Memories of Connor's Adventures

Orlando the Adventurer pulled a Scimitar from beneath his Robes and smiled...

Friday 30 October 2015

first Level: The Magic-user


 The magic crafting, mountain cracking Wizard just spent years beating how to cast Read Magic into your PC's head. Then he turns you loose with the ability to memorize one spell a day just so the Party you hang out with between feeding the wizard's pet Xorn and scrubbing glass vials in the laboratory clean can use you as a meat shield fifty feet into the dungeon. No. If you are going into that dungeon it will be because the Wizard wants you to go fetch something important like a giant spider eyeball, the whereabouts of his previous apprentice, the heart of nekron, or stomp the competition. He is going to hand you a Scroll of Dimension Door so you can bail on the party if it looks bad.
So why wouldnt your teacher, master, mentor, and Patron arm you with more than how to read a scroll you need to tear from the cold dead hands of the other guy's apprentice from the get-go? The ring/wand of spell storing seems like the sort of thing a Wizard would hand an apprentice so they can fill it full of magic Missile spells and take out a dragon.

Gunblade of Grindal
A Magic firearm/dagger which can store up to six spell levels: six magic Missile spells or two lightning bolt spells. The weapon can be used as a dagger (1d4).

Thursday 29 October 2015

Heresy: something, something, science




1776: A scifi Setting

1776

The Libertine

Cassidy walked out of the explosion of the tavern, where she had not an hour before danced drunkenly on tables for the pleasure of the patrons, with a pistol in one hand and the iron shield of the old suit of knight's armour that had stood as a valued prize by the door and pointed the first of her pair of dragoon pistols at her foe - her blue petticoat and red and white striped corset now little more than rags. The smoke powder erupted and burned propelling the shot into the red masked rider leading the pack of hessian terrorists that had just detonated a dozen bombs across the community of Trenton to flush her out of hiding.
 Her foe snarled with fury and she could see the words form on his angry lips: "Kill that bitch!"
 Cassidy smiled and dropped the first pistol - spent of its virility - on a short cord preventing its loss and raised the second to fire as black horsemen charged at her. The second Pistol exploded catching the closest rider and dropped - the horse harness snagging her freed hand and she was pulled up into the saddle with a meat-shield behind her and an iron shield between them as it slung loosely like an archers quiver across her back.
 The Red Mask Screamed at her escape discharging a pistol at her horse and dropping the beast.


 A Star Falls at Trenton

 "George Hunt! You bring in the cows now young man!" Elizabeth Hunt had a commanding voice when it came to getting her son's attention.
 George Hunt hurried across to the farmyard and opened the gate to the Grazing Field.
 "Heyup Bessy! Heyup!" George hurried over to the cows pulling at the pasture grass.
 A sound followed by others.
 Tzuzuz! Tzuzuz! Tzuzuz!... It was like some sort of pile driver. George looked around. It was a great black monstrosity supported by legs the thickness of tree trunks and it moved oddly, dragging each leg across the ground.
 George could only look. He was paralysed with the sight of it.
 A heavy arm reached down from under the machine and a Lamp lit, shining a beam of light on the Farmhouse.
 The wooden structure exploded in flames and his mother Screamed as she burned.
 Tzuzuz! Tzuzuz! Tzuzuz!...
 The Giant moved on toward the Town of Trenton.


 Death in the Jersey Swamps

 "Good Lord, What be that?" John Landry rowed his little craft amongst the waterways of the swamp until he reached the cluster of metal legs.
 They towered above him. He looked up and saw the great metal shape from which they protruded.
 "Its a hundred feet tall..."
 It fell on John Landry like a ton of black flour...and billowed, sprayed out into the swamp.
 The last thing Landry heard as he died was the sound of the machine moving off.
 Tzuzuz! Tzuzuz! Tzuzuz!...



The Destruction of New York

 Jack Fisher watched as the giant walked across the Hudson like a wader crossing a shallow brook. The Boats on the waterway ignited and burned with their crews.
 "It’s The Devil!" Jack Fisher fled toward town as fast as he could run.
 The inferno amongst the Boats on the river spread to the Port of New York as the great monster unleashed hellfire into the wooden homes that occupied the far end of the island.
 It waded up out of the water and into the Port. The Light from its lamp ignited gunpowder stores in great explosions that tore through building after building.



A Meeting of the Continental Congress

 "Look, I realize that you have a desire to surrender to the British in light of their Destruction of Trenton with this new weapon, but it is foolish." Washington leaned back in frustration
 "And how do you propose destroying something that burns buildings and men with the light of a Lantern, and seems untouched by Cannon and Musket fire? Soldiers in the woods as we shot them from cover, certainly but not this...walking battleship in a bottle that wont break." John Handcock took a swig of whiskey.
 "You dig a pit and let the beast fall in." Adams chimed in an idea.
 "It will have to be led right over the trap and then we need to make it defend itself...to contain the explosion."


