Death is only the begining (part two)

When you are killed hopefully your chums will recover your body and take it to church for raise dead or at least sanctified burial in a ghoul/necromancer free graveyard. Sometimes this does not happen and party leave your corpse in a stinking dungeon. I recently took thieves head of party member to collect bounty but he was evil so its ok.

Two tables here - first to see if anything happens to your body which could inconvenience you, your party or even help you. Second a table to see what price is charged by priests for saving you.

Imagine finding fallen friends body in a dungeon a few days later, the joy!

You may think being undead and soul in heaven a difficulty but Egyptians and Tibetans have elaborate physiology of souls where different parts do different things after death.
 
d100 A funny thing happened to my corpse
Mostly bodies rot or are eaten but this could be handy alternative if abandoned in a dungeon for any period. Roll again if you think ending not enough or definite.
 
1 Infected by horrible parasitic worms 

2 Infected by rot grubs

3 Infected by flesh boring snakes

4 Infected by kyuss grubs

5 Infected by giant maggots

6 Dragged into lair by giant invertebrate for food

7 Dragged into lair by giant invertebrate to feed young

8 Covered in cocoon and dessicated by giant arachnid

9 Covered in cocoon and dessicated by giant arachnid
10 Dessicated and used as bait by giant invertebrate
11 Eaten by humanoids, scraps left

12 Gnawed on by humanoids, tastiest bits missing

13 Mutilated for fun and collectibles by humanoids

14 Head collected by humanoids or monster

15 Humanoids have corpse on a spit, being roasted

16 Flesh removed in gory heap, skeleton animated

17 Become a zombie

18 Become a ghoul

19 Become a wight
20 Become a shadow
21 Become a phantom or haunt

22 Become a angry spirit seeking body to possess for vengeance

23 Become a poltergeist

24 Become a greater undead type for inept disguise or ritual

25 Parts used in a flesh golem or other construct

26 Humanoids turn into sausages and cured meats

27 Humanoids skin and make into human suit

28 Humanoids use for bizarre puppet show to entertain kids

29 Humanoids use as bait to catch monsters
30 Humanoids use to feed monstrous pets
31 Necromancer students abuse body for perverted fun

32 Necromancer students loot certain organs or fluids

33 Necromancer students perform public dissection

34 Necromancer students turn into revolting tools, equipment or instruments

35 Necromancer students turn into hideous artwork

36 Gnawed by rodents

37 Gnawed by dogs or wolves

38 Gnawed by lion or bear or similar creature

39 Gnawed by gremlins or goblins or kobolds
40 Gnawed by wildcat or hyena
41 Pecked by ravens, crows or dungeon chickens

42 Torn apart by vultures or giant bats

43 Eaten by ghouls

44 Occupied by evil spirit on a mission

45 Eaten and replaced by mimic

46 Dissolved by gelatinous monster

47 Covered in toxic mould with dangerous spores

48 Infected with green slime

49 Covered in giant shrieking fungi
50 Covered in giant explosive fungi 
51 Covered in chaos mushrooms that cause mutations

52 Covered in fungus that turns into mushroom zombie

53 Covered in poison fungus

54 Covered in hallucinogenic fungus (possibly magic visions or crazy illusions)

55 Covered in magic fungus gives spirit sight, healing or other effect

56 Humanoids flay skin and turn into throw rug or nail to wall

57 Humanoids crucify, mutilate and cover in graffiti as warning

58 Humanoids cut off head and stick on pole or spear as warning, roll again for rest

59 Humanoids burn body and scatter ashes
60 Humanoids dismember body in series of party games
61 Buried in ditch and looted by other adventurers or demihumans

62 Buried with full honours and most stuff by other adventurers or demihumans

63 Taken to nearby settlement by adventurers or demihumans

64 Looted and dismembered by adventurers or demihumans who fear undead

65 Taken and dumped by roadside by adventurers or demihumans

66 Found by clergy who bury in sanctified location

67 Head or other part removed to claim a bounty or reward from someone

68 Cremated by clergy to prevent rising as undead

69 Found by clergy, beheaded, staked and buried under rock or sealed crypt
70 Found by peasants chucked in lime pit
71 Found by weirdo taxidermist (possibly not human)

72 Turned into zombie for use as slave or in sweatshop

73 Found by maniac who chucks in a well

74 Thrown in river or sea, roll again

75 Thrown in river or sea, eaten by fishes

76 Thrown into peatbog as sacrifice
77 Thrown into sea or lake or well as sacrifice

78 Thrown into pit with monster as sacrifice
79 Thrown into ghoul pit as sacrifice
80 Exchanged with local humans for monster or humanoid bodies for burial
81 Crushed into bone meal for ogres bread, flesh scraps eaten
82 Thrown in mass grave with other victims
83 Necromancer keeps to study decay
84 Thrown in acid pit
85 Erected in standing position with weapons as grisly guardian (possibly undead)
86 Cultists collect and perform ritual to feed soul to otherworld masters
87 Dismembered and sold as fake relics
88 Dismembered and sold in pies or sausages or cured meat
89 Turned into jerky for monster rations
90 Mummified or Embalmed for practice or teaching by humans or monsters
91 But in a sack for later collection
92 Bricked up or put under foundations for ritual
93 Taken to local morgue to await collection
94 Cooked in a big pot for monsters dinner
95 Taken to have spirit questioned by some spell casters
96 Raised by monsters or villains so they can torture and question you
97 Raised by demihumans - given quest
98 Raised by clergy - given quest
99 Resurrected by clergy - given quest
100 Resurrected by divine beings - given quest

d50 What price is your life?
When a priest or god return you to life they dont just do it to be nice. Most demand some price if not from the recently deceased then from whoever partitioned them for help. Some may not suit some faith so reroll till something more appropriate if DM deems it.
 
