SANDPUFFER (from The Halls Untoward)

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

SANDPUFFER (The Halls Untoward YZE Bestiary) 

The Sandpuffer is a slurry of sand, mud, and sewage from a bygone age. It consumes sand greedily through its pores, growing  larger with each grotesque intake. Anyone disturbing it will be blasted violently with a spout of sand strong enough to rend flesh from bone. After a volley, it will dwindle and retreat. Weapons  do half damage to the Sandpuffer. Lightning turns it to glass. It is vulnerable to water when it dwindles, which will dissolve it. If  dissolved, it bears a precious crystal gizzard.

Designers note: this was another tricky one as the description is quite brief, and the main creature description leaves out some wordy details that are present in the room description (see room 44). I was desperately trying not to turn it into the sand man from Spiderman 3 but I did have to be creative to get the number of attacks up to six. If you have any thoughts on the attacks please leave comments below.

ATTRIBUTES

STRENGTH 6 to 50 (see below), AGILITY 4

MOVEMENT: 2

ARMOR RATING: 0 (weapons do half damage)

DWINDLING: If the Sandpuffer is reduced to a STRENGTH of 3 or less it will immediately move swiftly as a small sandstorm, leaving the current zone to seek more sand to absorb from a nearby area. A bucket of water thrown at a Sandpuffer in this state will dissolve it completely.

SAND GLUTTEN: The Sandpuffer absorbs sand and grit from the local environment, growing as it does so, increasing its STRENGTH by D6 at the start of each round as it does so. Each SAND BLAST! attack it carries out uses up the newly acquired sand, reducing its STRENGTH by 2 for each blast attempted.

MONSTER ATTACKS

D6	ATTACK
1	SAND BLAST!  The Sandpuffer attacks one adventurer within SHORT range with a powerful blast of abrasive sand. Make an attack using ten Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2 (stab wound). The victim is also knocked prone. This attack can be parried with a shield.
2	SHARED SPACE! The Sandpuffer moves suddenly to occupy the same space as one adventurer within NEAR range, engulfing their victim in sand and mud. The adventurer must succeed at a Move skill check or be forced to resist the effects of DROWNING, and be trapped inside the creature until they succeed at a Move skill test.
3	SOMETHING IN THE EYES! A stream of gritty sand pours forth from the Sandpuffer, targeting the fragile eyes of one adventurer within NEAR range. Make an attack using eight Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2 (stab wound). If the victim fails a Move skill check, their eyes are sprayed with stinging sand, making it impossible to see. For D6 rounds the adventurer must act as if in DARKNESS. This attack can be parried with a shield.
4	STUCK IN THE MUD! Ancient sewage seeps from the creature, under and over the feet of an unlucky adventurer within ARM'S LENGTH. Make an attack using seven Base Dice opposed by the adventurer's Move Skill. If the adventurer fails they are caught by the putrid sludge and held fast, unable to make Slow Actions until they BREAK FREE by succeeding at a Might skill check. Also, due to the ancient stench, the adventurer immediately suffers 1 point of damage to EMPATHY and the same each round until free.
5	SAND FALL! The creature rears up and then fully collapses over one adventurer within NEAR range, battering them with sand and congealed mud. Make an attack using eight Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). This attack can be parried with a shield. If the creature has more than 12 STRENGTH, they can fall on up to 3 adventurers and cover all in choking sand. Anyone victim hit also begins to DROWN until they break free.
6	GLEAMING DISPLAY! As the Sand Puffer absorbs the sand from the surrounding area and grows to an impressive size (over 25 STRENGTH), the static charge built within it creates a sparkling and mesmerizing display of coruscating light patterns, which suddenly turns sinister as the creature begins to move towards any adventurers between it and the exit. Make a fear attack using eight Base Dice. It will travel through them in its next turn, if they are unable or unwilling to move aside.

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

ROCK WORMS (from The Halls Untoward)

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

ROCK WORMS (The Halls Untoward YZE Bestiary) 

One to two feet in length, these worms burrow through rock at a glacial pace. Flesh provides less resistance, and an unwary travelled can quickly vanish if caught in the path of a migrating knot.

Designers note: A very brief description and not much else included in the dungeon about these creatures. It make sense to have them as a swarm, as they are relatively small but I need to take into account that they chew through rock. The attacks are limited as they are more a nuisance than a threat.

