Campaign Chronicles

Another Throwback Post to the time when the party was trapped in the Grimmlands . The group had arrived in Spinnenbruch on their way to the Fortress of the Three Pigs on the day of the Festivus Competition. I have edited out the parts that are not directly related to the contest itself but Cedron and Kysek were speaking with Niklas, (who had not even joined the party yet) to learn more about the deadly dungeon that lay ahead of them. Meanwhile, Grotto was catching up with his brother Mormund whom he had not seen in several years. I determined the results of the contest with a series of Constitution checks, adding up the results as I went. Any contestant who failed would either get sick, choke, or pass out and would then be eliminated. The top four contestants then moved on to the Airing of Grievances with Charisma checks measuring crowd responses and the top finalist earned the privilege of wrestling with Piotr (of "Peter and the Wolf" fame) for the title of Festivus Champi...

The party encountered these creatures during their time in the Grimmlands. They were adapted to 3.5e from the AD&D adventure module "Dungeonland." These flowers are ten feet tall. The petals are gold and silver-colored, surrounding a “head” filled with seeds made from a variety of gemstones. The leaves are long and supple, able to bend and grab objects while their stem is as thick as a large man’s wrist. These flowers are silly, vain, and rude. They make faces, obscene gestures, and disparaging remarks about passersby’s appearance, odor, and intelligence. Gemstone Flower CR: 3     Large Plant     HD: 4d8+12 (30 Hp) Init +0      Spd: 0’      AC: 15 (-1 size, +6 Natural); ff: 15, t: 9 Attacks: (BAB +3; Grap +12) ; +7 Slam: 1d6+7 plus Improved Grab (10’ reach) or +3 Stone: 1d4+5 (additional +1 hit/dmg within 30’) SA: Constrict 1d6+7; Improved Grab SQ: Blindsight 3...

The kids were watching "The Jungle Book" earlier tonight. I was in the kitchen, half-listening for the songs, when they got to the part of the movie where Bagheera is asking the elephants for their help in finding Mowgli. Colonel Hathi then turns to his troops, gives his orders, and tells them that they will have the "element of surprise."  But that is not what I heard. What I heard was "Elephant of Surprise."  So, here we are. I decided to go with a Chaotic Neutral Fey. I'm envisioning a creature who sneaks up behind you and yells "BOO!" before collapsing in a fit of laughter.  As your party progresses through the woods, the Ranger catches sight of a creature up ahead: an elephant standing upright on its hind legs, hiding behind a tree. You are stunned to realize that if your scout hadn't said anything, you would have walked right past the creature without noticing. The Elephant of Surprise CR: 7     Huge Fey     HD: 11d6+55 (91...

My youngest boy is obsessed with Sharks. And dinosaurs. But, for a loooong  time, it was Sharks and only Sharks. It didn't matter if they were real-life Sharks or Cartoon Sharks. Baby Shark's Big Adventure played on repeat for much of 2021. And then, one day, a video made its way into the "Recommended for You" list on YouTube. It was a short, catchy toon and there were dozens of animated videos to accompany the song. That song was "Scary Flying Shark" by Boom Buddies. It told the story of the eponymous shark, its death, and its subsequent hunt of children. He loved it. More recently, he has discovered (i.e. rifled through the DVDs upstairs) the 1980s Dungeons and Dragons cartoon and realized that the show was based on the shelves of game books that take up much of the wall in the living room (beholders are his current favorite). This has led to me needing to provide stats for the previously mentioned "Scary Flying Shark". This is basically...

What do you get if you cross a pigeon with a zombie? A Carrion Pigeon! Carrion Pigeon (3.5e) CR: ¼     Tiny Undead     HD: ½d12 (3 hp) Spd: 10', fly 40' (clumsy) AC: 13 (+2 size, +1 Dex), t: 13, ff: 12 Attacks : (BAB+0, Grap -12) ; +3 Claws: 1d2-4 or +3 Slam: 1d3-4 SA: Disease SQ: Darkvision 60', DR5/Slashing, Low-Light Vision, Single Action Only,  Undead Traits Align: NE     Saves: Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +2 Str: 3, Dex: 13, Con: - -, Int: - -, Wis: 10, Cha: 1 Skills: - - Feats: Weapon Finesse (b) Environment: Any land (especially cities) Organization: Pair, Flight (2d4), Flock (5d10) • Disease (Ex): The rotting bodies of Carrion Pigeons are infested with a wide-range of bacteria that can cause diseases in the living. Any creature that comes into contact with a Carrion Pigeon must make a Fortitude save (DC11) to avoid contracting an illness of the DM's choice. - OR - Zombie Virus (Ex): A target injured by a Carrion Pi...

