Monday 15 June 2020

d100 Stone Age Tunda Encounters + Gamelog





















So sorta like the Beringia landbridge tundra with patches of forest, permafrost, grasslands but also animals like flightless birds roam here. Mix of Pleistocene and Eocene animals, mostly mammals. If plants got across bearing crossing and tortoises got into Norway and UK rapidly after glaciers left I wonder about non-mammal crossing but oh well. A sea or a night time table might be good and a bit more spooky.

DnD dire wolves more Tolkien than real. Real dire wolves are not that bigger than regular wolves but science says they were dumber and more were caught in tar pits than more modern wolves who live in the same place but didn't keep getting stuck in tar. But here I mean DnD ones. LOTR movie ones are more hyena-like. Giant beavers and Lynx in ADnD are smarter than most people realise. I'm fine with this or even that a % of animals are intelligent and potentially use magic.

Tundra ain't all permafrost and snow. It has woodland, seasonal grasslands, streams, frozen marshes, rivers, glacial gravel heaps, areas of stones and moss, hills, ravines and more. The remnants of prehuman ruins in mountains and even advanced stone using peoples and monolith makers are rarer here with mostly nomad peoples. Many grandparents note trees have increased on mountains and spread along tundra plain rivers. The elves have been busily reforesting the planet after the dim light in the age of the monster ruled era. 

Lone strangers are to be treated with caution. Many supernatural beings appear as loners as do wicked outcaste magicians, lycanthropes and worse. Some don't take a risk and slay loners without any familiar tribal markings. 

a few interesting links
http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/e/embolotherium.html
https://www.nps.gov/articles/aps-17-1-4.htm
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-permafrost-arctic-animal-herds-pleistocene-park-siberia/
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/04/pleistocene-park/517779/

Found a funny essay surprised hominids ate so much rabbit for so long and would bother. As rabbits are very easy to catch kill and skin in less than a minute and digging them up is easy I was surprised but I guess most assumed everyone eating megafauna and big animals.

Most recent game had cave people make friends with civilised lizard people who encouraged the tribe to drive out white apes, snake tribe folk (these serene lizards hated bossy snakes) and giant spiders in area. The elf and halfling spent some time scouting ape areas with lizard men temporary followers two scouts with darts and a monk with an obsidian naginata. Invisibly sneaked up on and killed shaman and his baboon guards and a bunch on spider monkeys. Found potions and fetishes and human skins in the shaman shack. then returned to lizard monastery triumphantly.

Spent some time studying and the elf read lizardfolk wall texts and learned the basics of spoken language. 
The halfling had become a druid  and learned a puffball spell and the elf had learned fireball was keen to test it. So they went ape hunting and killed a number of small foraging groups then returned to the ape stone circle where they killed the shaman. They fireballed mourning white apes in the shamans ancient stone hut and killed many of the ape tribe heroes. The apes had a great setback and the lizards gifted tribe with some crystal daggers and a crystal that could store one cantrip spell for anyone to cast. Lizardfolk welcomed tribe entering valley and offered them the evil spiders cave. What could go wrong with mostly human colonists? Well better than stinking white apes and giant spiders. 

On way out of valley they killed spiders and returned through the secret valley entrance back to the icy tundra. Thinking of recruiting unwanted peoples of the frozen lands and bringing some back here where the food is plentiful. Next game contacting more of the local tribes.

