Creature help? DCC 35A - Halls/Minotaur

[Ogrepuppy]

Hiya,

~~mild spoilers ahead~~

I'm going to run 35A as a one- or two-nighter just for fun.

However, I don't want the players to know that I'm using kobolds. I don't need the stats to change overmuch, but I'd like to "cosmetically" change their appearance. Y'know, just change their descriptions to something a bit more intimidating.

So, I'm turning to your fertile minds... ...to get some help.

Kobolds, no matter how they're played, always sound like cutsie little lizard-dogs. How can I describe creatures that sound scary but have the same CR 1/4 stats?

Any kind of critter you can describe that would "fit" within this adventure (it's formerly a lair of the Order of the Beastmen, for example) is welcomed. Be creative, but understand that the critters exist mostly underground, set traps, and have a feral, cunning intelligence...well, more like a cruelty...

Any ideas? Thank you for your input.

[Ogrepuppy]

Any kind of critter you can describe that would "fit" within this adventure (it's formerly a lair of the Order of the Beastmen, for example) is welcomed.

I love it when I give myself ideas....

I could describe the kobolds as having the heads of common, small animals: cats, dogs, ravens, squirrels, and other beasts of the Thornswild Wood....kind of a cross between mongrel-men and Moreau's beasties, just with kobold stats.

Why did these creatures turn up this way? There is residual Order of the Beastmen "magic energy" or "corruptive influence" still floating around the lair...

[goodmangames]

I could describe the kobolds as having the heads of common, small animals: cats, dogs, ravens, squirrels, and other beasts of the Thornswild Wood....kind of a cross between mongrel-men and Moreau's beasties, just with kobold stats.

Why did these creatures turn up this way? There is residual Order of the Beastmen "magic energy" or "corruptive influence" still floating around the lair...

That's a great idea. I love small tweaks like this, that leave the players guessing and yet fit into the rules so elegantly. They'll never guess that the squirrel-headed creatures are just kobolds!

[Ogrepuppy]

:: bows deeply ::

A compliment from The Big Cheese (tm) himself? Cool.

Thank you.

[Ogrepuppy]

They'll never guess that the squirrel-headed creatures are just kobolds!

...But scary, mutated, sinister squirrels. I can hear the Monty Python "killer rabbit" jokes coming from a mile away....

[Harley Stroh]

I could describe the kobolds as having the heads of common, small animals: cats, dogs, ravens, squirrels, and other beasts of the Thornswild Wood....kind of a cross between mongrel-men and Moreau's beasties, just with kobold stats.

Why did these creatures turn up this way? There is residual Order of the Beastmen "magic energy" or "corruptive influence" still floating around the lair...

That's a great idea. I love small tweaks like this, that leave the players guessing and yet fit into the rules so elegantly. They'll never guess that the squirrel-headed creatures are just kobolds!

Ditto what Joseph wrote.

Heh. Wish I would have thought of that. Mongrel-kin ... little raven-like kenku, actual small dogmen, snake-headed mini drakon ... sweet.

//H

[Ogrepuppy]

Yeah, I read further into the module and saw that you actually listed several animals that the Beastmen revered....I'll likely use those animals (Section 3-10).

My plan is to have the used-to-be-kobolds wear hooded cloaks when my players first encounter them--they won't be able to see the beasties' faces, just to add some mystery. Assuming they kill the beasties, they'll likely look under the hoods, knowing my players...and see the tiny heads of horses, eagles, even a spider-man. That'll freak 'em out.

Why are the kobolds now beasties? Well, I don't really have to explain it, but I'm a stickler for "narrative logic". I figure the kobolds inhaled the smoke from area 3-10 too many times, losing the beneficial aspects of the transformation but retaining the beastial characteristics. (Kinda like when your mom told you your face'd "stay like that forever" when you used to make goofy faces as a kid.)

Hey, all props go to Harley--he wrote the section about the Order of Beastmen. I just ran with the idea.

Is there any other info about the Order in another DCC that I haven't stumbled across yet, other than the Tower of the Black Pearl adventure?

[CharlieRock]

I ran that module once. Got myself six PC-Kill stickers to put on my DM screen for it.

[Harley Stroh]

I ran that module once. Got myself six PC-Kill stickers to put on my DM screen for it.

Heh.

//H

[JediOre]

Well thought out OgrePuppy.