Broadly speaking, I think most approaches to alchemy in adventure games tend to go wrong in one of two ways:
1) All mixtures and alchemical works are ultimately random, involving combining some arbitrary combination of junk that results in nothing more than a random roll or two on a table. In some rule sets, this will not even be a repeatable process, so that eye of basilisk mixed with cyanide will be a healing potion one week and a potion of flame breath the next. Player skill is irrelevant to the final outcome.
2) In predetermining what combinations of ingredients will create. Usually this involves a list of ingredients or mixtures of ingredients, and a correlated list of effects. The list may be kept secret from players, or may not be. Either way, the referee must create a large table of ingredients and effects beforehand, only a small portion of which will likely be used. Once a given formula is determined, players will either ignore it (if detrimental) or attempt to reproduce it to the point of trivial accessibility (if beneficial).
Neither of these approaches is completely wrong, but rather each emphasises one possible fun element of alchemical systems in games and then builds itself around reproducing only that element. Random systems emphasise surprise and unpredictability. Indexed chemical lists emphasise reproducibility. What I will propose is not an alchemical system, but a procedure for running an alchemical system.
My Proposals Are That:
1) One ought to start off with no list of ingredient combinations in one's alchemical system. A potion mixture begins with combining two ingredients. Ingredients are two interesting bits of the environment that a PC wishes to mix alchemically (presumably using a lab, though not necessarily). Combining the two ingredients produces a random roll on the table of effects (or you can just make something cool up, as one pleases). Once this has been done, write the ingredient combination down with the effect next to it. As PCs continue to do this, more entries are added to the table, ensuring that only combinations that will actually be used in play are generated. Entries become fixed in this way.
2) If a third ingredient is added to the mixture, either roll an additional effect (increasing the likelihood of poison), or roll on the table of potion-mixing results if one's adventure game provides one, or make something else up. Add any additional effects created by the mixture of each of the constituent ingredients of the original mixture with the new ingredient. Write this combination down with its correlated effect twice. Once as "[Potion of X] + [Ingredient 3] = [Effect 1], [Effect 2]" and once as "[Ingredient 1] + [Ingredient 2] + [Ingredient 3] = [Potion of Y] with [Effect 1], [Effect 2]"
This will provide potions with multiply-realisable pathways for their creation. It may also lead to the production of additional effects as players work out the logic of various combinations:
i.e.
a) Eye of Basilisk + Cyanide = Potion of Healing [Randomly determined]
b) Cyanide + Kraken's Blood = Potion of Flight [Randomly determined]
c) Potion of Healing + Kraken's Blood = Potion of Flame Breath [Randomly determined]
d) A Potion of Healing (Eye of Basilisk + Cyanide) + Kraken's Blood = Potion of Healing + Potion of Flight + Potion of Flame Breath
Eventually a deadly poison or acid, or some other detrimental effect will be generated as one of the effects, so this system tends to be self-limiting. I tend to use a list that includes a variety of non-deadly poisons to make the decision to use potions more calculated. In Emern, the one type of healing potion the PCs knew how to make also caused them to hallucinate wildly for 1d6 hours.
3) For simplicity's sake, have the players keep the paperwork. If they can't produce a written record of what a previous combination of ingredients did, then mixing ingredients defaults to a random roll. If the potion has no obvious ingredients (viz. you randomly rolled it in a treasure hoard and are too busy dealing with the consequences of the ring of three wishes the PCs obtained at the same time), then the effect of its combination with another ingredient is randomly determined. If this ends up partly mimicking an already-existing combination and a PC can demonstrate so through reference to written records, then the potion was clearly composed of those constituent ingredients. This also means no one devotes more time to a complex alchemical system than they feel useful.
4) A PC may conduct alchemical research, which is just figuring out the effects of potions without having to administer them to one's self or another named character. This can be a skill test, cost money, whatever (this is not an alchemy system; this is the sort of thing alchemy systems exist to do). PCs name an effect they want (either off the table or more generally) and then are given two ingredients (which may be complex mixtures themselves) that will create some version of it. You can just roll on your already existing list of ingredients, or your already existing list of potions, or already existing table of monsters or whatever other table one pleases to generate these ingredients.
Additional Comment on "Potions"
"Potions" as fluid-in-a-vial are kind of boring and one can easily spice them up by doing nothing more than providing them in forms requiring different types of administration. One of the things I tried to do in my Emern potion tables from a couple years ago was to create potions that almost never came in the form of bottled liquids. One can provide an additional random factor to the above system by randomly determining the form the new potion is in. This may mean that certain combinations are more useful / tasteful than others, as well as providing amusing colour about the process of creating the potion (feeding it to docile spiders who then inject it into one; pouring it into the ground surrounding a tobacco plant and then harvesting the leaves, etc.).
Sep 30, 2013
Sep 16, 2013
Second Dawnlands Campaign Finished
Finished the second Dawnlands campaign last night after nine (maybe ten, I lost track) sessions.
The set up: The PCs are Kadiz nomads, members of the Barreeve clan. Killer Rohan, a mercenary related to them, returns home for the winter assembly and kills one of the members of the rival clan while drunk (the dude hit Rohan's kid). The PCs are recruited by their clan to assemble the goods necessary to win the potlatch that will decide Rohan's fate.
What they did: They decided to slay the Killer of Wives and Children, an undead sorcerer who used to belong to their clan who killed a bunch of people 70 years ago before fleeing into the wastes. Along the way to finding him, they explored a ghost city inhabited by necromantic terrors and a friendly cyclops; interfered with an archaeological expedition looking for demons to dig up; slew a golden god-shard golem; got killed by the golem and then brought back to unlife by the cyclops; attempted to become kings of the ghost city; met a raiding party from the Orthocracy led by a guy with no face who rode horses made of shadow; met a cool gobliness tattoo artist one of the dead PCs married surreptitiously; had a wagon chase with some hobgoblins; picked up a cantakerous and slightly nutty priest of the God of Gates; hung around with some Dwer merchants and helped them against the guy with no face; met a cannibalistic ogre hermit whose dryad wife made him eat vegetables (because she was also a cannibal); slew the cannibalistic ogre hermit's former wife, a harpy with a leech head who shat blue flames, and her twisted spawn, including giant spiders with human hands growing out of their backs, a thing that's kind of like Jabba the Hutt except it sprayed poison gas, and a thing that was basically a starfish made of legs.
The conclusion: They got to the citadel of obsidian glass the Killer of Wives and Children had raised, got inside to meet him under the pretext of negotiations, and then one of the PCs thought negotiations had broken down and tried to trick the KoWaC into believing they had come to welcome him back to the clan. The KoWaC proceeded to make them his Nazgul, complete with flying black horses, summon his zombie legions to crawl into the belly of his Dracolich for easy transport, and fly with them back to the ghost city to summon the rest of his army before heading back to conquer the Barreeves, their rival clans, and anyone else nearby. About half the PCs were pro-Nazgul, and half were uncertain. The KoWaC summoned the ghosts and met up with the faceless Orthocrat's band, who the PCs had sent to this city several weeks beforehand thinking it was a good way to get rid of them. Finally, realising they weren't going to get a better chance, one of the PCs threw a javelin into the Killer of Wives and Children, and an epic battle ensued, with PC vs. PC combat, a dracolich tearing someone in half after biting their head off, the KoWaC doing the Vader death grip and a PC's magic shield repelling it, ghosts possessing zombies that the dracolich was shitting and puking out of itself all over the battlefield, somebody shooting a giant lightning bolt, and shadow horses tearing off people's shadows as they escaped their control. It ended with one of the PCs using magic berserker axes to behead the dracolich while the priest of the God of Gates castrated the KoWaC's decapitated body (to neutralise his sorcerous power). They released the ghosts from their imprisonment, waved goodbye to the Orthocrats who'd helped them out, and went home where they won the gift contest handily, released Rohan, and retired as mighty heroes of their clan.
Pretty good for nine or ten sessions.
The set up: The PCs are Kadiz nomads, members of the Barreeve clan. Killer Rohan, a mercenary related to them, returns home for the winter assembly and kills one of the members of the rival clan while drunk (the dude hit Rohan's kid). The PCs are recruited by their clan to assemble the goods necessary to win the potlatch that will decide Rohan's fate.
