Random nonsense

for use with fantasy

dungeon crawl
roleplaying games,
ready for GMs who
are willing to put
a little work into
transforming concepts
into adventure.

Grab your dice

and imagination,
and get to work!
 introduction
Welcome to the first issue of Delayed Blast Gamemaster, a work that
would not exist without both your support and the Kickstarter “Zine
Quest” event that was run in February of 2019. When I first heard of
Kickstarter’s plans for Zine Quest, I just knew that I had to participate.
After all, my very first work in roleplaying was in zines, and it is great to
once again be working in such a small, limited format.

Will there be a second issue of Delayed Blast Gamemaster? I don’t know.

For now, my focus is on other projects (mostly at the office), so whether
or not a new issue is created will depend on time and inspiration.

And speaking of inspiration, that is all that you will find in the pages
of this zine. Everything here requires you to teleport the ideas to your
preferred game system, so I’ll get out of the way now and leave you to
the fun.

onedten
urban
locations
At some point, the characters
are going to visit the big city
and, as we all know, they will
set off in search of random
adventure. Hopefully, this
collection of urban locations
will come in handy.

2
 1 Shoemaker’s Shop
Little more than the front part of the shoemaker’s home, the shop is open
every day and the shoemaker specializes in boots, sandals, and – the
cheapest option of all – slippers made of the scraps purchased from a
nearby leathermaker. The boots are the shoemaker’s finest work and he
keeps a dozen or so pairs of various sizes ready for immediate sale at all
times.

2 Wine Seller
The urban wineseller purchases his wines from wine makers across the
lands, the distance directly impacting the price of the wine. Most of the
wine is sold in bottles, though there are days of the week when a barrel of
wine is broken open and sold by the cup to any and all who walk by. On
such days, the wine crier stands in front of the shop and assaults any who
wander too close, encouraging them to taste the (often) cheap drink.

3 Potionarium
While many wizards, mages, and other spellcasters are willing to sell
potions in their shops in the city, the potionarium
specializes in only magical elixirs and does their
best to charge less than the competition. The shop
will have 4d6+6 potions available on most days,
and the chance that they have exactly the potion
the characters are looking for will depend on the
generosity of the GM.

4 Moneylender’s Stall
Desperate to avoid difficulty at home, the
moneylender chooses to setup a stall at
a crossroads in the city each day rather
than do business out of his residence.
The moneylender will always have a

3
strongbox, a bodyguard or two, and
his book of debts and promises. He
charges a ridiculous rate of interest.
 5 Bookseller’s Home
This dusty, wooden, three-story home is overloaded with books of all
shapes, sizes, and subjects. There is no organization to the madness, with
books stacked on every surface and all of the walls covered in shelves
that are equally messy. If there was a plan to the home/bookshop, it was
lost decades ago. The new owner is the nephew of the former owner
(dead for a week now). To be honest, the new owner dislikes books, can-
not read, and only wishes to get as much money out of his uncle’s disor-
ganized collection as he can.

6 Statue of the Defender

At the end of a carefully-tended path, this towering statue of an armored
knight serves as a monument to the bravery and honor of those who
have protected the city or town these many years. Few visit the statue,
making it a great place for thieves, scoundrels, and rogues who wish to
buy, sell, and trade ill-gotten merchandise.

7 Pies (and Lies)

A simple, unassuming pie shop that specializes in meat pies – do not ask
where the meat is from; the owner of the shop is a little too friendly with
the local rat catcher (the shop is a front for the selling of secrets). The
owner and his children have contacts with many of the town’s under-
world, buying up secrets to then sell to others . . . or to use to blackmail
someone when the secrets are too juicy to simply trade for coin.

4
 8 Fisherman’s Shack
This shack on the shores of the town’s river is the home to an old, friend-
ly, average fisherman who sets out every morning to catch whatever hap-
pens along each day. The fisherman was once a warrior and retired a
decade ago, choosing to spend his final days doing what he enjoys most.
The fisherman keeps what he needs for himself, gives some of the catch
to the needy of the town, and sells fish to others who are able to afford
the food. If the town is attacked, he will act to defend it.

9 City Cemetery
A walled, small cemetery on the outskirts of the city (and not within the
protective walls), the burial plots here are for only the city’s wealthiest
citizens. Unfortunately, the cemetery is all out of space, which is leading
to those of great age – and greater means – to hire graverobbers to “make
some space” in the cemetery. Maybe the PCs need some extra coins?

10 The Rusting Gate

There are always taverns and inns in the towns and cities of the land, so
it would be wrong of me to not include at least a single tavern on this
listing of locations. The Rusting Gate is an unusual operation; a tavern
built into the city wall and operated by the town’s guard. The only official
entrance into the tavern is a door outside the city, making it a great place
for those who do not wish to be seen entering the city. Of course, the
town guard have a secret entrance on the city side of the wall . . . and they
do enjoy accepting the occasional bribe or two.

5
 onedsix
forgotten
spellbooks
Spellbooks house a wizard’s knowledge of all
things, and not just the spellcasting secrets that
the character may have collected over the years.

The following spellbooks are as much treasure

items as they are ideas to expand your game world’s
secrets and history. Sprinkle these throughout your
adventures to provide the players’ characters
with new info that they will, if we’re honest,
use to enrich themselves.

It is fitting, perhaps, that I turn my attention to spellbooks once again.

Years and years ago, in 2002, I launched my time as a creator of roleplay-
ing game support material when I sat down and wrote 101 Spellbooks,
Tomes of Knowledge, and Forbidden Grimoires. That PDF was the first
that I published and it soon led to the creation of more works; between
2002 and 2007, I released hundreds of PDFs and many, many words of
game support.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that there are 101 spellbooks within the pag-
es of this small zine. Still, I hope that the six that follow are enjoyable.

