TEXT: Monsters
  ®
  TM
  
  Counters
  This table gives the dimen-
  sions in hexes of counters or fig-
  ures for monsters of SM 0 to +6. 
  These are ordered length (hexes 
  front-to-back) ¥ width (hexes 
  side-to-side). Where a range 
  appears, use the value that best 
  matches your miniature or gives 
  the most pleasing shape!
  Sleek: Shape of a horse-like or 
  snaky horizontal creature (e.g., 
  a dragon). This is always a mere 
  one hex wide, though it may bulge 
  an extra hex or two near the limbs.
  Boxy: Shape of a bulky horizontal creature; e.g., blob, 
  giant bug, or muscular predator.
  Upright: “Footprint” of a humanoid or near-humanoid. 
  Such beings are broader across the shoulders than they are 
  thick through the chest.
   
  SM 
  Sleek 
  Boxy 
  Upright
   
  0 
  2 ¥ 1 
  1 ¥ 1 
  1 ¥ 1
   
  +1 
  3 ¥ 1 
  2 ¥ 1 
  1 ¥ 1
   
  +2 
  4-5 ¥ 1 
  3 ¥ 2-3 
  1 ¥ 2
   
  +3 
  6-7 ¥ 1 
  4-5 ¥ 3 
  2 ¥ 3
   
  +4 
  8-10 ¥ 1 
  6-7 ¥ 4-5 
  3 ¥ 4-5
   
  +5 
  11-15 ¥ 1 
  8-10 ¥ 6-7 
  4-5 ¥ 6-7
   
  +6 
  16-20 ¥ 1 
  11-15 ¥ 8-10 
  6-7 ¥ 8-10
  FaCing For Counters
  Front hexes, left and right side hexes, and back hex when 
  facing the arrow’s direction.
  Key Monster inForMation
  Monster Advantages, see pp. 9-12.
  Monster Disadvantages, see pp. 12-14.
  Monster Classes, see p. 14.
  Reading Monster Stats, see p. 15.
  size and speed/range table
  Each 10¥ increase in linear measurement gives -6 to  
  speed/range modifier or +6 to SM.
   
  Linear 
  Speed/Range 
  Size
   Measurement
   
  1.5” 
  0 
  -10
   
  2” 
  0 
  -9
   
  3” 
  0 
  -8
   
  5” 
  0 
  -7
   
  8” 
  0 
  -6
   
  1 ft 
  0 
  -5
   
  1.5 ft 
  0 
  -4
   
  2 ft 
  0 
  -3
   
  1 yd 
  0 
  -2
   
  1.5 yd 
  0 
  -1
   
  2 yd 
  0 
  0
   
  3 yd 
  -1 
  +1
   
  5 yd 
  -2 
  +2
   
  7 yd 
  -3 
  +3
   
  10 yd 
  -4 
  +4
   
  15 yd 
  -5 
  +5
   
  20 yd 
  -6 
  +6
   
  30 yd 
  -7 
  +7
   
  50 yd 
  -8 
  +8
   
  70 yd 
  -9 
  +9
   
  100 yd 
  -10 
  +10
  Wandering Monsters
  Roll 3d:
  • Daily when traveling outdoors.
  • Hourly when moving around indoors.
  • Once per stop to conduct a long task.
  • Once per attempt to bash/force a portal.
  • Once per night in camp.
  Wandering monster appears on:
  6 or less – “Safe” roads.
  9 or less – Most wilderness and dungeon.
  12 or less/15 or less – Monster-infested locales!
  exaMples oF Multi-Hex Figures
  
  Written by SEAN PUNCH • Cover Art by BRANDON MOORE • Diagrams by JUSTIN DE WITT 
  Interior Illustrations by DENIS LOUBET and BRANDON MOORE
  Additional Material by PETER V. DELL’ORTO, JASON “PK” LEVINE, and PHIL MASTERS
  Additional Illustrations by ALEX FERNANDEZ and DAN WILLEMS
  ®
  Reviewer: Jason “PK” Levine
  Dungeon Fantasy, GURPS, Pyramid, Warehouse 23, the pyramid logo, and the names of all products published by  
  Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are trademarks or registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license.  
  Dungeon Fantasy Monsters is copyright © 2017 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved.
  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this material via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please 
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  Monsters
  
  2	
  Con ten ts
  IntroductIon  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3
  1 . Monsters In ActIon .  .  . 4
  The Delvers’ PoinT of view .  .  .  . 4
  What Are We Dealing With?  .  .  .  . 4
  Recognition  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
  Exploiting Weaknesses  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
  Do We Have to Fight It?  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5
  Negotiation  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5
   
  Monsters and Player  
   Knowledge  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5
  Trickery  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5
  “Good (Three-Headed)  
  Doggie!”  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
  The MonsTers’  
  PoinT of view .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
  Tactics .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
  Home-Ground Advantage .  .  .  . 6
  Castle Doctrine  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  Pack Tactics .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  Like a Boss  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  What Army? This Army! .  .  .  .  . 7
  Dumb Monsters  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  Multi-Hex Figures  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  Counters  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  Front, Side, and  
  Back Hexes .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
  Arc of Vision  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
  Movement  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
  Examples of  
  Multi-Hex Figures  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
  Size Modifier and Reach  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
  Swarm Attacks  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
  2 . Monster trAIts .  .  .  .  .  . 9
  MonsTer ADvAnTAges  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 9
  MonsTer DisADvAnTAges  .  .  .  .  .  . 12
  MonsTer ClAsses  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 14
  3 . the BestIAry .  .  .  .  .  .  . 15
  Reading Monster Stats  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 15
  Acid Spider  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 16
  as-Sharak .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 16
  Out of Your Element .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 16
  Bear  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 16
  Bronze Spider  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 17
  Bugbear  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 17
  Ciuaclá .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 18
  Corpse Golem  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 18
  Crushroom  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 19
  Demon from  
  Between the Stars  .  .  .  .  .  . 19
  Demon of Old  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 20
  Dinoman  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 20
  Dire Wolf  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21
  Doomchild .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21
  Dragon .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21
  Draug  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 23
  Electric Jelly  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 24
  Elemental  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 24
  Erupting Slime  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 26
  Eye of Death  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 26
  Flaming Skull  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 27
  Air Superiority .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 27
  Flesh-Eating Ape .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 27
  Foul Bat .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 28
  Frost Snake  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 28
  Fungus .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 28
  Gargoyle  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 29
  Giant Ape .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 30
  Giant Rat  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 30
  Giant Snake .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 31
  Giant Spider  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 31
  Gladiator Ape  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 32
  Heavy Metal  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 33
  Goblin-Kin .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 33
  Golem-Armor Swordsman  .  . 35
  Gryphon .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 35
  Hellhound  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 35
  Horde Pygmy .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 36
  Making the Little  
  Guys Dangerous .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 36
  Horde Zombie  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 36
  Horrid Skull  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 37
  Monster or Trap? .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 37
  Ice Weasel  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 37
  Ice Wyrm  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 38
  Jelly  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 38
  Karkadann .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 39
  Treat as Weapon,  
  Not as Body Part  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 39
  Leaping Leech .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
  Lich  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
  The Evil Dead  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
  Lion  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
  Lizard Man  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 41
  Mindwarper .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 41
  Minotaur  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 42
  Mold .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 42
  Moldy Monsters? .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 43
  Obsidian Jaguar  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 43
  Ogre  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 44
  Ooze .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 44
  Peshkali  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 45
  Pudding  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 46
  Rock Mite  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 47
  Siege Beast  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 47
  Skeleton .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 47
  Slime  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 48
  Beyond Resurrection .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 49
  Slorn  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 49
  Breaking Down Corrosion  .  .  .  .  . 50
  Slugbeast  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 50
  Specter .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 50
  Sphere of Madness  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 51
  Spirit Guardian  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 52
  Spore Cloud .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 52
  Bad Touch!  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 53
  Stone Golem  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 54
  Swarms  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 54
  Sword Spirit  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 55
  Throttler  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 55
  Tiger .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 56
  Toxifier .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 56
  Triger  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 57
  Troll  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 57
  Undead Slime  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 58
  Vampire .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 58
  Void Brute  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 59
  Lend Me Your Eyes!  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 59
  Watcher at  
  the Edge of Time  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 59
  Werewolf  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 60
  Wildman  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 60
  Creating Monsters .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 61
  Zombie .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 62
  Index .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 63
  record sheets  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 64
  Contents
  
  	
  In troduCtIon	
  3
  IntroduCtIon
  A monster is any being that finds itself staring balefully 
  down an adventurer’s blade. It might simply be aggressively 
  carnivorous – to an ordinary villager, lions, tigers, and bears 
  are monsters! It may be small-e evil, gleefully inflicting 
  suffering for suffering’s sake . . . or capital-E Evil, like the 
  wizard who values “immortality” as an undead horror over 
  the sacrifices (some of them screaming) needed to achieve 
  it, or an agent of The Devil bent on blighting the world and 
  consuming mortal souls. It could be ineffable, like an Elder 
  Thing whose very existence endangers three-dimensional 
  space and linear time.
  Many monsters are savage and uncivilized, wreaking havoc 
  alone or in small groups, but that isn’t universal. There are 
  well-organized races of beings whose visions of empire and 
  civilization require wiping out humanity, dwarfkind, and elf-
  kind. On the other side of the coin are things too incapable of 
  thought even to qualify as “savage,” incidentally endangering 
  life by spewing toxic spores, spreading disease, or exploding 
  at random. And there’s everything in between: cultured- 
  yet-solitary dragons, mindless zombies that serve Evil in reg-
  imented ranks, creatures that don’t always behave like mon-
  sters should (in theory, an orc could be an ally and a tiger 
  could be a pet), and so on.
  What’s important to realize in Dungeon Fantasy is that 
  delvers are treasure-hunters by profession, and that loot 
  remains out there for the taking because monsters stand 
  between it and those who would claim it. This makes delv-
  ers monster-slayers by profession, too. Which means the GM 
  needs monsters to challenge new and experienced heroes 
  alike, monsters suited to every adventure . . . lots of monsters.
  As the title of this book cleverly suggests, that’s what 
  you’ll find here. Some of these creatures come from the 
  natural world, others hail from myth, a few were inspired 
  by fiction and other games, and several were made up for 
  this game. Alongside all these are rules for interactions  
  with monsters (which don’t always involve fighting!) and 
  special monster abilities.
  Let’s kick down the door and see what’s in there!
  GettInG	the	Most		
  out	of	Monsters
  Monsters work best when the GM is prepared. It’s possible 
  to flip to a random page, pick an interesting creature, toss a 
  figure onto the battle map, and let the violence begin . . . but it 
  isn’t recommended. At least the first few times, try this:
  • Browse Contents (p. 2) for monsters that seem to fit the 
  situation: “frost snake” or “ice weasel” for an arctic adventure, 
  “skeleton” or “vampire” in an evil tomb, and so on.
  • Read the descriptions that open these monster entries 
  to decide which creature fits best – and check the Notes para-
  graphs for variants.
  • Use Reading Monster Stats (p. 15) to understand the num-
  bers and traits below the description.
  • Pay extra attention to the Traits paragraph. If you’re 
  unsure about a trait, look it up in Chapter 2 (pp. 9-14).
  • If you don’t already have a figure for the creature, note 
  Size Modifier (SM) and use Counters (pp. 7-8) to represent the 
  monster on the battle map.
  • If you’re foggy on how to handle the monster in play, 
  review its opening description and Notes paragraph for key 
  tactics and rules. For general advice, see Tactics (pp. 6-7).
  
  4	
  Monsters	 I n	ACtIon
  Before we present the featured creatures, here are a few 
  rules for using the abilities in Adventurers to deal with 
  monsters – and for extending the 
  combat system in Exploits to beings 
  too different from delvers, physically 
  or mentally, to be treated the same 
  way in a fight.
  As elsewhere in Dungeon Fantasy, 
  key concepts and abilities – especially 
  important skills – appear in boldface to make them easier 
  to spot when consulting this material in play.
  the	delvers’	PoInt	of	vIew
  Adventurers customarily handle monsters by fighting 
  them, but there are options to consider before or even instead 
  of combat. For further possibilities for dealing with all kinds 
  of foes – including non-monsters such as bandits and cult-
  ists – see Playing Dead (Exploits, p. 57) and Taunt and Bluster 
  (Exploits, p. 58). For rules covering what to do after the mon-
  sters have been defeated, see Searching the Bodies (Exploits, 
  p. 24), Dead Monster Bits (Exploits, p. 24), and Prisoners 
  (Exploits, p. 25).
  whAt	Are	we	deAlInG	wIth?
  Before trying anything involving a monster, whether talk 
  or violence, be certain you know what you’re up against – not 
  just what it’s called, but also whether you stand any chance 
  against it in battle! For instance, compared to an earth ele-
  mental, a stone golem is quicker, more resolute, and a surer 
  sign of wizardry, but not a primordial embodiment of strength 
  and durability. And mistaking a lich for a mindless undead 
  skeleton? Fatal.
  Recognition
  The GM makes identification rolls in secret – but only if 
  somebody asks and has the right skill:
  • Heraldry to recognize organized, basically mundane foes 
  such as orc tribes – and even human groups (e.g., bandits) – 
  by their mark. They always have a mark, like a pig’s head on 
  a stick.
  • Hidden Lore specialties (Demons, Divine Servitors, Elder 
  Things, Elementals, Faeries, Spirits, or Undead) for supernat-
  ural entities with complex hierarchies or cultures.
  • Naturalist for giant, dire, and hybrid animals (anybody 
  can recognize lions, tigers, and bears, but things like greater 
  dire numbats are trickier) – and for monstrous plants, fungi, 
  and slimes.
  • Occultism for “horror monsters” that fit no other cate-
  gory; e.g., objects animated by poltergeists, humanoid forms 
  coalesced from dung beetles, psychic projections, and evil 
  mirror reflections.
  • Thaumatology for constructs (e.g., golems) and other 
  wizardly automata.
  Current Affairs might suffice for monsters that have been 
  plaguing an area for some time; e.g., giant rats that have over-
  run a town, if almost every citizen has had a run-in with them.
  Success identifies the target, plus one useful tidbit (favorite 
  weapon, special power, weakness, etc.) per two points of suc-
  cess. Failure reveals nothing. Critical failure means the GM 
  lies (“It’s mostly harmless, and likes apples.”).
  Exploiting Weaknesses
  Many monsters have bizarre flaws. Some weaknesses 
  require skill rolls to discover – and it’s more fun if the players 
  don’t know these initially! If the players forget such a detail 
  during a later encounter, they must roll again unless one of 
  the PCs has Eidetic Memory.
  ChAPter	one
  Monsters	In	
  ACtIon
  “Deal with monsters?” Sure! Argua always 
  ready to hack an’ smash toothy uglybeasts.
  – Argua the Barbarian
  
  	
  Monsters	 I n	ACtIon	
  5
  Higher Purposes: Heroes with Higher Purpose advantages 
  pertaining to demon- or undead-slaying get +1 per level on 
  all attack and damage rolls against applicable foes, and to all 
  active defenses and resistance rolls against those monsters.
  Supernatural Flaws: If identifying a monster requires Hid-
  den Lore, Occultism, or Thaumatology, someone with the 
  correct skill can ask the GM to roll against it in secret when 
  combat begins. For every two points of success, the GM will 
  disclose one negative supernatural trait listed in that monster’s 
  write-up – starting with failings exploitable in combat. Failure 
  reveals nothing. Critical failure means the GM lies!
  Turning Undead: A hero who has Turning may use that 
  against any undead being labeled as “truly evil” – and pos-
  sibly against weaker demons designated by the GM. See 
  Adventurers, p. 21 for details.
  Vitals: A successful roll against a suitable Physiology spe-
  cialty will reveal where to find the equivalent of the skull, 
  vitals, etc., on a creature for which this isn’t obvious – assum-
  ing it has such areas! Any failure means the delver simply 
  doesn’t know.
  do	we	hAve	to	fIGht	It?
  If you sneak past undetected, the answer is “No.” That’s 
  what the Stealth skill and spells like Invisibility are for!
  If you’re detected, the answer is “Yes – usually.” 
  A favorable reaction roll is probably a lost cause; see 
  Monster Reactions (Exploits, pp. 11-12) for why. However, 
  the right skills can sometimes work wonders . . .
  Ultimately, the GM decides whether to allow the feats 
  below. The GM may assume that combat is inevitable if 
  the reaction penalty is -10 or worse. That’s always the 
  case for supernatural guardians that cultists, enemy 
  spellcasters, or boss monsters create or summon, 
  because “delver entered monster’s territory uninvited” 
  and “monster is supernaturally compelled to guard the 
  area” will apply, for a basic -10 from the most mannerly 
  of constructs (e.g., a golem butler), growing to -15 for an 
  elemental (“from another dimension”) or to -20 or -25 
  for a demon (also evil and/or soul-eating). You might learn 
  how to avoid triggering a guardian’s response by stealing its 
  master’s notebook or using Interrogations (Exploits, p. 10) 
  on the boss’ lackeys, but there’s no way to talk things over 
  like two reasonable beings.
  Negotiation
  Sapient (IQ 6+) monsters that aren’t bloodthirsty and pure 
  Evil might be willing to parley. Trying this is advisable when 
  the party can’t afford a fight; e.g., everyone is wounded, power 
  items are exhausted, and the cleric is somewhat dead.
  Make a reaction roll (3d). Modifiers are infinitely variable – 
  but start with Monster Reactions (Exploits, pp. 11-12) and 
  ignore -3 of any penalty if the negotiator has Cultural Adapt-
  ability. The GM may limit actual bonuses to the speaker’s Cha-
  risma (remember: monsters, not merchants). If the sum is 10+, 
  the monsters will listen instead of attacking immediately.
  Making Deals: Deal-making is pure roleplaying. The PCs 
  offer something, the GM counteroffers, and so on. If everyone 
  seems to agree at some point, roll Diplomacy – at -3 with non-
  human monsters, unless the bargainer has Cultural Adapt-
  ability. Success means the monsters accept the deal. Failure 
  means it isn’t good enough after all, and the party must make 
  an extra concession (usually loot) to close the deal. Critical 
  failure means war! This roll isn’t secret. The party will hear the 
  orc boss yell, “Get ’em, boys!”
  Language: Most IQ 6+ beings have some command of the 
  Common tongue, but the GM may decide that, for instance, 
  these orcs speak only Orcish! In situations where no one 
  knows the right language, roll against the lower of Diplomacy 
  or Gesture. The -3 for nonhuman monsters still applies in all 
  cases. See Language, Please! (Adventurers, p. 9) for more on 
  languages.
  Skeevy Bastards: The GM might also decide that the mon-
  sters are cheats, and have no intention of honoring any deal. 
  The GM will roll secretly against the bargainer’s Detect Lies 
  skill – and for Danger Sense, too, if anybody has it. Success 
  means the players get a warning. Otherwise, the heroes won’t 
  see trouble coming.
  Trickery
  Intelligent (IQ 6+), free-willed monsters that aren’t too 
  intelligent can sometimes be fooled. This is a chance to get 
  creative with rarely used skills! Possibilities include feigning 
  injury or death to draw the enemy into an ambush (Acting), 
  posing as fellow monsters (Disguise or Disguise (Ani-
  mals)), using noises or voices to distract them (Mimicry or 
  Ventriloquism), duping them with a snake-oil pitch (Fast-
  Talk), acting like a harmless derelict who’s too diseased to 
  devour (Panhandling), exploiting their appetites or fears 
  (Psychology), or even showing some leg (Sex Appeal, best 
  saved for mostly compatible species).
  The only goals of much importance on adventures 
  are getting past the monsters without a fight (like nego-
  tiation, but without giving up anything) or getting the 
  drop on a big horde in order to whittle them down a little.  
  Monsters and Player Knowledge
  If the delvers learn monster strengths and weaknesses 
  by using abilities that cost character points – or by losing 
  body parts! – it’s only fair to let them exploit that knowl-
  edge; see What Are We Dealing With? (pp. 4-5). However, the 
  GM has no similar obligation to respect player knowledge 
  gleaned from reading this book. The time-honored response 
  to this munchkin tactic is to mix things up: Vampires dis-
  like rowan or wormwood instead of garlic, or are laid to rest 
  by burial under a sword driven into the ground instead of 
  by being staked through the heart; the fire-dragon breathes 
  lightning (or a jet of fire ants!) instead of flame; and so on.
  
  6	
  Monsters	 I n	ACtIon
  Most such “dirty tricks” involve a Quick Contest against the 
  IQ of the leader of an organized group or the smartest monster 
  in a rabble. The trickster is at -5 if the monsters are already 
  on the verge of combat (e.g., they chase the party around the 
  corner, only come across a nude Marge the Barbarian rippling 
  her unibrow knowingly).
  If the party wins, they avoid the fight or score a second 
  of surprise (the monsters are mentally stunned, but roll vs. 
  IQ to recover at +1 per turn; see Surprise Attacks, Exploits, 
  pp. 26-27). If they tie, the attempt has no effect. If they lose, it 
  backfires in some way; e.g., a hidden archer shoots the trick-
  ster mid-speech.
  “Good (Three-Headed) Doggie!”
  Druids, elves, and Nature Herself may take exception to 
  adventurers who kill animals, even in self-defense. The fol-
  lowing alternatives work as written on natural animals, at -5 
  on giant or dire ones that share the mindset of their natural 
  brethren, and not at all on supernatural things that merely 
  resemble animals (e.g., hellhounds).
  Call of the Wild: An Animal Handling roll – at -5 for 
  man-eaters, cumulative with the -5 above – allows Nature 
  Boy to distract a beastie while the party passes. A Mimicry 
  (Animal Sounds) roll lets him lead it away from the party, 
  although he’ll need a plan for dealing 
  with it when it finds him.
  Doggo: Winning a Quick Contest of 
  Disguise (Animals) against the ani-
  mal’s Perception lets someone pass 
  uneaten. One person can use this skill 
  to disguise as many party members as 
  desired, although some may object to 
  being smeared with dung.
  Soothe the Savage Breast: It’s fine 
  fantasy tradition to allow Musical 
  Instrument or Singing to be used for 
  Influence rolls (Exploits, p. 10) on ani-
  mals – an exceptional case that requires 
  Bardic Talent instead of Animal 
  Empathy. This, too, is at -5 for man-eat-
  ers, cumulative with the -5 for giant or 
  dire beasts. If the musician wins, the 
  creature lets the party pass.
  the	Monsters’	PoInt	of	vIew
  Monsters customarily handle delvers by trying to murder 
  them. Exceptions tend to be to the rules for doing so – not to 
  whether they’ll do so. Though the combat system works the 
  same way regardless of who’s fighting, certain things are more 
  likely to matter when monsters get involved:
  • Unarmed Combat (Exploits, pp. 38-41) and Close Combat 
  (Exploits, p. 51), for all those critters that attack with claws, 
  teeth, tentacles, etc.
  • Size Modifier (Exploits, p. 36) – and the associated 
  energy cost markup for Regular spells (Spells, p. 12) – for 
  huge creatures. When hugeness translates into HP 20+, don’t 
  forget High HP and Shock (Exploits, p. 60) and High HP and 
  Healing (Exploits, p. 62).
  • Unliving, Homogeneous, and Diffuse Targets (Exploits, 
  p. 55), for beings that aren’t natural living things.
  • Zoom! (Exploits, p. 33), for anything with Move 10+.
  • Surprise Attacks (Exploits, pp. 26-27), for monsters with 
  high Stealth skills or special camouflage, invisibility, or tele-
  portation abilities.
  • “And Stay Down!” (Exploits, p. 86), when the GM doesn’t 
  want the fight to drag on forever.
  What follows are additional elaborations in this vein.
  tACtICs
  Monsters can use tactics! Individual monster descriptions 
  note favorites, but a few tricks are widespread.
  Home-Ground Advantage
  Monsters native to an environment will exploit it! If there’s 
  bad footing (Exploits, p. 35), they’ll often be adapted to it – 
  the heroes will suffer penalties, their opponents won’t.
  Creatures that like Surprise Attacks (Exploits, pp. 26-27) 
  strive to inflict Vision penalties in Quick Contests against 
  their Stealth. Those that can see in the dark accomplish 
  this by lurking where there are darkness penalties: -1 to -9.  
  Speaking from Experience
  The wise adventurer fights only those foes that need fighting. Yes, holy folk 
  always want to destroy undead and demons, and druids insist on never slaying 
  beasts or plant-things . . . yet many malevolent beings possess useful historical 
  or magical lore, while Nature’s minions too often want to demonstrate “survival 
  of the fittest.” My advice? Always at least attempt to negotiate with creatures that 
  can provide information or grant passage, and try to distract or mislead or sneak 
  around the rest. Obviously, you must cultivate a keen nose for falsehoods if you 
  intend to bargain with the forces of Evil, and it is only prudent to be ready to fight 
  when other avenues are exhausted. But unless the only way in is through some 
  giant animated statue whose entire vocabulary consists of “You shall not pass,” 
  why begin with a frontal charge? Even savage beasts can be lured away by food 
  or calls, or soothed with song!
  – Jag Fairchild, Bard
  
  	
  Monsters	 I n	ACtIon	
  7
  Those that climb, cling, or fly exploit Attacking from Above 
  (Exploits, p. 38) to give -2 – and even if their ambush fails, 
  their prey defends at -2.
  Aquatic creatures in murky water are extra-nasty. Penalize 
  Vision as for darkness, and treat attacks from things swim-
  ming up from below like attacks from above. Non-aquatic 
  warriors will suffer limitations on Move and combat skills 
  (Swimming, Exploits, p. 21); the monsters won’t.
  Castle Doctrine
  In set encounters (Exploits, p. 85), intelligent monsters 
  may be ready for the delvers, taking “home-ground advan-
  tage” to another level! To start with, they’ll turn classic adven-
  turers’ tactics against the heroes – particularly Backstabbing 
  (Exploits, pp. 57-58) and Talented Trapping (Exploits, p. 58).
  Militaristic monsters might have barricades in place that 
  allow the benefits of bracing with Aim (Exploits, pp. 29-30) 
  and Shooting from Cover (Exploits, p. 42). Larger obsta-
  cles may see the adventurers clambering and jumping 
  while being pelted with arrows, rocks, or grenades. Ranged 
  attackers are likely to begin the battle with Opportunity Fire 
  (Exploits, p. 43).
  Prepared spellcasters are the worst of all! They can cast 
  powerful defensive magic beforehand, hide allies in Darkness, 
  put Glue or Grease in the way, charge big Missile spells, and 
  so on.
  Pack Tactics
  Creatures that outnumber the PCs will use Move and 
  Move and Attack maneuvers to run around the ends of the 
  heroes’ combat formation – or to break through by slam-
  ming (if strong) or evading (if agile). Their objective is to 
  encircle the party and exploit Attacks from the Side and 
  Back (Exploits, p. 47).
  Such monsters love to gang up on one target! This can 
  quickly use up that person’s block (Exploits, p. 48), inflict 
  penalties for repeated parrying (Exploits, pp. 48-49), and 
  exhaust – or, if they get behind their quarry, deny – their 
  victim’s retreat (Exploits, p. 50). Multiple Close Combat 
  (Exploits, p. 51) is also likely, where possible.
  Like a Boss
  Monsters outnumbered by the PCs – particularly lone 
  bosses – won’t stay put and go toe-to-toe unless they’re very 
  tough. Instead, they’ll take Move maneuvers to tempt faster 
  heroes to chase them while slower ones are left behind, 
  and use Retreat (Exploits, p. 50) when defending and Step 
  (Exploits, p. 33) after attacking to open the gap further. Then 
  they’ll pick off delvers running far ahead of the pack!
  If they have ranged attacks, they’ll shoot down lines of 
  opponents, turning Hitting the Wrong Target (Exploits, p. 43) 
  to their advantage. With Area and Spreading Attacks (Exploits, 
  pp. 45-46), they’ll target the largest concentration of victims, 
  attacking the ground to avoid pesky active defenses.
  What Army? This Army!
  Boss monsters with lots of fodder – and worthy leaders of 
  large groups – rarely lead from the front. They stand behind 
  their huge wave of bodyguards, zombies, or whatever, who 
  will spread out to obstruct paths someone might use for a run 
  at their master, forcing speedy PCs to evade or slam to enter 
  melee range. If someone does get through, the horde will close 
  around the runner, attacking from behind; see Attacks from 
  the Side and Back (Exploits, p. 47).
  Ranged attacks on the boss are made at -4 per occupied 
  hex in the line of fire (People, Exploits, p. 42). Regular spells 
  (Spells, p. 12) merely have the usual -1 per yard – but boss 
  spellcasters often have higher skill levels than delvers, and 
  can reply more effectively. Worse, such magic-users can cast 
  time-consuming, dangerous spells in the precious seconds it 
  takes the adventurers to battle their minions!
  And if the fight is going badly for the monsters, the com-
  mander will let the fodder die to buy time to slink away . . .
  MultI-hex	fIGures
  Some monsters occupy more than one hex on a battle map, 
  which has implications for how they’re represented and how 
  combat works.
  Counters
  The table on p. 8 gives the dimensions in hexes of count-
  ers or figures for monsters of SM 0 to +6. These are ordered 
  length (hexes front-to-back) ¥ width (hexes side-to-side). 
  Where a range appears, use the value that best matches your 
  miniature or gives the most pleasing shape!
  Dumb Monsters
  While the heroes can try all manner of crazy, complex 
  moves to show off their skills, letting monsters do the 
  same thing increases the time it takes to game out bat-
  tles. To keep things moving, monsters shouldn’t try “fancy” 
  options such as Deceptive Attack, Dual-Weapon Attack, 
  Feint, and Rapid Strike unless expressly designed to use 
  such tactics to be challenging.
  The smartest monsters rival great generals at tactics. The dullest show dangerous 
  cunning in groups. Assuming they’re all blinded by hate and hunger can prove fatal.
  – Grükuk Kzaash, Knight
  
  8	
  Monsters	 I n	ACtIon
  Sleek: Shape of a horse-like or snaky horizontal creature 
  (e.g., a dragon). This is always a mere one hex wide, though it 
  may bulge an extra hex or two near the limbs.
  Boxy: Shape of a bulky horizontal creature; e.g., blob, giant 
  bug, or muscular predator.
  Upright: “Footprint” of a humanoid or near-humanoid. 
  Such beings are broader across the shoulders than they are 
  thick through the chest.
   
  SM 
  Sleek 
  Boxy 
  Upright
   
  0 
  2 ¥ 1 
  1 ¥ 1 
  1 ¥ 1 
   
  +1 
  3 ¥ 1 
  2 ¥ 1 
  1 ¥ 1 
   
  +2 
  4-5 ¥ 1 
  3 ¥ 2-3 
  1 ¥ 2
   
  +3 
  6-7 ¥ 1 
  4-5 ¥ 3 
  2 ¥ 3
   
  +4 
  8-10 ¥ 1 
  6-7 ¥ 4-5 
  3 ¥ 4-5
   
  +5 
  11-15 ¥ 1 
  8-10 ¥ 6-7 
  4-5 ¥ 6-7
   
  +6 
  16-20 ¥ 1 
  11-15 ¥ 8-10 
  6-7 ¥ 8-10
  Front, Side, and Back Hexes
  Each multi-hex creature has front, right, left, and back 
  hexes, corresponding to those of a human (see illustration).
  Arc of Vision
  The head of a multi-hex being determines its arc of vision. 
  Much of a large creature’s body may fall outside its arc of 
  vision! However, many such monsters have Peripheral Vision 
  (Adventurers, p. 52).
  Movement
  The head or front of a multi-hex figure controls its move-
  ment. Handle distance moved, direction of movement, and 
  facing exactly as if the creature’s head were a one-hex figure. 
  The rest of the body follows. This might mean, for instance, 
  that a dragon’s head moves three hexes while its tail sweeps 
  through 10 hexes. That’s fine! When any part of a figure two or 
  more hexes in size moves through a smaller one, treat it as an 
  overrun; see Slams, Tramples, and Overruns (Exploits, p. 40).
  A multi-hex figure cannot fit through a map space narrower 
  than its widest point. However, the GM should be lenient in 
  allowing large figures to overlap walls and the like, as frac-
  tional hexes (e.g., those cut by a wall) count as full hexes 
  (Hexes, Exploits, p. 27).
  swArM	AttACks
  A group of small creatures – anything from biting bugs on 
  up to rats or bats – may be treated as a unit in combat. Such a 
  swarm fills a single hex on the combat map, and uses special 
  combat rules:
  Swarm Movement: Swarms crawl, scurry, or fly at their 
  given Move each turn. Ignore considerations such as footing, 
  unless the GM feels the constituent creatures would get mired 
  in or tripped up by the terrain.
  Swarm Attacks: A swarm has reach C and attacks every-
  one in its hex on its turn. It hits automatically – there are no 
  attack or defense rolls – doing its listed damage to its vic-
  tim(s). Against tiny creatures like insects, DR 0 clothing gives 
  complete immunity for two seconds, while armor grants five 
  seconds of immunity; then the bugs get in and the protection 
  becomes worthless! Against larger creatures like rats, armor 
  protects normally with its DR.
  Attacking a Swarm: Any attack against a swarm hits 
  automatically. A swarm gets no defense roll and rarely has 
  DR. A swarm takes injury as if it were Diffuse; see Unliving, 
  Homogeneous, and Diffuse Targets (Exploits, p. 55). Shields 
  can crush flying creatures; a shield does 2 HP per turn, and 
  can attack at the same time as a weapon. Stamping does 1 
  HP per turn to non-flying vermin, and can 
  be done while attacking with a weapon. 
  Swarms don’t have HP in the usual 
  sense, but are dispersed after taking a 
  fixed amount of injury.
  Swarm Facing and Posture: These are 
  irrelevant – swarms don’t make attack or 
  defense rolls, and can always travel their 
  listed Move in any direction.
  Thus, swarms usually need just three 
  statistics – Move, damage, and HP to 
  disperse – plus any exceptions to the 
  above rules. Cloud beings aren’t swarms, 
  and use standard monster stats.
  Size Modifier and Reach
  Monsters with SM greater than 0 typically have 
  longer reach. This is given in all relevant monster 
  write-ups. Measure the full reach of limbs, tails, sting-
  ers, etc. from the counter’s edge. Bites can only attack 
  foes in the head hex or an adjacent hex, and effectively 
  have reach C, 1.
  Examples of Multi-Hex Figures
  
  	
  Monster	trAI ts	
  9
  Monsters are described using the same basic traits as delv-
  ers. They have ST, DX, IQ, HT, HP, Will, Per, FP, Basic Speed, 
  and Basic Move. They roll against a Dodge score – and some-
  times Parry or Block – to defend. They can possess advan-
  tages, disadvantages, and skills straight out of Adventurers 
  (somewhere, a demon whose Voice and adorable Appearance 
  mask Bloodlust and Fanaticism for Evil is fomenting war 
  using Acting and Fast-Talk). If they’re intelligent, they might 
  work magic as defined in Spells.
  Yet there are important differences . . .
  Monsters don’t buy traits with character points. Although 
  that would be possible, it wouldn’t be useful, not even as 
  a “threat rating” – adding 100 points to a creature could 
  buy 25 levels of Poetry skill or 10 levels of ST, which clearly 
  aren’t equally threatening! Monsters aren’t playable char-
  acters who improve by adventuring; they’re obstacles in the 
  path of the heroes’ progress. They have the capabilities they 
  need to do that job, and how many points a PC would pay 
  for those is irrelevant.
  To this end, monsters aren’t restricted by prerequisites. 
  A monster might possess six specific wizardly spells without 
  Magery or the prerequisite spells. It might mix special abilities 
  reserved for bards and martial artists without having Bardic 
  Talent, Chi Talent, or Trained by a Master. A fiend’s gotta do 
  what a fiend’s gotta do!
  It isn’t just standard character abilities that monsters play 
  fast and loose with. They can have stats normally associated 
  with gear, also in the name of getting the job done. Nothing 
  prevents a creature from having more Damage Resistance 
  than plate armor, a Defense Bonus like that of a shield, and 
  claws that count as silver weapons, dripping with a permanent 
  supply of bladeblack.
  The resulting capabilities won’t always line up with the 
  listed traits, either. A monster might do more damage than 
  its ST and Brawling skill suggest for any number of reasons: 
  huge claws, gangly arms that afford extra leverage, the bless-
  ing of the Demon Lord of Hurting People, etc. Its claws might 
  be really sharp and effectively very fine – which doesn’t mean 
  they couldn’t still count as silver, even if delvers can’t 
  purchase very fine, silver weapons. Again, what mat-
  ters is that the monster is a credible threat.
  The upshot of all this is that monsters can 
  also possess traits that delvers can’t. Many are 
  described in monster write-ups, and are unique 
  to the creatures that have them. However, others 
  recur – or require a lot of words to explain – mak-
  ing it more convenient to define them here and 
  name-drop them later.
  Monster	AdvAntAGes
  As well as standard advantages from Adventurers and the 
  monstrous traits described below, monsters may have the spe-
  cial abilities of particular professions; page references appear 
  here for convenience. If a standard or professional advan-
  tage specifies an upper limit, this does not apply to monsters! 
  For example, a monster can have any amount of Striking ST 
  (Adventurers, p. 53) – not just two levels.
  In all cases, damage, skill levels, etc. in monster descrip-
  tions already incorporate any permanent bonuses from the 
  creature’s advantages – don’t add them again!
  360° Vision: Monster has no blind spots! No penalty to 
  dodge attacks from the sides or rear. May attack to the sides or 
  rear without making a Wild Swing. Parries, blocks, and attacks 
  to the rear have -2 for clumsiness unless monster has Double-
  Jointed or Extra-Flexible.
  Altered Time Rate: Monster may pick two maneuvers in 
  succession each turn, with no delay in between, as if under a 
  permanent Great Haste spell!
  Alternate Form: Monster can switch into and out of the 
  form of another creature, specified with the advantage. It 
  retains its own skills, knowledge, and mental abilities, but 
  gains the physical stats of another race. Changing either way 
  takes 10 seconds unless noted otherwise.
  Amphibious: Monster can walk and swim at the speed 
  given by its Move stat. Skill penalties for working underwater 
  never apply, and Swimming skill doesn’t limit the monster’s 
  combat skills.
  ChAPter	two
  Monster	trAIts
  What makes something a monster? 
  The wrong number of body parts. 
  Weird smells. And slime – yuck!
  – Puddin’ Noddington, Thief
  
  10	
  Monster	trAI ts
  Arm ST: Monster’s arms are stronger than its body. Add 
  this trait’s level to regular ST when striking, grappling, or lift-
  ing with the arms. Effects are already factored into damage for 
  any listed arm strikes.
  Brachiator: Monster can travel by using its arms to swing 
  on vines, tree branches, ropes, chandeliers, etc. at half its 
  listed Move (round up).
  Cast-Iron Stomach: Monster can thrive on wormy 
  corpses, dung, filthy runoff, etc. – it can be starved out only if 
  there’s no food or water. Gives +2 to resist food-borne poisons 
  or diseases.
  Catfall: See Adventurers, p. 39.
  Chameleon: Monster’s surface pattern changes to blend 
  into the surroundings. Stealth against Vision is at +2 per level 
  of this trait when perfectly still, +1 per level when moving.
  Compartmentalized Mind: During its turn in combat, 
  monster can take a number of Concentrate maneuvers equal 
  to the trait level as well as its normal maneuver. Effects on 
  number of purely mental attacks are already noted for any 
  listed attacks.
  Constriction Attack: Monster can crush a victim of 
  equal or lower SM by hugging or constricting. It must grap-
  ple first; this grapple always counts as two-handed, even if 
  it uses no hands (as with a tongue, flexible torso, or engulf-
  ing goo). On each later turn until its prey breaks free, roll a 
  Quick Contest: ST vs. victim’s ST or HT, whichever is higher. 
  Victory for the monster inflicts crushing damage equal to 
  the margin. Counts as an attack in some cases, a free action 
  in others – read the description!
  Damage Resistance: All monsters have a DR stat. If 
  greater than 0, subtract this from the basic damage of enemy 
  attacks and physical hazards. Additional DR against specific 
  attack forms is noted with other traits.
  Dark Vision: Monster can see in darkness – even total 
  darkness – and ignores Vision and combat penalties as if 
  under a permanent Dark Vision spell. It can’t see colors in 
  the dark unless noted otherwise.
  Detect: Monster can detect the indicated being, substance, 
  etc. – even if it’s shielded from the five human senses – by 
  making a Sense roll with range modifiers from the Size and  
  Speed/Range Table (Exploits, pp. 97-98). It can attack and 
  defend against foes it senses this way.
  Diffuse: Monster uses the wounding rules under Diffuse 
  (Exploits, p. 55), can’t be slammed or grappled, and enjoys 
  the benefits of No Blood, No Brain, and No Vitals. 
  Infiltration means it can also seep under doors, 
  through screens, etc.
  Discriminatory Smell: See Adventurers, 
  p. 16.
  Discriminatory Taste: Monster gets +4 
  (cumulative with Acute Taste and Smell) on 
  any task that utilizes the sense of taste – notably 
  detecting poison. It recognizes any taste encoun-
  tered in the past.
  Doesn’t Breathe: Monster doesn’t require 
  oxygen, can’t be choked or strangled, and is 
  immune to respiratory agents (e.g., Stench 
  spells, demon’s brew poison, and death, mage-
  bane, sleep, and weakness potions).
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink: Monster needs no 
  material sustenance. It can’t be starved out and 
  is immune to food-borne poisons and diseases.
  Doesn’t Sleep: Monster doesn’t have to sleep, 
  ever, and is immune to all effects that cause sleep 
  (Sleep spells, sleep potions, and so on), though not to being 
  knocked out by injury.
  Enhanced Move: Monster has two Move scores. Use the 
  second, higher one when the creature travels long distances 
  out of combat and instead of adding +1 movement point when 
  it sprints (Exploits, p. 33) in combat.
  Enhanced Time Sense: See Adventurers, p. 37.
  Extra Arms: Monster has the indicated number of arms 
  beyond the basic two. Each extra gives +2 to grapple or break 
  free of a grapple. This doesn’t necessarily affect number of 
  attacks – any such effects are noted with attacks.
  Extra-Flexible: Monster’s arms or tentacles can attack 
  into the opposite side hex without making a Wild Swing, and 
  can parry attacks coming from the opposite side of its body. 
  With 360° Vision, there’s no -2 when attacking or defending 
  to the rear.
  Extra Heads: Monster has the indicated number of heads 
  beyond the usual one. The main effect is that a head blow 
  that causes stun or unconsciousness affects only that head – 
  the others continue to function! Number of heads doesn’t 
  necessarily affect number of bites – any such effects are 
  noted with attacks.
  Extra Legs: Monster has more than two legs. If three or 
  four, losing one halves Move; losing two means falling. If five 
  or six, each leg lost reduces Move by 20% until three legs are 
  left, at which point Move is 40% normal; losing another leg 
  means falling. If seven or more, each leg lost reduces Move 
  by 10% until three legs are left, at which point Move is 40% 
  normal; losing another leg means falling. Round reduced 
  Move down.
  
