09-01-2020, 10:00 AM
Setting up the thread. In September I'm not going to try to make a post every day but to average one monster a day. And I'm not going to cheat by creating 15 varieties of Skeleton.
Pages: 1 2
09-01-2020, 10:00 AM
09-01-2020, 05:12 PM
Some stuff.
Math for Monsters
So I wrote a python script to calculate the probability of getting N Successes. It was an attempt to "learn" python and intentionally used a brute force algorithm. But while it's nice to know what the probability is to get three Successes with a TN of 5 and a pool of {d6,2d8,d12}, it's actually more useful to know how many Successes one can expect to roll (1.5). So a battle between a character with the given pool can expect to defeat a monster with a Defense of 5 with 3 Health in two Turns.
To get that 1.5 Successes is not difficult. If all the dice are the name size we're looking at a binomial distribution, Probability 101 chapter 1 stuff, and E(X) is np where n is the number of dice and p is the probability of a die rolling a Success: (s-TN)/s, or 1-TN/s, where s is the size of the die. But the dice won't necessarily be the same size, so we need to generalize. All np means is p + p + ... + p, where p is added n times. So far so good. But p for each die isn't necessarily the same so we need to add the different probabilities of each die in the pool: p1 + p2 + ... + pn, where pi is the probability that die i rolls a Success, and there we are. In the example above it was 1/6 + 3/8 + 3/8 + 7/12 = 1.5.
Hooray! Oh, but the mechanics say dice "smaller" than the TN can be added together, so what would be the expected value of {4d4} against a Defense of 5? This is trickier and I haven't looked at adding more than two dice, which changes the probabilities. The advantage for our purposes, however, is that by only working with pairs of small dice we undercount the Successes meaning in actual practice, the game will be slightly easier. Without getting into the messy stuff, p(s1+s2>TN)={(T[s1]-1)/s1s2 if TN=s2; and T[s1+s2-TN]/s1s2 if TN>s2, where s1 is the size of the smaller die and s2 is the size of the larger die (s1 and s2 can be the same size), and T[n] is the nth triangular number: (1+2+3+...+n)=n(n+1)/2. If you aren't frightened by arithmetic and find my calculations wrong, keep in mind that dice that roll a 1 cannot be used. Also keep in mind that this is only for two given dice, not for two out of some number of dice, which also undercounts the number of Successes. So the (undercounted) expected number of Successes from {4d4} against TN 5 is, after all calculations, 0.75.
Why does this matter? Because I was curious. Because monsters use full pools binomial distribution is all that's needed, and is a good enough approximation for PCs in monster creation.
Math for Monsters
So I wrote a python script to calculate the probability of getting N Successes. It was an attempt to "learn" python and intentionally used a brute force algorithm. But while it's nice to know what the probability is to get three Successes with a TN of 5 and a pool of {d6,2d8,d12}, it's actually more useful to know how many Successes one can expect to roll (1.5). So a battle between a character with the given pool can expect to defeat a monster with a Defense of 5 with 3 Health in two Turns.
To get that 1.5 Successes is not difficult. If all the dice are the name size we're looking at a binomial distribution, Probability 101 chapter 1 stuff, and E(X) is np where n is the number of dice and p is the probability of a die rolling a Success: (s-TN)/s, or 1-TN/s, where s is the size of the die. But the dice won't necessarily be the same size, so we need to generalize. All np means is p + p + ... + p, where p is added n times. So far so good. But p for each die isn't necessarily the same so we need to add the different probabilities of each die in the pool: p1 + p2 + ... + pn, where pi is the probability that die i rolls a Success, and there we are. In the example above it was 1/6 + 3/8 + 3/8 + 7/12 = 1.5.
Hooray! Oh, but the mechanics say dice "smaller" than the TN can be added together, so what would be the expected value of {4d4} against a Defense of 5? This is trickier and I haven't looked at adding more than two dice, which changes the probabilities. The advantage for our purposes, however, is that by only working with pairs of small dice we undercount the Successes meaning in actual practice, the game will be slightly easier. Without getting into the messy stuff, p(s1+s2>TN)={(T[s1]-1)/s1s2 if TN=s2; and T[s1+s2-TN]/s1s2 if TN>s2, where s1 is the size of the smaller die and s2 is the size of the larger die (s1 and s2 can be the same size), and T[n] is the nth triangular number: (1+2+3+...+n)=n(n+1)/2. If you aren't frightened by arithmetic and find my calculations wrong, keep in mind that dice that roll a 1 cannot be used. Also keep in mind that this is only for two given dice, not for two out of some number of dice, which also undercounts the number of Successes. So the (undercounted) expected number of Successes from {4d4} against TN 5 is, after all calculations, 0.75.
Why does this matter? Because I was curious. Because monsters use full pools binomial distribution is all that's needed, and is a good enough approximation for PCs in monster creation.
09-04-2020, 02:37 PM
Morale
It's a mechanic that I liked in (A)D&D but never really used as written but rather as a gauge of how willing a monster was to stick around. 18 morale? TO THE DEATH! 4 morale? "Oh, that treasure. Sure, take all you want. I'll just be waaay over there. No need for all those sharp, pointy things." I never wrote morale into Ə but I'd use it occasionally by rolling a monster Sorcerer die against Sorcerer Rank to see if the monsters figured out they were on the losing side.
So, Morale in PoR: Low is high and high is low. A Morale of 1 means a monster is unlikely to cut and run; a monster with a 10 Morale wilts at a stern look. When a Morale check is made, roll the Int/Know pool with a TN of the Morale value. If at least half the dice roll a Success, the check is made and the fun continues, otherwise the check fails and a new fun begins.
When to check (no modifiers):
Facing an obviously superior force
Quarter of allies killed
Half of allies killed
The leader is slain or deserts
Last monster standing
Results of failed check (Failure/Success ratio):
≤ 13% Fighting retreat
≤ 25% Disengage and retreat
≤ 50% Flee
> 50% Surrender
This table can be ignored if the GM deems it necessary, after all, pools of only 1 or 3 dice will always result in Surrender for a failed check.
Note: The Morale value will never be as large as the Intellect die. That is, if the die is 3rd Rank (d8), 7 is as high as the Morale can be, not 2.
