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An OSR Zine
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Contents
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City of Spiders by Jay Murphy 2
The Silk Merchant of Brabus by Neil Benson 5
The Treasure Room by Diogo Nogueira 11
The Curse of Vagrot the Blue by Gabriel Pérez Gallardi 12
The ‘Balanced’ Encounter by The Goblins Henchmen 13
A Rats Nest by Dan Domme 17

Hey Folks. This issue of Hobbs & Freinds of

the OSR is a result of a contest that we ran
on Hobbs & Friends of the OSR and Gaming
& BS. Here were the contest details.
Create a 1-2 page encounter that:
Is built with an OSR flavor and approach
and for 1st-2nd level type of characters
(yes we know that the OSR is open to
interpretation)
The encounter is built around one of the following creatures
• Giant Rat
• Giant Spider
• Ogre

With that we give you six encounters. Enjoy and kill a spider, a rat,
and an Ogre.
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City of Spiders
by Jay Murphy
Radioactive mutant creatures from the mind of Michael Moorcock for
your OSR adventures

A Missing Friend
Whenever your PC’s find themselves traveling through dense,
endless jungle one member of the party will go missing. This will
occur if the group find themselves separated for any task or event, or
when characters find themselves alone on a night’s watch. Sure this
takes one of the players at the table out some of the action for a bit,
but screw it. The particular PC’s unknown fate will set one player’s
teeth on edge while listening to the rest of the party debate the value
of searching for the missing party member. The rest of the players
will be on edge cause they don’t want to find themselves sidelined
from the session’s action as well. That is some good Game Master fun
right there.
Leave discarded items behind to indicate the character did not
willingly disappear. There will be no further tracks from the missing
party member, but careful searching will reveal a trail of a silky,
sticky thread like substance clinging to tree trunks and branches
which can be followed. At any time after the party member goes
missing characters will have the feeling of being watched.

The Ruins
Eventually the party will arrive at the ruin of a large city now merged
with the jungle growth. It appears to grow out of the jungle, merge
with it revealing the ruined metropolis’ fall came ages ago. The city
is so old there are no streets left to be found. Only deep depressions
between tumbled stone overgrown with vegetation and twisted
paths among the crumbling roofs still standing above the growth
remain.

A City of Spiders
When the light of day begins to fade anyone exploring the ruins will
start to hear scuttling of some creature before the largest spider
one has ever seen appears. Here the fate of the party’s missing
companion is revealed. The spider creature is not alone. To the waist
they are men, wiry bodies bulging with lumpy muscle. They have
large eyes and slit mouths. Below the waist eight furry legs radiate
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 out. In their hands they carry sticky, silk like nets or long poles
with needle like tips. Any character caught in a net will be stabbed
at by the needle tipped poles which carry a fast acting paralytic
poison. Captured characters will be rapidly transported into the
underground levels of the ruin.

Beneath the Ruins

The subterranean halls and corridors are filled with dirt, cobwebs
and decay indicating centuries of neglect. At length the journey will
halt in a large chamber illuminated by phosphorescent moss clinging
in massive patches to the walls and ceiling. A vast web stretches
across the chamber and any previously captured characters will be
seen fastened to the sticky web near the center. Any characters newly
captured will be hauled out to join their captured companions.
The webbing used by the spider-men quickly goes brittle so at any
time a restrained character may find themselves able to break their
bindings before being secured to the main web.

Speaking with Spiders

Beneath the main web the chamber gives way to an abyss. A large
scraping sound will be heard from below, then two large unblinking
eyes before the mother spider creature speaks; “Sso an appetizing
morsel for today’s feast.”
The spider beast is intelligent and can be engaged in dialogue. The
longer the PC’s can keep the spider beast talking buys the party
time to free themselves from the main web. Freeing oneself from the
web requires three consecutive strength checks or one successful
strength check to grab an edged weapon than next action the
character can cut themselves free. Dropping from the webbing will
land the character directly onto the ascending spider beast. Trying to
remain on the webbing will only entangle the character once again.
Falling characters may also attempt to arrest their descent from
grabbing the sides of the abyss before they plummet into darkness.
Within five combat rounds/turns the spider beast will reach the
first character and begin feeding. If any characters manage to land
on the spider beast the creature will attempt to engage it’s attacker
instead. The spider beast can only try to smash attackers against the
walls of the underground chamber or shake them off. It will not stop
thrashing until all attackers are thrown off it’s body. If it receives
cumulative damage exceeding quarter total hit points the spider
beast will flee in panic through the endless passages of the ruin in
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an attempt to scrape it’s attackers off it’s body. The spider beast
will also attack anything living nearby when wounded by attackers.
This means all the spider hybrid thralls which worship it will be
slaughtered. Rushing about, biting them, slicing them in two with
its large mandibles. Since the spider hybrid thralls outnumber the
characters like twenty to one the spider beast will have many more
of these monsters as targets than the PC’s represent.