 The Philadelphia Incident

 It emerged from the night dark waters with a terrible stealth. Behind it a moon shone through clouds. A lantern lit up somewhere near the base of its great body. Ships ignited Warehouses and vessels brimming with gunpowder exploded in a terrible fury.
 "So that is what the new War-machine of the British looks like. Incredible." George Washington watched in awe as the great engine of Death swept its lamp across the buildings cutting a swathe of fire through them.
 Cannons struggled to respond to the assault only to be met with a strange barrier that protected them from the artillery impacts.
 Washington signalled his aide. The lamps danced in the night. and more cannons fired at the great beast drawing it down a narrow street through the buildings.
 "How in God's Name could they build something like that?"
 The war-machine dragged through a huge pile of Barrels that blocked the street.
 "It’s going to be interesting to find out." Washington signalled his aide again. Lanterns triggered a third round of Cannon Fire activating the protective curtain.
 From beneath the Curtain, Volunteer Militiaman Francis Johnson lit the short fuse and the barrels instantly exploded.
 The fireball filled the great screen and consumed the machine.


News at Boston

 "John, They're saying a great Devil come up out of the south and crossed the Hudson into New York setting it all afire..." Elizabeth Yates had hurried back from the Shops to her home.
 "What? What nonsense are you talking Woman?" John Yates was a sensible man. Not at all god-fearing...
 "They called a meeting of the people in the market square and announced that a great Devil had come up and burned all of New York. They say its still heading our way."
 "I doubt that very much Elizabeth Yates...I think they are playing a terrible Hoax on folks and they will have to answer for it. I'll just get my gun and go see the villains off...Worrying descent folks and all."


The Charlestown Victory

"Run Sarah! Run!" Hugh Putter and his wife struggled through the mud and filth of the mudflats as the great devourer pursued them. People died around them screaming and ablaze.
 Sarah Putter hiked the hem of her dress and dug through the mud, black with it, she crawled across its surface while others sank.
 Sarah could see the fires devouring Charlestown and the black smoke of Boston beyond it.
 Hugh Putter could only watch as the great Devil tipped in the mud and fell on his wife...
 "Sarah! No!" he raged back through the mud with the angry mob.
 A devil emerged from the great machine and they fell on it with brutal fury taking out its eyes and hacking it to pieces.

Designer Tees: A Star falls near Trenton

I found a Website that takes your designs and prints them...


Doctor Who: The mad god of time

Its like looking at his distorted reflection.

DIY: The Steam Kolben

For those steampunk mages looking to impress with the wand equivalent of the firearm. Just break out a heat metal spell and bang! The shot hits your target.

Now all you need do is get a machine shop who can produce from brass and wood. Yes I know...I invent these things and let you make them.

Sunday 25 October 2015

Dungeon Mastery: B1 - Castle Zenopus

 

 

 


You probably recognize castle Zenopus, gavin's tavern, The Wizard Grindal and his apprentice Grimslade from the assorted ads for D&D that ran in comics. There is nothing more fun than building an adventure module. So here is the cover of our module and a few initial pages. Check out map of the week for gavin's tavern.

Map of the week: gavins tavern

Gavins tavern sits in the shadow of Castle Zenopus...

Check out this week's dungeon Mastery for more on that.

Year of Chaos: week thirteen

The nightmare continues...

Cloud City: The q&a phase

Cloud City. You remember it. The question is should we build one? If the answer to that question is yes then we probably need to undertake the design phase. That will require a fund raiser on kick starter.

Interested?

Monday 19 October 2015

Starwars: #kicksitharse


#BoycottStarWarsVII are peddling their starwars is anti-white message. We cant have that ruining starwars. So I suggest a boycott of twitter under the #kicksitharse #hashtag. No twitter until STARWARS VII has shown in the theaters. Just dump the above image to your twitter account and walk away.
If another idiot tells me skin colour, religion, or culture is race i'm gonna hurl.

Sunday 18 October 2015

Saturday 17 October 2015

Year of Chaos: week eleven


mystaran Treasures: The unique, the rare, and the uncommon

Unique Jewelery

Uncommon Jewelery

Rare Jewelery

Scarcity
Treasure in the Mystaran setting should not be generic. Things in the dragon's hoard will be precious as opposed to mass produced like a t model ford. Determine Scarcity and build an appropriate backstory. Is the crown you took from that treasure vault the crown of the first Emperor or is it one of fifty forgeries knocked out by Bolin the Smith to sell to unsuspecting customers through the black market?

Unique: There is one of these. Perhaps it is a simple hand made gift or its the crown of the emperor, lost since a dragon ate him, the only known image of it is on a tapestry.

Rare: There are a few duplicates. Most likely forgeries of some, but they are of value.

Uncommon: they knock them out in limited runs for specific individuals like superbowl rings.

Common: not included but a holy symbol is the kind of thing that falls into this category.

Friday 16 October 2015

Tropepocalypse: French court says lock out is rip off of escape from New York.

A Vague Background
So the day of cannonfodder action films recycling the same cluster of tropes damning has come. Future films will need to be so unique that they will be inherently alien to cinema goers. While that will be a rock to the head for film companies regurgitating variations on kaiju emerges from ocean to devastate population centre only to be put down by millitary after quirky band of heroes lure creature into killbox, or as far as this court declared: cynical hero forced to drop one way into prison to save president/president's daughter from convict population.

The Fallout
Given the flow on for other fields like ROLEPLAY games where the heroes journey is regurgitated as often as a dragon and a dungeon this could see tropes 'owned' by the first game company to create them or patent them.

