Gamma Gobblers

November 22, 2012, 4:48 pm

As most of my readers are American Ive been bombed with thanksgiving cheer but luckily thanks to American TV lots of Australians know more about US traditions and history than our own. But i love turkeys and had some as my best pals growing up. Until we ate them.

I got Mutant Epoch bundle from rpg drivethrough and have bee digesting it. It has variation table for each species and lotsa goodies. Lots of really horrible mutants including bug size critters. It probably influenced me a bit from here say before I saw it. Probably will do so again. Good to see a really dense well illustrated game book after seeing too many over designed hardcovers with little content.

I hope to do some more DnD stuff but my players enjoying gamma gaming at the moment. Im tempted to do my own d1000 mutation table with ideas from Mutant epoch, 1st ed 40k, gammaworld and others. Still looking for my fantasy game maps from 80s-90s. So here is some Gamma Gobbler goodness for now as im feeling lazy.

Name: Riding Gobblers
Number: Wild 2d6+5 flock
Morale: 6 (8 male)
HD: 8d8+4
Armour: 7

Land Speed: 12/900/18

MS 2d6+2    IN 1d4+2
DX 3d6+3    CH 2d4+1
CN 3d6+2    PS 4d4+10 (4d4+20 male)

Attacks: Peck or wing buffet 2d6 or Males can make Jumping Spur Charge 2d4+6 when closing

Mutations: see below

Description: Riding gobblers are stupid but domesticated riding birds mutated from turkeys usually white, ginger, grey or wild have black-brown brindle patterned. They are also delicious but eating lots is sleep inducing. They also lay tasty eggs. Wild ones tend to hang about human settlements and don't resist being fenced off and tamed like many other creatures. Different strains with various colours and mutations abound with local breed names. Most are too fat to fly but they can hop up to 30m and like to rest in trees. With a rider this is only 10m. May do notoriously stupid things like jump in a barrel to keep out of rain and drown. Seekers often ride and farm them as do many new tribes.

d50 Common variants - usually whole group has same and colours
1 Intelligent - +2d6 Int, 33% chance can talk
2 Shock Prone - if fail morale roll freezes till source of fear gone +1d20 minutes
3 Gas generation - if scared produce 2d6+3 tear gas - it is immune
4 Antlers - 2d8 extra horn attack
5 Gamma Eye - can KO enemies
6 Radiation Eyes - zap foes with radiation
7 Explodes on death like a chemax grenadier (seekers can kill them without this effect)
8 Contagious Wattles - close prolonged contact develops wattled red flesh bubbles on rider
9 Teleport - when failed morale teleport to safety with rider
10 Sonic Blast - super destructive gobbler noises
11 Fly - full wings
12 Extra Legs - 1d4+1 extra legs +10% speed per leg - grow back if amputated (yummy)
13 Metallic Feathers - AC4
14 Cyborg - thermagraphic vision, eye view radio up-link, 2 weapon mounts
15 Beserker - If threatened attacks +4 hit till foe or self dead
16 Laughter inducing poison lasts 1d4 hours after eating 2d6+6 intensity
17 Unigobbler - a single horn extra attack+1d10, poop cures 1d3 dam, lasts only 1 day (d6/day)
18 Sense Metal - gobbles and struts if walks over buried metal
19 Altered diet - eats 1d6 1=plastic, 2=metal, 3=flesh only, 4=concrete, 5-6=contaminated waste
20 Inflatable - gobbler if enraged inflates to 4 times size and floats away as gasbag mutation
21 Extra heads - 1d3 extra alert heads sleep in shifts, sometimes try run different directions
22 Luminous - glow various colours at night depending on strain
23 Tentacles - 1d4+2 wattle covered psuedopods used to feed and grapple attack
24 Cluster bomblets - shoot 1d6 explosive 2d6 dam pellets from wattles ahead if surprised
25 Fire breather 10m cone of 4d6 fire once a day if disturbed
26 Saw wings like biological chainsaws 3d6 dam
27 Forms telepathic bonds with kin or riders
28 Danger sense - start to cluck warnings if ambush or danger near
29 Turn invisible if fail morale roll
30 Poison beak intensity 13 paralysis venom on beak
31 Wings with functional hands - tool users
32 Build mounds or rotting vegetation to hatch young (Australian bush turkeys do this)
33 Chameleon feathers - aids in hiding and communication
34 Spits gobs of acid 2d6 ranged attack 25m range
35 Grows bigger, redder, beak glows with heat if mad +2d6 peck
36 Shoots black spines from bristly beard, 1d4 shots of 1d6 per round 18m range
37 Prehensile Snood (dangly thing on beak) uses as a hand - reach to 6m
38 X-ray vision - can see hidden weapons or enamies
39 Razor spurs - spur attack wounds bleed 1hp per round till treated
40 Elongating neck - can stretch to 5m to feed or spot danger
41 Has a bulgy single eye
42 Wattle covered - red fleshy lumps all over - hideous
43 Silence field 10m radius when nervous or can be trained to raise
44 Aquatic - webbed feet and can swim like a duck
45 No legs, floats by self inflation with gas, multiple self healing gas chambers
46 Larger +1d6 PS, CN and +4 HD
47 Radiation resistant but mildly radioactive poop 1d4 intensity
48 Fear aura - if startles activates fear cloak intensity 2d4+6 mental attack once per encounter
49 Extra delicious - addictive intensity 2d6+6 to resist lifelong cravings
50 Regenerates - 1hp per round, may surgically remove meat and will recover

Gamma gobblers take to untrained riders well but look to each other for morale - all rolling as a group. The may attack with mutations if surprised or spooked. A trained rider can make his gobblers jump, attack, be silent, sit and can use their weapons unhindered from turkey back. A trained rider makes his gobbler follow his lead not the group. A trained gobbler rider can make a CHA check to sway all surrounding gobblers in the caravan to not panic. Wild gobblers sometimes follow people home and hang about till trapped. Tamed gobblers with missing riders head to any beings that dont look scary for help.

Mr Gobbles the Bonapartist ambassador is invited to dinner with the seekers as guest of honour. He will be sure to tell his kin of the friendly greeting he received.

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Concequences and Agency in RPG?

November 24, 2012, 7:35 am

≫ Next: Leveling Up - basics for all classes

≪ Previous: Gamma Gobblers

Crime and punishment in RPG?

Mutant Epoch deals with topics the 80s TSR family friendly product aimed at me would never have dealt with. What happens when the bad guys get you. In mutant epoch many characters are ex slaves and many of those made as sex slaves. Many creatures can reproduce with other species like cockroach people. And many monsters fancy attractive people.

Warhammer games have an edge, as does 2000AD comics. In Call of Cthulhu being captured by a cult is pretty bad. There are 1/2 orcs in DnD and 1/2 elves and an elaborate prostitute table in the ad&d DMG that's about it. Its the most different thing about mutant epoch.

My mom ran multiple state prisons assures me either gender can suffer same victimization in captivity. While in mutant epoch men get eaten and women get to be slaves. I dont want to get too gritty here but if it came up id make all characters have or fear the same horrible fate.

I am thinking of updating this freely and possible have some variants for culture-tech-alignment.

This is more for savage tribal types or evil - most pre-modern justice is cruel

Unhappy Fate if Captured table
01-3 Beaten unconscious and dumped in wilderness 1HP left
4-5 Beaten unconscious and dumped in city 1HP left
6 Beaten unconscious and dumped in danger 10%HP left
7-8 Bound out in wilderness - tied and staked, tied to tree, trapped in pit, buried to neck
9-10 Bound in public - crucified, stocks, caged, gibbet, tied and staked, whipping post
11-12 Publicly shamed and humiliated, flogged and dumped 1HP
13-15 Buried alive in a cave or box or sealed in a wall or bridge
16-19 Thrown to creatures for entertainment
20-21 Used as entertaining toy for sadistic sports - hunting, sparring, tug of war
22-24 Ritual ordeal (fire-walk, dunking in well, fall off a tower, thrown in sinkhole, etc)
25 Tied to creature or creatures and set loose
26 Tied to a corpse and abandoned
27 Bound and gagged and dragged off to distant land for weeks - roll again on arival
25-28 Tortured -1 Str&Con, roll again if survive
29-31 Tortured and mutilated -1d6Cha and roll again if survive
32-33 Tortured and crippled -1d6Str&Con and roll again if survive
34 Run the gauntlet - roll again if survive
35-39 Enslaved - labour (and/or sexual if good looking)
40 Enslaved - made to brutalize even kill other prisoners or roll again
41-42 Enslaved and sold at market far away
43 Enslaved by other prisoners
44-46 Enslaved as gladiator +1 Str and Con after 1d6 years if you live
46 Enslaved to militia
47 Enslaved to vile cult or state ritual service
48 Enslaved as eunuch - castrated
49 Enslaved by conditioning in service of captors as a war beast -1d6Int
48 Enslaved as specialized labour - can learn a new skill in 1 year
49-50 Enslaved as expendable - salt miner, test subject, poison taster, trap tester, bait
51 Imprisoned and treated as worthy visiting ambassador - roll again if try to escape and fail
52-55 Imprisoned and restrained with chains or tied or kept in a box -1d6 Str&Con after 1d6 months
56-57 Imprisoned with worst brutes and killers +1 Str and Con after 1d6 years if you live
58-59 Imprisoned with diseased -1d6 con
56-60 Imprisoned for breeding and or marriage
61-63 Imprisoned and fattened up in larder -1Str, +1 Con
64-66 Imprisoned and ransomed -1Str&Con/year - roll again if not paid after 1d6 years
67 Exiled to edge of territory - death if you return
68 Exiled too a distant colony - death if you return
69-75 Sacrifice for the gods
76-79 Executed by leaders decree in public spectacle
80-81 Killed and buried with ritual
82-83 Killed and dumped
84 Killed quietly and body dissolved in acid or lava
85-86 Killed and mutilated and dumped
87 Killed by being burned alive, remains scattered or eaten
88-94 Killed and eaten - barbequed, cooked in a pot, eaten alive, not pretty
95-97 Killed and turned into a trophy
98-00 Killed turned to undead or monster

The table is intended to give a general threat and possibly a chance to escape. Its a springboard to adventure rather than a sure death table. But being resurrected from found body in the creek is a possibility and might opens more plots. Savage beings may respect a survivor and offer the player membership and freedom if they take torture on the chin well. Perhaps a fellow prisoner or sect help you escape and call a favour. Perhaps a priest heals the recovering former prisoners and demands a service. Maybe the bad guys offer you a chance to avoid your execution. Obligations to others provide interesting outcomes in a campaign.

I tabulated horrible stuff captors want to do - not as absolute fate but as intention of foes - players should have some chances to escape or provoke enemies to fight one on one (perhaps getting killed by raider better than being given to undead) or even play dead. I'll give players at least a couple of chances. I played pirate games where everyone spent month in horrible prison and fantasy games where party galley slaves for a few months. Heroes have to suffer a bit or victory is cheap.

Up to gm if stat loss lasting or take like time to recover.

Some kind people at Old School Gamers on FB recommend let players new characters rescue old ones. Or make players roll back up characters to scare them.

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Leveling Up - basics for all classes

November 25, 2012, 7:19 am

≫ Next: EMO DnD Classes pt 1: Warrior

≪ Previous: Concequences and Agency in RPG?

This is the second part of my section 3 EMO rules - basics of what every class get per level. Its a mashup of Bx DnD, 2nd and 3.5 ed adnd.

Leveling Up - basics for all classes

Level    XP         Healing Rate - Title and reputation
-1 Lv     -            1/week    Typical peasant -1 Lv 1d4 hp            -
0 Lv      -500      1/week Typical Man-at-arms at arms 0 Lv 1d6 hp
1st         0           1/day Beginning adventurer
Locals smile at you slightly amused
2   2000    1/day Green adventurer
Villagers look impressed
3             4000    1d3/day    Promising adventurer
Townsfolk heard of the new punk
4             8000    1d4/day    Bloodied adventurer
Dangerous to mess with
5             1600    1d6/day    Veteran adventurer
A respected and successful hero
6             3200    1d6/day    Master adventurer
A fearsome reputation in the city
7             6400    1d6/day    Elite adventurer
A regionally renown champion to be reckoned with
8           12500    1d8/day    Might Adventurer
A mighty leader and famous hero of the nation
9             25000   1d8/day    Lord adventurer
Your presence commands respect from the mighty
10         50000    1d10/day Legendary adventurer
Your songs will be sung forever!

-5% if prime 15
-10% if prime is 18
-5% if study under a private tutors at least 4lv higher, can pick any proficiency or language they have
-10% if study at the university, can pick any proficiency or language available

At 5th Lv gain+1 attribute point then again at 10th Lv then again at at 15th and 20th
Healing doesn’t improve much after 10th, d12 at 12th and 1d20 at 20th.
no more HD after 10th lv but get 1 + con bonus per lv
NWP success bonus Add +1 Lv 4-6, +2 7-10 then every 3 Lv get +1
At 20th level you are a mighty hero-saint of the age - may join the gods

Self Training
No cost, learn class standard proficiencies only, 24 hrs contemplation after being well rested and fed per Lv. Wizards need some means to gain new spells – books or another wizard still or perhaps scraps of many burned spell books. It is assumed the character is always studying and training for their next new skill.

Cross Training
Learn non class skill or exotic language off another hero or hired tutor part time.

Tutor Trained
A paid teacher of 4 lv higher than you can also reduce xps required to advance by -5% but you need to pay and take time. One week per lv x500gp/week cost. Separate tutors for separate skills and languages may be need to be found but all ends up same cost – a fantastic role playing opportunity seeking teachers to find weird Proficiencies. A DM might choose to make a teacher rare and or unreasonable.

Book Study
Certain books can act as tutors for 1d3 proficiencies. You need to have right read skill or a servant to read for you for twice the time requirement. They are valued items starting from 1000x number of proficiencies with more expensive versions in rare languages, or some are great art works or contain rare or forbidden lore. Some are illegal.

Skullport U
Not recognized in the empire, Skullport U was funded by pirates who wanted to educate their children and advance science of navigation and magic to aid their piracy. Learn from professional teachers and get any class proficiencies including armour and shields and weapons normally forbidden to you and -10% off XP cost to go up also. Takes Lv x 1000gp per week, one week per lv. Wizard towers of every order, every temple and shrine, martial artist schools, circus troupes, student brawls, carousing, artisans, assassins, libraries all play their role in a good education at skullport. Go roll on carousing table on graduation unless you make a Wis check or are a priest of Law.

XP Goals
+50-100 Good Idea
+100-500 Party saving idea
+100-200 Role-play Well – alignment extremism, heroic sacrifice,
+100-200 Encourage other players
+xp value Single combat with enemy
+10% Victory Bonus
+1 per 1gp spent on training and other specific class expenses
+1 per mile traveled on foot or horse (+1 per 7 miles at sea)
each class has its own list too

i have a hit save table for all but ill put in as a graphic later

ill start on my classeslater but basically:

primary classes
Warrior
Priest
Rogue
Wizard

secondary classes
Sorcerer
Druid
Monk
Bard

non-humans
Elf
Dwarf
Halfling
Tako - octopus folk
still thinking about these

tertiary classes
Paladin - holy champion of the gods
Ranger - ancient hunters and wood lords
Shaman - has hybrid spell list cast at will, spirit travel(psion or yogi if civilized)
Berserker - bestial shape shifting barbarian champion

secondry non humans
Spirit Folk - shapes shifters connected to primal powers (beast, nature, elemental, divine)
Beast Folk - various sentient animal human hybrids (boar, dog, reptile and goat common)
Giant - young giant growing up among little folk until detected
Mutant - hideous freaks with strange powers - random powers and looks

Tertiary non human (goblinoids)
Kobold - sneaky trap building swarming hordes
Goblin - sneaky, thieving, skulking, magic loving
Hobgoblin - effective warrior men at arms
Bugbear - heavy elite stealth infantry

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EMO DnD Classes pt 1: Warrior

November 26, 2012, 10:45 pm

≫ Next: EMO DnD Classes pt 2: Priest

≪ Previous: Leveling Up - basics for all classes

From look and Learn magazine http://www.lookandlearn.com/

EMO (Elfmaids & Octopi) DnD classes
So im going to start going through my versions of character classes. Ill do my warrior first then the other big 3. Ill do my language and proficiencies after the big four. The point of my WP and NWP system is that exotic, culturally specific and other classes are irreverent. As are feats which many appear as NWP. Im thinking of a basic list for beginners so as to not distract them with too many choices (but wizards dont complain if you offer them too many spells). Core classes have a specific NWP list but Int derived skills can be from any weapon or NWP. In play classes can learn non class NWP after first but need a teacher.

In my game players mostly are spell casters. Using proficiencies is what make characters stand out and gives every lv gained a thrill. Have made some very impressive horsemen, archers and barbarians in play. But an old fashioned damage sponge with shield specialties up front is nice too.