6
 1 Starmage’s 2 The Book of
Manual of Spells Horrific Threats
This leather-bound tome was cre- Once the property of a necro-
ated centuries ago by the wizard mancer, this battered spellbook
known only as “Starmage,” a hu- is missing several pages and was
man spellcaster who claimed to clearly subjected to fire at some-
learn all of his magic from the point in its life.
stars in the night sky. The book is
without a lock and may be opened The book’s lock has been shattered
by anyone, revealing page after by unknown forces, which may
page of arcane writings and spell have been the cause for its current
secrets. Unfortunately, the book condition. Fortunately, despite
is also trapped; only the most the damage, 2d6+6 spells are still
powerful of magics can undo clearly outlined within the pages
the memory-vanishing trap that of the book and can be learned by
starts to erase the mind 1d6 hours any arcane spellcaster with a basic
after reading the book. knowledge of necromancy.

The spells within the book are all One way to determine what spells
related to stars, cosmic forces, and are in the book is to ask the find-
darkness/night. The exact num- er the question: “What spells do
ber and listing of spells is left to you hope to learn?” Then have
the GM to decide; your favorite the finder make an Intelligence
game system may not be my own, or luck check (depending on your
meaning that any spell list I offer chosen system) for each desired
here would be worthless. spell. Fill in any gaps with spells of
your own choosing.
The spells should, where possible,
be destructive in nature.
7
3 Mage’s Priceless
Book of Spells
Constructed of sheets of copper
pounded flat, bound with leather
straps, and then secured between
two silver plates/covers, this hefty
spellbook cannot be carried by
fewer than two men. The cre-
ator of the spellbook, a wealthy
nobleman who decided to dab- 4 Druidic Secrets
ble in magery, never managed to
etch more than two spells into the Centuries ago, a wicked wizard
book before growing bored with kidnapped a druid and forced the
spellcraft and tossing the book captive victim to reveal the secrets
into a forgotten closet. of druidic magic. You see, the
wizard was certain that he could
Decades later, thieves found the study the druid’s spells and twist
book – which was titled “Mage’s them to the arcane arts, essential-
Priceless Book of Spells” – during ly working to steal magics that did
a robbery and took the spellbook not fall under his purview and at-
in hopes that it truly was priceless. tempting to expand his powers.

It was not. The efforts were wasted. Regard-

less of how much the druid was
Since then, the book has been sold tortured, and how many times the
and stolen, lost and found, and wizard studied the druid’s words
generally traveled from owner and motions, he could not adapt
to owner without anyone adding the druidic magic to his arcane
more spells to the copper pages. ways. Eventually, as the druid
neared death, the wizard switched
The spellbook is essentially little his approach and started research-
more than scrap metal. It is too ing spells that had a damaging ef-
big to use, too difficult to etch fect on nature.
more spells into its pages, and best
melted down and destroyed. This book holds the few dozen

8
spells the wizard learned – and
improvised – that specifically seek
to harm nature.
5 Tome of Meteors 6 The Frost
Demon’s Book
A fairly traditional spellbook in of Spells
appearance and design, the Tome
of Meteors is secured with two Freezing spells. Blizzard effects.
metal locks and features the im- Cold-based attacks and defenses.
age of a comet on the cover. The This pure white spellbook, made
book cannot be forced open, and of bleached leathers and parch-
only one who knows the pass- ments and bound straps made
word – Novastrike – may unlock from a slain yeti’s hide, contains
the book. Any attempt to open it within it spells that range in pow-
without the password sets off a er from the weakest cantrips to
fireball centered on the book; the the most-devastating frost spells.
spellbook has been empowered
with magics that protect it from The book is not locked, can be
all fire and heat. easily opened by any being, and is
in no way protected. The spells are
Once the book is opened, it is all written in the tongue of a frost
found to hold 2d6+10 spells that demon, though, and can only be
are all variants of fire, comet, and deciphered by one who can read,
meteor effects. Choose spells that write, and speak that language.
seem fitting from your preferred
game system and then devise The book cannot be harmed by
variants. For example, a spell that cold – natural or magical – though
calls comets from the heavens any contact with fire has a 1 in 6
may have a weaker variant that chance of immediately destroy-
summons a smaller, less-damag- ing the book and turning it into a
ing comet. The book is a treasure burning wreck within seconds.
and must not fall into the wrong
hands in your campaign.
9
 fivedsix
unusual
treasures
There are never enough treasures to satisfy the
adventurers, so here’s an assortment of oddities
that will leave even the most serious of roleplayers
disappointed as you secretly laugh at the players.

A large stone, no smaller than a man’s fist, on which has been

5 engraved the image of a sword and shield. The item is not
magical and has no value.
A tattered and torn scrap of parchment, on which has been
written an IOU from someone named Zach from the town of
6 Illfarness. The IOU is for twenty gold coins and is “payable to
whomsoever presents this document after” and the rest is torn
away.
A small leather pouch, tied together with straps, within which
7 are three wooden nails, a handful of copper coins, and a single
eye of a goblin. The eye does not smell good.
A cloth belt with metal buckle. Carefully studying the belt re-
8 veals a hidden compartment that could hold coins or gems.
 A magical scroll in a bone case, stoppered and sealed with wax.
9 The scroll is for any one attack spell of the GM’s choosing.
A small coin purse with 4d6 copper coins, 3d6 silver coins,
10 2d6 gold coins, and a single emerald.
A wooden chest, unlocked, within which you find nothing but
11 sand. Too much sand. Emptying the chest of sand leaves you
with a wooden chest that is missing the key.
A broken sword. The blade is snapped at the tip and it is gen-
12 erally of an inferior and cheap construction.
4d6 stone needles in a small sack, all of them wrapped in leath-
13 er. The needles are used with thin cords to stitch up damaged
leather goods. There are no cords in the sack.
A metal collar and chain, both covered in the blood of some
14 forgotten soul.
A pair of sturdy boots, sized for a child, halfling, or possibly
15 a dwarf. They’re well-constructed and should be worth a few
gold coins at the nearest town.
Silk gloves decorated in a fine embroidered dragon’s wing
pattern and detailed with carefully-applied dyes. The gloves
16 are not suitable for adventure, though they should fetch some
cash from the local merchant who buys random goods.