Terror Dactyl CR: 2     Small Magical Beast HD: 2d10+4     Hp: 19 Init: +3     Spd: 10', fly 60' (average) AC: 17 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural), t: 15, ff: 14 Attacks: (BAB +2/Grap -5) ; +7 Talons: 2d4-1 SA: Bloodcurdling Scream SQ: Darkvision 60', Immune to fear effects, Low-Light Vision Align: N     Saves: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +2 Str: 8, Dex: 17, Con: 10, Int: 2, Wis: 14, Cha: 7 Skills: Listen +4, Spot +4 Feats: Ability Focus, Weapon Finesse (b) Treasure: Standard (shiny objects only) Advancement: 3-4 HD (Small) Level Adjustment: - - The orange-feathered bird's head bobs up and down as it stares at you. Suddenly, it's beak opens, revealing serrated teeth before a horrifying scream fills the air. Your heart nearly explodes in your chest as fear overtakes you before you flee into the forest. Terror Dactyls are tropical birds with feathers ranging from orange to green. They use their...

My toddler is obsessed with "Pinkfong and Little Shark's Space Adventure". Like, seriously obsessed. We limit his screen time because we don't want him addicted to electronics but when he gets to watch something, this animated musical is his #1 go-to choice. Hands down. To avoid spoilers for those of you who may choose to watch the show on your own, I will say that a series of events leads Pinkfong and Baby Shark to a Halloween-themed world. During one of the songs, a background character is a blue refrigerator with a human head inside of it. That is the basis for this Weird NPC.  I have been internally debating whether this creature should be Undead or a Construct but given the context I discovered it in, I went with undead. Head in a Freezer CR: 4     Large Undead HD: 5d12 plus 3     Hp: 40 Init: -1     Spd: 10'     AC: 13 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +5 Natural); t: 8, ff: 13 Attacks: (BAB +2; Grap +9) ; ...

The people of Burundi have been hunted by a demon for the last 30 years. A crocodile known as Gustave is allegedly responsible for the deaths of over 300 humans and is so large and powerful that he is thought to be bulletproof and hand grenades are only capable of driving him off. His dark green scaly body is covered with the numerous scars from old wounds. Gustave: the Demon Crocodile of Burundi CR: 8     Huge Outsider (Fiendish/Monster of Legend templates)     HD: 14d8+126     Hp: 186 Init: +9     Spd: 20', swim 30'     AC: 24 (-2 size, +4 Dex, +12 natural); t: 9, ff: 15 Attacks: ( BAB +10; Grap +35) ; +21 Bite: 2d8+18 and +19 Tail Slap: 1d12+18 SA: Improved Grab, Frightful Presence, Smite Good SQ: Darkvision 60', DR10/magic, Fast Healing 5, Hold Breath; Low-Light Vision, Resist Cold/Fire 10, SR19 Align: NE     Saves: Fort ...

I came across this article the other night on a Gamma World Facebook page and have been thinking about how I would make these creatures in a game. For "normal-sized" Flyder bites (AD&D) Flyders are a magical crossbreed of a spider and a wasp. They escaped from their creator and quickly spread, driving out mundane version of its parent species. • If a Medium-sized creature receives a number of bites in a 24-hour period equal to or greater than his level and fail a saving throw vs. Poison, they suffer from the effects of a Type A poison (10-30 minute onset, damage 15/0). Small creatures need only be bitten a number of times equal to 3/4 of their level and large creatures can suffer a number of bites equal to 1.5 x their level. And for Gamma World... • As above but as an Intensity III Debilitative Poison. Flyders are a laboratory-created hybrid that combines the genetic traits of the Brown Recluse Spider and the European Hor...

I was scrolling through Facebook the other day and came upon a screenshot of Spongebob, Patrick, Sandy, Karen, and Squidward in a sleigh being pulled by Gary. I was intrigued and Googled. What I discovered was an episode of Spongebob Squarepants that I had never seen before and it featured the creature I present to you today... The abominable snow mollusk has a grayish-white body with tentacles serving as arms and legs and fur around her neck, fin-like ears, sharp teeth, and yellow eyes. The creature is always angry, a state stemming from its perpetual hunger. It typically walks on four of its tentacles, standing roughly 9' tall while doing so, and uses the other four to grasp or manipulate objects. Abominable Snow Mollusk CR: 8     Large Aberration (Aquatic) HD: 8d8+8 plus 3     Hp:47 Init: +2     Spd: 20', swim 30' AC: 18 (-1 size, +2 Dec, +7 natural), t: 11, ff: 16 BAB/Grap +6/+15...

My wife and I were off work yesterday so we buckled down and cleaned the house.   I vacuumed.   As I was working on the stairs, I started to wonder where the crevice tool had gotten itself off to and THAT got me to thinking that “Cracks and Crevices” would be an excellent name for a D&D-style gaming system, complete with the nearly requisite naming convention.   I mentioned this to her and she commented that it sounded more like a children’s board game to her. I was like “Whoa!” and started imaging a Chutes and Ladder board marked with household furnishings that could be searched for “treasures” (mostly loose change under the couch cushions) where whichever player collected the most loot while cleaning house would win. I may come back and revisit that idea later so no thunder stealing please. The other idea I had was very much in the vein of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”.   A group of adventurers are drastically reduced in size and must navigate the hou...