B/X Companion: Here There Be Monsters

[Here are those samples from the monster chapter I promised yesterday (busy at work, so don’t expect much more the next couple days). Enjoy!]


From the introduction to Part 6: MONSTERS (B/X
Companion):

“Companion” level monsters reflect the types of menace that would be threats in high level play, i.e. threats to dominions and strongholds. These include gigantic monsters, highly intelligent and organized adversaries, and scourges that can spread discord and insurrection or cause mass destruction by themselves. Some are legendary monsters that might make powerful foes for questing high level adventurers. Others are of demonic or divine origin, helping to advance the agendas of the gods themselves.


Sample Monster (a new spin on an old favorite):


Dokkalfar

Armor Class: 2 or better............No. Appearing: 1-6 (5-30)
Hit Dice: 1**.......................Save As: Elf 1
Move: 120’ (40’)....................Morale: 8 (10 with leader)
Attacks: 1 Weapon...................Treasure Type: T (and A)
Damage: By weapon +1 or better......Alignment: Chaotic

The Dokkalfar are a race of elves living deep beneath the earth after losing a war against their surface relations in ages past. Pale and wan compared to normal elves, these Dark Elves are evil, cruel, and calculating, dominating much of the monster population they contact. They have uneasy relations at best with dwarves and gnomes, and detest the Ljosalfar (as they call their “light elf” relatives).

Dokkalfar are similar to their surface cousins, save temperament. They have an aversion to fire magic and will not use it, instead preferring icy equivalents (for example, frostball instead of fireball). They wear beautifully fashioned chainmail of a special “darkmetal” that grants at least a +1 bonus without being magical, and they are armed with well-crafted weapons and bucklers made of the same material. They also wield small, one-handed crossbows of their own design, whose quarrels do D4 damage but are coated with a paralyzing poison (save at -2).

From centuries of living underground, Dokkalfar cannot stand bright light…even a continual light spell will cause them a -1 penalty to hit, AC, Morale, and saves and full daylight will double this. The touch of sunlight causes the destruction of their special arms and armor (decaying to uselessness upon contact and dissolving completely in D4 rounds). Although they sometimes use dim and smoky torches, all dark elves have near perfect ability to see in darkness. Dokkalfar normally travel in heavily armed companies, and will always be led by a leader of level 7-9 and at least one lieutenant of half the leader’s level. Some Dokkalfar forsake warfare altogether to pursue wizardry; these are treated as normal magic-users (though retaining their normal elven racial abilities). While subterranean outposts and strongholds are the usual place Dokkalfar are found, there are legends of a vast city of thousands, ancient and wicked in origin, where their depraved nobility joust on giant lizards and feast on slave-farmed fungus.


[by the way, sorry again for the poor HTML formatting; the entries look GREAT on my word processor, though]