Oh no the wards of IP cast by wizards of old made a certain monster not viable for your old style adventures? Well I hereby let you publish this thing. Just mention this blog if you do.
Maalus*Magical Giant Marine Invertoibrate LE
AC as plate HD 8-14d8 Mov 6 Swim 6 Walk Underwater 9
2d8 Punching Tentacles x4
Grappling Tentacles x8
Once held by two tentacles victims injected with 2d4 acid per round or an egg
-get a saving throw a day for three days to resist becoming a thrall
-once become a thrall prefer to breathe water only tolerating air for an hour
-thrall worships the parent maluus and will do anything even serve themselves as food
*Requires silver or +1 or batter magic weapon to harm
6 diameter circle of ink in water three times a day
Telepathy range 24 ESP range 6 sense life range 6
Phantasmal force three times a day last as long as concentrates
The Maalus is a prehistoric horror of the deep, servants of the void and the outer darkness who once let evil undersea empires that invaded the land and wiped out civilisations. Tako octopus fairies managed to exterminate most of them from shallow seas and reefs on behalf of the dragons who rule the oceans. Some Maalus remained in the deep or crawled into underground rivers and lakes to build hidden lairs. They implant eggs into victims that make them slaves. Those that resist or surplus are injected with acid and bodily fluids drained.
Maalus prefer to allow their thralls to deal with the world but some, often those met by humans have fled their lairs and lost their minions to some enemy. These are the most desperate to kidnap victims and implant them with eggs. Once implanted a maalus embryo attaches itself to the brain and alters the creatures respiratory system and body to survive deep under the sea and serve the maalus. The Thrall worships the parent maalus and will do anything the Maalus wants. The thralls skin becomes green and slimy and they have obvious gill slits and clear eye membranes. The longer they are enthralled the more hideous they seem. Cure disease can restore a thrall to normal but the person saved needs a save vs death to survive the process or reversal often drown or are poisoned in the process. Thralls live hundreds of years as servants to Maalus and if cured at an extreme old age the human will not have aged since becoming a thrall. Once implanted the Maalus will try to imprison the person until they are overcome and if they resist for three days will be considered a poor host and eat the being instead. Some Maalus well-established breed own thralls. Various creatures and undersea races might be thralls already, some Maalus collect a variety of thrallkind as a hobby. The oldest Maalus have hundreds of thralls over thousands of years to build and toil.
While most Maalus met are the most desperate of their kind, most live in deep underwater cave palaces surrounded by mortal thralls. When the Maalus is killed (which is the only way they die mostly) its thralls fight to eat as much of the parent as it can and the best d4 combatants separate and fully grow into a young Maalus. Some even have willing host cults.
As they were very long-aged and worked with many evil powers of old some have additional abilities and stranger powers.
1in6 can cast charm person three times a day
1in6 have a mouth that can talk and they won't shut up
1in6 can emit a stinking cloud around them three times a day
1n6 can spray effects of a web spell once per day at touch range
1in6 have a champion warrior thrall used for missions and to lead raids
1in8 can cast spells as a wizard or evil priest d6+4 levels
1in8 can implant a different egg that makes hosts a zombie instead
1in8 have a mind link to thralls any range
1in8 secrete an addictive thick and ropy protein fluid they feed to thralls and captives
1in12 can send telepathic dreams to any living in a mile to help lure victims
1in12 can control weather once a day
1in12 can cast phantasmal killer twice a day
1in12 can regenerate 1HP per round as long as they are in water
1in12 can call a 8HD water elemental to serve for an hour, once per week
1in20 can once a hear call a gargantuan sea monster to rampage over several miles
d12 Maalus Adventures1 Several locals have had strange dreams and have jumped into the well never to be seen again
2 A water hole near a cave has become a place of fear since several locals vanished
3 For ages the flooded mine has been a place of evil and strange slime coated humanoids that kidnap victims to never be seen again 4 Locals mutter about a cult that promise life eternal living under the sea to the faithful
5 Priests found and healed a strange sick man found on the beach who tells of being a slave in a reef with others serving a nightmarish master for decades. The man found his families graves from over a hundred years ago. He also tells of treasure
6 Long ago a coastal village was swallowed by the sea and some say the sunken village still has people living and walking in the ruins. Sometimes fisherfolk see them
7 A ship came into the harbour and only cabin boy was on board hiding in a barely, spoke of slimy green sea folk who climbed aboard and took the crew
8 Fishermen have been wandering off at night and disappearing and nobody knows why
9 A local idiot keeps talking about their lover in the lake who sends them dreams. The idiot boasts soon will join lover and live forever. Several other people have disappeared in the area.
10 A cult has been kidnapping victims and hurling them and treasures into a flooded sinkhole
11 A shrine to the river god has been found empty and the shrine caretakers all missing. Locals are worries and fish and ducks have begun to shun the area
12 Friendly dolphins that used to help the fisherfolk have become sick and slimy looking and rarely surface. Now they have been attacking boats and knocking them over and dragging boat folk below
These were companions of ancients who were interred in tombs as guardians. They are not common but magical. Spark up those tomb misery crawls with one of these cheeky horrors. His not dead. Any moment he will get up and bend those bars open.
Mummified Parrots CE UndeadAC as chain HD 4 Bite d4 Fly 18 Hop 3
Instead of bite may drop faeces from above over a 2m diameter circle
-all in the circle of faeces or bitten save or contract mommy rot
Mummified parrots repeat common phrases they heard in life
Mummified parrots know a d4 1st level wizard spells (usable only once)
Mummified Parrots lie dormant for Millenium and will arise to defend the tombs and graves of their owners. Created from beloved pets of ancient wizards they are very intelligent and often recognise attempts to cast spells or turn them and react. They are fast compared to human mummies but you cannot keep them with mummified cats. Mummified parrots yell curses, saucy lines, poems, sing songs and recite oaths to forgotten ancient gods. Sometimes they mimic sounds of intruders and might give away clues. Some tombs are designed with levers for birds to operate, speaking tubes and small passages they can use to get around and spy. They often attempt to alert other tomb inhabitants and awaken undead. They are chaotic evil towards tomb robbers but neutral to legitimate tomb inhabitants (or those in disguise). They will aid and support tomb inhabitants.
Some types still have a spectacular colour for each spell known that fades as they cast them or all colour if they are destroyed.
