Carnivorous Vegetation
“Mavnor!” Valance shouted as he struggled to hold back the snapping mouth of a vicious oak tree.
“Yes?” a faint voice called in return.
“Call off your plants, we have a message to deliver!” Valance replied.
“If I must,” the voice said, getting a bit closer.
Suddenly the attack of the plants subsided and Valance and the others relaxed.
“One cannot be to careful,” the druid chuckled, seeing the ruffled party of adventurers.
Valance straightened out his priestly robes and composed himself.
“I was about to send in the spiders looking for you,” he said.
“Now that wouldn’t have been necessary!” Mavnor responded with a shiver.
Carnivorous Vegetation (Druid)
Level 3
Range: Ten feet per level of druid
Duration: One day per level of druid
Carnivorous Vegetation causes all plant life (or just that deemed by the casting druid) to take on a variety of flesh eating mouths within the range of the spell. Small plants have tiny mouths that do 1d3 damage while large trees have gaping maws that can do 1d12 damage. Limbs writhe and vines curl hungrily, but do no actual damage. Each plant will have 1d4-1 (with a minimum of 1) such mouth. Anyone taking ½ damage (or more) and surviving will need to make a Save versus Petrify and Paralyze at -1 to enter a forest for one week after the encounter. Those who fail the Save will not enter any heavy vegetation and will be catatonic for 1d4 turns. The druid casting the spell can control these attacks and can order any plant life attacking friends or allies to stop and allow safe passage.
from → Magic Spells
Deific Clay
Valance, priest of the Spider God, carefully unwrapped the parchment covered brick of clay. Chalk, Gnybaro and Koram gathered close to see what the wily cleric was up to.
Unscrewing the cap of his waterskin, the priest gingerly let a drop of water fall upon the grayish brick. Minutes passed. Gnybaro yawned, Chalk elbowed the thief in the ribs.
Suddenly the clay brick began to move and twist of its own volition. Within moments the clay had become a figure, six-armed and many-tentacled, with mean eyes.
“Yarish-gha!” Valance exclaimed.
“What does that mean?” Chalk asked.
Valance turned and looked over the edge of the valley, down at the sleepy village below.
“It means that those villagers down there are up to no good,” Valance replied.
“Another night under the stars!” Koram complained.
“Better than in a stew pot,” Chalk pointed out.
A strange substance that sages speculate comes from under the foundations of the temples of the most influential gods, deific clay is a highly sought after substance, quite valuable to those who travel in strange lands where even stranger deities lurk and ask worship of the locals. Usually sold in the shape and size of an ordinary brick, this soft clay has been used in major cities in much bigger amounts, in such cities where the people are fickle about their gods and the statues in the temples and shrines wear temporary faces.
Benefit: Usually sold in the form of a brick, deific clay is a soft and malleable substance that somehow senses the strongest or most worshiped deity in any given area. Adding a drop of water activates the process which transforms the clay into a small statue that represents the main deity of the land.
The deific clay will pick up on the strongest deities in the area, if those present worship the most popular deity in the area, then that will be the god represented. In this way a chief god or goddess will also represent the pantheon.
Usable by: Anyone.
from → Magic Items
Sporeceric Armor
Stork, rival of Chalk and his companions, held the strange helmet in his hands. It seemed to writhe and move, the eyes staring back at him.
“Here they come, are you going to wear it?” Vistis the Blue Mage inquired.
Stork hesitated a moment, unsure of just what this strange headpiece would do to him. With a shrug, the wizard donned the helmet.
Vistis threw a spell at their rivals, scattering three of them, only the surly fighter, Koram, stood his ground. With a roar Koram rushed at Vistis.
Stork stepped from the shadows and faced the fighting man. Koram stopped abruptly, surprised by the sudden appearance of the figure with the eerie helmet, a headpiece even stranger than the mask that Vistis wore continuously.
Before the fighter could react ebony tentacles lashed out at the fighter and pulled him in close. Thick skull met arcane helmet. Koram groaned in pain and staggered away.