  	
  Monster	trAI ts	
  11
  Extra Life: Monster can return from the dead once per 
  level of this trait! When slain, it revives on its next turn and 
  with the same stats, unless the write-up specifies otherwise.
  Flight: Monster can fly at the speed noted with its Move 
  stat. Lighter Than Air means each turn, wind moves the 
  creature one yard in the direction it’s blowing per 5 mph. 
  Low Ceiling indicates a maximum altitude. Winged means 
  flight dependent on wings that can be attacked and crippled  
  like arms.
  Gills: Monster can breathe water indefinitely. May or may 
  not be able to survive in air as well, as noted.
  Higher Purpose: See Adventurers, p. 27. Monster gets +1 
  per level to attack, damage, defend against, and resist the 
  named class of people.
  Homogeneous: Monster uses the wounding rules under 
  Homogeneous (Exploits, p. 55), and enjoys the benefits of No 
  Brain and No Vitals.
  Immunity: Monster cannot be affected at all by the indi-
  cated threat – e.g., disease, mind control, or poison – regard-
  less of cause or means of delivery. As it needn’t defend against 
  or resist such things, they don’t even count as distractions!
  Indomitable: Monster is immune to Influence rolls 
  (Exploits, p. 10) made by those without Empathy (if monster 
  is mundane), Animal Empathy (if animal), Plant Empathy (if 
  plant), or Spirit Empathy (if demon, elemental, ghost, etc.).
  Infectious Attack: Those wounded or killed by the mon-
  ster may become the same kind of monster! Details always 
  appear with the monster write-up.
  Infravision: Monster sees and fights in the dark at no 
  penalty, as if by a permanent Infravision spell. It cannot 
  perceive colors or distinguish faces in the dark, nor see  
  the invisible.
  Injury Reduction: After subtracting DR from damage and 
  applying any wounding modifiers, monster divides the HP of 
  injury it suffers by the trait level! Round up. May have a note 
  limiting benefits to specific attack forms.
  Invisibility: Monster cannot be seen when stationary 
  and not attacking! On turns when it moves or takes aggres-
  sive action, it can be attacked at -6, but invisibility does not 
  end. Visibility and Defense (Exploits, p. 47) applies against 
  its attacks.
  Limited Camouflage: Monster’s surface pattern gives +2 
  to its Camouflage and Stealth skill rolls, but only when stand-
  ing completely still in the indicated environment.
  Nictitating Membrane: Monster’s eyes have DR equal to 
  the trait level. Also gives +1 per level to all HT rolls concerning 
  the eyes; e.g., for acid, blinding powder, flash nageteppo, and 
  spells like Sandstorm, Smoke, and Sunbolt.
  No Blood: Monster is unaffected by blood agents (Special 
  Delivery, Exploits, pp. 56-57), including follow-up poisons 
  (e.g., bladeblack, monster drool, and paralytic slime) on weap-
  ons. It lacks blood for all purposes: leaving blood trails, feed-
  ing vampires, etc.
  No Brain: Monster lacks a vulnerable brain. Treat a 
  blow to the skull or eye as simply a face hit; see Hit Location 
  and Injury (Exploits, pp. 53-54). Eye injury can still cripple  
  the eye.
  No Eyes: Monster completely lacks eyes to attack or crip-
  ple. If it can see, it does so supernaturally and is immune to 
  blinding attacks (e.g., blinding powder).
  No Head: Monster completely lacks skull and face hit loca-
  tions to target for extra effect. Includes No Brain. Creature 
  can still see, speak, hear, smell, and taste except as noted, and 
  has eyes elsewhere on its body unless it has No Eyes.
  No Neck: Monster has no neck hit location to target for 
  extra effect, and cannot be strangled.
  No Vitals: Monster has no vitals or groin hit locations to 
  target for extra effect. Treat attacks on areas where those 
  would be on humans as torso hits.
  Pressure Support: Lets a monster with Doesn’t Breathe 
  or Gills survive crushing underwater depths. Primarily a 
  plot device explaining golems walking along the ocean floor, 
  aquatic monsters swimming too deep to see, etc. Doesn’t pro-
  tect against attacks.
  Regeneration: Monster heals HP quickly. Exact rate is 
  always noted.
  Regrowth: Monster with Regeneration can replace not 
  only HP but also lost body parts. Extremities, limbs, eyes, etc. 
  are restored upon regaining full HP. Even the head can grow 
  back, if the monster can survive decapitation!
  Resist Good: Comes in levels, each of which counts as a 
  level of Magic Resistance against (Good) clerical spells – and, 
  for undead, adds to resistance rolls vs. the Turning ability. No 
  monster gets this as a standard feature, but the GM may add 
  it to extra-Evil foes.
  Sealed: Monster is unaffected by contact agents (Special 
  Delivery, Exploits, pp. 56-57): acid, oozing doom poison, the 
  Pollen Cloud spell, etc.
  See Invisible: Monster can see invisible objects or indi-
  viduals, including anything hidden by a potion or spell  
  of invisibility.
  Sensitive Touch: See Adventurers, p. 39.
  Silence: See Adventurers, p. 35.
  Single-Minded: Monster can focus to get +3 to success 
  rolls for a lengthy noncombat task (e.g., sneaking up on or 
  tracking delvers), at the expense of -5 to rolls to notice other 
  things while pursuing it (e.g., traps set by those delvers).
  
  12	
  Monster	trAI ts
  Slippery: Monster is slimy or slick. Add trait level to all 
  ST, DX, and Escape rolls to slip restraints, break free when 
  grappled, or squeeze through narrow openings.
  Sonar: Monster can “see” out to the indicated range 
  using sound. Darkness, flash nageteppo, smoke, Strike Blind 
  spells, etc. have no effect – but the Noise spell or being deaf-
  ened (e.g., by a Strike Deaf or Thunderclap spell) stops this 
  ability from working.
  Spider Climb: Works identically to the martial-artist abil-
  ity (Adventurers, p. 31), but usually involves sticky feet or 
  magic – not chi – and is often faster (Move is always noted).
  Subsonic Hearing: Monster “hears” vibrations in the 
  ground. Against quarry moving on the ground, gives +1 to 
  Tracking rolls and lets monster ignore the Hush and Mage-
  Stealth spells. Ineffective against those using the Light Tread 
  spell or Light Walk skill.
  Super Jump: Monster can jump farther than Jumping 
  (Exploits, p. 20) would allow. Distance is always noted.
  Supernatural Durability: Monster can be injured and 
  knocked back normally, but is immune to shock, physical 
  stun, and knockout. At 0 HP or above, it has full Move and 
  can’t be crippled. Below 0 HP, it’s at half Move and can be 
  crippled, but won’t die until the indicated conditions are met 
  or it’s wounded by the object of a Vulnerability. Under those 
  circumstances, monster must make HT rolls to avoid death 
  at -1¥HP, -2¥HP, etc. and dies automatically at -5¥HP. If at 
  or below -5¥HP when this happens, it dies at once.
  Temperature Tolerance: See Adventurers, p. 16.
  Terrain Adaptation: Monster suffers no penalties to 
  combat rolls or movement speed in the indicated terrain: 
  ice, sand, snow, etc. See Bad Footing (Exploits, p. 35).
  Terror: Those who encounter the monster must roll 
  a Fright Check (Exploits, pp. 10-11) immediately, before 
  combat begins! A given monster cannot cause the same 
  person to make a Fright Check more often than once per 
  hour – and later Fright Checks are at a cumulative +1 until 
  24 hours have passed.
  Universal Digestion: Monster can subsist on any organic 
  matter that’s harmless but innutritious; e.g., wood, paper, or 
  leather. Gives no special poison resistance.
  Unkillable: Monster needn’t make HT rolls to stay alive 
  at -1¥HP or below, and dies automatically at -10¥HP instead 
  of -5¥HP, though it’s subject to injury, pain, crippling, etc. to 
  which it isn’t expressly immune. Total indicates that -10¥HP 
  doesn’t cause death, but renders the monster unconscious and 
  reduces it to a ghost, shreds, etc. that can’t take further injury; 
  it will heal at its usual rate and coalesce (or reanimate!) a new, 
  fully intact body on reaching full HP. Achilles’ Heel indicates 
  injury from the named source can kill the monster normally: 
  HT rolls to live at -1¥HP and below, death at -5¥HP, and no 
  coming back.
  Unliving: Monster uses the wounding rules under Unliving 
  (Exploits, p. 55).
  Vibration Sense: Monster can sense vibrations in air or 
  water – as indicated – via whiskers, antennae, skin, etc. Make 
  a Sense roll; consult the Size and Speed/Range Table (Exploits, 
  pp. 97-98) and apply separate bonuses for target size and speed, 
  and a penalty for the range to the target. Success detects the 
  target, allowing unpenalized combat that turn regardless of 
  visibility. Can be “jammed” only by swift currents (water) or 
  stormy winds (air).
  Monster	dIsAdvAntAGes
  In addition to the shortcomings below, monsters can suf-
  fer from the disadvantages described in Adventurers. Nastier 
  variants are common; e.g., Compulsive Killing as a form of 
  Compulsive Behavior, or Intolerance of all life. These and 
  other behavioral traits serve mainly to guide monster behav-
  ior; for instance, a compulsive killer would have to make a 
  self-control roll not to stalk easy prey when it’s supposed to 
  be standing sentry. The GM may also find these flaws inspir-
  ing when assessing the reaction penalties under Monster 
  Reactions (Exploits, pp. 11-12).
  In all cases, where a disadvantage gives a permanent pen-
  alty to skills the monster knows, the skill levels in the write-up 
  already reflect this.
  A disadvantage marked with an asterisk (*) requires a 
  self-control roll (Adventurers, p. 55).
  Aerial: Monster with Flight has no legs – a disadvantage 
  because it has ground Move 0 and cannot kick in combat. It’s 
  immobilized if it cannot fly.
  Appearance: Humanoid monsters that could conceivably 
  pass in town often suffer large reaction penalties for looks: 
  Hideous (-4 on reactions), Monstrous (-5), or Horrific (-6). This 
  isn’t noted for monsters so inhuman that the best possible 
  reaction would be “Very Bad.”
  Automaton: Monster is a supernatural servitor without 
  creativity, empathy, or self-awareness. It suffers from Hide-
  bound, Incurious (6), No Sense of Humor, and Slave 
  Mentality, and has -3 to skill rolls for dealing with people, 
  including Influence rolls and Acting, Carousing, Detect Lies, 
  Interrogation, Leadership, and Merchant rolls.
  Evil is flawed, not weak. Its 
  power shields its minions from 
  harm and lets them survive, 
  even thrive sans air, victuals, 
  light, or warmth. Be wary!
  – Francesco Zombani, Cleric
  
  	
  Monster	trAI ts	
  13
  Bad Grip: Monster has -2 per trait level to rolls 
  for melee weapon use, climbing, catching things, 
  and anything else that requires a firm grip.
  Bad Smell: Monster exudes an appalling 
  odor that can be masked only with perfume so 
  intense that it has the same drawbacks. Gives +2 
  to rolls to detect or track the creature by scent, 
  or -2 to monster’s attempts to hide. Also gives -2  
  on reactions.
  Battle Rage*: Monster must attempt a self-con-
  trol roll when battle begins. Failure means it suffers 
  the effects of Berserk without being wounded.
  Brittle: Monster is rotten or prone to shattering 
  (like bone, glass, or ice). Crippling injuries to body 
  parts cause dismemberment. On dying, creature is 
  destroyed, leaving only dust, fragments, or goo.
  Cannot Float: Monster sinks in water. It cannot 
  swim but can walk along the bottom.
  Cannot Learn: Monster is stuck with the skills 
  and knowledge it came into existence with. Primarily 
  a plot device explaining why wizards create new constructs 
  and zombies to meet new challenges. Monster can still be 
  Reprogrammable and receive new orders.
  Cold-Blooded: Monster “stiffens up” in the cold. In 
  places where HT rolls for cold are required (Temperature, 
  Exploits, p. 70), creature has -1 to Basic Speed and DX, plus 
  another -1 per -1 extra-cold environments give to those HT 
  rolls. Monster gets +2 to make HT rolls for cold, however.
  Dependency: Monster starts suffering injury without reg-
  ular doses of or exposure to something. The substance and 
  rate of injury are always noted. Dependency on mana is com-
  mon, and causes 1 HP of injury per minute in no-mana areas.
  Disturbing Voice: Any IQ 6+ monster can speak unless 
  noted otherwise. However, while people accept nonhuman 
  voices in a world with purring cat-folk, snarling half-ogres, 
  and squeaky halflings, this monster pushes the limits: -2 to 
  the skills listed for Voice (Adventurers, p. 54), and -2 on 
  reactions.
  Divine Curse: Monster has a unique supernatural flaw 
  that adventurers can exploit. Details are always provided.
  Dread: Monster has a supernatural aversion to the spec-
  ified item, and must keep the indicated distance from it. If 
  the object of dread is brought closer, the creature will sense 
  it and must take Move maneuvers to get outside the indicated 
  range. If it can’t flee, it’s compelled to Do Nothing.
  Hidebound: Monster has difficulty improvising or coming 
  up with original thoughts. Gives -2 to any noncombat roll for 
  a task it wasn’t expecting or programmed for; e.g., negotiation 
  if tasked to stand watch, or vice versa.
  Horizontal: Monster has a horizontal posture, like a cat. 
  It has Move 0 when using forelimbs to manipulate objects (if 
  capable of that). If it has hands, it can carry but not use an 
  item one-handed while walking, and has half Move (round 
  down) while doing so.
  Incurious*: Monster ignores anything unrelated to its 
  current task (e.g., guard duty) unless it can make a self- 
  control roll.
  Invertebrate: Monster has no spine or other rigid body 
  support. It has full Basic Lift for pushing, but only 1/4 of that 
  when lifting, carrying, or pulling. Treat it as two SM smaller 
  when squeezing through tiny openings.
  Lifebane: Monster withers grass it walks on, and wilts 
  mundane plants and kills tiny creatures (e.g., insects) within 
  a yard. In most outdoor environments, this gives +2 to rolls to 
  track the creature and -2 to its attempts to hide. Also gives -2 
  on reactions. Not useful as an attack!
  Mute: Monster is incapable of vocalizing or (if IQ 6+) 
  speech.
  No Fine Manipulators: Monster lacks body part more 
  agile than paws or hooves, and cannot make repairs, pick 
  locks, tie knots, wield weapons, etc.
  No Manipulators: Monster lacks limbs, and can manip-
  ulate objects only by pushing them around with its body or 
  head. It can still move by flying, slithering, etc.
  No Sense of Smell/Taste: Monster cannot attempt Taste 
  or Smell rolls; see Other Senses (Exploits, p. 9).
  Odious Racial Habit: Monster’s entire race exhibits an 
  Odious Personal Habit (Adventurers, p. 63), which may 
  exceed -2 to reactions. Primarily a plot device explaining why 
  a humanoid race isn’t socially acceptable, suggesting how to 
  portray them.
  Quadruped: Monster has Horizontal and No Fine Manip-
  ulators, but also Extra Legs (Four Legs), like a horse or dog.
  Reprogrammable: Monster can be programmed to obey a 
  master. If it also has Slave Mentality, it must remain strictly 
  within the letter of its master’s commands; if not, it may 
  choose to remain within either their letter or spirit; and with 
  IQ 0, it can only follow programming. Delvers who learn the 
  monster’s orders can easily trick or avoid it!
  Sadism*: Monster must make a self-control roll whenever 
  it has the opportunity to engage in mental or physical cru-
  elty rather than mere violence. Failure means it pursues that 
  course, even if another would be more efficient or in line with 
  its mission.
  Speaking from Experience
  The key to successful demon-slaying – and I think to all monster- 
  slaying – is knowing the chinks in your adversary’s armor. Evil’s 
  power inevitably comes at the cost of certain weaknesses. Some 
  demons fear blessed objects, but not all; be sure you know which 
  ones can be held at bay by a holy symbol and which will just knock 
  it from your grasp. Many can be killed only in specific ways: by 
  magic, by being run through the heart, or by something peculiar 
  like chopping off all its arms first. Indeed, no small number have 
  specialized flaws; for instance, healing magic harms those that 
  inhabit living flesh, and air magic can blow apart those made of 
  ghastly vapors. I need not add that the battlefield is no place to 
  learn these lessons – educate yourself beforehand!
  – Samar Alqatil, Holy Warrior
  
  14	
  Monster	trAI ts
  Semi-Upright: Monster has a semi-upright posture, like 
  a chimpanzee. It can stand up, use its forelimbs, etc. like a 
  human, but it needs all of its limbs to run at full Move. On only 
  its hindlimbs, reduce Move to 60% of normal (round down).
  Sessile: Monster has Move 0 in all mediums and is 
  anchored in place. It can’t move, and can be moved only with 
  considerable effort. It lacks legs and can’t kick, but it can have 
  other limbs.
  Slave Mentality: Monster requires a “master” to give it 
  orders. It must make an IQ roll at -8 to take action that isn’t 
  either obeying a direct order or part of an established routine.
  Slithers: Monster has no legs and thus cannot kick in com-
  bat. Its listed ground Move assumes it wriggles along on its 
  torso, like a snake.
  Uncontrollable Appetite*: Monster consumes the indi-
  cated item (blood, brains, life force, etc.) voraciously. Faced 
  with an opportunity to feed, it must make a self-control roll. 
  Failure means giving in even if unwise; critical failure means 
  engaging in All-Out Attacks to do so!
  Unhealing: Monster cannot recover lost HP or recuperate 
  from crippling naturally except under the noted conditions; it 
  can still heal unnaturally via spells, bloodsucking, or similar 
  means. Total means it cannot heal at all – if delvers wound it, 
  it will remain that way until someone makes gross physical 
  repairs (e.g., mortaring cracks in a stone golem).
  Unnatural: Monster is summoned or a construct. Being 
  wounded to -1¥HP or worse immediately severs its ties with 
  its binding or animating force, causing instant death or ban-
  ishment to another plane.
  Vermiform: Monster has No Manipulators and Slithers, 
  but also Double-Jointed, like a snake or worm.
  Vulnerability: Monster suffers extra injury from the indi-
  cated attack form. Multiply damage that penetrates DR by the 
  given multiplier, and then apply any wounding modifier for 
  cutting, impaling, etc.
  Weakness: Monster suffers direct injury (DR doesn’t pro-
  tect) when in the presence of or touched by the indicated sub-
  stance or condition, which is harmless to most. The amount 
  of injury and when it applies (per exposure, per unit time, etc.) 
  are always given.
  Wild Animal: Regardless of IQ, monster can’t grasp “civi-
  lized” concepts (e.g., art, morality, or property as opposed to 
  territory), can’t speak (but can howl, hiss, etc.), and thinks in 
  terms of needs, threats, and dominance – not negotiation. It is 
  automatically Hidebound.
  Monster	ClAsses
  For the purpose of spells, monster-hunting abilities, and 
  What Are We Dealing With? (pp. 4-5), monsters are sorted into 
  classes.
  Animal (Giant if abnormally huge, Dire if mutant): Liv-
  ing creatures affected by abilities such as Animal Empathy, 
  Animal Friend, Song of the Wild, and Speak with Animals; 
  the Animal Handling, Disguise (Animals), Mimicry (Animal 
  Sounds and Bird Calls), and Veterinary skills; and Animal 
  spells instead of Mind Control spells.
  Construct: Artificial servitor beings animated by magic. 
  Count as magical creatures, meaning they’re affected by spells 
  like Seek Magic and Pentagram. Not free-willed, and cannot 
  be mind-controlled. Not living, and have no aura to detect 
  with the Aura spell.
  Demon: Evil entities from Hell! Count as extradimen-
  sional, so they’re subject to the Banish spell. Also considered 
  magical creatures – and truly evil, where that matters (e.g., for 
  the Protection from Evil spell). Affected by Spirit Empathy. 
  Not living.
  Divine Servitor: Treat as demons, but not from Hell and 
  not necessarily evil.
  Elder Thing: Hostile creatures from outside all conven-
  tional “dimensions” – the Banish spell can’t send them away! 
  Not magical creatures. Not living in any normal sense.
  Elemental: Spirits of air, earth, fire, or water. “Wild” ones 
  inhabit the skies, ground, volcanoes, oceans, etc.; summoned 
  ones are extradimensional, and affected by Banish. Count 
  as magical creatures, and are affected by Spirit Empathy.  
  Not living.
  Faerie: Free-willed, living beings that count as magical 
  creatures.
  Hybrid: Treat as animals – but because they share traits 
  of two or more beasts, they require a special subset of Ani-
  mal spells.
  Mundane: Ordinary, free-willed living things that aren’t 
  animals, hybrids, plants, or slimes. Includes delvers! Some 
  can be weird, with hard-to-find vital areas, but they are not 
  magical creatures.
  Plant: Living creatures affected by abilities such as Green 
  Thumb, Plant Empathy, and Speak with Plants, and by Plant 
  spells instead of Mind Control spells. Includes fungi.
  Slime: Goo that’s immune to most Animal and Plant spells, 
  and mind control, unless otherwise noted. Considered living 
  but not magical.
  Spirit: Intangible supernatural beings affected by Nec-
  romantic spirit-control spells and not otherwise classed 
  as demons, divine servitors, elementals, or undead. Count 
  as magical creatures and are affected by Spirit Empathy.  
  Not living.
  Undead: Ghosts and walking corpses. Considered mag-
  ical creatures, and are affected by Turning. Servitors – like 
  a necromancer’s zombies – aren’t free-willed and can’t be 
  mind-controlled. Ghosts are affected by Spirit Empathy and 
  Necromantic spirit-control spells. Not living!
  
  	
  th e	B estIAry	
  15
  These monsters are presented without comment as to how 
  appropriate they might be for a particular adventure. It’s up to 
  the GM to decide which creatures to use and how many – and 
  what loot they guard.
  The fair GM should ensure that the delvers have to fight 
  only monsters they have a chance of defeating. But there are 
  options other than combat! A deadly monster might occupy 
  Room #1 of the heroes’ first dungeon if there’s a way to sneak 
  past it, negotiate with it, or defeat it with a ploy.
  And while the scariest Things customarily hoard the big-
  gest treasures, that’s mainly because they can extort wealth 
  from less-scary Things. A boss monster that resides far from 
  civilization and the lairs of lesser creatures would have few 
  opportunities to plunder. Conversely, fodder monsters might 
  inhabit a mine full of diamonds they regard as worthless 
  rocks. In cases like the latter, there must be some reason why 
  other delvers (or boss monsters) haven’t confiscated the good-
  ies yet: curses, numbers, rough terrain, traps . . . preferably 
  several things at once.
  ChAPter	three
  the	BestIAry
  reAdInG	Monster	stAts
  The creatures in this book use a uniform stats format:
  ST, DX, IQ, HT, HP, Will, Per, FP, Speed, and Move: 
  Basic attributes and secondary characteristics mean 
  exactly what they do for heroes. Creatures with ST 0 
  can’t pick up or move objects, or grapple or slam. Those 
  with IQ 0 are immune to Influence rolls, mind control, 
  and Fright Checks because they have no mind, but react 
  reflexively and cannot use tactics; IQ 6+ allows language 
  and tool use. Things that list FP as “N/A” can’t spend 
  FP and are immune to fatigue damage. Move is ground 
  Move except as noted.
  SM: Size Modifier affects all rolls to hit the monster. If 
  larger than 0, Multi-Hex Figures (pp. 7-8) applies and the 
  energy cost to use Regular spells on the creature is multi-
  plied by (1 + SM). The monster’s stats already reflect the 
  effects of long limbs on Move, reach, etc.
  Dodge and Parry: Defenses are prefigured from 
  DX, Basic Speed, and melee combat skills, and already 
  include bonuses for Combat Reflexes and Enhanced 
  Dodge or Parry.
  DR: Total DR from natural sources, magic, and armor. 
  Only creatures noted as wearing armor have it. The GM 
  is free to add more DR; e.g., if an evil wizard casts Armor 
  spells on or rivets metal plates to guardian monsters.
  Attacks: Listed by descriptive attack name. No mat-
  ter how many options are given, a monster can attack 
  once plus one extra time per level of Extra Attack, unless 
  noted otherwise. For strikes and grapples, the number in 
  parentheses is effective skill. For afflictions, curses, ven-
  oms, etc., it’s the resistance roll, which might be a simple 
  attribute roll or a Quick Contest against the victim’s score. 
  The given skill, damage, reach, etc. already factor in the 
  effects of the being’s other stats (attributes, SM, advan-
  tages, skills, etc.).
  Traits: Important advantages or disadvantages. For 
  brevity’s sake, DR and attacks aren’t listed a second time, 
  and “color” traits don’t appear at all. If it’s important that 
  a monster speaks Elvish or suffers from Jealousy, or to 
  know the exact Appearance of a horrendous, non-human-
  oid Thing, the GM can add these details.
  Skills: Skills possessed by all monsters of this type. 
  Levels already reflect the effects of permanent modifiers 
  from advantages and disadvantages. Exceptional speci-
  mens might have different skills. Beings with IQ 6+ can 
  learn almost any skill!
  Class: See Monster Classes (p. 14). Rarely, two classes 
  may apply; see the notes for effects.
  Notes: Details of complex traits; whether the mon-
  ster will negotiate or feign willingness to negotiate 
  (Negotiation, p. 5); whether it’s truly evil (important 
  for certain abilities and spells); notes on valuable body 
  parts (Dead Monster Bits, Exploits, p. 24); and any 
  exceptions (to the listed stats, these guidelines, or any-
  thing in Chapter 1 or 2).
  Me, a coward? Hah! I just 
  don’t fight monsters if the 
  payoff is lousy.
  – Hap Badapple, Thief
  
  16	
  th e	B estIAry
  Acid Spider
  This giant spider has a relatively tiny body – “only” 7’ 
  across – attached to long, hairy legs that raise it 7’ off the 
  ground. It can walk unhindered over all but the tallest of men. 
  A hunter, it lurks in dark cracks, waiting for warm prey to 
  happen by. Then it jumps on its quarry, biting with fangs that 
  can penetrate plate armor and injecting fast-acting corrosive 
  venom that partially digests its prey.
  ST: 26 
  HP: 26 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 15 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 9
  IQ: 5 
  Per: 12
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: +2
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 4
  Acidic Bite (15): 2d+1 impaling + follow-up 1d-3 corrosion 
  every second for 10 seconds. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: 360° Vision; Combat Reflexes; Extra Legs (Eight Legs); 
  Horizontal; Infravision; No Fine Manipulators; Super 
  Jump (10 yards); Wild Animal.
  Skills: Jumping-16; Stealth-15.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: Long legs let it walk over SM 0 or smaller adventurers 
  without needing to evade! Acid glands contain enough 
  acid for 3d acid grenades ($10 each). Specimens with 
  higher ST aren’t unheard of – raise HP and damage 
  (thrust-1) to match, but leave all other stats unchanged.
  as-Sharak
  The as-Sharak are elemental sorcerers who sold their 
  souls for power . . . only to be turned into monsters in 
  Hell and returned to the living world to punish simi-
  larly arrogant mortals. With the physique of great cats 
  (but upright, like men) and some of the magical powers 
  they so craved in life – but their minds shattered by mad-
  ness – these demons guard troves of hidden lore, lying in 
  wait for power-hungry wizards. They believe that taking 
  enough lives will eventually break their curse.
  ST: 18 
  HP: 18 
  Speed: 6.50
  DX: 14 
  Will: 14 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 14
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 12 
  DR: 2
  Bite or Front Claw (16): 1d+2 cutting. Reach C.
  Breath (16): Can breathe a 5-yard-wide ¥ 20-yard-long cone of 
  magic breath once per day. See Area and Spreading Attacks 
  (Exploits, pp. 45-46). Effects depend on subspecies:
  • Agni (Fire) as-Sharak: Breath of Flame (5d+1 burning).
  • Akasha (Spirit) as-Sharak: Removal of Life (2d fatigue). 
  Suffocation damage; DR has no effect on this respiratory 
  attack, but Doesn’t Breathe protects completely.
  • Jala (Water) as-Sharak: Ocean’s Frozen Spray (3d-1 crushing, 
  no knockback). Roll vs. HT at -1 per 2 points of penetrating 
  damage or be frozen (paralyzed) for (20 - HT) minutes, 
  minimum 1 minute.
  • Prithvi (Earth) as-Sharak: Desert’s Sand (3d+1 crushing). 
  Roll vs. HT at -1 per 2 points of penetrating damage or be 
  blinded for (20 - HT) minutes, minimum 1 minute.
  • Vayu (Wind) as-Sharak: Rending Storm (5d+1 crushing).
  Hind Claw (14): 1d+3 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Shamshir (16): 3d+1 cutting or 1d+3 impaling. Reach 1.
  Traits: Combat Reflexes; Detect (Magic); Doesn’t Breathe; 
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Higher Purpose 1 
  (Punish invaders of protected place); Immunity to Dis-
  ease; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; Night Vision 5; 
  No Blood; No Vitals; Supernatural Durability (Can be 
  killed only by magic weapons, spells, or similar super-
  natural damage).
  Skills: Brawling-16; Broadsword-16; Innate Attack (Breath)-16; 
  Stealth-14.
  Class: Demon.
  Notes: Some wear armor; if so, add armor DR to natural DR 
  2. Treat a shamshir as a cavalry saber (Adventurers, p. 99). 
  Wizard as-Sharak with IQ 12+, Magery 2+, and spells are 
  rumored to exist. Unwilling to negotiate. Truly evil.
  Bear
  Bears in fantasy are unusually willing to attack armed 
  groups. Such aggression might stem from having unnatural 
  monsters as competition – and druids and Nature Herself 
  have been known to send bears to punish despoilers of the 
  wilderness. However, bears that adopt dungeon entrances as 
  dens are often simply defending their homes.
  ST: 19 
  HP: 19 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 11 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 8 (Water Move 3)
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 10
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 9 (unarmed) 
  DR: 2
  Out of Your Element
  In fantasy, “elemental attacks” are acid (corrosion dam-
  age), cold (burning, can’t set fires, may paralyze), electricity 
  (burning, can’t set fires, may arc through armor and/or stun), 
  fire (burning), and poison (toxic) – and possibly magical/holy 
  energy (direct injury, ignores DR) or energy drain (fatigue). 
  Many monsters offer several varieties – as-Sharak (above), 
  dragons (pp. 21-23), flaming skulls (p. 27), mold (pp. 42-43), 
  puddings (pp. 46-47), slorn (pp. 49-50), etc. – but anything 
  with an elemental attack might vary this way! Follow the 
  closest example; e.g., for a cold spider, take an acid spider 
  (p. 16), replace its corrosion follow-up with a burning one 
  that can’t set fires, and add Temperature Tolerance (Cold) 
  and DR vs. cold/ice, as for cold-breathing dragons and slorn.
  
  	
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  Bite (13): 2d cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Claw (13): 2d+2 crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Grapple (13): Apply SM difference to attack rolls (+1 vs. SM 0 
  humans). Effective ST for grappling is 21 due to Wrestling 
  skill. Inevitably followed by a hug (Constriction Attack), 
  which counts as an attack. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Bad Temper (9); Constriction Attack; Discriminatory 
  Smell; No Fine Manipulators; Semi-Upright; Temperature 
  Tolerance 2 (Cold); Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-13; Swimming-13; Wrestling-13.
  Class: Animal.
  Notes: Cave bears are bigger: ST 23, HP 23, bite 2d+2 cutting, 
  claw 2d+4 crushing. Some bears have Berserk (12) or (9) – 
  but despite tales, this isn’t universal. A bear walking or run-
  ning on four legs is a two-hex creature; when it stands on 
  its hind legs to fight, it’s a one-hex creature.
  Bronze Spider
  These jumping spiders are constructed from sacred bronze 
  and animated by divine power. While intelligent, their minds 
  are alien and coldly mechanical. Consensus among clerics 
  is that these constructs were forged to patrol and maintain 
  secret tunnels to a divine realm – some say the lair of a bizarre 
  clockwork god. Their stone-cutting “mandibles” are intended 
  for working on dungeon walls but are equally good at slicing 
  up foes. Other than outward appearance, they have little in 
  common with genuine spiders; notably, they lack venom and 
  don’t spin webs.
  In combat, bronze spiders cling to walls and ceilings, jump-
  ing great distances and attacking from weird angles (-2 to 
  enemy defenses). They often ambush from above in the dark; 
  roll a Quick Contest of Stealth vs. the delvers’ Vision (with 
  darkness modifiers and -2 for attack from above), with victory 
  for the spider allowing no defense against the opening attack. 
  This attack is usually a pounce (Exploits, p. 40).
  Bronze spiders are tough! They have DR 6 – and Homo-
  geneous halves penetrating impaling damage to find injury, 
  and gives No Brain and No Vitals to go with No Blood and No 
  Neck. Fortunately for delvers, Unnatural means these horrors 
  fall apart at -1¥HP.
  ST: 15 
  HP: 15 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 15 
  Will: 9 
  Move: 8
  IQ: 9 
  Per: 12
  HT: 13 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 6
  Mandibles (15): 2d+1 cutting. Treat as weapon, not as body 
  part. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Cannot Learn; Dark Vision; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t 
  Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Extra Legs (Eight Legs); Fanat-
  icism (Maintaining holy places); High Pain Threshold; 
  Homogeneous; Horizontal; Immunity to Disease; Immu-
  nity to Poison; Indomitable; No Blood; No Fine Manipula-
  tors; No Neck; Pressure Support; Sense of Duty (To ancient 
  gods); Spider Climb (Move 4); Striking ST 4; Super Jump 
  (9 yards); Unfazeable; Unhealing (Total); Unnatural.
  Skills: Stealth-15.
  Class: Construct.
  Notes: Despite its resemblance to a beast, Animal spells 
  won’t work. Animated by divine energies, not by conven-
  tional magic. Unwilling to negotiate. Remains yield 300 
  lbs. of scrap, worth $1d¥30 in town; see Scrap (Exploits, 
  pp. 16-17).
  Bugbear
  These are burly, hairy, fanged humanoids. They’re invari-
  ably found toting a large bag full of organs from their victims. 
  Some like hearts, some like livers, some like spleens or brains 
  or more peculiar choices. They keep these bits in their sack, 
  mixed in with any treasure they’ve collected . . . a squishy, 
  nasty mess.
  Bugbears aren’t brave, or even terribly dangerous face-to-
  face, but they are clever, sneaky, and ruthless. They miss no 
  opportunity to slip in and attack the unwary. Their favorite 
  sport is to steal up on straggling delvers and garrote them or 
  bash their heads in. Then they’ll quickly carve out their favor-
  ite organ with their claws and sneak away.
  Bugbears dwell in tunnels, with access via a concealed 
  trapdoor (-2 to spot) and at least one escape route. There will 
  inevitably be traps inside: pits, nooses, trip-ropes, sharpened 
  stakes . . .
  ST: 14 
  HP: 14 
  Speed: 6.50
  DX: 14 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 0
  Bite or Claw (16): 1d cutting. Reach C.
  Garrote (18): Must first attack the neck (-5) at reach C. Then 
  roll a Quick Contest: the bugbear’s effective ST 17 vs. the 
  better of the victim’s ST or HT. Damage equals the margin 
  of victory; multiply damage that penetrates DR by ¥1.5 (for 
  the neck) to find injury. See Garrotes (Exploits, p. 39).
  Knobbed Club (16): 2d+1 crushing. Reach 1.
  Traits: Chameleon 2; Cowardice (12); Dark Vision; Hard to 
  Kill 2; Loner (12); Silence 2.
  Skills: Axe/Mace-16; Brawling-16; Garrote-18; Stealth-16 (18 
  vs. Hearing or Vision if moving, 20 if motionless); Tac-
  tics-12; Traps-12; Wrestling-16.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Effective ST for grappling is 16 due to Wrestling skill. 
  Carries a cheap knobbed club ($8) and a rope garrote ($2). 
  Preserved or dried, bugbear spleens are ingredients in 
  various potions, worth $100 each. If consumed raw and 
  fresh, make a HT roll to keep it down: Success gives +1d 
  to Camouflage and Stealth skills for one hour; failure 
  means you can’t eat it; and critical failure causes retching 
  (Exploits, p. 66) for 2d seconds and then -1 to all attri-
  butes for 10 minutes.
  
