The Currencies of the Empires

Before the Summoning, each Empire in Kaelaross had its own currency that was the standard across each empire.
Toutatian coins were

• Platinum Crowns
• Gold Marks
• Silver Shillings
• Copper Pennies

Bellenosian coins were

• Platinum Doubloons
• Gold Ducats
• Silver Florins
• Copper Centimes

Bursian coins were

• Platinum Eagles
• Gold Hawks
• Silver Ducks
• Copper Sparrows

Telthian coins were shaped as they were named: 

• Platinum Hexes
• Gold Pentagons
• Silver Squares
• Copper Triangles

All of these coins were approximately the same weight (1/10th lb) and in other posts (particularly Dungeon of the Month where treasure is detailed) you can use the Imperial currencies to describe coinage. 

The value of precious metals between Empires was about the same, and during peace, merchant would accept foreign Imperial currency with only a small (10%?) exchange rate. Alternatively, ingots of metal were used instead - the value of the coins was not so much because they had been minted by any particular treasury so much as the value of the raw metals, such as the gold. Ingots of 100 coins-worth (10lb weight), 200 coins worth (20lb weight) and up to 500 coins worth (50lb weight) were all used, and as long as the traders could trust the weight and purity of the ingots they saved a lot of coin-counting.  

Promissory notes of payment were never widely used, but were sometimes issued by individual merchants or bankers, rather than governments. Since the collapse of the Empires and much of civilization, these promissory notes are little more than curiosities - it would be rare for one to be honoured and cashed in. 

There were instances of locally minted currency within provinces and conquered territories, particularly when the culture remained distinct from the rest of the Empire. These local currencies need not be in the form of precious metals. The use of gems, clay tablets, livestock or iron coins with promises of payment stamped onto them have all been used. Some of these are really more like barter than money, particularly livestock. 

These days, 50 years after the Summoning, the Imperial currencies are still in circulation, but surviving realms like Teiglin, Klantorr and the Confederacy of the Ten Peaks are producing their own along side Imperial coins, often melting and reminting coins that come into their coffers. 

Snakemen of the Underworld: Rattlers

Rattler Snakemen

No. Enc.	1d6 (patrol) or 4d10 (lair)
Alignment:	Chaotic
Movement:	120' (Swim 60')
Armor Class:	7
Hit Dice (hp):	3 (13 hp)
Attack:	1 weapon + 1 bite
THAC0:	17
Damage:	1d8 (weapon)/1d6 (bite) + poison
Save As:	F3
Hoard Class:	XX1 in lair
Size:	Medium
Type:	Humanoid
Intelligence:	10-11 (Average)
XP Value:	110 xp

The Rattler is one of the most common classes of snakeman found on Kaelaross. They are often the rank and file of snakeman armies after the non-serpentine spear-fodder.
Rattlers have a venomous bite - anyone hit by a rattler's bite must save vs poison or lose 1d6hp per round over 2d4 rounds. This may be removed by Neutralise Poison or delayed by a Slow Poison spell.
The rattler has a bony rattle on the end of it's tail, and when frightened or angry the rattler will emit a fearsome rattle that chills the bones of its opponents. Anyone hearing this must make a save vs paralyzation.  Those who fail and have 2HD/2 levels or less are paralyzed with fear for 1d6 rounds. Those with more than 2 HD or levels and fail suffer -2 to hit and saves for 1d6 rounds. A target can only be affected by any rattler's tail once per day. Anything immune to mind-affecting spells is also immune to the rattle. 
Rattlers, like other snakemen, are usually found in the Underworld. Very rarely are they found anywhere in actual sunlight, though some find their ways into smaller caves and dungeons. Their coloration varies between different snakeman tribes and cities. but is often mottled grey, golden brown and black, blending in with the stone. They all have 60' infravision and excellent sense of smell (via their forked tongues, which taste the air) and are capable trackers, especially in an underground environment. Rattlers on average are about  5' high and 14' long. 

Professions to add flavour to PCs

This is an idea that I have used on occasions, and I suppose in a way it is not that big a change from other folks' use of non-combat skills. Within the game rules for each class there is considerable scope for variation as to culture, lifestyle, earning a living and attitude. These professions are ideas rather than solid game rules for exploring what a member of each class could be. Think of them as character concepts - given the rules for a class, how might such a character fit into a campaign?
My inclination is to not give each profession any special rules, bonuses or penalties. Although I remember and enjoyed 2nd Ed AD&D kits, I want to keep this game as simple as I can. 

Fighter

• Infantry - the fighter has been trained to fight on foot in the melee.
• Archer - the fighter is practiced with the bow, or crossbow. 
• Cavalry - the fighter knows about fighting from horseback and looking after his steed
• Engineer - the fighter knows about both building and knocking down structures and fortifications. 
• Gladiator - the fighter fights to entertain crowds, either for a fee or he has been enslaved. 
• Bodyguard - the fighter's job is to protect another, vulnerable and important person
• Trader - the fighter has an understanding of buying and selling goods for profit and heads into dangerous areas to trade
• Explorer - the fighter frequently sets off far away from civilization to find new resources, new peoples and new territories
• Militiaman - the fighter has a day job such as woodcutter, blacksmith or stockman, but can pick up weapons and armour when danger arises. 
• Outlaw - the fighter is effectively a bandit, pirate or highwayman, making his living robbing anyone weaker than him. 
• Squire - the fighter is of noble birth, and although not yet formally knighted, he still trains with lance, warhorse and heavy armour
• Barbarian - the fighter is not native to civilization, though he may get used to it. He understands living and fighting in his wild homeland. 