1in6 can drop a single stinking cloud egg bomb once
1in6 spray acid instead of faeces for 2d4 damage save for half
1in6 know priest spells instead (possible druid in some lands)
1in6 require +1 or pure copper weapons to harm
1in6 shun holy symbols and will not cross one unless in-home tomb
1in6 AC as plate armour
1in10 can cast curse once per round
1in10 regenerate if not in sunlight 1HP/round
1in10 not just able to parrot but intelligent and conversational in ancient
1in10 if killed explodes over 3m diameter circle cloud of diseased faeces
1in20 can cast charm person 3 times a day
1in20 if killed a 4d8 burning ray from the heavens strikes who dealt the death blow
1in20 esp which it uses to find embarrassing things from enemies it can yell out mimicking voices of past traumas or lost loved ones to disorientate enemies
I recommend giving them thematic spells like a necrococky or an elemental parrot because of stuff.
Making up some more undead and void creatures and probably need to do some animus beings too. Probably need some psychon creatures or monster making tables. A note on possible varient abilities I mostly take one per HD or 2HD maximum.
Spectral Reaper
(Void Reaver, Gravelord, Death Fog, Grim Reaper)**
Void Elemental Lawful Neutral Morale 10
AC +10
HD 8
Mov 12
Att 2d8 Scythe
Weapons below +2 cannot harm a reaper, they take 1HP per round from sunlight
Undead resistances to poison and magic and liabilities like holy water and turning
Gaseous form of grey fog, often form skeletal features before using a scythe
ESP 12 range it uses to follow victims and select a form to adopt based on prey
Can sense living with 24 range uses to help attack victims alone
Reapers are usually visiting the world killing people who have cheated death somehow. The reapers usually remain hidden and ambush their victim alone. Some guard certain places or be summoned or sent by an angry god. Some call them to perform public executions and terrify the audience. Some kingdoms their form may vary to suit local ideas of death beings. Bird-like or demonic forms are fearful forms but some might resemble loved ones to get close to a victim. Skeleton with a scythe is the common form, sometimes with tattered costumes from long ago but robes are most common. Often lurks in a confined space or vessel like a bottle or urn especially by day. Can be magically bound or sealed with spells or banished. As a vapour cloud, they may pass through tiny gaps and float up to windows as if walking invisible stairs. For every victim they carry to their fate they skim some of the victims fear and suffering and essence. As ages progress, they grow in power and gain more unusual variations.
1in6 are lesser reapers or little deaths, HD4 2d6 scythe instead only needs +1 magic to hit
1in6 can retreat to the ethereal plane and watch invisibly taking round to switch planes
1in6 can shoot a magic missile per round usually as a black spark
1in6 use a sword or an axe instead of a scythe
1in6 can cast ventriloquism at will range 4 to make distracting or scary sounds
1in6 are corrupted by an evil alignment and now kills for pleasure and malice
1in8 has a 1 radius fear field vs anything under 4 HD, save or flee a d4 rounds
1in8 has a scream that inflicts a d4 to all in 3 radius (blocked by silence spell)
1in8 anyone slain arises as a shadow under command of reaper has a d4 already
1in8 anyone slain under a quest or oath becomes a spectral minion
1in8 hit from scythe requires a save vs paralysis for a d3 turns
1in8 drink blood healing 1HP per HD of a creature they kill, blood red and behaves more like a liquid than fog of most reapers. Can be distracted by feeding on blood
1in10 touching then with unarmed attack causes a d3 damage in an ebon crackle
1in10 can fly with great bat or bird or insect wings 18 Mov
1in10 can drain a d4 STR points with a blow if victim fails to save lasts one turn
1in10 can create an illusionary mortal form and will converse to get close
1in12 can cast a death ray once per day, save or die range 6 effects one person
1in12 can call insect swarm for a 2d4 rounds three times a day, usually huge flies
1in12 can control undead as an evil cleric of similar HD
1in12 are greater reapers or grim reapers, HD 12 2d20 scythe needs +3 magic to hit
1in20 poison scythe save or die from any blow, lose 1HP per round until dead
1in20 gate to the underworld, netherworld, the void or various nightmare worlds
1in20 killing this reaper attracts the interest of some deity who is displeased
d12 Spectral Reaper Adventures1 Adventurers arrive at a ruined house seeking a gang for a bounty but all the men found dead and looking horrified
2 Someone opened a crypt to steal something and a terrible curse from a deity has sent a winged reaper to kill each night the stolen goods are missing
3 A mysterious axe-wielding executioner like figure has been seen beheading all who enter the old woods
4 A haunted old cathedral needs to be reclaimed but something haunts it hiding among the gloomy stone relief carvings based on scenes in holy texts and from the underworld
5 Cult of the outer void has made a deal with death and a reaper is allowed into this world to harvest the cut for the void kings. The cult get new spells they want for their book then themselves flee the reaper early and hide some distance till the monster sated
6 A madman has a summoned and bound reaper and each nightfall sets it loose to murder those the madman judges wicked. They have various paranoid theories and delusions so targeting victims not precise. Authorities request help to find where the madman hides
7 Each night some terrible demon kills a child in the wealthy district. An enslaved barbarian gladiator has demanded they and own people freed. Claims the killings are a punishment from a tribal god
8 Necromancers have been sending reapers to each other's districts in some twisted game. Each necromancer has an alibi when their own local murders happened. Mostly killing those who trade and deal with rival rather than direct. Law wants this over fast
9 Murder bridge has had so many bodies found now that a new horrible scarlet blood reaver has been seen manifesting and eviscerating homeless dregs who foolishly shelter there
10 Someone is murdering visitors in an inn. An evil bloody reaper is trying to disrupt local commerce and kills each night. Strange noises keep separating inhabitants when it finally decides to kill everyone and paint the walls red
11 An old disused tower has become haunted. A cult stashed goods here and called a reaper to guard the place and scare away enemies
12 A strange haunted shack contains a gate to the netherworld guarded by a reaper
Tombherd (Cryptkeeper, Gravelord)
Undead Priests Neutral or Neutral Evil Morale 12
AC +5
HD 3+
Mov 9
Att d6 Clawx2
Non-silver or non-magic weapons inflict only half damage fire does full damage
Undead resistances to poison and magic and liabilities like holy water and turning
Has a howl of fear 1 radius save or flee a d4 rounds vs under 4 HD living beings
Each round can raise a skeleton or a zombie ally within the area under its protection
-each undead raised increases the tomb herds HD by one as long as undead still active
-can sense body or a living being in 12 range, if there is no threat undead return to rest
-can start animating even completely hidden as soon as a living being is detected
-limited by time and number of corpses but can only have 12 undead at a time max
The Tomb Herder is the remains of a funerary priest interred in a crypt or graveyard as a defence. Often it is positioned to watch the graveyard so it can raise an undead if it sees any defilement of its domain. Sometimes they are sealed with an eye slot so enemies cannot get at them. They will prefer to let the undead fight for them and remain unseen if possible or lay still unmoving. Tomb herds keep away unwelcome animals, robbers, vandals and adventurers away from usually a graveyard or a tomb or mausoleum. Some huge necropolises have several. Most only protect their area and are satisfied driving away robbers and repairing damage to seals and doors and fences. More evil ones from evil cults are vindictive and might lead a small army to kill and eat local village for failing to protect them. Or might hunt defilers over several nights. Tombherds are why many living fear the dead and grave defilement.
