D100 Tundra Tribal Tribulations

New blogger interface annoying a bit and built possibly more for phone use. Im forced on it now sigh. For a while I was flipping between old one and new one as both have good things. Now harder to cut n paste tags. I wish it had a tag editor I could edit all my past posts easier.

Anyway, Im thinking I need to make a tribe record sheet recording tribe skills and if the skill has more than one expert or if a skill is part of the tribe without the expert. Basically, the exotic skills and tech party witness on travels has made them above-average tech-wise and skills party have with time to settle could enrich the party with food.

Tundra Tribal Tribulations
These are more events and not location-based like last few. They are events that might put tribe or territory in peril or make the season memorable. Lots of games I go a bit Pendragon and have characters hole up over winter or even a few years to develop their communities so these can give you a few memorable crises for such a period. You could roll to see what local excitement is when visiting another tribe.

d10 Tundra Tribulation Types
01 Strangers
02 Elements
03 Discovery
04 Mystery
05 Malcontent
06 Diplomacy
07 Raid
08 Changelings
09 Strange beast
10 Haunting

d100 Tundra Tribal Tribulations
01 A wandering magician seeks shelter and aid, seeks a safe home but will spread ideas on magic and alignment from a foreign tradition
02 A cunning hunter who seeks a new tribe after being exiled and scarred for murder. Will be friendly and subtle in manipulations at first but often driven by greed or lust to fight and kill
03 An old person "abandoned" for lack of food and her harsh tongue but she has some prised skills and knowledge
04 Loner escaped slavery with ape folk for several years and is far from home. Relieved to find people will offer servitude to join a tribe
05 Child who survived an attack of enemies, able survivor but not good at propper talkification after years alone
06 Woman kidnapped from her tribe but escaped seeks her home or at least somewhere to rest awhile in safety
07 Non-human loner wounded and unarmed is found by locals unsure what to do
08 Assasin pretends to be needy person but really seek to spy on tribe then flee killing a leader or vital expert before leaving
09 Madman with wounds babbling about some horror in hills
10 Pale worn old person escaped slavery in the Underland or faerieland. Knows much but tainted by forces and won't last long. Relieved to die in sunlight
11 Pounding storm floods in summer of covers everything in a few feet of snow in winter
12 Blizzard lasts for days and some die of hunger and cold or die searching in the snow
13 A month of chilly fog chokes the area with only a brief pause in the afternoon
14 Eclipse strikes in the day terrifying animals and people afraid the long night will return and making evil beings rejoice and take risks under belief now is their moment
15 A fire breaks out, perhaps a grass or forest fire in summer or someone's hut in winter
16 Quake releases avalanches blocking passes and opening others long-sealed
17 Sinkhole opens into a vast cavern system leading to the Sunderland and causing some accidents
18 Meteor falls amazing everyone by night and a next day search yields a d4 chunks of star stones (meteoric iron) Each is 1ENC
19 A wicked wind spirit of north increases the cold and will not leave till driven away
20 Great miasma released from earth spreading disease and mosquitoes for a month
21 Someone found a cave entrance to the deep
22 Someone finds a strange alien monolith and other strange stones
23 Someone finds a previously worked diggings in a quarry or mine d4 1=half carved monoliths 2=flint 3=ochre 4=copper
24 Someone found a strange stone seal on entrance into a prehuman labyrinth
25 Petrified remains of d4 1=great beast possibly dinosaurs 2=giant 3=huge trolls 4=gargantuan monster
26 A wretched beast abhuman in strange robes was found unconscious, some say it is one of the old beast lord rulers from the ancient age of darkness. It requires medical aid to survive

