HYPERBOREA / Non AS&SH Adventures and Monster Swap

**Posted by nethru** 9/01/2016 6:31 pm

What are your go to monster swaps for monsters that don't exist in AS&SH.

Ex:
Goblin to What?
Hobgoblin to What?
Kobold to What?
Etc...

The classic monsters you will find in most old school D&D games.

Thanks!

**Posted by Blackadder23** 9/01/2016 7:07 pm

You could just use orcs.
If not, I would suggest ape-men, lizard-men, snake-men, vhuurmis, or bandits. You can't go wrong with bandits.

**Posted by nethru** 9/02/2016 4:45 am

True that on bandits! Thanks!

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 9/02/2016 8:07 am

Yeah lots of stuff gets shoved into orcs.

I've been contemplating stat-ing up kobolds, but more in the classic Scandinavian way I think. More like earth sprites and stuff. Still weak, devious little buggers.

Nothing is keeping your from using hobgoblins and such. If you want to maintain the Hyperborean feel it might take a bit, however it's Hyperborea and I treat it as a temporal and planar nexus.

I didn't feel bad about dropping in a lost ranger patrol as an encounter. Mind you, the Lug Wasteland isn't awash with WW2 era troops. You can have a smattering of monsters from wherever.

Remember Rule 0, Have Fun.

**Posted by Chainsaw** 9/02/2016 8:23 am

nethru wrote:
What are your go to monster swaps for monsters that don't exist in AS&SH.

Ex:
Goblin to What?
Hobgoblin to What?
Kobold to What?
Etc...

Hmmm... If you want to keep a more by-the-book Hyperborean feel, you could choose from the list below according to your HD needs, situation and locals (I do not think anything was intended to match up perfectly). In my games, I view Hyperborea as a pocket dimension, where elements from any realm, historical or fantastic, can make an appearance. The Bermuda Triangle could teleport a Nazi U-boat into Khromarium's harbor, a magical mountain blizzard could deliver a group of Samurai from Japan into the Leng Plateau, a great Mediterranean whirlpool could bring Roman sailor to the Crab Archipelago, a space-time warp could pluck the Millenium Falcon out of hyperspace to crash land in the mountains of Mt. V and so on. So, if I wanted kobolds, goblins and hobgoblins, I would import a group of them as is, perhaps banished by a powerful sorcerer's spell - it won't break anything. Anyway, there's also the list below.

Man, Bandit - HD 1 (lt 3, captain 5)
Cave-man - HD 1+1 (sub-chief 3+3, chief 5+5)
Ape-man - HD 1+2 (alpha 3+4)
Man, Wild Berserker - HD 1+4 (sub chief 3+6, chief 5+8)
Lizard-man - HD 2+1 (sub-chief 4+2, chief 6+2)
Fish-man - HD 2+2 (sub-chief 4+4, chief 7+7)
Snake-man - HD 2+2 (+one HD per class level up to 11th)
Vhuurmis (Beast-man) - HD 3+2
Crab-man - HD 3+3
Ape, Carnivorous - HD 5

As you know, the Bestiary includes Giants (Hill Giant listed as Fomorian), Gnolls (as Hyaena-men), Ogres (as Ape, Mountain), Orcs, Troglodytes and Trolls

**Posted by lige** 9/02/2016 10:58 am

The Oon could also be an option especially in a deep subterranean sort of adventure setting.

**Posted by mabon5127** 9/02/2016 2:34 pm

Chainsaw wrote:
nethru wrote:
What are your go to monster swaps for monsters that don't exist in AS&SH.

Ex:
Goblin to What?
Hobgoblin to What?
Kobold to What?
Etc...
Hmmm... If you want to keep a more by-the-book Hyperborean feel, you could choose from the list below according to your HD needs, situation and locals (I do not think anything was intended to match up perfectly). In my games, I view Hyperborea as a pocket dimension, where elements from any realm, historical or fantastic, can make an appearance. The Bermuda Triangle could teleport a Nazi U-boat into Khromarium's harbor, a magical mountain blizzard could deliver a group of Samurai from Japan into the Leng Plateau, a great Mediterranean whirlpool could bring Roman sailor to the Crab Archipelago, a space-time warp could pluck the Millenium Falcon out of hyperspace to crash land in the mountains of Mt. V and so on. So, if I wanted kobolds, goblins and hobgoblins, I would import a group of them as is, perhaps banished by a powerful sorcerer's spell - it won't break anything. Anyway, there's also the list below.

