Besmirched with Copious Gore

DUNGEONEER'S SURVIVAL TIPS

1. DON'T PANIC.  Sooner or later, that Character is gonna die.  Keep cool.

2. CARRY A TOWEL.  You will likely be Besmirched with Copious Gore within minutes of the first Random Encounter.  Cost 1-3 CP, Encumbrance 1 GP.  Those lacking towels suffer -2 on Reaction Dice (if they have not washed-up since last combat)

Magic Item: Towel of Absorption 

     Terrycloth gimcrack that completely wipes a character clean in one rnd, leaving no trace of dreck on either the person or the towel itself.  One in Ten have the additional property of Absorbing up to 20 lvls of Magical Spells cast at the user (10+1d10); the Towel will Absorb Mental Spells if wrapped around the head, or Absorb Physical Damage Spells if tied around the neck like a cape, all other types of Spells are covered by wrapping the Towel around the waist like a kilt.  Drawback: Encounters with sentient beings will likely involve the question, "Is that a towel... that you're wearing?"

Monster Monday 4

GNARLY EYE

Does anyone need another Beholder variation? Well, here's mine:

AC 1, HD (10), HP 70, Magic Eyes, At Will: Fly, Telekinese 100lbs, Telepathic Communication

Large Central Eye: Slow Spell, all within 90-degree cone, 60' terminus, no Save

Four Eye Stalks:
1. Magic Missile(s); 1d4 Missiles ea rnd, will target Spellcasters to ruin Spells
2. Hypnosis Ray; Save vs Mental Spell or be completely dominated until the gaze of this eye is broken, Stun for 1d4 rnds thereafter, will target most powerful/effective opponent
3. Vampiric Wounding Beam; causes 3d8 damage, Save vs Spells for 1/2, and adds these to HP, targets of opportunity, 1/rnd
4. Nullification Beam; renders targeted Magical/Technological items "non-magical"/inoperable for 1d4 turns, Save vs R/S/W Negates, will target most powerful/effective item used against it, 1/rnd

Happy Holiday... the Eye is Watching You!

the Ogre Magi's Ring

Ogre Magi get all the cool magical powers:

1. Fly (12trns)
2. Invisibility
3. Darkness (1"rad)
4. Polymorph (humanoid, 4-12')
5. Regenerate (1HP/r)
6. Charm Person
7. Sleep
8. Gaseous Form
9. Cone o' Cold (8d8)
10. (Ogre Strength; 18/00)

What if there were a Magic Item, maybe a Ring, that would grant all the abilities & powers of an Ogre Magi? Quite a powerful item... brought to mind the 'Ring of Gaxx', with the "randomly resetting" rotating gemstone, so how about:

The Ring of the Ogre Magi is set with a white gem of nine (or ten, if you incl Ogre STR) facets, each keyed to one of the magical functions, each usable 1/day, but here's the kicker; only one function may be in effect at any time. If the gem is set to Charm Person, the Charm ends when another function is selected, and the gem is turned until a different facet faces the tiny ruby triangle set into the band... if you encounter a barred passage, do you forgo your Polymorph disguise for Ogre Strength, and try to Bend Bars, or do you switch to Gaseous Form to slip through, and save the STR for later combat?...

Somebody's PC just acquired a major arsenal of a Magic Item, so of course there's a catch, right?

Immediately upon putting it on, it permanently drains 1d4 HP, and grafts to the digit for life

Changes to the physiology occur:
-Eyes change color (the MM reads, "Their eyes are dark pupiled with a white center." Does this mean a dark iris and a white pupil? You decide. Maybe throw in Infravision as a full-time bonus)
- Sure you Regenerate, but Magical Healing no longer works on you; no Cure Spells, no Healing Potions, just natural rest and the ring, baby. You're gonna have to set aside some time for your Precious ea day! (And remember - you can Regenerate for as long as you want, but once you switch facets, no more healing for 24hrs!)

Since this gimcrack does damn near everything, no other Magic Rings for you. In fact, I'd even say that any Item under 'Misc. Magic' simply would no longer work for the ring-bearer, or perhaps only those the DM allows.

Other "side-effects" occur: Ogres tend to like/hate you, an Ogre Magi is searching for the Ring, which contains the spirit of his father, must defeat him in single combat (I don't know... somehow or other!), maybe use of the Ring gradually adds further Ogrish physical attributes...

I love the idea of this Item being found as per The Hobbit; just lying there on the ground in an untraveled area, no guards, no Big Boss Battle, not even a locked chest - just right there on the floor, in a dark corridor. And so are destinies made and fortunes assured.

