Saturday 23 September 2017
Wet & Wild - Troubles with Beastmen 3
So everyone in DnD land is into islands and nautical theme stuff now. Awesome. I'm still only half way through parasites. One of several projects so revolting i need a break from bodily horror. Beastmen are lots of fun. Scanner has been lots of fun too. Will have my new pc set up properly this weekend so not just a scanner/videoplayer/12 YO game player. I need to find some simple fast table ideas. Everything of late has seemed like hard work. It is a good thing I do for me mostly because i'm not sure if effort worth it if i was seeking approval. Some of the simplest throwaway stuff works well. I have been enjoying the friday map thing and will get back to my digital map projects like exile island and Shadelport districts. I still want maps of the bridges. Will be doing two daily art challenges next month - a drawing one and a digital non rpg one like my old graffiti and sticker bomb days.
I almost considered hexographer for that 80s look but i really found last mapmaking stuff I tried was harder than photoshop which i have 25 years experience with.
I'm thinking one of these for steppes, underland, forests and one for Xor. Plus similar treatments for elemental abhumans. Next time I run dnd beastmen will outnumber traditional demihumans. Ive had some requests but lots for animals that don't really fit in my setting. Dinosaurs and pleistocene mammals would be more usable than marsupials or various animals of Americas. Im still taking requests but no more lists of 20+ (you no who you are). As I use beastmen on psychon too lots of strange types might work well for that.
d12 Common Coast Beastmen
1 Fishmen
2 Eelmen
3 Gullmen
4 Lampreymen
5 Sealionmen
6 Sharkmen
7 Crabmen
8 Turtlemen
9 Lobstermen
10 Puffinmen
11 Ottermen
12 Squidmen
Fishmen
Fishmen were once unheard of and forgotten. Long ago they were one of the great powers that enslaved the world. When their slaves turned they fled to the depths of the oceans and deep cavern lakes where humans could not find them. When adventurers began looting old tombs and haunted caves many found artwork depicting fish folk and some even found settlements in great subterranean complexes. A curio at first it took scholars a while to realise the degenerate fishmen and these ruins were connected. Since fish man cults in cities and coastal villages have been exposed common people now know to fear them. Fish folk have been engaged in a breeding program and have been colonising shallows, rivers and swamps. Tempting human cultists with gold and lost forbidden magic in return for wives has become a much talked about scandal. Kidnappings on city docks and shiploads of hybrid pirates have appeared and rare communications with underwater races report a great war being fought in the depths. While some wonder how deep the corruption of the fish is in government, others worry their slimy legions will soon arise to re enslave human kind. Fishmen vary from savage mutated degenerates to sophisticated urban peoples. They use any magic type with own schools and sciences. Even fish folk monks have been observed. They often use nets and man catchers and do their best to capture humans for their spawning pits or to keep as cattle. As great rulers of the past they have many other sea races as slaves and specialist vassal troops. They are notorious as producing the most hybrids of any beastfolk type
d12 Fishmen Troubles
1 Docklands prostitutes have been disappearing, sending the sailors to other city redlight districts causing shortages and fights. Militia want who or what responsible to be caught
2 A tiny seaside village has been depopulated all but a old fisherman who returned from the sea late. He has found some green jade idols to pay someone to search for them. He suspects the cliff caves might have some answers
3 A tiny coastal lighthouse has been reported sending false signals and several ships have been wrecked. Wreckers have been blamed but the rocky coastline is uninhabited so who would benefit?
4 Adventurers returned from the depths recently with strange idols and tablets of jade found in deep caves. Since then there have been repeated attempts to rob the collector who bought them. The thieves have left only slimy trails
5 A newly re-settled coastal village has thrived but some talk of the old troubles returning. Several disappearances and strange croaking from the village wells and cliff caves have been heard
6 Seabourne Manor has been empty for years and a new owner says it is haunted. She wants investigators to find out where the strange noises and smells come from and move out all those strange islander fetishes and trade goods from the attic
7 A sinister band of slavers have been coming and trading gold and treasure for women but clergy started to complain about the practice. The slavers guild want some one to investigate the operation and clear up the misunderstanding so trade can continue
8 Fishermen are jelous that one boat gets the best catches and will pay a boatload of fish to who can discover the unsociable crew clans secret9 Sailors tell of a rocky island where friendly mermaids will have sex with anyone. The mermaids give their husbands gold and care for them with food and build them huts from stone. Some men are staying their now because it is paradise with their mermaid wives
10 River pirates recently disappeared. Most people think this is a good thing but other strange happenings like sinking boats, new species of normally marine animals and kidnappings have also occured
11 Suicides have increased in the warf district of late. many people have been seen jumping into the water and no bodies have been found. One man was caught and is chained up muttering incoherant ramblings about returning to the sea
12 Someone is menacing the orphanage where sailors leave their children when heading for the sea. The old seaman's association who fund the orphanage want someone too see off whoever is responsible
Eelmen
These horrible greedy slimy horrors served the fishmen in the past but now are independant. Famous for piracy they are too impatient to eat people to bother hybridising with anyone as the fish folk do. They are found near the sea, swamps, ponds and caves. They regularly migrate especially in the wet season and their arrival often causes problems. Some eelmen have joined human pirates and river bandits and seem to get along with murderers and criminals. At least with eelmen you know they don't make subtle schemes or bother with cults much. Not a highly magical folk they prefer skills of swashbucklers, sailors and bandits. Some serve demons in cults but most just want food and gold. They also feel uncomfortable away from water which can limit them. They often rampage in rainy season venturing further than normal and finding new wetlands they can settle. A few have joined regular ship crews and other than being a bit violent and carnivorous make excellent sailors. Some are excellent at scrimshaw, ropemaking and boatbuilding. Some even just live as fishermen and trade. For monsters they always seem happy and gifts of meat can make them listen to strangers
d12 Eelmen Troubles
1 Eelmen have been buying treasure maps of late and some forgers tried to dupe them and fights have broken out. People are curious why the eelmen care and what they want
2 Eelmen took a ship recently and the owner wants it back and offers a good reward. He knows the clan live on a rocky island not far away.
