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Carapace
Labyrinths | Procedural Navigation | Adventure
Goblin’s Henchman
2018
Sample
file
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Contents Adventure Background .......................................................................................................................... 1
PC level ............................................................................................................................................ 1
Town ............................................................................................................................................... 1
Three Procedural Ant Colonies ....................................................................................................... 1
In Medias Res .................................................................................................................................. 2
PC - NPCs entanglements ................................................................................................................ 2
NPCs and plot hooks ....................................................................................................................... 2
A. Point Crawl ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Template ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Method ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Suggestions ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Example 1 – Riverbank Giant Ant Colony (top-down view): ........................................................... 6
Example 2 – Mound Ant Colony (sectional view) ............................................................................ 6
Example 3 – Giant Wasp Nest (cross-section) ................................................................................. 6
B. Labyrinth Move (map-less ‘dungeon’ and its navigation) ................................................................. 7
C. Hex-Flower (map-less ‘dungeon’ and its navigation) ......................................................................... 8
Appendix 1 – Encounter Engine ............................................................................................................ 10
Appendix 2 – Environmental Dressing .................................................................................................. 11
Appendix 3 – Monster Block Summaries .............................................................................................. 12
Appendix 4 - Area surrounding the Hive .............................................................................................. 13
Links:
Home: https://goblinshenchman.wordpress.com | Drivethru: https://tinyurl.com/y7ehtgeq
Overview
This document is split into three main parts. The first part provides a setup for an
adventure. The second part provides three procedural ways to generate/navigate a giant
insect colony (Point Crawl, Labyrinth Move and Hex-Flower methods). The third part
provides random tables for generating encounters and some ‘dungeon dressing’.
The procedural methods have been applied to the exploration of a maze-like giant insect
colony. That said, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that these methods could easily be
retrofitted to any maze-like setup, e.g. patchwork of islets in the Bonesuck Swamp, glades in
an impenetrable wood, goblins caves, an overland trade route, an archipelago of mysterious
islands in a pirate romp, or rooms in an abandoned space station.
This document can be conveniently printed using the ‘booklet’ option on printers that can
print on both sides of the paper. Folding gives an A5 booklet.
Sample
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Adventure Background
PC level
This adventure is aimed at PCs of about 3rd to 6th level. The monsters are reference
with respect to the AD&D Monster Manual.
Town
The remote town of Tnat’naig is located near a giant ant colony, known locally as
‘The Hive'. The Hive is a hill-sized mound of earth. It rises a few hundred feet, and
like an iceberg, much more lurks below. Visually, the Hive is reminiscent of an
inselberg.
There are various interests in Tnat’naig that want the Hive destroyed. A decade ago
a determined attempt was made to eradicate the Hive. This raid cost the lives of
many young townsfolk. The raid was thought to have succeeded in killing the
Queen. Unfortunately, the loss of young life has caused the town to stagnate. This
has led to an underlying sense of resentment, particularly towards outsiders and the
wider governance of the region: “Who should have fixed this problem years ago”.
This raid had another unforeseen consequence. With the decline of the ants, a band
of hobgoblins with their carnivorous ape minions moved into the Hive. They then
began raiding the surrounding countryside. Whenever threaten, the hobgoblins took
shelter deep within the Hive and could not be found. The hobgoblins were later
driven out. This happened from within, when the ant colony began to reassert itself.
The carnivorous apes, now feral, are rumoured to live in an area surrounding the
Hive. Sometimes Hobgoblin horns can be heard faintly in Tnat’naig.
The Hive has hundreds of cave like-entrances. The inside of the Hive is a veritable
labyrinth of tunnels and chambers. The tunnels weave, undulate and double back on
themselves in a way not comprehensible to the non-formic mind. Dead ends and
empty chambers are also quite common. Some invasive species have made their
home in the Hive. They live in the spaces not reoccupied by the giant ants. Nothing
is static in the Hive, creatures are continuously on the move.
