Thursday 30 July 2020

Blogger Problems & Escape Plans






























So my link pages on Blogger have been destroyed by the makeover. Pages with subject sorted links to thousands of tables are broken. Possibly some systems and social media removing URL links automatically. When I open edit page I can see 2 lines of links when I go to preview it shows 60 lines of links.
Tags have been broken also under the new system.
Tagging now i cant cut and paste in fields i must click boxes sorted three ways in field and slow to find stuff. The boxes I click don't save frequently and I go back to find links have gone. Happened 4 times on one doc. There is a trick to it but why make it harder? If they want a phone mode for posting just do that. FB doing same with mixed results. 
 

Fixing this is too hard so sorry tagging and updating these link pages might end unless things change. Im still rewriting the same articles i wrote years ago again by mistake and I find stuff with google better than search on blogger anyway. Numbers and subscribers have dropped a bit too so I might start a big archive of PDFs soo. No plans but they have made it harder to operate or network and platform is shrinking so I doubt lots of effort on blogger worth it. 


Anyone else dealing with these bugs/issues?

Update:

Text I wrote into a blog post now missing so this is all going down fast. I'll drop my last few posts here. If I cant even enter text reliably this is pointless being here.

More sudden death than I like but oh well goodby after 8 years.

Update:
Im not deleting just not posting new stuff
I post had half text missing i looked at again and all text gone now.
In short term Patraeon might take over 

Looking at several options
preferably something that would survive if i died

Wednesday 29 July 2020

The Fabulous World of DragonDance (TM)

The fabulous world of DragonDance(TM) will be a fabulous setting where your heroic player-characters seek dragons to dance with and win DragonDance battles. Young dragon dancers wander the perfectly safe and barley threatening world of magical adventure and dragon romance. While they wander dragon dancers meet new friends, try tasty new regional snacks and gain new adorable familiar spirit minions. The greatest thrill for every DragonDancer(TM) is to compete at temple regional Dragon Dances held once a century. As the contests are once a century at any one place, so the DragonDancers must travel to new Dragondance temples across the world.

Once a DragonDancer arrives at a Temple they must perform a solo audition to get final selection then if they pass to final selection will be shown a map of local dragons to seduce into the Forbidden Dance with dragons. Each temple has their own preferred dance style and own rules and score system with judges. Each area has different dragons who may or may not like dancing or might think you just want their treasure. Often friends who failed the audition help their audition winning pals seduce a dragon willing to dance. Once a dragon is enthused in the idea of dance it will test the DragonDancer in various ways to see if they are worth becoming one through dance. Finally, after the dragon's test you are ready for the great contest where you become one with your dragon dance partner and compete for fabulous trophies, ribbons and snack food sponsorship deals. For some unlucky dancers who foolishly chose bad dragons, they might get eaten or worse.

Sometimes a special choreographer can be recruited to improve their chances but this requires another journey and meeting another cantankerous supernatural choreographer. Choreographers are ancient immortals who can enhance DragonDancers chances of victory in a contest but are high maintenance and might cause conflict between a DragonDancer and their partner. Some case choreographers are liars or insane or hopelessly out of date or have their own pet dance theory judges don't cares for. During a DragonDance battle, a choreographer improves your chance on the Dance Battle Matrix chart. During the contest rounds, there is a festival to enjoy, friends to meet, snacks to try. There can also be intrigued as some rival dancers might try to influence judges or sometimes a judge has some agenda other than selecting the most beautiful DragonDance.

Quite a bit of DragonDance is wandering looking for a contest then finding dragons and choreographers and the tasty snacks they can be persuaded with. Sometimes distractions and strange spectacles or obstacles might delay you. Sometimes you might have to choose a faster but slightly risky path like a spooky woods or cross a bridge over lava. Sometimes mean failed DragonDancer gangs will demand you dance battle them or hand over all your tasty food items and familiars. Sometimes you meet disturbed people who want to hurt dragons and you have to help them recover from this terrible malady with love, kindness and the healing power of dance. Yes there are dark dank dungeons but the scary monsters use unconventional dance styles that could send you to hospital. Monsters will steal your treats and dance trophies too so there is very little to gain from them mostly unless you're on a quest to please a dragon or choreographer or a judge.

Players can play both kinds of exiting DragonDancer character types in DD, a wizard-dancer or a witch-dancer. There are hundreds of adorable magical spirit familiars you can gather on your journeys that give you magic spells like sheet ghosts, unicorns, mini dragons, talking animals, sprites, goblins, basilisks, manticores, Griffins and many more. To tame your familiar a wizard-dancer treat their familiars with tasty treats or offers to help them in return. A witch has strong allegiances to certain types of spirit and dragon and uses their kinship to persuade familiars to join with them. Naughty magicians might trick, bully, blackmail and otherwise be mean to their familiars and you can help them by defeating their masters and freeing them. Some might join with you in gratitude. Having a dance battle with a wild familiar can result in friendship but failure might send you to the hospital from the complicated otherworldly dance moves.

Sometimes your battles don't go so well and you might end up in hospital which takes time and accrues massive bills. If you cannot be rescued and taken to the hospital or your dragon eats you, the hospital will just clone you which of course is very expensive and sometimes creates legal problems if there are two of you. Some lucrative snack food sponsors include medical benefits and a supply of snacks and branded outfits and uniforms. 

Possibly might cross over with my Magical Octopus Princess Adventure game but the humans in that are possibly too mean but could be a crossover.

Monday 27 July 2020

Carousing in the Tundra



So my tribal players are about to head to a great mammoth clan gathering which will last a week where leaders and shaman meet and foreign tribe guests state grievances and there are lots of feasts. The players tribe will be bringing seed bread buns and some magic loot and trinkets they found exploring ruins and such. I guess I'm a bit inspired by Norse gatherings with religious legal and social significance.

Festival Itinerary of Seven days 
1 Gathering where people set up camps, meet and start to trade
2 Market day then the little feast and welcome speeches 
3 Holy day with long ceremonies then the wise ones meet on occult matters
Legal grievances from within tribe dealt with then foreign tribe delegates 
5 People engage in contests than a small feast
6 People trade while leaders meet and the great feast
7 Everyone gathers goods, unpack and go separate ways chanting

Other projects for this setting....
Statting up centaur variations
Statting up Atlantean cursed evil wizard types

Any of these entries suggesting a quest or scene could be played as they happened if plying as encounters at event. If you using the tables to cover what happened over a longer time period they could indicate an adventure that happened "off-screen" in that time

Types
01 Feasting
02 Contests
03 Barter
04 Craft
05 Conflict
06 Friendship
07 Romance
08 Adventure
09 Dream Quest
10 Supernatural

d100 Carousing in the Tundra
01 Offered a strange gift of mystery meat 1=from magic animal heals d3HP +1CHA for hour 2=from a rare animal you've never tried 3=human flesh 4=something disgusting
02 Og offers some bog grog he brewed in a log, mildly alcoholic but needs flavour
03 Catch feral child-stealing scraps and raised partly by some animals, all amazed
04 Bard sings tribal lineage & the song of tribal hero who made a pact with the tribal totem animal
05 Odd hunter brings a strange creature to eat claims it's the best eating. Both have d3 minor cosmetic mutation 
06 Someone suggests a cruel horrible and spectacle and argues how great it will be
07 Blacked out on strange potions, gain infamy for hilarious drugged-out antics

08 A famous hero is toasted by all and recants their amazing battle with all at feast
09 Someone at feast took great offence and tried to stab you, then left bitterly
10 Invited to meet important leaders informally
11 
A boasting contest of great deeds and battles spreading the fame of all
12 A hunting contest who single-handed brings in best beast alone wins
13 A target shooting contest 
14 Obstacle race with a climb a swim and bypass a dangerous creature
15 Craftsmen present greatest works to the tribe to admire for fame
16 A wrestling contest is proposed
17 A challenge to collect a trinket like a scale or a feather from a monster's lair
18 Spent lots of time playing knuckle bones
19 Teams chase a small animal, goblin or hogskin bag of peas around field for a day
20 Teams move a giant boulder the furthest
21 Trader from the sea d6 1=cowrie shells 2=salt 3=dried fish 4=shark teeth 5=pearl 6=dry seaweed
22 
Trader in underworld fungus d4 1=heald d4HP 2=detect magic 1Turn 3=delicious dried rations 4=grants a spirit vision, if users saves just vomit for d3, fail save meet an otherworldly spirit, try to do in a safe place, not a hell cursed graveyard
23 
Trader in flint and some exotic stones pieces d4 1=obsidian 2=crystal 3=basalt 4=jade
24 Trader in d4 colours of ochre for artwork and body paint
25 Trader in exotic furs, fine cloaks, mittens and boots
26 Trader in carving and bone tusks and some spear tips, medallions and figurines
27 Trader has strange dried animal parts, petrified bones, and huge scales
28 Trader has strange greenstone artefacts of carved strange gods and spirits
29 Trader in exotic trinkets and charms and some pieces of d4 1=amber 2=jet 3=opal 4=copper coin
30 Trader in stories knows locations of strange secret places of forbidden ancient ruins, caves into the underland and other strange things
31 Craftsman has some scraps of copper and others come to watch him make "coins" sharp pieces of metal for cutting or scraping and symbols of status
32 Witness an old wizard complete enchanting a stone axe over many days with assistants
33 Hear story of a mysterious non-human craftsman in mountains
34 A flintnapper showing new style of spearhead they learned while captured by orcs
35 Meet a famous tattoo artist and many trying to get on his job list
36 Craftsmen trying to barter for a small "starstone" iron meteorite from an old shaman
37 Stranger selling d4 strange cursed evil weapons of the ancients
38 Hunter selling scruffy dirty tiny humanoid in a sack who has an exotic craft skill
39 Hear of an impressive weapon or crafted item lost recently d4 1=in a spring 2=inside a beast 3=fell in a sinkhole 4=stolen by someone 
40 A tribal leader requires someone to locate a secretive craftsperson who lives as a hermit for a commission
41 A fight breaks out over who owns an item or wins a contest or bad trade
42 A visiting foreigner makes accusations of evil conduct in public about a tribe member
43 A mysterious wizard makes some threat about the future then vanished in smoke
44 Two tribe members battle for the love of a third person 
45 Several families in long term feud try and stir up trouble against rivals with lies
46 Two men battle a death duel over some matter of honour and pride
47 Some other tribes are declared enemies and unwelcome in area
48 Someone tried to murder a tribal delegate
49 Someone was struck by a curse and experts are called in to find who
50 Someone was found murdered in morning
51 Meet a crafty hunter who travels far and wide

52 Meet a heroic warrior who has battles with strange monsters
53 Meet a cheery bard who is looking for inspirations of heroic deeds
54 Meet a wise person who offers to perform a divination
55 Meet someone who found a strange valley of foreboding ruins and monsters
56 Meet a tribal leaders family and get on well
57 Meet a strange foreign guest who might come with you a while
58 Meet a supernatural changeling in disguise among humans
59 Meet someone who lived as a slave with unusual foreign people and saw lots of strange things
60 Meet a demi-human visitor and learn a few useful phrases of speech
61 Someone stalks you offering you love, obsessive and jealous
62 Someone offers a marriage proposal to their children, offended if rejected
63 Have a brief exiting flying until their normal lover returns
64 Develop a horrible itch, after much laughter from peers you visit a healer
65 See an attractive stranger but family do best to keep you away
66 Tribal elder looking for a mate for a disadvantaged person d4 1=disabled 2=mutant 3=idiot 4=some taboo birthmark or feature shunned by tribe outsiders cant see
67 Meet an attractive person but they look after a cranky elderly relative or a child as part of the package
68 Met a charming person with terrible secret d4 1=lycanthropy 2=cannibalism 3=is an abhuman beastfolk hybrid and characteristics are just starting to show 3=mysteriously last lovers all died 4=actually a changeling and if discovered tribe will go crazy
69 Met a lover who is a spell caster and kinda did some crazy stuff you you sneaked away
70 Made out with a supernatural shapeshifter, they return to fairyland and either a hybrid monster child grows up resentful in fairyland under fey dilated time flow then hunt the parent who abandoned them....or the lovers family are disgusted and send a magical assassin 
71 Explored a deep dark cave possibly an entry to the underland lost kingdoms

72 Discovered a ruin populated by monsters with buried buildings intact connected by tunnels
73 Discover a huge broken statue buried head, which if exposed in a serpantman
74 Discovered a chasm with hundreds of animal bones where vultures, ghouls and hyenas live in cliff caves
75 Discover an ancient magical tree people have seen strange creatures climb up and vanish 
76 Discover a stone monolith with interesting markings as old as time
77 Discover the partial skeleton impeded in the rock of a gargantuan creature
78 Discovered the entrance to a lost world valley hidden by an illusion or fog
79 Discover an elemental node guarded by a d4 otherworldly elemental beasts 
80 Discover a magical creatures lair, could be source of wisdom or a fight
81 Dream visions of your totem animal and you living as beasts in the wilderness, if you don't have one you do now
82
 Dream visions of  an evil entering the land that will cause trouble in the future, an omen will warn you when the creature comes close
83
 Dream visions of a great spirit offering you a gift if you come to their spirit lodge for a ceremony, if yes gain a 0 level spell (or better)
84
 Dream visions of someone who is or will be important you have not seen, they are in peril 
85
 Dream visions of a dead ancestor tells you some unfinished business you need to deal with in return for knowledge of the ancestors
86
 Dream visions of an evil ruined temple where an evil cult worship a broken relic of the forbidden elder gods, hoping to awaken or release some ancient evil
87
 Dream visions of wilderness place where a great treasure resides for you to find, will come across the exact place on some travels and know where to find a mysterious hole
88
 Dream visions of what evil plot some enemy tribe is about to launch on the world 
89
 Dream visions of ancient dead wizards awakening from crypts and looking out over the world that has forgotten them and hunger 
90
 Dream visions of a mighty spirit tells you where an evil enemy of the tundra dwells on a mountain top and a great treasure they possess
91 Witness a magician contest with shape-changing, blasting rocks and other wonders
92 A shaman takes you to a secret meeting to warn you of some secret threat and offers a petty magic item like a potion

93 Hear of a strange tribe in a stone hut in mountains who can bring the dead back from the grave
94 Someone talked about the dead too much and a undead was attracted and had to be repelled just averting tragedy
95 Someone fell ill and experts look for supernatural causes like spirits or secret witches 

