Anybody know where to find good background info on Melnibone, Elric, and Beasties?
- Thread starter blackshirt5
- Start date
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
I'll give you 20 bucks for it. 
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
I'm offering you way more than it's worth 
Nah, I won't take advantage of friends like that
. Seriously, those can go for some cash on eBay. I've tried to get my hands on one, and they usually bid out of what I'm willing to pay ($70-80 is pretty common, I haven't looked in six months or so).
Nah, I won't take advantage of friends like that
. Seriously, those can go for some cash on eBay. I've tried to get my hands on one, and they usually bid out of what I'm willing to pay ($70-80 is pretty common, I haven't looked in six months or so).
Mark
CreativeMountainGames.com
Olgar Shiverstone said:I'm offering you way more than it's worth
Nah, I won't take advantage of friends like that
That's surprising to me. It has nothing more than sentimental value to me and I can't imagine someone wanting one that wasn't originally theirs unless they planned to use it for actual gaming. Still, at the right price I suppose it might help to fill out a few collections...
cptg1481
First Post
Here's the Melinbonian Dragon
I'm probably breaking some law here but this is from page 140 of the DLoM by Chaosism on the D20 version of the Dragon in the Elric sagas...
Of all the entities in the Elric saga, Moorcock returns again and again only to one species, crimson on gold the symbols of the Melnibonean throne, envenomed slumberers and aerial serpents, the dragons. Though their origin is a matter of dispute, dragons have slumbered within Melnibone’s caverns since before the isle gained that name.
They represent “the first significant sorcery of our race and the purest, the dragon-sorcery” (RR I, 2). In those days the numbers of dragons were great, and in controlling them the Melniboneans ruled the world. Yet choosing to employ the might of dragons required wisdom and careful judgment, for a dragon must sleep a hundred years for each day of activity. In the last millennia, the dragons have dwindled, paralleling the decline of Melnibone from Bright Empire to Dreaming City. When Elric blows the Horn of Fate, only ninety-eight dragons waken and fly east with him to the final battle.
A Melnibonean dragon does not breathe out fire. Instead it exudes an acid-like venom of POT (DC) equal to its CON. In flight, the dragon attacks by repeatedly spraying this venom over wide areas. Everything burnable that the number is finite – Elric’s dragon-steed Flamefang seems to have exhausted himself in thirty to sixty minutes. Calculate the number of attacks as equal to the dragon’s CON.
Caught in a steel helmet or similar container, a droplet of dragon venom cools and hardens into a pastel which (taken with water) can “bring courage to the weak and skill to the strong, (and let a man) fight for five days and five nights and feel no pain” (RR I, 2), but only Melniboneans know this lore. With substantial immersion in dragon venom, the damage done per round would be the dragon’s CON in hit points.
Dragons live for many thousands of years, most of those years asleep, or what we imagine as sleep. It is also known that ordinarily one warrior rode each dragon using a heavy saddle custom-made for that dragon. Moorcock mentions softer scales half way up the neck where a sword might penetrate.
Huge Dragon
HD: 27d12+135 (310hp)
Initiative : +0
Speed: 40ft, fly 150 ft. (poor)
AC: 33 (-2 Size, +25 Natural Armor). AC 23 for its neck (-2 Size, +15 Natural) requiring a Reflex roll to target (failure means no attack possible).
Attacks: Bite +35 melee, 2 Claws +30 melee, 2 Wings +30 slam, Crush +30 slam, Tail Slap +30 slam
Damage: Bite 2d8+10; Claws 2d6+5; Wings 1d8+5; Crush 2d8+15; Tail Slap 2d6+15
Face/Reach: 10 ft x 20 ft/10 ft
Special Attacks: Breath Weapon, Frightful Presence
Special Qualities: Low-Light Vision; Darkvision 500 ft., Blindsight, Keen Senses
Saves: Fort +20 Ref +15 Will +20
Abilities: STR 30 DEX 11 CON 21
INT 14 WIS 20 CHA 14
Skills: Intimidate +18, Intuit Direction +18, Jump +27, Listen +18, Search +18, Spot +18, Wilderness Lore +18
Feats: Power Attack, Flyby Attack, Wingover
Climate/Terrain: Any Underground
Organization: Flight (25-100)
Challenge Rating: 18
Treasure: (none)
Alignment: Neutral (usually)
Advancement Range: 28-39 HD (Gargantuan), 40+ HD (Colossal)
Combat: Melnibonean dragons are organized into flights, which are led by dragons ridden by trained Melniboneans. Those dragons not ridden are controlled by horns especially designed for such a purpose. Ingeneral, an individual dragon will pass over an enemy and use its fiery venom, then landand mop up any resistance.
Breath Weapon (Ex): Often described as a venom or acidic spittle, this jet (a line of 100 ft.) of POT 21 poison causes all combustibles (including people and almost all sorts of supernatural creatures, unless immune to both fire and acid) it strikes to immediately combust, doing 2d6 damage per round for 10+1d10 rounds. The fire can only be extinguished before this time by use of magic. A Reflex save (DC 20) avoids the jet and any damage from it.
Frightful Presence (Ex): A dragon can unsettle foes with its mere presence. This ability takes effect whenever the dragon attacks, charges, or flies overhead. Creatures within 300 ft. radius of the dragon are affected if they have fewer Hit Dice than the dragon.