It's a mechanic that I liked in (A)D&D but never really used as written but rather as a gauge of how willing a monster was to stick around. 18 morale? TO THE DEATH! 4 morale? "Oh, that treasure. Sure, take all you want. I'll just be waaay over there. No need for all those sharp, pointy things." I never wrote morale into Ə but I'd use it occasionally by rolling a monster Sorcerer die against Sorcerer Rank to see if the monsters figured out they were on the losing side.
So, Morale in PoR: Low is high and high is low. A Morale of 1 means a monster is unlikely to cut and run; a monster with a 10 Morale wilts at a stern look. When a Morale check is made, roll the Int/Know pool with a TN of the Morale value. If at least half the dice roll a Success, the check is made and the fun continues, otherwise the check fails and a new fun begins.
When to check (no modifiers):
Facing an obviously superior force
Quarter of allies killed
Half of allies killed
The leader is slain or deserts
Last monster standing
Results of failed check (Failure/Success ratio):
≤ 13% Fighting retreat
≤ 25% Disengage and retreat
≤ 50% Flee
> 50% Surrender
This table can be ignored if the GM deems it necessary, after all, pools of only 1 or 3 dice will always result in Surrender for a failed check.
Note: The Morale value will never be as large as the Intellect die. That is, if the die is 3rd Rank (d8), 7 is as high as the Morale can be, not 2.
09-05-2020, 07:12 AM
Edited Data dump
Br/St Fi/Fo In/Kn Defense Health Movement Morale Special
Ape, White 6d8 4d6 4d6 2 8 40’ 5
Beetle, Fire 4d6 3d6 3d6 3 3 40’ 4
Beetle, Oil 3d6 3d6 3d6 3 3 40’ 4 Oil
Beetle, Tiger 8d6 3d6 4d6 4 7 50’ 3
Bugbear 7d6 4d6 4d6 3 7 30’ 3 Surprise 2
Carrion Crawler 8d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 40’ 3 Paralysis
Doppleganger 8d8 9d12 4d6 3 8 90’ 4
Driver Ant 9d8 4d6 4d6 4 8 60’ 5
Gargoyle 7d8 7d10 5d8 3 8 30’ 4 Only hit by magical weapons
50’ flying
Gelatinous Cube 8d8 4d6 5d8 1 8 20’ 3 Surprise 3, Paralysis
Ghoul 4d6 4d6 4d6 2 3 30’ 3 Paralysis
Gnoll 7d6 4d6 3d6 3 3 30’ 4
Goblin 2d6 2d4 3d6 2 3 20’ 4
Gray Ooze 10d6 4d6 4d6 1 7 3’ 2 Acid
Green Slime 3d6 3d6 4d6 1 3 3’ 2 See Description
Harpy 5d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 20’ 4 Charm, Magic Resistance +1
50’ Flying
Hobgoblin 4d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 30’ 3
Killer Bee 2d4 3d6 5d4 2 2 50’ 2 Sting
Kobold 2d4 2d4 5d4 2 1 40’ 3
Living Statue
Crystal 6d6 4d6 4d6 3 7 30’ 3
Iron 8d8 5d8 5d8 4 8 10’ 4 Absorb Metal
Rock 10d8 5d8 5d8 3 15 20’ 4
Lizard, Draco 7d8 4d6 4d6 3 8 40’ 5
70’ Glide
Lizard, Gecko 5d6 4d6 4d6 3 7 40’ 4
Lizard Man 5d6 4d6 4d6 3 3 20’ 2
Lycanthrope, Wererat 4d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 40’ 4 Surprise 3, Lycanthropy
Medusa 5d8 5d8 4d6 1 8 30’ 5 Poison, Stony Glare
Minotaur 8d8 6d8 6d8 3 17 40’ 3
Mountain Lion 5d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 50’ 4
Neanderthal 6d6 4d6 3d6 1 3 40’ 4
Ochre Jelly 8d8 4d6 5d8 1 15 10’ 3 See Description
Ogre 8d8 5d8 4d6 3 8 30’ 4
Ork 3d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 40’ 4
Owlbear 9d8 4d6 5d8 3 15 40’ 4 Owlbear Hug
Pixie 2d6 5d4 3d6 4 3 30’ 4 Surprise 4
60’ Flying
Rat, Giant 2d4 3d6 5d4 2 2 40’ 2 Disease
Robber Fly 4d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 30’ 4 Surprise 3
60’ Flying
Rock Baboon 6d6 4d6 3d6 2 3 40’ 4
Shadow 4d6 4d6 4d6 2 3 30’ 2 Surprise 4, See Description
Shrew, Giant 4d6 3d6 3d6 3 3 60’ 3
Skeleton 3d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 40’ 2
Snake
Pit Viper 2d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 30’ 4 Poison
Spitting Cobra 2d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 30’ 4 Poison
Spider, Giant
Black Widow 8d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 20’ 4 Poison
40’ in web
Crab 5d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 40’ 4 Surprise 3, Poison
Tarantella 7d8 4d6 4d6 3 8 40’ 5 Poison
Sprite 2d4 5d4 5d4 3 2 20’ 3 Curse
60’ Flying
Stirge 2d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 60’ 3
Thoul 3d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 40’ 3 Paralysis, Regeneration
Troglodyte 6d6 4d6 4d6 3 3 40’ 3 Surprise 4, Noxious
Wight 4d6 4d6 4d6 3 7 30’ 2 Energy Drain
Wolf 3d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 60’ 4
Zombie 5d6 3d6 4d6 1 3 40’ 2
Details to come.
Note on Orks: Do not confuse an Ork with an Orc. All it does is piss off both parties.
