Showing posts with label monsters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monsters. Show all posts

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Auto Generator repository

Character generator, using races and classes based on Tajira, my homebrew setting. If you want to change those details though, it should be perfectly usable for just about any setting, from epic to historical fantasy. Also, it generates a fully original name each time, so feel free to just roll up names! (This is probably my best work here, and also the most liable to change.) 

(The character generator has been removed until I have a better sense of the world and some more well established content.)
Name generator:

 

Weapon generator:

Specific sword generator, because swords are surprisingly unusual in a lot of weirdly specific ways:

Shield generator:

Nightmares:

Elementals:

Undead:


Crystals! After following a lot of mineral and crystal accounts on social media I feel like a major element fantasy crystals tend to miss out on is the sense of contrast that's almost inherent to any crystal. So I tried to capture that, as well as the incredible, beautiful variety of crystals.




Notes: this page is where I'll be keeping all my auto-generator buttons. They're fun to make, but I don't want to fill my blog with endless posts of just one or two generators. Instead, I'm going to make this post, pin it somewhere prominent, and just add generators to it whenever I make them! I won't be deleting my old generator posts, but I'll probably be redoing as many of them as I feel are worth preserving and posting it all here. The generators in the current sidebar will likely be replaced with a link to this post.

As always, all of these are thanks to Spwack on Slight Adjustments for creating an incredible tool that lets you, yes you! turn your lists of words into auto generator buttons. I've failed to learn programming around half a dozen times so if I can use the tool to make these, truly anyone can.

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Fantasy Chainsaws

 Bit of a weird project, but if you ever want to include some form of chainsaw in your fantasy games, at least one of these should fit the tone. Maybe that's just me! If you're doing full gonzo, go ahead and roll that wonderful d20.

1. Lotus Petal Saw

Softly shining, pink petals spin along an ornamented bar, conjured by a Blades of the Endless Wheel mantra.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EfAiFXWXgAE_ENW?format=jpg&name=large
Exactly this, by me


2. Thornwheel Blade

A great enchanted rose bush, grown by fairies to have a rotary thorned stem.

3. Jaguar Claw Macuahuitl

Empowered by a jaguar spirit, its many obsidian blades command incredible cutting power even when swung like a normal sword.

4. Necrospinner

A spinning weapon of animated bone, using fangs and teeth along the whirling edge.

5. Meatcutter

So named for cutting meat as well as itself being meat. The blade is comprised of sharp, hardened claws, and it spews its own blood when spinning.

6. Crystal Prismus

Enchanted weapon of polished stone and gems. Each tooth is a different kind of gem, and they can create a glinting rainbow of slicing power.

7. Brimstone Spinblade

Spewing hellfire when it spins, the heat of its flames can burn through steel as well as any warhammer punches through.

8. Starlight Spinner

An elven weapon of silver, hammered as fine as eggshells, with a radiant blade that captures the light of the stars.

9. Slimesaw

Somehow when spinning, the goopy edge of this blade cuts much faster than the slime can normally corrode.

10. Classical Sparksaw

Ancient spinning blade crafted of olive wood and bronze, spits blue sparks as it spins. Made by a brilliant inventor centuries ago.

Image
Ancient Bladesaw, from Zelda

 

11. Trimerian Sawbeetle

The curious horns of this giant beetle can spin to cut through wood or, presumably other Trimerian creatures. They are carefully bound to be used as tools.

12. Winding Sharp-Frost

 Unnaturally hardened frost, spinning and cutting with a fractal edge.

13. Whipsaw

A bladed whip that can be activated to coil in an elongated shape, spinning to cut more effectively, in exchange for shorter reach.

14. Terracotta Blade

A living clay weapon that spins with razor sharp clay shards along a lengthened edge.

15. Runic Stormblade

Constructed of tin and pewter, by wizards. The runes etched into its surface conjure the vortex of a storm into its crackling, whirling edge of deep indigo lightning.

16. Gilded Relic Blade

Built of marble set with gold and finely cut gems, this spinning blade contains a warrior-saint's fighting hand bones, and radiates with divine cutting light.

17. Trimerian Wasps

Angry insects that have been specially bred and trained to fly in a long, rounded formation and devour anything they touch. This was the only formation in which they wouldn't turn back and attack whoever holds their hive.

