Jalamere: Encounters Within 100 Miles of the Black Ziggurat

This table provides random encounters for those areas with a 100 mile radius surrounding the Black Ziggurat of Jalamere using Swords & Wizardry (White Box) rules.

This is a continuation of what we began in the previous Black Ziggurat of Jalamere post. We want to thank Blair of Planet Algol for his feed-back, encouragement and the contribution of a couple of entries to further flesh out the special encounters that might take place in the area surrounding this version of the Black Ziggurat.

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Encounters Within 100 Miles of the Black Ziggurat

1. Harpies (zombified) (1d6): HD 3; HP 11, AC 7[12], Atk Talons or weapon (+Shriek), Move 6/18 (when flying), Save 16, HDE/XP 4/120, Special: shriek [Shriek=Putrefy Food and Drink, replaces usual Harpies Siren Song ability] One in Six is a Lich-Spawn Harpy (HD 6;  HP 42; AC 4[15]; Atk 1 Talons, Bite or Weapons; Move 6/18 (flies); Save 13; HDE/XP 8/800 ; Special 2d6 random spells.)
2. Phalanxipede (1d4):  HD 3; HP 20, AC 5[14], Atk 1 Claws, Move 10, Save 16, HDE/XP 4/120, Special:  On a roll of '20' the Phalanxipede wraps around its victim doing double damage and improving its exterior AC by +2. The overlapping bands of chitinous armor on their broad backs will often have distorted, spiky structures jutting outwards that they can use in place of their claws, like the spears of an infantry phalanx. There are rumors of these things being used as war beasts...
3. Free Minds (2d4): HD 3; HP 9; AC 8[11]; Atk 1 Scathing Word; Move 12/8; Save 16; HDE/XP 5/250; Special: Immune to sleep, Gains a Save versus Physical attacks, has no Save versus Spells. Most have 1d4 random spells available. They will often agree not to harm anyone who willingly teaches them a new spell.
4. Alkaline Ooze (1): HD 3, HP 16, AC 8[11], Atk 1 strike; Move 1, Save 16, HDE/XP5/240; Special: Immune to Heat, Cold, Spells, Stone, takes half-damage from metal, takes double damage from wood--item then bursts into flames
5. Gargantupede (1d2): HD 6, HP 30, AC 0[18], Atk 1 bite, Move 20; Save 13; HDE/XP 8/800; Special: poison (+6 modifier to opponent's saving throw). Note: Gargantupedes tend to be 60' long and are attracted to the sound of flutes...
6. Dopplegangers (2d4): HD 4; HP 15; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 Claw; Move 9; Save 15; HDE/XP 5/240; Special: Immune to Sleep and charm, +5 on saving throw versus magic of all kinds; change appearance at will. They are mounted on zombie camels and are looking for the promised prophet of their people. Player characters must roll a D30, on a roll of '30' the Player character is 'recognized' as the Prophet by one of the dopplegangers. Keep rolling for each doppleganger. If they 'recognize' more than one 'prophet' then they begin fighting among themselves. Should the Player Character attempt to take advantage of the situation, the dopplegangers will re-roll for 'recognition' every time they encounter a group of non-dopplegangers...which could lead to some interesting results...
7. Dry Hags (1d4): HD 3; HP 11, AC 7[12], Atk Talons or weapon (+Spells), Move 6, Save 15, HDE/XP 4/120, Special: Dry Hags can attack with a Dessicatory Embrace on any To Hit roll of 19 or 20 forcing the target to Save or suffer 2d4 extra damage from being drained of moisture. Anyone killed in this manner becomes a Dry Dead slave to the Hags. Each one has 2d4 random spells and 1 or 2 magical weapons.
8. Starlit Mire (1): HD 3, HP 16, AC 8[11], Atk 1 Emanation of the Void; Move 0, Save 14, HDE/XP 5/240; Special: Anyone stepping into an area within a 30' radius of the Starlit Mire must Save or be exposed to the flesh-blasting cold of deep space. Should anyone be enveloped by the Mire for longer than 5 minutes, their corpse will be randomly teleported across space and time and lost forever.
9. Skin-Eaters (2d4): HD 2; HP 14; AC 6[13]; Atk 1 Claw or weapon; Move 9; Save 14; HDE/XP 4/120; Special: Every 6 points of damage inflicted by a Skin Eater results in the loss of 1 CHAR point, permanently (unless restored by magic/medicine). They may only have one over-sized claw, but they wield a wickedly barbed hook-cleaver in the more humanish off-hand. They really do eat the skin flayed from their victims.
10. Manticore (1d2): HD 6+4; HP 32; AC 4[15]; Atk 1 Claw, Bite or Tail-spikes; Move 12/8 (flies); Save 13; HDE/XP 8/800; Special flight and tail-spikes. (Manticore starts with 24 spikes and can hurl up to six spikes per attack to a maximum range of 180 feet.)