Warrior
Penultimate champion of martial struggle

HD: 1d10
Prime Stat: Str
WP: 4 (+1/Lv)
NWP: 3 (+1/2nd Lv)
No-WP mod: -2
Languages: 1d4+1 (+1/3rdlv) S=spoken and W=written

Spells: None
NWP: Warrior
Shield: Any
Armour: Any
Weapon: Any
Fight as: Warrior
Save as: Warrior

Versatile professional soldiers who depends on combat skills to dominate the battle field. Specialist in fighting and martial arts proficiencies. Warriors are trained in many styles from many teachers and experiences. They have a natural mastery and dedication to the arts of war. The adaptable warrior can change his style during his career cross training to become a holy fighter, a wizard killer or sneaky bandit. Warriors are experienced campaigners and are more often skilled in outdoor travel and survival. They become leaders of armies and embroiled in the great struggles of power between lords.

-Can inflict critical hits as per weapon (other must pay for this skill), can buy extra weapon proficiency slots to raise this chance
-Can take weapon specializations higher than other classes (up to 3 slots in specialization instead of +1 max)
-If battling 1HD or less creatures get one Att per Lv
-Xtra +1 attack at 5th lv then +2 at 10th etc
- lv 5th attract either a 1st 1v follower, a loyal warhorse or other pet like a war dog or wolf
-Warriors attract followers as above or +1d6 men at arms per every lv after 5th - can save these for specialty followers - chariot team = 2d6 or longboat = 3d6
-lv8 Warriors can use next dice up with any weapon eg d8 sword becomes d10
-May create a stronghold at 10th (or establish a horde or ship or dungeon or other base of operations)
-After 10th can select exotic creatures or mounts instead of 1d6 followers - ogre, winged horse, take d6 as HD instead numbers - could be a young specimen and be allocated more HD when you next lv up - eg griffon or giant

Specialist Warrior Schools

Name:
Description
Example weapon proficiencies
Example exotic weapon proficiencies
Example Non weapon proficiencies
Example Languages

Example weapon proficiencies may be considered a group for a weapon group proficiencies (2 slots - 4 basic weapons) – leaves most starting warriors with 2 more slots for exotic martial skills like brawl or weapon expert. Other weapons and NWP can be chosen - these are just typical.

Empire Knight:
Noble cavalry from the heartland of the empire
Long sword, Lance, Dagger, Short bow
Long Sword Expert +1, Ride by Attack
Ride Horse, Etiquette, Heraldry
Empire S, Common S, Trade S, Ancient W, Battle Signals

Forest Hunter
Scouts, explorers and protectors of game
Long Sword, Dagger, Long bow, Hand Axe
2 weapon attack, Shoot into Melee
Track, Scout, Hunting
Wild Man S, Common S, Ranger Signs W, Old S, Goblin S

Old Ways Barbarian
Tribal beserkers from the Wilderness beyond the Empire
Battle Axe, Short Spear, Sabre, Dagger
Toughness, Berserk Frenzy
Survival, Fire Making, Improvise Weapons
Old S Common S, Wild Man S, Elfish S, Horde Tongue S,

Fearsome Viking
Fearsome warriors and traders from the frozen north sea
Battle Axe, Short Spear, Long Sword, Hand Axe
Sea Legs, Berserk Frenzy
Sailing or Boating, Swim, Trade
Northern S, Common S, Ancient Runes W, Dwarf S, Elf S

Empire Guardsman
Alert city watchmen of the Empires cities
Short Spear, Long sword, Crossbow, Dagger
All round Defense, Reflexes
Spot, Guard, Alertness
Empire SW, Common SW, Old S

Fearless Amazon
Savage all women tribe who defy the Emperor
Short Spear, Short bow, Dagger, Javelin
Fast Draw Spear, Short Spear Expert +1
Ride Horse, Boyer-Fletcher
Sea tongues S, Common S, Ancient W, Horde tongue S, Easterner S

Seafaring Mariner
Seafaring marines and pirates
Crossbow, Dagger, Sabre, Short Spear
(the ancient version would have trident, net, short sword, dagger)
Sea legs, 2 weapon attack
Swim, Boating, Rope Use
Sea Tongue S, Common SW, Easterner S, Northern S

Horde Horse Archer
Plainsmen archers of the great plains who menace the Empire
Composite Short Bow, Sabre, Lance, Spear
Ride by Attack, Shoot to move
Ride Horse, Ride Quickmount, Animal handling
Horde tongue S, Common S, Easterner S, Orc S, Old S

Stout Yeoman
A landed class of farmer independent of lords on land granted by king
Staff, 2h Sword, Longbow, Dagger or short bow and short sword if weaker
Longbow Expert+1, Shoot Extra Range
Bowyer-Fletcher, Farm Lore, Animal Handling
Empire SW, Common SW, Old S

Doomed Gladiator
A sport fighter for slaughter in the Empires arenas
Trident, Net, Short Sword, Dagger
2weapon attack, Brawling
Improvised weapons, Carousing, Drive Chariot
Empire S, Common S, Old S, Wildman S, Orc S

Cocky Musketeer
A gun and powder wielder from most modern battlefronts
Any Musket, Any Pistol, Dagger, Sabre
2weapon attack, fast draw ammo
Run Away, Black powder, Gunnery
Empire SW, Common SW, Old S

Career Duelist
A career duelist for money
Sabre, Rapier, Dagger, Dirk
Fast Draw, Choice blade Sword Expert +1
Etiquette, Grooming, Ride

FIGHTER XP
+1 per 1gp spent on territory, battle manuals, weapons, armour, fortifications, soldiers, status symbols, mounts, gifts,hospitality, feasts, combat schools, gladiator spectacles, war
+10/HD defeated in battle
+100 for declaring victory or defeating any famous name foe or commanding a conquering force
Double XP for single combat, including jousts, gladiatorial matches or duels or even other contests

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EMO DnD Classes pt 2: Priest

November 27, 2012, 3:29 am

≫ Next: EMO DnD Classes pt 3: Wizard

≪ Previous: EMO DnD Classes pt 1: Warrior

From look and Learn magazine http://www.lookandlearn.com/

Note my Alignment system is a bit different - ill do a piece on it later. My gods may have sects of different alignment who fight. Mortals may be Lawful Good but be really bad at it. An honorable LE might be better than a CN madman or mistaken lawful good. Supernatural outsiders judge these things far more seriously than most mortals. Priests are supposed to nudge people the right direction. Gods in my world dont usually intervene on individuals unless they are very pretty or high level or at least kings. They punish people clumsily and en mass. Monsters, demons, heroes and priests deal with individual enemies of gods.

Priests
Zealous Templars of the gods

HD: 1d8
Prime Stat: Wis
WP: 3 (+1/3rd Lv)
NWP: 4 (+1/2nd Lv)
No-WP mod: -3
Languages: 1d6+1 (+1/2nd lv) S=spoken and W=written

Spells: Priest
NWP: Priest, Common Spell Caster
Shield: Any
Armour: Any
Weapon: Maul, Mace, Flail, Staff, any Crossbow, Dagger, Sling, Rock, Club, Hammer, any Gun
Fight as: Priest
Save as: Priest

Holy fighters for their gods and faith. Use holy prayers and gods miracles for spells. Competent soldiers and organized military fighters. They often study fields of interest to their god as well as esoteric lore, rituals and divination. Cult languages’ and dead languages help study holy texts. Missionaries and war priests learn language on their travels to help conversion and may use secret codes too. Priests often practice trades and even banking to support campaigns or maintain monasteries. Fit priests seek to be on the frontier of their faith or battling its enemies with constant warfare. Some stay home to guard sacred ground or seek hidden enemies from within like evil heretics. Priests may evoke various gods and spirits and saints and prophets or may specialize in one sect. Standard priests have power over the undead and unholy. Their order carry blunt weapons and against blades, spears and bows but more modern crossbows and guns are not mentioned in ancient holy books.

Priests are the authority on alignment matters and acknowledge the whole pantheon of good and evil gods and various abstract philosophical ideals, spirits, ancestors, saints and other forces. The typical player cleric or templar follows the sects with alignments of good and or law. Evil priests are mirror opposites causing harm with opposite spells, commanding undead and darkness. Druids are a specialist priest with a separate class who deal with the middle way and serving the balance or are just neutral. Priests follow and teach morality of alignment philosophy which may determine where souls goes when you die.

-Holy Power: Turn Undead effect 1d6 HD/lv, one use per lv per day, If undead has more HD than priest lv then they may save to resist. If HD rolled doubles the actual HD present and they have less HD than the priest they are destroyed. Specialist priests have a different holy power. Evil priests instead coerce undead to move where they direct and instead of destroying them gain voice control through the underworld powers.
-Spell casting from cult approved priest spells, must prey for 8 hrs to recover, learn prayers from cult prayer texts or other learning aids like strings of beads, scrolls or temple carvings
-Many priest spells reversible* but you must learn separately if available to you, tend to be more for evil like harming, maiming, disease, curses etc and invent an evil name for them.
-At 5th a 1st lv priest is sent to serve you and one more every lv after
-Build a shrine at 6th gain +1d6 followers, a temple at 10th gain +2d6 followers, a great temple at 15th gain +3d6 followers and a wondrous monument at 20th gain +4d6 followers

Specialist Priest Sects
-A starting priest is either a standard pantheon following one as above or a specialist following one being with its own weapon restrictions, extra spells, holy power, etc
-A common Priests can join a particular specialist sect at any point he goes up a lv, worshiping one god instead or the generic pantheon and changing his holy power, weapons and abilities to accord with the new sect. A sect must accept your change of order but a gift of 1000gp/lv or some mighty service helps. Changing from a specialist sect to another makes the old god angry and will earn you trouble into the next life. So wait till 10th.
-At 10th Lv you may get benefits of joining an additional specialty sect and another at 20th pick a third cult. Many gods have families or are married so this is fine to worship a triad of great gods, a married couple, siblings or even a balance of the single god with the forces of the whole pantheon like a standard priest. You must obey restrictions of all your priest types who grant you power.

specialist priest examples for Babylonian gods here:
ill have to amend the powers more to be inline with one here for HD and effect
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/babylonian-gods-for-elfmaids-and-octopi.html

PRIEST XP
+1 per 1gp spent on church tithes, missions, pilgrimages, charity, adding to church lands, conversions, scriptures, cult enhancing symbols, monuments, relics, artworks, holy crusades, destroying cult enemies, copying holy books
+100 using Holy power to win over cult enemies
+100/lv casting spells to win over cult enemies
+100 XP for visiting Places holy to the faith or recovering relics or lands.
Double XP for destroying undead or principle foes of the cult if dedicated to a god

↧

EMO DnD Classes pt 3: Wizard

November 27, 2012, 7:26 am

≫ Next: EMO DnD Classes pt 4: Rogue

≪ Previous: EMO DnD Classes pt 2: Priest

From look and Learn magazine http://www.lookandlearn.com/

I use a few Oriental Adventures 1st ed spells and filled in a few others. Lots of magical NWP and lore skills to help out too.

Wizard
Mysterious scholars of forbidden magical arts

HD: 1d4+1
Prime Stat: Int
WP: 1 lv(+1/4thLv)
NWP: 6 (+1/Lv)
No-WP mod: -4
Languages: 2d4 (+1/2nd lv) S=spoken and W=written

Spells: Wizard
NWP: Wizard and Common Caster
Shield: None
Armour: None
Weapon: Club, Staff, Dart, Dagger, any Crossbow, Sling, Hatchet, Club, Sickle, Scythe, any Gun
Fight as: WizardSave as: Wizard

Scholar magicians who learn spells from books and enchanted objects and spend all their time at study of obscure languages and lore. They are the worst of all fighters. Wizards learn esoteric lore to help them plunder knowledge and trades crafts to make magic items. They study dead languages and seek lost spell books and magic items. Learn spells from studying teachers and books.May search for old books, ancient carvings in dead languages and even cave pictograms. Professional schools act like sects and brotherhoods, aiding members with labs, aid, skills and spells.

-Must nominate which spells memorized for day during 8 hr study period from book
-Spells materials require 1gp/lv squared in gold 1st = 1x1=1gp, 2nd = 2x2=4, etc
-Get 4 x 0 and 1st lv spells from student book +1d3 per new lv, can learn from other wizards books and scrolls. Beginners book AC6 20HP. 1 page = 1 spell lv or 4 0 lv cantrips = 30gp materials to make
-learning new found spells takes int check or you never comprehend the spell +4 if school spell
- At 6th lv the wizard can have one 1st lv apprentice or 1d4 students with 1 x 0 lv spell each
10th he may establish a tower and attract 1d4 more followers plus one more per lv after

Specialist Wizard Schools
Common schools of magic provide access to training for wizards and offer research materials, spell components, labs, brotherhood aid and other benefits. They also offer unique spells to attract and keep members. Your school supplies you with school themed spells to learn.

Name:
Description
Example weapon proficiencies
Example Non weapon proficiencies
Example first spell book
Example Languages

Necromancer
Specialists in dealing with powers of death
Sickle or Scythe
Necromantic Lore, Mortician, Anatomy, Undead Lore, First Aid, Summoning Mastery
Corpse Link, Feign death, Ghost Light, Unseen Servant
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient W, Deathlord W

Illusionist
Specialists in illusion and disguise
Dagger or Staff
Illusionist Lore, Sleight of Hands, Illumination, Carousing, Etiquette, Hypnotism
Mask, Ghost Light, Ventriloquism, Sleep
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Summoner
Specialists in conjuring servants to serve them
Whip or Staff
Summoning Lore, Summoning Mastery, Monster Lore, Animal Lore, Animal Handling, Animal Husbandry
Floating Disc, Friends, Mount, Summon Monster 1
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Arcane Smith
Specialists in making magic items
Staff or Dagger
Use Focus, Artisan, Repair, Treasure Lore, Trap Lore, Jeweler and one preferred craft
Bless Weapon, Identify, Hold Portal, Magic Missile
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Enchanter
Specialist in charming others wills
Club or Staff
Charm Lore, Iron Will, Carousing, Story Teller, Etiquette, Play Instrument or dance or sing or poetry
Charm person, Friends, Taunt, Sleep
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Fire Elementalist
Specialists in fire magic and elementals
Dagger or Dart
Fire Lore, Extra Damage 1, Alchemy Lore, Cooking, Incediaries, Black powder
Burning Hands, Fiery Eyes, Light, Elemental Burst
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient W, Fire Elemental W

Air Elementalist
Specialists in Air magic and elementals
Dart or Dagger
Air Lore, Extra Range, Song Lore, Story Teller, Carousing, Play Instrument or dance or sing or poetry
Fog Cloud, Cloud Ladder, Shocking Grasp, Elemental Burst
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient W, Air Elemental

Earth Elementalist
Specialists in Earth magic and elementals
Staff or Sling
Earth Lore, Herbalist, Brewing, First Aid Lore, Extra Duration 1, Mining or Kingdom Lore or Mineral Lore
Shield, Floating Disc, Elemental Burst, Spider climb
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient W, Earth Elemental W

Water Elementalist
Specialists in Water magic and elementals
Water Lore, Swim, Boating, Fishing, Extra Area 1, Navigation Lore
Dagger or Sling
Elemental Burst, Swim, Charm Person, Fog Cloud
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient W, Water Elemental W

Alchemist
Specialists in potions and chemical weapons
Staff or Dagger
Alchemical Lore, Poison Lore, Herbalist, Scribe, Glass Blowing, Jeweler
Bless Weapon, Wizard Mark, Chromatic Orb, Fog Cloud
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient W, Alchemical Code W

Sage
Specialists in academic study of lore
Staff or Dagger
Divination Lore, Observation, Astrology Lore, Meditation, Ancient Lore, Research
Know History, Sleep, Comprehend Languages, Magic Missile
Empire Common SW, Common SW, Ancient W, Astrological Code W

Witch
Order of folk magicians retaining elder lore in backward places
Dagger or staff
Elder Lore, Plane Lore, Astrology Lore, Familiar, Herbalist, First Aid
Charm Person, Mask, Know History, Sleep
Empire Common S, Common SW, Ancient W, Astrological Code, Elder W

Warlock
Militant warrior wizards who dominate the battlefield
Dagger or Staff
Elder Lore, Kingdom Lore, Trap Lore, Focus, Incendiaries, Blackpowder
Burning Hands, Sleep, Magic Missile, Mage Armour
Empire Common S, Common SW, Ancient W, Astrological Code, Elder W
Sewer Wizard
Mad drain dwellers who teach wizardry to the poorand scribe spells on rat skins
Club or Staff
Animal Lore, Animal Trainer, City Lore, Trap Lore, Familiar, Tatoo
Hold Portal, Sleep, Fog Cloud, Reduce
Empire Common S, Common SW, Ancient W, Rat S, Elder W
WIZARD XP
+1 per 1gp spent on books, teachers, libraries, laboratories, building a sanctum, exotic magical materials, magical implements, artifacts, incense pleasing to outsiders, donations to libraries and universities.
+100/lv casting spells to win victory
+100 xp for reading books, studying libraries and deciphering documents
Double XP for dueling another spell caster

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EMO DnD Classes pt 4: Rogue

November 28, 2012, 5:46 am

≫ Next: Urban fantasy table goodness

≪ Previous: EMO DnD Classes pt 3: Wizard

This completes my primary classes - next will be racial classics of elf, dwarf and halfling - the fourth my Tako race was done earlier but i might go back and revise.

Rogue is actually the most changed class. He is tougher than d4 or d6 hd versions - he is a capable martial artist. Also they are the best at NWP skills having the most slots of any class and a list of skills that are as good as spells or magic items. Every lv they can grab a whole new awesome NWP, not just get a few % in same old skills.

