I'm keeping classes in batches of 4 for some reason
Primary Classes
Warrior - Priest - Wizard - Rogue
Secondary
Sorcerer - Druid - Monk - Bard
Pre-Humans
Elves, Dwarves, Halflings and Tako (tako done but might be revamped)

Possibly will add Paladins, Rangers though other than spells they could be built from warriors.Thinking of a class to act as a shaman/psionicist with own spell list mostly priest and druid spells but spells chosen as a sorcerer with some astral powers. Barbarians and knights can be made from the kits under my warrior and just dont need separate classes. Assassin, acrobats fit under Rogue. Would consider some monster humanoids classes later.  Did enjoy Orcs of Thar supplement based Bugbear PC in a game. I have plenty of stuff for players now so ill sit on this for a while. My bard is a bit troubled too so ill wait a bit but basically like 2nd edition.

On with the Monks:
Monks in ADnD or Mystics in Basic Cyclopedia always seemed like an after thought. I was impressed in Castles and Crusades they had been beefed up to be more like fighters. Like the Rogue the Monk is a skill specialist who makes more sense as part of a Skill based system. I wanted a monk that could cover martial  experts, temple guards and cultists. I also wanted a bit of Sohei and possibility of being a Kensai from Oriental adventures too but no spells. Unlike a fighter a Monk is designed to min max skills to become more powerful. Also light maneuverability for tactical action is one of their strengths. Id usually recommend maxing out in a weapon, unarmed combat and martial arts. Acrobatics, running, other skills handy too.  Monks may learn ancient lore or rogue tricks and stunts too if they choose. Traditional monk skills like dodge, enhanced saves, move, landing are all WP or NWP so they get the best choices of both and keep getting more every lv. Bards are a bit more magical and rogues have better NWPs and less fighting prowess. I might add some other schools. Lotsa marvel heroes like Iron Fist even ninja could fit here. I picked the Moonknight pic for its Egyptian look  just to say you dont have to be a western or oriental monk. Many cultures may have monks of sorts.

some other notes
My unskilled fighters inflict 1d2 damage
Brawling skill 1d3 - any body part, confined space ok
Martial Punch 1d4
Martial kick 1d6 (need punch first)
Martial Smash 1d8 - only one attack, break wood, bricks hand or foot or head
specialize in unarmed for up to +1/+2/+3 hit and damagelots of other weird combat feats
 
Monk
Scholar warrior martial arts masters
HD: 1d8Prime Stat: Wis
WP: 4 (+1/ Lv)
NWP: 4 (+1/ Lv) 
No-WP mod: -3
Languages: 2d4 (+1/2nd lv) S=spoken and W=written

Spells: None
NWP: Any
Shield: None
Armour: Light
Weapon: Staff, Club, Hand Axe, Hatchet, Any Spear, Chain, Any Flail, Dagger, Shuriken, Bolo, Sabre, Lasso, Rock, Sling, Glaive Fight as: Priest
Save as: Priest

Monks study the arts and sciences and the physical arts of battle and the mental arts scholars. They don’t have worldly ambition, only dedication to skill mastery and advancing in monastic ranks. Different orders use different skills but all use rare physical and martial combos rather than obvious force. A monk typically uses a weapon and uses extra unarmed attacks to kick, punch and headbutt in melee. A weapon, boots and gloves can help protect the monk from unarmed attacks vs foes on fire or with touch based powers. Monks spend time training, in study and in meditation. They learn any class skills. A monk Int bonus may take a weapon normally outside their class like a halberd or sword.  Some monks dont bother with weapons at all relying on unarmed proficiencies. Monks may duel each other or have contests of skill. All monks have a Lawful alignment component.
-Can use proficiencies restricted to warriors like weapon mastery +2 or weapon Specialist +3
and can make base critical hits (which they may improve) as a warrior (other classes can have a +1 Weapon expertise once and no basic critical ability without WP)
-Add Wis bonus to AC and all saving throwswithout amour only 
-Combat abilities - extra attacks always fist or kick or may use brawl for any body part
1-3th +1AC & Initiative, Ki Strike hit +1 magic creatures with bare hands or weapon
4-6th +2AC & Initiative, +1 extra unarmed Attack, Ki Strike hit +2 magic creatures 
7-9th  +3AC & Initiative, +2 extra unarmed Attacks, Ki Strike hit +3 magic creatures, dice for unarmed attacks or on single chosen weapon use next highest eg d4 becomes d6
10-12 +4AC & Initiative, +3 extra unarmed Attacks, Ki Strike hit +4 magic creatures
13-16 +5AC & Initiative, +4 extra unarmed Attacks, Ki Strike hit +5 magic creatures17-20 +6AC & Initiative, +5 extra unarmed attacks
-Death touch - save vs Death (Con), deliver death with bare handed touch, first aid might save life, only works on humanoids but study of anatomy manuals might expand this
16th once a day death touch, 18th and 20th get extra uses per day, can have delayed effect of up to hour if wished
-Followers
6th get one 1st lv monk follower and one more per lv after
10th can establish a monastery and attract 3d4 more 1st lv monks
20th can build a great school and attract 6d6 1st lv monks 

Specialist Monk Schools

Name - Alignment  
Title
description
WP
NWP
Languages

Scarlet Talon Order LE Sinister agents of evil
Aid and assist diabolic despots and powermongers
Staff, Chain, Martial Punch, Strike to Entangle
Tumbling, Pole Vault, Sneak, Hide
Empire SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Night Fangs - LN
Assassin brotherhood
Famed for seizing gates, winning sieges, overcoming guards and only killing target
Sabre, Chain, Brawling, Shuriken
Acrobatics, Jumping, Sneak, Hide 
Empire SW, Common SW, Ancient SW
 
Dragon Fist Order - LN
Invisible wanderers
Secret agents gathering information for their libraries
Martial Punch, Double Strike, Dodge, Arrow Block
Sneak, Hide, Disguise, Infiltration
Empire SW, Common SW, Ancient SW
 
Spider Claw Order - LE
Sword wielding master kidnappers
Cult of kidnappers practicing blackmail and human sacrifice
Sabre, 2 weapon, 2 weapon master, Ambidextrous
Climb, Night Vision, Rope Use, Escapology
Empire SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Moon Sons Order - LG   
Vigilante cult of the moon god
Vigilante travelers of the night often establish secret identities
Martial Punch, Martial Kick, Shuriken, Grain Flail
Sneak, Hide, Wall Running, Acrobatics
Empire SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Sword Sisters Order - LN 
Queens of the sword cult
Defenders of women children and elderly
Sabre, Sabre Expert +1, Dodge, Fast Draw Sabre
Weapon Smith, Balance, Wall Running, Tumbling
Empire SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Drunken Frog Order - LN 
Wanderer sect who feign uselessness
Horrible drunks who secretly train and help the common folk
Staff, Brawling, Instant Stand, Strike to Sweep
Brewing, Begging, Tumbling, Gambling
Empire SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Holy Sages Order - LN  
Scholar scribes who serve temples and courts
Many empire sages are eunuchs with false jeweled beards and makeup
Ones serving cults vary – Enki Sages dress as fish, Ishtar nuns wear white robes and are virgins
Staff, Hafted Weapon Style, Strike to trip, Dodge
Ancient Lore, First Aid, Healing, Scribe
Empire SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Holy Guardian - Any L 
Fighting monks who guard temples
Many dedicate their lives to defending monasteries or holy places from harm
Glaive, Strike to Sweep, Medium Armour, Dodge
Holy Lore, First Aid, Alertness, Run Faster
Empire SW, Common SW, Ancient SW

Iron Hand - Any L
Barehand fighting masters
Persue arts of bare handed battle
Martial Punch, Martial Kick, Double Strike, Martial Smash
Dodge, Run Faster, Iron Skin, Tumble 
Empire SW, Common SW, Ancient SW
 
MONK XP
+1 per 1gp spent on monasteries, hermits, relics, holy teachers, scrolls, pilgrimages, scriptures, order donations, exotic weapons, fighting style manuals, building schools, training orphans, translate and transcribe books
+100 per proficiency success that helps victory
Double for winning unarmed or choice weapon duel
 

My artist says he has some goodies for me for EMO so i can get poster - t-shirt and book cover ready early next year. I'm tempted to make a Cloth map too. I can get one screen to do all made. So all good on next years publishing project. Pack hard drive, bags and stuff for my trip to Adelaide for xmas. Probably running Long Stairs Game as everyone seems interested. Will be writing, editing and laying out while I'm away. A few posters to do and my colouring in book(s).

Gammaworld players grab piles of weird crap for barter or later identification. Surely FRP heroes need the same - piles of semi useful items worth something but not necessarily what adventurers would like. I think there was a Dragon article about issue 71-ish. Anyway uncanny xmas 2 u all. Hopefully your DMs give you better loot than this. I might do some more of these. They are a mix of useless, tasteless and childish. Just blame me if something embarrassing or awkward pops up.

1  Everlasting Dye - permanently changes colour of hair, skin or items but mostly for hair - 1d6 doses
2 Everlasting Dye - as above but is a highlight kit with 12 colours
3 Music box - plays same tune again and again, hand size
4 Orchestra in a box - a chest with miniature musician golems know 1d20 tunes
5 Hair removal potion - meant to be applied, permanent if drunk
6 Hair growth potion - meant to be aplied, if drunk grow 1 inch per hour for ever
7 Hat of many styles - can change to any hat for job at hand, helmet, hunting hat, courtly hat etc
8 Landscape Paint Set - anyone can use to paint one scene with photographic accuracy
9 Portrait Paint Set - anyone can use to paint one detailed flattering portrait
10 Character Paint Set - anyone can use to paint one unflattering mocking picture outrages subject
11 Wig of many Styles - Change colour and style, comes in facial hair and mirkin style
12 Gender Change Girdle - like the normal one but not cursed
13 Undying lantern - everburning lamp also comes in torch or candle styles
14 Heroes Tankard - get no hangovers from booze drunk from this
15 Spectacles of the Sage - make you look profoundly wise and knowing
16 Everflowing Paint Brush - paint brush that never needs to be dipped in paint - one colour
17 Singing Doll - knows 1d20 nursery rhymes and 1d10 scary fairy tales
18 Hat of the Dunce - hat lets wearer sit drooling quietly for hours
19 Sleeping Potion - lets drinker have pleasent sleep
20 Sleeping Cap - lets drinker have pleasant sleep
21 Milk jug of Keeping - preserves milk or cream till used up
22 Hat of protection from bees - bees will not initiate combat with wearer
23 Spoon of Stirring - stirs itself till stopped once started
24 Spoon of Tastiness - any stirred food or drink becomes yummier
25 Wand of pointing - a beam of laser light that is handy for lectures and pointing stuff out
26 Scroll of Dictation - blank scroll when unfurled records everything said for 1d6x100 words
27 Knife of Easy Carving - chef knife that always makes neat slices
28 Rock of Holding -  placed on paper, this protects from being blown away even in gaol (jail)
29 Boots of many trails - randomly changes foot prints to different creature every 100 yards
30 Boots of ever shininess - always clean enough to eat off
31 Trunk of Junk - whenever opened find a useless item of junk - boot, pot with hole, broken mug
32 Cards of fairness - Cards scream if any cheating attempted by players (card counting ok)
33 Coin of flipping - always lands on flippers choice
34 Wand of Penguin Summoning - once a day calls a tasty penguin from icy realms
35 Collar of location - put on pet or person, always know their location
36 Girdle of Chastity - magically locked until legally married on wedding night
37 Girdle or Manhood - Protects your genitalia from harm in battle
38 Shirt of cleanliness - Shirt is always pressed and clean
39 Cape of protection from Weather -keeps elements at bay - stay dry and warm
40 Mechanical Beaver - Wind up and once per day fells one tree
41 Pan of Cooking - self heating pot or frypan
42 Pan or Recipies - sentient pan gives sneering advice on cooking to any cretin using it
43 Salt Sellar of Plenty - 10 doses of salt per day
44 Pepper Grinder of Plenty - 10 doses of pepper per day
45 Ever lasting Candy - piece of candy you can suck forever - who knows who used it before
46 Nurses Ring - makes lactate as long as worn, also wanted by farmers
47 Ring of the Rake - make infertile but still vulnerable to STD
48 Dancing Shoes - give the wearer basic dancing skills or improves professionals abilities
49 Thimble of defence - 1pt resistance to impaling damage
50 Mothers Necklace - whispers motherly advice and commentary about everything you do
51 Flattering Mirror - improves comeliness in mirror view
52 Mirror that Flatters Not - makes viewer look aged, ill, bald, toothless horror
53 Pillow of Sloth - allows you to lay about for years without harm
54 Idol of Depravity - on command attractive idol dances erotically
55 Spectacles of the Letcher - makes clothing invisible when looked through
56 Pipe of smoke rings - pipe let you blow awesome smoke rings to entertain others
57 Pipe of black lung - pipe never runs out - one type of smoke weed per pipe
58 Pipe of Ignition - pipe lights self and never blows out
59 Flint of Sparks - flint starts fires easily - dont let kids play
60 Eyepiece of the Immoral - Can see depraved scenes of otherworldly orgies
61 Statue of Prayer - If placed in church statue prays for your well being
62 Goat Leggings of frenzied dance - allows wearer to dance lustily all night
63 Pole of pokery - pole regrows back end if damage under 20% damaged up to 3 times a day
64 Wizards Beard - a strap on beard that bonds with wearer as real growing beard forever
65 Waterbowl of Wizards - 3 times a day fills with water, animals can learn to use
66 Foodbowl of Wizards - 3 times a day fills with horrid gruel that animals seem to like
67 Gilded Birdcage of Capture - leave the door open and birds are attracted and trapped
68 Saddle of Comfort - saddle is always pleasant for rider and horse
69 Horn of Alarm - anyone can blow a loud trumpet heard up to a mile away
70 Instrument of the minstrel - plays self for up to 12 hours a day
71 Knitting Needles of the Elves - knit for 2 hours a day if wool plenty
72 Butter churn of the Cowlords - turns cream to butter in one hour, various sizes
73 Fish hook of plenty - magical lure catches 3 fish per day quickly
74 Oil of shininess - any metal polished stays shiny forever
75 Necklace of Purity - if given as a gift the giver knows if lover cheats
76 Hat of truth - changes colour if wearer lies
77 Hen of Eggs - Ceramic hen container has a fresh egg each day
78 Unsoiled Girdle - Wearer never needs to go to toilet
79 Blanket of Bravery - when wrapped in blanket with both hands immune to fear - pink or blue
80 Ratters Hat - attracts rats who come from curiosity
81 Vermin bane Cube - this cube keeps rats, bugs and critters out of one room
82 Sealed Jar of Ancients - preserves contents fresh if lid sealed - 50% chance already full
83 Tankard of Booze - Fills once a day with one type of ale or bear
84 Goonbox of Plenty - wooden box with a tap produces 4 litres of cheap wine a day
85 Paddle of Spanking - wielder never tired or strained using this to spank
86 Animated spanking paddle - once a day will spank a victim up to 10 times
87 Broom of sweeping - once a day sweeps one room
88 Egg cup of Breakingfast - cooks an egg placed in cup
89 Quill of Ink - self inking quill
90 Quill of infamy - any written text filled with abuse, swearing and insults
91 Ledger of Seeking - book turns to page requested by subject
92 Book of Secrets - cannot open without spells unless you have written in book
93 Unburning Book - resilient book cannot burn, be harmed by acid, water except by muscle power
94 Books of the Messengers - what is written by one appears on both copies
95 Mechanical Rooster - alarm which sounds dawn every day if wound up
96 Kings Wrist Sundial - tells the time night or day
97 Hourglass of wizards - flow slows or speeds or reverses on command
98 Notebook of sorting - everything written is re arranged alphabetized
99 Shells of talking - each shell in set can hear through the other one like a radio
100 Book of the critic - sentient book complains about your work quality, heals if damaged

1 Dice of deceit - always roll best outcome, pretty obvious after a few rolls, bone or jewels
2 Shears of trimming - cut wool, trim hedges, vines, 2 hours a day
3 Tent of Assembly - tent pitches self and rain proof - various styles and sizes
4 Mechanical Dog - if wound daily will bark if intruders come near
5 Little Snitch - figurine repeats conversations it has heard last 24 hours
6 Mechanical Parrot - wound daily will repeat novelty phrazes
7 Mechanical Nightingale - Sings beautiful haunting melody
8 Wizards Umbrella - Unfolds in rain or sun automatically
9 Fan of the Ancients - this hand fan once started keeps fanning for an hour
10 Toothpick of the Titans - this can be used to remove teeth from mortals
11 Everfull makeup container - usually rougue or lead based whitener or kohl
12 Scrolls of the fiend - pornographic prints which are blank if seen by women (or opposite)
13 Dark Elf Goblet - anyone drinking from this becomes aroused if fail a save
14 Goblins Cup - anyone drinking from this becomes a goblin for one hour
15 Hammer of the Gnomes - blacksmith hammer which animates itself for 1 hour a day
16 Mechanical rabbit, if wound runs away never to be seen again
17 Spectacles of fearlessness - turn black if see anything scary or offencive
18 Spectacles of the otherworldly - view horrible beings in other dimensional void
19 Magical Fruit - preserved forever tasty fruit, also makes nice ornament
20 Ointment of youth - look 2d years younger for 2 hours, 1d6 uses
21 Dentures of the Magi - replaces real teeth with magnificent gold ones, removable on death
22 Ice bucket of the Giants - A small barrel with a lid and full of ice cubes once per day
23 Glass of the Magi - turns any drink inside to any other drink of same value or less
24 Goblins Tankard - turns pee into beer
25 Mechanical Kitten - wind up plays for 10 minutes goes to sleep till re wound
26 Ever Frozen Icecube - good for one drink, cold but cant get water from it
27 Codpiece of the Titans - offensive novelty fashion item sings if anyone touches it
28 Singing Carp - magical stuffed fish sings song if touched - only one song
29 Abacus of counting - aids in counting fabulously high numbers
30 Ever full Sponge - remains clean and absorbs 40 litres of fluid same weight
31 Spade of Digging - digs by self for op to 2 hours, handy for graves
32 Sandbag of plenty - a one lb bag can be emptied daily up to 100 lb comes out
33 Ever lasting sausage - regrows one lb per day as long as some left
34 Everlasting cheese - regrows one lb per day as long as some left
35 Ever bulging nut sack - refills with 1 lb of nuts per day
36 Tiara of sparkling - makes wearer sparkle and glisten
37 Undead monkey servant obeys whoever holds his rod
38 Sink of the old ones - this steel kitchen sink has a garbage eating horror in drain wormhole
39 Spectacles of attractiveness - makes lover seem more appealing if you wear the hat
40 Pie Tin of Bounty - as long as one slice left - fresh yummy pie every evening
41 Meat grinder of plenty - any meat in grinder turned to yummy hamburger mince
42 Goggles of red rage - sees bloodstains even if cleaned up long ago
43 Azagors angry ants - box of ants will clean any organic matter from a room or corridor once
44 Mechanical Carpentry Crab - makes basic wooden items 2hrs a day from wood and spittle
45 Ever edible pig - small 20lb pig can have 6 lb of meat cut out every day, regrows by dawn
46 Chastity belt of true love - only one true love can open the belt
47 Wand of Housework - each charge cleans one room or person 1d100+30 charges
48 Wand of Sausage Frenzy - makes a tasty sausage appear in victims mouth 1d100+30 charges
49 Wand of grilling - cooks toast or other meals or inflicts 1pt damage 1d100+30 charges
50 Wand of wands - each charge makes a non magical wand 1d100+30 charges
51 Rainbow Staff - shoots pretty rainbows 1d100+30 charges
52 Hair Ribbon of Majesty - pretty ribbon attracts everyone's attention if they fail a save
53 Candy Wand - each use creates one lb of candy 1d100+30 charges
54 Endless soap - always suds up 
55 Flaming Coat - Illusionary fire surrounds wearer when mad
56 Deck of infinite cards - if you lose cards they are replaced daily if you have at least 27
57 Wand of fruit - creates a piece of health fruit 1d100+30 charges
58 Bag of bottomless turnips - all the delicious turnips you can eat (or 100 lb per day)
59 Soul gem medalion - has a trapped princess soul can talk to wearer princessy stuff
60 Skull of necromancer - has a trapped wizards soul and talks non stop
61 Wand of glitter - shoots cone covering all in sparkly glitter, 1d100+30 charges
62 Staff of Flowers - shoots cone of flowers1d100+30 charges or cover 100y radius if broken
63 Mushroom Sickle - when cuts a mushroom grows back instantly (non magic mushies only)
64 Feedbag of the Horselords - feeds a horse grain, chaff and molasses once per day
65 Ring of Sanctity - protects from normal fleas, bedbugs, leeches, mosquitoes and flies
66 Boots of warning - get a twinge if ground unstable or monsters burrowing underfoot
67 Liquid Flesh - used to repair cosmetic damage from missing flesh, scars, burns - one dose
68 Lover potion - if smashed on ground a prostitute appears, she/he melts one hour later
69 Magical Mattress - handkerchief turns into sweet smelling goose feather double mattress
70 Sack of infinite rags - a one lb bag you can pull out 100 lb of dirty rags per day
71 Ring of Hygiene - keeps skin and clothes clean, no toilet paper needed
72 Oracle of love - box prints tiny scroll with random romantic euphemism
73 Dentures of Dazzlement - bond with user for life, glimmer impressively
74 Dentures of Destruction - bond with user for life,1d3 bite, can eat anything organic
75 Moms Meatball Bowl- bowl creates a delicious steaming meatball once per day
76 Blanket of Picnicking - keeps away bugs, vermin and pets from food
77 Basket of Hybrids - put in 2 animals under 10 lb and create a hybrid beast 1d100+30 charges
78 Bell of children summoning - when rung children in 300 yards come running 1d100+30 charges
79 Razor of shaving - never blunts or cuts, needs no lather
80 Wand of unvandalism - removes unauthorized marks on walls 1d100+30 charges
81 Mechanical monkey - wind him up runs crazily around, snatches something, escapes forever
82 Ball of returning - child's ball always returns on command
83 Duck of Quacking - toy, follows owner and quacks constantly
84 Stove of Evil - if fire started from human fat burns for one year, 20lb
85 Wooden Wife - life size wood mannequin, 2 hours a day animates and cooks and cleans, 65lb
86 Chamber Pot of old ones - this chamber pot empties into a universe of imprisoned evil gods
87 Wand of flaming balls - inflicts itchy VD on victim who fails save 1d100+30 charges
88 Wand of vandalism - sprays paint onto any surface, one colour one minute1d100+30 charges
89  Wand of Bubbles- fills air with bubbles 1d100+30 charges
90 Canteen of Effervescence - Any beverage in canteen becomes fizzy like soda and chilled
91 Gruel pot of gods - makes up to 100lb of prison quality gruel
92 Wooden Lover - mannequin prostitute lasts 1 hour per day, may cause injuries if using at end
93 Bag of Gremlins - once per day can pull a screaming newborn gremlin out of this bag
94 Headband of Dreams - has particularly vivid crazy dreams you remember clearly
95 Wand of Flatulence - makes victim let loose foully if fail save 1d100+30 charges
96 Magical Tail - bonds to target permanently, usually donkey but lizard or  others found
97 Ring of chastity - removes all sexual desire and capability also in priest robe form
98 Ring of the Egg - wearer lays one chicken egg a day
99 Hatchet of chopping - will animate 2 hours a day and cut fire wood
100 Knife Ring - ring turns into small knife 1d3 damage and back

