Adventure Games Publishing presents the fifth in a series of new monsters for the Castles & Crusades Castle Keeper to populate his dungeons and wilderness. Each installment of the Monstrous Menaces series presents three new monsters for a mere dollar, eminently affordable in todays economy.
The fifth installment, Monstrous Menaces #5: Chupacabra, Felpha, and Olgoi-Khorkhoi, presents the Castle Keeper with a 3 HD Monstrous Humanoid, a 5 HD Aberration, and a 1 to 6 HD Magical Beast. Each entry includes complete listings for the monsters description, organization, ecology, treasure, range, and special abilities.
Chupacabra
A chupacabra is a small humanoid creature, about the size of a halfling or goblin, with lizard and canine-like features that much resemble that of a kobold (though there is no relation between chupacabras and kobolds). Chupacabras have large, dull black eyes, gray to green skin, and large clawed hands and feet, though these last are relatively weak and are not used in combat. A long row of sharp spines runs down its back; again, these serve to make the creature look more fearsome, but do not serve any useful purpose.
Felpha
This creature takes the form of a three-foot diameter, pinkish-tan, warty fleshy sphere, looking not unlike the hairless skin of a human sans muscle and bone, blown up with hot air a balloon made of human flesh, essentially. It has five human-like, ugly, pinched, and androgynous faces, each facing a different direction along the equator of its body, each complete with two eyes, nose, fang-filled mouth, chin, and two ears. A thick cluster of dozens of five-foot long tentacles depend from the bottom, each ending in a trio of finger-like pincers.
Olgoi-Khorkhoi
Otherwise known as the Death Worm, this giant worm-like creature is actually distantly related to the caecilians, and thus an amphibian of sorts, though through magical mutation it possesses abilities more like that of a reptile. Death Worms range in length from six inches to 30 feet, being six inches long per hit point, and one-tenth their length in diameter.
They are limbless, and they appear to be segmented, like a worm, as their serpentine body is divided by ring-shaped folds; thus the confusion as to its true nature, as it physically resembles a giant worm. Its head is covered with thick, bony plates that it uses to push through soil and even stone with greater ease; these open wide in a four-pointed star fashion, almost like razor-sharp mandibles, to reveal its fanged maw. Coloration is a brick to scarlet red, with the bony head and fangs pure white.
Monstrous Menaces #5: Chupacabra, Felpha, and Olgoi-Khorkhoi
By James Mishler
AGP06005, 9-page PDF, $1.00 MSRP
Click here to buy Monstrous Menaces 5 at DriveThruRPG
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James Mishler
Main Man, Adventure Games Publishing
[email protected]
http://adventuregamespublishing.blogspot.com/
http://jamesmishler.blogspot.com
Monstrous Menaces #5: Chupacabra, Felpha, and Olgoi-Khorkhoi
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jamesmishler
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CharlieRock
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jamesmishler
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CharlieRock wrote:
Any chance these will be published (along with the first four volumes) as a printed product?
Sorry to say, but there is no chance of a print version, for two reasons.
First, the similar maneuver with Monsters & Treasures of the Wilderlands 1 -- taking monsters that had been released in PDF, adding illustrations, and printing it in book format -- was an unmitigated disaster. Sales were terrible, and I have no reason to expect that they will be any different for a Monstrous Menaces compilation.
Second, the sales on Monstrous Menaces products declined at a precipitous rate with each new product, so in all likelihood (and in all certainty at this time), #5 is the last Monstrous Menaces. This leaves me with only 15 monsters, not enough for a viable print product in the best of times, let alone right now... maybe down the road a demand for new monsters will allow me to publish more Monstrous Menaces. Maybe...
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James Mishler
Main Man, Adventure Games Publishing
[email protected]
http://adventuregamespublishing.blogspot.com/
http://jamesmishler.blogspot.com
Sorry to hear the sales are dropping. Next time I order at RPGnow, I'll be picking up #4 & 5. The first three were great. I've seen some good reviews on a couple of blogs as well. (sorry can't remember which ones at the moment)
Will you get back to the 100 exciting encounters and 100 Treasure Troves series? I loved those and would pick up every one if you continue them.
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Sir Dachda McKinty,
Margrave and Knight of Portlandia
Castles & Crusades Society
Will you get back to the 100 exciting encounters and 100 Treasure Troves series? I loved those and would pick up every one if you continue them.
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Sir Dachda McKinty,
Margrave and Knight of Portlandia
Castles & Crusades Society
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jamesmishler
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dachda wrote:
Will you get back to the 100 exciting encounters and 100 Treasure Troves series? I loved those and would pick up every one if you continue them.
Yes, the next PDF project after the current Fantastic Personalities: Barbarians of the Wilderlands PDf will be 100 Treasure Troves: Treasure Type 2.
FP: Barbarians not only includes 13 fully-detailed barbarian NPCs of the Wilderlands, it also includes 100 Barbarians of the Wilderlands in chart form (similar to the way NPCs were listed in the classic Rogue's Gallery). All 113 barbarians use the barbarian class presented in Barbarians of the Wilderlands 1, but can readily be used with any C&C Constitution-based barbarian class.
