The Other Side blog: A to Z Challenge

Showing posts with label A to Z Challenge. Show all posts

Saturday, April 2, 2016

A to Z of Adventure! B is for Basic Adventures

B is for Basic Adventures.

The Dungeons and Dragons Basic set is a tried and true introduction to the D&D game. Since the first Basic set, written by John Eric Holmes, was published there have been included adventures.

The first was the aptly named, In Search of the Unknown, and had the code B1. This was and still is my go to adventure for starting out a new campaign of first level characters. The plot, as much as there can be one, is thin. There is a castle that has been abandoned. Let's go check it out!

The next Basic Set, and really the start of the whole Basic line of D&D was the one from Tom Moldvay. This set introduced us all to the Caves of Chaos and the titular Keep on the Borderlands. There are estimates that close to 1.5 Million copies of B2 Keep on the Borderlands were printed. An entire generation of gamers visited those caves in search of glory, gold and experience points.

The B-series of modules would go one to produce some of the best and most memorable adventures ever printed. There was the controversial first print (orange cover) of B3 Palace of the Silver Princess which had all copies destroyed and now fetches top dollar on eBay. This was followed by the sublimely weird B4 The Lost City, which along with B2 made the list of the top 30 D&D adventures of all time.

I ran all these first four for my kids over the last few years and it was a blast. I never played in or ran the remaining 8 (yes 8!) adventures. But all are designed for starting level characters, levels 1 to 3 and most importantly starting Dungeon Masters learning their new craft. I know own them all, and really want to play them sometime. I am planning on running Rahasia (B7) as part of my "War of the Witch Queens" campaign someday. I'd also like to run B5 Horror on the Hill and B8 Journey to the Rock as well.

Links

The adventures at the Dungeon Masters' Guild:

Friday, April 1, 2016

A to Z of Adventure! A is for Against the Slave Lords

A is for Against the Slave Lords

Welcome to the A to Z Blogging Challenge for 2016!

Let's start this off with one of the earlier adventure series and consequently one I am currently wrapping up for my kids.

The Slave Lords series was marketed under the "A" module code. The series included four adventures, A1 to A4.
Back in 2013 Wizards of the Coast published a new A5 The Last Slave Lord in Dungeon Magazine #215. In 2015 a new hardcover of the adventure came out which included an introductory adventure A0.

The "A" series came from the adventure "Assult on the Aerie of the Slave Lords". Though for me I always thought they were "A" since they were for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, even though other adventures came before it. Of course my DM also was confused why it was called "A" so he did what he usually did, he added a bunch of Assassins to it.

These adventures were used as tournament level play at the AD&D Open Tournament for Gen Con XIII (1980). The adventures were then published in 1980/1981. I played it myself around 81 or 82.

Ask 10 gamers and you are likely to get 10 different opinions on these adventures. I remember having a character die in it a trap in one of the various traps found in these.

So far my kids are doing well, but it has by no means been a cake walk for them. We are down to the last adventure in the series. I have to figure out if I want them to go through the first part without all their gear or not. I get why it is there, but it isn't something I *need* to do with them right now.

Here are some other postings on this module. Always interesting to read what others have experienced.
http://www.metagamemastery.com/2011/09/26/annotated-a1-slave-pits-of-the-undercity/
http://www.thedelversdungeon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=227
http://bloodofprokopius.blogspot.com/2012/02/re-imagining-slave-pits-of-undercity.html
http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/11/retrospective-slave-pits-of-undercity.html
http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/search/label/a1-4
http://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2014/12/review-a1-4-scourge-of-slave-lords.html

And Peter's detail into each adventure.
http://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-a1-slave-pits-of-undercity.html
http://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-a2-secret-of-slavers-stockade.html
http://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-a3-assault-on-aerie-of-slave.html
http://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-a4-in-dungeons-of-slave-lords.html

The A series was also made part of the D&D 5 playtests, so it was possible to grab all the conversion needed. So far playing this with D&D 5 in 2016 is just as fun as playing it with AD&D 1 in 1982.

Buy it at DriveThruRPG, A0-A4: Against the Slave Lords (1e).

Monday, March 21, 2016

A to Z Blog Challenge 2016 Theme Reveal - Participation Asked!

It's that time of year again! Time for the Blogging A to Z challenge.

Today is the big reveal of what your theme will be.

I have done a theme most years of the Challenge and will be doing one again this year. I find a theme really helps focus what I want to do and gives me the chance to go into a topic very in depth.

For 2015 it was Vampires
For 2014 it was Witches
For 2013 is was Demons
and for 2012 it was RPGs.

This year I want to do something to keep my regular audience engaged and coming back and also to share this wonderful hobby with others.

So for 2016 the theme is Adventure!
(yes I am including the exclamation mark).

For the month of April I want to dive into some classic, some new and some odd adventures. I want to focus on ones people can also still get. I will talk about my experiences with them and get some tidbits that others can use.

Since my kids have been old enough to play I have been taking them through the classic TSR adventure modules. Part of it is nostalgia on my part, I won't lie, but it is also more than that.

I have said before that these adventures give us all a shared story in this community of gamers. My sons can and have talked to complete strangers before based on this shared experience alone. Over the years at Gen Con I have run S4, B1, Ravenloft and Bone Hill with my kids and we have had tons of people come by to see what we are doing. It has been a great experience for us all.

I also enjoy it because now at a much older age I can appreciate these adventures on a completely new level. Sure I can make (and have made) my own. But that's not what this is all about. I don't need to prove to myself or anyone that I can write an adventure; I did plenty of that over the years.
This is about nothing more than fun and a shared story.

For this Challenge I think I will focus my attentions on the adventures that have appeared in the Dungeon Magazine's 30 Greatest Adventures of All Time.

I am also going to feature adventures from the games I have been playing with my kids.

The Dragonslayers Campaign (3e D&D)
Come Endless Darkness (5e D&D)
Against the Cult of the Reptile Gods/Second Campaign (OSR D&D, AS&SH)
War of the Witch Queens (OSR D&D, Castles & Crusades)

So for my regular audience, please stick around all month and see what I have to say.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY PLEASE share YOUR story too!

How did you survive the Caves of Chaos? How did you die in Temple of Elemental Evil or the Tomb of Horrors? Who did you see along the way? Aleena? Eclavdra? Mordenkainen?

For my new and returning A to Z visitors. Please read these tales and hopefully you will get some more insight to this weird but fun hobby we have. Adventures are like stories. But here the stories and the characters take a life of their own.

I hope to see you all here.

Monday, January 25, 2016

A to Z sign up is Live

The sign up for the 7th annual April A to Z blog challenge is now live.

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2016/01/sign-up-list-now-open-for-seventh.html

I am participating again this year. Last year was a challenge for me to be honest. But I hope I am better organized this year. I already have an idea for my posts, I just need to check my Y and Z posts.

