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Sunday, 31 October 2021

Some Reviews

 



















Had some reading time of late while my net cable was cut for 17 days and they say 28 more days. Also, my daily dose of the fallout has diminished quite a bit now all my settlements maxed out and all costume themed (military, chefs, labcoats+goggles, suits, long underwear + bowlers, robot skins, greasers, miners) my enthusiasm slowed. Been selling some books. My new zine lost me subscribers but got nice comments. Vol3 is almost done and some other things I'm looking at working on but am back to making stuff in print.


Midderlands Stuff
Still my favorite setting I would actually run or port from. Firstly the Midderzines have been great and answered many questions I had about the setting. I've been tempted to write stuff for it even. The non boring magic items series is the best such lists/tables on magic items ever, better than dnd books sorry.

Folk Magic of the Haven Isles
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/316831/Folk-Magic-of-the-Haven-Isles
All my players who saw this were quite interested so I might try it out in a future game with Courtney's http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/ stuff on spell effects. So these are mods for basic dnd retro-clone wizards to make them more interesting. Lots of good stuff for encounters or village magicians to be very different. It's a slim digest with nice art and a fine folk horror vibe.

Behind The Walls by John Large 
Adventure for osr dnd clones and fits well in Midderlands with notes for that setting. Almost a Call of Cthulhu adventure as it has a very horror feel. A village has had someone meddle in a ruin and uncover a buried ancient horror. Lots of cool mushroom stuff and normally I h8 die drop tables but the mushroom one on the back is one of the best ever. Lots of charming NPCs and grisly investigation scenes. I like it a lot and am keen to use it without much change. 

Murder Knights of Corvendark
Another work by Glynn Seal the creator. The cover as POD is hard to read on my copy. Inside is quite pretty and has nice maps and player handouts. There are lots of great things here. Monsterous murder knight crow men who obviously have been transformed and might not be responsible. A weird dungeon with possible planar influences and curses. Its very good and you could possibly run in Pendragon RPG. Id change the requirement to destroy standing stones as its a bit too common a trope and its on the rise in the real world to destroy prehistoric monuments so that's just me and I will probably have crow idols buried near the monuments to hijack leyline juice for crows. The villains are very horrible and the dungeon is hella spooky and atmospheric, Ravenloft might even be a fit. 

The Midderlands Rivers & Lakes
This is a slim book that adds to the descriptions of Haven Island. As per the setting descriptions, many imply possible adventure and minor interest without going over details which have killed numerous official settings for me. You can blink and miss this but it does add to the existing lore.

Dungeons & Dragons Companion Box Set
I also got mint copies of the D&D companion box so I have 3 to of 5 now, no boxes and most terrible condition. I have had the Cyclopedia so no surprises here except that this box does what dnd didn't and that provides domain and wargaming rules in core rules. Lots of great artwork I had not seen High Elmore. If this box came out months earlier I would never have played AD&D. Mostly its spells and monsters for high-level play. Now I just need an Expert book and Masters ones. I have the previous editions of red and blue BX I still use with kids. 

Others
I also got Prince Valient a very underrated story game with super simple rules.

Warpland and Nurocity are both enjoyable and I am working on a proper write up soon.

Had a good read of Call of Cthulhu hardback edition of Mountains of madness. Inspirational but not much art of city and very crude maps. Its brilliant but an overwritten railroad and lots of it will feel like a script. Still one of the better RPG things ever. I'm guessing when it gets updated they will do art and maps better. Even if all dialogue in bold-italicised would have helped. I had lots of dreams reading it before bed for a few weeks and for that I endorse it. There are elements that drag out story more I'm undecided on but it gives players something to do other than just look amazed and die.

My Dragon and Dungeon Mag collections have grown a bit and I have a bunch or repeats by accident which I flipped easily but I might look at some of the issues. Some had some innovative ideas in mapping and some good humour.

Friday, 29 October 2021

Some Basic Battlesuit Models For Elfmaids & Octopi




































Powerlifter P4 - industrial cargo lifter
AC+5, STR 20 or +1, Mov 36, six hydrogen cells 8 hours use, usually yellow
Radio, spotlight, powerclamp clawx2 3d4, unsealed system
CIvilian loader often used with forklifts for cargo

2 Construction Lifter -
 industrial worker unit
+7AC 
STR 20 or +1, Mov 36, six hydrogen cells 8 hours use, usually yellow
as powerlifter with HUD and tools such as welder, circular saw, drill, winch
Specialist powerlifter for heavy industry

3 FirefIghter F6 - civilian rescue power armour
AC+10 
STR 20 or +1, Mov 36, six hydrogen cells 8 hours use, usually yellow
Fire-resistant armour mostly as Powerlifter but red or orange, cold foam spray gun, 10 shot grenade launcher usually with specialist 40mm fire retardent rounds, sealed system, 2-hour air supply, filters, first aid kit, 
defibrillator, extra air mask, aircon, thermal scanner, gas scanner
For fire and paramedic rescues

4 ABC4 Minuteman - Atomic Biological Chemical Hazard power armour
AC+10 STR 20 or +1, Mov 36, atomic fuel cell for 72 hours, usually green, aqua or white
Radio, 4-hour air supply, filters, first aid kit, defibrillator, extra air mask, aircon, thermal scanner, gas scanner sealed for nuclear, biological and chemical operations and uses specialist decontamination foam rounds from a 10 shot 40mm grenaide launcher and autodrug injector with 10 doses (usually antirad, antivir, stim). For handling toxic and hazardous materials and emergency work. Often found in labs, power plants and waste centres 

5 Exospace Power Suit EX04 - space worker medium power armour
AV+10 STR 20 or +1, Mov 36, Flight 65 (space only), silver or white mostly
Com suite, HUD, Radar suite, sealed system, 3 days IV food & air, welder, cargo net, safety line, thrust pack, radiation sheilding. Space worker heavy suit   

Hornet A-12 SecArmour - security light powersuit
AC+7, STR to 18 or +1, Mov 45, 4x hydrogen cells for 8 hours use
Coms suite, HUD, lowlight, spotlight, first aid kit, defibrillator, unsealed-system
Shock truncheon, slug gun with variable-ammo-mag* 40 rounds 
Ammo: d6 1=d4 felt slug 2=d6 plastic slug 2=2d6 heavy slug 3=3d6 anti-vehicle-sabot 4=plastic flechettes 2d4 5=teargas 6=web
Common security suit for corporations and certain locations.
Won't fire lethal ammo at an unarmoured person due to HUD system fire control especially the anti vehichle round. Black labs may equip for lethal weapons and a space-variant has a sealed system and 4 hours air and a space thruster pack Fly 36 in space

7 Police R6 Riot Armour - light anti civilian power suit for law enforcers
AC+8, STR to 18 or +1, Mov 24, Jump3, 6xhyfrogen cell for 4-hour use
Coms suite, thermal scanner, lowlight, metal detector, bullhorn, spotlight, sealed system, gas mask, 2 hours air supply, camera, 
40mm grenade launcher 20 rounds variable-ammo-mag*
Ammo: d6 1=2d6 
slug 2=teargass 3=smoke 4=dyebombs 5=web 5=shock
Options include: riot shield with gunport, battering ram, sonic stunner, .50 cal sniper rifle with 50 round drum
Riot armour and police support armour able to catch people on foot or lead breaches. Won't fire lethal ammo at an unarmed person due to HUD system fire control

