Campaign Prep for SF Horror RPG

So reading and writing for my SF campaign and will be writing and publishing some stuff on this. Ruined nuclear airbase adventure recently and my Europa book out next. Back on my Exilon book too so my writing seems to be flowing again. 

One Issue has been that in my starting era I want it to be a gritty plausible setting. This realism is to help the horror elements stand out and be weird when they break these rules. Having decided what kinds of stuff I want to run I worked from there to sort out my project.

Lots of mythos SF TTRPG games seem to make weird stuff too common for me with secret gov agencies who know and players can make mythos or occult rolls in first adventure to know stuff they would be better off not knowing about so early (Cthonian Stars and Cthuhu Punk). I may avoid all name schemes from the mythos - I'm liking unique weird and never explained vs the familiar mythos taxonomy that ruins all the lurking "like a bat but not a bat" vagueness of HPL. One big benefit of SF cthulhu is I can avoid all the cultural plunder and appropriation and xenophobia and Madam Blavatsky influence on the mythos. I increasingly find Cthulhu and Runequest difficult - probably fandom is worse than any creators and i dislike seeing current indigenous ppl images used in RPG games or stated up or their culture explained by alien monsters. Im happy to be over 1890s occultism in comics and games - recent growth of misinformation cults has made them less appealing as sources.

Have been reading lots of astronomy and planetology for research too and trying to dig up info of water pressure under 100km of water would be like. More effort than fantasy probably and helpful advice like "its fantasy do whatever you want" isn't helpful. I do remember running an adventure for Cthulhu now with a sub and a marine biologist player who pointed out flaws and knew how to navigate and bugger the adventure set up. The failed realism (and railroad adventure) was a good example of what not to do. If anyone has good info on water pressure on Europa let me know - I've seen wildly different figures some ignoring the ice crust.

Here is a rundown of stuff in my RPG collection Im looking at for prep.

Buck Rogers RPG
As my setting an in-system dystopia Buck Rogers RPG has some ideas and detailed cultures. When it came out nobody was interested in playing it as RPG but some liked space combat and video game. It was in an era with less art and it was aesthetically dull look wise. If i went with a more D&D based game I might use it more. Has some good ideas and brave attempt to modernis a 1920s genre classic. Why after this they reproduced the original racist books in products full of sinister orientals was pretty amazing as even in early 90s was a bad look.

Cthulhu Rising + Jovian Nightmares
Two good chaosium monographs plus more on this link https://www.ragingtrifle.com/jn/
Lots of good stuff i can directly use and the link has adventures I'm still reading
Im probably using the start adventure on the Jovian book. Is a complete alt cthulhu varient and shame never developed more and the old website down.

Eldritch Skies
Great game without too high tech interstellar RPG. Has lots of good ideas. I don't like the alt chronology that makes it more unlike reality. Has lots of interesting colonies described and worlds to explore.

Blue Planet
As my game has lots of ruins of aliens more than aliens this game setting will fit in fine. Has lots of interesting alien tech and abilities. I always wanted a waterworld and this has done lots of work for me,

Eclipse Phase
Insane detail for in system colonies and habitats. Good horror of ancient alien relics and techhorror without any supernaturalism. Im not going full hog transhuman but still lots of good stuff. The book on exploring gates is especially good. Almost a cyberpunked up Expance.

Gurps Cthulhu Punk
Not really much in here - some of the organisations i might use. If you had any cthulhu and cyberpunk games to mash together you wont need this,

Jovian Chronicles
A mecha space opera game and at moment I'm not doing mecha but the in system cultures, detail of stations and worlds has lots of good ideas. The capital ships details i like lots. No aliens or supernatural stuff here.

Bughunters Amazing Engine
A TSR book you can get cheap. I like character designed as if you are shopping in a clone bank and dead characters can be cloned if they die. A basic space marines vs alien critters remaining from two long gone species who warred all over galaxy long ago. One is biotech other uses robotics. Some great monsters and poor vassal species designed to hate each other even though masters gone. Good modular ship designs and a good map. Great value,

Bughunters - Osprey
A space marine vs bugs sts free sourcebook. Has several well described species to be a bit like aliens and arachnids and some more but IP shaved off to be more a surprise. I will use this. Great aret and a marine section. 

High Colonies
Very underrated SF RPG. Has great info for what asteroid you were born on and good encounters section. Aliens could be reskinned to be more interesting easily or ignored. The guns are quite good. Very 2300 vibe setting but simpler. A few tables in this I have used in lots of games. The hab gen tables are good. A few pages from this i might keep on hand.

Chthonian Stars
Very nice traveller-compatible RPG on drive-through possibly some of the best ship designs with no anti-gravity. Adventure ideas are usable and the setting is pretty good. Mythos seems a bit too well-known for me. You can get the game harback on drive-through or a smaller book of ships for the void RPG that came after (no traveller specs). 

2300 2nd ed
The best value ed with best art. Great gritty plausible with really good aliens. I don't get why new version has worse art and design. Lots of good details possibly too many in some aspects. Kafer sourcebook is great. The vehichle and equipment guides are great.

Traveller
Mostly not really right for this but the patrons book is one of my biggest inspiration for using tables in an RPG. The recent Starship geomorphs book is a must for any SF game. The old black book had a good alien pyramid adventure and the FASA Skyraiders trilogy is a fantastic campaign and before the previous mentioned traveller book had fantastic geomorphs. Lots of games especially Metamorphosis Alpha needed this long ago - the huge fat MA deckplan book is so abstract its not very usable in play and not really tacticals.

Other Stuff
Gurps space and ultra tech and biotech books are good. Transhuman space setting is nice too. Been watching Aliens, Pandorum, Expance, Outland and other SF vids also. My inner worlds probably more like Ian Banks stuff than most of the above sources.

d100 City State Quests

As adveturers creep over 4th level they will be dealing more with leaders and assemblies and other leaders. Some of these will be giving quests to benefit the people. Its always a good way to impress a ruler if you perform some quest. Intended for people at least 5th plus level

Sadly I'm winding up my Exilon campaign after lost a player so am trying to start a new game to get enough players to be viable so we get at least 3 per session. Starting up SF cthulhu game

d10 City State Quests Types
1 Hunt criminals

2 Diplomacy

3 Hunt wild beast

4 Exploration 

5 Rival cities

6 Hunt monster

7 Recover a relic

8 Hunt enemy cult

9 Victory 

10 Divine 

d100 City State Quests
01 A terrible bandit has been murdering and taking slaves and robbing tax collectors and must be stopped

02 Locate a noble traitor who fled the region and has been assembling barbarian followers for some purpose

03 A corrupt official has sold state secrets and must be returned to be punished

04 A kidnapper has taken a noble maiden to a foreign land and she must be returned

05 A precious tablet of ancients has been taken by a scribe and is trying to sell it to wizards, to recover this relic

06 A wicked merchant has kidnapped several youths and taken them to the wasteland for an unknown reason, bring them back

07 A palace official has been caught using a crown royal seal to fake documents, find them and the seal

08 A servant stole a ring of value from a noblewoman and must be returned

09 A criminal organisation is seriously corrupting and undermining officials and needs to be found and destroyed

10 A murder has been committed in the palace who is the killer who is the victim and why?
11 Travel to the court of a foreign city-state and present this letter to the court

12 Visit a tribe of wild people on the frontier and get them on our side against certain enemies

13 Some say a foreign ambassador has a secret entrance to his apartment and they are sneaking out to meet criminals, cults, or worse. Confirm this

14 An invisible spy was caught looking at war plans but escaped, please look around the court for signs of the mystery traitor

15 Visit a foreign wizard with gifts and try to convince them to serve your city

16 Establish a new trade route with a kingdom out of contact for generations for some unknown reason and bring back an exotic item or creature

17 Visit a foreign court and see who spreads slander against our city

18 Go make peace with the barbarian horde on our borders

19 Visit a foreign temple and help our priests establish one of our city gods there with a shrine and statue

20 Visit a city making the case we need to unify against a new and different enemy. Evaluate these claims and bring back some proof

21 A wild beast has been menacing a village go hunt them on behalf of king d61=lion 2=crocodile 3=auroch 4=pack of dogs 5=hippo 6=dimetradon 

22 A chimeric abomination is menacing road travellers and needs to be killed d4 1=peryton 2=manticore 3=sphyx 4=wyvern

23 A giant swamp serpent has been chasing villagers and blocking river trade and needs stopping

24 A gigantic fish has been attacking boats in the river stop it

25 A flock of demon ostriches has been bothering herders and they require protection

26 A giant bird has been stealing cattle stop it

27 A great bronze bull has been stealing away herds of cattle and must be stopped

28 A savage wild beast man has been bothering herders and kidnapping people

29 A wonderous stag has evaded many hunters and those chasing it often come across strange dangerous locations in the wilderness

