THE SIX-MONSTER BESTIARY
AND ALSO
THE FIVE-ELEMENT TREASURY
AND ALSO
THE ROCK-CUT BAZAAR
BY ANTHONY WU
In the following pages you will find a resource document
for both new and returning referees to old-school games.
This document was inspired by a blog post from Jack
Guignol of Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque,
quoted in part below:
“So, the characters in your old-school Dungeons &
Dragons game go somewhere you haven’t yet
prepared and you describe some cool, weird-ass
monster that you don’t actually have stats for…
…I just use the stats for a bear and no one is the
wiser. Re-skin appearance, methods of attack, and
add special abilities on the fly if you absolutely
must…but when in doubt, just use bears.”
This post made me think about what the core lessons that
early Dungeons & Dragons monster design tried to teach
players, and drove me to write a “six-monster bestiary” –
six monsters that you could remix whenever you weren’t
prepared, and that would cover a diverse array of roles
within the Dungeons & Dragons gaming ecology.
I chose the basilisk, carcass scavenger, demon spider,
gargoyle, grizzly bear, and skeleton as the monsters to
populate this bestiary.
 The basilisk is a great introduction to gaze attacks and
petrification, and more broadly an introduction to
abilities that cannot be overcome simply by charging in
and attacking everything.
 The carcass scavenger, by virtue of its paralysis, is a
great dungeon denizen to build off of – ghouls, ghasts,
and the gelatinous cube all share this ability, and it
changes the dynamic of a fight greatly as people start
becoming paralyzed.
 The demon spider is my own creation, but is basically a
template monster for engaging the surprise rules
against the players. If you want to be more “classic”,
you can replace the demon spider with the giant gecko
from B/X – it would function similarly.
 The gargoyle is one of the earliest monsters players
can encounter that is immune to mundane weapons,
which is a motif repeated in lycanthropes and greater
undead.
 The bear is included as a nod to the original blog post,
and as an excellent template for “simple, dangerous
beast”.
 Last but not least, the skeleton in Dungeons & Dragons
serves as the simplest unit of monster design, much
like the goomba in Mario Bros or the moblins in the
Zelda series.
THE TREASURY & THE BAZAAR
Both the treasury and the bazaar emerged naturally as
things that were needed to add utility to the bestiary –
think of them as auxiliary content or (for video-gamers)
additional DLC for this project.
CREDITS
Bazaar map: dicegeeks.com/free-rpg-maps/
The blog posts that inspired this project:
talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2016
/08/just-use-bears.html
aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/09/everything-is-
bear.html
CONVERSION NOTE: SAVING THROWS
In Dungeons & Dragons and its various offshoot games, a
“Saving Throw” represents the attempt to avoid or mitigate
some type of unusual hazard. Sometimes this mechanic is
split between five categories (as in most B/X-inspired
games) sometimes three (fortitude, reflex, and will in
Dungeon Crawl Classics, for instance).
For this project, I use a unified saving throw so that
monsters are quicker to run. If you prefer one of those
other systems, however, use the conversion guide below,
based off of Labyrinth Lord and Dungeon Crawl Classics.
CONVERSION NOTE: EXPERIENCE POINTS
I provide no particular guideline on the experience points
to grant players for slaying monsters – the methods vary
heavily between different Old-School Revival games. When
in doubt, my advice is to simply leave the experience points
to treasure gained (so 0 EXP for slaying monsters).
Experience through monster-slaying can have a side effect
of turning the game into a meat-grinder rather than a loot-
focused progression. For this reason, be wary of giving too
much experience from combat alone!

Five Saves (Classic D&D) Three Saves (Fort/Ref/Will)

Unified
Save Class Save Bonus Save Bonus
D W P B S
Save (Good) (Poor)
18 0th-level human 14 15 16 17 18 +1 -3
17 Fighter 1 12 13 14 15 16 +1 -2
16 F2 12 13 14 15 16 +2 +0
14 F3 12 13 14 15 16 +3 +1
13 F4 10 11 12 13 14 +4 +1
12 F5 10 11 12 13 14 +6 +1
11 F6 10 11 12 13 14 +6 +2
9 F7 8 9 10 9 12 +7 +2
8 F8 8 9 10 9 12 +8 +2
6 F9 8 9 10 9 12 +8 +3
5 F10 6 7 8 7 10 +9 +3
4 F11 6 7 8 7 10 +10 +3
3* F12+ 4 5 6 5 8 +10 +4
D:Death Ray or Poison; W: Wands
*Unified Saves do not continue to
P: Petrification or Paralysis
improve beyond this point.