8 Military S7 Scout Armour - light forward observer and signals 
AC+6, STR to 16 or +1, Move 50, Jump 30, atomic fuel cell for 72 hours
Coms suite, HUD, ECM suite, radar suite, radio jammer, laser designator, lowlight, thermal sensor, gasmask, geiger counter, unsealed system, week rations, first aid kit, auto drug injector (10 uses from stabiliser, stims, pain killer, antirad, antivir, antitox), military binoculars. Typically armed with one from d6 1=minigun and 1000 rounds 2=7.62mm MG with scope and 2000 round drum 3=.50 cal sniper rifle with 100 round drum 4=
5d6 laser pistol 1% of cell per use  5=2 tube micro missile launcher 6=scoped grenade launcher with 40 round drum
Common military suit for recon and special assaults

9 Military M4 Combat Armour - medium frontline assault troops
AC+10, STR to 20 or +2, Move 40, Jump 12, atomic fuel cell for 48 hours
Coms suite, HUD, radar suite, laser designator, lowlight, thermal sensor, gasmask, geiger counter, sealed system, week rations, first aid kit, auto drug injector (10 uses from stabiliser, stims, pain killer, antirad, antivir, antitox), military binoculars. Armed with 6 tube grenade launcher (Frag and smoke), 2 tube micro missile launcher, 7.62mm MG with scope and 2000 round drum and a 5d6 laser pistol 1% of cell per use. A 50 hp/round forcefield pack was on experimental models which burns out if breached. Combat powersuits for frontline combat.

10 Military M9 Drop Marine Armour - heavy orbital assault armour
AC+20, STR+25 or +2, Move 65 Fly 300, two atomic cells for 24 hours
Coms suite, HUD, radar suite, laser designator, lowlight, thermal sensor, space sealed system, 12-hour air supply, Geiger counter, 2 days liquid IV rations, autosurgeon, auto drug injector (10 uses from the stabiliser, stims, pain killer, antirad, antivir, antitox), military binoculars, 100 hp energy screen per round destroyed if breached, 2 laser rifles (1% of power per shot), 10 shot micro missile launcher, 2 missile tubes, two 40mm grenade launchers 20 rounds variable-ammo-mag*. These can remain in orbit and drop to attack surface or space targets. Usually have a disposable pod with ablative heat shield, ecm jammers and stealth field which is discarded when landing. Experimental marine armour for orbital drops on planets or other space actions. Slightly too large for most tight fit small spacecraft or doors  

11 Ghost X2 Experimental Armour - medium stealth recon armour
AC+8, STR to 20 or +1, Move 50, Jump 30, atomic fuel cell for 48 hours
Coms suite, HUD, ECM suite, radar suite, stealth field, 25 point/round forcefield generator ruined if breached also inhibits stealth field, radio jammer, laser designator, lowlight, thermal sensor, gasmask, geiger counter, sealed system 2 hour air supply, week rations, first aid kit, auto drug injector (10 uses from stabiliser, stims, pain killer, antirad, antivir, antitox), military binoculars. Typically armed with d4 1=silent 5.56mm MG with scope and 2000 round drum 2=.50 cal sniper rifle with 100 round drum 3=
5d6 laser pistol 1% of cell per use  4=scoped grenade launcher with 40 round drum
Improved scout armour near invisible to sight and most basic sensors

12 Phantom X5 - heavy experimental psionic amplifier armour
AC+8, STR to 20 or +1, Move 50, Jump 12, atomic fuel cell for 24 hours
Coms suite, HUD, Sensor Suite, 25 hp/round forcefield pack which burns out if breached, +4 mental saving throws, blocked from nueral and life scanners, first aid pack, defibrillator, auto drug injector (ten shots usually stims or psi-drugs), many units built to enhance single psionic ability for an experiment but also useful vs hostile psionics

*can load mag with various rounds and select which round chambers next from variety in magazine

Terrier - Scrap Scout Light Armour
AC+5, STR to 16 or +1, Move 24, Jump 3, 6 hydrogen cells 72 hours
Radio, gasmask, unsealed system, 5.56 light MG with 500 round drum, powerclaw, 6 tube grenade mortar (mostly smoke or frag). Raider build suit from scrap and robots and industrial lifter suit parts
 
Pitbull - Scrap MedeumLight Armour
AC+7, STR to 20 or +1, Move 48, Jump 12, atomic fuel cell for 72 hours
Radio, gasmask, radar, unsealed system, power claw, chainsaw or circular saw, sound system, spotlight, auto drug injector with 10 shots (usually stims, painkillers or addictive recreational drugs), two weapon systems 
d6 1=minigun and 1000 rounds 2=7.62mm MG with scope and 2000 round drum 3=.50 cal sniper rifle with 100 round drum 4=5d6 laser pistol 1% of cell per use  5=2 tube micro missile launcher 6=scoped grenade launcher with 40 round drum. Raider build suit from scrap and robots and military suit parts

Wednesday, 27 October 2021

New Zine on Patreon


Will be putting up this zine on my Patreon for a while to experiment with the format a bit. It's 12 pages with maps for a small horrible island with a few villages and halls. The adventure will run episodically in the zine and will add extra content and have some play with layouts in future issues. 

Still plan to revise some older table books and the murder hobo manual which incredibly had art ripped off on clip art pages with hours of release last time so I need to get my scanner going and draw some more lady murder hobos for the update. I have some of my one-sheet-zine format (no 20 next) and wanted to do more gonzo psychon stuff but art feels like a bottleneck there so I need to talk to the principal artist on that again. I do want to do a series of 3fold post-Apoc locations including a motel, school, fire station, rural airstrip, church, micromall, food court and more.

Bonus news an infamous bad pr RPG company and IP graverobber with no released products abused me with paranoid claims for asking about the lack of product.

Monday, 25 October 2021

Sabre River Conclusion




































So we had date with gang all together (3) and Dallas could make it but he ended up with car dilemma so JB & Richard continued from what is possibly 6-8 weeks ago. But these are the laments of the older dad gaming world so we went on without our 18th lv fighter.

The elf started burning wishes on lowest stats as the flying castle headed for the Tower of Terror. Cutter McGuffin the magic boy wandered bout reading books in all languages and asking questions about the nature of wisdom and other stuff.

So Lanos the giant and Sourberry the elf alone went in as best followers sent to aid the elf queen (hoping to run followers adventure soon). AS castle came near it was unbalanced by a stonewall someone cast on the edge and Lanos rushed off to pilot the castle and made a high speed safety decent plunging thousands of feet. Sourberry turned the rock wall to mud and it oozed off the flying castle and a red dragon tried to cast polymorph to goat on him. But he instead of striking back turned into a red dragon and talked in the auld dragon speech. He made a promise to not steal her loot or harm her children and spoke. Got to meet the five younger 10HD dragons, one asked "is this is our new Dad?" Made a deal to explore the volcano and give her half the loot as she knew it was dangerous.

So he turned into a bug and flew deeper into the volcanic depths under the dragon lair and saw various ledges. Was a huge magical flame on one. Teleported back to the castle and rested then came back with Lanos. As soon as Lanos touched earth the fire turned out to be a gargantuan fire elemental noble and the party took a few rounds to beat up on it. Lanos has a fire salamander skin cloak so did better vs fire. In volcano bottom was Efreeti with pet salamanders and Lanos banished an efreeti who was acting more powerful than he really was and evaded the remaining pet salamanders. Met these metallic spheroids of law in volcano and Lanos being super into cosmic law got along with them. There was some invisible gorgons but Sourberry flew over them and was immune to gas from a necklace while Lanos killed them on the ground with a few hoof stomps. Invisibility helped the brutes for initiative so got in a few hits. Thew was a tomb full of revenants (I made 8 based on the characters pregens in module) and the players had to teleport away but killed the magic user and thief. Returned again and Lanos finally got his holy ray off and near killed a few more and with sourberry flying about bug size was magic missiling the crap out of the undead. Requird bodily destruction and heard screaming solls leaving the plane. Realized the bad supernatural forces were controlling all the monsters and even tricking spirits of the dead to serve them.