Usually, a special grave of a funeral priest gets chosen to become a tomb herd in a forbidden ritual but It has been known for a long-established graveyard to just develop them naturally from someone who served the graves for life or somehow one just turns up and adopts the place. Some have distinctive personalities, some are slow and sleepy, some cunning unseen than others. Tombherds normally keep ghouls from feeding and will conflict with undead harming or influencing their domain. They will often cooperate with undead defending the domain. Tombherds can repair dead bodies and can "heal" an undead a d3 HP with a hours work patching them up with matter from their own body. Tombherds might even be left offerings or prayers in some places to watch over all.
1in6 will speak and verbally abuses intruders
1in6 actually levitates several inches off the ground, floats over water or ice
1in6 get an extra d6 bite attack
1in8 have a 3 radius fear effect and victims flee 2d4 rounds
1in8 can assume gaseous form
1in8 can animate two dead per round
1in 8 can cast curse three times per day with a gaze
1in8 can exhale a stinking cloud spell once per hour 1in8 wears armour equal to plate and shield +8 AC
1in8 can shoot a bolt of darkness as a magic missile one per round
1in12 can control up to 20 undead
1in12 regenerate 1 HP per round if not harmed by holy magic or fire or acid or silver
1in12 require +1 magic weapon to hit
1in12 have clairvoyance so can work in hiding and follow defilers home
1in12 can blink once per round and often use it to distract or scare or hide
1in12 can move through soil and attack from underground Burrow 6
1in20 can see through the eyes of all undead under control
1in20 animates undead as ghouls, is chaotic evil allowing ghouls to graze
1in20 once undead created can be called on again, tombherd has maximum amount already sleeping awaiting a call instead of them returning to being normal corpses
d12 Tombherd Adventures1 A relic in a tomb is required, get in and recover object don't hurt the tomb herd or the bodies too much (possibly bring a extra cleric)
2 Several houses on edge of the village near graveyard have been abandoned recently and it seems people left suddenly leaving goods behind (in sight of graveyard, had stolen from graves)
3 An evil lord was buried with souls of murdered children stored in gems and a descendant wants them removed and set free and needs hired help to enter family tomb
4 Recently several medical students staying in area vanished and their well off families want an investigation and have sent a crown investigator to fine everybody in the area. Sooner mystery sold the better for all. Lads were robbing graves for larks and got eaten
5 Recently an area was damned and now every night ancient dead arise from under the lake and attack workers and villagers some say a big 'orrible one leads them
6 A priest wants to speak to dead at a grave but local tombherd won't have any of it. Will pay you to convince undead to let lad chat with ancestor to answer lineage question
5 A dungeon tomb complex has a secret crypt opened. The tomb herd blocks the exits trapping everyone adventurer and orc inside to kill everyone. Cooperate with humanoids and dungeon dwellers to all get out past furious insane tomb herd with extraordinary abilities
6 A priest recently came by and told locals to not leave offerings for their pagan ancestor's graves and within a weak angry dead began to arise and besieged the chappel
7 A statue in a village contains a tomb herd who watches area and doesn't mind houses on top. It does dislike some nationality or race that has been frequenting area and now moving in. Grudge based on some ancient tragedy long ago. Members of that group have been found murdered and half-eaten. possibly some reconciliation ceremony might appease the dead
8 A camp of goblins living by a creek got butchered by rednecks and robbed. The goblins house was on graves of ancestors and the great ancestor tomb herd mad about end olf bloodline. Undead goblins have been attacking local backwoods trouble makers who are similar to the goblin killers. Goblin tombherd can be appeased with the guilty sacrificed or executed and possibly some distant relatives invited to return. Local sentiment on goblins splits community as some are cheap labour and harmless but others hate them
9 Sewer workers came across a tomb and now undead swarm the sewers and keep out workers from removing storm damage and a giant fat glob blocking a tunnel. Council hire adventurers to stop undead which really requires tomb to be sealed and tombherd appeased
10 An ancient order of evil templars had their tomb disturbed. Each night undead warrior priests from the dark crusades roam streets to kill and murder before returning to their grandmaster tombherd to perform black rites by day in hopes of summoning a demon
11 Tombherd sealed inside stone pillbox with eye slits watches all in graveyard and more. Has noticed criminals using graveyard at night and is displeased. Local gang found in clubhouse torn to shreds. Close inspection reveals some older teeth and finger bones in the mess. Bored tombherd is pleased and looks for more injustice against village hungry zombies can solve. Possibly disapproves of all kinds of modern ways and customs
12 A cult have been performing secret rites in graveyards including sex and drugs. Several important locals have been found murdered in embarrassing positions. Now they are happening outside the graveyard and remaining important locals rally to hire adventurers to stop the killer
Ruin your game economics with this wonderous lo-fi DIY magic system using proficiency/skill/attribute roll resolutions.
In my games, I have a skill for making fetish objects
A fetish is often a figurine but could be a lump of quartz wrapped in hair or a shrunken head, a magic rune or more. Civilised people might use a paper charm with a wax seal instead. Medallions and jewellery are common, some are worked into designs of a weapon or items or artworks to make reusable charms. Many shatter or break when depleted so some pay 10x more for artwork quality rechargeable ones. Priests will evoke gods or spirits in creation. Wizard might prefer a charm dedicated to a demon or elemental power. Fetish crafting is more common in tribal or common people and some users in cities might risk the charge of witchcraft. Most villages have someone who can make one or maybe a d3 in a town. Would be the cheapest most common items.
Currently, I have a magic skill called craft fetish but this will become Fetish Lore
Might expand to potions poisons black powder skills too. Candle magic?
Could rune magic just be like this?
My First Fetish Skill by Alignment
Bless fetish if good or lawful
Curse fetish if evil or chaotic
Alarm fetish if neutral or balanced
You may spend further skill slots in additional fetish types to get more fetish skills. It is possible to do this without being a spell caster but it is a magical skill.
