d100 Documents of Despair for Chagrinspire

Languages
Typically I have
Common Spoken/Written (the modern international trade tongue)
Ancient Spoken/Written (on lots of the continent's ruins used by Allies)
Underland Common Spoken/Written (remnant of the common speech of age of darkness) 

Arcane Written Spoken/Written (the language of wizardry, varies wildly spoken)

Alchemical Spoken/Written (the written language of alchemists and the Black Sphere)

Elvish, Trollish, Dwarfish, Orcish, Gnomeish, Halflingish, Ogreish, Goblinish all common

The popular printed works here are in a late form of ancient and is somewhat recognisable to modern people through sounds odd. 

d10 Quick Documents of Despair Types
1 Propaganda
2 Reports
3 Pamphlets

4 Letters
5 Novels

6 News

7 Juvinalia

8 Manuals

9 Philosophy

10 Occult

d100 Documents of Despair 
01 Poster of an ancient General and text supporting a forgotten faction

02 Poster supporting unity for all peoples vs the null sphere forces

03 Poster of Chagrinspire with black tentacles reaching over the known world turning everyone into skeletons

04 Poster warning of Black Sphere spies lurking everywhere "Sinister eyes are always watching - careful what you say"

05 Poster warning not to use cursed enemy items and to turn them all in for recycling - "hoarding magic hurts everyone and warps your soul to the enemy thralldom"

06 Poster - surrender to the inevitable, bring forth the age on Null usually with a black circle in a triangle

07 Poster showing allied forces together in the trenches including orcs, elves, dwarves, humans, lizard folk and others fighting the black-helmed knights of Null standing around the mountain Chagrinspire

08 Stencils of a black circle or the circle in a triangle 

09 Stencils of the Allies A symbol in a circle or star or shield, common everywhere

10 Playing Cards and postcards of the ancient factions fighting against the Null Sphere overlords, each has a picture of a typical soldier smiling with thumbs up (if they have thumbs) and the A in a circle or a star symbol for the allies united
11 Form detailing ancient records of enemy artillery, some include pinups to make soldiers lodge them to get new posters. The posters are usually kept and cut from the booklet and found in trenches

12 Description of some strange enemies someone encountered in a journal with a bullet stuck in it 

13 Sappers reports of geology in area showing where tunnels were being dug and subterranean structures to avoid

14 Sappers report of a huge stockpile of unstable explosives under a hill with detailed pictures of the hill still recognisable

15 Trench map and request for equipment and supplies

16 Death toll for a 3 month period with d4x 1000 killed and injured

17 Weather reports noting strange new unatural weather and effects on magic

18 Remote viewing report of enemy trenches sketched by a psychic

19 Report on a dangerous new enemy vehichle to look out for and suggestions to stop it

20 Medical reports of zombie plague in trenches and which outposts had medical supplies

21 Pamphlet warning the Black Sphere cult plan to destroy the universe and all history

22 Brochure about how you cannot defeat the black sphere so help end everyone's suffering and allow the great nullification of all pain begin and stop being cattle for the rich who torment you, often fired from shells or air dropped in trenches.

23 Pamphlet offering eternal peace and an end to violence through the nullifying power of the Black Shere and how it needs your help to succeed vs the tyranny of existance

24 Pamphlet warning you about strange diseases you get from enemy combatants or friendly allies and spies so be careful of trench romances which are traps of the enemy to cripple you

25 Pamphlet promising land and treasure when soldiers return home and war is won, showing rural scenes and attractive youths

26 Brochure about how to get along with a species or people of the allies against the Black Sphere. Many versions exist but orcs, goblinoids, humans, elves and dwarves are the most common. Designed to stop troops fighting allies which the Black Sphere exploit

27 Pamphlet warning about mutations and how to report to your commanders, possible you might end up in a mutant legion or helping scientists in black labs

28 Pamphlet about a person finding their lover is a witch of the Black Shere on a mission to ruin morale and steal secrets. Lists the warning sights for witches and dopplegangers you can report

29 Brochure on how to cook with ration packs and how to order condiments and spices

30 Pamphlet claiming allies overlords are at home living in luxury and molesting your loved ones who live in poverty, only by helping activate the Null Sphere can we end the rich and make everyone equal and at peace forever
31 Letter to loved one asking about the farm and children

32 Letter from home from a lover declaring the affair over

33 Letter to home with a sad war poem about madness

34 Letter about health of a horse with a secret ancient code giving the location of a bunker

35 Letter from family who have survived a plague and now refugees

36 Letter from parents declaring love for child soldier

37 Letter to leader complaining about allied troop's behavure

38 Letter home with soldiers dreams of family and house

39 Letter with a tinned cake or biscuits or sweets

40 Letter to a priest talking about all the people they killed

41 The Fountain of Liberty - story of a soldier from poor background who rose the ranks and freed prisoners of war from a Black Sphere slaughterhouse and factory, inspired by a mostly true stoory

42 Life at War - a patriotic soldiers stories of comraderie with allies, popular and printed in many languages with cultural changes

43 Blood at Blackpit - story or a five year millitary campaign against more advanced technology which eventually won with vast sacrifices of allies lives

44 Allies against Evil - novelisation of how all the sides came together and the rulers who started the global crusade against the Black Sphere. Makes the diplomats and rulers heroes. There is an annotated version by the enemy mentioning all the awful things those rulers did

45 Romance at War - story of a soldier falling in love with a nurse and maintaining the relationship by post for months before one killed by a bomb and the other took a vehichle on a triumphant suicide attack, widely circulated and aproved 

46 Before the War - story of a rustic idyllic family before the war and how lovely it all was, by the time it was written every side had industrialised to compete against the Black Sphere. Many want the world to return to this fictional state 

47 Vampires Heart - horror romance about woman whose lover is corrupted becoming a vampire serving the Null Sphere. The heroine has to destroy him because she loves him. Now a popular play and puppet show 

48 The Generals Daughter - Story of a Orc marrying a noble woman and the problems with their families but through courage and vast depopulation of all peoples across the globe in the apocalypse they eventually came around and became firm allies against the black sphere

49 Billy Goat at War - story of a soldier lost in between trenches with their heroic pack goat who saved their life and fought mutants and undead to help get home to home lines with shattered legs. At the end the goat winks and gallops off to no mans land 

50 The Orphans of Shadelport - story of magic sewer children of this city collected over hundreds of years. Some even ended up in the early part of the Apocalypse
51 Newspaper announcing rations and countries collapsing to chaos from famine

52 Newspaper reporting first council of Lich Lords of the Death Temple and the Paladins of Law agreeing to fight together against the forces of the Null Sphere 

53 Newspaper list soldiers dead yesterday expanded edition and reports on flesh rotting disease and mutants on the homefront

54 Newspaper reports shortages of the wonder fuel of the age invented by alchemists, some suggest the only reason we were allowed to copy the technology was because the Null Lords knew the age of it was over

55 Newspaper reporting terrible sea battles with underwater battleships and undersea telegraphs cut

56 Newspaper reports numerous cities vanishing and only a few were wished back into reality

57 Newspaper reporting a decline in divine power and worship in this age of technology and alchemy

58 Newspaper claims rival faction overun with doppelgangers and tensions shaking the Allies' ability to work together. Black Sphere agents have helped spread this crisis

