Phase Wanderer

Phase Wanderer
No. Enc: 1d4 (1d4)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d10 plus grab
Save: MU6
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: VII
XP: 820

Phase wanderers are men and women who, due to their perverse insistence on experimenting with particle colliders, have shifted themselves partially outside of the normal three dimensions. They now exist agelessly and eternally in a world of malevolent shadows, just outside our own.

Phase wanderers appear as shimmering distortions in the air, vaguely humanoid in shape. They surprise opponents on a roll of 1-4 on a d6.

Due to their extra-dimensional nature, phase wanderers are only damaged by gold and magical (including protonium) weapons.

The phase wanderer attacks by clutching at its target. Contact with a phase wanderer is incredibly damaging to creatures more firmly grounded in the three dimensions, and causes 1d10 points of damage. Furthermore, on a successful hit, it has a 50% chance of grabbing hold and dragging its victim out of phase.

While a victim is so clutched, the wanderer will become solid as his victim phases out and becomes translucent. During this temporary transition, the wanderer is back in phase with the normal three dimensional world, and may be damaged by normal weapons. The victim will correspondingly see his surroundings become dim and insubstantial.

The victim will take 2d10 hit points of damage per round while in the shadow dimension as his atomic structure breaks down. A successful “force doors” check will allow the victim to break free of the wanderer. Alternatively, the victim may attempt to slay the phase wanderer, and will have a +1 bonus to hit while clutched

Anyone killed by a phase wanderer will be permanently transposed out of three dimensional space, along with all their belongings (with the exception of protonium metal). The wanderer will go back out of phase once its clutched victim perishes.

Should the phase wanderer be killed before its victim dies, the victim will return to normal three-dimensional space. The wanderer’s corpse (and any belongings it may be carrying) will fully return to normal space as well, although it will be hideously dried and shriveled.

Canopic Ape

Canopic Ape
No. Enc: 1d10 (1d10)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: Bite or intestine-whip
Damage: 1d4 or 2d6
Save: F4
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: XVIII
XP: 190

Canopic apes are undead created to act as tomb guardians. The mandrills, baboons, and chimps involved must have been hand-raised by the now deceased occupant of the tomb. They are then ritually disemboweled and burned, and the ashes placed within specially prepared canopic jars. The jars are artfully painted, and the lids are sculpted to resemble baboon heads and coated with gold leaf and lapis lazuli. Each intact jar is worth 100 gp to a collector of tomb loot once its occupying ape-spirit is slain.

When a tomb is guarded by canopic apes, anyone disturbing the jars or sarcophagus within the tomb will cause the apes to attack. The lids of the jars will be thrust aside as ape-shaped clouds of ash rise from within. Each jar contains a single such ash-ape.

In combat, undamaged apes will bite with ash fangs. Once they have been damaged, however, the canopic apes will pull fiery intestines composed of burning embers from their own bodies and use the entrails to whip foes.

The apes may only be damaged by magic weapons. Their ash bodies are immune to fire, laser, and plasma damage.

Canopic apes are undead, and may be turned as wraiths.

Lucrephage

This creature will not be popular with my players. I like it because tossing henchman at it does NOT solve the problem, and it gives the players two ways to interact with the hinge-headed: either hunting it down on their behalf, or luring it deeper into the hinge-headed lair and using it as a distraction.

Lucrephage
No. Enc: 1d3 (1d3)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: See below
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 1
Damage: See below
Save: F5
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: None
XP: 500

The lucrephage is an extradimensional creature that subsists entirely on precious metals and jewelry. It absorbs these materials into its being, slowly becoming more tangible as it feeds.

The lucrephage can sense treasure within 30’, and is able to draw the valuables into itself telekinetically. Treasure will fly from wherever its contained – locks will unlock, sacks will tear apart, and chests will open. Only magic such as wizard lock can prevent a container from opening. As the treasure is drawn into its body, the creature becomes visible, taking on the gleaming hues of the valuables it has absorbed.

The creature will devour 250 gp of treasure per round, starting with the most valuable gems or jewelry. If a piece of treasure is worth more than 250 gp, just that single piece will be consumed, and its full value absorbed.

The visibility, vulnerability, and threat posed by the lucrephage depend on how much treasure it has consumed. Keep track of the treasure consumed, and consult the table below for the specifics.

