(c) Copyright 2009 Kyrinn S. Eis
Only the text marked within the ]OGC[ header and footer is Open Gaming Content, as governed by the Open Gaming License version 1.0a. The names and descriptive text are reserved as Product Identity.
Explanation of Headings-
Fight Dice: The number of d8 used to determine Dodge Points for the creature
Resolve: The bonus on d20 toward '20' to continue fighting under poor circumstance
Defence/Armour: Defence is added to the creature's d20 roll to determine difficulty 'to-hit', while Armour is the die-type subtracted from damage scored on a 'hit'
AB: The creature's Attack Bonus on d20
# Attacks: Number and Type listed
Damage: The amount of each listed attack
Move: This refers to the creature's Speed in feet per Round
Organisation: The numbers appearing and special circumstances for greater numbers
CT: The bonus to d20 versus the number '20' to make any given Critical Test (Save)
Loot: If any, this is the Loot Type to be found on the creature (rare) or in its lair
XP: The number of eXperience Points gained in reward for defeating or capturing/outwitting an individual creature
Aurubin (Cave Maulers)-
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Fight Dice: 4+9* (1+5* FD cubs)
Resolve: +10
Defence/Armour: +3/1d6
AB: +3
# Attacks: 2 claws/1 bite/1 snare
Damage: 1d6/1d6/1d8/-*
Move: 60'
Organisation: 1 Adult female, 1 or 2 cubs
CT: +5
Loot: Random gear in Lair
XP: 555
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Large (6-8' long) quadrupedal furred creatures with long tapered heads and almost beak-like bony snouts sporting long prehensile tongues. Their four paws are all equipped with large, sharp and tough claws, capable of digging through stone-choked compacted earth with relative ease. They will frequently lash with their prehensile tongues (3') once a victim is already drawn into their tunnel, and if it strikes, their bite is automatic.
Aurubin are exclusively subterranean dwellers, although a separate variety has been observed in dark forests dwelling beneath log lodges of their own construction.
These creatures are of above-average intelligence for animals, but show little interest in human artifice or activities, save when a human walks too near one of their many cave or warren entrances. There may be as many as 1-4+1 such tunnels leading to the same lair. If the young are disturbed, the Aurubin will likely (73%) emerge from its lair in a fury which effectively doubles its FD and adds +4 to its Resolve and CT until its young are recovered, or the attackers are slain.
Biinderhaas (Buzzing Lancers, Fire Snipers)-
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Fight Dice: 1+5*
Resolve: +13
Defence/Armour: +5/1d8
AB: +1
# Attacks: 1 bite + special
Damage: 1d4 + special
Movement: Land 10' Fly 40'
Organisation: 1d4+1 'Pod'; 2d6 Pods during mating
CT: +5
Loot: None
XP: 100
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These large insectoids measure roughly 18" in length and are capable of quick if ungainly flight (rarely higher than 30' elevation). They are one of several varieties of furred beetles, prized by hunters for their easily removed pelts. To guard themselves as well as to take prey, the Biinderhaas fires pellets of a secreted resin that combust upon contact with the air. These fiery pellets are capable of igniting clothing, hair, etc. This attack has an effective range of 30' and does 1d4 fire damage each Round for 1d4+1 Rounds. Each creature is capable of firing no more than 5d4 of such pellets before needing to feed.
The bite is normally reserved for a distracted or fallen victim, and is a repeated process as pieces of the victim are digested as it feeds. Even the bones of victims are consumed, and it is supposed that a variety of components of a victim are necessary to concoct the resin.
Donhax (Shore Shears)-
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Fight Dice: 2+4
Resolve: +11
Defence/Armour: +7/1d6
AB: +2
# Attacks: 2 Pincers
Damage: 3d4/3d4
Move: Land 10' Swim 60'
Organisation: 1d4 or 4d12 during Spawning season
CT: +4
Loot: None
XP: 150
]OGC[
The Donhax are usually 20-36' in length, and are shaped like long tapered cylinders with two powerful pincers, and four foot-like fins. They possess a cluster of six independent eye-stalks which provide them with good movement-sense, but poor focus.
Aggressive hunters of small-prey, they have been known to attack humans who tread through their feeding and spawning grounds -- likely as a mere reflex action in response to the movement of feet.
Out of water these fish-like creatures are clumsy and slow, but in the water, they dart at their prey (sometimes even attacking and killing water birds) with startling speed and accuracy. They use the carcasses of their prey as spawning beds for their hundreds of eggs.
Not to sound too obtuse, but would it be easier to port these ideas over if they used basic "stat blocks" with house rules? Fighting Dice can remain Hit Dice, but with a house rule to your core system (BFRPG in this case). I know that there have been a few compatibility issues between the simulacrums that can be solved via a pdf that states the differences, would this be easier than renaming components that we are used to? I guess I don't understand why basics should be different when they perform the same function. Bits like Morale can be included in an OD&D-type game or dropped, but a Hit Die is a Hit Die passed White Box that can still be altered with a ruling.
ReplyDeleteI did read through all of your posts and I am trying to be helpful and not critical; I like your monsters and it would be easier to slip them over to a game like Swords & Wizardry if the basics were the same with a note of how to use various bits differently.