The Riddle of Steel
Lets face facts. While gygax and arneson are the gods of this mythos, dungeons and dragons is the culmination of fourty years of game play by millions of people. We have a riddle of steel moment where gods may have created iron, but men created steel...and it was better.

What this court is saying is we owe the gods for the Iron in our swords. Homage be damned.

Dungeon Mastery: bringing Ryuutama to your D&D

Ryuutama is an intreaguing RPG. Described as a natural fantasy the game focusses on the travels of ordinary people wracked with a wanderlust rather than warriors, wizards, priests, and rogues. Its a Japanese RPG and despite that some effort is being undertaken to convert it to the English market. The art reminds me of naussica of the Valley of the wind.
What does it take to port this game to your d&d?

Characters: zero level humans. Roll Stats as 1d6+7 providing a stat range of 8-13 with a 13 limit. The skills they have are the skills that will aid them in their travels. They are farmers and Labourers. They have back stories, reasons for wandering off from their job as farmer, village blacksmith, or whatever. They are not village guards. Han the Farmer is journeying to the far off city of Glantri to apprentice as a mage. Kimmy the poet wants to see the world and compose great poetry. Franz wants to deliver a letter to his uncle in far off darokin from his late father. They decide to travel together.

Opponents: The enemy is pretty much the world. If they dont plan for their journey; if they run out of food, water, or equipment they can experience trouble. Thats not to say there are not Goblins but Lets keep the undead horrors and superpredators out of it.

D20: rolling to hit is important, in Ryuutama a fumble can be bad for your character but of benifit to the party as they get a fumble point which they can use to get out of trouble later. So keep track of any result of a 1 when you roll to hit and miss. Your sword glances clumsily off your intended target and you take damage. Your Bow snaps and slaps you for an arrow worth of damage. Your rope breaks as you swing across the chasm with the Princess in your arms.

Experience: 1xp Means the zero level character becomes a first level warrior but  because your characters need to grow through experience, lets call it story awards. If you rake in 10,000 story exp you will earn your 1xp. Once done your character will have a great backstory that sets your first level fighter, Wizard, cleric, and Thief out from the rest.

Thursday 15 October 2015

PSA: Indoctrination of Child Soldiers


Its Aliens: KIC 8462852

Here is what we know: KIC 8462852 is a star 1500 light-years away. According to the light dip data comming from the star there are large objects as big as half its diameter in what currently looks like a non cyclical orbit. That means the things passing the star are not in a circular orbit. While they think that means they are an alien megastructure...like some one is building a dyson sphere...they are probably wrong. It is likely a great many large object passing through the star system. When other stars go boom it isnt just light. Its big pieces of star.

Other Sources: An idea for a gnome weapon

This is a king DICK adjustable calipers/shifter. For antique bicycles. Yes I know, 'dick' being the only visible word on the 'measuring tool'...stay focused.
So gnomes are tool makers. Now consider the fact that the bit with the thread on the end could just as well be a swapable blade.

Gnomish Adjustable Tool: 1d6 (short sword/small hammer), 50gp.
Gat for short...an almost gangsterish term for a weapon.

Dungeon Mastery: economic stuff

A woodsman fells an acre of light forest in a day. Thats 20,000lb of timber/firewood. At 20lb/cp in the village marketplace thats 10gp, he splits that with the guy who owns the cart who must make ten round trips and load and unload. That means less than half hour travel distance is required between village and wood source or more wagons and drivers. So if woodsman sells his wood to the guy on the wagon for 5sp a load getting 5gp a day and the wagon driver adds 5sp per load for his own wages, haul distances longer than a half hour are economically prohibitive to the wagon driver he can have an income inversely proportional to distance between 5sp and 5gp.

The richest wagon driver is travelling the shortest distance. At 8 miles a day thats no further than half a mile. Thats not only distance between village and woodsman, it will apply to the movement of freight in cities where a city larger than a half a mile is going to cost the wagon master income. You will therefor pay the wagon master based on distance. At 1gp/mile a trip of a hundred miles from one end of the Kingdom to another will be a hundred gold pieces and take two weeks. Thats a long way to go just to sell firewood to the capital.


Tuesday 13 October 2015

Isle of Dread: Witchdoctor Spells

Spells for the Witch-doctor


Grave Guide (1st level)
Range: 0 (Caster only)
Duration: special*
Effect: The caster summons the spirit of a deceased ancestor for guidance.
The witchdoctor summons the spirit of a deceased ancestor from their grave to locate a missing person. 

Spirit summoned
01-25 summoned specific Ancestor.
26-100 other spirit makes contact.*

In either case the dungeon master should decide the spirit's cooperation. *a spirit making contact will determine spell duration. Otherwise the specific Ancestor will ask around about the missing person (1d20 hours for reply).


Ancestor's Embrace (1st level)
Range: touch
Duration: 1 round per level of caster
Effect: The caster summons the spirit of a deceased ancestor to provide healing.
The witchdoctor summons the spirit of a deceased ancestor to heal the recipient of the spell. 

Spirit summoned
01-25 summoned specific Ancestor.
26-100 summoned other spirit.

In either case the dungeon master should decide the spirit's cooperation. Healing can involve a life transfer from spirit to recipient (or lifedrain).

