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Monday, 14 October 2024

Chagrinspire Forts of the Line Generation pt1

























Step One - basic lines and hills
Place 3-8 crosses on a piece of paper - drop a d6+2 four or six-sided dice for locations
This marks the top of a hill - use the die score for the height of the hill
The highest 2 hills or hills are connected by lines first
Then connect the next lowest hills to the nearest point on the line

Lines are tunnels underground
If the fort is a line or one of a series, it may be connected by underground rail
You might draw a rail line through the whole map under the tallest hill

Place N for the north on your map
Choose an orientation towards the enemy or roll below
Mark the "Front Line"  the fort faces towards enemies
and "Behind Lines" if not a star or hill fort is the other side of the line of hill forts
large star or hill forts vave "Behind Lines" contained inside and obviously more limited in space and might lack such tertiary features.

Hillforts
Hill forts are 360 enclosed areas between hills filled in with earthworks. They may enclose a behind lines area. Draw a circle around the outermost hills. This line is raised to average height of all the hills with earthworks. There will be one or two main roads entering the fort by a road covered by the fort to a controlled gate house through the earthworks.   

Hillforts are more organic in shape growing over time and often used as a shared defence and sacred area over centuries. 
These were built by barbarian tribes and humanoids over centuries of labour in ancient times. They start with adding earth ramparts and low stone walls connecting the gaps between hills enclosing the area. Over time these grow to using earth to fill in the innermost space to average hill height for the behind lines area. These prehistoric forts may have a modern fort built into them.  A lone fort or linked to a longer line of forts connected by underground rail. Something important might be in the middle. They might accidentally interact with the remains of the older buried ruins and barrows. 

Star forts
Star forts are 360 facing outwards with earthworks for maximum firing arcs.
Mark a line connecting the outermost hills for the tunnels 
You can extend angles of pentagons, hexagon or octagon or other polygon for points of the star earthworks and defensive trenches facing front lines. You can put extra star points in between the first set, Behind lines will be enclosed inside 

Star forts are made by highly lawful people usually having used gunpowder for centuries. A small fort or enclosed town can fend of a vaster army with its overlapping arcs of gunfire and artillery. Magical societies might also prefer them and include defences with heights to deal with flying enemies.

d12 Orientation
1 North
2 South
3 East 
4 West
5 NE
6 NW
7 SE
8 SW
9-10 Hill Fort
11-12 Star Fort

Feel free to add some roads or a rail line or train tunnels to other sections of the defence line or allied towns and production

Step Two - Emplacements
Place primary, secondary and tertiary surface emplacements

Primary will be on the highest hill or any hills the same height 
Secondary
 are lesser defensive hills on the front lines
Tertiary are behind lines + roll a d4 extra tertiary features

d12 Primary Emplacement
1 Gatehouse entrance into the mountain
2 Bunker entrance into the mountain
3 Fire control turret with four 5 inch guns 
10-inch gun turret with 1 gun
10-inch gun turret with 2 guns
10-inch gun turret with 4 guns
16-inch gun turret with 1 gun
16-inch gun turret with 2 guns
16-inch gun turret with 4 guns
10 
20-inch gun turret with 1 gun
11 20-inch gun turret with 2 guns
12
 20-inch gun turret with 4 guns

d12 Secondary Emplacement
1 Gatehouse entrance into the mountain
2 Bunker entrance into the mountain
3 Metal dome observation emplacement with snipers
4 Metal dome machine gun pillboxes
5 Machinegun nests with sandbags
6 Mortar emplacement  
7 Rocket battery launch site 
8 Metal domed 2d4x 5-inch gun turrets 
9 5-inch gun turret with 2 guns
10
 5-inch gun turret with 4 guns
11 Arc defence towers - 4d6 lightning per round targets any medium animal in 16 range
12 Fire projector turret with deceptive cover in front is really a deathtrap


d12 Tertiary Emplacement
Gatehouse entrance into the mountain
2 Bunker entrance into the mountain
3 Portal station or huge summoning circle
4 10-inch gun turret with 2 guns
5 Machinegun nests with sandbags 
Metal domed 2d4x 5-inch gun turrets 
7 Watch tower with snipers and observers
8 Sunken road entrance into hill
9 Rail station or canal entrance into hills 
10
 Radio tower and telegraph station
11 Anti-aircraft guns 
12
 Anti-aircraft ray towers or spotlights

d12 Extra Tertiary Features
Graveyard
2 Patch of woodlands with secret bunker entrance and machinegun nests
3
 Airfield or airship mast or barrage balloons
4 Cottages and a small lake

