Creature: Bog Hounds (CR 2)
Bog Hounds should be treated as worgs with Swamp Stride. (CR 2) Their fur is often matted down by the muddy landscapes they inhabit, and they smell of rotten eggs.
Bog Hounds HP: 29, 33
SA: Swamp Stride, Trip
Swamp Stride (Ex): A bog hound may move through any natural swampy or marshy terrain at normal speed without impairment.
Posted in Creature and tagged magical beast by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Creature: The Cats of Ulthar
Cats of Ulthar
Hit Dice: 4d8 (18)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft
Armor Class: 14 (+2 size +2 dex)
Base Attack/Grapple: +3 / –
Attack: Swarm 1d6+1
Full Attack: Swarm 1d6+1
Space/Reach: 10ft / 0ft
Special Attacks: Distraction, stunning aura
Special Qualities: Swarm traits, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 4, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 16
Skills: Balance +10, Climb +6, Hide +14, Jump +10, Listen +3, Move Silently +6, Spot +3.
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Improved Initiative
Environment: Temperate and lunar planes
Organization: Solitary, pride (2-6 swarms), or hunting party (7-12 swarms)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Neutral with lawful and good tendencies
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —
Thousands of yellow cat eyes blink at you malevolently and a paralytic fear grips you. No sound comes from the horde of felines as they pounce upon and completely envelop you.
These creatures are indistinguishable from normal domestic felines. However, they are highly intelligent, well organized, magical beasts. Any mistreatment of the feline race incurs their vengeance. Once they learn of a crime, they gather under the light of the moon in sufficient numbers to dispatch the transgressor without warning. They are chillingly efficient, leaving behind no trace of their victims.
COMBAT
Stunning Aura (Su): Any living creature within 10′ of the swarm of Cats of Ulthar must make a DC 15 Will save or be stunned for 1 round. A potentially affected creature that succeeds on its Will save remains immune to the cats’ stunning presence for 24 hours.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be shaken (-2 to attacks, saves, skill and ability checks) for one round.
Skills: Cats have a +4 racial bonus on Climb, Hide, and Move Silently checks and a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks. Cats of Ulthar also receive a plus one million racial bonus on Jump checks when they leap from rooftops to the dark side of the moon.
Posted in Creature and tagged animal, swarm, swarm subtype by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Encounter: The Baleful Bog and Teen Troll Ranger (EL 8)
Presented below is an encounter with a crafty troll ranger who has laid an ambush involving a pool of quicksand. Included are some of the features applicable to any swamp you might use the encounter in, a complete description of the encounter, and statistics for the trap-laying troll.
Marsh Features
Fog: The entire marsh area is covered in low-hanging fog that obscures ground details. Attempting any tracking in this fog increases the DC by +2.
Marsh Terrain (DMG p.88): with the exception of the remnants of the road, this entire swamp is a moor. Terrain is as follows:
20% of terrain is Shallow Bog (movement is 2/1, Tumble DCs are +2),
5% is Deep Bog (Movement is 4/1 or you can swim, Tumble is impossible, water provides cover),
30% is Light Undergrowth (movement is 2/1, Tumble DCs are +2, provides 20% miss chance concealment), 10% is Heavy Undergrowth (movement is 2/1, Tumble DCs are +2, provides 30% miss chance concealment).
The remaining 35% of terrain is normal.
As the players enter this area, read or paraphrase the following:
“Low brush and pools of water are half-concealed by low-lying fog. Dark trees stretch up, as though trying to escape the fetid swamp; dense vines, moss and foliage block out any light from the sky. The buried and half-submerged road is blocked at two places by fallen trees, the first 50′ ahead and the second another 50′ past that.”
The area to the left of the path at the second fallen tree is a patch of quicksand (see below) that the troll has concealed (DC 25 Spot or Survival check to detect). Anyone entering the squares marked as quicksand will fall in and begin to sink.
Creatures: A clever troll ranger is hiding in a hunter’s blind 30′ up in a tree and 30 feet away from the road, waiting for prey (Hide:+3 bonus for being 30 ft away, +6 ranks in Hide, -4 for size Large, +10 circumstance bonus because the blind is exceptionally cunning, for a total Hide of +15).
When the party gets to the second blockage on the path, the troll ranger will swing down from the blind and attempt to bull rush a member of the party into the quicksand hidden next to the path (with +4 circumstance bonus for momentum and +4 for size Large). He may wait at first to see if any of the players stumble into the quicksand and the other players are distracted trying to rescue him.
Once he completes the bull rush, he will land on the ground on the opposite side of the bog. From there he will harry the party with showers of arrows. The first shot will be with a rope-arrow at the party member in the quicksand. The troll is equipped with a composite longbow (+3 Str) and 10 barbed arrows with a thin but strong cord made of vine attached to the shaft allowing him to retrieve prey from the quicksand. These rope arrows are located in a quiver hidden behind a tree stump. The ends of the cords are already secured to the tree stump.