Rogue
Masters of skill, subterfuge and surprise

HD: 1d8Prime Stat: Dex
WP: 3 (+1/2nd Lv)
NWP: 8 (+1/Lv)
No-WP mod: -3
Languages: 1d4+1 (+1/3rd lv) S=spoken and W=written

Spells: None
NWP: Rogue
Shield: Buckler
Armour: Light only
Weapon: Any Sword, Dagger, Club, Sling, Short Bow, any Crossbow, any Gun, Garrote, Shuriken, Dart, Whip, Net, Hatchet, Hand Axe, Lasso, Bolo, Dirk, Blowpipe, Chain, Rock, Staff
Fight as: Priest
Save as: Priest

Concerned with expertise, commerce and financial gain. Skill specialists using deception, charm and dirty tricks to win. Personal survival, surprise attacks and fleeing preferred modes of combat. Spies, assassins, con men, entertainers, peddlers, beggars, thieves and worse. Rogues whatever their type mix with underworld company. Some ship crews are all rogues. Many have local gang slang dialects, local city language, as well a the occasional codes or ancient scripts to read treasure maps. Older rogues learn the odd dead language to help fake and steal relics or read ancient maps. Rogues are self-interested and avoid the direct approach of others. Rogues frequent with similar types in professional guilds and in unsavory carousing districts.

-Back stab attack +4 to hit x2 damage then x3 at 6th then x4 at 12th then x5 at 18th if surprise victim first hit by melee attack in the back
-Sneak attack +2 hit and +4 damage surprise attack can use with missiles or even face to face - study target and aim full round before attack
-At 4th level get a trained pet or apprentice for a follower
-At 5th Level you’re gang rank is raised to master, taking orders from the real guild master and operating your own chapter
-At 6th level Attract 1d4 thief followers and get one more each lv
-At 10th a Rogue establishes a HQ for their organization and is a guild master and gets 2d6 gang members.

Specialist Rogue Schools
Most rogues have Common S, Empire S, Guild tongue S (specific to your type).

Name
Description
WP
NWP

Thief
Typical city thieves guild member
Short bow, dagger, shorts sword
Sneak, Hide, Climb, Lock Lore, Trap Lore, Listen, Night Sight and Pick Pockets

Spy
Agent for some faction for information and sabotage
Short bow, dagger, shorts sword
Acting, Assimilate, Disguise, Escape, Espionage, Lip Reading, Scout, Shadow

Jailer
Professional at imprisoning and torturing
Club, Whip, Dagger
Rope Use, Lock Lore, Torture, Interrogate, Blacksmith, Espionage, Alertness, Streetwise

Assassin
Professional killer for hire
Dagger, Crossbow, Long sword
Poison Lore, Resist Poison, Disguise, Hide, Sneak, Acting, Shadowing, Assimilate

Charlatan
Confidence artist and flimflam man
Dagger, Staff, Club
Begging, Bluff, Forgery, Fortune Telling, Gambling, Quack Healer, Sleight of Hand, Bribe

Rake
Decadent partying bachelor
Dagger, Brawling, Sabre
Seduce, Gambling, Streetwise, Taunt, Bribe, Carousing, Gossip, Sleight of hand

Jester
Occupational clown and entertainer
Club, Dagger, Rock
Jester, Taste Poison, Taunt, Tumbling, Mimic Voice, Juggling, Story Teller, Ventriloquism

Acrobat
Entertainer who performs physical feats
Staff, Dagger, Brawling
Acrobatics, Balance, Jumping, Leaping, Pole Vaulting, Tumbling, Wall Runner, Run Away

Peddler
Common trader and tinkerer
Staff, Dagger, Crossbow
Appraising, Treasure Lore, Merchant, Jeweler, Lock Lore, Trap Lore, Repair, Haggle

Entertainer
A common street busker, actor or wannabe bard
Staff, Brawling, Dagger
Acting, Disguise, Juggling, Ventriloquism, Mimic Voice, Play Instrument, Sing, Dance

Bandit
A woodland thug who robs travelers
Crossbow, Club, Dagger
Looting, Night Vision, Alertness, Sneak, Hide, Scout, Pack Rat, Taunt

Wanderer
A homeless traveler who wanders secret roads
Staff, Club, Brawling
Begging, Streetwise, Navigation Lore, Folk Lore, Kingdom Lore, Gossip, Sneak, Hide

Beggar
A member of a city beggars guild
Club, Dagger, Garrote
Begging, Streetwise, Pick Pockets, Sneak, Hide, Shadowing, bluff, Taunt

Adventuress
A female profiteer and gold digger
Dagger, Brawling, Light Crossbow
Streetwise, Pick Pockets, Carousing, Appraising, Forgery, Escape, Seduce, Bluff

Gang Member
A professional gangster from a big city
Club, Dagger, Brawling
Streetwise, Sneak, Hide, Climb, Bluff, Shadow, Appraise, Looting

Sailor
A commercial sailor of the high seas
Sabre, Dagger, Brawling
Sailing, Boating, Swim, Rope Use, Climb, Carousing, Navigation, Spot

Tomb Robber
A professional treasure hunter
Long Sword, Crossbow, Dagger
Incendiaries, Treasure lore, Trap lore, Resist Poison , Lock lore, Climb, Rope-use, Listen

Bounty Hunter
A hunter of persons for money
Sabre, Whip, Crossbow
Trap lore, Sneak, Hide, Shadow, Rope-use, Spot, Observation, Scout

Demagogue
A popularity rousing political schemer
Dagger, Sabre, Crossbow
Bluff, Jester, Taunt, Interrogate, Run away, Bribe, Gossip, Forgery

Killer Cultist
Member of a masked killer sect
Dagger, Sabre, Chain
Sneak, Hide, Poison Lore, Acrobatics, Tumbling, Jumping, Leaping, Climb

Carnival Roustabout
Traveling entertainer, grifter, gambler and labourer
Dagger, Club, Brawling
Gambling, sleight of hands, rope use, pick pockets, tumble, streeetwise, Climb, Jester

THIEF XP
+1 per 1gp spent on carousing, luxury, gambling, intrigue, bribes, contacts, merchant ventures, spy rings, gang lairs, scams, demagoguery, political funds, entertainers, lovers and other shenanigans
+100 per proficiency success that helps victory
+100 for big time scores of loot
Double for killing foe with backstab, trap, trick or ambush

↧

Urban fantasy table goodness

November 29, 2012, 8:45 am

≫ Next: Cards and Hero points in FRP

≪ Previous: EMO DnD Classes pt 4: Rogue

Ok so ive added pages to my blog and a big thanks to those reading this. Your welcome to say hello or troll me. Having done the big 4 classes im gonna do a few things to push the bar a bit as i have urge to beat last months hits. Ive also had some pleasant offers to recycle some of this stuff and have remade some old acquaintances.

This weekend i have gammaworld at urchin books - hope to do a dnd and a gamma game before i migrate to Adelaide for uncanny xmas. I hope to do a few game steak and beer days there too. My net will be poor there so ill probably lay out books for print editions.

My post with city tables with bribery table and magical hag table is the biggest success yet so im gonna update all the encounter tables tables over next few days. Finish all my mongol stuff.

As for here and now im gonna do:

1d10 Skullport gang table

1 The Blood-Rats
A gang of sewer dwelling punks who have been over taken by were rats who dont often leave their sewer warrens. They often tunnel into homes and kill everyone. Other rat beings like goblin-rats and giant or inteligent swarm rats have been summoned by the rat wizards with spells tattooed on rats for spellbooks. There are several factions who battle for sewer domination. They write in their own script they say is from a demon rat god.

2 The Nostratum
A gang of wizard apprentice drop outs who teach wizardry illegally on the streets to urchins. They were bullies who made other students do their work and plotted evil before expulsion. The gang is 800 years old now. Many non wizards act as spell enhanced thieves and thugs. The gang write magical symbols on their turf.

3 The Thousand Beggars
The official beggars guild who also are messengers, gossip spreaders, spies and even political agitators. They pay a tithe and get a meal guaranteed every day. They also solve disputes and put best beggars in best spots. Beggers make chalk marks and secret arrangements of gravel to mark territory and inform fellows of local pickings.

4 Scarlet Queens
A gang of prostitute vigilantes who kill any who interfere with their members. Members form no permanent relations with men by law. They kill those who prey on women and children and get support from some women nobles. They often write a scarlet death rune in their areas after they have punished someone or might warn a drug dealer or pimp with one in blood.

5 Ravens
This gloomy black clad gang are a brotherhood of thieves, assassins and spies who serve as mercenaries. They are seldom public and control street crime and work with law in their district - often being related to the watch by blood. They kill enemies silently in public and only write in codes with their own invisible ink formula.

6 Skull Crackers
A gang of tough stupid body builders often including mentally deficient and humanoids even ogres in the gang. Some use demonic decor on tattoos, medallions and their clothes because it looks bad. They love to brawl, arm wrestle and break stuff. They draw crude skulls and write threats in areas they congregate, taverns and toilet pits.

7 Snake Lords
A gang who congregate in the ruins, sewers and forests on the edge of the city but are hidden in other circumstances. They serve the elder races who built the old city. They spread vice, depravity and teach exotic rituals to contact obscene beings for secret spells. They supply evil cults with criminal connections and wield evil influence over the city. In secret lairs they have monsters. Many members are stooges who think being a snake is cool, rebellious and makes you tough. Some are from affluent families. They draw snake sigils on the street.

8 Vice Guild
Official city guild where nobles can buy their stolen goods back for a fee. Very bureaucratic and surprisingly big on documentation and licenses for all criminal trades. They control gambling, prostitution, banking, markets, taverns, hotels and more. The law even defend them. Their brand is an official guild sign and seal.

9 The Long Knives
Unofficial vice guild who control illegal entertainment, extortion, protection, fraud, coin clipping and more. They protect the common man and are seen as agitators and rebels by state. They have strong loyal family clans who control different wards and keep order. The mark streets with dagger signs.

10 The Secret Police
These dog masked men are skilled assassins, dungeon keepers, executioners and martial artists. Who the law cannot reach or threaten the Barrondisappear or die. They run vice, prostitution and drug deals for the elite. They also clean up evidence that would embarrass the lords of the city. Most fear them and look away. They are cruel and may torture someone in the street. They often mark an x on a door or house under their watch.

d12 Skullport cult table

1 Sons of the Hydra
A cult of reptile worshipers trying to recreate the original vile rituals of the serpent men. Many decadant nobles join for the sex and drugs and become helpless thralls. Some get to mate with serpents to create hybrids and carry the bloodlines. Poison daggers and snake headed staff are used by cult.

2 Blood Brotherhood
Carry a bloodline of ancient evil high priest who occupies his descendants and rules forever. His bred his own servants and monstrosities and blood puddings as servitors. He has also been making fleshzombies for thousands of years. They wear red robes and carry knives. Also use blood magic and stop in battle to slit throats.

3 Servants of The Green Eye
Serve a mysterious being who teachers strange spells and grants strange mutations. Only initiates ever see the being and are bonded to it. They seek strange ingredients and texts for their god who takes them to his plane. Most cultists are mutants and some know spells as a wizard too. Some have strange technological weapons and implants as gifts of the god for chosen.

4 Flesh Fiends
Serve a glowing pit which appears when summoned. Initiates step in and become modified by the being inside. Their skin is removed leaving invisible skin instead and their muscles and bones visible.They may wear their skin and pretend to normal but if the still living skin is lost they are condemed to dwell in the temple. Cultists are cannibals and hide their skins on cult missions. Some chosen are sorcerers and commune with the secret master often.

5 Hellfire Cult
A group of depraved nobles and their stooges who worship evil otherworldly devils, evil elemental and others beings. They scour the city for forbidden lore and and seek contact with strange beings for forbidden spells. Any unspeakable deed is ok if it attracts the attention of evil. They have been increasingly ruled by the devil spreading psychotic violence and bloodletting as the one true way. They have some influence over the city and the Barron has been known to attend. Cambions serve them, sons of summoned succubus or incubus lords have been overs with.

6 Black Lotus
A cult of degenerate abhuman drug dealers who serve a masked immortalsorcerer who in turn serves secret foreign masters. Cruel and degenerate many nobles are members but they are really being fleeced and brainwashed. Their drugs and rituals allow one to enter a dreamland where they are tormented by a shadowy dream lord - the real form of the sorcerer. They treasure exotic cruel traps and tortures.

7 Wolf Brotherhood
Werewolf cult who menace the countryside and carouse in the city. They feign being mercenaries, and often join the unicorn hunters. New members join often and in winter the frozen streets are unsafe and the waterways and harbour are frozen over. This lets the wolves roam the street and all sensible persons fear them. They have been aided by elven silver to keep humans away from the Elderwood and restrain human civilization.

8 Scions of the Dark Undersea
These sea folk meet in lodge houses and are a popular fraternal order, but in fact they serve the fish men and other horrors from the elder age. They often are sailors, fishermen and dock workers. A few are sorcerers and mate with fish people to create hybrids. A colony dwell in the city cisterns and sewerage works. They often sacrifice, eat or breed captives.

9 Feeders of the Pit
Robed ritualistic who throw victims into a tooth filled pit. The god needs food and gives his feeders unnatural strength and feelings of power. Cultists are descended from the same which dwelled in the oldest recorded versions of the cities history. By feeding the god they stop him awakening and taking food for himself from the city streets.

10 Black-Horned-Man
This savage cult brought in with slaves has a system of spirits who act as minor deities and are parents of sorcerers. The cult practice evil eyes, curses and charms but specialize in making Zombi slaves. Have many rituals with drugs, dancing and drums. This common folk faith is ignored by civilized persons but the the cult do wear hideous masks and capture sacrifices to make zombies.

11 The Black Temple
This brotherhood of evil clerics meet to plot the spread of chaos and evil. The pretend to be good priests if possible but really are the opposite spreading anarchy and cruelty. They give the empire church a bad name to new subjects and do their best to start wars, breed monsters and incite terror. Helping the elder races is an interest too.

12 Ghoul Cult
This sect rob graves of treasure and abuse sacred ground and spread ghouls. Many hope to become ghouls or even ghoul lords. Many necromancers join when they realize they will never make it too a lich. They are quite mad and help ghouls hide in the community with tunnels, hidden corrupted crypts, disguises etc.

d10 Skullport fame table
-4 if from slum
-2 if from poor
+2 if from wealthy
+4 if from nobles
+1 per lv
+/- DM factors

1d10 and mods
-6 Ratters and sewer workers praise your name
-5 Cult of maniacs want to convert or kill you
-4 Invited to meet Barron in secret
-3 Secret Police decide its time to talk
-2 Agitators among mob mention you often
-1 mutants living in ghetto sing of your glory
0 Mob of angry street people cite your name1 Common folk sing how you help the common man
2 Pirates from many lands have heard of your wealth
3 Gang of criminal take an interest in your affairs
4 City officials notice your not on census
5Beggars guild round the clock vigil on you
6 Priests remind you their gods like to be named in wills
7 Bards sing of your glory, women love you men want to fight you
8Merchants want to make a deal
9 Noble wants you to do a deed
10 Wizards want exotic materials and texts
11 Demi humans believe you are the great hope
12 Elder races observe and infiltrate your followers
13 Royalty want you to hang with them
14Monsters want to ruin your life
15 Alignment Champions call on you to make a difference
16beings of nature ask you to come with them to secret lands
17 spirits wish to give you curse or gift you with goodies
18 dragons have met, sure your plotting to get them
19 underworld or overworld beings offer you a message from their lords
20 gods smile and offer a gift - next time they may take you with them

Skullport noble table
roll twice apply to same person for exra unusual possibly mad noble
or roll for disguise then real personality
1 battle loving knight
2 courtly fop
3 brave paladin
4 sophisticated dandy
5 superstitious fool
6 robber barron
7 devout cultist
8 good steward
9 merchant lord
10 power hungry
11 amorous pervert
11 carousing bachelor
12 gambling fool
13 love crazy
14 retired adventurer
15 culture fan
16 torturing sadist
17 wizard lord
18 monk lord
19 assassin lord
20 chaos champion

↧

Cards and Hero points in FRP

December 1, 2012, 4:12 am

≫ Next: Gamma Raiders of the Beaver King

≪ Previous: Urban fantasy table goodness

The amazing Jeff Dee on old school gamers FB group, proclaimed his dislike for point systems to help survive (to be fair he said it made senses in starwars).

I used a booster card set - which is funny because i hate what some card games have done to industry, Games with actual speculative trading and gambling for profit pisses me off too (one of my buddies lived off magic). But my welsh-estonian-adelaidian upbringing probably made me that way or something.

TORG was inspirational and probably being a dr Dr Who fan as well. TORG was to me unplayable but had some of the last rpg books i kept for a while - tharkoldu and space gods, all the realm books were great. My RQ game had only divine magic for about 4 years probably my best game. I used this card system to help players pull a few heroic miracles. My BRP game in space did this too. Some of most memorable moments. Marvel had karma too but that's another story.

I normally dont like cards. casinos, either but for my deck i used a standard deck of playing cards cos they are cheap and so am i. And some odd notes for my old RQ world.

