Shadow of the Demon Lord: The Thing

"Man is the warmest place to hide."

The Thing          DIFFICULTY 100
Size 0 to 2 horrific extraterrestrial
Perception 14 (+4), darksight
Defense 15; Health 80
Strength 16 (+6)   Agility 13 (+3)   Intellect 14 (+4)   Will 14 (+4)
Speed 15; climber
Immune damage from disease or poison; gaining Insanity; dazed, 

   fatigued, frightened, immobilized, impaired, poisoned, slowed, 

   stunned

ATTACK OPTIONS
Natural Weapons (melee to short range) +6 with 2 boons (2d6+2)

SPECIAL  ACTIONS

Steal Form the thing uses an action or a triggered action on its turn 

   to alter its appearance to match that of a target dead creature it 

   can see within short range. The target must be Size 0 to 2 and 

   have a shape of flesh and blood. The thing's body changes so it 

   looks exactly like the target, including clothing. The effect lasts 

   until the thing uses this talent again. If it becomes incapacitated 

   the thing can create a hybrid form composed of any portions of 

   it's existing shape. When the thing steals a creature’s form, its 

   challenge rolls to deceive others have 3 boons.

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Creature Crucible: Raqquill for Labyrinth Lord

Raqquill or Beast Men for Labyrinth Lord
AL NE, MV 35', AC 7, HD 2, #AT 1 [whip or claws], 
THAC0 18, DG 1d6, SV 2 fighter, ML 9,  XP 20

The Raqquill are mercenaries for the Horde, an mysterious organization bent on conquest. Typically a cadre of beastmen is led by the one of the skeletal wizards known as the Krux. 

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Creature Crucible: Sharknado for Labyrinth Lord

Sharknado for Labyrinth Lord
AL CE, MV 60', AC 9, HD 12, #AT 3 [shark], 
THAC0 11, DG 1d6+4, SV 12 fighter, ML 12,  XP 1200

It's a tornado filled with sharks. Yep, you pissed off your DM.

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Shadow of the Demon Lord: Asylum

We started a new Shadow of the Demon Lord campaign two weeks back. I'm using the excellent PDF adventure, In Need of a Killing (a Kickstarter exclusive), and expanding it's setting, the village of Asylum.

Some things that set my Asylum apart:

The World has two moons Gottlieb and Morrslieb, the blood red Witch's Moon (I completely stole this from Warhammer's Old World). Recently, both moons were full and the Road to Hell reappeared.

A few miles northwest from the village is Gaunt's Crick, but ol' timers know it as the Road to Hell, because of strange happenings that used to be common place there. In reality, a powerful leyline runs the length of the Crick and while it has been inactive for years, it's strange energies burnt so bright at night that it can be glimpsed from Asylum.

Esther McClintock's son, Thurston, is believed by the villagers to be an albino, but he is in fact a mooncalf, a mutant who is sensitive to the strange energies of the cosmos.  Esther's husband, Clive, died last summer and she worries that the erratic behavior Thurston has begun to exhibit will wear thin on villagers that barely tolerated the boy before her husband's death.

Otis Stapp and Gerald Burris, two teenage boys, claimed to have seen some strange, hairy men prowling close to the Crick the other day. While some adults checked the area, all they found were horse tracks that vanished into the Crick. It has the village cluckin'.

Immigene Laroo found a grotesque idol that fits into the palm of her hand. It was lying just outside the Weary Traveler Inn. She went to show it to Samyra, the Inn's owner, but couldn't bring herself to do so. That was several days ago and now she keeps it in her apron at all times and frets over her inability to share that it exists.

Shadow of the Demon Lord: Gorilla-Men

"Within the Assembly of Apes, the gorilla caste is strictly used for military and defense."

Gorilla-man          DIFFICULTY 10
Size 1 ape-man
Perception 10 (+0)
Defense 13 (hard leather); Health 20
Strength 13 (+3)   Agility 11 (+1)   Intellect 10 (+0)   Will 12 (+2)
Speed 12
Intimidating A gorilla-man attempting to frighten makes

   the Will challenge roll with 1 boon.

ATTACK OPTIONS
Rifle (long range) +1 with 2 boons (3d6)
Saber (melee) +3 with 1 boon (1d6+2)

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Creature Crucible: Un-Men for Labyrinth Lord

Un-Men for Labyrinth Lord
AL C, MV 20', AC 8, HD 4, #AT 1 [limb], THAC0 17, 
DG 1d6+1, SV 4 fighter, ML 12,  XP 80

The Un-Men are unliving, mishapen creatures raised by evil sorcerery, using a magic darker than even necromancy. Only a wizard of great skill, little sanity, and who worships Starro has the ability to create such anathema.

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Shadow of the Demon Lord: Game Mastery Critical Hit Deck.

I love Robert Schwalb's Shadow of the Demon Lord. It may be both my favorite RPG design AND my favorite RPG. It marries DnD and Warhammer's Old World, while maintaining a streamlined design that I feel is as strong as B/X DnD.

In the campaigns I've run for my group we've tried a couple of critical hit house rules, but this past session I dug out my copy of Paizo's GameMastery Critical Hit Deck for Pathfinder and it worked very well.

We only drew a card on a Natural 20.

Each card has an option for bludgeoning, piercing, slashing, and magic damage. I did have to do some conversion on the fly, but I basically just swapped Pathfinder's Saves with SotDL's Abilities and converted penalties to Banes (approximately each -2 was equal to 1 Bane).

We had a blast, with both the PC's and my NPC's scoring Crits.

I think we are going to keep using them.