Monster Entries Inspired by Dragonbane

As I compile information for my fantasy setting into a document for tabletop use, I find inspiration in the Dragonbane Bestiary entries. Instead of merely listing stats and descriptions for each monster, I'm incorporating quotes from in-game characters about the monsters. My rough drafts for each monster in the setting are ready, but I'm considering adding multiple quotes to some entries to showcase diverse experiences. Not all encounters must escalate to combat; alternative perspectives can illustrate positive interactions. Perhaps a character has negotiated a trade or received unexpected aid from a creature. Below are some examples of what I've compiled.

Graxian Cultists
  "The offers of peace and unity from the Graxian Cultists are seductive lies. Their peace comes from fear and intimidation. Their unity comes from blind obedience to the tenets of their dark lord. They offer a life bound to service of the world snake – not to convert followers but to CONQUER! Be mindful and wary of these charlatans. Do not entertain their offers and stray from the true faith. It will cost you everything - up to and including your very soul!” - Thomas Salinas, High Priest Church of the One God

Slarn
"I’ve never seen one, but my uncle has – I KNOW they’re real! It wasn’t in this small town. He was in the capital on a job and worked with one of them. He says they’re like us – not really like us but if a lizard looked like us. They walk like us and talk like us but don’t wear armor because their skin is tough as steel. He even shared a meal with one of them. We don’t see many of them because they keep to their own places mostly. Even more so than the Elves. At least that’s what my uncle said.”- Serafina Ericson, young local girl (gossiping with her friends)

Goatrils
“Pa says they ain’t all bad – he even trades wit’ some uv ‘em from time to time. He says they look scary at first but ya get used t’seein’ their goat heads un fur the more ya see ‘em. Out here ‘way from the big city ya have t’ trade wit’ those ya can. We don’t have the lux’ry uv nearby merchants. Pa also says t’ stick t’ the one ya trust. Some uv 'em ARE jus’ as foul as they look.”- Abby May, rural girl (talking to a friend)

The three quotes will exemplify my goal. Currently, I have created about 10 monsters, but I aim to design 20 to 30 by the time I complete all the entries. I'm undecided whether to use Delving Deeper for the actual statistics or another system.  

Do you incorporate similar elements in your games? How do you approach it differently?

Looking Ahead...

I miss the days when this blog was much more active and I'm not happy with the minimal posting I've done over the last several years. I'm at a point where I need to make a decision about what I'm going to do moving forward.  I'm not going to erase the contents of this blog, but I might just shut it down and leave it here in case anyone tis interested in the posts or some of the other content; I do have people still downloading the Adventures in Fantasy character sheet from time to time so that's cool. Some of the things that will affect my decision or my ability to post regularly will be discussed below.

WORK COMMITMENTS

In January of 2024 it will be one year since I accepted a position in the Quality Assurance department of my employer.  Of course, the increased salary came with more responsibilities and more time commitments so that will definitely affect how often I can post on the blog.  Fortunately, the decision to accept this position was the correct one because I do enjoy my job and the challenges tremendously. On top of that, we are in the process of launching two new models of school bus so that will definitely be demanding on my time as well.  I would assume that from December of 2023 to the end of the first quarter of 2024, it will be the most challenging period for us.

SUBJECT OF POSTS

The main subject of this blog will still be roleplaying games and related subjects with various posts about reading, miniatures, fan films, and pretty much whatever else grabs my attention.  I know the OGL drama seems to have settled down, but I think I'm going to look into moving away from using the OGL to post anything.  I'm most likely gong to post nothing but house rules like new races, new monsters, etc. from my campaign but I think I'm going to play it safe and use a different format other than Delving Deeper to post the information. Make no mistake about it, Delving Deeper is still my game of choice and I will always recommend it and my home campaign will be ran using it. I just think for posting stuff in a public area such as this I'm going to use a format inspired by the old gaming products of the past that were "close but not quite D&D".  Maybe I'm being too cautious?  I'm not a lawyer by any means and I don't have the time to commit to writing a new clone from scratch at this point. I did take the time, however, to come up with this new format in a 2 page pdf.  It still needs a little bit of tweaking, but I will post it here in the near future.

POST FREQUENCY

At this point, I think the best estimate I can make for 2024 is committing to post once per week. I can use whatever subject I like so the post may come any day of the week.  I could post for "Miniature Monday" one week and then "Fan Film Friday" for the next.  That does NOT mean I won't pick up the pace at some point but once a week should not be an unrealistic goal. 

