Over at Advanced Grognardia, I've got a post in which I provide game stats and a description of a monster from my Telluria campaign setting, along with some commentary on its origins. 

Over at Advanced Grognardia, I've offered up a small Christmas gift in the form of a new version of an old monster from the early days of the blog. Enjoy!

As I posted yesterday, my Barrett's Raiders Twilight: 2000 campaign, which started in December 2021, has ended. Though sad (and even a little disappointing), its conclusion opens up a slot in my weekly schedule for a new campaign and that's always exciting. Just what that new campaign will be is still very uncertain and depends, to a great extent, on the interests of the remaining players. We'll discuss the matter at some length at our next meeting, but, in order to get the ball rolling, I sent them a selection of four(ish) RPG I'd enjoy refereeing for them, which I thought I'd share with you as well.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned, likely many times, that I've long been a huge fan of Gamma World. In my youth, it was one of my favorite games, just losing out of a spot in my Holy Trinity of RPGs to Call of Cthulhu. It's one of those games I find very easy to run, both from an ideas perspective and from a mechanical one. I have little trouble coming up with fun scenarios for Gamma World and its rules are straightforward and easy to use – two great boons when it comes to refereeing a roleplaying game. 

Notice that I've included Metamorphosis Alpha as a possibility too. That's because, while I have played MA, I have never actually run it myself and doing so has long been a dream of mine. In some ways, I actually prefer the campaign frame of Metamorphosis Alpha to that of Gamma World, perhaps because it appeals to my fascination with "secret sci-fi" settings. So, given my druthers, I would press for MA over Gamma World, but I'd be equally happy with either.

This is a no-brainer. I've working sporadically on this project since June of 2021, during which time it's undergone a number of different changes and evolutions. Those of you who've subscribed to Grognardia Games Direct know about its current state, since that's where I post regularly about it. However, I've not yet had the chance to do anything more with it than run short scenarios. What it really needs is a proper campaign to take its development to the next level and this might be the perfect time to do that.

I considered starting a SosA campaign after the conclusion of House of Worms last month, but opted not to due to its very broad similarities to Tékumel. It's a baroque, exotic fantasy setting with a secret sci-fi substratum – I'm sensing a theme here – albeit one based on very different historical/cultural influences than those of Tékumel. However, my Monday night group includes a different set of players, so the comparisons to Tékumel wouldn't be a problem.

In a similar fashion, Thousand Suns is another good option. Like Secrets of sha-Arthan, I'm currently in the midst of revising and reorganizing it in preparation for the released of a second edition. Also like SosA, I'm chronicling my work on this project over at Grognardia Games Direct. This is a game that's very near and dear to my heart and one I haven't run for some years now, so it'd be great to have the opportunity to do so again.

Furthermore, one of the goals of the second edition is to make the rules of Thousand Suns clearer and easier to use. They're already pretty good in this regard, I think, but I hope to make them even better. I also want to do a better job of highlighting those aspects of the game that distinguish it from its competitors and inspirations. Refereeing a campaign would give me lots of opportunities to do just that.

Urheim was my second attempt (after Dwimmermount) to produce a megadungeon suitable as the foundation for an entire old school D&D campaign. I got fairly far into constructing it before moving on to other projects, but it's still something I think about from time to time. 

Consequently, I thought now might be a good time to return to it as a replacement for Barrett's Raiders. A megadungeon campaign is very straightforward and easy to maintain. It's also got the potential to spin off in a variety of different fun directions, so it's a good fit for my personal refereeing style. If I did return to Urheim, I'd almost certainly use Old School Essentials, probably of the advanced variety, for the rules, though part of me wants to dive back into OD&D + Supplements.  

The latest post about Dream-Quest is a public one, because I want to solicit comments and suggestions from as wide a pool as possible. Feel free to post your thoughts here or, if possible, over at the Patreon.

Elsewhere, I'm still developing Dream-Quest, my Lovecraftian/Dunsanian fantasy game based on Old School Essentials. This is a side project to the others I'm already sharing over at Grognardia Games Direct, but it's starting to pick up steam, with the goal of playtesting an early version of it in the winter. In the meantime, I'm filling out the roster of character classes for play, with the Knight of Dreams being the latest one. The class takes loose inspiration from the knights who serve King Kuranes in Lovecraft's "Celephaïs."

Hunter in shadow. Wanderer in dream. Watcher beneath the moon.

