Itty Bitty Gnome Comitee

will be a chagrinspire 4 this year, but I'm freezing my Patreon acc currently. Got a pile of DCC adventure compilations at a good price and the monday monster book for mutant epoch.

Continuing from these
https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2025/02/d12-more-deep-gnome-philosophies-spies.html
https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2025/07/d12-what-your-secret-gnome-mastermind.html
https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2025/07/secret-gnome-agent-teeth-troops-air.html

Rielly Ace of Spies tv show seems slightly relevant

The gnomes have spied on the party, sent them warnings, tricked them into destroying an empire, got them to stop Chagrinspire guns from reaching other continents and most recently sent them to a moon simulation.  The party have avoided gnome conflict since day one where they avoided a gnome mechanised artillery golem in the mudlands. So the players spent more time in the wilderness spreading influence and attacking slavers. They did make peace with the gatehouse faction and on first exploration, brought back awful stuff from labs. When they split loot with orcs who let them access the gate as per a deal, the artefacts killed their holy folk and created a vampire tree cult. So a year later, they have been visiting more of the higher levels and have become aware most of the upper levels still operating.

Even finding Balzac an unformed flesh golem released from his vat early might be an experiment. Not all gnome ops are to nobble the party some are experiments and some fiot into their plots of continental politics.

It also seems that many invading forces over the last thousand years were wiped out, their souls used in Chagrinspire machines and their bodies turned into monsters to defend the tower. Even gods are imprisoned for fuel and the Spire and the apocalypse war that made the wasteland is why the gods dont come to the mortal world or go anywhere near the grrat gnome tower.

So one gnome spy master has been dealing with them and most recently gave a follower a moon portal mirror that was fake. They dont really know why.

So the gnomes have established a committee to monitor the party and their kingdom they built on the gnome doorstep. I'll probably be putting the tables of the above links in my folder for handy access. Its probably fair to say their are spies, shapechangers, invisible spies, scrying magic and rooms of divination casters. All my big kingdoms and churches run divination sweatshps. Every adventure i run players do divination a few days before they set off. D&D5 nerfed divination and charm and gave clerics fireball sigh. 

I spent prep session rolling up a committee of gnome factions in a star chamber committee set up to monitor and manipulate the party who have become the major faction around Chagrinspire. Used tables in links above and came up with this.

I wil reorganise these tables and add to them in future.

Starchamber Committee #2074452
These are secret committees that act as security advisors and judges appointed to monitor certain factions and individuals of importance enough to not wipe out. Once a committee is appointed, they are responsible for decisions about the target. Other factions might weigh in or request the committee act if the targets infringe on their interests. Each of the six committee members are appointed from different factions who often hate each other. Gigantic cognitive golems help the appointment system with oversight from a higher council of starchambers who also audit their success.

Each member has own agenda, faction agents and methodology.

No member is in charge officially.
Sometimes they vote for the majority or must all agree to act.
Each has own resources and methodology.
Factions often disagree and undermine and plot against each other.

This committee has these main goals:
Prevent humans from advancing beyond black powder guns
Kill wizards plundering critical technologies
Destroy two international bank cartels supporting slavers

#2074452 Members
Arben Gloomspear - likes to place close spies to party and uses spy golems that resemble rats and tiny birds. Wants any rival civilisation ruined, especially the underland species generally more advanced and ancient than surface humans. Has monopolist faction leanings and greedy for gold. 

Lupus Greyspider - wants to hire and bribe party with gold which he steals from the bankers supporting the slavers. Concerned by human wizards, technology and civilisation and how it can become a threat in only a human generation. He is an elementalist heretic which is mostly irrelevant in the current world. Has automaton spiders with eyes on long, thin tendrils that can pop up in drains, toilets or cracks in floors.  

Strata Slatebrow - wants to keep useful idiots between gnomes and enemies including adventurers. She would like to see humans wiped out but she has word from above nope. She manages the agent Gloomia and they contrive to use undead to avoid schemes being noted by others.  She thinks undead are better than automatons and golems as cheaper. She has no interst in necromantic cults or aesthetics of death its just about money. She is also a monopolist, friendly to the gold cube gnome cult who are interested in making all matter gold instead of destroying reality. She doubts the unmaking of the world will ever finish in her lifetime. 

Flyntmac Carbunkle - Agents plant spy eyes and was first to notice the party why captured first outpost and dared to pull up rail lines. The party dealt with some invisible gnome agents using sleep spells. Scavengers warned them to not mess with gnomes or rail lines and they stopped. An elemental heretic but uses crystal balls and spy-eye gems to track the party and their followers. Mostly wants party to not mess with gnome infrastructure and work with it. If they dont threaten gnome systems they are no threat. He frst deployed the Agent Unas to monitor the party and he went beyond his mission. Flyntmac is wary of Unas now,

Lucia Borgenstone - Likes shrunk agents and gremlins to spy on party hiding in rat holes. These agents spread gossip and slander among the scavengers of the wasteland using implanted memories. She trusts agent Gloomia to Unas. Her interest in undead is in her personal immortality and she hopes more undead gnomes will be better at long term planning. Other gnomes think this is just increasing the torturous unpleasantness of existence. She wants to promote vampirism but her peers would destroy her if she said it.

Borgia Lux - She is satisfied human Empire is gone and warns others that giants are secretly plotting against gnomes and has nightmares about being eaten by giants. Humans are under 10 foot tall so less dangerous in her mind.  She is a machinist and likes Automatons. She thinks this assignment is pointless and boring and hopes to climb higher up so she can help automaton production to just wipe out pesky non-gnomes. Her automatons also place listening devices and clean up damage to gnome infrastructure.

Assets

Psion Comando Squad for data retrieval, espionage and assassination. The Leader Codpur Greyglorp is a trusted adviser who refused to be promoted to being on the committee, preferring to just do his duty. They travel in an airboat able to turn invisible with a paranoid golem engine. Specialise in  

Gloomia Doomshade a necromancer wizard agent who interrogates the dead and sends undead hit squads or saboteurs to enemies. She tends not to be very subtle in her plans but most targets don't recognise gnomes involved so she keeps her job despite using her undead as a hammer vs any problem. She will establish a tomb or tower to observe adventurers,

Unas Obsidian is an agent who actually has met party when he was sick of hearing them plan and appeared at a planning meeting when they were planning wrong by his view. He over reaches his authority and had the party kill the Emperor thus ending the Third age of humans since Exilon. He has supported the party exterminate the slavers guild also in part because gnomes are cloning slaves again so dont need international human trafficking rings. Some gnomes dislike these events like Gloomia and the new comitee. He has various magic ciggarettes so you might find ashes and butts. Smoking is a terrible habit for magic invisibility.

Panic room portals used by agents in contact with adventurers can open a portal with an invisible entrance they use to escape problems. Only named agents use these as they cost lots. Really not unlike a back of holding but when occupied the sack turns invisible but the occupant needs to be under 1m or yard.

Final Notes
Unas is being watched by agents and higher-ups and is being more careful. He has weirder plans for the party, including sending them into Chagrinspire and releasing gnome heretics from their lunar prison camp.

Gloomia is getting more work and planting undead eyeballs around she can question later with magic. Gloomia worries the adventurers' gateway kingdom is bringing in more priests from south who want to harm her undead minions.

Other agents might be called in.

I use these to nudge players a bit into the Gnome world or in other cases as a distraction.

Might do a d100 gnome plots table
probably working on cleaning house for visiting relatives and go back to my ethyria pdf 

Gnome Muderdomes

So while plotting gnome eco domes possibilities, i came across this terrible idea.

I did play a session where players where given a moon portal mirrie and it instead sent them into a biodome where they soon figured out it was not quite the moon but did find pyramids, a prison, moon toads and met crystal star sprites. Took out a security checkpoint and met fish people living in the works of the platroom they had flooded. The players solved the simulation quickly but appreciated the effort of making a 1km wide moon simulation. 

