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M M
Horde Book 1: A Swarm of Stirges
Copyright © 2004 by
Behemoth3, Inc.
Written by
Tavis Allison
• Illustrated by
Sang Lee
ISBN
0-9760467-1-7 •
www.behemoth3.com
Portland • New York • Chapel Hill • Made in the
USA
Full credit
&
license information
begins on
page 54
.
With M M, you can revitalize your cam-
paign by discovering unexpected depths within creatures
you’ve taken for granted. DMs will ind new and old monsters
designed to work together to create a rounded threat, challeng-
ing the abilities of each member of the party. Players have new
options to extend those abilities, whether you’re playing one of
the new creatures in the Horde or battling them.
Our goal is to create a Horde for every creature that appears
in both the original manual created by Gary Gygax in 1979
and the latest version of the System Reference Document. If
you’ve got a favorite monster, watch for it to come to life with
M M!
bou ehemot3
Behemoth3, Inc.
is dedicated to gaming as an art form. We
believe that great art can change the world. Our corporation
was created to allow writers, illustrators, designers,
programmers, game developers, and other artists to share
their creations without losing the right to control them. As a
creator-owned company, we exist so that artists can share both
the inancial rewards and the risks involved in making their
eforts commercially available to the gaming community.
We are proud to be part of the contemporary revolutions in
open source gaming and electronic production and distribu-
tion. Behemoth3 is strongly committed to the rights of artists,
their audience, and the public domain.
If you’ve never thought about becoming a professional creator
in gaming, these issues may not be important to you. Don’t
worry—Behemoth3 is also strongly committed to showing you
a good time. Start rolling your dice to see which ones are lucky,
because tonight we’re going to party like it’s .
However, we suspect every gamer has a dream project: a story
they’d like to tell, a vision they’d like to share, an experience
they know how to capture with a set of rules and a group of
players. at was certainly true of us, which is why Behemoth3
exists. If you’d like to learn more about the possibilities
of publishing your work with Behemoth3, please contact
editor@behemoth3.com
.
SECTIONS OF THE BOOK
I
Welcome to the irst book in Behemoth3’s
M M series.
M
Game rules, illustration, description, combat, ecology, and
designer’s notes for the creatures of the Horde.
C
Options for players and DMs alike to develop the possibilities
of the Horde.
A
Tools for expanding the Stirge Horde in your campaign.
D
An exemplary character for each creature, with illustrations,
backgrounds, story hooks, and statblocks.
E
Creatures in the Stirge Horde join forces to present a
coordinated challenge.
A
Full credits
;
useful tables
& charts;
license
&
copyright
info;
using this PDF
;
how to get the print edition
;
detailed contents
.
bou
M M
is a celebration of the monsters that
made the original fantasy roleplaying game great.
At the dawn of roleplaying, the classic series of dungeon
modules were essential to the excitement of the game.
Each one contained much more than just a dungeon—new
monsters, new spells, new rules—but it was easy to tie them
into any campaign where adventurers were ready to descend
into the underworld.
M M is an innovative new series of
monster modules that aims to recapture that excitement. Each
Horde Book contains much more than just monsters, and it’s
easy to incorporate this wealth of new material into any fantasy
world populated by the core monsters of the world’s most
popular RPG.
LIST OF CREATURES BY
CHALLENGE RATING
CR CREATURE
PAGE
⁄
Hollow Husk
10
⁄
Huskbomb (Hollow Husk Variant)
11
2
Ashmalkin, 1st Level Warrior
6
2
Sporebomb (Hollow Husk Variant)
11
2
Stirge
14
1
Blood Bloat
8
1
Rotbomb (Hollow Husk Variant)
11
3
Stirge Ghost
34
3
Stirge Swarm
16, 38
5
Ashmalkin Wing Jockey 5/Warrior 1
35
6
Blood Bloat Vampire
29
17
Hollow Husk Lich Cleric 15
32
18
Ashmalkin Wizard 18
27
T C
war of tirges
INTRODUCTION
T S H L S
2
P S H
3
W D L M C F
4
V O R
4
I T B I Y W
5
MONSTERS
A
6
B B
8
H H [ ]
10
S
14
S S
16
CHARACTERS
A C [ ]
18
W J P C
20
ADVENTURES
N I
23
Ashmalkin alchemical weapons, blood bloat chrysalises,
gallduroi, and medicinal leeches
N S [ ]
24
R H
25
Negative energy breakthroughs, stirge ranches, and swamp conditions
A H
26
DENIZENS
A W 18: T A 27
B B V: W F M 29
H H L C 15: U O 32
S G: R W 34
A W J 5 / W 1: F C 35
ENCOUNTERS
T U
39
Random Encounter Charts
Unit Descriptions & Tactics
S S L
44
44
Ashamalkin Swamp Colony
46
Subterranean Stirge Nest
APPENDICES
A C
49
S H C G
50
T U C EL 1-7
50
R P
51
T A W NPC, L 1-20
52
L S N I
54
MASTERS
MINIONS
•
HORDE BOOK 1
• STIRGE
1
.B.