11
 A small sack of seeds. Those with some un-
17 derstanding of farming will recognize them as
pumpkin seeds.
A copper trade bar, weighing roughly 10 lbs,
from the distant city of Shadowcrater. The bar
18 could be sold anywhere, for its value as a block
of copper, though it is worth considerably more
if it is taken back to the city of Shadowcrater.
Three small bells, each made of silver, fastened
19 to a leather cord necklace. The bells may prove
problematic if you’re trying to sneak around.
This steel crown is decorated with bony spikes
that both protrude outward and dig into the
skull of anyone who wears the crown. A leath-
20 er strap can be pulled tight around the chin to
force the spikes to dig deep into the wearer’s
head. It is not an attractive crown.
Dice carved from the bones of a dragon and
under the spell of an evil wizard. When thrown,
21 there is a 2 in 12 chance that the dice will shock
a random person within two-feet of the dice.
A small journal, roughly the size of a slice of
22 bread and twice as thick. The parchment pages
are blank.
A deck of cards made of stiff parchment, artisi-
23 cally painted, and missing 1d6 cards.

12 24 The ear of an orc hung from a metal chain. The

ear has been carefully preserved.
 This silver bracelet – the clasp is broken – will
25 need repaired before it is usable.
A wooden whistle with stars engraved into the
26 surface.
A finely-crafted wooden door and frame . . .
just sitting there loose and unused. Carefully
studying the frame shows that it has never been
27 used. An artist has painted a sunset scene on
one side of the door; a sunrise scene is painted
on the opposite side of the door.
Robes made from the leathers of a slain exotic
beast of some sort or other. Those with knowl-
edge of monsters do not recognize the leather;
28 the beast was an extra-planar demon and the
robes may serve as a beacon if the demon’s peo-
ple ever set off in search of their lost citizen.
Chainmail armor that is in perfect condition!
Unfortunately, this was the work of an inferior
craftsman and anyone who spends more than
29 a few moments studying the armor’s construc-
tion will see that it provides no defense in bat-
tle. The first strike the armor suffers will ruin it
forever.
A simple cookie jar painted with images of
30 gingerbread men. Inside, nothing but crumbs.
Sorry, no cookies.

13
 onedeight
dungeon
oddities
In the darkest dungeons of the
lands, you’re lucky if all you ever
encounter are the rats, spiders,
skeletons, goblins, and normal
beasties of the deepest lairs.

On a bad day, you’re going to

run across something far, far
stranger than a simple monster.

Welcome, adventurer, to eight

different and very bad days.

As a kid, when playing Dungeons & Dragons, I always

enjoyed the monsters that were as unusual as possible.
The water weird, various slimes and oozes, mimic, and
piercer were only a handful of my favorite monsters of
the time. And it is those odd beasties of the past that
served as my touchstone when sitting down to create my
own warped and weird dungeon denizens.

As with much of my fantasy roleplaying game writing

these days, the monsters that follow are devoid of specif-

14
ic statistics. Instead, GMs should look at each monster,
absorb the description and concept, and then assign
whatever stats feel appropriate. Have fun!
1 Mimicspawn In rare moments, when a mimic is slain by ar-
cane means, the creature’s blood is infused with dark sorcery. Over many
hours, as the blood seeps into the ground where it died, the mimic is
reborn, the creature returning to life as its blood binds with the stones,
rocks, and earthen ground.

A mimicspawn is a rare, magical creature that is two to three times as

powerful as it was in its previous life, though the monster is without its
shapechanging ability and is forever locked into whatever form it held
when it was killed. Additionally, the beast sprouts legs and a face and can
never pass for anything but a mimic; the monster cannot hide in plain
sight.

15
2 Ooze Goblin How many thousands of goblins have been
slaughtered at the hands of adventurers over the decades? Ten thousand?
One hundred thousand? Possibly more, if millions of player characters
have been out there ruthlessly dealing with the little beasts since those
very first dungeon crawls. Unfortunately, it appears that some of those
murdered goblins have come back and are seeking revenge.

The ooze goblin isn’t a goblin at all, but is instead a type of semi-intel-
ligent ooze that was created by a wizard who had one too many drinks
before setting off to his workshop. “I’ll show them,” the drunken wiz-
ard slurred after an argument with a few rangers who insisted that there
would never be an intelligent ooze.

There is now, gang, and it has the strength of a goblin and the powers of
an ooze. Select your favorite ooze, give it a bipedal form and weapons,
and your ooze goblin is ready for the dungeon.

16
3 Necromancer’s Chest What happens when ghosts are
forever bound to a treasure chest? The necromancer’s chest, of which
there may be only one, was forged by an ancient and evil spellcaster who
was sick of his treasures being lifted by thieves and rogues.

The necromancer’s chest is as much a trap as it is a monster, and a suc-

cessful disarm trap or open lock check leaves the ghosts undisturbed and
sleeping. Failure to properly disarm the trap or pick the lock, though,
triggers the evil spirits that have been tasked with protecting the chest
and its contents.

When activated, the ghosts – 1d6+1 are bound to the chest – seek to
both punish the invader and to move/hide the chest. If successful in hid-
ing the chest, the ghosts contact their master through magical means
and share the chest’s latest location with the treasure’s owner.

17
 4 Optic Orb These
twisted eye beasts come
in as many different
shapes and sizes as you
can imagine, to the point
that it almost feels as if
each is a unique creature
without a mate.

Worse still, the optic orb as

a species has as many
different skills, abilities,
and personalities as it
does appearances,
making it impossible for
adventurers to know for
certain how to deal with
the monster when they
encounter one in the dungeon.

Fortunately, optic orbs of all

shapes and sizes share one trait: they
all hate other creatures and refuse
to work together. The monsters will
enslave intelligent monsters and
men – most of these monsters
have an enslave magic that works
on the weaker wills – and use
them as tools, though, so do not
be surprised to find one of these
monsters to have “allies.”

