#

An Adventure Gaming Bric-à-brac

Being A Compendium of Miscellanea for Use with Old School Role Playing Games
by Didier Balicevic
THE MERRY
MUSHMEN
present:
An Adventure Gaming Bric-à-brac

Editor in Chief:
Éric Nieudan

Ballet Master,
Handyman & Layout Lamiña:
Olivier Revenu

d12 REASONS WHY THE VOIDSHIP IS VISITING

YOUR BORING FANTASY WORLD
1. Collect as many different users of magic before combining their genes to produce the ultimate
caster. 2. Find the remains of an explorer from their world. Parts of its skeleton are worship-
ped around the continent as the Dead Titan. 3. Recruit psionically gifted subjects to fight in
the Galactic Mind Wars. 4. Rescue a secret cell of collaborators whose last communication was
received twelve years ago. 5. Make first contact, starting with the most evolved humanoid species.
Begin mutually profitable programs of knowledge sharing. Infiltrate all nations and layers
of society. Assimilate the world in one fell swoop. 6. Meet the genius inventor who mistakenly
broadcast a recording of their recipe for blueberry pie across the stars. 7. Research the cure to
what is a common illness on your world but killed the first wave of invasion 900 years ago.
8. Connect with their forefathers, the evolved humanoids who were wiped out by rebellious apes
in the dawn of history. 9. Peacefully settle the bottom of your oceans, slowly turning them into
steam and destroying your ecosystems. 10. Find refuge from the wars that devastated their
whole system. Will sell tech for food and shelter. 11. Discover the last portal to Hell in the galaxy.
It is said to be hidden inside one of the millions of temples of your world. 12. Reactivate the colo-
nial program that failed ten millennia ago because of a band of meddling adventurers.
 Art by Bertdrawsstuff
by Eric Nieudan

Foreword
Welcome to year two of the KNOCKening!
New year, new mag. Well, we’re pretty much doing what we did last year but
a bit better, I hope. Once again, we tried to bring you the best and weirdest of
the adventure gaming scene. We have old stuff, we have new stuff, we have
veterans, we have fresh new voices… you want it, we got it.
And we also got it if you didn’t know you wanted it.
I didn’t go back to check every piece, but I do believe we have more
previously unpublished content this time around. Not that we’ll ever abandon
our mission to bring back all the pearls of OSR wisdom we find in
our blogosphere delves. I can safely say that this new year is looking good,
at least on the gaming front. There is so much happening in our niche and
outside of it – and across its arbitrary boundaries – and I am very hopeful
for what is coming next. New ground is broken all over the place, and
crowdfunding records keep being beaten. We have not one, but two zine
making months this year. It’s going to be a fun time exploring this crazy
new wilderness that is 2022.
And this is all thanks to you: this magazine, but also all the fantastic stuff we
see out there. Whether you are sharing your creations with the wider world
or just with your friends, it is your imagination that keeps us going.
So thank you again, and dream on!

“Most of the areas are too large for a torch or lantern to fully
Reactions,
illuminate, so the party will always feel exposed to the murky depths just beyond
submissions,
their present vision.” confessions?
in The Darkness Beneath Level 1: The Upper Caves Email us at knockmag@pm.me
Fight On! Magazine #2
 eat!
l! You’re gr
Thank you al
ContributOrs Content
Alexandre ’Kobayashi’ Jeanette livresdelours.blogspot.com - Andrea ’Vyrelion’ Back -
The Story is the Campaign 08 Look at them Weirdos 92
twitter.com//toinito - Arnold K. goblinpunch.blogspot.com - Ava Islam per-
Antoine Bauza twitter.com
Grotesque 10 When Not To Kill a PC? 93
macrandam.blogspot.com - Bill Edmunds - Brent Edwards glassbirdgames.blogspot.com
What Happened to the Bodies 14 Weird Kobold Weapons 94
- Christopher S. wayspell.blogspot.com - Ciro Alessandro Sacco dmmagazine.blogspot.
Nightmare on Lake 13 16 What Are My Rations? 95
com - Danilo Moretti justplaywith.it - David McGrogan monstersandmanuals.blogspot.
I Slit Open the Dragon's Belly 20 The More the Merrier 96
com - Diogo Nogueira oldskulling.blogspot.com - E. A. "taichara" Bisson hamsterhoard.
dragons.ie//blog - Frank Reding mottokrosh.
home.blog - Eric Brimstin - Eric Nieudan dragons.ie Picaro 22 Sunrise Over the Black Lake 101
twitter.com//harbowoputra - Islayre d’Argolh -
com - Harbowoputra twitter.com I Cut the Body Open 25 Rats 102
Jack Shear talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com - James Hall Sights to Stumble Upon in the Woods 26 Wanderers in the Dark 103
patreon.com//monsterman -
brookletgames.carrd.co - James Holloway patreon.com Fungus Among Us 30 What Are Those Stirges Doing? 104
James Malizsewski grognardia.blogspot.com - Jason Sholtis roll1d12.blogspot.com - Revisiting the Domain Game 32 Monster Hobbies and Quirks 107
Jean Verne jeanverne.carrd.co - John Grumph legrumph.org - Jorge Velasquez Meet the New Boss 36 The Caverns of Thracia 108
twitter.com//gorka_man - Joseph Manola udan-adan.blogspot.com - Justin Hamilton
twitter.com Beginning Spellbooks 40 Sword Saint Techniques 116
aboleth-overlords.com - Kezie Gracie kez.ie - ktrey parker blog.d4caltrops.com - When All You Have Is a Hammer 41 The Tartaros 120
Matt Strom iceandruin.blogspot.com - Nate Treme natetreme.com - Nicolas Dessaux Random Wilderness 46 The Wicked Ensemble 124
linktr.ee//nyhur -
hobgoblin.fr - Nobboc themerrymushmen.com - Nyhur linktr.ee
Slayer Weapons 48 Abstract Magic, Concrete Magic 126
Paolo Greco lostpages.co.uk - Phillip Loe captainahabsleg.blogspot.com -
What To Do Now That Your 1 Level st
Ruins 129
Pierre Vagneur-Jones victoryfish.blogspot.com - Roger SG Sorolla rolesrules.blogspot.
Magic-User Has Cast Their One Spell? 49 Play Like it's 2022 132
com - Ron E. Ortiz brinehouse.blogspot.com - Rosie Grey gelatinouscast.blogspot.com -
d8 Magical Hares 51 Complete The Encounter 134
artstation.com//thomrey -
Stuart Robertson stuartrobertson.ca - Thomas Rey artstation.com
The Seven Draconic Sins 52 The Bugbear Witch 136
Vagabundork magickuser.wordpress.com - Vasili Kaliman beyondthesingingflame.
blogspot.com - Zach Howard aka Zenopus zenopusarchives.blogspot.com Playing Dragons 56 My Goblins Are... 138
Humanizing the Monster 58 Less Rules to Do More 140
Covers My Ten Commandments... 62 Radikal Quest 144
instagram.com//prosaiko
Bruno Prosaiko instagram.com "Greetings, innkeep" 64 Portfolio Of Cartographic
Inside Art Compelling Arena Fights 68 Curiosities 145
Bertdrawstuff - Didier Balicevic - Dylan Horrocks - Evlyn Moreau d20 Kids for your Dungeons 73 Menagerie of Monstrosities 155
Goran Gligovic - James Hall - Jason Sholtis - Javier Prado - Jean Verne Blighter, Eidolon, Homunculites, Herdling,
Fairy Knight Generator 76
John Grumph - Gustav Sokol - Li-An - Matt Houston - Michael Sheppard Scrapule, Birch Maiden, Tenacious Helmets
Nate Treme - Rackham le Roux - Rob Mathews - Sam Mameli - Stuart Robertson Dynamism and the
Retinue of Rogues 165
Tikokh - Zhu Bajiee Generic Optimum 79 Lost Droid, Rat Catcher, Blemmye, Lazer
Proofreading: Aaron Seigo Mage, Space Vampire Cheno
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB It's Not Just Rats and Centipedes 84
In Praise of Vermin 86 Extraordinary Excursions 183
Knock! is published by The Merry Mushmen Imprint, Titan Cliffs Nexus of the Ixx
Blood Moon 87
& Kamchatka Publishing
103 Chemin de Nin, 64240 Urt - FRANCE The Ecology of Gold 90 Classifieds 206
www.themerrymushmen.com - olivier@themerrymushmen.com BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
The classes and monsters in this issue use formatting borrowed from Necrotic Gnome’s excellent
PROUDLY PRINTED IN EUSKADI! retroclone of the B/X rules, Old-School Essentials.
Essentials We cannot recommend this game enough.
 By David McGrogan
Rest in Peace, Pupli
JJJJJJJJJ
Not so long ago, a player character death
in my current campaign provoked some
thoughts. Pupli was a charming and inter-
esting PC, who had taken on an unlikely
leadership role in my weekly game and
had literally just reached 2nd level after
a heroic sequence of events. He died
meaninglessly in a random encounter with
earwigmen.
My game is rich in senseless character
death. By my count we have lost eight
or nine PCs so far, in something over 20
sessions. Some of these had reached level
3 or 4. None of them really died in grand
circumstances – and a high proportion
were killed by wandering monsters.
The deaths have been deflating. At times,
old school D&D can appear nihilistic. Just
as things seem to be going in one direc-
tion, a roll of the dice (I do almost all the
dice rolling in the open) sends everything
careering sideways – and sometimes
seemingly backwards.
I am usually relatively sanguine about this
because deflation is a valid emotion too,
and I remain convinced that the realistic
possibility of character death raises the
stakes and makes the game feel more real.
But I am also human, and I was gutted
when that earwigman rolled maximum
damage and did away with poor Pupli.
Remember Where the Story Is
At times like this it helps to remind oneself
that, while it is an OSR mantra that the
‘story’ emerges through play and not by
design, it is probably more accurate to say
that story operates at a different level of
abstraction to modern roleplaying games.
Ever since the ‘silver age’ of RPGs, the idea
has been that the story is about what hap-
pens to the individual PCs. In an old school
08
game, by contrast, the story is really the
campaign. Individual player characters
come and go, but they are not the focus –
the narrative is about the events that take
place (in which the PCs, of course, play a
role). Pupli the Etruscan ‘Maru’ of Nortia
died, but his player slipped into the role of
one of the disciples that he had gathered,
and events took their course in the after-
math of his death.
This, in my view, ultimately instantiates a
much richer understanding of story than
that which is advocated in the mainstream.
A PC dies and ceases to be of interest
directly, but we become interested in his
death and what it signifies, and this adds
fresh layers. What will Pupli’s followers do
now that he has gone? Will his comrades
try to avenge him? Suddenly there is more
going on in the campaign than there was
before, and this is what matters, because
– to reiterate – the campaign is the story,
and the story is the campaign.
D&D as a Soap Opera
Another way of putting this is that D&D
is a bit like a soap opera, but with orcs.
Individual characters arrive, and we might
like them and grow to care about them,
but they’ll all go away again in the end
(even Ken Barlow). The story is not about
any particular one of them, and it sur-
vives their deaths, comas, accidents, etc.
It’s Neighbours that we watch, not «The
Adventures of Felicity Scully». You would
be hard pressed to argue that Neighbours
or Coronation Street are not in themselves
stories – never-ending stories perhaps
– merely because they have no clearly
delineated beginnings, middles or ends,
or permanent characters. Indeed, the fact
that no character is bigger than the capi-
tal-S Story is a large part of the appeal.
09
 By Rosie Grey Art after Gustave Doré

We entered the goblin caves down a rough stone corridor. At the end of the passage
a torch illuminated an alcove set in the wall. A goblin had been bricked up within,
its eyes replaced by gems, a large bell in one hand. If we progressed much further it
would sight us and ring that bell.
The corridor stank of shit.
10

The goblin alcove,
invented by my brother
Adam, featured in the
first game of Dungeons
and Dragons I ever
played. I don’t remem-
ber much about that
session; what the rest
of the caves were like,
or the nature of those
gems. But I remember
the wretched goblin,
and I think of it now as I
come to make my own
game. I think about the
alcove, and I think about
Rabelais
and his world.
Rabelais and His World is a 1940
essay by literary critic Mikhail
Bakhtin on the topic of the
medieval fantastic. Bakhtin
centers his analysis on the
works of Francois Rabelais, a
French writer of the late Middle
Ages. Rabelais’ work is what
we might call bawdy. His most
famous heroes are the giants
Gargantua and Pantagruel
who drink like fishes, defecate
like horses, and piss enough to
drown armies. At the opening
of Gargantua, the author takes
the time to issue a curse that
any reader who doubts the truth
of his tales should have their
“bum-gut fall out and make an
escapade.” When I read that line
I let out a surprised hoot. From
the great literary reputation of
Rabelais I was expecting some-
thing more polite, but it turns
out the vulgarity is the point. The
Rabelaisian world is the world
of folk tradition: the centuries
of curses, jokes, and carnival
conventions that formed the
popular culture of the Middle
Ages. When we imagine Europe
in this time we often picture
a pious, meagre sort of place.
12
In folk tradition we find its
laughing underbelly. The
body takes centre stage in
popular genres of medieval
art. Like the bodies of the
giants Gargantua and Pan-
tagruel, this body is exces-
sive and vulgar. This is still
the case today: the body
that we speak about when
we are being subversive or
impolite is one that spits,
excretes, and copulates. Ba-
khtin calls this grotesque
realism, a style of art
in which bodies and
their cruder functions
play a leading role.
There is something
wonderfully open
about this style. In its
holes and appendages the
grotesque body is not sepa-
rate from the outside world;
it merges with it, mirrors it,
and takes on a geography
of its own. The grotesque
body, according to Bakhtin,
is formed of “mountains
and abysses […] or speak-
ing in architectural terms,
towers and subterranean
passages.” As a dungeon
master this statement is
attractive: these are exactly
the kind of places where we
seek adventure.
The body-as-
environment
is well-trodden
ground in
adventure games.
Settings such as Luka Rejec’s
Deep in the Purple Worm or
Jonathan Newell’s Genial Jack
invite us into fantastic archi-
tectures that are grounded
in the more mundane logics
of the flesh, their respective
adventures taking place in a
vast calcified worm and a giant
whale. By highlighting the
corporeal elements of our
worlds we can bring this
balance of the exotic and
familiar into all kinds of
environments. My game
is set in a land called the
Fog Bog, a vulgar little
territory full of naked
monsters, drunk guards,
and nauseating food. It
is a silly place made by a
first-time world-builder.
But in the worldbuilding
of the Middle Ages we find
many more sophisticated
examples of grotesque
realism. These include:
- The moon or other celestial
bodies affecting human
health.
- Illness as a miasma that
hangs visibly in the air.
- Bodily fluids used as salves
or poisons.
- Lakes, mountains, and
caverns that are formed of
parts of the bodies of giants.
- Faces appearing in the natur-
al world, plants with human
appendages.
- The cosmos as a body: Hell
as the bowels of the earth,
Heaven as a realm of pure
spirit.
These ideas come either di-
rectly from Rabelais or from
Bakhtin’s reading of him, and
both writers provide fan-
tastic fodder for designing
fantastical landscapes. But
more broadly, I would like
to commend the spirit that
animates these images, an
ethic of the grotesque that
harmonises with old school
styles of gaming.
The Grotesque
is Familiar. When we
encountered the walled-up
goblin we understood the
stench instinctively. With
no way out, the creature
must have been sharing the
alcove with a quantity of its
own dung. So we decided
to shoot a flaming arrow
into the alcove, thus igniting
the noxious gases that lurked
within. We rolled a bit too well
on this plan, and the resulting
explosion brought goblins run-
ning from all over the caverns.
So we were faced with a wave
of confused, frazzled goblins,
covered in shit, who had to run
down the corridor to get to us.
It was not the most sensible
way to deal with an alarm, but
it was funny. The grotesque in-
vites players in to the imagined
world through the familiar
logics of the body. We did not
need to understand anything
of the history of the caverns or
its goblins in order to imagine
how we could interact with the
alcove. The world was grasp-
able in ways that we already
understood because we all have
bodies just like that poor goblin
did. So with no introduction at
all we found a solution to the
problem that had ridiculous
consequences and made us all
laugh.
What guards the
cave?
d4xd4 embodied
obstacles
The mouth of the cave is blocked by...
1. A sleeping giant.
2. Tall phallic mushrooms.
A pack of drunk goblins.
3.
4. A row of teeth
(it is an actual mouth).
If disturbed, they will...
Projectile vomit.
1.
2. Scream obscenities.
3. Try to eat you.
4. Demand a pudding.
The Grotesque
Mutates.
The tall tales of the Middle
Ages are full of fleshly
mutations and hybrids:
cyclopses, pigs with human
hands, men with faces
in their torsos. There is a
humility to this adaptation
that creates through the
simple conjunction of parts.
“These images,” Bakhtin
argues, “are opposed to all
that is finished and polished,
to all pomposity, to every
ready-made solution in the
sphere of thought and world
outlook.” And this is the aes-
thethic of adventure games
too. The pages of this maga-
zine brim with the conviction
that nothing is ever closed or
finished. We draw monsters
from our imaginations and
give them the statistics of
bears, we construct endless
Keeps on the Borderlands.
In adaptation we assert not
only a thousand personal
worlds but also a universal
Death is a
firmament that joins them.
The flesh contorts, party! d6 lively
the flesh renews! graveyards
d4xd4 poxes and This graveyard is...
their cures. 1. Lovingly tended by a
You develop...
1. The tongue of a
blasphemer (the Gods
will smite appropriately).
2. The appetite of an ox.
3. The stink of an outhouse.
4. The frailty and
appearance of old age..
You can be cured by...
1. The touch of a good ruler.
2. Consuming the flesh
of a sinner.
3. Cutting off and burning
your hair.
4. Being bled by a
giant leech
The Grotesque
Welcomes Death.
When Abel was murdered,
his blood watered the earth,
creating a region that was
remarkably fertile. In this
land the fruit grew huge and
succulent, and some of those
who ate the fruit became
giants. This is the tale told by
Rabelais, and if we want our
bum-guts to remain in place
we should probably believe
him. So we are to accept
that death is both ending
and renewal. Such is the case
throughout the art of the
grotesque, in which the body
parts of deceased saints per-
form miraculous healing, and
skeletons dance and grin.
The Grim Reaper is also wel-
comed by advocates of old
school styles of play, for whom
death is a vital and invigorat-
ing possibility. Perhaps this is
why the humble mushroom
is such a popular motif in
this community, providing an
image of the life that springs
gleefully from dead matter,
the funeral that is a feast.
society of beggars.
2. Being dug up, the bones
used to warm the fires of
a local abbey.
3. Busy by night! Courting
youths come here for
romance.
4. Inhabited by ghosts who
gossip relentlessly about
one another.
5. A theatre. Mummers
perform plays
for the dead.
6. Overgrown with bushes
that bear delicious fruit.
For a game that
dresses itself so
often in the garb of
the Middle Ages, I
think we can go fur-
ther and embrace its
popular spirit. Where
we seek to make a
world that yawns
open, that mutates
endlessly, that winks
at life and grins at
death, I submit the
grotesque. 13
 by David McGrogan
What Happened
to thee Bodies?
Player characters often end up
killing big monsters, or large numbers
of humanoid ones. (For example, it
wouldn’t be unusual to have the PCs kill
a dozen orcs in a confrontation.)
This would leave a big mess. As a DM, I have tended
to deal with this on an ad hoc basis, but I wonder
if there is a more systematic way of doing so. For
example, here is a table to determine what happens
to the bodies (or body) after a battle with humanoids
or a big monster such as a giant, dragon, manticore,
etc. Roll on this table whenever the PCs return to the
scene of a battle.
14
Humanoids (d20)
1-4: The bodies remain as they lay, but
have attracted small scavengers who are
now feeding on them* (roll a d3 to deter-
mine whether these are 1 - Reptiles, 2 -
Mammals, 3 – Insects).
5-8 : The bodies remain as they lay, but
have attracted large scavengers who are
now feeding on them* (roll a d4 to deter-
mine whether these are 1 - Reptiles, 2 -
Mammals, 3 - Insects, 4 – Monstrous**).
9-12: The bodies have been disturbed and
looted (the looters are still nearby on a roll
of 1-2 on a d6).
13-16: The bodies have been removed by
allies (the allies are still nearby on a roll of
1-2 on a d6; they are of the same type (1-4)
or a different species (5-6)).
17-19: The bodies have been mutilated
and defaced by rivals (the rivals are still
nearby on a roll of 1-2 on a d6; they are of
the same type (1-2) or a different species
(3-6)).
20:The bodies have mysteriously disap-
peared (taken away by a necromancer to
turn into undead, by body snatchers for
parts, by intelligent cannibals for food, and
so on.).
*If a period of time longer than 3 days has passed, the remains have been eaten or picked clean and now lay as carcasses.
Large monsters (d20)
1-6: The body remains as it lay,
but has attracted small scavengers
who are now feeding on it* (roll a d3
to determine whether these are 1 -
Reptiles, 2 - Mammals, 3 – Insects).
7-12: The body remains as it lay,
but has attracted large scavengers
who are now feeding on it* (roll a d6
to determine whether these are 1 -
Reptiles, 2 - Mammals, 3 - Insects,
**'Monstrous' indicates a carrion crawler, otyugh, pudding, ooze, etc.
4-6 – Monstrous**).
13-16: The body has attracted
humanoids who are cutting it apart
to obtain the skin, organs, and so on
for magical or religious purposes*.
17-19: The body lies pristine
and untouched (because dungeon
denizens are afraid of it, because it is
haunted by the spirit of the original
owner, etc.).
20: The body has mysteriously
disappeared (taken away by a
necromancer to turn into undead,
by a magic-user for ingredients, by
intelligent dungeon dwellers for
food, and so on).
15
NIGHTMARE
By Kobayashi Art: Matt Houston

NIGHTMARE
ON L AKE 13

ON L AKE 13
An Obvious Slasher Resource

We all know that 1st level adventures can be scary: characters

are squishy and bad decisions (or mere bad luck) can lead to a
swift death. So it’s not much of a stretch to say that OSR rules
can be very effective at running modern horror adventures.

CHARACTERS
Use the six attributes and your preferred method of score genera-
tion, then let players pick a profession (nurse, teacher, firefighter,
miner, writer, astronaut...). They get advantage or a bonus to any
roll where the character’s profession is relevant. All characters
start with d6 hit points and either +1 to their attack rolls, +1 to AC,
or an advantage to their Fear rolls.

FEAR ROLLS!
Ask for a Fear roll whenever a character faces something ter-
rifying. The player makes a Wisdom roll (or a saving throw against
spells as a 1st level fighter), and if they fail they must choose one of
the following reactions:

16 17
NIGHTMARE
• Run away screaming! Run until you’re in a different location
than the threat. Get 1 HP back for doing your cardio.
• Berseker rage! Get +2 to your attack and damage rolls but you
must attack the source of your fear.
• Face your fear! Act freely but get disadvantage(or a penalty
depending on your ruleset) on all your attribute rolls for the
current scene.
Once chosen, a reaction cannot be picked again by the
player until they have used all the reactions.
MINIONS, AN ARMY OF 1S
Minions can be the monster’s allies or another threat altogether:
cultists protecting their leader or simply cops giving the PCs a
hard time.
Minion stats
AC 10, 1 HP, +1 to attack rolls, inflicts 1 point of damage.
THE ADVENTURE
Grab a dungeon map from any OSR adventure and reskin it:
it’s now the map of a forgotten bunker, a mine on Mars, or an
underwater base. This is either the monster’s lair or a place that

ON L AKE 13
WEAPONS & ARMOR holds something it needs. Village maps are even easier to use.
Unarmed attacks do 1 damage, improvised weapons d3, The place is of course isolated (quarantined, underwater, in
regular weapons d6, big weapons d6+2. No medieval armor space, or simply abandoned).
in a modern setting, so everybody has AC 12 (7 if using
descending AC), modified by Dexterity. Characters’ objective
The characters must have a goal: they came to repair something,
THE SLASHER search for someone, or simply to explore. Defeating the monster
The monster is a... can’t be their unique objective (even if that would help).
1. Modified 1. Doppelgänger
2. Mutated 2. Animal or insect Optional: the traitor
3. Demonic 3. Robot or golem One of the characters has a personal agenda (capture the
4. Giant 4. Human monster, steal the killbot blueprints, drink the vampire’s blood...).
5. Time-traveling 5. Xenomorph Give it to your smartest player.
6. Ghostly 6. Classic monster
(vampire, werewolf...) Pacing
Good pacing is critical for a horror game so here are a few guide-
MONSTER STATS lines to keep your game on track:
Start with a 5th level fighter or a thematically appropriate • A character can only take one action during their turn. Once
monster in the 4-6 HD range. The monster always has the every player has taken their turn roll a d6: the monster
initiative unless the characters ambush it. Give it two attacks (or minions) will appear in that many rounds.
if you have less than five players and three otherwise. Add at • Give players hints that something is coming (sounds, smells,
least one special ability, modeled after spells like invisibility, psychic impressions...).
levitate, telekinesis, heat metal, illusion, or feeblemind... Once • Some actions should require 2 to 3 successful rolls to accomplish,
used, you must roll a 5 or 6 on a d6 to use it again. from building a trap to breaking down a door*.
If brought to 0 HP, the monster flees and recovers 1 HD worth
of hit points each subsequent turn. A good monster has a AFTER THE GAME
vulnerability. Smart characters should discover it during the Any character still standing at the end of the adventure is now a
adventure as well as the means to exploit it: think typical Survivor, gaining a +1 to their attack rolls and AC as well as +3
D&D stuff (holy water, magic swords, spells) but also modern HP. A character who survives more than one adventure should
tech like EMP blasts and UV lights. be retired or become an NPC.

*see Knock #2, Hit Points Everywhere p.92

18 19
 By Andrea ‘Vyrelion’ Back

I slit open the Dragon’s belly!

Use this table when the group vanquishes a large, epic foe and
searches its gut. You can roll d44 instead of d66 for slightly less
gonzo results.

III HORRIFIC
1- food: Partially dissolved bodies
hugging in their last, desperate
V WEIRD
embrace. They rise as acidic 1- food: A table covered in
pristine silk, ready for a
I MUNDANE II CREEPY zombies (as zombie, when killed
anyone within 10’ save vs breath IV UNEXPECTED luxurious feast for 12.
1- food: Half-digested, 1- food: A writhing or 1d6 damage). 2 - treasure: A massive,
unrecognizable meal. brown mass of carnivo-
rous maggots. Dare to
2 - treasure: A human head, en-
1- food: Absolutely
nothing, the stomach is
pulsating crystal heart,
right above the monster’s
VI UNFATHOMABLE
2 - treasure: Among crusted with gems and precious empty and clean. 1- food: The creature’s innards
dig inside? Find treasure stomach. Can be broken
many disgusting discov- metals worth 900 GP. Screams 2 - treasure: A gelati- twist and bite with myriads of
but save vs poison, or into 1d6*100 pieces worth
eries, treasure worth in agony and cries if gems are nous cube acting as the fanged jaws (2d6 times 1 HD, 1d4
the worms entering you 3d6 GP each.
1d3 x 1000 GP. extracted. monster’s digestive sys- damage).
will kill you in 1d10 days. Whoever breaks the
3 - clue about its history: 3 - clue about its history: tem. It contains treasure crystal must save vs 2 - treasure: A single black pearl,
The remains of a horse, 2 - treasure: 1d3 magic The bones of countless enemies, worth 1d6*1000 GP. spells or be teleported on the size of a fist, that does not
some crumpled and items. They are dripping rattling in the muck among what 3 - clue about its a random plane. reflect light . Cold to the touch,
useless plate armor with blood, and they won’t remains of their armor. Terrify- history: Vegetables - lots and weighs more than expected.
3 - clue about its history:
a knight’s arms, and a get clean. Ever. ing ghosts rush out of the body. of potatoes, grain, cabba- Probably valuable to the right
A miniature civilization
broken magical long- 3 - clue about its history: Everyone save vs fear or die. ges, onions, and so on. that used to live symbio- demon lord.
sword (as shortsword +1; A bunch of children’s Survivors gain 500 XP. 4 - other contents: Gallons tically inside the dragon, 3 - clue about its history:
if reforged, longsword +3 toys, dolls, wooden 4 - other contents: Loose earth, and gallons of salt water, tending to its digestion, Complex wiring and machinery,
against dragons). swords and shields. tombstones and shattered cas- live fish still swimming now completely eradi- beeping lights and pneumatic
4 - other contents: A metal plate reads kets, in addition to human in it. cated but for one tiny, levers and cogs, integrated with
Loose earth, rocks and, “Dolurin’s Orphan remains in various states of decay. 5 - event: A swarm of brooding prince of ruins. the creature’s anatomy.
among them, gold nug- House”.
5 - event: The monster turns ordinary but angry bees 4 - other contents: The 4 - other contents: A multicol-
gets, precious gems for 4 - other contents: inside out, like a sock puppet, comes out, attacking inside of the stomach is ored void, swirling with lights
1d6 x 500 GP. Gallons and gallons of anyone nearby for 2d4 completely frozen, with and stars, allowing passage to a
exposing bloody flesh and icky
5 - event: The insides blood, and nothing else. damage (save vs poison, or icicles and frost forming different dimension.
innards. It reanimates with its
Bathing in it might give take another 1d6 damage) all over the walls. 5 - event: Crude writing appears,
burst with a deadly gas. AC reduced by 4 and with no spe-
some sort of power (or before flying away. 5 - event: A bell chimes etched on the flesh of the beast
Within 15’, save vs Nd6 cial ability.
damage, where N is the disease). 6 - NPC: A mermaid living from nowhere, then a by an invisible hand. “As foretold,
6 - NPC: A skeletal figure is em- victorious fanfare, and the blood was spilled and the
HD of the monster. 5 - event: The monster inside the monster in a
bedded in the monster’s flesh. A pool of sea water, friendly the PCs feel they’ve prophecy confirmed.”
6 - NPC: A farmer, still reverts to human form, bony arm tries to pull someone and jovial. Rewards with a accomplished something 6 - NPC: A set of stone stairs,
hugging his beloved and it is someone dear in. Save vs death. The monster kiss (1d6 extra HP). Asks important. Gain 250 XP. lit by torches, leading into the
prize pig, has managed to one of the characters. flesh stitches back together if to be returned to the sea. 6 - NPC: An elf scholar, bowels of the earth.
to survive the ordeal. 6 - NPC: A creature, half someone is captured. If the mon- If angered or betrayed, she who took a detailed The body of the monster petri-
Panicked and unarmed, monster, half humanoid, ster is killed again, the victim places a curse on the of- account of the monster’s fies almost instantly, along with
will attack anyone on is curled in fetal position dies with it, replacing the grabby fenders, never being able actions for the past 250 whomever is touching it (save to
sight. inside a fleshy sac. skeleton. to swim or float again. years. avoid).
20
21
 By James Maliszewski Art: Mary Hallock Foote
I believe Dungeons & Dragons has a
«story», by which I mean a thematic core.
Picaro
Now, I probably shouldn’t use the word
«story», because it carries with it too many
expectations, chief among them being a
degree of coherence that I don’t believe
D&D, on a purely game mechanical level,
is capable of attaining or that its crea-
tors sought to attain. I’m generally of the
and the “Story” of D&D opinion that «story» in a roleplaying game
is, to use a wretched bit of jargon, a me-
ta-game artifact. That is, it’s what you get
when players, looking back on the events
of their characters’ adventures, ascribe
a meaning and relevance to it all that’s
simply not inherent in the bare facts of the
adventures themselves. It’s much the same
way that we often frame the biography
of a famous person so as to highlight the
events that contributed to their being or
doing the thing for which they became
famous. The famous person’s life only has
a «story» when looked at as a whole and
by presuming that the fame they achieved
was somehow always «meant to be» from
the beginning.
I don’t want this article to become a phi-
losophical discourse on fate or teleology.
My digression here is simply to help me
assert that D&D, purely as a game, doesn’t
promote or encourage a story. Story is an
optional extra added on top of the game,
either by ex post facto pattern-finding
(which is, generally, the old school sense of
story) or by imposing it on the game befo-
rehand (which is, generally, the newer ap-
proach). I think it’s important to make this
clear, because many gamers assume that
all RPGs, by their very nature, including
D&D, are «story games». Indeed, many
D&D players, primarily those who entered
the hobby in the post-Dragonlance era,
accept this assumption without question
and may have even been drawn into the
22
hobby because they were attracted to the
conception of an RPG as «fantasy novel
where you’re the hero», which is how the
hobby was promoted throughout the 80s
and how it’s largely been designed since
the 90s.
With that behind us, let’s return to the
question at hand: what is the thematic core
of D&D, which is to say, what is its organi-
zing principle? The game may not, of itself,
tell stories, but given that gamers almost
always find stories in their play, what kinds
of stories does D&D support natively?
This is where my regular invocation of
pulp fantasy rears its head again. I think
it’s easy to get hung up over the specific
elements of this pulp fantasy story versus
that one and argue, as many do, that D&D
doesn’t model pulp fantasy very well,
because this or that element either doesn’t
exist in the game or is in fact prohibited by
the rules as written. If that’s the way you
judge D&D then, yes, I agree that it doesn’t
do a very good job of being a pulp fantasy
game.
I’ll return to the modeling issue later, be-
cause it’s very relevant. For now, though,
it’s important to realize that there are
common elements that undergird all pulp
fantasy stories and it’s these elements that
D&D picked up and built a game around.
They’re the underlying assumptions that,
taken as a whole, (largely) explain why
D&D is the way it is and why it has an affin-
ity for certain types of «stories». As I read
pulp fantasy, the assumptions D&D takes
from it are the following:
• The protagonists are «rogues», by which
I mean outsiders generally of low station
(though not necessarily birth) who live on the
margins of society.
• Said society is generally corrupt, or at least
venal.
• Consequently, the protagonists generally
pursue personal betterment (whether mone-
23

tary, secret knowledge, position, etc.) rather
than more «noble» goals.
• Despite this, the protagonists sometimes
achieve noble, or at least broadly beneficial,
goals in the course of their pursuit of personal
betterment.
• The world is generally humanocentric,
with non-humans relegated to the margins,
which is why the protagonists often interact
with them.
• Magic is (at best) unreliable and (at worst)
downright dangerous (if not morally dubious).
I would also add that pulp fantasy stories
are generally episodic in nature, with each
one being discrete. Likewise, characters
and setting elements tend to be strongly
archetypal, even cliché. Both characters
and setting may «grow» and change over
time, but such things aren’t the point of the
stories; they are consequences of them.
Thus, pulp fantasies are not written to re-
count the biography of a great person, even
though many stories can, in their totality,
be be read in this way. Of course, there’s no
necessity that they will or even can be, as a
great many pulp fantasies are «just a bunch
of stuff that happens».
With the exception of the last two
entries in my bulleted list, there’s a strong
affinity between the pulp fantasy story
and the picaresque, which is probably no
accident. The picaresque is a clear
antecedent of «adventure stories»
of all sorts, and many pulp writers
latched on to the picaro archetype
as an ideal vehicle for telling lurid,
sensationalistic tales set in far-away
lands. I contend that it’s here that
we find the thematic core of D&D
and that the game was written on
the assumption that most charac-
ters would come from this mold. I
see, for example, few alternative explana-
tions for why characters improve in D&D
through the accumulation of wealth.
My feeling is that one’s level of dissatis-
faction with D&D is closely related to one’s
24
By Harbowoputra
dissatisfaction with picaresque stories.
If your preference is for something more
«epic» than a bunch of rogues (possibly
with hearts of gold) on the make, then
you’re likely to see D&D as lacking in
some way—and many gamers have from
the very beginning. Eventually, whether
by nature or nurture I can’t say, the
vast majority of fantasy gamers wanted
something more out of fantasy than
picaro-in-a- wizard’s-hat, which is why we
saw the growth and popularity of things
like Dragonlance and many of the myriad
campaign settings TSR published during
the Second Edition era. But I contend that,
I Cut the Body Open!
in most cases, D&D is simply a poor fit for
these settings, because its thematic core
evokes the picaresque rather than the
epic. To do the latter, one must change
D&D in various ways—and so its pub-
lishers have, either by modifying it on a
campaign-by-campaign basis (as was
commoner in the past) or by modifying it
permanently (as has been done in recent
years).
To summarize, in case I was indeed
opaque: D&D is a game founded on pulp
fantasy, which is a modern development
1. A perfect, cartoony heart-shaped heart
of the picaresque. The game was designed
on the assumption that the typical PC 2. Somehow, there’s a girl wearing a red hood inside
would thus be roguish and possibly venal
rather than nakedly heroic. Its rules, while 3.The entire intestine is actually readable if you know extispicy
not necessarily good at emulating every
4. A very pretty lump of bezoar
particular example of pulp fantasy, are
built to support this assumption. While
D&D is flexible enough to do other types 5. Somehow, there are four kidneys
of fantasy, the farther one gets from per day
pulp fantasy/picaresque roots, the more 6.An endlessly-replenishing liver, but your stomach can only handle one bite
«broken» the game is likely to seem. To 7. A portal to the Elemental Plane of Flesh
this I’ll add that the history of post-Gygax
D&D has largely been one of trying to 8. An entire nation of parasitic race hell-bent on war since you just killed their world
«fix» this seeming brokenness in various
ways, which has led us to where we are 9. The corpse is layered; there’s another smaller, identical person inside
today—a game divorced from its roots and
of limited appeal to people such as myself 10.There is no flesh; it was a Worm that Walks all along
who prefer its original tone.
25
 by Brent Edwards - Art: Matt Houston

d66
Sights to

Woods
Stumble Upon
in the

All woods lead to the Bolewood somehow.

The Bolewood is the trunk of the world. It’s the place
that all other forests spring from. It has the seed of every
woodland within it, every climate, every character, every magical quirk,
every corruption. It’s the home of the fae
and a thousand other
strange creaturesbesides.
11. A tiny hamlet,
hamlet just under Only one is animate and able here. Inside, a clockwork
the eaves of the forest. to speak at a time, and they contraption of bronze
The villagers refuse to step cycle every minute or so. cogs and electrical coils.
beyond the shadow of the 14. A well, overgrown with A well-charred gnomish
treetops. They believe a moss. Several signs of
moss corpse still grasps the acti-
giant waits just out of sight, warning written in archaic vation lever.
waiting to snatch those who dialects hang from the well 16. A broad log bridge over
stray too far, as he has been and the surrounding trees. a brisk creek.
creek A rounded
doing for generations. The water deep below smells spur of wood protrudes on
12. An eviscerated stag fresh. There is no bucket the upstream side, with a
corpse. The entire skeleton
corpse around, but rather an Archi- diminutive railing at its edge
is missing, and there are medes’ screw to pump wa- forming a tiny observation
bloody hoofprints leading ter. It’s operated by a wheel platform. Anything dropped
deeper into the bracken. with two handles. A pair on the upstream side and
13. Three huge mushrooms,
mushrooms of characters working the allowed to float underneath
one as tall and slender as wheel switch bodies when the bridge emerges on the
an aspen, one as short and the first splash of water hits other side doubled in size.
broad as a lily pad, and one the basin. 21. The desiccating body
of precisely equal width and 15. A chunk of a severe stone of a man,
man emaciated and
height. Each contains the building from a faraway city, gaunt. Scavengers haven’t
consciousness of a wizard about 10 feet in diameter. It deigned to disturb him, nor
who tried and failed to steal has cleaved off in a perfect the perfect, ripe, mouthwa-
the secrets of fae magics sphere, and seems to have tering golden pear held in his
from the Court of Autumn. spontaneously appeared outstretched palm.
26
 22. A menhir with a hole
worn through the center,
just barely too small for a
grown human to fit through.
Looking through the hole,
one can see the scene on
the other side of the menhir,
except there it’s always rai-
ning, steady and warm and
pleasant.
23. A trio of mossy stone
trolls. The shelter of their
hulking bodies makes this a
perfect campsite. Of course,
the trolls are patiently lying
in wait to nab whoever’s
foolish enough to fall asleep
here. You don’t actually
believe that old myth about
trolls turning to stone, do
you?
24. A maroon rug lying
across the leaf carpet
of the woods. It holds a
comfortable velvet chair
and a rack full of attrac-
tive walking sticks. Using
these negates the fatigue
of normal travel, but has no
effect on strenuous effort.
Anyone napping in the chair
awakens to a real bastard of
a leprechaun climbing onto
their chest and demanding
“ransom”.
25. A scrap of birch bark
scribbled on in a spindly
hand - it reads “IO Thee,
Thou Slye Bastarde”. It can
be used in a deal with a fae or
demon in place of one’s true
name, shadow, or soul.
26. A heaped pile of
pitched-over standing
stones, with a hole one
stones
can just fit through if they
slither in on their belly. A
badger made of the same
stone lives in the burrow be-
neath, inscribed with inscru-
table runes. It bristles in the
presence of corruptions of
nature, and dedicates itself
wholeheartedly to the first
person to feed it real food.
31. A deep furrow in the
earth, obscured by trees on
earth
28
all sides. Steam rises from
the spring within. A rusted
sword lies in the bottom of
the deepest pool. A skeletal
hand emerging from the
calcified stone of the floor
grips the hilt.
32. A natural cave in a root-
strewn hollow is home to an
enormous black bear and
her two cubs. They are un-
magical but intelligent, and
are eager to provide shelter
and food to anyone that
doesn’t flee immediately or
intend them harm.
33. Three cypress trees
on a hilltop have collapsed
toward each other, each
tenuously propping the
others up. A golden necklace
with a triskele charm hangs
from the interwoven top
branches. Any interaction
with the trees causes them
to collapse. This is a monu-
ment to the end of a bloody
feud between three fae
families who have agreed the
peace will only last as long as
the trees still stand.
34. A broad willow tree
stands out amidst a copse of
pines, every inch of its bark
and leaves bleached white as
if by a poisonous, dying sun.
While looking up through
its branches, the sky always
appears as a clear night sky
with extra-bright constel-
lations, making navigation
from this point trivial to any
who can read them.
35. Countless wind chimes
chime
hang along a stand of trees
planted in perfectly straight
lines. They’re made of bone
and wood, glass and stone.
They clink and tinkle in
the light breeze, but when
a strong wind blows they
peal out in a great combined
voice that fills your chest
with blessed quiet. Violence
is impossible while they sing.
36. A fawn,
fawn hurt and
vulnerable, its bony legs in a
tangle. So many, many legs.
It blinks up at interlopers
with its red-tinted eyes. All
nine of them. Its abdomen
gapes open as you approach,
the light glinting off of the
razor edges of hundreds and
hundreds of moist teeth.
41. A crooked tower built of
rounded stones. The door
is magically locked but the
whole height of the tower is
pierced through with dozens
of trees, making access easy
for those willing to climb. It
contains a library of minor
magical trinkets, collected
by the long-defunct Ceru-
lean Coven of Warlocks and
Wizards.
42. Soft, wet earth, a scent of
rot, and clouds of glittering
midges. The midges swarm
midges
anyone who uses magic
here. If they do so for a
second time, the gathered
midges lift them and try
to carry them to a cabin
where an exiled fae magician
waits, eager to swap spells
with magic users “from the
barbarous land beyond the
trees”.
43. A birch lean-to,
lean-to with
clean bedrolls and blankets
and a supply of firewood
stashed beneath. If the
shelter is used, an exorbitant
bill written in faespeech is
found under someone’s pil-
low. Until it’s paid, travelers
find themselves stumbling
upon the lean-to again and
again, no matter which
direction they leave.
44. A dried-up riverbed. Legs
sink into piles of shell frag-
ments up to the calf. Impres-
sions and discarded scales
suggest some enormous
serpentine creature uses
the erstwhile river run as a
convenient path through
the woods.
45. A redcap ambuscade.
ambuscade.
It appears as a squeeze of
thicket and thorns. Color
and light seem muted here,
and the deeper one goes the
tighter the path becomes.
The trees and bushes begin
to shrink as well, until one
gets the sensation that
their own body is gradually
growing, becoming bound
and eventually crushed in a
dwindling tunnel of grasp-
ing bramble. The redcaps
attack from the rear when
an attempt is made to turn
around in the claustrophobic
passage.
46. Intermittent cairns
marking an easy path
through the dense wood. A
few miles along, a gruff elder
molefolk fellow is scattering
the cairns one by one, gru-
mbling about philistines. He
offers a bounty on the head
of anyone disturbing the
«harmony of the wilds.»
51. A child carefully picking
fuzzy leaves from a bush tuc-
ked away in a hollow. He’s not
surprised to see wander-
ers. He says the leaves make
excellent tea that stimulates
the mind. Drinking this tea
or chewing the leaves sets
one’s thoughts racing, lead-
ing to great leaps in inspira-
tion and reasoning. They also
cause screaming nightmares
about the child, emerging
slowly from the wood, jaw
unhinging. Teeth. Teeth!
52. A pile of discarded flesh
and belongings laid out on
a flat rock. There’s no skin
remaining - the unfortunate
soul has been replaced by a
skinthief. A personal effect
identifies the deceased as
the last NPC or hireling the
group has had contact with.
53. In an area of irregular
stumps, a humanoid shape
made up of thousands of
tiny black frogs that move
collectively. The frog-thing
has hold of a worn lumber
axe, and wanders the clear-
ing, tirelessly felling trees of
all sizes with jerky, awkward
movements. It doesn’t clean
or break up the trunks in any
way, just leaves them to lie on
the ground. It stumbles over
them regularly.
54. A seam of black glass
cuts over the forest floor,
straddled in places by am-
bitious roots. If illuminated
with magical light, it glows
pale orange, revealing the
peaceful form of a fae prince
pierced by a spear sealed
within.
55. An overgrown jousting
run, the center rail almost
run
imperceptible amidst
blooming roses, the stands
twined with thorny vines.
Anyone who passes by
mounted is challenged by the
ghostly form of an armored
goblin on spider-back. She’s
staging a pas d’armes*, and
curses anyone who ignores
her challenge.
56. Many eyes glinting from
the undergrowth - some-
thing watching? In fact
they’re growing like berries
on a small scrubby shrub.
Anyone who eats one can see
in the dark and look through
any of the eyes from the
bush, whether or not they’ve
been picked.
61. The ruined, overgrown
foundation of what was once
a glorious palace,
palace built by a
mortal king in defiance of
the seelie court’s claim to the
wood. Strange luminescent
lichen grows across every-
thing, a warning from the fae
not to disturb this monu-
ment to hubris. Anyone with
royal blood can interact with
the intact palace as it once
was, as long as their eyes stay
closed. Doing so alerts the
Summer Court and draws
their ire.
62. A mastiff-sized caterpil-
lar, brown and hairy, with an
lar
overly friendly demeanor
easily mistaken for aggres-
sion. Has a collar behind its
head, a tag in elvish naming
him Bucephalas. His owner,
a fae knight errant, is lost
somewhere deeper in the
wood.
63. A pitcher plant in a glass
box. If the box is opened a
box
faint voice emerges from
within the pitcher. It claims
it’s a wayward pixie captured
many years ago and begs to
be pulled out. In reality the
voice is the natural lure of
the plant - the mouth of the
pitcher latches on to anyone
reaching in to help.
64. Gossamer spider webs
have entangled a pixie
named Malfeasance. This is a
place of power for the Spider
Queen of the Fae, where Mal
was imprisoned for being a
boor and a general nuisance.
Rescuing the little shit earns
the ire of every creeping,
skittering, wriggling thing
in the forest until they’re
returned to have their vital
juices consumed.
65. A retaining wall of
stacked logs beneath a bare
hilltop with a good view of
the forest. Chubby little
soil spirits, like wrinkled
hairless teddy bears, have
their homes behind the wall.
Emerging during the night,
they are gentle and eagerly
hospitable to anyone who
treats the hill respectfully.
If any digging or other distur-
bance of the earth occurs
they rush out and anxiously
ask that the offending
parties stop—Father Hill
mustn’t be awoken.
66. A lake,
lake calm and mir-
ror-like, surrounded by rocky
crags. From a vantage point
very near the water’s sur-
* A chivalric duel
face, an ancient city can be
seen submerged in the cold,
clear water. Someone has
laid out white stones in the
center of the town square.
They read: «Still Here”.
29
 by 'E.A. taichara' Bisson

Ah, fungi. They’re everywhere adventurers roam, and many a place they don’t. Sometimes they

Fungus Among Us
just do the most weird and wonderful (or not so wonderful – shriekers, anyone?) things.
Or send you on trips.But what if you want the party to come across something a little
more immediately useful? Well, have these two d12 tables of fun fungi
for foraging characters, ha.*

—— —— —— ——
Edible Fungi
1. Fire Wings: Thickly ruffled scallops,
Useful or Notable Fungi
1. Wychlight: Nearly spherical, brownish brackets the size of a thumb-joint that

(5-6 on a d6)
(1-4 on a d6)

orange and rust, growing on tree
trunks; earthy scent, tastes like a mix
of hazelnut and fresh bread; best sliced
and fried.
2. Meadowlime Cap: Small, ribbed trum-
pets, violet-grey to violet, sometimes
hard to spot; no noticeable scent;
citrusy taste, stronger when dried.
3. Pincher’s Spice: Horn-like, fleshy
growths, pale grey to ivory; no no-
ticeable scent; edible, if of indifferent
taste, but dried into a powder it tastes
of red pepper and sea salt.
4. Boarcap: Thick cap with pores
instead of gills, broad stem, yel-
lowy-tawny; acidic scent; does not
preserve well, but when thickly sliced
and cooked, tastes like and even has a
similar texture to pork.
5. Burning Shaggy: Clusters of pur-
plish irregular growths, like shredded
dough; faintly fishy scent; unex-
pectedly firey, excellent chopped in
garnishes or sprinkled as fine dice over
meat dishes.
6. Phantom Cup: Ghostly-looking,
translucent crescents of rubbery
consistency, up to palm-sized, growing
from shaded wood; mild earthy taste,
not exciting but adds welcome bulk
and body to sustaining soups.
7. Meadow Meat: Handspan-tall
trumpets, tawny coloured and fleshy;
slightly meaty scent; dries readily
and reconstitutes well, grows in large
numbers and takes on the flavour of
anything they are cooked with.
8. Faerie Cap: Nondescript brown cap grow in clusters on pebbly ground; glow greeny-gold in darkness, a double handful
and stem, no more than an inch across; equal to a candle.
bleeds bluish when cut, bruises blue; 2. Kindlercap: Low-growing, flat cap broad as a saucer, grey webbed reddish;
sweet caramel taste, intensified by pulled into shreds, dries swiftly and makes good tinder.
drying or salting. 3. Tippler’s Hedge: Nondescript, delicate, white mushroom; dries into a
9. Scholar’s Fingers: Tall slender lacy bit of a thing; dropped into any liquor, will absorb the alcohol, five
white stems, tubular pink- fruiting bodies to a pint.
ish-white caps; sweet scent; 4. Calfmercy: Golden brown, deeply wrinkled and furrowed caps, stout
unappealing when raw, shanks; a handful can be used instead of rennet to curdle
retain firm texture cheese, giving a smoky, nutty tang as well.
when cooked and gain 5. Flourisher: Soft, spongy, thin-fleshed, conical
refreshing, slightly cap of off-grey; the flesh will liquify within an
vinegared taste that hour of being plucked or cut away, being usable as
pairs well with greens. shockingly bright purple ink.
10. Traveler’s Truffle: Knobbly, green- 6. Flourishing Deceiver: Closely related to the
ish potato-looking things, pebbled above, with white gills instead of grey — and if written
when cut open, size of a with on parchment specifically, the ink will fade to
fist to nearly one’s head; nothingness after a day.
cook up mealy, dense 7. Gladepouch: If carefully peeled away without tearing, the outer
and salty/nutty; will greenish skin of this double-fist-sized fruiting body can be used as a
keep for days without food casing when fresh, or a storage pouch when dried.
preserving; grow in 8. Fawn Balm: A knobbly-capped, brown, white-spotted specimen;
patches; avoid when bruises rust and oozes an orange, sticky fluid when cut that can clean
sporing. and seal minor wounds.
11. Earthmilch: 9. Smithy-Cap: Not useful in and of themselves, these copper-blue,
Dark, almost black dense trumpets grow where metals have been buried under earth,
and slightly sticky caps, reddish loose stone or even plaster.
shank; earthy scent; inedible 10. Crawlerbane: Amorphous lumps studded with gelatinous,
raw, if cooked will liquify and give oily spherules across their rusty flesh; piercing the spherules
a creamy, milky taste that adds to produces a fluid that repels insects.
casseroles. 11. The Cleanser: Ruffly clumps, orange and yellow, growing
12. Landshell: Globular, solid among mosses just about anywhere; crushed and rubbed against
growths, pinkish on the inside, mot- the skin (or anywhere else), acts just like soap.
tled grey exterior, up to two hand 12. Bonfire Cap: Stout, thick growth, golden brown with cap covered
spans in diameter; sliced thickly, can by a thick, gelatinous pink layer; peel away the soft outside and pores,
be fried or toasted like bread, and and the dense core will strike a flame with shocking ease. Combine
tastes like prawns. with kindlercap (item 2 above) for even better results.