Br/St Fi/Fo In/Kn Defense Health Movement Morale Special
Ape, White 6d8 4d6 4d6 2 8 40’ 5
Beetle, Fire 4d6 3d6 3d6 3 3 40’ 4
Beetle, Oil 3d6 3d6 3d6 3 3 40’ 4 Oil
Beetle, Tiger 8d6 3d6 4d6 4 7 50’ 3
Bugbear 7d6 4d6 4d6 3 7 30’ 3 Surprise 2
Carrion Crawler 8d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 40’ 3 Paralysis
Doppleganger 8d8 9d12 4d6 3 8 90’ 4
Driver Ant 9d8 4d6 4d6 4 8 60’ 5
Gargoyle 7d8 7d10 5d8 3 8 30’ 4 Only hit by magical weapons
50’ flying
Gelatinous Cube 8d8 4d6 5d8 1 8 20’ 3 Surprise 3, Paralysis
Ghoul 4d6 4d6 4d6 2 3 30’ 3 Paralysis
Gnoll 7d6 4d6 3d6 3 3 30’ 4
Goblin 2d6 2d4 3d6 2 3 20’ 4
Gray Ooze 10d6 4d6 4d6 1 7 3’ 2 Acid
Green Slime 3d6 3d6 4d6 1 3 3’ 2 See Description
Harpy 5d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 20’ 4 Charm, Magic Resistance +1
50’ Flying
Hobgoblin 4d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 30’ 3
Killer Bee 2d4 3d6 5d4 2 2 50’ 2 Sting
Kobold 2d4 2d4 5d4 2 1 40’ 3
Living Statue
Crystal 6d6 4d6 4d6 3 7 30’ 3
Iron 8d8 5d8 5d8 4 8 10’ 4 Absorb Metal
Rock 10d8 5d8 5d8 3 15 20’ 4
Lizard, Draco 7d8 4d6 4d6 3 8 40’ 5
70’ Glide
Lizard, Gecko 5d6 4d6 4d6 3 7 40’ 4
Lizard Man 5d6 4d6 4d6 3 3 20’ 2
Lycanthrope, Wererat 4d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 40’ 4 Surprise 3, Lycanthropy
Medusa 5d8 5d8 4d6 1 8 30’ 5 Poison, Stony Glare
Minotaur 8d8 6d8 6d8 3 17 40’ 3
Mountain Lion 5d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 50’ 4
Neanderthal 6d6 4d6 3d6 1 3 40’ 4
Ochre Jelly 8d8 4d6 5d8 1 15 10’ 3 See Description
Ogre 8d8 5d8 4d6 3 8 30’ 4
Ork 3d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 40’ 4
Owlbear 9d8 4d6 5d8 3 15 40’ 4 Owlbear Hug
Pixie 2d6 5d4 3d6 4 3 30’ 4 Surprise 4
60’ Flying
Rat, Giant 2d4 3d6 5d4 2 2 40’ 2 Disease
Robber Fly 4d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 30’ 4 Surprise 3
60’ Flying
Rock Baboon 6d6 4d6 3d6 2 3 40’ 4
Shadow 4d6 4d6 4d6 2 3 30’ 2 Surprise 4, See Description
Shrew, Giant 4d6 3d6 3d6 3 3 60’ 3
Skeleton 3d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 40’ 2
Snake
Pit Viper 2d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 30’ 4 Poison
Spitting Cobra 2d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 30’ 4 Poison
Spider, Giant
Black Widow 8d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 20’ 4 Poison
40’ in web
Crab 5d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 40’ 4 Surprise 3, Poison
Tarantella 7d8 4d6 4d6 3 8 40’ 5 Poison
Sprite 2d4 5d4 5d4 3 2 20’ 3 Curse
60’ Flying
Stirge 2d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 60’ 3
Thoul 3d6 4d6 4d6 2 7 40’ 3 Paralysis, Regeneration
Troglodyte 6d6 4d6 4d6 3 3 40’ 3 Surprise 4, Noxious
Wight 4d6 4d6 4d6 3 7 30’ 2 Energy Drain
Wolf 3d6 3d6 3d6 2 3 60’ 4
Zombie 5d6 3d6 4d6 1 3 40’ 2
Details to come.
Note on Orks: Do not confuse an Ork with an Orc. All it does is piss off both parties.
09-06-2020, 07:03 PM
Special Attacks
Paralysis: Target is paralysed for 1 Turn per Success, which can be removed with a Heal spell where the paralysis is counted as 2 Wounds/Hits. If Healed in this manner, the first 2 Successes are applied to the paralysis with the remaining being applied to any Hits/Wounds.
Magic Resistance +X: Spells against the monster have the TN increased by X.
Surprise X: When a monster with Surprise attacks immediately when encountered, X of its attack dice are resolved before the target’s attack/parry dice.
Poison Attack: Poison Attacks works as a regular attack but if the attack is Fully Successful, resulting in at least one Wound, not Hit, the attack roll is then compared against TN: |Brawn| for |Stamina| Successes. Rerolls are allowed for just the poison effect on an individual basis. Example: A monster is able to attack three characters (Defense: 2,3,5; |Brawn|: 5,2,3; |Stamina|: 2,4,4) with a single roll {2,3,4}, Wounding two of them. The roll is then compared against |Brawn|, not affecting the 5 but with two Successes against 2. A reroll of {1,2,4} adds one more Success against the 2, and a final reroll results in {3,3}, poisoning the character. Typical effects of poison are paralysis, sleep, additional Wounds, and death. Note that some monsters have attacks with the same results as a Poison Attack but do not require the second comparison, Carrion Crawlers, for example.
Paralysis: Target is paralysed for 1 Turn per Success, which can be removed with a Heal spell where the paralysis is counted as 2 Wounds/Hits. If Healed in this manner, the first 2 Successes are applied to the paralysis with the remaining being applied to any Hits/Wounds.
Magic Resistance +X: Spells against the monster have the TN increased by X.
Surprise X: When a monster with Surprise attacks immediately when encountered, X of its attack dice are resolved before the target’s attack/parry dice.
Poison Attack: Poison Attacks works as a regular attack but if the attack is Fully Successful, resulting in at least one Wound, not Hit, the attack roll is then compared against TN: |Brawn| for |Stamina| Successes. Rerolls are allowed for just the poison effect on an individual basis. Example: A monster is able to attack three characters (Defense: 2,3,5; |Brawn|: 5,2,3; |Stamina|: 2,4,4) with a single roll {2,3,4}, Wounding two of them. The roll is then compared against |Brawn|, not affecting the 5 but with two Successes against 2. A reroll of {1,2,4} adds one more Success against the 2, and a final reroll results in {3,3}, poisoning the character. Typical effects of poison are paralysis, sleep, additional Wounds, and death. Note that some monsters have attacks with the same results as a Poison Attack but do not require the second comparison, Carrion Crawlers, for example.