A potentially affected creature that succeeds at a Will save (DC 23) remains immune to that dragon’s presence for one day. On a failure, creatures with 4 or fewer HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds and those with 5 or more HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds.
I'm probably breaking some law here but this is from page 140 of the DLoM by Chaosism on the D20 version of the Dragon in the Elric sagas...
Of all the entities in the Elric saga, Moorcock returns again and again only to one species, crimson on gold the symbols of the Melnibonean throne, envenomed slumberers and aerial serpents, the dragons. Though their origin is a matter of dispute, dragons have slumbered within Melnibone’s caverns since before the isle gained that name.
They represent “the first significant sorcery of our race and the purest, the dragon-sorcery” (RR I, 2). In those days the numbers of dragons were great, and in controlling them the Melniboneans ruled the world. Yet choosing to employ the might of dragons required wisdom and careful judgment, for a dragon must sleep a hundred years for each day of activity. In the last millennia, the dragons have dwindled, paralleling the decline of Melnibone from Bright Empire to Dreaming City. When Elric blows the Horn of Fate, only ninety-eight dragons waken and fly east with him to the final battle.
A Melnibonean dragon does not breathe out fire. Instead it exudes an acid-like venom of POT (DC) equal to its CON. In flight, the dragon attacks by repeatedly spraying this venom over wide areas. Everything burnable that the number is finite – Elric’s dragon-steed Flamefang seems to have exhausted himself in thirty to sixty minutes. Calculate the number of attacks as equal to the dragon’s CON.
Caught in a steel helmet or similar container, a droplet of dragon venom cools and hardens into a pastel which (taken with water) can “bring courage to the weak and skill to the strong, (and let a man) fight for five days and five nights and feel no pain” (RR I, 2), but only Melniboneans know this lore. With substantial immersion in dragon venom, the damage done per round would be the dragon’s CON in hit points.
Dragons live for many thousands of years, most of those years asleep, or what we imagine as sleep. It is also known that ordinarily one warrior rode each dragon using a heavy saddle custom-made for that dragon. Moorcock mentions softer scales half way up the neck where a sword might penetrate.
Huge Dragon
HD: 27d12+135 (310hp)
Initiative : +0
Speed: 40ft, fly 150 ft. (poor)
AC: 33 (-2 Size, +25 Natural Armor). AC 23 for its neck (-2 Size, +15 Natural) requiring a Reflex roll to target (failure means no attack possible).
Attacks: Bite +35 melee, 2 Claws +30 melee, 2 Wings +30 slam, Crush +30 slam, Tail Slap +30 slam
Damage: Bite 2d8+10; Claws 2d6+5; Wings 1d8+5; Crush 2d8+15; Tail Slap 2d6+15
Face/Reach: 10 ft x 20 ft/10 ft
Special Attacks: Breath Weapon, Frightful Presence
Special Qualities: Low-Light Vision; Darkvision 500 ft., Blindsight, Keen Senses
Saves: Fort +20 Ref +15 Will +20
Abilities: STR 30 DEX 11 CON 21
INT 14 WIS 20 CHA 14
Skills: Intimidate +18, Intuit Direction +18, Jump +27, Listen +18, Search +18, Spot +18, Wilderness Lore +18
Feats: Power Attack, Flyby Attack, Wingover
Climate/Terrain: Any Underground
Organization: Flight (25-100)
Challenge Rating: 18
Treasure: (none)
Alignment: Neutral (usually)
Advancement Range: 28-39 HD (Gargantuan), 40+ HD (Colossal)
Combat: Melnibonean dragons are organized into flights, which are led by dragons ridden by trained Melniboneans. Those dragons not ridden are controlled by horns especially designed for such a purpose. Ingeneral, an individual dragon will pass over an enemy and use its fiery venom, then landand mop up any resistance.
Breath Weapon (Ex): Often described as a venom or acidic spittle, this jet (a line of 100 ft.) of POT 21 poison causes all combustibles (including people and almost all sorts of supernatural creatures, unless immune to both fire and acid) it strikes to immediately combust, doing 2d6 damage per round for 10+1d10 rounds. The fire can only be extinguished before this time by use of magic. A Reflex save (DC 20) avoids the jet and any damage from it.
Frightful Presence (Ex): A dragon can unsettle foes with its mere presence. This ability takes effect whenever the dragon attacks, charges, or flies overhead. Creatures within 300 ft. radius of the dragon are affected if they have fewer Hit Dice than the dragon.
A potentially affected creature that succeeds at a Will save (DC 23) remains immune to that dragon’s presence for one day. On a failure, creatures with 4 or fewer HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds and those with 5 or more HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds.
Last edited:
Voadam
Legend
Note the references to POT 21 venom in the d20 version of the breath weapon. It is easy to ignore but the fact that they left in the Stormbringer/Elric game terms in the d20 only book shows up in a couple of places.
For flavor descriptions only, DLoM is not bad, but the Elric and Stornmbringer games are fine as well, each has a description of the world and the various creatures.
The d20 version has some interesting alignment, and spell stuff, but the monster stats need to be reviewed, like many early products they don't fully follow the d20 rules.
For flavor descriptions only, DLoM is not bad, but the Elric and Stornmbringer games are fine as well, each has a description of the world and the various creatures.
The d20 version has some interesting alignment, and spell stuff, but the monster stats need to be reviewed, like many early products they don't fully follow the d20 rules.
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