Raven Crowking's Birthday Mathom 2014

Raven Crowking's Birthday Mathom 2014: The Ruined Keep & Additional Materials was written by Daniel J. Bishop with cartography by Daniel J. Bishop. The publisher is Raven Crowking.

Disclosure: I am the author, cartographer, and publisher.

The post offering this item, and giving the requirements for receiving it, appeared on 29 July 2014. As I said in that post, "These are just some fun things that you can get for free because sending them out helps me celebrate the passing of another solar rotation. And because the DCC community is great."

For a discussion of mathoms, see this listing.

This year's mathom included:

The Ruined Keep: This is one of two scenarios originally written for Raven Crowking’s Fantasy Game (RCFG), the “fantasy heartbreaker” I was writing before I switched to Dungeon Crawl Classics. I converted it to be used as a funnel for 12-18 0-level characters or 1st level adventure for 4-6 PCs.

Somewhere beneath the ruined keep lies the Oracle of the Crystal Grotto. The judge need only allow the PCs to learn this, and give the PCs some question that they need to answer, to hook them into the scenario.

If running a 0-level funnel, the PCs’ village may be suffering from an incurable plague, with the Oracle being the only hope of succor. If the PCs are in the early stages of the plague themselves, it will lend a certain piquancy to their mission.

If running a 1st level adventure, the judge may let slip that the Oracle can answer questions about  some treasure that the PCs discovered, or that the Oracle can lead them to spell knowledge or put them on the right track to obtain something else that they desire.

This adventure was reprinted in the Sanctum Secorum Episode #31 Companion: Jack of Shadows.

Bonus Material from Appendix N Authors: This material was compiled from various Appendix N sources and given DCC statistics. Included are:

• Chu-Bu: Minor god from Lord Dunsany (“Chu-Bu and Sheemish”: Saturday Review, 30 December 1911).

• Sheemish: Another minor god from Lord Dunsany (“Chu-Bu and Sheemish”: Saturday Review, 30 December 1911).

• Tree Spirits of the Vosges: From Abraham Merritt's “The Woman of the Wood” in Weird Tales (August 1926), I used my write-up for them almost exactly in Through the Dragonwall, which was intended as an homage to Abraham Merritt.

• Wind Whale: From Philip José Farmer: The Wind Whales of Ishmael (Ace Books, 1971). Careful readers will note a similarity with an encounter in the Appendixes of The Portsmouth Mermaid.

• Aerial Brit: Foodstuff (kind of), also from Philip José Farmer's The Wind Whales of Ishmael.

• Namalee: A character in Philip José Farmer's The Wind Whales of Ishmael, which may be used as an example of how characters can be transcribed without using standard DCC classes.

• The Purple Beast of the Stinging Death: A monster you do not want to encounter, also from Philip José Farmer's The Wind Whales of Ishmael.

• Zoomashmarta: Another god, also from Philip José Farmer's The Wind Whales of Ishmael. Because this god is an idol, as are Chu-Bu and Sheemish, it may be interesting to the reader to compare Dunsany with Farmer.

• Bloodsucker Creeper: Another monster from Philip José Farmer's The Wind Whales of Ishmael.

• Stone Tortoise: Another monster from Philip José Farmer's The Wind Whales of Ishmael.

• Air Shark: Another monster from Philip José Farmer's The Wind Whales of Ishmael.

I have given Bob Brinkman blanket permission to use almost everything in this mathom for Sanctum Secorum Companion volumes, so hopefully these will appear in a The Wind Whales of Ishmael volume at some point. 

Additional Monsters: Dungeon Crawl Classics statistics for the behir, blindheim, hippocampus, and wyvern, using alterations I had made to the creatures for RCFG.

This product is no longer available, although, as indicated above, some of the content is.

Random Esoteric Creature Generator (Honorary)

The Random Esoteric Creature Generator for Classic Fantasy Role-Playing Games and their Modern Simulacra was written by James Edward Raggi IV, with art by Doug Kovacs (cover), Brad McDevitt, William McAusland, and David Griffith. The publisher is Goodman Games.

The Random Esoteric Creature Generator was not written for Dungeon Crawl Classics, but it gets an honorary listing as it is specifically mentioned in the core rulebook as a suitable tool for creating unique and mysterious monsters. It is certainly capable of doing so, and I have used it on several occasions to brainstorm creatures which could then be developed in DCC products. In fact, I keep a file of creatures generated from this (and other) sources to use as inspiration when the need strikes.

Sometimes you know exactly what you want. Sometimes you need a little prodding. Sometimes, knowing exactly what you want is actually detrimental to the creative process. Does that burial cairn really need a barrow wight in it? Or should you go with something else?