09-08-2020, 03:45 PM
In case it wasn't obvious, the monsters listed above are from the classic adventure The Keep on the Borderlands. I didn't bother with NPCs. Below are monsters that need mechanics clarifications for the PoR system. Chances are that in converting, the monsters are too powerful for beginning characters, but then again, look at how many Save or Die monsters Gygax used, so not sorry.
Beetle, Oil - When attacked, the Oil Beetle squirts a stream of oil targeting an attacker within 5’ as an additional attack of {2d6}. On Success, the oil raises painful blisters, causing the victim to lose use of one die for all skill attempts for 24 hours or until Healed. If Healed in this manner, the first 2 Successes are applied to the paralysis with the remaining being applied to any Hits/Wounds.
Bugbear - Bugbears attack against a Defense reduced by 1.
Carrion Crawler - The Carrion Crawler’s attack does no damage but the target is paralyzed for 1 Turn for each Wound, not Hit. Hits still count as normal, however.
Gelatinous Cube - In addition to normal damage, each Wound, not Hit, inflicted paralyzes the target for 1 Adventure Turn.
Ghoul - In addition to normal damage, each Wound, not Hit, inflicted paralyzes the target for 1 Adventure Turn.
Goblin - Goblins need two Successes for their first Wound/Hit of an attack
Gray Ooze - With a Successful attack, the Ooze sticks to the victim, automatically destroying normal armor and reducing magical armor by one bonus each Turn until reduced to +0, whereupon it is destroyed. With no armor, the Ooze attacks the victim against |Brawn|.
Green Slime - A Cure (3rd Rank Heal) must be cast to remove Green Slime from a victim with a TN of the Slime’s remaining Health.
Harpy - Charm is cast against a TN of |Intellect| requiring |Knowledge| Successes. A single roll is made per Harpy and the result of the roll is compared to all characters.
Killer Bee - When an attack from a Killer Bee results in an unopposed Wound, the bee will die but the target has been poisoned; treat the attack as a Poison Attack: Death. The stinger continues to work its way into the victim, doing 1 Wound of damage each (combat) Turn, until a Turn is spent digging it out.
Living Statue, Iron - If an attack against an Iron Living Statue is made with a non-magical, metal weapon and results in no Wounds, the weapon becomes stuck to the statue and cannot be removed until the statue is dead..
Lizard Man - For each attack die that results in a Wound/Hit, the Lizard Man may compare an unsuccessful attack die to the target’s Defense-1.
Medusa - Looking at a Medusa grants her a Stony Glare; roll Intellect against TN: |Finesse| for |Fortune| Successes, a Full Success turning the victim to stone. Attacks against a Medusa while not looking at her are made against a Defense of 3.
Minotaur - Attacks by a Minotaur are made against Defense-1.
Ochre Jelly - Each Wound inflicted on an Ochre Jelly, from which it will take no damage, causes another Ochre Jelly with only half the dice of the original to appear. Ochre Jelly can only be harm by heat or cold.
Owlbear - For every two Wounds, not Hits, an Owlbear inflicts, the victim suffers an additional Wound
Pixie - Pixies have a Surprise 4 but only two dice in their pool, meaning they get two full, undefended attacks before their victim gets to react. Attacks against a Pixie choosing to be invisible, meaning all attacks against Pixies, are made against a Defense: 6.
Rat, Giant - Rats attack as a swarm, meaning the combat dice of all Rats attacking an individual are collected into a single pool. Treat every attack as a Poison Attack where the victim receives a debilitating disease require a full month of bed rest or, if the number of Successes beats 2x|Stamina|, the victim permanently loses one-sixth Health, minimum 1 Health, dying within six days if untreated. A Cure (3rd Rank Heal) against a TN determined by the number of Wounds received and a number of Successes used to spread the disease (the GM keeping track) will get rid of the disease, but not replace any Health lost.
Shadow - Each Wound, not Hit, inflicted by Shadow reduces the victim’s Stamina by 1 point, possibly reducing the number of dice available in dependent pools, for 8 Adventure Turns. If a victim is reduced to a Stamina of 0, the victim dies and will turn into a Shadow within 24 hours (actual time determined by the GM).
Snake, Pit Viper - Pit Vipers’ attack dice are always resolved before their opponents’. All attacks are Poison Attack: Death attacks.
Snake, Spitting Cobra - A Spitting Cobra can spit up to 6’, treat as a Poison Attack: Blindness, doing no damage but rolled against Finesse/Fortune instead of Brawn. The victim’s Defense is ignored but shields and dice from magical armor can be used. Attacks on a blinded victim are made against Defense-3 and all attacks by blinded victims are made against Defense+2.
Spider, Giant; Black Widow - All attacks are Poison Attack: Death in one Adventure Turn. If an attack against a Black Widow Spider in its web fails (no Wounds/Hits), the attacker becomes stuck in the web and break free in 6-|Brawn| Adventure Turns. No you cannot burn the web. Spiderwebs aren’t flammable. They never were. Think about it, why on earth would anyone wear silk if it were flammable?
Spider, Giant; Crab - Poison Attack: Death requires an additional Success.
Spider, Giant; Tarantella - The Tarentella’s attacks are Poison Attack: Dance, causing the victim to jerk around in a hypnotic “dance” for one Adventure Turn per Success of the poison attack. When a Poison Attack: Dance Succeeds against a victim, the same roll is used against onlookers with a TN: |Intellect|, requiring |Knowledge| Successes. Attacks from dancing victims are made against Defense+2 and attacks on victims are made against Defense-3. The victim of a “dance” accrues fatigue in the usual manner, gaining a fatigue penalty every |Stamina| combat Turns, and will die when |Fatigue| = |Brawn|. A Cure (3rd Rank Heal) against TN: 3 requiring |Fatigue|+ 1 Successes will stop the dancing.