1 Convert to faith of the god if not member already (if so re-roll)

2 Donate 10% of everything you make for life

3 Donate 10 000 gp

4 Donate 100 000 gp

5 Donate 1000 000 gp

6 Reclaim lost temple or shrine

7 Find lost priest or missionary

8 Find holy scriptures

9 Find holy relic
10 Find holy artifact
11 Find remains of holy person

12 Free imprisoned holy person

13 Free imprisoned outer planar servant of god

14 Free petty god ally of cult

15 Slay enemy of faith

16 Recover stolen goods of temple

17 Slay traitor to church

18 Burn a rival church

19 Build a temple in new territory
20 Guard a shrine from harm for one year
21 Cleanse area of undead menacing a village or graveyard 

22 Guard worshipers on pilgrimage

23 Guard missionaries in new lands

24 Rescue holy person from imprisonment

25 Cleanse a town of a vice frowned on by religion

26 Accept brand or tattoo of god on face or hand for life

27 Abstain from an action or vice frowned on by religion

28 Donate land to church

29 Spend a year as a hermit in prayer
30 Make peace with traditional enemy
31 Must devote spare time to charitable acts and deeds 

32 Must concert 100 persons to faith

33 Must convert 1000 persons to faith

34 Every monster you kill do so in name of god in public

35 Must always protect members of faith

36 Dedicate souls of slain to god

37 Must marry member of church

38 Must raise your children as church members

39 Give one of your children to church
40 Go on a crusade killing enemies of faith till released from service by church
41 Explore and find new lands for missionaries

42 Kill monsters that will not convert to faith

43 Find long lost outpost of faith

44 Carry faith into heart of non believers to preach

45 Reclaim holy site occupied or built on by another faith

46 Commemorate holy days with substantial feasts, donations and charity

47 Sponsor yearly missionaries or pilgrims, 1000gp or 10% total wealth if possible

48 Scourge self with flagellation, scarification and self harm

49 Free slaves whenever possible and insist they adopt faith
50 Offer enemies choice to convert or die in battle

Death is only the begining (part one)

Dying really sucks most of the time. In some genres real death is rare like with superheroes. Modern espionage agent probably not. Cthulhu if your lucky you just die in ignorance. Being resurrected in Cthulhu not so great. Fantasy and mythology has stranger options and dnd and rq have always had a few direct options. I could envisage a party TPK where they awake in underworld and fight way back to land of living and restore own lives which is pretty legendary stuff.

d12 What price doth the reaper charge?
Resurrection for me is the ultimate and restores life for long dead or undead. Raise dead has a cost. Ive seen a few versions in play but possibly different cults and relics and machines could have varied side effects. Also make them age 1d4 years if they fail a con roll.

1 Loses a STR point as muscles atrophy and seize up
2 Loses a DEX point and nerves and reflexes dulled
3 Loses a CON point (finite times for most, might lose HP)
4 Loses a INT point not all there anymore, brain damaged
5 Loses a WIS point dart of inner self gone
6 Loses a CHA point grow darker inside and aged
7 Lose a level (not usable on zero level types like commoners or children)
8 Lose 1d4 HP permanently (might kill weak again)
9 Otherworldly such as demons beings cause mischief every game
10 Shift alignment one step towards the healer till equal then reroll
11 Given a Quest by the power source
12 Given a curse by the healers power source (possibly a tabu thing)

d12 What price does the healer pay?
Just to make life harder make the priest feel some reason to not raise dead. Perhaps when you raise an idiot or enemy just to question them or some trivium the god gets mad and uses this or use every day to reduce executive use. An Item with a cost like this could be handy. 
 
1 Battle the dead spirit that tries to resist life
2 Fight the spirits or demon that take the spirit to beyond
3 Rebuked by god given atonement Quest
4 Responsible for raised persons conduct and behavior
5 Priest is rendered unclean and needs purification from peer
6 Loses a year of own life
7 Cannot raise same person more than once
8 Takes 1d3 damage per level of raised person
9 Halves STR for one hour per level of raised person
10 Loses one level per hour of victims level
11 In a coma, prayer or ritual for one hour her dead persons level
12 Roll on d12 What price the reaper charges
 

d100 What happens to your Soul on death?
+1 per 2 levels or per level if priest,
+1-3 for each exemplary alignment step
-1-3 if total jerk or failure at alignment step
(eg each part of compound alignment like lawful evil)
You could roll here for what a raised character experienced while dead

