Nobberloch

Nobberloch

No. Enc: 3d10
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Movement: 90’ (30’)
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 1
Attacks: 1+special
Damage: 1d4+special
Save: F1
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: None
XP: 22

Nobberlochs are the servants of dark deities and tend to spawn in black caverns or pools of ruined water where such entities are worshipped. They appear as slimy, yellow-green bipedal humanoids with thin, lanky limbs and a bulbous stomach. Their heads are potato shaped with large, fish-like eyes and a mouth full of writhing worms that serve as a tongue. They cannot speak but can communicate with one another telepathically over a distance of 200’.

The stench of a nobberloch is so foul that anyone within 60’ must pass a saving throw vs. poison or begin vomiting, unable to take any actions or movement for one round. Once the save is made an individual can stomach the odor for the duration of their exposure to it.

In combat, nobberlochs attempt to grab their targets and bite with their wormy mouths. On a successful attack roll the sticky mucus on their hands allows them to latch on and make a second attack roll to land a bite. To break the grip of a nobberloch, the target must pass a Strength check on the following round after being grabbed.

The bite deals 1d4 points of damage and the target must pass a saving throw vs. poison or be infected with a nobberloch worm which will hatch from the throat of the victim in 1d4 turns. The birth of the worm deals 3d6 points of damage to its host.

A cure disease or remove curse will safely remove the worm. The only other way to destroy it is to pour salt on the wound. This action will cause 1d3 points of damage to the victim and has a 4-in-6 chance of killing the worm before it emerges.

Nobberlochs are able to use their webbed, mucus-coated hands and feet to help them climb any surface (90% skill). They do not carry weapons and do not care for treasure. Their only purpose and desire is to serve their dark masters. Anyone touched by a nobberloch will stink for 1d4+1 days. Normal clothes, armor, and items will have a permanent stench. The secretions of a nobberloch can be used to erode stone or corrode metal, though this is not an effective attack mode.

Nobberloch Worm

No. Enc: 1d4
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Movement: 90’ (30’)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 5+2 (see below)
Attacks: 1+special
Damage: 1d8+special
Save: F5
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: None
XP: 860

The nobberloch worm is born from those infected by the nobberloch’s bite. This creature is 3’ long at birth and grows to 10’ within 1d6 rounds. It is very tough and has a slimy texture that makes it impossible to grip.

At birth the creature has 1+2 hit dice and gains 1 per round for 5 rounds.

The bite of a worm is poisonous and those who fail to save will take 1d4 ongoing damage (save ends) and be infected with another worm (see nobberloch description). This creature’s only purpose is to consume living flesh for the glory of the dark gods.

Herpor

Herpor

No. Enc: 2d4
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Running: 180' (60')
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3+1
Attacks: 2 claws, 1 bite
Damage: 1d4/1d4/1d8
Save: F3
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: VI
XP: 140

These 4' tall reptilian humanoids have a long, dinosaur-like snout and three vicious claws on each hand. They dwell in large, round caverns where they nurse their eggs to maturity and drag slain animals and (preferably) humans to the meat pile for consumption.

Using their long tails as a counterweight, they are able to run in an exaggerated, forward-leaning stance and reach speeds of 60' per round for up to 3 rounds at a stretch. In addition to possessing sharp claws for slashing and a huge, toothy mouth for biting they are able to breath a 10' x 10' cloud of black poison gas once per day. Anyone within this cloud must save vs. breath attacks or take 2d6 points of damage (save reduces by half). Those who fail this saving throw must also pass a save vs. poison or else take 1d4 additional points of damage each round until the save is made.

Herpors possess telekinesis which they can use once per turn. This functions like the spell but the duration is 1d4 rounds and the weight limit is anything up to 200 lbs. Any group of 10 or more herpors will have at least 1 greater herpor. Any herpor lair will possess 10d10 herpors and 1d10 greater herpors, one of which will be the lair queen.