Three Procedural Ant Colonies
To make/navigate the Hive please use one of the procedural Methods A, B or C
detailed later. Method A gives a more traditional map. Methods B and C are more
conceptual, more maze like, and do not use a traditional map. Method B is simpler
than Method C, but Method C includes a chase mechanic.
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In Medias Res
D6 - [result if PCs fail to intervene]:
1. Giant Stag Beetle MM 9 batters the town gate [the town guard will eventually see it off
with pikes and buckets of peppered horse urine]
2 Ankheg MM 6 erupts and takes a horse [leery townsfolk are used to this sort of thing]
3 Giant Wasps MM 99 sweep through the town, mistaking halflings for their
favourite prey, giant caterpillars [when the wasp-claxon sounds, halflings be scarce]
4 A pair of Hill Giant brothers MM 45 stomp past [while Gus and Gilly are a menace,
they are well-known here, and normally leave the town alone]
5. Two NPCs (see below) argue in the street [one blames the PCs]
6. An Enemy has employed an assassin, who hidden, shoots a poisonous bolt at the
PCs
PC - NPCs entanglements
Roll three D12 and consult the NPCs listed below; that NPC:
1st wants help from the PCs (e.g. on day 1).
2nd resents the PCs, and wishes them harm (prefers the PCs to come to them).
3rd has a connection to one of the PCs. The connection may or may not be
friendly, it may even be mundane. Perhaps the player decides the
connection.
Depending on the vagaries of the dice, the above could be in three NPCs or just one.
NPCs and plot hooks
The following NPC live in Tnat’naig and have an interest in the Hive:
1) Bulla (town smith) – retired town guard who took a mandible to the knee. He
hates the ants, and will do repairs for free if he thinks it will harm the Hive.
Quirk - is hard of hearing and is a gleeful pessimist.
2) Clypeus (leader of the Formic Widows and Widowers) – his group wants to
avenge the deaths of the townsfolk lost a generation ago. They have a generous
fund set aside for this purpose and will pay a good sum for the Hive Queen's
head. Quirk – is always nibbling on something.
3) El’bidnam (Druid) – wants his apprentice (Antinhim) found; he is believed to
have entered the Hive. The apprentice has an unnatural interest in these giant
insects. Quirk - owns three rodents, Snitch, Plumy and Lycan, which seem to live
about his person. Wears a heavy silver torc.
4) Emmet (Mayor) – wants to quash the rumours that hobgoblins have
domesticated the giant ants and are planning to attack the town. He will pay an
adequate sum for each hobgoblin ear returned to him. Quirk - asks prying and
personal questions, but is not at all reciprocal.
Sample
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5) Eatna (townsperson of low status) - wants his daughter's body recovered from
the Hive. She was in the militia that raided the Hive and never returned. She
had an amber broach in the shape of a beetle. For help, he will swear fealty to
the God of any PC promising to help him. Quirk - blasphemes often, but retracts if
challenged. Is superstitious about odd things.
6) Gaster (bored city merchant and purveyor of exotic foods) - giant ant larvae are
a local delicacy, and are known as 'dirt lobsters'. In the big cities these larvae
command eye-watering prices. Gaster will pay adequately for any giant ant
larvae. The larvae do not need to be alive, but they cannot be spoilt. Quirk -
tends to leave uncomfortable silences to trap people into saying too much.
7) Nemodba (beast-master) – will pay handsomely for any living giant ant
larvae. The giant ant larvae must be kept warm and humid if they are to
survive and hatch. For a captured Queen the beast-master will pay nearly any
sum. Quirk – often bleeding, sometimes profusely, from a bite, gore or scratch.
8) Occiput (healer) – wants the stinger glands from giant warrior ants, and will
promise to heal anyone in return for these. Occiput is really an agent working
for Liches Leah Cim (see '& Magazine', Issue 11, pages 58-71). Quirk - has a
reptilian quality. Hisses if interrupted.