27 Someone found a strange metal relic of the ancients with some minor magic power d4 1=+1 ornate iron short sword 2=+1 helm of protection with horns or a dragon crest  3=+1 shield 4=+1 mace. Plus one extra power d4 1=light as a torch at will 2=has random alignment and will curse the wrong to not heal naturally only with magic 3=detect undead 10 yards 4=extra +1 vs one specific enemy (d4 1=undead 2=reptiles 3=spiders 4=mammals)
28 Someone found a wooden totemic carved tree in a clearing. It is a sanctuary of an ancient barbarian storm god forgotten from the apocalypse long ago and possible site to recover ancient human religion
29 Someone has found a cursed object of evil ancients and begins a spree of deceit and murder then flees to find minions to kill all their kin. They might be saved from the curse but not the terrible feelings of their wicked deeds
30 Someone found a strange stone idol and has come in contact with an evil spirit and begun a cult rewarding them for evil deeds and recruiting others with spells
31 Someone is murdered? whodunnit & why d4 1=enemy tribe always up for malice 2=allied tribe by mistake will pay compensation for peace 3=someone local struck by a recurring cannibalistic urge during argument 4=dopelganger or some changeling preditor of humans
32 Something is glinting on the peak of a distant mountain
33 A new mountain pass is opened in an avalanche revealing a mysterious valley
34 Some unknown small tribe is stalking the clan territory, who are they?
35 Someone is a lycanthrope and murders every full moon
36 Something or someone is stealing food from stores
37 Something partially tainted the water and source must be stopped 
38 Something or someone is casting petty annoying curses and spells on the tribe
39 Someone is meeting in secret with another tribe according to tracks found
40 Something has been stalking tribe camp area by night and making lights
41 Someone in tribe complaining and stirring up trouble in tribe
42 Someone is greedy for a mate and has been jealous of others and might cause trouble with another tribe with a kidnapping attempt
43 Someone has offended another tribe who demand compensation or blood 
44 Someone has become interested in learning magic and angered by slow teachers who point out their bad attitude and lust for power
45 A tribal magician becomes malcontent with current leader and disagrees, will find other malcontents to take over or support the new leader
46 An old timer is complaining and telling young how much better everything is 
47 Miserable and gloomy tribe member preaches doom and destruction lowering group morale
48 Someone is badly wounded and tribe split over keeping them alive and crippled or killing them now
49 Someone in the tribe is a secret cannibal especially during hardships where they are number one
50 Someone preaching tribe should go backwards and stop using new skills and technology
51 Other tribe wants to negotiate borders
52 Other tribe wants to trade goods
53 Other tribe wants to trade skills
54 Other tribe wants to trade magic
55 Other tribe want to cooperate against enemy tribe
56 Other tribe want open borders
57 Other tribe seek to trade some mates
58 Other tribe seek allegiance and brotherhood
59 Many tribes meeting to battle a non human tribe d4 1=goblins 2=orcs 3=apefolk 4=
60 Many tribes meeting for a great festival and trading opportunities 
61 A tribe of cannibal apefolk move into area and seek to take over territory
62 A tribe of savage orcs with pet wolves move in are wish to enslave humans
63 Werewolves moved into area, most change under the moonlight and the leader can change at will, newly bitten turn in the full moon. They seek human flesh and to harry humans away
64 A tribe of abhuman muscle-bound barbarians arrive who seek common men as resources in their war on wizards and magic. Seek thrills to gather food and raise their offspring so seek to take over a human tribe to grow their numbers. Those surrendering can join them but will always be inferior
65 White apes move into area and hate humans who they eat and sacrifice to their demon ape ancestors and other evil gods. Human captives are sacrificed, skinned and devoured
66 Goblinoids increasing in area, at first they flee but return better organised. Later some evolve into hobgoblins or bugbears and call apon other goblinoids like thouls and workers and Darkstalkers. Somewhere they have a secret cave complex. Peace might be possible but these have a evil shaman urging them to war on surface in service to a death cult
67 A tribe of brutish abhuman cave folk exit bondage in the Underland through a cave and seek territory. Competing humanoids are to be eaten or enslaved but peace might be possible
68 A tribe of baboons recognise the threat of humans and raid and pester and steal food until driven far away or killed. Mostly skirmish with thrown rocks but might if confidant attack loners to eat
69 A tribe of nightmarish hyena folk with their hyena pets move into the area seeking to devour all humans it can find for their dark demon prince who hates all sons and daughters of humanity
70 An evil necromancer has found a burial ground and has been raising undead minions. When they have enough it is time to attack local tribes and take their bodies to the master. He is one of many of this new order obsessed with evil arts of the past
71 Attractive strangers seek a tribe to join appearing as attractive gender preference choices of whom they meet and seduce. Once in the camp will kill and eat tribe members and have hidden fellow doppelganger friends to replace them. Children often notice parents being odd first
72 Several people vanish taken by a Dryad or Satyr or Nymph, usually near a spring or grove the being lives with it's enthralled lovers
73 A shapeshifting animal spirit folk in human guise seeks to join the tribe. They are skilled in arts and magic but understate their powers and abilities. d4 1=mischievious fox seeks mate and to help them rule at any cost 2=cat spirit selfish but friendly 3=rabbit spirit wants protection from enemies 4=wolf spirit seeks to hunt werewolves hidden among mortals
74 An evil wizard uses illusions to infiltrate the tribe and reports to tribe enemies
75 Friendly attractive and strong strangers seek a tribe to join, really they are part ogre and just want to join so they can eat people. They might call ogre kin to aid them or hide for some time with humans if they can get away with it
76 A scarred lonely hunter seeks a healer, really he is a ogre magi dedicated to killing human healers and reducing survival chances. It might even replace the healer adopting their form for more mischief
77 An old woman who lives in a cave has been advising local women and trading potions and giving them funny ideas about magic and religion. The first who bother her dies mysteriously and then others who doubt her have a nightmare. Actually, she is a had teaching darkness preisthood powers. She will flee to torment the tribe again
78 A tribe member has been killed and is now a shapeshifting undead seeking to spread conflict, destroy stores of food and murder others in secret so they too become undead
79 An old person with a cane seeks a new tribe offers healing and knowledge of fermenting beer. Actually, she is a Bhut, a demonic undead lycanthrope like horror. By night they become a monster that seeks to eat and murder. By day as human seems good and wise and those shunning advice to tribe vanish
80 A dragon in human form has heard these creatures will rule the coming age so wishes to learn about them. This odd stranger is both wise and ignorant and offers magic freely once accepted. Eventually will reveal itself and will usually depart or kill everyone depending on type
81 A stone seal on an ancient pit was broken and a horrible shoggoth roams the area hiding in some hole and murdering tribe members till killed 
82 An aggressive wooly rhino moved into the area and making life hard for humans
83 A golem with a beast head from some pre human civilisation has been exposed by a mudslide and walks the earth killing humans by night
84 A giant has migrated to area and now humans are here. The giant will demand food tithes or will eat humans
85 A dragon lands announcing the tribe are its thralls and it desires a virgin sacrifice once a year henceforth. It has done the same to every tribe in the area
86 A troll has moved into the area near a crossing or pass and demands gifts of food to cross
87 A Griffin has been seen flying over carrying tiny ponies and occasionally snatching a human
88 Peryton mated pair live in peak with a nest. They need human hearts to breed so begin the harvest
89 A giant roc has snatched a few people and carried them to a distant mountain top
90 A feathered allosaurus has moved into the territory disturbing hunters game and chasing people. It seems determined to stay 
91 An evil imp has been whispering to loners at night while invisible, promising them every desire for a blood bargain. The creature will flee when the gig is up
92 A shadow lurks by the camp trying to drain victims in their sleep. As it gets bold it kills and old person creating a new shadow
93 A spirit has been seen lurking often in animal form but invisible. The spirit if placated with gifts will warn the tribe and protect the hearth but if it is insulted or certain tabus are broken it will instead be a menace. Mostly it is invisible but certain magic might contact it or a shaman will know how to entreat it
94 Someone sees a spectral minion and near the camp of an old person spying on them. The spirit requires its remains put to rest by a holy person so it can be reincarnated. Otherwise, the spirit gets more aggressive trying to drive them from area
95 Something skulking near the camp and digging at any grave sites the tribe may have (or might not know of). A pack of ghouls in an ancient barrow have been awakened by the voices of tribe in area
96 A barrow mound is disturbed by accident and someone finds a shiny cloak pin. A wight awakens from the mound and seeks return of it's pin and then just wants revenge and mayhem and to create lesser thralls
97 A spirit falls in love with a tribe member with musical ability and some occasionally see a person spying on the person performing. If anything happens to the musician the spirit may vindictively lash out at any threat to the one they love. When angry appears as spectral human whose flesh rots off to terrify those it hates 
98 Sobbing spirit near water lure curious close so it can grab and drown them under the waters to be with it forever
99 A idol is found and broken releasing a trapped lesser demon that moves into a small cave and terrorists the area and kidnaps some slaves to worship it till it has its own tribe
100 Someone who died in community has been seen in dreams warning the tribe about some coming danger or new enemy

d100 Wonders in the Tundra

Bingo bango bunga
Im so happy on the tundra
It's the place to go
Bingo bango bunga 
It's a land of frosty wonder
where the mammoth flow
pack my sticks and flints and clubs
and I'm ready to go
but no matter what the shaman says
I seem always far from home

So while my setting is inspired by history and the main area is based on Beringia where ancient herds walked from china to north America. But Im happy to throw in all kinds of prehistoric fauna like terror birds. Mostly late Pleistocene but some Eocene animals and feathered and furred dinos are ok. I like flightless birds and some animals from other continents. In the mountains, there are many strange unwelcoming valleys and magic creatures.