Grave Advice (2nd level)
Range: 0 (Caster only)
Duration: special
Effect: The caster summons the spirit of a deceased ancestor for guidance.
The witchdoctor summons the spirit of a deceased ancestor from their grave to determine the source of ill luck that has befallen a particular person.

Spirit summoned
01-35 summoned specific Ancestor.
36-100 other spirit makes contact.

In either case the dungeon master should decide the spirit's cooperation.

Guardian Ancestor (2nd level)
Range:  graveyard
Duration: special
Effect: The caster summons the skeleton of a deceased ancestor to attack a target. 
The witchdoctor summons the spirit of a deceased ancestor from their grave to attack an enemy. The spirit will Animate their skeleton until the spell caster breaks concentration (or is killed).

Spirit summoned
01-35 summoned specific Ancestor.
36-100 other spirit makes contact.

In either case the dungeon master should decide the spirit's cooperation.

Grave Illness (3rd level)
Range: 0 (Caster only)
Duration: 1-10 turns
Effect: The caster summons a spirit of a deceased ancestor to bring a sickness to the witchdoctor. 
The witchdoctor summons the spirit of a deceased ancestor from their grave to impart a disease that the witchdoctor can spread by touch. The witch doctor must save vs disease or fall victim to their own disease.

Spirit summoned
01-45 summoned specific Ancestor.
46-100 other spirit makes contact.

In either case the dungeon master should decide the spirit's cooperation. A disease might be mild or it might be terrible.


Summon Old One (4th level)
Range: sacred tree or water
Duration: special
Effect: The caster summons an old one.
The witchdoctor summons an ancestor who has been deceased so long they are without name. The spirit will take the form of an elemental or treant. 
In either case the dungeon master should decide the spirit's cooperation.


Karameikos: The Residence of Baron Vorloi

The Baron has a rather nice residence in the Town of Vorloi. Far from the maddening crowd. This isnt it. This is his town house. So now as the adventurers investigate the Veiled Society they will stumble across a murder. Lucia Vorloi, daughter of Fortunato Vorloi (Brother to the Baron). Her body secretly being removed through tunnels dug into the cellar.

Reference: The Veiled Society.

Monday 12 October 2015

Sunday 11 October 2015

Year of Chaos: week ten




NYCCC: Vin Diesel hasnt rolled a D20 in over a Decade

Folks at the New York City Comic Convention were horrified to learn that Vin Diesel hasnt rolled a D20 in over ten years. More than Ten years. For gods sake someone get the guy a d20. Maybe he can then feel happy enough to star in and direct the next Dungeons & Dragons movie.

I mean really, Who wouldnt want to see Vin Diesel as the elusive Bandit Chief (and shape changing Brown Dragon) of the brutal Red Scimitars laying Siege to the Empire of Thyatis?

Thursday 8 October 2015

Megadungeon: Deeper into the Red Tomb






Area 50: This is a structure that sat atop an older tomb. The room is filled with Nithian plaster but if the adventurers scrape away the plaster they will find something 'Babylonian'. As this culture isnt present in the Mystara setting lets call it a protonithian culture. The guardians in this part of the Red Tomb will be Salt Mummies. Lets say these have the same Stats as regular Mummies except they inflict a poison touch rather than a disease touch.

The Proto-Nithians

Our proto-Nithians are shamanistic pyramid builders. We can probably use the Azcan culture from the hollow world setting although the pyramid is still mudbrick rather than stone.

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Gunpowder: Lamentations of the Flame Princess want Adventure Submissions

If you have a mind to create an adventure of 4000-6000 words for Lamentations of the Flame (shouldn't that be Flaem?) Princess and get paid...these might be the droids you are looking for.