“Retreat!” Chalk called out, rushing forward to grab one of Koram’s flailing arms.
The next three nights none of Koram’s companions got much sleep, all do to the fighter’s apparently vivid and terrifying nightmares concerning giant evil mushrooms and evil spore monsters.
The ultimate rulers of the Outer Madness enjoy playing little games amongst themselves with the flesh and blood of mortals. One form this has taken is the Sporeceric Armor, created by the fungal deity Haxessimun. Centuries ago this strange god had quite a following in the world and his champion, Lorg Talu, was granted many gifts for his role in spreading the word (and spores) of Haxessimun. Now, this armor has been scattered about the world, long forgotten in dusty treasure hoards or in the vaults of sorcerer-kings too afraid to even try to wear any of this tainted attire.
Benefit: Each piece of Sporeceric Armor grants different benefits to the wearer. Each piece grants a +/-1 to AC to the full amount of +/-4 to Armor Class. Eerily, buckles and binding are not necessary, for Sporeceric Armor attaches itself to the wearer through arcane means, twisting and tearing any fabric to get at the tender flesh below. Removing the armor is difficult and takes 1d6+1 turns to remove each piece. If the entire suit is somehow found and worn all at once it would take 1d8+4 turns to remove the armor as the fungoid pieces have melded together, making removal difficult. Some say that those wearing the entire suit of sporeceric armor hear whispers from Haxessimun itself and some are loathe to remove the armor at all.
The pieces are as follows:
Fungal Tunic: When worn this tunic magically stretches itself to cover the wearer’s feet. In combat the fungal tunic flashes strange colors that can nauseate attackers, making the wearer -1 to be hit in combat. This strange tunic also allows the wearer to levitate about a foot off of the ground, the tunic still touching the ground. In combat this gives the wearer a +1 to hit as he/she is capable of spinning and whirling about opponents effortlessly.
Right Arm: A snapping maw replaces the hand of this strange armor and acts as a weapon. This arm seems to act independently and is +1 to strike, doing 1d8+3 damage in combat.
Left Arm: This arm terminates in a strange looking (like a morel mushroom, actually) fungal growth. Each of the pores in this “hand” can extended 6′ long whip-like tentacles that can constrict an opponent, do 1d6 points of damage collectively and 1d3 damage each successive round. Those constricted are -2 to hit in combat. Doing 10 hit points of damage to these strange growths will cause them to retract and regenerate.
Helmet: The horrific helmet has a bestial countenance; with jagged horns, multiple eyes and strange tentacles that writhe and wriggle from the neck of the helmet. In combat these tentacles strike out at an opponent, a successful hit pulls the victim at the wearer of the helmet. A tremendous head-butt follows, doing 1d10 damage to the victim, but the wearer is cushioned from any damage. For 1d4 days afterwards anyone surviving this type of attack are -1 on ALL rolls, due to strange and horrifying dreams that haunt them. The tentacles in all other aspects are the same as those from the left arm, as above.
Usable by: Anyone, sporeceric armor does not hinder spellcasting.
from → Magic Items
Metal Calling Mushroom
The Priest of the Spider God was struggling to resist the strange pull towards the gathering of 3-foot tall purplish mushrooms. Suddenly Gnybaro the thief shot passed him, his short sword leading the way. The thief cried out in anguish as his sword touched the foremost mushroom and it disintegrated into a pile of rust. The dungeon delvers all thought they heard a snicker or two from the mushrooms.
“Laugh at this!” Chalk roared and sent a fireball into the midst of the collection of fungi. Shrieks of agony and rage now sounded from the mushrooms.
Koram then raced by, barely dressed, howling in fury, his Crystal Sword in hand. The odd fungoid creatures had little recourse against the raging human and his strange sword.
In the dim light behind this carnage a massive shape stirred.
“Troll!” Koram shouted, retreating to the spot where he had shed his armor.
