Friday, August 17, 2018

Updated Dungeon Fantasy Naturalism

This is an update to an update, with a new list that updates an old one. Getting all this so far? I've added monsters GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 14: Psi (because I just plum forgot the first time) and Hall of Judgment (because it wasn't yet out). See the earlier posts for stuff this post won't cover.

More little guys


I took another look at the small Mundane humanoids to try to get them to 4d×10 since that’s the same average as 2d×20, then found that I was cutting their numbers short. Heh. Either I was going with 4d×15, which had my preferred die spread, or 2d×30, which is easier to multiply in your head. I went with the latter.

Leaders


I just took bunch of monsters from the Monster Manual and checked to see how frequent their leaders show up. It turns out that about 1-in-17, on average are somehow tougher than the average humanoid. For the humans I used (Cavemen, Tribesmen, Nomads), it was much more often, about 1-in-13; for demi-humans (Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Halflings), it was about 1-in-30.

Truthfully, I'd just call the whole matter as 1-in-20 being the lowest level of leaders. In GURPS terms, this means giving +1 to ST/DX/HT, +2 to skills based on those attributes (which includes the attribute increase), and +1 to skills based on other attributes. The next level up of leader-types happen about 1-in-40 (1-in-42, to be precise), so give half the number of the first leader types +2 ST/DX/HT, +4 to all skills based on them, +1 to IQ, and +2 to skills based on it (including its sub-attributes of Will and Per). Then half again, and again until you get to one.

So, a tribe of 240 orcs (or orc combatants) would have 12 leaders of the first level, 6 of the second, 3 of the third, and 1 of the fourth. The last one is the big chief. He (or she) +8 to all his physical skills and +4 to physical attributes, and +4 to mental skills and +2 to IQ.

Spellcasters come up at about 1-in-36 among the few that had them listed; I'd just say there's as many spellcasters as second-level of leaders, or 1-in-40. I didn't differentiate between clerics and magic-abusers; call it 50/50. Have them as often as lower-level leaders for races with racial Magery, like elves. Their IQ and Magery or Power Investiture go up at the same rate as the physical stats of the leaders, while their physical stats go up at the rate of the mental stats of the leaders. Likewise, their rates of mental skill increase and physical increase are swapped. Have Energy Reserve go up like a mental skill, so 2 every level.

(I check the AD&D 2e Monstrous Manual to see how it meted out spellcasters for humanoids, and orcs are 1 in 100, goblins are “rare,” “may be one or more” with a tribe for kobolds, none listed for gnolls and hobgoblins. Bo-ring.)

Thus, the tribe of 240 orcs will have 6 of the lowest level of spellcasters (who still get +1 to IQ and Magery, and Energy Reserve 2), 3 of the next level, and 1 of the third. She (or he) of the third level has +3 to IQ, Magery or Power Investiture 3, Energy Reserve 6, +6 to mental skills, +1 to ST/DX/HT, and +3 to physical skills.

Non-combatants


Now, for the other part of Gygaxian naturalism that shows up in number appearing, non-combatants.

Have a number of “females” equal to the number of “males.” Let's try this again. Have another of non-combatant adults equal to the number of combatant adults. Some women will fight, and there will be some crippled and elderly men among the non-fighters. Anyways, there's some variation in the Monster Manual, but I'd leave that aside. A human-like species will have human-like distributions of the sexes, which means 50/50. If they’re not human-like, then all the adults fight or get an ad hoc treatment for sexual dimorphism. Seems easiest.

For children, however, I can see some variation. For settled humans, yeah, about a third of them will be children, so set them equal to the number of combatants. Hunter/gatherer societies have fewer children since they need to move often, so they will have half of that. (Gygax, incidentally, gets this right. Tribesmen, who are somewhat settled, have children at 100% of males, while Cavemen, who are not, have children at 50% of males.) If they're bigger than humans, halve this again. Longer-lived races will have even fewer children. The exact ratio would be up to the GM. I'd halve the numbers for those who live a bit longer, like Halflings (they're 60% in AD&D; also, their lower rate of children implies wealth), and quarter it for much longer, like Dwarves and Gnomes (which matches AD&D). Elves, who are nearly undying, are at 5% in AD&D, which works as well as anything.

Treasure strategies


Something with this release that I'm blatantly ripping off from Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS) is how monster gets its treasure. Basically, it gives three strategies for how monsters get treasure.

The first is Incidentals. These monsters don't use money or see the worth of it, but do like shiny things. They might have a little money or trade goods that fell from their victims, but most of their hoard's worth is in things that caught their eye (or however they see), like gems and jewelry. The magic items they have may or may not be handy to the monster; they do not try to find items, so whatever they have is random.

The second is Hoarders. Hoarders also like shiny things, but will also try to get money and trade goods. They're the monsters most likely to have gold. Still, most of their hoards' worth will be in high-impact shiny things, and they often ignore low-worth, high-weight items like copper farthings. The magic items they have are also often high-worth and low-weight, like scrolls and potions.

The third is Raiders. Of the three types, Raiders are the ones who have economies, though some Hoarders do as well. As such, they have lots of low-worth/high-weight items like copper and trade goods, but not much in the way of shiny things. Raiders, unlike most other monsters, also have pocket change. Much like Hoarders, Raiders like magic items that are useful to them, especially potions and armaments.

For a few monsters, like Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings, I made a mixed type that is mostly Hoarder, but has the magic item distribution and pocket change of Raiders. They like their shiny, but do seek to get magic items they can use to whack others in the head. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea that dwarves would go for scrolls over weapons, hence the need.

How I assigned them:

Construct, Elemental: No treasure for you!
Animal, Dire Animal, Giant Animal, Hybrid, Plant, Slime: Incidental.
Demon, Divine Servitor, Elder Thing, Faerie: Hoarder.
Mundane: Raider unless bigger than SM 0, in which case Hoarder. If the race is smaller than SM +1 and has racial Curious, Greed, or Kleptomania, it's a Hoarder, but has pocket change and magic items like a Raider.