96 Receive a bundle of 2d6 +1 arrows or darts or sling stones from a leader
97 Given a wolf (or another animal) pelt cloak can turn into a wolf just like a druid once per day
98 Taken in secret by elders to meet a supernatural being like an elf, naga, sphynx or dragon to be told of some forthcoming threat and offers advice as needed
99 Got into a contest with a changeling and tricked it out of a magical +1 magic item, the changeling will seek revenge for humiliation 
100 Taken to a supernatural realm by great spirit or god where it d4 1=warns you of a future threat 2=fills you with ecstatic feelings of oneness 3=tells you where to find a relic 4=offers to make a pact with your people or bloodline 

The Tribe With No Name vs Sunderhill














































New tag system so broken here now I'm giving up

I found one of my carousing tables for wilderness ramblings which is good for this setting I had forgotten about. I think I might do a d100 Clan Gathering Carousing Table with legal stuff, ceremonies, feasts, loving and some human sacrifice and cannibalism if rolled badly. I'm running one of my Patraeon Adventures here - Secrets of Sunderhill. I've done an adventure a week published on Patraeon over the last 14 months. Running them is best editing as I spotted a map issue that I should mark the magical darkness. Possibly water choke points could have a star to indicate random foe.

So the tribe set up in the new cave and started seeding area with plants the druidic holy ones could enhance. Granny grew a wooden walls and structures to screen the cave mouth and helped halflings work on tree lookouts. Water was good and the Elf would fly away and charm great beasts and led them back to the tribe in a giant BBQ pit. Halfings put walkways from trees to the wall of wood and began grinding seeds for delicious cakes. Boron the hero had returned from absence over winter on his quest to return religion of the sky lord to humans with a cleric and a few followers from a mountain clan of holy folk. Also he had been with the Mammoth tribe and had been initiated and was legally able to hunt mammoth. The tribes thought Boron was one of the great Tundra heroes. He brought some of the red haired mammoth folk as followers too. Everyone was pleased and Boron told of a new race of four legged monster folk had entered the region. Also the northern mammoth clans were out of contact. A big mammoth spring meet up was a month away and the heroes tribe was requested to make a pact. 

The elf had recruited some pine elf followers of his shunned homeland and has them keeping watch over the humans. The elves and halflings got on well but if a human came near the elves fled. The halflings didn't get it. Most halfling friends lived back in the halfling holes and the elves had a secret watch post. There were still a Pteradactyl folk barbarian Clax and a wizard and lizard folk friends in secret  valley. All up the extended tribe was now over 32 and the only muti species multi faith tribe. They were talking about the four good laws they invented (most tribes have like a hundred plus) they had invented.

"What were they again?"
"No intimacy with dogs!"
"No cannibalism!"
"What about the other two?"

Silence.

"Oh well if anything comes up we will deal with it then"

"Whats our tribe called again?"
"No Dog Tribe?"
"Two Law Tribe?"

There was talk of a new found valley in mountains found (Dysons Valley of the Red Ape)

The rescued folk from the spider and snake tribes did cause some tension as did the sky tribe and the mammoth folk. Women of the spider and snake tribe had met the Congress in the caves and a few were learning the ways of the dark cave godess.

The feast concluded with a big booty dancing halfling show.
Boron tried to top this with getting his followers to form a 3 tiered human pyramid he just dreamed up to represent the holy mountain of god and they barley got second tier going twice before giving up. 

So they recovered from the days of feasting and wonder and bonding. Then they unblocked the rear cave and prepared a new expedition into the deep. Granny had led tribe to weave over 30 metres of hair rope and make lots of torches and ration packs.

Boron brought his sky priestess and four new hunters. Sourberry the elf brought his best pine elf who made some berries and blessed arrows. Sourberry was also making obsidian and crystal arrows that carry cantrip potions in his secret elf lab (coconuts and rock apparatus of course like 
Gilligan's Island). Bunz the halfling brought his favourite sneaky human friend and his halfling wife Patty. Bunz of late had learned a new animal form of mole (hawk and salmon before).

The the 11 boldly went through the great art gallery chamber to the deep shaft below. Boron a master climber scuttled down and set up a rope to help others to make it safer. He was busy guiding the gang through the hazards. Went down the shaft with bunz lowered on a rope to waterline in bottom of the pit. Went back up through the familiar cave of the Congress hag who they sung songs of praise too and gave her backpacks of meat and a few bags of shiny silver tokens. Granny took her gift and looked hungrily at the bride of Bunz but she took her gifts and the passed. Saw piercers moved and only babies they could harvest for food later.

Boron climbed up to where the cave trapper beast was killed and eaten prior to finding someone had been in chamber eating leftovers. So Boron went down to a ledge with a crippled skeleton and nabbed a shiny copper knife, purest he had seen and gleaming.

Noisily and clumsily the other amateurs got down with a few mishaps, safety line saves and some screams. Boron went deeper down the shaft finding a new side cave then another on the waterline below. Went to peak in first and was a wall of darkness no light would pass. The rest came down and some heard some sniffing sounds. Everyone backed off and Bunz turned into a mole and used his mole senses and "sensed" a hideous 8 foot tall horror chaos troll just behind the veil of magic shadow reaching for the tasty mole. Bunz turned back and tried to flee but three troll came threw and the lead one scratched him.

Boron charged and Sourberry charmed a troll to turn on the other two. Halflings and the hunters threw spears and rocks and axes dropping one. The other slashed boron but wounded and fled into the magic darkness. The troll followed and finished his brother and they heard slurping. Moved through the darkness finding bones and got through. The halflings helped out by burning and stabbing fallen trolls so they did not regenerate.

Found a goblin cave tomb and got a healing ointment, a magic stone axe and some goblin bones in bundles with some art. Sent the troll into giant spider web and he took it like a champ with missile support from the tribe. He then ate the spider and the tribe began to like the hideous insane living cancer. The elf explained trolls were a great species but only these mindless things survive magic gone wrong.

Found some fungus caves and was a dark patch 10 metres up they could make out a hole so the Bunz spiderclimed up and into the hole. Looked at some fungus and pots and signs of someone and got a poison needle hit him. In crack in roof an albino shaman with a mushroom demon mask shot him with blowpipe and was redying spells. Bunz threw some rocks and the nasty shaman dropped a spoorbomb which the mask protected him from and jumped down. Bunz got off a tangling spell and pummelled the guy with rocks till the elf flew in and helped finish it. Boron took 4 rounds to climb up. 

Realised they had gone most places up to waterline and Bunz who swum the waterways as a salmon earlier knew there were air spaces only reachable by swimming. So crossed one last flooded cave to check and bunz got a giant leech nab his leg and everyone attacked it. Blunt weapons in water proved not helpful and everyone was restricted by water. Troll ate the rest. Sourberry wondered if they should kill the troll or set free to nab later. Sent all the followers up and rested and prepared and healed. Did explore the darkness area with a light spell and found rock crystal chunks and bones. Troll found a giant frog which swallowed its head but the party saved it. This guys insane drooling and pustules had some kind of appeal. It had never had a friend before and loved the elf, drooling and sniffing.

The plan was to use magical herbs and Granny's spells to improve everyone's swimming and breathe in water. Decided to keep spare emergency herbs and only sent Boron, Bunz and Sourberry. Jacked up with magic into the water they did fumbling in clouds of silt. A giant lobster nipped Boron and the heroes had to once again fight with limited use of punches and some weapons so they went for stone daggers.