*please remember these are imaginary mushrooms. do not forage for

XXX mushrooms in the real world unless you are very very certain you know what you are doing. XXXI
 by Jack Shear - Art : Li-An

“Better freedom and a chilly road than a warm hearth and servitude.”
– Fritz Leiber, The Cloud of Hate

Revisiting the
Domain
Game
In many old-school fantasy
roleplaying games, when
characters reach 9th or
10th level, the nature of the game changes from one of
adventurous exploration to the maintenance and defense of a
domain. This is usually a change in tone; where free-wheeling
dungeon delving and general skulduggery was once the order of
the day, now local politics, petty intrigues, and the pursuit of
respectability move to the forefront as the party “settles down.”
If only it were ever so easy. These are adventurers we’re
talking about; their lives should never be comfortable! Whether the
characters have a fortress, a wizard’s tower, a thieves’ guild, or a
temple, roll on the Unavoidable Problem table to see what special
issue they will need to deal with. Then, roll on the Unruly Neighbor
table to determine what kind of meddlesome malcontent lives in close
proximity to their domain.
d10 Unavoidable Issue
1 Accursed. The domain has been cursed and ill-luck will plague its
owners. This ill-luck can take many forms, and its severity should es-
calate the longer the curse is left unexplored; the effects could range
from minor accidents that happen on the premises up to madness
and death. As to the cause of the curse, perhaps the domain was built
on an ancient burial ground.

2 Besieged. As soon as the domain has been claimed, a barbaric

army or warband lays siege to it. It is up to the domain’s lords to
innovate a plan to save it from certain destruction. Killing the individ-
ual at the head of the army isn’t the solution.

3 Contaminated. The domain is literally plagued with a debilitating

disease that eventually sickens all who reside there. The cause of the
disease could be traceable to a variety of evils, such as a trio of hags
who poison the domain’s wells, a clan of wererats spreading illness,
or a pocket of decaying zombies who are trapped within the domain’s
water system.

XXXII
 Unruly Neighbor
d10 Ruler
1 Bandit king
4 Contested. Though the owners of the domain may assume they Corrupt priest
have sovereign control over it, a lordling believes they have a rightful 2
3 Cult leader
claim on the territory. The claimant may be mundane, such as a mad
4 Knightly order
prince who believes himself to be the rightful heir to the land, or
5 Mercenary captain
supernatural in nature, such as a vampire who has just awoken from
6 Merchant prince
an ancient sleep.
7 Monster
8 Noble
5 Haunted. The domain is home to a number of malign spirits. These Peasant revolutionary
spirits may be banshees, ghosts, specters, wraiths, or some combina- 9
10 Wizard
tion of the same. They will harass the owners of the domain, ruin any
important social engagements held there, and will make it difficult to Personality
retain staff and servants. The spirits have unfinished business and it 1 Abusive and cruel
is up to the domain’s owners to lay them to rest. 2 Childlike and prone to temper tantrums
3 Decadent and overly sensuous
6 Hazardous. The domain’s land is fraught with a previously un- 4 Gruff and businesslike
known natural hazard, such as perilous flooding or a mountain that 5 Imperiously autocratic
suddenly threatens to erupt into an active volcano. 6 Insanely querulous
7 Mentally disturbed
7 Infested. The domain immediately becomes infested with vermin. 8 Paranoid and skittish
The vermin might be rats, snakes, or insects, but their constant scur- 9 Unforgiving and fanatical
rying disrupts sleep and gives the domain a reputation as an unclean 10 Utterly self-destructive
and forsaken place. The cause of this infestation will resist mundane Goal
treatment; something otherworldly or decidedly sinister, such as a 1 Achieve personal glory
mad monk bent on revenge or a mummy lord using the vermin to 2 Amass wealth
spread contagion, will be the root cause. 3 Conquer territory
4 Crusade in the name of religion
8 Meager. The domain’s owners discover that their territory has very 5 Drive an ethnic group from the land
few resources to draw upon. Perhaps the land around the domain 6 Expand their empire
isn’t growing enough food to support the tenants—has a vengeful 7 Kill to please a dark god
witch placed a hex upon the farmers that only the domain’s owners 8 Sow the seeds of rebellion
can lift? 9 Uncover a powerful magical item
10 Wanton destruction
9 Mutinous. The vassals, servants, and retainers attached to the do-
main are planning an uprising against their masters. Perhaps they’ve Quirk
fallen under the sway of a vile hypnotist who uses them as pawns to 1 Addicted to drink or drugs
gain control of the domain, or they belong to a witch-cult that has 2 Easily swayed by beauty
dark plans for the domain. 3 Extremely superstitious
4 Fascinated by the latest science
10 Unnatural Rot. All of the buildings erected in the domain sudden- 5 Gripped by delusion
ly begin to turn to ruin at an alarming pace. A druid, hateful of the 6 Has an even worse twin
civilized development the domain’s owners have brought, will need 7 Is an artificial construct
to be dealt with. 8 Mentally controlled by their vizier
9 Secretly a demon cultist
10 Secretly a doppelganger

XXXIV XXXV
 by Joseph Manola - Art : Matt houston

A
while back, the PCs in my current campaign staged
a coup and took over their home city. In previous
games, when my PCs stumbled into positions of
power they usually just appointed some viceroys and
wandered off: but this group have decided to actually stay and
rule, with the result that whole sessions are sometimes now
spent checking on their various civic projects. (One recent
example saw them plotting how best to scam an ancient
subway AI into lending them a digging robot through the use
of rigged customer satisfaction surveys.) They’ve built bridges.
They’ve set up trade routes. They’ve negotiated diplomatic
marriages. They’ve organised the planting of date palms and
the digging of irrigation canals. I keep worrying that they’ll
get bored by all this SimCity stuff, but they insist they’re really
enjoying it. Mysterious wildernesses on the edge of the map
remain resolutely unexplored in favour of yet more civil
engineering. These experiences have led me to develop a set of
rough-and-ready principles for running games which devote a
lot of time to domain management.

1 - Keep the focus on problem-solving

I think that one reason people often shy away from domain man-
agement is because they worry it will make their games dissolve
into a morass of tedious accountancy and logistics. In reality, of
course, such logistics are absolutely crucial to running a successful
polity. But they’re also crucial to running a successful military unit
or long-distance wilderness expedition, and we never let that stop
us when running normal D&D!
If you were running a wilderness trek, you probably wouldn’t keep
the focus on the exact logistics of pack animals, trail rations, and
so on. Instead, you’d focus on the moments of crisis: how are the

Meet the new BOSS

party going to get themselves and their supplies over this raging
river? How will they sneak them through this hostile territory?
Running a domain is just the same. Of course, you need a general

7 thoughts on domain-level play
sense of what kind of resources the community does and does not
possess, to keep decision-making grounded in some kind of shared
imagined reality. But for the most part I’ve found it helpful to as-
sume that the day-to-day stuff just proceeds at its own pace in the
background until it hits a specific problem, at which point the PCs
have the option of stepping in. They’re not project managers—or
maybe they are, but that’s a role they play off-screen. When they’re
on-screen, it’s because they’re acting as troubleshooters.

2 - Keep the problems OSR-style

The general principles of OSR encounter design—an encounter that
can be solved by simply crossing some resources off your character
sheet is a bad encounter’ - apply here, too. The problems the PCs

36 37
encounter should never be the kind that can
be solved by just throwing more resources at
them. Instead, they need to be qualitative prob-
lems, the kind of things that act as potential
bottlenecks for the whole project. ‘You thought
you’d need X amount of lumber, but then a fire
destroys some of it, so now you need Y amount
of lumber instead’ may be a serious problem,
but it’s not an interesting problem. You can as-
sume all these sorts of things are already ‘priced
in’, and are being dealt with by the local man-
agement: the mine foreman, for example,
knows perfectly well how to deal with normal
problems and setbacks involved in running a
mine. It’s only when his crews accidentally mine
their way into a haunted subterranean city, or
when a tribe of goblins cut off the roads that
the ore is carried down, or when flooding halts
production just before a time-critical deadline,
that he’ll come running back to the PCs to beg
for help, because he knows that they’re the kind
of people who can be relied upon to come up
with creative solutions to otherwise-intractable
difficulties.
(Important addendum: this doesn’t imply that
every time the PCs attempt something, no mat-
ter how routine, you should throw some kind of
intractable difficulty in their way. If it’s the sort
of thing they have the resources to straight-
forwardly accomplish, then just let them have it.
But if it’s something more ambitious, then they
should have to overcome obstacles to achieve
it - and the more those obstacles are qualitative
rather than quantitative, the more rewarding
the resulting play is likely to be.)
3 - Make sure the PCs have access
to lots of highly specific assets
So the PCs set a project in motion and it works
fine until it hits a problem that threatens to
derail it, at which point they have the option
of stepping in to sort it out. Again, the nor-
mal principles of OSR-style problem-solving
apply: an encounter that has only one correct
solution is a bad encounter. Problems should be
amenable to PC agency in lots of different ways,
enabling plenty of out-of-the-box thinking.
I’ve written before about the importance of giv-
ing PCs heaps of stuff to try solving problems
with, and the same principles apply here, just
on a larger scale. In the same way as dungeon
encounters are much more fun if PCs are trying
to work out how to deal with them with the
aid of a fishing rod, a wedding dress, and a box
of fireworks, solving domain-level problems
will be much more interesting if the PCs have
38
non-standard tools to work with. ‘A unit of sol-
diers’ is fine, but boring: if the problem could be
straightforwardly solved by just sending in the
troops, the middle management would already
have sorted it out by now. But if the PCs have to
solve problems with the aid of a malfunction-
ing robot eagle and a sleepy cannibal giant
instead, they’ll get much more creative, and will
feel much better about themselves when they
come up with some loopy solution that actually
works.
You don’t need to tailor specific assets to spe-
cific problems. In fact, you should actively avoid
doing this. Just make sure that the PCs have a
bunch of random stuff to work with, all with
potentially powerful applications and possibly
crippling limitations, and leave them to work so-
mething out. Some of these resources can pass
into their hands when they take over their do-
main, and some can be acquired on adventures,
or be given to them in tribute. However, much
of it will probably already be there, waiting to
be used, because...
4 - What were once threats
are now resources
The PCs are now the masters of their domain.
The dungeons that they once fought their way
through fearfully, one room at a time, have now
been mapped and cleared out. And that means
their resources are now available for the taking.
If your PCs are anything like mine, then by the
time they acquire a domain of their own they’ll
already have done plenty of more traditional
wilderness exploration and dungeon-crawling,
encountering all sorts of weird and dangerous
nonsense in ancient ruins and accursed tombs.
But while, from the perspective of an adven-
turer, an enchanted lake of acid is a dungeon-
eering hazard, from the perspective of a ruler
it’s a resource. Just think of what you could
accomplish with all that acid!
If you’re like me, you’ll probably feel an instinc-
tive resistance to the idea of PCs taking things
that were once expressions of the Mythic
Underworld and turning them into military-in-
dustrial assets. Resist that instinct. The PCs
earned their access to these things, access
that they paid for in time and hit points and
dead characters; it’s only fair to let them enjoy
the fruits of their exploits. Let them turn the
Heat Metal room into a power plant. (‘Hey, free
energy!’) Let them weaponise the monsters
and traps and curses they’ve long since learned
to evade. (‘What if we kite the zombies all the
way to the frontier?’) Let them redirect that
river of screaming ghosts out of the dungeon
and into the moat around their castle. (‘This’ll
keep the barbarians out!’) In this way, all the
weirdness they’ve encountered in their adven-
turing career so far becomes the kind of highly
specific resources that allow them to come up
with creative solutions to their civic problems,
solutions that would never have occurred to
anyone other than a D&D PC.
5 - Simplify factions
When my PCs took over their city, the first thing
they did was organise a grand council of all
the other local power players to help them run
the place. I tried to run a full meeting of this
council, with all the dozens of NPCs involved in
it, exactly once. Never again.
When PCs are on the outside of a power struc-
ture, it makes sense to play out each of their
interactions with it individually. But once they
are the power structure, and everyone else has
to come to them, trying to play it all out would
be madness. Logically, they’ll need to talk to
every single local stakeholder about each new
development, but for sanity’s sake it’s much eas-
ier to simplify all these groups into a few main
coalitions and reduce what would actually be
a long series of interactions into a handful of
conversations with their spokesmen. All those
weird and idiosyncratic bandit chiefs they
had to negotiate with back when they were
ruin-crawlers can now merge into the Bandit
Coalition, with one representative who speaks
on behalf of all of them. Otherwise you’ll never
get anything done.
PROTIP: The representative for each coalition
should be whomever the PCs have the most
history with, even if they’re not actually the coa-
lition’s most senior member. This both makes
in-world sense—the person appointed to talk to
them will be the person who knows them best
—and makes interactions more meaningful, be-
cause of all the shared history they have behind
them. I have loved seeing relationships that
began with cutthroat encounters in the ruins
end up taking on institutional significance.
‘Hey, remember when you tried to kill us with
hellfire? Good times. How’s the literacy project
coming along?’.
6 - Don’t overestimate
the powers of the state
Compared to modern states, most pre-modern
polities are ramshackle as fuck. Remind your
players early and often that just because they
have ‘a government’ doesn’t mean they have
39
anything resembling a modern bureaucracy
with a police force and a civil service and so
on. They probably have a stronghold, an army,
a treasury, a bunch of advisers, spies, and infor-
mers, a network of local ‘big men’ who can be
expected to semi-reliably enforce their edicts
as long as they are kept in line with threats
and bribes, and not a whole lot else. Their writ
may run along the roads and the rivers and the
major agrarian areas—but in between, in the
woods and the swamps and the deserts and
the mountains, there are going to be all kinds
of places where state power barely functions
and where adventures can consequently con-
tinue to flourish. There are still lots of situa-
tions in which having an army isn’t actually all
that useful, and where it might consequently
still make sense to get the old adventuring
team back together for another journey into
the unknown.
7 - Let the PCs enjoy
the fruits of their success
If your players have gone to the trouble of
building a real power base, it’s probably
because they’re interested in actually having
and using power. So let them. It’s totally OK
if the rise of the PCs to power means that a
lot of things which were previously threats
for them can now be dealt with trivially. The
level of power they wield in the world has
just increased by an order of magnitude: 3d6
goblins in a cave just isn’t going to cut it any
more.
D&D PCs tend to be powerful, highly compe-
tent, individualistic, and more than a little
crazy, so if a bunch of them have just seized
hold of a domain then that domain is probably
going to be in for some interesting times. Let
your PCs make changes. Let them make big
changes. This doesn’t mean that everything
they attempt should succeed, but everything
they attempt should have consequences. If
their domain has been changed beyond recog-
nition within a few years of them taking over,
then that’s a good thing.
You know all those crazy lords and wizards in
the backstories to D&D scenarios, the ones
who are always building weird strongholds and
meddling with arcane forces and making pacts
with inhuman beings and bringing about lost
golden ages and magical cataclysms and so
on? Well, now your PCs have the chance to be
those people. Let them make the most of it.
After all, just think of the dungeons they’ll
leave behind them!
 40 41
by Warren Denning by Jospeh Manola

Get Wizards Going Quick

Beginning WHEN ALL YOU

Spellbooks HAVE IS A
Right after picking equipment, spell selection is the second thing that slows
character creation down. So I looked through the first level spells and created themed
spellbooks (see the tomes of magic on page 128 of KNOCK!#2 for another take
HAMMER Item-based problem-solving
on these). I avoided repeating any of the spells so each book is unique. The addition
of the 2nd level spell in each grimoire is to incentivize getting there.

Level 1 Level 1
Sleep
-2-
Floating disk When players in a the role of items and equip-
-1- Practical Dungeons & Dragons ment in old school games is
Charm person Hold portal
Incantations Application game are confronted one I see much more rarely
Darkness Ventriloquism
of Slumber Level 2 of Ethereal Level 2 with a problem or an discussed.
Energies
- Continual Phantasmal obstacle, the first thing The single most iconic
darkness - force
they do is look over item in fantasy fiction is
their character sheets to the sword: but the sword,
see if they have anything while deadly and beau-
that will help them to tiful and symbolically
overcome it. The first place powerful, is in many ways
Level 1 -2- Level 1 they’ll usually look is at their a very boring object. It’s
-3 - MagicMissile Spells for Detect Magic spells and abilities, and a specialised weapon of
Readings Protection Navigation of Light war, designed for a single
from evil
plenty of OSR writing has
on Astral Places Read languages purpose: you can’t dig
Shield Level 2 been devoted to discus-
Combat Most Alien sing the kind of abilities holes with it, or cut down
Level 2 Knock
- Detect invisible - likely to lead to inventive trees with it, or even
and entertaining problem efficiently break objects
solving rather than brute with it. All you can really
force solutions: a magic-user do with a sword is either
with the spells fireball, acid stab someone, or threaten
arrow, and magic missile is to stab them – and doing
Interestingly, while Readings on Astral Combat contains the most combat-oriented inevitably going to approach either of those tilts situa-
magic and could therefore be considered the most powerful, the other three books situations very differently to tions rapidly in the direc-
solve problems that might stimy 1st level parties or lead to the greatest rewards from one with fly, invisibility, and tion of violence. When
an early dungeon (we know that good dungeons have at least one very difficult ventriloquism. But the sec- all you have is a sword,
treasure to find or acquire). ond place they tend to look every scene looks like
is their equipment list – and a fight scene.
 42
Hammers, picks, and axes are a bit
better, because they allow you to interact
with your environment as well as being
useful for killing your enemies. Bows are
better still, because arrows can be used
as delivery systems for all kinds of other
things such as fire, ropes, messages, or
holy water. (The Thief video games took
this concept to hilarious extremes.) But
the best kind of objects are the ones which
have a whole range of uses. Consider,
for example, a large bottle of spirits: you
could share it with people to make friends.
You could give it to someone as a bribe.
You could use it to get someone drunk so
they didn’t notice your nefarious schemes.
You could use it to clean a wound. You
could use it as a battlefield anaesthetic.
You could use it to start a fire. You could
use it to wash sticky contact poison off an
object. If you’ve swallowed something you
really shouldn’t have, you can drink it all in
one go to make yourself vomit. And, yes,
if it comes right down to it, you can smash
the bottom off the bottle and stab people
with it.
If players have stuff like this on
their character sheets, they’re
much more likely to approach
situations in inventive ways. If your
equipment list reads: longsword +2, war-
hammer +1, bow with 12 explosive arrows,
then your character is likely to act as if you
were playing an MMO: all you have are
tools for killing things so the only mea-
ningful question is exactly which tool will
help you to kill this particular thing fastest.
But if it reads: fishing rod, porcelain mask,
bag of marbles, vial of phosphorous,
you’re much more likely to start acting as
if you were in an old Monkey Island adven-
ture game instead, and start dreaming up
all kinds of crazy “use fish with blanket on
ogre” style solutions.
If that’s something you’re keen to en-
courage as a referee, there’s a certain level
of difficulty involved in getting those sorts
of objects onto their character sheets in
the first place. Old-school adventurers are
more likely than their new-school equiva-
lents to arrive at a dungeon entrance
carrying crowbars, hatchets, flasks of
oil, skins of wine, ten-foot poles, ham-
mers, mirrors, and whatnot. But very few
characters are going to weigh themselves
down with eight or nine pieces of random
junk just in case they turn out to be useful
later. Fortunately, most D&D players are
total magpies when it comes to anything
magical or valuable – and if you’re running
a game in which gold = experience, your
PCs are basically guaranteed to hoover up
every valuable object they stumble across.
The trick is to make them valuable enough
that the players won’t ignore them, but
not so valuable that they won’t want to risk
losing or breaking them as part of their
latest crazy scheme. About 10gp per level
should do the trick.
So here’s a list of a hundred valuable
objects suitable for placement in dun-
geons or treasure hauls, which also double
as problem solving fodder. Characters
will pick them up with the intention of
selling them later, and ultimately they
probably will: but between acquisition
and sale they’ll have them written on their
character sheets ready to catch their eyes
when they look down at their equipment
list for something that might help them
to overcome their latest obstacle, and
prompt them to start thinking: “Hang on.
If I use the glue with the hat on the goblin,
then this just might work...”
43
D100 Items for Problem-Solving
1. Spool of very fine wire copper wire. Useful for setting trip-wires, rigging up pulleys, and conduct-
ing electricity. Worth 10gp to a jeweller or mechanic. 2. Bag of small, extremely bouncy rubber balls.
Worth 10gp to an entertainer or parent. 3. Antique but functional fishing rod, complete with box of
tackle and line. Worth 10gp to an antiquarian (or someone who really needs a fishing rod).
4. A vial of white powder which acts as a powerful emetic if swallowed. As well as its obvious medici-
nal uses, it could be used to incapacitate someone with violent vomiting, or to force some horrible
monster to throw up the person it just swallowed whole. Worth 10gp to a doctor. 5. A large box of
shiny silver pins. Can be used to pin things together, or scattered over the floor as improvised cal-
trops. Worth 10gp to a tailor. 6. Several jars of thick, high-quality face paint. Useful for disguise, cam-
ouflage, pretending to be an orc, etc. Worth 10gp to an actor. 7. Large, highly polished metal mirror.
Handy for reflecting light and lasers, setting up tricks with smoke and mirrors, etc. Worth 10gp to al-
most anyone. 8. Box of perfumed candles with different scents and sizes. Can be lit to create va-
rious combinations of light and scent; can also just be squashed down into wax if you need to take
an impression of something. Worth 10gp in any large settlement. 9. Broad-brimmed fisherman’s hat.
Waterproof and wide enough to conceal most of the wearer’s face. Could be used as an improvised
boat for carrying small objects across water. Worth 10gp to anyone who spends a lot of time in the
rain. 10. Finely-made snorkel. Worth 10gp to a swimming enthusiast or treasure hunter. 11. Several
bars of high-quality scented soap. Extremely slippery when wet. Worth 10gp to any member of the
middle or upper classes. 12. Large, ornate drum. Generates incredible amounts of noise when
beaten. Worth 10gp to a musician. 13. Bag of strong chilli powder. Stir it into food for a murderously
hot meal, or blow it into people’s eyes and noses as an irritant. Worth 10gp to a chef. 14. Vial of
strong acid. Handy for etching, ruining locks, pouring on people you hate, etc. Worth 10gp to an al-
chemist. 15. Several tubes of white powder which causes itching and intense irritation on contact
with skin. Pour one into someone’s clothes and they’ll be itching for days. Worth 10gp to a cleric
of a trickster god or other practical joker. 16. A very long pair of pincers, ornately moulded
so their nippers resemble the jaws of a dragon. Useful for pulling nails out of things and for picking
up objects you’d rather not touch. Worth 10gp to a smith. 17. Academic gown, hood, and bands.
Handy if you want to look clever or infiltrate a university. Worth 10gp to an academic tailor.
18. A box of high-quality costume jewellery. Obviously fake on close inspection, but from a distance
it’ll look as though you’re wearing a king’s ransom. Handy if you’re baiting a trap or if you want to
pretend to be richer than you are. Worth 10gp to actors and clever highwaymen. 19 . An engrossing
and well-written mystery novel: it’s not very deep or clever, but pick it up and you’ll soon be wonde-
ring where the last six hours went. Handy if you need someone to be distracted without realising it.
Worth 10gp to book collectors and people with boring jobs. 20. Wind-up clockwork toy. Can be used
to carry small objects, depress pressure plates, set off traps, etc. Worth 10gp to a mechanic or
wealthy parent. 21. Bag of glitter. If poured out, gets everywhere and is irritatingly difficult to get
rid of. Anything that has been glitter-bombed will be highly visible by torchlight in the dark, making
it a potential anti-stealth or anti-invisibility countermeasure. Worth 10gp to entertainers. 22. Box of
bladders which can be inflated like balloons and used as floats. Add a candle to turn them into crude
hot air balloons. Worth 10gp to a jester. 23. Box of coloured inks. Handy for making marks and stai-
ning things. Worth 10gp to a scribe. 24. A blood-curdling sermon about all the awful things the gods
are going to do the world and how richly we deserve them. Handy for putting the fear of God into
people. Worth 10gp to zealots and misanthropes. 25. A long, strong, extremely stretchy elastic cord.
Useful for bungee jumping and launching things out of improvised catapults. Worth 10gp to en-
gineers or daredevils. 26. Sturdy and well-made spiked mountaineering shoes. Excellent for walking
over icy and/or uneven surfaces. Worth 10gp to mountaineers. 27. Weighted medicine ball. Aside
from its uses in weight training, can be rolled like a bowling ball to knock things down. Worth 10gp
to fitness enthusiasts. 28. A box of soft moulding clay: just add water and reshape as desired. Worth
10gp to a sculptor. 29. A bag of flash powder. Emits a blinding flash of light when lit. Worth 10gp to
entertainers. 30. A large, well-crafted, heavy-duty drill. Given time, it can be used to drill holes
through stone. Worth 10gp to a mason or a miner. 31. A thick, heavy blanket covered in beautiful
embroidery. Can be used to bundle people up in, muffle objects to prevent them making a sound,
pack fragile items, etc.; you can also just wrap it around you as protection against the cold. Worth
10gp to anyone who cares about staying warm in style. 32. Large bronze fire-fighting syringe, ca-
pable of sucking up a couple of litres of liquid and then projecting it in a high arc over a distance of
several yards. Worth 10gp to anyone who lives in a fire-prone city (which is most of them).
33. A bottle of potent weedkiller. Handy for clearing overgrowth, and extremely toxic to plant crea-
 44
tures (and, if swallowed, to non-plant creatures as well). Worth 10gp to a farmer or gardener.
34. A large jar of talcum powder. As well as its obvious uses to absorb moisture and reduce friction,
it can be used in larger quantities to soak up dangerous liquids or scattered around to mark invisible
creatures. Worth 10gp to makers of cosmetics. 35. A pair of finely-made ice skates. Worth 10gp to
anyone who lives in a cold climate. 36. A stack of cheaply-printed pamphlets full of wild conspiracy
theories, each supported by just enough evidence to sound plausible if you don’t think about them
too hard. Worth 10gp to an agitator. 37. A hand-cranked propeller. Can be used as a fan to direct or
disperse gases, or to propel something through water. Worth 10gp to an engineer. 38. A joke book,
full of hilarious (if rather mean-spirited) jokes. Give it to someone and they’ll be laughing for hours.
Worth 10gp to jesters and entertainers. 39. A long wooden box and two silvered glass mirrors, fitted
together to form a crude periscope. If you pulled out the mirrors they’d be worth 10gp each.
40. A box of high-quality fireworks. When lit, they hurtle straight forward and explode, creating
stupendous amounts of noise, sparks, and coloured smoke. Worth 20gp to entertainers.
41. A tiny steam engine. Add fuel and water and it spins around uselessly, but tie it onto something
and you could use it to power mechanisms, drive a tiny car, or similar. Worth 20gp to an engineer.
42.A large net with an amazingly fine mesh, attached to a rope for throwing and hauling, and ringed
with wickedly-sharp rip hooks. Worth 20 gp to a fisherman. 43. A foot-high black silk top
hat. Useful if you need to make yourself look taller or classier. Worth 20gp to a gentleman.
44. A well-stocked box of herbs and spices. Can add some flavour to the blandest meal – or disguise
the taste of whatever you’ve just added to someone’s food. Worth 20gp to a chef. 45. Unnervingly
lifelike doll. Likely to be mistaken for a real child at first glance. Worth 20gp to collectors.
46. Waist-length wig made from human hair. Useful for quick disguises and smuggling – you can
hide a lot of objects under that much hair. In a pinch it could be used as a substitute rope,
Rapunzel-style. Worth 20gp to people who wish they had more hair than they do. 47. Stack of stam-
ped certificates for academic qualifications, all filled out with the same almost illegible name. Han-
dy for people who want to pretend they have knowledge or status they don’t really possess. Worth
20gp to spies, charlatans, or college drop-outs. 48. Wind-up clockwork music box. When cranked,
plays the same tune over and over again until it winds down. Worth 20gp. 49. A deck of subtly-mar-
ked cards and a pair of loaded dice. Worth 20gp to a gambler. 50. A sheet of strong, stretchy tarpau-
lin. Can be used as a tent, or as a waterproof covering; can also be stretched between two people
and used as an improvised trampoline. Worth 20gp to a sailor or traveller. 51. Box of brightly-co-
loured oil paints. Worth 20gp to an artist. 52. A box containing hundreds of tiny silver bells. Can be
tied to strings, tripwires, etc. as an alarm system. Worth 20gp to dancers or musicians. 53. Vial of
glowing liquid. Briefly emits light equivalent to a candle when shaken vigorously, but otherwise just
emits a dull green glow. Can be painted over things to make them glow with an unearthly greenish
light. Worth 20gp to alchemists. 54. Vial of strong, fast-drying glue. Capable of bonding stone,
glass, wood, or metal. Worth 20gp to a craftsman or alchemist. 55. Bottle of stimulants. A spoonful
will keep you awake: drinking the whole bottle will keep you jerking and jittering around wildly for
the next 48 hours. Worth 20gp to watchmen or university students. 56. Large bag of marbles made
from semi-precious stones. Handy if you want to make something oll or trip someone over.
Worth 20gp to rich people with small kids. 57. Expensive and strong-smelling perfumes. Handy
for leaving scent trails, or masking your own smell. Worth 20gp to anyone vain or high-status.
58. A powerful magnet on the end of a stick. Worth 20gp to alchemists or engineers. 59. A box of
tooth-achingly sugary confectionery. Worth 20gp to anyone with a sufficiently sweet tooth.
60. Fashionable chopines (platform shoes) with eight-inch wooden platforms. Handy if the floor is
six inches deep in something you really don’t want to walk in. Worth 20gp to dedicated followers of
fashion. 61. A crude gas mask, made from a filter attached to a leather hood. Allows moderately
safe movement through smoke, gas, etc. Worth 20gp to alchemists. 62. A box of strong, tightly
coiled metal springs. Worth 20gp to engineers. 63. A bag of grey powder which turns into fast-
drying cement when mixed with water. There’s enough here to make a couple of cubic feet. Worth
20gp to builders in a hurry. 64. A primitive hang glider made from cloth and bamboo. Capable of
carrying one human-sized passenger, provided they’re not taking anything too heavy with them.
Worth 30gp to adrenaline junkies. 65. A fiery political tract, full of stirring revolutionary rhetoric ca-
taloguing the crimes of the ruling classes and calling upon the people to rise up. Handy if you want
to rile up a mob in a hurry. Worth 30gp to an agitator. 66.Several large marionettes on strings. If skil-
fully operated, they could almost pass for real children when seen from a distance. Worth 30gp to
entertainers. 67.A bottle of alchemical lubricant. Makes things extremely slippery. Suitable for in-
ternal, external, and industrial use. Worth 30gp to engineers or sexually adventurous individuals.
68. Bag of smoke bombs. If thrown against a hard surface, they explode into huge clouds of
45
choking smoke on impact. Worth 30gp to thieves, entertainers, and wannabe ninja. 69. Suit of
high-quality fur clothes, lined with fleece. Capable of keeping the wearer warm even in extremely
cold conditions. Worth 30gp to anyone who lives or works in cold environments. 70. Ceramic mask
painted with enamel to resemble a ferocious demonic face. Disturbingly realistic, especially if only
glimpsed briefly. Worth 30gp to an actor, collector, or cultist. 71. Bottle of strong, high-quality vod-
ka. Can be used for cleaning, starting fires, or making people very drunk. Worth 30gp to a connois-
seur or well-to-do alcoholic. 72. Military medals from a recent campaign. Handy for making good
impressions and convincing people of your valour and prowess. Worth 30gp to a mercenary (they’re
good for business!) or collector. 73. A sturdy magnifying glass. Handy for examining things close-up
and concentrating light. Worth 30gp to a sage or a craftsman. 74. Ten yards of strong chains
connected together with three high-quality padlocks, their keys still inside them. Useful for
connecting or restraining things. Worth 30gp to a smith, jailer, bondage enthusiast, or cultist.
75. Chess set with beautifully carved pieces. You’d be surprised how many dungeon occupants fan-
cy themselves as chess masters. Worth 30gp to chess enthusiasts. 76. Sturdy pair of spectacles set
with tinted glass, allowing even very bright lights to be looked at safely. Worth 30gp to drow or
anyone with sensitive eyes. 77. A book of moving and helpfully non-specific love poetry. Memorise
some of it for the next time you need to persuade someone just how much you adore them! Worth
30gp to lovers or book collectors. 78. Huge Gone With the Wind-style hooped ballgown. Has skirts
wide enough to hide virtually anything under, up to and including another person. Worth 30gp to a
belle. 79. A vial of sluggish fluid which acts as a powerful painkiller when swallowed. Can be used as
an anaesthetic or as a crude but effective knock-out drug. Worth 30gp to a doctor. 80. Engraved sil-
ver trumpet. Creates a loud, clear, piercing note when blown, audible from a great distance. Worth
40gp to heralds or musicians. 81. An ornately engraved pipe and a pouch of fine tobacco, which has
a very distinctive smell when smoked. Worth 40gp to a smoker. 82. A meticulously-catalogued col-
lection of tiny feathers taken from many different species of bird. You could blow them in
someone’s face to cause sneezing or tickling, or just to impede visibility. Worth 40gp to a collector.
83.A bottle of alchemical sleeping pills. Taking one will make you drowsy; taking a whole handful
will knock you out for hours. Worth 40gp to doctors or insomniacs. 84. A signet ring, bearing the
crest of a well-known noble family from a couple of provinces away. Useful for forging documents.
Worth 40gp to a forger. 85. A primitive diving apparatus: a leather suit, fish-bowl helmet, leather air
hose and pump. Incredibly cumbersome to use. Worth 40gp to a diver. 86. A box of thin magnesium
strips. Individual strips can be used as flares or the whole box can be burned as an incendiary. Worth
40gp to an alchemist. 87. A leather bullwhip, marked with a monogram which implies it once be-
longed to a famous archaeologist. Not great as a weapon, but in the hands of an agile wielder it can
be used to grab objects, swing from branches, pull levers, etc. Worth 50gp to a collector.
88. A jewelled ring, with a hidden panel concealed beneath the jewel on which is painted the per-
sonal coat of arms of the reigning monarch. Handy if you want to pretend to be some kind of secret
agent. Worth 50gp to a jeweller. 89. A box of valuable incense. Emits quantities of thick, richly-fra-
grant smoke when burned. Worth 50gp to a priest. 90. A small hand-cranked electrical generator.
Capable of giving people minor (no damage) electric shocks if cranked vigorously. Requires a
conductor such as wire or water to convey the electricity over a distance. Worth 50gp to a wizard or
engineer. 91. A sturdy spyglass. Makes far-off things look closer. Worth 50gp to a sailor or scout.
92. A beautiful white wedding dress. Handy for faking tragic apparitions. Worth 50gp to a bride.
93. Finely embroidered clerical vestments. Useful for pretending to be a high-ranking person of the
cloth. Worth 50gp to a cleric. 94. A waxwork model of a half-dismembered corpse. Looks horribly
realistic when seen from a distance. Good for scaring people off. Worth 50gp to medical students
or people with extremely morbid taste in art. 95. An umbrella made from alchemically treated
leather which is not only waterproof but also highly resistant against fire, acid, etc. Worth 50gp to
an alchemist or adventurer. 96. Several bottles of strong, fast-drying dye in a variety of bright
colours. Can be used to stain objects, clothes, and even skin in different hues. Worth 50gp to a
dyer. 97. A protective suit made from alchemically treated leather. It won’t stop a fireball, but it is
highly resistant to heat, acid, or fire. It’s very stiff, though, so moving around in it is rather clumsy.
Worth 50gp to an alchemist or adventurer. 98. A lovely porcelain tea set. Brings a touch of class to
any social occasion. Worth 50gp to an aristocrat or social climber. 99. A flask of alchemical coolant.
Drop it into a bowl of liquid to freeze it into ice or put it into a crate to create a crude refrigerator.
Worth 50gp to a chef, noble, or alchemist. 100.Fop’s clothes: powdered wig, extravagant cravat,
scented gloves, ultra-tight trousers, the works. Great if you want people to simultaneously regard
you as highly important and yet not worth taking seriously, which can be a very useful combination.
Worth 100gp to an actual fop.
 46 47
by Eric Nieudan

The card drawn If it is a face card,

gives you a type of there is a
Terrain Steading
[ plains or plateau Jack: village, hamlet, or camp

RANDOM WILDERNESS
] woods or swamp Queen: abbey, temple, or shrine
{ hills or dunes King: tower, keep, or fortress

IN A DECK OF CARDS
} mountains or canyons Ace: town, city, or trade post
Joker: dungeon, or portal

This is a simple system to create and populate a wilderness Roll a d20 and compare its result to the card’s value (Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King =
13, Ace = 14, Joker = 15). If the roll is less than the card’s value, there is a civilised
using a deck of poker cards and a d20. I’ve found it useful inhabitant or encounter – look up the result on the left colum and decide or
to prep, but with a little practice I can generate terrain and draw another card for the subtype. If the roll is greater than the card’s value,
encounters at the table, arranging the cards as a kind of map. the encounter or inhabitant is from the wilds – use the roll on the column to
the right. And if your roll is equal to the card’s value, there is an event (middle
Of course, you should adapt these generic-ish encounters to fit column).
your setting.
Event
d20 Civilised Encounter / d20 roll < card value d20 roll = card value Wild Encounter / d20 roll > card value
1 Farmers [ travelling ] foraging { poaching } fleeing
2 Fishermen [ processing catch ] mending nets { famished } building a dam Flood
3 Merchants [ caravan ] lost { being robbed } loaded with gold Ambush or trap Dragon [ greedy gold ] devious black { blue tyrant } red raider
4 Acolytes [ preaching ] looking for help { begging } on a pilgrimage Faery market Fairies [treants ]cannibal dryads {helpful sprites }snowflake pixies
5 Men-at-arms [ mercenaries ] soldiers at war { militia } recruiting Freak weather Giants [industrious stone ]wise cloud {hungry hill }curious frost
6 Halflings [ assassins ] traders { confidence artists } family Blocked roads Ophidian [ couatl ] nagas { basilisk } hydra
7 Magic-users [ master & co. ] illusionists { necromancer } witch Fire Animals [shield goats ]wolves {pterodactyls }mountain lions
8 Adventurers [ bruised and beaten ] chaotic { lawful } richly equipped Wild magic Quadruped [ bulette ] catoblepas { owlbear } gorgon
9 Berserkers [ in battle ] on vision quest { raiding } hiding from foe Battle Nomads [ amazons ] barbarians { sky raiders } ape-men
10 Dwarves [ merchants ] patrol { messengers } miners Restless spirits Spiders [ hive ] parasites with hosts { giant } phase
11 Pirates [ river raiders ] on the run { plane-hopping } sky galleon Country fair Trolls [ battle slave ] bog eater { thoul } cave dweller
12 Thieves [ street thugs ] running from the law { spies } burglars Divine or demonic Bandits [ pirates ] folk heroes { highwaymen } mercenaries
13 Elves [ ambassadors ] war party { skyriders } students of magic Siege Humanoids [ gnolls ] troglodytes { bugbears } kobolds
14 Nobles [ visiting ] prisoners { at a wedding } travelling Plague Greyskins [ orcs ] goblins { ogres } hobgoblins
15 Planar anomaly Undead [ wights ] vampires { zombies } ghouls
16 Vermin [cranium rats ]killer squirrels {giant ants } centipedes
17 Lycanthropes [werefoxes ]wereboars {werewolves }weretigers
18 Abomination [chimera ]beholder {displacer beast }medusa
19 Elemental [invisible stalker ]salamanders {marid }stone golem
20 Gnomes [ man-eating ] feykind { miners } underworlders
48
by Eric Nieudan by Warren Denning

slayer
Currently playing: Mayfly 1st level magic user
STR 07 (-1) INT 15 (+1) WIS 08 (-1)
DEX 16 (+2) CON 16 (+2) CHA 08 (-1).
Spells: light, protection from evil, read magic.
A pretty great spread of stats for a magic-user.
So far, Mayfly has survived three sessions in an undead
and devil-infested megadungeon. But the question I am

weapons
faced with is a perennial one that I am sure you might have
faced or are facing with beginning magic-users:

WHAT TO DO
NOW THAT
Born of racial To earn each +,
YOUR 1ST LEVEL
hatred and you must MAGIC-USER
tempered kill one HAS CAST THEIR
in innocent
leader ONE SPELL?
blo od,
slayer weapons
(religious or
military) or
WHILE NOT INSANELY NOVEL,
BELOW ARE SIX SUGGESTIONS
THAT CAN PUT YOU ON
THE RIGHT TRACK:
are the witnesses destroy a settle- 1 | USE HIRELINGS: Far from being a
of history’s ment, or perform
a similar act
dump stat, Charisma represents a solid force
multiplier in D&D. Even if your mag-
darkest of war.
ic-user’s Charisma incurs a -1 bonus, still
consider hirelings. Two or three hirelings
times. And they Some swords may accept
armed with spears (three people are
allowed in a 10' space) can create a
don’t bestow their formidable second rank behind clerics,
powers to just anyone
the ceremonial
sacrifice of a score dwarves, and fighters. Another variation
Your weapon’s would be to arm them with short bows. If
mods start as: of prisoners. the referee is a stickler for space, then try

