Sonntag, 18. Oktober 2015

Mysteriously Missing Monstrosities Pt III: Minotaurs

If there is one thing stressing Chthonic Codex is not meant to be a stand-alone product, it is the encounter tables in the back. Almost every section (common, uncommon, rare) for all kinds of terrain (surface, chthonic, ...) seems to have an entry that is not one of the Chthonic Creatures covered in the book/boxed set, so you will need to fall back on other write-ups ... or come up with your own.

So far, my missing monster write-ups were more or less off the cuff. This time around I peruse the MOSTROTON, which is part of Adventure Fantasy Game, the set of rules I am currently using to run the game. While the MOSTROTON is written for random monsters, the abilities and types help framing the Minotaur in AFG terms (not that it is very hard to begin with). Still it helps with the special abilities and ways to combine them. Without further ado:

Minotaur a la MOSTROTON


Freitag, 2. Oktober 2015

Mysteriously Missing Monstrosities pt II: Oozes of the Hypogean Great Karst

For some, the existence of oozes is perplexing, others find they are the alpha and omega of Chimerist design. Most oozes in the close vicinity of schools are thought to be failed experiments ('any experiment that begets life is a success though!' the Chimerists insist) or Chimerist Protoplasm that was assumed spoiled and thrown out with the trash. The by now almost forgotten phrase old as an ooze indicates they may just have gotten out of style since it's easier to create and control Asphaltmorphlings.

"Chimerists couldn't possibly have developed mysteries advanced enough to allow them the pinpoint changes to cause Oozes to speciate. It is much more likely that escaped oozlings, as is more often the case than any Chimerist would dare admit, adopt to outside stimuli, proving their instability and inherent danger." -- Savant Emeritus Klaxon, in 'Observations on the relative advances of the Five Great Schools'

Baby Oozes can easily curl up into a ball form and follow around a designated handler if controlled properly, but they always convey a sense of hunger and loneliness. Humans don't want to cuddle with Baby Oozes due to their caustic nature. Baby Oozes easily feel rejected if not constantly fed, and the only disciplinary measures that put fear rather than moping into them is fire.

AFG: Level 1 Ooze, 2 hits, DEF light, Special: caustic on touch (one hitpoint to organic matter touching it), engulfing attack (on a hit with a six and another six, ooze engulfs some vital orifice and starts eating you up from the inside), mobility (can easily move up surfaces), vulnerable to fire.

Small Oozes have too much mass to easily get into ball shaped forms. They can still keep up with humans at a brisk walking pace and at this stage they start speciating into different versions, sometimes calles slimes or puddings. This hasn't been observed, but only baby oozes (and some forms of giant oozes) are completely clear.

AFG: Level 4 Ooze, DEF medium, Special: caustic on touch, engulfing attack, mobility, speciation specific abilities depending on earlier stimuli.

Medium Oozes might have been fed to size on purpose. They can easily keep stretches of a cave complex devoid of organic matter up to their maximum stretching height. They cannot easily crawl up sheer cliffs like Baby or Small Oozes, so a sudden start of organic matter between waist and breast height is a good indicator of a Medium Ooze or two being around.

AFG: Level 6 Ooze, DEF medium, Special: engulfing attack, mobility, further speciation specifics. Medium Oozes are not generally caustic on touch.

Giant Oozes are only limited by the expanse of their surrounding and the availability of feed. They are known to adopt the shape of wherever they live: Tubular Oozes in round tunnels, and in man-made structures this is where you may encounter the Cubic Oozes, either which often return to a Baby-Ooze like mostly clear, mostly caustic state.

AFG: Level 10 Ooze, DEF medium, Special: Sneaky, Engulfing Attack, Highly Caustic (1d6 acid damage), no special vulnerability to fire due to higher internal cohesion and water content).