These are strange encounters on the tundra and while they might be spectacular they do not have to lead to combat. Fleeing in most cases should be an option. They are more for populating hexes for exploring than to find in the existing territory. If you dropped some on a map you could have people hear about some from other tribes in trade.

The tundra is less magical and has less strange remnants of the past than the hidden mountain valleys. It is a new land, fresh with the new order of life and start of the human age. Necromantic wizards are beginning to work together to recover forbidden lore of the age of darkness and their alien gods who fell from the stars.

Oddly if you go into the deeps trolls and dwarves wage war in the Underland and it may not have changed as much as the surface nor will it. To be fair those in the deep fell less far in the cataclysms in the past and some things survived best forgotten. Elves and Dwarves have advanced but hidden settlements. Those that dwell near humans and great wastes are of a lesser sort, broken by cataclysm and determined to keep their arts away from humans. So most of the elves work in wood and dwarves use stone hiding metal from all the younger races that lost these secrets. 

Technology
This is just to cover a variety of settings but the first half most relevant here. More primitive ape folk and white apes often rate 1 or 2. Most tribes are 3-4 and 5 is the highest tech most will ever see. Occasionally some culture moves to 6 but would be considered decadent and influenced by forbidden arts of the ancients. There are tribes dedicated to destroying civilisation from before the age of night ended. Occasional non-humans develop advanced tech or you might find it in the deep where the long night never quite ended. Magical technology can diverge from this but assume more advanced tech offers more types of magic training and fancier temples and palaces. Golem makers made ovens and pumps that were automated which could duplicate more advanced technology.

d12 Technology For My Setting
1 Shun fire, use clubs and sticks and rocks temporarily
2 Use and keep fire once found, spears and stone tools, knots and weaving, sewing
3 An expert keeps secrets of fire and keeps others in fear, gather grain, fishing
4 Fire use common, encourage local food plants, dogs, monolith makers, shields
5 Wooden houses, cyclopean stone walls and tombs, some copper, herd beast
6 Specialist warriors and weapons for war, leather armour, fortifications, bricks, irrigation

7 CIty states, writing, mass archers, phalanxes, swords, helmets, bronze, ox and donkey battlewagons (onagers), united pantheons, state religion, writing, great temples

8 Siege engines to break city walls, roads, empires, horse chariots, alchemy, metal armour, currency, composite bows, ponies ridden for messengers not yet war

9 Cavalry horses big enough for war, iron tools more common and reliable than bronze 

10 Improved steel more common in armour and longer swords, crude cannon, compass

11 Crude handguns, mortars, grenades, gunships and age of exploration

12 Improved mechanics including clocks, printing press, astrolabe, perspective realism

d10 Wonders in the Tundra Types

01 Animal
02 Sky
03 Earth
04 Water
05 Plants
06 Monuments
07 Supernatural
08 Mythic remnants
09 Elder magic
10 Faerieland

d100 Wonders in the Tundra

01 Find remains of a slaughtered herd of beast killed and possibly fresh or just bones, d1000 bodies d4 1=driven into ravine 2=died of disease 3=killed by cloud of underground gas released 4=killed by some deranged monster
02 Mammoth herd solemnly dragging mammoth bones to their secret graveyard inarea trumpeting sadly, mammoth hunting tribe hates anyone meddling in a mammoth ceremony that brings back mammoths from the underworld
03 Huge hives of some kind of giant insect d4 1=ants 2=termites 3=bee 4=wasp
04 Witness some huge ferocious predator ambushing some huge herbivore sparking panic in all local areas
05 Hear trumpeting mammoths communicating over a vast distance, some experts can understand the mammoth gossip d4 1=daeth and danger 2=mammoth birth 3=long lost mammoth kin reunited 4=beware of enemies
06 Hundreds of ground rats migrating hungrily, if you attack them or have open food say in a camp they attack as a swarm biting furiously 5% of those bitten get bubonic plague
07 Herds swarms over the horizon smothering sky to sky best head for hills or be trampled
08 Millions of migrating huge moths rich in nutrition (taste like egg, 1in6 like bacon), everyone can be lazy and just eat for days, many animals do same
09 Unusually warm weather and falling fruit has made some animals drunk and they are unusually silly and bold and stupid d4 1=carniverous apes 2=wild dogs 3=small herd beast like goat or sheep 4=giant herd beast like a mammoth
10 Giant beavers have built a lake with a huge wooden manor, might trade with humans but wary. Have advanced carpentry skills
11 Strong winds blast this area mostly in one direction due to a local wind spirit some locals may know the name of
12 Spirit here brings fog to confound travellers and keep people away from secrets hidden inside d4 1=cave 2=monster 3=stone monolith 4=prehuman ruin
13 A friendly star spirit here keeps strangers who prey to her safe by night in camp
14 An invisible staircase here is sometimes discovered but it is broken part way up. If overcome leads to entry of an invisible (from outside) castle of a cloud giant his family killed by the gods of humans long ago so it hates humans and longs to torment them as prisoners. Possibly clues to a forgotten god might be here to reclaim for humans
15 Wind spirit here hates humans and buffets them with winds at first then lures them with voices crying for help to a strange haunted cave where monsters wait. The spirit has a totem here and destroying it frees the area of evil
16 The black wind spirit sound of the moaning dead of the apocalypse long ago, the sound panics animals and makes humans moody. Sometimes fights to break out within tribes
17 Sky spark brother spirit flies over the area with a magic flint and as often as once a day will shoot a lightning bolt at an evildoer or supernatural being or magician who casts spells without permission on others. Sometimes you see a strange lightning strike in the distance and you might find a charred corpse if investigated
18 The great moon spirits protect a certain path here from supernatural evil by night and the direction and destination is known to local shaman and priests 
19 Bats are seen swarming from a secret cave by night here. Inside goblins farm fungus and ride giant bats around the vast Underlands. Goblins might trade
20 Long ago a great vulture demon lost it's wings here two huge burned patches on the earth and a stone monolith which is the petrified bird demon. Certain wizards know a rite to revive the demon who will seek to restore wings and return to the war on the sky spirits
21 A great bubbling tar pit is here and a 1in4 chance a herd beast is trapped d4 1=mammoth 2=auroch 3=megacerops 4=giant elk. 1in4 chance a preditor is interested and possibly gets in trouble too d4 1=sabretooth 2=dire wolves d4 3=hyenadon 4=cave bear

