Monday, 13 January 2025

Secrets of the grey gnomes






































Still have not got Skerples magic industrial book sigh

Crew can refer to gnomes only 50-90cm/2-3 foot so many of these ate half the equivalent size for a human. So if you want to have it unlikely for played to use keep small. They often carry human size passengers as troops or are built for humans to operate. Troop transports have gnome crews and carry humanoids or automaton soldiers.

Most use advanced steam engines or magical golem engines with faces that can be self driving and require less crew.

d20 Vehichle Powered by
1-6 Coal based furnace 
7-12 Mineral Oil products from deep
13-14 Biofuel  from rendered corpses
15 Ichor pumped from veins of vast underground sleeping beasts in various wells on land or water platforms
16 Koboldium a toxic glowing green mineral used by kobolds, burned in an alchemy furnace or in reaction chambers
17 Gems or gold or valuables burned in an alchemical furnace
18 Soul furnace requiring human or animal sacrifice
19 Spirits animate various components, vulnerable to exorcism, possibly a persons soul bound as a source of mechanical power and just a bit haunted
20 Golem powered with a face, can operate without crew and intelligent and speak, some free-willed. Require magic to harm immune to most magic and damage 

d12 Gnome Vehicles
1 Monocycle - driver sits in wheel hub, good cross-terrain vehicle but mishaps can be fatal 45kph, some are armoured assault spheres
 but slower at 26kph with a gun port or light auto needler
2 Bicycle - two-wheeled mechanical pedal powered contrivance, older ones have one huge and other small and more unwieldy. 1in12 powered, most with a small motor but 1in6 is a golem with a small face on the front 20 on good flat road, half or worse uphill, better down hill 
3 Battlecart - a small 3 or 4-wheeled powered cart with a shield in front and an auto needler gun, some have a separate gunner who stands and fires over driver or from a sidecar 50kph
3 Scooter - a scooter with a 1in10 optional assault scooter with an optional rocket launcher and a d4-1 shells in brackets 65kph
4 Track Cycle - a caterpillar track motorcycle good for off road 40kph
5 Gun Carrier - tracked armoured but open topped vehicle, two crew, a light auto needler gun and room for six soldiers to sit, but others can hold on. 42kph
6 Automobile - armoured streamlined armoured shell with slits for windows and gunports, poorer off-road 65kph
7 Mini-Tank - one crew with a light auto needler 18kph
8 Light-Tank - driver and turret operator with heavy autoneedler or a small cannon 6d6 16kph
10 Battle Tank - with heavu auto needler and a cannon 10d6, 5 crew 16kph
11 Heavy Tank - with 4 cannons nd two autoneedlers and 14 crew 12kph
12 Scout Walker - with 3m tall legs and a bucket for pilot, military will have
 armoured pods with heavy needler or 6d6 cannon. Some have 4 rockets also. Civilian ones may have claws for loading. Some make 3d6 clawed armoured versions for combat vs monsters 40kph
13 Attack Walker - four 6m tall legs, crew of ten plus section of 12 automaton infantry, two 6d6 cannons in head and 4 heave auto needles. Civilian versions are unarmed with a swappable cargo module  20kph
14 Attack Tripod - three legs 9m long with two tentacles for smashing or snatching victims a 12d6 heat ray and a crew of three 45kph
15 Battle Sphere - 3m spare with track rings and 2 guns, 34kph 
16 Crab Walker - 8 legged armoured walker with two claws and a crew of 2. Scoriom variant has a gun or flamer in the tail 24kph 
17 War Wheel - giant wheel with an armoured hub with a crew of 8 with two 6d6 cannons and 2 heavy needles. Wheel has spikes and is 6m wide 36kph
18 Land Train - 12m high wheeled engine that tows 2d4+4 wagons overland, each carrying a squad of troops or supplies. Some cars are armoured with cannons or autoneedlers  12kph
19
 Mole Machine Scout - one gnome mole machine for scouts 16kph
20
 Mole Machine Carrier - carry three crew plus six gnome heavy sappers and 12 automaton soldiers 16kph

d4 Megavehichles
1 Land Leviathans are battleships for the land and only move 8kph on tracks but were bristling with light and super heavy cannon turrets and a thousand crew. A mobile fortress mostly found as ruins
Walking Citadel with legs with defensive autoguns and cannon turrets and a crew of a thousand and a d4-1 thousand resident passengers 12kph
3 Wheeled Citadel a mobile citadel 16kph with 200 hundred crew and 2d6-2 hundred passengers with plenty of light 6d6 defensive artillery
City Crawler a tracked mobile fortress with defensive autoguns and cannon turrets and a population of a d4-1 thousand passengers 8kph

d10 Marine Craft
1 Powerboat - 2-4 crew, 80kph, some have a swivel-mounted light auto gun or a rack of 4-8 rockets
2 Gunboat - 6 crew, 60kph, two mounted guns chosen from a 6d6 light cannon or autogun 
3 Canalboat - as few as 2 but often a whole family,
 16kph, some towed by horse and not powered, may tow d4-1 cargo barges d4 1=trade goods 2=garbage 3=coal 4=corpses
Riverboat - small powered boat for rivers with 2-4 crew and up to a dozen passengers, 26kph used as fishing boats or small transport 
5 Paddle boat - 12 crew and possibly a hundred passengers at 16kphd4 1=troop transport 2=clan home 3=traders 4=pirates 5=slavers 6=casino (crime guild) 
6 Cargo ship - 12 crew 32kph 
7 Transport Barge - big floating box with 2 crew and 40kph to carry troops for amphibious landings or goods or vehicles. There are some versions that travel underwater at half speed
8 Ironclad - 12 crew 20kph, sits low in water and heavily armoured and angled to deflect cannonballs with 4 light 6d6 cannons and a gatling gun, many have two smoke stacks that are the main vulnerability
9 Dreadnaght - 800 crew warship travelling 40kph, with a dozen cannon turrets and defensive auto guns, two torpedo tubes, depth charges, elite warship. Only a few amphibious tracked versions can be found as wrecks
10 Minisub - one or two crew in diving suits sit on the tube body, used for sabotage and espionage in tight fit harbours or aquatic tunnels 
11 Scout sub - 2 crew up to 6 passengers, no weapons, 26kph, half submerged
12 Submarine - dozen crew with 2 torpedoes tubes and a dozen shots, 6d6 cannon for surface use, 30kph surface, half submerged

