Justifying Original D&D's Nonsense

Early Dungeons & Dragons is sometimes maligned for its arbitrary and nonsensical rules.  In some cases this is earned, and in other cases not, but I want to spend time going through some of the more egregious examples and how I plan to explain them in a way that makes sense for my campaign.

Before I begin, though, I just want it to be known that I don't really subscribe to the "nonsense rules" argument.  Early D&D has specific design goals, and is very "gamist".  The rules may not always make the most narrative or diegetic sense, but in most cases you can see the purpose that each rule serves in the game.  Some of these rules are primitive, absolutely.  They were bound to be at this early stage of the hobby.  Some of them are badly worded, which is less forgivable.  But they are all purposeful, and I want to preserve them in my campaign as much as I can.  The trick is, how to make them palatable to modern players?  You know, aside from just telling them "it's a game and these are the rules".  For some reason, that doesn't always fly.

So here goes, original D&D's most "nonsensical" rules, and how I plan to explain them.

Elves

I've blogged about this before, but the way that Elves switch between the fighter and magic-user classes between games is a tricky one.  I put this in the "primitive and badly worded rules" category.  My initial thought was to have Elves adhere completely to the rules of whichever class they chose for that adventure, so that they can only cast spells when operating as a magic-user, and only use weapons and armour when operating as a fighter.  In the interests of compatibility with Advanced D&D, I'm going back on that.  My Elves will now be able to cast spells, use weapons, and wear armour at the same time, no matter which class they are operating as, just like in AD&D.  The main thing that will change when they switch class is their hit points, fighting capability, and saving throws.  So the discrepancy between classes is less than it might have been, but it is still there.

The easy answer here is this: Elves are just different.  They're ancient, immortal beings with a higher connection to the gods, and they just don't think or operate like any of the other races.  I'm planning to go a bit Middle Earth with my Elves (going straight to the source, as it were), and give them a yearning for the "Undying Lands".  Unlike Middle Earth (or as I see it like Middle Earth some centuries after Lord of the Rings), I'm making it so that said Undying Lands can no longer be reached, so the Elves have this desire they can never satisfy, and have dwindled.  Even so, they're still more powerful than everyone else out there, as even a cursory glance at their list of special abilities will tell you...

I got a bit side-tracked there, but this one really isn't too hard to explain.  Adventuring Elves meditate to achieve the correct mind-set before adventuring, and their capabilities (hit points, fighting capability, saving throws) reflect this.   With spells, weapons, and armour always available, it's not going to make too much difference unless said Elf gains a lot of levels in one class, but few in the other.  Nothing quite like going from 4 Hit Dice one adventure down to 1 HD the next... But smart players should split their level advancement quite evenly.

I'm not too fussed about this one, because if it becomes too unwieldy I'll happily switch to the multi-classing rules from AD&D, where the character gains experience in all classes at the same time.  (And if you're wondering how I justify rules changes in the fictional setting, check out this post right here.)

Clerics Can Only Use Blunt Weapons

This is another one I tackled in an earlier post.  It's not so much an original D&D conundrum, as it applies to most editions of D&D before 3rd.  There's very minimal real-world justification for restricting clerics to blunt weapons, but in-game the reason is obvious: to stop clerics from being able to use powerful magic swords.  They already have their own spells, after all.  In spite of the game logic, I still feel like I need to justify it.  What I came up with was a pact between mortals and the gods after a catastrophic war: the gods agreed to leave the mortal world, and mortals agreed never to take up blades against the gods and their servants.  And with the servants of the gods being basically anyone with an alignment (whether they know it or not), that means anyone strictly following that pact won't use a bladed weapon ever.  So the basic situation is that the gods set forth a badly worded pact, and mortals found the loophole by hefting clubs and maces... But nowadays it's become more of a tradition than anything else, and only the most devout followers of the gods (i.e. clerics) will follow it to the letter.

Infravision in the Dungeon

Check out these arbitrary bits of tomfuckery, courtesy of Gary Gygax and/or Dave Arneson. From Volume 2: Monsters & Treasure, we have the following:

It is generally true that any monster or man can see in total darkness as far as the dungeons are concerned save player characters.

And from Volume 3: The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures:

Monsters are assumed to have permanent infravision as long as they are not serving some character.

Boy oh boy.  So you're saying that everything in the dungeon except for the player characters can see in the dark?  And that as soon as a PC recruits a monster or non-player character, they lose the ability to see in the dark?  You almost have to see it in hard copy to believe it.

I get the thinking here though.  Is it not desirable to have the PCs exploring darkened corridors by the light of a torch, or groping along the walls when those torches go out?  Doesn't having members of the party that can see in the dark destroy this vibe completely?  It only gets worse when you remember that, as per the Chainmail wargame, dwarves and elves can see in the dark.  You go down that slippery-slope, and eventually you end up like 5th edition, where it seems that literally everyone not human can see in the dark (and who plays a human in that edition anyway?).

While I do get the thinking, I usually err on the side of letting the PCs have and enjoy their abilities.  Elves and dwarves can see in the dark?  Perfectly fine.  Bobric the fighter recruited some orcs into his service, and they all have infravision?  Good for you, Bobric, you earned that little perk.

However... Despite my instincts, that's not what the rules say.  They're quite clear on the matter: when in the "underworld", the PCs and their servants can't see in the dark, and everyone else can.  So how to explain it?

I'm going all the way back to the concept of the "Dungeon as Mythic Underworld", as outlined by Philotomy Jurament way way back in the days of the Good Internet (i.e., before social media).  I can't find the original, but it's preserved here.  It basically puts forth the idea that the dungeon doesn't follow the rules of the natural world, and that it might be controlled or inhabited by some force inimical to those invading from above.  (As an aside, Philotomy's Musings which I just linked to are a seminal work of the old-school D&D revival, and anyone who hasn't read them really should do.)

This works with my "entity dreaming deep below the dungeon" concept perfectly, so I'm going with it.  The darkness of the dungeon is just different, deeper and blacker than normal darkness, a stygian miasma that even those with infravision can't penetrate.  (I busted out the pretentious thesaurus for this one.  Or perhaps I've just read too much of Gary Gygax...)  The only creatures that can see in that darkness are those that have fully given themselves over to the dreams, and they can do so regardless of whether they had infravision before.  And just as the dungeon giveth, it can taketh... Any man or monster that forsakes the underworld for service to a PC will lose that connection.

Note that this only applies to the central underworld/mega-dungeon of my campaign.  Creatures with infravision will be able to see at night, they'll be able to see in a dark forest, they'll even be able to see in dungeons other than the mega-dungeon.  Most of them, anyway, I'm not ruling out there being other dungeons with the same kind of impenetrable darkness.  But for the most part, outside of the mega-dungeon infravision will work.  Inside the mega-dungeon, it's arbitrary rules ahoy.

Doors That Only Open for Monsters

I present for your pleasure one more bit of tomfuckery.  I won't quote the rule directly, because it's split over a few sentences, but it boils down to the following.  For PCs, dungeon doors are always stuck, and require a roll of 1-2 on 1d6 to open.  For monsters, they automatically open with no trouble.  Something else that might potentially stick in the collective craw of my players, then.

I don't have to belabour this one though, because I already explained it above: the mythic underworld did it.  The dreaming entity is working for the dungeon's inhabitants, and working against the PCs.  So in the mega-dungeon, it will work as outlined above, and I'm free to have doors work however I want in other places and situations.

So that's it for some of D&D's more arbitrary rules, at least the ones I could think of off the top of my head.  I'm sure there are others I've forgotten, and I'm even more sure there are others that will come up during play.  No doubt I will get to them in time.