22 Quake shakes the area
23 SInkhole opens up into a deep cavern chamber, dead animal remains from aeons remain
24 A great pit opens before your eyes as permafrost thaws at least thirty tards across and at least that deep
25 Chasm ideally suited to driving herds into ambushes or falls, remains of ancient kill sites remain
26 Cliffs with deposits of valuable minerals exposed d4 1=coal 2=flint 3=copper 4=crystal 5=ochre 6=salt 1in4 chance is actually poisonous tainted salt that an expert might detect and refine
27 Cliffs with miraculous petrified remains of sea creatures, giants and monsters
28 A spectacular cavern entrance into the Underland, some chambers huge with lightwells and even trees inside. Strange creatures frequent here and some say it is tabu
29 A petrified forest has become exposed with some petrified giant newts or dimetrodons occasionally from a great prehuman magic disaster
30 A crater with something buried deep in centre d4 1=star stones (meteoric iron) 2=remains of a divine being from heavens who fell here long ago but a remnant of their spirit here that can be contacted for lore 3=kaiju gargantuan horror fell here and has slumbered for an aeon 4
31 Spirit here makes heavy cold rain pelts tundra when in bad moods flooding lower areas, streams and other areas become flooded. Animals flee but some drown. Spirit sleeps in a cave in form of a spirit dragon who will listen to those who worship it
32 The area is a huge muddy bog seasonally frozen but geothermaly warm with some creatures surviving here long gone elsewhere d4 1=crocodiles 2=giant snapping turtle 3=giant frogs 4=hydra
33 The area always has visible snow and ice year-round and a small melting glacier is surrounded by muddy gravel sludge. A horrible ice beast finds it a pleasant home d4 1=frost salamander 2=white dragon 3=ice devil 4=ice worm
34  A beautiful clear crater lake is home to a nymph. If given a husband she will allow his tribe to fish and collect water or even settle here
35 A bubbling mineral spring of warm water with colourful mineral deposits and bacterial growths like some other world. Some local ice baboons like to wallow serenely here
36 A beautiful lake here is inhabited by a monster that hates humans d6 1=marshhag 2=plesiosaur 3=deranged lake troll 4=aquatic wight in tomb flooded long ago 5=kelpie 6=kraken
37 A huge chunk of strange coloured ice with a terrible huge creature inside
38 The boiling geyser erupts from hotsprings several times a day like clockwork but sometimes become more frequent between quakes. Mist around the geyser site for hours after the eruption
39 A strange area of bogs and wetlands ruled by an evil spirit that can see through every creature born in the swamp or catches swamp fever. The being is cruel and capricious and has a tribe of horrible inbred cultists living in stilt houses or reed rafts
40 A salt flat area of stinking marsh with flat areas that seasonally are dry and caked with salt that some come to collect but they don't stay long. Some say some kind of salt creature dwells here leaving husks of dried corpses encrusted in salt crystals. Salt encrusted zombies and skeletons arise from those murdered.
41 A gigantic tree some visit as a sacred site and worship the great tree spirit. Some communicate with the spirit that occasionally appears as a tree nymph
42 Strange thick razor grass here slashes up unarmoured creatures and is one to two metres high. Most avoid it or need to make protective wear. Huge rhino like beasts graze here and a strange prehuman ruin is in the centre
43 A forest here has a tribe of monkey folk who live in a treetop village connected by vines and woven platforms. They are wary of open areas or strangers who probably want to eat them
44 Two fused trees form an archway which acts as a gateway to a fairyworld
45 Forest of gigantic trees many have hollow spaces inhabited by d4 1=animals 2=elves 3=halflings 4=gnomes
46 Magical tree with 2d6 fruit with a magic effect that keeps for d4 days if picked d6 1= healing 2d4 2=STR +d4 for hour 3=gives vision of future peril 4=cure poison 5=cure disease 6=restoration
47 Forest of living tree guardians unwelcome to human or bigger animals but might negotiate with a druid
48 A great tree with a doorway and stairs inside. Tree inhabited in trunk, branches and roots by magical beasts and faerie folk and the upper branches and lower roots connect to other worlds 
49 Circle of trees sacred to elves and tabu for humans. An elf lives in each tree with a bow and several friendly animals serve them
50 Forest with village of people really tree spirit folk channelling. Sometimes they all hide as trees till strangers leave
51 Stone circle where the sarsen stones are petrified giant tyrants who ruled long ago and possibly might be awakened by evil wizards or magic 
52 Huge ugly squat toadlike stone rock shunned by modern peoples, a wizard cult once worshipped here and those who sleep near have nightmares of a witch and demon frog orgy
53 A whicker figure 12 yards high, once a year druids gather to fill it with animals and criminals and burn it to ensure fertility. Some volunteer or are chosen by priests and anyone interfering will be attacked. Willing sacrifices hoped to serve the gods and feel cheated enough to hunt rescuers and kill them sadistically
54 A stone circle used for monthly, seasonal and yearly rituals including ones where locals drag a sarsen stone a few hundred yards 
55 A rectangular stone plinth with huge reptilian feet broken off at ankles remains of a reptilian civilisation. Other stones are scattered and almost all inscriptions are destroyed unless you dig
56 A crumbling mound of clay bricks, many reverting to mud and vegetation grows around it, some bricks have inscriptions detailing ancient kings, some relief art on wall shows beast headed monster kings with human and orc slaves bringing tributes and sacrifices 
57 A black basalt tower with stairs and no windows, apparently the upper levels were lost long ago, inside the stairwell are wizard symbols useful as spell research. The basement is a ancient prehuman dungeon with magic experiments and relics left by dying beings 
58 Artificial hill mound of enormous size with stone-lined shrine halfway up and a sealed tomb inside dedicated to ancient wizard slaying warrior race mostly gone now
59 Cavern complex with multiple cult ritual areas and galleries of paintings and signs used by wizards and priests and druids for aeons. Many come here on pilgrimage from far away
60 Plain of half exposed ancient crumbling statues of trolls. Some say this was where first trolls born from rock or were chaos trolls struck by the sun and petrified. There are dozens visible and the buried ones are more intact and could be revived by wizards. Most troll races became extinct warring the gods in dawn times
61 Huge diagrams in earth depicting animals spirit lords here that shaman visit to contact, made to be seen from above by sky spirits of shaman dreamings. Used by local shamen to contact spirits of long-gone animals. Shaman gather here once a year to walk over the line paths beating drums then spend three days in a spirit lodge built of wood  
62 Huge carved wooden totem of a god of a tribe passing this way long ago. The tribal god will accept offerings and the cult might be recoverable here
63 Strange smokey spirits arise in shadows of woodlands or more so at night, a ruined temple mostly buried has an evil relic responsible and certain evil wizards would crave it 
64 A spectral beast of enormous size stalks by night area but by day its footprints are visible and scent scares other beast d4 1=one eyed dire wolf 2=rotting angry woolly rhino 3=gigantic black auroch bull with red eyes 4=displacer cat. If destroyed it returns a year later unless body is found and burned or blessed
65 The crumbling ruin of ancient city inhabited by lesser undead that become common by night, walking routes they did in everyday life
66 An evil spirit lurks the land invading the dreams of humans and taunting them with visions of prehuman horrors of the past
67 A monolith here attracts werewolves. A d4 are always present and these can change at will and many others roam area subject to moonlight to change. By day most will be human and try to meet strangers to deceive them, even offering to guide strangers to a great campsite
68 Crumbling stone temple home of a deranged ancient vulture man priest in filthy bejewelled robes, can be tricked into teaching elder lore and fond of honey. Has a library of ancient tablets. Only a matter of time before someone kills it
69 Huge cliff face with carved tombs of lizardfolk, crazy lizard worshiper cult say area tabu and death for outsiders
70 Ghost ground a bad place where buried people or animals arise as undead. Evil wizards come here to study and collect soil for spells but many zombies and skeletons prowl here and fights attract more
71 Huge footprints where a great spirit strode long ago
72 Huge rocks where a giant was slain long ago 
73 Rocks once runaway wives of a vengeful wizard who is also a nearby rock
74 Elongated hill with bulge said to be where a great spirit threw a war club
75 The gigantic skeletons of primordial being long dead from battles at end of dawn age, wizards collect fragments and a tribe of huge warriors here kill wizards on sight
76 Huge odd-shaped hill said to be a dwelling place of elves inside
77 Huge petrified monster broken into chunks in some ancient battle with the gods
78 Strange stony hill said to be formed from skull of a giant
79 Section of river said to have been where a god dragged corpse of a monster
80 A smoking lone mountain where some ancient monster is imprisoned and being tortured by fire and poison
81 Great crumbling green stone pyramids with sea creature motifs, degenerate cultists worship place as holy to an elder sea demon
82 A great circular ruin of marble and onyx, where and elder prehuman empire teleported slaves to other such locations around the world. Some of the circle areas might still work and have inscriptions in the black unholy tongue of demons
83 A strange stone pylon with no opening unless touched by a wizard where a doorway fades into being. Inside a control altar with glowing gems can influence local weather and climate but it is easily abused and goes haywire
84 A strange stone pylon with no opening unless touched by a wizard where a doorway fades into being. Inside a control altar with glowing gems can open a gate to the age of darkness when monsters ruled that stays open for 24 hours. It can only be turned on once a month
85 A strange stone slab with sarcophagi like slab for a person to lay in. Was used to drain the life from sacrifices to a now-dead demon and now is mostly useless. One day some other spirit or demon or cult will try to repurpose it by attuning with the relic
86 A great buried temple and inside is a great copper bowl with a black liquid ichor horror inside who guards inscriptions (usable for wizard research) against outsider's eyes. An idol to a hideous toad god of sorcery overlooks the chamber
87 A broken down step pyramid overgrown with shrubs and trees. An old shaman here knows a secret way inside but warns you the vampire bat goddess guard its secrets