Pocket change


I did a quick analysis of pocket change for monsters in AD&D, and truthfully, it doesn’t vary all that much, other than centaurs, who bear gems with them. Again, I quote Leo Bloom: “Where do you keep your wallet?”

Leaving aside that, I just said that Raiders (and Hoarders who have Raider magic items) have 1d of copper in their pocket for every 4d of lair treasure before the multiplication sign. I called (2d-1)×1,000 to be 1d-3 and 3d×1,000 to be 1d-1. A few lone humans from Hall of Judgment got 3d×10 as pocket change instead of normal treasure. Since one is the bandit chief, I have no regrets. So that's the “Change” column.


Trade goods and ornaments


Oh, I do love to steal freely from ACKS. The treasure is a big part of why. I’ll show you the elf lair treasure from Lairs & Encounters:
The fastness’s treasure is spread throughout its grounds. The great hall (H) is furnished with 12 wall-mounted horns and antlers (250gp, 25st total), and six table sets of terracotta dishware (100gp, 5st each) for guests. The pantry (P) holds 8 barrels of preserved fish (5gp, 5st each), 3 barrels of dwarven beer (10gp, 8st each), 20 bricks of salt (7sp, 3⁄6st each), 5 gallons of olive oil (2gp, 3⁄6st each), 80 bottles of fine Argollëan wine (5gp, 1 st per 5), and 7 bags of mountain tea (75gp, 5st each). The workshops (W) contain four-tenths of a cord of hardwood logs (5gp, 8st each), 36 rolls of soft wool (10gp, 4st each), 5 jars of weld and woad dye (50gp, 5st each), 32 iron ingots (1gp, 3/6st each), 17 bundles of fur pelts (15gp, 3st each), and 9 jars of lamp oil (20gp, 5st each).
The throne room (1) is bedecked with 5 wool tapestries depicting pastoral scenes (5gp, 7st each), 6 blown-glass orbs (120gp each) hung from the ceiling, and a pair of polished silver sword stands (500gp each) for Mornya’s blades. The armory (6) holds 2 crates of elven arms and armor (225gp, 5st each), and a set of 12 locked ironbound chests (2000 coin per chest) holding 14,500cp, 11,500sp, 3,000ep, and 1,000gp. (Mornya and Caoimhin have keys.) Each elf also has 70cp and 38sp on his person or in his quarters (yielding a total of 27,000cp, 19,000sp, 3,000ep, and 1,000gp in the fastness). The library (7) contains a collection of 54 elven manuscripts (150gp, 3⁄6st each), mostly in Old Argollëan, including a rare commentary on Aedon Lann’s Book of Nine Arrows. Also kept in the library is a birch bark treasure map to a colossal statue in the Waste (see the Wraith lair, below). A poem, in Elven, on the map reads “Two great emeralds on the statue lie / Guarded by those who refuse to die.” The map’s destination is 11-20 hexes distant from the Elf lair. Though not Lawful, Mornya is a sworn foe of undead, and on a Friendly reaction roll she may offer adventurers the map if they pledge to destroy the undead that guard its treasure.

Now that, my friend(s), is a treasure hoard worth looting. It has money, true, but that’s not the interesting stuff. Killing Legolas and friends and getting the wine, the silver sword stands, the terracotta dishes … you talk about that for years.

(The magic items of the elves are spread among the elves. Buy the book if you want to see.)

So, I made sure there was a space in the treasure hoards for trade goods and shiny doodads that aren’t straight jewelry, which I call “ornaments.” The ornaments' worth always came out equal to the jewelry, which was not my plan; you can spread out the wealth between the two as you see fit, as they're akin. I have some draft notes on how to handle the trade goods, based on ACKS, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables, GURPS Low-Tech, and especially the article “Eidetic Memory: Medieval Sea Trade” from Pyramid 3/87: Low-Tech III. I don’t think what I have is ready for prime-time, but I’m willing to share on an ad hoc basis or maybe a work in progress.

One thing to keep in mind with all non-monetary treasure is that in Dungeon Fantasy, it fetches a rate based on the Wealth level of the seller. So for those delvers with Average Wealth, they get 40% of the list cost. Thus, wealthy delvers will get more out of going for high worth, low weight items like gems, jewelry, and ornaments. Even the trade goods, which are heavy, will be a bigger reward for wealthy delvers, since they're more likely to have the resources to bear them away. Poorer delvers won't get as much from going for doodads, so are wise to stick to money.

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Updated loot, number appearing, in-lair

See below for what all this means. See this for an explanation of how we got here.