Lucrephage Abilities
Treasure Consumed	Visiblity	AC	Damage	Damage Resistance
0 gp	Invisible, surprise on 1-4 on a d6	4	1d3	Immune to normal weapons
250 gp	Glimmering outline	5	1d4	Takes maximum of 1 point of damage from single attack
500 gp	Mist of precious metals	6	1d6	Takes maximum of 2 points of damage
750 gp	Individual limbs partially outlined by thin sheets of precious metals	4	1d8	Takes maximum of 4 points of damage
1000 gp	Creature covered by shell of gold and/or sparkling sheets of gem-material, with many large holes	2	1d10	Takes maximum of 8 points of damage
1250 gp	Nearly completely covered in gold, silver, and thin gem-sheets	0	2d6	Takes maximum of 12 points of damage
1500 gp	Creature completely visible, and covered with a thin layer of treasure. It has a squat cone-shaped body atop six clawed legs. A tentacle terminating in a club-like four-fingered fist extends from the top of the beast’s body	-2	2d8	Takes full damage

Lucrephages always take full damage from magic and protonium-metal weapons, regardless of how much treasure they have absorbed. They take no damage from fire, cold, or electrical attacks.

Strikes from gold and silver weapons will heal the lucrephage of 1d4 points of damage, and the weapons’ precious metals will be absorbed into the creature. Gold and silver bullets only heal 1 point of damage, and only increase the absorbed treasure value by 1 gp or sp, respectively.

When slain, the lucrephage’s body will collapse into a dust made up of the remains of its meals. The gem dust is worthless, but 10% of the value of consumed precious metals may be recovered.

Lucrephages particularly enjoy feeding on the minds of the hinge-headed. A hinge-headed’s mind crystal provides 250 gp of treasure value to the lucrephage.

Crystal skulls are also quite delicious – these will provide 500 gp of value to the voracious lucrephage.

Down, down to Goblin-Town

The players have now confronted and fought all three major factions of the second level: painted men, necromantic midgets, and troglodytes.  So the three have temporarily joined together to provide a united response to the predations of the many adventuring parties drifting down from the first level - they've cut the bridge, and have set up guards on the other side.

There was a lot of pointless argument about what to do with the dogs (which, being muzzled, never actually fight anyways), but finally the guys headed all the way down to the third level.  It's about time.  It's a terribly inconvenient route, though, and easily sabotaged if somebody decided to cut their ropes...

They immediately headed for an area that I didn't have fully keyed, and the portions that I did have keyed, I had forgotten to print out.  Whoops.  So I winged it, moved rooms around from their original locations, and otherwise put up a brave front.

They're pretty close to the goblin lair now. Bilbo didn't have to deal with anything like this though:

Goblin Emissary
No. Enc: 1d3 (1d3)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 3 (1 versus laser attacks)
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1
Damage: Hive mind’s powers, or laser pistol
Save: MU4
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: III (XX)
XP: 245

These specially-bred goblins are created by the hive minds to serve as their representatives to the rest of the world. The emissaries act as if they are the true rulers of the goblin tribes, while the controlling hive mind stays safely hidden away.

In combat, a possessed emissary will typically use the mental powers of its hive mind. 10% of emissaries will also possess a functioning laser pistol.

An emissary appears to be a thin gray humanoid, 7’ tall, with a massive bulbous head, slit-like nostrils and ears, a small thin mouth full of needle-like teeth, and wide jet-black eyes – in other words, an exceptionally tall and large-headed goblin. They dress themselves in silvery robes of synthetic reflective cloth (granting +2 AC bonus versus laser attacks). Even undamaged robes are almost completely worthless, as the smell of goblin is notoriously hard to remove.

Goblin Hive Mind, Lesser
No. Enc: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 0’
Armor Class: 9
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d10 mental
Save: MU5
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: XIX
XP: 500

The lesser goblin hive mind represents the immature stage of the species, usually only a few centuries old. It is a large brain, between 1’ and 3’ in diameter, floating in a glass jar full of bubbling green fluid, with various wires and hoses running between the jar and racks of equipment.