RPG Booster Cards Christopher Tamm (1996)
CARD       Clubs                 Hearts            Spades           Diamonds
10 - 7        Fleshwound      Parley             Second Try   Treasure
                  1d4 dam only    Talk                Re-roll            Cash bonus
6 - 4         Mighty Blow    Friend             Success         Equipment
                  +6 dam mod      Ally        Auto                Useful find
3 - 2         Surprise!            Monologue   Special            Transport
                   0 Strike Rank    Speech           Auto                Travel opportunity
ACE          Trick Shot         Rally             Critical            Passage
                   Perfect shot    Call Ally     Auto                 Move freely
                   special move followers                                 without obstacle
JACK         Nemesis            Intrigue           Support            Card Theif
                   Foil an enemy   Aids plots       Give ally         Swap cards with others
   escape               and schemes   auto success   hands or discard deck
Queen         Champion         Romance         Rescue            Artifact
                    Ignore one        Overcomes      Help arrives    Obtain a valuable
                    attack                with love         help problem   or unique object
King            Martyr               Glory              Mastery            Illumination
                    Defeat foe        Gain glory    Gives bonus to Find an answer
                    die in attempt   for a deed       improvements to a mystery

Joker- Saved From Death Miraculously avoid death from any source by an amazing feat.Goes great with king of clubs.

heroes and villains can hold up to 3 cards and may draw one per session to replace a spent card or swap with your least favorite in hand

important flunkies and npcs can hold up to one card

an arch villain may lend his cards to important subordinates

I would consider doing a DnD version and make cards held = Wis Bonus

DnD has different issues - but this could be better than healing and huge HP scores

Some other fragments

Spoken Languages                  Written Languages
Dutanian (Low Common)       Dutanian (Common)
Volnir (North)                         Runes (Used by Vikings)
Thulian (Lost land)                 Agonian (Used by East Church)
Agonian (East)                         Lamnutainian (Used by West Church)
Permian (Far north)                 Kurtian (Used by Infidel)

1RQ penny = 1 piece of silver = 10 pieces of copper =1/40th a piece of gold
1gp=40sp=400cp   500 coins = 1kg mass

↧

Gamma Raiders of the Beaver King

December 2, 2012, 3:24 am

≫ Next: Gamma Beaver Force Five

≪ Previous: Cards and Hero points in FRP

Two new players at Urchin books gamma aeon game. I had a debate about editions with a passer by which was funny. My preference for Basic edition was a surprise. Original players getting into having back up characters ready and realize they are a bit weak.

Cujo (Rachael)
A mutant dog, fully humanoid with poison fangs. From a steam punk tech pack in a death land area. Swapped tent and bedroll for a replica sabre. Has a sack of clock parts and is a cogsman wandering tinker. Very good survivor and mechanic. Got given a machine pistol by the party. Got a riding turkey with shooting beard spines (warned not to surprise).

Dave Stark (Sam)
A genetically modified pure human on the run from a radiation poisoned bunker. Operated at cyberpunk level tech and Knights of genetically purity warband. Got a bolt action rifle with a bayonet. Has a cyber hacker deck in an armored case. Fairly tough but a bit wimpy for a super soldier racial supremest. Has a bunch of high tech camping supplies typical of soft advanced types. Riding turkey with radiation eyes, blue wattles and neon green feathers. Dave has not mentioned his home land other than as a radiation hazard. His kin may hunt him if they hear of his location.

Kong (Mark)
He is Johnny's flunky and an unstable mutant with an impressive array of mutations. Carries a mostly for show blunderbuss and sabre. He comes from a Napoleonic tech family of mutants whose looks and faces change monthly. He has been living as a superhero crusader in his semi ruined hometown. He is earless with multicoloured skin with long arms and short legs, or he does this session. Probably has some old grudges with a mad scientist or mutant. Riding turkey with fire breath, red wattles and neon orange feathers.

Johnny 1111 (Mark)
From Bunker weakling to wasteland warrior - his Gamma Eyes zap the best foe out in most battles. Happy with his B-type Slug gun he is the best scavenger. More mutations have made him better. Extra shot skill and his mutations make shooting lots with basic pistol a menace. Still looks human under his sunnies. 2-pistol style would be deadly and economical improvement. Riding turkey covered in purple wattles all over and no feathers.

Deathport 0002 (Matt)
The bat winged wonder chef with grenades, a las pistol, a sonic blaster, plus some dynamite make him a heavy hitter. He has some weird hi tech skills like teleporter ops and ray gun know how. He has become a Mormon and has two young recruits and a riding turkey with hilarity poison yummy meat. His flunkies carry stuff and watch the riding turkeys when the party is inside. The secret cyborg controller has his photo.

Fishtank 2414 (Carolina)
Discovering being a pyro is difficult indoors didn't use flame thrower or moltovs once. Currently in her porcupine form and has lived for 3 months as such even hanging with other porcupine. Using her axe, shield and electric quills. On lookout for better body to copy. The last one she copied has a grudge. Has become mutation expert from cult. Turkey with Gamma eye (dont spook him) with blck wattle and feathers.

The party meet in the stable behind the pub because Kong has anti charisma today. With donated turkeys and some new flunkies they follow a tip and look for bunkers exposed in the recent spring storms. A beaver paddler pointed out some concrete exposed and they found 10 bunkers.

Mostly ruined they killed a giant ripper bug, traded with some slither snake folk badly, killed a fungus bat Ob and some weird screaming irradiated undead and a zombie. They met some rednecks who traded moonshine for cigarettes, a cowardly psionic mutant and a sick family needing medical help. Undead deathfeilds hit multiple players making fishtank and Cujo retreat - Johnny fried but peeked around corner and zapped a screamer.

Some odd loot - some high tech cube and sphere that defied identification and looked cool. A slug thrower, revolver and fusion rifle with no atomic cells, gifted a neural whip by the rescued family - pleasure, pain and stun settings (all same effect). The cowardly mutant gave them 2 frag grenades.

Lots of trash like vip clothes, doughnut maker, some helmets, power bbq, video discs, e-car engine time test kit, a commerce transaction laptop deck and lots of other crap. The cube was a map box that projected interactive holo maps. The sphere was a game but it looks cool enough to sell as anything. They traded for some ammo and chain-mail and read a data chip about an investigator searching for a black lab among the island bunkers. Possibly linked to growing cyborg membership with gangs and pirates. A pile of bug eggs made good eating and were swapped for bears. Too deadly to try and hatch.

Im actually running here original legion of gold - one of best modules from oldschool era by gygax. The screaming undead fit with my undead in setting fine. Some bigger bunkers next session with possible steam traction engine 20mm gun car. Need them ready to kill buggems and androids and seek to loan an e-car from the barony of horn. Cyborgs will be enemies in short term - allied with space-dwellers. Id like them to make an attack on a proper bunker like their home one or something and go over kill before their moon trek.

I was nice enough to not kill some newbs the first room they entered - growing an extra brain is a bit more fun. Soon players will discover the more mutations you have the more hideous table you get to roll on. Which means ill do my mutation tables for chimera then abominations. Ive considered adding plant based humanoid as a 1 in 6 option for plants - pod people with less mutations but hands and voice box and can pass for a mutant at least. After seeing cyborgs in mutant epoch i like idea of cyborging table. A table for undead powers might make that whole line more interesting. Animal breed table might be handy.

Carolina did a great animen - goose woman with a diesel blimp that will make a great plot hook and way to get around the great lakes. Bred to be high altitude endurance pilot. Matt has a pc from a clan of time traveling mutant lemurs busy breeding powers into their bloodline by temporal incest. All very strange.

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Gamma Beaver Force Five

December 3, 2012, 6:15 am

≫ Next: Marvel Super Heroes - 20 year campaign highlights

≪ Previous: Gamma Raiders of the Beaver King

A map i made while feeling ill at work.

It is a hidden black lab disguised as a eroded hillock with an abandoned shack on bottom SW.

The tunnel mouths look like caves till the steel door or in one case just a the lair of a huge beast. Area wired and camera system in place. Monsters from bio labs can be released if intruders get close.

I guess it could be a dwarvern hidden citadel too.

Anyway on with my plans for Gamaworld based on modules i havent touched since i sold them to david conyers in about 85 when i introduced him to cthulhu. Plus some dragon articles.

So the party has orders to stock up and muscle up for for more serious adventures. Rooting out the cyborgs masters and investigate the threat of the space born sacks of flesh in armour that were human when the left sol 300 years ago. Space travel one big goal of the Beaver kings plan too.

So currently playing mish-mash of legion of gold. Some local bugs to fight in a bunker (buggems) before some important diplomacy. Players will get to work with Barony of horn against the cyborgs. All in hope to borrow Barron of Horns e-car. A few diversions like An android installation before hunting the Cyborg command bunker. They need more atomic energy cells too.

I am expecting this to either lead to Albuquerque space port or go direct to Tycho station - a hell hole of macrobes and mutant plants battling for supremacy and perhaps new mutagens. I will use space 1999 moonbase alpha as it is pretty much the best darned moonbase ever. Their are orbitals still intact and some asteroid/moon habs out there. There is the Wardens sister ship still in lunar orbit used by navigators and gamma astrologers. It has gone feral in part like the comic Morbis Gravis (A great comic in heavy metal but writer more into kinky sexual weirdness than resolving the world). The ship is sick and has isolated itself into zones by how infected. Biological and material all warped and deformed. Rust covered slime filled tunnels filled with abomination mutants. Other sections have degraded but are intact due to a priesthood who control the masses with anti-mutagens. The priests serve the computer, some are undead cyborgs. Gangs control illicit drugs gained illegally and run vice. Explorers seek stuff and a miracle to save the ship before being mutated or killed.

Then probably do some DnD again. Need to play test some stuff. Australia will be my next gamma game location. Several time traveling PCs have made me consider i need to do a more detailed gamma history. Which could also make interesting planet of the apes paradox time stream game.

i have also updated my growing up gamma post with several changes including humanoid plants and robots and fixed gaps in gamma gobblers

character gen tables
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/growing-up-gamma.html
gamma gobblers - riding and food beasts
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/gamma-thanksgiving.html

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Marvel Super Heroes - 20 year campaign highlights

December 5, 2012, 10:38 am

≫ Next: War is Hell man!

≪ Previous: Gamma Beaver Force Five

Marvel Super Heroes - A 20 year campaign.

I started superhero gaming in 84 with champions. It was fun and making characters seemed fun but there were some bugs. Tried superworld too. The thing that puts me off both these great games is points. Gurps too but gurps classic world books were easy to add to other games. Point games break when you cant keep the villains weapon even if you could buy one off the shelf. Aussie game Super Squadron in early 80s had a few fans too - a bit of a Villains and Vigilantes rip with less rules. Id still like all the V&V villains books.

When I playes marvel it was a breathe of fresh air in 85. I was the thing - one of my faves and my friend spike was captain America (he played great paladins or evil wizards well), Spiderman and the Afro black captain marvel. I was impressed at the flexibility, that dare devil could fight near Thor and could bother Hulk on a good day. No damage rolls, one table - a simple game that captured the genre well. I quickly abandoned the marvel universe and ended up running what now would be seen as typical Iron age 80s comic stuff. Ninjas, spies and the government are covering up everything. Wildcards was a bit of an influence too. I was a mad comic collector and with 2 friends got most of the marvel universe through the 80s. Marvel and DC whose who books were a great resource too. Zenith by grant Morrison with brit heroes vs mythos in 2000AD was genius too.

So my world had no public knowledge of superheroes for the first 3 years, They were recruited into APIO (Australian Paranormal Intelligence Organization) or would have been turned into assassins by the bad guys who knew more than the good guys. So for years they were meta secret agents pulling off incredible deeds and keeping everything secret. Eventually they got a feel for the various factions and dealt with foreign agents. Suits and codenames were for operation Open Book, for when normals would be be let in on some of the truth. In fact the powers that be never wanted it open but realized it was impossible to cover forever. Eventually the heroes found the master villain Ironking was in fact a mile long insectoid battling his partner for meta-human DNA for a biological arms race. The nifty suits heroes mostly wore were actually packaging and in neutral mode had graphics and colours identifying type and powers. Then it was time to mop up various villain orgs, find out what happened to their agent mentors who were really immortals. And i ran the Nightmare of future past where time traveling heroes battled anti meta robots in the future as per the MX modules. Of course beating on Nazis in the past and present in a heroes duty too.

At some point they hunted down long lost old heroes whos had served for decades and never got their credit, many having gone bad. These guys had a team member for every Australian state and territory and a base or hero silo (limited by meta-human test treaty limitations act). There ended up being an old states men and a new statesmen team. I probably designed well over a thousand npcs over many years so ill try and get some up here with some crude art.

Eventually they battled Ironkings mate - a swarm of space monsters which rained down on the planet blowing secrecy forever. A bit like a tyranid invasion if id known about tyranids then or Tiamat in Wildcards universe.

This all went for 20 years before i was getting itchy to move to the east coast and rebooted the game in my fictional river city. This campaign had more than one main origin - i allowed magic and made some mystery men rules that with care could make outrageous heroes from mere humans. Ill go into some of my meta human types which i used to streamline creation choices some other time but basically i had 3 generations of 4 types of standard metahumans, mystery men (includes batman and iron man types), monsters, immortals and a more flexible super hero type for experienced players. I also had a list of background options to choose like weapon, armour, transport, suit, sidekick, pet, extra power, extra stats, extra talents, extra resources, etc. Ill put that here too.

Highlights

Huntsman the immortal archer and vampire hunter got to play the whole marvel vampire hunter experience and basically kept them hidden and a minor force after killing off all the nobility. He was one of those annoying humans who never missed. My immortals chose which dice led after rolling and had immortality powers making them unkillable. Huntsman had been serving earth goddess since the Bronze Age and was called in to watch the party. He would wear a Stag mask from time to time.

Quantum cat - the cat who walks through walls after hearing team mate Discord go on about his his therworld metaphysics and the various evil beings he kept naming decided to pull a gag. He adopted the identity of Loki exactly as Discord described. He kept torturing his friend with videos, thefts and one day the party needed something from Quantum Cats base. They instead found his evil pipe organ, tv studio, a dead supervillain and all kinds af bad things QC had been up to as Loki. the cat got himself exonerated in court by claiming he was replace by a evil mimic from another universe with his Incredible Charisma. Other players testified it was possible. Years later when Discords evil enamies did appear they told QC he really was the host body for Loki and they were pleassed with his efforts so far. Gulp. Quantum cat started as Cheshire Cat and was a wacky phazing prankster with tech. Quantum was more spooky with a black suit with red eye of horus and an egyptian gold cat mask full of tech. By then he was teleporting, plane shifting and disintegrating stuff by touch.

Captain Resilience the super alien space ranger acted like an flirtatious 70s Captain Marvel (Marvel universe) or even a bit like a power ranger. In fact she was a humanoid formed shoggoth from a rebel colony seeking meta DNA in their biowar with the starspawn of cthulhu. She slept her way through the hero fraternity collecting bio samples. One day when a bad villain prisoner wouldn't talk and had a power she hadn't sampled the other heroes saw a barbed sucker come out her mouth and suck fluid from a villain who spilled all his beans. Suddenly the party realized everything she had said for years was true. Eventually she went home but also led Starspawn home. Battled Dire Wraith (from ROM)for years too (evil rival-relatives). She looked all blonde and pretty in a white jumpsuit with gold helm and a yellow sunburst. She could fly, shoot webs and make force fields. Occasionally she would travel through what she called the food storage tunnels as a shoggoth meaning the sewer system and toilets (toilet-porting).

Sohei - a monk wha absorbed kinetic energy to heal and grow stronger. Heroically battle superiorodds but feared henchmen with lasers.

Mr Smith - a blacksmith and ex soldier who had magnetic powers and regeneration. Would encase self in armour them fly at high speed into enemies. Would form spikes if other heroes not around.

Shadowbat - a sonic using special forces martial artist who was really awesome night fighter. Would tackle anything. Eventually would fly on his glider wings with his powers enhancing them. One of best martial artists in my game. Think cross between daredevil, black panther and banshee.

Cancer was an aquatic battle suit with a crab head and one massive crab claw. He was pretty deadly and smart as heck, helping to crack the metagenetic code on the extra alien chromosomes.

Unicorn a super fast amazon with holy light beams, healing and regeneration.

Gargoyle - a silicon android who had been guarding a cathedral for 800 years.Sandman - A guy who turns to sand and was very smart. Later modified his meta type to become smarter. Dropped out of common hero life after that

Discord - A very strange hero. A black and white body suit with a long pole with a buzz saw and a plastic rope. He was actually very smart, had psychometry but his main power was matter animation. So he begun wielding his special rope and spinning the blade on his pole saw. He developed tunneling, animate gas, animate flesh (yuck) and more.

Space Toaster - an appliance owned by a cosmic devourer who came to earth in a strange ship which is unfathomable to humans. He shoots heat rays from the slots in his face and can make yummy toast.

Wally Surface - an ape detective who was an ultra conservative old timer who could pretty much bring down any thing for a few rounds. A grumpy funny guy to have around. His detective agency supported the Party.

Australian Sentinel - A super strong flying invulnerable martial artist who dealt fabulous speeches and broke the will of bad guys with reason - just like a real heron. Plus he was basically a flying rocket proof ninja. He also was an Excellent electronics buy and used gadgets. A number of part brains invented the wonder metal Incredibility for such characters.

