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Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Human Encounters for Exilon


So working on my Exilon special and so trying to write fill-in content needed here so expect a few more days of this. Hoping to have it out reasonably soon and have most of the art sort.  All inspired by the ancient near east. Oddly enough some of the Osric branded hardback adventure compilations have middle Eastern Egyptian-themed stuff so I might get to run such a campaign soon. My current game region focuses on several united city-states in an isolated pocket surrounded by wasteland barbarians, undead templars, dragon cults, and Sythron nomads and beyond that, there are several expansive empires. As a famous evil undead templar kingdom has fallen to a new alliance and word is they will move closer to the players city-states. As the characters are 10th level they have estates and work on various projects for their new kingdom of Ikithon the fish city. Players will be called on to help the diplomatic cause of their kingdom forging alliances to shape the region. Players consider talking to faeries and dragons as they have connections. Every time players go have a quick dungeon run they are possibly missing diplomatic work. Thankfully they can teleport where they have been before. 

Players considering getting followers and making them specialise in magic item making so I better have those rules working or I will regret it.   

Usually, for these groups, I take 20% of the HD of a group and allocate that number of HD to additional leaders, heroes, pet mascots, etc. Bosses for most of these include warriors but hunters who steal animals' fur and meat are probably rogues. A priest is a fairly common choice for a squad or a bard for marching music.

As my party, all have chariots now and a few have followers as drivers this will all be used soon in some big battle coming up. Am thinking of making alt thieves to be craftsmen who use multipliers to reduce the time required or increase HP repaired or sabotaged. A healer whos multiplier boosts all the hp various skills heals. Possibly a pilot might have extra turns or a multiplier increases vehichle weapon damage. More useful for modern settings but worth a mention here. Part of my campaign includes improving the technology of the player's factions and one has built a chariot research centre and preparing to start making more and recruiting people for training. I am looking forward to an undead war and a wizard war shortly in my game. 

Local Hunters 
1cp per day Morale 6 +2 defending home
AC+3 HD d6 Mov 12 Att d6 bow, spear or club
leather armour, possibly some traps and pelts

Hunting Dog
1cp per day 4sp to buy Morale 7 +2 defending a beloved master or home)
AC+3 HD d6 Mov 18 Att d4 bite
Can track, guard camp and return or harass game 

Local Militia 
1cp per day Morale 7 +2 defending home
AC+4 HD d6 Mov 12 Att d6 axe or club or javelin
leather armour, wicker shield cloak, shield, knife
Common defenders of villagers and small cities sometimes used in war

Local Slingers 
1cp per day
1cp per day Morale 5 +2 defending home
AC+0 HD d4 Mov 12 Att d4 sling or d4 club or d3 knife
loincloth, spare sling, a bag of stones
Common defenders of villagers and small cities but also may be in armies

Local Javliner 
2cp per day
2cp per day Morale 7 +2 defending home
AC+4 HDd6 Mov12 Att d6 javelin or shortsword or axe or club
Carry 2-4 javelins, shield, cloak, and leathers (some may lack any armour)
Common defenders of villagers and small cities but also may be in armies

Local Archer 2cp per day
2cp per day Morale 7 +2 defending home
AC+3 HD d6 Mov 12 Att d6 bow or d4 dagger
with several quivers of arrows and also useful as scouts
Common defenders of villagers and small cities but also may be in armies

Bandits 
2cp per day Morale 6 +1 if desperate
AC+4 HD d6 Mov 12 Att d6 short sword or bow or javelin or club
leather armour and shield
Sometimes are army deserters so treat as millitary troops

Cultists
1cp per day Morale 6 +6 if defending the cause of fanaticism
AC+1 HD d4 Mov 12 Att d6 javelin or club or d4 dagger or stick
may use exotic weapons, poison, nets, lassos, mancatchers, pole lassos
Many have petty cantrip spells and leaders will be priests
May have exotic pets also or magic items or knowledge of hidden places
Many try to take captives for their unholy rights, cannibalism or indoctrination