In other news, I have a positive update on the copy of the Avalon Hill boardgame Outdoor Survival that I ordered: it's no longer stuck in transit!  It had been lying dormant since December 12th, with no movement to speak of, but over the last week it's made it to Australia and should be arriving in my hot little hands within a day or two.  So expect a post about that coming up, as I have some ideas about how I'm going to integrate that game's board into my campaign.

The Problem of the Normal Man

I've had two concerns related to Dungeons & Dragons over the last week.  I'll get to the main one shortly, as it's the bulk and main point of the post.  As for the other, it seems that the copy of Avalon Hill's Outdoor Survival that I ordered has been lost in the mail.  I ordered it on December 3rd, and it has yet to arrive.  Yes, shipping from the US to Australia can take a long time... but Fedex tracking has no update for its location past December 12, so I don't hold out much hope.  I messaged Noble Knight Games, and they've offered me a refund or a replacement, which is quite excellent customer service.  I'm going to wait another couple of weeks and hope the first copy shows up (or at least gets a tracking update).  But if not, I'll have to get them to send me an update.  I need that game board!  Gary and Dave said so!

With that out of the way, I'll move on to my second concern. 

For a while now I've been reviewing the original D&D rules, finally nailing down the interpretations I'm going with, and filling in the gaps.  Original D&D is more of a framework than a complete rule-set, so there are a lot of gaps to fill, especially when coming to it from the perspective of someone who's familiar with the editions that came after.  I really should be getting to the creative part of the process, designing maps and keys for my dungeon and wilderness setting, but I feel like I have to figure out the rules before I get to that.  One thing at a time, slow and steady, etc. etc.  These are the things I tell myself as I push the hard work to the side... but seriously, without the rules there is no game, so I gotta figure those out first.

The main aspect of the rules that's on my mind right now is the "normal man".  It's a term that gets used a bunch of times in the original D&D rules without ever being properly defined.  One might think it refers to your average peasant, merchant, farmer, or internet blogger; a regular dude with no particular combat skills or special abilities of any kind.  But in original D&D, a "normal man" is equivalent in combat to a 1st level fighter, and can be anything from a bandit to a pirate to a nomad of the steppes; pretty much any human who is part of a fighting force without actually being a fighter, cleric or magic-user.  That's all simple enough, but it gets thorny when we look at the following rule for monsters:

Attack/Defence capabilities versus normal men are simply a matter of allowing one roll as a man-type for every hit die, with any bonuses being given to only one of the attacks, i.e. a Troll would attack six times, once with a +3 added to the die roll.

Translating from the arcane language known as Ye Olde ArnGaxian, what this means is that anything classified as a "normal man" is going to suffer multiple attacks per round when fighting stronger monsters (i.e. anything with 2 Hit Dice or more).  In addition, there are some monsters that are said to be immune to attacks from normal men, unless they're armed with magic weapons.  So it's important to figure out exactly which characters and monsters are classified as normal men, because the answer is going to be hugely relevant when it comes to fighting certain monsters (and higher-level non-player characters).  The following questions must be answered:

1. Can high-level player characters armed with normal weapons damage monsters that are immune to normal weapons?
2. Are low-level player characters subject to multiple attacks when fighting high Hit Dice monsters?  
3. Which monsters are subject to multiple attacks when fighting high-level PCs?

The first place I always look to for guidance on original D&D conundrums is Gary Gygax's Advanced D&D.  (Apologies to all of the B/X enthusiasts out there.  At least in this case, the various Basic Sets offer no guidance, so I'm off the hook.)  AD&D uncharacteristically provides some fairly simple solutions to the whole matter:

• Fighters and their sub-classes can attack monsters with less than 1 HD a number of times equal to their level.  This ability applies only to fighter classes, not to monsters or any other type of characters.
• Monsters with 4+1 HD or more can hit creatures that are otherwise only damaged by magical weapons.  This ability doesn't apply to PCs, who must be armed with a magic weapon to get through this immunity.

So AD&D has answers to the questions I posed above.  1) High-level PCs need magic weapons to fight monsters immune to normal weapons.  2) Low-level PCs aren't subject to multiple attacks from this rule, because they all have 1 Hit Die; the ability only applies to creatures of less than 1 HD.  And 3) Yes, high-level PCs get one attack per level against weaker monsters... but only fighters and their sub-classes.

For the sake of consistency, it's tempting to go with these interpretations and call it a day.  But I'm trying to operate by the original D&D rules as closely as I can, and they specifically grant this multiple attack ability to monsters.  AD&D does not.  Consistency be damned, I need to look elsewhere for my answers.

When AD&D fails me, the place to look is the Chainmail medieval war-game.  It is, after all, what original D&D points to for its combat rules.  This is unfortunate, because Chainmail has multiple combat systems, and the line between them can get a bit blurry.  And how they intersect with D&D can get even blurrier...  But basically, the Chainmail systems boil down as follows: there are rules for medieval soldier fighting in mass combat; there are rules for medieval soldiers fighting one-on-one; and there are rules for "fantasy combat", which come into play when wizards, powerful fighters, and monsters fight each other.

This fantasy combat system is where our answer lies as far as figuring out what counts as a "normal man".  There's a list of characters and monsters that can fight on the Fantasy Combat Table; everything else fights using the mass combat and man-to-man rules for regular soldiers.  I feel like finding the dividing line between the fantasy combat system and those for regular soldiers is the key to figuring out what counts as a "normal man".  So which creatures fight on the Fantasy Combat Table?  I'll list them below, with their D&D Hit Dice listed in brackets.

• Balrogs (10 Hit Dice)
• Dragons (5 to 12 HD)
• Elementals (8, 12 or 16 HD)
• Also includes Djinn (7+1 HD) and Efreet (10 HD)
• Ents (8 HD)
• Giants (8 to 12+2 HD)
• Heroes (4th level fighters; 4 HD)
• Lycanthropes (4 or 6 HD)
• Rocs (6 HD)
• Also includes Wyverns (7 HD) and Griffons (7 HD)
• Super Heroes (8th level fighters; 8+2 HD)
• Trolls (6+3 HD)
• Ogres (4+1 HD)
• Wights (3 HD)
• Ghouls (2 HD)
• Wizards (11th level magic-users; 8+1 HD)
• This also includes Sorcerers (9th level, 6+1 HD), Warlocks (8th level, 5 HD), and Magicians (6th level, 3+1 HD)
• Wraiths (4 HD)

 And now, here are the monsters in Chainmail that do not fight on the Fantasy Combat Table:

• Hobbits (unknown HD in D&D as they have no monster entry, but presumably 1 HD or less)
• Sprites/Pixies (1 HD)
• Dwarves/Gnomes (1 HD)
• Kobolds (1/2 HD)
• Goblins (1-1 HD)
• Elves (1+1 HD)
• Elves are a bit of a special case, because they can fight on the Fantasy Combat Table if armed with a magic weapon
• Orcs (1 HD)

That seems pretty cut and dried to me: the weakest monster on the Fantastic Combat Table is the Ghoul, with 2 HD.  The strongest creature outside of it is the Elf, with 1+1 HD.  So it looks like anything with less than 2 HD is a "normal man" in original D&D.

I'd like to be able to apply that universally to the questions I posed above, but it has some game-play effects that I don't love.  Firstly, it makes 1st level PC parties extremely prone to death-by-monster.  Secondly, it means that parties of 2nd level and above won't need magic weapons to fight such creatures as Wraiths, Elementals, etc.  So, as in AD&D, I think I need to apply the "normal man" term a little bit differently in each case.

