Multiplayer Game Book
Magnamund Bestiary
Written by Joe Dever & Darren Pearce
Augmented by Vincent Lazzari
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Edited by Matthew Sprange
Layout & Graphic Design by Samantha Smith & Will Chapman
Interior Illustrations by Rich Longmore
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Cover Illustration by Ben Ellebracht
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Proofreading by Charlotte Law
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A Mongoose Publishing Book
Published by Mongoose Publishing Limited
52-54 Cricklade Road, Swindon, SN2 8AF
With thanks to Jonathan Blake and all at Project Aon.
Lone Wolf is a registered trade mark owned by Joe Dever.
All rights reserved.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not,
by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or
otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent
in any form of binding or cover other than that which it
is published and without a similar condition including this
condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Printed and bound in the USA by Mongoose Publishing.
ISBN 978-1-907218-90-3
© Joe Dever (1984-2011)
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Contents
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Making the most of your Monsters
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Mundane Creatures
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Sentient Creatures
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Undead
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Humans & Humanoids
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Introduction
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Darkspawn - Creatures of Helgedad
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Agarashi - Creatures of Darkness
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Mutants
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Extra-planar Creatures
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Appendix
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Index
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Elementals &Constructs
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Introduction
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This book catalogues some of the most famous and infamous
creatures of Magnamund and presents them in an easy to
use format for the Lone Wolf Multiplayer Gamebook system.
Additionally, it provides evocative descriptions, histories, combat
traits and special rules relevant to each. From an acquisitive
Noodnic to a hideous Helghast, great care has been taken to
make sure that the men and monsters represented here are
accurate profiles of the ones that first appeared in Joe Dever’s
original gamebook series, replete with lots of extra information
that will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of his
unique creations.
The book also serves as a springboard for Game Masters,
veterans and new players alike, with an opening chapter
devoted to the art of bringing these monsters alive, so that each
encounter will have something to savour and remember for
everyone involved. There are some new creatures herein that
perhaps you are not expecting to see, such as the clockwork
constructs and the elementals. This book also introduces some
powerful new adversaries, such as the mutants and the extraplanar creatures.
As well as being a fascinating read in its own right, this book
is the ultimate toolkit for the Games Master who needs to pull
together an encounter scenario quickly but is understandably
reluctant to compromise on quality for the sake of expedience.
The best and the worst of the wonderful world of Magnamund
awaits you… turn the page!
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Chapter One :
Making the most
of your Monsters
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You have settled down to run a game of Lone Wolf; you
have the players, you have had an adventure or two and you
have some good ideas beyond the ones that the introductory
scenarios have presented so far. The time has now come for
you to inject some new blood into your Lone Wolf games
to keep the intrigue and excitement of Magnamund rich and
rewarding for your eager players.
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Creating Atmosphere
Consider the tried and tested dungeon bash, where your players
enter a cold chamber and face off against a vicious Helghast.
They were expecting to find some deranged monk that they
had heard about from rumours in the town of Ruanon but when
finally they discover the man’s hidden lair, something does not
quite feel right.
They find him and a combat is about to commence. The players
are all raring to go, when suddenly you say something like…
‘The monk is really a Helghast. It charges at you with its Bluefire
spear raised.’
Well, to be honest, this is a bit of a letdown. Sure, it explains
exactly what the creature is and what it is doing but when it
comes to telling a story it leaves a whole lot to be desired.
Consider for a few moments what this confrontation would be
like if you had taken some time to build up the suspense. It would
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be a great deal more exciting for a start. Most modern horror
movies succeed when they keep the main protagonist shrouded
in mystery, showing tantalising glimpses of its dark malevolence
but holding back from revealing the full horror of its purpose
and its presence until the final few frames. It is this fear of the
unknown that is so enticing. Well, the same is true of the best
role-playing scenarios.
Take this hypothetical Helghast encounter, for example. How
much better it would be if you had embellished it a little with
some creative narration. Much of the enjoyment that comes
from reading the original Lone Wolf gamebooks is derived from
their evocative descriptions of locations and characters. Let them
be your guide to replicating the intrigue and suspense that is vital
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The cold chamber reeks of something deeply unpleasant.
A mouldering skeleton lies on the bloodstained floor,
with the lifeless body of a man in a torn brown robe
slumped against the wall nearby. From out of the shadows
emerges a tall figure, clad similarly in a plain brown robe,
his face hidden from clear view by the folds of his raised
hood. Slowly, very slowly, he pulls back the hood and
you find yourselves staring at a face you have all seen
before. His features are identical to those of the dead
man lying in the corner of the room. Suddenly, the face
begins to melt before your disbelieving eyes. The skin
sloughs away from the skull to hang in burnt and tattered
shreds and the eyes begin to glow with a chilling crimson
fire. Fangs protrude from the lower jaw as it drops down
to reveal a ghastly mouth, as black as an open grave. A
ghastly shriek shatters the silence, moments before the
hideous creature raises a spear of twisted iron and comes
rushing towards you. The spear tip ignites into a ball
of blue flame as he thrusts it towards your unprotected
chest.
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