B: Breath Attacks; S: Spells, Rods, or Staves
 SIX-MONSTER
XP 50
DEMON SPIDER beast

6 [13] 3d8+3 (17) 20’ 13 8

BESTIARY AC HP
Climb 40’, unhindered by webs
MOVE SAVE MORALE

XP 950 Bite (1 attack). 1d8 + poison Encounter

BASILISK beast Poison. Save vs. poison with a +2 bonus or be unable to do
anything for 1 turn (10 minutes) due to a prolonged period of
4 [15] 6d8+1 (27) 20’ 11 9 debilitating pain.
AC HP MOVE SAVE MORALE Surprise. Demon spiders climb up walls or trees and drop
on unwary prey from above to surprise them on a 1-4.
Bite & Gaze (2 attacks). Encounter
1d10 + petrification Smells brimstone and peat smoke. Context
Sounds rasping vibrations using surfaces they stand on.
Petrifying Bite. Save vs. petrify or turn to stone.
Petrifying Gaze. If a creature meets the basilisk’s gaze, it Organization solitary, cluster (1d4) Behavior
must save vs. petrify or turn to stone. Unless averting eyes Instincts flee from fire; ironic given their fiery coloration.
or using a mirror, all targets within 10’ are affected each Desires avoidance of holy spaces, hence their name.
round. Those who avert their eyes attack at disadvantage.
Surprise Gaze. Those surprised by a basilisk meet its gaze. XP 75
Mirrors. Basilisks do not petrify in response to their GARGOYLE construct
reflection, but do mistake reflections as rivals and will
focus on defeating their “rival” first. 5 [14] 4d6 (10) fly 50’ 9 11
Smells of soured wine and powdered gravel. Context AC HP MOVE SAVE MORALE
Sounds scrabbling claws on shattered stones. Crawl 30’, IMMUNE to charm, poison, sleep, and hold effects, and
Organization solitary, lair or basking (1d4) Behavior damage from non-magical weapons
Instincts to opportunistically adapt to local changes. Claws, Bite, & Horn (4 attacks). Encounter
Desires vary; though basilisks all enjoy basking in sunlight. 1d4/1d4/1d6/1d4
Statues Abound. While motionless, a gargoyle is
CARCASS XP 75 indistinguishable from an inanimate statue.
beast
SCAVENGER Smells of rain and chalk. Context
Sounds startlingly distinct voices: a diverse range of
7 [12] 3d8+1 (15) 40’ 13 9 gravel, velvet, and shrill tones.
AC HP MOVE SAVE MORALE Organization flock (1d6), cathedral (5d20+2) Behavior
Climb 40’ Instincts cruelty flecked with architectural vanity.
Desires reasons to attack without provocation – which
Stinging Tentacles (8 attacks). Encounter explains their predilection of serving wicked rulers.
0 dmg + paralysis each
Paralysis. Save vs. paralysis or be paralyzed for 2d4
exploration turns (2d4x10 minutes). One paralyzed victims
will be devoured every 3 exploration turns (30 minutes) if
the scavenger is left in peace.
Smells of flesh beset by plague and rot. Context
Sounds of squelching, slime-evoking footfalls.
Organization solitary, pair (2) Behavior
Instincts to keep using tentacles as long as they sense
movement; easily tricked with mobile illusions.
Desires to consume fresh kills and weakened foes.
 XP 175
GRIZZLY BEAR beast
6 [13] 5d8 (22) 40’ 13 8 7 [12]
AC HP MOVE SAVE MORALE
Climb 30’
Claws & Bite (3 attacks). 1d4/1d4/1d8 Encounter
Keen Smell. Grizzly bears can track scents from a distance
of 20 miles away.
Maul. If a target is hit by two claws in the same round, they
take an additional 2d8 points of damage from mauling.
Smells faintly of salmon left out in the sun. Context
Sounds sharp clicks as the molars slam together, and a
roar that seems to start as a low, crooning moan.