Escape
Once the spider beast is defeated the characters can climb their way
out back to the surface. Along the way they will come across a hall
where huge gangplanks have been placed for the floor is deep in a
bubbling, noisome fluid. Before reaching the chamber an unpleasant
smell will be detected and the vapor near the hall will start to make
ones muscles feel stiff. Nearby shelves hold pottery flasks with
attached lengths of cord and needle tipped spears. It is obvious the
poison used to paralyze prey is gathered here. Any collected poison
lasts three weeks before it loses its potency.
Spider Thrall HD 1+1 AC 11/9 Attack d6 (Save vs Paralysis)
Spider Beast HD 8 AC 13/11 Attack d10+4 (Save vs Paralysis)

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 The Silk Merchant of Brabus
A 2nd level encounter by Neil Benson
The shadowed city streets of Brabus are a wondrous place for many,
full of delights to lure the senses and taint the soul. For others they
are a prison trapping them in poverty, crime and slavery. Dark secrets
and lust for profit and power lead others to terrible deeds; one such is
Sigmar Vanval, the Silk Merchant of Brabus, and tonight one chance
encounter will see his secret revealed and his evil deeds undone.

Sigmar Vanval
A ruthless and greedy merchant, for many years he traded in fine
textiles, travelling the world and encountering many cultures. But
profits were low, eaten up by expensive shipping costs, hired guards
and unpredictable weather and he could see his financial ruin not
far off in the distance. Then fortune played her hand as he heard
of a band of adventurers that had captured a young giant spider,
bound for the Grand Arena. Pooling the last of his coin into this
final investment he bought the spider, not to fight in the pits, but to
produce the finest silk, tons and tons of it.
So it was that Sigmar became known as the Silk Merchant of Brabus.
He converted his warehouse and built a ‘Silk Mill’ around the giant
spider, sending his silk across the world to the rulers of distant lands.
Machines processed and prepared the silk, and Sigmar ‘employed’
children from the streets, waifs and orphans, children no one
would miss. For a pittance they would risk their lives operating his
dangerous machines, sleeping on the floor under guard between
shifts. Those that died or were too weak to work were fed to the
spider. The brilliance of his plan often put a smile on Sigmar’s face as
his wealth and influence grew.
Sigmar is seen as a respectable businessman by the authorities and
cannot be convinced otherwise; the adventurers will have to deal
with him on their own.
Motivation. Sigmar will do everything he can to protect the giant
spider and keep her alive. Profit is everything; all else is expendable,
even his silk mill, and especially the children.

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Kretch
Captured while young after her parents were slain by a party of
treasure seekers, Kretch was brought to Brabus, her journey a trial of
confusion and pain. Sold to a cruel human, Kretch was confined to a
cold metal frame and for years her silk has been dragged out of her.
Frequently on the point of exhaustion, Kretch is kept alive only by a
steady diet of small, bony children, yet is constantly suffering, ever
growing in despair. Who the greater monster is unclear; Kretch for
following her animal instinct to eat, or Sigmar for feeding children
(sometimes alive) to her.
Motivation. Life is pain; death is preferable, ideally after revenge on
Sigmar. If Kretch could feast on his flesh before she dies she will be
happy.

The Hook
This encounter will fit into any city adventure. Possible hooks
include:
• When investigating another matter the adventurers stumble
upon Sigmar’s silk mill.
• The adventurers have been hired specifically to find children
missing from the streets.
• A wealthy parent offers a substantial reward to find their
missing child (mistakenly taken by Sigmar’s men).
• A small girl that has escaped from the silk mill runs into the
adventurers, distraught and frightened. She asks them to rescue
her friends.
• While chasing thieves who have robbed the adventurers in some
way they are lead past the silk mill where children are seen
being mistreated by a guard.
If the party are slow to take action have a guard lose his temper at
some of the children; he is close to killing one of them. A scream will
draw the adventurers’ attention.