3 Several local eelmen have been peaceful fishermen and bird trappers for years but a troublesome eelman pirate keeps trying to create trouble to recruit them into a gang and get them hooked on rum. Locals want the pirate driven away
4 Adventurers speak of a ancient fishman cave ziggarut now ocupied by albino eelmen. They say gold riches await if the tribe can be driven away
5 Eelmen have been spending lots of gold and a urchin saw them diving into a old well and bring up treasure. The urchin disapeared but tavern talk has been raging for days
6 Eelmen smugglers have been somehow bringing new drugs from a unlawful cartel and the city want to know how they are operating
7 A band of eelmen bandits have been hiding in the swamps. People hear their wild parties at night. Now they have been recruiting local youths and teaching them to be horrible killers
8 Poor goblins have been driven away from their cave and want someone to drive away the eelmen before the full moon mushroom harvest. They offer choice magic mushrooms and healing for any who help fight eelmen
9 Greedy eelmen have been robbing bird nests on some of the islands, now birds are leaving, followed by the fish. Fishermen's guilds want the eelmen killed
10 A farmer has been getting his sheep pilfered by a gang of eelmen who follow the mountain creeks. He wants his beloved sheep back
11 A eelman has discovered a temple under a old well and thinks there could be treasure but is scared of spirits. He will guide adventurers through the flooded tunnels to get to the temple for a cut
12 Murderers have bben throwing bodies into the river at hangmans point for years and the militia have been keeping an eye on it. A family of eelmen now hungry have started coming ashore to help themselves
Gullmen
Most gullmen cannot fly but they are good at swimming and make excellent sailors. Prone to greed and squabbles bbut they perform well as ship crew. The remain nuetral on mans war with fishmen and are willing to trade with both. Various gull folk with varying markings, feet/beak colourings and sizes exist. The very small ones are gullings and often live in cliff side holes and are more shy of bigger races. They are very gregarious and a group talking will seem like a screaming match to humans. Most are friendly if a bit greedy and most are peaceful and flee from trouble unless fighting over food or loot. Most are happy as sailors, fishermen or rambling beachcombers. Some enjoy piracy, smuggling, treasure hunting or being wreckers. Many humans dont quite trust them but unlike many beastmen most do not relish murder. Many of their myths are about tribal squabbles and how some treasure was scattered across the world. Some are priests of sea and weather gods but esoteric magic is a bit too much effort for them.
d12 Gullmen Troubles
1 Gullmen village keeps getting raided by ratmen and eelmen who steal their eggs. Gullfolk seek helpers who can drive off the thieves and advise them on more sensible village defences because they are pretty clueless and the old ways are not working
2 Teenage gullmen, still shedding fluff have been forming gangs harassing locals and stealing from shops. Local traders want someone the give them a beating or get them pressganged or jobs or something before they get too big
3 Recently gullmen have driven away some fishmen cultists who were boiling up gullmen to make lamp oil. The cult now have fishmen ruining the gulls fishing boats and nets. So to avoid a direct fight they have been spreading rumours of fishman gold and the location of their reef citadel and other strategic information
4 Gullmen gangs are fighting over a treasure map blocking the street and annoying everyone, has been going for hours, some one will probably just unite them and lead them off to some awful treasure island
5 Gullmen have raised a urchin now parents claim him back and a huge flock of gulls is getting furious as they regard the boy as one of them. The boy has little interests in humans
6 The gullmen of garbage island have found some strange trunk full of maps. They want a human to read it for them and lead them to find burried treasure
7 A one legged gull captain is looking for crew to help him get the whale who bit off his leg. He has a cache of fishman gold, ambergriss and whale tusk for any who help him
8 A gullman tavern keeper has found a treasure mao left by a drunk pirate and they want it back. The gullman wants adventurers to help find the treasure and beat up pirates
9 Gullman pirates have been raiding oyster men hatcheries and eating their babies. Now oyster folk have marched from the deep and burned several warfs and a pub
10 A mob of gull men got into a tavernbrawl and a sea captain had his glass eye swollowed by a gull during the event. He will pay for someone to give the gulls a beating and return his eye
11 A beautiful gull maiden virgin priestess has been taken as a hostage by eelmen and the local gulls need someone to return her. They offer a year sevice from a ship and crew if she is saved
12 A gull gang of hoodlums have turned up in the village, stealing fish, shitting in the street, begging, picking fights and making lewd comments. Most recently they beat up the village priest for not admitting the great gull god was better than his god. Locals have made a collection to drive them away
Lampreymen
They are disgusting blood suckers able to live in salt or fresh water and even infesting caves. Of all the ancient evil sea folk they are among the worst. They often serve cults and demons and are the most bloodthirsty of all the races of the deep. Even their former masters the fish men are wary. Most are savage nomads who move on as they depopulate all life big enough to support them. Some are more civilized and have the right balance of slaves and human cattle to remain in urban centres. Some of these sites are very ancient and even have slleping ancient evils beneath the temples. Such advanced lampreys use a variety of magic while the nomads mostly have priests and shaman. Their toothed sucking maw is hideous and their jawless voices shape human words with difficulty. Lampreys keep prisoners for months, force feeding them to keep them alive in underwater caves. Sometimes they drug their victims or force alcohol on them which the lampreys enjoy drinking more. Several times they have plagued a area or colonised a dam. the best way to overcome them is to catch a female and use her pheranomes to attract males into traps and ambushes. lamprey hybrids are sad creatures but lampreymen use them to build thier populations up from periodic slaghters they suffer. There are no stories of sympathetic or nice lampreys. They are universally despised and other horrible beastmen might be your allies when hunting them. Some say their high priests are actually imortal undead vampires.