Monster Page #App Lair $ Items Strategy Change
(Drunk) Warrior HOJ73 1d+1 1d-3 N/A 1d-5 Raider 3d×10
Abominable Snowman P50-38 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Academy Wyrm DF10-17 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Acid Spider DF16, DF2-21 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Aloakasa as-Sharak DF14-41 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Angelic Emissary DF9-35 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Angry Sands DFA1-45 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Animated Snowman P50-38 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
as-Sharak DF16, DF2-21 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Astral Ghost P80-32 1 1d-2 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Astral Hound DF14-42 1d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Astral Spider P80-32 1d-1 1d-4 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Aurochs (Wild Bull) HOJ67 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Bandit HOJ68 4d×10 1d-3 3d×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-1
Bandit Chief HOJ69 1 1d-3 N/A 1d-5 Raider 3d×10
Bandit-Snatcher P98-11 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Basilisk DFM3-5 1d 1d-3 (1d-2)×1,000 1d-5 Incidental N/A
Bear DF16, DF5-6, B456 1d-2 1d-3 N/A N/A None N/A
Beast of Burden, Donkey HOJ70 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Beast of Burden, Draft Horse HOJ70 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Beast of Burden, Mule HOJ70 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Beast of Burden, Pack Horse HOJ70 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Beast of Burden, Pack Pony HOJ70 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Beast of Burden, Reindeer HOJ70 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Boar, Wild HOJ71 3d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Boneflower P77-35 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Bouda P98-12 4d×10 1d-3 3d×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-1
Bounding Turtle, Greater DFA1-45 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Bounding Turtle, Lesser DFA1-45 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Brainworms P80-33 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Bronze Spider DF17, DFM1-5 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Bugbear DF17, DFM1-6 3d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Burrowing Serpent DFA1-45 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Cat-Folk DF3-5 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Cerberus P108-11 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Chaos Monk DF14-42 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Chaos Ooze P80-33 1d-3 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Ciuaclá DF18, DFM1-7 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Cockamander P113-16 2d+1 1d-3 special N/A None N/A
Cockatrice DFM3-6 2d+1 1d-3 (1d-2)×1,000 1d-5 Incidental N/A
Colchis Bull P108-11 1d 1d-3 (1d-2)×1,000 1d-5 Incidental N/A
Coleopteran DF3-5 2d 1d-2 (2d-1)×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-3
Corpse Golem DF18, DFM1-8 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Corpse-Eater DF3-5 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Corrosion Crawler P98-13 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Crushroom DF19, DF2-22 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Curtain Spider DFA2-35 2d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Dark One DF3-6 1d-1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Deep Chimera P113-19 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Deep One P113-24 5d+1 1d-4 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Deer (Fallow) HOJ72 3d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Demon from Between the Stars DF19, DFM1-9 1d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Demon of Old DF20, DFM1-10 1d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Devilkin DF9-33 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Dinoman DF20, DFM1-11 2d×10 1d-3 3d×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-1
Dire Frog P76-31 1d N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Dire Hart (With a Vengance) P76-30 1d N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Dire Kraken P113-24 1 1d-4 6d×1,000 1d-5 Incidental N/A
Dire Mammoth P98-13 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Dire Vulture DFA1-46 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Dire Wolf DF21, DF2-22 2d-1 1d-2 N/A N/A None N/A
Dolbok P108-32 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Doomchild DF21, DF2-22 3d+1 1d-3 N/A N/A None N/A
Doppelganger DFM3-7 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Draco-Wasps P50-25 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Draft Lizards P95-28 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Dragon-Blooded DF3-14, DFA2-29 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Dragon, Hatchling DFA2-30 1d+1 1d-3 (5d-3)×1,000 1d-2 Hoarder N/A
Dragon, Large DF23 1d-2 1d-4 (2d+2)×10,000 1d+2 Hoarder N/A
Dragon, Medium DF22, DFA2-31 1d-1 1d-4 (2d-1)×10,000 1d+1 Hoarder N/A
Dragon, Small DF22, DFA2-31 1d 1d-3 (10d-3)×1,000 1d Hoarder N/A
Draug DF23, DFM1-12 1d-1 always 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Drowned P106-31 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Dryad DFM3-9 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Dwarf DF3-6 4d×10 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder, Raider magic 2d
Electric Jelly DF24, DFM1-13 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Elemental, Air DF24 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Elemental, Earth DF25 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Elemental, Fire DF25 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Elemental, Water DF26 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Elf, Half- DF3-7 4d×10 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Raider 2d
Elf, High DF3-7 4d×10 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Raider 2d
Elf, Mountain DF3-7 4d×10 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Raider 2d
Elf, Sea DF3-7 4d×10 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Raider 2d
Elf, Shadow DF3-7 4d×10 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Raider 2d
Elf, Winged DF3-7 4d×10 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Raider 2d
Elf, Wood DF3-8 4d×10 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Raider 2d
Elk (Red Deer) HOJ74 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Embodied Animal-Spirit DF9-21 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Erupting Slime DF26, DF2-23 1d-3 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Excremental P98-14 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Eye of Death DF26, DFM1-14 1d-1 1d-4 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Faerie Folk, Faun DF3-8 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Faerie Folk, Leprechaun DF3-9 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Faerie Folk, Nymph DF3-9 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Faerie Folk, Pixie DF3-9 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Faerie Noble HOJ75 1d-3 1d-3 4d×100 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Fear Seeker P76-9 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Fireball Demon DFE1-14 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Fish-Folk P98-22 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Flame Lord DFM1-15 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Flame Servant Demon DFA1-46 1d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Flame Wasps DFA1-46 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Flaming Skull DF27, DF2-23 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Flesh-Eating Ape DF27, DF2-23 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Flying Squid Monster DF14-43 1d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Foul Bat (Batchala) DF28, DF2-23 2d+1 1d-4 N/A N/A None N/A
Frost Snake DF28, DF2-24 2d+1 1d-2 N/A N/A None N/A
Frozen Dead P106-32 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Fungus DF28, DFM2-5 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Fuzzy DF14-43 1d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Gargoyle DF29, DF3-9 2d 1d-2 (2d-1)×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-3
Ghoul P108-12 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Ghoul HOJ76 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Giant Ant DFM3-10 4d×10 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Giant Ape DF30, DFM1-16 1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Giant Beetle, Big Beetle P108-12 3d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Beetle, Humongous Beetle P108-13 2d-1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Giant Centipede, Big Centipede P108-13 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Centipede, Humongous Centipede P108-13 2d-1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Giant Chicken P89-30 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Crab P50-23, P98-22 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Frog, Big Frog P108-13 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Frog, Huge Frog P108-14 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Maned Rat DF10-31 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Giant Piranha P113-24 7d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Giant Rat DF30, DF2-24 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Snake, Constrictor DF31 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Snake, Viper DF31 3d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Spider, Big Spider DF32 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Spider, Huge Spider DF32 3d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Giant Spider, Humongous Spider DF32 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Gilded Zombie DFE1-14 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Gladiator Ape DF32, DFM1-17 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Glurch P108-29 1d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Gnome DF3-10 2d×30 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder, Raider magic 2d
Goblin-Kin, Goblin DF33, DF3-10 4d×10 1d-3 3d×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-1
Goblin-Kin, Half-Orc DF3-10 4d×10 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Raider 2d
Goblin-Kin, Hobgoblin DF34, DF3-11 2d×10 1d-3 3d×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-1
Goblin-Kin, Orc DF34, DF3-11, DFA1-47 4d×10 1d-3 3d×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-1
Goldipox P108-33 3d+1 * * * None N/A
Golem-Armor Swordsman DF35, DF2-24 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Great White Shark B458 2d-1 1d-4 6d×1,000 1d-5 Incidental N/A
Grü P98-14 1d 1d-4 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Grutel P113-22 5d+1 1d-2 (2d-1)×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-3
Gryphon DF35, B460 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Half-Ogre DF3-14 5d+1 1d-2 (2d-1)×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-3
Half-Spirit, Air-Infused DF3-13 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Half-Spirit, Celestial DF3-12 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Half-Spirit, Earth-Infused DF3-13 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Half-Spirit, Elder-Spawn DF3-12 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Half-Spirit, Fire-Infused DF3-13 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Half-Spirit, Infernal DF3-12 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Half-Spirit, Water-Infused DF3-13 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Halfling DF3-14 2d×30 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder, Raider magic 2d
Harpy DFM3-11 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Hellhound DF35, DF5-26 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Hellwasp P98-15 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Helmet Thief P113-21 2d N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Hengeyokai P89-20 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Herd Horror P106-32 1d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Hill Giant P102-14 2d-1 1d-2 (2d-1)×1,000 1d-5 Hoarder N/A
Hopping Ghost DFE1-15 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Horde Pygmy DF36, DFM1-18 2d×30 1d-3 3d×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-1
Horde Zombie DF36, DF2-24 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Horrid Skull DF37, DFM1-19 1d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Howling Ghost DFA2-35 2d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Hrogn HOJ77 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Hulder HOJ78 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Hungry Room P76-21 1 always (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Hydra P108-14 1d 1d-3 (1d-2)×1,000 1d-5 Incidental N/A
Ice Alf HOJ79 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Ice Weasel DF37, DF5-26 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Ice Wyrm DF38, DFM1-26 1d-2 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Imp DF5-26 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Intruder P76-9 1d 1d-4 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Jelly DF38, DFM2-7 1d-3 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Karkadann DF39, DFM1-21 special N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Khodoque Crab P98-15 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Krabbari HOJ80 1 1d-4 14d×1,000 2d Hoarder N/A
Large Boar B458 1d-2 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Lava Lizard DFM3-12 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Leaping Leech DF40, DFM1-22 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Lernaean Hydra P113-25 1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Lesser Ghost DF9-22 1 1d-2 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Lich DF40, DFM1-23 1 1d-5 1d×10,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Lion DF40, B456 2d-1 1d-2 N/A N/A None N/A
Living Pit DFM3-13 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Lizard Man DF41, DF3-15, DFA2-30 4d×10 1d-3 3d×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-1
Major Ghost DF9-22 1 1d-2 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Manticore DFM3-14 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Medusa DFM3-15 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Merfolk P113-25 4d×10 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Raider 2d
Metal Elemental DF9-29 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Mimic P98-16 1d-3 1d-2 (1d-1)×1,000 1d-3 Incidental N/A
Mindwarper DF41, DF2-25 1d-1 1d-4 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Minotaur DF42, DF3-14 2d 1d-2 (2d-1)×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-3
Mold DF42, DFM2-9 1d-3 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Mountain Cat HOJ82 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Mountain Goat HOJ83 3d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Mountain Sheep HOJ84 3d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Mummy (Kromm) P106-33 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Mummy (Rice) P98-16 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Mylja Ormur HOJ85 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Nāga P113-26 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Nankilstlani P98-17 1d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Needleman P113-20 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Nest Scorpion DFA1-46 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Neuroid DF14-44 1 1d-2 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Nix P113-26 1d 1d-5 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
No-Brainer DF14-44 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Norðalfar, Elder Stóralf HOJ89 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Norðalfar, Hob HOJ90 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Norðalfar, Norðalf HOJ87 2d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Norðalfar, Stóralf HOJ88 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Obsidian Jaguar DF43, DFM1-24 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Octopus Blossom DFM3-16 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Octopus-Folk (Pulver) P98-22 2d 1d-2 (2d-1)×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-3
Octopus-Folk (Saeger) P113-27 2d 1d-2 (2d-1)×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-3
Odifer DF14-44 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Ogre DF44, DF3-14, DFA2-46 2d-1 1d-3 3d×1,000 1d-5 Hoarder N/A
Ooze DF44, DFM2-11 1d-3 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Paragriff P113-18 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Peshkali DF45, DF2-25 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Petty Demon DF9-32 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Phase Serpent DFM3-17 2d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Phoenix DFM3-18 1 1d-3 N/A N/A None N/A
Pscorpion P76-10 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Pudding DF46, DFM2-13 1d-3 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Pyro-Tiger P76-11 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Python B458 3d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Quarterlings P106-21 2d×30 1d-3 3d×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-1
Rabid Demon Dog DFE1-16 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Rattlesnake B458 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Rock Mite DF47, DFM1-25 2d N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Rock Troll DFM3-19 2d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Rot Worm DFM3-20 2d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Sage Statue DFE1-16 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Salamander DF5-27 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Sea Hag P113-27 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Servitor Skeleton DF9-26 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Servitor Zombie DF9-26 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Shadow Warrior DFM3-21 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Shamblethorn P108-14 2d-1 1d-4 (1d-1)×1,000 1d-3 Incidental N/A
Shoulder Dragon DF5-27 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Siege Beast DF47, DF2-25 2d-1 1d-2 (2d-1)×1,000 1d-5 Hoarder N/A
Skeleton DF47, DFA1-48, HOJ91 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Skeleton Warhorse HOJ92 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Sky Glider P98-17 8d+2 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Slime DF48, DFM2-15 1d-3 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Slorn DF49, DFM1-26 1d N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Slugbeast DF50, DFM1-27 1d N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Small Boar B458 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Solitary Trapper HOJ93 1 1d-3 N/A N/A Raider 3d
Specter DF50 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Speeding Blade DFA1-48 1d-2 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Sphere of Madness DF51 1d-1 1d-4 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Spirit Guardian DF52, DF9-23 1 always 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Spirit of Place DF9-24 1 always 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Spore Cloud DF52, DFM2-17 1d-3 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Standard Demon DF9-34 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Stone Golem DF54, DF2-26 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Stone Shark P98-18 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Strix B461 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Succubus P108-36 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Swamp Alligator P108-20 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Swamp Wisp P106-34 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Swarm DF54 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Sweeping Void DFE1-16 1d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Sword Spirit DF55, DFM1-29 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Sylph DF5-28 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Talus DF5-28 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Tatterdemalion P98-19 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Tengu P89-21 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Tentacles P80-34 1d-1 always 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Terrible Dire Bunny P76-32 2d-1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Terrible Hedge P76-32 2d-1 1d-4 (1d-1)×1,000 1d-3 Incidental N/A
Terrible Terrier P76-31 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Terrible Whipping Willow P76-32 1 1d-4 (1d-1)×1,000 1d-3 Incidental N/A
Terribly Dire Wolverine P76-33 2d+1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Throttler DF55, DFM1-30 2d-1 1d-3 8d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Thurs HOJ94 1d-2 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Tiger DF56, B456 2d-1 1d-2 N/A N/A None N/A
Tiger Shark B457 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Timber Wolf B458, HOJ98 3d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Tomb Tree P106-35 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Toxifer DF56, DF2-26 2d-1 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-4 Hoarder N/A
Triger DF57, DF2-26 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Troll DF57, DFM1-31 1d 1d-3 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Troll (Racial Template) DF3-15 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Úlfjarl (Dire Wolf) HOJ95 1d 1d-2 N/A N/A None N/A
Undead Slime DF58, DFM1-32 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Undine DF5-29 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Vaettr HOJ96 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Vaknatré HOJ97 special N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Vampire DF58 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Vampire (Frick) P50-15 1d-1 1d-3 2d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Virtuous Maid P113-17 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Void Brute DF59, DFM1-33 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A Hoarder N/A
Void Wyrm P80-34 1d-1 1d-4 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Void/Sound/Ether Elemental DF9-30 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Warband Giant P89-32 1d 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Hoarder N/A
Watcher at the Edge of Time DF59, DFM1-34 1d-1 1d-4 4d×1,000 1d-1 Hoarder N/A
Water Beetle P113-27 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Well Beast DFA2-35 1 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Werewolf DF60 5d+1 1d-2 4d×1,000 1d-3 Raider 1d
Wildman DF60, DF3-16 2d 1d-2 (2d-1)×1,000 1d-5 Raider 1d-3
Windroot P98-19 2d-1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Wood Elemental DF9-31 1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Wyvern P108-15 1d 1d-3 (2d-4)×1,000 1d-4 Incidental N/A
Zombie DF62 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A
Zombie (Vaettrhrogn) HOJ99 3d+1 N/A N/A N/A None N/A

