Reasonable Cruelty

For this challenge I'm going to revisit a selection of monster abilities that often scare GMs away, and can feel like unfair relics from the era of killer GMs.

These include:

• Equipment Destruction
• Maiming limbs
• Finishing-off downed PCs
• Instant Death
• Level-drain (with a twist where ITO/Bastionland has no levels)
• Petrification
• Mind Control

And the final twist, none of the above effects will grant a Save to avoid them. There might be another way, but not from rolling well. 

The only way this will work is ultra-clear information for the players. They need to know that the scorpion's sting is instantly fatal FOR REAL THIS IS NOT FLUFF. If that touches you, you die. 

We can only give them information, let's see what they do with it!

Reasonably Cruel Monsters

Gun-Runt

STR 6, DEX 9, CHA 3, 1hp

Muck Gun (d6, leaves splat of muck as well as damage)

• Hides under its tortoise-like shell as an instant reaction if anybody gets close, or if threatened from afar. The shell is utterly unbreakable by anything short of a bomb, and forms a tight seal to the ground.
• Surrenders pitifully if they are unable to retract into their shell. They weep and cry but will turn hostile at the first opportunity.
• Live only to serve the Green Beast, and would happily die for him. 

Notes: These things are annoying, but not much trouble on their own. They exist to accompany the more interesting monsters and make them even more annoying. 

Sticky-Runt 

STR 9, DEX 6, CHA 3, 2hp

Claws (d6)

• Resembles a Gun-Runt, but has a mass of tangled fur and tendrils in place of its shell.
• Anything touching its shell is grabbed by a waxy adhesive, only released by a Runt's saliva.
• Their saliva also melts through any material, which they gleefully use to destroy captured items. 

Note: Equipment destruction

Collector Beetle

STR 10, DEX 10, CHA 3, 5hp

Jaws (d8) Shell (Armour 2)

• On an attack roll of 7+ the Beetle tears a limb from the target. It favours arms, especially those carrying impressive weapons. 
• Torn limbs are attached to the Beetle's hide, animating to grant an extra attack as appropriate.
• If the Beetle is killed then limbs can be reattached, but require a skilled surgeon. 

Note: Maiming limbs

White Vulture

STR 12, DEX 15, CHA 3, 3hp

Rend (d8)

• Has no appetite for combat, but watches on and swoops down onto any helpless victims.
• Before feasting the Vulture spends a whole turn displaying, turning blood red and ruffling its feathers.
• On the next turn the feast is gruesome and quick. The Vulture is back in the air before the last drops hit the ground. 

Note: Downed opponents

Crushing Spirit

STR 10, DEX 15, CHA 13, 6hp

Crush (d10), part-bone part-shadow (ignore normal attacks, takes d4 to d12 damage from light depending on intensity)

• Its touch is unavoidable, freezing the victim in the place. On their next turn the spirit crushes the victim to dust, extracting their soul.
• Even lamplight repels the spirit.
• It's always plotting a way to plunge a victim into darkness. They don't much care who the specific victim is, but they must feed. 

Note: Instant death

Bloody Tearer

STR 7, DEX 6, CHA 5, 10hp

Black Gauntlet (d8, melee or ranged), Bloody Armour (Armour 2)

• Bears trophies from infinite wars on impossible worlds, now a reluctant killer for hire.
• They warn that each death now carries a greater cost.
• If the Tearer causes or takes Melee Critical Damage, a red orb emerges and drains the life from any combatants. They all reroll their Ability Scores on 3d6, keeping any that are lower than their current score. 

Note: "Level drain"

Cloud Rider

STR 15, DEX 18, CHA 10, 11hp

Wind Blast (d6 Blast)

• Extremely fast, lives to spread terror. 
• Their body is fleshy, but always masked by cloud.
• Instead of moving, the Rider can fill a room-sized area with glowing petrification gas. There's enough time to flee the area, but anybody that stays and breathes even a little of the gas becomes permanently petrified.

Note: Petrification

The Green Beast

STR 16, DEX 7, CHA 18, 10hp

Smash (d10 or d6 Blast), Stony Body (Armour 2)

• Wants to amass more servants and punish those who rejected him.
• Uses material bribes before resorting to his mind control. 
• Anybody killed by the Beast, or one of his sworn servants, finds themselves on the threshold of death, faced by his true form, soft and verdant. The Beast offers life in return for an hour of service. If they agree, the victim returns to life but is under the Beast's control for the next hour.

Notes: Mind control

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Primordial Fiends

I'm away this week, so enjoy some of the Fiend Folio creatures that I worked into my Primordial System. You can see me working through this process over here.

Death Knight Undead, Knight, Armoured

• Stops at nothing when acting to correct some half-remembered shame of its bloodline. 

• Its armour hides a burnt family crest. 

• Conjures a gate to its ancestral sanctuary if harmed.

• Stabs through gaps in armour, leaving a gradually freezing wound, or creates gouts of flame. 

• The weak-willed cower in its chill aura. 

• Must obey commands from ancient noble blood. 

Berbalang

Psionic, Monster, Flying

• Hides its fragile real body most of the time.

• Projects a Spirit Self to hunt or mate, which cannot be harmed by mundane attacks.  

• While projecting, the real body’s heartbeat becomes a loud, steady thump. The projection must stay within hearing range of this heartbeat. 

• Must feed on freshly killed humans, and would rather not do the killing itself. 

• If the Spirit Self is harmed, it flies back to its real body.

• If the Spirit Self is destroyed, the real body swears vengeance once it restores its spiritual energy. 

• Its agenda is currently unknown. 

Eye Killer

Lesser Demon, Subterranean

• In darkness, it is a placid creature, but will constrict prey or attackers with its snakelike tail. 

• In low light, it rears up and opens its gigantic bat-eyes, absorbing the light before eventually blasting the source of the light with a death stare. 

• In bright light, or in the face of open flames, it cowers away and flees. 

• Vestigial wings hint at its nature as a fallen demon. It is trying to reclaim its place in the hierarchy of Hell by leaving adventurers wounded in the dark, and alerting more powerful demons. 

Son of Kyuss

Undead, Controlled by Worms

• Fear and stink zone causes the weak willed to vomit and flee.

• Regenerates from any physical harm, with only lightning truly killing them.

