Monstrous Compendium

Sample file Appendix

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2122 ISBN 1-56076-108-3 How To Use This Book

Welcome to the tenth Monstrous Compendium volume. Here we detail rates are given in parentheses). Movements in different mediums are ab- the creatures unique to the RAVENLOFT™ game. As in previous volumes, breviated as follows: Fl • fly, Su> m swim, Br • burrowing, Wb • web. all entries are given in alphabetical order on removable loose-leaf sheets. Flying creatures will also have a Maneuverability Class from A to E. The loose-leaf sheets can be placed in a master binder for easy reference as needed for an adventure. HIT DICE controls the number of hit points damage a creature can with- stand before being killed. Unless otherwise stated. Hit Dice are 8-sided Important Note: These monsters should not be intermingled with the (1-8 hit points). The Hit Dice are rolled and the numbers shown are added monsters from the previous volumes of the Monstrous Compendium; to determine the monster's hit points. Some monsters will have a hit point keep these monsters together in a separate section of your binder. spread instead of Hit Dice, and some will have additional points added to All monsters included here are typical for their type; likewise, the en- their Hit Dice. Thus, a creature with 4+4 Hit Dice has 4d8+4 hit points counter tables are guidelines for general play. Variations of your own de- (8-36 total). Note that creatures with + 3 or more hit points are considered sign are encouraged. Those DMs unfamiliar with the world of the the next higher Hit Die for purposes of attack rolls and saving throws. RAVENLOFT game and its concepts will find a wealth of useful information in the RAVENLOFT Boxed Set and the various RAVENLOFT mod- THACO is the attack roll the monster needs to hit armor class 0. This is al- ules. ways a function of Hit Dice, except in the case of very large, non- Each entry includes the following information: aggressive herbivores (such as some dinosaurs). Humans and demihumans always use player character THACOs, regardless of whether CLIMATE/TERRAIN defines where the creature is most often found. Cli- they are player characters or "monsters". THACOs do not include any mates include arctic, subarctic, temperate, and tropical. Typical terrain includes plain/scrub, forest, rough/hill, mountain, swamp, and desert. special bonuses noted in the descriptions. NUMBER OF ATTACKS shows the basic attacks the monster can make in FREQUENCY is the likelihood of encounte ring a creature in an area. Very a melee round, excluding special attacks. This number can be modified by rare is a 4% chance, rare is 11%, uncommon is 20%, and common is a hits that sever members, spells such as haste and slow, and so forth. Mul- 65% chance. Chances can be adjusted for special areas. tiple attacks indicate several members, raking paws, multiple heads, etc. ORGANIZATION is the general social structure the monster adopts. DAMAGE PER ATTACK shows the amount of damage a given attack will "Solitary" includes small family groups. make, expressed as a spread of hit points (dice roll combination). If the ACTIVE CYCLE is the time of day when the monster is most active. Those monster uses weapons, the damage will done by the typical weapon will most active at night may be active at any time in subterranean settings. be followed by the parenthetical note "weapon". Damage bonuses due to Active cycle is a general guide and exceptions are fairly common. Strength are listed as a bonus following the damage range. DIET shows what the creature generally eats. Carnivores eat meat, her- SPECIAL ATTACKS detail attack modes such as dragon breath, magic bivores eat plants, and omnivores eat either. Scavengers eat mainly carri- use, etc. These are explained in the monster description. on. SPECIAL DEFENSES are precisely that, and are detailed in the monster INTELLIGENCE is the equivalent of human 1Q". Certain monsters are description. instinctively cunning; these are noted in the monster descriptions. Ratings MAGIC RESISTANCE is the percentage chance that magic cast upon the correspond roughly to the following Intelligence ability scores: creature will fail to affect it, even if other creatures nearby are affected. If 0 Non-intelligent or not ratable the magic penetrates the resistance, the creature is still entitled to any nor- 1 Animal intelligence mal saving throw allowed. 2-4 Semi-intelligent SIZE is abbreviated as: "T," tiny (2' tall or less); "S," smaller than a typical 5-7 Low intelligence Samplehuma filen (2 +' to 4'); "M," man-sized (4+' to 7'); "L," larger than man-sized 8-10 Average (human) intelligence (7 +' to 12'); "H," huge (12 +' to 25'); and "G," gargantuan (25 +'). 11-12 Very intelligent 13-14 Highly intelligent MORALE is a general rating of how likely the monster is to persevere in 15-16 Exceptionally intelligent the face of adversity or armed opposition. This guideline can be adjusted 17-18 Genius for individual circumstances. Morale ratings correspond to the following 19-20 Supra-genius 2-20 range: 21 + Godlike intelligence 2-4 Unreliable TREASURE refers to the treasure tables in the AD&D* Dungeon Masters 5-7 Unsteady Guide. If individual treasure is indicated, each individual may carry it (or 8-10 Average not, at the DM's discretion). Major treasures are usually found in the 11-12 Steady monster's lair; these are most often designed and placed by the DM. Intel- 13-14 Elite ligent monsters will use magical items present and try to carry off their 15-16 Champion most valuable treasures if hard pressed. If treasure is assigned randomly, 17-18 Fanatic roll for each type possible: if all rolls fail, no treasure of any type is found. 19-20 Fearless Treasure should be adjusted downward if few monsters are encountered. Large treasures are noted by a parenthetical multiplier (x 10, etc.)—not XP VALUE is the number of experience points awarded for defeating (not to be confused with treasure type X. Do not use the tables to place neccessarily killing) the monster. This value is a guideline that can be dungeon treasure, as numbers encountered underground will be much modified by the DM for the degree of challenge, encounter situation, and smaller. for overall campaign balance.