Mercury is really sure he is son of zeus which doesn't fit into his life as wealthy Greek chemical magnate with a family. Has a base under his city factory which he occasionally uses to solve problems with. Jumps into a chamber and coats himself with alchemical mercurymaking his skin silver coated. He also can fly and has TK. Quite potty and overly trusting when a hero.

Warlock an astral traveling, precog/psychometric using agent who became a staff specialist. He would stun and slam the villains he couldn't hurt and set them up for the team. He always went first in almost every battle. But for some reason he would always get beaten most by normal henchmen. Used to try make deals behind parties back and betray them constantly in the belief he knew better.

Clawhammer - a crotchety smoking immortal Templar with a demons head in a cage. Could manipulate gates with weird talents and no powers per se.

Ninja Avenger - an Aussie bogan with martial arts who like Holden Manaro's (that's a car). He killed some cops who gave him cheek and Agent Banks from APIO killed him with one shot from a hi tech pistol. They all respected the Agency after that.

Devestator - An alien tiger man in a battle suit everyone assumes is really human. Had some sidekicks he modified too.

Adam Eternal - My eternals were kinda a green lantern corp who where granted energy powers in form of a symbol to battle evil by superior beings. Adam had a grey and white suit, ankh on his chest and a cape. He would either use life draining or healing light rays, was strong, could fly and and other nift stuff. I also played him in Superworld and Champions.

The biggest rule changes we made were:

Adding Extra Stat of Charisma to FASERIP to Equal FASE CRIP instead. As my heroes often act in disguise and in secret i needed to have a better stat than just popularity. Popularity is earned, charisma works the moment you step off your spaceship. Steve Rogers in Marvel comics easily has Rm or Inc Charisma. Also characters are sometimes hunted which effects their popularity but not charisma. We used it heaps and definitely helped in court. I think Doom could pull same thing with a jury if he needed to.

Adding extra martial arts. This is pretty common but ill put them all here some time. I also had a list of meditations for martial artists monks and wizards.

Karma - I had 4 basic alignments with slightly different goals and objectives. This was inspired by some notes somewhere on how to live with wolverine in your party and ot lose all your karma. As well as by the morality of godzilla films. Also the first yellow box set rules had seperate rules for villain karma and how to spend it - for a hundred karma they could escape any death or imprisonment.

The standard hero or person is a Defender. They pretty much use standard Karma system They get rewarded for capturing villains and surrendering them to legal process. They dont let anybody die and fight for justice.

The next is an Avenger - they get less karma but dont lose it all for kills. They live to inflict justice themselves and may clash with the law for maiming and killing bad guys.

Next is conqueror - really for villains who get karma for controlling resources by force or theft. Some want slaves and land, others want cash. Not too obsessed with destruction and killing except as means to an end. They do get rewarded for putting heroes in deathtraps but not for killing them in cold blood.

Finally the Destroyer. This if for monsters and morons who gain karma for smashing property and eating stuff or people. They may be territorial and even have a horde but that's just a hobby on the side. Many are not smart enough to be sentient.

I ran a game of 50ft high+ monsters including a evil teddy who could shrink to toy size, a stone idol from Easter island, a grumpy space brain in a jar and a giant junk monster. Each player had human contacts they would play to solve the mystery stuff. Like when godzilla battles a monster the humans amid his feet get to fight some gangsters, spies or aliens.

I did lots of notes for a Cthulhu-Superworld campaign I might run one day or publish here too.

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War is Hell man!

December 7, 2012, 12:24 pm

≫ Next: Dungeon Dwellers - the little guys

≪ Previous: Marvel Super Heroes - 20 year campaign highlights

A Wizards Kiss Blog has posted a whole bunch of campaign forums on rpg.net. Some of the best inspirational reading Ive had since i got into blogger 3 months back. So sorry Ive been reading these for last few days and heck working.

My fave so far include:

Voices From Below and the Long Stairs
This is concerning superpowers operating gates to a endless dungeon dimension. Run by military and black science. Looting magic and xenofauna for study and profit . Typical DnD dungeon ideas subverted by alien characteristics. Boffins in the labs try to rationalize what is found. The world is changing to deal with our incursion and seems to be testing, taunting and limiting us. Our personnel are being changed too and our world is changing from black market artifacts and unauthorized entry. Alot like Charles Stross laundry novels crossed with 1st ed AD&D. Much of text is documents from staff - a great shared world.

A great setting i might try and run for a long session one off perhaps with BRP.

Subterranean Fantasy Fucking Vietnam!
The heroes are grunts invading a strange land, where they cant tell native friends from foes. Drugs, disease, madness abound. DnD meets Apocalypse Now. Hilarious, disturbing subversion of DnD race war. Some awesome lines. "Me so holy, me so holy, me heal you long time" and "I love the smell of flamestrike in the morning". Airborne wizards rain fireballs down on poor bloody infantry. Psychological war drama meets swords and sorcery. Some great little bits of fiction.

Will affect the way i run wars forever. Make good start for next DnD game and will feed into my Imperial Dungeon Corp idea.

Having the Imperial Dungeon Corp arrive on Island should be a good event and will shake up the land a bit. More imperials will be about but they are only here for dungeon loot for the civil war back home. Some will be hoping legendary justice and chivalry will be restored but nope. Not just dungeon loot but potion ingredients like monster parts are needed too. This will disturb the status quo of the old pacts and the monsters will unite under Tiamats banner as the mother of monsters. Her volcano will smoke again too. It is an entry to hell on the dino infested island next to Exile island. Should make life messy anyhow.

I could imagine orders like the Templars attacking dungeons with siege armies. Driving out the foul subhumans and restocking labyrinths with barracks, store houses, banking offices and tax havens. Turning a dungeon into a private prison would be good. Think of the vice, ransoms and bribes you could earn.

My last DnD party included a Bugbear as in the orcs of they book. With his goblinoid charisma he could control many humanoids. When clearing out the intro dungeon they provided labour, health care, food and weapons to the survivors. This was the parties base and the others liked having gobbo serfs and labs. The elf had her doubts but gave it a shot. When in the Caves of Chaos the bugbear burst in on the bugbear clan leaders bedroom via their secret escape passage. But shock! They were his long lost parents (He was adopted by hobbits as a lost child). He killed dad and took command of the tribe. Mum was keen to help him and find him a pretty bugbear maiden. The party wizard took up necromancy and made zombie workers now society couldn't witness or judge him. When the party looted other dungeons they stripped every thing by the wagon load. Even mined dressed stone for their own complex and built defensive walls for villagers, thus demolishing other dungeons. Happy, simple times.

Im pretty sure if i was a goblin or kobold i would live in tunnels made to be hell for humans. 5 foot high tops. Heck one foot wide except for bits with murder holes, arrow slots and cover for spear men. Im pretty sure if my tribe faced extinction id make a pact with a dark god and sell my tribes souls for help. Pets are good. A back up burrow type lair bolthole is handy if the dungeon becomes too tough.

Dungeons are not just loot holes where you can murder troglodytes. They are more like a castle or village. Dynamic living environments with eco-systems. If mid-crawl you go training for 3 weeks and return anything could have happened in your absence. Monsters can call in kin, or call their gods, new beasts might move in, spectral haunts arise from where you butchered those goblin women and children. Some wizard might move in and use as a base for evil with built in hench beasts. If you dont restock the dungeon think about who will!

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Dungeon Dwellers - the little guys

December 8, 2012, 9:43 am

≫ Next: Fearsome Fragments

≪ Previous: War is Hell man!

In your typical dungeon you remember stuff like the rust monster and carrion crawler shared lair, or the red feathered owlbears that were fire proof but everyone forgets the little things beneath foot that squirm and crawl but dont usually get noticed.

Why look you may well ask. Dungeon rangers know some of these are attracted to certain creature lairs and some creatures feed and encourage select dungeon crawlies. Besides food some have practical uses or even are good for dungeon craft materials like glue. Some are alternative material components for spells. others are an occasional risk or are used in traps. I fully support dungeon druidry. This table might be fun for 1st lv or zero level characters or for a solo romp or a trip to the junior dungeon you let teens into alone.

amended a few things Mike Patton suggested on old school gamers - leeches and add tentacles
amended again with ants (thanks S. D. houston), micro-undead, more baby monsters

1d100 Dungeon critter table

01 Dungeon trapdoor spider - blends into stonework bottom few feet of wall or in doorways - poison+2 save
02 Dungeon redback spider - black orb with scarlet eye mark on back builds scraggly webs under benches, furniture, goods left against walls, holes - poison aggressive with nest
03-04 Dungeon rat eating spider - a 2 hand size spider with necrotic bite 1 dam + 1d6+2 venom damage save vs poison for half - not hostile but might be startled and defend self
05-06 Dungeon camel spider - foot long creatures look part lobster. Paralyze you with venom then eat 1hp per 1d10 minutes, others may join in meal, attack sleepers unless desperate
07-08 Dungeon scorpion - up to foot long 1d4 hp, Poison+2 save, aggressive 1d4 per group
09-11 Dungeon centipede - up to foot long 1d4 hp, Poison+2 save, angry if disturbed nest or while eating
12-14 Dungeon king rats - 1-3 foot long 1d4 HP, 1d4 bite, diseased, good food and hide 3d4
15 Dungeon rat mutant - bizarre specimen with wings, scorpion tail, bald, green, intelligent
16-17 Dungeon Giant rat - 1-3 HD (1 yard per HD) 1HD 1d6 bite, 2HD 2d3 bite, 3HD 2d6bite
18-19 Dungeon rat swarm - 1d20+6 1hp rats in a swarm more aggressive than regular rats 1dam to victim/round, 1 victim every 6 rats
20 Ball of rats - ball of 3d6+4 entangled rats
21 Dungeon Hens 1d6 and Rooster 1d4 HP and damage - wild, feral or somebodies livestock
22 Dungeon rabbits - 1d3 HP 1d4 attack if cornered, uses dungeon as thoroughfare, possible feral food beast
23 Dungeon hedgehog - 1-3 foot long eating bugs, grubs and other critters, good eating, harmless
24-25 Dungeon Cat - usually flee but may be curious and follow
26 Dungeon bobcat 1HD cat can attack for 1d6, normally cautious but curious
27-30 Dungeon Dog - usually medium dogs, stray pet, watch dogs on patrol 1d6 or feral dog pack 2d6 - territorial, will have allies it an howl for
31-32 Dungeon Swine and subterranean 2HD Boar with infravision who eat dungeon rubbish
33 Dungeon hog lost from herd eating some lovely muck
34-35 Dungeon Lizard - scavenging monitor lizard 1HD, attracted by smells of blood or rations
36 Dungeon gecko - hides above doors, chamo blends in, may hide near door frames, 1d4 bite, squeak loudly then flee if startled, eats bugs, is tasty
39 Discover you are crawling with leeches - 1hp damage
38-40 Dungeon frog or toad - looking for bugs, puffs up if sees bigger things and moves away, 2HD 1d6 bite, tasty legs if frog pr good leather if toad
41-42 Dungeon froglings or toadlings - 1d6 large 1-2 hand size frogs or toads looking for grubs
43 Tentacle from drain or water grabs your foot will give up if hurt or cant drag into hole
44 Badger hunting or using as thoroughfare 1-2HD
45 Dungeon turtle - slowly wandering turtle looking for bugs, might stay near water or drainpipe, tasty, looks tired and resigned to fate, linkboys eat them
46-48 Dungeon dung beetle - collects dung and rolls away and stores in nest neatly
49-50 Dungeon giant flies 1d4 HP 1d4 damage, 1d6 in group, aggressive hit and run
51-53 Dungeon maggots - good bait and good eating for some, 1HP and bite for 1 HP, 1d10 maggots probably on some corpse or some dung
54 Dungeon wasp - 1d6 large 1d4 HP wasps with 1d4 stings
55 Dungeon weasel
56-57 Ferrets - a lost pet or hunters gone feral in a family of 1d6, harmless unless your a bug
58-60 Dungeon Earth Worms - up to a foot long come from its hole to eat some rubbish, good bait
61-63 Dungeon giant worm - up to a 1 yard worm with a 1d4 HP and bite
64 Baby jelly or ooze or cube eating some dungeon rubbish
65-68 Dungeon grubs - 2d20 grubs attack for 1hp then live inside host as a parasite - when worms exeed HP victim bursts, 1d6 attack a person each round
69 Dungeon fleas - infested area spreads to party, lose 1 hp per day till treated, with weekly disease check
70-73 Dungeon thread worms - 2d6 sticky threads attack and cling to victim from wet patch on ground or near food or rubbish for 1hp per worm then live inside host as a parasite - when worms exeed HP victim bursts open
74-75 Dungeon mosquitoes - swarm inflict 1hp per round for 1d4 rounds then leave
76 Dungeon giant mosquito - 1d4 HP, 1d3 bite then suck 1d3 per round till dear, diseased
77 Giant tick 2HD, 1d6 bite then suck 1d4/rnd, diseased
78 Small piercer or several 1d4 or 1d6 dam
79-80 Jackal or fox looking for scraps, possibly see parents with some young 1d6, will flee
81 Baby purple worm 1d4 HP 1d4 bite or stinger - kill and eat now or else
82-85 Small cave cricket 1d4 HP and 1d3 bite, 1d6 may congregate near scraps
86-87 1d100 cockroaches - may get into party stuff and lay eggs
88 Baby mimic 1d4 HP grabs then 1d4 per round crush, disguise as doorknob, gem, dagger
89 Undead hand or other body part or undead small creature like a rat zombie
90 Baby carrion crawler 1d4 HP one sting save vs paralysis +4, leave nest in groups of 1d6
91 Baby trapper covers single floor stone usually near doorway sometimes in group of 1d6 - 2d4 HP grab then crush for 1d4 per round, surprise
92 Baby cave fisher - sits above doorways, try to eat party pets or hobbits, 2HD, entangling fisher line 2x1d6 lobster claws when victim close
93 Ants, inch ants, termites, footlong builder or mining ants, a single grumpy dog sized ant
94 Cave lobster (Dungeon Yabbie) 1d4, usually hide near drains or water on in puddle, nip for 1d4 if surprised then flee to water
95 Dungeon Adder - 1d4 HP 1hp bite + Poison+2 save
96 Dungeon constrictor 2HD - 1d6 crush and 1d4 bite - small adventurer or pet is tempting
97 Gremlins or faeries play cruel pranks, pick pockets, hotfoot, steal food, cut rope, hole battles, etc
98 Lost familiar creature may be shy or just follow or be friendly
99 Rat or weasel or cat looking but actually a quasit or imp or brownie or other small curious shape shifter
00 Spherical one eyed furry ball follows party, makes cute noises and eats party victims, it is a baby beholder, if scared it has a single flash strobe Save vs blindness for 2d4 rounds -1 to hit for 1 hour after, it usually flees and goes down a hole, very fast and harmless at this age but most get eaten

1d20 Some stuff that grows

1 Slime mold 10 foot patch of slippery ground needing a Dex check
2 grey mold - covers goods or rubbish everyone in square save vs poison or 1d6 rounds helpless sneezing loudly
3 Dungeon mold - exposure spreads black smut spots on body, if not treated skin turns black or green or other colour till treated
4 Puffballs burst on touch fills with black dust 10ft square
5 Cave pustules - look like rocks but explode white puss like goop on all in squre, ruins cloth, leather, rope if not sterilized and turns to more cave pustules in 24 hrs
6 Screamer shrooms - mushrooms that screams loudly if disturbed for 1 minute
7 Explodestools - 1d6 blast all in 5 ft circle, can set off chain reaction - used like minefilds
8 Glowstools - glowing cave fungi makes poor candles
9 Barn mushrooms - tasty edible fungi, makes great burger or substitute steak
10 Poison toadstool - save vs poison +2, -2 all checks for 6 hrs if save
11 Grandma's Caps - 1d6hp healing shrooms
12 Chaos mushrooms - eater gets a chaos mutation and mild poisoning
13 Magic Mushrooms - bestow potion like effects plus odd side effect
14 Angry Shrooms - 1d4 HP, bite 1d4, pack of 1d6 aggro flesh eaters that hop
15 Dreamers Shrooms - induce sleep and prophetic visions
16 Spirit Shrooms - spirit leaves body and enters spirit world
17 Elf bread - this delicious addictive fungus attunes you to the faerie world for a month
18 Wizard cap - gives you knowledge of a 1st lv spell for 24 hours (only use once per year)
19 Giant Shroom - woody textured with leather like skin grow forever unless stopped
20 Black fungus - sticky glue like residue like tar gets on hands, boots, smells sticks to stuff, vinegar or alcohol to remove

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Fearsome Fragments

December 9, 2012, 4:36 am

≫ Next: Gamma Beaver Battlers

≪ Previous: Dungeon Dwellers - the little guys

A few bits and pieces today

Cthulhu Super friends

some more rpg.net world threads

Cthulhu superheroes - very different from my ideas but good
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?398547-necro-Mythos-Supers-Oh-what-may-be-wrought-with-this-hideous-might

Ive done a few items like this before and will put my notes here soon. Zenith comics from UK best. But HPL is hardwired into Marvel. Early x-men had a pre-human monolith bound demon from dawn of time awake and attack the x-school. Stuff like that just happens in the marvel universe.