I do encourage others in our little corner of the internet to participate. It not only helps grow your readership and blog, it also helps grow our hobby. I won't lie, sales of my books go up in April. People read what I have and they get curious. My book plus Labyrinth Lord or my book plus Basic Fantasy is enough to get a newbie going for under the price of going to the movies.

Think about and join me if you can.

Monday, May 4, 2015

A to Z Challenge 2015 Reflections Post

I survived another A to Z blogging challenge.

I was so unprepared this year. I know what vampire I was going to talk about each day, but often not much more than that.
By the numbers Vampires are much more popular than Witches or Demons.

Despite there being fewer participants in the challenge this year I did not get a chance to visit everyone. That is too bad really, visiting new and interesting blogs is one of the highlights.
Though with the fewer blogs there were more that seemed in it to really enjoy it.

I actually had a lot more fun this year than last. So that is something.
I did miss not participating in a mini-hop like I did last year.

This challenge would not be possible without our hosts:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts
Nicole Ayers @ The Madlab Post
Author Stephen Tremp
Heather M. Gardner
AJ Lauer
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian
Matthew MacNish @ The QQQE
Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary
S. L. Hennessy @ Pensuasion
C. Lee McKenzie @ The Write Game
Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot
Susan Gourley @ Susan Says
John Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing

I'd also like to thank the Ambassador's Team that I worked with this year:
Arlee Bird, Rob Z Tobor, J Lenni Dorner, Jenny Pearson, and Jeffrey Bushman.
You are all a great bunch!

Anyway in case you are curious here are the vampires and their country or myth or origin.

Letter	Vampire	Country / Myths
A	Aswang	Philippines
B	Berbalang	Philippines
C	Camazotz	Central America
D	Dearg-Due	Ireland
E	Estrie	Jewish Folklore
F	Farkaskoldus	Hungary
G	Gierach	Eastern Prussia / Poland
H	Hsi-Hsue-Kue	China
I	Impundulu	South Africa (Zulu & Xhosa)
J	Jigarkhwar	India
K	Kyuuketsuki	Japan
L	Lilith	Ancient Mesopotamia
M	Moroi	Rumania
N	Nosferatu	Germany
O	Ovegua	Guinea, Africa
P	Pĕnanggalan	Malaysian
Q	Vampire Queen	Modern
R	Rolang	Tibet
S	Soucouyant	Trinidad
T	Tenatz	Eastern Europe
U	Upierczi	Poland
V	Vrykolakas	Greece
W	Wurdalak	Russia
X	Xiāng-shī (殭屍)	China
Y	Yara-ma-yha-who	Australia
Z	Zburător	Rumania

Thursday, April 30, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Zburător

Here we are at the end of our blogging challenge for another year.
Today let's return to the "home" of vampire legends and myths, Romania and pay a visit to the Zburător.

Max Ernst's Une Semaine de Bonté 1934 collage.

This creature is somewhat similar to an incubus, a male demon, but it is a vampiric spirit inhabiting a male body. It preys on young girls (particularly virgins) and widows. They always appear as stunningly handsome young men with dark eyes and black hair. It will find a woman and prey on her nightly till she is dead. It will typically charm the woman before hand and then gain an invitation to her home. Once there he will come to the woman's bed and drain her blood while having sex. This results in the loss of 3 Constitution points per night. Typically no one survives more than three encounters with a zburător. Women killed become vampires under the zburător's complete control.

Despite being very fast and very strong the zburător is a stereotypical "lover and not a fighter" they will flee if faced with violence or great numbers. If forced to attack the creature will use a weapon or attempt to charm his way out.

The zburător is a shape shifter. It can become dust, mist, or flame to escape capture. It can also fly.
Though different than other vampires, the zburător has large bat-like wings that grow out of his back that he can hide when needed. These wings are strong and can carry the vampire and his victim. This creature can also teleport (as per the spell) back to his lair once per night. Additional spell like powers include the ability to charm person, hypnotize, cause fear and phantasmagoria.

Like many vampires the zburător is destroyed by sunlight, is repelled by garlic and holy items, casts no reflection or shadow and can only be harmed by silver (or magic) weapons. Additionally garlic or wolfsbane can be spread on windows or made into garlands or wreaths to hang on windows to keep it out.

Zburător
AKA: Zemu, Zmeu
Frequency: Very Rare
No. Apperring: 1
Size: Man-sized (M)
Armor Class: 3 [17]₁
Movement
Basic: 180' (60') / Fly: 210' (70')
Advanced: 18" // Fly: 21"
Hit Dice: 9+4 (45 hp)
% in Lair: 50% (coffin by day)
Treasure Type: Weapon + Blood Drain
Damage: Weapon + Blood Drain
Special Attacks: Per Vampire; Blood Drain
Special Defenses: Only killed by silver or magic weapons or sunlight
Save As: Magic-user 9₂
Magic Resistance: 25%
Morale: 5₃
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Level/XP: 9/4,250 + 12/hp

STR: 21 INT: 10 WIS: 10 DEX: 21 CON: __(13)₄ CHA: 23₅

1 Descending and [Ascending] Armor classes are given.
2 This is used for Basic games, and S&W. Also for monsters that I think need to save a little differently than others.
3 Morale is "Basic" Morale and based on a 1-12 scale.
4 Have not decided yet if I want to use 3.x style undead Constitutions or not. (15) Reflects what their Con would be if I do use it. I might just put a number in () like I do for Ghosts of Albion.
5 obviously more reflective of personality and character than looks.

The zburător is the prototype of the "suave, sexy" vampire.
I have seen these type of vampires in other mediums, sometimes called "Dark Angels". While they are better looking than other vampires and typically do not fight, they do prey on weaknesses; young girls looking for a 'dream lover' and widows longing for a companions touch. They still leave a trail of bodies where ever they go.

They are still popular enough to have a recent film made about one. "Ultimul Zburător" or "The Last Incubus" focuses more on the "Dark Angel" aspect of this creature.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3031914/

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Yara-ma-yha-who

Let's head to the land down under for one of the strangest vampires I have found.

The Yara-ma-yha-who is a vampire of the aboriginal peoples of Australia.

It appears as a small red man with a large mouth but no teeth. He lives in fig trees and jumps on people as they walk by attacking them with his sucker tipped fingers. The Yara-ma-yha-who will then suck blood out the person unless he is flung off. Each attack by the Yara-ma-yha-who makes the person a little shorter. The attack drains 1 point of Constitution while attached. A successful grapple role is needed to remove it.

Anyone drained to death by this creature will become one. The Yara-ma-yha-who will open it's wide mouth and swallow the dead victim whole. It will sleep and then regurgitate the victim who will be small and red like the Yara-ma-yha-who itself. It will rise by the next dawn as a new Yara-ma-yha-who and must find a fig tree of it's own to haunt.

