THE SIX-MONSTER BESTIARY
AND ALSO
THE FIVE-ELEMENT TREASURY
AND ALSO
THE ROCK-CUT BAZAAR
BY ANTHONY WU
In the following pages you will find a resource document
for both new and returning referees to old-school games.
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This document was inspired by a blog post from Jack
Guignol of Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque,
quoted in part below:
“So, the characters in your old-school Dungeons &
Dragons game go somewhere you haven’t yet
prepared and you describe some cool, weird-ass
monster that you don’t actually have stats for…
…I just use the stats for a bear and no one is the
wiser. Re-skin appearance, methods of attack, and
add special abilities on the fly if you absolutely
must…but when in doubt, just use bears.”
This post made me think about what the core lessons that
early Dungeons & Dragons monster design tried to teach
players, and drove me to write a “six-monster bestiary” –
six monsters that you could remix whenever you weren’t
prepared, and that would cover a diverse array of roles
within the Dungeons & Dragons gaming ecology.
I chose the basilisk, carcass scavenger, demon spider,
gargoyle, grizzly bear, and skeleton as the monsters to
populate this bestiary.
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The basilisk is a great introduction to gaze attacks and
petrification, and more broadly an introduction to
abilities that cannot be overcome simply by charging in
and attacking everything.
The carcass scavenger, by virtue of its paralysis, is a
great dungeon denizen to build off of – ghouls, ghasts,
and the gelatinous cube all share this ability, and it
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changes the dynamic of a fight greatly as people start
becoming paralyzed.
The demon spider is my own creation, but is basically a
template monster for engaging the surprise rules
against the players. If you want to be more “classic”,
you can replace the demon spider with the giant gecko
from B/X – it would function similarly.
The gargoyle is one of the earliest monsters players
can encounter that is immune to mundane weapons,
which is a motif repeated in lycanthropes and greater
undead.
The bear is included as a nod to the original blog post,
and as an excellent template for “simple, dangerous
beast”.
Last but not least, the skeleton in Dungeons & Dragons
serves as the simplest unit of monster design, much
like the goomba in Mario Bros or the moblins in the
Zelda series.
THE TREASURY & THE BAZAAR
Both the treasury and the bazaar emerged naturally as
things that were needed to add utility to the bestiary –
think of them as auxiliary content or (for video-gamers)
additional DLC for this project.
CREDITS
Bazaar map: dicegeeks.com/free-rpg-maps/
The blog posts that inspired this project:
talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2016
/08/just-use-bears.html
aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/09/everything-isbear.html
CONVERSION NOTE: SAVING THROWS
CONVERSION NOTE: EXPERIENCE POINTS
In Dungeons & Dragons and its various offshoot games, a
“Saving Throw” represents the attempt to avoid or mitigate
some type of unusual hazard. Sometimes this mechanic is
split between five categories (as in most B/X-inspired
games) sometimes three (fortitude, reflex, and will in
Dungeon Crawl Classics, for instance).
I provide no particular guideline on the experience points
to grant players for slaying monsters – the methods vary
heavily between different Old-School Revival games. When
in doubt, my advice is to simply leave the experience points
to treasure gained (so 0 EXP for slaying monsters).
Experience through monster-slaying can have a side effect
of turning the game into a meat-grinder rather than a lootfocused progression. For this reason, be wary of giving too
much experience from combat alone!
For this project, I use a unified saving throw so that
monsters are quicker to run. If you prefer one of those
other systems, however, use the conversion guide below,
based off of Labyrinth Lord and Dungeon Crawl Classics.
Unified
Save
18
17
16
14
13
12
11
9
8
6
5
4
3*
Five Saves (Classic D&D)
Three Saves (Fort/Ref/Will)
Class
Save
D
W
P
B
S
Save Bonus
(Good)
Save Bonus
(Poor)
0th-level human
Fighter 1
F2
F3
F4
F5
F6
F7
F8
F9
F10
F11
F12+
14
12
12
12
10
10
10
8
8
8
6
6
4
15
13
13
13
11
11
11
9
9
9
7
7
5
16
14
14
14
12
12
12
10
10
10
8
8
6
17
15
15
15
13
13
13
9
9
9
7
7
5
18
16
16
16
14
14
14
12
12
12
10
10
8
+1
+1
+2
+3
+4
+6
+6
+7
+8
+8
+9
+10
+10
-3
-2
+0
+1
+1
+1
+2
+2
+2
+3
+3
+3
+4
*Unified Saves do not continue to
improve beyond this point.