Stirge - Stirges Swarm (collect all attack dice against an opponent into a single pool) and make their first attack against Defense-1. For each Wound, not Hit, inflicted, a Stirge has embedded their long beak into a victim. Every Turn the victim receives 1 Wound per embedded Stirge.
Thoul - Each Wound, not Hit, inflicted by a Thoul paralyzes the victim for 1 Adventure Turn. At the start of each Turn, an injured Thoul automatically heals 1 Wound/Hit.
Troglodyte - At the beginning of each Turn, the Troglodyte makes a noxious “attack” against all mêlée opponents engaged with it using its Finesse pool against TN: |Finesse| for |Fortune| Successes. Opponents for which the stench Succeeded attack the Troglodyte against Defense+1.
Wight - Each Wound, not Hit, inflicted by a Wight permanently reduces the victim’s Stamina by 1 point, possibly reducing the number of dice available in dependent pools. Any lost Stamina points or dice lost can only be regained by spending Character Points.
Zombie - Opponents’ attack dice are resolved before the Zombie’s.
No, I don't consider these as part of my commitment for the month, not that I probably won't re-work/re-name (now I need to listen to some Roxy Music) some of them, but I got a little side-tracked.
Beetle, Oil - When attacked, the Oil Beetle squirts a stream of oil targeting an attacker within 5’ as an additional attack of {2d6}. On Success, the oil raises painful blisters, causing the victim to lose use of one die for all skill attempts for 24 hours or until Healed. If Healed in this manner, the first 2 Successes are applied to the paralysis with the remaining being applied to any Hits/Wounds.
Bugbear - Bugbears attack against a Defense reduced by 1.
Carrion Crawler - The Carrion Crawler’s attack does no damage but the target is paralyzed for 1 Turn for each Wound, not Hit. Hits still count as normal, however.
Gelatinous Cube - In addition to normal damage, each Wound, not Hit, inflicted paralyzes the target for 1 Adventure Turn.
Ghoul - In addition to normal damage, each Wound, not Hit, inflicted paralyzes the target for 1 Adventure Turn.
Goblin - Goblins need two Successes for their first Wound/Hit of an attack
Gray Ooze - With a Successful attack, the Ooze sticks to the victim, automatically destroying normal armor and reducing magical armor by one bonus each Turn until reduced to +0, whereupon it is destroyed. With no armor, the Ooze attacks the victim against |Brawn|.
Green Slime - A Cure (3rd Rank Heal) must be cast to remove Green Slime from a victim with a TN of the Slime’s remaining Health.
Harpy - Charm is cast against a TN of |Intellect| requiring |Knowledge| Successes. A single roll is made per Harpy and the result of the roll is compared to all characters.
Killer Bee - When an attack from a Killer Bee results in an unopposed Wound, the bee will die but the target has been poisoned; treat the attack as a Poison Attack: Death. The stinger continues to work its way into the victim, doing 1 Wound of damage each (combat) Turn, until a Turn is spent digging it out.
Living Statue, Iron - If an attack against an Iron Living Statue is made with a non-magical, metal weapon and results in no Wounds, the weapon becomes stuck to the statue and cannot be removed until the statue is dead..
Lizard Man - For each attack die that results in a Wound/Hit, the Lizard Man may compare an unsuccessful attack die to the target’s Defense-1.
Medusa - Looking at a Medusa grants her a Stony Glare; roll Intellect against TN: |Finesse| for |Fortune| Successes, a Full Success turning the victim to stone. Attacks against a Medusa while not looking at her are made against a Defense of 3.
Minotaur - Attacks by a Minotaur are made against Defense-1.
Ochre Jelly - Each Wound inflicted on an Ochre Jelly, from which it will take no damage, causes another Ochre Jelly with only half the dice of the original to appear. Ochre Jelly can only be harm by heat or cold.
Owlbear - For every two Wounds, not Hits, an Owlbear inflicts, the victim suffers an additional Wound
Pixie - Pixies have a Surprise 4 but only two dice in their pool, meaning they get two full, undefended attacks before their victim gets to react. Attacks against a Pixie choosing to be invisible, meaning all attacks against Pixies, are made against a Defense: 6.
Rat, Giant - Rats attack as a swarm, meaning the combat dice of all Rats attacking an individual are collected into a single pool. Treat every attack as a Poison Attack where the victim receives a debilitating disease require a full month of bed rest or, if the number of Successes beats 2x|Stamina|, the victim permanently loses one-sixth Health, minimum 1 Health, dying within six days if untreated. A Cure (3rd Rank Heal) against a TN determined by the number of Wounds received and a number of Successes used to spread the disease (the GM keeping track) will get rid of the disease, but not replace any Health lost.
Shadow - Each Wound, not Hit, inflicted by Shadow reduces the victim’s Stamina by 1 point, possibly reducing the number of dice available in dependent pools, for 8 Adventure Turns. If a victim is reduced to a Stamina of 0, the victim dies and will turn into a Shadow within 24 hours (actual time determined by the GM).
Snake, Pit Viper - Pit Vipers’ attack dice are always resolved before their opponents’. All attacks are Poison Attack: Death attacks.
Snake, Spitting Cobra - A Spitting Cobra can spit up to 6’, treat as a Poison Attack: Blindness, doing no damage but rolled against Finesse/Fortune instead of Brawn. The victim’s Defense is ignored but shields and dice from magical armor can be used. Attacks on a blinded victim are made against Defense-3 and all attacks by blinded victims are made against Defense+2.
Spider, Giant; Black Widow - All attacks are Poison Attack: Death in one Adventure Turn. If an attack against a Black Widow Spider in its web fails (no Wounds/Hits), the attacker becomes stuck in the web and break free in 6-|Brawn| Adventure Turns. No you cannot burn the web. Spiderwebs aren’t flammable. They never were. Think about it, why on earth would anyone wear silk if it were flammable?
Spider, Giant; Crab - Poison Attack: Death requires an additional Success.
