Castles & Crusades, Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique & Adapting The Free D20 adventure Shadows in the Moonlight by Wesley Connally

If there is one artist whose work to me has established Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique its Rodney Mathews.   And looking over the CAS stories, Mathews artwork, etc. the influences on my small Seventies childhood brain are certainly there. And I don't wanna hear that this isn't OSR enough be cause this material can easily be applied to Dungeon Crawl Classics.


A witch & her demon guardian by Rodney Mathew artwork used without permission.

So the last time I was playing a Castles & Crusades/Amazing Adventures rpg hybrid game it was set on Clark Asthon Smith's Zothique. I had to pull the entire campaign setting out of my butt & it was a royal pain from my perspective. So while I do have the D20 Zothique rules I decided to sit down for a moment & really rend it the setting out from the back end of the CAS Zothique stories.
The stories within the millions of years in the future world of Clark Ashton Smith go something like this; 

• Black Abbot of Puthuum, The (1936)
• Charnel God, The (1934)
• Dark Eidolon, The (1935)
• Dead will Cuckold You, The (1950)
• Death of Ilalotha, The (1937)
• Empire of the Necromancers, The (1932)
• Garden of Adompha, The (1938)
• In the Book of Vergama (1934)
• Isle of the Torturers, The (1933)
• Last Hieroglyph, The (1935)
• Mandor's Enemy (1989)
• Master of the Crabs, The (1948)
• Morthylla (1953)
• Necromancy in Naat (1937)
• Shapes of Adamant (1935)
• Tomb-Spawn, The (1934)
• Voyage of King Euvoran, The (1931) [Illustration "Quest of the Gazolba" By Boris Dolgov]
• Weaver in the Vault, The (1934)[CAS Illustration]
• Witchcraft of Ulua, The (1934)
• Xeethra (1934 [CAS Illustration]

<Zothique (1951)

Right since the last time I went down this OSR rabbit hole there are several things that have occurred to me. First off is the continuing factor that I can use the older D20 Conan rpg books for filling in many of the gaps in this sort of a campaign. Last night I ran across an old 2009 thread on using D20 Conan with Castles & Crusades. The very heart of this thread is a forum post by ThorII;"Defense in Conan is broken in to "Parry" and "Dodge". "Parry" requires you to be armed in some fashion (melee weapon, shield, improvised device, etc) and is Parry modifier + Str + shield +feats or class abilities. "Dodge" requires a 5' space ajacent to you be open (for wiggle room) and is Dodge modifier + Dex +feats or class abilities. 

Each class has a fixed parry and dodge progression, similar to a Saving Throw progression. Certain classes get better dodge than parry, others have better parries than dodge.

Player must decide weither to parry or dodge each round. There are optional modifiers for parrying depending on weapon size.

This is a simplified breakdown of it, based on memory.

Personally, if you were going to convert it to C&C, I'd just use a fixed defense progression (1/2 bab mabe) and leave it simple. I'd also just keep armor as AC, and add defense to it."
Pretty much simplicity itself really but I've stated for my game campaign that I wanted a bit more of a classic Golden Age jungle comic book & Sword & Sorcery feel to this campaign. I already own several D20 resources that can be used to create this end. The first place to start with this is the Castle Keeper's Guide.  There are several systems within the Castle Keeper's Guide for converting material.


Dealing with Zothique many of the native tribes away from civilized lands are some of the most dangerous foes player's PC's can run across this isn't the trackless wilderness, this is wilderness we can hardly understand filled with dangerous ruins & dungeons CAS himself describes it; "Clark Ashton Smith himself described the Zothique cycle in a letter to L. Sprague de Camp, dated November 3, 1953:

Zothique, vaguely suggested by Theosophic theories about past and future continents, is the last inhabited continent of earth. The continents of our present cycle have sunken, perhaps several times. Some have remained submerged; others have re-risen, partially, and re-arranged themselves. Zothique, as I conceive it, comprises Asia Minor, Arabia, Persia, India, parts of northern and eastern Africa, and much of the Indonesian archipelago. A new Australia exists somewhere to the south. To the west, there are only a few known islands, such as Naat, in which the black cannibals survive. To the north, are immense unexplored deserts; to the east, an immense unvoyaged sea. The peoples are mainly of Aryan or Semitic descent; but there is a negro kingdom (Ilcar) in the north-west; and scattered blacks are found throughout the other countries, mainly in palace-harems. In the southern islands survive vestiges of Indonesian or Malayan races. The science and machinery of our present civilization have long been forgotten, together with our present religions. But many gods are worshipped; and sorcery and demonism prevail again as in ancient days. Oars and sails alone are used by mariners. There are no fire-arms—only the bows, arrows, swords, javelins, etc. of antiquity. The chief language spoken (of which I have provided examples in an unpublished drama) is based on Indo-European roots and is highly inflected, like Sanskrit, Greek and Latin.