Unlike other vampires the Yara-ma-yha-who hunts during the day and sleeps at night.

Reducing the vampire to 0 hp or turning it will cause it to flee to it's tree.
The Yara-ma-yha-who can only be destroyed is by staking it int he heart with wood from it's own tree and then then burning it and it's tree.

A Yara-ma-yha-who cannot enter a personal dwelling or holy land at all.

Yara-ma-yha-who
Frequency: Very Rare
No. Apperring: 1
Size: Halfling-sized (S)
Armor Class: 5 [15]₁
Movement
Basic: 120' (40')
Advanced: 12"
3e: 30ft
Hit Dice: 8+1 (37 hp)
% in Lair: 100% (fig tree)
Treasure Type: Attacks: 2 (claw/claw) + Blood Drain
Damage: 1d4/1d4 + Blood Drain
Special Attacks: Per Vampire; Blood Drain
Special Defenses: Only killed by fig tree wood
Save As: Fighter 8₂
Magic Resistance: Normal
Morale: 8₃
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Level/XP: 8/3,450 + 12/hp

STR: 16 INT: 10 WIS: 10 DEX: 19 CON: __(10)₄ CHA: 13₅

1 Descending and [Ascending] Armor classes are given.
2 This is used for Basic games, and S&W. Also for monsters that I think need to save a little differently than others.
3 Morale is "Basic" Morale and based on a 1-12 scale.
4 Have not decided yet if I want to use 3.x style undead Constitutions or not. (15) Reflects what their Con would be if I do use it. I might just put a number in () like I do for Ghosts of Albion.
5 obviously more reflective of personality and character than looks.

I am working on a monster stat block that I can use in my old-games and future publications (if I do any). I want something that anyone can pick up and use regardless of the system they are using.
What do you think?

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Xiāng-shī (殭屍)

Jason Rhineville

Back to China today for the Xiāng-shī also spelled Jiāng-shī or 殭屍. These are the famous "hopping vampires" of Chinese myth and folklore.

The Xiāng-shī shares many similarities with the neighboring Rolang. Both result from improper burial, both appear to be more corpse like than alive, and both have odd means of moving around due to the stiffness in their legs. While rolang has a zombie style jait, the Xiāng-shī hops.

The character 僵 in it's name, means hard or stiff. So this vampire can't bend it's legs at all and must therefore hop about. This is more effective than it appears as this vampire can move about quite well.
Additionally the Xiāng-shī can also fly.

Unlike some vampires the Xiāng-shī does not drain blood, but rather chi or life force from the victim. While the results are the same; draining Constituion points (2 per attack) the difference is the Xiāng-shī does not have to bite the victim to do it. On any attack roll where the Xiāng-shī lands two claw attacks it can grab the victim. Instead of a bite attack it begins to suck the breath or chi from the victim.

The claws of the Xiāng-shī are long, hard as iron and sharp as razors. They can retract them or grow them as long as daggers.

If reduced to 0 hit points, a jiang-shi vampire crumbles to dust but is not destroyed. It reforms in 1 minute with 1 hit point in the same space, or the nearest unoccupied space. Scattering the dust before the jiang-shi reforms destroys it permanently, as does mixing rice into the dust with a dose of holy water. Jiang-shi vampires are also susceptible to wooden weapons carved from peach trees, as such weapons represent the unity of all elements and life to these creatures. Any successful hit from such a weapon that reduces a jiang-shi to 0 hit points immediately destroys the creature. Although they normally retreat from daylight, jiang-shi vampires are not destroyed by sunlight like regular vampires and can move around during the day without harm.

Xiāng-shī turn as vampires. Rice, incense and holy items will keep them at bay. Holy water will burn them.

This Xiāng-shī is based a little on the Pathfinder Jiang-shi.

Trying out a new format here for old school games. This takes the bits from OSRIC, Basic Fantasy and Swords & Wizardry. I am also inserting a bit of 3.x where I need it.

Xiāng-shī
AKA: Jiāng-shī
Frequency: Very Rare
No. Apperring: 1
Size: Man-sized (M)
Armor Class: 1 [19]₁
Movement
Basic: 120' (40') / Fly: 180' (60')
Advanced: 12"/18" (Fly)
3e: 30ft
Hit Dice: 9+4 (45 hp)
% in Lair: 100% (home 50%, grave 50%)
Treasure Type: Attacks: 3 (claw/claw/bite) + Life Drain
Damage: 1d6+4/1d6+4/1d4 + Life Drain
Special Attacks: Per Vampire; Life Drain
Special Defenses: Per Vampire
Save As: Fighter 9₂
Magic Resistance: 25%
Morale: 10₃
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Level/XP: 9/4,240 + 13/hp

STR: 21 INT: 18 WIS: 15-17 DEX: 9 CON: __(15)₄ CHA: 16₅

1 Descending and [Ascending] Armor classes are given.
2 This is used for Basic games, and S&W. Also for monsters that I think need to save a little differently than others.
3 Morale is "Basic" Morale and based on a 1-12 scale.
4 Have not decided yet if I want to use 3.x style undead Constitutions or not. (15) Reflects what their Con would be if I do use it. I might just put a number in () like I do for Ghosts of Albion.
5 obviously more reflective of personality and character than looks.

I am working on a monster stat block that I can use in my old-games and future publications (if I do any). I want something that anyone can pick up and use regardless of the system they are using.
What do you think?

I should point out that my blogging buddy Natasha Duncan-Drake talked about the Xiāng-shī last year too. http://tashasthinkings.blogspot.com/2014/04/atoz2014x.html

Monday, April 27, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Wurdalak

Off to Russia again today to visit the family preying Wurdalak! The wurdalak was popularized by the film, Black Sabbath (from which the famous band gets their name!). I covered this movie in my last October Horror Movie marathon and stated it up for Ghosts of Albion.

Once again going with OSRIC format today.

Wurdalak (Vampire)
(turned as type 11)
Frequency: Very Rare
No Encountered: 1
Size: Man-sized
Move: 120 ft
Armor Class: -2
Hit Dice: 9+1
Attacks: 3 (claw/claw/bite) + Blood Drain
Damage: 1d6+5/1d6+5/1d4+Blood Drain
Special Attacks: Per Vampire; Blood Drain
Special Defenses: Per Vampire
Magic Resistance: 25%
Lair Probability: 100% (home 50%, grave 50%)
Intelligence: Exceptional
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Level/XP: 9/4,240 + 13/hp

A wurdalak is created by a family curse. Typically one laid down by a powerful witch on an entire line. When a member dies they will return as a wurdalak to feed on members of their own family. Sometimes a wurdalak will also spontaneously arise when a member of the family disgraces their family name or when a member (typically a daughter) goes against the wishes of a recently deceased member (such as her father or uncle).

