Manse Stats + Play what you Rolled Races

Manse Stats

To generate your characters stats, roll 3d6 down the line. The stats are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Your numbers in your stats generate your stat modifiers, according to the table below. If your stat modifier total when added together is -1 or lower, you can reroll the character.

-2 on 3-4

-1 on 5-8

+0 on 9-12

+1 on 13-16

+2 on 17-18

Using this method; characters only rarely have exceptional modifiers or exceptional faults, but it is easier to roll characters with good/bad qualities then some other games. Additionally, it is easier to keep track of stat modifiers as they aren't going up or down quiet as often and you can take more stat damage without being crippled.

Play what you Rolled

After a player rolls a character; you get to decide your race. In this case, races do not have mechanical influences unless you're playing a special race as class or something. Instead; you get to pick a race based on what you rolled. Consider your stats and choose your class to fit what you are. You could always play a human, or any race of your choosing, but some may be more fitting then others.

Races can be anything but must fit within the confines of the game's basic limits. You cannot have a special ability that would give you a mechanical advantage, and your race must possess all the basic “human weaknesses” such as hunger, not being able to see in darkness, sleep, not being able to breath underwater, disease, and being susceptible to poison and level drain/negative energy. All of the “special powers” of your race come from your stats, or are implied to be constant throughout them instead of needing to have them be a separate thing that interferes with game balance.

Here is a list of races you could play based on your two highest stats + lowest stats and a character motivation for each one.

10 Example Play-Your-Stats Races

[1] Temple Snake

Highest- Str, Dex

Lowest- Con

You are a giant, albino snake man. Your skin constantly sheds and your body's naturally scales are falling out with age; your race has been inbred and diseased from ancient curses and the reserved royal bloodline. Despite being sleek and all muscle, you lack a lot of toughness the younger races possess. You quest to find an egg-mate who can breed life into your dying bloodline.

[2] Familial Beast

Highest- Str, Con

Lowest- Int

You are a wolf-bear man. Despite your fitness; you are easily distracted and lack focus, as well as having none of the sharp senses of your 4 legged kind. Your ancestors were once the primordial spirits of the mother bear and the father wolf; family is the most important thing for you and you will die to defend them.

[3] Elephant Man

Highest- Str, Int

Lowest- Dex

You're an elephant man. You're big, you're smart, but you're clumsy. Your sack feet and broad, wide animalistic fingers make you very poor at fine manipulation, but you're got great mental and magical power to go with your huge bulk and crushing momentum. You fan your ears out constantly to help regulate your body temperature and soak in the water and shade whenever you can.

[4] Hue'er

Highest- Int, Cha

Lowest- Str

You appear as a strange, painted, idealized form of being. Abstract and with few defining features, you are attractive and mystical, but lack much physical structure. You bleed ink. Despite being innately magical, you are still a mortal race, and are said to have been born when a Wizard fell in love with the surrealist painted figures he would draw when not practicing magic.

[5] Cnidis

Highest- Int, Dex

Lowest- Cha

As a jellyfish person; you are surprisingly strong and fast for what you are, even out of water. But you have no face and have a sort of disturbing, alien aura to you, making you hard for people to empathize with or put their trust into. Instead of punching people, you shock them with your wispy poison stingers, which have the same effect and damage as normal unarmed damage. Anyone knocked out with non-lethal unarmed damage by you is still conscious, but paralyzed.

[6] Ring Tail

Highest- Dex, Wis

Lowest- Int

You look like a lemur mixed with a raccoon. You have very flexible hands and fingers, and are very agile as well as perceptive; your sharp senses and whiskers help you avoid danger even in dark places. However, your people are very common among the poorest classes so you have a reputation for being untrustworthy and bad with money and planning.

[7] Noideous

Highest- Cha, Str

Lowest- Wis

You're a big fluffy dragon person. Your race appears similar to a bipedal dragon or dragon-born, but you do not have a breath weapon or scales. Your entire body is covered in luxurious, colorful fur and you are known for your huge personality. As with being quite tall and large, you are also known for being very strong and powerful in combat. However, your lack of worldliness and sensitivity to others means you tend to have low Wisdom and empathy.

[8] Black Rinser

Highest- Con, Wis

Lowest- Str

You're a black skinned, semi-gelatinous creature. Your people were once made in arcane laboratories, but slowly became more adapted to the rest of the world and became more accepted as a race other then as slaves to magic users. You don't have a face besides a small, always open breathing and speaking hole. You can absorb nutrients from food by merely touching it, and the food crumbles into dehydrated gray dust in your hands before being blow away by the wind. Your physical form is very tough when it comes to resisting damage and disease, and your sensory abilities are tied into your entire body, but your physical form is not as strong as creatures of flesh and bone.

[9] Pokal

Highest- Con, Cha

Lowest- Dex

Said to be the spirits of the wasteland sands and tales of traveling merchants brought to life. Pokal's ride the sands on huge metal fans and appear as people made of cloth, wrapped and bundled over and over and over. Underneath the cloth, they appear as yellow-ish stick figure people that wither away and die within a few hours if deprived of their clothing. Their hands are very mitten-like after being wrapped so much, so fine manipulation is difficult. Despite this, their race makes a living by traveling these harsh places and trading goods, and are known for being good hosts and guests and having a million fine greetings.

[10] Power Shroom

Highest- Int, Wis

Lowest- Con

Type of magic mushroom that absorbs ambient mana in forests and swamps. Occasionally, these mushrooms become so enriched by magical energy that they gain a spirit all their own, and become wandering magicians and mana-junkies. You have great magical potential in you, both for healing and destruction, but are physically vulnerable due to both your small size and material.

[Class] Witch-Goat

Witch-Goat

HD- d8; Witch as MU

AC- Base 12 from shaggy hide, max 14, witch max 12

You are not a witch. You are the Witch's goat. Or, you are her “familiar”. If your game uses alignment, you and your witch are always Chaotic. The Witch-Goat seduces young human and halfling women to the side of chaos and teaches them dark magic, and acts as their guide as well as master. Your witch advances exactly as an MU and has all the same spells, saves, equipment, and combat abilities of a generic MU. Your generated stats apply to you, the goat, and not to your witch. You can however substitute your Intelligence for hers when it comes to spellcraft. You grant magic to your witch, she does not need to truly understand or be capable of it without you.

Without a Witch, you cannot cast spells. You are physically a goat and cannot use weapons or put on armor on your own, even if you could acquire some that could fit you- You'd need someone else to put it on you. You start with the thief skill Climb Sheer Surfaces at 100% from your natural goat climbing ability. You can also gore people with your horns at 1d6 damage. You cannot speak. You can however perform several minor supernatural feats, usually used to demonstrate your power or to frighten the superstitious. These include being able to speak as a faint whisper within someone's ear, which is exclusive to your Witch or the girl you are grooming to become your witch. You can also rear up on two legs, make a scream that sounds like a man, or infect other animals you spend at least a day with diseases or cause them to exhibit supernatural events; like bloody milk or sudden panic. You can also cause nightmares in humans by staring at them as they sleep; or the window of the room they are sleeping in.

