Another long day. I had to run to Dallas with my priest and then a rosary service at the funeral home for a parishioner who died. Tomorrow I'll be serving as an acolyte at the funeral mass, but tomorrow morning I might actually be able to get a full blog done. Today, it's just a S&WWB monster entry. Enjoy!
The Lizard King is a giant, more intelligent specimen of his kind. He lords it over several local tribes of lizard men, banding them together and requiring that they bring him human sacrifices from the surrounding lands. The Lizard King is armed with a magical trident that does 3d6+2 damage. If, however, he makes his to hit roll by 5 or more, the weapon will hit for double damage with a minimum of 15 points damage.
Ok, another short one today. I've been swamped this week so far and it's only getting worse. ~sigh~
I find that there are plenty out there in the OSR who do not like Unearthed Arcana. I find that attitude amusing. UA was edited by Gary and, in many ways, is a preview of what a Gygaxian "2E" might have looked like. However, because it does not fit into some pre-conceived notion of what "real" AD&D is, it has to go.
I invoke the magic word "Balderdash!" There is nothing wrong with it. And one of the two classes that (incorrectly) generates a considerable amount of ire is the Cavalier.
The argument generally goes that the cavalier is unnecessary because a single-classed fighter is a better choice and that one can simply roleplay a fighter as a cavalier. The problem with this argument is that the PHB already had an assassin class. Isn't assassin merely a job description for a thief or fighter? (That's the same argument used for why it was removed in "2E" and was a prestige class in 3.0/3.5.)
The assassin establishes the fact that sometimes, for various reasons, a specialized class is necessary. The counter-argument is that the cavalier "gives too much" to the player. The cavalier is "overpowered." Funny. I thought that the fighter was a better fighter, especially with specialization. There are limits placed on the cavalier. Alignment is restricted; if he becomes neutral or evil in morality, then the cavalier loses the ability to operate at negative hit points. Evil cavaliers are also hunted.
The next argument is that DMs and players usually ignore all the class restrictions on alignment, behavior, etc. I have to say, "So?" If the end-user misuses the product, does that mean the design is flawed? Of course not!
The thing to reminder is that a mere fighter is not a knight. A knight is a chivalrous warrior. That is more than just being an honorable fighter and a good Joe. There is a certain attitude and skill that is involved in the concept. And the most important, the one that really sets the knight apart from other warriors is the horse.
First and foremost, the knight is a horse warrior, trained practically from birth to fight from horseback and to espouse the Chivalric Code of Honor. Combat is Glory. Defense of any Charge until Death. Courage and Enterprise in Obedience. The Knight is chained to a demanding lifestyle. He's not just a "good fighter dude." The horse is a big part of it. Lancelot was dishonored when he had to ride in a wagon because he had no horse. Horses were ransomed just like the knights themselves. Norman knights on the First Crusade dropped their armor in the heat, but never their horses.
Of course there is more to than the horse. Without his code a knight is just a brigand on a horse. Sort of like this guy:
That code is what keeps his force in check. He is a superb warrior but his might is chained to oaths of obedience and loyalty, oaths taken before the altar of a Good (although not necessarily a Lawful) deity. That is why evil cavaliers are hunted down relentlessly; it is not because they are evil, but instead because they are Oathbreakers who are now unchecked.
Maybe I make too much of this. Maybe I have too romantic a spirit. Naw... ;)
Ah, the Dungeon Master. The old saying, "Justice is blind" cannot apply to one's role as a judge. Oh, plenty of people throw out phrases like, "Let the dice fall where they may" and others like that that, but sometimes the story must take precedence. Does this mean that there is no chance of death when I DM? Far from it. But sometimes, sometimes, it is necessary not to be hard ass. Like, when the fate of the world hinges on one die roll. Like Count Rugen and Inigo Montoya.
I mean, by the book, Inigo should be dead. What does the DM do? This is the culmination of a life quest.
Ah, I'm a little disjointed today. Woke up with a migraine and I'm still hurting; but I think you get my point.
And now, today's monster is dedicated to my daughter Katherine. Her one-act play from UIL this year was "Alice in Wonderland." Therefore, I present you with the Jabberwock!
JABBERWOCKY
Lewis Carroll
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
EDIT: Tim Brannan also did the Jabberwock today, statted up for the Victorian Ghosts RPG instead. You can find his blog, The Other Side, here.
The Jabberwock is huge, ungainly beast that constantly burbles out a stream of nonsense that affects all foes within 30 feet as if by a confusion spell. If anyone is foolish enough to look the jabberwock in the eye, its eyes of flame blind the adventurer for 2d6 rounds. If the jabberwock hits a target with both of its claw attacks (1d6+1 each), it will immediately follow up with his bite attack (2d6). The jabberwock's chief weakness, due to its long neck, is to vorpal blades, which will decapitate the jabberwock on a result of 18, 19, or 20.
Vorpal Blade Vorpal blades are extremely rare magic weapons that confer a +3 bonus to hit and damage. On a natural 20 of the die, however, the vorpal blade decapitates its target. Note also that vorpal blades are inevitably two-handed swords, thus causing its wielder to forego the use of a shield.