Source

Tuesday 6 October 2015

Map of the week: The imperial causeway


Year of Chaos: week nine

Shortfiction: The faceless

THE FACELESS

I will tell you there is nothing more enjoyable than travelling in a roofless Willys Jeep on a cool September morning through the bush, the sunlight warming you through the branches of eucalyptus trees, and the speargrass pushing over as you roll slowly forward. The Top End, with all its secret places hidden off the Stuart highway, gone now. Gone but not forgotten.
I was twelve.
We had camped that morning near Adelaide River in a tent, and went west off the Stuart highway a few miles north. My father, Francis, had driven us into the bush as he had done many times before, the Jeep taking us over the edge of the Stuart highway dropping off what was higher than the land around it. Once again we would see the unexplored wilderness where no man had set foot...and with wonder and attention I watched, searching the wilderness, thinking will I get to see an emu or a kangaroo this time, as all territory children had apparently been lied to, and were utterly convinced you could not trip over a red ant hill or walk behind a tree without spotting a dozen giant red kangaroos. There were none this morning. Humanity had apparently chased every sensible kangaroo from this part of the Territory, though I didnt consider the Jeep engine all that loud.
It must have been aproaching eleven in the morning, the Jeep pushing through the wilds of what might have been crown land. Still there were no kangaroos.
What truly confuses a twelve year old is the impossible and out of place. There were no words to describe what I was seeing. They were suddenly around us, perhaps half a dozen of them, tall and pale, scattered amongst trees. No, not kangaroos. Not emus. They were people. Naked people. Human isnt the right word. They were not aboriginal or any other human. Human is most certainly not what I was seeing. Seven feet tall, and faceless. And as the Jeep slowed to a halt, confusion at what I was seeing was the singular gift this unexpected experience had burdened me with.
Aboriginals talk about the Wulgaru...or rather they dont. All you need to understand is that the story is seperate to the truth. The very first people who came to Australia were Neanderthals from northern Europe. The Aboriginals of Australia are a culmination of many peoples migrating to Australia, converging into one people over a hundred thousand years. The future remembers the past as a story, so modern aboriginals remember those Neanderthal ancestors as a people who were not human. A people, tall and predatory, who snatched away law breakers, like giant shadows moving through the trees. The Wulgaru.
These were not Neanderthal. These were Wulgaru in the sense of the lie that had been built around them. The illusion of the story teller told and retold. The idea. And yet there they were. Wulgaru. Faceless, tall, alien. As relatable as though we had driven into a herd of kangaroo and they had not simply hopped away.
I wonder what my father was thinking to this day, taking me...us into the bush. And now he had halted the Jeep in their midst. I wonder often whether he had even seen them. Did he see them? We simply sat there in the Jeep and waited...for something to happen. One of the faceless, without eyes, or nose, or mouth, or ears, or hair, came silently forward through the grass like an inquisitive kangaroo interested in a new smell and having halted by the right side of the vehicle, touched my father and in that moment it was as though Francis had died, slumping in his Seat. The confusion I felt was overwhelming. What had happened? Who were they? They were certainly not anything I had ever heard of as a child. I felt no sense of fear. They were just a confusing discovery.
I didnt see the one that came up behind me. A hand on my shoulder? Was that what happened? My journey ended there in the bush.
I woke up in my bed in Darwin, and though my confusion as to the events of that day subsided and were forgotten, I will tell you... Even as I write these words, I think, there is a Jeep parked somwhere in the wilderness, likely burned by thirty plus years of bush fires, and rusted away by rain, forgotten,  with human remains nearby. And we did not make it home.
I think of the hundred of old burned out and rusted vehicles, cars, trucks, and airplanes scattered across the Top End; and you, safe in your little lie, with only a vague sense that you may have had a similar dream. That you who went bush alone, or with your parents, or children only to wake up in your bed did not make it home either.

Monday 5 October 2015

Dungeon Mastery: A Megadungeon beneath Specularum

The Red Tomb




BACKGROUND
The Red Tomb is a three thousand four hundred year old mud-brick mega-structure that once dominated the landscape. It was visible to anyone across and on the river. As a tomb, it was also an occupied site with a temple filled with clerics who toiled building the mud-brick tomb.
The Red Tomb was eventually abandoned, and rainfall over centuries eroded the red mud brick surface until it was little more than a hill. Grasses grew and the Red Tomb was forgotten. Traladaran people settled in the area and life went on.

THE CURRENT SITUATION
Parts of the Red Tomb have been discovered over the years and there are multiple breach points allowing access to the Red Tomb across the Hill district including the cellars of the white arrow Inn down the hill in Yarthmont when workers penetrated a temple with a high ceiling held up by red painted pillars dedicated to a red painted immortal - a temple with no point of entry. It was only a matter of time before a more extensive part of the Red Tomb was penetrated.
Excavations beneath the Castle of King Stephan Karameikos the third to create new storage vaults were undertaken last year. Everything was going fine until last night when the body of a guard was discovered by a hole in a wall. Four of the kings guard went in to investigate what was initially thought to be the tunnel of criminals attempting to breach the castle and failed to return.
The hole on the other hand was a question mark. Something had entered the storage vaults, killed a guard, and was on their side of the hole in the wall. A skeleton warrior with a sickle-blade sword emerged from the breach. It was quickly determined that the tunnels beneath the represented a much older pre-existing structure. The skeleton was obviously a guardian and beneath the hill was a tomb.
The existance of an undead filled tomb beneath the Castle of the King of all Karameikos represented a threat to the stability of the state. It is necessary therefore to bring in adventurers.

PRINCE VALEN KNOWS SOME GUYS
Having heard of the exploits of the adventurers from agents within the spy network of Queen Olivia, Prince Valen actually wanted to meet the adventurers and get a more accurate report of their exploits. What better way to assess them than have them deal with this current crisis.
As the dungeon master you may have already arranged the background of one of the adventurers is an agent of Olivia's spy network. Otherwise someone else will have reported on the activities of the adventurers.

THE NEW VEILED SOCIETY
Since the deportation of the last member of the Radu family (Zweis was deported to the Isle of dread along with other less violent veiled society and iron ring members) the veiled society struggled to function. A few surviving members have altered the overall strategic plan to one of intelligence gathering, recruiting young Traladarans, and encouraging anti-monarchy protests.

THE WHITE ARROW INN
Having been in the workforce digging in the cellar Gregor Haas discovered the temple by chance. He then 'convinced' the owner they should sell up with a temple dedicated to some evil immortal beneath the Inn only going to bring them bad luck. Gregor became the owner of the white arrow Inn and the temple below it. He looted a few items in the temple - a bowl which when filled with water shows what is seen by anyone wearing an amulet of spying - of which there were several.

