MOBILE MENHIRS a.k.a. STONE SENTRIES

Init +4
Melee Atk
 • club +6 (1d6)
 • collide +5 (1d12)
Ranged Atk
 • javelin +4 (1d6, 20')
AC 18
HD 9d8+9
MV 30
Act 1d20
SP collision attack, bludgeoning susceptibility, infravision 40'
Fort +10
Ref +2
Will +12
AL N

Protecting a lair or passage from intrusion are a set of standing stones which animate should any threat draw near. They appear as normal stone features of the cave system, but 'limbs' partially or completely cleave away to make attacks, and the entire slab of stone can move so as to reach a threat to attack it, or to make their special collision attack.

If a target is between two Stone Sentries, they will attempt to both rush at the target and smash together with the target sandwiched between them. They can use their Action Die for movement and still get an attack roll as well. Each gets to roll their attack; it could turn out that only one hits or both or none. They can also attempt this attack if they are within 60' of a wall, and the target is between the Stone and the wall. And the Mobile Menhir doesn't actually collide, but rather stops less than an inch from it's counterpart or from the the wall, when making this attack (thus it is not damaged from the collision).

The Sentries take double damage from bludgeoning weapons, or blunt heavy objects. The Judge will have to make a call as to whether any given spell will effect the Stone or not, and if it will do double damage, or not.


[Featured in the One Page Dungeon Contest entry Future Tense from 2015]

OGRE-TROLL

Init +8
Melee Atk
 • claw +13 (2d6+6)
 • bite +10 (2d8+6)
 • giant mace +9 (3d6+6)
AC 21
HD 12d8+10
MV 20
Act 3d20
SP sweeping blow, stench, regeneration, immune to critical hits, immune to mind-effects, immune to poison, vulnerable to fire
Fort +14
Ref +7
Will +9
AL C

The Ogre-Troll stands 20' tall, and will strike fear into the stoutest hearts. Beneath it's amber skin is a highly dense, mossy substance, with no internal organs, nor muscles, nor bones whatsoever. Its meager intelligence tells it that it exists only to feed, and it will feed on anything, starting with living animals — including humans and demi-humans.

When it hits with a claw attack, if it exceeds the target's AC by 10 or more, that target is swept up in the thing's mighty swing and tossed 2d30 feet away, taking 1d6 damage if swept more than 10 feet.

Alternately, when it hits with a claw attack, it can pick up the target instead of doing full damage (reduced to 1d6). It can then use it's bite attack to begin eating them, needing an attack roll to get an effective chomp. Escape takes an Agility (Dex) Check or a Strength Check vs. DC 20.

The behemoth has a frightful stench, a concentrated odor of rot. Anyone within 30' of the creature must make a Will Save vs. 18 or suffer with all dice rolled one step down the Dice Chain (d20 > d16 > d14, etc.). After 3 rounds, one can adjust to the horrendous smell and overcome the effect. But if re-encountering the creature, the stench effect begins anew.

The Ogre-Troll regenerates hit points at a rate of 2d8 per round, at the end of the round. if reduced to 0 hit points, this effect continues. Only if killed by fire or some very extreme means does the regeneration stop.

The creature's density and lack of vulnerable organs makes it immune to critical hits. It's lack of a true brain make it immune to mind affecting spells and the like. Poison does not affect it.

On any round that it takes fire damage, it's regeneration is reduced to 1d8, but it cannot recover the damage from the fire in this way.


[Presented as an option for the One Page Dungeon Contest entry The Umber Woods from 2016]

FORGOTTEN SOLDIER

Init +4
Melee Atk
 • rusted sword +1 (1d5 +poison)
Ranged Atk
 • slugthrower +1 (1d4 squared)
AC 12
HD 4d8+4
MV 30
Act 1d16
SP combat awakening, lay of the land
Fort +5
Ref +4
Will +2
AL C

He was a capable soldier... But the Forgotten Soldier got left behind, either through an injury (that later healed), a clerical error, or a momentary doubt in his resolve — and though the war he was enlisted in is long over, he is unaware of that fact and still faithful to his duty.

Though he is out of practice, once he is engaged in a fight, his combat abilities awaken and return to him... Whenever he is missed by an attempt to strike him, his Action Die rises by one step, to a maximum of 1d30+1d20 (the second Action Die is added after the first reaches 1d30 and follows this progression: 1d12 > 1d14 > 1d16 > 1d20). When an attack hits him, his AC rises by 1d3, to a maximum of 21. All of these increases remain in effect for 3d6 Turns after the fight that brought them into effect ends, whereupon they fade back to base levels over a like period of time.

Those struck and harmed by the Forgotten Soldier's sword may become ill from the unclean blade. All so hit should roll a Fort Save vs. a DC 15. All who fail that check will find one of their Attributes suppressed for 1d3 days by 1d3 points, along with fever and chills. Each additional strike where the Save is failed adds +1 to the amount of the Attribute suppressed. This effect kicks in after 24 hours, striking (roll 1d5): 1) Strength, 2) Agility, 3) Stamina, 4) Intelligence, 5) Personality. It can be avoided by appropriate trained medical care in advance of the 24 hours elapsing.

His great advantage is that he has patrolled the area he is found in endlessly since losing contact with his unit. He can create a surprise attack in any situation where he can move about within the area of his expertise unseen. He can always move within his area stealthily on a 5-in-6. When attacking thereafter, if the stealth was effective, he gains an additional 1d20 Action Die for one round. He can use this die to again move into hiding, or for an extra attack.

If anyone attempts to use stealth against him within his expertly known area, he can see through it on a 4-in-5, and thereby spoil any surprise intended, or trail those attempting to leave the area.

The Forgotten Soldier's slugthrower becomes inoperable on a Fumble. It will take him 1d3 days with the tools he has on hand to fix it. He has 10x 3d10 rounds left (adjust that number to suit you, if you don't want this technology falling into the hands of your player characters [but why not?]).


[Presented as an option for the One Page Dungeon Contest entry The Umber Woods from 2016]

BURN BEETLE

Init +0
Melee Atk
 • bite +2 (1d3 +1d6 heat, special)
Ranged Atk
 • magma gob +1 (1d6 heat, special)
AC 15
HD 2d8
MV 30
Act 1d20
SP magma injection, tarry projectile, infravision 80'
Fort +6
Ref +1
Will +1
AL C

These 2-foot long insectoid creatures generate a tarry, magma-like substance in their bellies. They roam cavern systems, consuming smaller insects — and bits of rock and rock dust along the way.

When their territory is threatened, they will attack, using the searing hot substance in their stomachs to defend themselves. When they bite, they can inject the hot magma into their victim; when the d6 damage die comes up a 6, it is re-rolled and the result added to the total. A succession of 6s can obviously kill even a large creature, having been lethally burned from the inside out by the beetle's spew.

Similarly, if it spits a gob of the tarry magma at a target, the gob may stick, causing extra damage. If the damage die comes up as a 5 or 6, on the following round roll a d5 for extra damage. If that should come up a 4 or 5, on the next round roll a d4 for extra damage, and so on down the Dice Chain. Trying to remove a stuck gob quickly takes a roll-under Luck check, and if another round's damage has already been determined, it occurs from the process of removal or from remnants left on the victim, but no further damage can occur from that gob.

[Featured in the One Page Dungeon Contest Entry Future Tense from 2015]

CAVE SPIDER

Init +6
Melee Atk
 • bite +5 (1d3 +1d3 rounds paralysis)
Ranged Atk
 • web blast +4 (DC 16 entanglement)
AC 13
HD 3d8
MV 20
Act 1d20
SP stacking entanglement, infravision 120'
Fort +3
Ref +5
Will +0
AL N

Cave spiders stand 2 feet tall, with a leg-span of 6 feet. They will attack any target that shows up clearly via their infravision.

Each additional blast of web against someone already entangled increases the DC by 2. Strength is used to break through web, and the web is highly flammable. If the DC of a web is too high for a character to break, should they roll a natural 20 in their attempt, they reduce the DC by 2, and can thus continue to try to escape (except as noted below).

If a target becomes entangled by webs with a DC of 30 or more, they are considered completely entangled and unable to move. This doesn't mean that a cave spider will begin eating the target right away, but they will soon move the target to a high position somewhere in their web network for consumption in the near future (1d3 hours).

Cave spiders will generally be found in "neighborhoods" of 2 to 3 spiders, with a complex network of webbing drastically changing the architecture of a cavern over a large area. They will create a large number of "sticky traps" for other creatures and characters to stumble into... Treat these like a web blast fixed in place, with the Save DC to avoid them and the Strength check DC to break out of them both the same number: 10+1d6

[Featured in the One Page Dungeon Contest Entry Future Tense from 2015]

SOOR'EK (GOBLINS)

Init -3
Melee Atk
 • kick +1 (1d3)
 • pick +1 (1d4)
 • dagger +1 (1d4+1)
Ranged Atk
 • thrown rock -1 (1d3)
 • slingshot +1 (1d3)
AC 13
HD 1d6
MV 20
Act 1d20
SP infravision 20', groupthreat
Fort +1
Ref +2
Will +0
AL C

The Soor'ek are a minor race, only very occasionally found outside the Otherlands. They have a garbled language of their own, and a culture that emphasizes hunting and gathering and preparing for a massive, month-long feast in Autumn, followed by a Winter and early-Spring spent in a nearly-drunken state of stupor. Large bands have been known to eat themselves out of their own settled regions, needing to move elsewhere in search of sufficient food stuffs.

They are humanoid, standing no more than 3 feet high, with lanky limbs and an amber coloration. They are fierce to defend what they identify as theirs, and can be an overwhelming threat when encountered in numbers and in close quarters, moving with strange, disorienting, dance-like movements, and striking with a high degree of coordination.

GROUPTHREAT: For every four of them fighting together (no more than 5' between 'adjacent' members in such a group), they double their melee attack bonus (to a maximum of +16) and add +1 to their damage and AC. Thus, if nine of them were to attack, they'd each have an attack of +4, an AC of 15, and do damage at +2 each. Fighting a group of 30 of them would mean they each had attacks at +16, AC of 20, and add 7 to the damage they dealt.

This groupthreat effect when applied to ranged attacks advances the attack bonus as per AC and damage above, adding 1 per each group of four working together.

They cannot practice groupthreat when in their stupor phase.

[Featured in the One Page Dungeon Contest entry Future Tense from 2015]
[Presented as an option for the One Page Dungeon Contest entry The Umber Woods from 2016]