• Worms will leap from the Son’s head if they sense a new host. They cannot leap far, but if they are able to burrow into a host, only controlled electrocution will kill the worm. 

• If the Worm is left inside the host, they die at sundown and return as a Son of Kyuss at midnight.

Non-Mechanical Templates

3rd Edition was the first version of D&D that I actually had the core books for, back in 2000. In fact, beyond my old copy of WHFRP it was the first RPG that I actually owned in print. While the system is far from my tastes, I think I'll always have some affection for the books themselves. 

A strange thing to look back on is the way that the three core books were each released a month apart. I picked up the Player's Handbook in August, the Dungeon Master's Guide in September, and the Monster Manual in October. While this staggered release seems like a strange decision now, it did give me an opportunity to explore every corner of that month's new arrival. Without a regular (or irregular) group at the time, I jumped at any opportunity to engage with the game in a creative way. That "lonely fun" that I keep hearing about nowadays. 

There was lots of character creation. Not so much the infinite-loop monstrosities of character optimisation forums, but usually level 1-3 characters that I hoped would make it to the table some day. Of course there were dungeons, sticking rigorously to the challenge rating system included in the DMG. But one of the parts that really grabbed me was the idea of Templates.

These were little packages of modifiers that you could apply on top of an existing monster, like Vampire, Fiendish, or Half-Dragon. I loved the wide open feeling of RPGs, compared to videogames and miniature games, and this was like adding another layer on top of that. Not only could I draw on this giant book of hundreds of monsters, but I could modify each of them into countless combinations. You could give monsters classes in a similar sort of way, but somehow it didn't feel the same. Sure, making an Otyugh Rogue is bonkers, but a Vampire Otyugh is bonkers and somehow feels completely right. 

I'm obviously a fan of jamming two ideas together to make a new thing. You can see this sort of thing all over D&D in various editions. Chaotic Good. Dwarf Ranger. There's power in these combos.

But, of course, it was all tied up in 3E's mechanical clockwork hell. Looking back now, they aren't quite the fiddly mess that I remembered, but there's definitely too much focus on giving a +4 here and a -2 there, rather than the core concept of "what happens when we make this Roper into a Fiendish Roper?"

Can we do better than fire resistance and darkvision?

As with so many things, we can be a bit more creative if we shift the focus away from mechanics, keeping an eye firmly on what's going to make for a memorable encounter at the table. Naturally this tends to call for a little more creative input when creating the monster, but I don't think that's too much to ask. At their best, I feel like they're just another opportunity to tie your encounters into your greater worldbuilding, and vice versa. 

HELLISH

Born or warped by Hell.

• Speaks Fiendish, and can make binding verbal contracts sanctioned by Hell's enforcers.
• Has a true name that can be used to summon them to the material plane, or banish them back to Hell.
• Has a specific vice and virtue that they are fascinated and repulsed by respectively.

MECHANICAL

Modified with inorganic parts.

• Significantly improved raw strength and resilience. 
• Unable to process emotion until it overflows in an outburst.
• Always in need of some sort of repair or new upgrade. 

SUNLESS

Changed by a lifetime in the darkness.

• Can see and hear through any amount of darkness, including around corners.
• Hungers endlessly, never full, can eat anything mostly-soft. 
• Hates light, warmth, and anybody that brings them into their world.

Monster Flashback

Since this blog is now over 10 years old I've been looking back through cringes of shame at those early posts. Is there any merit in that old material? Can I recycle it in an act of blog meta-digestion?

Let's pull the monsters from this post and see if I can make them better as encounters for Electric Bastionland. Back when I wrote that post I was thinking about monsters as entries in a monster manual rather than making them inspiring chunks of the world to throw down onto your table.

My main considerations are going to be:

• Cut down all that prose and rub it into the actual workings of the monster through their moves. 
• Make them more impactful and scary.
• Give them a bit more nuance beside just being something new to fight.

Nightmare art taken from GANBreeder. 

Blood Servants (formerly Bloodlings)



STR 5, DEX 5, CHA 5, 5hp. d6 Needle-Swords, Bloated Bodies.

• Waddle about serving their Blood Master in disgusting body-horror chores.
• Bicker with each other about who Master loves most of all (he loathes them all).
• If reduced to STR 0: Explode in a shower of burning blood (d6 Blast) invigorating their Master (restore their STR). 

Floating Corpse - Not-Quite-Right Dead Forms



STR 8. No HP, but automatically pass Saves vs Critical Damage. You have to hack them down to STR 0.

• Float silently, patrolling along a set route.
• Bump harmlessly against intruders, making a gross mess and distracting from other tasks.
• In the presence of the Dark Wizard that animated them they errupt in a flailing spasm (d8 claws)

Spider Dragon


STR 18, 15hp, Pale Chitin (Armour 2). Bristling Multi-Jaws (2d8) and Thrashing Limbs (d6 Blast).

• Ceaselessly seek juicy cattle to drag back to their web-lair.
• Spray a sticky web-acid (d10 Blast, anyone taking STR Damage is webbed until cut free from the outside) once per day.
• Cower in fear from even the smallest bird.

Monster Design from Classics - The Lich

The Cocktail Codex makes the bold claim that there are only six cocktails, with all recipes able to be linked at least tangentially to one of these root recipes. So a Martini is defined by the relationship between spirit (gin) and aromatised wine (vermouth), so a Manhattan is simply a relative that uses whiskey instead of gin, sweet vermouth in place of dry, and bitters added for seasoning the added sweetness. 

So what’s the point of all this beyond theory and list-making? It’s really an exercise to demonstrate how new recipes can be created around classic structures, and understanding how to make changes without screwing up what makes the classic work.

Can we do the same for Monsters? It’s not a perfect fit, but let’s try one.

The Lich

The Classic
While dark wizards might seem like the true root, Liches feel much more iconic to me.

Lich
STR 7, DEX 7, CHA 18, 15hp. Ceremonial Dagger (d6), Lots of Spells.

The Orthodoxy

• Great magical powers
• Physically weak
• Themes of greed and immortality

Experimenting with the Core

In this case the core of the Lich is its magical powers, which contrast its physical weakness.

We can move the focus to Psionics we get the Mind Flayer.

We can tighten down the magic powers to single extraordinary ability to give us the Medusa, Doppleganger, Dryad, and even the Rust Monster.

