Er der nogen der ved hvad The Horde og Maztica er?

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Udover det er et eller andet i Forgotten Realms.

“Monkey is a truly unique being. Once he was an official of the Celestial Bureaucracy in the Outer Planes. However, for his tricks and mischief, the Celestial Emperor stripped him of much of his power and banished him to Toril on the Prime Material plane.”

Ok, Monkey er altså ikke en abe, men en mærkelig abe-npc, som D&D mener bør være en del af din monster manual. Hvorfor, kommer der ikke nogen forklaring på. Til gengæld står der under Ecology:

“What does a godlike being eat? Monkey can live on the very air. He does have a taste for rich food, fruits, and wine. He can eat prodigious quantities without filling himself. It is not a good idea to offer to cook for him.”

WTF D&D?

The online Monstrous Manual

Litteraturhistorisk er værkerne ret nemme at analysere: En fiktiv og mytisk, men dog ordenet fortidsfortælling for  den moderne læser i den kaostiske samtid under og lige efter 2. verdenskrig. Værker der forsøger at forklarer 30erne og 40ernes politiske ondskab mytologisk og ontologisk. Det er stadigvæk et værk der er godt at gå til, hvis verden kommer til at virke for tilfældig i sin ondskab. Eftersigende skulle Politikens afdøde chefredaktør Tøger Seidenfaden ofte læste Ringenes Herre og det er sikkert meget sundt for en mand der lever af at være rimelig i en urimelig verden.

D&D

Den tolkienske fantasylitteratur er desværre dårlig baggrund for rollespil og selvom vi alle sikkert har spillet masser af tolkiensk D&D var D&D ikke nødvendigvis særlig tolkiensk som udgangspunkt. Det var mere over i Sword and Sorcery fantasy genren (Herefter S&S). S&S er en mere amerikansk form for fantasylitteratur, den tager sit udgangspunkt i 10erne og 20ernes pulplitteratur/ Weird fiction. De tre “klassiske” eksempler på S&S er serier som Robert E. Howards Conan, Fritz Leibers Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser og ham jeg har glemt.

Kort fortalt kan sige at S&S er mere rodet end tolkiensk fantasy og S&S behandler ofte nogle voldelige og perverse temaer. Morten og Troels har skrevet et fint og dog meget akademisk essay om forskellen på de to form for fantasy i deres Legenden om… scenarier.

For mig er den helt centrale forskel mellem de to genre at  i tolkiensk fantasy er verden i balance, men sat ud af denne balance og historien omhandler hvordan vi får verden til at  vende tilbage sit harmoniske udgangspunkt. I S&S har verden aldrig været i balance og harmonisk, den er som udgangspunkt kaostisk og på den måde mindre ontologisk ordenet.

Der har altid været tolkienske elementer i D&D. Bare det at racerne (især spillerracerne) er forholdsvis ordenet er et tolkiensk udtryk, men det er især med Dragonlance at D&D bliver mere tolkiensk. Dragonlance handler om, så vidt jeg har forstået det, om at verden er blevet sat ud af balance og det nu er op til spillerne at skabe orden igen. S&S er mindre episk, men indeholder langt flere kæmpegorilla og kannibaler.

Og når alt kommer til alt er rollespil, som medie, bedre til kæmpegorilla og kannibaler. Desværre var mine første D&D oplevelser i en 10-spiller stor Dragonlance kampagne. Dengang synes jeg godt nok at Drager og Dæmoner var bedre og da jeg kort tid efter mødte Vampire  vende jeg aldrig rigtig tilbage til D&D.

Xaver

I bedste Dungeons & Darwins stil, er jeg indforstået med, at nogle væsener udvikler sig på sære måder for at tilpasse sig huler og fangekældre. Men et væsen, der lige som et Rustmonster lever af metal, som ligner et sværd med små tentakelfødder?!? Er det for bedre at kunne snige sig ind på rigtige sværd?

Ikke mindst fordi de jo ikke er constructs eller magiske skabte væsner. Næh, de  kan mødes i mating pairs og small family groups, med baby xavers’n’all.

Og så er Harpyer og Fire Lizards vilde med smagen af xaver. W.T.F.?

The online Monstrous Manual

Du kommer til Kelpie(n).

Du tænker: “mærkelig tegning alligevel”…

… også læser du beskrivelsen:

“The kelpie is a form of intelligent, aquatic plant life that is able to alter its shape and cast a charm spell. Its purpose is to drown the foolish.”

Du tænker: “WTF?”

Ulithari

Ulitharids, or Noble Illithid, are the elite of mind flayers, favored by their god the elder brain and free to exercise their will upon lower illithids and all other humanoids that fall under their power.

Illithid

The illithid, or mind flayer, is an evil and feared creature of the Underdark; its powers are formidable and it feeds on the brains of any creature it encounters. Using arcane powers, it enslaves or destroys its foes, which include such powerful creatures as drow and kuo-toa.

Kuo-Toa

…such powerful creatures as drow and kuo-toa.

Powerful alligevel? Det er jo en torsk med arme!

Jonas H.: “Holy crap – nu ved jeg at jeg altid har manglet krigeregern i mit liv. Stor kampagne NU!”

Deres alignment går fra Neutral til Chaotic good og de har en XP Value på mellem 65-270.

Læs alle deres stats i  the online Monstrous Manual .

“Psychokinesis – Sciences: detonate, telekinesis; Devotions: control flames, control lights, control winds, levitation, molecular agitation.

Al-mi’raj are rather stupid creatures, but are potentially dangerous because of their unpredictable nature. They resemble large rabbits with long, soft fur. A single black horn, one to two feet long and spiraled like that of a unicorn, protrudes from the forehead. Although most al-mi’raj have yellow fur, white, pink, and even light green specimens have been seen.

Though the origin of the al-mi’raj is unknown, they may be an example of a failed science project conducted by Krynnish gnomes, though the creatures are found on many worlds. They are often kept as pets by gnomes, and al-mi’raj, in an ancient gnomish dialect, means experiment seventy-two

Combat: Like normal rabbits, al-mi’rai are rather nervous creatures. Rather than hopping away when threatened, however, almi’raj become aggressive and vicious. They leap at the offending intruder, attempting to stab with their horns.

Al-mi’raj are also able to teleport short distances, giving them the nickname blink bunnies. They blink to and fro seemingly without pattern, attempting to avoid attack. The al-mi’raj appears about 3’ from its opponent and immediately hops to the attatack. Al-mi’raj teleport on a roll of 4 or better on a 6-sided die. To determine where the creature appears, roll an 8-sided die: 1 = in front of opponent, 2 = left front, 3 = left, 4 = left rear, 5 = directly behind, 6 = right rear, 7 = right, 8 = right front. Because of a quirk in their breeding, a few adults, about 10%, have psionic abilities. If an al-mi’raj sits still instead of jumping to attack an opponent, it is sure to be psionically endowed. It will almost always use its powers in the following order: control light to cause the sky to darken, control wind to cause the wind to blow, levitation to rise into the air, and molecular agitation to cause items to hear and burn. Then it will use telekinesis to throw rocks, control flame to move fire about, and detonation to cause weapons and armor to explode. After it levitates, it uses control winds to fly about, its eyes glowing redly as it harasses its opponents. If attacked physically, it will try to blink away.

Al-mi’raj are immune to poison.

Habitat/Society: Al-mi’raj live fairly peaceful lives as long as they are left to themselves. They roam about pastures and woodlands, eating all manner of plants. Their lairs are usually above-ground nests composed of fur, grass, and twigs. Al-mi’raj of the same herd tend to build nests close together.

During the spring mating season, the males joust with their horns competing for the favors of the females. About two months after mating, the female gives birth to a litter of 2-12 cute, cuddly babies with nubs where their horns will later grow. It takes an al-mi’rai about a year to reach full growth.

Psionic al-mi’rai, sometimes known as bunnies of the Abyss develop their powers as adults. Except when the herd is attacked, they act in all respects like normal al-mi’raj.

Ecology: Because they breed rather quickly, al-mi’raj can become a problem in any area where there are few natural predators. They can decimate natural vegetation or destroy entire fields of crops. Their nesting areas can also become dangerously impassable. The conglomeration of twiggy nests makes movement difficult, and the large numbers of blink bunnies defending their young is a formidable obstacle.

The bodies of al-mi’rai are very useful: their fur is soft and warm, their meat is tasty, and their horns are useful in cures for poison. Some gnomish communities have a superstitious belief that an al-mi’raj’s hind feet bring good luck, and although gnomes have stopped the practice of carrying them around, some homes are still decorated with al-mi’raj feet.

If captured when very young, al-mi’raj show a surprising aptitude for training except for the psionic variety, which have an unfortunate tendency to detonate the possessions of their trainers. The al-mi’raj’s fearlessness can make them useful companions.“

Se the online Monstrous Manual for stats og xp value.

Dem jeg godt kunne tænke mig at spille er:

Spelljammer fra 1989

Dark Sun fra 1991

Al-Qadim fra 1992

Planescape fra 1994

De er alle skrevet til AD&D 2.ed. Et system som jeg synes er en dårlig ide at spille noget som helst i. I stedet ville jeg lave hacks udfra Lady Blackbird, Mouse Guard, The Shadow of Yesterday, Diaspora og et system der kunne håndtere politisk spil.

Hvordan ville du sætte det samme og hvilke systemer ville du bruge?

2. Vampire, Kender

3. Vampire, Dwarf

4. Vampire, Halfling

Ravenloft er sgu en sær setting. Find flere mærkelige monster i the online Monstrous Manual.