GREGOR HAAS 
Stats: Thief; level 9; 25hp; Chaotic; S14, I18, W11, D18, C9, Ch14; 
skills: Forgery+3, read/Write (Traladaran), read/Write (Darokinian), read/Write (Thyatian), read/Write (Alphatian), 
Equipment: Traladaran Needle (1d4), Darokinian Padded Armour, Bowl of Watching.
Background: Gregor Haas is Innkeeper at the white arrow Inn, and a senior commander in the new veiled society. He has been instrumental in reshaping the destiny of the veiled society. 

 IT BEGINS
A letter, more a Summons, has been delivered to the Inn where the adventurers stay. It names the adventurers individually requiring them to present themselves at the castle this morning. It is signed by Prince Valen.
Gregor Haas, the Innkeeper, and a senior commander in the veiled society, wonders if this is about the incident last night.
Gregor learned this morning that a guard was killed in the cellars beneath the Castle by undead and that there is a breach into a much older dungeon. He has been gathering reports of little subterranean oddities beneath the hill, and the few the veiled society have mapped are at the edge of the hill. If the dungeons connect, then they represent a considerable structure beneath the hill. Haas adds the summons to his collection, one with the actual signature of Prince Valen will be of value. He then goes about creating a forgery of the document with a plan to provide it to the adventurers. Odds are that the castle authorities will not question it considering they issued the summons.
Innkeeper Gregor Haas has his servants go immediatly to each of the adventurers and rouse them from their rooms. He also gifts an amulet of spying to any Traladaran in the party. He will say it wards off evil...something they will need if rumors of undead in the castle are true.

ARRIVING AT THE CASTLE
The guards at the gate require presentation of the summons and will ask each of the adventurers to identify themselves against the listed names. The document will be sent to a bureaucrat in charge while the adventurers are scrutinised by the guards.
Once the adventurers are waved in, one of the guards will make a derogatory remark about any Traladaran in the group: 'Traladaran Scum.'
If this provokes the adventurers to violence other guards will be summoned and they will be dumped in cells.

ASTER GREN
A dwarf in nice clothing, clean shaven, young looking waves them. Aster Gren welcomes them to the castle and apologies that Prince Valen himself is unable to meet with them. Aster immediately begins explaining the situation as he leads them through a door, and down several flights of stairs to a twenty foot square room with two guards and a locked door. Observant adventurers will notice the reinforced door and its lock look brand new. 
Its at this point he asks if they need extra equipment. The guards have three spare torches and a light crossbow with ammunition they can provide. Aster Gren then instructs a guard to open the door.
Aster Gren leads them around the left turn following the hallway past the storage vault to the breach in the wall at the end of the tunnel.
He informs the party they need check in with the guards at the guard post every hour. He also reminds the adventurers: 

"Four Guardsmen went in and didnt come out. Bring them home if you can!"

Gren departs heading back to the door and the guardpost. If the adventurers do not escort him to the door he is beheaded by a lone skeleton warrior weilding a sickle-blade Shortsword. 

THE SKELETON GUARD
The skeleton guardian had wandered in and was in the storage vault furthest from the tunnel breach. Battling the skeleton should prove difficult - has higher than usual hitpoints (See below).
Examining the remains of the skeleton it becomes apparent that the sickle-blade has been engraved with artwork at some point. DC16 (1d20 + wisdom bonuses) to check. 
There is a one in six chance of a skeleton guardian being encountered every hour. There are twenty such skeleton guardians Including this one and the one encountered and battled the previous night through the entire red tomb complex. These do not turn as undead. They are infact bone Golems with one sword and two arms as opposed to four arms and four swords.

THE CELLARS
Area 1: This twenty by twenty chamber is manned twenty four hours a day by two of the kings guard. They guard a locked reinforced timber door. There are surplus torches and crossbow ammunition here as well.
Area 2: This ten feet wide hallway connects the door to area 1 to the castle's newest storage vaults (areas 3 & 4). The hallway winds about these chambers ending at 2a: a breach into an older hallway (area 5).
Area 3: A guardian skeleton is in this vault at the very moment the adventurers leave area 1 to inspect Location 2a. At any other time the chamber is likely empty of skeleton guardians, though it does have a nice stack of crates and barrels that will conceal most of the storage vault from anyone looking in from the hallway.
There is also a hole in the ceiling that goes up some fifty feet to a metal cover in the courtyard.
Area 4: much like area 3, this area is however empty of goods but contains some rubble that was yet to be removed up the shaft in the back of the vault. Work was abandoned after the tunnel wall was breached at 2a and guards went missing.
There is a shovel, two picks, a hammer, and a 50' rope here along with a full waterskin.