A lesser hive mind will be attended by 4d10 goblins, 1d6 goblin spiders, and 1d3 goblin emissaries. It breeds the more outré goblinoids by injecting the goblin spawn-sacks with a cocktail of alien chemicals.

The lesser hive mind is able to mentally dominate all goblins within 60’. Further, it is able to project itself into a single goblinoid’s mind, and speak using that monster’s mouth. Once the mental link is established, there is no limit to the distance between the possessed goblinoid and its controlling mind. Goblin emissaries are favored for this task, as the hive mind is able to use the rest of its mental powers through such vessels.

The hive mind is able to cast charm person upon goblin hybrids such as elves, dwarves, and halflings (one attempt per day per demi-human), may read their minds via ESP, and may project its thoughts (threats, commands, and other social niceties) directly into its victim’s brain. None of these abilities require a victim to be within line-of-sight – if he is anywhere within 60’ of the mind, he may be attacked in such fashion. A 2’ thickness of stone is sufficient to shield demi-humans from these powers (as are artifacts such as protonium-metal helmets).

Once per turn, it may use telekinesis (as per the spell, cast at 9th level). In combat, the hive mind (or its controlled goblinoid) attacks with a blast of mental energy upon a single target – if the victim fails a save vs. spells, he will take 1d10 points of damage, and begin bleeding from his nose, ears, and eyes. Dwarves, elves, and halflings suffer a -2 penalty to the saving throw.

The goblin races instinctually serve the hive minds, and they will naturally obey them even in the absence of active mind-control – attempts to foment revolution among a mind’s goblin subjects are doomed to ridicule and failure.

A mind whose tank is broken will dehydrate and die within 4 hours.

Crawling Clam

The third level is water themed, and I was running a bit dry (ha, ha, ha) on sea creatures to fill out some of the rooms. "Well, why not clams?" I think to myself. "What's more terrifying than a clam?"  Thus, the Crawling Clam is born.

Then, today, I'm reading about "World of Synnibarr."  It's some RPG that came out in the 90's, and was panned for having grizzly bears with laser eyes and fire-breathing clams.  All I'm thinking at this point is, "Why didn't _I_ think of fire breathing clams?"  I don't know anything about the guy's rules, but his setting sounds awesome.

Anyhow here's my lesser, not-fire-breathing clam:

Crawling Clam
No. Enc: 1d8 (2d12)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90’ (30’)
Armor Class: -2 (tentacles 3)
Hit Dice: 3 (tentacles 5 hp)
Attacks: 4
Damage: 1d6 each
Save: F3
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: See below
XP: 80

Crawling clams are 5’ long bivalves that drag themselves along damp dungeon corridors using their four 10’ long tentacles.  Each tentacle is tipped with a wicked claw, and in combat the clam will use all four to attack its prey.

If players attack the tentacles, they are AC 3 and have 5 hp each. A single blow at the tentacles will not damage more than one, and after absorbing 5 hp damage are either severed or crushed beyond use. Damage to the tentacles should not be applied to the body’s hit points

Attacking the clam’s shelled body is more difficult – the shell gives it AC -2.

If the shell is pried open, the body is only somewhat reminiscent of a clam, with tentacles protruding from the thick meaty foot muscle, and a drooling, bald human-like head nestled in the center of its gills. Below the idiot head are a pair of tiny arms and legs.

20% of crawling clams will be clutching a 100 gp white pearl in their tiny hands, and a further 5% will hold a 500 gp black pearl.

Invisible Plodder

Invisible Plodder
No. Enc: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 60' (20')
Armor Class: 2 (-1 for claw)
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: 2
Damage: 1d8 plus hold
Save: F6
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: XIV
XP: 820

The invisible plodder is most often seen as only elephantine footsteps splashing into the water, followed by victims being hoisted into the air by unseen limbs and torn to bloody shreds.

If viewed using the aid of detect invisible or similar spells, the plodder will appear as a 10’ wide football-shaped mass of gray ropy tentacles, supported by four thick tree-trunk-like legs, and sporting two crab-like pincers. Its mouth is a wet hole on top of its body, into which it drops the torn fragments of its prey.

Anything consumed by the plodder is masked by its invisible flesh, and effectively becomes invisible as well. Likewise, the tips of swords and spears plunged into its body will disappear from view.

A slain plodder will slowly fade into view, becoming fully visible within one turn.