1 Absorbed into the bosom of chaos

2 Slowly digested helpless in belly of an outer god for aeons

3 In underworld fused into a huge mass of screaming tortured souls

4 Turned into a tool or weapon used by beings of evil to inflict suffering

5 Turned into a helpless pool of liquid filth demons bathe in

6 Wailing starving ghost begging for dung and dust to eat

7 Wandering shade mad with loneliness

8 Local ghost lord claims dominion of you and sets you to haunt location

9 Invisible speechless phantom wanders world seeing all missing out on in life
10 Bullied and beaten by other spirits in spiritworld
11 In underworld a human faced worm being tortured in the pit

12 In underworld as an Imp being bullied and enslaved by greater powers

13 In underworld as small familiar monster feeding from scraps of others

14 In underworld as minor devil or demon in army waging eternal pointless war

15 Reborn again and again as cattle of the underworld and butchered daily

16 Tortured constantly by devils in a pit with pitchforks

17 Tortured constantly by toad devils molesting you in every way

18 Tortured constantly by imps or worms living inside you and biting you constantly

19 Tortured constantly by devils boiling in oil or blood or sulphur or water or tears
20 Tortured constantly by devils using mockeries of your vices
21 Tortured constantly by devils with illusions and temptations 

22 Tortured constantly by devils using dungeon torture equiptment

23 Tortured constantly by devils with execution and dismemberment daily

24 Tortured constantly by devils lord as his special plaything and slave

25 Tortured constantly by devils locking you in dungeon madhouse

26 Demons of darkness torment you in a eternal void of dispair

27 Demons of putrescence swim around you in a quagmire of vomit and excrement

28 Demons of fire or ice strip your body of flesh then rebuild you daily

29 Demon succubus/incubus abuse you and raise your demon spawn to torment you
30 Demons hurl you into the great abyss of madness and chaos
31 Servitors of outer gods use you as fuel for a machine in agonizing process

32 Servitors of outer gods dine on you alive and refine your pain into rare wines

33 Servitors of outer gods warp your spirit into monster then send you back to world

34 Servitors of outer gods use you to feed parasitic offspring in nest

35 Servitors of outer gods experiment on you in multidimensional space

36 Trapped in tavern of lost souls with other miserable adventurers and drunks

37 Trapped in city of despair on bottom social rung in city of the dead

38 Trapped in citadel of great under world lord as a bottom rank house servant

39 Trapped in stable of underworld being as a mount and ridden hard
40 Trapped as a hunting beast and used to hunt wayward souls led by hunt master 
41 Sent as a spirit or devil or other being to claim souls of mortals 

42 A formless spirit in a ethereal infinity

43 Trapped like a insect in amber, frozen in block of pure Law but maddeningly aware

44 Placed in a cue for processing in formless void

45 Trapped in formless void to be judged at end of the world

46 Reincarnated as tiny creature or bug

47 Reincarnated as small creature

48 Reincarnated as plant

49 Reincarnated as lightning or fire for brief moment re-roll50 Reincarnated as monster or goblinoid51 Reincarnated as medium farm animal 52 Reincarnated as medium wild animal

53 Reincarnated as large animal

54 Reincarnated as huge animal

55 Reincarnated as peasant

56 Reincarnated as elf, dwarf or other newborn of demi-human race 

57 Reincarnated into body of adult in great crisis

58 Reincarnated elemental being

59 Reincarnated minor outer plane race depending on alignment
60 Reincarnated as a monk
61 Reincarnated as nymph or satyr or nature spirit of forest

62 Reincarnated as nymph or mermaid or nature spirit of water

63 Reincarnated as well pampered pet

64 Reincarnated as member of aristocracy

65 Reincarnated as minor divinity living life of aeons of otherworldly pleasure

66 Judgement from the first ancestor if good re-roll d50+50 if bad re-roll d50

67 Judgement from ferryman if good re-roll d50+50 if bad re-roll d50

68 Judgement from the reaper if good re-roll d50+50 if bad re-roll d50

69 Judgement from lord of dead if good re-roll d50+50 if bad re-roll d50
70 Judgement from the great beast of the pit if good re-roll d50+50 if bad re-roll d50
71 Given job in celestial bureaucracy in underworld

72 Given job in celestial bureaucracy monitoring natural process on earth

73 Given job in celestial bureaucracy under the sea in court of sea lord

74 Given job in celestial bureaucracy monitoring adventurers on earth

75 Given job in celestial bureaucracy in heavens among the stars

76 Offered obstacle to pass to paradise re-roll d20+80 if fail roll d50
77 Offered chance at life if for fill a quest on earth

