Music Monday - Pink Pony Club

I will admit I'm a little late to the game, but I've been listening to Chappell Roan a lot recently and after watching a skit was inspired to create a magic item based on Pink Pony Club.

The original music video:

And here's a D&D appropriate bardcore cover:

For Your Game

Ser Roan was a charismatic servant and temple guardian of the Red Knight. Though born of humble origins, her brilliance and willingness to actively aid those that came to her chapel garnered her the admiration of common folk and outcasts. While she was short of stature and had a lithe figure, her fiery red curls and signature weapon made her stand out. She wielded an old relic of her faith, a magical mace cast from a red metal. With a head shaped like a knight chess piece, the metal had started to fade to a pale red with time, though it retained its enchantments. Ser Roan served the people nobly until she met her untimely end while questing for her goddess. Bards still sing her tales. 

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Pink Pony Club (OSE)

Bonus: The Pink Pony Club grants a +1 bonus to both attack and damage rolls made using it. 

Mounted Bonus: If the wielder is mounted the Pink Pony Club instead grants a +3 bonus to both attack and damage rolls made using it. 

Celestial Mount: Once per day you can summon a celestial steed. This creature uses the War Horse stat block and remains until killed or the wielder dismisses it. If the steed is killed the wielder must perform a day long ritual before using this ability again.

Pink Pony Club (D&D 2024)

Weapon (Mace), Rare (Requires Attunement)

You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. The bonus increases to +3 when you use the weapon when to attack while mounted.

You have advantage on all Charisma (Performance) rolls.

You call on the aid of a celestial steed. You may cast the spell Find Steed (Celestial version only) spell at second level without expending a spell slot and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest.

The Evils Of Illmire

After watching several videos praising it, I decided to grab a pdf copy of The Evils of Illmire. The adventure was written, produced, and features layout by Zack Wolf. There are several artists featured in the adventure, but my personal favorite is Jack Badashski. The plot centers around a a dangerous wilderness and a backwoods town under peril caused by a sinister cult. The original version was 72 pages, but Zack has updated it a few times. The current version is 125 pages. The rules are written for Old-School Essentials, but can be easily ran with other systems. You get pdf monster conversions for Dungeon World and Swords & Sinister Spells. Personally I might use it for my next 5e game. 

Honestly though, it's not just an adventure. It's a "mini-mega" hexcrawl. Sixteen hexes are presented. The descriptions give you all you need, including encounter charts. There's also a variety of environments. From swamps to forests to mountains, there are a variety of dungeons and sites to explore. Each of these encounters is presented with a Dyson Logos map. Parties can interact with mantis folk, froglings, a witch, a giant king, and the Observer (who's definitely not a beholder). There is a directory of personalities and a hand plot and connection list. While I'm sure a party will eventually leave the 16 hexes, honestly you could have an entire campaign take place in Illmire. Once rid of the cult, the town would make an excellent home base. 

So it's pretty obvious, I really liked this adventure. While I only have the pdf at the moment, I will either print it out of pick up a print copy at some point. You can get the pdf and print on demand on DriveThru RPG. At the time of this post you can get the pdf cheaper on itch.io. The pdf comes with quite a few extras, including maps, artwork, and thematic character sheets.

Swan Maidens

The Swan Maiden Class is a new 14th level Old-School Essentials class from Tim Brannan of The Other Side Blog. The 19 page pdf uses a great selection of public domain artwork. 

Inspired by classic literature these ladies protect natural areas from threats. Obviously, their main ability is their ability to turn into a swan. Additionally they are valuable companions to have for any who travel through the wilderness and can cast nature based divine magic. The classes spells (some of which are very new) are presented as well as some cool Swan Maiden themed magic items. Finally, inspired by legends and folklore, there are some alternate rules for the maidens. This is a really nice touch and gives some ideas of how gamemasters can customize classes for their own campaigns.

I really like this class. It seems like a lot of thought and research went into its design. 

Music Monday - Hellfire

A few weeks ago I watched the second season of Arcane. The animation is spectacular and I love that the series deals with loss, identity, class struggles, and innovation. While I have no interest in playing League of Legends, the game it's based on, I thoroughly enjoyed the series. I highly recommend checking Arcane out if you have Netflix.