Key to all this

Monster: Duh. If I have to explain this to you, you’re too stupid to be playing any RPG, tabletop or computer. Or a LARP or a CCG. Or any game more complicated than Candyland. Get off my blog.
Page: Where you can find the monster. “DF” followed by a number means DFRPG Monsters, with the number being the page number. “DF” followed by a number with another number after a dash means the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy supplement of that number, with the second number being the page number. “DFM” followed by a number (with another number after a dash) is the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters line, “DFAfollowed by a number (with another number after a dash) is the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventures line, and “DFE” followed by a number (with another number after a dash) means the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Encounters line; page number comes after the dash. “P” stands for Pyramid magazine, volume 3, issue, page number after the dash. “HOJ” means Hall of Judgment, followed by the page number, and “B” means GURPS Basic Set (Campaigns), followed by the page number.
#App: Roll this for the number of combatant monsters appearing in the monsters' lair. For monsters that have N/A under “Lair” (see below), that’s all the monsters. For those that have lairs, one-fifth of this will be wandering. To get the number of those wandering, first roll the dice to see how many are in the lair. Then, divide by 16.5 to get the number of dice you should roll to see how many you meet outside the lair. If you make it to the lair and it’s during the monsters’ sleep cycle, they’re all there. If it isn’t, divide the total in the lair by 8.75 (or twice the number you’d meet while wandering) to get the number of dice you should roll to see how many are out and about.

Many Mundane monsters will have non-combatants in the lair. There will be non-combatant grownups equal to the number of combatants, and youths also equal to the number of combatants. Halve the number of youths if the monsters has “Hoarder” or “Hoarder, Raider magic” in their “Strategy” (see below). Halve it again if that Hoarder is also SM 0 or bigger.

Those Mundane monsters and many others will have leaders. They will have one leader for every 20 normal monsters. Those leaders will have:

  • +1 to ST, DX, HT, with the resultant Secondary Characteristic increases.
  • +2 to all skills based on DX or HT. This includes the attribute increase above. 
  • +1 to all skills based on IQ or its Secondary Characteristics. 

