THE HOBGOBLIN'S TAVERN 
 MONSTERS

Monster: n. imaginary creature, usually large and frightening, compounded of incongruous elements; misshapen animal or plant; inhumanly cruel or wicked person; animal or thing of huge size. (Oxford English Dictionary)

Any GM worth his salt should be able to provide his players with fruity new monsters into which they can (attempt) to sink their swords. But dungeon designing is difficult enough without having to think-up a whole new bunch of monsters as well. If you are faced with this problem, here are some nasty creatures to help you out. On this page, you will be able to gather monsters who will happily sit in your dungeons and await your next batch of treasure-hungry delvers. 

Bone Dragon (MR 200+)

Description

This horrid creature is essentially an undead dragon, made of bones, bound together by magic. It is not a natural creature, and will have been summoned or created by a liche or mage to guard treasure or chambers of importance. The Bone Dragon will serve only the creator, and responds to commands given by same. The dragon does not respond to communication of any kind by anyone but the creator, and will follow through the commands given to it until they are fulfilled or the dragon is slain.

Powers & Abilities

The Bone Dragon is immune to damage from any non-magic attack, and is immune to fire and poison attacks. During combat, the foul bones send forth toxic fumes which are harmful to breathe. delvers fighting it must make a L1SR on CON each combat round or lose 1D3 CON. Should CON fall to below 50% of the delver's original CON during a fight with a Bone Dragon, he will fall unconscious for 1D3 full turns if a L1SR on ST is missed. If the strength roll is made he may continue fighting and need not make the ST roll again, his body having overcome the fatigue caused by the poison, though he may still lose CON. If slain, a bone dragon will turn to dust within 30 seconds.

Invisible Stalker (MR N/A)

Description

This frightening horror is never seen, but manifests only as a pair of black human footprints, which follow a cursed adventurer. The Stalker is usually triggered by the opening of a tomb, door, casket etc.

Powers & Abilities

The delver who triggered the Stalker (if more than one delver was responsible, the adventurer with the lowest LK will be cursed) will feel cold for an instant then the feeling will pass. One hour later, it will be brought to the adventurer's attention that he has a pair of black footprints following him. The footprints fade but no matter how fast the delver travels, the footprints will gain on him. If the adventurer is alone, he will notice them much later! The only way to stop them is by crossing flowing water, through which they cannot follow. If the delver flys away or teleports, the footprints will follow and continue to pursue! When the footprints reach the delver, he must make a L3SR on LK or suffers an instant heart attack and dies on the spot. As a rule of thumb, the footprints will catch up on a delver around 6 hours after the Stalker was triggered.

Flying Skulls (MR 50+)

Description

These gruesome things are simply skulls of whatever creature you fancy, with hard leathery wings, glowing green eye sockets and a terrible scream. They usually have fanged teeth.

Powers & Abilities

Flying Skulls are encountered usually in deep forest/woodland, in close proximity to a mage's keep or liche's castle. They are manifestations of undead spirits, usually the slain victims of the local evil witch, mage or whomever, seeking the blood of the living upon which to feed. They fly at SP 12 and attack with their clawed wings and manic biting attack. They take only half damage from non-magic attacks, but twice damage from fire attacks. They are encountered in groups of around 10-12, and only appear at night. Delvers fighting them must make a L1SR on DEX to match their speed and agility in the air. If the roll is missed, only 1/2 damage is done that combat round. Any saving roll to hit with projectile weapons is doubled due to their speed and agility in flight. If 50% or more of any group of Flying Skulls are slain, the remainder will flee.

Wind Dragon (MR 300+)

Description

A Wind Dragon is a very rare beast, being encountered in wilderness areas, desert and mountain ranges. The creature is on average 40' high and each is coloured differently, being composed of shimmering hues and shades. The dragon has small legs and feet, but does not walk, but instead floats above the ground upon a mystical cloud of swirling patterns and colours. The dragon has a marvelous coloured frill down its back and wonderful horns on top of and around the head, and it's eyes are always white or pale blue.