Lasersaw, by Andrea Sibilla


18. Jade Dragon's Fang

Gifted by a divine being from an unearthly realm, it is surprisingly easy to carry.

19. Spectre's Wrath

 As ghostly mist whirls and spins, the hatred of the dead calls out in a hollow wail.

20. Splitting Organistrum

The powerful tune of this slow instrument projects a small aura of cutting sound near its neck when played properly.


Many of these were inspired with help from Gal Paladin on Discord!

Thursday, April 23, 2020

New generators

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/499141846425927693/703353842460524703/IMG_20200424_1716223332.jpg
I drew these, as some possible results on the sword generator


I've updated and fleshed out my weapon auto-generator button, turning it into two. First, one that is more sword-focused:


And a more general one: 


Half-swording a sword and a half by Antoine Piers

Additionally, here is a small undead generator:



Short post this time, but hopefully soon enough I'll be back with magic factions, cultures in my setting, or perhaps even a rule PDF for my GLOG hack! All credit goes to Spwack of Meandering Banter for creating a terrific set of tools for building these auto-generators.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

The beasts may challenge our gods

This is part of a GLOG community project to make rules for fighting and playing as kaiju (if you can believe it), proposed by Arkos over at Tome of Dreams. Some parts were quite a challenge, but it's the kind of challenge that you really want to rise up to, and I can only hope that I did a good job.


Skullcrawler by Dope Pope

Titans: gargantuan forms of incredible power. Easily as large as two houses, more powerful than any human but slow in their enormity. Titans have titanic vigor and deal 1d6 titanic damage with their attacks, each of which is six times normal vigor or damage. Normal damage is not counted against a titan unless a single attack deals more than six damage, but both the titan and their human-scale opponent hit automatically. Making equipment or items for titans is impossible outside of a large city or somewhere with similar manufacturing potential, and all items cost 100 times as much money. Titans move along titan tiles, each of which is 30 meters square, but can only act on every third round in combat.


Titan suits: what we might think of as 'mecha,' each needs a human crew piloting it in order to fight effectively. At minimum a pilot is required, but works best along with a gunner and engineer, often with room for secondary pilots, gunners, and engineers as needed. Each pilot can spend their turn either moving or turning, and gunners can only target enemies roughly in front of the suit. When titanic weapons are fired, the gunners must spend a turn reloading them, unless they have a secondary gunner to reload immediately as they fire, and each weapon requires gunners manning it. Engineers can field repair damaged systems, one per round. After the battle, vigor and system damage must be repaired properly for 25 gold each.



quasi medieval wooden mech by Lukasz Dudasz

Kaiju: independent titanic monsters. They must seek out huge quantities of food at a relatively slow rate thanks to their large, slow metabolism. They only need food once a week, but are sated by no less than 100 times what a human would eat in a day (generally 20 gold worth of food, or another giant monster). In melee combat against another kaiju they must use combat stances.



Kaiju

Each level requires 10 times the normal amount of exp
Stat bonus: +1 maximum Megaton
Starting skill: builder, climber, or survivalist
Level 1: a titanic monster!, only one thing can stop it!
Level 2: it's heading towards..., there on its back!
Level 3: its mouth is opening...
Level 4: strangest of all..., it's so... powerful!

A titanic monster!: your huge body has titanic vigor, and your claws, teeth, enormous fists, a casually lifted vehicle, or however else you choose to attack, deals 1d6 titanic damage.


Only one thing can stop it!: the sight of your weakness will halt you in your tracks, allowing only an attack or movement per turn while it is near. If it can damage you, take an extra die of damage.

  1. Fire
  2. Water
  3. Beauty
  4. Daylight
  5. Blood
  6. Wood

There on its back!: choose a set of limbs or protrusions, adding new mobility options. 


  1. Expansive wings: they unfurl like the sails of a massive ship, blotting out the sun as they carry you beyond the earthly plane.
  2. Myriad legs: pulling aside dirt or sand, allowing you to travel underground through any soft earth.
  3. Translucent fins: along with gills, allowing you to travel freely underwater.
  4. Loping arms: bending down around your body, able to propel you twice as fast as other titans.
  5. Gelatinous bones: compress your body down to fit through any space two horses could fit in. While compressed you cannot fight properly.
  6. Shimmering eggsac: consume one Megaton to place eggs where you are. They have 1 titanic vigor, but as long as they aren't destroyed and you don't place new eggs elsewhere, you can evaporate into dust, hatching fully formed from the eggs in an instant.