They fly by means of a magical

ability that is forever active, and the
monsters may speak any language,
communicate telepathically. Many

18
of them are powerful wizards who
know dozens of offensive and
defensive spells.
If encountered outside of its lair,
an optic orb will do its best to
wound its attackers and then flee
home, being careful that it is not
being followed.

If adventurers locate an
optic orb’s home, the
monster will do whatever
it takes to destroy the
intruders and not allow any
of them to escape. This includes
sacrificing any slaves it may
have under its control.

19
5 Stenchman The size of
a goblin, kobold, or other small
humanoid, the stenchman –
named because of the terrible
smell they emit constantly – is a
solitary creature that goes into a
murderous rage if it encounters
another of its kind. Sages and
wizards have tried to understand
the creatures, but many quit in
disgust within a few weeks of
study; these things stink
really bad.

The stenchman is
weak, no stronger
than the weakest of
goblins, though all
who come within 10’
of the creature must
resist the smell or turn
and flee. And what is
even worse is that when
a stenchman is killed, its
body erupts and belches
forth a cloud of noxious
fumes that can leave even the
toughest of adventurers violently
ill for days.

Some alchemists use the blood

and flesh of a stenchman to
create stink bombs, meaning
that there is some value to
the monster.

20
6 Rotworm A giant worm, anywhere from 10’ to 30’ in length, the
rotworm is a distant relative of the other giant worms found in dungeons
and other subterranean locales. While not as large as some of the giant
worms (we’re looking at you, purple), what sets the rotworm apart from
its siblings is the creature’s rotting flesh hidden beneath natural armor
plates. It would be easy to mistake the rotworm for an undead creature,
but it is not at all undead and the rotting flesh is simply a handicap that
the beasts suffer throughout their lives.

If a rotworm’s flesh or blood lands on unprotected skin, the affected

victim may contract a flesh-eating virus that can only be eradicated by
magical healing of some sort. This sickness will usually leave its victim
weakened and near-death after 2d12 hours; if not cured, there is a 1%
chance per day that the afflicted will die. Worse yet, after one week, any-
one touching the victim may also contract the virus.

21
 7 Mushroom Golem
Yes, a mushroom golem. Why a
spellcaster would ever think that the
flesh golem and stone golem aren’t
enough to guard whatever im-
portant treasures may be out there
we will never know, but here’s the
wrongness just waiting to confuse
an unlucky party of adventurers.

The mushroom golem has

limited intelligence and is
created by magically fusing
many shrooms together
and then combining
the result with the
corpse of a man or
woman. That makes this
odd creature an unholy flesh
golem of sorts . . . and highlights
the fact that the wizard who first
thought that this was a good idea
never quite made a pure mushroom
golem work. Wizards can be so
dumb at times, right?

Only evil and nature-loving wizards

will ever attempt to create a mush-
room golem, though it isn’t a stretch
of the imagination to think that a
chaotic wizard looking for some
entertainment would take a stab at
bringing one of these beasts to life.

In battle, a mushroom golem is as

strong as a flesh golem. Additionally,

22
the mushroom golem has an earthy
scent that is tough to hide; you can
smell one several rooms away.
8 Mann-tissss Insect
men aren’t anything new,
but that doesn’t stop
them from being a hell
of a lot of fun. Unlike
the mantis-like humanoids
of the desert, the Mann-tissss
lives only beneath the surface
and is afraid to enter the
light of the sun.

These insectoid beasts are

as intelligent as any human
and are blind, their over-
sized eyes dead and
unfunctional at
birth. The Mann-tissss
“see” using the same
echolocation skill
as bats, and they
are perfectly at home
in the darkest of
dungeons and
subterranean caverns.

The Mann-tissss live in

underground cities
and will protect
their homes and
citizens from all
intruders. The
creatures take
other humanoids
as food, not
afraid to attack
powerful forces

23
of dwarves,
elves, goblins,
or others.
 onedsix
magic
shields
Warriors in battle need
protection against their
foes, and what better
defense than a shield?

I’ll tell you what’s better

than a shield: Not getting
attacked! Following that,
though, I’ll go with
“a magic shield is better
than a shield.”

Here are a handful of

magic shields to use in your
adventures, either as
rewards for the player
characters or – and this is
my recommendation – as
equipment used by their
opponents.

Make the player characters

work for their rewards!

24
 1 Heartlimb’s Defense Against Goblins
A battered, abused metal shield decorated with the image of a tree on the
face, this was once the property of the elven ranger Heartlimb Windrace
who died decades ago. The shield glows faintly when a spell is cast to
detect the presence of magic, though if being used when the spell is cast,
the owner may attempt a willpower or wisdom check to block the detec-
tion attempt (on a successful check, the shield does not glow).

In battle, the shield is a +1 magical defense against all attacks. If attacked

by goblinoids, the magical bonus increases to +3 and the owner gains
a +1 on all damage throws made against a goblin. Heartlimb had the
shield crafted for him and, at the time, he was dealing with a goblin in-
festation problem that was not going to solve itself.

2 Buckler of Skulls
This small wooden buckler, reinforced with metal and sorcery, was once
the property of the thief Grayjaw who used it when attempting to pass
himself off as a sword-for-hire. The buckler is decorated with the skulls
of several of Grayjaw’s victims; the thief paid an artisan to chip, smash,
and cut at the skulls and then build them up as a bas-relief image. The
shield was never intended for battle; a solid blow against the face of the
shield will break away bits of the various skulls. In battle, the shield pro-
vides no defensive bonus; it is purely a cosmetic item.

3 Guard’s Tower Shield

This tall, metal tower shield is difficult to use one-handed and was de-
signed for a member of a town guard to use when shielding himself and
his companions from attacks. If used two-handed, the shield provides
protection against all attacks for the user and up to three companions.
Once braced, the shieldbearer’s companions can strike from around the
shield.

The shield is magical. Once per day, on command, the shield projects a

25
force field that surrounds the bearer and his companions for
up to 2d6+1 turns. They cannot attack at others outside of the
force field.
 Do you regret giving an item to the party? Always re-
member that rust monsters and other beasties exist
solely to help you wipe out some equipment!