We can keep things closer to arcane magic and focus on a particular school to get classics like the evil Necromancer.

You can tip the balance slightly, giving them more modest magical powers in exchange for appearing in greater numbers and being a touch more hardy to get Drow and Gnomes that still rely on magic and trickery over their swords.

And of course the point of this is to help us create new monsters, so what if we focused on Summoning Magic?

The Elemental Conduit
STR 7, DEX 7, CHA 18. 12hp.

• An elemental cultist that has given up their sapience to become a channel for elemental beings to enter our plane. 
• They are humanoid but clearly made up of chunks of raw elements barely held together.
• They want everything to return to raw elemental chaos, and can summon elementals at will. 

Experimenting with the Balance

The Lich's power is balanced by its weak physical form, classically a skeleton but sometimes taken to the demilich extreme of just a skull.

Another extreme take is going for the Brain in a Jar.

Giving the Lich a ghost form keeps them unable to have much physical impact, but gives them the added power of being immaterial, so you should pull back on their magical powers if you go in this direction.

The balance doesn’t have to be physical weakness, but could be other forms of physical restriction. An Aboleth is physically large but bound to water, and limited on where it can move. Some types of Demon or Devil can fit into the Lich mould but they can be banished to their home or otherwise controlled by magic. Vampires have a similar combination of physical power with serious weaknesses to balance their magical abilities.

So let’s make a new creation where the physical weakness is replaced with stupidity and a vulnerability.

Tome Golem
STR 15, DEX 5, CHA 5. D8 Smash. Lots of Spells.

• Literally made out of spellbooks but doesn’t really understand them. Throws a random spell out in anger if provoked.
• Drawn to absorb more spell tomes into its form.
• Extremely flammable (any fire attacks get +d12). 

Experimenting with the Seasoning

The Seasoning is what binds the core and the balance together. A Lich that knows lots of spells but is physically weak isn’t interesting enough to throw into your game, but if they’re the last devotee of an ancient religion or the vain Prince of a ruined kingdom then you’ve got something to grip onto, a reason why they’re the way they are.

Most of the variants above change the seasoning from the classic, but let’s see if we can keep everything else the same.

Eternal Apprentice
STR 7, DEX 7, CHA 18. 16hp. Dagger (d6), Lots of Spells.

• Doomed to eternally wander the tomb of their truly dead master, tidying up, checking everything is in order, sweeping the floor.
• Can channel the power of their master if needed, but is woefully lacking in confidence and constantly scared of using the wrong spell.
• Their spirit is released if the master’s corpse is destroyed.

People of the Foreign Stars

THE GREAT COSMOS

THE GOLDEN LAND

THE FAR LANDS

THE ASTRAL PLANE

THE STAR LANDS

THE HEAVENS

THE FOREIGN STARS

Whatever the academics are calling them this week, there are places beyond Deep Country. We know that the Underground connects all things, so whether these places exist in a distant space, time, or possibility, is the subject of debate.

There are signs in the Stars.

If looking into Deep Country is like looking at the shadows of our embarrassing past, the Star Lands are glimpses of what could be.

There is always a glimmer of humanity.

While the True Bastion is a heap of chaos beneath a veil of order, these places are bound by rules, in spite of their alien exterior. Rules themselves can be a physical presence. The abstract is concrete, and the symbolic is literal.

Volo Beauties
STR 8, DEX 18, CHA 6, 5hp. Silk Dresses, Soft Bodies, Metal Frog Mouths (d6).
- Avert their eyes from the hideous appearance of any non-volo beings.
- Want to collect things they consider most ugly, for their own amusement. Commonly includes birds, which they also enjoy eating live.
- If they encounter somebody that reminds them of themselves, but less beautiful, they consider them an insult and obsess over killing them.
Their Bastion: All decadence and statues, but nobody has enough food and the trains don't run on time.

Gemcutters
STR 14, DEX 5, CHA 5, 8hp. Crooked Back, One Giant Eye, Mining Tools (d8, bulky) and Measuring Devices.
- Want to turn everything into flat surfaces and correct angles.
- Go berserk if somebody messes with something they've carved into the correct shape.
- Love their ferret-like pets, which are ultra-violent towards other animals.
Their Bastion: A colossal red pyramid dotted with hollowed-out meeting cubes.

Easy-Speakers
STR 5, DEX 5, CHA 7, 3hp. Rotting bodies, rusty guns (d8), damp black wigs.
- Can only speak truth, but are ashamed of everything they reveal.
- Because of this, they fear gaining any knowledge at all and lash out at those that would educate them.
- Will do anything to forget the things they know.
Their Bastion: Piles of pitiful beings, covering their ears, while their city decays.

Imprints: Foreground Growth in Context

Foreground Growth is a simple concept; It can be broken down into three principles.

Foreground Growth

1. Your character grows more interesting, not necessarily more powerful. 
2. Every piece of growth is tied to a specific experience. 
3. There are growth opportunities everywhere. 

Scars and Oddities are easy to throw in there, but having a characters' adventures directly affect their growth is more tricky.

I've explained it in the context of the original Into the Odd samples monsters.

For my own game prep, I'm referring to these character-altering abilities as Imprints. Think of them as a simplified take on the Odd Marks that I experimented with in the past.

Imprints

• Imprints function in the same way as Oddities, but are part of a character’s physical being.
• When creating an Odd Being, ensure it has at least one way of leaving an Imprint on a character through the being's action or players' exploitation.
• Imprints generally affect a single character, and always manifest physically, overriding previous Imprints to that body part. 

It's nothing new really, just a new take on Oddities, but it won't make much sense without examples, so let's hit up the classic D&D Monster Manual and see how I'd implement Implants there.

Remember that not every Imprint is going to happen to every group that encounter that monster, but there's at least the possibility there.

Skeleton Guard
STR 10, DEX 15, CHA 1, 5HP. Ancient Sword (d6) and Shield Armour (1).

• Piercing attacks are Impaired.
• Intrigued and Confused by modern technology.
• Breaking the Shield of a Skeleton Guard Imprints the breaker's forehead with the shield's symbol. They can command any Skeleton Guards bearing this symbol.