Darrell Schweitzer suggests the idea of writing about a far future land may have come from William Hope Hodgson's novel The Night Land, noting that Smith was an admirer of Hodgson's work.^[2] However, this theory was conclusively disproven by Scott Conner’s "Dust and Atoms: The Influence of William Hope Hodgson on Clark Ashton Smith" in Sargasso#2 (2016), the scholarly journal devoted to Hodgson. 

To really bring this wilderness home I decided to dig out my copy of D20 Conan's Across Thunder River. "Conan the Roleplaying Game has been widely accepted by gamers as the most dramatic advance in gaming since the arrival of the d20 system. Filled with innovative ideas and exciting concepts, it's the most talked about RPG of the year. The range of successful Conan releases has only reinforced this, and Across the Thunder River continues that tradition. Across the Thunder River is the first campaign supplement for Conan the Roleplaying Game, dealing with the wild and untamed western frontier of Aquilonia, the perilous Westermarck. This massive, 200 page hardback campaign will detail the Aquilonian frontier in never before seen detail, creating a superb and involving campaign setting which will be both extensive and immersive. Players will thrill to Pictish border raids, terrifying ambushes and fast paced adventure. Written by award winning Conan savant, Vincent Darlage, Across the Thunder River is certain to be one of the most popular additions to Conan the Roleplaying Game. Combine this with the 128-page full colour format and the book has 'winner' written all over it."

There are some fantastic guidelines to bring to life the jungles & horrors within the setting of Zothique. 



The Picts make excellent stand ins for the  far future cannibal & tribes of devolved humanoids that inhabit the fringes & jungles of Zothique. Converting the free D20 Conan module 

Shadows in the Moonlight: Written and edited by Wesley Connally from the hyboria.xoth.net/ site. It has  the feel that I'm going for here in my version of Zothique. So everything here is keyed into that feral wilderness of hoary age. This is an adventure for PC's levels three to four. So the overarch here isn't way out of the PC's range. But will the PC's survive?! That's another matter entirely. The PC's might be caught within the battle & then encounter  Shah Amarath as an NPC.
"The PCs are survivors of a great battle. They come upon the leader of their foes, Shah Amarath who is re-capturing a runaway girl. Continuing to run for their lives, the party makes for an island on the Vilayet Sea. Here they find mysterious ruins with an ancient past. The party will also encounter a band of pirates toward the end of their adventure'




For Amazing Adventures! Rpg this is an adventure where perhaps Zothique overlaps the campaign setting & the party finds itself in the jungles of the far future world. Or the party comes across an ancient gateway built by a long forgotten race. A relic of the long forgotten gods that are at play in Zothique is another option.
But what about the deserts, magicks, etc. of Zothique we'll be getting into that coming up. None of the table top role playing companies are anyway responsible for this its strictly my own thoughts. 

Using places of Mystery & Magick along with 1d10 Random Ancient Places Of Magic And Mystery Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaigns

   There are places of ancient power that the flow of time and power moves around as water seemingly flows around a rock in a fast running stream. Places were the flow of magic and mystery call to adventurers,out laws and thieves.These ancient relics of a bygone age hold power and wizards seek to tap into the web of the occult that reach across the timeless void and dimensions. Here then are a small selection of wasteland locations that will snare your adventurers in webs of mystery danger and the deep end of magic. 

1d10 Random Ancient Places Of Magic 

And Mystery Encounter Table 

1. An ancient pile of standing stones and henges that are aligned with the comings and goings of damned stars. Anyone tapping into the powers of this place will receive 1d4 random spells and 10% chance of encountering some ancient Lovecratain guardian horror. 
2. A stone obelisk so ancient that the writing has worn from its surface.This black ancient place of mystery is a portal an ancient gate into some hellish dimension. Things lay in wait for any foolish magician, occultist, or other greedy person. There is a small treasure of 50,000 gold pieces secreted someplace on the site and a cult of ghouls guards the place. 
3. The ruins of some ancient downed airship that has been converted into a temple to the Old Ones. Here mutants come to worship, the place sparks with weird occult power and there are numerous artifacts scattered throughout the place. 
4. A pyramid of cut crystal glass blocks lock easily into place. The pyramid is the home to an ancient horror's soul and it will devour anyone's soul who gets close. The place is a draw for those seeking treasures. 
5. A massive underground pit of a ruin that seethes with raw occult power and grants 1d4 spells to those who wish to listen to those who listen to the wisdom from beyond the pale. 
6. A massive copper coloured structure calls to adventurers and is actually the projection of a god's essence trapped in stone. Those accessing this power will be struck by a horrid vision of insanity and power. They receive 1d6 spells but will be stunned for 1d10 hours. 
7. A massive floating castle upon a cloud is actually a beautiful location of some ancient tragic event. The place is time haunted by the ghosts of the ancients and they're relics and artifacts have been left behind. The place grants access to spells from the white and grey schools of magic. Ancient wraiths prowl halls of this place. 
8. A massive downed wreckage of some strange dimensional craft exists in many locations in space time and is guarded by elemental demons. There are ancient alien books and scrolls that will grant 1d8 spells to those spending 1d6 days here. 
9. There is a massive copper door set into the ground that leads to a deep well like dungeon and set of tunnels. These were home to a highly advance race of weird bat creatures and cave demons. There are weird echoing songs that will teach 1d4 spells of the Gray set to those who know the words of power. 
10. An incredible dungeon complex set within the skull of a being of power's head. The place still echoes with the monsters who share the place with the decayed portion of this thing's brain. It will telepathically teach two levels of spells but has a 30% chance of driving the supplicant insane temporarily.

