Designed for use with the Dungeon Random Monster Level Determination Matrix on page 174 of the 1st edition Dungeon Masters Guise and the Monster Sub-Table Matrix on page 163 of OSRIC.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BzIwRcZGsBsiMDBhYjYwODEtYWViZi00ODg5LWJkYzItOThlYjkxZGYzNTc0&hl=en_US
The OSR Dungeon Encounter Matrices reference material from the following:
Advanced Edition Companion
Carcosa
Deadly Distractions
Labyrinth Lord
Malevolent and Benign
Monsters of Myth
OSRIC
Realms of Crawling Chaos
Swords & Wizardry Monster Book
Tome of Horrors Complete
Varlets and Vermin
Note that all of the above, aside from Carcosa, Malevolent and Benign, Realms of Crawling Chaos and Tome of Horrors Complete, are available in legitimate free PDF form.
This is a preliminary version; I still need to properly cross-reference with sources in Advanced Edition Companion, Labyrinth Lord and OSRIC.
EDIT: And I just caught the duplicate Sphinx and Sphinx, Sphinx entries on the 6th & 7th level tables.
Showing posts with label Random Tables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Random Tables. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
OD&D: Awesome Castle Inhabitants & Types of Guards/Retainers Table
EDIT: Jeff Rients already did pretty much this exact post.
One of the more charming sections of The Underworld & Wilderness Adventure deals with procedural determination of castle inhabitants and their reaction to the party. My favorite part is "Types of Guards/Retainers":
d6 - Occupant & Types of Guards/Retainers in Castle
1. Lord (9+ level fighter) with (d4): 1. 1-8 Champions (7th level fighters), 2. 1-6 Griffons (with 4th-level fighter riders), 3. 1-10 Myrmidons (6th level fighters), 4. 1-4 Giants (any variety can be neutral or chaotic)
2. Superhero (8th level fighter) with (d4): 1. 1-8 Myrmidons (6th level fighters), 2. 1-4 Rocs (6 HD lawful giant eagles, with 4th level fighter riders), 3. 1-4 Ogres (may be neutral or chaotic), 4. 1-10 Swashbucklers (5th level fighters)
3. Wizard (11+ level magic-user) with (d4): 1. 1-4 Dragons (any alignment), 2. 1-4 Balrogs (chaotic), 3. 1-4 Wyverns (neutral), 4. 1-4 Basilisks (chaotic)
4. Necromancer (10th level magic-user) with (d4): 1. 1-4 Chimeras (neutral or chaotic), 2. 1-6 Manticores (chaotic), 3. 1-12 Lycanthropes (any alignment), 4. 1-12 Gargoyles (chaotic)
5. Patriarch (lawful 8+ level cleric) with (d4): 1. 1-20 Heroes (4th level fighters), 2. 1-6 Superheroes (8th level fighters), 3. 1-10 Ents, 4. 1-8 Hippogriffs (with 4th level fighter riders)
6. Evil High Priest (chaotic 8+ level cleric) with (d4): 1. 1-10 Trolls, 2. 1-6 Vampires, 3. 1-20 White Apes, 4. 1-10 Spectres
Also every castle has 30-180 men-at-arms and possibly some flunkies of 3rd-8th level depending on the character class of the castle master.
Although AD&D and B/X D&D contain similar rules, they don't have the awesome table for determining what monsters serve the castle master, obviously a grave omission on the part of later editions...
A DM can use the alignment of the generated monsters to determine the alignment of the castle inhabitant (unsurprisingly magic-users seem to exhibit a tendency towards chaos...).
An enterprising DM could easily expand the above tables or substitute entries with other creatures of similar power and "theme."
The AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide has a similar, yet more complicated table, that determines castle type & size, and includes the possibilities of the castle being deserted; deserted with monsters; inhabited by a band of bandits, brigands, berserkers, or dervishes; as well as druids, paladins, rangers, illusionists, monks, thieves and assassins.
But it sadly does not include a table to determine what monsters serve as the special guards. What kinds of monsters would serve as guards for illusionists, monks, assassins (giant snakes?), etc.?
One of the more charming sections of The Underworld & Wilderness Adventure deals with procedural determination of castle inhabitants and their reaction to the party. My favorite part is "Types of Guards/Retainers":
d6 - Occupant & Types of Guards/Retainers in Castle
1. Lord (9+ level fighter) with (d4): 1. 1-8 Champions (7th level fighters), 2. 1-6 Griffons (with 4th-level fighter riders), 3. 1-10 Myrmidons (6th level fighters), 4. 1-4 Giants (any variety can be neutral or chaotic)
2. Superhero (8th level fighter) with (d4): 1. 1-8 Myrmidons (6th level fighters), 2. 1-4 Rocs (6 HD lawful giant eagles, with 4th level fighter riders), 3. 1-4 Ogres (may be neutral or chaotic), 4. 1-10 Swashbucklers (5th level fighters)
3. Wizard (11+ level magic-user) with (d4): 1. 1-4 Dragons (any alignment), 2. 1-4 Balrogs (chaotic), 3. 1-4 Wyverns (neutral), 4. 1-4 Basilisks (chaotic)
4. Necromancer (10th level magic-user) with (d4): 1. 1-4 Chimeras (neutral or chaotic), 2. 1-6 Manticores (chaotic), 3. 1-12 Lycanthropes (any alignment), 4. 1-12 Gargoyles (chaotic)
5. Patriarch (lawful 8+ level cleric) with (d4): 1. 1-20 Heroes (4th level fighters), 2. 1-6 Superheroes (8th level fighters), 3. 1-10 Ents, 4. 1-8 Hippogriffs (with 4th level fighter riders)
6. Evil High Priest (chaotic 8+ level cleric) with (d4): 1. 1-10 Trolls, 2. 1-6 Vampires, 3. 1-20 White Apes, 4. 1-10 Spectres
Also every castle has 30-180 men-at-arms and possibly some flunkies of 3rd-8th level depending on the character class of the castle master.
Although AD&D and B/X D&D contain similar rules, they don't have the awesome table for determining what monsters serve the castle master, obviously a grave omission on the part of later editions...
A DM can use the alignment of the generated monsters to determine the alignment of the castle inhabitant (unsurprisingly magic-users seem to exhibit a tendency towards chaos...).
An enterprising DM could easily expand the above tables or substitute entries with other creatures of similar power and "theme."
The AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide has a similar, yet more complicated table, that determines castle type & size, and includes the possibilities of the castle being deserted; deserted with monsters; inhabited by a band of bandits, brigands, berserkers, or dervishes; as well as druids, paladins, rangers, illusionists, monks, thieves and assassins.
But it sadly does not include a table to determine what monsters serve as the special guards. What kinds of monsters would serve as guards for illusionists, monks, assassins (giant snakes?), etc.?
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Semi-Random Megadungeon "Saturday Night Special" Generation Using Existing Resources
Read here for a definition of megadungeon "Saturday Night Specials." The below procedures can also be used for generated lair/mini/micro-dungeons as well.
Roll a d20 and cross reference the result with the dungeon level on this chart that is for use with the excellent "The Underworlds" article from The Best of the Journal: The Pettigrew Selections. This determines the nature of the Saturday Night Special. Although this above table is designed for use for Tekumel games, it should be useful for most mileus. Results may refer to an ancient/ruined City, Palace, Fortress, etc., or a discrete portion of the megadungeon being used for the generated purpose by the current inhabitants (City = Warren of Derro; Palace = Pleasure Den of a Rakshasa; Fortress = Secret Headquarters of an Assassin Cult; etc).
Note that I strongly recommend the aforementioned The Pettigrew selections as a random megadungeon element generation resource, available from Tita's House of Games.
Also note that shrines and temples should have a fair chance of containing some fabulous treasure that horribly curses those that thieve it; a wonderful horror comic and pulp fiction cliche that seems woefully underrepresented in D&D.