Your witch must commune with you to cast spells for the rest of the day; but you do not need to be present to her when casting. While she explores dungeons, you merely eat grass back on the farm. If your witch is killed or converted away from you; you can start grooming a new Witch who begins at 1^st level. You level up as normal; any Witch you groom can advance twice as quickly if you are a higher level, and you can also perform a sacrilegious, depraved ritual once per lunar cycle in the deepest woods with your Witch to advance her up a level immediately, as long as that is still equal or below your Witch-Goat level. In order for any girl to become your Witch, you have to convert her from her normal alignment step by step into Chaos, and get her to surrender herself to you. Some scholars believe that the demand of the Witch-Goat for young witches to give themselves to Satan is a universal concept; it simply requires giving total control to the familiar spirit, and any culturally offensive or chaotic being or figure can be stood in by the goat.

At 10^th level, you have become a Goat of the Sabbath and attract a coven of witches. The coven of 13 witches is made up of 10 level 1 witches, 2 medium level witch hirelings, and your primary witch as the leader. It is trivially easy to get them to do something you want, and they spread the message of Chaos into both their communities and the surrounding woods, attracting allied creatures and monsters of chaos. The other witches in the coven only occasionally cast spells or request your dark presence to aid them in their trivial lives, or are ex-witches who have become old and you have discarded for more attractive, younger witches. The lesser Witches in your coven do not need to commune with you every day to use spells; and instead carry your magic inside them until they cast an enchantment.

Also, you can transform into a man-shaped goat; a huge bipedal unnatural goat man capable of using tools and casting your own dark magic during the right night in the lunar cycle. In this form you count as having maximum HP, deal 1d12 damage with your cloven hooves, and your witches can freely fly through the air, dancing around your horns and screaming in the night. You also permanently grow a second penis, vertical to the first.

6 Lesser Fae

Sprite vs nameless fighter

[1] Fairy (1 hit point, -1 AC, flight, easy to trap, revive on lethal, minor spells)

Morale- 4; 16 if companion

Number- 1d4 around magic shrine

Correlate around magic fountains and shrines; fairies are the most magical of the lesser fae. They are highly prized among adventurers for their useful quality of being forced to revive whoever has captured them, which then sets them free. Upon lethal blow, restore 1d6 hit points and the fairy flies away free. Fairies who are not captives can do this up to 3 times in one day, and do not automatically flee upon healing a companion. Fairies enjoy living around Elves; who have ambient magic and treat them with much more respect then humans.

It's very easy to trap a fairy. Roll d20 + dexterity vs fairy AC to trap it in your hand, a bottle, bag, or other simply storage item. Releasing the fairy early gets you noting, unless you command it to cast a spell on you. Fairies can cast 1d4 randomly assigned Cleric spells of 1^st or 2^nd level, or can have some other useful effect, such as fixing equipment or planting a magic toadstool.

[2] Pixie (1 hit point, AC = 21, flight, annoying, cast hexes)

Morale- 13, flee when one dies

Number- 2d6 Group, 3d10 Swarm

Appear as glowing figures of youthful girls or boys dressed in leaves or gossemer. Pixies move extremely fast and have mischievous personalities; they may steal individual coins, unbuckle your belt or shoes, blow out your torch, tie your hair into knots, or may even start a tiny fire on your cloak. Pixies are almost impossible to strike, having AC 21, meaning an average, untrained person could never hit one. If you DO manage to strike a pixie in flight, it will instantly die and the other pixies will flee in panic. Hexes can do a maximum of 1 damage.

Pixies live in woodland and natural areas, and tend to enjoy playing with people. Children are treated more gently, and may be led back home if they are lost in the woods. Pixies will attempt to make adults lose a path or trail however, and have been known to act as or cast ghost lights to lead people far and deep into the woods. Trapping a pixie gets you nothing but a pissed off Pixie. Pixies also are too wild and disruptive to live in an Elf's hollow, but they often trespass to make a nuisance of themselves.

[3] Brownies (2 HD, +1 to hit & AC, 1d4 magic bite, stealthy, animal empathy)

Morale- 8; bite once then run

Number- Usually 1; Groups of 2d6 burrow together

Brownies appear as little boys in full body animal costumes; they also appear as bipedal animals to younger people or anyone with an Int or Wis modifier of -2 or lower. The race of the Brownie appears as the viewer's own race, or sometimes as the most common race of the group that encounters them. Brownies are skittish creatures that live in the woods and eat nuts, seeds, insects, and scavenge and store food for the winter.

Brownies are mostly solitary, but groups of them live together in a single home, usually carved into a hillside or in a huge fallen tree, spending all day sleeping, singing songs, and playing games instead of being outside in the cold. Brownies love to help Elves and magicians they find trustworthy. Brownies are very closely tied to the will and health of the wild where they live, and are adept at finding things. To an Elf craftsman; the first green tree of spring and a leaf from a tree where a man was hanged are about as different as iron and copper to a human smith; Brownies collect minor magical plants and other materials in the woods like this and bring them to their friends.

[4] Knocker (1 HD, +2 AC, 1d4 knobbly stick, invisible)

Morale- 10; doesn't fight besides smacking your shins

Number- Usually 1

Knockers are hobbled, stick-carrying spirits that look like really old elves, but are almost always invisible. They carry around a stick which they knock against windows, floor boards, and trees to create noise to scare humans who encroach on them or disturb places they like. Knockers are normally helpful spirits; and often a family will hear a knocking on a specific floorboard until they check and find buried treasure underneath. The Knockers also help dwarf and human miners by knocking along rocks that have gems or hidden veins of ore within. For this; mortal races often leave out sugary treats, especially things one doesn't need to chew since Knockers are so old they lost their teeth.

Knockers don't fight, expect to smack the shins of people who swear nearby, or those who are trying to actually find the reclusive fae. This damage is nonlethal, but still causes injury and often limping. People with an unexplained limp will often be accused of angering a knocker. The Knocker's stick loses its invisibility if it is left alone for a period of time; sometimes sticks propped up against trees or stones in the wood are thought of as Knocker sticks that they forgot or put aside while bathing. Beyond their usefulness in making magic wands; most advise against taking them as this will bring the Knocker's wrath upon you.

[5] Sprite (3 HD, +1 to hit, +3 AC, 1d6 magic blast, Flight, Casts Spells)

Morale- 13

Number- 1d4

Somewhat similar to a fairy or pixie, but much more “grown up” and more powerful. Sprites appear as small humanoids but can also grow to human size. While in their small form they retain their HP but have an AC of 20 like a Pixie and can cast spells in either form. Damaging and healing spells in their small form only do a maximum of 1 damage; Fireball could roast a few rats but not people for example. Spells that do not do direct damage or healing can be cast at full strength, simply requiring multiple casts or the range of the spell is decreased proportionally to the size of the Sprite.

Sprites are though to be the handmaidens and servants of the royalty of the fae realms; the True Fae. Sprites have more human and understandable motives and sensibilities then other fairies do, but are easily bound by contract and tradition. More then once has a young woman with partially royal blood has had Sprite attendants aid her in taking a throne or simply improving her life due to ancient treaties between the fairies and the humans. Beyond casting spells; Sprites can also simply wave their wand to produce a magic blast that deals 1d6 damage but cannot kill. The final blow simply knocks the target out or transforms them into something harmless for an exploration turn.