What they did: They decided to slay the Killer of Wives and Children, an undead sorcerer who used to belong to their clan who killed a bunch of people 70 years ago before fleeing into the wastes. Along the way to finding him, they explored a ghost city inhabited by necromantic terrors and a friendly cyclops; interfered with an archaeological expedition looking for demons to dig up; slew a golden god-shard golem; got killed by the golem and then brought back to unlife by the cyclops; attempted to become kings of the ghost city; met a raiding party from the Orthocracy led by a guy with no face who rode horses made of shadow; met a cool gobliness tattoo artist one of the dead PCs married surreptitiously; had a wagon chase with some hobgoblins; picked up a cantakerous and slightly nutty priest of the God of Gates; hung around with some Dwer merchants and helped them against the guy with no face; met a cannibalistic ogre hermit whose dryad wife made him eat vegetables (because she was also a cannibal); slew the cannibalistic ogre hermit's former wife, a harpy with a leech head who shat blue flames, and her twisted spawn, including giant spiders with human hands growing out of their backs, a thing that's kind of like Jabba the Hutt except it sprayed poison gas, and a thing that was basically a starfish made of legs.
The conclusion: They got to the citadel of obsidian glass the Killer of Wives and Children had raised, got inside to meet him under the pretext of negotiations, and then one of the PCs thought negotiations had broken down and tried to trick the KoWaC into believing they had come to welcome him back to the clan. The KoWaC proceeded to make them his Nazgul, complete with flying black horses, summon his zombie legions to crawl into the belly of his Dracolich for easy transport, and fly with them back to the ghost city to summon the rest of his army before heading back to conquer the Barreeves, their rival clans, and anyone else nearby. About half the PCs were pro-Nazgul, and half were uncertain. The KoWaC summoned the ghosts and met up with the faceless Orthocrat's band, who the PCs had sent to this city several weeks beforehand thinking it was a good way to get rid of them. Finally, realising they weren't going to get a better chance, one of the PCs threw a javelin into the Killer of Wives and Children, and an epic battle ensued, with PC vs. PC combat, a dracolich tearing someone in half after biting their head off, the KoWaC doing the Vader death grip and a PC's magic shield repelling it, ghosts possessing zombies that the dracolich was shitting and puking out of itself all over the battlefield, somebody shooting a giant lightning bolt, and shadow horses tearing off people's shadows as they escaped their control. It ended with one of the PCs using magic berserker axes to behead the dracolich while the priest of the God of Gates castrated the KoWaC's decapitated body (to neutralise his sorcerous power). They released the ghosts from their imprisonment, waved goodbye to the Orthocrats who'd helped them out, and went home where they won the gift contest handily, released Rohan, and retired as mighty heroes of their clan.
Pretty good for nine or ten sessions.
Sep 9, 2013
A Procedure for Exploring the Wilderness
This post will refer to the party roles I outline here.
Structuring overland travel makes it easier to run, and in my experience, more fun for players. This post will outline one possible procedure for structuring this part of play. The procedure is sequential, with each numbered step resolved before moving onto the next one.
My assumptions in the design of this procedure:
1) PCs are moving overland under their own initiative.
2) PCs are in at best semi-civilised lands where resupply is uncommon.
3) There are subprocedures for certain steps not outlined in detail here (for example, wandering monsters, determining what you can see when you look around, searching and surveying, handing the PCs shady and contradictory agendas before their adventure).
4) You are using a hexmap.
5) The PCs move on average 2 hexes (20km) per day, one in the morning and one in the evening.
6) I interpret 3-in-6 to mean "On a result of 1-3 on a d6", 4-in-6 to mean "On a roll of 1-4", etc.
7) Each PC is executing their role in parallel rather than sequentially.
This procedure is executed each day the PCs travel, once per day.
1. Preparation for departure (2 hrs.)
a) Spellcasters determine memorised spells.
b) Any healing from resting overnight or for the previous day is recorded by each PC.
c) Any relevant landmarks within sight of the party are noted.
d) Roll 1d6. The corresponding hex face has the path of easiest travel.
e) The direction, pace and marching order are determined by the caller.
f) The timekeeper determines any expendable resources that have been activated by the PCs (rations, water, protection items, etc.).
g) Any relevant spells may be cast.
2. Morning travel (4 hrs.)
a) If the PCs are not on the path of easiest travel then the DM rolls to determine if the PCs veer off-course. (3-in-6 chance; +1 on the roll per landmark kept in sight for the entire morning)
b) The mapper is informed of what terrain the PCs are moving into and marks this on map in pencil. (Either procedurally generate or DM informs them based on prepared map). They also mark the existence of any paths the PCs have been following.
c) Any extended in-character socialising during the morning is performed.
d) The guard, or one PC not otherwise occupied, rolls for any morning random encounters and fills in the random encounter tracking sheet appropriately.
e) Resolve any morning encounters.
f) Timekeeper and quartermaster update their records.
3. Noon stop (1 hr.)
a) PC may attempt to determine if they are lost. (1-in-6 chance to determine correctly; +1 per landmark they can sight themselves on).
b) Any relevant landmarks within sight of the party are noted.
c) Roll 1d6. The corresponding hex face has the path of easiest travel.
d) The direction, pace and marching order are determined by the caller.
e) The timekeeper determines any expendable resources that have been activated by the PCs (rations, water, protection items, etc.).
f) Any relevant spells may be cast.
4. Afternoon travel (4 hrs.)
a) If the PCs are not on the path of easiest travel then the DM rolls to determine if the PCs veer off-course. (3-in-6 chance; +1 on the roll per landmark kept in sight for the entire morning)
b) The mapper is informed of what terrain the PCs are moving into and marks this on map in pencil. (Either procedurally generate or DM informs them based on prepared map). They also mark the existence of any paths the PCs have been following.
c) Any extended in-character socialising during the afternoon is performed.
d) The guard, or one PC not otherwise occupied, rolls for any afternoon random encounters and fills in the random encounter tracking sheet appropriately.
e) Resolve any afternoon encounters.
f) Timekeeper and quartermaster update their records.
Structuring overland travel makes it easier to run, and in my experience, more fun for players. This post will outline one possible procedure for structuring this part of play. The procedure is sequential, with each numbered step resolved before moving onto the next one.
My assumptions in the design of this procedure:
1) PCs are moving overland under their own initiative.
2) PCs are in at best semi-civilised lands where resupply is uncommon.
3) There are subprocedures for certain steps not outlined in detail here (for example, wandering monsters, determining what you can see when you look around, searching and surveying, handing the PCs shady and contradictory agendas before their adventure).
4) You are using a hexmap.
5) The PCs move on average 2 hexes (20km) per day, one in the morning and one in the evening.
6) I interpret 3-in-6 to mean "On a result of 1-3 on a d6", 4-in-6 to mean "On a roll of 1-4", etc.
7) Each PC is executing their role in parallel rather than sequentially.
This procedure is executed each day the PCs travel, once per day.
1. Preparation for departure (2 hrs.)
a) Spellcasters determine memorised spells.
b) Any healing from resting overnight or for the previous day is recorded by each PC.
c) Any relevant landmarks within sight of the party are noted.
d) Roll 1d6. The corresponding hex face has the path of easiest travel.
e) The direction, pace and marching order are determined by the caller.
f) The timekeeper determines any expendable resources that have been activated by the PCs (rations, water, protection items, etc.).
g) Any relevant spells may be cast.
2. Morning travel (4 hrs.)
a) If the PCs are not on the path of easiest travel then the DM rolls to determine if the PCs veer off-course. (3-in-6 chance; +1 on the roll per landmark kept in sight for the entire morning)
b) The mapper is informed of what terrain the PCs are moving into and marks this on map in pencil. (Either procedurally generate or DM informs them based on prepared map). They also mark the existence of any paths the PCs have been following.
c) Any extended in-character socialising during the morning is performed.
d) The guard, or one PC not otherwise occupied, rolls for any morning random encounters and fills in the random encounter tracking sheet appropriately.
e) Resolve any morning encounters.
f) Timekeeper and quartermaster update their records.