Looking at original D&D, every level in each character class has its Chainmail equivalent listed.  This also indicates when each class gets the ability to fight on the Fantasy Combat Table: 3rd level for Fighting-Men (3 HD); 7th level for Magic-Users (4 HD); and 6th level for Clerics (5 HD).

I'm happy to use these numbers for when the various character classes are able to fight monsters without magic weapons.  If I need an explanation, I can say that higher-level characters have a certain level of divine favour mixed in with their own extraordinary capabilities.

As for monsters, I'll go with 4 HD as the threshold, as in AD&D.  Wights and Ghouls are the only monsters with less than 4 HD on the Fantasy Combat Table, but as creatures of the undead they have a little extra going for them, allowing them to break the 4 HD rule.  I could lower the monster threshold to 2 HD... but then it includes Horses, which seems a little silly.  I'm already having enough trouble with the idea of warhorses getting multiple attacks vs. normal men...

Working out which creatures are subject to multiple attacks is trickier, because I'd really rather not have it apply to all 1st level PCs.  I could just say that PCs are exempt, but I don't love that.  I'd like any rule I come up with to apply to monsters and PCs equally.  I could make 1+1 HD the cut-off, which would exempt 1st level fighters... but then it's inconsistent with Chainmail's Elves.  I don't love that either, but for D&D gameplay I think it's the best solution.  And Elves are technically on the Fantasy Combat Table... so I can justify it at a stretch.

As for who gets multiple attacks per round equal to their Hit Dice when fighting "normal men"... I'm going to say everyone.  Unlike AD&D, I'm not keeping this as a special ability for fighters.  In my game, fighters get it, other character classes get it, and monsters get it.  It only applies if everyone you're in melee with counts as a "normal man", so most PC parties will be able to avoid it as long as they have a fighter along.  But it really lets those monsters chew through henchmen... And it'll allow high-level PC parties to mow through large numbers of mook monsters very quickly. 

So here are my rules outlined below:

• All characters and monsters, when fighting creatures of 1 Hit Dice or less, can make one attack per round for each of their own HD.
• Note that these attacks are all made as though the attacker was 1st level or had 1 HD. (This is my interpretation of the attacker making "one roll as a man-type for every hit die".)  The attacker may choose to fight as normal if they wish (making their regular number of attacks at their full HD value).
• If there is an opponent with 1+1 HD or more within melee distance, this ability may not be used
• A full list of 1 HD or lower monsters in original D&D: Men (bandits, brigands, nomads, buccaneers, pirates), Kobolds, Goblins, Orcs, Skeletons, Nixies, Pixies, Gnomes, Dwarves
• Some monsters may only be hurt by magical weapons. The following creatures can damage them using non-magical weapons:
• Fighting-Men of 3rd level or higher
• Clerics of 6th level or higher
• Magic-Users of 7th level or higher
• All monsters of 4 HD or more, plus Ghouls and Wights

That will have to do.  If I don't draw a line under it now, I'll keep tinkering with it and changing my mind.  If it doesn't work at the table, then it doesn't work and I'll have to change it.  It's easy to second-guess these things when you only have your own thoughts to fall  back on, but the only true litmus test is play. 

Wandering Dungeon NPCs for OD&D

I said in my last post that I was done statting up monsters from the original Dungeons & Dragons wandering monster tables.  As frequently happens, I was wrong about that.  I did cover all of the animals and dinosaurs (and I kicked the Martian beasties further down the road), but I had forgotten about one of the most prominent elements of original D&D's dungeon encounter tables: non-player characters.

Out of 62 possibilities on those tables, 15 of them are fighters, clerics, or magic-users.  That's almost a quarter of all dungeon encounters that won't have stats ready to go.  Sure, you can figure it out using the character creation rules, but that takes time, and even small delays can kill the pace of the game.  I'd rather take the time now to work up some stat blocks, and have them ready to go when I need them.

The tables use level titles rather than numbers.  I do kind of like the descriptive titles for the various levels of each class, but it's not always the easiest to remember them.  I'm going to need stat blocks for all of the following: Warriors (2nd-level fighting-men), Heroes (4th-level f-m), Swashbucklers (5th level f-m), Myrmidons (6th-level f-m), Superheroes (8th-level f-m), Lords (9th-level f-m), Conjurers (3rd-level magic-users), Theurgists (4th-level m-u), Thaumaturgists (5th level m-u), Magicians (6th-level m-u), Enchanters (7th-level m-u), Sorcerers (9th-level m-u), Wizards (11th-level m-u), Evil Priests (4th-level chaotic cleric), and Evil High Priests (8th-level chaotic cleric).  I should also do Necromancers (10th-level m-u) and Patriarchs (8th-level lawful clerics) from the wilderness tables.  (Due to the entourages that higher-level NPCs can have, I stayed up past 2am doing stat blocks for every level of every class.  Thoroughness is a curse.)

Before properly getting into the stat blocks, I want to write a bit about what all of these people are even doing in the dungeon.  Making sense of the default wandering monster tables - and providing an explanation or point of origin for each monster entry - is one of the primary design goals for my underworld.  So I need to do that for all of these fighters, clerics, and magic-users roaming the depths.  Some, of course, will be tomb robbers and treasure hunters, just like the player characters.  But given how frequently they're encountered, I feel like that starts to strain credulity a little bit.  I don't want adventurers of that stripe to feel quite so ubiquitous, or for the dungeon to feel so well-trodden..

I'd rather tie the presence of these characters to the core concept of the dungeon.  As I've written before, there's an ancient god slumbering beneath the dungeon, which was built by a decadent people seeking to dream the dreams of the gods.  Some folks living in the surrounding lands are sometimes ensnared by those dreams, and enter the dungeon never to return.  So most of the NPCs encountered in the dungeon will be like that, lost souls who've been there so long that the dungeon has become a home to them.  My only problem with this is that it cuts somewhat against the rules for player characters to recruit NPCs met in the dungeons... but I'm sure I can come up with an explanation for that when I need to.  It does somewhat make sense of the rule that all dungeon monsters (including NPCs) can see in the dark when in the dungeon... if I make it something that happens when someone fully gives themselves to the "dreams".

Deciding on some of the stats took a while.  I agonised over the Number Appearing before realising that only the highest levels of each class appear in the wilderness tables, and that they appear singly with entourages.  For % in Lair and Treasure Type I defaulted to the 15% and Type A of all other "men", but I decided that if a lair was rolled it should be a random castle as described in the rules.  Where possible, I will always try to default to rules that already exist.

Armor Class for fighters and clerics I decided would be 4 for characters up to 5th level, and 2 for those of 6th or higher.  I must admit, 5th level fighters being Swashbucklers influenced me a bit there, as I didn't feel right giving them plate mail.  Magic-users, of course, default to a measly unarmored 9 AC.  I ported in the morale bonuses and effects for fighters and magic-users from the Chainmail miniature rules.  I didn't bring them in for clerics, as clerics aren't in Chainmail, but I might adapt them.  I also didn't explicitly mention how many attacks each class gets against "normal men", mostly because I haven't yet decided how I want that to work.

Oh yeah, I also assumed that all of these guys have average ability scores.  Nobody needs to be rolling those on the fly for a random encounter, and their effect is quite minimal in original D&D anyway. 

Otherwise, most of the work was deciding what the default spell selections for clerics and magic-users would be.  I suppose some will quibble with my choices, but I went for variety and spells that are useful in combat, and I made a note that referee's can switch this up if they want.  Thankfully the spell lists in original D&D are pretty small, so it didn't take too long.

And now, the stat blocks: 

VETERANS (1st-Level Fighting-Men)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 1+1

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

Veterans fight and save as 1st-level fighting-men. 

WARRIORS (2nd-Level Fighting-Men)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 2

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

Warriors fight and save as 2nd-level fighting-men. 

SWORDSMEN (3rd-Level Fighting-Men)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 3

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

Swordsmen fight and save as 3rd-level fighting-men. 

HEROES (4th-Level Fighting-Men)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 4

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Heroes fight and save as 4th-level fighting-men.  They need never check morale, and those fighting with them have a +1 morale bonus.

SWASHBUCKLERS (5th-Level Fighting-Men)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 5+1

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Swashbucklers fight and save as 5th-level fighting-men. They need never check morale, and those fighting with them have a +1 morale bonus.

MYRMIDONS (6th-Level Fighting-Men)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 2

Move in Inches: 6

Hit Dice: 6

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Myrmidons fight and save as 6th-level fighting-men. They need never check morale, and those fighting with them have a +1 morale bonus.

CHAMPIONS (7th-Level Fighting-Men)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 2

Move in Inches: 6

Hit Dice: 7+1

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Champions fight and save as 6th-level fighting-men. They need never check morale, and those fighting with them have a +1 morale bonus.

SUPERHEROES (8th-Level Fighting-Men)

Number Appearing: 1

Armor Class: 2

Move in Inches: 6

Hit Dice: 8+2

% in Lair: 15%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Type A

Superheroes fight and save as 8th-level fighting-men. They need never check morale, and those fighting with them have a +2 morale bonus.  When they approach within charging distance of the enemy, all those within range must check morale.

Wilderness Encounters:

If they are encountered in their lair in the wilderness, the lair will be a castle with the usual randomly determined occupant, guards and retainers.  There is a 50% chance that they will be the leader of this castle.  Otherwise the leader of their castle will be a Patriarch.

 

If not encountered in their lair, they will be accompanied by 2-12 fighters of levels 1-4.

 

The Superhero has a 50% chance to have a magic sword, a 25% chance to have a magic shield, and a 25% chance to have magic armor (roll for each). 

LORDS (9th-Level Fighting-Men)

Number Appearing: 1

Armor Class: 2

Move in Inches: 6

Hit Dice: 9+3

% in Lair: 15%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Type A

 

Lords fight and save as 9th-level fighting-men. They need never check morale, and those fighting with them have a +2 morale bonus.  When they approach within charging distance of the enemy, all those within range must check morale.

 

Some Lords may be higher than 9th level, at the referee's option. 

 

Wilderness Encounters: 

If they are encountered in their lair in the wilderness, the lair will be a castle with the usual randomly determined occupant, guards and retainers.  The Lord will be the leader of this castle.

 

If not encountered in their lair, they will be accompanied by 2-12 fighters of levels 1-4.

The Lord has a 50% chance to have a magic sword, a 25% chance to have a magic shield, and a 25% chance to have magic armor (roll for each). 

MEDIUMS (1st-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 1

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Mediums fight, save, and cast spells as 1st level magic-users.

 

A Seer will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Sleep.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare one 1st level spells daily.

SEERS (2nd-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 1+1

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Seers fight, save, and cast spells as 2nd level magic-users.

 

A Seer will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Sleep, Charm Person.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare two 1st level spells daily.

CONJURERS (3rd-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 2

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Conjurers fight, save, and cast spells as 3rd level magic-users.

 

A Conjurer will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Protection from Evil, Sleep, Charm Person, Phantasmal Forces.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare three 1st level and one 2nd level spell daily.

THEURGISTS (4th-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 2+1

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Theurgists fight, save, and cast spells as 4th level magic-users.

 

A Theurgist will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Detect Magic, Protection from Evil, Sleep, Charm Person, Invisibility, Phantasmal Forces.  This can be changed as the referee desires. They can prepare four 1st level and two 2nd level spell daily.. 

THAUMATURGISTS (5th-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 3

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Thaumaturgists fight, save, and cast spells as 5th level magic-users.

A Thaumaturgist will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Detect Magic, Protection from Evil, Sleep, Charm Person, Invisibility, Phantasmal Forces, Fire Ball.  This can be changed as the referee desires. They can prepare four 1st level, two 2nd level spells, and one 3rd level spell daily.

MAGICIANS (6th-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 3+1

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

Magicians fight, save, and cast spells as 6th level magic-users. 

A Magician will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Detect Magic, Protection from Evil, Sleep, Charm Person, Invisibility, Phantasmal Forces, Fire Ball, Protection from Normal Missiles.  This can be changed as the referee desires. They can prepare four 1st level, two 2nd level spells, and two 3rd level spell daily..

ENCHANTERS (7th-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 4

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

Enchanters fight, save, and cast spells as 7th level magic-users. 

An Enchanter will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Detect Magic, Protection from Evil, Sleep, Charm Person, Invisibility, Continual Light, Phantasmal Forces, Fire Ball, Protection from Normal Missiles, Polymorph Others.  This can be changed as the referee desires. They can prepare four 1st level, three 2nd level spells, two 3rd level spells, and one 4th level spell daily.

WARLOCKS (8th-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 5

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Warlocks fight, save, and cast spells as 8th level magic-users. 

A Warlock will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Detect Magic, Protection from Evil, Sleep, Charm Person, Invisibility, Continual Light, Phantasmal Forces, Fire Ball, Lightning Bolt, Protection from Normal Missiles, Dispell Magic, Confusion, Polymorph Others.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare four 1st level, three 2nd level spells, three 3rd level spells, and two 4th level spells daily.

SORCERERS (9th-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 6+1

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Sorcerers fight, save, and cast spells as 9th level magic-users. 

A Sorcerer will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Detect Magic, Protection from Evil, Sleep, Charm Person, Invisibility, Continual Light, Phantasmal Forces, Fire Ball, Lightning Bolt, Protection from Normal Missiles, Dispell Magic, Confusion, Polymorph Others, Conjure Elemental.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare four 1st level, three 2nd level spells, three 3rd level spells, two 4th level spells, and one 5th level spell daily.

NECROMANCERS (10th-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: 1

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 7

% in Lair: 15%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Type A

Necromancers fight, save, and cast spells as 10th level magic-users.

 

A Necromancer will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Detect Magic, Protection from Evil, Sleep, Charm Person, Invisibility, Continual Light, Phantasmal Forces, Knock, Fire Ball, Lightning Bolt, Protection from Normal Missiles, Dispell Magic, Confusion, Wall of Fire, Polymorph Others, Conjure Elemental, Teleport.  This can be changed as the referee desires. They can prepare four 1st level, four 2nd level spells, three 3rd level spells, three 4th level spells, and two 5th level spell daily.

Wilderness Encounters:

If they are encountered in their lair in the wilderness, they will be the castle's leader, and there will be the usual randomly determined guards and retainers.

 

If not encountered in their lair, they will be accompanied by 2-12 magic-users of levels 1-4. 

 

The Necromancer will have a 60% chance of having a magic wand, a 30% chance of a magic ring, and a 20% chance of a miscellaneous magic item (roll for each). 

WIZARDS (11th-Level Magic-Users)

Number Appearing: 1

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 8+1

% in Lair: 15%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Type A

 

Wizards fight, save, and cast spells as 11th level magic-users.  They need never check morale, and those fighting with them have a +2 morale bonus.  When they approach within charging distance of the enemy, all those within range must check morale.

 

A Wizard will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Detect Magic, Protection from Evil, Sleep, Charm Person, Invisibility, Continual Light, Phantasmal Forces, Knock, Fire Ball, Lightning Bolt, Protection from Normal Missiles, Dispell Magic, Confusion, Wall of Fire, Polymorph Others, Conjure Elemental, Hold Monster, Teleport.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare two spells of each level from 1st to 5th daily.

