may want treasure to add to the dragon's hoard. Once the main goals are established, it is easy to extrapolate what the faction wants going forward.

The next step in creating this faction is determining major NPCs for the party to role-play or interact with in other ways. My notes list a king, 12 lieutenants and 5 shamans. I don't need a lot of information on any one of these, except the king (who would be the negotiator in discussions).   

King Rech:  red kobold; king, leader
personality: boisterous, angry, eloquent, pious
features: one broken horn, stands a head above other kobolds

Shaman Torce: red kobold; high shaman
personality: quiet, forceful, pious
features: always wears a necklace of teeth
secret: knows red dragon is dead

White Kobold

Shaman Frist: white kobold; shaman
personality: defiant, abrasive
features: several scales on chest have begun turning green through molting

Other shamans: Frombe, Basht, Minak (all red)

Lt. Tunk: white kobold, leader of 7 white kobolds
personality: calm, calculating, patient
features: no horns, twisted snout
Hates Lt. Krask

Lt. Krask: red kobold, highest military rank (presides over all kobold soldiers)
personality: angry, reckless, distrusting, lazy
features: wears a helmet with a large red and white plume

Lt. Spear: white kobold, leads 4 kobolds (2 white/2 red)
personality: cowardly, daydreamer
features: mute, knows common and draconic sign languages

Other lieutenants: Eeyce (white), Bern (red), Tamp (white), Flathe (red), Ach (red), Trimpe (red), 3 more red

Finally, I determine the other aspects of the faction, as I think necessary for survival within the dungeon as a group:
Religions: worship red dragon
Economy: communistic, with no money. All valuables are given to treasure hoard of dragon.
Primary Food/Water Sources: hunter/gatherers, collect rain water or trek to river
Living Arrangements: largely communal, with alcoves for lieutenants and shamans, king has separate living area. Communal food preparation and consumption. King dines with commoners. 

Red Kobold

At this point, I have everything I need to run an ad-hoc encounter with the kobolds. I know what they want and have a good idea how they react to the stimuli of others. To make it a bit easier though, I want to codify certain things that the PCs may do.

If the PCs attack without negotiating: the kobolds are forever enemies, believing the PCs are there to kill the red dragon.
If the PCs mention the red dragon is dead: the kobolds do not believe them and become hostile. 
If the PCs offer assistance: the kobolds are weary until the PCs prove themselves. They become friendly after that.
If the PCs attempt to convince the kobolds they want to parlay with the dragon: the kobolds provide escort to where the dragon has instructed them to bring those who wish to capitulate to it.

Anything else the PCs do, I can extrapolate from this list how the kobolds react. I have not given the kobolds any specific quests for the PCs, as they may be forever enemies. Instead, I like to wait and see what and how the game progresses. I can always make up a McGuffin like the Kobold King's Signet Ring that was stolen by the fire sprites. 

Finally, how do the kobolds see the other factions (and vice versa)?

Lizard-men: bitter enemies
Mushroom-men: neutral, mushroom men are often a food source (mushroom men hate kobolds)
Fire Sprites: annoying little creatures, but also servants of red dragon (fire sprites think the kobolds a lessor species, beneath their notice except for entertainment through practical jokes)
Rocklings/Lavalings: these strange creatures are miracles of the dragon's power. (The -lings are not intelligent enough to understand the kobolds)
Salamanders: The dragon's Voices made flesh, never to be questioned, only obeyed. (The salamanders see the kobolds as pawns and expendable resources)

Trap Tuesday - Green Slime

Ahh, green slime. One of Gary Gygax's cruelest tricks to play on players. For a reminder, let's go over it in a couple of editions.

5E
A creature that comes into contact with green slime takes 5 (1d10) acid damage. . . Against wood or metal, green slime deals 11 (2d20) acid damage. . . (5E DMG, 105).
(Note, these damage values are for a thin layer of 5x5 green slime.)

Swords & Wizardry
Green slime isn’t technically a monster, just an extremely dangerous hazard in underground tombs and other such places. Any metal or organic substance it touches begins to turn to green slime (saving throw). It can be killed with fire or extreme cold, and the transformation process can be arrested by the use of a Cure Disease spell.