3. Noon stop (1 hr.)
a) PC may attempt to determine if they are lost. (1-in-6 chance to determine correctly; +1 per landmark they can sight themselves on).
b) Any relevant landmarks within sight of the party are noted.
c) Roll 1d6. The corresponding hex face has the path of easiest travel.
d) The direction, pace and marching order are determined by the caller.
e) The timekeeper determines any expendable resources that have been activated by the PCs (rations, water, protection items, etc.).
f) Any relevant spells may be cast.
4. Afternoon travel (4 hrs.)
a) If the PCs are not on the path of easiest travel then the DM rolls to determine if the PCs veer off-course. (3-in-6 chance; +1 on the roll per landmark kept in sight for the entire morning)
b) The mapper is informed of what terrain the PCs are moving into and marks this on map in pencil. (Either procedurally generate or DM informs them based on prepared map). They also mark the existence of any paths the PCs have been following.
c) Any extended in-character socialising during the afternoon is performed.
d) The guard, or one PC not otherwise occupied, rolls for any afternoon random encounters and fills in the random encounter tracking sheet appropriately.
e) Resolve any afternoon encounters.
f) Timekeeper and quartermaster update their records.
5. Evening (4 hrs.)
a) PC may attempt to determine if they are lost. (1-in-6 chance to determine correctly; +1 per landmark they can sight themselves on).
b) The quartermaster, or one PC not otherwise occupied, draws the camp layout on a scrap of paper.
c) Any research, preparation for the following day, etc. may be done.
c) Any research, preparation for the following day, etc. may be done.
d) The caller determines the watch schedule.
e) Any extended in-character socialising during the evening is performed.
f) The guard, or one PC not otherwise occupied, rolls for any evening random encounters and fills in the random encounter tracking sheet appropriately.
g) Resolve any evening encounters.
h) Timekeeper and quartermaster update their records.
6. Night (9 hrs.)
a) The referee rolls for any night time random encounters and determines which PC is on watch if/when they occur. The PC on watch fills in the random encounter tracking sheet appropriately.
b) Resolve any night encounters.
c) Timekeeper and quartermaster update their records.
Note: Searching Hexes
The PCs may search hexes during morning and afternoon travel and during the evening. Searching a hex takes four hours and allows them to activate whatever searching subprocedure you wish.
Edit: (May 7, 2015) This system has been updated. The new version is here.
f) The guard, or one PC not otherwise occupied, rolls for any evening random encounters and fills in the random encounter tracking sheet appropriately.
g) Resolve any evening encounters.
h) Timekeeper and quartermaster update their records.
6. Night (9 hrs.)
a) The referee rolls for any night time random encounters and determines which PC is on watch if/when they occur. The PC on watch fills in the random encounter tracking sheet appropriately.
b) Resolve any night encounters.
c) Timekeeper and quartermaster update their records.
Note: Searching Hexes
The PCs may search hexes during morning and afternoon travel and during the evening. Searching a hex takes four hours and allows them to activate whatever searching subprocedure you wish.
Edit: (May 7, 2015) This system has been updated. The new version is here.
Aug 8, 2013
My Sword is My Best Friend
Brendon at Necropraxis mentioned something about using follower / retainer / hireling rules for magic items and I found the idea interesting. Necrocarcerus uses Dark Dungeons, where retainers / followers (junior NPC adventurers you bring along with you) are all referred to as "hirelings". I picked up the pdf of Courtney Campbell's On the Non-Player Character the other day (disclosure: My random encounter rules are featured in it), and am riffing off some of the ideas in there.
Proposal 1: All magical items that are not consumables are intelligent and are treated as hirelings (and eat up a hireling slot, but not a share of XP). They have personality traits, reaction tracks that determine how powerful they are, personality locks and keys that grant special bonuses or penalties, and preferences for how they like to be approached.
When first picking up or handling items, the reaction roll determines the initial stance of the item, and the number of actions one has to change it. From then on, the wielder can start another encounter with the item any time they are not otherwise occupied. The wielder does not need to start an encounter with the item every time they use it. Bonds typically start at None or Stranger with new magical items.
e.g. The Headhacker
This normal sword has a furtive lust for blood. It seems to bend slightly towards living beings when it thinks it is not being observed closely, but denies its vicious character until it meets a wielder willing to indulge it.
Chastising: -1 Bloodthirsty: +2
Hatred: -5 Sword of Slicing (any time the wielder rolls a natural 19 or 20, they count as hitting themselves and must save vs. Death or cut their own head off)
Hostile: -3 sword
Neutral: + 1 sword
Friendly: +1 sword, +3 vs. living targets
Helpful: +5 Sword of Slicing
Honour: The sword will train the wielder to the next level of proficiency with swords, up to Grand Master
Gamble: The sword will unerringly locate a monster or named enemy. The gamble is whether the PC can defeat it.
Proposal 2: All consumable magic items have morale scores as hirelings based on the Charisma score of the person activating or using the item (when one character is administering a potion to another, the character administering the potion is the relevant character). Items must make morale checks to activate, otherwise the charge, etc. is wasted.
Proposal 1: All magical items that are not consumables are intelligent and are treated as hirelings (and eat up a hireling slot, but not a share of XP). They have personality traits, reaction tracks that determine how powerful they are, personality locks and keys that grant special bonuses or penalties, and preferences for how they like to be approached.
When first picking up or handling items, the reaction roll determines the initial stance of the item, and the number of actions one has to change it. From then on, the wielder can start another encounter with the item any time they are not otherwise occupied. The wielder does not need to start an encounter with the item every time they use it. Bonds typically start at None or Stranger with new magical items.
e.g. The Headhacker
This normal sword has a furtive lust for blood. It seems to bend slightly towards living beings when it thinks it is not being observed closely, but denies its vicious character until it meets a wielder willing to indulge it.
Chastising: -1 Bloodthirsty: +2
Hatred: -5 Sword of Slicing (any time the wielder rolls a natural 19 or 20, they count as hitting themselves and must save vs. Death or cut their own head off)
Hostile: -3 sword
Neutral: + 1 sword
Friendly: +1 sword, +3 vs. living targets
Helpful: +5 Sword of Slicing
Honour: The sword will train the wielder to the next level of proficiency with swords, up to Grand Master
Gamble: The sword will unerringly locate a monster or named enemy. The gamble is whether the PC can defeat it.
Proposal 2: All consumable magic items have morale scores as hirelings based on the Charisma score of the person activating or using the item (when one character is administering a potion to another, the character administering the potion is the relevant character). Items must make morale checks to activate, otherwise the charge, etc. is wasted.
Jul 9, 2013
Review: Slaughtergrid
Slaughtergrid is a module getting a lot of attention right now, but almost every review I've read of it leaves out that it takes place in the anatomically correct loins and bowels of a giant stone golem woman. You enter through the vagina, and exit through what I think is the antrum cardium (the point where the esophagus joins up with the stomach). When you die, you're born as a clone-mutant from the golem's remaining ovary (which is called an "ovum" throughout). The boss monster of the dungeon is a bunch of vaginas (5) on top of a bunch of breasts (5) with dicks for hands, and if you don't believe me there is a helpful picture on page 29 of the pdf to clarify that nothing I just wrote was hyperbole. It makes its servants trudge through its shit every day. There are gold eating monsters called "gold whores" that eat gold exposed to air and that you get pregnant with one if you eat gold while in Slaughtergrid and there is a NPC mid-way through who has eaten gold and gives birth to one just so you don't miss out on this happening at least once on your trek through the dungeon.
Basic themes in the dungeon include forced impregnation, bodily corruption, sexual violence and sexualised violence, cannibalism, imprisonment, shit, etc. The book is pretty explicit about these themes, both in telling you up front that's what it's about (though not on either cover), and in depicting them, though obviously any individual referee is going to have ultimate control there.