1 Hobos boots - can be used to cook meal for 4 after days march in boots
2 Wand of hair styling - point and changes hair style, save if unwilling, 1d100+30 charges
3 Hobbit boots - made from hobbit feet these leave false trails and annoy hobbits
4 Hanky of snuffles - when used unblocks sinuses, ears, nose and airways of mucous
5 Defiling kit - unholy water, innocents blood and pack of hog dung in separate bottles
6 Jeweled bird of command - can orders other animated devices in room at set time per day
7 Rat Idol of modest wealth - makes 1 copper piece per day (some stop at 2000)
8 Rod of the frog god - creates 1 bucket of frogs per charge 1d100+30 charges
9 Chum Bucket of glory - refills daily with yummy shark bait
10 Soup stone - boil in water to make tasty soup one pot per day
11 Mood Ring of the gods - changes colour to indicate wearers mood
12 Sphere of the Sage - when shaken generates a random answer from yes no or maybe
13 Hat of useless crap - 3 times a day pull random not useful mad made item
14 Rubix cube of mystery - puzzle box takes new users days to open, contains random thing
15 Glory Hole of Thrills - simular to portable hole - comes in male and female
16 Robe of tastelessness - changes patterns and colours every 10 minutes but all hideous
17 Clothes of invisibility - clothes turn invisible at will
18 Clogs of cleanliness - mess proof clogs never soiled and bug free
19 Girdle of slimming - makes you look 10lb lighter
20 Wand of animal singing - 1d100+30 charges makes animal sing for 10 minutes
21 Students Hat - improves odds of guessing multiple choice questions by 25%
22 Bottle of spinning - owner wills who bottle spins at
23 Stones of skimming - 3d6 stones in box skim 2d10 times if thrown at water
24 Box of Birds - once per week 3d6 white doves fly from box -  very tasty
25 Monster seeds - 1d6 in bag - random monster appears if touch ground
26 Hat of rabbits - once a day a rabbit can be pulled out of hat
27 Hat of horror - once a day pull monster from hat which attacks you
28 Cloak of Drama - looks impressive as if gentle breeze blowing
29 Shoes of flying - when activated, fly off your feet and into space
30 Deck of dodgy things - each card drawn turns into a shameless object of vice
31 Chiken Wand - fires a live chicken 100 y 1d100+30 charges
32 Book of knowing - once a day you may open book to a random factabout the world
33 Book of Planar Facts - as above but random fact about a different plane each use
34 Idol of Esoteric Evil - once per month may commune with elder god, answer in lost language
35 Jar of Enchanted Ovum - makes one lb of pickled eggs per day
35 Plate of clean living - makes a meal of broccoli, brussel sprouts and lentils
36 Wand of polymorph fruit - turn one normal fruit into another of same mass 1d100+30 charges
37 Gauntlets of the old ones - turn hands into tentacles 10 min later - some are cursed
38 Wand of the deep - shoots fish 100 yards 1d100+30 charges
39 Arcadian Meadows Towel - ever clean and dry towel, makes a good nappy
40 Gloves of the Masseuse - gives nice massage every day, oiled and non oil version
41 Gloves of the Lover - as above but happy ending
42 Rock of rock detection - as named 100y
43 Ring of molten fire - warns you if you touch boiling lava or metal
44 Ring of afterthought - ring tells you what you should have done after each wound taken
45 Ring of the nose goblin - detect nose picking 100 yards
46 Ring of silence - says Shhhhhhh! loudly if any in 15ft of wearer make a sound
47 Girdle of the centaur - 2 extra legs appear, not handy but can wear 2 more boots
48 Sword of the bard - this sword causes no harm but the victim looks wounded as if the were
49 Dish of Fish - once a day an edible grilled carp appears on plate
50 Sauce of the Fool - 1d10 doses of sauce that makes one meal worth of anything safe food
51 Sauce of the gods - 1d10 doses of sauce that makes one meal addictably  delicious
52 Fools Crown - wearer sees as crown fit for a king, everyone else sees a steaming coil of poop
53 Hat of Invulnerability - hat cannot be damaged while not on persons head
54 Wizard Eye - works as human eye if put in eye socket
55 Wizard Hand - works as human hand if put on stump
56 Eunachs reward - works as human members if attatched to damaged area
57 Adamant Nails - remove fingernails then attatch - 1d3 edged attack, cut rope etc 2d10
58 Lance of the Unicorn - A horn which atatches to your head, +1 extra Attack, 1d10 damage
59 Gills of the fish - fleshy lumps with gill slits, attatch then you breathe water not air, permanant
60 Breast of venus - 1d6 fleshy lumps, attatch as pleased to add to size or have extra breast
61 Mask of flesh - a malable living mask of varied colours, can be moulded if skilled
62 Gliding Cape - takes 20 foot off fall
63 Uranium Golem battery - glows nicley, makes everyone feel warm 20ft if outside lead box 
64 Bagpipes of wonder - play bagpipes for 12 hours, next roll gets a +1
65 Stockings of splendour - never tear, self repairing, always clean, various styles
66 Amazing viewer scope - wind handle, bend over and peek in large box slot see 160 second film
67 Gremlin Scope - microscopic viewer see beholders battle miro terrasque and other stuff
68 Vulcanic Suit - fragile glass suit allows you to walk into volcanoes (but bot lava) unharmed
69 Divers Suit - 80lb technomagical heap allows you to walk under water slowly for 30 minutes
70 Bag of air - turns into 3 yard across giant pillow -30 feet fall, pillow remains permanant, comphy
71 Khessemers Tiny Sled - Toy sled enlages tightly fits one adult mail, lasts one hour
72 Mechanical spider - spins web 200 foot per month
73 Salamander Horde - burn seal calls 3d100+50 various coloured luminous garden salamanders 
74 Iron Heart Ring - this ring take away romantic pains, feelings and memories 
75 Armband of grief - prevents uncotrolled public displays of grief
76 Mechanical finch - guards one child or group thereof, fkies and reports to parent
77 Octopi sentinel - slimy octopus hat warns you if threat in 360 degrees, needs daily drink and snack
77 Tentacle Mask - 1d12 facial tentacles, 3rd use permanant flesh bonding
78 Fishy Idol - gives owner increasing bad dreams, if thrown in water calls evil fish men party
79 Flippers of the Frog god - +50% aquatic movement, 3rd use permanant flesh bonding
80 Goggles of the chameleon - seperate moving eyes with 290 degree vision
81 Fangs of the Bat Race - replace fangs with these permanantly, become hemovorous 
82 Goggles of Truth - detects magical bodily alterations and gender changes
83 Octo-Epaulettes - 2 shoulder mounted octopi whisper different advice to each ear about the sea
84 Amphibian lungs - 2 fleshy lumps stuffed in gills of at least dog size beast lets breathe air
85 Helm of ghost rider - head appears as burning or glowing skull, spookifies voice too
86 Candle Spike - sticks into any rock or stone or brick, holds candle
87 Helm of mining - 30 foot 90 degree cone light from top of helm at will
88 Healers Ring - can donate 1hp to the patient when using skill based healing, first aid, etc
89 Mask of shadow - once/day can renew one 1st lv sorceror/wizard spell by killing small beast
90 Eye of UnessZee - Magic eye pendant reports telepathicly any spell it sees on wearer
91 Hydrobolt Wand - squirt water up to 100 yards 1d100+30 charges
92 Prehensile beard/hair - bonds to head, can streach 3 yards and crudely grab anything
93 Shock beard/hair - bonds to head, electric zap 1d4 shock to nearest foe in melee
94 Ice beard/hair - bonds to head, immune to environmentak cold, blue or white, icy touch
95 Blood beard/hair -  bonds to head, drinks 1hp blood from foe after each battle turns red
96 Flame beard/hair - bonds to head, burns in battle 1d4 lash to nearest foe in melee
97 Death beard/hair - bonds to head, if killed raised as zombie and walks to home or temple
98 Rat Statuette - turn to 3HD riding rat i hr a day
99 Couldron of The Hag -  monthly gate calls idiot son of Earth goddess, impregnates all in 30ft
100 Fishermens Friends - tin pail with lid, once day fills with earthworms or maggots or grasshoppers

ill update this as i please

Crossings in many adventures make good climactic scenes and cliff hangers for adventure. Here are some lazy tools to make hex crawling a bit more fun. Not as solid as some other ones but here we go - transmissions intermittent for next 3 weeks:


d12 Savage Setting Crossing Types
1 Log crossing
2 Jump from one rock to the other
3 Waterfall crossing
4 Swing across vines
5 Use backs of huge creatures
6 Single rope crossing
7 Double rope crossing
8 Rope bridge
9 Flimsy bridge of bamboo or sticks
10 Climb across huge trees
11 Can cross rapids with rope and teamwork
12 Cave under waterfall

d20 Savage Setting Obstacles
1 Ferocious man sized creature blocks path
2 Hostile cannibal tribesmen camp
3 Hive of bugs or parasite filled corpse on path
4 Single warrior challenges newcomers to challenge to cross
5 Pack of dangerous animals
6 Huge predators lair
7 Starving traveler half mad and sick
8 Swarm attack while crossing - bugs, fish, frogs, bats
9 Witch doctor offers quest for right to cross
10 Witch doctor asks 3 questions for right to cross
11 Cursed crossing - spirit totem or tabu item
12 Horribly tortured bodies strung up everywhere
13 Sacrifice or torture in progress
14 Ritual battle in progress
15 Ceremony taking place come back tomorrow
16 Crossing collapses
17 Aerial creature attacks
18 Missile attacks from hidden clan
19 Assassin with poison missiles
20 Swarming with savage beasts below

d12 Archaic Setting Crossing Types
1 Wooden bridge
2 Stone bridge
3 Fortified bridge
4 Ruined bridge
5 Ferry boat
6 Tunnel underneath
7 Fulcrum crane
8 Elevator system
9 Cable carriage
10 Collapsed Bridge
11 Swinging moat bridge
12 Single chain or metal cable

d20 Archaic Setting Obstacles
1 Toll bridge - official with guards
2 Toll bridge - unofficial with thugs
3  Bandits favorite ambush point
4 Highway man
5 Warrior challenges for right to cross
6 Beggars ask for money, healing, help
7 Crossing is a local vice den with drugs, gambling and prostitutes
8 Execution in progress
9 Gang torture in progress
10 Slave traders making deal
11 Priests converting and extorting donations
12 Crazy sniper shoots at who crosses
13 Tax collector and guards know party coming this way
14 Cultists looking for victims
15 Dangerous beast
16 Settlement on crossing
17 Broken crossing extra risky
18 Gangs meeting for deal - party sets off melee
19 Bad omens and cursed insignia mark crossing
20 Orphans needing help

1d20 Magical setting Crossing Types
1 Gateway
2 Teleporter
3 Floating squares
4 Floating Disc
5 Carried by fabulous monster
6 Passage through another world
7 Wizard telekinesis you over on a raft
8 Underground Train
9 Ice bridge
10 Invisible Force bridge
11 Magical burning bridge
12 Razor blade or giant sword for bridge
13 Living beings form bridge - may assemble and dissemble
14 A magical dungeon
15 A great tree with passages and walkways
16 A corpse of an ancient gargantuan monster
17 Titanic humanoid carries across
18 Magical vehicle ferries across
19 Magical being uses strange powers
20 Necromancer bridge - built with animate bones, corpses and rubble

d20 Magical Setting Obstacles
1 Undead block passage
2 Other planar being blocks passage
3 Magician blocks passage
4 Bizarre Monster blocks passage
5 Spirit demands quest to let past
6 God in disguise tests or tricks characters
7 Magical curse effects all who pass
8 Sends those crossing to another world
9 Faerie, gremlins or imps rob party
10 Disguised monster is part of crossing
11 Old person demands toll - actually a shape shifter
12 Non humans force charges humans toll for a laugh
13 Magical Fire Arrows shoot at any who cross
14 Evil cultists engaged in rituals
15 Monster toll keeper
16 Plague of small annoying creatures - snakes, kobolds, spiders
17 Magical prison which traps those passing
18 A sourland around a monster lair
19 Monks or priests test with challenges for right of passage
20 Spirits attempt possession of all who pass

1d12 Weird Science Setting Crossing Types
1 Monorail
2 Air ferry
3 Elevator
4 Escalator bridge
5 Shuttle
6 Specialty vehicle
7 Teleporter circuit
8 Wormhole gateway
9 Awesome spectacle designer bridge
10 Road just crosses, minimal support or structure
11 Telekinetic force bridge
12 Specialized robot transportation

d20 Weird Science Obstacles
1 Robot guardian
2 Argumentative AI
3 Android demands Fee
5 Cyborg gang taunt anyone crossing
6 Tech system failure
7 Mutants demand toll
8 Cult demand donation, offer membership
9 Sentient xenoform demands service fee
10 Virus nanobots or mutagenic contamination
11 Fortified barricade blocks passage
12 Guards want to know more about you and whatever your doing
13 High tech trap
14 Hostile lab made creature lair
15 Youth gang jerk you around
16 Crooks offer criminal services
17 Suicidal person here to die - perhaps party will help
18 Recycling or cleaning machines get extreme
19 Horde of hungry and needy want stuff
20 Dangerous collision

sorry not getting up but no net where Im staying
have written descriptions of dungeon zones for next few posts in a day or two

uploading this one for players in game now

More Long Stairs – Underneath Down Under. Went quite well 3 of my longest gaming companions Richard, John and Michael. Each made a specialist and a soldier for the first game. 0 level DnD with automatic weapons, grenades and gun Drones.

After training party went through various landings before reaching 3rd landing and their first cakewalk. Sent to repair some cables and see an operational forward guard post they camped with 2 other squads at a Junction near a cyclopean zone and a redbrick dungeon complex. They watched a squad enter the red brick and relaxed to clean equipment and talk to the dungeon vets. Orcs attacked and killed their guards, and grenaides killed 3 men and injured 2 more in the machine gun nest. While 20 orcs charged with melee weapons, a hundred and twenty bullets cleaned them up. The re secured the perimeter with claymores and cleaned up the wounded - one just saved needing evac and another battered but walking. Michael's Iman and medic patched them up. A drone detected a growing band of 40 more orcs chanting and calling more of their foul kind.

A bomb heli drone killed many orc working themselves into a frenzy and 30 more charged the camp. Mostly mowed down in 2 rounds of heavy fire. Zulu dawn came to mind.

The redbrick dungeon door bell sounded and a battered lone trooper came out. Men questioned him and the Iman-medic was suspicious of the wounds. Chandra the drone pilot started asking the man personal questions. He flipped and turned to his true doppelganger form and attacked to be shot unconscious and locked in a trunk. Support was coming in but the two sergeants agreed a search for the missing squad was needed.

They found the remains of a Russian gangster treasure hunter booby-trapped with a grenade and hand spun hair string trip-line. They took his papers and a few kilos of loot, then began looking for the missing men. They met 4 hobbit who traded sandwiches for gold coins but couldn't really speak English. Every door was feindishly trapped and they found two more bodies, one hanging from ceiling in a bear trap. They recovered what they could and had a rush of kobolds. The tracker tried to drop a grenade ahead of them and got knocked out by a club as he pulled the pin. The blast killed him and most of the kobolds and the others were met by shotgun blasts.

They found some gold, and a magic salt and pepper shaker and a magic paint set. The tracker found what he thought was a pendant from a long lost auntie but he only lived five minutes after. Three troops were found in a room with an idol and a building up supply of flamable gas. As they carried out the men the last was singed by a trap activated singe but survived. They made it back with the three unconscious men and were praised for surviving, rescuing men and quick thinking. Aproval from the sarge got them friendlier treatment at the base.

So the Iman-medic became a Cleric, the drone operator a sorcerer, the trap finding soldier became a rogue and the rest were warriors. Next they went exploring a Cyclopean zone, prehistoric ruins with forest, various reptilians and alien ruins. They encountered various ruin and avoided crocodiles, piranha, some kobolds. A great white carnivorous ape tried to grab Chandra and got sliced in half buy gun fire but it was pretty close. They awoke a hibernating yithian who advised the to leave the basalt plugs in the earth alone and requested he get back to his nap with another 2 million years to go. They found a mummified sleestack, some purple worm eggs, a deranged senile Nazi in the wreck of a flying saucer, saw a raptor and several shambling flesh horrors get eaten by crocodiles. Turns out they were coming through a broken teleporter. They avoided a shambling horror and saved two stupid mute eloi from some morlocks and found some broken technology and took some gold polyhedrons from a sleestack ruined lab. Overburdened with additional persons they returned to base. Th nazi didn't exist on any paper no surprise but the eloi were basically slightly modified humans and have been housed at second landing and now help the menagerie staff. Care is taken to protect them from exploitation which they seem vulnerable too.

Basicly a fun new start to a DnD game with outrageous fire power. I look forward to them taking a longer trek and possibly running out of ammo and drones. There was a good sense that the orcs and kobolds only were just stopped so it remained exiting. Once they reached 1st level they chilled a bit and were a little more confidant. One specialized in machete. The rogue under my version of the class benefited with abilities the most which worked well. Another game next saturday.

Operation Rainbow Serpent
The entire “downstairs” theatre of operations and it’s control apparatus and military and administrative personnel are included in this project. Including Lucas Heights (Back up entry and labs), Maralinga (the Botany Bay gate), Woomera (Quarantine, R&D and Labs) with some links to the US Pine Gap Bases (personnel will travel through here to US gate operations).

Opened in the 50s with Maralinga Tests, there is a long history of cooperating with UK and USA. The surface is a secluded military airbase. The subterranean hanger enters into a first stage base which includes fake downstairs simulation arena for training and testing. Many personal here never go deeper. A train line connects all stations. Each is fortified with remote activated minefields, electric razor wire and drone weapons. There are two lines for personal and one heavy freight line. Up to 400 personnel are based here.

Second stage is technically down stairs and is a site for storage and study of xeno fauna, xeno artifacts and xeno methodology. It includes what is basically a motel complex with swimming pool, gymnasium, and recreational facilities for personal needing R&R from the third stage. There is also a hospital with facilities for front line combat injury, mental health treatment and a long term recovery section for classified ailments. Up to 600 personnel are based here.
The third stage is front line and combat ready. It has a secure vault style door with a secure kill zone surrounding it. From here troops are stationed on rotation and go on missions into the zones. An armoury, field hospital, basic labs and xenofauna containment building are the main feature. Up to 300 personnel are based here.

Teams From 3rd Stage
Recon Teams – Explore new territories and perimeter or downstairs territory
Forward Patrols – Patrol territories, especially near mining and survey zones
Survey Teams – Make accurate maps, document interesting locations
Science Teams – Teams of scientists study biological and geological sites
Contact Teams – Study and contact non-human species

Combat Team
Lieutenant, Sergeant, Corporal
6 infantrymen
one specialist (sniper, demolitions, hand to hand, medic)
Exploration Team
Sergeant, 4 infantrymen
4 mission specialists (biologist, archaeologist)
1 Lead Mission Specialist

Hardware
4kg 4 days food
4kg 2 weeks preserved rations
4kg Water canteen, plus filter and water purity tabs
8kg Sleeping bag, groundsheet and tent
1kg First Aid Kit
1kg Long life flash light/lamp – can be used as baton
.5 Long life flash light weapon mount
10 glow sticks
4 Flares
Hand cuffs and 10 cable ties
1kg 3m Rope
.5kg Survival knife with compass, saw, fish line and hook
.5 Maps and signals book
1kg Machete
.5kg PDA – personal data accessory – military iphone
1.5 Helmet, radio Headset, helmet cam
9mm 20 shot automatic pistol

Other Stuff often supplied
12kg 18m rope, grappling hook, pitons, hammer, loops, climbing stuff in bag
5kg Grappling line gun
4kg Camp Stove
4kg Trade kit – beads, razors, candy, shiny things
1kg Low light goggles
6kg Field Surgeon Bag
1kg Gas mask
12kg Inflatable raft, 4 man tight fit with 2 paddles
1kg Digital SLR optional _1kg lens kit

Weapons (most fire 2 per round or 2 bursts of 3 pistol 10 Rifle or 20 SMG)
2kg 9mm Pistol 20 shots 2d4 20Y
4kg 5.56 Assault Rifle 40 shots 1d6 100Y
4kg 7.62mm Assault Rifle 40 shots 2d6 120Y
12kg 5.56mm Light Machine Gun 120 round drum 1d6 100Y
4kg 12 Gauge pump action shotgun 5 shots 3d6/2d6/1d6 10Y
5kg 12 Gauge assault shotgun 20 shots 3d6/2d6/1d6 10Y
1kg Grenade Launcher rifle Accessory 50Y
6kg Grenade Launcher 6 shots, lowlite scope, airburst 100Y
4kg 303 Sniper Rifle, lowlite scope, 10 shots, 2d6, 200Y
12kg .50 Sniper Rifle, lowlite scope, 6 shots, 3d6, 500Y
4kg X-Bow – with sight and 10 shot magazine and , lowlite scope 1d8+1 60Y
2kg 30mm Flare Pistol one shot, some use shotgun ammo 10Y
.5kg Dagger 1d4
1kg Machete 1d6
1kg Baton 1d6
2kg Hand Flamer 2d6 I shot + 5 belt pack (5kg) 10Y
5kg Personal Flamer 2d6 4 shots + belt as above or +20 shot backpack (20kg)
20kg Personal Flamer 3d6 cone fx, 7 shots backpack, 30Y

Ammo (issued and explained on need to know basis)
Silver
AP armour Piercing
API – armour piercing incendiary
Blessed Rounds – xeno methodology enhanced
Holy Water gel rounds
Wooden rounds
Ornichalum – very powerful, damages weapon with each shot 1 round/recon patrol

.5 kg Fragmentation Grenade - 5d6, 3m radius
.5 kg Silver Fragmentation Grenade
.5 kg Smoke Grenade 5m radius
.5 kg Holy Water Gel Grenade 3m radius
.5 kg Incendiary Grenade - 3d6 +1d6 for next 1d6 rounds, 3m radius
.5 kg Stun Grenades 3m radius Con Save, success within 2 pts makes you deaf 1d6hrs
.5 kg UV Flash Grenades 3m radius Dex Save or blinded, success within 2 pts -2 to hit 1d6hrs
.5 kg Tear Gas 5m radius Con save or wretching in area +1 round, blinded and need to escape radius
2kg Claymore charges (Directional blast, trip line) 5d6
1kg Door Breach Charges 3d6
4kg Satchel Pack A (Small stone bridge or shack) 6d6
12kg Satchel Pack B (Small tower, castle wall) 12d6
40kg Satchel Pack C (Medium building, small keep) 20d6
2kg Thermite Charge 4d6 burn damages armour + 1d6 for 1d6 rounds
4kg LAW 6d6 one shot rocket or 12kg for a 4 shot or 6kg for reloadable shoulder version
8kg High Explosive Rocket 12d6 shoulder fired, laser guided electronic thermal targeting +4

Drones
4kg Remote Control Kit with repair kit
6kg Remote spy blimp can remain aloft 24 hours or longer with
2 or 4kg Drone plane kit small good for big caverns 1hr, larger can fly 2 hours
1kg Remote spy copter
1kg Remote Spy car
.5kg Remote sensor, programmable, thermal detection, alarm setting, recorder
2kg Remote wheeled mine drone 6d6
2kg Remote copter grenadier drone 5d6
14kg Remote Gun drone – Light MG  120 round drum and 6shot grenade launcher
16kg Remote Gun drone – Medium MG  120 round drum
30kg Remote Mini gun drone – 66 shots per second 1000 round drum light rifle round
Things not to take in
Personal ID or effects like photographs of loved ones
Computer games, mobile phones, personal camera

Unauthorized goods
Tobacco products, recreational drugs, alcohol, pornography or sexual devices
Making personal caches of xeno relics or items of value will be charged
Trophy hunting for personal possession forbidden
Personnel are provided birth control implants while in service
Some personal property is acceptable in camp

This actually happened before the last post. Have been working on tables for various dungeon zones for long stair but i realize they would work in my normal DnD so ill continue working them for future. My parents ended up sick so xmas was cancelled and I hung with friends clan instead so all good. Friends coming out of the woodwork starting to happen. Happy new year if you dont see me post again before then.

Impromptu gamma world game

Caught up with John and Richard who I used to game with weekly plus for over 10 years. Had a quick gamma game with both playing unstable mutants and went through GW2 famine in fargo. As usual the bizarre powers and happenings managed to surprise all. GW2 is one of my fave modules and is a nice start for a game. The automated chicken factory AI and its out of control experimental mutant chickens are classic gamma. Firstly it subverts the real world and takes everything up a few notches.  My players felt sorry for the chickens and were happy to drive them off with fear and kill all the eggs and infants with life leech. Chicken bandits will thrive in the woods for decades. Putting chicken and GM combat troop DNA together probably was not going to make great workers who wouldn’t mind their kin being farmed. I can imagine Cyclops chickens and apes getting along in the anti human war.

Richard played Ritz Hilton, a gentleman steam punk biker on  a crusade to spread eco friendly steam tech to backward folk on his steam traction velocipede cycle. He was unstable with mostly mental powers and a poor dual brain. Fear generation and beguiling (foe uses weakest weapon) were other notable powers. He had electrical generation as his temporary power. He managed to look human, getting pretty tight skin when he was afflicted with a minor cosmetic power. His mustache is all natural. Specialized motorbike cavalry fighting expert starting with a rapier and a derringer pistol.