AD&D 1E (Quoted from 1E Monster Manual, page 46)

Melanie Cook
https://www.thesprucepets.com/slime-algae-1378632

FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 9
MOVE: 0"
HIT DICE: 2
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 0
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S
PSlONlC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Green slimes are strange plant growths found in subterranean places. Although they cannot move, they slowly grow, feeding on animal, vegetable and metallic substances. They are sensitive to vibrations and will often drop upon passing creatures from above.
Green slime will attach itself to living flesh, and in 1-4 melee rounds thereafter turn the creature into green slime (no resurrection possible). It eats away wood slowly, consuming but one inch thickness in an hour. Green slime eats metals quickly, going through plate armor in 3 melee
rounds. It can be scraped off quickly (if the scraper is then discarded), excised, frozen, or burned. A cure disease spell kills green slime. Other forms of attack- including weapons or spell - do it no harm.
Occasionally huge slimes or colonies of dozens have been reported.

Turning the Slime Into a Trap
As you can see, the green slime is a trap in and of itself. It doesn't follow the normal rules for a monster, as far back as 1E. Just fireball your friend before he touches you. But, it can be so much worse.

Forgive my awful drawing skills.

Today, we are combining the green slime with a covered pit trap. When someone walks across the covered pit trap, it drops them into a massive vat of green slime. Someone alone in a dungeon that doesn't find this trap will almost surely die to it.

But, what about groups? That's where this trap gets fun. A halfling rogue may scout ahead of the party, and not even trip the trap. You can set whatever amount of weight you want for the pivot.
Two warriors go next, single file. They weigh about the same, so the trap doesn't move. But, when the wizard steps behind the second warrior, the trap triggers (because the wizard doesn't have heavy armor and weapons.) Oops, two dead adventurers. And the cleric is still on the far side of the trap, freaking out.

How I Would Adjudicate The Trap
First, I would describe the room or the hallway its in. "The air here is sharp and acrid. It's also somewhat dry compared to the other areas you have been in the complex. You occasionally hear a drip noise from somewhere you can't pinpoint."
Next, I would set a fairly high DC for finding the pit. For 5E this would be 20+. For OSR games, it would be a 15% penalty to Find Traps. The reason for this is twofold. First, this is a high-level trap. I wouldn't throw it at any characters less than level 10, no matter which system. Second, I want wiggle room for how they explore the area. If they just tamp with a 10' pole, no bonus (remember to set the pivot weight at 40+ lbs). If they pour water down the hallway, I will give them a bonus. Players are creative people, and I want to be able to reward the creativity without sacrificing lethality.
Finally, I would use the trap as intended. If it is not found, it should kill someone. Like, gone forever. And their gear. If it is found, I would let them come up with creative solutions to "locking" the trap. Maybe they lay ropes tightly over it, and spike them into the ground. Maybe they just use it as a gold storage facility (keeping the upward-moving side at ground level). Maybe they come up with something entirely unexpected.

Monster Monday - Guest Post - Su-monster

Hey everybody! Skeeter Green from SGP Productions here to once again fill the giant space-bunny slippers of Jayson Gardner this week for Monster Monday! They didn’t get sick of me as I took you all to the gutters (literally), so this week I’m going to get weird and mental, so without further preamble, I bring you the su-monster!!!

The su-monster made its first appearance in original D&D, in Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry, by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume. Additional Special Thanks are given to perennial personal heroes of mine Steve Marsh, Dr. Dennis Sustare, Jim Ward, and my Icon, Tim Kask. Eldritch Wizardry is probably my fondest memory of the original books, not just for the nude on the cover (about as tame as you can get, too), but mostly because I have always been a sucker for “new magic” books and weird stuff. And this book is full of new rules, new magic, and new monsters that eventually would become pillars of more modern systems. Demons? Mind flayers (not trying to step on IP here, please don’t come for me Mr. Hasbro lawyer)? DEMOGORGON? Craziness! Plus, our friend, and reason fo this article, the su-monster.