78 Offered chance at paradise if for fill quest on earth d20+80 if fail roll d50
79 Offered choice to return reincarnated re-roll 1d20+45 or paradise re-roll d20+80
80 Offered choice reincarnation free annihilation or reincarnated re-roll 1d20+45
81 Admitted to minor paradise of your religion see friends and family
82 Admitted to minor paradise of your religion put in army for eternal cosmic war
83 Admitted to minor paradise of your religion put in administrative position
84 Admitted to minor paradise of your religion get to be of divine being
85 Admitted to minor paradise of your religion get to be messenger of divine being
86 Admitted to minor paradise of your religion get to feast and party eternally
87 Admitted to minor paradise of your religion get to study and train eternally
88 Admitted to minor paradise of your religion live a happy family life forever
89 Admitted to minor paradise of your religion where divine lover attend your need
90 Admitted to minor paradise of your religion where a divine being takes you for a lover
91 Admitted to the halls of the gods to be their plaything and object of amusement
92 Admitted to the halls of the gods get to be servant of god
93 Admitted to the halls of the gods get to care for pets of the gods
94 Admitted to the halls of the gods get to be gods champion in games and contests
95 Admitted to the halls of the gods, shrines on earth bear your name
96 Gods affronted by your death, not part of their plan, return to land of living
97 Gods affronted by your death, return as undead
98 Gods affronted by your death, return in a new body
99 Gods affronted by your death, return in a new body of different species
100 Apotheosis - gods make example of you for better or worse become minor divine being

Next Time:
-what happens to body
-resurrection by strangers who find your corpse

Gamers Get Together and Solo Psychon

Week before SYDCON we have a get together day of gaming and my game didn't run. Ill try something more mainstream next time. My life has changed lots since last one and am gaming 3 sessions a week now.

Met some friends, showed some new gamers my 1981 BX books and got a warm response. "Wow that looks easier and less like homework than Pathfinder manual". Was nice to hear instead of usual aberrant stares i get as oldschool gamer.

While waiting for drinking session to start I messed around and generated some new hexes for Psychon which will appear here later. Some of them very cool. Psychon art coming along too as proof version here will attest. Did some Psychon NPCs too.

Then I picked a random Psychon hex map and made them hexcrawl it and tested my tables out. Will rearrange book more but good experience. Basically had solo explorations and quirky battles. Beastman worked out well. Killed some wild mutant dogs, some cultists, a mutant riding a lizard with a laser a rat swarm and a robot. Have my passenger list ready for my Bermuda triangle Psycon game next week and found one of my graff logos that made a nice airline logo. Tomorrow off to markets to sell art and merch then Cthulhu 1490s vs high sabbat game which should be awesome.

If there is a point or style to adventure on Psychon it is these:

Hexcrawling - survival and exploration are about half to a third of play

Hexconquering - fix local troubles  like killing evil wizard, stopping undead or space spoors, change societies. I love generating a population that at first seems multicultural, democratic but sexist or ageist instead. Plenty of hexes ruled by mobs, despots and alien species or doppelgangers that could get at least a nudge in right direction. L okk forward to generating anything that looks like a utopia - has not happened yet

Hexquesting - specifically searching for targets to kill or loot, seeking items to resolve problems

This form in practice needs a few bugs take out but pretty good. Will do a contest later in year to design a hex for Psychon.

Am writing what happens when you die blog post now too.

12 Questions from the Octopi Lord

Saw this add in hundreds of comics and I would look at every time as a kid.

I have done a crap job at my own questions but here goes. I feel a bit more dull than some others who have answered this. Six games of Psychon at con and precon this coming fortnight so that is promising. I guess my Exile Island game is all about classic dnd/fantasy tropes and is thus kinda a cliche. I think more about campaign arcs, next game and sandbox tools than the past. I will ask some old players of mine.

12 Questions from the Octopi Lord:

1. What is your favorite villain you ever challenged players with?
   Derek Draken was a prince of the Volnir kingdoms and was kind of a good looking ivan the terrible meets ghengis khaan in my longest running RQ fantasy earth. He was technically an enemy but often party on same side versus worse things. Players rubbed against him many times and fought with him a few occasions. He was better than the pantheon of evil gods destroying the world. Immortal Barron of Shadelport in my current game comes close. He is a bit of a bastard but treats them ok (now). Grandslam in my Marvel game was a super hitman and characters enjoyed having moral debates with him kinda like Tom Strong. It is magic when you finally get a good hit on villain while making a moral point in dialogue. I like the greek drama villain who is a flawed noble which was basis of all these bastards. If only wasnot a dick they would be awesome guys but something flawed and even tragic origins. Making heroes partly like a villain so harder to kill them is an art.
   