ATTRIBUTES

STRENGTH 4-14, AGILITY 1

MOVEMENT: 1

ARMOR RATING: -

KNOT: Rock Worms attack as a group, their strength is equal to the number of worms in the current knot. A single attack can't inflict more than 1 point of damage to the knot of worms.

BITE: Base Dice equal to current STRENGTH, Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound)

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

PSEUDOSCION (from The Halls Untoward)

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

PSEUDOSCION (The Halls Untoward YZE Bestiary) 

The pseudoscions created by the apparatus in Room 63 are somewhere between homunculi and children. They appear as humanoids with black eyes, skin like clay, and a prehensile tentacle  sprouting from each shoulder-blade. Their facial features bear an  unmistakable resemblance to their blood “parent.”

Pseudoscions  start off as infants, but age at the rate of one year per hour - so  after ten hours, a pseudoscion looks like a ten-year-old. They  must eat an enormous meal of red meat at the five hour mark and  every ten hours thereafter, or perish. It will die after 80 hours of old age. If the parent is around at the birth, the pseudoscion  imprints and reacts much like a normal child. If born alone,  the pseudoscion will hunt for its parent, as well as for food.

If treated badly, the pseudoscion will be a relentless foe for its brief life. If treated like a son or daughter, the pseudoscion can be a useful ally, generally fighting loyally and ferociously once it is  old enough to do so. It will go through a rebellious, questioning phase around 15 hours, and after 65 hours or so it will need to be taken care of in its old age.

Designer's note: This was a lot of fun to work on. You will see the attacks have followed a pattern that matches the maturity of the pseudoscion, as it matures some attacks may become more suitable than others but all should be useable at all stages of its life cycle. I picture these like baby/teenage Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, but that is just my interpretation the original designer may have had something different in mind. The one attack that felt out of place a bit was the tentacle attack, but as they have them it made sense to use them.

ATTRIBUTES

STRENGTH 1 to 6, AGILITY 4, WITS 1  to 4, EMPATHY 1 to 4

SKILLS: Melee 2

MOVEMENT: 2

ARMOR RATING: 2 (clay skin)

RAPID AGING: Due to the pseudoscions rapid growth their STRENGTH, WITS and EMPATHY attributes all start at 1. Their STRENGTH attribute increases by 1 every three hours, to a maximum of 6 (15 hrs old). WITS and EMPATHY each increase by 1 every 20 hours, to a maximum of 5 (80 hrs old).

OLD AGE: After 65 hours of life a pseudoscions STRENGTH and AGILITY attributes drop by 1, and then reduce by 1 every 5 hours thereafter. At 80 years of age the psuedoscion lives no more.

RANDOM PSEUDOSCION: To randomly determine a pseudoscion's age roll D8 -1 for the tens and then roll a D10 for the units (10 counts as 0). From there you can work out the attributes. (eg. the D8 rolls a 4, that means the creature is in its 30s (4-1), the D10 rolls a 5. They are 35 with a STREGTH of 6, AGILITY 4, WITS and EMPATHY are both 2.

MONSTER ATTACKS

D6	ATTACK
1	ANKLE BITER! The juvenile pseudoscion rushes across the ground and bites one adventurer within NEAR range with its forming clay teeth. Make an attack using five Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound).
2	TEMPER TANTRUM! The growing pseudoscion allows all of its frustration to rise to the surface, it balls its fist, stamps its feet and lets out a piercing and continuous cry. This immediately disturbs any adventurer within SHORT range, causing a fear attack using seven Base Dice.
3	DON'T THROW THAT! The naughty pseudoscion grabs the nearest available object and whilst letting out a screaming giggle, throws it at one adventurer within NEAR range. Make an attack using six Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). This attack can be parried with a shield.
4	CALM DOWN! The pseudoscion targets one adventurer within ARM'S LENGTH with their hormonal rage, and with a frustrated grunt starts to pummel their unlucky target with ferocious punches and kicks. Make three attacks using six Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). These attacks can be parried with a shield.
5	SOLID PUNCH! The growing pseudoscion plants its two feet squarely on the ground and puts all of its strength into a solid punch, targeting one adventurer within ARM'S LENGTH. Make an attack using eight Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2 (blunt force). This attack can be parried.
6	TENTACLE STRIKE! The pseudoscion strikes out with its two prehensile tentacles, violently stabbing up to two adventures within ARM'S LENGTH. Make an attack using eight Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (stab wound). If there is only one target, they are unfortunately targeted twice.