The Teen Troll Ranger is here. In addition, there are Bog Hounds.
Tactics: Attempting to surprise any prey, the troll will initiate combat with a bull rush to push an opponent into the quicksand. He will likely target the party member with the heaviest armor and will recieve a +4 circumstance bonus for momentum and a +4 bonus for his large size.
After the party member is trapped in the quicksand, the troll will fire a rope-arrow at him, allowing retrieval of his corpse later. At the same time, he will yell for his bog hounds (free action), who will arrive 1d3 rounds later. The troll, being fearless, will then fight to the death.
When they arrive the bog hounds will attack the weakest looking party member, making use of their trip attacks.
Quicksand: Roughly 25′ x 25′ area. The troll has covered the surface of the quicksand with leaves, brush, and other natural vegetation to conceal its true nature. The party can detect the trap with a DC 25 Survival or Search check. Any character entering squares marked on the map as quicksand immediately falls in and is subject to the effects of quicksand as listed in the DMG on page 88.
CR 6; mechanical; automatic reset; DC 25 Reflex avoids; 30ft. deep; drowning danger; Search DC 25; Disable Device DC 15 to clear camouflage.
Treasure: The troll has a belt-pouch with 50 silver coins and 35 gold coins, and has secured some prey he has caught in the blind with him. It amounts to 10 days worth of fresh rabbit and young wild pig meat.
Development: If the party defeats the teen troll ranger, they should be able to help drowning compatriots by pulling them out of the quicksand by the cords attached to the rope-arrows the troll shot them with. Doing so is a DC 15 strength check for every 5 feet they move their friends.
Ad Hoc XP Adjustment: +%20, or give experience for entire encounter as a CR 8.
Posted in Encounter and tagged Location by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Character: Gundar Harl, Priest of Pelor (Lvl 5)
Gundar Harl, Priest of Pelor: A warrior priest, born an aristocrat and initiated into the holy mysteries of Pelor, Gundar is as strong as he is charming. Ambitious, and often bold, arrogant, and self-righteous, this young priest prefers to fight evil through heroic deeds rather than preaching to congregations. At the same time he is very used to getting his way in social settings, and is as powerful a debater and diplomat as he is a warrior, making him a natural leader.
Gundar can be used in your game as a ready-made PC or NPC. As a NPC he could travel with the party for a time, perhaps as they assist him with a task or vanquish some evil. He could also be useful as a contact or ally from within the temple he eventually builds. You may also find Gundar Harl useful as an antagonist, either unchanged or with slight modifications to his alignment or spells. In this case his equipment should also be reduced, as he was given equipment appropriate for a PC (at 5th and 10th level) and as such would provide an unbalancing amount of treasure for his EL.
Tactics: Gundar casts spells to increase his combat effectiveness then closes and brings an end to evil in melee combat with his mace and touch spells. As he gains levels he gets more spells that also help those around him, and a few spells to weaken his foes.
Backstory: Gundar is the youngest son of a minor lord, who was sent to a big cathedral to study. Here, he earned the trust of his god through his studies. Now he has been sent forth on his journeymanship to prove himself in deeds, to spread the word of Pelor to the masses. He discovered that he is more interested in and is better at directly fighting evil than in proselytising, or fighting evil in his fellow man’s souls. He grew weary of the notion of settling down, being more excited about adventuring and building a cathedral of his own, having a parish of his own, one day rising to become a bishop.
This has created a slight rift between him and his elders; he has become a slight outcast among his peers and those who taught him his ways. He is still true to Pelor, so having his own parish makes sense to him. He connects with people through more everyday events rather than as a preacher, though at times he can be arrogant and self righteous. As such, he can be easily persuaded to accept missions to fight evil. This is one of his weaknesses. His other is his pride and greed: he wishes to become an important and wealthy person in the church, though this does not ultimately prevent him from carrying out Pelor’s will and doing good.
Gundar Harl NG Size Medium Male Human Cleric 5 CR 5
Senses: normal vision
Listen +3 Spot +3
AC: 21 (-1 dex, +9 armor, +2 shield, +1 deflection)
HD: 5d8 HP: 28
MV: 20′ or 50′ mounted
Base Attack: +3 Grp: +6
Attack: +7 heavy mace (1d8+4) or +2 Heavy Crossbow (1d10, 19-20 x2)
F: +5 R: +1 W: +8
s: 16 (+3) d: 9 c: 11 i: 10 w: 16 (+3) c: 15 (+2)
Feats: Power Attack, Cleave, Mounted Combat
Skills: concentration +8, diplomacy +10, know religion +2, know history +2, profession (barrister) +5, spellcraft +2
Gear: (9000 gp worth) gold holy symbol of pelor, +1 full plate (2650gp), +1 heavy mace (2312gp), MW Large Steel Sheild (170gp), Heavy crossbow (50gp), 10 bolts, white tabard with gold sun sewn on chest, Red Cloak or Resistance +1 (1000gp), Ring of Protection +1, heavy warhorse with saddle, bit and saddlebags (426), backpack, 3 flasks of holy water (75), bedroll, 3 torches, 5 days rations, etc.