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 The Silk Mill
A large stone building, 40ft high with a flat wooden tiled roof and
small windows 30ft from the ground spaced at 25ft intervals. There
are 9 vents in the roof to release heat and steam from the machinery;
these are 5ft square and 2ft high and can be used to access the
building. There is a high volume of background noise from the
machinery which the adventurers can use to their advantage.
If the adventurers want to storm in, they can charge through the yard
and into the main building, or take a more stealthy approach which
might involve climbing through one of the windows or vents, taking
care to avoid the traps to deter burglars. Another option is to subdue
the guards at the gates or their companions who are out drinking,
and take their uniforms as disguises.

Smooth as Silk
A huge metal framed machine attached to the ceiling constantly
pulls silk out of Kretch’s abdomen which is then spun and processed
into rolls of fine silk, the material going through many stages. While
the machines do the heavy work, they are maintained by children
working in shifts, many taking risks to keep the machines moving
smoothly. Guards with whips ensure the children work hard.
The children are scared of the guards and terrified of Kretch, and
rightly so. Many of them understand they could be her next meal.

Guards
Sigmar protects his secret with great care. All of the guards are
sworn to him and are very well paid for their skills and silence –
most will fight to the death. The main gate to the loading yard is
protected by four guards who while not particularly intelligent
know the routines of the operation. Inside the building guards patrol
in pairs while others watch internal doors. All of the guards wear
leather armor with a metal helm and carry a short sword. Half of the
guards carry crossbows, the rest also have spears and a few have
whips to control the children.

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An Arachnid Ally
If the party are seen by Kretch, she will communicate with them
telepathically (perhaps somehow tapping into the power of the
Helm of Telepathy). Her body is broken and in insufferable pain; she
just wants revenge on Sigmar and then to be put out of her misery.
Will the party help her? She can summon 3 spider swarms to assist
the party if they agree to help. Kretch knows that Sigmar hides his
most valuable treasures in a compartment at the bottom of her
frame where he believes they are safe; she will tell the party about
his treasures once they agree to help her. She can summon 3 spider
swarms to assist the party if they agree to help. Kretch knows that
Sigmar hides his most valuable treasures in a compartment at the
bottom of her frame where he believes they are safe; she will tell the
party about his treasures once they agree to help her.

Sigmar’s Silk
Once Sigmar becomes aware that his operation is under attack he
will do all he can to protect it; organizing his guards to protect the
building and Kretch before using his spells from a distance. Use
his motivation to determine how he behaves if the situation turns
against him.

What if?
This is a sandbox encounter; once set up it is down to the party
to interact with it. What will they do? Kill Sigmar and the guards
and rescue the children, take a bribe to keep quiet or take over the
building and keep Kretch?

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 Warehouse Key
1. Kretch in metal frame, chest below contains 3000GP and Helm
of Telepathy
2. Powered spindles that pull silk from Kretch
3. Machine to split silk into fine thread
4. Multiple spinning wheels that create balls of silk for looming
5. Steam engine powering axle to rotate spinning wheels
6. Coal store for steam engine
7. Cart track to move balls of silk from area 4
8. Storage of balls of silk and other materials
9. Multiple looms that create rolls of silk
10. Huge tubs of dye of different colors
11. Heated drying areas for dyed silk
12. Sigmar’s office (500 GP in chest, locked)
13. Packaging room, silk is put into crates for transport
14. Loading yard. Crates are stored and moved out on carts