So another level of Chagrinspire with 5x 1km domes but instead of science and education and a bit of bloodsport fun for elites, these are for simulated battle.

Also known as gnome battledomes but the murderdome name is used by more corrupt gnomes. In theory, they are operated for training and millitary research but a corrupt faction are just exploiting Nullist Black Sphere resources to destroy reality to just make money and enjoy bloodsports. Gnomes working in this area may be corrupt, sadistic capitalists subverting the benevolent plan to erase all history and reality. Like the gold cube cult who want to turn all nass in the universe into gold, which they will admire from a 2d adjacent plane.

The victims of the murderdome are sourced by various means, and most dont know they are in a simulation with an illusory sky and distant scenery. Lots of specialist illusion magicians work here. Once held, victims may be sent straight to a dome or may be made unconscious so they can be studied and cloned before release. This allows interesting ones to be reused again and again. Gnomes might snatch interesting subjects who are otherwise about to die so as not to waste them. Maybe a party start as clones in a dome, unaware they are in a simulation.

The workers in structures around the dome are similar to eco domes with labs, technicians, offices, observers and planning rooms. Information on doors and observation are the same, except it may have a spectator's seating for possibly hundreds or thousands of gnomes arrived by train.  

Sides are usually capped at 100, and the planning offices have an elaborate point buy system operated by Golem cognitive engines to set various odds. Everything is documented, and information of factions has a section in their vast library stacks. You could allocate 100HD per side to simulate this. 100HD kaiju are fine, but handling them is difficult and they may have bombs implanted in their brains. Some exercises are intended to by unfair in numbers-wise or might have other benefits like fortifications, resources or technology. 

Each dome has subsurface areas for underland warfare drills. Sometimes, a vast illusion can project the dungeon levels to the observers while the inhabitants need never know.

1 Wasteland dome - simulates the wasteland during or after the apocalypse* 
2 Savage dome - simulate tropical prehistory, lost islands to plunder and monster island 

3 Sea dome - simulate marine battles and colonial control

4 Auldwood dome - simulates temperate woodland a vast frontier with elfland

5 Arena dome - a sports field for gnome entertainment

* and sometimes hell just ad fire, lava, undead and devils

Wasteland stuff see DrWho The Wargames and Genesis of the Daleks
For savage stuff see land of the lost TV show
The Prisoner tv series might be possible in a secret psyop minidome
The Starlost has isolated domes ignorant they are on a ship
I considered a section of Shadelport in a simulation or Exile Island

You could make ruined versions with surviving inhabitants.

Players best in the wasteland dome and to not be aware it is a simulation. Then let them break into other domes and finish with them in the Arena dome where they might be welcomed as contestants or thrown in prison. This could make them famous in gnome civilisation.

d12 How Was Subject Kidnapped by Gnomes?

1 Found a portal in a ruin

2 Went through a door in a dungeon

3 Found a magic pool in a strange wood

4 Activated a teleportation trap

5 Found a tiny door in a tree

6 Falling from a cliff

7 Sunk in a ship or sucked into a whirlpool

8 Hired mercenaries take on the underground train

9 Gnomes led into a cave to escape enemies

10 Gnome kidnappers came in the bedroom by night with a paralysing ray

11 Gnome airship fired teleportation trays

12 Snatched from certain death by planar beings serving gnomes

d12 Scenarios
1 Two entrenched factions battle 
2 Invading force vs entrenched faction
3 Fortified faction with two rival invading factions
4 Two invading factions battle over an objective 
5 Fortified faction besieged by an invader
6 Extermination, faction wipes out a weaker defender as fast as possible
7 Round up and capture, and imprison civilians
8 One faction invades and builds defences, then the other invading factions enter

9 One advanced faction vs a larger, less advanced faction

10 One faction vs a horde of monsters

11 One faction vs a single huge monster

12 Gnome forces crush d3 factions for training (no public viewing)

d12 Battlefield Objectives
1 Food cache
2 Armoury
3 Civilian village
4 Bridge or road
5 Resources like wood or minerals
6 Millitary bunker
7 Laboratory bunker and staff
8 Transit hub (rail, docks, canals)
9 Water supply
10 Relaxed defending faction raided by an informed enemy with planning
11 Monsters lair with vast treasure
12 Super weapon or relic

d12 Complications
1 Extreme weather
2 Limited food or water resources

3 Limited equipment (ammo, fuel)

4 Obstacle (river, canyon, lava)

5 Wild humanoids know terrain well, hostile to all 

6 Supply cache at various locations

7 Undead arise from anyone killed

8 Dangerous monsters live here

9 New alien faction hostile to both arrivals

10 Gnome spies meddle with both factions for training

11 Underground structures d4 1=bunkers 2=tunnels 3=dungeon 4=caverns 

12 Reinforcements are called in if a certain objective is taken

Each dome has its own faction, encounter and terrain tables.

Factions might be somehow from the past and stored in stasis or cloned or recently kidnapped.

Dome 1 Wasteland Zone Dome
War torn battlefield and ruins modelled on the trenches and ruins around chagrinspire. It can simulate battles of the apocalypse war, current warfare and secret exercises for invading lower levels of Hell. Mostly gloomy skies, mud, trenches and ruins. There may be train tunnels and bunkers underneath.

d12 Wasteland Dome Terrain

1 Trenches and dugouts

2 Bunker
3 Ruined village

4 Ruined church

5 Ruined factory
6 Ruined fort
7 Abandoned military camp
8 Abandoned prison camp
9 Muddy flats

10 Minefield
11 River with floating corpses 

12 Craters from bombardment or shells, possibly unexploded ordinance buries

d12 Wasteland Dome Factions
1 Ancient allied soldiers (ww1 or Napoleonic tech)
2 Black sphere clone corp infantry (ww1 or Napoleonic tech but clones)

3 Crusader knights (1300s crusaders)

4 Templar priest order (1300s crusaders)
5 Chaos warband (mutated templar heretics)
6 Undead crusaders (as above, but hungry, vindictive undead)
7 Dwarves army with blackpowder muskets and muskets (1500s tech)
8 Elves and goblins skirmishers (no guns)
9 Barbarians abhumans (human, beast and elemental)
10 Ancient Exilon City State with chariots

11 Scavengers, an irregular skirmishing force (mostly criminals, 1in6 mutants)
12 Alien minions of the outer void (old ones spawn)

d12  Wasteland Dome Encounters
1 Mines or boobytrap with bait 
2 Area slioppery with mud 
3 Muddy obstacles like a sucking bog
4 Undead soldiers arise from mud (or swarm undead body parts)
5 Scavengers hungry for loot and meat
6 Landshark
7 Giant carnivorous beetles
8 Giant maggots or flies
9 Giant worms burrowing and eating dead
10 Giant mosquitoes
11 Swarms of rats, giant rats or gargantuan rats size of cavebears
12 Feral automaton or deathguard flesh golem

d12  Wasteland Dome Events
1 Thunderstorm and darkness

2 Fog covers the battlefield
3 Hear distant sirens

4 Hear distant thundering of artillery or fireballs

5 Rain makes everything muddy and treacherous

6 Snow and cold, mud and pools freeze 

7 Hot and stinking, millions of flies choke air  

8 Stinking miasma or gas

9 Rat stampede of many swarms fleeing something (flood, gas, hunger, monsters)

10 Flying machines fly overhead 

11 Bombardment from artillery or airships

12 Helish giant flaming pools appear, smelling of sulfur, resembling parts of hell

Dome 2 Savage Zone Dome
Steaming tropical jungle with sinkhole caves, carnivorous plants and dinosaurs. For training in jungle warfare against mostly tribal peoples for their airship raiding expeditions around the world. Popular for gnome spectators wanting to see people fight dinosaurs. Their are caves beneath, crawling with monsters. Ruins and treasure here are a distraction or bait for traps. Their is lots of streams, lakes, pools, wetlands and some beachfronts that look nice to land on.

d12 Savage Dome Terrain

1 Rough cliffs
2 Thick foliage
3 Monster lair
4 Ruined shrine
5 Ruined rubble or shattered pyramid
6 Huge skeleton
7 Pteradactyl nesting rocks
8 Quicksand bog
9 Carnivorous plants
10 Ritual ground
11 Occupied humanoid village
12 Volcanic vent

d12 Savage Dome Factions
1 Reptilian folk war band with dinosaurs
2 Sepant folk wizards with cultists
3 Shipwrecked human sailors

4 Jaguar folk tribe
5 Human tribal cultists who need sacrifices to feed the gods
6 Jungle goblinoid tribe with goblins. hobgoblins and 
7 Bat folk serving their vampire goddess
8 Amphibian folk war band

9 Fishfolk and human cultists
10 Treasure-hunting adventurers tricked into the simulation
11 Barbarian abhuman tribe or invaders via sea d4 1=human 2=orc 3=beast 4=elemental.

12 Alien minions of the outer void (old ones spawn) and cultists

Grey gnomes of the black sphere can make any type, even plant or bug, and will experiment a bit. They might also make halfling-size versions. 

d12  Savage Dome Encounters
1 Sinkholes d4 1=pool 2=overgrown 3=pit into cave 4=pit into pool
2 Choked in rapidly growing vegetation or carniverous plants
3 Muddy obstacles like a sucking bog or boiling mud pool
4 Giant amphibians d4 1=frog 2=toad 3=salamander 4=caecilian 

5 Giant insects d4 1=beetle 2=dragonfly 3=carniverous fly 4=bee or wasp 
6 Giant reptiles d4 1=tortoise 2=snake 3= 4=

7 Giant reptiles d4 1=fire skink 2=cave lizard 3=gecko 4=chameleon

8 Giant mammals d6 12=bats 2=rats 3=sabretooth cats 4=glyptadon 5=dire wolf 6=ape
9 Giant birds d4 1=gull 2=moa 3=hawk or eagle or owl 4=vultue 5=terror bird 6=dodo

10 Swarm d9 1=flies 2=mosquitoes 3=leeches 4=ants 5=bats 6=tiny monkeys

11 Synapsids 4 1=dimetradon 2=gorgonopsia 3=moschops 4=edaphosorus
12 Dinosaur d10 1=raptor 2=ceratosaurus 3=allosaurus 4=tyranasaurus 5=saurapod 6=ceratopsian with d6 horns 7=pachycephalasaurus 8=stegosaur 9= ankylosaur 10=iguanadon

d12  Savage Dome Events
1 Earth shakes from quake
2 Volcanic vents flare up
3 Swealtering heatwave
4 Tropical storm
5 Invaders from the sea arrive
6 Inhabitant spell user meddles with controls

7 An imate magician knows its a similacra and tries to lead others to revolt

8 Airship passes and shoots some monsters for science or fun

9 Bloodred sky evokes violence and anger for a period

10 Cultists arrive to imprison or seal a primordial entity in a ceremony

11 Mutagenic storms rage creating new monstrosities 

12 Slimey horror from the outer darkness released from an arcane vault

Dome 3 Sea Zone Dome
A salty sea with islands and the water levels can be raised and lowered allowing for sea battles, sea monster, underwater species and maritime or flood scenarios. Also to train Gnome naval and air operations over the sea. Service staff will have a invisible submarine pen to maintain and stock the dome. Weather can be tested also. Ocasionaly some elder maring demon or god is trapped here for sport then harvested by industrial scale alchemy to fuel the Black Sphere operation nullification. The islands also have caves possibly connecting them or tidaly flooded. The gnomes snatch ships world wide but the straits between Exile Island and the Continant like Scar Reef islands are especialy chice grounds for a thousand years..

d12 Sea Dome Terrain

1 Tiny hilly Island
2 Rocks with seabirds and guano
3 Dangerous reef 1in6 with monster lair or aquatic people fort
4 Whirlpool
5 Tiny island with meadows and some woods

6 Tiny island with a cannibal tribe who hate outsiders

7 Tiny island with peaceful, friendly tribe vulnerable to exploitatio

8 Tiny Island with monster lair

9 Sargassum of gigantic seaweed

10 Dark trench where monsters of the deep battle

11 Sunken ruins of city

12 Underwater tribal folk d4 1=mermmaids 2=sea elves 3=fish folk 4=sea grass spirit folk

d12 Sea Dome Factions
1 Barbarian islanders with huge war canoes and martial culture (or any abhuman)
2 Pirates (likely from Shadelport)
3 Explorers ship from another continent 

4 Colony ships from another continent
5 Fish folk and cultists island folk

6 Trireme of mercenaries from age of exilon

7 Ship of adventurers

8 Undead ship and crew led by d4 1=vampire 2=lich 3=mummy 4=

9 Sea elves 

10 Vikings from the frozen north 

11 Tako octopus folk in giant nautilus

12 Sqid folk serving a kraken of the deep

Grey gnomes of the black sphere can make any type, even plant or bug, and will experiment a bit. They might also make halfling-size versions. 

d12  Sea Dome Encounters
1 Hidden rock or reef

2 Shipwreck or pirates
3 Sea giant or sea ogres or  sea trolls, shambling seaweed and barnacle-covered

4 Psionic dolphins
5 Sharks
5 Sea serpent
6 Marine people d4 1=sea alves 2=fish folk 3=mermaids 4=marine iguana folk

7 Giant cephalopod d4 1=squid 2=octopus 3=nautilus 4=kraken warlock

8 Angry whale covered in wounds and rusty harpoons, people live inside

9 Vampire kelp or giant strangling kelp 

10 Sea wolf or other marine lycanthrope

11 Marine Reptile d4 1=plesiosaur 2=kronosaur 3=tylosaur 4=ichthiosaur

12 Dragon turtle or marine dragon

d12 Sea Dome Events
1 Sea level drops or rises 
4 Tidal wave
3 Fog cloud

5 Severe storm

6 Dead calm

7 New factions arrive by sea

8 Undersea factions fighting

9 Two new factions arrive to fight each other 

10 Sea choked in sargassum

11 Snap cold with glaciers

12 Gnome submarine trains secret manoeuvres

Dome 4 Auldwood Zone Dome
Temperate woodlands across the kingdom which overlaps frontiers of many coastal kingdoms, the great barbarian plains and elfland. It is divided by rivers, lakes, hills and open grassy areas appealing for human settlent. It is more used for training excercises and secret plans against faeriekind and every human kingdom on the continant (but mostly upper half frontier they share with Auldwood). Underground are caves and dungeons used for dungeon raiding expeditions. There are often ruins from the ancients and prehuman peoples. 

d12 Auldwood Zone Dome Terrain
1 Pine forest

2 Oak forest
3 Mixed forest
4 Haunted forest
5 Fungusforest
6 Sylvan forest
7 Open grassy area 1in6 with a village
8 Stream, river or lake
9 Knight;y Castle d4 1=haunted 2=cursed 3=robber knight 4=ocupied by humanoids
10 Ruined village & graveyard
11 Rocky outcrop with cave lair 
12 stone circle or monolith

d12 Auldwood Zone Dome Factions
1 Goblin kingdom d4 1=goblin 2=hobgoblin 3=bugbear 4=all types
2 Goblinoid mercenaries d4 1=darkling creepers 2=norkers 3=kobolds 4=nilbog
3 Elves bright overworld or night underworld types with goblin skirmishers and pets