9) Petiole (thief) – has an ancient map tattooed on what appears to be a red Giant
Toad skin. The map indicates the Hive is located over an abandoned temple
complex. She wants someone to clear a path through the Hive for her, so she
can find the Temple entrance (and the riches within). She is cunning and may
offer to guide the PCs to the Hive for a little coin. She will slip away in the Hive
when it suits her. Quirk - is a charming bully and is magically immune to alcohol.
10) Tarsus (tavern owner) – wants ant trophies (mandibles, heads, legs etc.) to
embellish his inn. He will pay a little coin for these trophies, but prefers to
barter lodging in exchange. Quirk - often gets peoples' names wrong. Will blame
something/someone if called on it. Serving boy gets cuffed a lot.
11) Tergite (head of the town guard) – thinks the ants should be left alone. Doesn’t
like troublemakers. Outsiders are usually troublemakers. Quirk - bad habit of
picking his nose and/or poking people. Remembers things differently.
12) Xaroht (Hill Dwarf entrepreneur and middleman) - has bought (on the cheap)
the land upon which the Hive resides (ostensibly to exploit local mineral
deposits). This has made him a laughingstock in the town, and is often referred
to as 'The Ant King'. His grand (and secret) plan is to somehow kill the Queen
ant, and then sell the vacated living space to his Hill Dwarf kindred. If he can
achieve his goal, he would become very rich indeed. His funds are limited, but
his promises are large. Quirk - rubs knees or elbows when discussing money. Spits if
he doesn't like something.
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A. Point Crawl
The chambers and passages in this point crawl can be envisaged as being any shape
or size, they may go up, down or undulate. The interplay of the zones will be much
more complicated in three dimensions than set out in the template (think London
Tube map verses reality). The resultant point crawl can be imagined as seen from
top-down (e.g. Example 1; a traditional map) or from side-on (e.g. Example 2; a cross
section). The point crawl represents the ‘interesting’ chambers in the maze-like
colony. The mundane chambers/passages are simply not ‘captured’ in the point
crawl.
Template
Rule
O O
Entrance
Level
D2
chambers
O O O O O O O O O O Zone 1
D8+2
chambers
O O O O O Zone 2
D4+1
chambers
O O O Zones 3
D3
chambers
O Zone 4
Boss
chamber
No. of passages = {No. of chambers} + D5 D12 – 10 passages have concealed entrances
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Method
It is hoped the template is self-explanatory, but for the sake of completeness, a brief
explanation of the method is provided below:
(i) Template
Start with the template. The colony consists of an entrance level + Zones 1 to 4, with
Zone 4 being the most remote from the entrance. The idea being that the monsters
get tougher in the later zones.
(ii) Number of Chambers
Roll the number of chambers in each Zone. The template states the number of
possible chambers in each Zone.
(iii) Number of Passages
Roll the number of passages in the colony, i.e. = No. of chambers + D5. These
passages connect the chambers together.
(iv) Number of Concealed Entrances
Roll the number of passageway entrances that are concealed (D12-10, i.e. this occurs
uncommonly).
(v) Join up the Dots
Join up the chambers using the passages. Simples.
Suggestions
• Don’t get too hung up on the procedural ‘rules’, nothing will get broken
• Start by making a path from the entrance to the Queen
• Don’t make a path to the Queen that is a straight line (… a bit dull!)
• Don’t make it necessary to pass through every room to get to the Queen (…
could be a bit tedious)
• Ensure there is more than one path that leads to the Queen (… more interesting)
• Ensure the shortest path to the queen is not too long or too short – aim for 5 to 7
chambers
Appendix 1 provides random encounters, and Appendix 2 gives ‘environmental
dressing’. For procedural efficiency, and indeed fun, it is suggested the DM roll the
encounters and the players roll the ‘environmental dressing’.