d12 Lampreymen Troubles
1 Large riverfish, dolphins even sharks have been washing up on the beach with horrible bite marks and no blood. Fishermen are coming home empty handed and now coastal cattle and sheep have been found dea the same waynos the marine animals
2 A swampside shanty town of wretched poor have vanished, People don't like them but nobody wants to see monsters thrive at human expense. Horrible chanting voices have been heard at night from the nearby swamp
3 A ship came into port with the crew missing. The second one in a month. Fishermen say a black and twisted rock in the sea is where the source of trouble is. This has happened before long ago but the men who went there to stop it would not speak of the blasphemous horrors they saw there
4 A hideous slimy wooden statue washed up on a beach of a elder sea demon. Locals tried to destroy it and failed. It has been placed in a locked shed and now at night something hideous and slimy has stalked the streets and sniffed at doors
5 Natives islanders have come ashore in ony of their huge catamarans seeking warriors who will kill the lampreymen infesting their lagoon. they offer cowrie shells, furs, feathered cloaks, pearls and attractive slaves
6 Children playing in the river were snatched by lamprey men and dragged into the swamps. Desperate parents will do anything for help
7 Local church and nobles and guilds have all put up a bounty on lamprey men and a huge reward for the destruction of their temple
8 Black basalt spires avoided by ships are in fact tips of lamprey men wizard towers. A beloved sea nymph has offered potions of water breathing and pearls to whomever will kill them and avenge her missing sister
9 A lamprey witch woman in the swamps has been hiding her form with illusions and charming travellers to her lair. Local mothers have bullied the sherrif into offering a reward for the lamprey hag. Unfortunatley she is one of three sisters
10 A lamprey warlock with his eelman thugs has set up a riverside piracy gang. They have been seizing boat crews and only their skeletons are found. The warlock seeks to awaken a demon trapped in a monolith when his kind walked openly as rulers in this land
11 A major river tributary has been blocked of traffic by ropey black slime. The trails go to a hideous tower of slime. Garbled chanting can be heard from the horrid place but non dare go near
12 Apprentices have been vanishing in the city. Someone saw cloaked figures dragging them into the sewers. A Lamprey wizard has a spell to steal spells and he has been enjoying their blood. Wizards will pay to have the fiend stopped
Sealionmen
This breed are very divers in markings and sizes. The smallest sealfolk are sealings and are pretty harmless and mostly live for food and comfort. The hugest are more ogre sized and tend to not respect humans. Most are brown or black or spotted. They can vary from fun loving and sociable to mean and awful. Many live on coasts or islands where humans would not. Many live with humans as fishermen, sailors, pirates, pearl divers and ferrymen. Most people think well of them. They are as smart as people but tend to get stressed and cry when they fail which gets in the way of them fixing the problem. They hate most of the evil aquatic races and sided with humans in the great rebellion long ago against these tyrants. They are great explorers and easily gain access to marine caves and sunken treasure humans don't. City dwellers are very gregarious and often found in bars, music halls and on street corners where entertainers meet. They tend to hate slavery and performed poorly if forced into service breaking down into tears. If well rewarded and they like their employers they are cheerful and even fanatically loyal. Not huge users of magic with a priest in a herd but there have been a few wizards.
d12 Sealionmen Troubles
1 Drunken sealions sailors covered in tatoos have overtaken a tavern and wont leave unless someone tricks them into a unarmed fight or a game of skill or chance. Possibly bribing them with grog elsewhere might work
2 Several sealwomen pearl divers have gone missing and their employer is concerned. He thinks they have been kidnapped by rivals of criminals and will pay in pearls to get them back
3 A clan of large selionmen with stone war clubs and facial tattoos have come from distant islands seeking a wizard or priest who can help them fight a fishman wizard who has take their princess
4 A sealionmen pirate ship has crashed on a island and taken over. A sailor has come to town seeking help from their opression
5 A sealion sorceress and her ogrish elephant seal warriors have taken over a isolated fishing village and every night sacrifices a villager to a demon sea god she seeks to seduce
6 A crafty sealman has a stolen pirate map and seeks adventurers to beat him to the loot before pirates get there
7 A gang of sealmen bandits have been roaming the rivers and are using muskets. Apparently they like the noise and and even shoot a few rockets to scare victims. Other Seal marines usually swim up and attack hand to hand. Local militia are terrified and wonder who sold them the guns
8 A well liked sealion bard has been performing along the coast and a gang of otter bandits have taken him as a hostage
9 Sealion adventurers have plundered a cavern temple of fishmen gold. Now a water elemental has attacked them by night and the seals want to hire a expert in stopping the elemental and the fishmen who summoned it
10 A sealion village is under siege from weresharks. Now they must travel by difficult cliff trails and cannot get fish. The seals want help to eradicate the sharks and find out why they are attacking
11 A sealion has come to get help as her village is under attack by murderous seal hunters for fur and meat. Most humans cant tell the difference but the seal folk want the law to stop the trade and adventurers to hunt and kill the villains
12 A sealion clan found a strange iron structure at sea from ancient times and live on it now. Slowly the clan have become more evil and twisted bringing victims to be sacrificed to the strange machine altar. Now they have been drinking the blood of a demon fish god asleep beneath the rig and using black magic. Mariners guild want adventurers to kill them all and destroy the hellish aparatus
Sharkmen
Kin of the fishmen and savage brutes. Unlike fishmen they have no allegiances except their stomachs. They have no interest in hybridising or conquest. Many serve as marines, sailors, pirates and bouncers and they have little interest in magic other than a few priests of the shark god. Many are evil but more into eating anyone when they feel like it rather than any goal driven wickedness. When they form bandit gangs or get a ship people worry. They often serve others who do have plans but sharks only serve for money and often execute complex plans poorly. Sharks come in various sizes and colourings. Some sparklings are small and inoffensive. Largest are ogrish horrors who seem to always hunger for murder. Sharkmen occasionally have seemingly helped by attacking a monster they enjoy like a giant squid but best not to hang around to express your gratitude. Mostly fearless and can smell blood from a great distance. Some craft weapons like clubs made with their own teeth for an edge