30 A brutish mutant monster beast has been devouring travellers in a region stop it d4 1=boar 2=goat 3=lion 4=wolf
31 Find a hidden mountain civilisation scholars and traders speak of. Find the hidden secret valley 

32 A certain mountain is said to have a cavern to the underworld make a map of its location

33 In the mountains is said to be a magic spring, go find a route for pilgrims to follow

34 Ancient ruins are said to be in the desert go and explore them for any treasures or records or monuments

35 Go into the distant mountain forests and search for a dangerous wild beast or monster said to live in these parts  

36 Griffons are said to live on a mountain go see if they really do make their nests of gold and steal some eggs or chicks

37 A famous explorer has gone missing and must be found as the public demand it

38 A warlord beyond the mountains is said to have great wealth in a vast camp go and visit and report back

39 A mysterious people in the wilderness have been heard of and a report for the court is required

40 Bring back cedar wood logs to help build beams in a new temple

41 Visit games in another city and win athletic events for our city

42 Visit a rival city and record information on their millitary, defences, food supplies and stability

43 Escort a princess to another city and make sure they get married to their betrothed to secure peace

44 A deity statue is being taken to another city for a festival and requires escorts

45 Consult a famous sage or prophet in a foreign land about the well-being of our city

46 The heroes of a rival city have been causing us problems, kill or capture them or otherwise stop their effectiveness

47 A city-state is being courted into an alliance against us, go sabotage this

48 A famous monster killed a rival city hero - go kill the monster to show our superiority and shame them 

49 Lead a millitary expedition to eradicate raiding tribes of barbarians and determine if they were working for a rival city

50 A rival city has moved our border stones and blocked a canal - take an army and fix this, maybe take their land to teach them a lesson
51 A mighty forest cyclops guards sacred trees required for building temples, drive away this monster

52 A dragon in the mountains keeps attacking some of our satellite villages, go help them

53 A demon living in a ruined temple has attracted a cult and they all need to die

54 Ancient tombs have been exposed by a wind storm and undead creatures have come for our people so require destruction

55 A great brazen auroch bull has laid waste small settlements. An angry god sent this bull so stop the bull and end this curse 

56 Giant sandworms have been coming from the desert and attacking travellers and holding up trade, go sort them out

57 A sphynx has occupied a road to a satellite town of our city and stopped all trade - find out what it wants or get rid of it

58 The queen would like some roc feathers please as decorations, go to the mountains and gather some near the nest of these elephant-eating birds

59 A great demon has occupied a ruin and sends out evil winds and sandstorms to drive away civilisation. Stop it

60 A monster has used its powers of illusion and mind control to start a cult dedicated to undermining the city. Find its secret temple and destroy it and the beast
61 A statue was stolen by an enemy people long ago and has been located in an enemy temple, go recover it for the glory of our city

62 Recover the golden relics from the tomb of a king stolen by evil adventurers from a tomb

63 A war banner went missing in a battle and enemies took it away. Find it and punish the enemies

64 A noble has been carried away by bandits who in turn were taken by monsters in the mountains and must be recovered

65 A temple treasure was lost underwater and requires cunning problem solving to recover

66 A rare herb is required to save an important child go fetch it d4 1=under the sea 2=enemy city gardens 3=distant mountains 4=on the moon

67 A cursed region could be repopulated if removed making our city stronger

68 A relic used for divination has been stolen by a foreign bard who taken it to their homeland and presented to their king - go return it and punish the bard

69 A brick mine used for centuries by locals has started to find ancient tablets and catacombs. Go search for ancient tablets and relics of the [last before commoners steal them all

70 A fabled city of djinn is said to be in a barren wasteland and finding it would bring glory to us
71 A ghoul cult has infested the catacombs and tombs of our city go destroy the,

72 A secret cult has been supporting treason plots. Find them and expose members

73 A heretical sect similar to one of our gods but more bloody and murderous needs to be wiped out quietly and leave no survivors to become martyrs

74 An underworld cult claims to know a secret entrance to the world below, find this secret

75 A vicious tribe of barbarians worship a cruel foreign god go and finish them and their evil ways forever

76 A cult has taken over a temple and pretended to be the official clergy. Visit them in the guise of pilgrims and finish them off

77 A isolated monastery has fallen to an evil cult and they must be rounded up and killed if they don't denounce this cult

78 A cult has been breeding monsters and horrible abhuman beast folk minions. Go stop them before their evil plans unfold

79 A cult has preoccupied a ruin in the marshes and are trying to raise an ancient sunken ziggurat dedicated to their god

80 A temple reports that an evil cut is spreading disease to weaken our city for enemies and must be eliminated
81 Help frontier settlers defend themselves from enemies while a wall is erected

82 Enemies chariot corp raiding our border, punish them

83 Guide settlers to build a frontier trading post and clear the area of enemy peoples

84 Train a force of conscripts slaves and lead them to victory over an enemy camp. They will earn their freedom if they survive

85 A commanding officer has been killed and someone needs to resume command and secure the borderlands from enemies

86 A borderland garrison is badly demoralised but needed to hold the border. Help the morale and support their conflict versus our enemies

87 We desperately need more chariots to show we are the mightiest and keep the peace but various resources like wood, metal and animals have been in short supply and we desperately need them. Gather these goods even if you need to take them from enemies

88 A distant power has a rare metal called iron and we require weapons. Take this gold and make a trade deal with their king so our enemies do not

89 A king has offered gold and glory for those who can survive their labyrinth and our city needs representatives who can snatch victory for our people

90 An enemy power has a trained monster to be at the head of their army and we need a better monster to face them
91 Our deity has sent a sign that a distant relic must be brought to our temple as it was stolen by enemies long ago. Currently in a distant enemy kingdom kept in their evil temples dungeon which causes our god distress

92 Our deity is cross and punishing us because an enemy god has been redirecting water from our canals and restricting trade. When the enemy has been punished and stopped our god will be pleased

93 Our god requires someone to fetch a relic from the underworld

94 Our god has revealed the location or a ruin where evil creatures and cults consort concocting schemes

95 A titanic hydra guards an entrance to a great underground sea and an immortal heretic has hidden there to escape our god's wrath. To find this enemy and destroy his writings

96 An evil cult has recovered a body part of an evil god slain by the good gods long ago. Our deity requires someone to stop this cult and destroy the god's remains

97 Our god has sent us a vision of a volcano where dragons come from the underworld. Go investigate and see if it can be sealed

98 Our god has revealed an evil wizard in the mountains who seeks to revive a lost race of sleeping giants to destroy civilisation who must be stopped

99 Our god has warned us of a servant of the plague god who plans to revive an army of plague-carrying undead and we must stop this

100 Cross the sea to the island paradise of the gods and take them this tribute of gold

Exilon Wasteland Wandering 4 Maritime

A 12 page sf horror pdf on my Patreon up now

Im ending my current campaign as a player dropped out from mental health so will wrap it up next session. Will be doing some SF horror a bit until the next campaign and hop I can get some new people to play which is kind of tough where I am. Mostly I find

Currently, in this setting, only coastal navigation basically requires a priest to use divination or a navigator versed in the stars. The reptilians have compasses and better charts though sometimes they are a bit old and lots of land has been sinking. Underwater peoples in this age are thriving as world sinking and like surface folk they are arranged into kingdoms of many peoples. These kingdoms are inhabited by nature spirit folks like kelp spirits and fish spirits and talking fish and merfolk and octopus faeries and sea elves. They are ruled by kings ordained by heavens mandate and usually related to sea gods and dragons and other great spirits. They have villages and cities and the underwater world is in fact a kind of faerieland. There are of course beings of evil worshipping sea demons and following warlords.  

The sea in this period is much more dangerous and intimidating. Various non-human mariners know sailing better than humans and few dare leave sight of coastlines or risk bad weather.