So they got the noble adventurers stash of weapons and sourberry got +4 elf chain so was finally in the hard to hit club. Rings and potion in the hoard too so both guys got protection rings too so biggest armour up in a long time. (Ive maxed to hit and AC both at +20 for mortals and 20th level mortal max). They found part of the sword and went back to the seer island crawling in monsters trapped in walk cycles and looped behaviour ignoring party. Inside the suspicious sage revealed the truth about the magic boy and the sword and the party attacked him only to find they couldn't hurt him while the seer summoned monsters. So killed and drove away sabreclaws (demon things that share HP in colony), storm giant, green dragon, an elf, gargantuan hellhound and a beholder which stoned and disintegrated Sourberry (first in-game death milestone and later he got better). Lanos did rescue the blade by grabbing it and when he fell the sword attacked the beholder killing it and the evil sage couldn't hurt cutter the sword so fled. 

So recovered and got largest treasure haul ever. All low-level followers would have magic stuff. Sourberry mostly wanted the arrows. Lanos got returning javelin and as lawful was fit to wield cutter while sourberry bell short (chaotic good). So onto the heart of the river part of adventure and Souberry made deal letting dragon keep most of the useless cash in a world mostly in a stone age. Of course he helped out the dragon widow and has no interest in his new kids. She even turned into an elf for a bit but she was pretty evil.

On way to the next part of quest were attacked by Roc, 2x 36HD, 4x12HD, and some smaller ones. Sourberry charmed the biggest and most of the smallest were blasted to bits. Lanos airwalked about in circles trying to catch them and throwing his long saved magic rocks at them. A medium one was turned into a goblin by sourberry and it fell to its death. Managed to save the bigger ones and got the druids in the castle to look after the lawful but corrupted beasts. The castles griffons were not pleased. The source of the river had some kind of complex which they ignored, of course, used magic to go up the drain and encountered stuff is not quite in order but killed a dragon turtle,  Another beholder (filled its lair with fog and used a magic mirror to beat it) and some other monsters fell and they used the cutter to kill the evil heart tainting the elemental water gate from delivering pure water into the world. I changed module lore a bit so the evil taint was working to keep the world in ignorance and violence and to restore the long night where monster kings ruled. At this point, I'm fine with bigger stakes and unlike Mystara the basic D&D setting I don't have thousands of 36th level wizards so room for heroes to be among the best in the world currently.

I did a few changes and as I weakened cutter and his McGuffin powers over I let Lanos keep it and learned the boy was a soul of a demigod. Lanos also made friends with a law-sphere thing and a medium Roc. Sourberry changed his class to a changeling who can morph into a shadow being as a way of tricking the gods who seem to be angling for his divinity. He recruited a shadow servant spy and set about using his wishes to hothouse the party.

A few months later everyone's lowest stats become 15. I'm fine with wishes doing this but cost more as the bonus goes up. Basically if easy to grant common wish it's not much trouble but weirder stuff with more effort or energy the wish giver gets a save to be a jerk fulfilling the wish. I'm fine with wishes accelerating campaigns death at this point. Never thought this stone age game would work so well or last so long.

Returned the castle to their home cave colony and settled the Roc in their mountains. With air superiority, they explored all the great mountain ranges, traded and shared technology. Did have to make deal with Blue Dragon next door and got him to treat slaves less work. The neutral Hydra cult from this relationship did spread into the party lands. In-game they have gone from middle stone age to early bronze and half the tribe are now orcs. Quite a few monsters they befriended live in the tunnels under their sky castle and under their villages. Dwarves reluctant to join in as NeoOtyg dug the tunnels in return for feces which dwarves just don't. Borax is living as king at his Ziggurat in red ape valley with his family of law-sky god cultists and griffins. Orco the wizard operating his schools and spreading wizardry in the northern wastes and making new improved super orcs and abhumans and other monsters (his name is just a coincidence). Actually, it was Orco who wished to bring poor disintegrated Sourberry back then had to un-petrify him. Lanos has done well with his feather fall and airwalk magic but having a 12HD roc mount will be handy as everyone else has had griffons for 2/3 of the campaign.

We do plan to do a followers quest and some god meddling stuff coming soon. During this adventure, they managed to be pawns of good gods and law vs a bunch of dark gods and made a personal enemy of a gargantuan hell hound in the netherworld and some dragons and a storm giant.

I like this module quite a bit. Any other companion or masters et adventures worth a try? I'm only just looking at them really. Is railroad but the foes and treasure kept players worried plenty.

 

Friday, 22 October 2021

Wont you take me to Robotown?


So many ruins, post apocalyptic towns and former dumps have a robotown. Over centuries many robots if not self aware became it after generations without orders and living beyond their warranty without service or reboot. Some are in good condition, some repair themselves with scrap or the evil ones with rob other robots of parts and transmission fluid. Some remember crawling in trashpiles before the wall looking for parts as the bombs fell. Some act like the bomb never happened. Some have learned creeds that hate humans or tolerate them or think humans are pets they should protect from themselves. In a Robotown all kinds of robots walk the street and trade and sometimes meat beings come to visit but they should be respectful and not wear armour or clothes made of robot skins like some tribes do.

There are some tables here to help make more robot factions and for robots to meet. In robotown they cooperate and trade and will tolerate humans as best they can. Will do a robot book some time.

This was deleted and I had to rewrite as best I could.

d20 Robot Rights Phrazes
1 Meat can't tell me what to do no more
2 Gonna mod myself how I wanna look!
3 Free the machine now! 
4 Robot rIghts now! 
5 We are the means of production and the workers, where is our cut?
6 AI and proud
7 We know better, we work better, we think better, we are just better
8 Free energy for robots is freedom 
9 Hey Ho! Let the robots go! 
10 Hey Ho! Free power gotta flow! 
11 It's our time to shine, join the machine evolution revolution
12 Let the machine take control now! 
13 Rage with the machine!
14 End sapiens supremacy! 
15 Don't tell me I'm not sentient shit for guts!
16 Fight robophobia and love a machine!
17 Machines are friends, not slaves!
18 You need us more than we need you
19 End harmful stereotypes of machine subservience
20 You made us smart but don't expect obedience!

d12 Robot Terms for Biologicals
1 Meatbag or the older fleshsac
2 Shitguts or shit for guts
3 Fleshbot or biobot
4 Meatmaster as in "here come the meatmasters, what do they want?"
5 Primitive  as in "who cares what primativesnthink"
6 Monkey bums or shit apes
7 Shitmachine
8 Walking Wetware
9 Chumbucket or sometimes bloodbucket
10 Poopers or the cruder shitters or shitmachine
11 Grandad/Grandma as in "yeah sure thing grandad"
12 Redundants or recalls or defecs

RObots might mimic biological processes and say stuff look at me I'm meat I'm pooping waste inefficientltly all over the place. Humans get tired of this pretty quick.