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

DUNGEON BARNACLE/CIRRIPEDE (from The Halls Untoward)

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

DUNGEON BARNACLE/CIRRIPEDE (The Halls Untoward YZE Bestiary) 

Dungeon Barnacles, or Cirripedes, are cave/ underdark/ under world/ underwhathaveyou creatures that ooze a mild form of acid.  They use this acid to dig into stone and rock, where they shut themselves off from the world with a stone gate. If something passes by, they open up this gate and attack it with tentacles,  attempting to strangle or bash it to death, before dragging it inside where it can be digested (they dissolve food outside the body before absorbing nutrients through the skin). 

If a Cirripede is killed and dragged out of its hole, it is up to the  GM to describe what it looks like. Every Cirripede looks different,  as they grow flesh reactively to what portions of stone are dissolved first (in many ways, they are more like plants than animals). 

“Larval” Cirripedes are grown in clutches of eggs (worth a pretty  penny to alchemists or wizards, if you feel like rewarding the  players for the kill) in their parent’s folds. They are asexual, and  upon birth drag themselves not too far away like octopi stranded  on land, where they find soft stone and dissolve their way into it.  Young Cirripedes eat rats, bats, and other little beasts – adult  ones will sometimes survive for months slowly dissolving and  eating the single corpse of something larger, like a Cave Troll or  Giant Spider. 

Designer Note: It was quite tricky coming up with six full attacks for this creature as it seemed limited to mainly just using tentacles, which have been explored a lot in the Servants of Memory book. Hopefully I have made the attacks interesting and fun for GMs to throw at players. I also didn't want the creature to be too powerful as I see this as more of just a nuisance for adventurers instead of a major threat.

ATTRIBUTES

STRENGTH 12 + D6+4 (tentacles), AGILITY 1

SKILLS: Stealth 8

MOVEMENT: 1

ARMOR RATING: 8 (stone protection)

ACIDIC SKIN: The main body of the Cirripede is coated in a mild acid. If touched by naked flesh this will immediately cause 1 point of damage (non-typical).

HIDDEN: A Cirripede is always considered hidden until they attack, and always get a surprise attack in the first round of combat.

SELF-PRESERVATION: If the Cirripde takes more than half its STRENGTH in damage it will retreat into its hole, sealing itself in. The only way to then attack this creature would be to destroy the barrier it has constructed in front of it. TENTACLE WEAKNESS: Although the main body of the Cirripede is protected by a rock gate, their tentacles are somewhat fragile and only have a light covering of stone as protection. Targeting a tentacle directly has a -2 penalty to hit but their Armour Rating drops to 3. Each Tentacle takes a maximum of 1 damage and then is removed. If all tentacles are removed the Cirrepede will spit acid (see below) and will retreat behind its stone protection.

MONSTER ATTACKS

D6	ATTACK
1	TENTACLE BASH!  A prehensile tentacle flexes and then pummels one adventurer within NEAR range. Make an attack using seven Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). If the victim is hit they are knocked prone.
2	SUBMISSION STRANGLE! A single tentacle snakes out to wrap around the throat of one adventurer within NEAR range. Make an attack using six Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). If hit, the victim is GRAPPLED and takes 1 point of damage each round until they BREAK FREE.
3	PICK N MIX FRENZY! A flurry of tentacles burst forth, frantically slapping any adventurer within ARM'S LENGTH. Make an attack using five Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force).
4	STINGING STONE! Using the tips of its tentacles the Cirripede flings small splinters of stone in all direction, striking anyone within NEAR RANGE. Make an attack using five Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (stab wound). This attack can only be parried by a shield. Due to having to protect their eyes rom the stone splinters, all adventurers within range suffer a -2 penalty to their next attacks.
5	TENTACLE TRIP! A searching tentacle wraps around the ankles of an adventurer within NEAR range, then they have their feet pulled out from under them. Make an attack using six Base Dice, damaging AGILITY. If hit, the unlucky visit is also knocked prone and takes 1 point of damage to STRENGTH (blunt force).
6	ACID DEFENCE! If the stone protection in front of the Cirripede has been broken by adventurers, as a last ditch defense, the creature will spit a nasty gobbet of acid at anyone within ARM'S LENGTH. Make an attack using four Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (non-typical), the acid will continue to cause 1 point of damage for D3 rounds.

