Biweekly Monster-Giant Sloth Bear (AD&D)

Giant Sloth Bear
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 6″
HIT DICE: 30
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8/2-8/2-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Powerful Suction
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Semi-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (60′ Long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Biweekly Item-Screaming Death (AD&D)

When attacks are made with this scimitar, even against empty air, it lets out a blood-curdling scream as it cuts through the air. It can be heard at a distance normal for such a scream, but those who hear it within 30 feet, both friend and foe of the wielder and even the wielder himself must make a morale check. These checks are at -20% for each time the scream has been heard during the last turn (10 minutes), -10% for each time the scream has been heard during the last hour, -5% for each time the scream has been heard during the last day, and -1% for each time the scream has been heard during the last week. These bonuses can be gained not only when close enough to require a morale check, up to 100 feet away.

When heard in the distance not knowing the scream’s origin, it can have a negative impact on morale.

The scimitar is otherwise unremarkable, save for its unique and ornate design.

Experience Point Value: 5000

G.P. Sale Value: 25,000

Not quite as potent as say Drums of Panic or a Wand of Fear, but like Drums of Panic, it can be put into the hands of a henchman and gives mostly an advantage to the allies of the user (who have been conditioned to it), and it lacks the charge limitation to a Wand of Fear. On the other hand, it also announces your location, which is a high cost. In the end, I think it actually is powerful enough to fall between the Drums of Panic and the Wand of Fear, though I am happy to be corrected of Morale checks are stronger than Saving Throws against magic in general.

Biweekly Monster-Muncher (AD&D)

Muncher
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 12“/24”
HIT DICE: 4+4
% IN LAIR: 20%
TREASURE TYPE: U
NO. OF ATTACKS: 4
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/1-4/1-4/1-4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Bullet Spray, Munching
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Silver or magic weapons to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Semi-
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral
SIZE: L (9′ Long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Biweekly Item-Sword of the Clouds (AD&D)

Legend says that this sword is forged from ore mined from the clouds, though the process of this mining has proved elusive to those few who have tried to recreate it and their efforts have concluded that there exists no such forgeable material in the clouds.

Whatever its origin, this blade is a +1 sword with an additional +1 against enemies using a shield. Additionally, a stone on the hilt, usually a clouded agate, can be pressed to cause the blade to crackle with latent energy. This energy allows successful attacks with the sword to impart a shocking grasp on the target as a 1st level magic-user. This expends one charge per use.

With the use of a command word in conjunction with having pressed the stone, the sword can be used to cast lightning bolt as a 5th level magic-user. This expends two charges. While it can difficult to know the command word for theses ancient swords, they are sometimes found with no command word and knowledgeable scholars and the inquisitive mind can tell or discover that a command word can be set by pressing the gem stone three times and speaking the desired word when the sword flashes.

When found, the sword has 81-100 charges.

Experience Point Value: 4000

G.P. Sale Value: 30,000

This time, I set the XP and GP value of the item equal to the wand of lightning due to the similarity of the power. The Sword of the Clouds has additional function as an effective sword, but the wand of lightning also has somewhat more powerful lightning effects. Incidentally, if you saw the commentary on the Spear of the Moonlord about how shocking grasp hits, the wand of lightning is the only explicit source I’ve found on how it hits.

My First DCC Funnel

On the 26th, I ran a DCC (Dungeon Crawl Classics) funnel for my wife, mother-in-law, and two brothers-in-law. It was my first time running DCC and my mother-in-law’s first time playing a tabletop RPG, but we had a blast. I promised them deadly, but that turned out to not be true because I didn’t find a rule saying you couldn’t “retrieve the body” of level 0s, but more on that later.

Each of the four players rolled up 4 level 0 characters and we set out to play the Portal Under the Stars dungeon at the back of the book. Spoilers ahead!

Haven: Into the Heart of Moaning Hill

After finding that the Shrine of Garim was more occupied than anticipated, Verdis calls for reinforcements and while Rovert supplies overwatch with scrying mirrors, his Clouded Citadel and two of his flying boats join the Prickly Cloud to attack the shrine.

• Rovert (TrS): Level 22 Human Necromancer (Level 5 Mage Tower)
  • Conan, Level 15 Vampire Elf Magic-user
  • Sidriss, Level 7 Black Dragon Blood Infused Lizarfolk Monk
  • Clouded Citadel, Flying Fortress outfitted with 9 ballistae with crews
    • 32 Skelespiders
    • Ogre Mauler
    • 30 kobold archers (The Stinging Cloud)
  • Sky Raker, Flying Steamboat
    • 7 ballistae and a light catapult with crews
    • 20 kobold archers (The Stinging Cloud)
  • Shadow of Death, Flying Steamboat
    • 7 ballistae with crews
    • 20 kobold archers (The Stinging Cloud)
• Verdis the Prickly (HuS): Level 17 Human Fighter (Level 5 Keep)
  • Prickly Cloud, Flying Island outfitted with 6 catapults and 24 ballistae with crews
  • Bill, Level 3/2 Human Fighter/Pilot
  • Pogromii’s Folly (10 kobold skirmishers) + Lieutenant
  • Pogromii’s Shame (10 kobold skirmishers) + Lieutenant
  • Teran’s Foe Hunters (10 human archers) + Lieutenant
  • Prickly Bois (10 Human Soldeirs) + Lieutenant
  • Green Dragon (60′ long)
  • Brown Dragon (50′ long)
• Gorg (HuS): Level 11 Orc Thief
• Victor (TrS): Level 8 Elf Thief

While they gathered the forces, storms gathered at the shrine and now it snows too thick to see the shrine and lightning strikes regularly through the wall of white. With the citadel on one flank and the boats on the other, they approach unperturbed.

Rise of Lolith S18-Back to the Shimmering Haven

Despite being exhausted from a long and rapid retreat from Lolith’s wilderness fortress, the party is unwilling to risk bringing Lolith down on a village. They take many rests and keep an easy pace off the road through the day, intentionally bypassing the first village they see, but by nightfall they decide to approach the second village down that road. Labkost rides in Argent’s backpack and Evren pretends to be an elderly elf as they enter. So disguised, they find a hospitable farmhouse where they receive dinner and a piece of floor by the fire. Argent heals their horse.

• Evren (BiW): Level 8 Drow Psion Thief
• Labkost (ByW): Level 8 Gnome Magic-user
• Argent Smith (RiH): Level 8 Human Monk

The night is uneventful and they set out early the next day, keeping up their disguises while Labkost recovers in the backpack and the other two with an easy pace. It isn’t long before they can see the Shimmering Haven, the elven capital and home to the Pearl of Brimahil, Brimahil’s primary temple. With a prayer to Brimahil, they enter, planning to proceed directly to the temple.

Biweekly Monster-Dread Flower (AD&D)

Dread Flower
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 3″
HIT DICE: 10
% IN LAIR: 90%
TREASURE TYPE: F, T
NO. OF ATTACKS: 4
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8/2-8/2-8/2-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Acid Sputum
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Death Spores
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 10%
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil
SIZE: L (20′ Tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Haven: Into the Heart of Moaning Hill

After a tracking party was repelled from Moaning Hill after following the Schek Garim army into it, the infiltrating party swings by to try to find them in the hill. Gorg and Victor stop by the prison in Edsserish and slip out with one of the kobolds from the Edsserish thief ring that they put there:

• Gorg (HuS): Level 11 Orc Thief
• Victor (TrS): Level 8 Elf Thief
• Kyron (OwC): Level 4 Kobold Thief (Hologram)

With the map Chiron made while following the tracks in hand, the party quickly reaches the room with the glowing crystal where the previous party was stopped, having only to avoid one chamber to which the denizens of the hill had returned in the interim. 

Biweekly Item-Spear of the Moon Lord (AD&D)

This spear is made of an unusual metal rumored to come from the moon itself. It is a 10′ spear and weighs only 20 GP, despite being made entirely of metal. It has a speed factor of 2, on par with a dagger, and furthermore has a 10% chance of getting an extra attack each round.

The spear can extend the reach of electrical effects. Passive electrical damage (such as from the Lightning Master Gauntlets) is delivered with normal attacks and shocking grasp can be delivered at spear length.

Experience Point Value: 500

G.P. Sale Value: 3000

To anyone wondering how I come up with XP and Sale Value, in this case I figure the main effect is the 10% chance of a second attack, which I have considered to be roughly on par with a +1 spear, which has a +5% chance of hitting, so roughly equivalent in scenarios with a 50% chance to hit on attacks. Extra bonus for fighter/magic-user multiclasses that can use it for shocking grasp from the second line, for what it’s worth.