Magic-User

• Scholar - The magic-user comes from an academic institute, and is familiar with libraries and logical debate
• Innate Sorcerer - the magic-user has had no formal training but magic seems to flow in his veins. 
• Consultant Mage - the magic-user uses his knowledge to help and inform others about magic, for a small fee
• Cult Mage - the magic-user is allied to a secretive sect, and may gain his powers from a dark source
• Building Mage - The magic-user has powerful spells such as Wall of Stone, Stoneshape, Move Earth and Disintegrate which he uses for construction.
• Military Mage - The magic-user is used to working along side large numbers of soldiers and using spells on the battlefield
• Mentalist - the magic-user uses enchantments such as Charm Person and ESP to get inside others' heads, either for criminal or investigative purposes. 
• Arcane Shadow - The magic-user uses spells such as Invisibility, Knock, Fly and Clairvoyance to sneak around like a thief for stealing or spying 
• Witch-Doctor - the magic-user is from a primitive society where his powers are held in awe and fear. 
• Hedge Wizard - The magic-user lives in a small village or out in the countryside, and may help villagers and peasants with minor magics
• Diplomatic Mage - The magic-user has a good charisma as well as intelligence, and his spells, though kept covert, are useful for influencing people. 

Thief

• Spy - the thief uses his talents to gather information, either for a particular cause, or for the highest bidder
• Smuggler - the thief is skilled at handling and moving items that authorities want to seize or destroy. 
• Burglar - the thief breaks into buildings using stealth and agility, usually to steal valuables. 
• Street Thug - the thief doesn't mind using muscle and intimidation to get what he wants. 
• Assassin - the thief is a killer for hire, who prefers to use stealth and subtlety to get close to his victim. 
• Con-Man - the thief talks his way into getting people to hand over their money or other valuables to him before they realise their mistake
• Trap-Master - the thief is an expert at setting, detecting and removing traps and may be hired to secure an area with traps or to disarm it. 
• Scout - the thief works outdoors, either scouting ahead of a body of troops or patrolling an area for enemies or unusual changes.  
• Tomb-Robber - this thief steals from the dead, which should be easier than stealing from the living but often isn't. Traps, undead and vermin are common problems. 
• Entertainer - the thief uses a combination of acrobatics, juggling and sleight-of-hand to entertain people.  
• Fence - the thief is ostensibly a merchant, but he is quite happy to buy and sell stolen goods.

Cleric

• Missionary - the cleric is sponsored by his church to go into new areas (possibly dangerous ones)  and convert the heathen where possible, establishing new congregations
• Military Chaplain - the cleric is attached to a military unit and is expected to give spiritual and moral support, as well as healing and other helpful spells. 
• Hospitaller - the cleric works to help and heal people, regardless of their faith. The hospitaller may have an established place or wander around. 
• Vicar - The cleric looks after a community in both spiritual matters and in healing and other spells. Depending on his importance, this may be a village, town or city
• Cultist - The cleric works hidden from authority and may well be a wanted criminal.  The cultist may gather followers around him to establish a power-base
• Cleric-for-hire - the cleric may have ideals and principles, but these do not stop him from finding employment with whoever pays well. 
• Inquisitor - the cleric is authorised by his religion to seek out enemies of the faith within the church. This may expand to other crimes and wrong-doings. 
• Crusader - This cleric leads the fight against enemies of the church. The crusader will be more proactive than the chaplain and less subtle than the inquisitor
• Ghostslayer - the cleric specialises in hunting down and destroying the undead, probably with his turn undead ability. 
• Guardian - the cleric is tasked with using his strength and powers to protect an important place such as a shrine, tomb or monastery
• Vocational Cleric - the cleric looks after and advises those whose work is part of his deity's domains, such as a cleric of Nemesis helping gravediggers, or a cleric of Vought helping sailors and fishermen. 

Monsters from the Companion Set

A bit like the previous two posts on the Companion boxed set (first was the Player's Companion, the second was the front half of the Dungeon Masters Companion), I'm going to skim through the next major part of the Companion Boxed set, the Monster section in the Dungeon Masters Companion. Their relevance and usefulness to Kaelaross will be noted.