REACHING THE DECISON

I plan on evaluating progress every 90 days of 2024.  I've also started bullet journaling for work and for home/recreation so that has helped me quite a bit.  I like having concrete plans on paper that I can look at and track progress. I never used the bullet journal method before, but I used to track things much better and I lost that in my recreational activities, so it fell by the wayside and took a backseat.  Hopefully, I can maintain a healthy and productive work/life balance from now on.  It's not unhealthy right now but it is somewhat lopsided, and I need to correct the course.  Let's see what happens on the road ahead...

[Miniature Monday] Bone Guardian

 

Bone Guardians are a custom monster for my homebrew campaign world of Toldara.  The basic concept is a "boss monster" type of creature that can basically blend in with a normal group of skeletons and then the characters will discover this one is much tougher.  My original Delving Deeper stats for the Bone Guardian can be found in a previous post from October of 2021.  I have an updated version of the Bone Guardian but I'm waiting on artwork before I make a new post.

I wasn't happy with this miniature when I finished painting it.  I let it sit for a day or two while I looked online for a different miniature to use for the Bone Guardian.  I decided to go ahead and put a wash on it, and I could always use it for something else if I found a better fit.  The wash made it really pop because there is a real look of decay and age to the miniature now.  I'm still fairly new at painting miniatures and I still have plenty to learn but it's getting easier to figure things out.

Mini Hooks for Fantasy Campaigns III

 Continuing on...

20. A recently reclaimed tome believed to be of great magical power whose pages turn blank if you read the words aloud.

21. A local mage's animal companion has been seen around town for the last several days but there has been no sign of his owner.

22. A Constable from a nearby town shows up with a "Wanted" poster and the picture looks remarkably like the constable in the PC's town.

23. A woman one of the PC's has never seen before shows up with an escort from the city guard at a PC's house looking for her brother that she claims is him.

24. A small group of the King's Guards shows up looking for "volunteers" of a certain age and the PC's fit the bill.

25. An old friend of one of the PC's tracks them down, visibly nervous and agitated they explain about needing help from the local ruffians.

26. As the local population awakes and begins its' day, the citizens find an Ogre asleep by the local well or in the middle of town square.

27. While doing research in the local archives, a local scholar has discovered information on the remnants of a lost civilization that was rumored to possess magical knowledge that has not only been lost in the modern age but is more powerful than the current spell knowledge. A local businessman is looking for a group of explorers to hire to investigate the ruins and bring back such knowledge.

28.  With the arrival of the latest New Moon, a constellation has disappeared from the night sky.

29.  During the last week the statues in the town square have been in different spots each morning. It was believed to be the result of some local pranksters until this morning.  The statues were not only in different spots in the town square but in different poses.

30. The PCs have been hired to escort a caravan with several sealed boxes and locked chests. Upon arrival at their destination, their contact does an inventory to discover that the contents of all the containers have been removed and they are now filled with rocks, sand, and hay. His guards have closed in and he is demanding answers from the PCs.

Mini Hooks for Fantasy Campaigns II

 Continuing on with mini hooks to use as ideas in your fantasy games...

11. A young child has returned to town with a few small gems he found in a hollow tree trunk in the woods outside of town.

12. The local witch living close to town has appeared in the town square warning of bad omens for the times ahead.

13. An eerie wolf's howling can be heard at night ever since a caravan of entertainers recently set up camp outside of town.

14. During a lull in the town's holiday celebration, a woman comes through the crowd with the local constable and points toward the PC's while proclaiming loudly "That's them!".

15. Small bands of soldiers have been turning up in town with no explanation for their arrival.

16. One of the Priests runs from the local temple screaming "We must renounce this faith!".

17. A bump has risen from the ground in the town square and has slowly gotten bigger over the last week.

18. A very large feather from what must be a gigantic bird has floated down and landed right on the entrance to the city.

19. Several townsfolk claim their fortunes have been read by one of the vagabonds performing in town and have turned out to be true.  One of the PC's is the most recent person to visit them and have their fortune read.

20. A recently reclaimed tome believed to be of great magical power whose pages turn blank if you read the words aloud.

More to come...

Mini Hooks for Fantasy Campaigns I

I like to keep a list of random hooks that may lead to adventure ideas in my fantasy campaigns so I thought I would share some of them here.  Maybe they will help some others come up with ideas to expand on these or ideas of their own. 

1. Strange lights have appeared in the nearby hills outside the city the last 3 nights.  These lights have showed up at the same time and last for one hour.

2. The cat population on the city streets has become noticeably higher in the last week.

3. The local crypt has been violated. The all evidence points to something breaking out of the crypt rather than breaking into the crypt.

4. A local group of youths have returned from a hunt with an abnormally large egg.

5. Graffiti from a long dead cult has appeared overnight on a local temple or church.

6. A local youth known for exaggeration has returned to town frightened.  He babbles on about an army of monsters passing in the nearby woods.

7. A small group of Orcs has surrendered themselves at the gate seeking asylum.

8. A caravan has entered the town rambling about a magical flying disc of silver that sat down nearby in the woods.

9. Mounds left behind by a large burrowing creature have started popping up close to town.

10. A local Priest has started acting strangely and appears unkept after studying a newly reclaimed lost tome of knowledge recently turned in to the local temple by a group of explorers.

More to come...

Recent Happenings

 As the year is winding down to a close - ALREADY - and 2022 is approaching quickly I am posting about what I have been doing and what lies ahead for this blog.  

FOCUS: I had racked up a bunch of scheduled posts about fan films to help bulk up the posting in the second half of this year.  Instead of enhancing the experience, it became the focus because work got extremely demanding, and I coasted much more than I had envisioned.  I am going to reign in the focus back to games, related subjects, and geekery in general for most of the posts; anything else will serve to enhance the topics.

SUBJECTS: The games I plan to focus on in the coming year include AD&D (first and second edition), Arduin, Delving Deeper, and any other game that catches my interest such as Sanctions from Purple Crayon Games.  I also have projects of my own such as Grunts (a simple minis game using thhose little green Army men), Toldara (a campaign world for Delving Deeper or other old school games), and a secret project that I am keeping under wraps util it is further developed.  

OTHER: I set a goal of reaching 1,000 posts before the end of 2021 at The Ruins of Murkhill forums and I am currently approaching 1,100 posts.  I was also asked to be a member of the moderation team and I accepted.  I am pretty stoked about both accomplishments because the Ruins are my favorite old school gaming forums.  I will continue to post there in the future.  

That is a quick look back and forward at the blog. I really hope I can return to much greater posting in 2022.  What are your plans on your blog? 

Jason of House Vorheez [Delving Deeper Monster]

 I forgot to post this around Halloween but I had intended to "improve" and complete the information in this monster inspired by Jason Vorheez.  I thought it would be a fun project for that time of the year, but I never was completely satisfied with the entry.  Maybe I will complete it in the future?  It's time to do some Christmas time monsters and I haven't even begun.

Tangle Tree [Delving Deeper Monster]

 First impression of the Tangle Tree monster for my Toldara campaign; presented in Delving Deeper stats.

Tangle Tree

Number Appearing	Number in Lair	AC	Move Rate	HD	Lair Nearby	Treasure Type	Alignment
1	1	9	n/a	3	n/a	n/a*	C

TANGLE TREES appear to be just another tree found in a woodland area but are actually something much more sinister. A parasite that has turned the tree into a carnivorous creature waiting for unsuspecting prey to stop and rest in the shade provided by its' branches.  The Tangle Tree will slowly inch vines down to wrap around any creature caught unaware. The vines may be avoided on a roll lower than the character's Wisdom score on a D20.  If caught, the vines will begin pulling their prey towards a gaping maw that opens up in the lower section of the trunk area.  This process will take 2+1D6 rounds.  A successful Open Doors check will allow the character to muscle their way free but they may also use weapons to cut away if their arms are free from entanglement.

Tangle Trees are typically solitary in nature but there are rumors of wooded areas that have been completely overran by these foul creatures.  The tree is immobile and it does not have a separate lair.  The creature has no treasure of their own but there is a 25% chance that scattered remnants of past victims may lay strewn about nearby; use whichever MEN entry in the Treasure Type section seems appropriate.  Wise travelers know to inspect any area before stopping for rest. In addition to looking for remains, fire pressed against a tangle tree will cause it to shriek and any chopping or cutting on the limbs will produce blood instead of sap.

Bone Guardian [Delving Deeper Monster]

First impression of a Bone Guardian for my Toldara campaign; presented in Delving Deeper stats.

 Bone Guardian

Number Appearing	Number  In Lair	AC	Move Rate	HD	Lair Nearby	Treasure Type	Alignment
1-3	n/a	7	7	2+1	n/a	n/a	N

BONE GUARDIANS are a stronger version of the skeletons brought forth by a magic-user or anti-cleric; unless stated otherwise in this description, the information in the skeleton entry also applies to Bone Guardians. Similar to skeletons, they can carry shields or wear armor, or both, which would improve their AC to 6 or 5, respectively. Bone Guardians are usually added to a group of normal skeletons as an extra layer of protection or deterrence.

Still Digging DELVING DEEPER

I ordered a copy of Delving Deeper a while back.  I have been reading through different sections of the rulebook and the wheels are turning.  I have checked out many of the retro-clones, neo-clones, and games just barely inspired by one form of D&D or another and I think Delving Deeper may be my favorite of the bunch. It really feels like it is touching on all the bases for me.  This is a little weird because I never owned or played by the OD&D rules.  I started playing with a Holmes Basic set and the AD&D hardbacks.

