These short stories are pastiches I wrote, mostly published in & Magazine and similar Dungeons & Dragons-themed free magazines. The first one written – Gree-Kin – was written about the grandparents of one of my children's AD&D characters. I wrote the pastiche as a way of making Marissa and Trajan come alive, and as a means of entertainment for both my sons and me. From
…
Marissa, Trajan, and Etjar – Bereaver May 7, 2021
This was the second pastiche written, to accompany the bereaver article published in & Magazine Issue 5, Ecology of the Bereaver. I'm still not sure why I ended it the way I did. Gree-Kin was the beginning of the trio, this was the end. Everything written after this fills in the details. The writeup of the Bereavers is here. Hal thumped the table
…
Spore Spitter May 5, 2021
Kevin invented this one -- it proved deadly for lower level parties, especially when the spore spitter kept making spores faster than we could kill them. This monster was originally published in & Magazine, Issue 8, and the short fiction that was published along with this description is here. Spore Spitter Frequency very rare No. Encountered 1d3 Size L (10' tall) Move 10
…
Gas Spores May 5, 2021
My first campaign as DM had a number of experienced players. This was a first attempt at shaking up the experienced players by providing encounters for which they could not be prepared. While we never used all the types listed here, the Gem spore was entertaining, as was the Invisibility spore. Gas Spores Frequency rare No. Encountered 1 (2d4) Size L (6' diameter) Move
…
Orc, Subterranean April 23, 2021
Since getting back into AD&D I periodically search the web for new ideas. A while back I spotted the Black Orc on Dungeon Delver's site. Thought it was a great variation and immediately added it to my campaign! More recently I started rewriting home-built monsters in a write-up style similar to that used by more recent editions of D&D -- while I don't care for
…
Circle of Jocelyne April 20, 2021
I was looking for a new type of friend and/or enemy for a new campaign, and the Circle of Jocelyne developed over the course of a few weeks. Circle of Jocelyne The Circle of Jocelyne formed two thousand years before the first War of Rendelshod, the creation of a group of secular savants who eschewed the gods in pursuit of knowledge. The Circle secretly invited
…
Oni, Noble April 19, 2021
A while ago I stopped using the term "ogre mage", and started using the original Japanese name, oni. Ogres and oni have nothing in common, so the original name makes more sense. I also realized the common oni was scalable, and I like scalable monsters. I developed the idea that oni are commoners, and giving nobles the abilities of wizards makes them pretty darn scary.
…
Oculus Despot April 16, 2021
A challenge was posted on Dragonsfoot some years ago to translate monsters from AD&D to OSRIC, as not all monsters were translated when OSRIC was written. This is my response to the challenge. The Beholder is the poster child for AD&D monsters that were poorly written. The details are often vague and have produced a lot of questions posted on Dragonsfoot. While this was planned
…
Dungeon/Monster Level April 15, 2021
Figuring out the "dungeon level" of a monster was a mystery for decades, as I missed a small table on page 174 of the Dungeon Masters Guide. It's easy to miss as it has 5 lines and is not formatted like other tables in the book. It's simple enough to use -- just look up the XP value of a monster in the table to
…
Lycanthrope, Were-Moth April 15, 2021
When thinking of material for & Magazine, issue 10 (Shapechangers), I watched The Blood Beast Terror, a 1968 movie starring Peter Cushing. This is a weak lycanthrope, suitable for lower level parties. Lycanthrope, Were-Moth Frequency very rare No. Appearing 1 (2d8) Armor Class 7 Move 120'/240' (MC:B) Hit Dice 1 to 2 % in Lair 50% Treasure Type A No. of Attacks 2 Damage/Attack 1d3,
…