59 Newspaper reports New fleet of mechanised vehicles and automatons to keep up the fight

60 Newspaper reports generals shot for the massive failure of big push operation where almost a million died and no ground was gained
61 Fithy smut comics about ancient celebrities and radio show characters, badly printed

62 Cigarette cards various sets like: the gods, animals, allied people, weapons of war, wonders of the world

63 Saint Chrysophasia a comic about a war-nun saint destroying a fortress of the Black Sphere but was killed by the explosion of demons accidentally released from the gates, bindings and wards inside the fort

64 Stardust a comic about a team of wizards and children who explore magical places in whimsical manner

65 Ratballs a humorous weekly children's comic about a rat who torments enemies in the trenches with other hilarious child war heroes stories like Meddling Kids vs the Cult of the Black Orb. Many of these characters are found on cloth patches and figurines also

66 Football Comics full of heroic sport comics about balls in vast ancient stadiums

67 Fishing Comics full of all fishing action adventure with spectacular art

68 War Crime Comics showing all the brutality of war and its maimed survivors, a gloomy and depressing comic about real horrors of war with features on enemies trials and executions

69 Dashing Dame Watercress Comics has this plucky noble heroine save people on the homefront from diabolical plots of the Black Sphere. She always has a dishy new soldier love interest every issue and takes always a page to change clothes

70 Cinema Funnies with news on the latest cinematascope entertainments and comics based on the more popular ones and some pictures of on screen silent stars 
71 Manual on how to set table for military dinners and arrange seating plans

72 Manual for a common model of automobile or motorcycle

73 Manual on operation of several related weapons illustrating how to break down and clean

74 Manual on the operation of earth moving machine or train

75 Manual of regimental cooking for hundreds of soldiers and how to improvise with rat and pigeon and various emergency food substitutes 

76 Manual for doctors on base and camp hygiene 

77 Manual on operating a prison camp

78 Manual speculating on how to sabotage the sphere

79 Manual on telegram systems and network operations

80 Manual on building rail lines and exact measurements (the allies and the Black Orb had the same gauge)
81 Book of the Black Sphere - depressing book of philosophy warning all life is suffering and that the Null Sphere will see us from ever existing so we will be at peace forever

82 A Generals LIfe - a popular general mixes personal anecdotes with maxims for life which are pretty ordinary like make money and have a family

83 Allied Peoples Annual - showing all the various people across the world united against the end of reality and the Black Sphere. Lots of people in folk costumes or naked in some lands. Discusses how the war has unified everyone and other will never be a war again

84 Kryon's Book - a saint who helped unite various factions and died fighting the lords of the Black Orb. Cited by many faiths at a time when religion was in decline. It has elaborate tracts on keeping your soul and body purified with ritual and hygiene that has probably saved lives

85 Spirons Secrets - revelation brought by daemons who teach the apocalypse can be maintained infinitely to produce infinite suffering by messing with the plans of the Black Sphere but they also help them because the allies can't win either. Just keep the war going no matter what

86 Utopia is Calling - how to rebuild the world into paradise when the war ends and everybody has had enough of conflict (which didn't happen)

87 Army of Women - story of the Saint Heiralon who led an army of women and made an order to supply crusaders against the Null Sphere Lords. She was destroyed by demons but her order still exists in hiding for when needed 

88 It only Gets Worse - a guide to ending life as an act of mercy with many stories of persons the writer murdered to relieve their suffering. It concludes all life is suffering and pre-emtivley slaying before people can suffer is great also. It also advises torture and is banned for its perverse detail on this

89 Litanies of Hatred - description on many demon cults who assail the Black Sphere some because they want a universe of suffering others are demon mercenaries paid by gods. Some like the plague and famine demons may be only slightly less dangerous as allies 

90 The Book of Null a small pocketbook of depressing philosophy showing the pointlessness of life and how it is nothing but suffering. But wait the cult of the Black Sphere can end all suffering forever they just need your willingness to help stop all everyone suffering ever
91 Alchemists Primer a basic book of recipes for beginners that you can cook on a stove or campfire in cooking pots. Introduces some other concepts and how they hope to have mastery over all matter and magic one day. Start a career in alchemy today its the way of the future!

92 Arcane Engineers Book of Magical Construction with formula to determine volume of raw materials for your golems and other machines. Arcane formula to transmit soul energy in wires and store it in glass vessels

93 Occult Formula of the Black Sphere, a primer with spells for a 1st level wizard 

94 Songs of the Dead, bardic songs based on sorrow and despair for an order of masked mourners who wail at funerals for the death god

95 Bark Book of the Druids, condemning the use of alchemy, metal and machines and begging the reader to return to rock and soil. Include earth elemental summoning advice and other prayers depending on the edition. Also various theories of the blight over the wastes around Chagrinspire and ket ruins may be limiting growth and recovery 

96 Demonomicon of Karlix, a primer for demonic wizards with starting spells and a guide to the top ten demon lords offering benefits in the war against the Null Lords who make everything pleasureless and pointless 

97 Diabolicon of Searna, a primer to serving hell and all the awesome abilities you can get and how to learn from a secret evil school with no tuition fees! Includes spells for a bigining diabolic wizard

98 Elemental Masters Book of Law, a primer for lawful wizards who seek to dominate elementals and learn the various paths of elements. There are four volumes in all for each element each with a guide to pleasing elemental nobility and spells for a beginning wizard

99 Book of the Infinite Void, a manual of pleasing the outsider gods from beyond the universe always hungering for souls in the darkness and kept away by wards and spells. This book has tips for finding secret awful rites to let them in and banish them but only beginning spells for a wizard of the outer void. Even they don't like the Null sphere or the Daemons plans for eternal apocalypse

100 The Pheonix of Creation, an alchemy primer with ancient stories of alchemy and recipes for a beginner practitioner. It also has basic information on minerals, herbs, making apparatus, making a philosophers stone, magical materials and kabbalistic numerism to warp reality. The Grey Gnome version instead praises the anti-phoenix who will snuff all creation and end all sensation

Magic crap dug up near Chagrinspire

I'm making a hex map of the region so you can locate villages and roll and fill in the terrain types and encounters for each terrain type. I'll probably be working on Patreon stuff the rest of the month - an update on the Exilon book and a 3fold on dungeon add-ons.

Will be a d100 subterranean stuff and some small dungeons for beginners.
Possibly might occasionally work on a megadungeon here.
Plan to revise my automaton class for golems and revising my robots plus my alchemist class which might be a means to include poisons and other stuff

I will be doing a bunch of mini dungeons for the wastes before the mega-nega dungeon of Chagrinspire. You could probably use all kinds of ruin maps from history, modern, medieval or ancient. Just make it a ruin with mud and garbage and some remnants of who built it in the apocalypse war or occupied it since. 