88 Great stone snake idols on stone steps partially exposed by elements buried under gravel and mud debris of glacier
89 A great crack in earth with partial remains of an intact ancient city now exposed and occupied by goblinoids and monster faction including serpent cults, a dragon cult and a frogfolk clan. Many unsafe elder relics and tablets have been found here
90 A lake with a sunken ruin visible on bottom intact with carved stone dragons and a great temple to tiamat. An aquatic dragon lives here with a great treasure and sleeps for decades unless disturbed by smell of human flesh 
91 Two standing stones with a third on top forming an archway that opens to faerieland under the full moon and lights are seen in the area
92 A ruined heap of stone remains of an elf citadel fallen long ago and some fine ivory and amber carved trinkets have been found in the rubble
93 Stone statue of ancient demihuman carved into a rockface
94 Area abundantly fertile with more elves, faeries, sprites, goblins, dryads and nymphs living close to each other much like the faerie woods of the dawn times
95 Mushroom rings everywhere and lights by night where faerie and elves and changeling creatures dance and travel to other worlds on certain constellations
96 Elven nobles from otherworldly come here to hunt with werewolves as dogs to hunt human slaves. Distant faerie trumpets are sometimes heard when a hunt is on
97 Elves seen flying an exotic steed type here d4 1=griffon 2=pegasus 3=giant hawk 4=giant owl, locals assume there is a secret faerie gate in a high up place
98 Lake where many have seen underwater village and some even see marine beast folk walking the flooded streets. Others have vanished here also. The surface tension of the water acts as an otherworldly gate at times and some magic fish have been caught here
99 Dense woodlands hide a faerie tree fort populated by d4 1=bright elf 2=dark elf 3=sprite 4=pixie
100 A strange attractive woman has been seen in these parts with green skin who offer her lovely breasts to strangers. Some dryad or nymph or elf witch but those who dally with her vanish

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. 

Pointcrawl Campagn Plans

So have done charts like this before but thought of playing with shaped boxes for a point crawl campaign. So I just they and plan adventure from meeting to outcome with boxes representing travel, dungeons, rest points and other things. One problem of too much choice is unused stuff but you can have reasons to visit some side quests or other paths. A surviving villain might run away to a missed area or some item or side quest or needy person can redirect party even after victory. Anyway, just a thought I will play with and might try this out for current campaign arc. Suggestions for box types are welcome...

I might try printing these up on cards with a list of some possible examples for each to try using as a generator for stories. Possible d4-1 paths from any box or just be arbitrary.

Setting Builds

So recently watched the extended version of LOTR on DVD which I found a big improvement and some of the extra features that gave me some ideas. Normally I plunder more mythology and national epic literature but watching LOTR while writing my BX clone made my head spin a bit. Just visuals of films can inspire a monster or a scene.