This week's Music Monday post is a song that featured in episode 3 of season 2, Fever 333's Hellfire.

The conflict  between the wealthy utopia of Piltover and the seedy oppressed undercity of Zaun is at the forefront of the series. Last August I reviewed Underbridge, a queer dark fantasy location/minisetting for Old School Essentials. If you want to include a hub like Zaun in your games, I think it'd be an excellent resource.  

The Big Book of Monsters - Rappaccini's Daughter

I love monster books, even if they aren't gaming related. A few years back I picked a really cool looking children's book called The Big Book of Monsters at Ollie's Bargain Outlet. It's written by Hal Johnson and illustrated by Tim Sievert. I love the colors used in the book and honestly it was Sievert's artwork that really convinced me to buy it. 

The book gives easy to digest summaries of 25 different creatures from myth, legend, and fiction. Each monster has a handy sidebar that lists: category, base of operations, when, powers, most dastardly deed, and fear factor. Sivert's fun illustrations highlight the creepiness of the monsters and after each description we're given a "Beyond the Book" section that elaborates on topics related to the monster. 

This book is one of those fun books I would have absolutely loved as a kid. I thought it would be fun to periodically stat out some of the monsters presented in different systems. For the first I'm going to go with a new monster to me: Beatrice Rappaccini. 

Appearing in Nathaniel Hawthorne's gothic short story "Rappaccini's Daughter," Beatrice is the daughter of a genius professor of the University of Padua. Raised in a garden filled with poisonous hybrid plants cultivated by her father, she lived an isolated life. She fell in love with the first young man she met. Unfortunately because of her upbringing, her very presence was poisonous. Insects died when they got near her and when she touched her love's wrist, it turned purple with a rash. Despite her condition, Giovanni loved the beautiful Beatrice. Though he never touched her or any of the deadly plants, he soon gained her poisonous aura himself. Giovanni's condition was cured by an antidote created by his friends. Hoping to truly be with his love he gave Beatrice the antidote. Unfortunately she was a creature of poison and immediately died.

Here are Old-School Essential monster stats for Beatrice:

Beatrice Rappaccini

Armor Class 7 [12]

Hit Dice 2* (9hp) 

Attacks 1 x touch (poison)

THAC0 18 [+1]

Movement 120' (40')

Saving Throws D 10 W 11 P 12 B 13 S 14 (4)

Morale 6

Alignment Neutral

XP 25

Number Appearing Unique

Treasure Type E 

• Poisonous Aura: Any creature that comes within 10' takes 1d4 damage.   
• Poison Immunity: Beatrice is immune to all forms of poison and venom (natural or supernatural).
• Poison: Causes death (save vs poison)
• Toxic Essence: Any antidote or effect that cures poison causes death (save vs poison)

Fire and Fangs Review

Fire and Fangs is a "Weird Stone & Sorcery Adventures for Old-School Essentials" written by the amazing Diogo Nogueira and featuring art by various fantastic artists. This is a setting of savage tribesmen and dinosaurs, shamans and survival. If you've ever played Far Cry Primal or watched Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, you have a good idea of what I mean. The book can be broken down into three main sections. 

The largest section discusses Stone & Sorcery in OSE. The core classes get reskins (and occasionally new features). For example dwarves become molekin, sentient mole people with digging claws and an improved sense of smell. After the class section Diogo gives us new rules. Resources are important in this genre and are discussed. Because of their importance, they also are a way to earn XP (instead of the typical treasure hunting of OSE). New equipment and commerce rules are provided, along with dealing with items of inferior to normal quality.

The next section of the book is the Mother's Vale. This is the default setting of Fire and Fangs. A hex map of the land is presented. Of the many hexes, 12 are named. Each of these hexes has a short description and random encounter. The three villages have problem and special subheadings. The other hexes have secret and danger subheadings. A bestiary of the area is then presented. There are 50+ stat blocks. These include unique beasts, tribesman, and prehistoric creatures (like dinosaurs and mammoths).

The final section is an introductory adventure called The Cave of Our People. The characters must perform an initiation ritual to be welcomed into a tribe. There is a mixture of exploration, roleplay, and combat. It provides a nice framework for an ongoing game.