5 Village

6 Walled town
7
 Parade ground and barracks
8
 Firing range 
9 Fields, vegetable gardens and animal pens 
10 Garbage dump
11 Excavation site for construction, mine or future tunnel
12 Building with plant room for fort air or sewerage or water

Step Three - trenches & defences
Draw a hill outline at average ground zero level or even mark the contours of each height level
Draw a trench line along your front line then two more outward lines
Connect trench lines with some diagonal lines

Use trench features to decorate your local trenches
Add d4-1 fortifications within the innermost trench for defences inside the 1st trench
These defences cover a d4 inches or 2d6cm on your map and can overlap
Consider placing to benefit geography and the fort design
Weird finds in trenches and monster encounters provided also

d12 Trench Features
1 Machinegun nest
2 Barbed wire
3 Land mines
4 Collapsed or heavily shelled
5 Dugout shelter
6 Unexploded bomb
7 Craters
8 Boobytraps
9 Corpses or skeletal remains of soldiers
10 Flooded with water or mud
11 Rat swarms or d4 1=flies 2=fleas 3=weevils (eat rations) 4=moths 
(eat cloth)
12 Supply dugout with d4 1=ammo 2=rations 3=trap 4=medical 

d12 Fortifications
1 Earth mound ramparts 
2 Tank trap section with crude log pits or concrete structures 
3 Water-filled moat with spiked steaks
4 Defensive wall with low trench
5 Barbed or razor wire fence (sometimes electrified)
6 Wall with castellations and walkway
7 Concrete bunkers or fortified cliff wall
8 Concrete pillboxes with machineguns
9 Land minefield
10 Spiked pit traps partly flooded
11
 Underground vehichle garage entrance
12 Area rigged with explosives that can be set off from observation

d12 Weird Defences
1 Fenced-off area with angry and hungry undead 
Monster pens for guards or released in desperation
3 Resting place of undead soldiers 
4 Haunted by old battlefield spirits and poltergeists
5 Magical defences d4 1=wards 2=runes 3=sigils 4=symbols, 
6 Magical sickly miasma fog causes flesh rotting
7 Dangerous crops 1=monster mould 2=sleep poppies 3=explodind toadstools 4=shrieking fungus
8 Lightning rod platforms - once a round zap 3d6 to medium or bigger target moving within 60
9
 Underground golem or automaton bunker 
10 Summoning station often guarded by planar thrall

11
 Black Arcane Science Bunker d4 1=shoggoths 2=elementals 3=mutant infantry 4=surgical composite corpse zombies
12 Alchemy Science Bunker d4 1=golems 2=potions 3=poison gas 4=incendiary squads with flamers

d12 Post Apocalypse war encounters

1 Undead often with solid rusty guns and helmets stabbing with bayonets
d4 1=skeletons 2=zombies 3=ghouls 4=wight riding skeleton horses and a d4-1 half strength thralls on foot  
2 Huge beast d4 1=mutant boars 2= 3= 4=
3 Crawling giant things d4 1=lizard 2=frog or toad 2=newt or salamander 3=snake
4 Something slimy d4 1=worm 2=slug 3=snail 4=ooze or jelly
5 Giant invertebrates d4 1=spider 2=scorpion 3=beetle 4=crab or lobster
6 Swarm d6 1=flies 2=beetles 3=bats 4=frogs 5=rats 6=
7 Canines d4 1=wild dogs 2=mutant dogs 3=wolves 4=dire wolves 5=hellhound 6=winter wolf
8 Chimeric d4 1=manticore 2=sphynx 3=lamia 4=vulturebear 5=griffons 6=chimera
9 Humanoids d8 1=kobolds 2=goblinoids 3=orcs 4=dwarves 5=gnomes 6=elves 7=abhumans 8=halflings
10 Monsterous humanoids d4 1
=ogres 2=trolls 3=formatian giant 4=hill giants
11 Humans d4 1=scavengers in bandages 2=mutant cult 3=miserable knight and entourage on a quest 4=surly adventurers
12 Magicians d4 1=snake folk wizards with lizard folk warriors and dinosaurs 2=cultists with master searching  3=witches on a mission 4=
weird alien wizard being

Step Four underground 
Consider starting a side-view drawing.