To be honest, I think the theme of crawling around in the giant body of an ancient war machine or giant beast is a good one, but the module explores the idea of a homology between the human body and the dungeon's internal layout too rigidly and loses the opportunity to imaginatively deviate from existent anatomy that a mere analogy to human anatomy would have allowed. I hoped for at least one totally fantastic organ-room, but unfortunately did not notice one, if indeed it even exists.
The dungeon-dress is also kind of absurd when you start looking into it: Why would a stone golem have reproductive and digestive organs that are functional? Why would its reproductive organs reproduce flesh but not inorganic substances? Why would its digestive organs dissolve flesh and not inorganic substances? Why does the golem not have an anus or rectum if it has a functional digestive system? Why are stairs oriented in such a way that the golem standing would render them unusable as stairs? Why does the ziggurat in its stomach face sideways when the golem is standing? Why is the floor a pressure plate when it would be the rear wall when the golem is standing?
The actual presentation and layout of the module is strong. The backstory includes the opportunity to randomly generate / pick elements of it from a premade table, there is a hex map for the surrounding hexes to the dungeon (though unless I missed it, few of the hooks there tie directly in the dungeon, a missed opportunity), recurring elements in the dungeon are picked out in a set of sections at the start of the book for easy reference, and a clear summation of the treasure and XP is included to help referees manage these issues. The monster stats (using the OSRIC system) are provided in the room descriptions, and then reiterated in the back of the book for easy reference when they occur as wandering monsters. The map is keyed, and the room descriptions keep boxed text to a minimum. It occurs just once, to provide some sample statements a NPC can utter when the PCs talk to them - in a change from my usual stance, I do think that they should have provided more boxed text of this sort for at least two other NPCs that can be spoken to, and possibly a few more beyond that. The book is free of spelling errors so far as I could tell.
The ovary, though it may be distasteful to some referees and players, is a clever element that allows the referee to keep a core group of characters in the highly-lethal dungeon without having to figure out how new characters have gotten in (since part of the challenge of the dungeon is that one is sealed in and looking for an escape route) or reducing the lethality. The mutation tables at the back are good, and provide some penalty for dying without removing the character completely for play. As well, the ovary's existence is well integrated into the dungeon, with monsters exploiting their ability to regenerate from death in consistent and intelligible ways.
Treasure is generally interesting, named, with a limited number of uses or drawbacks to using it, though some of it is dumb (I don't automatically object to an opal dildo as treasure so much as I find it silly that it's a "cubit" long). The module gives rules on reducing the amount, but it seems like it's actually somewhat punishing for the amount it provides. In particular, because of how the ovary clones the PCs but without their gear, more mundane equipment in the dungeon, even if in crappy condition, would be ideal.
So, the treatment of sex, reproduction and scatology through the lens of body horror is either an immediate turn-off on ever running this, or it isn't. A lot of the violence and corruption is wrought on female bodies, though it's not exclusively so. I think some of the treatment is less interesting or much goofier than it wants to be (cubit long dildos; vagina monsters with dick hands; the "gold whore" monster; the rape-unicorn) and in fact, most of the really good body horror in the module has nothing to do with sex or sexual violence. The first level has an undead draugr who, back when he was alive, used to repeatedly kill himself and eat his own corpses until he finally went totally insane and became undead, and there's an implication that if the PCs don't find some way out, this too will happen to them. There's a village of shrunken prisoners the dick-hand monster uses as a living diorama for its amusement, and it is unclear how many, if any, of the people the PCs will actually be able to save from this fate. There's a magic-user mini-boss who has mutated extensively into a horrible creature. The mutation table and its interaction with the ovary has only a few entries involving reproduction or genitals, and yet is one of the best parts of the module. I personally would prefer more of this sort of thing, since it's less one-note, harder to come up with on the fly, and just generally more richly playable than mere mentions of poop or genitals.
Basic themes in the dungeon include forced impregnation, bodily corruption, sexual violence and sexualised violence, cannibalism, imprisonment, shit, etc. The book is pretty explicit about these themes, both in telling you up front that's what it's about (though not on either cover), and in depicting them, though obviously any individual referee is going to have ultimate control there.
To be honest, I think the theme of crawling around in the giant body of an ancient war machine or giant beast is a good one, but the module explores the idea of a homology between the human body and the dungeon's internal layout too rigidly and loses the opportunity to imaginatively deviate from existent anatomy that a mere analogy to human anatomy would have allowed. I hoped for at least one totally fantastic organ-room, but unfortunately did not notice one, if indeed it even exists.
The dungeon-dress is also kind of absurd when you start looking into it: Why would a stone golem have reproductive and digestive organs that are functional? Why would its reproductive organs reproduce flesh but not inorganic substances? Why would its digestive organs dissolve flesh and not inorganic substances? Why does the golem not have an anus or rectum if it has a functional digestive system? Why are stairs oriented in such a way that the golem standing would render them unusable as stairs? Why does the ziggurat in its stomach face sideways when the golem is standing? Why is the floor a pressure plate when it would be the rear wall when the golem is standing?
The actual presentation and layout of the module is strong. The backstory includes the opportunity to randomly generate / pick elements of it from a premade table, there is a hex map for the surrounding hexes to the dungeon (though unless I missed it, few of the hooks there tie directly in the dungeon, a missed opportunity), recurring elements in the dungeon are picked out in a set of sections at the start of the book for easy reference, and a clear summation of the treasure and XP is included to help referees manage these issues. The monster stats (using the OSRIC system) are provided in the room descriptions, and then reiterated in the back of the book for easy reference when they occur as wandering monsters. The map is keyed, and the room descriptions keep boxed text to a minimum. It occurs just once, to provide some sample statements a NPC can utter when the PCs talk to them - in a change from my usual stance, I do think that they should have provided more boxed text of this sort for at least two other NPCs that can be spoken to, and possibly a few more beyond that. The book is free of spelling errors so far as I could tell.
The ovary, though it may be distasteful to some referees and players, is a clever element that allows the referee to keep a core group of characters in the highly-lethal dungeon without having to figure out how new characters have gotten in (since part of the challenge of the dungeon is that one is sealed in and looking for an escape route) or reducing the lethality. The mutation tables at the back are good, and provide some penalty for dying without removing the character completely for play. As well, the ovary's existence is well integrated into the dungeon, with monsters exploiting their ability to regenerate from death in consistent and intelligible ways.
Treasure is generally interesting, named, with a limited number of uses or drawbacks to using it, though some of it is dumb (I don't automatically object to an opal dildo as treasure so much as I find it silly that it's a "cubit" long). The module gives rules on reducing the amount, but it seems like it's actually somewhat punishing for the amount it provides. In particular, because of how the ovary clones the PCs but without their gear, more mundane equipment in the dungeon, even if in crappy condition, would be ideal.
So, the treatment of sex, reproduction and scatology through the lens of body horror is either an immediate turn-off on ever running this, or it isn't. A lot of the violence and corruption is wrought on female bodies, though it's not exclusively so. I think some of the treatment is less interesting or much goofier than it wants to be (cubit long dildos; vagina monsters with dick hands; the "gold whore" monster; the rape-unicorn) and in fact, most of the really good body horror in the module has nothing to do with sex or sexual violence. The first level has an undead draugr who, back when he was alive, used to repeatedly kill himself and eat his own corpses until he finally went totally insane and became undead, and there's an implication that if the PCs don't find some way out, this too will happen to them. There's a village of shrunken prisoners the dick-hand monster uses as a living diorama for its amusement, and it is unclear how many, if any, of the people the PCs will actually be able to save from this fate. There's a magic-user mini-boss who has mutated extensively into a horrible creature. The mutation table and its interaction with the ovary has only a few entries involving reproduction or genitals, and yet is one of the best parts of the module. I personally would prefer more of this sort of thing, since it's less one-note, harder to come up with on the fly, and just generally more richly playable than mere mentions of poop or genitals.
May 28, 2013
Necrocarcerus: Twenty Questions
Jeff Rients has his well-known twenty questions about settings. Here are the answers for Necrocarcerus. Get your dice ready.
What is the deal with my cleric's religion?
Where can we go to buy standard equipment?