 

Some Wizards may be higher than 11th level, at the referee's option. 

 

Dungeon Encounters:

Each Wizard will be accompanied by from 1-4 apprentices (Enchanters) and 1-6 body-guards (fighters of levels 4-6).

 

Wilderness Encounters:

If they are encountered in their lair in the wilderness, they will be the castle's leader, and there will be the usual randomly determined guards and retainers.

 

If not encountered in their lair, they will be accompanied by 2-12 magic-users of levels 1-4.

 

The Wizard will have a 60% chance of having a magic wand, a 30% chance of a magic ring, and a 20% chance of a miscellaneous magic item (roll for each).

ACOLYTES/EVIL ACOLYTES (1st Level Clerics/Anti-Clerics)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 1

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Acolytes and Evil Acolytes fight, save, and cast spells as 1st level clerics/anti-clerics.  Acolytes are always lawful, and Evil Acolytes are always chaotic in alignment.  Only an Acolyte will have an affect on the undead, as a 1st level cleric.

ADEPTS/EVIL ADEPTS (2nd Level Clerics/Anti-Clerics)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 2

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Adepts and Evil Adepts fight, save, and cast spells as 2nd level clerics/anti-clerics.  Adepts are always lawful, and Evil Adepts are always chaotic in alignment.  Only an Adept will have an affect on the undead, as a 2nd level cleric.

 

An Adept or Evil Adept will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Cure Light Wounds (reversed for anti-clerics).  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare one 1st level spell daily.

VILLAGE PRIESTS/SHAMANS (3rd Level Clerics/Anti-Clerics)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 3

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Village Priests and Shamans fight, save, and cast spells as 3rd level clerics/anti-clerics.  Village Priests are always lawful, and Shamans are always chaotic in alignment.  Only a Village Priest will have an affect on the undead, as a 3rd level cleric.

 

A Village Priest will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Cure Light Wounds, Protection from Evil.  A Shaman will typically have Cure Light Wounds (reversed), and Light (reversed).  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare two 1st level spells daily. 

VICARS/EVIL PRIESTS (4th-Level Clerics/Anti-Clerics)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 4

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Vicars and Evil Priests fight, save, and cast spells as 4th level clerics/anti-clerics.  Vicars are always lawful, and Evil Priests are always chaotic in alignment.  Only a Vicar will have an affect on the undead, as a 4th level cleric.

A Vicar will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Cure Light Wounds, Protection from Evil, Hold Person. An Evil Priest will have Cure Light Wounds (reversed), Light (reversed), Hold Person.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare two 1st-level spells and one 2nd level spell daily.

CURATES/EVIL CURATES (5th-Level Clerics/Anti-Clerics)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 4+1

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Curates and Evil Curates fight, save, and cast spells as 5th level clerics/anti-clerics.  Curates are always lawful, and Evil Curates are always chaotic in alignment.  Only a Curate will have an affect on the undead, as a 5th level cleric.

A Curate will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Cure Light Wounds, Protection from Evil, Hold Person, Bless. An Evil Curate will have Cure Light Wounds (reversed), Light (reversed), Hold Person, Bless (reversed).  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare two 1st-level spells and two 2nd level spells daily.

BISHOPS/EVIL BISHOPS (6th-Level Clerics/Anti-Clerics)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 2

Move in Inches: 6

Hit Dice: 5

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Bishops and Evil Bishops fight, save, and cast spells as 6th level clerics/anti-clerics.  Bishops are always lawful, and Evil Bishops are always chaotic in alignment.  Only a Bishop will have an affect on the undead, as a 6th level cleric.

A Bishop will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Cure Light Wounds, Protection from Evil, Hold Person, Bless, Cure Disease, Cure Serious Wounds. An Evil Bishop will have Cure Light Wounds (reversed), Light (reversed), Hold Person, Bless (reversed), Cure Disease (reversed), Turn Sticks to Snakes.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare two 1st-level spells, two 2nd level spells, one 3rd level spell and one 4th level spell daily.

 

LAMAS/EVIL LAMAS (7th-Level Clerics/Anti-Clerics)

Number Appearing: -

Armor Class: 2

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 6

% in Lair: n/a

Type or Amount of Treasure: n/a

 

Lamas and Evil Lamas fight, save, and cast spells as 7th level clerics/anti-clerics.  Lamas are always lawful, and Evil Lamas are always chaotic in alignment.  Only a Lama will have an affect on the undead, as a 7th level cleric.

A Lama will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Cure Light Wounds, Protection from Evil, Hold Person, Bless, Cure Disease, Continual Light, Cure Serious Wounds, Dispell Evil. An Evil Lama will have Cure Light Wounds (reversed), Light (reversed), Hold Person, Bless (reversed), Cure Disease (reversed), Continual Light (reversed), Turn Sticks to Snakes, Finger of Death.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare two 1st-level spells, two 2nd level spells, two 3rd level spells, one 4th level spell, and one 5th level spell daily.

EVIL HIGH PRIESTS (8th-Level Anti-Clerics)

Number Appearing: 1

Armor Class: 2

Move in Inches: 6

Hit Dice: 7

% in Lair: 15%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Type A

 

Evil High Priests fight, save, and cast spells as 8th level anti-clerics.  They are always chaotic in alignment.

 

An Evil High Priest will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Cure Light Wounds (reversed), Protection from Good (reversed), Bless (reversed), Hold Person, Cure Disease (reversed), Continual Light (reversed), Cure Serious Wounds (reversed), Turn Sticks to Snakes, Finger of Death, Insect Plague.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare two of each level of spells from 1st-5th daily.

 

Some Evil High Priests may be higher than 8th level, at the referee's option. 

 

Dungeon Encounters:

Each Evil High Priest will be accompanied by from 1-4 apprentices (Evil Priests) and 1-6 body-guards (fighters of levels 4-6).

 

Wilderness Encounters: 

If they are encountered in their lair in the wilderness, they will be the castle's leader, and there will be the usual randomly determined guards and retainers.

 

If not encountered in their lair, they will be accompanied by 2-12 anti-clerics of levels 1-4.

 

The Evil High Priest will have a 40% chance of having a magic weapon, a 30% chance of a staff, a 20% chance of a magic shield, and a 10% chance of magic armor (roll for each). 

PATRIARCHS (8th-Level Clerics)

Number Appearing: 1

Armor Class: 2

Move in Inches: 6

Hit Dice: 7

% in Lair: 15%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Type A

Patriarchs fight, save, affect undead, and cast spells as 8th level clerics.  They are always lawful in alignment.

 

A Patriarch will typically have the following spells available to cast once per day: Cure Light Wounds, Detect Evil, Bless, Hold Person, Cure Disease, Continual Light, Cure Serious Wounds, Protection from Evil 10 ft. radius, Dispell Evil, Quest.  This can be changed as the referee desires.  They can prepare two of each level of spells from 1st-5th daily.

 

Some Patriarchs may be higher than 8th level, at the referee's option. 

 

Wilderness Encounters: 

If they are encountered in their lair in the wilderness, they will be the castle's leader, and there will be the usual randomly determined guards and retainers.

If not encountered in their lair, they will be accompanied by 2-12 clerics of levels 1-4.

 

The Patriarch will have a 40% chance of having a magic weapon, a 30% chance of a staff, a 20% chance of a magic shield, and a 10% chance of magic armor (roll for each).

Prehistoric Monsters for OD&D

This is the last in a series of posts in which I stat up monsters for original Dungeons & Dragons.  This is necessary work, but not the most exciting blog content.  It's helpful for me, though, as it's given me things to post about without taxing the grey matter too much (and I am very, very tired after indoor bouldering with my son this afternoon, so I need the mental break).  I should be back with some more substantial content next time.  (And I will get to the Martian creatures... eventually.)