Sea wise I would aim at a day a hex and most hexes have a d6 islands or rockyou outcrop

d6 Quick Islands
1 Rocks, reef and land at low tide
2 Rocky outcrops with some stone pillars
3 Small barren rocky seaweed-covered islands
4 Rocky small green rocky islands with vegetation
5 Medium island could support a clan or small village
6 Large islands can support at least one village and 1in6 with a noble fortified manor

d10 Maritime Discoveries
1 Rocks & reefs

2 Desert islands

3 Sea creatures

4 Seaside settlers

5 Shipwrecks

6 Sea folk waters

7 Mysterious Island

8 Sea monsters

9 Strange waters

10 Supernatural 

d100 Maritime Discoveries
01 Rock Stack is a series of stony pillars in the sea hard to reach and possibly a good hiding place

02 Stone pillar in the sea on top is an old battered mysterious building

03 Cliff caves used as a hideout for d4 1=pirates 2=cult 3=smugglers 4=hybrid fish folk

04 Vast ancient reef a shipping menace but also covers remains of ancient buildings

05 Dangerous rocks and mist shunned by travellers and strange sounds like bells heard here

06 Rocks here where mermaids frequently sun themselves and try to lure sailors to their doom

07 Rock pillar with dangerous birds nesting d4 1=harpies 2=sirens 3=stymphalion birds 4=pteradactyls

08 Tower of stone is the remains of a prehuman lighthouse

09 Shallow reef and small barren islands with remains of shipwrecks and even desperate survivors

10 Great coral walls are actually fortress of a marine species
11 Small islands with desperate castaways who live in fear of d4 1=giant crabs 2=sea serpent 3=abhuman cannibals 4=cyclops

12 Small rocky islands are home of a dragon and wild goats and pigs

13 Volcanic crater with a dinosaur-filled swamp in the middle and a temple of reptilian humanoids

14 Rocky Islands populated with ogres who love to eat humans

15 Island of Amazon that don't welcome males

16 Island with a vast ruined maze home of a tribe of minotaurs guarding a relic of the Titans

17 Islands of prehuman ruins haunted by night d4 1=undead 2=lycanthrope 3=demons 4=reptilian humanoids and pets who sleep in caves by day

18 Island  

19 Islands of fearful isolated villagers who shun outsiders and odd ancient customs

20 Many rocky islands in rough waters make the whole area dangerous for ships but a smaller boat may perform better without being shattered in surf on rock

21 Whales in the area attack ships and eat sailors

22 A mighty Roc or other colossal bird snatches a ship and carries over the horizon

23 Infamous for bad weather, dangerous reefs and especially the sharks. A popular place to hide treasure as there are many small sandy islands. Medium sharks travel in packs to survive the giant ones

24 Giant sea serpent attacks ships in the area and has an undersea graveyard of sunken ships

25 Evil Kraken of the deep snatches crew off ships with its tentacles to become slaves beneath the sea

26 Giant crabs are common in these parts of several types even crab folk who have a simple culture and build mysterious giant sand  size castles

27 Crawling animated giant carnivorous kelp attacks animal life in this area and some animals like sea snakes and swarms of invertebrates have adapted. At night the kelp sleeps and creatures come out to eat it. Possibly there are hidden islands or shipwrecks here

28 Sea swarming with jellyfish. Some giant, many harmless a few lethal

29 Rocky cliffs and rocky outcrops are home to many sea lions who breed here. There will be several islands or coastal camps of people hunting them and boats visiting them. Them may be a population of selkies among them resisting hunters

30 Giant lobsters, prehistoric sea scorpions and trilobites are common here and many other large invertebrates. They are full of rocky outcrops and reefs where these creatures dwell
31 Pirates base with several ships and barracks and a tavern on an island or secluded coastline d4 1=secret cave entrance 2=on the beach 3=old ruined fort with separate landing 4=inside a lagoon

32 Smugglers camp where wicked smugglers camp to move goods. Unknown to authorities they are trading criminal goods from foreign lands like drugs, weapons and forbidden magic

33 Cannibal cultists live on islands here and raid other places for feast preparations. On island has a king and a temple

34 Slavers camp on islands and can navigate them. They manage to control the area and keep pens of slaves they raid for or traded from far away. Maybe some of their buyers are not human 

35 Several small villages on the coast or on some island each with a petty noble who considers themselves part of a local kingdom. They might be out of touch and even forgotten

36 Villagers on the coast or on some islands are mostly isolated and dislike foreigners and their kings. Each settlement is wildly different and often feuds but they all prefer each other to outsiders

37 Camps and villagers of sea-raiding barbarian people who have stayed years longer than they expected. On the coast or on some island. Unfriendly to weak civilised people who they enslave or kill

38 Tribal islander folk on the coast or on some island. They are hostile to civilised people who have mostly thus far been disappointing jerks with diseases who don't know good manners.

39 Villages of fish folk hybrids who live on the coast or on some island and mostly look human. The more mutated monstrous ones live indoors and only come out at night for ceremonies. They have impressive temples with large stone monoliths. There is a fish folk town under the sea in the area in contact with all the hybrids 

40 Villages of isolated forgotten people on the coast or islands ruled over by a magical being d6 1=nymph 2=dragon 3=lamia 4=naga 4=wizard 5=ogre magi 6=seahag 

41 Region full of wrecks due to sea monsters d4 1=sea serpents 2=dragon turtles 3=sea dragons 4=giant squid and whales

42 Sargassum area thick with giant kelp with ancient wrecks trapped in the branches. All kinds of monsters, giant animals and strange people live in this area building homes in wrecks and among branches above water

43 Shallow reefs and inhospitable-looking islands have many shipwreck. Some survivors have been dominated by a wanted criminal cult leader who has disobedient people eaten.

44 Ancient marine battles here left many sunken ships and some are occupied d4 1=undead 2=giant squid or octopus 3=hydra 4=marine chimera

45 Wrecked ships with visible scattered cargo. Used to lure victims by intelligent marine humanoids d4 1=iguana folk 2=fishfolk 3=mermaids 4=eel folk
45 Shipwrecks in the area were used as battlefield objectives for secretive marine peoples to battle over in a war to control this sea bed. Wrecks are used as bases and to be held at all costs 
46 Shipwreck of invasion fleet destroyed in a storm and intended targets never even knew it. Some of the resentful dead have Harrison. They may not always be human 

47 Shipwrecks common in the area as a band of pirates know the shallows well and drive enemy ships into rocks then finish off and enslave the survivors

48 Shipwrecks around islands due to crews lured in by d4 1=siren mermaids 3=sea nymph 4=dryads

49 Shipwrecks here common from a sea giant who controls weather draws in victims' vessels and sinks them. They have an underwater palace and rule local sea creatures and spirits

50 Guargantuan prehuman shipwreck partly imprisoned in coral. All kinds of creatures live within the ship and the reef
51 Sea elves live in a coral and giant shell city under the sea here and have numerous outposts, lookouts and villages in the area. They might 

52 Under the sea there are barbarian tribes of marine beast folk constantly waging war including sharks, barracuda, stingray, marine iguanas, various fish, and urchins. kelp, crab and many more. They all like human prisoners and goods to use as pawns and some operate surface hideouts 

53 Kingdom of sea spirit folk including seagrass spirits and many aquatic animals ruled by a shapeshifting sea dragon king with divine blood. This dragon also controls local weather 

54 Under the sea is a kingdom of undead drowned at sea ruled by an elder sea daemon

55 A hideous monstrous race of humanoids in the area have a secret lair and raid shipping and land near this area.d4 1=sea trolls 2=marine ogres 3=seahulks 4= 

56 Hideous underwater kingdom of the remnants of the old monster empire. Populated by the worst sea beast folk who worship demons and things from beyond. Includes lamprey folk, angler fish folk, eel folk, worm folk, slug folk, crab folk all serving a cruel ruler d4 1=evil kraken 2=mer-lich 3=sea hag 4=marine ogre magi 5=sea giant 6=sea demon

57 Kingdom of merfolk who serve a sea god with a mighty temple and royal palace with a city. Various outlying villages and barbarian tribes may have varied alignments 

58 Great coral reef city of fish folk with furious other folk in their army and workforce like shark, eel and crab folk. Certain fish folk like anglers and catfish and salmon serve as elites. wizards and priests. They worship old sea gods or marine demons

59 Marine fairyland underwater where nixies and nymphs and sea spirit folk serve a minor sea divinity like a powerful nymph

60 
61 Fog-shrouded islands here seem to appear and disappear, they are haunted and cursed.  People here seldom escape and when islands not appearing they and inaccessible for years at a time

62 A primal garden island is here sometimes and appears and disappears from the spirit world. The peaceful garden is home to many faeries and magical animals. Several gods come here to relax with nymphs and plant spirits in magical pools

63 Island here has many magical pools with strange powers that many adventurers seek Some of the properties are fatal or weirder. All these pools are to keep the real pool that restores youth away from humankind and is reserved for the chosen of the gods

64 In the island of haunted ruins where the inhabitants were all slain my evil raiders. Now the island is occupied by undead. By day some seem human and buildings look intact but is an illusion from the land of dreams

65 Islands here come and go from dreamlands and nightmare worlds. Each island has strange creatures and dreamlike scenery some all bright and cheerful with good things aplenty and others are vile nightmares