Initially, the su-monster was described as “a wasp-waisted, great chested hound. Their heads appear much like gorillas'. All four feet are prehensile and armed with long and extremely sharp nails as well.” (Gygax & Blume) It gives alittle more information about familial makeup, and then gets into “Su-monsters have a latent psionic ability which enables them to deliver some form of psionic attack once (per day) if psionic activity is being used near (within 12" of them) … Psionic defense is not necessary as the Su-monster is not itself subject to psionic attack.” Now I have always liked psionics, but this is a little overpowering for my taste. Somebody can hit me with some cool new power, but I can’t use it back? WTF? Anyway, the su-monster got a bit of a makeover in 1E.

In the Monster Manual (Gygax) The su makes another appearance (as it will throughout several more iterations of the game) but has changed its look dramatically (probably for copyright reasons; pesky lawyers!) Now, they have lost their wasp-dog look, and seem like regular monkeys. They kept their powerful mental powers, but psionics was a little better defined in 1E (depending on who you ask), and as one of the few psionicly endowed creatures, they were in many campaigns that allowed supplemental psionic rules (along with mind flayers, intellect devourers, and titans. A real mix.)

Psionics themselves eventually dropped out of favor, first only appearing in 2nd edition in the Complete Psionics Handbook, missing 3.X almost completely, makes a brief emergence in 4th edition (I bet no one knows that), and then came back with a vengeance in 5E in the Tomb of Annihilation, deep in the jungles of Chult. In 5E, the creature’s psionic power is relegated to a single attack but can injure and/or stun its target. Not bad for a 40+ year old monster!

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I’m sure Jayson really wants his blog back!!! Come by and visit me on Twitter @SkeeterMFGreen, and the Goddammit, Zach! Youtube series, courtesy of Uncle Matt’s RPG Studio https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwQ6cSVDLklOoQ8VSMsxp5Q. See ya in the dungeons!

Monster Monday: Hydras

Monica C. Webster
"Hercules and the Hydra"
www.websterartgallery.com

Last week, in my Mord Mar FLGS game, the party decided to take on a hydra. This led me to seriously look at them in the past week. There are so many hydra, it made the session a guessing game.

Everybody knows of the Lernaean hydra. There are 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 headed hydras. There are pyrohydras and cryohydras. And they can have any number of heads above. All of this led the players to speculate about what type of hydra would be hiding in the Forge District. It turned out to be a pyro-hydra, and slightly different from the AD&D version. Namely, each head could breathe fire 1/day for 5d6 damage.

This just further illustrates my point. Hydra are hard to quantify in a PCs mind. They can be a hundred different mutations "by the book." And even more when you let your mind wander.
Moreover, the hydra is a fairly rare creature in modules. According to Adventure Lookup they have appeared in 34 adventures. TSR had 14 modules, WotC has 4. They are severely underused.

How best to use a hydra, though?

In the Palneal Swamp, it is reputed that a 5-headed hydra hunts the southern edge. Local fisherman have been seeing it closer and closer to the river. The fishermen are panicked and refuse to get near that stretch of river. The local lord asks heroes to deal with the imminent set.

Deep on the trade route between Redstone and Chattin a hydra has buried itself within the sands. It only attacks with its heads, and keeps its body below ground (giving it boosted AC.)

A sect of kobolds within Mord Mar worships a hydra near an underground lake. They often lure adventurers near its lair, and let it feast.

Monster Monday - Orcs

Today I want to delve deep into orcs. They are a creature that has changed greatly over time, and I want to explore 1974-2018. (Art to the right used under license from Fat Goblin Games.)

Orcs are some of the oldest monsters in D&D. In Monsters & Treasure, only men and goblins (and kobolds, using the stats of goblins) are listed before orcs. Orcs have a negative to hit in sunlight, as goblins. Some people speculate that orcs are a goblinoid race because of this. Note: orcs and goblins both appear on the "giant" tables in M&M. They lair in villages and caves, create defenses and use catapults. They also, apparently, transport large amounts of gold frequently. These caravans are led by Fighting Men and Magic-Users. From playing in Castle Greyhawk (run by Paul Stromburg from Gary's notes,) I know that Gary often used orcs as rank-and-file in the early level of dungeons.
Rob Kuntz was known to use forces of orcs under the control of Robilar. Notably, he killed a whole tribe while working his way through the Tomb of Horrors.

