RMA: Harpies

Despite their mythological pedigree, harpies are not a common occurence in games I've played or run. Which is odd, because their fit the bill for so many things I find compelling in an old-school monster encounter:

1) They're stats allow for use in low level games, but their abilities make them interesting even for more powerful characters.

2) Their magical abilities are scary, but not insta-TPK.

3) The fact they can fly adds a fun tactical twist to encounters.

4) They are intelligent enough (INT 7, according to the Rules Cyclopedia) that communication and varying response are possible.

So, let's take a look at these feathered fiends.

Harpy (from Moldvay)
AC: 7
HD: 3*
Move: 60' (20')
Fly: 150' (50')
Att: 2 claws/1 weapon + special
Damage: 1d4/1d4/1d6 + special
# App.: 1d6 (1d8)
Save: F3 (+2)
Morale: 7
AL: C
TT: C

First off, it may (or may not) be worth pointing out that Gygax & co. sort of mashed together two mythological critters into the D&D harpy. Harpies were bird women that stole and killed. Sirens were bird women that sang and charmed victims. Easy enough to confuse or conflate, but I just thought I'd mention that the harpies of myth were not typically portrayed as hypnotic singers.

Anyway, the harpy is said to be part giant eagle, part hideous woman. As there is no "Eagle, Giant" in BX, let's go with the giant hawk. It's pretty close HD-wise to the harpy and is described as the size of a large dog or small pony. So that sounds like it could be the creature's lower half. A giant hawk can carry away small targets like halflings, so right there you can have some fun. Imagine a charmed hobbit letting himself literally get carried away!

Harpies have lousy morale, so they are likely to flee at any fierce resistance. Harpies aren't smart, but the aren't mindless animals either. The description says a successful save lets a character resist the song for the rest of the encounter. Meaning if the ladybirds show back up later that day, it's time to roll again! They could harry a party striving to lure at least one PC away with their song. Perhaps enticing him to walk off a cliff! Then the PCs would have to find a way to reach the body while the harpies simply fly down and feast. Treasure type C is no great shakes, but lends me to think the harpies might carry shiny trinkets back to their eyrie even if they may leave the picked-over bones behind.

How to fight them? Well, as mentioned, they aren't particularly tough. Their morale is poor, so chasing them off is a possibility. Judicious use of a Silence 15' Radius spell could potentially render the harpies mute for the encounter, depending on how much room they have to fly around and where the cleric centers the spell.

Curious Objects: Staff of Command

Welcome to the first in a new category of posts on this blog. I've decided to call it "Curious Objects." In these posts, I will take a look at some of the more obscure and/or interesting items in "Classic" (e.g. Basic/Expert) D&D.

For our first installment, I chose the Staff of Command. I came across this magical item in Cook Expert and was immediately struck at how powerful this thing could be a game.

Brief aside: In Moldvay's Basic, staves held 1d10 charges and were cleric-only (wands were for wizardly types). That was changed in Cook to vary by staff type. Some are clerical, some are "arcane" (MU/Elf), and some are usable by all three spell casting classes. Their charges were boosted to 3d10 as well.

The Staff of Command is usable by any spell caster type and it can emulate the powers of three very powerful rings: Human, Plant, and Animal Control. Of course, a staff has limited charges (rings don't), but even so, this opens up all sorts of possibilities for zaniness.

Human Control is basically a charm person spell. The target can save (albeit at -2), and there are limits to how many people can be controlled as well as what they can or can't do (no spellcasting from the thralls).

Animal Control is limited by the fact that you have to concentrate on the control or it ends. The beasts also have a negative reaction modifier toward the caster.

Plant Control is the one that looks the most fun. The staff allows you to "animate and control all plants and plant-like creatures" in a 10'x 10' area up to 60' away. It too has a concentration requirement, but let's just look at two things:

1) No save. I know, they're plants. BUT -
2) Plant. Like. Creatures.

That means you can take control of a treant, it gets no save, and you it will fight for you as long as you maintain concentration.

(Oddly, if you want to get technical, the Treant is the only plant-like creature in the BX monsters sections. As fungus is not a plant, etc.)

I don't see the staff as a game-breaking item. If nothing else, its limited charges keep it from being too OP. But there is SO much fun to be had with something like this, either in an NPC or PC's hands. Horses throwing riders, merchants becoming charmed, thorn bushes grabbing sentries, and so on. Any wizard would find it well worth his treasure share to get hold of one.