Metal Calling Mushroom
No. Enc.: 1d8(2d10)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 10′ (3′)
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d6
Save: F4
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: None
X.P.: 100
Strange fungoid creatures of sporecery, the Metal Calling Mushroom is a semi-intelligent thing that is somewhat aware of its surroundings. Four small black eyes surround the stalk of this slow moving mushroom, keeping a lookout for intruders into their subterranean domain. These odd mushrooms also have a mouth that is hard to see, which they apparently communicate with others of their kind and possibly other denizens of the underworld. Standing about 3 feet tall, the Metal Calling Mushroom is for the most part an unassuming growth, happily creeping along and absorbing any rusty metal or decaying organic material that it comes across.
When creatures bearing any sort of magnetic metal come along the Metal Calling Mushroom can, three times per day, “charge” its cap, which draws all metal within ten feet towards it with powerful force. Resisting this magnetic force requires a successful Save versus Petrify and Paralyze with a Strength modifier added. Once metal has been attracted to the cap of the Metal Calling Mushroom this strange fungus begins to render the metal to rust, much like a rust monster would. Normal metal objects in contact with the cap of the mushroom for more than a few seconds are rendered useless and rust away. Magical items such as swords and daggers begin to lose their magical qualities (a +2 sword becoming a +1) until it loses its magic, is rendered mundane and further contact destroys the weapon.
Each charge held by the Metal Calling Mushroom will hold metal objects fast for three turns. Once the three charges have been expended for the day the weird fungoid creature is fairly harmless, only having a bite that does 1d6 damage.
from → Monsters
Harp of the Green Way
“I’ll take that bet!” chortled the thief, Gnybaro.
Voligo the Sly, in the guise of a simple peddler, tried to conceal a smile.
“Then come back to this spot before sundown and you will see that I have caused a tree to grow on this spot, and I am no wizard,” Voligo replied.
“If you can cause this feat to occur, without casting a spell or having a wizard do it for you, one hundred gold pieces will be yours,” Gnybaro affirmed.
Just after nightfall the thief Gnybaro burst into the common room of the Drunken Dragon Inn, looking desperately through his good eye for his traveling companions, his other eye was swollen shut and quite tender.
“What happened to you?” Chalk asked casually, tossing a card into the discard pile.
“Not now! I need to borrow thirty gold pieces!” the thief said with a sense of urgency.
“Some ridiculous wager?” inquired the cleric Valance, his eyes half opened. Even under the influence of the hallucinogenic bite of the Saheedni Spider the priest could see Gnybaro’s plight.
“Yes, yes! That rascal had a magical harp!” Gnybaro said in exasperation.
Koram, Chalk and Valance exchanged glances over the table and looked back at the thief. The door opened and three thugs entered the common room of the inn, they all zeroed in on Gnybaro.
“Such a quandary,” Koram said, amused at Gnybaro’s desperation. “Yet I am not in the mood to fight. I’ll loan your thirty gold pieces. Get rid of those goons.”
“And stop taking stupid bets!” Chalk barked at the nervous thief.
The Harp of the Green Way is a stout, rustic looking hardwood musical instrument that stands out because it always seems to have a small limb with a green leaf or two growing from it. This hand held harp, when played for a few minutes, will encourage all plant life within a 200 foot radius to grow and thicken, this vegetation will also be fairly malleable, allowing for the plant life to be woven and shaped for up to twenty minutes after the harp’s music has ended. A handful of seeds (or spores) can also be encouraged to grow in this way as well, providing valuable food in a few hour’s time. While one would assume that this is a device of elven origin, in fact it was a dwarf wizard who created the first Harp of the Green Way many years ago to assist dwarf explorers on long expeditions.
Benefit: The Harp of the Green Way, when played for ten minutes solidly, will cause all plant life within 200 feet of the player of the harp to become thicker and for a short time, malleable, allowing for anyone to weave and manipulate the surrounding vegetation for up to twenty minutes after the music has been played. In this way all affected plant life can be used to make a barrier, a shelter or anything of this nature (a shrine, monument or virtually any building or structure). In addition, as long as soil is available for roots to take, a handful of seeds or spores can be can be encouraged to grow into a bountiful harvest (or flowers, trees, vines, etc) in 1d4+1 hours.
