Light Dragon Armor
Fashioned by the famed and venerable dwarven blacksmith Tibal, this shiny scale-like armor gives off a perpetual light when worn. It is not armor with a light spell cast upon it, but a rather strange force that is not understood by either mages nor clerics.
It gives off a faint glow of magic, but that is not due to what powers the light. Nobody is quite sure why this particular suit of ancient armor gives off such a glow.
Light armor is, in fact, a light armor, so it affects the abilities of spellcasters and rogues much like leather armor.
It turns out it is powered by the heart of a silver dragon named Saribet which once lived high in the mountains. As such, this armor affords a 50% damage reduction against all things draco.
Since this item is unique, its value is priceless. Its location is unknown.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged armor, artifact, proppian by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Saribet’s Heart
High in the mountains, this dragon once perched above the trees, serving the powers of good and protecting the land from his chromatic brethren. However, it is said that a sneaky dwarf mage posing as a lady dragon once stole his heart. His old home lies high in the mountains in a place where no dwarves dare return, lest they be haunted by his troubled spirit. They need someone else to investigate the matter.
Saribet has long-since passed, having literally died when he lost his figurative heart, but his spectre is said to haunt the alpine valleys of the Sarhumet Mountains, named for his father, a demi-god among dragons. The dwarves who live in the villages still shake and shudder along with their homes when they feel the cold winds of winter. Strong winds accompanied by the howl of a distant spirit is enough to keep anyone indoors during these months. However, this is exactly when the party arrives.
It is said that his enormous footsteps can still be found in snowbanks high in the passes. Saribet’s heart has been taken somewhere outside of Sarhumet, and he cannot rest until it is returned, and thus, neither can the dwarves. They have taken to writing sad tales of love and loss, rather than fashioning high-end items to the rest of the land, so the effects of this situation are felt throughout Proppian.
News of this story travel throughout the land as the dwarven tales have found their way onto the playlists of many a Proppian bard. It is likely that the party has heard about this situation through just such a tale.
Posted in Creature and tagged dragon, proppian by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Aeol “Skinny” Schinne
Hailing from the Republic of Esrun, Aeol has traveled across the northwestern stretch of Farghoal, fighting creatures ranging from hobgoblins and gnolls, to the feared haunts of Torrid Wood. He spends a lot of time in and around Karthidn, and is looking for work as a mercenary, which, with his reputation will not be difficult. However, he chooses his contracts wisely, which is why he is still alive.
Aeol “Skinny” Schinne CR 4
Male Human Fighter 4
CG Medium Humanoid
Init: +1 Senses: Listen +2, Spot +2
Languages: common;
AC: 15 touch 11, flatfooted 14
HP: 40 (HD 4d10+8)
Aura: None
Resist: None
Immune: None
Fort: +7 Ref: +3 Will: +4
Weakness / vulnerabilities: None
Speed: Walk 30 ft.
Attack: Masterwork Crossbow (Light) +7; *Trident +7; *Trident (Thrown) +6; (Masterwork Crossbow (Light) 1d8+2; *Trident 1d8+4; *Trident (Thrown) 1d8+2;)
Full Attack: weapon +? (damage / crit range)
Attack Options:
Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Base Attack: +? Grapple: +?