Some examples of the completed template are given next:
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Example 1 – Riverbank Giant Ant Colony (top-down view):
Example 2 – Mound Ant Colony (sectional view)
Example 2 is the same as Example 1, but showing
a different arrangement of the passages
Example 3 – Giant Wasp Nest (cross-section)
Note – In this example there were fewer chambers and
hence fewer passages were generated as compared to
Example 1. It also has a concealed entrance (shown as
the green dashed passage)
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B. Labyrinth Move (map-less ‘dungeon’ and its navigation)
• The Queen/boss/objective is in Zone 4 of the labyrinth-like maze of tunnels and
chambers. The PCs start at one of the entrances of the maze, i.e. Zone 0.
• Presumably the PCs are trying to navigate the maze to find the Queen in Zone 4.
• Players state a navigation action, which essentially boils down to going deeper
into the maze e.g. “We try to find the Queen”, or the opposite “We try to escape”.
• Roll and Sum 2D10 and consult the table below to see if progress has been made
in that turn (i.e. the turn represents the result of about 10 minutes of exploring).
The table also indicates if a monster was encountered (or not).
For example, if the PCs are in Zone 2 and rolled a 15, they’d progress a zone. So,
if the PCs wanted to go deeper, they’d end up in Zone 3. However, if they were
trying to leave the maze, they’d end up in Zone 1. A roll of 15 also gives an
encounter.
• Leaving the colony is easier than finding the Queen, so add +1 to the roll.
Labyrinth Move Navigation Table
+ Navigation & Encounters
Roll Encounter? Progress
2 Encounter
3 No -1 Zones
4 Encounter
5 No
6 Encounter
7 No
8 Encounter No progress
9 No
10-16 Encounter +1 Zones
17 No +2 Zones 18-20 Encounter
This idea was adapted from Jason Cordova’s ‘Labyrinth Move’ for Dungeon World
• DMs should resist Player ‘gamesmanship’ designed to break this navigation
mechanic. Rather, cleverness, race ability, learning and/or magic, etc. should give
+1, +2 or +3 to the navigation 2D10 roll. Bear in mind +3 is a massive bonus in this
probability weighted mechanic.
Appendix 1 provides random encounters, and Appendix 2 gives ‘environmental
dressing’. For procedural efficiency, and indeed fun, it is suggested the DM roll the
encounters and the players roll the ‘environmental dressing’.
Sample
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C. Hex-Flower (map-less ‘dungeon’ and its navigation)
For more information on 2D6 19-Hex Power Flowers as a useful game tool, please see:
https://goblinshenchman.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/2d6-hex-power-flower
Special Custom, Special
1 Healing flora 1.
2 Safe haven 2.
3 Abandoned treasure 3.
4 Discovery 4.
5 Intelligent life 5.
6 Trap like natural formation 6.
7 Unstable floor/wall/ceiling 7.
8 Boiling mud 8.
9 Sinkholes 9.
10 Quicksand 10.
Insight ○○○
Reconnaissance ○○○
Clue ○○○
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Navigation Method
• The Hex-Flower is not a map, it is an ‘engine’ to simulate navigation of a maze
• The Queen/boss is in Zone 4 of the labyrinth-like maze of tunnels and chambers
• Presumably the PCs are trying to navigate the maze to find the Queen
• The colony has a security system; effectively ‘looking’ for intruders (i.e. ‘Hunter’)
• The PCs start at one of the exit/entrances of the colony, i.e. the bottom-most Hex
• The ‘Hunter’ starts at the top-most Hex
• PCs & ‘Hunter’ take turns to roll & sum 2D6 to navigate the Maze (see Nav. Hex)
• Navigating ‘off’ the Hex-Flower: go to the Hex indicated on that Hex face
• If the ‘Hunter’ lands on the same Hex as PCs, the colony is mobilised (trouble!)
