D&D General What's the weirdest old edition material have you stuck in your 5e game lately?

[the Jester]

I ran an old dungeon I had made 20 years ago that had an AD&D flame tongue in it. You know, Sword +1, flame tongue, +2 vs. regenerating creatures, +3 vs. cold-using, flammable, or avian creatures, +4 vs. undead. In the end nobody found it -- it was hidden under flagstones and the PCs forgot to search that room with detect magic -- but I'd have given it to them as written just for the nostalgia of it.

I gave out an archaic wand of lightning bolts a while back- its bolts bounce off walls, you count 1s as 2s on the damage, no regaining charges, etc. It's pretty cool to have floating around out there.

 

[the Jester]

DUDE!

I was just going to re-create the Obliviax? Got stats I can borrow?

Not the poster you're replying to, but here's my version!

OBLIVIAX

Source: 1e Monster Manual 2.

Also called memory moss, obliviax is a type of black moss that grows in cool, moist areas. A creature that ventures too close to the moss finds that its head is suddenly swimming, and it may abruptly realize that it can't recall where it is or how it got there. Then, after draining the last day's memories from the creature, the obliviax forms a small shape that vaguely resembles that of the creature whose memories it stole, which it uses to defend itself.

The Ultimate Obliviax. While most patches of obliviax are small are relatively easy to destroy, one patch has grown larger and larger over time until it has become a unique and truly amazing individual that calls itself Lord Obliviax. Lord Obliviax works hard to ensure that it has a steady diet of memories, so that it never sinks back into the normal mindless state of the moss.

A Meal of Memories. Obliviax is edible, though it is bitter-tasting. A creature that eats an obliviax gains access to the memories it has confused. If these are the creature's own memories, they are restored. Otherwise, they are superimposed on the creature's own memories of that period of time. Sometimes adventurers seek out obliviax in the hopes of gaining useful memories, and some halflings, especially jerren, eat ceremonial dishes containing obliviax as part of an experience involving multiple types of psychedelic mushrooms and other intoxicants.

Obliviax Treasure. Obliviax don't collect treasure.

Obliviax
Tiny plant, neutral

Armor Class 10
Hit Points 3 (2d4-2)
Speed 0 ft.

STR 4 (-3), DEX 10 (+0), CON 8 (-1),
INT 7 (-2), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 14 (+2)

Condition Immunities prone
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages -
Challenge ½ (100 xp)


ACTIONS

Steal Memories. One creature the obliviax can see within 30' must succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence save or the obliviax steals its memories of the last 24 hours.

Psychic Attack. The obliviax unleashes a psionic attack against one creature it can see within 60'. That creature must make a DC 12 Intelligence save, suffering 10 (3d6) psychic damage on a failure or half that on a success.

Lord Obliviax
Medium plant, neutral

Armor Class 10
Hit Points 88 (16d8+16)
Speed 0 ft.

STR 4 (-3), DEX 10 (+0), CON 12 (+1),
INT 10 (+0), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 16 (+3)

Condition Immunities prone
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages telepathy 90'
Challenge 6 (2,300 xp)

Spellcasting. Lord Obliviax is a 10th level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). Lord Obliviax knows the following spells, which it gains by absorbing the memories of other creatures:
-Cantrips (at will): acid splash, fire bolt, light, mage hand, prestidigitation
-1st level (4 slots): magic missile, shield,
-2nd level (3 slots): darkvision, hold person, shatter
-3rd level (3 slots): bestow curse, dispel magic, lightning bolt
-4th level (3 slots): confusion, dimension door, locate creature
-5th level (2 slots): hold monster, scrying

ACTIONS

Psychic Attack. Lord Obliviax unleashes a psionic attack against one creature it can see within 60'. That creature must make a DC 14 Intelligence save, suffering 35 (10d6) psychic damage on a failure or half that on a success.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Lord Obliviax can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Lord Obliviax regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Brain Lock. One creature Lord Obliviax can see within 60' must succeed on a DC 14 Intelligence save or be magically paralyzed until the end of its next turn.

Spawn Obliviax. Lord Obliviax loses 5 hit points, and an obliviax appears in an unoccupied space within 5' of it.

Steal Memories. One creature Lord Obliviax can see within 30' must succeed on a DC 14 Intelligence save or Lord Obliviax magically steals its memories of the last 24 hours.

 

[the Jester]

Also, for the record, here's my version of the cerebral parasites I mentioned in the OP.

CEREBRAL PARASITE (Hazard)

Source: 1e Monster Manual.

Cerebral parasites are tiny, invisible, incorporeal motes of psionic energy that attach to creatures and drain their mental energies. If viewed with a see invisibility spell or through true sight, the cerebral parasite appears as a tiny glowing mote of floating light. Cerebral parasite are similar to bacteria, and like them, they reproduce through fission, so the parasites are always found in colonies of dozens to hundreds, typically filling between one and four 5' cubes.

If a creature moves within 10' of an area infested with cerebral parasites, that creature must make a DC 12 Intelligence save. If it has psionic abilities, that creature has disadvantage on the save. A creature that fails becomes infested by the parasites. An infested creature has disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma attacks, saves, and checks (including spell attacks). A creature that has to make a saving throw against a spell cast by an infested creature that has Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as its spellcasting attribute gains advantage on that save.

In addition, each time it completes a long rest, an infested creature loses its highest level spell slot, if any. If the creature has no spell slots because of the infestation, it instead gains a level of exhaustion.

If an infected creature doesn't have spell slots when it finishes a long rest, there is a 25% chance that the infestation ends. Otherwise, it ends when an effect would end a disease on the infested creature.

 

[SkidAce]

Not the poster you're replying to, but here's my version!

How would you stat the creature it creates to defend itself?

Thats one part where I am kinda stuck, could just use generic CR level stats though....

 

[the Jester]

How would you stat the creature it creates to defend itself?

Thats one part where I am kinda stuck, could just use generic CR level stats though....

That's what the stat block represents- the moss itself is just that, moss. At least, the way I have always run it.

 

[Voadam]

I am running a 5e conversion of Pathfinder 1e's Iron Gods adventure path. At one point it uses a cerebral fungus as a newly created accidental sentient psychic fungal monster who has never been out of its room. I grabbed 5e stats for an algoid as close enough, and named the telepathic fungus Algoid.

Turned out to be the one encounter when the party decided not to go murderhobo and completely made an ally out of him.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Same. It's still so darn useful. Whenever I need to come up with the price for some random thing, or design a menu for a Forgotten Realms tavern, it's got me.

Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog. Will use it until it disintegrates or they release a new edition.

I will dive into Grimtooth's Traps every once in a while. Not so much for the ones that are just PC blenders, but the fiendish, clever, and complicated ones.

 

[Maxperson]

I like 1e and 2e magic items, so I use the Encyclopedia Magica a lot.

 

[SkidAce]

That's what the stat block represents- the moss itself is just that, moss. At least, the way I have always run it.

Ahh, I see. I missed the psychic attack.