[6] Shellycoat (2 HD, +1 AC, collects shells, drops shells instead of taking damage, goes with fog)

Morale- 7

Number- 1 or 2

Shellycoats are fae that only stalk along beaches and coasts during the foggy days and nights. They appear as short, stunted figures wearing long brown cloaks. Their face is hidden but if looked at closely they appear very gremlin or goblin like. They are cowardly creatures and do not like to fight; instead they only like to pick up sea shells. They are so named for the fact that they collect dozens, if not hundreds, of shells beneath their coats and for the great rattling sounds they make as they walk. Whenever you hit a shelly coat, it may drop a shell per point of damage to ignore that point of damage. There is a 1 in 20 chance that a given shell dropped by one is of an unusual color, somewhat rare or valuable, or an oyster with a pearl still stuck inside.

Shellycoats also seem to be able to disappear with the fog, and do not like to hang around while the fog is receding, less they be cut off from easy escape back to their fae home. While cowardly, they can speak and may be enticed to trade with humans if the human offers them a shell that is colorful, rare, or magical enough to spark their interest. Shellcoats will trade you with one of the following for a special shell;

Shellycoat Table - 1d6

[1] The location of a sunken ship just off of shore. Contains pirate gold.

[2] Magical pearl. If worn on a necklace adds +1 to Charisma modifier, but attracts thieves.

[3] Shrimp potion. Turns you into a shrimp for 1d6 hours.

[4] Slippery Shell. Can make the shell drop from you to avoid 1 point of damage, like a Shellycoat.

[5] Fog wand. Magic wand that can produce a cloud of fog big enough to hide 3 people once per day.

[6] Fairy Worrystone. Rubbing the stone in a fairy woad has 50% chance to attract a fairy to you.

Quill Giant

Art by Eugene Korolev

Quill Giant (7 HD, +6 AC, 1d10 stomp, all melee attackers take 1d4+1 when they hit except for spears, sheds quills at range dealing 1d6+1 to all in 40ft area- bombardment save for half, ball roll)

Morale- 17; disinterested in chasing

Numbers- 1, 10% chance of a pair during summer months

This massive porcupine giant is said to be the remnants of the first animal Gods, or their first born depraved children. Quill giants travel the world looking for places to live for a few days, and then travel onwards, with no home. All the possessions they carry they carry in their sack, which includes items of value equal to a small treasure hoard. These items include old goblets, travelers coins and clothes, as well as a few skulls with quills driven through the eye sockets. Some of these items are from ages upon ages ago. 1 in 6 chance of a magic item among them.

Quills taken from the Quill giant can be used for multiple purposes and degrade very slowly; properly preserved they can last centuries. You can use a Quill as a makeshift javelin or crossbow projectile at -1 to hit and 1d6 or class damage. Quill giants may sometimes curl up into a ball, gain +2 AC, and roll across the ground against a large or superior force of attackers; this move deals 2d10 damage or death if you fail your saving throw to get the hell out of the way.

Overwhelm Rules

Into the Odd featured these Detachment rules that I ended up really liking. They're more character-focused then mass combat; but are instantly useful if you want to say how a character can (or more accurately, cannot) fight a massive group of soldiers.

To summarize; Detachments were groups of 50+ men or more that dealt enhanced damage to characters and couldn't be fought except with something that could actually damage a large group of men in any efficient amount of time. You could kill individuals but that wouldn't be enough to stop the main mass of the group from destroying you with sheer numbers and overwhelming force. Sooga games promised us extra rules for this; but never delivered. That bastard. Here's mine.

Overwhelm

When you are facing a force far beyond something a small rag-tag team of adventurers could reasonably fight in combat; you are being Overwhelmed. There are three types.

Numbers

An army or detachment of men of at least 50+ members is considered a detachment. Regular character attacks do not harm the detachment unless the attack is explosive or large scale. Spells that do not target multiple enemies are not effective against detachments. Detachments deal 1d12 damage to each enemy they are facing per turn; no to hit roll needed. If you consider this too powerful, instead let the Detachment make one attack with advantage per round against each enemy; using the highest to-hit modifier any of its member have.

Huge

Huge enemies include something very large; something bigger then your average big adult dragon would have to count. Massive tarrasques or boar-headedworms from beneath the earth might count. In the same way, attacks can only hurt Huge enemies if the weapon itself is huge, at least as proportionally large as a knife would be to a human or magical enough to count as huge. Area of effect spells or body-affecting spells are not effective against huge monsters. Any attacks the boss makes deals 1d12 damage again from simple stomps and great sweeping tail slams.

Superior/Divine

For demigods, avatars of gods, or spirit beings of power levels far beyond normal mortals a divine being is considered enhanced in the same was a Detachment or Huge monster is; despite being an individual. You can't hurt a divine being unless you have a supremely magic weapon, or something of sufficiently opposed energy in order to actually harm the immortal- any attack or spell you cast would brush off them without harm or be easily deflected. Divine beings deal 1d12 damage against everyone; a simple wave of their sword cuts any foe even without physical contact in a wave extending outwards from the attack; they are far above you.

If your character is at 10^th level, they may be capable of facing something enhanced via Overwhelmed rules head on of ONE template. So a level 10 Fighter could fight an enemy detachment as though it was stated as a single unit, or may actually be able to injure a giant creature, or may be able to duel a demigod without immediately being defeated. Two different types of Overwhelmed types or equivalents could also face each other without issue; an army could fight a huge beast somewhat effectively from sheer numbers and so on.

Multiple stacking rules; such as a huge godling or an army of giant monsters, count as being enhanced twice as much. Their attacks count as save or die effects instead of 1d12 against anything that isn't at least level 10 or also a detachment-tier powerhouse; plus they are essentially invulnerable unless the foe they are facing is also at detachment level or "stronger". Players don't really get to this level without some serious bullshit.

20 Fantasy Pests

[1] 'Noblin. Shittier version of a goblin; about the size and smarts of a rat, but somehow more pathetic. Steals small items, tips over small objects, spreads crumbs, peel chips of paint, and do other annoying things around the house. Some claim are the reincarnated spirits of goblins who didn't do enough evil.

[2] Pixie. Very small, agile, annoying creatures that like to prank you and cast minor hexes. Live in the forests and sometimes lure people away with ghostly lights.

[3] Astral Bunny. Very cute, glowing bunny rabbit. Well liked by Wizards and apprentices, until it tears up their reagent garden and destroy all of their mana-rich plants. Need a magic trap or dog to hunt these, or Cloudkill their whole burrow.

[4] Repeater Raven. Loud cawing raven that screams a random word or phrase. This word or phrase will repeat in your head over and over until you can find a situation to use it in conversation. Whispering it or saying it to yourself doesn't work. Deals -1d4 Charisma damage if you take more then a day to say the phrase, but is restored as soon as you say the repeated phrase.

[5] Prismatic Mantids. Tiny, tiny preying mantis creatures that live on colorful flowers. Have a million different species, each with the exact same color as the flower they live on; go extinct all the time. Annoying because you can't see them before they snip at your finger and give you a tiny little cut if you tried to grab their flower.

[6] Sky Manta-Ray. Their bottom is light blue as the sky and can simulate clouds. Bumps into wizard towers all the time and come tumbling to the ground, or accidentally fly into open windows and get stuck in rooms. Die if they touch anything.