+0 , +0 vs The regular, generic

+1 is the last
to be earned.
crossbows firing alternately to keep up the
pressure. And if your Charisma is low, well, speak
with a silver tongue, and by that I mean: pay cash
monster type.. upfront for loyalty.

give it a name 2 | DAGGERS ARE A RANGED

If you do all these within a moon, you get another +1
for the next year. At the end of it, you must earn
the plusses again.
WEAPON: While 1d4 damage might not
seem exciting, there is still a 50% chance you
will roll a 3 or 4 which is enough to down a 49
1 hit die opponent with an average hit points
(~4), or shave off enough to ensure follow-up
hits kill them. It's also worth noting that
ranged weapons get a +1 to-hit at short range.
So Mayfly (DEX 16) there gets

a +3 to-hit with throwing
daggers and I've made sure to
equip him with five of them, enough to
last most combats.
3 | OIL FLASKS ARE RANGED
WEAPONS: This requires a 1-2
combination, but opponents or a square
can be covered in oil. Then when flame
is applied, it's 1d8 damage for 2 rounds.
So a total potential 2d8 damage, which
is pretty hefty. Also, it is worth
noting that torches can be used as
weapons (1d4 damage).
4 | SCROLLS ARE PAPER SPELL
SLOTS: Yes, this might be a litt-
le obvious, but I think it is un-
der-discussed how scrolls can
help enhance party success. The
crafting cost may seem expensive at
100 gp per spell level, but if an extra
hold portal prevents the lizardfolk
patrol from getting through a door after
you've absconded with the 500gp ruby
eyes of the Serpent God statue, then it
was worth it. Knowing that protection
from evil allows you to walk into a room
guarded by an iron golem and walk out
unmolested, gold chalice in hand makes the
scroll amazing value at 100gp.
5 | BRING EQUIPMENT: Most ma-
gic-users are really not carrying much
except a spell book, scroll, and some
daggers. This leaves plenty of room for
useful dungeon equipment like torches,
oil, and 50' of rope. But also less
obvious stuff like:
• a stinky wheel of cheese to pay off the
goblins
• a full wineskin to befriend the orcs with
• a bag of rats to test strange liquids on or
throw to giant spiders
• chalk to crush and throw in an opponents
eyes or mark the invisible beast
• a shovel to fetch coins from weird
pools when you forgot to bring rats
50
• a crowbar for stuck doors or
heavy sarcophagi lids
• candles for light or to stick in
your ears (against harpies)
• paper for rubbings of important information
• sacks for anything you can turn into a spell
component
• a pitchfork so you can pin things you don't
want to touch
• spikes to foul traps or wedge doors
It may seem like a silly list, but these
items are the fuel for crazy OSR
hijinks and safe dungeon explo-
ration!
6 | BE A THOUGHTFUL PLAYER:
Just because you don't have an imme-
diately useful spell (or any spell) to cast
doesn't mean you are out of the game.
Your magic-user can observe and
interact during a dungeon turn.
Meaning that a more thorough
exploration of the space is per-
formed in a shorter amount of time.
Even without in-game powers, you are
still a player, able to use the infamous
'player skill'. And playing the smart
and learned member of the party, it
kind of makes sense for you to use your
player knowledge to solve problems..
Only on his third session did
Mayfly actually cast a spell from
a scroll. Prior to that, he participated
in no combat (only as an observer), but
did marshal his hirelings in the second
rank. He wedged doors open or shut.
He got eight 1/2 HD creatures to fight
to the death over rations. He paid off
goblins and made a rope ladder for a
quick exit.
Despite defining our characters by
their specific abilities, 80% of the time
we're not even using them. It's only that
specific 20% of the time they
come into play. Remember this
and lean into it next time you run
out of spells!
by Jorge Velasquez
d8 MAGICAL Hares
For centuries, magicians have entertained audiences by pulling
rabbits out of hats through sleight of hand and classic misdirection.
These performers have gained great wealth from these tricks, and
also great scorn from jealous wizards. Actual magic-users often use
their arcane skills to create enchanted hats and prove they are better
than these con artists. Usually though, after realizing they lack the
charisma needed for a career in show business, a wizard winds up
discarding the hat, leaving it in their pile of random magic crap.
Most rabbits pulled out of this hat are normal, but there is a 1 in 4 chance a
MAGICAL HARE is produced. Note that if a summon spell is cast on the hat, a
magical hare automatically shows up on the next pull.
1. PSEUDO-GIANT: 5. PLAYBOY:
On each hop, creates a 30’ earthquake, Just a small goblin in a bunny suit.
cracking stone and earth. Surprisingly seductive.
Save or fall prone. 6. MOONLIGHT LEPORIDAE:
2. COMBUSTIBLE COTTONTAIL: At night, a spotlight is always shining on it.
The rabbit can be set on fire and burn Wears a top hat and carries a cane. Save or
like a torch without being harmed. Great tip it 1d6 gold coins.
light source, albeit unwieldy. 7. DRUID DOE:
3. LAPIS LAPIN: Grass and vines below, if present, will grow
Living, deep-blue gemstone rabbit. Has upward and provide the rabbit a platform,
all the properties of precious earth and never allowing it to fall more than 3’. Perfect
fills the lapidary taxidermy for crossing jungle ravines
niche quite well. or cushioning falls.
4. FREEZING HARE: 8. LORRAINE SPIRIT:
Turns any liquid it touches into ice. Can A ghost bunny who hopped away from Death
create ice patches as it hops across a lake and is now capable of phasing through walls.
or river. Prefers gold over carrots.
These little guys do not take commands and hop around in search of vegetables
(including the goblin). Rabbits can hop up to 5’ and like to hop once per round. A
summoned rabbit stays around until it hops further than 300 ft from the hat, or
another one is pulled from it.
48
52
by Christopher S. - Art: Michael Sheppard

seven
the

draconic
sins Most of what we know about dragons comes
from oral history. Strangely, whenever a scholarly book
about the fire-breathing brutes is written, catastrophic fires
start happening. Having taken the hint, most libraries refuse to stock such
tomes. So if you want to know more about the different
sorts of dragons , you better ask Gran’ Paw.
- Gran’ Paw, What’s a Dragon?
- «Dragon?» Who done taught you that word,
Turnip Head? I reckon they also done told you
they was a form of thunder lizard? Well, they
were right, to a point. Dragons, or dreki as my
grand-sire’s grand-sire called ‘em, are large
and lizard like, but they ain’t born that way, y’
kin? See, they don’t start out as no egg, but
rather as man-folk, kin to the likes of you or
me. Now, we all gots our vices, true enough,
but them there dreki-kin (see it was a conso-
54
nant gradati–oh, shoot, nevermind, you
ain’t got the head for wording, Turnip),
when they was man, loved their vices.
Imagine them pinnacle of virtue’s the
preacher man’s always telling y’ about,
but for the vices he warns you against.
Lowest of the low, y’ kin? You ain’t gonna
be finding the average whore-monger
shrugging outta their skins and leaving
for the hills.
Now, for whichever reason–I ain’t the
preacher, ask him–these folks got
changed by their chosen evil. Twisted.
And depending on the vice sacked up
inside ‘em, that’s what led to the style of
dragon. Now, here’s what we’ve got to
knowing about each of the sorts, based
on a codex I seen in the city a long spell
ago. They all take to having a fairly similar
shape: ‘gators heightened to draft horse
stature. Somes tell of ones bearing wings,
but, honestly, that sounds made up.
Base stats:
HD: 8 (36hp), AC as chain,
Att: 2 x claw (1d8) , bite (1d12)
THAC0: 12 [+7]
SV D8 W9 P10 B10 S12
ENVY
Magic’s a talent, and with so few of us left, a
very few are able to master it. Understand-
ibly, there are them that covet the ability for
magicfying when they lack it. The worst of
‘em take to hoarding any and all magics–
scrolls, grimoires, and the like. They can’t
use ‘em, but boy do they like looking at ‘em.
• Smell Magic Up to 500’ from the spells in
a magician’s head, to the fetishes carried by
a wizard
• Chaotic Breath 50’ cone; Target must
save vs breath, or suffer Maleficence (pos-
sible alignment change)
• Steal Spell A caster in physical contact
loses a a randomly selected spell, now fully
castable by the dragon.
GREED
Thems the ones for hoarding gold and
other material wealth. Misers in life, they
took so far as to kill for wealth. And it’s
that final murder that turns ‘em. Either
way, given their propensity to lounge
upon their amassed wealth--better to
guard, y’ kin–their skin tends to stick with
gems and coin.
• Armor Chain and shield
• Smell Riches The dragon can smell
items of value (50 standard coins) within
500’. The more expensive it is, the better it
smells.
• Increasing Hoard Once per 1d4 rounds,
when within 50’ of the beast, a random
item from the party vanishes from their
possession and appears in the collected
hoard.
GLUTTONY
These are the ones that tend to
ravage the countryside, consuming
everything they come across: live-
stock, trees, houses, coal piles, and
so on. The land around their lairs
is stripped and left barren. Lairs
themselves are shafts of consumed
earth, serving as den and midden.
Following ‘em, should you have the
strange notion, is easy t’do as their
swollen bellies drag along.
• Attack Vomit (2d8, acid) . The
acidic stomach fluids, burn anyone
caught within the 20’ deluge.
• Rending Bite Any bite attack
blocked by armor does half its
damage to the target’s armor class
instead.
• I’ve Eaten Worse Anything that
finds its way into the dragon’s
mouth does no further damage to
the beast.
LUST
Thems be the ones kidnappin’ all
those princesses in the stories. Y’
see, when a man and a woman...
that is t’say, you’re at the age where
you’ll notice... no, I had to tell your
pap ‘bout your age. Pester him for
this one.
• Pleasure or Pain As the subli-
mating azure breath washes over
the target, the target is given a
choice: take the damage to HP or
accept the effects of hold person
(no save).
• Obsession A powerful chemical
that makes any touched by it feel
an uncontrollable longing for their
greatest desire. If they don’t have
one, one may be provided for them.
PRIDE
Them ones that take to riddling and
yammering on ‘cause they think
they’re better’n you? Thems the
pride ones. They’re magnificent
and they’ll make sure you know it.
Their scales are shinier, their voices
are richer. They’ll fish for compli-
ments and swallow ‘em whole.
• No Higher Power The beast is so
devoid of humility that all divinely-
inspired abilities cease working in
their presence.
• Pride Prevents the Fall
Compliments paid to the beast
are ’stored’ to act as shields, being
sacrificed to prevent damage taken
from an attack.
- Why should they die, Gran’ Paw?
- Because it’s doin’ a kindness to the poor souls trapped within, Turnip Head. Also, there’s
some that take to the fame and glory of it. And the loot. There’s also a rumor that cooking
and eating the heart will get y’ strange knowings and doings. It’s probably true.
55
SLOTH
More of the ’acedia’ sort, than the ’lazy’ sort.
The ones that take to brooding in solitude.
Doesn’t sound much harm, sure, but they do it
to the point where it gets to infecting the very
land itself. Green, healthy forests turn to black,
dying woods forever choked in an unmoving
fog.
• Armor Leather
• Aura of Acedia In the presence of the beast,
all begin to fail in their duties. A grim aura
inflicts -2 Strength, fumble ranges double,
concentration-based spells automatically fail,
etc.
• Slowing Touch Anyone struck by the dra-
gon must save vs Paralyze, or suffer a level of
encumbrance and the effects that come with it.
Effect lasts until a long rest.
WRATH
Thems the sort that go around breathing fire on
everythin’. Eyes burn with hatred. Smoke billows
from their nostrils and their scales are covered
in soot and melted metal. You’ll feel their heat
long before you ever see ‘em. Should you ever
find a cave glowing with heat and surrounded
by scorched earth, you’ll probably be wanting to
leave as it’ll most like be a den of wrath.
• Armor Plate and shield
• Attack Breath (1d6 continuous)
• Fire Proof As living furnaces, they’re immune
to fire.
• Torrent of Flame A 40’ cone of superheated
flame. Anyone in metal armor takes a further 1d6
damage for 1d4 rounds.
• Blind Anger Should the beast’s Intelligence
be damaged, its Constitution increases by that
much damage. Should its Wisdom be affected,
its Strength is adjusted.
 by Ava Islam - Art: MichaelSheppard

DRAGONS
PLAYING

One of the things that strikes me every time I read Beowulf is the twinning of
the hero and the dragon; the dragon emerges when Beowulf is at his most
dragon-like, and he must become ever more a dragon in order to defeat him.
This applies to your standard D&D characters even more readily, I think. Their power
grows in proportion to their material accumulation until they possess abilities that
allow them to go toe-to-toe with a dragon; in game terms, judging by armour class, hit
points, and amount of damage that they can put out, the actual mechanical difference
between them is negligible.
People always urge you to play dragons as if they are insane, though like most
appeals to the pathological this is using tired ableism as a stand-in for actual character-
ization and motivation. Better writers may pick a specific type of mental illness as a
stand in such as narcissism, or obsessive-compulsion, but this again lacks specificity.
If you actually want your dragon to come off like a terrifying, unpredictable, anti-social
creature, as a dungeon master you already have the perfect model right in front of you:
your player characters. If we assume that all dragons were in fact once adventurers,
this makes even more sense.
Take the worst, murderhobo-ey aspects of the PCs, the strange bizarre affect that
comes from a character inhabiting a world that they know is fictitious and can actually
have no lasting consequences on them, and multiply it ten-fold. Better yet, pick a spe-
cific character in your group and do your best impression or caricature of them.
If you’ve got a multi-headed dragon, play the entire party. Fuck making them all
different colours with different breath weapons: make one head a fighter, another a
magic-user, a thief, a cleric, so on and give each head super-charged class powers.

56 57
 58 59
by Brent Edwards, Art: after Gustave Doré

by Brent Edwards - Art after Gustave Doré

manizing
Hum
THe Monster
thE
I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT DRAGONS AND SUCH. CREATURES. BEASTIES.
MONSTERS.(1) MONSTERS ARE KINDA HARD TO GET JUST RIGHT,
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO CLASSIC FANTASY. I ALWAYS HAVE THESE
TWO OPPOSING URGES. THERE’S A COMMON VERNACULAR, A VOCABULARY
THAT EVERYONE WHO’S BEEN EXPOSED TO FANTASY SHARES. EVERYONE
KNOWS WHAT A DRAGON IS, AND FRANKLY MOST PEOPLE ARE BORED OF
THE VANILLA PANTHEON OF D&D MONSTERS. AT THE SAME TIME, IF I’M
RUNNING A RELATIVELY STRAIGHTFORWARD FANTASY CAMPAIGN, I
M’Shu, green dragon, obsessive DON’T WANT TO GET TOO WEIRD OR GONZO. I STILL WANT THE CREATURES
collector, baselessly hateful (and in I RUN TO BE RELATIVELY PARSEABLE, EVEN IF THEY’RE NOT ADHERING
need of a root canal). STRICTLY TO THE MOST VANILLA VERSION OF THEMSELVES.
1) We’ll use a narrower definition for monster than classic D&D’s “any encountered creature”. How about "non-player entity with
agency that has an element of strangeness and the potential for conflict, often one who is non-humanoid and with whom convenient
communication is impossible.“?
 60
SO HERE’S MY THOUGHT:
HUMANIZE THE BEASTIE.
I’m talking about injecting identifiable
traits and motivations into the behavior of
your monsters, while maintaining what
makes them strange. Let your players
know what your monsters are thinking.
Make them fathomable.
There is a good reason to do this; it makes
encounters easier to run for you, and far
more gameable for your players. Specific,
easily identifiable qualities in your big
tent-pole monsters, the ones you build
dungeons around, are the key to getting
your players out of the mindset of routine
encounters. The more obvious you make
the humanizing stuff, the easier it is for
your players to latch on to it and think
about how they can use it.
An example: recently I ran Skerples’ Tomb
of the Serpent Kings(2) for some of my
nearest and dearest, and inevitably they
stumbled on the big headline beastie of
that dungeon - the blinkered basilisk.
There’s been plenty of discussion of how
great this encounter is, helped along by
the two pages of advice and analysis
2) https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2017/06/osr-tomb-of-serpent-kings-megapost.html
in the module itself, so I’m not going to
go too deep here. Just let it be said that
an extremely dangerous and powerful
adversary (a big fuck-off basilisk with
petrifying vision) that has obvious,
exploitable weaknesses (chained to a
single room, vision restricted by a visor)
and a hook for potential diplomacy
If you haven’t read (and ran) this yet, you should. It’s free! -Eric.
(hungry, will be friendly with anyone that
offers food) is a really good formula for a
memorable, varied encounter.
Unfortunately, the several high quality,
super actionable paragraphs of behavioral
analysis the module provides were too
much for me to hold in my head - I’m a
notorious GM choke artist when I have
too much data to track. So instead I boiled
it down to a couple of qualities. They
just happened to be the headings of the
previously mentioned paragraphs, in fact.
The basilisk was Hungry. He wasn’t evil,
or cruel, or needlessly violent, but he
wanted to eat, and a bunch of foolhardy
adventurers walking into his chambers
61
Give your monsters hobbies too! See page 107
Humanizing Trait Monstrous Trait (4)
1 Obsessive collector Voraciously hungry
was not a situation he was going to
pass up. Throughout the encounter, he 2 Attention-seeking Mindlessly territorial
attempted to isolate, petrify, and munch 3 Lonely, but hopeful Baselessly hateful
on the most convenient target. Call this 4 Curious to a fault Given to causeless rage
a monstrous trait, it was still a gameable 5 Generous in a showy way Inscrutably ritualistic
one. This guy wanted to eat, and there was 6 Snobby and churlish Seeking community
little chance to enact diplomacy with him 7 Self-absorbed Views PCs as objects
short of providing a substantial meal that
8 Pointlessly xenophobic Machiavellian - to what end?
was more convenient than the adventurers
themselves - something my players could 9 Jealous, resentful Strictly hierarchical
have exploited, perhaps, if they didn’t latch 10 Anxiously impatient Bizarre standards of etiquette
on to his other trait. 11 Appallingly hedonistic Impossibly dedicated to good/evil
The basilisk was also Curious. I figured 12 Cowardly and overcompensating Impractically devoted to law/chaos
he didn’t get many visitors, and the party 13 Stubborn and contrary Paradoxically inclined
was particularly, um, colorful.(3) So he 14 Polite and abiding Uncomfortably amused
was fascinated by them, despite himself
15 Over-eager to help Seemingly emotionless
- call this a humanizing trait. When
someone in the party did something 16 Unnervingly patient Given to rapid shifts in demeanor
weird and unexpected (often, constantly, 17 Languid and charismatic Beholden to a bewildering code
incessantly), the basilisk naturally took a 18 Nursing a grudge Communicative but unintelligible
moment to check it out. Like, get a load of 19 Meticulous and unhurried Smugly enigmatic
these assholes. 20 Slovenly and thoughtless Unwaveringly loyal
Marveling at these assholes was his
downfall, as it is often mine.
The party identified pretty quickly that
our reptilian friend had a terribly short
attention span, and while fighting off Gorgoola, chimera,
the half-petrifaction that most of them polite and enduring,
had been stricken with before they got views PCs as objects
their bearings, they took turns doing ,
increasingly foolhardy things to keep
its focus moving. Some parkour stunts,
dangling hirelings and companions as
bait, some song and dance, generally
roping the dope until they had a chance to
do some very dastardly things with an oil
flask and torch that I daren’t mention.
It may seem like simple stuff, but
this turned out to be an almost pure
combat encounter with nearly zero
traditional combat. There were no more
than two attack rolls on the part of the
PCs throughout the hour-long battle.
This approach creates a variety and a
distinctiveness to your encounters that
can be really valuable. A fairly basic
situation can spontaneously, organically
become a sort of minigame that nobody
3) prayers up for Tarnan, the dwarven wizard who had spent all of his research funds bequeathing his toad familiar incredibly muscular
planned for, the GM least of all. humanoid legs. Dirt, the human contractor who apparently misread the job posting and was in way over his head. Not to mention the
radically xtreme Bagel the racoonfolk fool and the incredibly beautiful goblin plague doctor, Dr. Pepper, MD.
4)The more I put together examples of human vs monstrous traits, the harder I find it to differentiate between the two. Deep, man.
 by Diogo Noguiera
EREEING
(MY) TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR GOOD REF
1. THOU SHALT CREATE
WHENEVER
POSSIBLE AND NECESSARY.
The essence of being a referee is to create a
world where players can experience ad-
ventures and shenanigans. You have to be
able to create stuff, whether it's a location,
a monster, an NPC, a situation, a treasure
hoard. This does not mean you cannot use
ready-made material, like modules or set-
tings, but that you must be confident enough
to adapt this material. Creating new stuff
when the players choose a path the material
does not cover may seem intimidating, but it
comes easily with practice.
II. THOU SHALT KNOW THE RULES.
Being a referee means you will have to adjudi-
cate their use during the game. The more you
know the rules and their gaps, the better you
will be at this job. The less time you spend
consulting rulebooks, the more time you
have to actually play!
III THOU SHALT BE
FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.
No game can predict every possible situation.
No game can predict every possible outcome.
Most OSR games are so flexible that their
rules can be used in almost all situations,
but you will still need to interpret rolls in the
narrative context. And even though you do
play the character's rivals and enemies, you
are not them. You don't want to defeat the
players (you easily could if you wanted to).
You want to create interesting situations in
which they have to exercise their creativity.
You don't want to favor players either, or the
excitement of the game would be lost. No
‘real’ risk, no reward.
62
The old-school of RPGs has many
characteristics that make it my
favorite style of games, but many
of these aspects have nothing to
do with the rules of the game per
se, and are more about how the
game is played, and especially
how the referee runs their
campaign.
IV. THOU SHALT BE
FIRM AND CONSISTENT.
When you arbitrate a difficult situa-
tion, some players may challenge your
choices. If the decision was made
based on the other commandments,
you must enforce it and continue with
the game as soon as possible. Rules
debates can happen after the session.
Quickly explain why you made the de-
cision you made and carry on. Make a
note of the decision and be consistent
in similar situations. The players will
soon realize you are just being fair.
V. THOU SHALT LISTEN
TO YOUR PLAYERS.
An adventure game referee may be
compared to an artist as they have
an audience they perform in front of.
During the game, you must notice
if players are disengaging and try to
bring them back. If they are bored and
seem to be wanting something to bash
at, make some enemies appear out of
nowhere. If they sigh at the sight of
another combat, present them with
an interesting encounter with an NPC
that they can interact with. After the
game, get some feedback. Stuff they
liked, stuff they didn't. Stuff they
would like to see in the campaign. The
referee has no obligation to cater to
all the players' desires, but they can
obtain very good information and
inspiration out of these questions.
Things they might not even imagine.
We have a lot to learn even from the
newest gamers.
I made a list of my ten priorities as an old-school style referee
to remind myself from time to time. They are not the “one and true
way” to run these games, but they are certainly a way. Perhaps one
that can help you find your own path.
VI. THOU SHALT SAY ‘YES’
WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
Avoid the cursed phrase "you can't do
that", unless it's obviously something
impossible, like allowing a first level fighter
to breathe fire. Humor crazy and inventive
ideas from your players. Change the "no" to
a "yes, but". Ask for a test, for the expendi-
ture of HP, or something like that. You can
make it very hard for it to work, but as long
as they have a chance, they’ll realize they can
try anything. This will encourage them to try
new things more often, making the game
more entertaining for everyone.
VII. THOU SHALT BROADCAST
EXCITEMENT AND ENERGY.
As a referee, you are in the forefront of the
game. As such, you can dictate much of the
feel of the game. If you show up excited
about the games, the players will respond to
it. If you start doing funny voices for NPCs,
the player's will probably do the same. If you
describe actions in combat in a cinematic
way, the players will follow. Be an example of
what you hope your players will be.
VIII. THOU SHALT NOT DISRESPECT THE
ORACULAR POWER OF THE DICE.
I have a simple rule regarding dice. If I am
not prepared to accept any result the roll
can bring, I should not rely on the dice to
decide. As said previously, the referee should
know when to apply the rules and when not
to. So if you choose to roll the dice, embrace
the result and see what happens. That's one
of the greatest things about RPGs. Discover-
ing what happens as you play along instead
of just dictating what's going on.
IX. THOU SHALT
NOT FORCE A STORY
UPON YOUR PLAYERS.
You are not a literary writer, you are a
referee. You're not here to tell a story, you
are here to play a game in which a story is
organically created. Sometimes a refer-
ee who has prepared a story with NPCs,
locations and scenes, and they feel the
need to manipulate the game, to change
the consequences of the players' choices
to lead to the "story" they have planned,.
Avoid doing this! Your players will sooner
or later realise they have no real say in the
game. If they want to just be told a story
they will certainly prefer to go to a movie
or read a book. And, maybe more impor-
tantly, realize this is no fun for you either,
as you discover nothing new, and nothing
really exciting or unexpected happens.
X. THOU SHALT
REMEMBER TO
HAVE FUN.
You are not just an employee of the
players, here to entertain them. You are
supposed to have fun as much as they are.
If things are becoming unpleasant, take
the time to figure out why, and how you
could make the game fun for you again.
Maybe you need to change the game you
are playing, change the campaign, or even
change the group. This may be harsh, but
an unhappy referee will soon make the
whole table unhappy.
63
 by Ciro Alessandro Sacco - Art: John Grümph
“Greetings,
innkeep,
what news
around here?”
d12 HOOKS TO GATHER
AT THE COUNTER.
1] “Strange lights have been seen in the
graveyard and many locals are scared.
Sometimes terrible howls can be heard!”
The graveyard has been chosen by a group
of criminals (bandits, thieves, and per-
haps some assassins) as a decent campsite
and a great hiding place for their booty.
Unfortunately, the dead (wraiths, wights,
and perhaps a spectre) have taken offense.
The dead will know peace again once the
intruders are gone, or staying forever.
2] “Bodies have been found in the morning,
dead, with no apparent wounds on them,
people are scared.”
A hundred years ago, an innocent woman
was lynched by locals who accused her of
64
murdering babies and she swore revenge
with her last breath. She came back as a
ghost, killing the descendants of the people
who lynched her, one every night. The
ghost can only be stopped if one of the
descendants of the few people who pleaded
for her life to be spared (there are some)
begs for her mercy.
3]“Bodies have been found this morning
with stab wounds, perhaps there is turmoil
in the Thieves Guild again…”
The thieves guild is in the middle of a
‘hostile takeover’ from a group of out-
of- towners bent on controlling the local
underworld. The two factions are roughly
balanced so the carnage goes on and both
 are looking for a way to get the upper
hand.
4] “The Church of Peoni is offering free
healing to the worthy and the poor. They
don’t expect you to be a devotee to be healed.”
The Church of Peoni is especially de-
voted to helping the poor, the needy, the
downtrodden, and the lower strata of
society. Its church is located in the poor
district (of course) and is always open. After
queuing for hours, characters are admitted
to an audience with Sister Oriabel (8th
level cleric): who asks polite questions
to better grasp their needs, motivations,
and wealth before granting healing. This
could be done for free, for a small sum, for
a significant sum, or only if they accept to
complete a mission in return.
5] “Word is that next week the burgermeister
will introduce a new tax on unlicensed
weapons and armor, all such equipment
must be registered at once”
The local government is fed up with
adventurers and assorted troublemakers
creating havoc and so have decided to
scare the pests away by poking holes in
their purses. This is easier said than done
(adventurers and troublemakers can be a
handful) so some brave tax collectors are
wanted.
6] “Every week we have an arm wrestling
tournament here with a hefty purse for the
winner – only the strong need apply!”
On Wednesday nights, people wishing to
compete chip in 10 GP for the purse (no
refunds whatsoever). Contrary to what
the innkeep says, everyone with the coin
66
is allowed to take part. Every tournament
attracts 10 + 1d10 competitors.
The current champion, with a string
of 10 straight victories, is Athelred
the Strong.
7] “Akshem the jewel merchant is looking
for bodyguards. He pays the thieves guild so
it leaves his goods alone, but he fears some
‘unlicensed’ robbers could try to steal from
him.”
An extremely capable (12th level) thief from
out of town is looking for a specific item
in the merchant’s inventory – a ring of
three wishes with one charge left in it. The
thief has been paid to recover the ring but
they don’t not know why – a professional
is a professional. But the thieves guild has
heard of them and plans to violently end
their unlicensed activities.
8] “What a lucky day for you to be here! We
have just declared war on our enemies and
every able-bodied person is to enlist in the
army – no exceptions! I have heard that re-
cruiters will start visiting inns and taverns
today… Being a foreigner is no excuse for
absconding!”
If the adventurers stay, they will be
forced , asked politely, or begged (depend-
ing on their looks) to accept a commis-
sion as officers and lead troops in the war;
the promised rank and pay varies
according to level and/or ability to fake
competency.
The conflict can be anything from a
brawl about some pastures or fishing
rights, to a full scale war with thousands
of soldiers, war machines, flying mounts,
etc.
9] “An upstanding young fellow has been
thrown in prison on bogus charges by a cor-
rupt judge and his family is looking for the
right people to break him out of his rat-
infested cell. Granted, it’s not an easy task
but there would be a handsome reward,
along with some fast horses to leave town…”
A scion of the Wessey family picked a fight
with the Marcian heiress in which a
bystander was killed and a tavern burnt
down. Both families leaned on the judge,
and the best offer won: Elwyn Wessey is
awaiting a probably long sentence in a well
furnished prison cell. The family will pay a big
reward (initial offer 5,000 gp) to anybody able
to escort him to safety. Of course, Elwyin is
obnoxious, spoiled, cowardly, and a liar. See
entry 10 for the other side of the story.
10] “A poor girl has been unjustly thrown in
a cell by a crooked magistrate and her family
is looking for kind-hearted adventurers
who would spring her out. Granted, it’s not
an easy task, but there would be a reward
and the family knows a way to skip town
discreetly.”
Eadburh Marcian didn’t like Elwyn
Wessey’s drunken proposals that night.
She cast a pyromancy spell that went out
of control and set the local alehouse on
fire. Both youngsters were arrested, but
the Marcians’ ancient and respected name
wasn’t enough to convince the corrupt
judge. She faces the death penalty, a great
way to shut her mouth, because rumours
about Elwyn Wessey’s conduct are circu-
lating. A difficult mission with very little
reward (500 gp at most) and a good chance
of making powerful enemies. See 9 above
for the other side of the story.
11] “That’s it, I’m tired of this job and I’m
selling this place to someone who wants to
make an honest living– do you happen to
know anybody interested in buying an inn?
I’ll pay you a good finder’s fee if you bring me
a buyer!”
The innkeeper, Rufio, was once a merce-
nary captain with a special knack for
pillaging temples of any faith, good or evil.
Some years ago they looted and destroyed a
Temple of Argyk, Chaotic god of murder,
killing the priests, templars, acolytes, and
even the slaves. Among captain Rufio’s
share of the loot was a powerful dagger
(+3, turns into any bladed weapon at will).
The Church of Argyk has been exacting its
revenge ever since. Rufio has had word that
a master assassin is on their way to him.
He wants out, and will sell the inn at a huge
loss if needed. He also plans to leave the
dagger behind, as he suspects this is what
the church is tracking.
12] “If you are out of luck why don’t you
enlist in the City Watch? The pay is low
and the risks significant, but you will carry
a badge, enjoy some ‘perks’ (the Innkeeper
winks) such as free drinks and ‘tips’ on many
a juicy scheme, free room and board…”
Unknown to the innkeeper, newly ap-
pointed commander Vides has started
purging the corrupt and incompetent
elements from her ranks (not an easy task.
here are many capos). Her policy is simple:
honest, reliable, and motivated folk get
hired. Gender, race, height, and (mostly)
age are not a factor. It’s easy to pretend to
be a loyal and trustworthy watchperson.
Making coin on the side is becoming
increasingly difficult, however.
67
68 by Frank Redding

Opponents (d4)
1. Would-be gladiators. Really just prisoners, trying to live to fight another day, or the
other way around. 2d6 of them, poorly armed and sorely untrained.
2. Executioners. A former adventuring party that decided gladiatorial murder is easier
and just as fun. 2d4+1 very skilled, bloodthirsty, well-equipped killers.
Their only weakness is playing to the audience.
3. Monsters. Some more dangerous than others; all entertaining.
1. 2d8 goblins with their legs tied to one another. They were told their opponents would
be too, but they take the extra challenge in good stride.
2. Hysterical prisoners with an enraged dire rhino armored in chain. Among them
perhaps a friendly NPC or two. Maybe in formal attire, from that wedding or coronation
that the characters were invited to but couldn’t attend because they were forced to
fight in this arena.
3. Wererat king. Seven glorious wererat leaders captured from opposing thieves’
guilds, their tails surgically joined. They want to kill each other at least as much as the
characters.
4. 2d6 mummies wrapped together into a ball of ancient hatred and poisonous claws.
One of them frees itself every d3 rounds.
5. Bound marilith. Can this six-armed demon free herself in time? Yes. She slips her
first two wrists out of their bonds as soon as the first character closes, and the rest at
dramatically appropriate times.
6. Demilich inside a treasure chest mimic. The latter boasts about its treasure loudly
as soon as its disguise is revealed, while the former enjoys its symbiotic vacation.
7. Howling ettin with one foot nailed to the arena floor with a really deep spike to go
through all that dirt and sand. Well, one head is howling; the other has no feeling in
the afflicted leg, so it does what it likes and does best: singing countertenor arias. The

Compelling
Arena
ettin wields an oversized goedendag and a passionate countenance, respectively.
8. 1d4+1 giant spiders greased with rendered boar fat. Every round, each spider has a
50% chance to burst into flame from an errant spark, doubling its danger while halving
its longevity.
4. No one. The characters are expected to fight each other, and the wizard with the wand

fights
of disintegration hovering above the arena makes it abundantly clear by turning a friendly
NPC to ashes. They weren’t pit fighter material anyway.

Goal of the Match (d6)

A staple of stories and games, yet all
too often: dry. Use the following tables and tools
to create memorable arena fights and set pieces,
with fun, dynamic scenery, and delightfully
deadly surprises.
1. Win the fight. All opponents defeated. Yielding acceptable.
2. Total obliteration. Be the last person or party standing. No opponent left alive.
3. First blood. First character or creature at or below half hit points means their team
loses.
4. Capture the gem. Placed behind the enemy, or on them (especially if it’s a monster like
the dire rhino).
5. Reach the finish line. Simply get from your starting point to the finish, past the
dangers, distractions, and creatures wanting to stop you.
6. Endurance. Survive 1d4+1 rounds against half that number of waves of opponents.

69
 Complications (d10)
1. Flailing mannequins. 3. mermaid-style leather dress with straps experts in such matters before it’s too
ing to do! This is the OSR, they have their
Several large, armored mannequins with ter- and studs and high heeled boots late. Still harbors a corpse, but it’s content
mind, their slippery fingers, and above all
rifying flails are positioned about the arena, 4. crazed, diseased monkey to be dead.
their player’s ingenuity. Constraints—well,
each surrounded by obvious yet seemingly 5. a muffled prisoner infected with sewer 3. Concealed pit with some use. If you
restraints here—can boost the creative
unavoidable pressure plates. Stepping on plague screams through their gag, des- survive the fall and the spears, you might
juices.
one predictably, sends the mannequin perate to cough find one of: spiked hammer still grasped
spinning and flailing. But each plate has a 3. Boonful prisoners. 6. freshly-risen vampire, imprinting on by gnome hand, experimental personal
2-in-6 chance of activating 1d3 random Tied to poles about the arena. Their mouths whomever opens the wardrobe first catapult (one shot), lightly magical but
mannequins instead. are obviously stuffed with spell scrolls or po- 7. spear sickle on a bed of super flamma- stubby dagger, corpse with gown made
tions. Get to them before the prisoners’ drool ble dry wheat from many surprisingly durable layers.
2. Human fence. ruins them! Beware of prisoners accidentally 8. mirror that reflects an angelic version 4. Pit with fanfare. If you survive the fall
The middle of the arena, or a spot with a crushing the sneaky stinking cloud or cloud- of the viewer, and that reveals a powerful into this concealed pit, you’ll encounter an
treasure, is blocked by a fence. Except it’s kill potion. (but unhealthily codependent) blood- equally trapped (and with an impaled leg)
chained-up humans and some fat pylons. - As with the human fence, tie a character thirsty sword behind it, if shattered member of the opposing side’s guards,
Perhaps there is even a crocodile-infested to one of the poles. Gag them with a locust who recognizes you and is your greatest
moat on either side of the fence and a ramp 5. Giant nail platforms.
plague potion, and make them roll not to fan.
that might just give enough air to a strong One foot diameter discs on tall, thin, vi-
break the glass.
runner to jump it. Will the characters stop for ciously barbed poles. Easy enough to climb 8. Guarded treasure.
a rescue, treat it like any other fence, or even 4. Upright, coffin-like wardrobes. if you’re wearing good gauntlets or don’t Thin posts are staked into the ground,
power through it? Spread about on mounds on fresh earth. mind slashed hands. The rest of the arena atop each a magnificent weapon that
- Pick a beloved NPC or character to form Inside: appears (and is) soaked in oil. The platforms would definitely give you the upper hand.
part of the fence to raise the stakes. Don’t 1. chainmal poncho (quick to don) are paired, and act like seesaws: so climb- The snag: a manticore is leashed to each
think that a chained up character has noth- 2. skeleton with skull crushed by spiked flail ing one will make it sink and raise another. post.
Some platforms have torches on them and 1. Vibro-glaive. Double the damage, dou-
are unpaired. (1 unpaired platform with ble the carnage. Anoint in the blood of the
torch for every 2 paired ones without.)
Gladiatorator (5d6) 6. Black pyramid.
innocent each day for continued function.
1-in-6 chance of jamming after each use.
Person Wearing Wielding Excelling at Sucking at A steep, basalt pyramid bisects the arena, 2. Melancholiator. A thin sword with a
no way around. Atop it, a withered, black blade of sullen soul fragments. Ignores
1 Battle-hardened blood-stained spear and net (with playing to the peripheral
mummy on a basalt throne, surround by four armor but inflicts debilitating, doleful
warrior chainmail over lightning-conduct- crowd vision sorrow instead of damage.
sturdy leathers ing metal bullets to bowls on pillars. Climbing halfway up tips the
bowls, which pouring their liquid (super glue, 3. Flail of Tears. Its swings are accompa-
weigh it down) nied by the mournful cries of imprisoned
rust monster antennae juice, acid giving off
2 Terrified prisoner floor-length tunic oversized battle looking patience poisonous fumes, cool looking dry ice) down angels. Ethical outlook determines whether
and a battered hammer harmless the steps. The mummy is impaled by an this is soul-crushing or invigorating.
breastplate ornate, golden scimitar. Removing it re- 4. Caber Bolts (2d10). Regular-sized bolts
3 Alien insectoid exotic full plate man-catcher and intimidation following a plan animates the powerful mummy, who will that violently intumesce to caber size
armor flash bombs cause havoc. But now you have a magic when launched. Fire the lot for a quick
scimitar that deals double damage against palisade.
4 Noble risen to beautiful, magical rapier and strategy compassion
the occasion expensive buckler (pauses to ruling tyrants and ignores their armor.
9. Tower of woe.
garments deliver killing 7. Spiked pit traps. Multiple levels (4+) that need to be scaled
blows) They’re classics for a reason. Some are on this round structure, while a score
5 Ogre-blood- torn scraps of powerful muscles brute force tactics obvious, but others are practically invisible. of goblins belt the contestants with
infused clothing, half a and whatever 1. An obvious pit. The tips of the spears stones, loud crackers, balls of glue and
experiment chain shirt heavy is lying at its bottom are still shiny and happily spit, or whooping powder. They also have
around reflect any sunlight or hope. heat-seeking arrows if you happen to be a
6 Mul (half-dwarf) hardened, boiled notched greataxe surprise insight 2. Well-concealed pit. Only detectable by flying spoil-sport. Winner is whoever gets
leather armor attacks
70 71

to the golden egg in the harpies’ nest at the
top. Two angry harpies on two-meter long
chains guard it. Levels include:
1. Warm-up with basic handholds. Difficult
but not impossible to climb.
2. Trapped. As above, but 2-in-6 handholds
are upholstered with gecko paw skin which
adheres to anything.
3. People fence. Prisoners, NPCs, and
maybe a PC are chained along the level.
Easy enough to climb if you don’t mind the
protestations or screams of those affected
by your weight on their bonds or face.
4. Hidden Weal or Woe. Numerous hand-
holds on this level. For each climb action
there is a 3-in-6 chance of grabbing one
that comes off and reveals an arm’s-width
cavity behind, containing:
1. Nothing. Really.
2. A pot of universal glue. Tool or weapon?
3. A whistle. It’s loud and superlatively
shrill.
4. A single random card from a deck of
many things. It takes effect immediately
when picked up.
5. A flawless ruby. When touched it acti-
vates a manacle trapping the arm.
6. A golden cup with the symbol of a glow-
ing and floating sword. When touched,
a blade capable of severing unarmored
hands appears.
7. Squished goblin. It’s mightily livid, but
also hurts from its cramped predicament.
8. A rare albino osquip. With teeth like
shovels.
5. Blades masquerading as handholds.
They’re a little rusty and dirty, so you proba-
bly won’t notice the danger until the first
person without metal or magical gloves
tries to hoist their weight up on one and
suffers the lacerating consequences.
6. The aquarium. Each climb action has a
3-in-6 chance of tearing out the handhold,
which acted as a kind of plug. The first
couple just spew water, but after the third,
the pressure blows a ring around the tower
and the full volume of water comes gushing
72
by Antoine Bauza - Art : Rackham le Roux
down at once, sending all but the hardiest
tumbling. They find themselves on the
bottom, soaked, and covered in:
d20 Kids
1. A squirming fulmination eel. Arcing
lightning between it and the nearest
pieces of metal.
2. A handful of hungry rust monster tad-
poles. They gotta eat to grow up.
for your
3. A couple of undead piranha. Similarly
dangerous to live ones.
4. The flopping remains of a half-eaten
Dungeons
fulmination eel. Zombie piranhas had their
fill.
10. Perfidious perfumier’s playground.
Quick-release gas bombs littering the
arena like a minefield, tucked away in
other structures, or hidden in seemingly
discarded weapons and armor for an extra
surprise.
1. Airsplosion. Blows you 2d6 meters into
the air.
2. Blue paint. Bright and very hard to wash
out.
3. Skunk effluvium. Might stop other gladia-
tors from voluntarily approaching you.
4. Cupid’s instant summons. The next
person that smells you develops a powerful
crush on you (saves are boring).
5. Jelly legs. Your legs stop working for 1d6
rounds, then you have irritating pins and
needles for another 1d6.
6. Noumena nullifier. You become insub-
stantial for 1d6 rounds, unable to physically
interact with anything, including air to
make sound.
7. Heavy water. Soaks you with an odorless,
translucent liquid that’s twice as heavy as
water. Movement is impaired unless you
get naked.
8. Garroting Gary. A monstrous, choking
poison that requires two successful saves Our dungeons and their surroundings are too often inhabited
to shake. exclusively by adults. To remedy this, sprinkle your campaign
9. Frog fountain. For the next 1d6 rounds with a measure of careless youth with the NPCs below.
you cough up colorful frogs. Unless stated otherwise, assume all kids are level zero
10. Avant-garde fragrance. Roll again twice commoners with one hit point.
and combine the effects.
73
 1. Blazing Sam 2. Klik-Klik 3. Amorak 11. Half-Blood
A little girl born of the A child skeleton who was aspiring A flea-riddled, stinky kid with The crying of this infant attracted the party to its improvised cot. They seem to be partly human, partly
romance between a dragon to a quiet unlife until his family a snotty nose. Small and puny, (d6): 1. succubus, 2. lizardfolk, 3. harpy, 4. goblin, 5. dryad, 6. hard to say, but something physically
and a lone wanderer, Sam got turned to dust by a zealous shy and sparse of word. They graceful. Aw, look at this tiny grumpy face... Are they hungry? Because they’re getting louder and
became an orphan after a cleric. He tries to be friendly, and are in truth a very mature louder, and every monster within hundreds of feet is probably headed here already.
party of adventurers visited attempts communication by chat- rogue, and entirely devoid of
her home. She is prone to tering his teeth. He may offer to remorse. If they manage to 12. Lil Chef 13. Mini Mighty 14. Bill Till
explosive anxiety attacks play knucklebones (which he took earn the party’s trust, or at This resourceful little A fledgeling extraplanar power A runaway who fled the Guild
that deal 3d6 damage from a relative) with an affable least inspire some pity, they will person loves cooking come to this mortal world as a of (d6): 1. Wise Wizards, 2.
around her (save for half). character. As a skeleton with half rob them blind (or worse) and tasty dishes to feed all the scout. They are here incognito, Traitorous Thieves, 3. Artful
Armour Class: as mail. the hit points. disappear. As a 2nd-level thief. creatures, big and small, but their diaphanous frame is Artificers, 4. Adept Assassins,
roaming the area. The smell quite obviously filled with power. 5. Urban Usurers, 6. Daring
is absolutely delicious. Everything here is a toy to them, Duellists. They stole a powerful
4. Gaspal Who knows what kind of and they keep asking questions magical item called the Master-
This wizard got trapped in the body of a ten-year-old boy. He is sound of mind but rambles like an old monster is going to come that betray their real goal: their key. A team of elite bounty hun-
coot about the convoluted ways he could get his body back, which is still in his tower. He doesn’t sus- look for food now… So, set world is dying and her kin need ters has been sent to retrieve it.
pect that the mind of the kid he’s been swapped with is controlling it. Who knows what catastrophe a camp here (and double the a new home. They can only be Having had a brush with those
spooked child might trigger, alone in a dangerously ruined tower? benefits of rest for whoever damaged by weapons made of brutes already, Bill Till wonders
eats the kid’s food) or go platinum or the most powerful of whether they could sell the
back into the cold with spells, but have no other powers. artefact to the PCs.
5. Evil Twins 6. Forever Eleven 7. The Apprentice stale rations? Their family, on the other hand…
Harn and Karn are like black and A short conversation with this This raven-haired, spectacled
white. One of them (the meaner one bubbly kid should be enough to child carries on their back a
– you decide which) was created ascertain they are an adventur- huge sack full of tools and 15. Tiny Gom
by a mirror of opposition. To lift the er who fell into a fountain of mechanical contraptions. A hill giant kid, lonely and somewhat clingy for lack of parental affection. They can make an intimidating
curse, the mirror must be found and youth. They can of course lead They work for a renowned bodyguard for their chosen adoptive parent as long as they are properly fed. Speaking of which, they’re
the double (and only them) must the way to said fountain (for a trap builder, who they lost always hungry and will eat anything, equipment included. As a 4 hit dice hill giant.
look into it. Both deny being an evil price), but the party wouldn’t sight of a while ago. In any
magical clone, of course. They fight be the first to ask… Roll class case, the kid knows the 16. The
and level at random. The kid 17- Pitos the 18. Tiny Gom 19. Family Re-
all the time and are getting closer master has set up some of Loathsome Melodious semblance?
every day to killing each other with has kept all their abilities, but her most lethal masterpieces A band of 2d6 rag-
A hill giant kid, lonely
they only have one hit die. A minotaur child who and somewhat clingy for This child is clearly the
their bare hands. somewhere ahead. gedy, dirty kobolds fled home. Her commu- character’s progeny.
squawking as they run lack of parental affection.
nity disapproved her
around chained to each aversion to violence.
They can make an intimi- It’s obvious: carnation,
facial features, body
8. Barilla other by rusty fetters. She dreams of grow up dating bodyguard for their type… all the same.
This cute little girl is lost and afraid. She gets scared for the slightest of reasons, which wouldn’t be They belong to an to be a wandering bard, chosen adoptive parent as Everyone looks at the
a problem if she hadn’t been a psychic vampire. Every time she has to contain her fear or swallow ogress who keeps them but she doesn’t have the long as they are properly father or mother. Can
her cries, she drains the lifeforce around her (everyone with 10 feet loses 1 point of Constitution). as snacks. As kobolds slightest aptitude that fed. Speaking of which, they give a satisfying
Everyone, look confident now! with 1 HP. Roll d6 for could help her reach they’re always hungry and explanation? Where
their reaction: her goal. Who would will eat anything, equip- is the other parent?
1: They attack with a dare crush her dreams Could they be an
9. Bahf ment included. As a 4 hit
10. Riley couple rusty knives though? As a 2 hit dice escaped clone?
A big, slow lad who walks with a slouch A young princess with an iron will and impeccably between them (1d3 dice hill giant.
minotaur.
while picking his nose. He is gifted with plaited hair. She’s looking for competent adventur- damage).
a sort of prescience, and can for in- ers to assist her in her quest: bring the head of an 2-4: They jump around 20. Casparo
stance detect traps and monsters lying in infamous monster to her royal parents. And then the party like puppies, This translucent child is cold to the touch. She became a ghost after
ambush nearby. Sadly, he’s mute. When perhaps they will finally stop treating her like a giggling and climbing being murdered by her parents for an unknown reason. Still, she seems
encountered, he is frozen in the middle of child! Before running away, she borrowed the axe onto peoples’ backs. to enjoy how her new existence lets her get away with doing dangerous,
a hallway after detecting a deadly trap just Mindsweeper, a sentient artefact with evil designs 5-6: They hide and or otherwise bad, things. And since she’s very bored, she’s open to ideas.
ahead of him… that only those of royal blood can control. growl if approached. As a ghost with 1 HD.