Found a tiny air chamber and Boron went into some shrine to a fish cult and a magical trident appeared and attacked. Others rushed into help but they realised it was a spell and found hidden fish priest and slew him. Found ancient lapis tablets of fish lore and a fist sized pearl. 

Found another chamber and as party waited onshore Boron climbed up cliff over water and into a hole he saw. Found a horrible vampire bat goddess idol, a sheet of dried rolled black hide and an obsidian dagger. Though those big shiny rocks for eyes looked good and smashed them free. (Fails saving throw now the Bat Godess wants revenge). So joined others and the Elf said the leather thing was a magic darkness priest spell. While chatting several saw a swooping horror. A giant vampiric bat with glowing eyes and a horrible odour attacked and the elf snapshot a fireball fearing undead and the bats wing membranes glowed and turned to ash. Then the piles of bat guano and gas exploded and the heroes got a bit singed. Then smashed the recognisable bat bits. Glad nobodies soul taken the pressed on to find several caves where an ancient battle was fought. They found a huge strange spiked obsidian bladed magic club and a medicine bag and Boron among orc bones found a cool cruel-looking spear with an evil rune tipped point. Sourberry confirmed the magic stuff and all impressed.

Found a water route and then bottom of another familiar shaft. A crafty fish folk warrior attacked. Boron took his new cool cruel evil orc spear and others saw his eyes turn black as clouds of filth engulfed them. Boron was fully berserk and as he was trained in this he knew it was the evil spear. Others noticed they fled, Bunz in fish form. Boron won and eventually calmed down and found way home.

Identified the magic stuff and Borons spear was +2 for a orc and cursed berserk spear for anyone else. Knew the priests of the mountain sky temple would help but also now knew the funny cyclops orc smith hero was a minor divinity who traded lightning bolts for gold in griffons nests. Boron took them the spear to the cyclops orcs and they laughed at Boron for being twice cursed. But they took the cursed spear and gave him a lighting bolt. The orcs laughed at the party for failing to show griffons gold from a bet last meeting. So sneaky Sourberry slinked away, cast fly, then invisibility and luck the griffons were eating a lion and he brought back the gold and handed it to Bunz as he prefered orcs never see him. The orcs were pleased by gold and gave another javelin to Bunz.

Back to the tribe cave for victory feast and now popular halfling bubblebutt dance off.

Elf who usually is quiet (even when halfling archer fan boys followed him) mentioned that the party battles with trolls might be something to boast about. Karg who was Granny's bodyguard mostly and mentor of Bunz and Boron was feeling the tribe safe enough he could go on a quest too now party living this paradise they had made.

Next game party might check out Red Ape Valley or go to the Mammoth Tribe spring meet up.

Realized I had some HG Wells cave genre fiction I will look at as he is one of my faves with Mary Shelly. Minis were fun today too, mostly for marching order and a sense of party size and scale. My 1/72 stuff 
good for big monsters and as the play gets higher level more megafauna battles coming. One of my players got Farcry Primal as on sale and I have CD but I'm convinced to fix my net and try to get it going on my current set up. I like the game and it is inspiring for this game. Of learned lots about Taxonomy and a better sense of geological time sales plus having fun debunking extraordinary claims backed up by stolen images from totally different context. Thats my shut in 2020 life now.

Saturday 25 July 2020

Tribal record form for Stoneage Sorcery



So made these in anticipation of my game tomorrow cos I'm on lock in and was busy on a patraeon book and my sleeping a mess and I thought it was Sunday already and cleaned my house for nothing. Phew!

A couple of POD LuLu items of note. ASE modules were gold I know them well and played for a year as planet Psychon. Planet Eris is a campaign setting familiar to some bloggers set out like a 70s Blackmoor feel but it is far future planet fantasy. It is nice and simple and a good example of a setting in an a5 booklet. Has elaborate keys and sailing rules and not maps to with them but it was an intersting booklet. I got Dysons Delves 2 in paperback and regretted not having hardback which is easier to use at the table - hardback sits open better and will survive. Has lots of caves and interesting take on the old-school vibe. I am way stingier than Dyson with treasure so I made mechanics players can get stuff they need because I'm too mean. 

Anyway, my cave party is now big enough for factions. Especially as they have rescued people from two unpopular tribes. I could also use this for rival tribes if needed. Running my Sunderhill module at moment and on the cusp of discovering the underland is pretty much like the forbidden age of darkness that broke the world and left it in ruins... Literally, the evils of that age only survived underground and even had gods drop mountains on them.

Current thoughts on this campaign direction: Stuff to do?
Have found Mythos stuff and ancient black magic ruins before
Know of evil wizard spiders and a vampire in mountains
Prehuman spirits are influencing Mammoth tribe....(actually a Cthulhu scenario)
Valley of the Red Ape from Dyson Delves 2 fits in well
Could spend a season in underland which is same in all my setting eras
New giant player could have them plundering invisible giant sky castles
A spacecraft might be a good thing to find and in a few cave genre things
Maybe just drop in Misty Island of the Eld
Could go full Yor and whole zone could be on planet Psychon....
Or time jump to the Bronze Age
Or visit other planes to kill monsters 
-hells in this era busy punishing wicked of last age to bother with mortal world

Will be some tension with other tribes
-tribe lack laws and traditions are all a bunch of mongrels without ties to land
-rivals with greatest tundra warriors - might need some big spring gathering
-snake and spider tribes want revenge over 
"kidnapping" their youths 
-new centaur tribe a complete menace to every tribe (i got minis)



d100 Rumours About Orks





































"Have you heard what the village is saying about orcs nowadays? Heresy I say. Orcs have souls? Preposterous. Next, you will tell me about orc paladins and don't they dont all deserve to be strangled at birth"

In my game there are a bunch of wizard spells to make orcs. Oldest turns tortured elf into lots of orcs, then they did one with dead elves to orcs then all those wizards died and they made murdered humans into orcs. Nowadays wizards use pits of alchemical mud to make orcs in batches. Orc slave-coaches teach fresh born fully adult male orcs how to be cruel sadists for a month in their spawn pit before sending them to military school.

Nowadays most orcs are sick of wizards and evil overlords and breed like everybody else and have diverse cultures and individualism

Then there is spell where wizard surgically fuses a human and animal into a beast abhuman in 12 hours without anesthetic. Abhumans not so keen on wizards either. Wizards are jerks.