D:Death Ray or Poison; W: Wands
P: Petrification or Paralysis
B: Breath Attacks; S: Spells, Rods, or Staves
SIX-MONSTER
BESTIARY
XP 950
beast
BASILISK
4 [15]
AC
6d8+1 (27)
HP
20’
MOVE
11
SAVE
9
MORALE
Bite & Gaze (2 attacks).
Encounter
1d10 + petrification
Petrifying Bite. Save vs. petrify or turn to stone.
Petrifying Gaze. If a creature meets the basilisk’s gaze, it
must save vs. petrify or turn to stone. Unless averting eyes
or using a mirror, all targets within 10’ are affected each
round. Those who avert their eyes attack at disadvantage.
Surprise Gaze. Those surprised by a basilisk meet its gaze.
Mirrors. Basilisks do not petrify in response to their
reflection, but do mistake reflections as rivals and will
focus on defeating their “rival” first.
Smells of soured wine and powdered gravel.
Sounds scrabbling claws on shattered stones.
Context
Organization solitary, lair or basking (1d4)
Behavior
Instincts to opportunistically adapt to local changes.
Desires vary; though basilisks all enjoy basking in sunlight.
CARCASS
SCAVENGER
7 [12]
AC
3d8+1 (15)
HP
XP 75
beast
40’
MOVE
13
SAVE
9
MORALE
Climb 40’
Stinging Tentacles (8 attacks).
Encounter
0 dmg + paralysis each
Paralysis. Save vs. paralysis or be paralyzed for 2d4
exploration turns (2d4x10 minutes). One paralyzed victims
will be devoured every 3 exploration turns (30 minutes) if
the scavenger is left in peace.
Smells of flesh beset by plague and rot.
Sounds of squelching, slime-evoking footfalls.
Context
Organization solitary, pair (2)
Behavior
Instincts to keep using tentacles as long as they sense
movement; easily tricked with mobile illusions.
Desires to consume fresh kills and weakened foes.
XP 50
beast
DEMON SPIDER
6 [13]
AC
3d8+3 (17)
HP
20’
MOVE
13
SAVE
8
MORALE
Climb 40’, unhindered by webs
Bite (1 attack). 1d8 + poison
Encounter
Poison. Save vs. poison with a +2 bonus or be unable to do
anything for 1 turn (10 minutes) due to a prolonged period of
debilitating pain.
Surprise. Demon spiders climb up walls or trees and drop
on unwary prey from above to surprise them on a 1-4.
Smells brimstone and peat smoke.
Context
Sounds rasping vibrations using surfaces they stand on.
Organization solitary, cluster (1d4)
Behavior
Instincts flee from fire; ironic given their fiery coloration.
Desires avoidance of holy spaces, hence their name.
XP 75
construct
GARGOYLE
5 [14]
AC
4d6 (10)
HP
fly 50’
MOVE
9
SAVE
11
MORALE
Crawl 30’, IMMUNE to charm, poison, sleep, and hold effects, and
damage from non-magical weapons
Claws, Bite, & Horn (4 attacks).
Encounter
1d4/1d4/1d6/1d4
Statues Abound. While motionless, a gargoyle is
indistinguishable from an inanimate statue.
Smells of rain and chalk.
Context
Sounds startlingly distinct voices: a diverse range of
gravel, velvet, and shrill tones.
Organization flock (1d6), cathedral (5d20+2)
Behavior
Instincts cruelty flecked with architectural vanity.
Desires reasons to attack without provocation – which
explains their predilection of serving wicked rulers.
XP 175
beast
GRIZZLY BEAR
6 [13]
AC
5d8 (22)
HP
40’
MOVE
13
SAVE
8
MORALE
XP 10
undead
SKELETON
7 [12]
AC
1d6 (4)
HP
20’
MOVE
13
SAVE
12
MORALE
Climb 30’
IMMUNE to charm, poison, and sleep effects
Claws & Bite (3 attacks). 1d4/1d4/1d8
Encounter
Keen Smell. Grizzly bears can track scents from a distance
of 20 miles away.
Maul. If a target is hit by two claws in the same round, they
take an additional 2d8 points of damage from mauling.
Weapon (1 attack). 1d6
Encounter
May Carry Shields. Studies show that 33% skeletons carry
a shield, bringing their AC up to 6 [13].
Smells faintly of salmon left out in the sun.
Context
Sounds sharp clicks as the molars slam together, and a
roar that seems to start as a low, crooning moan.
Organization solitary, den (1d4)
Behavior
Instincts constant state of mild aggression, incredibly
aggressive (+4 morale) if with cubs.
Desires to be reclusive and avoid settlements.
Smells of grave soil.
Sounds silent (as all undead are).
Organization throng (1d6), horde (3d10)
Instincts to stay still until approached.
Desires to act per the bidding of their creators.
Context
Behavior
HOW TO USE
BASIC REMIXES
Print on both sides of a single sheet of paper. These will be
your core templates for monsters as a new Game Master.
If you’re running a module or making your own
adventures, you may have a ton of ideas for monsters
already –great! Use those ideas! This is for when you don’t
have that, or when players go somewhere you’ve yet to
prepare.
You can cover a huge amount of fantasy monsters with
these six as your base. Remember these three rules:
1. Monsters should engage. Answer Mamet’s Questions
for your monsters, and they will become significantly
more engaging and dynamic.
a. What do they want?
b. What happens if they don’t get it?
c. Why are they acting now?
2. Monsters should be telegraphed. Include a monster’s
signs of passage, rumors about them, and symbiotic or
factional relationships they might have.
3. Monsters should be visceral – make them pop! Use
words to amplify their presence to your players.
BASILISK: Reduce HD to make a Medusa, remove the gaze
attack to make a cockatrice. Use the gaze attack for a
cursed race, like Norse svartálfar.
CARCASS SCAVENGER: Reduce attacks and add undead
features to make a ghoul. Set paralysis to an aura (not
touch) for a mummy or some eldritch horror.
GARGOYLE: Remove flight to make any lycanthrope or other
“immune to non-magical weapons” encounter. Remove
immunities for harpies and wyverns.
DEMON SPIDER: Surprise by camouflage? You have a
troglodyte or giant chameleon. Surprise by stealth? You
have a bugbear. Remove the surprise and poison altogether?
You’ve got a boar, wolf, or other weaker-than-bear beast.
GRIZZLY BEAR: “Its reptilian body glistens with antediluvian
slime and its pteroid jaw opens, revealing rows of serrated
fangs…” – and then just stat it as a bear.
SKELETON: Remove undead features and you’ve got
bandits, goblins, orcs, gnolls, etc. Add on abilities to taste
and you have a skeleton knight, a wight, a wraith, etc.
FIVE-ELEMENT
TREASURY
There are five elements of treasure used for our purposes.
The most basic of these are copper pieces (cp), which are
a challenge for players to move in bulk, and gold pieces (gp)
which are the standard treasure. 100 cp = 1 gp.
Relics are expensive but troublesome artifacts found in a
dungeon – they are an opportunity for the referee to throw
something truly heavy at the players, to give the players
something so fragile that it will instantly shatter in combat,
or to present a moral dilemma with a relic that is a family
heirloom, or of personal significance to a friend of the
party.
Equipment and consumables can be sold, but are more
often used for adventuring purposes. Consumables, in
particular, may not find a market among non-adventurers,
and their cost is highly unstable among adventurers.
A referee is encouraged to single out a player with the
responsibility of keeping track of the party’s equipment
and consumables, as players will often forget what they
have at their disposal between sessions. Periodically “audit”
the party’s current inventory via this player, so that the
party’s goods remain fresh in their mind.
Traditionally, treasure is only granted to monsters who “lair”
in a dungeon – that is to say, monsters who exist at a keyed
location. The treasure is usually in the same room as the
monster(s), and so players of old-school games will say
things like “this wandering monster doesn’t even have
treasure”, or they will conclude that if a room has monsters
that “lair” within, the room is also likely to have treasure.
