It's a reference to a system for randonly generating creatures of the Lower Planes. It's Appendix D in the 1E DMG, but I think that it appeared in Dragon magazine before that.
I get the joke, but it's not a very good one. Should have just cribbed the look Bugs saddled Daffy Duck with in the Duck Amuck short instead. That would have been funny.
I believe Gygax's random generation system appears in issue #23. It's a predecessor to what later appear in Appendix D. There's also another article by Jon Pickens from an earlier issue that got reprinted in volume 1 of Best of Dragon.
Taking some liberties where I'm forced to, it appears the die rolls on those Appendix D charts came up as follows:
Head: Human-like (5) - I mean, it isn't any of the other options... Head Adornment: Horns (3, roll for # = 2) and Ridges (5) Overall Visage: Glaring-Menacing (2) - there's no "slightly stoned" result Ears: None (6) Eyes: Huge, Flat (5, roll for # = 2) Color: Blue (3) - at least that's what the dice say Nose: Snouted (4) Mouth: Subtype roll = average, Fanged (1) Body Subtype: Bipedal Torso: Human-like (4) - sort of, anyway General Characteristics: Fat, Broad (1,1) Tail: Yes, Barbed (1), no poison Odor: Urine (7) - love those dice Skin: Furred (2) - I guess, going by the leopard spots anyway Color: Yellowish-Tannish (10) - again, leopard skin Back: Normal (3) Wings: Membranous (4) - what, no subchart for size? Arms: # = 2, Human-like (2) - sort of Hands: Clawed (1) - again, no size subchart Legs & Feet: Human-like (3) - more so than the other options, anyway
I remain vaguely disappointed that there's no random chart for number of fingers and toes (much less how consistent that number is between different limbs) but I suppose you can't have everything. For all its size (so many charts) the sub-system really doesn't feel like it had as much love lavished on it as the "Drunk" and "Harlot" encounter tables just a couple of pages earlier.
Funny; the demon somehow doesn't seem particularly random.
ReplyDeleteI guess I have to turn in my old school card because I don't get the joke. Hm.
ReplyDeleteIt's a reference to a system for randonly generating creatures of the Lower Planes. It's Appendix D in the 1E DMG, but I think that it appeared in Dragon magazine before that.
DeleteCorrect. There were also a couple of articles about the random generation of lower planar creatures in the pages of Dragon around this time, too.
DeleteI get the joke, but it's not a very good one. Should have just cribbed the look Bugs saddled Daffy Duck with in the Duck Amuck short instead. That would have been funny.
Deletehttps://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Duck_Amuck
Any chance you know which issues of Dragon those were in?
DeleteI believe Gygax's random generation system appears in issue #23. It's a predecessor to what later appear in Appendix D. There's also another article by Jon Pickens from an earlier issue that got reprinted in volume 1 of Best of Dragon.
DeleteThe cartoon appeared in issue #20 but the system in #23? Now that is a good joke.
DeleteTaking some liberties where I'm forced to, it appears the die rolls on those Appendix D charts came up as follows:
ReplyDeleteHead: Human-like (5) - I mean, it isn't any of the other options...
Head Adornment: Horns (3, roll for # = 2) and Ridges (5)
Overall Visage: Glaring-Menacing (2) - there's no "slightly stoned" result
Ears: None (6)
Eyes: Huge, Flat (5, roll for # = 2)
Color: Blue (3) - at least that's what the dice say
Nose: Snouted (4)
Mouth: Subtype roll = average, Fanged (1)
Body Subtype: Bipedal
Torso: Human-like (4) - sort of, anyway
General Characteristics: Fat, Broad (1,1)
Tail: Yes, Barbed (1), no poison
Odor: Urine (7) - love those dice
Skin: Furred (2) - I guess, going by the leopard spots anyway
Color: Yellowish-Tannish (10) - again, leopard skin
Back: Normal (3)
Wings: Membranous (4) - what, no subchart for size?
Arms: # = 2, Human-like (2) - sort of
Hands: Clawed (1) - again, no size subchart
Legs & Feet: Human-like (3) - more so than the other options, anyway
HA! Nice!
DeleteI remain vaguely disappointed that there's no random chart for number of fingers and toes (much less how consistent that number is between different limbs) but I suppose you can't have everything. For all its size (so many charts) the sub-system really doesn't feel like it had as much love lavished on it as the "Drunk" and "Harlot" encounter tables just a couple of pages earlier.
Delete@Dick McGee - I have an index of 400 mutations I made for Gamma World that covers the spectrum. I can email it to you later this week. ;-)
Delete