66 Island with a temple but in reality the people are spirit folk guarding some divine relic awaiting the right time to allow mortals to use it

67 Slimy seaweed-strewn islands sometime arise with pre-human ruins on them. Those that visit and return describe strange creatures and some brought back strange relics

68 Islands overgrown with giant fungus, mushroom folk and other weird creatures

69 Island of rough forest and cliffs and old ruins inhabited by a gigantic monster once used as a war machine for prehuman civilisations

70 Islands of savage berserkers keep strangers away but in reality, they are lycanthrope sea wolves turning from sharks to wolves to berserkers and various combinations
71 A titanic merman sea god roams here sinking ships with his trident and pet whale

72 A monstrous whale eats ships whole and centuries of survivors have built a town inside of shipwrecks

73 Titanic angler fish arises by night and attacks ships and coastal areas, some people worship the god beast with sacrifices. Local fish folk are ruled by angler fish folk

74 A vast one-eyed kraken lives under the sea and people often see its offspring and avoid the area. A cult sacrifice to the beast in hopes it arises and attacks civilisation

75 An underwater sunken civilisation worships a mighty titanic sea serpent they still use to keep strangers out of their way and they plan to one day conquer the land again. Some islands have remains of ruins from the lost civilisation. They dwell in great caverns beneath the sea and are connected by tunnels to the mainland and islands

76 A sea titan dwells here with various swarms of pet sharks and dislikes civilisation or vessels of any kind so will send bad weather and move reefs to sink them and feed its shark children

77 A gigantic gelatinous mass sleeps under the sea and the waters are full of gelatinous blobs that attack ships. The great glob awaits the day it will arise to cleanse the land of life for a long-gone species to settle and build on. It only occasionally eats a ship crew or a village

78 A great slimy stone prehuman pyramid in the sea seems to rise and sink on occasions and a cult seeks to open it and release their dark slumbering sea god. Great leviathans frequently guard it. Uncertain if they come here and leave or if all sleeping in the deeps like a slumbering army of sea behemoths. Travellers here report strange dreams and some rescued castaways were gibbering and insane

79 A great turtle dragon behemoth appears to be a splendid island with luscious fruits and birds and pools on its shores and sometimes some castaways. The dragon turtle eats the ships as it is a vegetarian preferring wood, rope, reeds and even metal. It lures ships close and life on the island learn to hide in caves that seal when the island submerges

80 Lurking in these dark and misty waters is a dead mer-titan part humanoid and part fish and all undead. It mindlessly roams these waters with its trident-sinking ships. A clan of chaotic deep sea merfolk worship it and take the remains of what the god leaves after wrecking ships 
81 Ghost ships from the fleet of the drowned god patrol these waters and guard a temple on an island with a grotto where the ferryman of the underworld can be summoned 

82 Underwater is a great temple to the sea dragon mother goddess where various draconic and chaos marine beastfolk like fish folk or reptilians or draconic beastfolk. Marine nations wage war on this outpost of the great chaos dragon. All kinds of hostile marine people come here to fight 

83 Vast rafts of floating bloated zombies in the sea here often collide with ships and can start trouble. Any who drown here join the undead and are servants of underworld sea gods

84 Sea birds in this area are very hostile and known to attack ships in vast swarms. The birds breed on rocky towers in the sea here and regard it as belonging to them and not for "egg-eating bastard" non-birds. Winged bird folk and changeling bird spirit folk also are curious about humans visiting

85 Many reefs and small rocky islands in this misty area are inhabited by sea hags and many of the monsters like ogres and harpies are the offspring from kidnapped sailors

86 Strange eerie still sea is sweetly scented and requires oars to get around and winds only drive intruders away from these waters. The islands are populated by various elemental djinn spirit folk who are only interested in humans as servant slaves and pets in their menageries. Each has a ruler and a citadel palace where supernatural minorities are served by mortal slaves and elemental abhumans made from humans. Islanders have oared warships to capture any ship crews

87 Often lashed by storms and choppy waters but on pleasant days you can see a spectacular supernatural citadel on an island with cliffs all around with no landing. Various types exist made from different materials d4 1=crystal castle  occupied by good elves 2=skull castle occupied by dark elves and undead thralls 3=mushroom castle occupied by goblinoids 4=flesh castle made of meat occupied by mutants and ogres 

88 Merfolk in these seas try to seduce sailors into bathing with them but really want d4 1=slaves 2=meat 3=treasure 4=sacrifices

89 A powerful demi-goddess nymph lives in her pleasure palace and many illusions and monsters keep humans away from her island. Uninvited guests are turned into animals and she is a mighty enchanter

90 A flooded ancient wizard kingdom was once here and now some towers remain on rocky outcrops and underwater. Many mutant and elemental creatures live here from magic experiments in the past and pollution. Any tower can be occupied by d4 1=empty 2=undead wizard 3=imortal wizard 4=servitor abhumans or mutants
91 An undersea garden of a sea god is underwater with a few islands and rock outcrops and wrecks a part of the seascape. Magical spirit folk, sea faeries and marine beast folk live and work here to please the god who visits sometimes. Causing any damage or pollution enrages the sea garden peoples 

92 A undersea kingdom here ruled by a minor sea god (has a sea serpent or dragon form). It is extra-territorial of the surface of the water and islands unlike many such beings and sends merfolk or fish folk to collect taxes from any who cross. Those who fight tax collectors the god will sink and strand on an island until they yield to the god. They will make the offender immortal if necessary until they capitulate and a few are found on islands here

93 Region of the sea is the territory of sea dragon appointed by heaven to protect reefs and fish subjects. Any fishing here risks the wrath of the dragon and local fisherfolk know. Slavery or murder are the main outcomes but the dragon might have some quests

94 Whirlpool appears here sucking victims into the seas of hell so shunned by sane mariners

95 By moonlight when the sea is still and sky cloudless beings who sail and swim the stars may visit here, especially the islands. Some of the islands have moon-like flora and fauna or other star creatures. Odd peoples and creatures frequent this area   

96 At the bottom of the sea is a jade plug for the sea placed by the sea god. Certain fish folk protect this plug from evil and creatures from the void outside the world try and enter the world here. Certain cults and monsters from elsewhere come here to release the plug. Some say water will drain to the void others say water around the world will pour in raising the sea level. All kinds of sea beings can attack humans entering the area 

97 A waterspout opens here from the plane of elemental water and all kinds of magic water creatures can be found here. Water cults have shrines on the island

98 Whirlpools and monsters on islands keep most people away from the centre island where various sea nymphs and dryads and sylvan beings frolic. This is a place where many divinities have placed their children to keep them safe. The more monstrous ones watch the sea for intruders to keep vulgar mortals away. Gods visit here to see their offspring or make new ones. A few special mortals live here as a reward for serving the gods (or being related to them)

99 Under the surface of the water at certain times is a faerie land merging woodlands and undersea realms. Visitors here rarely escape the faerie folk who like human slaves and pets. Fish and forest creatures live side by side 

100 Huge ship destroying waves are common here and ships outside sometimes spot sea dragons riding the surf and playing. An island in the centre has a volcanic crater leading to another plane where dragons spawn. Various dragons have been seen flying here possibly to breed

Exilon Wasteland Wandering 3 Mountains

I decided mountains include woodlands so possibly a sea & coast table or perhaps an underworld table.

This is geared toward urban explorers on distant mountains. They know for wild monster-filled wastes, sacred cedar trees and tribes of bestial folk who don't even use fire or metal. This is an exaggeration. Some mountain kingdoms are rich in stone, metal, and wood resources. There are many simple tribes folk but also newly emerging animal herding nomads and beast riders. There might be places the party might think they could take over or settle. The people here can be more innovative than the river city folk believe. Seeing some emerging new powers to be feared might be a thread you could weave in such treks.

Remember also river cities lack wood, stone and metal. They emerged with farming, clay vessels and bricks and woven reed everyday goods, rafts and houses. Many animal herding nomads were sedentary agriculturalists once. You might see styles of axes and swords here are different to river civilisation. You might see superior chariots and animal riding or mounted archers might be new to encounter. River folk have no mounted riders and chariots are still new - most cities have four-wheeled clunky battle wagons pulled by oxen and onager There are still many wild folk, centaurs and beast folk and even giants and dragons here too. Some armies here have trained beasts and monster mercenaries.

Some people go to the mountains to hunt to get a glorious story and a wonderful trophy. Many of these people die preserving the mystique.