4 Rust-damaged Shield
Not all shields protect against all forms of damage. Something – be it
magic, the elements, or a monster – has rusted the shield, making it brit-
tle and useless in battle. It is, at this point, no more than trash that should
be ignored.

Except . . . the two straps on the shield are made from the hide of a mi-
notaur and have been empowered by an arcane spellcaster. The straps,
if connected to a new shield, once again provide their magic

26
to the shield. The shield grants the owner perfect memory of
mazes and labyrinths; the owner cannot be lost when wan-
dering through a maze.
 5 Mimic Shield
That’s not treasure, that’s another monster! It is a rare mimic that choos-
es the form of a shield, and it is a rarer mimic still that elects to wait pa-
tiently in a pile of treasure and hope to be selected and carried as a party
of an adventurer’s rewards. A mimic shield glows faintly if a detect mag-
ic spell is cast upon it, though no amount of study reveals what power
the shield may bestow on its user. A mimic shield may wait days before
striking, preferably when someone is “wearing” it as a shield.

6 Portal Shield
This magical shield may, once each year, open a portal to another plane
of existence. Doing so harms the shield’s user, inflicting physical pain
once the portal is opened. The GM must decide how many hits of dam-
age to apply to the shield’s user.

The portal remains open for ten minutes and characters and creatures
may pass through either direction. The portal opens onto a random
plane, though it is one where the user can breathe and function.

27
 twodsix
potions
“Drink me,” said the simple slip of paper attached
to the concoction that Alice did drink. And she is far
from alone in her curiosity getting the best of her;
over the decades, an unknown number of player char-
acters have swallowed an unusual potion or two.

The following potions were

devised to expand on the
potions already available in
your campaign.
 2 Potion of Unfounded Confidence
More a curse than a benefit, the potion of unfounded confidence instills
the drinker with a false sense of strength, skill, and knowledge. When
consumed, the subject becomes arrogant and believes that they are more
powerful than ever before. As the GM, this potion is most fun if you
grant the targeted player character with a will or wisdom check to realize
that the potion is having a negative impact. On a failed roll, go ahead and
tell the subject something like “increase all of your attributes by 3” . . .
there is no increase. The potion’s effects fade away after an hour.

3 Dragon’s Breath Potion

Imbibing this crimson-colored potion grants the subject the ability to
blast a flaming cone that extends up to 3d6+6 feet in one direction. The
fire burns incredibly hot, scorching everything in its path with a magical
flame that is as powerful as you, the GM, deem is appropriate. The po-
tion only grants one flame attack, and it must be used within 1d6 min-
utes of drinking or the effect is lost.

4 Potion of Spell Consumption

This black, bubbling potion may only be safely drank by wizards, mag-
es, or other arcane spellcasters. Anyone else who drinks this is instant-
ly harmed as the magical powers burn through the throat and body; it
takes months of rest to fully recover. Arcane spellcasters who drink the
potion are not only immune to the effects for magical powers for the
potion’s duration (3d6 turns), any spells cast at the subject are automati-
cally consumed and heal the spellcaster. The amount of healing varies; I
leave this to the GM to decide.

5 Potion of Dwarven Might

29
This thick, gray, sludge-like potion boosts the drinker’s
strength for 2d6 turns. The exact increase in strength is
completely up to the GM.
 6 Moonlight Potion
This glowing, thin, yellowish potion casts
enough light to see within a few feet of
the vial; many adventurers who find this
potion never drink it, instead choosing to
use the vial of potion as a makeshift lamp.
If consumed, the subject gains the ability
to see in complete darkness as if it were
daylight. The effect lasts one hour.

7 Potion of Luck
Once consumed, the subject is incredibly lucky for 1d6 turns. Every die
roll that the character makes is automatically set to a successful result
if it fails, and any rolls made against the drinker of the potion are au-
tomatic failures. Unfortunately, after the potion expires, the subject is
weakened; the GM should inflict some amount of hit point damage on
the once-lucky character.

8 Potion of Devastating Touch

Contained within a metal, opaque vial stoppered with a carefully-cut
ruby, this potion is a trap! Anyone opening the stopper unleashes an
electrical storm that fires bolts of lightning at all metal-armored figures
within 10-feet. This is a one-time attack, inflicting as much damage as
the GM wants. The vial and stopper are, of course, valuables and should
be sold to the nearest merchant.

9 Spider’s Shell
Drinking this greenish, foul-tasting potion changes the subject for
24-hours. The target grows a hard, spider shell covering over

30
all flesh. If wearing clothing or armor when consumed, the
shell destroys the worn items. The shell functions like plate
armor for the 24-hour duration.
 10 Potion of Frozen Air
Drinking this potion grants the subject the ability to
fire a freezing burst of cold air that harms anything it
touches. The blast can cause frostbite, freeze water, and
can even turn rain to snow. The amount of the potion
consumed determines the strength of the attack.
• 1 swallow – Barely any damage. A point or two.
• 2 swallows – 1d4+2 points of damage.
• 3 swallows – 2d6 points of damage.
• 4 swallows – 2d10 points of damage.
When found, the vial holds 1d6+1 swallows.

11 Drink of the Hunter

Crafted centuries ago for the ancient rangers who pro-
tected the forests, this green-colored potion gives the
subject any one ranger ability as chosen by the GM.
There is a 1% chance that the effect is permanent; roll
d100. This is a rare, long-forgotten potion and any wiz-
ard who specializes in brewing potions would take dan-
gerous risks to get their hands on the discovered vial.

12 Potion of Battle
Once consumed, give the subject five tokens. For the
next hour, before the potion’s effects fade away, the
character may spend these tokens to:
• 1 token – Gain a +1 bonus to any damage roll.
• 1 token – Reroll any one die, either their own or other.
• 1 token – Move one extra square/hex in a dungeon.
• 2 tokens – Increase any damage roll by 1d4.
• 2 tokens – Ignore 1d4 points of damage.
• 3 tokens – Increase any damage roll by 1d8.

