FF-only WM tables

Half-formed thunks on dungeon stocking using /only/ the curate's egg that is the Fiend Folio. This meme was cool when Jeff Rients (the instigator), Zak S , Fr Dave and Joshua of RB were doing it. I expect my input will kill it deader than disco.

Edit 6th Mar 2012: Jeff Rients, the Grand Wizard of Gonzo, hath compiled a link collection of FF fanlove. So much goodness!

TL;DR: What I've found in the course of my nosings:

• If you're using MM+FF, you're 30-40% likely to be rolling Fiend Folio monsters at L1-4.
• L5+ Fiend Folio monsters are poorly represented in MM+FF, with only a 16% chance of appearing at best. This drops to only 7% for L8.
• NPC parties turn up from 5-12% of the time, with seemingly no rhyme or reason as to frequency by level.
• Dragons turn up 2% of the time on L4-8, 3% of the time on L9, and 9% of the time on L10. Li Lung (earth dragon) only until L7.

Note on the Tables

The freq # on the tables below is derived from the percentage chance of encountering that creature on the MM+FF WM tables in the back of the Fiend Folio. I've taken it as a direct indicator of relative scarcity in FF-only world. Why? Because the orthodox "common/uncommon/rare/very rare" frequencies in the AD&D monster listings are just so tediously sensible. Needs more gonzo.

The #number at the bottom of each table tots up the numbers in the freq# column. It might be useful in making short and sweet FF-only random encounter tables, like, I dunno, these ones: FF only WM tables.pdf

Dungeon Level I

freq #	Creature	# enc
1	Al-mi'raj	1-4
2	Bullywug	3-18
2	Carbuncle	1
2	Dire Corby	2-5
3	Gibberling	6-17
4	Jermlaine	6-20
2	Mite	3-18
1	Norker	2-8
2	Ogrillon	1-4
4	Snayd	1-8
7	Tween	1
1	Xvart	6-15
#31

• L1 has little variety; just a bunch of runty humanoids and a couple of beasties with odd forehead adornments. It's like all the least imaginative parts of Star Trek as a dungeon level. :(
• Gibberling, Jermlaine and Snayd comprise ~30% of all L1 encounters. But then they are "kobold, goblin, orc" by other names...
• Notable exception: the luck-tweaking Tween. This weirdy is by far the commonest single monster type on L1: ~22% of encounters! Ask your DM how multiple Tween luck manipulation powers interact... (throw things at him if he bottle it and claims they cancel out)

Level II

freq #	Creature	# enc
2	Assassin Bug	2
2	Coffer Corpse	1
2	Crabman	2-8
2	Flind	2-8
3	Flump	2-8
1	Galltrit	1-4
2	Goldbug	1-12
4	Gorbel	1-8
4	Grimlock	2-12
1	Gryph	1-6
2	Ice Troll	1-6
1	Nilbog	1-6
3	Poltergeist	1-8
2	Quaggoth	4-10
3	Skulk	1-8
4	Volt	1-8
2	Vortex	1-8
#40

• Fiend Folio VTEC kicks in yo! on L2. Flumps, Gorbels, Nilbogs and Vortices all bring their own brand of crazy to the dungeon. Also, gnollchucks.
• Gorbels, Grimlocks and Volts appear a lot. 1in10 chance of each if playing FF-only.
• Finally! a use for that turn undead ability that's been clogging up the cleric's character sheet to no apparent purpose.
• Ogrillons are missing from the WM table. Unsurprising considering that neither of their progenitor races exist in FF-only D&D.

