Silent Nightfall

CE 5: Silent Nightfall is a part of the Campaign Elements series designed to challenge 2nd level or higher characters. It was written by Daniel J. Bishop with art by Jacob Blackmon and Tim Hartin (cartography). The publisher is Purple Duck Games.

Disclosure: I am the author.

Before there was Mutant Crawl Classics, Silent Nightfall provided a quick way to create mutant critters. Before there was Blessings of the Vile Brotherhood, Silent Nightfall provided details on the Radiant Brotherhood. Before there was DCC Empire of the East, Silent Nightfall introduced a demon who was the result of a contained nuclear explosion.

All this and more because Silent Nightfall is, in part, an homage to The Changeling Earth and Hiero's Journey! 

Those quick mutation rules, by the way, are still usable in games such as Mutant Crawl Classics. In addition, you gain rules for demi-patrons and learning new languages through game play. Did I mention that statistics for tetanus are also included?

Silent Nightfall has come up on the Sanctum Secorum podcast several times - most notably when it was chosen as the featured product when discussing Changeling Earth. It also came up in Episodes 2 (The Last Castle), 9 (H.P. Lovecraft), 10 (The Maker of Gargoyles), and 20 (The Dying Earth). It was discussed on Spellburn in Episodes 55 (DCC Fan Favorites) and 87 (Upon Further Reviews).

I have discussed this adventure several times in Raven Crowking's Nest, including a run through with 8th level PCs. For examples, see this post, or this post, or this series of three posts. I have also run this adventure at a variety of cons, both online and in person. Overall, I think that it has aged well, and I am always surprised by how the adventure ends - explosively or otherwise - and what steps PCs are able to take to avoid their own destruction. 

When I proposed the CE Series, I asked Tim Hartin to draw a number of small maps with which to spark ideas. The purpose of the CE Series is to provide the judge with world-building materials, small areas that can potentially be explored in a single session (when all the regulars are unavailable) and materials that can continue to be of use throughout a campaign. By those measures, I believe Silent Nightfall succeeds. 

There are often periods of greater or lesser magical influence in the world. Millennia ago, during a period of reduced magical activity, there was a nuclear power station at this location. When magical influences began to spread once more, the nuclear core became unstable, and began to develop a form of malevolent sentience. The ancients placed the core in a shaft three miles deep, the last 500 feet of which were filled with heavy water. This shaft, and its attendant control center, were given the codename “Silent Nightfall”.

In the ages since, much of the complex has collapsed or ceased to function, but the main shaft still remains, going three miles deep into the ground. The rooms that remain have undergone great changes, having been used for many different purposes and by many different creatures over the centuries. As a result, the original purpose of the shaft, rooms, and corridors has become obscured.

One of those who used the area was the wizard Mortmallion the Pale, who stole the Whispering Stone from Elfland. He hid himself and the stone in the Silent Nightfall complex, but the weird energies coming up from below changed him. Mortmallion can still be found, deep below, as the shaft crawler. Over time, the Whispering Stone became confused with the area where it is now found, and some texts refer to it as “Silent Nightfall” without making it clear why the stone has this name.

Currently, they are used as the nesting ground of owl-like humanoids that call themselves the grallistrix. Incubating their eggs in the Silent Nightfall complex has changed them, and they have become dangerous nocturnal predators in the region. The grallistrix hunt in triads, and locate prey by an extraordinary sense of hearing. As a result, communities nearby observe unexpected quiet at night – there are no late night gatherings. Inns and taverns close their doors with the fall of night.

Finally, the nuclear core itself has gained sentience and a malevolent, demonic intelligence. Imprisoned at the bottom of the shaft, it knows no other name than Silent Nightfall. So long as the demon remains bound, it is no great threat to the PCs or their world. In fact, they may be able to deal with it in order to gain magical aid.

In this way, the term “Silent Nightfall” has come to mean the following within the context of this location – the remains of the nuclear complex, the practice of avoiding loud noises after dark, the Whispering Stone, and the great demon imprisoned at the bottom of the shaft. This gives the judge many ways to lead the PCs into this material. It also allows the judge to make finding information difficult, as the many uses of “Silent Nightfall” spill into each other.

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Phantasmagoria #1

Phantasmagoria #1 was written by Chance Phillips. Art is by Luka Rejec (cover), Jim Magnusson, Stefan Poag, Jeremy Hart, and Penny Melgarejo. The publisher is Apollyon Press.

Disclosure: I backed the successful Kickstarter for this project. I also wrote a Zine Scene News Flash related to it for the Goodman Games website.

There is an embarrassment of riches now for those who want to throw a little star- or planet-hopping into their DCC campaigns. Crawljammer, Star Crawl, Operation Bug Hunt, Cyber Crawl Classics, The Hobonomicon, Sub-ether, Monster Extractor IV - Aliens & Manufactured Beings, Leopard Women of Venus, Drongo: Ruins of the Witch Kingdoms, Cyber Sprawl Classics, Terror of the Stratosfiend, RPGPundit Presents #19: Frantabulous Gonzo Robot Generator, Umerica, UX01: High Caliber Hijinks, Crawl! fanzine #8, Vehicle Mayhem!, Null Singularity, and Mutant Crawl Classics all provide material that the judge can use to craft an interplanetary romance with.

On top of that, adventures like Frozen in Time, Peril on the Purple Planet, Against the Atomic Overlord, The 998th Conclave of Wizards, The Dread God Al-Khazadar, Imprisoned in the God-Skull, The Weird Worm-Ways of Saturn, The Vault of Ash, Demon Drums, The Silent Army, The Tribe of Ogg and the Gift of Suss, Shade Hunter, Silent Nightfall, Secrets of the World-Harvesters, Lair of the Mist Men, Mother's Maze, and anything Mutant Crawl Classics or Umerica take you to space, or other planets, or have strong enough science fiction elements to help populate those brave new worlds where you seek out new life and new civilizations.

Appendix N fiction is like a stewpot left to simmer and filled to the brim with a number of distinct (but often inter-referential) voices. Dungeon Crawl Classics campaigns are similar. Each publisher, and each author...and, let's be honest, each artist!...adds their own unique flavor to the pot. The judge, like a chef, picks and chooses the ingredients which comprise a personal campaign milieu.

Let's take a look inside and see what flavors Phantasmagoria #1 adds!

Automatons: "Automatons are the universal debris of ambitious magitechnicians across the universe, thrown aside once they realize someone else has done it before and done it better."

That might seem ironic, as there are takes on similar themes in Hubris and Meanderings #2. The Umerican Survival Guide contains a Robot class. However, even if you are playing in a game that mashes things together, it is good to have options, and this is flavored a bit differently than the others. Also, if it malfunctions badly enough it might spontaneously burst into flame! Others have done it before. Better? That depends upon your tastes. They are different takes, but, being attempts to describe similar character types, there are certainly similarities in design.