Chariots can be broken down and transported and assembled quickly for battle

d10 Mountain Wasteland Discoveries

1 Grassy Valleys

2 Thick Forest

3 Monster Lairs

4 Human Settlers

5 Abandoned buildings & Ruins

6 Hidden Folk Camps

7 Abandoned Mines 

8 Wonderous Beasts 

9 Elder Horrors

10 Divine Beings

d100 Exilon Wasteland Wandering 3 Mountains
01 Brilliant grassy region with many fine horses and onagers and some tribal people come here to hatch animals

02 Grassy  valley with patches of woodlands rich in deer, goats and gazelle

03 Migrating buffalo herds pass through but a few often remain and attract various hunters d4 1=tribal people 2=hidden non-humans 3=abhumans 4=goblinoids

04 Herds of mammoths or elephants graze on grass and trees here, 1in12 chance to see a roc snatch a pachyderm and fly to a mountaintop

05 Luscious wood and grasslands home large numbers of possibly dangerous animals of d8 1=violent horned rabbits 2=rats 3=wolves 4=wild dogs or jackals 5=bears 6=lions 7=auroch 8=boar

06 Herders with vast flocks graze here and are wary of rustlers and thieves. Have a camp in region moves yearly

07 A valley rich in wildlife but many spirit folk live among them but may turn human to convince strangers to leave. Many tribes avoid the area and taboo to hunt here as animals even trees may be spirit folk

08 Grazelands rich in wildlife protected by a cyclops or tree giant or hill giant often with a giant animal pet d4 1=cave bear 2=giant goat 3=dire wolf 4=fire lizard

09 Grazing land thriving with herd animals and exotic predators d4 1=dire wolves 2=sabretooth cats 3=cave bears 4=griffons

10 Herd animals thrive in grasslands and trees but are guarded by centaurs who claim the land and herds in it as theirs. They have different tribes d4 1=wild are brutes with clubs and slings 2=robed bards famous for healing and knowledge 3=armoured descendants of a war god in bronze with spears, shields and swords 4=barbarians with bows, lances and axes  
11 Rich forest with plenty of game but spirits must be appeased to hunt here and given a sacrifice in the right way. Locals avoid games here as taboo or their holy folk teach how to live with the spirits. The spirits don't like swearing or disrespecting the forest

12 Forest home to a clan of large humanoids living in a cave d4 1=trolls 2=ogres 3=hill giant 4=stone giant 

13 Gigantic prehistoric carnivorous boars roam woods and top of the food chain. Even a few giants have been eaten as there are bones everywhere

14 Forest of huge trees are home of prehistoric beasts that graze here d6 1=brontosaurus 2=triceratops 3=baluchitherium 4=wooly rhino 5=mammoth 6=megacerops

15 Unicorn grotto where local faerie and animals protect the unicorns

16 Woodcutters cutting camphor and cedar wood and claim all the trees here. Have oxen sledges for logs and armed guards

17 Dryads in the area will be alerted by strangers by animals and prepare local animals and faerie folk. A force of dryads charmed lovers may be sent to ward off intruders

18 Tree spirits here are awake and whole forests sometimes move and bar the entrance of intruders who don't talk to the trees first. Some can assume the human form for communication

19 Talking animals are common here and will rally with each other to prepare when strangers come. Some animals have various allies including d4 1=demihumans 2=beast folk 3=faerie 4=druids 

20 Giant intelligent spell-casting spiders live in these webbed woods and are crawling with bugs and regular stupid monster spiders 

21 A green dragon cave lair here has a family nest but younger dragons live in the forest around the region

22 Giant clan crude village often in a cliff or cavern. They consider local land is theirs and they have the right to eat intruders

23 Evil pool in a cave is worshipped by mutated formarian giants

24 Man-eating humanoid monsters live in a cave complex d4 1=yeti 2=carniverous ape 3=giant horned cyclops cave ape 4=hairy abhuman wild folk living a simple life, 1in2 chance are cannibals with several heroes and a lead holy spell caster

25 Giant serpents live here, some 1in8 are horned intelligent magical shapeshifters who may be impressed by manners 

26 On a mountain peak with difficulty to reach a cave nest of d6 1=stymphalian birds 2=griffons 3=pegasi 4=pheonix 5=dragon 6=perytons 7=chimera 8=pteradactyls 

27 Horrible beast drives away man and beast d4 1=bonnacon 2=gorgon 3=basilisk 4=cateoplas 5=manticore 6=leaucrotta

28 Mountain giant cave feared by other giants and monsters who leave offerings for it on a stone altar

29 Crossing over water or chasm guarded by a sphynx who only lets those who answer a riddle pass and it eats those who fail

30 Forest giant champion with seven magic auroras guarding a forest of sacred timber against defilement
31Currently occupied by nomad tribe of herders with family wagons. Possibly riders or chariots or exotic pet beasts. They will move on and another clan will take their place, each treating strangers wildly differently 

32 Log-walled village of barbarian settlers fleeing nomad takeover of the homeland. Have several chariots

33 Merchant camp with plenty of guards and warry in this region of enemies

34 Bandits camp here led by a famous leader with various stolen treasures. Rewards and fame await for this bringing this leader into civilised justice 

35 Horse nomads were new in the area and possibly the first horsemen were seen. They will be camped and looking for fled people from their recent conquest. Stories of rich cities are of great interest to their kings. 1in4 a substantial force here otherwise a smaller force guarding a stockade of supplies for a bigger force

36 Simple village of mountain folk living with no metal or domestic animals. Some live around old caves in wooden walls. They hate and fear strange new people here

37 Refugees pour in from beyond the mountains and camp here. They are exotic people but surprisingly civilised and a few speak known languages. In need of food and supplies their resources are dwindling and enemy scouts seek to find and enslave them. They will try to build a community here but would be interested in a home in civilisation as free people

38 Stone fortifications defend the entrance to ancient civilised people with their own language and rich in metal arms. armour and statues with a chariot corp. Has allied similar hidden fortress outposts and watch towers all defended by natural cliffs and limited upward paths

39 A barbarian temple complex with wooden walls, earth mounds and local barbarian villages nearby. Hundreds of carved wooden poles are in the region placed in ceremonial events. The wooden temple has a collection of gold gifts and ritual objects

40 Various mountain folk villagers here but well equipped and secured by geographical features. A tower home of a wizard rules this area and personally destroys troublemakers. Also has students, followers and apprentices all from varied lands the wizard has visited. There are old ruins here the wizard's followers excavate from some pre-human people. The wizard will use magic like a rock to mud and create walls to menace intruders and how an area so blessed with natural defendable areas 

41 Abandoned shack farmsteads of people who fled new settlers

42 A haunted village abandoned but now evil changelings live here to lure victims to eat

43 A ruined crude stone tower and wall of some long lost people possibly haunted and trapped

44 Several small villages here burned down its people missing. There is a sign of a battlefield here too

45 Ruined stone fortress or citadel possibly from prehuman peoples

46 Burial mounds of some barbarian forgotten people

47 Common monuments of ancient people d4 1=stone shrines and altars 2=stone monoliths 3=stone dolmen 4=stone circles

48 Ruined stone fortress occupied by undead, by night the area is patrolled by them

49 High in cliffs is a ruined fortified structure not accessible by paths 

50 Cliff relief rock carvings d6 1=king receiving tributes 2=code of laws in several languages 3=animals and hunters 4=carved precision of deities and their symbols and beasts 5=idol of a foreign holy person or deity new to region 6=prehuman beings heavily vandalised with more recent holy symbols carved on top
51 Village of were beasts live here and in various shacks in the region

52 Village of animal or plant spirit folk changelings who seem human when visitors arrive

53 Several orc villages in the area, one is larger with log walls and a temple or wizard tower 

54 Villages of abhuman beast folk living in wooden walled stockades

55 Goblinoid clans live in the area in villages and caverns

56 Demihuman village protected by ancient earthworks, cliffs and difficult crossings d4 1=dwarf 2=gnome 3=elf 4=halfling

57 Villages of fairy folk in the region often concealed in trees and mushrooms or in old barrow mounds

58 Secret community of cultists and hybrid non-humans worship a prehuman species and their vile gods in a stone-carved temple. Other locals avoid this cursed place

59 Warlord has gathered an army of orcs, goblinoids ogres, trolls and giants to wage war on other peoples

60 High cliff villages of winged flying peoples or creatures 
61 Ancient quarry with many monster lairs and a humanoid tribe  

62 Claypits where various mud-loving creatures live but the clay is rare and makes the best pottery especially good for magical pots

63 Small winding passages of flint mines inhabited by kobolds and some undead from miners' graves and guarding their shrines