Once risen the wurdalak will return to their home to prey on the family members. It needs blood lke most other vampires and drains it at the rate of 3 Constitution points per attack. A wurdalak can make up to three attacks this way per night. Family members drained by a wurdalak become wurdalak themselves. Non-family members drained by a wurdalak become ghouls.

It is wrong to assume to that because a person is not part of the wurdalak's family that they are safe. The wurdalak will kill anyone in their way or whom they perceive as a threat.

The wurdalak has the following spell-like powers; charm person (3/day), cause fear (3/day), knock, spider climb (at will), and gaseous form (at will). Once per it's "life" it can cast bestow curse as if they were a 9th level witch. Typically this curse is bestowed near their death.

In combat the wurdalak will attack with claws and a bite. If it bites a victim in combat it can drain 1 point of Con. The other drain attack is for sleeping victims. The wurdalak is very strong with a Strength of 22.

The wurdalak can cast shadows and reflect in mirrors. They are not active at sundown like other types of vampires, but wait till 10:00 pm exactly. To kill the wurdalak one must use a dagger that has been in the monster's family for at least three generations. Sunlight reduces it to 0 hp, it will become gaseous and return to their coffins. A sleeping wurdalak has an AC of 10.

Wurdalaks do not shape-shift into animals.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Vrykolakas

We come now to Greece which is the home of the Vrykolakas and a host of smilar creatures with similar sounding names.They ranged all the way from Greece into Romania and France. The word is believed to have come from the Bulgarian word vǎrkolak, which actually means were-wolf.

The vrykolakas is sometimes described as a werewolf or more aptly a demonic, undead werewolf.

In game terms the vrykolakas is a werewolf that came back from the dead as a powerful vampire. Once rising it is ravenous, attacking anyone it meets outside. Legend has it that the vrykolakas will go from house to house knocking on the door. It will knock once and then move on to the next house.

The vrykolakas will move about in the night but it has no qualms about operating during the day. The problem is that the body of the vrykolakas has swollen with stolen blood and will look stretched. The vrykolakas can also shift into a large werewolf-like creature.

Here is the Vrykolakas in OSRIC format.

Vrykolakas (Vampire)
(turned as type 10)
Frequency: Rare
No Encountered: 1d6
Size: Man-sized
Move: 120 ft
Armor Class: 1
Hit Dice: 8+3
Attacks: 3 (claw/claw/bite)
Damage: 1d6+4/1d6+4/1d4+Blood Drain
Special Attacks: Per Vampire; Blood Drain
Special Defenses: Per Vampire
Magic Resistance: Standard
Lair Probability: 25%
Intelligence: Exceptional
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Level/XP: 8/3,810 + 12/hp

The Vrykolakas is a powerful type of vampire that occurs when a werewolf comes back from the dead. The vrykolakas is a fierce fighter attacking with 2 claws and a bite per round. Each bite of the vampire drains blood at the rate of 1 Constitution point per bite. Victims drained to 0 Constitution will rise again as a vampire. Victims that don't die must have a remove curse or remove lycanthropy of they will become a werewolf.
The vrykolakas is immune to sunlight but can be repelled by holy items.

To destory a vrykolakas one must drag it out into the sunlight, stake it to the ground with iron spikes, cut off it's head and then burn the body. The ashes must be taken to a crossroads where they are dispersed.

Friday, April 24, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Upierczi

Heading to the final letters now. So lets go to Poland and meet a vampire that fascinated me when I was younger, the Upierczi. Also known as Upierczica, Upierci, and Upir.

This vampire was interesting because it had a barb under it's tongue to puncture the victims neck instead of fangs. The use the barb to cut their victims and then curl their tongues to suck up the blood.

Active day or night they can be found out of their graves from noon to midnight. They must feed on a human before retiring for the night. During the day they look human, but when they are sleeping they appear dead. Often they sleep with their eyes open so they will know if they are being visited.

In human form they are physically one of the strongest vampires, having strength roughly equal to a Fire Giant (Str 22). They are also the vampire that most easily passes for human. They can eat and drink; though they must regurgitate it all later. After feeding they are even capable of sexual intercourse.

Upierczi can be detected by the drought they cause. Plants near them will wither and die. Small ponds will dry up and it will not rain in the areas they are in. If you can find a stream of running water then they can be killed with that.

Upierczi
Armor Class: 2 [17]
Hit Dice: 10d8+5** (50 hp)
No. of Attacks: bite
Damage: 1d4+1/1d4+1 or by weapon + blood drain (2 Points Con)
Special: Con drain, charming voice, immune to sleep, charm and hold spells. Slashing weapons have no effect. +1 or better to hit.
Movement: 40’
No. Appearing: 1
Saves As: F10
Morale: 10
Treasure: as per vampire
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

The Upierczi drains blood from his victims via a sharp barb under his tongue. He uses his charming voice (same as the Charm Person spell) to lure victims into his embrace. He can drain 2 points worth of Constitution with this attack. The upierczi must feed on 10 points of con at least once per week.
People killed in this fashion rise up as a 6HD Upierczi under the control of the one that killed them.

The upierczi is a very strong and tough vampire. Piercing and slashing weapons have little effect on it. Swords, daggers, arrows, spears all will only do 1 hp point of damage per attack, and that is only if they are magical. Bashing weapons and blunt weapons such as maces and staves do normal damage. Swords specifically designed to kill vampires will do their normal damage.

In combat this vampire is very fast, gaining two claw attacks per round. It can also opt for a weapon and also get in two attacks vs the same opponent per round. The upierczi favors small light weapons it can conceal on it's person.

The upierczi is not repulsed by garlic, salt or anything natural. They cannot enter into a home unless invited, but they can use their charm voice to get that. They are however repelled by holy symbols and take 1d8 hp of damage from holy water. They are turned as Vampires by clerics.

The only true way to destroy an upierczi is drag it out of it's resting area before noon. Nail it to the ground with an iron spike through it's head and then set the body on fire. The body will burn quickly and then explode with all the upierczi's flesh becoming squirming maggots. These must be burned as well.

Like the Moroi, Upierczi consider themselves lords of vampire kind.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Tenatz

Let's head back to Eastern Europe and check in with the Tenatz, the vampire of Bosnia and Montenegro. The tenatz is another corpse that comes back from the dead. In this case it is an evil spirit, though some books claim the spirit of the person can come back to their own body if they are strong willed enough and evil enough.

The tenatz rises from his grave after sunset and will change into a mouse to enter a person's home. Unlike some species of vampire it does not need permission to enter if it enters in mouse form. As a mouse it can't be killed. It will crawl up to a living person and feed on their blood.

The tenatz is one of the weakest vampires, it's attack does not drain any ability and only does blood loss damage. It's main defense is it's resistance to magic. Tenatz have ar +2 vs any magical based attack (fire ball, lighting bolt, etc).

In their "human" form their skin is grey, regardless of the color it had been in life, and they have red, goat-like eyes. This is the form they will be found in when roaming about at night outside or in their graves. The tenatz must return to their grave before sun rise or be destroyed.