Beholder: A staple of D&D and its variants at high levels of play. In Kaelaross beholders are associated with Bhael and have come through Chaos Portals from planes of Chaos influenced by Bhael.
Blast Spore: I'm not sure if the AD&D gas spores were a good idea, and I have my doubts about this translation into BECMI D&D. I would say they are not native to Kaelaross but could be summoned if the DM chooses.
Dolphin: Although not strongly lawful, dolphins sometimes find themselves at odds with chaotic sea creatures and are famous for helping humans who have fallen into the water. They are found in seas and oceans all around Kaelaross, including the Walrus Channel and around the coast of Teiglin and the Godsblood Straits.
Dragons, Large and Huge versions of the six main colours. Definitely found dotted around Kaelaross, though not common. As described in an earlier post about dragons..
Dragon Turtle: Already established
Drolem: A very powerful construct. The students of Gerontium would love to get their hands on the formula for creating one of these. The Cynideans reputedly found and recorded this formla but it was lost when their civilisation was buried under the sands of the desert.
Gargantua: These variants of regular monsters are a matter of Chaos and mutation rather than human wizardry. Gargantuan trolls, ogres, minotaurs and hellhounds have been seen around some chaos portals, especially the ones in Aerisport and Maquosmouth
Gremlin: Surprisingly low level for the Companion set. However, these chaotic imp-like critters have originated from the Planes of Chaos, through Chaos Portals and have now spread out over Kaelaross, including civilised places such as Ironmarket, the Sterin Barony and Thaldion in Teiglin.
Golem, Mud: Added to the range of constructs controlled by the Students of Gerontium. Mud Golems are often used for patrolling the Maquos riverbed and estuary.
Golem, Obsidian: Possible, but unremarkable. Most mages creating constructs find other types more interesting or effective.
Grab Grass: As it does no damage, Grab Grass by itself is just an annoyance. Hoever, combining it with other creatures (particularly airborne, missile-using or otherwise avoiding the grass) it can be a nasty part of an ambush or set encounter.
Haunt: All three types are powerful undead intended to challenge high-level characters. Also given their natures, it seems better to say they are found occasionally, but do not have any specific ranges or habitats, although areas where other undead are found is more likely.
Malfera: These semi-demons come from one of the lower planes of Chaos and only rarely emerge from the Chaos Portals.
Manscorpion: Believed to have originally been a splinter-faction of the Cynideans who followed a chaotic god, possibly Slargor. When they were chased into the desert by other Cynideans angered by their bloody worship, Slargor turned them into manscorpions so that they could survive in the desert even when their former culture collapsed.
Manta Ray: These warm-water fishes are not normally found around temperate Toutus, but are more common around Bellenos including Tekhumis.
Mujina: These masters of deception are the creations of Pelepton. Though they have originated on the Planes of Chaos and emerged from Chaos Portals, they have spread out and infiltrated human society. They have been encountered in many different places, including the Walrus Freehold and Tekhumis.
Phantom: These three types of undead (Apparition, Shade and Vision) are all powerful and dangerous enough to rival vampires.
Rock or Cave Toad: This would have been better in either the Basic or Expert set as it is fairly low level, though it's hypnotic gaze sets it apart from more conventional giant toads. Colonies are found in pools, streams and rivers across Toutus (particularly the Twisted Hills) but not Bellenos - it prefers Temperate and Subarctic climates.
Shark: This is an entry that was in the Cook Expert set but not the Mentzer Expert set, so it was included in the Companion set. All three can be found in the seas of Kaelaross. The Great White and Bull Shark prefer warmer waters, while the Mako can be found along the coast of southern Toutus including off the shores of Teiglin and the Godsblood Straits. The Walrus Channel has its own type of shark, the Arctic Shark, that has the same stats as a Great White, but only moves at half the speed (90').
Snow Ape: These chaotic primates are found on high mountains, particularly those with glaciers and snowy caps. There are populations in the Grulven Mountains, the Cortacus Mountains and even some reported in the Valhorrian heights in Klantorr Island.
Spectral Hound: Since the "Dimensional Vortex" is not part of Kaelaross' cosmology, I'm not sure if the spectral hound fits into Kaelaross. If you swap the "Dimensional Vortex" with the Ethereal plane, then Spectral Hounds become more usable.
Spirit: The three types of spirit (Druj, Odic and Revenant) are intended to be even more powerful and challenging than the other types of undead (the Phantom and Haunt). While I would not exclude them, I am not sure exactly where or how they would fit into Kaelaross.
Weasel, Giant: These vicious predators are found in temperate woodlands across Toutus, including the Shorgan and Talloak forests.
Whale: Like the entry for sharks, this was in the Cook Expert set but not in the Mentzer Expert set. All three (Killer Whale, Narwhal, Sperm Whale) are found around Toutus, with the Narwhal preferring the cooler waters of the Walrus Freehold and Varreshiss Islands. Sperm Whales range widely across the deep oceans, and sometimes swim around the islands that used to be the Bellenos Empire.

Planar Creatures
Aerial Servant (Elemental Plane of Air)
Djinni, Greater (Elemental Plane of Air)
Efreeti, Greater (Elemental Plane of Fire)
Elemental (HD 1-32, Any Elemental Plane)
Helion (Elemental Plane of Fire)
Horde (Elemental Plane of Earth)
Hydrax (Elemental Plane of Water)
Kryst (Elemental Plane of Earth)
Plasm (Any Elemental Plane)
Undine (Elemental Plane of Water)
All these creatures are from the elemental planes rather than the planes of Law or Chaos. Since a lot of my posts have focused on the Chaos Portals and the creatures that travel from the Planes of Chaos into Kaelaross, these creatures offer a break from that. If any DM wants to take their game into the elemental planes, these creatures could well be useful.