A few things I considered are just next time I revise my large scale maps I will add a bunch of wonders made by humans or natural or magical. Probably more cities need a wonder or some feature to make them extraordinary like a great temple or monument.

Orcs worshipping siege weapon shrines I want more

Plus that one elf can be used to make multiple orcs apparently
Incompetent and mad rulers helping the spread of evil by accident is a great opportunity
A war somewhere every year, occasionally one effects party homeland
Wonders, monuments and tourist attractions for visitors and even villages need something
Everywhere you go there is a local monster or animal famous for menacing people

Considered how I might use my war blog posts to run a game where war is raging and all the dungeons are to make shortcut trips or find important weapons or information. 

My best campaign of several years in the late 80s using RQ3 with only divine magic had a landmass of countries each imperilled by a different evil cult, monster and evil god which players would have to hunt. Plus telling the big evil from local petty evil was tricky and distracting. I used Pendragon too as the game time happened over years so children and how long your horse lived mattered.

I also looked at making something for campaign planning. With some symbols for point-based flowcharts. Probably more on this later.

My cave folk game has a few months and Id want to get some playtests in of higher-level play for my homebrew. I expect play will feature exploring, killing increasingly huge beasts, making tribal and supernatural alliances. Players have had hints of things beyond them in power to avoid before. At some point this setting I might merge with Xor or my fantasy settings set chronologically later too.

Have a post on my campaign pointcrawl flow chart boxes soon...

SF Timeline Notes

Had been wanting to work on some setting timelines again and had a play with my sf one a bit. Might surprise ppl that SF i prefer to fantasy mostly. I like fantasy for it's referencing to history and archaeology rather than high fantasy tropes of crystals and flying ships. 

So while crunching this I considered If I did a SF product I think space archaeology campaign would be what I would do as It is a theme not focused on yet is common in SF and even SF adventures. Old traveller black book had an ancient pyramid that I liked and the concept art of original alien film which was kind of used later. 

Have run using DnD, BRP and my old homebrew d100 system I used 84-89. It started inspired by Top Secret SI and Starfrontiers and evolved more towards BRP so I just changed to that. Ringworld RPG and GURPS probably a huge influence too. I have my setting notes but not many mechanic notes or the huge spell lists I made for the fantasy version.

I might try a spacial map to go with this to show early periods only a few hundred light-years across to being 

So some notes on this setting (I have played various past periods) 

• Technology templates used by colony ships are standard like the way most of planet use metric. Some colonies have alternate tech and specializations they have developed that is associated with more advanced tech
• Colonies were equipped with templates to limit them and keep them thralls to their homes
  
• Various peoples of Sol (Martian, Venusian, Selinites, Jovian, Terran, Belter) were influences on early colonies 
• Earliest colonies were isolated for up to a century and developed distinct culture and genotypes 
• Sol is far away and forgotten. It withdrew from communication with an interdiction field and built a Dyson sphere. Centuries later it vanished, withdrawn into hyperspace. Many old peoples of Sol left the system before this. Sol is mostly a myth to most of the galaxy. The old core colonies are closed to less advanced visitors
  
• Those aliens you see, most used to be human. Humanity is allied with starfish and cephalopods. Once Terra faked an alien race "Proximen" to keep colonies united. Real aliens are rare. Some are leftovers of ancients now mostly primitive
• Ancients left bioweapons and machines and ruins that are a threat to explorers and security of the whole sectors. Quarantine planets are common
• Humanity and allies control about 2/3 of the galaxy loosely. Together they prevent virulent swarm outbreaks and excesses of pocket empires. Many warlords feel the great civilisations are impotent uncaring as long as you keep low tech
• There are individuals who have survived thousands of years in cryonics accidents or become synthetics or reconstructed from data by AIs
• Although Sol is gone, many who departed It before the end and operated at Template3 came to aid the mass of humanity as crusaders who came to wage war on threats against humanity. The last of them died fighting Makkara host from another galaxy
• Using most advanced tech attracts trouble from lotechs who want it or worse awaken the advanced remnants of ancient weapon systems 

Spells & Summoning monsters

Magic Spell Research Speculation Stuff
Me and a friend did 12th level wizards and hoping to pad out the higher levels with content as what I have only really good for about that high maybe 14th. Considered having some skills with fx that kick in at 10th or perhaps unlock stranger skills. Part of me thinks might revise magic to be a bit more different to dnd ip. I like spells in dcc that lets a basic spell get more powerful so burning hands can burn an army eventually. I like some Lamentations spells and enhanced simplicity. I dislike all those hugely detailed spell descriptions that talk about some wizard. Long ago I had a system that had basic combat spells that you chose what the missile was with your version of the spell. I like summoning spells to do this too. Had an ant wizard in one game only called ants. Or a wizard that summons only lame 1HD clone copies of themself. Aso don't really like the Summon Monsters I, II, III, etc

So I like spells that stay useful a long career. Magic missile and charm person in older dnd both stay useful at a high level. Having lots of custom variant spells makes magic people vary more if their summonings and magic zaps have distinct appearances. Reskinning a web to being slime and purple worms might not be a big deal. Even go as far as everyone makes a little paper a6 spellbook to describes vis fx of your versions of the spell??? Some kids like describing spells too hard and using to hijack narrative (ok it can be done well).

Anyway I'm playing with ideas for summoning but none of this set in stone yet
Must avoid rewriting all spells and monsters.
Watching LOTR with friend who informs me one elf makes many orcs

Summoning and Monster Making Magic
So summoning I have played with a bit

I like the idea of more spells to make monsters to populate dungeons
-monsters not necessarily obedient but you can tame or deceive them
-or lock them up in your dungeon to run feral after you die
-make orc spell Lv1=murder an elf becomes a near ageless sterile mockery of elf kind
-make orc spell Lv2=use fresh human corpse disproportionately from male soldiers
-make orc Lv3=make orc from mud but these are sexless bigger brutes d12HD
(modern orcs breed and live longer and most wary of wizards stuff and dark lords)
-make abhuman Lv4 spells fuse human and animal via arcane surgery easiest to make
-loved alchemist art from medieval times of dragons being grown in vats
-jack Vance had quite a bit of this like the AD&D clone spell
-i guess lonely wizards will make cat women and other creepy stuff
-i like spells with some risk so lots of making undead spells risk they will betray you
-golems are slow and expensive to make but less horrible than undead
-alchemists make golems, slime monsters, simulacra, homunculi, even draconic monsters
-safer higher level spells don't have these problems
-perhaps a spell to control summoned beings but I guess charm could