Herpor, Greater

No. Enc: 1d4
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Running: 180' (60')
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 8+1
Attacks: 2 claws, 1 bite, or tail
Damage: 1d4/1d4/1d8, or 1d6
Save: F8
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: XIV
XP: 2420

This creature is the female of the herpor species and stands 7' tall with powerful muscles and a tail capable of knocking opponents prone on a successful hit roll of 18 or higher. The greater herpor has all the abilities of the males but may affect up to 500 lbs. with her telekinetic ability. The poison breath of a greater herpor fills a 40' area and deals 4d6 points of damage (save for half). The continuing poison damage that occurs on a failed save vs. poison is 1d6 (save ends).

The female of the species may issue a piercing shriek that will magically summon 1d10 herpors on the following round. Females are capable of casting Magic-User spells as a 3rd level caster and are intelligent enough to speak common plus 1d4 other languages in addition to their own primitive speech.

The herpor queen, leader of the lair, is a 12 HD monster that casts spells as a 5th level Magic-User. The queen also possesses wings and may fly at a speed of 150' (50').

Frimmsreach Episode #42

EPISODE #42

SUMMARY:

Game Date: 01-12-15

Cast: Sparruu, Frothgar, Argus, Azmooth

Blood on the altar! A portal of unknown portent! And the wizard Blart on the stairs...what is going on in the Shrine? Where are the captive villagers? Is this THEIR blood?

And why is Blart acting so weird?

"A fine mess." he says. "Do you know how hard it is to summon a terror worm? I did all the rituals. But we're short by one piece on the list...the blood of a king. Or at least the descendant of one..."

With that, Fjarlneski the giant slayer whirls around and slices at Argus! His blood splatters into the pit...what treachery is this?? And is Argus the heir of a throne??

The retaliation is fierce. Uul Ulu, Fjarlneski's companion, is stunned as well. He is not on the side of evil after all.

A few sword swings and spells later and the two worm villains take their final plunge into the abyss, satisfied they have pleased their dark mistress...for the ground begins to shake and rumble! The stairs crack, the well portal swells...and out of it emerges the great black terror worm!

The heroes flee as the temple crumbles. But there is no where to go. And then they see it...the dwarven hammer Thrumbok! Churned up in the rubble, lying near the beast. Argus and Frothgar run to reclaim it. Meanwhile the others engage the monster.

Soon the hammer is in Frothgar's hands and he lands a mighty, mighty blow! The hammer's head, already cracked, shows another crack. The lore says the hammer was damaged when it was first used against the worm gods. Frothgar knows it has but a few blows left in it. He must make his strikes true.

Argus lends aid with the mighty Haverok and between the two combatants the terror worm takes much damage. From a distance Azmooth punctures the beast with her arrows. Sparruu, lacking other options, decides to become a gnomish hero and stab at the thing with is own sword. Uul Ulu strikes with his staff while Falki the hunter hurls a javelin.

Moments later the beast snatches Falki by its teeth, crushing the happless hunter!

Another thunderous strike from Frothgar crushes the middle of the monster. It begins to thrash about, rolling madly in its pain. And in this thrashing is caught the brave trickster cleric Sparruu, jungle gnome far from home! He is pulverized by the giant body and rejoins Miana Musina in his/her paradise.

Having no time for sorrow, the heroes redouble their efforts. Sword, staff, arrow, and hammer come to bear and Argus lays the finishing blow by cutting the monstrous thing in half.

The heroes gather the body of Sparruu and flee the temple by the way they came...

As the sun rises the remaining shattered townspeople of Frostmyr hold a ceremony to celebrate Winterturn and to celebrate the gnome who so recently aided them and paid the ultimate price. Frothgar speaks highly of Sparruu, invoking the names of Frimm and Miana Musina.

During the festivities Azmooth and Quilliam are not to be seen, something about "inventory" at Bjarns.

Argus displays an occasional tear for his friend trickling down his sinewy cheek. But Aggi Migloden the healer is quick to wipe them away.

And so ends the saga of the Shrine of Worms. Our adventurers can rest...for now.