64 Ancient iron mine where monsters enslaved humans to toil. Now many undead and even some demons dwell here
65 Area riddled with semi-buried pits and shafts of gold miners years ago. There is still gold but bandits, hostile tribes and monsters pass through looking for miners to rob. 1in6 chance miners are cowering in the area. The concealed pits often unwary kill travellers. Many small mines here some with gold but prone to collapse

66 Ancient silver mine was taken over by goblinoids. Occasionally miners with soldiers come to seize some silver and claim the mine belongs to a distant king

67 Streams in areas where miners leave woolly sheep skins to gather gold. Touching these makes angry paranoia miners hostile. Bandits, orcs and ogres come here to steal gold and persecute miners

68 Giant ants are common here and mine gold which some creatures try to steal. One tribe of ant spirit folk appear human and live in a village inside an artificial mound

69 Cyclops orcs here dig various metals here and run a smithy to craft magic items including thunderbolts they trade with the gods. They really hate the local griffons who hoard gold on the mountain here and are protected by a god 

70 Vast ruined dwarf metropolis in a mountain riddled with gem and mithril mines
71 Gigantic mutant chaos monster lumbers through woods looking for prey. Once it was just an ordinary d6 1=slug 2=goat 3=snake 4=bat 5=slime mould 6=mushroom

72 Titanic tree giant here holds court over normal tree giants planning forest expansion but not very up to date with human encroachment and deforestation

73 Ancient pair of dragons rule here with various sub lairs of children in the area and a thrall race of humanoids to worship dragons. They give tribute to dragons from a huge temple 

74 A lake is home to a mighty monster who can assume human form and it has an underwater palace with minions d4 1=catfish spirit 2=salamander 3=plesiosaur 4=serpant. Local villagers leave tribute to the mighty being. Lake is possibly an elemental portal

75 Frozen valley with a great waterfall concealing a vast cavern lair of the world's largest white dragon a child of Tiamat. A thrall species of small humanoids worship them

76 Glacier filled with hundreds of frozen dead giants. Every so often some awaken or are revived by necromancers. After scouring the area for food, they usually migrate to the lowlands

77 Guargantuan hydra roams area looking for food. Its lair is a vast repository of treasure and an elemental portal

78 Collosal fire lizard lives in a volcanic crater here possibly an elemental portal

79 Titanic cyclops roams the area herding sheep and eating humans who visit

80 Anzu bird is a titanic bird god with a nest made with cedar trunks with elephant bones and tusks of elephants. This bird battled gods and aided heroes to resist the god's will or wrath. It must be impressed by gifts or kindness to its young who grow to rocs and colonise the mountains
81 Cavern to the vast ruined kingdom of vampire bat goddess guarding a secret passage to the underworld. Remnant of time when monsters seized the world and stopped the sun

82 Reptilian city with ziggurat ruled by d6 1=snake folk wizards 2=pteradactyl mentalists 3=vampire lizard kings 4=dragon folk changelings in mortal form 5=lizard folk dino riders 6=fire newts 

83 Black basalt towers and sealed wells where a prehuman species of void demons dwelled. Now populated by d4 1=cultists 2=degenrate hybrid descendants 3=awful crossbreed abhumans 4=horrible mutant giants 5=shoggoths 6=dark spawn

84 Remains of fish folk ruins and fossils from before land appeared. Pools and wells and lakes have ghastly prehistoric mutant creatures and degenerate fish folk hybrids 

85 Strange prehuman tombs with weird mummies and weird cursed treasures. Some of the dead will reanimate as wizard mummies if the tombs are disturbed. Undead abhuman beast folk will arise to serve them

86 Glacial citadel of prehistoric wizard now an inhuman worm demigod. Its minions and cultists trap spell casters the master can enslave for magical power by eating them. They are a living portal to a living pocket dimension inside the worm

87 Valley strewn with ruins and millions of worms smother the earth. Normal life keeps away but cultists try and reach the ruins seeking to contact a sleeping god

88 Valley swarming in gibbering mutants and hybrid beast folk. A great cave here is an abominable lake of protoplasm that spawns monsters and taints waters with mutagen. Cultists come to take baby spawn for familiars

89 Valley is overgrown in alien flesh from the world of Xor. Skinless and hairless creatures come from fleshy caves to explore this new world growing into this one. Possibly some subdermal nueral cluster complex controls the expansion 

90 A vast artefact mostly below the ground is a magical machine never activated. The machine creates servitor species and monsters to guard its secret control room. With enough sacrifices and gems the engine will start properly and a cult hope to achieve this to start the apocalypse
91 Temple complex where priests and pilgrims come to meet a living gods avatar 

92 Blasted mountain top here where gods had a palace on the mortal world before retreating, a gate here can be opened into the woodlands around the first level of heaven

93 Volcano crater within is a d4 1=divine workshop of fire god 2=prison of evil god tormented in changes 3=portal to hell 4=citadel of demons

94 Mountain walled citadel of mystics led by divine beings 

95 Demonic citadel with a portal to a demonic realm

96 Remains of a dead god a cult visit to commune with and hope to revive or usurp the divine power

97 Glass citadel of eternally celebrating fairy folk who keep out mortals with walls of force. Fartire royalty visit here 

98 Vast magical tree part of the cosmic tree where branches contact various cloud kingdoms that change seasonally. The deep root passages lurk evil beings and lead to the underworld

99 Djinn citadel surrounded by walls of wind and flame. Various elemental spirit folk dwell here and there are portals to all elemental planes. Djinn and efreet don't fight here but may trick strangers to work around their code

100 Ruins of a vast wooden ship from the dawning age used by forgotten gods. Cults come here seeking relics and holy wood and various magical vermin and monsters dwell here

Destroying a wizard - the second try

 

So last time party went into the elder wizards transpacial dungeon base and despite several guest wizards blew the crap out of many foes but trolls kept coming and the part backed off. 

Royalty leading coalition arm asked party to finish that elder wizard up to something quickly as it had allowed its armies to be destroyed. It appears all the piles of treasure and huge groups of trolls and ettins and other monsters were just delaying the defences of the dungeon to slow intruders. Next time they would have to be faster and just kill the wizard fast and let minions mop up.

This time the Amazon wizard and the dragon spirit monk changeling went in. Brought through the entry portal bunch of clerics to locate best path and discovered the wizards secrets of not being a man lich but a woman and has her body in stasis and spirit is in a golem. Turns out the planar portal made outside divination more hazy so this was good. 

The amazon wizard made her and the dragon monk invisible and they flew in past rooms of trolls down to level two and another staircase to a vast fungi cavern and could follow a path or look at one side passage. Was a huge pile of treasure and magic items the adventurers pounced on and their invisibility spells ended. As they greedily debated and monks familiar cast identify four ancient ghost lieutenants of the elder wizard appeared. So a quick anti-undead shell put the party back on the road but visible, 

So into the wizard's sanctuary, they got caught by an attractive medusa bathing and vapourising her with magic missiles. While using clairvoyance to seek hidden panels in the pool they searched and found 5 secret doors. They chose one without an opposite and found a smaller chamber with a crystal golem on a throne - their target at last. She was pretty angry and a bit half-cocked and unsure so made some poor decisions first few rounds of the fight. Heroes trapped her in a force cube which then had the problem of what can we do now. The villain teleported outside and the dragon managed to turn the body of the golem to dust with a spell and a luck bad saving throw. The elder wizard's spirit went to her body and was awoken. The party used magic to burrow through walls to find secret doors and chased the wizard. 

So a long battle of counterspells and spells went on and the party was quite worried and just survived magic missiles because the missiles were spread among both. Amazon used an anti-magic shell and rushed the wizard while the dragon used his new power to make fire spells do acid damage which was quite effective as fire resistance is pretty common. She tried to collapse ceiling on them and drowned the area in mud and the heroes were unphased. Once the elder wizard was inside the anti-mag shell her shield spell ended and the monk managed to stun her with his dragon-style punches. She did beg and offer power at the end but those ghosts appeared and said she was a liar don't believe her. So while stunned and her defences down she was magic missiled into ash and dead.  

They grabbed some magic and escaped allowing an army of followers and priests to finish the dungeon. Party got an artefact and a wand of shooting stars among all the loot and some nice weapons including a female sword with a really nice personality. Also many long-lost spells and some new ones for the amazon wizard. She is desperate to increase her stats to help her go higher level. The changeling dragon had already changed class to the monk and this game it finally felt like it paid off. The amazon wizard has rep for killing one of worlds oldest wizards now which is a mixed bag. The monk who befriended the ancient red dragon family last session and helped them migrate to the dragon kingdom with their loot in return has an offer of dragon air support in the coming battle. More gods have now heard of the heroes' deeds. 

