TEXT: Swords & Wizardry, S&W, and Mythmere Games are the trademarks of Matthew J. 
  Finch. Not affiliated with Matthew J. Finch or Mythmere Games™. 
   
  VARLETS  AND VERMIN   
   
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  A pack of 52 monstrous challenges for low level 
  adventurers 
   
  Compatible with Swords & Wizardry™ and other 
  retro d20 adventure games 
      
  Copyright Roger S. G. Sorolla, 2010 (v. 1.0)
  MATCH WITS with the prehistoric 
  horned gopher  – Page 7 
  MARVEL at the Man of Wounds – 
  Page 16 
  DODGE the Saucer Fungi  
  – Page 11 
  REFRESH your approach to humanoids 
  –  Page 21 
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  2 
  Table of Contents 
   
  INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 4 
  AT THE ENTRANCE............................................................................................... 5 
  Doom Vultures .................................................................................................... 5 
  Mithridatium Bush.............................................................................................. 5 
  Strangle Vines...................................................................................................... 5 
  Razor Thorns ....................................................................................................... 6 
  Trickster Beast..................................................................................................... 6 
  RAT VARIATIONS .................................................................................................. 6 
  Panzer Rats .......................................................................................................... 6 
  Scaler Rats............................................................................................................ 7 
  Miner Rats............................................................................................................ 7 
  Rat Swarm............................................................................................................ 7 
  Zombie Rats......................................................................................................... 8 
  OH GARBAGE DUMP............................................................................................. 8 
  Giant Botflies ....................................................................................................... 8 
  Giant Pillbugs ...................................................................................................... 9 
  Chartreuse Crud .................................................................................................. 9 
  Scrap Golem........................................................................................................10 
  Translucent Worms............................................................................................10 
  THE UNDERDIM....................................................................................................11 
  Saucer Fungi ........................................................................................................11 
  Eye Droppers .......................................................................................................11 
  Meat Slugs............................................................................................................11 
  Degenerates ........................................................................................................ 12 
  Fire Moths........................................................................................................... 12 
  THREE FEET OF WATER...................................................................................... 13 
  Amphibious Jumping Tiger Shark..................................................................... 13 
  Greenhair............................................................................................................ 13 
  Ice Nixie .............................................................................................................. 14 
  Spitting Striders.................................................................................................. 14 
  Torpor Remora ................................................................................................... 14 
  ADVERSARIAL GAMEMASTER’S BULLPEN ....................................................... 15 
  Barrel Beast......................................................................................................... 15 
  Hoard Serpent .................................................................................................... 15 
  Man of Wounds..................................................................................................16 
  Insistent Shale ....................................................................................................16 
  Pemblings ........................................................................................................... 17 
  PAUPER’S CEMETERY........................................................................................... 17 
  Skull Creeper ...................................................................................................... 17 
  Dust of Ages........................................................................................................ 18 
  Cerement ............................................................................................................ 18 
  Fardarrig ............................................................................................................. 18 
  Ghost Face ..........................................................................................................19 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  3 
  POOR WIZARD’S ALMANACK ............................................................................19 
  Elemental Nuisance: Air ....................................................................................19 
  Elemental Nuisance: Earth ................................................................................19 
  Elemental Nuisance: Fire .................................................................................. 20 
  Elemental Nuisance: Water .............................................................................. 20 
  Demi-Real Monster............................................................................................ 21 
  APPENDIX A: HALF MAN, HALF AMAZING...................................................... 21 
  Rabble .................................................................................................................22 
  Fanatics...............................................................................................................22 
  Warband .............................................................................................................22 
  Hunters ...............................................................................................................23 
  Lurkers................................................................................................................23 
  Legions............................................................................................................... 24 
  Opportunists...................................................................................................... 24 
  APPENDIX B: TEN TAMED TITANS ....................................................................25 
  The Troll Cabinet ...............................................................................................25 
  The Sleeping Dragon......................................................................................... 26 
  The Mimicking Golem ...................................................................................... 26 
  The Contra-trice................................................................................................ 26 
  The Worm Turns................................................................................................27 
  Shadow Cast .......................................................................................................27 
  The Diminished Giant........................................................................................27 
  Stalker With Restraining Order.........................................................................27 
  The Hydra’s Heads ............................................................................................ 28 
  Thieving Harpies ............................................................................................... 28 
   
  All artwork taken from public domain sources. 
   
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  4 
  Varlets and Vermin 
   
   
   
  INTRODUCTION 
   
  Kobolds .. rats … goblins … kobolds … 
  rats … rats … skeletons … Oh! Some 
  fire beetles. Orcs.  Giant centipedes. 
  Rats … goblins … rats … 
   
  First level characters in old-school 
  adventure gaming can be forgiven 
  for getting a little bored, especially 
  if their players have been around 
  the block a few times. Low level 
  adventures have boring monsters 
  because of the limited selection at 
  those levels; after all, higher levels 
  can always just add larger numbers 
  of lower level monsters to provide 
  an adequate challenge. Although 
  stronger monsters every once in a 
  while are good to provoke creativity, 
  the usual meat and potatoes handed 
  to beginning adventurers can get 
  fairly tiresome. The sameness of low 
  level monsters can also get in the 
  way 
  of 
  developing 
  consistent 
  adventure environment themes. 
   
  This product presents stats and 
  brief 
  descriptions 
  for 
  35 
  low-
  challenge monsters, grouped by the 
  kind of setting they are most likely 
  to be found in. Stats are developed 
  for Swords and Wizardry™, but are 
  compatible with most old school 
  role-playing products and retro-
  clones from Original to Advanced. 
  Armor classes for ascending AC 
  systems are given in brackets. 
   
  At the end are seven ideas for 
  creating 
  distinctive 
  groups 
  of 
  humanoids, followed by ten further 
  ways in which specific higher-level 
  monsters can provide a survivable 
  challenge at low character levels. 
   
  The monster listings are presented 
  in S&W format. Some notes on 
  special rules: 
   
  Attached/entangling 
  creatures 
  and damage: Because several of 
  these creatures attach to or entangle 
  their victims, the referee may want 
  to use the rule that any damage in 
  excess of that needed to kill the 
  attached creature, or any weapon 
  attack that misses the creature by 1 
  point exactly, harms the creature’s 
  victim instead. 
   
  Surprise: Some creatures have an 
  enhanced 
  chance 
  of 
  surprise, 
  assuming a d6 roll is used to 
  establish surprise in an encounter. 
  A 
  1-3 
  chance 
  means 
  normal 
  opponents 
  only 
  surprise 
  the 
  creature on a 6, while a 1-4 or higher 
  chance 
  means 
  the 
  opponents 
  cannot surprise the creature at all.  
   
  Modifiers to armor class and 
  saving throws: Some creatures 
  have a beneficial modifier to their 
  armor class and saving throws that 
  is based on dexterity and/or luck. 
  This modifier does not count as 
  armor. It doesn’t apply if the 
  creature 
  cannot 
  move, 
  is 
  unconscious, or is unaware of the 
  attacker.
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  5 
  AT THE ENTRANCE 
   
  Don’t let sunlight and open sky fool 
  you. There are monsters that thrive 
  on these things, too. The ones that 
  hit you before you descend are bad 
  … but the ones that stick around 
  waiting for you to come back up are 
  much, much worse. 
   
  Doom Vultures 
  Armor Class: 7 [12] 
  Hit Dice: 2 
  Attacks: Beak 1d4 
  Saving Throw: 16 
  Special: None 
  Move: 3/15 (flying) 
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30 
   
  These foul and cowardly birds do 
  not attack the unharmed, but will 
  always prefer to attack whoever in a 
  group has lost the most hit points, 
  no matter what their level or 
  equipment. 
  Larger 
  and 
  more 
  aggressive than normal vultures, 
  small numbers of the doom breed 
  circle high over dungeon entrances, 
  battlefields, and other places from 
  whence the grievously wounded are 
  known to stagger.  
   
  Mithridatium Bush 
  Armor Class: 8 [11] 
  Hit Dice: 3 
  Attacks: None 
  Saving Throw: 14 
  Special: Sleep cloud; immunities 
  Move: 0 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  This plant appears to be a shrub or 
  hedge with tightly closed pods. On 
  the 
  close 
  approach 
  of 
  living 
  creatures, the pods open, revealing 
  exotic blackish-crimson flowers that 
  exhale soporific pollen throughout a 
  5 foot range. All within range must 
  save (as poison) or fall into a 
  dreamless sleep, with grogginess 
  lasting a full hour after waking. The 
  bush is not harmed by blunt, 
  piercing, or missile weapons. Local 
  folklore 
  hints 
  at 
  woeful 
  consequences if its leaves and 
  branches are burned, but what 
  these consequences are exactly, if 
  anything, is something for the 
  referee to decide. 
   