•
SRD
•
D T C
56
INTRODUCTION
thought it might burst if it drank another drop. It lew
slowly back to the tree where it had hatched, clung to the
trunk, and settled down to digest its meal.
Hunger woke up the little stirge. There was a pink
grunting thing nearby that smelled like food, and some
hopping crimson creatures that didn’t smell like food
and were even tinier than the little stirge. It tried to get
at the food, but there were too many branches in the
way. As it looked for a way past the branches, one of the
tiny creatures jumped on the stirge’s back and wrapped
something tight and chaing around its neck. e little
stirge squawked and tried to shake the creature of, but
every time it did it got a painful shock. Frustrated, the
stirge landed on a branch and tried to think what to do
next. e tiny toad-like creature on its back gently patted
the hair that had begun to grow on the stirge’s head and
whistled to its fellows. ey opened the branches, and the
little stirge eagerly lew in to feed on the pink thing. Its
rider patted the stirge’s head again. Maybe this isn’t so
bad after all, the little stirge thought as it illed its belly.
The days came and went. There were more and more
stirges in the nest now, and more creatures to ride them.
When the sun went down, the stirge’s own rider would
climb on and they would ly out to the place in the swamp
where the huge hairy thing had fallen down. Each night,
the hairy thing was smaller, collapsing in on itself. Its hair
started to fall out, showing the pale skin underneath.
Then one evening the skin started to move. Its mouth
opened wide and it sucked in air, which made it rise up
from the swamp. e stirge’s rider blew on a shrill horn,
which made many other stirges and riders ly over. e
skin cringed away from them, huing and moaning.
Some of the newcomers brought a big cage of branches,
lifting it using straps fastened to their harnesses. e oth-
ers surrounded the skin and forced it backwards into the
cage, and then the crimson creatures pushed the door of
the cage in further and further until all the air was forced
out of the skin. en they lew away with the cage and
hung it from a tree. It wasn’t long before all the trees
around the nest had cages hanging from them.
One morning the hungry little stirge was woken by the
sound of horns. e crimson toad-creatures were rush-
ing about, and pointy sticks were whistling through the
air and thudding into the trunk next to the little stirge.
It decided not to wait for its rider and took wing. Lots
of hairy two-legged things were advancing through the
swamp, riding four-legged creatures that were even
hairier. The doors of the hanging cages flew open and
the skins tumbled out, moaning and rushing towards the
hairy things. Crimson riders lew by, shocking the hairy
things with their whips. e little stirge skirted the edge
war of tirges
THE STORY OF THE HUNGRY
LITTLE STIRGE
By the light of the moon, a little egg was laid on a leaf.
Hundreds of other pearls of jelly just like it were all
wrapped up together in slippery milky strands. Once the
last egg had gushed out, the little stirge’s mother waddled
down the tree and slid beneath the waters of the swamp.
When the sun came up, it woke the little stirge, who
wriggled and struggled but couldn’t get out. It was so
hungry. Was there anything to eat here? It thrust its
needle-like proboscis forward and sucked in some warm
egg-jelly. e jelly tasted not quite right but it lessened
the hunger. e little stirge sucked and sucked. e swell-
ing of its belly felt good. en its proboscis broke through
into someplace cold and the little stirge swallowed a bel-
lyful of fresh air. Surprised, it thrashed and lexed and
suddenly it was free. e little stirge unfurled its bat-like
wings to dry, and then it took a nap.
The little stirge was hungry again when it woke up. It
decided to go look for something to eat. It flapped its
wings and pushed away from the leaf. It fell towards the
green water, and then with a another lap of its wings it
was lying. Flying was fun, but not on an empty stomach.
Up ahead it saw a much bigger stirge. Was this something
to eat? e hungry little stirge darted at the big one, pro-
boscis extended. With a screech and a wing-slap, the big
stirge sent it tumbling through the air.
Chirp, the little stirge complained: I’m hungry!
Chirp, the big stirge agreed. Some other chirping stirges
lew over, and they all went looking for something to eat.
e big stirge led them through the swamp, skimming
low beneath branches draped with moss.
What was that delicious smell? It came from a huge hairy
two-legged thing. When the hairy thing saw them com-
ing, it threw sticks with shiny points. Other stirges were
hit by the sticks and fell into the water, but the little stirge
was too fast and clever. It circled around, landed on the
hairy thing’s back, and found a nice spot to slip in its pro-
boscis. e hairy thing was illed with hot, yummy food!
e little stirge drank and drank, and all its friends did
too. Soon the hairy thing fell over and stopped moving,
and the food didn’t squirt right down the stirge’s gullet
like it had before. But that was all right—the little stirge
2
STIRGE •
HORDE BOOK 1
•
MASTERS
MINIONS
.B.
