Plebeian Preview: Dice Game Monster Creation
A while back, I released a game called Plunderer!, and one of my design principles with that game was to only use d6s. Now I'm working on a game called Plebeian, which I've sort of conceptualized as the anti-Plunderer!. To the extent that I can, I want to do basically everything opposite of how it worked in Plunderer!. In terms of dice, obviously this means that Plebeian uses different sizes of dice as much as possible. This has increasingly led me to think of ways to streamline GM prep through what I think of as "dice games," or throwing an entire set of polyhedral dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20)1 and then creating systems which produce dynamic results from those rolls.
One way I've done this that I'm pretty pleased with is the "Make Your Own Wyrms" table in the bestiary, which I'll reproduce below. The final product will have mechanical definitions for a lot of these terms that aren't necessary here.
MAKE YOUR OWN WYRMS
Roll a d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. Going lowest to highest, apply the results to the Base Wyrm Template. Items marked with an asterisk can be taken multiple times. Otherwise, take the item immediately higher on the list.
Base Wyrm: 8 Hits, 8 AC, 2d6 bite. Limbless, slithering.
- Limbs: can walk and grip
- Wings: can fly
- Fire Breath
- +1 Action Dice*
- Can burrow underground
- +1 AC*
- Can breathe underwater
- Increase size of Action Dice*
- Smoke Breath
- x2 Hits*
- Steam Breath
- Lightning Breath
- Cold Breath
- Poison Breath
- Sleep Gas Breath
- Acid Breath
- Infravision
- Frightening
- Rusting
- Shapeshifting
WYRM COLORS
Each wyrm has a unique pattern of coloration. Its primary color is the highest die rolled, with any smaller dice appearing as streaks, undertones, or patterns in their scales. Ignore results of “No Color” unless this is the only color rolled. In that case, the wyrm takes on the color of what it eats, like a flamingo.
- Iridescent
- Gold
- Red
- No Color
- Sandy/Earthy Brown
- No Color
- Translucent
- No Color
- Dull Gray
- No Color
- Polished Silver
- Blue
- White
- Green
- Dull Brass
- Black
- Dark Brown
- Quicksilver
- Rusted Iron
- Camouflaging
Example
For the wyrm Gormenzanth the Destroyer I rolled a 1, a 3, two 4's, a 5, and a 10. Gormenzanth has legs, breathes fire, has +2 Action Dice (for a total of 4d6), x2 Hits (for a total of 16), and can burrow underground. They are a sandy brown with veins of red and patches of iridescent scales.
Without getting too much into the weeds of Plebeian's combat rules, Gormenzanth is quite tough with 16 Hits and plate-equivalent armor. Four Action Dice means they can reliably do several attacks each round or breathe fire as an AoE, though d6s means they will tend to go later in combat. Note also that Gormenzanth cannot fly, so their predominant method of locomotion is burrowing. Presumably, they're encountered in the desert, in a system of underground tunnels they excavated themselves.
Making sure the math works is a little challenging, but I think this is a really promising way of designing monsters, and I like the fact that it only takes one (technically two) tables and six dice to get an entirely unique beast.
Sorry d%, but I just don't like you.↩