d12 Aircraft
1 Spotters Balloon - tethered balloon for observers otherwise vulnerable to wind with d4 crew
2 Airboat - dirigible with 2 crew and up to 12 passengers, 10kph + wind
3 Aerial gunboat - armed with light 6d6 cannon and defensive autogun 30kph, crew of 6 and up to a dozen passengers. Can drop clusters of grenades and incendiaries
4 Airship - dozen crew and 30 passengers good for cargo, armed versions have autoguns for defence, a spotlight or drop bombs from great altitudes prop planes wont fly in, 80kph and very long range
5 Air Dreadnaut - armoured warship with crew of 200 bristling with cannons and autoguns and a landing strip and hooks for smaller aircraft to land. Some have heat rays or death rays and Resistant to anything less than super heavy cannons
6 Gyrocopter - a short takeoff and landing craft for personal use with 1-4 occupants, cheap one-seaters often just a frame with open-air passengers but accident prone. Millitary tested with light autoguns and rockets
7 Fighter plane - mono, biplane or triplane fighters with two autoguns, camera and possible hand grenades or incendiaries the crew drop. Some have a gunner or navigator and a pilot
8 Bomber or passenger biplane - a crew of 2-4 and 10 passengers for air transports or a military version with 8 crew drops bombs and has 2-4 autoguns for defence. Big versions carry d3 small defensive fighters and pilots or airliners up to 30 passengers and extra 2 crew. Some can tow gliders with troops or cargo or land vehicles
9 Airboat - plane with boat hull for water findings otherwise like a passenger plane for cargo, some have a gunner with an autogun for defence
10 Rocket Glider - glider wings and a rocket tube to get speed and altitude then glide to land. Can use bursts for speed as needed (5-20 bursts depending on the model. For the cheapest expendable ones the pilot is strapped to the wings and exposed for thrills or commandoes. Some one or two seat enclosed versions are more durable and reliable
11 Rocket Plane - dangerous experiment, most crash but 869kph for ten-minute burn, armed with a 6d6 cannon, twin autoguns or 6 rockets. They land on skids but many just explode. Some jet models last longer, and don't accelerate as fast but 4x the size and 2 crew. Some are mere rocket drop pods that carry one soldier or two gnomes anywhere in the wastes in minutes then parachutes gently (in theory). Can be salvaged for reuse
12 Lunar Rocket - 21m tall rocket with a crew of six can travel into the sky to visit the moon or the crystal citadels of the celestial star people of the heavens. Landing and returning are risky. Bigger models exist. Some models just deliver explosives to vast distances or are automated for cargo with no support. There is absolutely not a secret brick moon built by astrognomes  

--------------
The base automatons here are from vol 1 of Chargrinspire 
I amended the boomer gun to just 6d6 for reasons 

When a star falls adventure from tsr UK and find winding stairs 2024 book was a big influence on my conception of a few things possible in d&d and has fingerprints here.

d12 Gnome Automatons
1 Iron Soldier - basic infantry with a musket, rifle or autogun
2 Pepper Pot - a conical metal pod with a gun and a claw concealing a spherical wheel 
3 Robug - dog size bugs that either scavange materials or used to overwhelm enemies
4 Scavenger - bumpercar size mechanical pillbugs, roll up to roll faster but mostly recycling
5 Trench Spider - mostly observation use can crawl close to ground or stand 6m tall, various accessories and weapon variants, often in trench war areas
6 Iron Hound - mechanical guard dogs, may patrol in packs 
7 Iron Ape - heavy labour or hand to hand
8 Robocrow - surveillance drones 
9 Replicant - white plastic flesh that is malleable and can copy persons they have seen for infiltration, espionage and sabotage. More flammable than humans and melt when they die
10
 Boomer - 2x3m minitank for patrols with a small cannon or an auto gun or flamer and can carry two crew or passengers through heavy fire
11 Trench Walker - 16x4m armoured cabin on four 6m legs, can carry 4 commanders in cockpit and a dozen commandoes, has two 10d6 cannons and 4 autoguns 
12 Iron Colossus - a 60m tall mechanical giant, might home occupant but most seen just eat people 

d12 Gnome Weapons
1 Folding sword - turns from 30cm d4 to a 60cm d6 blade but breaks on roll of 1
2 Chainsword - a shortsword size 2d6 noisy chainsword works 10 minutes on a fuel cell 
3 Impact Truncheon - d6 club with a shotgun shell loaded does +2d4 damage but is awkward to reload and on a critical gets stuck in the enemy requiring a might roll to break free
4 Torch sword - flaming shortsword +3 fire damage and fuel backpack lasts two hours
5 Shock Truncheon - d6 club can stun ten uses per beltpack batterey 
6 Light Flintlock pistol, might carry several, d6 damage, variants include d6 1=knife bayonet 2=knuckleduster 3=extra barrel 4=d8 damage 5=hatchet blade 6=roll a d4 twice
7 Light Musket - d6 cheap, for hunting or militia or small folk 
variants include d6 1=spike bayonet 2=hatchet blade stock 3=extra barrel 4=d8 damage
8 Auto Pistol - pneumatic needle pistol d4 with clip of 10 shots and requires a minute per shot to pump enough per shot, variants include d6 1=silent 2=improved ammo 20 shots 3=poison well for one clip 4=burst fire capacity 
9 Light Auto Gun 
pneumatic needle gun d4 with clip of 40 shots, bulky and has a noisy crack from air compressor each shot, variants include d8 1=silent mode only d3 damage 2=improved ammo 100 shots 3=folding stock 4=burst fire capacity 5=IR lamp and scope with batteries 6=Golem smart gun will fire on own, LN sentient weapon communicate by empathy with wielder and has centuries experience but is a jerk, will seek to kill chaotics and may have a d4 prejudices against factions or species or a monster
10 Grenaides with steel shell, a rod can be inserted to fire it from an autogun readying and pulling a pin is one action, another to throw it, goes off end of next round. Safer to carry than blackpowder era grenades and smaller 30mm without a lit fuse. d4 1=smoke 3m/round xd4 rounds then lasts d6 rounds or 1 if windy, rounds 2=frag 3d6 save halves over 6m 3=incendiary 3d4 save or on fire d4/round damage for a d4 rounds 4=acid vapour 6m area 2d4 save or lose 1pt a round for a d4 rounds, scarifies most materials 5=spore 3m cloud save or infected with respiration disease, if breathe and fail save, each round you exert self save or spend d4 rounds helpless trying to breath 6=magical darkness 9m cloud lasts 3s4 rounds 7=faerie fire on all living or undead in 3m area food 2d4 rounds 8=fear gas 6m area for a d3 rounds or one if windy, save or panic d4 rounds 9=confusion gas 6m area for a d3 rounds or one if windy, save or confused d4 rounds 10=necrogas spreads over 6m inflicts 2d4 on living (save halves), heal d4 on undead and any corpses expose arise as uncontrolled angry zombies
10 Hand flamer 2d4 3m 90 degree cone or 30 degree 6m shot, save or on fire 1pt for a d4 rounds. Versions d4 1=Pistol or wrist version one shot 2=gun with 3 shot cylinder 3=7 shot cylinder 4=small bound elemental in a jar if released attacks abuser, otherwise infinite shots and its magic fire
11 Lightning Rifle 3d6 bolt action each shot uses an alchemical cell, discarded cells are toxic waste leading to mutants in the future. Each cell is 1enc
12 Rocket Tube a disposable rocket-propelled grenade that can fly hundreds of metres

d12 Confusion
1 Change sides
2 Panic and flee from personal threat
3 Curl into a ball
4 Stand still, indecision paralysis, (friends might help)
5 Scratch and strike 1pt damage on self around to get the bugs and snakes
6 Deep in a thought monologue
7 Stands drooling and staring
8
 Fall over laughing at the clowns 
9 Drop everything, state of awe paralysis
10 Fantasysing about its awesome chosen one power
11 Attack the caster to be free of this spell 
12 Berserk, will attack visible enemies first than anybody else 

Gnome Peasant militia
AC 3 HD d6 Att Sickle d4 or small pitchfork d6 or light musket Morale 

Gnome Guard defence force LN
AC 5 HD d8 Att light musket officer has light flintlock and small sword

Gnome Storm trooper LN
AC 5 HD d8 Att Folding sword d6 or light musket d6 or Light Autogun Morale
Elite also have gasmask, and a grenade and a regimental dagger