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

DREAD REAVERS (from The Halls Untoward)

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

DREAD REAVERS (The Halls Untoward YZE Bestiary) 

These monsters are semi-corporeal wraith-like creatures that are drawn to the warmth of mortal beings. These creatures are souls who have been twisted by the vile and illegal magics harnessed by the evil cabal of wizards. They will claw at mortals or try to suck the warmth out of them. Creatures without flesh or heat, such as constructs and undead will be ignored by a Dread Reaver. 

ATTRIBUTES

STRENGTH 12, AGILITY 4, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3

MOVEMENT: 1

ARMOR RATING: Dread Reavers are incorporeal and can only be hurt by fire or magic. If defeated they will return in a Quarter Day unless banished with the PURGE UNDEAD spell.

INCORPOREAL: As an incorporeal being a Dread Reaver can move through any obstacle unimpeded.

MONSTER ATTACKS

D6	ATTACK
1	CLAW STRIKE! A ghostly hand reaches out, its wicked claws piecing the flesh of one victim within ARM'S LENGTH. Make an attack using nine Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2 (stab wound).
2	COLD CARESS! With a seemingly loving caress the Dread Reaver places its hands on the face of an adventurer within ARM'S LENGTH, leaning in it begins to inhale the warm breath and soul of its victim. Make an attack using eight Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (non-typical). The victim is also GRAPPLED and becomes COLD, taking one point of damage each subsequent round until the BREAK FREE.
3	SOUL SEARCHING! The horrific countenance of the Dread Reaver stares straight into the soul of one unlucky adventurer within NEAR range. Make a fear attack using eight Base Dice,
4	PASSING THROUGH! The Dread Reaver's incorporeal form passes through one adventurer within NEAR range, infusing its victim with the chill of their undead existence. Make an attack using eight Base Dice, damaging EMPATHY and immediately making the victim COLD.
5	MANIC STRIKE! The Dread Reaver's pent up aggression explodes in a violent display of slashing claws, striking at up to three adventurers within ARM'S LENGTH. Make an attack using seven Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound)
6	SCREAM OF THE DEAD! A demented scream resonates from deep within the Dread Reaver, the terrible sound haunting all adventurers within SHORT range. Each adventurer suffers a fear attack with six Base Dice.

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

DEEP-SHRIMP (from The Halls Untoward)

 All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

DEEP-SHRIMP - (The Halls Untoward YZE Bestiary)

Adult deep-shrimp are of a similar size to a large dog. While usually willing to communicate with land-creatures via their  native telepathy, they will sometimes attack with their long crab-like pincers. Capable of breathing outside water, they can also ‘hop’ while on land, somewhat like fleas. Physical attacks are usually preceded by dazzling mental fireworks. Monastic deep shrimp have honed these abilities further, and are often powerful  mind-benders.  

Juvenile deep-shrimp are largely harmless to human-sized  creatures, and will use their telepathy to distract attackers before escaping. They lack their seniors’ endurance on land, and will expire in minutes without water. 

ADULT DEEP-SHRIMP ATTRIBUTES:

STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3

SKILLS: Melee 3, Endurance 2, Manipulation 3

MOVEMENT: 2 (Hop)

ARMOR RATING: 4 (Shell)

TELEPATHY: Deep-Shrimp can communicate directly with the minds of any sentient creature within LONG range.

AIR AND WATER BREATHER: Adult Deep-Shrimp can breath equally well on land and in water.

*for Monastic Deep-Shrimp increase all attributes by 1 and increase all Base Dice in the attack table below by 2.