I interpret Wizard's Tower to represent a magician's lair and not necessarily a subterranean tower; although an ancient tower buried deep in the earth by the ages or a tower in a gigantic cavern are both pretty cool.
For my usage Canals means constructed or artificial subterranean waterways: sewers, the Black Reservoir, cave rivers all fall in this category.
Nexus Point is a technical Tekumel term for "transdimensional wormhole portal thingy;" in the context of this method we can use it for teleportals, micro-planes, dimensional gates, time travel device, etc.
In the original article Ancient Tunnel refers to the Humanspace Empire era subways tunnels deep in Tekumel's crust; for non-science fantasy-ish campaigns they obviously refer to Atlantean or Lemurian equivalent relics.
Step 2
Generate a name for the special with the Beyond The Black Gate - Random Megadungeon Area Name Generator.
Step 3
Use Dave's Mapper to generate a map of the area of the special; note that you can turn on a 10-foot grid with the buttons along the top. This serves as a workable maze generator, and this does the trick for caves.What I do is generate a geomorph-map and than only use the portions that appeal to me while rearranging elements so as to remove the regular corridor placement. For most specials you probably only need a handful or two of rooms, for usage with Step 4 you will need roughly 8 to 20 rooms (d6+d8+6?).
Step 4
Using the elements generated in Steps 1, 2 & 3, think of a theme for the Saturday Night Special. For example: On level 6 of the megadungeon I generate a result of "Palace," the name "Screaming Archmaze of the Bone God," and with Dave's Mapper and the maze generator I cobble together a sprawling maze. Obviously the luxurious yet labyrinthine domicile of some sort of powerful undead aristocrat with a a functioning small cult.
Now go over to Playing D&D With Porn Stars and Read This. What you do is come up with lists of monsters, traps and treasures appropriate for your Saturday Night Special, start with the first room and work your way to the last room dicing up the contents as you go.
For the palace maze of the Bone God I come up with the following monster list off the top of my head.
8 - Villain: The Bone God, the Lich-ified remains of a God-Emperor from ages past
7 - Lieutenants: Hoochie-mama Vampire consorts
6 - Guardian Beast: Pet Froghemoth
5 - Assistant Managers: Mummy Cleric
4 - Tough Guys: Cultists with Cleric or Magic-user leader
3 - Grunts: Talkative zombie guards
2 - Servants: Dancing & singing skeleton butlers & maids
1 - Vermin: Eye Dropper
Note: Yes, I pretty much come up with the idea of putting a Froghemoth in every dungeon I think of, regardless of how wildly inappropriate it is.
Step 5
Flesh out with Tricks, Traps and Empty Room Design from the Hack & Slash blog. Also, the Wilderness Hexploration Document from the New York Red Box forum has a decent temple generator as well as other random generation resources, you could use the Island tables from it to determine what's on a island in a Canals special.
Step 1
Note that I strongly recommend the aforementioned The Pettigrew selections as a random megadungeon element generation resource, available from Tita's House of Games.
Also note that shrines and temples should have a fair chance of containing some fabulous treasure that horribly curses those that thieve it; a wonderful horror comic and pulp fiction cliche that seems woefully underrepresented in D&D.
I interpret Wizard's Tower to represent a magician's lair and not necessarily a subterranean tower; although an ancient tower buried deep in the earth by the ages or a tower in a gigantic cavern are both pretty cool.
For my usage Canals means constructed or artificial subterranean waterways: sewers, the Black Reservoir, cave rivers all fall in this category.
Nexus Point is a technical Tekumel term for "transdimensional wormhole portal thingy;" in the context of this method we can use it for teleportals, micro-planes, dimensional gates, time travel device, etc.
In the original article Ancient Tunnel refers to the Humanspace Empire era subways tunnels deep in Tekumel's crust; for non-science fantasy-ish campaigns they obviously refer to Atlantean or Lemurian equivalent relics.
Step 2
Generate a name for the special with the Beyond The Black Gate - Random Megadungeon Area Name Generator.
Step 3
Use Dave's Mapper to generate a map of the area of the special; note that you can turn on a 10-foot grid with the buttons along the top. This serves as a workable maze generator, and this does the trick for caves.What I do is generate a geomorph-map and than only use the portions that appeal to me while rearranging elements so as to remove the regular corridor placement. For most specials you probably only need a handful or two of rooms, for usage with Step 4 you will need roughly 8 to 20 rooms (d6+d8+6?).
Step 4
Using the elements generated in Steps 1, 2 & 3, think of a theme for the Saturday Night Special. For example: On level 6 of the megadungeon I generate a result of "Palace," the name "Screaming Archmaze of the Bone God," and with Dave's Mapper and the maze generator I cobble together a sprawling maze. Obviously the luxurious yet labyrinthine domicile of some sort of powerful undead aristocrat with a a functioning small cult.
Now go over to Playing D&D With Porn Stars and Read This. What you do is come up with lists of monsters, traps and treasures appropriate for your Saturday Night Special, start with the first room and work your way to the last room dicing up the contents as you go.
For the palace maze of the Bone God I come up with the following monster list off the top of my head.
8 - Villain: The Bone God, the Lich-ified remains of a God-Emperor from ages past
7 - Lieutenants: Hoochie-mama Vampire consorts
6 - Guardian Beast: Pet Froghemoth
5 - Assistant Managers: Mummy Cleric
4 - Tough Guys: Cultists with Cleric or Magic-user leader
3 - Grunts: Talkative zombie guards
2 - Servants: Dancing & singing skeleton butlers & maids
1 - Vermin: Eye Dropper
Note: Yes, I pretty much come up with the idea of putting a Froghemoth in every dungeon I think of, regardless of how wildly inappropriate it is.
Step 5
Flesh out with Tricks, Traps and Empty Room Design from the Hack & Slash blog. Also, the Wilderness Hexploration Document from the New York Red Box forum has a decent temple generator as well as other random generation resources, you could use the Island tables from it to determine what's on a island in a Canals special.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A Quick Vornheim Review
- The layout (and especially the black borders) make me feel like I'm reading a 90s-era newsprint hardcore zine; when I'm flipping the pages I'm half expecting to see ads for Bovine Records and Capitalist Casualties seven-inches or interviews with Rorschach, Dystopia and Assuck.
- The general vibe of the material really makes me think of Fairy Tales; the surreal fucking Fairy Tales that exists in a never-was Victorian-Medieval Dreatime. As Talysman pointed out in a discussion on the Hill Cantons regarding what era D&D is set in, it can be argued that D&D takes place in the anachronistic, iconic world of Fairy Tales. For some reason I imagine the city of Vornheim as a Dreamlands analogue of Prague.
- It's an innovative product, but it shouldn't be; that not an indictment of Vornheim but of what RPG products are generally produced. Vornheim is full of flavorful, useful and inspiring proceedural D&D tools and random tables; and it's a damn shame that more books like this haven't been produced.
- There's less art than I expected.
- It's appropriate that LOTFP is publishing this, as it's definitely a sibling to Carcosa (and the whole Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Kalibrun, Arduin, Cinder, etc. tradition); notes and materials developed in a DMs campaign presented as a palatte of resources (note that to me Carcosa is a kickass campaign setting BUT ALSO an amazing DMs toolkit).
- ...D&D mohawks... *sigh* ...however that's one of the best D&D depictions of a flail I've ever seen.
- I would have likes grid-lines of some kind for the "hand tables," just for the sake of "less visual/mental processing cycles."
Overall it's something I find theoretically useful as well as entertaining and inspiring; I rate Vornheim 1 Slaughter "Strappado."
EDITs:
1 - A reference to Telecanter's Receding Rules! Awesome.
2 - I sure didn't describe what's actually inside the book; good thing the press release covers that.
3 - The Maggot Naga pretty much demands statistics.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
A Quote In Honor of the Day...
"...when you launch from Kennedy, the first thing you see is the British Isles and then there's this thing that looks like an island that's not an island - it's the continent of Africa."