My Dungeon vs Special forces game might have some tables to steal and items that would fit here

Fuel and cartridge-based ammo is rare so might be devastating to have an automatic weapon but unlikely to use often

d10 Crap Types
1 Potions
2 Scrolls
3 Jewellery
4 Clothes
5 Melee Weapons
6 Missile Weapons
7 Armour
8 Guns
9 Golem
10 Vehichles

d100 Magic crap dug up near Chagrinspire
01 Golden Vial - heals d4 HP, tastes like honey, save vs addiction
02 Blue Tonic - adds 2d4 temporary HP that can exceed max for one hour, save vs addiction
03 Black Lich Bile - makes you fearless for one hour and when you die arise as a zombie in a d3 rounds and attack any living. This effect lasts until the disease or curse removed by spell but most don't realise these affects
04 Emerald Libation - lasts one hour, can see through fog, has night vision and detects magic for a d6 ten-minute turns, Save when expires or eyes turn green and effects permanent and shun strong light -2 in direct sunlight to hit or spot things
05 Scarlet Solution - injected with a syringe and in a d3 rounds becomes beserk for ten minutes
06 Cyan Brew - immune to poison and disease for ten minutes,
07 Troll Blood - regenerate 1HP per round for 3d6 rounds then save or a troll explodes from your chest then runs away to grow bigger in safety
08 Ghoulbane - makes immune to ghoul paralysis and made with ghoul blood, save each use or when die arise as a ghoul a d4 days later
09 Rat Repellant - rat creatures require a morale check to approach any with a potion on their body or spread over 10 foot square. If rats brave enough to attack they have -2 to hit and further morale tests are -2. Lasts a d4 days per dose but traces remain for longer, detectable by rats but with no effect. Rat folk know they need to skin a human who has applied the repellant
10 Stirge Repellant - applied over body if a stirge bites you it must save or burst into flame for a d4 damage per round for 2d6 rounds. Once aflame the stirges panic and fly about colliding with anything. If they make a half morale roll they will head for water. One application lasts one hour, smells bad and causes itchy skin rash if used more than once a week
11 Scroll of the Black Sphere - summons a 3 foot wide annihilating black sphere that randomly zooms around disintegrating what it touches for a d6 rounds. Roll a d12 scatter dice for direction of travel and will bounce off walls at a random angles. Who summoned it can focus on the orb and make it stop for one round if they save vs the spell and do not move or make other actions
12 Scroll of Conscription - if read to up to a dozen 1HD or less creatures they will act as a disciplined fighting squad with +2 morale for one day and clean uniforms will appear on them
13 Scroll of Explosions - if read creates a 10d6 fireball targeted on the scroll. Used by suicide bomber apprentices of wizards for special missions
14 Scroll of Reinforcements - written with necromancer or death cult sigils, makes and human corpses within 60 foot arise as skeletons or zombies and swarm to the caster's aid for 3d4 rounds, after they become independent and act as unprogrammed undead who hate the living and attack anyone moving or wander off if none to find
15 Scroll of Rust Removal - makes a up to a ton of rusty or coroded or oxidised metal clean and shiny as new, with rust sloughing off like dead skin. If used on a vehichle it will help make it operational (may need oil, fuel or repairs). If used near a rust monster they will explode for 5d6 to any in a 3 yard circle
16 Scroll of Starfall - when read makes grey gnomes in a celestial star citadel in the heavens fire a shooting star at the location which can destroy buildings and life in a 100 yard circle (20d6). Once read you have ten minutes to escape the star, it will be visible on a clear light for a d3 rounds before impact
17 Scroll of Peace - when read everyone in 60 yards of one HD or less becomes peaceful and friendly and incapable of aggression or violence allowing you to butcher them with ease
18 Scroll of the Bolthole - opens a sinkhole in front of user dropping into the underland. The slopes are steep and very hard to climb even for spiders or other creatures and you can slide down as deep as the shaft is and arrive unharmed in a mound of mud in some underground cave or tunnel or dungeon
19 Scroll of the Apocalypse - reading it sends everyone in 10 foot radius back in time to the apocalypse war as shells rain from the sky and the horizon is covered in vast walls of fire. After ten minutes all in the radius return to the present era, if you miss it you are trapped and people from the past can be brought back
20 Scroll of Blood - when read creates a downpour of blood rain that lasts 3d6 minutes covering everything in blood, vampires and stirges love it, most are disgusted
21 Ring of Treason - once a day on command a needle pops out with a drop of venom. You can taint a arrow or blade for one hit. You can scratch a foe or pat a pal on the back. You can even touch a serve of food. Target take 4d6 poison damage and is -4 all actions in pain and half MOV for a d6 rounds, a save halves damage and the time in pain   
22 Ring of the Frog Folk - The wearer moves at normal speed in water or mud and can make a extra leap action each round. Used by human commanders of the Frog Folk Commando Corp
23 Pomander Ring - makes everything smell of orange and cinnamon making you resistant to stench hazards or spell. 1in6 are superior and make you resistant to disease also. Used by rich when visiting filthy places or by sewer workers supervisors and engineers
24 Iron Hand Ring - becomes a spiked gauntlet or cestus at will and makes the hand a +2 weapon and +2 saves for the hand in hazards damaging hands, 1in6 are superior and encase arm in ENC free Plate +1AC also
25 Slave collar - The wearer may save each round but takes 1HP damage per attempt, otherwise, they are passive cooperative and will perform chores. Some used to train animals

26 Medal of Courage - +1 or 1in6 superior ones have a +2, to save or morale if pinned on chest, many versions collectors want
27 Medal of Heroic Deeds - on one roll a day get +3 and gain a d4 HP if you fall to zero or worse which stops blood loss
28 Necklace of Inflamibility - works for one ten-minute turn per day, all fire within 6 range is snuffed, explosive and incendiary devices do not work, nothing can ignite and fire creatures take a d6 damage per round. The wearer has +2 protection vs fire or fire-based beings
29 Band of Kronos - a metal wristband with a dial that tells the time with glowing letters, once a day you can turn a nob and be hasted for a d4 rounds. Detects north time distortion effects in 3 range. You can wind back time one minute but it ruins the watch but might save a life. Given to officers who survive four years 
30 Seven Ray Ring - this 7-charge ring recovers one use per day and each effect can also only be used once per week causing 2d8 damage. Each colour ray is a different range is 6
Red ray = fire +ignite wood, clothes and hair if fails a save, take d4 round until extinguished 
Orange ray = target saves or non-magic metal items that could rust or decay turn to dust
Yellow ray = light + save or diseased as per spell, no effect on gold
Green Ray = heals 2d8 instead of harms but save or turns into a plant-being, make a second save to remain sentient and mobile instead of rooted to ground in a faerie dreamland