74 75
 by Matt Strom - Art: Goran Gligovic

Fairy
Knight
GENERATOR
Fairy knights are the inverse of knights errant (see Knock! #2. Their grotesque
heraldry makes a mockery of the practice, and instead of pursuing a quest of their
own, they impose a geas on unwary travelers.
I Roll one die of each d4-d10, two d12s, and three d20s to generate a knight.attack
The
bonus
knight’s HP is equal to all the odd numbers you roll added together, and the
is the lowest odd number you roll (3 minimum ). Assume AC is equivalen t to plate +
shield. Pre-generate one or two for random encounte r rolls.

II Heraldry
A - d4 Metal C -d8 Charge * E - d10 Beasts - Roll here if you rolled Beast
1. Bismuth field, 1. Infant on the Charge table
coloured charge 2. Child 1. Fly 6. Cockroach
2. Coloured field, 3. Priest or nun 2. Leech 7. Maggot
bismuth charge 4. King 3. Tapeworm 8. Louse
3. Radium field, 5.Queen 4. Tick 9. Slug
coloured charge 6. Knight 5. Centipede 10. Mosquito
4. Coloured field, 7. Jester
radium charge 8. Beast (roll on

B - d6 Colour
Beast table instead of
Condition table)
III Characteristics
F - d12 Fighting Style
1. Blood
D - d10 Charge 1. Oppressively awful odor
2. Chartreuse
conditions 2. Long, knife-like fingernails
3. Sulphur
1. Decapitated 3. Deadly boring stories
4. Ultraviolet
2. Hanged 4. Sharp teeth
5. Infrared
3. Burning 5. Venom-barbed cat-o-nine-tails
6. Void
4. Flayed 6. Literally paints with opponent’s blood
5. Impaled 7. “If looks could kill”— well, theirs do
6. Disemboweled 8. Hunts opponents like game
7. Quartered 9. Sings droning, headache-inducing dirges
10. Body parts blink out of existence and
* Charge: symbol

8. Crucified
9. Emaciated pop up elsewhere
10. Decomposed 11. Prefers an apple-on-head style archery
contest to combat
12. Armor is made of mirrors that reflect
76 spells back to the caster
 by Arnold K.

G - d12 Steed
1. Enchanted horse skeleton
2. Giant earthworm
3; Pack of wolves
4. Millions of ants
5. Rocking horse
6. Can’t be seen or felt by
anyone else
7. Horse-shaped fungus
8. Bone chariot
9. Ostrich
10. Rhinoceros
I - d20 Quirks
H - d20 Geas
1. Never answers questions directly, NEW JARGON, BECAUSE OUR HOBBY
1. Find the knight a suitable
takes great offense if others do DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH.
spouse to take back to Fairy
2.Reactions are always inversely
2. Protect a certain butterfly
proportional to the gravity of the
with your life
situation
3. Whittle a tree into tooth-
3. Mood changes every minute
picks and deliver them to at
4. Insists upon being called, “Your
least three trolls or giants
Excellency, the Esteemed Sir/
4. Bring them the head of a
Lady…”
random faculty member
5. Civil and polite, but says awful
5. Press crop circles into
things
peasants’ fields
6. Smells of yarrow and hawthorn

IC D
11. Human slaves in horse 6. Leave an infant at a certain
berries, but looks bloody and
costume spot in the woods at midnight

UM ER AN
unbathed
12. Enchanted bathtub 7. Eat an entire troll
7. Looks meticulous, yet smells of
8. Change places with your
rotting meat
shadow

TIMGEN ISM
8. Bitter about the flute they had
9. Capture and tame a unicorn
to melt down to make their perfect
J - d20 Name: for the knight’s steed
armor
Sir or Lady... 10. Convince one of the en-
9. Refuses to speak any language
1. Catspaw chantress Morgause’s crows

OP E M
but their own
2. Drowned-Willie to spy for the knight instead
10. Insists upon keeping a lock of
3. Old-Nan 11. Build a fire underwater

TH NA
each opponent’s hair
4. Winter’s-Harvest 12. Find a place where air
5. Sups-on-Bones stands still and build a door
11. Arch, witty, droll, takes nothing THE GENERIC OPTIMUM
seriously The generic optimum is the plan before

DY
6. Greenteeth there
12. Belittles others but immediately it contacts the enemy. In a simple room,
7. Jack-a-mire 13. Make them griffin-Bene-
tries to one-up their strengths against level appropriate enemies, the party
8. Kindly-Depart dict with phoenix-liver paté
13. Tries to smell each person sur-
9. Quickhands for breakfast has a certain strategy. Fighter up front, casters in
reptitiously upon meeting them
10. Lightning-Tom 14. Spin a balloon from the back, and everyone synergizing their abilities.
14. So disdainful of humans, they
11. Albemarle spidersilk Daily abilities are used conservatively; potions are
only communicate through animal
12. Dimmed-Sun 15. Summon a squire from held in reserve.
intermediaries
13. Headwind the Black Cauldron for A high-level party of wizards will have a complicated
15. Obsessed with the moon since
14. Red-Hen the knight
there is none in Annwn, realm of the optimum, but it is still an expected optimum.
15. Handsome-Pheasant 16. Steal a book from the
fairies
16. Catch-Cold rare book room deep below
17. Hangs-the-Dead Brechewold
16. Carries a bag of elf-myrrh and DYNAMISM
other perfumes to mask the stench If the encounter is not dynamic, the plan will survive contact
18. Breathe-Your-L ast 17. Procure a wedding gift fit
of humans with the enemy. Dynamism is everything that forces the party to
19. Hooked-Beak for a fairy prince

20. Greywhiskers
79
17. Fickle manipulator who can divert from the generic optimum. Examples:
18. Kidnap the king vulture
change face at will
Haunted-by-the-Past • A nilbog is healed by damage and harmed by healing.
18. Scientifically-minded, studies
19. Forge them a suit of elf-sil- • A dragon attacks and suddenly half the party is bleeding out.
humans as if they were flies
ver armor in the forge Belcher • A portcullis falls and isolates half the party.
19. Believes a PC is the descendent
20. Obtain the Holy Cheese All of these are dynamic. The usual tactics no longer work, there-
of a human who wronged their
Board for the knight’s curio fore new ones must be found. Dynamism is not about difficulty:
family
collection
20. Actually quite curious about and compare the dragon and the nilbog. Dynamism is not about
sympathetic to humans active vs passive: compare the dragon and the portcullis.

78

RANDOMNESS AS
A SOURCE OF DYNAMISM
Chaos is dynamic. Attack rolls,
critical hits, random chaos magic
events–all good stuff. But there
are two problems with relying on
randomness as one of your main drivers of
dynamism.
First, it’s unreliable. Good and bad luck
can take a combat outside of our expec-
tations. Imagine a combat where one side
can’t stop rolling 20s while the other side is
plagued by 1s.
Second, randomness eventually be-
comes part of the generic optimization cal-
culation. Players will eventually solve that,
too, and insulate their tactics from bad luck.
DIFFICULTY AS A SOURCE
OF DYNAMISM
Boss fights are dynamic because the
80
generic optimum will not work on them.
The players will have to find new tactics and
expend more resources to win, sometimes
precious ones. So why not make all your
fights boss fights?
First, it’s unreliable. Someone is
always going to feed the dragon a loogie
of green slime and bypass the entire
boss fight you planned.
Second, it’s sort of stressful to always
have your characters in the jaws of death.
Sometimes players need to therapeutically
stomp a few goblins to feel properly heroic.
UNIQUE SOURCES
OF DYNAMISM
Unfortunately, unique sources of dy-
namism are also the hardest to create. Diffi-
culty and randomness are both easy knobs
to turn, but coming up with fun, fresh new
obstacles requires ingenuity every time.
But before you start hammering out fresh
new hells, let’s make sure we know what
we’re striving for. Some examples of unique
dynamism in combat:
• A wall of fire suddenly splits the party
in half.
• A goblin douses your last torch with a
bucket of water.
• An enemy suddenly flees for reinforce-
ments.
All of these force the party to quickly
develop new tactics. A fresh new pain in the
ass. Here are the inverses:
• A fireball suddenly damages the whole
party.
• A darkness spell dims the torches,
giving everyone -2 to hit.
• Reinforcements suddenly show up.
Although these are very similar–they
are not dynamic. None of these force the
party to change their tactics, even though
some of them seem similar at first glance.
It all has to do with the fact that if your
players are not forced to immedia-
tely develop new tactics, it is not
dynamic. Whenever I read a thread about
“How to Make Combat More Exciting” I can
always notice which DMs understand this
principle, and which ones don’t.
DYNAMISM OUTSIDE
OF COMBAT
Combat is where most of your dyna-
mism comes from, because it is urgent.
Things are trying to kill you, and you must
find a solution now or die. But you can have
dynamism outside of combat, too. There’s a
lot of overlap here with OSR-style problems
which tend to have many imperfect solu-
tions, but no perfect solution. Examples:
• This dungeon is rapidly flooding. Soon
you will drown.
• You need to make noise, but too much
noise will collapse the ceiling.
• Saving all the treasures from the fire
will require splitting the party.
• A one-way door.
ere are their inverses, which are not
dynamic because the party doesn’t have to
develop new tactics:
• The dungeon is half-flooded. Move-
ment speed is halved.
• Rocks fall from the ceiling, dealing
random damage to anyone in the room.
• The faster the party defeats the fire
elementals, the more treasures they will
save.
• A locked door.
INTRODUCING DYNAMISM
RESPONSIBLY
You’re probably already planning some
fresh new hells for your players. Great.
Awesome. Swell. Just be careful you don’t
overturn too many expectations.
Players show up with expectations
about the setting. Everyone knows that
vampires burn in the sunlight, and that
dragons breathe fire. You can and should
break some of these sometimes (e.g. dra-
gons that breathe teleportation fog) but if
you break too many the setting will seem
weird/silly/gonzo-but-not-in-a-good-way.
They also have expectations about the
mechanics. Everyone knows that wizards
are the best at decoding scrolls, and that
fighters in heavy armor can take more hits.
You can and should break some of these
sometimes (e.g. monsters that ignore ar-
mor) but if you break too many, the mechan-
ics will feel pointless and unfair.
The exact balance between dyna-
mism-vs-expectations should be tailored
to your party. And of course, these two
things aren’t always mutually exclusive.
You can have dynamic encounters that
match everyone’s expectations–your
creative freedoms are just a bit more
limited.
FRESH NEW HELLS
As you brainstorm ways to add dyna-
mism to your games, make sure that you
are developing the parts that your players
care about.
I played Pathfinder for many
years, and I loved building new
characters because every
new PC was a fresh new
problem to solve. But af-
ter a few sessions with
that character, I got
bored because I
used the same
tactics every
combat.
81
 The fun, fresh new problem was inside
character creation, not inside gameplay.
As you find new ways to make your
encounters more dynamic, make sure that
you are putting the fresh new problems
in the places where your party is looking
for them. Even within the narrow category
of “combat”, dynamism can come from
mechanical tactics, dungeon-wide tactics,
resource management, puzzle solving, or
even roleplaying. Don’t pick the wrong
one.
COMING UP WITH UNIQUE
SOURCES OF DYNAMISM
Tip #1: Attack all parts of the character
sheet. (Not all at the same time, though.)
Assault everything that your players
thought they could rely on.
Tip #2: Introduce dynamism in
the middle of combat, not just in the
beginning of it. Make sure that the third
round of combat doesn’t feel identical to
the second round. (Bloodied abilities are a
good start, but please don’t stop there.)
Tip #3: Don’t just consider weird spells
and mutant creatures. Consider humble
sources of dynamism, especially psychol-
ogy and tactics.
Psychology:
• “Why is the medusa obsessed with
that statue?”
• “Wait, the dragon is only stealing cows
to set them free?”
• “Ha! There’s a hundred gretchlings
but they’re all afraid of fire!”
• “Wow, these goblins are extremely
82
scared of ghosts.”
Tactics:
• False retreats.
• Running for reinforcements.
• Robbing a character and running
away.
• Stopping to fight over loot.
• Kidnapping a PC in the middle of
combat.
• Always killing the wounded (telegraph
this one before you pull it on your players).
CLOSING WORDS
The best way to apply this article is to
just look at your current adventure and
ask yourself which parts are dynamic,
and which parts aren’t. Then, remove the
things that aren’t, and replace them with
*goblinpunch.blogspot.com.
things that are.
I’m not going to spend more space
giving examples because the internet
is drowning in brilliant, dynamic ideas.
(I have a few of them on my blog*). You
don’t need more material, you just need
better lenses to evaluate your existing
material.
48
 by Zach Howard aka Zenopus
ONE-HIT POINT MONSTERS
It’s not just
rats and
centipedes
THESE NEW MONSTERS ARE DESIGNED FOR USE
WITH SINGLE CHARACTERS (ONE-ON-ONE PLAY),
SMALL PARTIES (PERHAPS WITHOUT CLERICS), OR
YOUNGER PLAYERS. MANY CONTAIN A WHIMSICAL
OR FAIRY TALE ELEMENT FOR INCREASING THE
FANTASTICAL DURING THE GAME. EACH MONSTER
HAS BUT A SINGLE HIT POINT, SO THERE IS NO
NEED TO TRACK HIT POINTS, JUST THE NUMBER
OF MONSTERS.
For larger parties or higher level characters, ten times the
number of monsters can be used, perhaps with an optional
Swarm rule: roll for damage normally, but the result equals
the number of 1 hp monsters destroyed in a single attack.
Each monster has the same generic stats unless
indicated otherwise in the table above:
AC 7 [12], HD 1 (1hp), Att 1 (form varies) for
1 point of damage, THAC0 20 [–1], MV 120’
(40’), SV D14 W15 P16 B17 S18, ML 9, AL
varies, XP 1 (2 i f special ability), NA 1d8
times dungeon level, TT present 50% of the
time, equal to 1d20 times the total XP value
of the monsters in the form of coins, gems,
jewelry or other valuables.
If desired, any of these monsters
can easily scaled up to 1/4, 1/2 or 1
HD, and do 1-6 hp of damage per
attack.
84
1 Aggroach. Oversized cockroach, aggressively on the hunt for food, which
attacks with spines on forelegs. When killed, it releases a nauseating stench
that forces the assailant to save vs. Poison or suffer a -2 to hit for 1d6
turns. - 2 Blood Pudding. Tiny red cousin of the black pudding. Edible.
3 Corpse Light. Ghosts of torchbearers killed in the dungeon and seeking
vengeance against all adventurers. Appear as floating torches, damage
is from “cold fire”. - 4 Danse Macabre. Finely-dressed skeletons emerge
from the ground. One plays violin while the others invite the characters
to dance for 2d6 turns. They only attack if declined. If the characters
dance for the entire time, the skeletons sink back into the ground, leaving
behind a reward. The entire group can be turned as ghouls. - 5 Destroying
Angel. A floating fungus that secretes a toxin making it appear as an
angelic being with a charisma of 18. Save vs Poison or rush to embrace for
1d6 rounds, suffering 1 hp damage per round from its deadly touch.
6 Devil’s Walking Stick. Thorn-covered pole attacking as if wielded by
an immaterial, invisible assailant. Only damaged by edged weapons.
7 Dread Noggin. Floating zombified head. Aerial bite attack. Turned as
a skeleton. - 8 Glassjaw. Thin and jagged constructs made by glassblowers
and animated by wizards and alchemists to serve as assistants and, if
desparate, guardians. - 9 Green Man. Animated leaves and thorny branches
in humanoid form, created by ancient forests to ward off intruders. Falls
apart when hit. - 10 Hoop Snake. A large serpent that rolls to launch a flying
attack with its sharp tail, +2 on first attack, surprises on 1-4. - 11 Jack-in-
the-Green. Appears as an archer clad in green, but is actually composed
of vegetable matter. Fires weak arrows (1 damage) from a distance.
12 Knight’s Fire. Glowing, crackling gas that descends from the sky onto
the helmets of armored characters. - 13 Murderous Crows. Disgusting birds
living in the chest of a Failed Scarecrow which burst forth and attack, but
will return home if each given six pence (6 cp). - 14 Skeletal Torso. Upper
portion of a skeleton that inexorably pulls itself along with its arms. Turned
as a skeleton, but with a +2 on the roll. - 15 Stone Grotesque. Small, ugly
animated statue (AC 4), attack is a forceful spout of water in the face, with
a range of up to 10’. - 16 Talking Magpie. If fed, party is Blessed (as the
spell) for 1 day. If attacked, Cursed (-1 on all attack and damage rolls) for
1 day. - 17 The Vapors. Depressive gaseous entity. On a successful hit, the
victim must save vs Spells or drop weapon and stand still in melancholy for
1d6 rounds. - 18 Tommyknocker. Small spectral presence haunting old mine,
which attacks from up to 30’ away by tapping on the wall, causing stones
to fall on one character. - 19 Well Wyrm. 3’ foot long reptilian worm that
infests wells, spoiling the water. - 20 Vampire Bat. Small and fast (AC3)
until it bites, attaches and drains 1 hp per round, during which time it is
vulnerable (AC9). After two rounds drinking, it is satiated and flies away.
 by James Malizewski by Nyhur

IN PRAISE
OF VERMIN
The first player character to die in my
first D&D campaign was the not-very-

BLOOD
originally named Hercules; he was killed
by a fire beetle. This began my love affair
with dungeon vermin—giant rats, centi-
pedes, spiders, and similar creatures. For
some reason, they seem right, which is to
say: they fit the kind of faux grittiness that

MOON
I associate with D&D’s default style of ga-
meplay. Sure, everyone would much
rather go toe to toe with goblins
or orcs or whatever, but nothing
says old school like getting
the blood sucked out of you
by a giant tick. Once every seventeen years the Blood Moon rises, and
Dungeon vermin are, I think, darkness falls for three days and three nights. Like a red,
a necessary extension of crazed demonic eye, the moon hovers in the black sky. The
Gygaxian naturalism
Naturalism. They’re Blood Moon beckons blood, and blood it shall receive.
«transitional” monsters that mark the Fight the urge and lock your door, or embrace its influence
dividing line between the mundane ecology out- and roam the streets and the wilds, delve into the earth,
side the dungeon and the fantastical one inside it. I cleansing the world with crimson violence.
find monstrous vermin to be, frankly, far creepier than The Blood Moon brings an adrenaline rush followed by the
stuff like bugbears or minotaurs because they could be real. They exist awakening of supernatural abilities. The bloodier it gets the
in that twilight world between the unlikely and the impossible and, let’s face it, you stronger it becomes. It can be channelled into doing good or evil
never know what zoologists are going to pull out of the jungles of Indonesia or the but, if you abandon yourself to it, blood will flow for sure.
rain forests of the Amazon next. There are already some disturbingly large spiders Players keep track of how much blood is covering their characters. This
and insects out there and, while the square-cube law prevents them from attaining Blood Level affects both their appearance and abilities. Characters don’t
D&D sizes, that’s cold comfort to a guy like me who’s more than a little squeamish need to sleep during the Blood Moon.
when it comes to creepy-crawlies.
Some will no doubt argue that dungeon vermin are not «heroic» but, for
me, that’s
a feature and not a bug (no pun intended). I remain firmly committed
to the notion
that 1st-level D&D characters are not heroes—at least not yet. Poor old
Hercules
did not die a hero’s death, but his death is remembered, if only becaus
e he’d waded
into a combat, club in hand, that he should have avoided. His death was
an object
lesson in poor planning and the perils of leaping before you look. After
all, how
dangerous could a bunch of over-sized phosphorescent beetles be, right?

86 87

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD MOON
The amount of blood covering characters is
quantified in Blood Drops (BD). Blood Drops
are obtained during combat and by performing
certain actions.
• Combat and Blood Drops
- Rolling max damage with a melee
attack: 1 BD
- Hitting with a critical melee attack: 1d4 BD
- Being adjacent to a creature when it is killed:
1d4 BD (bigger creatures can spray more BD)
- Taking a critical hit: 1d4 BD
- Dropping to 1 hit point or less: 1d8 BD
• More Blood!
- Characters can smear themselves with the
blood of their enemies (or allies), gaining 1d4
BD every time they do so. The Blood Moon
considers this deplorable: it doesn’t work once
a character has reached 6 BD.
- Characters can bathe in blood. This can be
done by pouring a bowl of blood over them-
selves (2d4 BD), dancing in the blood-rain
(2d6 BD) or entering a demonic pool of blood
(2d8 BD). Such occasions are rare and should
be celebrated.
• Cleaning Blood
Cleaning blood off when the Blood Moon rises
is a difficult process. It takes 10 minutes and at
least a bucket of clean water to clear 1d8 BD
(to a minimum of 1). With a bath and a set of
clean clothes, a character can rid themselves of
all blood drops.
BLOOD LEVELS
Each level is accompanied by a short descrip-
tion. Interpret it in the most appropriate way
for your game system and narrative. (Hardcore
grognards, know that rolling with Advantage
means you roll twice and keep the best result;
disadvantage means you roll twice and keep
the worst result.)
88
- Clean as a baby. (0 BD)
The Blood Moon and its followers are
hostile towards you.
- Blood splatters. (1-5 BD)
A sign of respect toward the Blood Moon.
- Blood stains. (6-10 BD)
Wear it like a badge of honor, you are here
to spread violence in the name of the
Blood Moon.
- Covered in blood. (11-15 BD)
You are a favorite of the Blood Moon and
everybody knows to avoid you. You have
advantage on attack rolls and disadvan-
tage on defence rolls (or enemies have
advantage when attacking you).
- Dripping blood. (16-20 BD)
You reek of death and your path is one of
violence. Commune with the Blood Moon
and hear her whispers, learning where
you should bring mayhem next.
- BLOOD DRENCHED!!! (21-25 BD)
You are a champion of the Blood Moon,
your duty is to wash this world in blood!
You have advantage on all damage rolls.
BLOOD MOON PACTS
A character can make a single Blood
Moon pact, gaining supernatural abilities
for the duration of the event.
• Bloodrager
Blood makes you violently lose control.
- Over 5 BD: You can only use melee
weapons. When you gain blood drops,
you must perform an extra attack against
the nearest creature. You charge or throw
your weapon if necessary.
- Over 10 BD: You lose 1 BD every hour.
- Over 20 BD: You do not have advantage
on damage rolls, but all the damage you
deal is doubled.
• Bloodleech
You consume blood to get a momentary
focus surge.
- Over 5 BD: You can spend 1 BD to gain
advantage on a single skill or ability check.
- Over 15 BD: You can spend 1 BD to gain
+1 to any ability or skill check, saving
throw, or attack roll.
• Bloodhound
You have a heightened sense of smell for
blood.
- Over 5 BD: You can follow the tracks of a
bleeding creature up to 1 km.
- Over 15 BD: You can spend 1 BD to per-
ceive all living creatures within 20 meters.
• Bloodsmith
You can coagulate blood instantly to create
items.
- Over 5 BD: You can spend 1 BD to cover
yourself with a blood crust. This crust
halves the damage of the next two attacks
hitting you. It crumbles away afterwards.
- Over 15 BD: You can spend 2 BD to create
a scabby shield, portion of low wall, small
bridge, etc...
• Blood Sorcerer
You can imbue your spells with blood
magic.
- Over 5 BD: When the target of one of your
spells rolls a natural 1 on its save, you gain
2d4 BD.
- Over 15 BD: When casting a spell, you can
consume up to 7 BD. The spells deals 1d6
extra damage for every BD spent. In case of
multiple targets, decide how to distribute
the damage.
• Blood Charmer
You can make blood dance in the air.
- Over 5 BD: You can spend 1 BD to trans-
fer 1d6 BD from one willing character to
another, yourself included.
- Over 15 BD: When a creature within 5
meters of you is killed, it sprays +1d4 BD
on adjacent creatures.
• Blood Knight
You are a faithful herald of the Blood Moon.
During the Blood Moon: If you willingly
smear yourself in blood, you lose all your
Blood Drops and Blood Moon pact powers
until the end of the event.
89
- Over 10 BD: You do not have disad-
vantage on defence rolls (enemies do
not have advantage when attacking
you).
- Over 20 BD: You can spend 2 BD to
deal maximum damage with your melee
attacks. This does not count as rolling
maximum damage with your attack.
• Blood Blade
- Over 5 BD: You can spend 1 BD to coa-
gulate the blood that covers you into a
blade (knife or short sword).
- Over 15 BD: Your blood blades score
a critical hit on a natural 19 as well as on
a 20.
DEFILER OF THE BLOOD MOON
You are a sworn enemy of the Blood
Moon and your mission is to dispel its
evil influence once and for all. Until you
find a way to accomplish your goal, you
thin out the ranks of its crimson clad
followers. But how are you different
from those bloodthirsty beasts?
You do not gain the powers when Cove-
red in blood and Blood drenched..
- At zero BD: You have advantage
on attack rolls and defence rolls (or ene-
mies have disadvantage when attacking
you). This power is lost if you gain any
BD.
- At 1-10 BD: While using blunt
weapons, you have advantage on attack
and damage rolls.
- Over 10 BD: You have advantage
on melee attack and damage rolls; you
have disadvantage with ranged attack
and damage rolls. Every time you gain
BD, you gain +1 BD.
- Over 20 BD: You have failed as a De-
filer and fallen into an insatiable blood
rage. Until the Blood Moon ends you are
in its absolute power. You lose control of
your character until the event ends or
you fall back to 20 BD or less.
 Use a pair of scissors and get rich!
by Ava Islam

TheEcology
Gold
of Upon finding such a cache, the victor naturally
appropriates it in order to gain great power in
the world of men. This involves, of course, some
levying of the gold in trade, such that it moves
Gold became the standard coin of again, but for the gold this is a small and necessary
trade first primarily for its metal- sacrifice; in the scale of its lifespan, this stage is
but a speck. For the gold-mad inevitably build
lurgic qualities, but it remained so
around themselves great fortresses, and send out
because of its supra-natural qualities. others to bring back yet more gold, while they lay
Gold, you see, must constantly remain in cir-
languorously and covetously on their pile, basking
culation; the movement is essential to coun- in the joys of accumulation, and stirring only on
teract the malign will of the gold itself. Gold the occasions where yet more aurum is to be added
is a heavy, lazy thing; it pulls itself towards to the pile.
the ground, and desires above all else to nap Eventually the great lord or queen or viscountess
lazily in a cool, dark place, perhaps with a or whatever she be passes out of public view,
stray sunbeam warming its back, in a large recedes into herself, till she seems to die. In yet
pile of its kin. The subtle whispers it trickles another act of influence, her followers will be
in the ears of mortals, the sapping light it compelled to act with wanton destruction in
exudes, the way it pushes its weight all the way burying their great ruler with her wealth, denying
down to the boot heels of those who carry themselves the myriad use-values they could obtain.
it, causing them to drag their feet, all compel Here is where the gold begins its work in earnest.
those who carry gold disturbed from its slumber On the still, barely living body of its soon to be
beneath the earth to return it to such a state, till guardian, it exerts its changes, fashioning the cor-
eventually they lay all gathered somewhere in pus into that of an eternal, living weapon who will
an enormous pile.
ensure the gold shall never again be disturbed.
Two curious things happen when a The gold will send this creature out to rescue
concentration of gold is formed in more of its kin, such that their joys may be mag-
this way. One, fearing that its slumber be nified by each other’s presence. It will ensure
disturbed again, it sends subtle vibrations
that the beast lives as long as they do, and that
through the air which induce a kind of
as it ages they continue their work upon it to
monomania, causing heady fools to rush to
make it ever more fearsome. If the gold finds
discover and uncover it. Many will be drawn
by this call, though inevitably violence will itself continually under threat, it may yet call
erupt and only the most brutal and deranged out for and create even more dragons, who all
will lay claim to the prize. This is the first by slumbering upon the same pile gradually
part of the selection process. merge into an even greater monstrosity.
INSPIRATION
Bennett, Jane. “The Force of Things: Steps toward an Ecology of Matter.” Political Theory, vol. 32, no. 3, 2004, pp. 347–372.
“Gold Fever” by Benton: https://www.incunabuli.com/2020/03/gold-fever.html
90
 by Harbowoputra
by Diogo Nogueira

Look at Them Weirdos! WHEN NOT TO KILL A

PLAYER CHARACTER?
WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO KILL A LOT MORE!
Roll d4 in open outdoors The old-school playstyle is famous for its “let the dice fall
d6 in forest or canopied wilderness where they may” philosophy , which certainly makes for high
d10 in dungeons stakes experiences. Characters can die if they take the
wrong decision at the wrong time, or if they roll
poorly after an unlucky random encounter roll in the
first minutes of the game. At the same time, if they roll
really well, they can turn a very challenging encounter into an easy
fight. That’s one of the things that make these games so exciting.

Another feature of our style of roleplaying games is the tough choices the players are
presented with.
with When they are running low on HP, do they risk going deeper into the
dungeon to get more treasure, or do they go back to town? Do they risk carrying all
that gold, giving a chance for the terrible thing that is following them to catch up, or
do they drop the loot and just get the hell out of there? Do they take the shortest but 93
dangerous path to their objective, or do they take the safe and longer one, knowing a
rival party is on the way there too?
With these in mind, I started to do something I almost never do: save a character’s life
when the dice would have killed them. But I ignore the dice so I can give a tough choice to
the other players: will they risk their characters in an attempt to save another PC from
certain death?
This actually doesn’t nullify the dice results, as the doomed character is going to die if
nothing is done. Italso puts the other players in a tough spot. They can be heroes if they
other
1. Starving adventurers (as many as your party size) about to cannibalize each
manage to save their companion, they can die horribly together with them, or they can
walk away to ensure their characters' safety. Tensions will run high at the table, and that’s
always great..
2. A stray member of the Queen’s Dining Club, forever hungry
A few examples are listed below. With a little practice, you’ll be able to use this
3. A funeral procession of 3d6 wailers and a faceless noble technique in a variety of different circumstances.

1 2 3 4
After the dra- If someone When The characters
4. 3d8 fowlriders violently racing cross-country gon is defeated, went ahead fleeing a gi- have made a
the lair starts to to scout and gantic black huge faux-pas
cave in. One of the fell into a lethal pit pudding, a charac- talking to a powerful
5. 3d4 princesses playing hide and seek with a trickster beast characters is un- trap, maybe they ter falls behind lich-queen? Instead
lucky enough to are still alive, bleed- and gets caught. of killing the party
have a huge rock fall ing to death and Instead of imme- leader with a finger
6. 2d6 frog-eaters having a feast with bogwater tea and all on them. Instead screaming in pain. diately dissolving of death before
of killing them Will the other the poor bastard, dismissing the rest,
7. Party-sized merchant guild of postcapital, selling the rights to wield weapon outright, just say characters try the pudding plays she has them taken
the other PCs see to get them out, with its food, into her extradimen-
their companion or will the other eating them inch sional torture room.
8. Two mortal enemies chained to each other stuck under the players stay away by inch, and see Will the rest of the
rock. Will they stop to avoid the wan- if the others will party sneak back to
9. A lone knight of the Ivory Parliament, who can talk with teeth to help at the risk of dering monsters go back to try and the necropolis and
dying buried with the screams will save their friend. attempt to free their
10. d8+2 upside-downers (people whose gravity is to the them? inevitably attract? companion?
ceiling) looking to convert people to their reality
 by Andrea ‘Vyrelion’ Back

“3”

d8 WEIRD KoBOLD* WEAPONS

* OR GOBLIN, WILD HALFLING, OR ANY OTHER UNDER-
EQUIPPED YET VIOLENT LITTLE BASTARDS
“Well, thing is, the hobgoblins take all the good swords,
and the crossbows and so on. The orcs call dibs on any battleaxe
we pry from a dwarf’s hands, and the bugbears want all
the big smashers that make loud thuds. So yeah, we gotta
be creative!”
1 - STINK-N-POKE
Doesn’t hurt much but it stinks worse than a bugbear’s butt.
Range 20’; 1d3 damage; fetid smell marks you for 24 hours, and
it will just linger even after washing.
2 - BUZZING CLUB
On a hit, bees come out and attack the
victim, stinging for 1 damage and interrupting spellcasting and focus for 1d3 rounds.
Works only once. 1d4 damage.
3 - CLAWS-IN-THE-BOX
Mace with a box instead of a head. Contains an angry cat, ferret, or other small predator that
hasn’t been fed for days. On a roll of 18 or more, the box breaks open and the animal attacks
the target for 1d3 rounds.
1d6 damage, two handed. Angry critter does 1d2 damage.

4 - BIG BRO FLAIL

Made out of an orc or bugbear skull – but don’t tell them.
1d8 damage, two handed. Breaks on max damage, dealing 1 damage to all within 10'
5 - SLUG SLING
Slugs are slimy and carnivorous. On a hit, the slug starts biting for 1 damage per round until it
deals 4 damage, then falls off. Pulling a slug off takes a round.
Range 30’, no other damage.
6 - GONZO’S DEATH ROLLER
A spiked barrel that the most heroic (not stupid: HEROIC!) kobolds ride into battle. They go
in and roll over the enemy! Works once and only goes downhill.
The first target on its path must save or take 2d6 damage. The kobold inside takes the same
amount of damage.
7 - BURNING BLADE
These seemingly rusty swords are actually bone blades covered in hot pepper powder. Quite
blunt, but a scratch can burn for hours. Keep away from eyes. Or not.
Damage 1d4; if a 4 is rolled, it deals an extra d4 damage next turn. On a natural 19 or more, the
target is blinded for 1 turn or until they wash their eyes.
8 - FAKE GREATSWORD
These look scary and too big for a kobold to wield… but they are just cleverly disguised spears.
The kobolds don’t swing them, just poke the enemy with them between intimidating poses.
Damage as a spear.

94
 by Stuart Robertson (text and art)

THE MORE
Running games for large groups

THE MERRIER

While most modern roleplaying game sessions typically have up to a

half dozen players, running a game for a much larger group can be a
lot of fun. The bigger your group, the more you’ll need to change your
approach to game mastering and what to expect from each session.
Here are the things I learned running a 3-year campaign with over six dozen
96 players and from 12 to 24 people at the game table for our weekly sessions. 97

1 3
Choose
a quiet
environment.
Noise can be a challenge
with a big group of
players, particularly for
anyone at the table who
has issues with their hear-
ing or attention. Finding
a space to play without
echo, other conversa-
tions, or music, can help.
If you find you can’t hear
quieter players, or them
you, don’t forget you can
walk around the table to
be closer to them. (See
point 4 below.)
4 5
Keep a brisk
pace, and take
breaks. More people
mean everyone has to wait longer
for their “turn,” so you want
to keep things moving and
not linger too long on any one
player. The quicker pace makes
it more tiring than running for
a smaller group, so consider
shorter, more frequent game
sessions instead of your usual
6+ hour marathons. Taking a
break mid-way through the
game is also helpful, where you
can get away from talking and
catch your breath.
98
2 8
Rely on your prep,
not on your brain.
There’s a lot to focus on
when running a game for a large Involve
group. Try to prepare in advance
everyone from
as much as you can. Create or use
the start. At the
a scenario with a map and keyed
beginning of a session, go
locations whenever possible.
around the table and have
Trying to improvise everything everyone introduce them-
on the fly and make it entertain-
selves and say what character
ing for so many different people they are playing — name,
makes it that much more difficult.
class, race, and perhaps a
Similarly, you’ll have more
sentence or two describing
success if you avoid the tempta- them. When continuing from
tion to bend the rules or change
a previous session, you can
hit points and attack bonuses to
also ask each person to say
make encounters easier or harder
something that happened last
for dramatic purposes. It’s one
time. Let the group take care
less thing to worry about, and of introductions and remind
with a large group you have more
everyone where the game
people who might notice you
finished last time. (See point 7
aren’t running things fairly. below about getting help.)
6
Don t hide
Use props and
behind your
visual aids. These
screen. Stand-
can help keep players
ing can help you keep your
involved in the game while they
energy up for the entire
wait for their chance to take
session and also help
an action or interact with an
make sure everyone at the
NPC. Using a colourful printed
table can see and hear you.
map with miniatures or tokens
Also, moving around the
gives everyone at the table
table can help players feel
something to look at, and with
like sitting far away from
bigger groups it helps everyone
you doesn’t mean they’ll
keep track of where the char-
get less attention during
acters are. Don’t limit yourself
the game.
to just using these for combat
encounters; miniatures can be
used outside of combat to track
things like marching order, or
which characters are together
in case the party splits up.
9
Make a show
Dice are fun. of your dice
Look for opportu- rolls. Don’t hide
nities to have all the your dice behind a screen.
players take their actions at Find the largest dice you
7
once. Instead of asking one can and roll them in the
Rely on the
player to make a check, ask middle of the table. Try
players. You have
everyone whose character and do any math ahead of
enough to focus on when is present to do it. If pos-
running a game for a large time whenever possible
sible, tell the players what and let the players know
group without stopping to look they need to roll to succeed
up rules every few minutes. what would be a success
and have them calculate or failure before you roll
Ask the players to look up and
any bonuses for their the dice. You’ll get more
read aloud rules or descriptions character. When you need
for spells and special abilities cheers or groans imme-
one character to succeed, diately after someone rolls
their character wants to use.
perhaps in finding a secret the dice than you will if
In addition to making it easier
door or hidden treasure, they have to wait for math
on you, it also focuses on them
you can award this to results. Similarly, you can
for a minute or two and lets you whoever got the best
regroup. These mini-breaks can result. Players often feel encourage the group to
watch their fellow players
make a big difference, so look
more invested in the game rolling by telling everyone
for ways to have the group focus when they get to roll their
on one of the players instead what they need to roll to
dice, so make sure they get succeed. Which brings us
of you. to do this often. to combat.
10
11
Make combat easy
Make every action
to follow. Combat en-
count. Since players in larger
counters in some systems can
groups have to wait longer to
take a lot of time, and with a large group, it
take their turns, make sure they feel like
can take even longer. Too many enemies
their character is good at whatever they’re
means more time spent rolling dice and
attempting to do, even when they fail. They
tracking stats, so plan your encounters with
didn’t miss the attack or botch the skill check
that in mind. To make it easier on yourself,
because they’re incompetent — it’s because
get the players involved in helping run com-
something unforeseen happened, or their
bat. After the first player attacks a monster,
adversary is highly skilled. The last thing a
let them know its armour class. Once they
player wants is to wait 10 minutes to take
score a hit, let them know how many hit
their turn only to feel frustrated that their
points it has. This makes sure everyone un-
character can’t seem to do anything right.
derstands how dangerous their opponents
Look for ways to have characters who failed
are, and allows the math-inclined players
their die rolls factor into the descriptions of
to help with players can help with tracking
characters that succeeded. Perhaps because
hit points, damage, and what hit rolls are the orc was distracted parrying Ezra the elf’s
needed. Before they roll to attack, ask them
blows, Poppo the halfling found an opening.
“So what do you need to hit?” (See point 9 Both players will feel more satisfied with that
above.) You don’t have to do math for them, outcome.
and everyone at the table knows what the
odds are, focusing them on the die roll.
99
 by Vasili Kaliman

12
Mind
disruptive
players. The more
players you have in a group, the
greater the probability someone
will want their character to be
‘chaotic’ or disruptive increases.
Depending on the tone of your
game, this can make things less fun
for the rest of the group. Saying
“Yes, and…” is a rule from improv
theatre games with small groups
where nobody is trying to be
disruptive. When running for large
groups, you will sometimes need to
say “No” to stop things from getting
derailed, especially by players not
used to sharing the focus with so
many other players. Look for ways
to let disruptive players express
what they’re looking for in a way
that doesn’t take things away from
the rest of the group.
SUNRISE OVER
13
Give distracted
players some
THE BLACK LAKE
THINGS WITHIN
slack. Don’t worry
if people bring cellphones, books,
or fidget toys to the table – unless OR AROUND A LAKE
(roll d12) TAINTED BY EVIL
they’re distracting the other players.
You won’t keep everyone’s focus all
the time, and that’s OK. You don’t
O
want to be competing with distracted 1 The memories and knowledge of dead sorcerers
players for the group’s attention, and can be gathered and extracted from the waters of
it’s better for them to quietly focus the lake to make potions.
on something else than look for ways
to entertain themselves in a way that
O
2 In a bottle floating in the lake, a message says
one of the characters (randomly determined) is
spoils the game. If someone has left cursed. Decide on a fitting curse for the PC.) Curse
the table, keep things going and let can be lifted by magic.
them act or take their combat turn
when they get back.
O
3 Eyeballs on the end of stalks 1-2’ high grow
around the edges of the lake. The eyeballs blink
and watch the party. The eyes have been extracted
from nearby villagers.
O
4 Children from a nearby village laughing and

15
Find team players. These playing together at the water’s edge. They have

14
Make XP simple.
Award experience points
as per your normal rules,
but also provide a small amount for
attendance. This helps players feel
that even if their character didn’t take
as many turns as they would have in
a smaller group, they’re still making
progress. It also encourages quieter,
non-combatant type players without
thinking that the only way to advance
is attacking everything in sight. Avoid
XP rewards for roleplaying with large
groups or you could quickly run into
problems with people vying
for spotlight time.
100
tips will help you run games for
larger groups, but the most valuable
thing will be finding the right people to game with.
Players won’t get the same individual attention as
in a smaller group. Instead, they get to be part of
a different kind of tabletop RPG experience. To
O6
help find like-minded gamers, I made it clear when
people joined our campaign that it was all-ages
friendly, with no evil characters or player-vs-
player fighting. What really mattered the most
was setting expectations to make sure we were all
O
9
looking for the same kind of fun. Helpful players
who are more interested in making the game fun
for everyone than how much personal fo-
cus their character gets are worth their
weight in gold pieces. I found that
the parents of younger players can
help a lot. The bigger your gaming
group grows, the more it will
become a team effort to
be successful..
black boils all over their bodies and black puss is
drooling from their mouths.
O
5 A huge boulder smeared with blood.
The water of the lake looks like it’s boiling with
steam rising, but when one gets close, it is actually
freezing cold.
O
7 Crystal clear water with what looks like two-
headed mermaids with golden tails swimming
beneath.
O
8 Music and happy singing coming from a distance.
Animal-plant hybrid creatures feeding; their in-
testines come out of their stomachs and disappear
into the ground.
O
10 A life-size statue of a person pointing in a
direction. An absurd riddle written on the base of
the statue gives a clue to a nearby mystery.
O
11 Hundreds of large eggs, about the size of a
person. Some have already hatched.
O
12 A polished marble staircase, leading
underground.
101
 by Vagabundork by Vasili Kaliman

A trap, a power, and an NPC

RATS Rat Nest

You have fallen into a burrow full of rats, thousands of them.
Each round you suffer 3d4 points of damage, save vs paralysis for half damage. You could,
WANDERERS IN
THE DARK
INEXPLICABLE
THINGS FOUND IN
of course, light a torch one round rather than rolling a save. The light and fire keep the
rats at bay for 1d4 rounds, after which they get bold and rush at you.
Command Rats
(roll d14) A DUNGEON
O
.
This can be a spell or an innate or acquired ability.
1 A painting on the wall depicting the party.
The mechanics are less important than the effects.
• Vancian Magic: 1st level spell. Duration: the magic-user’s level in turns.
• Otherwise: Innate, acquired, purchased, through an item, granted by King Rat, whatever.
OO2
3
A newborn baby in a cot.
3. An undead creature playing beautiful music on
Duration: 1d10 turns or referee’s choice. Uses per day: Charisma modifier, minimum 1. a harpsichord.
- Effect: You control a group of 1d6+9 rats that act in unison. The group has HP equal to
the number of individuals, and will disperse when half of its members are lost or at the O
4 A church organ made of singing, severed heads.
Half are singing “Feed me!” and the other half
end of the effect. Give them an order and they’ll carry it out to the best of their ability, as singing “Eat me!” in unison.
long as it’s not directly harmful to them.
- Secondary Effect: When using this power, and for 1d4 days thereafter (cumulative with O
5 A toy snow globe with a tiny, living blue dragon
inside.
O
other uses), you’ll be surrounded by friendly rats. They’ll climb on your shoulders, run
around you, etc. Intense light and fire will keep them away. 6 A room with a heartbeat.
King Rat O
7 A room where torches burn fitfully and give off
a lot of thick black smoke.
O
Leather Armor, HD 3, HP 12, Weapons 2 katara (push daggers) for a total of 1d8 damage
(when using only one, damage is 1d6). 8 A speaking door which will let the party pass if
King Rat is a handsome but slovenly man of about 45, who lives in the catacombs surround- they can answer a riddle.
ed by rats. All rodents obey him and he talks with them, mainly about poetry, philosophy,
politics, and science; whether the rats respond or even understand is open to debate. An O
9 Nine glass globes hanging by a rope from the
ceiling, each containing a key.
anarchist, he doesn’t believe in authority but he is a defender of fair bargains.
- Command Rats: He can use this ability 5 times a day. How did he get it? If questioned and
inclined to talk, he will say that it was given to him by the Rat God, without further details.
O
10 A face carved into the dungeon wall which
speaks and says: “Turn back... this is not the way.”
King Rat doesn’t bear the mark or the rat (see below).
- Mark of the Rat: An adventurer can fulfil an assignment in exchange for the Mark of the
O
11 A small device which whispers your words into
the sleeping ears of others.
Rat which allows them to command rats as described above.
The mark is a rat-shaped scarification on the left temple. O
12 A coin that hypnotizes anyone observing it
spinning.
O 14
13
An underground forest.
O A section or room of the dungeon where every
character becomes invisible to other members of
the party.