  Strangle Vines 
  Armor Class: 7 [12] 
  Hit Dice: 2 
  Attacks: 
  3 
  whips; 
  strangle 
  1d3 
  /round 
  Saving Throw: 16 
  Special: Entangle, immunity 
  Move: 0 
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30 
   
  A mass of animated, carnivorous 
  vines that lash out at random when 
  approached closely. If they hit on an 
  exact multiple of 4, they ensnare the 
  throat and do 1d3 damage that and 
  each subsequent round, otherwise a 
  hit merely entangles the victim’s 
  limbs (-2 to hit and +2 to be hit per 
  entangling). The vines are not 
  harmed by blunt, piercing, or 
  missile weapons. 
   
   
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  6 
  Razor Thorns 
  Armor Class: 7 [12] 
  Hit Dice: 2 
  Attacks: 2 whips, 1d3 each 
  Saving Throw: 16 
  Special: 
  Immunity, 
  bonus 
  vs. 
  unarmored, thorns. 
  Move: 0 
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30 
   
  Cousin to strangle vine, this tangle 
  of malicious thorny vines will lash 
  out at random when approached 
  closely, with +2 to hit against an 
  unarmored 
  opponent. 
  Unlike 
  strangle vines, they do not ensnare 
  victims, 
  but 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  immunity to blunt, piercing, or 
  missile weapons. The thorns are 
  detachable and stick in the flesh, so 
  that the wounds do not heal until 
  all the thorns have been plucked 
  out, 
  taking 
  1 
  round/hit 
  point 
  damage. 
  Trickster Beast 
  Armor Class: 4 [15] (counting +4 
  dexterity and luck bonus) 
  Hit Dice: 1d4 hit points 
  Attacks: None 
  Saving Throw: 14 (counting +4 
  dexterity and luck bonus) 
  Special: Minor illusions 
  Move: 15 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  These quick-thinking, fast-talking 
  animals 
  come 
  from 
  a 
  smaller 
  mammal species, be they rabbits, 
  foxes, monkeys, or whatever fits the 
  area. They are able to walk on their 
  hind legs and to change their 
  appearance magically, appearing as 
  a small-sized creature such as a 
  dwarf or gnome, or a man-sized 
  creature if one sits on the other’s 
  shoulders. They can also create 
  sound and glowing light illusions at 
  will to a range of 60 feet. Trickster 
  beasts usually are out to relieve 
  adventurers of their treasure by 
  deception, but sometimes they team 
  with more malicious creatures to 
  create a lethal ambush. A few times 
  they even really do intend to help 
  the party on their mission. 
  RAT VARIATIONS 
   
  Dungeon food chains would be 
  much 
  poorer 
  without 
  the 
  ubiquitous giant rats. They go 
  anywhere, 
  eat 
  anything, 
  carry 
  enough disease to be slightly scary, 
  and are smart enough to give a 
  modest tactical challenge. These 
  creatures are variants on the rat, but 
  can be changed with little trouble to 
  whatever species fits your dungeon 
  ecology. Remember! No animal is 
  too silly to deliver the death blow to 
  a 1st level character. 
   
  Panzer Rats 
  Armor Class: 3 [16] 
  Hit Dice: 1d4 hit points 
  Attacks: Bite, 1d3 
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Special: 5% chance of disease 
  Move: 9 
  Challenge Level/XP: A/5 
   
  Armored breeds of rats include both 
  the mutant strains with keratinous 
  plating, and the rarer and more 
  disturbing examples of rats who 
  have managed to clothe themselves 
  in small helmets and mail coats. 
  These stats, without the disease, can 
  also represent hostile armadillos, 
  tortoises, or horned toads. 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  7 
  Scaler Rats 
  Armor Class: 7 [12] 
  Hit Dice: 1d4 hit points 
  Attacks: Bite, 1d3 
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Special: Surprise on 1-4,  
  5% disease 
  Move: 12, 6 on walls/ceilings 
  Challenge Level/XP: A/5 
   
  It is either adhesive, sucker-tipped 
  toes, or steely hooked claws, that 
  allow these grayish-brown mutant 
  rats to scale walls and hang from 
  ceilings in the dungeon. Their self-
  righting instinct is as sure as a cat’s, 
  allowing them to drop and dive 
  jaws-first on passers-by. Scaler rats 
  can be re-imagined as hostile, 
  gecko-like lizards, or perhaps giant 
  black squirrels in a woodland 
  setting. 
   
  Miner Rats 
  Armor Class: 7 [12] 
  Hit Dice: 1d4 hit points 
  Attacks: Claws, 1d3+1 
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Special: +2 to hit vs. armor, surprise 
  on 1-4 
  Move: 12, 3 through earth 
  Challenge Level/XP: B/10 
   
  Shallow dungeon levels are often 
  dug into packed earth or clay. In 
  such an environment a digging pest 
  can thrive, and so the vicious Miner 
  Rats are found in their tiny and 
  labyrinthine burrows, ready to pop 
  out of walls or ceilings to assault the 
  unwary. Minerals in their diet help 
  build their tough, armor-punching 
  claws. These stats can also model 
  aggressive breeds of moles, badgers, 
  or 
  prehistoric 
  horned 
  gophers. 
  Tougher Miner types are rumored 
  to exist at lower levels, with red-hot 
  claws that crack and melt through 
  solid stone. 
  Rat Swarm 
  Armor Class: 9 [10] 
  Hit Dice: 2 (attacks as ½ HD) 
  Attacks: Up to 4 per person in area, 
  1 damage each 
  Saving Throw: 16 
  Special: Damage resistant 
  Move: 12  
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30 
   
  Swarming rats are individually of 
  normal size but are bound together 
  by 
  ravening 
  hunger, 
  collective 
  intelligence, or foul magic. These 
  stats represent a fearsome pack of 
  some two score rats spread over a 
  roughly 10 by 5 foot area. Even one 
  of these can challenge a low level 
  party, because it is hard to protect 
  the weak and wounded from their 
  onslaught. Their bites do little 
  damage individually but there are 
  many of them. The pack will move 
  to engulf the maximum number of 
  victims allowed by its area. Anyone 
  within the swarm’s area takes 4 
  attacks per round while those on 
  the borders fighting it take 2. 
  Attacks without area effect, such as 
  weapon strikes, can do only 1 point 
  of damage per hit to the swarm.  
   
  The swarm’s hit points represent 
  sufficient dead to disperse the rats, 
  but multiple routed swarms may 
  rally and regroup at some point in 
  the future. Disease, even at a 5% 
  chance, can be an especially nasty 
  addition to the swarm due to the 
  high frequency of attacks. These 
  rules can also model any kind of 
  swarming and biting creatures, from 
  angry frogs to killer bees. 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  8 
  Zombie Rats 
  Armor Class: 8 [11] 
  Hit Dice: 2d4 hit points (attack and 
  are turned as 1 HD creatures) 
  Attacks: Claws, 1d3 
  Saving Throw: 17 
  Special: Disease 15% 
  Move: 9 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  It may not even be apparent that 
  these are undead creatures until the 
  fighting begins up close. The disease 
  chance is that much greater, and 
  the rats themselves are that much 
  tougher, for being undead. These 
  stats will also do for any kind of 
  zombified small animal.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  OH GARBAGE DUMP 
   
  Being knee-deep in refuse is a 
  common 
  condition 
  of 
  humble 
  dungeon delvers. Having monsters 
  among 
  the 
  refuse 
  is 
  almost 
  expected. After all, food in the 
  dungeon is scarce, and anything 
  that can be eaten, no matter how 
  repulsive, will be — often by 
  something just as repulsive. 
   
  Giant Botflies 
  Armor Class: 6 [13] 
  Hit Dice: 1  
  Attacks: Bite, 1d2 
  Saving Throw: 17 
  Special: 20% chance to inject larvae; 
  fire vulnerability 
  Move: 15 (flying) 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  Foul insects that feed off carrion 
  and refuse, giant botflies also have a 
  chance to inject larvae into the body 
  of their victim after a successful bite 
  attack. The larvae are hard to detect 
  normally at first; they will incubate 
  under the skin for 1d4+1 days and 
  then burst forth as 2d6 immature 
  botflies (1 HP each, no injection 
  attack) doing 1 point of damage in 
  the process per hatched fly. Only a 
  cure 
  disease 
  spell 
  or 
  stronger 
  healing magic will destroy the 
  larvae. If damaged by normal or 
  magical fire, a botfly’s wings will 
  burn off, leaving it unable to fly. Its 
  AC will be 9 [10] and its walking 
  movement only 3. 
   
   
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  9 
  Giant Pillbugs 
  Armor Class: 4 [15] 
  Hit Dice: 1-1  
  Attacks: Bite, 1d3 
  Saving Throw: 17 
  Special: Roll up (AC, save improved 
  by 4) 
  Move: 6, or 9 rolling 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  Pillbugs 
  dwell 
  among 
  rotting 
  garbage and wood, and where these 
  things are piled in huge heaps, the 
  giant variety can be found. With 
  tough armored plates overlapping 
  like banded mail, these three-foot 
  long, many-footed insects are hard 
  enough to hit. But when they have 
  taken half or more of their hit 
  points in damage, they roll up into 
  an armored ball. In this form the 
  pillbug is even harder to hit (armor 
  class and saves improved by 4), 
  cannot attack, and moves to escape 
  danger 
  by 
  a 
  strange 
  kind 
  of 
  gyroscopic rolling.  
   