d100 
Stone Age Tunda Encounters
01 Remains of a camp possibly of strangers in territory recently
02 Remains of camp whare a friendly tribe was a d4 days ago
03 Remains of a fresh kill picked at by vultures and jackals
04 Lions eating a huge beast wary of thieves near kill
05 Baboons picking at bones left by other preditors
06 Ape folk eating a kill furious at any rival humanoids
07 Mammoth stuck in a pit attracting sabretooth or d4 dire wolves
08 Assemblages of bones or shellfish left by primitive ape hominids
09 Bees in area, skilled survivor can find d4 kilos of honey
10 Rabbit or ground rat burrow complex
11 A herd of elk or reindeer 1in6 followed by tribe or preditors
12 A herd of mammoth 1in6 followed by tribe or preditors
13 A herd of bison 1in6 followed by tribe or preditors
14 A herd of auroch cattle highly aggressive to any preditors
15 A herd of ponies 1in6 followed by tribe or preditors
16 A herd of goats or sheep 1in6 followed by tribe or preditors
17 A herd of camels or llama 1in6 followed by tribe or preditors
18 A herd of brontotherium 1in6 followed by tribe or preditors
19 A herd of musk oxen 1in6 followed by tribe or preditors
20 Flock of giant moa like herbivore grazing flightless birds
21 A giant ground sloth grazing
22 A glyptodon near huge burrow complex
23 Giant beavers creating a lake from streams and marshes
24 Giant anteater tearing apart huge ant mounds
25 Flock of game birds or wetland birds if water near
26 Giant porcupine lumbering about
27 Grumpy woolly rhino hostile to the smell of humanoids or fire
28 Pack of ferocious ground squirrels pour out of holes to drive away enemies
29 Thousands of small migrating birds
30 Boar and d4 females and 2d6 piglets will eat anything
31 Giant eagle will grab humanoids by the head and carry off and possibly drop on rocks
32 Flock of terror birds out hunting
33 Huge lone sabretooth hunting mammoth or anything really
34 Cave lion pride most often females hunting
35 Giant lynx or bobcat skulking about 
36 A pride of sabretooth spotted leopards-like cats 
37 Pack of wolves out hunting, cries will draw more in and may follow prey gathering numbers
38 Dire wolves obviously following 
39 Wild dog pack (formerly domesticated and gone wild) 
40 Jackals (Coyote) mostly avoid humans but might follow to steal scraps
41 Giant weasels or otters if need near water
42 Cave Hyena pack the cowardly following for scraps to scavenge or steal
43 Hyaenodon pack prowling 
44 Entelodont (terminator pig) roaming about terrorising animals
45 Bear dog or sarkastodon roaming alone