Level III

freq #	Creature	# enc
1	Adherer	1-4
1	Astral Searcher	2-11
1	Babbler	1-4
1	Berbelang	1
1	Blindheim	1-4
1	Bonesnapper	1-3
1	Dark Creeper	1
1	Death Dog	3-12
1	Enveloper	1
1	Firedrake	1-6
1	Firenewt	2-16
2	Fire Snake	1-6
1	Forlarren	1
1	Frost man	1
1	Gambado	1-4
1	Garbug, violet	1-3
1	Huecuva	1-4
1	Imorph	1
1	Iron Cobra	1
3	Kenku	1-4
1	Mantari	1-3
1	Meazle	1
2	Mephit	1
1	Necrophidus	1
1	Qullan	1-6
1	Scrm. Devilkin	1
1	Sheet Phantom	1
1	Shocker	1-3
1	Stunjelly	1
1	Symbiotic Jelly	1
1	Thoqqua	1-2
1	Tirapheg	1
2	Whipweed	1-2
2	Witherweed	1
#40

• L3 is Fiend Folio heaven! Adherers, zapfrogs, thermal worms, killer jack-in-the-boxes, crazy snakes (iron, firey, and skeletal), several types of malicious imp, and a variety of angry wall hangings. This is the Fiend Folio that the cool kids rave about.
• No Osquip listing on the WM table? For shame! I can't stand the little buggers myself, but they're a Fiend Folio classic.
• Kenku are the single commonest encounter. Expect lots of kidnappings and suchlike crow-ninja antics, especially with the Dark Creepers in town too.
• Nice variety, with only 1in10 chance of weed- or fire-themed beasty attack.

Level IV

freq #	Creature	# enc
2	Bloodworm, Gt	1-3
2	Caterwaul	1
1	Dark Stalker	1
1	Denzelian	1-2
1	Disenchanter	1
2	Ettercap	1-2
1	Eye killer	1
2	Firetoad	1-3
1	Flailsnail	1
2	Garbug, Black	1-3
2	Grell	1
2	Hook Horror	2-5
2	Kamadan	1
1	Kuo-tou	2-12
1	Lava children	1-6
1	Meenlock	2-5
2	Sandman	1-2
1	Scarecrow	1-2
1	Shadow demon	1
1	Son of Kyuss	1-2
2	Tiger fly	2
2	Y.musk creeper	1 (+ YMZombies = # of flowers)
#33

• Lots of penny packet fights with second-string heavy metal bands on L4.
• Only Kuo-tou (and yellow musk zombies) turn up anything like mob-handed.
• Dragons finally put in an appearance, in the form of the Li Lung. They can turn invisible at will and create roof-collapsing earthquakes to which they are immune 1/day, so expect TPKs.
• The Meenlocks will chant "one of us, one of us" in your nightmares, and then make it so.
• Disenchanter? Warning: multiply rust monster by disjunction effect and brace for butthurt players.
• Flailsnails. Why? Because f***ing FLAILSNAILS!

Level V

freq #	Creature	# enc
1	Crypt Thing	1
1	Elf, drow	3-12
1	Githyanki	1-4
1	Githzerai	1-4
2	Ice lizard	1-2
1	Khargra	1-2
2	Phantom Stalker	1
2	Svirfneblin	2-5
2	Tentamort	1-2
1	Trilloch	1
1	Umpleby	1
1	Xill	1-2
#16

• Here be poster boy scheming humanoids with their own cultures, magic and class-levelled bosses: Drow, Gith*, and the vile Smurfnoblins. When does /cloudkill/ come onstream?
• The Xill want to make sweet ethereal love to your paralysed/subdued body.
• Phantom Stalkers paw at you surprisingly ineffectually for L5 creatures. 1-4/1-4 and a one shot 6d6 fireball? Ogrillons hit harder!
• Crypt Things are on the WM table despite a listing of In Lair: 100%. Eh? how does that work? Schrodinger's Crypt Thing or sommat...?
• No entry for Caryatid Columns. Them girls are real homebodies.
• No listing for Doombats either, even though they're a L5 creature described as living in underground caverns.