Making a fetish requires a material prop object often a tiny figurine or medallion or token or possibly a tool or weapon or clothing. Tattoos could be possible,
Can sacrifice a unit of power in the creation of a condition often to make them last longer
-target or ignore species, alignment, tribe, element or any distinction
-protects only vs one thing like acid, a certain spell, poison so activated less often
-Wards and conditions specialising against humans and orcs are rare as they are youngest races but elves and humans are developing them in secret
Fetish crafter makes a skill roll to succeed after spending money and time creating object
Fetishes show as magic if detected
Fetishes can be damaged or disarmed like a trap if detected
Thieves can detect and disarm fetishes with lucky charms, magnets, metal discs and crystals in their kits as any trap
You could stack effects of fetishes - carry a cursed fetish while being hit by the enemy with fetish but cant stack same benefits from two different items.
I could imagine a type of rogue specialising in fetishes and reading scrolls and healing or a monk might be good too. Humanoid leaders and spell casters knowing a few can make a war band more dangerous with preparation. Possibly the effort invested might not help by enough. Having guys watching your wagons making these could be handy. A barbarian warrior might like some of these as a higher level or a dwarf or halfling.
You need other skills in craft or art to make attractive more valuable or rechargeable items.
Fetish Cost and Time
1-4th level First Order Charm 1sp materials often sell for a gp one day
5-8 level Second Order Charm 1gp materials often sell for 20-40gp takes two days
11-12 level Third Order Charm 20gp material often sell for 100gp takes three days
13-16 level Fourth Order Charm 100gp material often sell for 200gp takes four days
17-20 level Fifth Order Charm 250gp material often sell for 350-500gp takes 5 days
Rechargeable Fetish Charms
Some have fetishes incorporated into building or item so shaman can just recharge it, costs same time and materials but for the original object must have been made for cost of a standard fetish but x10 the materiel costs.
Besides adding to the economy of one use petty magic and traps the duties of a practitioner might be to recharge fetishes around dungeon and boss guys weapons monthly. Shamans might have assistants doing nothing but working on fetishes, another on potions etc. Now you can have lots of fetish weapons or shields for players to carry about burdening them. Plus players will be "searching to spot fetishes" every room. Raiders might all have fetish items, guards of all sorts maybe 10% of a factions warriors and most elites have one.
Foes could have fetish crafted swords and get a +3 in the first strike. Or a thief carries a +5 one use dagger and puts poison on it for a special foe. It is cheaper to have 5 +1 fetish than one +5 charm. Lots of +1 sling stones might be handy. Making a one use +1 arrow or sling stone should be far easier than a permanently +1 weapon and this might be where they come from. +1 hit and damage would be two separate projects. Anything made into a fetish has artistic embellishments and looks fancy.
A war fetish carved into a bone arrow or painted sling stone can make a +1 hit and damage one-use magic ammo taking maker 2 days plus 2sp + ammo cost. You could earn a good living making these as a fletcher or make many more normal ones which in war would be more useful. A Sword with a +3 rechargeable blood fetish would be three days to make and cost 1000gp for the fetish crafting and 300 for the sword quality. It could be recharged by some guy in village (lv 9-12) for 100gp in 3 days. So economics on these not as good as spells or traditional magic items in long run but easier to learn.
Could let a commoner drive off a magic beast. A crafted fetish weapon might have three separate +1 fetish charms built in that could be reset in 3 days if shaman not too busy. A fetish maker will be reluctant to recharge a fetish with a condition contrary to their alignment.
1 Alarm Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator gives fetish a 10-foot cube area to protect
-Set minimum size to set off an alarm when created from small, medium or large
-If left to watch area and triggered will either send a whisper to caster or scream one round
-Each activation uses reduces the cube area affected till item has no power
-Conditions include to not react to non-tribe members, non-residents or certain alignments
-Placed on doors, secret doors, chests, treasures, sleeping children
2 Animus Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator lets fetish bearer halt HP through blood then loses a use
-Conditions might be to only benefit certain faction or species
-A fetish owner might put in unconscious person's hand to halt their blood loss
-Pendant or a scar or a miniature figurine
3 Bad Fetish
-Calls malignant spirit that activate traps, alarms, levers, buttons, drop, push, grab
-10 foot square trigger per four levels, loses 10 foot square each activation till depleted
-each activation reduces size of the defended area until none left
-Makes traps more discriminating and deadlier but trap experts know the signs
-Could leave with a crossbow or several muskets and fire possibly multiple weapons
-Multiple actions could all be used at once or in sequence like shut door dire bolt
-Day per plus to make and a blood sacrifice a medium creature
-Conditions to react only to a certain faction or ignore a group like the makers
4 Bless Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator gives fetish a +1 on a specific stat save or attack roll once
-Conditions include vs certain species (humans) or threat (fire) or alignment (C ot CE)
-Can use all pluses at once or as you please one at a time
-Carried on user to benefit, the standard fetish type
5 Bone Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator gives fetish a +1 weapon damage
-Each time you damage a foe weapon loses a plus until all consumed
-Placed on weapons mostly, exhausted very quickly
-Conditions include vs specific alignment or nationality
-Day per plus to make and a blood sacrifice a medium creature
6 Blood Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator gives fetish a +1 chance of a critical
-Once damage a foe a use is lost and loses a +1 in effect
-Will let someone with no critical hit chance critical on a natural 20
-Will allow those with a critical hit chance to increase their chances
-Conditions specialised on a certain foe like undead, spiders, reptiles to make the last longer
-Placed on weapons mostly
-Day per plus to make and a blood sacrifice a medium creature
7 Border Fetish
-When line 20 foot per level is crossed intruders get a wandering monster chance roll
-Each actual encounter reduces the power of fetish by 20 foot
-Mark a line or leave a thread to make, can then hide
-Set with an alarm fetish so increases the chance of a monster
-Condition to nationality, race, tribe, family help it last longer
8 Curse Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator gives fetish a -1 on a specific stat save or attack roll once
-Conditions include effect only non tribe members so they can move object
-Can use all pluses at once or as you please one at a time, set by creator
-left out with treasure or put inside valuables to curse enemies
9 Fertility Fetish
-10 foot radius area per 4 levels increases fertility, growth and lactation in area
-Can use to blight area instead and render enemy impotent; infertile or as a contraceptive
-Cover a garden or person's bed or animals pen increasing natural growth by d20%
