Shields Shall Be Fiddly

50% cover should be +4AC

Been hankering to build another shield in all this free time i ain't got. Maybe see if I can get something weildable, rather than just ornamental.

Either way, in contemplating this, I took to reflecting on the time I spent fighting with a shield, and let me tell you, the dang things are equalizers. Many a time I held off a better fighter long enough, just cause my left arm was attached to a giant board that negated everything on that side. Switching arms confused the hell out of them. They're also the source of all my concussions, but that's another story.

I figure this sort of thing warranted more than just a +2 to AC. See the above picture, that's at least 50% cover, but +4 seems too much, also boring. Sure, it's the quick and done route, but what follows is more of a hassle! </selling_points>

Medium Shield
+0 to AC vs melee, +2 to AC vs range
Special: Once per round a non-magical, non-ranged attack the wielder knows about has a 2-in-6 chance of being blocked completely. For fighters, this applies to every attack, rather than once per round. Obviously if the character loses their Dex bonus (unaware, tied up, etc) they lose this save.

If using Shields Shall Be Splintered rule, then this can be activated after a failed Shield save.

Small Shield, i.e. Buckler
As Medium Shield, but +1 to AC vs range, and 1-in-6 chance.

Large Shield; i.e. Tower Shield
As Medium Shield, but +4 to AC vs range, and 3-in-6 chance.

"But...doesn't this make shields must have equipment?" Yes. Because shields are must have equipment if you don't want to get hit. That's sort of their deal. That's why they were made.

However, there's a few ways around it.

Flail
Successful attack vs AC alters shield block roll by -2 for the attack

Ax
Successful block by the shield incurs damage to the shield, eventually breaking it. Requires item endurance system to work.

Bearded Ax
Successful attack against AC, and unsuccessful Shield save allows the attacker one of two options: 1) Do attack damage as normal or 2) pin the shield in the ax's beard for the round. Pinning the shield removes AC bonus, and disallows for Shield saves.

Hammer
Successful block by the shield incurs a strength related save. Failure means shield wielder suffers half of the would-be attack damage from the hammer.

Pistols and Muskets
Where pistols and muskets ignore armor, they also don't care about shields. No AC bonus, no Shield save.

Magic Missile
Also doesn't care.

Lightning Bolt
Wood makes a poor conductor, and would probably offer some protection. Steel however is an excellent conductor. -2 to Touch AC, no Shield save.

Area Effects
Shields provide no alteration to saves and subsequent damage, unless using Shields Shall Be Splintered.

So, there we are. Future players, I hope you're looking to play test this when I get back to into things. One potential issue: Bogging down combat, especially when fighters go at it. Maybe limit based on level? Something to chew on.

"Listen, listen, listen. I'm just saying: You put Runes of Eye Implosion on a shield, and call it a day."

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Erdgeist MKII

You, all both readers, have probably noticed I've stopped mentioning a vague, ill defined system that plagued the earlier posts of this blog. Well, as predicted, I've grown bored of it. Also the idea was garbage. There's enough systems out there handling mechanics well enough, I needn't be reinventing the wheel. That weird duality thing I was going for, bin that too.

That being said I'm not intending to remove the older stuff, but will leave it to be mocked and picked over. See something you want, take it. Could probably grind out a GLoG class from them.

Shoot, might as well update some of it.

Erdgeist

Remember them? Dirty little gnome creatures that gave me repeated excuses to use the phrase "mud womb."

HD 1d6-1 (minimum 4 at first)
Advances: As Halfling
Saves: As Elf
Special:
   * Unable to resist Commands (per spell) given by an elf, even through magic.
   * Need to Serve - see below
   * Goblinization - see below
   * Knacks - see below

Need to Serve
When joining an adventuring group, you must designate one other member as your Master. You should then seek to serve them and fulfill their wishes. To willfully deny a direct order, carries the penalty of a cumulative -1 to your Charisma score. To willfully refuse to take a Master carries the same penalty, but applied per day.

Further, in times of boredom, or idleness, must make a Charisma Save vs Magic. Failure results in a cumulative -1 to Charisma score. Upon reaching Charisma 4, the Goblinization process begins.

Goblinization
Having failed in your duties, your mind shatters into chaos, unable to cope with this new reality. Your body becomes twisted and cruel to match the newly developed evil within you. Serving sucks! Chaos and violence are your new favorite past times.