End of Episode #42

Frimmsreach Episode #41

EPISODE #41

SUMMARY:

Game Date: 01-19-15

Cast: Sparruu, Frothgar, Argus, Azmooth

Down, down, once more into the darkness of the Shrine of Worms! A recent cave opening yawns. Nearby several trolls and giants are eating...perhaps dead villagers?

The heroes bypass this threat and head down into the hole. Down, down they go back into the Shrine, cleverly avoiding traps. But they are menaced by a small band of drow...evil little imps with illusion magic at their command. They strike a truce with the drow only be be betrayed by them moments later as the drow scream ahead to warn a team of orc guards.

Sparruu clocks one drow with a well-placed sling stone, followed by the most annoying gnome laughter imaginable.

The orcs prove no challenge as Uul Ulu puts them to sleep.

Inside the Shrine the adventurers encounter strange, stinking reptile men and discover that the well atop the Shrine is now some kind of swirling vortex...surrounded by fresh blood. Are they too late? Are the villagers all dead?

Turning away from the vortex they are met by old Blart, the wizard who lived near the village of Frostmyr. "A fine mess." he says.

End of Episode #41

Frimmsreach Episode #40

EPISODE #40

SUMMARY:

Game Date: 01-12-15

Cast: Sparruu, Frothgar, Argus, Azmooth

Our heroes stink! The foulness of nobberlochs is all over them. Standing in the small ice house with Aggi Migloden this fact quickly becomes overwhelming. They make their way toward Bjarn's to clean up and change clothes when sounds are heard to the north. Azmooth stealthily speeds into the darkness to investigate. Sparruu returns to Aggi and the children to watch over them.

As Argus and Frothgar stand in the night snow two arrows thump into the barbarian's back, bringing him to his knees! The arrows came from the south. The two take refuge behind the nearest house and soon the voice of Luud the hunter rings in the night.

"Gimme that sword, boy. It belongs to me. Drop it and walk away. Nobody has to die."

Argus, himself on the edge of death, disagrees. Somebody has to die.

Meanwhile Sparruu has discovered something in his pocket. The cleric's instincts light up. It is a gift from Miana Musina! She is not happy about being shut out by the dark goddess K'lixtra. A magic ring. Putting it on, he uses one of the ring's powers and calls up the illusion of a great red dragon to harrow Luud and his cronies.

Taking full advantage of this ruse Argus and Frothgar rush the hunter, who promptly drops to the ground and begs for his life. But to no avail. Argus ends the conflict with Haveroc, the sword Luud came to steal.

To the north Azmooth has discovered the sounds are that of Fjarlneski Itti and Uul Ulu, her sorcerous companion. They are traveling with the local hunter Falki, hunting orcs and giants.

The two groups join forces.

And Frimm, god of the north, speaks directly to Frothgar...filling the cleric with healing magic and power. Frothgar's touch restores his companions to health and vigor!

Soon they are joined by the spirits of dead dwarves...another gift from the gods! There stands Brickwallow Stormshot, Tankfellow Stormshot, Bruiser Barrackbomb, Boomer Earthcleaver, Zapper Earthcleaver, Shank Earthcleaver, Urfnozzle Doorbreaker, Nabby Doorbreaker, and even Silverchain.

Brickwallow, default leader of the dead dwarves, offers his axe on this dreadful night.

The gang of heroes, following the obvious trail left by marauding monsters, traverses the ice lake. But it is not to the island at its center that they go, but rather past it. On the far shore...where waits a gang of drokks to harass them.

Battle ensues and the dwarven spirits take lead, allowing the heroes to continue the journey into the darkness.

End of Episode #40

Enemy Location Table

ENEMY LOCATION TABLE

In theater-of-the-mind combat can get a little confusing. Without the visual aid of maps and minis to keep you grounded it is very easy to lose track of exactly where everyone is. And it is hard for players to visualize where their enemies are.

This table simplifies things a bit. When the party encounters enemies the GM will describe their relative distance as being immediate, near, or far. When specific distances are needed to help make combat decisions or decide if a spell's range will do the trick the GM can roll 1d6 on the table and give a concrete distance rather than winging it.