Interesting pacing this adventure as one party under time pressure found puzzles and traps and treasure just slowing them and distractions. One of the best wizard battles ever with various defences countering each other and both sides being defensive. The could have taken 3 or 4 sessions but i was happy they responded to time and came to see treasure rooms as just a problem.

Warlock & Warp Star Bundle

 

A  recent pdf bundle in my cabinet of holding has been these joys, I got the current Warlock book and loved it. Its aesthetics are like mine early 80s up punk fantasy. The basic book i had already and was curious about more so gobbled up this bundle. Warlock is very well-supported and very collectable. You could use it with Midderlands fine too. My own work would work most of the time with this. Its a non-dnd system perhaps like a cross between fighting fantasy and Warhammer frpg 1st ed (i don't know recent eds). 

Warlock! Rebek
A whole city with districts and stuff to take place. Grimy history, supernatural happenings, taverns, nobility, district encounters, laws, cults, shops, markets and a nice job table. Church, weather, some new spells and more. It's not too detailed or intimidating and a quick read and is good for a few adventures or a base city. So even a dnd reader could use lots of this if your not a slave to statblocks. Its an above-average fantasy city and more usable than most. Its easy to get your head around without super detailed floorplans 

Warlock! Kingdom
A book on the lands, the king, the Traitor (a feature of the setting), Has a nice evocative map and locations you could steal or be inspired by.  Lots of adventure opportunities and easy to use and apply. There is also a detailed mapped city which would work well with Rebek. There are lots of evil-doers and factions to use. New classes for characters and great miserable backstories (also usable for other games). I love the mudlark trade with a table of your best find "nothing but despair"  

Warlock! Buccaneer
Marine adventures for Warlock. Lots of new occupations and advanced careers, then lots of tables for marine adventures. Lotts of plot generation for sandbox play and ad-libbing tools. A bunch of criminal generation tables. It has a system for referees to generate a world to explore with players or generate on the fly as you go. The section on ships includes 7 famous ships which is nice. Magic items and many detailed marine races and monsters.

Warlock! Compendium 3
No idea what is in the first two. Possibly bundled into other books? This has lots of fun tables in the first l section and rules for alternate play styles which are of interest to gaming in general. 

Warpstar Corebook
A sf system based on warlock. Lots of careers and if you wanna be an alien, just take an ability and skin your species as you please or just be human or humanlike. I like it doesn't matter and the default setting is huge. Has colourful criticals, a section on tech, and every party joint owns a ship. A warp magic and mutation system and a faction of armoured fascists are a kind of 40k hat tip. A section of the setting is the Chous and various factions and rumours about them. I love the use of tables to build settings and paint a picture. There are lots of monsters and species and better word-building than many bulky books. The rest of the book id game master section. Punches well beyond its word count and very usable.
 
Warpstar Caldera
A system sourcebook and once again built from tables as lists of facts and rumours. Has notes on setting factions and various occupied worlds. The second section is several family-hefty adventures.

Warpstar Caldera
A book of villains, species and organisations. Also a prison complex.

Warpstar Hegemony
A book of careers, weapons and faction lore for the armoured gun-loving millitary faction. Discusses running millitary campaigns and has a mission table and an adventure.

Warpstar Omeron
Describes a cluster and has 3 adventures

Exilon Wasteland Wandering 2 Desert

I will do one for mountains and sea possibly forest or jungle but low priority and my monster island and other forest stuff will be usable. I have written the same articles twice and maybe more. This setting is inspired by a mashup of bronze age near east and mederteranean but also has classic fantasy tropes as this is meant to be the extreme past of my normas setting.

Maybe a underworld deathland tables for when you accidently find the borderlands or in necromancer kings land.

d10 Marsh Wasteland Discoveries
1 Graze Lands

2 Nomad Camps

3 Monster Lairs

4 Hermit loners

5 Abandoned buildings & Ruins

6 Hidden Folk Camps

7 Creature Swarms

8 Strange Sands

9 Elder Horrors

10 Supernatural beings

d100 Exilon Wasteland Wandering 2 Desert
01 Rainfall here creates short-lived seasonal grasslands attracting herds, predators and hunting peoples

02 Rainfall here creates short-lived seasonal wetlands where thousands of birds visit and other creatures hibernate underground when dry

03 Desert grazelands with large burrowing rodents and visiting herds with a 1in6 chance. Preditors pass through most nights d4 1=lion 2=leopard 3=hyena 4=wolves 5=wild dogs 6=Jackals

04 Ostriches and giant flightless birds here are hostile to humans and locals know them as demon birds and depict them as supernatural evils

05 Pride of lions dominate the area with local springs and lots of game and other animals

06 Seasonal body of water grows from small oasis to muddy puddle. The more water the more game and predatory animals

07 Grasslands here swarming with locusts who quickly eat everything and then leave after laying millions of eggs here. An idol of an insect god was left here long ago but it is not very impressive 

08 Herd animals travelling here are hostile and territorial and dangerous to lions and hunters d6 1=buffalo 2=camels 3=gazelle 4=deer 5=auroch 6=cattle

09 Good hunting area with springs and rocky outcrops and some vegetation. Caves and rocks have ancient campsites and rock art that was used to summon game reborn from the underworld

10 Unusual herd animals gather here and hunters come to prove themselves here
11 Nomad family camp will show hospitality and food 

12 Nomadic smugglers camp here with goods intending to defy royal decrees and tax d4 1=drugs 2=weapons 3=spice 4=ivory

13 Namad herders camp here with thorn bushes used as animal pens. Many shepherds in the area are based in the camp. Will sell livestock, meat, milk, hide and cheese d4 1=goats 3=cattle 3=camels 4=horses

14 Nomadic slavers camp here while kidnapping people, and intend to leave the area soon before anyone sees them

15 Nomads of a persecuted minority in hiding, wary and suspicious but if helped very grateful and loyal. Often are in trouble and in need of help against stronger peoples

16 Nomad mystic monks camp here patroling ruins and watching for evil cults seeking ancient forbidden magic. Adventurers may notice some good-condition ruins here 

17 Nomad cultists camp on the move as always persecuted. Secretive and paranoid and always need victims to d4 1=eat 2=sacrifice 3=torture 4=enslave

18 Nomad herders camp from the local kingdom, friendly and willing to trade. They will call on their king if bothered for help

19 Nomad merchant camp with exotic trade items d4 1=lapis stone 2=flint 3=copper 4=gold

20 Spies of a foreign power disguised as nomads to spy on people and make maps

21 A rocky hill cave is the lair of a family of manticores

22 A tall pointy hill has a griffon cave on the peak and horses in the region are rare

23 A rocky cliff has a ledge where peryton nest

24 A gargantuan roc nests in a rocky peak here and elephants roam the rich pastures here

25 A dragon has a cave lair here full of ancient treasure

26 Catacombs here a sprawling labyrinthine tomb attract minotaurs to the area

27 A herd of brass cattle live here and trample intruders they do not approve of or who covet their calves. The biggest breath fire and the herd each night sleep in a volcanic cave when called by a beautiful singing voice

28 A desert hydra crawls under the sand to ambush people and has a secret cave of treasure

29 Chimera hybrid monster placed by the gods here terrorised travellers and animals

30 Mutant creatures lurk here with weird hybrid features and extra tentacles
31 Old tent-dwelling sorcerer is a sage and diviner who has regular visitors despite the evil humanoids and monsters around her home

32 Stone hut where a monk of a now lost order sits and is fed up with the world

33 Elderly mad old priest offers to cure all ills by trepanation and they have surgical tools they used on themself nearby

34 Old hermit with animal friends who lives in a cave and does not want to teach anyone their secret mystical doctrines

35 A petty god bound here by standing stones needs helkp to escape

36 A sage working on a mystical doctrine is frequently tested by monstrous animals and demons

37 An ancient mendicant sits on a stone in a trance and does not want to talk, animals leave them alone. Old hermit was a court official thought dead who prefers hiding out with animals

38 Priest of nature cult lives here using magic to aid animals and make creatures to drive humans away 

39 Tower where a lone cranky wizard lives. There is no door and petty chores are done by invisible spirits

40 Madman in the cave has written a blasphemous demonology doctrine on tablets and evil pilgrims visit and try to impress the madman with acts of sacrifice and torture. If the book gets out demonology will become more common

41 Lamia lairs in a ruined temple with her charmed thralls here, she pretends to be a benevolent sphynx by day

42 Lonley ruin of wizards palace haunted by succubi and demons by night

43 Ruin guarded by golems that patrol the area and repair damage

44 Ruin where lurks a sphynx who often demands adventurers must answer a riddle for permission to loot the ruins or might trade other knowledge for gems