SA: Cleric Spells (Domains: Strength, Sun), Turn Undead, Greater Turning 1/day, Feat of Strength (+5 str 1/day for 1 rd.)
Spells Prepared:
3rd (2+1): bestow curse, inflict serious wounds, searing light*
2nd (3+1): inflict moderate wounds, sound burst, spiritual weapon, bull strength*
1st (4+1): cause fear, divine favor, magic stone, doom, enlarge person*
0th (5): detect magic, guidance, inflict minor wounds, mending, resistance
* : domain spell
Posted in Character by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Magic Item: Marbles of Ulthar
Originally developed in lands far to the south, beyond the river Skai, Marbles of Ulthar have grown in popularity among lay- and street magicians. When the marbles are cast against the ground, or another being, they instantly become a creature corresponding with each marble type, as if summoned via Summon Monster. Each marble is consumed in this process, so the bags of marbles have charges equal to the number of marbles in the pouch. These marbles are usually found in bags of about twenty, distributed roughly as 50% cat’s eyes (typical housecats), 20% large cat’s eyes (Ulthar cats), 10% dark cloudy (panther), 10% milky (lynx) and 10% swirl (tiger). The summoned creatures last 10 minutes.
The effects are as a medium conjuration, caster level 7. In order to create this item, the creator must have Craft Wonderous Item and cast Summon Nature’s Ally 4 or Summon Monster 4, along with a tuft of feline fur. Price: 2,000gp.
There are two variants. The Minor Marbles of Ulthar have a 25% chance of summoning great cats and a 75% chance of summoning housecats, and cost 1,000gp. The Greater Marbles of Ulthar have a 75% change of summoning great cats, priced at 4,000gp.
For a description of Ulthar cats, see the upcoming entry on them.
Posted in Magic Item and tagged wondrous item by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Claw/Claw/Bite Begins!
Hail and well met, fellow roleplayers! This is where the writers of Unicorn Rampant will share their wares, or, at least, little snippets to whet your appetite for more. Every week, we plan to update this blog with at least one new character, one new creature, one new magic item, and one area description (on the scale of a farmstead, inn, or small town). Other little nuggets will also find their way onto this space. These components will also find their way into our published modules for your use as a storyteller/gamemaster. These modules will mostly conform to DnD 3.5 rules, though some will take place in modern or other settings.
Chances are, we’ll do most of our main updates on Monday, and refine them over the week, so check back at the beginning of the workweek to help shake off the early-workweek rust. Let us adventure together.
Fare thee swell!
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged CCB issue by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Encounter Index
| Encounter Level – 1 | Encounter Level – 11 |
Posted in Encounter by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Spell Index
| Assassin |
Cleric Domains
| Plant Domain Protection Domain Time Domain Trickery Domain |
|---|
| A
B
D
F
M
N
Q
R X
Y Z |
Posted in Spell by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Creatures Index
| Chalange Rating – 1 | Chalange Rating – 11 |
Creatures By Type
| Types Aberrations Animals Constructs Dragons Elementals Fey Giants Humanoids Magical Beasts Monstrous Humanoids Oozes Outsiders Plants Undead Vermin |
Subtypes Air Subtype Angel Subtype Aquatic Subtype Archon Subtype Augmented Subtype Chaotic Subtype Cold Subtype Earth Subtype Evil Subtype Extraplanar Subtype Fire Subtype Goblinoid Subtype Good Subtype Incorporeal Subtype Lawful Subtype Native Subtype Reptilian Subtype Shapechanger Subtype Swarm Subtype Water Subtype |
AB
CDEFGHI
J
K
L
MNOP
QR
STUV
W
XY
Z
Posted in Creature by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Magic Item Index
Potions & Oils
Rings
Scrolls
- Amulets & Necklaces
- Bags, Purses & Containers
- Belts & Pants
- Boots
- Bracers & Bracelets
- Cloaks
- Eyes & Face
- Helms & Hats
- Gloves & Gauntlets
- Musical Instruments
- Necklaces & Amulets
- Relics, Talismans and Tools
- Robes
- Saddles, Barding &ct.
- Shirts & Vestments
Major Artifacts
Weapons
Posted in Magic Item by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.