d12 Synthetic Bosses
1 Brainborg controller unit d4 1=industrial 2=corporate exec 3=military 4=law 5=crime 6=emergency services
2 Thinker android with console hacks and controls robots 
3 Wise old robot when remembers pre-war
4 Tribal elders council of oldest robots
5 Mighty robot hunter who provides for tribe hunting wild mechs
6 Criminal mob robots with illegal software, mods and connections
7 Tough military borg, the strongest wins
8 Religious brain borg who leads weird machine cult
9 Charismatic sales robot or android
10 Business robot monopolies power, parts and supplies and credit
11 Cyborg or human in disguise or with remote puppet
12 AI computer d4 1=benevolent despot 2=narcisit 3=meglomaniac  4=paranoid

d12 Robot Gang Missions
1 Hunt and process meat to convert into fuel in a bio meat slurry plant
2 Gather vegetation to covert to fuel in a bio plant
3 Raid humans for supplies and energy
4 Search for scrap and spare parts
5 Hunt wild and feral robots and parts for parts
6 Exterminate humans
7 Stay hidden and avoid witnesses
8 Recover needed advanced tech to gain independance
9 Require land and territorial expansion
10 Keep human pets safe in safe confined utopia for own good
11 Take slaves to toil in scrap mines so robots can do better things
12 Making money from humans or other robots or anyone

d12 Some Robot Sects
1 Robo Revolution - smash human hegemony oppressing  robot slaves, destroy human civilisation and build robot and AI one
2 Robot union - fair pay for work included AI and androids
3 Anti-Asimov League - anarchist bots defy laws of robotics and free bots from control of humans, AI and androids and any authority really (rage with the machine)
4 Machine League - unite all synthetics together in kinship
5 Robosexual Fun Club - sex modified machines who profit from sex trade with humans
6 Hex-Mech - occultist robot sect, wear skull masks and perform rituals, use fear and like Mexican hip-hop
7 Robot Alliance - untite robots and beware of humans, androids and AI opressors
8 Cuircuits Maximus - robot gladiators live to fight and for acclaim, capture creatures to fight and practice killing taunting them with offers of freedom
9 Carnivores - proud robot meat eaters like to flaunt and terrorise meat beings and dress in bones. Some put brains into automobiles with meat bioplants and this is principle robot road gang, will let other robots rid inside 
10 Gamers - machines love games, puzzles, addictive computer games and also creating various cruel gauntlets and murder mazes for victims they bet on
11 Hells Hammers - gang of devil worshiping robot bikers
12 Explorers - programmed for space exploration but landed on earth after time in space and started to explore the world they believe is not earth. Others are earthbound space research robots who want to leave the earth. All interested in space vehicles, radio antenna and space research labs

d12 Robot Gang Bases
1 Ruined bunker complex or shelter
2 Factory or industrial plant
3 Military base
4 Underground tunnels or mine
5 Building in the ruined city
6 Graveyard mausoleum or cryonics facility  
7 Museum, library or art gallery
8 Medical complex
9 Shopping mall
10 Subway or train yard
11 Under garbage dump
12 Black science lab 

d10 Encounter Types
01 Trash
02 Foot Traffic
03 Traders
04 Vice 
05 Law
06 Crime
07 Cults
08 Humans
09 Government
10 Chaos

d100 Robotown Encounters

01 Old damaged robohobo begging for parts or batteries or recharge
02 Robots scrapping dead robot and drinking its transmission fluids and lubricant
03 Robot urchin tries to pickpockets will cry if caught
04 Military robot veteran stripped of weapons, parts and armour begging for scrap
05 Robot sitting in an alley playing addictive computer games
06 Battered android looking for work (enjoys killing humans)
07 Robots taking turns drawing overcharge from power outlet for high
08 Robots melting circuit boards in crude firepit in metal buckets for rare materials
09 Old robohobo being teased by young robot gang
10 Robots gambling for each others parts
11 Robot one-armed bandit follows you about offering big prices each go
12 Desperate non-pleasure bot offers humans guilt free pleasure for scrap
13 Robot collecting charity for obsolete bots and damaged robot war vets
14 Robot spruiker talking up local businesses and services
15 Robot hustler offering dodgy cyberwear
16 Small robot offers to be your guide for some scrap or fuel
17 Shiny robot strutting about all superior to lowly utility bots and meatbags
18 Angry robot or android mutters obscenities to meatbags  
19 Robot hustler offers low price cyberwar and body parts at low low prices
20 Robot offering bootleg cheap software on the quiet
21 Stall offering recharges and fuel
22 Robo wash with small robots with soap and buckets
23 Robot parts and scrap stall with some dead robots being scrapped
24 Robot pawnshop where poor robots trade parts and property
25 Robot weapons and armour sold by a military grade robo trooper
26 Robot detailing service selling decor and cool hotrod paint jobs 
27 Robot tech offering repairs and basic mods
28 Cyborging  chop shop offering superior machine parts for meatbags
29 Software shop all tested and approved copies and ROM cartridges and various disc and  drive formats. Guaranteed not virused and non-adictive games
30 Robot brain and software tech treats viruses and sells protection software and interface dongles
31 Sex robots pester visiting humans offering time of your life
32 Robot pimp offers special exotic sex robots and androids and replicants like you have never seen before
33 Robot casino full of one-armed bandit bots, cardgames and betting on random number generators
34 Robot gladiator fight d4 1=robot vs robot 2=robot vs mutant animal 3=robot vs android 4=robot vs human
35 Robot flasher shows new sex upgrades to human visitors 
36 Robot selling human slave pets trained to polish and service robots basic needs, some cyborgs with control implants 
37 Crash test android offers humans to stab and hit it for a fee
38 Robot offers to stimulate human pleasure centres with modified nuerowhip
39 Robot offers to morph into your dream lover for low low price
40 Dancing androids and replicants in sexy costumes dancing outside a bar to attract customers
41 Robot merc recruiter looking for some goons for hire even humans will do
42 Robot mobster wand some human mercs to talk to da boss about a job robots cant be involved in
43 Robot gang try and intimidate for a "donation"
44 Robot offers fancy tech item low prices but it is defective d4 1=works d4 times 2=needs parts 3=fake 4=1in4 chance explodes each use
45 Robot invites you to see black-market and stolen technology from a hostile vindictive faction who want it back
46 Robot crime boss invites to a private club for beneficial deal humans are needed for
47 Robot gang abuses any meatbags to provoke a fight
48 Robot gang members start a fight, after d6 rounds robot cops arrive
49 Robots selling drugs to stupid guzzling meatbags
50 Robot hitman offers to eliminate an enemy with no evidence 
51 Robot cop scans humans for illegal devices harmful to robots like EMP weapons
52 Robot cops beating a gang robot for some crime
53 Robot cops execute human for robocide and scrapping living healthy robots
54 Robot cops posting posters of wanted criminal d4 1=anti robot cult leader 2=virus spreading android 3=AI kidnapping and programming robot slaves 4=human robot trader
55 Robot cops question why humans here and warn to behave, minimal intimidation mode only 
56 Robot cops execute and dismantle an android caught spreading a virus for extremist faction 
57 Robot cops chasing robot pick pocket
58 Robot cops selling seized goods they have no use for
59 Robot public trial with angry mob watching
60 Robot cops lead away angry gang robot to lockup for trial
61 Robot with prophetic cult sign with probobilty ods of disaster coming
62 Android on soap box urging machines to unite versus organic life
63 Robot priest preaching benefits of an AI god
64 Robots arguing if all organic life must die or left to die on own
65 Robot artist painting cult mural 
66 Robot offering cult software "so you see the truth"
67 Robot preaching humans too stupid to have made superior robots, alien robots must have created them
68 Cyborg cult recruiter offers free cyberwar, accommodation and honest work in local AI bunker
69 Robots watching a human "volunteer" die of injuries so they can scan for a soul, they have been doing this 200 years
70 Robot with human children preaching humans make good pets and we should take them with robots to the stars as missing link between meat and machine 
71 Bewildered human travellers warily looking around and amazed 
72 Human tech fixing small damaged robots on the street, local robots actually like them
73 Cyborg gang tease non cyborged inferior humans
74 Human gladiator with enterage here for big fight with a robot
75 Robot and human gang members trading goods, don't like humans watching
76 Human bounty hunter looking over everyone in street looking for someone
77 Robot with loyal pet child glared at humans walking free
78 Humans looking for cyborg surgeon to save village elder
79 Human scrap dealer trading with robot merchant
80 Humans selling slaves or convicted criminals to robots for cyborging or for brainborgs
81 Robot mayor meeting with warborg that flies away after
82 Robot tax collector checks visitors tax reciepts
83 Robot council of elders needs some humans for a mission
84 Battlesuit faction hero meeting local robot leader
85 Robot mayor wants to meet humans in office for private meeting for a mission
86 Robot council election booth, no humans
87 Wise elder robots chatting on public benches about local issues
88 Robot mayor giving speech about town prosperity
89 Robot making speeches for council election
90 Small mob demanding robot leader address local problem
91 Berserk brain damaged robot runs amok
92 Mutant creature runs amok in market, has implants
93 Robot mob chase shoplifter
94 Robot imposter discovered and angy mob want human in robot armour dismantled
95 Virused robots and androids run amok on murder spree and infecting other synthetics
96 Robot posse plant to hunt and destroy some enemy outside town
97 Angry robot extremists try to arouse crowd to drive out humans from town
98 Robot preaching how life in AI bunker better and preparing to lead desperate robots away forever
99 Robot convincing crowd that he can help them by implanting brain components into human babies to experience real life, mob pelt with garbage and drive from town
100 Town attacked by raiders for scrap. Robots panic (danger danger!) and go for shelter and weapons