If there is more than one leader, there will leaders of the leaders equal to half the number of leaders. Those leaders will have twofold the boosts to attributes and skills above, as well as +1 to IQ and its Secondary Characteristics (again, the skill increase is assumed to include this). If there is more than one of these leaders, there will be half of the second set of leaders with threefold the first set of boosts and +1 to IQ. Keep this up until you only have one leader; every other level grants +1 to the leader’s IQ.

These monsters will also have spellcasters. There will be spellcasters equal to the number of leaders of the second level (meaning, those who get +2 to physical attributes, +1 to IQ, +4 to physical skills, and +2 to mental skills) unless that race has racial Magery, in which case it has spell casters equal to the number of leaders of the first level (those who got +1 to physical attributes, +2 to physical skills, and +1 to mental skills). Half of the spellcasters will have Magery 1, and half will have Power Investiture 1. Either will have +1 to IQ and its Secondary Characteristics, Energy Reserve 2, four spells at IQ+Magery/Power Investiture-2, +2 to all skills based on IQ, Will, or Per.

Much like the leaders, there will be mightier spellcasters equal to half of the base level of spellcasters. These spellcasters will have +2 to IQ and its Secondary Characteristics, Magery 2 or Power Investiture 2, Energy Reserve 4, eight spells at IQ+Magery/Power Investiture-2, +2 to all skills based on IQ, Will, or Per, and +1 to all skills based on DX or HT. This keeps going up like the leaders, halving until you reach 1, with +1 to IQ and Secondary Characteristics, +1 to Magery and Power Investiture, +2 to Energy Reserve, four more spells, +2 to mental skills, and +1 to physical skills. They will also be +1 to ST, DX, and HT for every full +2 to physical skills.
Lair: Roll this when the players run into the monsters. On a negative number, they stumble upon their lair. On a 0, they do not, but their lair is nearby, or in the same hex if using 4-6 mile hexes. On higher positive numbers, that is the number of hexes away their lair is (again, using 4-6 mile hexes). If not using hexes or using a much different size, fivefold that number is about that many miles away the monsters’ lair is.
$: Approximate loot in lair in GURPS $.
Items: The number of magic items the monsters have. If they are usable by the monsters, give them to the leaders, otherwise they are stored in their lair. The strategy will help determine what kind of magic items the monsters have.
Strategy: How the monsters accumulate treasure, which determines the composition of their hoards. There are three strategies, with a fourth that has some elements of two of the others. See below to see how the strategy influences the hoard:

Raiders 

  • Copper farthings equal to (2d-1)×100 
  • Silver pennies equal to treasure rolled/12 
  • No gold pieces 
  • Gems equal in worth to treasure rolled/10 
  • Jewelry equal in worth to treasure rolled/10 
  • Trade goods equal in worth to treasure rolled/3 
  • Ornaments equal in worth to treasure rolled/10 
  • Magic items (3d): 3-6 Maps, 7-10 Potions, 11-14 Armaments, 15-16 Other, 17-18 Scrolls 

Hoarders 

  • Copper farthings equal to (3d-1)×10 
  • Silver pennies equal to treasure rolled/30 
  • Gold pieces equal to treasure rolled/450 
  • Gems equal in worth to treasure rolled/8 
  • Jewelry equal in worth to treasure rolled/5 
  • Trade goods equal in worth to treasure rolled/5 
  • Ornaments equal in worth to treasure rolled/5 
  • Magic items (3d): 3-6 Maps, 7-9 Potions, 10-11 Armaments, 12 Other, 13-18 Scrolls 

Incidentals 

  • Copper farthings equal to (1d-2)×10 
  • Silver pennies equal to treasure rolled/30 
  • Gold pieces equal to treasure rolled/800 
  • Gems equal in worth to treasure rolled/5 
  • Jewelry equal in worth to treasure rolled/4 
  • Trade goods equal in worth to treasure rolled/10 
  • Ornaments equal in worth to treasure rolled/4 
  • Magic items (3d): 3-6 Maps, 7-8 Potions, 9-11 Armaments, 12-13 Other, 14-18 Scrolls 
Copper doesn't depend on the initial treasure roll. “Trade goods” are items like preserved food, furs, wine, and oil that are both usable or tradeable. “Ornamentals” mean jewelry-like trinkets that are not wearable. The explanation page will have more.

Magic item headings match those of the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide, with the following notes:

  • Maps go to a treasure of $(4d-7)×1000 with 4d-16 magic items. The distribution of money is that of a Hoarder, of magic items is that of a Incidental. If you roll no loot or magic items, it's a map to a lair with no treasure. Regardless, there is always some nasty monster or trap at the other end. (You never get nothing, since a TPK counts as something.) 
  • “Armaments” get another roll of 3d: 3-9 Armor, 10-18 Weapons, including Swords. You can make Swords 10-11 if you want to break them out. The tables in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables do not. 
  • “Other” gets another roll of 3d: 3-8 Rings, 9-12 Miscellaneous, 13-18 Rods/Staves/Wands. 

Change: How much money an individual monster is carrying, in GURPS $. Most often these will be copper farthings. Leaders will have fourfold this, usually in silver pennies.

Monday, August 13, 2018

Dynamic dungeons

I’ve read a few times on the OSR blogs and other websites that dungeons should be dynamic places, with a thriving ecosystem. Earlier this year, I figured out a way I could handle that. I felt the need to have a blog post breaking that out, rather than leaving it as a throwaway comment in a game log.

The first part of my epiphany was that most wandering monsters should have source rooms. Alright, I had read this before and you have too, but while keying a dungeon, I went about enforcing this for once. It gets rid of the idea that there will always be monstrous centipedes even though your players have already rooted out their nests.