Organization solitary, den (1d4) Behavior
Instincts constant state of mild aggression, incredibly
aggressive (+4 morale) if with cubs.
Desires to be reclusive and avoid settlements.
HOW TO USE
Print on both sides of a single sheet of paper. These will be
your core templates for monsters as a new Game Master.
If you’re running a module or making your own
adventures, you may have a ton of ideas for monsters
already –great! Use those ideas! This is for when you don’t
have that, or when players go somewhere you’ve yet to
prepare.
You can cover a huge amount of fantasy monsters with
these six as your base. Remember these three rules:
1. Monsters should engage. Answer Mamet’s Questions
for your monsters, and they will become significantly
more engaging and dynamic.
a. What do they want?
b. What happens if they don’t get it?
c. Why are they acting now?
2. Monsters should be telegraphed. Include a monster’s
signs of passage, rumors about them, and symbiotic or
factional relationships they might have.
3. Monsters should be visceral – make them pop! Use
words to amplify their presence to your players.
XP 10
SKELETON undead
1d6 (4) 20’ 13 12
AC HP MOVE SAVE MORALE
IMMUNE to charm, poison, and sleep effects
Weapon (1 attack). 1d6 Encounter
May Carry Shields. Studies show that 33% skeletons carry
a shield, bringing their AC up to 6 [13].
Smells of grave soil. Context
Sounds silent (as all undead are).
Organization throng (1d6), horde (3d10) Behavior
Instincts to stay still until approached.
Desires to act per the bidding of their creators.
BASIC REMIXES
BASILISK: Reduce HD to make a Medusa, remove the gaze
attack to make a cockatrice. Use the gaze attack for a
cursed race, like Norse svartálfar.
CARCASS SCAVENGER: Reduce attacks and add undead
features to make a ghoul. Set paralysis to an aura (not
touch) for a mummy or some eldritch horror.
GARGOYLE: Remove flight to make any lycanthrope or other
“immune to non-magical weapons” encounter. Remove
immunities for harpies and wyverns.
DEMON SPIDER: Surprise by camouflage? You have a
troglodyte or giant chameleon. Surprise by stealth? You
have a bugbear. Remove the surprise and poison altogether?
You’ve got a boar, wolf, or other weaker-than-bear beast.
GRIZZLY BEAR: “Its reptilian body glistens with antediluvian
slime and its pteroid jaw opens, revealing rows of serrated
fangs…” – and then just stat it as a bear.
SKELETON: Remove undead features and you’ve got
bandits, goblins, orcs, gnolls, etc. Add on abilities to taste
and you have a skeleton knight, a wight, a wraith, etc.
 FIVE-ELEMENT
INTELLIGENT HOARDERS are either organized or strong enough
to accumulate the highest-value, lowest-bulk treasure. For
such monsters, record the following treasure amounts.
N here represents the lowest die increment that is

TREASURY greater than or equal to a given hoarder’s number of hit dice.

So if you have a pair of dragons that is hoarding treasure,
of HD 8 and HD 13, use 1d8 for the first dragon and 1d20 for
There are five elements of treasure used for our purposes.
the second.
The most basic of these are copper pieces (cp), which are
a challenge for players to move in bulk, and gold pieces (gp)  0 cp
which are the standard treasure. 100 cp = 1 gp.  1dN x 1000 gp
 1d6-1 Relics (roll for each)
Relics are expensive but troublesome artifacts found in a
 Roll D12+2 on the Equipment table
dungeon – they are an opportunity for the referee to throw
 50% Expendable (roll for one if you get it)
something truly heavy at the players, to give the players
something so fragile that it will instantly shatter in combat, SHINY HOARDERS are strong enough to obtain treasure, but
or to present a moral dilemma with a relic that is a family tend to not have treasure of great value, either due to
heirloom, or of personal significance to a friend of the being poor at valuation or just not resourceful enough. For
party. such monsters, record the following treasure amounts.
N here represents a given hoarder’s number of hit dice.