Dungeon of the Month August 2012

The Subterranean River Lair

This is a short dungeon that could be added onto the side of a larger dungeon level or on its own. It uses the D&D Basic/Expert rules or Labyrinth Lord and is suited for characters of levels 2-4 

The river flowing through this dungeon is 6' deep (so even humans need to swim to keep their heads above water) and flows at 10' per round. Most borders where stone floor meets the river, the floor of the dungeon is 1' higher than the water level, thus it is relatively easy to climb out of the river if you can reach the edge. 

The lizardmen around this dungeon are neutral with chaotic tendancies. They are under the command of a chaotic lizardman priest who is trying to convert the tribe to the worship of Slargor. Killing him would mean the surviving lizardmen becoming disenchanted with worshiping Chaos and drifting back to neutrality. 

1) The Entrance: 5 lizardmen (hp 8, 9, 6, 17,13) guarding the stone bridge over the river, plus 2 giant piranha (hp 21, 16)  in the river. The lizardmen will try to knock anyone in metal armour into the river. 

2) Guard post: 2 lizardmen (hp 13, 15) plus food supplies (salted meat from various animals, smoked fish and parts of giant insects).

3) Empty apart from a pair of human corpses in the middle of the room and a scythe trap over the doorway. Anyone entering the room triggers the trap that sends a scythe swinging down at anyone in the doorway. THAC0 10, Dam 1d8+2. It only attacks once, after which the lizardmen have to reset it.

4) 2 lizardmen (hp 6, 11), 2 giant toads (hp 12, 10) guarding the bridge plus 2 giant piranhas (hp 16, 11) in the river. There is a stone bridge across the river.
In the river under the bridge there is a corpse of a lizardman leader who still wears a silver and coral necklace worth 640gp. However, it will take some careful searching underwater (2 in 6 per person per turn) to find the corpse. 

5) 1 Lizardman Priest (AC 5, HD 4+2*, hp 21, Move 60', swim 120', THAC0 14, Att 1 mace, Dam 1d6+2, Spec Att spells, Save C4, Ml 11, Align Chaotic, XP value 290) who wields a Mace+1 and whose spells include Darkness, Cure Light Wounds and Bane (reverse of Bless) , plus 2 lizardmen (hp 10, 10)
On an island in the pool is a crude clay statue of Slargor with lizardman-like features including a snout and long scaly tail, wielding his signature two crossed axes. 

6) Breeding Chamber: 4 lizardmen (hp 11, 7, 15, 15) plus 5 young (non-combatants) plus 7 eggs

7) 4 giant geckos (hp 20, 11, 18, 18) guarding a treasure chest. This chest contains 3500gp, 10,000sp, a potion of invisibility,10 gold ingots worth 100gp each, 20 silver ingots worth 100sp (10gp) each, an amphora of fine wine worth 200gp (maybe more to a wine connoisseur) and a bolt of fine silk worth 600gp. 

8) Upstream mouth - this could lead to other dungeon areas, or it could be blocked off by an impassable iron grill. 

9) 3 giant piranhas (hp 17, 21, 13) patrol this area of the river and will attack any intruders or prey (i.e. anything other than a piranha).

10) Downstream tunnel - similar to the upstream end, this could lead to other dungeon areas, or it could be blocked by an impassable iron grill.

11) 1 gelatinous cube (hp 17) is sweeping this room. As the room is dark and the gelatinous cube has nothing suspended in it, it has a good chance to surprise any opponents. 

12) Empty, having recently been swept clean by the 'cube. 

13) 2 ghouls (hp 8, 6) have been trapped here by the cube and are ravenous. When any humanoid enters, the ghouls leap to the attack at +1 to hit but also +1 penalty to AC (from 6 to 7). In among the debris in the ghoul's room there is a silver tiara studded with 6 peridots worth 1400gp. 

14) Empty

15) The Trog Den: 3 troglodytes (hp 14, 7, 10) live here. They are allies of convenience with the lizardmen, though they don't necessarily like each other (the lizardmen think the troglodytes smell horrible, and the troglodytes consider the lizardmen easily cowed). If the lizardmen are losing against PC attacks, then they may regroup here with the troglodytes. The troglodytes have one interesting advantage - the piranhas leave them alone because their offensive odour is detectable underwater, making them unappetizing to giant piranhas. 
In the northeast corner of the troglodyte den there is a pile of chewed-up fish bones. Underneath this is a leather sack with the troglodytes' treasure: 1,100gp, 2000sp and 10 gems (3 small magma stones worth 200gp each, 4 jades worth 100gp each and 3 large ambers worth 150gp each, totalling 1450gp worth)

Monster XP distribution #1 235+130 = 365xp, #2 94xp, #4, 94+142+130=366xp, #5 290+94=384xp, #6 188xp, #7 400xp, #9 195xp, #11 245xp, #13 94xp, #15 114xp 
total = 2445xp for all monsters in dungeon

NPCs of Walrus City part 2

Shemeera of Sestarna
9th level halfling defender, align lawful, female
Str 13, Int 13, Wis 15, Dex 10, Con 10, Cha 12
Equipment: Chain mail +1, Mace +1, Shield +1, holy symbol, 2 vials of holy water
Spells: Cure Light Wounds, Light, Bless, Hold Person, Cure Serious Wounds, Cure Disease
Shemeera follows Sestarna, goddess of hope and healing, and hopes to establish a shrine to her deity in Walrus City. In the meantime she has set up a home that also functions as an orphanage, hospital and welfare centre looking after the poor and needy. Word of her good work has spread around Walrus City, generating a range of reactions. Some of the more charitable merchants and middle classes have donated food, blankets, clothes and money to her home, but some malevolent folk seek to undermine and sabotage her work. 
Appearance: Shemeera is a middle aged halfling, with blonde-turning-silvery hair in a bob and a friendly, relaxed face. She stands 3'2" and is still fairly fit and slim. She usually wears her holy robes, but may wear her chain mail underneath. 