"I looked down and there were no lines drawn on the ground down there. I couldn't find the countries. It was all one land. That's when I cried."
- Astronaut Major General Charles Bolden Jr. (retired)
JOESKY Tax: d6 Space Madness Table
1 - Wants to go swimming in sapce; will strip and attempt to exit through the airlock.
2 - Has a spiritual experience and goes completely new-age wild; starts wearing crystals and doing energy healing.
3 - Thinks they can hear God speaking to them through the crackle of background radiation.
4 - Sees a hyperspace gremlin through a porthole; believes it is sabotaging the vessel.
5 - Belives that one of their companions has been replaced by a shapechanging alien and must be stopped.
6 - Belives that a companion has sabotaged or will sabotage their spaceship.
"I looked down and there were no lines drawn on the ground down there. I couldn't find the countries. It was all one land. That's when I cried."
- Astronaut Major General Charles Bolden Jr. (retired)
JOESKY Tax: d6 Space Madness Table
1 - Wants to go swimming in sapce; will strip and attempt to exit through the airlock.
2 - Has a spiritual experience and goes completely new-age wild; starts wearing crystals and doing energy healing.
3 - Thinks they can hear God speaking to them through the crackle of background radiation.
4 - Sees a hyperspace gremlin through a porthole; believes it is sabotaging the vessel.
5 - Belives that one of their companions has been replaced by a shapechanging alien and must be stopped.
6 - Belives that a companion has sabotaged or will sabotage their spaceship.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Hyperspace Monster Encounters
In rare reaches of the galaxy hyperspace is subject to a myriad of vibrations, refractions, radiations, inclusions and interferences; in some if these areas there is a chance that a ship making a hyperspace jump will experience the materialization of something near or within the vessel.
d30
1 - Githyanki (Fiend Folio)
2 - Grell (Fiend Folio)
3 - Coeurl (Booty And The Beasts)
4 - Silver Spider (Arduin III)
5 - Xill (Fiend Folio)
6 - Mind Flayer (Monster Manual)
7 - Elder Thing/Primordial One (Deities & Demigods, Carcosa, Realms of Crawling Chaos)
8 - Sorcerer (NPC)
9 - Mi-go (Deities & Demigods, Carcosa, Realms of Crawling Chaos)
10 - Colour out of Space (Realms of Crawling Chaos)
11 - Type d6 Demon (Monster Manual)
12 - Lifeforce Vampire
13 - Ghost Ship (75% chance of undead)
14 - Rakshasa (Monster Manual)
15 - Shambleau (Ix)
16 - Dimensional Shambler (Realms of Crawling Chaos)
17 - Hound of Tindalos (Realms of Crawling Chaos)
18 - Doppleganger (Monster Manual)
19 - Hideous Space Beast (Ix)
20 - Slaad (Fiend Folio)
21 - Hyperspace Planetoid (consult appropriate matrix)
22 - Ancient Alien Construction (consult appropriate matrix)
23 - Wormhole/Dimensional Rift/Pocket Dimension (consult appropriate matrix)
24 - Beholder (Monster Manual)
25 - Gorbel (Fiend Folio)
26 - Flumph (Fiend Folio)
27 - Time Storm (consult appropriate matrix)
28 - Maggot Farmer (Swords & Dorkery)
29 - Hyperspace Pirate (Men, Pirate)
30 - Space Aliens (Carcosa)
d30
1 - Githyanki (Fiend Folio)
2 - Grell (Fiend Folio)
3 - Coeurl (Booty And The Beasts)
4 - Silver Spider (Arduin III)
5 - Xill (Fiend Folio)
6 - Mind Flayer (Monster Manual)
7 - Elder Thing/Primordial One (Deities & Demigods, Carcosa, Realms of Crawling Chaos)
8 - Sorcerer (NPC)
9 - Mi-go (Deities & Demigods, Carcosa, Realms of Crawling Chaos)
10 - Colour out of Space (Realms of Crawling Chaos)
11 - Type d6 Demon (Monster Manual)
12 - Lifeforce Vampire
13 - Ghost Ship (75% chance of undead)
14 - Rakshasa (Monster Manual)
15 - Shambleau (Ix)
16 - Dimensional Shambler (Realms of Crawling Chaos)
17 - Hound of Tindalos (Realms of Crawling Chaos)
18 - Doppleganger (Monster Manual)
19 - Hideous Space Beast (Ix)
20 - Slaad (Fiend Folio)
21 - Hyperspace Planetoid (consult appropriate matrix)
22 - Ancient Alien Construction (consult appropriate matrix)
23 - Wormhole/Dimensional Rift/Pocket Dimension (consult appropriate matrix)
24 - Beholder (Monster Manual)
25 - Gorbel (Fiend Folio)
26 - Flumph (Fiend Folio)
27 - Time Storm (consult appropriate matrix)
28 - Maggot Farmer (Swords & Dorkery)
29 - Hyperspace Pirate (Men, Pirate)
30 - Space Aliens (Carcosa)
Monday, March 7, 2011
[PSA] Please Don't Nuke Your Blog! & d10 Romantic Misadventures Table
Fellow-Blogger and/or Internet-Acquaintance,
I've been reading your blog for a while, and recently when I clicked my bookmark for it and I recieved the blogspot 404 orange-beige-and-blue staring me right in the eyes. Needless to say I was confused; did I click the wrong bookmark? Did China hack blogspot? Oh wait... I've seen this before... Far too many times...
Hey, I get it, blogging is kind of a geeky, masturbatory time-suck. And BlasTeR_WvlF1986 has been really grinding and sniping at you on both the BullseyeLantern and the ZagygTemple messageboards. But, aside from the fact that I liked reading your blog, there's this one thing...
That Shoggoth Generation table; it was a piece of art! I could get everything from a member of the Cleanup Crew to a Mr. Shiny to a Blob-Kaiju using it. I really need that Shoggoth Generation table for this dungeon level I'm working on...I made the map with your table in mind!
Plus there's also that Uppity NPC Table, and Random Minor PC Humiliations Matrix, and your stats for The Headless Horseman, and that Bowels of the Worm God dungeon, and...
...Anyways, if you want to take a sabbatical or retire from blogging, that's certainly your prerogative, but please don't euthanize all of that useful content you produced! I'm sure you could easily erase the fingerprints and serial numbers off of your blog and leave the corpse floating in the internet for us scavengers to pick at. Your so graciously freely-shared creative output was appreciated, greatly appreciated!
EDIT: Joe-Sky Tax,
d10 Random "Romantic" Misadventures Table
1 - Birthmark reveals that she/he is your sister/brother!
2 - You're unable to perform and cruelly mocked for that by paramour.
3 - Premature. Way too premature. As above.
4 - Overprotective relative bursts in, menacing wackiness ensues!
5 - Everything seems fine...for 1d20 days. Better see a physician to irrigate your urethra with sulphur and quicksilver!
6 - Oh wait, afterwards it appears that she/he was expecting financial recompense for making the beast with two backs with you,
7 - She/he seemed normal, but now wants something illegal before they will "party."
8 - Turns out she/he was a serial killer (or bounty hunter)... d12 for assassin level!
9 - She/he was the princess/prince in disguise; not a fairy-tale, the consequences if the wrong party learns of this could be potentially lethal.
10 - Was a virgin; 01-50% - it is Really Really Awkward, and they seem distraught afterwards, 51-00% unleashes some inconvenient or catastrophic curse, transformation or prophecy...she/he was THE ONE!
I've been reading your blog for a while, and recently when I clicked my bookmark for it and I recieved the blogspot 404 orange-beige-and-blue staring me right in the eyes. Needless to say I was confused; did I click the wrong bookmark? Did China hack blogspot? Oh wait... I've seen this before... Far too many times...
Hey, I get it, blogging is kind of a geeky, masturbatory time-suck. And BlasTeR_WvlF1986 has been really grinding and sniping at you on both the BullseyeLantern and the ZagygTemple messageboards. But, aside from the fact that I liked reading your blog, there's this one thing...