ENEMY LOCATION TABLE
d6 Roll	Immediate	Near	Far
1	5' melee	50'	120'
2	5' melee	60'	140'
3	10'	70'	180'
4	20'	80'	210'
5	30'	90'	240'
6	40'	100'	more than 240'

Frimmsreach Episode #39

EPISODE #39

SUMMARY:

Game Date: 01-05-15

Cast: Sparruu, Frothgar, Argus, Azmooth

Varlix is dead! But nobberlochs approach in vast numbers. The team flees up through the sarcophagus bottom and back into Varlix’ tomb.

A nasty surprise…just outside the door stands another serpentine figure reading from a scroll that turns to dust in his hands. Nobberlochs surround him, pushing the door closed to seal the victims inside. What magic is this serpentine man working? The tomb seems…changed somehow. Darker. More evil.

Azmooth looses her arrow to no avail, Sparruu uses his red dragon dagger, breathing a cone of flame on his enemies! The nobberlochs are burnt to a crisp and the serpent man feels the heat as well. But he quickly slithers off to escape. Argus slams into the door to keep it open and the crew piles out of the room to engage the enemy as more nobberlochs enter the next chamber from the broken wall outside Varlix’ tomb.

Despite their efforts, Sparruu and Frothgar are unable to hear their gods or feel their presence. No miracles are granted during this fight. The tomb has become sacred to a dark power…Frimm and Miana Musina are unwelcome here!

In the melee a nasty nobber gets its wormy mouth on Argus’ bare chest! That sucks. Now he feels the pain and pressure in his gut as something…nasty…grows inside. This could be bad for our muscled marauder.

Once the nobberlochs are put down and before more can rally the team retreats back through the tomb, through the sarcophagus rooms of Lumix and Rumix. But wait! Lumis is not in his tomb! The snake man…was Varlix’ brother. Could this mean Lumix will seize the title of high priest? What of the Terror Worm?

Up the intrepid heroes go and all the way to the front door. Heave, heave, and the door gives way. The heroes stumble out and back to Bjarn’s store where the fiasco began. Once there, Sparruu feels the presence of Miana Musian again. He prays and is able to heal Arugs, removing the thing growing inside him. The barbarian will live. The cellar door is locked and barred.

But what of Quilliam? What of the village? The night is silent and deep. Snow has fallen nearly 4’. No one is around. Sings of struggle…blood on the floor.

Moving outside, they find a silent village. Bodies lying like humps under the snow. What happened here!?

Moving to a house with a light they discover the healer Aggi Migloden hiding along with two children.

“Monsters.” She says. “Many monsters came…took the people, dragging them across the ice…or killing those that fought back.”

This shall not stand!

End of Episode #39

Frimmsreach Episode #38

EPISODE #38

SUMMARY:

Game Date: 12-29-14

Cast: Sparruu, Frothgar, Argus, Azmooth

Down in the Tomb of Lost Children the black blood of worms slickens the floors and the smell of foul nobberlochs is never too far away. Alix warns the others that if Varlix is allowed to escape he will fully establish the Shrine of Worms anew and raise the dreaded Terror Worm, eater of villages!

The heroes chew the worm, spit its foulness upon the tomb’s door and the door responds by opening. Cultists are gross.

Inside lies the sarcophagus of Varlix. They examine it closely. The only image on its top is that of a great snake with four black eyes. Alix, the would-be assassin of the high priest, seems to know little about how to actually get the job done. It seems very little real planning went into this venture. Steeling up his nerve, he reaches forth to find a way to open the sealed lid. The risk is high…and he pays the price! A zap of lightning fries poor Alix in an instant and his body is disintegrated!

Reeling from the shock of losing their companion, the intrepid tomb raiders say a prayer for the fallen hero. It is then decided that more investigation is needed. The entire room is closely examined for clues. And one is found…a cryptic notation written into the base of the sarcophagus, barely detectable:

The right hand of Rumix

And the left hand of Lumix

The eyes of Varlix

For the love of the Deep Mother

A plan is made. The diamonds on the lids of the other sarcophagi are harvested and placed in the lid of Varlix to fit into the snake’s dead eyes. The eyes light up, the lid is shoved off. The heroes immediately fall upon the coffin’s occupant with terrible fury!

