Yesterday's random card is Sproutback Trudge! Though I also looked at Brackish Trudge and Trudge Garden to figure out what exactly a Trudge even is. I'm writing a monster this week!
A secret I've learned is that as long as you're playing 5e, 3 or 3.5e, or an OSR game with ascending armor class, you can use basically any monster from any of those systems with no trouble at all. (4e doesn't work because of how inflated AC is in that game.) As a GM, I want to be able to pull whatever material I want from the books I have with minimal math to make it work. And that's why I play GLOG! I know I did basically this same rant last week. But this is just to explain that there's not really such a thing as a GLOG monster.
If you look at monsters written for GLOG things, you'll find each author has their own quirks to how they write them. Usually they'll look like extremely stripped-down B/X monsters, sometimes even condensed to a single line of text. I'll admit I like a more verbose monster block, so that's what you'll find here. Feel free to condense it to a single line to suit your purposes.
I guess one thing about GLOG monsters is this: The monster's power level matching the party's level isn't important, as long as you telegraph what it does and how scary it is. The players get to decide based on the clues you give them whether to engage it in combat, run away, or try a different tactic. A monster that's too strong is an interesting puzzle to solve!
Sproutback Trudge
Trudges are hairy, but also somewhat lizard- or turtle-like beasts. They cover themselves in decaying plant matter to aid the growth of certain fungi on their backs, which they have a symbiotic relationship with. They have great horns on their chins and noses.
Disposition:Trudges are not bloodthirsty creatures, though they are very large and will attack if their territory is threatened or if they're otherwise fucked with.
HD: 7 (d10s if your system uses multiple HD sizes)
Defense: Armor like plate, weak to fire (double damage)
Attack: Horn - 1d6+4 bludgeoning damage. If it rolls max damage, knock over its target, keep charging, and make a second attack at another target.
Abilities: If killed, it will resurrect with half HP after 1d4x10 minutes unless all fungal growth on its back is burned. Or chopped off, but that'll take a long time, risking it waking up while you're climbing all over it.
Stats: Str 18, Dex 8, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 5
Loot: Trudge fungus is a highly prized delicacy that can fetch a great price from a wealthy chef or gourmand. It can also be used by a skilled alchemist to create a potion that can revive the recently deceased. If it was killed with fire, the fungus is cooked and its alchemical properties are destroyed, but its culinary use remains.
Additional notes
Vegetarian option: There could also be tamed trudges which are trained to allow their handlers to shear them periodically without harming them. However, to make sure they get spores from the right kinds of fungus, they need to be allowed to roam freely in areas with pretty dense vegetation, and will frequently get lost. Trudgeherds are often looking for adventurers to help recover their animals, and will offer trudge fungus as a reward.