[7] Zamberloon. One eye, one tooth, one arm, one leg; bright purple. Try to saw the limbs off newborn infants, but thankfully too weak to do that even if they manage to hop in through the window. Still injuring infants with little bites and sometimes makes them sick. Rumors of huge ones that live far away that rip and stomp apart men.

[8] Splintercat. Extremely fast cat that slams into trees headfirst, causing splints and branches to fly off everywhere, but leave the tree still standing. Said to always have a bad headache because of this. If you piss one off, it will charge at you at such speed it does 2d6 damage and ruin your armor.

[9] Shattercat. Closely related to a Splintercat; said to suddenly burst forth from a tree when a lumberjack hits it with his axe; causing splinters to rain down on him. Many believe these two to be the same species; the Shattercat merely being a nesting or nursing Splintercat.

[10] Ratlisk. Basilisk mixed with a rat; snake that slithers around with a rat's head. It's glare can kill anything with >1 HD; humans and bigger are only stunned for a round instead. Eats housecats.

[11] Shutlid. Elastic muscle-like creature mixed with a slug. Grows inside of treasure chests, drawers, and pots and sticks itself to the lid, making it nearly impossible to open. Takes 3 or 4 of the strongest men in the village with iron prybars to open up something it nests in.

[12] Chickenfox. It's a fox that is wearing a chicken's costume. Nobody knows if foxes are actually smart enough to make a costume like that, of if it's the work of some forest spirits or something else. Live among chickens, slowly dwindling their numbers as the farmer is confused as to what is killing his chickens. But sometimes it's tail pokes out and it doesn't lay eggs; so attentive farmers can figure it out.

[13] Rust Puppy. It's a cute little red doggy that likes to play with magic wands, swords, armor, scrolls, and destroy them. Can actually damage and drain these items of their enchantments. Immortal dogs that are ignored by most creatures; if fed enough magic items can actually grow into an adult Rust Dog and be trained to use its nose to sniff out magic. Popular pets among Wizards.

[14] Invisible Fleas. Fleas that cause instant itching sensation, invisible, jump from creature to creature. Not very dangerous unless quarantined on one being; itching sensation will get so intense and bites will get so common as to cause insanity and health loss. Can be killed by invisible pesticide.

[15] Pillow Bogey. Imp that lives in pillows and beds; comes out at night to spread rheum around your eyes, mat your hair, and give you bad breath. You get rid of them by literally beating your pillows until they run out.

[16] Iron-Dick Beetles. Beetles that hibernate every few years and, during mating season, swarm outside. Climb onto rocks, bricks, anything hard enough to slam their iron-tipped penises and create a very loud, annoying noise. They do this to attract mates. Absolutely despised for both the loud noise and because they damage and destroy ceramic tiles, masonry, and cobbelstones.

[17] Ontoppers. Invisible spirit creatures that like to stack and balance rocks on top of high places and pointy roofs when nobody is watching. Sometimes the rocks fall down and injure people or break things, so to appease the spirits people in villages that have them make small cairn stones that the Ontoppers can play with.

[18] Black Laughter. Wispy spirit that gathers to places of tragedy, funerals, and sacred places. Makes low, whispering laughter to get people to accuse each other of laughing and mocking the sacred. Wizards like to catch them for use in alchemy.

[19] Hydrelephant. Huge filter feeding 'mass' that lives in rivers and swamps. It's paper thin and transparent, so whenever living creatures get near it it swells up to a huge size and spits water at them. Despite being as big as an elephant and shooting water strong enough to knock over a fully grown man, it's not really dangerous unless it knocks you downstream.

[20] Boggarts. Creatures that live in darkness and eat dust; usually hide within closets or inside cabinets. They cannot stand light, so if someone opens their hiding place they'll take the form of a creature that scares people and jump out, so they can run away and dissipate safely. Lesser boggarts take the form of things like goblins, snakes, big spiders, imps and so on, but cannot actually hurt people. It is said there are some boggarts that can actually shapeshift into very dangerous creatures.

Monster Family- The Slaugh (Dark Elves)

From left to right: Slaugh, Spindlelimb, Boggart Box, Lumpus. White outline is human for scale.

Slaugh (1-2 HD, +2 to hit, +4 AC, 1d6+1 cruel weapons, magic armor & magic resistance, 1 in 6 chance to know a random 1^st or 2^nd Circle Spell- can cast once in combat)

Morale- 14

Numbers- 1d4+1 Scouts, 2d6 Tunnel Guards, 4d10 Detachment

The Slaugh are the twisted, dark spawn of Elves and the Red God, banished deep below the Earth. While physically small and weak, the Slaugh are ageless and live for centuries- and they spend much of that time perfecting the art of death and torture. Despite their weakness, they are very skilled and highly trained warriors, well drilled, and with high morale and loyalty to their companions. The Slaugh are totally blind, but make up for this with an almost 6^th sense for living things and their other senses honed to perfection in the years lurking in the darkness.

As with normal Elves, Slaugh have the power to craft magic items and are skilled at artifice. They wield black iron daggers and hooks forged from metal mined in pits where no light is allowed to enter and combine them with their dark magic. The average Slaugh is armed with magic weapons, and can strike anything a normal weapon could not. Their lightweight black armor is made in the same way and has some immunities that normal armor does not, including resistance to magic. As long as their armor and masks remain intact; all Slaugh treat their HD as +2 for the purposes of resisting magic and spell saves. If you use Cleave rules for Fighters, the Slaugh are too ornery for that too, and you cannot gain the additional attacks vs 1 HD targets against Slaugh as you could against other 1 HD monsters. Their equipment is not magic in the hands of anyone but a Slaugh or Elf.

Slaugh organize themselves into clans and wear masks. Their masks have no paints or distinguishing features, beyond the unique textures, bumps, and ripples each mask have; they tell each other apart by touch. The Slaugh wear these masks as a parody of the faces of sighted beings. The smooth black metal they use is easily shaped by their hands like clay, and that is how they craft their visage. The size and shape of the mask is based on their clan, where as the texture is unique the individual. Slaugh extend their hands at different heights to invite the other to press the mask against it; outstretched for equals, lower to the ground for superiors to their inferiors. This forces the lesser Slaugh to kneel in order for his mask to be felt, and his or her place to be known.

Splindlelimb Slaugh (2-3 HD, +3 to hit, +4 AC, 1d6+1 cruel weapons, 1d8+1 cruel javelins, magic armor & magic resistance, pickpocket, climbs up walls and ceilings)

Morale- 14

Numbers- 1d6 Stalkers, +1d4 accompanying a Slaugh group

The Spindlelimb or Spindleslaugh are a Slaugh that have long, extended hands, fingers, and legs. Uncommon, but sometimes found with groups of Slaugh as fire support. Throws black metal javelins, as wood to create bows is almost unheard of in the underrealm, also fights up close with knives. Can move almost silently and their long limbs make them experts at stealing; target supply items like rations from a pack to starve you out, or better yet steal your map to keep you lost in their realm. Tiny expert knife punctures to leak out your oil or water flask is another common tactic if they don't think they can slit your throat successfully. Expert grapplers and know many holds and throws that work even on larger opponents like humans.