Whenever your Charisma score drops to 4 for any reason (failed save from above, curses, attribute damage, etc) your character has been fully goblinized and is out of your control.

Knacks
While not exactly spells, they're inherent abilities of your kind intended to help you be a better servant. You gain one per level, however these selections are permanent and may not be changed.

• Chthonic Sympathies - With concentration you may detect the presence of valuable stones within 50 ft of you, Intelligence bonus times per day.
• Gerry Rig - Given at least some time and vaguely the correct tools, you can repair a thing to working condition for Charisma Bonus days. If the bonus is zero or negative, the time becomes fraction of a day. After the time passes, or first usage, the item breaks once more and needs to be repaired properly. 
• Helping Hands - To better assist in their tasks, the Erdgeist may create smallmen (think tiny homunculus) from rocks, sticks, children skulls, radishes, or anything else on hand. They won't fight, but have two inventory slots. Any damage they take, you take, and you can only make Constitution bonus number of them. They remain animated for one day, before the magic consumes the component parts.
• Hinzelmann's Homing - Should your Master ever misplace or lose an object of their ownership, you, the good servant, can take a few moments of concentration to know instinctively the direction and distance of the object. While arrows and items sold don't count, items stolen and daggers stabbed into the hide of a rare beast do. 
• Immaterial Made Manifest - To better serve your Master, you may play host to entities on the Ethereal plane, potentially gleaning some of their knowledge. 
• Master Craftsman - Choose a crafting skill. You now gain a rank per level in that skill (Up to 6). Further more, once per level you may generate a masterwork item in the skill. Should you perish through age or violence, the object begins to degrade quickly. Weaves unravel, beer curdles, iron works dull and rust; all becoming unusable. Any spell targeting the item affects the Erdgeist as well. 
• Speak With Host - When within (level * 10)feet of a natural speaker of a language, you too can speak that language. Should they move out of range, you lose the ability to speak the language. You retain no knowledge of the language. Within the company of other Erdgeist, your native language is a combination of clicks and whistles. 
• Strong Back - You gain level number inventory slots, as long as the items carried within are your Master's
• Torchbearer - With a moment of concentration (standard action, if this is a factor), you may summon Dexterity modifier + 1 floating orbs of light per day. They give off the dim glow of a standard torch and may be directed anywhere within 50 ft of you. They last roughly an hour, until guttered, or until extinguished. (Affected by both torch gutter and magic gutter)
• Transmutation - Given the proper focus (say, a spinning wheel) you may change one mundane substance (say, hay) into another (say, gold thread). This transformation, however, only lasts until the sun crosses the horizon. 
• Treasure Keeper - To better watch over your Master's treasure, you may place it into a nice sturdy vessel, like a pot. This vessel then acts like a Bag of Holding, but specifically for coin. You may only have one at a time. 

So, what happens after level 11? Honestly, I didn't expect you to live past level 5. 

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This One Goes Out to the One I Love

His Majesty the Worm NPC Generator 

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Character Sheet Attacking Critters

Because direct HP damage gets boring after a while.

Babel Mold
A dark, chalky mold, that smells slightly of rotten fish, growing in damp, dark places. Typically it grows sprawling across any porous surface, however when it takes to reproducing it grows in fragile nodules that, when disturbed, erupt in a cloud of spores. In most animals, these spores are harmless if inhaled. In animals with a speech ability, the spores infect the brain and creates a spontaneous case of aphasia. Should the PCs be foolish enough to walk through it, have them Save vs Disease. Failure causes their known language(s) to be replaced with "Babble" until cured.

Torri Meddwl
Often called "Brain Fucklers" by the uneducated, the creatures resemble slimy humanoid brains with four probing barbed tentacles. Upon a successful touch attack, the creatures cloud the mind, essentially rending a Lore Bid from their targets current pool. These bids can be restored as normal. Should no Bid remain, the attacks become physical.

     1HD

     Armor: Touch

     Damage: Special, or Barb 1d4

This guy gets it.

Red Crowned Torri Meddwl
No one is quite sure who named these, or why they named them as they did, as the pattern around their crown is blue. They typically grow to twice the size of their smaller cousins, however are a particular threat to spell casters, as each successful touch attack consumes a spell slot, chosen at random. Should a prepared spell have occupied that slot, there is a 1-in-6 chance the Torri will cast the spell. Spell slots are restored as normal, and the attack becomes physical should none remain to be sapped.