Final Shot
Squid Kaiju Baby by Roger Gerzner

It's heading towards...: determine what source will power your preternatural might. Each time you find a great enough source, gain one Megaton. You can spend your turn to consume one Megaton and heal 1d6 of your titanic vigor.

  1. Magical energy: a legendary artifact or order of lesser mages.
  2. Lightning: a lightning bolt, or an alchemical engine like unto a modern power plant.
  3. Heat: a few blacksmith forges or a flow of lava.
  4. The adoration of children: spend a day catering to a group of children.
  5. Blood: a village worth of people, or a herd of large animals.
  6. Gold: 60 gold coins, or two kilograms of gold.

Its mouth is opening...: consume one Megaton to use a breath attack on your turn.
  1. Incendiary tongue: heat like the fires of hell blast from your maw, spilling out into a cone up to 90 meters away, dealing 2d6 titanic damage.
  2. Hyperborean breath: your exhalations frost over all before you, up to 60 meters away, dealing 1d6 titanic damage. Anything that would be killed by this damage is instead magically frozen, protected by ice unless shattered or thawed. 
  3. Voice of the storm: a bolt of lightning cracks forth from your throat, darting into one target of any size up to 120 meters away for 2d6 titanic damage.
  4. Venomous belch: cough noxious clouds over the puny creatures below, filling a 90 meter square area centered around you with poisonous gas for 1d6 rounds, dealing 1 titanic damage to anything in it each round except yourself.
  5. Crystal seed teeth: gnash and spit teeth about, sprouting great crystal trees that impede and fill up to three tiles adjacent to you.
  6. Frenzy brood: spit out tiny young, 1d6 monsters with 1 titanic vigor each, which deal 1 titanic damage with their attacks. They are as small as horses, and will die after 6 times 1d6 rounds.

Godzilla vs Kong fan art - Nuclear Breath by Jonathan Opgenhaffen


Strangest of all...: select one final mutation, either from the list below or from either previous list.
  1. Immortal conception: a week after being killed, consume all Megatons to give birth to an infant kaiju who is helpless for a month. It can move and eat if food is provided for it, and after the month it will grow back to its previous size, one level lower. Each Megaton absorbed in this state hastens maturation by a week.
  2. Axe scales: anything touching your skin takes 1 titanic damage.
  3. Living mountain: consume one Megaton to wreathe your body in impenetrable stone, gaining +3 titanic defense for ten rounds. Normal sized attacks will be unable to damage you at all during this time.
  4. Lifebringer: consume one Megaton to send out a cloud of healing spores, healing every living thing within 100 meters for 1 titanic vigor.
  5. Neural link: take a weapon or limb from a defeated titan and attach it to your body. It will last for 1d6 days or unless destroyed in some other way, and you can use it as freely as the original host could.
  6. Explosive growth: consume one Megaton to double in size for 1d6 rounds. While in this state, you occupy an extra tile and deal +2 titanic damage with normal attacks.
It's so... powerful!: consume one Megaton before picking a combat stance. If this attack hits, it will deal 3d6 titanic damage.

Enemy Kaiju

Night of Silk
A circus once used tents inhabited by spirits to make their travel easier. They brought on more of these spirits, easing their way and filling the nights with whimsical shows of floating lanterns, dancing dresses, and nervous but exotic beasts. The spirits started to collect more spirits, more tents and decorations that could dance with them, until they had swallowed up their mortal stewards and drifted into the sky, captivating one audience after another.

Shirintu the Blight

A dragon captured by a wartorn kingdom. She was cursed, mutated, and enchanted to create the ultimate war beast, but inevitably shattered her bonds and destroyed her longtime tormentors. Her breath is cursed green flame flecked with shards of red glass, and her body is speckled with venomous pustules and red needles.

Grulputh

A god of goblins, or godlin. It is a gibbering, spaztic, conniving coward, and it is taller than a windmill. Somehow this sickly green menace always manages to hide its huge body, and sees fit to rob peasants and leave huge traps hidden in the woods.


