On Downtown and Demesnes
On Downtown and Demesnes
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By Courtney C. Campbell
Additional Tables by Mike Evans, Arnold Kemp, Chris Tamm,
Alexander Macris, and Bodie Hartley
Copyright 2019 - Hack & Slash Publishing
All Rights Reserved
Influence...................................177
Influence.................................................................. 178
––Influence............................................................... 178
––Gaining Influence....................................................179
––Commercial/Economic.............................................180
––Military.................................................................180
––Aristocratic.............................................................181
––Arcane/Religious .....................................................181
––Factions.................................................................181
Integrating Rumors. ................... 183
Adventure Seeds and Local News....................................184
––Sandbox Emergent Game-play..................................... 188
––Sandbox Ideas.........................................................190
Appendices................................ 195
Vats, Golems, Crossbreeds, and other experiments. .............196
––Creating a Construct or Crossbreed............................196
Appendix A. Time and Calendars......................................198
––Unusual Seasonal Events. .........................................198
Appendix B. Inheritances............................................... 203
––Strange Inheritances. .............................................. 204
Appendix C. Timekeeping Aids......................................... 208
Appendix D. Trade Goods..............................................212
––Low value goods.....................................................212
––High value goods....................................................215
Appendix E. Generating Hex Contents..............................218
––Designing a Hex......................................................219
––Ruin seeds............................................................. 220
––10 Dungeon Doors. ............................................... 228
Appendix F. Example Villages.......................................... 230
––Sowton Port ........................................................ 230
––Carwyn's Gate...................................................... 234
––Sludgebridge.......................................................... 238
––Densay ................................................................ 242
––Strange Funeral Rites............................................... 246
Places
Civilization
This is the core conflict within Dungeons and Dragons.
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Cities
Dungeons and wilderness can be explained away with ancient
empires, ruined lands, and magic. But cities are built and lived in
by humanlike creatures. Someone a player can talk to has to be
there. This places guidelines on urban areas that don’t exist for
other adventure locations .
1
1. Ostensibly wilderness and dungeon ecologies should also make sense. However the purpose of dangerous
environments is to present threats and adventure to the players, and verisimilitude is secondary to the player
experience.
Contents of a civilized six-mile hex:
• Several ruins
• one or two small population centers (up to about 50 people)
• up to 6 alpha predator monster lairs
Hamlet ≤ 50
Village 51-1,000
Town 1,000-5,000
City 5,000-15,000
Metropolis 15,000+
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What is the in-game purpose of a civilization center?
• Is there a shop?
• Is the town avoidable? Dangerous? How will our arrival be
received?
• Who of import lives in the town?
• What religions and languages are spoken in the town?
• What do the townspeople have?
• Where can we rest?
• What does the town have in the way of supplies?
• Are there any quests or adventure seeds?
• What does the town have to offer us?
• What’s the punishment for a crime?
• Why are we not bored? i.e. what is of interest, individual, or
unique about the village?
Basic Procedures
Because this is a designed game, we should have a ready
procedure for any attempt to take action in a city. This falls
back on very old advice. Say yes to player requests.
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Only focus on interactions and choices that are interesting or
significant. Doing so increases the quality of play at the table.
Exploring a dungeon is interesting. Role-playing out shopping
for item after item is tedious. Developing a relationship with
local merchants is wonderful, but make sure table time is spent
on situations that are particularly interesting in the sense of a
game choice.
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Navigation
The first thing that happens when a new town is entered is that
everyone immediately gets distracted: looking in a store
window, petting a dog, talking to locals, reading a map. When
spending the night somewhere, in the morning someone will
want a bath. Breakfast will take twice as long. Someone will
be busy in their room. Anyone who’s been on a trip to a new
city with friends can understand.
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Navigation Procedures
To navigate to a location:
Reaction roll (2d6) + Intelligence modifer + Charisma modifier
≤2 Failure Failure after looking a full day
3-5 Clueless 2d4 hours to find the location
6-8 Success 1d6 hours to find the location
9-11 Canny 1d4 hours to find the location
12+ Rover Finds the location in 1 hour
In particularly dangerous, alien, or hostile civilized areas
(burrows of the thri-kreen, city of the goblin king, forest realm
of the elves) or other unusual circumstances, such as not
speaking the language, the roll should be penalized.
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City Random Encounters
Most published city encounter charts are hopelessly
overcomplicated and require tons of work. They are generally
not used. If the campaign is entirely about a metropolis, it
would be a huge part of the campaign design, and should be
addressed with a complicated, multi-table reference, like the
legendary still-in-print Cities by Midkemia Press.
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09 Sharmana Dreamly, loves adventurers and wants to marry
one. She sells dolls of the dreamiest ones and other folk art of
dungeon invading heroes. Her father lurks near, ready to slap
paternity suits on her love interests
19
17 Barry Collerman, convinced adventurers are witches in
service of hell; spies on them and looks for evidence he can
convince locals with to call a witch hunter.
20
26 Varty Smallman, offers special cures for diseases that
generally include injections of mercury. Convinced all
adventurers have terrible lice and worse afflictions he can treat.
21
34 "Old Cappy" Vortis Laarg, wants to cadge drinks of
strangers and tell wild stories of deranged things adventurers
do when trapped in the deep. If he meets any he will ask
specific questions, like did you ever try cannibalism? How
many times did you sleep with orcs? Have you got any drugs?
22
41 Ladek Krule, foreign laborer. Buys adventurers drinks and
declares friends. He will not mention his involvement in a secret
vigilante cult who murder and rob demi-humans. People
suspicious of his taint avoid him and assume adventurers
chummy with him are his friends.
23
47 Clarissa Gnash, with her friends are involved in a sex cult
and try to seduce strangers to visit a rite. 1. cannibals, 2. demon
worshippers, 3. witch cult, 4. secret chaos mutants.
24
54 Bramble Carter, a muscle man; invites adventurers to his
manly gym. If adventurers are not keen to join his club, he will
unite the whole club against the adventurers and will taunt
them for being weaklings and soft.
25
60 Sally Crunshaw, asks for locks of adventurers' hair to remind
her of how dreamy the party are. Once she has some hair
samples, she takes them to her coven leader to make witching
dolls with them. Her father is a magistrate and mother is a witch.
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66 Cynthia Netly, teacher and priestess; berates adventurers
for bad influence on orphans. She is hostile, but if adventurers
come and talk to children about how horrible their lives are,
she might forgive them, and treat them nicer.
27
73 Warren Prexley, wants to be a writer of new printed tabloid
press but has decided he needs to travel with adventurers to
see their lives, so he can write them up in lurid detail for profit.
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80 Elon Drake, outsider and edgy poet; knows where there is a
cool party in the woods tonight. The party is for necromancers,
drinking wine in skull-decorated costumes making out with zombies.
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87 Blaken Wolfdottr, granddaughter of vikings who settled
here. She has a coat of mail and a sword and an axe hidden.
She offers to fight party if they refuse her, which draws a crowd.
Eventually she joins a rival outfit if refused.
30
94 Prissy Willowbough, thinks an adventurer looks dreamy
and has her family try to approach them for marriage. They
will persist and offer bigger dowries. Eventually the clan quits
and becomes vengeful.
100 Eliza Pluck, orphan with her scruffy cat, asks if adventurers
will adopt her and follows them. The cat is a brownie that
protects her. Phucky the brownie rewards kindness with shiny
coins and good luck. other times he fires a few shots at a foe
while invisible.
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100 Noble Patrons
01 Sir Conrad Biddlington, will sponsor dungeon explorers in
return for first option to buy magic items, religious paraphernalia,
and written documents. Seeks occult material and demonology
items to impress his cult friends. If he is exposed, inquisitors will
consider adventurers persons of interest.
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07 Sir Garfield Mortmont, will sponsor party with goods and
transport and peasant laborers if desired (debtors). After party
has name linked to him, he is exposed as a traitor to the crown
involved in a poison plot.
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13 Sir Diggory Bladderwort, operates a home for deranged
war veterans and will pay the party to visit them with full
combat kit to cheer the poor insane fools. Unfortunately a few
flip believing the party to be old enemies and the old timers
attack hoping to join the gods in Valhalla.
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20 Lady Elsie Valdern, offers to bring adventurers to court to
meet important nobles and royalty. She has started a court fad
of married nobles swinging with adventurers. After the party at
court, various scandals break out even if the party was innocent.
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27 Lady Astra Carnelian, is a noble fleeing her lands usurped
by religious riots and pogroms. She invites the party to
accompany her on the road, knowing she has killers after her.
She feeds them fancy treats and provides bards and comfortable
tents and accommodation. She might be romantic to a noble
adventurer to keep them close.
36
33 Sir Jamie Curnwell, a jolly knight is actually a royal spy, who
seeks to befriend the party to assess their loyalty to the kingdom
and value for taxation purposes. The crown might also claim
certain magic items after Jamie's report.
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39 Lady Juniper Wintergate, offers the party a room and dinner
in her estate. She has a cursed bed in her home that turns the
sleeper into a host for her murderous grandfather's spirit. The
bed cannot be destroyed and appears in the room nightly even
if burned or removed. Every host killed becomes a gloomy
phantom that wanders the moors. Capturing the murderous host,
exorcising, then removing the curse will free her clan. Anyone in
the house mentioning the bed becomes a murder victim, and the
inhabitants turn a blind eye to everything and just clean up the
mess. She invites heroes in hopes of ending the curse.
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45 Lord Ebert Fernwall, befriends the party with gifts and uses
of his property and ships. Eventually, he is revealed as funding
an anti-demi-human movement. If they don't promptly
denounce him and prove they are not involved, they will have
dwarf, elf, gnome, and halfling assassins come after them.
57 Lady Grace Lamply, will offer the party money to kill evil
cultists living in the woods on her land. They are homeless
people who have been camping here for several years. They
sometimes serve the Lady's father as cheap labor, but she
thinks they are revolting non-humans.
41
65 Lady Veronica Casterliegh, has several brutish, secretly
part-demon sons, and she offers adventurers payment to apprentice
them for a period of time. The ogrish lads are born psychopaths
(or worse) and when in civilization barely restrain themselves.
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72 Countess Gringlemort, has built her own dungeon tomb
complex for her family, who have been grave robbed in the
past. She wants adventurers to test it. She has used non-lethal
poison for now, but the monsters and deadfalls are real.
43
77 Sir Damon Carmandy, hires adventurers for gathering rare
ingredients for making potions. In fact, he is an immortal wizard
feigning his dynasty and is hoping to release an imprisoned
elder god beneath the castle he built. He may trick a party into
helping him open the seal.
44
83 Sir Malardy Crosswell, an elderly knight roaming the land,
hunting giants. Nobody believes him, and they think him a
harmless but chivalric fool. He dares adventurers to travel
anywhere with him. He can see into the faerie world, and a
race of giants see him back and appear to stop his prying.
After being slain, they fade away.
45
88 Lady Clarissa Cross, wants to make a deal with adventurers
to buy all humanoids they capture as slaves for her salt mine.
The children she keeps to train as servants. She claims to do this
in the name of mercy to atone for her deceased paladin father's
genocides.
Adornment
Characters may deck themselves out in fashionable duds to gain
status or experience. They do this by going shopping and buying
fancy clothes. They may exchange a maximum of 200 gp for 100
experience by purchasing fancy pants and other adornments.
Carousing
Characters can trade cash for experience. They roll 1d8 and
multiply it by 100. That is the amount of gold spent in one week.
The character engages in one of several activities.
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If characters lack the funds, they gain 1/2 the experience points
indicated by the die roll and spend all their funds. The save has
a penalty of -4 in this case.
Philanthropy
1. The charity is a front for a vicious gang. Start the next
session with a broken arm (cannot use for 4-6 weeks) or
broken leg (-3" movement for 4-6 weeks).
2. The charity attracts thieves; lose 1d10×100 gp.
3. The charity attracts the enmity of a non-player character
who steals a magic item.
4. The charity attracts the enmity of a non-player character
who hunts the character.
5. The charity irks the pride of the receiving group; The
character's next philanthropy attempt costs double.
6. Donation gala the night before. The character is hung over;
-1 on all rolls next session.
7. The character gets lost in the manse of her latest fund raiser;
leave behind a random piece of significant gear this session.
8. During a toast, the character is pressured to give more
generously (spend 1d10×10 more gp).
9. The charity has a windfall and returns part of the character's
investment (1/2 gold cost).
10. The character has impressed a townsfolk; permanently
gain 1 free hireling for life (yours or theirs).
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Drinking/Orgies
1. The character awakes, molested and robbed. Lose
1d10×100 gp and a random valuable item.
2. The character acquires a disease.
3. Brawl; start the next session with 1d8 points of damage.
4. Knife fight; start the next session with 1d8 points of damage.
5. Trouble with the authorities; pay 2d6×20 gp to get out.
6. Gain a "good time" reputation. Next carousing attempt
costs double.
7. New tattoo: 1. lame, 2. blasphemous, 3. on face, 4.
misspelled, 5. totally metal, 6. cool.
8. Horrible hangover. Start next adventure missing 1d4 hit points,
-2 to all rolls for 12 turns (2 hours) and -1 to all rolls after that.
9. The character invested all her cash in a scheme. Roll 1d6. On a
(1-4) lose money, (5-6) get 110%-160% return in 1d4+1 weeks!
10. Accidentally started a fire. Roll 1d6, on a (3+) party knows,
(5) blackmailer knows, (6) everybody knows.
Study/Research/Meditation
1. A bookshelf falls on the character. Start next session with
1d8 points of damage.
2. Book actually has razor edges. Roll 1d4. On a (1-3) the
character is that many hit points short at the start of the next
adventure. On a (4) lose 1 finger to the first knuckle.
3. Research blows your mind! Gain no experience. Lose the
same amount of experience the character would have gained.
4. The character's research disturbs a foe. she is hunted by a
(1-2) non-player character or (3-6) enemy.
5. The character discovers a (1-4) fake or (5-6) real treasure map.
6. The character stumbles onto a new insight! Gain a skill,
weapon mastery, or spell!
7. While fasting, the character's body is permanently
weakened. -1 Constitution.
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8. The character's time out of the sun weakens her. Lose 1d4-1
hit points permanently.
9. The character read all of the common books. The character's
next research attempt costs double.
10. The character discovers a free rumor!
Gourmandising
1. Poisoned! Save versus death or take 1d6 damage.
2. Food poisoning! Take 2d4 temporary Constitution damage.
3. Terrible indigestion. The character must rest 1 turn in 3
during the next adventure.
4. The character offends a dinner companion who now hunts them.
5. Bacterial infection. Without one week of rest, the character
is nauseous on their next adventure, with -2 to all rolls.
6. Invigorating meal; gain 1d8 temporary hit points on the
character's next adventure.
7. Culinary bliss; the meal increases the character's health.
Gain 1d4 maximum hit points permanently.