31
• 5 tokens – Make a free attack on their turn.
Any tokens remaining at the end of the hour vanish and
are forever lost.
 onedsix
warped
monsters
More monsters!!! Well, actually, more ideas for
possible twists on monsters that you probably have at
hand. Regardless, here are some ideas!

1 Weremimic
We have were-this and were-
that, so a weremimic feels
perfectly acceptable. How the
disease is transferred to a host
body is an exercise best left to
the imagination of the GM,
but here are a couple of ideas
to get you started:

• The bite of a mimic has a 1

in 6 chance of spreading the
sickness and transforming the
target into a weremimic.

• The sickness is magical in

nature and is only transmitted
by a spell cast by an evil wiz-
ard. Fortunately, the spell is
rare and unknown by most.

32
• Killing a mimic with any bladed weapon has a 1 in 6 chance of the
beast’s blood splashing onto the attacker and transferring the mimic’s
powers.

Weremimics should be extremely rare, possibly only used once in an

entire campaign. Can the disease be cured? Sure, but it is gonna take
some magic.

2 Lobstermen
Every fantasy world needs a
variety of human-like crea-
tures that are nothing more
than some animal that, for
reasons we won’t discuss, is
now “man”-ified. Right?

The lobsterfolk – male and female, of course – live in the sea

in underwater villages. To make the beasts more entertaining,
they can operate in both water and on the land, with raiding
parties setting out at night to attack coastal villages and towns.

For game statistics, use a goblin as your base and then give
the creatures a claw attack. They can use tools and weapons,
though their claws are less nimple than fingers and that slows
them down.

Lobsterfolk are evil because we always need more monsters

to attack. 33
 3 Oozefolk
Slimes, puddings, and other oozes are weird “creatures” to encounter in
any dungeon, but what if we say that some wicked mage found a spell
that infused the oozebeast with an unwitting villager? Oozefolk have the
intelligence of a slime or other ooze (none) while walking on legs and
with the ability to use weapons (memories deep at the core of the infect-
ed villager retain the weapon knowledge).

Oozefolk are an oddity and rarely encountered in groups of more than

three or four. They wander the dungeons aimlessly, acting more like a
slime or other hazard than an intelligent being. Nothing short of a wish
can return the victim to its original form. Oozefolk are icky beasts and
should be avoided.

4 Skeletal Mage
This one is easy to put into
action. Simply take your
basic skeleton and give it
one or two offensive spells
. . . and then stand back and
watch as the party struggles
to take down a spellcasting
skeleton.

To make it really nasty, the

skeleton has one spell for
each member of the party
(+1d6) and the necessary
energy (whatever your cho-
sen system requires) to cast
all of those spells in a single
encounter. Bam!!!

34
 5 Skeletal Archer
Similar to the skeletal mage, the skele-
tal archer is an adaptation of your basic
skeleton to make it a little more fright-
ening. By replacing the skeleton’s melee
attacks with bow and arrows, you can
make the skeletons more threatening.
To make the
skeletons
even more ter-
rifying, you can
equip them with
magical arrows.
Some possible arrow
effects include:

• Extra damage.
• Fire damage.
• Acid damage.

Basically, throw anything you can imagine

at the party and make them suffer. That is
the best way to handle things, right?

6 Goblintouched
is there any monster as ubiquitous as the goblin in fantasy
roleplaying games? (Well, maybe the skeleton, but we already
played with skeletons.) The goblintouched is more a sickness
than a monster, so rare that it only happens once every cen-
tury or so. A goblin murdered by a wizard’s magic may, one
time in every thousand or so, be transformed into a pile of
gelatinous ooze that eats through stone, steel, and other ma-
terials. Anyone who touches the ooze is scarred for the re-

35
mainder of their short life as they are transformed into a dark
green, acidic ooze. The beast can only be killed by healing
spells; how many is completely up to the GM.
 onedtwelve
adventure
hooks
As the gamemaster, it is important that you never
be without an idea for an adventure or two.

The players, as you well know, are as likely to avoid

your latest adventure as they are to willingly follow
along and participate in the planned encounters, so a
number of fallback ideas are always welcome.

1 Mistaken Identity
In the wrong place at the wrong time, you and your companions are mis-
taken for murderers and captured when asleep at a small inn. The town
watch pull you into the street where the executioner stands ready to put an
end to your lives.

You must act quickly to survive. A successful reaction or appropriate

skill check may stay the executioner’s hand for a few moments, but the
people want blood and won’t rest until someone is punished.

At the last moment, you are given a choice: You have one week to find
the true murderers, or the executioner will perform his duty. A local
wizard’s magic curses each of you; the town watch now has an arcane
ring that can track your location at all times.

Find the murderers and return them to the town quickly, before the peo-
ple decide you must die.

36
 2 A Dead Dragon?
Rumors in the city tell of a dragon’s hoard that is now unguarded, the
monster having died in its lair amid all of its treasures. Within hours of
first hearing the tale, groups of “adventurers” are in the local shops, buying
up supplies and plan-
ning expeditions to
the rumored lair in an
attempt to claim the
unguarded treasure.
Prices for adventur-
ing supplies skyrocket
instantly, and local
trackers and guides
triple their usual rates.

It’s not so much that

the dragon is dead as
it is undead, an evil
beast kept alive by
necromanctic pow-
ers. The rumor start-
ed earlier in the day
when children playing near the forbidden caves caught sight of the un-
dead dragon and assumed that it must be dead.

The dragon will toy with the first few “adventurers” who enter its lair,
but it soon tires of play and will slaughter everyone in the town if it is
bothered too often.

Will you recognize the dragon’s undead state and put a stop to the
townsfolk before they are murdered, or will you fall victim to the dreams
of treasure and enter into the battle unprepared for the monster’s true
strength?

The best solution may be to abandon the town completely, leaving it and

37
the people to the whim of the dragon.

That’s not very heroic, though, now is it?

 3 Errand for a Butcher
You receive word that a local butcher is in need of hearty adventurers who
will perform a service. The man has little to offer in the way of gold, but he
does have information on the whereabouts of a lost fortune. Decades ago,
the butcher was the torchbearer of a warrior and he knows where the slain
hero’s magic shield is hidden.

