The Bogeywoman's Cave

( Image taken from The Island of Doctor Moreau) Markovia Ruled by Frantisek Markov, the beast lord. No towns, but there are crude huts built by beast-folk. The beast-folk who live here are “made” by Markov, through a combination of surgery and injections. Anyone who intrudes on Markovia will be taken by beast-folk to be transformed into their own by Markov. The Beast-folk believe Markov to be a god. For unknown reasons, Vistani are spared by the beast-folk. If Markov wants to seal the borders, he can cause storms and the sea to rise. NPCs of Markovia Frantisek Markov Called Diosamblet (the god who walks among us), by the beast-folk. Called the Master of Pain by the Vistani. Believes that intruders are gifts from the dark powers, to be used as parts. Monsters of Markovia Beast-folk Giant spiders (Note: I find it odd that both Hazlan and Markovia feature evil scientists who turn people into monsters. While in...

Keening Ruled by a banshee named Tristessa. Land encompasses Mount Lament, along with a ruined city around the base of the mountain. The mountain is a large dungeon, full of tunnels and underground chambers. If Tristessa wishes, a wall of wind seals off the domain. There are no living creatures in Keening. NPCs of Keening Tristessa A banshee who was once an evil drow. She can sense any living creature in her domain. Once lived in the domain of Arak, which disappeared. Monsters of Keening Any undead that do not feed on flesh, such as zombies, wights, ghosts, etc. (Image taken from The Curse of Frankenstein) Lamordia Ostensibly ruled by Baron von Aubreaker, but is actually ruled by the frankenstein-like monster named Adam. Adam dwells on an island off the shore of the mainland called the Isle of Agony, which is feared by the people of Lamordia, often called “The Devil’s Domicile”. Th...

So, a couple months ago I was given a set of old role playing game books, including a gamma world adventure, and the basic and expert rule books. I kept those 3 items, the rest were given to a friend. However, these books were in tatters, they had clearly been loved and used often, and I was fearful of using these books at the table, as they could fall apart at a moments notice. But then I had an idea! May I present to you; my B/X binders. I cut away the binding (it was falling apart anyway) and took the individual pages and put them in page protectors. Some pages were missing, so I printed out what I needed to complete the books. In one case, I also added an additional page. In the binder I use for the basic rules, I added this one page add-on from Sine Nomine that details rules for playing with a single player and DM. The expert rule book was missing significantly more than the basic rules, I even had to print out the title page! In the end, I'm proud of what...

Kartakass Ruled by Harkon Lukas, a werewolf. Lukas is known as a bard, and is treated with respect. Not many people know he is a werewolf, and even fewer people know he is a darklord. Each village is ruled by a meistersinger , a singing mayor who sets the rules and acts as law enforcement. Meistersingers are elected by storytelling and singing contests. Largest settlement is called Skald (population 2,000), second largest is Harmonia (population 1,500). Culture is based almost entirely around song and singing. If Lukas wants the border closed, he can make is so a magical lullaby makes any who try to leave fall asleep. NPCs of Kartakass Harkon Lukas Is a werewolf, but this is known to few. His own daughter (Akriel Lukas), attempted to hill him with the help of Dr. Dominiani and Duke Gundar. He has an illegitimate son named Casimir. Known throughout the land as a bard. Monsters of Kartakass Almost...

Both of these domains are rather small, conceptually, so I decided to combine the two into one post. Not that I have changed the monster sections a little bit, to make it easier to use with straightforward D&D.  Hazlan Ruled by the evil wizard Hazlik. Small council of murderous governors impose his will. Has 2 main towns, Toyalis (population 8,000) and Sly-Var (population 4,500). Hazlik can seal the domain using a wall of fire. Anyone who breaks the law is either killed or taken to The Tables to be experimented on. NPCs of Hazlan Hazlik Evil wizard. Experiments on people to create strange monsters. Complete dictator. Monsters of Hazlan Imps Leucrottas Beast-folk (gnolls, orcs, etc, results of Hazlik's experiments) Invidia Ruled by the witch Madame Gabrielle Aderre. Natives do not know Aderre is the domain’s darklord, but she is feared as a dangerous witch. Only one maj...