Strange tales in 80s with Dr Strange had him release all his demon god binding relics to defeat an alien sorceror who wanted Strange's title of sorceror supreme. So the series had him learning black magic from a former foe and hunt down all the beings he had freed. Instead of his nice relics lost to him, he acquired cursed evil relics. His spellls drained power from nature or animals or inflict pain and deformity on wielder. Scaling his way through higher planes via stealing demon god power then going to the next leval up to repeat again till he got to battle Shumagorath. Bloated with power his mentor convinced him to become human and they traveled through many planes to shed energy so as not to destroy the earth if he went straight home. All bonkers but marvel magicians have a lot of fun. Many Dr strange stories are lovecraftian or Clark Ashton Smith style weird. Lost civilizations and serpent men all descend from the hot beat of Shaver, blavatsky and lost continent myths.

Gamma Stuff

my next gamma game i do want them to do some more looting before getting a mission but a few things i need to do.

As the next session has no noobs and all have back up characters i need to be prepared to do some killing. The nice guy in me better be dialed down. Players have gotten used to average stat characters which is nice,

More cyborg clues. Need to find more cyborg gang members up to some scheme. Players have already interested the AI reaper so an assassin isnt out of the question. Need to get story into all this digging up trash and cowering in fear.

The ape ambassador might try to frame or discredit party or even challenge Johnny to a duel.

Would like to have party get a few more weapons and possibly armour before getting to work on king Beavers quest. A buggem hunt for baron of horn might work as intro to the Barony thread. Or perhaps clean up high island or visit their mutant free home bunker. I would like to have them explore a large city like Pittsburgh or i had a web robot make me a morlock infested small city.

I would like to play this for a while yet and players seem to enjoy more super heroic power leval after crawling through dungeons and cthulhu. Id better get my mutation tables sorted - the more mutations you get the worse table you roll on cosmetically speaking. Anti mutagen and retro mutagen drugs will exist also. They haven't got into using their explosive weapons yet. But this could be greed and fear of harming loot. Several have mutations that add dice to weapon damage. They have not tried machine pistol yet. Even learning 2 pistol style would be very deadly.

Stuff to do here...

Some things to do here next year. My net access poor when traveling over xmas but will do my best.

Still not found my oldest fantasy maps and art but looking.

Lots of marvel stuff so will start posting a bit
characters, gangs, evil corporations and more

Cthulhu hybrid agents campaign notes
Whos your daddy?

Cthulhu metropolis campaign notes for Deco SF urban horror

Start posting bits of my sf game stuff

One big project is to scan all my Babylon clip art and build a Flickr folder full and then my gaming guide to bronze age fertile crescent gaming.

Id like to make some space geomorphs for mega starships and sf instalations

More EMO rules

One goal next year is to print 2 x A5 booklets of EMO with silk screened covers. Will try making a boxed set from a pizza box with stickers, badges and maps. A t-shirt will be a goer too. Will do some editing and play testing too.

Any feedback appreciated too

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Gamma Beaver Battlers

December 11, 2012, 6:36 am

≫ Next: Cthulhu Metropolis

≪ Previous: Fearsome Fragments

The heroes flew with Amelia the Goose hybrid woman in her alcho-diesel high tech balloon. Landing in the Barony of Horn they saw the awesome pool of vehicles including the Barron's e-car. They met the Barron with their letters from King Beaver and he sent them to find what was kidnapping his people. Cyborgs were suspect but other menaces do stalk the land. So the heroes got driven by catalytic conversion powered Cadillac to the near buy fort and the walked the last few kilometers.

Fishtank gave up her porcupine form and got custom hi tech riot armour. Happy to rock fer flamer and molotovs again.

Fishtank, Amelia, Deathpool and his two Mormon farm lads with muskets were looking for sighns of trouble. A man screamed for help and the party saw a bug drag him off. Charging into ambush they blasted the buggem to chunks of screaming burned termite flesh. More buggems burst out of the ground and start chewing. Amelia wasted lots of smg rounds to feed a person for a year, while Fishtank now in plastic armour hosed down a bug with flamer and hosed the buggem tunnel entrance. Deathpool blasted laser after laser finishing them all. The mormon lads were a bit hurt but ok and even killed a fleeing buggem with bayonets.

At the village Mayor Frump offered them a millitary ID if they recovered missing kids. The arty set off and killed lots of Parn bugs in the burrows and freed the kids. They set them free then went back to kill all the Parn eggs and larvae. The found a brain buggem and his guards and had a savage battle. Deathpool lasered the brain into roast dinner in seconds, while fishtank filled the room with a wall of flame. Amelia fired more bullets and finally exploded a buggem at point blank. Burning axe wielding buggems broke the heroes ranks when deathpool used a anti-insect poison grenade the mayor gave him. Most of the bugs died vomiting yellow foam and screaming. The last few were picked off with fishtanks fire axe and Mormon muskets.

Fishtank scoffed some drugs and skulked around burning and gassing the last few buggems. Then they burned the buggem eggs and blew up the entrances. They got the usual tat the party now feel too good to dig for, but batteries and a functional life ray were good finds. They smuggled the life ray to their airship in fear of Baronial interest.

They traded some more stuff and Deathpool could no longer justify keeping all the new weapons the party Had. He was using his nurostunner whip to great effect. Amelia took a las pistol and the Mormon boys are sharing the shotgun and a unstable chemax grenade.

Next android hunting up the coast and found S.A.M.U.R.A.I. base. Mormon boys backed off and squad of las pistol knights came along. The party entered and spied on androids, Then met a science android and Deathpool tried to be friendly, It threw hyper acid in his face and started punching him. A cloud of lasers killed the android. Scouting the base which they all admired they killed several more androids, captured lots of sonic blasters and death dealing ultra tech power tools. Spotted cryo pods on flooded tower. One soldier killed by hammerhead hybrid. Other one killed by grenade which killed everything in the 200 year old fish tank. Soldiers emptied their lasers and were keen to flee. Two worker androids fled to join 7 warriors outside. The Barrony sent troops in and the Androids are homeless. Most human knights were pretty wounded and the knights cheering the recovery of this base in the Barron's name kinda upset Deathpool. As a chef he really appreciated the autosurgeons, labs and aquariums.

Next the party will attack the cyborg base and get a crack at using an e-car they can fly to the moon.

Now everyone has at least 2 deadly weapons, explosives and a high tech energy weapon. So they feel higher level. Fishtank gave lots of irradiated locations to her cult and some books and a rad sensor so she is most advanced in her rad-cult. Had to roll 20d6 a few times this session from up to 8 laser pistols on parties side (and two muskets for a d6 each). I'm pretty impressed with the parties lethality now. Some of the most advanced tech most bizarre and hard to understand even for those from high tech regions.

Next session defend their base and hunt cyborgs.

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Cthulhu Metropolis

December 12, 2012, 6:57 am

≫ Next: Downstairs Oz Style

≪ Previous: Gamma Beaver Battlers

It is the year 2026 and the city of metropolis dominated the world economy and houses 52 million persons. For the rich – a designer deco paradise of urban engineering. Where the rich live lives of pleasure the workers dwell in squalid subterranean factories. At its center is new Babylon – the control center where the head of the metropolis bank monitors everything - from global money markets to the thunderous work floors of the great machine beneath the city.

Some things are less visible – like the army of servants who serve the rich, or the dilapidated cathedral haunted by the spectre of old religion. Similarly in a run down section of the city is the ancient house of the scientist magician Rotwang – the master brain behind Metropolis, his mechanical hand and other forbidden secrets. Then there are the caverns beneath the city said to be over 2000 years old, where rebel workers meet in secret and who knows what else dwells.

This is a set of notes for setting the horrors of HP Lovecraft in a fantasy world of the future imagined by the silent cinema film Metropolis and the novel by Thea Von Harbau of the same name. I was inspired in part by watching the film with the more recent Call of Cthulhu silent film together – where the idea of editing the two together occurred to me. Kim Numans famous monsters of film land also inspired this with his short story where Superman and metropolis converge with other silent movie characters like Dr Caligari, Nosferatu and others.

1. Concepts
-using narrative of film as background activity
-explore as a deco punk sci fi horror pulp setting
-No Nazis, Hitler and WW2 never happened, obscure political cult
-Metropolis and capitalistic monopolies have crushed the world
-Many cyber punk ideas are in metropolis like machine consciousness
-There are video phones but guns and cars have not changed since WW1
-Firearms are used by some agents but are very rare

2. Locations in City of metropolis
-New Babylon
-Yoshiwara
-Pleasure Hives
-Cathedral
-Catacombs
-Subterranean Church
-Private library of the Elite
-Workers City
-Factory Floor
-Drain network
-Master Machine
-Wizard House
-Roads And Transport (aircraft, autogiros, rail, elevators, automobiles)
-Dreamlands of Metropolis (Ancient Babylon)

3. Organizations
-Bank of Metropolis
-NWI New World Industries Building
-Pluto Mining Corporation
-Church
-Silver twilight
-Metropolis Astronomers Society (Astronomers Club)
-Look to the future
-Oceanic Inc

4. Characters
-Credit Ratingdetermines social class - under 30 subteranean labour, 31-59 servant, 50+ ruling class

5. The Mythos in Metropolis - Adventure Seeds

Independent Races

Deep Ones – The sprawling drains and waterworks and subterranean reservoirs of water are connected distantly to far off seas. With its awesome population and industrial capacity Metropolis requires huge capacities of water – for use of humans but also for industrial use (which may be highly polluted). Some of these sections have their own workers accommodation for those doomed to crawl through miles of damp pipes. A Deep One colony has come to occupy one of the most isolated worker colonies – who in turn infiltrate and infect other similar outposts and communicate via their secret networks of globe traveling sailors. Some of the catacombs connect to water sources also making the odd deep one or hybrid agent encounter, especially in the dankest parts.

Great Race of Yith – Multiple citizens of Metropolis (among the more mobile wealthy classes) are currently possessed and several agent cells exist to serve them Some use Yithian communicators and have lightning guns which can be used to disintegrate evidence if necessary. Some seek Flying polyps vaults in the catacombs. Others just interested in gathering information. A character could accidentally come into conflict with a cult gathering information or artifacts.

Ghouls – The city with all its efficiencies does not tolerate the wasteful practice of buriels where possible but ancient graves remain built over by the sprawling city. Some use parts of the catacombs the city under as secret buriels. The cathedral houses a vault of ancient corpses added to occasionally on the death of an important religious person. Some of the rich bury their dead in mausoleums sky scrapers. With the lower levels for cremated remains and ceremonies.

Cthonians –The tunnels are more than thousands of years old and new sections are sometimes discovered – which are actually dug by the children of Shudde Myell. Cultists crawl beneath the catacombs and expand their influence over new territories by commissioning new tunnels. The Cthonians like some other species crave rare earths and use cultists to obtain them. They sometimes come into conflict with Mi-go.

MiGo – From the sprawling Pluto Towers a decrepit sprawling office block, staffed by wizened old men embroiled in incomprehensible esoteric tasks of a tedious bureaucracy. Actually they are MiGo with bioengineered synthetic human skins. They run Pluto Mining Corporation and have humans from across the world delivering them the rare earths they crave so much. Their agents serve them as butlers, drivers, clerks, messengers and other duties. Several floors of the building are dedicated to human brain canisters networked serially to act a supercomputer by the Mi-go to manage their business and foreign money markets.

Serpent Men – Several serpent men sorcerers dwell in human form representing different factions of ancient serpent man culture. While several rogue wizards have been active for millennia (at least one sits on the board of metropolis bank) two main colonies dwell beneath Metropolis. One of degenerate albino cave dwellers which has been adopted by a bachelor sorcerer who stumbled across them. Plans to breed them into a new serpent master race. The second clan too proud to consort with degenerates awake periodically to monitor humanity – currently they are infiltrating metropolis and trying to find and eliminate other rogue serpent men. They await a time they can revive their whole city and walk on the surface.

Shoggoth – Somewhere in the subterranean depths a shoggoth may occasionally dwell – usually acting on a mission for the deep one cult.

Flying Polyps – Somewhere sealed in a basic vault – several Flying Polyps have been sealed. If freed they would slaughter all they could find in the tunnels then one night launch into the sky, murder a few dozen citizens then flee to some secret place they can plot to free more of their kind.

Insect From Shaggai – A few Insects from their colony in the brittish isles have infiltrated Metropolis. A more restrained Insect dwells in New Babylon – plundering information it can use for insider trading for the Insects corporation. Several others roam the sublevels finding isolated individuals to sadistically torture

Star Vampires – Mostly summoned by rooftop sorcerers for travel or murder. One left to its own devices would stay and horribly kill a highrise dweller every night.

Dimensional Shamblers – Mostly summoned by wizards to kill others without evidence. A terrifying prospect with the cities confined spaces and maze like corridors. A wizard might also be use one for transport to another dimension.

Servitor Races

Spawn of Tsathogua – A worn down chamber once a hyperborean temple contains a vault were a guardian spawn dwells. Defilers will be slain if they cannot make the sign of tsathogua or use his name.

Byakee – Used by sorcerors especially Hastur cultists or those wishing to traverse the stars.

Rat Things – possibly the familiars of a witch or wizard or just inhabit haunted old houses. Rundown old houses walls vibrate with rats. And occasionally a “ball” of rats with fused tails is discovered.

Dark Spawn – The city is mostly treeless other than the gardens of the rich. A private garden on a rooftop could house several for rich cultists. Triffids might be more convenient size.

Fire Vampires – several Cthuga cults exist and there are several loner arsonists have appeared from time to time. The city observatory has several cultists. They keep their activities fairly secret – even hunting their rogue brethren who indiscriminately start fires and summon fire vampires.

Deities

Bokrug

Bugg-Shath

Byatis

Chaugnar Faun – His statue is housed in a private cult museum where his cult sacrifice innocents to him. His brothers statues have gathered in Metropolis and hold corporate offices. They are fairly discreet.

Cthuga
several Cthuga cults exist and there are several loner arsonists have appeared from time to time. The city observatory has several cultists. They keep their activities fairly secret – even hunting their rogue brethren who indiscriminately start fires and summon fire vampires.

Cthulhu – Various Cthulhu cults from across meet via the waterways of metropolis.
Deep ones have settled colonies and hybrid agents in the dampest bowls of the machine. While land locked it has millions of miles of pipes and has controlling interest in many European port cities. A river is used to produce hydro electric power, flows in and out of the city with multiple canals. All this allows cultists, deep ones and even shoggoths to enter the bowels of the city and the damper parts of the catacombs. Some more affluent cultists are involved in global trade with corporations such as Oceanic (a trade and sea mining corporation). Cthulhu also influences many with his dreams – some witness or hear him first, or touch a relic or is hexed by a cultist or hybrid. Dagon, Hydra and Starspawn may also have telepathic influence.

Eihort - Goods from across the world get to Metropolis markets and labs and museums. One day a sickly truck driver parks his cab and looked for somewhere quiet he could be sick. To find he was vomiting creatures into the factory drain - but the sick never stopped leaving the driver host a sack of burst skin. Characters investigate the new species till they find an infected victim explodes before them proving it is a potentially dangerous plague. They track it back to the cult who helping Eihort by bringing him victims through a gateway in the cult base near a truck stop. Prostitute cultists kidnap drivers.

Glaaki -

Hastur and The King In Yellow – Most of chambers mythos fiction could be translated here especially the Repairer of Reputations – which is in an already alternate future would fit in well – or could even be used as a basis for USA. Trying to find an heir to Hastur on earth who once crowned works to ruin the world and rule the remnants would make a fine pulp villain. More mainstream (orthodox) Hastur cultists call directly to the horror in the lake of Hali himself on Carcosa. In with the Astronomers Club. Some wizards deal with Hastur to control Byakee and travel the stars. A few rooftops have V shaped pillars concealed to summon Hastur directly.

Nyagthoa – In deepest reaches of the caverns is a dank soot stained chamber with black handprints and marks which could be writing or random sooty marks. In the middle is a sealed stone well, with carved marks around the edges. Sometimes huddled robed cults meed here to summon Nyagthoa.

Tsathogua – Remnants of Hyperborean civilization is buried beneath metropolis and many wizards sealed foul things beneath it. Tsathogua has one ancient temple and guardian beneath metropolis (see under dark spawn). Also found are several dream inducing black monoliths and a handful of artifacts. Other hidden temples or worse things were buried. Possibly a gate to Saturn's dreamlands or a artifact of Eibon.

Outer Gods

Azathoth – While not often directly worshipped, many cultists are concerned to find the location of azathoth and his myriad spawn which cause dimensional distortions. A number of the astronomers of metropolis worship azathoth.

ShubNiggurath – A cult thrive in the outlaying agriculture regions but a few wealthy operate rooftop greenhouse temples. Some of the medical, farming and food companies have shrines in metropolis. Some greenhouses actually house a dark spawn.

Nylarthotep - Multiple cults of Nyarlothotep dwell here. Nyalathotep has appeared to help plan the last days and direct his cult to hide mythos activity. He does not appear openly in public. Curious investigators who risk public exposure are listed as pawns to be destroyed or sent to be sacrificed to a specific god with a trail of clues. Various businesses, labs, small churches and other small esoteric orders all act for Nyarlothotep..

