Teratic Tome DCC: Onlooker

Dead Cyclops presents a DCC RPG conversion for a monster from +Rafael Chandler's Teratic Tome. If you like this, check out the Kickstarter for Rafael's new bestiary: Lusus Naturae.


The Onlooker belongs to a class of monsters called audiences, so let's talk about those first...


Audiences

Created by the Tenebrous Halflings of the Infinite Crypt, audiences were once among the most dreaded of monsters.

When several of the Tenebrous Halflings neared death, they would perform a necromantic ritual that transferred their souls into a monstrous body that had been stitched together by their chirurgeons. Within this new body, a floating sack of flesh adorned with tentacles, each audience was a collection of diverse personalities.

The audience then continued to stalk the silent corridors of the Infinite Crypt, gathering information, tormenting lesser beings, and assembling troves of forbidden knowledge.

Then Shauva Tiridan, the mad mage, took their eyes.

A wizard of unimaginable power, she hunted down every audience and carved out its eyes to create her legion of ambulators (q.v.).

Now blind and insane, the audiences still glide through dark tunnels, but their mutilator died years ago, so they have no one to vent their rage on save for the occasional adventurer who blunders into their path. Though eyeless, an audience is nonetheless acutely aware of its surroundings, and is not penalized for blindness -- nor is it affected by illusions, or spells such as darkness.

Each audience has the power (and the intellect, and the souls) of several ancient halfling mages, but much of that strength was blunted when the eyes were taken; still, an audience is a formidable foe.

Onlooker: Init +3; Atk tentacled mouth +8 melee (1d8+2) or central maw +8 melee (2d6); AC 18 (tentacles: AC 14); HD 12d8+30 (3hp per tentacle); MV 40’; Act 11d20; SP spellcasting +12, 1/day each: Magic missile, Dispel magic, Scare, Gust of wind, Slow, Force manipulation, Polymorph, Paralysis, Magic shield, Sleep, Spider web; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +8; AL L.


The onlooker appears as a large sphere of greenish-blue tissue, from which dangle 10 tentacles of different lengths. An enormous mouth protrudes from the four-foot-wide central sphere, and each of the tentacles ends in a chattering mouth. The monster sweats a milky substances that reeks of fresh fruit.

Often found near crypts, ossuaries, or graveyards, the onlooker's eleven souls bicker and argue incessantly, debating the necromantic lore that once was their bailiwick. Now, eyeless and stripped of many powers, they float through dust-blanketed necropoleis in search of the interesting-tasting cadavers that sustain them (and occasionally serve as raw material for an experiment of some kind).

If approached, the onlooker will stop chattering long enough to bite with its tentacled mouths (3-10 points of damage) or its central maw (2-12 points); if it feels that the enemy is a dangerous enough to warrant it, the central maw can spit forth magic missiles (6d4+6, 180' range, once per day), and the ten other mouths can utter the following spells (once per day each):

1. Dispel magic 
2. Scare 
3. Gust of wind 
4. Slow 
5. Force manipulation 
6. Polymorph 
7. Paralysis 
8. Magic shield
9. Sleep 
10. Spider web

More Teratic Tome DCC goodness: 

• Acronical 
• Dreg-Stalker 
• Bothrian 
• Scavenger

All material from Teratic Tome used with permission.

Teratic Tome DCC: Scavenger

Dead Cyclops presents a DCC RPG conversion for a monster from +Rafael Chandler's Teratic Tome. If you like this, check out the Kickstarter for Rafael's new bestiary: Lusus Naturae.

Scavenger: Init +1; Atk bone dagger +0 melee (1d3); AC 10; HD 1d8; MV 60' or fly 90’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +0; AL N.

Winged humanoids with grey feathers and scabby pink faces, scavengers look like human-vulture hybrids. They reek of the carrion that they feed on.

Most scavengers cultivate symbiotic relationships with powerful predators, which can include carnivorous dinosaurs, giant spiders, or humanoids such as gnolls or bugbears.

Using its piercing caw, and taunting its targets with the few common-tongue obscenities that it knows, the scavenger tries to lure its prey towards the predator, which then attacks. After the other creature has killed the target, the scavenger picks the scraps of meat off the bones.

Though it carries no treasure, the ruqoloi itself is worth a decent amount, as its exoskeleton is valued by many apothecaries (who create various medicines from the material). A damaged corpse can fetch five hundred gold from a wealthy chemist, and an undamaged body can bring ten times that amount.