     3HD

     Armor: Leather

     Damage: Special, or Barb 1d6

Queen Torri Meddwl
The biggest bitch in the brood, her abilities attack the victim's memory directly. In this context, that means the game notes. Yeah, the things you write on the back side of the character sheet. Upon a successful attack, hand them over to the white-out equipped GM, who will then remove 1d8 words "randomly." Don't look at me, I use my brain meat to remember things; straight physical damage for me.

     3HD+1

     Armor: Leather

     Damage: Special, or Barb 2d4

Bog Cat

So Majestic

With the body of a jaguar and the head of a handsome ginger with glowing blue eyes, the Bog Cat lurks in swamps and the namesake bogs, awaiting wayward adventures. Upon encountering any that may cross his path, it'll offer games of trivia in exchange for fabulous prizes. It's probably a magic item. Or a freshly killed swamp deer. Either way, should the adventurers accept the challenge and lose, the Bog Cat will eat their name, causing everyone and everything to forget it.

The Bog Cat abhors violence and will slink off effortlessly into the trees, should it be attacked. 

     3HD+1

     Armor: Chain+1

     Damage: Special, or Claw Swipe 1d8

<Name Sidebar> 

Names don't heal on their own, as they're not simply a thing you call yourself; those would be titles. Names are the manifestation of the bonds you form in world. When you were born, your parents loved you enough to name you after a great hero. Your schoolmates hated you to the point of giving you a nickname based on a bodily function. Sharing an intimacy with your partner as generated pet names between the two of you. To have your Name eaten is effectively to have those bonds eaten.

While it can't be healed, you may be able to get it back. This would take some major convincing on your part, as the Bog Cat is reluctant to regurgitate it's food. How trashy. And that is, of course, assuming you can find the correct one a second time.

It should be noted that Names are not the same as True Names, and that mortals do not have True Names. Also, the name/title thing is the opposite for the Fey. But those are topics for other sidebars. 

</Name Sidebar>

Eald Wiht

In a darker time, a cruel wizard performed horrendous experiments that involved literally sucking the years of life out of his victims, in an attempt to obtain immortality.  He, himself, probably became a lich; they usually do. His victims, on the other hand, became corpses. However, still charged with the dark arcane energies, the corpses soon arose once more, and now lurk in the dungeons of the ruined tower. Confused by their premature aging, the corpses will lash out at anyone foolish enough to enter their entrapment with their burning cold hands, seeking to sap the remaining years from their bodies. As you can imagine, it REALLY hurts. 

     3HD

     Armor: Touch-1 

     Damage: Adds 1d6 onto the age of the character. 

Aufhocker
Strange, shape-shifting spirits that often take the form of small animals or, on occasion, short humanoids - most often a dog or elderly woman. It waits quietly at crossroads, on watch for any lone traveller or small group of rubes (i.e. the PCs). It offers no hostility until gaining their trust, at which point it leaps on to one of their backs, grabbing on tightly. Once grappled, the Aufhocker increases the victims encumbrance level by one every round (light to medium to heavily) or by 1d4 if point buy. Once the victim is immobilized, the spirit begins to consume it's prize.

     2HD
     Armor: Chain
     Damage: Encumbrance rating

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10 Maleficence Effects Based on the Plagues of Egypt

"But it's just another bug." What? No. Stop.

Focus. Think.

1. Water into blood (דָם): Ex. 7:14–24

The misaligned arcane energy crashes back onto you, transforming all water based objects in your inventory into blood. This undeniably ruins them. Water skin? Full of blood. Alchemical potion? Just a vial of blood. Bottle of wine? Nope, grape flavored blood. The water in your eyes keeping them moist? Blood. Any vampire in the area can smell this sudden concentration of blood, and they wish to meet you.

2. Frogs (צְּפַרְדֵּעַ): Ex. 7:25–8:15

It's Wednesday, my dudes.

Unbeknownst to you, you begin to produce frog pheromones, and begin to attract all the frogs in the area to you. Now, I worry you read that as "a lot of frogs." No, no. ALL the frogs, as well as the stink, noise, and muck that come with them. The area you're in, there are frogs there, trust me. You're never more than eight feet from a frog. 

More into body horror flavor? That's good, cause you also begin to take on physical features of a frog. Your skin grows slimy and wort covered. Your eyes bulge, your back hunches, your mouth grows ever too wide, your tongue ever too long. Hair falls out, fingers grow webbed, throat grows pouchy, throat pouch fills with squirming tadpoles. These tadpoles live and grow for a few days until you vomit forth your babies (and they ARE your babies), only to have your throat refill with tadpoles. 