Yog-Sothoth – A number of wizards and cults exist especially among the astronomers. Severalsummoning towers exist in the city rooftops.

Moloch - my mythos addition
A god whom inhabitants mega machines and alters their purpose to enslave mankind and be fed sacrifices. Moloch may inhabit a dangerous factory, a foul power plant, a decrepit coal mine where child miners die en mass or certainly a whole city. The machine could include primitive temple city complex, the Babylonian library, roman factory mill or any complex human built system. Even monoliths arranged as a calenders could form a cult and be uninhabited by him. He may use parts of the machine to kill or even form a cybernetic body.

Other Silent Era Adventures

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. – Dr Caligari runs Metropolis Asylum. He is a fiendish hypnotist and mind controlling wizard, exerting his influence over persons of all walks of life from bankers to criminals to carnival folk to other cultists. He also has controlled agents who prowl by night killing and kidnapping victims. Ideally those investigating him discover him in some other identity before waking up themselves in Metropolis Asylum.

Der Golem - Outside the core of Metropolis are sprawling slums and factories in constant process of change. One includes a Jewish worker ghetto set to be demolished. The authorities would like to develop into a more “modern” metropolis factory zone but have been acting slowly In fear of a popular people movement. Apartments for bureaucrats already on topmost part of city. From a crumbling old Synagogue a Rabbi sends forth his golem to waylay the development. Characters intercede before situation gets worse.

Nosferatu – A character is invited to Transylvania to act as a legal agent….

Frau In Der Monde – A trip to the moon is within Metropolis reach and investigators are probably generated for the mission. Investigators can explore lunar ruins of ancient civilizations, battle cultist crew infiltrators, and discover the whole mission was funded by cultists and even return to earth with an unwelcome entity. Moon heroes are welcomed by ticker tape parade – with hungry looking workers children waving flags.

Diary of a lost Girl – Workhouse for girls who have children out of wedlock is run by a cult. The best are selected as sacrifices and to be brides of cult members. Investigators find links in several of their cases.

Pandora's Box – The femme fatale LuLu enters the characters lives, causing suicide, duels and multiple deaths among their friends family and peers. Eventually Investigators investigate only to have several of their mad suitors harm them who may abuse their powers or just attack. Finally tracking her to distant parts they fend off a wanted serial killer before cornering her. She is a lamia with a casket that opens to Abhoth – using it to create smaller abhoth spawn or flooding a building with Abhoth's lake sized body of bioplasmic viscous fluid. She is spawn of a Succubus from the dawn of civilization. Who menaced Babylon for years. Allowed to continue she will destroy the city.

Olympia – Annual games for the children of the elite are being used to select sacrifices and host bodies than cults. Date set at an auspicious season for wizards. Characters investigate several horrid murders where prospective winning youths were killed. Cults feud over who has broken their deal. Encounter multiple cultist groups out for blood. Powerful old lechers may persuing athletes may be viable red herrings.Provide a demo of many cults active. Partly inspired by notorious Olympicdocumentary.

Other Pulp and Heroic Adventures
Any other pulp adventures could appear just more multilingual
Use novel 1984 for the UK.
Robert W Chambers future for North AmericaFilm - "Dark City" worth a look

I use a mythic looking ancient Babylon for the dreamlands of metropolis. Not unlike in the unfinished epic "deliverance". Lilith, Moloch and other ancient forces have been drawn here.

↧

Downstairs Oz Style

December 13, 2012, 2:31 am

≫ Next: EMO DnD Classes pt 5: Sorcerer

≪ Previous: Cthulhu Metropolis

Found some more long stair stuff

Wiki
http://voicesfrombelow.wikia.com/wiki/Subterrestial_Operational_Theater_Wiki

The revised thread
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?459204-setting-riff-The-Long-Stairs-Second-Landing

The original thread - or rather where i am now
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?391379-setting-riff-Voices-From-Below-and-the-Long-Stairs/page115

A truly modern megadungeon

To sum it up cold war power plays over military controlled gates to a dungeon dimension. Been exploring since 50s for xenotech, xenofauna and xenomethodolgy (spells) for use in above world. The underworld tests and changes explorers in strange ways. Stargate vs oldschool DnD.

I still wonder if it did get a pdf book done but im still enjoying reading this.

If i was to run it Id be torn between BRP or BX DnD

BRP handle real world stuff and keep gritty. Could develop level like qualities when in the dungeon and let add little details by increment. Dungeon Lore would work like Cthulhu mythos and the san mechanic could track integration into dungeon land.

On other hand DnD would be simple sweet and has all mechanics I need.
Plus a few skills...

I considered first characters could start either:

0 leval Men at arms d6 HP
2 Weapon Proficiencies or Army weapon group (rifle, grenade, bayonet, brawling) -3 non proficient
2 NWP skills (eg: Traps, Track, Sneak, Spot, Listen, Climb, First Aid, Demolitions, Armourer, Navigate, Chemical Weapons, Incendiaries, Radio Ops, Survival)
1d3 Languages
+ Int bonus in WP or NWP (cross train with weapons

or

0 level Expert 1d4 HP
1 weapon (pistol) -4 non proficient
4 NWP skills
(Chaplain: First Aid, Religion, History, Inspire) military priests
(Covert Confiscations: Sneak, Hide, limb, Locks, Traps) thieves
(Scholar: History, Archeology, Biology, Anthropology) xeno cultural experst
(Communications Specialist: Cryptography, Linguistics, Anthropology, Radio Ops)
(Scientist: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Philosophy) hard scientist and theoretician
(Doctor: First Aid, Medicine, Pharmacy, Biology) medical doctor and combat surgeon
(Field Psychologist: Psychology, First Aid, Occult, Anthropology) field psyche and psi-ops
(Geoscientist: Metallurgy, Chemistry, Geology, Biology) look for valuable stuff
(Telecom Engineer: Electrician, Radio Ops, Climb, Navigate) establish electricity and com cables
(Military Engineer: Repair, Build, Electrician, Demolitions) build and destroy dungeon features
(Environmental Specialist: Survival, Improvise Weapons, Biology, First Aid)
(Signals Corp: Radio Ops, Scout, Track, Sneak)
(Animal Specialist: Ride, Animal Handling, Biology, Train Animal)
(Drone Pilot: Robotics, Remote Pilot, Sensor Ops, Radio Ops)
1d4 Languages (Latin or ancient possible)
+ Int bonus in WP or NWP

Odds are multilingual characters from non English speakers.

Behavior in play determines what character class the dungeon inflicts on you. Xeno-languages might be imposed on character enabling them to read spell books and remember spells. Men may train themselves in what they think will help them in the dungeon becoming rogues or warriors or priests. Some may become hybrids - becoming elves or dwarfs or half folk.

Background Notes

Many games set in Australia are pretty lame and borderline offensive. Australian Aboriginals do not live in a new age wonderland. Many are christian. It was legal to shoot them till 1972 in Queensland. They were not Australians or allowed to Drink till a referendum in 1968. As you can imagine they are not too pleased. Many live in third world conditions with higher infant mortality and rates of imprisonment than whites.

The military have long used Aboriginal names and images, mostly without permission. Supernatural beings and artistic depictions of them belong to certain peoples and they dont appreciate having art ripped off, altered or faked. The wrong people using their art may grow ill or die for using others images. Books with facing pages of Aboriginal art from different regions upset some people. Last edition I read of Masks of Nyarlothetep tried to claim Aboriginals dont call them selves that, instead using a east coast tribal name usually referring to specific people of a region (there were over 500 languages before whites arrived). Modifying aboriginal art in rpg supplements would trouble the traditional arts owners.

Normally I find Aboriginal content in games or comics a problem. Films like Fern Gulley putting European and white faeries (at least on dvd cover) in Australia is kinda a problem for me. But using acual Aboriginal myths is a bit of an issue for me too being a honky. They are a pretty scary bunch basically and probably not too happy. So if i use any content like this i will do so mindfully and not try to explain too much, just keep scary.

The first thread mention recommending Australia for the setting wanted a gate under Ayers rock controlled by an Aboriginal nation. This all seems a bit too nice and the only things of value Aboriginal have is what they have been aloud to have or fought for like Mabo hearings.

One thing the thread missed is Brit nuclear tests in 50s is South Australia. As nuke test sights make gate weak points this seems a better choice. Maralinga is a huge area bigger than many nations and closed to public (3300km square). Rumours came out in 80s that there may have been more than one and up to 10 tests (7 reported in 80s) and that Natives may have been not removed from the site as they were supposed to have been for obvious sinister reasons. So a gate in Maralinga with the Woomera rocket range and the American Pine Gap base all a plane ride away is very handy.

On 27 September 1956,Operation Buffalo commenced at Maralinga, as Emu Field was found to be too remote a site. The operation consisted of the testing of four fission bombs, codenamed One Tree, Marcoo, Kite and Breakaway. One Tree and Breakaway were exploded from towers; Marcoo was exploded at ground level and Kite was released by a Royal Air Force Vickers Valiant bomber from a height of 30,000 ft (9,144 m). This was the first launching of a British atomic weapon from an aircraft.

Operation Antler followed in 1957. Antler was designed to test the triggering mechanisms of the weapons. Three tests began in September, codenamed Tadje, Biak and Taranaki. The first two tests were conducted from towers; the last was suspended from balloons. Yields from the weapons were 1 kiloton, 6 kilotons and 25 kilotons respectively.

British and Australian servicemen were purposely exposed to fallout from the blasts, to see what happened. The local Aboriginal people have claimed they were poisoned by the tests and, in 1994, the Australian Government reached a compensation settlement with $13.5 million in settlement of all claims in relation to the nuclear testing.Previously many of these facts were kept from the public. My friends dad was one of them and died in the 90s from cancer.

There is also a retro test reactor maintained in Lucas Heights NSW basically maintained so we have a say on international nuclear energy committees. As among biggest traders in the world in radioactives having a say over the product use is considered in our interests. Lucas Heights makes radioactives for medicine but could operate a gate.

So my dungeon entries are in Maralingga and possibly Lucas Heights as a back up and kept closed.
Protestors and others are occasionally drawn to the forbidden zone. But its extreme isolation makes control and security easy. Some land has been returned and Aboriginals have resettled a supposedly cleaned zone but contamination remains. Population is from 25-1500 seasonally without basic government infrastructure.

Some areas of the local dungeon are of a local architectural style and are wind blasted red rock with sand filled caverns. Ancient megafauna and fearsome spirits reside. Some alien remnants of The great Race ruins from the HPL's Shadow Out Of Time story. Other more standard dungeon areas exist.

American and Brit advisers are on site and often serve in squads and science tams. Some Japs have been through with Australian crew. Indonesian, Malaysian and Indian troops are sometime brought in for training. A number of soldiers on duty are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander decent. Many personnel from non English speaking backgrounds and multicultural backgrounds.

Australians might mix Brit, American and European ideas and idioms freely. Plenty of "Hoganesque" Austrayuns still about maaate.

As the Australian Rainbow Serpent program has always been international and their civilian tech excels at communications infrastructure and mining. They have a big geosurvey and telecomuications component to their force. Drones have been utilized as well including balloons, copters, bomb drones, gun drones from backpack to dodgem car size. Smaller drones can be carried by soldiers. The most sophisticated copying insects cope with stairs well. Some don't cope with stairs or go one way. On first level the Australians have dug in and use bomb and gun drones to cover their telecom stations. The Maralinga gate is Walkabout and the Lucas Heights gate is named Dunny-Door (dont let the door hit you on the bum mate!).

Dealing with Down Below

Lizard men, troglodytes and dinosaurs abound in their territory, but a major goblin delve and undead crypt zone are close too. Australians tend to observe rather than shoot first. Engaging only with positive ID or orders or in self defense. Squads pull back if personnel injured and support units move in. Thus survival rates have been higher than US. Australians have reached US basement territory on foot.

Many enchanted xenotech and xenofauna use stone age technology, without bows or slings. A number have been cursed but others harm undead and supernaturals like xenomethodology blessed items. Armour is rare but simple shields abound. Firearms using charged ectoplasm gel rounds have proven effective. A Tilenghast resinator makes spirit entities and hostile ones visible or the frequency can block them from entering a shielded zone.

Some relics of peculiar stones, tools, quartz crystals wrapped in balls of human hair can also repel unwanted spirits. When taken to the South Australian Museum for study a host of Fortean phenomena occurred when the relic resonated with the largest collection of such artifacts in the world. Indigenous Methodology has been tested vs xenomethodology with mixed results. The Top Brass are nervous about this research now. Pre Homo Sapiens tribals including so called "hobbits"have been mostly hostile but several personnel were captured by them and have gone native. Some have done so more freely. Lizard men have adopted human weapons and can sniff out any human caches. Serpent men may have superior technology but it is incomprehensible to us. The goblin mines are swarming with goblinoids and other humanoids act as elite troops. Some have been recognised as simular breeds to other gate points but have different tribal markings and skin colors.

Dwarves and gnomes have been traded with and locals always value food and beer.

Local dungeon terrains

Prehistoric Caverns
Complete with ruins, forests, megafauna and spirits
Red wind and water carved stone tunnels, some lit by artificial suns, some sand and water filled
Mysterious pylons operated by cult of nocturnal lizard men clones with crossbows
Other dungeon beings avoid this zone
Komodo dragons, tribals, drop bears, passive herbivores

Goblin Mine
Remnants of ancient mineworks filled with goblins
Ever burning candles and lamps requiring a human sacrifice to create light the area
Mysterious gems, crystals and mineral found, gold and xeotech rich.
Traps and dangerous terrain are common
A Russian outpost from the 50s found buried, now a goblinoid HQ

Cyclopian Ruins
Ancient city of alien giants, giant fungus ecology
Luminescant walls provide dim grey light
Sealed vaults of relics and horrors abound
Serpent men and lizard men competitor diggers but has been some trade
Fragments of the great races records or anachronistic items found
Theorized was outpost from upstairs aliens

Other terrain

Gothic Zone - a region of undead and crypts and traps and loot
Redwall Dungeon - A brown brick style with locked doors, traps and strange new monsters
Castle Zone - ruins of a monstrous sprawling giant castle with primitive ogres, trolls, cyclops
Dreadful Caverns - huge caverns where races have warred for aeons leaving ghosts, ruined forts and a zone called the Dragon Run

I'll probably amend this as i keep reading more

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EMO DnD Classes pt 5: Sorcerer

December 14, 2012, 1:05 am

≫ Next: EMO DnD Classes pt 6: Druid

≪ Previous: Downstairs Oz Style

The best thing about DnD 3.5 is the sorcerer, a slightly dumber, better fighting wizard who doesn't use vancian magic. No books, no mucking about. Makes sense and fits in with cults, humanoids or creepy folk magicians. Tend to use combat and summoning powers. By reducing choices the sorcerer is a easier play for noobs who wanna zap stuff and get to do a bit more. Also can give the wizard less competition for spells to split loot with.

Some later classes i have may choose sorcery or wizardry or druidry or priest spell casting. So elves or bards for example might use any spell casting types - letting some benefit from wizard studies or pick otherslazier systems. Sorcerers may look similar but they have some things in common with priests. They often form their own cult where members serve their sorcerers increasingly bad whims in hopes of being illuminated. Having truck with otherworldly forces can make sorcerers unpopular. Wizards think them lazy, spoiled and waste of power. Priests and druids may also be suspicious. Most peasants dont really get the difference.

A sorcerer may be illiterate and save his limited languages for esoteric other worldly and cult tongues. It is a very small change to even a basic game to add these guys. Some say Wizards systematized and studied sorcery to develop their craft. A wizard might translate ancient texts and study how to do something systematically. A sorcerer will mess around with some relics on a historical site and call otherworldly beings till something happens. In between they enjoy vices like drug abuse and sex and, while silly old wizards are reading dusty old books.