Fire and Fangs is a fantastic setting and supplement for Old-School Essentials and other OSR games. As written, you can run some fantastic games with Fire and Fangs. Even if you don't want an extended pre-historic campaign, you can use the Mother's Vale as a lost land for player's to discover. This one is only available in pdf form at the moment, but will hopefully see print sometime in the future.

Oh My Lost Darklords

Recently I snagged the pdf for Oh My Lost Darklords using some store credit I had from pdf sales. It is an Old-School Essentials class book written by Kabuki Kaiser. You will find 13 classes inspired by og content from gaming magazines and supplements. It's thicc too, the pdf comes in at 127 pages. Dark antiheroes and outright villains can be created using this one. Each of these classes can be taken by chaotic characters. According to the intro to the book five of the classes can be played by neutral characters and none of them are designed for lawful ones (though lawful versions can exist with some if the referee allows it). I counted six.  Before giving an overview of the classes the author gives some tips for running chaotic campaigns. The eight points make a lot of sense and its good advice for any evil game.

The classes include all relevant tables and information you'd expect. There are level restrictions presented if you're using the optional rules for character race and class being separate things. I'll briefly talk about each below. I will give all of their features, but an overview.

Avengers (chaotic) are anti-paladins. While they are strong and can fight as well as their holy equivalent,  they are often craven and excel in deceptive tactics. They can back these up with some divine magic. These bastards are iconic and make perfect foils for typical adventurers. 

Bandits (chaotic, neutral, and lawful at the referee's discretion) are a ranger variant. They excel in hit and run tactics, being masters of ambush and evading pursuit. This is one of the classes that can work will in a traditional party (and not even because lawful Robin Hood-types are possible). 

Bounty Hunters (chaotic, neutral, and lawful at the referee's discretion) are a combination of assassin and ranger. They are great with disguises and have the uncanny ability to render foes unconscious. I think this is another class that can work in a regular adventuring party with little work.

Cultist (chaotic) are a vile combination of assassin and cleric. Having to hide their profane magic and operate in secrecy they can be quite stealthy, but also have divine spells. One of my favorite features they have is the ability to temporarily turn any sash or rope into a strangling cord. These folks don't really work in traditional parties, but are really flavorful. I love them.

Dark Creepers (chaotic) are demihuman thief variants that dwell dark caverns. They enhance their thieving abilities with the ability to manipulate the darkness to their advantage. Given their habitat, alignment restriction, and habit limits their use, even in most chaotic games. They're still a fun variant though and I'm sure referees can find a use for them.

Dark Mages (chaotic) are a unique type of magic-user. They harness energies from nightmarish planes to cast their magic. They are versatile like sorceress of later editions and don't have traditional spell slots. Instead they must sacrifice their own hit points to cast spells. This horrific magic takes a toll on their body and causes it to decay. Dark mages have their own spell list and unsurprisingly its all nasty stuff (or spells that aid them in practicing their forbidden magic in secrecy). Much like the avenger this class is perfect for foes of traditional parties. 

Death Knights (chaotic) are essentially a fighter version of lich. They are undead, have access to arcane magic, can control their undead brethren and decay more as they gain power. Death Knights are iconic villains and I was happy to see their inclusion. Again they make iconic villains and I could see having an early villain killed by players rising as a Death Knight and seeking revenge.

Demonists (chaotic) are a variant summoning cleric. They can understand divine magic and use magic items tied to it, but don't cast traditional spells. They have a chosen weapon that they focus their dark magic through. They can imbue the blade with power and use it to summon a fiend. Since their are no official OSE stats for them, base stats are given with a chart that is used to customize the summon. Depraved souls that call upon nether creatures for power are a staple of fantasy. Referees can get a lot of use out of this one.

Duelists (chaotic and neutral) are a lightly armored fighter variant that know the values of a blade. These brave warriors specialize in fighting with multiple weapons and are essentially swashbucklers. While I understand not allowing them to be lawful, this class seems more chaotic in a love of freedom rather than malicious way. Of the classes in the book its the one that I think fits best in a standard adventuring party. Definitely making this one available to players when I run Secrets of the Black Crag.

Houris (chaotic or neutral) are variant magic users that rely on seduction, deception, and enchantment magic. They have a mesmeric sway and can produce various effects with their kiss. This class would be excellent in urban focuses games. It's also one I could see making some players uncomfortable. 