Beholder
STR 15, DEX 10, CHA 5, 12HP, Thick Hide (2), Angry Jaws (d10). Death-Ray (d10, Permanently Petrified on Critical), Telekenesis Ray (STR Save to avoid being thrown).

• Hates everything that is different to itself.
• Swearing servitude to the Beholder requires a CHA Save. On a fail, the Beholder executes the character, on a Success it Implants them with a Merged Eye capable of rudimentary telekinesis.
• The Beholder's central eye renders any technology, Oddities, or Implants useless as long as the gaze remains.

Colossal Red Dragon
STR 19, DEX 10, CHA 14, 18HP. Huge and Scaly (3), Jaws (d12) or Tail (d10 Sweep).

• Wants to hoard precious things and avenge thieves.
• Breathe Fire (d10 blast, Recharges with a Rest).
• Burning a dragon's heart requires extreme heat, but consuming the ash Imprints that character with bright red hair, and allows them to breathe fire as the dragon could in life, once per day.

Ice Devil
STR 15, DEX 17, CHA 2, 11HP, Carapace (1), Ice Fork (d10, Freezed Solid on Critical)

• Seeking a single target, to be frozen and taken back to Ice Hell.
• Anyone that survived being Frozen by the Devil's fork now has ice-blue eyes Imprinted, and can recover lost STR by bathing themselves in ice water.
• If killed, summons d6 Ice Devils to avenge them (these cannot Summon any more).

Aboleth
STR 16, DEX 4, CHA 19, 9HP. Big and Blubbery (2), Tentacle Lash (d8), d6 Smelly Grey Slaves (2HP, d6 Spear)

• Always plotting for revenge against another Aboleth that may be off in a distant time or place.
• Gurgles a command, which the target must obey or lose d6 CHA. Always starts with "Bow to Me". 
• Anyone bowing to the Aboleth, or driven to 0 CHA in their presence, gets covered in slime and Imprinted with grey skin. They now smell so bad that others around them are Deprived unless they move to a safe distance.

Gelatinous Cube
STR 13, DEX 3, CHA 0, 1HP.

• Ignore any physical attacks besides explosives, electricity, or extreme temperatures, and drift towards the nearest source of body-heat, or away from extreme temperatures.
• Pass over anything in their way, forcing a DEX Save to avoid being enveloped. Enveloped characters cannot break free themselves and lose d6 STR each turn through corrosion. Anyone 
• A small Central-Gland is found at the top of the cube. Eating this turns Imprints the character by turning their tongue transparent and allowing them to melt any organic matter in their mouth.

The Mockra

The Mockra is easily in the top ten stupidest things anyone in Bastion has decided to build. It has many mock-heads attached to one mock-body and the result is always ridiculous.

But people just can't let it go. Each time the creature is destroyed, somebody thinks they can make a better one. 

Roll d20 to see what the hell they did for a body this time. This gives the thing it's STR, DEX, and Armour. The body is always just big enough to support the number of heads.

d20 Bodies

1. Gnarled Tree. STR 10, DEX 0, Armour 3. 
2. Lumbering Armoured Dino-body with long necks. STR 18, DEX 3, Armour 3.  
3. Soft-Footed Dog. STR 15, DEX 12, Armour 1. 
4. Powered Wagon. STR 16, DEX 3, Armour 3. 
5. Snake Body STR 13, DEX 12, Armour 1. 
6. Pile of Goo with heads just poking out. STR 12, DEX 12, Armour 1. 
7. Big starfish STR 15, DEX 12, Armour 1. 
8. Crustacean STR 12, DEX 10, Armour 2. 
9. Majestic Eagle STR 12, DEX 18, Armour 1. 
10. Scorpion. STR 15, DEX 16, Armour 2. 
11. Snail. STR 13, DEX 6, Armour 2. 
12. Classic Dragonlike Body. STR 15, DEX 12, Armour 2. 
13. Pile of shaggy hair. STR 16, DEX 12, Armour 1. 
14. Giant hunched primate. STR 14, DEX 14, Armour 1. 
15. Turkey-like Fowl. STR 11, DEX 12, Armour 1. 
16. Wyvern-like Flying Serpent. STR 14, DEX 15, Armour 1. 
17. Big Cat. STR 15, DEX 18, Armour 1. 
18. Red and Elephant-Like. STR 17, DEX 6, Armour 2. 
19. Mechanical Spider. STR 15, DEX 12, Armour 3. 
20. Bloated Toad. STR 13, DEX 6, Armour 2. 

Each turn it can decide to attack in one of three ways.

1. Body Attack if it has one.
2. Individual head attacks against different targets.
3. Combined head attacks against one target for d12 damage. Requires at least 3 heads capable of attacking.  

It has 3d6 heads and 10hp plus one more for each additional head.

Roll d100 for each head. Each has a personality and attack of its own. They are all monstrous in size, regardless of the creature it's based upon.

The first head you roll is currently the lead-head. This head has control of the body and can silence the other heads. The heads can vote in a new lead-head at any time with the lead-head breaking ties. The Lead-Head gives the thing its WIL Score.



When an attack causes Critical Damage the Mockra is not defeated, but one head is destroyed. When half the heads are dead it withers up and dies.
A surviving Mockra with empty necks will dedicate its life to finding replacement heads.
Duplicates form a little clique away from the other heads.