Gunderan Longdagger
10th level thief, align Chaotic, male
Str 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Dex 16, Con 9, Cha 12
Equipment: Leather Armour, Sword +1, Dagger +1, thieves tools, backpack
Gunderan is the leader of a gang of thieves that work the harbour market area of Walrus City. Gunderan has met members of the Red Hand but has not fully joined them. Nevertheless, for the right payment he is quite willing to work with them. He does not see himself as evil and considers himself a tough guy trying to survive in a tough world. Quite often his actions are not so much deliberately evil so much as callously pragmatic. He has previously worked with Darreth Stonefire and Melduvia Zalnin, both of whom have become innkeepers. 
Appearance: Gunderan is 5'11", slim, athletic (120lb) and with iron grey hair and grey moustache and sideburns. He has a thin, hawk-like face apart from a disjointed nose that has been broken several times. He usually dresses in dark clothes that are smart but also good for hiding in shadows, and always carries his sword and dagger. 


Telleshan the Sorceress
14th level magic user, align neutral, female
Str 8, Int 17, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 13
Equipment: Staff of Wizardry (14 charges), Ring of Regeneration, Amulet of ESP
Notable memorised Spells: 
7th level: Lore, Reverse Gravity
6th level: Anti-Magic Shell, Stone to Flesh, Invisible Stalker
5th level: Conjure Elemental, Feeblemind, Teleport
4th level: Wizard Eye, Polymorph Self, Wall of Ice, Dimension Door
Telleshan is the most renowned mage in Walrus City, famous for single-handedly slaying a rampaging frost salamander that attacked the city walls. Although she is not a merchant she is often consulted by them on magical matters. She is also the unofficial ambassador to Najask, as she know some of the Magocracy personally. She tries to stay out of business rivalries and intrigues of the merchants, and also deliberately avoids getting dragged into other peoples schemes. She will sometimes help adventurers with problems involving magic, especially if they are willing to pay her in kind (finding a particular item, investigating a mysterious place for her and the like). 
Appearance: Telleshan is 5'3" tall, 160lb and rounded and quite plump. She looks more like a matronly aunt than a powerful spellcaster, with her brownish hair tied up into a bun. She dresses smartly, in town clothes that do not indicate her wizardry, though anyone will notice she constantly walks around with an unusual staff. 

Siswasa Harrani
6th level Elf Ranger, unaligned
Str 13, Int 11, Wis 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Cha 11
Equipment: Leather Armour, Shortbow, 20 arrows, Sword +1, Boots of Elvenkind 
Siswasa is a renegade from the Orchunter Clan who has fallen in with the crime gangs of Walrus City. Although her ranger training is of some use in the city, she is uncomfortable and wants to move on, but she is not sure where as she doesn't want to go back to the Twilight Forest. She has never said what has made her flee from the Twilight Forest, but she has dropped hints that she killed another elf either in anger or self-defence. Siswasa is very cautious around other elves and becomes quite paranoid if they are from the Twilight Forest. She has been involved in crimes with Gunderan Longdagger, but unlike him she has never been caught or punished. 
Appearance: Siswasa is like most elf maidens - slim, petite and quite pretty. She stands 4'11" and has golden blonde hair, but she keeps her head covered with a large hooded cloak as she does not like attention. She dresses in rough-and-ready street clothes, with her leather armour underneath. 


Dannagor Goldtooth
6th level dwarf warrior, unaligned
Str 10, Int 14, Wis 10, Dex 8, Con 16, Cha 12
Equipment: Chain Mail +1, "Bugswatter" (Hammer +1 +2 vs invertebrates), dagger, 
Dannagor is a fence, a shady merchant who does whatever he can to make a profit. He knows not to cheat those he regularly deals with unless he is certain he won't be caught. Dannagor can be very annoying and full of himself, varying between the ingratiating toadying around important customers and town officials to dismissive contempt to anyone he considers lower than himself. When he talks about himself he will exaggerate anything good and conveniently ignore anything bad, even when the people he's talking to know the truth. 
Dannagor's redeeming feature is that he is fond of children of any race, and as such he has donated some (ill-gotten) money to Shemeera of Sestarna to help with her orphanage-hospital. 
Appearance: Dannagor is 4'1", 150lb, with iron-grey hair, balding on top. He does not have the traditional full beard of most dwarves but has thick sideburns linking up with a full moustache without any hair on the chin. Dannagor considers himself a respectable merchant and dresses as such, in dwarf-style smart town clothes. He only wears chainmail underneath if he is expecting trouble. 