Under the upper levels there are elevators for crew and ammo with ladders in emergencies

Levels close to the same level of the main underground use ramps and stairs or escalators

Show elevator and stair shafts and tunnels connecting emplacements and the sub-levels

You may have put a train line through the map and can use this to connect the main underground it goes through the 2nd to bottom level

The main ammo stockpile is at the bottom but others exist

Sketch out roughly what each sub-level holds and roll a d4 sub-level section  

Use the tallest hill height position to place  rectangular 1st sub-level
If you have more than one tallest level make the rectangle fit both, elongate it if needed
Decide how many levels or roll 2+2d4
Each floor is 20 foot/6m tall with 10 foot/3m wide passages
1-2m tall service sub-level is in between each level for pipes and wires and monsters

Apply condition to the whole complex or by floor or by section
Roll a few factions as needed d3

d12 Sub-level Sections 
1 Barracks &
 Shower block
2 Officer Quarters or clerks or planning department
3 Armoury & Ammo store with shooting range
4 Plant for water, sewerage and air
6 Food stores or mess hall
7 Hospital or medical stores
8 Parade ground/gymnasium
9 Workshop & supply stores
10 Power plant or telephone exchange or post office
11 Recreational areas: library, bars, food hall
12 Garage 

d12 Condition
1 Flooded lower section
2 Burned sectio
3 Rusted out sections
4 Battered and looted
5 Graffiti
6 Plant overgrown
7 Fungus overgrown
8 No power or lights, many doors sealed
9 Cultist infested
10
 Mutant infested
11 Undead infested
10 Automaton infested

d12 Post Apocalypse war inhabitants 
1 Undead defenders with greater undead officers sworn to defend
2 Cultists have founded a temple here, 1in6 are mutants
3 Scavenger gang claim this ruin, 1in6 are mutants
4 Kobold colony related to a famous clan of region
5 Goblinoid colony infested by creatures and fungus gardens
6 Orc clan either barbarians or deserters from a wizard or the black sphere
7 Abhuman clan colony and temple, many species 
8 Reptilians occupied and try to keep some pet dinosaurs. Some serve serpent folk wizards 
9 Draconic templar cult with draconian humans and at least one dragon-related pet
10 Dungeon creatures, vermin and dangerous guant animals
11 Black sphere outpost with sapper gnomes and various automatons
12 Spirits and non-coporeal undead, poltergeists and   

Step Five finishing
Consider adding any more levels, chambers, tunnels or train lines as you wish to finish

Will have some d100 for this too

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

My first effort - used a d6 for height but d4 is better i think
On the Flatspur to Shankheim map, where hex 4 meets the top of hex 1

East from here the line has underground canals into the river
West of here the fort line continues for 12 miles

This is the hill forts of the Allies overlooking the front line
You can hear explosions and see flashes by night in no mans land
It is very haunted and full of dangers and ancient armaments

This section of the line was pretty ordinary
For centuries this fort was maintained by automatons
The shambling undead soldiers kept up their duties peacefully
Then new undead came to cause trouble 

A serpant folk mummy necromancer and her reptilian undead have taken over command and rail sections and plant to expand. The seek to dig up more reptilians and steal lives to resurrect their civilisation from the monster kings era. Queen Karkhassa the mummy has a restriction staff that drains a life of equal power to use. The victim could be sacrificed or can resist with a will save one per round. It must be held on the victim. She is studying human machines, automatons and human cult and planning how to absorb them into her reptilian bussom. 

More recently the demon-goat prince of death cult has moved in and built a temple. They plan t take over the local undead. Include wizards and priests who dream of a new necromancer city state like in Ancient Exilon. They dont realise how bad the reptilians are. The can make 1 to 2 HD undead but struggle with better ones. The can charm stronger ones but lock them up when not in use so they don't go to their own path.

The old undead soldiers are planning to take back the fort. The have been bringing in more support from undead in other hillforts. Spirits and hauntings dislike the newcomers. The old forts are so vast they develop own land spirits. The officers are keeping their troops in reserve but send out patrol sorties. The fort undead might make a deal with adventurers and offer them uniforms and soldier's kits.

The undead don't care about automatons. The automatons only care for the fort but living allied officers might be able to get the automatons to help. The automatons live fine with the old guard undead but not the new ones. Each automaton is worth money so they defend each other from scavengers, Some automatons chatter in fear thinking of human scrappers looting their bodies. Scavengers coming down here are the freshest zombies and ghouls. The undead could blow up the fort also.

d12 Lv 1 Automaton Area Encounters
1 Scuttling spider automaton repair bot with a tool kit
2 Sphere automaton repair bot on tracks with six tool arms 1.2m tall
3 Humanoid automaton in overalls with tool kit
4 Skeletal soldiers d6+6 on patrol with rusted guns with bayonets and helmets
5 Zombie recruits d4+2, dead only a d4 months, under uniforms are signs they were scavengers by their tattoos and trinkets with fire axes or cheap sabres
6 Scavengers d6, if only one they are desperate to get out
7 Ghoul sergeant leading 4+d4 skeleton soldiers
8 Demon cultist 4th Lv priest with 4+d4 robed zombies hunting skeletons
9 Undead pack lizard AC+3 HD 3 Bite d6 Morale 12 Mv 6 Slow
10 Invisible petty demon-ling spy checking cult progress
11 Poltergiests warn away intruders
12 Roaming flesh golem kills zombies with ease then sits and eats them like a content messy baby (only one unless more are released from a freezer - after this roll 2d10 in this table and pit them against each other)

d12 Lv 2-3 Cult Area Encounters
Humanoid automaton in overalls with a tool kit fixing stuff (or other automaton)
2 Animated skulls d4+1 AC 3 HD d6 Bite d3 Fly 15 undead properties
3 Poltergiest 
warn away intruders
4 Shadow strikes by ambush and strikes the weak to make more shadows
5 Demon cultists 2nd lv priest teaching d4 zero level initiates with daggers

6 Demon cultists 1st lv priests each with an animated skull
7
 Demon cultist 4th Lv priest with 4+d4 robed zombies 
8 Wizard 4th lv with zombie manservant and two goat folk bodyguards
9 Ghoul command raiders from lower levels here to snatch humans 
10 Spectral soldiers 2d6 manifest to arrest intruders and put in a cell
11 Invisible petty demon-ling spy checking cult progress
12 Shadow hounds x3 of ancient warhounds who make all the humanoid shadows (only once so after stage an encounter from here vs another level creatures

d12 Lv 4-5 Reptilan Dead Area Encounters
1 Sphere automaton repair bot on tracks with six tool arms 1.2m tall
2
 Undead snakes d4+2 AC+3 HDd6 Bite d3+slow poison Morale 12 Mov 6
3
 Undead pack lizard AC+3 HD 3 Bite d6 Morale 12 Mov 6 Slow
4
 Undead lizard warriors x2 AC+3 HD 3 Sword or axe d8 or javelin d6 Morale 12 Mov 12
Skeletal soldiers d6+6 on patrol with rusted guns, bayonets and helmets
5 Zombie recruits d4+2, dead only a d4 months, under uniforms are signs they were
Ghoul sergeant leading 4+d4 skeleton soldiers
Spectral Military Police 2d6 manifest to take you to a ghost train for deployment
8 Spectral lieutenant runs towards intruders to give them an ancient report
Spectral soldiers 2d6 manifest to arrest intruders and put in a cell
10 Rats d4 1=swarm 2=giant rats 2d4 3=bear size mutant rat 4=were-rats
11 Carrion worm or giant leeches came through train lines and pipes
12 Serpent mummy with 4 undead lizard warriors (only one without her rest will be vulnerable to domination - use the table for those factions