Man, Bandit - HD 1 (lt 3, captain 5)
Cave-man - HD 1+1 (sub-chief 3+3, chief 5+5)
Ape-man - HD 1+2 (alpha 3+4)
Man, Wild Berserker - HD 1+4 (sub chief 3+6, chief 5+8)
Lizard-man - HD 2+1 (sub-chief 4+2, chief 6+2)
Fish-man - HD 2+2 (sub-chief 4+4, chief 7+7)
Snake-man - HD 2+2 (+one HD per class level up to 11th)
Vhuurmis (Beast-man) - HD 3+2
Crab-man - HD 3+3
Ape, Carnivorous - HD 5

As you know, the Bestiary includes Giants (Hill Giant listed as Fomorian), Gnolls (as Hyaena-men), Ogres (as Ape, Mountain), Orcs, Troglodytes and Trolls

All good choices!

**Posted by mabon5127** 9/02/2016 2:35 pm

lige wrote:
The Oon could also be an option especially in a deep subterranean sort of adventure setting.

They tend to be fragile until you give them some tech from Yuggoth that only works with their strange physiology.

**Posted by Brock Savage** 7/30/2017 5:55 am

Hi OP. Chainsaw wrote up a pretty comprehensive list but I'd like to suggest one more monster swap that's technically not in the AS&SH bestiary but thematically appropriate- mutants. The oon are a good example of the possibilities for mutants in Hyperborea but you can make the concept your own even if it's just a reskin of goblins or whatever.

**Posted by Chainsaw** 7/30/2017 6:14 am

Brock Savage wrote:
Hi OP. Chainsaw wrote up a pretty comprehensive list but I'd like to suggest one more monster swap that's technically not in the AS&SH bestiary but thematically appropriate- mutants. The oon are a good example of the possibilities for mutants in Hyperborea but you can make the concept your own even if it's just a reskin of goblins or whatever.

Great idea! Mutated by dark sorcery, soured alchemical mixtures, broken ancient atlantean technology, a cursed artificact, forbidden food - the list writes itself.

**Posted by Ar'Pharazon** 7/30/2017 6:54 pm

chainsaw wrote:
The Bermuda Triangle could teleport a Nazi U-boat into Khromarium's harbor

OMFG, this is BRILLIANT! I literally want to spend the entire night creating a con adventure about this.

chainsaw wrote:
a great Mediterranean whirlpool could bring Roman sailor to the Crab Archipelago

There was a couple of books about this concept written in the 80's. The names escape me, but it was about an entire Roman legion that was fighting Gauls and happened to be timewarped into a different planet, essentially a low/medium magic D&D, desert themed fantasy world.

**Posted by Ar'Pharazon** 7/30/2017 6:59 pm

nethru wrote:
What are your go to monster swaps for monsters that don't exist in AS&SH.

Ex:
Goblin to What?
Hobgoblin to What?
Kobold to What?
Etc...

The classic monsters you will find in most old school D&D games.

Thanks!

For me personally, Hyperborea isn't high fantasy, it's weird fantasy. Having said that, consider using Kobolds or Goblins, but with your own spin on them: Kobolds with cybernetic arms. Nazi like goblins with uniforms and BB guns, Hobgoblins with metal crab machines they ride around in. My point being, if you decide to incorporate classic D&D monsters, change them up a bit since it's a different game and your players won't know what to expect from them.

**Posted by Chainsaw** 7/30/2017 7:01 pm

Ar'Pharazon wrote:
chainsaw wrote:
The Bermuda Triangle could teleport a Nazi U-boat into Khromarium's harbor
OMFG, this is BRILLIANT! I literally want to spend the entire night creating a con adventure about this.

Ha! Do it, Michael!

Ar'Pharazon wrote:
chainsaw wrote:
a great Mediterranean whirlpool could bring Roman sailor to the Crab Archipelago
There was a couple of books about this concept written in the 80's. The names escape me, but it was about an entire Roman legion that was fighting Gauls and happened to be timewarped into a different planet, essentially a low/medium magic D&D, desert themed fantasy world.

Cool! I will keep an eye out for it.

**Posted by rhialto** 7/31/2017 3:18 am

Probably the Videssos Cycle, by Harry Turtledove: read them way back, enjoyed the first couple, but haven't kept up.

**Posted by Ar'Pharazon** 7/31/2017 9:27 am

rhialto wrote:
Probably the Videssos Cycle, by Harry Turtledove: read them way back, enjoyed the first couple, but haven't kept up.

Boom. That's the one! Good books actually. Makes me think of a concept for my upcoming campaign..

**Posted by Ar'Pharazon** 7/31/2017 9:29 am

chainsaw wrote:
Ar'Pharazon wrote:
chainsaw wrote:
The Bermuda Triangle could teleport a Nazi U-boat into Khromarium's harbor
OMFG, this is BRILLIANT! I literally want to spend the entire night creating a con adventure about this.
Ha! Do it, Michael!

If I can get my development schedule from stagnate to back on track, I could potentially get this going in time for Gary Con X..
Hmm..