  Chartreuse Crud 
  No stats (Special) 
   
  Chartreuse crud is a sickly yellow-
  green infestation that resembles a 
  slithery 
  lichen 
  composed 
  of 
  feathery, overlapping scales. It is 
  photophobic, fleeing from even dim 
  light with remarkable quickness, 
  pooling in dark shadows, corners, 
  and crannies. Pieces of clothing, 
  heaps of garbage or rubble, and 
  treasure sacks are particularly nasty 
  hiding places for the crud.  
   
  There is disagreement on the exact 
  nature of its danger to explorers, 
  and it is possible that different 
  strains exist with different effects. If 
  uncertain about the basic facts of 
  chartreuse crud, roll d6 on this 
  table: 
   
  1: Hallucinogenic effect on touch; 
  character is confused (as confusion 
  spell) and must save every hour to 
  regain wits from this spell-like 
  effect. 
   
  2: Corrodes metal as a rust monster, 
  but any kind of metal, not just 
  ferrous. 
   
  3: Eats leather, wood, hair, and 
  other non-living substances of plant 
  or animal origin. 
   
  4: Is harmless, but sticks to hands 
  and feet, or their coverings, making 
  them slippery (-2 to hit while on 
  hands, +2 to be hit while on feet).  
   
  5: Enters the bloodstream; every 6 
  hours, save or lose 1 HP from 
  poison-like effects until cure disease 
  is applied. 
   
  6: Roll twice more for two effects; if 
  6 is rolled again, this has the 
  poison-like effect “on contact, save 
  at +2 or die.” 
   
  A light spell cast directly on the 
  crud will destroy it, but other 
  normally destructive means such as 
  fire or acid will have no effect on it.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  10 
  Scrap Golem 
  Armor Class: 7 [12] 
  Hit Dice: 2 (10 hp) 
  Attacks: Strike, 1d6-1 
  Saving Throw: 16 
  Special: Surprise (1-4), takes half 
  damage from piercing weapons and 
  fire 
  Move: 3 
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30 
   
  “Golem” may be a misnomer, as it is 
  hard to see how or why these 
  conglomerations of refuse would 
  have been animated intentionally. 
  Rather than towering over its foes, a 
  scrap golem uses natural disguise to 
  leap at them, snaking out ropy 
  tendrils of flying debris. Each 
  damage result from 0-5 represents a 
  hit by a different component of the 
  golem. 
   
  0: Rotten food, no damage 
   
  1: Bone piece, 25% chance of lodging 
  in wound 
   
  2: Wood splinter, 50% chance of 
  lodging in wound 
   
  3: Blunt brick piece 
   
  4: Sharp stone fragment 
   
  5: Sharp rusty metal scrap, 50% 
  chance of lodging in wound, then 
  further 50% of contracting dungeon 
  tetanus (fatal within 1-4 days). 
   
  Items lodged in the wound from 
  damage prevent healing of those hit 
  points until carefully removed (1 
  round per hit point of damage). 
   
  Translucent Worms 
  Armor Class: 9 [10], -4 to be hit in 
  habitat 
  Hit Dice: 1d4 hit points 
  Attacks: Bite/burrow, 1d4 
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Special: Translucent (surprise 1-4 in 
  habitat), flesh burrowing, splitting. 
  Move: 6 
  Challenge Level/XP: B/10 
   
  Translucent worms have about the 
  thickness of a good piece of rope 
  and stretch from one to four feet 
  long, a length reflected by their hit 
  point roll. Their normal habitat is in 
  piles of rotting refuse or vegetation, 
  but they can also be found in dirt 
  and murky water. If they roll a 4 for 
  damage on their attack they have 
  burrowed into the flesh of the 
  victim and automatically hit each 
  round thereafter until dead, but no 
  longer benefit from their habitat 
  penalty to be hit.  
   
  Hard as it is to believe, flesh 
  burrowing is not the most annoying 
  trait of translucent worms. Indeed, 
  when a worm of 2 or more hit 
  points is struck by a physical attack, 
  this only splits the worm into two 
  worms, dividing the hit points of 
  the former worm between them. 
  The “rear” worm spends 1 combat 
  round re-forming mouth parts and 
  then joins the fray. Only a 1 hp 
  worm can be slain by striking. Fire 
  and other area effects damage the 
  worms normally.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  11 
  THE UNDERDIM 
   
  Below the shallow caves and cellars, 
  a phantom underworld of vast cave 
  networks 
  awaits, 
  populated 
  by 
  strange and terrible things long 
  isolated from the light. Even though 
  the full force of these perils is too 
  deadly for the novice adventurers to 
  face, 
  the 
  low 
  links 
  of 
  the 
  underworld food chain often trickle 
  up to the easier levels in search of a 
  better existence. 
  Saucer Fungi 
  Armor Class: 8 [11] 
  Hit Dice: Saucer 1+1, stalk 1 
  Attacks: Saucer edge 1d4 
  Saving Throw: 17 
  Special: Launch saucer 
  Move: Saucer 12 (flying), stalk 0 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  These 
  two 
  to 
  four 
  foot 
  tall 
  mushrooms will detach their saucer 
  caps and send them flying at 
  intruders who approach within 90 
  feet. In flight, the saucers extend 
  sharp edges capable of cutting rope, 
  flesh, or leather. If the saucer misses 
  its target or hits for 1 or 2 points, it 
  returns to the stalk, which spends a 
  combat round recharging it for the 
  next throw. If the stalk is destroyed, 
  the corresponding saucer flops to 
  the ground. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Eye Droppers 
  Armor Class: 8 [11] 
  Hit Dice: 1+1 
  Attacks: Bite 1d6 
  Saving Throw: 17 
  Special: Surprise 1-5 
  Move: 3 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15  
   
  The basic form of an eye dropper is 
  a gelatinous swirl of transparent 
  protoplasm about the size of a sack. 
  Its name comes from two unsettling 
  features. 
  Over 
  its 
  lifetime 
  it 
  accumulates the teeth and eyes of 
  its victims, preserved within its 
  plasm and put to work as new body 
  parts. It also is able to climb walls 
  and ceilings and will often wrap 
  itself around a stalactite or lintel, 
  from where it will drop on its prey. 
  If its roll is enough to hit AC 10 
  (with any dexterity bonuses) it will 
  adhere to the victim, attacking at +4 
  thereafter. 
   
  Meat Slugs 
  Armor Class: 9 [10] 
  Hit Dice: 2 
  Attacks: Bite 1d4 
  Saving Throw: 16 
  Special: Sticky slime 
  Move: 6 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  The slow moving meat slug is found 
  in 
  the 
  food 
  pens 
  of 
  strange 
  underground races, though some 
  wild slugs persist in shallower 
  caverns. Meat slugs dine on wall 
  scum, fungus, mold and anything 
  else they can get their leech-like 
  mouths on. Their slime is thick and 
  sticky. If a melee weapon does 
  maximum damage to the slug, it 
  will be stuck, requiring a combat 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  12 
  round to free. Also, anyone who 
  treads on its 60 foot long slime trail 
  must stop and loses half his or her 
  move, this round and next. 
   
  Degenerates  
  Armor Class: 8 [11] 
  Hit Dice: 1 
  Attacks: Crude weapon 1d6 
  Saving Throw: 17 
  Special: None 
  Move: 12 
  Challenge Level/XP:  
   
  Degenerates descend from human 
  slaves used as the meat animals of 
  abominable 
  subterranean 
  races. 
  Although they walk upright and 
  wear crude garments, these pale-
  skinned cannibals have been bred 
  down to a dog-like intelligence and 
  have no moral scruples whatsoever. 
  In parleying, they appear to use 
  words of the common tongue, but 
  really it is a parrot-like regurgitation 
  of random vocabulary and scraps of 
  the other party’s conversation. Their 
  own behavior will complement the 
  attitude of the adventurers. If 
  approached with fear and caution, 
  they will surge forward and attack; 
  if approached aggressively, they will 
  cower and submit; if approached 
  with offers to cooperate, they will 
  gladly agree, all the while looking 
  for advantage and a chance to dine 
  on 
  fresh 
  flesh. 
  They 
  make 
  interesting slaves or antagonists of 
  humanoid tribes, as their human 
  form 
  may 
  attract 
  misguided 
  sympathy from the explorers. 
   
   
   
  Fire Moths 
  Armor Class: 7 [12], -2 to be hit with 
  melee weapons 
  Hit Dice: 1 
  Attacks: Fire 1d6/ 1d3 
  Saving Throw: 17 
  Special: Immune to fire 
  Move: 18 flying 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  With the way moths are fatally 
  attracted to flame, it was only a 
  matter of time before the first giant 
  fireproof 
  moths 
  mutated 
  and 
  spread, in inhabited underground 
  caverns where fires and lava flows 
  are often lit. A fire moth has no 
  attack in itself, but sweats an oily 
  secretion that catches fire easily. 
  The now-blazing moth will then 
  ram into its foes for 1d6 fire damage 
  on a successful hit, or fly overhead 
  and drip flaming oil which hits for 
  1d3 damage. Low-level parties prone 
  to carrying open torch flames and 
  starting oil fires have a distinct 
  hatred for these insects. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  13 
  THREE FEET OF WATER 
   
  Flooded 
  corridors 
  and 
  caverns 
  present their own set of challenges. 
  Drowning is an ever-present hazard, 
  pits and spikes on the floor are 
  harder to detect, and a whole new 
  class of creature awaits just below 
  the surface. 
   