8. Terrible nausea; the character has -1 on all rolls during the
next adventure.
9. Divine inspiration; roll a 1d6. Raise the character's (1-2)
Constitution, (3-4) Wisdom, (5-6) Charisma by one.
10. Parasite. Use unique parasite or -1 Constitution per month
with a +4 on poison saves.
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Sacrifice
The character can sacrifice gold or creatures to a dark master.
The character must have a specific dark god to make a sacrifice
in service of.
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Rumors
Spend 1d4×10 gp and make a reaction roll, modified by
Charisma. This takes 1 full day per attempt.
Check Effect
2 Failure, lose another 1d6×10 gp tracking a lead
3-5 Spend another 1d4×10 gp to hear one rumor
6-8 Hear one rumor
7-11 Pay another 2d10 gp to hear an extra rumor
12+ Hear two rumors
Rumors have to be designed around the local area and events.
Healing
Resting cures wounds. If the character relaxes in a safe place
and does nothing but rest, a full day will restore 1d3 hit points.
Interruptions will cause no healing to take place.
Relaxation
After being at full health, characters may simply spend their
time relaxing. If a week is spent resting, this grants them +1 hit
point per hit die on their next adventure.
Rodomontade
If the entire party (i.e. everyone who was on the adventure)
spends a week after their adventure bragging about their
shenanigans, singing songs, telling stories, engaging in self-
aggrandizement, and spreading the tale of their deeds of
derring-do, they gain an additional 5% experience from the
previous adventure. Certain classes with oration abilities
(bards, jesters) may increase this bonus to +10%. No other
activities may be performed during this time.
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Preparing and Scouting
If characters spend seven days scouting a site, doing research,
training for their next adventure, and/or any other preparatory
activity, they gain a +1 bonus on saves for the duration of that
adventure.
Learning Talents
If the character can find someone who has mastered a talent or
skill, such as the ability to shoot into melee or fighting in the
dark, they can learn it! Talents cost 3,000 gold pieces to learn
and 3 months of training. Each extra talent beyond the first
costs twice that (6,000 gold pieces, 12,000 gold pieces, etc.)
Skills
Skills are part of game design. They indicate which ways the
players can mechanically interact with the Dungeon Master's
game. If the Dungeon Master has a skill in their game, it should
be there because it is related to one of the primary themes or
pillars of play. A simple way to track skills is to consider
everyone either unskilled, skilled, an expert, or a master.
Being skilled adds +15% (+3), being an expert adds +30% (+6)
and being a master adds +60% (+12). Alternately, roll a
1d6/1d8/1d10/1d12 against a static target number of 5. This
provides stable but diminishing returns.
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Training a Skill or Weapon Mastery
Characters may spend time in a city with the appropriate
facilities and teachers training their skills or proficiency.
Professional Income
Characters can choose to practice a craft or a profession in a
city. This negates their living expenses and earns them an
appropriate salary in gold pieces per month. A bard or
prostitute could make a lot of money or maybe none, whereas
a scribe would earn less but have more assurance of getting
paid a decent rate.
57
Crafting Items
Making mundane items hardly ever comes up, excepting
games where armor takes damage. It takes 1 day per 5 gold
pieces of retail and they have to spend half the cost in raw
materials. Complex items require the appropriate skill or
background (e.g. characters must be a armorer to construct
armor, a bowyer to create a bow, a cobbler to make shoes, et al.)
Raising Statistics
This costs 2,000 gp and takes 1 month. Each additional time,
increase 2,000 gp to the power of the number of times its
already been raised. The second time characters raise a score
it costs 4,000 gp, the third, 8,000 gp, the fourth 16,000 gp,
etc. This cannot raise a statistic beyond 16.
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Collecting an Arcane Library
An arcane library is a collection of books, scrolls, and rare
tomes that serve as a reference to opaque and cryptic truths. It
is used in creating magical and alchemical items, researching
new spells, and creating constructs and crossbreeds. In order
to possess an arcane library, 800 square feet of space is
needed. A scribe must be hired full time to attend the library
and keep it in good condition. If no scribe is hired, the library
loses value over time as references are lost or destroyed. In
order to research new spells, characters need an arcane library
equal to 10,000 gp times the level of the spell or the research
costs are doubled.
Scribing the scroll requires 500 gp and 1 week per spell level.
Brewing a potion usually costs 250 gp and requires 1 week to
brew and enchant. More powerful potions may cost much,
much more.
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Creating Magical and Alchemical Items
Clerics, magic-users, and elves can create magic items once
they reach name (9 ) level. Spellcasting ability is not required
th
The formula will inform the player how much gold, and how
many rare materials the character will need in order to craft the
item. An alchemical item takes 1 day to craft per 50 gold pieces
of its cost. A magical item takes 1 day to craft for every 500
gold pieces of its cost.
Researching Spells
Spellcasting characters may purchase and scribe existing spells
within their purview by purchasing one from an appropriate
source for 1,000 gold pieces per spell level (i.e. double research
costs). A single fourth level spell would cost 4,000 gold pieces
to purchase.
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Researching New Spells
Spellcasters may learn up to 12 spells of each level and no
more. These spells come from their specialization when gaining
levels, though they are free to perform spell research to create
new spells. Spell research assumes a laboratory, including an
arcane library equal to 10,000 gold pieces per the level of the
spell the character wishes to design. If this isn’t available, then
the weekly research cost the spell is doubled, and half that
value and expense can be placed towards a permanent
increase in the available arcane library. A character cannot
research spells of a higher level then she can cast. The player
must submit in writing the spell to the Dungeon Master and it
costs 1,000 gold pieces and two weeks per level to research.
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Quests
There’s usually a posting or bounty board, a guard office, and
a thieves den, all of which may have a variety of tasks available.
This generally includes any number of the following.
Certain arenas in large cities and secret mobile fight clubs filled
with collections of chimerical creatures by people of god-like
power, lords, and slavers have brutal pit fights for entertainment.
These purses are larger than normal, but the fights are much
more dangerous and deadly. When the entire party is downed,
being sold into slavery and forced to fight in an arena is an
alternative to dying.
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Other options to make fights more interesting include having
an arena filled with pits, flaming piles, wild animals, spike
traps, the crowd throwing things, different weapons lying
around the arena et al.
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5. “A Warrior Princess” In this arena, a captured princess
fights a resistance against her evil father. She’s been put in
this arena to die, yet little does she know her resistance
forces are making a move to free her. It is almost certain
she will, tied to a pole near dangerous monsters who are
trying to eat her, during whatever match the player
characters fight.
8. “The Delicate Fan” The top gladiators at this arena are all
powerful monks and ninjas. They are clad only in silk
ribbons and gain an additional bonus to their armor class
equal to their charisma divided by three, in addition to the
normal bonuses from their class.
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Assassination
The thief may either play out the assassination, or it can be
simplified to the following procedure: To assassinate her target
she must succeed on a move silently skill check modified by the
precautions the target is taking. A completely unaware
unguarded target would grant a bonus. In general difficulty is
increased by 5% for every 2 hit dice of the target, by 5% for
guards up to 15% for elite guards, and additionally from
magical protections. Rings of protection increase difficulty by
5% per plus, invisibility or a displacer cloak gives +20%,
miscellaneous relevant magic items or special abilities increase
difficulty by +5%. If the check is successful, the target must
make a save versus poison with a penalty equal to the thief’s
level or die.
Theft
A thief can steal stuff.
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Racketeering
This allows the thief to engage in criminal enterprise to turn a
profit. The activity takes a month and earns the thief 100 gp a
level on a successful move silently roll. This includes extortion,
money laundering, loan sharking, kidnapping, smuggling,
obstruction of justice, and bribery. There is a small chance that
non-stop racketeering can get the thief in trouble with the local
authorities, as well as locals hiring mercenaries to disrupt the
racketeering operation.
Banditry
A thief may engage in banditry, harassing nobles and merchants
as they travel to and from a city. It takes a month to set up the
camp near a local roadway to a town or larger settlement. On
a successful open locks roll, the thief recovers 1d4+1 of type V
treasure (X43). This roll is improved by 5% for every 'bandit'
the thief brings along with her, but the treasure must be split
that many ways. Towns provide a -10% penalty to the open
locks roll. Metropolises provide a +25% bonus, and a +10%
chance for each individual category under the type V treasure.
Gambling
A thief may gamble. This takes one week. Have the character
determine her stake. On a successful find/remove traps roll,
the character increases her stake by 2d10%. On a failure it is
reduced by 5d20%.
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Characters &
People
Hirelings, Henchmen, Mercenaries,
Sidekicks, Pets, and Followers
All of the following are generally considered to be human, with
a 5% chance of being of an unusual race. This may vary
depending on the area (if characters are recruiting in a swamp,
they are likely to get some lizard men). Henchmen may have a
higher percentage of non-humans because of their adventurous
nature (15%).
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Specialists: These are people with expert skills.
72
Henchmen: Henchmen are leveled characters (wizards,
fighters, thieves, etc.) that accompany adventurers. 99% of
hired henchmen in town will be level 1 characters. It is possible
to find characters during adventures and offer to take them
along as henchmen on a successful hiring procedure. No more
.
than 1% of a population will be available as henchmen
(modified by area, e.g. in a frontier town, this might climb as
.
exceptionally high as 5% or even 1%!).
Retainers or henchmen?
73
Sidekicks: After a character reaches second level, they may
activate their sidekick. This basically turns a single player
character into two—the character and his sidekick. The sidekick
always begins at level 1, and may never rise to the same level
as the main character. (A 5 level character has a sidekick
th
capped at 4 level.)
th
The costs are pay and upkeep for the mercenaries and do not
include support staff such as armorers and assistants. For
hazardous (wartime) duty, these costs are doubled. The morale
of the mercenaries is dependent on success, death rates,
payment, poor treatment, etc. Good treatment and success
may grant improved morale.
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Pets: Players can purchase pets. Unless the player character
has the appropriate background or skill, then the pets (wild
animals) are considered hirelings, even if they are trained. Any
stressful situation, such as combat, requires a loyalty/morale
check at a penalty equal to the number of animals present. On
a failure they attack the party or flee. Employing an animal
trainer will eliminate the penalty for up to 10 animals.
Note that for ease of play, let the players control everyone that
is attached to them including pets, henchmen, followers,
sidekicks, et al. But under no circumstances does the player
have final say over anything other than the actions her character
takes. All other creatures, excluding sidekicks, are in the final
analysis non-player characters and are under the auspices of
the Dungeon Master.
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Hiring Henchmen
To hire henchmen, characters must first find people willing to
take the job. If they are not fortunate enough to meet someone
willing to follow them, characters can always put out the word
to interested non-player characters and then interview them
for the position. Each henchman will only adventure with the
character that hired them.
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Morale & Loyalty
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Mercenaries and Cost in GP/Month
Non-fighter (peasant): 1 gp
Sergeant (required per 10 men): 10×cost of troops
Lieutenant 2 to 3 level (required per 30 men): 100 gp/level
nd rd
Training Henchmen
The character can spend a month training henchmen, of any
class, in the basics of adventuring, protection, and common
sense. This costs 300 gp per henchman and takes a month. At
the end of this period, the henchman gains experience equal to
the difference between their levels ×1d4×100. (e.g.f a 5 level
th
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Example Mercenaries & Companies
The Dismounted: A magical accident left these mercenaries
imprisoned in the body of their horses. In moments of extreme
terror, the horse-soul clambers back on top, and their human
souls are suppressed. They are ridden (but not led) by their
guilt-wracked peers, and a few unlucky wives. Led by Garlin
Tenpenny and his diminutive wife.
The Deladine Leptant: They believe that they will learn the
moves of the divine dance by observing battles up close. The
Deladine Leptant are willing to fight alongside adventurers in
order to get a better look at combat. Capable mercenaries,
skilled with both spears and swords. They fight in tight leathers
in order that their movements will not be obscured. Led by
Banzi the Bird, a tanned woman with a powerfully aquiline nose.
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Greystone Milok: A solemn orc that claims to be a deposed
king. He will only join the adventurers if they can convince him
that their cause is doomed. He is grim but at least he is cruel to
children. When he dies, his ring will pop off his finger and roll
to a hidden burial mound, where it will come to rest among the
sarcophagi of three orcish kings.
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Pouncing Corpse
Level 1 Necromancy
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Mardram Maglady: A tall woman who wears a hat of living
orchids. She will not fight if hired. Instead, she will butcher the
corpses of those that the party kills, no questions asked. The
flesh can grant insight into the mind of the creature, and the
skins turn the wearer into a perfect facsimile of the creature.
Usable only once, and it lasts until daybreak or until sunlight
touches it (whichever comes first). Part of her contract is that
she gains the skins and flesh of any party member who dies.
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Generating Henchmen
It is preferred to describe henchmen not as "1st level fighter",
but as their previous job or profession as part of their
characterization.
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Town Guards
Most town guards consist of locals who have a vested interest in
keeping the peace. If they see a crime being committed, they
will raise a hue and cry. This will cause all the innocent lawful
locals to give chase and attempt to restrain the culprit. These are
0-level unencumbered men and women, either unarmed or
carrying a small hand weapon (1d4). The hue and cry will draw
2d6 local militia within a turn. Local militia are 1 level fighters
st
Protege
Characters can spend gold, up to their experience point total,
to create an experience point pool that future player characters
can draw from after the character's unfortunate sudden but
inevitable demise. This is gold spent in town by creating training
centers, giving speeches at local fairs, buying equipment for
teachers, and other civic works, which inspire the local
population and contribute to creating a higher level replacement
for when the character dies.
2. The hireling sold their soul to a demon for riches and fame
when they were younger. The demon has come collecting.
When it Manifests: When the group is in the dungeon or in
camp at night.
Other: The demon cannot be killed, only banished to its realm. If
dropped to zero HP, it will “die” but reappear 1d4 days later. It will
now have a personal grudge against any who struck it in combat.
a warning.
Other: The wizard will accept the apology of the group if they
attack the hireling—and then polymorph the hireling into a
chicken as he walks away (no save).
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5. The hireling owes a favor to an unreputable sort of individual.
The individual desires the help of the group now, otherwise
they’ll find themselves on the wrong side of the law by “sheer
happenstance”.
When it Manifests: At night before the group rests for adventure
the next day.
Other: The group will find themselves being hunted or pestered
by this individual should they refuse, and the individual will
spread lies to the constabulary that the adventurers are criminals.
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9. Hireling wields a cursed magical sword called The Magic Eater.
When it Manifests: A spell is cast within 30´
Other: The Magic Eater +2 attack and damage. When an
arcane spell is cast within 30´ of the sword, the spell fizzles.