Equipment and consumables can be sold, but are more
For example, if you have a goblin of HD 1 that collects shiny
often used for adventuring purposes. Consumables, in
things, N = 1 for that goblin’s treasure generation.
particular, may not find a market among non-adventurers,
and their cost is highly unstable among adventurers.  Nd6 x 1000 cp
 2d100 gp
A referee is encouraged to single out a player with the
 1 Relic (roll for it)
responsibility of keeping track of the party’s equipment
 10% Equipment (roll for one if you get it)
and consumables, as players will often forget what they
 10% Expendable (roll for one if you get it)
have at their disposal between sessions. Periodically “audit”
the party’s current inventory via this player, so that the INCIDENTAL HOARDERS have treasure “by accident” – they may
party’s goods remain fresh in their mind. have slain an adventurer with some pocket change, or they
might be using some treasure as nesting material. For such
Traditionally, treasure is only granted to monsters who “lair”
monsters, record the following treasure amounts.
in a dungeon – that is to say, monsters who exist at a keyed
N here represents a given hoarder’s number of hit dice.
location. The treasure is usually in the same room as the
For example, if you have a giant spider of HD 2 that
monster(s), and so players of old-school games will say
happens to have some adventurer’s treasure hanging off
things like “this wandering monster doesn’t even have
its web, N = 2 for that spiders’ treasure generation.
treasure”, or they will conclude that if a room has monsters
that “lair” within, the room is also likely to have treasure.  1d100 cp
 N x 10 gp
Additionally, the referee should be aware that the treasure
 0 Relics
system laid out here is most effective if Experience is
 5% Equipment
awarded for Treasure Recovered, rather than Treasure
 5% Expendable
Found. The copper pieces and relics are not at all
compelling as challenges if Experience is awarded
immediately upon discovering them.
To decide how much treasure should accompany any
monsters who appear in a dungeon, refer to the three
categories in the following column.
 Bracers of AC 14 can be equipped by any class, and
D12 Value (gp) Relic increase their AC to 5 [14]. Feel free to re-flavor these as
1 10 Bone figurine, wooden sculpture Bracers of Defense or Bracers of Steel Skin as you like.
2 25 Agate, quartz Padded Shoes grant a 15% bonus to Move Silently.
3 75 Marble figurine, obsidian obelisk
Thieves’ Garb grants a 15% bonus to Hide in Shadows for
4 75 Amber, lapis lazuli
thieves, or a 1-in-6 bonus for halflings.
5 100 Pearl, carved ivory game set
6 250 Amethyst, garnet +1 Flame Tongue grants a +2 attack and damage bonus
7 500 Crate of pottery, taxidermy against regenerating, avian, undead, or plant-like monsters.
8 1,000 Opal, topaz At the wielder wills, the sword can ignite or extinguish itself,
9 2,000 Crate of glassware, ancient tapestry providing light and fire as a torch would.
10 4,000 Ruby, sapphire, emerald +1 Scale’s Bane grants a +4 attack and damage bonus
11 6,000 Jade statue, fine porcelain figurine against creatures such as dinosaurs, dragons, hydras,
12 8,000 Diamond, insect preserved in amber lizards, snakes, wyverns, etc.
+2 Nine Lives Stealer can draw out the life force from an
D12 Value (gp) Equipment
opponent, instantly slaying them on a natural 20 attack roll
1 15 Padded Shoes
(creatures are entitled to a saving throw). After 9 foes are
2 25 Thieves’ Garb
slain in such a way, the ability is lost.
3 200 +1 leather armor
4 600 +1 plate armor -1 Cursed Sword will appear in the wielder’s hand whenever
5 400 Bracers of AC 5 [14] an opponent is faced, not matter what is done.
6 300 +1 dagger +1 Mace of Disruption deals double damage to undead.
7 500 +1 mace
+3 Arrow of Slaying will be partially built out of the
8 1000 +1 sword
creature it is meant to slay. No matter what, it will function
9 6000 +1 Flame Tongue
as a +3 arrow, but the missile will kill instantly if it hits the
10 6000 +1 Scale’s Bane target creature.
11 9000 +2 Nine Lives Stealer
12 0 -1 Cursed Sword Potions can be identified by sipping small amounts. A full
dose of a potion takes one round to drink, and brings on the
13 6000 +1 Mace of Disruption
appropriate magical effect for 1d6+6 dungeon turns. The
14 6000 +3 Arrow of Slaying
referee should roll for and track this duration, and not tell
the players how long the potion will last for.