Common Spells
Summoning Creature 1st Lv Spell
-1HD per caster level for one turn per level or dies/vanishes/melts/fades at zero
Summoning Circle 3rd Lv Spell
-1HD critters per caster level for around per level, minimum of 4 creatures
-create lots of figures to strategically tie up the battlefield
Summon Monster 4th Lv Spell - 1HD/Lv
-creatures with multiple attacks or other non-magic advantages
Conjure Planar Thrall 5th Lv Spell
-8hd elemental or lesser demon or devil or angel or faerie
Conjure Planar Power 6th Lv Spell
-16hd elemental or major demon or devil or angel or faerie
Conjure Planar Throne 7th Lv Spell
-nobility of hell/demons/elemental lords/efreeti
Gateway 7th Lv Spell
-open portal to another world or close one

Wizard Summoning
-instantly calls being or beings to point in the range
-from another world or creates from elemental, ectoplasmic, shadow or spectral material
-creatures obey orders and mental suggestions but do have morale scores or own will
-creatures bit thick and naive and without orders stand around confused
-sometimes 1in20 chance a creature survives the spell expiry and flees a wild monster who hates and fears who called it into being

Druid Summoning
-basic spell calls whatever animals or giant animals available
-basic spell calls beast with one attack like wolf, goat or deer
-monster summoning is for animals with multiple attacks like bears or lions
-later spells call magical wilderness beings from faerie land and elementals
-creatures hang around for hours but take a d6 rounds to arrive
-could be recruited as a follower if treated well after the battle
-animal intelligence but not stupid or suicidal but protect and aid druid
-mostly summon animals most with one bite attack like wolves
-high-level spell sylvan or faerie or elementals later usually intelligent
-when animals die their children starve
-druid could charm or befriend animals if like them or reward them
-nice to not just eat them or use a cannon fodder and first aid or feed them after

Cleric Summoning
-each cult has spells to summon beings of the cult Horus priests know summon hawk
-sent by god arrive from sky or a pit or portal, fanatic service to god through the summoner
-summons is instant and creatures vanish back to the gods household
-don't strictly obey you but will fight to death versus enemies then vanish
-low level spells summon a npc character or basic beast with 1 attack
-higher level monster summoning spell calls cult spirits and beasts usually intelligent
-planar summonings call divine servants basically magic monsters angels or devils
-some beings are spirits that coalesce a body from local matter
-beings slain return to the divine source to be reborn again serving the god

Alchemist might mix some potions and charge with a philosophers stone or plant some dragon teeth on the fly for a summoning. Some alchemy might require prep time and money as well as magical energy-infused during a ritual. Mostly they make constructs like golems.

Ideas On Summoning & Creating Monsters
If the plan is to make spells more customisable then I need to
Rough Guide for summoning and creating spells
Roughly a HD/Lv and conditions
Ive considered some extra magic skills such as
-improve average HP per dice from 4 to 5 possibly stack four times to 8hp per HD
-better minimum average on spells that summon random amounts of critter
-i guess familiar might concentrate for you to maintain a spell or command summoned things

1 LV = D8 HD on average but you could
swap a d8 HD for d4x2 HD eg two kobolds or rats instead of a orc
swap 3 d8 HD for d6x4 HD eg four goblin or bandit or dogs instead of three orcs
swap 3 d8 HD for d12x2 HD eg abhuman, dwarf, barbarian  instead of three orcs

Basic HD & HP     Common Critters
d4 or 2hp               Rat, Kobold
d6 or 3hp               Goblin, Dog, Human Guard
d8 or 4hp               Orc, Dwarf, Hobgoblin, Skeleton
2d8 or 8hp             Abhuman beast folk (lizard or hyena), wolf, Zombie
3d8 or 12hp           Bugbear, Wild Boar
4d8 or 16hp           Ogre, Dire wolf, Bull
5d8 or 20hp           Carrion Worm (-2 for lots of magic attacks)
6d8 0r 24hp
7d8 or 28hp           Lion (-2 for extra attacks)
8d8 or 32hp           Hill Giant, Grizzly Bear (-2 for extra attacks)
9d8 or 36hp
10d8 or 40hp
More intelligent creatures -2
Creatures with 3 attacks -2
Some magical or special abilities -1
Many magical abilities or spellcaster -2
Undead have dangerous powers but also liabilities like clerics
Spectral Minions are perfect as can be any level or in group and fade on "death"

Other Thoughts
Most basic summoned creatures are not bright
-wizard summoning drawn from other dimensions or created instantly
-priest summoning calls cult beings that are fanatics that might not do as you wish
-druid summon actual local animals or giant ones whatever is near might come

Higher-level summoned beings are supernatural and often genius intellects

These lists are just tooling around and preferring the above systems. This was an older version of the idea which I gave up on but useful notes and ideas on this stuff.

All this starts to feed into my monster book project which aims to reduce IP monsters.
Possibly a future rewrite will significantly rename monsters and spells.

Golems Making Spells Per Level
0 doll, animated tool
1 grass golem , scarecrow, jack o lantern, iron cobra
2 wood golem, silver statue, necrophidius
3 crystal Statue, Jade statue
4 gargoyle, guardian warrior, iron statue, caryatid column
5 Bone golem, obsidian golem, mud golem, rock statue, steel statue, gargoyle
6 Flesh golem, mud golem
7 clay golem, amber golem
8 stone golem, silver golem
9 rock golem, iron golem, bronze golem, juggernaut

Undead Making Spells Per Level
0 zombie rat, crawling hand
1 Skeleton, spectral minion, malice, corpse worm
2 Ghoul, flying skull, poltergeist, haunt, shade,
3 Sheet phantom, Huecuva, Coffer Corpse, shadow, ghostly horde, topi, juju zombie
4 Sheet Ghoul, Son of Kyuss, penanggalan, Wyrd, ghast, wight, agarat
5 Mummy, wraith, banshee, ghoul elder, draugr
6 Revenant, Apparition, Nosferatu, Greater Wyrd, spectre, dusunu, grey philosopher, sacrol, mesmer
7 skeleton warrior, ghost, groaning spirit, vampire, darkhood, phantom
8 Death Knight, crimson death
9 Iich (18HD) Colossus (20HD)