The butcher, Merek

Goatson, needs some-
one to help him recover
a missing ring that his
wife gave to him before
she died. The ring was
taken in a card game two
weeks ago and Goatson
is certain that he was
swindled in the game. If
you choose to assist him
in reclaiming the ring,
you will need to visit
Jarren Half-Eye, a local
ruffian who is called a
cheat and liar by many if
the party asks about his
reputation.

Jarren Half-Eye is an aging half-orc, elderly but still strong and healthy.
He surrounds himself with a gang of criminals, children who are either
orphans or are rebelling against their parents. If the player characters are
not subtle when investigating the situation, Half-Eye learns of them and
sends a band of the young thugs to “deal with the strangers.”

If it comes down to a fight, Half-Eye’s miscreants flee at the first sign of

blood. As for the half-orc, he is more a coward than a fighter; he surren-
ders the instant he suffers any significant damage in a fight.

38
 4 A Fellow Traveler
Traveling overland, as the sun sets, you and your party make camp a short
distance from the road and prepare to settle in for the night when a strang-
er approaches and asks to share your campfire.

The aged man, Gavin

Gorvenal, is a rang-
er and on the trail of
a band of hobgoblins
who have been mur-
dering innocents in
nearby towns. If the
party is welcoming,
the ranger offers up
information on the
surrounding lands
and, if they gain his
trust, he tells them of
a crumbling fortress
two days’ hike to the
north where there are
rumored to be lost
riches and treasures.

If the group rejects his request to join them for the night, the ranger
wishes them well and moves on. As the night wears on, they see his fire
about a mile away.

In the middle of the night, whether or not Gavin is camping with them,
the band of hobgoblins attack. If Gavin is with them, he joins in the de-
fense of their camp and will fight as hard as any member of the party. If
he is not with them, he arrives within 1d6+3 rounds of the attack; he has
been alert and waiting, suspecting that the hobgoblins were nearby and
going to attack.

39
If they survive the encounter, Gavin welcomes them to join
him in seeking out and destroying the remaining members
of the hobgoblin warband.
 5 Defense Against the Unknown
Outside of a small village in the distant mountains of the kingdom, the
adventurers are met by villagers armed with spears, slings, and farming
tools and ordered to turn back. The people of the village have no interest in
whatever troubles the party may carry with them.

If the heroes press the

matter, insisting on an
explanation for why they
are unwelcome, their ef-
forts are without value
unless one of their num-
ber happens to succeed at
a reaction of relevant skill
check. Over the course of
talking with the villagers,
the party learns that the
people have lost sever-
al of their number in the
last few months as other
adventuring parties have
lured the teens away to
serve as torchbearers and
lackeys. Now, just as the
heroes enter the scene, the
villagers have had enough.

Will the heroes honor the wishes of the village and turn back, or will
they offer to seek out and return as many of the missing teens as pos-
sible? If the latter, the village throws a grand celebration and offers the
heroes rewards for every returned teen. The rewards are minor (at most,
a few copper pieces per returned person), but the gesture is sincere and
the best that the village can offer.

If the player characters follow through, they will have allies for life.

40
 6 Unclaimed Crown
The word is given to all of the kingdom that the old king has died . . . and
has no rightful successor! There will be a tournament on the castle grounds
where the victor of the event will be granted the crown and made ruler of
the land. Unfortunately,
there is a successor, and
she has been impris-
oned in the castle dun-
geon for decades.

The king’s sister, Lu-

anda the Seventh, has
been locked in the
dungeons for years,
her only contact with
the outside world the
guards who care for
her and an army of rats,
snakes, spiders, and
other small creatures
that she communicates
with through magic.

Luanda sends her ani-

mal companions into the nearby towns and villages to seek a champion
who will claim the crown, free her, and place her on the throne. The
creatures, in their search for heroes, happen upon the party and give
them the captive woman’s message.

If the player characters accept the offer, they’ll have to work hard to come
out ahead in the games. Fortunately, working as a group, they should be
able to win . . . so long as they aren’t discovered by the captain of the
guards who has his eye on the crown.

How will the party set about righting a past wrong and placing

41
Luanda the Seventh into power? Will they turn on her and
seek the crown for themselves?
 7 Wandering Wizard
The wizard you meet on the trail steps aside and allows you and your party
to pass. He clearly does not wish to spend time with you.

Soft spoken. Gentle. Un-

assuming. The wizard you
meet on the trail, Asher
the Mild, will do all in his
power to avoid a confron-
tation. If you stop to chat
with the wizard, he looks
down at his feet and does
his best to end the conver-
sation. If more than a few
moments pass and you
continue to chatter away at
him, Asher softly clears his
throat and mentions that
he must be on his way. If
asked where he is heading,
he states that his business
is secret and asks to be left
alone.

The wizard, if followed, moves quicker and quicker, attempting to shake

you. If attacked, Asher uses a prepared spell to vanish, stepping through
a dimensional gate that closes instantly behind him.

If you and your friends leave the wizard alone and do not disturb him,
you see him again the next day, even though he was traveling in a direc-
tion different than your own. The wizard, it seems, is everywhere and
nowhere, journeying without purpose. If you leave him alone, the next
day you spot him a third time. If left alone a third time, Asher thanks
your group and gives each of you a single-use (random) potion.

42
 8 A Giant Surprise
Smash!!! The trees shatter and crash to the ground, the earth shakes, and
you’re knocked to the ground as a giant rushes out of the nearby forest and
attacks! Swinging a club and massive fist left to right, destroying everything
it connects with, the giant may be unstoppable!

There’s no telling what

set the giant off, enrag-
ing it to the point that
it attacks unprovoked.
Your only goal is sur-
vival, you and your
companions losing the
initiative as the giant’s
surprise attack knocks
all of you off balance
and sends a sense of
momentary panic
through your group.

If you retaliate, attack-

ing the giant and strik-
ing blow for blow, it’s a
fight to the death!