To destroy a tenatz you must find it's coffin and bring it out into the sunlight. The body must be burned to ash. The tenatz is powerless in the daylight.

The tenatz is repelled by holy symbols and garlic. Running water will also kill them.

Tenatz
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Hit Dice: 6d8+3** (30 hp)
No. of Attacks: bite
Damage: 1d4+1 +1d6 blood drain
Special: +2 saves vs. Magical attacks
Movement: 30’
No. Appearing: 1
Saves As: F5
Morale: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Tenatz are lone vampires. They cannot make more of their own kind and it is rare to see more than one in an area.
Tenatz are turned as mummies.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Soucouyant

Let's head to the Caribbean now, in particular Trinidad. Here we find the shape-shifting, vampiric hag, the Soucouyant.

In game terms the Soucouyant could either be a hag, a fey, a vampire, or something else entirely. Today I want to look at how she is a vampire since there are some definitely undead characteristics to her.

The Soucouyant by day appears much as she did in life, an ugly, ancient old crone. By night though she removes her skin (much like a Boo-Hag) and turns into a floating ball of fire. Here she flies around looking for small cracks in peoples homes. She resumes human shape, albeit skinless. She sucks blood from their arms and legs, leaving behind blue marks. She then uses this blood for her magic.
In her fireball form, similar to a Will-0-Wisp or Feu Follet, she is powerless to attack save by blood drain. If attacked she will speed away to her skin, which she keep in a motar. To identify the Soucouyant the next morning look for the old woman covered in bruises.

In her human form she can cast spells as a witch. Her true strengths are her magic and her ability to summon lycanthropes, Loogaroo (a type of werewolf).

To prevent her from entering your home you must leave a pile of rice on the ground or at the local crossroads, which she will be compelled to count. If she is still counting rice when the sun rises she will be destroyed. Also if her skin can be found fill the insides with salt. She will not be able to don her skin and die when the sun rises. The skin of a dead Soucouyant is prized by wizards for it's magical effects.

Game Stats
For Pathfinder a Soucouyant is any hag that the vampire template has been applied to.

Basic Era Games

Soucouyant

Armor Class
- Human form: 7 [12]
- Skinless: 9 [10]
- Fireball form: 2 [17]
Hit Dice: 9d8+9** (50 hp)
No. of Attacks/Damage
- Human form: witch spells only
- Skinless: Blood drain 1 Con point
- Fireball form: 1d6 fire damage on touch
Special Qualities: Dark vision 60’, Iron Vulnerability, Summon 1d4 werewolves (loogaroo)
Movement: 40’
No. Appearing: 1
Saves As: Witch 10
Morale: 9
Treasure: 6d6 CP, 0 SP, 2d8 GP, Gems: 50% 1d8, Magic 50% any 1d6, 2 potions
Alignment: Chaotic (evil)

The Soucouyant can cast spells and use occult powers as if she were a witch of 7th level of the Demonic Tradition.
A loogaroo is local type of werewolf. They are solitary and can change to large wolf like creatures on the command of the Soucouyant.
The blood drain of the Soucouyant does 1 of Constitution damage. She can only do this while the victim is asleep.
A throwback to their hag/fey origins the Soucouyant is vulnerable to damage from "cold" iron weapons, taking an extra +2 to all damage.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Rolang

The Rolang is the mysterious vampire of Tibet. The name "rolang" literally means "the corpse that got up" or "the rising corpse". It is believed that if the proper funeral rites are not performed then a spirit can re-enter the body and a rolang is formed. There is also another, more sinister form of rolang, the demonic, that is created when a sorcerer (witch or necromancer) performs a rite to attach a demonic spirit to the body.

Rolang

	Personal	Demonic
Armor Class:	7 [12]	3 [16]
Hit Dice:	7*+3 (35 hp)	10*+5 (50 hp)
No. of Attacks:	2 claw, 1 bite;	2 claw, 1 bite or weapon
Damage:	1d6/1d6/1d4	1d6/1d6/1d4
Special:	Wisdom Drain	Con Drain
Movement:	20'	30'
No. Appearing:	1 (or 2-12)	1
Save As:	Monster 8	Monster 11
Morale:	9	11
Treasure Type:	see below	see below
Alignment:	Chaotic (Neutral)	Chaotic (Evil)
XP:	by system	by system

Rolangs come in two varieties. The Personal rolang has it's own spirit attached, the Demonic rolang instead has a demonic spirit.
The personal rolang rises up from improper burial rites. It is stiff, unable to bend it's joints very well and it walks with a strange straight legged gait like a zombie. Thus it is not very fast. It can not speak at all. It will make it's way home to be with family. It can't enter the home, but must be brought in. If so it will begin to drain Wisdom from everyone in the home at the rate of 1 point per night. Once a victim reaches 0 points of wisdom they will die. When everyone is dead the rolang will leave the home and attack anyone it sees. It can only use the wisdom draining effect on their own family.
The demonic rolang is much the same save that a demonic spirit is now inhabiting the body. The demonic rolang is a bit more agile but it still can not bend at the waist. Many homes in fact have low entrances requiring a person to bow or duck to enter to keep rolangs out. Unlike the personal rolang the demonic rolang can talk. Also the demonic rolang drains blood in the form of Constitution points (2 per night) instead of Wisdom. The demonic rolang will attempt to drain as many people as possible. Victims killed by a rolang become a personal rolang under control of the demonic one. In this case when a demonic rolang is dicovered there is a 30% chance that there will be 2-12 (2d6) personal rolang in operation at the same time. An entire village or town could be over run with them.

Both types of rolang appear to be walking corpses with long black claws. Often their tongue protrudes from their mouth as a corpses might. They have long fangs and will attack with them for biting damage. A demonic rolang can not drain unless they get a "critical hit" (a natural roll of 19 or 20) with a bite. At that point they will also drain 2 points of Con in addition to normal biting damage.

Method of destruction.
To destroy either type of rolang a shaman (cleric or priest) must hold down the rolang and remove it's tongue. The tongue is then burned to ashes while praying. If done correctly the body of the rolang will turn to gold. The gold must then be divided among the church and the family of the rolang. PCs destroying the rolang should expect 1000 gp for a personal rolang and 5000 gp for a demonic.
Rolangs are kept at bay by a salt line, burning incense, or by laying out a line of rice.
Rolangs are not destroyed by sunlight as are other vampires, but they become unable to move and the sunlight reveals them for what they truly are.
Notably the rolang have a weakness that is almost unique among the undead. If knocked over they can not get up. Rolang are very strong and knocking them over is difficult. Personal rolang have a strength of 18 and demonic rolang have a strength of 20. They must be knocked completely prone. At this point they are helpless.