That Shoggoth Generation table; it was a piece of art! I could get everything from a member of the Cleanup Crew to a Mr. Shiny to a Blob-Kaiju using it. I really need that Shoggoth Generation table for this dungeon level I'm working on...I made the map with your table in mind!
Plus there's also that Uppity NPC Table, and Random Minor PC Humiliations Matrix, and your stats for The Headless Horseman, and that Bowels of the Worm God dungeon, and...
...Anyways, if you want to take a sabbatical or retire from blogging, that's certainly your prerogative, but please don't euthanize all of that useful content you produced! I'm sure you could easily erase the fingerprints and serial numbers off of your blog and leave the corpse floating in the internet for us scavengers to pick at. Your so graciously freely-shared creative output was appreciated, greatly appreciated!
EDIT: Joe-Sky Tax,
d10 Random "Romantic" Misadventures Table
1 - Birthmark reveals that she/he is your sister/brother!
2 - You're unable to perform and cruelly mocked for that by paramour.
3 - Premature. Way too premature. As above.
4 - Overprotective relative bursts in, menacing wackiness ensues!
5 - Everything seems fine...for 1d20 days. Better see a physician to irrigate your urethra with sulphur and quicksilver!
6 - Oh wait, afterwards it appears that she/he was expecting financial recompense for making the beast with two backs with you,
7 - She/he seemed normal, but now wants something illegal before they will "party."
8 - Turns out she/he was a serial killer (or bounty hunter)... d12 for assassin level!
9 - She/he was the princess/prince in disguise; not a fairy-tale, the consequences if the wrong party learns of this could be potentially lethal.
10 - Was a virgin; 01-50% - it is Really Really Awkward, and they seem distraught afterwards, 51-00% unleashes some inconvenient or catastrophic curse, transformation or prophecy...she/he was THE ONE!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Jewel Throne Update-ish Post and d10 Random Aristrocrat Possessions Table
I'm currently waiting on a couple of articles and pieces of art (all of which sound like they'll be great!) and than I'll commence with the layout. The quality and quantity of submitted material is considerable, including two adventures that are pretty much the equivalents of old-tyme TSR 16-page modules; it'll be at least 70 pages. It will be a free PDF, and I'll make sure and format a version meant to easily print out and assemble into a booklet.
This post is pretty boring, albeit possibly of some interest to some folks, so I really should include a random table.
d10 Random Aristocrat Possessions Table
1 - Ivory and platinum snuff box (contents d4: 1 - candy, 2- cigarillos, 3 - cocaine, 4 - cranberries)
2 - d20 x 1,000 gp worth of gamblings markers from other Aristocrats.
3 - +3 Stiletto, silver and sapphire hilt
4 - Folding mirror (minor magic item)
5 - Scandalous diary with many compromising details regarding both the author and associates.
6 - Outlawed Chaos-Demon Cult Unholy Symbol! (d4: 1 - Arioch, 2 - Belial, 3 - Cthulhu, 4 - Demogorgon)
7 - Either a fake mustache or fancy ladies undergarments (dependent upon gender of said aristocrat...)
8 - High tech communicator!?!?
9 - Vial of especially puissant poison
10 - A writ of "Get Out of Jail Free" from King/Emperor/Senate, negotiable by the bearer!
This post is pretty boring, albeit possibly of some interest to some folks, so I really should include a random table.
d10 Random Aristocrat Possessions Table
1 - Ivory and platinum snuff box (contents d4: 1 - candy, 2- cigarillos, 3 - cocaine, 4 - cranberries)
2 - d20 x 1,000 gp worth of gamblings markers from other Aristocrats.
3 - +3 Stiletto, silver and sapphire hilt
4 - Folding mirror (minor magic item)
5 - Scandalous diary with many compromising details regarding both the author and associates.
6 - Outlawed Chaos-Demon Cult Unholy Symbol! (d4: 1 - Arioch, 2 - Belial, 3 - Cthulhu, 4 - Demogorgon)
7 - Either a fake mustache or fancy ladies undergarments (dependent upon gender of said aristocrat...)
8 - High tech communicator!?!?
9 - Vial of especially puissant poison
10 - A writ of "Get Out of Jail Free" from King/Emperor/Senate, negotiable by the bearer!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
d20 Random Iron Rations Table
1-10 - See previous entry
11 - Salt-cured blubber
12 - Charred pigeon scraps
13 - Pressed earthworm cake
14 - Giant leech bacon
15 - Candied eel
16 - Dried melon
17 - Deep fried swamp lice
18 - Spice-cured manure shrimp
19 - Dry camel ham
20 - Swine-lung pasty
11 - Salt-cured blubber
12 - Charred pigeon scraps
13 - Pressed earthworm cake
14 - Giant leech bacon
15 - Candied eel
16 - Dried melon
17 - Deep fried swamp lice
18 - Spice-cured manure shrimp
19 - Dry camel ham
20 - Swine-lung pasty
Monday, February 28, 2011
d10 Random Hirelings Table
1 - Guide/tracker/hunter with a kukri-shortsword and bullwhip; full of attitude and one-liners.
2 - Tall, skinny, middle-aged bearer with a glum, drooping visage and persona; always chewing tobacco but never seems to spit.
3 - Brash, overbearing Sergeant with a mane of hair and an impressive mustache; bears a fancy saber; was an officer in a unit of lancers but resigned in disgrace. His shirts will tend to rip dramatically.
4 - Barefoot animal handler (mule, donkey, llama, pack horse, cart ox, monkey & dog); constantly plays simple tunes on a hand-carved wooden flute.
5 - Sailor/pilot/navigator, is always squinting, swears far too much; carries a morningstar made from a table-leg and nails.
6 - Water-finder ("Dowser") and forager; wears a wide brimmed, floppy, filthy,blackened, ancient, felt hat; hums tunelessly while engaged with duties.
7 - Towering (7'+) guard, dimwitted former athletics champion (discus,beam pitch, scrimmage and wrestling).
8 - Rowers/bearer/laborer with terrible teeth and is wiry instead of muscular; is a former petty criminal, has many sketchy connections and is always keen to offer unsolicited unscrupulous solutions to party dilemmas.
9 - A husky wrecker carrying a golf-bag like leathern container holding sledges, pickaxes, prybars, mallets, chisels, and the like. has enough knowledge of engineering and architecture (was a student before running out of money) to avoid bringing the roof down on the party while performing demolitions.
10 - Cook and provisioner with a sinister raspy voice that is always wearing a face-concealing hood; was disfigured in a fire; has a keen eye and nose for poisons and will attempt to subtly inspect fare that is offered to the party.
2 - Tall, skinny, middle-aged bearer with a glum, drooping visage and persona; always chewing tobacco but never seems to spit.
3 - Brash, overbearing Sergeant with a mane of hair and an impressive mustache; bears a fancy saber; was an officer in a unit of lancers but resigned in disgrace. His shirts will tend to rip dramatically.
4 - Barefoot animal handler (mule, donkey, llama, pack horse, cart ox, monkey & dog); constantly plays simple tunes on a hand-carved wooden flute.
5 - Sailor/pilot/navigator, is always squinting, swears far too much; carries a morningstar made from a table-leg and nails.
6 - Water-finder ("Dowser") and forager; wears a wide brimmed, floppy, filthy,blackened, ancient, felt hat; hums tunelessly while engaged with duties.
7 - Towering (7'+) guard, dimwitted former athletics champion (discus,beam pitch, scrimmage and wrestling).
8 - Rowers/bearer/laborer with terrible teeth and is wiry instead of muscular; is a former petty criminal, has many sketchy connections and is always keen to offer unsolicited unscrupulous solutions to party dilemmas.
9 - A husky wrecker carrying a golf-bag like leathern container holding sledges, pickaxes, prybars, mallets, chisels, and the like. has enough knowledge of engineering and architecture (was a student before running out of money) to avoid bringing the roof down on the party while performing demolitions.