I will admit that I was a little concerned about the rules using only the Fighter, Magic User, and Cleric classes with Thief being included as an optional class.  I understand the appeal now.  The simplicity has actually made it easier for me to add races to the game.  I have started converting my Toldara information over to the Delving Deeper system and it has been really smooth.  I have one player race ready and in a usable condition and I am working on the other race.  I will post that information soon.  I hope to actually put up a free pdf of all my additions at some point in the future.

Here is a preview of the Slarn character race; it is just the bare bones right now but I will be adding some artwork and the corresponding monster entry to go along with it.

SLARNS are often mistaken for the much more savage Lizardmen but are actually an entirely separate species of reptilian humanoids of roughly human size.  In contrast to the Lizardmen, the jaws of Slarns only protrude about 4 inches from their face and their tail is more of a short nub of approximately six inches.  Slarn typically populate the warmer climates such as jungles and tropical areas but they have been slowly expanding their reach in recent years.  It is not uncommon for Slarn to face a negative initial reaction in urban areas due to their similarity to Lizardmen.

Slarns may advance up to 6th level as a Fighter.  They usually prefer swords or spears as weapons and rely on their natural tough skin for protection since armor for them is very expensive due to the level of customization.  The scaly skin of the Slarn provides them the equivalent AC of Leather armor (7) and improves by 1 at every level after.  Slarns save vs. Breath Weapon as a Fighter 4 levels higher than their current level.  Slarns have a natural ability to blend in to background surfaces similar to the Thief ability to hide in shadows by changing the color of their scales. This is done undetected on a roll of 5-6 on a six-sided die at levels 1 and 2, a roll of 4-6 at levels 3 and 4, and a roll of 3-6 at levels 5 and 6.  Attacking negates any advantage of surprise from that point in the encounter. 

Diving in to DELVING DEEPER

I just received the print on demand version of the Delving Deeper Reference Rules Compendium in the mail Friday.  It is a 130 page digest-sized paperback book for $4.95 plus shipping; product details can be found here if you are interested in obtaining a copy.  If you are interested in the free pdfs then you can obtain them at the official forums at the immersive ink site.  I have the free pdfs and I will most likely have them printed out and spiral-bound at some point soon just to prevent any undue wear and tear on my copy of the rulebook.

I have not read through this entire book yet but I have read enough to know that I am definitely impressed with the work done to complete this volume. I never played or owned the OD&D rules but I have studied them a bit. I cut my teeth on Holmes and AD&D and later got heavily involved with the B/X rules.  Basically, I have a reasonable foundation and experience to comment on the book and its contents.  I will not pretend that this post is some sort of quasi-review but merely a recommendation and some first impressions from the reading I have done up to this point.

The DELVING DEEPER manual is  divided into three main sections.  The first section, HEROES & MAGIC, is where I have committed the most time in reading the contents.  This section is equivalent to the Men & Magic booklet from OD&D and the contents should be familiar to the reader.  Abilities are generated by rolling 3D6 in order; the order is similar to the old school way by listing them as Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma.  There are three classes - cleric, fighter, and magic-user - to choose from with thief being listed as an optional fourth.  Each class has a prime requisite that will affect the amount of experience needed to level; standard levels are 1-12 with Humans being allowed to continue on but there are level limits to the Halfling, Dwarf, and Elf.  Alignment is reduced to Law, Chaos, and Neutral.  There is a small section on hirelings, mercenaries, and retainers.  Cleric spells are detailed to 5th level while Magic-User spells are listed and defined to 6th level.  Like I mentioned previously, all of this should be really familiar.  Granted, there are some differences to avoid any legal entanglements but it is essentially OD&D presented in a clear and organized manner.  The rules even have descending AC.

I have not read as much of the remaining two sections of the rules but I have read enough to know the brevity and clarity continue on throughout the book.  The second section, DELVING & EXPLORATION, is where the referee's section of the rules begin.  It opens with a short section on campaign preparation and then details aspects such as creating the world, creating dungeons, combat, exploration (sections on underworld, wilderness, seafaring, and aerial).  The Campaign covers subjects such as strongholds, mass battles, enchanting magic items, and other worlds.

The third section, MONSTERS & TREASURES, is the final section of the rules. This section begins with a list of the monsters followed by a description of every monster. The monster descriptions are brief with most taking up no more space than three to five sentences. This is followed by a similar list and explanation for treasures.  

There is a brief look at DELVING DEEPER in this post.  It definitely has a lot of appeal for those seeing an old school experience and these rules are going to get a lot of use at my table.  If you want more options, there are other classes being developed over at the official forums mentioned above.  DELVING DEEPER is a welcome addition to my collection.