Additionally, the referee should be aware that the treasure
system laid out here is most effective if Experience is
awarded for Treasure Recovered, rather than Treasure
Found. The copper pieces and relics are not at all
compelling as challenges if Experience is awarded
immediately upon discovering them.
To decide how much treasure should accompany any
monsters who appear in a dungeon, refer to the three
categories in the following column.
INTELLIGENT HOARDERS are either organized or strong enough
to accumulate the highest-value, lowest-bulk treasure. For
such monsters, record the following treasure amounts.
N here represents the lowest die increment that is
greater than or equal to a given hoarder’s number of hit dice.
So if you have a pair of dragons that is hoarding treasure,
of HD 8 and HD 13, use 1d8 for the first dragon and 1d20 for
the second.
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0 cp
1dN x 1000 gp
1d6-1 Relics (roll for each)
Roll D12+2 on the Equipment table
50% Expendable (roll for one if you get it)
SHINY HOARDERS are strong enough to obtain treasure, but
tend to not have treasure of great value, either due to
being poor at valuation or just not resourceful enough. For
such monsters, record the following treasure amounts.
N here represents a given hoarder’s number of hit dice.
For example, if you have a goblin of HD 1 that collects shiny
things, N = 1 for that goblin’s treasure generation.
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Nd6 x 1000 cp
2d100 gp
1 Relic (roll for it)
10% Equipment (roll for one if you get it)
10% Expendable (roll for one if you get it)
INCIDENTAL HOARDERS have treasure “by accident” – they may
have slain an adventurer with some pocket change, or they
might be using some treasure as nesting material. For such
monsters, record the following treasure amounts.
N here represents a given hoarder’s number of hit dice.
For example, if you have a giant spider of HD 2 that
happens to have some adventurer’s treasure hanging off
its web, N = 2 for that spiders’ treasure generation.
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1d100 cp
N x 10 gp
0 Relics
5% Equipment
5% Expendable
D12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Value (gp)
10
25
75
75
100
250
500
1,000
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
Relic
Bone figurine, wooden sculpture
Agate, quartz
Marble figurine, obsidian obelisk
Amber, lapis lazuli
Pearl, carved ivory game set
Amethyst, garnet
Crate of pottery, taxidermy
Opal, topaz
Crate of glassware, ancient tapestry
Ruby, sapphire, emerald
Jade statue, fine porcelain figurine
Diamond, insect preserved in amber
D12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Value (gp)
15
25
200
600
400
300
500
1000
6000
6000
9000
0
6000
6000
Equipment
Padded Shoes
Thieves’ Garb
+1 leather armor
+1 plate armor
Bracers of AC 5 [14]
+1 dagger
+1 mace
+1 sword
+1 Flame Tongue
+1 Scale’s Bane
+2 Nine Lives Stealer
-1 Cursed Sword
+1 Mace of Disruption
+3 Arrow of Slaying
D12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Expendable
Potion of Clairaudience
… Clairvoyance
… Gaseous Form
… Giant Strength
… Healing
… Poison
Chime of Opening
Cursed scroll
Scroll of Arcane Magic (1)
Scroll of Arcane Magic (1d4 spells)
Scroll of Divine Magic (1 spell)
Scroll of Divine Magic (1d4 spells)
Bracers of AC 14 can be equipped by any class, and
increase their AC to 5 [14]. Feel free to re-flavor these as
Bracers of Defense or Bracers of Steel Skin as you like.
Padded Shoes grant a 15% bonus to Move Silently.
Thieves’ Garb grants a 15% bonus to Hide in Shadows for
thieves, or a 1-in-6 bonus for halflings.
+1 Flame Tongue grants a +2 attack and damage bonus
against regenerating, avian, undead, or plant-like monsters.
At the wielder wills, the sword can ignite or extinguish itself,
providing light and fire as a torch would.
+1 Scale’s Bane grants a +4 attack and damage bonus
against creatures such as dinosaurs, dragons, hydras,
lizards, snakes, wyverns, etc.
+2 Nine Lives Stealer can draw out the life force from an
opponent, instantly slaying them on a natural 20 attack roll
(creatures are entitled to a saving throw). After 9 foes are
slain in such a way, the ability is lost.
-1 Cursed Sword will appear in the wielder’s hand whenever
an opponent is faced, not matter what is done.
+1 Mace of Disruption deals double damage to undead.