A scavenger may also attempt to lure a group of adventurers into a dangerous location, such as a trap-heavy dungeon, by dropping coins which it has looted from various corpses -- scavengers have no use for money, but do love shiny things, so these coins will usually be retrieved afterward.

In combat, scavengers use makeshift daggers wrought from bones (1-3) or any weapons they can pilfer. Their treetop nests are stuffed full of useless items (spoiled iron rations, moldy bread, a four-foot length of rope with a bloody frayed end) and a few bits of treasure.

More Teratic Tome DCC goodness: The Acronical, Dreg-Stalker, Bothrian

All material from Teratic Tome used with permission.

Teratic Tome DCC: Bothrian

Dead Cyclops presents a DCC RPG conversion for a monster from +Rafael Chandler's Teratic Tome. If you like this, check out the Kickstarter for Rafael's new bestiary: Lusus Naturae.

Bothrian: Init +2; Atk tentacles +5 melee (1d4 + poison) or weapon +5 melee; AC 13; HD 7d8+5; MV 120’; Act 3d20; SP poison (DC 15 Fort save or lose 1 Intelligence for 1d6 rounds and make a second check in next round; 10% chance that intelligence loss is permanent), spellcasting +7: ESP, Levitate, Phantasm, Wizard sense, Charm person (1/day), Forget (1/day), Scare (1/day), Word of command (1/day), Mindblade (3/day, 60' x 20' cone, DC 14 Ref save or Intelligence 1 for 1d6 rounds, no spellcasting possible); SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5; AL L.

Elegant and formal, the bothrians are a mild-mannered race of beings that seek only to enjoy the good things in life -- to carefully slice flavorful meat and sip chilled wine while listening to music and watching their victims scream as the skin is carefully peeled away from the muscle.

Slender humanoids with octopoidal features, their smooth, moist skin ranges in hue from violet to bright green, and changes slightly with mood. Most bothrians favor damp climates, and are typically found near pools where they can soak when the mood arises. Their tentacles undulate while they speak, and many of them have pierced, tattooed, or otherwise decorated their appendages to indicate status.

If provoked, a bothrian typically tries to cause as much harm as possible, while amusing itself by using its abilities to manipulate and bewilder its intellectually-inferior foes. Bothrians have spent centuries honing their mental powers, and can use the following spelllike abilities at will: ESP, levitate, phantasm, wizard sense. In addition, it can use these abilities once per day: charm person, forget, scare, word of command.

Three times per day, the bothrian can employ mindblade, a magical attack which functions like a breath weapon with a 60 ft cone (5 ft at base and 20 ft at end); victims must succeed in a DC 14 Ref save or have their intelligence reduced to 1 for 1d6 rounds (no spellcasting possible). All abilities are performed at 7th-level mastery.

They can also attack with their tentacles; a successful hit inflicts 1-4 damage, and the victim must succeed in a DC 15 Fort save or lose 1 point of intelligence. The following round, the victim must make an additional saving throw or lose another point. Thus, a hit means that the target will lose 0-2 points of intelligence per hit. The effect is usually temporary (intelligence is restored in 1d6 rounds); however, in 10% of cases, this intelligence loss is permanent, and must be remedied somehow.

More Teratic Tome DCC goodness: The Acronical, Dreg-Stalker

All material from Teratic Tome used with permission.

Teratic Tome DCC: Dreg-Stalker

Dead Cyclops presents a DCC RPG conversion for a monster from +Rafael Chandler's Teratic Tome. If you like this, check out the Kickstarter for Rafael's new bestiary: Lusus Naturae.

Dreg-Stalker: Init +2; Atk claws +1 melee (1d8+1); AC 13; HD 2d10+2; MV 60’; Act 2d20; SP vermin; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +0; AL C

Artwork by Metalhead

An amorphous blob of tissue with sensory organs that are little more than thick pores on its oily skin, the dreg-stalker is a predator that stalks sewers and alleys.

The monster lurks below the city, surfacing at night to feed upon solitary victims: vagrants, drunkards, prostitutes, and night watchmen. Its four muscular arms end in sharp claws, which it uses to eviscerate its victims. Then the corpse is stuffed into the pulpy wad of beige tissue that is the dreg-stalker's body.

If confronted, the creature will command the vermin that follow it to attack: giant fire beetles, rats, and other small creatures will defend the dreg-stalker to the death.