SQ: None
SA: None
Feats: Armor Proficiency (Heavy), Armor Proficiency (Light), Armor Proficiency (Medium), Martial Weapon Proficiency, Rapid Reload (Crossbow (Light)), Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Tower Shield Proficiency, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Trident, Crossbow (Light)), Weapon Specialization (Trident, Crossbow (Light)),
Abilities Str 15 Dex 13 Con 14 Int 12 Wis 14 Cha 10
Face / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Special Qualities:
Skills: Appraise: 1; Balance: 1; Bluff: 0; Climb: 7; Concentration: 2; Craft (Untrained): 1; Diplomacy: 0; Disguise: 0; Escape Artist: 0; Forgery: 1; Gather Information: 1; Handle Animal: 4; Heal: 2; Hide: 0; Intimidate: 1; Jump: 3; Listen: 2; Move Silently: 0; Ride: 7; Search: 1; Sense Motive: 3; Spot: 2; Survival: 2; Swim: 2; Tumble: 0;
Possessions: Belt (BELT); Bolts, Crossbow (10); Bolts +1 (Crossbow/10); Boots (Save Bonus (Luck) (+1)); Gauntlets (GAUNTLET); Masterwork Chain Shirt; Masterwork Crossbow (Light); Peasant’s Outfit; Potion of Cure Light Wounds; Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds; Trident;
Posted in Character and tagged esrun, fighter by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Alabaster
Overview
Village: AL LN; 1,200gp limit; Assets 700,000gp; Population 520; Mixed (75% human, 15% half-orc, 5% dwarf, 5% other)
Alabaster rests along the western edge of a vast rocky plateau. Men and half-orcs have dug mines deep into the rock and have excavated alabaster from its core, hence the town’s name.
The rocks are moved south to Junction and north to Trover and the other regions of the Jæruel. The merchants of Alabaster are also known for their stained glass.
Architecture
Due to the abundance of alabaster in the area, the wooden homes are all adorned with small walls and cornerstones of alabaster. The town hall in the center of the village is built entirely of alabaster, with tall spires and large arches that the large slabs of carved stone allow.
Layout
The town is completely built around the idea of mining the stone along the eastern edge of the village, and all the main roads run along its edge. Smaller roads that lead to the homes of miners and the small amount of services run west along Broadsword St. from this eastern edge. The rest of the town sprawls over the vast expanse of the plains from there, mostly along Jæruel Loop. A cluster of servant quarters provides the buffer from the main town to the wealthier homes. Some of the wealthier stone homes on the west edge of the village are an acre or more apart.
Two guard towers manned by 5 level 3 guards watch over the western plains, and a garrison of 25 Jæruel militiamen led by a level 7 fighter stands on a small hill in the north part of the village.
The dwarves which have chosen to live in the town, as they are well-paid consultants to the miners, live nestled in the rock near the mines.
Map
Persona
Edmund Van Riggle: a level 8 noble, mayor of Alabaster and local Jæruel minister. Edmund lives in the westernmost wealthy residence with his brother.
Tarn Snagfoot: a lvl 6 half-orc mining foreman that rules over the half-orcs in town. Tarn lives in the largest house in the Half-orc camp on the northern edge of town. He has two 4th level bodyguards who are always at his side.
Finn Van Riggle: a level 8 mage from the Phyloctæte.
The miners of Alabaster are a tough, yet on the whole a lawful bunch. They enjoy the long hours honing their craft, and are well compensated, since the alabaster fetches a hefty sum in the neighboring towns. They are also a devout group, the humans worshipping Kord and the orcs Luthic in two large cathedrals in the center of town. Though there is a slight divide between the groups, they each know each other’s roles in their prosperity, so they limit their trash talking to their own social circles.
Plot Points
The intrigue in Alabaster stems from the displacement of the non-mining locals, as well as the distinct lack of women in the town. There are no families, and the only women are those who serve the men’s carnal desires. This leads to occasional outbursts of violence over them, as certain miner feel under-compensated in the flesh department.
In addition, there are multiple shafts which are off limits to many of the miners. There are rumors that something other than alabaster has been found there, and there are certain miners which have been picked to work the night shift to extract whatever this substance is.
There are also rumors of mages visiting the mines under cover of darkness. Certain perceptive and superstitious miners have put he two together and fear the worst. A mage by the name on Finn Van Riggle (brother of the mayor) has recently moved to the village and is staying in his brother’s large home on the west end of town. There are those who say he takes the form of a large black cat in order to explore the region at night.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged Jæruel, Location, village by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Yoven, Poison Pixie
An evil offshoot of the forest-dwelling pixies, these fey delight in sewing lies and poisoning the minds of people.
Poison pixies are usually about the size of goblins, weighing around 60 pounds, and stand between 3 and 4 feet tall.