A moon prowler is no ordinary feline. Sleek and clever, with eyes like twin moons and a mind sharp as a knife’s edge, she prowls the Dreamlands with an ease no human could match. She speaks in purrs and riddles, slips through shadows like silk, and leaps across rooftops as though gravity were an optional courtesy. She is feared and respected by all, for the law of the Dreamlands is clear: no man may kill a cat.

Prime requisite: A moon prowler with at least 13 DEX gains a 5% bonus to experience. If DEX is 16 or higher, the moon prowler gets a +10% bonus. 

Combat

A moon prowler cannot wear armor of any kind. However, her uncanny agility grants her a base AC 7 (modified further by DEX). She prefers to fight with her claws (1d3 damage), but may use melee weapons suited to her size (referee’s discretion).

Feline Advantages

A moon prowler can squeeze through any opening large enough for her head and balance on narrow surfaces (ledges, ropes) without requiring a check.

• 1st–4th level: Immune to normal falling damage from heights up to 20’.
• 5th–7th level: This increases to 30’.
• 8th–9th level: This increases to 40’.

Feline Curse

Anyone who kills a moon prowler is cursed.

• Immediately suffers a –4 penalty on all rolls made at night.
• Cats, whether ordinary or dream-born, are always hostile.
• Lasts until the killer dies or an appropriate penance is made (referee's discretion)

Feline Drawbacks

A moon prowler cannot carry heavy burdens. Beyond a dagger and a few small items, she refuses loads. She also loathes water, avoiding it unless magically compelled or under dire circumstances.

Keen Senses

Thanks to heightened hearing and smell, moon prowlers have a 2-in-6 chance to:

• Detect hidden or invisible creatures nearby.
• Notice unusual sounds, scents, or disturbances in their surroundings.

Moon Leap

When under moonlight, a moon prowler may leap up to 30’ horizontally or 15’ vertically. This ability may be used both in and out of combat.

Nine Lives

Once per day, a moon prowler may avoid the effects of a single attack, spell, trap, or other hazard that would otherwise kill her.

Silent Stalker

In dim light or darkness, a moon prowler surprises opponents on a 1–4 on 1d6. In full daylight, this only applies against distracted or unaware targets.

Moon Prowler Level Progression

D: Death / poison; W: Wands; P: Paralysis / petrify; B: Breath attacks; S: Spells / rods / staves.

With apologies to Peter von Sholly

Stranger in waking life. Adventurer of the Other World. King in dreams.

A dreamer is a mystic who slips beyond the borders of waking reality into strange and hidden realms. His body may be plain and earthbound, but his mind wanders distant dimensions where wonder and dread intertwine. He may return with uncanny powers – or lose himself forever. In the waking world, a dreamer often serves as a seer, prophet, or enigmatic wanderer, forever shaped by what he has seen. 

Combat

A dreamer can use any weapon, but he is unable to use to shields or wear any kind of armor.

Between Two Worlds

If a Dreamer is reduced to 0 hp in the Dreamlands, his body in the Waking World convulses and falls into a deathlike coma. He vanishes from the Dreamlands immediately, reappearing in his mortal body after 1d6 days of real-world time. During this period, he cannot enter the Dreamlands by any means.

However, each time a Dreamer is “slain” in the Dreamlands, there is a 1-in-6 chance that his soul becomes untethered. If this occurs, his waking body dies instantly and his spirit is trapped in the Dreamlands forever, unless restored by magic or divine intervention capable of true resurrection. Thereafter, any subsequent death is permanent.

Starting at 7th level, this risk is reduced to 1-in-12, reflecting mastery over his dream-self.

Dream Lore

At 1st level, a dreamer must choose one of the following:

• Moon Scholar: Has studied the secret languages of the moonlit realms. Gains the ability to speak and read one additional ancient or alien tongue (e.g. Feline, Moonspeech, etc.)
• Oneiric Talisman: Possesses a relic from dreams that anchors thought. Once per day, may re-roll a failed saving throw versus attempts to alter thoughts, emotions, or will.
• Prophetic Memory: Once per day, may declare an event as something foreseen in a dream. Gains +4 bonus on one related action.
• Silver Veil: The mind slips through lies and glamour. Gains a +2 bonus to saving throws against effects that disguise reality, such as illusions and other deceptions of sight, sound, or thought.