4 Wood elves and sylvan forest friends and forest changelings

5 Orc soldiers of the dark lord thought log ago destroyed and made by wizards

6 Undead army d4 1=serve a underworld dark god

7 Faerie army with all kinds of spirits, talking animals, fey folk and sylvan beings

8 Giant or troll army with pets and minions

9 Abhuman barbarians d4 1=human wild folk 2=beast folk 3=orc 4=elemental

10 Human army with knights, archers and infantry

11 Dwarf kingdom d4 1=berserkers 2=black powder tech 3=forest dwarf 4=wicked underland dwarves

12 Wee folk d6 1=greencap wood gnome 2=blood lusting redcap gnomes 3=grey gnomes from underland 4=halfling folk 5=beastling (small beast folk) 6=sprites or brownies

d12 Auldwood Dome Encounters

1 Deer
2 Auroch
3 Wolves

4 Boars

5 Bearl
6 Lion
7 Unicorn
8 Satyrs

9 Centaurs

10 Beast abhumans

11 Lycanthropes

12 Faerie folk, elves or demihumans

d12 Auldwood Dome Events

1 Storms and rain batter the woods

2 Huge herds moving through the area
3 Sunny lovely day
4 Snow and fog
5 Witches coven comes from hiding in shadows
6 Underland fey corrupt a region

7 Giant fungus zone erupts full of giant bugs and goblins
8 Changelings offer food, wine or parties as a trick
9  Undead arise from ground

10 Animals all talk briefly

11 Tree spirits or tree folk highly ambulant

12 Faerie army arrives from outside simulation, to cleanse everyone from woods or underland, Black Sphere troops sent in. Science teams working to capitalise on faerie presence as some kind of power source but results poor so far

Dome 5 Arena Zone Dome
A vast stadium surrounded by ruins and criminal slums. Underneath is a prison and a cursed labyrinth. This is used for sport, training, exhibitions of athletics and violence. Fights from any area might happen here and at times it is restricted for secret millitary exercises. There are race tracks around the outer edge and then fields for various sports within. A central gladiatorial ring has stadium seating for 10000 gnomes. Forces from any zone might appear here, usually facing other factions or to test deathguard flesh golems or automatons. It can be flooded for marine battles. The prison houses factions from various zones, and observing the prison is also entertainment for some gnomes. Prisoners may also be sent into the monster labyrinth below. Lots of ancient architecture celebrating aeons of deathsports.

d12 Arena Zone Dome Terrain
1 Track or sports field
2 Columns commemorating past victories
3 Statues of heroes of arena
4 Cages with monsters or prisoners
5 Shrines to deities
6 Podium for awards
7 Barracks for athletes and gladiators
8 Fighting pits
9 Trapdoors
10 Walls dividing up districts
11 Stadium seats for up close VIPs
12 Illusionary projections d4 1=propaganda 2=upcoming fights 3=past battle scenes 4=cheering crouds

d12 Arena Zone Dome Factions
1 Gladiator school
2 Mixed prison population, fight together or die
3 Clone Corp human infantry with Napoleonic or ww1 kit 1in6 in bicycle corp
4 Mutant chaos warband 
5 Athletics team 
6 Adventurer party
7 Crusader knights and cleric templars
8 Cultists with a summoned entity or petty god
9 Abhuman beastfolk in barbaric finery
10 Scavengers from wasteland, cowardly but sneaky scouts and irregulars
11 Mercenary land knights of the warring lands of the east
12 Barbarians from some harsh region of the world, hostile to all strangers

d12 Arena Zone Dome Encounters
1 Trainer and athletes
2 Gladiators training or on way to fight 
3 Tourists from the underground city
4 Gamblers d4 1=making bets 2=selling drugs 3=eyeing off force odds 4=rigging an event
5 School teacher and children 
6 Screaming gladiator fans want souvenirs and signatures
7 Children collecting war debris like shrapnel, bones, weapons
8 Cart selling snacks
9 Referees having a debate about rules and club financial scandals
10 Clowns who help handle monsters and finish off unwanted wounded, test corpses dead
11 Dancers who perform mid event shows and act as cheer squads 
12 Gnome mentaliss here to bully athletes and anyone with muscles

d12 Arena Zone Dome Events
1 Mid match show with d4 1=dancers 2=cheer squad 3=singer 4=propeganda rally
2 Closes for the cleaning crew to mop up blood, paint and patch  over battle damage
3 Millitary exercise d4 1=training 2=officer school graduation test 3=weapon test 4=millitary  games
4 Great Gnome Games with gnome athletes and sports from across the gnome world
5 Giant political rally with millitary parade
6 Youth games for the next generation who will get a say in a few hundred years
7 Celebrity and commoners compete in a humorous but deadly obstacle course widely reported in the grey gnome civilisation (think old cartoons + bloody consequences or platform video games
8 Mass execution for cowards and traitors, death by d4 1=dinosaur 2=machineguns 3=automaton 4=steamroller driven by lottery winner
9 Automaton events d4 1=amateur killbot builds 2=ballgame between different automaton guilds 3=collosus fight 3=obsolete automaton demolition derby
10 Children's program where gnomes bring their kids and special shows d6 1=princesses on ice 2=life size golem toys toy teams battle to the death 3=candy golems fight to death and luck select children eat the remains, 4=dramatic reenactment of a Black Sphere crushing some primitive foreign humans from beyond this continent, presented and humour 5=clown gladiators, 6=reject gladiators mutated into horrors and chased by gnomes in tiny battlecars
11 Turkey Shoot, where rich gnomes and followers hunt various captives and monsters as a team sport. Some might be guild or school teams. An amateur event selects audience members to hunt or be hunted
12 Vehicular and mounted combat

Black Sphere Forces
Most forces have 100 fighters from the below table, and 2 or 3 branches might cooperate on bigger operations. Most will have a support unit. These can be used anywhere.

d12 Black Sphere &Grey Gnome Forces
1 Clone Corp human infantry with Napoleonic or ww1 kit 1in6 in bicycle corp
2 Orcs Corps made in a factory by alchemists with Napoleonic or ww1 kit 
3 Abhuman beast folk clones with Napoleonic or ww1 kit 
4 Gnome Infantry with Napoleonic or ww1 kit but slightly better than non-gnomes, 1in6 in bicycle corp

5 Gnome Marines for amphibious assaults with better (ww2) heavy weapons but also use submarines, canal barges, paddle steamers, ironclad warships, inflatable rafts and patrol boats. Mostly work from rivers, canals, swamps and the lake 

6 Giants, ogres and trolls with head scars and antenna installed and gnome handlers with control devices

7 Gnome Secret Police Deathsquads with automatic weapons and stick grenades

8 Gnome Tunnel Fighters are sappers who use gas, explosives, trench guns, rigid armour and spiked clubs. Notoriously violent and with brutal improvised weapons and armour 

9 Automaton Corp with humanoid infantry

10 Deathguard flesh golem 1in6 chance go berserk any action

11 Air Corp with aerial bombardment from golem planes. Airships deploy death rays, gas or paratrooper infantry. Spotter balloons and even kites with gnomes for surveillance and to distribute propaganda

12 Tank Corp with mini tanks with cannon or machine guns (Reault WW1 style)

d12 Black Sphere & Grey Gnome Support Squads
1 Trained carnivorous war apes with handlers
2 Cave lizard supply train with ammo, food and supplies
3 Automatons like spiders or pillbugs
4 Gnome snipers, invisible with anti-tank rifles or silent pneumatic needle guns
5 Mole machine is good for surprise moves and moving reinforcers
6 Artillery, black powder drawn by ponies or shell-based artillery drawn by trucks
7 Gnome infiltration corp is are invisible saboteur and spies using dirty tricks

8 Undead human and orc infantry stitched together, controlled by necromancers. Includes d4 1=skeletal cavalry 2=flesh colossus 3=swarms of body parts 4=draconic lich
9 Alchemist Guild with lab wagons safely behind lines. Make ammo, rockets, explosives, incendiaries, slimes, germ weapons, gas weapons, drugs and even living troops with a factory 
10 Iron colossus 50HD+ golem operated by gnome crew 
11 Mentalism Guild squad of militarised gnome psychics 
12 Magus Corp, with some bound planar beings, undead spirits, elementals or lesser outer gods bound in a chest to deploy

Allies, Followers, Contacts & Patrons 1

My zero-level follower rules have expanded a bit to be more like contacts in TSR Marvel game. Allows you to have friends, pets, organisations or groups as contacts. Everyone should get a guild ally as a possibility. Stat bonus derived followers can be anyone you meet, but you might want to start with one of these.

Mostly, followers can be two levels lower than a player character or be zero level. This includes creatures with less than a d8hp or 1HD. D4 or d6 is more common.

d12 Where Did I Meet Them
1 On the road
2 At an Inn
3 Found them homeless
4 Sibling or cousin
5 Contracted or oath-bound servant
6 Met school, temple or work
7 Old childhood friend

8 Adopted as an urchin

9 Asked to watch over them 

10 In prison

11 Freed from slavery
12 Saved them from death

d12 Some Zero Level Followers
1 Craftsman - HD d4Evaluate, one craft skill & Clubs or blades. Wears leather and has some tools
2 Servant -HD d4 Etiquette, Groom & Blades. Wears the coat of arms of the master and a dagger
3 Musician - HD d4 Perform, Song Lore & Blades. Wears a costume, carries an instrument and a knife

4 Guide - HD d4 Search, Streetwise, Blades. Wears leather and carries a dagger

5 Labourer - HD d4 Porter, Endurance, Clubs. Wears leather and carries a club

6 Sailor - HD d4 Blades, Rope Lore, Swimming. Has a dagger and a bottle of rum

7 Thug - HD d6 Clubs, Blades & Intimidate skills. Has leather and a club

8 Guard - HD d6 Spear, Blades & Alertness skills. Has leather, a spear, a small shield, and a dagger 
9 Slinger - HD d6 Slings, Clubs & Search. Has a loincloth, three slings, a bag of 20 stones and a club
10 Barbarian - HDd6 Axes, Spears & Track skills. Has an axe, spear and two javelins
11 Hunter - HD d6 Archery, Axes & Sneak skills. Has shortbow, 20 arrows and handaxe
12 Squire - HD d6 Swords, Spears & Ride skills. Has leather, shield, sword, spear

d12 Zero-Level Pets
1 Rat AC+3 HD d4 Att d3 Mov 13 Climb or Swim 4 Track Skill

2 Raven AC+4 HD d4 Att d3 Mov 3 Fly 24 Search skill (swap for haw,k owl, kingfisher, vulture)

3 Lizard AC+3 HDd4 Add d3 Mov 12 Climb or Swim 3 Track Skill

4 Frog of Toad AC+2 HDd4 Add d3 Mov 9 Hop 1 Burrow 3 Swim 6 

5 Monkey AC+3 HD d6 Att d4, can throw rock or poop Mov 15 Climb 9 with prehensile tail

6 Slime AC+3 HD d4 Att d3 acid, Mov6 Climb 9 Swim 6 one eyed pocket blob

7 Cat  AC+3 HDd4 Att d3 Mov 12 Jump 2 Silence Skill, good scout and vermin control

8 Rat Dog AC +1 HD d4 Att d3 Mov 12 Alert skill

9 Shepherd Dog AC+1 HD d6 Att d4 Mov 12 Track Skill

10 Hunting Dog AC +2 HD d4 Att d4 Mov 18 Flee skill

11 Goat or Deer AC+3 HD d6 Att d4 Mov 24 Listen Skill

12 Pony AC+2 HD d6 Att d4 Mov 18 Porter skill, for pack or small rider

d12 Pet Improvements (one for each player character level up)
1 Unusual manual dexterity for the species

2 Unusual trick learned

3 +3 Mov (or Fly, Swim, Burrow, Climb)

4 +1 Arms skill

5 +1 Arts skill

6 +1 AC 

7 +1 Ability score

8 Major + minor mutation (possibly check for apotheosis)

9 +d8 HD

10 +1 Attack, possibly a new move

11 Made self-aware (only once) and can now speak common or adopt a character class

12 Gigantism made more prehistoric with druid magic +2HD bump damage dice (only once can you get this result)

Most characters dont start with followers but start getting them at 5th lv
You get 1+CHA bonus in slots for followers you can recruit on the fly in game
-usually two levels below the player chatracter or zero level or under a d8HD
-this is for quickstart new characters who want to use these flots straight up
-if you dont feed them or endanger them yes they leave

So I will try and expand the concept to include "Allies" which might be a person or pet but could also be an organisation or group like a guild. As these friends have obligations, choosing weird dangerous ones can be risky. You dont have to like your allies, some might be evil jerks and perhaps you are past associates.

These are for basic classes 

A pet is an animal companion that may occasionally help out
Pets have a list of possible benefits as the owner levels up

Followers are usually persons without a level or zero level who are loyal to the player character. Mostly, if exposed to danger will adopt a character class, usually the same as the player character, but you might send them for training in another class. Followers dont use morale like hirelings or people only with you for money. Family or loved ones might be good choices.

Contacts are persons or groups with influence you can call on for information or gossip. It may possibly help in troubled times, but will expect a return favour. 

Patrons are organisations that consider you their agent, and they will take an interest in your location and activities. They will offer small sidequests while you are in any area. 

You could use these to interact with factions of other species and may provide bonuses on reactions with factions you know well. Taking an evil faction means you probably were one and now you use your insider knowledge to destroy them from within or perhaps serve a more moderate faction (do we need to eat babies, guys?). You could connect these to your family and any individual follower could be famiy (or lover or sidekick) and any contact or patronage might come from a regular family contact. Obviously, these are great roleplaying opportunities and lets you justify "I'm a special bastard".

d12 Fighting Folk Starting Allies
1 Pet - Pack pony, goat, donkey or ass HDd6 

2 Pet - Dog d4 1=yappy ratter HDd4 2=wild or hunting dog HDd6 3=farm dog HDd6  3=war dog HDd6

3 Follower - Old porter who carries loads and a lamp 

4 Follower - Squire or orphan, carries and looks after your stuff

5 Follower - Servant cares for your goods, comfort & grooming

6 Follower - Lowlife thug with a club and a sack and low morals

7 Contact - City guard of a famous city all know you, known by reputation

8 Contact - Millitary company of old war buddies, known by fighting kit  

9 Contact - Mercenary guilds selling services, known by guild seal

10 Contact - Military order associated with nobility or church, known by symbol

11 Patron - Former instructor who trained other students 
d4 1=Retired hero 2=Famous duelist 3=Leads famous school 4=Knows secret techniques

12 Patron - Former wealthy employer
d4 1=Landed noble 2=Merchant 3=Civic Official 4=Church  

d12 Lowlife Folk Starting Allies
1 Pet - Flying d6 1=raven 2=hawk 3=parrot 4=owl 5=homing pigeon 6=bat
2 Pet - Creeping d4 1=giant rat 2=cat 3=ferret 4=snake 5=huge toad 6=lizard
3 Follower - reasonably attractive lover or partner who likes to help out

4 Follower - street urchin petty criminal who helps out for scraps

5 Follower - begger who makes a useful spy, gossip, scrounger and helps camps

6 Follower - Lowlife thug with a club and a sack and low morals
7 Contact - City guard of a famous city all know you, known by reputation