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  Ciuaclá
  This skeletal divine servitor is inhumanly strong and tough, 
  and seems “feminine” despite lacking flesh. It wields what 
  appears to be a stiffened serpent as a staff, a mere touch from 
  which delivers venom capable of afflicting the best-armored 
  man. If dropped or broken, this weapon becomes a thousand 
  tiny worms that squirm back to their owner, reforming as a 
  staff in one second! Out of combat, the serpent dwells coiled 
  within the ciuaclá’s ribcage. Ciuaclán resemble animated skel-
  etons but aren’t undead (as clerics and holy warriors may dis-
  cover the hard way). They’re usually encountered in groups, 
  guarding some death god’s temple.
  In combat, ciuaclán favor Deceptive Attacks and Rapid 
  Strikes with their staffs. They will retreat to maintain their 
  weapon’s reach advantage. Be aware that they have DR 12 
  vs. cutting attacks – and because they’re Unliving, impal-
  ing attacks get no special wounding modifier. Fortunately, 
  battering ciuaclán down to -1¥HP will dispel them, as  
  they’re Unnatural.
  ST: 18 
  HP: 18 
  Speed: 7.50
  DX: 14 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 14 
  DR: 4
  Venom Staff (18): 3d+2 crushing + follow-up 1d+4 toxic. 
  Toxic damage ignores all DR, so it works even if crushing 
  damage inflicts no injury! Reach 1, 2.
  Traits: Cannot Float; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; 
  Doesn’t Sleep; DR 8 vs. cutting damage only; High Pain 
  Threshold; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Mind Con-
  trol; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; No Blood; No 
  Brain; No Eyes; No Sense of Smell/Taste; No Vitals; Skinny 
  (-2 ST vs. knockback); Temperature Tolerance 10 (Heat); 
  Unfazeable; Unliving; Unnatural.
  Skills: Fast-Draw (Serpent)-18; Staff-18.
  Class: Divine Servitor.
  Notes: Unwilling to negotiate with anyone who doesn’t make 
  an Occultism roll at -5 to know what it is, followed by a suc-
  cessful Influence roll against Religious Ritual to appease it 
  . . . in its obscure language. Abilities are divine, not conven-
  tional magic. Serpent staffs won’t work for non-ciuaclán, 
  but can be sold to alchemists in town for $1,000 apiece!
  Corpse Golem
  Not everything that looks like a zombie is a zombie. Corpse 
  golems are an excellent example. These constructs are made 
  of rotting bits of destroyed undead, stitched together and 
  reanimated . . . again. The result is about as effective as any 
  other golem, but fouler.
  Corpse golems are mostly fodder in the legions of Evil, 
  where they’re sometimes favored over zombies because 
  they’re not susceptible to the abilities of annoying clerics and 
  holy warriors. A side benefit is that adventurers often waste 
  precious time trying to use sacred powers on the things, which 
  sure do look undead!
  ST: 15 
  HP: 18 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 8 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 8
  HT: 12 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 10 (¥2) 
  DR: 0
  
  	
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  Hook (14): Sickles can “grapple” by hooking. This does 1d-1 
  cutting initially and for free every turn after that until vic-
  tim escapes. Reach C, 1
  Sickles (14): 2d+1 cutting or 2d+1 impaling. Swung to impale, 
  a sickle may become stuck; see Picks (Exploits, p. 39). Can-
  not be dropped! Reach 1.
  Traits: Automaton; Bad Smell; Cannot Learn; Doesn’t Breathe; 
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; 
  Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; Indomita-
  ble; No Blood; No Fine Manipulators; Reprogrammable; 
  Single-Minded; Unfazeable; Unhealing (Total); Unliving; 
  Unnatural.
  Skills: Axe/Mace-14; Stealth-12.
  Class: Construct.
  Notes: Roll Hidden Lore (Undead) or Thaumatology at -5 to 
  realize that a corpse golem is a construct and not some 
  zombie variant; see Recognition (p. 4). Has a sickle affixed 
  to each wrist in place of a hand; these are considered 
  weapons, not body parts, and may be poisoned or given 
  any modifier or enchantment handheld weapons could 
  have. Often clad in armor; DR 2 tanned corpse-leather 
  seems appropriate. No golem will negotiate or reveal 
  useful information.
  Crushroom
  A crushroom is a man-sized, ambulatory fungus. It 
  resembles a huge mushroom with dozens of tentacle-like 
  “feet” surrounding its base (allowing it to move) and a 
  gaping maw on top (permitting it to eat delvers). Made of 
  solid vegetable “muscle,” it’s fantastically strong.
  In combat, the main things to remember are that 
  Homogeneous makes it much harder to whittle away 40 
  HP – and that crushrooms are ordinary living beings 
  that get HT rolls to survive at -1¥HP, -2¥HP, and so on. 
  Slaying one can take a lot of hacking and slashing!
  ST: 40 
  HP: 40 
  Speed: 4.50
  DX: 10 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 4
  IQ: 2 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 7 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 2
  Bite (10): 4d crushing. Also counts as a grapple on oppo-
  nents of SM 0 or smaller, and is followed by Constric-
  tion Attack on later turns, which is as a free action. 
  Reach C.
  Traits: Constriction Attack; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t 
  Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Homogeneous; Immu-
  nity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; No 
  Blood; No Fine Manipulators; Unfazeable.
  Class: Plant.
  Notes: Crushrooms aren’t intelligent enough to negotiate, 
  although rumors abound of intelligent fungus-men 
  with hallucinogenic spores (for effects, see Incapaci-
  tating Conditions, Exploits, p. 66). Plant spells affect 
  them normally.
  Demon from Between the Stars
  Ancient tomes have no shorter name for the Demons from 
  Between the Stars – that’s what they’ve always been called. 
  Given that these entities are Elder Things rather than demons, 
  the moniker is misleading as well as annoyingly wordy. 
  They’re most often found guarding lost Elder Thing sites.
  The vaguely humanoid Demons appear to be made of 
  pure darkness, though they are tangible, not specters or 
  shadows. When enraged, their eyes glow like stars. They’re 
  about as intelligent as apes, savage, and engulfed in a field of 
  chilling “night energy” that absorbs blows and sucks energy 
  from the living.
  In combat, the Demons rely on darkness, where they can 
  see and have an effective Stealth skill of 20 even when moving. 
  Against victims who can’t ignore -5 or more in darkness pen-
  alties, they may attempt Backstabbing (Exploits, pp. 57-58) 
  repeatedly in the dark! Vanishing from sight requires a Move 
  maneuver and a Stealth roll at -5, giving effective skill 15.  
  
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  The turn after, the Demon can strike from behind at the usual 
  +4. With lots of HP (they can take 42 points of injury before 
  Unnatural sends them home) and the ability to heal whenever 
  they harm, they can last a long time if they hit and run . . .
  ST: 14 
  HP: 21 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 15 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 6 
  Per: 12
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 10 (unarmed) 
  DR: 4
  Life-Draining Touch (15): 1d+1 toxic. This attack ignores all 
  DR and heals the Demon the same number of HP that it 
  inflicts! Reach C.
  Traits: Berserk (12); Chameleon 5 (Only in darkness); Dark 
  Vision; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Thresh-
  old; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; Indom-
  itable; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold); Temperature 
  Tolerance 5 (Heat); Unfazeable; Unnatural.
  Skills: Stealth-15 (in the dark, becomes 20 if moving or 25 if 
  motionless).
  Class: Elder Thing.
  Notes: For the spellcasting leaders mentioned in ancient 
  writings, raise IQ to 10+, add Power Investiture (Elder), 
  and give them a few spells at IQ + Power Investiture level; 
  appropriate choices are Blackout, Blur, Darkness, Death-
  touch, Dehydrate, Frostbite, Hide, Invisibility, Strike Blind, 
  and Terror. Unwilling to negotiate. Truly evil.
  Demon of Old
  These demons date to time out of memory. The gods sup-
  posedly banished them from the mortal sphere, but they still 
  lurk in places that escaped divine wrath, such as ruined pri-
  meval cities and ancient dungeons. They look like demons are 
  “supposed” to look: muscular red brutes with horns, claws, 
  barbed tails, and eyes like molten lava. Contrary to popu-
  lar myth, however, they prefer the hooked chain (treat as a 
  kusari) to the trident.
  The only sure way to defeat such a demon is to run it 
  through the heart – make a Hidden Lore (Demons) roll to 
  locate this. Given its HP score and Unkillable, a party without 
  that knowledge may have to deliver 220 HP of injury to beat 
  one down to -10¥HP and defeat it, all without the benefit of 
  wounding multipliers for neck, skull, or (conventional) vitals. 
  A demon at 0 HP or below might be dispelled (“fall uncon-
  scious”) sooner, but HT 12 makes this unlikely.
  ST: 20 
  HP: 20 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 16 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry: 12 (unarmed)/ 
  DR: 4
   
   
  10 (chain)
  Barbed Tail or Horns (16): 2d+3 impaling. Treat as weapons, 
  not as body parts. Reach C, 1.
  Chain Blow (16): 3d+4 crushing. Parried at -4, blocked at -2, 
  and may entangle if parried; see Kusaris (Exploits, p. 39). 
  At -5 to hit, the demon can strike the back of someone 
  closer than the chain’s current reach; treat this as an attack 
  from the side (gives another -2 to defend) and apply the DR 
  on the victim’s back. Reach 1-4*.
  Chain Grapple (14): The demon can take a Ready maneuver 
  to grasp its chain by both ends, and then grapple at reach 
  C-2 on later turns. This grapple counts as two-handed. On 
  turns following the initial grapple, the demon can strangle 
  (Exploits, p. 41) at +2 to ST for the chain, try a takedown, 
  or reel in its quarry (roll as for a takedown, but victory 
  hauls the victim a yard closer).
  Foot Talons (14): 2d+1 cutting or impaling. Reach C, 1.
  Hand Talons (16): 2d cutting or impaling. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Bloodlust (12); Callous; Combat Reflexes; Detect (Life); 
  Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Dread 
  (Holy objects; 5 yards); High Pain Threshold; Immunity to 
  Disease; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; Infravision; 
  Lifebane; No Blood; No Brain; No Neck; Sadism (12); Tem-
  perature Tolerance 10 (Heat); Unkillable (Achilles Heel, 
  Blow to vitals).
  Skills: Brawling-16; Kusari-16; Wrestling-16.
  Class: Demon.
  Notes: Effective ST when grappling is 22, thanks to Wrestling; 
  apply SM difference to attack rolls when grappling (+1 
  vs. SM 0 humans). Some use a chain of meteoric iron 
  (Adventurers, p. 106), worth $1,400! Unwilling to negoti-
  ate. Truly evil.
  Dinoman
  Dinomen (the plural of “dinoman”) resemble small, scaly 
  humans with short tails and heads like miniature tyranno-
  saurs. They’re strong for their height, which rarely tops 5’. 
  Both predators and scavengers, they regard anything slain – 
  especially foes and their own dead – as food.
  Dinomen aren’t terribly smart, but they compensate with 
  numbers, ferocious bravery, numbers, weapon use, and even 
  more numbers. Every mob has at least one hero and one leader. 
  The leader coordinates their attacks; the result generally isn’t 
  much better than a head-on charge, but they sometimes sur-
  prise opponents with flashes of tactical ingenuity.
  Most dinomen wield knobbed clubs or hatchets; leaders 
  and heroes use shortswords claimed from previous victims. 
  While dinomen prefer weapons, they’ll grapple and bite if dis-
  armed. Against large foes, they may pile on for a takedown 
  (Multiple Close Combat, Exploits, p. 51), and then bite and 
  worry with their teeth!
  ST: 11 
  HP: 11 
  Speed: 5.50
  DX: 12 
  Will: 9 
  Move: 5
  IQ: 7 
  Per: 10
  HT: 10 
  FP: 10 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: 10 
  DR: 1
  
  	
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  21
  Bite (15): 1d cutting. Any hit counts as a grapple, even if it 
  doesn’t penetrate DR. This allows the dinoman to worry – 
  roll damage each turn as a free action! Reach C.
  Hatchet (14): 1d+1 cutting. Reach 1.
  Knobbed Club (14): 1d+2 crushing. Reach 1.
  Traits: Bloodlust (12); Cast-Iron Stomach; Discriminatory 
  Smell; Discriminatory Taste; Gluttony (9); Odious Racial 
  Habit (Eats other sapient beings, -3 reactions); Resistant 
  to Disease 3.
  Skills: Axe/Mace-14; Brawling-15; Stealth-12; Tracking-12; 
  Wrestling-12.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Dinoman teeth are filthy, with bits of rotting flesh stuck 
  in them; anyone bitten must roll vs. HT to avoid infection 
  with the shakes: -2 to DX and DX-based skills until treated 
  with Cure Disease. Dinoman heroes have ST 12, Combat 
  Reflexes, Axe/Mace-15, and Shortsword-15, and wield a 
  shortsword (1d+2 cutting). Leaders use the hero stats, but 
  are also slightly smarter (IQ 8) and posses a modicum of 
  tactical skill (Tactics-10). Dinomen will negotiate; gener-
  ally, they want fresh (not preserved) food and newer weap-
  ons of their preferred types.
  Dire Wolf
  Dire wolves are huge, strong, fast wolves with thick, woolly 
  coats, keen senses, and a taste for human flesh. Tales of orcs 
  using them as mounts are apocryphal – they’ll eat orcs, too. 
  While one dire wolf might be no challenge for adventurers, 
  they tend to occur in packs of up to 20 . . .
  ST: 16 
  HP: 16 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 9
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 14
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 2
  Bite (14): 1d+1 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Discriminatory Smell; Night Vision 2; Quadruped; 
  Temperature Tolerance 1 (Cold); Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Tracking-14.
  Class: Giant Animal (despite the name).
  Notes: While not sapient, dire wolves use effective pack 
  tactics (p. 7). Each pack has an alpha male with ST 17, 
  IQ 5, HP 17, Will 12, Per 15, damage 1d+2 cutting, and 
  Tactics-12.
  Doomchild
  Doomchildren (plural – there’s always a horde) are pint-
  sized demons, barely sapient, that attack viciously with unex-
  pected strength and speed. Bulging eyes and bloated heads 
  mar their disturbingly childlike appearance. They’re very frag-
  ile; one solid hit will kill them. On dying, though, they explode 
  in a cloud of flame, just like a magical fireball.
  ST: 8 
  HP: 8 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 18 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 10
  IQ: 6 
  Per: 10
  HT: 10 
  FP: 10 
  SM: -1
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 0
  Death Blast: On dying, produces a 3d burning explosion 
  (just like an Explosive Fireball spell, Spells, p. 29) and 
  everyone within five yards is hit with a 1d cutting attack 
  from flying bone shards (those who can see the explosion 
  get a Dodge roll against this).
  Large Knife (18): 3d-2 cutting at reach C, 1 or 1d+2 impaling 
  at reach C.
  Traits: Berserk (12); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; 
  Doesn’t Sleep; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; 
  Indomitable; Striking ST 10; Unfazeable.
  Skills: Knife-18.
  Class: Demon.
  Notes: Unwilling to negotiate. Truly evil.
  Dragon
  Dragons resemble winged lizards with an arsenal of nat-
  ural weapons: fangs, a spiny frill (“horns”), four clawed feet, 
  and powerful wings and tail. All can exhale something harm-
  ful – not always flame. Thick scales make them formidable on 
  the defensive. These features become more impressive with 
  size, and dragons never stop growing.
  Dragons are also intelligent – the older, the smarter. They 
  use canny tactics not only in battle but also when they parley, 
  speaking eloquently to convince delvers that certain courses of 
  action would be prudent or profitable (which they will be . . . 
  for the dragon). The wisest can cast spells.
  The threat the “king of the monsters” poses depends on 
  its precise capabilities – these creatures vary widely, and the 
  GM should customize each one. In addition to the fixed and 
  suggested traits below, a particular dragon could have any 
  advantage – most famously Alternate Form (Human), Danger 
  Sense, Discriminatory Smell, Extra Heads (with Extra Attacks 
  and different breath weapons), and See Invisible – plus worri-
  some disadvantages: Bad Temper, Bloodlust, Bully, Callous, 
  Gluttony . . .
  Speaking from Experience
  When outnumbered by slow creatures like horde 
  zombies or dinomen, avoid getting surrounded by using 
  a retreating skirmish line to engage a few at a time. 
  Against fast monsters like dire wolves – or when retreat 
  is impossible – circle up to shield your backs. Slay as 
  many as you can quickly, beginning with attackers that 
  have overrun allies. Doomchildren are annoying: Too 
  swift to outmaneuver and destructive to tight forma-
  tions! Pick ‘em off from afar – a good tactic against any 
  mob, actually.
  – Sir Yvor Gryffyn, Knight
  
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  th e	B estIAry
  The battlefield has a large impact on a dragon’s deadliness, 
  too. A dragon is often less dangerous in a dungeon, where it 
  cannot fly high and murder the delvers with impunity.
  Small Dragon
  A young member of a large subspecies or a mature member 
  of a lesser variety. Small relative to dragons, but still huge from 
  a delver’s point of view!
  ST: 25 
  HP: 25 
  Speed: 6.75
  DX: 12 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 6 (Air Move 13)
  IQ: 12 
  Per: 14
  HT: 15 
  FP: 15 
  SM: +3
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 10 
  DR: 3
  Bite (14): 2d+3 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Breath (14): Costs 2 FP per use, with no recharge time or 
  limit on uses/day. See Area and Spreading Attacks (Exploits, 
  pp. 45-46) to adjudicate area effects and cones, which 
  inflict large-area injury (Exploits, p. 53). Effects depend on 
  the dragon:
  • Acid: A 2-yard-radius area effect directly in front of drag-
  on’s head. Everyone within is immersed in acid for a sec-
  ond, taking 1d-1 corrosion and requiring a HT roll to avoid 
  blindness; see Acid (Exploits, p. 65). Double dragon’s DR 
  vs. acid.
  • Cold: A 1-yard-wide ¥ 10-yard-long cone. 2d+2 burning due 
  to extreme cold, not fire – won’t set fires. Double dragon’s 
  DR vs. cold, and swap Temperature Tolerance (Cold) and 
  (Heat) levels.
  • Fire: A 1-yard-wide ¥ 10-yard-long cone. 2d+2 burning. Dou-
  ble dragon’s DR vs. fire.
  • Poison: A 2-yard-radius area effect directly in front of drag-
  on’s head. Everyone within is exposed to contact poison for 
  one second and must roll vs. HT; success means 1d injury, 
  failure means 2d injury. Dragon has Immunity to Poison.
  Front Claw (14): 2d+3 cutting. Reach C-2.
  Hind Claw (12): 2d+4 cutting. Reach C-2.
  Horns (14): 2d+3 cutting. Treat as weapon, not as body part, 
  both to attack and parry! Reach C, 1.
  Tail (12): 2d+4 crushing or double that for knockback only 
  (no damage). Reach C-3.
  Wing (14): 2d+3 crushing or double that for knockback only 
  (no damage). Reach C-3.
  Traits: Bad Grip 2; Extra Attack 1; Flight (Winged); High Pain 
  Threshold; Horizontal; Immunity to Disease; Loner (12); 
  Nictitating Membrane 3; Night Vision 9; Penetrating Voice; 
  Peripheral Vision; Temperature Tolerance 2 (Cold); Tem-
  perature Tolerance 4 (Heat); Unfazeable.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Diplomacy-12; Fast-Talk-12; Innate 
  Attack (Breath)-14; Tactics-12.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Dragon can attack twice but can use each natural 
  weapon (e.g., “left front claw” or “breath”) just once. 
  Dragon may have Magery 1 or 2, up to Energy Reserve 
  25 (Magical), and wizardly spells! Dragon body parts are 
  valuable. Roll against Survival to remove scales, horns, 
  etc.; success salvages parts worth $1d¥2,000, weighing 3 
  lbs. per $100 of value (the GM may require PCs who desire 
  dragonhide armor to bring back at least the weight of 
  such armor). Success at Thaumatology allows a Surgery 
  roll to extract magical organs worth another $1d¥2,000 
  but weighing just 0.3 lb. per $100 of value.
  Medium Dragon
  A “typical” dragon, if there is such a thing. A true boss mon-
  ster that could wipe out ill-prepared adventurers.
  
  	
  th e	B estIAry	
  23
  ST: 35 
  HP: 35 
  Speed: 7.25
  DX: 14 
  Will: 14 
  Move: 6 (Air Move 14/21)
  IQ: 14 
  Per: 16
  HT: 15 
  FP: 15 
  SM: +4
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 6
  Bite (16): 4d+2 impaling. Reach C, 1.
  Breath (16): As small dragon, but more effective:
  • Acid: As small dragon, but a 3-yard radius. Double dragon’s 
  DR vs. acid.
  • Cold: As small dragon, but 4d-1 burning. Double dragon’s 
  DR vs. cold and swap Temperature Tolerance levels.
  • Fire: As small dragon, but 4d-1 burning. Double dragon’s 
  DR vs. fire.
  • Poison: As small dragon, but a 3-yard radius. Dragon has 
  Immunity to Poison.
  Front Claw (16): 4d+2 cutting or impaling. Reach C-3.
  Hind Claw (14): 4d+3 cutting or impaling. Reach C-3.
  Horns (16): 4d+2 cutting. Treat as weapon, not as body part, 
  both to attack and parry! Reach C, 1.
  Tail (14): 4d+3 crushing or double that for knockback only. 
  Reach C-4.
  Wing (16): 4d+2 crushing or double that for knockback only. 
  Reach C-4.
  Traits: As small dragon, but raise Extra Attack to 2 and Nicti-
  tating Membrane to 6, and add Enhanced Move (Air).
  Skills: Brawling-16; Diplomacy-14; Fast-Talk-14; Innate 
  Attack (Breath)-16; Tactics-14.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Dragon can attack three times, still using any given 
  weapon once. Dragon may have Magery 1-4, up to Energy 
  Reserve 35 (Magical), and wizardly spells! Double the value 
  of body parts.
  Large Dragon
  An epic monster, fit to challenge armies. Delvers would 
  have to be powerful, well-equipped, and well-organized to 
  stand a chance.
  ST: 50 
  HP: 50 
  Speed: 7.25
  DX: 14 
  Will: 16 
  Move: 6 (Air Move 14/21)
  IQ: 16 
  Per: 18
  HT: 15 
  FP: 15 
  SM: +5
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 9
  Bite (16): 5d+6 impaling. Reach C, 1.
  Breath (16): As small dragon, but more effective:
  • Acid: As small dragon, but a 4-yard radius. Double dragon’s 
  DR vs. acid.
  • Cold: As small dragon, but 5d+2 burning. Double dragon’s 
  DR vs. cold and swap Temperature Tolerance levels.
  • Fire: As small dragon, but 5d+2 burning. Double dragon’s 
  DR vs. fire.
  • Poison: As small dragon, but a 4-yard radius. Dragon has 
  Immunity to Poison.
  Front Claw (16): 5d+6 cutting or impaling. Reach C-5.
  Hind Claw (14): 5d+7 cutting or impaling. Reach C-5.
  Horns (16): 5d+6 cutting. Treat as weapon, not as body part, 
  both to attack and parry! Reach C, 1.
  Tail (14): 5d+7 crushing or double that for knockback only. 
  Reach C-6.
  Wing (16): 5d+6 crushing or double that for knockback only. 
  Reach C-6.
  Traits: As medium dragon, but raise Extra Attack to 3 and 
  Nictitating Membrane to 9.
  Skills: Brawling-16; Diplomacy-16; Fast-Talk-16; Innate 
  Attack (Breath)-16; Tactics-16.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Dragon can attack four times, still using any given 
  weapon once. Dragons this big sometimes cause Terror 
  (p. 12). Dragon may have Magery 1-6, up to Energy Reserve 
  50 (Magical), and wizardly spells! Quadruple the value of 
  body parts.
  Draug
  Draugr (singular: draug) are angry, half-rotted corpses of 
  barbarian warriors who are very unhappy with their funeral 
  arrangements – or simply protective of their tomb. As the 
  unhallowed dead make poor neighbors and aren’t terribly 
  social, they’re most frequently encountered alone. However, 
  they occasionally come in groups of up to half a dozen, some-
  times more, clustered on old battlefields.
  Draugr aren’t mindless; they can speak but don’t bother to. 
  They don’t wander, if only because they can’t stray far from 
  their place of burial (or lack thereof). They don’t “sleep,” 
  either, although they do need to lie down senseless for eight 
  hours a day in their tomb or place of death. They are single- 
  minded, and may even ignore delvers who don’t try to plun-
  der their gear or nearby valuables. Of course, if a draug has 
  superior equipment – and if it was a (previously) successful 
  delver or warrior chief in life, this is likely – the loot can be 
  very tempting.
  ST: 22 
  HP: 27 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 13 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 10
  HT: 15 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry/Block: 12 
  DR: 6 (4 vs. crushing)
  Axe (16): 4d+2 cutting. Reach 1.
  Broadsword (16): 4d+1 cutting or 2d+2 impaling. Reach 1.
  Punch (16): 2d+2 crushing (includes +1 for armored fist). 
  Reach C.
  Traits: Bad Smell; Bad Temper (12); Bloodlust (12); Combat 
  Reflexes; Dark Vision; Dependency (Rest in own tomb 1/3 
  of each day or lose 1 HP/hour); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t 
  Eat or Drink; Frightens Animals; Hidebound; High Pain 
  Threshold; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; 
  Indomitable; Intolerance (The living); No Blood; Single- 
  Minded; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold); Temperature Tol-
  erance 5 (Heat); Unhealing (Total); Vulnerability (Fire ¥2).
  
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  th e	B estIAry
  Skills: Axe/Mace-16; Brawling-16; Broadsword-16; Shield-16; 
  Wrestling-14.
  Class: Undead.
  Notes: Effective ST for grappling is 23 due to Wrestling skill. 
  Carries a medium shield (DB 2), a broadsword, and an axe. 
  Wears mail (DR 4/2, combined with innate DR 2 above) 
  and a segmented plate helm (DR 4, giving the skull total 
  DR 8). Some are buried with much better gear, enchanted 
  or of superior quality. A buried-but-lively barbarian lord 
  with a Sword of Wizard Whacking will be using it, of 
  course! Unwilling to negotiate.
  Electric Jelly
  This monstrous “jellyfish” – some 10’ across – moves by 
  levitating, and functions equally well over land or in water. 
  It somehow senses the brains of thinking foes (or so sages 
  claim), and can see all around it, making it nearly impossible 
  to surprise. It zips directly toward any prey it detects, attack-
  ing aggressively.
  The jelly strikes with “tentacles” of pure electricity, simul-
  taneously zapping up to six targets, stunning and eventually 
  frying them. Opponents who foolishly hit it using bare hands 
  or metal weapons are also jolted! Its single, physical feeding 
  tentacle (a mouth on a stalk) can grapple and suck the life 
  from one victim, healing the creature if it’s wounded – but 
  while doing so, the jelly is limited to five lightning attacks.
  The thing has an altitude advantage over ground-bound 
  opponents, hovering at 10’; this gives the jelly +2 to defend and 
  its foes -2 to defend. It divides penetrating damage received by 
  2 if impaling or by 5 if piercing, thanks to Homogeneous, and 
  is nigh-impervious to lightning (total DR 40).
  ST: 35 
  HP: 35 
  Speed: 5.50
  DX: 10 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 11 (Air or Water)
  IQ: 5 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +3
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 9
  Electrical Aura: 1d+2(5) burning + roll vs. HT at -1 per 2 
  points of penetrating damage or be physically stunned (roll 
  vs. HT at same penalty every turn to recover). This harms 
  anyone who is touched by the jelly, or who touches it in 
  close combat or via a metal weapon.
  Electric “Tentacles” (14): Up to six attacks! As electrical 
  aura, above, but at reach C-2.
  Feeding Tentacle (14): 2d+1 cutting + follow-up 3 HP/second 
  if this pierces DR, healing jelly 1 HP per 3 HP drained. 
  Reach C-2.
  Traits: 360° Vision; Aerial; Amphibious; Detect (Nervous Sys-
  tems); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Sleep; DR 31 vs. electricity 
  only; Extra Attack 5; Flight (Low Ceiling, 10’); High Pain 
  Threshold; Homogeneous; Immunity to Disease; Immu-
  nity to Poison; Invertebrate; No Blood; No Neck; One 
  Arm (Feeding Tube); Pressure Support; Sealed; Uncon-
  trollable Appetite (12) (Mortal Life Force); Unfazeable;  
  Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Wrestling-14.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: Wrestling gives effective ST 37 for grappling, ensur-
  ing that once it latches on its feeding tube, the victim 
  won’t be escaping; apply SM difference to attack rolls 
  when grappling (+3 vs. SM 0 humans). Make an Alchemy 
  roll to collect the jelly’s remains before they liquefy, at -1 
  per minute after death; success gathers 1d paut potions 
  per point of success.
  Elemental
  Elementals are tangible spirits (not living beings!) that 
  embody the four alchemical elements: air, earth, fire, and 
  water. Some dwell in nature, in places where their element 
  is strongly in evidence, and may be hostile to delvers who 
  invade those realms. Others are summoned as servants by 
  powerful druids or wizards, who might bind them to guard 
  any place or object.
  The elementals presented here are powerful, to challenge 
  delvers as monsters. Lesser specimens with lower attributes 
  and few or no special attacks certainly exist.
  Air Elemental
  A whirling miniature tornado, vaguely humanoid in 
  shape. Wild air elementals are found in windy places such 
  as mountaintops – or anywhere in a storm! Though an air 
  elemental has DR 0, it is Diffuse and thus suffers little injury 
  from most attacks.
  ST: 17 
  HP: 22 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 11 
  Will: 9 
  Move: 12/24 (Air)
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 8
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 9 
  DR: 0
  Air Blast (13): 1d+2 crushing + whirling fury, below. Treat as 
  weapon, not as body part. Reach C, 1.
  Lightning Bolt (14): Costs 1 FP per use. 3d burning + roll vs. 
  HT at -1 per 2 points of penetrating damage or be phys-
  ically stunned (roll vs. HT at same penalty every turn to 
  recover). Ranged, with Acc 4, 1/2D 10, Max 100.
  Thunderclap: Costs 2 FP per use. Everyone within two yards 
  of elemental must make a HT roll or be physically stunned 
  (roll vs. HT every turn to recover). Unaffected by DR, but 
  doesn’t affect the deaf.
  Whirling Fury: 6d crushing for knockback only (no damage). 
  Affects anyone touched by elemental or touching it in close 
  combat. Doesn’t affect those who hit elemental with weap-
  ons, but does let elemental strike and parry as if armed.
  When jolted by lightning 
  monsters, being stunned can 
  prove deadlier than the burns.
  – Francesco Zombani, Cleric
  
  	
  th e	B estIAry	
  25
  Traits: Aerial; Diffuse; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; 
  Doesn’t Sleep; Enhanced Move (Air); Flight (Lighter Than 
  Air); Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; No Fine 
  Manipulators; No Neck; Vulnerability (Vacuum and wind-
  based attacks ¥2).
  Skills: Brawling-13; Innate Attack (Beam)-14.
  Class: Elemental.
  Notes: Summoned elementals add Reprogrammable and 
  Unnatural; they vanish instantly if wounded to -1¥HP, 
  and can also be dismissed by the Banish spell (Spells, 
  pp. 59-60).
  Earth Elemental
  A hulking, crudely humanoid figure made of stone-stud-
  ded clay. Most often found underground, making it the ele-
  mental that dungeon-raiders are most likely to encounter. 
  Earth elementals have hands and can manipulate objects, 
  albeit clumsily.
  ST: 25 
  HP: 25 
  Speed: 5.25
  DX: 8 
  Will: 9 
  Move: 5
  IQ: 7 
  Per: 7
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: 8 
  DR: 9
  Stony Fist (10): 2d+4 crushing. Treat as weapon, not as body 
  part. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Absolute Direction; Dark Vision; Doesn’t Breathe; 
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Ham-Fisted 2; Homo-
  geneous; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; No 
  Blood; No Neck; Pressure Support; Subsonic Hearing; 
  Tunneling (see notes).
  Skills: Brawling-10.
  Class: Elemental.
  Notes: Can tunnel through earth at Move 3 or stone at Move 
  1 – navigating via Absolute Direction and Dark Vision – to 
  emerge almost anywhere underground! Summoned ele-
  mentals add Reprogrammable and Unnatural; they vanish 
  instantly if wounded to -1¥HP, and can also be dismissed 
  by the Banish spell (Spells, pp. 59-60).
  Fire Elemental
  A mobile flame with a roughly humanoid shape. In the 
  wild, these beings lurk in or near volcanoes and lava, but they 
  sometimes come out to play in (or set) wildfires. A fire elemen-
  tal is hard to harm: it has DR 6, is Diffuse, cannot be harmed 
  in any way by heat or fire, and tends to destroy wooden weap-
  ons used to strike it!
  ST: 15 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 6/12
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 8
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 6
  Fiery Blow (12): 1d burning + halo of flame, below. Reach 
  C, 1.
  