John played Miyo, a caveman humanoid with a multi-coloured fur body with a bullet head, barrel chest and short legs. He had been an ape slave and tracker for years and had since escaped and joined the local constabulary. A bit scared by tech he has a bunch of Stone Age kit and an Axe made from a I beam. He managed to develop loose wrinkly skin at one point. His idea for improvised shelter building came in handy every day so I’ll make it a regular skill. Being able to make rad-rain proof shelters in a hurry, camouflage to hide Richards bike, etc all proved handy. He has lots of hp and several defensive powers like force field, regeneration and mental control of body. He began with water dependency as his random mutation for the day.

The unstable mutant type is a bit inspired by the current edition of gamma world. Basically they have one mutation rerolled every session/game day and may physically change even may revert to human appearance. Babies kept together need id tags. Other mutants don’t trust them as tainting their bloodlines. The law is suspicious they may be criminals wanted for some face they wore months ago. But if you need a scapegoat unstable mutants are very handy. They usually get more survival skills and have slightly crappier tech and home tables.

The bike made life pretty easy and the avoided encounters and move swiftly for the most part. A damaged bridge took them half a day to repair costing them all the time saved so far. But less encounters over all. While camping under a bridge, a robot cop came to question them. Managed to convince robot they were minors and it failed to contact their parents, social workers or back up so it let them go with a warning and a moral lecture.

The biggest threat was 6 racial supremist knight of genetic purity. Two were knights with riding dogs and lances and scale mail. Four were footmen one with a needler pistol. Richards fear power messed up most of the mounts and broke up the Knights before they got into melee. John shrugged off the needler poison but Richard went down while driving away. John pushed the bike away and hid in the woods. John's TK hand was quite nifty too, chasing knights with spears and snatching their weapons.

The guys managed to scare away most foes – both have high mental scores. Mostly cyclops chickens who are very hostile to humans. While most got away with weapons, a few dropped some guns and ammo. They rid the factory of anomalous chicken men and killed a tree while recovering fuel for AI and bringing frozen chicken patties to peoples of Far Go. Managed to change powers and got some new powers from the berries in the forest of knowledge. Richard got life leech and john got carapace and anti-life leech. Now they have to live with the other vampires and outcasts. They scored a laser pistol, Thermal IR Laser rifle, some .45 magnum pistol ammo, a fusion rifle – no atomic cells thought). Not a bad grab bag of stuff.

The party using stealth, speed and fear managed to avoid most encounters quickly and painlessly. Im quite enjoying so many battle in this game are not fatal. 80% of battles end with both parties retreating. Grenades seem to contribute to the most total kills of groups and players usually try and horde these weapons and fear destroying loot. Typically whoever holds the tech gets the most attacks. Leaders and weapon holders going down is demoralizing for teams plus nabbing high tech is its own reward.

May play again but would like to get a Long Stair game started too. May get 2 more sessions done here.

I will need to get my mutation tables done because I do want to stop characters mutating themselves too crazily. One poor player started a flammable albino insanely afraid of robots. While there are risks in being mutated the odds of getting awesome are better. My main goal will be if you get 10 mutations to roll on more horrible cosmetic mutation. Human looking mutants might not be noticeable, but eventually too many mutations ads up. Something like this:

Minor – for those hidden mutants and basic humanoids
Webbed toes, foreshortened thumbs, pointy ears, lumpy forehead, coloured hair, buck teeth, coloured skin, hairy, hairless, sharp nails, coloured eyes, big nose, forked toungue. Minor psychological aversions and preferences like nocturnal are common

Major – for hideous hybrid monster 10+ mutations
Horns, fins, plastron, claws, hooves, backward knees, no neck, pincers, tentacle hands, squid face, prehensile feet, flippers, trunk, tail. Various mental compulsions of greater severity like bloodlust, violent, carnivorous, constantly aroused, polymorphous sexuality, fear or dark, fear of robots, fear of sky.

Horror – for those devolved into shambling  protoplasm 20+mutations
Tentacle, eye clusters, transparent flesh, tentacle growths, mouth clusters, eye stalks, bag of flesh, feeding tube, fold out jaws, extra limbs, extra face, brain growths, enlarges sexual characteristics, glowing organs, plastic flesh, huge membrane, mute, shed skin, slug foot, slime covered, dribble slime constantly, plague carrier, urge to produce offspring, urge to contaminate others, reproduce with anything. Mental problems include moronic, constant need to eat, constant need for sex, homicidal, unreasonable pacifism, multiple personalities.

A fairly big project but I’m still working on it. One suggestion was to break into body parts like hit locations. Im visualizing the mutations more and more as being connected with man made mutagens designed to destroy morale, cause internal dissent in enemies and turn people into living weapons. Others allow interspecies hybridism, reanimation after death, psionic powers, behavioural mods and worse. There are no natural cells in the 25th century, gamma world is too deadly for 20th century life. Radiation tends to reactivate mutagenic nanites and bioengineered cell fauna and makes them interact in strange new ways.

Ill be writing up some tables for the various zones for my long stairs DnD game. Each has a table for basic hazards, some mysteries and some encounters. While long stairs is DnD vs modern special forces - ive made these tables fairly neutral to be used in my regular game. So far long stair is proving fun and very different. Mowing down 20 orcs with machine guns in dread one will survive and get a possibly killing blow on a character is interesting.

other zones

redbrick
heavily trapped mostly non sentient creatures and puzzles in maze of doorways

goblin mine
goblinoid infested mine with cursed magic jewels and minerals
 
Fortress
A Piranesi like endless giant castle and dungeon with big monsters

Alcheringa
Mixture of prehistoric Australian megafauna and Aboriginal dreamtime(as said earlier many portrayals of this content dodgy - Terror Australis by Chaosium not bad, keep scary not newage)

Cyclopean Zone
Endless sprawl of alien ruins and anachronistic mix of species and hazards

Amber Manour
Decayed mansion inhabited by deranged members of Amber family

Lost Temple
Ancient bronze age desert tomb of traps, undead and splendid art

Forbidden City
Swampy jungle with sunken ruined city and underworld dungeon

Toying with underdark cavern, glacial rift, slaughterhouse horror and some more

Am making some geomorphs for these at the moment. Gothic one (below) probably will cut and paste actual gothic building plans
 

Gothic Zone
Grey cold and dark, ornamental dressed stone and ironwork resembling gothic cathedrals, catacombs and mausoleums. They seem almost random assemblages of gothic architecture. Gothic Zones have a cold and fearsome environment. Explorers report haunted monastic choirs may be heard, along with chains, moans and screams. Lit candelabras and torches provide light in some areas, others are dark. Undead and horrific preternatural predators of legend can be found here. Many crypts are trapped or cursed but contain wealth and xenotechnology (magic). Unpopular with explorers but the experienced delvers are more willing to confiscate valuables. Presumably the ancient dead entombed here are responsible for building it. Personnel lost here have been seen reborn again undead.

Gothic Zones Hazard lv 1-3 d20
1 Explosive Rune 1d4+1 damage
2 Curse Rune – minor awkward curse
3 Wards – Wis save to pass
4 Pit trap - spikes
5 Floor collapses into lower crypts (1d10 levels)
6 Pit trap with encounter
7 Interesting Statue with Trapped gem eyes
8 Stone Crypt with sleeping undead
9 Ready to burst rotting corpses bar way
10 Undead having a feast and too busy to notice you
11 Prisoner in gibbet locked up with alarm
12 Dead acquaintances corpse – attacks when close
13 Fungal Bloom – alarm fungus, yellow mould, etc
14 Bone structure turns to skeletons while in use
15 Spider web filled area
16 Dust filled area bad air Con Sav or -2 all while here
17 Poison dart trap
18 Falling masonry trap
19 Parasitic infection from being near corpse remains
20  Corpse dust spreads disease Con save

Gothic Zones Mysteries lv 1-3 d20
1 Mysterious script and engravings
2 Burial urn with scenic art
3 Crumbling bundles of manuscripts
4 Shrunken Head of ancient human with tatoos
5 A scaffolding surrounding a gigantic stitched together corpse
6 Attractive aristocrat asks for help from out of the blue
7 Wall relief art depicting an exotic scene of underworld
8 Shrine to strange god
9 Ancient furnishings of everyday life laid out
10 Funeral Boat on blocks
11 Burst coffins and earth recently from surface world
12 Hear a voice of a dead person from surface
13 Screaming ghosts chill your soul Wis save or fear
14 Corpses mummified in spider web
15 Kindly Haunt sage talks senile rant in underworld tongue
16 Weeping child haunt tries to lead you somewhere
17 Bone scroll tube with maps and documents
18 Intelligent dead sends you a message to meet
19 Intelligence tempts a party member with wishes
20 Collection or sarcophagi of various vintage and style

Gothic Zones Encounter  lv 1-3 d50
1 Zombie work crew repairing dungeon
2 Skeleton pair guarding door
3 Screaming Skull – spy and attracts other foes
4 Rats swarm – 1d6 rounds of 1pt damage
5 Death Dogs – 2d6 undead hounds
6 Skeleton guardians – 2d6 usually unassembled at start
7 Zombie soldier patrol – 2d6 some ex troops or elsewhere
8 Ghoul Gang – 1d6 looking for food in new territory
9 Bats swarm – 1d6 rounds of 1pt damage
10 Wight – a lone staggering specimen, will track party slowly
11 Mummy and entourage on own mission ignores party
12 Ghoul agent, spies, tracks or talks to party for its master
13 Undead body part swarm twitches and spasms (Wis Save)
14 Haunts – phantoms reliving life ignore party
15 Haunt Warriors – aggressive haunt attacks
16 Haunt maiden – begs for help from mortal
16 Spirit Possession – Wis Save resist or embark on spirits mission
17 Necromancer and his minions
18 Ghoul Hounds –  1d6 Paralysis bites
19 Hags – a coven of evil witches, not quite human
20 Lesser flesh golem 4HD, 2d6 punch, Mv 8, on rampage or mission
21 Jackal Man with 2-khopesh style Lv=Total of party
22 Goblin death cult visiting to soak up ambiance 2d6+shaman
23 Orc death cult visiting to collect food and skulls
24 Pony sized Mage spider lurks here wants spell books and brains
25 Undead fighting, too busy to notice you
26 Were rat in human form tries to join group
27 Lost human from surface – sole survivor of party
28 Lost human from surface – insane serial killer cannibal
29 Skeleton palanquin with ghoul wearing crown
30 Zombie monster with non-functioning power like Mindflayer, Medusa, etc
31 Undead bard follows party at distance singing about doom
32 Skeleton Ape territorial over its entombed kin
33 Zombie farm animals
34 Dark elves hit and run with spells and missiles
35 Undead assassin stalks party
36 Undead snake attack
37 Skeletons jump from funeral jars 2d6
38 Huge 3HD skeleton with 4 arms, each with a sabre
39 Zombie corpse wagon collecting bodies
40 Skeleton dancers seem harmless then try to make you join
41 Lesser gargoyle sitting among stonework
42 Zombie hand grabs through crack in stonework
43 Something else recently killed by players risen again
44 Haunt follows party and berates them for defiling the dead
45 Skeleton wizard attacks with spells Lv 1d4
46 Skeleton priest attacks with spells Lv 1d4, and 1d6 zombies
47 Skeleton warrior attacks with exotic armour and fighting skills Lv 1d4
48 Skeleton rogue attacks with sneak and back stab Lv 1d4
49 Zombie courtesans with undead/necromancer/illusionist pimp
50 Lich and entourage shielded by force barrier pass through

Redbrick Zone
Non-sentient species dwell here like carrion crawlers, trappers, piercers, stirges and others. This zone is extensive and continues to the gates of several other nations. Areas cleared are rapidly altered and changed but nobody has seen how this happens. Despite traps personnel report the rewards are worth it and the combat with non-sentient xenofauna is refreshingly impersonal. Traps probably the biggest killer here, usually include a distraction such as loot or enemies. Sentients here seem to be adventuring for treasure too or hunting for dungeon food. Many monsters just keep the floors clean of scraps. The area is mostly unlit but torches and candles seem refreshed by somebody. Kobolds popular choice to blame for renovations, traps and light sources. Tables here might be handy too: http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/dungeon-dwellers-little-guys.html

Redbrick Zones Hazards lv 1-3 d20
1 Bridge over deadly feature like spikes, lava, monsters
2 Pitfall trap with spikes
3 Pitfall trap with snakes or scorpions or giant centipedes
4 Pitfall trap with slide to lower level
5 Pitfall trap with sealed lid and gas
6 Pitfall trap with slide into compactor chamber
7 Pitfall trap with monster
8 Swinging pendulum Dex save 1d10
9 Guillotine trap Dex Save 1d8
10 Falling rock deadfall trap Dex Save 2d6
11 Net Trap Dex Save or strung up wrapped in net
12 Scythe Trap Dex Save or leg slashed 1d8
13 Pressure Plate trap gas Con save sleep, teargas or poison
14 Pressure Plate trap flame burst Dex Save 2d6
15 Pressure Plate trap acid spray Dex Save 1d6
16 Pressure Plate trap poison darts Dex Save 1d4 + Poison save
17 Centipedes or other swarm dumped on from above, 1d6 damage (1 per round)
18 Portcullis blocks passage
19 Flammable gas flooded corridor, spark trip line trap
20 Sealed corridor then section flooded, has hidden escape passage

Redbrick Zones Mysteries lv 1-3 d20
1 Solid oak beam door with gilt coating and 4 locks
2 Brightly coloured solid door with trapped lock
3 Door covered in magical wards, runes or sigils
4 Secret door going somewhere?
5 Fake door or bricked up door
6 Sealed Iron Door with no lock
7 Door with knockers and peephole, bolted from other side
8 Elevator to lower level
9 Revolving corridor section
10 3 Mysterious doors, 2 cursed one with treasure
11 Treasure sealed behind barrier like glass or bars or huge pit
12 Peephole with visible treasure, difficult to access
13 Kobolds building a trap flee, leaving blueprints, tools and parts
14 Message to group demanding your dues in dungeoners guild
15 Busy Imp directing kobolds and gremlins seen in distance
16 Treasure found but with something personal from surface world
17 Corpse in spent trap, haunt cries for help
18 Corpse in spent trap, mobile phone goes off
19 Locked secret room full of tools, bricks, mortar, doors, lamps, food
20 Treasure in plain view on pedestal in large clear area

Redbrick Zones Encounters  1-3 d50
1 Carrion Crawler looking for food
2 Rust Monster looking for snacks
3 Gelatinous cube on cleaning detail
4 Ochre Jelly looking for food
5 Stirge colony 4d4
6 Piercers 1d6
7 Trapper
8 Lesser Mimic
9 Orc adventurer party looking for kills 2d6
10 Goblin adventurer party looking for magic 2d6
11 kobolds setting traps attempt to skirmish 3d6
12 kobold commandos harass and use dirty weapons like flaming oil 2d4
13 Gremlins stalk party and wait till at rest to attack 4d4
14 Kobolds shaman and 2d6 acolytes curse party
15 Ogre with a red cap and halberd guarding something
16 Kobolds eating person in trap, 1d4
17 Shrieking fungi goes off, roll again
18 Dwarf adventurers 2d4
19 Bright Elf adventurers 1d6
20 Dark elves putting poison on traps 1d6
21 Hobbit adventurers looking for loot and good times
22 Minotaur lair, hunts intruders to the death
23 Tako octopus adventurers from aquatic zone, 1d6
24 Young Troll making a name for himself
25 Kobold suicide bombers 1d4, lit fuse on back 2d6 blast over 2Yard radius
26 Gnoll adventurers looking for food 1d4
27 Gnome adventurers looking for tests of skill and trading 1d6
28 Dungeon humans, possibly mercenaries or guards of dark powers 2d4
29 Foreign humans from upstairs 1d6
30  Orc hunter with pet wolf
31 Goblin Hunter riding wild boar
32 Goblin bat rider wizard
33 Goblin hunter wolf rider
34 Gnoll hunter with hyena
35 Dungeon pony with little cart of trade goods
36 Worm holes with 1d6 1HD blood worms (baby purple worms)
37 Giant Pit Viper 2HD and poison bite
38 Dungeon Constrictor 3HD, 2d6 crush and 1d6 bite
39 Rat swarm 1d6 rounds 1 pt damage each
40 Giant scorpion 3+3HD 1d8/1d8/1d6+poison
41 Giant trapdoor spider 4d+2 HD
42 Giant Gekko 3HD 1d6 bite, wall walking chameleon
43 Giant bats 2d4 1d4HD
44 Giant rats 2d4 1d4HD
45 Gnome traders looking for goods 1d4
46 Imp decides to follow party invisibly
47 Troglodytes 1d4 war band on lookout for hardware
48 Assassins in robes attack, explode or melt on death, suicide pills
49 Wizard with 1d4 guards and a rogue looking for loot
50 Evil High Priest with 1d12 skeletons in robes

Long Stair Between Crawls
roll on any one below between sessions
1 Disaster - deadly accident or xeno contamination
2 Mishap - minor accident and injury
3-4 Uneventful - all good
5 Outstanding - spectacular success - minor or temp bonus +1
6 Critical Breakthrough - new understanding achieved +2 on NWP

carousing
1 Drunken party
2 Sportsman
3 LAN gamer
4 Tabletop Gamer
5 Sexual Escapades
6 Gambling
7 Online socialite
8 Fight
9 Locked up
10 Black market

R&D
1 Experiment with xenotech
2 Experiment with xenomethodology
3 Corespondance student in upstairs qualificatons
4 Study xenofauna
5 Study xenosentients
6 study xeno language
7 Study xeno terrain and maps
8 Study xeno  culture and religion
9 Test subject volenteer
10 Offered field trial of new or captured hardware

Training
1 Vehichle familiarity - operate downstairs vehichles
2 Weapon familiarity - operate additional weapon systems
3 Base familiarity - layout of base and hiding places
4 Survival familiarity (study food, shelter and water sources in dungeon)
5 Medical familiarity (work with medics)
6 Xenofauna capture familiarity (retrain, trap and handle critters)
7 Patrol group familiarity (more downstairs experience)
8 Military protocol familiarity (helps promotion or become MP)
9 Unarmed combat familiarity
10 Archaic weapon familiarity

Goblin Mine Zone
Honeycombed cavern and mine zone was dug by some other species long ago and is now infested with tribes of xeno humanoids. Sounds of mining, screams of violence and savage drums are heard. Many cavern dwelling predictors also come here and stay for the food. Tempting gems and minerals abound and tempt the unwary. Some are of types unknown to science and have strange properties. Teams come here frequently but occupation has been hard. Remnants of a Russian cold war base has been found here occupied by goblins. Some areas in lower levels have free flowing magma, boiling water and acid. Many areas are lit by xeno methodology powered candles and lanterns. Goblinoids adoption of captured weapons makes them far more deadly. Humanoids in melle are the biggest killers here.

Goblin Mine Zones Hazard 1-3 d20
1 Rickety dried wooden walkway
2 Stone bridge within huge cavern
3 Quake shakes stalactites from celling
4 Flammable gas
5 Floor collapses into lower level
6 Dilapidated elevator
7 Corridors blocked by burning kobold metal over 10 ft
8 Toxic gas - Con save every turn or 1pt til clear
9 Bad air triple fatigue – enough to effect a fight
10 Deadfall drops rubble 2d6 or Dex save
11 Beams collapse blocking passage
12 Railway line with ore cart ready to roll
13Toxic glowing green gems Con save every turn or 1pt til clear
14 Evil glowing red gems – Wis save or tempted to dig and possess gems
15 Pit with crumbling edges
16 Bubbling volcanic mud pool
17 Waterfall
18 Tiny claustrophobic crawl hole
19 Whirlpool drain in pool
20 Huge gaping chasm above lava

Goblin Mine Zones Mysteries 1-3 d50
1 Dwarvern skeletons amid treasure
2 Goblin books bound in human skin
3 Kobold traps boxed ready to install from wizard Arkeyah
4 Invulnerable chest fitted with a dozen traps
5 Strange mineral unknown to explorer
6 Bizarre complex barn size mining machine rusted solid
7 Tinned food of unknown origin
8 Creature eggs clustered on mine works
9 Crude graves with simple signs and a few nick-knacks
10 Cave graffiti, smutty drawings and abuse
11 Crushed bodies under deadfall
12 Map of mines with locations marked
13 Section or mine, drain, train tunnel or bunker from surface
14 Rune covered vault door
16 Huge structure covered in scaffolding incomplete
17 Ruined citadel, evidence of last days of last inhabitants
18 Train timetables found on goblin corpse
19 Gnomes trying to awaken god in hopes of getting a wish
20 Uncovered crypt and dead miners
21 Remains of jury rigged alchemical workshop to make something
22 Skeletons digging up corpses or a structure like a crypt
23 Fungus garden with strange properties
24 Prisoner chained up begs for help
25 Echoes from party noise amplified and sent across region
26 Hurricane wind force drives party to shelter
27 Scaffolding supports heavily mined area east to collapse
28 Exotic coin pile, probably trapped cursed or poisoned
29 Goblin leader declares parley
30 Aparatus and strange mineral discovered
31 Mine cart with mummified body holding locked tiny chest
32 dig site of fused copper coin deposit
33 a great pit of discoloured mine drainage water
24 Remains of smelting and casting operation
25 Collection of miners housing
26 Distillery and bootleg hooch refinery in a shack
27 Shed filled with sweaty old explosives
28 Shed with filthy miners clothes and laundry
29 Shed with candles, lamps, ropes, ladders and other mining crap
30 Mass graves of lost miners with shrine
31 Dumped waste from surface world
32 Trapped claim area with “claim jumpers out” sign
33 Burning rocks light cavern
24 Burning pit of natural gas, possibly gate
25 Rust monsters fighting over iron spike
26 Carrion crawler infected person found, ready to burst
27 Shrine to strange gods and ancestors
28 Mining clockwork automatons working a seam
29 Giant grubs eating toxic waste from surface
30 Mushroom men ballet ceremony rarely seen by humanoids
31 Gigantic skeletal remains of fossilized rock
32 Miners set up a sly grog shop to drink and gossip
33 Hobgoblins demand to see your mining licence
34 Hobgoblins offer to sell you a mining licence
35 Ancient monolith covered in alien runes found
36 Notebook about nightmare encounter in subterranean crypt found by miners
37 Crate of exotic grog from another world
38 Gigantic crystal cavern, crystalline animals dwelling there attack thieves
39 Pile of monster dung some chainmail links on surface
40 Miners have uncovered a mass grave and abandoned the dig
41 A water wheel operated elevator built into cavern
42 Goblins with sweaty old dynamite playing boom boom
43 A mummified wild west prospector
44 Goblins herding a bullette
45 Map showing purple worm tunnels
46 map of hot and cold water system resembling a reactor
47 Goblins with missing scientist prisoner, hitting radioactive ore with mallets
48 Badger men fighting dark dwarves over ancient meteor fragment
49 Deep gnome steam forge with advanced steampunk tech
50 Dark elves spreading spores according to chart they have been given by masters

Goblin Mine Zones Encounter lv 1-3 d50
1 Goblin miners who hate claim jumpers
2 Goblin wizard and entourage seeks to study intruders corpses
3 Goblin Warg rider hunter, may fetch friends
4 Goblin bat rider, may fetch friends
5 Goblin archers on patrol
6 Hobgoblin squad on patrol
7 Hobgoblin sniper
8 Hobgoblins torturing prisoners
9 Hobgoblin master with whip with goblin crew
9 Bugbear hunter, curious follows party
10 Bugbear patrol with goblin runners
11 Bugbear women skinning goblins for dinner with kids
12 Legless kobolds in carts throw grenades and stink bombs
13 Kobold trap builders interrupted at work
14 Kobold magician wants to trade magic
15 Kobold commandoes on patrol, masters of hit and run
16 Kobolds with drugged blowpipes with shaman
17 Skeleton or zombie miners
18 Skeleton or zombie soldiers
19 kobold hero 4HD, blunts weapons on touch -1 per hit, curses if killed
20 Goblin escaped slaves in chains beg for help
21 Goblin carrying parasites and plague tries to join party
22 Kobold children beg for food
23 Albino stirges cover ceiling
24 Kobold selling lava fried stirges on 3 foot poles
25 Goblin pimp and dealer offers party vice and forbidden pleasure
26 Goblins fighting over surface artefact
27 Ork infantry hunting intruders
28 Ork assassin trails party – try to use captured weapons
28 Ork with Assault rifle with 2 clips and wants more
29 Ogre looking for food and gems
30 Dwarves looking to trade or for alliance
31 Derro lie and cheat and plot to kill party but feign peace
32 Dark elf sniper-mage harasses party
33 Dark elf maid offers to join party and trade
34 Dark elf hunters with goblin beaters
35 Mushroom men in trance circle, psychedelic vapours emitted
36 Human kill squad from surface world
37 Human slaves from surface world with goblin slavers
38 Ogre with hobgoblin slavers herded into digging vein
39 Mage spiders lurk on ceiling
40 Giant Spider blocks corridor
41 Goblins moon party from distance, laugh keep on trying
42 Humanoids fighting while others watch and gamble
43 Fish men attack from subterranean well
44 Goblin mini catapult or ballistae attack from distance
45 Troll teen looking to start a lair
46 Pack laden pit pony
47 Cave fisher above
48 Cave lobster attacks from water
49 Giant Bat attack
50 Piercers lair on ceiling
51 Goblin and goblin dogs
52 Pack of goblin dogs
53 Purple worm fighting 2d100 kobolds
54 Bat swarm 1d6 rounds 1pt dam per round
55 Distant reptilian salamander rolling in magma pool
56 Ankheg eating a humanoid
57 Owlbear snuffling for food
58 Devil Swine asks to join party, offers cursed gems
59 Cave Lizard after food
60 Fire Toads
61 Fire Newts on riding birds
62 Fish men cultists dragging captives into well
63 Dark elf vampire and demon lover tease party for kicks
64 Dark elf offers exotic goods and services
65 Gnome adventurers offer trade and maps
66 Deep Gnome wish to hire mercenaries
67 Dark elf with Orc troops
68 Giant rat pack
69 Rat swarm 1d6 rounds 1pt dam per round
70 Rat men on mission to spread plague
71 Gremlins follow party for mischief
72 Cave octopus tribe with clubs and spears
73 Troglodyte party looking for slaves
74 Were rat, pretty sure you can’t hurt him
75 Kobolds divert river down tunnel
76 Goblin children throw faeces at you
77 Slick of flammable oil and tar
78 Deadly cave walrus guarding territory
79 Kobold-troll hybrid, every kill grows back two separate kobolds
80 Ice Salamander or Ice toad lair in chilled cavern
81 Goblin market
82 Goblin vs Dwarf battle
83 Hobgoblin commander and dark elf commander fighting with goblins
84 Chained prisoner begs for help
85 Doppelgangers douse lights with magic then copy heroes faces
86 See a Dragon fly through distant cavern
87 Gargoyle snatches victim and flies away
88 Aboleth slave trapped in water begs for help (cant breathe air now)
89 Drider, dark elf-spider hybrid stalks party for magic
90 Scorpion man insane killer chases party to eat
91 Friendly Blink dogs begging for scraps
92 Displacer beast looking for food
93 Halfling adventurers looking for something shiny
94 Goat men cultists sacrificing victim to demon
95 Rolling boulder pushed by goblins
96 Goblinoid party in preparation or full swing
97 Hung bodies actually zombies who try to ambush
98 Goblin religious ritual in progress
99 Mushroom harvester goblins with sickles and hand carts of mushies
100 Goblin miners shift change, try to ignore party, not their shift, etc

Second long stairs game went well. Will continue another few of these zones.