3. Gnats (כִּנִּים): Ex. 8:16–19

The word kinim could translate to lice, gnats, or fleas. But that is unimportant. What is important is the red rash beginning to spread across your skin. It itches like a sonofabitch. No soothing balm helps, only scratching. However, scratching also spreads it. You can imagine how stressful this is. 

Either way, the real trouble beings during the camping phase or city action, when the rash subsides and the sneezing begins. With every sternutation clouds of lice and fleas rush from the victim and into the surrounding area, infecting those around them.

4. Mixture of wild animals or flies (עָרוֹב): Ex. 8:20–32

Christian interpreters understand this as a swarm of flies. Ignore this. Jewish interpreters take to this as meaning a swarm of scorpions, venomous snakes, venomous arthropods, and reptiles. So much poison. 

The caster's hair (all of it) turns to snakes, their moles sprout tiny scorpion stingers, their saliva occasionally congeals into centipedes. While the social stigmata is obvious, whenever a court card is played at the table these new body mates become enraged at the host and biting viciously, poisoning them. 

5. Diseased livestock (דֶּבֶר): Ex. 9:1–7

Witches curse livestock; this fact is well known and widely believed. Sometimes, however, the magic backfires and curses the caster instead. When this occurs, the caster begins to sprout patches of musty fur, prone to matting and knotting, and your tongue bloats and grows too big for your mouth. While this may be enough for some, upon encounter an animal (any and all animals), they'll grow immediately aggressive to you. Doesn't matter what sort of animal: cow, chicken, cockatrice, kelpie; all hate you and will try as best as they can to show you. Usually though biting. 

6. Boils (שְׁחִין): Ex. 9:8–12

Exactly what it says on the tin: Painful boils dot the caster's skin. However, when struck by a blow strong enough to burst one (i.e. taking a wound), the boils do indeed burst, but cry out the victim's darkest secret or gravest sin as they do. 

7. Thunderstorm of hail and fire (בָּרָד): Ex. 9:13–35

You know in cartoons when a rain cloud forms above a victims head and rains upon them in a comedic fashion? This is something like that, only with fiery hail and brimstone, instead of rain. And also room/area sized. The shattered hail makes traversal of  the area difficult, the burning sulfur makes breathing painful, and the flames, if left unattended, will start fires. 

8. Locusts (אַרְבֶּה): Ex. 10:1–20

A cloud of biting flies rushes forth from the caster's mouth, filling the room and biting everyone within. They will probe at any potential opening and cavity. Always hungry, always biting. Rations too are in danger, as the flies will consume them rapidly and producing more of themselves at a sickening and alarming rate. They continue until visibility and mobility are zero, at which point, should no food be left, they begin to consume themselves.  

9. Darkness for three days (חוֹשֶך): Ex. 10:21–29

The caster becomes entrapped in eternal midnight. No matter the local time, time within (card*10) meters of the caster is always midnight. Should you be on the surface, a shaft of darkness towers into the sky, with the moon and stars clearly visible. Clocks within the circumference always show midnight, returning to current time once out of range. In the Underworld the world around you is just a bit darker; light sources work at half strength, creatures of darkness are embolden. 

10. Death of firstborn (מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת): Ex. 11:1–12:36

The person you cherish the most appears on the scene and is fated to, before the end of the scene, perish. This person can be anyone: firstborn child, mother, sister, cousin - whom ever is the closest to your heart. The person came here for no other reason but to see you, and developed the urge long enough ago to appropriately travel to your location, suffering similar trials and tribulations along the way.

Their death may be violent (as is likely in combat) or sudden (such as a heart attack). Healing automatically fails against them. No matter the actions, they WILL die before the scene is ended.

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Gorcrows

A Legends of Asgard staple I am looting from our database for my own cruel purposes.

Gorcrow

Imagine a crow - your standard crow, we don't need to get fancy. Now, picture it the size of a dog. You got it? Not the thing you wanna find in the woods while alone, is it?

Great. Remove the feathers and skin from the skull, thickening the skull a bit; liberally apply mange and open sores across the whole of it. Don't forget parasites. There we are.

I suppose "vulture sized crow" would have saved us all time.