In combat, the plodder will strike at its foes with its two pincers, doing 1d8 points of damage. Once struck, a victim is held and lifted into the air, and that claw will do no further damage, but the plodder will automatically hit with its second claw for every round thereafter until the victim is freed.

If by chance two victims are simultaneously hit and grabbed, one will be tossed aside (doing 1d6 points of damage) so that the plodder can concentration on tearing apart one meal.

Breaking free requires a successful “force doors” check (either by the victim or by his rescuer).

A victim held by a plodder may only attempt to strike at the claw, unless their weapon has an extraordinarily long reach. The claw has AC -1, and requires 16 hit points of damage to sever. Claw damage does not count towards slaying the plodder. A single-clawed plodder will always throw victims after picking them up, and a declawed plodder will flee for its life. Severed claws will regenerate within 1d3 days.

Gold weapons and bullets do double damage to an invisible plodder. Any gold swallowed by the plodder will be spat out – any other treasure the creature has swallowed will remain within its expansive gut.

A plodder on the move through water will not surprise anything with ears to hear – it makes too much splashing noise. Its normal hunting behavior is to stand completely still, waiting for cave fishes and other prey to approach. The creature is visible in these instances as four cylindrical “holes” in the water.

Stair Constrictor

Stair Constrictor
No. Enc: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 10’ (3’)
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 2 plus constrict
Damage: 1d6/1d6 plus poison, 1d4 constriction
Save: F4
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: VII
XP: 245

The stair constrictor has a flat stony body, 10’ wide by 10’ long. They prefer to drape themselves over stairs, waiting for victims to walk over them. When their prey reaches the middle of the stairs, they will wrap their bodies tightly around the victims, pinning their arms and causing 1d4 points of constriction damage per round. Players who make a successful save vs. paralyzation will be able to jump off the constrictor before becoming trapped.

While constricting, the two needle-tipped tentacles that dangle from the constrictor’s underside are exposed – these tentacles will whip out at anyone trying to help any trapped victims. The needles cause 1d6 points of damage, and those hit must save vs. poison or be paralyzed for 1d6 turns.

Attacking a stair constrictor while it has prey trapped will cause half of the damage dealt to apply to the constrictor, and half to the victim. If more than one victim is trapped inside, roll to determine which unfortunate takes the damage.

After crushing their prey, stair constrictors will spend a week excreting stomach acids and slowly digesting their meal. The undigested bones and bits of metal will be ejected, and collect in a pile at the bottom of the stairs.

With just a passing glance, dwarves will spot a stair constrictor on a roll of 1 on 1d6 – and if actively searching, will notice it on a result of 1-5. Those less familiar with stonework must actively search, and even then will only spot it on a 1-2 on a 1d6.

Evolving Paradigm

Another "special" room. Gill-men have been discussed previously - but let me introduce their evolutionary opposites, the Hyper-men.  Alone, they are weak and pitiful, but in a group they can lay down some serious damage.

38. Evolving Paradigm
In the center of this room is a protonium-metal pedestal, on top of which is attached an uncomfortable-looking stainless steel chair. The arms of the chair are covered with black plastic beads.

An aged plastic console with two knife switches protrudes from the pedestal. One is labeled “Devolve,” and the other “Evolve.”

If a switch is pulled while a creature sits in the chair, they will either evolve or devolve, visibly transforming to their new state. Pulling both switches simultaneously will cause the poor creature to oscillate back and forth between evolutionary states. While either (or both) of the switches are pulled, an impenetrable, glowing field of rainbow hues dances around the chair, and the chair’s occupant will be held immobile.

Evolution
Devolved characters may go through the “evolve” process to return to normal, and evolved may devolve. If quoted text is present, a mechanical voice recites that text and no transformation occurs.
Species	Devolve	Evolve
Human	Gill-man	Hyper-man
Elf, Dwarf, Halfling	Goblin	“Hybridization prevents further analysis”
Goblin	“Further regession impossible”	Hive Mind (unless a devolved elf / dwarf / halfling, in which case the subject will return to his normal state)
Gill-man	“Further regression impossible”	Human
Hyper-Man	Human	“Maximum evolution achieved”
Moktar	Housecat	“Maximum evolution achieved”
Insect-Man	“Insufficient mammalian DNA”	“Insufficient mammalian DNA”

The options listed above are not comprehensive, and it is left to the referee’s discretion on how to deal with other species and states of evolution.