Gnome Sapper LN
AC8 HD 3d8 Folding Trench Tool d6 or spiked club Morale 11 Mov 9
One gun from Blunderbus or Flamer or Auto pistol or Auto gun
Carry small bullet-resistant shield, two grenades and an air mask with an hour's supply

Heavy Weapons
1 Auto gun are intended to shot at vehicles, defend trenches or pin down enemy
2 Heavy Flamer 4d6 save or on fire d6 damage for d4 rounds, 30 degree cone 70m  
3 Light cannon 6d6 light gun for wheeled fieldpiece or boat defence or small tank
4 Cannon 10d6 typical battle tank gun or larger field piece
5 Heavy cannon 20 d6 fired from a battleship or mounted on a train carriage
6 Rocket noisy and cover battlefield in smoke, 2d4 damage over 3m save halves 
7 Hand bomb 5d6 fin stabilised 4kg bomb with impact fuse
8 Aerial bomb 10d6 for a huge bomb 12m area save halves
9 Incendiary cluster bomb scatter incendiaries over 12m area or more from height 
10
 Heat Ray 10d4 save or on fire d4 rounds, line effect 
11 Death ray save or die
12 Disintegrator ray or gone

Saturday, 11 January 2025

Hexploration Gamelog for Chagrinspire




































Had some cancellations and some guest appearing player of old
Party decided to do a round the Chagrinspire trek 
Brought in double size character sheets as higher level and more stuff
my alchemy formula rules have been nice and the priest thought the alchemist rogue was a spell caster (he has an item and one spell from and oath)

The man with No Name an alchemist thief 5th Lv
-Wears scavengers rags and harness with a gasmask and cape
-Sidekick lady rake sidekick now running scavengers guild in Quicksilver Heights
-Sidekick Sat Sonja, a seven-foot-tall beast lady ratfolk from under the wastes
-carries lots of explosives, incendiaries and several guns
-has been making oaths to neutral thief cults and now the Turnip god Bogrump
-Seeking the supernatural being who stole his name and why fled Shadelport

 The Templar Priest of Light 5th level
-Armoured templar with a chrome sphere helmet (hides face & 360 degree vision)
-Has numerous priest followers he is in command of 
-On a mission from a bishop to observe the waste for the church 

A long absent player popped in and played Rat Sonja

Only Rat Sonya, the priest and the rogue came this trip

The party control a outpost fortress they took off bandits with an underground train station. They have brought many rescued slaves and sacrifices here and other needy people. Including their young accidentally fell out of vat early runty flesh golem pet.

The players drove their new streamlined staff car without fuss and reached Quicksilver heights to amazement of the village and everyone came out to see including merchants and the Alchemist Guild. The deep gnome acquaintance greeted them. They parked inside the new scavengers guild subordinate to the Man WIth No Names branch. He had refused an offer to replace his local master in the Flatspur guild by the nasty master of Shankheim. His lady rake companion was left here to manage the guild branch and it was growing fast and worked with a merchant who was based in the players fort.

They did find a help wanted note offering 1000gp to kill demon goat men who killed a merchants lover in another caravan. They met and took the contract and were given two survivors who told of how they were overcome by goatmen with bows. They were supposed to help party find the wrecked caravan for clues.

So on the way the priest questioned them with ESP magic and picked up their plan to betray the party to the chaos goatmen serving orcus cultists. After picking up the bad vibes and plot the pries stunned one with a spell and the party attacked. One was taken down by several attackers but other cast darkness and got a good distance before being knocked out. The priest reluctantly gave them a trial and the rogue offered to kill them quickly. So they went to the ambush point but not by the road and sneaking. The priest used clairvoyance in the air to see further and saw the monsters lair entry and two trenches 60m apart each side of the road. Each had six goatmen and a cultist.

The priest cast silence on the rogues magic blunderbus and he crept into one end of the trench while Rat Sonya in her infamous bikini and javelins came from the other side with occupants sandwiched in the middle in a slight arch. The Rogue blasted three goatmen and activated the guns confusion blast. The three had 1HP and one curled up in  a ball and the other lept out and the priest killed him with a petty slap spell. The evil priest cast fear on Sonya on the other side and several goats chased her. The priest ran up and splattered the priest from above. Three goats ran bleating but then the ones from the other trench were arriving. The rogue pulled out his carbine and shot the incoming priest.

The three fleeing goats returned and the priest killed more with petty spells. Rat sonya fled then recovered form the flee magic and used javelins until with last one turned on them. The rogue shot the last one in the back. A few tried to flee to lair and escaped leaping over rubble and bleating. 

They chased him but cautiously half speed and the rogue reloaded. They went into the dank wet hole with hoof and foot prints leading inward. Inside there was a chamber with a well in the centre a winding staircase down and two doors.

The rogue still with a silence sphere readied a lit fuse and got a bomb ready by stairs. The priest looked at the closest door and Rat Sonya listened at the well. She heard chanting cultists interrupted by bleating then shouting. The priest opened the door and saw 4 prisoners and the woman they were sent to avenge among them. He closed door to come back later. The rogue saw zombies marching and shortly after everyone did. The priest drove them off and the party followed to a vast cave and a cliff to their left between them and the sounds of cultists. The last zombies were fleeing back to unholy ground of the orcus shrine. The rogue used his new oath given spiderclimb spell and climbed to the top of the cavern over the orcus statue, three priests and 9 skeletons so got bombs ready. Rat sonya badly and noisily jumped and climbed to the clifftop and the cult saw her and sent the skeletons.

The goat mask priest sent one subordinate to get rat sonya. Then his command undead powers to send the undead back to the good templar. The priest of light vapourised the zombies with holy prayers then the skeletons. This was as the rogue lit fuses and dropped a grenaide and an incendiary. The two cultists were focused on the vengeance of light and ignored the bombs until they exploded blasting the lesser acolyte of evil into burning pieces. The wounded cult master of evil challenged one to one battle and charged the priest. He decided to accept and charged back. The cacking goat guru sneered it was a trick and struck the priest with rotting flesh rot of the mummy kings!

Rat sonya and her priest fought and the Rogue shot her foe in the back with his magic carbine of the fish folk. The good priest reprimanded the minion of evil and clubbed him to the ground. The rogue mopped up the wounded and they began to loot. They had a cure disease potion but the priest could wait a night and cure self for free. Suffering a disease to save money is probably some important moral lesson. The idol had cursed gem eyes of could they left them. Took some money and returned the hostages. 

People back in Quicksilver Heights began to see party return and all yelled with excitement. Second day the whole town came out to see them. They got triple the reward and a trade deal with the land of Mordnar and their own scavengers guild. They arranged to meet at the Dragonhill Mine the rogue wanted to see. They had made firm friends and the Gnome of the Gold Cube Cult bought all the loot. The Priest kept some spell scrolls he was permitted to abuse for goodness.     

They decided to scout ahead of the merchant caravan to Dragon Hill and went off trail to explore hexes never seen.

Hex 13 - grasslands with herds - two sources of smoke
One was an orc barbarian-controlled outpost with extra spiked steaks and dark colours. The second larger one was a barbarian horde staging post for the next anti magic crusade. Decided to back off. Behind the Orc outpost, they saw the bleak dead forest.

Hex 14 and 15 - dead forest rumoured to have elves and druidic wild folk 
Saw area of dark giant growing thorns and evil trees
When almost clear carniverous apes with bloody handprint body paint and greel long moss like hair with tiny flowers growing on them charged. The magic blunderbus confusion made the most damaged one believe snakes were crawling into wounds and freaking out. The enraged one next to it attacked. The fought and were hit by bombs and light spells.