Jesters (chaotic and neutral) are variant acrobats that excel in mockery and being flashy. This can lead to them being underestimated by foes. Like the duelist, this seems more chaotic in a freedom-loving way to me, making it appropriate for traditional parties. 

Red Wizards (chaotic) are magic-uses that lust for power and specialize in destructive fire magic. They have their own fiery spell list. Red wizards never ask how big the room is before casting fireball.

Witch (chaotic, neutral, and lawful at the referee's discretion) is a classic variant magic-user. They have familiars, use arcane magic, and can brew special potions. They have their own unique spell list. I haven't compared this one to Tim Brannan's witch, but it seems like a solid class and I can see using it my games. This is also another class that works great for villains but is also suitable for players. 

The book has a nice layout. All of the art is appropriate and invokes what the author was going for. I'd say this is one that all OSE referees could find useful. Even if you don't plan on running a chaotic campaign or want your players to use them, this is a great toolkit to make villains and rival adventuring parties.

Music Monday - GFDC

Sometimes I hear a song and it inspires me to make gaming stuff. This pirate metal track is one of those songs. Giant Fucking Demon Crab says everything you need in the name. In the lyrics the crab is described as quick, stealthy, and able to shoot lightning from it's eyes. Everyone that sees it dies. While this could be some sort of death stare ability, I'm going to attribute this to the giant fucking demon crab's prowess. Below you'll find my OSE stats for this horrific beast. 

Giant Fucking Demon Crab

The primal spawn of the a demon prince and a great leviathan, this massive demonic crustacean is known to scallywags and sea dogs as the Giant Fucking Demon Crab. While it preys on all who ply the waves, because of some vendetta of its progenitor it takes particular pleasure maiming and slaying pirates. Despite its bestial nature, it is a clever foe in combat.

Armor Class -2 [21]

Hit Dice 20 (90HP) 

Attacks 2 X Pincer (2d8)

THAC0 6 [+13]

Movement 90' (30')/ 180' (60') swimming

Saving Throws D 2 W 2 P 2 B 2 S 4

Morale 12

Alignment Chaotic

XP 4300

Number Appearing Unique

Treasure Type G 

• Ambusher: The beast is cunning in battle. It will lay ambushes. A favorite tactic is to feign retreat and then unleash its fury upon its foes, catching them off guard.   
• Embedded Weapons: Numerous weapons are lodged in its carapace. In addition to the treasure above, one of these weapons will be a sentient sword.
• Fiendish: The Giant Fucking Demon Crab takes half damage from cold-based, electrical-based, fire-based, and gas-based attacks. 
• Lightning Eyes: Can project a powerful stroke of lightning, 60' long and 5' wide. A creature caught with this attack suffer 20d6 damage with a successful save versus spell indicating half damage. If this hits a solid barrier before its full length is reached, it is reflected and travels for any remaining distance of it's full length in the direction of the Giant Fucking Demon Crab. It may do this once per day.

Cry! Cry! Cry!

I love cryptids. Do I believe they really exist? Highly doubtful, but they're still monsters and I love monsters. One of my favorite North American cryptids is the Squonk. Here are some squonk you can use with Dark Places & Demogorgons OSE or honestly any OSE game. 

The first written account is from 1910 and can be found in Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods by William T. Cox. 

The squonk is of a very retiring disposition, generally traveling about at twilight and dusk. Because of its misfitting skin, which is covered with warts and moles, it is always unhappy...Hunters who are good at tracking are able to follow a squonk by its tear-stained trail, for the animal weeps constantly. When cornered and escape seems impossible, or when surprised and frightened, it may even dissolve itself in tears.

Squonk

Armor Class 7 [12]

Hit Dice 2 (9 HP) 

Attacks 1 X bite (1d3)

THAC0 17  [+2]

Movement 90' (30')

Saving Throws D 12 W 13 P 14 B 15 S 16

Morale 6

Alignment Neutral

XP 20

Number Appearing 1

Treasure Type None

• All Tears: Constantly crying squonks are easy to track by those that know the signs. Rangers gain a +50% bonus to tracking squonks. 
• Pitiable Aura: Squonks are such pathetic creatures that any time a creature attempts to attack one they must make a save versus spell or be unable to to do nothing anything but pity the creature until it's next turn.
• Dissolve: If a squonk is surprised or fails a morale check its dissolves into a puddle of tears.