102 103
 by Ktrey Parker - Art : Dylan Horrocks

What
are those
stir
doing?
ges
1- Alighting on cast iron lantern hooks, high above. 2 - Annoying a gargoyle, unable
to pierce its stony hide. 3 - Avoiding a startling smell: an approaching gelatinous
cube. 4 - Beating their wings dry of damp and dew. 5 - Billowing forth from a fissure
Smlhg
in the r zryzhshz
stone. 6 - Blundering withshshshd
dull thudsdgferglqehfilqfqbqd
into a hanging bloodstained cloth.
7 - Brooding heqsdsgsdyfaezrbg zùrth
within their scab-like spittle nests. grgqdv
8 - Buzzing with ever increasing
intensity during a mating flight. 9 - Circling the withered corpse of a cleric. 10 - Clicking
with loud stridulant sounds to claim territory. 11 - Clinging to a crudely wrought iron
chandelier. 12 - Clustering on a squealing giant rat. 13 - Congregating above a pool,
occasionally spearfishing for frogs. 14 - Cowering from a gnome testing her last dose
of stirge repellant. 15 - Crawling clumsily across the floor, too swollen with cruor to
fly. 16 - Dangling precariously from the sides of a skinny stalactite. 17 - Darting from
perch to perch to avoid a frustrated giant spider. 18 - Depositing row upon slimy row
of translucent carmine eggs. 19 - Detaching from a dead doppelgänger, grey skin
and rubbery bone. 20 - Divebombing a shouting dwarf, wildly swinging his hammer.
21 - Draining a desperate plague doctor dry. 22 - Drinking small straw-like sips from
an unattended glass of wine. 23 - Dropping down suddenly from a doorway onto the
back of a bandit. 24 - Drying their hematic dens by fanning their wings. 25 - Dwelling
inside a big bronze bell suspended from a rotting beam. 26 - Emerging from the
helm of a hollow suit of ceremonial armor. 27 - Engorging on a hibernating owlbear;
flightless due to bloat. 28 - Establishing a splinter colony due to overpopulation.
29 - Exsanguinating an explorer as his porters scramble and flee. 30 - Extracting
precious little blood from a dead rat. 31 - Fattening for breeding season, much
more aggressive than normal. 32 - Feeding young by regurgitating gory mixtures.
33 - Fencing with pointy proboscises: fighting over the right to mate. 34 - Flanking
an archway, ready to swoop on any passersby. 35 - Flapping furiously within a sticky
mass of web. 36 - Flourishing from regular sacrifices made by a creepy blood cult.
37 - Fluttering down from a chimney flue, blackened with soot. 38 - Flying clumsily,
drunk after feeding on an intoxicated ogre. 39 - Following the sweet scent of a bleeding

elf. 40 - Gingerly sipping from a quickly curdling crimson puddle. 41 - Gorging on a
gibbeted gnoll. 42 - Gripping fast with tenacious legs to a screaming goblin. 43 - Hanging
densely along the bottom of a shelf, preening. 44 - Hovering in place, waiting for a carcass
crawler to paralyze prey. 45 - Humming in unison as a distant shrieker howls. 46 - Hunting
down a wounded horse. 47 - Immaculately constructing their scarlet nests of solidified
spit. 48 - Impaling proboscises into a taxidermied stag head, frustrated. 49 - Infecting
those they drink from with bloodborne pathogens. 50 - Jabbing through the eye-slit
of a plate armored paladin's helm. 51 - Jockeying for prime position on a desperately
braying mule. 52 - Keening from the inky darkness above, diving down periodically.
53 - Keeping their newly hatched young warm in their pouches. 54 - Landing on a
brackish basin, drinking watchfully with long tongues. 55 - Launching from their perch
at an unlucky ranger. 56 - Lazily gliding on warm currents from steamy thermal vents.
57 - Living in a strange symbiosis with giant ghoul rats. 58 - Menacing a medium as she
waves a torch recklessly. 59 - Mobbing a merchant, bodyguards bruise as they club them
off. 60 - Monotonously droning with their rapidly flapping wings. 61 - Nesting inside
a mummified giant bat, suspended from the ceiling. 62 - Noisily squealing as some of
them sizzle from green slime. 63 - Occupying the skull of some sort of very large lizard.
64 - Overtaking an outlander, smeared with blood as a rite of passage. 65 - Perching on
the upraised arms of a dryad statue. 66 - Piercing the carcass of a deer, hanging from a
hook. 67 - Plaguing a platoon of hobgoblins, marching on patrol. 68 - Pulsating as they
digest spicy dragon blood. 69 - Puncturing through a canvas sack suspended from the
ceiling. 70 - Pursuing a fleet-footed pickpocket down darkened corridors. 71 - Quavering
in contented warbling chirps. 72 - Ranging far and wide to nearby farms for their nightly
sorties. 73 - Diving rapidly to avoid a snatching snake. 74 - Ravenously swarming a group
of halfling mushroom hunters. 75 - Rolling around in a pile of ashes to eliminate lice.
76 - Roosting in a uniform line all along an arched roof. 77 - Seeking the shadows after
a sudden burst of magical light. 78 - Settling into their nests after a big meal, distended
bellies drooping. 79 - Shunning the acrid smoke of a special wood, burnt by neanderthals.
80 - Skimming gore off a bloody, discarded axe head. 81 - Squeaking as they flock
around a fighter in recently rusted chain. 82 - Squeezing through tiny cracks after
sensing warm breath. 83 - Starving, stuck in a room with several bloodless skeletons.
84 - Streaming towards an entranced lizardfolk priest. 85 - Suddenly swooping, startling
a relic smuggler. 86 - Swinging playfully on a series of suspended chains, a rattling racket.
87 - Thirsting for the blood of a noble sleeping in a glass coffin. 88 - Thriving due to
plentiful play: almost the size of ravens. 89 - Transmitting weak vampirism: sunlight
sensitivity and garlic allergy. 90 - Troubling a cyclops shepherd by sucking her sheep dry.
91 - Unfurling wings as they burst forth from viscous maroon cocoons. 92 - Upsetting the
underling of an evil mage, who insists on breeding them. 93 - Utterly besieging a bugbear,
who can't pick them off fast enough. 94 - Veering sharply around a corner after a whiff of
fresh blood on the air. 95 - Weaving among a throng of bats. 96 - Whistling as they shoot
toward an under-armored orc. 97 - Whizzing around the head of an oblivious brass golem.
98 - Wriggling below a moth-eaten blanket atop a straw mattress. 99 - Yexing softly
after drinking their fill from a friar. 100 - Zooming away from a recently risen and utterly
famished vampire. variety of minor curses.
by Kezie Gracie
Monsters are characters too. Give that off-the-shelf goblin a
hobby to create dynamic encounters, provide memorable treasure,
and possibly make players question their moral choices.
d66 Monster Hobbies and Quirks
11. Practising their ventriloquy with skull puppet theatre. 12. Growing (and consuming)
hallucinogenic shrooms. 13. Adventurers & Alleyways, the world’s oldest role playing game.
14. Collecting unique bones. Will target the PC who looks most likely to fill a gap in their
collection. 15. Baking and inventing new flavour combinations based on supplies they raid from
adventurers. 16. Interpretive dance and its application to combat and negotiation. 21. Pumping
stone and mocking those measly adventurer muscles. Always on the lookout for new beefy
friends who can prove themselves. 22. Painstakingly painting miniatures, the current collection
of which bear a striking likeness to the party. 23. Songwriting. Searching for wandering bards
to challenge (to the death, naturally). 24. Flower arranging with a passion for bright, poisonous
fauna and skull pitchers. 25. Cartography. Adventurers are a perfect source of maps to ‘borrow’
or artistically ‘correct’. 26. Inflicting their outlandish hairdressing and battle paint skills on
friends (and enemies). 31. Human and elvish classic literature, strictly banned by their kind.
32. Competitive eating. Current record is seven whole humanoids in one day. 33. Trap making,
maintenance, and grumbling about adventurers who wreck their hard work. Will trail behind,
resetting traps and creating new ones. 34. Painting fights and staging outlandish skirmishes to
sketch for their next masterpiece. 35. Language studies, particularly analysing the curses, battle
cries, and death shrieks of humanoid cultures. 36. Reading romance novels and daydreaming
of sweeping some adventurer off their feet. 41. Proselytising their vegan lifestyle, especially to
adventurers with their leathers and prepackaged rations. 42. Adventurer and monster cosplay.
43. Practising archery trick shots, particularly on live targets. Always appreciative of fellow
stylish long-range attackers. 44. Teaching themselves healing and herbalism. Not above
slipping their potions into the packs of unsuspecting adventurers. 45. Adventurer watching.
Like bird watching, but with adventurers. They experiment with laying out various treasures
and supplies to attract their favourite classes. 46. Beekeeping and finding new honey-producing
creatures. Currently experimenting with micro-dragons. 51. Recruiting for their latest pyramid
scheme. It’s a miracle potion that makes you glow when you’re near treasure! You’ll all be
millionaires! And all you need to do is recruit three friends… 52. Hobby necromancy. Insects,
small vermin, receding hairlines, that sort of thing. 53. Imitation and impressions. Will see how
long they can pass themselves off as their boss or even a missing PC. 54. Meditation. Do NOT
disturb. 55. Perfecting their blood protein shake recipe. The more varieties the better.
56. Composing elaborate, multi-volume fantasy epics full of brave monster heroes and cruel
human villains to read aloud. 61. Distributing anti-adventuring pamphlets and organising
meetings to discuss the perils and consequences of adventuring. 62. Blacksmithing. Weapons
are for amateurs, they focus on artisan light fixtures, cooking utensils, and charms. 63. Magic
spotting. They love to see spectacular effects and will 'ohhh' and 'ahhh' at every magic missile.
64. Fortune telling. They have zero knack for it but enjoy playing up the act with their deck of
cards or crystal ball. Not above cheap tricks to make their ‘predictions’ come true. 65. Rock
climbing. Impressive until they ambush you from above. 66. Cursed item collecting. The
unluckiest monster in the region, they love their charms and magical trinkets which possess a
More on humanising monsters p. 58 107
 by Roger SG Sorolla - Art after the original module
When a scholar of the old school offered to write a
guide to this universally praised classic of D&D modules,
we just couldn’t say no. - Eric
Jennell Jaquay’s
The Caverns of Thracia A
mong early D&D adventure modules, The
Caverns of Thracia (Jennell Jaquays, Judges
Guild, 1979) might just have the lowest ratio
of availability to acclaim. It went through four
printings in its day. By the time “Old School” products
started being appreciated in D&D’s 3rd Edition era, it had
already become rare, currently commanding upwards of
$200 US on eBay. Necromancer Games released a new
version in 2004, with the aid of James Collura, adapted
to 3.5 Edition D&D with much new content. This rework
is also hard to get and goes for about a third of the
original. More recently, Goodman Games released a fairly
Appreciation, Critique, direct reprint at North Texas RPG Con in 2016, which
and DM User Guide unfortunately kept Jennell’s “dead” male name although
she had been out as trans for several years1. A wider
release was expected as part of Judges’ Guild Deluxe Edition
volume II Kickstarter, but after vile public expressions of
bigotry from publisher Bob Bledsaw Jr. cast a further stain on
the project, it was agreed that proceeds would go to civil rights
and LGBTQ+ organizations in the USA. The Kickstarter’s most
recent delivery date is listed as November 2021 … as I sit here in
December 2021 writing this.
Thracia has been praised roundly by old-school
revivalists such as James Maliszewski2, Greg
Gillespie3, and Justin Alexander4, both as a great
adventure and an example of salutary design prin-
ciples. More recently, Gus L has published an extensive
appreciation and critique of the module in the Bones of
Contention blog5. Frequent points of praise
include the multiple routes into and through the dun-
geon, the variety of environments and room types, the
interweaving of multiple well-motivated factions with
secret and perilous areas, and a pervasive naturalism in
the description of monster activities and visible layers of
history.
Alongside these points, I also want to share my appre-
ciation of the progressive opening-up in the module. Ne-
gotiating dusty subsurface passages to break out into a
vaster underworld has been a theme of adventure fiction
since Verne and Burroughs. In weird fiction, the theme
recurs in Lovecraft and is a central point of Clark Ashton
Smith’s The Seven Geases and Margaret St. Clair’s Sign of
the Labrys, each of which in their own way influenced
the concept of a multi-layered dungeon peopled with
strange factions and antediluvian survivors. The cor-
nerstone of this concept in gaming is the cross-section
108
of the Stone Mountain dungeon
on p. 38 of the Holmes Basic D&D
book. Built levels lead down to large
natural cavern spaces and one final
massive cave that holds a domed
city, along with a sunken sea à la
Verne.
The Caverns of Thracia follows this
model, to the point of including a
similar cross-section map on p. 56.
The surface ruin and the area easily
accessible from the opening are mun-
dane in design, with a few vermin and
patrols of gnoll and lizardman troops.
But in several places openings to the
upper parts of the titular Caverns
109
are visible. These include four 100-200’
long almond-shaped fissures that each
connect level 1 of the dungeon with level
2, where they in turn connect to longer
caves that flaunt their spacious nature
by enclosing built features: a bridge, a
cottage, a temple.
The widest-open space is level 3: a
vast garden cavern lit by an artificial
sun, analogous to Holmes’ domed
city level in both size and scope.
Although it lies directly below the
other levels, players most likely will
reach it by a teleporter, so they may
not even realize they are in the same
dungeon until they find one of the
other connections. The cavern allows
a more varied slate of denizens –
living trees, free-flying harpies, and
dryads among them – and itself en-
closes a free-standing marble palace,
climax of the adventure and headquarters
of the beastman forces.
The argument of opening-up
is complicated by abundant
hidden enclosed spaces. When
these work thematically – and most
of them do – it is because they open
up not space, but time. Most of
the secret areas expose historical
events and artifacts, be they about
the Thracian death-cult, the earlier
 Thracian kingdom, or the primor-
dial reptilian reign. However, the
most literally spacious secret area,
the reptile cathedral of sub-area
53, has two doors with an ultimate
opening-up: to the multiverse and
the realms of gods and demons
via the Astral and Ethereal planes!
Although audacious, this move fits
perfectly into the overall theme of
exploration with increasing reward. The
treasure of Thracia is not just gold and
gems, but the experience of awe as the
players face massive spaces and great
gulfs of time.
Yet despite all these excellent
features of design, the Caverns
in their original edition are difficult
to run. I group their challenges
under five headings, and want to
offer some advice to gamemasters
based in part on my own expe-
rience running some 10 sessions
using 5th edition D&D. I am aware,
too, of how Thracia might play out
using older rule sets, with the play
reports of Justin Alexander and
others providing a further guide.
Challenge 1:
What level
is this module for?
The Designer’s Comments (p. 5)
recommend Thracia for “1st and
higher level” characters – with the
understated warning, “one or two
areas will send the higher level char-
acters ducking for cover if played
correctly.” In fact, the early faction
110 areas are better matched for 2nd –
3rd level characters even if the DM
plays encounters passively, without
fetching reinforcements. The
surface and first level have groups of
4-8 2 Hit Die humanoids in the beast-
man-controlled areas, and groups of
similar power in the cult areas, with low
but meaningful chances of including
even stronger leaders. Even with all the
tricks of older editions (oil, mercenar-
ies, sleep spells), each single squad is a
difficult match at 1st level. The latest 5th
edition guidelines, reckon each gnoll
and lizardman to be the equal of a single
2nd level character.
But if played actively, the factions require stronger strategic
counter-play from even mid-level adventurers. If the beastmen
have a guard on the top stairs (60% chance) they can muster
everyone on the upper levels, already some 20 strong. If they
send an alert down to level 2, a second wave of about 30 gnolls
and 20 lizard men, with leaders and two pet bears, is possible. Fi-
nally, teleport pads can move level 3’s forces to level 2: a fearsome
army of about 70 gnolls, 20 lizardmen, 8 minotaurs, and 6 “dog
brothers” (4 hit dice humanoids) who can be spared from guard
duties. Unless parties can blast off multiple area-of-effect spells, they
must try to prevent the alarm being raised, whether through silence
spells, picking off runners, or killing groups very fast. They must also be
prepared to retreat when overwhelming forces arrive.
The tribesmen have fewer reserves, and are not likely to join
up with the beastmen, but do have a guard who can blow a
magic whistle that alerts the whole faction: 7 1st and 12 2nd
level characters, mostly fighters in plate, plus a bear and wolver-
ine, and harrying from the giant bats endemic to the area.
A 5th level party could perhaps clear the area in one
raid: 17 suits of plate mail would make a nice treasure
haul indeed! Anyone else will have to step up their tactics or
diplomacy.
On the third level dwells another faction: dryads of the
garden, oppressed and menaced by the beastmen. They are
likely to contact the party, clustered as they are around the
main entry point. Because they cannot go far from their
trees, will die if they are cut down, and won't approve the
use of destructive magic around the trees, the dryads make
interesting allies. Although they hate the beastmen, they are not
likely to openly help unless the players convince them that their
side will prevail without having to retreat. Working out the dryads’
attitudes and assistance is crucial to the challenge of the garden level.
In this regard 5th edition rules give dryads a collection of helpful druid
spells, which older-edition referees may want to partly adopt.
The many areas out of the factions’ way also hold stand-alone
encounters to challenge mid-level parties: a sphinx, a mino-
taur lizard, giant spiders, living statues, a living door, a horde
of living corpses fed on by a carrion crawler, a Moria-style
tentacled water guardian. Most of these are fair encounters
for any level because they can be bargained with, fled from,
or avoided by not messing with treasure. This is even true of
the one sure-fire party-killer, the reptilian lich who lurks
in sub-area 53. Even if awakened, this “Immortal King” can
be played as a moral rather than mortal hazard, an unleashed
overlord in need of minions who offers his discoverers servi-
tude or death.
Challenge 2: Making history come alive
Many layers of the past lie in the Caverns. Their themes are
drawn from eras prior to the implicit late-medieval European
setting of D&D. Monsters, gods, design, and names are
mostly Classical Greek, with some elements suggesting the
Mycenaean period: for example, the collared bronze armor
carefully illustrated by Jaquays on p. 10. At its zenith, Thracia
also developed Atlanteanesque science-fantasy technology:
History & Savagery
Gus L’s review notes that Jaquays apparently
avoided racist tropes by basing the tribesmen
on Greeks rather than African or New World
peoples. More generally, though, the post-Thra-
cian humans and the lizardfolk are described
in a way that indirectly draws on the legacy of
prevailing 19th and early 20th century Euro-
pean views of history, in which races rise and
fall between civilization and barbarism. Various
writers attributed decline to various causes:
race-mixing (Gobineau), civilizational lifespans
(Spengler), or natural disasters (Blavatsky).
Thus, the ground was well prepared for adven-
ture fiction writers such as H. Rider Haggard
and Robert E. Howard to conjure images of
the ruins and survivors of ancient civilizations,
guarded by primitive descendants. In particular,
Howard’s history of the Hyborian Age setting
teleport pads, hot water plumbing, waterborne escape
pods, and rockets obtained from a Chinese-styled land.
The death cult that sprung from this decadent Thracian
civilization built extensive hidden areas, and a mysterious
reptile kingdom that preceded them is now enshrined in
sub-area 53. Indeed, one of the Taverns of Thracia rumors
(p.15) concerns a collector who will pay good money for
artifacts, an important source of coin in the generally
treasure-light upper
But the player-characters are not the only one trying to
discover the past. The lizard man G'ruk, shaman leader
of the "degenerated offspring" of the "once powerful
reptile race", has come seeking the reason for their exis-
tence. Indeed, he has discovered two of the three secret
doors necessary to find the Immortal King, which give him
the run of most of the old civilization’s secret compound.
The lizard faction is presented as loyal mercenaries aiding
the beast-man faction. Still, their ancient legacy could cause
dissension between these two camps if players find a way to
encourage G’ruk in his dreams of reptile supremacy.
In my run, this alliance was greatly helped by a lizardfolk PC, Korth.
In negotiations he mentioned a quest object bearing the name of
G’ruk’s lich lord, earning G’ruk’s attention and cooperation with the
help of a few lucky reaction rolls.
The degenerate civilization theme is doubled in Jaquays’
treatment of the tribesmen: descendants of the ancient
Thracians, far diminished in power and knowledge, to
whom the ruins are a sacred site. This faction, however, has
discovered only a few of the statues, tombs, and shrines
from the historical peak of the cult of Thanatos. It’s likely
that they could also be persuaded to cooperate with explo-
rers who bring rumors and evidence of unknown cultic areas.
for his Conan stories repetitively describes
races rising from, and falling back into, “half-
ape savagery.” The lizard people and present-day
Thracians do not escape these influences, being
described with the same markers of the histori-
cal Western view of “savages” that characterize
D&D’s general view of low-level adversarial
races6: the very term “tribesmen” and their
face paint; G’ruk’s status as a “shaman” rather
than cleric or priest, as well as his followers’
proclivity to fly into a berserk fury. But unlike
many other treatments of such peoples in
gaming, Jaquays also allows these factions
to express curiosity about their grander
past, opening the possibility of collabo-
ration with like-minded explorers rather
than extermination.
Thracia is also abundant in characters
from the far past who can be revived: a
111
priest of the original death-cult placed
under stasis (area 11), two warriors from
the height of Thracian culture who have
separately been deep-frozen (37) and ma-
gically preserved (45-I), and of course the
Immortal King (53-E). The first three cha-
racters have detailed knowledge of arious
dungeon areas. Such is the importance of
social interaction to old-school play that
Jaquays leans heavily on this theme in
hopes of bringing even forgotten areas
to life.
A perceptive DM can address these
first two challenges (needing to ne-
gotiate with factions in order to have
a fighting chance, and the historical
themes) in one stroke. You might
start by seeding rumors about the far
past of the ruins, through the Taverns
of Thracia table or otherwise. These
will be the ground for social inte-
ractions with the factions who are
curious about their past, and also give
clues about how to interact with any
revived historical figures they might
find. At the same time, there are dire
consequences of failing to make a
connection: both G’ruk and the death
cult are outright looking for human
sacrifices!
 Challenge 4:
Monster saturation
The need to offer combat
to fuel a reasonable pace of
Challenge 3: Maps advancement coexists uneasily
Critics usually remark that the ambition of Jaquays’ design with presenting a naturalistic
for Thracia is not matched by clarity in her maps. Any DM who environment.
expects their players to get deep into Thracia should get out a Overstuffed dungeons are
pencil and annotate the off-map connections with the area and sometimes slated as “monster
page they lead to7. This exercise will show that almost no areas motels” that stretch credibility.
are true dead ends with only one way in and out. In fact, I found it Indeed, it’s desirable to put
desirable to close off a few connections to draw out the myster- in some thought about how
ies of the place a little longer—making the connection from 53B monsters coexist and feed,
to 41B a slit window rather than a door, for example, or having providing the kind of moti-
the central secret passage on level 2 connect areas 37 and 48 but vations and activities that
not 41A. There are also specific mistakes and peculiarities of the fuel social interaction, while
maps that DMs should know.
stopping short of tallying every
• Scale is expressed in inches rather than grid squares, and not
calorie in their diet.
always marked. From comparing connected areas, levels 0, 1, 2,
3a, and 4 are on a scale of 10 foot squares, whereas For the most part, Thracia does
the sublevels and level 3 have 5 foot squares. Further- well in providing naturalistic hooks for crea-
more, level 3’s non-built areas are hex-gridded, and these tures that need to eat. The large numbers
hexes are 10 feet from side to side. of humanoids on levels 1 and 2 have plausible
• On sub-level 53, the long stairway leading up from the access to hunting and raiding on the surface.
south side of area 53H should not end up at a secret The death cult is supported by offerings from
door in 41B. Instead, it is described in text as connect- a larger tribal community. The morose giant
ing to the secret door in the north side of area 31, gnome Grastic, to give another exam-
reaching that door seven squares after the final turn. ple, is desperate to supplement his poor diet of
The secret door in the northeast wall of 41B, then, underground river-life, and this motive will shape
should not exist. any dealings the party have with him.
• The areas numbered 40 and 41 are particularly difficult At the same time, there are a few areas that
to understand. Room 40A (shown on both the level 2 stretch plausibility. Grastic (area 28) shares a
map, p. 32, and sublevel 40 map, p. 42) has a vertically river cave 100 yards long with a large gang of
stacked pair of doorways in its west wall. The lower way lizardmen, a colony of piercers, a scourge of
has visible doors which open on stairs leading down to stirges, and in the upper reaches a cloud of
41A (level 2 map). The upper way is a secret door in thegiant bats. What’s more, his bridge home
wall above the gargoyle-adorned ledge that hangs has a sphinx lair on one side and a stair
over the lower door, incorrectly drawn as open on the to the cultist area on the other. The DM
sublevel 40 map. It leads to an “attic”, room 40 C from should at least work out how the gnome
112 the sublevel map, that has the same shape and size as deals with all these neighbors. I made room
41A and sits directly above it (but with 5 instead of 10 by eliminating the stirges and turning the
foot squares!) A number of rooms, passages, and tombs gnome into the ghost of a dwarf architect
directly connect to 40C on that upper split level. Area who was betrayed after building some of
40B connects southward to a secret door that opens the features and secret doors; she will not
on the upper ledge in 40A. rest until she is properly paid by throwing
• The secret doors in the south side of area 49 are ancient treasure into the river. The death
not described in text and probably should not be cult has ways to deal with her, and they
there. Functionally they are redundant with the sometimes pass beyond to confer with
ones in area 48 and would not be level with the floor the sphinx (who is a semi-mystical keeper
of the secret passage at that point. of riddles and secrets), while the ghost
• The level 4 map is rotated 90 degrees from level deters G’ruk’s gang from messing with the
3, with north at the left instead of top – except the death cult. The garden level also presents
room 117 inset, with north at top. no apparent source of food and irrigation
for a palace packed with a hundred troops
and carnivorous monsters. In my version the
garden is the central walled area of a much
vaster cave, two miles wide. Outside, hun-
dreds of human thralls work fields of grain
watered by canals, and tend herds of grain-
fed cattle. This area provides both a “day
job” to draw off some of the troops from
the palace, and a source of revolutionary
allies to supplement the more wary dryads.
The DM is also going to have to decide how
to deal with the large number of repeated
elements in Thracia. I have already men-
tioned the many characters in stasis, but
there are also doubled examples of pet
bears (areas 26 and 48), rows of sealed
tombs with undead (10 and 40C), giant spi-
ders on webs (32 and 46, and a fake-out with
a dead spider and web in the stairs down to
40A), powerful hostile walking statues (41B,
level 2 wandering monster table, and level
3a), gems for eyes (everywhere), and even
two separate human slaves of the beastmen
each called Grassus (38 and 74A). Solutions
include erasing one of the set (as I did with the
spider in 32 and the level 2 wandering statue),
changing one (I made the cult’s bear a zombie
lion), introducing a relationship between the two
(the Grassus on level 2 is Grassus Jr., son of the between levels 2 and 3. It can only transport four
character on level 3), or just letting the twinning figures per combat round. When they appear,
stand as part of the theme.
figure out that the place is rife with them, without
tediously tapping every inch of exposed wall. For
one, dungeon denizens can share knowledge of
secret doors or traps: in captivity, through nego-
tiation, or simply being observed using them. For
another, level 1 is almost a tutorial on how
Thracia uses secret doors. To the left of the
entry room 1 is a dead end that many players will
search fruitlessly for a secret door. This puts them
on notice that the “S” is usually not so obviously
telegraphed in the Caverns. Fast forward to an
ornamental panel in area 5, nonsymmetrical with
area 4, an obvious feature to search. This leads
to a mechanical secret door. The other side of it,
in the same passage as two other hidden doors,
can be assumed to be concealed and plastered.
Players should now get the idea that doors can
be hidden, both behind decorative features and
behind plastered walls. The known secret door on the
other side might even help visual inspection of plastered
walls, showing bumps or discoloration from latter-day
daubing-over.
The DM is also going to have to work out how
the teleport pads connecting areas 45, 54, and 89
work. This magic-tech feature is a critical asset for
the beastmen, allowing rapid reinforcement from
the palace. But it is also a vulnerable bottleneck
opposing forces may have
block exploration of that level. More fluidity and chaos • The pods bob around when they
can be had if, every round, whatever is on the two pads in reach the surface: roll a d6, 1 means
question (54/45, or 54/89 if holding glass marbles) simply the hatch faces up, 6 down, and 2-5
changes places. By either rule, though, be prepared to the cardinal directions starting with
handle the situation of a split party if there are more than North. Unless the hatch faces up it will
4 PCs. A final, wild option is to give some chance that two be impossible to open the pod while
creatures cross-teleporting to and from the same spaces keeping it afloat.
suffer a merging accident like Cronenberg’s The Fly. The • As the pods enter the pool in area
effects can be left to the DM’s fiendish imagination. 34, the DM may allow a chance of
There are two other strange one-way passages from level waking the Grasping Guardian, who
2 to 3, one down and one up. Adventurers can be lowered as written only cares about defending
down from level 3a in an open-air elevator cage, right its treasure. Having your pod thrown
into a very hot landing zone of alerted, bow-shooting against the wall, then having to swim
beastmen. The way up is an even stranger contrivance. My out and fight the creature underwater
party earned the affection of the one dryad who knew about is no fun!
area 117, so were able to escape enemies on both sides of the • Being in the pods is an exercise in trav-
teleporter by using the eight metal escape pods which shoot up eling blind under near-complete party
through a transparent water pipe to emerge at the headwaters of silence. You may want to write notes
the river in level 2.
to players describing entering the
Details of the pods are worth working out. In my game I stream, shooting up, bobbing around,
gave them extra features: steering and a viewport and opening the hatch, and pass them
like a small submarine. However, as written they are around as each one reaches the ap-
much more basic. Apparently, characters need to turn a latch propriate stage – with communication
on the closed inside hatch lid to se- back also only by private notes.
parate the back cover and fix it onto • Most reasonable players will want to abandon the craft well
the pod. Once that happens, each before the stone bridge is reached: if not in the entry pool,
pod will slide into the turbulent water then when they get stuck in the spider web at 32, go over the
under the weight of its contents, waterfall shortly after, or start being fished out of the water
presumably with built-in buoyancy to by curious lizardmen in 31.
help it fulfil its intended mission of

Challenge 5: Secrets and odd features already surrounded the pad floating down the river. The writing Conclusion
with a beating party twice leaves room for a few challenges: With all its flaws and peculiarities, Caverns of Thracia is
As noted in Gus L’s essay, rediscovered “old school” play • You may rule that the pods are
as strong. The beastmen will an extraordinarily fun and meaningful adventure. Its
styles deal with secret doors and traps in an interactive only rated for 150 pounds (or up). interlocking dynamic and random elements create a chaotic
free-kriegspiel mode, but early modules treat these features know to set such an ambush Any heavier load will sink, not float.
for known intruders at large, multi-dimensional pinball machine. To survive, players need
in line with Original D&D rules-as-written, with a chance on d6 to Players who suspect a limit may
and also to send a single to be acutely aware of when a situation has broken against
passively detect or trigger them. No matter what approach they want to load armor and loot into
scout up to test whether an them, and to be willing and able to retreat. DMs also need to
are taking, a DM should have some idea what is going on with “cargo pods”.
ambush is prepared for them. be aware that play can break down into repeated raids against
all those pits (of which there are 10) and secret doors (of which • The pods need to enter the water
If the scout doesn’t return, they’ll endlessly reinforcing enemies, and steer a way out -- perhaps
there are no fewer than 59!). know they are under siege. If they one by one, otherwise it will cost a decisive battle aboveground, pitting the bulk of the beast-
The module was written prior to the AD&D Dungeon Master’s try to break out, they will certainly d6 rounds for one to establish men against a regional tribesmen army. I hope that very soon,
Guide, which drew a distinction between “secret” doors dis- send their toughest squad of priority in the logjam. this adventure becomes legitimately available in a way that
guised as a wall or feature with a hidden opening mechanism, minotaurs and Dog Brothers. enriches Jennell Jaquays and her causes of choice.
and “concealed” doors that simply sit behind a curtain or layer The main unanswered question
of plaster. Many of Thracia’s “S” doors are, by these standards, is how the teleporter works
concealed as written. Likewise, some pits and trap doors are merely when somebody else is on the 1 -On the issue see Jennel's comments at
concealed under a layer of sand or trash. DMs should take notes and receiving pad. The first option is
describe areas as plastered, sand-covered, and so on, to support that a person or body on the pad
concealments. Mechanical secrets, too, can be improvised in description. blocks teleportation from any
If hidden in natural stone, a door opener is an apparent bump or hole; fea- other pad. This rule, however, can
tures in a plain wall can be disguised in cracks and opened or triggered lead to an impasse: if beastmen
by a floor plate or pre-described decorative molding; in a bas-relief, just retreat completely from level
press one of the features. 2 and up, the players can block
If you’re not allowing passive dice mechanics for detecting all reinforcements from level 3,
secret doors, you may wonder how players are supposed to and the beastmen likewise can
 by Ron E. Ortiz Art: Tikokh

d12
Sword Saint
Techniques
Here are some special techniques for your sword-wielding
player characters. Use them as adventure hooks or quest
rewards, and don’t forget to describe some cool training

1
montages!
Form of the Dragon
The user lashes out with three quick sword strikes that mimic the dragon’s claws
and bite attacks. Damage is as a dragon’s claw/claw/bite attack.
• Limitations: Once per day.
• Learning: Slay a dragon solo and survive or find a wise Lawful dragon and train
under them for 4d4 weeks.

2
The Ape King’s First Parable
Allows the swordsperson to push their body beyond its limits and open the first
inner gate. The user goes first in initiative and deals double damage for a number
of rounds per day equal to their level.
• Limitations: The user must rest for a turn after each combat this technique is
used or suffer a -1 to all rolls until they are able to rest. Additionally the user must
rest after the adventure for an extra week.
• Learning: Travel to the Jungle of Abudca and study under the Wise Ape King for
a month then defeat him in a friendly sparring match (unarmed combat).

3
The Thunder God’s Waltz
The sword saint gains a permanent +2 to AC in combat thanks to the esoteric
movements of the Thunder God’s Waltz. The user also automatically dodges
lightning bolts and takes no damage.
• Limitations: Must be wearing leather or no armor.
• Learning: First, study the technique under a master for 3d4 weeks. Then, dodge
a lighting bolt (save with disadvantage). Failure to dodge the bolt means you
offend the Thunder God and take an additional 1d6 damage in addition to the
lightning bolt’s damage.

116
4
Fist Of The Wave’s Nod
The user may shoot a projectile of chi from their weapon for 1d6+1damage.
Range is equal to 10ft per level.
• Limitations: May be used 3times per day.
• Learning: Meditate under a waterfall for one month from dawn to dusk. Then
hurl ten thousand punches against an ocean’s waves and if the ocean recoils
against the ten thousandth punch, you learn this technique (Roll d20+Charisma
versus the ocean’s d20+20).
5
The Unseen Cut
Allows the user to make a hidden attack with an invisible ghostly blade (+4 to hit).
• Limitations: The user takes damage from holy water. Works only once with every
new opponent.
• Learning: A forbidden technique known only to members of the Hidden Hand
of Pithus, a cult of ruthless assassins. Learning the Unseen Cut requires the user
to cut off one of their hands during an obscene ritual under a blood moon. Upon
survival (there may be a roll involved) the user is taught to use the phantom pain to
form a spiritual weapon.
6
Lost Form of the Shield Hero
All damage the swordsperson receives this round while holding a shield may be
absorbed and released in a psionic blast in front of the user.
• Limitations: The user may use this technique once per adventure.
• Learning: Seek out the Temple to the Shield Hero and defeat the Hero’s shade in
single combat while using a shield.
7 11
Pry Open the Third Eye
The user takes a round to sense the spiritual strength of all living creatures within
sight and learns how many hit dice they possess and whether they are below or
above their average hit point total.
• Limitations: The ability is straining on the senses and may only be used once per
day.
• Learning: Study under the Blue Knight of Naelu to learn this technique. The
knight’s training involves the learner surviving in a monster-infested forest for one
week to force the mind’s eye to open.
8
Palm of the Puppeteer
The user strikes an enemy with less hit dice than themselves, pulling out the foe’s
soul threads. Should the target fail a save vs paralyzation their body is under com-
plete physical control of the technique user for 1d4 rounds.
• Limitations: Can only be used once per day. If the user doesn’t concentrate, the
enemy doesn’t do anything.
• Learning: An ancient technique developed by the tribe of cannibalistic necro-
mancers known as the Kukrios. Learning the technique requires the learner to
bring an offering (live humans are favored) to the village chief and become an
honourable member of the tribe, with all the bonuses and penalties that brings.
118
CHAOS AHEAD!
The sword master channels their inner madness to bring the blessing of
9
primal chaos to the battlefield. Within 100ft, all decisions, attack rolls,
saving throws and ability checks made during combat are made with a
coin flip.
• Limitation: Can only be used in combat, once per adventure.
• Learning: Summon the Avatar of Chaos and beseech it to bestow this
technique by sacrificing one session’s worth of luck (you must roll with
the unlucky die, you know which one). The avatar can only be summoned
on the 13th day of the month by breaking a mirror at a crossroads while
wearing a hat made from raven feathers. Luring a black cat to the area as
an offering is appreciated.
Witch-Hunter (AKA Severance Package)
10
Outlawed by the Circle of Magi, this infamous technique severs the target’s
connection to the astral plane, cutting off their ability to use magic perma-
nently. The sword saint must strike the magic-user with a favored blade
and, should the target fail a save vs paralysis, they are no longer able to
use magic.
• Limitations: Can be used a number of times per adventure equal to the
number of successful times this technique has been used by the character
against a worthy foe (minimum 1).
• Learning: Seek out one of the last witch hunters and beseech them to
teach you the technique. Users of this technique are extremely difficult to
find after the Circle hunted most of them to the brink of extinction.
Re-enforce!
This esoteric technique was passed down by the Cheshire Cat to its first
apprentice. If the user would die they instead vanish in a cloud of purple
haze and reappear in a nearby area that would not cause their immediate
death again.
• Limitations: Can be used a total of 9 times and only once
per adventure.
• Learning: Seek out the Cheshire Cat and convince it to take you on as
its apprentice. Legends say the Cat requires participation in exclusive
festivities like tea parties and beast slaying.
12
Eigenlicht Asche
The user conjures an otherworldly fire of rage that envelopes their weapon.
The flame does no physical damage but instead burns away the souls of
those struck with the flames (d6 Charisma damage on a successful hit).
• Limitations: The user may summon the flames once per day. The flames
remain for 1d4 rounds, do not emit light, and may be dismissed at will.
• Learning: Find a settlement that was burnt to the ground in a war, leaving
no survivors. Strike a deal with the spirits lingering there to take revenge
on the perpetrators and offer your blade as a new home for the spirits.
119
 by Nobboc - Art: Javier Prado

After Bad Patxi in our previous issue, we continue to learn from folk tales.

The Tartaros
Here is a new encounter from the Basque Country and Béarn.

The Tartaros are one-eyed ogres and shepherds haunting the wild
hills and mountains of the Pyrenees. The story and stuff below are
freely inspired by different tales in which they appear.
In the middle of winter, three weary war-
riors were returning home from war and
were crossing an inhospitable mountain
range. Mattin the archer had taken in a
young whippoorwill he had found lying in
the snow under his coat to warm him up.
Pantxo and Manech, his companions in
misfortune, were starving and wanted to
eat the bird, so the three soldiers kept bic-
kering until a cottage appeared under the
moonlight. It was the first civilized shelter
they had seen in days.
As they entered and approached the
fireplace, a guttural voice exclaimed:
«House shut!» And all the doors, shutters,
and windows closed at once. From the bed
in the back of the room rose a towering
man: a barrel-like torso, muscular arms
long enough to touch the ground, and a
grotesque face bearing a thick-lipped smile
revealing protruding teeth. But the most
impressive thing was the single eye, round
as a bullet, planted in the middle of the fore-
head. This was a tartaro, a cyclops-ogre, one
of the many degenerate great grandchild-
ren of Polyphemus himself!
«Don’t move, please» he said in a strangely
mellifluous voice, and they obeyed despite
their desire to flee. The ogre grabbed
Manech, the chubbiest of the three, quickly
snapped his neck, skewered him on an iron
spike, and put him to roast in the fireplace.
«I’ll eat you tomorrow » he said to the other
two, « Drink this sheep milk and settle down
to sleep», and they obeyed, exhausted as
they were and strangely appeased by the
warm drink he served them.
The next morning, XXVII, for that was
the name of the tartaro, confiscated their
weapons, tied them by the neck with dog
leashes, and took them with him to the
pasture to watch his flock of sheep.
«I’m bored and hungry,» said XXVII at the
end of the day. «Let’s have a contest! Who-
ever throws a stone farther than me won’t
be eaten tonight!». And without even get-
ting up, he grabbed a rock as big as his head
and threw it negligently. The rock passed
over a small forest, bounced in a meadow
and fell in the middle of a small lake two
hundred cubits away. Mattin pretended
to carefully select a stone at his feet while
discreetly grabbing the whippoorwill
that was still sleeping under his coat. He
whispered «fly, fly as far as you can» and
miming a stone throw, released the bird
that flew over the hills. XXVII, looked at the
“stone” soaring in the skies, speechless,
and so totally stunned that he dropped
both leashes. As the night had now fallen,
the two warriors ran away and hid behind a
rock. Alas, soon a light bright as the sun was
searching every corner of the field. It was
a ray of light emanating from the tartaro’s
eye, and it let him see better than in broad
daylight. Quickly catching the two soldiers,
he ate Pantxo in three bites.
Then the ogre went back to his house with
Mattin under his arm. «You’re the best
stone-thrower I’ve ever seen,» he said to the
little archer, «and something tells me you’re
also the smartest. Here, take this gold ring
as a reward. Now drink some sheep milk
and sleep easy.» Then XXVII brought his

120
sheep into the common room for
the night, as wolves were roaming
outside. He shuttered his house
and went to bed. Mattin did not
drink his milk, determined to
stay awake, and when the tartaro
began to snore, he grabbed the
spit from the fireplace, climbed
onto the ogre’s bed and stuck it
into his eye. XXVII woke up with
a scream and angrily ransacked
the house, but was unable to find
Mattin hidden among the sheep.
In the early morning, the tartaro
opened the door, stood with his
legs apart, and brought out all
his sheep one by one, carefully
inspecting their backs with his
hand. But Mattin had taken pre-
cautions: he had skinned a sheep
during the night and clothed
himself in its skin. As he slipped
between the legs of the tartaro,
the latter sized the fleece which
remained in his hands. Mattin ran
away, «Where are you? Where are
you?» shouted the blind tartaro.
«I am here! I am here!» answered
the golden ring that Mattin had
on his finger! XXVII immediately
went after Mattin, following the
cursed ring’s voice. As much as
the young man tried, it proved
impossible to remove from
his finger! It was then that the
whippoorwill landed on Mattin’s
shoulder and said in his ear: «cut
your finger and give it to me». And
Mattin obeyed despite the pain.
The bird took the finger and the
ring away from Mattin, followed
by the tartaro who ran after the
ring’s «I am here! I am here!»
Flying over a chasm close by, the
whippoorwill dropped the finger.
And after it fell XXVII fell. He was
never heard of again.
Note - The Merry Mushmen have gathered a team of crazy people
and 5E, inspired, like this article, by folk tales and local superstitions. Stay tuned!
for O.S.E
2 Magical possessions 3 Who’s who?
The tartaros often offer milk and sheep’s cheese to the laminak No one knows why tartaros
(wild imps from deep Pyrenean caves). In exchange, they provide have numbers for names. Many
him with some useful magical trinkets. A tartaro worthy of the of them live (or have lived) in
remote areas of the Pyrenees.
1 Let’s stat Tartaros! name always possesses one or two of them. Here are some
Some of them are well known. A
Grotesque 9’ tall humanoid of low to average intelligence with examples:
monk of the abbey of Belloc has
a single central eye. Long muscular arms which they use to run, - (1) Leash of the Faithful Dog - Made of basajaun hair, indestruc- drafted an incomplete list:
tible, it grows in length indefinitely and can be retracted with a V- lives under a waterfall and
especially on steep terrain; large head and small bowed legs.
click of the tartaro’s tongue. commands the spirit of the wa-
Experts in stone throwing. They haunt remote mountain areas,
- (2) Bowls of Good Sleep - Any liquid drunk from these clay bowls ters who resides there.
where they usually raise sheep and sometimes trade their milk
will put you to sleep for 2d6 hours if you fail a save vs spells. IX - has two heads and can never
and cheese with other mountain creatures. Always hungry and be surprised.
- (3) Staff of the Watchful Shepherd – A gnarled oak stick that can
particularly fond of human flesh. Dressed in animal hides and X - does not breed sheep but the
be extended at will and can hit an enemy up to 30’ (damage: 1d6+2,
sheep fleece. rounds). best horses in the surrounding
save vs paralysis or stunned for 1d6
kingdoms.
AC 5 [14] HD 6** (27hp), Att 1 x club (1d8+2) or 1 x rock (2d6), The three next are cursed objects that can only be taken off with a
XII - is in love with a shepherdess
command word known only to the tartaro. They usually give them to
THAC0 14 [+5], MV 180’ (60’), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14, ML 8 (10 and has sworn to protect her
prisoners. flock.
when defending flock), AL Chaotic, XP 700.
- (4) Location Ring - A large gold ring with a mouth engraved on it. XVIII- came down from the
- Rock Throwing Expert: Up to 150’. +2 to hit. Answers «I’m here!» when the tartaro asks «where are you?» mountains and now travels the
- Slow-witted: Can be tricked by clever characters. - (5) Boots of Safe Return - Magnificent red leather boots that, world on magic stilts.
with a whistle from the tartaro, make their wearer walk backwards XXI, XXII, XVI and XLI - are long
- Gambler: sure of their strength and agility, they like to wager
started. dead. Their skulls adorn the en-
with other creatures and will rarely refuse a challenge, as long to where they
trance of the fortress of Gaston
- (6) Affectionate Cloak – A woollen cloak ideal in rainy and windy
as the opponent appears to be worth the effort. de Belzunce in Macaye and are
weather (as it often is in the Pyrenees). It wraps itself around its
- Weird powers: each tartaro masters 1d3 of the following said to whisper secrets at night.
wearer to immobilize them on a sniff from the tartaro . XXVII- is said to be trapped at
powers that they can use once per day:
the bottom of a chasm and feed
1- Mellifluous voice: similar to charm person for 2d6 rounds on mushrooms, rainwater and
on all the creatures within 10’ radius. Save vs spells allowed. 4 More facts and stuff clumsy mountaineers.
2- Light Beam: a ray of violently bright light cast from their - Tartaros live in cosy houses where a fire is always burning, carrying XXXI - is twice as big as his fel-
lows, and regularly walks out of a
eye for 1d6 turns. Range 300ft, allows to see as if in full the smell of lamb roast or cheese fondue to lost travellers outside.
cave with his arms full of gold.
sunlight and to detect any invisible or hidden creatures. A - If this isn’t enough, they regularly scatters gold coins or small gems
XXXIV- is undead.
creature caught in the ray that does not cover its eyes is on the path to their lair.
XXXVI - lives in a gigantic hollow
blinded for the duration. - The tartaros trade their cheese with the evil laminaks, the dark dwarves tree hiding
the entrance to an
of the depths, and other malevolent inhabitants of the mountains. underground palace.
3- Polymorph: take human form for 1d6 turns (generally a
Over the years they accumulate treasure, which they usually bury XLIII- is a prisoner of the wizard
young, friendly looking shepherd). Usually used to attract
under their homes in large iron cauldrons. A tartaro treasure usually Zaratazarat and acts as his butler.
lost travelers or to learn the secrets of the cheese makers in LII- Lives in an isolated tower
contains 1d4+2 x 1000gpP in coins and gems and 1d3 magic items
the nearby valleys. which they don't always understand the use or value of. and owns a most wanted relic of
4- Safe inside: with a simple command word, close all the - Female Tartaros? Nobody ever heard of any female tartaros. Some Saint Ferminus.
exits of their den until sunrise. (As per wizard lock, on all LXVI- brings good fortune if he
say that tartaros mate with the standing stones found at the top of
is seen leaving his house when
doors, windows, shutters, etc.) inaccessible peaks once in their lives.. A few years later, a new tartaro
the nightingale sings.
5- Belch of death: a loud, malodorous burp in a 10’ radius walks down from this peak and settles in a nearby valley. LXIX - has been trapped in the
. Any creature caught loses 1d6 hp must spend their next ice at the bottom of a crevasse
action and immediately leave the area. If a save vs breath,
5 Hooks in the Taillon glacier for 77 years.
a
- LXXI must travel for a few weeks to settle his affairs. He offers He will give his entire fortune to
half damage and no need to move. over
reward to the adventurers he has just trapped if they watch whoever can make the sun shine
6- Frenzy: the tartaro is under the effect of haste for 1d3 Upon
his flock of sheep, the finest in the region, during his absence. down there.
the
turn hearing the news of his departure, most of the shepherds from LXXI- has prophetic knowledge
- Magical possessions: roll 1d6 once or twice on the table in the neighbouring valleys band together to steal the sheep. and will sell it for a good price.
LXXIV- has an elephant trunk for
sidebar. - Zaratazarat the magician is annoyed. His butler XLIII (see Who's
become complete ly useless. The wizard a nose and can smell anything in a
Who) is homesick and has
one mile radius.
promises a handsome reward for a brand new tartaro.
and are working hard on a bestiary
122 123
 by Jean Verne

B
Encounter anging bones on a stretched Dancing
Youmay have read The Charnel Saturnalia in Knock!#2. human skin, blowing into an
the Infernal Dance:

Thee W
Wicked
icked
Here is another take on the myth of the danse macabre. arrow-pierced breastplate like

Th
a bagpipe or strumming fresh • To escape the Wicked Ensemble, you must
innards, the Wicked Ensemble reach an Appraisal score of 10. Each success-
plays an array of macabre instruments. fully performed dance move (see below) will
Whether they want it or not, their audience grant you Appraisal points.