In 1E orcs get a bit more descriptive. Paraphrasing the Monster Manual, orcs are fiercely competitive, bullies, cruel and hateful. They harbor a deep hatred for elves in particular, slaying them when others would be taken as slaves or food. In 1E, they speak several languages (orc, goblin, hobgoblin and ogre.)

In 2E, orcs get a publicist, apparently. Their description changes from the total evil of 1e to (again, paraphrasing):
aggressive mammalian carnivores that hunt and raid to survive. They need to expand territory to survive and constantly war with PC races. Orc language now becomes defined (using archaic human words) and only some orcs speak other languages (notably common, goblin, hobgoblin and ogre.)
Orcs are aggressive in 2E, often breaking alliances. They still take slaves in 2E and believe that bullying is the right of the strong.

In 3.5 we see the first alignment shift. The MM entry states "often chaotic evil." Dwarves are now mentioned as racial enemies, alongside elves. They still take slaves and war continuously. Otherwise, little changes between 2 and 3.X.

4E has little other than mechanics in the MM. "Orcs worship gruumsh, the one-eyed god of slaughter and are savage, bloodthirsty marauders. They plague the civilized races of the world and also fight among themselves for scraps of food and treasure." Orcs have lost the negative to hit in sunlight in 4E.

5E orcs have a much better background write-up than in 4E. A full page of text is dedicated to how orcs behave. Again, they have racial hatred of elves (but not dwarves.) They are given some much better motivation. In 5E orcs respect power, especially physical power. They allow any creature of strength to join their tribes and often work for evil giants.

Over time, orcs have changed in public perception as well. Two examples that move the scales from orcs being an embodiment of chaos are the Elder Scrolls series and the Warcraft series. In these video games, orcs are often portrayed as victims of attacks on their homes and not the attackers. This can be used to create unexpected encounters with a staple baddy.

Amalgamating the knowledge from above, I want to build an orc stronghold, like I did with the troglodyte last week.

First, let's build the encounter list. Orcs (duh), ogres (because of common language,) and we'll have them led by a hill giant as a nod to 5E. Because I use S&W (a 0E clone) I will make their home a series of caves. They also need slaves and non-combatants to lend verisimilitude.

Encounter #1: The orcs have set up a ballista and palisade around the entrance to their lair. 6 orcs typically guard the entrance. However, they are lazy and will not take the duties seriously. The PCs can sneak by or eliminate these creatures if they are stealthy.

Encounter #2: The training room usually holds 4-6 orcs and an ogre. They are alert and ready to fight, but sounds of battle from this chamber are common, so no reinforcements from other areas will be immediate.

Encounter #3: The cooking area houses mostly non-combatant females and young. For added spice, you can add a young ogre who fights like an orc. Reinforcements will show up if combat happens here.

Encounter #4: Slave quarters has a few badly injured/beaten/malnourished humans or halflings. Two to four orcs guard them. Reinforcements do not come for combat in this area.

Encounter #5: The remaining ogres quarter here. Two ogres and four orcs are playing a variant of dominoes when the PCs enter the cave. These creatures are the ones first to reinforce any combats.

Encounter #6: This area is the orcs sleeping and privacy area. Several males and non-combatant females will be here, albeit not ready to fight. The males will reinforce other areas several rounds later.

Encounter #7: The hill giant, Grakan, resides over this small outpost from here. He has a throne and several elite orcs as guards.

Monster Monday - Troglodyte

Troglodytes show up in some of the most iconic modules. First up: S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. 18 of the buggers hang out in the Greater Caverns. They use great tactics (with a leader that creates an illusionary army. The troglodytes are instrumental in the module to give the Caverns a "living dungeon" feel.
B9: Castle Caldwell and Beyond has 4 of them hanging out near the gardens. I've never played the module, so I don't know the chances of running into them.
X1: Isle of Dread has a lair of 17 troglodytes. However, they are stuffed into a corner of the island, with instructions to use a generic map. They don't even appear on the random encounter table!
N1: Against the Cult of the Reptile God: In this module, the troglodytes drive the story. A few of the locations in town have cult members working with troglodytes. The author uses their scent as a plot device (a way to track them.) The troglodytes are active in the cult, and show up as wandering monsters. This is probably the best module featuring troglodytes.
In all, troglodytes have shown up in 29 different adventures.