-Condition to effect certain species or person
-Each year loses 10 foot radius until depleted
10 Flesh Fetish
-extra +1 HP per 5HD, when HP lost fetish shatters into fragments
-Conditions include vs certain attacks like arrows or fire or vs certain species
-a medium creature sacrifice is required
11 Harm Fetish
-Inflicts 1 HP damage per 4 levels on contact once made with a bang and a flash
-Once damage done fetish turns to ash often with a spark flash or cracks and smoke
-Usually left on fancy knickknacks around as a trap that locals warned about
-Used as alignment tester or alarm, on sling stones, can damage melee weapons
-Conditions include target species or alignment or type of elemental damage
-Day per plus to make and a blood sacrifice a medium creature
12 Medicine Fetish
-10-foot cube and heals 1HP per 4 levels on healing from nights rest
-Often burned in a fire, broken or consumed in the rest
-Can use it to make it cause harm instead so all in the area lose HP over a nights rest
-Power is depleted after a single rest, around fetish over 8 hours
-Condition to only heal certain alignment or species
-Often carried by a healer or used assistant in an emergency, candles common
13 Nightmare Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator makes 10-foot diameter area
-Everyone trying to rest or sleep has terrible dreams and cannot rest properly
-Each sleeping person in an area saves to rest properly, otherwise wastes 8 hours
-Each successful nightmare reduces the power by 10-foot radius until none
-Conditions often to target non-tribe members or a species or gender or alignment
-Placed as tests, to keep faithful awake, or make enemies unable to recover curse places
14 Morale Fetish
-10-foot radius area & +1 Morale per 4 levels increases or decreases morale in zone
-Each morale roll affected by fetish loses 10-foot radius until depleted
-Conditions like only effect makers faction or based on species or alignment
-Often placed on banners, thrones, altars, boss rooms, treasury doors, gates
15 Pain Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator gives fetish a +1 hit roll
-Each time damages a foe a +1 in lost until all depleted
-Conditions include vs certain foes such as magic creatures, undead, elves, any evil-aligned
-Placed on weapons mostly
16 Shield Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator gives fetish a +1 on AC vs one successful hit
-Once damage get though one use is lost and loses a +1 in effect
-Conditions such as melee or missile only or only vs unseen attackers make last longer
-Placed on armour or shields or items of clothing or jewellery
17 Spirit Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator gives fetish a 10 yards area where spirits become visible at night
-they are luminous and transparent as spirits but some can manifest bodies-Each spirit revealed in a day reduces the radius by 10 yards until depleted
-Conditions such as reveal only evil spirits or spirits possessing someone or in disguise help make the wards last longer. Common spirits shun attention, some don't care
-Placed on sticks placed around area warded with fetish in middle
18 Target Fetish
-Each 4 Lv of creator gives fetish a +1 to be hit by enemies
-Once damage hurts carrier one use is used and loses a +1 in effect until depleted
-Can include condition such as melee or missile or magic
-Placed on tempting treasures so enemies take them from treasure piles
19 Vermin Fetish
-10-foot radius area per 4 levels attracts or repels vermin as per makers preference
-Vermin include: rats, fleas, weevils, ants, mould, fungi, slime, maggots, flies, worms
-Each month radius drops by 10 foot until depleted
-Plant in enemy food supplies or wells but some creatures might think this is more food
-Condition to molest or protect certain goods or a person
20 Ward Fetish
-Vs one creature type undead, demon, lycanthrope, mammal, elemental, elves, goblinoids, devils, witches, goblinoids, elves, sylvan, plant, dragon, reptile, bird, amphibian, etc
-Each 4 Lv of creator protects 10 cubic foot of dwelling or just a doorway
-Each time an undead attempts to cross thresh hold they save or flee for a turn
-Each successful success reduces the power by 10 foot cube until none
-Fetish lasts for a year, some towns make an event to renew them in homes
-Conditions include a specific type of creature of the type to make them last longer
Examples
d12 Common Enemy Fetish (for low to mid-level warriors)
1 +1 Bless charm coin on DEX save one use
2 +1 Bless charm on a leather thong for CON save one use
3 +1 Bless charm on holy symbol for Will save one use
4 +1 Blood charm improved chance of a critical hit by one or 1 in 20 otherwise
5 Ring +1 Bless random stat, charm can be recharged by the creator
6 +1 Bless charm on a ring to hit one use
7 +1 Bless charm on a weapon to hit charm can be recharged by the creator
8 +2 Bless charm on a weapon to hit charm can be recharged by the creator
9 +1 Defence charm on shield or armour
10 +1 Attack charm on shield or armour
11 +2 Target fetish on a lead wrapped tooth, attracts missile attacks
12 Curse fetish from an enemy -2 on next Wis save
d12 Dungeon Boss Fancy Fetishes
-sub-boss and level boss=1 dungeon boss or big boss=2 Superbad boss=3
1 Helmet with a +1 defence fetish and fancy brush on top
2 Dagger with a +1 war fetish and poisoned
3 Knuckle duster, silver with +2 war fetish vs magical beings only
4 Woven hair charm wrapped around weapon acts as a +2 blood fetish
5 Fertility charm cursed used as contraception or curse
6 Evil god faced coin +2 Blood or Pain Charm
7 Alarm fetish idol screams to warn if humans in the area
8 Banner with +2 Morale over 20-foot radius for helping boss minions better
9 Medicine fetish +2 to use in emergencies
10 Crown with fertility fetish and Morale fetish of the rechargeable type
11 Fancy Hat has a Bless Fetish +3 for Wis saves
12 Concealed Knife has +2 Pain
d20 Common Dungeon Room Fetishes
1 Alarm fetish under floor of room entry screams for a round if passed
2 Alarm fetish on lid of container contact a local spell caster
3 Medicine fetish cursed and hidden causes anyone resting 8 hours here to lose 2HP
4 Curse fetish -3 on hit roll once, gold leaf coated acorn
5 Charm fetish +1 CHA roll on a coin one use
6 Blood fetish +1 on an arrow head
7 Nightmare Fetish with 20 foot radius, evil idol hidden in recent plaster of wall
8 Undead Ward Fetish with 20 cubic feet covering entrance in a zombie doll
9 Border Fetish made from human leg bones covering a 20 foot line
10 Border Fetish and Alarm fetish form painted totem pole ignores ignore locals
11 Vermin ward to repel and protect goods or placed by enemies as sabotaged
12 Fertility Fetish protecting a plant or fungus or a bed or can be reversed to sterilise
13 Morale fetish and Border fetish that might call wandering monsters set vs outsiders
14 Room seems like a good place to hide and secure has a bad medicine fetish and a nightmare fetish making it a bad place to rest. Shutting selves in with deadbolt sends a alarm to fetish crafting boss who can arrive with helpers to barricade party in room
15 Harm fetish in doorstep or door handle explodes of anyone good touches 1hp
16 Bad fetish slams and locks door, then releases gas, first person clutching at door during save gets CON -2 save
17 Fancy carved wooden spoon with a vermin fetish to attract food destroying critters
18 Poisoned trap with curse fetish barb -2 CON save once
19 Trap that inflicts damage like a scythe or deadfall has a bon fetish and does +1 damage
20 Spirit wards in room of carved bones, 20 yard area make stranger spirits visible
suggestions welcome
Celebrating Clam month! Dungeon clams you need them now. All settings.