Roll 1d100, if the result is 25% or below, the caster is unable to
cast spells for 1d4 days. There is no flash or show that this sword
is the cause of this effect. The owner of the sword cannot get rid
of it and feels compelled to keep it near them at all times. Only
a cleric of a good-aligned god can use a ritual to separate the
owner from the sword with a Remove Curse spell.
10. The hireling has stolen a magic item, The Belt of Life from a
seasoned adventurer and is trying to get out of town with it
before being noticed.
When it Manifests: The victim of the theft (a 3 level ranger or
rd
fighter) will track and follow the group and set an ambush of
sorts to take them out so they can get their belt back.
Other: Belt of Life—The belt increases the hit points of the
wearer by 20 and once per day, when the target is reduced to
0 hit points, there is a 50% chance they will be healed for 2d6
hit points.
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12. The hireling is host to Blood Worms that are crawling around
inside their gut.
When it Manifests: Three days after the group has left town,
the Blood Worms will emerge, bursting from the host’s stomach.
Each day the hireling will complain about stomachache or
feeling ill, etc. On the third day, they are clammy and pale.
Other: Blood Worms: 1 HD; AC 7; Saves as normal man; Bite:
1d6 damage plus Egg Implant (once per day and on the first
successful attack). A target bitten must make a save vs. poison
or be implanted with 4+1d6 Blood Worm eggs. These will
gestate for 7 +1d8 days. When there are 4 days left, the target
suffers 1d4 damage per day. On the last day, they suffer 1d6
damage per Blood Worm as the parasites burst from their gut.
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Inheritance
A player may have her character name an heir to inherit all her
wealth and possessions. The process causes a loss of 10% of
the wealth to hire barristers, money-changers, and government
scribes and signatories. This heir must always be a newly
rolled-up first level character. (B13)
Acquiring Congregants
Characters who have a faith or religion can recruit congregants
by performing charitable deeds, sending out missionaries,
casting spells charitably on peasants, and constructing shrines
and temples. For every 1,000 gold pieces spent a month doing
these activities, 1d10 followers + 1 per 2 points of Charisma join
the character's religion.
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Sages
Classically, the sage takes an obscene amount of money and time,
at the end of which they may give the character the right answer.
There is no player who will take that option with their money.
It is a way for the players to force the Dungeon Master to tell them
anything. That's something players will pay out the nose for.
Sages Procedures
Sages are highbrow academics, peculiar and eccentric,
obsessed with their own fields of study. If the characters employ
these idiosyncratic and frequently abrasive scholars, they can
find out the true answers to any questions. These answers are
the guaranteed objective truths of the campaign world. The
sage is the in-game mechanism via which the players can force
the Dungeon Master to relay true information.
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Locating a sage
Asking a Question
Characters may approach a sage and ask a question. A
reaction roll must be made. This affects both the sage's behavior
and price.
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It can take the sage some time to answer a question. The price
of each question depends on both the time it takes to find the
answer, and how well-versed the sage is in the topic or area.
The base cost to answer a question is 500 gold pieces.
Additional cost
Specific Exacting per day
Out of fields of 2d12 days — 100 gp / day
expertise
Minor expertise 2d10 days 5d8 days 1,000 gp/day
Major expertise 1d12 days 3d10 days 500 gp / day
Specialization 1 day 2d6 days 200 gp / day
It costs a minimum of 500 gold pieces per question. If sage is
more than 4 miles away from a city with a population of 10,000
or more, prices are doubled.
In most cases, the sage just knows the answer to the question,
especially if within his specialty. If too many questions are asked,
we can have the sage not have all the answers. Use the following
table for success chances. The fee to ask the question must be
paid before the answer is checked. Note that the players can
always ask the sage to retry, paying the fee yet again.
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If a sage is overworked, use the following percentages to
determine if the sage can discover the answer:
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A library of 20,000 gp will give him 50% of his normal success
rates. This is increased by 1% for every 1,000 gp, until the library
is worth 60,000 with a 90% success rate. Increasing it beyond
this requires 4,000 per percentage point, until 100,000 gold is
paid, granting the sage his normal rates of success.
Generating a sage
In addition to their personality, race, and name, each sage will
have 1 major field of study. Most sages will often have some
magical ability, of a type related to his field of major study. In
general they have 4 hit dice, (4d6 hp) and fight as a 0-level
man. Do not fall into the trap of thinking sages must all be old
men with beards. Mad scientists, wild hunters, young mystics
and more can function as sages for players.
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Roll on the following table to determine the number of major
field specializations and minor expertise.
The items listed in this section are major and minor fields of study.
Roll once on the following list for the major field of study, and then
roll again on the same list for each minor field. E.g. if a 7 is rolled,
the Dungeon Master have generated a sage with 1 major field (with
3 specializations) and 2 minor fields. Roll 3 times on the following
table to generate the major field and the two minor fields:
1-3 Humans/Demi-humans
4 Humanoids
5 Flora
6 Fauna
7-8 Supernatural
9-10 Secular World
Each of the categories above has a certain number of sub-
specializations, listed below. These are only determined for
the major field of study. Taxonomy is really complicated. The
Dungeon Master is going to have to make judgement calls
about what belongs in each category, depending on the
nature of his campaign.
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Major Specializations
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Fauna: This category covers all living creatures, not covered
by the above categories. This includes both natural and
monstrous creatures (as opposed to races, covered above).
1 Amphibians
2 Arachnids
3 Avians
4 Cephalopods & Echinoderms
5 Crustaceans & Mollusks
6 Ichthyoids
7 Insects
8 Mammals
9 Marsupials
10 Reptiles
Supernatural: This category covers magic and non-natural
phenomena. Depending on the campaign and its metaphysics,
some categories could be removed or added to this list i.e.
Hedge Magic, Psionics, or Channeling.
1 Alchemy
2 Divination
3-4 Dweomercraft
5 Heraldry, Signs & Sigils
6 Medicine
7 Planes (Outer)
8 Planes (Inner)
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Secular World: This covers the hard sciences, the basic
concrete levels of reality.
1-2 Engineering & Architecture
3 Astronomy
4 Business and Economics
5 Chemistry
6 Geography
7 Geology & Mineralogy
8 Mathematics
9 Meteorology & Climatology
10 Oceanography
11 Physics
12 Topography & Cartography
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Wealth &
Prosperity
Markets
Early and pre-medieval economies ran on barter. Dungeons &
Dragons is assumed to run on a modern coin-based economy.
What do we do when the players want to buy or sell something?
In most cases, just use the book price and make the transaction
go quickly. If the player is buying or selling a valuable quantity
of goods, a buyer or seller must be located. It could be valuable
due to its rarity, such as a rare art object or gem, its legal status,
its quantity, or because of the skill required to make it.
Since what they wish to sell may vary, the Dungeon Master will
need to decide if there is a market or individual to buy their
goods. What is available in the town is a different but similarly
important question. These are questions that can be answered
ahead of time.
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Procedure: Locating a Buyer
The character looking to sell items makes a reaction roll. The
size of the city and rarity of the items will modify the reaction
roll. A result of 9+ indicates success at locating a buyer.
Procedure: Haggling
Each merchant has a multiplier, determined by fiat or rolling a
d4 and a d10 and reading them in order. These create a
decimal number between 1.0 and 4.9. This is the modifier the
merchant offers to sell or buy goods at.
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Each time the player rolls again, they must offer a new price,
and the Dungeon Master must find this price reasonable. A
player offering 50 for plate, and then offering 51 would not get
a new roll. What is a reasonable increase is subjective, but is
on par for the amount the merchant is moving on each of his
turns. Making a very low offer once (say, increasing by less
than 10% the cost of the good) might be passable, but it might
offend the merchant if done more than once.
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Lifestyle
The character is required to provide upkeep for those in their
employ, as well as themselves. There are three levels of upkeep:
meager, comfortable, and rich. Meager is the most affordable,
costing only 1 gp a month. This assumes begging, sleeping
outside, etc. Characters who have a meager lifestyle are
penalized when they adventure. They have -1 hit point per hit
die, and are at -2 on all saves. Hireling morale and henchman
loyalty checks are at -1. Comfortable is equal to character level
times ten in gold pieces per month. At this level characters are
comfortable, sleeping in a bed and eating well. No modifiers
apply. Luxurious living costs one hundred times character level
in gold per month. At this level, the character's life is indulgent.
They sleep on the richest linens and eat the best foods. On their
next adventure they get +1 on all saving throws. Hireling morale
and henchman loyalty checks are at +1
Clan Hoards
Certain demi-humans and other races, classes, or heritages
might share a clan hoard. All contributions to the hoard are
accepted, and return 10% of the gold spent on experience. The
player can use treasure donated to the clan hoard to call upon
mercenaries equal to 1/₁₀ the gold contributed for a single task.
At certain donation thresholds, other rewards might be earned,
titles, land, magic items, etc. decided by the Dungeon Master.
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Random Items for Sale at a Bazaar
Sometimes the adventurers know what they want to buy. But
sometimes they just want to browse the bazaar for weird and
exotic items.
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18. A trained hunting dog (10 gp). His name is Thorgrim. He
has large, sad jowls but a keen sense of smell.
19. A trained hawk (20 gp) named Subotai. He has been
taught to hunt wolves.
20. A trained war dog (75 gp) named Rexor. He’s a heavily
built mastiff with dark brown fur.
21. A barrel of fine apple cider (200 gp, 160 lb).
22. A barrel of cinnamon-spiced brandy (200 gp, 160 lb).
23. A glass of milk and honey (2 cp) served fresh from a large
amphora and mixed on the spot.
24. A cup of chilled and fermented mare’s milk (2 cp). It tastes
sour but gives a good buzz.
25. A mug of honey mead (3 cp). It’s thick and sweet. The
merchant’s teeth have all rotted from too much sugar.
26. A mug of dwarf-brewed ale (5 cp) served warm and frothy.
Elves must save vs. poison or vomit up the strong, bitter beer.
27. An amphora of cold-pressed olive oil (20 gp, 5 lb).
28. A huge jar of thickened animal fat. (20 gp, 60 lb). But what
animal? The merchant doesn’t answer.
29. A barrel of thick golden naphtha (200 gp, 60 lb). It could
be used to make highly flammable flasks of burning oil.
30. A large leather backpack on an oak frame (2 gp). It can
carry up to 60 lbs.
31. A blanket of thick long-haired wool (2 gp). It stays warm
wet or dry.
32. A fine linen tablecloth with matching napkins (5 gp). The
merchant will monogram them with gold thread for a 10 gp fee.
33. A 500’ coil of hemp rope (10 gp), carefully coiled. It’s
suitable for shipboard or mountaineering use.
34. 3d6 wool rugs dyed in a variety of colors (15 gp, 25 lbs
each).
35. 25 corded bundles of cowhide (15 gp, 30 lbs each). The
hide is ready for use in leather garments.
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36. A large roll of soft white cotton (100 gp, 40 lb). The
merchant will introduce you to a great tailor and dyer just
down the alley…
37. 1d10 bundles of white rabbit pelts (15 gp, 30 lb/bundle). The
merchant claims they’ll bring good luck! (They don’t.)
38. A tawny mountain lion pelt (25 gp). The merchant will tailor
it to be worn as a cape strapped to the helmet for an
additional 50 gp.
39. A dire wolf (50 gp). The merchant will tailor it to be worn
as a cape strapped to the helmet for an additional 50 gp.
40. A lion pelt (50 gp). The merchant will tailor it to be worn as
a cape strapped to the helmet for an additional 50 gp.
41. A large bundle of healing herbs (10 gp) such as birthwort,
comfrey, goldenrod, or woundwort. If applied to a wound
(1/day), 1 hit point is regained.
42. A tincture of moon tea (10 gp). If made into a hot beverage
and drunk by a pregnant character, roll 1d20. On a 1 the
character begins bleeding from their nose and suffers 1
point of damage. Otherwise, the pregnancy is ended with
menstruation or stillbirth in 2d6+7 days.
43. A tincture of mother’s tea (10 gp). If brewed into a hot
beverage and drunk by a character giving birth, roll 1d20.
On a 1, the drinker suffers an allergic reaction and swells
up with boils. Otherwise, the drinker enjoys an analgesic
effect during the childbirth.
44. An herbal tincture that smells of garlic, ginger, honey, and
vinegar (10 gp). If made into a hot beverage and drunk by a
character with a minor acute illness (cold), the drinker can
make a save vs. Poison. On a 1, she gets food poisoning for
1d4 days. On a success, he recovers in half the usual time.
45. 1d3 50 lb bags of mountain tea (75gp). Each bag has
enough for 4,000 servings! A serving daily for 20 years
increase lifespan by 1d4 years.
46. 2d6 5 lb bricks of pink mountain salt (7 sp each).
47. A bowl of minced pork stew with apples (2 cp) served hot
from a portable stove.
48. A plate of blood sausage with egg, onion, and pepper (2 cp)
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49. A plate of fresh-cooked spicy pork sausage (3 cp) served
hot from a portable stove.
50. A huge wheel of goat’s milk cheese (10 gp). The merchant
claims it comes from giant goats who roam on green slopes
herded by a cyclops.
51. A scarlet sash with black trim (5 gp). The merchant
compliments the buyer on their dashing appearance.
52. A black cassock adorned with glyphs stitched in golden
thread (15 gp). The glyphs have no magical meaning, but
it impresses the peasants.
53. A bottle of raisin wine (5 gp, 2 lb). It should be mixed with
honey for best taste.
54. A bottle of honeyed ambrosia (5 gp, 2 lb). It’s imported
from a distant elven kingdom.
55. A bottle of well-aged plum wine (5 gp, 2 lb). It should be
mixed with rose water for best taste.
56. A bottle of dry white wine flavored with wormwood and
saffron (10 gp, 2 lb).
57. A bottle of sweet white wine scented with rose petals (10 gp, 2 lb).
58. A bottle of finely aged apple brandy with almonds and
cinnamon (20 gp, 2 lb).
59. A blue-glazed pottery pitcher with a wide handle and lip
for easy pouring (2 gp, 2 lb).
60. A set of pottery dishes and bowls painted with red figure
illustrations of gods and heroes (10 gp, 5 lb).
61. A set of 2d10 small, fragile clay globes with stoppers that
can be filled with various interesting substances. If thrown,
they shatter on impact. 1 gp each.
62. A well-made sheepskin satchel with a pair of secret pockets
hidden on its interior (25 gp).
63. A set of brass theater masks (50 gp each). One mask has a
smiling face with raised eyebrows and the other a frowning
face with mock tears.
64. An articulated armor stand, suitable for displaying plate
armor (50 gp).
65. A ceremonial bronze war-gong, vividly painted with the
god of war’s holy symbol (200 gp and 20 lb).
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66. A brass lamp of exotic make (500 gp). Its sides are tarnished
from years of rubbing. The merchant claims there really is
a genie, he’s just unreliable.
67. 2d6 arrows set with silver tips and fletched with eagle
feathers (5 gp each).