Because the dreg-stalker also absorbs its victims' memories, it is highly prized by interrogators, who feed accused persons to the beast, then ask it for information (as payment for the food).

Sometimes, of course, they learn that the person in question was telling the truth, and was innocent of the crimes in question.

More Teratic Tome DCC goodness: The Acronical

All material from Teratic Tome used with permission.

Teratic Tome DCC: Acronical

Dead Cyclops presents a DCC RPG conversion for a monster from +Rafael Chandler's Teratic Tome. If you like this, check out the Kickstarter for Rafael's new bestiary: Lusus Naturae.

Acronical: Init +4; Atk serrated hooks +3 melee (2d4+2 plus DC 10 Fort save or lose one point from random attribute until slain); AC 17; HD 5d10; MV 150’; Act 2d20; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +1; AL N.

Artwork by Stan Morrison

The acronical is a large insectile predator that strides on six armored legs. Eight feet tall at the shoulder, it has a dark maroon exoskeleton and serrated black hooks at the end of both arms. It reeks of vomit.

Created by anhedonic priests many centuries ago, this nocturnal creature stalks and kills adulterers. It hunts married people who stray from the beds of their spouses, and it hunts those who fornicate with married people.

Acronicals are drawn to the scent of such persons, and can detect it from miles away. Hunting in small packs, the beasts crawl across walls and ceilings, silent and careful, closing in on their victims. They stalk everyone who was peripherally involved in the duplicity -- neighbors who turn a blind eye, innkeepers who knew exactly what was going on, and so forth. Those involved are tracked down, attacked while alone, hamstrung, and devoured by the acronicals while still alive.

Then the creatures will hunt the adulterers themselves. They will be captured, brought together, and given a chance to survive: a fight to the death, with the victor set free.

However, the creatures have no intention of living up to their end of the deal. After one has killed the other, the monster will amputate the victor's arms and legs, then sing songs of love while the fornicator bleeds to death.

Adventurers may encounter the acronical in the wild. It tends to favor caves or dungeons, where it can stage the fatal battle between lovers.

The creature leaves behind a watery orange stool, and when it is agitated, its chitin flakes off in small amounts. Heroes tracking the beast will find this evidence in its wake.

In combat, the acronical attacks with its scythe-like claws, which inflict 4-10 points of damage. Each time the monster hits, the target must make a saving throw against poison or lose a point from a random attribute (roll 1d6 to determine which attribute is affected). This loss can only be remedied when the acronical in question has been slain, at which point the attribute(s) will be restored.

All material from Teratic Tome used with permission.

Bazaelahr

Dead Cyclops proudly presents a guest post by +David Turner

FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 2-5
ARMOR CLASS: 0/2
MOVE: 9”/9”
HIT DICE: 5 + 5
% IN LIAR: 15%
TREASURE TYPE: I
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 or 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8 / 2-12 or 3-18
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Constriction, hurled boulders – see below
SPECIAL DEFENCES: +1 or better weapons to hit and see below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 25%
INTELLIGENCE:
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: L (10’ tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Bazaelahr are the most feared soldiers in the army of Ragadash, The Devouring Jungle, Demon Lord of the Hell of Black-Iron Trees. Part shock-troops and part siege engines, the Bazaelahr batter Ragadash’s foes with fist, tail, and stone. Outside of combat, their scales and skin are off-white. They climb as quickly as they slither across open ground.

Bazaelahr smash foes with their fists and finish them off with their powerful tails shaped like morning stars. If both attacks hit the same target, the Bazaelahr wrap their snake bodies around their foe and squeeze for an additional 2-12 damage. If a large stone is available, a Bazaelahr can make one ranged attack for 3-18 damage instead of its usual melee attacks.

The skin of the Bazaelahr is demonically tough and requires +1 weapons to penetrate. Bazaelahr draw strength from the blood of their enemies. If they have inflicted damage on a foe in a combat round, their torsos, arms and heads turn blood-red and their tails become a mottled red-white. For the rest of that combat round and the next, the Bazaelahr’s Armor Class improves from 2 to 0. If a Bazaelahr fails to damage a foe, they lose the Armor Class bonus in subsequent rounds until they harm someone again.

Inspired by this artwork by Erol Otus, from Dragon Magazine #8, July 1977

Thanks to Keith Senkowski for digging up the picture and other interesting things from the early Dragon magazines.