Troglodytes fill the same roll as a lot of more common monsters. Orcs, hobgoblins, zombies, and gnolls are used similarly. Trogs have a wonderful flavor if you're looking for something same-but-different.

Today, I'm going to try something new. I want to thematically build an adventure starting with the troglodyte. So, according to Monstrosities, they are "subterranean reptile-people. In battle they emit a horrible smell..." From the MM we add "They loathe humans." This gives us a start of what might hang out with them.
My first thought is what loves smelly things? Otyugh. They love trash, offal and carrion. Sounds like they can hang out stinky troglodytes. And, I am often a fan of using them as a trash removal service.
Next, let's find a reptilian connection. The naga is an obvious choice, but that was the Cult of the Reptile God's boss. So, something different. Hydra are underused, imho, so that's what they worship and feed.
I feel that trogs probably live in a swampy area, so we can add giant leeches, and snakes (constrictor and viper.)

So, the adventure looks like this:
Hook: bad things happening in the swamp. (The DM can even use "lizardman" to keep the PCs in the dark about what's up.)
Travel to the lair: use giant leeches and snakes to wear down party.
The lair is probably branching paths, with several trogs in different areas. Add females/children as appropriate. The otyugh probably hangs out fairly deep. Maybe a branching side-path that doesn't directly connect to the main quest.
Eventually, the PCs find their way to the hydra's lair, but the troglodyte witch-doctor has set up a puzzle-lock to make sure his dumb flock doesn't accidentally get eaten by the hydra. Maybe a pentagram or another puzzle involving the number 5 (to give a final hint of what's behind.)
Then they come to the hydra, down in a pit. It can maneuver around to avoid arrows, possibly making a game of cat-and-mouse within a labyrinth below. Depending on levels and abilities 1-4 trogs could be present.

The image above was by Christopher Burdett. It is owned by WotC and used in the Dungeons of Dread.

Monster Monday - Iron Cobra

I have become a fan of this little machination in recent weeks. The iron cobra fills a design need for me. They are constructs (and therefore can be inert for centuries, even in airtight spaces.) They challenge low-level PC's.
The iron cobra first appeared in the Fiend Folio. The entry and stats are a mess, though. Let's take a look (These images were found on the web. I'm sure they are property of WotC, and only used here for comparative purposes):

As you can see, the description is all over the place. Why do they list who invented it (but, not actually?) Why are there only a dozen in existence? It can be a guard? Or assassin? So glad I had a book to tell me that. And how in the F*%$ do these things track by "psychic vibrations" when they a) don't have psionic abilitiy and b) aren't even alive?

The image above is from the awesome Tome of Horrors by Frog God Games, S&W version. As you can see, modern design has cleaned up the Iron Cobra a lot. All of the good information is there, without phantom psionics.

The iron cobra has an appearance in 1,2,3 and 4e D&D versions. In 5e it shows up in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. The only encounter I remember of an iron cobra was in The Sentinal (UK2.) There it was used to guard a library. Although, it looks like there are more. I just found Adventure Lookup.

I modify iron cobras slightly in my game. Their raw materials are 2000 gp worth of gems. Rubies need to be used for the eyes (to give the evil look.) 10 additional gems (all of the same type) must be implanted down the "spine" to conduct the magical energy for locomotion. 

(From my playtest of Mord Mar a couple of weeks ago:) In a secret room on a lord's manor, an evil temple hums with power. Its guardian, an iron cobra, stays inert until a living creature touches the altar, at which time it snaps to life and attacks.

The party recently defeated Lareth, the beautiful, the evil cleric of Lloth! With his dying breath he states the command word of his iron cobra. It follows the party back to the tavern, waits for them to be comfortably asleep, and attacks the armorless cleric!