NPCs of Walrus City 3 - the Innkeepers

The inns and taverns mentioned here are marked on the map of Walrus City. 


Darreth Stonefire
10th level dwarf warrior, align Unaligned, male
Str 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Dex 9, Con 16, Cha 12
AC 3, Move 60', HP 56, THAC0 9 melee or 12 thrown, Dam 1d8+3 or 1d6+2
Equipment: Chain mail +2, Battleaxe +1 +3 vs giants, trolls & ogres, 3 throwing axes
Darreth is a retired adventurer and mercenary who has bought an inn called The Trollhunter Arms, and settled down in Walrus City. He is not very trustworthy and he knows some shady characters. Get on his wrong side and you might be pick-pocketed, burgled or drugged. The city watch know that Darreth is not exactly a law-abiding citizen, but they have yet to catch him acting in a criminal manner - whenever something bad happens to those who have been in his inn, he claims it is merely unfortunate coincidence. 
Darreth still has the dwarven weakness for gold, and although he does not like to get his hands dirty, he will tip off allied thieves about wealthy customers in exchange for a cut. 
Appearance: Darreth is 4'4" (tall for a dwarf), weighs 140lb and has iron-grey beard and hair, both of which are kept quite short. He has a notable scar across the left forehead and temple. He usually wears a normal innkeeper's apron over town clothes unless he is expecting trouble, but he always has his battleaxe stashed behind the bar if customers get out of hand.  


Melduvia Zalnin
4th level thief, align Neutral, female
Str 11, Int 11, Wis 9, Dex 16, Con 13, Cha 13
AC 3, Move 120', HP 16, THAC0 18 melee, 15 missile, Dam 1d6 (mace) or 1d6+1 (crossbow)
Equipment: Leather Armour, Ring of Protection +2, Light Crossbow +1, 20 bolts, mace, thieves tools, potion of healing
Melduvia is a former criminal trying to go straight She owns and runs the Old Owl inn which she wants to keep as a respectable establishment, but old associates still involved in crime keep turning up. Melduvia still knows quite a bit about the seedy underbelly of Walrus City, but she is reluctant to talk about it to anyone as she does not want to get involved again. Melduvia is thinking of moving to either Najask or Trislem for a fresh start. 
Appearance: Melduvia is 45, 5'6", 110lb and still quite attractive. She wears smart town clothes wherever she goes and could be mistaken for a nobleman's wife. She has light brown hair which she keeps in a bun, fair skin and green eyes. She enjoys wearing jewellery, usually cheap (turquoise and lapis lazuli) but not obviously so. 


Tarnist Wildwanderer
6th level fighter, align Neutral, male
Str 16, Int 11, Wis 13, Dex 9, Con 16, Cha 9
AC 3, Move 90', HP 35, THAC0 12 melee, Dam 1d8+3
Equipment: Chain Mail +2, Sword +1, Dagger +1, Ring of Cold Resistance
Tarnist is a retired trapper who has spent 15 years on Icemud Tundra and in the Twilight Forest. He has made quite a lot of money from the fur trade and has retired to become the innkeeper of the Crossed Swords tavern, a favourite among old soldiers, mercenaries and adventurers. Tarnist now has a wife and a baby son, and he is trying to adapt to this new way of life, but he keeps listening to other peoples' stories and remembering his previous career. He could prove useful to adventurers as he gets asked by both those with problems adventurers might solve, and by those looking for adventure. However, he does his best to keep things legitimate, and has been known to kick out those who use his inn for planning crimes. 
Appearance: Tarnist is a tall (6'4"), red-headed northerner, he claims to be half-barbarian and he certainly looks the part. He has pale skin, blue eyes and reddish hair including a drooping handlebar moustache. His hooked nose, deep brows and large chin make him look particularly fierce. He has lost two of the fingers on his left hand (he says he lost them in a fight but he was actually mishandling a spring-loaded trap) and has scars from some claws on his right forearm (genuine, from a fight with a grizzly bear). He wears rugged clothes, usually leather or fur, plus his chain mail tunic even when behind his bar. 


Tellimi
NM, unaligned, female
Str 10, Int 9, Wis 7, Dex 10, Con 10, Cha 9
AC 9, Move 120', HP 3, THAC0 20, Dam 1d8
Equipment: Sword
Tellimi was born into the tavern-keeping tradition as was her father and grandfather, but she is not particularly proud of that. She acts all dark and mysterious because she is rather envious that other tavern and inn owners have adventurous or shady pasts whereas hers is boring. She has dropped hints that she is actually a magic user keeping a low profile, and this has been picked up by one or two shady characters who don't realise she is bluffing. 
Appearance: Tellimi is 5'2", 100lb and rather plain and dull looking. She has black hair she keeps short, and has pale skin. She often wears dark dresses or gowns to add to her air of mystery and looks a bit like a goth.  