Thanks to those who came and chatted on my FB page

d100
Rumours About Orks
01 Orcs are all male, they don't breed naturally and are made by evil wizards
02 The first orcs were made from elves and orcs say a few elder orcs still live
03 In earliest times wizards made orcs from the recent dead as taught by an evil god
04 Nowadays evil wizards just use alchemical mud pits to make adult male orcs 
05 The wizards who make orcs are careful to instruct them in brutality and cruelty
06 In distant past orc heroes quested for their own women from the goddess
07 Most of orc barbarians hate wizards and any dark lords on idiot crusades
08 Some say orc women are far away making babies and food but what about orc amazons?
09 Some cleric set up a hospice to help orcs widows and now they operate a textile workshop and make best gambesons
10 People say there are half-orcs but usually just a name people who fight with orcs on the same evil crusades and adopt orcish fahions. Barbarians really hate being called half orcs
11 Humans and orcs are the two most recent mortal races and who would win has been uncertain. Both were slaves of evil wizards until the age of darkness ended
12 They say elves hunted and killed those who knew spell to make tortured elves into orcs but some say elves invented the spell to use their own dead against their enemies when it was clear elves would never recover their losses
13 Once you kill off the wizards and evil priests directing the orcs (most always human) they tend to go feral and set up wilderness tribal kingdoms like barbarians
14 Orc and human barbarians fight all the time but have some begrudging mutual respect. Occasionally they unite to destroy some wizard warlord who tries to build a wilderness stronghold
15 Many of those who once used orcs as slaves and magical cannon fodder have abandoned the practice as orcs tend to rebel and fight each other and turn on their masters
16 Many orcs serve hell claiming they get better deals with devils than serving humans or gods
17 Most orcs people see in human lands are mercenaries but some cities have a humanoid district where orcs live and produce cheap efficient tools and weapons. Many humans are wary of cheap competition but the guilds allow it as it meets a part of the market and used to upsell other goods
18 A magistrate hired some orc bailiffs due to local corruption and the well paid orc pair worked to the letter of the law and helped clean up the village but then they returned home
19 Lots of humans don't want to think of orcs as people because they just want to kill and enslave them without guilt
20 Orcs live short and brutish lives they say but not all orcs live lives or war and will live much longer if fed well and dont work the worst jobs
21 Orc gods were beings of darkness and wrath who became more orc-like over time 
22 Orcs and goblinoids have some common physical features but are not direct kin. Orcs will often dominate goblins and consider hobgoblins dangerous rivals and fear bugbears. They have united against humans and elves before but might squabble
23 One thing you can say about orcs is most tend to kill off mutants among them early which more humans should adopt
24 Orcs of different tribes squabble sometimes near battlefields but with their own tribe they demonstrate great teamwork and ingenuity and loyalty
25 Say what you want about orcs but they sure don't shun doing things in new ways and keep up with tools of war like siege weapons and gunpowder. Humans underestimate orc imaginations tend to die
26 When you make a newborn orc the wizards starve them and torment them in pits for a month, educated by turncoat orc slave drivers before they are equipped and trained for battle. You should see what orcs do when they figure out this cruelty
27 Orcs actually feel pain but they stoically put up with it and embrace scars and suffering. Occasionally work themselves to death or ignore injuries to a fault
28 Orc medicine is effective but stings, burns and promotes scarring so plenty of humans are reluctant to use it. Orc first aid is quite good and not just burnt logs or leeches for everything like people say
29 Orcs are not the best at caring for animals but their own breeds of dogs, horses, goats and cattle look hideous to humans but are tough and hardy and more nocturnal. It is nearly always untrue their beast have diabolic features, mostly just leaders pets
30 To orcs admitting weakness or injury is an invitation to be killed or left out 
31 Wolves and orcs get along well even equally and some ride dire wolves with evil intelligence bigger than horses. Many orcs have ordinary wolves as companions
32 Orc shamans change tribe members from male to female or vice versa depending on war or peacetime and that's why you don't see orc women much in wartime. The orcs don't seem to care or think it matters or its our business
33 Orcs nowadays seem to be not just the baby eating brutes of grandpas day. I saw orc clerics in the city. Was a popular orc bard in town a while (who went home as humans too soft). Turns out they are pretty law-abiding and don't want trouble  
34 Having some orc workers is ok, they are stronger and cheaper but don't let them own land and keep them poor for the worst jobs or there will be trouble
35 Dwarves are always crying about humans and orcs stealing their technology and changing it. Dwarves fought a war of extermination on orcs over iron and during it as Dwarves deployed better weapons the orcs copied and even improved designs but cheaper and faster. The dwarves saw they were numerically losing and the orcs numbers just bounced back again and again. Orcs are pretty unimpressed by this and have not forgotten, taking relish in destroying dwarf strongholds intended to last forever
36 Orcs often fraternise with goblinoids, abhumans and beast folk rather than humans or demihumans. They get tired of humans and demihumans looking at them in fear and disgust 
37 Orcs like piercings, tattoos, branding and scarification. Many paint themselves. Prettiness is considered vain, weak, wasteful and useless. Their markings carry complex meanings humans mostly miss unless fluent in the language
38 While bright elves sneer at orcs, dark elves treat them better than most humans do. Orcs often work for them as servants and mercenaries so you see some dark elf trinkets and runes on them sometimes. Dark elves apparently aided orcs and helped them revolt in the past
39 Yea orcs don't like paladins. Too many massacres of orc civilians. Paladins say there are no orc civilians and were even caught burning bodies and encouraging the lie about there are no or orc women or children
40 The orcs that grow up from babies raised in families seem more complete and more complex. I heard of orcs with own druids working to heal their race
41 Some barbarian orcs liberate their own kind enslaved by wizards to recruit ready-made warriors who don't ask questions and quick to prefer orc to human masters
42 Ground orc tusk is an aphrodisiac but orcs go crazy if you mention it and won't just let you grate any off even for a few coins
43 Lots of orcs work in abattoirs as increasingly humans won't do it. Orcs really have a knack for butchery and tanning and have a good nose for spoiled food 
44 I thought orcs only ate rotten meat and bones and leather but I went to a wedding feast, and they had olives, nuts, dried berries, cheese, dried meat, worms, snakes, frogs, eels, larvae, pickled cabbage, eggs, mushrooms, acorn bread and fish 
45 Poorest orcs will eat anything without complaint but those with money seem to like variety and even get fussy complaining about who even touched food in the kitchen. I guess they smell food more than a human does
46 I thought from the war, orcs never bathed but actually, some have enlightened views on baths and sewerage and waste using it as fodder for certain monsters. SOme prefer dust baths to remove fleas
47 You heard stories orcs only steal food and don't have farms but a wizard told me orcs often farm monsters in their underground labyrinths which they trade with each other. Their monsters are well cared for and named so orcs get upset when humans kill their beloved beasts. On the frontier, they release their extra beasts to keep slow human civilisation