(I have also made use of The Metamorphica by Johnstone Metzger, and published by Red Box Vancouver, for similar purposes, but I find The Random Esoteric Creature Generator easier to use. See also The Monster Alphabet, the Monster Extractors, Monster Mod Cards, and the core rulebook itself for your creature generation needs! And I am sure that I have neglected more than one source of unique creatures in the foregoing list!)

Looking to instill a little fear in your game? Then look no further!    

Nothing brings the thrill – and terror – of discovery to a game like new monsters. Faced with the unknown, mighty-thewed heroes tremble in their hauberks, wizened wizards fumble with their spell books, and even the most audacious of rogues hesitate before plunging into battle.

Nevermore worry that your players have memorized every monster’s stat, power and weakness. Nevermore resort to tired fantasy clichés, and worn out monsters fought a thousand times before. The Random Esoteric Creature Generator ensures that each monster your PCs cross is unique, unexpected, and best of all – unknown. With an unlimited number of horrific combinations, this is the last monster book you will ever need.

Bring terror back to the table with the Random Esoteric Creature Generator!

Get It Here!

Raven Crowking's Birthday Mathom 2013

Raven Crowking's Birthday Mathom 2013: Hizzzgrad, Daemonic Lord of Crawling Things, was written by Daniel J. Bishop and illustrated using public domain art using Wikimedia. The publisher is Raven Crowking.

Disclosure: I am the author and publisher. I was responsible for layout and design.

On 22 April 2013, I announced the first birthday mathom (although I didn't use that term, I did reference the hobbits' tradition of giving away presents on their birthdays in J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings).

Mathom isn't really the correct term for a gift one gives on one's birthday. It is actually an old gift, of forgotten usage, that continues to be passed around the neighborhood because one is unwilling to just throw it away. It comes from an older word, meaning a treasure. The reader will have to decide whether or not any of these mathoms are treasures, or just something old and not very usable!

In any event, the email that went along with this mathom read:

My dear people. My dear Goodmans and Purple Ducks, and my dear Brave Halflings and Mystic Bullls, and Thick Skulls, and Land of Phantoms, and Purple Sorcerers, and Stray Couches, and Chapter 13 Presses, Dragons Hoard Publishings, IDD Companies, and also my good producers of DCC material that I welcome early to the fold....May you soon produce some great products!

Today is my forty-seventh birthday! I hope you are enjoying yourselves as much as I am. I shall not keep you long, I have called you all together for a purpose. Indeed, for three purposes! First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all.  I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. 

Secondly, to celebrate my birthday. Thank you very much for coming to my little party. 

Thirdly and finally, I wish to provide you with Hizzzgrad, Daemonic Lord of Crawling Things, enclosed herein.  Although not released under the GG DCC license, may you use him to the consternation of players and judges alike for a long time to come!

I have no Ring.  I have no nephew named Frodo to pass it on to.  This is not Goodbye, despite my cribbing from Bilbo.  I hope that you will continue to support these little projects for a long time to come.

Thank you!


Daniel J. Bishop

This first mathom was a complete patron, which was later edited a bit an included in Creeping Beauties of the Wood. As a result, although the mathom itself is no longer available, the content is.

Races of Porphyra: Ith'n Ya'roo

Races of Porphrya: Ith’n Ya’roo was written by Daniel J. Bishop and Perry Fehr, with art by Gary Dupuis. The publisher is Purple Duck Games.

Disclosure: I am listed as an author. Effectively, I did a Dungeon Crawl Classics conversion from material created by Perry Fehr.

You are the towering scion of generations of admixture between the fierce northern yeti and the humans who dwell near their lands. Close to seven feet tall, with shaggy white hair covering all of your body save face and hands, you sport a slightly curved, serrated horn growing from each temple. Your eyes are solid blue, and glow faintly in the darkness. You are more human-like than Prophyra’s yeti, with only a wide, bestial-toothed mouth marring otherwise human features.

Dwellers in the cold northern lands of Porphyra, the Ith’n Ya’roo may be included in any Dungeon Crawl Classics campaign with a frozen region, such as the Forlorn North of Frozen in Time. Although they might look a bit like the wampas from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, they have their own distinct culture and niche in the game.

Included is information for 0-level ith'n ya'roo (including a 1d10 occupation table), and two classes: The Ya'roo Hunter and the Ya'roo Mystic. Two appendixes provide unique disapproval for ya'roo mystics and languages for ith'n ya'roo characters.

Ith'n ya'roo hunters are stalkers with great strength and considerable stealth. While they get a Deed Die (as do warriors), they take a penalty if using it to perform deeds requiring any type of finesse.