Monsters transformed into higher or lower states will not experience a change in personality, and will likely be quite upset about their transformation.

Hyper-Men
No. Enc: 1d4 (5d4)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 0’
  Fly: 30’ (10’)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: Weapon, or mental blast
Damage: By weapon, or 1d4
Save: F3
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: XVI
XP: 95

Hyper-men represent the evolutionary endpoint of mankind: narrow frowning faces, oversized foreheads and skulls to accommodate their advanced brains, and tiny infant-like bodies dangling below their bald heads.

Hyper-men would be physically helpless if not for their incredible mental prowess. They use their psychic abilities to float in mid-air, and are able to slowly move about in any direction. They do not speak with their mouths – rather, they broadcast their thoughts directly into the minds of anyone standing within 30’. They are unable to read thoughts, however – only broadcast them.

Hyper-men only have 1 hp, but they maintain a constant field of mental energy to deflect blows and reduce damage. It is this field that is represented by the bulk of their hit points and their armor class. The field regenerates at a rate of 1 hp per round when damaged.

In combat, hyper-men may use their minds to manipulate weapons as if they had hands – these weapons must be kept within 3’ of their bodies to be used effectively however. They may also choose to use a mental blast, causing 1d4 points of damage to all non-hyper-men within a 10’ radius if the victims fail a save vs. magic.

Bloat Zombie

Just going for gross-out factor with this one. I'm putting in a shambling horde of them, so they're nowhere near as amped up as the Sons of Kyuss, their major inspiration. That and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Bloat Zombie
No. Enc: 1d6 (2d6)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120’ (40’)
  Swim: 60’ (20’)
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d8 + sea-worms
Save: F3
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: None
XP: 65

Bloat zombies are the reanimated corpses of drowning victims. Their waterlogged bodies are grotesquely swollen, and covered with multi-legged marine worms.

A bloat zombie attacks by striking with its rotting fists. If the target fails a save vs paralyzation, dozens of marine worms will be flung onto the target as well.

The worms will attempt to infest the body by crawling into its orifices. If the victim spends the entirety of the next combat round removing the worms, there is no ill effect.  For each round the worms are neglected, there is a 50% chance that they will successfully invade the target’s body. Worm infestation causes the host’s constitution to drop by 1d4 per day until it reaches 0 (at which point the victim immediately becomes a bloat zombie). A cure disease spell will kill the worms and restore the victim’s constitution.

An adventurer slain by a bloat zombie will rise as a bloat zombie himself within 2d4 days.

Here There Be Gill-Men

Factions on the third level:

a. Moktars!  They hold the entrance to the third level of the dungeon, and are in a bitter conflict with...

b. Gill-Men!  These fish-men have been distracted by their Moktar-fight, which takes some pressure off the...

c. Hinge-Headed!  They hold the main stairs leading down to the 4th level and their Basalt Ziggurat.  They're making a deal with the...

d. Hive-Mind!  Acting through its mind-dominated goblins, it manipulates the gill-men and hinge-headed for its own mysterious ends

This level will also introduce wights.  Probably soggy, waterlogged wights, haven't decided yet.  But I do want some level-draining goodness here, just to hear the anguished cries from my doomed players as their precious levels are absorbed.

Anyhow, here's some stats for the Gill-Men:

Gill-Man
No. Enc: 1d6 (4d12)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90’ (30’)
  Swim: 120’ (40’)
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: 2
Damage: 1d6/1d6
Save: F3
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: XIX
XP: 65

Gill-men are the product of de-evolution – humans regaining fishy attributes as their DNA regresses to a more primitive state. While impossible according to 21st century evolutionary science, gill-men are a reality in the subterranean realm of the Anomalous Subsurface Environment.

These humanoids are covered with green fishy scales, and have webbed and clawed hands and feet. They can breathe air, but they must periodically (once per hour) moisten the large gills on the sides of their heads or suffer -2 on attack rolls due to dehydration. This sensitivity to dryness also causes them to take double damage from fire-based attacks.

In combat, gill-men attack with vicious swipes of their clawed hands.