Hex 20 - Broken lands where chased by a wholly rhino with poor sight. The priest airwalked to tops of rocks and the Rogue climbed up. Rat sonya used her squeeze powers to fit in a crack. The Rogue cast light from his ring on the beast which didn't blind it or stick but it fled unable to see attackers. 

Explored and found the outpost of the hex which seemed more brown and grey and overgrown on the edge of the famous Auldwood.

Saw huge cliff cravings in unfamiliar style hoping to find a place to camp and meet the caravan tomorrow. They didn't want to wander around the toxic wastes with pools of poison at night. Up closer it was a great Dwarf gatehouse complex quite ancient, predating the Apocalypse. As they came close Dwarf boar riders met them.

Turns out they had been observed and divination priests had been scanning the players and continued to detect signs of evil or chaos or enemies. They also knew the priests uniform and were curious. Got to do diplomacy with dwarf king and given dwarf noble suits that showed everyone's legs. Priest mentioned orcus and dwarves for confused with orcs and stated moaning about the orc problem. The party stayed an the rogue had a drinking contest and lost and rushed to hospital after the dwarf booze but the dwarves know it was an effort and the human gods had helped. There was a feast but the priest with rotting flesh really wanted to not drink and chatted with the dwarf under-mountain god. There was a deal to swap acolytes and the least popular dwarf who drank with the rogue showed him the hidden dwarf underclass.

The dwarf priests in their vast divination halls calculated when the party should leave to meet their caravan. It was a good meeting but like every faction they have beef with others. There was various Pleistocene monsters in the area.

Met their new merchants of Mordnar friends caravan and passed quickly through Hex 21 to the toxic wastes of Hex 23. It was hotter and smelled awful. It made your eyes burn. More reptiles too. Found the sprawling mines, each with a sign of the owners claim and many with slaves. Everyone was miserable and sick. The local outpost was occupied by the slavers guild. There was a road to the criminal kingdom of Valadran.

We wound up here but got lots done and glad I prepped but not presentable to people yet. Lots of this on the fly will be campaign canon now.

Treasury
slavers payroll chest of 3000 silver and 200 gold in chest
20gp ring
bone flute
plush demon doll
goat costume
100gp incense
medal and ribbon 30gp
1586gp in a sack
500gp in a sack
1159gp in a sack
6cp 7sp loose coins in jar
gold rat - actually a simple golem and not 25gp
globe puzzle 100gp
rat form potion one hour
4 potions of water breathing
jade golem with mean face (not moving but "alive")
3000gp

Monday, 6 January 2025

Mega Dungeon Recap: one Mega Dungeon to Rule Them All





































Are megadungeons good?
Maybe. If you want to run one huge dungeon for a year or more for a whole campaign this would be good. There is a danger you will never finish it. Too repetitive foes can be boring. Ive been playing current dnd5 adventures fortnightly at about a volume a year or a bit more but 5th ed is a slow RPG for a combat crawl. 

If you love waterdeep you might like the versions of dungeons under it but its not as coherant or usable as Temple of elemental evil which I played in much less than a year. 

The modern design idea of having an insert of maps each page is lost on all of these so maybe that is for a future product. Maps in a separate book or pdf with a book would be good. Mad mage book was much better with the map pack. Some maps are designed to fit on a pages and I think it can hurt some dungeons. Stonehell handled this well and has been a good influence. Its designs are more like a bunch of one-page dungeons put together and its brevity is a strength to run or even read. Splitting maps between pages in a book seems to be a problem for some of these.

Finally, the Greg Gillespie books and his retroclones are lovely to look at and read and look good. Lots of old-school ideas I like. I think I followed him online for an hour before I changed my mind. I actively dislike his DM advice in the Dragonslayer book but like the general vibe of his take on old-school even If I disagree with what elements matter. But books are nice. I don't expect creatives whose work I like to be great people and find hero worship of past people to be unnecessary. It's a bonus if I like them, not be a given.

A lifetime of cultural work and bad clients probably fried my mind. Possibly why my current Chagrinspire was created to be an ultra edgy ridiculous 16km tall dungeon. Players spent 6 months around the outskirts and finally got inside by Lv5. I plan to keep going on this.  

Gunderholfen looks basic but with the extra adventures set near it is an amazing setting and the weirdest here. 

Modules that try to plan every party move and railroad tend to be bloated and I prefer the old 8page adventures in old Call of Cthulhu vs new books that reprint monster stat blocks in the same chapter 3 times and other waste. Masks of Nyarlenthotep could almost be here and I got half way before COVID killed the game after a few years campagn.

Some of these you could loot, have fun and not worry too much about lore. You could rush the endings on some if you had to finish fast. In my recent game players befriended lots of factions and can make 100 room descriptions obsolete from a player's perspective so I am doing something mean to turn a faction evil and a problem. I guess absolute enemies you know you don't have to not kill them but playing off factions has always been a feature. 

Some have absurdly long treasure lists that should be handouts.

I think the lost city, fully expanded is one of the best
-original adventures reincarnated would rnk as good as anything here it the best of series
-various fan made online versions were created some in pencil in early 80s
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w28gjDLHKBfInnLqjQKlMcmnbhsJ2nuT/view
https://www.pandius.com/B4_campaign_sourcebook.pdf
-story inspiring it
https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0601051h.html
the drug rules here made every game of mine better
- cheap addictive healing potions are awesome
https://pandius.com/cynidgaz.html

Or roll a bunch of d100s numbers and d12 and d20s on a list and grab some Dyson maps and use my tables and pdfs and just keep ahead of players with minimal prep. I use tales to drop in plots, villains, all kinds of flavour.

Can be a great way to sandbox or a prison.
What if players want to take treasure and go to sea to be pirates?

💖
💖💖💖 love
or
💣💣💣💣bomb

Ratings For:
Art - illustration, how good, how it illustrates text
Maps - are they presented well? I prefer Dyson maps to colour computer game like ones
Layout - text as presented on page, readability, not wasting space with borders or logos
Story - is it a compelling story, how deep
Writing - verbose rates low concise yet flavourful is good
Information design - how easy is it to use the book and info in it
Salvage - how good is it to plunder from?
Overall Score - overall rating and how playable?

I am slightly mean so 2 is average 
Sorry online sales platforms 4 is rare perfection not normal 2/4 is average
So don't contact me and complain but comments welcome
Everything else here will be compared with the first one for comparison

Temple of Elemental Evil ad&d (Book, PDF & Best PC game ever)
Art ðŸ’–💖💣💣
Maps 
💖💖💣💣 - all in a separate book was good at time
Layout 
💖💖💣💣
Story
💖💖💖💣- plenty of villains and backstory
Writing ðŸ’–💖💣💣
Information design ðŸ’–💖💣💣
Salvage 
💖💖💣💣 - classic village and pocket elemental levels have been copied
Overall Score ðŸ’–💖💖💣 - classic and playable

I ran this on a houseboat on mid 80s with other trapped teens on combined family holiday. Its a pretty enjoyable and pioneering dungeon I expect to be recreated soonish? I play the atari game yearly and its pretty good game prep. I feel I know it better than any other dungeon. The recent 2 vol editions was quite nice too but not best of these adaptions (the lost city was best, then Island of Dread and castle amber. I could run this again with pleasure. Its not too huge either and one of shorter ones here.