Keep thinking of getting back to my undersea ruins dungeon design or compiling my maritime stuff.
Cave Clams, Mutated Animal, Neutral
Small HD 2 AC +5 d6 bite Mov 3 Swim 3 Climb 1
-on 20 to hit clam hangs on for d6 per round
Medium HD 5 AC +10 2d4 bite Mov 6 Swim 6 Climb 3
-on 19-20 to hit clam hangs on for 2d4 per round
Giant HD 12 AC +12 2d6 bite Mov 6 Swim 9 Climb 6
-on a 17-20 to hit clam hangs on for 2d6 per round
Cave clams are relatives of sea clams that live in caverns and cliffs and dungeons and sewers. They like to hide in cracks and crevices, strongly resemble stone or rock with a hard to see crack. Some are more colourful, some dig under floors or drop from above. Clams in hiding ambush on 1-4. Sometimes tiny ones cover floors looking like flagstones or rough boulder covered floors in a cave. The biggest one's mouths are like great doors that can swallow you up. Some especially under the lairs of evil alchemists. 1in4 have a pearl worth 100gp per HD. Larger ones are more mobile and several might accidentally cooperate. Some underland and underwater races cultivate them.
1in6 are Trench Clams with 4 "feet" +3 Move Burrow 3 in soil or mud, dig pits and trenches
1in6 are Dungeon Clams and they look like a secret door in the rock to lure you close
1in6 are Ram Clams, swap bite attack for knockback attack, affects HD equal to clams
1in8 are Fire Clams anyone touching or being snapped by one takes a d3 fire damage
1in8 are Ice Clams anyone touching or being snapped by one takes a d3 ice damage
1in10 are Invisible Clams that are concealed as the invisibility ability always on
1 in 10 are Jumping Jack Clams that can jump their HD in range once every three rounds
1in10 are Siege Clams shoot an 18 range indirect explosive glob grenade 2d4 1 wide circle
1in10 are Regenerating clams regrowing 1HP a round unless from acid or fire
1in12 are Displacer Clams, +2AC & first attack misses if not aware of displacement effect
1in12 are Blink Clams that teleport 3 range once per round after they bite
1in20 are Night Clams that generate 1 range radius of darkness per point of climb speed, they detect as evil and think dark clam thoughts constantly
1in20 are Chaos Clams have minor mutation per 2HD major mutation per 5HD, glow and scream and hide in dark muddy chaos bogs. Body parts stay lit for d4 days after death
d10 Cave Clam Adventures
1 The marsh fishermen started losing their dogs then children, now a legless survivor says it was damned giant clams!
2 Something crawls out of the well each night leaving a wet trail and making clacking sounds and anyone who goes to look is found decapitated
3 A child fell into a cave through a hole. An adult size entry by the old alchemist's ruined heap will let you get in to save the child. Locals all fear the dreaded clams and give up hope
4 A wet damp sinkhole by the sea was said to be where a pirate buried his treasure. A ship was sailed into a cave and sealed in. Adventurers may climb down the hole with ropes and help. Cave clams are in the lower parts of the hole before it opens into flooded cave of saltwater home of the great clam behemoth. Treasure is inside the clam and the sea entry was blown up by the pirate sealing his loot here
5 A small village popular with city visitors has had a clam outbreak as part of a curse. Fish folk hid an evil idol in a cave under the beach that is flooded and guarded by dread clams
6 A sea wizard made a dungeon only breathable for a few hours a day on the reef and marine cave clams infest it guarding an imprisoned sea nymph in a cave of pearls
7 A ship has been trapped by several enormous clams and the crew need help to fight the monsters and save the ship
8 A mermaid princess was eaten by a cave clam in a trench and her family seed someone to quickly rescue the body so she can be raised from the dead and still look pretty
9 A wizard has orcs and siege clams and has been attacking fortified buildings outside town
10 Migrating ram clams come ashore for ancient migration route, knock over everything in path and locals want help getting rid of them. Lots of poles slow or stop them best
11 A tribe of kobolds have been cultivating cams in the deep for aeons now have spares and they have been leaving pits with clams in the for idiots to fall in
12 Villagers years ago stored emergency supplies in cave and a recent check up had revealed cave clams living off rats had got in and grown too big to get past doors. These were a climbing variety who drop from the ceiling onto victims
Look out for those invisible fire trench ram clams that regenerate
So nice comments on last few posts and i was asked by Tim Baker about Al Quadim setting stuff after these posts. I quit dnd about 91 and got more into RQ and CoC and TSR Marvel and homebrew SF games. Basically product lines from around then were of less interest to me art and text wise. Plus earlier modules are simple and easy to work with. They have simple plots easily made more complex. Making less complex or more open is difficult. Post Desert of Desolation series and Dragonlance more so things became more linear and overly detailed and over written into the 90s. Brave ideas got watered down. Demons and devils were persecuted for being to evil in a game about fighting evil etc.
i never had or seen Al Quadim stuff much till recently. The day of AlAkbar was a funny module i liked when i was 15 (including cover older friends at uni laughed at) and like Dragonlance books I just went into marvel comics, Morecock, 2000ad. I had seen gurps book and iron crown one on setting but i think at this time i just got into history reading and classics. Probably i was more into bronze age.
I might do desert of desolation and the master of desert nomads series.
Early tsr stuff needed more work to pad them out and were more like board game set ups in some ways. By Hickman era style became big things became highly detailed over written linear adventures and mostly less interesting and harder to work. Simple old dungeons don't need much to improve. Most have encounters, treasure, some simple goals, defence plans. Mostly I like to add lots of factions to meet or find signs of and be able to potentially work with. Rival competitions explorers or cults or greedy wizards are good. Factions that might be helped or used or aid you in a crisis or if captured are good.
i did make a god for my setting that was for my desert nomads in various settings and it was accidentally good...
Slave Lord Series
Slavery is bad and you can fight it and die trying!
These were early purchases long ago for me in 84. And i complected a set in several bundles and POD versions on drive through in 2019.
You could ignore tournament stuff but pregens also good for a lethal short campaign or npc meatshields or sent by factions as rivals.