d12 Sharkmen Troubles
1 A quiet coastal village where the rich visit for a holiday has been turned upsidedown bu sharkmen beach bullies robbing and eating visitors. Nbles from the city have put a bounty on the fiends
2 Sharkmen pirates have been plying the seas ignoring the rules of this honourable trade. Guild Pirates are offering a chest of gold to whom ever kills them all and other guilds and nations may offer more
3 A group of sharkmen have announced they intend to have a baby eating contest in one of the nasty waterfront pubs. Concerned parents and the local orphanage are concerned so the bailiffs want to contract some investigators
4 Sharkman shaman from the islands has been getting the local sharkmen agitated. Poorly behaved at the best of times the shaman demands the city harmour be made red so the shark god van be called. City officials are unimpressed and want the shaman killed before the shark high holy day
5 A secret fighting club that employs sharkmen has been abandoned. Sharkmen have escaped and eaten the gang that ran the joint. Now there are hungry angry sharkmen in a secret lair with secret passages and sewer entrances. The gang treasure might be intact inside
6 The whaling town of blood beach employs many sharkmen as security but of late eelmen have sought the contract and the beastmen have been fighting at night
7 A state sanctioned privateer has employed a dozen sharkmen marines for decades but while the ship is getting it's barnacles scraped the sharkmen have been bored and causing trouble. The privateers guild wants some tough adventurers to watch them and keep them out of trouble
8 A treasure ship ran aground on a rocky reef in a storm. Unfortunately the island is a sacred sharkman initiation ground. The ship and gold owners want brave men to recover the gold and the crew from the savage shark tribe. The tribe have a village and numerous volcanic stone idols are in the jungle
9 A sharkman mercenary claims the fish men seek to hire many of their kind. They want to see if the humans will make a counter offer first. Local officials want someone to lead the sharkmen to destroy the fishman temple utterly
10 A band of sharkmen have been cursed to lose their teeth from eating a sacred porpoise. While their employer seeks a cure he needs some one to look after them and make sure they don't get in trouble. People are openly mocking them and someone has written a comedy stage play about them which the sharks desperately want to see. The employer does not think this is a good idea
11 Creepy albino sharkmen from the deep have been raiding by night looking for something they lost on the surface thousands of years ago serving the fishmen. Everything is confusing and strange. They cant believe the dread empire they helped build has so little remaining
12 Sharkmen sailors on shore leave have been nipping down to the slums by night and eating homeless people. The city doesn't care about the unemployed but the beggars guild offers you weight in copper coins to teach the sharks a lesson
Crabmen
Most find them to be horrible at worst pitiful at best. While possibly intelligent their speech is poor to non existent and their claw hands are limited. Some work as sailors, or dragging fishing nets but many are bred as slaves for fighting contests. Some people even find them delicious. The fishmen of old used them as labourers and slave soldiers also. Some crab have resisted this for thousands of years and are hostile to fishmen and humans. Some live free on craggy rock outcrops and reefs in the sea others build citadels and castles from sand and saliva. They prefer to live in caves or dig burrows. There are various breeds in many colours some thin and elegant others squat and powerful. Some are covered in algae, some wear giant anemones as defence, while hermit crabmen wear discarded shells of huge sea snails. Some crabmen are committed to hating humans and fight to the death rather than be slaves. Some wear human hand necklaces and collect hands whenever possible for status. Some island tribes manage to get along with crabmen and even swap slaves but these are rare. In the orient crab men slaves are big business and part of the fabric of life. They sometimes have a priest and they claim the world rests on the back of the crab god. Free crabs in the city have a precarious life and live in crabtown ghettos
d12 Crabmen Troubles
1 A prized gang of crabmen escaped into the sewers and their owning clan want them back
2 A priest has for years been visiting crabtown and helping those who have lost their claws in fights or jobs. Most of these regrow the claws and are friendly to him still. Of late a strange blue crabman has arrived exhorting them to kill humans. All his years of hard work might be ruined. He needs some men to join him and live with the crabs for a while and keep this angry blue crab under observation
3 A huge sandcastle has appeared on a isolated beach and crabmen are the the obvious culprits. several families want to round them up as slaves but some crab lovers are insisting the critters are of no harm to anyone and stirring up anti crab slave sentiments
4 A crabman has come ashore to warn about a squidman plot involving ancient dread sea demons but has been put into a slave pit for his trouble. All the crabs are trouble now and their owner is thinking of having the lot boiled for a feast. A blind boy who has learned the crab claw clicking language while selling tobacco at the crab market is trying to find them help
5 A gang of crabmen ex slaves has commandeered a pirate ship and set sail for their distant home. The ship owner a licensed pirate is quite upset and wants brave adventurers to get the ship back. He doesn't care about the crabs but their former owner offers a reward for them too
6 A number of crabman attacks of late around the rivers edge has left many people handless. Angry people are demanding all of crabtown get sold as slaves or cooked. A crab friend fisherman who was saved by crabs as a boy offers a reward to find the one bad mad crab who caused the problem
7 A band of four escaped crabmen have become bandits and have now equipped a huge warcrab which they ride into battle. Most people flee or surrender on sight of the colossal crab war beast
8 A slaver who raided crab island every year yas failed to return. This year he promised to bring back a crab breeding queen to start his own bloodline which most advised against. His family want someone to visit the island and free him or negociate his release. Now handless he never wants to see a crab again
9 A man bought a a old hulk moored in the harbour for decades he wants to rent out as a private prison but crabmen have moved in and don't respect his ownership. He will pay gold for who can get the crusty squatters to leave
10 A wizard taught a crabman to read as an experiment and a assistant. It finally escaped taking specially waterproofed spell books with it and he thinks it possible but unlikely the crabman used a spell. Now the crabman has joined a wild colony and more crabmen have joined the colony who have used used magic of other sea beast men and slavers. He wants the books back and his servant. He also doesn't want anybody finding out the crabs might have learned magic from him