  Amphibious Jumping Tiger 
  Shark 
  Armor Class: 6 [13] 
  Hit Dice: 2 
  Attacks: Bite 1d6+1 
  Saving Throw: 16 
  Special: Leap 
  Move: 18 swimming, 9 on land 
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30XP 
   
  Only a mad wizard beginning to run 
  out of ideas could have created this 
  striped, 
  furred, 
  man-eating 
  abomination. The size and shape of 
  a five-foot-long shark, it also sports 
  two powerful cat-like hind legs that 
  retract partly into its body for 
  streamlined swimming. On land it 
  uses its legs to leap up to 30 feet 
  horizontally or 10 feet vertically. If it 
  can submerge itself at least 10 feet 
  for buoyancy and momentum, it can 
  make a similar jump out of the 
  water. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Greenhair 
  Armor Class: is hit automatically 
  Hit Dice: 2+4 
  Attacks: Entangle 
  Saving Throw: 16 
  Special: Attack immunity, entangle 
  Move: 0 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15XP 
   
  Growing thickly in underground 
  waters, these carnivorous weedy 
  strands 
  possess 
  a 
  dim 
  and 
  malevolent 
  sentience. 
  A 
  single 
  greenhair clump covers a roughly 5 
  feet square area and can float as 
  high as 10 feet in deep enough 
  water. Greenhair does not attack as 
  such, but rather seeks to entangle 
  creatures moving through its zone, 
  dragging them down and drowning 
  them under the water.  
   
  Each person in the area of greenhair 
  must save at the start of each round, 
  -2 if carrying a heavy load, -4 if 
  encumbered. Failing the save once 
  means the victim cannot move. 
  Failing a second round’s save means 
  the victim is brought to his or her 
  knees, a third means the victim is 
  brought to hands and knees and 
  cannot use their arms, and a fourth 
  means the victim is brought prone. 
  If any of these take the victim’s head 
  underwater, 
  he 
  or 
  she 
  takes 
  drowning damage per round as 
  appropriate (or 1d6 damage/round if 
  the rules do not cover drowning). 
  Greenhair can not be harmed by any 
  weapons other than slashing melee 
  weapons, but these automatically 
  hit. Killing a greenhair clump 
  releases its victim. 
   
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  14 
  Ice Nixie 
  Armor Class: 6 [13] (counting +3 
  dexterity and luck bonus) 
  Hit Dice: 1 
  Attacks: Ice dagger 1d4 in melee; ice 
  darts 1d3 with 20 foot range 
  increment  
  Saving Throw: 14 (counting +3 
  dexterity and luck bonus) 
  Special: Freeze water, ice charm 
  Move: 9, 15 (swimming)  
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  Cold-blooded 
  variants 
  of 
  the 
  familiar aquatic fey folk, ice nixies 
  do not confine themselves to arctic 
  pools, but spread their chill aura to 
  all kinds of fresh water, including 
  underground. They can cause water 
  to freeze at a range of 60 feet, up to 
  a cubic foot per combat round. They 
  use the resultant ice to create all 
  sorts 
  of 
  improvised 
  structures, 
  armaments, and inconveniences.  
   
  The ice nixie’s charm person power, 
  usable once per day, is different 
  from the normal nixie charm. It 
  causes the victim’s heart to grow 
  cold, rather than warm, He or she 
  becomes indifferent to the well-
  being of any comrades, and acts 
  only in line with self-interest.  If this 
  extends to theft, betrayal and 
  robbery, so be it, but certainly there 
  is no reason to harm the inoffensive 
  and penniless ice nixie. Only the 
  nixie’s will, or its death, will release 
  a victim from the charm. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Spitting Striders 
  Armor Class: 6 [13] 
  Hit Dice: 1 
  Attacks: Bite 1d6; goo 1d4 with 15 
  foot range increment 
  Saving Throw: 17 
  Special: None 
  Move: 12 on water, 6 on land 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  If 
  scholars 
  know 
  about 
  these 
  creatures, they surely must debate 
  how insects of their size and weight 
  can walk on water. Nevertheless, 
  the spitting strider performs the 
  miracle daily, perhaps aided by the 
  viscous, caustic substance it spits 
  from its sharp jaws at enemies. 
  Striders are unsure on land but will 
  climb up to attack if they are being 
  harassed from afar. If the water 
  surface becomes choppy, they only 
  move one third as fast. 
   
  Torpor Remora 
  Armor Class: 8 [11] 
  Hit Dice: 1/2  
  Attacks: Bite (slowing, no damage) 
  Saving Throw: 18  
  Special: Torpor 
  Move: 6 
  Challenge Level/XP: A/5 
   
  Shallow and murky waters are the 
  habitat of the torpor remora, a 
  blackish-green eel about the size of 
  a small cat.  These creatures attack 
  the feet by preference, using the 
  armor class of a character’s footwear 
  (soft leather is AC 8[11], hard leather 
  is AC 7[12], metal shod boots are AC 
  4[15], full plate footwear is AC 2[17]). 
  If a remora hits, it attaches itself, 
  and the victim must save each 
  round (poison) or undergo the 
  effects of a slow spell, moving and 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  15 
  acting at half speed. Because the 
  remora’s bite has a numbing effect, 
  someone who is hit is not likely to 
  notice it. A slowed person hit by a 
  second, different remora becomes 
  completely paralyzed. Each hour 
  after the initial bite, a save is 
  allowed 
  to 
  undo 
  one 
  effect 
  (paralyzed people become slowed, 
  slowed go back to normal).  
   
  ADVERSARIAL 
  GAMEMASTER’S 
  BULLPEN 
   
  In a world with ear seekers, throat 
  leeches, trappers, lurkers, mimics 
  and all the other deceptive tricks of 
  the dungeon, the fantasy world 
  hardly needs any more annoying 
  critters to throw at players. And yet, 
  here they are. 
   
  Barrel Beast 
  Armor Class: 9 [10] 
  Hit Dice: 1 to 3 
  Attacks: 1d6 kick 
  Saving Throw: 17, 16 or 14 by hit dice 
  Special: Overbear, knothole attack 
  1d6 
  (10 
  foot 
  range), 
  damage 
  resistance 
  Move: 9 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1-3/15, 30, 60 
   
  An innocent looking barrel can 
  come to be stuffed full of the 
  infamous barrel beast in the same 
  way that a deserted shell is taken 
  over by a hermit crab. One end of 
  the barrel is missing, and this end 
  sits on the floor while the beast 
  watches through a knothole. When 
  a living being approaches within 5 
  feet, the beast rears up on its long, 
  clam-like, 
  prehensile 
  foot 
  and 
  clobbers the victim with the barrel, 
  doing 1d4 damage on a successful 
  hit, and knocking him or her down 
  unless a save is made. Thereafter, 
  the barrel lies on its side, rolling and 
  hopping around while the beast 
  lashes out in normal melee attacks 
  with its foot. Every other round the 
  beast also squirts one opponent 
  within 10 feet with a foul, acidic 
  substance from the knothole, doing 
  1-6 damage unless he saves. The 
  barrel beast is easy to hit but all 
  weapon damage against it, except 
  from chopping weapons like axes, is 
  reduced by 2. When its hit points 
  are at 0 or lower, the barrel breaks 
  and the beast collapses into an 
  inert, oozing mound of filth and 
  hair. Different sizes of barrel beast 
  (small keg beasts and big tun 
  beasts) are known to exist. 
   
  Hoard Serpent 
  Armor Class: 4 [15] 
  Hit Dice: 1 to 3 
  Attacks: Bite or tail, as weapon 
  damage. 
  Saving Throw: 17, 16 or 14 by hit dice 
  Special: Immunity, surprise on 1-4 
  Move: 6 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1-3/15, 30, 60 
   
  The hoard serpent is both an 
  embodiment and punishment of 
  greed. It is formed by eldritch forces 
  from a heap of treasure. Its body is a 
  long, coiling stack of coins (100-200 
  of them), and it has 1 or 2 semi-
  precious gem eyes set in its head, 
  which is also formed of scaled coins. 
  It attacks with a weapon from the 
  hoard, either a dagger set in its jaw, 
  or a sword-sized weapon set in its 
  tail. It takes no damage from 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  16 
  normal fire or missile weapons. 1 
  HD hoard serpents are made of 
  copper coins, 2 HD of silver and 3 
  HD of gold, with each gem and 
  weapon worth about 10 gp per hit 
  die. When dead, the serpent’s 
  constituent treasure collapses and 
  may be gathered normally. 
   