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The second annual Squonkapalooza is Saturday August 10th. Hopefully I'll be able to go next year.

Under The Bridge Downtown...

Underbridge is a queer dark fantasy hub setting by Xkalayd. It's pay what you want and written for Old-School Essentials. Your mileage using this one will vary. Especially because it deals with some hard real world topics like marginalization, bigotry, addiction, and police brutality.  Page two includes a content warning, which I appreciate. That being said, I thought it was interesting and wanted to share. 

The default setting for Underbridge is a city where an alchemical revolution has lead to the formation of megacities. Underbridge is the undercity literally built under a bridge. It is home to the "deviant scum" of the nation. 

There are 12 plus locations. In these locations there are new spells, adventure hooks, substances to take, and a lot of intrigue. There are 12 important personalities/creatures. While no stats are given, there are equivalents. For example, the Sauna Salamander of the Black Mass has the same stats as a black dragon. The humanoids are classed characters. A nice feature is there are basic and advanced suggestions given for each. Ope Andrews, the Host of the Hall, is a magic-user if you just have Basic OSE, but if you have the Advanced version he's an illusionist. They are fleshed quite a bit too. We're presented with how they're seen, how they perceive the others, and what makes them tick.

If you couldn’t tell this one is left leaning. Beyond all of the LGBTQ+ representation, there’s a lot of mention of revolutionaries and manifestos. Additionally one of the main villains is a slumlord and cops are a common foes. While the class is a champion of nature, the Mud Wizard class seems appropriate for this mini-setting.

There's definitely some weird stuff here. Need 12 fantasy kinks with dynamics, history, and legality? Most folks are gonna say no, and that's okay. However, some people might find it interesting. I mean I do, even if I probably won't ever use it in a game. 

The pdf also isn't the easiest to read. The background is dark and the text is a blue-ish color. You're not going to be able to print this one out. I also don't care for the fact that the first couple of pages are in portrait, but a majority is in landscape. That last bit is just a personal quibble. 

Ultimately if you aren't offended by counter culture stuff and like material with a queer aesthetic, I think this could be a great resource to help flesh out a city (even if you don't go the alchemical megacity route). 

#RPGaDAY2024 - Day 6

 "RPG that is easy to use."

I'm going to have to go with my friend Tim over at The Other Side blog and say Basic is probably one of the easiest rpgs to use. You can crack it open and run it quickly. Even if you've never been a GM, the accompanying adventure The Keep on the Borderlands gives some great tips. I know old school gamers have their preferences. Personally, I prefer Moldvay and Cook's B/X. 

I would have went with Old-School Essentials because its a cleaned up and reorganized B/X (and my current obsession). However, the way the books are released can be complicated. Honestly, when I decided to finally get into it I wasn't sure which books I needed. 

#RPGaDAY2024 - Day 1

I have participated in AUTOCRATIK's #RPGaDay off and on for several years now. With everything going on I kind of forgot about it this year.

Today's topic is "First RPG bought this year." While technically I paid for it when the Kickstarter ended in 2023, the first I received was Swann Castle. It was waiting for me at my parents' house when I got out of the hospital. 

Swann Castle is a mutliversal setting written by Leighton and Blumiere Connor. The are three versions of the book: Old-School Essentials, Troika, and QAGS. As you can see above, I have the OSE version. Swann Castle is a hub and connected to all worlds. It's a great collection of new characters, as well as those from the public domain (including at least one superhero). This is a really fun setting and I'll try to talk more about it soon.

You can grab any version of the pdf from the Hex Games DriveThruRPG page or from Leighton's itch.io. 

Secret of The Black Crag Review

Written and illustrated by Chance Dudinack and published by Silver Arm, Secret of the Black Crag is an OSE pirate adventure. Designed for characters 1-5, it's an island-crawl sandbox. Clocking in at 95 pages, this hardcover is packed full of OSE content. Inspired by Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Monkey Island, the adventure is a great mix of action and quirky humor. 