Undermountain 1 & 2 (box set I read in 80s, awaiting POD version)
Art ðŸ’–💖💣💣
Maps 
💖💖💣💣 - poster maps - pretty unwieldy at table
Layout 
💖💖💣💣  
Story
💖💖💣💣- requires a mad mage who wastes energy to do this
Writing ðŸ’–💣💣💣- wordy and overly detailed, overly complex elements
Information design ðŸ’–💖💣💣- adequate
Salvage 
💖💖💖💣 - set pieces and rooms and ideas
Overall Score ðŸ’–💖💣💣 - classic and playable
https://rolesrules.blogspot.com/2011/09/orange-painted-corner-of-naturalism.html

This is an era where before I lost interest in dnd for 20 years.
I've not run it and I wouldn't. Just something I read for ideas but it has lots of those.
I hope they make maps usable in a POD version but part 2 is POD I think.

Dungeon of the Mad Mage d&d2014 (Book)
Art ðŸ’–💖💖💣- full colour modern schmaltz
Maps 
💖💖💣💣 - extra map pack makes this +1 heart better and helps readability
Layout 
💖💖💖💣- typical modern format
Story
💖💖💣💣- requires a mad mage who wastes energy to do this
Writing ðŸ’–💣💣💣- some of the evil drow activity a bit tame, boring slog to read
Information design ðŸ’–💖💣💣- adequate
Salvage 
💖💖💖💣 - levels as separate dungeons are better or skip some
Overall Score ðŸ’–💣💣💣 - needs work

I might steal a level from this one day. I've never seen a good play report and most ppl seem to just use individual levels. The light consensual drow bondage as a performance of evil is embarrassingly lame vs Gygaxian D series with drugs and porno furniture and demon orgies. Oddly one of the first 5th ed books I got just to read and it was a slog. Theros is why I got into 5th ed but that is another story. The map pack made reading bearable.

The World Biggest Dungeon (I held real thing 20ish years ago)
Art ðŸ’–💖💣💣- full colour modern schmaltz
Maps 
💖💣💣💣 - videogame looking and basic
Layout 
💖💖💣💣- repetitive boders, dense but some space for readability
Story
💖💖💣💣- its a lock in with no trips to village
Writing ðŸ’–💣💣💣- wordy
Information design ðŸ’–💖💣💣- adequate and overall size makes hard
Salvage 
💖💖💖💣 - may use bits - trap, disease and poison index is good
Overall Score ðŸ’–💣💣💣 - If I played one mega dungeon this wouldn't be a pick

http://www.james.neetersoft.com/wld/wld.htm - maps here 

A new version in production now. Its a big effort. It has lots of words and an unappealing slog to read so i skimmed it and had a refreshing glance for this. It makes me want to go and just generate one at random from my own tables. I have heard people like it so good luck to them. It was a milestone.

Stone Hell (Softback POD book from LuLu)
Art ðŸ’–💣💣💣- not much but its fine 
Maps ðŸ’–💖💣💣 - clear and I like each level is in 4 parts with own theme
Layout 
💖💖💖💣- minimal, simple, elegant, consistent
Story
💖💖💣💣- it's a dungeon with history and lots of depth with brevity
Writing ðŸ’–💖💖💣- minimal to do the job, easy to do, good lore
Information design ðŸ’–💖💖💖- brief and easy to find everything, good expansions
Salvage 
💖💖💖💣 - you could break it up or add more
Overall Score ðŸ’–💖💖💣 - If I had to run with little prep this would be the better choice

A popular and influential adventure. Probably the easiest to read and prep for and a smaller book. So many good design ideas its worth a look for setting out an adventure you could carry easily. Lots of good lore and a modular design. Lots of original ideas and monsters well detailed. No padded writing or fluff everything simple and easy to find. Does a four section dungeon layer in 4 pages with factions and own history building the the main bad guys. Im planning to get more expansions. The easiest to prep here.

Barrowmaze (Book)
Art ðŸ’–💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 
💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple
Layout 
💖💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant 
Story
💖💖💖💣- it's story affects everything you face
Writing ðŸ’–💖💖💣- good lore (some pop cliches and myth mashups but good)
Information design ðŸ’–💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 
💖💖💖💣 - you get lots of barrows and a barrow generator
Overall Score ðŸ’–💖💖💣 - If I had to run with little prep this would be the better choice

The first of a stunning series and quite readable. The art is a pleasure to look at. The 1980 d&d formula of a dungeon near Village Sandbox is great. Lots of great monsters and treasures here for years of play. A few barrows a session would be fine even if you never reached the megadungeon if you need under 6 room dungeons. Spawned 3 sequels, a RPG and a monster book. Slight risk of undead fatigue.

The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia
 (Book)
Art ðŸ’–💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 
💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple
Layout 
💖💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant 
Story
💖💖💖💣- it's a good menace any why all the monsters in one place
Writing ðŸ’–💖💖💣- good lore and fits in with barrowmaze setting
Information design ðŸ’–💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 
💖💖💖💣 - you get lots of dungeons you can slap anywhere fast
Overall Score ðŸ’–💖💖💖 - good variety of enemies vs barrowmaze undead

One of my favourites as I like the badguys and the hierarchy of bad guys (or pecking order). You could vary your start level a bit more and not just undead. Substantial dungeons and interesting wilderness canyons. Probably my fave of series. Lots of classic monster humanoids with own dungeons and hierarchy.

Highfell
 (Book)
Art ðŸ’–💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 
💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple, towers 
Layout 
💖💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant 
Story
💖💖💖💣- has a good central menace but might not work all settings
Writing ðŸ’–💖💖💣-  good lore and fits in with barrowmaze setting
Information design ðŸ’–💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 
💖💖💖💣 - you get lots of towers, has great book and spell component loot
Overall Score ðŸ’–💖💖💣 - fun with interesting varied wizard towers

I like this but a flying magic school dropped from near orbit on a city (like avengers2) is a bit too odd for some tastes I've heard. Im fine with that. The towers are a bit short to me and mostly 2-4 levels. 
Renasciance Bologna had 97m tall towers and my go to for wizards and city defences. You could add some weird towers of Dyson or Glen Seal Midderlands that could fit in. The treasure is wonderful with a wizard hats. The towers could be put anywhere and the wizard school dungeons could be slapped under any good city ruins.

Dwarrow Deep
 (Book)
Art ðŸ’–💖💖💣- as good as 80s TSR on a good day
Maps 
💖💣💣💣 - geomorphs are good - city map hexcrawl didn't thrill me
Layout ðŸ’–💖💖💣- basic, clear and pleasant - the biggest volume of the series
Story
💖💖💖💣- if you love dwarves this might be a 4 star campaign
Writing ðŸ’–💖💣💣- same world as Barrowmaze, you better love dwarves
Information design ðŸ’–💖💖💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 
💖💖💖💣 - some big dungeons but geomorphs are a star.
Overall Score ðŸ’–💖💖💣 - its impressive, bigger but less usable than others

Fattest of the series and basically a Moria type dungeon. Id recommend the 80s MERP moria book and the modern Middle Earth RPG version. You might be able to use some. If you would love to pick over a dwarf dungeon a few years this is your dream book. I didn't like the city map as a hexcrawl but I can understand it. Given how big the book is a city detail spread might helpbut. Maybe stuck in a mountain choke point so adventurers speed run across it to get through mountains would be good. My take on this as the least of the series despite being fattest is pretty common. Its still good just bit less fascinating than previous volumes. Many say the 5th ed versions are clunky and don't work with rest system for a megadungeon resource horror game. Id still like to see some more detailed hexcrawl for the city or that maybe a huge pointcrawl. 