2. What is your favorite organization behind wrong-doing in your setting?
   Tower was a secret society iin my SF/conspiract game that i have used versions of in my supers and fantasy games. Their assasins are rooks. Inner order use chess symbold and claim to date from crusaders and the order of assasins. They were world manipulators who built WOTAN a super AI they used which of course became their god. The rival organizational had an AI: PHEONIX which sent party on missions. Theses two are currently gods in my Planet Psychon.
3. What is the most interesting location you ever staged a battle in?
   Part of me says my River city superhero setting as roving battles frequently encountered local gangs, a broken wall could lead to a superbeings HQ. Fights often got unececarily complex and violent. There was also a certain underground base in Alaska that was full of robot villains and the party never realized till all fled and a monk hero remained to hold the escape route. Space is always fun because extra badness happens so easily. Inside the dream of a god on one occasion was strange. One superhero had his own nightmare pocket dimension he would gate villains to and party would follow to finish off. Occasional a giant jack in the box demon might have eaten the poor badguys first. Was running battle inside master villain who turned out to be a multiplanar god. Had to kill his followers then him from inside then escape collapsing universe. Several heroes have had own pocket universes which were good for weird fights.
4. What is the most interesting chase scene you ever had in a game?
   I dont have enough chase scenes or running away in my games. My espionage game (sort of topsecret/SI and BRP probably the most deliberate. I particularly remember a very long battle on a moving train where rookie agents were being hunted by the Tower agent Puzzleface, a mask wearing scarified psychopath with a garrotte wrist watch. They struggled at everything. Ran a super space psychic ninja campagn with lots of chases especially in space ships, but also with jetpacks, space suits, fightercraft and hovercars. Supers games had some silly high speed chases and hyperfast avoiding of obstacles. "Cars that ate sanity" rules for Cthulhu made some nice chase scenes. Outrunning the growth spurts of Azathoth in a car counts right?
5. What is the most evocative scenic location you have used in a game?
   Psychon will be it but at moment I always like having games set in hell or ruined cities. Ruins good in every genre. Always liked other planes like hell or elemental ones. Did have a giant battle with Orcus inside a mountain size statue to him. Im a big fan of thickly applying genre and tropes to make a interesting place. National geographic gave duck artist Carl Barks many awesome locations and did for me too.
6. What is the most interesting one-of-a-kind unique monster in your games?
   The Chaos Goat in RQ one of my favorite monsters the heroes heard of an laughed about it. When they met the huge mutated multiheaded winged fire breathing beast they gulped. After they never mocked monsters again and scolded newer players who laughed whenever heroes names mentioned with this act. I had a cool space vampire (like buck rogers one + zombies) in Star Frontiers that party couldn't get authorities to care about. Branlack Korr the black broo in RQ was father, king and lord of broo horde in one world. Was Illuminated and kept healing goddess avatar hostage and kept her unharmed and well cared for which kinda surprised party considering his utter scumbaggerey in the past.
7. What is the most tantalizing artifact, relic or tech you have ever used in game?
   Shadowhelm - summoned shadow dog pack that did not obey and killed everything in sight. Ivanavitch the weilder would use near enemy then ride away on horse. He never bothered activating most of the other 9 powers except the cloud of darkness that he couldnt even see in. Plane destroying bombs in multiverse game used to stop Mythos gods multiversal alignment plot. I like troublesome relics and look forward to more in my dnd game.
   
8. What is the most world shattering thing a player has ever got up to in your settings?
   Cthulhu awakened from crypt by treasure and power hungry adventurers opening the crypt of the forgotten dead god (he will be grateful or have loot). Ruined the world, spreading madness and chaos. All the greatest heroes and villains ganged up drove big C off but world ruined and most human gods dead. Was really horrible end of my first DnD world in 80s. Had time traveling imortal in stasis survive into next universe once.
9. What is the strangest death of a character in game you have run?
   Generally not a killer GM but Cthulhu my exception. Suicide after mutation or killing your family by accident a few times in game. Letting something live that later kills your family has resulted in suicide in game. In DnD death isnt a bit obstacle - i never have done a TPK. I find cults willing to restore you to life with a cost and a quest. Sadly did have a cop killing superhero killed buy party own government spook with a pistol which players mentioned for rest of 20 year game so it was unusual for that game.
10. What is the most intriguing challenge, trap, or non combat obstacle in your games?
    Players own egos and paranoia. If they really hate some villain they return. If they imagine a mysterious willfull villain behind stuff there is one. If they shake world or get notieriety they get attention from powers that be. I like moral conundrums. Players justifying appalling child killing with alighnment philosophy and forcing them to make tough choices like who to side with. Physical traps are for low levels.  Deathtraps are for archvillains. magic traps for more advanced dungeons. Monsters are my favorite trap.
    
11. What is most interesting ability or character option you have added to your game
    HeHe. I rewote most of marvel talents and powers in my TSR marvel. Ran a system sorta d100/d10 game evolved from star frontiers to BRP over years with entire magic system. I had dozens of spell lists so probably a bit of rolemaster influence. Have always hacked DnD and always felt like a framework. 1st ADnD felt like a toolkit of Gary's notebook of his hacks of his own game. BRP has lotsa variations and Cthulh7 looks like a new emanation for people who cannot learn 5x tables. BRP system I have not messed with really but I might make my own magic system and psionics system based on my 80s game.
12. What is the strangest mash up or weirdest system hack you have made in gaming?
    Cthulhu-Metropolis is may favorite. Superheroes let you mash anything. I always liked wild west vs aliens and plane traveling and did it for a bit. Had a plane travelling city of superheroes (a but of an unsafe wreck full of freaks). Classic games I think keep longer interest but short term cool experiments. I hope Psychon can be both. Long stairs DnD vs mod secial forces was fun will do again.