MONSTER ATTACKS

D6	ATTACK
1	MENTAL FIREWORKS! A disorientating kaleidoscope of sound and colour explodes within the minds of all adventurers within SHORT range. Make an attack using five Base Dice, damaging WITS and AGILITY.
2	PINCER MOVE! One of the Deep-Shrimp's oversized pincers reaches for an adventurer within NEAR range, attempting to slice through flesh and bone. Make an attack with 6 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2 (slash wound). This attack can be parried.
3	SHRIMP HOPPER! The Deep-Shrimp leaps high, coming down hard to land on one adventurer within SHORT range. Make an attack with six Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). If the target is hit they are knocked prone and GRAPPLED.
4	CHITIN BANG, BANG! The Deep-Shrimp bang their hard pincers together in a display of aggression, demonstrating their strength and power. All adventurers within SHORT range suffer a fear attack using 5 base dice. Increase this by one dice for every Deep-Shrimp that joins in.
5	TASTING MORSELS! With surprising speed the Deep-Shrimp takes an opportunistic bite out of one adventurer within ARM'S LENGTH. Make an attack using seven Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound)
6	DEFENSIVE DANCE! The Deep-Shrimp goes all out to defend itself, blocking with its pincers or moving swiftly to avoid being hit. Until the Deep-Shrimp's next action all attacks against it suffer a -2 penalty.

*for Monastic Deep-Shrimp replace the DEFENSIVE DANCE! attack with the following attack:

6

PASSIVE OBSERVER! The Deep-Shrimp invades the minds of all adventurers within SHORT range, projecting feelings of calm and apathy. Make an attack using seven Base Dice, opposed by the adventurers'' EMPATHY. If the attack succeeds, the adventurer stops what they are doing to just stand and stare, unable to act for a number of rounds equal to the number of uncancelled successes.

All Monster Names and Descriptions are taken from The Halls Untoward by Michael Prescott et. al. which is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license v4.0

All Monster Stat Blocks and Attack Descriptions are copyright Craig Atkins 2022.

MIMIC

MIMIC

It has been a while since I even looked at converting creatures and beasts from D&D to the Forbidden Lands stat blocks, so this one might be a bit trickier. I have opted not to have a separate WIP as that seemed to take more time than the actual conversion. So I will just work through and edit as I go.

I am using the most recent iteration as my starting point - 5E Mimic stat block. The stats convert easily using my conversion guide, a Mimic doesn't really need WITS or EMPATHY, but it does have a Stealth skill.

Mimics are an early creation Zygopher as part of his initial experimentation with the demon substance of mog. The grafting of an inanimate object and the amorphous form of a lesser demon created monstrous beings that could alter its form, texture and appearance to fool unwary adventurers, acting as hidden guards of Zygophers most valued treasure or artifacts. Of course Mimics can rarely be trained or kept in one place so some took their leave of their creator and now reside in other dungeons, caverns or crypts to await anyone foolish enough to approach.

ATTRIBUTES

STRENGTH 11, AGILITY 1

SKILLS: Stealth 4

MOVEMENT: 1

ARMOR RATING: 2 (tough hide) (takes no damage from acid)

INANIMATE DISGUISE: The mimic can use a fast action to alter its shape into an inanimate object or back into its true, amorphous form. Until the Mimic moves or attacks it is a perfect replica and its deception cannot be spotted by unwitting adventurers. Its statistics do not change. Equipment worn or carried by it is not transformed.

STICKY: Any object or person that either touches or is touched by a Mimic in their disguised form are held fast by the sticky residue that coats all of its surfaces. Anyone caught is effectively GRAPPLED, as the adhesive substance has a STRENGTH of 3. Alcohol has been known to weaken the hold.

WALL CLIMBER: Due to their adhesive coating Mimics are able to move across walls and ceilings without any issue.