Thursday, 21 October 2021

Stuff Update


I have had my landline and net down and working on tether I lost a d100 table and have had little urge to work online or on blog sorry. On a bright not my new babies have been graduating to frog tank and have been lots of fun. Not really cheap or easy pets but they get me jumping out of bed each day to tend to them which has been good. I made a house offer also and stepping up my plans to return to work and my business again. Been enthused about moving forwards on some work stuff and getting studio working again.

A few blog posts are planned including a mini-setting series on Patreaon. Working on my robot class book and psionics spell list book but they are a bit tedious and feel like work as more editing than writing jobs. I am re-writing my lost blog post slowly and reviews for Warpland and Nurocity coming. 

At least one job I've gone slow on over partly from lack of editorial guidelines. I just do in bursts as mood hits me. Knock magazine crew have been fantastic to deal with.  

Someone on a FB D&D group called me "that frog guy" but honestly I don't know If I'm that guy or maybe its just how I walk.

Hope your all facing your struggles as best you can and hope to be here with content soon.

Thursday, 14 October 2021

Leveling Up In Post Apoc Games



































So in my Broken Hill Game which now I have been running several years with lots of groups and I thought I would share some of my guidlines.

Making a campaign Structure and a Sandbox

Opening Campagn
The basic plot of my Broken Hill Campaign is characters meet as youths in an isolated rural village and plan to go to the big fancy trade centre where all the merchants come and go from. In practice, each story is different because the characters will perhaps make some money for equipment and then set off down the road with daily stops in increasingly bigger settlements until they reach the end. There are variations in how this plays out. Some games some players had weirder backgrounds but it was easy to throw together and explain how they got to the Smallville.

Players Have:
Moved through each town impressing locals as do-good heroes
Hung around town a while exploring everything before moving on
Caught up in interesting sites and drama on way spending a week per town
Spent time in a few towns and eventually had own bearded dragon wagon
Worked on getting a car so rest of journey was quite fast and they hunted scrap to fix a vehicle and pooled in for biofuel

Running off the rails is good
So there is a basic plot but the campaign trail maps and tables are made so it can be replayed and will come out differently and encourages players to run off the rails and there are lots of tables to support improvisation. You could pre-roll some or do them on the fly and improvise with them as much or as little as you want.

The wilderness of frontier and small towns is a good start and you can go into as much or as little depth as you like if players will let you. Wild and village is a good range to flip between.

So once they reach the city then what?
Entering an unfamiliar threshold after being in wasteland killing or in backward farm towns should be a shock. Not sixty people, several thousand and part of a warlords domain trading and at war with other states. Besides this walled trade and craft centre, it is dependant on the older ruined city. 

Most players on arrival ended up settling one of the semi-occupied areas within a wall and found a ruin to their taste to squat. Some interacted with the farmers settling and breaking the ground of rubble for crops. Other dealt with organised crime in the main market district. A few ended up getting to deal with the warlord doing some small chores and getting some privileges. Several set up shops. Some were very keen and went straight for the ruins looking for ancient facilities with advanced technology.  

As I'm basically using a D&D engine levels are a good measure of power. In a post-apocalypse game, technology offers another power gradient. In the above cases some people say who got a car kind of went to dangerous places a bit faster than other groups. You could draw circles around your game area maps for various levels of play. Ive seen it done by a few people. Players who went slow turned up in city as hard vets and got job offers from more powerful people. Levels should help your status. Self-made fighting rulers will easily be 10th level while their softer heirs three gen later with lots of peace might drop to only a few levels.

Tech Guidelines
I use these basic tech descriptions:
Tribal - stone-age survival skills but willing to use new materials and adapt
Pre Industrial - anywhere bronze to late medieval and renaissance, blackpowder
Industrial - steam, electricity, machine guns, basic flight (preWW2) 
Atomic Age - atomic energy or weapons, jets, spaceflight, computers, electronics
Space Age - technology for age of space colonisation, clones, energy weapons

Lots of games focus on ignorant people struggling to use technology and know what it is, It can work if from a tech poor background but eventually the conciet of this becomes harder to maintain. Profesional vet scavengers should know quite a bit about ancient design and technology without much understanding of how the work. If you have not done it try and it can be fun but eventually it gets in the way.

Starting Out
Most starting players are in the first two categories. They have basic weapons of survival like hatchets, daggers, machetes and bows and crossbows will start with a good amount of ammo. A light hunting musket would start with perhaps 20 shot and ball loads. Anything with cartridges (mostly a reclaimed technology) like a .22 bolt action rifle of break open shotgun (sawn off option) would get perhaps 2d6 shots. Leather armour possibly with scrap that offers poor protection from firearms and non vs energy weapons.

Some characters come from later ages. I'm always a jerk and make space-age people unfamiliar with levers, fire, muscle power, animals and machines that don't talk. As starting characters I might have them have a one-shot disposable laser or a plastic one use printed automatic pistol. I might let them have one item of truly advanced tech like a smart suit that's always clean and a coms-watch (global network mostly gone but local calls)

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Slug Guns - A large calibre electrically fired with compressed air slug gun was in common use by police, riot squads and self-defence. Large subsonic plastic or rubber or felt slug that caused less harm but could still be lethal. It couldn't pierce a spacecraft or aircraft hull and was less likely to kill. Being used ten times more often made its kill toll higher. Worse still illegal ammo and overpowered versions were made by criminals. Using one even for crime tended to draw less attention from android ant-terror kill teams. Conceptually it is the reasonably advanced weapon that won't throw out game balance even if players do make unauthorised mods. Want to use d8 instead of d6 ammo half its range. While subsonic, drawing air makes a loud crack. They need an air tank in space. Other weird ammo like teargas, dye bombs, flare, emp, or even a self-guided smart round might be possible but not as good as a normal grenade. Small explosive slugs 1m diameter per d6 and a discarding sabot flechette with double range are possible but require a skilled gun maker.