11. Womanticore (1d4): HD 6+3; HP 30; AC 4[15]; Atk 2 Claw, Bite or Tail-spikes; Move 12/8 (flies); Save 12; HDE/XP 9/900; Special flight and tail-spikes. (Womanticore starts with 36 spikes and can hurl up to four spikes per attack to a maximum range of 200 feet.) Special: Sussurussic Sibillance -- Womanticores can attempt to Charm any who listen to their voice and they make slaves of those who prove vulnerable to their uncanny wiles.
12. Mindless Shamblers (2d12): HD 1; HP 4; AC 8[11]; Atk 1 Strike or weapon; Move 6; Save 18; HDE/XP 2/25; Special: Immune to Sleep, Charm, all mind-related affects. On any roll of '20' the Mindless Shambler latches onto their victim and drains either 1 INT, WIS or CHAR, gaining that point for their own stats. Any Mindless Shambler achieving more than 3 points in each of the three affected areas begins to regain/develop their own points for these attributes at a rate of 1 point per attribute each week, but of course they can always speed this process up by absorbing points from victims. Anyone killed by a Mindless Shambler rises as one themself in 1d4 hours. Those who regain enough points become new personalities, lacking all recollection of whomever they might have been before, and are effectively new people...but they are a weird form of demi-undead, incapable of benefiting from Clerical healing (unless the cleric serves a deity of abominations/undead). Victims can recover their drained stats as normal, or speed the process via a Restoration spell.
13. Grollaks (3d6); HD 2+1; HP 16; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 Bite; Move 9; Save 16; HDE/XP 6/60; Special: Attack from below--they literally burrow underneath their prey and then burst forth from their shallow tunnel and attempt to drag the meat down into the darkness. Anyone who makes a Save hears or notices the shifting of the soil in time to prepare for the onslaught...otherwise the nasty little creatures will gain surprise. Note: Grollaks cannot burrow effectively through rock, they prefer loose soils and turf. One in Six encounters is not with a pack of Grollaks, but the collapse of one of their old tunnels.
14. Sting Worms (1d4): HD 7; HP 34; AC 3[16]; Atk 1 Sting; Move 8; Save 16; HDE/XP 9/1,100; Special: poison sting (poison is incredibly virulent and requires 3 consecutive saves to beat it).
15. Seething Seepage (1): HD 4; HP 26; AC 8[11]; Atk 1 Corrosive Saturation; Move 3; Save 15; HDE/XP 5/240; Special: Remains unseen as it lurks beneath debris and sand, waiting for victims to walk over its body, then it rears up and attempts to form a gelatinous crater or bowl from its own flesh that it then fills with a potent, corrosive stew of digestive juices. It takes less than 3 minutes for the 'bowl' to fill to capacity. The juices destroy leather, corrode metals, and discolor flesh that survives the attack to a grotesque mottled green and yellow that is easily recognized as the 'mark of the lurker.'
16. Dry Dead (2d6): HD 1; HP 4; AC 8[11]; Atk 1 Strike or weapon; Move 6; Save 18; HDE/XP 2/25; Special: One in six can perform Call Hag in place of an attack. Spell will summon 1d4 Dry Hags. When killed, these bodies crumble into clouds of choking, cloying dust that impedes visibility to 50% in a 30' radius.
17. Rampant Flesh (1d4); HD 4; HP 30; AC 5[14]; Atk 2 Bulgy Pseudopods; Move 6; Save 16; HDE/XP 6/400. Autonomous masses of living flesh that crawl about bonelessly and malevolently across the sands looking for things to eat.
18. Rock Giant (1d2): HD 8; HP 46; AC 4[15]; Atk 1 weapon or thrown rocks; Move 12; Save 11; HDE/XP 10/1,300; Special: Throw rocks for 3d6 damage or assume rock-form (immobile) to surprise prey/victims. Rock Giants can also cause Petrification by way of their gaze attack up to 3/times per day. These hulking brutes remain unaffected by all mental attacks, Charms or illusions. They will reform from rubble if not completely scattered over an area equal to one square mile per HD. Some rocks are actually the scattered remains of Rock Giants and can be caused to sprout into a small 1 HD version of the creature if soaked in blood for 1d4 hours. They tend to mature rather quickly, so long as they get plenty to eat...
19. Slimefall. Foul-smelling masses of greenish slime drizzle over everything for the next 1d4 hours and covering an area of roughly (3d6 miles). The slime seems inert, rotting and is thoroughly inedible. If it is exposed to necrotized flesh for longer than a day, it coalesces into a mass of actual Green Slime.
20. Special Encounter.