Ancient places of power are rarely used for old school adventures these days in the past we've seen tons of ruins, tumbled down partially destroyed dungeons. But when was the last time that we've seen an temple of ancient astronomy or special stellar alignments used for an old school game. There are several OSR adventures such as Lamentations of the Flame Princess's Tower of the Star Gazer. But I have yet to see an adventure spun around the idea of an Archaeoastronomy location used for summoning demons, Lovecraftian gates & monsters,etc. And yet there are hints throughout old school several modules, most notably S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth by Gary Gygax  which has this entire theme of weirdness & star spawned  dread throughout. Sure its in Greyhawk but your party knows is in a place of occult power & deadly intent.


Even other reviewers noted the background intentions with S4; "Jim Bambra reviewed the adventure for White Dwarf. He gave it 9/10 overall, with 9/10 for presentation, rules, playability, enjoyment, skill, and complexity. Bambra noted that the module ended a long time off for Gary Gygax, and was "very tough" and that good play was stressed in the introduction. Sub par play quickly ended the story, but the rewards of powerful magic and the satisfaction of completing a difficult task made it worthwhile. He also noted that the adventure came with a 32-page booklet with 30 new monsters and a small amount of new magic. Not all the new creatures are featured in the plot, but they can be used by the DM in other adventures. Also, magical diagrams are given an in-depth treatment, including their creation and effectiveness"
And this sort of air permeates  S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth by Gary Gygax  effectively pulling in the players & dungeon masters with a classic module. 

1d10 Random Occult Casket Finds Table For Your Old School Campaigns

Adventurers and outlaws like stumble unto weird and strange finds in caskets and other strange containers for treasures and relics. Some of these objects and devices are of strange and unearthly origin, they have weird and strange ways of defeating those who would violate they're contents. Many are the property of higher dimensional beings who have laid their objects and treasures in our worlds to have an occult anchor to our more pleasant reality. 

1d10 Random Occult Casket Finds Table 

1. This ivory and gold casket contains the ashes of an ancient god lich emperor whose name is lost to antiquity. The thing is worth about 5000 gold pieces and contains the undead spirit of the the long dead thing whose now completely and utterly insane but attacks as a level draining ghost. 
2. This reliquary contains the green moldy ashes of a long dead alien pilot, the thing will awaken as a wight and attack the nearest fool. The container is silver, gold, and jeweled,worth 4000 gold but handling it will infect the victim with a green mold spawn save vs death or become an alien fungal carrier. 
3. This casket contains the jewels and remains of a once great queen who resides as a mist borne vampiress. The ivory, copper, and silver container is worth 4000 gold and the jewels which are cursed another 600 gold pieces. 
4. This isn't a casket at all but a bio mechanical alien device for animating the remains stored within but the device is damaged and the thing will create a green slime covered zombie thing with double hit points. The device is worth a cool 6000 gold pieces to any wizard interested in the occult sciences of its design. 
5. This gold casket is a combination of sorcery and super science, it contains the life essence of five different undead beings mixed together to form a weird elemental demon. The casket is made from solid hellish gold and worth 666 gold pieces. 
6. This silver casket contains the gems and jewels of an alien princess but this isn't gems in the tradition sense but the eggs for this weird giant alien cockroach horror. They will begin to hatch when the warmth of a body activates them. The silver casket contains 1d4 binding spells for these alien things. Its worth 6000 gold pieces to a wizard whose into these types of collectibles. 
7. This casket is actually a specially made magical cooling unit that can store body parts for hundreds of years. Inside are a collection of 1d20 hands and eyes. The thing is worth 5000 gold pieces to a necromantic cult. 
8. This strange casket is actually the dowry for an alien being and contains the souls of eight human wizards who will be given over to the demonic guardians of this princess's casket. She will wed and devour the owner of this object. She will magically appear when it is found.The thing is worth 400 gold pieces and a special binding ritual must be preformed within the first five minutes of its appearance. 
9. This cakset is made from the weird brass gold of the Deep Ones and contains a special metal spell book of ancient Deep One lore. The thing is slightly radioactive and has 1d10 spells of 1st and 2nd level written within it. Worth 10000 gold pieces to a Deep One cult but it has a special curse. Whomever finds it must save vs death or be transformed into a double hit point Deep One Guardian. 
10. This strange and unusual casket contains a special gateway to hell and some very special and unique guardians will appear when it it opened. This is not done easily and it is a unique solution each time. What is your pleasure Sir? Worth 30000 gold pieces and a special demonic guardian watches over this piece equal to a pit fiend.