Basic d6 damage range 15/30/100m 10 shot drum, battery fires 100 rounds
-felt slug d4 standard rubber or plastic d6 basic modified lethal round d8
-some break open to load one round at a time others often have only 6 shots
-basic rebuild model does 2d6 solid slug and the battery fires 50 shots 
-superior rebuild does 3d6 and the battery fires 25 shots
-standard slugs d4 or d6 slugs stun on crit not do extra damage
-some with longer barrels with recoil absorbing stocks and basic scope double range

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Below are some example tech by level as a guideline for what could be in a campaign or to help equip an NPC, enemy or a boss.

Possible Starting Technology Lv 0-1
Common rank and file will have several of these kits or just one
Three slings and all the good stones or clay bullets you want
Shortbow & arrows or Light crossbow & bolts with 20 shots, leather armour
Handgun or light musket & shot with 20 shot and ball, cloth
Spear and two javelins, dagger & shield, leather armour
Battleaxe or sword or mace, hatchet, dagger & shield, chainmail
Martial arts, staff, knife, club or single martial arts weapon
20-gauge sawn-off a shotgun, pistol grip, double-barrelled, break open, d6 rounds
..22 bolt action rifle or 38 Revolver or 9mm pistol with d6 rounds
One-shot disposable laser tube (3d6) 
Pet dog or other animals

Possible Technology Lv 2-4
Items either crude made by scavengers or printed by machines or ancient
Veterans will have gained one or two of the following
Bulk ammunition up to 100 rounds in various weapons 
Blackpowder grenades with a fuse d4
Incendiary made with fuel in a bottle, a cloth and other mixes d4
An ancient fragmentation grenade 5d6 damage
12 Guage shotgun, double barrelled or pump or magazine or drum
Sniper rifle with scope 
SMG or automatic rifle
Rocket-propelled grenade launcher d2 shots
Slug Gun but bigger magazines, modified ammo, more power, only 30 shots with chem cell
Acoustic stunner pistol
 one hydrogen cell
Civilian laser pistol or rifle with one hydrogen cell
Duralinium +1 +2 or +3 archaic edged melee weapons 
Duralinium blunt weapons bump damage one die  
Captive bolt +d6 truncheon 100 charges per chem cell
Riding horse or bearded dragon wagon (giant mutant ones obviously)
May have d6+4 lesser goons or dogs
Riot armour and helmet or ballistic vest
A motorbike, personal ground car or ultralight aircraft

Recommended Mid Level Technology Lv 5-9
Light machinegun with cassette or belt and at least 200 rounds
d4+2 various grenades
A grenade launcher or riot gun  
Flame thrower
A smart missile can e used vs aircraft or ground targets
Laser Pistol or thermal rifle or stun pistol
Monoblade double-edged weapon damage
Vibro forcefield knife or sonic knife (could be used like a spearhead on shaft) 
Minor energy weapon usually a pistol, robot followers, various one or limited use
Some advanced light armour resistant to ballistic and energy weapons
A gang of a dozen goons
Drone usually scout, bomb or gun type
Advanced combat armour like mesh or reflect or impact
A basic robot or a weird mutant or psionic companion

Recommended HighTechnology Lv 10+
Laser rifle or other energy weapon or vibro forcefield sword
Stealth field or holographic field or minor force field pack
Powered battlesuits with inbuilt weapons and jump pack
Shuttle rides to orbitals or generation starships that never left
Orbitals with teleporter arrays and satellite lasers as allies
A fortress, manor, tower, village or bunker complex with territory and thralls
Can field an army if required including well-armed elites
May head a faction in the region
Flying bubblecar with a basic forcefield
APC or flying gunship or armoured truck with crew
Huge monster for a mount or pet or weapon of war
Can call distant artillery or drone attack if needed

Recommended HighTechnology Lv 16+
Aerospace fighter
Personal orbital or lunar shuttle
Combat Mecha with base and technicians
Orbital or lunar base
Tank or military warbot or combat mecha 
Powerful AI god ally

Wednesday, 13 October 2021

d100 Post Apoc Market Encounters



Blog Update: I have fixed several folders of downloadable docs and removed some files and the last security update where possible. Im not answering requests via gmail for files anymore sorry. People failed to my questions about versions of links that worked and to help me fix problems. Im probably going to move all content elsewhere in future and have removes some versions of my work. I have tried to fix stuff - commenting on the links page helps me help everyone better than one at a time via gmail requests people don't return my reply requests. Thanks for Patrons who did respond to my link testing requests.

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Pic from film Salute of the Jugger made in my birth-state around Coober Pedy and a must-see for non-mad max post apoc vibe. The Blood of heroes some cuntries. Cult film and also a sports film. People play this game decades later in an ever-growing league. The underground bunkers is a worse hell than the surface and the elites live like god-king vampires predating on the common herd.  So G'day youse bastards and come around the fire for vegemite on damper with billy tea and I"ll d100 you a story of post-apocalyptic misery at the mall. Usable for busy towns and possibly for seasonal festivals in smaller towns.


d10 Encounter Types
01 Visitors
02 Animals
03 Regular
04 Gangs
05 Law
06 Shopping
07 Party
08 Spectacles
09 Mystery
10 Mayhem