Monday, April 20, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Vampire Queen

Something a little different today. I want to talk about the Queen of the Vampires and her relationship with my gaming. BTW, there is a "Q" Vampire, but only one I have found. The Quaxates is a vampire from Mexico that makes women cry before they feed on them. That is all I have been able to find.

Last year I did Witch Queen but there is a longer history of Vampire Queens in gaming.

The first Vampire Queen was also the very first published adventure for D&D back in the early, early days of 1976. Palace of the Vampire Queen was written by Pete and Judy Kerestan. I should also note that the very first published adventure was also co-written by woman; so yes women have always been a vital part of this hobby.
This adventure was always something of a holy grail for me. I knew about it, but had only seen bits and pieces. I didn't know much more than it was the first published adventure and it was really, really rare. Sites like the Acaeum helped fill in the blanks. Copies are still very rare, but I managed to score a couple of official reprints from Pacesetter. As well as the sequels Crypts of the Living and Castle Blood.

I have run the original PotVQ before and it was great fun. The adventure is so barebones by even the standards of the early 80s that it is easy to use anywhere. The next two are more "story" driven. I have run Castle Blood, but it didn't quite live up to the promise of the Vampire Queen.
Personally I would like to take all three and recraft them into something else. Keep the Vampire Queen elements of course, but introduce some more background.

Hitting that nostalgia feeling hard is another adventure, The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen. This adventure, written by Mark Taormino might be an homage to the first Palace of the Vampire Queen adventure, but it is more likely an homage to those meat-grinder, total-party kill, fun-house dungeons of the late 70s early 80s. There is a basic plot here, enough to get you in the door and moving along, but really this adventure is about killing things and avoiding getting killed. Example, in one of your first encounters you have to run a gauntlet and get past a bunch of fire giants. Eight of them. And their hell hound pets. This is "room 1". It is downhill from there. It has demons and other vampires in the wander monster table. Liches, demons, succubi, greater devils, nearly 50 vampires in total, tons of other monsters and of course the Queen herself, Lady Neeblack.
This is not an adventure to challenge the resolve of hardy role-players. This is an adventure to survive and leave a trail of bodies behind you. It is old-school, but old-school through the eyes of 40-somethings looking back on their times as teens.
The adventure itself has a great lead in to get you interested, but that is just the carrot on a stick, most people buying and playing this module are going to want to jump right in. Another example (this is not a spoiler), you are captured by Lady Neeblack and told you have to run through her crypts for her amusement. The conceit is the characters will feel coerced into doing this, so they slide down a passage to the previously mentioned Fire Giants. In truth my players wanted to jump in like they were doing a dive at the pool.
Though to claim people will play this for nostalgia reasons is completely unfair. Mark did a great job of this. The rooms are detailed and what detail! There are interesting encounters and Lady Neeblack herself should really move up the ranks as one of the more memorable NPCs ever. In fact I am hoping that she comes back for a sequel sometime soon. Just like a good Hammer villain she should find ways to come back from the dead. +Mark Taormino, this needs to happen.
The text of the book is big, easy to read and despite the "old school" claims still has boxed text to read (screw you Grognards! I still like boxed text even when I don't use it.) Each room is unique and feels like it belongs. Plus the "Hanging Coffins" themselves are the coolest idea in vampire graves since the Lost Boys.
The proof of any adventure is not in the reading, but in the playing. So I played it. It rocked.
Now the game is designed for OSRIC, but can played with 1st or 2nd Ed AD&D. I played it with 5th Edition D&D. I just replaced the monsters and made a character sheet for Lady Neeblack. I ran the same group of people that I had taken through the original Palace of the Vampire Queen and we all treated it as an unofficial sequel. I worked out well enough. We all had fun, but if this module reads as a deathtrap on paper it's a killer in the playing. So make of that what you like.
Personally I would love to run it again using AD&D1.
In any case this is one of those adventures that will have your players talking for a long time.

One I would like to take all these and combine them in a longer campaign, or part of a campaign.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Pĕnanggalan

The Pĕnanggalan really is an interesting vampire and really one of the reasons why this whole theme even exists. Back in the early days of my gaming I picked up the Fiend Folio hardback for AD&D. Had to be about 1982, the book was new enough that not everyone had it yet.

I am flipping through this book full of weird monsters and I see this crazy looking flying head with it's guts hanging out. Turns out it is also a vampire! I had no idea there were any other types of vampires.

Lots of research later, which in 1982 meant getting on my bike and riding to the public library, I discovered there were all sorts of vampires out there. But this is the first one I discovered.

What got me most about the Pĕnanggalan in the Fiend Folio was how much like a vampire it wasn't, save for the sucking of blood. It was just a weird creature and I liked it.

What I also like was that this was one of the first vampires I read about that made a link between vampires and witches, two of my favorite topics.
The Pathfinder game has a Pĕnanggalan witch.

The Pĕnanggalan comes from Malaysian folklore and may be distantly related to the Aswang.

Pĕnanggalan (Vampire) (S&W stats)
Hit Dice: 8 (see below)
Armor Class 2[17];
Attacks: 1 bite (1d6 + blood drain);
Move: 12 (Fly 12);
Save: 8
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 11/1700;
Special: Immune to non-magic weapons, regenerate (3/round), charm gaze, drain 1d4 Constitution points per bite.

The pĕnanggalan head will take 4 HD worth of damage (half what the full creature has) before it flies back to it's body in retreat.
To drain Constitution the pĕnanggalan must attack a victim she has charmed or is sleeping, she can not drain constitution in a combat situation. Male drained to 0 Con become Ghouls under her control. Females drained to 0 Con become pĕnanggalan, but free of being controlled. For this reason pĕnanggalan attack males most times.

The pĕnanggalan will look like a normal woman during the daylight hours. Any attempts at divination (ESP, Know Alignment) will reveal she is a normal woman. Once the sun sets she will retire to a secret place where her head will rise out of her body and fly out in search of blood. Her lair will be protected from the sun and will also contain jugs of vinegar. The pĕnanggalan must soak her organs in vinegar before she can return to her own body after a night's feeding.

The pĕnanggalan can use her charm ability during the day to charm men. If they fail their save she will return to them at night and drain their blood. The men will believe they had an amorous encounter with the woman. Typically the pĕnanggalan will have charmed several men and spread out her feedings so not to spread suspicion when they start to die.

The pĕnanggalan must return to vinegar jugs before dawn. If sunlight strikes her organs she will be paralyzed. If she remains in the sunlight for 10 round she will destroyed.
Likewise running water will destroy her and a line of salt will keep her at bay.

To destroy a pĕnanggalan you must discover her lair and destroy her vinegar jugs and burn her headless body.

The most common remedy prescribed to protect against a pĕnanggalan attack is to scatter the thorny leaves of any of the subspecies of a local plant known as Mengkuang, which has sharp thorny leaves and would either trap or injure the exposed lungs, stomach and intestines of the pĕnanggalan as it flies in search of its prey

Friday, April 17, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Ovegua

Note: This is my A to Z Challenge post for O. If you are looking for my S&W Appreciation Day post, go here.