Captains: "Captains are beacons of hope, capable of uniting people and willing to do anything to protect their crew. They are also adept duelists and swashbucklers."

This is definitely more Captain Blood than Captain Kirk. A bit like the Warrior, a bit like the Thief, and with a bit of the Bard's ability to inspire, without really being like any of those classes, the Captain really is a dashing swashbuckler whose ability to inspire their crew is real.

Gremlins: "Gremlins, sometimes called goblins, albeit never to their faces, are technological wizards who also possess minor spellcasting abilities."

Jovians: "Jovians were natives of a gas giant adapted to their home planet's crushing gravity. They lived in massive cities that floated above the clouds. Each city was ruled via committee with the head of each family being able to vote on communal affairs. For the most part the extended families operated independently, but recently the floating cities were conquered by various empires and the native Jovians were taken as slaves by their conquerors."

Together these classes give a vision of a setting where humans have largely conquered the aliens they have met in the cold depths of space. Gremlins work the engines, Jovians are slave troops sent into dangerous areas, Automatons serve at the pleasure of their Captain....perhaps their notorious engineering mishaps are a form of subtle resistance by the Gremlins....

But humans are not really the top dogs here. There are also Star Princes.

Star Prince: "Star princes are the humanoid forms of the stars who have undergone the final phase of their metamorphosis. There are no star princes of 5th level or below".

A really unique class which might be reminiscent of Stars in the Darkness, Star Princes are never generated through funnels, but only unlocked during actual play. They are forever recognizable as former stars, but burdened by being stars no longer, and are (short of accident, poison, or injury) effectively immortal.

Weapons & Kit: Includes armor and weapons for your explorers. There is a problem with the range of the nuclear pistol, which is listed as 20/10/1930. I am assuming that the range should read 20/100/1930. A few other bits of science fiction gear are also included.

Occupations: d100 table.

Spaceships: A workable system for spaceships is presented in four pages.

Explore the ruins of lost alien civilizations or sail through space in a massive freighter, weighed down with all manners of gold, jewels, and relics.

Play as a Jovian, a lithe yet strong alien native to a gas giant, a Captain, a brilliant tactician and duelist, or a Gremlin, an alien skilled with magic and technology. Build any type of ship from a tiny fighter to a massive dreadnaught, bristling with cannons.

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Sanctum Secorum Episode #30 Companion: Sign of the Labrys

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #30 Companion: Sign of the Labrys was written by Daniel J. Bishop, Bob Brinkman, Marc Bruner, Clifford Morton, and Ari-Matti Piippo. Art is by Brotherdesmond, Dafne-1337art, Irzun, LeoFlynn, Jean-Pierre Moynet, and Ari-Matti Piippo. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 30: Sign of the Labrys, which discussed the novel by Margaret St. Clair. The featured adventure was Operation Unfathomable by Jason Sholtis (DCC conversion by Paul Wolfe).

Disclosure: I did some writing for this Episode Companion.

Within you will find:

Campaign Tools

Occult Actions: "There are times when those who wield arcane magic wish to draw directly upon their connection to the raw phlogiston of the universe for impromptu effects rather than for use in greater magic. Doing so requires advanced understanding of magical energies and this is not something practiced by mere apprentices."

Author Bob Brinkman offers a mechanic, similar to a Deed Die, to do one of the following:

• Amplification: "Used specifically as a part of ritualized magic, this working carries additional risk as failure disrupts and taints the entirety of the ritual magic being performed...".

• Dampening: "With their highly attuned understanding of magical energies and phlogistonic flows, wizards are sometimes capable of dampening the mystic energies around them."

• Fortification: "By infusing their bodies with mystical energies, wizards may (temporarily) stave off death."

Yeast Plagues: In Sign of the Labrys, the vast majority of humanity has been wiped out by plagues of (possibly intentionally) mutated yeast. Author Daniel J. Bishop provides mechanics for the pulmonary and neutolytic yeast plagues described in the novel.

Featured Adventure

Interlude: The Vault of Future Past: This adventure, by Ari-Matti Piippo, is for any level. It is intended to take place during wilderness travel. The author writes "It contains no combat or pronounced risk of death, although skilled players will certainly be able to kill off a few characters in the plasticrete bowels of the Vault."

The basic conceit of the adventure is that "most of the fantasy worlds we adventure in are
simply post-apocalyptic locales, where the inhabitants have forgotten their vaunted technological past, and consigned its wonders to the realm of magic and superstition. Why else would the wilderness be full of deep tunnel complexes and wandering hybrid monstrosities?"

This is certainly the case in Mutant Crawl Classics, Umerica, or adventure areas such as Silent Nightfall.

Fiction

The Blood-Drinking Box, Part 6: Clifford Morton continues the tale started in Sanctum Secorum Episode #25 Companion: The Fallible Fiend. This is based of off Terry Olson's Elzemon and the Blood Drinking Box.

Monsters

Cryo-Fungus: An extremely cold and prolific fungus, brought to you by Marc Bruner.

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature he likes.

It's free!

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Sanctum Secorum Episode #26 Companion: Changeling Earth

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #26 Companion: Changeling Earth was written by Bob Brinkman, Jen Brinkman, Marc Bruner, and Clifford Morton. Art is by Artsed, Henry Pether, Holy Lof, and NASA/JPL-Caltech. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 26: Changeling Earth, which discussed the novel by Fred Saberhagen. The featured adventure was Silent Nightfall by Daniel J. Bishop.

The Changeling Earth (aka Ardneh's World) is the third volume of the Empire of the East series.

Disclosure: I wrote the featured adventure for this episode.

Within you will find:

Campaign Tools

Elemental Turning: "A wizard can attempt to wrest control of an elemental from another wizard, seeking to turn it against its master, diminish its strength, or even banish it from this plane of existence." Marc Bruner supplies the rules you will need to include this element in your game.

Fiction

The Blood-Drinking Box. Part 2: Clifford Morton continues the tale from Sanctum Secorum Episode #25 Companion: The Fallible Fiend. This is based of off Terry Olson's Elzemon and the Blood Drinking Box.

Gods of the Eternal Struggle

Orcus: This is a deity write-up by Bob Brinkman, and it is not the Orcus known to Dungeons & Dragons players for decades. "Of all of the demons of the Empire of the East, it is Orcus who reigns supreme. All other demons and living beings are but ash blown before his radioactive might. Chained and sleeping within the abyss, Orcus awaits the day he should be awakened by the foolhardy. Disdainful of both the living, as well as his own kind, should Orcus be unbound it will attempt to lay waste to the world before it."

Essentially, this version of Orcus is a demon created by the influx of magic at the time a nuclear missile detonated. The origin of the demon in Silent Nightfall is an homage to the concept from this novel.