11 Two clans of crabmen have begun a feud. Both have built sand forts facing each other and both feud over grazing tidal flats. Red and blue crabs have a long rivalry back to when they served different fishmen clans aeons ago. A ancient horseshoe crabman has appeared, warning them that human slavers are a bigger threat. Now both crab parliaments are clicking away all night debating this while some think human slavers could be turned on their rivals. The horseshoe crabman is distraught and the local village is disturbed by all the crab chatter
12 Crabmen barbarians have travelled across the sea to investigate the pollution caused by the human city. They have made a camp and have investigated the human world and are not impressed. A few humans have notice the new colour of barnacle covered crabs with huge claws and one man was shocked when he ordered one it nipped off his hands. A crab crisis is afoot
Turtlemen Turtlemen come is several varieties some fully aquatic with flipper like limbs and the more marshy river dwellers with webbed fingers and toes. Some have very long necks and some are covered in marine growths which serve as camouflage. They come in various sizes and colours the smallest turtlings are are fairly peaceful. The largest are orge sizes and they tend to be horrible snapping turtle like living alone in ponds for hundreds of years. Tortisemen by contrast are more land based and even live in deserts and are not so dependant on water. Turtlemen ave very ancient and long lived. they have seen the world change before them and don't care too much. They are reputed to be wise but many are crotchety and they get a bit snappy. many like to ambush birds and rob nests and eat fish but they also like berries, flowers and succulent cacti. When at sea squid and jellyfish are favorites. They learn many types of magic and skills over their lifetimes. Their more advanced communities have wizard schools and temples to the great turtle gods. They are quite a bit more alert and faster than people give them credit for and quite a bit more aggressive too. Mostly they wage war on evil fish and squidmen and frogmen. They can be friendly to humans but dont put up with abuse. The craze for turtle soup they find very offensive and some unscrupulous humans have sold soup on the streets with turtlefolk flesh. Mock turtle soup made with calf heads they aprove of
d12 Turtlemen Troubles
1 A turtle pirate has left his crew but seeks adventurers to help find treasure he buried a hundred years ago. As the humans he shared secret with have all died it is time to cash out. He needs some helpers because the natives are cannibals who eat men or turtles
2 A huge ogrish turtle man has been biting of the legs of all kinds of people using the river of late and swallowing ducks whole. A reward for whoever stops the beast has been offered
3 Wise ancient turtles dwell on a island who abandoned their city long ago. Scholars come to visit them trading meat for ancient wisdom. Someones research enquiry has alerted fishmen who are now attacking visitors and the turtlemen are hiding in their caves
4 A turtle pirate has been attacking the turtle meat trade freeing the tied up sea turtles filling the cargo holds. Most recently his crew blew up a the turtle trade office with a keg of powder hidden in the sewers under the building
5 Too many corpses were fouling the river so the city purchased baby turtles to eat the corpses. Now they realise they were actually beastmen who have been corpse fattened and learned to speak from overhearing dock workers. Hundreds of them are swimming in the river and await with joyous smiles when people come to hurl in a unwanted corpses
6 The evil swamp has always been a place to avoid but a clan of snap happy turtlemen have been snatching roadside travellers. if they cant pay in coin they get eaten. The local militias refuse to enter the swamps without druid escorts
7 A band of turtles have tamed a giant snapping turtle and equipped it for war, with battlements a short siege tower and a crew of 12 turtlemen. To demonstrate their effectiveness as mercenaries they have been terrorising the marsh roads untin the city gives them a proper job. The city wants to hire expendible representatives to talk to them on their turf and report on the bands effectiveness. Possibly convince them to attack some orcs or someone else
8 A band of teenoid turtlemen assassins from the orient have been living in the city sewers. Their vigilante activity has been bothering city gangs and demon cults who use the sewers
9 A turtle duelist has been making himself famous challenging dupes to fights for hire. most think him slow and over rated but really he is a master swordsman swashbuckler. Actually he is pretty bored and looking for new thrills or a cause besides killing rich idiots for other rich idiots. Sometimes he travels with a moronic but strong shaggy dogman for company
10 An aged turtle remembers the old wizard wars and is always warning people to duck and cover when the fireballs begin to rain from the sky. for years people ignored him but a new generation of youths seem to take his claims seriously and have declared him a prophet. His cult practice arcane defence drills and have build bunker temples to survive the coming doomsday comet, actually a mighty fireball that missed aeons ago and has come back around the sun for a second chance. The cult also has built a observatory and publishes pamphlets warning of the coming doom
11 A turtle wizard with arcane runes on his enchanted shell has come to the city to trade spells but someone has taken his spellbooks. He will reward who finds them with a custom magic item
12 The black caped Count Yurtu the vampire turtle has been menacing people from the sewers for decades. He doesn't just drink blood he gorges himself on their corpses and ages the rest to improve the flavour. Now he has gone too far and has eaten a important clan heir and they have sent hunters after him. In retaliation he has created dozens of ghouls to guard his secret lair entrance. A huge reward is offered to who can stiop him
Lobstermen
Are a ancient breed who served the fishmen as temple guards. They were held in high regard by the fish cult but were let loose when the ichthian empire crumbled. The come in various colours and markings and sizes. Some live in the deep and caves have long thin arms and are albino. Some have bioluminescent globes for communication and lures. They are close kin to crayfishmen and their smaller kin the shrimpfolk. They are very long lived and regard crabmen as inferiors. they judge each other by the quality of their whiskers and quality of their tails. They may be any kind of spell user with wizardry for the most civilized. they also practice hybridisation like the fishmen producing some horrible half breeds. They have their own undersea temples and monasteries but some still serve the fishmen as mercenaries rather than obedient unquestioning days of yore. Unlike crabmen with clawed hands they often have finer manipulating hands which they will explain has made them more civilized. They are quite talkative and explain their actions and purpose as they murder intruders of prey. They regard themselves as highly educated and superior.