Other participants

Arkos at Tome of Dreams: https://tomeofdreams.blogspot.com/2020/03/kaiju-challenge-gigantes.html?m=1
The Byzantine at Espharel: https://espharel.blogspot.com/2020/02/osr-kaiju-rules-and-class-kaijui-barely.html
deus ex parabola at Numbers Aren't Real: https://as-they-must.blogspot.com/2020/02/giant-monster-i-hardly-know-ster-glog.html
Lexi at A Blasted, Cratered Land: https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2020/03/giant-robots-deserve-giant-monsters.html

Thursday, December 26, 2019

On the nature of things: what they are and why

Stone is the basic form of existence. It is hardy, colorless, and heavy, generally unmoving when left to its own devices. Color is what turns stone into other things, granting it growth, motion, reaction and other things, often at the cost of its immutability. The four colors infused purely into stone cause it to become either natural fire (orange), ice which melts into water (green), lightning (indigo), or oil (yellow). The art of sorcery is generally the manipulation of these colors, not necessarily the elements themselves, and often the more purely distilled the color is the harder it becomes to truly control. Lightning is an exception here, as its indigo power is rarely ever diluted and so there is much knowledge on manipulating it in that purest form.

Material studies by Torsten Gunst

Dread illusionists, the arcane deceivers, manipulate the image without touching the material at its core, controlling the color without the 'stone' as it were. This power is profane and can only lead to ruin.

Where color determines the properties of a substance, spirit is the form of it. Most materials have no spirit, and can thus be reshaped freely without losing their properties (it has been discovered that almost everything does in fact have a spirit, though it is usually quite rudimentary. The spirit of crystal, for instance, may be that it persists only in hexagonal patterns, an extremely simple spiritual form). Plants have slightly more defined spirits, and animals even moreso. Most animal species share a spirit with their kin, including humans, though the soul has a strong tendency to impact the spiritual form.

A soul is simply a more advanced, particular extension of the spirit, which is so developed only in humans and other thinking beings. Because of the unique and advanced ways it can develope, generally no two souls are alike, and this can have an impact upon the prospective spirits, often turning a human spirit into that person's spirit, a subtle but important distinction for those who practice shifting arts. It may be noted that animals cannot be cursed, and this is a simple product of their having no soul; a curse is a wound upon the soul, as much as any cut or bruise upon the flesh. Minor curses can be healed with mild bed rest, as they are shallow cuts and scrapes on the soul. Deeper, more powerful curses require careful, lengthy processes of healing. The holy powers of saints utilize this process, pulling spiritual energy into their soul and tearing away bits of it in order to grant that energy to their allies, and more experienced saints can even learn to utilize these rends in their soul offensively, attacking the souls or even the flesh of enemies.

The summoning sisters by Antoine Collignon

Much study has been done with regards to silver and the functions of undeath. It is clear that the undead are similar to the living afflicted with a curse, as can be seen with vampires, who were long considered undead despite often suffering no death between humanity and monstrousness. It is now consensus that undead are given malformed souls that eat away their spirit, granting something that is almost life but often far more finite. On the other hand, many cases of immortality are reached through undeath, perhaps with souls that are reinforced using parts of the spirit, malforming the body but keeping the mind alive indefinitely? Regardless this is perverse and unnatural, and no further writing should be done upon the subject.

Similar to undead, artificial souls are created when a golem is animated. Imprinting the holy word upon a tool forms a unique embossing of the creator's soul upon the spirit of the tool, which must have originally been crafted with intent. Naturally occurring objects can be used as tools physically, but they have no spirit for it and reject the artificial soul. Because of this, some claim that golemology is a darker, more unnatural art than necromancy, and will one day destroy us all! This is preposterous, golems are quite useful and docile, and have never destroyed anyone when used properly. It is possible that a fusion of necromantic and golemary arts could yield a living golem, capable of creating more of its kind... but this strays too far from the known and established.

Household Golems by Ben Wanat

Of course these findings are irrefutably true and thoroughly proven through rigorous testing. Any wishing to dispute or disprove this work may find their way best to a tavern, where they shall engage in discourse with any drink of their choosing.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Magical Beasts

Most of these are drawn from Greek mythology, though there is inspiration drawn from other locales such as the Qilin, a Chinese creature.