  26	
  th e	B estIAry
  Firebolt (15): Costs 1 FP per use. 2d burning. Ranged, with 
  Acc 3, 1/2D 10, Max 100.
  Halo of Flame: 2d burning to anyone touched by elemental 
  or touching it in close combat. This can destroy wooden 
  weapons (Damage to Objects, Exploits, pp. 55-56), though 
  the danger should be obvious beforehand.
  Traits: Bad Temper (12); Diffuse; Doesn’t Breathe (but 
  see notes); Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; 
  Enhanced Move (Ground); Immunity to Disease; 
  Immunity to Heat/Fire; Immunity to Poison; 
  No Fine Manipulators; No Neck; Pyromania (9); 
  Weakness (1d HP if immersed in water, repeating 
  every minute).
  Skills: Innate Attack (Projectile)-15.
  Class: Elemental.
  Notes: Fire elementals don’t breathe and can’t be 
  gassed or strangled, but require air in order to 
  burn, experiencing Suffocation (Exploits, p. 70) 
  without it: FP loss, and then HP loss until death. Sum-
  moned elementals add Reprogrammable and Unnatural; 
  they vanish instantly if wounded to -1¥HP, and can also be 
  dismissed by the Banish spell (Spells, pp. 59-60).
  Water Elemental
  A walking wave. Wild water elementals are found in almost 
  all bodies of water of any size, including subterranean rivers 
  and lakes. A water elemental has DR 5 and is Diffuse, making 
  it difficult to injure.
  ST: 14 
  HP: 15 
  Speed: 5.50
  DX: 10 
  Will: 9 
  Move: 6 (Ground or 
  IQ: 9 
  Per: 9 
   Water)/9 (Water)
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: 9 
  DR: 5
  Drown: If it starts its turn in close combat with someone of 
  SM 0 or smaller – or can move there on its turn – it can try 
  to engulf its target. No attack roll is necessary! The only 
  defense is a dodge combined with a dive or retreat to leave 
  the hex. Failure to leave means being pinned as if with two 
  hands (Actions After a Grapple, Exploits, p. 41). A pinned 
  victim that breathes experiences Suffocation (Exploits, 
  p. 70), losing FP and then HP. Treat attempts to attack 
  the elemental while it has someone inside as Striking Into 
  Close Combat (Exploits, p. 51). The elemental can engulf 
  just one foe at a time but can fight while doing so, though 
  it loses its prey if it leaves the hex.
  Water Blast (12): 6d crushing for knockback only (no dam-
  age). Treat as a jet spell (Spells, p. 12) with reach C-3. Can 
  be used to parry as if it were a weapon.
  Watery Blow (12): 1d crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Amphibious; Chameleon 1; Diffuse; Doesn’t Breathe; 
  Doesn’t Sleep; Enhanced Move (Water); Immunity to Dis-
  ease; Immunity to Poison; Invertebrate; No Neck; Pressure 
  Support; Slippery 5; Vulnerability (Dehydration attacks ¥2).
  Skills: Brawling-12; Innate Attack (Beam)-12.
  Class: Elemental.
  Notes: Water elementals that choose to speak can do so under-
  water or from within the water to those standing on land. 
  Summoned elementals add Reprogrammable and Unnatu-
  ral; they vanish instantly if wounded to -1¥HP, and can also 
  be dismissed by the Banish spell (Spells, pp. 59-60).
  Erupting Slime
  “Normal” slime (pp. 48-49) is dangerous only if touched or 
  if it drips on a careless delver. This variety is unusual in that 
  it oozes around, spewing globs of toxic gunk at anything that 
  moves, with the goal of killing the target in order to engulf it 
  and thus reproduce. Left undestroyed in an area with dead 
  bodies, erupting slime will convert a body into a new slime in 
  an hour. This doubling will continue until the slimes run out 
  of corpses. Someone turned to slime cannot be resurrected!
  ST: 0 
  HP: 10 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 0 
  Move: 1 (Ground or Water)
  IQ: 0 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Slimeball (12): Penetrates armor in DR seconds, and then 
  delivers 2d toxic, reduced to 1d toxic with a successful HT 
  roll. Ranged, with Acc 3, 1/2D 10, Max 100.
  Traits: Amphibious; Diffuse (Infiltration); Doesn’t Breathe; 
  Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Disease; 
  Immunity to Poison; Invertebrate; No Eyes; No Head; No 
  Manipulators; No Neck; Slithers; Vibration Sense (Air).
  Class: Slime.
  Notes: Can flow through even the tiniest holes! Nonsentient – 
  can’t communicate or negotiate. Unaffected by Animal or 
  Plant spells that don’t specifically target slimes. A dead 
  erupting slime can be used or sold as one dose of oozing 
  doom (Adventurers, p. 116).
  Eye of Death
  Eyes of death are giant, floating, bloodshot eyeballs, 
  around 3’ across. They fly by some form of levitation, steady 
  and whisper-silent. On encountering a living thing, they 
  attempt to kill it with their deadly gaze; they particularly like 
  to slay wizards, who often have trouble dealing with the com-
  bination of a ranged attack and resistance to magic.
  Speaking from Experience
  Summoned elementals are sorcerous guardians, like golems or 
  zombies – violence is inevitable. But wild ones are Nature’s citi-
  zens. Respect their cave or lake or whatever and they’ll let you pass. 
  In the dungeon, earth elementals may even join a quest against 
  unnatural forces carving cursed, abomination-filled tunnels.
  – Ælin Rock-Talker, Druid
  
  	
  th e	B estIAry	
  27
  Eyes seem to have no other interests – notably, they nei-
  ther hoard nor covet treasure. As they never negotiate or com-
  municate, their motivations are likely to remain mysterious. 
  What isn’t a mystery is that eyes of death are bitter rivals of 
  spheres of madness (pp. 51-52); the two attack each other on 
  sight. Sages speculate that both hail from the same plane, 
  but the truth is unknown and neither eyes nor spheres seem 
  inclined to elucidate!
  In combat, an eye will retreat upward on its first defense, 
  for +3, and use an Acrobatic Dodge (Exploits, p. 48) on its 
  second, for +2. If facing just one foe, it may do both at once. 
  These bonuses are on top of the +2 vs. melee attacks for 
  Combat at Different Levels (Exploits, p. 47). Factoring in their 
  Dodge of 12, eyes can be extremely hard to hit. Meanwhile, an 
  eye’s death gaze cannot be dodged, blocked, or parried – the 
  creature simply selects a target and stares at it until it dies, 
  although the eye might change targets first.
  ST: 5 
  HP: 5 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 13 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 6 (Air)
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 12
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 12 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Death Gaze (Resisted by HT-5): 1d toxic. 
  This attack ignores all DR! Range 20.
  Traits: Acute Vision 8; Aerial; Combat Reflexes; 
  Dark Vision (Color Vision); Doesn’t Breathe; 
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; 
  Enhanced Dodge 2; Flight; Immunity to 
  Disease; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; 
  Intolerance (The living); Magic Resistance 
  10; No Brain; No Manipulators; No Neck; 
  No Vitals; See Invisible; Silence 5; Unfaze-
  able; Vibration Sense (Air).
  Skills: Acrobatics-15; Stealth-14 (19 vs. Hear-
  ing if moving, 24 if motionless).
  Class: Elder Thing.
  Notes: The focusing lens of an eye of death can 
  be sliced off carefully and reduced to a liq-
  uid useful for alchemical mixtures. Make an 
  Alchemy roll to collect the lens before it dries, at -1 per 
  minute after death; success nets a lens worth $1d¥100. 
  Unwilling to negotiate. Truly evil.
  Flaming Skull
  Flaming skulls are semi-corporeal undead that resemble 
  flying human skulls wreathed in fire. Streaking into close 
  combat, they deliver flaming bites to their living prey. Owing 
  to their size, speed, and diffuse nature, they’re difficult tar-
  gets, and can often inflict great harm before being destroyed. 
  The jury is out on whether they’re necromantic creations or 
  free-willed evil spirits who loathe mortals.
  Remember that while flaming skulls are Diffuse and thus 
  difficult to injury, they’re also Unnatural and dispelled at 
  -1¥HP.
  ST: 0 
  HP: 20 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 14 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 12 (Air)
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 10
  HT: 10 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: -5
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Flaming Bite (14): 2 points burning. This attack ignores all 
  DR! Reach C.
  Traits: Aerial; Diffuse; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; 
  Doesn’t Sleep; Flight; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to 
  Disease; Immunity to Mind Control; Immunity to Poison; 
  Indomitable; Intolerance (The living); No Eyes; No Manip-
  ulators; No Neck; Unfazeable; Unnatural.
  Skills: Stealth-14.
  Class: Undead.
  Notes: Cannot see in the dark, but its flames emit reddish- 
  yellow light equivalent to torchlight, which is good enough. 
  It can turn this off to use Stealth! Known variants are freez-
  ing skulls (2 HP of cold injury; glow blue) and venom skulls 
  (2 HP of toxic injury; glow green). Unwilling to negotiate. 
  Truly evil.
  Flesh-Eating Ape
  Flesh-eating apes superficially resemble the banana- 
  eating kind, but have a mouth full of meat-tearing teeth and 
  a predatory temperament. They’re strong, combative, and 
  have a nose for flesh, tracking tasty humans by scent. Due 
  to their physical power, adventurers are advised to slay them 
  before they get into close combat and grapple!
  ST: 17 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 6 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 10 (unarmed) DR: 1
  Bite (14): 1d+2 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Fist (14): 2d crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Air Superiority
  Flying monsters are challenging for ground-bound delvers. Some, 
  like flaming skulls (above), enter melee. Combat at Different Levels 
  (Exploits, p. 47) grants them +2 to defend there, while their victims 
  defend at -2. They can swoop down, strike, and fly out of reach; that’s 
  a Move and Attack, with -4 to hit and a skill cap of 9, but certain fliers 
  (e.g., gryphons, p. 35) ignore these drawbacks!
  Other monsters, like eyes of death (pp. 26-27), attack from afar. 
  Retaliating heroes suffer distance penalties to spells and ranged 
  attacks. Elevation (Exploits, p. 43) gives the latter an extra -2.
  Finally, fliers can retreat or dodge and “drop” (Exploits, p. 50) 
  upward in their hex, ceiling permitting. Those with Acrobatics can try 
  Acrobatic Dodge (Exploits, p. 48) anywhere, unless restrained.
  
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  Traits: Arm ST 2; Brachiator (Move 4); Discriminatory Smell; 
  Ham-Fisted 1; Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Climbing-14; Tracking-14; Wrestling-14.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: Flesh-eating apes are smart enough that Animal spells 
  won’t work – use Mind Control magic. Arm ST and Wres-
  tling skill give effective ST 21 for grappling, and some apes 
  like to strangle grappled victims (Actions After a Grapple, 
  Exploits, p. 41); apply SM difference to attack rolls when 
  grappling (+1 vs. SM 0 humans).
  Foul Bat
  These oversized bats lack the fear of fire and men pos-
  sessed by normal beasts. Their stench at close proximity can 
  overcome victims before a single bite is delivered, while their 
  mouths carry toxins that make wounds weep and bleed, 
  causing weakness. They’re often encountered in distress-
  ingly large numbers.
  ST: 10 
  HP: 10 
  Speed: 6.50
  DX: 14 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 6 (Air Move 13)
  IQ: 3 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 1
  Bite (16): 1d+1 cutting + follow-up 1 FP. Reach C.
  Stench (Resisted by HT): Any living being with a sense of 
  smell must resist each turn while within one yard. Roll 
  once regardless of the number of bats. Failure means nau-
  sea (Exploits, p. 65): -2 to all attribute and skill rolls, -1 
  to active defenses, and possible retching. Nausea lasts for 
  minutes equal to margin of failure.
  Traits: Acute Hearing 8; Flight (Winged); No Fine Manipula-
  tors; Sonar (20 yards); Striking ST 5; Wild Animal.
  Skills: Acrobatics-14; Brawling-16.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: Some colonies have a demonic leader who has IQ 10+, 
  Immunity to Mind Control, Indomitable, Magic Resistance 
  10, and Unfazeable. This boss is a genuine demon – not a 
  dire animal with the Wild Animal trait – and is both unwill-
  ing to negotiate and truly evil.
  Frost Snake
  This white-furred serpent is feared by barbarian cultures 
  in the Frozen North. It hunts by seeking body heat, and can 
  function in the most frigid of environments. Its surprisingly 
  strong bite delivers venom, and it can also weaken prey with 
  an exhalation of pure cold.
  ST: 10 
  HP: 10 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 14 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 2 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 2
  Bite (16): 1d cutting + follow-up 2d toxic (HT-4 to resist). 
  Reach C.
  Chill Breath (14): 1d(5) burning due to extreme cold, not 
  fire – won’t set fires. Ranged, with 1/2D 5, Max 10, but treat 
  as a melee attack, similar to a jet spell (Spells, p. 12).
  Traits: DR 20 vs. cold/ice only; High Pain Threshold; Infravi-
  sion; Striking ST 3; Temperature Tolerance 10 (Cold); Ter-
  rain Adaptation (Ice); Vermiform; Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-16; Innate Attack (Breath)-14; Stealth-14.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: Cold organ worth $50 to alchemists, who use it in liq-
  uid ice potions.
  Fungus
  You can eat mushrooms, right? Some kinds, but most will 
  kill you . . . and not merely because they’re toxic. Dungeon 
  varieties are hazardous even to delvers who know better than 
  to nosh on toadstools, as they generate noxious effects – too 
  often in the vicinity of worse dangers. And chopping them up 
  (fungus is Homogeneous, so cutting attacks work best) tends 
  to make matters worse before it makes them better.
  Dungeon fungus is rooted in place and might resemble a 
  clump of small toadstools, a single huge one, or an outcrop-
  ping of “shingles” or “shelves.” Scholars claim it’s a stage in 
  the reproductive cycle of jellies (pp. 38-39), oozes (pp. 44-45),  
  and puddings (pp. 46-47). For mobile, bitey fungi, see the 
  crushroom (p. 19).
  Fungus relies on Danger Sense to set off its long-range 
  defenses. Invisible filaments permeating the area trigger a 
  reaction if odors, shadows, sounds, or vibrations alien to 
  the fungus come too close. This just works within 70 yards! 
  An adventurer who wants to avoid this without being ethe-
  real must be invisible (Invisibility spell), inaudible (Hush or 
  Mage-Stealth spell), scent-free (No-Smell spell), and pro-
  ducing no vibrations (as with the Flight spell or Light Walk 
  skill); Stealth is ineffective.
  ST: 0 
  HP: 20 
  Speed: 4.50
  DX: 10 
  Will: 0 
  Move: 0
  IQ: 0 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: N/A 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 2
  Long-Range Defense(s): One or more options from Long-
  Range Defenses (p. 29).
  Short-Range Defense(s): One or more effects from Short-
  Range Defenses (p. 29).
  Dire animals are 
  abominations, not part of  
  Nature. Even we elves slay them.
  – Llandor the Gray, Scout
  
  	
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  29
  Traits: Danger Sense (No dice roll required!); Doesn’t Breathe; 
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; 
  Homogeneous; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; 
  Invertebrate; No Blood; No Eyes; No Head; No Manipula-
  tors; No Neck; Sessile.
  Class: Plant.
  Notes: An SM 0 fungus obstructs one hex on a battle map, 
  but larger ones exist: a two-hex radius (three yards wide) 
  corresponds to SM +3, DR 5, and HP 70; a three-hex 
  radius (five yards wide), to SM +4, DR 6, and HP 100; and 
  a four-hex radius (seven yards wide), to SM +5, DR 7, and 
  HP 150. Affected by Plant spells; Wither Plant can kill it 
  but must encompass the full radius and overcome the 
  fungus’ HT. All dungeon fungus is poisonous, and a fool 
  who eats a piece must roll against HT; success means 1d 
  toxic damage; failure, 2d toxic. Nonsentient – can’t com-
  municate or negotiate.
  Long-Range Defenses
  Fungus is troublesome to strangers who are merely 
  nearby. The GM selects or rolls 1d for at least one effect that 
  triggers the instant anyone hostile (e.g., delvers) has a line of 
  sight to it or gets within 70 yards. The local “regulars” won’t 
  set off fungus.
  1-3 – Smoker: The fungus spews dense, inky spores in a 
  16-yard radius. This completely blocks ordinary vision 
  (treat as total darkness) but not Infravision or other senses. 
  Anyone who breathes the “smoke” must roll vs. HT-2 every 
  second. Failure causes coughing: -3 to DX and -1 to IQ 
  while in the cloud and for minutes equal to margin of fail-
  ure afterward. Spores dissipate a minute after the fungus 
  is destroyed.
  4-5 – Wailer: The fungus produces a terrible noise that 
  attracts trouble. Roll immediately for wandering monsters 
  (Exploits, p. 85) at +3. Roll again each minute until the 
  fungus is destroyed.
  6 – Psychic Wailer: The fungus emanates psychic harm. Liv-
  ing things within 16 yards suffer 1 point of toxic damage 
  per second. This attack ignores all DR! Slaying the fungus 
  ends this effect.
  Short-Range Defenses
  It’s even riskier to interact with dungeon fungus up close! 
  The GM chooses – or rolls 1d for – at least one defensive effect 
  that applies if the fungus is touched or attacked.
  1-3 – Toxic Spores: Touching or attacking the fungus 
  releases a puff of contact poison. This fills an area one hex 
  wide by 1d/2 (round up) hexes long, pointed in the direc-
  tion of the touch or attack, for one second. Anyone there 
  who isn’t wearing a sealed outfit (most armor isn’t!) must 
  roll against HT. Success means 1d toxic damage; failure, 
  2d toxic.
  4-5 – Unhealthy Spores: Contact produces a spore puff 
  shaped like that of Toxic Spores. These spores do no 
  immediate damage, but victims who breathe must roll 
  at HT-6 on any day they’re exposed; Resistant to Disease 
  helps here. Failure inflicts coughing (-3 to DX, -1 to IQ, 
  and cannot use Stealth) and wheezing (-3 to FP score) 
  until the subject receives a Cure Disease spell (Spells, 
  p. 36) or a day of Esoteric Medicine treatment (Patching 
  Up, Exploits, p. 63).
  6 – Puffball: Touching the fungus is fine, but if any damage 
  penetrates DR, the thing self-destructs! This eliminates the 
  fungus in a crushing explosion: 6d at SM 0, 7d¥3 at SM 
  +3, 6d¥5 at SM +4, or 9d¥5 at SM +5. Apply full damage to 
  enemies touching the fungus; divide by 3 ¥ (range in yards) 
  for anyone else; see Explosions (Exploits, p. 46). If the fun-
  gus also emits Toxic Spores or Unhealthy Spores, anyone 
  who takes any blast damage – whether or not it penetrates 
  DR – also suffers one dose of those effects.
  Gargoyle
  A stationary gargoyle is easily mistaken for an ugly statue 
  of a humanoid with wings, claws, and a barbed tail. When it 
  moves, it becomes evident that it’s a being of flesh, not stone. 
  Comparable in size to humans, gargoyles weigh 30 lbs. more 
  than their height suggests due to wings and a thick hide.
  Though stupid, dirty, and unsophisticated, gargoyles defi-
  nitely understand weapons and armor. And while some would 
  pull the wings off a pixie, the race isn’t uniformly evil – a few 
  even find work in town. Too often, however, villains bamboo-
  zle them into dark deeds (or simply bribe them with food), 
  while tribes in the wild are territorial about their mountain 
  and cavern homes.
  In combat, gargoyles favor long, two-handed melee 
  weapons. They hover overhead, attacking from maximum 
  reach and retreating upward when defending. See Combat 
  at Different Levels (Exploits, p. 47) for the defensive benefits  
  of flight.
  ST: 12 
  HP: 14 
  Speed: 5.25
  DX: 11 
  Will: 9 
  Move: 5 (Air Move 10)
  IQ: 9 
  Per: 9
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: 9 
  DR: 2
  Barbed Tail (11): 1d+1 impaling. Treat as weapon, not as 
  body part. Reach C.
  Clawed Kick (11): 1d+1 crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Clawed Punch (13): 1d crushing. Reach C.
  Speaking from Experience
  As someone who fights with feet and fists, I avoid fun-
  gus, mold, and similar goo. All of it either harms you or 
  spews horrid spores if touched. Go around it if you can, 
  destroy it from afar if you can’t. To do either, you must 
  know it’s there. Stay sharp! Trust nothing that can grow 
  in a dungeon.
  – Masha Deathfoot, Martial Artist
  
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  Weapon (12): Any melee weapon, typically a two-handed one 
  with reach 2+; e.g., heavy spear, 1d+3 impaling, reach 2, 3*.
  Traits: Appearance (Ugly); Flight (Winged); Gluttony (12); 
  Limited Camouflage (Stone); Night Vision 5; Odious Racial 
  Habit (Dirty, -1 reactions); and one of Bad Temper (9), Ber-
  serk (9), Bloodlust (9), or Bully (9).
  Skills: Brawling-13; Camouflage-10 (12 if motionless next to 
  stone); Stealth-11 (13 if motionless next to stone); and a 
  suitable melee weapon skill (Polearm, Spear, Staff, Two-
  Handed Axe/Mace, or Two-Handed Sword) at 12.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: These stats represent a gargoyle warrior. Non-warriors 
  have ST 10 (and lower damage), DX 10, HP 12, Speed 5.00, 
  and reduced combat skills, and are unlikely to have Berserk 
  or Bloodlust. Great heroes are more competent. Fighters 
  wear armor, most often some kind of leather or scale – add 
  its DR to the creature’s natural DR 2. Body (neck, torso, 
  vitals, groin) protection is modified to let wings protrude, 
  and isn’t interchangeable with human armor; the wings 
  can’t be armored. Gargoyles will negotiate enthusiastically 
  for good-quality food.
  Giant Ape
  This is a gigantic ape. Towering to nearly 25’ and weighing 
  more than five tons, giant apes look exactly like gargantuan 
  gorillas. They’re usually found in the remotest jungles, and on 
  the same lost islands and hidden plateaus as dinosaurs and 
  enormous snakes (p. 31) – but the occasional mad wizard has 
  been known to transport a giant ape to a secret underground 
  lair to serve as a guard!
  Giant apes prefer to eat vegetables and fruit, but consider 
  the occasional adventurer a welcome treat. They’re solitary, 
  fiercely defending their territory against other giant apes. 
  While they’ll tolerate a mate, females are even more rarely 
  seen than males.
  In combat, a giant ape will use fists, feet, teeth, and grasp-
  ing hands, punching or grabbing smaller opponents, wrestling 
  and biting larger ones. Giant apes especially like to grapple 
  tiny foes, squeeze them, and then spike them to the ground . . . 
  or toss them off a handy cliff.
  ST: 43 
  HP: 43 
  Speed: 6.50
  DX: 12 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 6/18
  IQ: 6 
  Per: 12
  HT: 14 
  FP: 14 
  SM: +4
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 10 (unarmed) 
  DR: 2
  Bite (14): 5d+3 crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Grapple (14): Apply SM difference to attack rolls (+4 vs. SM 0 
  humans). Followed by a spike or squeeze. Reach C-3.
  Punch (14): 5d+4 crushing. Reach C-3.
  Spike: Small victims (under 1,620 lbs. in weight) who fail to 
  break free from a grapple may be hurled violently to the 
  ground! The only defenses allowed are a dodge (to roll with 
  it) or unarmed parry (to twist aside). This does 5d+7 crush-
  ing and counts as an All-Out Attack.
  Squeeze: Small victims who fail to break free might instead 
  be crushed bodily! Use the ape’s effective ST 47 for the 
  Constriction Attack, which counts as an attack.
  Stomp (12): 5d+5 crushing. Reach C.
  Traits: Arm ST 2; Bad Temper (9); Constriction Attack; 
  Enhanced Move (Ground); Ham-Fisted 1; Loner (9); Semi- 
  Upright; Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Climbing-14; Wrestling-14.
  Class: Giant Animal.
  Notes: Effective ST 47 for grappling. A bite on someone of 
  SM +1 or smaller counts as a grapple – and the ape may 
  chew on the victim, inflicting biting damage each turn as 
  a free action. Legends tell of terrifying silverbacks standing 
  nearly 40’ tall: increase SM to +5; raise ST to 65 (69 for 
  grappling), HP to 65, and Move to 6/24; add 2d+4 to all 
  damage figures; give grapples and punches reach C-5; and 
  assume the bite counts as a grapple on a victim of SM +2 
  or smaller, and the weight limit for a spike is 3,590 lbs. All 
  giant apes are intelligent enough that Animal spells won’t 
  work – use Mind Control magic.
  Giant Rat
  There’s little to be said about giant rats: they’re as cunning 
  and dexterous as regular rats, but huge, the size of the children 
  they carry off as food. Almost all dungeons have them – espe-
  cially sewers. They’re fodder for well-equipped adventurers, 
  but every now and then, 20 or 30 of them will get crazy and 
  swarm a party anyway.
  ST: 9 
  HP: 9 
  Speed: 6.50
  DX: 13 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 5 
  Per: 12
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: -1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 1
  
  	
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  31
  Bite (15): 1d-1 cutting. Reach C.
  Traits: Night Vision 5; Semi-Upright; Striking ST 2; Wild 
  Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-15; Stealth-15.
  Class: Giant Animal.
  Notes: After battle, anyone wounded by giant rats must make 
  a HT roll to avoid infection with some disease or other. 
  Sewer rot (-1 on all attribute and skill rolls until stopped 
  with Cure Disease) is typical.
  Giant Snake
  Huge serpents often try to eat delvers. Where ordinary 
  snakes avoid noisy prey that travels in armed gangs, giant 
  ones are aggressive and often more than match for low-pow-
  ered adventurers.
  Giant Constrictor
  This 15’-long (five-hex) snake can sense the body heat of 
  warm-blooded beings, which it likes to ambush from above 
  (Attacking from Above, Exploits, p. 38). Dropping from a 
  sturdy tree or any convenient raised surface, it coils around 
  a victim and attempts to crush its prey while snapping and 
  biting to fend off other foes. It’s a genius among snakes – as 
  intelligent as a large mammalian predator, canny enough to 
  lock down an obviously dangerous fighter first and to retreat 
  if overmatched.
  ST: 25 
  HP: 25 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 14 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 11
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +2
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 3
  Bite (14): 2d+1 impaling. Reach C, 1.
  Grapple (16): Apply SM difference to attack rolls (+2 vs. SM 0 
  humans). Effective ST for grappling is 27 due to Wrestling 
  skill. Inevitably followed by Constriction Attack, which is a 
  free action. Reach C.
  Traits: Catfall; Cold-Blooded; Constriction Attack; Infravision; 
  Nictitating Membrane 3; Subsonic Hearing; Vermiform; 
  Wild Animal.
  Skills: Climbing-18; Stealth-15; Wrestling-16.
  Class: Giant Animal.
  Notes: Despite its size, this is an animal, affected by Ani-
  mal spells – but Regular spells cost triple due to its SM! 
  Aquatic varieties are common threats in water, and have 
  Amphibious, Vibration Sense (Water), and Swimming-15 
  instead of Catfall, Subsonic Hearing, and Climbing; these 
  do breathe, but can hold their breath for 10 minutes. Con-
  strictors with venom (like that of the giant viper, below) 
  exist but are unnatural; treat them as dire animals.
  Giant Viper
  A venomous snake, 8’ to 12’ long but less muscular than the 
  giant constrictor. It epitomizes the lightning-fast strike, steal-
  ing out of nowhere to attack, and moving and reacting more 
  quickly than any ordinary-sized snake. Its venom is evolved 
  for survival in a fantasy world, working instantly instead of 
  over hours or days.
  ST: 10 
  HP: 10 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 14 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 3 
  Per: 11
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 1
  Bite (16): 1d impaling + follow-up 2d toxic, or 1d with a suc-
  cessful HT roll. Reach C.
  Traits: Cold-Blooded; Combat Reflexes; Infravision; Nictitat-
  ing Membrane 1; Silence 4; Striking ST 3; Subsonic Hear-
  ing; Vermiform; Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-16; Stealth-14 (18 vs. Hearing if moving, 22 
  if motionless).
  Class: Giant Animal.
  Notes: Bigger varieties exist! An SM +1 beast has ST 15, HP 
  15, DR 2, and Nictitating Membrane 2, and bites for 1d+2 
  impaling at reach C, 1. An SM +2 snake has ST 20, IQ 4, HP 
  20, DR 3, and Nictitating Membrane 3, and bites for 2d+2 
  impaling at reach C, 1. Any size might be aquatic, with 
  Amphibious, Vibration Sense (Water), and Swimming-15 
  instead of Silence and Subsonic Hearing; these can hold 
  their breath for two minutes, though huge sea snakes (SM 
  +2) are reputed to be able to last for two hours.
  Giant Spider
  Monstrous spiders armed with webs and venom are com-
  mon dungeon dangers. They come in all sizes. Bigger ones are 
  smarter, tougher, and rely on the force of their bite to kill prey; 
  smaller ones are more agile and boast deadlier venom.
  Giant spider legs aren’t built to strike or manipulate. How-
  ever, the spider can anchor its four rear legs and use each pair 
  of front legs as the equivalent of an arm for grappling and 
  pushing things around. Such a grapple is always considered 
  two-handed.
  Contrary to tavern tales, spiders can’t shoot webbing in 
  battle. However, spider lairs are inevitably web-lined. Handle 
  detection as for traps (Dealing with Traps, Exploits, p. 23) – 
  and even if detected, crossing each hex of webs requires a DX 
  roll at -2. Failure to detect or avoid this danger means being 
  grappled by webs with ST equal to that of the spider which 
  spun them. Anybody who falls down in web hexes is automat-
  ically grappled at twice the spider’s ST.
  Catching giant rat or snake 
  or bug like catching little one, 
  but more exciting!
  – Miao Miao, Swashbuckler
  
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  Being webbed works like being grappled by an opponent: 
  -4 to DX, -2 to blocks and parries, -1 to dodges, and no move-
  ment (including changing facing or retreating). Attempts to 
  break free suffer a cumulative -1 to ST per failure – and if this 
  reduces ST below 3, the victim is helpless! Getting tangled in 
  and breaking free from webs won’t clear them, but even one 
  point of fire damage will cleanse a hex, freeing anybody entan-
  gled there (who suffers the same fire damage . . .).
  Big Spider
  This spider is about 3’ across, including the legs, with a 
  1’-wide body.
  ST: 5 
  HP: 5 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 15 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 9
  IQ: 2 
  Per: 10
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: -1
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 1
  Bite (17): 1d-4 impaling + follow-up 4d toxic, or 2d with a 
  successful HT roll. Anyone who loses more than HP/2 to 
  cumulative toxic damage is paralyzed until fully healed. 
  Reach C.
  Traits: 360° Vision; Ambidexterity; Extra Legs (Eight Legs); 
  No Fine Manipulators; Spider Climb (Move 7); Semi-Up-
  right; Subsonic Hearing; Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-17; Stealth-15.
  Class: Giant Animal.
  Notes: This spider attacks only those who reach into its hidey- 
  hole or get entangled in webs (a mere ST 5 – but a respect-
  able ST 10 if the victim falls into them). Victims who get 
  webbed, or bitten and paralyzed, may be swarmed by more 
  spiders. Such a spider is agile enough to bite the unar-
  mored face (-5 to hit, for effective skill 12).
  Huge Spider
  This spider is around 4.5’ across, including the legs, with a 
  1.5’-wide body.
  ST: 12 
  HP: 12 
  Speed: 6.50
  DX: 14 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 8
  IQ: 3 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 2
  Bite (16): 1d-1 impaling + follow-up 2d toxic, or 1d with a 
  successful HT roll. Anyone who loses more than HP/2 to 
  cumulative toxic damage is paralyzed until fully healed. 
  Reach C.
  Traits: As big spider, but Spider Climb is at Move 6.
  Skills: Brawling-16; Stealth-14.
  Class: Giant Animal.
  Notes: A spider this size will ambush from above, attack fron-
  tally with the advantage of numbers, or go after victims 
  entangled in webs (effective ST 12).
  Humongous Spider
  This spider is 6’ across, including the legs, with a 2’-wide 
  body.
  ST: 19 
  HP: 19 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 13 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 10
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 3
  Bite (15): 2d impaling + follow-up 1d toxic (HT to resist). A 
  victim who loses more than HP/2 to cumulative toxic dam-
  age is paralyzed until fully healed. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: As big spider, but Spider Climb is at Move 4.
  Skills: Brawling-15; Stealth-13.
  Class: Giant Animal.
  Notes: This monster often hunts outside its lair, where it pre-
  fers to get the (literal) drop on prey. In its lair, ST 19 webs 
  make it a daunting foe . . . and it is smart enough to wait 
  until at least a few delvers are snagged.
  Gladiator Ape
  Not every mad wizard or strange civilization is satisfied 
  with mere flesh-eating apes (pp. 27-28), while giant apes (p. 30) 
  are colossally impractical to keep and feed. These flesh-eaters 
  have been bred as vicious combatants. To improve its ability 
  to maul foes, such an ape is typically equipped with a pair of 
  spiked, shoulder-length metal gloves; has its teeth sharpened; 
  and has a metal skullcap attached to its head, both as armor 
  and for head butts!
  While sometimes set to guard treasure or a temple, these 
  beasts are also exploited as pit fighters, gladiators, and shock 
  troops. They aren’t tame – handlers turn them loose on victims 
  and stand back. They’ve lost the ability to brachiate, but they 
  can still climb after foes . . .
  
  	
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  33
  ST: 17 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 6 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 12 
  DR: 1
  Bite (18): 2d cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Cestus Punch (18): 2d+2 crushing. Treat as weapon, not as 
  body part. Reach C, 1.
  Head Butt (18): 2d-1 crushing. Reach C.
  Traits: Arm ST 2; Battle Rage (9); Bloodlust (9); Discrimina-
  tory Smell; Ham-Fisted 1; Night Vision 5; Striking ST 3; 
  Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-18; Climbing-14; Stealth-12; Wrestling-16.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: Effective arm ST is 21 for grappling, 22 for striking. 
  Once Battle Rage kicks in, the ape invariably chooses All-
  Out Attack (Strong): +2 to damage. Cestuses give the arms 
  an extra DR 4 (total DR 5) – and special “mage killer” apes 
  might have meteoric cestuses! The ape’s headgear gives the 
  skull an extra DR 4 (total DR 7), and is worth $40 if sold as 
  scrap (see Exploits, pp. 16-17).
  Goblin-Kin
  “Goblin-kin” refers to several related races of brutal 
  humanoids who deem themselves civilized yet behave in a 
  manner more becoming of monsters. Rare individuals find 
  acceptance in town, but most goblin-kin belong to vast 
  hordes that nip at civilization’s heels. Nearly all the rest are 
  goons and cat’s-paws for evil bosses, because they’re just 
  smart enough to organize and just dumb enough not to real-
  ize they’re fodder.
  All goblin-kin have Social Stigma (Savage) (Adventurers, 
  p. 66) among their traits. This makes them “more monstrous” 
  than gargoyles (pp. 29-30), whose only real crimes are being 
  dirty and gluttonous – not uncommon traits even among civi-
  lized races. But it still admits they can be social, which distin-
  guishes them from barely sapient humanoids that eat people, 
  like dinomen (pp. 20-21) and ogres (p. 44). The GM can use 
  this Stigma to curb power plays by delvers bent on organizing 
  and using goblin-kin as goons and cat’s-paws . . .
  Finally, be aware that these stats describe warriors, 
  which is mostly what PCs meet. See the notes for non-war-
  riors. Goblin-kin are as diverse as dwarves, elves, humans, 
  and other adventurer races – an individual could have 
  almost any trait!
  Goblin
  Goblins are the smallest of the goblin-kin, and therefore 
  spend their days being bullied by orcs and tossed around by 
  angry hobgoblins. This has led to a cowardly disposition, 
  yet they’re survivors, and deadlier in a fight than the typical 
  human. In combat, they prefer stealthy ambushes involving 
  ranged (and preferably poisoned) weapons, followed by run-
  ning away.
  Goblins stand 2” shorter than humans on average, but 
  like all goblin-kin are densely built and thus no lighter. They 
  resemble nothing so much as misshapen, hunchbacked elves 
  with pointy ears and needle-like teeth. Skin tones vary greatly, 
  but tend toward the greenish.
  ST: 11 
  HP: 12 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 11 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 4
  IQ: 9 
  Per: 10
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry/Block: 9 
  DR: 2
  Bite (13): 1d-1 cutting. Reach C.
  Kick (11): 1d+1 crushing (includes +1 for heavy boots). 
  Reach C, 1.
  Long Knife (13): 1d cutting or 1d-1 impaling. Reach C, 1.
  Punch (13): 1d-1 crushing. Reach C.
  Shield Bash (12): 1d-1 crushing. Reach 1.
  Short Bow (13): 1d-1(2) piercing + follow-up 2 points toxic 
  (HT to resist). Ranged, with Acc 1, 1/2D 110, Max 165, 
  Shots 1(2), Bulk -6.
  Traits: Appearance (Ugly); Cowardice (12); Infravision; 
  Rapid Healing; Resistant to Disease 5; Resistant to Poi-
  son 5; Social Stigma (Savage).
  Skills: Bow-13; Brawling-13; Knife-13; Shield-12; Stealth-12.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Equipped with heavy leather armor (DR included 
  above; thoroughly lice-ridden, stinking, and unsalable), 
  small shield (DB 1), long knife, short bow, and 10 bodkin 
  arrows poisoned with monster drool. This puts the gob-
  lin at Light encumbrance, as reflected in the stats. A non- 
  warrior would have ST 10 (and lower damage), DX 10, HP 
  11, Speed 5.25, and reduced combat skills. Leaders have 
  IQ 10+ and higher skills, and often trade bow and arrows 
  for a saber (1d cutting or impaling) to wave around while 
  giving orders. Shamans have IQ 10+ and Power Investi-
  ture 1-3 – and goblin gods grant their clerics nasty wizardly 
  spells such as Deathtouch! Goblins are easily intimidated, 
  so they’ll negotiate if cornered . . . and backstab as soon as 
  they aren’t.
  Heavy Metal
  Mad wizards have engineered many dire animals like 
  gladiator apes (pp. 32-33). The GM can modify any mon-
  ster after the fact! Bolted-on metal armor adds DR 3+, 
  like the worn kind (Adventurers, pp. 108-110). Armored 
  body parts are hard and include caps for claws (hands/
  feet) or teeth or horns (head): +1 damage with unarmed 
  attacks. Humanoids may have permanently attached 
  melee weapons (see Corpse Golem, pp. 18-19, and Siege 
  Beast, p. 47); these cannot be dropped but otherwise 
  work as normal weapons, not body parts. Add-ons might 
  reduce Move as encumbrance or be enchanted to avoid 
  this (such magic ends when the creature dies).
  