Zones part 4 - Amber  Zone
Zones part 5 - Alcheringa Zone
Zones part 6 - Cyclopean Zone
Zones part 7 - Lost Temple
Zones part 8 - Forbidden City

I should probably read the second long stair forum on rpg net too and see if i can add my content there. Four more emo class descriptions too too with my proficiency rules and spell lists. Then ore campagn stuff. Was given a 2nd ed moster folder too which is handy. Frightening at my memory of the 1st ed monster books - or is there just a kind of logic once learned is easy Looked 4th ed ones again - some cool ideas but variations and monster feats take up lots of space. Undecided if short best for DMs but i suspect short description with essays on types better.

Last session the party found an invisible imp and it followed them home. A few weeks working and studying later and the base suicide rate had doubled. Map disappeared and other oddness. Ordered to not speak dungeon languages above 3rd landing (?). Their grumpy corporal was in prison for a stabbing and confessed voices told him to. A bit of investigating and getting a K9 unit (dog + handler) to help they tracked the imp and barley managed to touch it with 200 rounds and a few silver shots. Chandra used her magic missiles and stopped it. They wrapped imp in a silver net and had locked up. Stolen maps had imp obscenities, devil sigils and extra section beyond known exploration in the goblin mine marked as "Amber Wizard". The Imp was using suggestion so has been sealed in electric pentacle in a sealed soundproof room. Silver vivisection tools and testing regeneration powers his reward.

A few days rest and some veteran squaddies in the ranks, the party set off to identify the map marked section. They passed a thin stone bridge over a giant pit where albino stirges attacked and Carter the forward scout missed being drained just. They next found gnomes trying to awaken a petrified nameless god, certain they would be rewarded. Hassan convinced them this was silly and they agreed they needed to know more. The gnomes advised a goblin distillery was near and the party found the goblins feeding donkey and carrion crawlers corpses int copper boilers. Bomb drone flown into boiler exploded killing workers and half collapsing building.

A skirmish with a goblin wizard who used stinking cloud on them was a mild hazard but he and his flunkies went down in a hail of lead. Found zombies digging up a crypt. Grenaide finished them off and party collapsed roof with demolitions charges on crypt. A trapped pile of coins, a bullete hole were found and the party camped behind a waterfall at a watering hole. While hiding they saw some dark elves lay spore bomb mines and later four kobold kids have a drink. Morning they rescued the same three and and a half kobolds from a giant spider. Someone put them in their backpack and debates over using them as bio drones ensued. The kids seemed keen to serve their heroes. A final battle with legless suicide bomber kobolds in go-carts was finished with a grease cantrip, but the blast blocked the tunnel resulting in a days digging. Finally the door to the Amber Manour was found.

A painting had an alluring effect on a female trooper so they slashed it out of its frame. Using a cable spy cam through the keholes was very effective and the party entered a room with music. The inhabitant introduced himself as Vincent De Cambion and was also lost (aparently). Found an alchemist (actually a hungry doppelganger) who also offered to join them. On the theory keep our eemies close they let the strangers travel with them. Moving on the next room fountain hid four bullywugs, three tribal and one with a puffy shirt, leggings, and a cutlass. Went down without too much trouble but they kept the dandy one prisoner and bayoneted the rest. They found a painting of hell where the Cambion revealed himself and climbed into the painting and said goodby. Kane was poisoned by a tiny gold chest but lived (just). Rooms of carpentry tools, another with cakes and another with baskets of thoroughbred puppies. The Alchemist put some in his pocket for "safekeeping". The dandy bullywug ate a puppy (for medicinal needs) and got death threats from party. They met a Dwarf busy smashing holes in walls looking for loot but he said the loot was his and kept going. A menagerie of monsters in cages provided easy XP in a barrel targets. With the entry missing the team started getting desperate. A flumph almost killed the geologist but Magic missiles finished it off when autofire would have killed both. An Amber family madman duelist insisted on fighting so they shot his legs out from under him and stabilized his wounds and left him.

Stepping through another painting after killing its inhabitants (four halberdier guards) they found a room of snow globes. If placed in a socket on a pedestal the painting would open a gate to a corresponding world. After opening the gate home they put a rope through and moved trooops both ways. More monsters came and a Shadow managed to wade through fresh troops with shields with gun-ports and route them. Finally escaped with all but one snowglobe, the bullywug dandy and kobold kids, sacks of puppies, a few books in medieval french, some paintings slashed from their frames and a magic fencing foil.

Fairly hilarious game in all and an impressive number of fights and encounters.

Probably back to gammaworld for a few months. Back in Sydney next week.

Amber Manour Zone
This region usually entered through a secret door, mansion doors or some other common door in another zone. The architecture is regal even baroque, but run down, abandoned and haunted. Indigenous aristocrats of the house of amber have been encountered, many masters of xenomethodology. The house is laden with art work, statuary and books of great material value. Many are works based on lives of the Amber line. Halls of bedrooms, dining halls, libraries, enclosed gardens, wine cellars, servants areas, hobby and folly rooms. Other creatures including shape shifting paradimensional entities, doppelgangers and lycanthropes have been met. Goblinoids and demihuman adventurer parties have been encountered along with lost humans. Some have been trapped for weeks in the place. The atmosphere of decadent decay and madness is pervasive but it has the best access to spell books. It is mostly well lit by magical candles and lamps.

Amber Manour Zone Hazard 1-3 d20
1 Crossbow trap
2 Gunpowder trap
3 Magical explosives glyphs
4 Pile of treasure marked with Amber family crest
5 Trapped writing desk
6 Collapsing book shelf
7 Cursed or peculiar item
8 Floor collapses to lower level
9 Dumbwaiter drops to lower levels
10 Trapped stairs
11 Doors sealed trap party in section
12 Magical guardians – statues, golems, animated weapons, etc
13 Furniture animates and attacks by surprise
14 Trapped treasure – poison needle
15 Poison gas trap in chest
16 Bee swarm occupies area
17 Magical fountain with quixotic properties
18 Madness effect save vs Wis, or minor mentail ailment
19 Painting urges party to enter then traps them in pocket world
20 Cursed scroll

Amber Manour Zone Mysteries 1-3 d50
1 Painting featuring pre-fall room with family members
2 Painting portrait of family member imprisoned in artwork
3 Painting is a gateway to o microworld with some drama afoot
4 Diary of Amber family member
5 Book of gothic poetry by family member
6 Magic journal of a wizard or priest
7 Spell book possibly trapped, cursed, poisoned or haunted
8 Book of blasphemous lore involving depraved rituals of imprisoned elder gods
9 Secret door or compartment found
10 Graffiti left by intruders and family members
11 Library of sprawling rotten worm eaten books
12 Collection of depraved prints of Amber family scandals
13 Portrait resembles party member
14 Gateway to alternate world
15 Poster of adventuring party as wanted, fresh printed and poster
16 Poster for circus or carnival dated for near future
17 Feast all laid our ready to eat, magical
18 Entangled in curse with Amber family doomed to repeat action in loop
19 Entangled in curse with Amber family, someone infected lycanthrope
20 Entangled in curse with Amber family, diabolic blasphemous magic gone awol
21 Alchemical lab filled with apparatus and ingredients
22 Summoner lab with magic circles and ingredients for rituals
23 Menagerie with caged and free range monsters
24 Talking parrot knew Amber family
25 Painting is a window to another plane
26 Painting of amber family with Adventurers family member
27 Trophy room with stuffed monsters, animals, unicorns and other beast
28 Exotic magical privy chamber
29 Magical bird lays bizarre magic eggs
30 Shaved tied up bugbear crying from ordeal
31 Room of adorable groomed puppies including poodles, spaniels and Pekinese
32 Strange collection room
33 Vivisection room with dissected creature in progress
34 Astrolabe room with astrology and astronomy books from many different worlds
35 Wardrobe with hundreds of regal outfits of family member
36 Cellar full of wine and cigars and cheese
37 Larder of family member with exotic unknown food items
38 Artisans room filled with tools and half made goods of one trade
39 Haunt face in wall, if opened chained skeleton inside
40 Torture chamber with skeleton victims and black robes
41 Secret meeting room with 13 chairs, hoods and secret society symbol
42 Prisoner manacled to wall
43 Map room of various globes and charts from different worlds
44 Painting is a gateway to different time place or world
45 Painting is a gate to another underworld zone
46 Painting of a populated town, friendly traders can be reached
47 Sculpture room sorted by theme, collection from various worlds and periods
48 Private study of some Amber family wizard, possibly haunted by him
49 Painting of Amber clan member inspires obsessive love if fail Wis save
50 Amber family member seems helpful but wants to pass on their curse to another

Amber Manour Zone Encounter lv 1-3 d100
1 Group of Amber family members engaged in some drama
2 Lone Amber family member glad to see you wants to be friends
3 Lone Amber family member and party member feel love on sight
4 Couple from Amber family ask help to break curse
5 Cambion rake wants party to introduce him to ladies
6 Wizard descendants of Amber looking for loot
7 Orc party looking for loot
8 Gnoll party looking for food
9 Kobold party putting up traps
10 Goblin wizard and entourage looking for loot
11 Bugbear wearing Amber crest asks for help to escape
13 Skeleton guards attack
14 Zombies attempt to capture party to return to master
15 Amber family member wants to duel
16 Amber family member accuses you of murdering kin or lover
17 Amber family member offers to show you something really amazing
18 Goblins eating somebody over fire from smashed furnature
19 Hobgoblin guards arrest party
20 Bugbear guards warn you to turn back
21 Haunt tries to waste your time with stories
21 Haunt wants to watch you eat a meal
22  Haunt guards arrest party to throw in corpse filled dungeon
23 Haunt from Amber family crazily attacks
24 Haunt from family declares love for party member
25 Elves exploring for magic and gems
26 Dark elves looking for cursed items
27 Dwarves looking for gold
28 Curious gnome band looking for mysteries
29 Dwarf offers to help you escape to another world for gold
30 Guards step from a painting and attack
32 Wight from Amber family crypt
33 Waterweird fountain
34 Medusa among statuary, Amber family member cursed by God
35 Giant Beetle from garden
36 Small elemental summoned and left behind
37 Imp who wants out and wants to use heroes
38 Frog men come seeking mates
39 Cloaker on a coat rack
40 Crypt Thing teleport you deeper in
41 Displacer beast from menagerie
42 Doppelgangers pretend to be adventurers or Amber family
43 Young bronze dragon trapped wants to join you
44 Cheeky pseudo dragon former familiar of Amber wizard
45 Dryad in a garden chamber with force protected glass ceiling
46 Eyewing spies on party for master
47 Giant frogs in pond, will stop for music
48 Ghouls and ghast from family crypt
49 Githyanki looking for mindflayer to kill
50 Githzerai looking for Githyanki
51 Phaze spider kurks in roof cavity left as a tiny one from extraplanar trip
52 Mind Flayer and thralls, very cowardly, eating Amber clan driving him mad
53 Scarecrow from the garden wants to be human or will kill you
54 Hungry lone lost Grell worker looking for food
55 Shadow creeps after party looking for weaklings
56 Witch looking for magic items, especially jewellery or mirrors
57 Evil duplicates step from broken mirror to fight
58 Halfling explorers seeking nice furniture
59 Amber wizard familiar offers its expert help
60 Item of furniture attacks
61 Animated weapon and or armour attacks
62 Harpy in avary shits on party and hurls abuse
63 Hell hound looking for victims to drag to hell
64 Kenku monks seeking books
65 Subterranean lizard camouflaged on ceiling
67 Devil swine claims Amber ancertry and offers his help
68 Manticore seeking revenge on Amber clan who did this to him
69 Lesser Mimic hidden as chair, door or chest or erotic statue
70 Mongrel men looking for master Amber
71 Phantom Count Amber fear attacks group
72 Greenhouse with unbreakable roof and killer plants
73 Poltergeist throws furniture and junk at party 
74 Rakshasa as human wants to join adventurers
75 Satyr from garden looking for ladies
76 Stirge Aviary with husk corpses about
77 Serpent man wizard disguised as human seeks commerce
78 Winged Panther pet of family
79 Large mummified crypt cat
80 Rascally Flumph hides in chandelier
81 Lesser demon/devil looking for souls to claim
82 Amber family lycanthrope willing to follow you
84 Animated evil toys stalk party crying mamamamamamama
85 A modron with an abacus and book recording population of area
86 A magic playpen of outer planes babies fighting while golem nanny tries to stop
87 Ape butler tries to serve drinks and take your coat
88 Zombie butler follows with tray
89 Amber wizard offers strange non adventuring magic
90 Amber family rake offer drugs, booze, women and other extraordinary vice
91 Amber family child looking for her pet, actually 400 year old wizard
92 Lost familiar looking for help
93 Amber family child haunts tease party and lead them to hazard
94 Ghost lights like willow-whisp but harmless observers and ill-omen
95 Stone Golem butler repairing damage
96 Wood Golem housekeeper cleaning room
97 Gibbering mouther made up of fused Amber family bound in room
98 Astronaut or robot hopelessly lost, possibly with laser
99 Amber family member with room full of polymorphed former lovers now animals
100 Hunting dogs now a feral pack with mix of war mastiffs, bull terriers, greyhounds and war pugs

Giovanni Battista (also Giambattista) Piranesi ( 4 October 1720 – 9 November 1778) was an Italian artist famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric "prisons(Carcerid'Invenzione). Inspiration of all great Gothic writers, poets and romantic painters in 1800s.Gormenghast and CS Lewis (silver chair) inspired this zone as well. A hint of Rabelais. I think i broke my schedule of postings but sometimes moods win over promises


Fortress Zones
A Piranesi like zone of gigantic castle ruins built presumably by giants. Lit by huge wells of light from above, some areas even contain living forests divided up by shambling castle walls. Many ceilings are 40-100 foot high. Chains hanging from walls and murder holes abound. Deeper levels are huge bleak prisons, dungeons equipped for torture and imprisonment. Trolls, ogres and degenerate giants like Cyclops and formari lurk here, sometimes visiting the surface by the day cycle.  Humans and elves and others have been operating communities with farms and government. Dragons and other larger beast have been seen. Goblinoids and others are seen here but are slaves and food instead of apex predators. Some huge hordes have been found here but opposition is fierce. Ogres and giants, especially Cyclops are the biggest enemies here who kill with clubs, rocks or just grab and eat personnel. Dangerous monsters but room for heavy firepower also.

Fortress Zones Hazard 1-3 d20
1 Deadfall
2 Murder holes
3 Boiling oil from above
4 Incendiary
5 Spike pit
6 Animal Lair
7 Local Human Tower
8 Missile weapon emplacement
9 Siege Artillery Weapon
10 Fortified gateway requires gatehouse staff to open
11 Raiseable bridge over great pit
12 Broken or fragile stairway
13 Ladder up wall or down a pit
14 Crossbow traps
15 Gang hideout area
16 Local Human town
17 Demi human town
18 Humanoid hunting grounds
19 Ogre hunting grounds
20 Giant hunting grounds

Fortress Zones Mysteries 1-3 d20
1 Civilized huge books from ancient giants
2 chimney vent to subterranean giant complex
3 Ogre shaman hide pictogram sheets and statues
4 Giant corpse hung by neck from castle wall
5 Monster corpse smoking and impaled
6 Ogre magi book in locked chest
7 Giant recipe book with recipes for little folk
8 Human skeletons of varied ages filling a pit
9 Huge pile of skulls, human or other, heaped in pyramids
10 Shrunken head lucky ogre charms
11 Grim door to dungeon below
12 Gibbets with flailing zombies suspended from walls
13 Locked barred pit into depths
14 Smoke – something cooking in ruins
15 Explorers diary with theories of builders
16 Map depicting castle ruins
17 Madman lost in ruins talks crazy stories
18 Inscriptions and engravings
19 Huge Weapon and giant remains
20 Magical fountain or pool bubbling away

Fortress Zones Encounter lv 1-3 d50
1 Ogres playing fatal violent contests with prisoners
2 Vampire bats 1d6 rounds 1pt dam per round
3 Hungry bear out looking for foo
4 Tiger out looking for food
5 Dire Wolf looking for food, may call pack 30%
6 Lone Ogre blocking passage charging toll
7 Ogre cooking something or someone in pot
8 Ogre guarding his cave
9 Cyclopskin guarding mountain goats
10 Hill giants bowling with boulders for fun
11 Drunk hill giants bored and looking for fun
12 Hill giant hunter and pet dire wolf or bear
13 Cyclops herding sheep
14 Troll guarding passage and charging toll
15 Cyclops in armour crafting item in forge
16 Dwarves crafting weapons and armour
17 Dwarf tunnel scouts checking giant movements
18 Dwarf giant or troll killers out on a hunt
19 Drunk slumbering ogre against a tree
20 Ogre mage looking for magical goodies to impress his wife
21 Orc squad in giants service on patrol
22 Goblin archers in giants service on patrol
23 Hobgoblin halberdiers or spearmen in  giants service busy on mission
24 Bugbear hunter looking for food for master
26 Bugbears guarding a giant virgin off to meet new promised husband
27 Bugbears hauling a chest of gold to pay giants henchmen
28 Bard lost here desires friends and way out of here
29 Gnoll hunters with a hunting hyena on a chain
30 Gnoll female warrior band demands a male sacrifice
31 Hobgoblins herding cows to giants dinner table
32 Revolting drunk old giant wants to follow party
33 Formarian mutant giant takes offense to pretty people
34 Redcaps menace travellers, want blood and gold
35 Young giantess impressed by party
36 Rat swarm 1d6 rounds 1pt per round
27 Giant rats eating giants crumbs
28 Colossal Rat (Dire wolf stats)
29 Displacer beasts looking for food
30 Blink Dogs mostly friendly scavengers
31 Owl bear nest with irate parents
32 Hook Horror with baby horrors
33 Fire giant and frost giant children having rock fight
34 Beserkers looking for heroic deaths
35 Frost giant herding walruses
36 Giant boot with family of goblins or dwarves or gnomes
37 Cave bear and ogre wrestling near cave
38 Recently planted chopped up troll parts, mini trolls pop up
39 Ettin having argument with self over something banal
40 Cloud giant descends from sky by feather fall, amused by party
41 Forest giant uprooting and stacking trees
42 Stone giant smashing rocks
42 Elves trying to return home, lost and scared
43 Giant weasels pursue party
44 Giant mushroom field with myconids and mould garden
45 Giants playing chess – need extra pieces, threaten player to play
46 Giant feast – insist humans join In
47 Titan asleep with trees growing on him, locals very quiet
48 Giant ants mining gold
49 Man in giant doll dress on the run
50 Titan stops party for stories
51 Old mountain giant very forgetful but might leak some cosmic secret
52 Giant goats unimpressed by party climbing on their ruins
53 Giant sheep with aggressive ram
54 Giant boars eating dead bodies
55 Giant bush hens and aggressive man sized cock
56 Giant geese nesting area very aggressive ganders
57 Ogre stuck in a pit
58 Giant broken weapons and corpse, giant flies and maggots
59 Gargantuan ox corpse with goblins living in chewed through tunnels
60 Stone monoliths from giant skittles game
61 Pile of giant throwing rocks stacked around pathway
62 Giant ticks or leeches in grass
63 Giant cricket attacks hungrily
64 Cloud giant scholar seeks knowledge of little people
65 Stone Giant throwing rocks at travellers for fun
66 Storm giant starts lightning storm
67 Cloud giant nobles pass desire something of yours for a toy
68 Blind Cyclops sniffs and feels about for party to eat
69 Cyclops fighting sabre tooth
70 Passage is carved monster mouth but it is really a giant
71 Giant hand chases party 5hd
72 Talking animal serving giant parleys
73 Giant owl/eagle swoops down for a snack
74 Talking animated tool like churn, broom, on run from giant
75 Ladder up to cloud giant layer
76 Crack down to dungeon level
77 Giant serpent looking for dinner
78 Young Dragon looking for dinner and magic
79 Giant Skunk or racoon or squirrel
80 Giant tree reaching up to cloud layer
82 Animated giant furniture attack
83 Ogre with kobolds impaled on spear cooking
84 Ogre, troll and giant grab humans to judge which race is mightiest
85 Ogre fishing for giant catfish with rod and club
86 Gnome explorers excavating giant magic weapon
87 Hobbits looking for forbidden foodstuff of the giants
88 Giant toads hop from moat
89 Crocodiles in moat attack any who get close
90 Frost giant spreading snow and cold over land
91 Fire giant making weapon to attempt to kill a god
92 Stone giant stacking stones about landscape to some scheme
93 Cloud giants peek down through hole in cloud to laugh
94 Hill giant sacking a small farm
95 Minotaur looking for food, his labyrinth and loot is near
96 Drunk sleeping hill giant in vomit covered finery guarded by orcs
97 Giant scholar writing in his journal quite amused to talk with little people
98 Were wolves track party, spread disease and run
99 Devil swine. Pretends to be a jolly merchant with “lost treasure just nearby”
100 Undead hill giant or huge flesh golem lumbers about outraged

Will get onto meat but here is a popular subject at the moment - favorite games.