A variety of venues, from the Bizarre Bazaar in the Terminal Terminal at the very centre of Necrocarcerus to souks of maggot-hide in the Furylands, offer adventuring equipment. The nearest vendor is:
1: A dilapidated alleyway booth run by a foul-mouthed mutant and his homunculi staff
2: A traveling caravan of punctilious ritual mutes parked nearby while they refuel their mounts
3: A penthouse warehouse staffed by wheedling golem-vendors and accessible only by stairs
4: The Guardians, goddamnit
5: A union-shop back at the train station
6: Unfortunate Abe, roaming peddler and legend in his own time.
Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?
Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?
On any given day:
5-6: Some other jerk
Who is the greatest warrior in the land?
The drunks at the nearest claim:
2: Poxamundus, a projector imprisoned by Thazul in the Black Tree. They say he has fists that disintegrate anything they touch, and that he knows the secret of immunity to all weapons. Thazul uses him as a living ornament in the Bone Gardens.
3: Zhuge Liang, who lives on the highest mountain in Necrocarcerus and knows every martial art of the living worlds. He has to be bribed to part with his wisdom by the gift of a real, living bonsai, completely illegal under the Program.
4: Nbamba Spider-Rider, who rides one of the Perfected Spiders into battle. She is famous for holding the ford at the recent Battle of the Styx against ten companies of warriors. Currently working as a mercenary for Mkele the Lash-master, an undead warlord out in the Furylands.
Who is the richest person in the land?
Based on the last quarterly reports filed with the Necrocarcerus Stock Exchange:
Where can we go to get some magical healing?
Well...
Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?
Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?
What is the deal with my cleric's religion?
Your cleric receives their power from the Creator of Necrocarcerus. There is no formal training or initiation, just a decision made during incarnation by the Guardians.There is a limited amount of power to give to clerics so all clerics advance at higher levels like druids do, jockeying and dueling for who gets it. All clerics served one of the Irrelevant Gods in life, a curious coincidence no doubt.
1: Vra-Krakorn, He Who Consumes the Works of Mankind
2: XO
3: The Oozing Mind-Lords of Braemon
4: Yahweh
5: Juggernaut Prime
6: The Sky Beasts
7: Bruntil and Brunthul, the Eternal Lovers
8: The Lady of the White Way
9: The Eternal Emperor of Peace
10: Yog-Sothoth
11: The Big Fire
12: Narkex, Lord of the Mad
13: Orgz, the Death Boar of Kymon
14: Tiger Oman
15: Amalektharna, Mother of Mercy
16: The Infinite Gear Sun
17: The God of Gates
18: The First Weaver
19: Papa Kul
20: The Green Lord and Lady
1: Vra-Krakorn, He Who Consumes the Works of Mankind
2: XO
3: The Oozing Mind-Lords of Braemon
4: Yahweh
5: Juggernaut Prime
6: The Sky Beasts
7: Bruntil and Brunthul, the Eternal Lovers
8: The Lady of the White Way
9: The Eternal Emperor of Peace
10: Yog-Sothoth
11: The Big Fire
12: Narkex, Lord of the Mad
13: Orgz, the Death Boar of Kymon
14: Tiger Oman
15: Amalektharna, Mother of Mercy
16: The Infinite Gear Sun
17: The God of Gates
18: The First Weaver
19: Papa Kul
20: The Green Lord and Lady
Where can we go to buy standard equipment?
A variety of venues, from the Bizarre Bazaar in the Terminal Terminal at the very centre of Necrocarcerus to souks of maggot-hide in the Furylands, offer adventuring equipment. The nearest vendor is:
1: A dilapidated alleyway booth run by a foul-mouthed mutant and his homunculi staff
2: A traveling caravan of punctilious ritual mutes parked nearby while they refuel their mounts
3: A penthouse warehouse staffed by wheedling golem-vendors and accessible only by stairs
4: The Guardians, goddamnit
5: A union-shop back at the train station
6: Unfortunate Abe, roaming peddler and legend in his own time.
Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?
1: A blue Guardian is nearby and might be willing to make it.
2: A blue Guardian is nearby but is a member of the Theosadists and might be willing to make you into it.
3: An armoursmith Lyth hasn't kidnapped yet is quietly plying their trade in a remote location.
4: Get yourself to Freedom and buy it retail from a slave-smith.
5: A mendicant drunk with the power of dream-crafting is snooze-smithing in a nearby alley after a bad jag.
6: The Oozes, for a price.
2: A blue Guardian is nearby but is a member of the Theosadists and might be willing to make you into it.
3: An armoursmith Lyth hasn't kidnapped yet is quietly plying their trade in a remote location.
4: Get yourself to Freedom and buy it retail from a slave-smith.
5: A mendicant drunk with the power of dream-crafting is snooze-smithing in a nearby alley after a bad jag.
6: The Oozes, for a price.
Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?
On any given day:
1-2: Thazul conquered three worlds before he was killed, and still runs them from Necrocarcerus, but he doesn't care much for domestic politics. He'll help you out if you want to muck up the living worlds, especially if you want to kill the various holy warrior projectors sent from the living worlds on last-ditch attempts to destroy him.
3-4: Lyth went rogue from the Program in year one, and he's one of the few people to have an area of Necrocarcerus named after him. He's been waging war with the Guardians for the past 9997 years, and he'll at least give his blessing to any mad scheme he thinks will screw things up. His capital is Freedom.
5-6: Some other jerk
Who is the greatest warrior in the land?
The drunks at the nearest claim:
1: Ernthr, who slew an entire temple of Theosadist Guardians and who has been sentenced to dangle off the side of Necrocarcerus for the rest of the Program for the crime. The anchor-point of her chain is in Fa Hua, where it is a popular tourist destination guarded by golems.
2: Poxamundus, a projector imprisoned by Thazul in the Black Tree. They say he has fists that disintegrate anything they touch, and that he knows the secret of immunity to all weapons. Thazul uses him as a living ornament in the Bone Gardens.
3: Zhuge Liang, who lives on the highest mountain in Necrocarcerus and knows every martial art of the living worlds. He has to be bribed to part with his wisdom by the gift of a real, living bonsai, completely illegal under the Program.
4: Nbamba Spider-Rider, who rides one of the Perfected Spiders into battle. She is famous for holding the ford at the recent Battle of the Styx against ten companies of warriors. Currently working as a mercenary for Mkele the Lash-master, an undead warlord out in the Furylands.
Who is the richest person in the land?
Based on the last quarterly reports filed with the Necrocarcerus Stock Exchange:
1-2: Yoxal, a ritual mute who runs a vast construction enterprise through sign language. She'll hire PCs to clear out areas of monsters and other inconveniences so she can make a mint rebuilding them.
3-4: Jose Cavanez, one of the Underlords and a notorious slaver. His money has been made capturing Citizens for the Oozes and the Theosadists to experiment on. He's always recruiting Citizens without moral qualms to help.
5-6: Friendly Baled, the public face of the shadowy cartel that runs the Tavern of Dessicated Drunks. He caters to an exclusive and demanding clientele with peculiar needs, and is willing to hire those who might be able to supply them.
3-4: Jose Cavanez, one of the Underlords and a notorious slaver. His money has been made capturing Citizens for the Oozes and the Theosadists to experiment on. He's always recruiting Citizens without moral qualms to help.
5-6: Friendly Baled, the public face of the shadowy cartel that runs the Tavern of Dessicated Drunks. He caters to an exclusive and demanding clientele with peculiar needs, and is willing to hire those who might be able to supply them.
Where can we go to get some magical healing?
Well...
1: An unorthodox naturopathic alchemist will dose you with potions, often the ones you want.
2: The Fire Keepers have a hospital nearby. You can recognise it by the big fire outside.
3: A passing Projector mercenary band has a pet cleric of the Irrelevant Gods with them.
4: The Guardians are healing Citizens at the nearest incarnation temple, if you trust them.
5: A vorticist surgeon has not yet been run out of the local area by an angry mob.
6: A sniveling urchin will sell you a map to a nearby magic pool that purportedly cures all wounds.
2: The Fire Keepers have a hospital nearby. You can recognise it by the big fire outside.
3: A passing Projector mercenary band has a pet cleric of the Irrelevant Gods with them.