• Encounters happen in Zones 1 to 3 when the 2D6 navigation roll is even
• Exiting maze is easier; spend 1 free wildcard point per turn, non-accumulating
Point Spend
Spending points tactically can be decisive in successfully navigating the maze:
• If the PCs research/prepare before entering the maze, they may start with 1 point
in each of Insight, Reconnaissance and/or Clue
• As the PCs navigate the maze, they may gain points (in Insight; Clue & Recon),
up to 3 points in each category; or they can lose points (but never below zero)
• PCs may spend any points on their turn to change the face of the Hex they exit
from. One point per Hex face shifted. For example, if the PCs roll and get the
bottom face of the hex (e.g. they rolled 7) and spend 3 points they can exit from
the top face of the Hex (equating to a roll of 12)
• On the ‘Hunter’s’ turn the PCs can spend Insight points (only) to change the face
of the Hex the Hunter exits from. Therefore, Insight points are more useful than
Reconnaissance and Clue points
• Spending any 2 points evades encounters; Spending any 3 points evades ‘Hunter’
Appendix 1 provides random encounters, and Appendix 2 gives ‘environmental
dressing’. For procedural efficiency, and indeed fun, it is suggested the DM roll the
encounters and the players roll the ‘environmental dressing’.
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Appendix 1 – Encounter Engine
The Zone No. influences the D20s and rule:
Zone No. of D20s to roll Rule
1 Re-roll 19 or 20
2 Select Lowest
3 Select Highest
4 Select Highest
Sample Encounters
Monster Type Monster Type (cont.)
Roll Result Ref.: SW 1e 5e Roll Result
1 1 Worker ant MM 18 2D4+2 Warrior ants
2-4 D4+1 Worker ants 19* 1 False Queen; 5-6 2D4+2 Worker ants; 3D4+3 Worker ants;
1 Warrior ant per 5 workers 271 7 1 Warrior ant per 5 workers; 7 D4+1 Giant fire beetles 273 9 235 10 Larva per worker ant 8 D3+1 Carrion crawlers 276 13 37 * = or NPC/adventure objective
9 D6+3 Giant centipedes 277 14 323 20** 1 Queen; 10 D2 Slithering trackers 311 88 4D4+4 Worker ants; 11 1 Giant assassin spider (see Appendix 3) 1 Warrior ant per 4 workers;
12-14 1 Warrior ant 10 Larva per worker ant 15-17 D4+1 Warrior ants ** = Re-roll if already killed
Custom Encounters (populate yourself)
Monster Type Monster Type (cont.)
Roll Result Ref. Roll Result Ref. 1 18
2-4 19
5-6
7
8
9 20
10
11
12-14
15-17
Monster grades: 1-6 = plebe ; 7 to 11 = wildcard ; 12-18 = elite ; 19-20 = bosss
(table makes use of a weighted probability curve)
Monster's disposition
Roll Result Roll Result
1 tactical disadvantage
7 hiding
2 resting 8 responsive
3 eating 9 alert
4 building 10 aggressive
5 cleaning 11 ambush-ready
6 curious 12 tactical advantage D20 result
DM
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Appendix 2 – Environmental Dressing
Chamber size
Roll Result
1 small
2 medium
3 large
4 corridor
Notable feature
D20 & D8 1 - Temperature 2- Smell 3 - Taste 4 - Noise
1 freezing alchemists waiting room acidic buzzing
2 very cold bad eggs bilious chinking
3 very cold blooming orchard bitter clicking
4 icy clean dressing burning/biting cracking
5 uncomfortably cold
corrupted wounds buttery creaking
6 cool cutgrass fiery crumping
7 cool Dead/feral animal fishy grating
8 cool dry summer greasy hissing
9 hot and cold drying vomit herbal humming
10 hot and cold fishmonger's hands lemony jingling
11 hot and cold hung meat meaty rustling
12 hot and cold Leaf mulch metallic scraping
13 hot old ladies' linen oniony scratching
14 hot pine forest peppery screeching
15 uncomfortably hot potato peels perfumie scuttling
16 blistering saw house salty shaking
17 scorching swept stables sour slithering
18 very hot tarred rigging spicy squeaking
19 very hot teahouse mint sweet tapping
20 extremely hot wet leather vinegary thumping
