An expert class for my retroclone?

Desert tomb next - i just had this a while

As our December holiday game has kept going and we are 1/3 way through a karma pool to build a base/nightclub/crime empire run ethically not for profit but keeps us looking wealthy to impress the world of spies, pimps, drug dealers and science villains we deal with. It's not for personal profit we promise. We have super ape accountant on the team to watch the books and make our crime untrackable just like real gov agents and black ops. We just had a moon adventure. Our GM Richard mixing Dr Who and Avengers TV shows of 60s - we met cybernautmen.

All this has given me more time to write rules. I had some ambitious class ideas which need lots of work so Im instead going for more combat and skill based classes as I think modern D&D has too many magic options compared to just skilled humans. So I wanted more classes without magic.

Im open to an alt name suggestions. This is still in the works.

Its based around a theif but not a theif. It is a bit less combat-oriented.
In part it is for NPCs and retired adventurers.

Multiple Classes in my BX based game
In my game, you can change your class several times, then flip between them for level-ups as you please or whichever you used the most. If you start non-human with a species-based class, you can adopt any of the main classes. You can have an extra class per point of INT bonus. I don't recommend it for the magical classes much - even one level in something else makes you possibly a spell level behind a one-class character. I think non-magic classes its less of a problem. A "human" could change their species by taking a species class, but you can only have one species class. My giant class makes lots of changes when they hit 8 feet tall. One level in dwarf and then 4 as a specialist fighter might be pretty good. This expert class will be a common one to split classes with, and many retired adventurers might adopt this. Crossing race as class with class switching and no special species LV cap gets rid of lots of objections i get to BX class as species.

Expert
A class of skilled professionals. Often are storekeepers or traders or inventors or alchemists. In a technological setting, they would include technicians, pilots, medics and scientists. Most start as apprentices or students, then become journeymen or tutors before becoming masters or grandmasters in a trade guild, workshop or school for their profession. The specialists of this class have different skill benefits

3x arms skills - (eg blades, crossbow) +1/3 lv
6x arts skills - (eg Merchant: evaluate, bluff, bargain, streetwise, search) +1/lv
3x languages +1/lv
+1 to hit per 3Lv and d6 HD
light or medium armour any weapon up to d8

Enhanced Craft
+4 on a starting specialist skill at L1

Get a tier Craft bonus effect:
Lv1-4 x2 or x1/2 or +2
Lv 5-8 x3 or x1/3 or +3
Lv 9-12 x4 or x1/4 or +4
Lv 13-16 x5 or x1/5 or +5
Lv 17-20 x6 or x1/6 or +6

Your multipliers can be used generally on your specialist skill roll to
-reduce material cost 
-reduce task time or make duplicate effects in the same time
-various benefits based on specialisations
-When the multiplier rises to x4 can split it up into two lots of x2 instead
-When the multiplier rises to x6 can split it up into two lots of x3 or three lots of x2 instead
-Every new extra multiplier, you get an extra +4 on a different skill within your specialisation
-In some cases, expressed as a + number as a modifier or for uses

Crafter
-Any craft skills for making goods with your hands, including repair
-Multiplier fixes more HP, AC or other damage on repairs
-Make more goods or faster
-Gain a multiplier as a + on item hp
-A multiplier can be used to increase the value of an item made in a good market
-Followers are students and shop guards or doormen

Healer
-Any healing skills, usually First Aid or Herbalist or Surgery
-Multiplier can increase HP healing or perform it faster
-Make more herbal potions, enhance the effects or store longer 
-Followers include students and stronger orderlies

Pilot/Driver
-Any vehichle skill (boat, ship, chariot, aircraft, shuttle, car, airship, bike)
-Each multiplier can be used for an extra 45-degree turn per round, acceleration, deceleration, jumps or other feats
-If steering and firing forwards with a built-in weapon or ramming, use the multiplier as a +1 to hit. Armed crew also get this plus for forward fire or melee range
-Followers include crew like gunners, engineers, crafters for repairs, guards

Merchant
-Any merchant skill: evaluate, bluff, bargain, streetwise, search
-multiply the monthly profits (after costs) of your business by clever bookkeeping and weasly finance tricks or reduce your taxes and tariffs
-multiplier increases odds of finding uncommon or rare items and magic items
-Followers are assistants, shopkeepers, crafters, guards or doormen

Gunner (archaic muzzle-loaded weapons, could do a crossbow version)
-Black Powder (half load time and no fumbles with black powder), Firecraft, Gunsmith, Quickdraw (handgun), Quickload (-1round load time), Alertness
-Multiplier as a + reduces loading time on normally slow weapons
-Multiplier as a + to hit on Handgun, Longarm, Gunnery, Artillery
-Multiplier as extra shots if the weapon permits or multiple loaded barrels
-Several pistols work well, quick to reload
-Followers might be gunnery crew, gunsmiths, powder makers or musketeers

Alchemist
-Any alchemy skill
-Decrease the speed or cost, or increase the amount you make
-Multiplier as a + to hit on thrown potions, grenades, incendiaries or bottled liquid attacks
-Multiplier is a + on the number of recipe slots you can remember
-Followers are students and shop guards or doormen

Athlete
-Any athletic skill, groom, intimidate, any saving throw
-Multiplier is the number of bonus athletic actions you can make 
-Multiplier is a + on saving throws and Mov rate
-Followers are students, masseuses, servants, drivers, bodyguards or doormen

Investigator
-Any sensory or social skill 
-Multiplier lets you use more skill tasks at the same time, read the room and people faster
-Multiplier as a + on Initiative
-Followers include students, assistants, a bailiff or bodyguard, a specialist in a skill

Scholar
-Any lore skill, Scribe, Caligraphy
-The multiplier lets you study, research, read faster or write more
-Multiplier as a + on all lore skills you have
-Followers include students, assistants, scribes, servants, guards

Enhanced Followers
-Employees, assistants, crew or guards expand your business and status
-Will employ others for specific jobs or even stay home while the crew go on an adventure
-Gain one zero-level follower each level from 1st to 2nd Lv
-Gain a d4x zero-level or one 1st Lv follower each level from 3rd+ (5th Lv+ for other classes)
-Include pets (guard dog or pack animal), an apprentice d4hp with arts background, or a d6hp guard with an arms background

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

This needs work

But lots of npcs would take it and i can see players taking one level 
this might be more appealing at high level when you do more domain than dungeons
or a level to buff your main class abilities
-wizard to increase research speeds
-thief might do it to boost lock skills 
-dwarf might use to improve crafting or mining skills
-the gun and xbow possibility might be slightly abused for the + to hit - its not so bad
-possibly if i finish my alchemy rules might mesh with this system
-ive considered some other abilities for each subtype or make some new specialist skills they could employ  or have lists like my alchemy skills - abilities like: sharpening +1 damage until first blow on edged weapons (maybe stack to +2 or +3 higher level) 

The gun and xbow thing makes them kinda dangerous as guards, but also weaker than fighters in most cases in the long run.

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

The followers worked ok in playtest - here is what i did with one over 4 levels
This gang with light crossbows would launch impressive volleys

1st Lv - d6hd thug with porter and club skill
2nd lv - d6 crossbow guy 
3rd Lv - 1st lv crossbow guy, other guys go up to 1st lv
4th Lv - 1st lv crossbow buys, others up to 2nd lv

even a 4th lv merchant might like a bunch of goons like this as guards
so a passive main character running armed goons might work well
they could go in the dungeon while main character runs the camp

d100 Odd Inn Rooms

Found review of my page said im too weird and silly

whats shound be next in my weird, silly posts?