•
SRD
•
of the commotion until it found one of the four-legged
things running away without its rider. It fastened onto the
creature’s neck and drank as much as it could.
Now the little stirge wasn’t hungry any more. And it
wasn’t little any more! It was big and fat, and waxy stuf
was coming out of the tip of its tail. It hung from a branch
and used the waxy stuff to build a shell around itself.
After it was done, it slept inside the shell for a long time.
When it woke up and burst out of the shell, it was too big
and bloated to ly—but its wings were perfect for propel-
ling its sleek fat body through the water. It knew it was
time to lay some eggs of its own. As the moon came up, it
swam of through the swamp looking for a mate.
With the arrival of
Horde Book 1
, the stirge stops being
a simple wandering monster and becomes part of a
vital and complex horde. Even the most well-prepared
and sophisticated group of adventurers will find their
capabilities tested to the utmost when the new creatures
presented in this book join forces. In the past, a room full
of stirges presented a thrilling challenge. We’ve grown
up since then, and so has the stirge. You’ll need all your
sophisticated tactics and creative problem solving to
face the
stirge swarm
, a thousand monsters ighting as
a single entity.
After the ight is over, the real adventure may be about to
begin. e kobolds that were the previous victims of the
stirges you just defeated may rise again as undead
hollow
husks
. The enemies of your enemies may prove to be
your friends. Actions have consequences; it’s impossible
to anticipate them all, but we’re proud of the ideas that
were inspired by making the attempt! Nevertheless, your
gaming group is sure to take these concepts to places we
never could have imagined.
is book is packed with story hooks intended to serve as
jumping-of points for the journeys of your imagination.
We’ve tried to give you enough speciics that you can use
each hook right away, but as always you should discard
whatever details don’t it into your campaign.
Although the inspiration for
A Swarm of Stirges
is
rooted in the primal origins of roleplaying games, the
edition you’re reading takes full advantage of the latest
3.5 revision of the world’s most popular roleplaying rule
set. In particular, we’ve embraced what we feel is one
of the most important innovations that began with the
3
rd
Edition—the potential for monsters to have all the
advantages and options that are open to characters. For
each of the new creatures in the horde, we’ve presented
a character that showcases the potential to customize
these creatures using class levels, templates, equipment,
and more. With unique backgrounds, motivations, and
adventure hooks, these NPCs are ready to step onstage in
your game right away.
If you’re already using MasterMaze by Dwarven Forge
in your game, you’ll ind that the subterranean stirge lair
is designed for easy re-creation using pieces from the
most popular sets. And if you’re not, why not? Visit
www.dwarvenforge.com
;
your miniatures will thank you.
One final note before we continue: What you hold
in your hands is just the doorway. Be sure to visit
www.behemoth3.com
to keep up with the
latest updates,
web expansions, and errata
for
Horde Book 1
, and to
learn more about other releases
in the M
M series!
PRESENTING THE STIRGE HORDE
e
stirge
is one of the classic monsters from the original
fantasy roleplaying game. Originally created by the great
Gary Gygax in 1979, these winged bloodsuckers lurked in
many of the archetypical dungeon modules that were the
primal gateway to fantasy adventure for a generation of
gamers. e irst exploration of the ecology of the stirge
came from the immortal pen of Ed Greenwood in 1984,
and Tim Richardson contributed his own take on the
subject in 1997 with versions of the stirge adapted for
jungles and swamps.
Horde Book 1: A Swarm of Stirges
is Behemoth3’s celebra-
tion of one of the monsters that made fantasy roleplaying
great, and an expansion of the legends millions of gamers
have created around this creature. We’ve taken a unique
approach. is book does not simply describe the ecology
of the stirge; it brings the ecology to life. It’s one thing to
know that in the inal stage of its lifecycle, a stirge meta-
morphoses into an aquatic
blood bloat
—it’s another
thing entirely to have that monster climb into your boat
and try to bite your hand of. Welcome to M
M!
is book presents a rich society surrounding the stirge,
featuring fey and undead as well as magical beasts. You
may choose to explore this society from the outside, or
become part of it yourself. In each Horde Book of the
M M series, you will ind at least one
new creature designed to make an excellent, although
often evil, race for player characters. If you’ve ever
wanted to ride a stirge into battle against enemies a hun-
dred times your own size—or if you just like being one
of the bad guys sometimes—then playing an
ashmalkin
character is for you. In
the chapter
, you’ll
also ind options you can use to enrich an existing char-
acter, like the
wing jockey prestige class
.
MASTERS
MINIONS
•
HORDE BOOK 1
• STIRGE
3
.B.
•
SRD
•
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