Spindlelimb Slaugh are only chosen from the physically largest and most imposing of the Slaugh. Beyond receiving extra food and training, they are also tortured every day by being put on the rack and have their arms, legs, spine, and fingers extended. This is a willing process, and brings great honor to the Slaugh's clan to become a Spindlelimb. Despite not being much heavier or larger then your average Slaugh, they have the general profile and reach of a human man. This leverage and special status means they are used as either specialized troops; throwing javelins or as assassins that climb and stalk the underrealm and kill its trespassers.

Due to the difficulty of climbing and squeezing through tight caverns that they frequent, Spindlelimb Slaugh are not given masks, and are not allowed to participate in communal raising of children in clans. Any genetic traits of the Spinelimbs to be larger then other Slaugh just increases the risk of death in childbirth by female Slaugh. This makes them outcasts of their own kind; their stalking and murdering of trespassers often done in small groups of their own kind or they join warbands in progress once they leave their clan's chambers. This does not mean Spindleslaugh are treated poorly or thought of as lessers, they are simply bared from the familiar aspects of their race and as such are even more cruel and driven against their adversaries.

Fetal Mandragora (1 HD, scream if light falls on them, cursed scream deals 1d4 stat damage to a random stat vs nearest party member per round)

Morale- N/A

Numbers- 1d4 Tunnel Alarms, occasionally carried by Slaugh magicians or warbands

This horrible thing is the remnants of 1d4 stillborn Slaugh infants; tied to a metal post and frame built in the shape of its clan and animated with dark magic. They are used as alarms for areas nearby where Slaugh are posted, as their screams can be heard from quite a distance. It can be hacked apart quite easily, but if your system uses sanity mechanics it reduces your sanity/conviction by -1 on kill.

Slaugh raise their children as a clan. Due to the constant darkness and difficulty to attribute identify to a non-masked individual, as well as common death in childbirth and child rearing; young Slaugh can be raised by and taught by multiple 'mother' Slaugh, and may never know the true identify of their biological mother and father. Instead, they are raised with the group and taught loyalty and arts of war and magic by all members of the clan. Status is earned by merit and age instead of bloodline. The remains of stillborn Slaugh are still given one last place among their people; as the fetal mandragora.

Sometimes, the Mandragora are carried by Slaugh magicians into combat and used as a form of staff to focus dark magic. When carried like this increases damage and saving throw difficulty of spells by +2 until the mandragora is killed or disarmed. It can also be used as a battle standard. As long as it is being carried into a battle by any Slaugh it grants them +1 morale.

Boggart Box (1 HD, +3 AC, mindless construct that stands still once opened)

Morale- N/A

Numbers- 1 to 2 with Slaugh detachment, 1d4 in Slaugh Clan Grounds

This is a simple animated construct that releases a Greater Boggart. As with pure elves, Slaugh have innate magic when it comes to craftsmenship and this spider-like contraption is created through that magic. If the Boggart Box is destroyed, any Boggarts who flee the combat or are turned via magic will flee into the dark crevices of the caverns and go deeper into the Earth instead of returning to the box.

If a Boggart is forced to flee, as it itself is a cowardly creature, it will always return to its box first unless cut off or the box is destroyed. Once returned to the box, the boggart will regain its courage in a number of rounds equal to its HD. If the Slaugh group are being lead by a powerful Slaugh sorcerer or someone wielding a Fetal Mandragora, it takes one less turn to return.

Despite being a mindless construct with a very specific purpose; the spider-like movements of the box are incredibly fluid and it can take great evasive action as long as it holds a boggart, being able to jump over small chasms and avoid weapon attacks. It can only do this as long as it holds a boggart, as the moment it is released to fight the box simply stands still, losing its dark motion until reunited.

Greater Boggart (2-4 HD, +0-2 HD for party condition, save modified by Wisdom on appearance, nightmare powers based on feared creature, add HD to damage against shaken opponent, possess and hold characters of lower level then Boggart HD)

Morale- 8; returns to box on flee, else flees permanently into caverns

Numbers- As Boggart Box

The Boggart is a fearsome and infamous creature. It's “true” form is little more then a dark mist, but the Boggart is a shapeshifter and it transforms into the creature the person facing it fears most. Normal, “lesser” Boggarts exist on the surface world in haunted houses and scary old antiques as a form of harmless house spirit, using its fear abilities to scare people when its hiding place is uncovered and giving it enough time to flee to safety- only appearing as one creature for but a moment. Greater Boggarts are much more powerful and appear as a swirling mass of many creatures, dominated by the form of the closest engaging opponent but with common phobias appearing in the fog.

Boggarts become more powerful depending on the fear and stress of the party. On the first round of combat when they appear, the engaging player must make a save modified by Wisdom modifier or feel shaken. If this is appplied to a hireling, they lose 1 loyalty permanently and must also make a morale check to avoid fleeing. Whatever creature the engaging character fears most the Boggart becomes and gains the attacks, AC, and basic abilities of. These abilities are “lesser” then the creatures true abilities or are partially illusion based. For example, a Gorgon could not truly petrify someone, but it could make them stiff and drop their Dex mod to -2 temporarily and think their skin has a stone-like texture. These types of over time effects last until the Boggart switches to a new form.

The Boggart, when injured or threatened by a character with level under its HD, will invade and 'possess' this character. They invade them through the nose or mouth, and trap them in their mind within a nightmare, and they fall to the floor. The nightmare they are trapped within deals the monster's HD in damage per round the trapped character fails a hard save modified by Wisdom, and forces them to live out their worst fears and horrible, soul crushing fantasies. While under this effect, the Boggart cannot be hurt by physical attacks without harming the person they are possessing, as they are within their body. By succeeding three hard saves in a row or receiving help from the outside they can break the Boggart's control and expel it from their body. The Boggart will retreat once forced out.

Slaugh Immortal (3-5 HD, +2 to hit, +2 AC, 1d4+1 cruel staff or Fetal Mandragora, magic armor & magic resistance, command darkness, +2 leadership, cast spells, “returns” from death)

Morale- 14, 16 when on clan grounds

Numbers- Always 1, may lead Detachment

The rulers of the Slaugh clans are the immortals. Immortals, like all Slaugh, are truly long lived and have large and ornate clan-masks. Much of their time has been dedicated to mastering dark magic instead of combat skills, but the continue the Slaugh martial traditional and wear magic armor. These Slaugh are so named immortal as they are said to return from death; as the mask they wear holds a portion of each of their line, and the next to wear it will receive some of their knowledge.

Slaugh Immortals are so closely entwined with the powers of the underrealm that they can command darkness. Around them, they can cast an inky black shell that grants +2 AC from ranged weapons and spells that require an attack roll. They can also hound a formidable, hazy darkness that can cause terror and confusion in the weak willed; making an easy save to avoid being confused for a round and making a morale check. They can also use darkness to choke out a source of light the party is using, such as supernatural light from a Sage or spell, or from torches and lanterns. Using these abilities takes up their combat round, unless if they wield a still animate Fetal Mandragora, in which case they can use them in addition to attacking or using a spell.

Slaugh Immortals are very powerful dark sorcerers. Regardless of their HD or spell progression for monsters, they are capable of casting a single 3^rd Circle spell. They can also add their +2 HD bonus, while wearing their arcane version of the black armor, to magic for the purpose of determine opposing saves or counter spell viability. If you're using the one-spell-per-level method of spell slots and spell circle system; treat their HD is +2 from this bonus for their total spell slots. All Slaugh spells are focused on offensive and cursing capabilities; they do not learn defensive or healing magic. Additionally; the Immortal is a leader and adds +2 morale to all creatures it is commanding. When the Immortal is killed, this bonus is lost and creatures make a morale check.