Magenta = causes no damage but causes charm effect if target fails save, lasts one hour 
Blue = cold + causes ice to freeze, target saves or slowed for a d6 rounds
Indigo = lightning + target save or paralysed for a d4 rounds 
Ultra Violet = darkness, save or blind for a d4 rounds 
31 Boots of the Feather - leave no tracks even in mud and will not set off traps based on wearer's weight like landmines, leg snares, pits, etc
32 Fleeting Boots - cast haste on yourself for 2d4 rounds doubling your MOV once a day and superior versions 1in6 may cast fly on yourself for 2d4 rounds
33 Cammo Coak - shifts colour to blend in to environment -2 to be spotted by enemies if moving -4 if still against natural terrain, includes a hood, in the open in good light it is dark green or brown or black with ancient heraldic insignia
34 Chem Cloak - long cloak with hood and gas mask or carrion bird mask, wearer immune to poison gas, and has +3 save vs poison and acid and damage from both is halved
35 Frog Cloak - The wearer of this green hooded cloak uses land speed Mov as swim speed, can hold breath 15 minutes and jump an extra +1 range. When worn wearer appears frog-like especially if half-submerged  
36 Shirt of Courage, - has no weight but has AC+5, in the style of an ancient dress millitary officers uniform from the apocalypse era. It is also mud and blood and filth resistant and is very visible in the mud lands
37 Cap of Command - +4 Command radius and +1 Morale to people under your command, the wearer also has +1 all saving throws. It is in the style of an ancient military faction from the apocalypse
38 Mask of the Phantom - a black opera mask that covers an actor's head, can disguise the wearer for one hour a day and makes alignment-detecting magic fail
39 Robe of the Masters - robes used for cultists leading cells in secret, changes into regular clothing at will or back, +1 protection and provides a saving throw to resist magic missiles. It has lots of pockets and occult insignia and may include a mask or wig depending on the cult
40 Wizard Trewes - magical pants that the wearer never has to go to the bathroom and always smell of pine needles. Some wearers never take them off
41 Trench Club - 2d4+2 magic spiked club with barbed wire wrapped around the head, any undead slain turn to black sludge and cannot be returned
42 Trench Tool - a +1 weapon folds into a spade, pick or hand axe or club configuration
43 Trench Knife - a +1 dagger that returns to the user's hand the same round it is thrown and the user can draw the weapon from its scabbard as if a quickdraw expert and can be redied instantly. The handgrip is also a spiked cestus 
44 Cavaliers Sabre - a d2d4+2 sword always remains sharp and adds +1 to the user's initiative
45 Masters Trucheon - an iron fist-shaped +1 truncheon with +d4 damage and a loud crack sound, the wearer is also immune to fear and combatants under wielder command are +1. The truncheon has been used to massacre mutants and is hated by mutant-kind 
46 Diskoss - a rotating d4 saw blade in a fist grip housing, has an extending shaft that can be set to 1m 2d4 damage or 2m d8+2 damage or 3m 2d6 damage, it makes a frightening grinding noise. Strikes as a +2 magic weapon vs creatures resistant to
47 Crystal Sword - a small d6 +2 sword with a crystal blade, +d6 damage on mineral-based creatures or automatons and on a critical hit inflicts an extra d6 damage and the blade snaps off into the wound and a new blade slides from the hilt 
48 Cestus of Silver - a steel spiked gauntlet inflicts a d6 damage and is a +1 magic weapon +3 vs shapeshifters 
49 Sword of Law is a +1 sword but if the user is angry the weapon vibrates for +d4 damage and sings an eerie song. The weapon is +3 vs chaos-tainted or aligned beings 
50 Flail of the Flagelant King - a large 2-h war flail does 3d4 damage and has +1 properties, any struck must save or be inflicted with flesh-rotting disease
51 Spear of the Warlord - d8 +1 spear, that returns to the wielder hand the same round it is thrown. The spear is +3 vs giants and giant animals
52 Bow of Thunder - d8 2m steel longbow that charges arrows with a d3 electric damage, every shot makes a loud crackle when fired or striking
53 Crossbow of the Scorpion - a +1 light repeating crossbow and any bolts fired have a d4 poison damage extra
54 Bolts of Rust - each made from a rust monster will destroy a suit of armour or make a 1m hole in iron plate hull
55 Orc Arrows - if arrow is shot into the soil it sprouts into a fully grown orc with a bone axe who will attack the closest non orc person it blames for creating it. Often found in quiver of 2d4
56 Javelin of the Sun - where the javelin strikes erupt into a 4d6 fireball, often in a set of d4+1
57 Discus of Terror - a d6 +2 thown stone weight used for sports but has range of a javelin, anyone struck by it must save or be knocked 1 range, any human or smaller targets fails the save falls prone
58 Steel Hatchet - a solid stylish but light hand designer axe does d6 +2 and can three times a day can cast shocking grasp  
59 Blowpipe of Terror - Is +2 weapon and the first ten targets hit under 4HD must save or panic and flee for a d4+1 rounds
60 The Star of Heaven - a magical large silver throwing star that inflicts a d6 damage and is +3. Once thrown will attack on its own each round as if thrown by the user bonded with it by a 12 hour ritual. Will soar over the battlefield and swoop down to strike enemies and it will return to their hand when the owner calls the fight over 
61 Sappers Vest - AC+5 halves damage from explosions, falls or damage from falling stones or stone weapons
62 Trenchmans Armour - AC+6 also protects from gas attacks and land mines 
63 Cavalry Helm of Dawn - a magnificent gold or silver crested helmet with a movable decorative face plate. The common sort has +1 protection, +3 save vs fear the uncommon 1in6 version is +2 protection and makes the wearer resistant to fear and halves damage for falls from horseback
64 Helmet of Neptune - spherical helm with small circular portholes and a leather neck harness, the wearer has difficulty with seeing or hearing sometimes but is +2 Protection and water breathing, sonic attack damage or deafening attacks effects are halved 
65 Gladiators Helmet - heavy bronze helmet +2 Protection and the wearer cannot be surprised or blindsided and has full AC from any direction
66 Fire Helm - wearer is resistant to smoke and stench attacks and can see through smoke the wearer has +2 save and reduces fire and heat damage by 1 per dice. A rarer 1in6 version half all fire and heat damage and includes a salamander wool and hide cape 
67 Void Captains Helmet - is +2 Protection, +1 CHA and the wearer is immune to involuntary teleportation, gates or plane shifts. The wearer knows they were affected and can choose to allow the effect. They can detect a planar being or portal within 3 range
68 Bat Suit of the Air Pirates - leather +3 suit with glider wings allowing the wearer to fly across as far as they are up, unskilled users require rolls for any manoeuvring or a standing landing. The headgear has goggles also. 1in6 suits also have some kind of sidearm holster
69 Mutant Robes - rags and scrap armour +3AC, they make hiding in the wasteland or ruins easier and have a +2 filter vs gas, miasmas or disease. Wearing a suit allows you to carry extra mutations without devolving into slime or other effects of excessive mutations. These suits allow people to adapt to the mutant lifestyle and many wearers change their career to mutant career class then pass on the suit to the more needy
70 Wasteland Survival Suit - some manufactured by machines but the common sort are made of scrap and rags and are all unique. The common sort gives the wearer protection as leather +3 and gives +2 on saves vs disease or gas or smoke or stink attacks. The superior machine made of the ancient version makes the wearer immune to those hazards and +4AC and has a magical lamp on the headgear that operates at will
71 Musket of Glory - is +1 with a footlong spike for melee, the gun is d8 self cleaning reducing fire rate and loading by one round. Many have a face and 1in6 mutters inspiring slogans in ancient language
72 Flintlock Dueling Pair - two medium pistols 2d4 +1 in a set, whoever has one can sense the direction of the other. Come in an ornate wooden case with loading and cleaning tools and 20 shot & powder wads 
73 Blunderbuss of Confusion - 2d4 +1 plus any struck by the first three shots of the day must save or be confused for a d4 rounds
74 Ducksfoot Pistol - four barrelled light barrelled pistol d4 +1 each, can be fired at once or one by one weighs double normal pistol and cant be used with quickdraw skills
75 Volley Gun - a six light barreled rifle, each d6 +1 can be fired at once or one by one and weighs double normal musket and is more bulky, used in breaching missions in seiges
76 Silver Revolver - 2d4+2 pistol with five shots, bullets can always hit any lycanthrope or non corporeal or out-of-phase being. Has ornate occult symbols of underworld power, silver bullets add +1 to any damage  
77 Marine Carbine - 2d4 +1 damage, has 4 shots with bolt action and operates in water and mud without penalty or risk and is immune to magical rust attacks and has a bayonet 
78 Gun Waggon - a pushcart with 6 medium flintlock pistols barrels each can be be fired singly or one by one for 2d4 +1. The Weapon is normally slow to unload and would have two or three operators but this has magical sets of wizard hands that load all barrels in the time it takes to load one with one operator. Used for breaching actions, sieges, doorways, guarding doors or tunnels
79 Officers Automatic Pistol - d24+2 damage, has 13 shots magazine 1in6 are beautiful artworks with gold, silver, gems and artistic etchings, the bullets do normal damage on creatures normally resistant or immune to them 
80 Handgonne - a short heavy barreled gun usually comes with a +5AC breastplate the gun is attached to to absorb shock of firing 2d6+1 damage with flintlock pistol range, used from specially trained horses usually and fired once opening a fight
81 Golem Ammo Box - has two metal faces, if you feed one lead, sulphur, saltpetre, or charcoal the other spits out a paper wad with gunpowder and ball shot, you must instruct the bun what size and type of black powder weapon and it won't create anything like artillery only infantry weapons. The box makes noises while working and takes ten minutes to complete each round