The main takeaway for me in regards to the various dinosaurs and prehistoric animals, is that adventuring in their environments has a high level of danger for no reward.  I'm adapting their stats from Advanced D&D, which means that pretty much all of them have a Treasure Type of Nil.  What this means is that I'll have to make these environments worth adventuring in, with treasure deliberately placed.  Hidden ruins and such would, of course, be thematically appropriate.  On their own, purely by the rules, dinosaurs and the like are absolutely not worth fighting.

I like the selection of dinosaurs in OD&D though.  The AD&D Monster Manual has a greater variety, but in OD&D it's pretty much all of the dinos that I would have wanted to see as a kid.  It's a real pop culture greatest hits selection (keeping in mind that the velociraptor wasn't in that upper echelon in the 70s and 80s).

TYRANNOSAURUS REX

Number Appearing: 1-2

Armor Class: 5

Move in Inches: 15

Hit Dice: 18

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

This reptile is the most fearsome and terrible of all carnivorous dinosaurs. Despite its huge size it is swift afoot, with huge jaws nearly six feet long, and teeth from three to six inches in length.  This monster will pursue and eat nearly anything

A T-Rex deals 3d6+3 damage on a successful hit, and will swallow whole any man-sized creature that it hits with a roll of 18 or better.

PTERODACTYL

Number Appearing: 3-18

Armor Class: 7

Move in Inches: 3/15

Hit Dice: 3+3

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

Although these flying reptiles typically dive for aquatic prey, they will attack any creature which appears to be vulnerable. They have no teeth, but will spear victims with their beaks if they are too large to swallow.  The beak of a typical pterodactyl is about 4 ft. long. The creature weighs only 40 or 50 pounds, but they can carry off prey four times their own weight.

TRICERATOPS

Number Appearing: 2-8

Armor Class: 2 or 6

Move in Inches: 9

Hit Dice: 16

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

This beaked herbivore is very large and aggressive. It has a huge front plate of bone from which project two great horns (3 ft. or more long), while a somewhat shorter horn juts from its nose. Any creature which infringes on its territory is likely to be charged and speared.

 

The armored front of the Triceratops is AC 2.  Its body is not as heavily armored, thus being AC 6.  

Any creature attacked by a Triceratops will be subject to three attacks (the two larger horns dealing 1d6+2 damage, and the smaller horn dealing 1d6).  Creatures of man-size or smaller creatures may simply be trampled for 2d6+1 damage.

BRONTOSAURUS

Number Appearing: 1-6

Armor Class: 5

Move in Inches: 6

Hit Dice: 30

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

Also known as a "thunder-lizard", this 40 ton plant-eater is found near marshes and lakes.  The creature spends much of its time in shallow water to support its bulk, moving into deeper water to avoid carnivores.  They will generally ignore small creatures, but they are prone to step on anything in their way, dealing 4d6 damage.

 

STEGOSAURUS

Number Appearing: 2-8

Armor Class: 2 or 5

Move in Inches: 6

Hit Dice: 18

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

The stegosaurus, or ”plated lizard,” is a large, very stupid herbivore with aggressive defenses. Its great plates allow the creature to defend 90% of the time at AC 2.  The other 10% of the time it defends as AC 5.

 

When threatened, a Stegosaurus will turn its rear towards the enemy and tuck its head low, attacking with its spiked tail.  The tail has its own brain, and its bony spikes will deal 2d6+1 damage.

CAVE BEAR

Number Appearing: 1-2

Armor Class: 6

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 6+6

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

Despite being omnivorous, the gigantic cave bear tends towards a diet of meat, and is quite aggressive. They have excellent hearing and smell but rather poor eyesight.  They are enormous, standing over 12 ft. tall, but there may be larger individuals that are correspondingly more powerful. 

 

A cave bear's paw deals 1d6+2 damage on a successful hit, and they may attack twice per round.  If a bear scores a paw hit with an 18 or better, it also hugs for an additional 2d6 damage.

 

A cave bears will continue to fight for 1-4 melee rounds after being reduced to 0 to -8 hit points. At -9 or greater damage, they are killed immediately. 

DIRE WOLF

Number Appearing: 3-12

Armor Class: 6

Move in Inches: 18

Hit Dice: 3+3

% in Lair: 15%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

This "prehistoric" variety of wolf is a huge specimen, but otherwise conforms to the characteristics of normal wolves.  They always hunt in packs and if hungry (75% likely) they will follow and attack prey, always seeking to strike at an unguarded moment.  They love horse-meat, and their howling is 50% likely to panic any horses (or other herbivores) unless a character spends time calming them.

 

If encountered in their lair there is a 30% chance that there will be 1-4 cubs per pair of adult wolves.  Cubs do not fight and can be trained as war dogs or hunting beasts.

SABRE TOOTH TIGER

Number Appearing: 1-2

Armor Class: 6

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 7+2

% in Lair: 15%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

Sabre tooth tigers are aggressive and fearsome predators, often hunting in pairs.  They are highly adaptable and superb hunters.  They climb well, and are able to leap 10 ft. upwards and from 30 to 50 ft. forwards in attack.

Tigers attack three times per round, twice with claws and once with their bite.  Their six inch long fangs inflict terrible wounds, dealing 1d6+2 points of damage.  Due to the size of these teeth, along with the power of the tiger's jaws, they get a +2 bonus on attack rolls with their bite attack. If a tiger hits with both paws, they will get an additional claw attack by raking with their rear claws.

 

Tigers are surprised only on a roll of 1. 

  

If encountered in their lair there is a 25% chance that there will be 1-3 cubs there, these young having no effective attacks, and being from 30% to 60% mature.

MASTODON

Number Appearing: 1-12

Armor Class: 6    

Move in Inches: 15

Hit Dice: 12

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

Mastodons dwell in nearly any climate, from near arctic to tropical. These huge herbivores are distantly related to elephants, but their body is somewhat lower and longer.

 

Mastodons attack with a combination of tusks, squeezing trunk, and stomping feet.  Each of these attacks deals 2d6 damage.  Although they may attack only a single foe twice per round, they may fight up to six opponents simultaneously.  Their attacks are split between opponents, so that if they are fighting six opponents they get one attack on each, and if fighting three opponents they attack each twice.

 

Their tusks are valued at 100-600 gold pieces each.

SPOTTED LION

Number Appearing: 2-8

Armor Class: 5 or 6

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 6+2

% in Lair: 25%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

Also known as cave lions, spotted lions are a larger, spotted variety of the common lion.  They hunt in prides, with the lioness doing most of their hunting.  Even so, the males are ferocious fighters and will defend the pride's territory.  A typical pride consists of 1-2 males and 1-6 females.  Their lair will also have 1-8 cubs (non-combatants) and an additional 1-3 females which will immediately attack to defend their cubs.

 

All lions can leap up to 30 ft.  Male lions have an AC 5 for their forequarters, and AC 6 for their hindquarters.  Female lions have a uniform AC of 6. Lions attack twice per round, and if both attacks hit the same victim in a single round they will also rake with their rear claws for a further 1-6+2 damage.  They do not climb trees well and dislike swimming.

Lions are surprised only on a roll of 1. 

WOOLY RHINO

Number Appearing: 1-4

Armor Class: 5

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 10

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

A very large, very aggressive "prehistoric" species of rhinoceros.  Most will charge if they feel threatened.  They have poor eyesight but keen senses of hearing and smell.

 

They deal 1d6+2 damage with their horns, but will deal double damage on a charge. They will also trample any opponent smaller than man size, dealing 1d6 damage with each forefoot which hits.