Dream Powers

A dreamer does not cast spells but instead manifest unpredictable powers from the Dreamlands. To do so, roll 1d8 twice on the Dream Powers table below and select one of the results. The chosen power may be used immediately or held until the end of the dreamer’s next action, after which it fades if unused and still counts toward the daily limit. Only one power can be held at a time. At levels 3, 6, and 9, a dreamer may choose one, two, and three of his daily powers respectively instead of rolling for them. Six hours of sleep restore all daily uses and remove any held power.

1. Forgotten Memory: Target forgets last 1d6 turns (save versus spells negates). Can erase knowledge of events, questions, or spells.
2. Gaze Beyond the Veil: Ask the referee one question about the situation, the future, or a hidden truth. The answer may be symbolic or vague unless manifested while sleeping.
3. Healing Light: Touch restores 1d8 + level HP. Undead take damage instead.
4. Moonblade: Summons a +1 glowing sword (1d8 dmg, lasts 1 turn, magical, parry 1d4 dmg once/round).
5. Oneiric Firebolt: 120' range, 2d6 dmg (save versus spells for half). Magical fire. On failed save, target also hallucinates for 1 round.
6. Phantom Passage: Teleport self + 1 willing target up to 60'. Must know the destination. Cannot pass through stone or magical wards.
7. Sleep of the Silver Gate: Affects up to 3 HD of creatures (no save if HD ≤ 1). Sleep lasts 1d6 turns.
8. Summon Dream-Beast: Conjures a 2 HD creature (AC 7 [12], 1d8 bite, morale 10, lasts 1 turn or until slain).

Dream Surge

When a dream powers rolls yield the same result on both dice, roll 1d20 to determine an additional consequence.

After Reaching 9th Level

At 9th level, a dreamer attracts 1d6 followers: dream-touched mystics, alien poets, or seers. Instead of a fortress, a Dreamer may establish a hidden dream-sanctum, accessible only through ritual sleep.

Dreamer Level Progression

*Modifiers from CON no longer apply.

D: Death / poison; W: Wands; P: Paralysis / petrify; B: Breath attacks; S: Spells / rods / staves.

I put "new" in quotation marks, because, rules-wise, Dolmenwood's not really new. It's a very close descendant of Old School Essentials, which is itself a very close restatement of the 1981 Moldvay/Cook version of Dungeons & Dragons (or B/X, as many people call it). How does it differ from B/X, I'm sure some of you will ask? Most obviously, it has its own classes and races, some of them unique to the setting. Likewise, it uses the dreaded ascending armor class and has its own saving throw categories. There are few other small differences, mostly in terms of presentation, but, for the most part, the rules of Dolmenwood are so close to B/X (or OSE) that I don't think anyone already familiar with those – or, for that matter, almost any version of old school D&D – will have much trouble picking it up.

Where Dolmenwood shines, though, is its setting, the titular Dolmenwood, a large, tangled forest at the edge of civilization that's filled with intrigued, secrets, magic, and lots of fungi. If I were to sum up the setting in a simple phrase, it would be "fairytale fantasy," even if that doesn't quite do Dolmenwood justice. It's like a weird cross between Jack Vance's Lyonesse, Machen's The White People, and Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter, with touches from Twin Peaks and The Wicker Man, among many other influences. As a place, Dolmenwood is weird and eccentric, filled equally with whimsy and terror.

A big part of what makes Dolmenwood such a dichotomous place is the lurking presence of Fairy, which is to say, the otherworldly realm of the elves and other supernatural beings, the most powerful of which were long ago cut off from the mortal world by a coalition consisting of the Duchy of Brackenwold (who rules the wood), the Pluritine Church (who serves the One True God), and the secretive people known as the Drune (who have their own agenda). Elves and fairies are no longer as common as they were in the past, but their machinations can still be felt. In particular, the Cold Prince, the lord of winter eternal, seeks ways to regain his dominion over Dolmenwood.

Of course, there are lots of contending factions within Dolmenwood – the Duchy, the Church, the fairies and their nobles, witches, the Drune, and the wicked Nag-Lord, a trickster figure who serves as a literal agent of Chaos, corrupting the land and its peoples. These factions all play roles, large and small, in ensuring that Dolmenwood is never a dull place. One of the things I've found in refereeing this campaign is that I'm never at a loss for adventure ideas, because there's so much going on in the setting. Once the characters started doing what characters do, they soon found themselves enmeshed in all sorts of plots and schemes, gaining allies and enemies in equal measure. 