Forlorn Ruled by Tristen ApBlanc, a vampire/ghost. Domain is overrun with goblins. There are no villages or other settlements in the domain, only Castle Tristennoira. There is a lake called the Lake of Red Tears, which supposedly is full of sea monsters. Sometimes, those that attempt to leave Forlorn become paralyzed. There are a few groups of druids who live in the woods, hated by Tristen. NPCs of Forlorn Tristan ApBlanc By day is a vampire, but at night transforms into a ghost. Cannot leave Castle Tristenoira. Wants to escape Ravenloft. Mentally controls the goblins in his domain. Monsters of Forlorn Goblins Zombie wolves Ghosts in Castle Tristenoir a Sea Serpents in the Lake of Red Tears Note: This is one of the domains which has been modified a little bit to fit my blogs. In the original write-up of this domain, Tristen is a “vampyre” and not a vampire. This is essentiall...

The kruthik is a relatively obscure monster that first appeared in the miniatures handbook for 3rd edition, being a loosely veiled xenomorph stand in. Later, in 4th edition, they were added to the monster manual, being given a vague background and a less insect-like appearance. Here is my take on this lesser known beast, converted from 4th edition for use with holmes basic: Kruthiks are an ancient species of eusocial predators that dwell in the underworld, methodically exterminating anything in their way. Taking on the characteristics of reptiles, and insects, they are 4 legged creatures with small, vestigial limbs growing from their torsos, and mouth parts similar to ants. While they only have 4 legs like reptiles, their chitinous exo-skeleton and the way they grow seems more insectoid. Kruthiks hatch from eggs, laid in a central chamber of the hive, which hatch into the small, swarming, hatchlings. Given time, the hatchlings pupate, wrapping themselves in cocoons and emerging as...

Falkovnia Ruled by the cruel mercenary king Vlad Drakov. No police force, only the military. Drakov has at least one person executed each night at dinner, impaled on stakes. The walled city of Lekar contains 15,000 people, 1/4th of which are soldiers. There are 4 other main settlements; Stangengrad (population 6,500), Silbervas (population 5,000), Aerue (population 2,000), and Morfenzi (population 1,500). Most of land is covered with dense forests composed of tall black trees, called the vigila dimorta (sentries of death). Legend has it one tree catches fire and dies for each person executed by Vlad Drakov. Borders are heavily patrolled by soldiers. Everyone is branded with the mark of a hawk on their forehead. Demi-humans are considered property of the state. Only foreigners are allowed to enter and leave, citizens may not exit the domain. NPCs of Falkovnia Vlad Drakov Rules by force. Infamously cruel,...

Later editions of D&D added a couple more aberrations (discount Lovecraft monsters), and the Balhanoth, while somewhat generic, makes for a good old school monster in my opinion. I think it would work well patrolling the depths of the Tower of Zenopus. Note that while the Balhanoth first appeared in the 3.5 edition, the version I'm converting came from 4e. Balhanoth Move: 80 feet/turn/ climb 80 feet/turn/ teleport 200 feet/turn Hit Dice: 6 Armor Class:  3 Treasure Type:  nil Alignment:  chaotic evil Attacks:  5 Damage:  1d6 each The Balhanoth is a terrifying and alien creature from the deepest depths of the underworld. While at first glance it may appear to be nothing more than a brutish abomination, it possesses a cunning and evil intelligence that gives it an unholy ability to trick and toy with its prey. Balhanoths can be found in the service of the fish-like dagonites, communicating with them in the same alien tongue. Balhanoths have the ...

Dementlieu Lord-governer is Marcel Guignol, but is secretly controlled by the hypnotist Dominic d’Honaire, who serves as his advisor. Guignol has 4 other advisors, who are also controlled by Dominic. Law enforced by militia. Port-a-Lucine is a port village in Parnault Bay. There is a trade village called Chateaufaux on the Eastern border. If d’Honaire wishes, he can make it impossible to leave the domain, making it so that no matter what direction one goes, they always go further into Dementlieu. Lower classes oppressed and treated as slave labor. NPCs Marcel Guignol Puppet of d’Honaire, barely conscious. Dominic d’Honaire Controls the governor, and most of the population to a lesser extent. Obsessed with control. Rudolph von Aubrecker Disembodied brain, removed by Dr. Mordenheim from Lamordia. Wants to take control of Dementlieu and undo d’Honaire’s mental control of the population. Mo...