6 room dungeon, desert tomb
or 
d100 haunted rooms

tell me in comments

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

Another boring nght in a strange inn.
Well not anymore!

Maybe you arrive late and only a haunted room is left...

Will they offer a discount?
Will someone warn you?

d10 Quick Odd Inn Room Types

1 Red Herring (dead end, false lead or is it?)

2 Disturbance (unpleasant pests making stay bad)
3 Crime (criminals pre on guests)
4 Mystery (unusual lead to some problem)

5 Lost Baggage (maybe someone thinks you stole it?)

6 Strange find (weird item found)

7 Creepy decor (tasteless or sinister art)

8 Strange Dreams (unusual nightmares)

9 Cursed (some evil taints room)
10 Haunted (spirit of past guest who died here)

d100 Odd Inn Rooms 
1 Strange creaking noises
2 Rattling sounds
3 Empty secret panel

4 Local book of untrue local wild claims by paranoid loon

5 Old local map with long-gone locations

6 Book with local family trees

7 Book of local religion and some scrawled notes inside

8 Strange ornate key

9 Graffiti with a warning or threat

10 Old map of empty dungeon

11 Squeaking rodents in roof
13 Scratching noises in walls

14 Dead dried mass of rats with fused tails in a crack in the wall 
15 Drunk at the window, trying to get in, singing or ranting
16 Fighting and screaming cats outside

17 Rodents explore the room in the dark or maybe a giant rat
18 Fleas, bedbugs, mosquitoes or ticks
19 Drunken wealthy guest barges into the wrong room

20 Loud coughing, vomiting or snoring

21 Pickpocket or bag snatcher
22 Find the coded criminal not hidden

23 Hear screaming or fighting next room

24 The thief tries to enter and rob the room silently
25 Attractive youth offer company for money
26 Cult kidnappers

27 Bandit agent reports that the party look wealthy to the gang

28 Someone drugs food or drink to rob later
29 Pervert thinks a guest is their one special object of desire

30 Shifty man seeks someone to do a crime

31 Note under door warns of a local cult
32 Wanted poster for an adventurer gone bad who might have left it here

33 Find a locket with an image of a beautiful youth, turns out they were murdered years ago

34 Mysterious seed pod in a drawer

35 Secret admirer leaves you a gift of delicious cake, an ivory comb or other trinket

36 Someone slips not under your door by mistake

37 Mysterious stench wafts from under the floorboards

38 Map of a suspected location of a goblin market

39 Find a piece of a magic medalion but only one part of three
40 Raven caws at the window with a letter
41 Ring or pendant with initials
42 Boots of a missing adventurer under the bed

43 Inquisitor's lost letter

44 Crude erotic print or pamphlet

45 Purse of coins and a note
46 Adventurers map

47 Heretical or treasonous pamphlet

48 Bags with theatrical costume or assassin uniform

49 Wizards hat with nametag

50 Legal deed to haunted house or ruined manor

51 Strange crystal orb gives the wielder odd dreams
52 Treasure map left by monsters in the local dungeon
53 Box with blackened skull covered in runes
54 Local treasure map to a dungeon or ruin or cave
55 Cultist robes in the wardrobe or hidden panel
56 Cult unholy symbol and map
57 Mummified heart pierced with thorns in a secret panel
58 Cursed item in secret panel
59 Soul contract promising gifts of hell, just sign in blood
60 Witch book in a secret nook 

61 Print of a sinking ship and drowning people and horses being eaten by sharks
62 Painting of a smiling man with fire or crime behind him
63 Painting of a village with a dolmen no longer in sight

64 Weird folk art woven wall hanging of a strange symbol
65 Carved wooden scene of a hero fighting a monster with a recognisable location
66 Brass buckles collection framed with occult and folk magic symbols

67 Painting of execution by hanging, beheading or burning

68 Idol of grinning satyr with huge erection

69 Painting of mermaids eating stranded sailors on rocks in a storm

70 Ornate tapestry depicting a man seduced by witches and devils

72 Witch familiar taunts and follows you in dreams

73 Dream you are hunted by a mysterious, fearsome, unstoppable beast

74 Dream of a ruin nearby full of gold loot

75 Dream of a youthful lover with no belly button, feel exhausted in the morning

76 Dream of a strange prehistoric frog god and a cave in a swamp

77 Nightmare about villagers burning you alive in a whicker man

78 Dream you were a giant tree growing while a beaver gnawed you

79 Dream of animals following you, then see or hear them while awake

80 Dream a laughing devil offers you your heart's desire

81 Toss and turn all night, save or height changes

82 Hair and fingernails grow d4 inches

83 Wake up choking with imp sitting on your chest, it turns invisible and flees

84 Hear howling wolves and growling outside the window

85 Small faerie or house troll looks through baggage for gold or booze

86 Spirit in the room judges guests by an alignment standard; it will beat those not measuring up with sticks

87 Spirit leaves dripping ectoplasm on the room and on your belongings

88 Spirit falls in love with the guest and visits their dreams, inviting them to live inside an artwork or tree with them forever. It will scream and sob if rejected and become a horrific stalker

89 Find a corked bottle with petty stalker inside, if released, haunts a victim wth notes and in dreams
90 On full moon bed or a mirror acts as a portal, drawing in guests in or releasing a spirit or creature

91 Feeling someone in the room in the dark, but nothing is there
92 Scratching in walls, then an abusive, threatening voice
93 Moans and screams faintly heard  through a vent
94 Ghostly giggling, did you see a clown crawling creepily for a moment?
95 Shadow drains a few attribute points while asleep, leaving you feeling weak

96 Headless moaning spirit makes sleep hard

97 Weeping woman spirit keeps you awake

98 Creepy old spirit tugs at bedclothes and gropes sleepers
99 Poltergeist will throw a tantrum if offended by an intruder in the room

100 Spirit appears and claims to have been wronged and begs for help

Allies, Followers, Contacts & Patrons 2

Gaming more has been pretty good. I will do a review post soon. As ran 3x 5th ed games this week so ive been rereading and deeper reading piles of books i got mostly as wer available in a shop here or was onsale. Ive run 2 adventures from Dragons delve and indeed its a good book of lo prep drop in adventures with a variety of tones. I have lots of 5th ed adapted megadungeons and are unlikely to fit in any foreseeable future. I have some other 5th ed big campaigns, and i think they would need a year commitment at least. Short stuff is better for me to use with no mega plots or saving the multiverse stuff. I might try my 6 room dungeons soon.

The little campaign area Hawksmoor Island domain, has worked fine. Theros is still lots of fun after a year and players finally met the giant demigod Geryon on the way home. Geryon thinks they intend to be his minions and will rule humans for him. Players know the gods are jerks now and fibbers - finding out more about the old gods. Ran one game for kids who had just seen the movie, and a boy wanted to be like the bald lady Theyan villain.