Moray Snail

Here's one of the critters living in the partially-flooded 3rd level of the dungeon.  A question for my readers:  did somebody already make a monster like this?  I think it's all me, but I've read a lot D&D related material, so it's always possible that I picked it up somewhere else subconsciously...

Moray Snail
No. Enc: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 60' (20')
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d12
Save: F5
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: V plus shell
XP: 500

Moray snails are giant eels with six crab-like legs, living inside intricate shells. The eel head may strike up to 10’ away from the shell, withdrawing back inside after a bite. If the head and neck is somehow prevented from withdrawing, it has an effective AC of 8.

The bite of a moray snail is venomous, and its victims must save vs. poison or be paralyzed for 1d4 turns.

The shell of a full-grown moray snail is 5’ in diameter, and is banded with a rainbow of bright colors, overlaid with iridescent arabesques.  Undamaged, it is worth 500 gp to a collector.

When necessary, moray snails may scuttle about on their crab-like legs, but they prefer to wait in ambush for prey – easily done in the dark, but any party with a light source should have no problem spotting the moray snail’s brightly colored shell.

Necromantic Midget

Behold, the stats for the Necromantic Midget.  I don't like the way the text flows, so I'll rewrite it at some point, but this is essentially what they are. Replacing to-hit rolls with constant saving throws means they will be damaging players quite a bit.

Necromantic Midget
No. Enc: 1d6 (3d6)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 2
Attacks: Dagger or voodoo-stab
Damage: 1d4
Save: MU2
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: XVII
XP: 38

The origin of these vile necromancers is lost to time, but they are able to create new necromantic midgets from the compressed remains of larger humanoids. They appear as well-proportioned tiny humans, and wear no clothing but their black robes, as befits their necromantic passions.

The necromantic midgets are far tougher than their small size would appear to indicate, due to their unnaturally compressed flesh and the arcane blue fluid that circulates in their veins.

A typical necromantic midget will be armed with a dagger, and carry a small rag doll.  They will attack by focusing their necromantic energies on a living victim and stabbing the doll with their dagger, causing the victim 1d4 points of damage unless he makes a successful save vs. spell. The voodoo-stab has a range of 60’.

Hinge-Headed of the Basalt Ziggurat

The fourth level holds the Basalt Ziggurat, home of the Hinge-Headed and their armies of Neanderthal slaves. That's a ways off, but an ambassador may be found on the second level, on a diplomatic mission to the necromantic midgets. I look forward to the players grabbing its mind-crystal, thinking it to be valuable treasure, and then having it shout out "Over here! Save me, fellow dungeon citizens!" at inopportune moments.

Hinge-Headed
No. Enc: 1d4 (6d10)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d10
Save: T4
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: XVIII
XP: 190

The hinge-headed appear to be incredibly strong human men, with cylindrical bronze helmets entirely covering their heads. These cylinders have no openings whatsoever, and are attached to bronze collars bolted to the necks of the men. The cylinders are hinged in the back, and may be pried open to reveal the contents – a glowing crystal, clutched in a hand protruding from the neck (where a head would normally be).

These crystals are the intelligences controlling the hinge-headed bodies. They may be of any color imaginable, and are uncomfortably warm to the touch. The crystals are able to hear, speak, and perceive their surroundings within 30’.

The crystal will typically survive the death of its hinge-headed body. If one of these crystals is captured and its fellows become aware of it, they will go to great lengths to free their comrade. Ransoms of up to 1,000 gp may be paid per captured crystal, but the kidnappers will also earn the undying enmity of the hinge-headed.

The hinge-headed have developed the ability to dominate the weaker minds of Neanderthals, and use these creatures as their slaves. Any Neanderthal within 30’ of a hinge-headed must successfully save vs. spell every round or become dominated. The cavemen constantly resist their crystal masters, however, and upon a failed morale check they will briefly regain their will and run for freedom.

A hinge-headed typically wears a sleeveless robe over a bronze chain mail vest, and carries a two-handed sword strapped to its back.