4: The Guardians are healing Citizens at the nearest incarnation temple, if you trust them.
5: A vorticist surgeon has not yet been run out of the local area by an angry mob.
6: A sniveling urchin will sell you a map to a nearby magic pool that purportedly cures all wounds.
Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?
1: An obstreperous skeletal merchant will sell you cure-alls at an inflated price.
2: The Unghosts of Thazul, if you will fight a genocidal war against the living on one of Thazul's worlds.
3: The Ophidian Order of XO, in the Hive Towers of Grolanth, will help you out in exchange for a quest.
4: A loathsome bard of middling talent provides a clue in a dreadful and over-long song.
5: A Shu scientist claims to have the cure for what ails you in his peculiar-looking observatory.
6: The Guardians, just this once.
2: The Unghosts of Thazul, if you will fight a genocidal war against the living on one of Thazul's worlds.
3: The Ophidian Order of XO, in the Hive Towers of Grolanth, will help you out in exchange for a quest.
4: A loathsome bard of middling talent provides a clue in a dreadful and over-long song.
5: A Shu scientist claims to have the cure for what ails you in his peculiar-looking observatory.
6: The Guardians, just this once.
Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?
1: The Sodality of Delight are a collaboration between the living and citizens from the world of Shu based out of the Pagoda of Accumulated Wisdom in Rancerburg. The Guardians want them shut down, but they have a printing press, so their spell-prints are the standard in Necrocarcerus. Membership is open to anyone of good character, which keeps it exclusive and small.
2: The Jailers run a guild of war wizards called the Association of Useful Citizens for the Defense of the Necrocarcerus Program (AUC-DNP). The AUC (of which DNP is a branch) are widely hated, because they are given preferential treatment and the Guardians use them to handle most of the messy stuff that comes up while running an inscrutable theocracy. Enlistment queues can be found throughout the Jail.
3: The Dark Cabal of Shadow Ravens are a group of younger Citizen-wizards devoted to magical experimentation, mainly about how to get out of Necrocarcerus. They move around, but the fashionable place this year is a nameless terminal in the central Wastes that floats above a lava field. Membership can be obtained simply by complaining loudly enough about the name of the group.
4: The Dead Seers are a group of adventuring wizards who gather together once a year to share tall tales, the results of their research, and many drinks with one another. The wizard who can boast the most wins the acclaim of their fellows and becomes the master of the order until the next year.
2: The Jailers run a guild of war wizards called the Association of Useful Citizens for the Defense of the Necrocarcerus Program (AUC-DNP). The AUC (of which DNP is a branch) are widely hated, because they are given preferential treatment and the Guardians use them to handle most of the messy stuff that comes up while running an inscrutable theocracy. Enlistment queues can be found throughout the Jail.
3: The Dark Cabal of Shadow Ravens are a group of younger Citizen-wizards devoted to magical experimentation, mainly about how to get out of Necrocarcerus. They move around, but the fashionable place this year is a nameless terminal in the central Wastes that floats above a lava field. Membership can be obtained simply by complaining loudly enough about the name of the group.
4: The Dead Seers are a group of adventuring wizards who gather together once a year to share tall tales, the results of their research, and many drinks with one another. The wizard who can boast the most wins the acclaim of their fellows and becomes the master of the order until the next year.
Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?
1: Comfortably employed at the Ineffable Nomoplex downtown
2: Arguing with their peers at the Obsidian Dream Pyramids in the Shalx Ghetto
3: Imprisoned in a camp in the Ooze Salient
4: Meditating atop a pillar in the Abandoned Quarter
5: Being chased down the streets by an angry mob
6: Enslaved in a mine outside Freedom
7: Drunk in the Bizarre Bazaar
8: Praying in the Halls of Redemption
9: Lecturing the ignorant at the Unwritten Library of Ontimbolo
10: Trying to gamble their way out of the Tavern of Dessicated Drunks
11: Bickering with customer service at a train station
12: Working for AUC, the bastard
Where can I hire mercenaries?
1: From those passing slavers.
2: From that mutated warband camping nearby.
3: From the vat-gardens of a vorticist surgeon.
4: Downtown at the Bizarre Bazaar
5: The locals are game.
6: Just ask at the nearest train station.
Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?
1: Yes, right here, Citizen.
2: Yup, next station up the line.
3: Yeah, that warlord's lands over there.
4: Yeah, a couple hour's journey in the direction you're headed.
5: Yeah, just look for the line up at the inspection checkpoint.
6: No, at least, not these days.
7: No, but I wish there were.
8: Not since those bandits showed up to besiege the place.
9: Not unless you piss the locals off.
10: Nah.
Which way to the nearest tavern?
1: At the next train station.
2: In that ruined building over there.
3: Through that grove of occasionally man-eating trees.
4: Aboard that airship.
5: Atop that building.
6: Under that street-side awning.
7: You see all those people laying in the street? That way.
8: Just follow the blood.
9: Outside that incarnation temple in the distance.
10: In the middle of all those tents.
What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
Everyone is concerned about:
1: The Gliding Iron Golem of the Hill of Avian-Induced Suffering.
2: Modoc, a shadow dragon projecting into Necrocarcerus, in the Shalx Ghetto.
3: The Braemonian Oozes in the Furylands.
4: The Sighing Horror, currently devouring cultists in the Kingdoms of the Saved.
5: Vra-Krakorn, He Who Consumes the Works of Man, and his cultists.
6: The Crawling Skull, out in the Far Lands.
Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?
Recruiters are offering positions to deal with:
1: Teletroopers from the Forgotten Devils have occupied the Holy Ylim in the Kingdoms of the Saved while the rest of their forces invade overland from the rim. The Highly Implicate Father has sent mentalist friars out to forcibly convert an army to liberate the Ylim before the infidels can consolidate.
2: AUC is looking for a few good Citizens willing to sneak deep into the Ooze Salient and close the portal the Braemonian Oozes are bringing their flying fortresses through. In the mean time, the struggle to liberate Citizens from ooze-camps progresses trench by sloppy trench.
3: Grinnel the Jocund, Tyrant of Newhome, has been denounced in the Spire's Council of Forty Two when a motorcycle courier was captured bearing invasion plans. Now, the Council is openly discussing an alliance with the air-reaver Bloodfist for a punitive expedition to put the arrogant Newhomers in their place.
4: Go-Husai, a warlord in the Furylands, has been caught using undead soldiers in his army. The Guardians are demanding he submit to their justice, but he scorns them from behind the cannons festooning his impenetrable Concrete Pagoda.
How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
The best matches are:
1: Atop high-wires strung between the Hive Towers of Grolanth.
2: Waist-deep in the Styx, against the mad killers of the Furylands.
3: Against undead experiments in Freedom.
4: For rich patrons on open-aired train cars specially built for the purpose.
5: Deep in the Petrified Forest at a secret location passed by word of mouth between professionals
6: In front of the howling crowds at stadiums in the Edgehells.
Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
1: The Mordathite Revanchists are the remnants of the ruling family of a petty empire and their retainers who were overthrown in a revolution. They are trying to create a copy of the empire they once had, and are not too picky about the means by which they do so. The Mordathites keep a number of pet necromancers on hand, and are busy trying to overthrow most of the governments in the Rail Lands.
2: The Underlords are a vicious bunch devoted to exploiting the suffering of their fellow Citizens for their own profit. There's at least one Underlord in almost every city in the Jail, and they are Necrocarcerus' equivalent of an organised crime ring. Slavery, nepenthe theft, and necromancy are their bread-and-butter, but the Underlords claim to be a mutual protection society and occasionally fund semi-legitimate initiatives to win favour in their communities.
3: The Association of Useful Citizens - Apocalypse Protection Association (AUC-APA) is a little-known division of AUC operating downtown. They are devoted to ensuring that the Necrocarcerus Program ends on schedule, no matter what. To uphold the spirit of the Program, they ignore its letter, and are busy concocting several "contingencies" to destroy Necrocarcerus in case the Codex of Cataclysm can't be found in time.
4:
What is there to eat around here?
There's a stall selling:
1: Big bowls of blood.