My Seven Fave RPG Games

Runequest (1-3) My favorite game I have all boxed sets still. Played for over 15 years. I will play again but i am sick of generating monster stats with hit locations

Marvel Superheroes (MSH Expert edition) Played one 20 year campaign. Simple fun. I ran my own world but i still think was best over all game ever.

Dungeons and Dragons (Bx throught to 2nd ed Ad&d) Played most of 80s, just got back into this year due to requests from interested 1st timers and Temple of Elemental Evil computer game on GOG.com - crass over commercialization, poor writing and unnecessary complexity has killed modern versions of game for me. I have always despised wizards of the coast style.

Call of Cthulhu (1st ed) Great game never needed new rules, current versions give more skill points, after buying leather bound anniversary edition i heard new ed with new rules on way. I like older style minimal layouts too - grey scale worm eaten parchment look sucks. For the record Orient Express supplement stopped me collecting all Chaosium products (also a shit tormbringer one at same time). It seemed too clive barker and fleshy. I also dislike adding poor mythology to mythos, revisionist christian versions of myths at that. Using as SF and super hero world my main interest of late.

Basic Role Playing (Including worlds of wonder) - The original universal game, current version is great toolkit for any genre.

Gammaworld (1st to 2nd) Too many editions but i have stolen ideas from them all. Metamorphosis Alpha cool too.

GURPS (1st to 3rd) Original world books still some of best genre sources ever. Historical, humanx, space, horror, Russia, Celts, China, Uplift, Cyberpunk, Autoduel, Japan all greats

Some Other Greats
Eclipse Phaze (Best new SF anything Ive read in years)
Traveller (great world, GDW wrote terrible adventures)
Mega Traveller (great world, GDW wrote terrible adventures)
2300 (The best SF universe and races)
Dark Conspiracy (great monster races and cyberpunk world)
Space 1889 (great world, GDW adventures too militaristic)
Champions (My first superhero game)
Ringworld (Great BRP game for SF rules)
Stormbringer (1st edition best)
Superworld (pretty good but I’m off point games)
Cyberpunk (A classic game worth plundering)
Top Secret/S.I. (Agent 13 and F.R.E.E.lancers awesome)
Warhammer (great UK grit)
40K (really inspirational SF world)
CthuhuTech (Looks pretty)
Paladium RPG (Mechanoids, TMT, After the bomb and Mechanoids my favourite)
Super Squadron – An Australian superhero game from early 80s
Savage World (good world books)
RUS (10th C Russia game from Australia)
Villains and Vigilantes
Star Frontiers (Had some good tech)
Gangbusters (Used stuff for Cthulhu)
TOON
Teenagers From Outer Space
Metkon
High Colonies (great world)
TORG (Great world books and art but unplayable as is)


To reiterate my previous post Most American RPG and Comics (Hulk, X-Men) with Australian aboriginal based content are pretty woeful and based on cliches that probably are not from Australia. Mind you Australians are pretty good at ignoring horrors of Aboriginal life and most harbour no new age romance about indigenous persons. Some Aussies whinge about the supposed benefits they receive yet they wouldn't want to be one.

Anyhow if there was a good RPG product its probably the original Terror Australis module for Cthulhu. This was undone by the last Masks of Nyarlathotep version i read which added material from Terror Australias and with good intentions made some problems. Modifying aboriginal art for other Cthulhu books is a problem too. Basically as they are a culture that has lost everything, Im not a fan of ripping off their culture for gain. Their own sense of ownership of art and what it means to them makes it impolite to steal from them.

Aboriginals I work with have told me reproducing images in the wrong place by the wrong people is dangerous. A depiction of a entity in a different region makes locals unhappy. We get warnings before TV programs if a dead Aboriginal appears in the program as some persons will not watch a program with a recently deceased Aboriginal person in it. The significance of art in their culture is not western. If I seem sensitive its because I work with government, art orgs and Aboriginal persons. The best i can do really is be mindful of these issues. With 500 language groups the more i generalize the more wrong ill be.

Best program if your interested is this http://www.sbs.com.au/firstaustralians/

Some good animations around give a feel
http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/dustEchoesFlash.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEA7gkU4VaQ&feature=player_embedded#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y3Ta5xcKV4
Some on line without Aboriginal input and animals that look hopelessly wrong

As i write this there is a deadly aerobics dance mob on the new Aborignal tv station which also has lotsa music, language and i even saw a show on boomerang making. Apparently a kind American who owns the rights on boomerangs allows them to do so (couldn't verify this).

The Dreaming is sometimes referred to as The Dreamtime. Today Aboriginal storytellers prefer to use The Dreaming as a way of describing their stories and their oral history because The Dreaming in Aboriginal culture is not considered something that occurred in the past, it is continually occurring and is ever-present in their culture. The Dreamtime "was", The Dreaming "is".

Anyway - for this zone for gaming purposes, I have a mix of Pleistocene fauna, tribal homo sapiens and older hominids and spirits. The Australian bush is sun blasted and inhospitable to outsiders. There is a definite sense of inexplicable creepiness in some parts of the bush. For game purposes most spirits are hostile to intruders. In some cases spirits ignore foreigners as irrelevant and may persecute indigenous persons of the wrong decent more harshly. Spirits may punish trespassers who exhibit greed or selfishness also.

Alcheringa Zone
A seeming mixture of Aboriginal supernatural spirit beings, tribal humans (some pre homo-sapiens) dinosaurs and other megafauna dwell here. Mostly red wind carved rock cavern wall with distant howling noises in the distance. Green zones include ferns and are subtropical, others are sand filled, barren and dry. Pleistocene mega fauna of approximately 40, 000 years ago predominate like terror birds, killer koalas (Marsupial Lion)and 30 foot long reptilian goannas. The sky is apparently reachable by sufficient climb. The spirit beings keep most clear or the region. Personnel report nightmares and altered dreams after visiting this place. No profit making opportunities exploited yet but some stone age xenotech has been seen. Most expeditions pass through to get somewhere else.

Alcheringa Zone Hazzard 1-3 d20
1 Extreme heat and desert
2 Bush Fire and smoke surround you
3 Crocodile filled river
4 Bunyip haunted billabong
5 Giant fish filled wetland
6 Spirits curse those on taboo land
7 Land of the dead – area inhabited by undead
8 Storm with lightning, wind then flood
9 Earthquake and volcanic activity
10  Forest trail in a loop, Wis save to detect each loop
11 Cursed rock inflicts minor but annoying curse
13 Angry spirits intensify feelings of fear and anxiety
14 Sinkhole into cave with skeletons and trapped animals
15 Tar pit concealed by water and dirt
16 Swarm plague of locusts, moths, bats, rats, inch ants attack 1d6 rounds, 1pt per round
17 Fog covers area, muffles sounds or birds and animals
18 Burial area off limits for surface dwellers or anger ghosts
19 Ritual area where animal spirits are communed with
20 Mischievous bush or cave fairies cause trouble for fun

Alcheringa Zones Mysteries 1-3 d20
1 Ancient cave paintings depict mythical scene
2 Ancient rock carvings of ancestors
3 Ancient mummy in bark tube
4 Burial poles with souls inside awaiting final rest
5 Quartz sphere wrapped in hair
6 Wizards stick is haunted
7 Preserved human head stuffed with clay
8 Bag of different dried herbs
9 Crude children’s toy
10 Everburning coals kept in clay bowl
11 Talking animal says you will all die
12 Tools made from surface rubbish
13 Tribal person with surface military tattoo insignia
14 Possum skin cloak made from single giant possum
15 Ground oven feast left abandoned
16 Stray wild dingo with id tag on ear from surface
17 Giant tree seems to touch the sky
18 See Mimis split a rock to enter then close behind
19 Mimi faeries offer you to suckle their breasts
20 Mimi faeries offer to take you to faerie land

Alcheringa Zones Encounter lv 1-3 d50
1 Spiritman will aid if they fetch him honey from nearby
2 Spiritman ask if they have seen his wives, he has been looking a long time
3 A Sorcerer challenger your greatest wizard or will just kill you all
4 Spirit women on the run looking for escape
5 Gigantic fish tries to eat party
6 Crocodile tries to gobble you up
7 Giant Goanna tracks you from food smell
8 Cassawarrior birds stalk and chase you
8 Huge kangaroo grazing, a male might get hostile if party blooded
9 Marsupial Lion (Killer koala) ambushes and drags prey away
9 Huge wombat burrowing tunnels
10 Huge Echidna burrowing for giant bugs
11 Huge Emu nesting and hostile
12  Giant Tasmanian Devil looking for easy meat and a fight
13 Dingoes follow for scraps and scavenging kills
14 Giant Tasmanian Tiger. Solitary hunter.
15 Giant Platypus swimming in waterways
15 Giant Possum after food and defending territory
16 Giant ants with poison bites
17 Giant termites feeling hostile of mammals
18 Giant bees making honey
19 Giant frogs hungrily gobble up new creatures
20 Tribal shaman greets and trades stories
21 Tribal hunters at rest, feeling laid back
22 Tribal women bathing, unimpressed tribal men to follow
23 Giant grubs munching on roots and wood
24 Giant spider nest
25 Giant wasp nest
26 Injured hunter found, will die without aid
27 Men duelling with giant praying mantis men
28 Hostile giant praying mantis men
29 Giant constrictor snake
30 Giant venomous snake
31 Giant Quoll curious (white spotted ginger killer possum thing)
32 Fish people always angry at humans make war
33 Serpent man in disguise as sorcerer
34 Chattering parrots or budgies gossip and laugh about party
35 Two young lovers on run from separate clans in pursuit
36 Children laughing at you, follow for a while
37 Lost colonial era settler no idea about where they are
38 Ceremony in progress, friendly and welcoming, a good omen
39 Ceremony in progress, hostile and unwelcoming, a terrible omen
40 Glowing lights in distance observe, willio-wisps
41 Horrible Banksia Men, burned wooden ogrish beast men who kidnap innocents
42 Gumnut fairies, delightful halfling like naked faeries playing
43 Wizards fly overhead shooting lightning from flint axes on their ankles
44 A sorcerer has come to bring intruders death
45 Devil Dingo – giant rotting undead dingo spreads plague
46 Devil Possums – dark furred with red eyes snatch vulnerable as food or wives
47 Giant scorpion blocks corridor and is hunting party
48 Intelligent animals complain about how things aren’t like they used to be
49 Spirit animal tribes men gather for ceremony to deal with outsiders
50 Hopelessly lost outsiders from surface or other zone

have updated long stairs hardware list
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-long-stairs-tools-and-weapons.html

This zone is a mish-mash of lost world, land of the lost, hollow earth and H.P. Lovecraft. Most critters are reptilian with serpent men, intelligent pterodactyls, sleestak and reptile men. The odd grey and mythos being here too. Meshes with Alcheringa zone on borders. Meant as a break from typical dungeons with a dash of weird science.

Ill do a forbidden city inspired one and leave this for a while. Tempted to do a sewer zone, boiler room zone (freddys basement demonic horror). Consider suggestions but want to get back to some other projects. Wrote most of these while stranded without net in Adelaide. 

Back to gammaworld game as of next week and some prep for upcoming DnD. Started some geomorphs for dungeon zones my slap them up here too.

Cyclopean Zone
A seeming endless sprawl of alien ruins, with anachronistic mix of species and hazards. A lost land with mostly reptilian species like dinosaurs, lizard men, draconians, saurian, sleestak, serpent men and dinosaurs. Other species dubbed greys and morlock have been discovered with advanced technology including energy weapons and robots. Some sub-tropical green zones, others more desert. Light comes from glowing crystalline rocks in ceiling that seems to provide plants of their needs. The ruins are hexagonal formed with crystal structures. Some argue multiple doomed races died here. Some talk of the great race that built this and ponder what killed them or drove them away. There are startling rock formations similar in Western Australia. It has been suggested the Great Race were time travellers and point to the strange temporal phenomena here as proof. Sleestack seem like a reptilian almost insectoid hominids who excel in primitive crossbow use but they seem linked with pylon structures that seem to control local phenomenon. Feral and tribal humans have been found here, including some missing children living in caves as savages. Strange xenotech and alien documents to be found.

Cyclopean Zone Hazzard 1-3 d20
1 Tar Pit
2 Quicksand
3 Lava Pit
4 Geyser eruption
5 Swarm of parasites
6 Flimsy bridge over a hazard
7 Pit trap, hunters near by
8 Snare or net trap
10 Cliff or chasm
11 Poison Gas Con Save or 1pt damage per turn for 1d4 hours
12 Mudslide Dex save of toppled over and buried in mud, Str save to escape
13 Sacred idol offends local natives if touched or approach
14 Carnivorous plants
15 Poison dart trap
16 Diseased muck Con save
17 Dinosaur nest, mom will smell and hunt you
18 Cursed idol laying in clearing
19 Crystal found, wanted by some elder race
20 Piranha pond

Cyclopean Zones Mysteries 1-3 d20
1 Strange machine with buttons, levers etc
2 Semi opaque glass wall with suspended great race behind
3 Reptilian mummies
3 Sleestack heads on altar speak to puny humans
4 Sleestak Pylon temptingly open
5 Black basalt plug blocking pit entrance
6 Mummified old one husk
7 Sleestak perform ritual around pylon
8 Pile of huge metal books with cellulose pages of alien script
9 Broken piece of advanced technology
10 Bones of some fantastic saurian
11 Remains of surface world survivors
12 Gateway to who knows where
13 Environmental control pylon
14 Remains of robot
15 Remains of advanced tool or weapon
16 Glowing console with changeable crystal rods
17 Frozen specimen in stasis cube with controls
18 Sleestak blessing dinosaur eggs
19 Remains of ancient sleestack with clothes, jewels and a laser
20 Serpant man tomb – possibly just sleeping

Cyclopean Zones Encounter lv 1-3 d50
1 Morlocks with surface world prisoners
2 Savage lizard men hunters
3 Raptor riding lizard man
4 Lizard men with serpent man wizard
5 Serpent wizard man in disguise as human
6 Sleestack hunters with crossbows
7 Human cultists with serpent man wizard
8 Surface humans looking for treasure
9 Savage tribal hominids on warpath
10 Robed sleestack warns to not mess with what you cannot know
11 Hostile robot attacks
12 Crocodilian attacks near water
13 Swarm of stinging bugs 1d6 rounds or 1pt damage
14 Dimetrodon attack
15 Plesiosaur attacks near water
16 4HD snapping turtle
17 Constrictor Snake 3HD 2d6 crush and 1d6 bite
18 Poisonous 1hd snake
19 Huge 1HD poison spider
20 Sauropod eating, will lash at pesky small creatures that get close
21 Small grumpy stegosaurus, 4 HD 2d4 tail lash
22 Small triceratops, 4hd 3D4 charge
23 Plant humanoids growing among normal vegetation
24 Wolf weeds – killer tumbleweeds 2-4 HD, d6 or d8 bite
25 Vegepymies looking for humanoid animals for their farm
26 Morlocks have uncovered something and try to defend it
27 Idiot eloi mute idiots wander in fields, morlock herdsman nearby
28 See a hideous shoggoth slide into a sinkhole
28 Feral child spies on party
29 Wild man attacks threat to party, mute savage but friendly
30 Tentacle from well tries to pull into a well
31 Giant frogs attack
32 Dire wolf may howl for company if party it tracks hurt
33 Sabre tooth tiger stalks party
34 Flesh eating ape
35 Axebeak birds stalk party
36 Huge centipede nest 1d4 HP, +2 save poison, 1d8 in nest
37 Nazi SS exploration team lost since 1939, (crashed nazi saucer nearby)
38 Cave fisher in cliffs drops a tangle line into party
39 Giant lobster nips near water
40 Cloud of diseased miasma infects with prehistoric disease
41 Mute reptilians hominids attempt to trade
42 Primitive tribal cannibals outraged you touched their sacred land
43 Pterodactyl wizards fly over head
44 Lesser shambling mound eating compost
45 Hybrid creature insane with pain after teleporter accident
46 Marooned human wild man, forgotton how to speak, has lair nearby
47 Cyborg monster still adjusting to treatment, mad with rage
48 Mutant with laser pistol from alternate apocalypse
49 Zombies with pygmies shaman
50 Flying saucers or weird lights fly overhead

Michael Bowers kindly pointed this out too me: http://web.archive.org/web/20080615003402/http://www.philotomy.com/basement.html
Cheers as i have had about 9 items of feedback for this blog. Id do controversial game philosophy posts if i thought id start a good fued. Given some Arduin stuff too so now I know what people are talking about - has some good stuff to plunder.

Most of these zones could used in my regular DnD game too.

Yes i pulled out my fiend folio here. Like the Amber Manour zone was inspired by Castle Amber module, this was inspired by the desert of desolation and the old Lost City module (one of my faves - could spend whole career trapped down there. Lone and Level sands dragon module too (no 81?).

Lost Temple Zone
Ancient sealed desert bronze age tomb with cults, scorpion men and mummies. Egyptian, Babylonian, Hittite, Eutruscan, Minoan or even like the early lost city DnD module (which seemed a bit Macedonian/Egyptian). Undead, crazy cultists, tomb robbers, traps and other horrors abound. Magical lamps provide light in some areas and the stonework is limestone with some marble, gilt, stucco paintings and relief carvings. Statues of long lost gods and demons abound. Substantial treasures can be found here.

Lost Temple Zone Hazard 1-3 d20
1 Stone block drops from above
2 Giant stone ball rolls towards chases into spike pit
3 Spiked pit trap
4 Pit trap full of snakes
5 Stone blocks seal section off corridor
6 Stone blocks seal section off corridor fill with sand
7 Pit Trap full of zombies
8 Poison Dart trap
9 Cursed doorway
10 Cursed guardian Idol
11 Cursed treasure item
12 Statue guards animate if disturbed
13 Guardian creatures from paintings or carvings come to life
14 Poor stale air 1hp dam pet turn if fail save
15 Mummy dust spreads disease if breathed without mask
16  Floor collapses or pit trap to lower level
17 Monster lair with various beasts
18 Unstable ceiling vulnerable to sounds
19 Tomb robbers camp site and cache
20 Pendulum trap

Lost Temple Zone Mysteries 1-3 d50
1 Art depicting mythical scene
2 Art depicting great treasure and king executing foreigners
3 Art depicting king hunting and killing monsters
4 Scrolls with ancient formula or prayers or recipe
5 Dropped loot from some tomb robbers
6 Tomb robbers corpses killed by traps, monsters or starvation
7 Talking statue blabs about ancient wonders
8 Sleeping ancient in magic coffin
9 Bound djinn or efreeti offer reward if binding ruined
10 Sarcophagus with unusual mummy like a chimera or two headed
11 Canoptic Jars overflow with human offal if opened
12 Elaborate puzzle in artwork opened sealed door
13 Every day kingly object like boat, chariot or mummified harem
14 Two sects of masked cultists in a fued
15 Clay tablet library with great wisdom (but very heavy)
16 Crumbling scroll collection with lost knowledge
17  Statue of king, god or hero doing something heroic
18 Art depicting a map of world or mythic realm
19 Cursed relic inflicts a quest on party
20 Stelae depicting border between local temple styles

Lost Temple Zone Encounters 1-3 d100
1 Spirit from past asks or tries to trick into helping
2 Skeleton guardians attack outsiders
3 Zombie builders making repairs
4 Zombie guards recruiting members
5 Lesser Mummy in sarcophagi awaits intruders
6 Greater Mummy awakes, summons monsters and returns to sleep
7 Soldiers from painting come to life and slay any foreigner in sight
8 Spirit in statue of cultist seeks a body for a quest
9 Spirit of an ancient royal possess body and makes host a pompous royal ass
10 Spirit of a priest possess body and preaches to evil intruders
11 Soldier spirit possesses body and attacks intruders
12 Weeping woman spirit possess body and commits suicide
13 Animal Headed lesser mummy guardsmen with weapons
14 Shadow snake (as a shadow) strikes from darkness
15 Hell hound seeks victims to terrify
16 Ghoul aristocrats wearing gold finery attack
17 Hideous rotten naked insane ghouls
18 Robed ghoul ancients with illusion of normalcy powers
19 Ancient ghouls more bestial with 1d6 beak & claws, some feathered some furred
20 Tomb robbers attack rivals
21 Tomb robbers flee in panic and lead party to death trap
22 Tomb robbers lost and separated from allies request alliance
23 Tomb robbers warily offer trade and exchange of maps
24 Masked cultists acting out shared delusion
25 Masked cultists in a ritual go crazy if disturbed
26 Masked cultists greets party and investigates as possible members
27 Masked cultists transporting undead in coffin
28 Masked cultist assassins attack, explode on death into smoke
29 Masked cultist demand donation to their faith
30 Masked cultist invite party to their cult shrine
31 Ancient awakened and lost looking for his courtiers
32 Lost builder looking for way out
33 Sacrificed trouble making cultist sealed in here
34 Lonely undead wants to talk for a few years
35 Animal headed warrior (Lv +party total) hunts humans
36 several dog sized scorpions
37 a swarm of tiny scorpions
38 a giant scorpion blocks corridor
39 sphinx asks questions rewards right kills if wrong
40 Vulture men follow party smacking their lips
41 Jackal men attack thieves
42 Hawk men examine outsiders for warning signs of evil
43 Cow headed female bards offer beer and sex
44 Cat headed thieves look for trinkets
45 Serpent men sorcerers and reptilian guards
46 Minotaur berserker sent to slay heroes by evil god
47 Chimera on pile of loot and very hungry
48 Intelligent boulder chases party
49 Two giant dung beetles rolling giant ball of monster turd home
50 Ram headed priest harasses party with magic
51 Sea pours from a painting flooding corridor
52 Statue comes to life and attacks – animal or other
53 Satyr looking for ladies or where he can get some
55 Wemic warrior out to slay humans
56 Centaur priest threatens party
57 Centaur knight seeks single combat
58  Chaos centaur archer with arrows dipped in his own blood
59 Thri Keen assassin guards treasure
60 Cult Monks in hoods want to search defilers for stolen goods
61 Statue guards built into gateway caryatid columns animate
62 Very very slow bronze golem stalks party
63 Water weird fountain
64 Al’Mi Raj (Unicorn dungeon bunnies) aggressively territorial of area
65 Coffer Corpses attack as zombies then pretend to spring to life
66 Crypt Thing with some skeleton guards defends a tomb section
67 Several two headed death dogs with collars guard this section
68 Devil Dog, guards chamber with trapped floor uses fear howl to panic party
69 A Dune stalker follows party and attracts next awkward moment
70 Elder Grell crawled from some deep well and exploring for lore
71 Fire newt band of adventurers looking for trouble
72 Huecuva undead polymorphed into friendly adventurers
73 Iron cobra guarding golden urn from inside
74 Kamadan leopard with 6 snake heads wearing jewels
75 Displacer beast looking for food wearing jewels
76 Blink dog pack looking for evil to slay, might follow party
77 Kenku monks adventuring and seeking treasure
78 Lesser Lamia with charmed slave from surface
79 Necrophidius undead skull worm guards a pit of corpses and treasure
80 Sandman stalks party so he can relocate them when unconscious
81 Skulk assasins try to backstab party for kicks
82 Sons of Kyuss arise from crypts
83 Shedu offers to hear parties confessions
84 Pampered bejewled baboons attack
85 Axe beaks with jewellery hunting
86 Sleepy cocatrice in statue room
87 Mummified crocodile men guardians attack defilers
88 Lesser Naga looking for slaves, 5HD +2 save poison bite, no spells
89 Succubi looking for some attention and levels to drain
90 Gnolls looking for dead stuff to eat with plundered jewellery
91 Hippo humanoid (use ogre) looking for for unholy intruders
92 Gynosphynx will answer questions if they can teach it anything new
93 Hyenas sniffing for wounded follow party howling
94 Lammusu will heal party for its good deeds
95 Lion with gold collar looking for food
96 Medusa in statue museum chamber
97 Cowardly Rakasha tries to join party to betray later
98 Androsphinx willing to heal party if they don’t tell local gynosphynx where he is
99 Hierachosphinx nesting on pillaged treasure wants more
100 Criosphynx demands toll for passing through his territory

Dedicated to John G and Richard Ingram, Michael W and JB my longest serving players over 20 years each.