10 - Cook and provisioner with a sinister raspy voice that is always wearing a face-concealing hood; was disfigured in a fire; has a keen eye and nose for poisons and will attempt to subtly inspect fare that is offered to the party.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Every Monster Book Should Include Encounter Tables
By terrain type and dungeon level, utilizing all of and only the monsters contained in the book, and not those 2-20 tables - which are great for specialized tables, but the failure of the AD&D Monster Manual II is that it doesn't have the comprehensive d% encounter tables in the back like the Fiend Folio.
With the caveat that monsters books containing only a few monsters would be exempt.
With such a protocol in place a DM could easily make up encounter tables like:
d% --- Monster Book Encounter Table
01-24 Human - use Swords & Wizardry City Encounters or other resource
25-49 AD&D Fiend Folio
50 Random Esoteric Creature Generator
51-60 Arduin Trilogy
61-70 OSRIC Monsters of Myth
71-80 OSRIC Malevolent and Benign
81-90 Swords & Wizardry Monster Book
91-00 Tome of Horrors Complete
With the number of monsters listed in each book, an obsessive DM could easily assign d% probabilities according to monster book content quantities.
I think it's great that so many OSR monster books contain indexes with monster listings by dungeon level, terrain type, and so forth, I just wish that they'd take that extra step and tack some sort of arbitrary random table function onto these listings, just for "instant functionality."
With the caveat that monsters books containing only a few monsters would be exempt.
With such a protocol in place a DM could easily make up encounter tables like:
d% --- Monster Book Encounter Table
01-24 Human - use Swords & Wizardry City Encounters or other resource
25-49 AD&D Fiend Folio
50 Random Esoteric Creature Generator
51-60 Arduin Trilogy
61-70 OSRIC Monsters of Myth
71-80 OSRIC Malevolent and Benign
81-90 Swords & Wizardry Monster Book
91-00 Tome of Horrors Complete
With the number of monsters listed in each book, an obsessive DM could easily assign d% probabilities according to monster book content quantities.
I think it's great that so many OSR monster books contain indexes with monster listings by dungeon level, terrain type, and so forth, I just wish that they'd take that extra step and tack some sort of arbitrary random table function onto these listings, just for "instant functionality."
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
How I key a Hex-Map
I recently received an email from Nicolo, with a pulp mutants & sorcery campaign "The Doomed Wastelands" which also features further iterations of cactus people, who is an inexperienced DM with little sandbox experience asking advice on filling up a hexmap key.
How I keyed my map went in several stages: procedures
1) The Map. Certain locations immediately suggest and appropriate key entry for the hex, such a landmarks, ruins, and the like.
2) Ripping Off Others Work. I make a list of cool things to put in the map that are usually inspired by something from a fiction, history or real life, and put them where appropriate. When I'm working on a project like this I try to read a lot of good fantasy & sci-fi, comics and the like. This also includes pop culture/literature/genre/rpg "easter eggs". I add to the list when I come across something inspiring in a book or daydreaming.
3) Use the 1st edition AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide Random Wilderness Generation Appendix. I roll for every hex on the ruins/castles/settlements table, and if I get a result I like I put it in the hex. Larger settlements I usually arbitrarily make into ruins, smaller settlements can be outcast camps; fortified stockades; subterranean hidden enclaves and the like, with usually random determination for what kind of man/being inhabits it. For ruins and castles I follow the DMG guidelines for the generation of monster, human or high level NPC and entourage inhabitants.
4) Stock the Dungeon. I treat every hex as a dungeon room, generating it's contents in the same fashion as classic OD&D or B/X D&D.
For monster results I roll from one of several encounter tables from different editions/sources (OD&D; B/XD&D; AD&D; Gamma World; Carcosan Grimoire; etc, determination of which source being random as well), and I try to come up with a "Algolian" encounter from the result, altering the monster as I see fit to make it fit the campaign. Usually such results mean that the "monster" has a lair or building in the hex.
With treasure results there's treasure somewhere in the hex, either monster loot or stashed somewhere.
With trap results there's a hazard, such a spiked pits; areas without oxygen; toxic gases; irradiated water, and the like, located in the hex.
With Trick/Special results theres a wilderness equivalent of such dungeon phenomena, stuff like ability score altering fungi, altered gravity or glowing psychic crystal skull hologram oracles.
5) Roll for a random encounter in each hex, using the probabilities from B/XD&D or the Carcosan Grimoire, and roll from a randomly determined encounter table in the fashion of stage 4 above. I Algol-ize the results or reroll if I don't especially feel the result. I'll use the "%Liar" to determine whether any monsters are lair monsters or just passing through the hex.
6) Repeat stage 5 (and even 4) until the hex key feels dense enough.
ALSO MORE JOESKY!!
I'm down with JOESKY's words of wisdom. Enough hot air blather about the most recent iteration of Carcosa Gate/Porno Gate/et al and more monsters, houserules, and maps!
I've been doing a bunch of mapping lately with my sweet new tiny mapping-box. I've found the combination of a cheap school geometry set; an selection of cheap and high-quality mechanical pencils; an assortment of fine tip to larger markers; a palm-sized pad of graph paper; and a small lidded box to hold it all to be a great asset for dungeon mapping creativity, I'm practically shitting out small (yet actually covering a fair amount of 10' square ground!) dungeon maps. One of the benefits of these small maps is that I can easily stitch them together to generate larger dungeon maps with a nice "inconsistent grain" that also avoids the 8.5"x11" phenomenon of bog-standard dungeon mapping methodology.
How I keyed my map went in several stages: procedures
1) The Map. Certain locations immediately suggest and appropriate key entry for the hex, such a landmarks, ruins, and the like.
2) Ripping Off Others Work. I make a list of cool things to put in the map that are usually inspired by something from a fiction, history or real life, and put them where appropriate. When I'm working on a project like this I try to read a lot of good fantasy & sci-fi, comics and the like. This also includes pop culture/literature/genre/rpg "easter eggs". I add to the list when I come across something inspiring in a book or daydreaming.
3) Use the 1st edition AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide Random Wilderness Generation Appendix. I roll for every hex on the ruins/castles/settlements table, and if I get a result I like I put it in the hex. Larger settlements I usually arbitrarily make into ruins, smaller settlements can be outcast camps; fortified stockades; subterranean hidden enclaves and the like, with usually random determination for what kind of man/being inhabits it. For ruins and castles I follow the DMG guidelines for the generation of monster, human or high level NPC and entourage inhabitants.
4) Stock the Dungeon. I treat every hex as a dungeon room, generating it's contents in the same fashion as classic OD&D or B/X D&D.
For monster results I roll from one of several encounter tables from different editions/sources (OD&D; B/XD&D; AD&D; Gamma World; Carcosan Grimoire; etc, determination of which source being random as well), and I try to come up with a "Algolian" encounter from the result, altering the monster as I see fit to make it fit the campaign. Usually such results mean that the "monster" has a lair or building in the hex.
With treasure results there's treasure somewhere in the hex, either monster loot or stashed somewhere.
With trap results there's a hazard, such a spiked pits; areas without oxygen; toxic gases; irradiated water, and the like, located in the hex.
With Trick/Special results theres a wilderness equivalent of such dungeon phenomena, stuff like ability score altering fungi, altered gravity or glowing psychic crystal skull hologram oracles.
5) Roll for a random encounter in each hex, using the probabilities from B/XD&D or the Carcosan Grimoire, and roll from a randomly determined encounter table in the fashion of stage 4 above. I Algol-ize the results or reroll if I don't especially feel the result. I'll use the "%Liar" to determine whether any monsters are lair monsters or just passing through the hex.
6) Repeat stage 5 (and even 4) until the hex key feels dense enough.
ALSO MORE JOESKY!!
I'm down with JOESKY's words of wisdom. Enough hot air blather about the most recent iteration of Carcosa Gate/Porno Gate/et al and more monsters, houserules, and maps!
I've been doing a bunch of mapping lately with my sweet new tiny mapping-box. I've found the combination of a cheap school geometry set; an selection of cheap and high-quality mechanical pencils; an assortment of fine tip to larger markers; a palm-sized pad of graph paper; and a small lidded box to hold it all to be a great asset for dungeon mapping creativity, I'm practically shitting out small (yet actually covering a fair amount of 10' square ground!) dungeon maps. One of the benefits of these small maps is that I can easily stitch them together to generate larger dungeon maps with a nice "inconsistent grain" that also avoids the 8.5"x11" phenomenon of bog-standard dungeon mapping methodology.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Further Musing on the Tekumel Underworld Feature Table
I've been thinking about that Tekumel Underworld Contents Table I posted a couple of days ago.
Although it is presumably for usage in a Empire of the Petal Throne campaign, the contents seem eminently useful for bog-standard vanilla fantasy, as well as weird gonzo fantasy. I really dig how the table is organized along the lines of traditional D&D "dungeon levels."
Let's start with Levels 1-3. Looking at the table, at the upper, "basic" levels of a dungeons complex, the probability breakdown is as follows:
City - 20%
Catacombs - 20%
Shrine - 10%
Temple - 5%
Tomb - 15%
Cache - 5%
Maze - 25%
Hohoho, chances are that adventurers are going to have to content with a maze during their initial forays into the dungeon complex! Although many dungeons are "maze-y" I interpret this to be a confusing, complex labyrinth. It may have been constructed with the intention of it being a maze, or it may be a complex of rooms and tunnels that have degraded and crumbled into a confusing mess.
Cities and catacombs are both even at 20%. I imagine cities to be the ruins of a fairly large settlement, somehow sunk into the earth by telluric forces or else initially constructed in the subterranean regions. I can also see a city result indicating a complex of rooms and passages inhabited by some variety of social, sentient beings such as trad D&D fare such as goblins and orcs.
Catacombs brings to mind tunnels with heaps of bones piled in niches, piled up to make walls, dessicated corpses linign the walls, and so forth. A cross between the Catacombs of Paris and "The Real Life Beherit Album Cover" of the Palermo Catacombs. Whereas tombs contain corpses in sturdy sarcophagi, the bodies are just piled up or hung from the walls in catacombs!
Tomb...is a tomb. Not much exposition or imagineering needed here! Usually good loot and dangerous traps and/or guardians. The James Ward tables for tombs from The Best of Dragon Vol.1 would be a good resource.
I imagine a shrine to be a single or handful of rooms, a simple(r) fane. Perhaps still functioning, perhaps abandoned.
Temple brings to mind a sprawling complex, an underground cathedral, inhabited by hordes of crazed cultists. Shrines are dusty, temples are bejeweled.
Cache?!?! Despite the incongruity, cache works for me. Imagine the Ancient or Dark Ages version of a bomb shelter. Some rich noble and their family/followers builds a hidden underground bug-out shelter in case of disaster or a need to hide. As long as the contents haven't been looted, there should be some good stuff in a cache!
Although it is presumably for usage in a Empire of the Petal Throne campaign, the contents seem eminently useful for bog-standard vanilla fantasy, as well as weird gonzo fantasy. I really dig how the table is organized along the lines of traditional D&D "dungeon levels."
Let's start with Levels 1-3. Looking at the table, at the upper, "basic" levels of a dungeons complex, the probability breakdown is as follows:
City - 20%
Catacombs - 20%
Shrine - 10%
Temple - 5%
Tomb - 15%
Cache - 5%
Maze - 25%
Hohoho, chances are that adventurers are going to have to content with a maze during their initial forays into the dungeon complex! Although many dungeons are "maze-y" I interpret this to be a confusing, complex labyrinth. It may have been constructed with the intention of it being a maze, or it may be a complex of rooms and tunnels that have degraded and crumbled into a confusing mess.
Cities and catacombs are both even at 20%. I imagine cities to be the ruins of a fairly large settlement, somehow sunk into the earth by telluric forces or else initially constructed in the subterranean regions. I can also see a city result indicating a complex of rooms and passages inhabited by some variety of social, sentient beings such as trad D&D fare such as goblins and orcs.
Catacombs brings to mind tunnels with heaps of bones piled in niches, piled up to make walls, dessicated corpses linign the walls, and so forth. A cross between the Catacombs of Paris and "The Real Life Beherit Album Cover" of the Palermo Catacombs. Whereas tombs contain corpses in sturdy sarcophagi, the bodies are just piled up or hung from the walls in catacombs!
Tomb...is a tomb. Not much exposition or imagineering needed here! Usually good loot and dangerous traps and/or guardians. The James Ward tables for tombs from The Best of Dragon Vol.1 would be a good resource.
I imagine a shrine to be a single or handful of rooms, a simple(r) fane. Perhaps still functioning, perhaps abandoned.
Temple brings to mind a sprawling complex, an underground cathedral, inhabited by hordes of crazed cultists. Shrines are dusty, temples are bejeweled.
Cache?!?! Despite the incongruity, cache works for me. Imagine the Ancient or Dark Ages version of a bomb shelter. Some rich noble and their family/followers builds a hidden underground bug-out shelter in case of disaster or a need to hide. As long as the contents haven't been looted, there should be some good stuff in a cache!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Mind Wizard and Assassin Traits
In order for use with this and this.
d20 Mind Wizard Traits
1 Bulging, saucer eyes.
2 Protuberant cranial veins that throb when using mental powers.
3 Can telepathically communicate with animals.
4 Oversize cranium.
5 Elongated, narrow skull.
6 Bald.
7 Bald with a vaguely brain-shaped heap.
8 Gem impanted in forehead.
9 Will meditate for hours on end.
10 Holds all non-psychic beings in contempt.
11 Is really into crystals.
12 Malformed or crippled.
13 Creepy child, may have a bowl cut.
14 Stares all the time, never blinks.
15 Occasionally mutters in an unknown language to unseen entities and is completely unaware of doing so.
16 Is always performing calculations.
17 Always wears striking robes, most likely of metallic fabric.
18 Wears a metal headband.
19 Blind, but is unhampered due to psychic compensation.
20 Can sense demons, evil spirits and the like.
d20 Assassin Traits
1 Wears black all of the time.
2 Almost never speaks.
3 Broods on rooftops and otherwise engages in similar behavior.
4 Always making euphemistic quips and witticisms related to their profession.
5 A consummate professional.
6 Former consummate profession now sloppy due to the toll of intoxicant abuse.
7 Has a poisoned dart thrower concealed in an item of jewelry.
8 Has a slender, flexible melee weapon concealed in an inoffensive item.
9 Collects poisons, has en extensive collection.
10 Can hide motionless for days.
11 Ruthless about gold and always demands full payment before the job.
12 Collects trophies from their kills.
13 Always leaves a signature "calling card." such as a purple lotus, a distinctive weapon left in the victim's body or a glyph carved into the wall.
14 Makes friends with their targets beforehand.
15 Refuses to kill women or children.
16 Relishes the suffering of the innocent, vulnerable and the helpless.
17 Devotee of a death or murder cult.
18 Is always reserved, inscrutable, aloof and unflappable, but is actually very, very intoxicated all of the time.
19 Uses poisonous creatures in their trade.
20 Master of disguise and bluffing.
d20 Mind Wizard Traits
1 Bulging, saucer eyes.
2 Protuberant cranial veins that throb when using mental powers.
3 Can telepathically communicate with animals.
4 Oversize cranium.
5 Elongated, narrow skull.
6 Bald.
7 Bald with a vaguely brain-shaped heap.
8 Gem impanted in forehead.
9 Will meditate for hours on end.
10 Holds all non-psychic beings in contempt.
11 Is really into crystals.
12 Malformed or crippled.
13 Creepy child, may have a bowl cut.
14 Stares all the time, never blinks.
15 Occasionally mutters in an unknown language to unseen entities and is completely unaware of doing so.
16 Is always performing calculations.
17 Always wears striking robes, most likely of metallic fabric.
18 Wears a metal headband.
19 Blind, but is unhampered due to psychic compensation.
20 Can sense demons, evil spirits and the like.
d20 Assassin Traits
1 Wears black all of the time.
2 Almost never speaks.
3 Broods on rooftops and otherwise engages in similar behavior.
4 Always making euphemistic quips and witticisms related to their profession.
5 A consummate professional.
6 Former consummate profession now sloppy due to the toll of intoxicant abuse.
7 Has a poisoned dart thrower concealed in an item of jewelry.
8 Has a slender, flexible melee weapon concealed in an inoffensive item.
9 Collects poisons, has en extensive collection.
10 Can hide motionless for days.
11 Ruthless about gold and always demands full payment before the job.
12 Collects trophies from their kills.
13 Always leaves a signature "calling card." such as a purple lotus, a distinctive weapon left in the victim's body or a glyph carved into the wall.
14 Makes friends with their targets beforehand.
15 Refuses to kill women or children.
16 Relishes the suffering of the innocent, vulnerable and the helpless.
17 Devotee of a death or murder cult.
18 Is always reserved, inscrutable, aloof and unflappable, but is actually very, very intoxicated all of the time.
19 Uses poisonous creatures in their trade.
20 Master of disguise and bluffing.
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Devil is in 160 Details...Planet Algol Style NPC Traits
I've been busy lately with family, band practice, videogames (Metro 2033!) and other nonsense, with the end result being unconscionable neglect of both working on the Planet Algol booklet and this blog. As an act of contrition please enjoy the below NPC Trait generation system, a rough draft of the material I'm working on for the NPC Generation section of the Planet Algol booklet.
As a related aside, I've been hearing muttering that a certain deranged savant is planning on releasing a generic free(?) Science Fantasy supplement for Swords & Wizardry, and that some of the planned content may render some of the inchoate Planet Algol material redundant...which has me pretty jazzed as it may mean less work on my end.! Hopefully this project materializes soon and dovetails nicely with the Planet Algol project!
Anyways, I'm getting pumped for doing some more "Dungeon Jamming" with D&D bros Lester & Cameron tonight, who know what madness will emerge from our demented imaginations...
This NPC Trait Generation system was developed as a component of my Planet Algol NPC Generation system. It's a rough first draft, expect something wider, deeper, weirder and meaner in the future...
d6 - # of Traits
1 One
2-4 Two
5 Three
6 Four
d6 Trait Table to Roll On
1-5 General NPC Traits Table
6 Class-specific Trait Table
As a related aside, I've been hearing muttering that a certain deranged savant is planning on releasing a generic free(?) Science Fantasy supplement for Swords & Wizardry, and that some of the planned content may render some of the inchoate Planet Algol material redundant...which has me pretty jazzed as it may mean less work on my end.! Hopefully this project materializes soon and dovetails nicely with the Planet Algol project!
Anyways, I'm getting pumped for doing some more "Dungeon Jamming" with D&D bros Lester & Cameron tonight, who know what madness will emerge from our demented imaginations...
This NPC Trait Generation system was developed as a component of my Planet Algol NPC Generation system. It's a rough first draft, expect something wider, deeper, weirder and meaner in the future...
d6 - # of Traits
1 One
2-4 Two
5 Three
6 Four
d6 Trait Table to Roll On
1-5 General NPC Traits Table
6 Class-specific Trait Table
| d% | General NPC Traits |
| 01 | Wears strings of pierced coins. |
| 02 | Wears a knife on an arm sheath. |
| 03 | Always has bare arms. |
| 04 | Wears old hoop earrings. |
| 05 | Wears red leather headband. |
| 06 | Wears a high-collared cloak or coat which conceals lower portion of face. |
| 07 | Clad in striking black and white garments and gear. |
| 08 | Wears a bubble-like helmet. |
| 09 | Wears a metal helmet which completely covers head and face. |
| 10 | Wears a stylized metal mask in the form of an animal's face. |
| 11 | Wears a simple domino style mask. |
| 12 | Wears a crested helmet. |
| 13 | Wears bracers of precious metal. |
| 14 | Wears a foil jumpsuit. |
| 15 | Wears a tight-fitting bodysuit. |
| 16 | Garments are constructed of small, light metal scales. |
| 17 | Wears a hooded, poncho-like garment. |
| 18 | Wears a monocle. |
| 19 | Wears a metal skullcap. |
| 20 | Wears an Earth Man flying helmet. |
| 21 | Wears sleek, elbow-length gloves. |
| 22 | Very elderly. |
| 23 | Wears a skull-face mask. |
| 24 | Wears bone jewelry. |
| 25 | Wears an amulet composed of a fragment of an ancient technology. |
| 26 | Wears an amulet of a tiny stone idol. |
| 27 | Wears a metal amulet of an abstract symbol. |
| 28 | Has a harsh, grating voice. |
| 29 | Mute. |
| 30 | Sings instead of talking. |
| 31 | Speaks in Haiku-like statements. |
| 32 | Has small, suspicious eyes. |
| 33 | Wears a wide-brimmed hat. |
| 34 | Wears a very tall hat. |
| 35 | Wears gauzy, flowing robes. |
| 36 | Wears thin circlet of bronze. |
| 37 | Short and small, often mistaken for child if young. |
| 38 | Is very, very tall. |
| 39 | Wears a metal gorget. |
| 40 | Nose was once broken. |
| 41 | Wears dinosaur hide bracers. |
| 42 | Wears a turban. |
| 43 | Wears a simple undyed robe. |
| 44 | Terrible facial scars, one eye. |
| 45 | One limb is mechanical. |
| 46 | Bears the scars of a whipping or torture. |
| 47 | Shaves head aside for a single braided lock. |
| 48 | Constantly wears a cowl and veil. |
| 49 | Wears metallic cloth tunic. |
| 50 | Wears high-strapped metallic sandals. |
| 51 | Is always shirtless. |
| 52 | Carries a whip, very skilled with it. |
| 53 | Scout for a band of robbers. |
| 54 | Indebted to slavers. |
| 55 | Pursued by an vengeful former lover. |
| 56 | Obsessed with maintaining protections from evil spirits. |
| 57 | Obsessively hates mutants. |
| 58 | Secretly a mutant. |
| 59 | Servitor of a powerful supernatural being. |
| 60 | Will never lie. |
| 61 | Expert, habitual liar. |
| 62 | Secretly a descendant of Royalty with inherited birthmark, may be hunted. |
| 63 | Secretly a lawful vigilante. |
| 64 | Really into shopping for gear and supplies. |
| 65 | Can calm down agitated animals. |
| 66 | Can predict dangerous weather conditions. |
| 67 | Is convinced supernatural forces interfere in their affairs. |
| 68 | Knows the location of a hidden treasure. |
| 69 | Can run very fast. |
| 70 | Keeps a journal with sketches and maps. |
| 71 | Asks a lot of questions which quickly becomes tiresome. |
| 72 | Will conceal tears when a companion dies. |
| 73 | Can convincingly pretend to know strangers. |
| 74 | Is a recent parent, found it to be a life-changing experience. |
| 75 | Has a perfect singing voice. |
| 76 | Often loses important objects. |
| 77 | Plays with campfires way too much. |
| 78 | Throws up when a friend dies. |
| 79 | Laughs at very inappropriate moments. |
| 80 | Cannot lie without giggling. |
| 81 | Mercilessly ogles those they find attractive. |
| 82 | Is convinced they will die soon. |
| 83 | Is obsessive in checking campsites, bedding, books and the like for poisonous vermin. |
| 84 | Will always try shooting inoffensive wildlife. |
| 85 | Collects interesting rocks. |
| 86 | Always wants to gamble. |
| 87 | Is a really good cook but is insufferably smug about it. |
| 88 | Is really lazy but always has an excuse. |
| 89 | Sometimes get too excited and acts like a child. |
| 90 | Will not travel at night due to fear of nightgaunts. |
| 91 | Secretly has a crush on a PC. |
| 92 | Will never betray or abandon an ally. |
| 93 | Claims to be a great swimmer but isn't. |
| 94 | Claims that vegetation gives them a rash. |
| 95 | Illiterate but tries to pretend otherwise. |
| 96 | Very cheap, has lots of copper pieces. |
| 97 | Always sharpening blades. |
| 98 | Cannot eat without complaining about food. |
| 99 | Dislikes bright light in the morning. |
| 100 | Afraid of dinosaurs and large reptiles. |
| d20 | Fighting-Man Traits |
| 01 | Hero of a famous or infamous battle. |
| 02 | Current or former gladiatorial slave. |
| 03 | Missing several teeth. |
| 04 | Facial scar from sword wound. |
| 05 | Always telling dirty stories and jokes. |
| 06 | Meticulous about maintaining and repairing equipment. |
| 07 | Exercises a lot, prefers to do so naked. |
| 08 | Practices an unusual, digusting diet in order to "maintain conditioning." |
| 09 | Collects medals and odd bits of armor. |
| 10 | Wants to die in single combat against a worthy opponent. |
| 11 | Unafraid to knifefight or wrestle beats or monsters, actually quite effective at it. |
| 12 | Never complains, always pitches in if there's work to do. |
| 13 | Can make a deadly weapon out of almost anything, also a ruthless brawler. |
| 14 | Was raised by ferocious, savage nonhumans. |
| 15 | Doesn't trusts sorcerers, mind wizards and their ilk. |
| 16 | Has burn-scars from energy weapons. |
| 17 | Frequently checks that weapons are secured in sheaths and holsters, reminds others to do the same. |
| 18 | Knowledgeable in artillery and explosives. |
| 19 | Has a secret cache of military equipment. |
| 20 | Has strong connections with a mercenary band. |
| d20 | Sorcerer Traits |
| 01 | Was an apprentice to a master of considerable repute. |
| 02 | Meditates at every available opportunity. |
| 03 | Abstains from all physical labor, claims that it weakens internal concentration. |
| 04 | Supplements diet with disgusting invertebrates. |
| 05 | Only drinks water and certain bitter teas. |
| 06 | Is drunk all of the time, does not impair spellcasting. |
| 07 | Claims that others cannot comprehend their mystical secrets. |
| 08 | Insanely jealous of other sorcerers. |
| 09 | Will stop at nothing to attain greater sorcerous power. |
| 10 | Frequently sniffs a dusty grey power, the remains of corpses reduced to certain essential salts. |
| 11 | Carried an unwieldy, baroque staff with several secret compartments. |
| 12 | Wears a ring with a retractable poison needle. |
| 13 | Has an incorporeal servitor, requires regular rituals and sacrifices to placate. |
| 14 | Is from another plane and has an especially unusual appearance. |
| 15 | Gaunt, skeletal appearance. |
| 16 | Waxy, unhealthy complexion with cancerous dark eyes. |
| 17 | Has dark, protuberant veins. |
| 18 | Has no eyes but sees via unnatural means. |
| 19 | Head was severed at one time and crudely stitched back on. |
| 20 | Unwholesome odor either of sickly sweet incense and decay, or of pungent chemicals. |
| d20 | Thief Traits |
| 01 | Bears the facial brand of a criminal. |
| 02 | Carries a lot of daggers and throwing knives. |
| 03 | Carries a small pistol in a concealed holster. |
| 04 | Expert con artist. |
| 05 | Skilled forger. |
| 06 | Can accurately estimate the value of items. |
| 07 | Does a lot of intoxicants. |
| 08 | Always conceals identity via mask, cowl or the like and uses a title in lie of name. |
| 09 | Has a huge bounty on their head. |
| 10 | Has several lovers in high places. |
| 11 | Can always spot the best escape route, knows a million tricks to evade pursuit. |
| 12 | Will slink away from companions if the situation appears especially dire. |
| 13 | Knows how to conceal the signs of violence and effectively dispose of bodies. |
| 14 | Was subjected to a botched execution in the past and feigned death to escape. |
| 15 | Hates all authority figures. |
| 16 | Wears gaudy, cheap jewelry. Will try to claim flashy jewels. |
| 17 | Once was part of a legendary heist but only played a small role. |
| 18 | Always getting in trouble for the way they "look at people." |
| 19 | Acts in an obvious suspicious manner all the time. |
| 20 | Resents the mildest slights and will mutter about violent retribution afterwards. |
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Planet Algol NPC Generation Preview PDF
http://www.mediafire.com/file/tzjdighlt1i/NPC Generation Preview.pdf
The above PDF includes some tables and procedures from the Planet Algol booklet for generating NPCs.
You can consult the Algol Encyclopedia sidebar to the right for races, classes and so forth (aside from mutants...).
The appearance & traits material is currently far too shallow for display, and the NPC equipment generator is hampered by my inchoate technological and magic item resources.
The names lists are is desperate need of a ruthless go-over (and I should come up with another 200 or so).
This doesn't include all of the specific bits like "don't roll class for cactoids," "don't roll gender for Nire Witches" and the like, it's just a rough skeleton & guts document intended as a resource for NPC generation for oldschool D&D-style games.
I hope I can be forgiven the gender determination percentages, I went with 20% both for purposes of of genre emulation and as an artifact of the unfortunate social attitudes of the majority of Algol societies...it's an evil, dying world.
The NPC ability score arrays included are for the three classic classes. I started bolding ability scores of 8 or less and 13 or higher as way to quickly get a grasp of what that particular NPC is all about, ability-wise. The bolding is incomplete, I knock off a chunk here and there.
Hopefully portions of this document can be of use for some of your campaigns, and please let me know what you think of it!
EDIT: Regarding Lawful/Chaotic Alignment, use the following:
d6 Civilized/Lawful Regions
1-2 Lawful
3-5 Neutral
6 Chaotic
d6 Borderlands *
1-2 Lawful
3-4 Neutral
5-6 Chaotic
* Usually being an area surrounding civilized regions, settlements and strongholds for a few to several hexes dependent upon the size and strength of the settlement.
d6 Wilderness/Chaotic Regions
1 Lawful
2-4 Neutral
5-6 Chaotic
The above PDF includes some tables and procedures from the Planet Algol booklet for generating NPCs.
You can consult the Algol Encyclopedia sidebar to the right for races, classes and so forth (aside from mutants...).
The appearance & traits material is currently far too shallow for display, and the NPC equipment generator is hampered by my inchoate technological and magic item resources.
The names lists are is desperate need of a ruthless go-over (and I should come up with another 200 or so).
This doesn't include all of the specific bits like "don't roll class for cactoids," "don't roll gender for Nire Witches" and the like, it's just a rough skeleton & guts document intended as a resource for NPC generation for oldschool D&D-style games.
I hope I can be forgiven the gender determination percentages, I went with 20% both for purposes of of genre emulation and as an artifact of the unfortunate social attitudes of the majority of Algol societies...it's an evil, dying world.
The NPC ability score arrays included are for the three classic classes. I started bolding ability scores of 8 or less and 13 or higher as way to quickly get a grasp of what that particular NPC is all about, ability-wise. The bolding is incomplete, I knock off a chunk here and there.
Hopefully portions of this document can be of use for some of your campaigns, and please let me know what you think of it!
EDIT: Regarding Lawful/Chaotic Alignment, use the following:
d6 Civilized/Lawful Regions
1-2 Lawful
3-5 Neutral
6 Chaotic
d6 Borderlands *
1-2 Lawful
3-4 Neutral
5-6 Chaotic
* Usually being an area surrounding civilized regions, settlements and strongholds for a few to several hexes dependent upon the size and strength of the settlement.
d6 Wilderness/Chaotic Regions
1 Lawful
2-4 Neutral
5-6 Chaotic
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