+3 Arrow of Slaying will be partially built out of the
creature it is meant to slay. No matter what, it will function
as a +3 arrow, but the missile will kill instantly if it hits the
target creature.
Potions can be identified by sipping small amounts. A full
dose of a potion takes one round to drink, and brings on the
appropriate magical effect for 1d6+6 dungeon turns. The
referee should roll for and track this duration, and not tell
the players how long the potion will last for.
Chime of Opening: a hollow metal tube about 1 foot in
length. When struck, it causes locks, lids, doors, valves,
and portals to open within the vicinity of the sound. Each
use requires a charge, and chimes have Nd10 charges when
found, where N is the dungeon level it is found on (max 8).
When emptied of charges, the chime cracks and becomes
useless.
Cursed Scrolls will inflict a curse upon the reader, of the
referee’s making.
Scrolls of Magic contain 1 to 4 spells within. Once a spell is
cast from a scroll, the magical writing for that spell
disappears. The spells on a given scroll should be selected
by the referee to suit their play group.
1D4 RUMORS
2. Bazaar Square
(Center), Walkway (Outer
Perimeter)
Everybody Knows: The
excavation of an underground
bazaar was cut short; bandits
made the dig site their lair.
Pile of gold (actually fool’s
gold) and pottery in the
center of the mosaic-tiled
square, well-lit by a circle
of candles. Intruder bait.
R1. This site dates back to the
Stone Age, when Derro bearwargs and necromancerchieftains reigned supreme.
2 bandits patrol the
perimeter, clockwise,
with torches. They return
to Point 3 every hour to
take a break.
R2. Two merchants were
captured by these bandits.
R3. These men are local,
driven to banditry by the
drought. Recently, some have
been having second thoughts
about their lifestyle...
3. Bandit Dwelling
Cots and chests contain a
pittance (100 cp worth,
total).
R4. The leader of these
bandits can walk through a
hail of arrows unscathed.
4. Boarded-Up Chamber
CONTEXT
Cracked boards bulge
outward. Inside, a cage
sits with warped, ruined
bars. A mummified bear
ghoul rages within.
Rock-cut architecture is the
creation of structures by
excavating natural stone, existing
as far back as 3000 BCE.
In the real world, rock-cut tombs and
temples are often adorned with
frescoes and reliefs. To save space, I’ve
not included any here. Feel free to
improvise your own!
ENCOUNTER DIE (D6)
(ROLL EVERY DUNGEON TURN)
5. Traitor Dwelling
As Point 3, except the 1d4+1 bandits here plot to
betray their leader. They are talkative and provide silver
shivs (as daggers) made from stolen cutlery.
6. Chamber of Petrified Animals
Mice, rabbits, and a wild boar turned to fool’s gold. Will
require a mule and cart to take back to civilization. Worth
little unless a scam is involved.
1
1 bandit returns from foraging, entering from Point 1
2
Moans & slams from Point 4, chain-rattling from Point 7
3
Bear ghoul at Point 4 deals noticeable damage to the
door. When this result is rolled 6 times, it breaks out.
4
1 giant gecko (max 2) sets up an ambush at Point 1
1 cockatrice is chained to a wall, with leather eye coverlets
and drugged organ meat in a bowl to keep it docile.
5
All lanterns being used have their oil depleted by a third
6
All torches being used burn out
8a. Moribus’ Guard
7. Chamber of the Pyrite Cockatrice
1 bandit with 2 HD and a +1 battle axe stands guard here.
DUNGEON KEY
8b. Moribus’ Chambers
1. Rock-Cut Stairwell
Moribus Clay, wererat, dwells here. He first used the pyrite
cockatrice to swindle people, but now prefers to petrify
and steal (thus the traitors at Point 5). 2 merchants are
bound in the corner, 1 accidentally petrified into fool’s gold
and clutching a ruby worth 200 gp, by a chest of treasure
(Shiny Hoarder, N = total HD from dungeon). Moribus uses
any “Equipment” treasure rolled for him.
Stairwell leads to a narrow corridor. First stair past the
corridor is a pressure plate. Its original purpose would have
been to activate some percussive alarm to announce
visitors to the bazaar – Moribus has repurposed the plate to
drop weighted nets all along the corridor.