82  Golem Fountain - box with a face weighs 12ENC, on command water pours from its mouth and it can make 1-6 litres a day with one at least in a desert and more in better locations. It obeys command and water can be hot cold warm fast or slow. Many were torn from walls from wealthy abandoned homes of ancients

83 Golem Oven - various sizes from 5d6 litres/kilo made from iron and tin with a door oven inside and two hotplates on the top. Tell the golem face what heat you want and how long and which plates or the oven you want and the oven provides 

84 Golem Cart - a wheeled metal cart with seat and storage space allowing an infirm or elderly person to drive about slowly on flat and ramped areas. 1in6 have off road wheels and are faster and armoured. The cart has a golem face on the front and obeys orders as best it can and it will ask questions and offer alternatives routes it is more capable of 
85 Golem Toilet - weighs 30 ENC and bulky, but it is a stylish ceramic toilet with a golem face that is self cleaning and hums music and can heat or chill itself and provide water 
86 Golem Gun - ornate advanced bolt action heavy rifle 3d6 +1, with a 5 shot internal magazine and a face on its stock that whispers to the user and where new bullets are inserted to load. Each bullet can be a different type and selected by command. The gun has detect invisible and thermographic vision 12 range and can advise shooter to aim halving penalties from sight loss if the gun can see it. The gun may warn of incoming targets but it cant sense through brick walls but light wood or straw it can still sense through 
87 Golem Trackcycle - a motorcycle with caterpillar tracks, slower than wheels but copes with terrible conditions even underwater. The face on the front will drive for you on command and has a competent skill level but will try jumps and other stunts. Can drive at 45kph but on broken ground it is half that. 1in6 come with a small trailer
88 Golem Cycle - a heavy bicycle with a face plate that will drive at 30kph on a road and can be pedalled usually when going downhill and want to exceed the power mode speed limiter and reach double speed. The cycle will sing and offer travel tips and warn you if you are in a dangerous area and offer tips based on thousand-year out-of-date maps. Each includes basket and storage boxes 
89 House Golem - servant golem for households incapable of violence, most are damaged and old but 1in6 are in good condition with freshly painted on faces. As a small human will clean, carry goods, help you dress, boil a kettle, turn on and off lamps and other basic duties. Some have superior skills and names and might be specialist gardeners, nurses, guides or cooks
90 Infantry Golem - automaton soldier has powered down and requires fuel of some kind to restart. Once awake it is ready to return to its thousand year old mission unless you know various secret command words from using identify magic. In that case it will be a willing servant. AC+6 HD4d8 Uses a basic d6 musket with bayonette or any hand weapon it can improvise or is given if no ammo. Some the musket is built in the arm  
91 Motorcycle - often fueled by alchemy which can be hard to replace, a good offroad vehichle of the ancients easy to repair, some are extra light, have a sidecar or is armed with a swivel gun or light machinegun
92 Automobile - a usually armoured car with a crew of six and windows are slits in plate to stop bullets, passenger doors and back windows have closable gun slots. Powered by ancient alchemy which is hard to find 
93 Crashed Fighter Plane - of rotted wood and cloth, could be studied and rebuilt and the engine can be repaired to the equivalent of a WW1 biplane of any model you want. The alchemy fuel engine could be used for other uses
94 Crashed Gnome Airship - vary in size and purpose, most for scouts and air marines or bombers or transport. Wreckage requires the balloon cloth to be replaced and multiple engines repaired and cleaned. Gnomes use giant moon moth silk and the airships perform 30% better under moonlight in a full moon
95 Turtle Compact Tank - a small two-person tank that moves up to 30kph or half on rough terrain, has a small 6d6 cannon or a light machine gun. Popular model but requires the alchemical fuel of the ancients and often break down daily
96 Truck Transport - a small truck with stowage in rear often damaged or buried abandoned and needs repairs or even wheels. Uses ancient alchemical fuel. Type d6 1=ambulance 2=troop transport with gun ports 3=rations and food possibly edible 4=bodybags of undead tainted corpses to be burned 5=fuel tanker with good supply of alchemical fuel 6=full of damaged scrap and rubbish used by scavengers
97 Archangel Heavy Tank - a large six-person tank that moves up to 30kph or half on rough terrain, has cannon 10d6 and two light machine guns. Requires the alchemical fuel of the ancients and often break down daily
98 Yotun Heavy Tank - 14 person tank tank that moves up to 16kph or half on rough terrain, has a two small 6d6 cannon, one cannon 10d6 and two light machine guns. Rare model but requires the alchemical fuel of the ancients and often breaks down hourly and gets stuck in mud often 
99 Mole Machine - often found buried with dead crew, once whatever killed crew discovered can be repaired. Crew often died of engine fumes or run out of air tanks on dangerous missions where some failure or bad luck slowed them. Mission d4 1=depoly trolls on locations 2=espionage 3=sabotage 4=germ warfare 5=commando raid 6=move battle wizards to location
100 Steamboats - mostly paddlewheel types for transport in canals and shallow waterways, mission includes d6 1=medical 2=food transport 3=pleasure barge for rich 4=luxury mobile command centre for decadent officers 5=scavengers repaired and rebuilt and loaded with junk 6=troop transport

Ancient fuel was made up of alchemists from certain materials which became rare and were almost all depleted. Today alchemists seek alternative fuels that might work. The old fuel was the remaining essence of creation the apocalypse war depleted. Its loss ended the advanced magical technology of the ancient peak. Most vehicles have up to 2 days of fuel, and many machines are empty. Machines could be converted into golems and magically animated. Vehichle golems have personalities suited to their job

Morale & Guards & Patrols

More and more I'm thinking when an enemy even sees another group they will make a morale check to make the brave choices or always do the right thing with some people. I use morale to see if bored troops do anything they shouldn't or are provoked. An extension of this is what about bored guards in a dungeon all day. What about those patrols that are lacklustre. If not on red alert and no immediate danger guards can get sloppy.

Those with high morale and make rolls are more likely to perform well those with low morale are sloppier and more likely to have their throats slit while discussing recipes or looking at figurines of family. 

So I will use morale for how disciplined are guards and patrols. 