68. A variety of 1d10 exotic weapons. They have the ordinary
mechanical effect of their type, but an unusual aesthetic
from a far-off country.
69. A massive bronze cauldron (50 gp). The merchant claims it
was specifically cast to pour boiling oil in sieges. It’s also
good for cooking stew.
70. A clay jar of pigment (50 gp). Roll for color (1d4): 1. iron
gall, 2. ochre, 3. sienna, 4. umber.
71. A clay jar of dye (50 gp). Roll for color (1d10): 1. blackwort,
2. cutch, 3. fustet, 4. kermes red, 5. madder, 6. marsh
marigold, 7. meadow rue, 8. vermillion, 9. weld, 10. woad.
72. A set of drinking glasses (10 gp) painted with holy symbols.
73. A glass lantern with stained red glass frames (25 gp). Its visibility
radius is halved, but the red light doesn’t spoil infravision.
74. A polished glass mirror with a silver frame engraved with
medusa heads. (75 gp) The owner gains +4 to save vs.
medusa gaze.
75. A hollow sphere of blown glass swirled with beautiful
colors. The merchant claims it provides protection against
witches when hung in a window.
76. A glass bottle with a murky liquid inside. Strangely, there’s
no apparent way to get the liquid out.
77. A grey donkey (8 gp). Its exceptionally stubborn but quite hardy.
The owner hasn’t named it because it wouldn’t listen anyway.
78. A large mule with a sorrel coat (20gp). It was actually
trained as a war-mount by a prior dwarven owner, but the
merchant doesn’t know this.
79. An ox (40gp). It has heavy scars on its flanks and shows
signs of having been mistreated. Characters who can
speak with animals hear it say “help me!”
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80. A medium draft horse with a dark bay coat and white
points (30 gp). It’s been recently gelded and is upset about
it, if anyone asks.
81. A medium riding horse with a buckskin coat (40 gp). The
horse is a mare, affectionately named Marigold by the
impoverished young woman selling it.
82. A heavy draft horse with a black coat and white star on its
muzzle (40 gp). An ungelded stallion but quite placid when
not around mares in heat.
83. A light riding horse with a red roan coat (75 gp). This mare
has a smooth, ambling gait that’s easy to ride.
84. A light warhorse with a palomino coat (150 gp). The owner
has left this stallion ungelded because of its beautiful coat.
85. A medium warhorse with a white coat and mane (250 gp).
Sword-cuts on its flank show the stallion has survived
several battles.
86. A heavy warhorse with a black coat and white star on its
muzzle (700 gp). A noble stallion, fit for a knight, named
Eventide.
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6. A vial of killer bee venom (250 gp). The venom takes effect in
1d10 turns and deals 1d10 damage to those who fail a save +2.
7. A jar of killer bee honey (250gp). It contains four doses,
each of which functions as a half-strength potion of healing.
8. The desiccated hand of a mummified necromancer (260
gp). It could be a component in any necromantic magic.
9. A bundle of manticore spikes (360 gp) wrapped in oilskin.
The spikes could be components in a wand of magic missiles.
10. A pair of stony basilisk eyes (500 gp each). They could be
used as reagents for a potion of stone to flesh.
11. The iron horns of a gorgon (540 gp). The horns could be a
component in creating magic weapons.
12. A giant crocodile skull with teeth the size of a man’s hand
(1,800 gp). The skull could be a component in growth-
related magic.
13. Five sticks of sandalwood incense (15 gp each). It burns
with a smooth and creamy wood scent with hints of milk.
14. Three sticks of agarwood incense (30 gp each). It carries a
woody scent with notes of fruit and florals and a sniff of
vanilla and musk.
15. Nine sticks of frankincense (50 gp each). It has a sweet
and warm aroma that smells of wood, spice, and fruit.
16. Three sticks of myrrh (60 gp each). It smells of earth with
hints of licorice.
17. A jar of kyphi temple incense (800 gp, 10 lb). The exquisite
ingredients include honey, raisins, myrrh, juniper, cinnamon,
saffron, and cassia.
18. A light ballista of cunning dwarven make (200 gp). It can
be disassembled into 5 pieces each weighing 15 lb and
reassembled in 1 turn.
19. The white pelt of an albino cave-ape (50 gp). The merchant
will make it into a cape attached to a helmet for an extra 50 gp.
20. The sable pelt of a giant weasel (115 gp). It’s the perfect
size for a scarf or wrap.
21. The shaggy pelt of a cave bear (160 gp). The merchant will
tailor it into a cloak for an additional 50 gp.
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22. The feathers and pelt of an owl bear (170 gp). It would
make an excellent robe for a cross-breeding mage.
23. The hide of a great white shark (175 gp). The merchant claims
he could have gotten more, but he needed a bigger boat.
24. The giant pelt of a grizzly bear of formidable strength and size
(225 gp). It’s large enough to serve as a rug for a dining room.
25. The tawny pelt of a manticore (265 gp). The merchant
recommends tailor it as a caparison for your horse.
26. The multi-textured pelt of a chimera (350 gp). It’s large
enough to be a rug in a wizard’s laboratory.
27. The steel-like scales of a giant sturgeon (2,000 gp). It could
be used to make scale armor with the protection of plate mail.
28. Molten slag formed melted copper, silver, and gold (300
gp, 20 lbs). The merchant claims the slag was melted by
the breath of the dragon he stole it from.
29. A stack of tumbaga ingots (750 gp and 50 lb). The ingots
carry the mark of a foreign mint that no one recognizes.
30. A tame giant python (325 gp) named Thulsa. It has been
trained to constrict humanoid victims on command.
31. A giant boar piglet (15 gp). It can be tamed in 2 months
and taught a trick every 2 months thereafter, 7 tricks max.
Matures in 4 years.
32. A dire wolf pup (60 gp). It can be tamed in 2 months and
a taught a trick every 2 months thereafter, 6 tricks max.
Matures in 2 years.
33. A rock baboon infant (110 gp). It can be tamed in a month
and taught a trick every month thereafter, 8 tricks max.
Matures in 4 years.
34. A giant centipede egg (110 gp). It can be tamed in 6 months
and taught a trick every 6 months thereafter, 2 tricks max.
35. A giant ant larva (150 gp). It can be tamed in 6 months and
taught a trick every 6 months thereafter, 5 tricks max.
Matures in a year.
36. A white ape infant (25 gp). It can be tamed in 1 month and
taught a trick every month thereafter, 8 tricks max. Matures
in 3 years.
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37. A giant ferret kit (325 gp). It can be tamed in 10 weeks and
taught a trick every 10 weeks thereafter, 5 tricks max.
Matures in 1 year.
38. A lion cub (350 gp). It can be tamed in 3.5 months and
taught a trick every 3.5 months thereafter, 6 tricks max.
Matures in 15 months.
39. A giant weasel kit (350 gp). It can be tamed in 3 months
and taught a trick every 3 months thereafter, 5 tricks max.
Matures in 15 months.
40. A tiger cub (400 gp). It can be tamed in 5.5 months and
taught a trick every 5.5 months thereafter, 6 tricks max.
Matures in 2 years.
41. A cave bear cub (425 gp). It can be tamed in 3 months and
taught a trick every 3 months thereafter, 5 tricks max.
Matures in 2 years.
42. A panther cub (545 gp). It can be tamed in 5.5 months and
taught a trick every 5.5 months thereafter, 6 tricks max.
Matures in 15 months.
43. A giant hawk fledgling (2,725 gp). It can be tamed in 2
months and taught a trick every 2 months thereafter, 6
tricks max. Matures in 4 years.
44. A trained riding camel (100 gp). The sturdy beast has been
trained to spit on people on command. It’s addicted to salt licks.
45. A trained draft elephant (1,500 gp). In its spare time, it likes
to paint expressionist art with its dung.
46. A trained war elephant (5,000 gp). If purchased, the
merchant will offer a complimentary howdah and barding.
47. A pair of taxidermy mice with fancy hats wielding tiny
swords and positioned on an oak mount to look like they
are dueling (100 gp).
48. A stuffed and mounted cougar (150 gp). It’s a bit beat-up
but still pretty eye-catching.
49. A mummified monkey’s head set on a cypress trophy mount
(250 gp). If mounted over your bed, expect to have
nightmares.
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50. A set of 10 shamanic fetishes made of engraved human
finger bones (10 gp each).
51. A set of nine bone figurines carved in the shape of jackals
(15 gp each). The merchant claims that under the full moon
they become live jackals.
52. A pair of great moose antlers (1 gp each). The merchant
will fit them to a helmet for a 5 gp fee.
53. A pair of giant boar tusks (2 gp each). The merchant will fit
them to a helmet for a 5 gp fee.
54. A pair of sabre-tooth tiger tusks (4 gp each). The merchant
will fit them to a helmet for a 5 gp fee.
55. A pair of giant-bone rune sticks carved with dwarven runes
(50 gp each).
56. A set of engraved crocodile teeth (70 gp).
57. A pair of elephant tusks (80 gp, 8 lbs each). The ivory is
yellowed with age.
58. A set of golden teeth with small runes carved in them (300
gp). A goldsmith can fit them to the mouth of a character
who's lost her teeth.
59. A fragment of narwhal horn (100 gp, 2 lb). The merchant swears
it broke off in a fight with the largest whale he’d ever seen.
60. The goat horns of a chimera (130 gp). They come with a
wall-mount of ebony.
61. A pair of enormous mastodon tusks (600 gp, 60 lb each).
They curve over 9’ in length and have razor sharp tips.
62. The slender white horn of a unicorn (1,000 gp). Any lawful character
who touches it feels the unicorn’s dying scream of anguish.
63. The huge horn of a venerable dragon (1,800 gp). The
merchant claims that the dragon was slain and its hoard
lies open for the taking.
64. A pouch of saffron (15 gp). It’s worth more than its weight in gold!
65. A vial of jasmine perfume (100 gp). A sweet, rich, and
feminine fragrance much prized by elves.
66. A jar of saffron (800 gp). The jar is carefully sealed and
kept in a locked chest with lots of padding.
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67. A large green pepper (5 gp). The merchant claims it’s the
spiciest in the known world. A character who eats it must
save vs. poison. On a failed save, the character dies as his
burned throat swells and chokes her. On a successful save,
she gains +1 Constitution for stomaching it .
68. A packet of imported kudzu seeds (5 gp). The merchant
just says they are for unkillable magic vines that grow
swiftly even as you watch. Planting these seeds in an elven
forest is a war crime.
69. A sealed jar of sacred lotus oil (800gp) intended for
decadent bathing by kings. Odalisque not included.
70. A stuffed porcelain doll (50gp). There’s something uncanny
about the face and it makes a disturbing rattles when
shaken. It’s actually a cursed doll.
71. Five chryselephantine statuettes of ancient hero-kings (300
gp, 5 lb each). One of the statuettes oddly resembles a
player character.
72. A very large tome written on heavy papyrus that contains
the ravings of a madman who claims that the gods play
dice with the universe for their own entertainment (150 gp).
73. A codex made up of copper plates bound with rings (150
gp). It contains religious hymns to a dead god written in an
esoteric tongue.
74. A crumbling and salt-stained mariner’s chart (500 gp). It
shows the location of an islet 11-20 hexes away from the
nearest coast. An annotation in Common reads “the
dragons here are still young and could be easily
vanquished.” The annotation is not dated.
75. A huge wood-bound codex of birch bark (1,500 gp). It
records the songs and stories of the great treants of old.
76. A silk parasol with a bamboo frame (100 gp). The merchant
claims the courtesans of the east use these devices to
protect their complexion.
77. A set of silk pajamas (25 gp). The pajamas are embroidered
with various fertility signs such as rabbits and hearts and
the monogram “H.H.”
78. A black silk scarf with beaded frills (50 gp).
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79. A chiton or sari dyed scarlet and stitched with golden
thread (100 gp). The merchant will tailor it to fit the buyer.
80. A set of silk drapes dyed gold and black (250 gp). The
merchant will install them for free in your stronghold or temple.
81. A silk wall hanging hand-painted with scenes of a heroic
victory by the forces of Law (500 gp).
82. 1d10 rolls of silk (400 gp, 40 lb ea.) dyed in wondrous hues.
83. A wide-brimmed leather hat, a whip, and an iron hand
crossbow (available as a set for 100 gp). The merchant
claims he found it on a skeleton in a snake pit.
84. A pair of bamboo sticks connected by a chain (25 gp). The
merchant claims they are actually a deadly weapon from
a distant land but has no idea how to use them.
85. A set of nine well-balanced throwing knives (15 gp each).
They are +1 to hit.
86. A strange suit of armor made of an alchemical resin with a
helm of strangely flexible glass (200 gp). It counts as chain
mail but offers immunity to gas attacks. It’s very bulky
though (-2 to initiative).
87. A spear with a silver head and cold iron butt spike (200
gp). The merchant is a one-armed one-eyed veteran who
claims to be an ex werewolf-hunter.
88. A long sword with a deep central fuller set on a silver-
plated hilt fashioned to resemble an eagle (600 gp). It’s
non-magical but +1 to damage.
89. A brass tube with a rotating cap and a lens on one end (60
gp). Peering into the tube reveals unusual patterns of
colorful crystal.
90. A bag of loose crystals with positive vibrations (100 gp).
Possibly useful as spell components for healing spells.
91. A collection of seven seashells carved with religious
iconography (120 gp each).
92. 12 tiny jade turtles (200 gp each). The turtles are molded to
stack one on top the other. The turtle at the top has a shell
painted like the known world.
93. A chess set with ivory and onyx squares and pieces (500 gp).
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94. A sphere of polished quartz set upon a brass stand (1,000
gp). Gazing into the sphere yields random images that
have no predictive power.
95. An opal brooch for fastening cloaks (1,000 gp). The pin on
the brooch carries a minor curse such that it always stabs
you when you fasten it. Ouch!
96. A gold ring set with a large and lustrous ruby (3,000 gp)
kept in a sealed glass case. A burly fighter stands guard.
97. A gold necklace adorned with a purple star sapphire
(4,000 gp) kept in a heavy iron chest. 2 war dogs guard
the merchant and his goods.
98. A gold wrist-cuff ornamented with tiny emeralds (5,000
gp). The merchant wears it on his person. He’s a mage of
respectable power.
99. A silver tiara set with crystals (500 gp). The crystals are
actually diamonds (20,000 gp value), but the dubious-
looking merchant is oblivious to this.
100. A miscellaneous magic item – roll on the appropriate
sub-table in your rulebook. The merchant doesn’t know
what it is and will sell it for 1/10th the real value.