  Man of Wounds 
  Armor Class: 9 [10] 
  Hit Dice: Equal to number of 
  weapons stuck in body 
  Attacks: Weapon, as fighter with 
  level = hit dice  
  Saving Throw: As fighter with level 
  = hit dice 
  Special: Damage reversal 
  Move: 12 
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30 
   
  It is not clear, even to the Man of 
  Wounds himself, whether he has 
  been blessed or cursed by the magic 
  that makes any weapons that hit 
  him stick in his body and add to his 
  power. When found, he will have 2 
  or more weapons stuck in or to his 
  body, with a hit die for each rolled 
  according to the damage dealt by 
  that weapon – so, a 1d4 dagger, 2d4 
  maul and 1d6 sword would give him 
  three effective hit dice and 3d4 + 
  1d6 hit points. He also carries a 
  weapon of his own. 
   
  Any weapons that hit him stick to 
  him; roll damage, and add that to 
  his hit points, then add 1 to his hit 
  dice. The only way to harm the Man 
  of Wounds other than magic is to 
  grab his weapons (on a bare-handed 
  hit vs. AC 5[14]) and pull them out 
  of his body, dealing damage equal 
  to the weapon’s hit die roll and 
  reducing his Hit Dice by 1. When all 
  his weapons are gone, the Man of 
  Wounds’ enchantment is broken, 
  and he falls to the ground bleeding 
  with zero Hit Points.  
   
  Insistent Shale 
  No stats (Special) 
   
  Among the many marvels of the 
  elements is a form of stone with the 
  ambition to turn the world to 
  silicate, petrifying all living or 
  formerly living material it touches. 
  This insistent shale, as alchemists 
  call it, appears to be a flat slab of 
  intensely gray-colored rock, either 
  lying on the ground or worked as a 
  protective 
  measure 
  into 
  the 
  architecture. Petrified statues of 
  dungeon animals often announce its 
  presence. Anyone who touches it 
  with naked flesh must save or be 
  turned to stone. Objects of organic 
  material, such as wooden poles or 
  leather boots, are also turned to 
  stone by touching it. It can be 
  damaged only by picks or blunt 
  metal 
  weapons, 
  which 
  hit 
  automatically. The shale requires 5-
  30 points of damage to shatter, 
  depending on its size – and when it 
  shatters, all with exposed skin 
  within 15 feet are attacked by flying 
  fragments as a 4 Hit Dice monster, 
  and if hit must save at +2 or turn to 
  stone. Depending on how the 
  dungeon architect has used it, 
  insistent shale can be a distraction, 
  an annoyance, or a real threat to 
  explorers. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  17 
   
  Pemblings 
  Armor Class: 3 [16] 
  Hit Dice: 1/2 
  Attacks: Bite 1d4 
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Special: Damage immunity 
  Move: 9, 10 foot leap 
  Challenge Level/XP: B/5 
   
  Pemblings 
  are 
  mindless 
  lesser 
  elemental creatures that look like 
  fist-sized 
  rocks 
  when 
  dormant. 
  Awakened, they open a wide mouth 
  full of sharp teeth and start rolling 
  rapidly toward their prey. They 
  attack by leaping and biting, take 
  only half damage from edged and 
  pointed weapons, and are immune 
  to normal fire. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  PAUPER’S CEMETERY 
   
  Skeletons, 
  zombies, 
  and 
  the 
  occasional low numbers of ghouls? 
  Shallow 
  crypts 
  and 
  abandoned 
  graveyards 
  should 
  be 
  less 
  predictable. 
  Not 
  everything 
  dwelling with the dead is dead, and 
  not every dead body is whole … 
   
  Skull Creeper 
  Armor Class: 7 [12] 
  Hit Dice: 1d4 hit points 
  Attacks: Bite 1d3; strangle 
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Special: Damage resistance 
  Move: 9 
  Challenge Level/XP: A/5 
   
  Sometimes, a necromancer who 
  wants skeletal servants that can fit 
  into tighter places will wire a 
  human skull onto two sets of hand 
  bones, 
  creating 
  an 
  unnerving, 
  spider-like 
  scuttling 
  thing. 
  The 
  creeper’s first attack on making 
  contact is a bite. On the second 
  round and thereafter, it will try to 
  hit the victim’s unarmored AC (with 
  dexterity modifiers) to crawl onto 
  the body. If it succeeds, one round 
  later it will reach the throat and 
  start strangling for 1d6 damage each 
  round. Two creepers count as a 
  whole skeleton both for animate 
  dead and turning purposes. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  18 
  Dust of Ages 
  No stats (Special)  
   
  One little-known peril of ancient 
  burial places is the dust that forms 
  from the bones and bodies of the 
  dead over centuries. If animated by 
  collective regrets or an evil force, it 
  will billow up when disturbed, 
  forming a cloud of shifting, vaguely 
  human faces and forms — echoes of 
  those that were.   
   
  The roughly 10 by 10 foot dust cloud 
  may be turned as a 2 Hit Die 
  undead monster. It seeks to engulf 
  any intelligent creatures, who must 
  save the first round so engulfed, or 
  flee in terror for 1d6 rounds. If the 
  creature stays, the dust will try 
  more insidious means next round, 
  invading breathing passages (unless 
  another save is successful) and 
  doing 1d6 choking damage per 
  round. Weapons and magical spells 
  are useless unless they specifically 
  affect undead. A sprinkling with 
  consecrated water will settle the 
  dust down, but only for as long as 
  the water remains. 
   
  Cerement 
  Armor Class: 8 [11] 
  Hit Dice: 2 
  Attacks: Touch for 1d3 wisdom 
  drain, envelop for 1d6 wisdom drain 
  Saving Throw: 16 
  Special: Damage immunity 
  Move: 9 
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30  
   
  Haunted winding sheets and grave 
  wrappings, or perhaps the bed 
  sheets in an accursed tavern room, 
  form the body of this undead 
  creature. It will rise and attack in a 
  snake-like or human-like parody of 
  form. A successful hit threatens 
  sanity, draining 1d3 wisdom points 
  from the victim, while a second hit 
  in a row will allow the creature to 
  envelop its victim for 1d6 wisdom 
  points. When a character goes 
  below 3 wisdom points he or she 
  becomes catatonically insane, and 
  at 0 wisdom dies of fright. Wisdom 
  is restored at 1 point per day of rest. 
  Cerements can only be harmed by 
  fire and slashing weapons. 
    
  Fardarrig 
  Armor Class: 5 [14] (counting +3 
  dexterity and luck bonus) 
  Hit Dice: 1+1 
  Attacks: Thighbone shillelagh 1d4 
  Saving Throw: 14 (counting +3 
  dexterity and luck bonus) 
  Special: 
  Telekinesis 
  of 
  dead; 
  ventriloquism 
  Move: 15 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  Fardarrigs are a type of graveyard 
  leprechaun with brick-red skin. 
  Their main goal is to hide and 
  frighten away intruders. Fardarrigs 
  use ventriloquism and a telekinetic 
  power to move dead corpses or 
  body parts within 30 feet of their 
  location, up to one whole body at a 
  time. Corpses so animated will seem 
  like a tough kind of undead. They 
  will 
  attack 
  and 
  take 
  physical 
  damage as a zombie or skeleton, but 
  the parts may continue to attack 
  after the creature is destroyed. Not 
  being undead, they cannot be 
  turned or damaged by holy means. 
  With enough supply of bodies, even 
  a single fardarrig may create what 
  seems to be a never-ending stream 
  of undead foes. 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  19 
  Ghost Face 
  Armor Class: 4 [15] 
  Hit Dice: 1 
  Attacks: None 
  Saving Throw: 17 
  Special: Spells; breath, save or drain 
  1d4 Constitution; surprise 1-5; only 
  damaged by magic weapons, holy 
  water, or spells 
  Move: 9 through stone or walls 
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30 
   
  A solitary spirit not possessed of 
  enough will to come back as a ghost 
  or spectre may still manifest itself as 
  a ghost face. The face will appear to 
  emerge from a wall, door, hedge, or 
  other barrier, appearing much as it 
  did in life. All within 5 feet of it are 
  exposed to its noxious breath (those 
  reduced to 0 Constitution die) 
  whose effects last a full day. The 
  face also casts spells as a 3rd level 
  wizard 
  or 
  evil 
  cleric. 
  It 
  is 
  exceptionally hard to deal with, 
  using its ability to fade back into the 
  walls and its high surprise chances 
  to avoid direct attack or turning. 
   