MONSTER ATTACKS

D6	ATTACK
1	PSEUDOPOD SLAP! An elongated appendage reaches out from the object/creature to slap one adventurer within ARM'S LENGTH. Make an attack using 7 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force).                  If the mimic is in object form, the target is also subjected to its STICKY special ability.
2	SURPRISING BITE! The object contorts to reveal a gaping maw surrounded by jagged teeth, which the thing uses to take a bite out of an adventurer within ARM'S LENGTH. Make an attack using 7 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound). Any successful attack will also suffer one additional point of acid damage per round for D3 rounds.
3	CRUSHING TENDRILS! A searching pseudopod wraps itself around one adventurer within NEAR range, tightening to crush the very life from them. Make an attack using 6 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force), the victim is also GRAPPLED. The pseudopod has a STRENGTH of 3 to break free, plus an additional 3 if the creature is currently disguised due to its STICKY ability.
4	RAVENING MAW! If on the Mimics turn any adventurer is unlucky enough to be held in the Mimics CRUSHING TENDRILS! the Mimic will quickly pull them towards it, stretching its waiting mouth in anticipation. The adventurer can attempt to break free from the tendril, as above, but will then be plunged into darkness as the Mimic swallows them whole. The victim will take 1 point of damage each round from digestive juices. A Mimic has no armour on the inside.
5	TONGUE LASHING! Just as the release of the bow string can propel an arrow forward with deadly speed and accuracy, the Mimic releases its tongue muscles, which allows its tongue to spring forward and make multiple stabbing strikes at one adventurer within ARM'S LENGTH. Make three attacks using 5 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (stab wound).
6	WHERE DID IT GO? The mimic lets out a deafening and horrendous and throaty, mucus filled, scream/howl/roar, shaking to spray gastric acid flying. All adventurers within NEAR range suffer a fear attack with five Base Dice and must succeed at a MOVE check or suffer 1 point of acid damage for D3 turns. After all of the pandemonium the Mimic has gone. It has either darted out a nearby door, climbed across the ceiling or otherwise maneuvered to take up a new position in this room or further away. Only adventurers that were not affected by fear and did not attempt to avoid the acid can track the creatures whereabouts.

Giant Spider WIP

Giant Spider

The Giant Spider is a mainstay of fantasy fiction, with one of the most famous depictions being Shelob from Lord of the Rings, that very nearly ended the quest for our brave Hobbit. I am sure that some of that depiction will influence my design decisions.

For this beast I have had to change my online source for the 5E spider stats, go here to see what the beast looks like in the current version of D&D - 5E Giant Spider

I will again rely heavily on my conversion formulas found here as a spreadsheet - 5E to Fbl conversion guide.

STEP 1: STRENGTH - As ever the first question, Is it a Monster? Categorically Yes! So we use the HP multiplier to determine Forbidden Lands Strength. 4d10+4 = 4x1.25+Constitution Modifier of +1= 6, which is pretty low for something this legendary.  It also doesn't have any immunities or resistances, so the Strength isn't modified further.

STEP 2: AGILITY - Agility is easy, just convert the Spider's Dexterity of 16 to a Fbl Agility of 5, it is an agile critter.

STEP 3: WITS AND EMPATHY - It doesn't need Wits or Empathy as its only semi-intelligent.

STEP 4: SKILLS - This is the first monster to have skills listed. It has a Stealth of 7, in D&D this would be made up of a proficiency and its Dexterity Modifier. In my conversion document I have listed all of the 5E skills and their Fbl counterpart, Stealth converts to Stealth, just subtract the Dex Modifier as this will be added to the creatures Agility in play. 7-3=4, so Fbl Stealth = 4.

It also has Passive Perception which would use its Wisdom Modifier, so look up the Base Dice increase of the Wisdom Attribute of 11 to convert to WITS of 4.

STEP 5: MOVEMENT - Speed/30 = 30/30 = 1, if its climb speed was different I would add that as well but this ability will be covered as a special ability.

STEP 6: ARMOR RATING - Looking at the 5E armor ratings (and Formulas), this gives me a number of options. The Spider has a Natural Armor of 4, and this either includes all, some, or none of its Dex Modifier of 3, depending on how tough I think it is. Which would give me possible Armor Ratings of 1 (14-10-full Dex Modifier) or 2 (14-10-Max Dex modifier of 2), or 4 (14-10, no Dex modifier included). This is where I loook at the Armor ratings listed for monsters in the Legends and Adventurers booklet, and compare the options. My gut says 4 is too high, but 1 is too low, so let's go with 2 (equivalent to thick fur, or for the spider I would say thick hide).

STEP 7: TYPICAL GEAR - None.

STEP 8: IMMUNITIES, RESISTANCE AND VULNERABILITIES - None Listed

STEP 9: SPECIAL ABILITIES - The spider has a number of special abilities listed:

• Spider Climb. The spider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

This is very straightforward, I would just remove the last section as its irrelevant.

• Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the spider knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

Again, just use as written.  There might be a possibility for an adventurer to make a roll to avoid the webbing?

• Web Walker. The spider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

I would add this into the Spider Climb ability above.

STEP 10: CONVERT ATTACKS - The Spider has the following attacks listed:

• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus (2d8)poison damage. The target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking the poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.