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NPC’s
Sigmar Vanval (Human Magic-User 3): HD 3 HP 10, AC 13
[7], Attack d4, Mv 40’, STR 7(-1), INT 16(+2), WIS 8(-1), DEX
13(+1), CON 10, CHA 13(+1) Spec: Spells. Charm Person, Shield,
Wizard Lock. Also knows Sleep and Phantasmal Force. XP 175.
Equipment: Dagger, Ring of Protection +1, Fine clothes, 20PP,
Scroll of Magic Missile
21 Guards plus 2 additional patrolling guards per PC (Human
Fighter 1) HD 1 HP 6 each, AC 14 [6], Attack d6+1 or d8, Mv
30’, STR 15(+1), INT 8(-1), WIS 7(-1), DEX 14(+1) CON 12 (+1)
CHA 10 XP 25. Equipment: Leather Armour, Shortsword, Spear
or Crossbow, Whips to control the children. Guard stations are
marked as four pointed stars on map
Kretch (Giant Spider) HD 4 HP 11, AC 15 [5], Attack bite
d8+poison, Mv 50’, XP 280
Spider Swarm HD 2*, hp 9, Attack swarm d3
(double against armour), XP
100
65 children HD 1 HP 2, AC
12 [8], Mv 40’
Roof traps (Arrow trap):
10 hidden mounted
crossbows. Attack d6+1.

10
 The Treasure Room
by Diogo Nogueira
This encounter can be placed on any kind of “treasure room” inside most
dungeons where spiders could possibly live. It’s meant to be and extra
challenge for the players before they can get their dirty hands on all the
treasure they were after.
The room is small and covered with a thick curtain of spiderweb. Hanging
on the web are various trinkets and jewels that, otherwise would have been
inside the almost empty chest that lies abandoned on the ground. The air
is stale and heavy with the odor of rot. The touch of the spider silk on your
skin feels like you are being involved in a cocoon.
The treasure room is small, about 10 by 10 feet, with worked stone walls
and floor. The ceiling, however, is high and difficult to see with all the
spider web covering it.
In the ground lies a treasure chest almost empty, with only a few coins, gems and
trinkets left. The most valuable and the bigger pieces of treasure are stuck in the
spiderweb.
Careful observers will notice the room’s walls are riddled with large holes. This is
where the giant spiders wait for any sign of greedy victims.
Treasure in the web. The giant spiders living in this room noticed their
humanoid victims seemed attracted to the gleaming and shining object
inside the abandoned chest in their current lair. Taking advantage of this
knowledge, they took the largest and brightest ones and set those in their
webs. Now, every time someone approaches or tries to get to the treasure,
the spiders feel their presence through the vibrations of their spiderweb.
In addition, if the adventurers aren’t careful enough, not only they will alert
the spiders of their presence, they will probably be stuck in spider web
after reaching any piece of treasure (Save vs. Paralysis). If that fails, before
attacking all the 2 giant spiders will use their web attack to hinder their
victims.
Giant Spider. Highly intelligent giant spiders that learned a new trick to
attract and distract victims. They stay hidden inside the holes in the walls
until their victims are either stuck in their web or distracted with the
treasure they manage the acquire.
3 Giant Spider (6 ft. diameter) HD 2+2; AC 5[16]; Atk 1 bite (1d4+1
+ poison); Move 4; Save 13; AL C; CL/XP 7/600; Special: paralyzing
poison (save vs. Poison or 1d4 turns paralyzed, webs (save vs. Breath or
stuck in the web).
Treasure. The old chest on the floor contained an assortment of jewels
(350 gp), gems (500gp , a few hundred old gold coins (277 gp) and a magic
dagger that can cut any other metal easily (ignores AC of metal armor).
However, the treasure can be easily replaced by the content of another
11 adventure’s treasure room.
The Curse of Vagrot the Blue
by Gabriel Pérez Gallardi
Since he settled, some time ago, in the ruins of an abandoned abbey
atop a nearby forested hill, Vagrot the Ogre-Mage has extracted a
weekly tribute from the village of Galdorum under the threat of
razing the place to the ground. Every week, the villagers meekly
complied to Vagrot’s requests fearing dire consequences if they failed
to do so. Tired of living in fear, Holxar, the village mage, secretly hired
a group of adventurers to help him end the ogre’s threat.
Now, it’s been almost three weeks since they set forth into the forest
and up the hill, but neither the adventurers returned to collect the
reward, nor Vagrot to claim his tribute. During this time a lonely ogre
tried several times to approach the village’s palisade, but he was
turned away by the local militia with stones, arrows, and javelins.
Holxar’s apprentice Osybal, worried about
the fate of his master, hired another group
of adventurers to find
his whereabouts.
Osybal will
pay 100 gold
coins each if
his master is
brought back alive,
or 25 gold coins
each if they bring
his body to give
it a proper burial.
Osybal will give
the adventurers a
detailed description
of Holxar, but will not
accompany them.