Sword strokes, prayers to the gods, arrows to the eyes! Varlix drops the false bottom of his sarcophagus to make a hasty retreat into a dark tunnel. The heroes pursue with all intention of ending this evil high priest before he can fully awaken the Shrine of Worms.

Soon the deed is done and the heroes stand victorious. But wait…a horde of nobberlochs approaches from deeper in the cave! Dozens of them…

End of Episode #38

Magic-User With Sword

I was reading an article in Dragon #66 discussing the rationale behind banned weapons for Clerics and Magic-Users. This is a topic I've often thought about. The article gets it right in the beginning by stating that these prohibitions are only there for game balance. But then it goes on to discuss possible justifications, such as the metal in a sword disrupting magic.

I disagree. And in my campaign a Magic-User actually did tote a short sword around for a while...and used it to good effect against a sabertooth ogre.

Here's how it works in my game.

WEAPONS

A wizard might grab a dead orc's sword and stick it in his belt. Maybe when his spells are tapped out he whips out the blade, feeling more confident than with his dagger. In combat he can either cast a spell OR use the sword. Not both. And if the sword is not already out it takes him 1 full round to get it out. He's not trained after all.

He gets no penalty to hit. Magic-Users already suck at hitting things. The penalty is built in.

He cannot cast any spells and hold the sword. He cannot drop the sword and cast in the same round. He needs his hands free prior to the round in order to have his bag open and his spell goodies at the ready. In my game you need to be able to speak, use your hands, and have access to your wizardly bag of stuff in order to cast. You can't do that if you've got a sword in your hand.

And one last thing. If the wizard uses a prohibited weapon in combat he earns no XP for that combat. You want to pick up that magic broadsword? Go ahead. You can even use it. But it will cost you something.

ARMOR

If a Thief can sneak, climb, and pick pockets in leather armor then a Magic-User should be able to move well enough to cast a spell. However, the restrictiveness of the armor reduces the wizard's ability. In my game there is a spell roll and the armor applies a negative penalty to the roll. Anything heavier than chain mail prohibits casting at all.

For normal games I think this rule would work: The Magic-User has a chance-in-ten of casting a spell in armor equal to the armor's AC rating. Thus leather would be 80% successful casting. Studded leather is 70%, scale is 60%, chain is 50%. And anything better than chain prohibits any casting at all. A shield prohibits casting since it ties up one hand.

So the Magic-User who feels vulnerable walking around with a 9 AC could consider strapping on some Studded leather. He just needs to be aware that 30% of his spells will be ruined because of it.

Thieves' Skills

WHAT DO THE THIEVES SKILLS ACTUALLY MEAN?

You're playing a Thief. You want to pick a lock. You take a peek at your sheet and see that your chance is 15%. That sucks! Surely you can do better than that?

I think you can. I think the Thief's skills are not meant to replace existing stealth rules (such as they are), but to augment them. This is what I mean:

You try to sneak through a room where some orcs are playing bones in the corner. The dice are thrown and the result is 55%. That's well above the 20% you needed to move silently. What does that mean? It means you didn't move silently. It does NOT mean the orcs heard you. It simply means you made some kind of noise that might be heard. So the DM should then make the normal roll to determine if the orcs heard a noise or not.

If you were a Fighter sneaking through the room you'd only get the second roll, not the first one too. So the Thief has an added layer of rules to cover stealth.

Same for hiding in shadows. A failed skill roll means you could be seen. It does not mean you actually were seen. When the Thieves' skill rolls fail you simply fall back to normal rules such as a surprise check or hear noises.

I don't know if this was how the rules were meant to be used or not but this is how I've been thinking of them for a long time. It makes a thousand times more sense to me now than before and it means I don't necessarily have to house rule the Thief (though in all honesty I still do...).