The Care & Feeling of Lovecraftian Cults & 1d10 Random Lovecraftian Cultists Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaigns

Adventurers lead lives of extreme danger and encounters with dangerous individuals are bound to happen. The Cthulhu Mythos is rife with weird cults of deranged and degenerate individuals, here's a random assortment of fanatical cut throats, lunatic fringe personalities, and simply the mad ones. Those that exist at the edge of so called sanity.

1d10 Random Lovecraftian Cultists Encounter Table

1. A gang of 1d10 low level assassins on a mission of murder for the Church of Starry Wisdom. They have among themselves a devilish device of insane aspect.  20% of some minor random mutations among their number.
2. A lone harvester of eyes collecting the souls of those who have sold their souls to the dark powers of the Mythos. A very high level assassin with minor telepathic abilities and a thirst for murder. 
3. A group of 1d6  half amphibian human things with some minor energy weapons primed for mayhem. They are hopped up on some form of illicit substance. Out for sacrifices for their gods. 
4. A big brute of a cultist wielding a scimitar on a mission to kidnap a certain heiress who is the reincarnation of the high priestess of Nyarlathotep. A fanatic of the deepest stripe of insanity with some minor magical abilities. 
5. A group of living shadow beings made from the distilled madness and insanity of a thousand children's nightmares given form. Able to shape shift in an instant and very dangerous fighters. There are 1d20 of these nightmare things. 
6. A demon guerrilla thing summoned from some forgotten nether underworld Hell, this thing is able to use a wide variety of weird and strange implements of devilry to dispatch its victims. A very fearsome fighter of a most insane aspect. 
7. A gang of goat human things molded from the fabric of chaos and the Outer Darkness given human forms. This group of insane beings can meld with the shadows and uses wicked bladed weapons which they bless with their goddess's poison. Very dangerous assassin creatures able to meld with many different substances. There are 1d6 of these horrors, they mostly come at night. Mostly. 
8. A group of all to human cat burglars and perverse freaks who randomly break in and murder folks at the command of their 'gods'. These insane beings have some minor magical ability and sleep potions. Armed with light daggers and quick garrotes that they use for the kill. 
9. Cultists of Cthulhu who are actually the neighbors and business folks in the area. They have some major occult backing as well and use a variety of plots to get their sacrifices. 
10. A group of 1d10 assassins who are actually low level demons hell bent on taking sacrifices for their masters. They have possessed and taken over the very cultists that summoned them from the Outer Darkness itself.

One of the real problems over the years I've had with many old school & OSR dungeon masters is how stupid that they seem to make Cthulhu & chaos cultists. These should be some of the most dangerous foes a DM can inflict on a party of adventurers. One of the things I've done over the years is used the dungeon setting as Cthulhu or Great Old One cult temple. The adventure location becomes the focus of devotion of the cult who go out into the countryside & raid as well as pillage villages, settlements,etc. Cultists are gonna blend into the fabric of a society & community perhaps they possesses rites allowing them to throw off spells such as 'know alignment' or the like.
These folks are your local farmers, black smiths, neighbors, etc. who have been warped by centuries of Lovecraftian gods influences. They use tactics, traps, dead falls, & all manner of cunningness to deal with adventurers. Yet ever since B2 Keep on The Borderlands & the Caves of Chaos I've seen dungeon masters simply deal with cultists as another 'monster' to fight. Cultists are some of the most down & dirty bastards when it comes to tricks & traps for adventurers.



The real problem is when you've got humanoid tribes & cultists/villager NPC's working together. Then the horror can really kick in & it will appear to the adventurers that there's no place to run or hide. Tactics, spying, etc. a bevy of dirty pool is on the menu for adventurers as their every move seems tracked by evil. Make no mistake if given over to a bit of Tolkein & Lovecraft(now I know that these two authors have little in common) but combined adventure elements & events can get very wicked indeed for our adventurers.
If a DM uses orcs & Cthulhu cultists for example aligned towards the Great Old One suddenly the dungeon isn't simply a place to loot but a place of sacrifice & chaos unbound. The cult maintains the tricks & traps as a part of its gospel & I've used this quite effectively several times.



Give cultists the brains that they deserve & use every trick in the book when it comes to these NPC's. Monsters are not simply experience points but NPC's waiting to spawn campaign side quests & off shoots. So often I see DM's use monsters as fodder & not the horrors they were meant to be. Cultists are the thinking man's monster & Cthulhu cultists are the cream. Yes degeneration & madness will happen eventually in the mean time these cultists are thriving on the occult power & cosmic revelations given to them by their unholy alien  gods.