Guards are people at specific posts
Patrols are for wandering monsters or border patrols in wilderness territories

d12 Failed Discipline of Guards Table
1 Playing knucklebones or dice

2 Playing cards or a board game like chess

3 Having a snack

4 Chatting about sweethearts and love life

5 Chatting about retirement plans or investments

6 Chatting about religion or a cult

7 Humming a tune

8 Trying to stay awake

9 Handicrafts like whistling wood, knitting, weapon repairs

10 Having some sly grog and perhaps a bit of a song

11 Playing music and dancing

12 Performing rituals for religion or a folk divination or calling for spirits aid

d12 Successful Discipline of Guards Table
1 Slouching and bored but listening for peril

2 Chatting but ready in case of inspection from superior

3 Ready but needs to go to the bathroom

4 Ready but can't wait for the shift to be over and keeps checking

5 Having a smoke but alert while fumbling with pipe and lighting it

6 Alert and scanning for signs of trouble

7 Ready with missile weapons in hand

8 Ready with an alarm like a gong or horn or drums

9 Relaxed but has set up a d3 traps they are sure will cover them

10 Having some practice with weapons while alert and very ready

11 Superior rank or vet giving a pep talk while all alert

12 Silently standing, preferably in hiding or shadows with minimal lights

d12 Failed Discipline of Patrol Table

1 Can't be bothered investigating strangers and wants to keep on moving

2 Assumes strangers are some allies or supposed to be here so ignore them

3 Try and identify strangers from afar but not get too close

4 Get close enough to intruders they can yell abuse and taunts then flee

5 Close to evaluate the strangers and will consider robbery

6 Close to evaluate the strangers and will consider demanding a toll to pass

7 Follow strangers for a while to see if they run into trouble you can take advantage of

8 Follow strangers for a while then flee to report 

9 Flee to join up with another braver patrol then return

10 Flee to home base and report a large dangerous force coming

11 Flee to the furthest end of the territory under the belief a major invasion coming

12 Flee and will loot their own people and hijack transport or start fires to help escape

d12 Successful Discipline of Patrol Table

1 Turn towards strangers and see how they react or until identified

2 More towards strangers ready to give chase if they flee

3 Move in front of travellers and block the path

4 Move in front of travellers and prepare an ambush at a good location

5 Send a few troops ahead to demand travellers stop

6 Approach ready to charge if they seem hostile

7 Approach to ask about identity and why strangers in this area

8 Approach and demand weapons down

9 Approach and signal for a patrol inspection

10 Approach and offer escort to strangers on legitimate business 

11 Charge and demand immediate surrender, take captives to their master

12 Charge to attack and might stop if strangers surrender and act passive

Chargrinspire: Notes and d100 tactical locations

I envisage rings around the Chagrinspire of trench systems, ruins and no-mans land battlefields. I want a hex map with some stuff planned but areas the DM could pre make or do on the fly at the table as players explore it. It might work for solo or minimal DM style. There are dead forests on the fringes and roads to civilisations on the coasts.

I want to have tech tainted by law or chaos so we get chaos cult mutants with strange-looking chaos vehicles and weapons players might not want to keep. This taint is a weapon of chaos that attacked the infrastructure of the Black Sphere makers and their troops at the peak of their technology.  

Lots of the tech has faces and is kind of golem-powered. Household tap might have a golem face you command to pour water and instruct. The spirit bound into the body by alchemists obeys within its limited capacities and works like a machine. Golem ovens that self-heat on command, cold rooms, and doors. elevators, fans, pumps and more. Many vehicles, buildings and even the crudest automatons have faces, it's part of the magic of autonomous intelligence. 

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These are locations you can drop on a potential battlefield as cover, strategic points to capture or as the entire battlefield. If you see the enemy approaching and quickly want to see what places might be good to seize as defence. It is not really for adventures like some others in this series. I can also see large battles vs 1HD hoardes in this setting. Gangs of freaks with muskets whi fire and charge with bayonettes will be commonplace. Players might have to lend a hand to some large battles as artilery or destroying enemy heroes and leaders.

You could put a few in a hex or roll whenever you need landmarks for adventurers exploring. They are not intended to be populated but could be and might have evidence of past use.

d10
1 Geographical

2 Earthworks

3 Infrastructure

4 Defences

5 Industrial

6 Residential

7 Infrastructure

8 Camps

9 Garbage

10 Monuments

d100
01 A steep hill with three sides are loose rubble and cliffs

02 Creek has worn a steep gully with surrounding steep cliffs

03 Craggy mound of rubble with only two paths to the top

04 Steep sloping hill with a flat top and some foundations

05 Area pocked with craters one is higher than the rest and forms a circular wall for cover

06 Canyon or crack in the earth 1in6 have a crude crossing d4 1=d3 ropes 2=log or beam or lamp post 3=safe walkway with handrails made from cables and trash 4=several beams make a strong bridge for wagons 

07 Trickling stream through a natural trench, has eroded through layers of soil through the wars eras of interest to archaeologists

08 Area of mesa and bute-like formations where floodwaters have eroded channels between rock formations, each like an island surrounded by cliffs above the plain. Some show signs of past habitation

09 Huge open-cut pit mine covering vast area with a sloped pit of rubble with vast rusted mining machines among the rubble

10 Area riddled with collapsed mine tunnels and chambers resulting in a churned up maze depressions almost like a trench system but with part buried mining equipment and tools 
11 A series of hills once a hill fort with several easily dominated paths through earthworks

12 Trench and earth mound wall for several kilometres 

13 Huge steep earth slope with a road at the top difficult to reach from most directions 

14 Huge mounds of rubble moved by huge machines long ago as a barrier to vehicles and made from ruined building rubble. Has provided good nest sites for creatures and shelter from winds

15 Stepped earth terraces once used for agriculture before soils were poisoned by war, some areas still hold water and are choked with mud and weeds

16 Canal with mud and garbage in the bottom runs for several kilometres

17 Artificial plateau with remains of airstrip on top and some simple metal structures and fencing

18 Drystone wall 1m high, several kilometres long, possibly from ancient farm

19 Mounds covering burial trenches some still open and flooded with corpses floating in them

20 Earthern mound with simple tower from the ancient signal beacon, once was powered but then just used as a fire and smoke based signal lat

21 Shattered bridge with prylons supporting section still erect, possibly fortified 

22 Tunnel with road or tracks into hill or mountain

23 Train carriages on a section of line or parked in a field used as homes once

24 Junkyard for scrapped rusty vehicles and automatons, some are intelligent and cry for death 

25 Underpass road has trapped damaged vehicles from some past ambush to block road

26 Crashed skeleton of an airship ad gondola

27 Several damaged rusty trucks in a line and remains of a road

28 Ruined checkpoint on road currently blocked by damaged vehichle

29 Remains of supply train of baggage carriers destroyed from air by some ancient weapon, remains of burned vehicles, bones and craters on a ruined road section

30 Section of muddy road with landmine warning signs in ancient text
31 Winding trenches with barbed wire

32 Concrete artillery bunker with defensive and observation trenches

33 Exploded concrete bunker surrounded by craters and wrecked defences 

34 Observation tower built of metal scaffolding with sandbags and a ruined radio on top

35 Vast field of concrete tank traps usually 2m high concrete pyramids forming lines

36 Concrete bunker doorway cut into a granite outcrop

37 Concrete bunker entrance and damaged remains of gun emplacement 

38 Airconditioning plant with working turbines replacing air in some subterranean complex or tunnels

39 Wooden log stockade camp built by some faction from long dead trees

40 Concrete fortress with gun turrets and anti-aircraft guns

41 Huge power plant complex with chimney stacks. Metal towers radiating from the complex once carried arcane power

42 Huge steel frame power pylons forming a line every 500m connected by cables, some used as nests or turn into fortified camps above the ground 