This image for Richard who became a Wolf prince in my werewolf ridden kingdoms of the frozen north sometime in early 90s. This campaign had characters one by one clearing evil from nations of the world - each menaced by monster minions of a different evil god.

In the first DnD campaign in probably 84 John G had a fighter reach about 5th level who had already had a collection of magic swords for all occasions. So he had basically a golf cart of swords on his back with specific bonuses for all occasions. We joked he needed a henchman sword caddy who could just hand him the one for the job. The first few items are exiting but when you get to another +1 weapon put it in the sack and sell it asap the feeling is over. Then you get a +3 weapon and ditch all those special +1+4 vs reptiles and other oddments.  Most players seem to fear intelligent weapons. +2 beserker swords make great gifts for that fighter henchman for hire with the +1 plate you want but dont want to be seen as the bad guys who murder henchmen.

Here are some of the other item possibilities Ive used over the years.

Alternative Magic Items
Normally cold iron and silver weapons are not so great on swords being brittle or soft so weapons enchanted to be as strong as steel can be nice low level treats. A sword with silver and cold iron magically fused is a nice treat too. A dagger that turns to a sword or a staff that can pop out a spear blade can be good concealed weapons. A spear that can shift from short to long to lance could be nice too. Staff with light spell on off at will.

Cantrip wands.

A sword with a permanent illusion of being a puny stick could also give a bonus till the foe realizes it aint just a stick while a gelatinous cube wouldn't care. All of these are nice and can provide alternatives to +1. Also why not hand out some +1 daggers, hand axes and other items long before a sword appears. Quality weapons are nice too but price multipliers seem flawed in case of clubs and staves which cost bugger all. Javelins and arrows are good too. I'm seriously considering a spell to enchant a +1 one use missile spell in my game at the moment.

Armour with bonus only vs undead, reptiles, demons could be good too. Or +1 only at night, in sunlight or some other conditional situation. A weapon or armour which gives a limited number of uses per day or charges that can give +1 (2 charges for +2) could be a life saver too.

The classic foci wand or staff that lets you convert a spell level memorized into another effect is a great alternative to charges. Eg: convert my memorized feather fall to a different spell in  the wand like magic missile spell. For a Wizard this frees up other spells slots for a sorcerer this gives them another spell.

Intelligent but not very powerful items. Such items could even be quite annoying or even be more useful for advice than fighting. A item with a single field of lore expertise could be nice. Even something like augury sticks that advise only once per day or use a charge per word answer. An adventurers skull that answers one question a day. Or rambling crazy item that players have to take care interpreting. Book of I Ching good for this. Sound useful but really applicable to anything.

As Im reading Jack Vance at the moment, items which are living and tire or die if over used. Like boots of running that tire after an hour and possibly die if pushed longer (give them a con roll or saving throw).  An item that needs feeding or becomes dormant or dies. Gold or blood or tears or expensive wine all good.

Items that need something to make them work. Like a talking skull that eats gold coins to answer a question with a fee scale depending on information value. A weapon that must be bathed in human blood every morning to work. An item that requires a ritual to recharge like a fireball wand that requires a sacrifice for one use.

Daily use wands are good too - kind of superior or inferior depending on your take. Items that require 8 hours meditation to recharge one use or needs to be recharged like a spell caster needs to study or prey to prepare. Very handy but annoying.

A weapon that has an evil reputation yet is actually neutral. Every orc feels obligated to kill the wielder. Elves hate whoever uses the weapon even briefly. A weapon used in a massacre or by an evil warlord. A clan seeks to destroy the item for some black deed in the past. A dagger used to sacrifice a thousand virgins by an evil wizard but is just +2 make others suspicious. The weapon is maligned by its rep but might be worth hanging onto despite the trouble it causes. Only evil persons want to buy the item.

An unreliable intelligent item that provides right answers 50% of the time.

Unreliable item works 50% of the time. Or only works when the stars are right or some other situation.

Needs something like elf tears to activate abilities each new user.

A weapon that refuses to cut certain beings like good persons could have many interesting uses.

Powers only work if user right alignment. Common for swords but consider for wands, armour, shields.

Items that work but benefits questionable. Casts light or silence but targets the position standing in by user only. Summoning devices that summon beings but doesn't make them your friends automatically.

Items which have cool powers that draw on beings from another world who watch all your actions. A mace that isn't evil but Orcus can see you and might warn his followers of your location. Items that commune with possibly hostile beings that might even lie or tell truth till party trusts then sends to doom or to commit act of evil. Beings might insist on favours to use powers. Teleporter ring that wielder gets a quest every time it is is used.

Item works only for those that fail to resist quest built into item.

Item only works if correct bloodline or religion or school or race. Possibly marriage might count as bloodline but you have to get married to find out.

Powers only work when user reaches a certain level. This is my favorite and means a cool item can grow with the hero. Great for legendary items and has character keeping that item in hope of releasing new powers. Could have a number of above problems also.

Examples

The Black Helm of Darkness
A polished dark grey steel helmet with 10 black onyx stones. Brought to world by god of darkness to teach humility to heroes of old. Powerful but questionable in utility at times. As user grows in power a gem conveys sense of new power but unknown till tested. Ivanavitch the wolf lord rode his magic horse to safety after summoning powers used to sew mayhem among foes. To activate each power 1d6 hp of blood must be spilled on gem. You cant pick and choose which.
1st level - night vision
2nd level - +1 saving throws
3rd level - can summon a shadow hound once per day (as shadow) attacks any target including summoner
4th level - +1 AC
5th level - cast darkness 30 ft radius from position once per day (user as blind as anyone)
6th level - sense shadows and beings of living darkness within 120 feet
7th level - cut self for 1d6 damage can command shadow hound (once per day)
8th level - get a save vs death for level or stat draining effects (magic not poison)
9th level - heals 1hp per hour at night (12) though some planes night may be longer
10th level - call shadow pack once per month - 2d4 shadow hounds, hostile to all including caller
other powers rumoured but most users died activating last power

Stormblade
Created by elf lord shortly before he and his allies ruined the world by opening tomb of a great old one aeons ago. Elves sing songs of tears to this day over the great tragedy that the wielder struck the world with sorrow. Most races dont know of this tragedy but elves will warn wielders. Wielder uncannily finds maps, clues and hints to old ones resting places. To bond with sword and be able to be weilder must meditate on mountain during storm.
1st level - 30 ft light radius on verbal command (light! in elvish)
2nd level - +1 attack and damage
3rd level - +1d3 electrical damage
4th level - shocking grasp once per day through weapon on command (shock! in elvish)
5th level - +10 feet on leaping and jumping
6th level - additional shocking grasp as 4th level power (2 total)
7th level - +2 attack and damage, call 10 minute downpour daily
8th level - additional shocking grasp as 4th level power (3 total)
9th level - +3 attack and damage, call 10 minute storm daily (takes 10 minutes to start)
10th level - 3 6th level lightning bolts per day on command (storm!)
other powers rumoured but forgotten even by elves

Hammer of Pain
Every time this is held the wielder feels jolts of sharp pain. These increase when a victim is slain. Made to teach a hero restraint and mercy instead has made many wielders masochistic sadists. Black metal with demon hide leather hand grip, haft carved from a monsters horn. Each level wielder makes a Wisdom roll to resist becoming addicted to giving and receiving pain.
1st level - Wielder immune to sleep while held, makes a great watchman
2nd level - +1 attack and damage
3rd level - hold person once per day on on victim struck
4th level - springs to owners hand on command if within 30 foot
5th level - +2 attack and damage
6th level - +3 resist paralysis and pain
7th level - hammer can shrink to charm bracelet size
8th level - featherfall effect for wielder
9th level - +3 attack and damage
10th level - beserk once per day +2 additional hit damage for fight duration, attack any in sight, this bonus is from rage and doesn't add to hitting magical beauties
Other powers are rumoured but wielders usually killed by friends at 10th.

Wand of Tsanjezzeroth
Made by a wizard using part of his own soul according to practices long lost. The wand glows when first touched by a wizard. A single ivory splinter from a narwhale horn. Craved by many spell casters who wish to tap its long lost secrets. A manual of instructions with missing last few chapters has been found and is kept by such a wizard. Several copies exist some detailing only first three levels of power.
1st level - wand glows 30 ft at will
2nd level - fires a single magic missile per day
3rd level - victims saves-1
4th level - +1 on spell damage per dice
5th level - fires 2 more magic missiles for total 3 per day
6th level - touch range spells can be cast with 30 foot range
7th level - memorize/cast one more 1st lv spell
8th level - memorize/cast one more 1st lv spell (total of 2)
9th level - memorize/cast one more 2nd lv spell
10th level - Read magic at will and once month ask Tsanjezzeroth a question
other powers are rumoured and thus many wizards want the wand to know for them selves

Working on alignment based in ideas inspired by http://9and30kingdoms.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/alignment-horror.html fixing hole in my system an going more moorcock and making paladins irrelevant (sorry). Put alignment back on the map - more alignment craziness with more actual effect and reasons to sight things you meet. Modern take misses the really interesting part of game. Reading jack vance too - wow! but for now....

Im also thinking if i should run next SF as basic role playing or go for DnD style. Images to think about how these parties would spend spare time and what classes or alignment they might represent. Buck Rogers game wasn't so bad i wish i had seen or could get source books and gangbuster compilation book too for how classes might operate in other oldschool games.

Between Adventures - more ideas
My current play style is very skirmish with monsters and players retreating first sign of danger often and both sides willing to back down. If captured in their enemies lair they grab their own stuff  and rob their hosts  and flee without exterminating monsters children children. They rarely empty a dungeon and get all the good loot or see more than 60% of a complex. While dungeon sections detailed are sadly never seen by adventurers bold. Linking xp not to gp but spending it based on class interests has kept cash moving. Some classes rewarded for blowing on carousing but sometimes paying off law is a cash sink hole too. All this stuff keeps parties poor and keen to get looting again.

My Long Stair party were more professional with 90% loot-destroy the dungeon per mission, but had up to 60% fatalities. Much of the loot was exotic alien artifacts for eggheads rater than personal power or gain but a modern light assault rifle is probably better than a sword +1 most of the time.

Re-posted (upgraded and more world neutral) for convenience here is my quick long stair between adventure tales with some extra notes hopefully enough to re-use for other DnD or old gamma games. I recommend the many other tables on blogger for such stuff. Also the chaosium old thieves world boxed set runequestor3 cities book but im sure you have your favorites. Some role playing might let them choose a d10 event instead of rolling.Player blow money on certain class tasks to get the xp benefit in my DnD so some more likely to party while others would rather research. NWP bonuses can be gained or temporary one off bonuses van be gained or additional information.



Between Crawls
roll once or twice on any one d10 table below between sessions

carousing
1 Drunken party - out of control intoxicated escapades
2 Sportsman - hunting games or skill or other contests engaged
3 Meet people - make new friends or enemies or rivals
4 LAN or Tabletop Gamer- games of strategy, more cerebral competitions
5 Sexual Escapades - romance, sexual contact, possible result = love marriage or pregnancy
6 Gambling - games of chance rather than skill
7 Online socialite - schmooze with your superiors and influential or famous
8 Fight
9 Locked up - local low or powers disprove of your fun
10 Black market - some kind of criminal dealings or interaction

R&D
1 Experiment with xenotech (magical or tech or artifact study)
2 Experiment with xenomethodology (study exotic magic or tech)  3 Correspondence student in upstairs qualifications (formal student)
4 Study xenofauna (study creatures and life forms)
5 Study xenosentients (study creatures and life forms) 6 study xeno language (study creatures and life forms)
7 Study xeno terrain and maps (study creatures and life forms)8 Study xeno  culture and religion (study exotic beliefs, history or civilization)
9 Test subject volunteer (experiment with usable magical or tech)
10 Trial of new or captured hardware (experiment with usable magical or tech)
 
Training
1 Transport -Vehicle or mount familiarity
2 Weapon familiarity - (learning opportunity for new styles)3 Home base familiarity - layout of base and hiding places
4 Survival familiarity (study food, shelter and water sources in dungeon or local area)
5 Medical familiarity (work with medics, healers, charity)
6 Xenofauna capture familiarity (retrain, trap and handle critters)
7 Patrol group familiarity (local wilderness or complex familiarity)
8 Military protocol familiarity (helps promotion or become MP or official status)
9 Unarmed combat familiarity (learning opportunity for new styles)
10 Archaic weapon familiarity (learning opportunity for new styles)
 
roll here for quality of experience
1 Disaster - deadly accident or xeno contamination (curse, grudge, injury)
2 Mishap - minor accident and injury (temp curse, grudge, injury)3-4 Uneventful - all good (hear some rumours, meet someone
5 Outstanding - spectacular success (temp bonus +2or +1 on NWP)
6 Critical Breakthrough - new understanding achieved (temp bonus +4or +2 on NWP)
 



Carousing and fill in tables to use between adventures have become a popular norm in my game. Players get to choose 2 rolls from carousing, training, R&D with most selecting at least one carousing but a poor lawful good priest might prefer R&D prayer or o study holy relics but perhaps they might want to follow rest of party to protect them (lucky party).

The Dnd party would tend to enter dungeon, kill a few guards, then battle a major faction and cripple it. Then retreat. This would repeat till players felt like holiday in the city and often never went back. Wizards would seek new spells and study time, fighters would look for new martial schools and socialize. The rogues would fence all the party loot and take  a cut and sell their "extra finders fee loot". The priests would go to temple and learn of current moral threats of the day. The prior party included a bugbear with a high charisma and they took over dungeon and had kobold and goblin flunkies, private labs, training rooms all at home. The current system encourages to spend cash fast.

Gammaworld seems to be the thing for a bit as players keen and Ive wanted to ply for years. Fallout is a genre gateway. As is Hollywood and comics for a bit now. 70s apocalypse revival too. Planet of the Apes (70s versions), Mad max, Boy and his Dog, all doing there part. Gammaworld is similar to D&D minus level system. Players are happy to just live and grab some loot in battle but strip mining base is rarer. They do digs more thoroughly and more willing to face randoms than some organised hostile bunker. Players have also asked to move into a complex but often snatch and run. Players dont require training in the same way - all gamma aeon civilization.

These break in civilization end up more fun than dungeon and usually party run out of cash, get a mission but would happily keep up these between adventure games.

My RQ and Pendragon games do this especially well with characters spending a season training (often in winter when snowed in). A season with religious service and other duties leave time for a adventure once a year. So having offspring is a great way to keep your loot and gains over 70 years like the Pendragon campaign. Every night a guest in a castle is excitement in Pendragon as is every feast.

Cyberpunk/Metkon have some fun background tables for drama and intrigue. Hellas too has good drama tables for sf or fantasy (i must grab a pile of these one day - interesting game reminds me of Ulysses 31 cartoon).

In Cthulhu drunken binges and drug guzzling a way to cope with mythos and shattered sanity. Chaosium games have character scoffing magic mushies (RQ) but very bizarre rules for drug abuse. I have given Sanity points to characters who got married and later when had a baby. Awwww im so nice.

I ran a star fronties boxed set game in mid 80s where characters worked in space mall and defended city from space vampires, gangs, cults and sathar in their lunch breaks. But action revolved around city. My big SF game world i did game where heroes were super elite g-force like super agents ans they did whatever required rather than party - but sometimes had to be spies and carousing was part of adventure. James bond this is true too.

City as megadungeon is great fun too with some awesome game cities in many genres out there. Plyers have spent whole campaigns in single cities. Must read Lieber fantasy next (ive read his horror).

So im thinking this is all my play style and love of sandbox rather than features of games im playing. Designing adventures where stuff is never discovered or seen is sometimes sad and means awesome loot missed. My party live for tourism and good times rather than just being dutiful defenders of right. They go for lots of encounters and story events over sterilizing some hole full of poor beings.

The profesional heroes for the state games feature more efficient slaughtering and mission objectives and less fun but might have to carouse on the job. Commited revolutionaries like Blakes7 or battling skynet probably have less time for just having fun or stupid risks like drunken party sprees. For Iron Man partying and booze is his Kryptonite.

This is edited text from my Mongol Contest (http://swkhakhan.blogspot.com.au/) entry 1 hr before deadline I was in bed with fever sick as a dog. I contacted contest host via comments etc and didn't get a response at time and contest was called off that hour before deadline. I'm sorry and feel bad about not getting in but enjoyed it and finally understood Mongol-Turk-Estonian links of language and shamanism despite the huge gulf in time separating them (my Dad Estonian and Grandpa spent 18 years in a gulag - moms mom was Welsh and welsh descended South Australian tradesmen and mining colonists). I posted my un-proofed layout tests on my Flickr earlier but here are the proofed text in my mongrel UK-USAEnglishthey call Australian + a bit of my dyslexia.

The layout were an experiment on minimalism vs over design but these silhouettes were pretty sweet. http://www.flickr.com/photos/konsumterra/8174639618/in/set-72157631656547261 or http://www.flickr.com/photos/konsumterra/8174295159/in/set-72157631656547261/ or http://www.flickr.com/photos/konsumterra/8174298689/in/set-72157631656547261/

I basically stopped when contest over and couldn't get my editor.Anyhow I'll knock up a table and silhouettes on anything historical by request and have hugelibrary of copyright free clip images.  Like researching history and willing to try other stuff on request. Layout experiments were useful but not finished.

Mongol philosophy impressed me. SBS tv over xmas showed heap of nomad herder films from kazarstan to the Bering sea peninsula.


Could use for barbarian nomads elsewhere.

Stupas for Mongol Heroes
"All people are weak and therefore shortcomings should be tolerated"

Built by monks, usually to entomb an abbot or holy man or relics. They are scattered across the steppes and some are extremely ancient. Older ones roughly beehive or bell shaped mounds. Some wear down into unrecognizable shapes and may have trees growing in them. Some have open shrines inside others are sealed. with sealed door. More recent ones are more geometric and decorated signify the elements. Inside will be paintings, mummified abbot, gold statues, holy trinkets, ritual paraphernalia and scriptures. Possibly even magic. Size and
numbers may vary from a single small one only a meter high to hundreds of small ones. Some are huge complexes with a giant stupa surrounded by many small ones.

It is bad form to rob but relics might be moved for protection and monks will be grateful if given to them. Even traditional shaman dont normally approve of grave robbing even though they dont always get along with monks. You could apply these to a cave or sanctuary or a shrine carved into a cliff for variety. Some are repaired by wandering monks or locals. Others have been abandoned for a thousand years. Better maintained ones are cared for and are also meeting places and crossroads.

Many spirits dwelling near stupas assume living form and some take time to reform a new body if killed. They appear superficially human but with clues in ornaments, odd habits and other features. Basically like a typical adventurer with class and levels. They may have other forms.

Shaman traditionalist and monks compete. They ebb and flow in social power but this has been happening for a long time and they often accommodate each other or elements of both exist together.

d8 condition
1 Almost rubble - 20% sealed
2 Partially collapsed - 30% sealed
3 overgrown crude mound - 40% sealed
4 overgrown grassy mound - 50% sealed
5 crumbled ornaments - 60% sealed
6 highly ornamented, bare stone - 70% sealed
7 highly ornamented, paint intact - 80% sealed
8 highly ornamented, paint intact, flags and
   banners intact - 90% sealed

d6 encounter type
1 Shaman
2 Maiden
3 Man
4 Haunted
5 Beast
6 Other

d10 Shaman
1 Wise shaman dispenses healing
2 Wise shaman dispenses divination
3 Drunken shaman wallowing in sadness over clans death
4 Is actually a spirit testing heroes virtue, may bestow gift to worthy
5 Composing a work of history or poetry or philosophy in Orkhon script
6 Trying to contact spirits, angered by disturbance but can be reasoned with
7 Is actually evil spirit will befriend but will attack by night
8 Wise woman collecting pebbles for ceremony might share meager meal
9 In animal form will tail party for a while
10 Is collecting herbs - might provide useful information if treated well

d10 Maiden - often armed with bow
1 Runaway girl avoiding family obligations - she begs for mercy
2 Lost maiden separated during attack has been living here seeks help
3  Escaped slave girl well mannered and skillful, her owners want her
4 Has come here to prey for good luck, her kin will be pleased if she is treated well
5 Disguised as a boy warrior offers to join party, oddly will not wrestle shirtless
6  Actually an appealing spirit, will turn to skeleton after consummates marriage
7  Wounded or poisoned and abandoned by kin - she will be loyal to any who help her
8 Is actually a wolf spirit seeking worthy mate, will vanish after complete
9 Is a Nun here on a pilgrimage compelled by dream, grumpy but helpful
10 Is actually a curious animal spirit - is clueless of custom and polite conduct

d10 Man
1 Suicidal with despair - attacks to the death
2 Friendly at first but berserk when discovers name of heroes clan
3 Cowardly desperate bandit will fire poison arrows from hiding
4 Lost shepherd boy with naughty yak or sheep, offers milk for help
5 Shepherd with animals stopping to eat, keen to gossip with heroes
6 Shepherd boy with sheep, wants to join party and run away from duty
7 Wolf spirit in human form challenges to wrestling match
8 Bandit will offer hospitality, at night his comrades return and attack
9 Monk on pilgrimage - will offer advice or medical treatment
10 Monk is actually a spirit guarding the holy place, friendly to respectful

d10 Haunted
More active at night - possibly hiding or benign looking by day
1 Angry spirit will posses intruder and perform crazed shameful acts till exorcised
2 Spirit will appear and ask heroes for completion of task it left unfinished in life
3 Hideous old crone asks for meat and strong drink - she is a hag and will be angered if denied
4 Angry air elemental protects this stupa from harm, likes to make huge dust clouds
5 Evil wolf spirit turns from angry old man to a diseased Dire wolf
6 A tempting pony is actually a demon in disguise who enjoys heroic flesh
7 An angry spirit calls a storm and calls lightning on the party till they flee the stupa
8 Spirit appears as evil monk sorcerer and tries to kill heroes, may leave magic treasure
9 What seems like a monk is surprised performing unspeakable act - is a vampire
10 Shadows from fallen heroes arise at night to feed on living

d10 Beast
1 Lost herd animal is friendly and follows party (1 in 6 has a pack of goods)
2 Injured horse if treated will be extraordinary loyal and protective of new master
3 A pack of hungry wolves lair here and have dug into stupa, sealing it earns merit
4 An attractive wild mare drives heroes stallions lust crazy and out of control
5 Snakes crawl everywhere and a giant intelligent spell casting snake dwells inside
6 A spirit deer tries to lure heroes away, if ignored it will become human and talk
7 A giant elemental frog lurks here:  knows some wood, metal, fire, water or sand spells
8 Magnificent thirsty black horse from the herd of the underworld Khan - he will want it back
9 Vultures roosting at stupa follow heroes for 1d4 days, attract more trouble
10 Mischievous hare spirits leave out tasty food and drink, then steal shiny things when heroes rest

d10 Other
1 Local traders have gathered to deal exotic wares, visitors welcome
2 Monks and/or locals repairing stupa - will point out a ruined haunted one elsewhere
3 Locals performing ceremony - one will try to drive heroes off with harsh words
4 Wounded person on tired horse needs urgent treatment
5 Bandits dwell here and attack party on sight
6 Lost foreigner totally out of place here is starving
7 A war band meet here to sacrifice a horse for victory in battle - may invite heroes to join them
8 Red hawk flies overhead - a great omen +1 hit damage next battle from smiling war spirit
9 Locals enjoying a humble peasant feast to celebrate a marriage, heroes are welcome
10 Remains of slaughtered locals - surviving kin will be grateful if reported or avenged

I have kept this from a horse warrior oriented view and assumed there is room in your fantasy steppes to include some monastic culture.  Your game could use your favorite versions of monks or even wizards.

Every Day Life
"A man may be Buddhist, Christian or Muslim, but only Tengri knows the righteous"

roll 1d4 for which sub table to apply

(1)1d12 Animals
1 agressive dog attack
2 vermin in your pack - rats!
3 vermin on you - lice!
4 milking blocks your passage
5 quality animal born
6 a herd beast dislikes you
7 last tasty rat had the plague
8 one of your beast sick
9 bad animal omen -2 next roll
10 good animal omen +2 next roll
11 animal escapes - track to find
12 animal causes legal conflict

(2)1d12 Daily Activity
1 game of polo with live lamb or goat
2 dog fight
3 horse race
4 archery contest
5 wrestling contest
6 celebrate birth, wedding or festival
7 public mourning over sad news
8 invited to drink fermented mares’ milk
9 prisoner in wooden box begs for food
10 fire - everybody helps
11 execution
12 animal fatality = impromptu feast!