Gunderholfen
 (Book)
Art ðŸ’–💖💣💣- amateurish old-school charm
Maps 
💖💖💣💣 - clear and simple
Layout 
💖💖💣💣- basic with lots of space, old man eyes friendly
Story
💖💖💖💣- nice backstory, setting and city
Writing ðŸ’–💖💖💣- clear, weirder than most here + other adventures complete 
Information design ðŸ’–💖💣💣- everything is easy to find
Salvage 
💖💖💖💣 - the city encounter tables (can get as a pdf) are great
Overall Score ðŸ’–💖💖💣 - id run this and played some solo well

Not as pretty as other volumes and looks simple but its usable and more weird tales dungeon fantasy. I get Clark Ashton Smith vibes from some of the separate adventures. Its good value currently vs initial release and a fat dungeon. I really like the setting for it's deviations from D&D cliches rather than revelling in them. It is the most Clark Ashton Smith like of all covered here. Weird undead and amphibian variants. Grisly weird diseases and curses and horrible ancient stuff. There is a vast weird dimensional space inside and the writer deals with some awesome scales. Currently at a good price.

Arden Vul vol I-V
 (Book)
Art ðŸ’–💖💣💣- section full page ones good but sparse and some assets are repeated often
Maps 
💖💖💣💣 - pdfs better - lots complain about vol v map book
Layout 
💖💖💣💣- dense and simple, overwhelming at times
Story
💖💖💖💖- amazing back story and historical detail of setting especially vol IV
Writing ðŸ’–💖💖💣- can be dense but enjoyable, more than I expected 
Information design ðŸ’–💖💖💣- basic layout but I was impressed how organised and you can go between books well 
Salvage 
💖💖💖💣 - brilliant use of lore and setting history, everything has a backstory
Overall Score ðŸ’–💖💖💣 - I'm pretty intimidated and still reading

Amazing stuff. Great history and lore and easy-to-find information. Maps a bit awkward and reviled by some but I think pdf is currently $5. I got them in this order vol 1 then 4 then 2 and 3. Vol4 is campaign lore and magic items. This is a great example of using lore well and feels more 3d and has more verisimilitude than many big adventures. If I ran It I wouldn't try to complete it. 
The lore is great and it doesn't matter if you don't get it all. If you want one campaign for year this is the leader. I like to change games perhaps yearly. So throughout and interconnected but not as intimidating as it sounds due to the overall design even and easy access to information. Lots of amphibians which I like. Occasionally I feel like its the readings for a university course. The information between volumes was surprisingly good once I got the hang of the size. The map book/pdf is notoriously bad - possibly get pdf and print bits as you need them. In the review pages I've seen ppl wish this element was better. Layouts are minimal but functional.

-------------------------

Final Notes

Ease to run/read/prep: Stonehell

Longest to play + complete lore: Aden Vul

The most Classic: Temple of Elemental Evil 

Pretty to look at books and wish you could play + interesting overall campaigns: Barrowmaze/Highfell/Caverns of Archaia/whatever is next by greg I probably will get

Most Gonzo: Gunderholfen but get expansions to make weirder

When a few books come in I will do a similar post on settings

Sunday, 5 January 2025

Quick Game Log: Stealing a wizards armoured staff car





































Happened to have a few players free so we did a jaunt where 5th lv The Man With no name, his rat woman sidekick Lv3 and the dog abhuman Arj, now learning druidry abhuman4/druid1. They are looking for things to improve their outpost and considered trying to make a lap around the spire. Went to the alchemy guild town Quicksilver Heights noting the road has improved from use. Arj spent most of the adventure as a rat so the party is more sneaky. All 3 had stealth skills and planned to travel light.

The town had grown a bit and demihuman traders from the west were seen. An unusual sight. Looked at markets for prices and chatted with the deep gnome merchant who explained the black sphere were heretics and he followed the way of the golden cube. This theory claimed the goal was to turn everything in the universe into an ultra-dense gold solid the cult would somehow control from another dimension. Some kind of LN profit cult.

Found a notice board. Wanted posters from all the great coastal kingdoms for various criminals hiding in the waste with big rewards. One note offered bacon for fighting a mechanical beast. A shifty fellow offered 30gp if they delivered fancy wax-sealed hams to a ruin at dusk. The party thought this was odd and accepted the Hams. The guildmaster invited them to dinner and the party said possibly busy. They decided to visit the ham delivery point four hours early.

Found ruins on the edge of a 4km rubbish heap and saw trash fall from portals (stolen from an adventure I forgot the name of sorry). Met some halflings in trash spying on them and they were paid to watch for adventurers scouting trash heaps. With some intimidation and ignoring halflings filed pointy teeth they were guided to a shack. Arj turned into a rat and spied on the shack to see two men dressed as scavengers but blank white faces shoving food into their mouthless faces. They seemed a bit like Balzac the flesh golem back home (currently hunting mimics in Party Fort). So the rat got on the roof and turned back to a 7-foot-tall dogman. Th nameless man and his rat lady opened the door and threw in a smoke bomb and a grenade. Both staggered out one had become humid and lucid, other was choking and on fire. The nameless man backstabbed the burning one and the rat and dog abhumans finished the now human one. Both died with bloodless corpses leaking with viscous slime. Not doppelgangers but they decided to tell people they were. They found more hams that they gave to halflings who were happy to take over the trash heap as bosses. The hams were suspicious and it seems there was a scam to get human flesh hams and dead adventurers to feed to ghouls in the trash heaps to tame them. 

So back to town still an hour before they were meant to meet with hams in ruins and the guy who was talking to young adventurers told the party they better move on for the delivery and the party chased him and town guards came and the criminal was publicly exposed and denounced. The guild master ordered the criminal executed and the body burned. Head went somewhere. Went on to eat and drink with the guild master and the man with no name was declared no longer a journeyman member and offered prestigious work. Also offered drugs mostly not legal in most coastal lands from the mysterious western continent. Heard of a town linked to the guild to the north were gunpowder ingredients all local and mined. Also another town Tasacon where people sell mysterious meat, blood potions and other potions. Rumours say more barbarians and orcs coming from SW and the remains of the Empire planning a Crusade from east. 
Elves and druids from east trying reforestation again.

Were even given 30gp from the criminal's assets seized to pay them for the work he promised. 

In morning went to the farm offering own weight in bacon and 30sp to find the mechanical beast. Followed its footprints to a bunker and entered. The automaton hound attacked. Arj cast faerie fire on it to make it stand out and a bunch of zombies became visible getting up from the garbage-strewn floor. Dog was a pain and zombies managed to weaken party to half HP.

Downstairs found buried engines and a sealed trapped door. Inside was a bomb triggered by door and drums of fuel. While looking about someone rolled in a grenade with a fuse. Arj saw first and charged where it came form and he ran through an illusionary concrete wall and attacked a slovenly obese pimply wizard. The rest joined on and the rat lady was hit by a sleep spell. The wizard lasted a few more moments and was killed.