Powers & Abilities

The creature communicates in Wizard Speech, only to those to whom it feels a wish to converse. It will not 'talk' to characters of a minus CHR, and will almost always choose the person with the highest CHR in any group to communicate with. Wind dragons are sometimes placed as guardians of mystical places, but will never serve any one individual, only choosing to act as a guardian for a noble cause. Wind Dragons will not attack unless provoked, and are unaffected by any non-magic attack. Even magic spells cast below level 6 will not take effect. Wind Dragons attack always with magic, and will know all spells from levels 1-20 in the Rulebook, and may know extra spells at the discretion of the GM. Wind Dragons will occasionally help player-characters if they serve a good cause, and the dragon deems them worthy of its aid. These dragons almost always have a hoard of treasure nearby to their lair, composed mainly of huge gems. Wind Dragons may become invisible at will for up to 6 hours, and may cause any type of weather to manifest in and around (up to 6 miles radius) them. Once they have generated a weather pattern, they may not alter it for 12 hours.

Hairy Coo (MR 50+)

Description

Hairy Coos are very large and cumbersome beasts, approx. 6' high and between 10 & 12' long. They are docile beasts with curved horns anything up to 5' in length and a thick mass of long coarse hair covering their entire bodies. They have cloven feet and short tails ending in a clump of hair. These creatures gather in groups known as 'Bogles' and roam the wet grasslands of cold northern regions. A Bogle of Coo can contain as many as 40 beasts, always led by a Coo much larger than the others. Their eyes cannot be seen beneath the hair and they feed upon harsh grasses and mosses.

Powers & Abilities

Hairy Coos will avoid large groups of people, wandering off to feed and drink elsewhere. However, these beasts are not to be trifled with! A single Coo can attack with a surprising turn of speed (14) and cause a great deal of damage with its horns, as well as trampling with its huge cloven feet. If a Bogle of Coo decide to charge, the effect is frightening! Any delver faced with a charging Coo must make a DEX saving roll at level 2 to avoid the horns, or take 4D6 immediate damage. If a delver is trampled by a single Coo, he faces a full round of damage without getting an attack. (GMs to use discretion during player-characters encounters with Hairy Coos) Perhaps the most surprising ability of a Hairy Coo is the power to teleport! A single Coo can do this only once per month, and must rest for 3 full days after doing so. The Coo can travel to anywhere it knows. It has been known for barbarians to enslave Hairy Coos and master them as vehicles, even training them to teleport upon command, but this rumour has never been proved... Anyone facing a Hairy Coo, decorated with trinkets and ribbons, ridden by a barbarian, should avoid contact at all costs!

* Hairy Coos are very tasty if a little tough, and one can feed a family of Hobbits for a month.

Plague Elemental (MR 100+ CON MR 3x Normal MR)

Description

A Plague Elemental is a horrible horrible thing. It can be anywhere between 8' and 20' high, and of any form the GM desires. A Plague Elemental is a mass of seething, stinking, putrescent, gangrenous, sore-ridden, ichor-covered, pus-dripping, rotting flesh in various stages of decay. They are usually covered with large black, bleeding boils. A Plague Elemental can be smelt as far away as 60'.

Powers & Abilities

Plague Elementals are encountered deep below ground or in dark gloomy bog or marshland. Usually one will just be encountered, but groups of 2 or 3 are not unknown. They are immune to poison and mind-control magic, but take damage from all weapons, fire attacks, TTYF spells etc. They cannot communicate. Anyone within 20' of one of these creatures must make a CON saving roll at level 3 or immediately become infected by a gruesome disease. The GM may elaborate if he so desires, otherwise the player-character loses 1D4 CON per turn until cured or death claims the victim. Anyone coming within 10' of a Plague Elemental or fighting in close range, will immediately lose 1/2 CON & 1/2 ST and continue to lose 1 CON per combat round until cured or death occurs. A magic user will have to cast 4 'Too Bad Toxin' spells or 2 'Healing Feeling' spells to cure a single person entirely. 'Poor Baby' spells will restore CON but not cure the disease, and CON will continue to fall unless the player-character is cured. A Plague Elemental will have a CON MR three times its normal fighting MR. Damage inflicted in combat will be taken from the CON MR, with the Elemental fighting at full power with the normal MR until death. Upon death, a Plague Elemental will dissolve into a huge puddle of slime, which will remain for up to 2 weeks. Anyone touching the remains will be poisoned and lose 1D10 CON immediately. Plague Elementals leave a trail of slime behind them, which will cause 1D6 CON loss if touched. Nasty...

