Showing posts with label ogc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ogc. Show all posts

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Updated OSR Analogues of Non-OGL Monsters List

Revised
Beholder - Eye of Terror; Sphere of Many Eyes *
Bullywug - Batrachian; Thugtoad
Carrion Crawler - Carcass Scavenger; Corpse Creeper *
Displacer Beast - Phase Tiger; Displacer; Coeurl *
Githyanki - Astral Raider
Grell - Beaktopus
Kuo-Toa - Ponaturi *; Koa-Tau ?*$
Mind Flayer - Mind EaterCthonoid *; Thulid; Brain Lasher; Thelidu
Slaad - Senufio; Ogdoad **
Umber Hulk - Wenge Goliath *
Yuan-Ti - Naga; Ophiduan **$

? - ?
* - To my knowledge these monsters are not Open Content
** - Third Edition statistics
$ - To my knowledge no free version is available

The monsters that I'm unaware of having any OSR-ish direct analogues are:
Githzerai - I admit, they don't exactly set the imagination on fire
Hook Horror

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Thanks Your Charles Stross/ If You Want Slaad You've Got It...

Slaad on the rocks
Slaad on the streets
Slaad in the sky
Slaad on the sheets
If you want Slaad
You've got it...
It looks like someone else has caught Open Content Versions of Non-OGL Classic D&D Monster fever, as Bat from Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets has presented the first of the Senufio (SErial NUmbers FIled Off): The Scarlet Marauder.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

[Labyrinth Lord] Dear Lawyers: I Assure You That is Definitely NOT A Grell...

Completely unrelated to my previous discussion regarding "serial numbers filed off" versions of WOTC's precious non-open content Product Identity created by fine gentlemen such as Charles Stross, good 'ole Alan sent me his write up for an exciting new floating paralytic-tentacle monster "The Beaktopus."

The material in the quote box below is hereby designated Open Game Content via the Open Game License.
BEAKTOPUS
No. Enc.: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: Fly - 120’ (30’)
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks:   9 (8 tentacles, 1 beak)
Damage: (8 tentacles) 1d4 + paralysis / (1 beak) 1d6
Save:   F6
Morale:   10
Hoard Class: XIX
XP:   570

The beaktopus is a solitary underground predator which most likely originated in the fevered dreams of of a wizard with too much time and talent, though not enough common sense. Lucky adventurers who have chanced upon this fearsome creature and survived, describe it as well over 7 feet tall, with a body consisting of a central body from which eight radially symmetrical tentacles descend towards the ground. Each tentacle is covered with small, wickedly sharp hooked barbs which are used to capture and neutralize its prey. A large, sharp beak is found on the bottom of the body, sitting between all of the tentacles, and serves as the creature's digestive track entrance.

The beaktopus moves via a combination of levitation and using its tentacles to propel it, and is completely silent when it wishes to be. The source of the creature's levitation ability is a gland located in the central body, and if removed and lanced, will secrete enough liquid to act as a potion of levitation if captured and stored properly.

When a party of adventurers stumbles upon a beaktopus (for what foolish person would seek one out willingly?), the beast will focus all of its attacks on a single victim, and attack that poor sod with all eight (8) tentacles. If any tentacle his, then not only will each rake the victim's flesh with barbed hooks for 1d4 damage, but each successful attack also necessitates a single saving throw vs. paralysis, with a -1 modifier for each successful attack beyond the first.

Once the beaktopus has successfully attacked its prey and paralyzed it, it will draw the prey towards its beak and in the following turns begin devouring its helpless prey. The beaktopus may move and attack its paralyzed prey with its beak at the same time.


OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)"Derivative Material" means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)"Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) "Trademark" means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used" or "Using" means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
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5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
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7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
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15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
END OF LICENSE

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Open Content Analogues of WOTC Non-OGL Classic D&D Monsters

When WOTC released all that OGC/OGL jazz they took care to firewall a bunch of classic D&D monsters behind a product identity clause.

With indie publishers beings the wacky scamps that they are, a bunch of them has released versions of many of prohibited pre-2E monsters with the serial numbers filed off.

I'm working on some comprehensive simulacrum D&D encounter tables and have been using these versions to fill in some gaps; so far this is what I've come up with:
Beholder - Eye of Terror from Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion
Bullywug - Batrachian from OSRIC; Thugtoad from the Swords & Wizardry Monster Book
Carrion Crawler - Carcass Scavenger from Adventurer Conquerer King Labyrinth Lord
Displacer Beast - Phase Tiger from Adventurer Conquerer King Labyrinth Lord
Githyanki - Astral Raider from Ancient Vaults and Eldritch Secrets (a pretty "loose" version compared to the ultra-detailed Fiend Folio entry but it's there)
Grell - The Beaktopus makes for a workable substitute...
Mind Flayer - Mind Eater from the Swords & Wizardry Monster Book; Lasher from Mutant Future; The Thelidu from the Swords & Wizardry Monster Book are pretty close to the Mind Flayer, but their hit dice are significantly lower
Slaad - Bat from Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets has kindly assembled the Senufio; Claudio Pozas made the Ogdoad for 3E, but they're a bit far from the original for my liking.

The monsters that I'm unaware of having any OSR-ish analogues are:
Githzerai - I admit, they don't exactly set the imagination on fire
Kuo-Toa - A whole lot of fishmen & Deep Ones out there though
Umber Hulk
Yuan-Ti - A whole lot of snakemen out there as well, but I haven't come across anything that closely replicates the AD&D version

Are any of you folks aware of additional versions of the "product identity" monsters or non-open pre-2E monsters that I have missed?