d100 Heads

1. Gorilla WIL 10, Bite d6, Wants to Establish Dominance.  
2. Tiger WIL 14, Bite d8. Wants to engage in finery. 
3. Polar Bear WIL 6, Bite d8, Wants to feast. 
4. Fox WIL 15, Bite d6, Wants to deceive. 
5. Camel WIL 16, Butt d4, Wants to have a simple life.  
6. Swan WIL 13, Peck d6, Wants to be recognised as the best.  
7. Fly WIL 5. Acid Spray d8 (blast). Wants to see everything close up.   
8. Dragon WIL 18, Bite d8, Fire d10 (blast). Wants to sleep.  
9. Skull WIL 15, Butt d6, Wants to be given flesh.  
10. Bloodied Stump WIL 4, Whack d4.
11. Monkey WIL 4, Bite d6, Wants to have everything explained.  
12. Panther WIL 12, Bite d8, Wants to be left alone.  
13. Moose WIL 10, Gore d8, Wants to take things very seriously.  
14. Mouse WIL 6, Bite d4, Wants to horde tiny things.  
15. Komodo Dragon WIL 10, Bite d8 and d6 STR loss on Critical Damage, Wants to see the world.  
16. Shark WIL 10, Bite d10, Wants to devour.  
17. Mosquito WIL 6, Bite d4 and d6 STR loss on Critical Damage, Wants to drink blood.  
18. Sabretooth WIL 10, Bite d6, Wants to be trusted as a genuinely good being.  
19. Tulip WIL 10. Wants to be admired. 
20. Living Shield WIL 10. Wants to Protect.
21. Mandrill WIL 6, Bite d8, Wants to sow chaos.  
22. Python WIL 14, Bite d8 and constrict for d6 STR loss on Critical Damage, Wants to earn your trust and then bite you. 
23. Mammoth WIL 12, Gore d10, Wants to be remembered.  
24. Badger WIL 8, Bite d6, Wants to find a nice home. 
25. Vulture WIL 14, Peck d6, Wants to seek out the dead.  
26. Eel WIL 10, Bite d6, Wants to give ruthless advice.  
27. Mantis WIL 16, Bite d6, Wants to attract a mate and betray them.  
28. Venus Flytrap WIL 2, Bite d8, Wants to eat what it can.  
29. Bellows WIL 2, Air Blast (no damage but blows things), Wants to blow.  
30. Scorpion Tail WIL 0, Sting d6 and d6 STR loss on Critical Damage, Wants to sting.  
31. White Ape WIL 10, Bite d8, Wants to be reunited with the creator.   
32. Elephant WIL 16, Gore d8, Wants to honour the dead.  
33. Rockhopper Penguin WIL 6, Peck d4, Wants to argue and fight.  
34. Viper WIL 7, Bite d6 and d6 DEX loss on Critical Damage, Wants you to betray all of your ethics.  
35. White Horse WIL 12, Bite d4, Wants to be adored.  
36. Catfish WIL 4, Wants to stay out of the way.  
37. Beetle WIL 4, Bite d6, Wants to create fortification.  
38. Sunflower WIL 10. Wants to bring happiness to the world.  
39. Feeding Pump WIL 2, Discharges a satisfying slime. Wants to feed you.
40. Muscle-Arm WIL 4, Punch d10, Wants to punch and grab.  
41. Clay-Bust WIL 10. Wants to be moulded into a more attractive shape.  
42. Black Bear WIL 9, Bite d8, Wants to attract human companionship.  
43. Reindeer WIL 12, Gore d8, Wants to distribute gifts.   
44. Magpie WIL 16, Peck d4, Wants to collect shiny things.  
45. Donkey WIL 6, Bite d4, Wants anything other than to be laughed at.  
46. Turtle WIL 15, Bite d6, Wants to be loved.  
47. Lobster WIL 12. Wants to go back underwater. 
48. Glowing Energy-Ball WIL 15, Zap d6 (Ignoring Armour), Wants to become organic.  
49. Giraffe WIL 11, Butt d6, Wants to get higher.  
50. Goat WIL 19, Butt d6, Knows secrets about the other heads.  
51. Wizened Old Man WIL 16, Wants to give cryptic advice.  
52. Toucan WIL 8, Peck d4, Wants to carry out annoying pranks.  
53. Zebra WIL 10, Bite d4. Wants to convince you not to eat him.  
54. Pigeon WIL 10. Wants to be free of the Mockra.   
55. Buffalo WIL 7, Gore d6, Wants to boss you around.  
56. Tortoise WIL 16, Wants to live forever.  
57. Caterpillar WIL 4. Wants to eat and eat until it turns into a butterfly.  
58. T-Rex WIL 5, Bite d10, Wants to rule the world.  
59. Pelican WIL 8, Beak d6, Wants to swallow tiny beings whole.  
60. Eagle WIL 17, Beak d8, Wants to ensure high standards. 
61. Blind Old Woman WIL 14. Wants to trick people into wronging her, then drop a curse on them.  
62. Ostrich WIL 5, Peck d4, Wants to 
63. Parrot WIL 7, Bite d6, Wants to mimic you.  
64. Toad WIL 5. Wants to amass wealth.  
65. Kangaroo WIL 10, Bite d4, Wants to fight honourably.  
66. Platypus WIL 10. Wants to gather more heads.  
67. Triceratops WIL 7, Gore d10, Wants to hire you for a job.  
68. Worm WIL 4, Wants to assess every detail.  
69. Slug WIL 8, Digest d6, Wants to slowly explain things.  
70. Human Baby WIL 5, Wants to creep you out.  
71. Warthog WIL 10, Tusk d6, Wants to eat disgusting things.  
72. Emperor Penguin WIL 15, Peck d6, Wants to be recognised as ruler.  
73. Mole WIL 10, Wants to get deeper underground.  
74. Crocodile WIL 13, Bite d8, Wants to make friends.  
75. Wombat WIL 10, Wants to sleep.  
76. Chicken WIL 9, Peck d4, Wants to run away from danger. 
77. Pteradactyl WIL 6, Beak d8, Wants to collect fish for its non-existent young. 
78. Anteater WIL 15, Wants to eat ants. 
79. Dolphin WIL 15, Bite d6, Wants to prove how clever it is.  
80. Featureless Human Head WIL 11, Copies the features of whoever talks to it.  
81. Meerkat WIL 7, Bite d4, Wants to relax.   
82. Walrus WIL 14, Tusk d6, Wants to witness and discuss death. 
83. Hunting Hound WIL 7, Bite d6, Wants to hunt small animals. 
84. Koala WIL 16, Bite d6, Wants to commit murder.  
85. Wolf  WIL 11, Bite d6, Wants to be dramatic.  
86. Flamingo WIL 6, Beak d4, Wants to find peace and quiet.  
87. Ferret WIL 5, Bite d6, Wants to get you close then bite you.  
88. Statue-Head WIL 10, Butt d8, Wants to crack jokes.   
89. Otter WIL 10, Bite d6, Wants to play.  
90. Brutish Human WIL 7, Bite d6, Wants to out-animal the animals.  
91. Rhino WIL 7, Gore d8, Wants to debate, but loses temper instantly.   
92. Baby Seal WIL 4, Wants to see you suffer.  
93. Rat WIL 12, Bite d6, Wants to survive.  
94. Crane WIL 15, Beak d4, Wants to enlighten the crude.  
95. Hummingbird WIL 7, Beak d6, Wants to collect sweet things. 
96. Peacock WIL 11, Beak d4, Wants to be flattered.  
97. Antelope WIL 8, Bite d4, Wants to have freedom. 
98. Capybara WIL 10, Bite d4, Wants to be taken seriously.   
99. Puffin WIL 6, Wants to avoid danger. 
100. Guard Dog WIL 12, Bite d8, Wants to be rewarded. 