Something kept bugging me, however. When you encounter some giant rats in their room, there’s the whole lot of them, but elsewhere, there might be two or there might be seven or whatever. And especially I had an issue with one lone monster that was on the wandering monster table. I wanted it to move, and having it always show up in that room bothered me.

Or, in short, I wanted something like the One-Page Wilderness System that worked in a dungeon.

The lone monster was the easier problem to solve. For it, I just gave it a frequency of appearance roll in its own room. So, when the players go in that room, I roll 3d6 (GURPS habit to always use the d6; you could easily use another die, especially percentile) and if it goes under that number (typically 9 or 12), it’s there. If not, it’s wandering. This also is the way to handle monsters that stay together but still wander.

For gaggles of monsters that don’t stay together, this was trickier. I’ll copy a room key to show my solution:

There are 2d-4 doomchildren here. On a roll of less than 1, all are wandering; this room is the lair of 8.

That's 2d6-4, for those whose dice vary.

So now, most encounters in this room will not be with the full lot of eight doomchildren. There will be just three on average, and one-sixth of the time, there won’t be any. This makes it less certain that the players have cleared the room. On the flip side, you might need a higher maximum per room than before to keep up the challenge.

EDIT (27 June 2019): And reinforcements are coming.

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Game log for 5 August 2018: Holding back from pumping them up

Dramatis personae


Xóran, fox-man scout
Kim, thief
Mayhem, short barbarian
Ash, squire
Grymálkus, whiny cleric of the war god
Caleb, wizard
Áttikos, holy warrior of the sun god
Kôštē, cleric of the farming goddess

Quid occurrit


They investigated. And Ash and Kim tried and failed to live off the land.

After three days of nothing, Kim started trailing Néttōr. He did spot her looking once, but did nothing. They asked around the village about Néttōr, but only heard the tales about his gambling issues.

Áttikos chose to look into the sun to see the way, and saw that the graveyard shone lighter in the midday sun. There seemed little remarkable about the graveyard, other than that there was little grass growing there. Grym didn’t think there were many spirits.

The graveyard was the spot where the Áttikos held the funeral for Višsīvós, the servant who blew up. The gang spent 30 copper on a wooden box for Višsīvós’s little green globules. A day or so after the burial, they checked on the grave, but found nothing amiss about it.

The gang set itself up in the social structure, with the clerics tending to the serfs. Grym gave 25 copper to Krellévos, the village cleric, to pay for free healing, which healed an old lady after a mishap. Over the week, they spent 150 copper to help fix up the village.

The Winter Solstice, the day of the Love Feast, came. The gang went with the villagers to Rēláištiš, where they set up a kissing booth. Mayhem had fun with an orc slave woman, while Áttikos went to bed with the Lady Lummenólē, one of her many lovers that day. (He had a critical success on a default Sex Appeal roll.) Caleb, who had been bummed all week, not only did not partake in the merriment, but he also got a case of the runs, which Kôštē healed. Grymálkus pulled away a few of the boys who tried to go a little farther with the village women than the women wanted.

However, not everyone walked to Rēláištiš. Néttōr stayed behind, and there he met two big men, who gave him a small sack. After this, Néttōr left. The goons dug up the grave of Višsīvós, but only found some dust, some bone shards, and the little green globules. They shrugged, put back his coffin, and dug up the next grave. This time, they found a fresh dead body from a few weeks before, so they rolled it up in a rug and put it on a sack.

And Kim saw the whole thing.

Kim had been in the manor house, and found little of much worth, other than the gilded box wherein Lady Dīdótē kept her clothes. After finding nothing worth stealing (the box wasn’t light), she went outside and watched Néttōr, then the goons. She followed the goons as they walked for a few miles then, once they started walking around some thick woods, she went back to Rēláištiš to meet the others.

Once Xóran heard what Kim had seen, he gathered the others and they left town. Mayhem picked up the trail of the goons, and they followed all day. When they made it to the Sarkērrêne River, they found the wreck of a raft. Caleb Levitated Mayhem over the river, but Mayhem did bad work of fixing it and they lost ground. They pressed on, and after the sun had set, they saw the campfire of the goons. Weary, instead of striking, they set up camp. All night, they kept watch, but the goons did not leave.

The next day, both sets set forth, and the heroes caught up. Kim and Xóran snuck up on the goons, and got first strike. Kim’s did nothing, but Xóran crippled the leg of one. Mayhem and Ash got off bow shots and Mayhem wounded the goon Kim did not, though Ash’s arrow didn’t get through his armor.

Blindsided, the goon on the ground gave in, but the one still standing started to run. Grymálkus and Caleb cast Might 3 and Shield 2, respectively, on Áttikos, who lumbered to reach the others, as did Mayhem and Ash. Xóran and Kim rushed to get the goon who had run.

Kim reached the wounded goon and grabbed him, as did Xóran after dropping his swords. The wounded goon shook off Kim, and the crippled goon started to crawl away. Kim and Xóran kept trying to take down the wounded goon, however, while the others kept trying to reach the fight. Kim, frustrated, tried to kick the wounded goon in the nuts, but missed, while Xóran tried to get his teeth on his neck, but also failed.

Ash and Mayhem at last made it to the others. Ash grabbed the goons’ horse, while Mayhem grappled the goon on the ground. He said, “Man, don’t hurt me, little guy!” and, and like the other goon, was unable to break free. Kim again tried to kick the goon she held in the nuts but missed, while Xóran again was unable to take him down. Áttikos made it to the fight, and got in on the dogpile on the wounded goon. Kim tried to grab his nuts, and somehow, his nuts got away from her grasp.

Nobody had this trouble at the Love Feast!

Xóran roared, which stunned the wounded goon, and at last he brought him to the ground. The wounded goon snapped aware once on the ground and tried to get free but couldn’t, but the crippled goon wiggled away from Mayhem. Áttikos grabbed the leg of the wounded goon, and Kim pulled out a dagger and tried to stab him, but couldn’t get through the chinks in his armor. Xóran and Mayhem each punched the faces of the goons by them, while Áttikos tried to break the leg of the wounded goon.