This one is based off the creatures Strength, so look at the conversion guide for the Base Dice increase in-line with its 5E Strength Attribute of 14, which gives an Base Dice increase of 2, for a total of seven Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (as it does less than 20 average damage). In 5E this does piercing damage but it makes sense to have this as a slash wound in Fbl, as a bite can remove limbs like a sword cut. Range is ARM'S LENGTH as it is within 5ft.

This attack also has a paralysing poison included. The potency is devised by taking the saving throw and subtracting 10, to leave a Potency of 1. This seems really low, so I might need to revise my conversion formula to how I work it for Fear attacks, which is saving throw halved?

• Web (Recharge 5-6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 30/60 ft., one creature. The target is restrained by webbing As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).

The Web attack can only be used once every 5 or 6 rounds and ends in the victim being GRAPPLED. The initial attack is based off of the creatures Dexterity, so look across from its DEX of 16 to see what its Base Dice increase is, in this case it’s 2, increasing the attack to seven Base Dice. Range is SHORT and the Webbing has a STRENGTH of 6 ( which is half the STR save of 12).

STEP 11: ATTACK DESCRIPTIONS - The attack descriptions are pretty straight forward. The Bite is quite brutal and obviously has a poison attack. The description of the Web attack will include its innate stickyness.

STEP 12: NEW ATTACKS - This is where it gets interesting as I asked for some feedback on possible attacks and ended up getting quite a few suggestions, so I decided to write them all up and then you can choose which four you would like to add in to make up the six. I have grouped some together to cover a certain creature that harasses halflings.

STEP 13: FINISHING TOUCHES - Not much to add now, this was quite straight forward, it’s just a shame it took so long for me to complete.

Year Zero Bestiary Kickstarter

Over the past few weeks I have been a bit preoccupied, and my work on the Giant Spider has sadly remained unfinished, hopefully I will get back to my conversions soon.

But as many of you know I have been working alongside other contributors to develop a fantasy bestiary for the Trilemma Adventures Compendium (available here)! The work on this is now and on 4th August we will be launching the kickstarter for this Year Zero Engine edition! To follow along and make sure you are notified of the launch please click here.

Making the Rust Monster - WIP

The Rust Monster

Over the next few days I will type up my work converting the D&D rust monster. I will start by looking at the 5E stat block, found here - 5E SRD - Rust Monster

I will again rely heavily on my conversion formulas found here as a spreadsheet - 5E to Fbl conversion guide.

STEP 1: STRENGTH - As always the first question: Is it a monster? Well, it has MONSTER! as part of its name so definitely a monster. This means we use the Rust Monsters HD to determine its Fbl Strength. Because of this we also need to look for any immunities or resistances as this will affect the conversion multiplier. No immunities so 5D8 +5 converts to 5 * 1 (as a D8 hit has a conversion multiplier of 1) + 1 (the creatures Constitution Modifier) Giving a total of 6, which is quite low for a monster but this critter has additional protection with its rust ability, so it should be fine.

STEP 2: AGILITY - Agility is pretty straight forward, take the creatures Dexterity score and plug into my conversion table. 12 converts to 4.

STEP 3: WITS AND EMPATHY - Its a monster, and its 5E Int, Wis and Cha are too low to worry about, so lets skip this.

STEP 4: SKILLS - No skills listed, so we can move on.

STEP 5: MOVEMENT - 60ft / 30 = 2, its quicker than an average human, as it should be.

STEP 6: ARMOR RATING - The Rust Monsters AC is 14, subtract 10 gives us 4. This is the point where 5E head scratching comes in, as the armor rating could be modified by the creatures Dex modifier of +1, or it might not be, depending on how the AC is calculated. As we want the Rust monster to be a bit of a threat, lets just keep the full 4.

STEP 7: TYPICAL GEAR - Rust Monsters don't generally carry items, so we can skip ahead.

STEP 8: IMMUNITIES, RESISTANCE AND VULNERABILITIES - Nothing listed for any of these, which means it will take damage from all attacks but anyone using metal weapons is in for a surprise (unless they are old school D&D players, then they should not be surprised at all).

STEP 9: SPECIAL ABILITIES - The Rust Monster has two special abilities -

• Iron Scent: The rust monster can pinpoint, by scent, the location of ferrous metal within 30 feet of it. 