D12 Expendable
1 Potion of Clairaudience Chime of Opening: a hollow metal tube about 1 foot in
2 … Clairvoyance length. When struck, it causes locks, lids, doors, valves,
3 … Gaseous Form and portals to open within the vicinity of the sound. Each
4 … Giant Strength use requires a charge, and chimes have Nd10 charges when
5 … Healing found, where N is the dungeon level it is found on (max 8).
6 … Poison When emptied of charges, the chime cracks and becomes
7 Chime of Opening useless.
8 Cursed scroll Cursed Scrolls will inflict a curse upon the reader, of the
9 Scroll of Arcane Magic (1) referee’s making.
10 Scroll of Arcane Magic (1d4 spells)
Scrolls of Magic contain 1 to 4 spells within. Once a spell is
11 Scroll of Divine Magic (1 spell)
cast from a scroll, the magical writing for that spell
12 Scroll of Divine Magic (1d4 spells)
disappears. The spells on a given scroll should be selected
by the referee to suit their play group.
1D4 RUMORS 2. Bazaar Square
Everybody Knows: The (Center), Walkway (Outer
excavation of an underground Perimeter)
bazaar was cut short; bandits Pile of gold (actually fool’s
made the dig site their lair.
gold) and pottery in the
R1. This site dates back to the center of the mosaic-tiled
Stone Age, when Derro bear-
square, well-lit by a circle
wargs and necromancer-
of candles. Intruder bait.
chieftains reigned supreme.
R2. Two merchants were
2 bandits patrol the
captured by these bandits. perimeter, clockwise,
with torches. They return
R3. These men are local,
driven to banditry by the to Point 3 every hour to
drought. Recently, some have take a break.
been having second thoughts 3. Bandit Dwelling
about their lifestyle...
Cots and chests contain a
R4. The leader of these pittance (100 cp worth,
bandits can walk through a
total).
hail of arrows unscathed.
4. Boarded-Up Chamber
CONTEXT Cracked boards bulge
Rock-cut architecture is the outward. Inside, a cage
creation of structures by sits with warped, ruined
excavating natural stone, existing bars. A mummified bear
as far back as 3000 BCE.
ghoul rages within.
In the real world, rock-cut tombs and
5. Traitor Dwelling
temples are often adorned with
frescoes and reliefs. To save space, I’ve As Point 3, except the 1d4+1 bandits here plot to
not included any here. Feel free to betray their leader. They are talkative and provide silver
improvise your own! shivs (as daggers) made from stolen cutlery.
6. Chamber of Petrified Animals
ENCOUNTER DIE (D6)
(ROLL EVERY DUNGEON TURN) Mice, rabbits, and a wild boar turned to fool’s gold. Will
1 1 bandit returns from foraging, entering from Point 1 require a mule and cart to take back to civilization. Worth
2 Moans & slams from Point 4, chain-rattling from Point 7
little unless a scam is involved.
3 Bear ghoul at Point 4 deals noticeable damage to the 7. Chamber of the Pyrite Cockatrice
door. When this result is rolled 6 times, it breaks out. 1 cockatrice is chained to a wall, with leather eye coverlets
4 1 giant gecko (max 2) sets up an ambush at Point 1 and drugged organ meat in a bowl to keep it docile.
5 All lanterns being used have their oil depleted by a third 8a. Moribus’ Guard
6 All torches being used burn out
1 bandit with 2 HD and a +1 battle axe stands guard here.
DUNGEON KEY 8b. Moribus’ Chambers
1. Rock-Cut Stairwell Moribus Clay, wererat, dwells here. He first used the pyrite
Stairwell leads to a narrow corridor. First stair past the cockatrice to swindle people, but now prefers to petrify
corridor is a pressure plate. Its original purpose would have and steal (thus the traitors at Point 5). 2 merchants are
been to activate some percussive alarm to announce bound in the corner, 1 accidentally petrified into fool’s gold
visitors to the bazaar – Moribus has repurposed the plate to and clutching a ruby worth 200 gp, by a chest of treasure
drop weighted nets all along the corridor. (Shiny Hoarder, N = total HD from dungeon). Moribus uses
any “Equipment” treasure rolled for him.