Natchor Highfiddle
2nd level Halfling Scout, align Lawful, male
Str 10, Int 11, Wis 10, Dex 13, Con 10, Cha 12
AC 6, Move 60', hp 6, THAC0 18 for 1d6+1 (shortsword) or 1d4 (throwing daggers)
Equipment: Leather Armour, Shortsword +1, 4 throwing daggers
Natchor has settled down in Walrus City having fled the Summoning further south fifty years ago as a youngster with his parents. He briefly flirted with being an adventurer, but saw several of his friends get killed, and decided to quit adventuring while he was alive. He now makes no bones about preferring quiet safety over adventure and riches. These days Natchor runs the Worried Warlock tavern, and is very house-proud. Some would say he takes neatness and tidiness too far, but he just likes things to be in good condition and in their right place.  
Appearance: Natchor is a typical halfling, standing 3'2" and with light brown hair kept short and large sideburns. He wears halfling-style town clothes most of the time and keeps his leather armour

Ideas from the Companion Boxed Set: Dungeon Master's Companion: Book 2 part 1

As a continuation of my previous post about the Player's book from the Companion set, I'm now taking a look at the Dungeon Master's Companion. As it is a considerably larger volume (64 pages as opposed to the 32 page players companion), I'll split it into 2 posts.
The book has 5 sections:

• The Campaign
• Procedures
• Monsters
• Treasures
• Adventures

The Campaign
Part 1 General Guidelines is interesting not so much in terms of ideas for my Kaelaross campaign, so much as the viewpoint of the writers in Adventure Planning. I'm not sure how I feel about this part. On one level it makes sense but on the other hand it implies adventures worked out to a mathematical formula. But by taking this planning of adventures per level you can calculate what the PCs ought to earn more carefully. I say ought to earn, because this is dependent on whether the PCs follow your carefully laid plans. As if....
The 6 to 8 adventures per level for frequent play does seem quite stingy. I am assuming (and I think the author is assuming as well) that this is one adventure per session. At that rate, I'm not sure if many people actually got to use the Masters boxed set with honestly levelled-up characters.
I suppose there is  the question of where the XP comes from. Traditionally this is mainly treasure with some Monster XP. It is interesting that the book actually recommends that 1/5th of the XP should come from monsters, and the DM can award some goal/achievement XP, with the balance being made up with treasure.

Part 2 The Fantasy World covers aspects such as Obtaining a dominion, dominion administration, tournaments, dominion confidence levels and checks, changing rulers/officials, dominion events and titles. This system has been thought out and written in considerable detail, so that when any name-level PC obtains his own stronghold and surrounding area (his Dominion), his DM knows how to make the necessary calculations.
My inclination is to use the rules as guidelines. I think they are interesting, but the DM is allowed to overrule anything in the Dominion rules he deems unsuitable for his campaign.
One interesting thing I've just realised is that the rules say the PC gets 1 XP per 1 GP of resource and tax income. This means that for a newly established borderland dominion with 500 families and a single vegetable resource (a lot of cabbage farms perhaps?) the PC gets 500xp per month from tax income and 500xp per month from resource income. That's 1000xp for just sitting around watching cabbages grow! For larger dominions with better resources (and most do - the 1gp per family for one vegetable resource is the minimum) this means a serious contribution to a character's advancement. I wonder whether the writers were bearing this in mind when writing the previous part about planning adventures per level?

Mass Combat - the War Machine: This is something I remember from when the Companion rules first came out. It can be used, but it seems overly complicated when most factors are in the hands of the DM anyway. If I were able to, I'd want to fight it out on a map with miniatures.
As I said when talking about the range of possible adventures in Kaelaross, war and battles can be part of adventures, and will probably be part of maintaining a dominion.
Actually, I can see that while I would want to wargame the big, significant battles, this system could be useful for when there are lots of battles and skirmishes to be dealt with.

Part 3 The Multiverse: This part, along with the AD&D view of the Multiverse, helped shape my map of the Cosmology of Kaelaross. My cosmology is not exactly the same, but there are enough similarities for a lot of ideas in this part to work in Kaelaross.
The implication in here is that travelling to and from the ethereal and elemental planes is part of Companion level play, but beyond that the "Distant Planes" are master-level. This is not strictly true in Kaelaross - the planes of Law and Chaos closer to the Material Plane should be feasible for mid-level (6-12 level) adventures, particularly Hestoris and Carceros. Further beyond these planes, yes, it gets more dangerous and difficult for characters, and higher level characters are better suited to the more inhospitable planes such as Noreesis Vale and Urdunor.
Wormholes and Vortices have been mostly replaced in Kaelaross by portals, but some of the spontaneous ones (there are thought to be connections between the deepest oceans and the elemental plane of water, as well as between the Elemental plane of Earth and deepest parts of the Underworld) could be wormholes rather than portals.

Procedures - Although not exactly an inspiring piece, this part has a go at tidying up some of the odds and ends of D&D, such as:

• Aging, 
• Constructs (not as much information as I would like), 
• Damage to magic items, 
• Demihuman crafts - interesting but rather limited in that each race only has one path it can follow, namely Clan Relic > Special Oil > Magic Transport. 
• Maximum hit points is basic maths, but a useful check to make sure a player isn't fiddling the numbers on his character sheet. 
• Poison, 
• Expanded To Hit rolls and Saving Throws 
• Haste spells
• Treasure - which, as with Adventure Planning in Part 1, confirms that treasure is the main source of XP for adventurers, forming about 4/5ths of XP earned. 

None of theses parts are particularly interesting, but are there in case any DM is interested.