Ith'n ya'roo have a spiritual connection to bones, and this is particularly reflected in the abilities of the ya'roo mystic. Most difficult is the requirement to have a bone remnant to cast a spell on any living target: "This does not need to be a bone from the target itself, but could be from a compatriot, an ancestor, a descendent, etc. In the case of a spell like animal summoning, the bone remnant need merely be from the animal species to be summoned. The bone remnant is in addition to all other spell components, and is not consumed by the casting." They can also create arcane tattoos on other creatures.

Come listen, ya’roo, ya’roi, to my tales of the warm lands to the south… From the harsh regions of the ultimate north comes a race indifferent to cold, spurning fire’s warmth, skilled in bonecraft and bearing their own natural arms and armor- brother to the yeti, yet curious to the green lands south of the Cold Water, meet the savage Ith’n Ya’roo!  A new race for the popular Dungeon Crawl Classics tabletop roleplaying game, Races of Porphyra: Ith’n Ya’roo from Purple Duck Games, by Daniel Bishop and Perry Fehr introduces these intriguing people, and contains all you need to play a 0-level novice ith’n ya’roo, who can adventure his way to become an ith’n yaroo hunter, with his bone weapons and skills in taking down fell beasts, or an ith’n ya’roo mystic, with his shamanistic spellcasting, arcane tattoos that protect his tribal fellows, and the chants of the bones of friends and foes, drawing them on to glory!

Get It Here!

Races of Porphyra: Erkunae

Races of Porphyra: Erkunae was written by Perry Fehr and illustrated by Brian Brinlee, Gary Dupuis, Matt Morrow, and Tamas Baranya. The publisher is Purple Duck Games.

Disclosure: I have an Edits/Feedback credit on this product.

You are of an ancient, corrupted humanoid race with pointed features and pale skin, somewhere between elf and man. You have the taint of creatures from other dimensions in your blood. You hail from a bizarre city that covers most of a large island that was the center of a grand empire in ages past, but is now slowly sliding into decadence. You seek to prove yourself to the ancient powers of pure Chaos, which gave boons to your ancestors in the dawn of time. You are able to call on the primal forces of nature and Chaos, to achieve magical and military domination.

This product is based upon the existing canon of Porphyra, as written for Pathfinder, converting the original to a Dungeon Crawl Classics compatible race class. The erkunae are pledged to Chaos, and are particularly adept at summoning based on pacts made with various Animal Lords and promises made to beings of other worlds. In this, they are very similar to Michael Moorcock's Melnibonéans (which would seem to be a direct influence).

An appendix, Realms of Summoning, includes information on the subjects of various Animal Lords (Mrowra, Queen of Cats; Kannimorg, King of Bats, Bears, and Wolves; B’kakaaw, Queen of Birds; Sheytherax, Emperor of Reptiles; Biloop, King of Sealife; Moolineha, Queen of the Hooved; and Zezzberuiz, Queen of Insects). This appendix provides statistics for several new creatures, but has no further patron information on these entities.

The second part of the appendix, Summoned Monsters from the Myriad Worlds!, provides summoned creatures from the Age of Legends, the Cold-Blooded Empire, and the Dark Depths, as well as those who serve the Goblin King and the Death-Walkers. Again, some new monster statistics are provided.

Finally, the appendix includes Pledge to Chaos, a level 1 spell that acts as "the cornerstone of erkunae culture, the regularly renewed ritual that maintains their ancient, but constantly re-enforced pacts."

The product lacks a 0-level occupation table for erkunae, but otherwise provides everything you might need. The suggested use is that, "If a roll on Table 1-3: Occupation indicates a 34 (Elven Forester), 38 (Elven Sage), 69 (Hunter) or 90 (Squire), the player may choose to play an erkunae commoner", which seems reasonable enough to me. It should be noted that including the erkunae exactly as written presupposes some qualities of the world and the multiverse in which that world exists, but it shouldn't be too hard to either place the city of the erkunae somewhere in the world or eliminate it altogether. Nor dies Biloop need to be named Biloop. Likewise, Shevtherax may be one of many Animal Lords concerned with reptiles.