d12 Lobstermen Troubles
1 A sub sea quake recently lifted a slimy island covered in strange buildings and sailors who came looking for treasure were captured and ceremonially dissected on the ziggurats of the the lobster cult
2 Sailors found a ancient stone chest with tablets of the lobsterfolk history. Scholars are amazed but they owners want the tablets back. They have captured several students and are holding them in flooded caverns as hostages
3 A strange erotic idol of a lobsterwoman goddess has been washed up on a beach carved from whale ivory. Human hybrid cultists in service to lobsterfolk have been trying to steal the statue back from the private collection
4 A mean lobsterman has been snipping off the legs or fishermen using nets in the river and the sherrif has offered a reward for whom can stop this rude fellow
5 A child fell down a well. Rescuers went after him and saw strange glass like transparent lobster men carrying him into the deep. The local lord want these horrors destroyed as soon as possible. The idea of these things up to no good under his territory repulses him
6 A clan of lobstermen have been scheming to infiltrate the city in the future. For now they have begun kidnapping humans for breeding purposes and have been using magic to trick men into believing the lobster women are normal prostitutes
7 A lobsterman martial monk has come to the city to challenge humans to unarmed combat to learn their secrets. Most people consider the idea of unamed combat with these clawed horrors to be foolish but some have taken the challenge. Crowds and gambling cartels are attending the fights in huge numbers
8 A circus has been exhibiting a lobsterboy in a cage. Of late someone has tried to set him free and the ringmaster wants the problem nipped in the bud
9 A strange bronze statue of a lobster god found in the sea has been cleaned of coral and put on display. Nobody realizes this is a lobsterman exogolem armoured suit. A lobsterman has been eyeing the statue awaiting his chance to get inside and make the human pay
10 Lovers cove has been a popular place for young romance for decades but lately something has been murdering the youths and snipping off their bodyparts.You would think this would dampen the ardour of the youths but no
11 Fishmen angered by dumping of textile dyers waste have sent a crack team of lobstermen killers to attack and burn down the millers and dyer district. The tanneries will be next
12 A nobleman who loves eating lobsters (thought of as disgusting bugs by commoners) recently has been receiving giant lobster tails from a certain village. Curious how the fishermen catch them he wants to contract someone to investigate the source. The fishermen have been lucky so far tricking the lobstermen but soon after investigators arive the village is attacked from the sea en masse
Puffinmen
These plump razorbilled sea bird men live in large colonies. they mate for life and are very determined. Most humans cannot tell males from females and the puffins have total gender equality. They live in large colonies and dig burrows. Puffinlings are a smaller mostly harmless variety. Giant and ogre size puffinmen exist but are rare. The larger man size breeds often are sailors and fishermen or even pirates. Some are whalers and seal hunters also. They are not especially bloodthirsty but may be belligerent to humans on their islands or harming them. Some humans used to hunt them for food and rendered them for oil which has made puffins suspicious of man. More serious and less impulsive than gull men makes them better magicians and some colonies are quite civilized. Some of their biggest colonies of Puffinland possibly number in the millions. As they prefer cold climes where humans avoid they seldom compete. They are able traders and have merchant fleets of their own. They have gone to war and taken lands from humans who annoyed them but in most cases were bribed away. The practice of making puffin oil has declined and there has been peace for the last few hundred years. They definitely hate fishmen and all their former evil minion races.