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  Hobgoblin
  Hobs are the largest of the goblin-kin. Aggressive, ill-tem-
  pered shock troops, they hold the center while the goblins 
  are shooting overhead and sneaking around the back, and 
  the orcs are fussing with siege engines and trained beasts. 
  They’re also the stupidest of the goblin-kin, still holding 
  the center a day after the battle because they were banging 
  shields and shouting war cries too loudly to hear the order 
  to regroup.
  Hobgoblins outsize humans, standing on average 6’2” to 7’ 
  in height, and weighing 170 to 270 lbs. They resemble leath-
  er-skinned barbarians with boar-like tusks and flashing red 
  eyes. Their skin color reflects their habitat: pale and blotchy 
  in cold places, beige and blotchy in deserts, and so on – but 
  always blotchy.
  ST: 13 
  HP: 16 
  Speed: 5.50
  DX: 11 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 4
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 10
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 7 
  Parry/Block: 9 
  DR: 3
  Bite (13): 1d impaling. Reach C.
  Kick (11): 1d+2 crushing (includes +1 for heavy boots). Reach 
  C, 1.
  Large Falchion (13): 2d+1 cutting or 1d-1 impaling + fol-
  low-up 1 HP of bleeding injury from rough edge. Reach 1.
  Punch (13): 1d+1 crushing (includes +1 for armored fist). 
  Reach C.
  Shield Bash (12): 1d crushing. Reach 1.
  Traits: Appearance (Ugly); Bad Temper (12); Infravision; 
  Rapid Healing; Resistant to Disease 5; Resistant to Poison 
  5; Social Stigma (Savage).
  Skills: Brawling-13; Broadsword-13; Shield-12; Wrestling-12.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Effective grappling ST is 14, thanks to Wrestling. Hob-
  goblins wear scavenged scale, mail, and plate bits that 
  average DR 3 (included above); gaps remove -2 from the 
  penalty for Attacking Chinks in Armor (Exploits, p. 37), and 
  resale value is $1d¥30 as scrap if someone hauls 40-50 lbs. 
  back to town (see Scrap, Exploits, pp. 16-17). They wield 
  medium shields (DB 2) and crude, saw-toothed falchions 
  that leave nasty wounds (break as cheap, and sell for at 
  most $125). This puts the hob at Light encumbrance, as the 
  stats reflect. The rare non-warrior would have ST 12 (and 
  lower damage), DX 10, HP 15, Speed 5.25, and reduced 
  combat skills; hobgoblin myrmidons with better ST, DX, 
  HT, combat skills, and armor are more common. Hobs will 
  negotiate – but only with proven warriors, which usually 
  means the negotiator must slay a few of them using weap-
  ons, not magic.
  Orc
  Orcs are the self-appointed officers of the goblin-kin 
  legions, a status achieved by playing mind games with the 
  dumb hobgoblins and bullying the weaker goblins. They’re 
  what ordinary folk assume when you say “goblin-kin,” and 
  calling other goblin-kin “orcs” greatly peeves any orcs in ear-
  shot. It’s hard to be out of earshot – orcs have twitchy, pig-like 
  ears that hear everything.
  Orcs are larger than humans, standing 5’11” to 6’9” and 
  weighing in at 155 to 245 lbs. They lack the toothiness of their 
  kin but are no more prepossessing. Most are filthy shades of 
  gray, with squashed features that don’t fit together right.
  ST: 12 
  HP: 14 
  Speed: 5.50
  DX: 11 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 4
  IQ: 9 
  Per: 10
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 7 
  Parry/Block: 9 
  DR: 2
  Falchion (13): 1d+3 cutting or 1d-3 impaling + follow-up 1 
  HP of bleeding injury from rough edge. Reach 1.
  Kick (11): 1d+1 crushing (includes +1 for heavy boots). Reach 
  C, 1.
  Punch (13): 1d-1 crushing. Reach C.
  Regular Bow (12): 1d impaling. Ranged, with Acc 2, 1/2D 
  180, Max 240, Shots 1(2), Bulk -7.
  Spiked Shield Bash (12): 1d crushing. Reach 1.
  Traits: Acute Hearing 2; Appearance (Ugly); Bully (12); 
  Infravision; Rapid Healing; Resistant to Disease 5; Resis-
  tant to Poison 5; Social Stigma (Savage).
  Skills: Bow-12; Brawling-13; Shield-12; Shortsword-13.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Have heavy leather armor (DR 2, included above; 
  too foul to resell), a spiked small shield (DB 1), a saw-
  toothed falchion (breaks as cheap, and sells for at most 
  $80), a regular bow, 10 regular arrows, and a few flam-
  ing arrows (Adventurers, p. 105). An orc with this gear 
  has Light encumbrance, already factored into the stats.  
  I always hear “Orcs are monsters!” – I’m part orc and people say it to 
  my face. Sure, some orc tribes revel in raids and conquest, but human 
  nations are no better. At least with orcs you know exactly where you 
  stand. Humans are so . . . deceptive. Half the time, “savage” orcs turn 
  out to be controlled by an evil human wizard.
  – Grükuk Kzaash, Knight
  
  	
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  35
  A non-warrior would have ST 11 (and lower damage), DX 
  10, HP 13, and reduced combat skills. Leaders have IQ 10+ 
  and higher skills, and there are engineers (with Crossbow 
  and Traps at 12+, manning gigantic “tripod crossbows” 
  that can be shot once for 3d impaling) and even trainers 
  of dire beasts (add Animal Handling at 12+). Spellcasters 
  have IQ 10+, Magery or Power Investiture 1-3, and offen-
  sive spells. Orcs will negotiate in a formal, military man-
  ner – a delver with Leadership and Tactics at 12+ can try 
  without penalty, though no deal will work until one extra 
  concession is offered.
  Golem-Armor Swordsman
  This construct consists of a flesh golem made from a 
  formerly living swordsman and riveted inside solid metal 
  plates that are also animated, thereby augmenting strength. 
  It’s virtually indestructible . . . and when the flesh golem is 
  slain, the armor reanimates on its own as an “armor golem” 
  and must be destroyed a second time. It’s often programmed 
  to get back up behind those who turn away after defeating it 
  once – the GM should make a secret Thaumatology roll for 
  PCs who’ve never fought such a foe, with success revealing 
  this possibility.
  Fortunately for delvers, the vast weight of metal used (200 
  lbs.) makes the thing slow and clanking. It also has the usual 
  human vulnerabilities at the head and vitals. Finally, it’s 
  Unnatural, so each life ends at -1¥HP.
  ST: 13 
  HP: 13 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 13 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 2
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 10
  HT: 13 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry/Block: 12 
  DR: 17
  Broadsword (16): 3d+1 cutting or 1d+4 impaling. Reach 1.
  Shield Bash (16): 1d+2 crushing. Reach 1.
  Traits: Automaton; Berserk (12); Cannot Learn; Combat 
  Reflexes; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t 
  Sleep; Extra Life 1; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to 
  Disease; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; No Blood; 
  Reprogrammable; Striking ST 5; Unfazeable; Unhealing 
  (Total); Unnatural.
  Skills: Broadsword-16; Shield-16.
  Class: Construct.
  Notes: Usually carries a broadsword and medium shield (DB 
  2), either of which may have modifiers or enchantments. 
  The golem’s massive armor can’t be worn by a man but 
  is worth $1d¥100 as scrap (see Exploits, pp. 16-17). No 
  golem will negotiate or reveal useful information.
  Gryphon
  The gryphon is a beautiful creature with the head, wings, 
  and forefeet of an eagle, and the hindquarters of a lion. A 
  hybrid, it’s immune to abilities that affect only mammals 
  or only birds. While unnatural, it isn’t a true dire ani-
  mal – the tasks under “Good (Three-Headed) Doggie!” 
  (p. 6) are at -3, not -5. However, many a gryphon is a 
  man-eater, including all those employed as guardian 
  beasts in dungeons, which gives a separate -5.
  In combat, airborne gryphons exploit Combat at 
  Different Levels (Exploits, p. 47) to get +2 to defend 
  against melee attacks and give ground-bound prey -2. 
  Like the eagle, the gryphon is a master of the swooping 
  attack: diving in from afar, striking, and flying out of 
  reach all in a single turn. Space permitting, it will enter 
  combat at Air Move 24 for the first hit; after that, it will 
  stay at Air Move 12 in order to maneuver.
  ST: 17 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 6 (Air Move 12/24)
  IQ: 5 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 2
  Beak (14): 1d+2 large piercing. Reach C, 1.
  Claw (14): 1d+2 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Swoop (14): 1d+5 cutting (Move 12) or 1d+7 cutting (Move 
  24). Treat as Move and Attack (Exploits, pp. 30-31), but 
  without the -4 to skill and skill cap of 9. All the other draw-
  backs of Move and Attack still apply. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Acute Vision 3; Combat Reflexes; Enhanced Move 
  (Air); Flight (Winged); Quadruped; Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-14.
  Class: Hybrid.
  Notes: Gryphons are valued as symbols of royalty and can 
  supposedly be tamed as riding beasts. One captured alive 
  and delivered to town in a cage will fetch $5,000. Delvers 
  interested in buying gryphons to ride will need to find a 
  seller, fork over $40,000+, and then locate someone who 
  can teach Riding (Gryphon).
  Hellhound
  A demon in canine form, capable of spewing flame and 
  (supposedly) eating the souls of the fallen. In return for many 
  weaknesses of flesh-and-blood beasts – notably, it has vital 
  areas – it gains their doggedness, and will fight down to -5¥HP 
  if it doesn’t fail a HT roll first. It knows it will be back! It doesn’t 
  count as an animal for any purpose; it’s thoroughly demonic.
  Speaking from Experience
  Constructs – “golems” – are frustrating because their cre-
  ators are spellcasters who know how to thwart magic. Mind 
  and body control are ineffective against something that is nei-
  ther free-willed nor living. Dehydration, freezing, and so forth 
  are as worthless as body control. Jets and missiles work, if they 
  hit and if they pierce the thing’s metal or stony hide. The only 
  reliable magical defense is impractical in combat: a Pentagram 
  spell. Save your energy and send in the warriors.
  – Zephyra, Wizard
  
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  Hellhounds aren’t powerful monsters, but like actual 
  hounds, they band together and use pack tactics (p. 7). Being 
  as smart as the average human, they know the dangers of 
  spells and ranged weapons, and will adapt to avoid them. 
  They’ll also lure people into peril – particularly peril involv-
  ing fire, to which the hounds are resistant (total DR 11).
  ST: 11 
  HP: 13 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 6/9
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 11
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 1
  Bite (14): 1d-1 cutting. Reach C.
  Claw (14): 1d crushing. Reach C.
  Fire Breath (14): Costs 1 FP per use. 1d burning. Ranged, 
  with 1/2D 5, Max 10, but treat as a melee attack, similar to 
  a jet spell (Spells, p. 12).
  Traits: Dependency (Loses 1 HP per minute in no-mana 
  areas); Divine Curse (see notes); DR 10 vs. heat/fire only; 
  Enhanced Move (Ground); Immunity to Disease; Immu-
  nity to Poison; Quadruped.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Innate Attack (Breath)-14; Stealth-11; 
  Tracking-11.
  Class: Demon.
  Notes: Living flesh inhabited by cursed spirits cannot be 
  healed by clerical spells other than those of evil cultists; 
  treat Minor Healing, Major Healing, etc. as Resisted by 
  HT, with failure to resist inflicting the injury the spell 
  would normally heal. More powerful hellhounds have 2d 
  or 3d burning attacks and up to DR 20 vs. heat/fire; some 
  are “black dogs” that can cast the Curse spell (Spells, 
  p. 51). If rumors about soul-eating are true, mortals 
  killed by hellhounds can’t be resurrected! Unwilling to 
  negotiate. Truly evil.
  Horde Pygmy
  Horde pygmies are humanoids that stand a scant 3’ tall, 
  with tiny heads, misshapen features, bugged-out eyes, and 
  swollen bellies. They sharpen their teeth to points – the 
  better to eat you with! They have no real culture, although 
  there are unconfirmed rumors of shamans who use necro-
  mancy to reanimate slain pygmies and victims as zombies. 
  Pygmy life consists mainly of killing things, gathering treasure 
  from those they slay, and cooking people to eat. In short (they 
  hear that a lot), horde pygmies are sneaky, cowardly, under-
  handed, lowdown, dirty, bushwhacking little cannibals.
  Horde pygmies never stand and fight – and when cornered, 
  they typically just cower helplessly and try to escape. They’re 
  masters of the hit-and-run raid, however, and while not terri-
  bly smart, possess a low cunning. They like to blow darts at 
  opponents and then flee, luring pursuers into prepared traps 
  (snares, pits, deadfalls, trip-ropes, etc.) surrounded by a horde 
  of pygmy ambushers (whence the name!).
  Rumor has it that horde pygmies inhabit a jungle-covered, 
  trap-ridden island of evil “somewhere in the far south,” and 
  somehow travel into and out of dungeons via weird portals 
  provided by the dark god that empowers their shamans. If it 
  exists, such a place would hold much treasure – guarded by 
  pygmies, giant apes (p. 30), leaping leeches (p. 40), slugbeasts 
  (p. 50), trigers (p. 57), and vampires (pp. 58-59).
  ST: 5 
  HP: 3 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 11 
  Will: 8 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 8
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: -2
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 8 (unarmed) 
  DR: 0
  Blowpipe (18): 1d-3 small piercing + follow-up 1 point toxic. 
  Ranged, with Acc 1, Max 20, Shots 1(2), Bulk -6.
  Traits: Chameleon 2; Compulsive Killing (9); Cowardice (15); 
  Enhanced Dodge 1; Intolerance (Everyone!); Silence 2.
  Skills: Blowpipe-18; Climbing-14; Stealth-16 (18 vs. Hearing 
  or Vision if moving, 20 if motionless); Traps-12.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Horde pygmies are too stupid and cowardly to negotiate 
  usefully – if you try, they’ll agree to anything and then flee 
  at the first opportunity to shoot more darts at you. Pygmy 
  shamans, if they exist, sport IQ 10+ and Power Investiture 
  2, and know Necromantic spells (including forbidden ritu-
  als for creating zombies) and . . . well, not much else.
  Horde Zombie
  Horde zombies aren’t necromantic servitors, but victims of 
  a horrible curse. Anyone slain by a horde zombie will rise as 
  one a minute later and try to eat any living person in sight. 
  While capable of speech, horde zombies only ever moan the 
  name of the body part they wish to eat: “Braaaain,” “Spleeeen,” 
  “Skinnnn,” etc.
  These undead are mostly weak fodder – but if enough of 
  them attack, the danger of being grappled, pinned, and eaten 
  is real (Multiple Close Combat, Exploits, p. 51). On the other 
  hand, they’re easy to outrun, and usually forget about vic-
  tims who duck out of sight (6 or less chance of staying on the 
  trail). While Unliving makes them slightly harder to injure, 
  Unnatural ensures they go down at -1¥HP.
  Making the Little Guys Dangerous
  To turn pests like horde pygmies into threats, try:
  • Attacking from behind to bypass active defenses.
  • Attacking the unarmored face (-5 to hit) – a great tar-
  get for high-skill, low-damage monsters!
  • Large-Area Injury (Exploits, p. 53), like a shaman’s 
  Explosive Fireball – or gas, like toxic smoke from burning 
  jungle plants. These largely or entirely ignore DR.
  • Multiple Close Combat (Exploits, p. 51). Several weak-
  lings can subdue someone strong or well-armored.
  • Traps (Exploits, pp. 70-71) of all kinds.
  
  	
  th e	B estIAry	
  37
  ST: 13 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 5.00
  DX: 8 
  Will: 8 
  Move: 4
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 8
  HT: 12 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: 9 (unarmed) 
  DR: 0
  Bite or Punch (12): 1d crushing. Reach C.
  Traits: Bad Smell; Cannot Learn; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t 
  Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Disease; 
  Immunity to Mind Control; Immunity to Poison; Incu-
  rious (6); Indomitable; Infectious Attack (Must kill 
  victim); No Blood; Temperature Tolerance 10 (Cold); 
  Uncontrollable Appetite (6) (Flesh); Unfazeable; Unheal-
  ing (Total); Unliving; Unnatural.
  Skills: Brawling-12; Wrestling-12.
  Class: Undead.
  Notes: Effective ST for grappling is 15 due to Wrestling skill. 
  While “intelligent,” horde zombies are uninterested in 
  negotiation and immune to trickery. They just want to 
  eat. They aren’t truly evil – they’re more a force of nature.
  Horrid Skull
  This is an undead skull – more artifact than monster – left 
  behind by a wizard who has long since departed the mortal 
  coil. It can’t do much but sit around, waiting to be smashed 
  . . . oh, and emit slow psychic death! Though easily “killed” 
  by a smart blow, that’s rarely as simple as it sounds.
  A horrid skull is never just parked out in the open. Delib-
  erately hidden, or buried by the sands of time, it’s a trap; tick 
  off the deadly seconds as the delvers desperately search for 
  it (Sense Danger, Sense Evil, Sense Foes, or Sense Spirit will 
  find it), batter apart or unearth its hiding place, and break it. 
  Guarded by a horde of undead that worship it like a creepy 
  idol – zombies (p. 62) that still serve it as their master, or 
  cursed souls of previous victims (perhaps flaming skulls, 
  p. 27) – the heroes will have to fight to get a clear shot at the 
  thing. Levitated over adventurers in battle or carried around 
  by an unliving entity that’s immune to its emanations (like a 
  lich, p. 40), it’s a fiendish weapon!
  ST: 0 
  HP: 5 
  Speed: N/A
  DX: N/A 
  Will: 0 
  Move: 0
  IQ: 0 
  Per: 0
  HT: 12 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: -5
  Dodge: N/A 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 2
  Psychic Scream: All living things within 16 yards suffer  
  1 point of toxic damage per second. This attack ignores 
  all DR!
  Traits: Brittle; Cannot Float; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat 
  or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Immunity 
  to Disease; Immunity to Poison; No Blood; No Brain; No 
  Eyes; No Manipulators; No Neck; No Vitals; Pressure Sup-
  port; Sealed; Unhealing (Total); Unliving.
  Class: Undead.
  Notes: Nonsentient – can’t communicate or negotiate. A 
  weaker, time-faded skull might do damage less often, per-
  haps every 10 seconds, and be a fairer challenge for start-
  ing PCs. On the other hand, rumors persist of intelligent 
  lich-skulls with DX 10+; IQ, Will, and Per 12+; dozens, 
  even hundreds of levels of Energy Reserve; Magery 3+; and 
  many spells that enable it to levitate, turn invisible, etc. In 
  all cases, it’s truly evil.
  Ice Weasel
  This white-furred weasel with blue highlights and ice-cold 
  blood is adapted for arctic survival. It can nibble with just its 
  front teeth or open wider to bite with its full set; if the latter 
  attack breaks the skin, glands in the weasel’s mouth can chill 
  the victim to the bone. Ice weasels are mostly pests – right 
  up until someone falls on or through ice, and a whole gang of 
  them come squiggling or swimming out of nowhere, nipping 
  at anything they can reach.
  ST: 5 
  HP: 10 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 13 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: -4
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Chomp (15): Costs 1 FP per use. 1d(3) cutting. Roll vs. HT at 
  -1 per 2 points of penetrating damage or be frozen (para-
  lyzed) for (20 - HT) minutes, minimum 1 minute. Reach C.
  Claw (15): 1d-3 crushing. Reach C.
  Nibble (15): 1d-4 cutting. Reach C.
  Traits: Compulsive Playfulness (15); Dependency (Loses 1 HP 
  per minute in no-mana areas); Double-Jointed; DR 10 vs. 
  cold/ice only; Limited Camouflage (Snow); Quadruped; 
  Temperature Tolerance 8 (Cold); Terrain Adaptation (Ice/
  Snow); Vulnerability (Heat/Fire ¥2); Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-15; Camouflage-12 (14 if motionless in snow); 
  Stealth-14 (16 if motionless in snow); Swimming-14.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: Bigger ice weasels can chomp for 1d+1(3), 1d+2(3), or 
  even 2d(3) cutting, and have up to DR 20 vs. cold/ice.
  Monster or Trap?
  Bona fide traps don’t make sense in every dungeon. In 
  a natural cavern with no intelligent tool-users, who would 
  build them? If laborers (e.g., miners) must work there, 
  who would risk them? The traditional alternative is trap-
  like hazards: collapsing ceilings, hidden fissures, volcanic 
  gas, etc. Another option is to use monsters as traps! The 
  horrid skull (above) is the scariest example, but fungus 
  (pp. 28-29), mold (pp. 42-43), and slime (pp. 48-49) all 
  work – as do creatures with trap-like natural weaponry, 
  such as giant spiders (pp. 31-32) and slugbeasts (p. 50).
  
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  Ice Wyrm
  This blind, limbless, 35’ “worm” is covered in slick, icy 
  scales. It hunts by body warmth, attacking by biting with a 
  ferocious maw filled with crystalline teeth or by exhaling a 
  paralyzing jet of frost motes – all while simultaneously lashing 
  out with the sting at its nether end, injecting chilling venom. 
  The wyrm is itself near-impervious to cold and has no particu-
  lar vulnerability to flame. It lacks eyes, and its brain and vital 
  organs are distributed through its body such that it has no 
  true weak points. However, it’s a “natural” creature, and once 
  freed from suspended animation in its ice egg, it must eat and 
  breathe like any beast.
  Ice wyrm lairs are inevitably glacial places. The heroes will 
  suffer from bad footing (-2 to hit, -1 to defend, +1 movement 
  point/hex) and the cold (Temperature, Exploits, p. 70). With 
  its Terrain Adaptation and Temperature Tolerance, the wyrm 
  will have the home-ground advantage (pp. 6-7).
  ST: 42 
  HP: 42 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 6/12
  IQ: 5 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +5
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 4
  Bite (12): 4d+1 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Frost Breath (15): A 5-yard-wide ¥ 20-yard-long cone; see Area 
  and Spreading Attacks (Exploits, pp. 45-46). 3d-1 crushing, 
  no knockback. Roll vs. HT at -1 per 2 points of penetrat-
  ing damage or be frozen (paralyzed) for (20 - HT) minutes, 
  minimum 1 minute. Five-second recharge between shots.
  Sting (12): 4d+2 large piercing + follow-up 1d fatigue. Reach 
  C-5.
  Traits: Acute Detect 4; Blindness; Detect (Heat); DR 13 vs. 
  cold/ice only; Enhanced Move (Ground); Extra Attack 1; 
  High Pain Threshold; Ice Armor (see notes); No Brain; No 
  Eyes; No Neck; No Vitals; Regeneration (1 HP/12 hours); 
  Regrowth; Resistant to Disease 3; Resistant to Poison 3; 
  Slippery 5; Temperature Tolerance 10 (Cold); Terrain Adap-
  tation (Ice); Uncontrollable Appetite (12) (Mortal Flesh); 
  Unfazeable; Universal Digestion; Vermiform; Wild Animal.
  Skills: Innate Attack (Breath)-15.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: The wyrm’s Detect works as well in combat as sight 
  would for someone with a Vision roll of 16, and is unaf-
  fected by darkness, smoke, etc. Ice Armor absorbs 42 
  points of basic damage from attacks, and must be chipped 
  off before the creature can be injured; the monster’s DR 4 
  (total DR 17 vs. cold/ice) is permanent, and still protects 
  once this is gone. Bite counts as grapple on opponents of 
  SM +2 or smaller! Ice-generating organs are worth $7,500 
  to alchemists, who use them in fire resistance and liquid ice 
  potions. Teeth can be turned into 1d very fine large knives; 
  roll vs. Armory (Melee Weapons) once per knife.
  Jelly
  Jellies are large, slow-moving blobs that creep through con-
  fined spaces (narrow tunnels, under beds, and so on), system-
  atically seeking out and sucking up organic matter. Of course, 
  delvers are organic, as is much their gear – anything made of 
  cloth, hide, paper, or wood is seen as food. Worse, jellies have 
  natural weaponry that prevents victims from escaping! Add 
  near-invisibility, and the mere existence of jellies makes any 
  tight passage a potential place of terror.
  A jelly may simply wait in the delvers’ path; they get one 
  Vision roll at -6 (on top of other visibility modifiers), to spot 
  the slight distortion ahead, with failure meaning the front-
  most party member walks into it. It might instead drop from 
  above; SM +1 specimens can lurk in two-foot-wide aper-
  tures, while SM +2, +3, and +4 monsters can manage one-, 
  1.5-, and two-yard openings. Underwater, danger could 
  come from any direction. Rolls to spot a lurking jelly suffer 
  another -2 if concealment allows a roll at all. Walking into a 
  jelly or having one drop on you is a surprise attack – the hap-
  less victim is engulfed without any active defense!
  After a jelly has attacked or been attacked, it will be reflex-
  ively cautious. If it can trap unengulfed enemies against an 
  obstacle by squidging toward them, it will. If it can’t, it’s 
  likely to retreat, bringing along any grappled or pinned prey. 
  Accounting for ST and Invertebrate, a jelly can drag 112 lbs. 
  upward or away if SM +1, 312 lbs. if SM +2, 612 lbs. if SM 
  +3, or 1,250 lbs. if SM +4, or push four times as much weight 
  ahead of it.
  A jelly is difficult to hurt. Injury Reduction 4 divides all 
  penetrating damage by four (round up) after DR, on top of the 
  effects of Homogeneous on impaling and piercing attacks. If 
  the monster has someone pinned, any attack has a 9 or less 
  chance of inflicting the same damage on the victim as on the 
  jelly (but the victim shares the jelly’s DR 2).
  ST: 15 
  HP: 15 
  Speed: 5.00
  DX: 8 
  Will: 0 
  Move: 1 (Ground or Water)
  IQ: 0 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 2
  Natural cold causes fatigue and slow death. Monstrous attacks might do 
  that – or batter you with hail, shred you with ice shards, or inflict frostbite. 
  Being encased in ice or frozen from within can effectively paralyze you!
  – Ælin Rock-Talker, Druid
  
  	
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  39
  Engulf: If the jelly starts its turn in close combat with prey, 
  or can move there on its turn, it tries to engulf its target; 
  no attack roll is necessary and its quarry may defend only 
  by dodging and retreating. Failure means being sucked 
  inside and pinned if of lower SM than the jelly, or partly 
  stuck in the jelly and grappled if of equal or greater SM. 
  The victim can break free by winning a Quick Contest of 
  ST (allowed only every 10 seconds if pinned); the jelly has 
  +10 to ST if pinning or +5 if grappling. The typical jelly 
  can pin/grapple one foe; later enemies are pushed along 
  in front of it unless they win a Quick Contest of ST to 
  prevent it from moving.
  Immobilize (Resisted by HT-4): Anyone who isn’t in com-
  pletely sealed armor and who is pinned or grappled by the 
  jelly, engages it in a shoving match (no matter who wins 
  the Quick Contest of ST), or touches it with bare skin must 
  roll resistance once per second in contact. Failure means 
  paralysis for minutes equal to margin of failure.
  Liquefy: Anyone pinned takes 1d-1 corrosion damage per 
  second; anyone grappled or shoved suffers 1d-3 corrosion 
  per second. This is Large-Area Injury (Exploits, p. 53). The 
  prey’s organic items and armor permanently lose DR 1 per 
  5 points of cumulative damage. Inorganic equipment is 
  immune. Dead victims are dissolved and gone, while inor-
  ganic gear is ejected.
  Traits: Acute Detect 10; Amphibious; Detect (Organic Mat-
  ter); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; 
  Homogeneous; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; 
  Injury Reduction 4; Invertebrate; Invisibility; No Blood; 
  No Eyes; No Head; No Manipulators; No Neck; Slippery 5; 
  Slithers; Spider Climb (Move 1); Universal Digestion.
  Class: Slime.
  Notes: An SM +1 jelly can fill a one-yard-wide passage to 6’ of 
  height. Larger ones are common: SM +2 fills a two-yard-
  wide passage, has ST/HP 25, and can pin or grapple two 
  targets; SM +3 fills a three-yard-wide passage to 9’, has  
  ST/HP 35, and can pin or grapple three targets; and SM 
  +4 fills a four-yard-wide passage to 12’, has ST/HP 50, 
  and can pin or grapple four targets. A feared subclass 
  of jellies absorb victims’ abilities along with the bodies, 
  allowing the GM to add any trait that seems fun, from 
  Luck to another monster’s contact poison! Unaffected 
  by Animal or Plant spells that don’t specifically target 
  slimes. Nonsentient – can’t communicate or negotiate.
  Karkadann
  A karkadann resembles a lion crossed with a horse . . . 
  and sporting a long, sharp horn on the center of its head. 
  It’s almost the size of a horse, too. It has a handsome mot-
  tled coat of gold, white, and tan.
  Karkadann are aggressive and territorial. They prefer to 
  engage their foes directly, charging into close combat with 
  their horn and then staying there to bite and claw. A kark-
  adann can use its horn to parry as well as to gore, and is 
  quite capable of “fencing” with armed opponents!
  Karkadann encountered in a group will be a pride: a bull 
  male with ST 22, HP 22, +1 to all listed damage, Bad Temper 
  (9), and Laziness (9); his harem of 1d+4 females (use the stats 
  below); plus an additional 1d+4 young that won’t fight. The 
  bull will use the females much as a boss deploys minions: to 
  set up his attacks, flank opponents, and charge dangerous 
  foes. He will fight, but he’ll exploit his harem to maximize his 
  chances of surviving the fray.
  ST: 20 
  HP: 20 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 13 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 14
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 12
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry: 12 
  DR: 1
  Claws (16): 2d cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Horn (16): 2d+3 impaling. The initial slam with the horn 
  inflicts the same damage at Move 1-4, 2d+5 impaling at 
  Move 5-6, 2d+7 impaling at Move 7-9, and 2d+9 impaling 
  at Move 10-14. Treat as weapon, not as body part. Reach 
  C, 1.
  Teeth (16): 2d cutting. A successful bite counts as a grapple, 
  even if no damage penetrates DR. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Bad Temper (12); Combat Reflexes; DR 2 vs. attacks 
  on skull only; Night Vision 5; Quadruped; Temperature 
  Tolerance 1 (Cold); Temperature Tolerance 1 (Heat); Wild 
  Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-16; Running-13.
  Class: Animal.
  Notes: Total skull DR is 5. Animal spells affect karkadann nor-
  mally. Intact karkadann hides can fetch up to $800. Their 
  horns, useful for making poison antidotes, are worth $2,500 
  to alchemists. A horn can also be carved into an ornate (+1 
  reactions), fine-quality large knife. Roll vs. Armory (Melee 
  Weapons); failure ruins the horn as a knife and reduces 
  its value to alchemists to $250. Young karkadann can’t be 
  tamed but are trendy exotic pets, worth $1,000 each.
  Treat as Weapon, Not as Body Part
  Many monster attacks bear the titular note – they 
  involve body parts that are as durable as melee weap-
  ons, or are close-range jets or force fields. These attacks 
  aren’t actual weapons; they cannot be dropped, disarmed, 
  or stolen in any way. They just ignore Hurting Yourself 
  (Exploits, p. 40) when weapons parry them or they strike 
  DR 3+. Most can also parry like weapons, though a few 
  cannot (e.g., Bronze Spider, p. 17). The GM may exempt 
  more or even all monsters from the downsides of attacking 
  and/or parrying unarmed, simplifying combat and putting 
  monsters and delvers on a more equal footing. In all cases, 
  critical misses still go to the Unarmed Critical Miss Table 
  (Exploits, p. 101).
  
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  Leaping Leech
  These horrid pests infest stagnant or still water. The size 
  of a human pinky, leaping leeches are aptly named: they jump 
  out of the water and glom onto victims’ unprotected skin. 
  Individually, they’re no threat, but they’re always found in 
  hordes – and as they can leap up to four yards, even a tiny 
  infested puddle in the middle of a sizable room can threaten 
  a leech attack!
  ST: 0 
  HP: 1 
  Speed: 6.50
  DX: 16 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 1 (Ground or Water)
  IQ: 1 
  Per: 10
  HT: 10 
  FP: 10 
  SM: -9
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Leaping (16): Up to 4 yards! Against an armored victim, this 
  targets the face (at -5) or eyes (-9). Leeches can cluster 
  on body parts; only one can fit on a human-sized eye, but 
  there’s no practical limit to how many can cling to limbs, 
  extremities, or the head. The leap does no damage, but . . .
  Leeching: This attack cannot penetrate any DR, not even 
  Tough Skin. One second after hitting bare flesh, though, 
  the leech begins to suck blood. It inflicts 1 HP per sec-
  ond for 1d-2 seconds (minimum 1). Then it’s gorged and  
  drops off.
  Traits: Amphibious; Gills; Vermiform; Wild Animal.
  Skills: Jumping-16; Swimming-18.
  Class: Animal.
  Notes: A leech that steals 2 HP or more has SM -8 – and if such 
  a distended leech is killed, it bursts, showering everything 
  nearby with gore. Anyone (except other leeches!) within 
  one yard must roll vs. HT to avoid being blinded for 1d-3 
  seconds (minimum 1). A safer option is to pick it off, but 
  leeches are slimy and difficult to remove. Grabbing a leech 
  in one second requires a DX roll, at -9 for SM; carefully 
  doing so takes two seconds but requires no roll. Then roll 
  vs. ST at -3 to pull it off; this inflicts 1 HP of injury. Even 1 
  point of flame damage will make the leech let go.
  Lich
  A lich is an undead wizard whose alchemically preserved 
  skeleton is animated by necromancy. Megalomania is the 
  usual motivation for choosing this career – most liches are 
  melodramatic Evil Overlords. Between this and their appear-
  ance, they simply can’t be well-integrated members of society.
  Delvers should be aware that their opponent can’t be poi-
  soned, starved out, strangled, or caught sleeping; lacks brains 
  and vital organs; and is Unliving. Moreover, Unkillable (Total) 
  means reducing it to -10¥HP just turns it into a ghost that will 
  possess a skeleton somewhere and return for vengeance. Its 
  only real weaknesses are crushing attacks (do double injury) 
  and no-mana areas (cause injury, prevent spellcasting, and 
  keep it from returning once destroyed). Of course, no lich 
  would venture anywhere near a place without mana.
  On top of all that, most liches have had centuries to invent 
  diabolical magic not found in Spells, build lairs where they 
  enjoy a truly unfair home-ground advantage (pp. 6-7), and 
  conjure legions of mindless undead to surround them and 
  screen them from attack.
  You have been warned!
  ST: 10 
  HP: 10 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 18 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 16 
  Per: 16
  HT: 14 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 2
  Staff (12): 1d+2 crushing – usually with a horrid spell, like 6d 
  worth of Deathtouch. Reach 1, 2.
  Traits: Brittle; Cannot Float; Dark Vision; Dependency (Loses 1 
  HP per minute in no-mana areas); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t 
  Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Energy Reserve 30 (Magical); 
  High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to 
  Poison; Magery 6; No Blood; No Brain; No Eyes; No Sense 
  of Smell/Taste; No Vitals; Skinny; Unfazeable; Unheal-
  ing (Heals only when Unkillable is triggered); Unkillable 
  (Total; Achilles Heel, Can be truly killed in no-mana areas); 
  Unliving; Vulnerability (Crushing ¥2).
  Skills: Dozens of spells at skill 20+; Staff-12; numerous 
  IQ-based skills like Alchemy, Hidden Lore, Occultism, 
  Research, Speed-Reading, Thaumatology, Traps, and Writ-
  ing at 16+.
  Class: Undead.
  Notes: Favorite spells are at -2 to energy cost and half casting 
  time – or better – due to skill 20+. Energy Reserve can be 
  any size; 30 points is the minimum, and liches also wield 
  sizable power items. Some liches possess Power Investiture 
  6 and evil clerical spells (anything the GM feels dark gods 
  would grant) instead of wizardly abilities. Liches often 
  negotiate – or accept surrenders and then use secret Mind 
  Control spells to bind victims to perform unspeakable ser-
  vices. Truly evil.
  Lion
  Lions in the wild eat villagers but generally avoid groups 
  of cagey adventurers clad in inedible armor. However, a dun-
  geon boss who enjoys gladiatorial spectacle might rig a room 
  to trap delvers with a group of trained attack lions, while a 
  deranged druid may control lions directly. Whatever the situa-
  tion, lions do coordinate their efforts in combat.
  The Evil Dead
  To keep the undead slaves of liches (below) and 
  similar foes effective in the face of the cleric’s Turn-
  ing ability, consider giving such bodyguards Resist 
  Good (p. 11). To further enhance them, steal a page 
  from Protection from Evil (Spells, p. 64): Accom-
  pany every two full Resist Good levels with +1 DR vs. 
  Good – including attacks by clerics and holy warriors!
  