Let's head back to Africa today, in particular to visit Guinea, Africa and their local pest the Ovegua.

The Ovegua is actually very similar to a lot of creatures, Asanbosam, Owenga, Ovengwa, Otgiruru and many more found in West Africa. They all likely share some linguistic root.
This creature is created when a sorcerer or witch is killed. It can take the shape of a dog and has hooks for hands, or sometimes hooks for feet. The Ovegua will hang out in forests at night and call out to a victim by name. If the victim answers them the vampire will then target them by sucking blood through their thumb. During the day they hide in dark caves.

Ovegua has all the standard weaknesses of all vampires. They can not cross running water, sunlight destroys them and religious items keep them at bay.
To destroy one you must locate it's cave. Nail it to the ground and burn the body to ashes.

The Ovegua can shapeshift to a wild dog and mist. It has two claws and a bite attack. It's drain attack drains 1 point of Constitution per night; regardless of number of attacks. It can only drain sleeping victims, not in combat. It is only a little stronger than the average human (Str 14) but not much faster. Ovegua would be a weak vampire but it retains some of the knowledge it had as a sorcerer. It can cast spells as a 3rd level witch. Additionally it only regenerates 1 hp/round vs. the typical 3.

Since today is Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day, here he is in S&W format.

Ovegua (Vampire)
Hit Dice: 7
Armor Class: 2 [17]
Attacks: Bite (1d6 + CON drain)
Saving Throw: 9
Special: vampire powers, witch spells
Move: 12
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 7 HD (9/1,100)

Thursday, April 16, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Nosferatu

So it has been asked a few times on this challenge "Are there any ugly vampires?" Germany responds with a resounding "Ja!"
I give you the Nosferatu!

The "Nosferat" originally came from Central and Eastern Europe and described a beautiful vampire that was more akin to the Moroi. That all changed in 1922 when F. W. Murnau released his unauthorized version of Dracula on film called "Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens" or "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror".

Vampires had entered the cinema and the world was never quite the same.

The Nosferatu, Count Orlock played Max Schreck, was nothing like the vampires of today. He was ugly, had long rat-like teeth, was bald with pointed ears; in short he looked like the walking dead. He spread plague and death. Women did not fawn and swoon over him, they were horrified and repulsed.

So effective was this film that you can still see elements of it in modern day vampire films. Everything from the look of Radu in "Subspecies" to how shadows move in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and countless others. The movie was remade in 1979 with Klaus Kinski in the title role and 2000s "Shadow of the Vampire" starring John Malkovich as Murnau and Willem Dafoe as Max Schreck.

In games the Nosferatu has taken on an unlife of it's own. It is one of the more iconic clans of the Vampire: The Masquerade game and it was one of the first vampire sub-species in Ravenloft.

Nosferatu
Armor Class: 2 [17]
Hit Dice: 9d8+9** (50 hp)
No. of Attacks: claw/claw/bite
Damage: 1d6+4/1d6+4/1d4+1 + CON drain
Special: Constitution Drain, Cause Fear, Summon Plague, Summon Rats
Movement: 30’
No. Appearing: 1
Saves As: F10
Morale: 11
Treasure: None
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
XP: 7,200

The Nosferatu is a subtype of the vampire. It is turned like a vampire and has all the same strengths and weaknesses.
Though the Nosferatu has a few additional abilities.
The Nosferatu looks pale, and withered. He also has almost rat or bat like look to him. His fingers and ears are elongated. A Nosferatu can never pass of anything other than the walking corpse he is.
Nosferatu can not turn into wolves or bats like other vampires, but instead can become a swarm of rats. Each rat of the swarm is part of a collective mind, so killing one will not destroy the creature. In fact even if all are destroyed save one the creature will reform.
Additionally Nosferatu can summon 10d100 (10-1000) normal rats to his aid or 2d20 (2-40) plague stricken rats (save vs. disease).
Like some vampires the Nosferatu can be held in place by a line of salt. A ring of salt around the Nosferatu will trap it.
Nosferatu are more sensitive to sunlight and will die with even the briefest exposure (1 round). They are effected by a Light spell as if it were Continual Light. Their vision in darkness is 180' and they see as well in complete darkness as humans can in twilight.
Nosferatu gorge themselves preferring not to waste time with luring prey. Once they attach themselves to a victim they will drain them on blood (Constitution points) till they are dead. A Nosferatu concentrating on feed (ie not in combat) can drain 3 points of Con per turn. In combat situations they can only drain 1d4+1 HP of blood per round, but they do not find this satisfying.
Nosferatu are all very strong (Strength = 18) despite their thin, corpse-like visages.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Moroi

The Moroi (male) and the Moroaica (female) are "living" vampires from the legends of Rumania. Living, because despite some overt vampire like traits they are living, breathing people and can be harmed or even killed like everyone else.

Legends abound on the how a Moroi is born and what makes them different from a Dhampir. With a Dhampir the mother must be human and the father a vampire. For the Moroi both parents are living. According to some accounts a Moroi is created when a baby is born with a caul or a vestigial tail. In other legends a Moroi is the result of an incestous relationship. Of course a Moroi can also be the product of two Moroi.

On their death Moroi will become a vampire, a Strigoi. This is actually pretty close to the separation between the Living and Dead vampires in the Hollows Series by Kim Harrison and even the Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead.

In the Pathfinder RPG, the Moroi are a type of Dhampir race. That race has a lot going on, I tend to like something a little simpler.

Moroi by Diana Martinez

Moroi Race
The Moroi are a race with the blood of ancient vampires in their veins. Some speculate that the Moroi came first and vampires followed after their deaths. Still others claim that the vampires were always first and they perverted the Moroi to their current state.
Once the Moroi had a great empire with the undead Strigoi at the top of their ranks and thousands of human slaves. This empire has long been overthrown and destroyed but Moroi remain. Many of the living Moroi know of this history and act as if they still were the royalty they once were.

Physical Description: Pale, tall and thin, Moroi look like humans carved from marble or ivory. Their features are sharp but fine. Thier limbs and fingers are long and look delicate, but are deft and fast. They are all physically attractive, cultured and refined despite what their true upbringing might have been. Despite their loss of power and position Moroi families are still quite wealthy.
Males tend to be 5'11" to 6'9" though only weighing 110lbs to 160lbs. Females are 5'7" to 6'2" weighing 100lbs to 140lbs. So quite thin indeed.
Skin tones are universally pale. Hair color tends to be black for both males and females. Some Moroi families have been known to have an occasional red head or platinum blonde. These births are a great omen. Eye color also tends to be pale though some are born with black irises and others red.

Moroi reach maturity at 16 years of age and live approximately 120 years. Most are able to pass as human or sometimes half-elf.