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The Judge should select one of the following effects:
121
Strange Pet Stores
Roll Store
1 Floating Piranha Shop
2 Glow Worm Emporium
3 The Ant Farm
4 Small but Vicious Chickens
5 The Gallery of Goo
6 The Creature Curio Shop
7 It's "Fur"bidden
8 Grizzled Unwanted Pets
9 Not Quite Dead Yet
10 Abigail’s Balloon Animal Extravaganza
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1. Floating Piranha Shop
123
2. Glow Worm Emporium
Unique Trinket: Unna Angdu has created two strange potions from
the mucous that coats the silken strings of the glow worms. The first,
has an umami taste and is the consistency and texture of melted
butter. When drunk, the imbiber becomes coated in a slimy mucous
(-4 Charisma) and can see in the dark (up to 30´) and is healed for
1d6 hit points. Unna sells this for 200 gold pieces. Unna’s second
potion is a toxic nerve agent that causes wracking pain. The potion
tastes of sweet honey. Those that drink it must pass a save vs. poison
or suffer 2d6 Constitution damage and 3d8 damage to hit points.
Creating this potion takes 1 month and costs 500 gp.
124
3. The Ant Farm
Unique Trinket: A glob of sap from the Tree of Life. This massive
glob of sap has been harvested from a rare and elusive tree
that has restorative properties. The glob of sap is roughly 3´
long and 3´ in diameter. Those that eat a glob gain the effects
of Remove Curse, Cure Disease, Neutralise Poison, and Raise
Dead. QB and her loyal guards protect this prized possession
and only let those who have honored them sufficiently partake.
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4. Small But Vicious Chickens:
126
5. The Gallery of Goo
Your Goo: Roll 1d10: 1. Bubbles in its jar when people are lying.
Picks up lies within 5´, 2. Can douse any small flame within 10´,
3. Communicate with birds within 10´, 4. Once per day creates
a piece of “slime toast” that heals a target for 1d6 hit points
when eaten, 5. Has an eye floating in it—you gain +2 to surprise
checks, 6. Can shapeshift in to a gelatin-looking frog and hop
around, 7. Prevents you from ever catching a common cold, 8.
Can be consumed and will instantly end the effect of any
poison, 9. Screeches loudly when you pass gas, 10. Add water
to it and watch small chia sprout and grow.
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Plot Hook/Rumor: Something has snuck into the shop at night
and gobbled up all the blue Goos! Germ is beside themselves
and cannot bear to face another day without a blue Goo in
their shop. Germ will hire the group at 50 gp a day to
investigate, capture, and kill the culprit. If it is done before four
days pass, Germ will pay an additional 300 gp.
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Proprietor: Sasha Von Deel—A beautiful elf with jet black hair
and ice blue eyes. Her gentle smile belies her calulating
cunning. Sasha is known for her compassion, the ear she lends
to those in need, and her ability to separate the wealthy from
their coin in her shop.
Plot Hook/Rumor: Sasha has heard that one of her clients has
a strange alchemical lab in their basement and believes it
contains many elixirs and potions that would fetch a handsome
price on the black market. She is looking for a group of
adventurers who would be willing to fetch the goods and bring
them to her. She will pay 100 gp and 10% of the value of each
potion (she will go no higher than 15% in bargaining).
7. It’s “Fur”bidden
129
Type of Monstrosity One Might Find: Hamster-gecko (body
of a hamster with legs and head of a gecko) with circular saw
nails; The Poodle-Puddle (half poodle, half black pudding)
with mechanical crab claws jutting out of its shoulder blades;
The Kittenfly (a kitten with butterfly wings- oooo watch it flutter)
with a poisonous proboscis for its tongue; The Piglin (body of a
pig and head of a gremlin or vice versa) with legs that are
spindly jagged pikes.
130
8. Grizzled Unwanted Pets
Unique Trinket: The Music Box. This box has a haunting yet
calming melody. When wound up and played any animal in a
30´ radius will relax and fall asleep. Bill uses this when any of
the animals get panicked and can’t be calmed down.
131
9. Not Quite Dead Yet
Description: People aren’t the only ones who can’t stay dead.
Sometimes pets don’t stay put in their graves either. This spooky
shop is decorated to resemble a pet cemetery and has cages
filled with zombie cats, dogs, and goldfish; skeletal birds,
hedgehogs, and snakes; and ghostly ferrets, hamsters, and
chickens. All for sale for those who want a pet that will never
leave them!
Proprietor: Fern was quite beautiful and lovely when she was
alive. . . then she went and died and somehow came back as
a sentient zombie. After getting chased out of a few villages by
torch and pitchfork, she knew she had to do something good
with her unlife and started Not Quite Dead Yet.
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Proprietor: Abigail is a fae from a far realm and enjoys making
people laugh. Her blue skin, green hair, and grey eyes set her
apart from everyone else, yet despite her appearance she sets
people at ease. Her skills in storytelling and creating balloon
animals are second-to-none.
Unique Trinket: Silks of Climbing. The silks that hang from the
ceiling of Abigail’s Balloon Animal Extravaganza are enchanted
so that anyone who plays in them can behave like an expert
silks performer. This makes for entertaining (and free) floor
shows for the public to watch.
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Crime
If someone is caught for a crime, consider the judgment. The
judge could be swayed to reduce the punishment by spending
money on an attorney or a bribe. The character's Charisma
also influences the crime roll. However, strong evidence,
previous criminal behavior, and character witnesses will
provide penalties for the opposing sides. The Dungeon Master
will set the total bonus considering all applicable factors. The
crime roll is a Charisma roll (2d6), and is modified by the
following factors:
134
1. Assault & Battery 6. Religious Crimes
2. Civil Crimes I. Blasphemy
3. Homicide II. Heresy
I. Arson III. Magic Use
II. Murder 7. Sexual Crimes
III. Manslaughter I. Adultery
4. Larceny II. Bestiality
I. Burglary III. Incest
II. Banditry/Piracy IV. Polygamy
III. Counterfeiting/ V. Rape
Forgery VI. Sodomy
IV. Embezzlement
V. Extortion
VI. Kidnapping
VII. Fraud
VIII. Theft
5. Political Crimes
I. Bribery
II. Destruction of
Property
III. Impersonation
IV. Incitement to
Riot/Rioting
V. Perjury
VI. Sedition
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Mild Punishments
Fines: This punishment is for crimes that are legal for the rich,
and illegal for the poor. If the criminal is unable to pay, they will
receive a more serious punishment.
Punishments
Severe confinement: This includes magical stasis, such as
being magically entombed beneath the ground, petrification,
or temporal stasis, where the subject has no knowledge of time
passing.
136
Severe Punishments
Mutilation: blinding, removal of the hand or tongue. Permanant
transformation into another creature or being. Being slain and
reincarnated.
Banishment.
Dimensional banishment.
137
Mining
The volume mined through stone or rock to produce underground
corridors is dependent on the skill and strength of the miner. A
normal miner can clear very soft rock of 75 cubic feet in a day
(15 5'×5'×5' cubes), soft rock of 50' (10 5×5×5 cubes) cubic feet
a day, and hard rock of 25' (5 5×5×5 cubes) cubic feet a day.
A workday is eight hours. People cannot work more than one
eight hour day in twenty-four hours, but characters may pay
workers to work three separate shifts during a 24 hour period.
Mines as a Resource
Mines and quarries may be placed as resources in hexes.
Consider placing 1d4-1 mines/quarries in any given six mile
hex. Hills and mountainous terrain could contain up to 2d6
mines per hex.
The player makes a declaration on the type of land she seeks, such
as a hill overlooking a river, and the Dungeon Master will create a
location and map where it is, along with the six surrounding hexes.
The first procedure is that the land must be explored and mapped.
This follows standard rules for wilderness exploration. Note that
this is not travel: wilderness exploration and mapping takes
place at the rate of one 1320' hex per turn. It takes approximately
96 work-hours to fully explore and map a six-mile hex. This is
twelve days of exploration per hex. It requires approximately 84
days (3 months) of exploration and random encounter rolls to
map and clear seven six-mile hexes. One six-mile hex is the
minimum amount of land that must be cleared in order to begin
construction. Random monsters are considered to remain in the
hex until killed or driven off, unless they are flying or travelling
through. These random encounters are separate from the lairs.
Expeditions
Player characters are not required to clear the lairs themselves.
They can send a group of henchmen, and hirelings to clear the
land while they engage in other activities.
143
Expedition Crises
Roll when the expedition is reduced to 0 and every time the
expedition value would be reduced when it is at 0. Randomly
determine the target of the crisis from the expedition values.
After any of these events occurs, the expedition recovers 1d6
points of their expedition value.
Expedition guidelines
144
Supplies
Abstracting resources needed for travel is as follows. Supplies
are an abstraction of goods that must be consumed for survival.
Each supply includes liquid and food and weighs 200 coins
(20 pounds or approximately 1 stone).
Why Lairs?
An examination of the monsters will show that even the most
powerful (purple worms, hydras) fall in 2 or 3 rounds to normal
men. Some (e.g. eye tyrants) can't even enter combat range
without being easily killed by arrow fire. They must lair and hide in
mazes which work to their strengths if they expect to survive.
145
10 Goblin Mischiefs
1. Horse heist: Six badly behaving goblins sneak into the
local stables and steal two horses. With three goblins on
each horse and zero clue how to control them, chaos
ensues as the goblins flail all over town trying to get away
with their equine treasures.
2. Baby sale: "Psst" you hear from the shadows, "Psst, you
like a fresh baby?". A serious-looking goblin gestures back
into the alleyway behind him, where a baby sits wriggling
around happily in a small wooden chest.
3. Regular human ham: An unusually wobbly figure sways
into the tavern with floppy, handless arms. A hooded robe
hides any identifying features as this odd patron exclaims
in broken common "I buy ham leg" before a handful of
copper pieces are tossed in a mess onto the counter. "And
wine" another voice squawks out from what would be the
figure's crotch.
4. Pantsed: Laundry has been disappearing from drying
lines. To understand the thefts, authorities followed the
goblins but were perplexed to find that the goblins are just
throwing the garments from a bridge into the river and
laughing hysterically.
5. Plantsed: Goblin pickpockets are disguising themselves as
potted plants, while also placing real potted plants around
the area to build up a sense of safety.
6. Tainted well: In response to recent expansion into goblin
territory, small raiding parties have been sneaking into villages
in the early morning to defecate into the drinking water.
7. Shop goblin: A large wooden crate has been modified
into a tiny shop front and placed on the road. Goblins will
try to sell stolen merchandise to passing travellers, an
encounter which turns into a robbery if refused.
146
8. Honey lovers: A single goblin can be heard screaming
from afar. As the screams become nearer, a goblin runs by
holding what appears to be the entirety of a beehive
dripping with honey. Hundreds of angry bees follow closely
behind, swarming the goblin and anyone else nearby.
9. Road scare: On especially bumpy sections of road, goblin
crews will jump out and chase trade carts menacingly until
they run out of breath, the hope being that the intense
hopping and tilting the cart is subjected to will throw some
special treasures out to waiting little hands.
10. The smokebox: After covering the chimney, goblins wait
for a building's occupants to run to the streets, coughing
and distracted. In a strange choice of tactic, the goblins
enter and exit through the same chimney; showing their
lack of ability to conceive of layered plans.
147
Construction
Construction
Once a piece of land is cleared (q.v. clearing and securing
terrain), construction may begin. The player draws up a plan,
an engineer is hired, and construction begins. Patrols must be
sent out to ensure that the hex and surrounding hexes remain
clear of monsters. The ruins and other features of the hex may
cause problems for adventurers down the line.
Dimensions
Walls Cost L×H×W
Palisade (Wooden) 10 gp 10'×10'×1'
Earthen Rampart 250 gp 10'×10'×15'
Wooden Walls 5 gp 10'×15'×1'
Stone/Bone Walls 50 gp 10'×15'×5'
Metal Fencing 100 gp 10'×6'×1'
Castle Walls 500 gp 10'×20'×10'
Metal Walls 1,000 gp 10'×10'×1'
Ice Walls 5,000* gp 10'×15'×5´
Dimensions
Earthen Works Cost L×H/D×W
Ditch 20 gp 10'×20'×5´
Moat** 40 gp 10'×20'×20'
Motte 10 gp 10'×5'×10'
Road, Dirt 50 gp 100'×-×10'
Road, Paved 150 gp 100'×-×10'
* 10% of cost in arctic climates, melts in temperate or warmer climes.
**Double the cost of the moat to have it filled with water.
150
Dimensions
Buildings Cost L×W×H
Stone Building, Small 1,000 gp 20'×20'×15'
Stone Building Medium 1,500 gp 20'×40'×15'
Stone Building, Great 3,000 gp 20'×40'×30'
Stone Building, Grand 10,000 gp 40'×80'×45'
Wooden Building, Small 250 gp 20'×20'×15
Wooden Building, Medium 750 gp 20'×40'×15'
Wooden Building, Great 1,500 gp 20'×40'×30'
Wooden Building, Grand 3,500 gp 40'×80'×45'
Round Tower 15,000 gp 20' base, 30' high
Round Tower 30,000 gp 30' base, 45' high
Square keep 75,000 gp 60' base, 90' high
* +25% of the base costs will also furnish the construction.
** Small buildings will support 1 family (5 citizens)
Underground/Interior Cost Dimension
Stone Dungeon Corridor 500 gp 10'×10'×10'
Stairs, Wooden 20 gp 3'×10'×15
Stairs, Stone 60 gp 3'×10'×15
Door, Wooden 10 gp 3'×7'
Door, Sturdy 20 gp 3'×7'
Door Stone 50 gp 3'×7'
Door, Secret ×5 3'×7'
Door, Trap ×2 3'×4´
Roofing/Floor, Fine Wood 40 gp 10'×10'×1"
Roofing/Floor, 100 gp 10'×10'×1"
Stone Flagstone/Tile
Roofing/Floor, Marble 2,000 gp 10'×10'×1'
Window, Open 10 gp 3'×4'
Window, Shutters 15 gp 3'×4'
Window, Bars 20 gp 3'×4'
Window, Glass 200 gp 3'×4'
Note that all the items on the underground/interior section are
assumed furnishings of the other buildings and will be covered
by the +25% increase in cost to furnish interiors.+10% more
will cover internal plumbing
151
Amenities Cost Size
Statue, Small 100+ gp 3'
Statue, Medium 200+ gp 6'
Statue, Large 500+ gp 9'
Statue, Gigantic 1,000+ gp 12'
Shifting/ 1,000 gp 10'×10'×10'
Mechanical Walls
Drawbridge 500 gp 10´×20´×6" thick
Catwalk, Wooden 10 gp 10' long
Battlements* 250 gp 10´×4'
Portcullis, Wooden 100 gp 15' high
Portcullis, Steel 500 gp 15' high
*Battlements provide 75% cover
Improvements Cost
Mill/Windmill ×2 Normal Building Cost
Bridge, Rope 5 gp per 10' Maximum 100'
Bridge, Wooden 10 gp per 10' Maximum 150'
Bridge, Stone 100 gp per 10' Maximum 300'
Shrine 1,000 gp
Fountains 500+ gp
152
Wall cost is normal to 30', but costs double from 30'-60' in
height. 60' is usually the maximum height of a castle wall. If
there are master engineers involved, the height can rise to 90'
at quadruple the cost. Towers cannot be higher than double
their base width.