  POOR WIZARD’S 
  ALMANACK 
   
  Failed summonings or minor planar 
  gateways can sometimes yield much 
  smaller 
  versions 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  elementals. Due to their weakness, 
  the elemental nuisances – as they 
  are known – seek to hamper people 
  they meet rather than outright 
  attacking 
  them. 
  Low-level 
  spellcasters often find them to be 
  useful allies in keeping attackers at 
  bay. The elemental selection is 
  rounded out by another creature 
  that might be left behind by 
  altogether 
  more 
  powerful 
  and 
  mysterious sorceries … 
   
  Elemental Nuisance: Air 
  Armor Class: 7 [12] 
  Hit Dice: 1d4 hit points 
  Attacks: Whirling debris (1d2) 
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Special: Damage immunity 
  Move: 18 (as zephyr), 9 (as tornado) 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  This minor air elemental manifests 
  as a zephyr-like breeze, capable of 
  blowing out torches, scattering held 
  scrolls, 
  and 
  the 
  like. 
  When 
  provoked, it forms into a small 
  tornado. All within 10 feet of it must 
  save or take 1d2 damage from debris 
  kicked up by the twister. Being hit 
  by the tornado itself will knock a 
  bipedal creature of man-size or 
  smaller to the ground. Apart from 
  damage-dealing spells and magic 
  weapons, the only way to kill an air 
  nuisance is to stop it moving, 
  smothering it with a cloak-sized (hit 
  for 1d3 damage) or rug-sized (hit for 
  1d6 damage) piece of thick fabric.  
   
  Elemental Nuisance: Earth 
  Armor Class: 5 [14] 
  Hit Dice: 1d6 hit points 
  Attacks: None 
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Special: Trap, damage immunity 
  Move: 12 in earth, 6 in stone 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  The earth nuisance can be conjured 
  in dirt or stone. Either way, it has a 
  direct 
  and 
  persistent 
  way 
  of 
  inconveniencing those who tread on 
  it – it instantly scoops out a shallow 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  20 
  pit in its substance and then clamps 
  the pit’s walls onto the victim’s feet 
  (save or be trapped and unable to 
  walk). If in stone, it can not be 
  harmed by any physical means 
  other than blunt weapons, and in 
  earth, only by sharp weapons when 
  these are used to dig. Furthermore, 
  any physical hit does 2 less damage 
  to the earth nuisance, unless it is by 
  a pick or shovel.  
    
  Elemental Nuisance: Fire 
  Armor Class: 6 [13] 
  Hit Dice: 1d4 hit points 
  Attacks: Ignite for 1d2 
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Special: Ignite, damage immunities 
  and vulnerabilities 
  Move: 12 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  The fire nuisance is easily spotted, 
  being a flickering, fist-sized yellow 
  flame that moves quickly along any 
  surface. It is sometimes ordered to 
  conceal itself in a larger fire or to 
  provide a permanent flame for a 
  wall torch. If it hits, it rushes onto 
  the victim’s hair or clothing and 
  ignites it, causing 1d2 damage on 
  the first round and every round 
  thereafter until the fire is smothered 
  or doused. It also has a particular 
  fondness for spellbooks and scrolls. 
  Being hit by water will damage it – 
  1d3 for a bottle full, 1d6 for a bucket 
  – 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  subject 
  to 
  smothering damage just as the air 
  nuisance is. No other effect except 
  cold-related magic will harm it. 
   
   
  Elemental Nuisance: Water 
  Armor Class: 7 [12] 
  Hit Dice: 1d4 hit points 
  Attacks: Choke 
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Special: 
  Ruin 
  items, 
  damage 
  immunities 
  Move: 9, 15 swimming 
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15 
   
  Unlike the fearsome wave shape of 
  its larger kindred, a water elemental 
  nuisance appears as a pool or trickle 
  on land, or as a ripple in a larger 
  volume of water, with a volume of 
  only a couple of quarts (litres). If it 
  reaches a character, it will crawl on 
  his or her body and equipment for 1-
  3 rounds, dousing lit flames, ruining 
  unprotected scrolls and spellbooks, 
  and damaging non-magic metal 
  armor with a rapid rusting power so 
  that it will lose 1 AC benefit per 
  round. When this period of time is 
  over, the nuisance will head for the 
  victim’s mouth and throat, and 
  unless a save succeeds will do 1d6 
  choking damage per round. It can 
  only be destroyed by splashing it to 
  pieces; 
  thus, 
  only 
  hand-held 
  weapons and impact effects (such as 
  magic missile) will damage it, and 
  then only for 1 point per hit. What’s 
  more, a non-magic metal weapon 
  that hits will be damaged, taking a 
  permanent 
  -1 
  damage 
  penalty 
  (minimum 0 damage). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  21 
  Demi-Real Monster 
  Armor Class: As original monster 
  Hit Dice: 1 (or more) 
  Attacks: 
  As 
  original 
  monster; 
  maximum damage = 2x hit dice if 
  not fully real 
  Saving Throw: As current hit dice 
  Special: As original monster; hit 
  dice gain/loss 
  Move: As original monster 
  Challenge 
  Level/XP: 
  Original 
  monster minus 3; XP according to 
  Hit Dice of finally killed monster, 
  minus 1 
   
  When a summoning goes partly 
  wrong, or an illusion of a living 
  thing takes on existence, a demi-
  real creature is created.  The 
  monster starts out half-transparent 
  and shaky in form, with only one hit 
  die and doing a maximum of 2 
  points of damage on a hit. Special 
  attacks also may be weaker; for 
  example, saving throws against the 
  monster’s effects may be at +2 for 
  each missing hit die.  
   
  The monster gains hit dice by 
  leaving its mark on the world – 
  most often, this means scoring 
  damage in combat. For every 4 full 
  points it scores, keeping a running 
  tally, it gains back one hit die and 
  can do 2 more damage. Roll new hit 
  points with each die as the creature 
  gains them. Once it has its full hit 
  dice it is permanently real. If killed 
  before then, its body will waver and 
  wink out of existence. 
   
  A demi-real creature that is aware of 
  its existential condition, and able to 
  communicate, may very well try to 
  negotiate a different way to gain full 
  reality than fighting a dangerous 
  group of adventurers. 
  APPENDIX 
  A: 
  HALF 
  MAN, HALF AMAZING 
   
  There are these finch-men, see? Just 
  like the creatures in Hieronymus 
  Bosch paintings. They live in the 
  upper caves, and the crawdad-men 
  live in the lower caves. If you get 
  between them you can provoke a real 
  donnybrook. But watch out for the 
  rhino-men in the ruined tower. They 
  and 
  the 
  ferret-men 
  from 
  the 
  gatehouse are in cahoots … 
   
  Most humanoid monsters may as 
  well be kobolds, orcs, gnolls, or 
  ogres: new heads, same hit dice. It’s 
  a no-brainer to stick them in the 
  right ecosystem, give them one or 
  two distinguishing traits (natural 
  armor 
  for 
  those 
  turtle-men, 
  sideways movement for the crab-
  men), and call it a day. Coming up 
  with their stats in an old-school 
  system should not be a problem for 
  the game referee. 
   
  The secret to making groups of 
  humanoid warriors memorable is to 
  treat them as military cultures, not 
  species. Give each race a different 
  tactic, a different motive. One 
  example of this is the Degenerates 
  back on p. 12. Stats aside, they’re 
  just humans with a special culture 
  and 
  behavior. 
  If 
  the 
  fighting 
  methods of your humanoids are 
  different enough from each other, 
  you may not need different races. 
  Make them all orcs, from seven 
  distinctive 
  tribes. 
  Make 
  them 
  humans, even, if that suits you.  
   
  Here follow seven warrior ways to 
  consider 
  for 
  fleshing 
  out 
  any 
  humanoid race. 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  22 
  Rabble 
  When gathering for war, this tribe 
  forms an unruly mob. They pick up 
  stones 
  for 
  throwing, 
  and 
  arm 
  themselves with a motley variety of 
  armor types and weapons. If they 
  become aware of an enemy, they 
  will size it up. Against a group that 
  is likely to give a hard time, or when 
  surprised without a chance to assess 
  the situation, they fade back toward 
  their lair, hurling rocks and missiles 
  as they go. When they spot a group 
  they believe to be weaker, they 
  throw missiles and rush into melee 
  with cruel vigor. In a fight, at 25% 
  casualties the group will make a 
  more or less ordered retreat. At 50% 
  or more casualties they will flee, or 
  surrender abjectly if in their lair.  
  The rabble chooses a large open 
  space as their home, so that when 
  cornered in it they can spread out 
  and make numbers count. 
   
  Fanatics 
  This group lives and dies for a 
  simple belief, and guards a sacred 
  place related to it – be it an idol, 
  altar, or the relics of a fallen hero. 
  They wear and carry distinguishing 
  symbols of their creed, marching 
  and fighting in close order and with 
  good discipline. Also, for every five 
  fanatics encountered, there is a 50% 
  chance of finding a level 1-3 cleric 
  with them (multiple clerics can be 
  rolled).  
   
  If found away from their guardian 
  place, the fanatics will attempt to 
  communicate, brandishing symbols 
  of their faith. The communication is 
  one way, though; fanatics only care 
  to convert others by force or 
  persuasion. Met with failure to 
  respect their belief, they will howl 
  and attack ruthlessly, retreating 
  only around 50% or more casualties. 
  When defending their sacred place, 
  they fight to the death. Fanatics 
  often will have surrounded it with 
  places of tactical advantage and 
  deadly traps. 
   
  Warband 
  This humanoid culture lives by an 
  uncompromising code of martial 
  honor. Their daily sport is fighting, 
  with mock weapons and real ones. 
  Many of them bear scars and 
  mutilations from these exercises. 
  On the basis of these fights they 
  form a strictly hierarchical society 
  and warrior unit.  
   