In the ancient mists of time the ancestors of the erkunae, neither elf nor man, made sorcerous and dire pacts with the Beast Elders of long ago, and promised their souls and the souls of the race, down through the eons to the capricious Lords of Chaos, unknowable beings of mercurial whim. With innate spells of summoning and controlling beasts and monsters, and gaining power through beseeching the Chaos Lords themselves, the erkunae ruled their sphere of influence for millennia.  Their influence has waned over the centuries, and today they mostly brood and squabble in their fantastic and warped Misty City of G’sho’laa’n’rr, which sprawls over an entire island.  But under the strength of a new Opal Throne Emperor, they could be great again!  The dragon-riders could fly once more to dominate the world…

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Inferno Road

Inferno Road was written by Wayne Snyder, and perhaps some others who are not as clearly indicated as writers in the credits. Art is by Doug Kovacs and Wayne Snyder. Other people involved include Jarett Crader, Harley Stroh, Reece Carter, Jason Bossert, Meredith Spearman, Jim Skatch, Terra Frank, and James MacGeorge. No publisher is given.

So what do we have here? Another bit of hooliganism akin to Country Crawl Classics, where your PCs begin play as grubs in hell, aboard various strange vehicles, trying to steal the Devil's wives on Inferno Road.

All PCs have two past lives, which they can access to manifest stuff related to those past lives. All PCs have a Prince of Hell as a patron. PC grubs become subgrubs when killed, and can be consumed as though they were souls. Consuming souls makes you stronger, and can allow you to take on demonic forms.  Or you can burn souls like you burn Luck. If you fall off the convey, a "dreg wagon" coming behind scoops you up and shoots you back into the game.

Apart from that, everything is art and detail, until you realize that there is no way to win, no way to lose, and the end is just going to be walking away from the table. Like Sisyphus pushing his boulder, your PCs are trapped in an endless loop of Inferno Road. In a way, this is as nihilistic as Null Singularity or Black Sun Deathcrawl. You just might not notice that right away because you're having too much fun.

Nonetheless, there is some usuable stuff here for a more mainstream Dungeon Crawl Classics game. The Random Vehicle Generator can be used to create things for hell gangs across Umerica or the future of Mutant Crawl Classics, for instance, and the demonic forms could be things your PCs end up fighting on a remote volcanic island.

Another real possibility (and one that I favor) would be to run Inferno Road after a TPK, where each PC has one previous life as a recently-deceased party member (not necessarily with the same player), and one randomly rolled past life. The PCs then have to simply find a way to escape the scenario (which the players will have to devise, and the judge rule on, because the product certainly doesn't include one). Escaping the scenario is the first step to fighting their way out of hell...perhaps in demonic forms, or perhaps taking human guise once they reach the world of the living.

The roars of the betrayed Dark Lords shake the foundations of hell. The Grand Architect of Evil is enraged. Satan shakes his chains and the whole of hell shakes with him.

Above you on the black cliffs stands your master, a black prince of hell. The beast thrusts its arms into the sulfurous air and howls along with its lord and master.

The ground shudders and your pit boils and froths. You and your ilk are cast up in a great hissing geyser. There is a terrible shriek and a thunderous flap of leathery wings as you are snatched from the air in the stone talons of some horror made of lies and murder. Thou sound of your master's mocking laughter echoes as you are borne away.

I have no idea how you can obtain this item, unless you manage to track down one of the miscreants responsible for it at a convention and pass your Luck check. EDIT: You can contact Doug Kovacs or Wayne Snyder to get on their list for the next printing.

The Dweller in Dreams

SH1 - The Dweller in Dreams is a 0-1st level adventure written by Scott Hill with illustrations by Brett Neufeld (cover), Matt Morrow, Keith Curtis, Rick Hershey, and William McAusland. The publisher is Purple Duck Games.

Disclosure: I have an Editing and a Development credit for this product, and I am a Patreon.

This is a relatively recent release, at the time of this writing, so I will avoid spoilers as much as possible. The adventure makes use of a dreamscape, and begins with the PCs as children. Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is an obvious influence, although it is the darker parts of the movie that inform the adventure.

The Dweller in Dreams is given a full patron write-up herein, which could potentially be used in conjunction with PC or NPC wizards and elves. The adventure suggests four additional hooks for further adventures, and could easily be used in conjunction with Through the Cotillion of Hours and Stars in the Darkness to create a dream-centric theme running behind a Dungeon Crawl Classics campaign.

This adventure could easily be adapted for use with Transylvanian Adventures, Dark Trails Weird Frontiers, or the Brimstone of Black Powder, Black Magic.

“In Ravenhollow the fog is black, if the Dweller doth catch you, you won’t come back!”

Children’s rhymes, notes from beyond, mysteries and madness are waiting for you in the tiny hamlet of Ravenhollow, where a group of souls have been taken through time and space and left in the bodies of children, to face the peril of the Dweller in Dreams, a demon threatening the realms of all who would foolishly summon it. Dare you try to survive terrifying town, fearsome forest, and harrowing haunted house to defeat the demon Dweller and return to reality?

Get It Here!