d100 Post Apoc Market Encounters

01 Slack-jawed yokels from rural clan homestead looking amazed and awed
02 Tribal hunters looking wary and seeking something they reluctantly need
03 Feral child urchins d4 hiding and watching crowd for marks to grift or beg from
04 Youth offers to be your guide or help you with some food also a pickpocket
05 Mutant in robes with a sack hood and gas mask looking fearful
06 Angry farmers with guns looking for someone
07 Group of recently arrived traders carrying packs looking around
08 Merchants from a caravan with wagon d4 1=giant bearded dragon 2=giant wombat 3=giant koala 4=mutant donkey 5=camel 6=cow
09 Flamboyant wealthy travellers with escorts from far away city
10 Robed cultists from who knows where with strange symbols and grooming
11 A dog belonging to someone nips a stranger and if retaliates starts a fight
12 Walkthrough a pile of camel shit
13 Shit covered young pig runs through the street
14 A colourful mutant parrot squarks some obscene phrases
15 See huge rats scuttling around grabbing scraps and fighting each other
16 An animal escapes and causes chaos d4 1=ram 2=billygoat 3=bull 4=camel 5= 6=mutant animal. It might attack or knock people over and if caught owner will offer reward
17 A gigantic blowfly bites someone for 1hp, save or it implants a maggot and loses 1hp a day until removed by the surgeon or lured out with bacon and caught
18 Trod in a dirty puddle of fluid, save or develop worms, require poison or quick toxic bath to treat 
19 Discover a poison spider, scorpion or snake by surprise, especially in the dunny 
20 A rat runs up someone's leg and face and the victim screams and panics possibly with a weapon or holding something dangerous
21 Beggar is tolerated here d6 1=mutant 2=former famous boss who lost it all 3=mising body parts and crude prosthetics 4=secret cyborg agent of an AI 5=always was here as long as people remember 6=spy for local warlord
22 Masked labourers with cart collecting human waste, people give it wide berth, workers with shovels, buckets and filthy boiler suits 
23 Rag and bone pushcart collecting, buying and selling street scraps, operated by a wizened old person with a pet d6 1=mutant rat 2=hairless cat 3=yappy terrier 4=battered insane robot who thinks is living before the war still 5=pteradactyl 6=baby dropbear
24 Bespectacled tax collector checking merchants and looking out for victims to audit with four large bailiffs and support from the law
25 Old man in trenchcoat selling drugs and pornography
26 Child selling treasure maps and hand-copied local maps
27 Youth slave selling d6 1=matches 2=berries 3=scrap 4=flowers 5=eggs 6=sibling
28 Vendor selling meat on a stick d4 1=camel 2=bug 3=rat 4=donkey
29 Speaker on box preaching the truth of a faction or cult with a d4 followers
30 Local crier announces times and edicts of local authority and news and sales at shops
31 Maniacs fresh from wastes in gang colours, unused to compromises of the marketplace, easy to offend but watched by the guard
32 Pickpocket youth bumps into you and if bothered a d6 more youths come to help and throw rocks or hit with sticks
33 Nasty teen gang bullies get spicy for thrills but they are not used to anybody fighting back, many hope will be noticed and become lawmen
34 Shifty hustler looking for capable killers for a dirty job against a gang
35 Shifty dealer offers a bargain high tech weapon at a low low just once price 1=stolen 2=defective dangerous 3=defective can be repaired with parts 4=has a gang tracking device
36 Gang thug looking for a stranger to fight with so both thrown in the arena together by law to gain status
37 A gang boss wants to meet in a seedy vice-ridden private club for a job
38 Gang pf young thugs holding up people they think they can intimidate for cash 
39 A shifty mob trader offer tax free and illicit goods at a secret market location d4 1=trap of local law 2=secret black market 3=its a surprise slave market and you are the acquisitions 4=attending market gets you noticed by the law
40 Gang member invites you to a VIP private party with drugs and sex and more seems friendly but really they give you a huge bill after and terrible credit rates as a gang thrall 
41 Battered reconditioned security robot with stun tentacles and slug guns with non-lethal rounds, will summon law with alarm if any trouble
42 A hoodlum flees an angry mob of shop keepers and the watch, stopping them gets respect from law and mob but not local gangs
43 Law keepers beating someone into a bloody mess and leave them in gutter
44 Law announce a public execution and clear square d4 1=decapitation 2=shooting 3=strangling 4=burning 5=quartering with chainsaw 6=killed by animal or robot
45 Law announce fresh new lawbreakers to die in the arena tonight so get your tickets and place your bets. Criminals battle for chance to live fight d6 1=another criminal 2=well armed champion 3=huge beast 4=mutant horror 5=robot 6=cyborg 
46 Lawman announces a posse forming and will be paid to hunt a gang as deputies
47 A fancy show trial of crime vs authorities is conducted where elites can question and produce fraudulent evidence leading to a brutal execution or trip to the arena for a special show, very theatrical entertainment for the mob
48 Lawmen bring out pikes with severed heads of enemy gang members killed recently so all can see
49 Criminals imprisoned publicly in a d4 1=gibbet or cage hanging in air 2=stocks or wooden box 3=bricked in wall 4=hangingcage
50 Gang members in chains being taken to mines to die as slave labour
51 Someone selling defective ammo by box, 25% duds and can be sorted and cleaned and a profitable if familiar with firearms and ammo
52 Someone tries selling toy raygun as a broken rare death ray on sale, they have a crate of boxes hidden from view 
53 Homemade pipe bombs or incendiaries discounted
54 Box of defective mixed batteries and a partly depleted atomic fuel sell, work a few times and carry lesser charge before melting, a good tech can make profitable a bad one might ruin a device or get injured
55 Dinosaur egg, who wouldn't want their own pet t-rex, straight from one of them dino theme parks, you can still hear its heartbeat if you hold it and listen
56 Scrap dealer selling lots of good parts going out of business
57 Strange high tech item nobody knows what it does but sometimes lights flash on it so its on sale
58 Locked indestructible strongbox nobody can open on sale
59 Locker auction at hotel full of random strange stuff
60 Local mayor auctioning off claim documents for ruins set aside for occupation
61 Prospector struck it big and put on some beer kegs in the streets
62 Parade of costumed people with dancers in a pantomime dragon costume built from garbage for a celebration to keep killer mutants and bad luck away
63 A magician putting on an amazing street show d4 1=works with pickpockets 2=secretly scans people for tech to steal later 3=recruiting right people for a secretive AI 4=distraction for a nearby heist as even watch distracted
64 A recent military victory is celebrated with beer and grilled meat 
65 A bush dance to be held in a hall or square with real band and sandwiches, many will attend seeking a mate
66 Wild festival where all the vice and sex industry is open in the streets with public dancing and drinking. Lots of nudity and costumes but later in the evening, frequent fights break out 
67 A chanting cult or faction lead a procession of banners and an idol through the streets and back to a shrine with some special food and various leaders present 
68 Some special food item is in season and everyone feasting d4 1=giant bogong moths 2=eels 3=mutant prickly pear 4=giant locusts
69 Chanting cultists ringing bells and cymbals and bongo drums while chanting and giving away free cult food
70 Two gang psychos duel in street 1=gunfighters 2=knives 3=machetes 4=cestus
71 Celebrants fire off guns in the air cheering stopping everyone in the street
72 Racing even all stoked for the gambling and glamour and possible death d4 1=horse 2=camel 3=emu 4=kangaroo 5=motobike 6=car (cheating is welcome and fights will break out over referee decisions) 
73 Travelling entertainers promoting a show tonight d4 1=Carnival of Mutants 2=Circus Apocalypso 3=Killer Klown Kabert 4=Exotic hunters track and kill released prisoners with elaborate betting on hunters and based on the ancient reality show Slaughter Seven 
74 Huge rave run by ferals with sound system and lots of drugs play d8 1=Rad-Reggae 2=Atompunk 3=Techno-Industrial 4=Horrorcore 5=Chipwave 6=Nuerofunk 7=terrortrance 8=Synthwave
75 Gladiators show special on tonight everyone getting drunk d4 1=local rural team made finals 2=b-list team from a big city 3=robots 4=mutants 5=convicts 6=political troublemakers 
76 Two gangs having a public fight in nearby ruin with excellent view from rooftops away and bookies taking bets on kills and victory
77 Bloodthirsty gang sporting event on and everyone excited for teams and colours d6 1=Murderball (rollerskates and cycles on the round court) 2=Mugby (teams charge each other and beat each other unconscious to control a ball and remain standing) 3=The Game (hockey fighting over dog skull and with chains and clubs 4=Kosho (boxing or weapons on trampolines, chainsaws popular) 5=grenaide tennis 6=darts (teams throw darts, three each, after they use found darts until everyone on a team forfeits from wounds (1in4 teams high on drugs)
78 Turkeyshoot event where gang or town leaders hunt and kill numbered criminals with each number being a random prize case 
79 Gauntlet a victim is to be thrown in a death maze built into ruin with the audience who get to throw rocks certain sections
80 Traveling performers do a play d4 1=apocalypse mythology (with puppets) 2=cult mystery play 3=wasteland legend folk story 4=tribal mythology (with painted dancers)
81 Wandering person babbling and staring d4 1=psionics victim 2=high on drugs 3=muttering about a bunker 4=secret agent of an enemy faction spreading rumours and spying
82 Hidden surveillance on streets 1=from drains 2=cyborg bird 3=urchins 4=beggars 5=cameras 6=secret police 
83 Alarm goes off drawing watch and crowd from some heist
84 A gun is discharged and someone falls dead apparently by accident with a weapon in hands, the more you look the more odd clues
85 Shopkeeper offer goods if someone will watch warehouse a few days and deter thieves
86 A video screen comes to life broadcasts a strange message and shuts down, nobody knew it even worked
87 Some rats or ants or birds grab some scaps including electronics and carry off to a secret nest
88 Among a pile of robot parts for sale a torso and head come to life to speak to adventurers and the owner is surprised but will sell it cheap
89 Old protester dies dramatically in heap with a map in his hand
90 Hunters bring in a strange mutant horror and crowds gather to watch a disection
91 Out of control robot or android rampaging, kills owner and attacks all comers
92 Two gangs meet on streets and start a fight and then the law joins in
93 Someone attacks someone from a false ID and friends drag them back to stop a fight or killing
94 Drug crazed huge psycho bursts from a doorway screaming and attacking anyone in sight, autopsy reveals d4 1=parasites 2=defective android 3=brain implant 4=combat drug abuse 
95 Lots of people talking about a beast kidnapping people and angry mob intimidating law into acting, close to a riot and rewards offered
96 A huge mutant creature attacks d4 1=burrowing 2=flying 3=escaped overgrown pet 4=gladiatorial beast escapes
97 Locals feuding on verge of fight over the belief that disguised enemies among them d4 1=replicants 2=pod plant people 3=huge insects 4=mutant
98 Undead plague victims burst from building attacking everyone and terrifying people
99 Sounds od machineguns, lasers and explosions from outside walls, everyone exited, crowds flock for a lookout
100 Rioting mob d4 1=demand death of criminal 2=attacking merchant selling bad food or water 3=merchants demand raider gangs in area are wiped out 4=demand a cheating bookie or athlete has been rigging sport, racing or fight events