d12 Puffinmen Trouble
1 Puffinmen have driven off everyone from several islands in the last few years now they have arrived on a rocky coast seashore and people are worried. Someone needs to make a truce to keep everyone assured of peace
2 Puffin Pirates have burned and sacked a great city to the west and refugees have arrived telling stories of the relentless identical hordes. The puffin fleet rivals some of the greatest navies in the world some say
3 A puffinman ship has been seen in the area and they have been bringing onto their boats the corpses of evil squidmen. Local lawmakers want someone to speak with them about what the squid faced fiends are up to
4 A puffin prince has come to visit and wants to sample the delights of human civilization. City officials require bodyguards to stop locals trying to take advantage of the prince. Any harm to him could damage the smoked cod trade
5 A gang of puffin vigilantes have been fighting in the streets at night with fishmen cult gangs. How the puffins know where to find them and how many their are has alarmed the authorities
6 Bareknuckle fighting has always been popular and beastmen are a special attraction but recently a team of heavy set puffinmen have been making big winnings which has upset the mob
7 Puffinfolk imigrants have come to the city looking for homes and work. The clan have some stolen fishman gold to pay some one to help them and act as guides. They are very sober and quaint and not used to filth and crime. Some see them as easy dupes
8 A Puffinman wizard seeks adventurers to raid a squidman citadel in the sea. He will cast spells to let his employees breath. He just wants their tablets and heads, hirelings can keep all the gold
9 Eelmen are outraged their spawning grounds have been picked clean by a clan of newly settled puffinfolk. Eelmen are gathering for a brawl and the puffins seem unconcerned
10 A criminal gang of puffinmen smugglers has opened their own secret black market and older cartels are unhappy. Fights have begun to break out
11 Someone has told puffins the secret of gunpowder. Now their ships are blasting ancient fishfolk and squidmen reef towns and rock island citadels. Their marines with muskets have marched into fishtowns massacring them and burning their demon temples. The retreating refugees have come to the mainland to escape settling in cliffs and rivers
12 A number of pirates have had their treasure cache islands seized by puffins of late and they are sick of it. They plan to sneak back and try to dig up their loot without being caught. They just need some specialists to help
Ottermen
Otters are mostly thought of as adorable and playful scamps. They live in affectionate family groups and can be seen on their backs laying in the water in groups. For many non humans this is a sight of horror. They eat all kinds of marine creatures and happily gang up on saltwater crocodiles or bigger prey. The smallest otterlings are mostly harmless. Some of the giant ones act like boats for the smaller ones and are part of the family. They get on famously with humans often serving as boatmen, sailors, fishermen and smugglers. Many live by nefarious means and criminal trades but most are not into violence or murdering humans. Fishmen and eelmen and oystermen are another story and bring out their dark side. They are quite civilized, some are very fashionable and dandies. Many are swashbuckling freebooters for hire. Being skilled in water, sneaking and hiding has advantages in a ship crew. Charm has benefits too. Otterkin and humans have swapped children and raised them as their own. For the river folk this cements the communities and is a old tradition. Magic is not their forte but they are smart enough and curious.
Ottermen Trouble
1 Ottermen youths have been climbing onto rooftops and stealing from washerwomens laundry lines strung across the street. They are furious and offer a years free laundry if they can be stopped
2 A swashbuckiling masked otter bandit has been robbing the countryside. The law hates him but the ladies love him
3 Several young otter wizard apprentices on school break have been pranking the district causing all kinds of problems and starting fights
4 A gang of ottermen and catmen are having a cross city race. The otters have planned a aquatic shortcut and a change of clothes. Usually these contests erupt in a fight
5 Ottermen and river ratmen have been fighting on the docks again. The losers get eaten. The public from the better side of town over the viver are sick of this grisly spectacle and want somebody to do something
6 A flamboyant otterman thief stole a ladies ring and her family want the ring returned and the thief in irons
7 A otterman consulting detective and his dogman sidekick have discovered a terrible ratman plot involving gunpowder and and rat suicide bombers. The city officials don't believe dumb beastmen so he needs help bringing down the ratking
8 A group of ottermen teens were playing tag in the sewers and came across a hidden staircase to a secret fishman temple. Fishmen cultists are now hunting them and the meddling otterkin are in big trouble
9 Ottermen river pirates are claiming a fish tax on travellers and the city want their shenanigans stopped. If offered work they would probably accept
10 An otterman was exploring the old herring pickling plant and found a demonic cult having a ritual murder party. He is afraid of conspiracies but will tell adventurers the cultists all wore gold masks to get them hooked
11 A otterman veteran knows of a thickly forested island temple of the newtmen is and they worship gold idols. He just wants the right adventurers to help him deal with the magic and monsters he is unfamiliar with
12 A otter wizard apprentice tried playing with his masters magic door to get some free fish and fishmen have taken his masters tower. He wants someone to clean them out before the master gets home. in return he will identify items for them for a year
Squidmen
Squidmen are slimey despicable thugs, devoted to worship of elder sea demon gods, black magic, slavery, drugs and murder. Cuttlefishmen are a related but less horrible breed and ammonites are ancient warrior subset with hard pointed shell helmets. Nautilus are another related breed with spiral helps but they are more concerned with abstract thought and occult contemplation than conquest. Squidmen are interested in all magic and martial skills and consider all skills and actions to be worthy of occult philosophising. They were allies and rivals of the fishmen but considered themselves closer to their gods. They consider the lord of the deep to be their god-priest-king and the mighty kraken demons are his bishops. They kept slaves and enjoyed dining on the cranial fluid of their humanoid slaves. Once titanic beasts served them and carried their armies across the world. now their servitors have left them and they have to get their own disgusting hands dirty. They often fail through arrogance and assuming they are superior in all respects. They dwell in the deep sea but have castles on reefs and rocky outcrops to spy on man. they employ hybrids to infiltrate and corrupt mankind hoping to taint humans ant breed the ape out of them leaving only the pure divine squid. Often they will attempt to give occult lectures assuming humans will stop and listen to their wisdom but humans usually are quick to hate and kill them. The truth is they are dreadful failures who fell aeons ago but refuse to believe it yet.