(3)1d12 Fancy Goods
1 fabulous horse for sale
2 fabulous dog for sale
3 exotic slave for sale
4 quality bow or arrows for sale
5 lovely camel or yak for sale
6 quality sabre
7 quality shield
8 quality armour
9 quality strong drink
10 finest furs for a lady
11 delicious ground rat on a stick
12 quality lance

(4)1d12 Petty Troubles
1 divorced or widow woman interested
2 you offend custom by accident
3 shaman or monk give unwanted advice
4 poor kin come to you for support
5 women fight over you
6 feud over a contest results
7 crying baby needs butter!
8 tribal leaders want you to speak
9 jealous man tries to kill you
10 bad person slanders your honour
11 hunt called for local foe
12 family want you to meet their child

These are male oriented but mongol women would be able to ride and shoot well. Wrestling contests must be shirtless since games uncovered a female in disguise who beat everyone. So a woman in disguise could be a good background or a independent widow with wealth from hubbies war booty.

Alignment is one of the great game's great issues. Many newer gamers seemingly hate it. Current editions  have a dumber system which doesn't get the roots of the games original unique rules setting. I wanted to go other way.  I will have to rewrite some prior stuff on clerics, druids and revise thoughts on paladins. Thanks to http://9and30kingdoms.blogspot.com.au/ for ideas that put nail in for a years thoughts. Also thinking more Moorcock styling - alignment leads to otherworldly power. This is what I did.

The Geometry of Alignment
 In the beginning there was one alignment. Then it divided and there were two, some say a male female, others good and evil others say law and chaos. From the primordial mythic age where everything was new things became more complex. By the dawn age there were many more alignments and things were more complex with compound alignments or dual alignments. In the first Empire age despots conquered most of the known world with one philosophy dominant but tolerating others was good for Empire and business. Putting their own god and alignment first the others became the first official pantheon. Religion and alignment philosophy had out grown the tribal and ancestral and local cults of old.

Alignment is a basic guide to behavior and interaction with others. Tick one Way from each column for your position in the cosmic struggle from the first 3 if you want a moral focus for your hero. You may choose [none] if your just happy being neutral in the struggle believing what you want and acting as you please without a cosmic purpose. Most common folk, animals, elemental, beast lords and spirits are neutral. None aligned do not detect as having alignment or mention it. Priests of the same god may have different alignments depending on their sect, but priests are usually the biggest exponents and supporters of alignment.

Alignment is good for starting fights, knowing who to kill or help and helps interact with the powers of the outer planes and the cosmic struggle. Some are happy to ignore it and are thus neutral or non-aligned to the outer powers.

Way of Order          Way of Morals
L Law                       G Good
B Balance                 M Middle
C Chaos                  E Evil
N None                     N None

When recording alignment use the shorter letter from each way or tick the choices on the list. Those with None as choice usually wouldn't mention it or might call themselves Neutral if being pigeon holed by other alignments or indicating they are not open to conversion. Thus a NG wizard might just call himself good not nuetral good, especialy if he becomes committed to alignment. LE would be lawful evil, etc.

Basic Alignments

Law L
Order and civilization is the only way in the battle against disorder and entropy
The souls of pure law return to spirit atoms of the cosmic machine a world of mathematical abstractions, planes, lines and ligt. Polygarchic modrons, the demons of law tend the engines of the universe. Spirit atoms may manifest only a second in the world as a lightning bolt or compounded in matter or a living being. Pure law is materialistic, scientific and methodological at its best. Rigid, inflexible and arbitrary at its worst. Popular with wizards, monks, dwarves and priests who meditate on advanced mathematics, systems of order and counting to infinity.

Chaos C
Absolute freedom, infinite spontaneity and pleasure to do as you will
The souls of chaos return to the bosom of chaos as mindless spawn amid a great cloud of raw creation, where aberrant shifting chaos demonic intelligences may arise from formless matter. Chaos brings strange change and transformations. Temporary chaos bands make impulsive changes for their own sake, opposing rigid traditionalists and authoritarians. Revolutions may not actually improve life now but that is too far off to worry about. Planning chaos is a heresy, leaders using iregular mobs, reproductive superiority and numbers. Pure primal chaos uninterested in good or evil or controlling intellect. Chaos is anarchistic freedom at best and entropy incarnate at its worst. Chaos bands and warlords may devolve into mindless chaos spawn.Slaan are demons of pure chaos.

Good G
Help all life and try to live in peace and be a kind steward to those in your care
The souls of good dwell in the land of light, a paradise of eternal peace, who shine their blessed light upon the mortal world caring and helping life. Goodly deva rain joy and, love on the worthy. Good help all grow and prosper but will sacrifice themselves to preserve their way of life. The worst thing that the forces of good do is intervene, missionize and preach their way which isn’t always welcome.

Evil E
Any selfish act of cruelty or harm that helps you get ahead is pleasing
The souls of evil return to primordial pits of darkness and ash where daemons feed from the starving tortured souls of evil lost in despair forever. Strong Evil merely hungers and takes, stepping on anything that they desire. Weak Evil will take its time and work in hiding; it may be distracted by acts of cruelty and base instincts or glory. Ancient cthonic evils lurk hidden and may support an evil doer with power.

Balanced B
The balance between law and chaos must be preserved
Law and Chaos are both necessary and needed for the cosmos to function; both are destructive if allowed to ascend. Souls that serve the balance are reborn again and again to help fight the balance where needed. They offer stability and continuity over uncontrolled orgiastic exuberance or hegemonic stasis. Sometimes you must act lawful or chaotic to succeed when the balance is lost.

Middle M
Minimize interference in the lives of others unless necessity dictates
The middle follow a path of living within your natural means, looking after your own and leaving other to do the same in natural harmony. Good and evil are pushy construct of the human world and madmen. The natural world and your territory must be defended from the over exploitation of
nature just for war. Spirits of the Middle are recycled as new life in the world thus all life is your kin. Acting on necessity means you will kill to eat or defend you family or land.

Common Compound Alignments
These are the more modern alignments preached in civilized lands - many have a divine language and species of otherworldy beings to serve them.

Neutral NN
You care little for great struggle and just live to make do without strife
Ambivelant to all axis of cosmic conflict, self interested. While the middle path and balance seem reasonable factions of the alignment wars they still swim in the cosmic moral struggle rather than try to ignore it. Neutrals may be sick of the struggles and no longer care, mercenaries may be driven by pay, atheists, anarchists, humanists or just less extreme. Some may consider selves neutral demonstrating only a part recants of complex alignment philosophy. Self-interest is only thing that matters in the moment, cosmic or moral struggle comes last. Without a stand in the alignments you are a heretic or potential convert, either indifferent to all or mad. Some Illuminates preach neutrality blaming eternal cosmic struggle on extreme alignments. Other alignments goad persons into action by calling them nuetral as an insult.

Lawful Good LG Angelic
Civilization, justice and virtue are the best help to all
Chaotic Good CG Arcadian
Freedom and independence help people be their best
Balanced Good BG Devonic
Law and freedom must be moderated for the best life
Lawful Evil LE Diabolic
An ordered state will enslave the weak and conquer the world 
Chaotic Evil CE Demonic
Murder, destroy and take as you please, it’s all doomed anyway
Balanced Evil BE Daemonic
Random terror or controlled force have their place in granting you power over others
Chaotic Middle CMPrimordal
Totally live for the moment dont worry about future
Balanced Middle BMSylvan
Law and chaos and good and evil must be kept in harmony
Lawful Middle LMHadean
Law will keep good and evil in harmony

Opposing Alignments
These are the oppositional structures of the alignments
You can indicate a opposed alignment with a X.

Law and Chaos are both opposed to each other
Balance vs Law and Chaos but Law and Chaos dont care about Balance
powers are based on systems of managing energy

Good and Evil are both opposed to each other
Middle vs Law and Chaos but Law and Chaos dont care about Middle
powers are related to forces of life and death

Alignment champions 
With a sacrifice of 5% of your XP you may become an aligned person gaining powers from your devotion and gaining clearer insight into who to kill. As you progress in levels you gain aditional abilitied based on your level. Aided by the outer powers eventually you become a champion, able to call beings to your aid and serving the outer powers. At 20th leval you may serve and know your power personally - usualy a demon, god or outer planar being. This is compatible with many religions. A paladin is a Warrior knight Champion of Law and Good. Priests are the principle exponents of alignment and some gods allow several alignment choices. Many sorcerers already serve such powers. Wizards may join to gain powers more like a priest. Rogues tend towards no alignment the most or pick one giving them freedom like chaos but may belong to any.
1st Lv: +1 to hit vs opposed alignment
2nd Lv: +1 damage vs opposed alignment
3rd Lv: Alignment spoken language or other new language
4th Lv: Alignment written language or other new language
5th Lv: +1 AC vs opposed alignment, sense own alignment
6th Lv: Sense opposed alignment, Y/N answer Augry once per day
7th Lv: Follower gained
8th Lv Sense any alignment, commune once per week
9th Lv: +1d4 followers, +1 every level from now on
10th Lv: +2 hit, damage and AC vs opposed alignment
12th Lv: Summon lesser servitor 8 HD (less HD if many powers, intelligent)
14th Lv: Summon medeum servitor 12 HD (less HD if many powers, intelligent)
16th Lv: Summon medeum servitor 16 HD (less HD if many powers, intelligent)
18th Lv: Extra attack vs opposed alignment, Planar shift to powers plane
20th Lv: Apotheosis - you are a principle champion of your plane and speak directly with the powers. Ascend to serve power on death.
 
Other Powersfor champions

Good
Lay hands can heal 2hp/Lv, +1 one use every 5 Lv
at 10th level can remove disease once per week

Middle
+1 Speed, +1 more every 5 Lv
at 10th level can self teleport once per week

Evil
Death touch can harm 2hp/Lv, +1 one use every 5 Lv
at 10th level can curse once per week

Law
+1 hit, +1 more every 5 Lv
at 10th level receive an artifact 

Balance
+1 HP per Lv 
at 10th can summon a follower from any distanceonce per week

Chaos
+1 AC, +1 AC more every 5 Lv
at 10th level receive 1d4 chaos mutations

For example a champion allied to Law and Middle ways gets bonuses vs Chaos, Good and Evil with only Chaos getting bonuses to harm back. Nuetral or non aligned dont have any benefits but dont detect on one or both alignment groups.

Born again to fight again!
When you die you will serve them in their legions or 
They may not accept your death and send you back.Roll under level as a % powers restore you to life if killed fighting opposition.
After 10th calculate as level x5%.
Expect less free will each time this happens.

1d12 powers Gaze on Champions
1 - Insist on marriage partner or mate or celibacy
2 - Accompanied by meddling bonus follower acting for powers
3 - Quested to dangerous mission or war
4 - Return you transformed (undead, other species, new body, gender)
5 - Gift you with artifact (eg Intelligent weapon controls you to fight opposition)
6 - Make you leader of a community and share their struggle
7 - Make you incapable of enjoying vice or pleasure or love to aid your focus
8 - Covert possession by a spirit familiar reporting to power
9 - Get you to release powers allies into the world forever
10- Raise a horde or army and go on crusade
11 - Gift you a relic or holy place you must defend
12 - Sent on pilgrimage to far off place or to convert others to your way

Consequences
A paladin is now just a zealous warrior. A priest has expanded options.  Now have wizards of Law and chaotic thieves getting in on the philosophy and hatred. Lawful Evil monks get death touch. Will revise my other stuff. Aligned items will be more common. Get ready for the bloodshed.

An agent of alignment has a link to an otherworldly patron. At lower levels a minor spirit keeps tabs on you. As more serious rank being attend hero eventually they make a personal connection to their patron outer power.  The power could be a go, demon lord, spirit of law, a duke of hell, a beast lord, an elemental or some other outer plane entity. It is possible to change patron and alignment but the old power will be your enemy if handled poorly.

Your Level of champion power usually equals your class level but if you adopt status later in your career your level usually starts from the level you joined. Impressing the powers might make them raise your alignment level to your class level. Eg: A 6th level warrior becomes a LG paladin with 1st lv for his alignment bonuses. At 8th lv he has 3rd level as a LG champion. If he smites the son of the Gnoll god who is turning the land to blood and bone and ash in the name of LG, the powers might grant him champion level of 8th equal to his class level and progressing the same from then on.

Leaving champion status often makes you a heretic and hunted. Either to be re converted and punished or killed. Defying powers gets them personally involved in your affairs and a possible enemy. Related gods begrudgingly might make a deal and trade you. Other powers might manipulate unwilling champions or quest for them, making an effort to intervene in the heroes fate and turn them back to the path. An enemy or other power may accept your allegiance and/or alignment change. Conversion requires a Wisdom check, two if two parts of a compound alignment. Can try again next level. It is a major change and represents a personality change that requires tests for all followers to keep them.

PriestsChanges
 It is possible to be a non aligned priest. Different sects of same god may vary in alignment. They may deal with differentaspects with different cults. Ill go back and amend character classes. In case of priorities between two paths pick one as prority. Default priest is still most common.

GoodUse blunt weapons, positive spell use
turn undead or possibly destroy them
turn outer plane beings of opposed alignments
 
MiddleUse blunt weapons, positive or negative spell use
turn undead or possibly destroy or enslave them
turn outer plane beings of opposed alignments
 
Evil Use blunt weapons, negative spell use
hold undead or possibly enslave them
turn outer plane beings of opposed alignments

Law Use edged weapons, positive spell use
hold elementals or possibly enslave them
turn outer plane beings of opposed alignments
 
BalanceUse blunt weapons, positive or negative spell use 
turn elementals or possibly destroy or enslave them
turn outer plane beings of opposed alignments
 
Chaos Use edged weapons, negative spell use
turn elementals or possibly destroy them
turn outer plane beings of opposed alignments


How to spot evil

My current long stair game (see my blog) and proposed imperial dungeon engineer corp have military build rails into dungeons and put forward bases and armed camps in dungeons - so mega dungeon feels more like a wilderness game - escorts guard party till they get to new zone and can be met again (hopefully) to carry loot back for the party. A dungeon pigeon service or equivalent would be handy.

during first session players start zero then pick class by end of session - sorcerors work better than wizards because spells just pop into their heads from dreams not study. An academic studying xeno methodology texts could go wizard. The people running the gate know this and explorers are as much guinea pigs as anything. One character played an Islamic Imam who was  a cleric by end of session. A trap specialist became a theif who has dealings with base black market, while another has become an MP and wanted to be a paladin. Drone operator turning sorcerer worked well too. Finding a wand with read magic and a spell book at zero lv might help too.

One result of this has been running dungeon more like wilderness with sections more detailed like dungeons. I have railway lines and escorts move explorers to front line and new territory. Also forward bases can collect prisoners, loot etc. If we did another session (i was gaming with old crew in home state over hols) i would have 5000 orcs attack the gate.

http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/impirial-dungeoneon-engineer-corps.html

This is something i did before i came across long stairs which was heading in a similar direction in some ways. Im also reminded that prisoners since ancient times forced into mines so being locked in megadungeon with food given for loot seems plausible too. 3rd world diamond mines obviously search everyone and treat as a prison. May work for future game on my Exile island game.

I have considered a Gygaxian cavern, glacier, hell, stone barrows - prehistoric ruins of cave wizards and a boiler room settings. Some kind of aquatic level (a semi sunken city under pirate caves? Also treasure tables for each level so you can get gist of the style of each world more. Also considered with all these long stair games being fairly random sandbox would let me invest in role playing my npc's a bit more or even solo play.Will take requests but should be getting back to my gamma stuff.

Forbidden City Zone
A decayed jungle  filled ruin in a canyon, sprawling with pre human civilization. Savage beings dwell amid collapsed and ramshackled temples and streets. Things from the decadent past occasionally are spat from the past to menace explorers. Sealed vaults and elder portals sometimes release ancient inhabitants or trap visitors. Sewers and tunnels beneath the city lead to hidden crypts sealed with black secrets from the pre-human age. While outside the city the jungle has more monster filled swamps and ruined ancient buildings. Savage frog men, reptilians, tropical goblinoids and hideous mutants and mongrelmen call the city home. More magical monsters and dangerous beasts dwell below and hidden in well, caves and deep volcanic lakes. Reptilians are very comon but the ancient races included bat people, giant spider mages, serpent men, fish men, rat men, undead, draconians, doppelgangers which may still be found. Many parts of the city are sunken into caverns or been buried intact but some are open streets with sky and canyon walls surrounding the city. Exiting the city into the jungle seems difficult and dangerous. Anything above a certain height attracts flying monsters.

Forbidden City Zones Hazard 1-3 d20
1 Deadfall
2 Sinkhole to lower level
3 Mudslide
4 Wall collapse
6 Quicksand
7 Shadow of gigantic flying beast scatters local life
8 Spider web
9 Steak trap with diseased spikes
10 Pit, possibly ant-lion lair
11 Snare vine trap for one person
12 Net trap for small group
13 Quake shakes earth, shakes stones from above
14 Miasma of plague hanging over area
15 Flies swarm over party, any already wounded get diseased or maggots
16 Poison dart trap
17 Mudslide into depths or monster lair
18 Food spoiled by grubs, molds and slimes
19 Tribal totem curses any who pass it
20 Body of dark water or bog teeming with life

Forbidden City Mysteries 1-3 d20
1 Ancient scrolls or tablets from elder races
2 Strange idol of forgotten race
3 Cultist stash with mask, dagger and robe
4 Mummified corpse of ancient race
5 Tribal totem with shrunken adventurer head necklace
6 Slave escaped, actually from elder age and really lost
7 For a moment see a glimpse of city as it was in ancient times
8 Broken cart with scraps of merchant goods
9 Exotic escaped slave speaks unknown language
10 Desperate lost mad explorer with map
11 Scratch built ruined home of surface folk from only a few years ago
12 Disguised shape shifter pretending to be escaped slave
13 Goblin maid presents you with a human baby
14 Wall collapses revealing room untouched for thousands of years
15 Gurgling pool has shiny gold relics glinting on bottom
16 Mysterious seam on rock wall
17 Adventurer in trap almost dead
18 Freshly exposed tomb of ancients
19 Wall carvings or painting display ancients worshiping awful gods
20 Gateway to ancient past or other worlds opens at certain times

Forbidden City Encounter lv 1-3 d100
1 Ogres playing fatal violent contests with prisoners
2 Kobolds start fire in area, smoke chokes any nearby
3 Goblins playing dice with shrunken heads
4 Orcs with captured slaves of any sentient species
5 Goblin scouts on giant Flies, wasps or dragonflies
6 Goblin hunters riding giant crickets
7 Goblin head hunters with blowpipes and bows
8 Goblin shaman with body guard destroys food supplies with spells
9 Goblin champion with band of heroes seek to kidnap humans
10 Mongrel man leaps from trash heap to ambush
11 Horde of mongrel men lumber towards party
12 Mongrel men watch tribal leader battle
13 Orcs whipping mongrel men slaves digging
14 Orcs roasting a mongrel man on a spit
15 Were snake sorcerer with charmed followers
16 Were ape seeks a mate tries to join party to get close
17 Were crocodile guards a water feature
18 Were Hyena and gnoll followers follows party for days till weak
19 Were lion/panther/tiger rules local area with mongrel men slaves
20 Rust monsters looking fro scraps
21 Carrion crawlers with paralyzed victims
22 Giant ticks in dust heap
23 Orc adventurers exploring for loot or secrets for master
24 Lizard Men war band looking for things to fight - obsidian blades
25 Serpent man sorcerer with lizard men guards wants party knowledge
26 Serpent man in disguise tries to join party and aid them, has a laser
27 Young mage spiders ambush party with spells, at least one web spell
28 Bat man wizard covers area in darkness and gets his wingless inbred kin to attack
29 Bat men stalk party then attack at night
30 Frogman warrior challenges single combat
31 Frogmen band croak for more allies behind party
32 Frogman shaman offers healing for killing tribal enemies
33 Frogmen playing ball with severed head in a pond
34 Frogman riding giant warnewt guarding tadpoles
35 Frogwomen collecting spawn in reed baskets
36 Mutant frogmen exiles attack anything
37 Dragon flies overhead
38 Mongrel men worshiping heap of mud
39 Mongrel men with captured slave
40 Dumb pretty slave really mongrel man outcast, children normal mongrel men
41 Mongrel men Olympics pitiful displays of subnormal feats
42 Mongrel men about to butcher one of their own, all attack party
43 Mongrel men serving a serpent man, very disciplined and well trained, armoured
44 Serpent folk hybrid humans seek mating opportunities from party, then try eat them
45 Serpent folk hybrid human soldiers searching for slaves and sacrifices
46 Serpent folk hybrid human cultists seek to convert party and stay with them
47 Mongrel man shaman needs zombies, offers to buy party members
48 Dinosaur controls large area, hatched here from egg
49 Charmed servants of evil magic snake folk search ruins for sacrifices
50 Fish man war band hunting for sacrifices or food
51 Fish man shaman tries polluting party water with spells
52 Pack of wolf sized devil frogs hunting
53 Giant snapping turtle controls a pond
54 Giant toad tries to eat party
55 Anaconda or reticulated python constrictor snake
56 Piranha fill water body
57 Giant lizard (many species) always hungry
58 Human tribal savages exploring - suspicious of others
59 Savage dwarf headhunters with poison blowpipes, bows and darts
60 Green Elf savages looking to see if ancient evils afoot
61 Dark Elf merchants here to trade, was shops here a few thousand years ago
62 Shape shifted dragon tries to talk and aid with wisdom for new spells
63 Zombie citizens broke free from mudslide after 3000 years
64 Living mud heap oozes after party from bog
65 Bog mummy crawls from earth wants meat and fancy clothes
66 Shoggoth in drain oozes by, glares with hundreds of eyes
67 A great old one flown in from the stars, "you! native where is the embassy gone?"
68 Yith possessed wizards seeking ancient records
69 Yithian time space traveller with lightning wand and wand of digging at work
70 Zombie cultists chanting gods name as they attack
71 Frogmen and lizard men fighting over dinosaur corpse
72 Firenewts in imperial regalia searching ruins for ancient enemies
73 Firenewts on riding birds looking for easy prey wit javelins and fire
74 Kobolds swarm from the bushes, low morale skirmishers
75 Kobold shaman seeking proof this city was kobold owned
76 Kobold war band with archers, spearmen and swordsmen in ranks
77 Hobgoblin hunters with goblin followers
78 Hobgoblin tribals with obsidian bladed clubs
79 Bugbear mercenary seeks work for gold
80 Bugbear hero wants party help in tribal coup
81 Bugbear thugs think party look easy prey for food and slaves
82 Bugbear gang ask for modest toll fee
83 Bugbear lone hunter stalks party and surrounds camp with traps
84 Goblin gangs battling over an escaped slave
85 Fish men serving aboleth look for captives
86 Charmed humans serving aboleth looking for magic items and metal
87 Lizard men with rust monster on chain looking for bog iron and lost loot
88 Green elves cooking a carrion crawler bbq, happy to share
89 Mask wearing savage gnomes with slingshots and hatchets
90 Multiple normally hostile species having a swap meet
91 Cave worm pack - wolf size carnivorous grubs attack from ground
92 Shrieking cave fungi alarm goes off
93 Myconoids seek to trade potions for killing enemies
94 kenku monks here on pilgrimage to kill evil
95 Skeletons in ancient militia armour looking for outsiders to slay and flay
96 Sons of kyuss walk the streets from an ancient crypt or tower
97 Mage spider seeks to trade spells he can sell back in the ancient past
98 Kobold mage has fused 5 mongrel men into a flesh mech for him to pilot
99 Wizards and guards from exotic lands here to find elder secrets
100 Warrior on quest to find ancient gateway to past for quest







I did a few geomorphs too and will try to make a few every future long stair post.

My whinge about whinging
My mother who once complained people dont write or write letters anymore tells me online relationships are not like real interactions with people. The net is clearly the biggest help to writing and has replaced letters quite effective. Consider many cities ran 4 deliveries a day a hundred years ago and had mail by street urchin if needed and we have just got back to letter writing again plus more deliveries per day and international distances.