Commentary & Review On Dungeon Module A7 – Marquessa, Thy Name is Evil By Carlos a.s. Lising For OSRIC & Advanced Dungeons & Dragons First Edition

"One by one, a brave fellowship of heroes have infiltrated the strongholds of the villainess known as The Marquessa. Still, despite their best efforts, the enchantress yet draws breath and continues to work her experiments upon the flesh and souls of the innocent folk of the Dliw Coast. Can your heroes put an end at last to The Marquessa's evil? An OSRIC™ game (ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS compliant) for PCs levels 9-12.A "


So I was contacted on facebook by the folks behind casl Entertainment to take a look at Dungeon Module A7 – Marquessa, Thy Name is Evil. The module which clocks in at around sixty seven pages of OSRIC or Advanced Dungeons & Dragons OSR goodness is a pretty well put together package. This is the third module in the series following up & continuing the plot started in A5 Dungeon Module A5 - Kill Marquessa! by Carlos a.s. Lising; "Of the infamous Flesh Traders, perhaps none was more fearsome than the elvish enchantress known as The Marquessa.
Her unspeakable experiments that twisted the flesh and bones of the innocent into horrific abominations continue to fill the good folk of the land with dread, even now, fifteen years since the slavers’ ring was smashed by a band of legendary heroes and she was forced to flee into the night. At last, however, her
whereabouts have been uncovered and a new band of adventurers has been assembled to bring her to justice!" If the first module in the series is sounding more then a bit like a Hammer horror movie plot I believe this is intentional. As the second continues the plot in A6 Die, Marquessa, Die! by  Carlos a.s. Lising; A brave fellowship of heroes failed last year to bring the notorious villainess known as the Marquessa to justice – and as a result the innocent folk of the land have suffered greatly.
"However, the elusive and sinister enchantress has been located once again, giving the forces of weal another opportunity to extinguish the grim silhouette she casts across the region. Willyour characters be able to succeed where before them legends have failed?

An OSRICTM game (ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS compliant) for PCs levels 7-9." So the action that takes place within  Dungeon Module A7 – Marquessa, Thy Name is Evil is structured so that this a pick up & go AD&D style module right from the get go. The plot drops the party right into the adventure elements but things in this module are structured so that any party can be dropped into the deep end of things. The layout is solid, the adventure structure is well done. The module's cartography is passable for this being a solid romp of OSR goodness. Reading through this module I got the distinct impression that this module could in fact take place on the world of the Greyhawk box set. The encounters here are gritty & dangerous even though their polished. 

Is there a reason for this?! I believe the answer is yes, even though these modules take place within their own campaign setting. The  Dungeon Module A7 – Marquessa, Thy Name is Evil could be structured around the fall of T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil by Gary Gygax & Frank Mentzer. The fall of the temple allows the notorious villainess known as the Marquessa to rise to power. The power vacuum left behind allows this leader to come into her own. The PC's are going to have their hands filled with this module & since its designed for levels 9-12 this isn't a low level module at all.

But is Dungeon Module A7 – Marquessa, Thy Name is Evil a solid addition to your gaming collection?! Well there are several small areas such as several of the fonts might need to be changed in minor areas, the cartography is passable, but casl Entertainment is a small outfit but their modules make up for it in style. There is a ton of stuff going on & I really like the homage to Hammer & classic horror that mixes with classic old school Sword & Sorcery AD&D goodness here. 
Could Dungeon Module A7 – Marquessa, Thy Name is Evil be used with other retroclone systems? Yes I believe with a bit of minor adaption this module could be used with Swords & Wizardry  . But  this is a module that's really geared for OSRIC without a doubt.

I think it would easily work for Labyrinth Lord but it might take a  bit of work to back end it into there. But the real issue is that could be run with a lot of modification with Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. Many of the classic AD&D adventure elements would have to use their Advanced Dungeons & Dragons counterparts. Dungeon Module A7 – Marquessa, Thy Name is Evil  is really its own beast & has to be run on its own terms. I give it a four outta five & I think that we'll be seeing great things from  casl Entertainment. There's also support for the company from facebook right here.  Don't worry I believe that casl Entertainment will be changing the title artwork to the artwork that you see in this review quite soon.

 If you want a copy of the module I'd buy the creations of  Carlos a.s. Lising though the comapny 's Facebook group or you can buy modules in October at www.caslentertainment.com

1d6 Random Lovecraftian Demons & The Treasures Their Bound Too Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaigns

    Horrors from times lost or those that have never been. Adventurers and freebooters who recover these items are often in for far more dangerous times then if they had plumbed the depths of the lowest and most dangerous ruins of the wastelands. Demons are often plucked from the Outer Darkness to watch over lost treasures and relics of times past, for all eternity they watch over these treasures even though their masters have long since turned to dust. Bound as they are, some must watch over these thing until doomsday or the end of time itself. Punishment fit for only the most powerful, stupid, or dangerous of diabolic beings they often take their frustrations and madness out on the poor fools who find them. Often these beings will have 1d6 individual mutations in addition to the normal demonic base powers and abilities marking them out as even more dangerous examples of their species of horror. 