153
Constructing/Purchasing Unique Vehicles
Ton is an abstracted measure representing both size and weight
(capacity). A ton refers to about 100 cubic yards of volume.
This is a space approximately the size of a living room. That is,
100 cubes with 1 yard per side on each side. Assume a vehicle
can carry half its tonnage as cargo, adjusted for the various
modifications.
Frame
The first step in designing a vehicle is to determine the frame.
This is a combination of size (measured in abstract tons) and
materials. The player should construct the vehicle within the
dimension restraints that may take any reasonable shape and
form. An engineer is required to build per 20 tons of the vehicle.
The base construction time is 1 day per ton. Examples follow:
154
Material
It costs 300 gold pieces in man hours and labor per ton to build
the vehicle. In addition to this cost, there is the cost of the raw
material required to build the ship. The Armor Rating provides
the base AC of the vehicle.
Calculate Variables
That's it, the vehicle is done. Time, cost, and final size for the
vehicle is determined. All that remains is to calculate the hull
points and select an engine.
155
Modifications
These are common modifications. Other modifications are
encouraged to be designed by the Dungeon Master expanding
on the vehicle rules from X63 and X64.
Armored Hull
Ram
The vehicle has a ram attached. Note that a variety of ram types
exist, all with different effects (blunt, grappling, piercing, etc.).
Cost: 100 gp per ton
Space: 5% of tonnage value
Rigging
Pneumatic Tubes
Efficient Ship
Reinforced frame
This vehicle has a stable frame, increasing its hull points by 20%.
Cost 1,000 gp per ton
Space: Requires 20% of hull space
157
Modules
These are the internal modules of a ship. Any unused space is
considered cargo space. The module sizes include support
structures for the module (hallways, structural supports, etc.), so
they tend to be slightly smaller in size than the tonnage required.
So a single horse can pull a single ton at "full speed" or two tons
at "half speed" (remember that "ton" here refers to an abstract
combination of weight and volume, see p.154).This horsepower
metric determines the minimum requirements for vehicle size
only (i.e. one horse cannot move a vehicle 3 tons in size).
159
Engine Types
Equivalent Horsepower (Eqv. HP) determines the minimum and
maximum size vehicle the engine can drive. 1 horsepower is
needed per ton to move at full speed. 1 horsepower per 2 tons
provides half speed.
Tonnage size is how much space the engine consumes of the tonnage.
A — indicates that the engine doesn't consume internal space.
Flying creatures can only fly if the craft is specifically designed
to make use of flying creatures, and can only fly with a craft
where the horsepower available exceeds the tonnage.
Eqv.
Engine HP Ton Size Speed Cost
Mule .6 — 120'/24 30 gp
Horse 1 — 240'/48 40 gp
War Horse 1.25 — 120'/24 75 gp
Draft Horse 1.5 — 90'/18 250 gp
Camel 1 — 150'/30 100 gp
1
160
Steam Engine, Small4 2 1 120'/24 1,000 gp
Steam Engine 10 10 120'/24 10,000 gp
Steam Engine, Large 20 25 120'/24 100,000 gp
Steam Engine, Huge 50 60 120'/24 1,000,000 gp
Animated — — 60'/12 —
5
Life-engine 50 1 80,000 gp
9
500'/100
1. Can internally carry 50 supplies.
2. Must provide crew space/food.
3. Rigging allows movement at wind speed. Note that using rigging requires dependence on variable wind speeds
(X64) and on land (due to increased resistance) has wind-power speed reduced to 30'/6 miles or 120'/24 miles
4. Steam engines can be pushed to travel at higher speeds, but leave themselves at risk of exploding. Consult your
Dungeon Master for specifics.
5. Requires Animate Object and Permanency (B/X Companion). Animate Object requires 5 castings per ton.
6. Golems may be separate or integrated into the vehicle (in which case use the tonnage size past the dash). They
are created as Golems. Needs 15th level caster, and costs 1,000 gp per hit point (B/X Companion).
7. Requires summoning and permanent servitude.
8. A scroll will power it for a day, a wand, 1 day per charge, an item powers the helm for 1 week, with one additional
week per +1 bonus or special ability. The item is destroyed.
9. One hit die will run the engine for one day. Anyone fed to the engine permanently loses that hit die.
10. These creatures are sentient with high intelligence, and experience pain and suffering.
161
Vehicle Quirks
Frame Type Chance of Quirks # of Quirks
Fleet Flagship 70% 1d10
War Galley 60% 1d8
Troop Transport 55% 1d6
Galley, Large 50% 1d6
Longship 45% 1d6
Galley, Small 40% 1d4
Boat, River 35% 1d4
Boat, River 30% 1d4
Lifeboat/Shuttle 25% 1d3
Carriage/Chariot 20% 1d2
Wagon 15% 1
Other Cubic Dimension % 1d(Tonnage0.5)
In the absence of mass production and precision engineering,
every vehicle is crafted by a particular team of wrights and
workers. Such artisanal labor creates the possibility of vehicles
possessing unintended quirks.
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Roll (1d100) List of Quirks
01-10 Shoddy Construction
11-20 Sturdy Construction
21-30 Inferior Materials
31-40 Quality Materials
41-45 Flawed Frame
46-50 Flawless Frame *
51-55 Ablative Armor *
56-60 High-Quality Armor *
61-100 Roll on Vehicle Type sub-table
*If this quirk is rolled again, re-roll.
General Quirks:
Shoddy Construction: Sloppy joinings and loose framing
impair the vehicle’s AC by 1 each time this quirk is rolled.
164
Leaking Hull: The vehicle is not as seaworthy as others of its
type. If reduced to 0 or fewer Hull Points, it sinks in 1d4 rounds.
Good Sight Lines: The vehicle has a tall crow’s nest or otherwise
affords its lookouts a commanding view of the waters. Sea monsters
can be spotted at 5d6×10 yards and other ships at 400 yards.
re-roll.
Loose Ram: The vehicle’s ram was not joined to the frame
correctly. Each time the vehicle rams a target, the ram might
break off. The percentage chance of the ram breaking is equal
to the Hull Points of damage dealt by the ram. If the vehicle has
no ram re-roll.
Ill-Fortuned: The god of the sea was not properly praised with
sacrifice and libation when the vehicle was launched. The
vehicle has only half the chance of finding a safe place to hide
along the shore during a storm. Its probability of taking on
water is increased by 10%. If flung by fierce winds, it will always
travel in the worst possible direction. The crew consider the
vehicle cursed or haunted and suffer -2 to morale rolls. If this
quirk is rolled again, re-roll.
Lucky: The god of the sea was pleased by the sacrifices and
libation made when the vehicle was launched. The vehicle has
double the chance of finding a safe place to hide along the
shore during a storm. Its probability of taking on water is
decreased by 10%. If flung by fierce winds, it will always travel
in the right direction. The crew consider their vehicle blessed or
lucky and gain +2 to morale rolls. If this quirk is rolled again, re-roll.
167
Roll (1d100) Vehicle Type: Land
01-19 Prone to Break Down
11-20 Easy to Repair
21-30 Loud*
31-40 Comfortable*
41-50 Oversized Wheels*
51-60 Lightweight Wheels*
61-70 Ill-Fitting Harness*
71-80 Well-Fitting Harness*
81-90 Inferior Firing Platform*
91-100 Superior Firing Platform*
*If this quirk is rolled again, re-roll.
Prone to Break Downs: The vehicle is prone to breaking
(slipped tread, cracked wheel, etc.). There is a 1 in 6 chance
each day of travel that the vehicle breaks down and must be
repaired. If the vehicle is used in a force march, it automatically
breaks down. A broken-down vehicle must be repaired by a
cartwright or similar specialist. It takes 8 hours to repair the
vehicle. Each time this quirk is rolled again, increase the chance
of break down by 1.
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Roll (1d100) Vehicle Type: Air
01-08 High-Altitude Flight Ceiling*
09-16 Low-Altitude Flight Ceiling*
17-24 Hard to Maintain*
25-32 Easy to Maintain*
33-40 Inferior Aerodynamics*
41-48 Superior Aerodynamics*
49-56 Fuel-Hungry Engines*
57-64 Efficient Engines*
65-68 Unsafe Seating
69-72 Bomb Lobby*
73-77 Poor Field of Fire
78-82 Superior Field of Fire
83-87 Bad Artillery Placement
89-92 Superior Artillery Placement
93-96 Wind Vulnerability
97-100 Camouflaged
*If this quirk is rolled again, re-roll.
High-Altitude Flight Ceiling: Due to excess lift or buoyancy, the
vehicle is capable of soaring over mountains. Its wilderness movement
rate is three times the movement rate of a ground vehicle
(instead of double). It cannot be attacked by creatures on land or sea.
Life-Engine: Two hit dice will run the engine for one day.
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Magic Item Furnace: A scroll will power it for two days;
a wand for 2 days per charges; an item for 2 weeks, with
2 additional weeks per +1 bonus or ability.
Life-Engine: One hit die will run the engine for two days.
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Wind Vulnerability: Whether due to a badly angled wing, a
misplaced airfoil, or a lightweight frame, the vehicle is highly
susceptible to the wind. Its movement rate must be adjusted by
the Wind Conditions table as if it were a ship. If the vehicle flies
into fierce winds, it must land within one turn (10 minutes). If it
does not, it loses 1d10 Hull Points each turn until it does.
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Vats, Golems, Crossbreeds, and other
experiments
In order to create creatures, the character must research or
have access to a magical ritual that allows the creation of
animate servants. The player must possess or purchase a vat
and place it in a laboratory of at least 400 square feet.
Small 10,000 gp
Man-sized 20,000 gp
Large 50,000 gp
Huge 100,000 gp
174
To grow or create such a creature, it takes 1 week, plus an
additional day for every 1,000 gold pieces. There is a 15%
chance of failure. Hiring an alchemist to oversee the procedure
will reduce the failure rate to 8%. Hiring two alchemists will
reduce the failure rate to 5%. Characters may only create one
creature per vat.
Note that creating a life form from a vat does not mean that the
vat creature will obey its creator. Being a father does not make
one a dad.
175
Influence
Influence
At what price influence? At what cost power?
At some point, characters may aspire to more than just the list
of activities given. They may wish to purchase a house or land,
raise troops, start a religion or a construction project. Such
activities may not be done on their own without attracting the
attention of rulers who will go to great lengths to stop such
activities. So how to accomplish them?
Influence
There are only a few areas of relevant influence. Commercial/
Economic, Military, Aristocratic, Arcane/Religious. For every
100 people in a city, there is a square of minor influence for
each of the above categories. For every 1,000 people in the
city, there is one square of major influence. Cities over 15,000
people are very rare, but if there is a larger city, for every
10,000 people, there is one square of grand influence.
178
Players cannot see the influence boards without in character
investigation. A player may spend one month, with a successful
relevant ability roll, to determine the status of one minor board,
which they can then see. One person devoted to the task each
month enables them to continue to keep abreast of what is
happening on the board.
Gaining Influence
A character may spend 1,000 gold, and 1 week gaining one
square of minor influence. If a character possesses at least one
point of minor leverage, they may spend 10,000 gold and 1
week to gain a square of major influence. This represents
politicking, meeting people, public works, intimidation,
advertising, etc. If more than 5 squares on a board are
acquired, two things happen: The character a point of leverage
for that level (minor, major, or grand), and she is granted one
square of influence on the next highest board.
Or, the leverage may be spent. Note that for many of these, it
is required that individuals spend the leverage each month to
maintain the benefit.
Commercial/Economic
Minor Leverage: Own or run a business employing up to 10
people. Purchase or sell trade goods in bulk.
Major Leverage: Make large purchases (>100,000 gp). Own
a trading vessel. Own or run a business employing up to 100
people.
Grand Leverage: Own or run a business employing unlimited
people.
Military
Minor Leverage: Employ more than 10 hirelings. Have someone
arrested. Have someone freed.
Major Leverage: Employ mercenaries.
Grand Leverage: Request military aid.
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Aristocratic
Minor Leverage: Purchase existing property.
Major Leverage: Purchase land or build new property. Acquire a
standard for an informal group or company. Gain a minor title.
Grand Leverage: Form an official guild. Become a member of
the nobility.
Arcane/Religious
Minor Leverage: Practice magic in the city.
Major Leverage: Gain a license to employ magic commercially.
Gain a license to have a group of religious followers.
Grand Leverage: Be allowed to construct a school or church
(must also have nobility influence to be allowed to do so)
Factions
Power doesn't always corrupt. . . power always reveals —Rober Caro
Wandering Monsters
184
However, regularly letting the players encounter a monster's
spoor, tracks, or traces can both provide interest to the game
("Why is there chewed up silver everywhere?") and increase
the weight and meaning of the actual random encounter itself.
Either "That strange creature that is chewing on metal remains
at large!" or "Oh, an Aurumvorax, that must be what's leaving
that chewed metal all over the place!"
Adventure Design
Rumors Basics
Staged Rumors
186
In town:
187
Consider that in additional to normal rumors there might be
two or three staged rumors going at any time, and the separate
staged rumors can be interconnected themselves.
Now when the players find a magic sword, it will not take them
long to realize what they have.
188
Town Rumors:
With Research:
• Rakye Foul was once a paladin who lost his wife. He took
revenge on her killers, and was never able to make peace
with his god after that.
• Rakye Foul was a powerful mage and a strong force for
good in the world.
• Rakye Foul devoted his last years to discovering a way to
extend his life. There are those that say he succeeded,
though nothing of his glory ever passed the foothills of
Dormik Kar ever again.
• Rakye Foul is said to be buried in Uriks Tomb.
Add all the sites, signs, and clues to the map or adventure sites
in the sandbox (The Foothills of Dormik Kar, Statues of Rakye
Foul, etc.)
189
Sandbox Ideas
1. A huge dire wolf, apparently immune to magic, is organizing
the wolves in the wood.
2. Evil mercenaries are constructing a fortress not far from the
community.
3. The tomb of a powerful wizard, filled with magic items, has
sunk into the swamp.
4. Mysterious groaning sounds come from a haunted wood.
5. Bugbears are demanding a toll on a well-traveled bridge.
6. A blackguard is organizing monsters in an area.
7. An emissary going into a hostile kingdom needs an escort.
8. A wizard needs a particularly rare spell component found
only in the deep jungle.
9. Gravediggers have discovered a huge, ghoul-filled
catacomb under the cemetery.
10. Evil clerics gather in secret to summon a monstrous god.
11. A wizard is buried in a trap-filled tomb with her powerful
magic items.