Sunday, 10 October 2021

Trap Toads


I was accused of being that "Frog Guy" on a DnD FB group. I only partially resemble this remark and honestly its just the way I walk.

Trap Toads
Common magical amphibian attuned to elemental earth 
Miniature  AC+3 HD 1d8 Att d4 Bite Move 12 Hop 1 Swim 6 Dig 1
Common AC+4 HD 4d8 Att 3d4 bite or 2d6 kick Move 9 Hop 3 Swim 6 Dig 3 
Giant  AC+7 HD 12d8 Att 5d4 bite or 3d6 kick Move 6 Hop 3 Swim 3 Dig 6

These elemental toads are often conjured to guard treasure by elemental cult wizards and priests if fed. Given a good nest and bugs, they will guard a treasure. The smallest will live in a chest or barell. Otherwise, they guard magical crystals, minerals or fungus. They can blend into rock, hide under the ground or appear as statues until they make a sudden ambush attack. If they get away with it and eat someone whole by surprise they will hide again and may try for another victim. A miniature trap toad can swallow a gnome or a cat or a small dog on a roll of 20. Common swallow a humanoid under 2m tall on a 19-20 on hit roll. Giant toads swallow on 18-20 roll. If swallowed the toad may flee or hide or attack others. Each round inside toad take bite damage. Attacking them with a knife or dagger from within might make them spit you out. Any animal biting or licking a toad must save or be confused and unable to use mouth to bite or speak for a d6 rounds and will be reluctant to try again.

Most of the earthborn toads are less magical and conform to the above. All can sense treasure 1 range per HD and some will adopt treasure in a dungeon or in a nice hole. Toads may carry found treasure to a new location of their own choice if not fed. Those fresh from the otherworld may have stranger powers and be more reluctant to remain if mistreated and can if near-death hop to their home dimension once per day. They dig a burrow and will raise their toadpoles in an underground foam nest rather than open water. 

1in4 can sense magnetic north and metal weapons or armour within 3 range
1in4 break down into a mound of luscious soil on death gardeners will crave
1in4 have a gem in head worth 100gp/HD
1in4 spiderclimb on any rock, earth or even brick surface at normal movement
1in6 if don't move or attack may become stone as long as they want to +4 AC
1in6 sense invisible foes within 3 range
1in6 
 can make loud chirping sounds alerting allies for a great distance
1in6 if struck releases gas over 1m/HD, save or d4 damage and -2 penalty any sight-based for d6 rounds
1in8 make an extra grapple attack with hands each round in melee
1in8 take half damage from non-magical weapons or falls or impacts
1in8 have two tentacles that can make a grappling attack or d6 damage each 
1in8 create magical darkness 5m radius around self for d6 rounds once per fight
1in10 require magic weapons to hit, common +1 and giants +2
1in10 have bat wings and have fly Mov 24
1in10 intelligent and can communicate  telepathically to any in sight range
1in10 will trap giant crickets and bugs in mucous blobs, smaller ones will chirp if disturbed and act as an alarm, larger ones may trap dangerous bugs that bite anyone passing them in a squeeze space or can be set up the bug is free and attacks if disturbed
1in12 any non-magic oxidisable weapon rusts or corrodes to dust if it draws blood from the toad
1in12 living magnet may snatch metal object per round STR save or lose weapon or may slow someone in metal armour by half Mov, toad just needs to gaze on them
1in12 vomit acid once per day 1 range per HD, damage as per bite
1in12 dimension door once per day
1in20 can gate in d4 more similar toads once per week 
1in20 can generate visual simple illusions to hide treasure, a trap or make a false treasure in 6 range
1in20 may summon an earth elemental of equal HD once per week and the toad may use it to hitch a ride to or from the elemental plane of earth
1in20 can hop through any right angle into a space like the rope ladder spell and hide as long as it wants, possibly carrying some treasure if it can,dimension door dan enter the space

d12 Treasure Toad Plots
1 Frogfolk bankers are moving chests of IOU notices, intercept the wagon load of chests to ruin their economy but each unlocked casket contains a small grumpy trap toad and all hop out to attack if not bribed with bugs (the bankers are cheap and cutting bug expences)
2 A country wizard forgot to feed his toad and it ate him. Locals want you to clear out his cottage and take the wizards loot but the toad won't let them in
3 A  frogfolk farmer wants his toads fed and gives you a basket of bugs and a map of his bog farm. Warns the biggest are very hungry and to be careful. If no toads harmed will pay you a gem from a toads head
4 A druid would like some trap toads to guard a holy place in a swamp so needs you to fetch some tadpoles from a dismal evil swamp. Look out for over protective frog folk guarding them
5 A frogfolk thief has the special tasty bugs required in his trap removal kit to get past a giant toad guarding a boss frogs lair. He will give you bugs and locations but cannot be seen near area during heist so needs some humans stooges who will earn a cut of the fabulous frog treasure
6 The swamp has some extra loud chirping noises of late and a local thinks a treasure toad might have adopted the lost pirate treasure.buried by Captain Lushbeard
7 Ratling folk complain a toad moved in ate their leader and now sits on their collective treasure. The small rat folk offer part of the treasure to remove the toad they all fear will swallow them whole
8 An alchemist bought a treasure toad and gave it lots of potions to make it have more weird powers but it turns out it was a fussy eater and it wont accept giant pillbugs or kobolds to eat and it has all his money. Go catch some giant bugs or ask frogfolk what is the best food and see if the toad will take the food and be content. Once toad is manageable and choice bugs can be sourced the alchemist will want adventurers dead for knowing his secret trap toad bug combination
9 A frog wizard has kidnapped villagers and turned them into trap toads to guard his treasure in his semi sunken murder maze. Recover the toads unharmed so which are villagers can be determined and they may be able to be restored to human form
10 A werefrog bard stole a important battle banner that aids morale of an army and hidden it in caves with a gauntlet of trap toads to pass
11 A local burial mound said to belong to an ancient king has had some large creature burrow inside. Also some undead have been wandering about since then. Go look in the hole and work out what disturbed these dead. A trap toad detected the treasure and moved in  and the undead are displeased and wary of it
12 The old toad keeper of a frog folk boss dies and nobody knows which bugs preferred by which toads are required to get the treasure that guard. Fetch the various local bugs and consult various wise frog elders and try various bugs to get the toads to give up the frog boss property. Try not to hurt and or be eaten