3hp, Sword (d6)

Following in Arnold's wake (although I totally already wrote about this topic years ago) I wanted to try an experiment in monster differentiation.

The Into the Odd Equivalent of 1HD, Leather, 1d6 Sword is even simpler, as you would expect.

3hp, Sword (d6).

I'm currently giving encounters a set of behaviours that you can bake special abilities into, so that will be our main point of differentiation.

Arnold did 5. So I'm doing 20. Coincidentally the number of Patreon Supporters I owe a reward to (plus two to round out the numbers). Something about being immortalised in a table?

Tuppenstusk - The Top Country

Deep Country has mountains like you wouldn't believe. Get beyond the smog, then past the clouds, and you might reach one of the flats that house tiny villages.

Roll d20

1: d6 Day-Sun Vinesmen - High Altitude Air-Protectors
3hp, Machete (d6)

- Beckon you to do your duty by helping to erect vine-walls to keep the wind out, and air in. 

- Confiscate any source of fire, and look for signs of sickness that would warrant being thrown off a cliff. 

- Drive out any wildlife that might consume extra air.

2: d6 Rustle-Howls - Toothy Red Tiger-Things
3hp, Impractically Long Teeth (d6)

- Hide in shrubbery, cleaning eachother's long teeth.

- Perform complex social rituals that always involve the smallest being eaten. 

- Beg for food like huge terrible kittens.

3: Chosef's Vandals (detachment of hooded grunts)
3hp, Iron Club (d6)

- Look for the most well-built, or tallest structure to smash up.

- If there aren't any structures nearby, smash up some rocks into gravel.

- Gather in a circle for story-time, which always involves stories about smashing things up but also has a romantic subplot, which they swoon over.

4: No-Idea Doyle - Fat Old Man in Eye-Pattern Silk Robes
3hp, Staff (d6)

- Offer guidance, but have no answers at all.

- Make a vague declaration and point into the distance.

- Stop for a nap every hour or so.

5: d6 Rage-Bats - Big Angry Smoking Bats
3hp, Bite (d6)

- Hang near to you and scream deafeningly, following you around and exhaling smoke.

- Do anything it can to provoke to you attack, even when you're already attacking it.  

- If you bring one close to death it will latch onto you (STR Save) and blow up for d10 damage when it dies.

6: Dawn's Voices - Choir of 12 Singers in Frilly Dresses
3hp, Focused-Breath-Punch (d6)

- Sing at the Sun while doing martial arts stances.

- Hunt down terrors of the night (anyone that has slighted them)

- Hit the Sun-Chord in Unison (takes d4 turns to get in-tune) and blast the area for d12 damage. 

7: Banner-man Joe - Small man with a giant red banner, carrying as sentence for petty theft.
3hp, Banner Pole (d6)

- Announce that this is the domain of the Fortress-Lady Karan and you should kneel.

- Head back to the Fortress (a day's march away) to tell a superior if you refuse to kneel.

- Follow you at a distance, hoping you'll keep the way safe for him.

8: d20 Robber-men of Jake Hunks - Theatrical Bandits
3hp, Cutlass (d6), Jake Hunks leads with 6hp.

- Make an elaborate entrance (3-in-6 chance of it going wrong and looking stupid)

- Immediately go at you with their cutlasses and asking if you surrender yet (they won't stop if you do)

- Make an elaborate exit (4-in-6 chance of it going wrong and looking stupid)

9: d8 Pale Bald Oldies - Exiled Old Men
3hp, Pistol (d6)

- Tell you how this bit of land used to be a thriving slave-pit overseen by star-men.

- Point a gun at you if you try to leave in the middle of a story.

- Go off on a tangent.

10: d8 Oric's Newmen - Impeccably Uniformed Soldiers.
3hp, Polished Sword (d6)

- Invite you to hire the greatest mercenary company in Deep Country, claiming there are hundreds of them back at base (there aren't)

- Boast about the deeds of their great leader Oric Killerman (totally fictional)

- Run away from the first sign of a real fight.

11: Gagan - Mountain Ape
3hp, Thump (d6)

- Mimic humanity. 

- Get sad when left alone.

- Fly into a rage if anyone laughs in his presence.

12: d10 Charlivicks - Hunched Men covered in Burnt Hair
3hp, Erroding Touch (d6)

- Beckon you into their tunnel with a dusty voice, for a meal of ashes. 

- Cause you to crumble to dust on Critical Damage.

- Touch the ground to corrode a new tunnel into their mountain network.

13: The Courcey - Masked, Cloaked Avenger of Etiquette
3hp, Rapier (d6)

- Teach the heathens of Deep Country about the Etiquette of Bastion, which he knows nothing about.

- Set up a picnic of disgusting burnt food, ringing a bell to attract those nearby to eat and learn dining etiquette. 

- Challenge a disrespectful brute to an honour duel by stabbing them in the back with his rapier. 

14: d10 Sahlen - Sweaty Women in Meat-Suits
3hp, Double-headed Axes (d6)

- Try to appear stronger than they are by flexing their meat-suits. 

- Challenge you to contests of strength, involving massively complex rules and restrictions.

- Perform a burning ritual of their old meat-suits, carving up cattle to make new ones.

15: d10 Krapilskoleg Seers - Silver-Clothed Stargazing Women
3hp, Spiral-Daggers (d6)

- Enlighten you on their texts that prove the existence of shape-shifting yetis, and the lack of any other astral beings. 

- Attack anyone that tries to disengage from the debate.

- Set up their complex array of telescopes for an evening's viewing. 

16: d6 Deremi Junkmen - Rag-Covered Petty Thieves
3hp, Metal Hook (d6)

- Try to sell you useless crap they've stolen. 

