Tuesday's Monster Monday - Dryad

I missed yesterday's blog, because we were finalizing the Orb of Undying Discord (the link is a desktop version. RPGNow is weird about mobile/desktop.) Ian wrote a pretty good adventure, and it is a nice addition to the series. We've got it on sale for $3.99 for the holidays. January we will set the price at $4.99.

Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art (c) Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games

Enough of my sales pitch, though. We're here to talk about monsters. I've chosen dryad today because one is prominent in Orb of Undying Discord. Dryads are nature spirits, tied to a specific tree. In Greek mythology, they were tied specifically to oak trees, but the D&Dverse has mutated that to any tree.
Dryad's goals are usually pretty straightforward. They want to protect their trees, and themselves. In S&W, they have the ability to Charm Person to help accomplish their goals. Because of this, and their natural physical weakness, dryads are best used as oracles, or keepers of secrets.

Celania is a dryad deep in the forest around Redstone. She bonded to her oak almost 500 years ago. Through its roots she feels changes deep in the earth. She fears that something awful is moving up to the surface that will threaten both her tree and the city. In truth, three bulette have moved into the area, but have not yet reached the surface.

Almoris is a dryad very near the town of Stonemire. She often tells stories to the children of the area about nature and the land. Last week, while telling one of these stories she collapsed. Some villagers helped her back to her tree, where they found a new swamp rot infesting it. Without intervention from adventurers Almoris' tree will surely die. And worse, the rot will continue to spread toward Stonemire.

Barberea's tree is very unique. It is made of living stone, and grows and flourishes deep in the megadungeon. She knows where and how most creatures move in the deep passages, and can be persuaded to share this information for things that entertain her. Maybe a poem about earth would do the trick?

Ferne also has a tree near Redstone. But, she has been tasked by a powerful magic-user to guard the entrance to the Orb of Undying Discord's resting place. She was instructed to open the way only for powerful goodly people. But, she wants something in return. If you can find her grove, you are welcome to ask her the cost yourself.

No Monster Monday

Monster Monday didn't happen today. We were busy at Silver Bulette pushing out our newest module. You can find it here:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/227564/The-Orb-of-Undying-Discord

Silver Bulette has released their newest module, The Orb of Undying Discord! We've discounted it for the holidays, so it's only $3.99 for a limited time!

Written in S&W, it is the third in a series. The other two were written in SWL. (link above is a desktop link. RPGNow is weird about those.)

That's the post from some G+ sites. I will try to get my Monster Monday done tomorrow.

Monster Monday - Vrock

From Wikipedia, originally found in Monster Manual

It's amazing how little time there is between Halloween and Thanksgiving. It looks like we are only getting two birds for Monster Monday. I talked about doing roc, griffon, owlbear, harpy or hippogriff. And someday, I will probably do the majority of them.
Instead, I decided to do the vrock. The vrock is an instantly recognized demon that "somewhat resemble a cross between a human and a vulture. (Monster Manual)" Swords and Wizardry describes Vrock (First-Category Demon) as "vulture-headed with feathered humanoid bodies, and huge dark-feathered wings." Yup, demon-turkey-vulture.

As D&D has moved forward, the vrock has changed too. In AD&D, the vrock had 5' darkness, Detect Invisibility, Telekinesis, and 10% Gate chance. They had 8 HD, 0 AC and 5 attacks per round. Their magic resistance was 50%
In 2E, vrocks gain a spore attack that deals some damage, and eventually encases the recipient in vines. They also now have a 'screech' that will stun everyone within 30' for a round (save applicable.) In 2E, they cannot be hit without a +2 weapon enchantment bonus and their AC improved to -5. Vrocks MR changed to 70%. They also gain Detect Magic, Mass Charm, and Mirror Image. Second Edition also gave the vrock the Dance of Ruin ability. Their Gate becomes much more powerful, with a 50% chance of success, and more possible creatures to summon.

3rd Edition saw the vrock change a bit more. Their AC went to 25, which is not surprising due to the massive changes to the game. Their spell list expands to include Desecrate, and Detect Good. Their Gate ability drops to a 35% chance (and is renamed Summon Tanar'ri.) The vrock's darkness ability becomes the spell, with a 30' radius.

I don't have the 4E and 5E stats nearby, so maybe someone will fill us in.

In Mord Mar, I have a few vrock running around. Any of these vrock can be a foil for one or several sessions. Remember, I use 1E/Swords & Wizardry for the majority of my sessions.
Cul'cha free roams the halls, and has created a small force of chaos. Among his forces are an ettin (his lieutenant), a pack of gnolls (last counted at 10), a group of orcs (25-75 depending on circumstances) and a cockatrice (his pet). He is strong and dumb. He often simply throws resources at whatever his target is, relying on his reputation to soften his enemy's resolve. Cul'cha prefers to capture enemies alive and convert them to his cause, almost exclusively through intimidation.
Ean is a vrock who was summoned by Percy Vanswift. Percy did not bargain well and lost his life and holdings to Ean. Ean has gained control of a small subsection in the sewers of Mord Mar, and defends his holdings with oozes, slimes and jellies. Like cranberry sauce, but deadly.
Ezz was a vrock once, but through a bargaining with a night hag ascended to an altroloth. His gain in power was not without cost. Summoners do not need to know Ezz's true name. He generally resides on his home plane, because he is so easy to summon. Although he has ascended forms, Ezz is still of low intelligence. He is easily manipulated and often bargains poorly.

Monster Monday - Cockatrice

I've missed a couple of weeks of Monster Monday because of Gamehole. It was an awesome time, and the Silver Bulette crew made a plan for the rest of the year. Expect to see Ian finish his Undying Orb series and then I will make it into a full blown adventure! But, that's not why you are here today. You are here to see cockatrices and how they can be an interesting encounter.

Image found on Wikimedia Commons

Cockatrices (cockatri?) trace their roots back to at least Roman times. They were said to be the result of a chicken egg incubated by a snake. Modern D&D mythology sees them as an amalgamation of the two. The description in the 1E Monster Manual reads "The serpentine tail of the cockatrice is yellow green, its feet and beak yellow, its wings are gray, its feathers are golden brown, and its wattles, comb, eyes, and tongue are red." Swords & Wizardry has the following description "A cockatrice resembles a bat-winged monster with a long, serpentine tail." The S&W stats (Monstrosities pg 70) are:

Cockatrice
Hit Dice: 5
Armor Class: 6 [13]
Attack: Bite (1d6 + turn to stone)
Save: 12
Special: Bite turns to stone
Move: 6/18 (flying)
Alignment: Neutral
Challenge Rating/XP: 8/800

According to D&D (1E) cockatrices are found in temperate to tropical regions, both above and below ground. S&W lists them in the dungeon, forest, grassland, and hills terrain tables. They aren't listed in the jungle table, surprisingly.

With that all said, here's a few ways that I have used or seen cockatrices.

A nest of cockatrices beds at a major crossroads between cities, preventing caravans from going through. The city guard hires adventurers to clean up the nest, but they find the mayor (or king) has already been there, and has been stoned. 

The ranking member of the church in the party's village was ambushed by a medusa. Now, the party needs to find cockatrice feathers to make the Stone to Flesh potion to turn him back.

An unkillable monster resides deep in a cavern. Sages say he can be defeated, though. All that is needed is to have him turn to stone. Capturing a few live cockatrices and sneaking them into the monster's lair can't be that hard, right?