These bastards have the intelligence and a penchant for stealing things of normal crows, combined with a cruel intention and a desire to ruin your day. Typically found in groups (a premeditation) of 2+1d4 among the tree tops of the spookier forests, waiting for the opportunity to prey on an inconvenienced traveler. They smell of moist, rotting meat. They taste of skin flakes, old dust, and parasites. They feel as you would expect. Their cry is a cross between a 'caw' and solid anxiety ground into a powder.

2 HD
Armor: Touch 

Special:
   * If It Ain't Nailed Down - On a successful attack, instead of applying damage the Gorcrow snatches one randomly rolled item not with in the target's pack. It then proceeds to fly off with it, probably back to a nest (...gornest?). 
   * Cannonball! - Should no one have items outside their pack, or sometimes as an opening move, a gorcrow will drop from the sky, diving down directly into a target. Said target gets a Save vs Falling on their ass, spilling the contents of their pack in the process. These newly exposed items are prime targets for the other gorcrows. 

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Gran' Paw, what's a dragon?

"Dragon?" Who done taught you that word, y' dang Turnip Head? Let me guess, they also done told you they was a form of thunder lizard, sorted based on the color of their scales. Well. they were right, to a point, but they were also egregiously wrong. Dragons, or a dreki as my grand-sire's grand-sire called 'em, are large and lizard like, but they ain't born that way, nor are their temperament a consequence of their scale coloring, y' kin?

See, they don't start out as no egg, but rather a man, kin to the likes of you or me. Now, we all gots our vices, true enough, but them there dreki-kin (see it was a consonant gradati--oh, shoot, nevermind, you ain't got the head for wording, Turnip), when they was man, loved their vices. Took to 'em more than was healthy like. Imagine them pinnacle of virtue's the preacher man's always telling y' about, then apply 'em to the vices he warns you against. Thems were they folk.

Lowest of the low, y' kin? You ain't gonna be finding the average, or even above average, hooch- nor whore-monger shrugging outta their skins and leaving what few villages we have for the seclusion of the hills.

Now, for whichever reason - I ain't the preacher, ask him - these folks became altered by their chosen evil. Corrupted. Twisted. And depending on the vice sacked up inside 'em, that's what led to the style of dragon. From there, their coloration is dependent upon the environment that they take to holdin' up in, and the diet they take to there. Much like those one legged birds down on the southron shores.

Now, here's what we've got to knowing about each of the sorts, based on a codex I seen in the city a long spell ago. They all take to having a fairly similar shape: monitor lizards heightened to draft horse stature, with the skin of a gator. Though, the older they get the bigger they get, mind y', and I've heard tell truly old ones bear wings, but, honestly, that sounds made up. Their claws do damage as though a Standard Weapon, their bite tends to be equal to a Great Weapon.

Yeah, that's the one.

Most of these tend to be one form of avarice or another, but preacher man swears they're different:

Envy
Magics a talent, and with so few of us left, a very few are able to master it. Like boat building, for them shipwrights of old, 'fore they all were called back to the old world. Understandibly, there are them that covet the ability for magicfying when they lack it. The worst of 'em take to hoarding any and all petty magics - scrolls, grimoirs, and like. Major magics too, don't rule them out. They can't use 'em, but boy do they like looking at 'em.

When the Vice finally takes them, they're known to be able to smell magic - from the spells in a magician's head, to the fetishes carried by a wizard. Their very breath is said to cause Maleficence upon them caught within it.

8 HD
Armor: Chain 
Special: 
   * Smell Magic - The dragon can smell magic upon a creature, or within a place, out to 50'
   * Chaotic Breath - target must Save vs Breath, else roll upon the Maleficence table, suffering the effects
   * Steal Spell - Any castin' sort that comes in physical contact with the beast looses a portion of their magics. Whether it be a prepared spell, free slot, some magic points, or whichever your system hankers to, they're gone until refreshed as normal. 

Greed
Thems the ones for hording gold and other material wealth. We all needs a bit of coin now and again, but there are them that are never happy and crave it more than anything. Some even take to killing for it. It's that final murder that tends to do it. Either way, given their propensity to lounge upon their amassed wealth - better to guard, y' kin - their skin tends to stick with gems and coins. Makes them a bit harder to hurt. No doubt they can smell items of value on y'.