Lumpus (6-8 HD, +1 to hit, two 1d8 flabby claw attacks, extra 1d6 “darkness” attacks AND bonus AC equal to HD-X, where as X is the number of torches party is carrying/light level)

Morale- 11

Numbers- 1 or 2

The Lumpus is a very strong creature of darkness. It is said to be closely related to the Grue, but isn't as powerful and is less negatively impacted by light. Like many creatures of the utterdarkness beneath the world, the Lumpus appears unearthly and treats surface dwelling beings with extreme prejudice, as if merely being here is violating some sort of natural law. Unlike most creatures and beings the Slaugh command; the Lumpus has eyes. Very large, bright eyes that it uses to see even in darkness. It is also strangely attached to color, and will sometimes just stare at the hair or colorful outfit of a corpse, long after it had finished tearing them to shreds.

The Lumpus gains bonus attacks and AC equal to the monster's HD-X, where as X is the number of torches or different torch-level sources of light the party has. The “darkness” attacks deal 1d6 damage, and just appear as gnawing black marks or scratches along the skin. These attacks happen against those the Lumpus is closest too, so even if the claws are blocked, the sheer malevolent darkness will hurt or kill you instead. If a Lumpus is exposed to direct sunlight, or a spell that mimics sunlight, they will fall to the ground and be stunned for 1d6 rounds.

Slaugh society has the highest and most successful clans being the most powerful, and having the best access to creatures. The Lumpus is one of the most highly prized monsters of the underdark, due to its strength and connection to elemental darkness. The Lumpus seem willing to serve the clans and patriarchs; but they are more intelligent then they seem. If one could find a way to communicate with a Lumpus, you could potentially turn them against the Slaugh or find an ally in the pitch black.

Red vs Blue Alignment

Blue

At the beginning of time, all of reality and being was a single entity; a totality of all consciousness and experience. It was a fractal, perfectly balanced existence, where every thing worked as one unit in perfect harmony. This entity was a gemstone; a perfect and flawless thing with all parts existing to serve all other parts, and all parts elated above all other parts. While containing all colors; the gem is said to have been “mostly blue” and as such is sometimes called the Sacred Sapphire; and before it was shattered to make the world, it was what everything was. While too abstract for living beings to fully understand, the totality of peaceful euphoria of this state has been given a moniker; Awe.

This state of awe was lost when a crack appeared; shattering and destroying the gemstone in a cataclysmic instant. The colors and shine from this gem spilled out everywhere; becoming the sky and ocean, the earth and mist, all animals and all plants were created from it. The shining brilliance of the gemstone condensed and became the sun, where as the soft subtle sheen of its facets became the moons and stars. Nobody knows what caused this great shattering; some believe it to have been the work of a nameless thing, or a rebellion or “fall from grace” from within the gem itself, and yet others think the gemstone shatters itself, to somehow enhance its own perfect beauty in a never ending cycle.

Now; many living beings worship this sapphire and its true nature as the true nature of all reality. They know that this life is a temporary, transient state, as all consciousness will be rejoined to Awe; death and life restore the shattered bits of gemstone, as the experiences one has in life and death help recreate the total oneness in Awe. Blue is the most sacred color, and while Red is associated with “the enemy”, all colors exist within Awe. Sages are said to channel the power of Awe in their prayers and will; their own light and healing restoring the fabric and color to the world's wrongness. Immortality and the undead are blasphemous, as they slow the rebuilding of the way things are meant to be.

Red

When the world was still young; there was a man. The Red God is a being of great power that has long lived as the first man; a patriarch of many beings. Laying alongside the eldest beings and creatures, the Red God has created family and mingled blood between many beings, and is the father of all the intelligent “monster” races. It is said that the Red God was the rebellious spark that shattered Awe apart, or others believe he existed outside of the Sapphire, and caused the shattering to create a world. Many more claim he was came to be afterwards; far after the beasts and monsters of the world.

The Red God still lives to this day- the ruler of the Red Cult and ruler of all monstrous races; despite the fact that his children are lost. Monstrous races fight amongst themselves, worship lesser beings, or mingle among the mortal folk. If the Red God were to unite all his children once more; he would have dominion over the entire world. He is a warrior and conqueror God. The magic of spellcraft and Wizardry is seen as a necessarily evil; as it is weakness to rely on the power of the cosmos when you have power from within- The supernaturally skillful, strong, and naturally gifted abilities; as well as the culturally taught and learned magical powers, these are to be cherished and cultivated.

Now; some beings worship the Red God as their father or leader. According to teachings of the Red One; immortality is an utmost goal and should be sought, as death and rejoining with “the Awe” is the death of one's ego and one's own control over the world; ones own destiny is in their own hands. When his followers perish, they are reborn into the bodies of new beings; sometimes changed by their deeds or given new titles and powers- all to avoid being lost forever to the lie of universal oneness. Being subsumed into something greater then oneself is no different then being consumed.

Fantasy Slum Apartment Encounters

[1] Spider Floor. The main hallways are covered in massive tangles of cobwebs, and the rooms are much worse. Whenever a wandering monster is encountered, treat it as (5). One of the residents of this floor is a drow spy.

[2] Floor designed with magic sliding sideways elevators to get people to and from their rooms. Mischievous children try to trick people into walking around the apparently empty hallways only for them to get battered or crushed by the sliding elevators.

[3] This floor has a door bolted and chained shut with many heavy locks and contains a small collection bowl and 'slit' coated in dried blood. The door opens if blood is fed into the bowl, which awakens and agitates the monster within. If the locks are picked instead, the monster will be asleep and easy to avoid waking it up.

Assassin Vampire Bug Monster (3 HD, +2 AC, attacks twice on first round, d6 talons, d4 proboscis that restores health equal to damage)

Morale: 16 if hungry, 12 if it ate some blood

Number Appearing: 1

The room also contains a sack of 1d10x10 copper and 1d6x5 silver coins on the body of the old landlord, whose corpse is dried and was totally drained of all fluids.

[4] Every resident of this floor is an ex-lunatic who are eccentric but otherwise not hostile. This floor contains secret entrances through trapdoors that lead to a Silent Hill-esque otherworld that contains the negative psychic energy of the residents. The residents are all aware of it. Every turn in the otherworld roll 1d6 and encounter that many fleshy projections.

Fleshy Projections (1HD, d6 body slam, shaped like personifications of psychological issues.)

Morale: N/A

[5] This floor is the territory of the Silver Cup gang. This minor gang is only really known in this building and around it, but they are extremely territorial and will kill anyone who crosses them.

If the party makes a strong reaction check, they'll ask you to steal some silver heirlooms from [11] and pay you half. They'll ambush you if you return for any reason; assuming you have the prize.

Silver Cup Thug (1HD, 1d4+1 shiny knife, can 1 in 6 escape a fight by ducking into a side room with a loyalist hiding them within)

Number: 1d6 if cup disturbed, 1d6+2 with leader

Morale: 11 + 1 with Leader

Silver Cup Leader (2 HD, 1d8+1 shiny sword, can 1 in 6 conscript a random floor tenant to attack the party with an improvised weapon with -2 to hit)

Number: 1

Morale: 13

[6] This floor has no windows. Everyone living here is a vampire, but are respectful and do not attack the party unless the party attacks first or tries to use holy symbols to turn them.

The vampires also have 1d6 human & halfling blood cattle in each of their rooms; the drugged up beings are criminals and runaway slaves and were granted to the vampires by the lords of the realm in return for not hunting normal citizens and to use their powers to serve the crown when asked.

[7] This entire floor has been turned into a massive board game. Every spot on the floor has been turned into small tiles with little carved and painted game pieces everywhere. The rules seem similar to chess but with many more complex pieces and movement rules, as well as objectives. Knocking over any of their game pieces makes the genius children, who control the floor, furious.

Assisting them in making a useful move against a rival and the child's insight will grant the character a permanent +1 intelligence.

[8] Haggler's Den. This floor of the slum apartments is filled with all kinds of traders, merchants, and craftsmen. Several supernatural creatures appear here through paper charms tied over doorways that lead nowhere in the physical world. These creatures along with the merchants here means you can buy almost anything here, but you must give up pieces of yourself to afford it.

[9] The dragon floor. All the doorknobs here are carved into poorly made dragon heads. The walls are painted with doodles of dragons of all colors and kinds. The residents are totally enamored with them. 1 in 4 chance that they're under some kind of dragon hypnotism magic trying to gather information of juicy hoards for a dragon to steal. Needless to say, if anyone in the party is a dragon, dragonborn, or somehow related to dragons they will be subject to much attention by the residents.

You can purchase dragon fireworks for 150 coins each. The fireworks act like ranged arrow attacks that deal 1d6 fire damage, or can be shot into the sky to create a dazzling display. One spark could set the whole seedy workshop up in smoke.

[10] This floor is filled to the brim with junk, everyone here is a hoarder. If you pay the landlord 1d10x10 silver, he'll let you take a handful of items you want from the piles of junk, since everyone here owes him rent anyway.

If you search the junk, you'll find a minor magic item. Roll 1d6-

1. Useless clay doll worth 50 gold. Nobody knows why it's worth that much, it's just the agreed upon price by basically everyone who sees it.
2. Ring of Summon Insignificant Earth Elemental. Creates a tiny golem out of dust, dirt, and pebbles that is just heavy enough to activate pressure plates. One use per day.
3. Yesterday's News. Piece of paper that constantly writes out just forgotten bits of gossip and rumor from recent memory.
4. Mummified corpse of a Jurik dwarf. Useless on its own, but if blended and mixed in with a potion, the potion's effects last for weeks.
5. Shard of a wise, talking sword. The Shard could be made into a dagger, which has an ounce of the sword's original personality.
6. Tiny immortal beetle that shapes the sand in its box to spell out the name of the last person who cast a spell upon its owner. It doesn't write in common.

[11] This floor is filled with Og. Tall, fat, and somewhat dull creatures closely related to ogres. They are intelligent and friendly, and have some skill in magic. The ceilings here are much higher then normal and all the furniture is oversized and made of stone. They'll invite you to dinner as long as you don't attack them or call them Ogres.

The eldest Og has a stone chest which contains 2d8 silver bracelets, which around a human could serve as a stiff belt. They are worth their weight in silver, literally.

Og Strongman (3 HD, 1d6+2 stone club)

Number: 1d6+1

Morale: 12

Eldest Og (2 HD, 1d4+2 stone knife, can chant instead of attack- increases friendly Og's strength by +1 for rest of combat)

Number: 1

Morale: 13

[12] This floor is staffed with a small army of hobgoblins who serve every whim of the residents. The hobgoblins are clearly unhappy, but are bound to the magic of a sage who bound them by speaking the secret words. The secret words are in a book hidden behind a secret panel in a closet in one of the rooms; occupied by a paranoid resident.

If you manage to find the secret words and speak them again, the hobgoblins will be freed and slaughter all the residents of the floor. They will spare you if they know you freed them, and will let you keep a pair of ruby earrings from the sage.

[13] This floor is covered in dirt and has plants growing around it everywhere. Large windows are kept open during the day to allow in birds and insects, as well as fresh air and as much light as possible. There are a few deer and even a fresh “stream” of water made up of metal pipes with a cycling fountain system.

Most people that live on the floor are either druids or elves and love it. The rest aren't and are miserable. You can spend a turn to gather 1d4 rations but have a 1 in 6 to encounter the bear.

Bear in the Rafters (4 HD, +2 AC, 2 claw attacks at 1d4, 1 bite at 1d8, enrages and gets +3 AC when at 6 or less HP, doesn't run once enraged)

Morale: 11

Number: 1

[14] This floor is a construction yard for an adjacent building. Instead of climbing all the way down every day and having to carry up and down their equipment, the workers just sleep in the next building over and zipline to the adjacent highrise being built.

It's noisy and smelly, and there are tools left out everywhere along with 1d4 grappling hooks. You can use a grappling hook to easily latch onto a building up to a street away or 3 stories higher up then you. You can also use a grappling hook while falling and make a save to catch yourself. The grappling hooks are worth 400 coins each and the workers will notice that they are missing in 1d6 hours and come looking for the thieves.

[15] This floor is made of stone and is home to dwarves. They prefer it to be pitch black, or at least as dark as possible, and ask people put out their torches. 1d6 human spectral-albino snake sorcerers also live here and will attack the party if any of the party members have ever stolen anything from a lost jungle snake-infested temple that the sorcerers just so happen to regard as a holy site. Spectral-albino people have semi-transparent white skin, and any amount of light can harm their organs, dealing 1 damage per round they are exposed to something as bright as a torch.

Spectral-albino Snake Sorcerer (1 HD, 1d4 poison fang-knife- easy save on hit or take 2d6 poison damage, can summon one 1HD poison viper- same poison as the knife)

[16] This floor is filling with retired veterans, burn victims, and people who live in pain due to injury or diseases. There is a kind old woman who comes from an exotic land that helps tend to the suffering here, and makes them feel better through her homemade rolls. Eating a roll will restore 1d4 HP and will also cure 1 point of any damage attribute.

The woman will gladly share 4 on a neutral or good reaction check, but is saving the rest for her other residents. She warns you that the rolls only work “in the home” and that the entire apartment complex is what she considers home, so the rolls will lose their magic the moment you leave.

You can also kill her to take all the rolls. If you do, she'll whisper the words “Karakazora” as a death curse. The person who delivered the killing blow or spell will be cursed to turn into a Karakazora over the next 2d6 weeks unless the curse is lifted by a Wish or magic of a strong Sage.

Karakazora (4 HD, +3 AC, long leg kick at 1d6, pulls weapons from pouch)

Looks like an evil furry kangaroo. It's pouch is similar to a bag of holding and holds several one handed weapons, the handles sticking out. It collects weapons and eats bugs. The Karakazora likes to jump around and wield two weapons at once if it can. It's native to a distant land.

[17] Floor for the guards. These guards patrol the city streets as well as the apartments, and only half of this floor can be visited by civilians. There are also several cells along the outside wall with a locked switch that can be pressed to remove the floor and drop the cell resident to their death on the streets below.