See also Divinities & Cults Volume II for a more standard take on Orcus.

Monsters

Demon Mount (Type II demon): "The demon mount is a chimera-like demonic steed summoned by powerful wizards to traverse great distances at an extremely high rate of speed." These mounts are not all the same, and author Marc Bruner provides a d10 table to determine each mount's head, torso, and form of locomotion.

Elemental, Desert: "Desert elementals are close kin to air elementals and share many of the same traits. However, desert elementals are not merely warm, living zephyrs, they are the howling manifestations of the deserts heat coupled with unrestrained winds." This entry, by Bob Brinkman, follows the standard DCC method of elementals having 8, 12, or 16 Hit Dice.

Elemental, Forest: "The gentle force of life given form, the forest elemental is normally the most gentle and peaceful of all their summoned kin. Unwilling to enter combat unless strongly provoked by actions of a greatly destructive nature or forced self preservation, the forest elemental is greatly sought after for its skill in aiding passage through woodlands." This elemental write-up is also by Bob Brinkman, using the standard DCC method for elemental Hit Dice.

Spells

Door of Orcus: This is a 5th level wizard spell by Jen Brinkman. "This high-powered spell creates a doorway through which the powerful Demon-Emperor Orcus may return to the mortal plane."

Summon Elemental: This is a 3rd level wizard spell by Marc Bruner. "This spell allows powerful wizards to summon the primal elements from the roiling elemental planes of fire, earth, water, and air, reconstituting the same elements to do the caster’s bidding in the form of elementals."

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature she likes.

It's free!

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Sanctum Secorum Episode #22 Companion: Hiero's Journey

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #22 Companion: Hiero's Journey was written by Marc Bruner and Bob Brinkman. Additional concept by Ethan Nicholle. Art is by alf-img.com, Ferit Quler, Jonas DeRo, mobuco, Ossama Radi, Tiffany Svec, and Bearmageddon News Network. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 22: Gary Con Special Part 2 – Hiero’s Journey, which discussed the novel by Sterling Lanier. The featured adventure was Against the Atomic Overlord by Edgar Johnson.

Part 1 of the Gary Con Special, which does not have a separate Episode Companion, can be found here.

Hiero's Journey was discussed on Episode 14 of the Appendix N Bookclub. Further, I discussed this novel in a blog post.

Within you will find:

Magic Items

Rod of the Unclean: A psychic amplifier, given game statistics by Marc Bruner. The Brotherhood of the Unclean are clearly the progenitors of the Blessed/Vile Brotherhood archaic alignment in Mutant Crawl Classics (see also MCC #5: Blessings of the Vile Brotherhood by Harley Stroh). They were also the inspiration behind the Radiant Brotherhood in my own Silent Nightfall.

Monsters

Crocobear: An admixture of grizzly bear and Nile crocodile, written up by Bob Brinkman (from a concept by Ethan Nicolle and/or mobuco). This is not a creature from Hiero's Journey.

Dweller in the Mist: Possibly the strangest being encountered in Hiero's Journey, the Dweller in the Mist is given DCC stats by Marc Bruner. This being might have been an inspiration for the crimson death in the AD&D 1e Monster Manual II.

Snapper: A gigantic snapping turtle, written up by Bob Brinkman. This was one of the "leemutes" (or lethal mutations) found in Sterling Lanier's future Earth. The appearance of the snapper in this novel might have led Gary Gygax to include giant snapping turtles in the original Monster Manual.

Water Weasel: Another leemute, pack hunters with shark-like jaws. Write-up is by Marc Bruner. Giant weasels, of course, also appear in the original Monster Manual, and have a long history with various editions of Dungeons & Dragons. In some Dungeon Crawl Classics milieus, water weasels may serve Mulferret, Queen of Weasels.

Weapons

Boar Spear: Given statistics by Bob Brinkman.

Heirloom Knife: "An ancient weapon from before The Death", written up by Marc Bruner.

Thrower: This is "a muzzle-loading, smooth-bore carbine, with an inch-and-a-half bore. It fires six-inch-long explosive rocket shells to sometimes devastating effect." Write-up is by Bob Brinkman.

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature she likes.

It's free!

Get It Here!

Sanctum Secorum Episode #21 Companion: The Dying Earth

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #21 Companion: The Dying Earth was written by Marc Bruner, Bob Brinkman, Forrest Aguirre, and Jonathan Nichol. Additional concept by Ethan Nicholle. Art is by Skryrimphotographer, Dove & Bloo, Dandy Jon, RiderB0y, Ozgur Maden, Geralt, Alchemist-Pac, and Bearmageddon News Network. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 21: The Dying Earth, which discussed the short story collection by Jack Vance. The featured adventure was Black Sun Death-Crawl by James MacGeorge.

Disclosure: Two adventures I wrote, Prince Charming, Reanimator, and Silent Nightfall, were discussed in this episode. In addition, I was a Contest Winner, receiving a set of the original Shanarra trilogy (The Sword of Shanarra, The Elfstones of Shanarra, and The Wishsong of Shanarra).

It is interesting to note that Goodman Games has announced a licensing deal to create a Dungeon Crawl Classics version of The Dying Earth setting.

Within you will find:

Campaign Tools

Vancian Word List: Jack Vance's use of esoteric vocabulary is legendary. Here, Marc Bruner offers a mini-game based off the same:

"When the players encounter a series of runes or a magical grimoire that they attempt to read or decipher, have the players draw 3d3 words from the container and give them 2 rounds (20 seconds) to assemble a sentence using the words. The players can use common articles such as 'a' or 'the' to connect the words, but have to use all of the words drawn or risk an incomplete - and possibly disastrous - effect."

Five pages of definitions and examples follow.

Mighty Deeds

Jungle Warrior Mighty Deed: Vinery: Related to the Sanctum Secorum Episode #20 Companion: Tarzan of the Apes, Forrest Aguirre provides a Mighty Deed where swinging on vines is used to get advantage over foes.

Monsters

Bearboon (I): A bear-sized hybrid, by Bob Brinkman (from a concept by Ethan Nicolle). This creature is not from The Dying Earth.

Bearboon (II): Also by Bob Brinkman (and also from concept by Ethan Nicolle), this is a smaller (but no less dangerous) hybrid. Also not from The Dying Earth.

Devourer of Beauty: "While some believe that beauty fades with time, or with the dying of love, there is a third cause – a more malevolent cause. The devourer of beauty is the foul spirit of a suicide that has been transformed by self-loathing into a creature determined to make the world over in their own self image." Written by Bob Brinkman.

Twk-Man: Intelligent insect-sized humanoids who bargain information for salt, they ride dragonflies and have greenish skin. Write-up by Bob Brinkman.