8 Contact - Crime guild operating influence over a specific area and maybe more
d4 1=famous city gang 2=regional bandit gang 3=banking syndicate 4=
9 Contact - Specialist crime guild d4 1=assassins 2=smugglers 3=slavers 4=spies

10 Contact - secret society d4 1=cult 2=rebels 3=gang 4=vice

11 Patron - banking guild offers you discreet side quests for cash
d4 1=gather informarion 2=aquire documents 3=report on someone 4=cary messages

12 Patron - famous criminal leader is a personal friend who taught you many skills
d4 1=bandit 2=beggar 3=gang boss 4=revolutionary

d12 Religious Folk Starting Allies
1 Pet - Pack pony, goat, donkey or ass HDd6 

2 Pet - Churchyard chums d4 1=cat 2=toad 3=owl 4=mouse

3 Follower - initiate of the faith keen to learn and obey

4 Follower - wandering rural initiate travels pilgrim routes or lives as a hermit  

5 Follower - scribe keen to record your deeds and help out at camp

6 Follower - healer initiate skilled with first aid and herbs

7 Contact - church hierarchy of characters chosen religion

8 Contact - church military orders who crusades against frontier enemies

9 Contact - inquisition who hunt heretics, cults and unlawful spell users

10 Contact - exorcists who drive away evil spirits and undead

11 Patron - church leader sends you on quiet missions and sidequests
d4 1=banking 2=diplomacy 3=messenger 4=perform rituals

12 Patron - mysterious  secret order send you on church sidequests
d4 1=investigate a possible cult 2=recover lost relic 3=find old documents 4=investigate ruin  

d12 Learned Folk Starting Allies
1 Pet - pack pony, goat, donkey or ass HDd6
2 Pet - potential familiars d6 1=snake 2=toad 3=blackbird 4=bat 5=cat 6=monkey 
3 Follower - apprentice dropout from magic studies cant afford studies

4 Follower - scribe keen to record your deeds and help out at camp

5 Follower - Servant cares for your goods, comfort & grooming

6 Follower - Lowlife thug with a club and a sack and low morals

7 Contact - magic school or academy where you studied

8 Contact - a magical fraternal order that meet to share knowledge

9 Contact - a political faction of nobility manoeuvring against rivals for power

10 Contact - wizard guild, a great place to trade for spells and items

11 Patron - a powerful master of magic sends you on side quests
d4 1=find a scroll 2=find a rare spell ingredient 3=carry a message 4=trade a spell

12 Patron - secret order of magicians meddling in world affairs
d4 1=report on strange location 2=report on a wizard 3=find blasphemous book 4=invstigate ancient text in stone

d12 Dwarf Allies
1 Pet - Burrowing buddies d4 1=mole 2=hairless giant rat 3=huge isopod 4=caecillian  
2 Pet - Surface friends d6 1=pit pony 2=ratter dog 3=rabbit 4=bat 5-lizard 6=toad
3 Follower - apprentice dwarf keen for battle
4 Follower - dwarf porter carries packs and bags
5 Follower - dwarf miner and wilderness prospector
6 Follower - dwarf smith with apron and a bag of tools
7 Contact - dwarven clan member through family, each with their own craft specialisation
8 Contact - mining guild with at least a representative in most mining towns
9 Contact - dwarf berserker cult who drink heavily and crave blood and violence
10 Contact - Smith's guild for metal workers 
11 Patron - sworn to clan ancestral hall to recover dwarf lore and relics with side quests
d4 1=recover dwarf text 2=recover dwarf art 3=recover clan relic 4=locate dwarf ruin
12 patron - sworn to a clan noble and wear their arm ring, and given sidequests
d4 1=spying 2=explore abandoned mine 3=carry messages 4=diplomacy

d12 Elf Allies
1 Pet - Forest friend d6 1=raven 2=songbird 3=squirrel 4=cat 5=fox 6=hawk
2 Pet - Wilderness chums d4 1=wild dog 2=deer 3=goat 4=young boar
3 Follower - apprentice young perky wood elf keen for adventure
4 Follower - old human servant you've known since they were a baby
5 Follower - a goblin servant who is loyal and resilient
6 Follower - wild folk hunter devoted to protecting you 
7 Contact - druidic order that intercedes with the faerie and human world
8 Contact - military order of the Silver Star who hunt minions of the outer darkness
9 Contact - explorers Guild, who work to keep updated on history and the world's peoples
10 Contact - magical order of the crescent moon seeking lost lore to research
11 Patron - royal agent of the faerie court sent to inexplicable missions for quixotic royalty
d4 1=deliver gift 2=find an artwork 3=hunt faerireland fugitive 4=prank a target

12 patron - serve an elder house of elven kind and receive sidequests
d4 1=diplomacy 2=deliver message 3=report on person 4=hunt enemy of elves 

d12 Halfling Allies
1 Pet - Barnyard Chums d4 1=goat 2=pony 3=pig 4=ratter dog 

2 Pet - Forest friends d4 1=cat 2=rabbit 3=squirrel 4=beaver
3 Follower - gardener, a practical outdoor survivor 
4 Follower - cook able to prepare food in adverse conditions
5 Follower - healer with skills in herbalism
6 Follower - apprentice youth servant in your care to educate
7 Contact - druidic order of wilderness priests
8 Contact - merchants guild, excellent for luxury goods for the home
9 Contact - herbalist guild, get the best herbs and pipeweed 
10 Contact - secret order of borderland rangers monitoring hostile forces
11 Patron - wizard that your family have worked for in the past offers sidequests
d4 1=find magic ingredient 2=copy an inscription 3=find a book 4=locate a ruin
12 patron - serve clan lodge and receive sidequests
d4 1=obtain luxury item 2=find a rare food 3=carry message 4=observe target 

d12 Gnome Allies
1 Pet - Burrowing buddies d4 1=mole 2=giant rat 3=huge toad 4=huge bug
2 Pet - Crawling chums d4 1= 2= 3= 5=
3 Follower - young gnome apprentice keen to follow your ways
4 Follower - large dim dim-witted thug who owes life to the gnome*
5 Follower - young orphan raised to be a loyal servant 
6 Follower - wilderness archer who worships the gnome as a minor divinity  
7 Contact - secret order, keeping an eye out for cults and evil agents 
8 Contact - merchants guild able to find desirable gnome goods 
9 Contact - explorers guild possibly the underland version 
10 Contact - order of scholars knowledgeable about the ancient world  
11 Patron - clan agent who receives sidequests
d4 1=message 2=report on local enemy 3=find relic 4=maintain a shrine
12 patron - secret society of ancient gnome technologists
d4 1=recover text 2=explore a ruin 3=purchase item 4=test research project

*Evil gnomes: this chap might be a slave or even have a lobotomy scar 

Next Time
I will do some more tables for my other classes. Abhumans class in my game cover my beast folk, barbarians, and enhanced orc barbarians all use this class now. They might have horde or clan allies that could gather a fighting force of maniacs.

Recent Ideas
Just heard about poor dnd tried to do one furry species to replace them all but no one wants over 50 species of furrys. By reskining my abhumans my spirit changeling folk and halflings all reskinable as animal folk (or elemental or dragon or planar hybrids).

I'm a bit inspired to do some wild things class-wise for next year

I'm thinking of separating the templar fighting priest more from the more ritualistic every day priests or the older planetary/elemental cults. Separate class to keep cleric templars as duelist fighting religious orders (and why i dont want paladins). I've considered the no spell at zero level or a separate spell gain chart, but i realised when my core magic classes got spells for stats it made them way ahead in spells than the sort of demi-casters. I do like how dnd5/24 lets you take martial or magic variants in a few classes. But possibly add some more classes so certain ones dont carry all the load or require triple the complexity on my various charts.