EEnsemble
nsemble
end up dancing to the ghastly music • Danc ing the infernal dance is exhausting
played by the skeletons til death takes and often fatal. Save vs paralysis after each
them away. The ensemble only sets free dance move or lose 1d4 hit points.
those they deem extraordinary dancers. • Choose your dance moves in the list below,
The size of the ensemble varies from a roll under Dexterity or Charisma (your
quartet to a full orchestra. choice). Adding your own twist to these
Violence will not suffice to defeat the moves may grant you an extra point.
An
Anominous
ominousdrumdrumcan
canbebeheard
heardfrom
fromafar,
afar, •
ensemble, as the skeletons always rebuild Beware: the ensemble enjoys variety. Any
banging
bangingaway
awaythethesanity
sanityof
ofthose
thosewho
whoget
gettrapped
trapped one another. To get rid of them, you must move used more than twice only grants you 1
in
inits
itsbeating.
beating.The
TheWicked
WickedEnsemble,
Ensemble,aabunch
bunchof of dance the infernal dance and show off Appraisal.
dancing skeletons always looking
dancing skeletons always looking forfor a
a crowd,
crowd, your best moves!
is
iscoming
comingto
totown.
town.
Infernal Dances Moves are:
1 The Thrill-ehr 2 Vöhg 3 Twyst
Ability check: -4 Ability check: -2 Ability check: +0
Appraisal: 1 Appraisal: 2 Appraisal: 3
Carry yourself like a zombie Flail your arms around as if someone Squirm like you’re escaping a crawling
shambling towards its prey. just broke them. ghoul dragging you into its grave.
4 Füt-twork 5 Röboot 6 Brehk
Ability check: +2 Ability check: +4 Ability check: +6
Appraisal: 4 Appraisal: 5 Appraisal: 6
Trample the ground as if your enemy Imagine your armour is rusty like a Drop to the ground and spin like
was laying at your mercy. death knight’s platemail and you’re a demon is possessing your
trying to catch a drunk brownie. hapless body
If you manage to satisfy the Ensemble, they clap loudly and toss you a few coins
(1d20 gp), or maybe a spare instrument (gruesome looking but able to cast a version of
charm person that forces its target to clap, dance, or at least tap their foot). Once every
dancer is either free or dead, the orchestra leaves to the sound of a funeral march,
looking for a new audience!

Depending on their mood, the ensemble may decide

to jazz things up every other round. Roll 1d6:
1-3: Nothing but a dramatic change of tune.
4: Beat change: each dance move is rolled with a penalty of -2 but grants +2 Appraisal points.
5: Demanding choreography: all dancers have to perform three randomly chosen dance moves in order.
6: High stakes: the skeletons throw antique daggers and other pointy objects at the dancers’ feet. A failed save vs
paralysis means 1d12 damage instead of 1d4. After the ensemble leave, some of this junk can be sold for 1d100 gp.

125
 by Paolo Greco - Art: after Gustave Doré

Abstract
AbstractMagic,
Magic,
Concrete
ConcreteMagic
Magic
more complex game mechanics, but it makes the
game experience slower, more cumbersome,
and rewards system expertise: I love GURPS,
but it's often too much. Where are we left?
An option is to add some narrative flourish,
for example how in combat we might say "the
bravo swiftly steps to your left to avoid your shield
and slashes at your shoulder, 4 damage" rather
than just "4 damage from the thug". Another is
to zoom in to a puzzle of sorts, like we often
do to find secret doors and traps by delib-
erately poking and pulling things. Both are
approaches that help push the game narrative
forward and enrich our experience.
For magic, the situation is different. Spells
have a greater impact and their slots are
scarce, so they already have a bigger chance to
the passage closes; whoever is still there is lost,
probably devoured by the god.
The two spells are mechanically the
be much better if you needed to draw extra
same. They have the same effect on the
involving a wall, while the other is an awesome
eyes on your face and eat a bag of flies before
game world. Yet, one is barely a sleight of hand you can spit out strands of sticky silk from
experience stepping in the moist, holy maws of a
greater god, and possibly being eaten alive. The
spell achieves this by virtue of being concrete: it
starts with an invocation to a god, and the god
has a very clear and relevant context (the subter-
ranean gullets). The chance of becoming a tasty
morsel provides some emotional colour, and also
ties the spell to the Classical tradition of offering
buried sacrifices to chthonic gods(1).
Just add Concrete Sauce
How do we make magic more
concrete? My suggestion is to write concrete
spells and use those, or rewrite spells in a more
concrete way. That can be a whole lot of work,
possibly left only for folks as obsessed as the au-
if you whooshed through the skies propelled by
feathered fans? Web is great, but wouldn't it
your nose? Tenser's Transformation turns you
into a fighting machine, but what if it required
you to don the skin of a ritually slain bear and
tear into your flesh with your nails to become a
beast? Suggestion is great at convincing people
to go away, but it would be even better if it was a
funny limerick about that lad from Bonnyridge
who jumped off the bridge (of course you'd need
to come up with a rhyme that works for your
circumstances). Fear is a powerful spell, but
what if you cast it shouting, while drum-
ming on cymbals?
Strive for iconic and meaningful: without
going in details about sympathic magic, use
mimicry, metaphors, and similes as components.
It's not a lot of effort: it adds a note of colour to
spells. It also paves the way for small adventures

C
lassic Dungeons & Dragons is a
game with a lot of very abstract
rules. Combat is resolved with
one attack roll per round, and
success deals damage. Finding
secret doors takes one turn and succeeds 1-in-
6 times. Spells are cast spending their slot
and performing the rite. All these mechanics
are fairly high level, easy to resolve, and while
there might be some modifiers they are very
granular and ignore lower-level choices. This
not an oversight, but deliberate: the
game is not about combat, or finding
that secret door, or casting that spell,
but about having an adventure. The
rules do not care about any finer detail: choosing
to strike the enemy at the legs to slow it down,
carefully using a candle to verify if that crack in the
wall hides a passage, or harvesting the mistletoe
with a golden sickle do not have a direct impact on
the outcomes, but are abstracted away.
The issue, though, is that these details ARE abs-
tracted away: the details to support the narration at
the table are absent. One way to solve this is to have
126
be momentous. The issue with spells though
is that most D&D spells are both abstract
and dry as hell: in the Theatre of the Mind,
abstraction dries passion, and does not help
with meaningful stories.
Concrete Magic: the
Passwall-Maxilor index
Does anyone remember Passwall?
Straight from fantasy fiction, the spell
creates a magic passage in a wall. You
can go through it. It's really helpful to delve
deeper, bypass a door, escape a situation, pro-
vide tactical opportunities. If the spell ends
whoever is left inside the passage is crushed
(or spit out, depending on the edition).
The Spell of the Subterranean
Gullets (by Brendan S., found in Wonder
& Wickedness) is an invocation to the great
chthonic god Maxilor. All subterranean
cavities, tunnels, and pits are his mouths,
throats, and visceral cavities. This spell (or
perhaps prayer?) compels Maxilor to open one
such opening in stone. At the end of the spell
thor(2). We are introducing meaningful elements so when gathering components. Do not make
we can have more opportunities for interesting play.
simple components hard to find, maybe
This segues into another advantage just inconvenient! (Like head feathers from a
of concrete magic: as we can make large swan, for example.) However if your wizard
more sense of the causes and effects, wants their spells a bit stronger there are plenty of
adjudication in complicated situations adventures looking for griffon or phoenix feathers
becomes a source of shenanigans, the for their fans, or drums made withwolf, tiger, or
dream fuel of OSR-style emergent play. tyrannosaurus skin.
Here are a few ways in which you can pour 2. Emanations & Alignment: The
concreteness into your magic. They are mostly influence of stars and planets is an excellent source
inspired by historical European and Mediter- of magic. These are somehow completely absent
ranean esoterica, and they do blend into each other, so in D&D, their role taken by alignments, planes,
I strongly recommend to mix them for full potency. and gods. True to its heritage of a game created in
Find in these proposals what makes sense in your a strongly aligned world on the brink of mutually
worlds and brings meaning to the table. assured nuclear annihilation, D&D pits the
1. Natural Magic: the natural world has conflicting structures of reality of Law & Chaos
intrinsic magic qualities ready to be exploited. and Good & Evil against each other in a struggle
For example, a tree struck by lightning neverending. PCs can avoid the struggle, stay
makes excellent wands to cast Lightning Neutral, and have their spell selection reduced,
bolt: nature (or the god of thunder) chose it or join the struggle and become aligned,
for reasons that we do not understand, but we therefore gaining access to aligned magic,
can exploit its cozy relationship with lightning better suited to eternal war(3). D&D's Holy
nonetheless. The easy way to make this work is to Word is a good example of a grounded spell:
add more meaningful components – verbal, so- spelling out the pure truth of divinity is harmful
matic, material – to spells. Fly is useful, but what to the uninitiated exposed to it (the differently
127

aligned), certainly too much for their heathen
souls, hurting them possibly to the point of
death, as clearly shown in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Turning Undead is another very good example,
but limited by the history of the first D&D cleric
being a vampire-hunter. Turn Undead is an
by John Grümph
3. Animism: instead of channeling
power to affect reality directly, you beg
or summon a god, spirit, or daemon
to do the job for you; for all intents and 11 QUESTIONS YOU
purposes these beings all lie in a continuum NEED TO ANSWER
of increased power and crotchetiness. To start
ABOUT YOUR

RUINS
exorcism, and humans through millen- summoning daemons in your games the easy
nia cast exorcism on many, many things way is simply to get the spell list and associate
beside the living dead: demons, diseases, some (or each!) spell to daemons. The daemon
spirits, ill luck, feral beasts, the evil eye, possibly could be summoned either in normal casting
even invaders, certainly bad intentions. It's easy time (to get the standard spell effect) or as
to make exorcisms more diverse, relevant to a longer ritual spell, in case the summoner
their alignment, and available to aligned casters, requires the daemon do to something more (FROM THE 'GALLANT & BOLD' COMPANION)
or swap them for other rites. The key here is to involved, like teach their arts, give advice, or
WHAT IS THE RUIN? constantly fought over until factory in the heart of an
find the mood or objective of the alignment and have craft something. If you want a good ex- 1- Tunnels dug by treasure all trace of it was lost. industrial valley with its
the exorcism/rite work toward that. It would also be ample, the Ars Goetia in the Little Key hunters under a strange 9- An old stone ship, lost resources long exhausted.
maybe possible to grant a small boon to those of the of Solomon lists scores of daemons, along in the desert, buried and 18- A coal mine abandoned
monolith summoned
same alignment present during the rite, maybe a small with aspects, personalities, competencies, and a from the dimension of the forgotten, until a landslide years ago after a series of
bonus, or a bit of healing, or advantage on a roll. reveals it somewhere,
(1) Puppies at crossroads for Hekate, or so they say. - (2) or anyone writing in KNOCK!, I would add.—Eric)

whole lot of knowledge. Typhoon. unexplained, fatal floods

Aligning spells might make them The hard part is to actually get the 2- The lone, disconnected anywhere. and cave-ins.
concrete enough, or they might require daemon to do your bidding (as games folk, pile of an ancient aqueduct, 10- A village built under the 19- An elven necropolis
some minor alteration. A low hanging fruit is we want to compensate for the increased rising in the middle of a projection of a vast rocky built atop a towering cliff,
clear from the examples above: aligned magic can flexibility). Try a reaction roll every valley, dozen of meters high. ledge pierced with caves. searched, plundered,
3- The abandoned building 11- An antediluvian city emptied, yet still attracting
tell apart friends and foes. As a matter of fact, the time: a positive result means compliance,
site of a cathedral erected in surrounded by cyclopean the greedy.
caster won't be able to stop it from doing so. The a negative one snubbing or worse, a walls and buried, practically 20- A pyramid built in large
the middle of the wilderness
wizard trades power for agency, becoming stronger neutral one a delay, as the spirit makes intact, under volcanic ash. part under the ground, of
by enlightened pilgrims.
but more of a conduit, a tool instrumental to an end, demands. Of course daemons would 4- The corridors of a gigantic 12- An ancient library, lost in which only the tip emerges.
as the stronger-willed spells make decisions for them. be more cooperative when it comes to tumulus between the roots the meandering alleys of a
And if you think the struggle is only a concern for carrying out tasks that please them, of a giant tree. mud-walled city. WHAT CAN ONE
casters, do not forget that the best D&D magic swords and sacrifices and other appeasement 5- The multiple levels of 13- A fighting arena at the EXPECT TO FIND?
are aligned too, sharp gears of war eager to enroll might make them more pliable, giving cellars of an ancient gnome top of a hill, last vestige of 1- Great riches.
worthy fighters into the deadly struggle, and take over
permanent reaction bonuses. You might also vintner city now razed – most a temple to the goddess 2- A way to lift an ancient
their agency too. threaten them into compliance: in this case of the cellars were already of battles now given up to curse.
This kind of approach can also be used with other connected before other nature. 3- Old scrolls or rare gri-
roll again, but at the price of a permanent
"factions": it works perfectly for a struggle between the openings were made. 14- A royal city with a moires.
negative modifier. And if the roll is particu-
6- A subterranean complex square plan, invaded by 4- Information about an
four elemental-aligned factions (you might have heard
larly bad the daemon might decide to not go
built by an ancient immense trees and luxuriant ancient legend.
of a stushie involving firebenders). One last thing:
away, and possibly haunt the caster. Banishing vegetation.
chthonian civilization, with 5- Evidence about the guilt
unfortunately in vanilla D&D these kinds of it becomes the next adventure goal! outrageous adornments and 15- A remaining elven or innocence of a criminal.
emanations are oppositional, but they do not need Another approach is to require spiritual a disposition humans will house whose imputrescible 6- Answers.
to be! Maybe in your world there is space for a intercession: for example to cast elemen- find a little disturbing. beams and columns have 7- Immortality.
mingling of the opposites that does not result in tal spells, you need to ask an elemental 7- An abandoned fortress resisted the ravages of time 8- The revelation of a major
permanent cosmic war? spirit. This means bringing a living fire on the outskirts of the and the slow decay of its secret.
surroundings. 9- The cure for a serious
You can also ignore all of the above, and with you to cast Fireball. wilderness, at the very end of
16- A faerie forest petrified illness.
a promontory fort
add planets and moons: their phases affecting 8- A temple to the goddess in time, forever immobile, 10- The royal emblems.
their spells' effects. While you are at it, introduce of magic, once besieged by green and mossy, filled with 11- A magical artefact.
star signs and give each characters a random, worshippers of the goddess traps, poison, and venom. 12- A family heirloom.
situational, and really quirky modifier. of night, recaptured and 17- An abandoned dwarf 13- A clue to help defeating a
(3) I believe any other use of alignments in D&D is source of much wailing and
128 gnashing of teeth at your table. I also only use Chaos and Law. 129
 big ugly villain.
14- A bad guy.
15- A special monster.
16- A passage to somewhere
else.
17- A wise person.
18- A unique and powerful
spell.
19- A map.
20- A relic of the gods.
WHY WAS THE
PLACE ABANDONED?
1- Winter came and the cold
set in.
2- The goddess of the night
unleashed her undead on
the countryside.
3- The forest returned,
encouraged by the fae.
4- The high road was moved
further west.
5- The drought dried up the
fields and drained the rivers.
6- Folk fell ill.
7- Goblins raided and pillaged
the place for generations.
8- Orcs invaded.
9- Local resources ran out.
10- The social structure
collapsed due to conflict.
11- Everyone left, no one
knows why.
12- All the young people left.
13- A magical accident
created a dead zone.
14- An ancient king has
returned from the dead.
15- A great red dragon was
here.
16- A portal to the Abyss
attracted all manner of evils.
17- An angry elemental lord
devastated the place.
18- A warlock cursed the
place.
19- An earthquake destroyed
the local infrastructure.
20- War ravaged the land.
130
WHAT RUMOURS
AND STORIES ARE
WHISPERED
ABOUT IT?
1 - Those who visit the ruin
return cursed and afflicted
with terrible luck.
2 - Creatures have been
fighting over the place for a
long time.
3 - Magicians and sorcerers
have taken to conducting
their rituals in the ruin.
4- Strange monsters are
naturally born there because
of the influence of the
Typhoon.
5- Human sacrifices are
regularly performed here.
6- You must have a specific
magical artefact to safely
visit the ruin.
7- The ruin of the place
came from the result of an
unfortunate love affair and
the revenge that followed.
8- The gods are powerless
inside the ruin.
9- Monstrous humanoids
avoid the ruin, but constant-
ly patrol the area.
10- The ruin serves as a
refuge for all those fleeing
from justice.
11- The ruin is used as a stop-
ping point by slavers.
12- A demon can be heard
whispering dark advice to
visitors.
13- No one has ever returned
from the ruin.
14- If you see a white raven
before entering the ruin,
everything will be fine.
15- An ancient dragon has
settled somewhere in the
ruin and has been slumber-
ing there ever since.
16- A past hero disappeared
there during a rescue mission.
17- A considerable treasure is
hidden there behind magical
seals and traps.
18- A benevolent creature
lives in the ruin and rewards
visitors.
19- A powerful supernatural
monster is trapped there.
20- A riddle determines the
fate of every visitor.
WHAT KEEPS
PEOPLE AWAY?
1- It's in the middle of the
wilderness.
2- It's too far from every-
thing.
3- You have to get permis-
sion from the gods to pass.
4- There are too many
monsters around.
5- The law forbids anyone to
go there.
6- The path constantly slips
away from those who seek
the ruin.
7- The local lord demands to
meet all those who go to the
ruin.
8- The entrances are inac-
cessible.
9- Monstrous humanoids
are prowling everywhere.
10- The place is cursed.
11- Some superstitions are
not to be trifled with.
12- The location isn’t really
known; there are too many
contradictory stories.
13- No one has ever returned.
14- Summoning a demon is the
only means to find the way.
15- Only fools and idiots go
there – it's a trap.
16- All approaches have been
trapped by generations of
neighbours.
17- Everyone knows this ruin
isn’t real.
18- A great dragon warned
that no one should go there.
19- An order of paladins pro-
tects the ways in and forbids
entry to anyone .
20- A sect of assassins pre-
vents access.
WHAT IS THE … AND WHY?
MOST IMPORTANT 1- As a base of operations.
DANGER IN 2- To wait for something.
THE AREA? 3- To conduct a ritual.
1- Many predators. 4- To conquer the area.
2- Sudden earthquakes. 5- To build a community.
3- Magic glyphs. 6- To defend the area.
4- Monstrous humanoids. 7- To hide something.
5- Parasites. 8- To conduct research.
6- Vicious traps. 9- To raise their young.
7- Poisons and venoms. 10- To establish a temple.
8- Toxic dust. 11- To exploit local
9- Fragile, collapsing resources.
structures. 12- To prepare a military
10- Poisoned or missing air. campaign.
11- Polluted water. 13- To protect someone.
12- Cleaning parties. 14- To rebuild the ruin.
13- The living darkness. 15- To reveal a secret.
14- Getting lost and 16- To take temporary
confused. shelter.
15- A ghost. 17- To hide.
16- An invincible monster. 18- To find a place to stay.
17- A passage to the Typhoon. 19- To rest or heal.
18- A passage to the Abyss. 20- To find a treasure.
19- An evil deity.
WHAT SECRET DOES
20- A terrible curse.
THE RUIN HIDE?
1- There are several others
WHO OR WHAT HAS
like this ruin around the
SETTLED THERE?
world.
1- Bandits and pillagers.
2- The ruin hides something
2- Smugglers.
else.
3- Fairies.
3- The ruin was set up by a
4- Gnolls.
deity to choose champions.
5- Goblins.
4- The ruin is alive.
6- Hags.
5- The ruin exists only on
7- Outcasts.
certain days of the year
8- Humans, elves, dwarves,
6- The ruin moves or teleports
or gnomes.
somewhere else every year.
9- Mercenaries.
7- A dangerous artefact that
10- Smugglers.
everyone has forgotten
11- Undead.
exists.
12- Orcs.
8- A deadly threat can be
13- Predators.
released by mistake.
14- An evil cult.
9- A domestic spirit rules
15- A demon.
over the ruin.
16- A dragon.
10- Another ruin lies below.
17- A secret group of paladins.
18- A shrine to the goddess WHAT NASTY
of the night. SURPRISE AWAITS
19- An assassin's sect. THE ADVENTURERS?
20- A secret society. 1- Demons exerting their
influence on the world have
chosen this place to meet.
2- It is impossible to find
food or water here.
3- The ruin is the hunting
grounds of a powerful
warrior.
4- The situation has changed
entirely since the adventu-
rers’ inquiry.
5- Time flows differently
here.
6- The bad guys have hos-
tages (or a way to keep the
adventurers at bay).
7- Torches and lanterns cast
practically no light there.
8- They are expected.
9- A powerful wizard
experiments with their most
dangerous spells.
10- A creature (or a group)
has decided to destroy or lay
waste to the place.
WHAT
PLEASANT
SURPRISE AWAITS
THE ADVENTURERS?
1- It is easy to set up a camp
close by.
2- It is easy to find healing
herbs.
3- There is a misunderstand-
ing and the occupants of
the ruin mistake them
for allies.
4- They find a very discreet
secondary entrance that
leads to the heart of the ruin.
5- They quickly find allies or
a guide.
6- The map of the ruin is
carved or painted on a wall
near the entrance.
7- The place is illuminated
almost as if it were daylight.
8- The treasure is
slightly more important than
expected.
9- No one expects them to
show up.
10- A deity offers help in
exchange for a small and
easy favour.
131
 by Islayre d'Argohl
purpose of this bonus is to give a small reward
to the player who takes the risk of riding the
waves of chaos.
b) Distribute the following scores between the
six abilities: 14, 12, 11, 10, 9 and 7. (If you have
a deck of French tarot playing cards, you can
shuffle the six trump cards numbered 7, 9, 10,
11, 12, 14, and have the player draw them and
assign them in order to their abilities.)
2: Start the game with 5,000 experience
points.
(Have him drink some hemlock tea! - O)
(Can I watch? - E).
It is known that Gary Gygax himself used to play
his last demo games with the original edition and
player characters created at 3rd level. Starting
with 5,000 XP is not fundamentally different but
A HERETIC HAS THE FLOOR creates interesting exceptions for thieves and
PLAY LIKE IT'S 2022!
elves. This also allows players to benefit from
gameplay elements highlighted by the modern
A
editions: increased granularity for the manage-
topic often discussed by D&D 5E fans and veterans of 20th century editions alike is ment of the character’s internal resources (hit
how to modify the engine of their favourite game to emulate old school roleplaying points and memorised spells, essentially) and
games. For the sake of discussion, it might be interesting to think about the re- significantly better chances of succeeding in
verse: moving towards 5E gameplay while using the old school rules. certain actions (for example, most of the thief’s
(Throw the author to the gnolls! - Olivier). skills are increased by 15%).
(Gnolls would be too good for him, let’s throw him to our readers. - Eric) However, characters do not become instantly
heroic: the magic-user with 3d4 hit points (or 7-8
Before we start, let’s get something off our of old-school practice: hardcore survival and HP on average) can still die on the first hit. Instant
chest. There is nothing sacrilegious about running away from monsters! So let’s keep an death is just statistically less of a given.
wanting to free oneself from «3d6-in-order» open mind here.... Paradoxically, this method can also be seen as
or from beginner magic-users with one spell in more rigorous than some of the most commonly
their spellbook. Our more curious readers are PROPOSALS used house rules, such as good old «maximum hit
invited to take a look at the seven pre-generated 1: Choose between random roll and average points at level 1». Indeed, with a pool of 2 to 4 hit
characters offered in Mentzer’s red box: it is clear ability scores. dice, one can more easily let the players roll their
that these heroes have been generated using (Give him the whip! - O.). hit points without (too) much risk of creating a
advantageous methods: «4d6-drop-lowest» (Let me coat it with type E poison Dead Adventurer Walking.
for stats, which were then optimally distributed; first - E.)
also hit points were probably fudged as well, or When generating the character’s abilities, the 3: Give characters some magic items.
the hit dice rolled again. The very same publisher player has two options: (Boil him to death! - E)
of the game as it existed in 1983 saw no problem a) Roll 3d6 six times and then distribute the (No, let’s just boil his feet! - O)
in a more comfortable style of play than what is scores as desired, then increase both the In the old versions of the game, magical items
nowadays defined by some as the quintessence highest and lowest scores by one point. The let a character stand out from other PCs of the
same class: the weapons, rings, magical belts
collected stood for the feats and subclasses of
5th Edition «building» the character all along
its life.
In order to recapture a little of the character
customisation ‘mini-game’ that is central to
the modern edition, the referee shows each
player a selection of magical items. In order to
keep the power level of the characters within
the scope of the original rules, the referee’s lists
should only have the most basic magical items
of the game.
4: Create a ‘meta’ resource.
(Let him be drawn and quartered! - O).
(Can I have his stuff? - E)
Like the action points of 3rd and 4th editions
or the inspiration tokens of 5th, the new school
often offers a small resource pool that has
a broad application upon various resolution
mechanics. A simple solution would be to give
players a number of points, (let’s call them
«luck points») which can be spent to redo any
die roll once, which a player deems unsatisfac-
tory. Here are two examples of how to allocate
these luck points:
a) At creation, each character receives a num-
ber of luck points equal to half their Charisma
score, rounded up. This is a non-recoverable
capital. Some exceptional events, such as the
blessing of an ancient deity or the rescue of the
fairy queen’s son, could grant one or two points.
b) At the beginning of each session, the group
receives 1d4+1 luck points, which players can
use as they wish.
Using any or all of these four options will pain-
lessly combine the aesthetics and simplicity of
an old-school game engine with some of the
salient aspects of modern gameplay. Try it, you
know you want to.
(Kill him, kill him now! - E)
(Too late, he teleported away using a daily
power. 4th edition bastard! - O)
133
 by Eric Nieudan - Art: Li-An

Complete the
ENCOUNTER
Reboot the ______________
God of ___________________
___________________!!
This living machine was discovered _______ years ago by ___________________
explorers in the ruins of ______________. It is believed to be of ________________
origin, yet none like it has ever been found. Its original purpose is unknown, but most experts
agree it was designed to ___________________ in distant ______________.
Few have guessed the truth though: this engine of _____________ was created to help
its makers with their grand work, the eradication of all _______________________.
These three engineers from the Guild of _______________ have been attempting to
get it working again for the last ____________. The God is needed within the next
_______________to help with _______________ at _________________.

Module A,A on the head, is used to capture external stimuli. Thanks to it, the God has an
acute sense of _________________, but its ________________ is terrible.
Module B,B inside the body, was used to process emotional responses. It is not
strictly necessary to the God’s operation, but without it Its reactions can be overly
___________________.
Module C,C missing, provides power. Master Engineer _____________believes it could
adequately be replaced by a large enough quantity of _______________. Without it,
the God will only work intermittently, and never for longer than __________ at a time.

The six excretory tubes are used to collect the divine fluids. They were once used in rituals of
_________________ . One random tube produces 1d__ doses every __________.
Each excretion has a different effect:
Tube 1. Regeneration. One cup will heal ____ hit points over a period of ___________.
Tube 2.
2 Magnetron fluid. Apply onto any hand-size object to make it powerfully magnetic for
___________.
Tube 3.
3 Syrup of Heaven. Mixed with water, it gives a sensation of ____________ to
whoever drinks it. ___ modifier to reaction rolls.
Tube 4.
4 Selective poison. Deals _____ damage on contact, but only affects creatures whose
_________ score is between 6 and 12.
Tube 5.
5 Monocellular goop. One pound keeps a _________ size creature fed and watered
for _____ hours.
Tube 6.
6 Invisible paint. One dose is enough to paint one human or a 3ft by 3ft surface. It
134 loses potency after ______, turning to purple and grey flakes that will ruin most clothes.
 by Eric Nieudan - Art: Evlyn Moreau

THE BUGBEAR
She has been living in this little cave forever. None of the tribes who pay
homage to her remember a time when she wasn’t watching over the land, keep-
ing the City Builders at bay. Ask her about her mission, she will recount how she

WITCH
pledged in front of the Crimson Gods that she would protect the wilderness; how
she won the Six Relics one by one, in battle or by trickery; how she will lend them
to a war chief or hero whose cause pleases the gods. And what promise you must
make if you wish the use of one.
The Six Relics
1. Harûn’s Headdress. Carved out of the oldest yew
tree in the Wretched Woods, it lets its wearer un-
derstand the language of any living thing or spirit of
the wilderness. It will not work for one who owns or
carries any amount of iron, gold, or silver.
2. The Hand of the Sky God. Found at the heart of a
falling star, the Hand replaces the wearer’s right arm
(severing it if needed). It makes delicate manual work
easy and can assist in certain roguish endeavours
(+30% to thief skills). It can also confer the strength
of an ogre for a minute, after which it stops working
entirely as it recharges for a whole day.
3. El Ezhard’s Armour was fashioned out of the cover
of the grimoire of a demonist who ventured into the
Pit of Pits and never came out. The demons bound to
this breastplate absorb the spells cast at the wearer.
After the first spell so cancelled, there is a growing
chance the spirit will break free. (1-in-6, cumulative –
resets at dawn.)
4. The Seat of the Red Hands. Each queen and king who werebadgers. They have been
sat on this wooden throne marked it with their blood.
Meditating or sleeping on it lets one make contact
with them. They will answer questions about power
and politics, and generally bestow their council about
these matters. Bear in mind they lived in a more ruth-
less time, when magic was plentiful and life cheap.
5. The Black Lochaber is the incarnation of a hunger
elemental from the Lowest Plane. Its iron tears
through soul as well as flesh. (Two-handed, 1d8
the victim’s
damage also applied to Wisdom. If
Wisdom reaches zero before their hit points do,
+1 modifie r
they die and the axe gets a cumulative
to hit and damage [max +5] until the next blue moon.)
against
6. Bishop Pyter’s Bones are a powerful charm
civilised magic (+2 to save vs spells and effects from
lawful creatures). Once per day, spread on the ground,
they quickly spell a one-word warning about the most
immediate or probable danger for the bearer.
All tasks given by the bugbear witch must be completed within
as she can compel every former user of the Six Relics to
to her by then is a risky proposition,
136 137
Your promise
1. To convince the woodcutters in
Bluecove to leave before the first
day of winter. The birch maiden
will soon be of spawning age and
a new generation is expected to
bloom in the spring.
2. To stop the Great Foundry’s
trade. The smoke disturbs the
harpies nesting higher in the val-
ley, and the molefolk are too shy
to chase the miners away from
their ancestral caves.
3. To sink the three dwarven
ironclads. They blacken the river
with soot and keep bringing more
City Builders into the wilderness.
There is even talk of building a
“great dam”, whatever that means.
4. To find the traitor among the
mingling in the villages, and the
Crimson Gods want to know who
told Sheriff Sienna where the
Council of the Full Moon would be
held. They must pay for that mas-
sacre with their life’s blood.
5. To free the wise serpent locked in
the Alchemist’s Palace. She is kept
in a lightning cage under the glass
roof, allowed to bask in the sun, but
drained daily of her potent blood.
6. To help Érynie,
Érynie whose Mirror
has dried out. You must escort her
across the settled valleys, on City
Builders’ roads, and into the Deep
Marsh where she will find a new
pool to call her Mirror.
a moon. Not returning a relic
hunt down the oath breaker..

MY GOBLINS ARE
HALFLINGS GONE
MAD
Halflings are a peaceful people.
They mind their own business and
are more worried about what they
will have for second breakfast than
how to acquire wealth and political
power.
Other races, especially humans, view
halflings as unworthy of respect.
Even the most venerable of halflings
are considered little less than child-
ren. It’s no wonder that when a
human kingdom seeks to expand its
lands, halfling counties are the first
to be conquered, much like how the
lands where animals live are taken:
no one thinks of it as a crime, animals
don’t own their lands.
Halflings are sometimes invited to live
among humans, but most often are as-
signed territories of their own – reser-
vations. Many accept these conditions,
but others, prouder, perhaps a little too
proud, decide to leave in search of land
they can call their own.
But as time goes on, good, safe land to hatred, and anger which drives
settle becomes hard to find. So halflings them.
138
by Vagabundork - Art : Rackham le Roux
build hamlets in dark forests and
underground tunnels. But halflings
are people of the prairie and field. The
lack of sun, open spaces, and freedom,
has a dreadful effect on many of these
communities.
Leaving behind their civilized habits,
such as tailor-made suits, elegant
haircuts, and hot baths, but above all
abandoning their pacifism, many have
nurtured resentment against those who
have taken over their lands. The younger
generations have turned into aggressive
and savage creatures barely recogniz-
able as halflings.They form hordes to
invade human towns, killing and de-
stroying, sowing terror in human hearts,
bringing vengeful chaos, knowing that
they won’t be able to recover their lands.
Because recovering their stolen lands is not
what they want; they have become used
to living in their unsanitary villages and
their stinky holes. Most likely, they don’t
even have a goal: it is resentment,
 by Justin Hamilton - Art: Rob Mathews

As role-playing games continue to expand, it can

seem as if the hobby is more focused on rules
texts than the actual act of role-playing itself.
Back in the 1970s, gamers spoke about playing
Greyhawk, or Blackmoor, or Tekumel. Now they
discuss what dice systems they use or what family
of games they enjoy.
Since the earliest days of the hobby, there has existed this
concept of “tactical infinity.” Players may attempt to over-
come any obstacle by any means that make sense for their
characters, with the referee adjudicating what happens. It
is a defining feature of adventure games.
This is the central focus of play – the conversation.
The referee describes the world, the players suss out the
details by asking questions, having their characters manipulate
things, and negotiate possible outcomes in whatever means
their imagination allows for. The rules merely aid the referee
to decide what happens.
Instead the hobby has moved onto a model where the referee is the
person who best runs the mechanical simulation, and that somehow
the rules text is the final authority at the table. This is a deviation from
the heart of the hobby, going all the way back to refereed war games
(and the famous free kriegspiel). A knowledgeable and imaginative
referee could consider many more possibilities than any textbook and
LESS provide a higher fidelity of fictional reality than any number-crunching
procedure could allow.
RULES This article will help you understand the mindset and
TO DO get back to this tactical infinity.

MORE DISCLAIMER
This playstyle is not proposing rules as inherently bad. Instead it reconceptualizes the table’s re-
lationship to rules. Instead of rules being a focus, they supplement the authenticity of a fictional
world. By starting from the conversation, a referee can fully represent the world in their head,
instead of presenting how the world acts when filtered through a ruleset.
Also, while inspired by the earliest days of the hobby, it should be clear that the hobby has
come a long way and developed a well-spring of learnings and practices. The past gives
examples to draw from, but is not something to be beholden to.

140 141
Step 1
Refocus the Roles
Modern games have positioned the
referee to be the person who best knows
the rules to the game. The one who can
adhere to some absent designer’s “intent”
for how things should work. Obviously
when playing with a style of fewer rules
this is irrelevant. We all have heard talk of
the referee being a “neutral arbiter”, but it
is especially important here.
Refocus the referee as the character’s
interface for the world. Trust in the ref-
eree as the source of the setting, and
trust them to defer where necessary.
No matter what system you are using, the rules
will have to be interpreted by the table; the
book will never implement a ruling for you.
Players embody characters who interact
with the world. They are not the protago-
nists of some pre-existing story, nor are
they necessarily a thematic tool to answer
some moralistic or genre-specific ques-
tion. Characters are a means for the player
to interact with the world in front of them,
and should do so in earnest.
Step 2
Play Worlds
The mantra of “play worlds” is in many
ways the beginning and end of this
playstyle, but it can often be confusing.
Here are a few guidelines for centering the
table on the world.
You may be playing a world of the ref-
eree’s (or table’s) creation, a campaign
setting picked up in a coffee-table tome,
or perhaps a popular television show or
provoking novel. What matters is that
this world is clearly communicated to
the table and expectations are set.
The referee should feel comfortable
making calls on how the world works, but
they do not necessarily need to be the
end-all-be-all expert. They should have
142
confidence to adjudicate fictional happen-
ings. This involves a bit of homework, but
a fun kind of homework. If you’re running
Earthsea you should probably reread
or skim. You don’t need to memorize every
single fact out there, but you should immerse
yourself to the point that it allows you to think
about the inhabitants of that world naturally.
Before beginning to play make sure everyone
is on board with this world. Discuss how and
why things work in it. Talk about roles and
goals for player characters. Elaborate on any
special situations, and call out what makes
this setting unique – be it magic systems,
political situations, factions... Don’t
lecture the players, but give them exciting
possibilities to get their hooks in.
Step 3
Start with Less
There is a paradox when it comes to role-
playing games and their rules: the more
mechanics you surround a topic with,
the more the conversation focuses on
the execution of the system instead of
the fictional subject. The in-reality ele-
ments only provide a flippant justification for
why a bonus was added or an ability triggered.
This is often obvious among old school
gamers. In classic new school play we re-
move automatic trap finding rolls, favoring
clever descriptions of how the characters
investigate their surroundings and at-
tempt novel uses of items. Same thing for
perception, or how a character convinces
a non-player character.
So we may agree that it is more interesting
for the players to actively describe what is
going on in the fiction. We accept that new
school games have made compromises by
adding systems for traps and social inte-
raction, but we make this same mistake for
other areas of the game.
We feel the combat system causes players
to repeatedly call to “roll to hit,” and our
solution is combat feats and subsystems.
We want characters to express some
mastery, so in come the skills. Hit point
abstractions cause dissonance between
players? Time to differentiate between
stress, stamina, and physical damage with
a bevy of resource pools and exceptions to
qualify what damages what.
Considering the paradox above, I argue
that we should start from the bare mini-
mum when focusing on an area of a game.
Use the fundamental act of roleplaying
as the basis of resolution, saving rules
and subsystems for tools to help you make
decisions, provide a bit of randomness,
or just because the table likes the sound
of dice clattering. See what you achieve
from asking the players to describe their
actions fictionally and how far making
rulings can get you. It is likely that you find
the players are more engaged by working
their imagination, instead of finding the
right ability on their character sheet.
Step 4
Think Fiction
Numbers and abstractions are not
inherently bad, but they often encour-
age talking about numerical thresholds,
counting meta-currencies, etc. We try
to satisfy system concerns that end up
being dissonant with the fictional shared
world. Instead, keep the discussion on the
fiction, using as concrete of a description
as possible.
Rather than using numbers to define char-
acters, describe how their statistics are
expressed. Instead of having a 16 Strength,
perhaps they are burly, iron-thewed, or
rippling. We now have a more vivid picture of
them in the world and can begin to unders-
tand the pros and cons of interacting with this
individual. They may excel at some physique
pageantry, but their strength can be mitigated
by luring them into confined corridors.
Setting stakes is a great tool to use during
play. When describing a threat to the
players, always communicate what is
at stake. Tell them the consequences
and give them an idea of the odds.
Let the players ask questions. Players
can only have agency when they have
a picture of what they can achieve and
where their potential failings could be.
It's not your goal to catch the player in
a surprising gotcha., Surprise comes
out of the ways the fiction unfolds in
play, not because of a revelation that
the character likely would have seen
coming.
Step 5
Retro and Kit
Your Toolbox
After playing, have a chat and note what
went well or not-so-well. Think about
important moments from the game and
how the conversation flowed. Take note of
places where the players were especially
empowered to make decisions, and places
where they felt a lack of agency.
For areas where you felt you were refer-
eeing without a net, start building up
tools to aid you. If you weren’t sure what
could happen next, plot out the equivalent
of a random encounters table. If you found
a situation where you could not ade-
quately challenge the players, think of the
tools they used and find compromises in
using them.
Talk to fellow game masters, continue to
immerse yourself in related media and
take notes. This playstyle empowers
you to make calls and build up the kind
of game that is perfect for your table,
and this will take a bit of fine-tuning. As
you pursue this playstyle you will
develop the muscles necessary to
make any world sing.Never again
will you be waiting around for some
company to make a system for your
favorite world.
143
by Nate Treme Keep this page in your wallet and play anywhere, anytime.

P O R T
F OL I O
OF C A R
TOGRA
P H IC C
U R IO S
ITIES
 1 2
4 5
1 - The Land of Tir - By Rob Matthews
Back in twenty-twenty, when all this began, I
started to dig through the cultural wreckage
that in no small way shaped the hobby we all
love so much: I began to uncover the secrets
of the vaunted ‘Appendix N’, that most revered
catalog, the set texts of every young dungeon
master. In the adventures of Fafhrd and the Grey
Mouser, Elric, Conan the Cimmerian, and Cugel
the Clever (to name but a few) I found a series of
worlds that differed profoundly from the worlds
of Middle Earth and Westeros. I took upon myself
then a humble attempt to do what all in our hob-
by have done for fifty year—steal ideas mercilessly
and represent them. This map, the World of Tir, is
my attempt to capture the spirit of those lands of
Sword and Sorcery.
2 - The Duchie of Essmol - By Rob Matthews
The map of Essmol, a Duchy in the Kingdom of
Molland, was created for a home game that I
ran last year. It was designed for a game that
cared about the feudal ideas of fiefdoms, baro-
nies, duchies and so on, so as to create a game
that was more political in nature—allowing for
factions and individual actors to act as stand-ins
for broader concepts the players would be deal-
ing with in the world. The map depicts a duchy
on the borders with a neighbouring kingdom
with whom is held a tentative peace. The land
was home to many castles and a hostile, unfor-
giving landscape—perfect then, for adventure.
154
3
MENA
GE R I E
OF MON
S T RO S
ITIES
3 - Lime River and beyond - by Michael Sheppard
This map was drawn following a trip down memory
lane by looking at some of the 80’s Fighting Fan-
tasy game books. I loved the small colour maps in
those books but they often lacked any detail. This
is a homage to those good old days, based on my
home brew world. It is packed with teasing little
locations. As can be seen by the inconsistent text,
it was hand drawn and coloured.
4 - By Gustav Sokol
Skandia is the home of brutal, tough people. Evil
Sons of Skandir also infest this cursed land.
5 - Old stuff - By Nobboc
These two maps were published more than 20
years ago in the French language D20 mag, for
which I did the layout for a few issues (and shere
I got to meet Eric, the editor-in-chief of the book
you are holding in your hands).
Left: the city of Orcad is my first published work
in the RPG field. A city inspired by Terry Gilliam's
film Jabberwocky, with sedan chair races, a senile
leader, and so on.. It is located on different pla-
teaus separated by vertiginous ravines.
Right: A map to illustrate an adventure whose
author I can't remember. It was an "oasis" valley
in the middle of arid steppes (located in the
Scarred Lands).
 by Nobboc by Nobboc - Art: Michael Sheppard

Herdling
AC 7 [12], HD 1d4+4 (6hp), Att 1 × butt (1d4)
SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (1), ML 4, AL Lawf

Herdlings, or grazer folk, are half human and

half cattle. These peaceful, naturally obliging
, THAC0 18 [+1], MV 240’ (80’),
ul, XP 15, NA 0 (4d10), TT None (meat).
• Carving: The daily
portion of herdling meat
constitutes a fresh ration.
and philosophical herbivores usually live in
Carving causes 1d4 dam-
herds in remote valleys. They know many
age to the creature.
secrets about the land they graze, which they
• Regeneration: Recovers
willingly share with amiable people. all lost hp and meat lost
In exchange for a shiny earring, a bell, a bale after 16 hours of
of hay, the eradication of a predator, or some intensive grazing.
other favour, they will let one carve out a • Eating herdling meat:
portion of meat from the animal part of +1 to all saves vs poison &
their body: an escalope, a fillet, a piece of ham disease for 1d4 days.
or shank. But never more than a small piece, • Cursed meat: as per the
and never more than once a day! Note that cause disease spell. Meat
any meat taken beyond this is cursed, and harvested after death is
that the herd will mercilessly hunt the greedy also cursed.
butchers. The meat is nourishing and succulent • Stampede: Herds of 20
(herdling bacon is a sought-after delicacy). or more can trample those
Herdlings are sometimes found in in their path. +4 to-hit
civilised areas where they place themselves human-sized or smaller
creatures. 1d20 damage.
under the protection of a benevolent farmer,
• Leader: herds of over 30
with whom they insist on signing
individuals have a leader
a sustainable butchering
with 4 HD.
contract.
Scrapule
AC 7 [12] (natural), HD 1/2* (2 hp), Att 1 × bite (1d4 + poison), THAC0
(20’), SV D14 W15 P16 B17 S18, ML 4 (8 in lair), AL Chaotic , XP 10,
19 [0], MV 60’
NA 1d6, TT L
yellow eyes
h grey and warty skin. Large
Small twisted humanoid wit Lives in small groups in
a large toothed mouth.
scanning the darkness above som etime s comes out at
near hum an dwellings and is
d young children of which it
underg round galleries
cats, an
night to lure away chickens,
very fond.
• Infravision: 90’
• Die in the sun: ignites
in a few seconds and
crumbles into dust.
Sensitive to bright light
(-1 to hit and Initiative).
• Nursery rhyme: any
child under the age of six
or small domestic animal
hearing this rhyme must
make a save against spells
or move towards the
source of the song.
• Poison: save vs
poison or sleep
for 1d6 turns.