- Hook a trivial piece of equipment away from you (STR Save) and run at the first chance. 

- Pile their junk into a shrine to their monkey-god of petty theft. 

17: d8 Naythun Riders - Bearded Men riding Naked Men Twisted into Emu-Shape
3hp, Riding Crop (d6) OR Naythun Kick (d6)

- Offer you a chance to feed or pet their steed. 

- Muzzle their Naythun if it tries to scream out in repressed sapience.

- Defend their steeds to the death and nuzzle it uncomfortably. 

18: d4 Faceless Patrons - Hooded Wanderers
3hp, Hidden Dagger (d6)

- Offer you a gold coin to carry out a highly specific task. 

- Gang up on you and stab you if you don't carry out the task to the letter. 

- Stab any Faceless Patron that has their face revealed. 

19: Roll twice, they're arguing.

20: Roll twice, they've somehow joined together for a mutual benefit. 

Disclaimer: There's legitimately no subtext here. I put names into a list, swapped some letters around, and created an encounter from that concept. Enjoy!

Scarytown

There are stories of people stumbling into made-up lands. These aren't real, they're just from novels, paintings, or old wives' tales. The might be very distant, but nearby under very specific circumstances.

Key Principles of Made Up Places
- You can only go there if you know the story.
- They follow dream logic.
- Things brought home become more mundane.

Scarytown is a made-up place. Parents tell their children that they'll end up there if they sneak out after dark.

It isn't real.

But if you do sneak out of a window at night, going in search of something you shouldn't have, you might notice things feel different. You always seem to be on the edge of getting where you're trying to go. You only took one book off the shelf and now the house is crumbling. Your paper-cut is bleeding so much that it's flooding the room. Everyone thinks they're helping but they're really just horrible.





The only way back is to run home to bed and hide under the covers.

Key Principles of Scarytown
- It teases you with things that you want.
- Negative consequences are grossly amplified.
- Something always follows you home.

If you stick around, Roll d20 to see who you stumble into. Everyone can talk, and will at least give the appearance of helping you towards where you're trying to go.

1-3: Budbrother
STR 13, DEX 8, WIL 12, 9hp, Claw (d6), 2 featureless heads budding off at the neck, they remind you of someone. If you talk for too long, one of the new heads will start to sprout a mouth. If you look too long, eyes start to flower.
The new heads want to remove the main head so that they can take control, the old head wants to get rid of the new heads but is compelled to grow more.
1: Trying in vain to remove its featureless heads with a small blunt knife.
2: Under control of one of the featureless heads, and rampaging blindly while the main head is passed out.
3: Yelling into a mirror.

4-6: d6 Willowbacks
STR 5, DEX 16, WIL 12, 5hp, Scratching Sticks (d6), removes chunks of flesh with a touch), hunched backs and woody hair.
Wants to find a safe place to hide, collect books, and punish those that don't take them seriously.
4: Looking for visitors to warn about the hazards of Scarytown, but only giving terrible guidance.
5: Using their scratching sticks to torment a mad horse.
6: Pulling down an impossibly large tree on top of an old house.

7-9: Teddiorg
STR 16, DEX 5, WIL 5, 3hp, Black Hole in Mouth (d8, annihilation on Critical Damage), beady eyes, bloated bear body, rumbling voice.
Wants to guide you to the thing you desire, then devour it before you can get it.
7: Tearing apart a building.
8: Carrying the corpse of a boy to his grave.
9: Bellowing out an invitation to a lavish feast, which he'll annihilate once anyone accepts.

10-12: Rock Queen
STR 8, DEX 11, WIL 14, 6hp, Grab and Bite (d6), withered old body, long teeth.
Wants to hide away from the worst bits of Scarytown and genuinely help visitors from Bastion.
10: Running from a horrible creature.
11: Digging a hole in the ground to sleep in.
12: Building a tiny model version of Bastion.

13-14: d4 Wall Witches
Appear as an indented face on stone walls. Speak in whispers. If anyone touches them the Wall Witch is absorbed into their being and will live within them until they put them on a wall in Bastion.
13: Whisper-singing to a crowd of snails crawling over them.
14: Pretending to be visitors trapped in the wall.

15-16: Moon Drone
STR 7, DEX 18, WIL 18, 5hp, floating spherical body, impossible to view from side or back.
Wants to convince you to make poor choices and watch the consequences.
15: Floating towards you to try and drive you back into something bad.
16: Carefully picking the meat off a human corpse.



17-18: Sugar-Bush
STR 15, DEX 0, WIL 0, 5hp. Thorny branches with cotton-candy-like coating, soft whisper. Anyone crawling into the bush loses d6 WIL each turn as they feel themselves crushed by immense air pressure. The only way out is if the bush chooses to release you.
Wants to lure passers by into its briers, or trick them into thinking they can destroy it (all efforts cause the bush to spread).
17: Rustling as it devours an animal that's strayed inside.
18: Mimicking a call for help from inside its body.

19-20: Doppleganger
A copy of someone you know, but they act in an exaggerated way.
Wants to make your time in Scarytown as stressful as possible.
19: Looking for the same thing that you're looking for.
20: In possession of the thing you're looking for, or the path to your destination, but utterly unwilling to help you.

Mock Fellows and Mock Life

Mock Fellows are the human equivalent to Mock Animals. Although built for purpose, they're too susceptible to slapstick outbreaks to be truly useful.

They  have all the usual properties of a Mockery:
- They are made out of cloth, wood, metal, and clay, so practically any damage is repairable.
- They talk and sing, but tend towards base intelligence.
- They do not need to eat or sleep, and are unaffected by alcohol and disease, but pretend as part of their life imitation.
- Real animals hate them. Children love them, unless they're horrifying.