Speaking of characters, there are presently four in the campaign:

• Squire (soon to be Sir) Clement of Middleditch: The big-hearted but small-brained of a minor noble sent out into the world to make something of himself (or die trying). He's presently attempting to be knighted by a fairy princess, an idea that appeals to his romantic soul, even if doing so brings with it more than a little risk.
• Alvie Sapping: A teenaged thief with a quick mind and quicker tongue. He's attached himself to Clement's retinue as a way to travel and, he hopes, make money. Alvie has an intense dislike of bards and other musicians, on account of his no-good father's having been one, which has occasionally been a source of trouble for him (and amusement for everyone else).
• Waldra Dogoode: A hunter and woodswoman, who's more comfortable in the wild spaces of Dolmenwood than in its more settled ones. She's an expert tracker and an amateur student of the many mushrooms and other fungi in the region. Her ambition is to one day produce a complete and accurate map of the entire Wood.
• Falin Cronkshaw: A breggle (goat-man) cleric, who was exiled to a small parish because of her insistence that there were in fact breggle saints whom the Church has suppressed. She now travels with her companions hoping to find evidence vindicating her theories. 

Over the course of the last year, I've been sharing a number of creatures from the science fantasy setting I'm developing, sha-Arthan. If you look carefully, you'll notice there have been small but significant changes to the creatures' game statistics. The stats of the earliest entries are nearly identical to those found in Old School Essentials, which is itself nearly identical to the TSR era Basic and Expert Dungeons & Dragons rules. As I've developed sha-Arthan more and done some preliminary playtesting of it, I've also deviated from OSE and those changes are reflected in the game statistics of the creatures I post here. Since a number of readers have asked me to explain those changes, I thought I'd do so briefly in this post. 

I'll use the stats of the kelthaga as an illustration:

DR 14, HD 3** (13hp), Att 1 × touch (1d6 + Vigor drain), AB +2, MV 18p (6p), SV F12 D13 M14 E15 S16, ML 12, XP 65, NA 1d4 (1d6), TT None (see below)

DR stands for "Defense Rating" and is more or less the equivalent of the creature's ascending armor class score. 

HD is, of course, "Hit Dice" and is the number of d8 rolled to determine the creature's hit points. The asterisks indicate the number of special abilities the creature has for the purposes of calculating experience points, while the number in parentheses indicates its average hit points.

Att indicates the number and type of a creature's attacks, along with the damage caused by each one.

AB is "Attack Bonus" and represents the bonus added to a creature's d20 attack roll, which is compared against an opponent's Defense Rating.

MV is the speed at which the creature moves, given in paces, a unit equivalent to 5-foot (or 1.5-meter) increments. The first number is the creature's base movement rate, while the second one in parentheses is its encounter movement rate.

SV represents the creature's saving throws, with the letters being the following:

• F = "Fortitude"
• D = "Devices"
• M = "Mental attacks"
• E = "Evasion"
• S = "Spell"

XP is the experience point value of defeating the creature.

NA is "Number Appearing," with the first number being the number encountered wandering through the Vaults beneath sha-Arthan, while the second indicates the number encountered in a lair. 

TT is "Treasure Type" and is used in conjunction with a table to determine the amount of treasure, if any, a creature has on its person or in its lair.

As you can see, most of the game statistics are like those found in most forms of Dungeons & Dragons, with a few changes here and there to better reflect the setting of sha-Arthan and my personal preferences as a referee. Like all such things, I continue to tinker with these details; they will probably not reach their final form until I've had the chance to playtest them more fully (which I hope to begin in the new year, but I make no promises).

Ven Mor (Beast Man)

A ven mor by Zhu Bajie

The physical manifestation of the Curse varies from victim to victim; there is no single "standard" appearance of a ven mor. Some sages suggest a connection between the last meal of animal matter consumed by the afflicted and his bestial transformation, while others scoff at this as superstition. True or not, the peasantry of Inba Iro and surrounding lands long ago adopted a vegetarian diet as a precaution against the Curse. An outbreak of the Curse in civilized lands is thus a serious threat and no effort is spared to contain it by starving it of potential hosts.

AC 5 [14], HD 2* (9hp), Att 1 × weapon (1d6 or by weapon), THAC0 18 [+1], MV 120’ (40’), SV D12 V13 P14 B15 S16 (2), ML 10, XP 25 (narahan: 50), NA 2d4 (1d6 × 10), TT D

• Weapons: Prefer clubs and other blunt weapons. 
• Curse of the Makers: At the beginning and end of any melee combat with one or more ven mor, save versus poison with a +2 bonus. Those who fail both rolls transform into a beast man after an illness of 1d4 days. There is no known cure, though rumors persist that the priests of Ukol possess a spell to counteract it.
• Narahan: Groups of 20+ are led by a more powerful ven mor (called a narahan) with 3HD (16hp).

