New Monster – Verdant Vixen (A to Z Challenge V)

Verdant Vixen
These fae foxes mix a supernatural knowledge of the natural world with a wicked sense of humor.  Their ability to move without hindrance through the woods combined with their nature allows them to construct elaborate pranks

Verdant vixens occasion serve as familiar is to those who are favored by the Court of the Seasons.

Verdant Vixen     CR 1/2 (XP 200)

N Tiny fae

New Monster – Lunar Crow (A to Z Challenge L)

Hambbon could not shake the feeling that they crows were plotting something against him as he explored the ruined temple.  Every time  he turned around, one was watching him with those black eyes.

But the ancient temples to the moon goddess had not been looted, at least, he did not think so.

When he hit the tripwire and tumbled into the pit, he was certain they were laughing at him.

Crow, Lunar

These magical creatures were created as servants of the moon as used as her messengers, in direct moonlight their sooty black plumage turns into a beautiful silver-white.  Since the moon’s exile, they have become more feral and vicious, action on the mad schemes of their mistress.

Lunar crows often serve as familiars to those who are moon cultists or may be useful to the moon’s cause.

Lunar Crow    CR 1/3 (XP 135)

New Monster – Color Cat (A to Z Challenge C)

As if a purple cat was not odd enough, it was a talking purple cat . . .

Cat, Color

These magical creatures were pets of one of the artist gods who loved color and cats and so inevitably combined the two.  Color cats are house cat sized but their fur is always a bright shade of a single color of the spectrum.  They are intelligent and can talk, indeed they are often very opinionated especially in sartorial matters.

Color cats often serve as familiars to those who are kind to them.

Color Cat     CR 1/2 (XP 200)

New Monster – Wyrmling

I tossed aside the crossbow, the bolt having failed to slow the monstrosity, cursed and drew my sword.  Not the foe I had expected, I thought dodging the snapping jaws of a wyrmling.  I cut down, the back of my mind noting the criticism of the strike my first swordsmaster would have made, feeling the shock down my arm as the sword bit into the creature’s spine.  It fell away, limp and, I hoped, dead.  Another wyrmling rushed pass, heading towards my charge.

“Beware, Covlan!” I called, pivoted and thrust, piecing the creature’s tail.  It hissed and coiled back to face me.  It was the largest of them and ready to strike.  I caught its lunge with the flat of my blade and pushed it one way while moving in the other.  Just avoiding its snapping jaws.  The wyrmling coiled and paused, its yellow-green eyes half closed and wary.  I spared a moment to look around.  Two of the three wyrmlings that had attacked us were dead, the snake-like creatures were as large as the horses they sought to devour.  Their thick scales and massive jaws made them dangerous foes and their unsatiable hunger made them implacable ones.

Wyrmling

This creature is a strange amalgam of dragon and snake, with a massive head topped with horns and possessing mighty jaws on a thick snake-like body protected by dense scales.

Elementals, in general and in the Sea of Stars

I had mention in an early post that the elemental realms (elemental plane in D&D terms) still interacted with the Sea of Stars, but I have decided this is not longer so as there are no elemental realms anymore.  Not as it “they have been destroy” but rather, that they never existed.

Elements

Reading James Maliszewski‘s It’s Elementary article reminded me about the origin of elementals in D&D and that the elemental planes were a later addition to the D&D cosmology which may have some literary antecedence in Moorcock’s works but I am not sure.

In retrospect, the elemental realms is a concept that is not needed for the Sea of Stars as the realms beyond simply do not play a major role in that setting.  In the Sea of Stars, an elemental is the awakening of the essence of that element, a spark of life and intelligence, but rarely full sentience, imparted to an element.  So, the elements are not summoned, only the animating spark.

Therefore, to create an elemental you need:

• Magic to create or summon the animating spark.
• The element you are awakening.  The larger the elemental you wish to awaken, the more of the element you need.

New Monster – Deep Miner

DEEP MINER
A sickly green glow lights the corridor as an emaciated specter of a dwarven miner emerges from the wall.  The wreckage of a dwarven soul mutters to himself, his eyes unfocused until he sees the gold ring on your finger.  “Gold!” it cries, a spectral pick appearing in its hand as it charges towards you.

Deep Miner                                                  CR 5 (1,600 XP)
NE medium undead (incorporeal)

Domestic Animals in the Sea of Stars

Like many things in the Sea of Stars, there are a huge variety of domesticated animals.  From the usual creatures of dogs and cats, goats and sheep, cows and horses to stranger things such as chimeric beasts and creatures blessed (or cursed) with distant dragon-blood.  There are islands were giant insects are used a work breasts and pack animals, others where riding birds and pack lizards dominate the landscape.  There are giant goats and miniature ponies, variations on variations as befits the theme of the Sea of Stars (“infinite variety in infinite combination”).

Nor can even normal seeming creatures be taken at face value, one group of venturers in my campaign caught a cow reading a book which it promptly hid, cleared her throat and said, “Moo”.  (Though this scene was inspired by James Branch Cabell’s writing.)

One of the more common of the domesticated (though still dangerous) animals are the dragon dogs, which are dogs with the dragon descendant template, though some of them have enhanced natural armor and others a breath weapon as well.  They make excellent guardians when they feel loyalty to those that they are guarding but they can be greedy and petulant.

This is, of course, part of this month’s RPG Blog Carnival: Animals in RPGs.

Henotheism, Kathenothism and Polytheism

The gaming journals have suddenly been discussing polytheism, Evil Machinations talks about Fantasy Pantheons: Deities are more fun when there’s more than one, over at Harbinger of Doom there is Religion in Fantasy and Fantasy Gaming (which references Why D&D Polytheism is Flawed).

But, let me define my terms (all definition from wiktionary):

New Monster – Anger Fragment

Our young scout came running back chased by these small screaming faces trying to bite her.   Leaving trails of blood in the air the snapped and bit at anyone they could reach.  Our wizard was bitten and began swinging his staff in a mad frenzy.  Soon enough we defeated the annoying creatures.

Anger Fragment

These spiritual fragments are bound by necrourgists to serve as guardians or tools.  Appearing as flying blood red screaming faces trailing a tail of spectral blood droplets that vanish.

Anger Fragment                                                CR 1 (400 XP)

New Monster – Tasked Servitor: Traveling Companion

The Arch-Wizard and Master Conjurer Vablake arrived mounted on a beautifully sleek winged mare, its coat as black as a starless night.  As soon as the conjurer dismounted, the winged mare shimmered and shrunk, becoming a black hair young woman in a simple gray gown who followed Vablake meekly, carrying his satchel.  I had never seen its like that before and I followed, hoping to learn more about this magic . . . . and the strange shape-changing woman.

Tasked Servitor: Traveling Companion

These summoned servants are unique among the tasked servitors in possessing two distinct forms: one humanoid, the other that of a winged mount (usually a horse but occasionally more exotic forms are chosen).

Their humanoid form is almost inevitably attractive and graceful while the mount is always swift and determined in travel.

Tasked Servitor: Traveling Companion CR 4 (1,200 XP)