12. Lizardfolk riding dragon turtles sell their services as
mercenaries to the highest bidder.
13. Gargoyles are killing giant eagles in the mountains.
14. A druid needs help defending her grove against goblins.
15. All the dwarves in an underground city have disappeared.
16. A fire elemental has escaped from a wizard's lab.
17. Undead shadows vex a large library, especially an old
storeroom long left undisturbed.
18. A shapechanged mind flayer is gathering mentally
controlled servitors.
19. A lonely mountain pass is guarded by a powerful sphinx
denying all passage.
20. Burglars broke in to a wealthy merchant's shop, but
apparently didn't take anything.
21. The town is hiring mercenaries to augment the town guard.
22. A new inn is opening in town.
23. The duke has been acting strangely.
24. A rare plant has suddenly boomed on a local farm.
190
25. Various monsters have long preyed upon people from
within the sewers of a major city.
26. Local bandits have joined forces with a tribe of ogres.
27. An island at the center of the lake is actually the top of a
strange, submerged fortress.
28. An infestation of stirges drives yuan-ti closer to civilized lands.
29. People grow suspicious of half-orc merchants peddling
gold dragon parts in the market.
30. A strange green smoke billows out of a cave near a
mysterious ruin.
31. Mysterious merchants sell faulty magic items in town and
then attempt to slink away.
32. Cultists are kidnapping potential sacrifices.
33. A huge gemstone lies within an ancient ruined monastery.
34. Barge pirates have made a deal with a coven of hags and
exact a high toll to use the river.
35. Ogre magi have torn up a village in a violent rage.
36. A map showing the location of an ancient magic forge is
discovered.
37. Two orc tribes wage a bloody war.
38. A recently recovered artifact causes arcane powers to go awry.
39. An enchanter is compelling others to steal for him.
40. A gate to the Lower Planes brings more demons to the world.
41. A plague brought by wererats threatens a community.
42. Clerics who have resurrected a long-dead hero discovered
she's not what they thought.
43. Colossal vermin are straying out of the desert to attack
settlements.
44. The tomb of an old wizard has been discovered.
45. A clutch of wyverns is preying upon sheep as well as shepherds.
46. There is fierce fighting in the northlands.
47. A band of adventure's fled into a ruined fortress tower filled
with treasure and monsters.
48. The eastern witches have discovered a new type of magic.
49. An army of statues in the south has begun to move.
50. A mad witch has been found in the burned remains of her
abode, her servants all killed by her hand.
191
51. A powerful good wizard is dying and is said to be seeking
information on lichedom.
52. An alchemist has lost a shipment of supplies to hijackers. If
she doesn't get them back, she faces bankruptcy.
53. Cultists need to recover an artifact to summon a giant
sleeping demon.
54. A wizard in a manse to the north of town is flaunting guild laws.
55. Several daring thefts have been made upon towers in the city.
56. A group of dragons has banded together to increase their power.
57. Demons are possessing monsters and causing havoc.
58. A killer is loose and stuffing bodies into chimneys.
59. A large bridge to the east has been destroyed by unknown forces.
60. Something is preventing huge hordes of humanoids from
leaving the nearby mountains.
61. A mage's familiar has escaped and been said to have
summoned a demon.
62. Reports have come in of a living dungeon.
63. A group of liches has formed an eldrich pact with evil dragons.
64. Rumors of an ogre civil war have been filtering into town.
65. Undead scorpions have been accosting people and
robbing them without killing them in the south.
66. Lizard men have recently begun approaching human
settlements with envoys seeking peace.
67. A powerful angel is hiding in the city performing good
deeds unseen.
68. Demons have been taking the shape of men and hiding to
escape hell.
69. A new brothel is opening in town, and they are seeking talent.
70. A halfling wizard has discovered a new powerful school of magic.
71. A medusa is said to be the head of a merchant guild.
72. Basilisks have started appearing in the forest to the north.
73. The Witch Queen has been defeated by a band of adventurers.
74. The Witch Queen was in contact with the Mountain King in
the nearby mountains.
75. Dwarven immigrants are arriving in southern cities in droves.
76. The mountain pass is blocked.
77. A mage's experiment has caused a disaster in a tower.
192
78. Talking monkeys reside in the forest.
79. There is a witch in the swamp to the south who brews
potions of a legendary efficacy.
80. Primitive heathens are throwing parties in the woods.
81. A magical accident has opened a gate that has loosed
magic-eating monsters into the world.
82. An ancient evil cult banished long ago is said to be returning.
83. A great treasure was discovered by the dwarves in the mountains.
84. A vampire is seeking to release a great evil.
85. Man-eating ghouls prowl the swamp for food.
86. Obelisks stand in the mountains that hold the key to great
power. None who have sought these have returned.
87. A band of evil gnomlings lives in the forest.
88. There is a wolf pack to the north; they are the pets of a
mighty giant.
89. An ancient demonic evil has seized control of giants.
90. The Mountain King is possessed by an evil force.
91. Eye tyrants are arriving in huge numbers from the realms above.
92. Dragons can sense when their kin are harmed or killed.
93. When an eye tyrant is killed, a curse is bestowed that
causes all other eye tyrants to seek the killers.
94. There are many old ruins in the swamp. They are from a
previous Aeon.
95. Many of the old ruins in the swamp contain great and
ancient treasure.
96. A palace of pure gold and steel is hidden in the mountains.
97. A mighty pyramid tomb lies to the north; theft-proof, it still
contains ancient treasures.
98. A great dragon was slain, the witch queen banished, and
the spirit of the ancient barbarian king destroyed by beings
from another realm.
99. Darkness or evil emanates from a dark tower.
100. The nearby underdogs are preparing to rebel.
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Appendices
195
Appendix A. Time and Calendars
In order to track these activities, Dungeon Masters need a way
to track time. They can use a standard calendar, or an optional
one (see Appendix C for optional calendars).
196
Banditry and Brigandage: A group of bandits, brigands, or
buccaneers moves into the local area and begins robbing from
the peasantry, reducing the income available from the area by
1d6 gp monthly (cumulative). They begin construction of a
bandit stronghold. This increases suspicion of strangers, and
raises the demand for mercenary guards.
198
Marriage: A notable social occasion is occurring, and the
characters are somehow involved. This could cause a shift or
change in the local power structure or could be the result of a
political alliance.
199
Religion: A new religion, pyramid scheme, or esoteric hobby
appears, and their worshipers begin spreading throughout the
population.
War: War never changes. Young men take up arms to die for
lords ensconced within war rooms. Money, ambition, power,
and survival are all motives for war. This creates ripple effects
through society, from the price of metal and arms increasing to
devastated homesteads, large mobilizations of men, death,
and things worse than death.
200
Appendix B. Inheritances
1 Personal Weapon 13 Transportation Business
2 Ancestral Weapon 14 Debt
3 Shield 15 Enmity with Relatives
4 Helm 16 Small (1-100 gp)
5 Armor 17 Medium (300-1,800 gp)
6 Mount or Pet 18 Large (100-1,000 pp)
1
201
Strange Inheritances
1. A black egg, icy cold to the touch. It contains the bones of
several juvenile serpents of various species. If carried close
to the body and allowed to incubate against your skin, the
egg will "hatch". A monstrous serpentine tattoo will appear
on your body and you will gain a poisonous bite. Snakes
will begin arriving with small missives, inviting you to visit
your true ancestors.
2. The deed to a prison hulk, the Argentium, along with
ownership of all 20 madmen imprisoned inside. They are
the despondent remains of a doomsday cult.
3. The deed and the key to the Galimoor windmill. Inside are
millions of tiny, pale spiders. Upon entry the pig bones on
the floor will ask you what you desire, and tell you that "it
must be paid in flesh". They will speak no other phrases. In
exchange for the gift of a live pig, the spiders can craft
wondrous gowns, ropes, lightweight armors that resist
arrows, and other such things. In exchange for the gift of a
live human, the spiders can craft simulacra that have been
imbued with the sacrifice's soul.
4. A huge black hound that carries a pipe around its neck. It
enjoys only tobacco, and fights as a fourth-level Fighter.
5. A massage manual. It seems to be filled with mundane
massages, but a full reading will reveal that it contains both
the forbidden orgasm massage and the massage of death.
6. A grey bird containing the soul of the relative that you
thought was deceased. This is their fail-safe: in the event
of their murder, their soul would enter this bird, which
would then be gifted to you, according to instructions in
their will. Your dead relative will attempt to get you to solve
their own murder, but this will be complicated by the fact
that they have lost all understanding of language (since it
is incompatible with their bird mind).
202
7. A massive bastard sword, along with a note that explains
it. The sword must behead one king every year, or else the
current royal family will fall and something terrible will
happen to the nation. The sword gains a +3 bonus to hit
and damage vs. kings.
8. A filthy shack in the outskirts of town. In the basement is
several thousand feet of rope, several protoypes of auto-
belays and ascenders, and a bottomless pit. The voices
start at about 1000' and increase with depth.
9. An anvil. Every night, hundreds of rats come to worship it.
As long as you take good care of the anvil (cleaning it,
using it to make things) rats will love you and will protect
you. If you neglect the anvil, rats will become more
aggressive towards you, and eventually a massive rat-
ogre and his friends will come steal the anvil away. The
anvil contains the soul of an evil cat god.
10. Possession of the family tomb. Oddly enough, one of the
rooms contains a comfortable bed. Sleeping there will give
you dreams where you stand before your ancestors. If you
don't mind kowtowing to their generational prejudices, and
marrying per their instructions, they give you excellent
advice and directions to treasure caches. Although you may
also just wish to collapse the whole nest of ancient racists.
11. Flawed Ring of Soul Possession. Carries the soul of your
grandfather, Osto. If you put it on, he will possess your
body, figure out what has happened, and apologize. This
was never part of the plan. Where is the cruel baroness
Vikta? The ring was meant for her. Osto cannot possess
anyone who doesn't put the ring on willingly.
12. Legendary Ship of Five Ages. It is currently locked in solid
stone. You need several thousand labor hours to dig it out,
but once you do, it is a land-ship capable of sailing across
both land and sea. (Although sailing uphill may require
some pretty severe tacking.)
203
13. A favor from a succubus. The letter only promises a favor to
your father, but your father has attached a letter explicitly
passing the favor on to you. Her listed names are Isreta,
Shevala, or Sava. She is a shape changer, and it will be a
challenge to find her. There is no way to find her, and no
easy way to draw her out without simultaneously attracting
the (extremely dangerous) attention of a serpent demon
named Vilebrand. Investigating the history of Isreta,
Shevala, and Sava will reveal that all three women were
lovers of an uncommon card game called Tower Garden
(among the extraneous details) and that all three were
uncommonly beautiful. Host a high-profile evening of
Tower Garden, and a beautiful woman will be in
attendance. There are other ways to find her, but this is the
easiest.
14. Necklace of Decapitation. Bequeathed to you by a known
enemy along with a note "Death has a way of humbling a
fellow. I give you my lucky necklace, in the hopes that you
may be richly adorned for the rest of your days. No hard
feelings."
15. Two thousand pounds of opium. One pound of opium is
enough to get you executed. This is far, far more opium
than you can quietly sell illegally. Many people would kill
you for a tiny fraction of this amount. The safest thing to do
would be to throw the whole thing in the ocean.
16. A purple worm, currently held by a rancher who helped
your ancestor raise it from a wormling. It is non-agressive,
but isn't trained well enough to do any task. It will eat a live
cow (worth 10 gp) every three days, which is why the
rancher is eager to get rid of the thing. Containing it is
possible, but remember that it can burrow through stone.
17. A dwarven tomb, in one of the oldest mountains around.
Worth a fortune. Entirely non-transferrable. The dwarves
have already carved your name on it. There is no higher
honor in their culture. The tomb comes with a tomb-minder,
who is a small dwarf entirely dedicated to making sure that
you end up in your tomb once you die. He will ask questions,
204
check itineraries, and taste your urine in order to more
closely ascertain when you will die. If asked for advice, he
will answer honestly, but will subtly urge you towards
courses of action that are more likely to result in your swift
death. He has a young wife at home that he wants to get
back to.
18. Fancy cat. You can live in this huge house as long as you
personally serve Sir Snapdragon all of his meals. If you
falter in this very reasonable duty, you are out. If Sir
Snapdragon dies while in your care, your life is similarly
forfeit. For this service, you will be paid a handsome sum.
19. Mayorhood. It is located a week's travel from here. If you
are interested in fleecing the town for all its worth, you can
make about 200 gp of immediate embezzlements. If you
want to merely tax it, you can make between 50 and 100
gp a year, depending on how brutal you want to be. The
towns biggest exports are apple brandy and eel sausages.
20. A surprise. The conditions are given: you must enter this
dungeon naked. You can enter this dungeon with your
friends, if you wish. If you make it out the other side alive,
you will get your inheritance. You do not know it yet, but
waiting for you at the far side is the entire Palatine
mercenary company kneeling to you. Your father wanted
you to inherit, but the Meritas, the second in command,
was allowed to devise a test.
21. An invitation from beyond the grave. Basically a free pass
to heaven. But you have to die now. A place is already
prepared. Takes the form of a dove that can disassemble
into a tapestry of carefully painted feathers.
205
Appendix C. Timekeeping Aids
Classic Dungeons & Dragons by Gygax used the Gregorian
Calendar, and had one day pass in the game as one day
passed in the real world. But Gygax and co. ran their games
much like a tabletop massively mutiplayer role-playing game.
Modern players are much more likely to have weeks of
downtime pass in a few minutes.
206
Merwish Calandar Month Year
2nd of Toil
3rd of Toil
4th of Toil
Halfrest
6th of Toil
7th of Toil
8th of Toil
Counting
Rest
Latia Tetradia
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Florian Joves
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Adulla Carus
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Opilian Zeno
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Dynames Narci
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Satabu V anes
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Pardi Zipher
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Latia
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Florian
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Adulla
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Opillian
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Dynames
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Satabu
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Pardi
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Tetradia
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Joves
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Carus
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Zeno
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Narci
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Vanes
Rising 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Falling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Zipher
Appendix D. Trade Goods
Low Value Goods High Value Goods
01-08 Cotton/Wool/Flax 01-12 Armor/Weapons
09-18 Furs/Hides/Skins 13-16 Coffee/Tea
19-22 Ingots: Iron/Copper/Lead/Tin 17-20 Exotic Fruits
23-26 Lumber 21-30 Leathers/Silks/Fabrics
27-35 Wine/Ale/Beer/Liquor 31-33 Gold/Silver/Electrum/Platinum Bars
36-48 Grain/Foodstuffs 34- 37 Ivory
49-52 Livestock/Slaves 38-40 Narcotics/Medicine
53-65 Sugar/Spices/Hemp/Jute/ 41-46 Perfumes
Pipeweed/Herbs/Salt* 47-48 Ingots, Rare Metals
66-69 Dressed Stone 49-50 Rare Woods
70-73 Cloth/Fabric* 51-63 Religious Artifacts
74-79 Leather Goods 64-85 Scrolls/Books
80-87 Pewter/Bronze/Copperware/ 86-90 Ingots: Electrum/Silver/Gold/
Ceramics Platinum
88-95 Wooden Items 91-98 Laboratory Items
96-00 Steel Bar Stock 99-00 Magical Components
210
Ingots Iron/Copper/Bronze/Lead/Tin: An ingot is a pound.