Legendary beasts with mystical traits and abilities, they are often too powerful for regular hunters to capture, but can be butchered by victorious warriors for useful materials. Most have unique spirits so powerful they are almost like unto souls themselves, which makes them confounding for a witch's powers, and causes their corporeal flesh to erupt in blue sparks when struck with bronze.

Gorgon

HD: 4
Found: solitary in an abandoned island temple

Appearance: as a woman with scaled skin and venomous serpents where should be hair. None have seen her face and lived to describe it.
Voice: soft, lamenting
Wants: beauty and isolation
Tactics: careful, defensive

Attack: +2
Defense: +3
Speed: +1

Abilities
  1. Cursed visage: any who look upon her face must make a magic save or be frozen in stone, as well as mirrors which reflect her image.
  2. Snake bites: light damage plus poison.
  3. Claws: light damage, instantly destroys stone.
The gorgon's head can be wielded once slain, to petrify enemies with a magic check.

Medusa by Amir Briki

Cockatrice

HD: 3
Found: 1d6 in swamps near roads

Appearance: as a small beaked dragon with a feathered neck and birdlike legs. The beak glints with a dull shine of magic, and its eyes are deep with malice.
Voice: cawing but with a hint of gargle, trailing into a hiss.
Wants: to protect toads and kill basilisks
Tactics: aggressive and repetitive

Attack: +1
Defense: +2
Speed:+3

Abilities
  1. Petrifying peck: normal damage, gradual petrification. Magic save negates, on three failed saves target turns to stone.
  2. Claws: light damage.
Cockatrice beaks are highly valuable to alchemists, and could perhaps be fashioned into a spearhead by a very careful weaponsmith.

Basilisk

HD: 5
Found: solitary in a petrified village, coiled around a heap of eggs

Appearance: six-legged lizard crowned with a web of horns and glaring hatefully.
Voice: low hissing, imperious and threatening
Wants: to rule all reptiles
Tactics: careful

Attack: +2
Defense: +3
Speed: +1

Abilities
  1. Deathly gaze: once per round the basilisk can look at a target and wound them if they fail a magic save.
  2. Bite: medium damage.
Basilisk eyes are highly treasured but caustic items, and the horns make excellent decoration for their resemblance to a crown.

Legends Beast: The Basilisk by Sean Bricknell

Catoblepas

HD: 2
Found: solitary on plains, near poisonous plants

Appearance: an unhealthy but not starving bovine, with a large downward pointed head and long thin neck, its swollen purple tongue briefly visible as it grazes.
Voice: rasping moo
Wants: poisonous plants to eat, soft places to rest
Tactics: slightly passive

Attack: +1
Defense: +1
Speed: -5

Abilities
  1. Petrifying breath: once per day, hits everyone in a melee the catoblepas isn't in, or one target it's fighting. Paralyzes all targets for 1d6 rounds, strength save negates.
  2. Head slam: heavy damage to prone targets.
Somber creatures, they are not overly violent but will defend themselves as any beast would. They are immune to any poison ingested, and in fact delight in such activities. Catoblepas skulls can be valuable as a novelty for their distinctive size and weight, but their saliva is a potent paralyzing agent, and the stomachs and tongues are of great use to alchemists.

Harpy

HD: 1
Found: 2d6 along forest roads near cities

Appearance: small feminine torso and head with birdlike wings and legs.
Voice: shrill and demanding, unintelligent
Wants: to steal food and sparkling valuables
Tactics: cowardly

Attack: +1
Defense: +3
Speed: +4

Abilities

  1. Claw swipe: either to steal food or attack for light damage. Mostly to steal food.
  2. Regurgitate: any poison or dangerous objects they have eaten can be spat back as a breath weapon. Generally light damage, agility save for half.
Harpy stomachs can be useful to alchemists, and the feathers are large and beautiful.


Hydra

HD: 6
Found: solitary in an enchanted garden

Appearance: many (1d6) serpentine heads sprouting from a corpulent reptile body.
Voice: hissing
Wants:
Tactics: protective but aggressive

Attack: +2
Defense: +2
Speed: -3

Abilities

  1. Bite: medium damage plus poison.
  2. Regeneration: each head has 6 vigor. When severed, it will regrow two more heads, taking half as much vigor from the body. If the body is killed by regrowing heads, they crawl away as giant serpents, hoping to regrow as new hydras.