Templars
4gp per day Morale 8+2
 if defending territory or temple
AC+5 HD d8 Mov 9 Att d8 Mace or d4 sling
Fighting cult priests well-equipped and trained with priest spells
-Death Templars use powers to commend undead as evil priests
-Dragon Templars use powers to breathe fire instead d12 range=Lv and keep reptilian pets and may even have reptilian abhuman troops
-Other temples may provide other powers or even just Turn Undead

WIzard
100gp per day Morale 6+2 if defending own property or interesting magic treasure
AC+1 HD 5d5 Mov 12 Att d6 Staff or d4 sling or dagger of d3knife
A 5th-level wizard good enough to have d4 1st-level d4 HP students and a d3 magic items
There can be more powerful ones but they tend to own a tower or a dungeon and don't get out as much as a recent graduate finding their footing in the world

Imperial Infantry 
1sp per day Morale 8 +1 defending home
AC+5  HD d8 Mov 9 Att d8 spear or sword or axe
scale, helmet and shield and a complete field pack if not in city

War Hounds
1sp per day 
5gp to buy Morale 8+1 defending master
AC+3 HD2d8 Mov 15 Att d6 bite
may have armour +2 AC but slows to Mov 12
Often four will have a trained infantryman to manage them
Used to chase and terrorise fleeing enemies, require lots of meat
 
Elite Imperial Infantry 
1gp per day Morale 10 +1 defending home
AC+6 HD 2d8+2 Mov 9 
d8 spear or sword or axe or d10 lance +1 all damage
Improved equipment quality and ornamentation to regular types
Can use for sergeant or commander of regular infantry

Imperial Archer  
1sp per day Morale 8 +1 defending home
AC+4 HD d8 Mov 9 Att d8 bow or d6 short sword or club or axe
with several quivers of arrows and also useful as scouts

Charioteer
10sp per day Morale 8  +1 if in a chariot
AC+3 HD d8 Mov12 Att d6 Javelin or shortsword or d3 whip or knife
The driver of a chariot who also may throw a javelin if skilled

Noble Officer
15gp per day Morale 9 +1 if defending homeland +1 if in a chariot
AC+6 HD4d8 Mov 9 Att d8 Composite Bow or Khopesh or mace or d10 lance
Often with fine scale, shields and weapons, some jewellery
Feel free to make weaker or stronger officers as this can vary lots

Konga battle donkey
2sp per day or 40gp to buy Morale 8 (9 for Superior)
Typical AC +3 HD 2d8 Mov 24 Att d4 bite or kick or one 2d4 trample
Superior AC +4 HD 2d8+4 Mov 24 Att 2 attacks from d6 bite or kick or one 2d4 trample
Cross of a mild donkey and aggressive wild ass the superior chariot beast
A konga can be ridden but harder than a horse and not much weight can be carried
most preferred for messengers. Better ones trained for war and tougher 

Battle oxen 
4sp per day or 300gp to buy Morale 7 
AC +4 HD 4d8 Mov 15 Att 3d4 butt or one 4d4 trample
Useful to pull a plough, sled, felled tree or a wagon
 
Battle Wagon 
20gp per day or 400gp to buy Morale 8 
AC+5 HD 8d8 Mov 12 Att bow, lance or javelin
with up to four crew with 4 konga battle donkeys +3 Mov or two oxen 
Old fashioned slower 4 wheeled heavy wooden vehichle also for goods transport
Such vehicles will have scouts or lancers on foot as escorts
Make 2x 30-degree turns per round +1 with drive roll

Light Chariot
30gp per day or 500gp to buy Morale 8 
AC+3 HD 4d8 Mov 24 Att one archer passenger and driver with javelins
Light wicker frame speedy two konga chariot often for a noble leader or even for sport
Make 3x 45 degree turns per round +1 with drive roll
 
Medium Charit 
50gp per day or 1000gp to buy Morale 8 
AC+4 HD 6d8 Mov 18 Att usually a driver with javelins and two crew
More solid chariot bulled by 3 or 4 Konga
Such vehicles will have scouts or lancers on foot as escorts
Usually has two archers or possibly an elite infantry lancer
Make 2x 45 degree turns per round +1 with drive roll