One thing that proves the net is like the real world is you can have meaningful fights that hurt. I managed to have thee fights last sunday - one with a friend who was unhappy i didn't comment on one item on a list of his activities as i was meant too (i avoided the bait). He deleated the whole thread. Another accused me of being arrogant because i didnt want to explain logic and debate terms on a FB page. They baited me by saying i was belittling every one of his readers intelligence . So I wrote a one paragraph explanation that took 2 hours to write. To which he replied why didn't you say that in the first place. I had a fight with a design nazi over the use of a font. I tried to address general design flaws i dislike while he went on to list why the font was evil and they wouldn't read the best book in the world if it was in that font.

Gaming has been a good outlet for friends most of my life. Being a artist for a living and involved in highly competitive graffiti for a living, gamers are by contrast mostly imaginative, collaborative and friendly. Two noteworthy exceptions to this are rules and realism. Every now and then I meet someone who thinks the game is defined by a very limited set of parameters often from specific published products. I can just state i disagree but the group dynamic and style of play rate above rules anyway to me. People can accept ideas like alternative universe versions of games and stories nowadays more easily, but it was once only weird sf and comics that accepted it. Ask what is the authentic version of Batman or DnD nowadays and you'll get a different answer. Its cool to discuss your adeas as a preferance but perhaps not come off as inflexible.

Then there are realism crowd. Obsessed with simulation of some kind of realism and contemptuous of those that do not. Historical wargamers I would expect this from because they can use history and referencing. But DnD is a straight up fantasy. You can have different realism styles - gritty, mythic, 80s swords and sorcery films, or some literary model. Just like there is not one kind of realism in books and mythology there is no single right answer for everybody. The realism to me is just part of the setting and the story. Moorcock taking from the Gothic romance, has the world reflects the heroes emotional state. We play with many style worlds where realism, physics, economics  may vary and that's fine.  But to abuse people over realism in game economics and morality when your game still has spells, hobbits, dragons seems very silly.

I dont consider gaming a hobby where i ever have to get angry or abusive or swear at someone to cause offense. I feel sorry for people that do feel a hobby is so important they can act like spoiled children having a tantrum. When you start being personal and making assumptions about someone from no information for your abuse, any claim of being more logical or reasonable go out the window. The way we all win is to have fun.

Anyway, on with the fun then Id better write some invoices and clean stuff.

Loot by Dungeon Zone
Below are some item tables which are just meant to suggest the style of item found in each zone to help you create your own. Consider that the dundeonworld often places items as bait, and things may appear just out of sight responding to character subconscious desires. Or not. Some items tempt the finder to take home for their own nefarious purpose.

Gothic Zone 1d20 - the haunted cathedral crypt
1 - Miniature painting depicting religious persona in gilt frame
2 - Skull with metal plating and a magical inscription
3 - Ornamental prayer book with illuminated pages and semiprecious stones
4 - Holy symbol with gold and semiprecious stones
5 - Locket with tiny portrait made from gold or silver
6 - Tiny statuette made from gold or semiprecious stone like jade
7 - Doctors bag with 1d6 silver daggers, wolfsbane, wooden steaks, garlic
8 - Holy water in exotic canteen - durable steel, or ornate silver
9 - Gilded staff or rod from some ancient church office holder
10 - Bejeweled and gold Hat from some ancient church office holder
11 - +1 weapon of fine quality, engraved and rust free and sharp
12 - +1 Shield or piece of armour
13 - Cursed weapon of fine quality, engraved and rust free and sharp
14 - Cursed clothes or armour
15 - +2 item but intelligent, spirit of ancient dead or minor holy
16 - Magical horn - calls food, skeletons, allies, dead or wine
17 - Doctors bag with 1d6 different potions, one always bad
18 - Magical lantern - permanent light spell on cylinder with a sliding hood
19 - Scroll of protection from undead or a spell
20 - Everfull begging bowl - fills with d100 copper pieces per day

Redbrick Zone 1d20 - the dungeon that Ikea built
1 - Jeweled tiny music box with poison needle
2 - Parchment with trap blueprints written in kobold
3 - Box with beautifully packed trap parts and vial of poison (Ikea traps dept)
4 -  Set of high quality bold tools
5 - Collection of fake jewelery and gold that looks appealing
6 - 1d6 Vials of acid or oil or poison in leather sack
7 - Ornate beerstien and 20 bottles of beer
8 - A delicious meal of roast, sausage, mash and gravy, steaming and smelling delish
9 - A crowbar or jimmybar or brick carrier with bricks or battering ram
10 - Devil Gem - all who see it and fail charm save see as hearts desire
11 - +1 weapon of fine quality, engraved and rust free and sharp
12 - +1 Shield or piece of armour
13 - Cursed weapon of fine quality, engraved and rust free and sharp
14 - Cursed miscellaneous item like tools, personal grooming items, instruments
15 -  Mortar pot of plenty - old iron pot produces 20 lbs of mortar a day
16 -  Magic Brick - produces up to 1d100 bricks per day when slapped
17 - Leather sack 1d6 different potions, half always bad
18 -  Kobold amulet - daily summons 4 kobolds to work for 4 hours, come with basic tools
19 - Scroll of detect traps and secret doors or spell
20 - Portable hole - one use

Goblin Mine 1d20 - humanoids and holes
1 - Carbide spelunker lamp
2 - Map of local area with cache or seam marked
3 - 1d6 x 3 sticks of sweaty old dynamite
4 -  Mining cart full of rope, tools, spikes and other supplies
5 - Mining cart full of rich ore needs refining
6 - 1d6 Vials of acid or oil or poison in leather sack
7 - Barrel of beer or water or mild acid
8 - A sack of dried old miners biscuits, mystery jerky and cheese
9 - A sack of uncut gems
10 - Devil Gem - all who see it and fail charm save see as hearts desire
11 - +1 weapon of fine quality, engraved and rust free and sharp
12 - +1 Shield or piece of armour
13 - Red gold - all who see resist charm or desire it and crave more
14 - Cursed miscellaneous item like tools, containers, clothes
15 -  Goblin fetish - +1 on a type of saving thr
16 -  Burning kobold metal in jar of oil to keep it safe
17 - Leather sack 1d6 different potions, half always bad
18 -  Sack of raw adamant, mithril, meteorite, ornichalum, or other
19 - Scroll of detect gems and minerals or spells
20 - Portable Sack - fits 100lb inside weighs only 10% real mass 

Amber Manour 1d20 - mad magic mansion
1 - Small masterpiece painting
2 - Candelabra made of gold
3 - Fine crystal and classwork of incredible quality
4 -  Wooden Furniture of great craftsmanship with artistic inlays and secret compartment
5 - Ornate quill writing set in case with vellum and ink, silver inlays
6 - 1d6 Vials poison in silver and glass ornate vials in box
7 - Case of fine wine or brandy or exotic spirits
8 - Gold case with drugs and drug paraphernalia, syringe or pipe or snuff etc
9 - Small but valuable jewelery item dropped by someone
10 - Painting with portal to pocket dimension within
11 - +1 weapon of fine quality, engraved and rust free and sharp
12 - +2 weapon or item with intelligence, serve amber family if possible
13 - Magic miscellaneous item like clothes, jewelry, art, armour
14 - Cursed miscellaneous item like clothes, jewelry, art, armour
15 -  Magical book with summoning or golem making powers
16 -  Magical feast, cannot rot or be poisoned, valuable silver dinner set
17 - Silver case 1d6 different potions, one is poison
18 - Intelligent, possibly animated item, was a family member
19 - Scroll of detect secret doors and passages or spells
20 - Painting is a permanent gateway to entire plane

Fortress 1d20 - ruins of elder giants
1 - Huge coin 100 times larger2 - Huge silver dinner utensil or jewelry or button
3 - Giant book or scroll of impractical size
4 -  Wagonload of food with broken wheel
5 - Barrel size of a house with beer inside
6 - 1d6 huge cheese wheels in a garden shed sized sack
7 - Gigantic used handkerchief made from fine embroidered silk
8 - Huge bag with pipe, giantweed, matches
9 - Giant brandy bottle with floating preserved exotic corpse
10 - Giant sized magic item - mostly useless for human sized
11 - +1 weapon of fine quality, engraved and rust free and sharp
12 - +1 weapon of giant size hand weapon but can be used as 2-h weapon by human
13 - Magic miscellaneous item like tools, instruments, grooming aids or jewelery
14 - Cursed miscellaneous item like tools, instruments, grooming aids or jewelery
15 -  Magical book with spells and lore but huge - 100lb
16 -  Bag of hydra 2d10 teeth - each turns to skeleton if planted
17 - Giant potion vial with 1d6 doses left
18 - Magic intelligent farmyard animal
19 - Scroll of detect secret doors and passages or spells
20 - Magic seed or tiny potted fruit tree

Alcheringa Zone 1d20 - ancient haunted land
1 - Huge quartz crystal
2 - Collection of artist ochres 1d6 colours
3 - Gigantic size flint weapon
4 - Beehive dripping with honey
5 - Collection of tribal clubs, spears, darts, shields
6 - Collection of fish and eel traps and nets
7 - Fine possum skin cloaks
8 - Bag with healing and stimulant herbs, pipe
9 - Huge glob of resin to attach flints to wooden hafts and other uses
10 - Death Spear +1 vs chaos or evil or oath breakers or tribal traitors
11 - +1 weapon of fine quality, stone and wooden mostly clubs and spears
12 - +2 weapon of fine quality, stone and wooden mostly clubs and spears
 13 - Magic miscellaneous item like tools, vessel or a cloak
14 - Cursed miscellaneous item like tools, vessel or a cloak
15 -  Magical relic houses ancient spirits who may aid worthy
16 - Talisman or cloak or body paint transforms to animal one form
17 - Body paint with potion like effects 1d6 doses
18 - Magic intelligent animal
19 - Bark picture scroll with spell or protection from spirits
20 - Magic seed or tiny potted fruit tree

Cyclopean 1d20 - lost world of sorcery & science
1 - Crumbling ancient alien text
2 - Pendant device not working but intersting
3 - Giant book or scroll of impractical size
4 -  Crumbling robot or android body
5 - Food replicating machine 1d100 charges, reads your mind
6 - Vial of ancient magical drug - mind travels through time or to dreamlands
7 - Strange apparatus of crystal prisms and rods
8 - Crystaline stasis box with sleeping being inside, various sizes
9 - Exotic out of place item left by time or space or surface traveller
10 - Idol with trapped elder horror bound inside whispers to anyone holding it
11 - +1 weapon of fine quality, engraved and rust free and sharp
12 - +1 weapon with alien hand grip unsuited for human use
13 - High tech miscellaneous item (see gamma world etc)
14 - High tech miscellaneous item (see gamma world etc) but bad outcome
15 - Mutagen formula - black ooze in jar mutates subject, 1d4 doses
16 - Elix - drinker swaps minds with yithian from millions of years ago
17 - Crazy brain in metal jar with speaker and on switch
18 - Dream crystal - user projects thoughts into pictures
19 - Trapezoid crystal with captive evil god or monster
20 - Genetic material to restore long extinct species in crystal vial

Lost Temple 1d20 - ancient desert temple and tomb
1 - Gold holy symbol with semiprecious stones
2 - Silver idol with semiprecious stones
3 - Scroll or tablet with interesting documents
4 - Scenic engraved chest with royal every day items (clothes, toiletries)
5 - Fine painted sealed jars of finest beverage of intoxicating drink
6 - Fine painted sealed jars or oil or grain or flour
7 - Bejeweled funeral jar
8 - Semiprecious stone jar with yummy narcotics, 1d6 doses
9 - Semiprecious stone jar with yummy poison, 1d6 doses
10 - Bejeweled Instrument +2 Skill
11 - +1 weapon of fine quality, engraved and rust free and sharp
12 - +1 weapon attuned to an alignment race or bloodline
13 - Magic miscellaneous item like instruments, clothes, grooming aids or jewelery
14 - Cursed miscellaneous item like instruments, clothes, grooming aids or jewelery
15 -  Magical books with spells and lore but fragile scrolls or heavy clay tablets
16 - Animal headed jar summons a loyal beastman follower (various species)
17 - Potion set in 7 jars depicting gods, 1d6 left different
18 - Magic intelligent hybrid animal idol comes to life when called as follower
19 - Jar with bound Djinn or efreet, offer wish to those who free him
20 - Magical Necromancers relics - embalming tools, sickle, crown or rod 

Forbidden City 1d20 - sunken jungle city ruins
1 - Corroded mass of mixed ancient coins
2 - Ancient metal dishes, bowls, urns with decadent scenes embossed
3 - Rotting pile of ancient scrolls or crumbling tablets
4 - Wagonload or pack beast load of merchant goods with broken wheel
5 - Barrel of grog or bail of drugs dropped of back of a wagon
6 - Leather bag with poorly preserved but edible food
7 - Savage tribal mask with ivory and semiprecious stones
8 - Goblin Fetish grants one +1 on a saving throw
9 - Ancient drug of decadant elder races, mindswap with being in the past
10 - Inhuman magical implement not usable by humanoids
11 - +1 weapon of fine quality, engraved and rust free and sharp
12 - +1 weapon of giant size hand weapon but unusable by human
13 - Magic miscellaneous item like tools, jewelery or idols
14 - Cursed miscellaneous item like tools,  jewelery or idols
15 -  Magical book with spells and blasphemous forbidden by law knowledge
16 -  Shamanic potions in clay urns 1d6 different items
17 - Frog Idol can turn to giant frog servant once
18 - Inteligent frog, newt, spider, lizard, bird or other valuable pet
19 - Scroll of detect evil or spells
20 - Magical gateway to past, usually hard to move

Forward base is deeper in the Dungeon and thus more contaminated by its strange influence. It is the front line where scout teams explore ahead of scientists, mining experts, and regular troops. Strange stories have evolved over the decades about items on base being lucky. Then there are the stores of magic tech to be issued on assignment. Items seized from the dungeon in quantities they let the poor grunts have the leftovers. A party leader may be issued one Amber priority item for a green assignment outside controlled zone. Then there is contraband black market operate through many national gate programs, with lnks to Russian, Romanian and possibly dungeon sources. A black market operator my find goods of value which could land them life in prison or worse. Hiding or even dumping this stuff can be a problem. This stuff is often found in dead gangsters possessions.

From the Barracks 1d30
1 - Helm of the Iron Sarge, dented vintage Korean war era helmet +2AC and Saves
2 - Homer's medpack, a first aid kit that heals 1d6 with a first aid +4 to stabilize a wound
3 - Link's Pistol, A +1 .45 pistol that every second shot costs no ammo (14 shots from 7 shot mag)
4 - Cross of the Good Chaplain, +2 Lv on turning effects, +1HP on any skill or magic healing
5 - Bayonet of Longinus, +2 Bayonet does 2d4 dam base on rifle
6 - Flack Jacket of Peril, battered Nam era vest never wears even if looks shit +3AC
7 - Grenadiers Satchel, find an extra grenade inside every day in hostile territory (possibly vintage)
8 - Saints Canteen, once a day water inside becomes holy water if surrounded by presence of evil
9 - The Fire Axe, a vintage +2 breaching tool from 60s, +4 vs doors and wood monsters
10 - Batterz Boomer, a +2 Nam era 5 shot pump shotgun
11 - Golden Duster, a +2 set of knuckle dusters been passed around since 70s
12 - Gurkas Blade, +2 Machete that provides +4 sneak and hide, traditional Nepalese
13 - Kris Blade, meteoric iron +2 knife, heals one hp of wielder damage per wound caused
14 - Lucky Hares Foot +2 saving throws
15 - Holy Flamer, rusty old blessed flamer can harm magical beings
16 - Dewey the Drone - A veteran drone with semi antonymous behavior, assault rifle
17 - Breakers SLR - Heavier old style Australian Army assault rifle +1
18 - Choppers Charmer - battered old M-60 one in 3 bullets are magical
19 - Russian Roller - Vintage soviet revolver, silver, engraved +2 (also as a club)
20 - Devil's Webley - +2 revolver +1 shot/round, save or berserk if bullet draws blood
21 - Boombox of courage - whoever plays this gets +2 Morale & resist feat in 10m radius
22 - Ol guitar - battered old guitar +1 bard Lv powers, +2 player compose music
23 - Ol boots - battered dated pair of boots makes kick damage hit magic
24 - Ol Bills bandoliers, early 20th C hunters ammo belt, exra bullet per 4 carries several hundred
25 - The Dungeon Billy - colonial camp pot, self heating, turns water to tea
26 - The magic pudding - a regenerating delicious sentient pudding that complains as you eat him
27 - Storm shield - +2 medium (+2 base) see through bullet resistant shield with gun port
28 - Storm armour - +2 (+7 base) bullet resistant polymer, full combat hardened
29 - Lucky Lantern - modern electric lamp sears dead in 30M 30degree cone 1hp per round
30 - Battering ram shatters any wood under 1 foot thick once per charge 2d10+10 charges

probably add 20 or so more

Contraband 1d100
1 - Poison gas grenades 1d4
2 - Poison Ammo 1 clip
3 - Dark elf nectar
4 - Hobbit Weed
5 - Non authorized 20 shot automatic combat shotgun
6 - Non authorized homemade incendiaries
7 - Non authorized homemade explosive device
8 - Proximity mines (security risk if dismantled by dungeon dwellers)
9 - Youth potion (one years worth)
10 - Raise dead scroll
11 - Non authorized SMG
12 - Bandolier of 2d4+4 grenades various types
13 - Blade venom - one potion
14 - Ingested poison 2d4 potions
15 - 3+1d6 cartons of cigarettes or case of cigars or other drugs of choice
16 - Wrist knife launcher - 3 shots
17 - Caviar, vodka, whiskey, confectioneries and treasure of foodstuffs
18 - Personal message smuggled from a surface loved one
19 - Forged pass for day leave signed by general
20 - Forged request for higher risk code equipment
21 - Bribed for promotion opportunity
22 - Girdle of gender change
23 - +2 Beserker blade
24 - Intelligent weapon (pricey and dangerous to handle)
25 - Slavers manacle (charms wearer into passivity similar to charm spell)
26 - Bootleg media archive
27 - Hat of alignment
28 - Reanimation potion - injected in fresh dead heart save live or become angry zombie
29 - Scroll of trap detection
30 - Scroll of secret door and passage detection
31 - Scroll of light
32- Scroll of darkness
33 - Golem Manual
34 - Lich Manual
35 - Weapon grade radio actives in canister
36 - Map to dungeon cache of Russian suitcase nuke
37 - Horn of greed - playing this amplifies peoples greed
38 - Crooked dice and cards
39 - Partial deck of sealed untested magic cards
40 - 1d6 x 100 000 dollars in cash, jewels and bonds
41 - Contract to employ underground caravan to escape to Russian Gate
42 - Contract to employ Russian mercenaries for extraction
43 - Contract to employ Rumanian torturer
44 - Vial of vampire blood or dungeon DNA in cryotube
45 - WW1, WW2 or Cold war spy documents in satchel
46 - Documents incriminating current politicians and dungeon xenotech
47 - Meth lab in a crate
48 - Suitcase of street drugs 1 million value
49 - Military grade pharmaceuticals - morphine,
50 - Dungeon newt, can charge per lick for magic dreamy acid trip
51 - Blessed clip of ammo, harm dead and unholy beings
52 - +1 clip of ammo
53 - +1 dagger
54 - +1 shortbow and quiver of arrows
55 - Dragonsbreath ammo - 6 shots, turns cone shot to fire damage, destroys unmodified shotgun
56 - Poison ammo - 1 clip
57 - Sliver Ammo 1d6 clips
58 - Silver knuckle duster
59 - Mithril Dagger +3
60 - Adamantium Sickle +5
61 - Dagger of venom
62 - Portable holes 1 use each, 1d6
63 - Sack of holding 100lb goods weigh 10%64 - Summon demon sigil (one shot release binding - not really summoned or controlled)
65 - Magic Dungeon mushrooms - create mutation if eaten 1d4 doses
66 - Contract to employ orc mercenaries
67 - Contract for goblin slaves
68 - Contracts for goblin scout archers
69 - Contract for Rumanian hit man
70 - Contract for goods from traders equaling 4 bushels or loads
71 - Contract for Dark elf assassin
71 - Contract for slaves held at market - various races
72 - Map of lower level and location of well to get there
73 - Dagger that turns to sword if stud pressed
74 - Rod turns into a staff or spear by pressing studs
75 - Composite bow folds to school ruler size
76 - 2d10 +1 darts
77 - 1d10 +2 darts
78 - Dagger +1 can cast light spell once per day
79 - +1 Bayonet
80 - Remote nerve gas cylinder
81 - Drum of acid - good for getting rid of stuff
82 - Tranquilizer pistol - 1 shot per reload, 20 narc darts83 - Machine pistol with stock, silencer and barrel extension kit
84 - DUSLAP ammo - depleted uranium discarding sabot 12 gauge slugs 2d10+10
85 - Japanese sword set - everyone thinks they are cool as 1 in 3 real
86 - Shuriken 1d3 sets of 10
87 - Martial arts weapons88 - Garrote wrist watch
89 - Home made pianowire rounds for 12 gauge slugs 1d10+10
90 - HEX 2d6+6 high explosive custom 12 gauge slugs 2d6 blast 3 metre diameter circle
91 - Built in silenced compact SMG
92 - Wand of wondrous things - makes random surreal crap mostly
93 - Magic gateway in painting, cupboards, stone arch dissembled in crate, 6 ft mirror or other94 - Inteligent Item like mirror, bronzed wizard skull,

From the Armoury Priority Amber 1d20
1 - open Door Wand
2 - Detect Magic Wand
3 - +1 Shortsword
4 - +1 dagger
5 - +1 club or walking stick or truncheon
6 - +1 Longsword, axe or mace
7 - Night vision ring
8 - Magic lamp with shutter
9 - Jumping Boots x2 distance
10 - Running Boots +3 move
11 - +1 ring of protection
12 - Rope of climbing
13 - potion of water breathing 2 doses
14 - potion of shrinking 2 doses13 
14 - potion of fire growth 2 doses
15 - Featherfall ring
16 - Cloak of hiding +4 hide
17 - Boots of sneaking +4 sneak
18 - Wand of snuff torch
19 - Modern repeating medium crossbow with 10 +1 bolts and 20 silver bolts
20 - Belt of Strength +2

From the Armoury Priority Red 1d20
1 - Healing Wand
2 - Fireball Wand
3 - Burning Hands Wand
4 - Light Wand
5 - Magic Missile Wand
5 - + Sword, Axe, Spear or Mace
6 - +2 Shortsword
7 - +2 Sword, axe, spear, mace or staff
8 - Modern repeating medium crossbow with 20 +1 bolts and 20 +2, 20 silver
9 - Belt of Giant Strength +4
10 - Polymorph self potion, one
11 - Healing potion (as heal spell) one
12 - Lightning Bolt Wand
13 - Flaming weapon (sword, spear or chain)
14 - Storm weapon +1d3 electrical damage (any weapon)
15 - +1 +4 vs enemy type weapon (one element, dead, man, reptilian, insect, dragon, etc)
16 - Heroism potion 1+1d4 doses
17 - Superheroism potion 1 dose
18 - Slavers manacle (charms wearer into passivity similar to charm spell)
19 - Mage Hat - cast one extra 1st wizard spell per day
20 - Priests mantle - cast one extra 1st priest spell per day

Weaponized Xenotechnology and Xenomethodology (Magic) 1d20
1 - Holy Hand Grenade (Blessed to harm magic undead and magic evil) one
2 - Orichalcum round (Double Max damage) destroys gun fired from
3 - Silver Ammo - 4 clips
4 - Holy Wooden Ammo - 2 clips
5 - Healing Potion 1d8 x2 doses
6 - Holy Water 6 potions
7 - Cold Iron Ammo - 4 clips
8 - +1  Ammo - 1 clip, not recyclable charge spent when shot
9 - Silver Machete
10 - Silver Dagger
11 - Silver Bayonet
12 - Holy Water Gel Rounds - 1 clip
13 - Blessed Cold Iron Rod
14 - Dragonsbreath ammo - 6 shots, turns cone shot to fire damage, destroys unmodified shotgun
15 - Silver Frag Grenade - harms some undead, devils and were-beasts
16 - Spider Web ammo - shotgun ammo entangles targets
17 - Fireball Wand Flamer - usable by wizards and sorcerers, as a compact flame thrower 4kg
18 - Reanimation potion - injected in fresh dead heart save live or become angry zombie
19 - Portable electric pentacle on roll up mat,remote configures vs various entities
20 - Holy water aerosol pack 1d6 close range on undead 10 shots per can, 3 cans