Moroi are cross-fertile with humans and half-elves with Moroi traits being dominant over 3 generations. Moroi however find such matings beneath their status and they generally prefer their own kind. Intermarriage of cousins in Moroi society is common and acceptable.

Standard Racial Traits (3rd Era Games)

Ability Score Racial Traits: Moroi are quick, graceful and always charming, but somehow appear to be thin and underfed. They gain +2 Charisma, +2 Dexterity, and –2 Constitution.
Size: Moroi are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Type: Moroi are humanoids with the Moroi subtype.
Base Speed: Moroi have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Moroi begin play speaking Common and Moroi. Moroi is an ancient language understood by all vampires. They may learn other languages based on their Intelligence and Linguistics skill
Senses: Moroi have Darkvison to 60'
Undead Resistance: Moroi gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects. This resistance also works against the Moroi in terms of magical healing. Any spell or spell like affect that heals will take a penalty of -1 hp. Ex. If a Cure Light Wounds spell would normally heal 3hp of damage, it would only heal 2hp on a Moroi. This includes the Laying on Hands ability and potions. It is possible for a result of 0hp to occur.

Favored Classes: The Moroi favors classes that allow it to use their innate magical abilities such as Bard, Sorcerer and Warlock. Moroi Sorcerers are typically of an Undead or Vampire bloodine. Moroi Warlocks typically are Death Pact warlocks.

Alignment: Morio tend towards Chaos and Evil as a race, but individuals can be of any alignment. Lawful Good Moroi, while not unheard of, are rare.

Basic and Advanced Era Games
Moroi have a minimum Charisma score of 14 and a minimum Dexterity of 12. Their maximum Constitution is 16.

A moroi character of can opt to be a fighter (maximum of 9th level), a thief, an assassin (maximum of 10th level) or a witch (maximum 13th level). An moroi character can also be multi-classed, i.e. a fighter/witch, a fighter/thief, a witch/thief, or a fighter/witch/thief. Thief can be substituted for assassin where appropriate.

Moroi characters have a 90% resistance to sleep and charm spells (if these spells are cost upon them a percentile dice roll of 91% or better is required to allow the magic any chance of having an effect, and even then the saving throw against spells is allowed versus the charm spell).

Moroi have the ability to see into the infra-red spectrum, so they are able to see up to 60' in darkness, noting varying degrees of heat radiation.

As has been shown previously, moroi characters add a bonus of +1 to their initial dexterity score. Likewise, as moroi are not as sturdy as humans, they deduct 1 from their initial constitution score.

Moroi as a Class (Basic Era)
Moroi generally follow the example of the Elf class. instead of magic-user spells the moroi use witch spells.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

A to Z of Vampires: Lilith

Lilith by Isra2007

Let's head to ancient Mesopotamia and talk about Lilith.

Er...wait. Haven't I done this before?

Actually I have, I talked about Lilith last year on the A to Z of Witches and the year before that on the A to Z of Demons. She is just one of those subjects I never grow tired of talking about.
Obviously since I made her the cover of my Eldritch Witchery book.

Back in my WitchCraft RPG game I actually wanted to do three different Liliths that were also all connected.

Following the Maiden, Mother Crone archetype she would have been a Witch, Vampire and Demon. In my Buffy/Ghosts of Albion games she was a more central figure. A faction all her own in the constant wars between the forces of good and evil.

While that was a fun idea and it worked well for the WitchCraft RPG, for something like D&D I prefer one Goddess. A complicated Goddess to be sure.

So here she is. In Petty Gods format. Though she is by no means a Petty God. She is actually something more than a demon, witch or goddess. She is Lilith.

Lilith
Goddess of Witches, Mother of Vampires and Demons
Also known as: Ardat Lili, Lili, Lillitu
Symbol: Image of the Goddess
Alignment: Chaotic Evil*
Movement: 40' (Fly 160)
Armor Class: 4 (15)
Hit Points (Hit Dice): 140 hp (25 HD)
Attacks: Special, see below
Damage: Special, see below
Save: Witch 25
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: XV
XP: 16,660

Lilith is the mother of monsters. She is the mother of demon, having spawned so many, but she is also the mother of vampires and many say witches.

Lilith was the first human woman. She rebelled against the gods that created her and now controls armies of demons. The gods won't work against her or strike her down because she knows all their True Names.

Lilith has no true friends because most fear her. She is known to ally herself with the Goddess Ereshkigal since both have similar portfolios and areas of concern. Some even claim that Lilith spent some time as Ereshkigal's handmaiden. Others claim she served Astártē or Ishtar.

Appearance and Emissaries
Lilith always appears as a young very attractive woman. Most often with long flaming red hair. It is claimed her true form is that of a ancient hag with long, but sparse wild black hair, talons, fangs and the feet of a predatory bird. Either or neither could be her true form.

Servants

Naamah - Known as the Daughter of Lilith Naamah is either a demon, a human or something else. She is honored in her right as either the Patroness of Whores or the Patroness of Those Who Hunt the Night (slayers of the undead). Her title as The Daughter of Lilith, as opposed to just a daughter of Lilith, is significant. She may be her first true daughter or she may be her first human daughter.

Abyzou - Another daughter of Lilith. She is a powerful Lilitu Demon. She takes pleasure in possessing others and destroying them from the inside out.

Nox - The Petty Goddess of the Dusk is also believed to be a daughter of Lilith. Possiblly the offspring of Lilith and a Sun god.

Camazotz - a Son of Lilith and the bloodthirsty god of Vampires. Some claim that his father may have been Orcus.

Combat
Lilith never openly attacks. She considers combat beneath Her and will not partake in it. Her arena is intrigue, guile and deception. Why fight when a cup laced with poison or a dagger in the night are much quicker. If forced into combat she can summon pretty much any demon she likes save for the Baalor. If it comes down to it, Lilith can cast spells as 25th level Witch of the Demonic Tradition.

*Lilith's alignment is listed as Chaotic Evil. The Chaos part should be obvious, she has rebelled against the entire universe. While many of her actions are evil, she still kills babies, she is also a lot more complicated than that. Lilith has a high personal morality. She honors and keeps her friends and associates. You can trust that she will always do what is best for herself., but she also cares for her own "children" so she will protect them.

Other posts about Lilith here:
Every Angel is Terrifying: The Secret and True Origins of the Slayer
- Pseudo Slayers
Going Up to Hell: Cosmology
Sympathy for the Succubus
- Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Let's Talk About Sex(y)
E is for Eodemon
The Dragon and the Phoenix: Episode 7
Season of the Witch: Episode 2

Vampire	Country / Myths
Baobhan Sìth	Ireland
Dracula	Novel
Elizabeth Bathory	History / myth
Lilith, as a demon	Ancient Mesopotamia
Lilith, as a witch	Ancient Mesopotamia
Strigoi	Eastern Europe