The adventure starts in Port Fortune, a wealthy port in the archipelago known as Salamander Islands, unofficially ruled by the pirate lord, Red Roger. A legendary dark island with a mysterious past has risen from the depths. This island holds ancient secrets and the plunder of the legendary pirate Janzoon.  

Great detail is given to Port Fortune. Ten locations (each with an important NPC) are detailed (some a little more than others). Pirates, whores, and even an enchanted sea hag occupy the town. Every location has some sort of hook to get the characters invested. Pirate crews, a pirate generator, plus rumor and encounter tables help bring the port to life.

I wouldn't expect an island hopping adventure to have a traditional dungeon, but that is what the titular Black Crag is. There are two cavern levels, a fallen city, and a palace to explore. There are four different factions the party can play off each other. Some cool roleplay opportunities are presented. The island is tied to ancient aliens which adds some fun sci-fi elements to the whole adventure. 

While Black Crag is the ultimate focus and impetus of the adventure, it's an island-crawl so of course there are other islands (to um... crawl upon). The map of the Salamander Islands includes 20+ islands. Many of these are keyed locations, though there are also several unidentified ones that you can do whatever you'd like with them. There's nice variety of locations. My favorite location is the Temple of the Monkeys. Intelligent monkeys and a gorilla dressed as a pirate captain? Hell yeah! There's also a nice nod to The Odyssey in Nereus the cyclops. Plenty of encounter charts are given to help a GM populate the unidentified islands. Expect a future post discussing how I'd expand the adventure. 

There are four appendices. The first features several pages of monsters. The second presents a few pages of new magic items. This is followed by some quick and dirty underwater adventuring rules. Finally there is a list of inspiration, which includes the franchises I mentioned above (as well as a few other).  

I really dig the art and the pieces in this post are my favorites . The writing is excellent too. Chance gives enough information for a GM to use, but doesn't over do it. There are many courses the party can chart, which allows for a variety of play styles. Even the Black Crag itself has multiple entrances, paths, and routes. Another aspect of the design I like is that the traps are telegraphed. Much like the impaled skeletons in Indiana Jones films that warn Indy of traps, chance includes set pieces like this to warn canny players. 

If you want some nautical OSE fun, this is a must have. I definitely want to run it soon. You can pick up the pdf on DriveThru RPG here. A print copy can be ordered from Games Unlimited here.

Add Something Wild To Your OSE Games

Here are a couple of unusual classes I’ve found for Old-School Essentials. The first is a throwback to a classic old school module and second would make Black Phillip proud.

Phanaton  by Spes Magna Games - Anyone that's played X1 The Island of Dread probably remembers these halfling-sized humanoid. Looking like a cross between a lemur and raccoon (with a little bit of flying squirrel thrown in). They can climb, glide, fight, and have a prehensile tail. I think these would make a great addition to any game that features Secret of the Black Crag.

The Uncanny Goat by Yesterweird is a class that lets you live deliciously. This class literally lets you play a goat. Not a normal one, mind you. They are as intelligent as any other adventurer and can speak and read Common and Barnyard. They are hardy, expert climbers, and get strange gifts as they grow in level. I think my favorite part of this class is the d20 What Made The Goat Go Wrong chart that explains why you are such an uncanny goat. 

The 666 - Alchol (01)

Alchol the Baneful Brewmaster (Standard Order Demon)

The ancient demon known as Alchol claims to be the first to introduce fermentation to mortals. Despite his skeletal appearance, his charming demeanor and smooth words often allow him to join in mortal festivities. He's even been known to offer boons to those that can provide a new intoxicating experience to the old fiend (not an easy task). The demon delights in encouraging mortals to excess, spreading chaos through drunken debauchery. One more drink couldn't hurt, right?

Armor Class 2 [17]

Hit Dice 8 (36 HP) 

Attacks 2 X Mug (1d4)

THAC0 12[+7]

Movement 120' (60')

Saving Throws D 8 W 9 P 10 B 10 S 12

Morale 8

Alignment Chaotic

XP 1200

Number Appearing Unique

Treasure Type F 

• Demon 
• Gate:  incubus/succubus (65% probability of success)
• Drunken aura: Any mortal creature within 30' of Alchol must make a save versus poison each round or become intoxicated (suffering a -2 to hit until they rest).
• Everfull Mug: Can fill any drinking vessel in his presence with an alcohol of his choice he's encountered.
• Summoning Toast: Alchol always knows when his name has been invoked in a toast and can teleport to that location.