ALIGNMENT shows the general behavior of the average monster of that Combat is the part of the description that discusses special combat abili- type. Exceptions, though uncommon, may be encountered. ties, arms and armor, and tactics. NO. APPEARING indicates an average encounter size for a wilderness Habitat/Society outlines the monster's general behavior, nature, social encounter. The DM should alter this to fit the circumstances as the need structure, and goals. arises. This should not be used for dungeon encounters. Ecology describes how the monster fits into the campaign world, gives ARMOR CLASS is the general protection wom by humans and human- any useful products or byproducts, and presents other miscellaneous in- oids, protection due to physical structure or magical nature, or difficulty formation. in hitting due to speed, reflexes, etc. Humans and humanoids of roughly Close variations of a monster (e.g. merrow, ogre) are given in a special man-size that wear armor will have an unarmored rating in parentheses. section after the main monster entry. These can be found by consulting the Listed AC do not include any special bonuses noted in the description. index to find the major listing. MOVEMENT shows the relative speed rating of the creature. Higher speeds may be possible for short periods. Human, demihuman, and humanoid movement rate is often determined by armor type (unarmored Encounters in Ravenloft

The environment (both mental and physical) in an AD&D* A Typical Encounter game set in the dark domains of Ravenloft is not what it is in TSR's other fantasy campaign settings. While this is apparent in In the Forgotten Realms, for example, it might be perfectly all many places, it is perhaps most significant in the presentation of right for a DM to describe an encounter to his players in terms monsters and similar encounters. Before we begin to present the that are absolute and clear. Assume that a party in the Forgotten various monsters and minions of darkness that a party adventur- Realms is travelling to Calaunt when the dice indicate a random ing in Ravenloft is likely to encounter, let's take a few moments to encounter. The Dungeon Master checks his tables quickly and go over some basic guidelines. By becoming familiar with these finds that the party has come across a pair of ogres. Thinking guidelines and making them a part of each encounter, the quickly, he decides to present the party with a bridge that spans Dungeon Master will be better able to make the mysterious and the narrow river they have been following. A pair of ogres have macabre world of Ravenloft come alive for his players. taken to robbing those who would use the bridge, and the party will have to deal with them. The DM's description of the encount- Random Encounters er might be as follows:

Traditional random encounters, in which the DM checks a va- riety of tables periodically to determine if an encounter occurs Your party comes to a bend in the path. With some concern, and exactly what the party encounters, really have no place in a you notice that the singing of the birds in this gentle forest has RAVENLOFT™ game. Nothing so simple as blind chance should suddenly been stilled. Ahead, the path comes to a solidly drive the course of an adventure in Ravenloft. Each encounter, built, but poorly tended, wooden bridge that crosses a wide whether with man, beast, or monster, should be a premeditated length of the river you have been following. The water be- and carefully controlled part of the scenario. neath it looks cold and swift, as do the pair of ogres who stand This is not to say that random events can never be used in a atop the bridge. With cruel smiles, they each pick up a heavy RAVENLOFT game—only that care must be taken and a little ex- axe and lumber toward the party. "Before humanscum go over tra effort put into planning by the DM. It is perfectly all right to bridge they must give us shineygold!" rumbles one of the crea- orchestrate a handful of encounters ahead of time, set up a chart tures in a voice heavy with menace. to determine which one occurs with a given die throw, and then check periodically to see if one turns up. In such cases, however, The intent of this scene is obvious: the party is being challenged each event should be a logical part of the scenario that has the ef- to either pay the toll demanded by the ogres or engage the mon- fect of enhancing the game as a whole. sters in combat and win their way across the bridge by force of To illustrate this