One of 4th editions little quirks was that most monsters had a few variant types, so fighting a group of them was never as simple as facing off against a horde of 10 orcs with 1 hit die each. In some cases, these were interesting, with goblin spell casters, winged zombies, and giant mummies, but in most cases it was simply changes in armor class, damage, and hit points. One of my favorite kinds of monsters to be given the variant treatment are skeletons. When most people think of animated skeletons, they picture something similar to the monsters that appear in Jason and the Argonauts, but there is so much room for innovation. Here are 2 interesting skeleton variants that I have plucked from 4th edition to be used with Holmes basic. Blazing Skeleton Move: 60 feet/turn Hit Dice: 1 Armor Class: 8 Treasure Type: nil Alignment: neutral Attacks: 1 Damage: 1-8 Blazing skeletons may shoot fireballs from their hands. These attacks deal 1d8 damage initially, and anyone s...

Darkon Ruled by a lich named Azalin. Citizens don’t know he is a lich, but know he is a wizard. Each town governed by a Baron, and has its own judicial system and police force. The Kargat is a secret police force commanded by Azalin, some of which are vampires and lycanthropes. Largest city is Il Aluk, with a population of 25,000. Darkon has many settlements, and is very diverse, with a number of different species and ethnic groups living there. If Azalin wants to seal the border, a wall of undead is summoned, 20 creatures thick, all around the border of Darkon. After 1d3 months spent in Darkon, people forget they ever lived anywhere else. Legend has it that the dead will one day rise and take over Darkon for themselves. NPCs of Darkon Azalin A lich, called “the iron fist in the velvet glove” for his governing. Knows a lot about the demiplane of Ravenloft, more than the other darklords. Styrix ...

Drakkoths are a species of reptilian creatures that inhabit jungles. They resemble lizard-folk with the lower bodies of small wingless dragons, leading to their other name; Dracotaurs. Lizard-folk revere the Drakkoths as emissaries of their gods, and it is not uncommon to find a Drakkoth leading a tribe of lizard-folk. Drakkoth Move: 140 feet/turn Hit Dice: 5 Armor Class: 5 Treasure Type: D Alignment: Neutral Attacks: 1 Damage: 1d10 Drakkoths may exhale a cloud of venom twice per day. This cloud extends around 5 feet in front of the Drakkoth, forming a cone with a width of 5 feet. Anyone caught in the cloud of venom takes 3d6 damage, though a saving throw against poison is allowed to halve the damage.

Borca Ruled by 2 bickering darklords, Ivana Boritsi and Ivan Dilisnya, who are constantly trying to poison each other to no avail. Bribery is required for most rights, including passing on roads safely, keeping food produced on a farm, and protection. The government is more like several gangs of mafia. 5 large settlements are Ilvin (4000 people), Lechberg (5,500 people), Levkarest (8,500 people), Sturben (2000 people), and Vor Ziyden (1000 people). Ivana dwells in Levkarest, near hot springs, while Ivan lives near the Northern border near Lechberg. Anyone who drinks something from Borca is trapped there, the beverage acting as a poison as soon as they leave the borders of the domain, killing them in a matter of minutes unless they return. There is extreme wealth inequality, and most people are poor. NPCs of Borca Ivana Boritsi Called the Black Widow by natives. Her kiss is poisonous and deadly. Ivan Dilisnya ...

Witherlings are undead created by gnoll priests of Yeenoghu, fusing the body of a slain foe with the head of a hyena, and grafting poisoned gazelle horns on to the hands. The resulting creature is fiercely loyal to the gnoll priest that created it, obeying every command given, regardless of danger. Witherling Move: 160 feet/turn/climb 120 feet/turn/leap 80 feet/turn Hit Dice: 4 Armor Class: 8 Treasure Type: nil Alignment: neutral Attacks: 2 Damage: 1d6 Anyone struck by a witherling's poisoned claws is paralyzed as per the touch of a ghoul, though a witherling's claws effect elves as well. A saving throw against paralysis is allowed to avoid this effect. Witherlings are turned as wraiths.

I really like a lot of the old D&D settings and books, but my main issue is that they're written like novels, too long and full of unneeded details that make for interesting reading, but bad for actual play. So, I decided to do a quick read/skim through of my Ravenloft setting guide I got in pdf for 2e, and to summarize and condense the setting into something I could use. Note that the end result of this condensing may not be exactly the same as the published version of Ravenloft, as I 1) Don't know too much of the lore, and 2) don't own any Ravenloft products except for the setting guide, so I cannot reference other books mentioned and must instead extrapolate. Ravenloft Overall Setting Summary Demiplane, created by unknown forces to contain and punish the darklords, individuals of great evil. Takes the form of a continent shrouded in mist, mist is magical and does not allow escape. Mist can transport folk from the material plane to Ravenlo...