Medical Mistake

Medical Mistake
No. Enc: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 6 tentacles
Damage: Restrain, plus single 1d8 bite
Save: F4
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: VII
XP: 190

The medical mistake is one of Dr. Giggles’ surgeries gone more wrong than usual.  The doctor attempted to graft a cave squid, a snail, and a juvenile gill-man together.  The resulting chimera survived, but quickly escaped from the absent-minded physician.  The thing has grown enormously since its escape, feeding on patients while the doctor isn’t looking.

The mistake is a mass of tentacles surrounding a giant toothy fish-head, all sprouting from a snail foot.  The body itself is 8’ in diameter, and its tentacles can stretch to 20’.

In combat, the mistake may lash out with up to six tentacles.  Anyone hit by a tentacle will be captured unless they save vs. petrification.  A new save may be made each round to escape.  Opponents so restrained may not perform any actions other than attempting to break free.

Once each round, it will drag a captured opponent to its mouth and bite for 1d8 damage (automatically hitting).  This bite may be performed on a newly-captured opponent.

Each tentacle has AC 7 and takes 6 points of damage to sever.  The mistake has a total of 20 tentacles, although it may only use six at once (more than that is beyond its limited mental capacity).

The medical mistake’s treasure is found in its stomach, and consists of the non-digestible valuables its victims carried.

Fat Grundle

81. Fat Grundle
The iron-bound oak door to this room has three rotten heads attached to it, each spiked through the mouth:  a troglodyte, a painted man, and a necromantic midget (which, in its state of decay, is easy to mistake for a child’s head).  The thick door is barred from the inside, and will take two turns to chop through.

Inside lives Fat Grundle (AC 6, HD 5, hp 18, #AT 1, D 1d10 (or 1d8 fire), MV (30’), Save F5, ML 8), a grotesquely oversized painted man, 9’ tall and weighing five hundred pounds.  His teeth rotted away long ago, and he has been fitted with steel replacements by Dr. Giggles.

Fat Grundle eschews clothes, preferring to fight naked – his ghost-white skin is as hard as boiled leather, and he sees no need for armor.  He wears a pit viper (AC 6, HD 2, hp 5, #AT 1, D 1d4 + poison, MV (30’), Save F1, ML 7) around his neck, and will toss it at opponents before wading into battle, swinging his great iron jug like a club (for 1d10 points of damage).

The rot-gut in Fat Grundle’s jug is highly flammable, and he may (25% chance per round) decide to take a swig and spew out flaming liquid at a single opponent (on a successful hit, the victim will 1d8 points of damage the first round and 1d8 more the second round).  He lights the booze by gnashing his metal teeth and creating sparks.

Fat Grundle is a mercenary, working for whoever will pay his price (100 gp per combat, or a barrel of booze).  He has nailed heads representing the three factions of the level to his door as a gruesome display of his neutrality.

The gigantic clown spends much of his time drunk or hung-over.  Consult the following table to determine Fat Grundle’s disposition.

Fat Grundle’s Sobriety
Roll 1d8 on the table below to determine Fat Grundle’s state of mind.
1.	Passed out.  No amount of noise will wake Fat Grundle for another 1d4 hours.
2-5.	Drunk off his gourd.  Fat Grundle is at -2 to attacks, but players receive a -1 bonus to reaction rolls.
6-7.	Hungover.  Players receive +1 penalty to reaction rolls.
8.	Inexplicably sober.

Should players approach with offers of booze, they will gain a -1 bonus to reaction rolls, in addition to any other modifiers listed above.

Fat Grundle keeps few belongings other than his snake and jug.  There is a wooden tub filled with fermenting molds, stinking of unwashed feet – hidden under the thick layer of scum in the tub are his collected savings, 652 gp.

Eye Jelly

I like oozes, jellies, and puddings.  Anything that dissolves players or their equipment is a recipe for fun.

Eye Jelly
No. Enc: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 30’ (10’)
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d10 + acid
Save: F4
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: None
XP: 350

This monster is a collection of thousands of eyes suspended in acidic ooze.  It is an ambush predator, waiting on ceilings for prey to walk beneath.  It attacks by enveloping its prey and dissolving their flesh with its acidic slime.  After killing its victim, it will extract the unfortunate's eyes and add them to its own body mass.

The eyes of the jelly are functional, and it is thus impossible to surprise one of these monsters without the aid of invisibility spells or similar magic.

Each successful attack by an eye jelly has a 50% chance of rendering its target’s armor useless, as the acid slime chews through straps and smaller metal attachment points, if not the armor itself.