The guards who patrol this floor and make sure nobody is sneaking around their quarters are polite but professional and double check all visitors against wanted posters. Some guards carry a scroll with hundreds of tiny sketches, each a wanted criminal. If your characters are wanted, or Rogues of at least 3^rd level, they're probably on there and would need a disguise. If anyone in the party is a legendary criminal and identified, or if they are forced to call in for backup twice; the Guards will call in the Warden of the floor.

Polite Guards (2 HD, +4 AC from armor, 1d6 door-breaking axes, can pin your arms- make combat save + str bonus to break free)

Morale: 13, 15 with Warden

Number: 1d4+1

On a Good or Neutral reaction check, the guards pass you by, but will stop and question you if they see you loitering or on more then one round of patrols around the floor.

On a Bad reaction check, the Guards will demand you stop and explain what you're doing on the floor, as well as compare you to the faces on their wanted bounties scroll. Since there is always at least two guards, one of them watches you and the other reads the scroll, as to not be taken by surprise. Guards prefer not to kill if possible, instead using grabs and holds. When they lose morale, they will whistle for backup as they retreat to call more guards to aid them.

Warden (3 HD, +1 to hit, +4 AC from armor, 1d6+1 Unharming Sword, 1d4 Bolas, makes all combat saves at +2 from training)

Morale: 15

Number: Always 1

The Warden is the captain of this guard and also the Warden of the prisoners on this floor. He's a strong man that used a magic sword; deals hit point damage like a normal weapon but on a lethal hit instead of killing the wielder can choose to make it a nonlethal blow instead. He can also throw Bolas which ensnare a target's feet and preventing them from moving. Get -2 to all combat saves while still ensared and it's easy to be knocked over if you fail a save to hop around.

[18] Dirtier, dingier floor then normal. There is a man who has a little sign outside his door; he is a fleshgrafting doctor. If you bring him an antenna from (1) he can craft it onto your head, meaning you get no penalty “see” in darkness within a few feet for 1d4 days before the antenna dies and falls of naturally. He may also be able to do other hack jobs and will bind up wounds; health 1d6 and heal x10 that amount in standard coins. All random encounters with (1) have +1d6 roaches.

[19] Utilities floor. The management and city wanted to try and revolutionize this floor by providing flowing, clean water to every resident. There is an aqueduct that travels along each hallway and the entire floor is damp, rotted, and moldy from the humidity. There is a creature inside the central storage tank, as well as a huge pile of coins thrown into it as per a wishing well. Pile contains 2d10x50 coins.

The creature is determined randomly; roll either on your favorite aquatic monster table or use a baby giant squid.

Baby “Giant” Squid (2 HD, -1 AC out of water, 3 tentacle attacks at 1d4-1, entangles on a roll of 4, after entangle roll save to escape, will bite with beak at 1d6 if entangled)

Morale: 7, cannot flee and loses a turn instead

Number: 1

The baby squid dies after 2 exploration turn out of water. The bottom of the main water tank can be easily shattered by anyone with a blunt weapon and it is behind a locked door. The water will flood the floor and will only be ankle deep.

[20] This floor is crammed and extra packed. It's like a maze; some rooms are little bigger then the size of a closet, with tiny hallways everywhere. Also includes 1d6 tiny shop stalls; a hole cut into their bedroom wall to the outside adjoining hallway is the best they can do. The shops stock simple rations, rope, basic tools, money exchanging services, and materials for maps, and some common spell components.

Every fight here draws a crowd. If you roll a (2) on the Encounter table; there will be +1d6 extra hooligans and the residents will pass them simple weapons. They're rooting for the kids.

Wandering Encounters

Roll 1d6

(1) Giant Cockroach (2 HD, +3 AC, 1d4 Pincers, too dumb to die, scared of light)

Morale: 6, 11 in Darkness

Number: 1d6

The first time a Giant Cockroach takes lethal damage, it can act for 1d2 more rounds, despite it clearly being dead at this point. If its head is removed, it just runs around uselessly before dying. Extreme crushing damage, such as from a great maul or a golem's fist, negates this ability.

(2) Hooligans (1 HD, -2 AC, +1 to hit, 1d4 fists, scared of a real fight)

Morale: 9

Number: 1d10+1

Young punk kids looking to start fights. They want to fight with fists and feet for street cred and to show off to their friends, and will suffer a morale check when the first damaging spell is cast or real weapon is drawn. The Hooligans are multicultural and include humans, dwarves, young ogs, orcs, and a 60 year old “teenager” elf.

(3) Feral Cat (1 HD, +1 AC, 2 claw attacks at 1d4, surprise attack)

Morale: 10

Number: 1 or 2

This feral “cat” has taken the place of any feral or street-roving dogs would in any proper urban fantasy world. Bigger then a Serval. Their cat form makes them more suited to this vertical environment anyway. When you roll this encounter and players do not specifically mention being on the lookout, nothing happens and instead it attacks one of the party the moment their back is turned or they bend down.

(4) Wererats (3 HD, +4 to hit, 1d4 bronze dagger, 1d6+1 rat bite, immune to disease, rodenthropy)

Morale: 12, 8 after a bite

Number: 1d4

Wererats, looking to convert more poor fools into their own. Anyone hit and damaged by a Wererat has to make a save or else be cursed with their version of the werewolf curse; rodenthropy.

Instead of transforming at the full moon, wererats transform against their will while within dark, tight, cramped places. They also have an urge to steal shiny objects (usually money), and wrestle with other rats to establish dominance. The rats of this building are more aggressive then most due to long periods in the urban sprawl.

Once someone becomes a wererat, they can mostly control their urge to bite and attack unturned mortals, but treat their Wisdom modifier at -2 while transformed.

(5) Giant Spiders (2 HD, +2 AC, 1d4 bite save vs poison on hit, progressive poison, climbs)

Morale: 10, 12 if on Floor [1]

Number: 1d6 + Weaver Spiders

Giant Spiders who are very aggressive at hunting mortals for food; guests in the apartments are much more likely to set them off and get attacked and caught up in their webs. Giant Spiders always have a 50% chance of being encountered along with Weaver Spiders.

When bitten, save vs poison. If you fail, you take 2d6 poison damage and have to save again next round. Each round you fail the save, you add +1 to your next save, making it a little easier to shake off the poison the longer it goes on. After killing a spider, it's venom sac can be drained to create your own weapon venom with the same effects; 3 uses per venom sac.

Weaver Spiders (1 HD, +2 to hit, throws webs, deals 1 damage on a bite, climbs)

Morale: 9, 12 if on Floor [1]

Number: 1d4

Smaller, weaker breed of spider without venom. Fights by shooting webs instead. Getting entangled requires a save and a knife to get free, else cannot move and -2 AC.

(6) Extortionist Guards (2 HD, +4 AC from armor, 1d6 axes, can pin & twist your arms- make combat save + Str to break free or pay them 1d10x10 standard coins)

Morale: 9, 10 if you look rich

Number: 1d4

These are corrupt guards from [17], looking to shake people down, especially merchants, for coins. If you kill a group of these, you get -1 reaction check with all further Guards.

On a Good reaction check, they'll let you walk past with an apology for getting in their way.

On a Neutral reaction check, they'll do some basic roughness and arm twisting to get you to drop a few coins. Move directly to armed combat if you draw weapons or fight back.

On a Bad reaction check, they'll try to arrest you and take you back to a holding cell and steal some of your money or valuable items.