***BORING STUFF SKIP AHEAD FOR DEMON POSSESSION*** I am back from Texas, and beginning to do some proper work on compiling and editing the 30 minute dungeons. 7 of the 20 dungeons have been edited so far, and a document containing the layout is mostly complete. I'd say it will probably be finished before the end of the month. ***BORING STUFF DONE*** (Image from Ash Vs Evil Dead) Sometimes, whether through foul rituals or the pure amount of sin that a person commits, demons can be steal the bodies of people and pilot them around like vehicles. The unfortunate creatures caused by this process are known as the Demon Possessed. Demon Possessed have the combat statistics and abilities described below: Demon Possessed HD 3 AC unarmored or by armor worn ATK 2 claws or 1 weapon DMG 1d6 each or by weapon +2 Special: Can climb walls like a spider Sees perfectly in the dark Can communicate with any sentient being in a mile radius through...

I recently played a game of LOTFP with my datemate, Loki (E/Im/Is pronouns), using one of my 30 minute dungeons. E played the specialist of unknown name, accompanied by 2 dogs and a mule, also similarly nameless. The unknown specialist learned of a series of tunnels underneath the tower ruins in the woods, and, being penniless, decided to investigate. E descended into the dungeon, opening a secret passage marked by a red stone, and went into the darkness. E found the corpse of a large spider, but didn’t investigate, instead opening one of the nearby doors, revealing a nest of giant rats, along with a glimmer of gold. The specialist quickly shut the door, blocking it with a piece of fallen stone. However, after recalling the glint of gold, e carefully and quietly opened the door, before throwing a rock as a distraction. This gave the thief ample time to sneak into the nest to retrieve a golden scepter and a crown. However, when sneaking back out, e was noticed by one of the larg...

T he Canary The Canary is a boss monster/slasher that lurks in the depths of the Earth. He is most commonly seen in old abandoned mine-shafts, though he can be found anywhere underground. He looks like a tall but skinny man, dressed in tattered clothing, wearing a beaked mask, like a plague doctor’s. He does not speak, but lets out occasional screeches. His body is covered with rotting wounds and sores, leading many to believe he is undead. He wields an enormous rusty pickaxe as a weapon. There are many legends about the Canary’s origins, the most common is that he was once an ordinary miner, left to die in a cave after the mine he worked in was flooded with poison gases. The makeshift gas-mask he brought with him was not enough to save him, and partially fused to his face as he died. The hatred in his heart brought him back to life as a horrific monster. The Canary kills all who cross his path, but has a special hatred towards those who carry lanterns (perhaps it remin...

I have a bit of an obsession with d6s, they are by far my favorite dice. As a result, when making house rules I usually only use six siders. I've messed around with a number of d6 based systems for combat before, and decided to share some that work. D6 combat systems (to hit and armor) X in 6 to hit, armor as damage reduction Everybody has a 3 in 6 chance to hit, except fighters, who have a 4 in 6 chance. Basically, roll 1d6, if it is 3 or lower, you roll damage. Light armor subtracts 1 point of damage, medium armor subtracts 2 points of damage, heavy armor subtracts 3 points of damage. Shields can be broken to block all damage entirely. 3+ to hit unarmored Roll 1d6 to hit. If attacking an unarmored target, you need 3+ to hit. For a lightly armored target, you need 4+, medium armor needs 5+, heavy armor needs 6+. Shields can be broken to block an attack. 3+ to hit, armor as temporary hit points Roll 1d6 to hit, on a 3+ you hit. Armor ...

The Leech Woman is a 1960 Universal Science Fiction horror film about an African tribe that knows the secret of reversing aging, and the results of an American woman stealing this secret and using it to become young again. To make a long story short, this film is not very good. At best, its a cheesy B-Movie, at worst it is horrifically racist and sexist to a degree that made me quite uncomfortable. Depictions of African people as primitive and savage are rampant, and the only two named black characters are an assistant to a guide, named Nabu, and an old woman who first introduces the main characters to the substance that prolongs life, named Malla. Nabu does not have any lines in English, nor any personality, and exists purely as a stock character. Malla is more complicated and interesting, and the main actress who plays her, (the late Estelle Hemsley) is extremely talented. However, despite Malla being a likable character, she still falls into many problematic stereot...