12
 The Scene of a Battle
The hike uphill from the village to the ruins takes about two hours
following a long-neglected trail. Upon reaching the now overgrown
hilltop clearing, a group of vultures takes flight startled by the group.
Also, the breeze carries the stench of death. As you get closer to the
ruins, a gruesome scene comes into sight. Lying around in awkward
positions are the bodies of four adventurers, one oversized wolf, and
a dark blue skinned ogre.
If the adventurer’s bodies are searched, it becomes clear that none of
them is Holxar, although they are half-eaten and bloated.
Unbeknown to the group, at the final stage of the battle, Vagrot, with
his last breath, polymorphed Holxar into an ogre! In desperation,
Holxar tried several times to return to the village of Galdorum only
to be turned away by the local militia defense. Able only to speak the
most basic words in the Common tongue, he couldn’t explain what
happened to him and the guards weren’t too keen to listen to the
ogre’s guttural sounds. He also realized that he was unable to weave
the verbal components of the spells still in his mind. He could not
even utter a simple command word!
Sunken in despair, Holxar is now living in what used to be Vagrot’s
lair. Supplies are running low and the instinct to survive is kicking in.
Roll a d6 and check the table below to determine where Holxar is
when the party shows up :
1. In the ruins eating a meager meal. He’s ravenous.
2. In the ruins half asleep after drinking a cask of ale.
3. In the clearing, pacing around and mumbling incoherently.
4. In the clearing enjoying the sun and reading Vagrot’s spellbook.
5. Out in the woods scavenging for food and wood.
6. Hidden, waiting for the party to get in the open.

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The ‘Balanced’ Encounter
by The Goblins Henchmen

Setup
A large chasm looms before you; your side of the chasm is about
30 feet lower than the other side. The bottom of the chasm is filled
with something truly nasty - lava, boiling acid, flesh-eating-slime,
you know the drill ... don’t fall in, or you’re dead!
In effect, what looks like a truly ginormous drill-bit lies across the
chasm, straddling from one ledge to the other. Yes a drill-bit!
Spanning the chasm is a giant metal cylinder, the cylinder is gently
spinning. There is a robust mechanism on the other side of the chasm
spinning it.
The cylinder is big, about 20 feet in diameter (i.e. tall) and about
300 feet long.
The cylinder is etched by a deep spiralling groove. The groove does
about 5 rotations (spirals) of the cylinder as it winds its way all the
way up (along) the cylinder. Again, think spiralling drill-bit.
The groove is about boot-high deep and about 4 foot wide. Once a
rotation, the groove can be stepped onto.

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 Solution
The groove in the cylinder in effect
forms a temporal ‘path’ to the other
side of the chasm.
To cross the chasm, and get to the
other side, the characters need to
walk along the ‘path’ (i.e. along
the groove in the cylinder). The
problem is that at any one time part
of the ‘path’ is ‘under’ the cylinder
(because of the spiralling of the
groove).
However, the spinning of the
cylinder ensures that the path
‘unwinds’ before the characters as they walk along it (i.e. working a
bit like an Archimedes Screw).
As a consequence, it means the characters must walk (in single file)
along the ‘path’ at the pace the spinning of the cylinder allows.
It takes about 3 minutes (no faster and no slower) to walk the 300 or
so feet. For safety, the characters need to be about 10 feet apart, to
prevent knocking each other over the side as the cylinder spins.
Going backwards. Errr, no. Basically, because of the way the cylinder
spins, it’s not possible to walk back down the path without falling
off. It’s a one-way trip my friend. Worrying about getting home is for
punks! PUNKS! Standing still for too long is likewise fatal.
So, the trick is for the players to commit to the task and ‘walk the
walk’ to the other side. Simples!
Twist (… the other twist)
Oh, wait ... spiders, Giant Spiders! These will detect a change in
humming of the cylinder when it is under a load. The hiding spiders
creep along the underside of the cylinder, climbing over to attack
when enough prey is on the cylinder.
Surely, it doesn’t get more 0ld Skool than: defending yourself from
giant arachnids, high up, balanced precariously over a chasm filled
with lava/boiling acid/flesh-eating-slime, while committed to
walking along a one-way spiral and spinning treadmill, while all the
time being able to see your fellow adventurers, but alas still being
isolated from them by about 10 feet.
That’s a ‘balanced’ OSR encounter! That is, keep your balance or perish.
15
How many spiders? It’s your dungeon, you decide! That said, I think
have slightly fewer spiders than characters. I’d have the spiders very
much beatable, but the players don’t need to know that. Perhaps,
have the spiders attack the fighter types or hirelings, maybe hint that
the spiders are poisonous (even if not). It is probably best to leave
the magic-user types alone, but very much shitting themselves (tee-
hee!). Well, unless the magic-users can take a few licks.
The Henchman’s Thoughts. The idea behind this encounter is that
it is a puzzle, but it is also designed to scare and unnerve, but not
really to kill (unless utter stupidity prevails).

