2020 - The Year of Blackmoor - 50th Anniversary - Day Ninety-Three

Celebrating 2020 - The Year of Blackmoor - 50th Anniversary of Blackmoor and of Role-Playing!

Today is Part 38 of my series of looks at OD&D starting with Monsters & Treasure Volume 2.

**For those coming in, in the middle of this series I am giving you my take on OD&D during my first exposure starting in Sept of 1975. For this first part it is just the first three books of the original woodgrain box set and prior to obtaining the Greyhawk, Blackmoor and later Supplements.**

Today we continue on with our look at the original D&D monsters starting with Invisible Stalkers:

INVISIBLE STALKERS: As previously noted (Book I) these are monsters created by level 6 spells, uttered directly or from scrolls. They are faultless trackers. They follow continually until their mission is accomplished at which time they return to the nondimension from whence they came. Until their mission is completed they will never vary, and must be destroyed by attack to be stopped, although a Dispel Magic spell will also work. The referee should note, however, that Invisible Stalkers resent missions which entail long periods of continuing service such as guarding a Magic-User for a month, a year, etc. They will then seek to fulfill the letter of their duties by perverting the spirit. For example: An Invisible Stalker is ordered to: “Guard me against all attack, and see that I come to no harm.” In order to faithfully fulfill this endless duty the Invisible Stalker will have to take the Magic-User to its non-dimensional plane and place him in suspended animation, and assume this is accomplished whenever a 12 is rolled with two six-sided dice, checking either daily or weekly as the campaign progresses.

Interesting is it not? Created, not summoned and from a non-dimensional plane. Does the non-dimensional plane come into being each time one is created? Is there a one non-dimensional plane for all of them or is there a unique non-dimensional plane created for each one as they are created. If they return to the non-dimensional plane, could you create a spell that would summon a previously created one, instead of a new one each time? If there is a new unique one created every time the spell is used, at some point do their numbers increase to where their non-dimensional plane, become a dimensional plane? 

I love everything about the write-up above, how single minded they are, how implacable. This is a great monster.

ELEMENTALS: There are four types of Elementals: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. Each will be dealt with separately. There are variations of strength (hit dice) within all four types:

Four types? No, there are Five types for the Five Elements, they left out Aether Elementals.

Regardless of the strength of an Elemental, only one of each type can be brought into existence during any “day.” Thus, if a character possessed a device to call up an Air Elemental, but before he could employ it an opponent conjured an Air Elemental, another could not be created until the next day. Only magical weapons/ attacks affect Elementals.

This "one of each type during an day" I immediately did away with. They are all unique and independent of each other. Note the "brought into existence." Each one can only be destroyed by a Dispel Magic spell, if they fail their saving throw. This is because once created they start to take on a life of their own, they save as a Fighting Man 4 levels lower than the hit dice they have.

Air Elementals: Air Elementals move only by flying, moving at a maximum rate of 36”. When engaged in combat in the air they add +1 to damage scored from hits. They normally do one die roll of damage. They can turn into a whirlwind which will sweep all creatures under two hit dice away, the whirlwind being conical in shape, 3” diameter at the base, 6” diameter at the top, and as high as the number of hit dice possessed by the Elemental (16”, 12” or 8”). Forming a whirlwind requires one full turn as does dissolving it.

Note how fast these can move. Elementals are another great monsters for Magic-User villains. Very useful against an opposing army. 

Earth Elementals: Earth Elementals move but 6” per turn and can not cross water. However, when they hit they score damage with three dice (3–18 points) against any opponent which rests upon the earth, and they score two dice of damage against all other opponents. They have the effect of a super battering ram against walls, scoring damage as if they were striking an opponent (3–18 points).

Slow but powerful, very useful against a massed army, but also very useful as a siege engine against fortifications.

Fire Elementals: Fire Elementals move up to 12” per turn. They score two dice of damage against all non-fire-using opponents, and one die –1 (2–7 hit points of damage) against fire-using opponents. They act as incendiaries when in contact with inflammable material. They cannot cross water. They are brought forth from flame of considerable heat, i.e. a large fire, lava pool, etc.

I tweaked the speed of a Fire Elemental to 12"-18"-36" since fire can run with the wind. The first speed is against the wind, the second is in calm air and the third is with the wind.

Water Elementals: Water Elementals are generally confined to water, being able to move only 6” from such a body of liquid. They move at a rate of 18” per turn in water, 6” outside water. In water they do damage equal to two dice, while out of water they do but one die of damage when meleeing. Water Elementals can only be brought forth from a considerable body of water, i.e. a pond, stream, or larger body of water.

In the oceans Water Elementals are more powerful doing three dice of damage and in some places they are a great hazard to shipping as part of pirate attacks.

All elementals must be controlled at all times by the persons who have called them forth. Failure to control any elemental will result in its turning upon the one who called it up and attacking. The returning/attacking Elemental will move directly toward the one who summoned it, attacking anything that gets in its path as it returns. Note that once control is lost it can never be re-established. Control consists merely of the summoner maintaining undivided attention upon the Elemental; and being attacked, moving, or any other action will tend to break this concentration.

It is very difficult to hold concentration for an extended period of time. 

No Elemental may be hit by normal men unless magically armed.

And even then they only take half damage.

DJINN: All Djinn are aerial creatures and have not the powers typically credited to them in fairy tales. They fight as Giants with a –1 as far as damage is concerned, thus doing from 1–11 points of damage when hitting. They can carry up to 6,000 Gold Pieces in weight, walking or flying (the latter for short periods only). They can create food which is nutritionally sound. They can create drinkable beverages. They can create soft goods and wooden objects of permanence, but metallic items last but a short time when created by them (the harder the metal the shorter its life), so that Djinn-Gold lasts but one day. They can create illusions which will remain until dispelled by touch or magic, and they need not concentrate upon the illusions to maintain them. They can form a whirlwind 1” base diameter, 2” top diameter, and 3” in height which otherwise is like that of an Air Elemental. Djinn are also able to become invisible or assume gaseous form.

I increased their speed on foot from 9" to 18" and their flying speed from 24" to 48". Djinn have the power to do many things and so are the prize of kings who are usually responsible for imprisoning many of them in bottles and lamps and other items. I do not give them the full power of some fairy tales, but a lot more than what is noted above.

EFREET: These creatures are similar to the Djinn, but their basis is in fire and they tend to be Chaotic. Their fabled home is the City of Brass. They are enemies of the Djinn. The Efreet are otherwise like Djinn, with damage scored equal to that done by a Giant (two dice, 2–12 points), and they can carry up to 10,000 Gold Pieces weight. In addition they can create a Wall of Fire and they can become incendiaries. They will serve for 1,001 days.

All my comments about Djinn also apply to Efreet. The Efreet are a little more powerful than a Djinn and they also can be imprisoned in bottles and lamps and other items.

Hope to see you all back here tomorrow.