  	
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  ST: 16 
  HP: 16 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 13 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 10
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 12
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 1
  Bite or Claw (15): 1d+1 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Flexibility; Laziness (12); Night Vision 5; Penetrating 
  Voice; Quadruped; Temperature Tolerance 1 (Heat); Wild 
  Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-15; Running-13.
  Class: Animal.
  Notes: Big lions can have ST and HP up to 20; damage is 1d+2 
  at 17-18, 2d at 19-20. Lions trained to fight might boast DX 
  14, Will 12-13, Combat Reflexes (gives +1 to Dodge), or an 
  extra +1 to biting damage from specialized Striking ST 
  or steel fang caps.
  Lizard Man
  What these tool-using reptiles like about civilization is 
  that it provides: people to eat and the technology to pro-
  duce superior weapons (they love polearms with many 
  blades and projections). Fortunately, most favor hot places 
  far from human habitation, where they subsist on giant 
  swamp flies or desert beetles. Still, “lost” dungeons famed 
  for their treasure are often in lizard-man territory, the 
  uppermost levels sheltering lizards who don’t mind mon-
  sters in the basement and who appreciate how the place 
  draws tasty treasure-seekers.
  Lizard men are reptilian humanoids with long snouts 
  and thick tails. Their beautiful scales might be blue, 
  brown, gray, or green. Though man-sized, the heavy tail 
  and scales mean the typical specimen weighs 30 lbs. more 
  than height suggests. Lizard speech is sibilant, punctuated 
  with tongue-flicks and toothy snaps.
  ST: 12 
  HP: 12 
  Speed: 5.00
  DX: 11 
  Will: 9 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 9 
  Per: 9
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: 10 
  DR: 3
  Bite (13): 1d-1 cutting. Any hit counts as a grapple, even if it 
  doesn’t penetrate DR. This allows the lizard to worry – roll 
  damage each turn as a free action! Reach C.
  Clawed Kick (11): 1d cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Clawed Punch (13): 1d-1 cutting. Reach C.
  Dueling Halberd (14): 1d+6 cutting, 1d+5 impaling (may get 
  stuck – see Picks, Exploits, p. 39), or 1d+2 impaling. Reach 
  1, 2*.
  Tail Strike (11): 1d+1 crushing. Reach C.
  Traits: Disturbing Voice; Nictitating Membrane 2; Odious 
  Racial Habit (Eats other sapient beings, -3 reactions); 
  Peripheral Vision; Temperature Tolerance 3 (Heat); Ter-
  rain Adaptation (Sand or Swamp).
  Skills: Brawling-13; Polearm-14; Stealth-11; Wrestling-12.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Terrain Adaptation always matches the surrounding 
  environment. Effective ST for grappling is 13 due to Wres-
  tling skill. Most lizard men have light leather armor (DR 1, 
  adds to natural DR 2) and a dueling halberd (or occasion-
  ally a dueling glaive, monk’s spade, naginata, or pollaxe). 
  The armor won’t fit non-reptilians, but is often snakeskin 
  and quite attractive (ornate, +1 reactions): $300 per 18-lb. 
  suit. Non-warrior lizards have DX 10 and lower combat 
  skills; leaders have +1 or +2 to all four basic attributes, with 
  according effects on secondary characteristics, skills, and 
  damage. Spellcasters are inevitably shamans with IQ 10+, 
  Power Investiture 1-3, and standard clerical spells. Lizard 
  men will negotiate, but only with delvers offering extraor-
  dinary weapons (e.g., fine or magical polearms) – or their 
  own body weight in food!
  Mindwarper
  Mindwarpers are Things From Beyond Time And Space, 
  with genius-level intellect and devastating psychic powers. No 
  mortal has ever survived to describe one, but ancient lore sug-
  gests they’re humanoids with pebbly skin (similar to that of a 
  starfish), no nose, and hands and feet that consist of suckers 
  surrounded by writhing cilia instead of digits.
  An encounter with a mindwarper generally ends in mad-
  ness or death. Fortunately for humans, mindwarpers don’t 
  cooperate well. A mindwarper is likely to be a lone dungeon 
  boss, found on the lowest levels, surrounded by mindless fod-
  der – often formerly free-willed captives reduced to low IQ 
  and given the Automaton and Reprogrammable traits through 
  unspeakable procedures.
  ST: 10 
  HP: 10 
  Speed: 5.50
  DX: 10 
  Will: 20 
  Move: 5
  IQ: 18 
  Per: 18
  HT: 12 
  FP: 20 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: 13 (¥5) 
  DR: 10
  Psychokinetic Lash (20): 3d crushing. Up to five attacks! 
  Ranged, with Acc 3, 1/2D 10, Max 100. Can be dodged, but 
  not blocked or parried.
  Speaking from Experience
  The entities known as “Elder Things” are not from another 
  plane of existence. However broadly we define “existence,” 
  they are outside. One needs abstruse mathematics to grasp 
  this, but not its ramifications: Elder Things are not from 
  anywhere, so they cannot be magically banished. Unlike 
  constructs and undead, for which magical processes replace 
  life – and demons, elementals, and spirits, which are made of 
  magic – Things are irreconcilable with both life and magic, 
  so spells that influence either cannot affect them, and most 
  are highly resistant to all magic.
  – Zephyra, Wizard
  
  42	
  th e	B estIAry
  Traits: Compartmentalized Mind 4; Dependency (Loses 1 HP 
  per minute in no-mana areas); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t 
  Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Flexibility; Immunity to Dis-
  ease; Immunity to Poison; Magic Resistance 6; No Blood; 
  No Vitals; Pressure Support; Regeneration (1 HP/second); 
  Temperature Tolerance 4 (Cold); Temperature Tolerance 1 
  (Heat); Terror; Unfazeable.
  Skills: Innate Attack (Gaze)-20; many IQ-based skills at 16-20.
  Class: Elder Thing.
  Notes: Parries, DR, psychokinetic lash, and Terror are men-
  tal (“psionic”) abilities, and Compartmentalized Mind lets 
  the mindwarper psychokinetically strike and parry five 
  times per turn! A mindwarper will often feign willingness 
  to negotiate; it may even honor a deal that involves delvers 
  agreeing to a horrible, soul-tainting quest. Truly evil.
  Minotaur
  Minotaurs resemble muscular humans with shaggy, 
  horned bull’s heads (the females, too – comparing a mino-
  tauress to a cow is liable to mean going from bull to steer in 
  seconds). Enough “civilized” ones work as farmhands that 
  minotaurs can sometimes pass in town. Dim-witted, ill-tem-
  pered berserkers are more at home in the dungeon, though.
  Minotaurs stand 3” taller than humans on average, with 
  weight appropriate for their height. The horns make them 
  seem even larger, and prevent them from using all but cus-
  tom-made helmets. There’s no shortage of evil masterminds 
  happy to provide such headgear, along with weapons and 
  opportunities to slaughter people.
  ST: 15 
  HP: 15 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 8 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 10
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 4
  Great Axe (16): 2d+5 cutting. Becomes unready after attack-
  ing. Reach 1, 2*.
  Horns (14): 1d+3 impaling. Treat as weapon, not as body 
  part, both to attack and parry (Parry 10). Reach C, 1.
  Kick (12): 1d+3 crushing (includes +1 for heavy boots). Reach 
  C, 1.
  Punch (14): 1d+1 crushing. Reach C.
  Traits: Absolute Direction; Acute Hearing 2; Appearance (Hid-
  eous); Bad Temper (12); Berserk (12); DR 2 vs. attacks on 
  skull only; Peripheral Vision.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-12; Two-Handed Axe/Mace-16; 
  Wrestling-14.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Effective grappling ST is 17 due to Wrestling skill. 
  This is a typical minotaur employed as a goon, given 
  heavy leather armor (DR 2, added to natural DR 2 above) 
  and a great axe; the armor will fit humans of compara-
  ble size, but unplugged horn holes mean chinks in armor 
  on the head are targeted at -8, not -10. Total skull DR is 8.  
  These stats describe a skilled warrior, the only kind of 
  minotaur ever met in the dungeon. ST, DX, HT, and 
  combat skills could be higher for impressive specimens, 
  and wealthier bosses could provide better weapons and 
  armor – imagine a ST 17 minotaur with DR 9 epic plate 
  and an axe enchanted with Graceful Weapon, at only Light 
  encumbrance and doing 3d+3 cutting per turn! Minotaur 
  encounters generally start with an enraged monster bar-
  reling into combat, but minotaurs who are simply stand-
  ing around may negotiate.
  Mold
  Ordinary mold on rations is a familiar annoyance. Dun-
  geon mold is much worse; you don’t even want to be near it. 
  While “just” a passive threat that can’t pursue you or spew 
  gunk, it carpets objects and areas in ways that complicate 
  an adventurer’s life. When roping down a shaft, stooping 
  under a low ceiling, or squeezing between close walls, the 
  GM might require a DX roll every turn to avoid contact with 
  any mold present.
  As mold may involve rolls to avoid contact and more rolls 
  to resist effects, extended exposure can mean lots of rolling. To 
  keep this from getting annoying, have adventurers face mold 
  briefly or individually. Place it in an area with mobile mon-
  sters (forcing the heroes to fight atop it for a short time, until 
  they’re free to deal with it), where someone must go alone (so 
  only one person rolls), on something the delvers must interact 
  with and don’t dare damage (e.g., an irreplaceable scroll), or 
  inside a chest or along the seams of a door (where contact is 
  brief but inevitable).
  Mold is tough to eradicate. On top of its DR, it’s Diffuse, so 
  only area, cone, or explosion attacks work normally. Most Mis-
  sile spells and jets don’t qualify – use Concussion, Explosive 
  Fireball, or Explosive Lightning. Thanks to Unkillable, mold 
  must be reduced to -10¥HP to perish, which means inflicting 
  11 HP per square yard, subject to the above complications.
  Direct magic is an option, but HT 16 and Magic Resistance 
  4 mean Regular spells are at -4 and the mold resists at 20, 
  while Area spells have no penalty but Magic Resistance 
  counts double: resistance is 24. Area effects affect all mold in 
  their radius. For Regular spells, pay the energy cost for an SM, 
  look up “Linear Measurement” for that SM on the Size and 
  Speed/Range Table (Exploits, pp. 97-98), and square that dis-
  tance to find square yards affected; e.g., six times energy cost 
  for SM +5 lets the spell influence 225 square yards of mold.  
  The taller, the less civilized. 
  Halflings are best. Dwarves and 
  gnomes value sensible things. 
  Other townsfolk are bearable. 
  Minotaurs and ogres will eat you.
  – Hap Badapple, Thief
  
  	
  th e	B estIAry	
  43
  Work backward for known amounts of mold; e.g., a 50-yard 
  corridor with a square two-yard by two-yard cross section 
  has 400 square yards of walls, floor, and ceiling, so if this 
  were blanketed in mold, it would count as SM +6 and multi-
  ply energy cost by seven.
  ST: 0 
  HP: 1* 
  Speed: N/A
  DX: N/A 
  Will: 0 
  Move: 0
  IQ: 0 
  Per: 0
  HT: 16 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: *
  Dodge: N/A 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 1
  Injury: One option from Color (below).
  Insult: One option from Texture (below).
  Traits: Diffuse; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t 
  Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Disease; Immu-
  nity to Poison; Invertebrate; Magic Resistance 4; No Eyes; 
  No Head; No Manipulators; No Neck; Sessile; Unkillable.
  Class: Slime.
  Notes: Mold has HP 1 per square yard but indeterminate 
  SM. Though Move is 0, mold will slowly grow along ver-
  tical or horizontal surfaces, invading any space that isn’t 
  sealed. Unaffected by Animal or Plant spells that don’t 
  specifically target slimes. Nonsentient – can’t communi-
  cate or negotiate.
  Color
  If mold is disturbed in any way – touched, walked on, dam-
  aged – all mold in the area sheds spores that affect everyone in 
  that area. These settle after an hour, but each new disturbance 
  sets off the mold again!
  A mold’s color warns of the danger it poses. Roll 3d to 
  choose at random, or roll twice – once for color, once for 
  effect – for weirdly atypical mold.
  3-4 – Violet: Psychedelic. Make a Fright Check (Exploits, 
  pp. 10-11) at -10! Anything that benefits Fright Checks 
  helps normally. Roll hourly if exposure continues. Failure 
  has its usual effects.*
  5-6 – Yellow: Corrosive. Inflicts 1 point of corrosion damage 
  per second. Keep track of the total and permanently reduce 
  (non-orichalcum) armor or item DR by 1 per 5 points.†
  7-10 – Green: Toxic. Make a HT roll every second; anything 
  that protects against poison helps normally. Each failure 
  costs 1 HP. This injury cannot be healed in any way until the 
  subject gets a Neutralize Poison spell (Spells, pp. 37-38), a 
  day of Esoteric Medicine treatment (Patching Up, Exploits, 
  p. 63), or a dose of universal antidote (Adventurers, p. 117).*
  11-14 – Brown: Sickening. Make a HT roll at -4; anything 
  that protects against disease helps normally. Roll hourly 
  if exposure continues. Failure means a malaise that gives 
  -2 to all attribute and skill rolls, and -1 to active defenses, 
  until the victim receives a Cure Disease spell (Spells, p. 36) 
  or a day of Esoteric Medicine treatment.*
  15-16 – Gray: Putrefying. Make a HT roll at -4; anything that 
  protects against disease helps normally. Roll hourly if expo-
  sure continues. Failure means the victim starts losing 1 HP 
  per hour that cannot be healed in any way until the subject 
  is treated with Cure Disease or Esoteric Medicine. Those 
  killed by this liquefy to goo and are beyond resurrection.*
  17-18 – White: Exploding. The spores explode! Everyone in 
  the area suffers 3d burning damage. For long walks, assess 
  an explosion every 10 seconds.†
  * Area-effect contact agent (Special Delivery, Exploits, 
  pp. 56-57) that affects living beings; only a sealed suit pro-
  tects. Rations carried by those in the area are spoiled unless 
  in sealed containers. Dungeon-dwelling monsters may have 
  Immunity to this effect.
  † Large-Area Injury (Exploits, p. 53).
  Texture
  Mold also comes in a few textures, none of them pleasant. 
  Roll 1d to choose randomly.
  1-2 – Rough: Scratchy bordering on sharp, like rock lichen 
  or coral. Adds +1 per die to damage taken by anyone fall-
  ing on it, or shoved or knocked back into it in a way that 
  causes damage. This also triggers its spores! Increase DR 
  to 2 vs. all attacks.
  3-4 – Slippery: Wet and mucus-like. Every second of 
  ground movement over it at Move 2+ requires a DX roll 
  at the “Speed” penalty on the Size and Speed/Range Table 
  (Exploits, pp. 97-98); e.g., -3 at Move 6. Perfect Balance 
  gives +6. Failure causes a fall; getting up means spending 
  extra time in the area. Increase DR to 4 vs. fire.
  5-6 – Sticky: Tacky and clingy. Reduce Move by 1 if moving in 
  contact with it. Any contact brings some along! Scraping it 
  off exposes the person doing the scraping to 1d seconds of 
  its effects. Not doing so means that in 3d hours, the carrier 
  grows enough mold to be considered exposed constantly.
  Obsidian Jaguar
  This likeness of a great jungle cat is carved from dark 
  volcanic glass and animated by something akin to druidic 
  magic. It’s indistinguishable from mundane statuary . . . 
  until it pounces (10 yards with a running start!), after which 
  it fights like a living jaguar. Razor-sharp obsidian claws and 
  a hard, glassy hide – neither prone to breakage – make it a 
  dangerous foe.
  Moldy Monsters?
  Mold (pp. 42-43) might coat any unliving, stony 
  creature – earth elemental (p. 25), obsidian jaguar 
  (below), stone golem (p. 54), etc. – or undead! The first 
  hit on the monster each hour triggers Color (above) 
  effects in a two-yard radius. Texture (above) matters, 
  too: rough grants +1 DR, slippery adds Slippery 2 and 
  +3 DR vs. fire, and sticky means contact with the mon-
  ster brings some mold along.
  
  44	
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  Obsidian jaguars prefer the night ambush. They’ll try 
  Surprise Attacks (Exploits, pp. 26-27), forcing rivals relying 
  on Vision to deal with darkness penalties and up to another 
  -3 for jungle concealment. An obsidian jaguar always opens 
  with a pounce (Exploits, p. 40). The +4 to skill for pouncing 
  lets it hit its favored target, the neck, at 17 or less. When 
  fighting back, delvers should be aware that their opponent 
  is Homogeneous.
  It’s said that priests of the lost civilization of Teclá cre-
  ated obsidian jaguars to guard holy places – structures where 
  druidic magic somehow remains potent deep inside, out of 
  Nature’s sight. Ciuaclán (p. 18), Demons from Between the 
  Stars (pp. 19-20), giant apes (p. 30), horde pygmies (p. 36), 
  and leaping leeches (p. 40) also feature in these rumors. 
  Delvers plundering ruined temple complexes in the jungle 
  should bear this in mind!
  ST: 19 
  HP: 19 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 16 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 10
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 15
  HT: 12 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 5
  Bite (18): 2d+1 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Front Claw (18): 2d+1 cutting. The initial pounce does 2d+4 
  cutting! Reach C, 1.
  Hind Claw (16): 2d+2 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Brittle; Combat Reflexes; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t 
  Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Fanaticism (Guarding holy 
  places); High Pain Threshold; Homogeneous; 
  Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; 
  Indomitable; Night Vision 5; No Blood; 
  Pressure Support; Quadruped; Sealed; 
  Sense of Duty (To priests, ancient gods, 
  or something); Striking ST 2; Unfazeable; 
  Unhealing (Total).
  Skills: Brawling-18; Jumping-16; Stealth-16.
  Class: Construct.
  Notes: Despite its resemblance to a beast, Ani-
  mal spells won’t work. Animated by divine 
  energies, not by conventional magic. 
  Unwilling to negotiate. Once destroyed, 
  the choicest hunks of its shattered remains 
  are worth $1d¥200 to craftsmen in town, 
  and weigh 3 lbs. per $200 of value.
  Ogre
  Ogres are huge, misshapen humanoids with bloated eyes, 
  warty skin, and a permanent filth layer. They definitely eat 
  people. They are phenomenally stupid – but directed by a suit-
  ably brainy mastermind, they can be devastatingly effective 
  dungeon dangers.
  Ogres stand about 60% taller than humans and weigh five 
  times as much. That puts them between 8’5” to 9’9” and 575 
  and 875 lbs. All are badly stooped and considered SM +1, even 
  at the tall end.
  ST: 20 
  HP: 20 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 11 
  Will: 7 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 7 
  Per: 7
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 3
  Maul (16): 3d+7 crushing. Does not become unready after 
  attacking, thanks to ST. Reach 1, 2*.
  Kick (11): 2d+1 crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Punch (13): 2d crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Appearance (Hideous); Fearlessness 3; High Pain 
  Threshold; Magic Resistance 2; Night Vision 5; Odious 
  Racial Habit (Eats other sapient beings, -3 reactions); 
  Resistant to Disease 5; Resistant to Poison 5.
  Skills: Brawling-13; Two-Handed Axe/Mace-16; Wrestling-13.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Effective ST for grappling is 22 due to Wrestling skill; 
  apply SM difference to attack rolls when grappling (+1 vs. 
  SM 0 humans). Stats reflect a classic ogre brute relying on 
  tough skin for armor and brandishing a huge maul. This is 
  a hardened warrior – lesser ogres have only DX 9-10, DR 
  2 skin, lower levels of Resistant to Disease and Poison, 
  and weaker combat skills. While DX and skill are unlikely 
  to be higher for ogres, ST and HT certainly can be (up to 
  ST 30 and HT 23!), as can Fearlessness and Magic Resis-
  tance. One with gainful employment might even have 
  armor. Ogres are too stupid and ravenous to negotiate 
  usefully – most counteroffers end in “. . . an’ then I get to 
  eat ya!”
  Ooze
  Fungus (pp. 28-29) and mold (pp. 42-43) stay put where 
  you can avoid them. Jelly (pp. 38-39) and slime (pp. 48-49) 
  are slow enough to run from. Ooze isn’t as polite – it wants 
  nothing more than to creep all over you in an inappropriate 
  manner. And it’s fast, and hard to keep out.
  Ooze is a genuine monster resembling a giant amoeba. 
  It isn’t a smart monster, but it doesn’t simply pursue prey 
  reflexively. In particular, oozes cooperate about as well as 
  social insects. That last point is important, as ooze can split 
  when damaged, whereupon the doughty delvers have dou-
  bled their fun . . .
  Speaking from Experience
  Gotta understand that full-blood ogres love fresh meat an’ have big 
  ol’ bag of rocks for brains. They eats people because of that, not because 
  of evil. If ogre gets in your way, just give him lots of meat – say, whole 
  cow or two. Kinda cute, really: big muscles, good appetite, don’t break 
  when you hug ’em. But be careful with ogres that work for dungeon 
  wizards. Those bad boys are kinda evil, ’cause boss tells ’em it’s okay to 
  eat people.
  – Argua the Barbarian
  
  	
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  45
  Ooze makes the perfect wandering monster. Its extraordi-
  nary senses let it detect delvers’ footfalls on a roll of 17 or 
  less! If the group is trying to walk softly, the GM should treat 
  this as a secret Quick Contest against their worst Stealth skill. 
  Unless they win, the ooze will head their way over any surface 
  (horizontal or vertical) and through the tiniest crack at Move 
  8, corroding a path through “impenetrable” obstacles.
  As ooze can sense vibrations precisely enough not to need 
  light, it’s likely to attack from darkness (-1 to -9 to Vision) 
  while clinging to a ceiling (another - 2), striking downward 
  with a whippy pseudopod. Fighting an ooze overhead or on 
  a wall uses Combat at Different Levels (Exploits, p. 47) – and 
  on top of exploiting that bonus to defend, ooze will retreat 
  along whatever surface it’s on. It can’t grapple or be grappled, 
  and relies on being Diffuse and regenerating 1 HP/second 
  to survive injury.
  ST: 0 
  HP: 12 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 16 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 8
  IQ: 1 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Stinging Touch (16): 1d+1 corrosion + follow-up 1d+1 
  toxic (HT-4 to resist). Corrosion is only to targeted body 
  part, but keep track of it: armor there permanently loses 
  DR 1 per 5 points of cumulative damage. If blocked or 
  parried by a shield or a weapon, that starts to corrode. 
  Orichalcum gear won’t corrode – but orichalcum armor 
  provides the wearer with DR, not total immunity. Any 
  failed HT roll to avoid death by someone taken to -1¥HP 
  or worse by either facet of this attack means the vic-
  tim liquefies to ooze food and is beyond resurrection. 
  Reach C, 1.
  Touch-Me-Not (Resisted by HT-4): Fools touching an 
  ooze with bare skin must resist or take 1d+1 toxic. Duh.
  Traits: Combat Reflexes; Diffuse (Infiltration); Division 
  (see notes); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain 
  Threshold; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Mind 
  Control; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; Inverte-
  brate; No Eyes; No Fine Manipulators; No Neck; No 
  Head; Regeneration (1 HP/second, but only if on a sur-
  face); Sensitive Touch; Slithers; Spider Climb (Move 
  8); Subsonic Hearing; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold); 
  Temperature Tolerance 5 (Heat); Unfazeable; Vibration 
  Sense (Air); Wild Animal.
  Class: Slime.
  Notes: Ooze is Diffuse and affected normally only by area, 
  cone, or explosive attacks. Other attacks are less effec-
  tive and risk making it multiply: Whenever such a blow 
  causes ooze to roll against HT to stay alive (at -1¥HP and 
  below), success means it lives and failure by 3+ means 
  it dies – but failure by 1 or 2 (“mortal wound”) indicates 
  the energy of the killing blow enables it to absorb part 
  of whatever it’s on (ground, tree, wall, etc.) and split into 
  two oozes! Initial HP equal half of the parent’s full score 
  (a HP 12 critter yields two HP 6 oozes, one of those gives 
  two HP 3 specimens, and so on), but Regeneration can top it 
  up to HP 12 – and newly spawned oozes slither away and take 
  All-Out Defense (Increased Dodge) until fully regenerated.  
  Unaffected by Animal or Plant spells that don’t specifically 
  target slimes. Far too stupid to negotiate!
  Peshkali
  Peshkali are powerful demonic sentinels set to guard for-
  gotten places. A peshkali has a muscular, vaguely humanoid 
  torso with six arms, while its lower body is that of a great ser-
  pent. What it lacks in sorcery or astonishing powers, it makes 
  up in strength and martial prowess.
  
  46	
  th e	B estIAry
  ST: 20 
  HP: 20 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 14 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 14
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 13 (¥6) 
  DR: 4
  Grapple (16): Effective ST for grappling is 22 due to Wres-
  tling skill. May use snake body and up to six arms, gaining 
  +2 to skill and ST per body part used after the first two! 
  Inevitably followed by Constriction Attack, which counts 
  as an attack. Reach C.
  Weapons (18): Six clubs (3d+3 crushing), scimitars (3d+3 
  cutting or 2d impaling), or spears (2d+1 impaling). Reach 
  1.
  Traits: Combat Reflexes; Constriction Attack; Doesn’t Breathe; 
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Double-Jointed; Extra 
  Arms 4; Extra Attack 5; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to 
  Poison; Indomitable; Infravision; No Blood; No Brain; No 
  Neck; No Vitals; Slithers; Supernatural Durability (Can be 
  killed only after all six arms are crippled); Unfazeable.
  Skills: Broadsword-18 or Spear-18; Wrestling-16.
  Class: Demon.
  Notes: Can attack six times but can use each body part – arm 
  (to use a weapon or grapple) or serpent tail (to grapple) – 
  just once. Unwilling to negotiate. Truly evil.
  Pudding
  A pudding is a flattened hemisphere of rubbery stuff – dry, 
  wrinkly, and rough to the touch. It moves by expanding and 
  contracting, humping up in the middle with each “step.” To 
  attack, it does something similar, forcefully contorting itself 
  to deal punishing blows with surprising reach. After running 
  down prey and battering it into submission, the pudding 
  crawls on top and digests it slowly.
  A pudding is stretchy enough to negotiate openings a mere 
  1.5’ wide, and can compress itself and suddenly release the 
  energy to displace four-ton obstacles and rupture portals 
  weaker than vault doors. Its elastic nature also means injury 
  is halved (Injury Reduction 2), cumulative with the effects of 
  Homogeneous. With effective HT 16 thanks to Hard to Kill 
  and Hard to Subdue, delvers are very likely to have to reduce a 
  pudding to -5¥HP to kill it.
  More bad news: Puddings are smart, about as canny as 
  dire tigers or wolves, and have tastes. Though they’ll feed on 
  corpses, most prefer to eat unconscious victims alive. They 
  seem to enjoy it when their dinner twitches as it’s dissolved.
  ST: 40 
  HP: 40 
  Speed: 6.25
  DX: 12 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 14
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 5
  Bash (14): 4d+4 crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Devour: Can use the movement portion of any maneuver to 
  crawl atop anyone who’s lying down and currently unable 
  to make active defenses (for whatever reason). This is a free 
  action, costs no movement points, and automatically pins 
  the target. A victim who regains defenses (e.g., wakes up) 
  may try to break free immediately and again every 10 sec-
  onds thereafter. This pin inflicts 1 point of corrosion dam-
  age to flesh every 10 seconds unless the subject’s outfit is 
  sealed. Anyone killed this way is digested and beyond resur-
  rection; gear is unharmed.
  Traits: 360° Vision; Dark Vision; Discriminatory Taste; 
  Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Sleep; Hard to Kill 3; Hard to 
  Subdue 3; High Pain Threshold; Homogeneous; Immu-
  nity to Disease; Immunity to Mind Control; Immunity 
  to Poison; Indomitable; Injury Reduction 2; Invertebrate; 
  Magic Resistance 5; No Blood; No Eyes; No Fine Manipu-
  lators; No Head; No Neck; Sadism (12); Slithers; Unfaze-
  able; Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-12; Tracking-18.
  Class: Slime.
  Notes: Tracking skill assumes the pudding can taste the trail, 
  so countermeasures that merely eliminate footprints inflict 
  no penalty. Unaffected by Animal or Plant spells that don’t 
  specifically target slimes. Smart enough to understand any-
  thing an IQ 4 animal would in theory; alien, ravenous, and 
  totally unwilling to negotiate in practice.
  Other Flavors
  The common pudding is black, but there are rarer varieties 
  with additional abilities:
  Brown: Limited Camouflage (Sand), Temperature Toler-
  ance 5 (Heat), Terrain Adaptation (Sand), and the ability to 
  tunnel through sand at Move 3.
  Gray: Materializes from the Astral Plane to make a surprise 
  attack, fights for 15 seconds, and then dematerializes, taking 
  pinned victims with it, turning them into NPC ghosts.
  Green: Amphibious, Limited Camouflage (Swamp), and 
  Slippery 5, with 1d+1 toxic (HT-4 to resist) as a follow-up.
  Speaking from Experience
  Among the worst monsters are those with many 
  arms – consider the peshkali, which has six. Some 
  pointers on battling these: Bear a large shield, as that 
  lets you ward off the thing’s many blows using both 
  hands, and forces the creature to attack around the 
  bulwark along lines you can predict and thus readily 
  defend. Retreat judiciously, buying time to react to each 
  strike in turn. Prioritize disabling those arms, which 
  both endanger you and protect your adversary’s vital 
  areas. Finally, never fight alone – there’s no dishonor in 
  bringing five allies to match a foe with six blades.
  – Sir Yvor Gryffyn, Knight
  
  	
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  47
  Red: Additional DR 13 vs. heat/fire and Temperature Tol-
  erance 70 (Heat), with 2 points burning injury as a follow-up.
  White: Extra DR 10 vs. cold/ice, Limited Camouflage (Snow), 
  Temperature Tolerance 10 (Cold), and Terrain Adaptation 
  (Ice/Snow), with 2 points cold injury as a follow-up.
  Rock Mite
  Rock mites are mineral-eating things that resemble head-
  less stone pygmies. A rock mite’s torso is lumpy and egg-
  shaped. Its legs are stumpy, ending in flat, slate-like “feet,” 
  while its arms terminate in “hands” of rock with four “fingers” 
  radiating from the center. It uses its hands to convey chunks 
  of rock to a “mouth” near the top front of its torso. This jagged 
  maw is filled with a magma-like substance that melts down 
  the mite’s mineral-rich meals.
  It isn’t clear whether rock mites are animate stone or some-
  thing else entirely. They aren’t intelligent, yet they obviously 
  act in harmony with one another. Not only do they eat, they 
  sleep, crouching down in such a way that they appear to be lit-
  tle more than a rock pile. They clearly dislike being bothered, 
  too; if a mite is approached too closely or molested in any way 
  (e.g., a delver mistaking a sleeping mite for a rock and sitting 
  on it!), it will attack. And rock mites are never alone. Other 
  mites nearby will swarm the offender, grappling and then bit-
  ing repeatedly until they’ve slain their victim and consumed 
  any gems or other stones on the corpse.
  ST: 12 
  HP: 12 
  Speed: 5.00
  DX: 10 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 4
  IQ: 0 
  Per: 9
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: -1
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: 8 (unarmed) 
  DR: 5
  Bite (10): 1d-1 cutting + follow-up 2d burning. Any bite counts 
  as a grapple, and inflicts 2d burning every turn thereafter! 
  Treat as weapon, not as body part. Reach C.
  Traits: Bad Temper (12); Brittle; Doesn’t Breathe; DR 25 vs. 
  heat/fire only; Homogeneous; Immunity to Disease; Immu-
  nity to Mind Control; Immunity to Poison; Lifting ST 6; 
  Mute; No Blood; No Head; Pressure Support; Regeneration 
  (1 HP/12 hours, but only if in contact with stone); Sealed; 
  Single-Minded; Stubbornness (12); Weakness (Shape Earth 
  or Earth to Air inflicts 3d HP/casting).
  Skills: Wrestling-10.
  Class: Mundane? Despite appearances, it isn’t an elemental!
  Notes: Lifting ST gives effective ST 18 for grappling. Unaf-
  fected by Animal or Mind Control spells. Nonsentient – 
  can’t communicate or negotiate. Rumors claim rock mites 
  are the “drone workers” of a larger rock-man civilization, 
  whose metal-filled lairs are guarded by a warrior caste with 
  huge jaws and a crushing grip.
  Siege Beast
  These gigantic, stooped humanoids are stupid, ill-tem-
  pered, and completely loyal to the dark forces that control 
  whatever dungeon they’re found in. Their purpose in life is 
  to tow siege engines and guard gateways. They wade into bat-
  tle with a massive hammer like a meat tenderizer riveted to 
  one hand and steel bands nailed directly to their leathery hide. 
  Fortunately for delvers, siege beasts are flesh-and-blood crea-
  tures, not constructs, and thus subject to poison, strangula-
  tion, and blows to vital areas.
  ST: 30 
  HP: 30 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 5
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 8
  HT: 12 
  FP: 18 
  SM: +2
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 10
  Hammer (16): 5d+5 crushing. Cannot be dropped! Reach 1, 2.
  Mailed Fist (16): 3d+3 crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Metal Boot (14): 3d+4 crushing. Reach C-2.
  Traits: Bad Temper (12); Fanaticism; Hard to Kill 4; High 
  Pain Threshold; Very Rapid Healing.
  Skills: Axe/Mace-16; Brawling-16.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Siege beasts aren’t supernaturally bound and can be 
  tricked or even negotiated with. Mind control also works – 
  but given the triple cost to cast spells on SM +2 targets, that 
  isn’t always practical. A siege beast’s “weapon” and “armor” 
  consist of 180 lbs. of low-quality scrap (see Exploits, 
  pp. 16-17).
  Skeleton
  Animated skeletons are among the lowliest of necroman-
  tic servitors. Though utterly loyal and incorruptible, they 
  lack initiative, are unable to learn, and can’t even speak.  
  
  48	
  th e	B estIAry
  Thus, they’re mostly good for fighting, which they do as well 
  as any warrior with similar stats. While Unliving and tough 
  (DR 2), they suffer double injury from crushing blows and are 
  Unnatural (dispelled at -1¥HP).
  ST: 11 
  HP: 11 
  Speed: 8.00
  DX: 13 
  Will: 8 
  Move: 8
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 8
  HT: 12 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry/Block: 10 
  DR: 2
  Bony Claw (14): 1d-1 crushing. Reach C.
  Longbow (14): 1d+1 impaling. Ranged, with Acc 3, 1/2D 165, 
  Max 220, Shots 1(2), Bulk -8.
  Shield Bash (14): 1d-1 crushing. Reach 1.
  Weapon (14): Axe (1d+3 cutting), shortsword (1d+1 cutting 
  or 1d impaling), small mace (1d+3 crushing), spear (1d+1 
  impaling), etc. Reach 1.
  Traits: Appearance (Monstrous); Automaton; Brittle; Cannot 
  Float; Cannot Learn; Dependency (Loses 1 HP per minute 
  in no-mana areas); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; 
  Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Disease; 
  Immunity to Mind Control; Immunity to Poison; Indom-
  itable; Mute; No Blood; No Brain; No Eyes; No Sense of 
  Smell/Taste; No Vitals; Reprogrammable; Single-Minded; 
  Skinny; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold); Temperature 
  Tolerance 5 (Heat); Unfazeable; Unhealing (Total); Unliv-
  ing; Unnatural; Vulnerability (Crushing ¥2).
  Skills: Bow-14; Brawling-14; Climbing-13; Knife-13; Shield-14; 
  Stealth-13; one of Axe/Mace-14, Shortsword-14, or 
  Spear-14.
  Class: Undead.
  Notes: Skull DR is still only 2. Unaffected by Death Vision or 
  Sense Life, but susceptible to Pentagram, Sense Spirit, and 
  Turn Zombie. This skeleton is made from a bandit, castle 
  guard, militiaman, or other low-end warrior, and equipped 
  as a skirmisher and archer: one-handed melee weapon, 
  small shield (DB 1), longbow, and 10-20 arrows. More 
  impressive fighters can have better combat stats and gear – 
  maybe even armor fit for a skeleton! Though not truly evil, 
  the magic animating it usually is. No undead servitor will 
  negotiate or reveal useful information.
  Slime
  Slimes are the slowest goo that could be deemed “mobile.” 
  Like jellies (pp. 38-39), they roam in search of organic matter. 
  Unlike their distant cousins, they don’t favor the large, living 
  kind – they’re genuine scavengers.
  A slime resembles nothing so much as a particularly dis-
  gusting puddle of . . . well, of something. It’s easily mistaken 
  for stagnant water, rancid grease from a weeks-old cookout, 
  or that business the half-ogre wandered off take care of. Of 
  course, you wouldn’t expect those things on the ceiling (well, 
  half-ogres can be gross that way).
  On the ceiling, in a tree, or high up on a wall, slime is dif-
  ficult to see: Vision rolls to notice it suffer -2 for an overhead 
  threat or -5 when fleeing at a run, plus any darkness penalty 
  (e.g., -3 for torchlight) and another -2 in a moist, mossy envi-
  ronment. Slime just beyond a low archway, up a shaft, or on 
  the far side of a branch can’t be seen without risking exposure. 
  Slime lurking above will drop on any substantial food source 
  (e.g., a delver) it senses no more than five yards below – an 
  aimed ranged attack with effective skill 13, but at -5 to hit the 
  upturned face of someone stealing a quick peek. The victim 
  can block or dodge if the initial Vision roll succeeded, but at 
  -2 for attack from above.
  To avoid mistaking slime on the ground for a puddle and 
  stepping in it calls for a similar Vision roll. Failure means 
  walking into the slime and being attacked without defense. 
  Swimming in slime-filled waters guarantees contact!
  It’s hallowed hack ‘n’ slash tradition that some monsters 
  vomit monster-grade slime – an option for any creature with 
  a breath attack. The attacker rolls against Innate Attack 
  (Breath) to hit and the recipient may dodge or block. Any hit 
  is localized to the targeted body part; see Disgusting Slime 
  Effects (p. 49) for implications. Hit or miss, the target’s hex 
  now contains a slime! People slimed this way have one turn to 
  leave the hex before they’re deemed to be walking in slime for 
  further bad effects.
  ST: 0 
  HP: 1 
  Speed: 5.00
  DX: 8 
  Will: 0 
  Move: *
  IQ: 0 
  Per: 8
  HT: 12 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Drip From Above (13): Pick one option from Disgusting 
  Slime Effects (p. 49).
  Unwelcome Contact: Stepping in or touching slime has the 
  same effect as being dripped on.
  Traits: Acute Detect 10; Amphibious; Detect (Organic Matter); 
  Diffuse (Infiltration); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Sleep; DR 24 
  vs. heat/fire only; Enhanced Dodge 3; High Pain Threshold; 
  Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; Invertebrate; 
  No Eyes; No Head; No Manipulators; No Neck; Slithers; 
  Spider Climb.
  Class: Slime!
  I define monsters by how they eat: Spooky ones, like skellies, don’t. Vicious 
  ones, like ogres, chew you up. Gross ones, like slimes, dissolve you.
  – Puddin’ Noddington, Thief
  
  	
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  Notes: Slime moves verrry slowwwly – mere inches per second 
  (Move 0.05 to 0.1) – but when it’s up high and senses any-
  thing organic at most five yards below, it stops clinging and 
  lets gravity take its course, reaching its target in a second or 
  less. Once slime drops or is detected, it’s easily destroyed; it 
  can open holes in itself to let attacks pass through (whence 
  Dodge 11), but it’s too slow to retreat. Treat every square 
  yard of slime as a separate entity; don’t batch it together 
  like mold (pp. 42-43). Unaffected by Animal or Plant spells 
  that don’t specifically target slimes. Nonsentient – can’t 
  communicate or negotiate.
  Disgusting Slime Effects
  Slime harms living tissue on contact. A victim slimed from 
  above or swimming through slime is drenched and affected 
  immediately. A localized touch causes effects in seconds equal 
  to that body part’s DR. A glove, boot, or helmet can be pulled 
  off before the slime gets through (Donning and Removing 
  Armor, Adventurers, p. 110), but other garments are too cum-
  bersome to remove in time.
  Slime effects require HT rolls at -5 to resist; anything that 
  protects against poison helps normally. Armor DR has no effect 
  beyond delaying the inevitable. A Neutralize Poison or Instant 
  Neutralize Poison spell (for both, see Spells, pp. 37-38)– or the 
  universal antidote (Adventurers, p. 117) – immediately ends 
  ongoing effects but doesn’t heal injury or prevent re-exposure.
  In fact, HP lost to slime cannot be healed until ongoing 
  injury ends – whether on its own or through magical inter-
  vention. Re-exposure before such poison has run its course 
  does not trigger new immediate (first-exposure) effects, or 
  worsen penalties or injury rolls, but does reset duration to 
  five minutes. Anyone slimed to death liquefies into slime and 
  cannot be resurrected!
  Choose an effect or roll 1d:
  1 – Aggressively Flesh-Eating: Roll resistance on initial expo-
  sure and again every minute for five minutes. Each failure 
  means 1d corrosion, while success means 1 point (thus, 
  total injury is from 6 points to 6 dice). For one minute after 
  each resistance roll, all DX, IQ, skill, and self-control rolls 
  suffer a penalty equal to the associated injury (i.e., from 
  -1 to -6), halved (round down) for High Pain Threshold or 
  doubled for Low Pain Threshold. Someone affected only 
  on an extremity or limb takes injury to just that body part. 
  Actual HP loss can’t exceed the amount needed to crip-
  ple (over HP/3 or HP/2), but keep rolling – if total injury 
  is at least twice that, the body part rots off! Someone 
  drenched in slime has no injury limit but must roll on the 
  Hit Location Table (Exploits, pp. 99-100); if this indicates a 
  limb or extremity, assess crippling or dismemberment on 
  the basis of total HP loss. Damage affects flesh, never gear.
  2-3 – Flesh-Eating: As Aggressively Flesh-Eating, except 
  that failure to resist inflicts only 1d-2 corrosion (minimum 
  1 point), while success deals no injury. Pain, crippling, and 
  dismemberment can still occur.
  4-5 – Toxic: Roll resistance on initial exposure and again 
  every minute thereafter for five minutes. Each failure 
  means 1d toxic. On a success, halve this and round up (for 
  1-3 points). This is general injury – it applies whether the 
  victim was drenched or just touched the slime with one 
  body part. If cumulative injury exceeds 2/3 of the target’s 
  HP, the subject is also nauseated (Exploits, p. 65): -2 to all 
  attribute and skill rolls, -1 to active defenses, and possible 
  retching. This lasts until healed above that point.
  6 – Lethal: As Toxic, except that failure inflicts 2d toxic while 
  success means 1d. Nausea sets in at the same injury level.
  Slorn
  Slorn are eight-legged, fire-breathing lizards. They dwell 
  in rocky badlands – and deep underground, near geothermal 
  heat sources that keep them toasty. They aren’t cold-blooded; 
  they just like warmth. This includes hot meals . . . slorn love to 
  roast their victims’ meat before eating!
  While slorn aren’t fast, they’re physically powerful and 
  almost tireless. Because of this, some reptilian races tame 
  them for use as mounts. A typical slorn has a Basic Lift of 
  125 lbs, allowing it to bear 375 lbs. as Medium encumbrance 
  (Move 3) or 750 lbs. as Heavy encumbrance (Move 2). If the 
  slorn bites on its turn, its rider suffers -2 to attack. Fire-breath 
  attacks aren’t as disruptive – the penalty is only -1.
  Slorn are also notoriously hard to finish off in combat. 
  Supposedly “dead” slorn have been known to get back up and 
  resume the fight. They dislike giving up pursuit of anything 
  that provoked them – or that tasted good.
  ST: 25 
  HP: 25 
  Speed: 5.00
  DX: 11 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 5
  IQ: 3 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +2
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 2
  Bite (13): 2d+3 cutting + follow-up 1d burning. Reach C, 1.
  Flame Breath (13): 2d+2 burning. Treat as a jet spell (Spells, 
  p. 12) with reach C-3.
  Beyond Resurrection
  Resurrection (Exploits, pp. 62-63) is expensive, but 
  delvers who’ve survived many adventures will accu-
  mulate the wealth – and player attachment – to make 
  it happen. Regardless, resurrection isn’t possible if:
  • At -10¥HP or worse due to burning, corrosion, or 
  cutting damage.
  • Decapitated.
  • Killed by a creature whose description says so. 
  Slime-class monsters digest or rot the body (which 
  can’t be reanimated as undead, either). Hellhounds 
  (pp. 35-36) eat the soul!
  • Transformed after death by Infectious Attack; 
  see Horde Zombie (pp. 36-37) and Vampire (pp. 58-59).
  