Titan (MR 300+ CON MR 10x Normal MR)

Description

A Titan is a huge (usually iron or bronze) statue of a warrior, traditionally in greek helmet & skirt, with a sword & shield. They can be as tall as 100'. Titans are stationary until their animation is triggered, by passing through a portal/arch, removing an item, entering a room etc. Smaller Titans are encountered in dungeon chambers, with the vast Titans being encountered outdoors.

Powers & Abilities

Titans are slow (SP 4) but immensely strong foes. Once animated, they will pursue a foe until slain or the foe escapes out of reach of the Titan. Due to their composition they have a CON MR ten times their normal fighting MR, and cannot be harmed by non-magic attacks. Any non-enchanted weapon used on a Titan will shatter upon first blow. Titans do not communicate. An attack is slow but devastating. During combat, all player-characters must make a DEX SR at first level or be crushed beneath the Titan's sandal, if the combat is close range. When slain, Titans immediately become immobile and their whole surface cracks and breaks, sending out clouds of steam (sometimes coloured). Within 1 combat round of 'death', the Titan will crumble and clatter to the ground in many pieces. Delvers who have not moved well out of the way must make a level 2 saving roll on DEX to avoid the hot, heavy pieces of metal as they fall to the ground. Being hit causes 1D20 CON damage instantly. Individual GMs may wish to incur stronger penalties upon foolish delvers who hang around waiting for the fall!

There is a 30% chance that treasure, usually one or two huge gems, will be found in the wreckage of a slain Titan.

Giant Slug (MR 90 CON MR 500)

Description

This ugly creature is to be found mainly in old ruins, and sometimes in swampland, damp caverns deep underground, and a variety of gloomy places. The Giant Slug is jet black, with a slightly silver underbelly and a yellowish frill around the base, It has two main antennae, which it can retract and extend to detect food/movement, and two smaller 'horns' underneath and between the main pair. On the ends of these horns are very small eyes. It has not been establishes if the creature actually has vision with these. The Slug leaves behind it a trail of almost invisible sticky residue. Giant Slugs are anything up to 60' in length and 10' high.

Powers & Abilities

Giant Slugs are surprisingly quick once they pick up a scent of food, and can move at SP 7. They will envelop any prey they catch and suck it up into its vast blubbery body for slow digestion. Any player-character caught beneath a Giant Slug will be suffocated within 1 combat round. Fighting/movement beneath/within a Giant Slug is impossible. GMs may decide that spell casting is also impossible if it is believed that hand & arm movement and maybe speech is necessary to cast spells. Weapons used on a Giant Slug will stick into the body and hold tight. Non-magic weapons will begin to corrode instantly, losing 1D4 adds for every combat round the weapon remains in the Slug's body. Pulling a stuck weapon free takes 1 combat round and a saving roll on ST at level 2. Non-magic weapons do only 1/2 damage to a Giant Slug, with magic spells and weapons inflicting full damage. Giant Slugs are immune to poison, but take double damage from fire attacks. Large amounts of flame will repel them totally. Giant Slugs also have the ability to 'shoot' sticky goo from their mouths (hidden at the front of the creature, used for eating plants and small animals) at a single target. They will hit on a roll of 1-4 on 1D6, with a range of 40'. Anything hit by the goo will become covered and be unable to move until the goo is removed. Water is most effective on the goo. If left unwashed, the goo will harden in 1D4 hours and then it can be broken-off, but by this time, the Slug will have caught the prey and begun digestion...

Ghost Horse (No MR)

Description

Seeing a Ghost Horse is a bad omen. It is usually a jet black stallion, although there have been sightings of white ones. The horse will appear outside, only at night, approx. 50-60' from the player-characters, glowing eerily in the darkness. They are only encountered in the wilderness; never near to large settlements. If a Ghost Horse is seen in a small village, the village is usually struck by plague or some other grim occurrence within the month.

Powers & Abilities

The appearance of a Ghost Horse always indicates some bad luck to those who witness it. It can never be caught and if approached will vanish into the distance. Ghost Horses are immune to all manner of attack. Should a player-character see a Ghost Horse, have him make a LK saving roll at his own level immediately. Failure means bad luck will befall him. Unknown to the player or the character, he will fail the next 3 LK saving rolls he has to make. If the SR is made the player-character avoids this minor curse. Following the appearance of this spirit, some bad luck will fall to the party. The GM should decide what goes wrong according to the scenario. There is no sound from the spirit, but sometimes it will appear to charge headlong at the party, vanishing if they cast magic (coincidence) or vanishing when it gets within 20'.