 

If more than two are encountered, the rest will be young from 30-60% mature. 

TITANOTHERE

Number Appearing: 1-12

Armor Class: 6

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 12

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

These "prehistoric" creatures are huge and fearless plant-eaters.  They roam in herds, and if any creature threatens them the largest males will charge.

 

They normally deal 2d6 damage on a hit, but will do double that on a charge.  In addition, any creature smaller than man-size may be trampled, suffering two additional attacks for 1d6+2 damage each.

 

If more than six are encountered, 1-4 of these will be young, from 10% to 80% grown. 

MAMMOTH 

Number Appearing: 1-12

Armor Class: 5

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 13

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

These massive herbivores are quite aggressive if threatened.

 

Mammoths attack with a combination of tusks, squeezing trunk, and stomping feet.  Each of these attacks deals 2d6 damage.  Although they may attack only a single foe twice per round, they may fight up to six opponents simultaneously.  Their attacks are split between opponents, so that if they are fighting six opponents they get one attack on each, and if fighting three opponents they attack each twice.

 

Their tusks are valued at 200-900 gold pieces each.

Stats for absent OD&D Wilderness Animals

I've been lax with Dungeons & Dragons-related work again this week, and I was kept busy on the weekend, but I really am trying to keep up with weekly posts for the blog this year.  So, as I did with the dungeon monsters last week, I'm dashing out some stats for the wilderness animals that didn't get any in the original D&D rules.

Discounting the prehistoric animals and the Martian encounters, we have the following list for which I need to create OD&D-compatible stats: Spiders, Centipedes, Lizards, Toads, Ants, Weasels, Apes, Beetles, Scorpions, Lions, Boars, and Snakes.  Of these, only three weren't covered in my last post for dungeon monsters: Apes, Lions, and Boars.

I could just say that the Apes here are White Apes, and that the Boars are the same as Giant Hogs (both in the dungeon monsters list and already written up).  Instead, I'm going to base the Apes on Advanced D&D's Carnivorous Apes, and the Boars on AD&D's Giant Boars.  Lions, of course, will just be lions.

This is a bit of a lazy post, because I'm just taking the AD&D stats for three monsters and tweaking them slightly for original D&D.  There's nothing inspired here.  I was planning on doing the dinosaurs and prehistoric animals as well, but it's late, and that will have to wait for another post.  For now, it's Apes and Lions and Boars (and one half-assed blogger, oh my).

APE

Number Appearing: 2-8

Armor Class: 6

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 5

% in Lair: 10%

Type or Amount of Treasure: C

Carnivorous apes are a larger, stronger, and more aggressive relative of the gorilla. They have a fair intelligence, being very cunning, and they have a particular hunger for human flesh.  Their keen eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell means that they are only surprised on a roll of 1.  Apes attack twice per round, and if they hit the same opponent with both attacks they will rend their victim for an additional 1-6 damage.

LION

Number Appearing: 2-12

Armor Class: 5 or 6

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 5+2

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

Lions inhabit warmer climates, and thrive in terrains including desert, jungle, swamp, and savannah.  They hunt in prides, with the lioness doing most of their hunting.  Even so, the males are ferocious fighters and will defend the pride's territory.  A typical pride consists of 1-3 males and 1-9 females.  Their lair will also have 1-10 cubs (non-combatants) and an additional 1-4 females which will immediately attack to defend their cubs.

 

All lions can leap up to 30 ft.  Male lions have an AC 6 for their forequarters, and AC 5 for their hindquarters.  Female lions have a uniform AC of 6. Lions attack twice per round, and if both attacks hit the same victim in a single round they will also rake with their rear claws for a further 1-6 damage.  They do not climb trees well and dislike swimming.

BOAR, GIANT

Number Appearing: 2-8

Armor Class: 6

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 7

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

Due to their size and aggression, as well as their enormous tusks, giant boars deal 2d6 damage on a successful hit.  If their hit points are reduced to 0 to -5 hit points, they will continue to fight for another 1-4 melee rounds.  They will die immediately if reduced to -6 hit points or below.

 

If more than 3 are encountered, there is a 25% chance that there will be 1-4 young.  Young giant boars have from 2 to 6 Hit Dice; those with 2-3 HD will deal 1-6 damage, those with 4-5 HD will deal 1-6+1 damage, and those with 6 HD will deal 1-6+2.  Male and female giant boars fight equally well.

Stats for absent OD&D Dungeon Monsters

I haven't found much time to work on Dungeons & Dragons material this week, but in the interests of providing some weekly content for the blog I wrote up the monster entries below while watching Smackdown (pro-wrestling being great for half-watching in the background).  What I've done so far is a complete list of the monsters in original D&D's dungeon encounter tables that weren't given stats in the game.  I intend to design my mega-dungeon using those tables as a framework, and use them heavily in-game, so these stats are necessary.

Luckily for me, the Advanced D&D Monster Manual is quite compatible with what came before it.  There's an entry in there for every one of these monsters except for the white ape, and I used them a lot.  The main alteration that was necessary was in the amount of damage the monsters deal: AD&D uses variable damage dice, while OD&D restricts itself entirely to the use of six-siders.  Not only that, but the damage monsters deal in OD&D is much lower than in AD&D. To get a rough comparison, I used the giants from both editions.  Just to illustrate the difference, a cloud giant in OD&D deals 3d6 damage, while in AD&D that same giant would deal a whopping 6d6.  So I had to scale things down, and the giants were a big help in getting to numbers that I liked.  Luckily, most of the creatures below ended up having damage ranges in AD&D that converted to a single d6, so assume that damage is 1-6 unless I say differently.  I suspect I'll be dealing with higher damage totals for the absent wilderness monsters.

Of the special abilities I had to come up with something for, the giant rat's disease was the most significant.  I was surprised to discover a while back that the disease from giant rats wasn't explained in AD&D, nor was it in AD&D 2nd edition.  Trying to draw as much from the existing rules as I can, I went with a weaker form of the disease caused by mummies.  Instead of the disease causing healing to take ten times as long, I lowered it to five times, and I also made the disease fully curable by Cure Disease.

Other than damage, and altering some special abilities to better for with the OD&D rules, I had to make some decisions about what type of AD&D monster was the correct equivalent.  There are a bunch of giant beetles and giant snakes, so which is OD&D referring to?  I went with the boring beetle for the OD&D giant beetle, as they are the most generic, and match pretty well to the power level of other Level 4 monsters.  For giant hogs I went with the AD&D wild boar.  I considered the giant boar, but it's a little strong for Level 3, and the warthog is much too weak.  I had a harder time with giant snakes, as I couldn't decide between using the poisonous snake or the constrictor.  In the end I split the difference and gave a chance for both to appear, as I think both should be included for maximum trope representation.

The only monster I had to venture outside of the Monster Manual for was the white ape.  Given that it's a creature originating from the John Carter stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs, I drew what stats I could from TSR's Warriors of Mars.  That amounted to a short description, the creature's movement rate, and its Hit Dice total.  The rest I made up, and time will tell if what I created was balanced.  Given their huge size and strength I gave them the same damage as an ogre.  I also figured that, having four arms, they should get multiple attacks per round, and settled on two so as not to make them too much more powerful than the other Level 4 monsters.

Hopefully the write-ups below will prove of use to somebody (although given the proliferation of retro-clones it seems this work has been done many times before me).  I'll probably work on the absent wilderness monsters next, and I may also do write-ups for the various character classes that can be encountered in the dungeons.  It would be handy to have a quick stat-block ready to go for Evil High Priests, Lords, Wizards and the like.