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 A Rats Nest
by Dan Domme
This encounter is fairly modular in that it can be placed in virtually
any environment where something living can take up permanent
residence outside the regular vision of the populace of normal
people.
Place it in a dungeon room or a sheltered area in the wilderness. It
would be especially at home in a graveyard.

Intro
The characters encounter a sizable nest cobbled together from
various bits of detritus: scraps from the other rooms of the
dungeon or bits and pieces from the surrounding wilderness. Upon
investigation, it seems fairly elaborate for an animal to have built
It is home to what appears to be a giant rat. It toils, but to what end
it does not know. In truth, the rat was once an adventurer. They
succumbed to a disease somewhat akin to lycanthropy, but instead of
becoming a wererat, the adventurer simply became a giant rat.
Now, the rat has forgotten nearly all but instinct, but an old figment
of the impetus to seek treasure lingers in its brain. Every day it goes
out to acquire something it can add to its next, its treasure hoard.
If left alone, the rat may not attack. However, as most animals, it will
attack instinctively if it feels threatened. Beyond this, it may attack
adventurers who seem to be wealthy, out of lingering greed. If there
is a Magic-User in the party, it will attack without hesitation once it
realizes this. Before transformation, the adventurer was convinced
that a Magic-User was behind their ill fortune.

A Dangerous Death
If the rat is slain, the last character to deal melee damage must
succeed a Saving Throw vs. Poison or else contract the subtle
disease via exposure to the rat’s blood. (There is a 1-in-3 chance
that a simple bite will require the same saving throw.) The disease
incubates for 1-3 months, after which the character undergoes a
slow, painful transformation into a giant rat. This transformation
occurs over an additional 1d6 months. During this time, ability
scores of Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma gradually
erode by 1d6 each.

17
Additionally, roll 1d4:
1. The rat was originally a Thief. Any treasure they owned before
becoming a rat has been protected by a deadly poison trap.
2. The rat was originally a Cleric. Among the treasure is a silver
holy symbol worth 50 gp. The cleric cursed it (and their god)
shortly before they transformed.
3. The rat was originally a Fighter. It gains an additional hit die
after reaching 0 hp. It is determined to infect someone else
before it dies.
4. The rat was originally a Magic-User. Detect Magic reveals a
small smooth stone inside the rat’s body. This was enchanted
and consumed in an attempt to counteract the transformation.
The stone can be used once to cast one first-level spell,
determined randomly.
In addition to the listed treasure (Type C), the rat has former
mementos from its past life:
• Shreds of a letter accompanied by a dried pressed flower.
• Mundane silver ring, worth 5 sp
• Quill and ink
• 1 minor item appropriate for the rat’s former class: bag of
caltrops (Thief), holy water vial (Cleric), helmet (Fighter), or
staff (Magic-User)
Additional investigation of the rat’s nest can yield clues to virtually
anything the DM would care to reveal.
Giant Cronenberg Rat HD 2 HP 9, AC 13 [7] Attack bite
d6+chance of disease. Mv 120’ (40’); Swim 60’ (20’), XP 120

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 Hobbs and Friends of the OSR Zine
Editor Christopher M. Sniezak
All Works within are the properties of the original authors

Illustrations
Cover by Hawk
Map for A “Balanced” Encounter by Goblin Henchmen
All other images from the Public Domain

Hobbs, Can I eat some

spider legs this time?
They’re really good with
Ogre Magi Blood.

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