REF: Black Dragons?! Plural?!

Random Encounter Fun time! Where we roll up a wandering monster/encounter and try to make sense of it.

I decided to go back to the dungeon this time. I rolled a d14 (Thanks Col. Z!) to determine the party level, though I suppose I could have just rolled a d8 for the dungeon level. I got a 9, which was level 8+. So we're pretty far down in the ol' labyrinth here.

A roll of 5 on a d20 results in (drumroll)

1d4 Black Dragons (result 3)

Wait, what?

That's right, folks. We've got THREE black dragons roaming the halls here. Granted, the DM needs to make judgement calls about whether an encounter makes sense or not, but this is an exercise so we're going with it.

So obviously it's not normal for these critters to be walking down a 10' corridor. Not to mention they need some sort of access to open spaces for hunting, etc. Blacks are listed as living in swamps and marshes, so perhaps they lair in an underground lake or grotto? This is a random encounter, though, so they aren't necessarily in their lair. Further, who's to say they share a lair at all? maybe one (or more) is visiting...

It wouldn't make sense for dragons to live in the same lair. They are solitary creatures as a rule. They also don't like sharing, not to mention a single micro-environment like a dungeon would have a hard time feeding multiple dragons. But what if it was mating season?

Two male blacks have entered the dungeon seeking a female that lives in the deeper caves. The party encounters the two would-be suitors just as they have met upon each other! Reaction rolls are rolled aaand

The dragons have a 5 toward each other (Hostile, possible attack) and an 8 and a 9 toward the party (Uncertain/confused and no attack/considers offers). So the two bucks are wyrming their ways through the halls to the lower caves when they spy each other. It's obvious why each is here. Now they're circling and snarling, spoiling for a fight when the PCs stumble into the mix. Neither dragon is so stupid as to ignore a party of 9th level PCs, but the other dragon has to be its main concern. One is flummoxed by this added complication. The other is pondering if the PCs could be enticed to help him, or at least to attack his rival first. All this plus the THIRD dragon is somewhere in the dungeon, and maybe she is on her way up to see what all the Draconic trash-talk is about...

EDIT: It should also be mentioned that the two visiting dragons wouldn't have any treasure, as they are not in their lairs. Talk about a lousy risk/reward ratio!

RMA: Aranea

While the Aranea isn't from the rulebooks' monster listings, it is in the classic module X1: Isle of Dread by Moldvay & Cook, so I feel it qualifies as a BX critter. It's probably not fair to say it's obscure, since so many people have played X1 over the years. The Aranea also was included in BECMI's Creature Catalog (AC9) and even later editions of the game, so it has some staying power.

What caught my eye about this monster wasn't its stats or its prowess in battle, but how the creature was fleshed out in quasi-gygaxian naturalism. Let us explore. First (as always) the stats:

Aranea (from X1)

Armor Class: 7
No. Appearing: 1-3 (1-6)
Hit Dice: 3**
Move:60' (20')
     -In web: 120' (40')
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d6 + poison
Save As: MU3
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: D
Alignment: Chaotic

So this fella has lousy AC, so-so HD, and only one attack. Admittedly it can force a save or die, but still not a huge threat to an expert level party. No, what makes the Aranea so fun are the extra, not necessarily combat, tidbits.

1) They can cast spells. Each Aranea is basically a 3rd level MU. Think about that. Imagine a pony-sized spider casting Sleep on a party. Or having access to Invisibility? But let's not focus just on combat spells. What about ESP? Locate Object? Or even just plain old Read Magic? This ties into the next part of the critter I liked.

2) They're intelligent. The Aranea's spellcasting ability isn't some natural talent, like a Blink Dog's teleport. They are human-level smart (Creature Catalog says INT 14). It also says "...they spend much of their time in magic research." They also have almost human-like fingers on their forelimbs, which allow them to craft and write. Which means they're GIANT SPIDERS WITH SPELL BOOKS! How cool is that?! Further, their lousy morale indicates they aren't really that interested in fighting. Possibly setting a chance to parley or negotiate? (Break out the reaction table!)

3) Bugbear Buddies. This little throwaway line in X1 tickled me to no end. "They are friendly with bugbears and often hire them to guard the forest beneath their lairs." Perhaps that's intended to only be for the Araneas on the Isle, but there are bugbears all over, so why shouldn't such a relationship be possible in other regions? I expect the bugbears would be happy with a friendly wizard living above their home and the Aranea would have more time to spend on research if it knew the territory below its home was guarded.

I can imagine a fun low-level adventure where the party must enter the bugbears' domain in order to parley with an Aranea for some valuable piece of magical knowledge or intel. Perhaps the spider sends them to retrieve some substance or grimoire in exchange for what they want? The Aranea in question could even become a recurring NPC. Their alignment is Chaotic, though. So trusting it might be another matter.

More REF: Hell Hounds

Whee! TIme for more random encounter fun!™ 

Let's get rolling. Last time, it was a wilderness encounter, so this time, let's use the dungeon charts.

OK, the BX table allow for levels 1-8+, so let's roll a d8

roll, roll

A 6!  That's Levels 6-7. Now we need a d20 roll.

roll, roll

A 9! That's "Hellhound" Nice!

It says there are 2-8 of these infernal pooches, so let's see what we've got. 

roll, roll

3 + 4 = 7! This could get nasty!

Their hit dice are supposed to match the level (6-7) so let's just say they are each 6HD (Saving as 6th level fighters). Let's roll hit points twice and take the higher total for the pack leader.

roll, roll

4+5+3+3+5+4= 24

5+6+3+7+6+5= 32

So we have a 32 hp pack leader and six 24 hp pack members. 

These creatures are described as reddish-brown dogs the size of a small pony. Their attacks are biting or breathing fire. BtB, you roll a d6 each round to see what it does (1-2 = fire, 3-6 = teeth). The breath targets one victim and does 6d6 (!) damage (save for half damage). Its range isn't specified in Cook, but the 1e MM says 1", so pretty close (melee distance).

While the random nature of the charts means they could be in any kind of dungeon, I'm going to go Gygaxian Naturalist here and say that the hounds' den is in a chamber/room of the dungeon which has a pool of lava in it, probably from a fissure in the rock tapping into a volcanic vent.  The hounds are immune to non-magical fire and highly intelligent, so they would know that most enemies couldn't tolerate the magma. They normally bed down on the far side of the lava from the entrance for added safety.

Now, since this is a wandering encounter, let's assume they are not in the lair. They are hunting the halls or tunnels in a pack, looking for dinner. 

Points to remember: They are smart, nasty, dogs. They can also detect invisible creatures within 60' most of the time (75%). If someone was invisible, the hounds might be smart enough to note his presence and pretend to be oblivious until they could catch him out.

Tactics:

The hounds would know the layout of the dungeon. If they are aware of the party, they would fan out and use any side corridors to flank them. A good blast of fire breath would spoil demi-humans' infravision right off. Then, depending on the party's numbers, they would probably target spell casters first (if possible). 

If the flanking was successful, the dogs would harry the rear. They'd also be smart enough to finish off anyone who was looking wounded. If the fight started going against them, they would retreat to their lava lair and –if possible– use the hostile terrain to their advantage (knocking attackers into the lava, etc.).

Kills would be dragged off to the lair and feasted upon. One hound is big enough to drag a human being without too much difficulty (provided it's not for miles and miles). Dragging the corpse through the lava would destroy most gear and items as well as cook the meat nicely! The odd trinket might avoid landing in the molten rock and constitute the bulk of the hounds' treasure.