… 5 – Geo/Bio 6 – Air Currents 7- Humidity 8 – Light
1 bats air totally still bone dry central localized glow
2 blind fish in pools buffeting wind bone dry coloured auroral-like smoke
3 caustic pools cold current of air very dry dimly lit
4 columns cross-breeze very dry flame spouting tar pits
5 crystals downdraft very dry fluorescent minerals
6 deflected stalactite dry current of air dry glow bugs
7 lily pads/ shelfstones gentle breeze dry glowing algae
8 low ceiling headwind dry highly reflective pools of mercury
9 mounds light breeze sticky humid iridescent surfaces
10 mushrooms local downdraft sticky humid pearlescent mist
11 pits local updraft light mist phosphorescence pools
12 rodents mini-cyclone misty prisms of light diffract from crystals
13 roots pulsing air currents foggy rainbows in the mist
14 slippery surfaces strong wind unpleasantly humid shafts of natural looking light
15 sloped floor swirling breeze unpleasantly humid slot-like ceiling illuminations
16 splattermite tailwind armpit humid static sparks earth to metal
17 stalactites updraft very humid strange hovering ribbons of light
18 stalagmites strong air current very humid tapetum lucidum - (eyes reflecting)
19 veins of minerals wet current of air very humid UV emitting mushrooms
20 very muddy windy extremely humid well lit
Chamber shape
Roll Result
1 amorphous (easy going)
2 Amorphous (some obstacles)
3 amorphous (hard going)
4 amorphous (partly flooded)
5 spheroidal (round or oval)
6 polygonal (e.g. hexagonal, etc.)
Players
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Appendix 3 – Monster Block Summaries
AD&D Monster Manual Monsters:
Ref. AC Mv “ HD NOA / DA Size’ XP Notes
Ankheg 6 2* 12(6) 3-8 1 / 3D6 (+D4) 10-20
390+1HP * AC 4 underbelly; every 6hrs acid squirt 30’; 8D4 (save for half)
Ant, giant worker 7 3 18 2 1 / D6 3 20+2HP - Ant, giant warrior 7 3 18 3 1 / D6 3 30+3HP If hits tries to sting (D4; or 3D4 if
save fails) Ant, giant Queen 7 3 - 10 - 10 20+3HP Treasure Q (×3), S Ape, carnivorous 7 6 12 5 3 / D4, D4, D8 7 170+5HP If hit with both hands, rend for extra
D8; surprised on 1
Bear, black 9 7 12 3+3 3 / D3, D3, D6 6 85+4HP Hit on 18+ does hug damage 2D4 Beetle, giant fire 9 4 12 1+2 1 / 2D4 2.5 Red glowing glands Beetle, giant stag 9 3 6 7 3 / 4D4, D10,
D10 10 400+8HP
Carrion crawler 13 3* 8 / ** 540+4HP * = head; body AC 7; ** Save vs paralysis
Centipede, giant 14 9 15 0.25 1 / * 1 30+1HP **save vs poison at +4 Crab, giant 15 3 9 3 2 / 2D4, 2D4 4’ 35+3HP Surprise on 1-4
Crocodile 15 5 6//12 3 2 / 2D4, D12 8-15 60+4HP Surprises 1-3 Crocodile, giant 15 4 6//12 7 2 / 3D6, 2D10 21-
30 400+HP Surprises 1-3
Frog, giant 41 7 3//9 1-3 1/ D3, D6, 2D8 S/M 45+3HP Surprises 1-4, leap 18’, long tongue +4 hit, hit roll 20 swallows
Giant, hill 45 4 12 8 1 / 2D8 10.5 1400+12HP
Hurls boulders 20’ / 2D8
Hippopotamus 52 6 9//12 8 1 / 2D6 or 3D6 L 375+6HP 50% will flip passing canoe Hobgoblin 57 5 9 1+1 1 / D8 6.5 20+2HP
Leopard 60 6 12 3+2 3 / D3, D3, D6 M 150+4HP Surprises 1-3; leap 20’, two hits then 2 rear claws attacks D4, D4
Slithering tracker 88 5 12 5 0 / * 2.5 280+5HP * 5% to spot; track victim; attacks when sleeping; paralysis + digestion 6 turns
Scorpion, giant 85 3 15 5+5 3 / D10, D10, D4*
M 650+6HP * if both claws hit, will try to sting; save vs poison or die
Snake, constrictor 88 5 9 6+1 2 / D4, D8* L 225+8HP * constricting damage Toad, giant 95 6 6 2+4 1, 2D4 M 50+3HP Hop for 6” Wasp, giant 99 4 6/21 4 2 / 2D4, D4* M 320+4HP * sting; save vs paralysis
New Monster:
Spider, giant assassin 4 12 4+4 1 / 2D4* 10’ 650+5HP * special biting attack (see below)
The Assassin Spider is a voracious ground hunter. It has an unusually long neck,
which extends upwards about 6 feet and has two massive six foot long mandibles.