8 HD
Armor: Chain + 1
Special:
   * Smell Riches - The dragon can smell items of significant value (50+ of money standard) within 50'. The more expensive it is, the better it smells. 
   *  Increasing Hoard - Once per 1d4 rounds, when within 50' of the beast, a random item from the party vanishes from their possession and appears in the collected hoard 

Gluttony
These are the ones that tend to ravage the country side, consuming everything they come across: livestock, trees, houses, coal piles, and so on. The land around their lairs tends to be stripped and left barren. Their lairs themselves are little more than shafts of consumed earth, serving as den and midden. Following 'em, should you have the strange notion, is fairly easy t'do as their swollen bellies drag along, leaving a track.

8HD
Armor: Chain
Special: 
   * Rending Bite - Any bite attack made by the dragon that is blocked by armor, but still touches the target, does half damage to the target's armor instead. Armor damaged in this way has a lower AC rating until repaired. Should the AC drop to touch value, the armor is destroyed.
   * I've Eaten Worse - Anything that finds it's way into the dragon's mouth does no further damage to the beast. Poison, fire, pointy bits; all are consumable to it. 
   * Vomit - The beast can expel the contents of it's stomach, burning anyone caught within the deluge as if acid. 

Lust
Thems be the ones kidnapin' all those princesses in the stories. Y' see, when a man and a woman...that is t'say, you're at the age where you'll notice...no, I had to tell your pap 'bout your age, it's his turn to tell you. Pester him for this one.

8HD
Armor: Chain
Special: 
   * Pleasure or Pain - As the sublimating azure breath washes over the target, the target is given a choice. Either take the damage to HP or accept the effects of Hold Person (no save). 
   * Obsession  - The spit of the beast is laced with a powerful chemical that makes any touched by it feel an uncontrollable longing for their greatest desire. If'n they don't have one, one may be provided for them. 

Pride
Them there one that take to riddling and yammering on 'cause they thing they're better'n you? Thems the pride ones. They're magnificent and they'll make sure you know it. Their scales are shinier, their voices are a rich alto/bass.

8HD
Armor: Chain
Special:
   * No Higher Power - The beast is so devoid of humility that any, and all, divinely inspired abilities cease working within their presence.   
   * Pride Prevents the Fall - Any compliment paid to the beast - and it'll fish for 'em - will be "stored" and act as a shield, being sacrificed to prevent damage taken from a future attack. 

Sloth
More of the "acedia" sort, than the "lazy" sort. These are the ones that take to brooding in solitude. Doesn't sound much harm, sure, but they do it to the point where it gets to infecting the very land itself. Green, healthy forests turn to black, dying woods forever choked in an unmoving fog. Sparrows leave, replaced by overlarge bats. Gloom. Doom. You're gettin' the picture.

8HD
Armor: Leather
Special:
   * Invasive Thoughts - Anyone the dragon is aware of tends to be plagued by invasive thoughts of failure, unable to act. All affected by these thoughts must save versus Magic every round. Those that fail will attempt to harm themselves to the best of their abilities. Poisons, cliffs, nooses; anything convenient. Probably most convient'll be the very weapons they're holding, autohitting themselves. All affected characters (still standing) must save successfully for the Thoughts to end. 
   * Slowing Touch - Anyone struck by the dragon must save vs Paralyze, or suffer a level of encumbrance and the effects that come with it. Effect lasts until a long rest.  



Wrath
Thems the sort that go around breathing fire on everything. Theirs eyes literally burn with hatred, glowing as embers. Smoke constantly billows from their nostrils, and their scales are scorched, covered in soot and melted metal. You'll feel their heat long before you ever see 'em. Should you ever find a cave glowing with heat and surrounded by scorched earth, you'll probably be wanting to leave, as it'll most like be a den of wrath.

8HD
Armor: Plate + 1
Special:
   * Fire Proof - As living furnaces, they ain't inclined to be burned themselves.
   * Torrent of Flame - If'n you hear 'em start to suck in a deep breath, you'll be wanting to get out from in front of them, as they're about to breath out a 40' worth of flame. Not just normal flame, mind you. It's hot. Damn hot. Any one dumb enough to be caught in it while in metal armor will be burnt the next 1d4 rounds for 1d6 each.
   * Blind Anger - For whichever reason, should the beast's Intelligence be damaged (spell or what not), it's Constitution increases by that much damage. Should it's Wisdom be affected, it's Strength is adjusted. 


So why slay these creatures?

Because it's doin' a kindness to the poor souls trapped within, Turnip Head. Also, there's some that take to the fame and glory of it. And the loot. There's also a rumor that cooking and eating the heart will get y' strange knowings and doings. It's probably true.

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