Spider, Giant; Tarantella - The Tarentella’s attacks are Poison Attack: Dance, causing the victim to jerk around in a hypnotic “dance” for one Adventure Turn per Success of the poison attack. When a Poison Attack: Dance Succeeds against a victim, the same roll is used against onlookers with a TN: |Intellect|, requiring |Knowledge| Successes. Attacks from dancing victims are made against Defense+2 and attacks on victims are made against Defense-3. The victim of a “dance” accrues fatigue in the usual manner, gaining a fatigue penalty every |Stamina| combat Turns, and will die when |Fatigue| = |Brawn|. A Cure (3rd Rank Heal) against TN: 3 requiring |Fatigue|+ 1 Successes will stop the dancing.
Stirge - Stirges Swarm (collect all attack dice against an opponent into a single pool) and make their first attack against Defense-1. For each Wound, not Hit, inflicted, a Stirge has embedded their long beak into a victim. Every Turn the victim receives 1 Wound per embedded Stirge.
Thoul - Each Wound, not Hit, inflicted by a Thoul paralyzes the victim for 1 Adventure Turn. At the start of each Turn, an injured Thoul automatically heals 1 Wound/Hit.
Troglodyte - At the beginning of each Turn, the Troglodyte makes a noxious “attack” against all mêlée opponents engaged with it using its Finesse pool against TN: |Finesse| for |Fortune| Successes. Opponents for which the stench Succeeded attack the Troglodyte against Defense+1.
Wight - Each Wound, not Hit, inflicted by a Wight permanently reduces the victim’s Stamina by 1 point, possibly reducing the number of dice available in dependent pools. Any lost Stamina points or dice lost can only be regained by spending Character Points.
Zombie - Opponents’ attack dice are resolved before the Zombie’s.
No, I don't consider these as part of my commitment for the month, not that I probably won't re-work/re-name (now I need to listen to some Roxy Music) some of them, but I got a little side-tracked.
09-08-2020, 10:13 PM
(09-08-2020, 03:45 PM)Oedipussy Rex Wrote: [ -> ]but then again, look at how many Save or Die monsters Gygax used, so not sorry.
Okay, granted, when Gygax wrote The Keep on the Borderlands the style of play wasn't to have a Tank, a Healer, a Ranged Attacker, and a Melee Specialist in some combination of a few PCs. Instead what happened was 5 to 10 PCs, each with a henchman or two and ten to twenty hirelings, would descend on a dungeon like locusts devouring a corn field. So a spider kills a retainer. Sucks, but there are twenty-five more to take care of the problem.
09-10-2020, 02:24 PM
Had to do it. No other choice.
Skeleton
Br/St: 3d6
Int/Kno: 1d4
Fi/Fo: 3d4
Defense: 2
Health: 3
MV: 12
Morale: 1
Special: Immune to Charm and Sleep (not that PoR has Charm or Sleep at this time)
Skeletons fight to the second death. Skeletons cannot be turned. PoR doesn't have Turning.
Br/St Fi/Fo In/Kn Defense Health Movement Morale Size Special
Skeleton, Bear 5d6 4d6 2d4 2 8 12 1 L Bear Hug
Skeleton, Bear; Cave 8d8 4d6 2d6 3 14 12 1 L Bear Hug
Skeleton, Boar 6d10 5d8 3d8 2 24 15 1 L
Skeleton, Dog, War 6d6 5d4 1d4 2 4 12 1 M
Skeleton, Dwarven 8d8 5d6 4d6 2 15 9 1 M Magic Resistance
Skeleton, Elephant 7d10 5d8 4d8 2 24 15 1 L Multiple Targets
Skeleton, Elven 8d10 6d8 8d8 2 23 12 1 M Spells
Skeleton, Horse 5d8 3d4 2d4 2 6 15 1 L
Skeleton, Kobold 2d4 3d4 1d4 1 1 6 1 S
Skeleton, Mastodon 9d10 4d8 4d6 3 26 15 1 L Multiple Targets
Skeleton, Owlbear 8d8 4d6 2d6 3 15 12 1 L
Skeleton, Rat 2d4 4d4 1d4 1 1 15 1 T Swarm
Skeleton, Rat; Giant 2d4 4d4 1d4 1 1 15 1 S Swarm
Skeleton, Tiger 6d8 4d6 2d6 2 14 15 1 L
Skeleton, Troll 9d10 5d8 3d8 2 35 12 1 L Regeneration 1
Skeleton, Tyrannosaurus 15d12 6d8 7d12 3 100 15 1 G
All variants of skeleton have the same immunities as the base version.
Bear Hug: for every two Wounds inflicted in a single attack, the victim receives an additional Wound.
Magic Resistance: Spells and spell-like effects are made against |Intellect|+1, |Knowledge|+2.
Multiple Targets: No more than three attack dice can be used against a single target in melee, but multiple opponents can be targeted. The dice must be declared for each target must be declared before rolling.
Spells: Elven Skeletons are able to cast the Harm spell.
Swarm: All monsters with Swarm put there attack dice in a single pool. See table below for limits
Regeneration X: At the beginning of each Turn, heal X Wounds/Hits.
Maximum Size of Swarm on a Single Target
Size of Target
T S M L H G
T 8 16 32 64 256 1024
Size of S 4 8 16 32 128 512
Attackers M 2 4 8 16 64 256
L 1 2 4 8 16 64
H 1 1 2 4 8 16
G 1 1 1 2 4 8
Skeleton
Br/St: 3d6
Int/Kno: 1d4
Fi/Fo: 3d4
Defense: 2
Health: 3
MV: 12
Morale: 1
Special: Immune to Charm and Sleep (not that PoR has Charm or Sleep at this time)
Skeletons fight to the second death. Skeletons cannot be turned. PoR doesn't have Turning.