OSE Fiends

I was reading Three Curses for Sister Saren again and I love the idea of unique fiends. It got me thinking:

 Wouldn't it be fun to create some? 

I think so. Then I thought: 

Wouldn't it be more fun to create 666?

Ambitious? Ridiculous. Well, yeah, but I think it will be a blast and I'm not setting a deadline. This will just be something I do when the mood strikes me. To be clear, when I say unique fiend, I don't mean I won't present some classics, such as succubi or imps. However, individual representatives of those types of fiend with their own personality and lore/info is what you'll find.  

I'm going to stat them for Old-School Essentials. As of the initial time of posting there are no official demons or devils stats for OSE (at least in the core books). Necrotic Gnome is working on something.  Appendix N Entertainment has released both Demonology and Deviltry books, and while I want to grab them, I haven't yet. Therefore I'm going to use the one's from Labyrinth Lord's Advanced Edition Companion. You'll find those below and I'll hyperlink back to this post instead of repeating them with each new fiend.

I'm going to try to scour the internet for public domain pieces to represent them. 

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Demon Traits

Demons have no formal hierarchy, it's helpful to order them by their powerful level. These are lower order (1-4 HD), standard order (5-8 HD), higher order (9+ HD), and demon lords (21+)

• Infravision (90')
• Half damage from cold-based attacks
• Half-damage from electrical-based attacks
• Hall damage from fire-based attacks
• Half damage from gas-based attacks
• Gate (varies in expression, not available to lower demons)
• Telepathy (allows all languages to be understood)
• Teleport (not available lower order demons)

Demon spell-like abilities (unless otherwise noted) function at the minimum class level required to use the similar spell, or as the demon's HD, which is higher. They are usable once each round.

Devil Traits

• Charm Person
• Half damage from cold-based attacks
• Half damage from gas-based attacks
• Immunity to fire-based attacks
• Infravision (90')
• Know Alignment
• Phantasmal Force
• Teleport 
• Gate
• Telepathy (allows all languages to be understood)
• Lower devils (1-4 HD) can be harmed by ordinary weapons. Greater devils (9+ HD to 20 HD) and Archdevils (21+ HD) may only be harmed by magical weapons or weapons made from silver.

Devil's spell-like abilities (unless otherwise noted) function at the minimum class level required to use the similar spell, or as the devil's HD, which is higher. They are usable once each round.

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I'll post my fiend this weekend. 

Yet Even More Free OSR Goodness From Itch.Io

 You know the drill. Here are three more free OSR adventures I've found and wanted to share. 

You're Trapped in a Bag of Holding! is a system agnostic one-page adventure with a name that says it all. The party find themselves in a bag of holding and have to get out. I think you could definite get a memorable session out of this one.

The Sepulcher of the Seven is an OSE adventure for levels 5-7. Centuries ago a half-elf/half-deer centaur led a group against the armies of a fae witch. She succeeded, but in the years since the church has erased the parts of history they don't want taught. In this adventure a party learns the truth of things as they explore a 39-room dungeon. This is a phenomenal adventure and I honestly can't believe it's free. If you want a detailed review of the adventure, check out Questing Beast's.

The Sunken Temple of the Amphibian God is a two page system-agnostic dungeon. In this site-based adventure an amphibian cult has taken over once noble ruins. The first page contains a keyed map and the second describes the rooms in a bit of more detail. 

SKEEEEEE!

Yesterday Brutorz Bill of Green Skeleton Gaming Guild commented on my 5e Man-Bat Commando stats and said I should do OSE ones. I agree so here they are. This is my first time doing OSE monster stats, so I hope they're alright. This monster's background was inspired by their origin as creations of Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins.

Man-Bat, Commando 

Created by druidic zealots altered by an alchemical formula, these humanoid bats are the elite warriors and assassins for an order of militant druids.

___________________

Armor Class 4 [15]

Hit Dice 3*(13 HP) 

Attacks 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon), 1 x bite (1d4) 

THAC0 16 [+3]

Movement 120' (40')/ 180' (60') flying

Saving Throws D 12 W 13 P 14 B 15 S 16 (3)

Morale 12

Alignment Neutral

XP 65

Number Appearing 1d10 (1d10) 

Treasure Type U

• Surprise: On a 1-4, set ambushes
• Languages: Can understand (but no speak) Common
• Echolocation: Unaffected by effects that impair, modify, or rely on sight. Blinded by magical silence.