Sorcerer
Blood tainted mages who channel other worldly power

HD: 1d6
Prime Stat: Cha
WP: 2 (+1/3rd Lv)
NWP: 4 (+1/2nd Lv)
No-WP mod: -3
Languages: 1d6 (+1/3rd lv) S=spoken and W=written

Spells: Wizard
NWP: Wizard, Priest
Shield: Buckler
Armour: None
Weapon: Club, Staff, Dart, Dagger, any Crossbow, Sling, Hatchet, Club, Sickle, Scythe, any Gun, Hand Axe, Short Sword, Short bow, Javelin, Shuriken, Chain, Lasso, Blowpipe, Trident, Net, Bolo, Sabre
Fight as: Wizard
Save as: Wizard

Sorcerers are made and born, you cant just decide to become one. Either a being of power imbues the power onto your blood or you have a extra planar bloodline already. Borne or chosen they are natural magicians who cast spells without study and can fight a bit better. Some are descended from otherworldly beings and divine bloodlines or others have made a blood pact and been bonded to a otherworldly life force. Others have been touched by divine visitors. They often are more folk magician than the haughty schooled wizard. They may know cult or other worldly tongues or dead language which like their spells they learn in dreams. They do not require teaching or study and tend to be a bit lazy being so gifted. They are more willing to fight however out of self-preservation at least. Sorcerers assemble, more like cults than respectable wizards.
-Merely rest 8hrs to regain spell levels and can spend spell levels on any known spells of appropriate lv.Can spend spell energy levels as you please – no need to memorize specific spells during rest period, but limited choicesof spells or abilityto gain new spells.
-Get 4 x 0 and 4 x 1st lv spells you may cast when your blood is woken +1 spell per new lv, cant
-Spells materials require 1gp/lv squared in gold 1st = 1x1=1gp, 2nd = 2x2=4, etclearn from other casters, books or scrolls only dreams
-Can use wands, scrolls, wizard devices
-Various supernatural bloodlines types to choose from or can be unaligned
-first spells: 4 x 0lv spells and 1 x 1st lv spell at first then one new spell per lv
-At 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th you get to swap one spell already in list if you wish
-At 6th lv and each lv after the sorcerer can have 1d4 cultist of zero lv or one 1st lv of any class
10th he may establish a folly and attract 6x the normal followers as next lv up
-Non allied sorcerersof no bloodline get these abilities instead:
3rd Don't need material components
6th Dont need gesturalcomponents
12th Dont need verbal components

Specialist Sorcerer Bloodlines
name
brief description
3rd, 6th,12th special abilities
WP
NWP
Beginners spell list
Languages

Draconic – Any alignment but may affect colourations fx
Treasure hoarders and dragon searchers
3rd Sense Dragon – can sense pure dragon at one mile rough direction, or recognize part dragon on sight
6th Dragon Sight – can sense invisible by concentrating for 1 round, eyes begin looking draconic
9th Dragon Claws – can inflict 1d6 claw damage, with 2 attacks, clawed discoloured fingernails
12th Dragon 1d6/Lv breath attack, extra at 15th & 18th
Short Sword, Short Bow
Dragon Lore, Elder Lore, Treasure Lore, Etiquette
Burning Hands, Fiery Eyes, Comprehend Languages, Cause Fear
Common SW, Draconic SW, Empire SW

Modronic LN
Hunters of chaos
3rd Sense Modron – can sense Modron at one mile rough direction, or recognize otherworldly Law on sight
6th Modronic Sight – can sense Chaos by concentrating for 1 round, a third alien eye of law opens in use
9th Law Strike – Automatically hit in combat once per day, hand covered in glowing runes in use
12th - Maximum damage one attack extra at 15th & 18th
Short Spear, short bow
Modronic Lore, Elder Lore, Civil Lore, Etiquette
Magic Missile, Fiery Eyes, Light, Floating Disc
Common SW, Modronic SW, Empire SW

Angelic LG
Foes of chaos and evil
3rd Sense Angelic – can sense angelic at one mile rough direction, or recognize otherworldly LG on sight
6th Angelic Sight – can sense Evil by concentrating for 1 round, a glowing halo forms while in use
9th Angel Touch – Lay Hands 2HPxLv per day, angelic tattoos on body glow in use
12th Heal amount = own HP once per day extra at 15th & 18th
Short Sword, Short Bow
Angelic Lore, First Aid, Civil Lore, Etiquette
Magic Missile, Light, Shield, Feather Fall
Common SW, Angelic SW, Empire SW

Demonic CE
Destoyers of order and decency
3rd Sense Evil – can sense evil at one mile rough direction, or recognize absence of good on sight
6th Demon Gaze – can demons by concentrating for 1 round, eyes develops demonic gleam
9th Demon Claw – can inflict 1d6 claw damage, with 2 attacks, clawed discoloured fingernails
12th Call a demon of HD = 1/2 Lv once per day extra at 15th & 18th
Short Sword, Chain
Demonic Lore, Necromantic Lore, Butchery, Monster Lore
Burning Hands, Cause Fear, Spider Climb, Fiery Eyes
Common SW, Empire SW, Demonic SW

Cthonic NE
Serve the hidden elder gods
3rd Sense Evil – can sense evil at one mile rough direction, or recognize absence of good on sight
6th Cthonic Gaze – can see in the dark, odd bulgy eyes
9th Cthonic Change – can breathe water, scaly blubbery fishy smelling appearance
12th eldrich beam 1d6/Lv once per day extra at 15th & 18th
Trident, dart
Cthonic Lore, Necromantic Lore, Elder Lore, Swim
Corpse Link, Swim, Feign Death, Cause Fear
Common SW, Empire SW, Cthonic SW

Slaanish CN
Ward primordial non sentient chaos from control of law
3rd Sense Slaan – can sense Slaan at one mile rough direction, or recognize otherworldly chaos on sight
6th Slaanish Sight – can sense Law by concentrating for 1 round, a third alien eye of chaos opens in use
9th Chaos Strike – One hit has 2xLv in poison once per day, develop a devolved, balding, bug eyed look
12th eldrich beam 1d6/Lv once per day extra at 15th & 18th
Short Spear, short bow
Modronic Lore, Elder Lore, Civil Lore, Etiquette
Jump, Elemental Burst, Fog Cloud, Chromatic Orb
Common SW, Slaanish SW, Empire SW

Fey – Any alignment
Deal with the worlds of faerie and elves
3rd Sense Life – can sense un-life at one mile rough direction, or recognize absence of life on sight
6th Natures Sight – can sense spirits by concentrating for 1 round, skin develops green tint
9th Natures Muse – Ignore charm fx from nature beings, hair and skin appear vegetable matter
12th teleport via elfland once per day extra at 15th & 18th
Hand Axe, Staff
Nature Lore, Herbalist, Plant Lore, Animal Lore
Charm Person, Monster Summoning 1, Spider climb, Mount
Common SW, Empire SW, Sylvan SW

Arcadian CG
Protect nature form order and evil
3rd Sense Animal – can sense an animal one mile rough direction, or recognize species on sight
6th Natures Sight – Can see life by concentrating for 1 round, hair grows incredibly fast
9th Natures Feast – Can summon otherworldly feast for 1 person/lv, increasingly impulsively hedonistic
12th conjure 1HD of animals once per day extra at 15th & 18th
Short bow, Staff
Nature Lore, Animal Handling, Arcadian Lore, Carousing
Charm Person, Monster Summoning 1, Spider climb, Mount
Common SW, Empire SW, Arcadian SW

Diabolic LE
Spread influence of the netherhells
3rd Sense Diabolic – can sense devils one mile rough direction, or recognize devil tainted on sight
6th Devil Sight – Can see good by concentrating for 1 round, diabolic laughter
9th Devils Grace – Automatically hit in combat once per day, start growing horns, eyes gleam like cats
12th Call a demon of HD = 1/2 Lv once per day extra at 15th & 18th
Short sword, whip or trident
Kingdom Lore, Legal Lore, Diabolic Lore, Etiquette
Charm Person, Monster Summoning 1, Mount, Burning Hands
Common SW, Empire SW, Diabolic SW

Death - Any
Kin to beings of the underworld
3rd Sense Undead – can sense un-life at one mile rough direction, or recognize absence of life on sight
6th Deaths Gaze – can sense undead by concentrating for 1 round, skin develops pale tint
9th Deaths Claw – Drain 2hp/lv from someone else to heal yourself/daily, emaciated lean pale appearance
12th become undead one hour per day, full day at 15th & become a lich forever at 18th
Scythe, Sickle
Undead Lore, Necromantic Lore, Anatomy, Mortician
Corpse Link, Ghost Light, Feign Death, Cause Fear
Common SW, Empire SW, Death Lord SW

Fire Elemental – Any
Kin of the fire plane
3rd Sense Fire – can sense elemental flame at one mile rough direction, or recognize elemental taint on sight
6th Fires Gaze – can sense any elemental by concentrating for 1 round, skin develops red tint
9th Fires Cloak – 1pt/Lv reduce fire damage, scaled skin red black or orange skin, hair like fire, lizard eyes
12th Call a elemental of HD Lv once per day extra at 15th & 18th
Short Sword, Short Bow
Fire Lore, Blacksmith, Alchemy Lore, Etiquette
Elemental Burst, Taunt, Burning Hands, Monster Summoning 1
Common SW, Empire SW, Fire Elemental SW

Air Elemental – Any
Kin of the Air plane
3rd Sense Air – can sense elemental air at one mile rough direction, or recognize elemental taint on sight
6th Air Gaze – can sense any elemental by concentrating for 1 round, skin develops white tint
9th Air Cloak – 1pt/Lv reduce cold or lightning damage, feathered hair, white skin, bird eyes
12th Call a elemental of HD Lv once per day extra at 15th & 18th
Short Spear, Short Bow
Air Lore, Sing, Rope Use, Etiquette
Monster Summoning 1, Whispering Wind, Elemental Burst, Featherfall
Common SW, Empire SW, Air Elemental SW

Earth Elemental – Any
Kin of the earth plane
3rd Sense Earth – can sense elemental Earth at one mile rough direction, or recognize elemental taint on sight
6th Earth Gaze – can sense any elemental by concentrating for 1 round, skin develops stony tint
9th Earth Cloak – +2AC, mineralized skin and hair
12th Call a elemental of HD Lv once per day extra at 15th & 18th
Staff, sling
Earth Lore, Miner, Mineral Lore, Etiquette
Shield, Elemental Burst Monster, Summoning 1, Mount
Common SW, Empire SW, Earth Elemental SW

Water Elemental – Any
Kin of the water plane
3rd Sense Water – can sense elemental Water at one mile rough direction, or recognize elemental taint on sight
6th Water Gaze – can sense any elemental by concentrating for 1 round, skin develops blue tint
9th Earth Cloak – breathe water – scaled, blue green shiny skin with gill slits, green hair
12th Call a elemental of HD Lv once per day extra at 15th & 18th
trident, net
Water Lore, Boating, Swim, Etiquette
Fog Cloud, Elemental Burst, Monster Summoning 1, Swim
Common SW, Empire SW, Water Elemental SW

SORCERER XP
+1 per 1gp spent on ritual paraphernalia pleasing to your bloodline, collecting relics of past ages, restore lost monuments, seeking esoteric lore, supporting your cult, ceremonies, magical implements, artifacts, ritual orgies, taking drugs, ritualized waste and sacrifice
+100/lv casting spells to win
+100 xp for indulging in ritual sacrifice pleasing to your bloodline
Double XP for dueling another spell caster

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EMO DnD Classes pt 6: Druid

December 15, 2012, 2:40 am

≫ Next: EMO DnD Classes pt 7: Monk

≪ Previous: EMO DnD Classes pt 5: Sorcerer

Druids have a fun spell list and I probably changed them more than any list. I allow evil druids and have mentioned I have some funny alignments. Probably a fairly heavy alterations the class. Possibly add a sea druid and a cave druid but need to think more about them.

Druid
Priests of nature, elemental powers and the cosmic balance

HD: 1d8
Prime Stat: Wis
WP: 2 (+1/3rd Lv)
NWP: 4 (+1/Lv)
No-WP mod: -3
Languages: 2d6 (+1/lv) S=spoken and W=written

Spells: Druid
NWP: Warrior, Priest
Shield: Buckler or small or medium wooden
Armour: Light
Weapon: Staff, Sling, Dart, Dagger, Club, Knife, Hatchet, Hand axe, Any Spear, Short Sword, Javelin, Bolo, Net, Trident, Khopesh, Sabre, Whip, Sabre, Rock, Sickle, Scythe, Lasso, Blowpipe
Fight as: Priest
Save as: Priest

Druids are related to priests but have their own spells and some differences with amour and weapons. Druids deal with nature and the common folk who follow the old religion of megalith builders and beast cults. most follow the middle way and serving the balance or are just neutral. Druids use warrior and priest proficiencies, often specializing in a terrain type or beast species. Druids frequently have maximum animal followers with charisma or spells. Druids of separate sects or with disputes often battle ritual duels. Druids have different weapons and their spells are more useful for attacking.
-Spell casting from druid spells, must prey for 8 hrs to recover, learn prayers from knotted cords, marks on bones, tree bark books
-Many druid spells reversible* but you must learn separately, tend to be more for evil and invent an evil name for them.
-At 4th a 1st lv warrior, druid or bard or animal is sent to serve you, animals may have HD up to Druids
-Build a shrine at 5th +1d6 followers, a temple at 10th +2d6 followers and a monument at 20th +4d6 followers
-At 6th lv you attract another follower and each lv after

Specialist Druid Schools

The Old Way Druids (Priests of nature) Green Robes any balanced or nuetral
Preservers of nature and the balance of living harmony between alignments and the elements in peace
Follow gods of nature, elementals, spirits and sylvan entities
Short Spear, Sickle
Plant Lore, Animal lore, Nature Lore, Herbalist
3rd Lv no terrain penalties
6th Lv Tree form one change per lv per day
9th Lv Treant form one change per lv per day
14th Lv may hibernate at will for years in form of an ancient oak tree
18th Lv may plane shift per lv per day to the wood between worlds

The servants of the balance (Priests of the balance) Piebald Robes BM BN
Actively intervene with natural powers in any swerving of alignment forces, all must be kept in the balance or else
Wear patchwork, shabby robes and clothing, prefer piebald and brindle beasts as friends
Staff, Sling
Balance Lore, Chaos Lore, Law Lore, Legal Lore
3rd Lv Immune to curses
6th Lv Alignment detection always detects as own kind or detect nothing - druids choice
9th Lv calm 1d6 HD/Lv as priest power vs angry or violent people
14th Lv may call a hero from another world of equal Lv
18th Lv may plane shift per lv per day to parallel universe

Blood Druids (frenzied killers) Red Robes CE, BE, NE, NN, NM
These Druids practice blood magic, collect severed heads, ritualize cannibalism and bring slaughter to outsiders
The earth needs blood, blood is power, avenge nature – use blood as holy symbol
Sickle, Dart
Sacrifice, Ritual, Torture, First Aid
3rd Lv drink blood to heal self 1d3+1/lv once per battle
6th Lv Blood charm - can track anyone whose blood you have tasted across the world
9th Lv Sacrificial HD in ritual to call a blood elemental 1HD/lv daily, lasts 1T/lv
14th Lv may become living pool of animated blood
18th Lv may cast a Slay spell which explodes a foes heart and causes fear in all who see

Black Druids (Chthonic Necromancers) Black Robes BN BE, NN, NM, NE Serve Crom Cruach the twisted lord of death
These cultists dwell in sour lands and grave sites surrounding themselves with trappings of the underworld. They proliferate undead monsters and tend black haunted forests. They guard the underworlds from mortals and breed monsters.
Scythe, sling
Monster Lore, Undead Lore, Trap Lore,
3rd Lv Immune to leval drain powers
6th Lv Immune to death and paralysis
9th Lv undead command 1d6 HD/Lv as evil priest holy power
14th Lv may feign death at will
18th Lv may plane shift to underworld per Lv per day

White Druids (Sylvan) White Robes BN NG NN NM BG CG CN
These druids aid the faerie world and the good spirits of nature to develop harmony and serve the principles of life. Keeping humans and fey at a proper distance they interact with non human intelligent beings.
Staff, sickle
Herbalist, Sylvan Lore, Healing, First Aid
3rd Lv Immune to Sylvan charm powers
6th Lv Faerie food - elven life span gained
9th Lv Sylvan turning 1d6 HD/Lv as priest power vs elves, unicorns, treeants, etc
14th Lv Sylvan summoning 1 HD/Lv elves, unicorns, treeants, etc
18th Lv may plane shift per lv per day to faerie worlds

Elemental Druid Any (Air-Yellow, Earth-brown, Fire-orange or Water-Blue) NN BN NM BN NG NE LN CN LN
Serve elemental lords either singly or dedicate yourself to keeping the elemental balance
Keep elemental beings and humans in their place.
Staff, Sling
Elemental lore, (earth, air, fire or water) Lore,
3rd Lv +1 all saves
6th Lv +2 all saves
9th Lv elemental turning 1d6 HD/Lv as priest power
14th Lv elemental summoning 1HD/Lv
18th Lv may plane shift per lv per day to elemental planes

Plague Lords (Famine and disease spreaders) Grey Robes BN BE, NN, NM, NE, CE, CN Balor
Man must be punished and culled by disease and pestilence, priests develop mutations
Suffering is natures punishment for resisting natural way, teach the world this truth.
Flail, Sling
Herbalist, Torture, Intimidate, Plague Lore
3rd Lv Immune to disease
6th Lv Carry disease - one touch per day per Lv
9th Lv plague lord - gain 1d4 mutations and 1d4 cosmetic mutations
14th Lv release a great contagion 100 people per Lv
18th Lv may plane shift per lv per day to demiplanes of slime and disease

Beast Cults (Various species) Beast Mask Cults NN BN NM BN NG NE LN CN LN
Choose a sacred beast to emulate, often use un armed combat
Each beast ancestor has different skills to teach
Brawling, Sabre
Animal Lore, Animal Training, Animal Mimic, Hunting
3rd Lv beast head, +1 1d6 bite att, one change per lv per day
6th Lv beast form one change per lv per day 1d8/1d6/1d6 attack
9th Lv beast form change also heals as cure light wounds.
14th Lv call beast lord 1HD/Lv
18th Lv may plane shift per lv per day to beast realms

DRUID XP
+1 per 1gp spent on cult enhancing symbols, monuments, natural relics, attracting new species, ritual implements, restoring wild areas, huge ritual processions, sacrifices to elements, defending common and wild folk, feasts
+100/lv casting spells to win
+100 XP for visiting Places of holy to the faith.
Double XP for destroying enemies of nature or principle foes of the cult or another Druid

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