Another ven mor

Rashthul (Hive Walker)

A deadly pest of the deserts of sha-Arthan is the rashjalum, a flying, carnivorous insect that dwells in enormous hives. Each hive has a complex society under a single "high queen," protected by several dozen "war queens" that command swarms of insects that search for threats and food. A war queen typically parasitizes a desert-dwelling animal, such as the barkoa land-crab, hijacking its nervous system and mutating its body to serve as a mobile sub-hive from which to attack foes and defend her high queen.

When a war queen parasitizes a Man, the result is a rashthul. Its bones unpredictably mutated into a chitinous exoskeleton and its brain consumed, a rashthul has no will of its own. It exists only as a vehicle for these terrible insects, roaming the deserts of the True World with no purpose other than to destroy whatever its controlling war queen commands.

AC 4 [14], HD 4+1** (19hp), Att 2, 3, or 4 × weapon (1d6 or by weapon), THAC0 15 [+4], MV 90’ (30’), SV D10 V11 P12 B13 S14 (4), ML 10, XP 275, NA 1d6 (2d6), TT Nectar

• Immunities: Immune to effects that affect living creatures (e.g. poison). Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading spells. 
• Half-damage: Suffer only half-damage from sharp and/or edged weapons. 
• Weapons: 4×1-handed, 2×1-handed and 1×2-handed, or 2×2-handed.
• Attack multiple opponents: Up to 3 per round.
• Rashjalum swarm: Automatically damages opponents within a 10' × 10' area surrounding the rashthul: 2hp per round if wearing armor, 4hp without.
• Warding off: A brandished torch or other source of flame and/or smoke causes the swarm to retreat into the body of the rashthul.
•  Nectar: 1d4 tamu of medicinal nectar may be found within each rashthul's body. Properly remedied, each tamu heals 1d6 hit points if consumed in its entirety. The presence of this nectar gives the rashthul an oddly sweet smell, detectable within 60'.

A rashthul by Zhu Bajie

With the notable exception of RuneQuest, most fantasy roleplaying games have employed US customary or Imperial units (or some mix of the two). On the other hand, science fiction roleplaying games are (almost) unanimous in using the metric system. Now, sha-Arthan is a "secret sci-fi" setting, which is to say, it's presented as if it were a traditional fantasy setting, albeit a somewhat exotic one, but its foundations are science fictional. Thus, there are scientific – or at least pseudo-scientific – explanations for sorcery, monsters, magic items, and so on. Since it occupies a middle ground between fantasy and science fiction, what sort of units of measurement should it use?

This has been a topic of conversation among my patrons, where a vocal (and persuasive) minority suggested that I ought to consider creating unique units of measurement for the setting, both for flavor purposes and to aid in the running of the game. I must admit that I was immediately torn by this suggestion. It's certainly true that unique terms can help to better immerse one in an imaginary setting. However, they can also be alienating, especially when there are already lots of unique terms and names in use. 

One possible way to bridge the gap between these two perspectives is to come up with terms that are both easily convertible to real world units and useful in play. For example, the six-mile hex is very popular among old school gamers and, while there are indeed some practical reasons for its popularity, it's still a somewhat arbitrary choice. But what if it weren't? What if, in sha-Arthan, there was a unit of measurement that corresponded to six miles (let's call it a meshal for argument's sake)? If that were the case, I could simply say that each hex on a map corresponds to one meshal and then explain how many meshals per day a group of adventurers can typically travel. In a similar fashion, if I adopt five-foot squares on interior maps, perhaps each of those squares is another type of unit (a dashur or "pace"). As I ponder this further, I realize that I could come up with other units to simplify the handling of encumbrance or whatever other "fiddly" details of fantasy gaming that are often cast aside because of the tedium of keeping track of them.

Of course, I might well be mistaken in this and that any theoretical gains made through the use of game-derived units is offset by the additional step of remembering just what a meshal or dashur represents. It's also possible that it's just this kind of world building that gets in the way of accessibility and one of my goals with sha-Arthan is to present an exotic science fantasy setting that isn't going to frighten people away by luxuriating in its own oddities.  

I shall keep pondering.