Heavy Chariot 
100gp per day or 2000gp to buy Morale 9
AC+5 HD 8d8 Mov 15 Att driver with javelins and three passengers
The heaviest chariot with 4 konga
Such vehicles will have an escort with archers and infantry
Often has two archers and
 an elite infantry lancer
Make 3x 30-degree turns per round +1 with the drive roll

d12 Unusual Chariots
1 Pulled by terror birds, elk. lions or other exotic beasts
2 One fighter stands on the yoke to attack people while moving
3 Extra turns per round from superior construction
5 Superior armour +2 AC 
6 Superior team +3 Mov
Wheel scythes 2d4 damage to any near miss with a driving roll if the chariot can touch
8 Has umbrella +2AC vs missiles hitting crew and keeps off the sun
9 Inlaid with gold, lapis, mother of pearl and fine carving 
10 Can be broken down to transport in mountains or rough terrain
11 Crewed by a wizard or a priest possibly car is a portable sanctified shrine
12 roll below

d12 Magic Chariots
1 Chariot, crew and animals immune to non-magical missiles
2 Aura of heroism gives all crew and mounts +1 save hit and AC
3 Aura repulses undead as 4th Lv priest within 3 range
Immune to one from fire or lightning or cold or fear or charm or petrification
5 Aura of fear causes enemies in 3 ranges to flee for a d4 rounds
6 Chariot can drive on the water surface like water walking
7 Chariot allows mounts to share HP in a pool to keep alive and healing spells can be added directly to these points by casting on the yoke
8 Car, wheels and yoke cannot be harmed by non-magic damage or weapons
9 Each dawn any damage is restored
10 Everyone in the chariot recovers 1hp per round in sunlight
11 Pulled by huge prehistoric megafauna, dinosaur or monstrous creatures
12 Animals have summoned creatures or magical constructs or undead

Flying, aquatic and dragon-pulled chariots are all possible but rare
If the chariot loses 20% of HP roll on the light damage table
If the chariot loses 100% of its HP roll on the catastrophic damage table
Aiming penalties might cause specific damage to the light table
A repair skill roll can fix a d3 hp damage on a vehichle (repair spell heals 2d6 hp)
One worker can do repairs on a vehichle per total crew
Chariots rental prices include a crew drawn from the above lists usually including a charioteer to drive, a noble officer and some archers or lancers

d12 
Light damage
1 Wheel damage roll each turn or take d6 more damage 
until repaired
2 Wheel damage lose 3 points Mov until repaired
3 Wheel damage lose 15 degrees off each turn until repaired
4 Someone better lash damage or take 2d6 next round
5 Passengers must save or fall out
6 Damaged structure lose 2AC until repaired
7 Lost half ammunition or goods carried in car
8 Lose one turn per round until repaired
9 Drive roll or animal falls and all of them take d6
10 Someone lash harnesses or lose an animal next round
11 Specific passenger or animal takes the same damage as a chariot
12 Animals make morale checks or panic taking the chariot out of control, the driver makes a roll on one animal per round to stop 

d12 
Catastrophic Damage
1 Wheel falls and can be repaired. If the charioteer fails a drive roll wheel shatters and requires a replacement
2 Both wheels lost and the chariot slides to a halt
3 Harness breaks separating the car from beasts who flee in panic unless calmed
4 Animals take 2d4 damage each while stopping to halt
5 Driver roll skill or all passengers take 2d6 damage and fall off
6 All crew make a save of fall off for 2d6 damage
Animals become uncooperative and require recovery time or healing
Axle breaks losing both wheels, drive roll or all crew and animals take 2d6
9 Animals are badly spooked and require time to be coaxed back into service by the handler
10 Drive roll or vehichle flips causing 3d6 to crew and animals, otherwise slides to halt
11 Vehichle flips throwing crew for 2d6 damage each and d4 to animals if they fail a save
12 Vehichle shattered wreck, crew and animals take 3d6 each from the violent wreck

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