There will be a generic 100 Barbarians PDF down the road that uses the current barbarian class (4th Print) from TLG.
_________________
James Mishler
Main Man, Adventure Games Publishing
[email protected]
http://adventuregamespublishing.blogspot.com/
http://jamesmishler.blogspot.com
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moriarty777
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James, I don't think M&TW1 did poorly because it was a bad product. I think one of the things it had going against it was because most of the content had appeared before.
It first appeared as a PDF... then as part of the Wilderlands Jam... then the revised PDF which coincided with the print release.
In my case, I bought the PDF when it first came out, I bought a copy of the Wilderlands Jam, got the revised PDF as a free upgrade, but was one of the first to order the expanded print release. I was extremely happy with it and I'm sure that there are those among me that might have done the same. Others may have stopped after getting the original PDF and/or the Wilderlands Jam and settled with the PDF upgrade offer.
I don't really know but I'm sure it was a factor. In my case, I have to be honest and say that I didn't actually spend money on print release since I opted to use credit AGP owes me towards it. It it wasn't for this, I may have been much slower in getting this for my collection.
It is a FINE product. However, I have to be honest when I say that the only places I seen this mentioned was these TLG forums, your blog which I follow, and Grognardia's blog which reviews your stuff. If I was the type of person that didn't follow much in terms of blogs, this would have completely passed me by. If I wasn't a member of the forums, I fear it might be pretty much the same thing. I mean, I'm a member of a few other forums like Dragonsfoot but I don't recall seeing much (if anything) there. It might be a case that some of this stuff was advertised on other forums.
Unfortunately, aside from a few blogs and a few forums, word of mouth is the only way people really know about these AGP print releases.
But all this is besides the point -- I haven't seen/got the latest Monster release yet but I'm sure its also typical of the excellent work you do. It's also only been a few days since #5 was released and #4 was released just prior to GenCon which probably didn't help. It might be people are a bit slower on the take or maybe people are really just looking for something else.
M
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"You face Death itself in the form of... 1d4 Tarrasques!"
Partner to Brave Halfling Publishing
http://www.arcanacreations.com
It first appeared as a PDF... then as part of the Wilderlands Jam... then the revised PDF which coincided with the print release.
In my case, I bought the PDF when it first came out, I bought a copy of the Wilderlands Jam, got the revised PDF as a free upgrade, but was one of the first to order the expanded print release. I was extremely happy with it and I'm sure that there are those among me that might have done the same. Others may have stopped after getting the original PDF and/or the Wilderlands Jam and settled with the PDF upgrade offer.
I don't really know but I'm sure it was a factor. In my case, I have to be honest and say that I didn't actually spend money on print release since I opted to use credit AGP owes me towards it. It it wasn't for this, I may have been much slower in getting this for my collection.
It is a FINE product. However, I have to be honest when I say that the only places I seen this mentioned was these TLG forums, your blog which I follow, and Grognardia's blog which reviews your stuff. If I was the type of person that didn't follow much in terms of blogs, this would have completely passed me by. If I wasn't a member of the forums, I fear it might be pretty much the same thing. I mean, I'm a member of a few other forums like Dragonsfoot but I don't recall seeing much (if anything) there. It might be a case that some of this stuff was advertised on other forums.
Unfortunately, aside from a few blogs and a few forums, word of mouth is the only way people really know about these AGP print releases.
But all this is besides the point -- I haven't seen/got the latest Monster release yet but I'm sure its also typical of the excellent work you do. It's also only been a few days since #5 was released and #4 was released just prior to GenCon which probably didn't help. It might be people are a bit slower on the take or maybe people are really just looking for something else.
M
_________________
"You face Death itself in the form of... 1d4 Tarrasques!"
Partner to Brave Halfling Publishing
http://www.arcanacreations.com
Looks good, Jim. I'll be snapping this up this weekend.
Also, I just responded to your email a minute ago. Thanks!
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AD&D, Amish Dungeons & Dragons.
"Galstaff, ye are in a cornfield, when a moustachioed man approaches. What say ye?"
"I shun him."
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"Knowledge, logic, reason, and common sense serve better than a dozen rule books."
-- E. Gary Gygax
Also, I just responded to your email a minute ago. Thanks!
_________________
AD&D, Amish Dungeons & Dragons.
"Galstaff, ye are in a cornfield, when a moustachioed man approaches. What say ye?"
"I shun him."
-----
"Knowledge, logic, reason, and common sense serve better than a dozen rule books."
-- E. Gary Gygax
Psalm 73:26
"Knowledge, logic, reason, and common sense serve better than a dozen rule books."
"Rules not understood should have appropriate questions directed to the publisher; disputes with the Dungeon Master are another matter entirely. THE REFEREE IS THE FINAL ARBITER OF ALL AFFAIRS OF HIS OR HER CAMPAIGN."
-- E. Gary Gygax
"Knowledge, logic, reason, and common sense serve better than a dozen rule books."
"Rules not understood should have appropriate questions directed to the publisher; disputes with the Dungeon Master are another matter entirely. THE REFEREE IS THE FINAL ARBITER OF ALL AFFAIRS OF HIS OR HER CAMPAIGN."
-- E. Gary Gygax