More Old-School Goodness From Itch.Io

Here are some more fun and free/pwyw OSR goodies I've found on itch.io. 

The Perpetual Cheese is a pamphlet adventure by TabletobRPG. There is no real plot, per se. It's just a cave complex your party will come across. A group of kobolds have discovered a lost shrine to the Dionysus (the god of cheese and wine in this incarnation). Being master cheesemakers he's gifted them with a perpetually growing cheese culture (which is a cheese culture slime in game terms). Unfortunately for the kobolds a group of kobold-eating dwarves has entered the complex. This adventure sounds really fun and I can't wait to use it. I do think it's odd that the fact the dwarves will eat another sentient is just casually mentioned. Also, the kobolds in this adventure are the more modern little dragons, rather than classic canine-like humanoids. This last point isn't a big deal to me and I'll just reskin them when I use it. 

The Place in the Bog is a short one-page low level adventure site made by Skullfungus to be used with most old school fantasy rpgs. The stats are very bare bones. The party is urged to find the source creating spudlings (which I imagine are some sort of potato-based humanoid) This can be a standard hack and slash, though players could also roleplay through this one. I adore the art Skullfungus makes. His style is fantastic!

Finally if you are looking for some unique foes for your OSE games I recommend The Fae Queens and The Nightmare Angels by Pitch Black Lair. The Fae Queens presents three powerful queens from beyond the stars. The come from the Far Realm, though unlike normal denizens of that realm they appear to be quite beautiful. The Nightmare Angels is a similar product overall. It presents three angels. A blazing stone fell from the sky and when it did everyone on the planet had the same nightmare. From this nightmare three angels, inspired by three concepts from the nightmare came into being. Even if you feel like using the background flavor, these are some unique and powerful foes to include in your games.

Gunslingers, Giants, and a Haunted Castle

Here are three free/pwyw Old-School Essential pdfs found on itch.io that I thought were cool and wanted to share.

Class Concordance #1 presents the gunslinger class. I assumed this might just be an OSE adaptation of the Pathfinder gunslinger or something like that. It is not. Though I only have a passing familiarity with Stephen King's Dark Tower series, these gunslingers are based on the ones of those tales. They are lawful warriors that serve an order and answer to higher powers. As far as class features are concerned they get a few at 1st level and a few other as they level up. For example they don't get their order's iconic weapons until 3rd level. The pdf ends with list of Otherworldy Beings based on King's mythos. It looks like it's supposed to be a d20 list, but it is numbered 3-19. Number 19 is The Author. Cheeky. I'm going to be honest, this one isn't really my thing, but I'm sharing it become I know folks love the Dark Tower books. Finally though the image says $1 it is PWYW (at least at the time of posting).

This is my WEIRD little GIANT is a giant-based tri-fold pamphlet. This one is fun as hell. It allows you to make each of your giants unique. We are presented with base stats. The rest of the pamphlet is random charts. There's one for figuring out how tall your giant is (which affects HD), how dangerous it is (which gives you abilities). There are also charts that allow you to figure out what your giant eats and their attitude. Of course it has chart that let you figure out why your giant is unique. Additionally there's a chart about what's in the giant's bag. I really appreciate this being included. The first issue of Dragon Magazine I bought had a chart like this. Finally there's a chart that let's you figure what the giants in your world. 

Castle Korpenhall is a one-page adventure. It was created by the illustrator/writer Gnarled Monster (who has released the fantastic looking Beyond the Borderlands series of zines). It was an attempt to turn Castle Ravenloft into a one-page dungeon. I think it does a fantastic job of capturing the vibe of Ravenloft and fitting it into limited space. One way this is done is by the map including items in the room and being more of an isometric illustration. In addition to OSE stats (which include the vampire Lord Blodig and other fearsome foes), there are Dungeon Revers and Mork Borg stats for the adventure. While the adventure is PWYW, if you pay $6 for it you also get an editable sketch of the original Castle Ravenloft and Korpenhalla.