Level VI

freq #	Creature	# enc
1	Apparition	1
3	Hellcat	1
1	Lizard King	1
2	Penanggalan	1
2	Protein Polymorph	1
1	Slaad, red	1
1	Spirit Troll	1
1	Sussurus	1
1	Terithran	1
2	Troll, giant	1-2
1	Vision	1
#16

• L6 is the first of the billy-no-mates levels inhabited by too-cool-for-company loners. Thank goodness for the Dungeon Random Monster Level Determination Matrix in the DMG, otherwise "1 of... 1 of... 1 of..." would just get tedious.
• Hellcats are the single commonest encounter, probably looking to sign on with a better class of Lawful Evil boss downstairs.
• Lizard kings have no lizardmen to lord it over in FF-only D&D. Ronery ronery rizardking-in-exile.
• Charles Stross-written, Russ Nicholson-illustrated commie chaos frog in easy access loincloth will give you BAD touch. ("It's Slaady time!" "No dad, no!")
• One Vision. No, not the cheesy Queen song, or the Marvel superhero, but a adversarial GM not-undead with exception-based powers of aging you to death only if you believe it capable of doing so.

Level VII

freq #	Creature	# enc
2	Cifal	1-2
1	Devil, Styx	1
1	Eye of Fear and Flame	1
1	Giant, mountain	1-2
1	Groaning Spirit	1
1	Guardian Demon	1
1	Guard. Familiar	1
1	Lamia Noble	1
1	Magnesium Spirit	1
1	Nonafel	1
1	Revenant	1
1	Slaad, blue	1
1	Troll, gt 2head	1
#14

• Another 'on-yer-billy' level. Only the Cifals (commonest single encounter btw), giants and 2-headed troll seem to want to engage in conversation.
• Between the undead and infernals the cleric is going to be earning his keep.
• Lamia nobles join the lizardkings in exile. At least they can lord it over non-lamia...
• Magnesium spirits self-sabotage by lurking at a level too shallow to fulfil the stated requirements for them to leave this Plane. Eejits.
• Wot no Mezzodaemon? They're described as being easy to summon to the Material Plane.
• A second dragon type finally(!) makes an appearance. The Tien lung and its 50% chance of 1-6 Wind Walker cronies.

Level VIII

freq #	Creature	# enc
1	Death knight	1
2	Giant, fog	1-2
2	Retriever	1
1	Skel. Warrior	1
1	Slaad, green	1
#7

• Two types of sword-swinging militaristic skeleton, one chartreuse chaos frog, one type of (hunched up) giant, and demon mecha-spiders with death ray eyes. L8 is weird.
• The Retriever is listed as an L7 creature in its description, but makes cameos on deeper dungeon levels. Maybe its looking for something?

Level IX

freq #	Creature	# enc
3	Achaierai	1-2
2	Nycadaemon	1
3	Retriever	1
2	Slaad, grey	1
#10

• This far down the locals are all extra-planar. Dungeon L9 is deep in the mythic part of the mythic underworld.
• The Retriever gets another appearance, which is a bit odd.
• Note the British spelling of 'grey' for the grey slaad. Possibly an indication that the charcoal chaos frogs are oh so frightfully British, what-what? Expect monocles, eccentricity and tea etiquette arguments.

Level X

freq #	Creature	# enc
3	Demon Prince	1
2	Elemental Prince of Evil	1
3	Lamia Noble	1
3	Slaad, death	1
1	Slaad, lord	1
#13

• It's all chaos and evil down on L10. Even the dragons only go there in pairs.
• The poor outclassed Lamia Noble seems to be listed in error. They're L7 monsters according to their description. Although the image of a Lamia noble slithering through the level looking for an exit as quietly as possible is fun...

Conclusion
The FF-only dungeonscape is weird and a bit sparse away from levels 2-4. No gygaxian naturalism yard trash (fungus, centipedes, spiders, rats, cave crickets, etc) here. Instead we get a level 1 composed of scads of humanoids leavened with a few Borgesian bestiary monsters, then several layers of outright bizarro, and then a layer of big name subterranean humanoids with extended write-ups. After that things taper down to a mix of weird fantasy and scifi-ish stuff, and finally to "all demons all the time". Even the dragons (when they finally rear their oddly-moustachioed heads) are weird and a bit non-dragonish.

Yeah, you've got some classic, iconic D&D monsters in the mix (death knight, drow, hook horror, kuo-tou, slaad, etc), but the overall feel of the underworld presented by the Fiend Folio is such a gonzo departure from the norm that I'm not sure whether or not FF-only D&D would cross that nebulous line into 'not-D&D'.

Pic source: weknowmemes.com