2: Thick-sliced petrified bread smeared with headcheese.
3: Rat roti (hot).
4: Guardian-made nutri-slop (also available in logs).
5: Styxian calamari, battered and fried.
6: Rice & miso.
7: Vermin kebab.
8: A delicious guck better eaten than inquired into.
9: Lizard on a stick.
10: Roast goat-like.
11: Awful falafel.
12: Tapeworm pie.
13: Ale-marinated monster shank.
14: Nutritive vapours.
15: Osso oozo.
16: Tacos del muerte.
17: Penne carbonara.
18: Sky-eel steaks.
19: Ghost peppers.
20: Grilled cheese sandwiches.
Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?
1: The Codex of Cataclysm
2: The Zahir
3: The Clever Chariot of Abdel-Rahman
4: The Brazen Head
5: The Bow of Burning Gold
6: The Aleph
7: The Staff of Impossibility
8: The Golden Snake Coat
9: The Pocket Labyrinth
10: The Tarnhelm
11: The Stele of Impeccable Perspicacity
12: The Scrolls of Vard
Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?
1: Terrorising villagers in the Rail Lands.
2: Concluding an unholy alliance with an undead warlord.
3: Ruling over a forgotten kingdom in the Far Lands.
4: Searching for a long-lost treasure in the Abandoned Quarter.
5: Imprisoned in a maze of death-traps to prevent it escaping.
6: Ensconced at the top of a nearby ruined tower.
1: Comfortably employed at the Ineffable Nomoplex downtown
2: Arguing with their peers at the Obsidian Dream Pyramids in the Shalx Ghetto
3: Imprisoned in a camp in the Ooze Salient
4: Meditating atop a pillar in the Abandoned Quarter
5: Being chased down the streets by an angry mob
6: Enslaved in a mine outside Freedom
7: Drunk in the Bizarre Bazaar
8: Praying in the Halls of Redemption
9: Lecturing the ignorant at the Unwritten Library of Ontimbolo
10: Trying to gamble their way out of the Tavern of Dessicated Drunks
11: Bickering with customer service at a train station
12: Working for AUC, the bastard
Where can I hire mercenaries?
1: From those passing slavers.
2: From that mutated warband camping nearby.
3: From the vat-gardens of a vorticist surgeon.
4: Downtown at the Bizarre Bazaar
5: The locals are game.
6: Just ask at the nearest train station.
Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?
1: Yes, right here, Citizen.
2: Yup, next station up the line.
3: Yeah, that warlord's lands over there.
4: Yeah, a couple hour's journey in the direction you're headed.
5: Yeah, just look for the line up at the inspection checkpoint.
6: No, at least, not these days.
7: No, but I wish there were.
8: Not since those bandits showed up to besiege the place.
9: Not unless you piss the locals off.
10: Nah.
Which way to the nearest tavern?
1: At the next train station.
2: In that ruined building over there.
3: Through that grove of occasionally man-eating trees.
4: Aboard that airship.
5: Atop that building.
6: Under that street-side awning.
7: You see all those people laying in the street? That way.
8: Just follow the blood.
9: Outside that incarnation temple in the distance.
10: In the middle of all those tents.
What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
Everyone is concerned about:
1: The Gliding Iron Golem of the Hill of Avian-Induced Suffering.
2: Modoc, a shadow dragon projecting into Necrocarcerus, in the Shalx Ghetto.
3: The Braemonian Oozes in the Furylands.
4: The Sighing Horror, currently devouring cultists in the Kingdoms of the Saved.
5: Vra-Krakorn, He Who Consumes the Works of Man, and his cultists.
6: The Crawling Skull, out in the Far Lands.
Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?
Recruiters are offering positions to deal with:
1: Teletroopers from the Forgotten Devils have occupied the Holy Ylim in the Kingdoms of the Saved while the rest of their forces invade overland from the rim. The Highly Implicate Father has sent mentalist friars out to forcibly convert an army to liberate the Ylim before the infidels can consolidate.
2: AUC is looking for a few good Citizens willing to sneak deep into the Ooze Salient and close the portal the Braemonian Oozes are bringing their flying fortresses through. In the mean time, the struggle to liberate Citizens from ooze-camps progresses trench by sloppy trench.
3: Grinnel the Jocund, Tyrant of Newhome, has been denounced in the Spire's Council of Forty Two when a motorcycle courier was captured bearing invasion plans. Now, the Council is openly discussing an alliance with the air-reaver Bloodfist for a punitive expedition to put the arrogant Newhomers in their place.
4: Go-Husai, a warlord in the Furylands, has been caught using undead soldiers in his army. The Guardians are demanding he submit to their justice, but he scorns them from behind the cannons festooning his impenetrable Concrete Pagoda.
How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
The best matches are:
1: Atop high-wires strung between the Hive Towers of Grolanth.
2: Waist-deep in the Styx, against the mad killers of the Furylands.
3: Against undead experiments in Freedom.
4: For rich patrons on open-aired train cars specially built for the purpose.
5: Deep in the Petrified Forest at a secret location passed by word of mouth between professionals
6: In front of the howling crowds at stadiums in the Edgehells.
Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
1: The Mordathite Revanchists are the remnants of the ruling family of a petty empire and their retainers who were overthrown in a revolution. They are trying to create a copy of the empire they once had, and are not too picky about the means by which they do so. The Mordathites keep a number of pet necromancers on hand, and are busy trying to overthrow most of the governments in the Rail Lands.
2: The Underlords are a vicious bunch devoted to exploiting the suffering of their fellow Citizens for their own profit. There's at least one Underlord in almost every city in the Jail, and they are Necrocarcerus' equivalent of an organised crime ring. Slavery, nepenthe theft, and necromancy are their bread-and-butter, but the Underlords claim to be a mutual protection society and occasionally fund semi-legitimate initiatives to win favour in their communities.
3: The Association of Useful Citizens - Apocalypse Protection Association (AUC-APA) is a little-known division of AUC operating downtown. They are devoted to ensuring that the Necrocarcerus Program ends on schedule, no matter what. To uphold the spirit of the Program, they ignore its letter, and are busy concocting several "contingencies" to destroy Necrocarcerus in case the Codex of Cataclysm can't be found in time.
4:
What is there to eat around here?
There's a stall selling:
1: Big bowls of blood.
2: Thick-sliced petrified bread smeared with headcheese.
3: Rat roti (hot).
4: Guardian-made nutri-slop (also available in logs).
5: Styxian calamari, battered and fried.
6: Rice & miso.
7: Vermin kebab.
8: A delicious guck better eaten than inquired into.
9: Lizard on a stick.
10: Roast goat-like.
11: Awful falafel.
12: Tapeworm pie.
13: Ale-marinated monster shank.
14: Nutritive vapours.
15: Osso oozo.
16: Tacos del muerte.
17: Penne carbonara.
18: Sky-eel steaks.
19: Ghost peppers.
20: Grilled cheese sandwiches.
Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?
1: The Codex of Cataclysm
2: The Zahir
3: The Clever Chariot of Abdel-Rahman
4: The Brazen Head
5: The Bow of Burning Gold
6: The Aleph
7: The Staff of Impossibility
8: The Golden Snake Coat
9: The Pocket Labyrinth
10: The Tarnhelm
11: The Stele of Impeccable Perspicacity
12: The Scrolls of Vard
Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?
1: Terrorising villagers in the Rail Lands.
2: Concluding an unholy alliance with an undead warlord.
3: Ruling over a forgotten kingdom in the Far Lands.
4: Searching for a long-lost treasure in the Abandoned Quarter.
5: Imprisoned in a maze of death-traps to prevent it escaping.
6: Ensconced at the top of a nearby ruined tower.
May 20, 2013
A Procedure for Wandering Monsters
Foreboding is a difficult emotion to evoke, but amplifies the enjoyment of having wandering monsters in adventure games. This is a procedure for using them in old school D&D. I used a variant of this procedure in Emern, but this is the cleaned up version.
Example of a wandering monster table using monsters from Necrocarcerus.
You will need
A wandering monster table organised into rows and columns as above.
A blank table with the same number of rows and columns as above.
3d6, with one die distinct from the other two.