Labyrinth Lord Dungeon Creatures: levels 5 to 12+

As a continuation of my previous post, here are the dungeon-dwelling higher-level monsters from the Labyrinth Lord rules.
Level 5

• Carcass Scavenger (a.k.a. Carrion Crawler)
• Gargoyle
• Gelatinous Cube
• Hellhound, 5 HD
• Lizard, Giant Chameleon
• Hydra, 5 heads
• Lycanthrope, weretiger
• Medusa
• Minotaur
• Ochre Jelly
• Owlbear
• Rust Monster
• Scorpion, Giant
• Snake, Giant Python
• Statue, Animated Stone
• Weasel, Giant
• Wraith
• Ogre Leader *
• Statue, Animated Terracotta *

Level 6

• Cockatrice
• Gray Worm
• Hydra, 6 heads
• Hellhound, 6 HD
• Leech, Giant
• Lizard, Tuatara
• Manticore
• Phase Tiger (a.k.a. Displacer Beast)
• Spider, Tarantella
• Troll
• Nagpa, Lesser *

Level 7

• Basilisk
• Cave Bear
• Dragon, White 
• Griffon
• Hellhound, 7 HD
• Hydra, 7 Heads
• Spectre
• Wyvern

Level 8

• Cat, Sabretooth Tiger
• Djinni
• Dragon, Black
• Elemental, 8 HD
• Giant Catfish
• Giant, Hill
• Hydra, 8 heads
• Invisible Stalker
• Octopus, Giant
• Ogre Chief *
• Minotaur Boss *

Level 9

• Chimera
• Dragon, Green
• Giant, Stone
• Golem, Bone
• Gorgon
• Hydra, 9 Heads
• Salamander, Flame
• Vampire

Level 10

• Black Pudding
• Lycanthrope, Demon Boar
• Dragon, Blue
• Ettin
• Giant, Frost
• Golem, Amber
• Hydra, 10 Heads
• Nagpa (normal) *
• Death Knight *

Level 11

• Dragon, Red
• Efreeti
• Elemental, 12 HD
• Giant, Fire
• Hydra, 11-12 HD
• Minotaur King *

Level 12+

• Cyclops
• Dragon, Gold
• Dragon Turtle
• Elemental, 16 HD
• Giant, Cloud
• Giant, Storm
• Golem, Bronze
• Purple Worm
• Salamander, Frost
• Nagpa, Greater *
• Nagpa Lord *

Beyond level 12, we are getting into the realms of Companion level play, and I intend to look at the monsters of the Companion boxed set soon.

Labyrinth Lord Dungeon Creatures: levels 1 to 4

This list was compiled primarily for my own use, but I wonder if others would find it helpful as well.
This focuses primarily on dungeon-dwelling creatures rather than planar or wilderness creatures, and I went through the Labyrinth Lord rulebook when compiling this rather than Basic/Expert D&D, so there might be a few differences. Also it does rely on my own guestimate as to how tough each monster is.
For the sake of completion, I've included dungeon-dwelling monsters I've created elsewhere on this blog at the end of each level, indicated with an asterisk *.
As for using these lists - I've found them useful for selecting monsters for either writing an adventure or in the middle of a session where I want a monster of particular strength that will challenge the PCs without overwhelming them. These levels are guidelines, and assume there is just one of the monsters - it does not take into account the number appearing recommended in the monster stats.

Level 1

• Bat, Normal
• Beetle, Fire, Giant
• Centipede, Giant
• Ferret, Giant
• Gnome
• Goblin
• Hobgoblin
• Kobold
• Men, Brigand
• Men, Berserker
• Morlock
• Orc
• Rat, Normal
• Rat, Giant
• Shrew, Giant
• Shrieker
• Skeleton
• Zombie
• Scarlet Crab *

Level 2

• Baboon, Higher
• Bat, Giant
• Bee, Killer
• Fly, Giant Carnivorous
• Gnoll
• Lizardfolk
• Locust, Subterranean
• Mule
• Neanderthal
• Rot Grub
• Shark, Bull
• Snake, Spitting Cobra
• Snake, Pit Viper
• Stirge
• Toad, Giant
• Troglodyte
• Juvenile Ogre *

Level 3

• Ape, Albino
• Bat, Giant Vampire
• Beetle, Spitting
• Beetle, Carnivorous
• Bugbear
• Cat, Mountain Lion
• Crab, Giant
• Fish, Giant Piranha
• Ghoul
• Golem, Wood
• Green Slime
• Hawk, Giant
• Lizard, Giant Gecko
• Ogre
• Shadow
• Shark, Mako
• Spider, Crab
• Statue, Animated Crystal
• Wolf, Dire
• Yellow Mold
• Statue, Animated Wax *
• Axebeak *

Level 4

• Ant, Giant
• Doppleganger
• Gray Ooze
• Harpy
• Hellhound, 3-4 HD
• Lizard, Draco
• Lycanthrope Wereboar
• Lycanthrope, Wererat
• Lycanthrope, Werewolf
• Rhagodessa
• Snake, Giant Rattler
• Spider, Black Widow
• Statue, Animated Iron
• Throghrin
• Wight

Next time, levels 5-12+