UNTO THE BREACH
Area 5: Immediately to the left of the breach is a secret door in the opposite wall leading to room 7. The secret door is slightly ajar and will be noticed by anyone who declares they are searching for secret doors. Locations 5a-d are mudbrick walls that can be knocked through into walled off areas. They are identified on a wisdom check (DC16).
Area 6: This room has plaster walls painted with images of something long faded. The dominant feature is a wooden box four feet by four feet by four feet. Its a puzzle box that requires three detect and remove traps to avoid unleashing the spring blade traps. Within are a dozen scrolls of beaten gold (10gp melt value each/100gp each to historians) scribed in an ancient language (Nithian). The scrolls detail a recent outbreak of vampirism in the city of Hap-na-yag providing no details as to its location.
Area 7: The Guardsmen discovered this chamber almost immediately and were looking to claim any treasure for themselves when three of them were killed by gas released from a silver urn. There are ten such urns including the open one (each worth a hundred gold pieces) and nine urns are filled with a poison gas. The gas was a preserving agent to protect the flayed skins within and prevent their regeneration. They are the skins of the half-troll Nithian soldiers whose remains were used to create the bone Golem guardians. Any skin freed will summon its guardian remains so it can regenerate fully. A skeleton guardian will arrive in 1d6 turns to take posession of its skin. Once it has its skin it will be fully regenerated in a day and the half troll soldier will havethe following Stats:
Half-troll Nithian Soldier: Fighter; level 1; chaotic; AC8; 18hp; S18, I9, W7, D12, C16, Ch14; regeneration 1hp/round; sickle-blade Shortsword (1d6/behead unarmoured opponent on 20). Until then the skin will regenerate any damage taken by the skeleton guardian at 1hp per round.
As Dungeon Master you should feel free to instill int the player's minds that these are undead. If the party runs into a skeleton with a skin it will have partially regenerated organs hanging out. Let players come to the conclusion these might even be nasty Vampires - or worse.
Area 8: Identical to area 6, this puzzle box has been smashed open and its gold scrolls looted. The skin that escaped it's urn in area 7 took them once it had control of its skeletal remains. Its headed for the temple of the Red goddess by the most indirect route - it wont smash through bricked up tunnels to get there. Once Na-as-ul reaches the temple he will use the scroll to activate the bronze Golem (despite the Red paint) which will smash its way out through the cellars of the white arrow Inn and attack the population.
Area 9: This tunnel dead ends thirty feet beyond the odd cross-roads that connects it to the rest of the dungeon. It was originally an entry tunnel hight up on the red tomb at the top of stairs that climbed the hill. The priests backfilled the tunnel with a hundred feet of mud bricks. If the adventurers are of a mind to remove the mud bricks over the next month, there are a pair of heavy timber doors clad in copper.
Area 10: This chamber contains a collection of Two hundred skulls plastered into the walls. It is an unusual artistic choice for a room. There are no other features of interest. If the skulls are smashed open, very old copper coins spill out. There are some two thousand Nithian copper pieces plastered up in the skulls. The coins have the symbol of thanatos and can be used as the unholy symbol of that immortal. The skulls were Young priests of Ra slaughtered by clerics of Thanatos. they were plastered up with unholy symbols of thanatos placed in their skulls.
Area 11: While its shape and alignment match area 10 it lacks the skulls plastered in the walls.
Area 12: This chamber contains piles of Nithian sickle-blade shortswords. The leather handles have rotted away as have the timber racks. There are fifty bronze weapons in need of a weaponsmith. Each sickle-blade Shortsword is worth about 10gp and weighs 50cn.
Area 13: Positioned above the stairs to a lower level, this chamber is much like area 12. The weapons that were racked here are bronze spears. Thirty bronze spear heads, ten in each pile are worth 10gp and weigh 50cn each.
Area 14: Originally this was a guard post before the tomb was sealed up. All that remains now is a brazier suspended under a bronze tripod (50gp/500cn) and a wounded guard. Bren collapsed here thanks to his injuries. He is near death with only 1hp remaining.
Area 15: This was a shrine to an obscure Nithian dwarf immortal. A painting of the bearded dwarf warrior (worshiped by guards and Nithian housholds) still occupies the far wall.
This dwarf immortal will be of interest to dwarves of a non lawful alignment looking to become dwarf-clerics. There is sufficient information on the wall to discern the religious ceremony of Bes.
Area 16: This tunnel dead ends (or appears to do so). There is infact an air shaft two feet by two feet that climbs toward the surface some twenty feet up before dead ending at heavy timbers overlying a floor of the upper cellars.
Area 17: Identical to room 6, this plastered chamber contains a wooden puzzle box four feet by four feet by four feet contains a selection of bronze tools: scrapers, knives, probes; and scrolls of beaten gold with no writing.
Area 18: There is fresh blood here. The last surviving guard looking for an escape route that wouldnt take him out through the castle, ran into a skeleton guardian headed for room 7 to bond with its skin. The Guard retreated to the stairs at 5a and descended down to the lower level.
With an examination of the blood, a Wisdom check (DC9) reveals a trail back the way the adventurers came.
Area 19: This triangular Observatory sits at the top of stairs that climb from a lower level. It is dominated by a twelve edged bronze mirror of scrying which any individual (more advanced than a crystal ball which is restricted in use to magic users) wearing Nithian Jewelery (amulets of spying included) can use to observe as a crystal ball.
Area 20: This area is on the verge of collapse. If anyone touches the ceiling a large section gives way inflicting 1d6 crush damage. The whole chamber will collapse a turn later for 20d6 damage to anyone in the chamber.
Area 21: This was in its day a barracks for young clerics.
Area 22: This chamber was a common prayer hall dedicated to Ra. The artwork on plaster walls can be translated as the prayers and ceremonies of Ra.
Area 23: This was the quarters of Ak-en-et, a third level priest of Ra. A search will reveal a necklace holy symbol dedicated to Ra.
Area 24: This section of tunnel has collapsed long ago. Tree roots grow down here and belong to an old tree in a garden near the castle.