Br/St Fi/Fo In/Kn Defense Health Movement Morale Size Special
Skeleton, Bear 5d6 4d6 2d4 2 8 12 1 L Bear Hug
Skeleton, Bear; Cave 8d8 4d6 2d6 3 14 12 1 L Bear Hug
Skeleton, Boar 6d10 5d8 3d8 2 24 15 1 L
Skeleton, Dog, War 6d6 5d4 1d4 2 4 12 1 M
Skeleton, Dwarven 8d8 5d6 4d6 2 15 9 1 M Magic Resistance
Skeleton, Elephant 7d10 5d8 4d8 2 24 15 1 L Multiple Targets
Skeleton, Elven 8d10 6d8 8d8 2 23 12 1 M Spells
Skeleton, Horse 5d8 3d4 2d4 2 6 15 1 L
Skeleton, Kobold 2d4 3d4 1d4 1 1 6 1 S
Skeleton, Mastodon 9d10 4d8 4d6 3 26 15 1 L Multiple Targets
Skeleton, Owlbear 8d8 4d6 2d6 3 15 12 1 L
Skeleton, Rat 2d4 4d4 1d4 1 1 15 1 T Swarm
Skeleton, Rat; Giant 2d4 4d4 1d4 1 1 15 1 S Swarm
Skeleton, Tiger 6d8 4d6 2d6 2 14 15 1 L
Skeleton, Troll 9d10 5d8 3d8 2 35 12 1 L Regeneration 1
Skeleton, Tyrannosaurus 15d12 6d8 7d12 3 100 15 1 G
All variants of skeleton have the same immunities as the base version.
Bear Hug: for every two Wounds inflicted in a single attack, the victim receives an additional Wound.
Magic Resistance: Spells and spell-like effects are made against |Intellect|+1, |Knowledge|+2.
Multiple Targets: No more than three attack dice can be used against a single target in melee, but multiple opponents can be targeted. The dice must be declared for each target must be declared before rolling.
Spells: Elven Skeletons are able to cast the Harm spell.
Swarm: All monsters with Swarm put there attack dice in a single pool. See table below for limits
Regeneration X: At the beginning of each Turn, heal X Wounds/Hits.
Maximum Size of Swarm on a Single Target
Size of Target
T S M L H G
T 8 16 32 64 256 1024
Size of S 4 8 16 32 128 512
Attackers M 2 4 8 16 64 256
L 1 2 4 8 16 64
H 1 1 2 4 8 16
G 1 1 1 2 4 8
09-17-2020, 03:32 AM
Counter Magic: When targeted, directly or indirectly, by a spell or spell-like effect, use the Int/Kno pool to "parry" in the same manner as mêlée. Only countered dice are blocked; there is no magical equivalent to a Hit.
Br/Sta Int/Kno Fi/Fo Defense Health Morale MV Size Special
Crustacean; Giant, Crab 8d6 4d4 5d4 4 10 2 9 L Surprise 1
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Hermit 8d10 1d4 5d6 6/2 15 3 6 M
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Gregarious 8d8 5d4 6d6 4 22 1 9 L Surprise 6
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, King 10d12 8d6 4d8 6 52 1 12 H Counter Magic
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Land 6d8 4d4 5d6 4 10 2 9 Scuttle L Surprise 1
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Air 6d8 4d4 5d6 4 7 2 3 Scuttle M Surprise 4
9 Flying
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Fire 6d8 4d4 5d6 5 7 2 6 M Burn
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Dungeoness 6d8 3d4 4d6 4 10 2 9 L
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Mole 4d10 3d4 3d8 3 5 3 6 M Surprise 4
6 Scuttle
3 Burrow
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Robber 7d12 4d4 5d8 4 21 2 9 Scuttle L Surprise 2
Crustacean; Giant, Crayfish 8d10 4d4 6d6 4 18 2 12 L Surprise 3
9 Scuttle
Crustacean; Giant, Lobster 8d12 3d4 5d8 4 27 2 9 L
Crustacean; Giant, Lobster, Rock 8d12 1d4 6d8 4 10 4 12 L
9 Scuttle
Crustacean; Giant, Scampi 4d4 2d4 3d4 3 7 3 6 M
Crustacean; Giant, Shrimp 3d6 2d4 3d4 3 12 3 6 M
Crustacean; Giant, Shrimp, Jumbo 4d12 2d4 3d8 4 17 2 9 L
Crustacean; Giant, Prawn 3d12 2d4 3d6 3 16 3 9 L
Giant Crustaceans
Unless otherwise stated above the movement rates are for movement in the water.
Crab: What's to say? It's a giant crab.
Crab, Hermit: Solitary and reclusive. Would rather avoid a fight than engage, especially if without a shell (Defense 2).
Crab, Gregarious: Found in groups of at least ten.
Crab, King: The king of crabs. Will be surrounded by twenty or more Giant Crabs acting as bodyguards.
Crab, Land: Crabs that live on land, not sea.
Crab, Air: How they fly is still anyone's guess.
Crab, Fire: Reside in magma chambers and lava flows. For every attack die a Fire Crab fully blocks, the attacker suffers 1 Wound that counts as 2 Wounds for the purposes of healing.
Crab, Dungeoness: Three guesses. (And yes, it's a pun.)
Crab, Mole: Living in tide pools and sandy beaches, the Mole Crab burrows into the sand/gravel and lie in wait to ambush unwary victims.
Crab, Robber: A land crab that, when it takes a fancy to something, and it always takes a fancy to a character's something, will fight to keep that keep that something.
Crayfish: A freshwater crustacean.
Lobster: Two large claws, four smaller claws, and a big, crunchy tail.
Lobster, Rock: A lover, not a fighter. The Rock Lobster, so-called because of it's penchant to bob rhythmically from side to side, often accompanied with clacking of it's fore-claws, will approach groups and gatherings on the beach and check out what's happening. If attacked, the Rock Lobster will run away, only attacking if cornered.
Scampi; Shrimp; Shrimp, Jumbo; Prawn: Giant version of Scampi/Shrimp/Prawns doing scampy/shrimpy/prawny things.