Excellent creatures, very nasty to run into underground or anywhere else.
ancientvaults,
ReplyDeleteI greatly appreciate you broaching the question.
My reasons are two-fold:
1). I don't intend on publishing the game under the terms of the OGL
2). I don't like some of the mechanics involved in OD&D, such as 2d6 Morale, etc.
I do intend on releasing 'conversion' .pdf, but in my experience in the olden-days, Referees would just make whatever conversions were necessary to their chosen system, and often would get new ideas from slight variant rules sets, such as Hargrave's Arduin, or Midkemia Press Thieves Guild, with their ubiquity of minor differences for legal purposes and personal taste.
More importantly, I am not running this off of the BFRPG 'engine', but rather, using BFRPG as inspiration; as a middle-ground between B/X and more modern d20-based systems (such as Ascending Armour Class).
If you don't mind, would you point out the entries which pose you the most 'difficulty' in translating?
--I imagine these are:
* Resolve (d20) instead of Morale (2d6)
* Defence (which could be expressed as both an AC and AAC number, but would then be pretty ugly looking, IMO), instead of a Penetration-based AC
* and CT (which in other games is 'Saves as ___ of #L')
I do want to remind gamers, that even Metamorphosis Alpha, and Gamma World, as close as their mechanics were to AD&D's, required a conversion in the DMG1.
** Again, I am open minded regarding how-best to make this work for others, while still retaining my person 'feel'. **
Thanks for the compliments on the critters. They are blushing and looking shy. :)
** Thieves' Guild was not published by Midkemia, rather, it was a Gamelords Ltd. product. Mea Culpa **
ReplyDeleteHave you tried the Swords & Wizardry .doc file? It is a free download that you can edit easily. There is ascending AC and no morale as S&W is much more of a toolkit than B/X.
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand your changes and as you present them why you made these changes, even if you don't publish but share it would take less conversion to use a basic engine like the S&W core .doc and build up from there. Just an opinion of course, but as you are putting a lot of effort into your game it would be easier for others to share your specific game elements with a generic, compatible core. I try to make all of my statistics for S&W because it is a solid foundation that can be built upon to figure in B/X, Labyrinth Lord, OSRIC, etc.
ancientvaults,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your continued dialogue on this issue.
Do I understand correctly that you are suggesting I abandon my own system, and instead, use S&W as the core for my setting?
May I ask why S&W should become the new core rules?
I know that may sound snarky, but my point is that there were old school games that weren't entirely dndish, and they both worked 'fine' and sold many copies.
Beyond that, the whole 'd20 System' seems to have thrown grognards into a tizzy, with many celebrating the nuances of different game systems.
I think that fine games such as BFRPG, LL, and OSRIC illustrate that one can have an Old School feel without duplicating OD&D/S&W.
Don't get me wrong, I really like S&W, but there are too many things that I would change, and thus, by the time I was finished with it, I may as well have designed my own system; hence, I am completing my own system. :)
I fully intend on publishing UWoM.
Yikes. I wasn't suggesting that you abandon your work or your system (upon re-reading my scribblings I can see that it could appear so), but that conversions use the core engine of S&W which is compatible with the others. You can take a stock creature, like a kobold, for example in S&W, and add other game elements, like Morale or Alignment, easily into other games with minimal work, time often being a factor for GMs, a smaller conversion time I can see as a "dealmaker".
ReplyDeleteTruly a system that is divergent from the onslaught of games with only nuances of difference is always a breath of fresh air, yet I would like to see some of your creations converted or with easy conversion notes, to encourage people to use them. Editing the core of the S&W .doc (the Monster Section at least) to make a mini-document of sorts.
Hopefully my point is clearer as I type at 9.30 am as opposed to 3.30 am.
ancient vaults,
ReplyDeleteYes, that makes a world of difference.
So, you really are after Critter-conversions.
I had always intended for generic-compatibility of existing OS characters to enter Urutsk as equals. If someone wants to bring in a S&W Fighting Man into Urutsk, he should find that the exact abilities he possesses can be duplicated using the Point-Design system, and the XP requirements for his textbook write-up in S&W be very near to same total so as to make exact conversions unnecessary.
Moreover, bringing the S&W Fighting Man into Urutsk would then allow him the opportunity to add features that would otherwise only exist at the S&W Referee's design allowance, such as increasing his ability to deal with traps, etc.
OK, now I understand, and it is 'all good'. :)
I will wait for my initial list of creatures to be 'complete' before setting to work on conversions.
ReplyDeleteI have found over the years that an easy selling point is a good hook. My weakness is monsters and creatures (which you have done a superb job with), some people will want to port over races/classes, some will want game elements, etc. Monsters are an easy hook to entice people into looking deeper into a new game system.
ReplyDeleteancientvaults,
ReplyDeleteI certainly appreciate your help.
I will endeavour, then, to make the Creatures a higher priority on the To-Do List than I had originally intended.
Thanks, :D
I like these. They remind me of Tekumel. :)
ReplyDelete@ Scott: W00T! High praise indeed. Thanks, :D
ReplyDelete