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  th e	B estIAry
  Traits: DR 15 vs. heat/fire only; Extra Legs (Eight Legs); 
  Fit; Hard to Kill 2; Horizontal; No Fine Manipulators; 
  Recovery; Regeneration (1 HP/12 hours); Regrowth; Sin-
  gle-Minded; Stubbornness (12); Temperature Tolerance 10 
  (Heat); Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-13; Innate Attack (Breath)-13.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: Variant slorn crop up with abilities based on acid 
  (follow-up and breath change from burning to corrosion; 
  extra DR is vs. acid), cold (damage remains burning but 
  cannot set fires, and victims must roll vs. HT at -1 per 2 
  points of penetrating damage or be momentarily para-
  lyzed, rolling vs. HT at the same penalty every turn to 
  recover; extra DR is vs. cold/ice; Temperature Tolerance 
  changes from Heat to Cold), or poison (follow-up and 
  breath change from burning to toxic; extra DR becomes 
  Immunity to Poison). Too stupid to negotiate. As only 
  fresh-hatched slorn can be trained as mounts, slorn eggs 
  are valuable to suitable traders and trainers; each intact 
  egg is worth $500 to such people.
  Slugbeast
  While this slimy monstrosity resembles a giant slug, it’s 
  far more deadly. Capable of oozing its way along ceilings and 
  walls – and through openings as narrow as 6” across – it’s a 
  voracious carnivore. It constantly trails a path of sticky slime 
  behind it; anyone who walks on this is grappled by the feet 
  with effective ST 15. The monster eventually returns to check 
  the gunk (say, when it hears the struggles of trapped victims) 
  and devour any organic matter stuck there – living, dead, or 
  undead. Slugbeasts are always hungry!
  The slugbeast can extend two pseudopods with which to 
  lash foes. Those struck are likely to end up glued to the beast’s 
  sticky, corrosive skin. Once someone is stuck, the slugbeast 
  wraps a pseudopod around the victim and starts crushing. 
  The captive is also slowly dissolved by the beast’s digestive 
  ooze, and eventually reduced to a puddle of nutrients that the 
  monster slowly absorbs.
  Slugbeasts are moderately tough foes, with DR 20 vs. crush-
  ing damage and all the benefits of Homogeneous. Fortunately 
  for delvers, the slugbeast shares its smaller kin’s widely known 
  Weakness to salt – though it takes a human-sized handful 
  (0.25 lb.) to trigger this. A successful Naturalist or Survival 
  (Swampland) roll at +3 will reveal this flaw.
  ST: 16 
  HP: 16 
  Speed: 5.00
  DX: 10 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 5
  IQ: 2 
  Per: 10
  HT: 10 
  FP: 10 
  SM: +2
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Digestive Slime: 1 point/second corrosion to anything touch-
  ing the slugbeast, or that it touches or grapples. This is a 
  free action.
  Pseudopod Blow (12): 1d+1 crushing + follow-up 1 point 
  corrosion. Anyone hit is stuck to the pseudopod regardless 
  of whether the attack penetrates DR. Treat this as a ST 15 
  grapple. Reach C, 1.
  Pseudopod Crush: On later turns, stuck victims who fail to 
  break free are considered grappled with effective ST 18 
  (due to Wrestling skill) and subject to Constriction Attack. 
  This, too, is a free action. Reach C.
  Traits: Cast-Iron Stomach; Constriction Attack; Double- 
  Jointed; DR 20 vs. crushing only; Gluttony (9); Homoge-
  neous; Infravision; Invertebrate; No Fine Manipulators; No 
  Head; No Neck; Slithers; Spider Climb (Move 2); Sticky 
  (see notes); Weakness (Contact with salt inflicts 1d HP/sec-
  ond); Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-12; Stealth-14; Wrestling-12.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: Weapons, fists, etc. striking the slugbeast are stuck 
  (grappled) until the warrior wins a Quick Contest of ST 
  against ST 15 to pull free; each attempt takes a turn, and 
  the weapon or body part suffers 1 point/second of corro-
  sion damage in the interim! Affected normally by Animal 
  spells. Too stupid to negotiate. Slugbeast slime can be 
  distilled into an acid of value to alchemists; a successful 
  Alchemy roll and five minutes’ work yields slime worth $15 
  per point of success.
  Specter
  “Ghost” describes any spirit of a dead mortal bound to 
  the material world by a curse or unfinished business. Not all 
  ghosts are evil – indeed, spirits of heroes who’ve perished in 
  the dungeon have been known to appear to other delvers and 
  warn them of danger. A “specter,” however, is evil. Such a 
  ghost kills to accumulate power with which to break its curse 
  or pursue some selfish mission (often one of vengeance).
  A specter is incorporeal, and normally invisible to anyone 
  not using the Astral Vision spell. Ordinary senses and even the 
  See Invisible spell cannot detect it. The Sense Evil, Sense Foes, 
  or Sense Spirit spell – or the holy Detect Evil ability – will 
  reveal a hostile presence but not a precise location.
  Breaking Down Corrosion
  Not all corrosion attacks (Exploits, p. 53) are 
  universal; some reduce the HP and DR of specific 
  materials only. Acid spiders (p. 16), yellow molds 
  (pp. 42-43), oozes (pp. 44-45), and slugbeasts (p. 50) – 
  and acid-breathing dragons (pp. 21-23) and slorn 
  (pp. 49-50) – attack with acid that harms everything 
  but orichalcum. The jelly (pp. 38-39) secretes enzymes 
  that digest flesh and organic equipment (cloth, leather, 
  etc.). Pudding (pp. 46-47), slime (pp. 48-49), and spore 
  cloud (pp. 52-53) enzymes digest flesh only, never gear. 
  In all cases, living beings heal one level of natural DR 
  for each HP healed.
  
  	
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  51
  To affect the world, a specter must manifest as a transpar-
  ent, luminescent form (no darkness penalties to see it). This 
  apparition is horrific; e.g., a grievously wounded or head-
  less person, or a rotting or wormy corpse. Mortals must roll 
  an immediate Fright Check (Exploits, pp. 10-11) upon first 
  glimpsing it.
  Visible or not, a specter is intangible and 
  wholly immune to material dangers: blows, 
  acid, flame, lightning, pressure and tempera-
  ture extremes, etc. Only people and objects 
  under the influence of Affect Spirits (Spells, 
  p. 59) – and weapons enchanted with Ghost 
  Weapon (Exploits, p. 79) – can harm it. 
  These injure the specter as if it were Diffuse 
  (it’s a mass of ectoplasm, not a living being!), 
  and it must roll against HT at -1¥HP, -2¥HP, 
  -3¥HP, and -4¥HP, with any failure indicat-
  ing it’s truly dead; at -5¥HP, it’s destroyed.
  Most magic is ineffective against specters, 
  but Communication and Empathy, Mind 
  Control, and Necromantic spells can affect 
  them. However, while the specter is invisible, 
  spells that do anything but detect it are at -5 for crossing 
  dimensions, on top of any range penalties – and casters with-
  out Astral Vision suffer another -5 to Regular spells, as they 
  cannot see their subject.
  ST: 0 
  HP: 10 
  Speed: 5.00
  DX: 10 
  Will: 16 
  Move: 5 (Any)
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 10
  HT: 10 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Life-Draining Touch (10): 1d+1 toxic. This attack ignores all 
  DR save for that of armor with Affect Spirits on it and heals 
  the specter the same number of HP that it inflicts! Reach C.
  Traits: Appearance (Horrific); Callous; Dark Vision; Diffuse; 
  Disturbing Voice; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; 
  Doesn’t Sleep; Frightens Animals; Ghost Form (see notes); 
  Hidebound; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Disease; 
  Immunity to Poison; Incurious (9); Indomitable; Sin-
  gle-Minded; Terror; Unfazeable; Unhealing (Heals only by 
  draining life); and one of Divine Curse to haunt an area, 
  Fanaticism to a dark cause, Obsession (9) with a sinister 
  quest, or Uncontrollable Appetite (12) for stealing life.
  Skills: Any known in life!
  Class: Undead.
  Notes: Ghost Form lets the specter travel through any medium 
  (even solid matter) at full Move, makes it immune to phys-
  ical dangers and most magic, and enables it to switch 
  between being an invisible presence (detectable only with 
  magic, affected by magic at -5, and can’t affect the world) 
  and an apparition (visible, causes Terror, and can drain 
  life); transformation either way requires 10 seconds of 
  concentration. More powerful specters have superior attri-
  butes, inflict more damage, cause penalized Fright Checks, 
  use magic (add Magery or Power Investiture, an Energy 
  Reserve, and spells), and/or transform more quickly. Spec-
  ters acquire power by killing; adventurers who flee from or 
  drive off a specter may return to face a scarier foe. Willing 
  to negotiate with those who can aid it with its quest or 
  curse – or who offer living sacrifices! Truly evil.
  Sphere of Madness
  This Elder Thing is something mortals can describe but not 
  usefully understand; all that’s known is that spheres attack 
  eyes of death (pp. 26-27). By appearances, it’s a putrid brown-
  green sphere just under 3’ in diameter, ringed with eyes above 
  the equator. An armored, crab-like arm projects from either 
  side, ending in vicious pincers. Four suckered tentacles ring 
  a horrid squid-like beak below, and four more tentacles and 
  another beak adorn the top. The sphere moves via creepy, 
  gliding levitation, dropping from above to engulf its victim’s 
  head, crush the skull, and eat the tasty brains inside.
  Thanks to 360° Vision and Vibration Sense, it’s hard to 
  surprise and impossible to flank spheres, while spheres often 
  achieve surprise by Attacking from Above (Exploits, p. 38).  
  A sphere exploits Combat at Different Levels (Exploits, p. 47) 
  to penalize foes’ defenses (-2) and get a bonus to its own (+2) – 
  and until it grapples prey, it will retreat upward for +3 or use 
  Acrobatic Dodge (Exploits, p. 48) for +2. The Thing will stay 
  put after it grabs someone, but then the victim is grappled for 
  a further -2 to Parry and -1 to Dodge, can’t retreat, and is an 
  easy target for the beak.
  ST: 17 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 14 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 14 (Air or Water)
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 10
  HT: 14 
  FP: 14 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 6
  Crab Pincers (16): 1d+4 cutting. Any hit counts as a grapple, 
  regardless of whether it penetrates DR. Treat as weapon, 
  not as body part. Reach C, 1.
  Octopus Tentacles: Victims who fail to break free from a 
  pincer grapple are handed off to four tentacles the follow-
  ing turn (uses up one attack) and subject to Constriction 
  Attack from then on (a free action on a grappled victim!). 
  Speaking from Experience
  Less-than-solid monsters are among the most challenging of Evil’s min-
  ions. Some are vapor or ectoplasm; others are truly insubstantial. All are 
  difficult or impossible to destroy with blows. Fortunately, the gods have 
  given us two tools suited to the task: The Affect Spirits spell empowers any 
  weapon – or a person’s hands! – to wound even wholly immaterial beings. 
  Enchanted “ghost weapons” bear a similar effect permanently. How effec-
  tive these things are depends on the entity. Some, like the specter, remain 
  highly resistant to harm, while others, like spirit guardians and toxifiers, 
  can be struck as though made of solid matter.
  – Sister Miriam Suntemple, Cleric
  
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  This grapple has effective ST 23 (for Wrestling and using 
  four tentacles). Reach C.
  Squid Beak (16): 1d+2 large piercing. Can only bite a grap-
  pled victim, but a hit lets the sphere worry, rolling beak 
  damage every turn as a free action. Reach C.
  Traits: 360° Vision; Aerial; Amphibious; Constriction 
  Attack; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Sleep; Extra Attack 1; 
  Extra-Flexible; Flight; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to 
  Disease; Immunity to Poison; Magic Resistance 10; No 
  Brain; No Neck; No Vitals; Unfazeable; Unnatural; Vibra-
  tion Sense (Air).
  Skills: Acrobatics-14; Brawling-16; Stealth-14; Wrestling-16.
  Class: Elder Thing.
  Notes: Can attack twice each turn. Tentacle grapple, Constric-
  tion Attack, and beak normally target the entire head of 
  an upright humanoid; apply skull DR to damage. Effective 
  ST 19 when grappling with pincers, thanks to Wrestling, 
  rising to ST 23 when employing four tentacles; use ST 23 
  for crushing heads. Unwilling to negotiate. Truly evil.
  Spirit Guardian
  This intangible-but-visible being is tasked (by the gods, 
  Nature, or long-lost sorcery) with repelling interlopers from 
  an area. Indoors, it might guard an altar or room, even an 
  entire building or dungeon. Outdoors, it may protect a grove, 
  a river, or any other clearly defined territory.
  A spirit guardian might look like a person, creature, or 
  plant, or resemble an inanimate object styled as such an entity 
  (e.g., a statue). Its outward appearance suits its domain: a wil-
  derness spirit may appear as an animal or tree, while a temple 
  spirit is more likely to be mistaken for a priest, divine servitor, 
  or piece of religious iconography. Form has no effect on func-
  tion, however!
  All spirit guardians are immune to harm from any mate-
  rial source other than people and objects under the influence 
  of Affect Spirits (Spells, p. 59), and weapons enchanted with 
  Ghost Weapon (Exploits, p. 79). These affect such a spirit as 
  if it were living, even if it looks inanimate – though body parts 
  are illusory and all hits count as torso hits. As for magic, only 
  Communication and Empathy, Mind Control, and Necroman-
  tic spells are effective; Animal, Body Control, and Plant spells 
  don’t affect spirits that resemble living beings, Earth spells 
  don’t work on apparent statues, and so on.
  A spirit guardian will command intruders in its domain 
  to leave immediately. If they comply, it will offer no vio-
  lence. Otherwise, it will attempt to eject them telekineti-
  cally. Enemies who remain there will be pummeled by loose 
  objects. There’s always something suitable nearby unless the 
  trespassers take steps. Removing all bric-a-brac and furni-
  ture indoors is a simpler matter than eliminating all stones 
  and branches outdoors!
  ST: 17 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 6.50
  DX: 12 
  Will: 16 
  Move: 6 (Any)
  IQ: 12 
  Per: 14
  HT: 14 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Eject: At the start of the spirit’s turn, roll a Quick Contest of 
  ST between it and each person it’s aware of in its domain. 
  If the spirit wins, it shoves its rival away from the cen-
  ter of the area by a number of yards equal to its margin  
  of victory.
  Pummel: At the end of the spirit’s turn, after resolving 
  ejection, each person it can detect remaining in its 
  domain is pelted with loose scenery for 1d+1 crushing 
  as Large-Area Injury (Exploits, p. 53). The only defense 
  is Taking Cover (Exploits, p. 50), which must succeed 
  and move the defender outside the spirit’s domain.
  Traits: 360° Vision; Aerial; Danger Sense; Dark Vision; 
  Divine Curse (Must stay in and guard area); Doesn’t 
  Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Hide-
  bound; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Disease; 
  Immunity to Poison; Incurious (9); Indomitable; No 
  Blood; No Eyes; No Fine Manipulators; No Head; No 
  Neck; No Vitals; See Invisible; Single-Minded; Spirit 
  Form (see notes); Unfazeable.
  Skills: Appropriate to area – Naturalist for forest guardians, 
  Theology for temple guardians, and so on.
  Class: Spirit.
  Notes: Spirit Form lets the guardian cross any medium (even 
  solid matter) at full Move, and renders it immune to phys-
  ical dangers and most magic. The guardian’s abilities work 
  only in its domain, and the spirit has Dependency on mana, 
  Nature’s strength, or sanctity – but as the area is always 
  suffused with supernatural energy and the spirit cannot 
  leave, these details aren’t noteworthy. Guardians of larger 
  areas have more ST and HP; use ST to resolve ejection and 
  thrust-1 as pummeling damage. Will negotiate with visitors 
  who leave as soon as asked; won’t bargain with those who 
  refuse. Might even admit people who meet a certain crite-
  rion (e.g., druids, for a sacred grove).
  Spore Cloud
  Fungi (pp. 28-29) and molds (pp. 42-43) often attack with 
  spores. Such bursts do harm and quickly dissipate; they 
  aren’t notably persistent, never mind aggressive. They might 
  serve to propagate the species, but they don’t truly have a 
  life of their own.
  Things without vital spots, gas 
  and spore clouds that arrows zip 
  right through, spirits that aren’t 
  even there . . . I hate monsters! 
  Give me a foe I can shoot.
  – Llandor the Gray, Scout
  
  	
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  53
  There are beings that exist primarily as cohesive clouds 
  of airborne spores, however. Such spore clouds exhibit rudi-
  mentary swarm intelligence, and scour their environment for 
  living creatures to inoculate. Scholars theorize that these life 
  forms fill a niche similar to slimes (pp. 48-49) in areas where 
  there are few convenient places to drip from or pool in.
  A spore cloud never makes attack rolls – regardless of its 
  combat maneuver, if it ends its turn in close combat with 
  someone, it hits unless its target uses Taking Cover (Exploits, 
  p. 50) to escape the hex. A victim who moves into more spores 
  is hit anyway! A fighter foolish enough to run through a spore 
  cloud, even briefly, is also hit, no defense allowed. Regardless 
  of how many hexes of spores are traversed, roll resistance 
  only once per turn, on the victim’s turn.
  Defensively, a spore cloud gets its full Dodge vs. 
  attacks from all directions. It favors All-Out Defense 
  (Increased Dodge) for +2, as this still lets it maneu-
  ver at Move 7 to engulf and harm targets. It may 
  retreat in any direction. If hit, remember it’s Dif-
  fuse and hard to injure – though area effects  
  and cones work normally, and explosions inflict dou-
  ble injury.
  ST: 0 
  HP: 2 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 14 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 14 (Air)
  IQ: 1 
  Per: 12
  HT: 14 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 14 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Contact Agent (Resisted by HT-2): Select one option 
  from It Touched Me! (below). Reach C.
  Respiratory Agent (Resisted by HT-2): Select one 
  option from I Breathed Some! (below). Reach C.
  Traits: Aerial; Combat Reflexes; Diffuse (Infiltration); 
  Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Sleep; Enhanced Dodge 3; 
  Flight (Lighter Than Air); High Pain Threshold; Immu-
  nity to Disease; Immunity to Mind Control; Immunity to 
  Poison; Indomitable; Invertebrate; No Eyes; No Head; No 
  Manipulators; No Neck; Unfazeable; Vibration Sense (Air); 
  Vulnerability (Explosions ¥2); Wild Animal.
  Class: Slime.
  Notes: A spore cloud is a swirling, tornado-like column that 
  fills one hex on a battle map. Normally, several clouds 
  appear (at least 1d+1, but more if the GM wants!) and 
  maneuver in formation. Treat each as a separate creature, 
  and use the rules in this write-up instead of Swarm Attacks 
  (p. 8). Unaffected by Animal or Plant spells that don’t spe-
  cifically target slimes. Far too stupid to negotiate!
  It Touched Me!
  Those who come into contact with spores must roll vs. HT 
  at -2 on any turn they do. Anything effective against poison 
  works normally; ordinary, unsealed DR is worthless. Each 
  failure costs FP or HP. Enough harm leads to symptoms that 
  won’t abate until the victim is healed above the indicated 
  threshold. The GM may opt to roll 1d.
  1-2 – Blinding: 1 HP of corrosion damage to flesh (not gear). 
  Effects are most intense for the eyes – cumulative injury 
  past 2/3 of HP leads to Blindness (Adventurers, p. 57).
  3-4 – Overheating: 1 FP of fatigue damage that cannot be 
  restored without water and cool surroundings. Cumulative 
  fatigue past 1/3 of FP gives Unfit (Adventurers, p. 67): -1 to 
  future HT rolls, and double FP costs from exertion (though 
  not from this poison). Those who are already Unfit, nat-
  urally or due to another effect, grow Very Unfit: -2 to HT 
  rolls, and halved FP recovery rate.
  5-6 – Sensitivity: 1 HP of toxic damage. This breaks down 
  the body’s defenses against slime toxins. Cumulative 
  injury past 2/3 of HP means all future corrosion, fatigue, 
  or toxic damage from any slime-class monster – this one 
  included! – is doubled.
  I Breathed Some!
  Those who breathe must make a HT roll at -2 on any 
  turn involving time in the cloud, unless holding their breath 
  (Exploits, p. 21). Anti-poison countermeasures are effective; 
  DR isn’t. Each failure inflicts harm that accumulates to cause 
  lasting symptoms until the victim is healed above the indi-
  cated threshold. The GM may choose to roll 1d.
  1-2 – Confusion: 1 FP of fatigue damage. Cumulative fatigue 
  past 1/3 of FP leads to -2 to IQ, also reducing Will, Per, 
  and associated skills (including spells!). Past 1/2 of FP, this 
  worsens to -4. Past 2/3 of FP, the victim must also roll 5 or 
  less each turn to do anything but Do Nothing and defend.
  3-4 – Coughing: 1 HP of toxic damage. This irritates the 
  lungs – cumulative injury past 1/3 of HP causes uncontrol-
  lable coughing giving -3 to DX and -1 to IQ, and making 
  Stealth impossible.
  5-6 – Shakes: 1 HP of toxic damage. Cumulative injury past 
  1/3 of HP gives -2 to DX. Past 1/2 of HP, this worsens to -4. 
  Past 2/3 of HP, add Total Klutz (Adventurers, p. 62): any 
  failure at a DX-based task becomes a critical failure.
  Bad Touch!
  Some monsters needn’t select Attack, All-Out Attack, or Move 
  and Attack maneuvers, be attacked, or activate special abilities 
  to “attack.” Sharing an opponent’s hex suffices for water ele-
  mentals (p. 26), jellies (pp. 38-39), spore clouds (pp. 52-53), and 
  swarms (pp. 54-55) – and for puddings (pp. 46-47) whose prey 
  is defenseless on the ground. Foul bats (p. 28), spirit guardians 
  (p. 52), toxifiers (pp. 56-57), and undead slimes (p. 58) affect 
  even greater areas. Such creatures normally take the Move 
  maneuver to end up in their target’s hex; if brief contact is 
  harmful, they’ll pass through as many enemy hexes as possible! 
  When in danger, they use All-Out Defense (Increased Dodge) to 
  move at half speed while receiving +2 to Dodge. In all cases, vic-
  tims must use Taking Cover (Exploits, p. 50) to reach an unaf-
  fected hex in order to escape ill effects.
  
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  Stone Golem
  A stone golem is a magical automaton created as a guard-
  ian. Most golems found in dungeons have outlived their cre-
  ators, and carry out obscure orders completely by the letter. 
  Some warn delvers away from particular places or actions, 
  attacking only those who fail to heed the warning; others 
  attack on sight.
  ST: 20 
  HP: 30 
  Speed: 6.25
  DX: 11 
  Will: 8 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 8
  HT: 14 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 9 
  DR: 4
  Stone Fist (12): 2d-1 crushing. Treat as weapon, not as body 
  part. Reach C, 1.
  Weapon (13): Oversized maul (3d+8 crushing, reach 1, 2*) or 
  executioner’s sword (3d+6 cutting, reach 1, 2).
  Traits: Automaton; Cannot Learn; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t 
  Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Homo-
  geneous; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; 
  Indomitable; No Blood; Pressure Support; Reprogram-
  mable; Unfazeable; Unhealing (Total); Unnatural.
  Skills: Brawling-12; Two-Handed Axe/Mace-13 or Two-
  Handed Sword-13.
  Class: Construct.
  Notes: This is a basic model; there’s no actual limit to ST, HP, 
  DR, or skill. If clad in armor, add armor DR to natural DR 
  4; e.g., DR 6 plate would give total DR 10. No golem will 
  negotiate or reveal useful information.
  Swarms
  Many biting and stinging creatures that aren’t individually 
  threatening are bona fide monsters when they swarm. The fol-
  lowing table provides the stats needed to use Swarm Attacks 
  (p. 8) with a variety of such minute menaces.
  Type: The creatures in the swarm.
  Move: The number of yards a cohesive swarm can move per 
  turn (individual creatures are often faster).
  “G” indicates ground movement. The swarm crawls or 
  scurries. It can damage only targets standing on the ground. 
  It’s susceptible to stamping feet.
  “A” indicates air movement. The swarm is unaffected by 
  pits and other ground-level obstacles, and can pursue flying 
  targets. It’s susceptible to being smashed with a shield.
  “W” indicates water movement. The swarm can attack only 
  targets in the water, but isn’t susceptible to “free” attacks with 
  feet or a shield.
  Damage: Damage inflicted per second on those in a swarm 
  hex. For bigger beasties (e.g., bats, birds, piranha, rats, and 
  snakes), DR protects, subject to Large-Area Injury (Exploits, 
  p. 53). Smaller ones bear the following mark:
  * DR 0 clothing protects completely for two seconds – DR 
  1+ armor, for five – and then provides no protection (listed 
  damage is automatically penetrating).
  HP: Hit Points of injury needed to disperse one hex of 
  swarm (most of the individual creatures are driven off, not 
  slain). Swarms are Diffuse, but Air Jet and Water Jet spells 
  cause their full damage.
  Notes: Special rules for such a swarm.
   Type 
  Move 
  Damage 
  HP 
  Notes
   Army Ants 
  2G 
  1d* cutting 
  15
   Bats 
  8A 
  1d cutting 
  8 
  [1]
   Bees 
  6A 
  1 point* toxic 
  12
   Birds 
  8A 
  1d piercing 
  8 
  [2]
   Centipedes,  
  2G 
  1d-1* toxic 
  15 
  [3]
    Scorpions, 
    Spiders
   Fire Ants 
  2G 
  1 point* toxic 
  15
   Hornets, Wasps 
  6A 
  2 points* toxic 
  12
   Mosquitoes 
  6A 
  1 point* fatigue 
  12 
  [1, 4]
   Piranha 
  4W 
  2d cutting 
  8
   Rats 
  4G 
  1d cutting 
  6 
  [1]
   Small Snakes 
  2G 
  1d-3 cutting 
  10 
  [5]
  Notes
  [1] Often carry disease! If injured at all, roll vs. HT, adjusted 
  for Resistant to Disease, after the encounter. Failure means 
  sewer rot (-1 on all attribute and skill rolls), the shakes (-2 
  to DX and DX-based skills), or worse; see Disease (Exploits, 
  pp. 66-67). Effects last until treated with Cure Disease.
  [2] Angry birds peck for the eyes. Any victim who takes 
  injury over HP/10 in a turn must roll vs. HT. Failure means 
  one eye is blinded. See Crippling (Exploits, p. 61) for effects 
  and duration.
  [3] Toxic damage per turn may be higher for exception-
  ally deadly varieties. For all varieties, a successful roll vs. HT, 
  adjusted for Resistant to Poison, halves toxic damage (round 
  down) that turn.
  
  	
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  55
  [4] Dispersed by strong magical wind – any Air Jet, Con-
  cussion, Sandstorm, Shape Air, Spark Storm, or Windstorm – 
  regardless of damage.
  [5] For venomous snakes, a victim who takes 1 HP or more 
  from the cutting attack also suffers a toxic follow-up of 1d-1 
  or more (depending on variety) that turn. A successful roll 
  vs. HT, adjusted for Resistant to Poison, halves toxic damage 
  (round down).
  Sword Spirit
  A sword spirit was originally an elven, half-elven, or human 
  swashbuckler who grew obsessed with but one activity and a 
  single weapon: dueling and some kind of sword, respectively. 
  Eventually, his mania led him to cheat to win a duel. For this 
  he was cursed by an unknown god to wander the world and 
  punish other dishonorable duelists, fighting constantly yet 
  never improving his skills. Despite the name, a sword spirit 
  isn’t undead, but a mundane being made faerie. It resembles 
  a member of its former race, with vacant, staring eyes and a 
  cold, disturbing voice – a solitary creature, interested only in 
  dueling and fruitless practice.
  A sword spirit might be encountered randomly as it trav-
  els the world, but it’s usually seeking a specific swordsman 
  famous for skill . . . or for cheating. It’s compelled to duel any 
  swordsman it finds, whether mortal or another sword spirit. 
  On meeting such an adversary, the spirit will challenge that 
  person to a one-on-one swordfight to the death. If this oppo-
  nent cheats – e.g., by receiving helpful spells from allies – or 
  if a group attacks the spirit, the monster will become even 
  more effective. Part of the curse’s irony is that the spirit now 
  despises cheaters!
  These stats describe a broadsword master, but similar 
  spirits exist for every variety of sword. Some have higher skill. 
  Most wear armor; this one has light leather armor (DR 1), 
  but heavier or magical armor is possible. Every sword spirit 
  possesses an exceptional, sometimes magical blade; thus, a 
  sword spirit is useful when the GM feels like giving out a nifty 
  magical sword but wants the future owner to bleed for it!
  ST: 13 
  HP: 13 
  Speed: 8.00
  DX: 16 
  Will: 14 
  Move: 8
  IQ: 11 
  Per: 11
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 12 
  Parry: 17 
  DR: 1
  Fine Broadsword (23): 2d+7 cutting or 1d+6 impaling. 
  Reach 1.
  Traits: Ambidexterity; Cannot Learn; Combat Reflexes; Com-
  pulsive Dueling (6); Disturbing Voice; Enhanced Parry 2 
  (Broadsword); Higher Purpose 2 (Kill cheaters); Striking 
  ST 2; Unkillable (Achilles’ Heel, Sword blow); Weapon 
  Bond (Its broadsword); Weapon Master (Broadsword).
  Skills: Acrobatics-18; Brawling-18; Broadsword-22; Jump-
  ing-18.
  Class: Faerie.
  Notes: Higher Purpose gives the spirit +2 on all dice rolls 
  in any situation but a strict one-on-one duel with no 
  allies, no spells, and only the gear each fighter had at the 
  moment of the challenge! Achilles Heel for Unkillable is 
  triggered by a death blow with any metal weapon covered 
  by a Fencing Weapons (Adventurers, p. 81) or Swords 
  (Adventurers, pp. 81-82). The stats already incorporate 
  the effects of traits and fine blade quality, but don’t for-
  get that Weapon Master means multiple parries have a 
  cumulative -2 (not -4) – or -1 if the spirit uses a fencing 
  weapon – and Rapid Strikes are at -3 (not -6). Compulsive 
  Dueling compels the spirit to duel master swordsmen to 
  the death. Sword spirits can negotiate, but are only inter-
  ested in dueling master swordsmen.
  Throttler
  These immortal spirits were punished eons ago by a god-
  dess who confined them to hulking material bodies resem-
  bling green ogres. Nobody remembers why. They enjoy few 
  spirit gifts yet suffer most spirit weaknesses, such as suscepti-
  bility to sorcerous repulsion and binding. Their sole remark-
  able ability is that of transforming into one specific human 
  form – a trick used to approach travelers in order to strangle 
  them as sacrifices to their goddess. Like as-Sharak (p. 16), 
  some throttlers believe that murdering can reverse their curse. 
  Many simply find humans tasty.
  Throttlers are living, breathing, reproducing mortals. 
  They’re cursed to reincarnate as the spawn of their living 
  brethren, instantly transforming the young into full-strength 
  specimens. Thus, their families might exhibit mixtures of 
  human forms that let them pose as human families, but 
  Granny and Pappy Throttle, Buck Throttle and his wife Daisy, 
  Cousin Cletus Throttle, young Joe-Bob and Shane Throttle, 
  and little Emma-Sue Throttle all use full-strength monster 
  stats in their unchanged forms. And throttlers believe the 
  family that slays together stays together.
  
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  Having throttlers attempt to strangle armed adventurers 
  in combat is suicidal – any Evil Overlord can confirm that 
  well-armed ogres (p. 44) make better thugs. The classic ploy 
  is for throttlers in human form (usually young-looking ones) 
  to come running and screaming for help, with their armed-
  and-armored associates pursuing them in natural form. Once 
  the heroes are bravely positioned between “ogres” and “inno-
  cents,” things get ugly.
  ST: 20 
  HP: 20 
  Speed: 5.50
  DX: 10 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: 12 (unarmed) 
  DR: 2
  Kick (16): 2d+1 crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Neck Grapple (15): Followed by strangling (Actions After a 
  Grapple, Exploits, p. 41). Reach C, 1.
  Punch (18): 2d crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Alternate Form (Human); Bloodlust (9); Divine Curse 
  (see notes); High Pain Threshold; Night Vision 9; Obsession 
  (9) (Throttling people); Resistant to Disease 5; Resistant to 
  Poison 5; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold); Temperature 
  Tolerance 5 (Heat).
  Skills: Brawling-18; Stealth-14; Tracking-14; Wrestling-18.
  Class: Mundane (but note Divine Curse!).
  Notes: Affected by anything that normally affects spirits 
  only, despite being physical beings: Command Spirit, 
  Pentagram, Repel Spirits, Sense Spirit, and Turn Spirit 
  affect throttlers as written; Entrap Spirit renders them 
  insubstantial to be sealed in a container; and Banish 
  teleports them to the ruins of their goddess’ temple! 
  Effective ST 22 when grappling, thanks to Wrestling; 
  apply SM difference to attack rolls when grappling (+1 
  vs. SM 0 humans). Most pose as “innocent victims,” but 
  some stomp around being ogres, with armor, weapons, 
  and combat skills to match. Green.
  Tiger
  Tigers are solitary cats, happy to hunt easier prey than 
  delvers. Despite this, groups of them sometimes menace 
  adventurers. That’s because they have a combination of fea-
  tures that makes them popular with dungeon-keepers every-
  where: canny and dangerous, yet not so large that magically 
  conjuring, controlling, or enhancing them demands vast 
  amounts of energy – and not magic-resistant, as dire animals 
  and supernatural monsters often are.
  ST: 17 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 13 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 10
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 12
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 1
  Bite or Claw (15): 1d+2 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Combat Reflexes; Flexibility; Limited Camouflage (Jun-
  gle); Night Vision 5; Quadruped; Temperature Tolerance 1 
  (Cold); Temperature Tolerance 1 (Heat); Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-15; Stealth-13 (15 if motionless in jungle); 
  Swimming-13.
  Class: Animal.
  Notes: Tigers can be huge, with ST and HP up to 22; damage 
  is 2d at 19-20, 2d+1 at 21-22. Tigers used as monsters are 
  typically trained or bred to emphasize their craftiness, and 
  might have DX 14, Per 13-14, a level or two of Silence, and 
  higher Stealth skill.
  Toxifier
  Toxifiers might be mistaken for ghosts due to their smudgy, 
  semisolid appearance. However, they’re actually demonic 
  clouds of greenish contact poison. They attack simply by 
  standing near victims and engulfing them in a lethal mist. 
  They’re largely unaffected by weapons other than those spe-
  cifically designed to injure spirits, and unusually strong-willed 
  and thus difficult to repel with magic.
  ST: 0 
  HP: 10 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 14 
  Will: 16 
  Move: 12 (Air)
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 10
  HT: 10 
  FP: 10 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Toxic Attack (Resisted by HT-4): Contact agent emanated 
  in a two-yard radius. Each second, those in the area must 
  resist or take 1d toxic damage. Roll just once in overlap-
  ping areas. If injury exceeds 2/3 of HP, the victim suffers 
  nausea (Exploits, p. 65): -2 to attribute and skill rolls, -1 to 
  active defenses, and possible retching. Nausea lasts until 
  healed above that point.
  Dungeons are full of deceptions: Is that “man” a human, a faerie in 
  mortal guise, or perhaps even a huge green ogre – or a dragon – that 
  changes shape? Is that translucent figure a genuine ghost or a being of 
  air or vapor? Never trust your eyes without magic; I prefer Mage Sight, 
  but Aura and Know Illusion have their place.
  – Jag Fairchild, Bard
  