48 I knew a scared war veteran who lived with the orcs a few years and he never felt judged for his appearance and war wounds, in fact they were impressed and considered him one of them 
49 Orcs at home like to stage heroic operas about their heroes escaping servitude and betraying their dark lord. They even have contests but not many humans brave enough to try the events that last for days
50 Its perfectly legal to use orc corpses for animal food, leather or golems. But the orcs do get upset. For some reason, people find orc flesh golems less horrible than human ones
51 Orc jerky is delicious just check who they made it out of first 
52 A famous orc Longarm used to protect the forest from chaos mutants and cultist
53 An orc gladiator started a revolt and all the orc gladiators involved had to be put down. Was a shame as I had lots of bets placed
54 I noticed lots of those barbarian orcs really hate whips and slave manacles. They give really dirty looks at them. Though I did see an orc strangle a slaver with a chain and she seemed happy
55 There was a famous archer who married several orcmaids and even became one and everything in a magical orc kingdom in the deep. Eventually, he went into the deep to claim his own kingdom
56 In the wild places of the world where humans can barley survive, you can find tribal orcs
57 Cyclops orcs are pretty strange. Famed as smiths they act like they are smarter than everyone and claim to have made tools for the gods long ago. They seem pretty civilised and even make stuff which looks prettier for non-orc customers
58 One famous orc tribe road huge wild boar, some from the deep ride lizards, others ride huge dire wolves and orc heroes rode wyvern
59 In the war I saw orcs elect a new leader with a dance contest. They said wasting good orcs with violence was helping the enemy
60 Orc tooth tipped arrows can kill and elf if made by shaman of the elf-eater cult. Elves have a bounty on this cult
61 Most of the chaotic orcs you see worship demon cults, adopting their sigils. Over time they come to develop traits of their patrons and specific cult mutations. Mostly orcs tend to law and evil 
62 Orcs treat prisoners wounds and carry them for days. Only when hard-pressed did they eat a few to stop a goblin thrall riot. Orc slaves often earn freedom after years of service and get treated better than goblins. They will also random off well off prisoners keeping them for years
63 Orcs often seem confused buy luxury and they often have been seen destroying statues and masterworks. They dread the softness civilisation brings like it has to humans and elves. Metal items can be traded or recycled but works of symbolic waste disgust them. The art in their palaces and temples are mostly to generate fear and suggest leaders or tribal power
64 Orcs are very canny with money and materials using the least material for the most effective. Items being more uncomfortable to use or with sharp edges doesn't bother them.  
65 When you give an orc crafter materials for a job they will always come out with spare scraps for some other project
66 Orcs frown on waste and comfort. They had nothing for so long and they still don't feel they can afford to squander wealth in a world set on destroying them all. Lots of orcs collect string, pebbles and other scraps "just in case"
67 Orcs have been known to serve giants. Some are slaves but many choose giants over humans and their gods who keep the orc and giant down
68 Some orcs came and sacked a monument of a paladin standing on a pyramid of orc heads. Just rubble now 
69 I had to look after work prisoner labour gangs after the war, and they seemed utterly unaware humans were not made by wizards or the differences between men and women. They thought children were a slave race or sprites 
70 I met an orc shaman who explained many orc ancestral spirits are cursed and mutilated in magical and spiritual warfare in the past. The shaman led his followers to try and free these cursed souls and remove the corruptions of chaos and dark lords so the dead can rest
71 A tavern of war veterans was comparing their orc-ear-necklaces and all of them were found dead poisoned or stabbed
72 Lots of orcs kept being bastards after the war because of all those cursed evil relics the dark lord handed out like honey cakes. If you're not allied to evil many of those relics will turn bad or turn you bad. Also, why give up that magic if it kills better 
73 Orcs can survive in the worst places humans cannot and living in hellish places means humans will not encroach. This makes them harsh and unforgiving and often exposes them to evil influences in such forbidden lands. The humans in the same places are similar
74 Orcs perform secret rituals in wild places with whicker structures covered in flours and vegetation which they destroy after so outsiders never see them
75 The idea there is only one kind of orc and they are bad is a popular view. Many orcs think humans are all mass murderers
76 People say orcs and elves hate each other but they know each other quite well and sometimes share enemies. They have made no direct action on each other for centuries
77 Orc sympathisers are in league with chaos, demons, witches, devils, mutants and cthulhu
78 The real trouble will be when nobility realise orcs are cheaper to feed than humans and put up with more suffering, the common humans will be finished
79 I heard a few tales of orc wizards recently which sounds bad. Probably turn us into frogs then eat us. Some are overcoming their suspicion of wizardry  
80 Orc gods are vindictive and vengeful entities orcs worshipped just to spite humans
81 Ogres sometimes live among chaotic orcs sometimes as bullies or elites or as slaves 
82 Deep under the earth, there are orc kingdoms thousands of years old, civilised with great armies unseen on the surface this age and in eternal unseen war
83 If you know the right gestures and signs you can challenge some orc leaders to battle 
84 Orcs can be dealt with by gift of food and weapons to start a parley
85 To an orc taking a cursed thing and making it work for you is seen as great cunning
86 One of the old elf to orc dark rituals of old could make a single elf into many orcs
87 The towns that ban orc labour have more orc bandits
88 Orcs don't discuss their families or children so no enemies will learn of them and harm them. What seems callous or proof of their lack of family is an actually deliberate reaction to humans massacring orc families
89 Lots of humans are raised by orcs and live as orcs. Especially when orcs can't replace children fast enough they will adopt war orphan humans (but not demihumans)
90 Orcs don't really find humans or elves attractive but some take delight in tormenting pretty things for their evil masters and just spite from evil upbringing
91 Some wizards crossed ogres and orcs to breed sterile bodyguards, not as dumb or big as ogres but big orcs
92 Orcs forearms are slightly longer than humans and have a peculiar gait. 
93 A typical orc is a match for a common guard or regular soldier but the professional arc warriors and especially orc barbarians who were bred by evil wizards as let's troops long ago making them stronger and better in light with powerful leaps
94 Chaos orcs appearance varies more depending on their cult but also carry deformities from diseases and parasites common to chaos warbands and being intimate with demons
95 Long ago there was a tribe of dire-wolf-orc centaurs or perhaps people then had not seen anyone ride animals
96 The orcs of the deep have a pantheon of orc gods who claim other accounts of orc origins are enemy lies. These orcs claim blood from ogres and giants making them frightening but also have heavy infantry and pike formations and crossbows
97 Some orcs worship siege weapons as mobile shrines dedicated to an orc ancestor, devil or demon
98 Druidic orcs seem like many other hidden woodland races and wild forest people and they all intermingle in secret and avoid humans
99 Orcs have been seen in legions of hell and in service to demon nobility on their floating realms in the maelstrom
100 Orcs have offered some humans to come and live among them for a year or even come to a feast to help peace. So far nobody is willing to go as everyone knows orcs are just useless cannibalistic sadistic fiends with no culture or individuality