Fangopede

The classic D&D monsters only rarely inspire me, so I make up a lot of creatures in my dungeon.  Here's a bit of second level dungeon vermin:

Fangopede
No. Enc: 1d6 (2d6)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 2
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d6 + poison, attachment
Save: F2
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: See below
XP: 29

These arthropods are 3’ long centipede-like creatures, with two pairs of 4” fangs jutting from the upper and lower jaws, and six segmented eyes.  The teeth prevent the fangopede from closing its mouth all the way, lending it a fearsome aspect.  The poisonous bite of the creature will paralyze its victim for 1d6 rounds if a save is failed.  Additionally, the fangopede’s jaws will lock shut after a successful bite attack – no further damage is caused by the fangopede, as the enzymes in its saliva dissolve flesh far too slowly to have an impact in melee combat, but the victim suffers a +1 penalty to AC for each fangopede dangling from his body.

To remove a fangopede after it has locked its jaws shut, the arthropod must be killed and its jaws cut free from its head.

Fangopedes are deeply attracted to shiny objects, and each has a 10% chance of having swallowed 1d3 gems.

Cave Jellyfish

For no good reason, I was reading up on the lifecycle of the jellyfish.  Weird creatures, weird lifecycle.  I really like the notion of the "scyphistoma" - for some jellies, the immature polyps are stacks of jellyfish that can split off.  What a perfect creature for the dungeon.

While I've got a water level planned for level 3, I don't want to put too many traditional sea creatures in there.  Too predictable.  Instead, I'll have the cave jellies floating through the air, stinging and paralyzing and eating adventurers' faces.  The scyphistoma is what they'll likely encounter at first - and when they retreat after some nasty paralyzations, the whole thing just comes apart into a dozen jellies to chase them around.  Given the Labyrinth Lord rules, the scyphistoma is worth a massive amount of XP for something I'm putting on the second level, but I'm guessing the players never kill the thing before it breaks up into its component jellyfish.  If they do, hey, they can have the XP, they earned it.

Cave Jellyfish
No. Enc: 1d12 (1d12)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 3’ (1’)
  Fly: 60’ (20’)
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 1
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d3 + see below
Save: F1
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: None
XP: 13

The cave jellyfish is a glowing, translucent yellow creature that floats about in the air, supported by bladders of gas in its umbrella-shaped body.  This invertebrate attacks by lashing out with its venomous tentacles, and if a victim is hit and does save versus paralysis, he will be paralyzed for 1d8 rounds.

Despite their clumsy appearance, the cave jellyfish are capable of graceful maneuvering, and are able to move relatively quickly through the damp cavern air.

Cave Scyphistoma
No. Enc: 1 (1)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 0’ (0’)
Armor Class: 9
Hit Dice: 10
Attacks: 3
Damage: 1d3 + see below
Save: F0
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: None
XP: 2,400

These creatures are the larval stage of the cave jellyfish.  The scyphistoma is a glowing, translucent yellow polyp, five feet in diameter and eight feet tall.  The polyp is firmly attached to the cave or dungeon surface, and will attack anything nearby with its tentacles.  It may make up to three attacks per round, with a reach of 5’.  On a successful hit, the victim must save versus paralysis or be paralyzed for 1d8 rounds by the painful venomous sting of the tentacles.

Scyphistomas are normally quiescent, but will begin the next stage of their lifecycle if disturbed and unable to feed.  Should the creature come under attack, or victims manage to escape its grasp, it will began to split into multiple cave jellyfish, at a rate of one per round.  Each split will cause 5 points of damage to the cave scyphistoma, until it reaches zero (or below), at which nothing will be left of the parent scyphistoma but shredded flaps of bioluminescent matter.

Each cave jellyfish spawned will have 5 hit points.

Dober Man

So I've been busy on this adventure for Fight On! (an 'art first' thing, the artist drew the pictures first, and I'm writing an adventure to go along with it).  Deadline is this weekend.  So no new content for you.

I feel vaguely and pointlessly guilty about not posting, so here's another monster illustration, the Dober Man:

Blade Zombie

The illustrations are trickling in.  Brian "Glad" Thomas is awesome.  Here's the Blade Zombie