d12 Lv 6 Old Guard Redoubt Encounters
Humanoid automaton in overalls with the tool kit
2 Poltergiest wards away intruders d4 angrily hurl garbage
3 Ghoul sergeant leading 4+d4 skeleton soldiers
4 Skeletal soldiers d6+6 on patrol with rusted guns with bayonets and helmets
5 Zombie recruits d4+2, dead only a d4 months, under uniforms are signs they were scavengers by their tattoos and trinkets with fire axes or cheap sabres
6 Spectral wounded and shell-shocked soldiers limp down corridors to the hospital
7 Spectral soldiers marching will attack any in the black sphere or demon goat or necromancer regalia
8 Coffer corpses with toe tags and horrible wounds lay on the ground in rows, d4+2 will leap to their feet to strangle and terrify intruders
9 Huecuva spirit manifests a bandaged skeletal body to ambush with diseased touch
10 Wight Captain with pistol and d3 half-strength thralls (lieutenants), all in gasmasks, cloaks with swords and spiked metal helmets reminiscent of old knights
11 Revenant sergeant with pistol and a trench club +2, the last to die here and still remembers and is aware of undeath. Feels sorry for and helps undead soldier peers. Will negotiate with the spirits and dead here. As long as dies in the fort the fort spirit will bring the revenant back
12 Wraith Colonel (if killed the fort spirit revives in a d4 days unless remains found and destroyed. Only once after this is gone the spirit will confront and communicate with intruders to find their purpose and pass judgment. Normally an awful spirit of darkness this one willing to fight with enemies of the black sphere and repel or assimilate these outsider undead. It hates its condition but might be tempted sometimes to sip a few levels "come on you have so much life to spare I only need a bit"























Update: We played this and it went very well
3 players awol but ones here went to scout

Party
Nebo the sky giant (now 7'6) with his jester sidekick
Priest with two acolyte assistants 
Scavenger guide npc 2nd lv thief

Been doing divination online between games on fb

on way found a small flesh golem and it seemed not hostlie
mutant dogs attack and party killed them and baby golem henceforth Balzac crushed two and started eating them. He followed party and they left the soad to he southern part of the hillfort.

Marched to rear defences of the hillfort through mud, past lines of sharpened stakes. Saw a building on the southernmost hill and oops priest set off a mine and everybody badly hurt. The 3rd and 2nd level characters were mostly half damaged, the followers all unconscious. All given spells and first aid to get mobile so they rushed up the hill to the building.

Entered the ancient telecommunication building by front doors and found some interesting posters and books. Found a cafeteria to hole up in and argued with a vending machine. They tilted it open and robbed its 19 cans of gruel 4 cans of fermented herring-flavoured gruel and a rare gold can of VIP gruel. The golem machine yelled lots for help and giant beetles attacked. Party searched the building and left most wounded to rest while the 3rd and 2nd lv folk finished sweeping the building.

Found cobwebbed passage and saw top of door move. As got closer heard "heeelp meee!" and were a bit suspicious. Burned through the web to the door and saw a goblin tied topillar which threw them. But was also a spider behind door and the goblin lunged at them and changed into its goblin faced spider form. Was toughest supernatural being they faced yet. Top of the building had a hatch they locked and bolted to keep out spiders and nest on the roof in the antenna. Spent 2 days healing and looting telecommunications equipment, reading ancient books and comics and instruction manuals. Considered they might be able to send a line to the party fort only a few miles away. The baby golem happily ate more monster corpses and the whole gang marched home then to the Flatspur to sell loot with the scavengers guild and get divination from church.

All are keen to return and set up a base with the support of the scavenger guild who will bring in a few gangs to help. Divination revealed how the golem was made in a vast factory only months ago and that raising it away from its conditioning can alter its behaviour. Currently, it needs +1 weapon to be harmed and has grown inches from its eating. It doesn't seem to excrete and its features are waxy and smooth. It does wrinkle its minimal face, seems excited by animal noises and seems imprinted on the party. It also seems to want to be washed. Divination showed a stranger came and gave it a wooden dummy after it's jar fell off a boat and broke washing the golem up by river.  

Using my new 4x d12 encounter/reaction/morale/initiative system. Mostly initiative rolls for ties but mostly my initiative checklist determined stuff.  

More fort exploration coming

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