Roll d8 for a Mock Fellow. Ability Scores are 10 unless noted otherwise.
1 - Mock Infant - STR 2, DEX 2, WIL 5, 1hp. Pearl eyes and clay skin. Wants to sleep, eat, and cry.
2 - Mock Concierge - 4hp. Tiny waxed mustache, service trolley filled with silly items (giant comb, prosthetic leg, bomb, Mock Suckling Pig on a Platter). Wants to tend to the needs of guests, while pocketing some valuables for himself for an eventual retirement.
3 - Mock Legion - Detachment, 5hp, Mini-Muskets (d6), pit helmets. Want to be taken seriously as a fighting force, and travel to far off lands.
4 - Mock Advocate - 3hp, WIL 20. Powdered wig, feather-stuffing leaking out of a bloated belly. Wants to disagree with any point made by anyone, and present controversial opinions.
5 - Mock Spirit - 5hp. Dusty chains (d6). Wants to warn wicked people away from their current path

6 - Mock Giant - STR 18, DEX 4, 10hp, Armour 1. Towering fuzzy body. Wants to use his great strength to help the people, but is incredibly clumsy and stupid.
7 - Mock Barber - 8hp. Four Heads, Cane and Razor (d8) Stripy Felt Body. Wants to sing and shave.
8 - Mock Urchin - STR 5, 2hp. Wants to appear pitiful to gather money for her owner.

Mock Life
Nobody agrees on what brings Mockeries to life. Mockeries don't remember being brought to life, and have little memory of how old they are.

Roll d12 for a common explanation. Maybe one is the truth. Maybe they all are. Maybe none.
1 - Gestation inside a female undergoing phantom pregnancy.
2 - Soaking in a blend of oils from deep-sea creatures.
3 - Wishing upon a star.
4 - An Arcanum underground that's so big anyone can invoke it if they know the right ritual.
5 - A living brain from a suitable being.
6 - The last breath of a person dying of natural causes.
7 - Kiss of a Cosmic Angel.
8 - Playing specific music, lighting the right configuration of candles, applying makeup and dressing in the burial clothes of an infant.
9 - A year spent with a child who already sees them as alive.
10 - Marriage to an already living Mockery.
11 - Small parts found inside other Mockeries.
12 - A complex system of gears and crystals that crumble on death.

Cosmic Angels

The Terror-Stones show three groups of six beings falling from the stars and performing terrible deeds in the name of their group's single Virtue. Since then there have been scattered sightings and hearsay, and the stones have inspired the Angel's Imperative cult. Followers dress as poor imitations of their favoured Angel.

All Angel's have 25hp and Ability Scores of 18.

Glory-Angels - We Must Win.
Final Corpse - Huge Blunted Sword (d10), Glorious Red Armour (1), Skeletal form with tattered wings, Wants to duel and eat those she defeats.
Ashkan - Mercury Maul (d10, can turn to burning liquid metal at will), Charred Green Armour (1), horrible black lizard face. Wants to absorb more metal into his maul and gather heavily armed followers.
Metal Skull - Infinity-Slug-Gun (d10, blasts through any material), mechanically armoured body (1), exposed metal skull with long silver hair. Wants to dissect powerful beings to help perfect her form.
Father Vocal - Spike-pistol (d6), Crimson Star-Adorned Armour (1), Enlightenment Scepter (d8, causes false visions of paradise on a willing recipient, or on Critical Damage), followed by d6 Mindless Acolyte Hordes (3hp, Clubs d6, Rags). Wants to be worshiped and followed without question.
Deep Mimic - Arsenal-Shard (d8, can reshape to any weapon), Green multi-limbed suit (1) for their conjoined-form, synchronised voices of young girls, one of the mass can split free for an hour at a time, but is mostly defenseless (3hp, STR 6). Wants to spread influence and eventually kill other angels so that one of her form can split free to take their place.
Blue Giant - Golden Mace (d10), Colossal Form (Armour 2), Cruel Eye Charm (shows a willing target how they will die unless they change their ways), near perfect telepathy, floating throne. Wants to test and improve his powers and eventually put an end to the constant war of the other Angels.

War-Angels - We Must Fight. 
Hammer Queen - Big Golden Hammer (d10), Huge Golden Armour and Shield (2), Colossal Golden Mane, can raise golden walls out of the ground at will, Wants to drive the other Angels off what she sees as her planet.
Paragon - Father-Hand (d10 Fist, d8 Lightning-Gun, suspends victim in Stasis on Critical Damage) Blue Stone Armour (1), Wants to unite the other Angels to a greater battle in the stars.
Grey Savage - Fanged Sword (d8), Grey Fur Armour (1), Bestial Fangs and Senses. Wants to journey into the harshest wilderness to find her ultimate battle.
Slaughter King - Brass Axe-Cannon (d10 melee, d8 sputtering bullet-fire) White and Red Spiked Armour (1), can barely string two words together between shouting. Wants to fight the ultimate battle forever.

Besieger - Wrecking Cannon (d12, fires a single ball that can be summoned back to her, striking everything in its path) Black and Silver Plate-Suit (2), Personal Iron Chariot (10hp, Armour 3) pulled by a pack of huge metal burrowing-insects (6hp, Armour 2, d6 jaws). Wants to bring down the tallest towers and thickest walls she can find. 

Perfection - Scream-Beam (d10, Ignore Armour), glittering sword (d8), Gaudy white and pink armour (1), Short-range prescience. Wants to keep the angels fighting amongst themselves waiting for a moment of weakness to betray them.

Death-Angels - All Must Die. 
Killer Bird - Metal talons in place of hands (d10), Black and white jet-pack armour (1), can pass from one shadow to another at will. Wants to strike the other Angels when they show weakness.
Black Tiger - Energy-Pistol (d8, melts things), Stone Sword (d8), Black Masked Armour (1), Book of names of people that know too much, limited telepathy. Wants to kill those who seek to learn to much, and protect herself.

Thunderchild - Jagged Sword (d8), White Armour, Red Cloak, and Glowing Muscle-Steed (Armour 2), Can move as fast as lightning when the sun's in the right position. Wants to kill those that run away from their duty, or from her.

Death-in-Waiting - Poison Gas Gun (All within cloud lose d6 STR per turn and turn all gross) Pale green chain-armour with copper plates (1), Can see death approaching new victims, and diseases in the air. Wants to find a way to destroy all life once and for all, taking on her new title as Lady Death.
Warlord - Golden Pincers (d10), Grey armour adorned with red eyes (1, sees in all directions), Always knows the location of the other Angels. Wants to destroy the Sun.
Terror Ghost - Lightning-Rod (d8, ignore armour), Absolute Black Armour (1, anyone looking for more than a turn loses d6 WIL), Can conjure bat-like swarms out of shadows to distract or terrify. Wants to kill the wicked first, then everyone else, then himself.