RMA: Dryads

While dryads are a bit more mythology than fairy tale, their sylvan nature makes them a good fit for the fae thread these posts have been following of late. 

Fun fact: In Greek 'drys' signifies "oak." Thus, dryads are specifically the nymphs of oak trees. The dryads of ash trees were called the Meliai. Those associated with apple trees were the Epimeliad, and those associated with walnut-trees were the Caryatids. Thanks, wikipedia!

Dryad: (from Cook) - 

AC: 5

HD: 2*

Move: 120' (40')

Att: special

Dmg: 0

No. App: 0 (1d6)

Save: F4

Morale: 6

AL: N

Let's unpack this a bit. Dryads are only encountered in the wilderness, specifically in woods. That makes sense, since the description is "a beautiful female tree spirit who lives in a woodland setting or a dense forest."

Unsurprisingly -like many other fairy tale creatures- dryads are no great shakes as combatants. And like their fellow fae, that's really not the point of them. The signature features of the dryad are her beauty, her ability to charm, and her connection to her tree.

Dryads are described as "shy and non-violent." They cannot stray far from their tree and if it dies, they die. So they are not terribly hard to kill. The trick is being able to spot them. They can merge with their tree and be indistinguishable from the rest of the woods. 

However, dryads are also described as suspicious. If they are deliberately approached or followed as they move about, that's when they may turn on the charm. Note that the description specifically states that simply passing or standing near the tree doesn't count. So the dryad would most likely stay hidden in those circumstances. Their charm spell is powerful (-2 to saves), so there's a decent chance of it working. Once beguiled, the victim is taking inside the tree. There is nothing about how long this process takes, so the assumption is one round. 

Now here's the scary part. "Unless rescued immediately, the victim will never be seen again." There are two things to keep in mind here:

1. I would interpret 'immediately' in this case to be 'before entering the tree'. So the victim's companions need to grab him fast and keep him away from the trunk.
2. Note that it says "never be seen again," not "dead." So things like raise dead aren't necessarily an option. I would say a wish would do the trick, but even chopping down the tree won't bring your missing comrade back.

Another tidbit I'd like to mention: 1d6 appearing. That's right, the party could stumble into a grove of dryads. 

Imagine a dryad per PC casting their buffed charm spells. The 1-2 PCs who maybe make their saves having to decide which of their friends to tackle and keep from disappearing into the trees!

A final note: Dryads' treasure is in hollows beneath the trees' roots. I imagine that the wealth of their victims ends up down there. Treasure type D is fairly respectable for a 2HD creature, with a decent chance at a few thou in gold, not to mention gems, etc. Of course, chopping down a dryad's tree and digging up the loot might attract some unfriendly attention in an enchanted wood situation.

RMA: Nixies

I thought I'd spend a little time looking at some of the more "fairy tale" creatures in the monster listings. Many are lifted right out of classic folklore and I think can be a real plus to giving a setting more of a fantasy/fantastic tone.

Usually, when I've talked about aquatic encounters in the past, I've focussed on the nautical. Nixies are river and lake dwellers, as opposed to mermaids and the like. They occur on the river and swamp wandering monster tables (there is no "Lake" table).

Nixie (from Cook)-

AC: 7
HD: 1
Move: 120' (40')
Att: 1
Dmg: 1d4
No. App.: 0 (2-40)
Save: E1
Morale: 6
AL: N
Treasure: B

There are many variations of this creature in folklore, but in BX nixies are described as 3' tall water sprites, resembling beautiful women with green, blue or gray-green skin. The AD&D version includes both genders and are slightly taller. I find the 1e version a bit too "monster" and not "fae" enough for my taste.

At 1 HD and AC 7, it's small wonder that they are shy of combat (see the Morale score). While they do have weapons, they are hardly formidable (1d4). Of course, the point of the nixie as an encounter is not to have them attack the party.

The nixies' charm ability is particularly interesting to me for a few reasons. First off, it takes ten of them to charm a target. At 2d20 appearing at or near their lairs, it's likely that at least one PC could be targeted. I imagine this as a chorus. A song with a literally enchanting harmony that throws its web over the character's will.