DESCENDING INTO THE UNDERWORLD
The lower levels become more dangerous for the adventurers. followers of Entropic immortals who bought down the Nithian civilization infiltrated the Red Tomb. Unfortunately it is necessary to delve deep as one of those followers has been unleashed (the flayed skin from a silver urn in area 7). It is also necessary to delve lower levels as access to the observatory in area 19 can only be undertaken from a lower level. To go up it is necessary to go down.

Rules Cyclopedia: The Murderhobo

THE MURDERHOBO 


Introduction to the Murderhobo

The murderhobo is one of those adventurers who hacks his or her way through the enemy relying on little more than a pointy stick sharpened in a fire or hand carved cudgel to beat to death some opponent and take their stuff. The murderhobo lacks the discipline needed to apprentice as a Wizard to study magic, join a guild long enough to learn how to open a lock, follow a cult leader long enough to gain the approval of a god, or learn from a master the fine points of wielding a weapon. If a skill cannot be intuitively developed it is too much effort. The point of being a murderhobo is to get enough wealth to employ wizards, thieves, Clerics, and warriors to do the job for you.

Create a Murderhobo Character

This involves rolling 1d6+11 to determine each primary ability. It provides an above average range for every ability.



Optional Rules: Psionics

The possibility of a Psionic talent is zero. Roll 1d20 and add the charisma bonus. If a result of 21 or better is achieved the murderhobo is a Psionic. Because the murderhobo gets primary ability bonuses at eighth and fourteenth level they may choose to increase charisma and check again for Psionic ability. If the murderhobo is a Psionic the dungeon master should select a single Psionic talent from the spells available to a Cleric, Druid, or Magic-user. Some Psionic talents such as wish are developmental dead ends, others such as cure light wounds will belong to a potential development tree and can be evolved by burning ten thousand experience points per level of new spell. A Psionic talent can be employed a number of times a day equal to the charisma bonus.

Physical Height

Roll 17d6+5". This provides a height range of 1'10" - 8'11" Which is a more realistic and diverse human height generator. Those outside human limits (>6'4" or <4'7").

Saving Throws

This covers special attacks. Special attacks always hit. Rather than a saving throw roll against a chart to determine whether the murderhobo takes half damage, Murderhobos are now allocated +2 per level which they may now allocate as resistance to specific saving throw slots as desired.
Dragon Breath (fire/ice/poison/acid)
Death ray or Disease
Turn to stone or paralysis
Spells/staves/rods
Magic wands
A murderhobo might apply these to Dragon Breath to pursue a career as a dragon slayer, or put it against poisons and become a poisoner.





Repel Undead

A murderhobo can repel Undead up to and including a Vampire on a DC20 check with little more than faith in themselves and a holy symbol. Add the charisma bonus to the DC20 check along with the Repel Undead bonus to discern the chance of success. Unlike a cleric's turning which causes the undead to flee, the murderhobo will merely enjoy an aura of protection forcing the undead to break off any physical contact.

Thief & Acrobat Skills

These are skills the murderhobo heard about and attempted to develop on their own - skills that certainly dont require membership in some guild to learn, only a DC20 check to which you add the skill:
Pick Pockets: This involves reaching in a pocket to retrieve the contents without being noticed.
Hide in Shadows: The ability to make use of available darkness, hiding where no sunlight falls.
Move Silently: The capacity to move with the grace of a cat, making absolutely no noise.
Climb Walls: This is climbing a vertical surface without ropes and hooks.
Walk Rope: The ultimate act of balance as you cross a rope suspended between two points.
Prolonged Brace: the ability to put your feet against opposite walls or trees if they are close enough and hold ones self aloft.

Backstab

If hide in shadows and/or move Silently are sucessful the murderhobo gains the drop on an opponent and is able to stick a blade in for extra damage.

Name Level

Tenth level means you are no longer just a murderhobo, you are one of those murderhobo the huddled masses refer to in whisper as the Butcher of Bakersfield, The Chesapeake Ripper, the Dread Pirate Roberts, or Conan forcing you to wear a disguise or at least not go about anouncing your name loudly so you are not immediatly identifiable. At this point you draw other murderhobo to you. Some looking to become a follower, others looking to claim your misdeeds as their own, and a few looking to evicerate you for their own glory. Revealing your identity will result in the need for a second reaction roll. A friendly reaction can function as a temporary henchman, any other result causes them to flee screaming your public identity unless they are at least half your level.

Starting Wealth

A Murderhobo should begin with little or no wealth. Even those from wealthy families will have taken to the Murderhobo lifestyle simply because their family castle was burned down and their family, wealth and lands lost to them. Starting wealth should be determined by 1d10gp worth of equipment.

Experience

All experience is earned from those killed and their things taken. There is none of that story award experience points for the murderhobo.

Alignment

For the murderhobo it is not so much a code as a guideline...like who dares, wins.

Equipment 

The murderhobo is restricted in access to some equipment.

TABLE 3: ARMOUR

*Usable by Thieves. See Table 1.

Optional Rules: Murderhobo Immortality

Immortality is the ultimate achievement for a murderhobo. Having butchered an overwhelming number of people and taken their stuff, your murderhobo isnt just spoken of in fearful whispers by those looking to not draw your attention, they have built a shrine to you at a predesignated Location and piled up their valuables before it praying you will not come their way.