If you react defensively, seeking only to block and parry the giant’s at-
tacks, the monster pauses after a moment or two and then shakes its
head, seemingly surprised by its surroundings . . . and your presence.

The giant, if given time to speak, explains that it is unsure of what caused
the sudden outburst. Any spellcaster or character knowledgeable of
charm magics will soon deduce that the giant was under a spell. The
question is, who cast the spell and for what reason? Can you and your
friends uncover the enchanter and help the giant in its revenge?

43
 9 Drink Me?
At a small magic shop, on the outskirts of one of the larger towns in the
land, you spot a rack of potions for sale. Each is blue in color, sealed in
identical bottles, and the proprietor says that they are all healing potions
that, unfortunately, may not properly function. The bottles, he says, are
fine, but the contents should be poured out and should not be consumed.
He’ll sell each bottle for a few gold pieces and insists on dumping the con-
tents out before handing over any one of the bottles.

The party has a few different

choices. They could pur-
chase the bottles for anoth-
er purpose (maybe a spell-
caster in the group plans to
create potions and needs
the bottles), ignore the situ-
ation, or try to steal a bottle
or two from the shop.

If more than one bottle is

poured out at once, the
contents blur together and
ignite, setting off a minor
fireball that damages the
shop and attracts the atten-
tion of the guard. Explain-
ing the situation will take
some work, but everything
should be okay.

If they steal bottles and then consume them, things will go wrong for the
thieves. Drinking any one of the “healing” potions has the opposite ef-
fect and actually causes damage. Unfortunately, it’s a time-delayed prob-
lem; the potion first heals the character and then, an hour later, damages
the character.

44
 10 Quiet Stream
Fresh water is always welcome when traveling, and this stream alongside
the main roadway is popular with adventurers, caravans, soldiers, and any
who wish to stop and replenish their water supplies. A close by village relies
on the stream as their only source of water . . . it would be terrible if some-
thing happened to block the water.

When the heroes come across

the stream, they see that it has
slowed to a trickle and is less
than it should be. The water
continues to flow, yes, but if
the stream continues to slow,
there’s a chance that the wa-
terway will be unusable one
day very soon.

If they follow the stream, they

soon encounter the trouble:
Rocks, boulders, trees, and
other debris have been tossed
into the stream to form a
makeshift dam. Clearing the
dam will take time, maybe
days, unless the heroes enlist
the aid of magic or others.

As the heroes work to clear the stream, the culprits responsible for the
dam soon arrive with a wagon carrying more materials that they plan to
dump into the water. A farmer and his relatives have decided to attempt
a diversion in an effort to irrigate his nearby fields.

How will you and your friends handle the situation? Will you negotiate
a peaceful settlement and work to help both sides, or will you take a less
noble route?

45
 11 One Eye on You
Resting alongside the roadway, a cyclops eyes you and your companions as
you approach. Raising an ax in greeting, the cyclops asks if you would like
to purchase any firewood. What the creature thinks a band of adventurers
needs with firewood is a question we’re best not asking the beast.

The cyclops lives in

a nearby cave and is
trying to fit in with
the towns and villag-
es of the area. It has
an arrangement with
many of the people,
trading firewood for
coins, food, or drink,
but it has stocked
most of the locals with
enough firewood to
get through the winter
. . . and it still wants
food and drink.

If the party declines,

the cyclops suggests
that the party enter
into business with the beast. The cyclops will provide a wagon, horse,
and load of firewood if the group agrees to take the wood to the nearest
city and exchange the wood for as much in the way of winter supplies as
they can manage. The giant is willing to give the party 15% of the take. If
they refuse the offer, the cyclops asks if he may join their group.

Do you seek a solution to the cyclops’ problems and help to exchange the
wood for provisions? Do you accept a new member into your adventur-
ing party? How do you turn down a powerful creature without angering
it and having it turn on you?

46
 12 Assist a Fellow Adventurer?
You and your party encounter Gloriana Gray, a powerful fighter who is
seeking assistance in defeating a small t ribe of goblins. Will you join her in
this adventure?

There are 1d3 goblins for each member in your party,plus one goblin
warrior. The tribe is a day’s ride down the road, and they have moved
into an old tower. The goblins will not fight to the death; t hey flee if one-
half of their number are killed.

Gloriana was hired by a local lord who is paying a bounty for each gob-
lin nose returned to
him. She triesto keep
this a secret from the
party.

If discovered, Glori-
ana first tries to in-
clude the adventurers
in the arrangement
and share the re-
wards. Not surpris-
ingly, though, she
will take any available
opportunity to cut
her new “partners”
out of the deal and
pocket the bounty for
herself.

Copyright © 2019 Philip Reed. Some art by J.M. Woiak and

Heather Shinn of the STINKYGOBLIN. Some artwork by
Jason Glover/Indie Conquest, used under license. Some art-

47
work copyright Daniel F. Walthall, used with permission. Map
background on the cover copyright Dyson Logos, used with
permission.
 onedfour
dungeon
doors
1 Door of Swords. The door is created from dozens of swords of all siz-
es and styles, fused together with molten metal. The blades protrude
in all directions, and the handle is inset between several razor-sharp
blades. Opening the door without being cut by the blades requires a
successful DX check.

2 Living Door. Though not sentient, the door is very much alive and is
a distant relative of the ooze or slime. A living door is created when a
dungeoncrafter, through patience and time, coaxes any ooze or slime
to take up residence in the dungeon in an exact location. A living
door can only be opened by placing food – plants or meat – on one
edge of the door. The creature then folds in on itself and attempts to
consume the offered food.

3 Gemlocked Door. This steel door has been magically adapted so that
it will only open when a small gemstone (50 gp or greater value) is
slid into an opening 5-inches in diameter. The door breaks down and
absorbs the gem, using it to sustain the spell. One gem opens the door
for one minute.

4 Door of Bones. Created from the bones of defeated, animated skel-

etons, the door is an undead creature and will attack any who pull at
the handle unless they first speak the secret word.