Hydra by Markus Neidel

Nemean lion

HD: 5
Found: solitary in a cave with two entrances

Appearance: an unusually large lion with shimmering golden fur and gleaming claws.
Voice: ringing roar
Wants: to eat humans, destroy steel works
Tactics: highly aggressive

Attack: +2
Defense: +1
Speed: +3

Abilities

  1. Claws: medium damage, armor piercing 3.
  2. Bite: heavy damage.
  3. Invulnerable pelt: completely prevents damage from cuts, reduces damage from stabs to 1, and reduces damage from strikes by 1.


Qilin

HD: 6
Found: 1d6 near ancient castles

Appearance: quadrupedal scaled creature with a broad, benevolent face, hooved feat, and softly glowing antlers, with sparks of flame flickering around it.
Voice: soft and gentle but impossible to ignore.
Wants: justice and peace
Tactics: well considered

Attack: +4
Defense: +2
Speed: +6

Abilities

  1. Antlers: light damage plus fire damage if it has judged the target as wicked.
  2. Bite: medium damage.
  3. Flame of justice: tongues of flame whip around its body, dealing heavy fire damage. Will save negates.
Divine creatures which are light as a feather, and filled with a soft divine light. They can create and control flames near their body, and can surround themselves with this heat to rise in the air. Whenever struck with a melee weapon, they are flung out of combat as if they had successfully retreated. Their antlers and scales are very valuable on the black market if you can collect them, and their lungs can be used to make bellows that create flame, or a sack full of fire.


Qilin by Katie Langford

Simorgh

HD: 8
Found: unique at the top of a mountain

Appearance: a wolf-headed dragon with claws like a lion.
Voice: loud and intimidating, but caring
Wants: to protect the abandoned, eat elephants
Tactics: well considered

Attack: +3
Defense: +4
Speed: +3

Abilities

  1. Bite: medium damage. If the target fails a strength save, they are gripped in its jaws and take 2d6 damage each round until they escape.
  2. Claws: heavy damage.
  3. Plumage signal: the simorgh knows whenever one of its feathers are burned, and flies there immediately to assist anyone it has gifted a feather to.

Zal and the simurgh by Clara TESSIER

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Monster generators

Some monster generating buttons, simple but fun random monsters. The elemental one indicates a broad sense of how powerful it is, but you should feel free to modify any and all details to suit your needs.

Chimera, or just a very general animal hybrid monster generator


The Roam - Semargl, Pilgrim's Companion by Timur Kvasov

Elemental


Token - Elemental by Svetlin Velinov

Aberration, alien, outsider, or any other bizarre creatures when you really want something freaky. In my game system these are conjured by the Summoner.



Ancient by Ryan Barry

These generators were made using Spwack's 'Automatic List to HTML Translator - Version 2' on Meandering Banter. Check it out and make your own magic buttons right here: https://meanderingbanter.blogspot.com/2018/10/automatic-list-to-html-translator-v2.html

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Slimes

Most slimes can be identified by their jagged-edged, misshapen appearance and oozing movements, as well as their attraction to breads and fruits. They can even be briefly subdued by pure sugar, which can make it seem as though they have been glued to the ground as they suck it from the grass and dirt. On the other hand, they are usually repelled by strong liquor. Most slimes are differentiated by their color and the bits floating throughout their mass, as these tend to be adapted to and from their environment, respectively.

Like this but the size of a person

The most well known variety are rot slimes, sickly greenish brown with bones and flecks of meat floating within, residing deep in abandoned crypts and ancient sewers. They are known for the way they clash with adventurers, though for most humans they will likely never see one. One of their signature abilities is the way they 'spit' poisonous spray at living creatures. A few who have encountered them will tell of their predilection for rotting meat, and how one can resist their poison more easily if drunk.

Somewhat more of a pressing danger for average folk are rivers slimes, which make their homes on the banks of clear rivers, as one might expect. They are light blue and full of smooth stones but tend to blend in with the flowing water, hiding in wait of animals approaching to drink. Of little threat unless of course, one was simply out washing clothes or fetching water, in places they inhabit people know to keep a pouch of sugar or a jar of syrup with them to distract any slime they might face.