They tend to be attractive much like elves and normal pixies, although when they let their masks of deception fall their faces become hideous to behold as they twist with hatred and malice.
Poison Pixies possess the following racial characteristics:
* -2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, +6 Charisma.
* Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
* Base land speed is 30 feet.
* Immunity to magic sleep effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects.
* Low-Light Vision
* Skills: Poison Pixies have a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. In addition, bluff is always a class skill for Poison Pixies.
* Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, spell resistance equal to 15 + class levels.
* Special Abilities: 3 / day – disguise self, suggestion, command and charm person.
* Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Elven, Gnome, Halfling.
* Favored Class: Sorcerer.
* ECL +2
Presented below is an example of a Poison Pixie, Yoven. A fairly typical member of her race, she enjoys attending the fey dances near a old, inactive gateway to the abyss. There, she sets other fey against each other by whispering lies in their ears.
Yoven CR 5
poison pixie sorcerer 3
chaotic evil female small fey
Init: +2 Senses: Listen +?, Spot +?
Languages: Sylvan, Common
AC: 14 (+2 dex, +2 armor) touch 12, flatfooted 12
HP: 11 (HD 3d4)
Resist: +2 vs enchantment & charm, Spell Resistance 18, Damage Reduction 5 / cold iron
Immune: magical sleep
Fort: +1 Ref: +3 Will: +4
MV: 30 ft.
Attack: +3 dagger (1d4-1) or +3 shortbow (1d6)
Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Base Attack: +1 Grapple: +0
SA: sorcerer spells, spell-like abilities
Feats: weapon finesse, spell focus enchantment
Abilities Str 8 Dex 15 Con 11 Int 12 Wis 13 Cha 17
Skills: 18 skill points Bluff + 12, Concentration + 4, Knowledge (Arcana) + 5, Spellcraft +5.
Spells Available (DC 13 + spell level)
0th (6/day): guidance, ray of frost, prestidigitation, daze, ghost sound
1st (5/day): sleep, color spray, reduce person
Spell-Like Abilities: 3 / day – disguise self, suggestion, command and charm person. (DC 13 + spell level – saves are charisma based)
Possessions: leather armor, dagger, shortbow, 10 arrows.
Familiar: snake familiar.
Posted in Creature and tagged fey by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Poison Armor
This cursed armor sends a poison through a set of small needles into the flesh of its wearer. Poison armor is available in all forms of armor. Alternates include poison clothing of various sorts. Common targets include noble outfits.
The poison deals 1d4 Con damage every minute that it is worn. In the first minute the wearer experiences a mild euphoria, then in the second a dense high. It is not until the wearer has taken 8 or more Con damage that she realizes she is unwell. Once the curse is lifted and the armor is removed, the wearer takes 1d4 Con damage per hour until the poison is cured.
Moderate necromancy; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, poison; Price 56,000 gp. It takes many days to properly prepare this armor trap.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged armor, cursed, poison by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Goduanil
Pronounced Go-do-ann-ill, this is a region of bleak hills where the sky is always overcast, which end in cliffs that overlook the Olde Bay in the center of its north shore. In the valleys run wide streams of black pudding and other oozes, fungi and molds are common.
Goduanil stretches for many miles along the rocky coast and runs almost to the Swift River Road which parallels the river up onto the Cyrűk Mountains.
Locations and encounters within Goduanil include:
* Pryad Wastes
* Black Pudding Streams
* Oozes, Fungi and Molds
* Griffon Roosts
* Waste Giants
Locations of interest to the party include:
* Arthens Lighthouse
* Various ancient ruins sites
* The mysterious tower ruins where rumor has it a wizard went to hide
Posted in Region and tagged Location, Northbay, waste by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Pryad
Pryads are the larger, evil cousins of dryads who live in petrified woods.