Usable by: Anyone.
from → Magic Items
Swim through Nature
Chalk screamed in terror as a wooden face pushed its way up through the floorboards of the room in the Drunken Dragon Inn. Another appeared in the wall. Grinning, skull-like faces leered at the wizard.
“Koram! Company is here!” Chalk yelled.
Gnybaro and Koram burst into the room, Valance came yawning after them, tucking a spider under his night-cap.
A quartet of thin Astral Raiders flowed from the walls and floor to confront the adventurers. One of the lanky monsters looked around the room then focused on the fighter.
“We have come for our fallen brother’s sword. Again,” the creature said in a thin, hissing voice.
Koram grasped the hilt of the Crystal Sword, it seemed to hum in the presence of the otherworldly humanoids. Their eyes intensified as they focused on the sword.
“Not today,” Koram said, drawing the blade slowly.
Gnybaro had already freed his sword while the others were distracted by the fighter. In a flash he lashed out, stabbing one of the monsters in the torso. The creature silently screamed and fell back into the floor, being swallowed up by the oak wood.
Chalk tossed a spell that exploded among the other three Astral Raiders. Two cried out. The third, apparently the leader, said something in their language and turned to face the adventurers. The three remaining Astral Raiders began to fade into the floors and wall, slowly sinking into the wood and stone.
“Not today, but soon enough. The next time we meet, I will seize that sword from you, I swear it by all of our gods,” the leader said to Koram.
The fighter swung at the Astral Raider, hitting the creature’s strange helmet. Sparks flew and the sword rang out an eerie tone. The creature grinned at the four dungeon delvers before disappearing into the floor.
“I don’t think I will sleep for a while,” Gnybaro commented.
Swim through Nature (Arcane/Druid)
Level 4
Range: Self or Touch
Duration: Ten minutes per level of caster
The Swim through Nature spell allows the caster and any within a twenty foot radius to be able to move freely through ice, wood or stone, etc. For the duration of the spell those affected have no need to breathe, nor do they feel the ill effects of climate extremes (for example, one could swim through a wall of ice and feel cool, but not freezing cold). Some wizards believe that this is because the spell causes those affected and their belongings to become one with Nature or the arcane on some level.
from → Magic Spells
Aeoneum Dragon
“That dragon stole my shield!” Gnybaro complained.
“Would you stop talking and start swinging that sword! The dragon has made a run for it!” Koram snapped at the thief.
Chalk threw a spell at the oncoming skeletons, a handful caught on fire. Valance turned a trio of the undead, and these creatures promptly turned to dust.
“But, my shield,” Gnybaro began.
“Swing the sword!” the three adventurers yelled at the thief in unison. Snapping out of his despair Gnybaro drew his short sword and attacked the skeletons with fervor.
Aeoneum Dragon
No. Enc.: 1(1d4)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120′ (40′)
Fly: 240′ (80′)
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 7
Attacks: 3 (claw/claw/bite)
Damage: 1d6/1d6/2d8
Save: F7
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: XV
X.P.: 1750
Among dragon-kind the Aeoneum Dragon stands out as one of the strangest. While it looks typically draconic with its long, sinewy form, wicked claws and leathery bat-like wings, it is a swifter runner than most dragons and not nearly as aggressive, preferring the ambush over the charge.
In addition to its claw and bite attacks, the Aeoneum Dragon has a special weapon up its sleeve, or rather, in its maw. Lacking a breath weapon, this weird dragon can cast its teeth to the ground, and these will grow into skeleton warriors to defend the wyrm. These monsters often use this tactic when the tide turns against them to beat a hasty retreat when fighting a losing battle. These teeth will regrow in the creature’s mouth in 1d20+4 hours. If the beast is slain the teeth can be pulled out and used to create skeleton warriors to fight for the one who dropped the tooth to the ground.