Woodcut from
On Monsters & Marvels,
by Ambroise Paré, 1575

156 157
 by James Holloway (text & art)

Homunculites
WORKER HOMUNCULITE: AC 7 [12], HD 1 (4 hp), Att 1 x improvised weapon (1d4 or
by weapon), THAC0 20 [-1], MV 60' (20'), SV D 14 W 15 P 16 B 17 S 18, ML 8 AL Chaotic,
XP 10, NA 1d8+1, TT Q
(1d6 or by
SOLDIER HOMUNCULITE: AC 5 [14], HD 1+2 (6 hp), Att 1 x weapon
15 S 16, ML 9 AL Chaotic,
weapon), THAC0 18 [+1], MV 60' (20'), SV D 12 W 13 P 14 B
XP 19, NA 1d6+1, TT R
CUSTOM HOMUNCULITE: AC Source +2 [Source-2], minimum 7 [12], HD Half of source,
minimum 1, Att 1 x weapon (by weapon), THAC0 As per HD, MV Equal to source, SV As
per HD, ML Source +1 AL Chaotic, XP as per HD, NA 1 or 1d4+1, TT None

The ancient magical devices known as homunculisers were created

by a long-vanished civilisation. Whether they are creations of evil
or of whimsy corrupted by a fallen world, none know. They can be found
malfunctioning in ruins or restored in the workshops of wicked or foolhardy
enchanters.
Homunculisers produce homunculites, neotenous halfling-sized constructs. They
can either produce homunculites based on preset types, such as “worker” or
“soldier,” or base their copies on a specific per-
son. In order to copy an individual, the homun- • Artificial beings: all
culiser must obtain a sample, either by having homunculites are immune
them touch the device's crystalline surface or to poison, disease, and suffo-
by detecting spilled blood within 100 feet. cation. They never sleep and
Homunculites are infuriatingly cutesy, a glee- are immune to magical sleep
ful, doltish parody of the real person they imi- effects.
tate: “I'm a wanger! I gotta bow and awwows • Know your enemy: Custom
uwu!” Don't ask how they speak in emojis; they homunculites receive +1
just do. to hit and damage when
The body of a homunculite is made of a coarse attacking the person on
enchanted powder with a sand-like consisten- whom they were based.
cy, enveloped in a flexible, brightly-coloured • Duplicate ability: A custom
membrane. Their weapons and armour are homunculite possesses one
made from the same powder fused into a rigid, randomly-determined ability
glasslike substance. belonging to the person on
Homunculites feel no pain, nor any emotion whom it was based. This
other than spiteful glee and childlike panic. could be a single spell, a
However, they do have as much free will as class ability, or the power
their limited programming can comprehend and of a magic item. Multiple
can be persuaded (or, more likely, bamboozled) homunculites based on the
into assisting adventurers. Fickle, cruel, and stu- same person typically have
pid, these chibi murderers make awkward allies. different abilities.

158
 by James Maliszewski - Art: Zhu by James Maliszewski - Art: Zhu

Blighter
AC 5 [14], HD 4+3* (21hp), Att 1 × claw (1d8 + disease), 1 × bite (1d4 + disease) THAC0 15 [+4],
MV 30' (10'), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14, ML 12, AL Chaotic, XP 200, NA 2d4 (2d4), TT None
A blighter is adisease-ridden form of undead first seen in the catacombs beneath
the monastery at St. Gaxyg-at-Urheim but subsequently reported in other
nearby locales. Blighters shamble slowly and make no noise until they attack. (60') flying, SV D10 W11 P12 B13
Eidolon
AC 4 [15], HD 4** (18hp), Att 2 × touch (1d4 + fear), THAC0 16 [+3],
S14, ML 12, AL Chaotic , XP 175,
MV 90' (30') / 180'
NA 1d6 (1d6), TT C
in the
A blighter looks like a hulking, misshapen humanoid covered in bony
rit of a cleric who died while
An eidolon is the undead spifin .
protrusions and tumorous excrescences, surrounded ding solace in True Fa ith
Undead by a miasmic cloud. grips of despair, no longeras a ghostly, floating figure in a
• Immunities. They are immune to An eidolon appe ars nastic habit.
sleep, charm, and hold spells, as well tattered mo
as effects that affect living crea- Undead
tures (e.g. poison). • Immunities. Eidolons can
• Susceptible to turning.
turning only be hit by magical or silver
weapons. They are immune
Blight to sleep, charm, and hold
• Diseased touch. In combat, spells, as well as effects that
a blighter attacks with affect living creatures
a clawed hand and a bite. (e.g. poison).
Any target within melee • Susceptible to
range must make a turning. Clerics have
turning
saving throw versus poi- the same chance of
son each round or suffer turning eidolons as they
the effects of the cause do of turning wraiths.
disease spell.
• Contagion. Any targets
Combat
• Fearful touch.
so afflicted are themselves
In a fight, the eidolon will
contagious to other living
attempt to strike with
creatures whom they touch
both its spectral hands
or with whom they come
against a single target. If
into very close contact; such
both attacks succeed, the
creatures must save versus
target must make a saving
poison at +2 or suffer the
throw against spells or suffer
same effects.
the effects of the 1st-level cleric
• Cure. The disease can be
spell cause fear, in addition to the
cured through the application of
damage rolled.
the spells bless, cure disease, or
• Cleric-focused. Clerics save against
neutralize poison.
this effect at –2.
• New Blighter. Any crea-
ture slain by the blighter's
contagion rises as a bligh-
ter after the next sunset.
160 161
 by Danilo Moretti - art: Li-An

Birch
Maiden
AC 5 (14), HD 6* (27 hp), ATT 1 touch (1d8 + level drain), THAC0 14 (+5), MV 12’ (4’), SV
D10 W11 P11 B13 S12, ML 9, AL C, XP 500, NA 1* (1), TT D.
These monsters are distant cousins ​​of dryads, living in exclu-
sive symbiosis with birch trees. An ancient curse forces them to
abandon their wooden abode at night in search of warm-blooded crea-
tures. They appear as pale and slender female humanoids of disturbing,
alien beauty. Birch Maidens are solitary creatures, however rare pairs of
identical twins can be encountered bonded to the same tree.
• Like a tree*: They can merge into the bonded birch. • Black hair*: their long
drain*: the target permanently loses one
• Energy drain*: hair can be woven to
experience level (or hit die). This entails a loss of create a fine and durable
one hit die worth of hit points, as well as all other silk rope.
benefits gained with the lost level (e.g. spells, saving • Gossamer queen: if a
throws, etc.). A character’s XP is reduced to the birch maiden reaches 99
lowest amount for the new level. A person drained years of age, she evolves
of all levels dies wilting in 1d6 turns. into a pale, Chaotic treant.
Alternative effect: at the DM’s option, instead of She looses the features
the standard energy drain effect, the maiden marked with * above
inflicts a permanent penalty of 1 to all rolls (for but gains typical treant
each touch). Accumulating a penalty higher than features (animate trees,
the character's level causes death (as above*). surprise...).
• Bonded*: they are spiritually connected to their A gossamer queen spawns
birch tree; they die if the tree dies or if they are 1d4 birch maidens in 1d6
separated from it by more than 120’. months. These creatures
• Singing: when alone, they love singing sad songs are known for their
* or see KNOCK! 2 p. 56

about loss and regret. Hearing their song often fascination with tales
attracts unwitting victims. of true sorrow and are
• Golden leaf*:
leaf* one of the leaves of their birch tree is sometimes likely to act
golden; it can be used to brew a potion that grants neutrally towards people
immunity to level drain for a year. Losing her interested in sharing
golden leaf makes the maiden furious (+2 to hit and those feelings.
saves).
162
 by Jean Verne (text & art)

Tenacious Helmet
AC 3 [16], HD 2* (9hp), Att 1 x headbutt (d4), THAC0 14 [+5], MV 120’ (40)’, RET
IN UE
SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 12, AL Chaotic, XP 25, NA 1d3, TT None
These haunted pieces of armour emerge from old battlefields where
dead yet pugnacious warriors refuse to give up the thrill of battle and
seek a body to claim as their own! They trap their prey by sitting in the
middle of the road or any other unusual spot so as to pique the
interest of curious travellers. Whoever puts on a tenacious helmet sees
their mind assailed by the spirit that inhabits it. OF RO
GUE S
• Undead: Immune to effects that wearer takes the same amount of
affect living creatures damage as the tenacious helmet.
(e.g. poison). Immune to mind- - Destroying the helmet will also
affecting or mind-reading spells banish the spirit haunting it.
(e.g. charm, hold, sleep). - A tenacious helmet that
• Possession: The wearer must possesses its wearer cannot be
make a save vs spells when they turned.
put on the helmet, with a cumu- • Powers: a tamed tenacious helmet
lative penalty of -1 every time grants its wearer the following
after the first. powers:
If they make three The helmet makes them incredibly
saves in a row, they ben- charismatic (+2 to Charisma) but also
efit from one the tena- barely intelligible under this heavy
cious helmet’s powers steel bucket.
(see below). The helmet is always keen to brawl:
If they fail three saves in a row, they the wearer always acts first in
fall under the influence of the tena- combat. They are also extremely loud
cious helmet: they look for reasons to about it: enemies are never surprised.
fight everything and everyone, The helmet is talented (AC
even friends and allies. increases by +2) but very cocky:
- The referee should ask for enemies target the wearer in
increasingly difficult saves vs priority.
spells to draw weapons at every • Aversion to cowardice: If the
possible occasion. wearer breaks off a fight and
- The wearer cannot attack the flees, the tenacious helmet
helmet (or take it off), but rebels and regains its
any opponent can target freedom: the posses-
the tenacious helmet. The sion process starts
again.

164

A metallic humanoid from another
world who escaped or was rescued
from the crash of a voidship that
fell from the sky. It roams the world,
unaware of its rules, perplexed by
the strange emotions that seem to
rule its inhabitants. It may become
attached to a band of adventurers,
perhaps along the way discovering
its own humanity hidden deep
among the electrum circuits and
power crystals.
Lost
The
Droid
Combat
The droid cannot wear armour. Its
titanium body grants it an AC of 3 [16]
(as plate).
They can use any weapon.
Alignment
Droids are strictly Neutral at creation
but may, according to their expe-
riences, diverge to Lawful or Chaotic.
(Player’s and referee’s discretion)
Techno-modules Reboot
The violence of the crash landing
wiped out the droid’s memory and
disrupted most of its functionalities.
These are largely unknown until the
system fully resets, which may take
several years. At character creation,
roll for two techno-modules from the
list below. At each new level, roll an
additional one (if you already have it,
take the one below).
After each use of the player rolls a
usage die (see below) depending on
the character’s level.
166
by Nobboc - Art: Li-An
Requirement: None
Prime Requisite: INT
Hit dice: d8
Maximum level: 9
Armour: none
Weapons: all
Languages : Common, binary code.
d(12)
• 1 - Force Field: The droid generates a
block-it-ol™ energy shield increasing
its AC by 3 for the next 6 turns.
• 2 - Lasergun: A secret compartment
contains a particularly dangerous fold-
ing gun. Damage 2d6, can target one
opponent per two levels in the same
attack, range as crossbow.
• 3 - Medikit: the droid can heal an
organic creature by 1d12 hit points.
1-in-6 chance of stamping an indelible
i’m alive thanks to healcorp logo on
the patient.
• 4 - Echo Radar 3000: for one turn,
the droid detects life forms and their
size (S, M, or L) within a 90’ radius. This
includes invisible creatures and works
through obstacles and walls, regardless
of what they are made of.
• 5 - Interpreter System: After hearing
a few sentences of an unknown lan-
guage, the droid accesses partial files
in its BabelFish (patent dispute ongoing)
cyber library. It understands and
speaks it for the next 6 turns. On 1-in-6,
this language is added to the droid’s
solid state language module: add it to
languages learned.
• 6 - Holoprojector: As phantasmal
force.
• 7 - Antigrav: As levitate for 1d6 turns.
• 8 - Energy Blast: As lightning bolt,
but with a Pew! Pew! Pew! sound effect.
• 10 - mega gogglesTM: The droid can
 by Vagabundork- Art: Li-An

The Lost Droid Level Progression

Level XP HD THACO D W P B S Usage die Only the person who cleans the
1 0 1d8 19 [0] 8 9 10 13 12 4 public latrines has a worse job than
2 2,000 2d8 19 [0] 8 9 10 13 12 4 you. You are not, after all, cut out
3 4,000 3d8 19 [0] 8 9 10 13 12 6
for a glamorous life rubbing elbows
with nobility or knowing carnal
4 8,000 4d8 19 [0 6 7 8 10 10 6
love. But such trifles don’t matter
5 16,000 5d8 17 [+2] 6 7 8 10 10 8 to you, or so you’ve managed to
6 32,000 6d8 17 [+2] 6 7 8 10 10 8 convince yourself. The alternative
7 64,000 7d8 17 [+2] 4 5 6 7 8 10 is just too depressing. Requirement: DEX 9

Rat
8 120,000 8d8 17 [+3] 4 5 6 7 8 10 Prime Requisite: CHA
9 240,000 9d8 15 [+4] 4 5 6 7 8 12
The Hit dice: d6
Maximum level: 14
see in complete darkness as if it were
in broad daylight for the next 6 turns.
• 11- MultiTool Arm: A retractable
Healing and Energy recovery
- The droid cannot be healed by the
usual mundane or magical ways.
- It can enter standby mode for a pe-
Catcher Armour: Leather
Weapons: all
Languages : Common, Thieves’ Cant
limb fitted with a variety of miniature
tools (soldering iron, pliers, rotating riod of 8 hours, after which it recovers Combat
saw, screwdriver, laser cutter, thieves 1d4 hit points (double the result if Poverty, or as you call it, «freedom», is 13. Five flash bomb flasks.
tools, etc.). The referee will stop you if it spent the whole 8 hours in direct your motto. You’re not used to wearing 14. Flask of oil.
you’re asking for too much. sunlight). armor heavier than leather; if for some 15. Five torches, tinder and flint.
• 12 - Self-Improvement: Come up - After each standby period, all usage reason you wear it, you can’t use your 16. Bronze key to a missing stash.
with your own techno module (subject dice (see below) are stepped up by one Knave, Track Vermin, and Rat Senses 17. Valuable-looking book you can’t
to the referee’s approval). size (without ever exceeding the level abilities, and you lose 2 or 4 points of read full of demonic symbols.
limit— see progression table). Dexterity while wearing chain mail or 18. Box containing five vials of
Immunities plate, respectively. mysterious sludge.
- Immune to mind-affecting or After Reaching 9th Level 19. Old backpack.
mind-reading spells (e.g. charm, hold, Fading. The droid is powered by an Starting Gear 20. Black hat.
sleep). atomic cell with a limited life. At level (roll 1d30 three times – that’s your 21. Dog.
- Immune to diseases and poisons. 9, its energy starts fading. After each only equipment) 22. The sword of a nobleman, stolen.
- The droid does not need to eat, standby period, roll 1d20 for each six 1. Antivenom. 23. Eye patch.
drink, or sleep. abilities. If the result is strictly below 2. Dark clothes. 24. Mantle.
- Fire damage is halved, electricity the ability score, it is decreased by one 3. Stolen letter. 25. Soft, stealthy shoes.
damage is doubled. point. When an ability is below 3, the 4. One-use lockpick. 26. Garish clothes.
droid falls asleep forever. It is said that a 5. Rope (30'.) 27. Frying pan.
mysterious wizard knows the secret of 6. Rusty knife. 28. Crowbar.
the droids and how to wake them out of 7. Mudproof boots. 29. Sling and ten stones.
their eternal slumber. But finding them 8. Stinky wheel of cheese. 30. Cage with 1d4 live rats.
is a quest no one has ever attempted… 9. Book of satirical and anarchistical
poetry against current authorities and Gallows Humor
Usage Dice (Thanks to The Black Hack and Macchiato Monsters) the local church. You get a +2 bonus to your rolls to
Each techno-module has a usage die attached to it, according the droid’s level. Each time 10. Five rat traps. resist psychological effects, magical or
it uses one of its modules, roll the module’s die. On a result of 1-3, the die is stepped down 11. Wooden plank. otherwise, related to fear, sadness, or
by one size (d12 > d10 > d8 > d6 > d4). When a d4 module is stepped down, it cannot be used 12. A blood-stained nobility title. nihilism.
until the droid goes into standby mode (see Healing and Energy Recovery).
168

169
 The Rat Catcher Level Progression
Level XP HD THACO D W P B S
1 0 1d6 19 [0] 13 14 13 13 15
2 1,500 2d6 19 [0] 13 14 13 13 15
3 3,000 3d6 19 [0] 13 14 13 13 15
4 6,000 4d6 19 [0 13 14 13 13 15
5 12,000 5d6 17 [+2] 11 13 11 12 13
6 25,000 6d6 17 [+2] 11 13 11 12 13
7 50,000 7d6 17 [+2] 11 13 11 12 13
8 100,000 8d6 17 [+2] 11 13 11 12 13
9 200,000 9d6 15 [+4] 9 11 9 10 11
10 300,000 9d6+1 15 [+4] 9 11 9 10 11
11 400,000 9d6+2 15 [+4] 9 11 9 10 11
12 500,000 9d6+3 15 [+4] 9 11 9 10 11
13 600,000 9d6+4 13 [+6] 7 9 7 8 9
14 700,000 9d6+5 13 [+6] 7 9 7 8 9

Knave
You know one thief skill of your
choice, except Find/Remove Trap
and Pick Pockets (you can also roll
randomly). You can use it as a thief of
your level.
Lab Rat
You’re good at finding your way
around sewers, catacombs, dark
alleys, and other artificial or se-
mi-artificial structures. If you are the
party’s cartographer, you can ask the
referee to correct your map. She will
make at least one major correction,
and any number of minor corrections
she wishes. When you enter a room or
hallway you have already visited, you
always know you have been there be-
fore and notice any relevant changes.
Rat Senses
When you are choosing between se-
veral possible paths, there is a 2-in-6
170
chance that you instinctively know if
there is any immediate danger (such as
traps or ambushes).
Track Vermin
You can automatically detect and track
vermin, including kobolds, goblins and
the like (referee’s discretion), and of
course rat-folk. When you fight these
creatures, your THAC0 or attack bonus
improves by 1.
After Reaching 9th Level
If you clear and control a major area of a
city’s drainage system, subway tunnels,
or alleys, you can claim it as your terri-
tory. You become the leader of a gang
of 2d6 1st level thieves and 3d4 0-level
beggars who follow you, protect the
territory, and are happy to pay a small
weekly tribute as long as you don’t turn
out to be a despot or start bathing more
frequently than them, you fop!

Blemmyes are headless humanoids
with their facial features on their
chests who travel the world in search
of a group of Blemmyes to found a
community with. Small in stature,
they rely on their numbers in combat
rather than individual prowess.
Blemmyes can be found in local inns
lamenting their lost brethren, or out
in the wilds, searching for a group to
call home. Whilst their population is
low, they are attested to live all over
the known world, and a Blemmye
searching for others of their kind are
sure to find them.
by Pierre Vagneur-Jones - Art: Li-An
After Reaching 9th Level
Once they have hired a number of Blemmyes
equal to their retainer limit, the character may
choose to settle and form a proper community.
The diaspora of the Blemmyes from all over the
known world endeavour to find each other and
Requirement: CHA 9
form a community, be it in the form of a guild,
Prime Requisite: CHA
settlement, or even mercenary company.
Hit dice: d4
Maximum level: 9
Armour: Leather (appropriate to anatomy),
as well as shields.

The Weapons: all

Blemmye Languages : Common, Blemmye,

Alignment language

as their employer is nearby due to their

Combat
Blemmyes can use leather armour, but it
must be tailored to their strange ana-
tomy. They may use any weapon..
Defensive Bonus
In combat, Blemmyes gain +1 AC for
each other Blemmye fighting in melee
next to them, to a maximum of +4.
Blemmye Retainers
Starting at level 2 and every 2 levels
thereafter the Blemmye may add +1 to
their retainer limit. Blemmye retainers
do not need to roll morale checks as long
unwavering loyalty to each other. Blemmye
retainers do not require a share of treasure
as they are adventuring in search of a place
to call home rather than riches, but do
insist on upkeep.
Retainer Progression
If a retainer is a blemmye, they do not
suffer an XP penalty.
Retainer Replacement
If the character dies and at least one of
their retainers is alive, the player can elect
to play the retainer (subject to the referee’s
approval).

The Blemmye Level Progression

Level XP HD THACO D W P B S Retainer Limit
1 0 1d4 19 [0] 8 9 10 13 12
2 2,400 2d4 19 [0] 8 9 10 13 12 +1
3 4,800 3d4 19 [0] 8 9 10 13 12
4 9,600 4d4 17 [+2] 6 7 8 10 9 +2
5 20,000 5d4 17 [+2] 6 7 8 10 9
6 40,000 6d4 17 [+2] 6 7 8 10 9 +3
7 80,000 7d4 17 [+2] 4 5 6 8 7
8 160,000 8d4 14 [+5] 4 5 6 8 7 +4
172

9 280,000 9d4 14 [+5] 4 5 6 8 7


You know how some people call
illusionists “wizards, but more
useless”? Well, it turns out illusions
are just light which has been bent
and sculpted by a magic-user’s will.
And guess what else you can create
by concentrating light? That’s
right. Now hand over your spell-
book or I cut off the other hand.
TheLazer
Mage
Combat
Lazer Mages cannot wear armour.
They can only use dagger.
Arcane Magic
Lazer mages follow the same rules for
magical research and spell casting as
magic-users.
• Spell list: lazer mages can only know
illusionist spells.
• Using magical items: lazer mages
can use scrolls, but no other magical
items normally intended for arcane
spell casters. However, they may be
174
by Eric Nieudan- Art: Sam Mameli
Requirement: CHA 9
Prime Requisite: INT
Hit dice: d4
Maximum level: 12
Armour: None
Weapons: Dagger
Languages : Alignement, Common
able to find and craft equivalent lazer
mage items. Their spell books come in
the form of lightpads: tablets of black
glass which display spells in runes
made of magical light. If they encounter
them, they understand how to use such
esoteric devices as roller skates, glitter
bombs, and calculator wristwatches.
Energy conversion
Instead of casting a spell, a lazer mage
may attempt to convert one or more
spell slots into one of the following
effects (see chance of failure below):
 by Jack Shear- Art: Li-An

The Lazer Mage Level Progression Spells

Level XP HD THACO D W P B S 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 0 1d4 19 [0] 13 14 13 16 15 1
2 2,500 2d4 19 [0] 13 14 13 16 15 2
3 5,000 3d4 19 [0] 13 14 13 16 15 2 1
4 10,000 4d4 19 [0] 13 14 13 16 15 2 2
5 20,000 5d4 19 [0] 13 14 13 16 15 2 2 1
6 40,000 6d4 17 [+2] 11 12 11 14 12 2 2 2
7 80,000 7d4 17 [+2] 11 12 11 14 12 2 2 2 1
8 150,000 8d4 17 [+2] 11 12 11 14 12 2 2 2 2 This character class is in the vein
9 300,000 9d4 17 [+2] 11 12 11 14 12 2 2 2 2 1 of the Vampirella comics: a traveler
10 450,000 9d4+1* 17 [+2] 11 12 11 14 12 2 2 2 2 2 from the Vampire Planet in a far-
11 600,000 9d4+2* 14[+5] 8 9 8 11 8 2 2 2 2 2 1 away solar system who has crash-
12 900,000 9d4+3* 14 [+5] 8 9 8 11 8 2 2 2 2 2 2 landed on your fantasy setting.
Someone should play one when you run
Nexus of the Ixx, p. 199. -Eric Requirement: None
• Explosive beam: the mage shoots a converted, and a duration of 1 round Prime Requisite: CHA

TheSpace
ray of coherent light at on target up to per total spell slot levels converted. Hit dice: d6
100’ away. The damage is a number of • Chance of failure: energy conversion Maximum level: 10
doesn’t always work. The character

d6s equal to the total spell slot levels
converted. Any dice rolling a 6 are
rolled again and their result added to
the damage total. (And again on an-
other 6, etc.)
• Hologram: as per the phantasmal
force spell, with a duration of an hour
per total spell slot levels converted.
Most intelligent observers notice the
images are only illusions.
• Lazer Sword: the character holds
a blade made of coherent light for
one round per total spell slot levels
converted. Its damage is 1d12 (no STR
bonus to hit or damage with it).
• Light Flash (Absorption): as per the
light (darkness) spell, with a range
of 10’ times the total spell slot levels
176
must make a Wisdom check with the
following modifiers: bright light or di-
rect sunlight +4, daylight +2, lantern or
torch light +0, dim (moon, stars, candle)
light -2, darkness -4. A natural 20 is
always a failure, and often a miscast or
catastrophe (referee’s discretion).
After Reaching 10th Level
A lazer mage may build a stronghold,
often an underground roller disco. 1d6
apprentices (lazer mages, illusionists,
or arcane bards) of level 1-2 will then
arrive to study under the character.
Vampire
Combat
Space vampires may not wear armor
or use shields as they prefer to wear
slinky, revealing outfits. They can only
wield bladed weapons, such as swords
and daggers, and futuristic weapons,
such as rayguns and laser swords (if
they exist in your campaign setting).
Immortal
Once they reach adulthood, space
vampires cease aging and can live
indefinitely. Space vampires take
damage when deprived of food and
water, but they cannot die from depri-
vation; at worst, they are reduced to a
single hit point.
Armour: None
Weapons: Blades, futuristic
Languages : Alignment, Common,
Galactish
Vampire Bite
A space vampire’s fangs can be used
to deal 1d4 points of damage to any
creature that has blood, is biological,
and is living. They gain 1d4 blood points
(see below) when it successfully deals
damage with its fangs to a living, biolo-
gical creature.
Blood Abilities
Space vampires possess the following
special abilities, but each use of an
ability costs a number of blood points
specified in parentheses.
• Beguile (1): A space vampire can
exert powers of animal magnetism over
living creatures. This ability functions
as a charm person spell.

177
 The Space Vampire Level Progression
Level Title XP HD THACO D W P B S
1 Temptress 0 1d6 19 [0] 11 12 14 16 15
2 Seductress 1,500 2d6 19 [0] 11 12 14 16 15
3 Vamp 3,000 3d6 19 [0] 11 12 14 16 15
4 Neferata 6,000 4d6 19 [0 11 12 14 16 15
5 Lamia 12,000 5d6 17 [+2] 9 10 12 14 12
6 Lilith 25,000 6d6 17 [+2] 9 10 12 14 12
7 Blood Noble 50,000 7d6 17 [+2] 9 10 12 14 12
8 Blood Princess 100,000 8d6 17 [+2] 9 10 12 14 12
9 Vampire Queen 200,000 9d6 15 [+4] 6 7 9 11 9
10 10th lvlVampire Queen 300,000 9d6+1 15 [+4] 6 7 9 11 9

• Bloodlust Regeneration (1): A space • Nocturnal Supremacy (2): The space

vampire can heal herself by metabo-
lizing her blood points. For every
blood point she chooses to spend, a
space vampire heals 1d6+1 hit points.
• Eyes of the Night (1): The space
vampire gains darkvision for twelve
turns.
• Midnight Alacrity (3): The space
vampire moves with unnatural swift-
ness. This ability functions as a haste
spell.
• Mystic Shadows (1): The space
vampire activates a mystical force
field of shadows around herself. This
ability functions as a shield spell.
178
vampire’s Strength score increases to
18 for five turns.
• Shroud of Malkuth (2): This ability
allows the space vampire to become
invisible. This ability functions as an
invisibility spell.
• Wings of the Bat (3): A space vampire
can cause bat-like wings to sprout from
her back. This ability functions as a fly
spell.
 by James Maliszewski - Art: Zhu

Chenot (CHEN-oat) are a Requirement: INT 9, DEX 9 Tendril Skills Wilting

species of small, plantlike beings
renowned for their agility and
cleverness. They weigh about
50 pounds and stand just below
3’ tall. Chenot typically live in
communities of their own, but
sometimes dwell among humans,
particularly in rural areas. Chenot
are fascinated by relics of the Ma-
kers, whom they regard as gods.
Many Chenot become adventu-
rers precisely so that they may
seek out sites associated with
their deities.
Prime Requisite: INT and DEX
Hit dice: d6
Maximum level: 9
Armour: Special
Weapons: Any appropriate to size
Languages : Chenot (see below),Jäneska
Defensive Bonus
Due to their small size, Chenot gain a +2
bonus to Armor Class when attacked
With their sensitive and flexible tendrils,
Chenot can perform certain unusual
feats, starting at a 1-in-6 chance of
success in each. At 1st level, a Chenot can
distribute 2 points among these abilities,
increasing the chance of success by one
per point spent. At every level after first,
the Chenot gains an additional point to
distribute (to a maximum of 5-in-6 in any
ability).
• Climb sheer surfaces: A roll
is required for each 100’ to be
climbed. If the roll fails, the
Chenot falls at the halfway
Chenot require sunlight, water, and ele-
mental nutrients for nourishment. They
must spend at least 8 hours each day in
their presence or lose 1 hit point per day
they go without it. This damage cannot
be healed by any means until sufficient
nourishment is procured, at which point
they regain 1 hit point per level every 8
hours until fully healed. While
undernourished, Chenot
move at half normal
speed.

The
by large opponents (greater than hu- point, suffering falling damage.
man-sized)

Chenot
• Find or remove traps: A roll is required
to find a trap and then another to remove
Communication it. This may be attempted only once per
The Chenot can hear and vocalize, but trap.
can only speak their own language • Pick pockets: The Chenot’s roll
which sounds to human ears like rustling, is penalized by 1-in-6 for every
scraping leaves and branches in the wind. three levels of hit dice of
Combat However, they can learn to understand the intended target. The
The central trunk of all adult Chenot is other languages. Further, Chenot emit referee should determine
encased within a shell of adamantine, pheromones that enable any living, the reaction of the target
giving them protection equivalent to plate sentient being who has been within 60’ of
of a failed attempt (pos-
armor (AC 3 [16]). Because of this, they can them for at least one turn to understand
sibly using the reaction
wear no other form of armor, though they their language, though not speak it (as table).
can carry a shield which has been tailored most species lack the physical apparatus • Search: When ac-
tailored to their small size. Chenot can use to do so). This effect lasts one day. After a tively searching, a
any weapons appropriate to their stature week of regular, daily exposure, it lasts a Chenot can locate
(as determined by the referee). They cannot year; and after a month of exposure, it is
hidden comp-
use longbows or two-handed swords. permanent. artments and
secret doors.
The Chenot Level Progression
Level XP HD THACO D W P B S Skill points
1 0 1d6 19 [0] 8 9 10 13 12 2
2 2,000 2d6 19 [0] 8 9 10 13 12 4
3 4,000 3d6 19 [0] 8 9 10 13 12 6
4 8,000 4d6 17 [+2] 6 7 8 10 10 6
5 16,000 5d6 17 [+2] 6 7 8 10 10 8
6 32,000 6d6 17 [+2] 6 7 8 10 10 8
7 64,000 7d6 14 [+5] 4 5 6 7 8 10
8 120,000 8d6 14 [+5]] 4 5 6 7 8 10
180
 by Nate Treme

Just try it!

(now!)

This is a fun way to practice drawing. Start with a

basic shape then add details until it’s a character
or something. You could use the results as paper

EX T R
miniatures or NPC illustrations or whatever.

A OR D
IN A R
YEX C
U R SI
O N S
182
 by Jason Sholtis (art & text)

Imp
us Uplands
An Adventure in th e Odio
Attracted by
transmissions from
an Under world
sorcerer (deceased),
a titanic being from
some neighboring
reality manifested

rint
itself in this universe,
alighting in the
nor thern wilderness
of ape-haunted Upper
Mastodonia.
For several weeks,
the entity regarded the
world from its towering
vantage point, scanning
n senses,
far and wide with an array of unknow
held nothing
and concluded that the planet
worthy of serious interest.
Before the visitor set off into the
heavens, it sloughed off corporeal
tissues completely (including vast
amounts of gold). Besides this
generous sample of decomposing
GEN ERAL KLUSH

matter, the being left behind

a singular impression in the
landscape, like an enormous
footprint.

IMPRINT IS AN “OPEN AIR DUNG EON”

FILLED WITH A VISION -OBSCURING
MIASMA AND LARGE, SEMI-
SEPARATE “ROOMS” CREATED BY
THE COSMIC ENTITY’S MASS AND
ONCE-PHYSICAL FORM. MEDIU M-
TOUGH PLAYER CHARACTERS

184
 Rumorsand
Example
Hooks •
Rumors of bountiful,
unguarded gold abound. Go
get it, quick!
• But touching it will kill you!
• Plus you shouldn’t breathe the air
in there!
• Don’t believe these
Imperial lies (False)!
• Underworld rangers offer
reward for returning a powerful
Underworld relic from a secret
wilderness base crushed by
the alien (a Chaos Dampening
obelisk, Node 11).
• Representatives of the
Intertribal Shamanic
Council offer a reward to
seek out barbarians camped
near Node 1, and deliver a
secret communique: “Do not,
we repeat, DO NOT attempt to
contact The Thirsty God. New
orders: seek out and disrupt
Imperial activity. Do not handle
or return with found gold.
Protect the god’s remains from
dishonor”.
• Help smash the state! Anti-
imperial elements back in civilization
bid adventurers disrupt the
Imperials’ gold purification operation
(Node 11) for a tidy sum. Filter
masks provided, geas required.
• Do Oonescu the Sorcerer’s
bidding: gather 6 mineral or
tissue specimens from the
imprint, as directed by readings
on a loaned Chaosometer. The
sorcerer pays substantially,
and will reverse mutations and
heal wounds upon return to
civilization.
AL EN TITY
TRA NSD IME NSI ON
LITY.
SAM PLI NG OU R REA
TO CO NQ UER , OR
NOT TO
186 CO NQ UER .
The Imprint: facts and observations
• Pain in the ass 20’ to 30’ cliff faces on all sides. The Imperials have
carved a stair in Node 11.
l.
• Surface is strangely spongy and moist: movement at half norma
• Thick miasma of spores and unknown gasses limits clear vision to 20’
inside the imprint, only shadowy figures are still discernible at 50’.
• Flecks and chunks of metals known and unknown glitter on the surface and in
the miasma, among them: pure gold! 1d100 gp in value can be harvested per
person per turn (see The Bad News).
• The Greenstink river runs through the impression, pooling into The Pond
which is being consumed by The Drinker.
• Magic is weird here: lingering alien metaphysics cause a 1 in 6 chance of spell
failure or peculiar effects to be determined by the referee (e.g. an explosion of
flower petals and oppressive cologne instead of the intended fireball).
factions
The Bad News During its brief residency, the entity
attracted numerous interested
• Breathing is dangerous.
parties to the area.
Improvised filter masks of any stripe • Independent surface world
provide decent protection (+2 to sorcerers and their Under world-
saving throws). Imperial filter masks based counterparts outfit
offer superior protection (+4). expeditions to harvest wealth and
MASK TROOPER
• Alien gold: lethal contaminants. substances of possible sorcerous
Exposure (within 6 ft.) to harvested gold use.
for a period of longer than 24 hours
• The (evil) southern Empire:
can be deadly to human and animal life
(saving throw required to postpone slow, dispatches troops and specialists,
miserable death by dissolution). Imperial declares all mineral wealth the
sorcerers have improvised a purification sole proper ty of itself, outlaws
device (Node 11 ). Lead-lined (or similar) private exploration of the
containers also mitigate this effect. impression.
• A Ticking Clock: Only the • The (beyond good and
Science Fungoids (B) are aware evil) Science Fungoids of
that an abomination from the
the Under world: pursue
Underworld will make its way scientific revelations
to the surface in 2 hours from
the time the party enters the
and seek only to advance
depression, providing ample knowledge at any cost (to
opportunity to observe surface others).
creatures reacting to major • Northern barbarians
stressors (see Area B). (FREEEEEEDOM!): sought
Also ticking: the giant flowers allegiance with cosmic
in Node 8. entity, now guard its
Also: tainted waters remains from the hated
flowing from The Pond, Empire. The shamans say
goodness knows what
they don’t need masks,
effect they will
have on the which sully a
warrior’s honor.
ecosystem.
187
 unbidden encounter
CIT IZE N LICH GA
NIS HA M
CH ECKS HIS SE
MI-ACCU RATE
MAP OF TH E IMP
RIN T.

(d12) Roll d6 each turn spent anywhere in the depression;

consult the table below on a result of 1-2.

H U NG R
1 - 4. Imperial patrol (5 1st level soldiers, 8. Hungry Polyps (as giant crocodile,
one 3rd level sergeant): Heavily armed; 1d4): swallows whole and speedily digests

Y POLY
orders to stop, frisk, capture or slay anything with calories. Former units of
unauthorized parties and report back to alien digestive system, now ambulatory,
base camp. dies upon ingestion of their target.

P
5. Contemplative 9. Barbarians (2d4, 3rd
saber-toothed apes level fighters) seeking to
(12, HD 1, bite like hell): disrupt Imperial activity,
Attracted by the unique wary of everyone but
stench of the decaying open to making allies of
alien super-being, this convenience.
pack couldn’t help but 10. Science Fungoid
sample the rich banquet research team:
with these effects: Delighted grad students
thoughtful and (4th level fighters) with
introspective; hostility 4 harvested rainbow
towawrds, in an area of mold spheres in demi-
the depression they have material envelopes,
obviously cleaned up death ray revolvers.
for habitation; engaged They attempt to
in heated metaphysical interview any humans,
debate in caveman interested in health
speech. effects of exposure,
6. Black T-cell: request volunteers for
(as black pudding), pursues and medical study at an
devours foreign lifeforms, grows Underworld facility.
with success. Starts at 2 HD, 10,000gp in found gold.
adds 1 HD for each human- 11. Lost adventurer,
sized being consumed, must Granulo of Mur (3rd
then rest for 1 hour. 50% magic level fighter): won’t put
resistance. down huge gold nugget
7. Bewildered river kraken (1,500gp), believes
(HD 3, 1d6): Took to land himself dead but asks
to avoid The Drinker’s everyone to make sure
indiscriminate consumption. anyway.
Starting to dry out, needs help 12. Giant Saber-toothed
finding a pond or river, senses Ape (as hill giant with
failing, but still lives to taunt extra-vicious bite):
and insult humankind. caught up in the initial
dematerialization, grew
to giant size and strength,
IANS !
"GRE ETINGS, MAM MAL
ASSI ST
mind scrambled with thirst
WOU LD YOU LIKE TO
US IN THE TEST ING OF
THIS for death and mayhem.
PROTOTYPE ?"

188
 "10 0 GO LD SAYS
I CA N MA KE IT
LEAK WIT H A MA
GIC MISSIL E!"

map key
The Drinker
Demi-sentient elements of the
original entity coalesced into this
new super being (HD 30, spells as
MU20, attack triggers Godzilla-like
rampage). Gorges itself on water
from the pond; when sufficiently
fueled with oxygen and hydrogen
(1d6 days) it will alter its shape to that
of the Saturn V rocket and depart
explosively into the cosmos.
• Telepathic and chatty: reaches
out to minds within 100 feet with
overwhelming multi-sensory
greeting. Magic-users must save or
forget their memorized spells, affects
all as per confusion spell for 1 minute,
after which the Drinker telepathically
shares whatever quotidian musings
or mind-blowing revelations the
referee wishes.
• At 10-minute intervals spews
scintillant gasses from pores.
Exposure (within 30 feet) triggers a
saving throw (masks provide bonus),
On failure consult the following table.
Drinker’s Effluvia Effects (d6)
1. Stops breathing and appears dead
(suffocates unless jostled).
2. Suffers wild muscle spasms that
take the appearance of an exaltant
dance of worship, exhausted for 1d12
hours.
3. Speaks only in alien tongues for
1d12 hours.
M: Mutation Zones
Creatures entering these difficult to discern, ever-
shifting 100 ft. radius clouds of red miasma
(visibility within 10’) must make a saving throw or
consult the referee’s favorite mutation table.
R: Rainbow mold colonies
• Beautiful, psychedelic heaps of slimy spheres,
dimly bioluminescent.
• Explosive discharge: 2d6 hp damage to all within
20’ if touched or otherwise disturbed, save for half
damage. 2d4 new rainbow mold colonies begin
growing inside the blast radius. Spell effects don’t
trigger an explosion; clever use of magic might allow
harvest and weaponization.
S: Sinkholes
In spots where the alien’s ropy tendrils penetrated
the earth, slime-sealed pits remain, concealed by
dust and miasma.
• 1d6x10 feet diameter, 1d4x10 feet deep, d6-1
damage per 10 feet fell due to sponginess.
• Filled with digestive juices for an additional d6 of
damage.
Area A: The Pond
• Fed by Greenstink river, 10 feet deep, outflow
tainted.
• Loaded with bewildered river
kraken (HD 3, lives to
harass humankind)
and harmless basking
sharks washed over
the waterfall, plight
visible from shore.
• Waters guzzled
by The Drinker.
OF BEI NG

4. Eyes turn black and filled with

AKE R

stars: can only see other dimensions

for 1d12 hours.
HARAN G HEA D-T

IMP ERI AL SPI ES.

5. Manifests subtle hatred for all that

SUSPECTS YO U

lives (1d6 days).

6. Wracking, screaming agony, 2d4
damage distributed to every cell in
the body, roll again if alive.
190
 OT HE R MA DE
"MY GRAN DM
HT ING
HE R NA ME FIG
D HE RE I AM ..."
DRAG ONS AN
Nodes
Roll for encounters as usual in these
areas, results may interact with node
inhabitants as well:
1. Barbarian camp: 20 unmasked warriors
(3rd level fighters) in a froth, charismatic
leader Harang Head-taker (12th level cleric)
makes non-stop inflammatory speeches.
Fresh imperial heads on spears lead to the
camp, non-Imperials are suspect but not
instantly attacked. Miasma-stricken warriors
starting to pile up, all eat fist-fulls of fortifying
herbs.
2. Empty but for twice the typical amount of
harvestable gold.
3. Heaps of dying alien cells litter the
area. Dinner plate size, thrash pathetically,
lash out impotently.
4. Newly arrived masked adventuring
party looks for other adventuring parties to
rob.
RECOMMENDED.
5. Giant Saber- toothed Ape, the other
Area B:
ld
one (see Unbidden Encounters): also
Shaft to the Underwor
grew to hill giant size and strength, mind
• The 100 ft. diameter shaft descends,
expanded, freshly curious about all and
seemingly without bottom, intersecting with
sundry, will fight only if attacked (HD 8, bites
Underworld causeways at several points.
expedition ferociou sly). May be able to talk down the
• Site of a Science Fungoid
other giant ape.
base camp sent to investigate the event.
6. Dancing Beetles: Their tiny minds
Mushroom-shaped shelters in a cluster.
melted, these giant Underworld beetles sing
• Lead by Cosmic Research Commander
laser sword, 2 hideous ly and chase each other about in a
(8 level fighter, experimental
th
native species, wreaking havoc with the • 2d4 captured adventurers bound and
local (and soon, regional) ecosystem. They under guard (with arms and equipment
wither if exposed to magical fire, but are impounded).
otherwise hard to kill. • Commands a force of 4 sub-
9. Ecologically aware married Wizard commanders (4th level) and 30 soldiers (1st
Couple (Xang and Cthak, 7 and 9 level
th th level), at least one sub-commander and 10
magic-users) contemplate contaminated soldiers on patrol at any given time.
waters flowing south, perhaps a wall of stone • An ancient Chaos-dampening obelisk (3
to dam the outflow? feet tall, Underworld metal composition),
captured in early survey, keeps the
10. Featureless but filled with howling
immediate area safe (100 ft. radius, mask
silence and airborne ennui, 4-in-6 chance of
use is optional). The depleted chaos
random encounters.
battering will function for 2d4 more days.
11. Imperial Gold-purification operation
and Investigation HQ
General Khush, 11th level fighter, hp 88,
AC 2, sword of discipline, beetle chitin plate
armor, 2 potions of healing, 1,200gp in
decorative trinkets, cranky, imperious and
usually right, commands respect, never
without sub-commander and 10-soldier
guard. Unmasked, protected by secret
inoculation (two doses in a hidden
syringe).
Second-in-command Citizen
Lich Ganisham 10th level
magic-user, hp 16, AC
10, wand of lightning,
cloak of flight, hand-
held gold purification
ray gun, detailed
map of the Imprint,

ballet of madness. usually away from base

puffball grenades of personal teleportation,
blunderbuss of charm human),
accompanied by 6 grad student level
Associates (HD 3, death ray revolvers,
clipboards). Vacuum-like device collects
airborne particles in pillow-like sacks.
• 15 charmed adventurer scum now serve from above by a gray, outlandishly bearded
as guards (various levels, mostly fighters);
will soon be transported to Human Studies
Institute for vivisection.
• A monstrous seven-headed earthworm
(as fire-breathing 7 HD hydra) with a
hankering for surface creatures slowly
ascends the shaft; arrives in 2 hours to
pursue and devour anything that gets within the surrounding plain. If unchecked, these
50 ft. The Fungoids can’t wait to see what
results.
192
7. Underworld Wizard’s research party: camp on independent
surveys. Immune to the
A squad of huge blue subterranean
environment.
humanoids (6, as ogre) in protective suits
• Dispatched to make a
and glass-sealed helmets attempt to
complete investigation of
harvest rainbow mold spheres, monitored
the phenomena, harvest
and process gold.
figure in a levitating translucent sphere
• Under orders to prevent
of energy (Hanarango of Castle Ziro, 9th
any other parties from
level magic-user). Treasure: 3,500gp in
making off with treasure
harvested nuggets, Hanarango’s Dagger of
or information.
Excellent Exsanguination.
• Will not hesitate to
8. Colossal flowers sway and undulate capture and/or kill
here, launching fast-growing seeds toward anyone violating this
edict.
mutant plants will soon overrun the
 by James Hall (art & text)

d6 - It calls to you
1 - A haunting “omm” sound faintly pours from the stone mouth.
2 - The ancient symbols for wealth and power are recognized on the stone monuments.
3 - Mist moves unnaturally to cover the land wherever one is looking.
4 - The monuments pulse with a dull umber light.
5 - Every few minutes, a shooting star falls from the sky and seems
to land on the colossal forehead.
6 - Barely visible iridescent threads of light connect the
monuments in a geometric pattern above the field.

