Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Crabaugh Creeps

In last month's Salute to Paul Crabaugh the Doctor Rotwang! posted stats for the following nifty critter, created in part using Crabaugh's 'Random Monsters' article.
THAUMAGRUDGE
Level: 1
Intelligence: Semi-intelligent
Alignment: Chaos
Type: Mammal
Speed: 9
AC: 7
HD: 4
Special Characteristics: Hostile to magic users, Web
Damage Done: 1-3 (Dagger)
Size: M

Description: The thaumagrudge is a bizarre beast -- tripdedal, posessing of two sinewy tentacles atop its white-furred torso, its origin is unclear but most likely magical. It attacks magic-users on sight, wielding an oddly-curved dagger, seeking to kill. Upon a successful hit, the thaumagrudge may immediately wrap its tentacles around its target, which is then treated as if under the effects of a Web spell. It is theorized that thaumagrudges are decadently-mutated former magic-users themselves; this may explain their violent malice towards wizards.
Below are six critters I had intended to post in the original Crabaugh article, but I had misplaced my notes. (You'd be amazed how often I misplace my notes. I think I've ran more con games based upon my memory of my notes than games where I actually had the damn things in hand.) Note that I am totally ripping off the good Doctor's format.

ONE-ARMED GOONDAR
Level: 1
Intelligence: highly intelligent
Alignment: law
Type: mammal
Speed: 15
AC: 5
HD: 2+2
Special Characteristics: can't be surprised or back-stabbed
Damage Done: 1-8 (sword)
Size: L

Description: A green-skinned giant with four legs and a single arm sprouting from the middle of its chest. Because it has to get all its shirts and pants specially made, the One-Armed Goondar is always following up on leads in an effort to locate a good tailor. A Goondar is nearly impossible to sneak up on, as its torso is capable of quickly rotating 180 degrees.

DINGORINE
Level: 2
Intelligence: unintelligent
Alignment: neutral
Type: mammal
Speed: 6
AC: 6
HD:1d4+1
Special Characteristics: mean!
Damage Done: 1-4 (bite)
Size: S

Description: This small badger-like canine roams deserts and moors in large packs. They will attack any group they outnumber, but are scared away by fire. Giants and ogres generally avoid dingorines as a pack of them chewing your feet and ankles can make walking and stomping much less fun than usual.

SPOTTED SKEPTIC

Level: 3
Intelligence: highly intelligent
Alignment: chaos
Type: mammal
Speed: 6
AC: 7
HD: 3-1
Special Characteristics: hate clerics
Damage Done: 1-6 (mace)
Size: L

Description: This subrace of sickly, besplotched ogres blames their affliction on all of cleric-kind. They are the last survivors of a nasty plague that swept the realm a century ago, afflicting human, demi-human, and humanoid alike. Clerical aid rooted out the disease, but their spells were unable to completely cure infected ogres. All of monsterdom drove the Spotted Skeptics into exile, but their ability to pass the disease on to other races seems to have faded.

PHANTOM STRANGLER
Level: 4
Intelligence: highly intelligent
Alignment: chaos
Type: undead
Speed: 9
AC: 4
HD: 4+1
Special Characteristics: invisible
Damage Done: 1-6 (strangle)
Size: M

Description: These undead manifestations would be nigh impossible to fight were it not for their apparent need to make noise while attacking. Most Phantom Stranglers laugh hideously but some will sing showtunes or gossip about nearby monsters while choking the life out of you. Phantom Stranglers turn as wraiths.

UNSEELIE SQUIRREL
Level: 5
Intelligence: unintelligent
Alignment: neutral
Type: mammal
Speed: 9
AC: 6
HD: 6
Special Characteristics: hate elves, poisonous
Damage Done: 1-4 (bite) plus poison
Size: S

Description: These fearsome green rodents haunt the forests that elves dare not tread. Any wood elf can instantly recognize the distinctly pungent aroma of a nearby Unseelie Squirrel nest. These beasties are sometimes trained by thouls as attack animals. A successful bite attack forces the victim to make a saving throw versus poison. Elves who fail are instantly slain but all others only sustain an additional 1-8 points of damage.

SWAMP BEAST
Level: 6
Intelligence: highly intelligent
Alignment: neutral
Type: reptile
Speed: 9
AC: 4
HD: 9-1
Special Characteristics: no head
Damage Done: 1-8 (sword)
Size: L

Description: These large, scaly creature resemble gigantic lizard men with faces on their torsos and eyes on long, snaky stalks. They speak Dragonish and are one of the few races on friendly terms with much of dragonkind. As such, they are privy to secrets known to few. But few are those who enter their marshy domains in search of hidden knowledge and return to tell the tale.

2 comments:

  1. Holy crap, Jeff, I am totally stealing some of those. I mean, you can roll stuff up all day long, but the details are what brings it all alive.

    Now, I just need the actual time to run a &^%$%^ game...

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  2. A while ago I outgrew the enjoyment of lengthy faux-scientific 'ecologies of', but I'm never going to stop being delighted by a few lines half describing a quirky little monster.

    I'm working on a post outlining the best creatures from the 'Monster Matrix' section of Dungeoneer. Those guys were my direct inspiration for these critters.

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