Perhaps more common than river slimes, but much less often encountered, are the vaporous cloud slimes. Their forms usually appear fluffy, despite their sticky, corrosive nature. They are unique in that they float high in the sky nearly all of the time, especially around storms as they await a lightning strike. They feed off of birds and lightning, retaining a charge for many days after being struck as they slowly absorb the energy from it.

Cloud Slime by Me, using Deep Dream

More of an actual danger to society, swamp slimes have deep green bodies covered in hairy algae, with flecks of rusty ore suspended within. They are a danger to bog miners, often attracted to campfires or torches and approaching silently until suddenly a poor worker finds themselves being eaten. Nearly all who go into the bog in search of iron go with a pouch of sugar and a pouch of lye (or at the very least a bar of cheap soap), just in case.

Deep underground are molten, red hot blobs thought to be a type of magma slime. Little is known about them as they are hardly ever encountered by humans, but they exist closer to the surface near volcanoes, and some say they tend to carry gems and metals within their scalding mass.

Lava Slime
Lava Slime by Richard Bogmar

There is tell of a great honey pool that once existed in the Great Hive. One day the honey itself heaved and sloughed up out of the pool, attacking workers and drones until it was finally stopped by an apian hero using a weapon blessed with lightning. Needless to say the honey pool was no longer considered safe, and the bees no longer keep honey in this way.

Slimes are of course mindless, but on very rare occasions one will accidentally consume a source of magic, be it a brittle artifact, magic scroll, or particularly careless wizard, and become itself infused with magical charge. For some reason yet unknown, this rearranges the thing's body into a cubic, crystalline structure that is nonetheless still gelatinous, with motes of misty light swimming within. Alchemists are eager for the flesh of these, and will pay well for it, though they demand it be completely unsullied by dirt or detritus.

Gelatinous Cube by Jose Oliva

Each round roll 1d6 for the slime's pseudopodia shape:
  1. Polypodial: many medium-sized extrusions which the body flows into and between.
  2. Monopodial: one large extrusion that the body shifts into.
  3. Lobose: small bumpy reaches that overlap and absorb each other.
  4. Conical: broad, medium extrusions that expand in an almost fractal pattern.
  5. Reticulose: branching, unnervingly similar to tree branches.
  6. Actinopods: spikes that jut out and expand horizontally.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Special elementals

Jittering sulfur

HD: 1
Found: 1d6 near hot springs

Appearance: a rough, flaking ball of yellow powdery stone, with spindly limbs jutting and bending in all directions.
Wants: to run around enclosed spaces
Tactics: chaotic

Attack: 0
Defense: +1
Speed: +4

Abilities
  1. Ram: light damage
  2. Scattered essence: each round the it spends in melee with someone holding a source of flame, there is a 2 in 6 chance the sulfur in the air will ignite and burn into heavy black droplets. The flame will spread to all areas it has passed through, dealing 1d6 damage each round to anyone actively fighting in it, or 1 damage if they are focused on avoiding it. The elemental takes 1 damage per round while on fire, and will run around in a panic.
(I drew this one a while ago, but it's way too faded to look any good)

Ash angel

HD: 1
Found: 1d6 underground, in large buildings, or places where the air is particularly still.

Appearance: a winged, crumbling figure. Penitent and cautious in its posture and movements.
Voice: weak and rasping
Wants: stillness and quiet, stronger elementals to follow.
Tactics: careful but ill-considered

Attack: 0
Defense: +1
Speed: +2

Abilities
  1. Smog: 1 damage, ignoring defense.
  2. Burst: when killed, each will explode into a cloud of choking, obscuring ash that hangs in the air, sticking in the eyes and throat. For each Ash Angel killed in the same room, combatants of flesh fight with -1 attack and defense.
Hovering spirits thought to be closely related to wraiths, they likewise prefer the still and silent. They are quite vulnerable to strong winds or water (a bucket or more), which can dissipate them without letting them burst.

Reforming by Aaron Salter

Forking fiend

HD: 5
Found: solitary at places where the future could go many ways.