'Rory's Story Cubes'

Rory's Story Cubes: Great for Dungeon Design, Specials, Random Idea Generation...








...there's a Black Ziggurat in there!

Gonzo (Found) Random Villian/Idea Generator

from short YouTube video, everything from Aliens to Undead, Masterminds to Mutants, NPC's, unassuming, unbelievable, and Orcs. Always with the Orcs.

Movie 'Monster' ABC's (d30)

1. A: Alien
2. B: Beetlejuice
3. C: Chucky
4. D: Dexter
5. E: E.T. ...really?
6. F: Freddy Krueger
7. G: Godzilla
8. H: Hulk
9. I: Incubus
10. J: Jason Voorhees
11. K: King Kong
12. L: Lecter, Hannibal
13. M: Mummy
14. N: Nosferatu
15. O: Octopus ...what?
16. P: Pinhead
17. Q: Queen Of The Dammed
18. R: Razorback
19. S: Satan
20. T: Terminator
21. U: Uruk-Hai (told ya so)
22. V: Vader, Darth
23. W: Werewolf
24. X: X-traterrestrial (I prefer to insert favorite from the X-Files)
25. Y: Yeti
26. Z: Zombie
27. - 29. DM's Pick

30. Roll Twice for bizarre Team-Up, or grotesque Antagonism

+Bonus, Special Effects of Weapons/Armor

ITEM BONUS (d20, for Weapons & Armor, mostly)

1-12 +1

13-16 +2

17,18 +3

19 +4

20 SPECIAL EFFECT (if Armor, roll on MAGIC RING tbl)

BONUS for SPECIALS (d6)
1-3 +2
4,5 +3
6 +4

WEAPON SPECIAL EFFECTS (d20)

1. NINE LIVES TAKER save vs Death Magic

2. DEFENDER (+4?)

3. DANCING up to one trn duration

4. WOUNDING +1 HP dam/rnd from ea hit, for up to one trn/hit

5. AMPUTATION on natural TH of 19 or 20, random limb

6. DECAPITATION (or other instant death) on natural TH of 20

7. FLAMING negates regeneration, dbl dam vs cold/undead

8. DOUBLE DAMAGE vs SPECIFIC MONSTER (Dragon, Giant, Troll, etc)

9. DOUBLE BONUS vs CERTAIN TYPE MONSTER (Undead, Reptilian, etc)

10. GRANTS IMMUNITY (Specific Spell, Magic Effect, Poison, etc)

11. CURSE/DRAWBACK (Berserking, Must draw blood 1/day, etc)

12. COMPULSION (Urges bearer to slay certain encounters, gain revenge, etc, Save?)

13. SPELL USE random 1st - 3rd lvl spell *

14. as per Random MAGIC RING*

15. INSANITY or STUNNING*

16. SPEED auto gain initiative, OR one extra AT/rnd, Player's choice at any time

17. VENOMOUS * doubles rolled damage, Save vs Poison for half, 3x/day

18. as per Random R/S/W *

19. VAMPIRIC successful hit adds (up to) 1d4 HP (of dam inflicted) to wielder's HP

20. Roll Twice

* 1 to 3x/day, as per DM, usually upon hit

More Magic Rings

Updated/expanded my Magic Rings Table...

LARPers...

...making RPGers look normal

A Dozen Distinctive R/S/W Descriptions

d12   Appearance/Material/Operation of R,S,W

 1.  Classic: carved talons clutch an apparently living eyeball, gazes around when not in use
 2.  Topped by Plasma Globe which buzzes and arcs when activated
 3.  Unadorned bar of polished steel, works well as a club/baton in melee
 4.  Glassteel dowel topped by multi-pointed crystal star
 5.  Gnarly shaft topped by twisted root cluster grasping a smooth river rock
 6.  Living flowers of various hues bud and bloom at tip each day
 7.  Made from the body of a magically taxidermied albino python w/jewel eyes
 8.  Telescoping/collapsing shaft for easy carrying/storage
 9.  Entire thing softly glows like a fluorescent light tube
 10.  Topped by grotesque Gargoyle head, speaks its own Command Word(s)
 11.   Fires burst of colorful metallic glitter with a loud "pop!" when activated
 12.   Rod made of a stack of Copper Pieces. To activate, another CP must be added to
         the end, to which it immediately attaches, glows, then discharges its magic

Once again, my apologies to The Dungeon Dozen.  All veneration to the Great Dodecahedron!

Jack Burton's Natural 20