43 Huge refinery with vast vats, pipes, cooling towers and control towers, often burned out and bomb-damaged. Once processed fuel or food or other materials and operated by alchemists   

44 Factory built to make weapons, vehicles or automatons on the front line and often movable

45 Huge factory farm complex where chickens and swine were kept intensively in sheds and slaughtered and processed into army rations

46 Alchemical factory complex with vast rows of glass vessels where monsters and humanoids were grown for battle, poorly equipped and educated and sent to die

47 Alchemists tower made to produce one alchemist material with various vats and pipes and occult insignia

48 Wire fenced field of deco machines and metal pylons for managing the vast arcane power array used by peak ancient war machine

49 Concrete dam holding back a lake of water and a trickle of water leaking. Once part of the arcane power system of the ancients

50 Koboldium Reactor complex made as ultimate power source using koboldiums dangerous properties for arcane power. The process was quite dangerous and many exploded poisoning area with toxic dust and magic burning aurauras
51 Cluster of small shacks built from scrap

52 Remains of a small village of mud cottages abandoned

53 Remains of a village surrounded by a damaged wall with signs of an attack

54 Street with intact houses among rubble filled former suburb

55 Row of damaged townhouses surrounded by rubble and craters

56 Apartment complex of four-story buildings connected by various paths and roads

57 Highrise crumbling housing tower

58 Army barracks with parade ground, mess, garage surroundedby fence

59 Remains of battered tents from a abandoned camp

60 Intact cottage with wall and garden
61 Mausoleum complex for receiving dead by train, inside bodies were prepared and made into undead soldiers and labour. Vast surrounded graves and headstones are all fake graves

62 Former multi story hospital with several connecting roads and rail

63 Airship Hanger, vast open space inside most often airships are wrecked

64 Fire station with wrecked rusty vehicles, vast cistern and connecting roads

65 Police Station with rusted riot truck and equipment for riot squad. Multiple skeleton-filled holding cells make up half the buildings. One area for extreme interrogations and torture underground

66 Train sub station with service sheds and parked trains and carriages

67 Airfield with wrecked airships and mooring tower, runways and a traffic control tower and customs building. Hangers for smaller aircraft and warehousing surround the feild

68 Sewerage plant turning human waste into fuel, overgrown with strange vegetation and creatures

69 Factory where human bodies turned into raw materials like calcium, leather goods and ration packs

70 Water refinery where toxic water was treated and also canned for distribution to the front lines
71 Training camps for political prisoners and clone education, barracks with wire fencing, automated voices constantly chant slogans and propaganda posters of the ancients are everywhere

72 Prison camps with office buildings and fenced areas with tents for long-gone prisoners, intended to be temporary holding sites 

73 Large fire pit here and sign of regular camp site for some hoard who leave scraps and rubbish

74 A tent and some baggage by some cover of land or a ruin 

75 Badly damaged ruin someone camped in for a while and fixed room and walls with garbage and a chimney

76 Fenced campsite of tattered tents and first aid insignia on portable admin buildings and checkpoint gate. Camp for keeping plague victims now all skeletons inside

77 Collection of hastily built crude shacks from rubble and scrap around a fire pit

78 Shattered buildings mostly rubble with small intact interior area used by survivors in the past

79 Fenced open pit building foundation site with ruined building machines on site, sign promises to open soon. Several portable work buildings housed workers once 

80 Slavers camp kept prisoners in a semi-intact ruined area they force the slaves to search for valuables. There are chains and cages and a post and stage for auctions hastily built from scrap  
81 Hundreds of drums of used alchemist chemicals have been dumped making strange coloured pools and magic auroras around the area that cause mutations

82 Gigantic mounds and partly filled pits of garbage and broken everyday items. Scavengers come here to mine treasures of the ancients  

83 Huge midden heap used for trash for centuries with broken items from many eras. Older layers of more flint and bones and shellfish, then through various ages of technology to a layer of bakelite, scrap metal and busted machines

84 Scrapyard where wrecked machines are broken apart by scrap machines and stacked as crushed ingots and sorted into materials. Sometimes a machine comes to collect some. May be operated by machines or a cult

85 Graveyard of outmoded vehicles possibly flyers or tracked war machines, been scrapped and covered in dust and mud

86 Ruined tower of some kind on closer inspection its a nest for giant bugs like ants, wasps or termites 

87 Mound of discarded slag from industrial metal output and ash heaps

88 Yard with stacks of lamp posts, drain pipes and road repair materials in bins with some rusted trucks and trailers

89 Discarded test rockets fuel tanks of vast size and possibly still usable or could be used as a building or storehouse

90 Yard with stacks of rail tracks, sleepers, sections of fence and some rusted work vehicles and trains 
91 Statues of heroic soldiers raising a flag defiantly

92 War memorial shrine four stories high with deco artwork scenes carved in relief, inside are lists of names of dead soldiers. It makes an excellent solid lair or fortified camp 

93 Statue of a demon or evil deity, possibly damaged and vandalised with graffiti

94 Statue in bronze of an alchemist a grey gnome and an outer void wizard united overlooking a black stone sphere together in triumph

95 Statue of a wizard or a row of them often battle-damaged

96 Retired cannon on a stone plinth dedicated to a war god

97 Memorial shrine made from skulls wearing helmets built into a pyramid structure

98 Memorial wall with names and relief stone carvings of enemy soldiers attacking Chagrinspire all made to look evil and moronic brutes

99 A great stone arch with steps to the top side to a teleporter pad part of a network around the mountains to travel quickly for elites

100 Statue of a god with a weapon looking fierce, inside base is a shrine where people leave offerings and make oaths

Do Levels equal social rank or fame?

Ive had a few discussions of late about how common people with levels are, do aristocats require high levels? How well known is an adventurer?

So in the Worlds of Elfmaids & Octopi levels are not commonplace. Most humans are zero level with a d4 or d6 HP for the fighty ones and would find kobolds, goblins or a rabid dog a menace. Many humans reach 1st level and stay there on the first level of 1st Tier and are considered tougher than most people professionals. A group of d6 militia and bandits working a while with some life-threatening adventures go from green fighting folk to 1st level veterans. In a squad of 12-24 troops you would get a few guys with an extra level or two in charge like corporals and sergeants. There are also various grades of elite troops who are at higher level led by bosses with one to two levels more.

Officers may be hardened battlefield promotions or have had to fight others to get there and could be higher level than their troops. It's also possible they are a corrupt aristocrat. May have formal training that potentially helps them reach a higher level but the odds are many won't survive and will die on battlefield of up front or be killed by their own subordinates.  

The idea all aristocrats and land owners are high level isn't really believable most of the time. I prefer to say people who fought their way to high levels are granted honourary titles and obligations to hobble them and make them fit into traditional power bases. Some aristocrats fight their way to the position or had to kill siblings and fight to get their stuff and ought to be considered dangerous. Once they have the title their children may not be so murderous or brave. Later generations of nobles might snub people who had to get dirty with blood to get status. In my city state bronze age game barbarians take over every three generations and as descendants become city folk they in turn are taken over by their rustic cousins. In a war like setting where kings rely on support by a bunch of warring maniacs who rob and sabotage each other it is more likely nobility actually have ability.