Often these horrors were trapped for timeless eternities within the Underworld of the Dreamlands of H.P. Lovecraft's dream cycle of stories. The wizards who summoned were some of the most clever and diabolical beings who walked the streets of Atlantis herself and had for gotten more sorcery and magick then the world has seen since the seas drank her streets. Here then are six examples of some of the most dangerous of these minor horrors who were cast down into the bowels of Hell. 

1d6 Random Lovecraftian Demons 

& The Treasures Their Bound  To Encounter Table

1. U'zosakehach The Toad Lord Of The Blood Ark - This ancient Atlantian ark contains the wisdom of the wizard Melloth The Ever Changing all of his studies of the Elder Thing's science and witchcraft. U'zosakehach is a demon type II of remarkable aspect & viciousness that rose through the ranks of demon kind due to his cruelty, treachery and violence. The blood ark is covered in blood red rubies and fossils of an alien type. The thing grants its owner an audience with U'zosakehach & the toad lord's counsel on magickal matters. The toad lord is known to feast on the souls of wizards who displease him and acquire their shapes as well. The ark is worth 50,000 gold pieces and is protected by a dense field of magick and horror that acts as a fear spell once per day.
2. Sharnotan-mmi The Faceless Fish Fiend Of Lake Del Who Guards The Golden Plate Of Za. A type one demon lord who was locked within the Underworld feasting on Ghast flesh and plotting his take over of time. He is part lamprey and Vrock, a punishment for a tryst with a demon prince's succubus concubine, the spawn of which gave birth to a new type of demonic horror. Sharnotan-mmi is bound into a plate that marks when the stars shall be right, he is not permitted to see the plate but wizards can use it to determine alien alignments of the stars of the damned. The plate also contains 1d4 other dimensional alignments allowing wizards to blink up to three times per day by using cracks in the alignments of reality. Sharnotan-mmi is an expert on the location and recovery of treasure lost in the seas. He is often consulted on these matters and matters of astrology of the Outer Darkness as well as Hell.
3. Matthaarsho The Triple Eyed Fiend of the Chest Of Ka're - This hulking triple eyed class IV demon has been bound into a chest of solid demon bone and ivory. The tripled eyed fiend is a witness to the rise and fall of empires of the damned. It knows the times and places of the upcoming battles for Armageddon and Doomsday. The chest of Ka're contains the codes to open the vaults of the underworld and the spells to prevent it. The demon guards these from the powers of Law. It's touch can dissolve the flesh of angels and all matters concerning its hated enemies its wisdom knows little bounds. It also knows 1d4 spells for summoning angels and guardians. Other demons loath this thing and often like to try and bully it. Matthaarsho can use the beam from its central eye to force other demons, angels, and alien gods off the current plane of existence.
4. Rnteken - The Wild One of the Broken Promise - This broken vase is actually the material form of a goddess's soul who was destroyed. Rnteken The Succubus was one of the goddess's slayers and rather then simply destroyed. She must now watch over the soul of the goddess that you tried to destroy. The broken promise is a vase containing the goddess's still recovering soul, it is called the broken promise since all of her mortal followers are long since dead.
5. B'ibolzoth - The Golden Laughing One - This demon is bound into a laughing statue of a long dead god. The demon is bound into the golden form of this statue and repairs it as if it was his own flesh. The statue will grant one wish every new moon and able to cast a shocking grasp spells once per day. The demon is a Type three and unique in its outlook towards others. This demon thinks its a fair trade because it watches over its worshipers and often leaves a golden gift or five in the pockets of its worshipers.
6. N'cygudharngl The Forgotten Lord Of The Purple Fane- This book covered in gold has a type three demon lord N'cygudharngl  watching over it. He is there because he insulted a demon lord's child and attacked his former master as well as drawing the ire of  Nyarlathotep over a particularly succulent sacrifice. He was cursed with high intelligence and perfect wisdom in matters of magick and summoning rites. 

OSR Free Adventure - LG1: Terror in the Forest of Gizzick By Claude M. LeBrun For Your Old School Campaigns

"Something has been terrorizing farms and houses that lie in or near the Forest of Gizzick. An adventure for Characters Levels 3 to 5."