Kim turned her heed to the crippled goon and leapt to stab him, but missed. Xóran again slugged the mug of the wounded goon, while Mayhem sat on the crippled goon, stopping him. They both cried, “Uncle!”

And Áttikos broke the leg of the wounded goon anyways, making them both crippled goons. This gets the goon talking, who, after Áttikos asked, said they brought the bodies to the Wolfman after paying Néttōr, who didn’t ever watch them or ask what they were doing. What does the Wolfman do with the bodies? “We don’t ask questions of the Wolfman!”

Xóran and Áttikos took the gear of the goons, each grabbing a broadsword, then killed the wounded one, named Praidīvós, by short-drop hanging. Xóran put a note on him that read: “Here lies the penalty for necromancy.”

They then made the other goon, named Soddīvós, tell them where they could find the Wolfman, who said he lived in a fortified cave to the south of the hobbit village of Kīkídzā, which was less than a day’s trip. After this, Xóran ran him through, too.

Res aliae


Names in my game are in a constructed language; couldn’t you tell? Most of the time, I roll on a table of real-world names and translate them based on their origins (I’m a dork), but these guys have real-world names that befit their job: Hans and Franz.

They died like girly-men.

The grappling rules got another workout, this time the ones in Hall of Judgment. They’re easier to handle than GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling, though obviously the same idea. The players thought they worked alright, though were miffed that they’re not as easy as killing right away. I’ll count that as a success, and told Douglas Cole as much.

Saturday, August 4, 2018

Game log for 24 July 2018: Strange things are afoot at Érrōn Point

Dramatis personae


Xóran, fox-man scout
Kim, thief
Mayhem, short barbarian
Ash, squire
Grymálkus, whiny cleric of the war god
Caleb, wizard
Áttikos, holy warrior of the sun god
Kôštē, cleric of the farming goddess

Quid occurrit


The heroes set forth for Érrōn Point, taking Bašêr with them, along with Áttikos. On the road, the heroes ran into eight older bandits. The leader, a man with bloodshot eyes, shouted, “Pay up on the toll for the Queen!” Xóran bade the old man to back down, but he spurned Xóran's handout.

The battle was short (in game time; it took over an hour of real time) and swift. Kim went down after her backstab didn't get through a bandit's armor, but otherwise it went fine. Bašêr, the High Cleric of Saundīvós, healed Kim after moping for a bit.

After looting their gear, which included many doses of Monster Drool, Xóran drilled the bandits to see whence they came. One came from Érrōn Point while another two were from Rēláištiš; they were the only ones still awake, as the others were down. They were farmers who had been mercenaries in their youth and now had taken to striking wayfarers owing to bad harvests. Xoran told them to go home and live with their grown children or to kill themselves, and it he saw them trying to rob others again, he would kill them himself. After that, he bade the living bandits to take their knocked out or belimbed brethren with them, and to bury their dead.

They made it to Érrōn Point not long before nightfall. They knocked on the door, and Néttōr’s manservant opened. Right after opening, he spontaneously combusted.

Uh-oh.

Néttōr didn’t like this one bit. Bašêr said nobody did anything to his servant, but didn’t want to upset anyone. Grymálkus, however, gave a long-winded speech about giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, while Mayhem gathered some herbs and gave them to Bašêr to chew.

After a speech and some chewing, Bašêr was ready. “Bring me the foul girdle!” He grabbed Dīdótē and took her outside. Then, with the last light of the day, he undertook the long ritual of casting Remove Curse. While Bašêr was casting, Áttikos was looking into the sky and looking for some sign from Saundīvós.

With the last light of day, the whole crowd lit up so bright that they cast no shadows. That is, the whole crowd other than Néttōr. Áttikos took that to mean that somehow he was shrouded in darkness. Meanwhile, Dīdótē got her godly gastric bypass surgery and went back to being curvy instead of fat.

After all this, the group trudged back to Praigên’s house, and spent the night there chatting. Both Áttikos and Bašêr agreed the shadow was a sign from Saundīvós. However Grymálkus, who took a good look at Néttōr, didn’t think he was possessed. Bašêr said he would undertake an Augury the next morning, which he did do, finding out that Lord Néttōr was indeed in league with dark forces.

So, they took Bašêr back to Mīstássun, then trudged back to Érrōn Point. Áttikos, Kôštē, and Grymálkus chose to preach to the flock of Érrōn Point to give the others cover for snooping. (Kôštē was also bothered to find out that Krellévos, the cleric of Rōripermónē in Érrōn Point, was a womanizing hack.) Mayhem and Kim hid to get a good look at the manor house.

And so they watched it for eight days, until the Love Feast of Lutōdîvē on the Winter Solstice.

Res aliae


Hey, you give your players some rope, and they take it in unintended directions. Which is totally cool. Actually, when I wrote the basics of this, I had no idea just how they'd handle it if they ever ran into it. I’ve given no hints beyond what is here about what is going on with Néttōr. Roman, who plays Xóran and Grymálkus, thinks it’s a vampire.

This is definitely a non-standard Dungeon Fantasy scenario, and some of the players are relishing it. Much of it comes from my attempt to build something of an urban crawl into the setting. Since this area isn't heavily populated, I treated the whole lot of human settlements as a big, dispersed city, and made sure to have the different layers interact with each other. I think this one comes from the noble crawl layer.

My random encounter tables for civilization are the Road Encounters in the D30 Sandbox Companion, and I'm starting to get sick of all the bandits. So I wound up rewriting them this afternoon for future use. Mind you, I still think this is one of the greatest supplements ever written, but I'm getting way too many encounters, especially weak bandits.