  	
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  57
  Traits: Aerial; Diffuse (see notes); Doesn’t Breathe; 
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Dread (Holy 
  Objects; 5 yards); Enhanced Dodge 1; Flight (Lighter 
  Than Air); High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Dis-
  ease; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; No Manip-
  ulators; Silence 2; Unkillable (Achilles Heel, Magic 
  weapons); Vibration Sense (Air); Vulnerability 
  (Wind ¥2).
  Skills: Acrobatics-16; Stealth-14 (16 vs. Hearing if mov-
  ing, 18 if motionless).
  Class: Demon.
  Notes: Hard to injure due to being Diffuse, but weapons 
  enchanted to affect spirits or insubstantial entities 
  bypass this and do damage normally. Unwilling to 
  negotiate. Truly evil.
  Triger
  A triger is nothing more (or less) than a mutant tiger 
  (p. 56) with three heads. It can bite three times instead of 
  once – and this bite is deadlier than a regular tiger bite 
  due to the unusual strength needed to support two extra 
  necks and heads!
  ST: 19 
  HP: 19 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 13 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 10
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 12
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 1
  Bite (15): Up to three attacks! 2d cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Front Claw (15): 2d cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Hind Claw (13): 2d+1 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Combat Reflexes; Extra Attack 2; Extra Heads 2; 
  Flexibility; Limited Camouflage (Jungle); Night Vision 5; 
  Peripheral Vision; Quadruped; Temperature Tolerance 1 
  (Cold); Temperature Tolerance 1 (Heat); Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-15; Stealth-13 (15 if motionless in jungle); 
  Swimming-13.
  Class: Dire Animal.
  Notes: Some mutant tigers have even more heads! For every 
  Extra Head, add +1 to ST (every +2 to ST gives +1 damage), 
  +1 to HP, and another Extra Attack. Triger skins are prized 
  for rugs, and can fetch up to $1,000 apiece – more, if they 
  have many heads.
  Troll
  Trolls are lean, green killing machines. Singly or in packs 
  of a dozen or more, they may turn up almost anywhere – 
  in wilderness, the dungeon, even sewers beneath town.  
  They are carnivorous and love children, but can digest any-
  thing organic. Nothing eats them, though; troll flesh is alto-
  gether unwholesome.
  Tavern tales portray trolls as stupid, but they’re clever, 
  cunning hunters. They’re also curious, investigating any-
  thing interesting that comes along. Their origins are a mys-
  tery. They seem to be sexless; there are only a few, possibly 
  spurious reports of old trolls; and troll children are unknown. 
  Trolls have no culture but occasionally live in large commu-
  nities, dominated by the strongest. All hoard treasure, which 
  is mixed up with the remains of previous victims.
  Those fighting trolls should be aware of their regenera-
  tive abilities. Hacked-off body parts crawl together and reat-
  tach themselves after battle; destroyed body parts, including 
  the head, grow back. Even pulverized trolls coalesce into 
  limbs, torso, and head, and then the larger bits reattach 
  themselves – or, if kept apart for long (2d hours), each piece 
  grows a mouth and starts to eat, growing into a full troll in 
  1d days. Only fire or acid can kill trolls (common knowledge 
  that requires no roll to recall), so they fear nothing – includ-
  ing such attacks. Many a troll sports scars from acid or fire 
  wielded by some now-dead foe!
  ST: 20 
  HP: 20 
  Speed: 6.25
  DX: 13 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 11 (unarmed) 
  DR: 0
  Bite (15): 2d cutting. Counts as a grapple on creatures of SM 
  0 or less. Reach C, 1.
  Claws (15): 2d+1 cutting. Arms are remarkably long and gan-
  gly, and have reach C-2.
  Traits: Acute Taste and Smell 3; Ambidexterity; Bloodlust 
  (9); Combat Reflexes; Curious (9); Dark Vision; Extra 
  Attack 2; Gluttony (9); High Pain Threshold; Immunity to 
  Disease; No Brain; No Vitals; Overconfidence (9); Recov-
  ery; Regeneration (1 HP/second, but not vs. burning or 
  corrosion damage); Regrowth; Unfazeable; Universal 
  Digestion; Unkillable (Total; Achilles’ Heel, Burning or 
  corrosion damage).
  Skills: Brawling-15; Stealth-14; Wrestling-15.
  Class: Mundane.
  Speaking from Experience
  Countless monsters heal remarkably quickly, but a few – 
  most famously trolls and werewolves, but also oozes, and 
  doubtless certain Elder Things – can do so almost instantly. 
  Most such beings can be foiled: oozes by depriving them of 
  contact with matter, trolls by injuring them with fire or acid, 
  werewolves by using silver. Whether or not such countermea-
  sures are feasible, always combine your efforts to slay one such 
  enemy rather than merely wound several. Anything that causes 
  ongoing harm is especially valuable – luring or levitating the 
  enemy into a crusher or pit of acid, dousing the creature with 
  alchemist’s fire, or casting a persistent spell such as Fire Cloud, 
  Geyser, Hail, or Spark Cloud. Be sure your stratagem can actu-
  ally harm your opponent, though; werewolves, for instance, 
  are extremely resistant to everything but silver.
  – Uncle Seamus, Wizard
  
  58	
  th e	B estIAry
  Notes: Can attack three times per turn, usually two claws and 
  a bite. Effective ST 22 when grappling, owing to Wrestling; 
  apply SM difference to attack rolls when grappling (+1 vs. 
  SM 0 humans). Bigger trolls exist – simply raise ST! – and 
  there are legends (though no first-hand reports) of giant, 
  two-headed, and even vampire trolls. Troll chieftains have 
  Tactics at 10+. Can occasionally be bribed.
  Undead Slime
  This isn’t a dead slime reanimated by a deranged necro-
  mancer . . . it’s the congealed residue of deliquesced zombies 
  (in simplified Barbarian: a zombie horde that’s more rotten 
  than usual). Physically, it’s a circular puddle of stink five yards 
  across. Enough zombie rot in one place seems to develop a 
  hive mind – like some insects – but because it requires neither 
  food nor shelter, it sticks to doing what it does best: being a 
  monster. The gunk might have an eyeball or femur floating 
  in it, but it lacks limbs and mouths; it strikes by bloating up 
  with corpse gas, shoving its victims, and then deflating, leav-
  ing behind a horrid stench.
  Destroying undead slime takes patience. Being Diffuse, it 
  suffers only 2 HP of injury from most attacks and just 1 HP 
  from impaling or piercing ones (damaging Area spells and 
  explosive Missile spells still do their usual damage). Since the 
  thing has 45 HP, delivering the 90 points of injury required to 
  reduce it to -1¥HP – where Unnatural kicks in – requires lots 
  of hits. This is time-consuming but easy to do if the delvers 
  have room to fall back, but most undead slime lurks where 
  that isn’t the case, such as at the bottom of a pit.
  ST: 45 
  HP: 45 
  Speed: 5.00
  DX: 8 
  Will: 8 
  Move: 1 (Ground or Water)
  IQ: 1 
  Per: 8
  HT: 12 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: +4
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Pfff: Billows out, automatically hitting anyone within three 
  yards. The only defense is Taking Cover (Exploits, p. 50), 
  which must succeed and move the defender out of range. 
  On a hit, roll 10d crushing for knockback only (no dam-
  age); see Knockback (Exploits, p. 53) for effects, like being 
  knocked down and hurled into walls. Anyone backed up 
  against a hard surface when hit is instead trash-compacted 
  for 5d-1 crushing – and this is actual damage!
  Ssss (Resisted by HT): Smell-based emanation within three 
  yards. Subjects who don’t resist are nauseated (Exploits, 
  p. 65): -2 to all attribute and skill rolls, -1 to active defenses, 
  and possible retching. Nausea lasts for minutes equal to 
  margin of failure.
  Traits: Amphibious; Bad Smell; Detect (Life); Diffuse; Doesn’t 
  Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain 
  Threshold; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Magical 
  Control; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; Invertebrate; 
  No Eyes; No Head; No Manipulators; No Neck; Slithers; 
  Temperature Tolerance 10 (Cold); Unfazeable; Unhealing 
  (Heals only by absorbing corpses); Unnatural.
  Class: Slime/Undead.
  Notes: Unaffected by Animal, Necromantic, or Plant spells, 
  but injured by Turn Zombie. Must absorb corpses to heal; 
  restores HP equal the corpse’s HP in life, taking a day per 4 
  HP healed. Stats describe a slime five yards across, but big-
  ger slimes sometimes form: a seven-yard one has SM +5, 
  ST/HP 75, 17d shove (or 8d+1 crushing), and attacks that 
  affect everything within five yards; a 10-yard one has SM 
  +6, ST/HP 100, 22d shove (or 11d-1 crushing), and attacks 
  that reach seven yards. Not truly evil – more of a thauma-
  tological accident. Far too stupid to negotiate!
  Vampire
  Every adventurer knows what a vampire is: An undead 
  being cursed to sustain itself on the blood of the living rather 
  than with bread and ale, that must avoid the sun’s touch, and 
  that has to spend hours a day resting in a dank tomb. These 
  are serious problems, but “cursed” is relative – vampires enjoy 
  impressive strength, speed, and durability.
  Yet much of what people “know” about vampires is dead 
  wrong! They can’t change shape, aren’t normally repelled by 
  holy symbols (only clerics with the Turning ability can accom-
  plish that), have no trouble crossing running water or entering 
  a home, aren’t terribly charming, and prefer armor to opera 
  cloaks. Stakes through the heart and fire are no more harm-
  ful than they would be for a mortal, though they do prevent 
  the vampire from dissolving into mist (which happens only at 
  -10¥HP, thanks to Unkillable) and eventually returning. Their 
  problems with holy water and garlic are genuine – mostly.
  ST: 20 
  HP: 20 
  Speed: 9.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 15 
  Move: 9
  IQ: 12 
  Per: 15
  HT: 12 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 12 
  Parry: 10 
  DR: 7
  Speaking from Experience
  Turning is not equally effective against all undead. 
  Flaming skulls are easily cowed, while liches, specters, 
  and vampires are strong-willed and likely to flee only the 
  most forceful of clerics. Skeletons and zombies, and the 
  less-common draugr, pose little challenge – but a few 
  are animated by neutral forces, or even by Good if the 
  deceased was wronged by Evil, and the spirits within 
  do not fear the righteous. Horde zombies and undead 
  slimes are supernatural accidents rather than malicious 
  entities, and likewise cannot be turned. And the effort 
  is pointless against a horrid skull, as it cannot flee! If 
  levitating lich-skulls exist, those could be affected but 
  would probably be no less defiant than other liches.
  – Sister Miriam Suntemple, Cleric
  
  	
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  Bite (14): 2d cutting. If this penetrates DR, it drains 3 HP and 
  heals the vampire 1 HP. This drain can be maintained if the 
  vampire grapples the victim, bites, and holds on. Reach C.
  Greatsword (14): 3d+5 cutting at reach 1, 2 or 2d+2 impaling 
  at reach 2.
  Traits: Dark Vision; Dependency (Rest in own tomb 1/3 of 
  each day or lose 1 HP/hour); Divine Curse (Treat holy water 
  as Acid, Exploits, p. 65); Doesn’t Breathe; Dread (Garlic; 1 
  yard); Frightens Animals; Immunity to Disease; Immunity 
  to Poison; Infectious Attack (Must kill victim with bite); 
  Uncontrollable Appetite (12) (Mortal Blood); Unhealing 
  (Heals only by sucking blood); Unkillable (Total; Achilles 
  Heel, Wooden stake through vitals, or fire damage); Unliv-
  ing; Weakness (1d HP in sunlight, repeating every minute).
  Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-14; Two-Handed Sword-14; 
  Wrestling-14.
  Class: Undead.
  Notes: Effective ST when grappling is 22, thanks to Wres-
  tling. Can heal only by sucking blood, and those killed this 
  way return as NPC monsters. Divine Curse and Dread are 
  extremely variable; the GM is welcome to change the par-
  ticulars. Most vampires are undead lords with good armor 
  and weapons; there are countless possibilities, but the 
  stats describe one who avoids encumbrance by going with 
  heavy plate (DR 7) and a greatsword. Many are wizards, 
  with Magery, Energy Reserve (Magical), and spells. Vam-
  pires who resist their Uncontrollable Appetite might make 
  deals – evil deals that favor the vampire. Truly evil.
  Void Brute
  These humanoids are former humans bred into slave- 
  creatures of the mindwarpers (pp. 41-42). Their name derives 
  from legends claiming that mindwarpers dwell in an airless 
  realm between dimensions. Void brutes clearly don’t – but the  
  name stuck.
  A void brute is heavily muscled, with a disproportionately 
  bulky upper body atop a wasp-thin waist and stumpy legs; 
  a large, shark-like mouth brimming with sharp teeth; and 
  wide-set eyes that lack pupils, showing only plain white orbs. 
  It’s completely without a neck, its eyes, mouth, and nose slits 
  sitting high on its chest. It wears a leather harness and little 
  else, and carries an outsized club with which to pound foes. 
  Given the chance, a brute will grab an opponent, hold its prey 
  at arm’s length, and bludgeon the victim to death with its club, 
  resorting to grappling and biting if disarmed.
  Void brutes have an effective HT 15 to avoid unconscious-
  ness or death thanks to their base HT and Very Fit – and 
  when Berserk kicks in, the additional +4 amplifies this to an 
  effective HT 19. Combined with the lack of two high-value 
  targets (skull and neck), this makes them extremely hard to 
  kill. Slaying a void brute typically requires taking it to -5¥HP, 
  which amounts to 102 points of injury.
  ST: 17 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 7.50
  DX: 13 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 10
  HT: 13 
  FP: 13 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 10 
  DR: 2
  Bite (16): 1d+2 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Oversized Knobbed Club (15): 4d+2 crushing. Reach 1.
  Punch (16): 2d+1 crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Arm ST 5; Berserk (12); Hidebound; High Pain Thresh-
  old; Mute; No Head; No Neck; Peripheral Vision; Resistant 
  to Disease 5; Resistant to Poison 5; Slave Mentality; Stub-
  bornness (12); Unfazeable; Very Fit; Very Rapid Healing.
  Skills: Axe/Mace-15; Brawling-16; Wrestling-15.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: DR is tough skin, which doesn’t protect against contact 
  agents. Effective ST 24 when grappling, thanks to Arm ST 
  and Wrestling; apply SM difference to attack rolls when 
  grappling (+1 vs. SM 0 humans). Psychically enslaved – not 
  to mention Mute – and unable to negotiate. In some cases, 
  a mindwarper with psychic mind-control abilities might be 
  in direct control of the brute, or at least borrowing its eyes. 
  This can be all kinds of bad.
  Watcher at the Edge of Time
  Watchers resemble tall, slender, four-armed elves sans 
  hair, pupils (they have milky orbs for eyes), or a mouth. Their 
  nostrils and ears are mere slits. Their flesh is smooth and 
  bone-colored. Sages claim this appearance is a persistent illu-
  sion, and that watchers are actually pulsating light globules 
  with four glowing pseudopods for attacking foes and interact-
  ing with the world.
  Whatever they look like, watchers move far faster than ordi-
  nary mortals, teleport, and control the pace of any encounter. 
  As for what they watch or want, nobody knows. They’re found 
  only in places where wizards tried and failed to unlock Gate 
  magic – a clue, at least.
  ST: 12 
  HP: 12 
  Speed: 10.00
  DX: 18 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 10 (Teleportation)
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 18
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 14 
  Parry: 13 (¥4) 
  DR: 0
  Lend Me Your Eyes!
  Some mindwarpers (pp. 41-42) boast mind-con-
  trol powers that let them perceive whatever their void 
  brutes (below) do. Similar tricks suit other master- 
  slave pairs; e.g., liches (p. 40) with zombies (p. 62). 
  At a minimum, the heroes won’t be able to surprise 
  a foe whose “possessed” minions detect them. If they 
  fight the fodder, the boss will know about any abili-
  ties, equipment, and tactics they use. Powerful over-
  lords might even channel magical or psychic attacks 
  through their thralls!
  
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  th e	B estIAry
  Hook-Shaped Shortswords (18): Up to four attacks! 1d+2 
  cutting. Reach 1.
  Traits: Absolute Direction; Altered Time Rate; Detect (Gate 
  Magic); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t 
  Sleep; Enhanced Time Sense; Extra Arms 2; Extra Attack 
  3; Indomitable; Injury Reduction 2; Magic Resistance 6; 
  Mute; No Blood; No Vitals; Resistant to Disease 8; Resis-
  tant to Poison 8; Teleportation (see notes); Unfazeable.
  Skills: Body Sense-18; Shortsword-18.
  Class: Elder Thing.
  Notes: Enhanced Time Sense guarantees that a watcher 
  acts first against delvers who lack that advantage, while 
  Altered Time Rate lets it take two maneuvers when it acts 
  (e.g., it could pick two Attack maneuvers, attacking eight 
  times). Teleportation is extra-fast movement through 
  clear space; it allows Move 10 in any direction and in 
  any medium (ground, air, water). The path needn’t be a 
  straight line, and must go around – not through – people 
  and obstacles. Once per turn, the watcher can also tele-
  port defensively, blinking out of the path of any attack 
  on a roll of 18 or less. Shortswords are unremark-
  able, aside from being so curved as to be useless for 
  thrusting. Unwilling to negotiate.
  Werewolf
  “Werewolf” refers to several different creatures. Most 
  traditionally, it describes members of humanoid races 
  who are cursed to change into great wolves on the full 
  moon. As most temples are willing to remove this curse 
  for free due to its danger to civilization, such monsters 
  are rare – and anyway, they avoid armed, armored delv-
  ers for the same reasons natural animals do.
  Then there are those whose natural form is that of 
  a humanoid wolf-man with a beast’s head, claws, fur, 
  and tail; they can assume non-monstrous forms, but 
  do so only to avoid unwinnable fights. These monsters 
  frequently attack delvers visiting isolated dungeons and 
  wilderness, and are what most people mean by “werewolf.” 
  Still, they share powers and vulnerabilities with traditional 
  werewolves, which has led to speculation about a connection.
  Against adventurers without silver weapons, werewolves 
  are DR 15 monsters that don’t care if their unarmed attacks 
  are parried (most weapons just bounce off), and that regener-
  ate 1 HP per second if wounded. Silver neutralizes their edge 
  and inflicts double injury, compensating for their high HP and 
  reducing them to little more than beast-men. Even so, were-
  wolves are cunning beast-men who cooperate and employ 
  pack tactics (p. 7).
  ST: 18 
  HP: 18 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 9
  IQ: 10 
  Per: 11
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 11 (unarmed) 
  DR: 15 (not vs. silver)
  Bite or Claw (14): 2d+1 cutting. Reach C.
  Traits: Acute Hearing 3; Acute Taste and Smell 3; Alter-
  nate Form (Human); Appearance (Hideous); Bloodlust 
  (12); Combat Reflexes; Discriminatory Smell; Disturbing 
  Voice; Dread (Wolfsbane; 1 yard); Gluttony (12); High 
  Pain Threshold; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poi-
  son; Night Vision 2; No Fine Manipulators; Odious Racial 
  Habit (Eats other sapient beings, -3 reactions); Penetrating 
  Voice; Recovery; Regeneration (1 HP/second, but not vs. 
  damage from silver); Silence 1; Striking ST 4; Tempera-
  ture Tolerance 5 (Cold); Vulnerability (Silver ¥2).
  Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-12 (13 vs. Hearing if moving, 14 if 
  motionless); Tracking-15.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Hearing roll is 14 and Smell roll is 18 for detecting 
  delvers! Individuals may be bigger (more ST, HP, and 
  Striking ST), sneakier (higher Night Vision and Silence), or 
  more skilled. Clawed hands prevent weapon use. Against a 
  group carrying wolfsbane and bristling with silver weap-
  ons, werewolves will stay hidden or pretend to be human – 
  but if they can’t, they’ll negotiate. Truly evil.
  Wildman
  Some hypothesize that wildmen – who resemble big, 
  furry humans – were the gods’ first crack at creating Man. 
  Elves and faeries frequently opine that the gods should 
  have stopped there, since wildmen don’t set fires or build 
  cities. Others think wildmen are beast-people, like cat-folk. 
  Wildmen themselves don’t theorize much, and prefer to 
  thump things with clubs.
  Wildmen are human-sized and can use human gear with-
  out modification. The only major physical differences are fur, 
  coarser features, and more developed arm muscles. (Like a lot 
  of barbarians, actually.)
  Encounters with wildmen needn’t be violent. Delvers 
  who respect Nature and avoid ground sacred to the wild-
  men – make a Per-based Theology (Druidic) roll to spot 
  the signs – won’t have trouble. Those who are careless, 
  or who use a cave claimed by wildmen as a way into or 
  out of a dungeon, will be ambushed from concealment.  
  Common folk think 
  werewolves are big wolves 
  that show up on the full 
  moon. The reality is worse! 
  They can change shape 
  at any time and are nigh-
  unkillable without silver.
  – Uncle Seamus, Wizard
  
  	
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  Thanks to their connection to Nature, wildmen can influ-
  ence and even train giant and dire animals at no penalty, 
  and may sic such beasts on their foes!
  ST: 13 
  HP: 13 
  Speed: 5.00
  DX: 11 
  Will: 9 
  Move: 5
  IQ: 9 
  Per: 12
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry: 9 
  DR: 1
  Kick (11): 1d+1 crushing. Reach C, 1.
  Punch (13): 1d crushing. Reach C.
  Stone-Headed Club (12): 2d+3 crushing. Reach 1.
  Traits: Animal Empathy; Appearance (Unattractive); Arm ST 
  1; Brachiator (Move 3); Social Stigma (Savage); Tempera-
  ture Tolerance 2 (Cold).
  Skills: Axe/Mace-12; Brawling-13; Camouflage-12; Climb-
  ing-13; Stealth-12; Tracking-12; Wrestling-12.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Effective ST 15 when grappling, thanks to Arm ST 
  and Wrestling. These stats represent a wildman; females 
  aren’t often warriors, and have ST 12 (and lower damage), 
  DX 10, HP 12, and reduced combat skills, but superior 
  Camouflage and Stealth, and a tendency to climb up high 
  and pelt foes with large stones (Throwing-12, 1d-2 crush-
  ing) to support their males and guard beasts. A wildman 
  generally carries a stone-tipped club (treat as a mace) 
  and wears hides (DR 1, included above); more advanced 
  gear is extremely unlikely, and wildman conscripts given 
  such equipment never get used to it: -2 to combat skills.  
  Spellcasters are always shamans with IQ 10+, Power Inves-
  titure 1-3, and druidic spells. Wildmen will negotiate with 
  anyone who hasn’t violated one of their taboos.
  CreAtInG	Monsters
  Although there are plenty of monsters here, they’ll 
  eventually become familiar – too familiar. Fortunately, 
  monsters are fun to create and not difficult to design. You 
  don’t “build” them with character points, like delvers. You 
  simply fill in the blanks noted in Reading Monster Stats 
  (p. 15), bearing in mind the situations in Chapter 1 and 
  the advice in Balancing Encounters (Exploits, pp. 85-86).
  What’s most important is to have a clear vision – this 
  is a creature of flame, this is a plague demon, and this 
  four-headed dire wolf is otherwise a dire wolf. Try to keep 
  everything consistent with your goal: flame creatures 
  need burning attacks and DR vs. fire, plague demons need 
  attacks defined as “disease” (even if these work just like 
  any other attack) so that Resistant to Disease and Cure 
  Disease apply, and four-headed things need Extra Heads. 
  The first few times, consider varying an existing monster, 
  perhaps changing an acid spider or frost snake’s acid or 
  cold powers to fire powers, having a hellhound exhale 
  toxic damage (disease!) instead breathing fire, or adding 
  extra biting attacks to a dire wolf. Get fancy later, when 
  you’re familiar with the game.
  Also remember that battles should be entertaining 
  for everyone. As GM, you must accept that the PCs are 
  the heroes and the players will get bored if they have no 
  chance of victory – yet you need to have fun, too! Monsters 
  ought to be interesting and challenging, but try not to over-
  use the following:
  One-shot kills. “Dodge or die,” “HT roll or die,” and so 
  on should be rare – part of an exciting boss fight. Hold off 
  with such abilities until the PCs have potent-but-limited 
  resources they can expend to avoid them. Make sure the 
  rewards are proportional to the risks, too.
  Insurmountable defenses. A fight where the heroes can’t 
  land a blow or make a spell work is boring. That doesn’t 
  mean monsters should be wimpy. Part of being a monster- 
  slayer is working to learn a creature’s fatal flaw!
  Mr. Flighty. Monsters that hover out of reach, teleport, 
  or hit and run at insane speeds get tiresome for melee 
  fighters. If such adventurers make up a significant propor-
  tion of the party, save these abilities for serious bosses – or 
  at least until the heroes gain similar capabilities (or better 
  missile weapons!).
  One body part, one attack. Most creatures must focus 
  on one task at a time. They can no more bite, claw, sting, 
  and breathe acid all at once than a human can simultane-
  ously swing two swords, kick with both feet, head-butt, 
  and cast a spell. Save this shtick for lone beings intended 
  to engage a half-dozen heroes – bosses, huge creatures, 
  and things with extra body parts.
  Needlessly complex abilities. “It attacks three times, 
  hits twice. If you fail either defense, remember by how 
  much – you’ll have to roll vs. DX to avoid being swal-
  lowed, at -1 per point of failure. You got swallowed? 
  Make HT rolls every turn to avoid two sorts of damage, 
  and if you’re hurt, make Will rolls at -1 for every two 
  points of this injury and three of that one. Failure means 
  rolling on this special Insanity Table.” That sound you 
  hear is your players snoring.
  Automatic upscaling. The game’s overall threat level 
  must rise as the delvers accumulate character points and 
  gear, or things will get boring – but a monster’s power 
  should stay in line with its niche. If a village needs saving 
  from dire mice, the fact that ordinary townsfolk without 
  special abilities or combat skills are alive to ask for help 
  means the mice probably aren’t that nasty; don’t turn the 
  mice into deadly bosses when capable heroes show up. 
  The occasional pushover is good for player morale. (But 
  nothing says the giant mice can’t be accidental creations 
  of the sewer-dwelling lich nobody knows about . . .)
  
  62	
  th e	B estIAry
  Zombie
  Rotting corpses reanimated by dark necromancy – not by 
  strange contagion or other “natural” causes – are by far the 
  most common undead servitors. There isn’t a lich (p. 40) out 
  there without a small army of these, and vampires (pp. 58-59) 
  employ them as well. Zombies cannot be bribed or corrupted, 
  but their mental faculties are so limited that they’re useful 
  only as fodder in a fight, or for menial tasks such as turning 
  winches and carrying palanquins.
  Truly evil monsters turn cadavers into zombies by bind-
  ing evil spirits within or using mass possession. Turning 
  (Adventurers, p. 21) affects such undead. However, possession 
  lets the reanimator share up to its own level of Resist Good 
  (p. 11) with its servants – maybe even borrow their senses!
  Zombies are Unliving and slightly harder to injure, but also 
  Unnatural and thus dispelled at -1¥HP.
  ST: 13 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 8 
  Move: 4
  IQ: 8 
  Per: 8
  HT: 12 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 8 
  Parry/Block: 9 
  DR: 2
  Punch (13): 1d-1 crushing. Reach C.
  Shield Bash (13): 1d crushing. Reach 1.
  Weapon (12 or 13): Axe (2d+1 cutting), broadsword (2d cut-
  ting or 1d+2 impaling), mace (2d+2 crushing), morningstar 
  (2d+2 crushing), etc. Reach 1.
  Traits: Appearance (Monstrous); Automaton; Bad Smell; 
  Cannot Learn; Dependency (Loses 1 HP per minute in 
  no-mana areas); Disturbing Voice; Doesn’t Breathe; 
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Thresh-
  old; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Mind Control; 
  Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; No Blood; No Sense of 
  Smell/Taste; Reprogrammable; Single-Minded; Tempera-
  ture Tolerance 5 (Cold); Temperature Tolerance 5 (Heat); 
  Unfazeable; Unhealing (Total); Unliving; Unnatural.
  Skills: Brawling-13; Shield-13; Wrestling-13; one of  
  Axe/Mace-13, Broadsword-13, or Flail-12.
  Class: Undead.
  Notes: Unaffected by Death Vision or Sense Life, but suscep-
  tible to Pentagram, Sense Spirit, and Turn Zombie. Effec-
  tive grappling ST is 14, thanks to Wrestling. This zombie is 
  made from a beefy gang enforcer, foot soldier, or similar 
  melee fighter, and equipped as a bargain-basement shock 
  trooper: one-handed melee weapon, medium shield (DB 
  2), and heavy leather armor (DR 2, included above). This 
  results in Light encumbrance, which is already figured into 
  the stats. Zombies will rot, eventually becoming skeletons 
  (pp. 47-48) if they last long enough – though some are pre-
  served as mummies with IQ 10, No Brain, and No Vitals, 
  but which catch fire and burn for 1d-1 injury per second if 
  they receive a major wound from fire. Not truly evil, though 
  the magic animating it usually is. No undead servitor will 
  negotiate or reveal useful information.
  
  	
  Index	
  63
  Index
  Adventurers, Resurrection 
  restrictions, 49; useful 
  traits, 4-6.
  Animal class, 14; examples, 
  16-17, 39-41, 56; see also 
  Dire Animal Class, Giant 
  Animal Class.
  Animals, dealing with, 6; 
  see also Animal Class, 
  Dire Animal Class, Giant 
  Animal Class, Hybrid 
  Class.
  Arc of vision, 8.
  Classes, 14.
  Combat, 6-7; army of 
  monsters, 7; added 
  armor and weapons, 33; 
  avoiding, 5; body part as 
  weapon, 39; boss tactics, 
  7, 59; corrosion attacks, 
  50; elemental attacks, 
  16; flying, 27; home-
  ground advantage, 6-7; 
  key rules, 6; multi-hex 
  figures, 7-8; pack tactics, 
  7; prepared monsters, 7; 
  reach, 8; touch attacks, 
  53; small-monster 
  tactics, 36; swarm 
  attacks, 8.
  Construct class, 14; 
  examples, 17-19,  
  35, 43-44, 54.
  Counters, 7-8.
  Creating monsters, 61.
  Demon class, 14; examples, 
  16, 20, 21, 35-36, 45-46, 
  56-57.
  Diagram, multi-hex figures, 
  8.
  Dire animal class, 14; 
  examples, 16, 24, 27-28, 
  32-33, 37, 38, 49-50, 57; 
  see also Animals.
  Divine servitor class, 14; 
  example, 18.
  Dumb monsters, 7.
  Elder Thing class, 14; 
  examples, 19-20, 26-27, 
  41-42, 51-52, 59-60.
  Elemental, attacks, 16; 
  class, 14; examples, 
  24-26.
  Exploiting weaknesses, 4-5.
  Faerie class, 14; example, 
  55.
  Flying, 27.
  Giant animal class, 14; 
  examples, 21, 30-32,  
  see also Animals.
  GM preparation, 3, 15.
  Hybrid class, 14; example, 
  35; see also Animals.
  Mold on other monsters, 
  43.
  Monsters as traps, 37.
  Movement, 8; flying, 27.
  Multi-hex figures, 7-8.
  Mundane class, 14; 
  examples, 17, 20-23,  
  29-30, 33-36, 41, 42,  
  44, 47, 55-61.
  Negotiation, 5.
  Plant class, 14; examples, 
  19, 28-29.
  Player knowledge, 5.
  Possessed minions, 59.
  Psychic powers, 59.
  Reach, 8.
  Reaction penalty, 5.
  Reading stats, 15.
  Recognition by 
  adventurers, 4.
  Record sheets, 64.
  Size Modifier (SM), 7-8; 
  reach and, 8.
  Slime class, 14; examples, 
  26, 38-39, 42-49,  
  52-53, 58.
  Speaking from Experience, 
  6, 13, 21, 26, 29, 35, 41, 
  44, 46, 51, 57, 58.
  Spirit class, 14; example, 
  52; see also Undead.
  Table, counter sizes, 8.
  Tactics, see Combat.
  Trickery, 5-6.
  Undead, class, 14; 
  enhanced, 40; examples, 
  23-24, 27, 36-37, 40,  
  47-48, 50-51, 58-59, 62; 
  see also Spirit Class.
  Advantages 
  Index
  360° Vision, 9.
  Altered Time Rate, 9.
  Alternate Form, 9.
  Amphibious, 9.
  Arm ST, 10.
  Brachiator, 10.
  Cast-Iron Stomach, 10.
  Catfall, 10.
  Chameleon, 10.
  Compartmentalized Mind, 
  10.
  Constriction Attack, 10.
  Damage Resistance, 10.
  Dark Vision, 10.
  Detect, 10.
  Diffuse, 10.
  Discriminatory, Smell, 10; 
  Taste, 10.
  Doesn’t Breathe, 10.
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink, 10.
  Doesn’t Sleep, 10.
  Enhanced Move, 10.
  Enhanced Time Sense, 10.
  Extra Arms, 10.
  Extra-Flexible, 10.
  Extra Heads, 10.
  Extra Legs, 10.
  Extra Life, 11.
  Flight, 11.
  Gills, 11.
  Higher Purpose, 11.
  Homogeneous, 11.
  Immunity, 11.
  Indomitable, 11.
  Infectious Attack, 11.
  Infravision, 11.
  Injury Reduction, 11.
  Invisibility, 11.
  Limited Camouflage, 11.
  Nictitating Membrane,  
  11.
  No Blood, 11.
  No Brain, 11.
  No Eyes, 11.
  No Head, 11.
  No Neck, 11.
  No Vitals, 11.
  Pressure Support, 11.
  Regeneration, 11.
  Regrowth, 11.
  Resist Good, 11.
  Sealed, 11.
  See Invisible, 11.
  Sensitive Touch, 11.
  Silence, 11.
  Single-Minded, 11.
  Slippery, 12.
  Sonar, 12.
  Spider Climb, 12.
  Subsonic Hearing, 12.
  Super Jump, 12.
  Supernatural Durability, 
  12.
  Temperature Tolerance, 
  12.
  Terrain Adaptation, 12.
  Terror, 12.
  Universal Digestion, 12.
  Unkillable, 12.
  Unliving, 12.
  Vibration Sense, 12.
  Disadvantages 
  Index
  Aerial, 12.
  Appearance, 12.
  Automaton, 12.
  Bad Grip, 13.
  Bad Smell, 13.
  Battle Rage, 13.
  Brittle, 13.
  Cannot Float, 13.
  Cannot Learn, 13.
  Cold-Blooded, 13.
  Dependency, 13.
  Disturbing Voice, 13.
  Divine Curse, 13.
  Dread, 13.
  Hidebound, 13.
  Horizontal, 13.
  Incurious, 13.
  Invertebrate, 13.
  Lifebane, 13.
  Mute, 13.
  No Fine Manipulators,  
  13.
  No Manipulators, 13.
  No Sense of Smell/Taste, 
  13.
  Odious Racial Habit, 13.
  Quadruped, 13.
  Reprogrammable, 13.
  Sadism, 13.
  Semi-Upright, 14.
  Sessile, 14.
  Slave Mentality, 14.
  Slithers, 14.
  Uncontrollable Appetite, 
  14.
  Unhealing, 14.
  Unnatural, 14.
  Vermiform, 14.
  Vulnerability, 14.
  Weakness, 14.
  Wild Animal, 14.
  Monster Index
  Acid spider, 16.
  Ape, flesh-eating, 27-28; 
  giant, 30; gladiator, 
  32-33.
  as-Sharak, 16.
  Bat, foul, 28; swarm, 54-55.
  Bear, 16-17.
  Bronze spider, 17.
  Bugbear, 17.
  Ciuaclá, 18.
  Constrictor, giant, 31.
  Corpse golem, 18-19.
  Crushroom, 19.
  Demon from Between  
  the Stars, 19-20.
  Demon of Old, 20.
  Dinoman, 20-21.
  Dire wolf, 21.
  Doomchild, 21.
  Dragon, 21-23.
  Draug, 23.
  Electric jelly, 24.
  Elemental, 24-26.
  Erupting slime, 26.
  Eye of death, 26-27.
  Flaming skull, 27.
  Flesh-eating ape, 27-28.
  Foul bat, 28.
  Frost snake, 28.
  Fungus, 28-29.
  Gargoyle, 29-30.
  Ghost, 50-51.
  Giant animals, 30-32.
  Gladiator ape, 32-33.
  Goblin, 33.
  Goblin-kin, 33-35.
  Golem, corpse, 18-19; 
  swordsman, 35;  
  stone, 54.
  Golem-armor swordsman, 
  35.
  Gryphon, 35.
  Hellhound, 35-36.
  Hobgoblin, 34.
  Horde pygmy, 36.
  Horde zombie, 36-37.
  Horrid skull, 37.
  Ice weasel, 37.
  Ice wyrm, 38.
  Jelly, 38-39.
  Karkadann, 39.
  Leaping leech, 40.
  Lich, 40.
  Lion, 40-41.
  Lizard man, 41.
  Mindwarper, 41-42.
  Minotaur, 42.
  Mold, 42-43; on other 
  monsters, 43.
  Obsidian jaguar, 43-44.
  Ogre, 44.
  Ooze, 44-45.
  Orc, 34-35.
  Peshkali, 45-46.
  Pudding, 46-47.
  Rat, giant, 30-31; swarm, 
  54-55.
  Rock mite, 47.
  Siege beast, 47.
  Skeleton, 47-48.
  Skull, flaming, 27;  
  horrid, 37.
  Slime, 48-49; erupting, 26; 
  undead, 58.
  Slorn, 49-50.
  Slugbeast, 50.
  Snake, giant, 31; swarm, 
  54-55.
  Specter, 50-51.
  Sphere of madness, 51-52.
  Spider, acid, 16; giant, 
  31-32.
  Spirit guardian, 52.
  Spore cloud, 52-53.
  Stone golem, 54.
  Swarms, 54-55; attacks, 8.
  Sword spirit, 55.
  Throttler, 55-56.
  Tiger, 56.
  Toxifier, 56-57.
  Triger, 57
  Troll, 57-58.
  Undead slime, 58.
  Vampire, 58-59.
  Viper, giant, 31.
  Void brute, 59.
  Watcher at the edge of 
  time, 59-60.
  Werewolf, 60.
  Wildman, 60-61.
  Zombie, 62; horde, 36-37.
  
  64	
  reCord	s h eets
  You may copy or print this form for personal use only. Copyright © 2017 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved.
  Monsters,	trAPs,	And	dIseAses/PoIsons
  Monster Name:  __________________________________  Class: ________________________
  ST:  _______________________ HP:  _____________________ Speed:  ____________________
  DX:  ______________________ Will: _____________________ Move: _____________________
  IQ:  _______________________ Per:  _____________________
  HT:  ______________________ FP:  ______________________ SM:  ______________________
  Dodge: ____________________ Parry: ____________________ DR: _______________________
  Attack: ___________________________________________________________________________
  Attack: ___________________________________________________________________________
  Attack: ___________________________________________________________________________
  Attack: ___________________________________________________________________________
  Traits: ____________________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  Skills: ____________________________________________________________________________
  Notes (Weapons, Armor, etc.): ______________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  To make it easy to keep track of frequently used monsters and traps, record their stats in 
  “index card” format (3” ¥ 5” cards work well). It’s handy to have a box full of danger ready 
  for impromptu encounters! 
  For creature ideas, see Creating Monsters (p. 61). For details on making traps, see 
  Exploits, pp. 70-71; for diseases, Exploits, pp. 66-67; for poisons, Exploits, pp. 69-70.
  Trap Name:  ______________________________________________________________________  
  Detect:  ___________________________________________________________________________   
  Disarm:  __________________________________________________________________________
  Avoid:  ____________________________________________________________________________
  Save:  _____________________________________________________________________________
  Effects:  __________________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  Shots:  ____________________________________________________________________________
  Rearm:  ___________________________________________________________________________
  Steal:  ____________________________________________________________________________
  Location Requirements: ___________________________________________________________
  Notes:  ____________________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  Disease/Poison Name:  ____________________________________________________________
  Exposure/Delivery: ________________________________________________________________  
  Resistance Roll: ______________  Special Bonuses:  ____________________________________
  Schedule:  ________________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  Effects:  __________________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  HP/FP Threshold: ____________  Symptom:  __________________________________________
  HP/FP Threshold: ____________  Symptom:  __________________________________________
  Recovery:  ________________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  Treatment:  _______________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  Notes (on detection, use by delvers, etc.): ____________________________________________  
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________________________
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS [multi]/SETTING/Dungeon Fantasy (GURPS)/GURPS 4e - Dungeon Fantasy - Monsters 1.pdf