New monsters

I found out about Campaign wiki today. I don't even know what I was searching for. Monsters, sure, but I'm not really sure what, because I spent so long being fascinated I forgot what I went for. Good isn't it?

Anyway, I put up a couple of things that I've been thinking about. The Blood Goblin has been in my mind for a very long time, I just like the 'Haemogoblin' joke, and the Poison Dwarf was something I thought of the other day, I don't know why ('The Poison Dwarf' was a nickname given to a character in the TV show Dallas back in the 1980s, why it should pop into my head a few days ago, I cannot really explain). The Glue-vine is also based on a joke of course, this time one I was preparing for John M Stater's great (but sadly abortive) Strange New World. I had a bunch of stuff that I was working on but it never came to much. Shame really, I liked the idea of collaborative planet-building very much.

Here goes anyway, 3 new(-ish) monsters, or maybe just my idiosyncratic take on some common enough ideas.

I hope I've got the stats about right (I don't really understand ascending AC or challenge ratings by the way, so I might be slightly out on those).


Blood Goblin

Blood Goblins (or Haemogoblins) are pale vampiric Goblins that live with other Goblins, especially underground. Whether they are a separate race, the mutant offspring of regular Goblins, or under a terrible curse, is unknown. If the Maze Master wishes, up to 1-in-6 regular goblins may be replaced by Blood Goblins. Blood Goblins have a -1 penalty to fighting in full daylight and use neither missile weapons nor blunt weapons. They prefer melee and will only use slashing weapons, or their own claws and teeth. If a Blood Goblin wounds an enemy, the wounded enemy will continue to slowly bleed and lose 1hp/round until healing takes place. This is because Blood Goblin saliva (regularly applied to weapons and claws by licking) prevents blood clotting. Furthermore, if it is still alive, the Blood Goblin will be able to track that enemy (at normal movement) until it is healed.

AC 5(14), HD1-1, ATT 2 claws/1 bite/weapon DAM 2d4/1d6/by weapon MV 90’(30’) NM ML7

Poison Dwarf

Poison Dwarves (or Dwarfs) are a chaotic race of Dwarves generally found far underground in small groups of 3d6, or in the castles of Fire Giants, where they sometimes work as weaponsmiths and armourers, at which they excel. Their metal armour always counts as 1AC point lower (higher) than is usual for its class (eg, chain counts as chain-and-shield, plate counts as plate-and-shield etc). Their skin is a mudlike colour, generally a glistening greyish brown. Like many Dwarves, they favour smashing weapons in combat, especially maces and warhammers. They are very strong and have +1 damage. If a Poison Dwarf wounds an opponent in melee, there is a 1-in-6 chance that the opponent will need to make a save v Poison (failure means immediate collapse followed by death in 2d6 rounds, success means all actions at -2 for 6d6 turns). If the corpse of a Poison Dwarf is looted (for example, to retrieve the superior armour) then unless the player states the PC is taking precautions such as wearing gloves the PC will have to save v Poison for the same penalties.  Poison Dwarves are immune to all poisons, and only take ½ damage from fire-based attacks.

AC 4(15), HD1+1, ATT 1 weapon DAM by weapon MV 90’(30’) D1 ML9

Glue-vine

A glue-vine is a large carnivorous plant found in hot swampy, forested and jungle conditions, consisting of a central bulb and a number of sticky barbed tendrils. It will have d4 tendrils for each HD it has, up to 4HD, which can spread up to 20’ from the central bulb. These tendrils can be seen (same chance as for secret doors) if PCs are searching the area. Otherwise, when one or more PCs enter the area, the glue-vine surprises on 1-4 (on a d6). The tendrils are barbed, strong and constrictive, pulling the prey back towards the central bulb. Any PCs hit by a tendril must save v paralysis or be dragged into the centre of the plant where they will be digested over d6 hours (take d20 acid damage per hour or part thereof). PCs cannot fight the glue-vine from the inside due to paralysis, they must be rescued from without. Attacking the glue-vine with fire will also deal ½ damage to the plant and ½ to anyone trapped inside. Cutting off all the tendrils will result in the glue-vine closing itself up completely and squirting a paralysing sap over itself; anyone in contact with the glue-vine (attempting to rescue a comrade from inside, hitting the central bulb in melee) must save v paralysis or be stuck. The glue-vine will then slowly grow new tendrils at the rate of 1’ per day. Though they do not collect treasure as such, killing a glue-vine will undoubtedly reveal the possessions of its victims, which may include coins, gems and magic items (more for larger, older plants with greater HD).

AC 2(17) (bulb) 5(14) tendrils: HD1 to 4 (tendrils have d4 hp each), ATT d4 per HD DAM paralysis + d20 per hour MV0 but can reach up to 20’ ML12

For completeness, here's the 'Glue Vine' write-up (not exactly identical, in the 24th century, hyphens are old hat) that I originally planned to send to John:

Glue Vine (radix glutinosa Keplerii-Szermankovai): this is a large plant which derives nourishment from entrapping and dissolving prey. The plant has a central bole between 1-3 metres across and numerous roots that burrow beneath the surface. These are of two types; there are tough, short ‘anchor roots’ which hold the plant stable, and long ‘vines’, the tips of which project about 0.5 metres above the soil, at a distance of 2-5 metres from the body of the plant. These roots produce an extremely sticky (70+ on the Buchanan Scale) sap that gives the plant its name. When prey – typically for this plant a small herd herbivore known as a Swamp Pig – wanders into the root-zone, it can become stuck to the roots. The plant then begins to contract its root, dragging the animal slowly within the main body, where it is dissolved by the virulent digestive chemicals in the plant’s inner core.