Hacklopedia of Beasts — Volume I: Aarakians to Cats, Great

HackMaster 4th Edition

by Tony DiGerolamo

The Hacklopedia of Beasts: This comprehensive set of reference manuals is a must for HackMaster GMs. In this volume, terrifying monsters whose names begin with the letters A-C are described in sometimes-frightening scientific detail. Every monster in the Fourth Edition Hacklopedia has been revised, edited, and updated and they have had their HackFactors beefed up to bring them in line with the rest of the game. Among other features, readers will learn about monster social structures, activity cycles, diets, attack modes (including special attacks), morale and even how to make the most of their kills by salvaging potentially valuable monster remains.

Nowadays the quick march of events and the rapidity of new discovereis, the expansion of human activity and the additions of arcane learning require a work such as the Hacklopedia of Beasts. This book provides a detailed list of creaturs both large and small from the flora and fauna of Garweeze Wurld and beyond.

Genres: Role Playing Games, Gaming

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Tony DiGerolamo is a New Jersey screenwriter, novelist, comic book writer, game designer and comedian. He is best known for his work on The Simpsons and Bart Simpson comic books. He has also been a joke writer for Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, a scriptwriter for Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and a blogger for Comedy Central’s Indecision website. He has written the screenplays including Mafioso: The Father, The Son starring Leo Rossi.
His novels, Fix in Overtime and The Undercover Dragon are available through Padwolf Publishing. After publishing his own comic books (Jersey Devil, The Travelers and The Fix) with SJRP, he eventually got a publishing deal with Kenzer & Company. Kenzer published The Travelers. Tony also wrote Everknights (another Kenzer comic book), as well as the Hacklopedia of Beasts (Volumes 1 thru 8) and Slaughterhouse Indigo (an adventure for the Hackmaster RPG). He also adapted Mark Twain's Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc for Campfire. Performing in the Philly comedy scene for over ten years, Tony performed and directed such improv groups as Next Line Improv, The Cabal, The Ninjas and Bulletproof Giraffe.
Besides writing for various comedy websites, he had a long running comics review column in Knights of the Dinner Table magazine. He was the marketing director for comics publisher, Silent Devil. He is creator of Tony DiGerolamo’s Complete Mafia for d20, creator/biographer for the online webcomic, Super Frat, the co-creator of the Webcomic Factory and writer for the over two dozen webcomics on the Webcomic Factory site including Lester Crenshaw is Dead, Miserable Comedians and Weird Biker Tales. Look for his latest book, F*ck You, I’m Italian: Why We Italians Are Awesome, from Ulysses Press and Wokeistan: A Novel, from SJRP, now available on Amazon for download.

Reviews

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in a series of eight monster books for the HackMaster RPG (an adaptation of AD&D 2nd Edition into a parody of AD&D 1st Edition that's based on a fictional analogue of D&D from Knights of the Dinner Table). This book contains an entertaining mix of creatures, including direct adaptations of known AD&D monsters (even beholders!), seemingly legitimate original ideas, blatantly obvious parody beasties, and some just plain weird things.

My favorites included:
- ankous, spirits of death that trap their slayers into replacing them
- anti-elementals, which affect their associated element like anti-matter
- attention getters, which distract heroes so other monsters can get them
- banshee lords, undead elven "gawds"
- pack bats, bats that steal valuables
- poisonous bears, self-explanatory
- boar men, which get mistaken for orcs, whom they hate
- bolters, shapeshifting false steeds that try and run off with adventurers' stuff
- bull anglers, giant frog-like creatures that masquerade as caves filled with gold
- carrion camels, flesh-eating camels, because why not

The only drawback to the book is that there are entirely too many monsters fitting the templates of "wild beast that wants to eat the player" or "monster designed to catch the players off-guard". Which is all very Gygaxian and fits the parody intent, but it still feels repetitive after a while. I would have liked to see a little more variety. (B)

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book for hackmaster monsters!