The series has a good moral evil villain to stop
Know people hurt or taken by slavers enough bait
You are basically commandos, spies and at times infiltrators and assassins
Bad guys are just wealthy and greedy murder hobos
Spin it like James bond but with wizards and monsters but they take up spaceYour outcome could effect slavery world wide and effect many factions
Run it as a 1400-1600 European adventure, full of swashbuckling and some guns
d12 Patrons
1 Guild slavery banned from guild influenced lands
2 Noble family wants lost kin returned
3 Merchant clan wants slavery banned as devalues goods
4 A good church order funds and aids expedition to rescue pilgrim
5 Tribes folk want slavers to leave them alone pay in pearls
6 Criminal guild linked to rival slaver org put out of business
7 A foreign empire wants to know slavers secrets and possible risks
8 Slavers of the Forbidden City serpent folk have been short of human sacrifices
9 Drow clan short on slaves and tired of humans slaves thinking they own own slaves
10 Several religions of good has sent priests to recruit adventurers to eliminate slavers
11 Evil church want to get piece of the action, find out secrets and attempt to join them
12 Terrible lords of the under ground black lotus kindom dislike slavers raiding their drug addled labourers from surface plantationsMost want information, some hope for business leverage. Scarlet legion or Drow are involved in slavers but you could have them send stooges to test factions or test weaknesses. Have patrons help sailing you to anywhere needed and travel costs.
d12 Why I hate Slave Lords
1 Captured family members and took them away
2 Someone you know spoke against them and was stabbed
3 Town you came from was burned down by slaver raiders
4 Country that opposed them became strife with civil war and assassins and evil cults
5 Secretive agents of some brotherhood killed your family for opposing slavers
6 Churches opposed to slavery have been attacked and donations given to pro slavery faiths
7 They use bribery and corruption to change laws to be pro slavery
8 Common folk in clan driven off land by slave labourers and moved to city slums
9 Born into slavery and adopted into owners family, remember real family and slavers
10 Enslaved but escaped or left for dead
11 Saw a country opposed to raiding slavers destroyed and over run with humanoids
12 Noble sold own serfs from slavers and replaced them with thrall goblins
Also scarlet brotherhood might hire someone test the security and purge the weakest links in slavers and send party pretending to be a faction. End of A3 could include party employers informed slavers you were coming.
Extra factions, patrons and thinking about slaver's heroes influences
Monster types are a good guide for factions within a dungeon
Bosses have other motivations and interests outside slavers
A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity
-Slavers have yellow sails
-Despoiled city of Highport in Wastes of Parmarj
-Awesome ruins needs more work and some demon cults
-Overrun by humanoids hell yeah! Why are I not there now?
-Old invisible thief slaver boss trick and a witch doctor
-Sewers with crocs!Id name more bad guys and extend ruins. Have to find the temple for a while before entering would be ok. Perhaps question prisoner or escaped slave. Have some maps and handouts for the bosses to have at end - scribe and the thief.
d12 Ruin Encounters by Day
1 Pteradactyl d4
2 Harpies d4
3 Baslisks d2
4 Orc scouts x12
5 Aspis scouts
6 Doppelgangers 2d4
7 Dimetradons d4
8 Cannibal tribal hunters 3d4
9 Sundew
10 Carrion crawler d2
11 Slavers 3d4 moving prisoners 2d4 with 2d4 guards and foreman with whip
12 Slaver comanders d3 with 12 orc squad with a sarge and a d4 ogres
d12 Ruin Encounters by Night
1 Leopard stalking victim
2 Ghouls 2d4
3 Zombies 3d4
4 Orc scouts 12
5 Orc infantry 12
6 Orcs off duty drunk 3d4
7 Orc priest and d12 cultists
8 Stirges d10
9 Wight
10 Shadows 2d4
11 Ogres d4
12 TrollCool boss guys (need names and more info)
Orc Chief of orc tribe might like names for both
Orc Witchdoctor
Nameless thief runs base for slave lords
A2 Secrets of the Slavers Stockade
-Lost old castle of Drachensgrab is a slaver trade route base
-Processing and fattening of slaves (rendered puffin lard?)
-Several slave lord bosses to kill
-A-team style raid on prison
Monsters are mostly nocturnal but keep to human time mostly and by night let some monsters in fort loose or up from basement. If alarms ring use day table indoors and night for uncovered areas.
d12 Fort Day Encounters
1 Hobgoblin squad
2 Vipers d3
3 War Dogs 2d4
4 Bugbears x2
5 Gnolls 2d6
6 Escaped Slave x1
7 Slavers 2d6 with slaves 2d4
8 Slaver patrol with trader
9 Orc drunks d4 punishing slave
10 Orc matrons doing chores 2d6
11 Goblin riding warg
12 Giant Rats 4d6
d12 Night Encounters
1 Hobgoblin squad
2 Hobgoblin shaman & 2d4 hobgoblins
3 Cave lizard
4 Carnivorous Apes d3
5 Cave Spider d2
6 Escaped Slave x1
7 Cave Beetle
8 Spectral minion d8 HD in one or multiple peaple
9 Cloaker
10 Squad of orcs
11 Boggle wandering about like an idiot
12 Giant Rats 4d6
Cool boss guys
Markessa beautiful elf boss here for cash, power and chance to make vivisection monsters
Blackthorn ogre magi in human form second in command
Fyndax Alchemist assists Markessa's experiments
Kyvin Trist evil scribe (he talks in libraries and eats in bed reading books?)
A3 The Aerie of the Slave Lords
-Infamous for killing the party as plot device-Crazy caves of Drachensgrab made to look like has choice but not really much-Secret trip to Suderham and it's council of slavelord leaders
-Hidden City of Suderham urban adventure
-Bad guys just greedy crooked adventurer party not supernatural evil plots
-Catacombs with with warned enemies waiting intent on killing party, ask questions later
Its pretty narrative linear adventure with limited agency beyond surviving a ambush. Id try to not end of the cliffhanger of everyone beaten and murdered. My players beat the ambush anyway but were worried. The Drow could or priest might have a demon ally they use under duress at risk of their souls.
Cool boss guys
Feetia 10 fighter - buccaneer runs slavers fleet or raiders and transporting
Nerilas 11th level assassin leads a assassin order protecting slave lord interests
Mordrammo 9th Level cleric of the earth dragon
Ajakstu 9yh level wizard fears awesome staff near depleted, uses crystal ball to spy on party
Brother Millerjai 9th level monk of scarlet brotherhood involved in this part of evil scheme
A4 In the Dungron of the Slavelords
-Volcano erupts in the slavelords secret island capitol!
-Another party of greedy murderhobo billionaires to kill
-Players resurrected interrogated tortured then escape prison naked!
-Escape dungeon then volcano and kill the slavelords
-Possibly make friends with mushroom folk, they might know volcano coming
-I think a explanation for volcano might help not just dumb luck (dragons? Gods?)
-Maybe gods started volcano to bust you out of prison
Good dramatic idea of killing and put in a dungeon but most gamers would be upset. Perhaps some patrons might request dead slave lords bodies so they can raise dead or speak with dead. Might give players idea idea slavers will do this or do a cut away to some god in the land of the dead sending them home.
Cool boss guys
Stalman Klim evil high priest Probably WeeJas or of some evil god involvedTheg Narlot half orc fighter assasin runs assassins and orc hordes used by slavers
Edraive drow fghter/cleric, so drow again! those bastards!
Lemonster the Illusionist greedy hedonist
Brother Kerin of the scarlet brotherhood
Slippery Ketta the thief runs infiltration and thieves guilds across world
So reading lots of stuff as holidays and my friends I thought id see all doing family stuff so might go away next years hols. I have done some giant stuff before. Giant land and my magic tree kingdoms in the sky. My war with giantland and ruins of Castle Colossus, a mighty ancient ruined giant kingdom. So this might end up like all that one day. My murder hobo dungeon bastards like demolished G1 and were sick of monster killing half way through G2. When I first played it in 80s my players had a giant overdose. Once party are a well honed giant killing squad most monsters have to fear them. Also the original 3 modules have extra art so i might get drive through POD.
Best Things in G1 The Murdering of the Hill Giant Chief
-Giant bag table, stunning stuff
-The Hill giant hall fight is a huge meat grinder
-My Druid wanted to block all the passes to giant land with magic
-Helping slaves revolt and have them murder former masters while helping
-Hidden wierd temple ty some long lost mythos religion
-Magic that helps vs giants in treasure
Best Things in G2 Skull rift of the Frost Giant Jarl
-The rock art in wall depicting advanced civilised giants vs dragons
-Monsters on Ice!
-Lots of good magic loot
-Giant vikings and bears in a giant icebar
Best Things in G3 Harm of the Fire Giant King
-Drow up to no good as clou should be more of this
-In Muspelhiem invading the world tree awesome!
-Women to rescue from dungeon i liked when 13
-Mentions spell wall of tentacles for drow
-possibly recruit a bunch of naked gnolls
-The demon staff is soooo coool and meta
l- Free a titan in prison and a cursed altar
d12 Rumours
1 Giants working together is part of a terrible prophecy
2 A dark unknown force is spying on the kingdom
3 Cattle prices have soared from giants plundering region
4 Flash flood from mountains brought down several giant animal bodies
5 Humans have been carried off as slaves under the mountain like old times
6 Humans have no choice but accept the yoke of slavery from giants or be eaten
7 Merchant bankers do not want and will reward giant killers
8 Gods and giants had wars in area long ago leaving marks in rock long ago
9 Noble Alliance recruiting giant killing adventurers in competition for contract
10 All the land and valleys around here were made by giants
11 The giant lands have secret roads to other worlds where giants rule
12 Plucky band of villagers are seeking heroes to join them for glory in giantland
d12 Frontier Encounters Day
1 Refugees fleeing area in panic, tell of kin eaten alive by giants and worse
2 Optimistic soldiers marching off 8 hours later demoralised survivors limp home
3 Giant killers looking to get rich quick
4 Hill giant and a pet d4 1=cave bear 2=sabretooth 3=direwolf 4=dimetrodon
5 Hill giant with d4 ogres, 2d6 cavemen raiding land of humans
6 Squad of orc scouts with three more infantry squads and commanders nearby
7 Stranger wants to join you d4 1=bard 2=doppelganger 3=assassin 4=
8 Hill giant shaman hero with evil treant and 2d4 scout ogre allies who throw rocks
9 Group with a fire giant, a frost giant and a d4 hill giants
10 Demihuman reporting on giants beyond frontier and entry to giantland
11 Cyclops priest with d3 hill hill giants and 2d6 orcs veterans riding dire wolves
12 A stone giant watches party. Will talk but mostly just flees and merges with some rock
d12 Frontier Encounters Night
1 Ghouls 3d42 Were wolves 2d4
3 Wights 2d4 hungry for corpses left by giants
4 Zombie ogres 6HD each 2d4 from tribe rejected drow
5 Squad of orc scouts with three more infantry squads and commanders nearby6 Dire wolves 2d4 hunting
7 Hill giant scouts d4
8 Ogres hunting humans with baskets on backs 3d4
9 Giant carnivorous bats 3d4
10 Group with a fire giant, a frost giant and a d4 hill giants
11 Drow squad with magician seeking mischief against humans
12 Runaway orc slave hates giants will serve who helps them
d12 Factions in Dungeon
1 Drow spies with shadows and doppelgangers report to underland city nobility
2 Drow spider witch cult serve a underland spider goddess who wants conquest
3 Drow demon witch cult serve greater demons under a broad cloak of united evil
4 Hill giant cultists are primitive hunters who woorship and serve hill giants
5 Frost giant cultists are a viking cult who want to rule a frozen world with ice magic
6 Fire giants cult love war and weapons and smelters and mines forever
7 Stone Giants dont want to join alliance but will keep an eye on situation and giant killers
8 Giant Killers Guild a prestigious org regulating giant killing and planning attacks
9 Dragon cultists run by shape shifting dragons and draconian folk seek to sabotage giants
10 Mystic troll elders time travelling to help free trolls from giant control
11 Orc slaves want to free kinfolk kept by humans will bond with human brothers who help
12 Titan order serve titans most who died battling the gods long ago or were imprisoned
d12 Reasons Giants thinks Drow are AOK?
1 Drow give us drugs that are amazing stuff from all over the underland
2 Drow have brought us magic and coins to help giants rule again!
3 Drow give us new pets and servant creatures like real underland warlords
4 Drow give us erotic furniture and smutty scrolls that have enriched our love lives
5 Drow are master strategists and magicians, together we can fight the gods!
6 Drow are teaching some of their magic and increasing our trade through the underland
7 Humans have squeezed us into seclusion but now giants will rule the surface world
8 Wizards were snooty and superior and we shunned alliance with them
9 Those disgusting slimey old horrors of the deep that sent the squid faced wizard folk were a lot less appealing and only want us for our brains and as slaves
10 Demons failed us before and cower before the human gods like worms
11 If we don't try to finish humans now giants are done for, accept Drow even if only for now
12 Drow support more giant autonomy and the right to eat lesser slave races, its ok to be a hateful evil giant
Giant types might have swapped children in alliance deal long ago and fire giants using this to unite all giants. See I have also done giant wars tables that would extend this adventure.
Giants might have more notes and documents or bags of cash minted in underland.
Agents of other powers want to see inside giants lairs also.Lots of visiting allies might leave mores or messages. Possibly in code.
Adding extra giant types is a bit of pain as you probably wanna change enemies after these three. Players want to cut a deal with the giant council or killing them or pushing factions to favourable conflict. Killing drow agents is good perhaps drow assassins kill someone to remind party they are not cool. Imagine if party sent as escorts to noble for peace talks and during feast giant chief kills and eats diplomat then look at party. You can make players feel bad with signs these are the last generation of giants so on verge of extermination.