Appearance: countless little spindly limbs meet at a joint, which reaches up to do the same again, creating a sort of pyramidal centipede without head or segmented body.
Voice: crackling and uncertain
Wants: possibility. It likes forks in the road at least, but will seek greater possibilities
Tactics: random

Attack: +3
Defense: 3
Speed: +3

Abilities
  1. Dagger feet: light damage
  2. Splitting: when it takes one third of its damage, a HD 1 forking fiend splits off and fights alongside it, with 1 attack, defense, and speed bonus. Likewise its stats decrease by one each. Happens again at two thirds damage.

Hungry forge

HD: 4
Found: where many dwarves have died

Appearance: ponderous blocky limbs heaving a tall, rounded body. A chimney spews smoke from above and a mouth glows from red hot coals within.
Voice:
Wants: to eat metal
Tactics: cautious

Attack: +1
Defense: +2
Speed: -1

Abilities
  1. Mulch: it will take metal into its furnace and smelt it down, stopping for a round to smelt a random tool (1. shovel 2. plates & cups, 3. hammer & nails 4. chain 5. light struts 6. small chair). If it hasn't forged anything recently, it will aggressively try to take weapons and/or armor for this purpose, but is not picky if offered metal.
  2. Hammerblow: medium damage.
  3. Spew: 1d6 fire damage, agility save for half. Cannot act next round as it stokes the flames.

Gold-Forge Garrison by Svetlin Velinov

Annihilatrum

HD: 2
Found: solitary at sites of great magical destruction or natural disasters

Appearance: a roiling, heavy smoke with embers glowing from within and electrical energy crackling about its long limbs.
Voice: booming and sudden
Wants: to discuss the nature of destruction and preservation, and kill immortal beings.
Tactics: aggressive

Attack: +4
Defense: -1
Speed: +3

Abilities
  1. Flaming thunder: red hot talons of crackling energy form, dealing heavy damage.
  2. Destructive existence: when moving slowly, it can pass through unattended solids, completely destroying them.

Photo by Francisco Negroni

Luminbeast

HD: 2
Found: solitary at the depths of the Temple of Hidden Light

Appearance: broad shouldered shining form, fading into shadows from the waist down. Without light nearby it looks wan and frail, but as it absorbs lights it fills out, appearing more muscular and sturdy.
Voice: slightly echoing
Wants: to collect candles and kindling
Tactics: aggressive

Attack: +1
Defense: 0
Speed: +1

Abilities
  1. Luminous form: for each light source roughly as bright as a torch or three candles, the Luminbeast gains +1 HD, attack, defense, and speed. One round after such a light source is extinguished, these bonuses are lost.
  2. Raking light: shimmering claws that deal light damage.
  3. Great flare: a blinding burst of light shines from its body, blinding anyone nearby. 2 in 6 chance this drains a light source, extinguishing it.

Lush soul

HD: 1
Found: 

Appearance: crudely humanoid shape, plump and welcoming, formed of alcohol as if held by totally unseen glass.
Voice: bubbly and muffled
Wants: strong alcoholic drinks, to join diverse groups
Tactics: careful

Attack: +1
Defense: +2
Speed: +0

Abilities
  1. Slam: light damage. Coats target in flammable alcohol on a successful hit.
  2. On tap: regrows about 5 liters of alcohol a day, up to its normal size at 50 liters. It will fight if half of it is consumed.

Beer Dragon by Nicolás Morales
Not the same idea, but a good beer elemental

Dashhoop

HD: 1
Found: 1d6 in flat expanses of firm ground, as large as possible

Appearance: translucent wheel of lightning, peeling wildly and without rest.
Voice: screeching
Wants: to race
Tactics: distracted

Attack: +1
Defense: -1
Speed: +8

Abilities
  1. Ram: medium damage.
Able to attack while moving, but cannot but move every round. If someone races to a target, it will be unable to resist competing against them.

Silvery doppelganger

HD: 3
Found: solitary in heavy concentrated metal veins

Appearance: angular, metallic humanoid covered in flat, shiny surfaces. Whoever is close enough to be reflected will find themselves fighting their own mirror image, reaching through the surface.
Voice: scraping and faintly echoed
Wants: to show reflections
Tactics: whatever it thinks the foe will use

Attack: +1
Defense: +2
Speed: +1

Abilities
  1. Reflection: each person fighting it in melee will fight their reflection, with their bonuses added to its own for them alone. If approached peacefully when not in combat, by someone who hasn't attacked it, the reflected selves will only try to assist with grooming, examination, or what have you.