Allies, Followers, Contacts & Patrons 1

This old post from last year had another attempt at making followers for beginning characters or rather Allies, because I want follower slots to include factions and pets.

d12 Wild & Rural Folk Starting Allies
1 Pet - Goat HDd6 goat, an alert pack pal with good climbing skills
2 Pet - Dog d3 1=HDd6 War dog 2=Herd dog 3=Hunting dog 
3 Follower - Old servant who prepares food, bed and comforts
4 Follower - Angry wasteland orphan with an exotic missile weapon like a chakra
5 Follower - Wild hunter of the woods, barely able to speak common
6 Follower - Barbarian youth with a big club
7 Contact - Clan with a farm or herds on the frontier or outside the city
8 Contact - Frontier warlord household you served in as a youth
9 Contact - Lodge of hunters considers you one of them for your past aid
10 Contact - Band who swore an oath to defeat an enemy together
11 Patron - Druidic teacher who taught you as a youth
d4 1=Part of secret lodge 2=Leads a temple 3=Leads famous school 4=Knows secret lore
12 Patron - Keep secrets of a non-human population and deal with humans for them
d6 1=Halflings 2=Dwarf or gnomes 3=Elves 4=Beast folk 5=goblinoids 6=orcs

In the spirit of Pendragon roll once a game year for your followers - the main ones are most important. Id roll several d12 colour-coded for the tables below.

Some of my follower rules
-Followers can be gained in mid levels based on your class or with slots from your CHA bonus with people you meet in play, or roll one of the starting tables from part one with your slots at 1st level. Generally, classes add followers at Lv 5 when characters are considered a master
-Your followers lag at least 2 levels below you, and they dont have followers (I had a party of halflings with lots of followers, machine gun their way through dungeons with rocks). 
-If a follower comes on an adventure and takes a risk, they can gain a level. If your followers go on an adventure of their own on some mission, they can gain a level
-Otherwise, if your lazy followers stay at home managing your business and basically doing a job dont normally improve, but whenever you go up a level, you can nominate one such auxiliary follower to gain a level
-If your followers leave, they can go up a level and have their own followers.

d12 Auxiliary Follower Activity While You're Away
1 Working on learning a new skill or language
2 Working hard to be the no. 1 follower
3 Upgraded workplace to improve profitability
4 Made a good deal with a faction
5 Recruited a talented hireling
6 Taken to the dressing for a better social class
7 Come up with a cunning plan to aid or hinder a faction

8 Upgraded comforts and luxury of buildings or property

9 Got married and started a family

10 Repulsed attack from criminals

11 Repulsed attack from monsters (Lv up if possible)

12 Obtained a magic item on an adventure (Lv up if possible)

d12 Pet Drama

1 Your pet likes to steal food
2 Your pet craps or pisses on people's stuff
3 Chews on stuff

4 Nips people if startled

5 Wears items or property

6 Flatulence

7 Hates children or one species

8 In the mood for love

9 Distressed if it leaves your side

10 Growls at strangers

11 Disliked a stranger who wants to get away from the pet (?)

12 Considers you its mate or child, or that it's your precious baby

d12 Follower Drama

1 Follower unwell or injured by accident or enemy

2 Follower is in love and moping about

3 Followers are bickering or have started a feud

4 Follower has legal problems (paternity claim, drunken disorderly)

5 Follower has a complicated side hustle

6 Follower has offended a cult

7 Follower is missing! Perhaps lost or kidnapped

8 Follower picked up a curse

9 Follower has developed bad habits or vice versa

10 Follower melancholic and taking foolish risks

11 Followers, family or friends need some help

12 Follower causing property damage with carelessness

d12 Contact Drama

1 Problems with criminals

2 Fighting rival faction

3 Political rivalry

4 Internal disputes

5 Traitor or spy among us

6 One of us was killed

7 Missing valuables need recovery

8 Important feast invitation

9 Deliver this message on your way

10 Meet an old comrade

11 Need money for a worthy purpose

12 News from HQ

d12 Patron Drama

1 Patron sends a letter full of grievances about other people

2 Sends a warning about enemies

3 Discover a plot about your patron by accident

4 Patron sends a letter with an offer of marriage or business for some faction alliance

5 Sends you 100gp or similar value supplies or a letter for prepaid accommodation on the road

6 Can you collect something in your area?

7 Ask you to attend a meeting

8 Ask you to look after someone or escort them

9 Send a treasure map near where you are now

10 Send useful information about the adventure

11 Offer support for a quest

12 Send you d3 potions

6-Room Dungeon 9: Sunken City

1 Redbrick
2 Goblin Mine
3 Gothic Tomb
4 Magic Mansion
5 Glacial Chasm
6 Jungle Shrine
7 Underland Cavern
8 Auldwood Grove
9 Sunken City
10 Desert Ruin
11 Eldritch Monolith
12 Hell Gate

Very timeless as my Hawksmire Island D&D5 game is doing well. Have 3-4 players and hoping to get more regulars. I might stick up a big map in shop and mark on where players go.

Will have to get my old salty seaman book of mrine tables. A reminder each of these mini 6-room dungeon types is a super simple version of my larger dungeon dozen series since 2012 and on my links page (ive not updated in a while) - i have so much data i cant manage it all - 36000 images of mine online too and some music. 

Sunken CIty
Long ago, fish folk walked on land and made an empire. They built cities and monuments and taught humans many secrets of civilisation. Over time, they left their human vassals and hybrids in charge. They failed and a revolt drove the fish cult back to the sea and wild isolated waters. Some tyrant hybrids held on for a time but then the People of Exilon arose and built their own cities and took control of the former fish folk ruins. Fish folk ruins might be found in deserts or jungles with possibly mad fish folk in wells or isolated cisterns. Many are on coasts or even encrusted in coral reefs, semi-submerged. Some areas and levels will be flooded, and passages may be designed to air spaces for slaves. Tides may affect access to these sites. Fish folk have kept slaves and trap prisoners in air cells to labour. They may give them a special weed that allows humans to breathe briefly to work in the water. They might surgically modify them into aquatic abhumans who cannot return to the surface with arcane surgery. Sometimes other marine creatures or even pirates or undead sailors might occupy. Some reef ruins might even become islands where people could live. Unknowingly, on the pinnacle of some reef-encrusted, semi-ruined city. Are they truly abandoned? More are cursed by monsters or used by marine cults. The barbarian clan fish people may occupy a ruin with their pets. Advanced fish folk with gold and magic may be manipulating local politics or making bybrids. Hybrids might live among people until their unholy heritage is revealed. Not all fish folk are evil or the same kind of evil. Humans cannot fathom the mysteries if the undersea kingdoms. Some sea magic is in fact, a form of a marine version of faerie land. If you have breath water you need to swim everywhere but ith free action you can walk around like its land. Aquatic farieland has sea alves walking while mermaids and fish swim about them. Many faerie beings can choose if the swim or use free action. Free action users can talk more clearly, too. Their are courts of the undersea peoples and faerie lords who rule marine kingdoms. Some rulers are also dragons. Undersea spirit folk of kelp, sea grass and fish are common citzens. They can shift from fish to humanoid or any combination. 

Random flooding? Roll d12-2 then multiply by 10 for a final % for water in a chamber. Low amounts might just bee pools or a low channel tide water flows through. Fush folk might have carved specific chanels to use like clocks and warn the tide is coming or going. 

d12 Sunken City Decor
1 Sand

2 Kelp and seaweed

3 Schools of fish, squid or crabs

4 Shells, shellfish or barnacles

5 Shipwreck and fishing junk

6 Driftwood or barrels

7 Coral or sea anemones

8 Dark holes and crevices

9 Rockpools of tiny creatures

10 Dead fish or bones

11 Sea chest

12 Skeletons, possibly encrusted in barnacles

d12 Sunken City Hazards
1 Stinging coral, anemones or jellyfish

2 Poison sea snakes or spiny fish

3 Entangling kelp

4 Giany clams

5 Hungry sharks or deadly fish

6 Trapped chest

7 Cursed scroll

8 Gold baited snapping or scythe trap

9 Drugged water 

10 Cloud of ink

11 Deadfalls of rubble

12 Tentacles

d12 Sunken City Encounters
1 Sharks or giant crabs

2 Swarm of fish, squid, jellyfish, or sea birds

3 Giany starfish or sealug

4 Giant sea snake or eel

5 Marine zombies or skeletons, former sailors or pirates or cultists 

6 Fish folk patrol

7 Wereshark or seawolf

8 Dolphins, possibly friendly or wicked cultists

9 Giant lobster or prehistoric marine scorpion

10 Sea troll or ogre

11 Sea elves or spirit folk

12 Marine abhuman best folk

d12 Sunken City Static Encounters
1 Shoggoth or slumbering crinoid old one

2 Water elemental and party of wizards or cultists, possibly marine people

3 Fish priest with minions and cultists

4 Wereshark or selkies

5 Spirit folk lord with minions

6 Merfolk clan, possibly horrible deep sea ones or pretty man-eating ones

7 Spectre with undead pirate crew

8 Plesiosaur or nest of huge pterasaurs

9 Kelpie or shambling seaweed horror

10 Sea serpent or sea dragon

11 Giant squid or octopus

12 Sea hag or nymph with minions

d12 Sunken City Entry
1 Cliff cave may be flooded high tide. May be used by smugglers, wreckers or pirates or some marine faction or monster will be in the enterance. All kinds of flotsam and jetam will be scattered here and possibly stolen goods. Passages go deeper under waterline or under higher ground under the land

2 Coastal ruin may be semi flooded or overlooking sea. May be a human castle or tower but could be more ancient of the fishfolk and overgrown in marine flora. These locations are good bases for facions or monster lairs and passages into the rock may be dungeons or fish folk temples. You could imply the human builders were secretly hybrids or fish cultists

3 Reef cave on a section of reef possibly reachad on foot low tide. Their could be a dry chambers used by marine monsters human slaves that has air when entry sealed by water. A entry chamber might have pools or be partly flooded and swimming might be required to reach passages. There may be ruins and the cave might be natural or passages overgrown in coral, barnacles and plants

4 Sinkhole or a rocky coastline drops into a semi flooded cave system in the deep. Some marine species or monster may lurk in the entry chamber at the bottom of the shaft. Other deeper chambers may be more or less flooded

5 Shipwreck on a rocky outcrop sways to the rythm of the sea. A possible salvage target but risky. Inside the wreck creatures may lurk and other hazards of the wreckage. Normal ship deckplans will be moot as spaces filled with shateered wood, cargo crates and rocks where rooms might be. The wreck mignt be on top of a marine cave system or sea ruins. Giant octopi and clams love such locations and undead sailors are likley

6 Sargassum of giant seaweed with treetrunk like stalks rises from the water and can be climbed like walkways. Their are parts of shiprecks, fishing boats and nets caught up in the trunks. A vegetal arch leads into a chamber of kelp possibly woven or grown ito a structure. Some creature or faction will be here protecting passages beyond

7 Beach Wrack a vast mountain of seaweed on a coast with a gaping wet hole into the mound squirming with tiny sea creatures. A central chamber will have some giant creature lair or some marine faction camp. Driftwood, flotsam and jetsam will be scattered inside the entry 

8 Seaside Manor usually a worn old noble house with an impressive view, now run down and dilapidated. May have some bandits, a hermit tor some animals like vermin swarms in the house but the cellar has passages into ancient mystertious sea caves. Some faction or a monster might limit entry 

9 Lighthouse ruin wich might be semi intact with some life, even a bird colony. In the basement enterance where fuel was stored their are older stone tunnels into the rock. Factions might use the tower remnants like smugglers. A sperate marine faction in the cellar chamber leads on to an older complex and sea caves

10 Dead behemoth, some titanic seabeast has died and washed up on the beach (wonder what caused those huge bite marks. Giant vermin crawl over it and burrow into its flesh leaving a gaping enterance. The dungeon might be inside the beast with stomachs or other cavity chambers or the vermin might have burrowed into an ancient complex 

11 Sand castle an fabulous giant sand castle on a beach. Some giant crabs made it from some ancient memory of their seige fighting ancestors. Creatures like giant sea beasts or sea faerie beings will defend the inner courtyard using the gatehouse. Other passages might be within sand or it may incorporate a older ruined complex. Crab folk or other creatures might battle to control this complex. It might wash away in a few days

12 Burrow mound in sand dig by some giant creature. It may have burrowed the complex or just opened a long forgotten complex. The creature may be in the chamber and remains of its meals or offspring might be in the entry chamber

d12 Sunken City Subroom
1 Cell with barnacle-covered bars, chains and bones

2 Treasure vault with bars or locked metal door, coins might be coroded and fused into lumps

3 Sealed lmetal locker or stone slab door with racks of ancient coroded weapons inside

4 Holes and crevices with small dangerous animals like eels

5 Mass of seaweed, good place to hide stuff or someone

6 Collection of flotsom and jetsam, possibly a barrel or chest

7 Idol of a fish god with altar and offerings

8 Cursed fish folk gold (curses theif and can be tracked by cult)

9 Lungfish folk wizard in slimy hibernation pod

10 Mass of eggs or baby crittersm, possibly a swarm

11 Secret passage or crawlspace

12 Blocked rubble once a larger room or passage

d12 Sunken City Main Room

1 Sargassum room with giant kelp, a good place to hide, make an ambush or may have dangerous seaweed. Will have some natural light or magic light. Something may be overgrown by plants like parts of a shipwreck or stone coffers. May be a lair or creatures 

2 Grave room with broken coffins, bones or ancient sarcophogi. May attract marine undead like sea ghouls or undead ship crew or ancient undead fish folk

3 Temple Chamber with ancient fish cults worshiped with idols of fish folk and their gods. Niches for shrines and releif carvings of fish gods gover the walls.

4 Split level cave with deep floor and ceiling with crude rock and shipwreck debris walkways at various levels. The lowest is partly flooded. A prefect place for an faction ambush or residence for some hermit or weirdo with a bed and stove. A creature in the pool with tentacles sure would be inconveniant

5 Pool cave with natural pool or a squre carved one with steps. A creature or passages out might be submerged

6 Garbage room filled with sea debris of shipwrecks and fishermen. Driftwood, nets, floats, seaweed, rowboats, a ship prow, anchors and the usual flotsam and jetsam crap from the sea. Dead sea creatures may lay about and some creatures come here to loot or find food. A passage could be under garbage 

7 Machine room of rusted pipes and metal walls. May be making noise and doing something. Built by some ancient magical civilisation or some villain as a hiding place. A cult migt be trying to understand the machine or some ancient guardians could protect and maintain it. Some may be rust proof polished steel or seametal but rust and decay looks nice too. Their may be metal hatches and air tight doors in here

8 Ancient sea cave grottow with pools but also prehistoric or prehuman cave art and calcium 

9 Treasure room with piles of coins, chests and other treasures looking fabulous and tempting. Either it is bait for a trap possibly an illusion or the property of a dangerous monster or planar being. It might be bargained with if you dont upset it or touch its loot

10 Eldritch cavern with prehuman monoliths and unatural eerie lights. Alien glyphs glow softly. Cults and fish folk wizards might be here seeking lore or how to activate this magic place. A planar being or eldritch horror might live here. Perhaps an imprisoned horror is in a stone capped pit

11 Chamber steeped in ancient intact frescos and colums. Its an illusion of the past. May be spirits or a ghost or some supernatural deciever. Perhaps it is some echo of the past. A magician could be preparing an ambush with illusionary cover. Perhaps guardian beings come out from the wall art or carved collumns  

12 A Beautiful grotto pool with crystals and mist The pool has magic powers or might be a portal to another fish dungeon or the plane of elemental water. Possibly a guardian like a naga or nymph might be here or an elemental

d12 Sunken City Feature Room
1 Temple where once the fish gods were worshipped. With a huge vault held by statues of fish gods. The walls are 

2 Throne Room where ancient fish folk bullied their air breathing slaves with spectacles and tyranical judgements. Has spectacular carvings of the fish religion. May be magical guardians or some degenerate offspring lurking here or a hybrid cult with their treasure

3 Vault of Ancestors chamber with niches or sarcophagi. The inhabitants may instead of being dead (or undead) may be ancient evil fish folk convinced they still rule the surface world.They might revive if intruders break a seal or some cult or faction will protect them 

4 Egg Chamber where some monster has a nest and many eggs. It may protect them or its remains might be here. Other creatures may be here hiding among them or harvesting them as food or pets. Perhaps mother awakens from hiding or comes back at an awkward moment 

5 Arena where gladiators once battled. May be a monster lair, have undead gladiators or could be operational run by criminals, a cult or fish folk 

6 Secret Crime Cave a gigantic cave with a hidden enterance and a whole ship inside. Their are shacks with hammocks and workshops with equiptment. The occupants may be smugglers, wreckers, pirates or undead remnants. Other monsters or factions may have taken over with charms or replaced occupants

7 Inside stomach of some sea monster, their are several wrecked ships inside where some faction dwells. Perhaps their is a mouth or sphinceter door to get in. All kinds of treasure or lost beings might be trapped inside or willingly gather here where no sane person would enter

8 Elemental portal or node leaking power into our world. May have a planar guardian water elemental or may have a cult pr faction here to use the magic for themselves. Dead adventurers of the past and some strange sea magic items might be here

9 Sea Kingdom Outpost where one of the undersa factions operates a base. Will have some baricades and possibly an escape tunnel. Will be mostly soldiers and led by priest or a wizard. WIll have supplies and a payroll chest or some recovered treasure

10 Great Kelp Chamber with thick giant kelp trunks and a raised platform up high above a weed choked pool. Some creature will live on the platform or once did and will have a nest or furnashings. Maybe the pool has a monster or dangerous plants, slime or vermin swarms 

11 Trident Chamber a holy chamber where a sea god keeps a magic trident. It will be trapped in rock or lava or behind a magic barrier. Magical guardians or treasure hunters of some faction might be here (or several arive via a seperate entry), maybe several and you can have a 3 or 4 way fight. Their is often a statue of the god and undersea ancient script of the fish cult and elemental water

12 Behemoth Pit where some huge beast is trapped in a pit or is sleeping here from ancient times. Someone has built a shrine here and suspended walkways over the beast with a platform to hurl victims from. A cult may be here or some magical explorers. The monster might be divine and bound by fragile magic. A greedy looter may try and remove the silver wards around the chamber. Perhaps a treasure is inside the creature 

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d12 Top Fish Cults

1 Dagon god of hybridisation, domination. He is a jerk who encourages evil to humans

2 Cthulhu god of alien wizardry and dreams asleep beneathe the sea on a city of darkness

3 Shoggoth cult who handle amorphous horrors with music. May grow them in vats or families use same ones for thousands of years. Use them for construction or war or as transport

4 Lampgulp a inscrutible anglerfish goddess of light, darkness, true love and hunger. Her cult marry males to her and they fuse into her flesh forever as her thousands of husbands

5 Sea Singers - lure humans into their arms with magic songs to enslave, eat or experiment on

6 Typhon - father of volcanoes, destruction and monsters, wants to get revenge on the human gods and destroy their creations and breed monsters

7 Fish Mother - goddess or spawning, healing and growing food who is mostly benevolant and even humans like her

8 Moon God/Godess - who controls the night sky, tides and protects night travellers and sleeping fish. Weakens the strong and strengthens the weak

9 The Outer Darkness - worship alien gods from beyond who need mortal help to invade and devour the universe. They are hungry for souls let them in!  

10 Spirit Cults - various powerful spirits of bodies of water, undersea mountains, reefs and islands. Has links to spirit folk citizens of a under sea faerie civiliasation. Spirit fish folk can live as fish or humans or hybrids and live along side a variety of inteliegent sea creatures

11 Sea Dragon Cult - Tiamat & Apsu the primal dragons, Apsu was slain by Enki and tiamat waged war on human kind. The cult care for marine dragons and make sure their are plenty of monsters to menace coastal peoples. Other dragons are divine rulers of the oceans or seas with faerie spirit folk and inteligent marine creatures

12 The Lord of the Sea - Enki/Neptune/Possieden are some human names but to fish folk he will be a fish man rulling a court of his family always embroiled in drama. Some prefer his wife as no1 

Spell recovery old and new + cantrip chat

Flipping through the ad&d DMG in a moment of private gary worship I found a long forgotten table on pg40. Recovery of spells did not require 8 hours or rest and/or 8 hours of study. 

All spellcasters require rest time but the amount is based on the level of the spells you want to be able to relearn.

Spells Lv 1-2 requires 4 hours rest
Spells Lv 3-4 requires 6 hours rest
Spells Lv 5-6 requires 8 hours rest
Spells Lv 7-8 requires 10 hours rest
Spells Lv 9 requires 12 hours rest

Ten you reqire 15 minutes of time per level of spell you want to recover
so if i want 3 first level spells and 2 second level spells back so it takes 4 hours rest then 15min x3 and 30min x2. So 5 hours and 30 minutes. But if oops i want a third lv spell too then i need 6 hours rest and two & a half hours to recover spells.

We used 8 hours plus 15/min per spell in AD&D for some reason as kids. 

I think this has some good benefits. It's fiddly but has some benefits.
-It makes high-level spells more valuable resources and slows those wishes per day a bit.
-you could renew your low-level spells with less effort
-it makes downtime harder and more costly time-wise
-Sometimes you could get extra castings a day of low-level spells fairly quickly
-it will make players burn low-level spells more
-makes low-level spells cheaper and high-level ones cost more in a healing swaetshop for clerics

I have cantrip slots, so I am amending the above table to include cantrips.
-not infinite 5th ed ones, and not better than using a dagger
-beginner zero-level casters used to start with one cantrip, and when you could do 4 you would swap them for a 1st lv spell and you were a 1st level caster with your one spell (maybe more if a preist). You used to be able to swap a 1st lv spell for 4 cantrips. Some retro clones have zero level spell column just like other spells which is my preference. There were tables with -2 level and -1 level before zero level for spell casters and cavaliers.

Spells Lv 0 require 2 hours rest
Spells Lv 1-2 require 4 hours rest
Spells Lv 3-4 require 6 hours rest
Spells Lv 5-6 require 8 hours rest
Spells Lv 7-8 require 10 hours rest
Spells Lv 9 require 12 hours rest

So I'm tempted to use one ten-minute turn per spell level as this is a basic standard D&D time unit in old games so fitting in with this and maths is easier (total levels add a zero on end in minutes or six slots is one hour.

I might add a column on the castable spells table with time to fully recover all slots and cost of components one.

Im really tempted to let maybe cantrips to require one minute or zero time outside rest. I dont like infinite cantrips so good why would you ever use a weapon? My pissweak cantrips can be handy and players have done some weird things to enhance cantrips but making them more usable but not as good as 5th ed usable. If I run a zero lv wizard school game, this will be more fun. Also good for my Goat Quest games of animal cult investigations, where open gate was a popular spell. As I have lots of weird magic skills for players to mess with I had a character for 5 skill slots could cast a extra cantrip each round, got +3 damage on a single cantrip and could convert a 1st lv spell into 4 cantrips so he did a extra d3+3 damage every round plus another spell or do it twice. It sounds gross but was a big investment.

I will run this by the players. An amended spell progression table with time and component cost will help. Material components may end up as disposable vs fancy foci that are cheaper, but losing them is time-consuming to recover items.

components:
Arcane - minerals, magic critter parts vs wand or staff or dagger foci
Divine - holy water, holy oil, wafers, wine  vs holy symbol, shield or weapon foci
Nature - herbs and animal parts vs sickle or staff or live snake foci 
Mentalist - drugs or crystals vs jewellery or a staff foci

I had a 5th-ed cleric drop all weapons at 3rd lv and my dm noticed at 9th lv when I couldn't be bothered with opportunity attacks because I didn't want to touch dirty monsters, but i did keep a shield. Those weapons were better in the hands of poor people. Maybe if i had a magic weapon, I would have used it.

Do I need an Assassin Class in my Retroclone?

EMO homebrew rules class revisions again for later this year

As I've slipped in a few more ad&d type classes, ive pushed my druids and priests to be weaker at fighting an better and magic. Ive made a templar and rover class to be closer to fighters paladins rangers in part dont want all holy men being entirely fighting guys. Im also making more martial classes as a reaction to how bad this has become on modern fantasy games so over the years in D&D games thieves have gone from magic user level pissweak to being a martial class. I can get my 5th ed 1st lv thef now to do 3 knife attacks with 3 or 4 x the HP of a bx theief. I was kind of heading this way myself but of late I thought another skill based class and thinking about what abilities do i want an assassin to have vs my rogue.  

My rogues are the skill maxing class and get the most slots to cover their skills, make stat rolls so 50%+ all skills minimum. They learn a skill every level. They have backstab +4 hit x2 dice damage which increases higher up. Finish an incapacitated target per lv per round. Any tarket reduced to 0 with a blunt weapon can be a KO instead of left dying. They also get a extra luck point per level per day which lets them take wild skill risks. Rogues make better kidnappers with ko abilities. Id rather they could fight ok like all the swashbuckling rascals in books not cowering weaklings like wizards with a d4 hp days.

Ive considered alt rogues types that apply the +4 extra damage multipliers could instead be applied to other skill in new ways. Some more useful in a SF setting or for NPCs:
Healer - bonus on hp from healing skills or do surgery faster
Pilot/Driver - operate one vehichle like boat, spaceship, aircraft, car, motorbike, chariot - multiplier can be used for extra turns or speed
Crafter - bonus on repair and craft skill of choice and multiplier can be used things faster, cheaper or quality
Merchant - multiply the monthly profits of your business by clever bookkeeping and weasly capitalist finance tricks

Assassin Ideas Obviously, anyone could do assassinations, but few have the spirit and secret training to infiltrate churches, nobles, cults, criminals or even wizards. Assassins are agents of cults, nobles, guilds, clans, secret societies or criminals and have strict rules on who they kill and how and when. You might say you are a spy as it sounds better than an assassin. This class will be effective spies also in a way break and enter theives would find harder.

I've considered abilities to make them not quite like thieves.
Better at fighting skills, not as many skills as rogue.
Skills will define specialisation, but likely will have
3x arms skills - (eg blades, swords, shortbow) +1/2 lv
4x arts skills - (eg disguise, sneak, sleight, bluff) +1/2 lv
4x languages +1/lv
+1 to hit per 2Lv and d8 HD (my fighters get +1/Lv)
light or medium armour any weapon up to d8
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Enhanced Disguise
A disguise includes a specific uniform, class dress or national costume. All assassins wear a masked or hooded costume used on secret missions, rituals or raids but not casually in public. This is the assassin's true identity. Most maintain several identities, like the one they spend their time in public, living with normal people. Other identities are adopted as required. Some learn skills to enhance these disguises with skills and spells, but Assassins have abilities that enhance their ability to infiltrate.

Variable skill slot 
Pick one arms, art or language skill which you can change with a day of study. This chosen skill works in a specific disguise or identity with clothes and tools appropriate to the skill or a professional user of the skill. Could use to get heavy armour to fake an armoured knight or a craft skill to complete a disguise.
-maybe get 2 slots at 10th, 3 at 20th

Hide alignment
Resist skills that others could learn your alignment while in disguise. For one hour per level per day, you can also ward yourself from Detect alignment with a Will saving throw. At 10th lv you get a save vs other alignment targeting spells if you normally would not get one. At 20th level, you save to resist scrying, divination or detection magic also.

Assassination
+1 to hit and damage per level vs surprised, ambushed, blinded or otherwise unaware targets. Target must not be able to see the assassin or be aware of them with other senses. Being unable to hear or being distracted by sound helps. Sneak and Hide from behind is the most successful combination of conditions. Easier to initiate in combat than with backstab
-maybe also target saves vs instant kill if target is half or less of your level -maybe starts with humanoid and advances through animals to living to supernatural creatures
-kill an incapacitated, unconscious, or sleeping target per level each round (my rogues do this, but can KO them instead with a blunt attack and KO targets brought to 0hp instead of them bleeding)
-The assassination damage and hit mod is conditional, but better than the fighter's chance to hit. work well with multiple attacks

Specialists would include versions of cult killers, ninjas, the original assassin order or could be specialist poisoners, snipers, and bombers, based on skill choices

Maybe my ranger paladin assassin clones will get extra att at 10th and 20th . Maybe the assassin needs damage dice bumps, too 1pt>d2>d3>d4>d6>d8>d10>d12>2d8>2d10>+d10 but not using this is cool too. Combining with a fighter, monk or thief might work well. Hopefully, this is familiar yet different in concept and weirder I will finalise with some players and have to weigh up vs other skill and martial characters

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I did playlists and dropped into my new class lists I ended up making my adept (monk) assassin and warrior the top 3 fighting classes, with rover (ranger-druids) rogue and templar (cleric-paladins) are the next tier of martials, with other abilities I have warrior class with the most combat skills and + to hit progression -adepts are martial artists - monks - wandering duelists - members of fighting schools -assassins are secret society masked killers & spies who strike enemies when they least expect it

Ill do my non humans once these done

6-Room Dungeon 8: Auldwood Grove

 

1 Redbrick
2 Goblin Mine
3 Gothic Tomb
4 Magic Mansion
5 Glacial Chasm
6 Jungle Shrine
7 Underland Cavern
8 Auldwood Grove
9 Sunken City
10 Desert Ruin
11 Eldritch Monolith
12 Hell Gate

Possible extra tables for each category
d12 factions
d12 rumours
d12 sounds & smells
doors, walls, etc

Auldwood Grove
Instead of a traditional dungeon, this describes a dark dense, magical forest with pathways instead of corridors and clearings instead of rooms. Maybe you can climb out or hack your way through or perhaps you are on the borders of faerieland and not the nice side with free wine and cake. The Auldwood began after the age of darkness as the heartland of the elves and the great woodland has grown for thousands of years, covering large amounts of the north and overlaps with many kingdoms that believe parts of the Auldwood belong to them. As civilised peoples return to the ruined villages and abandoned farms, people are coming in contact with ancient forest beings and strange paths that seem to come and go. Dont go alone into the woods, they say, but there are woodcutters and hunters who know old rites to avoid perils like offending supernatural woodland beings. Feel free to impose seasonal changes or weather changes for the forest dungeon or even change room to room. Perhaps time flows differently here. Consider doorways are paths through thick vegetation or archways made by avenues of trees forming a clearing. The door may indicate some cutting of vegetation of scrub to go through the clearing rooms. WIld folk and elves may shape linked clearings for magical purposes with earthworks made for rituals or hunters kill zones. Once you learn to see this prehistoric landscaping, you begin to see that they are ritual routes. Later, people may have added to this unwittingly. Many spirits, sylvan beings, and faerie can change shape or conceal themselves. Animals may be larger and talkative.

d12 Auldwood Grove Decor
1 Trees and branches with thick undergrowth

2 Fungus growths, possibly huge or used for construction by small folk

3 Thick grasping roots, with hollows and burrows among them

4 Leaves cover the ground, or blow in the wind or fall

5 Fairy rings of mushrooms or flowers, possibly functional

6 Stone monolith, altar or circle

7 Ancient ruin or abandoned building

8 Mounds, possibly ancient barrows

9 Flower and blossoms or fruit, nuts and berries

10 Cobwebs and spiders or clouds of flies or crawling bugs

11 Ancient human remains in the undergrowth or under roots

12 Thick choking thorns and vines

d12 Auldwood Grove Hazards
1 Ravens or other birds become hostile and swarm

2 Nest of vermin or swarm of wasps or flies

3 Hunters arrow trap or snare or net

4 Hunters pit trap with stakes at the bottom

5 Poisonous herbs or fungi look like a good kind

6 Logfall trap or just termites or beavers

7 Rocky stream or chasm crossing 

8 Lair of a dangerous creature with bones at the entrance

9 Bogs or pond crossing

10 A faerie knight or monster has rules on who may pass 

11 Faerie distortion of time and/or space

12 Spirits of nature, tree or beast or water types

d12 Auldwood Grove Encounters
1 Herd animals like deer, aurochs cattle

2 Demihuman travellers or hunters

3 Wild forest folk hunters

4 Wolves or lions or giant animals

5 Swarm of some kind

6 Skeletons, zombies or ghouls

7 Goblin warriors often riding bats or wolves

8 Satyr or centaur or dryad with her thralls

9 Witch or druid cultists

10 Cariverous apes or terror birds

11 Giant or troll or ogres

12 Beast abhuman hunters

d12 Auldwood Grove Static Encounters
1 Goblinoid village with pets

2 Lair of giant or talking magical animals 

3 Elves or faerie folk

4 Manticore or chimaera or sphynx

5 Unicorn or pegasus or peryton or griffon

6 Magician with guards and pets

7 Lycanthropes

8 Vegetal monsters or constructs

9 Treant or Giant

10 Dragon 

11 Elemental or elemental animals

12 Nature spirit with pets and allies

d12 Auldwood Grove Entry
1 Though the split bough of a huge tree fell into a clearing with more paths. The other side has flowers, insects and pleasant rays lof light. A sylvan guardian may be here but might question rather than fight all

2 Great arch of interwoven vegetation into a clearing. Animal skulls are inset with many horned animals. Vines and moss grow around the archway. Inside is a misty clearing with several paths. A wooden ritual structure with some wild folk druid cult in a ceremony. They hate intruders and will sacrifice any defilers. They have livestock, prisoners and treasure

3 Two stone pillars with ancient carvings, now almost worn away. In a clearing beyond is a small stone circle on a hill tomb. The tomb is unopened but has undead and treasure. A hundred waist-high stones in circles on the hill with a procession way decorate the hilltop. The hilltop is strangely windy and free of animal life. You can hear the whispers of the ancient dead on the wind if you listen carefully, and poltergiests might attack those who lingee

4 Two great interwoven trees forming an archway. Beyond is a clearing formed by thickly intertwined vegetation. Woven animals and figures of sticks and straw hanging in the trees and by entrances. Altars of stone have a cornucopia basket of fruits and vegetables. If the food is touched a spirit awakens many of the woven figures as petty lesser golems

5 Two carved wooden pillars with faces and beast spirit depictions. In the dappled leafy clearing beyond is a circle of wooden poles used for wild folk and sylvan people for rituals. They might be jolly with a maypole and wine or more solemn and easily angered. Wild folk or perhaps satyrs or centaurs or the fairy folk are likley

6 Through a cave or passage through a hill or barrow to reach a strange clearing beyond with clear skies, sunlight, flowers and blossoms. There are small carved stones with faerie script among the fruit trees. Faeries here will be hidden or invisible. They may be curious, mischievous or thieving. They might be offended by certain behaviour. If they dont feel keen to be involved, they may summon guardians from faerieland who appear in faeerie rings of flowers 

7 A iron rung fence, overgrown by dense trees in places has a gate into a dark clearing in woods with a sinister tower. The gate may be intact and locked or chained or broken and rusted. The tower is haunted with several levels and a horror or undead wizard in the top with treasure. Valuable but creepy decor might be worth taking and has a low risk of evil spirits

8 Thick thorn hedge wall with an opening. Through the opening is a square field surrounded by hedges, with passages leading in various directions. Ornate trimmed shrubs, topiaried bushes, a fish pool, tiny fruit-bearing trees in neat rows and marble benches. Spirits maintain this area for petty gods who used it long ago. Some may have a game or puzzle using statuaries that can unlock hidden paths. Damaging the place upsets spirits. In a worst case, a petty nature god or a greater spirit will be angered. Some have pleasant songbirds and squirrels that bring nuts and berries to hungry visitors. A fountain may be magic, producing wine, healing or potions. Hermits or some sylvan being might live here or meet here to discuss philosophy or play tabletop games  

9 A clearing with a large placid pool with reeds, water lilies, rocks and croaking frogs. Paths go beyond the clearing. A path through the pond with small ornate wooden bridges must be crossed to reach other paths. A guardian creature or water nymph may live in the pool and inspect travellers. Otherwise, giant frogs or a giant snapping turtle may five here. Some sylvan being or hermit might be fishing unharmed but will be wary near waters edge. There are ancient building stones and pillars visible on the bottom or semi-submerged. The lake thing could be an aquatic undead, a bog hag, a kelpie or a banshee. If so, the pond has an evil character with slime and mists

10 Ornate bone archway into a clearing in the thick woods. Their is a fence of woven bons around the border. Skulls decorate fence posts and hang in the trees (perhaps they glow in dark). In the centre under a spooky tree is a witch cottage with a tiny herb garden and possiblly some normal seeming small animals. The house could be long abandoned but haunted and cursed. Or a witch lives here and could be benevolent or horrible. She might have information or question intruders to see if they are worthy to go on 

11 Stone or wooden palisade wall with gatehouse, possibly of non-human construction. Beyond is a clearing where some faction camps and maintains the wall. May be abandoned or active. Inhabitants will challenge travellers and negotiate letting anyone in

12 A clearing with a farmhouse and fields inside. May be inhabited with crops and livestock or abandoned with bones and dead plants. Those living here might be a woodland cult clan, cannibals, druids, or possibly sylvan spirit folk in human form. Clans of mutant chaos cults will have horrible livestock and plants. If abandoned, undead farmers and animals may lurk here or some other monster that killed the inhabitants

d12 Auldwood Grove Subroom
1 Creature lair

2 Shrine or idol

3 Swarm of critters or beehive

4 Home of a woodland person

5 Cluster of fungus

6 Prisoner of a trap, gibbet or whicker idol

7 Tiny shack

8 Small stone tomb or body in a

9 Magical fungus or herb

10 Treehouse

11 Hollow tree stash for supplies, treasure or grave

12 Cache of tree nuts and angry squirrels

d12 Auldwood Grove Main Room

1 Ancient barrow mound with undead and treasure

2 Dolmen or monolith may be magical and protected by spirits

3 Cave lair of a forest creature

4 Hunters lodge where hunters meet. May be rich with servants and luxury here to get away. It might be for rest or forbidden vice or a cult. More ordinary hunters dont want visitors and wil make threats. May be non human peoples. Wild folk may be angered by intruders  and even include berserkers

5 Grazing fields of waist-high grass and bushes with fruit, nuts and berries. There are lots of bees (possibly giant). WIld animals graze here peacefully and most will flee. Auroch cattle instead will instead systematicly hunt and kill anything they think is a threat. For other herd beast a bull, buck or a stag might be aggressive. A good place to gather some food and rest. Some spirits or factions might claim this place and claim intruders are poachers

6 Ambush area with a chokepoint to cross, like cliffs, rocks, trees or a gully where a monster or hunters of some kind can wait and attack. Local beast passes through quickly. Some hunters might be friendly, but others will think intruders are poachers. They might also be bandits happy to attack travellers or animals. The earth here was shaped long ago to hide attackers and give them a height advantage or use terrain to make reaching them in melee is hard. Pilkes of rocks are placed just to reduce movement or flee easily

7 Grove with mighty trees around outside and a particularly ancient tree in the middle with a spring and ancient standing stones. Druids, faerie or wild folk might be here performing a ritual. A magic guardian, like a treant or monster or spirit, might be hidden. There may be ritual items best left alone by a stone altar or idol

8 Stone temple with a huge wall of stone slabs around the outside. A stone structure in the middle has carvings possibly in prehuman script. May have funeral niches and undead or may have a faction or priests here for ritual or even a giant. Other guardians or hermits may dwell here and other non human peoples might be here

9 Pool, well or stream possibly blocking other paths. A creature might dwell in the water or some hermit or being may live here in a ancient stone shelter or grotto cave

10 Gauntlet or difficult terrain with cliffs, thorns, pits and water making the room had to cross. Dangerous creatures and spell effects might be included. It was used as a ritual test long ago and still a menace

11 Haunted graveyard with memorial stones, dolmen and crude stone crypts. It is dark with mist by night and dead leaves and fungi cover the ground. Passing may awaken undead or spirits but an offering might appease them. There is definatley treasure and more undead to be disturbed

12 Hedgemaze fills the room making paths out had to find. There will be a d4+2 open areas (subrooms possibly) which may have some kind of magic feature like d4 1=fountain 2=shrine 3=living statue or gargoyle 4=sarcophogi with undead and loot

d12 Auldwood Grove Feature Room

1 Sylvan village of non humans live here with crops and livestock with wooden and stone structures. They may be friendly or prefer to be hidden or require risky negotiations. Humans may be the odd ones. May be a troll or goblin or faerie market with tempting magical risks

2 Holy tree with magical power for druids and faerie d4 1=used to enter the world tree roots or branches or trunk 2=heart of the forest with treants or dryads 3=sacred great tree where wild druids meet 4=guarded by a single magical guardian and pets

3 Cornicopia grove with luscious, magical and giant food plants and herbs. Magical plant beings often protect this place but faerie and wild folk will consider it belongs to them. Giant or magic beast might thrive here too. A pool here may have magical properties also 

4 Stone circle where wild folk, cults or sylvan folk use to perform rituals. They will be holding a festival here and may or not welcome intruders. Their champions and spell users will be defiant to any threats 

5 Beast graveyard full or thousands of bones in a barren area full of pits and crevices. Some species come here to join their ancestors, and some will be hostile to intruders. Usually, a single species us the location. Spirits or a non-human guardian kin to the species may protect this place. Some other sinister force might hijack the place, making it corrupt and undead-filled

6 Witch house where a cult used to gather, with remains of a garden with a fishpond. Area is dark and has giant cobwebs, bugs, and vermin. A witch or hag might live here still or some wicked spirits or familiars. Something here might signal if intruders arrive and a witch or coven will arrive to protect it. The house is full of occult paraphernalia, books and cursed items

7 Ancient wizard tower in a clearing looks ancient and abandoned. There is nothing else around it, perhaps some headstones, mushrooms or strange plants. The door will be a magical puzzle, a trap or even non-existent. Windows up high could be reached. The tower is a magical machine of a wizard or faerie d4 1=mirrir gate 2=prison 3=monster maker 4=. Entering is the first obstacle. Inside will be a magical guardian entity. A great treasure and possibly a prisoner is in the final chamber. Eerie spirits or huge vermin might crawl around, and plants and vegetation have a taint of darkness

8 Haunted house

9 Faerie garden where sylvan and faerie beings frolic will find humans curious. Unusual plants and beautiful garden ornaments surround meandering, gentle paths between floral faerie rings. Intruders may be offered fetch quests or to join festivities or be hunted for sport at a whim. The leading faerie operates as a court and not all creatures agree. Murdering any local probably causes trouble

10 Faerie grotto with coloured mist bubbling from foggy pools surrounded by giant crystals. Creatures come here for magical healing, rest or possibly power. A guardian will challenge those who seek the holy place. Hermits, witches, sylan spirit folk or faerie might live here or even elementals. Magical water may require drinking or bathing. A malignant version instead is more nightmarish, with dark fey prone to evil cackling

11 Dragon lair cavern sprawling with bones, streams and treasure. The dragon might be here sleeping and might not always be hostile. They might be bored or curious or hungry. Some may be in another form and use magic to hide real treasure with illusions, magic traps and summoned beings. Vermin might be dangerous, too

12 Elemental node a portal to one of the elemental planes (or a lesser one). Might affect local weather and climate. Beings from other worlds with elemental properties may guard the portal or just live close to the portal. In other cases, elemental-tainted beasts or mutants might be present. Elemental cults or magicains will seek to control this place. Local spirits my object to this intrusion and fight it. The elementals may in turn be tainted by alignment and include demons, devils or other hybrid planar beings. With effort, powerful planar beings could enter the world here and may guard it. Elemental humanoids, dragons or wicked adventurers might also be attracted