point, consider the following scenario: an el- arms. The scene plays no part in any greater adventure, but is a ven vampire has been stalking the land, and the party has been well-presented and probably entertaining encounter that every- trying to track it down and end a string of evil deaths attributed one should enjoy (as it presents possibilities for both role-playing to it. The DM sets up six random encounters and decides that one and combat). will happen each day. A simplified encounter table might look Further, there are enough descriptive elements in the text (the something like this: silent birds, the cold water, etc.) to make the narrative seem fairly Samplevivi filed to most players. In short, the DM has done a perfectly fine Die Roll Encounter job of setting out for his players what they have encountered and 1 Party finds body of new victim with clues to the lo- what they must do to get past it. For their part, the players under- cation of the vampire's lair on the corpse. stand that they are faced with ogres and can decide on their 2 Party finds diary that tells the story of the vampire's course of action based upon the relative wealth, strength, and origin and hints at some of his personality. cleverness of their characters. A carefully calculated decision can 3 Minions of the vampire, aware that the PCs are track- be made and play can proceed from there. ing their master, attack the party while they sleep. 4 A wandering Vistani woman is discovered. She con- A Ravenloft Encounter sults the stars and provides the PCs with information about the vampire's weaknesses. To repeat the example above, in a more "Ravenlof tian" fashion, 5 Party comes across a local citizen who remembers a assume that the party is investigating the disappearances of a story his grandfather used to tell him. Using this in- number of local farm families. The reason behind these strange formation, the party can learn how to protect them- happenings is simply that an ancient curse on the newly cleared selves from one of the vampire's special attacks. lands they are fanning has been triggered. The nature of the curse 6 PCs come across the vampire while it is attacking an- is such that it has transformed these people into ogres and bound other victim. The vampire is not interested in engag- them into the protection of the lands they would have exploited. ing in a prolonged fight and flees the encounter after Thus, the party is again travelling down a path beside a river only a brief skirmish. when they encounter a pair of ogres. As you can see, each of these encounters provides a random event that serves a role in the evolution of the game. In addition, The narrow path makes a gradual turn toward the river. It the DM can prepare these encounters in advance, devoting the snakes around a copse of dark and brooding pine trees to open time to make them each unique and interesting to the party. Thus, out at the foot of a wide bridge. Although the bridge is built of these encounters become far more than a chance to trade blows stout-looking wooden logs and assembled in a most profes- with some faceless monsters for no readily apparent reason. sional manner, signs of neglect and unrepaired damage dot the structure. It seems clear that no effort has been made to main- tain this once fine construction. Encounters in Ravenloft

"ogre" does not appear in the Ravenloft encounter. It's all well and The water moving under the bridge is grey and looks cold. good to tell characters in a typical fantasy campaign that they are Here and there, dark shadows seem to flicker just beneath its fighting an ogre, since its a part of the everyday world they live surface, moving too quickly for you to be able to tell exactly in. For adventures in Ravenloft, however, the DM must play up what caused them. The water moves swiftly past this point, the macabre and alien aspects of the supernatural. By describing filling the air with churning splashing sounds as it runs over the monsters only as hulking humanoid creatures, the party is left the rocky shallows along the bank. unclear as to what they are facing. Could these be hill giants? If As you take in this scene, a sense of uncertainty fills the par- they are ogres, are they common ogres—might they not be ogre ty. One by one, you begin to realize that the birds overhead magi? Maybe they're bugbears or some form of evolutionary have grown silent. The sunlight, which had been streaming in throw-back—or something altogether new and unknown? With- brilliant pillars