Jackal, an evil fighter fell to ghouls. As his unliving eyes flickered open, his two thoughts were flesh and his beloved cobra treasure. Now, he and his iron cobra hunt the town in the darkness, retreating to the sewers before the sun rises. The town is baffled why some family members disappear, and others are found dead with apparent snake bites. The mayor is sure the snake-men from the swamp are responsible. 

A rogue iron cobra wanders the sewers of Redstone, its venom sacs long empty. It attacks any living thing within its eyesight. The leadership of the town knows of it, and leave it alone because it kills so many rats.

At the bottom of a wishing well an iron cobra lies inert. It was placed there a century ago by an evil wizard (now lich.) He promised revenge on the group who thwarted his first attempt at immortality, and now he moves toward the city, ready to awaken his pet, and kill the heroes' kin.

Monster Monday - Owlbear!

Tony DiTerlizzi covers the origins of the Chinasaurs very well here. I don't think I need to rehash his words, so I will get straight into the game talk!

The reason why I have chosen the owlbear this week is because I recently placed one in Mord Mar. And it is a problem. The party refused to go near it! They trudged off in another direction. And, really I don't blame them. Here's the Bounty Board Wanted Poster. The bad photoshop was intentional.

The owlbear is a tank. With three attacks, 5+ Hit Dice and a hug attack, these creatures are quite dangerous to low level parties. Most grognards remember the owlbear in B2 quite well. Usually that owlbear killed 1-2 party members on my expeditions.
This owlbear is a prime example of why older editions didn't use challenge ratings. This monster would kill everything it could. But, it had a weakness that could be exploited. And that weakness doesn't play well into a CR. That weakness: it is dumb. Did the party run into a pit trap on the way to the owlbear? Have it chase you back to the pit trap, and stab it from above. Did you just slaughter a few goblins? Give the corpses to the owlbear, and he may let you go on your way.

In the courtyard of the citadel, an owlbear has made a nest. As this is the main transition from one level to another, she has a steady supply of food. Even more appetizing for her are the goblins that keep coming out of the citadel to see if she is gone.

A dryad in the Bitterbark Forest has charmed an owlbear. She often has it attack the woodsmen from Redstone. The merchant's guild offers a 500 gp reward for dealing with the creature. But, if the adventurers kill the owlbear, the dryad will never forgive them.

Although unintelligent, an owlbear has figured out that rust monsters make things easier to eat. She has made a lair across the hallway in an abandoned castle from a rust monster clutch. They often ambush the 2-legged creatures together that enter their combined territory.

The goblins of the Palneal Swamp captured a live owlbear. Their leader had delusions of riding the beast, but it ate him. Now, the goblins believe the owlbear to be their leader, per tradition. It walks among them, occasionally eating a goblin. The clan fell into disarray without leadership, and sent their bravest warriors to the Oracle of Stone and Flame to ask for guidance. They returned with only the advice "bring the humans in to kill it." So a group of goblins has shown up at Redstone's gates pleading for "strong human warriors." They offer the tribe's greatest possession "The Stick of Boom" (a wand of lightning bolts, with 6 charges left.)

The good picture of the owlbear is by Dave Allsop, bought on RPGNow. Ironhead Arts is the publisher.

Monster Monday - Lammasu

Today I wish to talk about lammasu. Or more specifically, lamassu. Going down a rabbit hole, I found these listed as a type of "bovine creature." I had always known them as lion-like. From there I did some digging.

Assyrians worshiped Lamassu as a god (a good and protective deity.) Over time, lamassu statues were placed throughout cities, as watchful protectors.

As you can see from this image, they could be depicted as having bullish bodies. This image is far different than the ones seen in 1E and S&W.

The lammasu seen on the left is the 1E Monster Manual version (used here to highlight the historical and fantasy differences between the two.)

There are significant differences between the historical and RPG versions. It is important to note that the historical version could also be depicted as a lion, but most images when searching show the cow/bull body.

My best guess for the lion version being the RPG version: Lions have claws. Lions are predators, and therefore "scarier." (However, I don't want a bull to kick me any more than I want a lion to rake me.)



