“When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.” ― William Shakespeare, Henry V Fantasy novels love a good cavalry charge, or a hero who fights alongside a wolf, […]
Old Hat Monsters: Animal Companions, Familiars, and Mounts Read More »
Gnolls have slaughtered their way to gaming infamy, and they are a favorite of gamemasters (GMs) and players alike. This article can be used by GMs to round out this age-old monster, or players can use it to create new characters. The following gnoll variant is formatted for AGE—though you can convert the material to
Gnasty Gnolls: Vulturists in AGE Read More »
A good gaming session has a few of the same elements as some traditional wedding receptions. Both are a gathering of friends in a festive atmosphere, likely with food at some point. As with one wedding tradition I could name, each session could feature “something old” and “something new.” Those familiar with my series here at
Old Hat Monsters: Signature Weapons Read More »
Last week, I had a survey that would pay off with this week’s article. Responses were consistent on wanting a CR 7–10 encounter, but there ended up being a tie between kobolds and bugbears for this week’s star! House rule: When there’s a tie between kobolds and something else, kobolds win. I can perhaps be
Old Hat Monsters: Survey Says Read More »
Gnolls have slaughtered their way to gaming infamy, and they are a favorite of gamemasters (GMs) and players alike. This article can be used by GMs to round out this age-old monster, or players can use it to create new characters. The following gnoll variant is formatted for AGE—though you can convert the material to
Gnasty Gnolls: Cultists and Guardians in AGE Read More »
“Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson In many tribal societies, the chieftain leads the social hierarchy (along with sometimes a council of elders), the hero leads war parties, and the shaman serves as spiritual leader. The tribal shaman is sometimes the only member of a tribe with magic, and
Old Hat Monsters: Tribal Shaman Read More »
As you might expect from the title of this article, Pete continues his look at the gnoll. If you missed the first part, take a quick peek here first, and then come back to explore all that is the Midgard AGE gnoll avenger! Gnolls have slaughtered their way to gaming infamy, and they are a
Gnasty Gnolls: The Avenger in AGE Read More »
“My lands are where my dead lie buried.”—Crazy Horse Tribal cultures sometimes have a different leader in war then when in peace. The tribal chieftain template I discussed last week was for a chieftain who mostly leads primarily by speaking. The tribal hero, or war chief if you prefer, leads by action. You can represent
Old Hat Monsters: Tribal Hero Template Read More »
After several months of coding, testing, and review, it is here! Rejoice, Hero Lab users, for all the monsters and templates of the Midgard Bestiary for Pathfinder RPG are fully available as an add-on pack for Pathfinder in Hero Lab. If you are an existing Hero Lab user, you can pick up this package of
Midgard Bestiary Now Available for Hero Lab Read More »
“The sight of it made the earth seem unearthly. They were accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there—there you could look at a thing monstrous, beautiful, and free.” —Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness. My first Old Hat Monster article was about breathing new life into the classic monster races
Old Hat Monsters: Tribal Chieftain Template Read More »
Gnolls are one of my all-time favorite monsters. From the blue box’s hyena-men, to the latest variations, these monsters have been hacking at parties for time immemorial. The following mini-ecology is system neutral, and it can inspire gamemasters and players to help cover the world with these beloved-yet-despised creatures. Feral hunter-scavengers, gnolls are demon-twisted humanoid
Gnasty Gnolls: Lore and Adventurers Read More »
We’ve civilized, mutated, and mashed our classic monsters into a fantasy paradox; they’re familiar yet new. On the horizon I have at least three more monster templates ahead that may well breathe new life into your old favorites, but I must confess that sometimes the best way to surprise your players isn’t to change the monster
Old Hat Monsters: The Encounter Read More »
Try to remember for a moment a more innocent time in your life. Back then, the thought of vampires and werewolves lurking in the dark might have sent a chill down your spine. These days, though, when people discuss shows such as The Walking Dead or Being Human, it’s not with the same sense of
Old Hat Monsters: Mashed Read More »
Last time, we went over a quick system for mutating your monsters so that they can provide a more unknown challenge for your player characters to face. Let’s take a look at a few examples, starting with the humble goblin. Goblins For starters, goblins are not CR 1. To get there, they need 2 player
Old Hat Monsters: Mutated (Part 2) Read More »
A good GM is one part entertainer and one part engineer. And, like a magician, you are only as good as your last trick. Players are like a savvy audience at a magic show—you aren’t going to wow them with the standard magic act. All too often, it seems like they’ve seen behind the curtain.
Old Hat Monsters: Mutated (Part 1) Read More »
“Orcs again—yawn. Wake me up when it’s my turn.” We’ve all been there. No matter what level your players’ current characters are at, your players have seen it all. Like a perpetual arms race, you can frantically try to find new monsters to throw at their CR or make up new ones, but the fact
Old Hat Monsters: Reborn Read More »
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