Gnome Biodomes in Chagrinspire

The gnomes of Chagrinspire built 5 biodomes in between levels to study how miserable and horrible nature can be to impress on young gnomes the great purpose of unmaking the universe in the cause of peace. Kind of like the Carnival of Monsters story in 70s Dr Who.

Thuvia a atar people alien the party adopted wants to hijack a gnome moon craft to try and get home.

https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2023/03/we-are-all-going-to-moon-tomorrow-part-1.html
https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2023/04/going-to-moon-tomorrow-we-can-stay-all.html

Possibly these might be semi abandoned or forgotten. There might be other domes of foreign lands or various species of humanoids to study. 

Dome 1 Primordial Vault, with rocky land and sea, with giant invertebrates and armoured fish
Dome 2 Fungoid Vault, forest with giant bugs, lizards and amphibians
Dome 3 Saurian Vault, with thick jungle and ferocious dinosaurs that all attack outsiders
Dome 4 Lunar Vault, a grey cratered moon landscape habitat of captive moon creatures
Dome 5 Future Vault, wasteland with a lake of sentient flesh simulating the future 

Each vault has 5 huge airlocks, one huge for machines and vehicles and others are for teams of work crews and students. 

There are observation galleries with windows in the upper levels.

Once inside, illusions cover doors, observation windows and any other fittings.
Some gnomes observe with crystal spheres.

You might kindly add some service hatches, but illusion-covered and knock spells are required to open. If visible, they are shiny metal hexagonal plates requiring a special tool to open.

The doors will have an armoured storage locker with a gnome inside who distributes expedition gear, weapons and clothing. A barred window and hopper protect the gnome. They also open the doors and offer tips. They are usually bored and might let anyone inside. They also have small and large body bags.

d12 Common Expedition Gear
1 Air mask or 1in6 are full germ proof body suit with air filter
2 Camouflage explorer suit
3 Goad to irritate monsters for a show, pole with a hook and spike
4 Rope and grappling hook
5 Diving suit (bronze helmet, wax leather suit and airtank)
6 Ration kit

7 Monster food (as bait or distraction)

8 Flashlight

9 Sample jars and a butterfly net

10 Traps for various-sized critters

11 Inflatable raft and oars

12 Cigarette packs with collectable cards

Why are we here?
Gnomes might throw in captives and watch them be devoured by monsters as a teaching opportunity.

Something might be lost inside or a gnome gone native with information

Players might stumble across an entry while exploring or on the run

Players might book on a prepaid tour in the underground city 

Gnome agents might deliver a teleportation or gate trapped item and let victims think they are visiting the real original biome location. Gnomes will study their reactions.

d12 Service Areas Encounters
1 Gnome mechanics in overalls with tool boxes
2 Gnome wizard scholars observing a project

3 Gnome teacher and a d6+6 youths

4 Gnome guide and a d6+6 tourists from underland

5 Gnome eco techs with a golem cage trolley with a creature inside

6 Gnome gardeners with a golem trolley with plants, fungi or slime vat 

7 Gnome hunters with adorable pith helmets, safari suits and huge guns

8 Gnome administrators inspecting vault protocols

9 Gnome exterminator crew sweeping for escaped critters

10 Gnome anarchists here to smash stuff and release monsters

11 Escaped creature on the loose from a vault

12 Black sphere death squad gnomes with at least one trained flesh golems

d12 Service Areas Sections
1 Meeting room or lecture theatre
2 Museum explaining the exhibit history
3 Lab to study, clone, grow and dissect monsters
4 Emergency automaton kill squad barracks for escapes or rescues
5 Planning office with maps of a dome and planning workers
6 Observation room looking into a dome, often with a telescope
7 Garage for earth-moving golem vehicles and tiny tanks (WW1 Renault style)
8 Records library of filed reports and research papers
9 Technician barracks with a cafeteria and games room
10 Tourist cafeteria and gift shop
11 Crionc storage with monster food, corpses and spare monsters

12 Plant room for maintaining the dome environment 

d12 Dome Events
1 Weather event, usually rain or fog or storm
2 Illusion generators stutter briefly

3 New monsters added

4 Party of gnomes from the service area visit

5 Announcement sounds a warning, visitors to leave dome for a test

6 Alarm of a dome breach, visitors to the cafeteria to await safe signals

7 Gnomes with clairvoyance or crystal ball spy on intruders

8 Witness inhabitants fighting roll 2 encounters

10 Planar distortion, dome area seems far bigger and taps into the source of the biome 

11 Creatures all made sentient speaking beings for educational purposes

12 Time fields accelerate evolution before your eyes. No visitors during time warps

Dome 1 Primordial Vault
Simulating the early age with misty air, a central sea and a rocky coast with simple plants. This is the age where armoured giant dumb fish ruled waters over invertebrates (worms and arthropods). The invertibrates invaded the land and then a splinter sect of fish crawled on land the first amphibians. The air here requires an air mask or the higher CO2 makes normal people fatigue faster, possibly pass out and eventually die if they remain here. The air is thick and soupy.

The lesson here is how inhospitable life is and how change just makes everlasting conflict. Its popular for fishing.

d12 Primordial Encounters

1 Giant isopod

2 Giant armoured fish

3 Giant scorpion (land or marine)

4 Giant lobster

5 Giant crab

6 Huge octopus or squid or nautilus

7 Giant dragonfly

8 Giant salamander

9 Giant centipede

10 Giant mudskipper pack

11 Giant mosquito (or larvae in water)

12 Tribal fish or slamander folk or both fighting

Dome 2 Fungoid Vault

Simulates the age of darkness and underland fungi forests crawling with invertibrates, amphibians and reptiles. Many exotic and even ambulant dangerous fungus. It is dimly lit by luminous fungus and misty with a scent of spores. It is warm and damp with smell of spores. 

The lesson here is how life even in the adversity of mostly horrible struggle. Mostly gnomes like it to remember their youthful undeland frolics. Special magic fungus here is also good for various uses and handy for medicine and other uses. 

d12 Fungal Encounters

1 Giant beetles
2 Giant worm or centipede
3 Giant cave crickets
4 SHrieking fungus
5 Killer ambulant fungus
6 Mushroom folk or smaller shroomlings
7 Insect folk or smaller insectlings

8 Giant lizard
9 Giant amphibian (toad, frog, salamander, caecillian)
10 Slime or ooze monster
11 Slime folk
12 Faerie d4 1=Sprites 2=brownies 3=goblins 4=willow the whisp

Dome 3 Saurian Vault
Moist jungle and swamp with giant ferns and crawling with prehistoric reptiles, synapsids and giant amphibians. Very hot with lots of bogs and a small volcanic vent. Lots of caves and lairs are around. Roaring and battling monster sounds are common.

The lesson here is life is brutal and constant terror. Gnome elites like to hunt dinosaurs.

d12 Saurian Encounters

1 Dimetradon
2 Huge raptors
3 Allosaurus
4 Plesiosaur

5 Pteradactyl
6 Brontosaurus

7 Triceratops

8 Ankylosaurus

9 Stegasaurus

10 Hadrosaurus 

11 Iguanadon

12 Giant salamander or frogs

Dome 4 Lunar Vault
Grey dusty rocky, and cratered wasteland with smoking volcanic vents. Strange crystals grow from the ground in places, and there are mysterious ruins. It is cold, and the air is thin. Some people vulnerable to high altitude sickness might die here as pink foam fills the lungs and out of the mouth, choking the victims. A diving suit or medicine might help. Giant mushrooms, puffballs and strange red or blue plants struggle to grow in the powdery, exhausted moon soil.