I don't ever remember running across a lammasu in a published module. In fact, I don't ever remember coming across a lammasu while adventuring. Now that I am looking at them closely, I feel this is a shame.

From Matt Finch's Monstrosities: "Lammasu are akin to angels . . . serves as temple guardians and agents of divine law. . . but because they are ogten pledged to guard particular places, people or objects, they will often engage other servants of Law to pursue such threats." (Page 285, S&W version.)

So, lammasu are akin to sphinxes in some aspects. They are protectors and watchers. Building off of this I present the following ideas for using lammasu/lamassu/ shedu in your OSR adventures:

A lammasu flies into town, roaring and screaming. The tomb of an ancient king has been desecrated. This tomb was so ancient, not even elves remember the king's name, only the lammasu. He promises that any pure of heart that find the king's grave robbers may use the king's sword (a holy avenger) for their lifetime.

Mistaken information on the location of a lich's lair has brought the party to a museum lost to time. As they interact with the ancient technologies, a lammasu awakens wondering who is disturbing their site.

Deep within the accursed mummy's pyramid, the adventurers are exhausted. They seek refuge from the undead onslaught that blocks their exit. Nearby, in a hidden room, a lammasu who had been tasked with keeping the evil at bay has noticed the heroes' plight. He escorts the group to his holy ground for respite.

Eve's Garden, long thought to be a myth has been found. None have been able to pass the guardians. The two lammasu who guard the Font of Immortality will only let the most pure within. A dying king, who knows he is not pure, fears his evil son's ascent to the throne. He knows the people will suffer, so he tasks the party to enter Eve's Garden and bring him a flask of the water from the Font.


Picture by Tyler de Noche - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70691422

Lammasu stat block from Monster Manual (1978), by Gary Gygax, TSR original publisher. Now owned by Wizards of the Coast.

Monster Monday Returns!

Cover for City of Brass, by Casey Cristofferson.

I don't know the artist's name.

Owned by Frog God Games. 

Used with permission.

It feels like forever since I've had the chance to sit down and write a blog. NTRPG, camping, and real life issues have been in the way. Enough of that! Back to blogging!

Because Michigan has been around a 100 degrees, today's monster is the Efreet. This monster has been made famous from two sources: the Qur'an and 1001 Arabian Nights. Both of these make Efreet to be powerful beings able to tempt mortals. Neither mentions them granting wishes. 

But, what is an efreet (ifrit, afreet, afrit and other variations)? The dictionary defines it as: a powerful evil jinni, demon or monstrous giant in Arabic mythology. In the AD&D Monster Manual, they are powerful beings from the Elemental Plane of Fire.

They gain a number of abilities and interpretations from Gygax. They can be forced into servitude for 1,001 days (wonder where that came from ...), they can grant 3 wishes, although they always try to pervert the wish. Efreet can become invisible, detect magic, assume gaseous form, enlarge themselves, polymorph themselves, and create a wall of fire. Hence, they are a formidable foe, regardless of level.

Monstrosities calls them "type of genie." Most of their magical abilities are not listed in that book (only creating a wall of fire is.)

An efreet's heart was once used to power a forge within Mord Mar. Once it is found, the party has 3 choices: 1. Bring it to the efreet statue, hoping to gain wishes (although death is a possibility from an angry, recently resurrected efreet), 2. Bring it to the city forge to help create more powerful weapons for the guards and city or 3. Return it to the family who was forced to leave it behind. 

The great pyromancer, Abd Al Alim, has not been seen in weeks. The local royalty begs the party to find out what happened to him. They find an efreet in his inner sanctum, still within the summoning circle. Abs Al Alim's body lays burned just outside the circle.

A cryohydra has nested near the town of Crow's Reach. The king, a retired adventurer is owed a favor by an efreet. So he asks the party to bring the Efreet Bottle to the cryohydra's lair to destroy the many-headed beast. However, the efreet once released, believes he has been sold to a new master, and his services are again required three times before freedom.

A lot more about efreet can be found on Kickstarter right now! City of Brass by Frog God Games is funded and continuing to grow.