Found his spellbook, some books, some items and a treasure map of a buried site his zombies were digging up. His journal was full of Complaints and imaginary diseases. There was 12 tons of dirt in way but dug a small channel to a roller metal door and cut a hole. Arj turned into a rat and found a wonderous horseless chariot of the ancients in workable condition. Hired some scavengers to help clear the rubble, fixed the car and drove back home in luxury.

It was a streamlined armoured VIP car with slits in metal plate instead of windows. 

A proper session next week but lots of good information and I now need to write up a bunch of hexes.

Wednesday, 1 January 2025

Alchemy Formula 2 Black Powder & Incendiary




Black Powder Lore

Tier 0 = Lv Zero
1 Quickload - preload rounds and powder in wax paper wads, and tricks to half speed loading time of black powder weapons
Fire Crackers - make small noisy firecrackers, may scare animals 
Fuse - make a basic fuse you can light to delay a blast up to a round
Black Powder - make enough powder for one shot
Tier 1 = Lv1-4
1
 Delay Fuse - make longer slower fuses that can burn for hours or can be longer 
2 Door Charge - to blow open wooden doors or locks by placing them on the door  
3 Smoke Bomb - create a smoke pot that generates smoke with a lit fuse   
4 Grenaide - make a simple bomb with a fuse you can throw
Tier 2 = Lv5-8
1 Fire Lance - make a shot or ball type of fire lance, which might be loaded on carts with hundreds
2 Rocket Arrow - make an arrow type of fire lance, that might be loaded on carts with hundreds
3 Overcharge - +1 gun damage per dice on 1 to hit gun explodes injuring user
4 Impact Fuse - exploded if thrown, dropped or stepped on, used for traps, can set so safe to transport before arming
Tier 3 = Lv9-12
1 Land Mine - 2 ENC clay pot landmine with hot coal trigger requiring change daily or use impact fuse
2 Sea Mine - 10 ENC clay floating mine with hot coal trigger requiring change daily or use impact fuse
3 Improved Charge - +1 damage per dice on bombs 
4 Improved Blast - +1/3 area of explosions or smoke bombs or blunderbus
Tier 4 = Lv13-16
1 Seige Mine - make a 30 ENC wall breaching charge you place directly 
2 Rocket Artillery - 2m long rocket can deliver grenades or smoke bombs or other device
3 Smokeless Powder - cleaner burning powder without clouds of smoke
4 Explosive Shell - modify artillery cannonballs into a spherical shell holding explosives, fragments, balls or other contents like liquid metal or incendiaries. Not for handheld firearms
Tier 5 = Lv17-20
1 Rocket Engine - make dangerous briefly fast vehicles, winged missiles to deliver siege mines or other weapons, and even flying machines or other dangerous experiments. Will require other skills to use well
2 Storm Rocket - can make weather-changing rockets by shooting sky. Make rain, fog or break a storm with a 2m rocket over the local area hex
3 Improved Powder - new methods to make main ingredients on an industrial scale reducing prices 50% of gunpowder but takes a year using putrefaction and other slow refining processes that make better powder so guns last longer
4 Waterproof Powder - firearms reliable if wet, rain or other humidity 

Incendiary Lore

Tier 0 = Lv Zero
1 Match - make an easy to ignite use stick 
2 Fuel - refine and distil oil from animal, plants or mineral sources
Fuse - make a basic fuse you can light to delay a blast up to a round
4 Torch - make a reliable burning torch with a stick and resin (can premake resin)
Tier 1 = Lv1-4
1 Delay Fuse - make longer slower fuses that can burn for hours or can be longer 
Smoke Bomb - create a smoke pot that generates smoke with a lit fuse, expands 3 range area per round, egg size one round (5 per ENC), 1 ENC grenade size d4 rounds or a 4 ENC pot burns for 10 minutes       
3 Fire Arrow - +1 damage in ignited and may start a fire
4 Incendiary Bomb - bottle or urn with fuel and a fuse you can throw
Tier 2 = Lv5-8
Impact Fuse - exploded if thrown, dropped or stepped on, used for traps, can be set so safe to transport before arming 
2 Fire Lance - can make a fire-type fire lance that can fire a 30 degree cone of fire 1 range
3 Smoke Formula - make fire weapons make more smoke fire arrows and incendiaries produce more choking smoke for a d4 rounds, arrows expand 1 area per round, incendiary expand 3 area per round 
4
 Improved Fuel - improves the damage and burning effect of fire weapons. Fire arrows burn a d3 rounds for 1 HP per round after initial damage, Incendiaries +d4 and if on fire d4 per round, mines and most others by +1 per dice
Tier 3 = Lv9-12
1 Fire Caster - make a pressurised piston fire-throwing weapon for siege or ship battle 
2 Fire Mine - a flaming bomb suitable for a catapult or a set charge  
3 Oxidant - has own air supply in chemicals so water and smothering with water or other means won't snuff fire, will float on water while burning, more difficult to extinguish or perform first aid
4 Poisonous Smoke - added to smoking weapons save each round per round or lose d3 HP
Tier 4 = Lv13-16
1 Fire Retardant - make a potion to make items like clothes not flammable +2 save -1 damage per dice, last one application, 2d4 damage on beings made of fire and repulsive to them
2 Fire Mask - improvise a cloth, urine and charcoal filter mask for +2 save vs smoke or gas vs one attack or make a more permanent 
4 ENC sealed mask with goggles that lasts 100gp 
3 Blade Fire - make a weapon cause +d3 fire damage for a d4 rounds per application once lighted
4 Slow Fuel - burns longer +d4 rounds duration of any fire weapon, torches and lamps duration doubles  
Tier 5 = Lv17-20
1 Fire Cloak - make a cloak or suit of salamander skin or asbestos cloth 
+2 save -1 damage per dice, +2 AC vs fire attacks, it can also be applied to a shield or armour or made into a paint to cover a 3x3m area
2 Blinding Smoke - smoke causes sighted creatures to save or blinded for as long as in smoke and 2d4 rounds after if they fail a save
Cluster Incendiary - a fire mine variant that breaks up into many smaller incendiaries in flight over a larger area than a fire mine 
4  Elemental Fuel - make a lamp or torch last a year, four for a larger fire or stove. Heals fire creatures 2d4 damage and delicious

Normally a fire weapon can ignite a person who fails a saving throw for 1HP per round for a d4 rounds. The defender spends an action for an agility save by rolling or beating or dousing the fire to put it out. Certain formula add to duration and increase damage

A fire lance is a one use tube on a stick - a crude early firearm
Later ones were re-usable and became hand guns 
The stick keeps the unskilled users from fumbling on a roll of 1
there are several main types - ball, shot, arrow and fire
some attach one to a spear or polarm shaft perhaps several
or a cart with many strapped on from a pushcart in a dungeon or a ox cart for hundreds

A player now enters battle with a long delay fuse in teeth to light stuff in a battle

-----------
template 

more formula than these I just need at least this many to make it work
there will be a herbalist, apothecary and acid list 

X Lore

Tier 0 = Lv Zero
1
2
3
4
Tier 1 = Lv1-4
1  
2   


Tier 2 = Lv5-8
1  

3  
4  
Tier 3 = Lv9-12
1  
2  

4  
Tier 4 = Lv13-16
1  

3  
4   
Tier 5 = Lv17-20
1  

3  
4  


Tuesday, 31 December 2024

Gnomes are here to ruin your life

 

Nobody Gnomes the troubles I've seen...
In my current campaign gnomes are a serious threat
They are not small magic dwarves or goofy and they can be bastards
I need six main gnome types for reasons
Their skin looks increasingly stony or wood or old leather when they reach true maturity
Some have hair like bushy roots, mossy, flowers or mushrooms (are those really hats?)
2 or 3 foot tall and many use magic to appear bigger 
They age like a human and become a crooked old person by 40 then spend most of their next 800 years like this. 
By 100 their skin looks increasingly stony or woody or like old leather
Some have hair like bushy roots, mossy, flowers or mushrooms (are those really hats?)