d12 Squidmen Troubles
1 Squid cultists in the sewers are kidnapping sacrifices and noisily chanting in the sewers. The city militia are quietly hiring kill squads to eliminate them
2 A foul squidman wizard seeks a relic to command a sea leviathan. His followers have made the mistake of hiring greedy adventurers to help them recover the relic in a dungeon, believing they will be easily killed when no longer needed
3 Thousands of squid have choked the harbour summoned by a cult who plan to fuse them into a unholy kraken god to punish the city for crimes against the squid lords
4 Rumours of wild parties with forbidden vice only for the rich are common in the city, but the drug deaths and drowned brainless corpses of decadent idle rich found in the harbour have authorities curious
5 A a titanic kronosaur has been menacing shipping. On survivor saw openings in its body and squid headed wizards looking out. The city wants secret agents to lure the beast and infiltrate the inside hopefully to kill the control centre in the brain. Destroying squids and the beast would be a bonus
6 Tentacled mutants have always been shunned and live in the slums, unemployable and wretched. Of late they have grown surlier and seem to be organised, running errands and disappearing into the sewers. The city wants investigators to find out what is going on
7 A squidwitch has been luring ships to wreck against Skull Rock. When rescuers came the men had turned into lunatic cannibals, some with scars where the witch had sucked out cranial fluids. Merchants and mariners guilds have put a bounty on her and her cult
8 A merchant has recently taken his menagerie of shore to an island and become a recluse. When searching his abandoned estate men found horrible squid faced frog monsters living in the flooded sewer and idols of the squid god. His former peers humiliated by association want him dead. Who knows what he and his squid cult have been breeding
9 A squid sorceress has been working the streets in human form as a prostitute and her victims drained of cranial fluids have been found gnawed by crabs in the sewers. The harlot and Prostitute guild have put a bounty on her but a squid cult have moved to protect her and send her rich victims
10 A squid lord, his brain swollen by all the brain juice he has gorged on, has been sending dreams, luring victims to his cavern crypt deep under the city. The kin of the missing people who have had glimpses of these dreams want him dead
11 A cabal of squid cults in the city have hidden their secret masters in a riverside mansion with an aquatic entrance. A eelman servant feeling cheated of pay has told the secret police who seek to hire assassins to wipe out the fiends
12 A coastal manour house with secret passages to the smugglers caves in the cliff below has become a hotspot of devil squid cult activity. Locals have disappeared and inhuman chanting has been heard. The house is a trap The doors magically sealed. traps and cursed enchantments make the house a terrifying murder manor. The cult below delight in feeding off victims who's bodies are flooded with the taste of fear
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Stuff for later?
d12 More wetllands races
1 Oystermen
2 Ibismen
3 Starfishmen
4 trilobitemen
5 Urchinmen
6 Anenomemen
7 Octopusmen
8 Penguinmen
9 Crocmen
10 Stingraymen
11 Seahorsemen
12 Gandermen
d12 Common Forest Beastmen
1 Stagmen
2 Owlmen
3 Beavermen
4 Bearmen
5 Foxmen
6 Hedgehogmen
7 Boarmen
8 Unicornmen
9 Squirrelmen
10 Hawkmen
11 Toadmen
12 Leopardmen
d12 Steppes
1 Ostrichmen
2 Scorpionmen
3 Falconmen
4 Cheetamen
5 Lynxmen
6 Camelmen
7 Yakmen
8 Hyenamen
9 Jackalmen
10 Gazzellemen
11 Tigermen
12 Bisonmen
d12 Underland
1 Axalotlmen
2 Spidermen
3 Cocroachmen
4 Newtmen
6 Salamandermen
7 Slugmen
8 Wormmen
9 Moleratmen
10 Termitemen
11 Armadillomen
12 Cricketmen
d12 Jungle
1 Monkeymen
2 Peacockmen
3 Dragonflymen
4 Waspmen
5 Mantismen
6 Snailmen
7 Flymen
8 Slothmen
9 Panthermen
10 Elephant Men
11 Rhinomen
12 Cockrelmen
Elemental Abhuman Men
fire - magma - radience
air - lightning - cloud
earth - stone - crystal
water - ice - mud
metalmen
woodmen
Shadowmen
treemen
vegemen
mushroommencactimen
algaemen
slimemen
RequestsSome of these dont fit the continental theme of my fantasy RPG setting but would work in Planet Psychon quite well. Oddly enough I dont use animals from Australia, the Americas and others often. Pleistocene beastmen like mammoth men and terror birdmen and glyptodonmen are possible but I could build many from modern species. Still thinking really - there is enough for 7 blogs here yet. i could end up doing a book of beastmen with my BX class. Im aproaching my next blog milestone soon so Im hoping on getting another compilation book happening and hope to make it the prettiest one yet.
Ferretmen
Aardvarkmen
Anteatermen
Armadillomen
Chameleonmen
Donkeymen
Dragonflymen
Elephantmen
Gatormen
Antelopemen
Giraffemen
Hippomen
Kangaroomen
Koalamen
Llamamen
Pandamen
Playtpusmen
Porcupinemen
Racoonmen
Rhinomen
Aardvarkmen
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I'm digging the beastmen. More maestro more !
ReplyDeleteYeah, this has been a great series of posts.
ReplyDeleteWould a bunch of different dinosaur-men be too obvious as a request?
i could bullshit them under lizard men mostly but yes a d12 dino beastmen common on monster island would be good
Deletea pleistocene one too
Elkman
ReplyDeleteFlymen
Mosquitomen
Beetlemen
Millipedemen
LOVE THESE DUDE! Get your book together!
also fly and elk on my list but mosqito and milipede are good stuff - could do a awamp group
Deletei did do a beetlemen but your right a d12 just on beetle subtypes would work i was thinking of having a beetletown in the ghetto or a beetleland area
ReplyDelete