ENTER THE TITAN

The walls are corroded copper and iron, dripping with tainted, oily water. The ladders

Dedicated to Edward James Fritz-Hall

are crude wooden affairs added by the cultists, as the levitation pits haven’t worked
in eons. At some point in each room, the “lub-dub” of a heart beating shakes the
whole structure.
• The Cult’s Purpose. Broken and inactive, the titan was pierced with a massive
javelin long ago. The cultists work tirelessly to revive what they think is a dormant
god and help it rule the world with them at its right hand. In reality, it is a massive

TITAN CLIFFS
A colossal face and pair of hands emerge from the cliffside fields.
automaton from an ancient war. It was created by an undead wizard as a vessel for
their consciousness.
• Encounters in the Titan. Roll whenever a room is entered. If the party spends
too much time or makes too much noise in an empty or cleared room, roll for all
adjacent rooms and consider having the inhabitants investigate.
The Lighthouse Some distance away from the Titan’s statue, 1 - Titan’s Mouth d6 image. A circle with 8 lines 3 - Steep Stairwell
a lone lighthouse stands. A ladder hangs, 15 ft. from the ground and will lower
A rickety wooden ladder radiating from it marks An unlit, crooked, steep
when the words “titan fall” are spoken. Inside lives Sable (4th level magic-user).
leads to a dark hallway. the door to 10. stairwell leads into the
Suspicious and mousey, she can trade information (cloaked figures have
been entering and leaving the titan’s mouth) for the party’s best food. 1-2 - A cultist is climbing the 1 - d4 cultists toil around the darkness.
ladder grumbling about going Halfway down lies Taba,
She thinks the titan is a sculpture honoring the old gods. to town.
circle.
2 - d4 spider automatons the friendly explorer.
d6 - Sable’s stance 1 - She supports the cult but will lie about it. She gives a potion 3 - Two spider automatons
clean bones at the base of the are cutting through the silver Her leg is broken after
that puts the drinker into a light sleep. 2-3 - She is fearful of the cult and lies, saying they’re
fine neighbors. 4-5 - She dislikes the cult and gives a weak healing potion (d4 hp). 6 - She is ladder. shaft. falling in the darkness.
hateful of the cult and gives an invisibility scroll. d4 allies turn invisible for 1 minute. 4+ - It’s empty. 3 - A single cult member on She snuck in seeking the
guard duty. rumored treasure.
d4 - Story hooks d4 - Monuments’ purpose
1 - Reports of missing people, most recently Several standing stones carved with runic 2 - Focus Circle d6 4+ - It’s empty She has heard of a
the beloved town busker, Swekia. Last seen circles dot the moor around the Titan. A large round room, circled ➳ The circle focuses mag- secret chamber this
heading toward the Titan Cliffs. 1 - To help lock the titan in its place. with lit torches, houses a ic into the titan, sustain- way, and says the cult
2 - There are rumors of a cult trying to trigger 2 - To lure souls into the titan’s maw. magic circle. A huge silver ing its massive form. leader, Gazuk, is power-
a world-ending cataclysm at the Titan Cliffs. 3 - To mark the grave of those who died taking shaft pierces it from ceil- ➳ Lying around are a jar ful but deathly afraid
3 - Some say there is a massive cache of down the titan. ing to floor. There are two of oil and a chisel. of rats.
treasure within the titan statue. 4 - To warn the lighthouse’s inhabitants of closed doors. The door to ➳ The doors are both trap-
4 - Rumor has it a nearby cult is looking for intruders. 3 is marked with a helmet ped with a poison spray.
recruits... or sacrifices.

194 195
 4 - Pipe Intersection
d6
Pipes criss-cross the
ground. One is leaking
an opaque yellow fluid. A
helmet image is carved
next to the ladder. A
carved message on the
floor says, “Follow lead
for control”.
1 - A cultist attempts to fix
the pipe.
2 - d4 spider automatons
appear to be eating the yellow
fluid.
3 - A single deep “lub-lub”
sounds from the pipes.
4+ - Nothing happens.
➳ The pipes are made of
clay tiles, except the pipe
to 6 and 7 which is lead;
they are the Titan’s veins
and arteries.
➳ 50 ft. of rope is coiled
by the wall.
➳ Door to 9 is closed and
locked.
➳ The fluid is titan
blood. Drinking a gulp
will make one grow
by 1 foot for an hour. 5 the wall behind the shrine.
Growing larger than
the room results in a
crushing death.
6 9
7 someone hid a pouch
196
5 - Sensory Helmet
d6
A helmet with opaque gog-
gles is attached by pipes
to the wall.
1 - If not already encountered,
Gazuk studies the helmet,
accompanied by a cultist.
2-3 - A short cultist frozen in
paralysis wears the helmet.
4+ It’s empty.
➳ A small spellbook sits
on the floor.
➳ Wearing the helmet
will cause the wearer to
feel paralysed, as if they
were buried. They
can see through
the titan’s eyes.
➳ Notes indicate
the paralysis effect
and seeing through
god’s eyes.
3 3 - 1d4 spider automatons
4 starting checks with
6 - Crooked Hallway
A pipe goes down the
hallway, disappearing
in the far wall. The pipe
looks new.
➳ Investigating will
reveal a secret passage
into 7.
➳ The door is trapped
to deal 3d4 lightning
damage.
1 8 - Cultists’ Living
2 to pour human blood into the
10
11
12
8 containing an emerald
7 - Spider Control
A magic circle in the shape
of a spider is carved into
the floor. A book made of
fragile parchment sits
atop a pedestal.
➳ Those who interpret
the ancient language
learn that saying the
magic words “crip’i crol’i”
stops all spider automa-
tons in sight mid-action.
They then follow simple
commands.
➳ If someone attempts
to move the book, it
disintegrates.
Quarters d6
Messy quarters with a
shelf, table, bunks, and
chairs. There is a poorly
made shrine to the Titan.
1 - d4 cult members gambling
around the table.
2 - If not already encountered,
Gazuk and a cultist pour over a
map of the Titan.
3 - Rats nibble food on the
table. They scurry to a hole in
4+ - It’s empty.
➳ The shelves contain
2d6 rations.
➳ The shrine has 8gp
on it.
9 - Dark Hallway
A long unlit hallway, dank,
and smelling of animal
feces.
➳ Rats live in a hole in the
wall. The rat’s tunnel goes to 8.
➳ Inside the rat hole,
worth 90gp.
10 - Vertical Shaft
d6
Dragged blood stains
lead to the vertical shaft.
A ladder descends
into darkness with a
light at the bottom,
20ft down.
1-2 - Two spider automatons
clean blood from the ladder
by eating it. A swarm of flies
swirls around.
3 - Swekia the busker is
draped on the ladder. He is
naked and hiding.
4+ - It’s empty.
➳ There is an opening in
the wall one third of the
way down.
➳ Halfway down there
is a weak rung that
breaks when bearing
weight.
11 - Spider Lair d6
A small room lined with
cubby holes.
Bowls filled with a yellow
liquid sit on the floor.
A shaft pierces the
room from ceiling to
floor.
1-2 - 2d4 spider automatons
sit motionless in the cubbies.
chew at bones, a swarm of flies
around them.
4+ - It’s empty
➳ Loose gold teeth lay
about the floor. (Worth
32gp.)
➳ The fluid is titan blood.
Drinking a gulp will make
you grow by 1 foot. for
one hour.
Growing larger than
the room results in a
crushing death.
12 - Heart Chamber
d6
A large room with a mas-
sive golden heart. The
heart throbs whenever
the “lub-dub” is heard. A
shaft with a huge spear
point pierces from the
ceiling through the heart.
Three barrels of human
blood are stacked by the
wall.
2d4 cultists work to start
the heart. If Gazuk hasn’t
already been encounte-
red, he is in this room.
1-3 – The cultists rhythmically
pound at the heart using a wide
ram in an attempt to restart
it. After d20 pumps, roll a d20:
results over 10 lead to the
heart starting.
4-5 – The cultists use a funnel
top of the heart. After 1d4 mi-
nutes, roll a d20: results over
10 lead to the heart starting.
6 - After a minute, Gazuk or
another cultist uses a scroll of
lightning bolt on the heart, roll
a d20. Results over 10 lead to
the heart starting.
➳ A scroll of lightning
bolt sits on the floor by
the wall.
➳ A large funnel sits by
the blood barrels.
➳ If the heart or veins
have been sabotaged
by the party, roll heart
disadvantage.
➳ d20 - Gazuk will either
fight (1-10) or try restart-
ing the heart (11+).
197
 by Nicolas Dessaux

It’s Alive!
The heart is beating. The Titan stands, emerging from the cliff. The room shakes,
and players have a chance of being knocked prone with every step of the Titan.

NEXUS OF THE
Stop the Titan by:

IXX
➳ Landing attacks on the heart at least once every round for three rounds.
➳ Wearing the sensory helmet and willing the Titan to stop.
➳ Destroying 3 of the veins or arteries (including any previously destroyed).
➳ Further damaging the focus circle (room 1).
Survival
The heart has stopped beating, the PCs have escaped, or the titan has been willed to
stop.
If players stop the titan’s heart, it falls to the ground causing one last violent booming
shudder to pass through the whole dungeon.
If players escape without stopping the Titan’s heart, the titan walks into the sea, with
or without the cult members aboard.
If players will the Titan to stop, they have 1d6 turns in which they can control the titan.
It bleeds out and falls to the ground.
Huge trees, flowers, and tall grasses spring up from the soil wherever Titan blood falls.
➳ Inside the heart there are 504 gold nuggets (all worth 1gp).
➳ After an hour, all the titan blood drains away.
➳ Optional: The Titan doesn’t bleed out and your players control a massive magical Nexus of the Ixx is a science-fantasy adventure, inspired by
robot now. And it is receiving signals from somewhere across the world… Barbarella and the science-fiction comics of the sixties. It was first
drafted for the original role-playing game (which, as you may already
know, wasn’t shy about SF references).
Spider Automaton - 3’ long metal spider. Creeping and clanking along walls and ceilings. The Ixx is the evil high-priestess of an almost forgotten goddess
AC 6 [13], HD 2* (9hp), Att 1 x bite (1d8), THAC0 18 [+1], MV 60’ (20’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, of love – the kind of love you can expect in a dungeon. Her Nexus,
ML 8, AL Neutral, XP 25 carved into a purple-veined black rock mesa, is home to vivimantic
experiments, plundering squads, slavery and ritual sacrifice.
➳ Immunity: Unharmed by gas or fire; unaffected by charm, hold, and sleep spells.
➳ Ability: each spider has a 4-in-6 chance of a special ability:
- 1-2. Nothing It is intended for players who enjoy faction struggles and
- 3. Flaming blood: If damaged by a sharp weapon, attacker suffers 2d6 damage (save versus nonviolent interaction with NPCs, rather than straight
paralysis to avoid). murder hobos.
They may:
- 4. Rush: can move at four times its speed for 1 round per turn.
- 5. Acid spray: once a day, instead of an attack, can spit acid on one target up to 10’ away. The acid 1. Investigate the flying riders who have
reduces AC by 1d6 and causes 1d6 damage per round for 1d4 rounds.) been preying on local traders (room 2)
- 6. Web: may spit a nylon web once per day (as the web spell) 2. Search for clues about the
King-who-shall-return (room 9)
Cultists 3. Look for Yarakoor the dwarf, after
AC 3 [16], HD 2* (9hp), Att 1 x Quarterstaff or Crossbow, THAC0 19 [+0], MV 60’ (20’), SV D12 W13 he spied on their village (room 14)
P14 B15 S16 ML 11 (2), AL Chaotic, XP 25
4. Gather information about
➳ Enchanted: Gazuk and the Titan itself have turned these well-armed fighters into fanatics. They are Eumenides’ alchemical secrets (room 20)
not persuaded, intimidated, or charmed and most reaction rolls should incur a penalty.
5. Save Gân, son of the chief of Gibnoz
Gazuk - Cult leader village (room 26) or Ur, the slave (room 33)
AC 7 [12], HD 5* (23hp), Att 1 x Mace+1, THAC0 17 [+2], MV 120’ (40’), SV D9 W10 P12 B14 S12, 6. Inquire about the purple worm who
ML 9, AL Chaotic, XP 400 terrorises the surrounding lands
(rooms 31-32)
➳ Spells: as 5th level cleric (typically: cause light wounds, cause fear, hold person, silence 15’ radius)

198 199
 WANDERING MONSTERS ship, crewed by gnomes, in a
1 – 2d6 kobolds in charge of cleaning rooms and resetting traps. remote part of the world.
2 – 1d4+1 servants of the Ixx,
normal humans wearing black and white robes. ­ 5. THE LONELY
3 – 1d6+1 warriors of the Ixx (2nd level fighters), PHILOSOPHER
members of the watch. Skakul (m), a long bearded
4 – 1d8 beastmen, human berserker fighters of the Ixx. hobgoblin lives here. He’s an
5 – 1d4 ogres in charge of herding and cooking slaves. outcast because of the philo-
6 – 1d6 slaves (normal humans). sophical questions he insists
7 – 1d12 proto-gnolls, using gnoll stats. on asking everyone he meets.
8 – 1d4 conjurers (3rd level magic-users) He’s happy to meet new
with 1d4 giants rats with diodes. people and engages conversa-
tion about the reintegration
1. THE ENTRANCE inspection. They wear white of the being within itself, the
Four kobolds are working to robes with black collars, as all ideological superstructures of
rectify a detail in the ceiling Ixx officers do. Garok is rather feudal societies, or the hidden
arches. They use ropes and arrogant, but Ulaasa is a subtle meanings of a collective intel-
climbing gear, the light being lady: she tries to learn who the lect. No need to say he is very
provided by candles on their intruders are rather than fight disappointed if anyone wants
hats. They’re rather well them. Should it come to that, to fight him; he keeps talking,
disposed toward adventurers, she does her best to escape not bothering to defend him-
as they’re slaves here, but will and come back with reinforce- self, and dies with a question
refuse to leave as long as their ments – she will also attempt on his lips. He can also be an
work is not perfectly done. to save Garok from his own ally for the characters, as he
They can use carving tools as temperament. knows a lot of people in the
weapons if needed. Two of They know the Nexus very well, Nexus. Getting information
them wear gold and pieces but the Ixx has them under a from him is an arduous task,
of sapphire jewelry for a total quest spell to keep its secrets; however.
value of 53gp. should they try to reveal any-
thing, they will lose the use of 6. MASKED DISSENT
2. THE RIDERS speech, babble incoherently The existence of this room
These three warriors (2nd level and be unable to cast spells. remains unknown to most
fighters), members of the Ixx If adventurers have been people in the Nexus. The
watch. Döl (m), Örn (m) and Yil noticed in the last few days, kobolds know it, but nothing
(f), are storing their pterano- the conjurers bring 4 giant rats in there needs maintenance
don saddles, as well as lances with them. These creatures or repairs. This is why a cabal
and bows, and proudly discus- have diodes implanted in their of magic-users made it their
sing their latest flying exploits. brains and obey the ma- regular meeting room. Over
They recently landed at the gic-users’ orders. their Ixx robes, they wear
entrance (room 1). They will purple masks and cloaks
fight intruders unless outnum- 4. THE STONE BOAT when they meet here in a
bered two to one. In that case, A ship the size of a hand is circle of perpetual light, to
they withdraw toward the sailing the floor of this long plot the overthrow of the Ixx..
secret door if possible. Their gallery. It is a finely carved They don’t want freedom or
pteranodons are still racked-up model of a galleon, made of change, just to start their own
but able to help in a fight (stats the same stone as the room. dictatorship. Of course, the
as hippogriffs). It slowly travels all around the Ixx is aware of these meet-
room, more or less randomly, ings; she is just waiting for
3. THE WATCH avoiding obstacles. Its sails and them to try anything so she
From the arrow slits in the rigging are moving in accor- can remind everyone she’s still
south wall, it is possible to dance with its maneuvers. No the master.
see a bit of the landscape force will remove the ship from The first time the adventur-
surrounding the Nexus. Some the floor it sails on. This phe- ers enter this room, they inter-
racks with crossbows (7) and nomenon is still unexplained rupt a meeting with six seers
bolts (67) can be found here, by the denizens of the Nexus, (2nd level magic-users) and one
a little rusty but usable. There but if wandering monsters are theurgist (4th level magic-user),
are always 6 veterans (1st level here, they are found watching named Hargath the Caller (m).
fighters) in this room. the vessel and betting on its They won’t be happy if their
Garok (m) and Ulaasa (f), next moves. Note that a stone meeting is disturbed, but will
two conjurers (3rd level ma- to flesh spell cast upon it will quickly realize adventurers
200

gic-users) are conducting an send the magic-user on a real could be allies in their plot. 201
 7. TOO MANY TENTACLES
The far part of that room is
inhabited by a creature which
was born from the ambient
Chaos brought by the weird
magic practiced in the Nexus.
At first, it just looks like the
wall is a kind of gelatinous
green thing. Then, slowly
awakening, it grows 1d6 tent-
acles each round which attack
as 2 HD creatures. Each tent-
acle attacks a separate target.
After 6 rounds, no matter how
many tentacles have been cut
(killed), a wide mouth opens,
whipping out a tentacle tongue
(4 HD). The creature dies if this
tongue is brought below 0 hit
points. It then melts into a
pungent smelling, disgusting,
yet harmless liquid.
8. THE BLOOD-STAINED
HEXAGON
This room is empty. The cha-
racters are free to enjoy the
quality of the frescoes of once
famous, but long-forgotten
battles on the walls. Old
smears of blood are noticeable
here and there. When one
person steps beyond the first
angle in the corridor, an iron
grate slides in front of both
doors, trapping whoever is
inside. A few seconds later,
the central hexagonal pillar
expands towards the outer
wall. It only takes a minute for
everything inside to become
crushed to death.
The only way to avoid this
gruesome fate is to break
down or somehow go through
one of the grates. After 1d6
hours, the central hexagon
shrinks back to its original size.
The lever to raise the grates is
on the left arm of the throne
in room 9. All denizens of the
Nexus know this trap and
avoid the room.
9. THE KING-WHO-SHALL-
RETURN
There is always a group of wan-
dering monsters in this large
room. In its middle is an empty
throne. It is believed among
the Nexus’ inhabitants that it
202
belongs to a king from a for-
gotten eon who went to war
and never came back. Around
the throne, wrapped in their
shrouds, are ten mummified
soldiers holding rusty spears,
swords, and shields. They
guard the throne, waiting for
their king to return. Touching
the throne wakes them: they
attack as ten zombies.
The lever stopping the trap in
room 8 is on the left arm of
the throne. In addition, the
throne itself is cursed. Anyone
who sits on the throne and
isn’t the king-who-shall-return
loses 1d6 hit points per round.
Dying from the curse means
returning as a wight (no saving
throw). There is a 1% chance
that a character is a descen-
dant of the king-who-shall-
return.
10. ROPES & GNOLLS
A team of six proto-gnolls (use
standard gnoll stats) are trying
to build a complicated rope-
trap. They feel frustrated by
their ineptitude for practical
tasks (part of their genetic
makeup is gnomish). They
had an over-complicated plan
but are unable to bring it to
fruit. Now, they plan to exact
revenge from the man who
sold them the rope. They’re
angry and try first to trap the
characters with the ropes, and
then attack with their bites
and tools. They don’t own any
treasure, as Kargan the trader
(room 12) took all of their gold.
11. THE BUILDER’S YARD
Following the instructions of
Garok and Ulaasa the conjur-
ers (room 3), a team of seven
kobolds are working to repair
this room and make a better
trap. They’re rather neutral to
adventurers, as they take more
interest in their current job.
That said, they would love to
see how the trap is working
and could try to trick visitors
into triggering it. They politely
ask them to walk on a slab: it
is supposed to make a gigantic
hammer pop out of a fake wall,
striking the walker, but instead
it breaks the wall and hits d4
kobolds for d6 damage each.
Any help provided to improve
the trap will make the kobolds
very friendly.
12. THE MAN WHO SOLD
ROPE TO THE GNOLLS
Kargan the trader established
himself here, with his female
slave Belinn. He established a
little shop in the north-eastern
corner, using green curtains to
make it look like a tent. Kargan
(1st level fighter) is a man with
dreams of wilderness and long
journeys, but he’s also a greedy
and shrewd trader. He will buy
anything the characters will
sell, never paying more than
one-third of the real price, ar-
guing and complaining about
the quality, the risks, and so on.
He can also sell food, weapons,
and others goods for three
times the price it would cost
outside of the Nexus.
Belinn (4th level fighter) is
his lover and his bodyguard.
She’s strong and skilled with
weapons, using her double-
bladed axe with precision,
with a +2 bonus to hit and
damage. She won’t betray that
she is a fighter until her talents
are needed.
The trader protects his gold,
hiding it under a slab. He has
121gp, 167sp, 20cp, and a silver
dagger
13. THE BEASTMEN’S
FEAST
A table and long benches has
been set for a feast. In the
north wall is a fireplace where
people are still being roasted.
18 berserkers, whose savage
demeanor and dirty furs makes
it easy to confuse them with
beast-folk, are drinking and eat-
ing raw meat in a monstrous
cannibal banquet. Nothing
would please them more than
to add some fresh meat to the
menu, but they like their vic-
tims scared and pleading first.
Their songs and growls make it
impossible for the characters
to be surprised.
These berserkers are among
the best troops of the Ixx,
but others creatures tend to
avoid them. It is to everyone’s
benefit that they have their
parties here instead of at the
inn (room 14).
If the characters come back
to this room, it will be back to
its regular use: a training and
living space for the beastmen.
14. THE CARNIVORE INN
Two groups of wandering
monsters are always present
here as patrons of the tavern.
Most living creatures in the
Nexus frequent this little inn
where 4 ogres are the only
cooks. The creatures are
friendly and talkative, as a lot
of them have bonded over ale
and roast over time.
They don’t care much about
The Ixx, but will never say a word
against her as they’re her guests.
The ogres have a few beds
for let, and sell food and
drink as well as some goods
and weapons. They may be
interested in buying jewels
for a good price. Everybody
knows they only cook human
flesh, but nobody cares as long
as they serve slaves raised for
that purpose. If the occasion
presents itself, and it can be
done safely, they might cap-
ture a human or two sleeping
at the inn.
The place is more or less neu-
tral, so unless the characters
draw blood, or have obviously
killed allies of current patrons,
they will be left alone. One of
the drinkers is always a spy
who reports about visitors.
Usually, it is Yarakoor, a 2nd
level dwarf with a bad reputa-
tion, who doesn’t mind sitting
with kobolds and beast-folk.
15. THE KITCHEN
In this greasy, smoky room, 3
ogres cook food for the inn
(room 14) and cut slabs of
meat for the beast-folk (room
15). Human slaves in various
states of preparation are on
a large table and in a giant
cauldron.
16. THE GOD OF HOGS
The giant copper idol in the
south part of this long room
is a copper pig-faced creature
which was once known as
The Hog. A long time ago, he
created a race called hog-bog-
lins, pig-faced humanoids
living in bogs which later
evolved into various goblinoid
races. This god is long dead,
and the chapel isn’t conse-
crated anymore. Now, it’s
used as a pigsty. Nine giant
hogs live behind an ironfence,
unchained and always hungry.
Twice a day, they are given
giant mushrooms, and some-
times the odd useless slave.
They can eat almost anything,
including characters foolish
enough to enter the cage.
The idol looks impressive, but
everything valuable has been
stolen ages ago.
17. THE LARDER
In this cell, the ogres keep and
fatten the slaves they plan to
cook: 6 normal humans are cur-
rently being kept here. They’re
filthy and in poor health,
barely able to move. They were
slaves once, but they were sold
as food for minor mistakes
or because they were getting
too old or sick to work. Their
names are Gân, Nima, Zena,
Octa, Fâss, and Dacia.
18. THE CHEMISTRY LAB
The room is filled with bottles
and broken glass on the long
tables as well as on the floor.
It used to be the chemistry
laboratory, of an alchemist
who was designing poisonous
gases. These products turned
him into the Wight in room 20.
A purple jelly evolved (use the
stats of an ochre jelly) from
all the spills and broken vials.
There are usually no wander-
ing monsters here, unless the
characters killed the jelly.
19. THE LABORATORY
Entering this room, the adven-
turers hear a strange noise, as
if something unusually strong
was banging on the south
door, louder and louder. It
comes from room 20.
Here, the adventurers find
mummified corpses laid on
dissection tables and stored in
glass tanks filled with a green
liquid. This bizarre scientific
equipment was once used
to study death and animate
corpses by non magical
means. The wannabe necro-
mancer died from his own
experiments, and was then
forgotten. His books were sto-
len, as suggested by the empty
library, but not his tools.
If the characters spend at least
one exploration turn here 4
zombies break out of the tanks
and attack. They’re the conta-
gious type of zombie: anyone
they bite must save vs death
or turn into a zombie in 1d6
hours, attacking his comrades
to bite them as well.
Next to the north-eastern
door, a lever releases the
fences in the room beyond
(23, the ape trap).
20. THE DEAD ALCHEMIST
As a result of his failed ex-
periments, Eumenides the
alchemist turned into a rave-
nously mad undead monstros-
ity. He’s still able to talk, but
only babbles megalomaniac
delirious nonsense. He has
the same stats as a Wight, but
his touch turns living tissue
to purple jelly rather than
draining life (anyone he kills
turns into a jelly like the one
in room 18). He can also grow
jelly pseudopods to reach foes
at up to 10’. He was trapped
in this room, waiting in the
dark for fools dumb enough to
come in.
The first thing Eumenides
does is pull a lever among the
various buttons and wires on
the south wall. This activates
a magnetic field, attracting all
metallic objects to a large met-
al plate on the ceiling in the
middle of the room, including
weapons and armor – with
their owners inside. Then, after
1d6 rounds, the system breaks
in a shower of sparks, and ev-
203
 erything falls from 20’ high.
The wight attacks those who
remain on their feet first, then
the fallen ones – if still alive.
There are usually no wander-
ing monsters here, at least
until the characters clear the
room.
21. ONCE HUMAN
Two purple jellies (as ochre jel-
lies) are trapped in this room.
They still have some human
features, as they were once
people before being turned by
Eumenides the wight (from
room 20). There are usually no
wandering monsters here.
22. THE LIZARD’S EXPE-
RIENCE
Three conjurers (3rd level ma-
gic-users) have a task from the
Ixx: they must provide her new
creatures she can use for war.
They are experimenting with
giant lizards they plan to use
as mounts for goblins. They
implanted diodes into their
brains to make them easier
to control, but this tends to
induce a destructive frenzy.
As soon as they see intruders,
they break their terrariums
and attack. Using the proper
levers and buttons from the
electrical console lets one
control them for 1d6 combat
rounds. A character attemp-
ting this understands how
to control the lizards after a
number of attempts equal to
1d6 minus their Intelligence
modifier.
23. THE CAGE
If nothing identifies the char-
acters as inhabitants of the
Nexus when they enter this
room (such as uniforms), iron
gates block its two entrances.
Then a second X-shaped fence
falls, splitting the room into
four parts – and probably
splitting the party as well.
The secret door in the east
wall opens for a monstrous
carnivorous ape (4 HD). He’s
controlled by obvious electro-
nic diodes in his brain which
turn him into a war beast.
204
When no characters are still
alive in his quarter of the
room, one of the gates opens
for the ape.
If he’s dead, trapped char-
acters have to wait until
someone pulls the lever in
room 19.
24. THE MUSEUM
Statues of gods, demigods, and
heroes fill this long gallery. The
aesthetes among our delvers
will enjoy the variety and qual-
ity of pieces from numerous
eras and locales, all selected
with a real taste for fine art.
Three statues are magical
creatures. When the charac-
ters enter the north part of
the room, they step off their
pedestals to cut off the intru-
ders’ retreat and force them
towards the purple worm’s
room (see 31). The statues
have the statistics of a gorgon
and can breathe a cloud of
petrifying gas (saving throw al-
lowed) once per day. They can
only perceive moving objects,
so an immobile or well-hidden
adventurer won’t be attacked,
but neither will they get out of
the museum.
One of the paintings is val-
uable (600gp) but trapped: if
it is removed from the wall,
iron spikes stick out of the
floor across the whole room
in a random pattern but only
where slaves or unauthorized
outsiders stand. Spikes also
come out of the ceiling and
walls should someone try to
walk on them. Spikes attack
as 1HD monsters and deal 1d6
damage.
25. THE THIEVES
Seven orcs are trying to steal
a gem, which is hidden inside
a dusty altar by the north wall
(and worth 450gp). If the ad-
venturers have been discrete
while exploring the Nexus, the
thieves are surprised. They
listen to understand who the
intruders are and how to deal
with them. If they heard about
the adventurers, they get
ready to defend their loot.
These orcs are trained plunder-
ers and always keep an eye on
the exit during a fight. Their
possessions amount to 256gp.
These are art objects and
jewelry from various origins,
as the beastfolk of the Nexus
have been raiding the sur-
roundings for decades.
26. THE LAST BATH
Two female ogres, Rut and
Cor, are preparing a young
human man, named Gân, to
be sacrificed in a ceremony.
He’s chained and blindfolded
while being ritually bathed and
cleansed to provide blood for
the high priestess ablutions
later. The monstrous ladies are
very careful about the victim,
treating him like a child. Gân
is not a slave; he was captured
in the village of Gibnoz, where
his father is the chief. Treat
him as a first level fighter
(6hp). If pressed, the ogresses
fight with bare hands and
claws.
27. THE LOVE GODDESS
The floor of this room is
entirely covered with a pretty
mosaic depicting a love god-
dess in a bath, surrounded by
beautiful red flowers. A closer
examination would reveals the
tesserae aren’t small cubes
but rather painted marbles.
This is a nasty trap: as soon
as a character takes a few
steps in the room, they slowly
but hopelessly drown in the
mosaic, dying crushed by
millions of lead balls. Stopping
the process is impossible:, a
trapped creature must save vs
petrify every round or take 1d6
damage. The unfortunate
need magical or external
help – a total of 80 points of
Strength would be able to pull
them out in 1d6 rounds.
The inhabitants of the Nexus
do not usually go through this
room, but some of them know
that the flowers on the mosaic
aren’t made of marbles; one
can cross the room safely by
stepping only on them.
Among the delicate paintings
of naked nymphs and demons
on the walls, a character might
notice a small golden statue in
a niche in the south wall. It is
only worth 40gp, and has been
placed here to attract burglars
into the middle of the room.
28. THE CHOIR
The walls of this room are
delicately carved with elfin-
style polychromatic carvings,
depicting the eternal struggle
between Law and Chaos. This
is a strange and wonderful
enchantment, as they show
the situation of the struggle in
the world in real time.
Three evil vicars named Kas,
Alisia and Solia (4th level
clerics) are chanting macabre
hymns. They prepare a cere-
mony. Kas and Solia are rivals,
but Solia admires Kas deeply,
which makes it easy for the
latter to order her around. Kas
is also the favorite of the Ixx
(room 33), which gives her
an authority she uses with
sadistic glee.
If they hear anything suspi-
cious, they get ready to use
spells and quarterstaves. They
also call for the ogresses from
room 26 if trouble arises.
29. THE VAULT
The walls are lines with
stacked human and humanoid
skulls. If this macabre scene
is touched, ten of the skulls
fly out of the walls and attack
the intruders. They fight as
skeletons.
Some precious materials from
the sculptures could be gathe-
red by the most vandal of del-
vers for a total value of 630gp
and a weight of 30 lbs. But the
glue used to stick them will
prove to be highly poisonous:
unless they succeed on a
saving throw or explicitly take
precautions, the burglar’s
fingers decay in 1d6 hours and
fall to the ground.
30. THE CONJURATION
With the help of pentagrams,
incense braziers, and bronze
bells, 6 female conjurers (3rd
level magic-users) are taking
part in a dangerous ritual. They
are trying to exorcise the de-
mon Haëzbröo from the body
of their sister T’ser.
Should they be disturbed
the demon manifests, killing
the sister as it contorts and
transforms her body. It turns
into a horror with the lower
body of a giant leech, the head
and torso of T’ser, and two
vicious crab-like pincers (HD 4,
AC 4, spells as a 3rd level ma-
gic-user). The other conjurers
side with the demon in order
to provide victims to calm it
down and end the ceremony.
If the characters wait for the
end of the conjuration, the
conjurers are still wary, but
they don’t attack as long as
they don’t know who the intru-
ders are, what they want, and
how powerful they are. They
would rather withdraw and
seek reinforcements so they
can come back and capture
the party.
31. DEEP PURPLE
The creature asleep here is a
flying purple worm, coiled on
itself, bat wings folded upon
each of its rings. This aerial
creature named Ka’ar belongs
to Xenopatra, known as the
Ixx (room 33). She uses this
terrifying mount to survey
the surrounding lands, leaving
through the secret passage
opening in the cliffside.
If someone tries to pass
through room 32, Ka’ar feels
the vibrations and awakes. It
immediately attacks with both
poisonous sting and mouth. A
saddle for the worm is also in
the room, but the beast obeys
only its mistress – though
it’s possible to trick it, as it’s
not very clever. Then it is just
a matter of grokking how
the diodes implanted in the
beast’s brain allows a rider to
control it.
32. PURPLE RAIN
This part of the room serves
as a shower for Ka’ar the flying
purple worm (room 31). When
enough weight – like Ka’ar or
a full group of adventurers
– triggers the pressure plate
there, a heavy glass wall slides
down on both sides between
rooms 31 and 32. Water rains
from the ceiling, and evacua-
tion pipes leads the water
back to its tank. Unfortunately,
the hydraulic system uses the
same water again and again,
and it has become poisonous.
Creatures trapped in the
shower must save against poi-
son or die within 1d6 minutes.
The beast knows how to stop
the rain and open the doors,
using its sting to push the
lever in the ceiling.
33. THE WHIPPING
Two women in white robes
and a man in a loincloth stand
around a slave chained to the
pillar. He is being whipped
by the half-naked man under
the discerning eye of the two
priestesses. They are Xenopa-
tra, an evil matriarch (8th level
cleric), known as the Ixx, and
Tiraala, an evil Vicar (4th level
cleric).
The man, Dashtar, is a swash-
buckler (5th level fighter),
using his whip in combat.
On a successful attack, he
entangles his target instead
of causing damage. The whip
is also magical: it turns into a
poisonous snake on com-
mand. The slave’s name is Ur,
he will help the characters as
much as he can if freed – but
will probably won't survive for
long in such a place (4hp). He
was caught stealing food and
has been sentenced to death
by whipping, later to be eaten
by the beastmen.
If the characters made too
much noise, Xenopatra and
her followers will be organi-
zing the defense of the Nexus.
Note that Tiraala is jealous of
Xenopatra’s power, and that
Dashtar is desperately seeking
the love of Tiraala and could
help her in her plots.
205

Help Wanted!
11
MY SON AND
DAUGHTER’S PET
BADGER IS MISSING.
They’ll draw you a picture
if you can rescue the poor
little blighter. Tell the inn-
keep you’re interested. Do
it for the children.
12
CATTLE KILLER!
A monster is stuck in a bog
and is killing my cows just
by looking at them! A side
of dressed beef to anyone
who can blind the beast.
No killing allowed: I want
to sell tickets to people
who want to see it. Contact
Farmer Plargh at the
Plargh Farm and Distillery.
13
DUERGAR
MURDERERS! A bunch
of evil dwarves have killed
my brother and taken
over his manor house. I’m
looking for adventurers to
kill the duergar and find
out why they ain’t livin’
underground no more.
Reward: 1000gp and a
year’s supply of honey
from my brother’s apiary.
I’ll be here most lunch
times. Ask for Kurtos. I’ll
be wearing a black hat.
206
by Bill Edmunds
D66 Classifieds 23 26
MERCHANT NEEDS MAGIC WAND
SOMEONE WHO CAN FOR SALE.
UNDERSTAND ORCISH. Found at the bottom of
10gp to the right candi- an old castle’s garderobe.
date. Don’t try to fool me First 1000gp takes it.
or I’ll crack you on the Trades considered. See 34
14 head. Leave reply tacked Hervé at the red & black LIVE AQUATIC
HEROES WANTED. to this post. house on Elm Street. MONSTERS NEEDED
If you have sharp swords to stock the moat at
and sharper wits, come join 31 Cundrya Castle. Creatures
the Guild of Heroes. Get all BUILDERS! must be able to survive
the best jobs and the inside Do you like wood? Are cold winters. No natural
scoop on where the best 16 you good with a hammer? enemies. The moat is 40’
treasure is. Leave 10gp DESPERATE Come down to Gwinny’s deep freshwater. Looking
and a list of your skills on a SEAMSTRESS NEEDS Stable and apply for a job for at least five carnivo-
parchment with Constable UNICORN HAIR TO as a barn builder. NO half- rous monsters, preferably
Irving. We’ll find you. MAKE THREAD. 24 orcs! There may or may of the same species with
No questions asked, no WANTED: DWARVES! not be a manticore living at least one male and
answers given. You pro- Bring your pickaxe to nearby. Terms discussed one female. No psionic
vide the hair, you can keep Mirror Mine for the an- on site. powers. Talk to the guards
the unicorn. Sit by the nual Dwarf Dig. Winners at Cundrya Gatehouse.
bridge at the old mill after awarded in the following 32 5000gp per monster
dark if interested. categories: Biggest Mon- MISSING: SACK OF (negotiable).
15 ELECTRUM PIECES
ster Unearthed, Fastest
DRAGON FEET 21 VALUED AT 100GP. 35
To Find a Vein, Largest
WANTED BY BLIND ENCHANTER Last seen on the rim of the HOLY RELIC
Rock Fracture, and Best
RENOWNED LOOKING FOR center well. 1gp reward if MISSING.
Beard.
DRACONOLOGIST. SOMEONE TO returned. Bring to Temple Hardy adventurers want-
Looking for foot casts or TRANSCRIBE SPELLS. 25 of the Everlasting Plough. ed to retrieve the thigh
actual feet from the follow- Must have good pen- RUN THE GAUNTLET! bones of High Luthare
ing: juvenile green dragon manship and have some The first party to make Goldven from the isle in
(500gp cast 2000gp foot), experience in the field. NO it out alive from the the middle of Black Turtle
ancient black dragon SPELLBOOKS ALLOWED. Dungeon of Hubberd the Lake. Reward: 2000gp
(2000gp cast 8000gp foot), My spells have been stolen Mad will be awarded with (+/-) worth of silver cups,
and adult white dragon before and I have taken Hubberd’s life savings. 33 plates, and cutlery. Inquire
(1500gp cast 6000gp foot). appropriate measures. Parties enter the dun- WANTED: THIEF TO with any of the Sisters of
Please leave your resume Just shout and I’ll hear you. geon at one-hour inter- PERFORM the Drumming Finger at
with the landlord. Payment negotiable. vals beginning at dawn ENTIRELY LEGAL Fulton Brewery.
tomorrow. Location: past SERVICES.
22 - THE ANNUAL STIRGE COUNT BEGINS THIS
the striped post down the Details available in private. 36
WEEKEND. Groups of stirgers will be provided with
lane into the pine forest; Send a sealed letter listing WHOEVER
several leaves of parchment, a quill, and ink.
follow the trail until you skills and guild affiliations STOLE MY HAND
A potion of healing for each participant will also be
get to a clearing. We will through the drain grate at I WANT IT BACK.
made available for those who want one. Accuracy is
be there with all neces- the end of Thrift Way. No questions asked just
important! Please know your breeds of stirges and be
able to identify males from females. We will gather in sary paperwork. leave it where you took it.
the field where last year’s ankheg attack took place.
207
 41
LONELY?
Are you looking for that
special someone? Do you
also like gnomes? Join us
in the common room every
Wednesday between three
hours after sunset and
one hour after midnight
to meet your soulmate!
Donations suggested but
not required. Half-orcs
welcome. What happens
in Gnome Club stays in
Gnome Club.
42
EXECUTIONER NEEDED
to behead the previous
executioner and perform
the latter’s duties hence-
forth. Good career option
for those willing to travel.
Free uniform, greataxe,
and custom chopping
block. Meet a variety of
new people. Pay commen-
surate with experience.
Please attend Saturday’s
scheduled executions in
Durhead Common for
tryouts at noon.
45
COUNCIL OF THIEVES IN DURHEAD IS HAVING
TRYOUTS FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS:
Footpad, Cutpurse, Filcher, and Magsman. Trials begin
on the first day of summer solstice. Meet at the gibbet in
Durhead Common at midday.
208
43 55 61
TOURNAMENT ENFORCE THE LAW! THE TREE VILLAGE OF
ORGANIZERS SOUGHT. The entire constabulary of SILVERTOP MUST
The growing town of Doveham has become ill BE BUILT!
Bluehill seeks experi- 46 with the plague. If you are Good climbers and car-
enced fighters to orga- BRAVE SOULS fit of body you may be a penters needed to begin
nize a 3-day tournament REQUIRED TO good candidate to become construction of a village in
of arms including jousts, DISPATCH THE a guard or flatfoot in our the treetops of Silvertop
melees, fencing, archery, GRIFFONS NESTING IN town. Inquire at the Dove- Mountain. Lumber to be
feats of strength, and a THE STEEPLE OF ham Curio Shop (tem- cut and hauled on site.
boar scramble. Appli- SLIVERTON ABBEY. porary law enforcement Sentinels needed to fend
cants must have knowl- No pay but successful headquarters). Investiga- off attacks from gnoll
edge of weapons and applicants will receive the tors also sought. warbands and curious
armor as well the rules holy blessing of Maghor hippogriffs. Arrive at
of a tourney. See Lord Dhy and may take any Silvertop Mountain within
Kilmead at Oxhead Keep. treasure found in the nest. the week and be prepared
Payment: one tenth of to demonstrate skills.
tourney entry fees and 51
ticket sales. PUT 1GP IN THE MAGIC 53 62
MOUTH AND ALL OF WANTED ARE YOU BRAVE
YOUR QUESTIONS Folk with strong backs ENOUGH?
44
WILL BE ANSWERED! and stronger stomachs to Survive just ONE NIGHT in
IS A SAILOR’S
Fortunes told and advice clean up the mess left by 56 the gullet of The Sleeping
LIFE FOR YOU?
given by the most reliable Galen the dragonslayer. WHERE HAVE Megahydra of Hensewall
Travel the high seas
source in the kingdom. Viscera to be burnt, bones THE RAVENS and take home a lifetime of
with the crew of Ivan the
Come see for yourself to be buried or otherwise OF SKEKINTHIA treasure. Up to 8 contes-
Questionable on the deck
when Barkmann’s Trav- disposed of. Any copper GONE? tants may fit into each of
of The Stinking Reef. Des-
elling Oddities visits your coins may be kept. Other We are looking to hire the megahydra’s six necks.
tinations revealed only to
town! Ask the barkeep for coins and treasure must be adventurers to solve the Survivors get to keep half
those hired. Duties include
dates. cataloged and delivered to mystery of their of the treasure within each
climbing masts, boarding
King Casiodorus. All labor- disappearance and bring gullet. Arrive at Hensewell
enemy ships, defending
52 ers are welcome. Show up back our ancestral avian and ask anyone for details.
from kraken attacks. Abil-
ENDLESS RAIN HAS any day this week at Skye guardians. 500gp up front.
ity to swim not a require-
FLOODED ARIEDHEN Field with a pitchfork or 1500gp upon return of the 63
ment but recommended.
and driven underground shovel. ravens. Those interested OUR HOUSE IS
Those interested should
creatures to the surface! should stop by The Green HAUNTED!
stand at the end of the
Slayers of all type needed 54 Heron in Skekinthia. Come Young halfling couple new
wharf at Craven’s Cove.
NOW! Come to Ariedhen IF YOU AGREE THAT fully equipped and ready to the area has ghosts in
Bring your own eyepatch
Market Hall and talk to THERE IS SOMETHING to begin. the attic and ghouls in the
and clothes.
Ryden or Wyxyl. WRONG WITH THE cellar. A year of cooked
COUNT OF LUPINE meals and fresh vegetables
FOREST to the persons who can rid
Please attend a meeting of us of them! We’re locat-
the Silver Spear Guild to- ed at the top of the hill
night in the common room overlooking Black Pudding
of this establishment. Pond.
209
 by Didier Balicevic
64
GUIDED CANOEING
TRIPS THROUGH 65
BASILISK BOG EVERY CLEAN THE CUBE!
SATURDAY THROUGH The world’s largest gelatinous cube has now filled the
SUMMER. entirety of Sveldre Castle. Lord Sveldre needs experts to
See these misunderstood retrieve the crown jewels and other valuables from the
creatures in their natural creature’s “body.” Fire and other agents that could dam-
environment. Also seen age the valuables may NOT be used. Reward: 20,000gp.
in the bog are shambling Arrive at the outer castle bailey where Lord Sveldre will
mounds and willow treants. interview applicants.
Bring blindfolds and ranged
weapons (in case of attack 66
by lizardfolk). Rumors of a YOU MIGHT BE A BENEFICIARY OF THE LAST
black dragon are probably WILL AND TESTAMENT OF JONAS BALDACRE.
false. Tours leave when The party that can carry out Mr. Baldacre’s six strange
the sun is directly over the requests will receive HALF of his fortune. To learn details
ruined tower bordering the of these directives attend a gathering here tomorrow
bog. Fee: 1gp per person. morning after the first cock crows.

ROBES STAVES & WANDS

C F
O
M The Wizard’s A

Corner
M
P
I Do you still buy from
O
L habit the 10 foot pole you
N We're open! once bought from choice?
E Goblin Fair, at the edge I
If so, you’ve forgotten
of the wailing wood.
N A how to enjoy a 10 foot
Drop in or send
T GP1.00 for catalog R pole. A change of brand
S might jog your memory
POINTY HATS & SCROLLS S
— a change to
Merik & Merik Pole
Manufacturing for
instance.
Definitely different,
totally telescopic, for
minimal encumbrance
and the assurance of
always having this
indispensable ally at The Blue Medium’s Ruby
your side during your has the power to send them back to their home dimension. It can also be
FIND US IN FREEPORT, DOCK #16, used to power your magic once per day (d6):
RED SUN GALLEY adventures! 1-5: cast a spell of the corresponding level without spending the slot.
in 3 installments. If you don’t have a spell of this level memorised, a random spell targets you.
6: the Blue Medium appears, and thanks you for finding the ruby.
You may not choose to pay

They will take it now and be on their way.

210
 Loot the Monster’s Maw!
1. Victim’s body [protected by antacid armour]
2. Tongue fungus [purple kind, makes durable rations]
3. Incense burner [half-full of sacred incense]
4. Acid spewing gutworms [with sentient colony leader]
5. Weapon, useable [magical, double damage vs this monster type]
6. Tooth possessing demon! [captive in gold plated crown]

by Eric Nieudan Art: Bruno Prosaiko