Patrons

The Curator: "The Curator is an ancient being of profound wisdom. Once kept alive through artificial means, the vast knowledge accumulated within his prolonged lifetime refused to pass on with his mortal self."

This is a full patron write-up by Bob Brinkman. The Curator has knowledge of all 666 wizard spells, and all spells granted by patrons and deities. As a result, the Curator has no patron spells of his own, but can choose to grant any spell - wizard or cleric - as a patron spell, at the judge's discretion.

Pandelume: "Pandelume is a vastly powerful magician who lives in Embelyon, a land of his creation both of and not of the Earth. He is a master mathematician, the first since Phandaal, and knows all spells that were ever wrenched and molded from space. By his own law, no one may gaze upon Pandelume, and he always keeps his face and form hidden - to see Pandelume is to go mad."

This is a full patron write-up by Marc Bruner. Rather than have patron spells, Pandelume grants random cleric spells in their stead...but the spells are one level higher than the wizard spell whose "slot" they take.

Spells

Life Gong: This is a 3rd level wizard spell by Marc Bruner: "This lengthy ritual entraps the soul of a target creature to the will of the caster, binding it to a magical bronze gong that can be used to compel the target into acting in the caster’s service."

Transportation

Marc Bruner supplies two methods of getting around in the world of The Dying Earth. Both are alive, and both are given a full statblock.

Live Boots: These "are a type of magical creature crafted by powerful wizards to enable effortless travel over long distances."

Oasts: A "giant race of men raised to be used as mounts by the uncivilized tribes living below the crags of Fer Aquila."

Weapons

Lasso: Related to the Sanctum Secorum Episode #20 Companion: Tarzan of the Apes, Jonathan Nichol provides statistics for one of Tarzan's signature weapons.

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature she likes.

It's free!

Get It Here!

Sanctum Secorum Episode #10 Companion: The Maker of Gargoyles

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #10 Companion: The Maker of Gargoyles was written by Jen Brinkman, David Baity, Bob Brinkman, and Joe Salvador. Art is by Joel Harlow, Propnomicon, Sandip Lahiri, and Todd McGowan. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 10: The Maker of Gargoyles, which discussed the short story by Clark Ashton Smith. The featured adventure was The Carnival of the Damned by David Baity.

Disclosure: An adventure I wrote, Silent Nightfall, was discussed in this episode.

Within you will find:

Character Classes

Deep-One Half-Breed: Author Joe Salvador provides another version of those who carry the Innsmouth Look, as discussed in Sanctum Secorum Episode #09 Companion: Two From H.P. Lovecraft.

The Gargoyle: Author David Baity offers a gargoyle class, the result of a character being cursed prior to reaching 1st level, and slowly changing form from her mortal one to that of a guardian protecting some distant building. All in all, a brilliant concept, and one which automatically takes the character out of the day-to-day doings of the campaign milieu should she survive to reach 10th level.

Monsters

Gargoyle, Graven: Every gargoyle is different, and if you use the tables provided here by author Bob Brinkman, this will be true in your campaign as well. Gargoyles herein are linked to the seven virtues if Lawful, or the seven vices if Chaotic.

Spells

Imbue the Stone: This is a 3rd level wizard spell, by Jen Brinkman, which can be used to bring a sculpture to life.

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature he likes.

It's free!

Get It Here!

Sanctum Secorum Episode #09 Companion: Two From H.P. Lovecraft

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #09 Companion: Two From Lovecraft was written by David Baity, Bob Brinkman, and Daniel J. Bishop. Art is by Bjarne Henning Kvaale, Joel Harlow, Mihail Bila, and Troy Tucker. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 9: H. P. Lovecraft, which discussed Dagon and The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft. The featured adventure was The Portsmouth Mermaid by Daniel J. Bishop.

Disclosure: I wrote material for this product, and wrote the featured adventure in the podcast episode. Another adventure I wrote, Silent Nightfall, was discussed in the episode, as was material I wrote for Crawl! fanzine #11.

Within you will find:

Character Backgrounds

Born of the Old Ones: It isn't unusual in an H.P. Lovecraft story to discover that the protagonist is actually related to the monsters he encounters. This article, by Daniel J. Bishop, describes how such a relationship to the Deep Ones may play out, in particular with respect to the featured adventure for this episode. Similar tables can be devised for other creatures of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Character Classes

Deep One Hybrid: A rather neat take on a half-human, half-Deep One being, by Bob Brinkman. See also the Hybrid Character Class in Crawling Under a Broken Moon #18 for another take on this theme.

Featured Adventure

Escape from Innsmouth: A funnel adventure written by David Baity and Bob Brinkman, with cartography by David Baity, this one sees you as a Dagon-worshiping resident of Innsmouth when the neighboring villages decide to get rid of the cult. The only way to escape is to the sea.

It is suggested as a one-shot adventure, or a convention game, but I could see this being used in conjunction with the other materials in this Episode Companion to create extra characters after running The Portsmouth Mermaid or Shadow Under Devil's Reef. It could also be modified for Crawl-thulhu.

Magic Items

Crown of Dagon: Worn by the high priests of Dagon, this item is described by Bob Brinkman. It comes from the story, The Shadow Over Innsmouth.

The Monolith: An ancient, prehuman monolith described by Bob Brinkman. It comes from the story, Dagon.

Weapons

Barbed Mace: Statistics provided by Bob Brinkman.

Hooked Net: Statistics provided by Bob Brinkman.

Shell-headed Club: Statistics provided by Bob Brinkman.

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature he likes.

It's free!

Get It Here!

Sanctum Secorum Episode #02 Companion: The Last Castle

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #02 Companion: The Last Castle was written by Jen Brinkman, David Baity, and Bob Brinkman. Art is by Hitforsa and Pacomtois. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 02: The Last Castle, from the novel by Jack Vance. The featured adventure was The Tower Out of Time, by Michael Curtis.

Disclosure: My adventure, Silent Nightfall, is discussed in this episode of the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

Within you will find:

Classes

Mek: Author David Baity provides a race-class for the insect men of Jack Vance's The Last Castle. See the monster section below for other takes on the Mek.

Monsters

Bird, Vancian (#1): There are intelligent birds in The Last Castle, which have been engineered to serve the humans who feed them. Author Bob Brinkman provides our first set of statistics for these creatures.

Bird, Vancian (#2): Author Jen Brinkman provides another set of statistics for the Birds.

Mek (#1): "Whisked away from their home planet in the Etamin system, the insect-like race known as The Mek have been used for slavery for close to a century. The creatures stand upright at close to six feet in height and are covered in a bronze carapace that offers superior protection from the elements and most melee weapons."

David Baity provides a set of Mek statistics, which can be used in conjunction with (or seperately from) the aforementioned Mek class. Like the Birds, the Mek have been engineered to be dependent upon a particular syrup that their human masters provide.