Gargoyle (MR 50+)

Description

Gargoyles are stone statues, usually found on the top of buildings, or free-standing at the entrances to rooms etc. They are always very ugly, often pulling grotesque faces or making obscene gestures. They have clawed hands & feet and usually horns. They are clever and devious.

Powers & Abilities

Gargoyles will animate and attack the party, usually after they have passed them by. They almost always attack from behind, taking the rear member of the party by surprise. The GM should call for a SR on LK or DEX for the rearmost member of the party to react quickly enough to defend and fight back. Sometimes Gargoyles have wings and can fly to attack, making them hard to hit. Characters fighting flying Gargoyles must make a DEX SR at level 2 during combat. Failure means they delivered no hits as the monster avoided all damage. Gargoyles are immune to poison and fire attacks, but 'Medusa' spells will return them to stone, in which state they can easily be destroyed with suitable hammering & smashing weapons. Gargoyles have the power to 'Wink Wing' once per day, and are immune to 'TTYF' spells, annoyingly for wizards! Sometimes, enslaved Gargoyles will make useful familiars for wizards. They may turn from stone to animated state at will.

Phantomime (MR N/A)

Description

A Phantomime is a glowing, tragic-looking ghost, usually in fine, dandy clothing and wearing a feathered hat. They carry ghostly weapons for effect, usually fencing foils or fancy daggers. They appear out of thin air and can be encountered anywhere from dungeon corridors to drafty castle ruins. They have evil-looking eyes which glow, and moan miserably as they approach. They are terminally depressed manifestations.

Powers & Abilities

Phantomimes are a type of evil ghost, with the power to cast the following spells free of ST cost: TTYF (30), Panic (Oh Go Away), Delay (Glue You), Blasting Power (6D6) & Witless (Dum-Dum). They will cast one of these spells at the party/foe per combat round and then vanish with a low moan if they have not been slain. They have no MR and take no damage from physical weapons, but weapons treated with magic to harm the undead will cause damage. Such weapons will cause the Phantomime to vanish the first combat round they are used, but the spirit will still cast one of it's spells before departing with a howl of rage. They will not return. Apart from special weapons as described above, the following spells will cause the Phantomime to vanish immediately: Mind Pox, Wind Whistle (blows the spirit away!), Hellbomb Bursts, Blow You To..., Exorcism & Banishing.

Phantomimes are annoying and will follow the party/individual until maximum damage has been done or it is dispelled by one of the above methods.

Crystal Serpent (MR 600+)

Description

This is a marvelous-looking creature. A Crystal Serpent can grow up
to 100' in length with a girth of 6-8'. They reside deep underground in natural caves with no light. They have skin of crystallized resin, which they produce naturally, and this gives them an armour value of 300. They have two black shiny orbs for eyes, which they keep closed for the majority of the time, opening them only to move into unfamiliar territory and when in combat. Crystal Serpents can be any number of colours, their skin beneath the resin coating shimmering and brilliant. Every 5 years a Crystal Serpent sheds its outer skin of crystal resin and grows a new one over a period of 3 months; the new coating will have already started to develop before the old skin was shed. Crystal Serpent skin is very very rare and even more valuable. A suit of armour made from this substance can sell for 500,000 GP upwards. (Such a suit may contain special powers at the discretion of the individual GM, but as a guide, it would probably only take damage from magic attacks, and could take anything in the region of 100 hits, depending on the skill of the armourer)

Powers & Abilities

During combat, Crystal Serpents spit venom, with a 90% chance of hitting any target within range (100 yds). The venom will burn through any armour, however magical, and inflict 1D% CON damage instantly. The armour will lose 1/4 its protection total. This venom is spat out once every two combat rounds. The Serpent will try and crush its enemies beneath its vast body, and all combatants must make a DEX SR at level 4 to avoid being crushed by the snake's body, taking 2D% damage. Crystal Serpents are immune to fire & poison attacks, and all non-magical damage, and it cannot be affected by mind control spells.

Crystal Serpents are very rare, and there is always a huge hoard of treasure, usually gold and gems, near to its dwelling. If slain, the skin can be taken, and the two eyes crystallize over a period of 6 months. Then they become huge Black Opals, worth, well, a King's Ransom...