I could answer as a player in others games too

Ideas for future blogs:
(best side fx of questions)
d100 what happens when you die table
-price of death
-what happens to body
-what happens to soul
-resurrection by strangers with a price
d100 deathtraps - ancient modern and future versions
more space tables
d100 high powered artifacts
d100 demons
d100 warlords
psychon hex description form
more space stuff
pulp/metropolis encounters
are popes just host bodies for immortal cultist?

will get BRP pulp, fantasy monograph

decided to buy cubicle7 stuff for cthulhu - got folklore book - has handy stats to use for my 1490 game

Gamelog: Giantkillers

So the slaughter continues. Party left some flunkies and orcs to mind bodies and start looting while they chased the chieftain. His secret doors and decent to dungeon led him well away from party and mobilize entire bugbear force. Many of the surviving giants were not inspired and fled. Party found manticores in cage. They threatened party to let them out or else and come close so we can bite you or we will get you.  The bard linden glamoured the leader to attack one that Emy sent to sleep with spell. Party sat back as other manticores watched leader fight in what they thought was a domination battle till he tore out the submissives throat then they turned on him. They just beat him while druid stone shaped past bards and party finished them off.

Went back upstairs and let casters rest while orcs and bodyguard followers kept looting. Finished off the top floor with entangle spells and swarms an hails on dire wolves while heroes killed giants. Linden found cloud giants talking giant slaying sword. Druid and gnome got flaming smartswords too. These made a big diference and Linden killed many more giants. Every time he tried song or spell the sword would complain. Controlled him when was reluctant to kill young giants and explained human giant war and how giants enemies of the gods and must die. Sword tells Linden he is a destined hero and will join the honour roll of all the other dead heroes who have wielded it before.

Went back down and surprised bugbear force with two entangles and an ice storm. Hel lightning bolted the leader and a few bugbears then the Druid with magic lept over the bugbears and attacked the wounded leader. All dead. Party freed prisoners and recruited 120 orcs to live in one of their territorial valleys. Let troglodytes flee and found evidence that a few giants escaped via the cistern. Ignored weird ruined temple and other crap. Found massive hauls and returned to surface and carried loot home.

Party items talking while party sleep. Three swords and a staff of teleportation.

Divide up loot and level up next session.  Im gonna rewrite the decent to the depths scenario and make fire giants underworld born invaders.

Added a few days later. Actually the pacing of this adventure flawed. Downstairs easier than upstairs. Should have mentioned two long lasting followers almost died (and some bears) but as I give WIS bonus in extra rolls per session I let players use them to save flunkies. People very worried when Barbar the Dwarf choked on yellow mould.

How 30 Day Challenge Ruined My Life

I started looking at doing 30 day challenge then stopped myself. Ive said this stuff all before. I could have just linked to my past blogs for most. So when I finish work or are bedridden and I wanna kill some time I look to my peers to entertain me and concluded the 30 day challenge spoiled this pleasure and made the blogscape repetitive and boring. Just the same way my favorite FB groups have been killed by people selling their commercial product, boasting about their latest purchase and waxing lyrical about some sentimental product of the past. Gaming for me isn't about product. It is about ideas and creativity. Products are good for ideas, just having one doesn't magically do much. They are just frameworks. Dying with biggest collection of product doesn't make you winner.

So rather than just knock something like my Dad I propose the questions I wanna see from my peers and only have a dozen so my blogger comrades can get to what they really are best at. Entertaining me with wild ideas and creativity. Furthermore If you wanna do it in one go good. System and genre neutral.

12 Questions from the Octopi Lord:

1. What is your favorite villain you ever challenged players with?
2. What is your favorite organization behind wrong-doing in your setting?
3. What is the most interesting location you ever staged a battle in?
4. What is the most interesting chase scene you ever had in a game?
5. What is the most evocative scenic location you have used in a game?
6. What is the most interesting one-of-a-kind unique monster in your games?
7. What is the most tantalizing artifact, relic or tech you have ever used in game?
8. What is the most world shattering thing a player has ever got up to in your settings?
9. What is the strangest death of a character in game you have run?
10. What is the most intriguing challenge, trap, or non combat obstacle in your games?
11. What is most interesting ability or character option you have added to your game
12. What is the strangest mash up or weirdest system hack you have made in gaming?
    

Ill do mine next time as this much awesomeness is too thrill powered for me right now.

Graverobbing Update!

Smash=loot? In every good mausoleum or crypt and even many graves, ceramic and other vessels are common features. Ornaments, sacrifices or supplies for the dead and even cremation remains might be found. Some contain weird stuff. Old multicultural areas will have greatest diversity. Wealth is another factor. Local religion may dictate what such vessels contain and they could be uniform.

d10 Container Type
Probably find most of similar type in same area but you may wish to roll for different sections or historical layers. Perhaps a d3 or d6 types depending on size, age, cultural diversity or wealth.

1 Woven basket from plant or animal fibre
2 Wood or bark
3 Crude ceramic
3 Painted earthenware
5 Finest glazed ceramic
6 Ceramic or stone figurine or face on lid of jar
7 Copper, brass or bronze
8 Carved stone, possibly semi precious
9 Silver possibly just plated
10 Gold, electrum or platinum possibly just plated

d10 Basic Contents
1-4 Human remains, ash or dust
5-6 Humble foodstuff, probably (90%) spoiled
7 Water, wine, beer, milk, blood or some liquid
8 Some high quality preserved goods like honey or salt or oil
9 Coins d4 1=1d100 copper 2=2d20 silver 3= 2d6 gold 4=all previous results mixed
10 roll on unusual contents table

d100 Unusual Grave Urns and Funery Vases
1 Skeleton, animates and attacked if smashed or opened

