From: tagg@hg.uleth.ca (Nathaniel Tagg)
Subject: The Jibber Revisisted
Reply-To: tagg@hg.uleth.ca
Organization: University of Lethbridge
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 07:22:58 GMT

     Within a couple hours of posting, I got a couple of enthusiastic replies
regarding the Jibber encounter.  For those two who showed interest, and since
the signal/noise ratio on this group is shot to hell anyway, I now present to
you the Jibber in all his gory detail:

     (BTW, all this stuff belongs to my DM and best friend, Tim Schroeder.  If
you use it, I'm sure he would appreciate knowing about it, and maybe his name
mentioned.)

The Jibber
Freq    Rare
No Appearing  5-50
AC 6
Move 15"
HD 1
% in Lair 20%
Treasure Type     See below
No. Attacks 1
Dam/attack  1-4
Intellegence Low
Alignment  CN
Size  1' tall

  " The jibbers are a race of intelligent (if bogglingly stupid) humanoids
looking like a kobold/brownie cross.  They are very mischeivious and curious,
and often pester any travellers they come across. Jibbers live in moutains and
northern forests, where they live a semi-nomadic lifestyle (see below).  They
are omnivorous but do not generally eat people or other human-like creatures. 
They are always armed with small wooden spears, and helmets made of mushroom
caps, and some carry mushroom shields, too.
    Jibbers have certain spell-like powers which they use (similar to
brownies), contained in their breath.  By breathing on something, a jibber can
cause it to levitate, turn invisible for a day, or shrink (1/10 for 1 day). 
Jibbers use these powers to amuse and defend themselves. the effects are
cumulative per jibber, and have a range of about 3'.  Unwilling victims get a
save vs. breath weapons [heh, heh -- ed.] to dodge the effect.  Jibbers are
also able to move silently, hide in shadows, and pick pockets, all at 80%. 
They surprise others 3 in 6.  [Sorry, 1st ed stats. --ed.]
     Jibbers are generally nomadic, but occaisionally (during a dry spell or
severe part of the winter, or after stealing a large amount of treasure),
jibbers will settel down and build a jibber 'city'.   All the buildings will be
made of local natural materials (or recent plunder)., and there will be many
marvels of jibberish architecture and landscaping.  After a month or three (at
the most) the jibbers will move on, abandoning their city and everything they
have made (including any booty -- treasure type C)
     Jibbers speak jibberish, and smatterings of Common.   They have light aqua
skin and long ears."

     This description does not do them justice. Some favorite jibber tricks
include:
   - Sneaking up on a party at night and setting a few of them aloft.  Note that
no one (not even the jibbers) have control over the lift of the levitation.  It
is often a zero-gee effect, or sometimes people just take off for the sky. 
When camping outdoors, this can be great fun.  Watch the PC's scrabble to toss
each other lines to keep from drifting off into the sunset.  (Evil note: What
if they are invisible, too?)
   - Shrinking a party.  See previous message in 'best DM tricks' thread
   - Levitating each other, then playing whip-the-chain, or launching
themselves at prospective targets spear in hand.
BY NO MEANS SHOULD ANY PARTY BE FIND THEMSELVES FIGHTING JIBBERS TOE-TO-TOE, IF
AT ALL.  JIBBERS WILL SLAUGHTER ANY PARTY BELOW 5TH, AND DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF
ROLEPLAYING.

Ways jibbers have been encountered:
- Big jibber overnight party.  A small jibber villiage is having a night's
revelry.  PC's find them.  They can a) wisely leave them alone b) join in the
fun c) be found accidentally  d) get the jibbers annoyed at them  or e) try to
loot the jibbers when they aren't looking.  Every well-played jibber encounter
should wind up as a party, if the party has given the jibbers reason for
amusement.  Great quatities of wine will be imbibed, much throwing each other
around the clearing, many levitation games.  The PCs will wake to find the camp
abandoned, with much of the jibber stuff found lying around.  The PC's should
be rewarded for good roleplaying with an item of magic: a jibber mushroom. 
These, when eaten, have EXTREMELY unpredictable effects, but are probably
slightly useful.  (i.e. polymorph into beholder that can fly, but cannot use
any eye magic)

- Floating jibber band.  Means of travel vary.  Lots of junk strapped together
and levitated makes a good blimp.  Rocket power, when the cargo is wieghtless,
becomes practical.  Or just a bunch of jibbers maurading.

- In a lair. Great fun: the jibbers have had time to build lots of toys.  One
comes to mind: a small room in an old mine filled with rocks of various sizes
and a big (really big to a jibber) hammer. The game: 3d real life Asteroids. 
The jibbers are not very big on protective gear, though, so these games are
often just  a little dangerous.

Anyway, you get the idea.  If anyone likes the jibber, or wants to use it, drop
me a line at Tagg@hg.uleth.ca


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Nathaniel Tagg               The U of Hell,  Lethbridge, AB
    "It's just a matter of putting one point seven one five three seven two
and two point two oh four six two eight together."     --The Doctor 
___The opinions expressed by the author of the preceding message are not 
nessesarily representative of the opinions of the author of the
preceding message.____
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd