[A-Z Blogging Challenge] A is for The Sword is AWESOME!

I'm going to have to eat a bit of crow with this blog post. My family has a long history of "worthless Christmas gifts" from the year of multiple copies of "Dragons of Autumn Twilight," to the early nineties when I got one of those Lollapaloser flimsy sleeveless flannel shirts with an attached flimsy hood (because I liked punk rock...) and the "$25 worth of Costco gift certificates" debacle (great, a present that means I have to wait in line forever to buy a giant box of granola bars). Oh well, it's not like one should expect their parents to get them Sodom vinyl LPs and early OOP TSR products.

So this year my sister, bless her square heart, got me a copy of The Sword's "Warp Riders" for Christmas as "Blair likes metal." Yeah Blair likes metal... the same way Jamie Mal likes Dungeons & Dragons. Blair likes primitive, bestial low-fi thrash, doom, sludge, grindcore, black metal, power violence...you get the picture.

So, of course, I was less than enthused with that gift, although my making lemonade out of lemons reaction was "Well a fair amount of my friends are hipster-ish so I can just re-gift it whenever I hear of a birthday..."

Today I had to take the day off work due to a strained back; after my 11 am wake-n-bake I was restless, bored and lookign for something to entertain me. I spotted my copy of "Warp Riders" gathering dust and thought "Why don't I put this on and laugh my ass off at how slick and false it is!", the metal-nerd version of Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

Well, although the production was slicker than what I was used to, after a few minutes I was sucked in! I really let my "underground nuclear goat chaos punk hessian" stance interfere with enjoying some awesome music, as this album really kicks ass!

This band really has it all: awesome riffs & hooks, psychedelic space fantasy lyrics, and lush production that propels you on nebulae of pot smoke through the cosmos!

I really learned my lesson about being judgmental about "bands not being underground enough," and I have already discovered a bunch of awesome new bands on youtube like Priestess, Queens of the Stone Age, Muse and Probot just from looking at music with an open mind, and I encourage you to do the same.

I know that when I resume DMing Planet Algol games that The Sword "Warp Riders" will be the official album of the Planet Algol campaign, and I encourage all of you to check out this kickass band.

Now here's a little random table of "The Sword Inspired Plot Hooks"

1 - Tres Brujas - The party encounters three witches, are they potential allies or adversaries?
2 - Warp Riders - The party finds a downed starcraft, do they dare to ride the warp?
3 - Night City - The party arrives at a city ...where it is always night!
4 - Arrows in the Dark - Out of the darkness arrows fly at the party ...what is this ambush?!?!
5 - The Chronomancer, Pt. 1: Hubris - The party encounters a sorcerer with unusual time-manipulating magic, however he/she suffers from hubris!
6 - Lawless Lands - In their travels the party has to cross a land without any lawful authority...danger and crime abounds!
7 - Acheron/Unearthing the Orb - The party comes across a party of archaeologists studying ancient Acheronian ruins ...and they have just discovered a mysterious orb!
8 - Astraea's Dream - An NPC, names Astraea, just had a mysterious dream that bodes of adventure for the party!
9 - The Chronomancer, Pt. 2: Nemesis - The party encounters a time-manipulating sorcerer who is being hunted by another time-manipulating  adversary who seeks to punish them for their hubris!
10 - (The Night The Sky) Cried Tears of Fire - After sunset storm clouds gather; the clouds...they look like embers...why is the lightning flaming? Oh gods no...the rain..it burns!

One Little Chart That Says So Much...

While looking up the info on the Empire of the Petal Throne reprints, I stumbled across this table for generating the nature of Tekumel underworld complexes by "dungeon level."

I'm definitely going to have to put it in my collection of useful DM tables, and I think I may have to order "The Pettigrew Selections" for the Underworlds article alone!

Table for use with Exquisite Corpses

d% Table for use with Stefan Poag's Exquisite Corpses
01-04 A. Ape
05-08 B. Bird, Monster
09-12 C. Brain-Headed Alien (Bighead)
13-16 D. Bug-Man (Insectoid)
17-20 E. Bull-Man ("Taurian")
21-24 F. Centipede, Giant Monstrous
25-28 G. Cthuloid (Squid-head)
29-32 H. Cyclopskiapod (One-eyed Hopper)
33-36 I. Dracon (Dragon, Wyrm, etc.)
37-40 J. Fungoid (Shroomian)
41-44 K. Great Race
45-48 L. Horse-Headed Centaur ("Horse-Head")
49-52 M. Icthyoid (Fish-Man)
53-56 N. Leech-Man (Sucker)
57-58 O. Man (human)
59-62 P. Man-Bat
63-66 Q. Mutant
67-70 R. Pig-Man (El Puerco)
71-74 S. Robot
75-78 T. Tree Man
79-82 U. Rotting Corpse (Zombie)
83-86 V. Saurian (humanoid)
87-90 W. Snake, giant (Monster)
91-94 X. Tentacler (Monster)
95-98 Y. Two Headed Giant (Giant)
99-00 Z. Woman (human)

NPC Generation Table Test Results & Planet Algol NPC Alignment Generation Tables

Prung Vorka, Neutral 2nd-level Sage, Shuzakh Man (hairless with skin like a fire newt, black eyes)
Terrible facial scars, one eye, will never betray or abandon an ally.

Kathudi, Chaotic neutral 9th-level Thief, Dhazzi Man (bronze skin and eyes, metallic green hair)
Always has bare arms, is convinced that supernatural forces meddle in his affairs.

Hazarash, Chaotic neutral 6th-level Sorcerer, Kherulhi Man (blue skin, hairless, black eyes)
Wears simple undyed robes, laughs at very inappropriate moments.

Yurud, Neutral 6th-level Sorceress(!), Haasht Woman (jade finely scaled skin, lavender hair, iridescent copper eyes)
Is short and slim and often mistaken for a child, is convinced that she will die soon.

Drekken, Neutral evil 1st-level Assassin, Mhoght Man (purple fine scales, black bushy hair and beard)
Wears a bronze circlet, knows the location of a hidden treasure.

Although I'm biased, I'm digging these results. When I read Drekken's entry an entire plot jumps into my mind! Young, beginning Assassin, finds treasure map, recruits party to aid him, but plans to reward them with murder! (but will likely be way over his head, which is exactly the sort of black comedy I enjoy...)

Kathudi seems suitably "roguish" and both Hazarsh and Yurud fit the bill as eccentric sword & sorcery spellslingers.

Thinking about Drekken and his map brings to mind the treasure map rules in the 1st edition DMG. As I already have several hidden treasures secreted about the Planet Algol sandbox, perhaps I should have allowances for finding specific treasure maps on the Special/Magic/Technological Item treasure table I'm also working on for the Planet Algol booklet. "A holographic crystal shows three red men burying a chest beneath a distinctive rock formation in the Lands of Purple Grass..."

Thinking about how to handle ability scores, three options come to mind. As I'm aiming for this to be "scalable" NPC generation, with different levels of detail dependent on what is desired, this is pretty much a perfect number.

Option A - Ignore Them. They're NPCs, 90% in oldschool D&D they don't even have any mechanical effect, easy enough.

Option B - Standard 3d6 roll, with simple rearrangement allowance dependent on class such as "if a Fighter's strength is their lowest stat and also below 9 switch it with something better"

Option C - Tables of 100 pre-rolled sets of ability scores. One for Fighting-Men, one for Sorcerers, and so forth. Seems like a bit much at first blush, but the more I think about it the more it actually makes sense. This is exactly the kind of resource I want available when I'm DMing.

Here's the tables I'm using for NPC alignments.

d6 Law-Neutral-Chaos
1-2 Lawful
3-4 Neutral
5-6 Chaotic

d10 Good-Neutral-Evil
1 Good *
2-6 Neutral
7-10 Evil

* Originally a result of 1-2 gave a result of Good, but Planet Algol is a wicked, decadent, grasping world...

Further on NPC Generation

The procedures and tables I've developed for NPC generation proved fruitful during today's Planet Algol session and it seems like they're in line with my goals for creating quick, memorable, motivated NPCs.

The process involves using die rolls to generate both the "RPG rules" details of the character, such as class, level, alignment, magic items, etc; and also characteristics that can be used by the referee as improvisational cues for roleplaying, motivations, plot hooks and the like. As previously mentioned, this process is scalable. A couple of rolls for cheap thugs and thorough complex generation if the referee desires.

One thing that become apparent is that I should make different sets of tables for the three main "sword & sorcery" archetypes: fighter, sorcerer and thief.

In attempting to systematize creating at least the simulacrum of memorable, "living" personalities, my latest categorization of such elements breaks down as follows:

Appearance: "Wears heavy dinosaur hide bracers," "Has a broken nose," "Never wears a shirt"
External Personality: "Laughs at everything like Dr. Hibbert," "Wants to be everyone's friend," "Doesn't like small talk"
Internal Personality: "Insanely jealous and will hold murderous grudges over perceived slights," "Will never betray an ally," "Falls in love way to easily"
Agenda/Motivation: "Wants to explore other worlds," "Very greedy," "Hates slavers"
Complications: "An evil scientist has implanted a mind control device in brain," Member of Great Old One cult," "On a secret mission for a Lawful Baron"
Possessions: "A prism which reveals all illusions," "Unbreakable dull gray knife," "Beige cowled desert robes"

Planet Algol Artwork Preview and Robust, Procedural NPC Generation Musings

Above is a preview of the artwork in the upcoming Planet Algol Booklet, in this case a depiction of the battle with the Psyclops in the ruins of the Serpent Men by the estimable Robin Ruddock.

I've been lackadaisically knocking away at the encounter & NPC generation section of the Planet Algol booklet. One of my aims, keeping in line with my design goal of making the booklet a reference that I would use while DMing, is making the tables and processes for "Robust Procedural NPC Generation."

For example, on an encounter table I get a result of "sole NPC." I roll a handful of dice and now I know the sole NPC is "Kyarthog Myrlexlillian, Lawful Neutral Dhazzi Man, 3rd-level Fighting Man, +1 trident, scimitar, banded mail, 110 gp, collection of various lenses, member of a mercenary guild, is inordinately fond of candy, on a secret mission to find a lost treasure for a Baron."

Ideally this should scalable and context sensitive. Simple, fast methods for random thugs and guards as opposed to detailed complex options for more important personages. Important henchmen, adversarial villains and powerful wicked sorcerers deserve a wide, deep set of generation options.

And the tables for generating armament should be geared towards funky, flavorful, genre-appropriate combos such as trident and whip or scimitar and throwing knives.

Live by the Random Table...Die by the Random Table

Before the last Planet Algol session I had come up with majority of my Random NPC and Random Plot tables (much of which was written while waiting for some of the tardier players to show up...).

Being a lover of Random Tables, of course I had to utilize them in that session. So I roll on the random plot table to see what new adventure hook would be dangled in the party's face when they roll into the big sword & sorcery city of Kharhem.

The result?

"A terrible howling storm of acid and radiation lashes the land driving all into shelters where they must contend with cannibalistic madness."

Yikes! Well, I couldn't sleep at night if I fudged. So yeah, the party had to take shelter in an inn while the entire city was lashed by acid rain and radioactivity...and than the cannibalistic madness set in.

I used generous saving throws. Some PCs (and NPCs) resisted the madness, others had to struggle with it, and some PCs tried to kill other PCs....and one of them did kill another PC and passed out after feasting on his flesh on the last day of the 5-day storm.

Oh, and before the cannibalistic madness started, one of the PCs died due to a unfortunate interaction with one of the random NPCs that was present in the inn.

Fortunately the party acquired on of those total-munchkin-cheese Empire of the Petal throne Eyes ("The Eye of Restoring Life") while fighting Tekumel monsters in the underworld, so the two deceased characters were brought back (after making their resurrection survival rolls of course!) when the madness ceased, but they lost two charges of the potent artifact as well as five days of harrowing terror and cannibalistic madness.

Meanwhile the city there were in, the city that I have probably spend hundreds of hours writing, mapping, revising and editing, has been seriously nuked by hard radiation, acidic precipitation and widespread cannibalistic madness. "I'm a bastard! I blew it all up!"

And you know what? No regrets. No remorse. Let the dice fall where they may.

And despite the character deaths, despite having to deal with their characters going mad with cannibalistic lust, despite being cooped up in an inn for five days. The players enjoyed it...those magnificent masochistic bastards, I love these guys!

The moral? I made a stupid-awesome gonzo random table. Rolled on it and followed through on the results, thereby putting the players and their characters through the fucking wringer. Even taking away (temporarily) their control over some of their characters.

And it all worked out in the end. Be true to your DM bad-assery. Follow through on your madness. Don't fudge the dice. Put the players through hell. If they're true, if they're tough, if they're the leather and iron that adventurers are made of, they'll eat it up and than say "That's all you got?"

EDIT: In the same spirit, when I rolled for treasure and the uber-useful character lifespan-extending Eye of Restoring Life came up ("Tekumel monsters have Tekumel treasure" logic), I didn't fudge the dice and let the players have it. It'll run out of charges...and than the reaper will feast, muhahahaha!

EDITx2: It was also very gratifying that when characters were contending with cannibalistic madness I used the old cartoon cliche of saying that the other party members looked like a roast chicken to them...

Random Earth Man and Algol Foodstuffs Tables

Random Earth Men d20
01- Naive British schoolchildren.
02- Ruthless military officer, secretly paranoid and xenophobic, may snap under pressure.
03- Homeless French-Canadian punk rocker (25% chance of dog, 50% chance of it being a pitbull) will be oblivious to the change in scenery and will be looking for "ze beer store."
04- Unflappable Victorian-era explorer.
05- Clueless reporter that believes he will get home soon with a "great story."
06- Old West prospector with amazing mule (1-3), dog (4-5) or bear (6).
07- Mongol warrior that is having a great time.
08- Very religious medieval knight that believes that he is in hell and that everyone are demons, constantly lamenting.
09- Science fiction author that is disgusted with being a genre cliche.
10- Criminal mastermind that lands on his feet and immediately beings laying the foundations of a new criminal empire.
11- Native American warrior, total badass that can make bows and canoes and the like.
12- All-American sports hero with a punchy nickname.
13- Brilliant engineer that can MacGuyver shit.
14- Child detective almost always right but has 50% chance of being insufferably smug.
15- African-American martial artists, 50% chance of being a stone fox.
16- Renaissance-era Renaissance man, 60% chance of being always condescending and 75% chance of being a fencing master.
17- Super hero cast to Algol by super villain.
18- Saucer Nazis!
19- Protagonist of a fish-out-of-water comedy, immune to serious harm but is always casuing convoluted complicated situations.
20- Exasperated cop, either action hero of dad-type that was about to retire.

Random Algol Foodstuffs d24
01- Algae wafers.
02- Preserved fungus.
03- Yeast cake.
04- Died grubs.
05- Live grubs.
06- Delicious effervescent nectar.
07- Lumpy gray paste.
08- Giant slug (or other oversize invertebrate) flesh.
09- Mucous soup.
10- Dinosaur meat in oversize cuts.
11- Large gelatinous invertebrate eggs.
12- Large reptile or avian eggs.
13- Entire amphibian.
14- Albino carp.
15- Metallic fruit.
16- Live culture.
17- Sausage containing wildly varying ingredients.
18- Composite of yeast, algae, dried grubs, etc.
19- Tubers.
20- Small cubes or spheres of intensely concentrated nutrition.
21- Giant arthropod limbs.
22- Entire dried reptile.
23- Dried primate.
24- Incredibly spicy, reroll.

100 NPC(s) Table

EDIT: I feel terrible that I forgot to credit Zak Smith's "Hidden Traits of NPCs..." table as being a major influence on this table. #99 is my favorite and I can think of some real life humans that could describe...

Why have a table with 20 NPCs when I could have 100 instead...

d%
01- A psychic beast-tamer with a magic crystal scimitar.
02- A Lizardman gladiator and former slave that won it's freedom in a legendary competition hundreds of years ago.
03- Twin oracles, hairless in simple robes. One of the twins is blind.
04- Intoxicant addicted thief who will befriend and than murder travelers.
05- Brutal nomad warlord with a retinue of fanatic bodyguards.
06- Blind psychic warriors skilled in unarmed combat and deception.
07- Robed cultists who's garments conceal inhuman body parts.
08- Wandering trader with a robotic mount and a supply of Earth Man ammunition for sale.
09- Princess who lives a secret double life as a masked duelist.
10- Youthful sorcerer's apprentice who believes their master to be possessed or corrupt.
11- Grizzled master thief who seeks a worthy challenge.
12- Elderly scarred mercenary with a ruthless past who seeks redemption.
13- Cynical smuggler and bandit who secretly has a heart of gold.
14- Inscrutable alien being that claims to be on a mission for the benefit of humanity.
15- Band of youthful mercenaries eager to make a reputation.
16- Band of young Armigers with an internal struggle between the callous and the good-matured.
17- Experienced elderly slave-master that delights in performing tricks with his whip.
18- Master perfumer who is secretly a master poison brewer.
19- Puppeteer who secretly uses sorcery to animate his puppets for nefarious purposes.
20- Gregarious and likable necromancer.
21- Shapechanging advanced Shoggoth seeking pawns for it's unimaginable plans.
22- Disguised Mi-Go scientist seeking test subjects.
23- Mutant warlord that seeks the means to free his enslaved tribe.
24- Mercenary Guild Syndic seeking a new beginning.
25- Disguised Hierophant on a secret mission of a highly personal nature.
26- Hierarch on a secret mission who is being hounded by assassins.
27- Guild Syndic and entourage on a diplomatic mission.
28- World-weary caravan master who thinks he has seen it all.
29- Physician who desires to perform unwholesome experiments.
30- Vat Guilder behaving inscruitably.
31- Sentient telepathic beast.
32- Animate statue.
33- Gravely injured Armiger of an especially honorable nature who is on a convalescent sabbatical.
34- Conniving Oligarch with a soft spot for underdogs.
35- Fast-talking trader who knows far more than he lets on.
36- The diguised slumming scion of a powerful noble that is looking to get into trouble.
37- Intoxicated bravos with a chip on their shoulders.
38- Smug bravo that moves with a master fencer's grace.
39- Beast hunter seeking powerful weapons.
40- Blasphemous sorcerer seeking to translate moldy stone tablets.
41- The chieftain of a tribe of reclusive pygmies.
42- Experienced bravo who is a master knife thrower.
43- Oligarch Patriarch borne by slaves.
44- Arrogant sneering Baron that is actually a disguised vagabond.
45- Archaeologist and apprentices.
46- Scholar that poo-poo's danger and seeks material for a treatise.
47- Dashing noble haunted by terrible nightmares.
48- Elderly sage that was once highly respected but is now senile with occasional moments of lucidity.
49- Disguised alien being that can shoot death-rays from it's eyes.
50- Shaggy hominid of an unknown species that is incoherent but companionable.
51- Debonair foreign aristocrats with hooves instead of feet.
52- Savage barbarian mercenaries who despise black magic.
53- Eccentric wasteland scavenger with many wry tales.
54- Noblewoman that is actually a disguised member of a secret society of assassin-witches.
55- Rude freemen and his herd of beasts.
56- Caravan guard looking for a different sort of adventure.
57- Fawning sycophant that is actually an insane murderer.
58- Stuffy Oligarch Matriarch that secretly desires rugged adventurer types.
59- Jealous suitor that perceives one of the party to be a romantic rival.
60- Simple-minded youth that latches on to and attempts to follow the party.
61- Fencing master who is eager to take on the challenge of a hopeless pupil.
62- Nubile sorcereress with a hideous mount.
63- Brooding Armiger that is intolerant of nonhumans.
64- Wandering trader of pipes and hookahs that loves to gossip.
65- Desperate Hierarch who lost a sheaf of important documents.
66- Arrogant bureaucrat with powerful criminal connections.
67- Astrologer who seeks to climb mountains for a better view of the stars.
68- Potion mixer with an unsavory reputation.
69- Tomb robber that seeks to have a sinister parasite removed.
70- Earth Man adventurer who is being pursued by villains.
71- Retired Technocrat that loves to tinker.
72- Madman clad in filthy rags that claims to be an envoy of the Emerald Autarch.
73- Elderly Freewoman that can perform amazing feats of mind over matter.
74- A band of cautious youths on a mission for their clan.
75- Whimsical musician who plays on instruments crafted from human bone.
76- Mysterious taciturn gunslinger.
77- Spoiled noble heir that has deluded himself into believing that he has mental powers.
78- Elderly trader that claims that the tonics he sells have restorative and anti-radiation properties.
79- Three sword-maidens that appear to be furious.
80- Confused soldier with a bandaged head wound and a jeweled sword.
81- Jaded gladiator who murders for gold
82- Band of musicians one of whom is secretly a jewel thief.
83- Sorcerer possessed by multiple spirits who compel him to drink human blood.
84- Secret order of warriors and mystics defending an ancient relic.
85- Savages with women for sale.
86- Enchanter of luck-amulets prone to cutting insults.
87- Self-important master tactician and strategist.
88- Child possessed by a legendary sage's spirit, will know many uncanny facts.
89- Young man seeking vengeance against the sorcerer who slew his bride with magic.
90- Crippled son of a Baron, outcast due to his deformity.
91- Wandering bodiless spirit that seeks to drive men mad.
92- Casually cruel and vain armiger bravo.
93- Blind prophet who wanders the wastelands.
94- Likable rogue with dim-witted guards.
95- Rich merchant couple, husband unaware wife is actually a disguised Serpent-Man.
96- Dancing girl being hounded by a blackmailer.
97- Psychic Assassin who seeks to collect a massive fee for slaying a difficult target.
98- Baron seeking to overthrow the local rulers and seize their throne.
99- A master of disguise and deception.
100- Beautiful artist telepathically bonded to a savage warrior .

Compiled 100 Random Adventure Plots Table

"76- A terrible howling storm of acid and radiation lashes the land driving all into shelters where they must contend with cannibalistic madness."

Total DM Dick Move.

The below table contains the previous 80 entries I posted (60 of which were written while waiting for all of today session's players to show up) with an additon 20 written after the game. Obviously mangle, invert, remix and so forth to suit your own needs. This is the sort of table I would roll on for a "special" encounter table result or a successful attempt by the player characters to "find adventure."

d%
01- A shapechanging insectoid seductress has been devouring her paramours and taking their wealth.
02- A swarm of psychic hivemind trilobites have been razing the land.
03- A dying wastelander tells of a buried cache of intoxicants and weaponry.
04- A jewel-encrusted skull telepathically speaks of a subterranean vault-palace full of treasure.
05- Cultists is tattered rags with weeping sores transport a palanquin containing a powerful radium bomb with a cracked casing.
06- Shapechanging androids from the future seeks to kill a member of the party.
07- A crack in the ground disgorges massive worm-vehicles with paralyzing dart throwers.
08- A band of Earth Man cowboys recently transported to Algol.
09- An Earth Man engineer, the sole survivor of a recent rocket crash, has the tool and knowledge to manufacture firearms and ammunition with adequate facilities and supplies.
10- A band of Ape-Savants and Ape-Warlords who seek the buries vault of an ancient Ape civilization.
11- A powerful Baron seeks guards to transport a gift of virgin pleasure slaves to a foreign warlord unmolested.
12- Nocturnal travelers have been found dead, with their skulls neatly sliced open and their brains missing.
13- A cave has been vomiting vast dense clouds of pulpy worm-flies that plague neatby settlements.
14- A small army of veiled pilgrims drag a massive iron battelship across the wastes.
15- A monolithic tower of craggy obsidian bearing a burning ruby eye slowly travels across the land.
16- Clouds of green fog have been appearing, they transform all living creature within into slime encrusted mindless animate skeletons.
17- A beautiful blind noblewoman has been seen at night seeking a legendary hero.
18- Glowing portals into the underworld have been seen at night.
19- An Earth Man rocket-jet has recently crashed, it's crew seek to repair it's engine.
20 - A obsessed Earth Man scientist and his beautiful daughter seek guides.
21- A cult seeks someone to slay a child-prisoner.

22- Fanatics seeks a legendary jewel possessed by a tribe of savages in order to reincarnate a sorcerer-king.

23- Advanced subterranean beings are attempting to take over the local criminal enterprises.

24- Followers of the Lords of Light seek to stop a cyborg from finding a lost temple.

25- A intelligence from a plane of pure thought seeks to acquire an ancient super-computer.

26- A hero who is secretly a villain seeks an ancient tomb in order to unleash a linguistic virus.

27- A Baron seeks adventurers to destroy the corrupt armigers of an isolated settlement who are secretly controlled by an insane cult.

28- A warlord-priest with a spaceship-temple and pirate-fanatic followers has been raiding isolated settlements.

29- Thieves have been spreading diseases at taverns.

30- A mad sorceress and a dashing thief seek the secrets of a demon altar located in the depths of a vast precipice.

31- An arrogant sorcerer served by bound nightgaunts seeks to seize the powers of the Human avatar of an extradimensional entity.

32- The heir of an important noble was slain and the standard of his army, a totem of copper and feathers with bound spirits, was stolen.

33- A powerful priest-oligarch seeks his illegitimate daughter who is a pleasure-slave of a wandering mercenary band.

34- A jeweled dagger has been found that induces overpowering greed in those that view it.

35- Demons possess the celebrants of a fertility festival inducing blodthirsty madness.

36- A speaking zorse claims to be a transformed hero that needs to travel to a remote shrine in order to break their curse.

37- A noble seeks guards for a expedition to hunt mutant dinosaurs.

38- The spoiled scion of a rich merchant seeks to hire adventurers for an treasure hunting expedition.

39- Veiled pilgrims are secretly collecting genetic material.

40- An artist seeks grotesque subjects to serve as inspiration.

41- A lamia with the power of invisibility is seeking to raise an army of the dead with the aid of a gang of rebellious noble youth.

42- A band of intoxicant addicted Amazons led by an imperious queen terrorize the land from a sky-barge.

43- An infamous villain of legend emerges from hibernation in a hidden vault.

44- A traveling band of entertainers are said to possess a hidden fortune.

45- A sky-vessel pilot seeks a forsaken temple in order to bring back a deceased lover.

46- Soldiers are hunting a pleasure slave who slew a noble and fled with a powerful energy weapon.

47- A child avatar of Nyarlathotep has been accumulated sword-bearing mindless followers.

48- Ruthless treasure hunters seek a jewel-encrusted cavern inhabited by peaceful shadow-beings.

49- A settlement is haunted by a deformed phantom that summons extradimensional beings.

50- Feuding noble houses conspire to bring war to the land.

51- An intoxicant-addled sorcerer accidentally creates a portal to Iagdhir, inflicting the freezing temperatures and icy inhabitants of that planet on the surrounding lands.

52- An undead Earth Man astronaut seeks the means to return home.

53- A comet crashes mutating the wildlife into bizarre abominations.

54- A powerful Baron begins conscripting children to be indoctrinated into an elite guard.

55- Two rival nomad clans seek a prophetic monolith.

56- A champion seeks a legendary weapon for an upcoming duel.

57- A order or fanatical warrior-monks with a blood-thirsting magic weapon seek to slay a girl-child in order to fulfill a prophecy.

58- A runaway youth is pursued by the Armigers of his Baron father.

59- An assassin-courtesan seeks an escort to a faraway land to begin a new life.

60- A technocrat is using poison and clones to take over a settlement.
61- The insane remnants of a lost civilization have been using a brothel to implant hypnotic suggestions into the clients.
62- Insane scientists seek to entrap a god-like alien.
63- Time travelers seek to control a Great Old One.
64- Alien beings composed of mental energy have been possessing women.
65- A fortress holds the vehicle of an unknown alien race.
66- A spaceman has been using biological warfare, clones and bombs to extort nobles.
67- There is a rich bounty for the head of an intoxicant merchant who dwells in a hidden stronghold.
68- Nobles and criminals both seeks ancient weapons in a underground complex.
69- Scientists need to have their twisted creations destroyed.
70- A demon slayer and his entourage seek a hidden monastery with shrines to the Great Old Ones.
71- A cruel young Baron possesses a treasure map that leads to legendary ancient torture devices.
72- A noble's secret subterranean pleasure vault has been overtaken by recently awakened demons.
73- A noble seeks an escort to take his daughter to a secret cult that dwells at a remote oasis.
74- A youth claims to be a reincarnated hero and is provoking a slave uprising.
75- A sorcerer seeks to offer his daughter to a an ancient subterranean alien entity.
76- A terrible howling storm of acid and radiation lashes the land driving all into shelters where they must contend with cannibalistic madness.
77- A leprous pariah with a metal steed has been hiring hardened mercenaries.
78- A scholar seeks to study a remote tribe that practices unwholesome rites.
79- A powerful sorceress with a bestial lover seeks an ancient weapon contained within an madness-inducing labyrinth.
80- A noble seeks someone to slay a powerful merchant who has been experimenting with ancient alien technology and is guarded by rogue Armigers.
81- Warlord seeks protection from adventurers seeking to rob him.
82- Master thief seeks escorts to rob an ancient tomb.
83- Flawless virgin is sought to ritually marry an ancient idol.
84- Plot to secretly replace a noble house with clones.
85- Secret gladiatorial tournament to the death.
86- Beautiful slave seeks rescue from a demonic master.
87- A mind wizard has been infiltrating the local noble houses and blackmailing them.
88- A local noble has died and his child son must assume the throne.
89- A beacon leads to a crashed spacecraft.
90- Someone's mother has been abducted by a wandering trader.
91- Rival gangs of smugglers declare war upon each other.
92- A bitter knife-fighter seeks aid to destroy an undead abomination that used to be her twin sister.
93- A desperate battle aboard flaming sky-vessels.
94- An automated spacecraft lands disgorging ravenous alien beasts.
95- A golden idol is guarded by a tribe of savages and a mummified sorcerer.
96- A trade guild is waging a secret war of assassination against the local noble houses.
97- Innocent alien youth fleeing their cruel society seek aid to escape their psychic kin.
98- Slavers using an ancient death ray to enslave nomads.
99- A rich merchant seeks to create an android duplicate of a powerful sorcerer.
100- A sorcerer trapped in the shadow planes seeks adventurers to travel to a desert oracle.

Another Plot Generator Table

1- A lamia with the power of invisibility...

20 More Adventure Seeds

1- The insane remnants of a lost civilization...

Random NPC(s) Table

NPC(s)
1- Jaded gladiator who murders for gold
2- Band of musicians one of whom is secretly a jewel thief
3- Sorcerer possessed by multiple spirits who compel him to drink human blood
4- Secret order of warriors and mystics defending an ancient relic
5- Savages with women for sale
6- Enchanter of luck-amulets prone to cutting insults
7- Self-important master tactician and strategist
8- Child possessed by a legendary sage's spirit, will know many uncanny facts
9- Young man seeking vengeance against the sorcerer who slew his bride with magic
10- Crippled son of a Baron, outcast due to his deformity
11- Wandering bodiless spirit that seeks to drive men mad
12- Casually cruel and vain armiger bravo
13- Blind prophet who wanders the wastelands
14- Likable rogue with dim-witted guards
15- Rich merchant couple, husband unaware wife is actually a disguised Serpent-Man
16- Dancing girl being hounded by a blackmailer
17- Psychic Assassin who seeks to collect a massive fee for slaying a difficult target
18- Baron seeking to overthrow the local rulers and seize their throne
19- A master of disguise and deception
20- Beautiful artist telepathically bonded to a savage warrior

Random Substance Properties Tables

Use to generate potions, intoxicants, foodstuffs, etc.

Base Substance d6

1-3 d12 1 Pellets 2 Fine powder 3 Seeds/pods 4 Gummy/resinous lump 5 Viscous fluid 6 Blossom 7 Fungi 8 Concoction of fermented organic matter 9 Dense vapour 10 Needles/stingers/thorns 11 Dried vegetable matter 12 Root/tuber

4-6 d12 1 Cigar/cigarette 2 Dried creature or portion thereof 3 Chalky lump 4 Flakes 5 Thin fluid 6 Cubes 7 Coarse granules 8 Small live creature 9 Living tissue or matter 10 Organ 11 Fruit/berry 12 Crystal/gem

Appearance d6

1-3 d12 1 Black 2 White 3 Gray 4 Iridescent 5 Mottled/marbled/blotchy 6 Brown 7 Green 8 Blue 9 Ocher 10 Red 11 Purple 12 Urine-colored

4-6 d12 1 Pus-colored 2 Moldy, reroll for colors 3 Glowing, reroll for color 4 Jale 5 Ulfire 6 Dolm 7 Fulgin 8 Translucent, reroll for color 9 Clear 10 Smoking/fuming, reroll for colors 11 Shifting coloration, reroll for colors 12 Metallic

Smell/Taste d6

1-3 d12 1 Metallic 2 Chemical 3 Moldy 4 Rotting flesh 5 Decaying vegetable matter 6 Tasteless/odorless 7 Spicy 8 Cinnamon 9 Fruity 10 Bloody 11 Dusty 12 Fishy

4-6 d12 1 Burnt/smoky 2 Resinous 3 Floral 4 Bitter 5 Pungent 6 Musky 7 Urine/feces 8 Acrid 9 Incense 10 Salty 11 Naptha 12 Sweet (75% sickly)

Urban Action Mayhem Chase Tables

"My idea of a town adventure goes something like blah, blah, blah, there's a fight, and then the town burns down. "
- Jeff Rients

When cocky, amoral adventures roll into some settlement and start thinking they can browbeat, bully and strongarm their way over the locals. When a chaotic neutral low-level thief can't resist shoplifting or pickpocketing. Hell has a way of breaking loose.

A smart party would try to make themselves disappear when that happens, but the adventurers may find themselves being chased down a street. Here are some tables for over-the-top urban chases.

What's Around the Corner? d20
1 - Two tradesmen with a large pane of glass (10% chance glass in unbreakable; 10% chance of mimes).
2 - Open sewer grate, 25% chance of 1d4 crocodiles in sewer below.
3 - Fruit/vegetable stand.
4 - Fragile cage, contents d4: 1 - bear, 2- tiger, 3- ape, 4 - baboons (3d4), 5 - giant lizards (1d3), 6 - Hyenas (2d4).
5 - Wealthy, powerful noble or other important figure, easily offended, with 3d4 guards. 25% chance of being in a litter with 2 or 4 slave bearers.
6 - Snake charmer, 2d4 poisonous serpents in basket
7 - Slaves pulling wagon loaded with barrels of human waste.
8 - 2d4 Elite soldiers, 50% of being officers
9 - 3d4 Unruly foreign mercenaries or sailors, may side with underdogs, mavericks, rebels and the like.
10 - Human chain of 4d6 slaves with 2d4 slaver guards.
11 - Elephant, mammoth, or dinosaur and handler(s).
12 - Beautiful woman, may fall in love with charismatic pc, 50% chance fo being rich/noble.
13 - Merchant and 2d4 servants or slaves bearing clay urns of oil, 50% chance an urn has just been dropped and a pool of oil is on the street.
14 - Urchins playing marbles.
15 - Powerful sorcerer, easily offended, 75% chance of 1d4 apprentices or henchmen.
16 - Large, crowded group of people (d4: 1 - spontaneous street party; 50% chance of impromptu dance sequence occurring, 2 - angry crowd about to riot, 3 - labourers leaving workplace, 4 - parade)
17 - 4d4 Clumsy, stupid, comical guardsmen armed with truncheons and only helmets for armor, 50% chance of carrying whistles.
18 - Procession of pilgrims, zealots, dervishes or monks. 75% chance of them bearing a sacred relic of their cult.
19 - The mayor/king or equivalent and entourage.
20 - Fishmarket

What's In the Alleyway? d10
1 - Jaded prostitutes.
2 - Camp of 3d4 hobos.
3 - 3d4 street toughs, 25% chance of fighting 3d4 rival gang members. Armed with knives, clubs and chains.
4 - 1d8 large vicious dogs.
5 - Wrought iron fence, 25% chance of hidden broken glass in top.
6 - Obstacles composed of rotting garbage.
7 - Prostitute servicing rich/upper class/important client.
8 - 1d4 flesh-eating zombies, 10% chance of being infectious.
9 - 1d4 illicit intoxicant vendors. Will be surly, tough and armed.
10 - Serial killer (usually high-level assassin) and victim; 50% chance killer is rich, noble or some other important member of society.

What's Inside the Building They're Attempting to Escape In/Through? d10
1 - Boudoir full of scantily clad or naked beautiful women; on positive reaction may hinder pursuers.
2 - 2d6 Criminals, armed.
3 - Powerful sorcerer, easily offended, 75% chance of 1d4 apprentices or henchmen, 50% chance is summoning demon or some other complicated, dangerous rite.
4 - Undead d4: 1 - ghosts or other evil spirits (1d4), 2 - flesh-eating zombies (3d6, 10% chance of infectious), 3 - ghouls (1d8), 4 - vampire (50% chance of 2-3).
5 - Hidden temple of evil cult and guardians.
6 - Secret treasure stash, 75% chance guarded by 2d4 fighting men or 1d3 dangerous beasts/monsters. 50% chance trapped.
7 - Abandoned residence, factory or warehouse.
8 - Shocked family.
9 - Social club, 3d6 gentlemen and 3d4 servants.
10 - A crowded, raging party; 50% chance of spontaneous musical number occurring.

A Question About Your Preferences and Gaming Goodness Courtesy of B. Portly

At some point in the new year I'm planning on publishing Planet Algol material in booklet form. It will include the setting information; the player information (classes, races, houserules, etc.); and the referee information such as hexmaps, encounters & locations, monsters, treasures, and so forth. They will be digest sized and will have information from this blog and the referees resources blog, but edited, revised and expanded, as well as entirely new content.

If you are interested in such a publication or similar products, would you prefer that it be contained in one single volume or split into two booklets, one with the players' information and one with the referees' information?

As well, Planet Algol campaign participant & artiste Lester/B. Portly provides us with am optimized version of the purple Unofficial Planet Algol Character Sheet available here. Still no smoking brazier I'm afraid...

Lester also made the below table. Originally a result of 8 was "girl-child," I changed it to child on account of all Earth boys romping about in Narnia. Maybe I should have a random encounter with a small group of dejected early 20th-century british children on my tables...

Earth Man Explorer Table (d8)
1 - Astronaut - Could be from any time and flung through space and time.
2 - Sailor or Pilot - Whether shipwrecked or plane crashed, they find themselves on Planet Algol.
3 - Pioneer - Traveler in the new world. Includes Vikings, Mountain Men, Conquistadors, Voyageurs, etc.
4 - Soldier - Could be cavalry officer transported from earth or a trench fighter that wanders into mustard gas.
5 - Professor - Time travelers or those those that study altered states of consciousness.
6 - Occultist - Those that dabble in ancient esoteric ritual or eldritch rites.
7 - Dreamer - Men who's imagination is so prodigious, the may enter different realms.
8 - Child - Characters like Alice or Dorothy transported, from pastoral settings to a bizarre world.

3 Encounter Tables & a New Sub-Blog

I have started a new sub-blog of Planet Algol, "Referees' Resources," the reason for this being that although I encourage the players of the Planet Algol Campaign to both consult and contribute to this blog (as it serves as a guide to Planet Algol, a houserules document and a campaign journal), I also intend it's use as a resource for other referees. Spoiler tags are ugly, clumsy and easy to miss, ergo the creation of the Referees' Resources blog.

So if you are player in the Planet Algol campaign, or you believe that your referee may be using Planet Algol material, please do not read the Referees' Reference blog.

The posts on Referees' Resources will also include links to documents containing the same information. These documents will be edited and updated as work on Planet Algol progresses.

For the unveiling and initial post on Referees' Resources we have Three Encounter Tables for the Iridium Plateau Region, the Bornite Mountains, the Forbidden Mist Valley and the Glow Stain.

Races of Algol Men

"...Algol is much older than Earth, and has had life and intelligent inhabitants for far longer....Over the millennia in the weird environments of Algol many of those species have developed along strange evolutionary paths as well and there are many different races of man that are, despite being wholly human, are radically different in appearance to Earth men, possessing strange coloration or features such as crests, webbed digits, scaled skin, or other such things strange to our earth sensibilities..."

Note that although the racial names below are the proper nomenclature, it is common to describe an Agog Man soley by their skin color, ie. an Agogi as a Pink Man, a Lhoyg as a Black and White Man, a Mhoght as a purple man, or a Zhaxxi as a Silver Man. Earth Men are immediately recognizable as a foreign race by Algol natives and are referred to as Earth Men regardless of their skin colour. Among the upper and learned classes the usuage of skin color as a descriptor is considered vulgar and the proper racial name is used instead, aside from Earth Men.

Agogi Men

Pink skin.
Most are hairless.
Thin, fine silver or white hair.
White or pink eyes.

Angalla Men
Nut brown to mahogany skin
Glossy wavy black hair.
Men have thick, lustrous facial hair.
Black or brown eyes.

Azgukh Men
Blue-green skin with purple stripes like that of a tiger.
Inky dark green to dark purple hair.
Gold eyes.

Barshi Men
Black, glossy skin.
Black, straight or wavy glossy hair.
Black, gray or gold eyes

Bone Men
Transparent flesh, like very clear glass, only the skeleton is visible.
Hairless.
Transparent eyes.

Dhazzhi Men
Bronze skin
Black, inky blue, dark metallic green or silver hair.
Gold or bronze eyes.

Gresh Men
Lemon yellow skin.
Hairless.
Yellow, green or brown eyes.

Haasht Men
Jade-toned, finely scaled skin.
Men have crests of lavender to blue-green scales instead of hair.
Women have wavy hair that are the same colours as the men's crests.
Iridescent bronze or copper eyes.

Hyperborean Men
Ashen white skin.
Silvery to gray hair.
Gray, white or yellow eyes.

Jhagkhi Men
Dull gray skin.
Shark-like fin on head instead of hair.
White to light gray eyes.

Kherulhi Men
Sky blue glossy skin.
Completely hairless.
Black eyes

Khoolvi Men
Orange skin with dark-brown or black tiger stripes, like that of a tiger.
Black, brown or coppery straight to bushy hair.
Copper eyes.

Lhovhami Men
Scarlet to vermilion glossy skin
Black, straight, glossy hair.
Black or dark brown eyes.

Lhoyg Men
Black and white skin in a piebald pattern.
Hairless.
Black or white eyes, having two different colored eyes is very common.

Mhoght Men
Purple, finely scaled skin.
Bushy or woolly black hair.
Men have bristling facial hair and broad, heavy facial features.
Black eyes.

Morheeg Men
Orange and yellow mottled skin.
Black, straight glossy hair.
Black eyes.

Nire Witches
Ivory skin.
Black, long, straight hair.
Blue, gray or yellow eyes.
The Nire race is entirely composed of women.

Ohlvidhi Men
Golden skin.
Coppery, bronze or brassy curly to bushy hair.
Yellow eyes.

Shuzakh Men
Black, glossy skin with red to orange stripes or spots.
Hairless.
Black eyes.

Tikalg Men
Pale gray, downy skin.
White crest of long, curling feathers instead of hair.
Yellow eyes.

Vhaashti Men
Violet to indigo skin.
Black, straight hair with iridescent highlights.
Iridescent green or blue-green eyes.

Viisstri Men
Gray skin.
Gray to black lank hair.
White, gray or yellow eyes.

Vlesh Men
Light to Dark green skin.
Ribbed crest like that of a dimetrodon instead of hair.
Yellow eyes.

Zhermish Men
Bright green skin
Many men are hairless.
Yellow to green hair that is woolly to wavy.
Blue to green eyes.

Zhaghri Men
Pumpkin orange to amber skin
Curly black hair.
Women have ample posteriors.
Black eyes.

Zhaxxi Men
Silver skin.
Black, gray, silver or white hair.
Pink eyes.

Random Racial Determination Table (d30)

1 - Agog Man

2 - Angalla Man
3 - Azgukh Man
4 - Barshi Man
5 - Bone Man
6 - Dhazzhi Man
7 - Earth Man
8 - Gresh Man
9 - Haasht Man
10 - Hyperborean Man
11 - Jhagkhi Man
12 - Kherulhi Man
13 - Khoolvi Man
14 - Lhovhami Man
15 - Lhoyg Man
16 - Mhoght Man
17 - Morheeg Man
18 - Nire Witch
19 - Ohlvidhi Man
20 - Shuzakh Man
21 - Tikalg Man
22 - Vhaashti Man
23 - Viisstri Man
24 - Vlesh Man
25 - Zhermish Man
26 - Zhaghri Man
27 - Zhaxxi Man
28-30 - Nonhuman or reroll