It is April and that means it is time for the AtoZ Challenge for 2021. I didn't do this for a few years, but this year I wanted to give it a go again to see how it has changed, see what is new, and mostly to motivate me to get all my monsters done!
My monster book idea grew from my love of monster books in general. I have spoken about my love for the original Monster Manual here a few times. I have talked about other monster books too. For me it was monsters that were my gateway to D&D. I still love them.
This year is the A to Z of Monsters. I am working on completing a couple of different monster books. One focused on monsters of fairy tales, myths, and legends and in particular monsters related to witchcraft. The other is a massive tome of demons and fiends of all sorts. The first book will feature all sorts of creatures, right now there are a large number of undead monsters. Makes sense when you consider that I spend a lot of time writing and playing horror games.
Some creatures have appeared in my witch books. Some are completely new. Many have come from challenges like this and my Monstrous Mondays posts. Some are even like today's beastie. A d20 conversion of a 3.5 monster to OSR-like stats.
As I have been discussing here I am working on my "universal stat-block." Today though I am going to start with the one I have been using in my Monstrous Mondays and tweak it from here.
Allip
Medium Undead (Incorporeal)
Frequency: Very Rare
Number Appearing: 0 (1d4)
Alignment: Chaotic [Chaotic Evil]
Movement: 60' (20') [6"]
Fly: 60' (20') [6"]
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Hit Dice: 4d8+2** (20 hp)
Attacks: Special
Damage: NA See below
Special: Suprise, touch deals 1 point of Wisdom drain, only hit by silver or magical weapons.
Save: Monster 4
Morale: 12 (12)
Treasure Hoard Class: None
XP: 275 (OSE) 290 (LL)
Allips are shadowy, incorporeal undead that mutter and speak with the voice of madness from beyond the grave. The voice acts as a Suggestion spell upon anyone hearing the quiet mutterings: the suggestions of an allip are usually senseless but sinister.
An allip is usually only seen out of the corners of the eye. Thus they can surprise on a roll of 1-4 on a d6. Elves are surprised only on a roll of 1-3. Once it attacks it is visible to all.
The allip’s touch does not deal damage but causes the victim to lose 1 point of wisdom. If a victim’s wisdom falls to 0, it dies and will become a shadow within 2d6 days. Allips can only be hit with magical or silver weapons.
It is believed that allips are caused by people who have died in a state of profound despair. Now they seek revenge on the living for their current state. They are always found where they died. They are turned as a 4 HD undead.
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So here is a start!
You can find all the other participating blogs and their social media links on this Google Sheet.
I also have a growing Twitter List here of everyone participating on Twitter.
**Please Note. I have 'Comment Moderation' turn on. I have been getting hit with a ton of spam.**
7 comments:
Hello, fellow A-to-Zer! Great theme! I don't actually play RPGs, but I love reading RPG sourcebooks, so I will definitely be following along with your A to Z this year. I like your description of the Allip here. I especially like the phrase "senseless but sinister." Very evocative.
I am told (by my boyfriend, who knows more about RPGs than I do) that "OSR" stands for "Old-School Revival." Does that mean you are taking a 3.5-version monster and making it possible to play in an even older system? Or, if not that, what?
Update: we have now looked up Allips in our 3.5 Monster Manual. For me, the textual description is the thing, not so much the numbers, because, as I mentioned, I don't actually play RPGs. Anyway, I am charmed by the idea that "an allip is unable to cause physical harm, although it doesn't appear to know that." Have you retained that notion at all in your updated (or down-dated, or whatever) creature?
I have a fascination with monsters. I’ll be following along on this wild ride. Great start.
That's a really inventive monster I'd never heard of before. As a lover of horror and the dark side of Halloween, I'm looking forward to the rest of your posts.
Oh wow, this is creepy! Cool monster. Also, cool theme. I'll be back for more!
Welcome back to A to Z! :)
The Multicolored Diary
An alphabetical monstrorium! Cool!
The original Monster Manual is a work of art! Very intriguing and it kept my attention for a long time. I used to browse through the entries quite frequently in my youth.
Interesting. I haven't encountered this monster before.
Ronel visiting for the A-Z Challenge with an A-Z of Faerie: Anubis
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