ANT, GIANT

Number Appearing: 1-100

Armor Class: 3

Move in Inches: 18

Hit Dice: 2

% in Lair: 10%

Type or Amount of Treasure: See below

 

It is 90% likely that any group of giant ants encountered will all be workers.  The other 10% of the time, it will be a mixed group of workers and warriors (20% warriors/80% workers).  Warrior ants have 3 hit dice, and if one hits with its mandibles it will also attempt to sting for an additional 1-6+2 damage.  Damage from the sting can be halved by a successful saving throw against poison.

 

If found in their lair (nest) there will be 2-200 worker ants, plus 1 warrior ant for every 5 workers.  The queen will also be present.  The queen ant has 10 hit dice, but she neither moves nor attacks. If she is killed the other ants will become confused (as if affected by the Confusion spell) for six melee rounds, and then leave the nest.

 

Treasure held by ants will be found in the chamber of the queen ant.  There is a 50% chance they will have 3-12 gems, and a 40% chance of 2-8 potions. The egg chamber will be guarded by 5-50 workers and 5 warriors. Giant ant eggs have no normal market value.

BEETLE, GIANT

Number Appearing: 3-18

Armor Class: 3

Move in Inches: 6

Hit Dice: 5

% in Lair: 40%

Type or Amount of Treasure: D

Beetles are non-intelligent, and always hungry.  They do not hear or see well, relying primarily on taste and feel.

Although they favor molds, slimes, and fungi, they feed on virtually any form of organic material, crushing it in their mandibles before eating it. These mandibles deal 2-12 damage with each hit.  Because of the thorough grinding, the only way to revive any character eaten by a giant beetle is by using a Wish. 

CENTIPEDE, GIANT 

Number Appearing: 2-24

Armor Class: 9

Move in Inches: 15

Hit Dice: 1/4 (1-2 hp)

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

Giant centipedes are aggressive, and rush forth to bite their prey, injecting poison into the wound.  In many cases this poison is weak and not fatal.  The victim takes no damage from this bite, and also gets a +4 bonus to their saving throw to survive the poison.

 

Due to their small size, centipedes are less likely to resist certain attacks, and suffer a -1 penalty on all saving throws.

 

HOG, GIANT 

Number Appearing: 1-12

Armor Class: 7

Move in Inches: 15

Hit Dice: 3+3

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

Due to their ferocity and large tusks, giant hogs deal 1-6+2 damage on a successful hit. 

A giant hog will fight for 2-5 melee rounds after reaching 0 to -4 hit points but will die
immediately if reduced to -5 hit points or lower.

When encountered in the dungeon, hogs will all be aggressive males. In the wilderness, if more than one hog is encountered, one will be a male and the rest will be sows and sounders (young who do not fight).  There will be a ratio of 1 sow to 4 sounders.  Sows have 3 hit dice, and deal 1-6 damage per attack,

LIZARD, GIANT 

Number Appearing: 2-12

Armor Class: 5

Move in Inches: 15

Hit Dice: 3+1

% in Lair: Nil

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

Because of their large maws, giant lizards are able to deliver vicious bites. Any "to hit" score of 20 indicates the creature has snapped both jaws onto its opponent, thus causing double damage (2-12 points).

RAT, GIANT

Number Appearing: 6-36

Armor Class: 7

Move in Inches: 12 (swim 6)

Hit Dice: 1/2 (1-4 hp)

% in Lair: 10

Type or Amount of Treasure: C

  

Giant rats are a plague in many places such as crypts and dungeons.  They will avoid attacking strong parties unless commanded to fight by such creatures as wererats or vampires. They are fearful of fire and flee from it. Giant rats swim quite well, and they can attack in water as well.

 

Any creature bitten by a giant rat has a 5% chance per wound inflicted of contracting a serious disease. If such infection is indicated the victim will become diseased unless a saving throw versus poison is made. This disease will make wounds take 5 times the usual time for healing, but can be fully removed with a Cure Disease spell.

 

SCORPION, GIANT 

Number Appearing: 1-4

Armor Class: 3

Move in Inches: 15

Hit Dice: 5+3

% in Lair: 50%

Type or Amount of Treasure: D

  

Giant scorpions are vicious predators, likely to attack any creature which approaches.  Any creature killed by a scorpion will be dragged to its lair to be eaten.

 

A scorpion will attack three times per round, twice with its huge pincers, and once with its segmented tail, which lashes forward to sting its victim to death with poison. This sting inflicts 1-6 points of damage per hit, and the victim must make a saving throw against poison or die immediately.  The scorpion is able to attack up to 3 different opponents in a single round.

 

Note that if a scorpion somehow manages to sting itself, it will be killed by its own poison.

 

SNAKE, GIANT

Number Appearing: 1-6

Armor Class: 5

Move in Inches: 15

Hit Dice: 4+1

% in Lair: 0%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

All giant snakes are carnivorous.  Those encountered will either be constrictors (1-5) or poisonous (6).

 

Constrictor snakes will attack with their bite, and on a successful hit they will constrict their victim.  Beginning on the round after the bite, the victim takes 1-6 points of damage per melee round, with no need for the snake to roll to-hit.  Several strong creatures (such as four humans of 16 or greater strength) will be able to uncoil the snake in 2-5 melee rounds.

Poisonous snakes will deliver their poison with a bite, and anyone struck must make a saving throw against poison or die.  At the referee's options, there may be some varieties of snake with poison so strong that the victim may still take damage on a successful save (1-6, 2-12, or even 3-18).

SPIDER, GIANT

Number Appearing: 1-8

Armor Class: 4

Move in Inches: 3 (12 in web)

Hit Dice: 4+1

% in Lair: 70%

Type or Amount of Treasure: C

 

Giant spiders lie in wait in their webs, weaving their sticky traps horizontally or vertically so as to entrap any creature which touches the web. Some will lurk above a path in order to drop upon prey.  They will flee from superior foes, typically hiding in some secret spot for safety.

The web is as tough and similar to the Web cast from a Staff of Wizardry.

 

The bite of a giant spider is poisonous, and anyone bitten.must save versus poison or be killed.

TOAD, GIANT 

Number Appearing: 1-12

Armor Class: 6

Move in Inches: 6 (6" leap)

Hit Dice: 2+1

% in Lair: 0%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

  

Giant toads are prone to devour any creature which appears edible.

 

They can hop up to 6" in a single round, clearing objects up to 2" in height.  This requires but a single melee round, and the toad can attack in mid-air or at the end of its leap.

WEASEL, GIANT

Number Appearing: 1-8

Armor Class: 6

Move in Inches: 15

Hit Dice: 3+1

% in Lair: 15%

Type or Amount of Treasure: Nil

 

Giant weasels are very vicious and hunt prey aggressively. They will attack until destroyed.

 

When a giant weasel successfully bites its prey, it does not release its jaws, and will suck the blood from its victim.  This begins on the round after the bite, and drains the victim of 1-6 hit points per round. 

If taken before half-grown, and carefully trained, giant weasels can sometimes (25%) be used as hunting animals and guards. When encountered in their lair, there will always be at least 4 giant weasels - two parents and 2-6 young from 10% to 80% mature. The young also attack, doing damage proportional to their development.

Weasel pelts sell for 1,000 to 6,000 gold pieces. 

WHITE APE

Number Appearing: 1-8

Armor Class: 6    

Move in Inches: 12

Hit Dice: 6

% in Lair: 15%

Type or Amount of Treasure: D

 

White apes are enormous, with four arms, white skin and white hair on their heads.  These terrible monsters have an almost human cunning. Many have a rough tribal organization, and those that do always use stone (or some other form of) clubs.

 

Due to their great strength, white apes deal 1-6+2 damage on a successful hit.  They can attack twice per melee round.