Green Cap Gnomes
Can turn into small animals 
once per level per day
Mostly part of the wee forest folk set living with other creatures or faerie and working wood
Prefer nature spells, most are good with a few more suspicious neutrals 
Prefer natural woodland 
Prefer knives d3, small bows d4, daggers d4, darts d3, hatchets d6, sticks d4, blowpipes d3, staff d6

d12 Types
1-4 Woodland clan burrow complex community
5-7 From a minority among another more populous species
8-10 
Forest burrow or tree with a mix of faerie and talking animals
11-12 From a small mushroom house village near humans

d12 Pockets
1 wooden figurine and tiny whistling knife
2 Ball of hair they collect
3 Bunch of herbs found
4 Figurine of woven sticks
5 Speckled bird eggs
6 Pet squirrel or mouse
7 Carrots for a snack
8 Flower bulbs
9 Some nice leaves
10 Interesting pebbles
11 Spicy mushroom
12 Pet beetle or toad

Red Cap Gnomes
Can grow or shrink 50% once per level per day
Commonly live in hill country as crafters and miners or evil ones are bandits
Prefer arcane spells, most are LN or LG but bloody CE clan are bandits and cannibals
Prefer knives d3, hand crossbow d4, dagger d4, small pick d6, short sword d6, darts d3, stick d4, Small polearm d8 (billhooks popular) 

d12 Types
1 Hill county from a large underground town connected to many mines
2-4 Hill country from a family or clan burrow complex of crafters and prospectors
5-7 Hill country miners live in their mine complex moving on when depleted
8 Small camps as nomad prospectors who travel and take samples
9-12 Live with another more populous species as crafters peacefully

d12 Pockets
1 Copper arm bands
2 Gold or silver ring
3 Purse of a d6sp
4 Small craft tool or knife
5 Interesting rock sample
6 Map of a mine
7 Trowel 
8 Brush
9 Sewing kit and d6 pretty buttons
10 Hip flask of brandy or cordial
11 Locket with portrait of loved one
12 Pipe and tin of smoke weed

Grey Cap Gnomes 
Can turn invisible
 once per level per day
Miserably gloomy Underland gnomes famed for mushrooms, crystals and magical artifice
Prefer mentalism spells, most are LN and too depressed for religion
Prefer knives d3, sickles d4, daggers d4, light hammers d4, stick d4, staff d6, 
blowpipe d3 , small pistol d4, light musket d6, farm tools d6 (pitchforks, hoes, spades, pole sickles) small polearm d8 (forks, morningstar head and a spike, halberds)

d12 Types
1 From a faction of a grey gnome underland city with advanced artifices
2-4 Live in an alien quarter in city dominated by other species and living quietly
5-8 Live in simple mushroom farming villages hidden in the deep under village communes
9-12 Poor mushroom farming serfs usually thralls of other species 

d12 Pockets
1 Magic mushroom d4 1=heals 1hp 2=grants nightmare visions 3=+1 Mov 1 hour 4=delicious
2 Bat milk cheese or tiny bottle of long life treated batmilk
3 Lump of doughy mushroom bread and some liverwurst
4 Bottle of nasty tasting medicine heals d3 but save or throw up 
5 Fork and sickle for eating mushrooms posh ones are pewter or silver
6 Pet toad or cave salamander or spider
7 Whistle made of bone or tin
8 Ball of spiderwebs and knitting needs
9 Lump of coal
10 Interesting fossil
11 Jerky dried meat ration meal d4 1=bat 2=rat 3=newt 4=fish
12 Bag of d6 large grape like eggs packed in soil d4 1=giant centipede 2=giant beetle 3=cave gekko 4=giant spider

Brown Cap Gnomes
Pass without a trace for 10 minutes per level per day
Live in swamps, sewers and wetlands and most people find them disgusting & smelly
Prefer nature spells, many chaotic and neutral some good or evil
Prefer knives d3, small bows d4, daggers d4, darts d3, clubs d6, sticks d4, blowpipes d3, staff d6

d12 Types
1-4 Bog bullwark in a swamp or on a lake or river, a large settlement
3-8 Bog village with 
floating woven rafts, stilts houses or walkways in trees of a family clan
9-12 Sewer system clans of some other more numerous species

d12 Pockets
1 Mud
2 Swamp or sewer clams
3 Fishing hooks and reel of line
4 Pipe and marsh weed
5 Dirty rags
6 Animal bones
7 Wet straw
8 Smoked fish
9 Frog or crab or rat, a pet or snack
10 Jar of maggots or worms for bait
11 Ball or string
12 Small basket of bugs

Black Cap Gnomes
Cast darkness as spell for 10 minutes per level per day
Live near potential victims to maim or torment or enslave
Prefer divine spells especially reversed spells, many evil some lawful or chaotic
Prefer knives d3, hand crossbow d4, daggers d4, darts d3, clubs d6, sticks d4, small sword d6, handaxe d6

d12 Types
1-2 An evil underground dungeon, temple or shrine as caretaker
3-4 
A secret underground village near human settlements in secret
5-8 A hidden burrow complex under a human village
9-11 Loner in a hidden burrow under a house
12 Burrow under a cursed evil graveyard

d12 Pockets
1 Tiny bottle of mild poison +d3 on a blade venom  (or 10 shots of ammo) or d6 ingested 
2 Tiny ugly doll or idol
3 Handfull of d4+4 caltrops
4 Unholy water
5 Huge tick or bedbug to plant on victims
6 Slaver manacles
7 Unholy symbol
8 Pet spider or scorpion
9 Poison cupcake or pie d6 damage after 10 minutes, save halves
10 Shrunken human head with sewn up eyelids and mouth
11 Blasphemous cult prayer book
12 Small jar of leeches or fleas

Gold Cap Gnomes
Cast light as spell for 10 minutes per level per day
Live near shrines, temples and holy places
Prefer divine spells especially reversed spells, many good some lawful or chaotic
Prefer knives d3, tiny bow d4, daggers d4, darts d3, clubs d6, sticks d4, small sword d6, handaxe d6

d12 Types
1-2 In a small shrine, the caretaker in secret
3-4 
In a hidden clan burrow on a holy hill or mountain
5-8 A hidden burrow complex under a human religious district
9-12 Loner in a hidden burrow under a house

d12 Pockets
1 Tasy sweet pastry
2 Tiny holy idol
3 Coins from a shrine offering for church repairs
4 Holy water
5 Small brass bell
6 Block of church incense
7 Holy symbol
8 Map of a shrine
9 Scroll with a first-level spell
10 First aid kit
11 Holy prayer book
12 Small jar of ointment heals 1hp per dose, d4 uses

Common Gnome
AC+3 HD d6 (or d6/Lv for elites) Att by weapon Morale 6 Move 12

Gnome Soldier
AC+6 HD d6 (or d6/Lv for elites) Att by weapon Morale 8 Move 12

I will do a piece on technology of the Grey Gnomes soon