Some creatures, such as a harpy, use their charm effects to bypass a character's defenses and then slay him. Not so the nixie. They will take the character under the water and keep him as a slave for a year. So the PC isn't dead, but is will be out of the adventuring game for a while without rescue. Further, unlike the spell charm person, the character gets no opportunity after the initial saving throw to break the charm before the year is up. I assume things like dispel magic will do the trick, though.

Next, it mentions that the nixies can cast water breathing on their slaves, but needs to be renewed daily. This is an interesting little tweak as well. It ensures that their slaves can be kept well away from the surface, making rescue that much more difficult.

A final bit of interesting magic is their ability to summon GIANT BASS to their aid! These fish are a bit more hardy than the nixies (2HD), but are not individually terrifying. What's scary is that EACH nixie can summon one fish. Now I'm extrapolating a bit here, but under the Giant Fish entry on X31-32, the closest type in HD to the bass is the giant piranha. (3+3 HD vs. 2). The piranha is described as 5' long. So I'd put the bass at approximately 3' long, which would weigh in at about 25 pounds.

Let's imagine the party is crossing a river or lake on a rowboat or similar and a dozen or so nixies show up. They croon one of the PCs into servitude and he starts climbing out of the boat.

Well of course his buddies aren't going to stand by and just let that happen, so they attack. The nixies summon twelve 3' long bass to defend them and all 300 pounds of these fish start shoving and rocking the boat. Next thing you know, the PCs are in the drink and at a serious disadvantage.

That said, I repeat that I don't think the nixies are best used as a combat encounter. I see the fae types not so much evil or malign as alien. Their concepts of morality is totally different from mortals. If they are immortal like in some fairy tales, why would the character make such a fuss about staying with them for a year?

Some ideas for nixie-related fun: The nixies might have useful information, or maybe they can retrieve something under the water for the PCs. If they want a slave, but the PCs aren't going to give up one of their own (and saving throws are made), bargaining with fairies is always rich meat for plot wrinkles. Since they are pretty much aquatic, maybe they want something from dry land they can't get themselves? If nothing else, an underwater adventure to rescue someone taken by the nixies might make a fun side quest.

RMA: Devil Swine

SOME PIG!

Once upon a time, I asked Frank Mentzer (on his Dragonsfoot Q&A thread) who came up with this monster. I explained it was one of my all-time favorites from classic D&D. When he graciously answered my query, he said it was most likely Cook or Moldvay. He also wanted to know what it was that I liked about the creature. My reply was quite simple, which I will quote below:

"It's a HUGE, MIND-CONTROLLING WERE-PIG!!"

 Let us pause for a moment to let that sink in.

110% Pure Win.


So! Lets look at my incredibly detailed thoughts one at a time, shall we? But first, here are the stats:


Devil Swine
No. App.: 1-3 (1-4)
AC: 3 (9)
HD: 9*
Move: 180' (60')
 -Human: 120' (40')
Attacks: 1 gore (or weapon)
Damage: 2-12 (or by weapon)
Save: F9
Morale: 10


Point the first: It's HUGE

Devil Swine are by far and away the scariest of the classic lycanthropes, IMO. They have 9 hit dice. NINE! That's averaging 40-odd hit points. They transform into huge boars that "...are carnivorous and especially fond of human flesh." So it goes out of its way to eat people. In the Labyrinth Lord rules, the "Demon Boar" is described as 9' long. Here's a pic to give you an idea of what that might look like.

Yes, that's a real photo.

2nd point: MIND-CONTROL

The DS can use a potent Charm Person ability up to three times per DAY! What's more, saves against it are at -2. So while in human form (usually an obese person), they might gather flunkies about themselves. In fact, they might have a couple with them even when transformed. The idea of this "person" manipulating the local populace into trusting/liking him and then feeding upon them is pure awesome, IMO.

What a charmer!

Lastly, WERE-PIG

Devil Swine are actual lycanthropes. This not only gives them the immunity to non-silver or non-magic weapons, but means they can infect others with the disease. A delightful bit of Mystara trivia: According to some fluff, Orcus –demon immortal lord of undead and lycanthropes– was a devil swine in his mortal form (the first of his kind). This cracks me up, not to mention the delightful tie-ins that might be added to an adventure involving these creatures.

...did I mention there can be FOUR of these things hanging out together?