Eat your bone too or Drizzzt will come and murder everyone you know

Next: how all dwarfs are really bearded women
and how only 1% of elves reach puberty ever

Friday 24 July 2020

Protohumanoids


























Have finished a 12 page post apoc adventure on Patreon. Mostly writing my 80page homebrew rules at the moment and playing cave dnd now. Mostly thinking post apoc and will be doing some more this format  a5 zine format.
---------------------------------

This List is for Abhumans who have no beast or elemental blood but more than human. If you take out the beast from a beastfolk what do you have left? Evil wizards wanted to know and some of these happened. Others happened to isolated peoples under the influence of magic. On Xor or in the past may have existed and could be recreated again. All humans are larger than common men 7 foot they see in the dark well and can leap. Others have other abilities as they go up a level. Some may become wizards or priests later. Pliny the elder responsible for a few. I did this as an example of using my human bx class for reskinning and subtypes. Also because I want to use this in my stone age sorcery game (still my only game running due to shut-in). It's partly a look at alternate ideas for main peoples in a campaign.

At least one bunch of humans has decreed all these abhumans are grotesque abominations made only to hold space before proper humans arrive. Some call them protohumanoids. I like the term Plinian races for some.

d20 Post Classical Abhumans
Cyclops folk - one eyes hairy humanoids vary in technology, kin of giants or orcs?
2 WIld folk - orange haired forest people kin to orungytangs
Yeti folk - white-furred ape folk also known as white apes
Cave folk - thick set shorter stronger humanoids dwell in caves 
5 Headless folk - acephali or blemmyesheadless folk with fave in chest
Monopod folk - huge single leg and foot, can use as shade laying on back   
8 Horned folk - race of wild men with horns, accepted in past now shunned
9 Hairy folk - wild hairy folk of wilds sometimes alone or families 
10 Androgini folk -  have functional characteristics of males and females 
11 Mouthless folk - hairy all over, fed from the smell and shun terrible odours
12 Dog Head folk- Cynophail dog headed folk gain d6 1 range firebreath at 6th lv 
13 Bicephili -2 headed folk heads may have different sexual orientation or features
14 Monkey folk - hairy arboreal monkey folk with tails, baboons are common
15
 Ape folk - more upright chimp or gorilla kin ape folk
16
 Lemur folk  - come in many varieties with a strange gait and jumping motion
17 Birdfoot folk - have scaly ostrich-like folk

18 
Fish folk - Icthiophagi are fish hybrid abhumans often hostile to humans
19 Faun - goat legs from waste down, with small horns, well liked  by old religion
20 Centaur
 - horse from waist down and human waiste up

These will be on an abhuman list one day
Barbarians
Orc
Amazons

Researching the Pliny Elders "Monstrous Races"
Europeans believed in them for thousands of years on or beyond the frontier...
Monsters as boundary-defying beings define normalcy
monsters as portrayals of disabled, gender different or foreign
monsters in natural history as gross distortions of natural history

and you thought orcs were a mess read all this
https://blogs.stockton.edu/artofideology/2018/01/22/on-the-plinian-races-and-the-monsters-of-the-natural-history/
https://www.messynessychic.com/2019/03/28/the-unexpected-relevance-of-medieval-monsters/
https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft338nb20q&doc.view=content&chunk.id=d0e517&toc.depth=1&anchor.id=0&brand=eschol

Wednesday 22 July 2020

New progress in alignment hatred



So playing with alignment perks again and decided on this terrible structure.
So you could be balanced neutral and hate all the main alignments!
The big 4 alignments don't really care about Neutral or Balance.

Possibly this does it better to show who hates who for spell effects and general stuff.


And all this from my table i did prior where you put scores in one alignment from Left and one from Right or none as you climb level to become bigger jerks just like the gods. Most recently thinking of a magic resistance ability where you can pit your alignment score vs enemies spells. So My lawful good priest 10th lv has +5 in Law and +5 in Good so if fighting evil or chaotics get 5% resistance or if meet a chaotic evil dude they get 10 total%. So most people in my setting dont have alignments or shun it even. My balance +5 neutral +5 druid Lv 10 gets 5% vs Law or Chaos or Good or Evil and 10% vs any of those alignments in a pair like LG LE CG CE. And planar beings just give you stuff for only a few life changing oaths and dedication to eternal cosmic war between inhuman beings.  

I have considered in my setting the numbers of alignment and who fights who has changed and expanded since early times. 

Some prefer the Elemental Heresy.

Basically, you take all the above stuff and kick most to the curb. Some mix both offending everybody and some attach neutrality or the balance to elements and forsake demons and outerplanar beings and influence. As alien as true elements are they are the basis of most matter and energy in the multiverse. Other elements are at best when shaped by your element. Elementals are better than demons and angels and don't boss you around so much most being mindless or busy. So rival elements that resist must die, but may accept thralldom of inferior elements.

Only elements matter. Sure the lords of the elements never visited earth and have no idea but some say they know best and it is used by some to fight or form allegiances.

Then there are guys who believe in 3 elements (fire isn't a thing!)
Or five elements with darkness/void/spirit/wood being common substitutes.

Elemental planes are still into putting your element first and find visiting humans not being of one element confusing.

Oh and elemental templars battled the dragon templars and the death templars long ago as rivals to post cataclysm world after the elder monsters fell. Maybe alignment was progress.


So you can see the appeal of elementalism. Fire good, rest slaves or fuel.

Sunday 19 July 2020

Adventures of Sir Shop Alot



































My friend kindly explained my book buying habbit is less than my bus fairs before the great 2020 curfew so that's good news.....

Some Recent PDFs I Nabbed and some other games I have got into.

Arion Games Fighting Fantasy Stuff
I have a few like Blacksand, Titan World book and Monster book but these guys have put out a lot. So I got the module of the "warlock of firetop mountain" dungeon. It names everyone, it explains all kinds of stuff and has great art. Id run it with kids and make some simple d6 system and some monster cards and treasure cards. This dungeon was my first and was a big influence in my setting before I was full into DnD. I was writing pages of fiction a day as a primary school kid (mostly SF). The other interesting pick up was: Rough Guide To The Pit. So this is amazing with a system to generate hellish demon dimensions that is amazing and mixes die drop methods and tables to make weird stuff. I guess lots of generators are kind of mini-games for the DM to plan game stuff with lots of random input. This is pretty brilliant interesting and I might use for demonic mini planes. I guess I should aim at keeping my current party going with planar exploring.****

Finally Got Wolfpacks & Winter Snow. One of the great gaming talents whos stuff is weird but I rock the style and would run. Anyway this particular game is a rare mix of several things. It has great B&W design that is very attractive. So it is sorta BX ish cave folk game. It has a dark and stark flavour and makes me think of snow. A good start. It covers basic survival and stuff rules fine and Im not too into mechanics why I like BX. Herbalism rules are fantastic and inspiring yet simple. Actually, I kinda think this is the way to do potions. I like magic needing stuff players will need to find which reminds me of playing Farcry Primal on the PC. Basic rules and magic in first 3rd of book then onto solid advice and mood setting tips. Tons of tables to generate caves and loot and encounters. Has Aboleth which some friend was worried about using the other day but its ok. Lots of great monster lore and tribe generators. Lots of good reading here and I wanna hardcopy. Aesthetically closest cave RPG I have seen. Found a Savage world one with good content but ghastly humourous toon cave people and colourful digital texture like a 90s website.****

Into the Ruins - a gammaworld zine format con adventure 40pg.  Its a pretty solid adventure and interesting locations with a plane wreck and tunnels and some kinda complex. Git of it's vibe more Darwins World than Gamma World or Mutant Epoch but this is fine for all of them and I hope to use. Also GAMMA ZINE 1&2 another zine from Throwi games I thought I had #1 but i didn't but this company on drive through have lots zine format adventures and zines worth a look. #2 has a private bunker and a prison. 

Have been nabbing lots of Darwins World in print and liking it lots. Never saw it in shops but had seen online and I have got lots of printed stuff and fair amounts of PDF. A bit grittier than gammaworld (a TSR family friendly apocalypse) and a very blasted wasteland. Mutant epoch I love too but it feels more populated. Id like to mash up a few of these settings but will see. Most good post apoch games bring new stuff to the table. Possibly this setting more fallout + gamma world perhaps. Must resist urge to send all my cave dnd players to the future.....I am reading adventures for the game. Lots of good ruins and interesting stuff.

Obviously, I will accept gifts of your products

Saturday 18 July 2020

Stoneage Romeos



My Stoneage DnD game had another session. Party put under pressure to get food. Living in halfling village for winter was working but a month of storms coming and most animals in hiding or leaving. Halflings fear only 4 meals a day in the terrible crisis.