Procedure
Designate one PC as "the guard" or "on watch" who will roll. Whenever a random encounter is rolled for, they pick up the 3d6 and roll it. The distinct die determines the column, telling you what they encounter, while the other 2d6 tell you which monster it comes from. The guard should fill out the grid as entries are rolled.
Each of the top six columns has a different effect:
1 - Monster - The party encounters the monster(s). Roll surprise and opening distance.
2 - Lair - The party discovers a lair of monsters. Roll surprise and opening distance. If the PCs surprise the monsters and the monsters do not surprise the PCs, the lair is empty.
3 - Spoor - Monsters are nearby. -3 on the distinct die's next roll (count rolls less than 1 as 1).
4 - Tracks - The monster has passed this way recently. Characters who can track can follow this to hunt the monster. If they choose too, roll the distinct die and subtract 2 from its result (count rolls less than 1 as 1). Or, characters may choose to divert away from the tracks and add 2 to their next roll of the distinct die.
5 - Traces - Traces can be used to identify monsters.
6 - Traces - Traces can be used to identify monsters.
Notes on Designing Tables
These are regional tables, obviously, and you can certainly have more than 11 entries organised around a bell curve. The important part of this method is really the columns and the possibility of more than a binary outcome for the roll.
This does mean that just under 33% of all random encounter rolls will result in the possibility of encounter a monster. If you wish to reduce this, switch to a d8 or d10 and add more Spoor, Track and Trace columns.
Traces
Each monster should have two distinct traces. Repetition is fine, but whenever possible, repeat the entries in different columns rather than the same column, unless the purpose is to confound the PCs. If your game has a skill governing knowledge of monsters, consider allowing the PCs to roll it to identify some possible candidate monsters who would leave these traces. If you don't play with such a skill, consider making the traces such that together, they provide a relatively clear and narrow list of candidates. When I used this in Emern, one of the entries was giant shock lizards, so the PCs encountered lizard scales and clawprints all over the place, with the shock power remaining a surprise to be discovered in the actual encounter.
Tracks
The main purpose of tracks is to help the PCs determine where the monster is without seeing them directly. Footprints on the ground or crushed vegetation are classics, but I also like to use distant recurring sounds. I like to salt the tracks entries with a few blanks or "None" entries for monsters that are untrackable, which creates foreboding. However, I would encourage you not to simply make every incorporeal, flying, etc. monster untrackable. The Flying Oozes leave chemtrails from their jetpacks, for example.
If you increase the number of columns, consider secretly rolling 1d6 whenever tracks are rolled. 1-3, the PCs mistake the direction the tracks are going, and when they think they are veering away, they are actually closing in on the monster, and vice versa.
Spoor
My favourite kinds of spoor are abandoned lairs, camps, prey or victims. I normally count spoor as relatively fresh, but you may wish to roll 1d6, with 1-3 meaning it is fresh (and therefore provides -1 to the next roll), and 4-6 meaning it is old (+1 to the next roll). Spoor is also a good entry if you want to introduce clues or other details about the world or story, since it is a trace of the monster stopping for a brief period. Spoor can also involve minor trap / non-combat encounters - the table above has the Mendicant Parasites leaving gibbering madmen in their wake who the PCs can try to interrogate.
Lair
Lairs should not automatically result in encounters, but they should require immediate action or decision to avoid having an encounter, whether to seek cover, run away, etc. if the PCs don't want to fight or clear it. Use the No. in Lair entry to determine how many monsters should be encountered. This is also where most monsters will store their treasure, as opposed to sitting in the purses or stomachs of monsters randomly wandering around.
Depending on the monster, I sometimes allow PCs who destroy or eliminate the lair to remove or blank the entry on the wandering monster table, allowing them to partially clear the area. Future rolls of that entry do not produce random encounters. This creates a different feel between monsters who are singular, recurrent entries (there is only one Pustulent Dragon in the region) or precarious invaders, and ones who are swarms or hordes or endemic to the area.
Monster
The actual monster, obviously.
Example of a wandering monster table using monsters from Necrocarcerus.
You will need
A wandering monster table organised into rows and columns as above.
A blank table with the same number of rows and columns as above.
3d6, with one die distinct from the other two.
Procedure
Designate one PC as "the guard" or "on watch" who will roll. Whenever a random encounter is rolled for, they pick up the 3d6 and roll it. The distinct die determines the column, telling you what they encounter, while the other 2d6 tell you which monster it comes from. The guard should fill out the grid as entries are rolled.
Each of the top six columns has a different effect:
1 - Monster - The party encounters the monster(s). Roll surprise and opening distance.
2 - Lair - The party discovers a lair of monsters. Roll surprise and opening distance. If the PCs surprise the monsters and the monsters do not surprise the PCs, the lair is empty.
3 - Spoor - Monsters are nearby. -3 on the distinct die's next roll (count rolls less than 1 as 1).
4 - Tracks - The monster has passed this way recently. Characters who can track can follow this to hunt the monster. If they choose too, roll the distinct die and subtract 2 from its result (count rolls less than 1 as 1). Or, characters may choose to divert away from the tracks and add 2 to their next roll of the distinct die.
5 - Traces - Traces can be used to identify monsters.
6 - Traces - Traces can be used to identify monsters.
Notes on Designing Tables
These are regional tables, obviously, and you can certainly have more than 11 entries organised around a bell curve. The important part of this method is really the columns and the possibility of more than a binary outcome for the roll.
This does mean that just under 33% of all random encounter rolls will result in the possibility of encounter a monster. If you wish to reduce this, switch to a d8 or d10 and add more Spoor, Track and Trace columns.
Traces
Each monster should have two distinct traces. Repetition is fine, but whenever possible, repeat the entries in different columns rather than the same column, unless the purpose is to confound the PCs. If your game has a skill governing knowledge of monsters, consider allowing the PCs to roll it to identify some possible candidate monsters who would leave these traces. If you don't play with such a skill, consider making the traces such that together, they provide a relatively clear and narrow list of candidates. When I used this in Emern, one of the entries was giant shock lizards, so the PCs encountered lizard scales and clawprints all over the place, with the shock power remaining a surprise to be discovered in the actual encounter.
Tracks
The main purpose of tracks is to help the PCs determine where the monster is without seeing them directly. Footprints on the ground or crushed vegetation are classics, but I also like to use distant recurring sounds. I like to salt the tracks entries with a few blanks or "None" entries for monsters that are untrackable, which creates foreboding. However, I would encourage you not to simply make every incorporeal, flying, etc. monster untrackable. The Flying Oozes leave chemtrails from their jetpacks, for example.
If you increase the number of columns, consider secretly rolling 1d6 whenever tracks are rolled. 1-3, the PCs mistake the direction the tracks are going, and when they think they are veering away, they are actually closing in on the monster, and vice versa.
Spoor
My favourite kinds of spoor are abandoned lairs, camps, prey or victims. I normally count spoor as relatively fresh, but you may wish to roll 1d6, with 1-3 meaning it is fresh (and therefore provides -1 to the next roll), and 4-6 meaning it is old (+1 to the next roll). Spoor is also a good entry if you want to introduce clues or other details about the world or story, since it is a trace of the monster stopping for a brief period. Spoor can also involve minor trap / non-combat encounters - the table above has the Mendicant Parasites leaving gibbering madmen in their wake who the PCs can try to interrogate.
Lair
Lairs should not automatically result in encounters, but they should require immediate action or decision to avoid having an encounter, whether to seek cover, run away, etc. if the PCs don't want to fight or clear it. Use the No. in Lair entry to determine how many monsters should be encountered. This is also where most monsters will store their treasure, as opposed to sitting in the purses or stomachs of monsters randomly wandering around.
Depending on the monster, I sometimes allow PCs who destroy or eliminate the lair to remove or blank the entry on the wandering monster table, allowing them to partially clear the area. Future rolls of that entry do not produce random encounters. This creates a different feel between monsters who are singular, recurrent entries (there is only one Pustulent Dragon in the region) or precarious invaders, and ones who are swarms or hordes or endemic to the area.
Monster
The actual monster, obviously.
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