On a successful hit, it grabs and lifts its prey 6 feet into the air, holding them at bay.
In this predicament, the victim’s AC is reduced by 4 (or by one class criteria, e.g.
plate to chain, etc.). Generally, the victim is also unable to hit with hand weapons. A
successful bend bars/lift gates roll will break the victim free.
The next round, the great mandibles begin their deadly work, pinching together like
a pneumatic press. Each time a successful to hit roll is made the victim’s effective AC
is reduced by another 4 units (or by one further armour class type), and one extra
damage die is added, e.g. 2D4 (1st hit), 4D4 (2nd hit), 6D4 (3rd hit), etc. The next hit
after the victim is at 0 HPs, results in the victim being pinched in half (the Assassin
Spider’s goal), the mandibles meeting like a pair of giant chitinous secateurs.
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Appendix 4 - Area surrounding the Hive A hill sized pile of packed
earth and sticks stands within
a mile-wide clearing filled
with scrub grass and bare
ground. A reasonably sized
river flows through the Hive.
The river can be forded at F.
Currents are strong and
swimming dangerous.
Start location – D12 using a
clock face: i.e. 12 is North, 6
South, 9 West, and 3 East etc.
A - Carnivorous apes MM 7 live
in forest near the waterfall;
often hunt giant frogs (W), and
using frog bones as weapons.
C - the river flows down into a cave-like mouth at the Hive base. D4+1 man-sized
Giant Crabs MM 15 lurk in the river boulders.
E1 - This opening under a large lonely dead tree is a false entrance to the Hive. 25%
of the time it contains a random outdoor encounter, e.g. 1) D3 Carnivorous apes MM 7, 2) Bear, black MM 9, 3) Beetle, giant stag MM 9, 4) D8 Hobgoblins MM 52,
5) Leopard MM 60, 6) Scorpion, giant MM 85, 7) Snake, giant constricting MM 88, 8) D10
Toads, giant MM 95, 9) Wasp, giant MM 99, or 10) a pair of Hill Giant brothers MM 45.
E2 - Giant ants tend to commute in/out at dusk/dawn, so the well-worn entrances to
the Hive are normally unguarded during the day. E2 is the main entrance, but many
smaller man-sized entrance caves pepper the Hive (not shown).
E3 - Giant wasps MM 99 regularly enter their nest at the Hive summit, carrying in
giant forest caterpillars. Curious about shiny things, there is a good chance they will
investigate PC movement around the Hive. Mistake Halflings for giant caterpillars.
F - 30% chance of D6 Crocodiles MM 15; or D2 Giant crocodiles MM 15 will be waiting at
any ford; add +10% for each turn spent tarrying there.
H – D4+1 Hippopotami MM 52 wallow almost invisible in long river grass.
T - the river exits as a high-pressure torrent through a crack in the Hive.
W - D6+1 Giant frogs MM 41 inhabit the misty falls. They are hungry, loud, aggressive,
and hard to see.
A
W
T
E3 E1
E2
C
H
F River F
:: :: :: :: :: = sheer face
::
::
:: :: :: :: :: :: ::
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Sample
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