Playable Monsters from the Tome of Horrors
A Mini-Review for the Swords & Wizardry Edition
Unlike Labyrinth Lord, there aren't too many 3rd Party
products for Swords & Wizardry, much less new races. The Tome of Horrors Complete, by far one of
the largest monster collections, allows playable versions of monstrous races:
Crabmen, Dakons, Dire Corbies, Half-ogres, Mongrelmen, Stormwardens, Tabaxi,
and Tsathars.
In terms of features, more than a few of them are quite
strong. A lot of them do have class and level restrictions (not detailed here),
although any OSR games I played never made it far level-wise to see the effects
in place. And what classes the monsters are restricted to tend to be ones that
supplement their natural abilities.
Dwarves:
Defenses: The player-character Dwarf has a +4 on saving
throws against any magic.
Stone Sense: Dwarfs easily takes note of certain features of
stonework: sloping corridors, moving walls, and traps made of stone – in
particular: falling blocks, rigged ceilings, and tiny arrow slits designed to
release poison gas or darts. They can also identify whether stonework is recent
or not. There is no established die roll or rule for using these abilities;
exactly what a Dwarf does or does not perceive is up to the Referee.
Darkvision: Dwarfs can see in the dark to a limit of 60
feet.
Elves:
Darkvision: Elves can see in the dark to a range of 60 feet.
Find secret doors: Elves have a 1-in-6 chance to notice a
secret door automatically and have a 4-in-6 chance to find secret doors when
actively searching, unlike the other races, which have only a 2-in-6 chance.
Defenses: Elves cannot be paralyzed by ghouls.
Half-Elves:
Darkvision: Half-elves can see in the dark to a range of 60
feet.
Find secret doors: Half-elves have a 4-in-6 chance to find
secret doors when actively searching.
Halflings:
Defenses: Halflings gain a +4 on saving throws against magic
Attack Bonuses: Halflings have a +1 bonus when using missile
weapons.
Humans:
Humans are the default race for Swords & Wizardry, and
thus they receive no specific bonuses or penalties as do the other races.
Humans are a hardy breed, fighting vigorously to expand and guard their
civilization in a dangerous world. Many perils lurk beyond the borders of the
human lands, but humanity must be ever alert to the possibility of treachery
within its own territories and kingdoms: The very individuality that makes
humankind so diverse and energetic as a race can also breed those who are dark
of mind and willing to cooperate with the forces of evil and chaos.
Note that non-humans cannot be Assassins, Druids, Monks,
Paladins, or Rangers as player Characters.
Without further ado, let's take a look at what we have.
Crabmen are tall, peaceful creatures which live around
coastal regions. They start the game with an extra hit die, can swim, have an
exoskeleton which is equivalent to full plate (AC 3 or 16 depending on system),
but they can't use manufactured weapons and instead fight with crab claws
(1d6). Given the expensive nature of full plate (100 gp) and usefulness of more
hit points, crabmen make for great martial characters!
Dakons are sapient gorillas and more down to earth than the
crabmen, gaining a +1 to Strength (not above 18, no other race than half-ogre
gets this), +1 on grappling, can climb walls as a thief no matter the class,
can see in the dark, and deal 1d4 damage on unarmed strikes instead of 1d2.
Dire Corbies are crow-people who are very vicious warriors
and hunters. They can see in the dark and suffer no penalties from fighting
while blind, and can hear through doors and thin walls on a 1-3 on a d6 roll.
They can surprise foes on a 1-2 roll when fighting in darkness, and their
feathers give the equivalent of leather armor (8 or 11). A lot of their
abilities are perception-related, but more in line with the standard races.
Half-ogres are outcasts from both races' societies and tend
towards physical professions. Mechanics-wise they are sort of unimaginative and
bland in comparison to the other options. They get +1 to Strength and
Constitution but -1 to Intelligence and Charisma, can't bring scores below 3 or
above 18. They can see in the dark and gain an additional hit die. Crabmen are
still superior choice IMO.
Mongrelmen are hideous creatures seemingly composed from the
body parts of different monsters, but are actually good-natured. They have +1
to Strength and Constitution but -3 to Charisma (as usual, none above 18 or below
3). They can see in the dark and can perfectly imitate the sound of any
creature they previously encountered. Nothing much but a potentially creative
sound-based ability.
Stormwardens are folk who dwell high in the mountains and
can innately control weather patterns. They gain nothing except for casting
Control Weather once per day as a 10th-level Magic-User, except that the change
is immediate in a 1,000 radius. The effects persist for 10 minutes before
returning to normal.
Seriously, a 1,000 feet area of effect. Flash floods,
tornadoes, blizzards, deadly heat or cold. There is so much potential
awesomeness and abuse.
The Tabaxi are reclusive cat-people who live deep in the
forests and jungles. They possess greater than normal speed (15 instead of
human 12), and can surprise opponents on a 1-2 on a d6 roll when alone or among
others of their kind. They can see in the dark and have claw and bite attacks
(1d4 and 1d3, respectively). A robust race sure to please furries and otaku.
Tsathars are evil underground frog-people who worship
Tsathogga. They reproduce by planting eggs into living creatures and breed
giant frogs for war. Sound cool and flavorful, but what do they get
mechanically?
Nothing. Nope, nada, zilch, not even the unrestricted access
to classes and levels that humans get. It's a shame, because the monster entry
has some cool stuff like being able to jump far and swim and breathe in water.
I suggest putting those in for Tsathar PCs.
In conclusion, my favorite races are the dire corbies and
tsathars society-wise, but in terms of abilities the Stormwarden tops the list.
All but the Tsathars gain a lot of features, which are good, but be careful
about allowing them as a few are natural options for certain character concepts
(crabmen and half-ogres for fighters, or dire corbies and tabaxis for
thieves/mobile fighters).