(As a side note, one wonders if the writers of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine might have lifted this idea from Jack Vance when creating the Jem'Hadar.)

Mek (#2): Bob Brinkman provides another version of the Mek.

Peasant, Vancian: These beings are "small andromorphs originally from the world of Spica Ten. Taken as a servant race during the human occupation of the Altair colonies" rather than your typical posse of gongfarmers. Write-up by Bob Brinkman.

Phane (#1):  Jen Brinkman provides a write-up for these "delicate, butterfly-like creatures, native to the caverns of Albireo Seven’s moon".

Phane (#2): A second set of statistics for these creatures, provided by Bob Brinkman.

As with the Episode 01 Companion, having multiple takes on these creatures should help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature he likes.

Transportation

Power-Wagon: The power-wagon is actually a creature, which is enslaved through the use of syrup, as are all creatures subservient to the humans of The Last Castle. Bob Brinkman provides a description, but no statistics.

Vancian Bird: Bob Brinkman tells you how far a Bird can pick you up and carry you for.

Vancian Bird Sky Chair: Carried by 4-6 Birds, and again described by Bob Brinkman.

Weapons

Energy Cannon: Statistics provided by Bob Brinkman.

Fire Grenade: Statistics provided by Bob Brinkman.

Pellet Ejector: Statistics provided by Bob Brinkman.

Pellet Gun: Statistics provided by David Baity.

Sport Rifle: Statistics provided by Bob Brinkman.

Steel Sling-Whip: Statistics provided by Bob Brinkman.

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Angels, Daemons & Beings Between Volume 2: Elfland Edition

Angels, Daemons and Beings Between Volume II: Elfland Edition was written by James A. Pozenel, Jr. with supplemental writing by Mark Green, Daniel J. Bishop, and Paul Linkowski. Art is by David Fisher (including cover), Doug Kovacs, Stefan Poag, Stephen Thompson and Bruce Worden. The publisher is Shinobi27 Games.

Disclosure: I wrote the forward and a backer patron for this product, and was a patron of the successful Kickstarter campaign. The author also kindly mentions my blog in his introduction, and says "While all the research broadened my horizons, it was some of Daniel Bishop’s words in a blog post about patrons that ended up informing my work the most."

This is a massive book, containing 13 full patrons (including three backer patrons), four demi-patrons, and more. Let's look inside!

Foreword: Standard fare, which I wrote.

Preface: More standard fare, but which tells you how the author chose to approach him material.

Introduction: Here we get into the first real meat of the book, with discussions of the Faerie Court, Faerie Mounds, and the relationship between Elves, Patrons and Religion. Anyone familiar with folklore, or the more folklore-derived elf-types in Appendix N literature, will be more delighted than surprised by this material.

Patrons: The book then jumps into the 10 full patrons James Pozenel devised for the book. They are:

• Balancyrs, The Changeling Prince: "Balancyrs is a changeling, the result of the union between an elf and a troll. When a changeling is born, magic is used to give the infant a form. Sometimes they appear as a human, others an elf -- the possibilities are virtually limitless and governed by the spellcaster’s aims and whims." 

• Ehawol, The Fallen: "Ehawol was once a powerful elf renowned for his prowess in crafting and enchanting. He hungered for arcane secrets and hidden lore until his obsession led to him being consumed by the influence of demonic powers."

• Finngolric: "Finngolric is a patron to orphans, the poor, vagabonds, and thieves. While none of these roles are commonplace in traditional elven communities, there are times and places where Finngolric is able to entice elves to follow his particular call to freedom."

• Hollura: "Hollura is sometimes called the Good Mother. She is knowledgeable in protection, healing, and herbalism. She is said to have created the Fey Rune of Healing, a secret that she has shared amongst the elves."

• Ioelena: "Ioelena is a powerful, female, elf mage who dwells in the fey realms of Elfland. The Lady of Flame and Fate is a powerful pyromancer, summoner, diviner and an expert in manipulating fate itself. Ioelena’s symbol is the phoenix and it is rumored that she may even be related to the mythical beasts."

• Lumgolit, Demon Queen of the Spider Pits: "Lumgolit, The Demon Queen of the Spider Pits, The Dark Weaver, is the patron supreme amongst the fallen race of the black-skinned dark elves. Her cruelty is renowned and she sows discord between her followers and enemies alike."

• Setanda: "Setanda is a lusty, brave half-elf/half-faerie who enjoys competing, battling, or contesting anything dangerous or difficult. Many think he is easily provoked, capricious, and erratic, but for Setanda all challenges are to be confronted and conquered."

• Sintar, The Knower: "Sintar is often just called by his epitaph: The Knower. Both Sintar and the King of Elfland are considered as twin patriarchs of the elves. One is the lord and guardian of the Fey Realms; the other its spy and sage."

• Volundrar: "Volundrar is a master craftsman and enchanter without peer. He practices his arts in solitude, yet it is rumored that there is an abnormally malicious side to the being called the Strange Smith. It is common knowledge that the Weird Worker was imprisoned at one time by a powerful king and forced to make fine trinkets and magical items."

• Yvrion: "Yvrion is warden of sacred forests, master of the hunt, paragon of the elven bowman, and swordsman supreme. It is well known amongst the Faerie Court, that Yvrion is a close ally of the King of Elfland. He is bold and quick to take action, at times even rashly."

Lumgolit has the distinction of being mentioned (although not by name) in the core rulebook: "the demon queen of the spider pits tires of her servants being misused by mortals and takes notice of the caster, who finds himself beset by arachnid opponents at all turns (judge’s discretion) for the next 1d7+1 days – these spiders, both mundane and demonic, attack exclusively the caster and clearly seek to punish him" (page 196). The dark elves are mentioned on pages 56 and 320.

Demi-Patrons: Demi-patrons were first described in CE 5: Silent Nightfall, and later appeared in Angels, Daemons, & Beings Between, having been further (and independently) developed by Paul Wolfe. These are beings, not as powerful as full patrons, who may nonetheless aid spellcasters. This volume contains four.

• Alboran, The Red King: "Alboran is the mightiest of the faeries in the area of Noc Marb. His charges are the brownies, leprechauns, sprites and fairies who inhabit the area around the ancient hill."

• Dahudmorgan: "Dahudmorgan is queen amongst the sea-faeries who inhabit the haunted and rocky shores of Menegond (Thousand Rocks). During the day, she hides underwater in her magnificent golden city or in one of the natural caves or grottoes in the sea-cliffs surrounding her home under the waves. At night, she sits on one of the rocky islands that stretch along the coastline, combing her beautiful, long, golden tresses and singing."

• Menelotera, The Devil Bloom: "The thing called Menelotera or Star Devil Bloom descended from the heavens ages ago near the elven community of Dorondil. The community retrieved the fallen plant from its crater and nursed it back to health. They placed the blasted plant in a porphyry urn and grew worried as its condition improved."

• Reidmar, The Deathless: "The absence of his soul renders him immune to the laws and traditions of the Faerie Courts. Death will not take him and the Faerie Courts fear him. It only remains to see what Reidmar will do next."

The book also contains six Appendices.

Appendix A: Magic Item Generator: This appendix allows the judge to create unique magic items easily, and with interesting results.

Appendix B: Elven Mercurial Magic: This is not a full set of mercurial tables, but offers replacements for the "No change. The spell manifests as standard." results from 41-60 in the core rulebook. It differentiates results in many cases between normal and dark elves.

Appendix C: New Classes: This Appendix offers two new fey classes: Elven Thief of Finngolric and Faerie. The Faerie in particular offers a good treatment of the basic concept:

"You are a tiny, mischievous sprite. The big people call you the Fair Folk, the Gentry, Little People or faeries. You live in mounds or great hollowed trees in secluded, sacred forests and hillsides. You live to torment or treat the larger races if they stumble into your territory. Little children dream of finding you but those who do may regret it. Sometimes kind and helpful, at other times known to play mischief (or worse) upon mortals, their actions, taboos, and customs can seem inscrutable and confusing."

Goodman Games published The Complete Guide to Fey for the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons. That work offers some insight into creating and running faerie creatures that this class does not, but this class reads like a distillation of that work into Dungeon Crawl Classics sensibilities. I think that the author did a very good job here.

Appendix D: New Spells: The book offers two new spells: Glamour and Invoke Nature's Spirits. Both are level 1 spells.

Appendix E: Patron Revelation Sheets: "These Patron Revelation Sheets are for the bonded wizards and elves in your campaign. The players may keep track of results from invoke patron or the patron spells they’ve been taught. The player can also record patron taints and other long term effects from their extended contact with supernatural beings."

Appendix F: Backer Patrons: Three backer patrons are included in this volume. They are:

• The Faerie Ring by Mark Green: "The Faerie Ring is a collective of faeries. Individual faeries are magical but not hugely powerful, however, when gathered together, their power is multiplied many-fold."

• Gloriana, Faerie Godmother by Daniel J. Bishop: "Many of the faerie folk take a sidelong interest in human affairs. Often, this interest lasts but for an encounter, but sometimes a faerie becomes interested in mortals for their entire lifetimes, which is still a fleeting interest in the aeons-long existence of the fae. Such a creature is Gloriana, who sometimes aids Wizards and Elves, and has become the godmother of several mortal children - both with, and without, a formal Patron Bond spell."

• Tand-Alv, the Tooth Fairy by Paul Linkowski: "For a millennium three powerful lich kings have maintained a permanent portal between their realm and the elf lands. Tand-Alv, the unfortunate regional ruler where the portal materialized in, has vowed to stop the undead forces from gaining a foothold in the elf lands. Realizing that a traditional elf army is dangerous to use against the liches because the fallen elven warriors could be used by the liches to add to their undead army, Tand-Alv found an unusual solution. She created an army of giant snails and slugs to fight off the undead hordes."

Gloriana first appeared in The Revelation of Mulmo, and was first fully developed in The Revelation of Mulmo Tentacled Edition.

As with the first volume, there is permission to use these patrons in other products included in the Usage and License Information section.

The fey are an ancient race of elves, faerie and other mischievous beings, their origins lost in antiquity. Ever questing for the esoteric secrets of magic and of the universe itself, elves have long sought to connect with the architects of their kind. Serving and bargaining with fey patrons of old is a means to this end.

Angels, Daemons and Beings Between Volume 2: Elfland Edition unleashes the hidden patrons of Elfland. From fey barbarians and vagabond thieves to vile demons and alien vegetation, this tome shines light on 14 [sic] new patrons of distinct fey character. With accompanying spells, spellburn, patron taints and the rituals required to commune with these patrons. This volume is a must for your campaign’s elves… and wizards, of course!

(I count 13 new patrons and 4 demi-patrons. I think the solicitation text was meant to include the 10 patrons and 4 demi-patrons written by James Pozenel, but if so they are under-selling the product.)

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PM 2: Desolate Dwarven Delve

Purple Mountain Level Two: Desolate Dwarven Delve is a 2nd level adventure written by David Nicholas Ross. Art is by Matt Morrow (cover), Brian Brinlee, and Tamas Baranya. Cartography is by Kristian Richards. DCC conversion is by Daniel J. Bishop. The publisher is Purple Duck Games.

Disclosure: I did the DCC conversion on this product, and am a Patreon on this project.

Purple Mountain was originally written for Pathfinder role-playing game, and is nominally within the Purple Duck Games open setting, Porphyra. Each level was written by a different author (although some authors may have written more than one level), using cartography by Kristian Richards.

Some of this cartography was later used to inspire Dungeon Crawl Classics adventures: for instance, Level 1 shares a map with Through the Cotillion of Hours, and Level 3 shares maps with Stars in the Darkness.

The second level of Purple Mountain is an abandoned dwarven mine, which is now home to gremlins, un-dead dwarves, a troglodyte hermit, and various other creatures, including more than one type of fungi.

As with all adventures in this series, the module can be used as a stand-alone adventure, or as part of the larger Purple Mountain series. The entrance to this level presents its own difficulties, and foolish or unwary players may well lose a character (or two) here.

This level played heavily into Pathfinder sensibilities in its initial incarnation, which required some serious thinking to convert it to Dungeon Crawl Classics. Specifically, reducing the feeling of playing Pathfinder while retaining the essential narrative of the adventure was challenging. On the other hand, most of the monsters are essentially similar to their original counterparts, with Hassur the troglodyte hermit and his ally Pallcap requiring the most change. On the other hand, I did get to work in a connection to Ulibex from Silent Nightfall.

Purple Mountain II: Desolate Dwarven Delve throws your party into a ruined dwarven settlement haunted by the restless dead, insidious fungi, sadistic fey, and more. Devious mechanisms bar the way and the delve's strange, feuding inhabitants loom on all sides while the party search for the valuable secrets of the ruins.

The Purple Mountain series is designed to be a classic mega-dungeon. You know the kind...

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The Gong Farmer’s Almanac 2016 Vol 2

The 2016 Gongfarmer’s Almanac: Volume 2: Patrons & Gods is a Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG Zine written, illustrated, and produced by the DCC RPG G+ community under the creative vision and direction of Doug Kovacs, Harley Stroh, Jon Hershberger, Marc Bruner, Matt Hildebrand, and Michael Jones, under the rubric of the Gongfarmer's Local #282.

This volume was written by Steven Bean, Jeff Call, Eric Hoffman, Duncan McPhedran, David Powers, James Pozenel, Ian Wyckoff, and James V. West. Art is by Doug Kovacs, Marc Radle, Robert Cameron, Benjamin Mara, Danny Prescott, Shield of Faith Studios/Matt Jordan, and William McAusland.

Disclosure: I am credited as an editor.

Let's look inside!

Cire - Interdimensional Patron: Written up by Eric Hoffman, this is a one-time client wizard of Urhatta who is now master of several pocket dimensions created by Dead Gods.The patron write-up is complete except for a 3rd level patron spell.

Patsy, Patron God of Henchfolk: If you have ever seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you will know instantly where author Duncan McPhedran got the inspiration from for this patron. The only thing that this full patron write-up is missing is the means for your poor abused henchmen to invoke him...and any judge worthy of that title can deal with that!

Sisssnagagarrasssh: If you have played through The Portal Under the Stars, you should be familiar with a certain immortal demon-snake that appears therein. Author James A. Pozenel, Jr., offers a "Petty Patron" (as per Paul Wolfe on Mystic Bull Games blog, which became demi-patrons in the expanded version of Angels, Daemons, & Beings Between, following the usage in Silent Nightfall). The author notes:

At a number of points in this text I’ve alluded to increasing Sisssnagagarrasssh’s powers. What I’ve presented here is a patron that is ready to be developed up by you, the judge, and your players. Portal Under the Stars is a terrific adventure that has several strong plot hooks to expand upon. The goal of this work is to give you a head start on what happens after Portal Under the Stars. More invoke patron results need to be added and patron spells need to be created as Sisssnagagarrasssh’s power increases. I wanted to flesh out the snake horn and its creator, but at the same time I didn’t want to provide you with a full-blown DCC Core Book patron.

Paul Wolfe’s work on patrons has heavily informed me during the creation of this patron. He has given the DCC community an interesting look at how to develop patrons with differing power levels. How your players and you level up Sisssnagagarrasssh or any other patron is ultimately up to you.

The Children of Ibyk: Speaking of mystic bulls, David Powers offers the write-up of Ibyk, bull-headed Lord of the Black Sun, god of war, wealth, dancing, and lasciviousness, who has now fallen into a low state. Invoke patron results, patron taint, and a 1st level patron spell are provided.

Torvak, the Enslaved Ape-God: Jeff Call provides patron information for Torvak, the colossal four-armed ape god of the subterranean Apeman city of Voodos. No patron spells are provided. I can easily imagine an epic high-level adventure where the enslaved ape-god breaks free!

Crom!!!: Few fantasy deities are as well-known or as well-beloved as Crom, who Conan the Barbarian swears by. Now Ian Wyckoff gives you clerical information for Crom, the StarSmasher, including a unique disapproval table.

I Fought the Law (& the Law Won): Making Law in DCC as Badass as Chaos: Steve Bean provides an "Unabashed (if not Unapologetic) Editorial" to convince you that Law is as worthy an alignment as Chaos.

Finally, the volume is finished with a Character Record Sheet by James V. West (sadly without attribution to the creator).

No one ever has too many patrons, and with the price being set at "free", what are you waiting for?

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The Goblins of the Faerie Woods

CE 8: Goblins of the Faerie Woods was written by Daniel J. Bishop and illustrated by Gary Dupuis and Brett Neufeld. Cartography is by Tim Hartin. The publisher is Purple Duck Games.

Disclosure: I am the author.

Like all of the Campaign Element series, this product seeks to add material to your campaign milieu that you can use over and over again. It also has obvious tie-in value to the Faerie Tales from Unlit Shores series.

Herein you will find two five-level classes for goblins, who can become goblin warriors or goblin witch doctors. as well as rules for 0-level goblins. When I was working on my own game system (Raven Crowking's Fantasy Game, or RCFG), I did some work to recast goblins, including the basis that forms the goblin witch doctor class.

Readers of the CE series will notice that, quite often, I include places where PCs can gain information for a price. This is intentional. In a game where "Quest For It" plays such a prominent role, the ability of the players to gain information is vital. Likewise, the opportunity for the judge to plant adventure seeds is extremely useful.

Some notes on things:

• Jungus the Witch Doctor began her life male, but I decided to make her female. She is named after Carl Jung. 

• The Grey Ones would have been called the Greywhethers if I hadn't used that name in Silent Nightfall. Actually, a number of the creatures in Silent Nightfall were originally pets kept by goblins in RCFG, as an homage to The Princess and the Goblin.

• Gaulmurk, Ogre-Sorcerer of the Iron Bands is modeled after the wizard of the iron bands in Longshanks, Girth, and Keen. He was made tough (and able to step into Elfland) so that low-level PCs wouldn't simply start the adventure by leaving the path, going to his tower, and ganking him.

• The Weird of Sortharl is, of course, created in loving memory of the 1st Edition Dungeons & Dragons Wand of Wonder, a magic item that was always fun for the DM to include. The name recalls a magic item mentioned in an old Dragon Magazine or White Dwarf article. I can't pin down the article at the moment, but the item was the Strange of somebody or other. It stuck with me.

• The spider’s voice is supposed to perform four tasks. One, it is intended to be an entertaining encounter as is. Two, it is supposed to be an example of using "Where Spell Knowledge is Found" - just because an idea seems fanciful doesn't mean that it can't be realized in-game. Three, it gives the PCs a reason to ask questions of the Grey Ones. Finally, one of my players had hoped to learn the language of spiders.

• The idea of the twiggy men probably came from the paintings of Brian Froud and Alan Lee. In particular, those from their book, Fairies. As you may know, Brian Froud did work designing creatures in Labyrinth. The child, Toby, in the movie is actually played by Toby Froud. 

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The Folk of Osmon

The Folk of Osmon was written by Daniel J. Bishop, with cover art by Gary Dupuis, interior art by Luigi Castellani, and cartography by Tim Hartin. The publisher is Purple Duck Games.

Disclosure: I am the author.

This is the third entry in the CE Series, which attempts to address the "Quest For It" ethos of Dungeon Crawl Classics while providing reusable play elements. It is billed as "An adventure for Dungeon Crawl Classics characters across multiple levels."

From the Introduction:

The Campaign Element (CE) series attempts to address these specific areas. Now, when your wizard is looking for a spell, your cleric is sent on a mission from her deity, or your thief simply wants to find a location where stealth and a cunning mind are paramount, you will have an answer at your fingertips. Weave these campaign elements into your world, mesh them into other modules and areas of your own creation, and watch the “Appendix N” vibe of your games grow.

I wrote, in the "Using this Location" section, that "This area is intended to be used as a hazard and adventure location in an ongoing campaign milieu. Perhaps it is near the village that the characters came from at 0-level. Perhaps it is along an oft-travelled path between the village and a persistent adventure location,such as a dungeon that cannot be fully explored in a single outing. There is some advantage for the judge and players in allowing the characters to explore the area in the daylight first, building toward more dangerous encounters at night."

The Folk of Osmon themselves were inspired by beings from Edgar Rice Burroughs' Lost on Venus. Interestingly, Burroughs' Amtor (Venus) novels were later an inspiration for The Dread God Al-Khazadar, as requested by Joseph Goodman. I am not sure if he had noted the Venusian inspiration in this product or not. Osmon itself is a combination of something along the lines of House from Sterling Lanier's Hiero's Journey, and Juiblex from the 1st Edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

The swamp creatures were designed using James Raggi's Random Esoteric Creature Generator, seen through a Dungeon Crawl Classics lens. The "swamp light faerie" is similar to a will-o-the-wisp, but with the added bonus of being able to mess with a dwarf's class ability of smelling gold. These fey also force the PCs to decide whether to dig by day or night if they acquire a map to Red Jack Kaven's treasure. And every judge needs some hidden treasures to provide maps to.

At the time this was written, Purple Sorcerer Games had published two of its "Sunken City" adventures, and when I was working on the text, it occurred to me that the Osmon Mire may well be a portion of the Great Swamp in many judge's campaigns. Another possible link is to A Lesson From Turtles, in Appendix N Adventures Add-Ons #1-5, with the ancient and ruined city of Osmon being part of the same submerged civilization as is mentioned in that encounter. This may also, if the judge desires, be the same civilization that build Silent Nightfall.

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Crawling Under a Broken Moon #16

Crawling Under a Broken Moon #16 was written by Reid San Filippo, Kevin Searle, Jon Carnes, Sean Ellis, Anna Costa (with ideas from Claytonian), and Quinn Coffman. Cover art is by Diogo Nogueira (front cover) and Nate Marcel (back). Interior art is by Nate Marcel, Claytonian, Matt Hildebrand, James Yoder, and Anna Costa. It is published by Shield of Faith Studios.

This issue, like Crawling Under a Broken Moon #10, offers a selection of monsters for use in your Umerican campaigns. Most of the creatures in this issue are purely post-Apocalyptic, and therefore of less use in other Dungeon Crawl Classics campaigns. That said, even a standard DCC campaign may travel to another world (for example, in Peril on the Purple Planet, Against the Atomic Overlord, or The Dread God Al-Khazadar), and these creatures may suddenly become more appropriate. A standard DCC milieu may also have had a more technological past, as in Silent Nightfall.

Taking a look inside we find:

The Black Cloud: This creature, by Kevin Searle, is a sentient cloud of pollution with a radioactive core. It seems like something out of a 1970s ecological horror movie, an episode of Thundarr the Barbarian, or a manifestation of Hate from Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar stories. Or a combination of all three.

As an aside, one of the nice things about the Crawling Under a Broken Moon monster collections is that they all come with "Adventure Hooks" that give you an idea of how to create a scenario or encounter revolving around the creatures described.

At the time of this writing, Reid San Filippo has just "appeared" on the second Glowburn podcast. Apparently, Reid is an "off the cuff" type judge, so having thought about how creatures might create scenarios would (presumably) be of benefit to him. As much more of a "prepare ahead of time" judge, this sort of information also helps me. Not every adventure hook is golden, but they are a good inclusion.

Business Revenant: The creation of Jon Carnes, this is an un-dead "project manager", often followed by a hypnotized entourage trying to complete some ages-old business plan. In fact, their goal may be nothing more than unearthing the process map for their project, lost aeons ago.

Cihuateteo: Created by Sean Ellis, this is an Aztec spirit of the dead re-written as the victims of an ancient and mystic nanovirus. If nothing else in the collection scares your players, this should be it.

Data Elemental: Humanoid shaped lines of code which can siphon data...including your knowledge and memories! This is a cool and entirely appropriate monster to be found in the ruins of Umerica.

I assume that the entries without attribution, such as this one, are the work of Reid San Filippo.

This creature introduces the plane of Eternal Memory, as well as "the area between the plane of Elemental Air and the realm of Empyrean Dynamics" and similar area "between the plane of Elemental Earth and the realm of Empyrean Dynamics." An "attractive Magnetism Para-elemental" is mentioned, which suggests that there must be a repulsive Magnetism Para-elemental as well.

Demolishroom: Gigantic mobile mushrooms that knock down buildings and give off "shroomanoids" which help it collect (and consume) the dead. One can easily imagine an evening's gaming revolving around ending the menace....although, once deceased the danger is increased!

Frab: Take a crab-like plant and give it both a penchant for vibrations and the skills of a thief. Then give it biological grenades.

Gun Elemental: A creature from the plane of Elemental War, gun elementals are a TPK waiting to happen. Actually, they are not waiting. They are seeking out the opportunity. But, the potential to gain an armory's worth of firearms may make the PCs seek their probable deaths anyway. Their opposte number is "the Mercy Elemental native to the plane of Unending Tranquility" - making the planar cosmology of Crawling Under a Broken Moon interesting indeed.

Lion Snakes: Gigantic snakes with lion heads, these monsters would be at home in any flavor of Dungeon Crawl Classics milieu.

Organic Data MULE (Mobile Ubiquitous LAN Extension): The creation of Anna Costa (with ideas from Claytonian), this is any creature whose DNA has been encoded to contain data. The extra DNA makes them subject to additional mutations, so that all sorts of strange MULEs can be created. Tables are provided for judges to do so, but you will want to use them to springboard your own devilish ideas.

The Posse of Perception: Author Quinn Coffman offers what, to my mind, is the strangest entry in this issue. It is a cult, which grew from a gang, and each tier of the cult is focused on a single sense. This has biological repercussions.

Reindire: That Santa is an Umerican divinity was revealed in Crawling Under a Broken Moon #11. Naturally, the god of giving needs minions, right? These humanoid reindeer are just the ticket. "They will do their best to not harm anyone but their intended target, chosen by Santa, and they will NEVER harm a child by ANY direct or indirect action. They will hold to this even if it means dying repeatedly over the course of the mission." The adventure this brings to mind: The Tick Loves Santa mixed with The Preacher.

Tru-Pet: A 100% artificial pet from a parallel universe that never experienced the Cataclysm. If you want a PC to gain an animal companion which can remain viable for a long time, this is it. While this entry is not Blood from A Boy and His Dog, but it could be with very little work on the part of the judge. The PCs may never even know that their newest ally is a lab that was made in a lab.

Wraith Rider: "Empowered by an unknown spirit from the plane of Eternal Unrest after suffering a traumatic violent death, a murdered human may transform into a Wraith Rider." The obvious inspiration for this being is Marvelous, but the actual execution is its own thing. It fits in very well with the darkened highways of Umerica. Note also the additional plane added to those of the Crawling Under a Broken Moon cosmology.

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