  The leader of the band will have 2 
  hit dice more than usual, and be 
  accompanied by 1 sub-leader for 
  every 5 normal members of the 
  band, with 1 more hit die. Leaders 
  and sub-leaders will have the pick of 
  the best armor available. However, 
  they reject shields, missiles, and 
  pole weapons as being ignoble, 
  wielding instead one- or two-
  handed close melee weapons. The 
  rest of the band will have a mixture 
  of 
  shields, 
  missiles, 
  and 
  pole 
  weapons – sometimes all three. 
  Finally, the 1-3 warband members 
  with lowest hit points are relegated 
  to the role of flunkies, given no 
  armor and only sticks to fight with, 
  and kept in the back. These flunkies 
  hate their lot and may pitch in with 
  the adventurers if it is clear that the 
  order of their band is about to be 
  decisively overthrown. 
   
  The leader-warriors of the band 
  prize single combat. When they 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  23 
  meet a group of explorers with time 
  to communicate, the leader will 
  challenge the strongest looking 
  warrior in the group to a duel. The 
  loser is expected to surrender and 
  perform some service to the winner, 
  avoiding combat. All others are 
  expected to stand back during the 
  duel 
  and 
  not 
  interfere. 
  Any 
  deviation from this code, and the 
  entire 
  band 
  will 
  attack 
  the 
  honorless 
  interlopers 
  without 
  mercy. 
  The 
  warband 
  members 
  (except for flunkies) will never flee, 
  and retreat only grudgingly. They 
  will surrender only if severely 
  wounded, outnumbered, and if they 
  believe their opponents to be 
  honorable. 
   
  Hunters 
  Weapons and tactics designed to 
  catch their opponents alive set this 
  culture apart from the others. They 
  may be slavers, believers in a cult of 
  human 
  sacrifice, 
  or 
  just 
  compassionate souls – but which 
  one they are is not always clear at 
  the start. Hunters are armed with 
  one or more of the following non-
  lethal weapons, which ignore armor 
  and shield when hitting but not 
  dexterity-based AC bonuses: 
   
  • Lasso: Ensnare a random body 
  part (1 = neck, 2= body, 3-4 = 
  right arm, 5-6 = left arm) – rope 
  can be cut by an edged weapon 
  on a successful hit against AC 
  9[10] 
  • Net: Completely ensnare the 
  victim – if he has an edged 
  weapon he can cut his way out 
  in 1d4+1 rounds. 
  • Glue bomb: 10 foot diameter 
  area; save or have feet entangled 
  for 1d4+1 rounds 
  • Choking smoke bomb: 20 foot 
  diameter area; save or be unable 
  to attack for 1d4+1 rounds 
   
  They also carry more conventional 
  melee weapons, which they use to 
  subdue, or to deal damage in 
  extreme circumstances. Hunters are 
  as often found far away from their 
  lair as close by. Close to home, they 
  will set and monitor non-lethal 
  traps such as nets rigged from 
  above, tripwires, or soft-floored pits.  
  They defend their home to the 
  death but are quite quick to fade 
  back if a fight is going against them 
  elsewhere, retreating when they 
  have taken 35% or more casualties, 
  and fleeing or surrendering at 60%. 
   
  The following three cultures should 
  each be considered as having a 
  special ability, worth +1 Hit Die when 
  figuring each humanoid member’s 
  experience points. 
   
  Lurkers 
  Killing from hiding and at a 
  distance is the most efficient way, to 
  this culture with absolutely no 
  scruples about warfare.  They may 
  be found on their way to a 
  murderous errand, or defending 
  their own lair in a manner that 
  provokes 
  fearful 
  whispers 
  from 
  nearby denizens. When away from 
  home they can improvise hiding 
  places at a 50% chance of success, 
  and surprise on 1-4. Closer to home 
  they know and prepare hiding 
  places that are 90% effective in 
  concealing them, and surprise on 1-
  5. They have +4 to hit against 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  24 
  unaware opponents, and are also 
  90% effective in moving silently 
  from one hiding place to another. 
  Lurker 
  cultures 
  prefer 
  missile 
  weapons such as crossbows, bows, 
  javelins or blowguns, and carry 
  short daggers or swords in case they 
  are forced into melee – which they 
  avoid at all costs. Truly dangerous 
  versions of this culture have also 
  mastered the arts of setting traps 
  and 
  applying 
  poison 
  to 
  their 
  weapons.  
   
  Legions 
  Whether trained by a masterful 
  employer, or just veterans of long 
  years 
  of 
  campaigning, 
  these 
  humanoids form disciplined and 
  specialized units for close-order 
  fighting. The main line consists of 
  two ranks. The first rank is armored 
  in chain and armed with shields and 
  heavy 
  one-handed 
  weapons 
  – 
  swords, axes, or maces. First rank 
  soldiers 
  sometimes 
  also 
  carry 
  throwing axes or javelins, for the 
  round before armies clash. The 
  second 
  rank 
  is 
  more 
  lightly 
  armored, in studded leather or 
  scale, and carried long spears or 
  polearms that can attack together 
  with the first rank. Missile troops 
  form a third rank. They usually 
  either take up positions on the flank 
  to shoot, or have the other ranks 
  open up gaps to let them go to the 
  front, shoot, and then retreat again. 
  Finally, if there are any mounted 
  troops, using horses or things more 
  fantastic, they will be positioned on 
  the far ends of the line, moving to 
  outflank and attack from the rear. 
   
  A legion’s impressive panoply of war 
  is commanded by a leader with 1 
  additional hit die, who stays in the 
  back or moves to the front as 
  needed to survey the scene. Orders 
  to retreat, advance, or wheel are 
  communicated through a coded 
  system by a drummer or trumpeter 
  that accompanies the leader. They 
  retreat after taking 50% casualties 
  (toward which the leader, if killed, 
  counts as 5 dead individuals), and 
  flee in panic after taking 75%. 
  Although the legion prefers fighting 
  terrain that allows its full numbers 
  to tell while not being outflanked, it 
  can also adopt its tactics to narrow 
  passages as little as two abreast. 
   
  Opportunists 
  Somewhere in the deepest darks of 
  the underworld, strange taverns 
  serving unsavory fungal libations 
  have sprung up on the borders 
  between 
  the various 
  humanoid 
  races’ spheres of influence. It is in 
  such a hell-hole that misfits and 
  outcasts from all the kindreds 
  congregate to forget their troubles 
  and plot their schemes. Often their 
  talk turns to the fabulous treasures 
  and perils to be found in the keeps, 
  temples, 
  and 
  towns 
  of 
  the 
  overworld. Sometimes a terrible 
  oath is sworn: to plunder these 
  riches or die in the attempt. 
  Conveniently, there is a thriving 
  black market just next door to 
  provide them with all they need for 
  an expedition. Hooded cloaks and 
  smoked-glass visors in case they get 
  caught in the burning sunlight. 
  Poison, incendiaries, and gaseous 
  weapons extracted from minerals 
  and beasts unknown to the surface 
  world. 
  And 
  the 
  usual 
  handy 
  assortment of poles, ropes, spikes 
  and the like. 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  25 
  Opportunists strike in groups of 4 
  to 8, with at least one and often 
  more spellcasters (character levels 1-
  3) 
  among 
  them. 
  They 
  are 
  exceptional individuals among their 
  race, with maximum hit points on 
  their first hit die and +1 to hit. They 
  may also be accompanied by a 
  roughly equal number of lesser 
  hirelings whose lives are considered 
  disposable, and by a few tamed 
  attack and burden beasts of the 
  underworld.  
   
  Smart opportunists base themselves 
  in a dark forest or cave, take the 
  moon into account, and strike when 
  it is dark. In a town or countryside, 
  they seek out locations likely to 
  have treasure – taverns, temples, or 
  wealthy houses. They are armed and 
  equipped extremely well, but shun 
  non-magical metal armor in favor of 
  quieter harness. They are confident 
  of their ability to enter by stealth 
  and dispatch any guardians or 
  inhabitants of those places. Because 
  they know themselves to be at a 
  disadvantage 
  once 
  a 
  whole 
  settlement is aroused against them, 
  they will scout carefully, choosing 
  their targets, and retreat to safety 
  after the first strike.  
   
  If the opportunists have one fault it 
  is that they tend to move slowly and 
  over-cautiously in the places they 
  finally loot, constantly mapping and 
  checking 
  for 
  hidden 
  treasures, 
  chambers, and traps. Parley and 
  surrender are not beneath them, for 
  they fight for no principle or home, 
  merely 
  wealth 
  and 
  individual 
  survival. 
  Thus 
  always 
  with 
  adventurers … 
  APPENDIX B: TEN 
  TAMED TITANS 
   
  Low-level doldrums can also be 
  conquered by putting limits on 
  higher-level monsters so they are 
  not as likely to kill the party 
  outright. Some of the more obvious 
  ways to do this are: 
   
  • juveniles with lower hit dice 
  • wounded or disabled monsters 
  • intelligent creatures that trick, 
  riddle or negotiate 
  • giving the party access to allies  
  • giving the party access to the 
  monsters’ 
  nemesis 
  weapons, 
  items, or substances 
  • chaining up captive monsters, 
  putting the monster in a pit, or 
  other tactical advantages for the 
  party 
   
  Here are ten more, each adapted to 
  a 
  particular 
  iconic 
  higher-level 
  creature.  
   
