In the frozen wilds, you will find creatures adapting to the harsh conditions in myriad ways. One of those is the vicious, yet patient, ice spider. Ice spiders are specially made for the cold, able to hibernate for long periods to conserve energy and then attack with savage ferocity to fill their bellies and preserve…
In the northern reaches of the world of the Lost Age, there are mountain peaks. There may be more lands beyond them, but the creatures that haunt those regions have prevented most from going further and returning to tell their tales. Some may be mere myths and legends, but others are seen frequently and terrify…
Over the weekend I was pondering our alchemical students and wondering about not only their successes, but their failures. Would a failure in transmuting one material agent to another lead to any unfortunate side effects? And that thought led to a couple of beasties we may have to flesh out… Chromatic Ooze When practical alchemists at…
Last week we looked at the ceiling, so this week let’s check out the floor of our ever-changing dungeon. Unlike the ceiling, I think players (and their PCs) are a bit more cognizant of the dangers that accompany every step in unfamiliar territory. You never know when you might trigger a trap, snap a twig,…
Whether you’re exploring a cave system, a dungeon, a jungle, or even an urban landscape, one lesson has stuck with me since playing through my first adventures in Dungeons & Dragons: Look Up. Why? You never know what be crawling around on the ceiling! Whether it’s simply spiders waiting to drop down, wrap you in…
A few months ago as work started on The Snake’s Heart – A Lost Age Adventure, I have to admit I was a bit at a loss. I knew I wanted a Conan-esque adventure. Something with muscles, mad magics, and monsters. And I think we achieved that. 🙂 Since releasing on 3/11, we’ve had a…
Today we have another monster from an upcoming product… Â Insta-NPCs #?: Monsters Most Foul will offer a way to create some interesting beasts to occupy your worlds. With just a few dice I came up with this combination of ideas to play with: Environment:Â Air Form:Â Feathers Movement:Â Fly Purpose:Â Contagion Motivation:Â Hunger Tools:Â Claws That led me to this: “In…
As you might have noticed, June has ended, which means it’s now time to gather together all the cool posts that folks wrote for the “What’s in the Hole?” RPG Blog Carnival! And boy are there some cool ones! Monsters, maps, and much much more! In each case, be sure to not just stop at…
While doing some free writing last week, I came up with these three wee beasties. Would you like to know more? (Tiny/Feathers/Water/Active/Active/Aggressive) The banderkeet is a flightless bird who hunt along the coast. These unassuming birds will attack and take down much larger prey. Short lifespans lead them to take great risks to feed their…
What is it about monsters that get us going as gamers? Whether we see them in movies, on television, or read about them in books and comics, every new creature gives us something new to dread, exploit, and plot as GMs… But it’s left me wondering… What exactly makes a monster “monstrous”? I set out…