through the scattered branches overhead, has out a solid base from which to draw conclusions about the nature been blocked off by a single dark cloud that seems to have of their enemies, the party members will have to be careful about swallowed the noonday sun. Even the faint humming of in- their choice of tactics and weapons. sects and chirping of crickets has faded away. The air is heavy A side benefit of this use of descriptive text is that it prevents with the scent of wet earth, yet alive with expectation. the "rules lawyers" among us from instantly selecting the best at- Suddenly, a pair of dark figures rise up from the shadows tack mode against a given creature. For example, everyone under the bridge. As they step into the light, a gasp escapes the knows to use burning oil and flame attacks against trolls. A DM lips of your company. Each of these foul-looking creatures who describes such creatures in loose terms, playing up their su- towers above even the tallest member of your band. Although pernatural aspects, makes it far more difficult for the player to de- humanoid, these brutes are clearly not men. Their skin is dark cide that he is, in fact, faced with trolls and not some other and mottled, and their cold eyes gleam with barely-restrained loathsome menace. bloodlust. The taunt muscles of their hulking bodies ripple smoothly as they move toward you. Their mouths hang open 4. Potential Solutions: Lastly, the first scene makes it clear to the slightly as they draw in heavy breaths through yellow, jagged players what is expected of them—they must battle the ogres or teeth. A foul odor, like that found in the ruins of a violated forfeit their hard-won gold. The second presents no such hard crypt, smothers the sweet smell of pine that fills the rest of this and fast solutions to the players. The players may well assume forest. With low growls that sound like the warning snarl of that these beasts mean them no good, but can they be certain of some vicious dog, these awful things stride toward the party. it? It could be that direct confrontation will rob the party of vital information or place them in direct conflict with creatures far Obviously, the second example goes into more detail than the more powerful than they are (remember, they aren't sure that first one. The scene is largely the same, but the second is more these are ogres). graphic and lavish in its particulars. Despite this, however, the By not handing out obvious solutions to the problems encoun- reader will note that it deprives the players of or clouds much fac- tered, the DM leaves the players free to make their own decisions tual information. Consider the following points: and assumptions. Not only is this good role-playing, it can lead to a far more exciting and challenging game. By never allowing the 1. The Environment: Note that both descriptions touch oSamplen the en- player files to have all the information they need, the DM is making vironment in which the encounter takes place. In each case, the the world around them mysterious and uncertain. players are able to picture the area around them and use the information presented to them in deciding how their characters will Story Telling act. In the Ravenloft example, however, the environment becomes Try to remember that a DM running a RAVENLOFT" game is more ominous and potentially threatening. Dark shapes drift be- under a special obligation to his players. While each and every neath the surface of the water below the bridge—are they harm- DM refereeing an AD&D game has accepted the challenge of en- less fish or lurking horrors? The sun, which was so recently tertaining his players, the judge in a Ravenloft game must go be- shining brightly in the sky, has been covered by a dark cloud—is yond even that formidable task. To properly run a campaign in magic involved? The crickets and birds have grown silent—is it Ravenloft, the DM must become a true story teller. because of the ogres or is something else lurking in ambush? Mood and description are the keys to success here. While each By making the most of the description of the environment in of the monsters in this book has been designed to make them fit which an encounter takes place, the DM can inject a level of sus- well into a gothic horror setting, they can easily be used too loose- pense not normally found in AD&D® games. ly and freely—transforming them into nothing more than sword practice for a party of adventurers. Conversely, almost any mon- 2. The Mood: Notice that the mood