Br/Sta Int/Kno Fi/Fo Defense Health Morale MV Size Special
Crustacean; Giant, Crab 8d6 4d4 5d4 4 10 2 9 L Surprise 1
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Hermit 8d10 1d4 5d6 6/2 15 3 6 M
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Gregarious 8d8 5d4 6d6 4 22 1 9 L Surprise 6
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, King 10d12 8d6 4d8 6 52 1 12 H Counter Magic
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Land 6d8 4d4 5d6 4 10 2 9 Scuttle L Surprise 1
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Air 6d8 4d4 5d6 4 7 2 3 Scuttle M Surprise 4
9 Flying
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Fire 6d8 4d4 5d6 5 7 2 6 M Burn
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Dungeoness 6d8 3d4 4d6 4 10 2 9 L
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Mole 4d10 3d4 3d8 3 5 3 6 M Surprise 4
6 Scuttle
3 Burrow
Crustacean; Giant, Crab, Robber 7d12 4d4 5d8 4 21 2 9 Scuttle L Surprise 2
Crustacean; Giant, Crayfish 8d10 4d4 6d6 4 18 2 12 L Surprise 3
9 Scuttle
Crustacean; Giant, Lobster 8d12 3d4 5d8 4 27 2 9 L
Crustacean; Giant, Lobster, Rock 8d12 1d4 6d8 4 10 4 12 L
9 Scuttle
Crustacean; Giant, Scampi 4d4 2d4 3d4 3 7 3 6 M
Crustacean; Giant, Shrimp 3d6 2d4 3d4 3 12 3 6 M
Crustacean; Giant, Shrimp, Jumbo 4d12 2d4 3d8 4 17 2 9 L
Crustacean; Giant, Prawn 3d12 2d4 3d6 3 16 3 9 L
Giant Crustaceans
Unless otherwise stated above the movement rates are for movement in the water.
Crab: What's to say? It's a giant crab.
Crab, Hermit: Solitary and reclusive. Would rather avoid a fight than engage, especially if without a shell (Defense 2).
Crab, Gregarious: Found in groups of at least ten.
Crab, King: The king of crabs. Will be surrounded by twenty or more Giant Crabs acting as bodyguards.
Crab, Land: Crabs that live on land, not sea.
Crab, Air: How they fly is still anyone's guess.
Crab, Fire: Reside in magma chambers and lava flows. For every attack die a Fire Crab fully blocks, the attacker suffers 1 Wound that counts as 2 Wounds for the purposes of healing.
Crab, Dungeoness: Three guesses. (And yes, it's a pun.)
Crab, Mole: Living in tide pools and sandy beaches, the Mole Crab burrows into the sand/gravel and lie in wait to ambush unwary victims.
Crab, Robber: A land crab that, when it takes a fancy to something, and it always takes a fancy to a character's something, will fight to keep that keep that something.
Crayfish: A freshwater crustacean.
Lobster: Two large claws, four smaller claws, and a big, crunchy tail.
Lobster, Rock: A lover, not a fighter. The Rock Lobster, so-called because of it's penchant to bob rhythmically from side to side, often accompanied with clacking of it's fore-claws, will approach groups and gatherings on the beach and check out what's happening. If attacked, the Rock Lobster will run away, only attacking if cornered.
Scampi; Shrimp; Shrimp, Jumbo; Prawn: Giant version of Scampi/Shrimp/Prawns doing scampy/shrimpy/prawny things.
09-17-2020, 07:55 PM
Rake: For every two Wounds inflicted, the Cat rolls an additional attack die the cannot be parried.
Br/Sta Int/Kno Fi/Fo Defense Health Morale MV Size Special
Cat, Great; Cheetah 6d6 3d4 4d6 3 7 2 15 M Rake
45 Sprint
Cat, Great; Jaguar 6d8 3d4 5d6 3 15 2 15 L Rake
Cat, Great; Leopard 6d6 3d4 5d4 3 12 2 15 L Rake
Cat, Great; Liger 6d12 7d12 4d12 4 27 3 15 L Rake, Spells, Requires +2 to Hit,
Counter Magic
Cat, Great; Lion 4d8 3d4 4d6 3 19 2 12 L Rake
Cat, Great; Lynx 4d6 5d8 5d6 3 5 4 12 S Rake
Cat, Great; Mountain Lion 6d6 3d4 4d6 3 11 2 12 L Rake
Cat, Great; Smilodon 10d12 3d4 4d8 3 26 2 12 L Rake
Cat, Great; Spotted Lion 6d10 3d4 4d6 3 17 2 12 L Rake
Cat, Great; Tiger 8d10 3d4 6d8 3 22 2 12 L Rake
Cat, Not-so-Great; Tigon
Lack of descriptions is only because no additional information beyond what one can find in any bestiary is necessary.
Cheetah: Sprints at 3x movement rate, not 2x
Jaguar:
Leopard:
Liger: Still bred for it's skills in magic.
Lion:
Lynx:
Mountain Lion:
Smilodon: Also known as a Sabre-toothed Tiger by 7-year-olds.
Spotted Lion: Cross between a male lion and a female jaguar or leopard. They only wish they could be ligers.
Tiger:
Tigon: Not spoken of in polite company.
Br/Sta Int/Kno Fi/Fo Defense Health Morale MV Size Special
Cat, Great; Cheetah 6d6 3d4 4d6 3 7 2 15 M Rake
45 Sprint
Cat, Great; Jaguar 6d8 3d4 5d6 3 15 2 15 L Rake
Cat, Great; Leopard 6d6 3d4 5d4 3 12 2 15 L Rake
Cat, Great; Liger 6d12 7d12 4d12 4 27 3 15 L Rake, Spells, Requires +2 to Hit,
Counter Magic
Cat, Great; Lion 4d8 3d4 4d6 3 19 2 12 L Rake
Cat, Great; Lynx 4d6 5d8 5d6 3 5 4 12 S Rake
Cat, Great; Mountain Lion 6d6 3d4 4d6 3 11 2 12 L Rake
Cat, Great; Smilodon 10d12 3d4 4d8 3 26 2 12 L Rake
Cat, Great; Spotted Lion 6d10 3d4 4d6 3 17 2 12 L Rake
Cat, Great; Tiger 8d10 3d4 6d8 3 22 2 12 L Rake
Cat, Not-so-Great; Tigon
Lack of descriptions is only because no additional information beyond what one can find in any bestiary is necessary.
Cheetah: Sprints at 3x movement rate, not 2x
Jaguar:
Leopard:
Liger: Still bred for it's skills in magic.
Lion:
Lynx:
Mountain Lion:
Smilodon: Also known as a Sabre-toothed Tiger by 7-year-olds.
Spotted Lion: Cross between a male lion and a female jaguar or leopard. They only wish they could be ligers.
Tiger:
Tigon: Not spoken of in polite company.
Pages: 1 2