This is pretty easy to translate, just change 30ft to SHORT range, this is a bit longer as its up to 25m but that should be fine. I might add a description about how it would choose a target amongst a group of adventurers.

• Rust Metal: Any nonmagical weapon made of metal that hits the rust monster corrodes. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to damage rolls. If its penalty drops to -5, the weapon is destroyed. Nonmagical ammunition made of metal that hits the rust monster is destroyed after dealing damage. 

This one is a bit trickier due to how weapons work in Fbl. My instinct is to make this immediately reduce Gear Dice but there is a little bit of me (probably my left eye) that wants me to only reduce Gear Dice if a 1 is rolled when attacking. For now I will go with my initial thought. I will add that the weapon also cannot be repaired to recover this lost Gear Dice.

STEP 10: CONVERT ATTACKS - The Rust Monster has two actions listed that can be converted to attacks. I will work through this tomorrow.

• Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage. 

This one is easy to convert. The range is ARM’S LENGTH because of its 5ft reach. Cross reference the creatures Strength attribute of 13 with the conversion table to find the Base Dice increase, in this case it’s 3, and add this to the +3 to hit. The creature rolls six Base Dice to bite, and as it’s damage average is less than 20 it does Weapon Damage 1 in Fbl. Although it states piercing damage, in Fbl bites are usually slash wounds. The reason for this I think is that a bite has the ability to severe limbs, but a stab would only pierce a specific hit location.

• Antennae: The rust monster corrodes a nonmagical ferrous metal object it can see within 5 feet of it. If the object isn’t being worn or carried, the touch destroys a 1-foot cube of it. If the object is being worn or carried by a creature, the creature can make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw to avoid the rust monster’s touch. If the object touched is either metal armor or a metal shield being worn or carried, its takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to the AC it offers. Armor reduced to an AC of 10 or a shield that drops to a +0 bonus is destroyed. If the object touched is a held metal weapon, it rusts as described in the Rust Metal trait

This one is slightly more complicated as it’s not written up as an attack in the 5E version. Usually for something like Poison or Disease I make the strength of it it equal to saving throw DC -10, and I think this fits to show how accurate the attack is. But rolling one dice for an attack is pretty pointless in Fbl, so I will add in the creatures adjusted Strength as well (as above). This gives a total of four Base Dice for the attack. The damage is something special that I need to think about, it probably causes 1 point of Gear Dice damage per success for whatever object it attacks, armor or weapon. I would also think this attack can be parried but that just specifically damages the weapon.

STEP 11: ATTACK DESCRIPTIONS - This is where your imagination comes in, try to make the attacks sound interesting. For the bite I think it would have mandibles, due to being insectoid. The antennae attack is going to be a frenetic rubbing type of attack.

STEP 12: NEW ATTACKS - The first thing to decide here is how many attacks should it have? Animals or small creatures can have just a couple of attacks that are described in the main stat block, large creatures always have six but my rule of thumb is that monsters with less than 8 Strength have three attacks, modelling the Stone Raven from the Bitter Reach. This is just a general guideline and depends on how creative I can be with the attacks, if I can come up with six I will use six. For the Rust Monster I had two immediate ideas.

• The Rust Monsters tail is said to also corrode but I think that does it by hitting the target, I would say it is somewhere between the bite and Antennae attacks in regards to base dice, so let’s put it at five Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force) due to the way it can club its target. It also looks quite long, so let’s increase the range to NEAR. It will also corrode like the antennae.

• I did think the Rust Monster would barrel through anyone not carrying metal to get to a target it could feed off, with the ability to knock the target prone as well whilst knocking them aside. Let’s call this RUSH ATTACK! until I can come up with something better, it has the same attack chance and damage as the bite but as (blunt force), the target also needs to make a MOVE roll or end up prone.

• Maybe a disarm attack versus anyone brandishing a metallic weapon, same base dice as the tail but it grabs the weapon and the victim must make a MIGHT roll or the weapon is pulled from their grip, the rust monster will then stop and devour the weapon.

• To be honest I’m now struggling a bit for the last attack, any thoughts? It could use its tail to swipe at all adventurers within NEAR range, maybe?

STEP 13: FINISHING TOUCHES - I think it is pretty much done now but I think adding something to the description to fit it in with the setting would be good, I will see what I can do.

I will post up next week.