46 Paraceratherium roaming 1in4 has a calf it protects otherwise it ignores humans
47 Grisly bear 1in4 has a d2 cubs
48 Polar bear 1in4 has a d2 cubs
49 Cave bear 1in4 has a d2 cubs
50 Giant owl try and snatch smallest party member
51 Giant carniverous ape on prowl often near a family group of a d4 with d4 children
52 Primitive ape folk tribe who use fire but don't make it and use simpler tools
53 Scrawny ape folk who live in trees scavenging meat and fear fire
54 White ape tribe hateful of humans who they eat and sacrifice to demons
55 Nomadic tribe of human hunters following herds (one of the great tribes)
56 Cannibalistic ape folk hunting for humanoids
57 Lone abandoned disabled old person, 1in4 has an unusual useful skill 
58 Shamen on a quest with a d4 unusual followers and pets in camp
59 Degenerate albino subterranean semi-humans hunting on the surface world
60 Wandering band of mutants shunned by tribe, 1in4 serve chaos demons
61 A lone pine elf scouting tundra and planting tree seeds
62 Halfling trappers prowling will hide and spy shyly on strangers but may trade
63 A grubby naked dwarf with a stone axe banished from the home clan and hungry
64 Gnome spies on strangers from burrow hole with huge ground squirrel friends
65 Dark elf full of malice 3rd level with invisibility spell will follow victims to kill in sleep
66 Grubby hairy all over dwarf cannibal berserker from Underland 
67 Ugly lost gnome in a strange suit and goggles from Underland knows no surface speech
68 Nasty cannibal halflings lure victims in close for ambushes using treachery 
69 Tiny fairy folk use tiny d3 arrows to drive away giant intruders from area
70 Dryad or satyr looking for love has d4-1 enthralled lovers now
71 Kobolds from underworld 3d4 exploring surface with a pet
72 Goblin hunters looking for smaller game and mushrooms 2d6
73 Hobgoblin warriors with stone axes and spears hunting humans 2d6
74 Bugbear head hunter on the prowl with bow and strangling cord
75 Bugbear warriors hunting humans silently d6
76 Norker cave goblins with clubs and overbites out hunting 2d6
77 Orc hunters hunting humans for status 2d4+4
78 Goblin magician and d6 servants d4 1=druid and wolves 2=dark priest and zombies 3=shaman and warrior 4=wizard with hobgoblins (1in6 of all groups have a thoul) 
79 Elemental abhuman warrior far from home d4 1=frost 2=rock 3=fire 4=fog
80 Beast abhuman hunters 2d6 in band d6 1=wolf 2=lion 3=bear 4=elk 5=goat 6=bull
81 Ogres out hunting d4 with sacks of flint, ochres and dried meat and fungi
82 Horrible insane chaos troll slobbering and following trails for food
83 Group of d4 rare elder trolls survive the old times d4 1=hedge troll (as halfling) 2=cave troll (as dwarf) 3=mountain troll (as abhuman) 4=arcane troll (as elf)
84 Hill giant 1in6 with a pet d4 1=polar bear 2=dire wolf  3=sabretooth tiger 4=mammoth
85 Centaur brutes with clubs seek to carry away mates d6
86 Wise noble centaur loner skilled in several arts including healing with bow and lance
87 Plant spirit folk changeling in human form out to wander world before returning to life as a tree
88 Animal folk spirit changeling in human or animal form often curious about strangers d6 1=seductive vixen troublemaker 2=wise owl priest 3=witch woman spider 4=friendly lynx 5=ranger swan-maidens 6=
89 Lycanthrope alone and cursed enemy of humans d4 1=wolf 2=panther 3=bear 4=mammoth might try to get close to use treachery or murder foes in sleep
90 Wildman abhumans covered in green hair some with antlers, 2d6 led by a 4th Lv druid. Shy but protective of wilderness resources and wary of humans
91 Fairyland spirit able to create an animal form or 1in6 a human or elf form with other magic powers, protect nature and punish evil or destructive humans
92 An ancient burial ground has been exposed and thawed out with some precious stone implements, magic tools and undead d4 1=ghouls d6 2=skeletons 3d4 3=zombies 2d4 4=shadows d4. Remnants of tablets with symbols might be useful wizard research
93 Spectral minion of a beast improperly slain without ritual which local hunters know from ancient prayers and litanies from past. Angry spirit animal will attack unless appeased possibly by a druidic sacrifice 
94 Spectral minion of a wicked tribal outcaste who died alone in the wastes and barred from the family tent in the underworld. Possibly appeased with sacrifice but often malicious or will scare strangers
95 A wicked lone spell caster Lv d4+2 banished from other lands might seek to join a group but will have a strong influence d4 1=druid 2=priest 3-wizard 4=sorcerer 5=bard 6=changeling 
96 Lone abhuman wizard 4th Lv awoken from hibernation and angry at dirty apes not knowing place  d4 1=catfish 2=
97 Feathered or furred reptilians d4 1=allasaurus 2=giant constrictor snake 3=pack or raptors 4=dimetrodon 
98 Horrible hybrids left over from dawn age d6 1=chimera 2=manticors d4 3=hell hound 4=peryton 5=lecruotta 6=sphynx 7=griffon 8=wyvern
99 Elemental beast d4 1=salamander (fire or frost) 2=winter wolf 3=drake (fire or frost) 4=Fire newts riding striders with obsidian bladed war clubs and spears 2d4
100 Titanic elder beast, mostly sleep but ocationaly move, some kill everything in path others mostly harmless. Some people might have spoken to them in the past but not now days d8 1=Ikathra the living glacier who brings cold weather 2=Gthron the beast with no face who eats souls in the fog 3=Malardra the the undead collosusand and his walking death followers ever seeking to replenish their fallen 4=Vardura the hungering one, makes everyone for miles feel hungry and angry and edgy 5=Korran the walking tree thing spreads fertility in wake atracting animals and prosperity 6=Ull the hunter a great spirit on skis leading spectral minion hunters and beasts seeking to slay any hunters who failed to make the prayers and proper butchering procedures animal spirits require to be born again in the mortal world 7=Aran the stalking death comes to area in form of a black cloud or antlered dark giant  to claim the lives of the oldest in a village, wait a day and if elder does not come with them forever will attack the tribe 8=Emora the God Mammoth comes to lead herds away and will often be heard by many trumpeting mammoth followers that little could stop, she is revered by the mammoth cult and druids

I might do a table of hazards and wonders too to the company this
possibly a bunch of events of interest or seasonal events...

Im happy to advance this group to test my rules at higher levels which I have neglected. Only one of my three games still running. 

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