Halloween

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a signed copy of Mark Lawrence's King of Thorns!

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Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, and I have a couple of traditions that I always follow, even when, like this year, I don't do much to decorate.

I highly recommend that if you have a free hour or two, check out the original radio dramas Dracula and War of the Worlds from Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater. And you might follow that up by listening to RadioLab's story on War of the Worlds' 75th anniversary.

I also wanted to share with you a couple of monsters I wrote up an October many years ago.

Broken Men

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 2+2* (M)
Move: 90' (30')
Attacks: 1 weapon
Damage: by weapon +1
No. Appearing: 3d4+4 (1-2 or 3d12+12)
Save As: F3
Morale: 10
Treasure Type:
Intelligence: 7
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 35

Monster Type: Humanoid
Broken men were once human, but were warped into something twisted. This can come about because of exposure to a powerful undead spirit, a manifestation of chaos, intentional experimentation of those who seek to know too much, or a wide variety of other horrifying events. Due to their twisted nature they receive a +2 to their saving throws against sleep, charm, and hold spells, and any attempt to read their minds will cause the loss of 2d6 points of wisdom, recoverable at a rate of 1 point per week of total rest.

They are sly killers, and will track their prey, unless an easier kill crosses their path. They are also highly territorial, and often keep their area littered with grisly totems

Gourdghost

Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 3* (M)
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: 2 claw or 1 missile
Damage: 1d6/ld6 or 2d4
No. Appearing 1d6 (0)
Save As: F3
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: Nil
Intelligence: 7
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 40

Monster Type: Planar Monster, Enchanted (Uncommon).
Gourdghosts, aka Pumpkinspirits are an elemental spirit that gains access to the material plane at the end of harvest time, and remain until the first hard frost when they are again banished to wherever it is they originally come from.

Standing a gaunt 7 feet tall, with shadowy stick like bodies, and a grinning pumpkin (or other appropriate local gourd) for a head, they are vicious though rarely deadly creatures. They delight in torment, taking sadistic pleasure from their cruel tricks. When forced into physical confrontation they will rake with their claws or throw burning gourds (10/20/40) which explode on impact. Targets of the thrown gourds can save for half damage.

Gourdghosts are never encountered during daylight hours or in dungeons. As they are not undead, they are immune to turning. They are immunities to sleep, hold, and charm spells.