The elf has recruited the unsupervised pine elf scouts to teach them chaos and independence of wood elf clan dogma and tree worship. He has freely taught archery to humans and halflings (blames it on orcs saw trading javelins). The halfling Bunz hs married into the halfling clan and has a few skilled followers he uses to expand his own skills. The colony cave in the lost valley (where former pcs retire as NPCs) has the Pterodactyl warrior visit them by flight now. The tribes greatest warrior was away on some mission.

So grandfather halfling declared we need at least 4 preferably six weeks food go hunt a big animal that does not offend any other tribe laws.

So the elf and halfling as the tribe intelligence officers or scout corp went flying. The halfling now a druid2 turned into a hawk (rumours are he has a secret hawk family in mountains) to go searching and considered using his salmon form. The elf considered going but was feeling chaotic lazy but ended up drilling the halflings in bow and arrow making and drilling the elf way. They wouldn't leave him alone. The halflings while advanced in homemaking, pottery, food preservation and cooking had poor flint use and didn't use any tools with hafts. Mostly they threw rocks and brawled from ambush. So the halflings were getting lots of tools and tricks from humans.

So the hawk got to see survivor runaways of the snake tribe and he met them and helped them find the tribe to join. Grandfather halfling not amused. Saw a family of hyena folk. Saw last few mammoth herds and lived with a human village of mammoth hunters pretending to be a lost mute human child. They wanted to initiate him as he was so popular and made sweet ground seed bread so he ran away. Wife not pleased he contemplated wintering away without a thought.

Anyway, a week was wasted and finally back on patrol as a hawk saw a family of struggling megaceratops family. So told the elf who cast fly and followed back with followers on foot. So the megaceratops family of a dozen with older calves were a bit intimidating at 2.5m tall 5m long 3 tons each. Eyed off babies to find cows were watching babies but between them and downwind were grumpy bulls. The bulls were already grumpy at four terror pigs but were watching four entadolants upstream eying off calves too. So the elf investigated the terror pigs while the halfling got neat calves and another halfling animal handler was hoping to split the cows and calves while the elf got the terror pigs and bulls into a fight. 

So the elf shot a terror pig. It flinched. Shot it again and it squealed and stomped about angrily. Shot it again and it attacked another pig who backed off. The 2m tall pigs screeching did upset the bulls but rest of party realised combat was sort of on so abandoned plan and went after big pig. Elf was yelling and shooting pigs who were confused and never looked up to see the elf which the plan depended on. So elf swore and fireballed the endolant terror pig and everyone finished it off and chased it's porcine peers away. The megacorps groaned deeply and wandered towards the mountain pass south.  In hawk form flew to the halfling hill holes and the clan came out. A follower fed scraps to vultures as they were less visible eating on the ground than in the air. Clan came and stipped the bothersome bacon beast bare to the bone carrying it back home. Some hyenas sneaked up before clan started but easily driven off killing four for new fir and teeth. The endolant tusks were amazing.

So grandfather halfling blessed back to 5 meals a day (burp) but we have a week left according to granny before the great white hits for midwinter to get a bit more so we know we are comfortable on five squares a day into the thaw in case beast late returning. So the elf helped more flying about and looking for stuff. Found the last reindeer moving through the passes south followed by wolves after stragglers. So the guys found a cliff path with crowded deer on it and well drove a few off to fall to their deaths. Collected away from wolves and hyenas but vultures came. Gathered lots of meat and buried some 2m deep for later. On way down found dream cave on a hill on the bottom of the mountain but a family of orc lived there. So the elf put a charm on the halfling and he did the whole orphan orc child mute routine with gifts of food. The orc mothers were curious and pleased and gave him food. Four orc kids not so happy. Fathers returned from the hunt and a bit meaner but he didn't back down so they accepted him sort of. The kids kept pointing for him to go back of cave into a sloping passage and he thought better and ran. These were redeye orc tribe known to locals and seemed meaner than the cyclops orcs they joked and drank with before.

Back at halfling hole hill Grandfather pleased and declares scouts can rest after bringing back that buried meat treasure. WInter went on and the trib Granny especially pleased by her halfling friends. Druidry seemed to be sweeping both tribes and all had shared lots of songs. Finally, as thaw broke the tribe decided to move to the new cave as much as they loved new halfling kin. The former snake tribe youths told of how their mad shaman hero had not returned from the serpent eye quest and many warriors had all vanished in lost valley (all killed by players). A few snake witches apparently march north to seek evil magic to get revenge but marching into coming winter whiteout seemed madness and kids fled. 

So tribe camped and heroes went forth to see if those orcs were there. Nope but two huge cavebears were making sweet love instead and the orcs apparently had wintered deep underground. So bears got a fireballin and some arrows and well both savaged the halfling who wondered where the warrior hero friends were. Got knocked out and male bear was killed and wounded female fled. Luckily nobody spoke bear because they were very upset and swore lots during the murder and eviction. 

So the tribe moved in and happy and blocked the mystery tunnel. All pleased and started seed gathering and clearing areas for gardens they had learned about on their travels. Once all settled in and happy the elf and halfling decided to go into the deep with their followers. The rest of the tribe followed them after moving away the rubble barrier and helped them down with a gift made from the tribes hair and other mystery fibres in a 12m rope. The elf had a magic dagger that was better than a hand lamp made from a rock with burning lump of fat or a torch but they brought them too. The tiny handlamps good for sneaking though. 

So they found a ritual cavern covered in art from all the peoples who had lived here in the past or just moved through as this was also the threshold of the underland. Found a shamans hole with some trinkets and a deep shaft and a well. Told tribe who declared only initiated adults allowed here and promptly declared all tribe adults were initiates. Granny loved the hole and was happy to move in. The hafling-druid used salmon form too explore many openings to dry spaces. The shaman hole among idols had a magic water breathing herb.

The shaft dropped to deep waters but a side passage off the side was reachable with a rope. Found a old weak rope which they gave to tribe and went down. Found an ancient ogress lair and the elf gave her silver rings which she was pleased by. She said they were welcome to consult her or pass but must bring her gifts or food. She also offered to teach women the secrets of the darkness priests which party declined.

Went on and caught delicious cave piercers and found another shat down and as they looked at a dropping lump of burning stuff they dropped they saw two reachable side passages. Was a skeleton with no legs by the shaft. Only one person saw the sucker tendril from above and screamed in time. All backed off and debated what to do then faced the horrible clawed beast with a fireball then missiles. It too was delicious and they wondered what or who else was good to eat down here....

So retired and levelled up (I'm rushing a bit to test system at mid-high level)

So now party can kill behemoths will continue with this dungeon cave (a Patreon module i released a while back Secret of Sunderhill). I have strangely a call of Cthulhu scenario to run and some more battles with ancient magic coming up. Fireball sure changes dynamics of this setting but I guess I mostly write for 0 to 6th Lv and need to get more hands-on and rules ready for higher-level play. Elf just got polymorph other so might turn megaceratops into a mouse then take home and throw off a cliff while reversing the spell for lazy dinner. 

Underland has promise too as I have a chunk of it very detailed which might keep them into high-level play. Might have some time travel later of sending them all to planet psychon.....though all followers and tribal kin loss would be a bit sad.

The snake tribe might be back or just remnants.
The clan now around 30 people of mixed species
Centaurs might move into the area as I just got a 1/72 box of 
centaur minis