  The Troll Cabinet 
  A curiously wrought metal cabinet, 
  roughly nine by three feet, with a 
  number of doors in its surface, 
  occupies a corner in a warlord’s lair 
  or wizard’s retreat. If rapped on, a 
  loud, 
  frantic 
  scuffling 
  and 
  scrabbling will be heard from all 
  parts of the cabinet. A dismembered 
  troll 
  is 
  kept 
  here, 
  the 
  parts 
  prevented from recombining by the 
  inside walls and latched doors of the 
  cabinet. The top section contains 
  the head, the middle the torso and 
  arms, 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  section 
  contains the abdomen and legs.  
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  26 
  • The head (30 XP) has 1+1 hit 
  dice and is able to roll at about 
  at a rate of 3. It bites for 1d8 
  damage. 
  • The torso/arms (120 XP) have 
  3+1 hit dice. The arms pull the 
  torso along at a rate of 6 and it 
  uses them to strike for 1d4 each 
  (but -4 to hit; it cannot see.) 
  • The legs/abdomen (60 XP) have 
  2+1 hit dice. They move at the 
  troll’s rate of 12 and can kick 
  once for 1d4 damage, again at -4 
  to hit. 
   
  Each 
  part 
  regenerates 
  for 
  1 
  hp/round. If any of the parts can 
  combine, they will find each other 
  and do so, pooling their hit dice, hit 
  points, 
  regeneration 
  rate, 
  and 
  attacks and using the best move 
  among them. The arms section will 
  also attempt to open the other 
  doors of the cabinet if at all 
  possible. 
   
  The Sleeping Dragon 
  For six hours in the morning every 
  day, the whole dungeon rumbles 
  with a massive snoring – the sound 
  of a sleeping elder dragon. It is fed 
  by low-level worshippers through a 
  vent in its ceiling, and spends its 
  days 
  dreaming 
  and 
  its 
  nights 
  daydreaming, sprawled out on a 
  massive hoard of coin and treasures. 
  The party will come upon the vent 
  just 
  having 
  disposed 
  of 
  the 
  worshippers, so the window of 
  opportunity is short, as the dragon 
  expects to be fed when it wakes 
  every day. Descending while the 
  dragon is asleep and taking the best 
  part of the trove is a tricky 
  proposition. Any sound has a 5% 
  chance, cumulative, of waking the 
  dragon (so the second sound will 
  have a 10% chance, and so on.) 
  The Mimicking Golem 
  Standing like a statue in the middle 
  of a large room is a golem. When a 
  person enters the room, the golem 
  will start copying that person’s 
  actions – stepping forward 2 feet 
  (on big legs) for every 1 foot the 
  other moves forward, turning and 
  moving sideways as a mirror image 
  of the person (that is, right from the 
  golem’s perspective when the other 
  turns left), and attacking if the 
  other attacks. If the target person 
  leaves the front 90 degree arc of the 
  golem, it will imitate the closest 
  other person in view. The point of 
  the set-up? There is some task that 
  only the golem can perform – 
  smashing a wall or a door, reaching 
  a high-up item or lever. Getting it to 
  do the task following its rules of 
  mimicry will be a puzzle in and of 
  itself. 
   
  The Contra-trice 
  Of course the adventurers have 
  heard 
  of 
  cockatrices 
  through 
  legends and lore, but this one looks 
  a little different. Perhaps it has 
  black feathers, or a serpent’s head 
  and rooster’s body. In any event, 
  there is little to fear from this 
  monster, because its bite has a 
  reverse effect in addition to the 
  usual 1d3 damage – it turns stone to 
  flesh. Contra-trices are much prized 
  by dungeon architects, because if 
  properly trained, they can both dig 
  out the dungeon for you and supply 
  your creatures with freshly created 
  meat. Or, they can turn a collection 
  of stone creatures into an instant 
  army with just a word and a peck … 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  27 
  or be just the thing you need to get 
  past that stone golem on level 2 … 
  The only problem is that if captured 
  and not fed their special food 
  (whatever that may be) they have a 
  25% chance per day of turning back 
  into a flesh-to-stone monster. 
   
  The Worm Turns 
  The adventurers come across a 
  circular, 5 foot diameter passageway 
  in the clay or rock of a shallow 
  underground level. The floor is 
  some 2 feet deep in a sludgy, rubbly, 
  compacted 
  mess, 
  reducing 
  movement to half rate. Even so, if 
  they follow the passageway in the 
  direction of the squelching and 
  rumbling noise that comes from one 
  end, they will come across the tail 
  end of a half-sized juvenile purple 
  worm (7HD, does half damage, 600 
  XP), who is digging its way through 
  the level at the equivalent of a 
  movement rate of 6. If they attack, 
  they get surprise on the worm, and 
  the tail stinger attacks at -4 to hit 
  due to not being able to see. 
  However, once it knows it is being 
  attacked, the worm will start a slow 
  turning arc, describing a 40 foot 
  diameter circle, in order to loop 
  back on its own tunnel. Once it 
  closes the circle in about 10 combat 
  rounds, the worm will move at its 
  faster normal rate of 9, easily 
  outpacing the characters mired in 
  the worm’s castings. If the worm is 
  killed without having had a chance 
  to fight at its front end, the party 
  only gets 50% of the experience due 
  – still a substantial haul. This also 
  makes a good challenge for mid-
  level adventurers, substituting a 
  mature worm for the juvenile. 
   
  Shadow Cast 
  Shadows, while hard for beginning 
  adventurers to kill, are at least not 
  as immediately lethal as comparable 
  monsters. 
  In 
  this 
  variant, 
  the 
  adventurers come upon some magic 
  or restless spirits that turn their 
  own shadows into hungry beings. 
  Each shadow will only attack the 
  character who casts it, and must 
  save or suffer 1d6 damage per round 
  if its caster is positioned between 
  two different light sources. If the 
  victims are plunged into complete 
  darkness? Well, either the shadows 
  will withdraw, or they will batten on 
  the 
  darkness, 
  becoming 
  nearly 
  unstoppable. 
   
  The Diminished Giant 
  This encounter appears to be with a 
  short caveman, albino northern 
  barbarian, dark-skinned and red-
  haired dwarf, or stony humanoid. 
  This person is outrageously rude 
  and demanding, trying to start a 
  fight, but will not attack without 
  being attacked first. Its strange 
  behavior is actually a condition of a 
  curse that has shrunk the giant, who 
  retains all hit points but attacks 
  only as a 1 HD creature and does 
  damage as with a normal weapon. 
  The curse can only be lifted by 
  taking damage from steel or iron 
  weapons in combat – for every 2 full 
  points taken, the giant regains one 
  hit die for attack and save purposes, 
  and its weapon grows in proportion. 
  Stalker With Restraining 
  Order 
  The invisible stalker, so lore tells us, 
  follows a single command to the 
  letter. In this case, the job of this 
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  28 
  particular elemental servant, as 
  tasked by a long-dead benevolent 
  wizard, is to do everything possible 
  to inconvenience intruders to a 
  certain area without harming them. 
  So, torches are snuffed, belongings 
  wrested from hands, barriers placed, 
  and other dire omens enacted by 
  the stalker, in the hopes of deterring 
  further exploration of the stalker’s 
  grounds. If attacked, the stalker will 
  continue 
  its 
  pacifist 
  mission 
  regardless — to the death if needs 
  be. 
   
  The Hydra’s Heads 
  Through some eldritch sorcery or 
  diabolical medicine, the individual 
  heads of a hydra have been removed 
  and are kept alive as highly enraged 
  guardians in a wall setting or statue 
  — preferably one that is not 
  vulnerable to missile fire. Each one 
  attacks as a 1 HD creature and does 
  1d6 damage, being worth 15 XP. 
   
  Thieving Harpies 
  Perhaps they have realized that 
  fighting adventurers to the death is 
  generally a losing proposition, or 
  perhaps they have been given their 
  orders by a greedy boss creature 
  who wants to weaken intruders. In 
  any case, this pack of harpies armed 
  with short swords and axes will use 
  their weapons not to damage their 
  foes, but to cut straps, then snap up 
  backpacks and treasure sacks, or 
  grab hold of spears and bows and 
  wrest them away. Each harpy will 
  flee if reduced to half hit points or 
  less. 
   
  ~ FINIS ~ 
    
   
  
  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  29 
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  VARLETS AND VERMIN 
   
  30 
   
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  COPYRIGHT NOTICE  
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  
  System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, 
  Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, 
  John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave 
  Arneson. 
  Varlets and Vermin, Copyright 2010, Roger S. G. Sorolla 
   
  END OF LICENSE 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/3rd Party/Original D&D/Varlets and Vermin.pdf