2 Skeleton, animates and serves if smashed or opened

3 1d10 Skeletons, animates and attacked if smashed or opened

4 Animated flying skull attacks

5 Phantom spirit or haunt is enraged if smashed or opened

6 Shadow attacks if freed when smashed or opened

7 Swarm of hostile grubs, flies or bugs attacks area 2d6 rounds 1ptdam/ round

8 An angry spirit moans at your sacrilege and haunts for 1d6 days

9 Dust devil of grave ash attacks if smashed or opened
10 A beastman guardian appears in smoke if smashed or opened 
11 A map to possible treasure

12 Religious scriptures advising the departed

13 Mummified organs

14 Holy symbol and a extra roll on basic content

15 Commemorative poem or speech dedicated to dead

16 A painting depicting underworld

17 A charm protecting grave from undead

18 A charm cursing grave robbers

19 A charm summons a guardian other planar being 1HD+
20 Tiny Idols
21 Jackpot 1d100 gp in various coins

22 Cheap trinkets worth 1d20 copper

23 Flashy trinkets worth 1d10 silver

24 Impressive trinkets 1d6 gold

25 Ceremonial coins of clay 3d100 stamped with underworld symbols

26 Dried human or animal heart stuffed with thorns or nails

27 Severed and preserved shrunken human head

28 Toy or model house, chariot or animal

29 Creepy doll 1in6 animate follow and try to kill you in sleep
30 A surprised goblin or kobold with no memories
31 Explosives, very unstable from 2d6 damage and 1d4 yards radius

32 Live snake

33 Live scorpion

34 Live Rats

35 Cloud of darkness floods area for 1d10 rounds

36 Cloud of fear gas floods area for 1d10 rounds

37 Cloud of poison gas floods area for 1d10 rounds

38 Cloud of sleep or paralyzing gas floods area for 1d10 rounds

39 Cloud of fear hallucinating gas floods area for 1d10 rounds40 Cloud of cold gas floods area for 1d10 rounds, 1hp dam per round
41 A big fat croaking toad

42 Delicious wine, mead or beer magically preserved till seal broken

43 Fresh blood or milk magically preserved till seal broken

44 Flammable if exposed to air 1d3x10 radius effect, 2d6 damage and sets stuff alight

45 Small corroded 1d4 weapons like darts, dagger, knife

46 Clay deathmask from a corpse with remains

47 Ceremonial robes from religion or cult

48 Skull with clay reconstruction of features

49 Mummified animal
50 Dice, knuckle bones or cards
51 Ammunition for missile weapon like sling stones or arrows

52 Fake treasure made from past or glass looks 1d4x100gp value at first

53 Ceremonial or festive mask from religion or cult

54 Collection of ceremonial cups

55 Stash of narcotics

56 A potion in a vial, might be smashed if urn broken open

57 Comb, razor, soap

58 Cloud of stinking gas floods area for 1d10 rounds, save or helpless vomiting

59 Invisible imp released which stalks and plays nasty tricks on any who release him
60 Huge foot wide spider jumps out at you
61 Crawling with juicy bugs

62 Pigments for painting or makeup

63 Instrument like a small drum or flute or rattle

64 Puzzlebox, roll again for contents

65 Tablets dedicating grave site

66 Dried flowers or herbs

67 Fungus growing on something gross

68 Something used as a chamber pot

69 Perfume or scented oil
70 Holy water vial, may break if urn smashed
71 Monster teeth, horn or tusk, carved 

72 Incense

73 A letter damning a dead person to excommunication and eternal torment

74 Plans of a crypt

75 Silver knuckle duster

76 Tools of commoners trade
77 A collection of love letter

78 A journal of a doomed person
79 Ledgers of accounts, debts or gambling records
80 A creepy worm or bug that tries to escape, larval monster
81 A severed hand 1in6 animated and attacks by surprise
82 Gremlins that scatter if opened to later menace who found them
83 Strange eggs of a monster
84 An illusion to scare away thieves such as a monster
85 An illusion to portray the life of a dead person
86 An illusion to portray the afterlife
87 A magical scroll
88 A petty item like a cantrip wand with zero level spells
89 A glowing gem with permanent light cast on it
90 A batch of ointment that causes lycanthropy
91 Releases a miasma of disease over area if opened
92 A poltergeist haunts opener for 1d6 days
93 A spirit tries to posses who opens it to complete some ancient mission
94 A weird slimy elder relic possibly living with strange powers and curse
95 A ghoul appears in a puff of smoke 1in6 calls 2d4 ghouls instead
96 Skull with magic symbols, who posses it has dreams of elder magicians
97 Living medium animal leaps out if opened or smashed
98 Smoke released forms into long trapped possibly bad magician of some type
99 Mass of imprisoned worms is collective mind of dead wicked sorcerer
100 Human remains slowly reanimate unto undead over 1d6 hours of release

Cthulhu 1490 vs House on the Borderlands

Tonight party was gathered with leader Edgar the scholar knight (Hugo) was absent in court while his minions went to check out report of strange old house and some men disappearing.