in the first encounter is fairly ster can be transformed into a horrifying nightmare with just a lit- up-beat. The ogres are clearly a danger to be faced, but the scene tle story telling by the DM. If kobolds are described as "a is presented in such a way as to elevate the party members to the cowardly, sadistic race of short demihumans," it is easy to use status of equals. That is, while the ogres are clearly dangerous them for comedy relief or nuisance encounters. If, instead, they monsters, the characters are brave heroes who have the strength are described as looking "twisted mockeries of children with cruel and determination to stand against them. eyes and snarling, dark voices," they become far more interesting In the Ravenloft example, the mood of the text is darker. The and, potentially, horrific. party is presented with information in a way that makes it seem to By keeping the points above in mind, the DM can go a long them that everything around them is more powerful than they way toward making each and every RAVENLOFT game session are. The ogres are described as hulking creatures with rippling an exciting one. Obviously, there are many other factors that muscles and wicked fangs. An air of the supernatural hangs about must be sewn together to make the unique fabric of the Ravenloft the scene that will make any party think twice before feeling too gaming environment whole. The importance of properly present- cocky. ing and using the monsters provided in this book may, however, be the make-or-break point in an enjoyable campaign in 3. The Monsters: An observant reader will note that the word Ravenloft. Ravenloft Encounter Tables

Generic Monstrous Compendiums Forgotten Realms® (MO) SpeUjammer® (MC7) (MCI & MC2) Claw, Crawling Ancient Mariner Bat (common) Cloaker Spiritjam Bat (large or giant) Darkenbeast Bat (huge or mobat) Death, Crimson Outer Planes (MC8) Carrion Crawler Revenant Baatezu, Lesser—Abishai Doppleganger Web, Living Baatezu, Least—Spinagon Elf, Drow Baatezu, Lesser—Barbazu Gargoyle DragonLance® (MC4) Baatezu, Lesser—Erinyes Ghost Beast, Undead (Stahnk) Baatezu, Lesser—Hamatula Ghoul Beast, Undead (Gholor) Baatezu, Least—Nupperibo Ghoul (lacedon) Dreamshadow Baatezu, Greater—Pit Fiend Ghoul (ghast) Dreamwraith Baatezu, Greater—Amnizu Golem, Lesser (flesh) Fetch Baatezu, Greater—Cornugon Golem, Lesser (clay) Fire Minion Baatezu, Greater—Gelugon Golem, Greater (stone) Fire Shadow Baatezu, Lesser—Osyluth Golem, Greater (iron) Haunt, Knight Baatezu, Lemure Groaning Spirit (banshee) Imp, Blood Sea Bebilith Guardian Daemon (least) Knight, Death Bodak Guardian Daemon (lesser) Spectral Minion Gehreleth Guardian Daemon (greater) Warrior, Skeleton Githyanki Hag (annis) Wichtlin Githzerai Hag (green) Yaggol Hordling Hag (sea) Larva Haunt Greyhawk® (MC5) Night Hag Hell Hound Crypt Thing Nightmare Heucuva Hound, Yeth Tanar'ri, Greater—Babau Homonculous Kyuss, Son of Tanar'ri, Greater—Chasme Imp Necrophidius Tanar'ri, Greater—Nabassu Jackalwere Raven (Ordinary) Tanar'ri, Guardian—Molydeus Lich Raven (Huge) Tanar'ri, Least—Dretch Lich (demilich) Raven (Giant) Tanar'ri, Least—Manes Lycanthrope, Werefox (foxwoman) Scarecrow Tanar'ri, Least—Rutterkin Lycanthrope, Wererat Shadow, Slow Tanar'ri, Lesser—Alu-Fiend Lycanthrope, Werewolf Wraith (Swordwraith) Tanar'ri, Lesser—Bar-lgura Mind Flayer Wraith (Soul Beckoner) Tanar'ri, Lesser—Cambion Mummy Zombie, SampleSea file Tanar'ri, Lesser—Succubus Poltergeist Tanar'ri, True—Balor Rakshasa Kara-Tur (MC6) Tanar'ri, True—Glabrezu Rat (common) Buso (Tigbanua Buso) Tanar'ri, True—Hezrou Rat (giant) Buso (Tagamaling Buso) Tanar'ri, True—Marilith Shadow Chu-u Tanar'ri, True—Nalfeshnee Skeleton Con-tinh Tanar'ri, True—Vrock Skeleton (animal) Gaki (Jiki-ketsu-gaki) Vaporighu Skeleton (monster) Gaki (Jiki-niku-gaki) Yugoloth, Greater—Arcanaloth Spectre Gaki (Shikki-gaki) Yugoloth, Greater—Nycaloth Vampire Gaki (Shinen-gaki) Yugoloth, Greater—Ultroloth Vampire (oriental) Goblin Rat Yugoloth, Lesser—Dergholoth Wight Goblin Spider Yugoloth, Lesser—Hydroloth Will o'wisp Hannya Yugoloth, Lesser—Mezzoloth Wolf Hengeyokai (fox) Yugoloth, Lesser—Piscoloth Wolf (worg or dire) Hengeyokai (racoon dog) Yugoloth, Lesser—Yagnoloth Wolf (winter) Hengeyokai (rat) Wolfwere Hu Hsien Spelljammer® (MC9) Wraith Ikiryo Allura Zombie Kaluk Dreamslayer Zombie (monster) Krakentua Dweomerbom Zombie (ju-ju) Kuei Firelich Memedi Skullbird Oni (Common) Spirit Warrior Oni (Go-Zu-Oni) Undead, Stellar Oni (Me-Zu-Oni) Foh Gohei Spirit, Stone Yuki-on-na