45 Ruined snake temple around oasis crawling with snakes ruled by a naga

46 Ruined poisonous wasteland full of statues and some seem not that old. It's a complete mystery d4 1=basilisk 2=medusoid 3=gorgon 4=cockatrice 

47 Ruins here are searched by humans and other hidden folk seeking a djinn bottle lost here and may grant wishes. In reality, all kinds of dinn kin spirits live in an intact palace below and humans are not welcome 

48 Ruined necropolis where ghouls dwell, some are more powerful rulers and others are shape-shifting spirits who can turn humans temporarily. Some ghoul god did something here long ago causing all this, perhaps answers in the catacombs

49 Crumbling monumental mausoleum or pyramid home of a powerful undead mastermind with minions in the area and even a secret village or nomad camp. Claims to have ruled the area long ago and wants to get it all back

50 Ruins of a city of a pre-human race that enslaved the region with black magic long ago. Sleeping horrors and traps are within. Occasionally adventurers awaken some elder horror
51 Secret village of scorpion-centaur folk serving their king

52 Secret village of horrible abhuman beast folk who prey on humankind d6 1=hyena folk 2=snake folk 3=jackal folk 4=goat folk 5=lion folk 6=lizard folk

53 Secret village of abhuman beast folk who prefer to remain secret and often dispose of snooping trouble makers d6 1=monkey or baboon folk 2=onager folk 3=

54 Secret village of changeling spirit folk who pretend to be human, maybe mixed types or just one clan d6 1=vegetation spirits 2=elemental spirits 3=animal spirits 4=undead spirits 5=demons or devils 6=angels or arkons

55 Secret village of desert demihumans usually under the sands or may occupy ruins or have a nomad camp. Humans fail to track or catch them and often get killed trying, Many set traps and cultivate animal friends d4 1=dwarf 2=elf 3=halfling 4=gnomes

56 Nomadic humanoids have a secret underground ruin home kingdom here d4 1=kobolds 2=goblinoids 3=cyclops orcs 4=recently created orcs made and ruled by a wizard 

57 Village of djinn folk in disguise who avoid showing powers and living humble lives and dream of being human. At some point, they will reveal their true form and have to kill everyone who sees them

58 A camp of demon bounty hunters seeking people cheating hell. Devils don't want to get their hands dirty so hire these guys. They have a few prisoners in bone cages and have warrants from underworld gatekeepers 

59 A sylvan glade where a dryad or nymph and her pets and lovers dwell

60 Village of shapeshifting dragons living humble lives with treasures in underground caves, Some of the people here are charmed and kept as pets
61 Giant bugs and lizards thrive especially in the caves underground, at night many come out to hunt

62 Scorpions of all sizes swarm here from merely hand size to wagon size 

63 Giant burrowing predators dwell in the sands of this area including d4 1=sand squid 2=land sharks 3=sand worms 4=giant ant lion or other insectoid. Remains of dead litter their tunnels

64 Vast insect swarms commanded by demon insects lurk here guarding some secret treasure, usually famine locusts or plague flies 

65 Swamp crawling with giant amphibians with a ruined temple on an island

66 Giant sand snakes swarm here around strange ruins of serpant folk

67 Giant trapdoor spiders are common here with hidden burrow enterances

68 Giant ants and antlions common in sand here with many great anthill mounds

69 Giant flies here drape corpses in trees and rocks and used to feed giant maggots

70 Giant scarab beetles make nice roads they roll their giant dung balls on sometimes crushing people 
71 Sea of fine dust difficult for normal travel, local hidden folk or some cult might know how to cross without drowning or being eaten by sand monsters

72 Sand elementals roam here smothering and dehydrating wanderers. They say a wizard or hidden people use the elementals and perhaps there is treasure and owners are long dead

73 Dust clouds here make travel harsh and guards an ancient library tended by spirit folk and a minor deity

74 Dust clouds here seem to form gigantic figures enacting mythis battles in the sky. A shrine records and oserves this and pilgrims visit

75 Mumified animals swarm here from under sand guarding an ancient ruins d4 1=cat 2=jackal 3=crocodiles 4=bulls 5=ibis 6=lion

76 Glass plain from some magical battle long ago melting sand into this magical area - travel on glass is dangerous but some hidden people know the lost art.  Perhaps there is some secret in the centre

77 Slumbering dunes where dreams and illusions manifest to torment people who try and avoid the place. People here often lured from friends with mirages of treasure and atractive lovers. Any sleeping here feel strangers fumbling in their dreams and memories. A gate to the dreamlands is buried here and used to evacuate local ruins here

78 Coloured sands tainted with other minerals that atract alchemists and strange creatures. Very atractive to see from afar

79 Sands here mixed with those of hell and move and shift, radiating evil and smothering travellers. The sands protect a gate to hell currently closed

80 A shortcut where people crossing report it takes no time to cross and there is nothing to see. Some forbidden zone in the middle teleports travellers through the area
81 Inhuman ruin in a harsh desert inside are reptilian mummies and sealed underground vaults

82 Strange conical buildings with ramps where some prehuman molusk race observed the stars for when the stars were right. Underneath are caves and strange magic crystaline machines and strange stone tablets

83 Under a great sphynx and necropolis are great caves where undead toil building new monuments for mummy master

84 Ancient wells with stone lids are common here, most are empty. Some of those intact hold demons of the outer void who came to destroy the world and were imprisoned. One by one they lids were opened and demons killed over thousands of years. The cult are struggling to open one afain and may recruit adventurers. The will lie and claim treasure is inside but such magic is alien anf always makes you pay

85 A great stone monument or artificial hill has been built on the remails of a slain evil avatar of a god of darkness. An arkon in human form lives here to watch for trouble

86 Ruined fortress but seems to be built inside out to contain something inside. If great wall passed a great pit inside drops into a enormous sinkhole into a underground kingdom of necromancers built around a dead evil god

87 Great cliff carvings of prehuman evil races with human slaves and several pre human languages scholars and cultists would like. All kinds of weirdos are attracted to this monument 

88 Huge stone monoliths aranged around region with binding symbols carved into them. Inside the area malignant spirit beings are trapped and cannot become physichal. This prison has held but sometimes someone is offered treasure and power to attack the wards and eventually they will fail 

89 A darkness godess was buried here and is several miles wide. Occasionaly parts wake up ad erupt as tentacles or monsterous dog heads. Insider her live a cult who guard a relic meant to be released at the chosen time to reseas another horrible old god 

90 Once area had water ways and canals and was conquered by fish people. Ruined streets have their script, idols and artwork, Sone say remnants may live in the old cisterns and sewers
91 Swarming with monster minions of the underworld god like hell hounds, giant snakes, fire salamanders, daemons and undead 

92 Swarming with mutated creatures spawned by a prehuman chaos cult ruin. An idiotic god is trapped in a slime filled chasm spawning creatures

93 A heavenly dragon watches the area

94 A gigantic golem stomps around here crushing intruders who seek to rob the treasure vaults of a god here. It seems to have rooms inside

95 A flaming chasm full of fire or acid torments a chained d4 1=titan 2=giant deity 3=elemental noble 4=demon that will offer rewards to any who free it to start the apocalypse and free others of its kind and open the gates of hell. You will be taken care of be assured

96 Border stones where ancient city states contested long ago. Some pushed over and broken. They aloso act as shrines for the city state cults. By night ancient undead awaken in theoir old armies to refight battles and move the stones. The gods watch this battle and play forces like chess

97 A splendid tample hidden by illusions and mirages where beast spirit folk and abhumans tend the god when they visit this secluded place. Unwanted visitors mostly are turned into animals or stone

98 An elemental node here is a danger to travel and produces monsters d4 1=earth node a huge moving sinkhole in the sand 2=air node a fierce sandstorm that flenses flesh from bones 3=fire node in a volcanic vents, or burning pits of gas surrounded by calcium, sulpher and nitrite mineral springs and boiling mud. Area stinks and has smoke clouds 4=water node is a beautiful spring where nymphs and faerie play and sometimes a godess bathes here as it has restorative powers

99 Miserable old god in ruined temple now petty in power wants death and tells adventurers how for knowledge or treasure. Other gods will warn those interested that even a petty god is not for mortals to kill

100 A great ruin here of a zigurat built as a gateway to heaven and destroyed when the king angered the gods and doomed the city here to waste. By night cursed citizens arise and are desperate for som wine or food but flesh and blood will do. A secret invisible staircase will take you to the outer gate of heaven meet the arcadian fields and sylvan woods. Two minor gods watch this gate and will warn users and might offer useful advice if recognised in these avatars and respected