Conan as Gregor the surgeon of the knights of the sword
Andrew as Axel the robber knights
Hans the sword knight, aid to gregor
Steve as Corr the Pict
Twobeard as Rhinheart the merchant
Olaf as Astrid the Swedish wise widow
Gabriel as Hugo the bandit
Andy as Harri the hunter

So the party arrived at their other base the serpent caves, as prepared to go to the strange house in a ravine where six men vanished.

Rhinheart had while absent during the werewolf hunt had spoken twice more with his voices in the mist calling spell friends. They taught him Bind Lycanthrope when he told them about werewolves. Two more visits anb a fumbled luck roll and he woke up with a scared shaved head in a field. Small metal things were attracted to him and his beds and clothes become mold infested. Heard clicking and buzzing sounds.

Gregor had been learning power to call great fiery wrath of god from the Necronomicon in Leipzig. Axel took over a bandit gang and drove of anoterHari kept trying to learn the mist summoning spell but failing, the Serpantman teacher in priest form getting tired of teaching dummies. He reported with his slowly reactivated serpent man lab could detect a dimensional anomaly.

So in morning party went to canyon that Corr had already dreamed of.

Found house isolated in a mini mesa island of land in middle of a canyon. No way up. Harri grappled up with hook found in stream and sneaked to strangely built house. Saw pig tracks. Heard some squeals. Ran to look heard squealer other side. Repeated then doubled back to see a surprised pig head which fled.

Helped rest of party up. Harri kept hearing them pigs yet others didn't. Did see proof of pigs walking on hind legs and gashes of tusks and hooves on house doors. House boarded up and doors barred. Smashed down kitchen and found weird items and peeling paper on the walls. A lamp of intricate design. Found a set of incredible ceramics with a date of 1850 on them found by Astrid. Found a pocket watch, funny books in strange Norwegian and English and a photograph which really upset them.

Gregor Commanded they take nothing and stick together after the mercs tried sneaking upstairs. Found suit of armour and halberd that looked good but useless and made only as ornaments. Found a awesome 1850s musket trap in weighed trapdoor to study in attic. Astrid felt ill at ease after a prayer and Rhinheart felt weird preassure waves comming from bellow. Poor Henri kept hearing pigs.

Found journal and went into basement found bricked up entry hole and huge piles of crap piled on floor in a heap. Moved it, found trapdoor down 40 foot into windy damp cavern. Some stayed as guards while a few followed passage upwind. Went a hundred feet into a huge 80 foot wide pit. Fired an arrow up almost a hundred feet up and saw nothing. Not possible to be under house. Multiple side passages. The sensitives felt strange energy. Rhinheart heard clicks and felt pulses. Widow Astrid felt unseemly presences and everyone heard the pigs,

Horde of demented squealing killers charged. They backed into entry passage and killed them with superior weapons and armour only a few at a time. Astrid maimed many with thrown knives. Rhinheart's eye burst and a biolaser fried a pig. All unsettled by this. Rhinheart couldn't feel anything odd.


Back at the Pit Corr, Harri and Gregor battle two more then went after rest. All met at battlefield and collected dead pigmen for the universities and circuses of Germany.

Back to house did a quick loot and prepared to burn hell house. As ready scratching from basement then at back door as pigmen blocked exit. Whole house magically flaring and pulsing to those who could see.  Party tried bashing through pigmen to escape with wave after wave of dead pigs as house groaning and shuddering. One by one heroes battered way out and killed pigheads. Corr, Axel and Hans like profesionals pushed the wall of pigflesh back so party could get out. Astrid pulled a sword from her dress and hacked through. Rhinheart  was pleased to slice them at a glance. Gregor at rear with sack of loot saw visions of red sky, strange moons and a sinister red beast headed god before just escaping the houses next jaunt. Pigmen slaughtered and three alive. 

Party returned to serpent cave. Serpent man in priest form dissected a pig and Gregor gave one to his absent brother as a gift. Some tension there over the business end of operation. Axel unhappy that aristocrats still hold power of life and death over him and his 80 odd men at arms he commands. Rhinheart's eye seemed ok but clicks started up if serpent came near to look at. Rhinheart on next chance visited the fog and the voices offering them anything for personal power. They said they already were learning lots from him but did request sacrifices be left for them, this time human. 

Plans to sell clock technology to royal clockmakers.

Armour and parrying made party survive this. Something Cthulhu players in modern times cannot do.

Thanks to realms of crawling chaos book for some cool mythos tables and RQ3 Vikings set on powers for a priestess of Freya. Tribute to William Hope Hodgson for the House on the Borderlands story.

Saw Cthulhu7 rules from Gencon - a bit freaked at first. But eventually comes down to simpler maths but stat change and generation from BRP and how backward compatible modules will be remains to be seen. A few little changes i like so will get but i have just got used to 6th so wont change in a hurry. I hope move away from BRP isnt over some bits with open license or some legal shit. Strangely now seems to me like my d10 game of my design in 80s i gave up for BRP as it was evolving closer and closer to RQ/Ringworld and was originally star frontiers based. I was just gonna buy a shitload of stuff for game. Will get mecha anime and some other books. Now I have 7-8 players in Cthulhu i might get to try some other genre stuff?