GRAB IT RIGHT HERE

Good day  kids, your uncle Eric is back with another bit of commentary this time we go back to Dragon's foot for a free adventure download with lots of potential. I'm speaking of LG1: Terror in the Forest of Gizzick By Claude M. LeBrun. This is a free fifteen page AD&D 1st edition style adventure that takes full advantage of its PC levels right out of the gate. There is an element of danger and the adventure involves some humanoid races that don't get much air play these days and this is an adventure that takes the old school investigative style and pumps it up by an order of magnitude;"Many years ago Ronan Haverstack was an apprentice to the count’s personal wizard Jax Narhl. Ronan was an excellent student, working as hard as he could to learn all the tricks of spell casting. Ronan with a large thirst for knowledge would spend hours reading and studying all the tomes and spell books in Jax’s library. Jax kept one tome magically locked in a strongbox and would not allow Ronan to look at it. “I keep that tome locked away to prevent its evil from ever seeing the light of day”, Jax would say. Ronan coveted that book, and eventually figured out how to break the magical seal. Jax caught Ronan removing the book from the strongbox and tried to take it away. A fight ensued which ended in Ronan killing Jax. It wasn’t long before Jax’s murder was discovered and Ronan had to flee the kingdom. To avoid discovery Ronan Haverstack changed his name to Gandilor. Gandilor wandered for several months and eventually found refuge in a fishing village on the southern coast."  Things only get worse from this point and that's where your PC's get involved.The adventure picks up right from here and pulls your party of adventurers into the deep wasters of the plot of LG1: Terror in the Forest .The module places the PC's right into the middle of the action right out of the gate and keeps them there with a series of demanding and solid encounters. Its also an adventure that can be customized as you need to and its perfect for a DYI side quest or campaign opener;"Locate the hobgoblin’s lair in any forest in a non-populated area near a rural community, farmland, or village. Place in this area a few farms and settlements that have been raided by the hobgoblins." Believe it or not for a fifteen page adventure there actually is a subplot to this adventure and it has a ton to do with the background and history of the  Forest of Gizzick. Because of the nature of this adventure I was wishing there was more to it.


There are enough twists and turns to take this adventure in many different directions depending upon the retroclone system that your using at your table. The idea here is that LG1: Terror in the Forest of Gizzick could be used in a Dark Albion setting especially on the outer fringes of the empire of Albion and the like. Or it could be used in the mythic and twisted lonely places of the Lamentations of the Flame Princess retro clone system. There is enough meat on the bones of this adventure to adapt it into the back end of an old school campaign so that it can be used as a jump off point or as a side quest for the PC's. There is enough here to take the adventure down a dark and dangerous path. But is it worth the download?
The short answer is yes but the longer one is where do you as the dungeon master want to place this adventure. There are several dangerous and strong NPC's in this adventure and that could work to a DM's advantage if they wish to write a bit more to suit their own campaign. There are several opportunities for a dungeon master with a bit of a DYI D&D streak to take full advantage of these horrors, opportunities, and NPC's and make them their own.
While it is a fun adventure many of the more understated sword and sorcery elements in LG1: Terror in the Forest of Gizzick  might need to be brought forward for front and center to really move the plot along and get the DM's own campaign elements to take center stage.
All in all this is a great free module with lots of potential for a fully created and staged side quest or this adventure could be used to launch a great side campaign of the DM's own design. For a free module its pretty damn sweet and well constructed.

My Thoughts on the Fate & Future of Flying Buffalo After The Passing of Rick Loomis

Steve Crompton  whose been involved with the rpg hobby for a very long time & has a long history with Flying Buffalo. I've been racking my brain about the fate of the table top rpg company Flying Buffalo after the passing of Rick Loomis recently. I didn't want to seem tacky or disrespectful during this very difficult time for the Loomis or  Flying Buffalo family.
  Steve Crompton has been a friend, writer,  one of the many artists whose work that I've admired on many Flying Buffalo products. He just posted this statement  on Facebook as well as the Mercenaries, Spies, & Private Eye Kickstarter page; "I just posted this on the MSPE Kickstarter and I have edited it here to give you all an idea of Flying Buffalo's plans going forward... Steve Crompton - Manager Flying Buffalo

By now many of you may have heard the sad news that Rick Loomis, President of Flying Buffalo and a gaming industry legend, passed away on Aug 23rd, just a few hours before his 72nd birthday. Rick created and ran Flying Buffalo for almost 50 years, and was also President of GAMA (Gaming Manufacturers of America) on several occasions.

Rick's loss leaves a huge hole in our hearts and Flying Buffalo. Rick was our mentor, our friend (a brother for his sisters) and the intermediary between the high-flying goals of the creative team and the real world. He helped us stay on track and reminded us of the limits of our budgets. Rick also made sure that whatever we created would be something that players would want. And many, many times he made suggestions that made a game more playable or an adventure more usable. We will miss Rick every single day, and we plan to honor his wishes and hopes for the future of Flying Buffalo going forward.

So What Happens now?
Rick's sisters and the entire Buffalo team are committed to continuing to process and ship out your Kickstarter and other orders. In fact just today I did another 25 orders and they are now in shipping, ready to be packaged up. And tomorrow we'll be taking 40 finished orders to the post office. As of now, we only have about MSPE 175 orders left to ship out of the original 675 we started with. And we will continue to ship out your orders until all of them have gone out.

Are You going to Keep publishing?
Down the road there will also be new products for T&T, MSPE, Nuclear War, and Catalyst books like new Traps and Citybooks. They may not come as quickly as we'd like right now, as there is a lot to do in regards to taking care of Rick's estate and Flying Buffalo. But rest assured, we are soldiering onward. That's what Rick wanted us to do - and we plan to do just that. So you don't need to worry - your items will be shipped out.

Please feel free to post you comments below and if you want to contribute to help with Rick's Medial bills, funeral arrangements and other outstanding bills that have accrued due to Rick's illness you can contribute to his https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gaming-legend-rick-loomis

Thank you all for your concern, your patience and your belief in Rick's dream - Flying Buffalo."