Pryad
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Size/Type: Medium Fey
Environment: Temperate forests (petrified)
Organization: Solitary or drove (4-7)
Challenge Rating: 4
Initiative: +4
Armor Class: 17 (+4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Hit Dice: 6d6+1 (24 hp)
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +6
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Attack: Dagger +8 melee (1d4+1/19-20) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8/×3)
Full Attack: Dagger +8 melee (1d4+1/19-20) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+3
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, petrified tree dependent, wild empathy
Feats: Great Fortitude, Weapon Finesse
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 19, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 18
Skills: Escape Artist +11, Handle Animal +11, Hide +11, Knowledge (nature) +11, Listen +9,
Move Silently +11, Ride +8, Spot +9, Survival +9, Use Rope +4 (+6 with bindings)
Treasure: Standard
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
A pryad’s delicate features are much like a dark elf’s, though her flesh is like petrified bark, and her hair is like an amalgam of rocks that match the tones of the petrified wood from whence it comes.
Although they are generally solitary, up to eleven pryads have been encountered in one place on rare occasions.
Pryads speak Common, Elven, and Terran.
Combat
Shy, intelligent, and resolute, pryads are as elusive as they are alluring—they avoid physical combat and are rarely seen unless they wish to be. If threatened, or in need of an ally, a pryad uses charm person or suggestion, attempting to gain control of the attacker(s) who could help the most against the rest. Any attack on her tree, however, provokes the pryad into a frenzied defense.
Spell-Like Abilities
At will— stone tell, stone shape; 3/day— charm person (DC 13), deep slumber (DC 15), rock stride; 1/day—suggestion (DC 15). Caster level 6th. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.
Petrified Tree Dependent (Su): Each pryad is mystically bound to a single, petrified tree and must never stray more than 300 yards from it. Any who do become ill and die within 4d6 hours. A pryad’s petrified tree does not radiate magic.
Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except that the pryad has a +6 racial bonus on the check.
Meld Into Stone (Sp): A pryad can meld into stone with its home tree for free and can meld into other stone 3 times/day.
Posted in Creature and tagged fey by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Issue 10 Released!
Claw/Claw/Bite is a resource for storytellers and gamemasters to help create thrilling worlds of adventure for your players to test their mettle in. In each issue, you’ll find new characters, creatures, magic items, encounters, and locations for use in your campaigns. We also include little nuggets that will enrich your world with cool details and intriguing features.
Our goal is to be a “one-stop shop” for you, the gamemaster. With little or no tweaking on your part, you will be able to drop any game element from Claw/Claw/Bite into your adventure setting and run it how you see fit. All of our creations are designed for d20 fantasy rules. And of course, all of our everything is carefully reviewed and balanced to fit into your game without disrupting your play balance.
This issue of Claw/Claw/Bite includes
* Five new creatures
* A new campaign location — the town of Junction
* Six new weapons, magic items, and special materials
* Three new spells
* Twelve new NPCs, including the cadre of heroes at 5th level
* One new race
* A new feat
Find the issue at rpgnow, or if you act now, you can find a copy for free here.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged CCB issue by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Birdswarm
Hundreds of birds of all types gather in a cloud above.
Birdswarm
Tiny Animal (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 3d8 (12 hit points)
Initiative: +1 (Dex)
Speed: 10 ft, Fly 60 ft (average)
Armor Class: 13 (+2 size, +1 Dex)
Single Attack: swarm (1d4)
Full Attack: swarm (1d4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft/0 ft
Special Attacks: Fly-by-attack
Special Qualities: None
Saves: Fort +x, Ref +x, Will +x
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +6 (2), Spot +9 (5)
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse
Climate/Terrain: Temperate/Any (including urban)
Organization: Flock (1-4 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: Half standard (very small items only)
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: –
COMBAT
A birdswarm does not always act as a coherent unit. Many birds will attack, while others will simply squawk at their prey. They are treacherous in that they are so unpredictable, often going from harmless to harmful in a single round. Because of this, unless characters watch them closely, birdswarms will often surprise them when they attack.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be confused for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Fly-by-attack (Ex): A birdswarm can attack prey and keep moving in the same round.
Posted in Creature and tagged animal, bird, flying, swarm by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.