Elementalist Making Spells Per Level
0 1
2 fire snake, giant strider, hoar fox
3 ice lizard, water weird, fire bat
4 Fire Lizard, lava child, mephit, fire toad
5
6 Winter Wolf
7 Fire lizard, Salamander
8 Efreeit, Medeum fire elemental
9 Efreeti Viier, huge fire elemental

Darkness Making Spells Per Level
0
1 shade
2
3 Shadow
4 Shadow mastiff
5 Wraith
6 Shadow Demon, nightmare, ebon tiger, shadow dragon
7 Soul Eater, Bhutr, terithan
8 Randara, night hag,
9 blackball, nightwing,

Faerie Making Spells Per Level
0
1 Elf, Faerie
2 Pixie, sprite, atomie, grig, brownie, leprechaun
3 Wychlamp, buckawn, swanmay
4 Elf cat, dryad,
5 Shargugh,
6 Wyrdglow, Satyr, korred, nymph, siren, sylph, niad, oread
7 Faedorne
8 Treant, willowisp
9

Specialisations For Summoners
1 Ooze - family of low HD basic oozes, better ones 
2 Worms  - disgusting
3 Ants - basic then flying or chemical attack versions 
4 Insect - beetles then with flying ones or preying mantis
5 Arachnids - with venom, webs, or extra attacks with better spells (scorpions and spiders)
6 Crabs - and crustaceans then bigger ones with extra attacks or hermit crabs spells
7 Cephalopods - amphibious versions ok short term but squids, ammonites, octopi
8 Slugs - basic the acid spitters and flail snails 
9 Isopods or Trilobites - basically bugs amphibious versions
10 Centipedes - lower HD but poison for size?
11 Fish- inappropriate in some places
12 Frogs - huge to gigantic forms and some magical types of frogs

13 Lizards - fancy types with more attacks and abilities later
14 Dinosaurs - all sizes and shapes some with more attacks or armour
15 Snakes - various sizes with deadly venom or constrictors or hydra at high level
16 Draconic - smaller drakes working up to dragons but mostly 
17 Synapsids - mammal-like reptiles before dinosaurs, so mostly dimetrodon's
18 Newts - huge to gigantic forms and including salamanders, olm &  axolotl
19 Plant - various mobile plants and vegepygmies
20 Fungus - various mobile fungus and mushroom folk

21 Canines - like wolves and dogs or dire wolves

22 Hyena - plus prehistoric versions

23 Swine including wild boar or prehistoric terror pigs

24 Marsuipials - possums, wombats, thylacene, koala, kangaroo, tasmanian devil

25 Ursinoids - various types of bears

26 Cetaceans - including amphibious and land based ancestors or whales and dolphins

27 Rodents - rats, mice and similar critters possibly beavers

28 Felines - cats, bobcat, lynx, panther, cheetah, lions, tigers, sabretoothed cats

29 Flightless birds - including prehistoric terror birds, moa, emus, ostriches, cassowary

30 Other birds but possibly specialize in raptors, ducks, flamingoes, etc
31 Various herd beast - goats, bison, ibex, deer, cattle, ibex, gazelle, 
32 Bats - winged mammals but flightless predatory versions exist

33 Primates - apes and monkeys and lemurs

34 Lagomorphs - rabbits and hares

35 Armadillos - prehistoric ones like glyptodons

36 Sloths - including prehistoric aquatic, burrowing and giant ones 

37 Weasels - nasty

38 Elephants - possibly woolly and midget jungle types

39 Rhino - possibly woolly and midget jungle types

40 Moles - giant carnivorous ones

41 Spectral phalanx spear warrior spirits

42 Spectral savage hairy warrior wild folk spirits from the Forrest

43 Spectral barbarian warriors from the long-gone tribe who long to fight

44 Spectral missile troops like archers

45 Spectral weapons and weapons

46 Spectral minion warriors from beyond called to battle

47 Spectral savage gibbering pygmies

48 Spectral degenerate mutant hordes

49 Spectral templar warriors

50 Spectral hound

51 Hags - from lesser hedge hags to powerful night hags

52 Centaurs

53 Corporal Undead from netherworld mostly skeletons and zombies

54 Non Corporal Undead from netherworld mostly spectral minions

55 Chimera

56 Slaad

57 Shedu

58 Lamia

59 Sphynx

60 Naga

61 Goblinoids - goblins then hobgoblins and bugbears

62 Orcs - some with fancier equipment and levels

63 Giants - cyclops, ogres and various giants

64 Kobolds - two for one HD deal 

65 Trolls - with hedge and barn trolls up to gigantic ones

66 Dwarves - summon fighting dwarfkind

67 Elves - summon fighting elfkind

68 Gnomes - summon fighting gnomekind

69 Halflings - summon halflingkind

70 Changeling spirit folk, planar hybrids and fey folk

71 Plant abhumans - tree folk

72 Fungus abhumans - mushroom folk

73 Worm abhumans - centipedes, maggots, grubs

74 Fish Abhumans - shark, eel, crab, catfish, carp, salmon

75 Arachnid Abhumans, spider, scorpion, tick

76 Insectoid Abhumans - mantis, ant, bee, wasp, beetle, moth, fly

77 Bird Abhumans - crow, vulture, owl, eagle, hawk, ibis, rooster

78 Mammal Abhumans - dog, lion, bear, walk, stag folk

79 Reptilian Abhumans - lizardfolk and others, some huge 

80 Elemental Abhumans - specialise in specific elemental types

81 Fire elementals  
82 Earth elementals 
83 Air elementals 
84 Water elementals 
85 Ice elementals
86 Lightning elementals
87 Crystal elementals
88 Vapour elementals
89 Metal elementals
90 Flesh elementals 
91 Faeries - chaos C call halflings, goblins, gnomes, elves, nymphs, dryad
92 Daemons - chaos C call elder spirits of the aether between worlds 
93 Celestials - law L Archons, ultraterrestrials and agents of cosmic law

94 Plutonians - law L netherworld spirits of the dead called as spectral beings
95 Elysians - G heroic and virtuous spirits from a place of rest and reward for the dead

96 Arcadians - CG wild folk, magical animals and nature spirits

97 Diabolics - LE  lawful evil, hells cultists & devils who imprison those damned by gods

98 Angelics - LG heaven totem animal or puritanical fanatics then angels
99 Demonics - CE cultists and abyssal hordes dwelling on fragments of creation 
100 Cthonics - E darkness & nightmare beings from beyond outer void 

forgive my not quite Gygaxian alignment and cosmology
daemons and faeries can be good or evil or indifferent or alien
i like idea a summoner calling spectral warriors called from ancient dead as a thing