My thoughts go something like this Steve Crompton's had years of experience with his own company, comic book properties, etc as well as being heavily involved with Flying Buffalo since the very beginning of the Nuclear War card game. I've met Steve at several GenCons back in the 90's. He was/is a very nice guy & very capable so there isn't really any argument from me for a better manager for  Flying Buffalo. I wish to say nothing but good luck, my prayers, & great thoughts for Flying Buffalo moving forward into the future. My deepest condolences to Rick's family and friends. I heard the news and thought of all the laughter I shared with friends while playing Nuclear War. Thank you, Rick for publishing that game and for the time we spent playing it. But I'm grateful for the fact that Flying Buffalo will be moving forward into the future with a steady & faithful hand at the helm of the company.

Flying Buffalo's Website is Here. 

Sorting & Adapting Through The Free D20 Adventure Tower of the Elephant For Your Old School Sword & Sorcery Campaigns

"In the temple district of Arenjun, Zamora's notorious City of Thieves, stands a glittering tower said to house a fabulous jewel called the Heart of the Elephant. The city's thieves avoid the tower and the jewel, fearing its master, the sorcerer Yara, who is said to be 300 years old. The PCs, being brave or foolish (or both), have no such hesitations. They set out to steal the jewel from the wizard. Inside the tower, the PCs learn why the jewel is called the Heart of the Elephant and how it turns out to be their key to destroying Yara. The PCs should have little trouble getting directions to the Tower. At the same time, they hear rumors of Yara's dark powers, his incredible age, and how his power is drawn from the magical jewel. No unwanted visitor has ever returned from the tower."

 Venture in the footsteps of young Conan as he braves the terrors of the Tower of the Elephant in Arenjun, Zamora's City of Thieves!  Written by  Robert E.Hoaward is a classic Tower Of The Elephant, first appearing in in Weird Tales, March 1933. This is one of the most iconic of the original Howard Conan tales. It has a little bit of everything a dangerous adventure location, vile traps for would be thieves, barbarian wisdom, & much more. Castalia house has an excellent breakdown of the Robert Howard classic here.  Jason Vey threw down the gauntlet today saying that he'd be using his Free Grey Elf Original Dungeons & Dragon  Conan  rules to run the Free D20 HS4 The Lost Caverns of Acheron adventure. The truth of the matter is that I've already got a Sword & Sorcery  Castles & Crusades/Siege engine game already going.

This brings me to what I'd do with the Free Tower of the Elephant 20 adventure from the incredibly useful https://hyboria.xoth.net site, Tower of the Elephant:  adapted and edited by Wesley Connally. Written by Thulsa.  Now Tower of the Elephant is great for a mid level party of adventurers & has everything I would possibly need to run it straight outta the gate. Except I wouldn't be using it on Conan's Hyboria. Instead I'd set Tower of the Elephant on Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique. There are several reasons for this: 

1. The PC's have already visited Zothique & have had dealings with its inhabitants. There's a D20 Zothique pdf available for free.
2. Campaign ties between Zothique & my version of X2 Castle Amber By Tom Moldvay
3.  There's been expeditions to Zothique from my Amazing adventures game campaign over the last year. 
4. A renegade NPC magistar escaped to Zothique from my Dark Albion/Lion & Dragon adventures last year.
5. There's a lot more going on here then meets the eye for the player's PC's & its already at play. 

Yag-Kosha is a transcosmic being & they exist on a multiplicity of planes at the same time. That means that there's already a version of the Tower of the Elephant even whist there's one during the  the Thurian Age;" Long before the dawn of man, and before even the Thurian Age began on Earth, a conflict raged on the far-distant world of Yag. The noble and peaceful people retreated into exile across the stars, coming at last to Earth. Here they hid in the deep jungles, living simple lives, not interfering with the evolution and history of mankind. However, as time went by, more and more of the people died, and at last only Yag-Kosha remained. "
Adapted by Marvel in  Conan the Barbarian I#4 (April, 1971)  this is one of Howard's seminal tales & a very deadly adventure location. Caution should be used when using this adventure & this is one that could easily be used with Dungeon Crawl Classics easily. For Amazing Adventures several of the artifacts, details about Yag-Kosha race, & more can easily be adapted to your campaigns as background material. 


On Zothique the tower is shunned by most right thinking peoples & exists within an urban capital city. There are numerous rumors about Yara. the wizard but its a place of horror & time haunted weirdness. Within it a facet of Yag-Kosha still acts upon his eternal vengence on the wizard. PC's can enter the tower, help with the vengence, & take treasures but Heaven help them should they try to deal with Yag-Kosha himself. The write up on YAG-KOSHA on the Appendix To the Marvel Universe Handbook site has additional details. Yes there is a Tower of the  Elephant box set for the D20 Conan game but I don't have access to it at this time. So instead I've opted to take the PC's into a slightly different direction. This adventure could easily be adapted into Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea.