OSE Encounter Activities - Hippogriff

Hippogriffs are pretty strange beasts. I’m not sure whether to code them as mammalian or avian, so I mix it up in this table. They are inveterately omnivorous, and to differentiate them from Griffons I tend to associate them more with poultry in terms of their bird behavior: flocking together, more easily domesticated provided they don’t come across a Pegasus. It is a fairly rare enmity to have to cope with, far less frequent than the Griffon’s tendency to attack normal Horses on sight. Buying saddle and tack for something mostly Horse-shaped is probably easier too. In fact, the Rules Cyclopedia handily lists their Barding Multiplier as x 1. 😊

I was never really fond of the idea of them being a result of Crossbreeding between Griffons and Horses, preferring them as their own species that breeds true. Here are a Hundred Encounter Activities for the Hippogriff:

OSE Encounter Activities - Rhagodessa

“Always count the legs,” groans the Fighter, after showing off a scar the size of a Short Sword down his back.

I freely admit that I didn’t know what to make of the Rhagodessa when I first came across them in the Monster list all those years ago. They seemed like just another made up Monster to me, and as a very seldom seen word, I felt it must’ve just been something invented just for D&D. I couldn’t find any entry for it in the old Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia we had, so it wasn’t until years later that I realized it was a type of Solifuge.

Apparently, we have those in these parts (and every continent save Antarctica and Australia even), but I’ve never actually seen one in the chitin. They go by other neat and less tongue-twisting names like Wind Scorpions and Camel Spiders. Even though it's nearly as awkward to say: I'm pretty partial to Jerrymunglum. I’m sure I’d be just as fascinated by them as any bug that crossed my path. So, this is one Monster that went full circle from D&D mythos to reality for me.

They are bigger and more formidable than most of the Giant Spiders, so they can serve as a good stand in for those when you want something evocative, but a little larger. If you’re feeling especially devious, you could always call for a Saving Throw on bite, even though these critters aren’t venomous. The automatic damage on Grab mechanic is dangerous enough though.

OSE Encounter Activities - Spectre

Since there is no Lich in B/X – OSE, I suppose we’ll have to make do with Spectres to somewhat fill this formidable niche. Draining two-levels per touch is pretty awful, and while not as formidable as Vampires on the surface, they lack a lot of the more traditional “short cuts” to defeat. Better have access to Magical Weapons/Magic before confronting these. A Cleric needs to be at least 5th level to have even the slightest chance of Turning them.

They’re incorporeality is notable as well and this might make them more tactically interesting: I’m imagining hit and run caresses from inside the walls of claustrophobic corridors, or simply running their ghostly fingers down the length of a footfall from below the floor. Depending on how devious you decide to make them, they can be incredibly dangerous for a party to confront due to this advantageous use of terrain. As always, I try to telegraph the danger, at least a little to the Players. It’s far more satisfying watching them wade into a mess they’re well aware of then simply springing this sort of “unexpected Spectre” on them.

To combat the “Ceaseless Spawning Cascade” that can occur with the Undead that are capable of reproducing like this, I tend to tie them to a place as guardians or bound by ancient Curses/Vows/Duties (much like I discuss with Wights and Wraiths) and am inordinately fond of having even the most benevolent Ghosts capable of sudden, dramatic transformations into Spectres if crossed or foolishly challenged. Undead should be scary after all once Skeletons/Zombies/Ghouls cease to be a challenge.

OSE Encounter Activities - Whale

Here are 3d30 Encounter Activity Tables for the trio of entries under Whale. Might be useful for Wave-Crawls, and I have a soft-spot for placing Cetaceans as set-dressing on ocean adventures.

OSE Encounter Activities - Minotaur

The Minotaur!

Remember: These Monsters are some of the few that get their own Language, and therefore probably benefit greatly by having a culture (they also make an appearance on one of the Reincarnation Subtables!). Their penchant for Mazes/Labyrinths, while present in the description, is left largely vague in reason, but I tend to like to make them architects.

OSE Encounter Activities - Wyvern

Wyverns are great Monsters. I know they see a lot of use as “training-wheel Dragons” but I always found them intriguing in their own right. Another common caper is to have the locals confuse them with a bona-fide Dragon, and have the Adventurers march off, avaricious eyes positively sparkling with expectations of Treasure Type H, only to have to make do with Treasure Type E. I’ve been guilty of doing this before, and I’ve also used Giant Tuataras for the same purpose.

As to how they relate to the hexapodal Wyrms, I tend to leave this a little bit vague, but I am certain it pertains to the former Saurian Empires that also spawned Troglodytes and Lizard Men. I keep them feral, mostly unintelligent but with a bit of cunning, borrowing a bit of personality from Vultures and Great Cats mostly.

As always I like to dress up the effects of their venom a little beyond the dreadfully “boring” Save or Die (yet another contender for my d100 Terrible Toxins & Vile Venoms Project). I also enjoy giving them suitably descriptive common names: Nightscale Divers, Crested Four-step Impalers (post-sting, four steps and you’re dead), Verdigris Screamers, etc. World War II Fighter Plane names work out alright as well in a pinch, as I almost see them fulfilling this role in a way.

Just in case you are curious, their Barding Multiplier is x 3, and load is 3,500 coins at full speed. They make wonderful Mounts for suitably heroic campaigns if domesticated properly by those who know how to do such things.

OSE Encounter Activities - Horse

I grew up across the street from a huge Ranch that predominantly grazed Horses. They would occasionally play Polo. Several times, my childhood life up to that point flashed before my eyes as I was mowing our lawn for chore money and hit one of those huge, hard Plastic Polo balls with a lawnmower blade. Absolutely terrifying.

One summer, to earn some extra spending money, I was drafted along with some neighbor kids and paid to help around the Ranch. Mostly mucking stables. I don’t recommend it, but I’m pretty sure I spent some of that money on D&D books, come to think of it 😊.

Here are a Hundred entries for Horses, split across a few tables due to this being a multi-monster entry: