Sunday 31 March 2013

Petty Relics for my Petty Gods


Thought Id knock up some petty god relics to compliment my petty god posts. Also I'm a bit lazy this Easter.

Goggles of the Frog Gods
These brass and toad leather strapped goggles have bulging quartz crystals which initially seem to be confusing distorting lenses that make the world incomprehensible if looked through. If actually strapped on the wearer gains 360 degree vision, can see through water without refraction or distortion and protects the eyes from some petty problems. Any wearer knocked unconscious while wearing goggles will have visions of a petty frog god who will offer to heal them to 1hp if they agree to be the frog gods champion. They will be given a quest and expected to never harm a bactrian unless in self defense. If they betray the frog god the goggles will vanish and leave the former champion with googly frog eyes and webbed fingers and toes. Their offspring will be giant frogs and toads. If they achieve the quest they may ask a random frog god a question once a month.

Divine Turnip of Glory
This huge fine looking turnip is like ivory to the touch with several secret uses. If planted it sprouts a magnificent crown of leaves and grows to 30 feet wide within an hour. Chosen of Bogrump use this to carve out a house where they can distribute turnips, turnip wine and tales of Bogrumps deeds. The magic turnip if cooked into a turnip porridge can cure disease of up to 40 persons who eat it. In times of great crisis such a turnip can be planted and fed a bucket of blood to call Bogrump himself. The turnip becomes his head and he grows from the ground ready to punish those who trouble turnip lovers. Such turnips are entrusted to worthy or sometimes grow in a chosen farmers field.

Friday 29 March 2013

Why Babylon Bronze Age Adventures?



 Ive finally getting hang of G+ a bit and so ill reserve my gamer philosophy snippets to G+ FB and some other sites. While Im not as ill as I was when I was writing a few thousand words a day readers here seem to find plenty of my old posts to explore and I get healthy daily hits without posting daily. My own games have been stalled most of the new year so I have been entering contests/group projects because my own designs are fairly ahead of my needs.

"The Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents,

every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching."
- Assyrian Tablet, c.2800 BC

Confucius and Plato made some similar comments. And I will make a few classical Greek roman comparisons as most readers more comforable with them. I personally find it amazing that the west can invade somewhere and not teach its history and most persons know nothing about the places we invade or the failures and successes of past invaders. Just sayin.

I first got into near eastern myths when doing classics at uni because I as a good contrary always had to read some other view of whatever I studied. I always enjoyed the myths because they share symbols and memes with other myths enough to be familiar at times but then do something totally bonkers to remind you of a surprisingly different world. The myths of a literate urbanized people have some things in common with the present than even Greece or Rome. 

Egypt was never a threat and it was safe in ancient times to romanticize them. This has not ever stopped. Look in your museum gift shops and libraries. Persia outlasted rome and greece yet not many penguin classics despite length of literate civilization.  Apparently German is good if you want to read Persian.

There is so much great real world info on using history as well. Maps of ruins, historical maps, war gamer armies, documents of all sorts. Cheaper than buying gamer books plus you learn something about the real world. we have calenders, astrology, weights an measures, laws, spells, monsters (many familiar), personal letters, receipts, statues and more.

Ten reasons to consider a campaign in Ancient Mesopotaimia:

1 Maps of ruins and images of cities are easily available. ruins and mounds everywhere

2 Art and text on gods including prayers and myths are easily available.

3 Price lists, weights, law codes and measurements and calenders are easily available.

4 Art and text on monsters, demons and creatures are easily available.

5 Art featuring military arms, armour, siege warfare and chariots are easily available.

6 Trivium from recipe books to astrology to beer making easily available.

7 Many gods and monsters are quite familiar from Egyptian and Greek and even Hindu ones.

8 Foreign peoples such as Egyptian, Cretans, Trojans, Hittites, Myceneans, Elamites are playable also

9 Highly literate urban civilization of fortified walled cities with own favorite gods

10 Akkadian was dominant international commerce language for almost 2000 years so it makes a pretty good common toungue with Sumerian as its older scholar and religious tongue. Weights and measures were a part of this. The melammu was a system of taxonomic lists of animals and plants and things used as a kind of encyclopedia, school curriculum, library catalogue and of occult significance to boot.

Some books I recommend include Heroditus - a good bridge between ancient near east to Alexander to Athens. A tourist guide for Europe, Mediterranean and near east about 300 BC. Gore Vidal's Creation is awesome book - a bit late the for the period I liked but goes well with Herodotus. A grandson of Zoroaster the persian propher travels and meets Lao Tsu, Confucius, Buddah and some other historical persons as a Persian Ambassador. The Assyrian by Nicholas Guild is awesome book - i knew the real history, skipped to the end, and still had no idea how things would get there. I'd love to find the sequel affordably - e-reader version was so badly converted was pulled from sale. Awesome writer - what happened to him? Actually Id rate these among my favorite books ever.

Sidebar of this blog has link to very good mythology FAQ
http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/assyrbabyl-faq.html

Older works from around 1900 are seriosly dated and translations ahave improved incradibly. These are the sources Stechkin used for his loony Von Daniken style crap. He misreads and mistranslates material that is hopelessly dated. But some people might like this. Actually I'd warn you to be wary of some Judaic-Christian takes on ancient Mesopotamia as they are just using it to prove their own points. Sumeria and early Egypt predate any evidence of Semites existing in near east and did not build pyramids. I do have a two volume book of religious text for christian scholars which ill talk about later that has just unadulterated texts (but a bit dated). Most of newstand archeology magazines are actually christian and out to prove an agenda too.

Have been a few RPG products - id like to write a BRP or GURPS 3rd ed style sourcebook. Testament RPG was a bit bibliocentric to me and not really that interesting. Ancient Kingdoms:Mesopotamia by necromancer games for Swords and Sorcery is a great product and best in English to date. Good adventure ideas. Old deities and demigods isn't too bad a source even. Spanish game Puerta de Ishtar has awesome art and a great fantasy version of Mesopotaimia with alchemic state created monsters. I wish I knew more and that an english version would come out. The writer Rodrigo (sorry had your name wrong b4 bro) is a nice enough fellow. I reviewed the Drive thru RPG available art only pack I got at his recommendation which was pretty good a while back.

I will mention some other must reads some other time. There is a multi volume encyclopedia or orientalism with essays of incredible specificness like humour, dental hygiene and more. I wish I'd stolen a copy but a dozen huge volumes about 4 kilos each and my honesty prevented me. I mean to make an online collection of all the clip art Ive gathered some day but unsure where. Could make a sister blog or post here bit by bit.

Some other stuff


Ostriches are demon birds and art depicts them being killed by heroes. Centaurs, sphinxes, griffons, satyrs, hydras and other monsters are all mentioned in texts long before greece.

Monsters are not really natural creatures - I like Babylonian take - monsters are the bitter venom of the gods here to punish, persecute and prey on humanity. Demons punish the wicked on behalf of gods, but some rebel demons and monsters and giants fight the gods. Gods may disagree and have contrary purposes too. They exist to test us. Smarterer magical monsters are part of a celestial bureaucracy. Gold is valuable in heaven and the underworld. Gods and demons accept gold as sacrifices and payment. In short gold standard is divine and universal. In fact the laws set by Humarabi set fines which over a thousand years of inflation made it cheaper and cheaper for the rich to kill the poor.

(one well known blogger was so irritated by me saying this elsewhere, deduced my players must hate my games, my campaign sucks and i am a homosexual prostitute from this and abused me for not believing in applying gritty economics - sorry but im in the mythic realism camp - second worse troll ive met on net since i got on in 1989).

Broke into 4 periods.

Early Mythic Sumerian Period - more monsters, less foreigners and the likes of Gilgamesh and gods intervening more. Phalanxes, ox chariots and city walls is the latest war tech  3000 bc

Akkadian Empire of Sargon. First empire builder and pantheon and language maker for the empire. Mass use of archers in battle. 2300 bc

Babylonian Empire of Hammurabi famous lawmaker. Marduk is now lord of the universe 1890 bc

Assyrian Empire of King of Sennacherib - siege weapons render walls useless, iron and advanced armour 705 bc and the twilight of these cultures

I will produce some more usable player content in future. I managed to play two groups for about 4 years playing this.


Previous posts on this:

My RQ stuff on this
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/babylon-and-on-rq.html

My DnD on this
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/babylonian-gods-for-elfmaids-and-octopi.html


New names for DnD spells here!
http://darveshill.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/elf-magic-user-sumerian-ll-spell-names.html

Puerta de ishtar review here
http://www.gmsmagazine.com/role_playing_game/la-puerta-de-ishtar

podcast version here
http://www.gmsmagazine.com/podcasts/the-gms-magazine-podcast-episode-89la-puerta-de-ishtar-how-much-is-too-much-detail-and-gygax-magazine

Thursday 28 March 2013

More Dungeon by fantasyTechtonics


Another more complex fantasy techtonic dungeon plan.

Lake Terror

This lake has worn through many layers and surrounded by harsh cliffs. It is connected to giant flooded undersea below and monsters from the aquatic dark depths abound. Locals dread the lake.

Empire Outpost
A thousand years ago the empire built a hillfort with an underground storage facility. The Hillfort was abandoned and a small garrison remained, forgotten by the empire. Eventualy they joined local village populations and a tribe of cyclops-orcs occupied the level.

Lost Emperors hidden temple

During a savage succesion war an emperor fled the empire and ocupied the outpost for a time. He dug a deeper palace and temple to live out his days. Better built and more artistic but sealed and forgotten. Devolved Subterranean like Morlocks and troglodytes battle over control of the upper temple and undead occupy the lower level. Emperors brought wealth and magic here which has remained unseen since. Some say his mummy rests here with his concubines and guard. Others say he is sleeping or may be resurrected to rule again.

Hidden Kingdom

This is actually three huge caves. The first is occupied by dark elves, the last by dark dwarves and the middle one is a no mans land with hyena men, bugbears and other monsters constantly battling each other. Ruinds of a primordial citadel are contested especially and may be sealed with loot and dark secrets within.

City of the old ones
This alien ruin of green stone has spacial time-space warping effects and hungry shoggoths on the loose. They keep the area barren and free of life. Alien treasures and weird relics have been found here.

Remains of the dawn age

This is the remnants of a dawn age godlings manour, haunted by non coporeal spirits who re-enact their ancient battles daily. Huge crystals are imbedded in the cave walls. Some ancient spirits here have become warped by millennium of darkness and isolation. Some golden servants from the dawn gods or their relics may be found.

Remains of the primordial ones
These five huge caverns are pockets of pre humans servitors from when the world was dark and mostly submerged. Fish men, serpent men, frog men, lizard men and lamprey men each ocupy a cave and ruins from the age of darkness are crumbling everywhere. Fungal forests and waters full of cave fish and lobsters can support many people.

Caverns of Dark Kingdom

This huge cavern was occupied by beings of shadow and darkness but since then other humanoids have settled and built a might ziggarutt then collapsed into barbarism. Albino humans, morlocks, bat folk, spider folk and others battle for supremacy in the ruins.

Hells Gate
A flaming ash covered plain with lava rivers and acid lakes. Salamanders are common and fire giants dwell in ruins built by efreeti while the world was being built.

Monday 25 March 2013

Rocket Mens Bones




for contest at dungeonofsigns.blogspot.com

Added my version notes - lotsa weird rocket men treasure possible and up to 3 rocket man suits. Other aliens could be in cargo bay in freezer pods. I was thinking something like Flash Gordon weird science meets Stormbringer.

Will be awol in Adelaide over family dilemma - internet access there kinda poorer.

Must pack stuff.

Friday 22 March 2013

Oh My Petty Goddesses



this is for a petty gods contest at gorgonmilk - a lack of non nature godesses reported
http://gorgonmilk.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/petty-gods-open-for-submissions.html
The first is a scary fairy tale granny and the other is meant to be inspired by Moorcock and Greek mystery cults. A good cult for Amazon Invaders. Did consider axe instead of sword but inert your personal weapon choice. Sickle might be fun.

*Note - dont have bx set to calculate xp sorry so changing it to be in line would be appreciated, a little shaky on treasure classes, movement but hope you get the point. Arioch bless editors.

Name:
Ginny Milk Eye
Symbol: A white marble, pearl or gem
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120' (60') 240' in her flying kettle
Armor Class:
-1
Hit Points (Hit Dice): 65 hp (15 HD)
Attacks: rolling pin or wool shears or a clog
Damage:
2d6+2
Save: M18
Morale: 10
Hoard Class:
d1000+100 copper coins
XP: 11,000*

Ginny White eye is a gleeful hag with a local folk hat, tattered dress, stripey stockings and big long boots. She rides her kettle through they sky knocking over chimneys of selfish people or defecating down the chimney into mean peoples cauldrons. She also steals they're clogs, or just fills them with excrement. Ginny also throws dung at foul mouthed trouble makers from out of town. She is adept at swooping in to attack without being seen (surprise 1-3 out doors when flying ambush).

If her victims fight back or are defended or take out their frustration on innocents, she attacks. Her rolling pin will stun a foe for 1d4 rounds if they resist a paralyses save. Her sheers cause wounds that lose 1pt blood loss per round damage until magically healed or treated by an expert healer. Her clog blows cause the victim to lose 1d4 intelligence points per blow, the points are regained one per day. If knocked to zero the victim forgets to breathe and dies.

Vindictive old women (not necessarily witches even if they have a few too many cats), call apon her when selfish persons have brought suffering or trouble makers come into town and harm locals. They write the names of the evil doers (the strangers is good enough for Ginny) on leaves and burn them in their fire place with some hog whiskers and a hedgehog quill. Village women meet yearly and send her to bother who they deem the most selfish villager of the year on a local festival.

Name:
Amber Blood Sword
Symbol: Amber sword shaped bead
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 180' (90')
Armor Class:
-4
Hit Points (Hit Dice): 105 hp (21 HD)
Attacks: Axe Blade
Damage:
4d6+2
Save: F22
Morale: 11 normally 12 if fighting males
Hoard Class:
corpse is lotsa amber chunks
XP: 11,000*

Amber Blood Sword is savage maid naked with a fur cape and long animated red hair. Her skin is amber tinted milky white and her eyes are brilliant gold amber spheres. She looks angry and enraged mostly. Any woman (friend or foe) within 240 feet (unwilling may save to resist as a charm) becomes berserk. Effected women get a +2 to hit and damage when she is present and will not stop killing till all males in the area seem dead. She never ambushes or surprises anybody and appears to make hostile animalistic grunts at her victims first. She is a vindictive bestial creature without language and not swayed by charm from any man by word or spell.

Once she appears on a battlefield she and any women effected by her engagement field go on a killing spree. Any males must flee or play dead or be attacked. Any men hit by her ever bleeding amber sword are sterilized till treated by remove disease magic. She fights to the death happily as one of her thousands of sisters will gain her powers and knowledge and sword the next full solstice after her death. She and women influenced by her will attack male virgins last. Her magic field and violence does not include non adult minors under 13.

When menfolk are away being vikings, crusaders or pirates, women folk may call up Amber Blood Sword when enemies attack. More frightening is Amazons deliberately calling her in an invasion. Chaotic cults have called on her to start bloody riots and Lawful ones used her to punish evil doers. Without victims to kill, her field effected are engulfed in ecstatic energy which ends grief, shame and despair. Sometimes this effect is used in women only rituals best not spied on by prying men. The ecstatic cult form is a popular form in civilized lands where the cult keep private land and a grotto. Calling her requires at least a hundred initiated wailing women of any age with a medallion all night. Usually a summoning every solstice season or yearly.

Thursday 21 March 2013

Time of the Frog Lords



Frogless?

Frog folk are a hard done by lot but they remember the primordial moist darkness when they were the first beings to sing. Remnants of their kingdoms and glory were forgotten before humans were brand new. Some humans have found favour of the frog lords and call on them still.



Here is a batrachian benevolent trinity

this is for a petty gods contest at gorgonmilk - a lack of frogs was noted

but when you call on the frog lords, you best be ready to rock!
http://gorgonmilk.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/petty-gods-open-for-submissions.html

Bugs and grubs for the frog gods!

Name: Grandpa Toadflap
Symbol: A fat warty toad sitting on a coin
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120' (60') jump 40 any time in round Swim 180 burrow 40
Armor Class:
-4
Hit Points (Hit Dice): 82 hp (18 HD)
Attacks: bite
Damage:
2d8+4 plus grip body part, second hit to swallow
Save: F18
Morale: 8
Hoard Class:
d1000+100 copper coins, d100 silver, d20 gold
XP: 11,000*

Grandpa Toadflap is a testy, grumpy incredibly ancient toad the size of an Ox. He loves coins and treasure and loves to sit on his celestial stash pile hidden in a dawn age sunken palace.  He lairs in pits and cannot be surprised and can even burrow backwards. He may attack any near his sacred pit if he thinks they wants his loot. He surprises on 1-3 if hidden under dirt or water.

If he bites and hits he gets to hold a target with 19 strength in one limb. Then if he rolls a second hit he swallows the victim who takes 3d6 per round until dead then disolved. He may also use his hands on a bitten foe and make two more hit rolls if not swallowed to grab and hold two more limbs.

Grandpa Toadflap is called to our time by an earnest commoner collecting a stash of coins and up to 40lb of worms in a pit, then sob and weep for the attention of the god. After a mighty nights frog chorus, he comes and may lurk in the pit for a few weeks. Villagers may use him to stump troublesome monsters and enemies by placing pit on a path on near animal stalls. Grandpa will happily eat his HD in beings then take his new horde home.

Grandpa Toadflap may grant wisdom of the primordial ones who remember proto historic secrets of early creation. He is crotchety and may wander off topic. Best feed him so he doesnt get hungry watching twitching tempting meat people like humans. Swamp folk, old misers, farmers and poor and desperate people call apon him. If Insincere people summon him they are cursed to be compelled to vomit 4lb of toad spawn in a nice damp spot every day for life.

Name: Jonny Hopper
Symbol: A Smiling frog head winking with a fancy hat
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 240' (60?) jump 80 any time in round Swim 360
Armor Class:
-1
Hit Points (Hit Dice): 65 hp (16 HD)
Attacks: 2 attacks with his sword cane
Damage:
as stick 3d6 or 2d6+4 fencing sword
Save: C24
Morale: 7
Hoard Class:
d100+100 gp coin purse
XP: 11,000*

Johnny Hopper is a wily frog dandy, a lover, musician, adventurer and trickster. He is well dressed, likes fancy things and treats belonging to his betters. He likes to sing and plays any instrument and be jolly which also offends others. He often woos princesses from shadows or tells them he is a cursed prince. He sometimes steals a polymorphing scroll to turn ladies into frog folk. He has unfortunately left many slightly froggy children in many lands among the rich.

He has abilities of a 16th level thief. Prefers snatch and grab or steal a kiss to fighting, but a skilled warrior. Commoners sing songs of Jonny and swear to never eat or harm bactracian unless in self defense (atonement then needed for sin). Jonny lampoons the rich and takes their shiny things and ladies virtue. The common folk get a laugh and Jonny gets fun.

Name: Wart Mother
Symbol: hand warts are her holy sign or jewels that resemble frog eyes
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120' (60) jump 30 any time in round Swim 180
Armor Class:
-5
Hit Points (Hit Dice): 68 hp (18 HD)
Attacks: Purple mist breath in 90 degree 30 ft cone
Damage: as stick
2d6, lose movement till immobile, lose Cha
Save: C18
Morale: 6
Hoard Class:
Jeweled warts in skin
XP: 11,000*

The wart mother curses her enemies with warts which make them appear hideous and slow their movement. Each blast of her arcane breath causes some damage from spasmodic rupturing flesh, and makes victim lose 1 Cha and slows movement by 10. This effect is cumulative and at 0 Charisma the victim causes fear in under 2HD beings in 20ft. At 0 movement the victim is a pillar of fused solid wart and can no longer walk. This effect can be cured by remove curse and Cure Disease.

Hedge witches and oppressed common folk call on the dark toad mother to curse their enemies. If all villagers in community nurse and care for a large 1d6lb toad as a baby for a month then direct their hatred and spite at an oppressor can call her. She is a cow sized metallic chrome purple frog with brilliant turquoise eyes. An angry mob may follow her with torches and oil to finish those she weakens

*Note - dont have bx set to calculate xp sorry so changing it to be in line would be appreciated
a little shaky on treasure classes, movement but hope you get the point


Wednesday 20 March 2013

Sewers of the Ancient ones



Many surface signs of civilization are but ash and buried under sand, or newer settlements. But drains, underground tunnels and public shelters survived intact to some degree.

These could be used in a gamma apocalypse game, space archeologists (drains of the space gods), superheroes searching an abandoned base or gonzo DnD party in crashed UFO or city of the star people who vanished in a flash a million years ago. Id roll one encounter first for main inhabitant or factions first.

Structures below ground d100
01-10 transit train tubes 1d10 km1d10 cars on track
11- 20 underground road 1d100 x 100m 1d10 vehicles
21-40 maintenance tunnel 1d100 x 25m
41-60 drainage system 1d100 x 25m
61-65 sewerage system 1d100 x 10m
66-70 retail sub mall 1d100 x 10m squared
71-80 habitat 1d100 x 25m squared, residential or garden
81-86 shelter 1d100 x 10m squared, sealed sections with remnants of past
87-90 garage 1d100 x 10m squared, 1d10 vehicles
91-94 factory 1d100 x 10m squared
95-97 storage 1d100 x 10m squared, crates of goods
98-00 installation 1d100 x 10m squared, science, military or emergency services
Sewerage Systems mostly dried up or long non functional

Transit train tubes -  freight and possibly passengers remains, were maglev vacuum tubes

Underground road - vehicles and possibly passengers remains

Maintenance tunnel - powerplant, plant rooms, air conditioning, elevators systems

Drainage system - huge graffitti filled tunnel some huge some crouched human

Sewerage system - some blocked and fertile with life, many pipes too small for humans
Sewer geomorphs needed

Retail sub mall

01-30 Block of small shops
31-40 Large classy department store
41-60 Cheap Warehouse bargain bulk store
61-85 Food court, stalls, cafes and restaurants
86-95 Biomedical block for various clinics and treatments
96-100 Office block of government and corporate offices

Habitat
01-10 Apartment Megaplex, some for singles
11-20 Apartment Megaplex, some for couples
21-30 Apartment Megaplex, for families
31-40 Arcology type domed sealed micro-city, often corporate or university enclaves
41-50 Council state housing scheme bunker for life's losers
51-55 Controlled natural habitat with microclimate and animals
56-65 Controlled farm habitat with crops and animals and frozen storage
66-70 Controlled aqua habitat with plants and animals and frozen storage
71-75 Sub-mansion complex for rich elites, highly automated
76-80 Refugee Detention Centre for illegal immigrants
81-82 POW prison camp for captured combatants and non combatants
83-90 Corporate Prison for civilian criminals
91 Spook Prison Camp - government agencies use secret detention centres
92 Spook Retirement Home - think the Prisoner TV
93 Re-education Centre - treatment centre for mind hacked civilians
94 Quarantine Detention Centre - for possible contaminated
95 Mutant Detention Centre
96 Necrotech Plague Colony - artificial environment supports undead on cloned flesh
97-100 Mental Hospital - automated asylums to treat delusions like "mutations" or WW3

Shelter
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/gamma-aeon-tourist-beareau.html

Garage 1d20 roll 1d4 times
1 Sedgeway, wheelchair or go-mobile x1d20
2 Bicycles 1d50
3 Tiny moped or powered Bikes x1d20
4 Motorbikes x1d20
5 Hover bikes x1d20
6-7 Automobile  x1d10
7 Hovercar x1d10
8 Bubblecar x1d10
9-10 Heavy Transport x1d10
11 Vectored Thust Sport vehichle x1d6
12 Vectored Thust Van x1d6
13 Vectored Thust Transport x1d6
14 Teleporter platform x1d6
15 Police or military vehichle x1d4
16 Military combat vehicle like tank or dropship x1d3
17 Air car luxury flier car x1d6
18 Aquatic vehicle on trailer (sub, boat, yacht) x1d6
19 Environmental Car - orbit and deep sea capable flyer x1
20 Shuttle - orbital transport x1

Factory 1d100
01-10 Micro Factory with schematics to print novelty plastic goods
11-12 Micro Factory with schematics to print small arms goods
13 Micro Factory with schematics to print ammo
14-20 Micro Factory with schematics to print tools
21-30 Micro Factory with schematics to print machine parts
31-40 Micro Factory with schematics to print clothing in many styles and prints
41-43 Micro Factory with schematics to print toys
44-45 Micro Factory with schematics to fouled poison cooked meals
46-47 Micro Factory with schematics to yummy cooked meals
48-55 Auto Factory builds customized vehicle
56-60 Auto Factory builds customized robot
61-65 Auto Factory builds customized furnishings
66-75 Auto Factory builds building supplies
76-80Auto Factory builds bulk food items
81-85 Auto Factory builds ammo
86-90 Auto Factory builds small arms
91 Auto Factory android plant
92 Auto Factory replicant plant
93-95 Auto Factory clone plant
96 Nano manufacturing plant
97 Micro nano factory, make almost anything from scraps
98 Auto nano factory, make almost anything from scraps
99 Fuel Plant converts organics or radioactives to fuel cells or energy
100 Military factory

Storage 1d100
01-05 Building Materials
06-10 Records
11-20 Home Storage Lockers
21-23 Foodstuffs soiled
24 Foodstuffs long life space colony quality meals
25 Medical supplies
26-30 Survivalist Cache
31-35 Merchant Cache
36-40 Novelty Items
41-45 Furnishings for home, new or antique
46-50 Farm Equipment
51-60 Recycled ingots of stuff
61-65 Body bags of dead
66 Body bags of dead awake as zombies
67-75 Pods of humanoids - see below
76 Pods of animals - may awaken and be hostile
77 Pods of modified embryos
78-80 Pods of plants
81 Artworks ready for auction
82 Safe vault with gems, gold and treasure
83-87 Chemicals - acid, flammable or poison or boring
88-90 Garbage, household
91-93 Garbage,industrial scrap
94 Garbage, robot scrap, possibly old intact models in heap
95 Garbage, Android corpses ready for recycling
96 Garbage, bio-hazzard medical waste for disposal
97 Garbage, biological scrap like corn husks
98 Garbage, from criminal lab
98 Empty cargo containers and bio pods
100 Now ruined nest for monsters

Installation d100
01-05 Medical Lab
06-07 Physics Lab
08 Astronomy Lab with link to array or telescope or satelite
09-10 Genetics Lab
11-20 Engineer Lab
21 Black Lab
22-30 Ambulance Station
31-35 Hospital
36-37 Emergency rescue
37-45 Fire Station
46-50 National Guard
51-55 Armed Forces
56-57 Surveillance Centre
58-59 Safehouse for agency, gang, terror cell or other group
60-64 Police Station
65 Riot Police Station
66-67 Police Detective Squad HQ
68-70 Gov security agency HQ
71-75 Security Station
76 Android Lab
77-80 Robotics L
81 Terrorist or saboteur base
82 Rogue virus AI cell of hostile machines
83 Biohazzard emergency station
84 Criminal gene or mind hack lab
85 Criminal organ legging operation
86-90 Bank Vault with security
91-95 Operational cryptic alliance base
96 Clone Lab
97 Custom Body Lab
98 Cyborging Lab
99 Political Psi Ops HQ with propeganda lab and mind hack tech
100 AI operated LAB, possibly with residence or cult or androids



Encounters d1000
01-10 Morlocks hunting for victims - with flywheel powered nail-guns
11-15 Eloi wandered from herd or colony
16- 20 Morlocks herding Eloi herd
21-30 Zombies shambling along will react to living if obvious
31-40 Zombie dozing till food comes, "sleeping" among crap bursts out to grab passers
41-55 Ghoul gang hissing and screaming furry and bloodlust
55-65 Ghouls hidden in ambush
66-75 Ghouls surprised eating, could sneak past or flee
76-80 Vampire, inexperienced and unsure of powers d6 1-3+under-estimate 4-6 over-estimate
81-90 Killer android dormant but vibration activated gets close and attacks, virused service android
91-100 Android worker or service model confused looking for master to serve
101-105 Android Thinker accompanied by worker 2d6 drones and 1d4 soldiers and 1d3 servants
106-120 Android Soldier - sniper, commando or peacekeeper - (detain and torture and kill armed insurgents)
121-140 Maintenance bot - cleaning fixing stuff, possibly talkative old timer, mostly tracked locomotion
141-150 Pest control bot - possibly intelligent cat, snake, or mongoose form, or a dumb old clunker
151-170 Secbot - teargas, netgun, tranq, sonics, stunners, and other non lethal weapons in a mobile pod
171-190 Secdroid - as a secbot but humanoid and more complex capacity to communicate with humans
191-200 Medbot - Pod can open and treat patient on bed inside, anti gravity pod flight and sirens
201-210 Medidroid - humanoid robot doc, medkit in one hand and anesthetizing diagnostic array in other
211-215 Portable AI with smashed humanoid drone nearby, requests your aid
216-230 Recycbot - gather a material type and take to autofactory, might fancy party tools or biochemicals
231-235 Combatdroid - various locomotion types and weapon systems, guard and await new orders
236-245 Wardroid - humanoid robot infantry kill any possibly dangerous target, plasma repeater rifles in arms
245-255 Vehicle AI - wants to take you somewhere, possibly entombed, valuable atomic fuel cell and brain
256-270 Local System AI - controls cameras, doors, alarms may control robots, androids or a cult
271-300 Rat men gang skulking about looking for food
301-305 Serpent man and lizard men seeking ancient science
306-315 Lizard men hunting silently
316-330 Goat men looking for weapons or slaves or food
331-340 Rabbit men looking for tech, territorial over turf
341-350 Pig men - squealing albino service or labour units, seek ancient pleasures and food
351-370 Pig men - wild boar savages lust for killing and revenge on humans
371-375 Vulture Men with strange powers beyond mortal ken (mutations, magic, psionics or all)
376-385 Chicken men rooster gang hunting humans and robots from racial vendetta
386-390 Doppelganger face changing espionage androids pretending to be friendly to get close
391-410 Cat man lair - 50% have a 1d6 offspring of varied ages, hostile but possibly may parley
411-430 Dog Men gang attack any other armed group, 30% in uniform of some local gang or cult
431-350 Bat Men gang lair, defensive except the 10% vampires who will hunt you anywhere to death
351-370 Badger Men, highly territorial and keen to out do humans any way possible
371-380 Bull man with huge weapon and possibly cyborg parts
381-400 Ape men troops hunting humans and mutants
401-410 Ape men gangsters want protection or offer drugs, slaves and guns in trade
411-420 Ape men chimp journalists pester party with questions for ape news outlet
421-430 Ape men scientists seeking lost tech and knowledge
431-440 Ape men slavers and 1d10 human slaves, some neutered and made mute
441-450 Ape men common folk looking for anything valuable in forbidden zone
451-455  Owl Men looking for prey in the dark
456-470 Human savage albino troglodytes, wary and territorial
471-480 Human tribals on initiation quest
491-500 Human mutants, who hide hideous selves from shame, fearful, harmless and pitiful
501-510 Human supremacist gang, many resent and desire to kill and sterilize mutants
511-520 Human tinkerer, trader, looter may parley
521-530 Human survivors scaving for tech
531-540 Human troops from local state officially plundering the hole
541-545 Human survivors of fallen utopia, ignorant of world
546-550 Human agents of bunker on mission, secretive and xenophobic
551-555 Humans from a vault or freezer or clone pods exploring and wary
556-570 Human and mutant and animal party looking for treasure
571-575 Humans controlled by a Dominator, psionic evil mutants
576-590 Human gang in colours out to kill and torture and enslave and eat outsiders
591-600 Human cult in robes with zealous death urges
601-610 Human cyborg gang with inbuilt and interfaced tech and weapons, possibly slaves
611-620 Human mutant supremacist gang, many resent and desire to torment the pretty ones
631-650 Mutant Rats swarm of small vicious killers with collective intelligence, build traps, collect coins651-670 Mutant rats the size of wolves attack anything made of meat
671-680 Mutant rat, size of cavebear, apex predator
681-690 Mutant Ferrets like wolves, hang on and draw blood
691-700 Mutant Frogs like dog pack jumping, croaking, clinging on walls, bony sharp teeth
701-710 Mutant Centipedes small 1m long with occasional 9m long horrors grab and run for meat
711-730 Mutant Goats with strange sinister powers to hex and blight and drain life and worse
731-740 Mutant Bats savage carnivorous flying dog sized horrors
741-750 Mutant Cat with strange powers follows and causes trouble with powers
751-770 Mutant Sabre Cat (Tiger and larger) stalks and grabs skull and snaps necks silently
771-790 Mutant Wolf Pack of intelligent wolves and powers, skilled evil hunters
791-800 Mutant Giant wolf, intelligent and with horrifying powers, multi headed or fire breathing common
801-810 Mutant bear with energy beams and partial carapace, hostile carnivore
810-815 Mutant snake, man sized with with strange powers like hypnosis, shapeshift,
816-820 Mutant Snake - invisible, psionic, energy attacks and other powers make humble snakes a menace
821-825 Mutant Colossal Constrictor - 30-60 foot long can eat humans, crocodiles, deer, small cows
626-830 Mutant Spider - Wolf size spider with web and venom and ambush
831-835 Mutant colossal spider - from sub compact car and above size, often cant escape their own lair
836-840 Mutant Scorpion - lion sized aggressive scorpions
841-845 Mutant Dragonfly - 1-2m aggressive dragonflies
846-860 Mutant Cave Lizard - albino monitor lizards hunt in packs, diseased bite
861-870 Mutant Waste Lizard - Grizzly size with poison fangs
871-875 Chameleon, clings to walls and cant be surprised, entangling toungue
876-880 Mutant Cricket - huge wolf sized cricket pack
881-885 Mutant Horned Beetle - bear sized killer black carapace and furry, giant horn it loves to use
886-900 Mutant Dogs - packs often crudely spoken language
901-905 Mutant Dung Beetles - gather dung and refuse to feed their children
906-910 Mutant Apes - huge flesh eating gorillas, yetis, sasquatches and others
911-915 Mutant cave octopus living in water pit
916-920 Terror bird, lost or albino killer flightless bird, man sized plus
921-930Triffid, has a light source and feeds well, man sized
931-935 Mutant Mould with killer spores or other strange properties (psychometric hallucinations)
936-940 Mutant Fungus - killer mobile fungus versions of triffids
941-950 Tentacled horror - an abomination mutant on killing, eating, and mating spree
951-955 Shoggoth - gibbering insanely looking for its former master or humans to kill
956-960 Mutant Chimera - multi species impossible creature, huge with great power
961-965 Mutant Abomination - Shape changing fleshy horror absorbs DNA of everything eat eats
966 Grey - low G space modded humans, now hostile to current planetary atmosphere, hostile with lasers
967 Grey - cyborg warrior collecting specimen
968 Grey - brain in artificial body or attached to slave creature or robot
969Grey - in disguise with  fleshsuits as MIBs or as wandering traders and hobos
970 Biohazzard - bioplague attacks flesh, resist or damages slowly till sunlight exposed
971 Biohazzard - mindhack if doesn't resist turns against uninfeted
972 Biohazzard - mindhack if doesn't resist turns "patriotic" and fights its rank vs incoming mind hacks
973 Biohazzard - live necrovirus spores infect with undead strain
974 Biohazzard - silicon nanoid complex - mineralizes living beings, some survive as silicon android
975 Biohazzard - Nanoswarm lycanthrope body hack to convert enemy civilians to rampaging killers
976 Biohazzard - nanoid grey ooze converts organics to own matter and fuel 
978 Cyber nanovirus hacks artificial life into hostile - android or robot versions
979 Golem - silicon android made from molecular aligned crysta,l super computer AI
980 Gargoyle - silicate statuesque horrors, poor glider wings but great climbers and fighters
981-990 Gamma parasite swarm
991 Secret society ritual gathering, friendly celebrations
992 Secret society ritual gathering kill witnesses hunt for ever
993 Orbital AI contact panel, desperate to talk on safe connection, may be able to help
994 Time traveler, trapped and lost
995 Time traveler on mission
996 AI with hidden conditional utopia
997 Brain in a vat in lab apparatus or wrecked robot body, needs help to return to evil scheme
998 Alien on mission investigating other aliens (seek lost kin or rival species)
999 Nanoid colony in humanoid configuration, dangerous godlike being is confused
1000 Pheonix Program AI, seeks to restore order, needs help to go online and control orbital weapons, will systematically rebuild new global order and gains support of AI's and can cure the virus. There is whole cult and military unit dedicated to stopping it. Each component released is a step back to its godlike power. Goal is to end the Gamma Aeon - requires agents to help it.






Humanoid in a pod d100
These turn up all the time, some prisons, some medical, some escaping body and brain hacking  bio weapons, or hoping to miss the apocalypse. Some pods are packaging for artificial life.

01 -05 Android, deactivated could be awakened, 50% viruses killers
06-13 Worker Android
14-18 Service Android
19-20Thinker Android
21-25 Soldier Android
26-30 Fresh pleasure replicant 1d4 years to live
31-35 Fresh labour replicant 1d4 years to live
36-37 Fresh combat replicant 1d4 years to live
38-40 Fresh insane replicant 1d4 years to live - gone awol on killing spree
41-45 Clone for organs, intact but minimal simulated life experience
46-50 Clone for gold plus life insurance, pre recorded life experience of rich celebrity
51-55 Clone trooper ready for action as GM (Genetically modified human)
56-60 Clone pleasure slave bonds to whover sees first
61-65 Animen - human animal hybrid clone for labour and dirty jobs
66-67 Atlantean - modified for aquatic life, some cant breathe air and will die
68-75 Unviable Ancient - pre GM human dies in modern atmosphere or terminally ill
76-77 Ancient psychotic criminal, frozen till cure for personality altering terror weapons
78-80 Ancient experiment - horror biogen moddified human with biomechanical weapons
81-85 Ancient contaminated with necrovirus - becoming undead, possibly with live infection
86 Grey - low G space modded human, no longer suit planetary atmosphere, hostile with lasers
87 Grey - in disguise with human flesh suit symbiote for life support and disguise
88 Turns into tentacled mutant horror, may dwell among humans a while to get close
89-90 Mutating human frozen to halt modification
91 - mind hacked person turned into killing machine
92 - flesh coated combat droid for covet ops hostile to humanoids
93 - ancient criminal mastermind, seeks to gain power over everything
94 - ancient cop android arrests everything illegal in sight
95 - insane psionic contaminated victim cant cope with valuable powers
96 - service android or replicant, acts sweet at first but then virus kicks in
97 - rogue replicant hunting replicant who is really sure he or she is human
98 - ancient party fiend celebrity out for fame, good times and comfort
99 - scientist with cure for one ancient bio weapon, will try to treat contaminated
100 - wasteland trader frozen as experiment by gang in pod a few decades ago



Monday 18 March 2013

Bogrump the Turnip Lord


Name: Bogrump Turnip Head
Symbol: A humble turnip
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 180' (60')
Armor Class:
-2
Hit Points (Hit Dice): 85 hp (18 HD)
Attacks: 1 wooden sword or strangle
Damage:
4d6
Save: F18
Morale: 11
Hoard Class:
d1000+100 turnips
XP: 11,000*

Bogrump the turnip lord, was carried from lands far away. His holy flesh sustains beasts over winter, making it unnecessary to slaughter most live stock before winter. This frees labour time and increases local wealth, giving men more time and money to spend at war. Bogrump is a hideous swollen faced humanoid, often embodied in a scare crow with a carved turnip head. He stalks and ambushes the unworthy, especially at night (Surprise 1-4 daylight, 1-5 night).

This petty god strikes with a crude wooden sword for 4d6 damage but he will attack loners by strangulation with 19 strength inflicting the same damage. He may also turn 3d10 turnips in a field into his turnip sprite servitors - turnip headed goblins to aid him once a day. He heals one HP for every turnip he eats and can eat 1d6 per round if in a heap or one if he has to dig them up.

Bogrump may bless a turnip field to be 10% more fruitful or to make turnip full cellar last a season weevil and worm and rot free.  Sometimes a maiden is married to a scarecrow of Bogrump and the  lucky couple spend a night in the barn alone. A virtuous humble maiden who pleases Bogrump  has healthy trouble free childbirth for ever more and produces large healthy (slightly lumpy) twins three months after the marriage. Vain or egotistical maidens are blessed with a swollen purple turnip like face and the other birthing benefits. Maidens are free to marry any of their choosing after Bogrump has had his turn. He may avenge these maidens if they are harmed.

Stories tell of his giant turnip house and his various clumsy and moronic turnip headed servants. Some tell of him keeping spare heads in brine with different personalities and various comedic head swapping antics. Most stories are funny and some are downright scary. Telling stories over turnip soup or wine or mash is his preferred worship. He includes pumpkin, squash, swedes, carrots and others as his kin.

*Note - dont have bx set to calculate xp sorry so changing it to be in line would be appreciated

this is for a petty gods contest at gorgonmilk
http://gorgonmilk.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/petty-gods-open-for-submissions.html

TORG WAR2 Ideas Revisited




http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/dungeons-dimensions-and-torg.html
previous post on topic

I may have original TORG invader worlds attempt to re- invade and even help core earth
I also forgot Carcosa so that can be invading Australia too
Would be funny to have Warhammer/40k chaos and space troops appear everywhere
and some super heroes invade too - New York!

This map indicates basic claim for low level influence in early days to total saturation towards TORG WAR2

Thule
Frozen land where Giant and troll armies assemble in the magical glacier ciradel of the Frost Giants king and god. Lots of vikings. Some areas settled with fairy tale villages.

DnD
Various editions and dungeon zones invading and competing, vikings, Templars and pagan Slav holy men and sorcerers

The Night Land
A horror sunless realm of vulcanism, evil mutant freaks, evil dwarfs, ogres and giants, ancient ruins and several mile high arcologies of psionic armoured knights - Tharkold cross over here too due to some shared axioms

Cvberpunk
Highly industrialized corporate lords with with AIs, private armies and fanatic security troops versus punks, rebels, terrorists and rogue replicates

Shadow Run
Mash up of cyberpunk, Native shamanic magic returns and DnD

Hard Times
Dark conspiracy, car wars and dark future mash up - probably evolving into judge dredd

Pirates of Atlantis
Voodoo priests, gods and zombies with carribean pirates and city of ancient evil Clark Ashton Smith type evil sorcerers and occasional prehuman elder races. Artist who did ghost in shell did some (adult) art like this.

Lost World
Aztecs, aliens and dinosaurs with 20s colonial explorers on coastal cities

Steam Age
Steampunk europe at war with monsters or dark europe

World of Darkness

Vampires, werewolves, slayers and cyberpunk

Mythic Babylon
Enchanted armies of Babylon with power of Marduk invading everybody

Spacegods
Hindu mythology, cyberpunk, espionage, psychedelia and ancient space god tech. Jerry Cornelius would be at home here. Rogan Gosh uk comic a good reference.

Shambala
Hidden underground kingdom of psionics, mystics and wonder workers here to save world with enlightenment.

Leng
A frozen plateau linked to dreamlands, inhabited by evil subhuman and inhuman hybrids who serve cults of the old ones. Spread unspeakable evil

Bug Wars
A hostile invading ecosystem of flora, fauna, micro organisms and monsters killing and hybridising everything - Armoured aliens sometimes appear to destroy spawn points. Was with Chtorr, Arachnids and space marines from starship troopers, Mecha, Tyranids.

Gamma Oz
Gamma world - 25th century space colony tech remnants in ruins with stone age mutants, androids, sentient animals and other weirdness. Mutant Cane  Toads and feral hordes battle natives animals. Orungs, Casawaries, CusCus and tree kangaroos up north.

Melnibone
The new Dragon Island with army of cloned Maurois. Breeding dragons and flesh eating moa birds and kia for riding in army. Building massive invasion ships with thousands of oars and demon hulls

Ashanti Empire
Michael Moorcock's the Land leviathan. African empire ruled from a mighty mobile war ziggarutt by the so called Black Attila. Early WW2 tech, mostly WW1 and late steampunk

Mountains of Madness
Old ones and the shoggoths and deep ones are arising, ancient sunken cities are sunlit again.

Saturday 16 March 2013

EMO DnD Classes pt 12: Tako



First major revision of my own stuff. Made to fit in better with other classes and fit same layout. They are my worlds gonzo race and namesake of the Elfmaids and Octopi (EMO rules). My artist still working, just gone back to pencil, given up on huge expensive tablet/monitor thing.

Reading white dwarf 1-100 in the rpg era was fascinating (up to issue 68). Was from a culture where everyone stole and borrowed from every system as product was scarce and White Dwarf was head of this style. Also 1-3 page dungeon design and great maps. I note some have grid outside the corridors and rooms and in the rock or walls instead interesting. Like 2000AD comics, UK style was gritty and funny and very different tone to US stuff. Oz got best of both to pick. I think i got fiend folio before MM was the art which reminded me of fighting fantasy. Actually some of my fave oldschool art in this book. As I wondered a while back - imagine Earth 2396 where TSR-GW merged. Livingston and Gygax! Found ad where man seems to be having sex with ratman from behind. Tail wrapping round his leg makes it worse. We were so innocent back then.

Health better, working more, imagination and free time not so good. My proliferation ive had for 4 months has been by being bed ridden, So my frequency will drop for a while.

I need some text editors - I'm dyslexic basically and sometimes vowel blind and differences in english english, american english, canadian english, and australian english confound me a bit. Im inclined to go with American as 75% of my readers are. So im looking for 2-3 people to proof a 36ish page doc for me. I can offer credit, and a hardcopy and several copies of pdf. Will be some other nick knacks like stickers possibly. So I need proofing for American English, clarity, brevity and making system nuetral (my monsters all self explanatory or according to wikapedia folklore entries). If it was in MERP, Palladium, GURPS, RQ and DnD its fair game. I need to finish Red Brick Dungeon Zone table book so I can get going on Gothic volume.

Send me your e-mail of interest to konsumterra at gmail dot com

Mention your blog and/or experience briefly too please
I'll send a RTF rich text format doc and basic guidelines

Currently thinking of releasing basic version of EMO rules as free pdf from this site compiling my rules and actually with spell and proficiency system so it actually all works and makes sense. Save my more bonkers and specific stuff for later.

Possible may do the kobold goblin hobgoblin bugbear sometime as classes
liking the roman kobolds as more mischievous, somewhat amusing and  constantly aroused
liking the common folk tread of hobgoblins being shape shifters

Orcs trouble me slightly but i like overlapping them with roman cyclops men who battle griffons and smith weapons for gods.
..
Tako

Octopus faerie folk of the sea


HD: 1d6
Prime Stat: Dex
WP: 3 (+1/2nd Lv)
NWP: 3 (+1/2nd Lv)
Non-WP mod: -2
Languages: 1d6 (+1/3rd Lv) S=spoken and W=written

Spells: Any
NWP: Any
Shield: Any but large
Armour: Any
Weapon: Any
Fight as: Warrior
Save as: Priest

Tako are a race of aquatic faerie land folk who compete with mermaids, sea spirit folk, fish spirits, kelp spirits, evil fish men, shark men and a whole ecology of viscous marine life. Tako are very ancient and feel spined ones are upstarts. They live pretty much like surface folk in villages, planting kelp and herding fish. Most live humble lives. Some are from noble warrior clans and act as mercenaries in the sea kingdoms. Others act as wizard apprentices or side kicks to naiads or sea hags because they love arcane secrets of any type. A few serve the gods or become criminals or adpt other persuations much like a human. They are mentally flexible and learn any skills or magic type.  Occasionally some would get drunk and go to the surface to seduce fishermens wives which has earned them a bad rep among moralists and fisher folk. Tako have been cumming to the surface since before man and some are now returning for adventure or as refugees from some tragedy in a distant Tako empire. Only live to about 40, some last 60 which is short for faerie folk so they often seek life extension or reincarnating powers. Motivates some to piety or considering afterlife more than humans. The have a spoken and written and non verbal language with colour change and body language. like to use own ink when writing libraries have a dry chamber to scribe book which is then made water proof. They dont raise children, they sort of tolerate them following and copying them and eating their scraps. Some baby tako follow a wizard or other magical creature and become servants till they surpass or out live their "parent". Some sell their impressionable infants as servants. Under 1ft only use one hand, 2 foot 2 hands, 3foot ro use 3 hands for zero level kids.

-Tako have 8 limbs, 4 are used for walking, for hands four feet,
-On males one is his reproductive organ which at lv5 can detach find a mate on its own
-These limbs regenerate if cut off and are very tasty, week to grow tip, month for whole tentacle, they continue to move for some time if cut off, grabbing anything
-All tako can use all 4 hands for a variety of actions. Could hold  4 sabres. Or two 2-H swords. Or two swords and 2 shields. Or sword, shield, throwing axe and flintlock pistol. Two Short Bows. Initialy cannot mix hands with melee misile and spells but can later
-At 3rd lv a tako can mix melee and missile attacks between hands
-At 6th lv a tako can cast with one set of two hands (with mouth if verbal components needed) and fight with other two if they save vs distraction if fighting, includes operating magic items
-At 10th they no longer need to use save to use spell and melee or missile attack
-Colour changing chameleon skin, actually can be used for non verbal language among them. Colour indicates mood in many cases. Tend to adapt to local area. good for +4 hide or camouflage if not wearing clothes or armour
-Non-verbal language is free to all tako, others may read it but not "speak" it
-All Tako have brawling proficiency - reading writing and wrestling are school subjects
-No prone position, can’t be tripped or affected by being knocked over, but can be pushed back
-Defends sides as well as front facing (only immediately behind counts against them)
-If scared squirt ink cloud once per day base range 3/Lv radius, nothing visible for 1d4 rounds, they
-1d6 less falling damage due to being squishy inside and spineless
-They move 9 on land or 12 in water – all can swim as proficient and breath water, horses hate them
-Tako cast spells and can choose a list but they progress like elves and bards starting with 4 cantrips at first level

Tako making one attack - no modifier
Tako making second attack -2 first, -4 second
Tako making third attack -2 first, -4 second, -6 third
Tako making fourth attack -2 first, -4 second, -6 third, -8 fourth

Ambidextrous NWP reduces penalty by 2
Two handed fighting style WP reduces penalty by 2

Tako have taken these skills to the next level (need two handed fighting first)

Three handed fighting style WP reduces penalty by 2 more
Four handed fighting style reduces WP penalty by 2 more

Specialist Tako Breeds
These breeds are alternate Tako Types and less seen on land

Squid Pirate
Enemies of Tako with 8 foot tentacles and only two arms that give melee attacks long reach. They dont cast spells and have 1d10 HD instead.

Amonite Sea Lord
These ancient ones have +4 armour from a shell, 1d4 HD and spell progression as a human wizard, camouflage is inferior only +2 hide

Dweller in Darkness
These can glow and become luminous at will and can see in darkness but they dislike sunlight and get -2 to fight under the sun, they have pointy teeth and a flesh cowl-cape. They are more inclined to evil having been driven mad by loneliness in the depths. Another related type is albino and dwells in caves instead

Specialist Tako Castes
These are typical careers for Tako

Name -  purpose
Weapon Proficiency WP
Non Weapon Proficiency NWP
Spell list
Languages
1d4 bonus starting goods

If you seek a weapon proficiency group for Tako use these
(2 WP slots gets package of 4 weapons in a school or group)

sea dweller
Net, Trident, Dagger, Sabre

land dweller
Long Sword, Spear, Shield, Shuriken

Scout - explorers, hunters and often loners
Shortbow, Hand Axe, Spear
Sneak, Hide, Spot
Druid or Sorceror
Tako SW, Sea S, Common S
1 - Magical canteen makes 10L yummy salt water per day
2 - 20 sea arrows, no penalty though water
3 - Conch shell horn, calls any follower or friend within a mile
4 - Returning hand axe

Serf - providers of food for the community
Trident, net, dagger on sea sicle, staff, sling on surface
Animal Lore if surface Fish lore if from sea, Plant Lore, Survival
Druid or Sorceror or  Priest
Tako SW, Sea S, Common S
1 - Magical stick makes plantings 10% better if used in planting
2 - A young zero level Tako youth follows and aids you
3 - A farm deed and title
4 - A young high quality possibly exotic food beast on a rope or in sack

Noble - Leaders of the Tako pods and kingdoms
Net, Trident, Dagger if from sea or Long Sword, Spear, Shield
Inspire, Grooming, Steward
Wizard, Priest or Sorcery
Tako SW, Sea S, Common S
1 - Crown of protection +1 (kinda flashy)
2 - Fabulous wig +1 Charisma
3 - Scepter of fish command 1d50+20 charges
4 - 6dx100 GP in a tiny locked seachest

Magician - casters of spells and seekers of arcane lore
Net, Trident, Dagger if from sea or Sickle, Dagger, Staff
Spell Lore, God Lore, Elder Lore
Any
Tako SW, Sea S, Common S
1 - +1 Dagger
2 - +1 Cloak of protection
3 - Wand 1d3 green ray 100 range 1d50+20 charges
4 - 1d6 random potions

Warlord - defenders of race and mercenaries
Net, Trident, Sabre if from sea or Long sword, Spear, Shield from land
Battle Lore, First Aid, Survival
Any
Tako SW, Sea S, Common S
1 - +1 Silver Sabre or Long Sword
2 - Chain that weighs nothing in water from silver
3 - Chameleon chain mail - lets chameleon power work as if naked, transparent armour
4 -1d6 healing potions

Templar - contemplative fighting philosophers
Sabre, Club. Shuriken
Acrobatics, Jump, Sneak
Any
Tako SW, Sea S, Common S
1 - Set of silver sabres
2 - +1 stick (club)
3 - +1 Robes of protection
4 - Manual able to teach one NWP or WP next level up (as a trainer)

Outcaste - criminal thieves, bandits and killers
Sabre, Club. Dart
Sneak, Hide, Pick Pocket
Any
Tako SW, Sea S, Common S
1 - Steel jimmybar 1Y long for busting stuff +2
2 - +1 club
3 - chest with 1d6 x 100 GP random booty
4 - Zero level young Tako apprentice

TAKO XP
+1 per 1gp spent on conspicuous status symbols like castles, statues, fancy armour and weapons, libraries, public spectacles and festivals glorifying Tako-kind
+100 for aquatic relics, pearls, sunken treasure, finding exotic aquatic places
Double for defeating aquatic enemy species

Friday 15 March 2013

EMO DnD Classes pt 11: Halfling


Many hate halflings and i cant say I'm a huge fan myself but I owe it to the game to make a go of it. I like my halflings to be more sleazy, greedy, sinful and annoying. Mention in war hammer that they are a race made to resist mutation and chaos but didn't get their super warrior powers from the Slaan. The world of warhammer is in the eye of terror phenomena 40K wise. This is never in play and I wish it was. Resisting chaos and mutagens sounds handy. You could eat chaotic creatures. F

Please ignore my halfling description, its for the more neutral, evil or chaotic ones

Halfling 
Cheerful, hardy plucky little folk

HD: 1d8+1
Prime Stat: Dex
WP: 3 +1/2nd
NWP: 4 +1/2nd
Non-WP mod: -3
Languages: 3d4 (+1/Lv) S=spoken and W=written

Spells: None
NWP: Warrior or Rogue
Shield: Any but large
Armour: Any
Weapon: Any 1H melee weapon, any Short Bow, Dart, Shuriken, Sling, Lasso, Dagger, Blowpipe, Bolo, Boomerang, Hatchet, Light or Hand crossbow, Any Gun, staff
Fight as: Warrior
Save as: Priest

A race of diminutive harmless looking jolly demi humans. They wear colorful clothes and hats and wear pointy shoes. They have pointy ears and thick curly hair and may be clean shaven or have short beards and small mustaches. Thick curly hairs cover their bodies and feet. 3-4 foot tall with big hard leathery hairy feet. Well known for exhibiting all the deadly sins of gluttony, lust, envy, greed, sloth, pride and wrath to some degree. It’s as if the creator took all they left over bits not good enough for elves and made Halflings. While they tolerate some contempt, they might come try humiliating you with a prank or sabotage. Indulgent Halflings may eat themselves to death, choke on food and will keep eating and vomiting for days. They like pets because they clean up scraps and mess and can be eaten in an emergency. Without an hourly meal or nap they complain but actually are quite resilient. Chaotic Evil Halflings are really horrible and indulgent and bestial. Lawful ones are into manners and elaborate customs to keep peace and restrain vice. Good ones are more jolly, kind helpful and the sort of hobbits you expect. Many dwell among other races as merchants or bakers or cooks. They build burrows with the civilized ones as well appointed as any town merchant with high craftsmanship. The other sort are dirty tunnels with scraps, with a nest chamber and a food store of mostly nuts, grain and dried squirrels.  Some build burrows under human houses or barns and may aid humans who don't offend them.

-Can see in dark
-Get+4 on these NWP sneak, hide, Jump, cook, brew, eat, drink, taste poison, climb, taunt
-Get+4 resist poison or fear or magic
-Resistant to alignment change magic 100%
-Is -4 to be hit by any bigger than an ogre (8ft+)
-All proficient in brawling and throwing rocks naturally (extra WP)
-Get +1 short sword and dagger attack
-Get +1 any thrown weapon (dagger and rock common)
-Throw rock for 1d4 damage, 50+10/Lv Range no range penalties,
-Extra rock attack attacks  at 3rd, another at 6th, 9th,12,15,18
-At 6th lv you attract 1d4 Halfling followers and one more henceforth
-At 8th lv get +1 more (+5) on sneak, hide, Jump, cook, brew, eat, drink, taste poison, climb, taunt
-At 10th Lv you may build a burrow attracting 3d6 more halflings
-At 12th Lv you may build a village attracting 5d6 more halflings
-At 15th Lv you may build a great village attracting 8d6 more halflings
-At 18th Lv you may build a town attracting 20d6 more halflings

Specialist Halfling Breeds?
Tend to resemble local or original inhabitants of land, resemble any human type just short and hairy. Goods and material technology similar to humans but do trade with all races.

Specialist Halfling Trades
These traditional occupations are by natural inclination

Name - activity descrption
Secondry activity descrption
Weapon Proficiency WP
Non Weapon Proficiency NWP
1d4 bonus starting goods

Sherriff – village lawmen
 Local law enforcers in Halfling villages
Short bow, Shorts word, short spear
Sneak, Hide, Observation, Legal Lore, Interrogate
1- Bag of 20 Magic Stones – can harm magic
2- Quality Weapon +1 hit and dam
3- Trunk full of old adventurer crap from attic 1d6x100gp
4- +1 Ring of protection

Thief – urban robbers
Many Halflings become thieves in human cities
Dagger, Sling, Club
Sneak, Hide, Climb, Pick Pockets, Pick Locks
1- +1 Quality Dagger
2- Sack of 1d4 x 100gp stolen loot
3- 1d4+1 treasure maps
4- 3d6 colourful fake potions

Warrior – professional soldiers

Career Halfling mercenaries often fight for other races
Long Sword, Short Spear, Dagger
Battle Lore, Armorer, Jump, Spot, Weaponsmith
1- +1 Quality Weapon
2- Sack of 1d4 x 100gp war booty
3- A slave or loyal follower
4- 1d6 Healing potions

Sage – wannabe magicians
These experts and hedge wizards act as magicians for Halflings
Can choose a spell list but progress as bard/elf and 1d6 HD
Staff, Dagger, Dart
Scribe, Wizard Lore, Herbalist, First Aid, Taste Poison
1- +1quality Staff
2- Ring of light (cast 1 per day)
3- 1d4 old books of lore for research
4- 2d6 healing potions and 2d6 colourful fake potions

Assassin – shire special forces
When peace doesn’t work Halflings get even
Dagger, Blowpipe, Garrote
Sneak, Hide, Poison Lore, Repair, Trap Lore
1- Elven Boots +4 Sneak
2- Elven Cape +4 Hide
3- 1d6 applications of blade venom (more uses for some weapons)
4- Quality Dagger +1

Wood Warden – forest roamer
These woodsmen harvest the forest and watch for enemies
Short bow, Hatchet, Dagger
Sneak, Hide, Improvise weapons, Wood Lore, Track
1- +1 Quality Hatchet
2- 10 +1 Arrows
3- Elven Boots +4 Sneak
4- 2HD Pet Dog AC+4 1d6 bite, Track, Sneak, Hide

Mariner – fishermen and explorers

Those who gather and trade by waterways
Sabre, Net, Harpoon
Swim, Sea Lore, Boating, Rope Use, Fishing
1- +1 Quality Net
2- Wagon load of Dried Fish 1d4 x 100 Silver
3- Belt of Buoyancy, cant sink even in armour
4- 1d6 Potions of water breathing