Skeletons created in this way have 2HD+3, 6AC, Save as F3 and do 1d10 damage with their weapons.
from → Monsters
Sabaktes
Plates and mugs shattered, sending shards of pottery in all directions. Maniacal laughter filled the large main room of the Drunken Dragon Inn.
Graff, the innkeeper, came downstairs in a huff, yelling and hooting, his ancient sword in hand. The sight before him caused his mouth to drop open. A trio of thin, devil-like creatures were capering about in the common room, breaking everything in sight.
“Chalk! Koram! Valance! Gnybaro!” the innkeeper screamed. “Time for you boys to earn your keep! Get down here! Now!”
Sleepy-eyed and half sober, the adventurers set about chasing the strange plane-bound devils around the inn, the monsters laughing and breaking as much as they could before they were finally cast out into the chilly night air.
“Are we destined to be plagued by such nuisances?” Chalk asked.
“Probably no more so than we are nuisances to others,” the priest of the Spider God speculated.
Sabaktes
No. Enc.: 1d4(1d8)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120′ (40′)
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d8 or by weapon
Save: F5
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: VI
X.P.: 2250
The sabaktes are a strange type of earthbound daemon, sometimes called “crashers” for their compulsion to break things. Thin, hunched bipeds with long, whip-like tails and wide, toothy smiles, the sabaktes use their powers to break into places like pottery shops, glassware shops or any similar collection of breakables and they then commence to shattering and smashing the contents therein.
Sages have speculated that the sabaktes are an unknown type of creature that was transformed into their current state due to some transgression against the gods, but their true origin is not known and the sabaktes themselves aren’t talking.
Three times per day a sabaktes may perform the following as spell-like abilities: Levitate, Knock, Fly, Haste and Invisibility 10′ Radius as if cast by a 6th level magic-user.
The sabaktes prefer to avoid combat whenever possible and focus their mischief on their preoccupation with breaking things.
from → Monsters
Keening Helm
Gnybaro held his hands out before him, eyes closed, smiling dumbly as he tried to interpret the information the strange helm on his head was conveying to him.
“Do you see any traps or secret passages?” Chalk asked the thief.
“No, but I do see something moving to the south of us, approaching slowly,” Gnybaro answered.
Chalk tossed a ball of light towards the southern area of the cavern. The magic exploded, filling the cavern with light and showering sparks that revealed a lumbering reptilian creature that hissed at the adventurers and retreated into a nearby cave, but not before Koram fired off a crossbow bolt at the creature, wounding the thing just slightly.
“Sometimes, Gnybaro, you steal useful things,” Chalk commented.
“Much better than that cursed saddle that I stuck to,” Koram said. “It almost took me an hour to get out of that thing!”
This odd looking helmet looks quite frail and not the sort of thing one would wade into combat with. With small and tall spikes sticking out all over the surface, some pointed, some with a small ball of metal on the end, it almost looks ludicrous. But a Keening Helm was not meant for combat, although it is sturdier than it looks and does allow a small bit of armor coverage. The Keening Helm was created to assist in finding the depth or thickness of any substance, including ceilings, walls, bodies of water, fog or mist, and even to determine movement, much like how the sonar of a bat operates. This magic item can help to discover of such things as secret doors, subterranean passages, and so forth. This is done by the silent sending of arcane waves out into the surrounding environment. By focusing on the results of these waves, the wearer may determine what is around him or her, even in total darkness.
Benefit: The Keening Helm allows the wearer to detect movement or to know how thick or thin walls, bodies of water, etc are. The magical headpiece also senses motion. All the wearer needs to do is close their eyes and focus on the helmet to receive the information. Any distraction, however, such as combat, will break the stream of feedback to the wearer. The Keening Helm is also much sturdier than it looks, granting an additional +/-1 AC to the wearer.
Usable by: Anyone.
from → Magic Items