In a more civilised age you might get incompetent officers who believe they are superior by birth and lead their troops to failure. Some nobles might even buy their ranks and titles as commissions. If these incompetent officers are in charge the overall troop quality will decline and morale will drop. Morale is also discipline so you men might be more prone to crime and vice or cowardice. Competent troops are more likely to be given to a superior officer and have serious deployments. Poor quality forces and leaders are placeholders to sacrifice if needed and have safe posts.

Fame is another concept that affects all this. Titles and status may earn some fame and reputation but a similar rank person who is a veteran fighting person will probably have more fame. Especially high-level persons are famous for victories and strength in the way a privileged appointed brat can have. Someone with rank above their deeds may be demoralising to subordinates or will have discipline problems. A fancy toff might survive and gain levels and gain respect. They will probably change in other ways.

In many of my games, I make some villains recognisable to everyone or sometimes to members of a specific occupation who might know the person's reputation. It's good to meet enemies and know of their past deeds. Makes fights more personal as your histories interweave. If they lose do they die or escape or get raised by a maniac?

Tier 0
Nobody ordinary people only known by local peers dealt with 
Tier 1 (Lv 1-4)
Quality fighting folk, some locals might have heard of deeds or quality
Tier 2  (Lv 5-8)
Master of renown, start gaining followers and students, nobles have heard of you
Tier 3 (Lv 9-12)
Hero of the realm, interact with rulers, deeds save the kingdom, granted lands and titles by rulers to keep you close to the nations power
Tier 4 (Lv 1-4)
Have visited other worlds and are watched by the gods for your awesome deeds and the awesome monsters you kill. Mortals who know of you gush a bit at your name and follow your wondrous deeds. A ruler may really want to be a friend or might really hate you as a possible threat
Tier 5  (Lv 17-20)
Demigod tier and your actions with gods and other planes make you known on other dimensions. Powerful beings may help or hinder you reach the hood. Some shun the attention of planar beings and avoid apotheosis to godhood. When you die people build shrines to you and prey to you 

d12 Uselss Posh Officers
1 Inherited job evokes reputation of deceased parent authority

2 Friends with boss and appointed job, will evoke make of boss 

3 Convinced is superior due to breeding over troops and enemies, destiny on my side

4 Bribed to get the job and keen for glory in a heroic charge

5 Inexperienced and poorly trained, makes wrong orders at the wrong time in panic

6 Related to someone famous and threatens sub-bosses and is incompetent

7 Has never seen death or blood, prone to panic or abandoning troops

8 Boss is blind and drunk to face the enemy, belligerent and looking for a fight

9 believe they are an uncanny diplomat and offers to talk to all foes, give away secrets and sure negotiations worked. Tries to talk enemy to surrender 

10 Deranged cultists wants to wade in blood and gore, encourage looting and murder

11 Has read lots of war books and sure a direct charge will work always

12 Cowardly and equips and trains minions to use a dirty trick or extra item of equipment and seen as dirty tricks. Hurling wasp nests, drinking potions, poison, burning oil, plague victim faeces, pets, etc. Others of own kind are disgusted by them and the leader will flee if things look bad

Marvel 1952

Managed a long game of dudes playing my retro super hero games where we hop years at least monthly.

Starring:

Dr Kronos the time travelling scientist called the team together and even more heroes arrived at the meeting spot in Civies than expected. Recently battled the Rogue Vatican time traveller and helped the operation sending Nazis to their doom on Mars following the doomed to faim Von Braun colony mission,.Wants to visit the former base for clues. 

Stretcho the rubbery detective adventurer really a woman and part alien. On way she checked out a haunted house on her street.

Shadow Shot the super soldier sniper with futuristic technology
Has been hunting a man size preying mantis that can hurl cop cars

Digger a nationalistic super soldier who is actually not really a human and alien powers more visible 
Fighting slime mutant creatures in industrial swamp

Blackjack the mystery man who knows men's minds and is a living supernatural shadow. Was helping a thinktank develop a a safe atomic power supply

The gang had own cases to resolve but Dr Kronos insisted they go to Danger Island and search the base as he was sure was responsible for everything,  Went to see two mummies being studied in university library and Blackjack scanned the auras of the lab crew and discovered a Lemurian spy from an underground mutant civilisation. Trapped him in time bubble and party inside managed to get some info about a Antarctic Nazi ww2 base. Shadow Shot pointed out there was some stuff outside happenings dropped the field and saw two reptilian mummies attacking lab staff. They held a lab tech and drew violet energy snakes from his eyes and ate the, 

DrKronos ran for his time sphere at super speed to see if he could go back in time to help the techie, There was a long scary fight with soul draining skeletons nut turned out the power was finite per person per day and heroes were life force enables well. It was a vicious fight and the Lemurian was handed to APIS agents. Managed to revive mummy victims but was impressive and had heroes scared.

Flew in a plane to Danger Island near Antarctica and dropped the Time SPhere for final trip through the storm barrier to the monstr and mystery filled Island. Found the German war bas where one of their five 60 times a Saturn V size rockets was launched. The base was meant to be destroyed by somehow vast ruined factories 120 layers deep exists still. Heroes went down and found trails of a human and robot soldiers marching.

Managed to kill some robots and rescue a tortured mind from a machine body designed to feel pain. Used it to help research and it begged to be saved from the base of torment. Removed the brain and broke into a observation tower to jack into the computer. Discovered more mummies were in this base in deeps and information on them. Wentto investigate after destroting robots and used the brain to break into the cryovault. Inside had all the b-list brains the nazis left behind on their doomed trek to mars. Six vaults with mummies and data lab was found and they managed to snpershot a human scientist in lab with a boomerang from digger and a laser blast.

As they were looting informed intruders coming by the rescued brain. The visitors were three comunist Russian metahumans. Commisar, Soviet Super Soldier and Iron Curtain. Heroes hid except DrKronos who told the sovits off and declared this site in the name of River CIty University. He then sensing they didt take him seriously he used his cone effect time ray to slow them. The heroes beat on the frozen commies and punched Soviet SUper SOldier out of the time field and he injured a few heroes. Stretcho destroyed the commisars gun and Shadow shot with his hige ray rifle stunned the Iron CUrtain then seemingly killed him with a head shot. Doc eventually dropped the time field and they calmed Comisar down. As the fight started the vaults began to open from the inside. Docfroze a door, Blackjack tried to hold one, STretcho and Digger held two more. Managed to open doors briefly and shoot or punch mummy inside then throw in grenaides and shut the door. Managed to kill most of mummies but 4 and fled with damage packs after badly wounded commies fled. 

Demolitions trapped the mummies and crushed them. Once in complex they set of caches of solid rocket fuel and demoltions charges and grenaides they captured. Managed to shut down all the robots and ustomated tanks then destroy many of them and take tank shells which helped destroy the base.They let Russian Helicopter escape and they cot out the complex to the Time Sphere. Base was heartily destroyed and they had plans for german flying saucer prototype, a ruined city location in Antarctica and notes on managing the vampire lizard mummies. 

Back home the Lemurian was broken out of a secret APIS prison by MIB who walk through walls.