Iron is 2 cp per pound, Copper is 1 silver pieces per pound,
Bronze is 6 cp per pound, Lead is 6 cp per pound, and Tin is 1
gp per pound.
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Sugar/Spices/Hemp/Jute/Pipeweed/Herbs/Salt: Sugar
and Salt are 1 gp per pound. (Sugar may be found in cane form
which cuts its value by /2 per pound). Spices and herbs range
1
212
High value goods
213
Ingots, Rare Metals: An ingot is a pound. Mithral is 75 gp per
pound, Adamantine is 750 gp per pound, Dwarven Iron, is 10
gp per pound, Fine steel is worth 15 gp a pound (or as it is more
likely to be found, 375 gp per steel bar), Alchemical Silver is 15
gp a pound, Cold Iron is 1 gp a pound, Orichalcum is 500 gp
a pound.
214
Ingots Electrum/Silver/Gold/Platinum: An ingot is a pound.
Electrum is 5 gp per pound, Silver is 1 gp per pound, Gold is 10
gp per pound, Platinum is 50 gp per pound.
215
Appendix E. Generating Hex Contents
A single 6 mile hex contains
• 0-1 Fortifications
• 0-2 population centers
• 2-8 hamlets
• 2-5 ruins
• 3-6 monster lairs
• 0-5 landmarks or features
217
Ruin seeds
Ruin Type
1-2 Temple 8 Fort
3-4 Tower 9 Abandoned city
5-7 Dungeon 0 Abandoned mine
Temple Seeds
218
Tower Seeds
221
City/Village Generation
Description
Village Name, "Community Motto"
Descriptive Phrase: Bustling, Chaotic, Decadent, Decrepit, Empty,
Established, Growing, Loud, Meltingpot, Metropolitan, Modest, Prosperous,
Sprawling, Thriving, Vast
Districts
Shops, Inns/Locations:
222
Demographics
Governments: Autocracy, Band Society, Bureaucracy, Chiefdom (Tribal),
Confederacy, Council, Democracy, Dictatorship, Feudalism, Geniocracy,
Gerontocracy, Gynarchy, Hierarchy, Kratocracy, Magocracy, Manorialism,
Matriarchy/Patriarchy, Meritocracy, Militocracy, Monarchy, Oligarchy,
Pedocracy, Plutocracy, Republic, Satrapy, Syndicracy, Theocracy, Timocracy,
Town Meeting
Population breakdown: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Gnome, Other
Languages Spoken*: B/X languages: Bugbear, Doppelganger, Dragon,
Dwarvish, Elvish, Gargoyle, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Harpy,
Hobgoblin, Kobold, Lizard Man, Medusa, Minotaur, Ogre, Orc, Pixie,
Human
Diversions
223
Castles
Castle Size
1-3 Four-walled open keep
4-6 Four-walled covered keep
7-8 Five to eight-walled covered keep
9 Small walled castle, two to four defensive towers
10 Medium walled castle, five to eight defensive towers
11 Large walled castle, nine to twelve defensive towers
12 Citadel
Castle Owner
224
Monstrous inhabitants
Men
225
10 Dungeon Doors
1. The raising classic A classic wooden door which refuses
to open conventionally and resists an unexpected amount
of force. The secret is that this door slides upward instead
of opening on hinges, the wood planks extending down
and up into the surrounding structure, giving that extra
strength.
2. The lyin’ maiden This iron door is covered with nasty
spikes on the inside and leads through to a small space
also littered with dangerous spikes. As the door is almost
fully closed, the spikes quickly retract, revealing another
door to continue through.
3. Cavity column What appears to be just a regular column
will, with a bit of effort, spin around in place, eventually
revealing a narrow opening. Inside the opening sits a stone
carved ladder leading downward into darkness.
4. Member’s entry An inviting finger-sized hole is the
only feature in this hard-to spot door. Only a poking finger
wearing a very particular ring into the mysterious hole will
gain you entry to this door; all others will find themselves
short a finger.
5. The Spinner An unmoving handle sits in the center of a
round door. Those familiar with the door know that the
body of the door must be rotated three full turns before it
will swing open.
6. Mutual entry This reinforced wooden door has a small
grate in the center, which can be spoken but not seen
through, and will only open when the handle is turned on
both sides simultaneously.
226
7. Krull the ancient Once Krull was the most advanced
dwarven technology around. Now Krull is a forgetful door
blessed with what is questionably sentience. Krull is usually
given some entry conditions to go by but can fairly easily
be tricked into opening up.
8. Leather ribbons Hanging from the top of the doorway
are a series of long leather strips dangling all the way to
the ground. This allows for easy hands-free passage
without letting the flies in or the warmth out.
9. World door A hefty door which appears older than the
world itself. In a vertical line from top to bottom are keyholes
with distinct designs for each of the world’s races.
10. Winter wall A magical force keeps icy water from
freezing as it cascades in a flat sheet out of the top of an
arched passage. Where the water has escaped on either
side, it has frozen into a hard and lumpy protective sheet of
ice.
227
Appendix F. Example Villages
Sowton Port
Sowton port is a village of 216 people far past its prime. Once
a larger port city, changing conditions and political pressures
have relegated it to a small secondary port. Sowton is known
for its many fountains, now fallen into disrepair, and brickwork
that is tinted and stained yellow due to sulfuic impurities in the
clay. There is a consistent odor of rotten eggs that hangs over
the city, but people quickly acclimate.
Demographics
228
Local Religions: Enoasor is venerated. He is portrayed as a
short elderly man who is a patron of music. His outfit often
encompasses musical note designs. He is also known to steal
and exact vengeance secretly. His worshipers often shave the
sides and back of their heads
Jon Rundig runs the local record house, which acts as the official
leadership for the town. His hair is styled into a pompadour
and he has a large beard. He is one of the few married people
in town, his husband Lake is the owner of the Hook and Pole, a
local general store.
Districts
Shops: The Hook and Pole, a general goods store run by Lake
Rundig.
Inns: The Bailiff's Arms, usually has good pork and ale available.
Owned by a lizard-man named Lithid, but run by a bald skinny
human named Ralpon Wund. It offers two "common rooms"
upstairs at the price of 4 cp to sleep among however many
people stay.
229
Constricted Pillars are 4 15´-18´ pillars that stand near the
center of town. They are frequently used to post messages, as
well as dares among any youth to climb. The view of the top
grants vision out to a distance of 6 miles.
Men for Hire: Shalin Dade, a half-elf who has his sights set on
greater riches. He's quite agile and fancies being an acrobat.
He has poor mastery of the bow.
230
Diversions
Adventure Seeds and Local News: Recently, the local lord has
sent troops into town to arrest Bili Rogvald, under suspicion of
illegal activity. Various factions would like to make sure he
doesn't talk, free him from prison, or find out what he was
arrested for.
231
Carwyn's Gate
The town of Carwyn's Gate is a bustling city of 3,669 people.
It is in the center of several smaller villages and hamlets and
serves as a local meeting place and landmark. Most
construction in the city is of wood, including its distinctive triple
external walls and its somewhat advanced and imposing
aqueduct.
Demographics
232
Local Gods & Religions: Adea is the goddess of fortune and
travel. She is a young maiden with large hips and a round
belly, and golden hair with dark skin. Her eyes are the color of
rubies, and what little clothing she has is golden plates with the
forms of various animals upon them. Many shrines of hers
abound in the city, filled with fresh water. Coins and small gifts
are left at the base for the destitute and needy travelers.
Rame is a short, fat, rotund deity of summer and earth. His skin
is a wooden bronze, and his eyes are pupilless and white. He
wears the skin of a stag, and its antlers protrude over his head.
He is otherwise naked and well endowed. There are no shrines
to Rame, but his mark of an angle and a line arranged like an
axe is carved into any wooden structure built by his worshipers.
On weekly holy days sacrifices of blood are made near the
roots of trees.
Districts
Inns: The Castle, known for its roasted meats, particularly elk. It
is run by Vahagn Jarrett and his wife. Vahagn is 63, grizzled,
with braided hair and a low-pitched voice, and has a hook for
a left hand. He is grouchy and kind. His wife is plump and
astoundingly beautiful.
The Druid's Lute, known for meals free of animal products, with
convincing imitations. Few actually know that the baked beef
doesn't actually have any beef in it. It's run by Sky Riverride, a
well-groomed, pock-marked half-elf. He is 34 and owns the
building and frequently comes out and leers at the guests.
233
Locations: Baroque Hill of the Holy Lady. A weatherworn statue
of a hooded woman sits atop this hill, the inscription worn
away by time.
Lonely Gate is the smallest entry into the city, barely large
enough for a horse and rider. It is always manned, day and
night.
234
Resources: Moderate, Fertile Farmland (wheat), Geography
(plains/light forest), Hunting/Game, Pastures (cows/sheep),
Timber
Diversions
The old weaver house, long used as a guildhall for the rugmaker
guild, has been boarded up and closed down, due to reports
of a curse involving miniature demons.
235
Sludgebridge
This is the hamlet of Sludgebridge, a small community near a
bridge and a swamp. The settlement's foundation was unstable,
and the elaborate three walls that once protected it are now
fallen into semi-ruin. It has a series of fountains in the center
built long ago when the hamlet was more prosperous. In spite
of its out of the way location, the bridge crossing a nearby river
makes for a bustling local scene. There are usually swamp
natives, lizard men, or other denizens crossing near this hamlet.
Demographics
236
Local Religions: Kralar, a local swamp and nature deity, is
worshiped. She is believed to protect the town, and appears
as a woman with sallow skin and a painted body, who wears
a large straw hat that hides her face with silks that drape from
it, obscuring her lithe form. Her skin is said to be covered in
scales, and she can walk upon water as if it were dry land.
Zenusk Guilbert, who is the head of the other clan in the hamlet.
Districts
237
Inns: There are no inns, the place is too small to support them.
There is a "common house" used as both a town hall and for
worship that visitors can sleep in for shelter from the elements.
Sometimes Ernest Guilbert will rent out his cottage to travelers.
There are three fountains in the center of the hamlet. The middle
one has a representation of Kralar, and she is said to bless all
those who donate money to the god by throwing coins in the
pond. These are collected by Awnalper's children at night
under cover of darkness, and they bring home the coins which
mostly go to the hamlet's budget.
The bridge over the river is wide, stable, and made of stone. It
is titled the Stoic Stygian bridge, as noted by the brass plaque
embedded in the stonework. Locals often congregate to fish off
the bridge.
Diversions
Names:
239
Densay
Densay is a small town of 1,182 people and is a town on the
fringes of civilized lands near a swamp. There are a large
number of wizards in the town and it is ruled harshly by a
Rakshasa named Ori. The town is extremely orderly and clean
with a golden and bejeweled public square, whose beauty in
the marshland is only marred by the torture of those who are
about to be eaten.
Demographics
Otnief Zaro, a suave wizard who speaks out against the rule of
Ori. She has had bad experiences, so she refuses to associate
with new people.
241
Districts
The Scarster Bastion is the central keep of Densay and the well-
fortified domain of Ori
242
Men for Hire: Mr. Higgens, a quiet, stout, bald man who picks
at his fingers with a knife.
Kurabu is a lizard man who has better places to be. This only
partially has to do with the people who want his hide.
Diversions
243
Strange Funeral Rites
1. Rite of the Weeping Moon: This rite is done under the light of
the crescent moon. Those at the funeral dance and sing songs
as if they are in reverse, while the priest kills a bird of paradise
and rubs the blood all over the body of the deceased. Once
completed, a bereaved family member stuffs the corpse’s
mouth full of moth pupas. It is believed this ritual keeps the spirit
trapped in the body.
246
Activity Procedure Page
Navigation 2d6+Int mod+Cha mod 16
Adornment 2 gp for 1 xp, 200 gp max 50
Carousing Spend 1 week and 1d8×100 gp 50
Philanthropy Save vs. spells
Orgies Save vs. poison
Study Save vs. paralysis
Gourmandizing Save vs. rods, staves, and wands
Sacrifice Sacrifice living or spend gold for rewards 54
Rumors 1d4×10 gp + reaction roll 55
Healing 1 day of rest to restore 1d3 hp 55
Relaxation 1 week for +1 hit point per Hit Die 55
Rodomontade 1 week bragging, +5% XP 55
Scouting 1 week planning, +1 on saves 56
Talents 3000 gp + 3 months 56
Learning Skills 1000 gp + 1 month 56
Proficiency 1000 gp + 1 week 57
Income Work 1 month, no expenses + gp 57
Crafting Items 5 gp per day, pay /2 price for mats 58
1
247
Activity Procedure Page
Protege Spend gp for xp boost on new PC 87
Congregants 1,000 gp for 1d10+ 1/2 Cha followers 92
Locate Buyer Reaction roll 9+, time based on value 105
Haggling Reaction roll + offer, 6+ 105
Investment Yearly payout. Stable 1d6-2%, Risky 106
1d20-11%, Volatile 50-1d100%
Lifestyle Required payment monthly 107
Clan Hoard Gain 10% of gold spent in XP, access 107
to clan or guild rewards
248
Seasonal Events
- No Event
- Accident
- Bad Weather
- Banditry and Brigandage
- Birth
- Celebrity
- Comet
- Corruption
- Death
- Diplomatic Event
- Famine
- Festival
- Feud
- Fire
- Haunting
- Magical Events
- Marriage
- Monsters
- Natural Disaster
- Notable Personage
- Plague or Illness
- Raiders and Raiding
- Religion
- Refugees
- Uprising or Rebellion
- Visitation
- War
* Events occur at variable rates, create your own d100 table
with percentages appropriate to your campaign
249
Bibliography
The definitive Medieval Demographics Made Easy, by S. John
Ross
250
"Call it spreadsheets and sorcery again
and I'll have your tongue!"
Adventurer
Conqueror
King System
"Epic-scale world construction rules... in the sandbox spirit of the
hobby's earliest campaigns" - Allen Varney
Available now at DriveThruRPG
252
About the Author
Courtney lives in the Ozarks
with his wonderful daughter and
loving cat. He never thought he
would be described that way in
the back of a book just like all
the authors he read growing up.
He plays Dungeons and Dragons
since he got a player's handbook
with his father back in 1982. After 20 years of public service,
he now writes and illustrates fantasy gaming materials full time.
He is three feet long and covered with fur.
253
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