Gambler – flamboyant cons and philanderers

Sleazy con artists who dupe fools to earn a living
Dagger, Short Sword, Hand Crossbow
Gambling, Bluff, Seduce, Carouse, Sleight of Hand
1- 1d100x1d4 Counterfeit Coins in a chest
2- Quality Dagger
3- Marked cards and crooked dice - +4 on gambling proficiency
4- 1d3 Charge Dimension Door Ring

Explorer - insatiably curious wanderers
Brave travelers serving as guides
Dagger, Shortsword, Shortbow
Scout, Mountaineering, Make Fire, Cavern Lore, Climb
1- +1 Shortbow
2- 10 +1 arrows
3- Feather fall ring
4- A pony loaded with ropes, pitons, food, lanterns, and other supplies

Chef - Epicurean sage seeking new flavours
Life of the party and gourmet
Dagger, Hand Axe, Sling
Cooking, Butchery, Herbalist, Taste Poison, Animal Handling
1- +1 Hand axe or butcher knife
2- self heating magic stewpot
3 - fabulous recipie book +2 Cook NWP
4 - magic wineskin - 4 litres or wine per day

Highwayman - Rascally roadside robbers and rebelsForest dwelling bandit

Pistol, Sabre, Dagger
Hide, Sneak, Ambush, Run Away, Gunnery
1 - +1 quality sabre
2 - Cloak of protection +1
3 - dueling pistol set of 2 with 50 lead balls and 10 silver balls and tools and powder
4 - keg of gunpowder

Feral - Wild scavenger
Painted, hairsuited scavengers of the wilderness
Short Spear, dagger, boomerang or bolo or blowpipe
Track, Sneak, Hide, Survival, Torture
1 - +1 magic short spear
2 - 1d6 magic shrooms, sense magic if eaten for 1T
3 - Collection of furs worth 1d6x100gp
4- 2HD Pet Dog AC+4 1d6 bite, Track, Sneak, Hide

Green KeeperHumble village gardeners and farmers
Humble food and medicine producers of a village
Sickle, dagger, Shortbow
Animal Handling, Plant Lore, Animal Lore, Herbalist, Carry Load
1 - +1 magic silver sickle
2 - 6lb bag of hobbit weed and a pipe
3 - Goat, pig or sheep on a rope 
4- 2HD Pet Dog AC+4 1d6 bite, Track, Guard, Listen

HALFLING XP
+1 per 1gp spent on food, comforts, home décor, luxury items, clothes, having a family, community
+100 for attending a Heroic Feast
+100 for stealing stuff with risk
+100 per proficiency success that helps victory
Double xp for foes when avenging mistreated halflings




Wednesday 13 March 2013

Superhero RPG Smackdown City


Previous recap of old game 20 year campaign (fixed link) and made new page

Previous recap of old game 20 year campaign
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/marvel-super-heroes-20-year-campaign.html

Close up map all my online gamer graphics so far up
http://www.flickr.com/photos/konsumterra/sets/72157631656547261/

Also i worked with the artist for EMO cover artist as comic worker in his studio in the glamorous international comic world - well its fringes. Comic crash in early 90s meant pinup stuff more of a go then, but Michal's stuff here http://www.michaldutkiewicz.com/blog/news/

River city was my second marvel campagn. My last game I ran in Adelaide before hitting Sydney and going pro as a artist. Wasnt my intention here but earned living in street art art and grafitti, mostly arts education.

River city was a fictional city to escape using hometown setting (which i ended up doing in real world). It has a brief alternative history. Green stuff on map for older richer treefilled suburbs vs grey  industrial natureless industrial slums warrens.

Early in the colonial area the are between Adelaide and Melbourne, business men out to escape sanctioned state control set up a town. Was used for many questionable industries from early times as area first settled by sealers and whalers who were practicing slavery and racist exterminations.  Hellfire Clubbers from the motherland, occultists, oriental cults, drug dens, vampires, pirates, witches, bush-rangers frequented the rogue colony. Equally strange doo gooders appeared from early times. By 1860 the blight was a small independent territory governed by its own governor. Through bribes and bullying this continued till the states and territories federated.

Mt Gambier a mysterious volcaninc blu lake town is an interesting fearture inland. Aboriginal art records the last eruptions 20000 years ago and megafauna sightings. Creatures are reported occasionally still. Marshland Aboriginal were displaced by farmers and most are resentful and dwell on constantly whittled away "useless land". Many ended up in the city. Coastal tribes remained large and one Aboriginal inventor from the area appears on the Australian currency.

Instead of draining the swamps as the states wanted the water was engineering into huge concrete canal romantically called a river. Islands were part of the engineering like coastal fortifications. Great swamps and lush now very English looking farmland (angloformed) surround the city .

Crime was very influential after WW1 with lapse drug laws and mad miracle formulas and illegal boozer riled the city. As did mad hopped up vigilantes and bizarre gangsters. In WW2 many turned patriotic and the government built arms factories and search labs.

Post war River City boomed and the gangsters became respectable statesmen and business owners. Many heroes retired from crime fighting but lived as celebrities and virtual royalty in some cases. Other never stopped fighting or stayed hidden. Then disasters strack. Shonky mass poisonings of the population and especially among the poor on diablo island resulted in mutations and freaks, some who still dwell in the sewers. Other industrial accidents and a generation of lead poisoned unemployable criminals emerged. An experimental micripile alleviated the pollution fog a bit in the 60s but a new generation of occultists, superheroes and mystery men emerged.

In the 70s most of the asylum Islands other functions ceased and the island became a hangout for cults and gangs. Various times has been a orphan work house and childrens home and madhouse and quarantine station and immigration detention center.

Green Island is a tiny garden Ise off limits and home of some endangered birds and some Tasmanian Tigers.

Boiler island is a WW2 ship building site covered in trash and ruined bunkers. Rumours of secret naval base tunnels remain.

Sentinel fort built where a pirate ship was wrecked in earlier explorer times. Refited to keep out the Yanks and the Russians and the Germans and the Dutch and rest of Australia if need be. Gets refitted every new popular crisis. Off limits, possible anti terrorism and state metahuman base.

Diablo Island is a slumb that both political parties are trying to manipulate and re develop. A Warren of illegal worker accommodation amid factories and work houses. The residents have rioted several times, most violent in the country. Many deformed disabled and disfigured residence.

Slate prison is where the most dangerous prisoners are kept. Well other than the secret prisons the spooks at APIO keep somewhere. They keep all the powered freaks and black tech users and aliens and other paranormal matters of national interest. 

The city has terrible rail, trams, tunnels bridges and over the top buildings from many areas except if you look close its often poorly done ans a bit shabby. Gangs, squats and ruins are common. When it rains mutants, crocs and swarms of poisonous cane toads swarm from the river and drains.

Pop: 3.1 Million. Mostly English, welsh, Germans westside and Irish Scottish English originally but post both world wars eastern European, Poles, Czechoslovakia, Russians, Balts, Mediterraneans, and all sorts of emigres in the name of liberty and crime. Scientists and artists flock to the city for cheap rent and lax government. Other cities send unwanted metahumans and paranormals here. Many New Zealanders many of Maori decent live in the city. In the early 90s several satelite farm towns of nepalese were settled in the thousands. Many were demobbed gurkas. Many work in police and public transport and military. China town has been here since the begining when Chinease would land here to avoid states that forbid them in gold rush and bush ranger days. Little Korea and Vietnam and Indonesia are nearby but more recent and smaller.

When you get into city keep away from clown gangsters dont let them ever see your money.

I'll do some district blowups and encounters sometime.

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Another lazy map post and possible future stuff



Be last redbrick post - book being edited now for typos and legal (made system neutral)

Ive been less bed ridden and in danger of working 7 days a week as i head into april. Getting over my mothers coma and slide into uncommunicative life hospitalization. Im more concerned with dad actually now and will have to fly over shortly. So my blogging been sporadic. Getting busy with art commissions for busiest time of year. Quit a 7 year job and now working two others for less pay but
more appreciated and autonomous and less crazy-arbitrary (boss getting mad and lazy - soiling my previous 6 years of positive staff evaluations and bearing some odd grudge).

Have a manager for art projects possibly start a gallery later in year and book of my street art and design. Some here, possibly offensive graffiti/politics/other stuff - http://www.flickr.com/photos/konsumterra/

Have Halfling class almost ready to post,

Reading White Dwarf issue 1-100 so getting interesting ideas - foodplants for metamorposis alpha was good. Monsters the fiend folio rejected. Imagine if GW and TSR merged as some suggested in 80s.

Mutation project too big for now

Babylonian and SF stuff in works

I probably have a thousand marvel characters/npcs i could post

Have several cthulhu supers campaign i could post too

Still cant find my 80s dnd art and maps..... sniff

Thinking of other genre encounter tables:
20s gangland - crime and grime for gangbusters/cthulhu
Gamma Aeon Ruins - rubble and installations
Space Dungeon - ancient ruins

If i do more dungeon zones...
a universal/hammmer monster world
hell or elemental plains for high levels

I need to work on gothic crypt maps next

Im happy to take some requests too if anything here attractive...