The lesson here is that even in inhospitable conditions, awful life struggles to pointlessly survive. Also used for lunar expedition training.

d12 Lunar Encounters

1 Giant bacteria or slime
2 Giant slugs or snails 1in6 are carrying nomad  homes on backs (see 12)

3 Blue or red carnivorous plants or fungus

4 Ferocious moon dinosaur, giant lizard or synapsid

5 Gibbering amorphous shoggoth

6 Giant moon toad or salamander

7 Ferocious purple moon apes

8 Blue giant moon spiders or scorpions

9 Giant moths or caterpillars (not as huge as actual lunar ones)

10 Crystal animals

11 Alien creature d4 1=migo 2=chrinoid old one 3=conical great race 4=amorphous toadlike moon beasts (sadistic alien wizards) 

12 Tribal moon folk, these peoples will be convinced they are inhd6 1=selinite insect folk 2=grey gnomes 3=moon elves 4=star folk 5=crystal folk 6=mushroom folkabitants or castaways on the moon

Dome 5 Future Vault
Blated rocky ground with pools of slime. The centre is a semi-transparent lake of orange slime. If approached, humanoids will form and walk out and offer you to join them forever in the slime pool the ultimate destiny of all life in the future. They may share some wisdom and are unaware they are in a simulation. If rejected, the sad creatures will look at their infantile ancestors and walk towards them to embrace them in the pool of life. 

This is to teach the ultimate futility of life and progress to make nullification or reality seem like a mercy. Occasionally, some bad students are thrown in the pool for bad grades as a lesson to others. A few gnomes believe the pool has some uses or research value and most get assimilated.

There are no non-asimilated life forms to encounter. A few slime people might form from a pool to welcome you to the future.

Dolmenwood part1: Best OSR thing ever?

Im having a break from Patreon for a bit or charging for a while. Will be by updates on Ethyria book (another dungeon level and some other recent add ons) and a Chagrinspire book 4 this year. There is a post about that on my Patreon. I might be willing to work with a publisher. Basically my health has been poor and ive quit my studies. I am quite comfortable housing wise so better than i was 5 years ago starting my Patreon that kept me in gaming.

So my KS arrived for this and its the best campaign I've ever signed on for. Though I still like that Midderlands/Glenn Seal stuff tends to be very quick. All my outstanding KS books of last 2 years arrived. I was considering stopping them but this one has renewed my faith a bit. Possibly the MCC game was my least favourite for lacking lore and a campaign but did have awesome illustrations and did listen to complaints early on. 

So for my basic outlay, i got a dicebag (amazing quality and will be my standard - embroidered mushrooms and tough cloth. 4 large hardbacks 4 small adventures and a cloth map. So Im glad the money they raised went to tangible rewards. 

I did follow the odd Doomwood zines and campaign play vids and saw PDFs but the physical works are amazing.

The paper stock is thick and glossy. High quality stuff.

The fonts are a good size, I can read without glasses vs whole games, I can no longer read even with glasses

My only slight grievances is that the digital embossing on logos looks more digital than the artwork, and the blocks of text dont have ragged text that I find more readable. Possibly, some of the magic abilities have inconsistent duration/usage entries. 

Overall, it is an amazing five out of 4 stars, and I will cover the map and players' book here.  

The Map Book - over 50 pages no numbers
The map book flipping through, even knowing nothing of the setting, is inspiring stuff. It's also playable and a good size tp be usable. You can see the maps and learn about the setting, and even get ideas you can use. It begs lots of good questions. It is exhaustive but not overwhelming like say the 2 vol Glorantha hardback, which is the greatest game atlas ever. The forest hex maps are high-quality and detailed. The urban maps remind me of 70s children's book art and look like they would be wonderful printed on cloth. They are a bit more abstract illustrations than some players might be used to but have an in-world feel and are utilitarian. The cloth map is very high quality like flag cloth and quite crisp.

The Players Book - 192 pages
Probably one of the best players books for any game and one of the best retroclones. All the information sections are mostly on a single spread. Mostly it is very clear and detailed and not grinding axes telling us how to game properly like some other retroclones. It starts with a simple intro to the setting, 

Mechanics-wise wise its a trad older style retro clone on the simpler end on the spectrum. It still bothers with xp and saving throws I find a bit wasteful but I guess some ppl love them (i prefer stat-based saves and less scores on the sheet in some areas). Several systems in the game I have used in my own clone and good to see. I prefer it to OSE & shadowdark.  Creation notes and examples are good. It has BX style alignment, which still makes me scream inside as a Moorcock fan and prefer AD&D system. But at least alignment comes up here and is used in the game classes and spells. It has lots of options built in like choices of encumbrance systems.

Languages well resolved in the setting. The species are pretty amazing. Humans get a xp bonus. The non humans are al refreshing and weird. Elves are nightmarish. The distinction between mortal and faerie species are great and more resolved than my own ideas on this. Possibly RQ has made me a bit suspicious of goat folk but the Breggles are great. Moss folk, goblin folk and cat folk are more interesting than i thought. Every species gets a spread of background tables. 

The classes are good. Some of the abilities only give a +1, which i find a bit petty. The bard is fine and great for roleplaying scenarios and urban areas or trickery. I do like that the cleric is linked to a specific church and every spell has a description of a saint responsible. They have specific tenets lacking in most games. There are some optional orders providing bonuses much simpler than modern subclasses.

Friars are similar to clerics but less hp, less armour but better at survival and using the herbs buit into the setting. They are a bit less hierarchical and get an AC bonus that increases. They get a spell at 1st lv too. Enchanters get a detect magic skill, fairy magic and glamours which are more like powers than spells. They are also resistant to divine beneficial spells like healing. Its a very different magic systems than spell. Fighters are one of the least boring BX clone versions with 8 fighting style options. There are also knights and hunters. As the game has detailed camping and foraging rules the hunter and friar will stand out. Magicians are typical but have a detect magic skill and a list of starting books, which is great.  Theif is a more BX affair (no skill %). Low HP and a slightly nerfed Backstab. 

Magic is pretty interesting with the enchanter and other fairy abilities, and the Mossling knacks. Spreads on equiptment, armour, weapons, horses, hounds, lodgings, food, weird beverages, pipeleaf, fungi, herbs, specialists and retainers are all super conveniant. Spreads on game procedures like camping could be used in many games. You could steal plenty here to enhance other games. I suspect there are no grappling rules but might be wrong.

If you wanted to use the setting with OSE rules the species are on a older book which would work fine and you probably could use many features of this players book for a hybrid game. A final section includes noble houses, calender, moon signs and random gifts, Religion and versions of the species as class variants that I quite like for a more BX type game. Mosslings have a bit of text on fungal symbiosis power that might be uncommon or forgotten and I wish had more than cosmetic examples. I guess you could hijack medicinal fungal powers but the monstr book I think has only one fungi monster (the book has 5 but articles talk about 4 as slimes). 

Monster Book - 128 pages
Wonderfulbook not just of stats but lots of tables to use them, gossip, npc adventurers of various levels for npcs, other npcs, and normal animals. Inside covers have lots of encounter and other tables for quick reference. Each monster has 3 or so tables to generate traits and encounters. Its a good monster book with some unfamiliar and weird creatures.

Some Final Thoughts
There is lots to borrow and steal for other OSR games. Lots would fit in my own upcoming woodlands + faerie + knights setting, which I will revise in 26 and replace all the art. Recent Midderlands stuff would probably work here fine. I will discuss the huge fat campagn book detailing hexes and 4 adventures later. Overall, it has one of the better faierie are creeps games ever done but still made them playable. Very inspiring stuff. Its been a good few KS campaigns come in recently. So much so I dont know anything coming out in the next year I want. Im sure that wont last. Big thanks the the game creators and local distro aetherworks (I think i know 2 staff). Only a few weird old rpg books I really want now, except gods of the forbidden north vol 3. Im sure comics or Cthulhu will tempt my wallet. The simplicity of this game is refreshing vs the ridiculous complexity and slowness of D&D5. It definitely ranks in the high top 10 of my favorite gaming settings. Im sure it will influence me.