M is also for MAPS
Roll 1d12!
Random Maps of the Underworld
1 Architectural schematic of local 9th level NPC's stronghold, signed by original builder. Shows network of secret doors bypassing all locks and traps, leading directly to treasure vault.
2 Alchemist's field journal shows locations of abundant sources of two MATERIAL COMPONENTS guaranteed to combine successfully into ADMIXTURE.
3 Geological survey shows previously unknown CAVE under nearby map hex.
4 Partial scroll of extremely ancient religious text shows lost temple of long-forgotten dead demon god.
5 Naturalist's assay reveals single magic POOL next to otherwise mundane nearby waterway.
6 Actual buried treasure, in a wooden chest, marked with a big red X and everything. Bring the shovels, because it's 10' down, and you're going to have to dig for it.
7 Pathfinder's scouting report shows game trail network connecting several nearby map hexes. The trails are easy going, without the usual chance of getting lost or penalties for rough terrain, and there's virtually no chance of encountering a wandering monster while on them.
8 Tourist's guidebook provides walking tour of nearest city, includes locations of ultra-chic tavern, hotel, and merchant center, and coupons for one day of half-off discount prices. Each spot is a speakeasy with an unmarked door, so out-of-towners normally never find them.
9 Illustrated children's fairy tale tells story of inveterate gambler who beseeches gaming-house mascot djinn to grant him a cheat code. Story obviously takes place in nearby dungeon, cheat code totally works to unlock previously inaccessible secret door, door leads to gonzo ZOWIE bonus dungeon level, illustrations make excellent walk-through guide.
10 Hobo-code chalk markings on sign at neighborhood entrance indicate location of stash house for goods pilfered from local job-sites by underpaid laborers. Additional markings in house suggest a "take-a-penny-leave-a-penny" approach to materiel held within, encourage player characters to store their loot rent-free. Dire warnings of assassin guild retaliation against stash-theives also strongly indicated.
11 Embroidered tapestry depicts legend of ancient paladin who discovered magic sword, founded stronghold, attracted coterie of cavaliers, and was eventually entombed in catacomb on nearby ISLAND. If recovered from the catacomb, ownership of the sword entitles the bearer to claim custody over the abandoned (and now monster-haunted) stronghold.
12 Lost page torn from adventurer's diary purports to show only known secret route back to the surface
Showing posts with label dungeon alphabet dozen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dungeon alphabet dozen. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Friday, November 22, 2019
Dungeon Alphabet Dozen - A is also also for ADMIXTURE
A is also also for ADMIXTURE
Roll 1d12!
Probably each hex on the map contains one unique MATERIAL COMPONENT that can be found only there. When any two such components are mixed together, there is a 1-in-12 chance that a useful potion is reliably produced by the admixture. Once such a formula has been discovered, adding a third ingredient has a 1-in-6 chance to add a second useful effect to the resulting potion.
Admixtures are often extremely specific in their results. For example, if an admixture is the antidote to a specific poison, it will work to cure the first poison the player characters use it on, but thereafter it will only work to cure the effects of the same poison.
Random Admixtures of the Underworld Alchemists
1 Antidote for one specific POISON.
2 Cure for one specific DISEASE.
3 Healing poultice cures 1d12 damage and negates the effect of one CRITICAL HIT per dose when applied to the wound and bandaged for at least a day.
4 Pungent incense eliminates the effect of one specific CURSE or negative enchantment when its smoke is inhaled.
5 Heady intoxicant acts like liquid courage. One dose makes it user immune to fear and loss of morale for the rest of the day, and is guaranteed to send them into a battle frenzy the next time they enter combat.
6 Arcane mutagen causes specific beneficial mutation to manifest for 1 day. Cumulative 1-in-12 chance with each use that it becomes permanent.
7 Delicious sauce makes any food taste incredible. One dose will flavor 1d6 rations, and anyone who can afford it would be happy to pay 10x the normal ration price for the chance to eat it.
8 Combustible fuel additive can be mixed into 1d6 jars of lamp oil or coated onto 1d12 torches. Light sources burn twice as long, and won't go out when dropped or in a heavy wind.
9 Unique pheromone causes its wearer to register as a non-entity to one specific monster who smells it for one day per dose.
10 Mystical elixir acts like a substitute for holy water, deals 1d12 damage to one specific hard-to-hurt supernatural creature.
11 Nourishing plant food turns one specific monstrous plant into willing servant of anyone who gives it a dose for 1 hour before it lapses into a digestive fugue state.
12 Powerful anti-biotic / anti-fungal agent cures the effects of contact with one specific OOZE or FUNGUS, and deals 1d12 damage per dose to that specific ooze or fungus.
Roll 1d12!
Probably each hex on the map contains one unique MATERIAL COMPONENT that can be found only there. When any two such components are mixed together, there is a 1-in-12 chance that a useful potion is reliably produced by the admixture. Once such a formula has been discovered, adding a third ingredient has a 1-in-6 chance to add a second useful effect to the resulting potion.
Admixtures are often extremely specific in their results. For example, if an admixture is the antidote to a specific poison, it will work to cure the first poison the player characters use it on, but thereafter it will only work to cure the effects of the same poison.
Random Admixtures of the Underworld Alchemists
1 Antidote for one specific POISON.
2 Cure for one specific DISEASE.
3 Healing poultice cures 1d12 damage and negates the effect of one CRITICAL HIT per dose when applied to the wound and bandaged for at least a day.
4 Pungent incense eliminates the effect of one specific CURSE or negative enchantment when its smoke is inhaled.
5 Heady intoxicant acts like liquid courage. One dose makes it user immune to fear and loss of morale for the rest of the day, and is guaranteed to send them into a battle frenzy the next time they enter combat.
6 Arcane mutagen causes specific beneficial mutation to manifest for 1 day. Cumulative 1-in-12 chance with each use that it becomes permanent.
7 Delicious sauce makes any food taste incredible. One dose will flavor 1d6 rations, and anyone who can afford it would be happy to pay 10x the normal ration price for the chance to eat it.
8 Combustible fuel additive can be mixed into 1d6 jars of lamp oil or coated onto 1d12 torches. Light sources burn twice as long, and won't go out when dropped or in a heavy wind.
9 Unique pheromone causes its wearer to register as a non-entity to one specific monster who smells it for one day per dose.
10 Mystical elixir acts like a substitute for holy water, deals 1d12 damage to one specific hard-to-hurt supernatural creature.
11 Nourishing plant food turns one specific monstrous plant into willing servant of anyone who gives it a dose for 1 hour before it lapses into a digestive fugue state.
12 Powerful anti-biotic / anti-fungal agent cures the effects of contact with one specific OOZE or FUNGUS, and deals 1d12 damage per dose to that specific ooze or fungus.
Monday, November 4, 2019
Dungeon Alphabet Dozen - B is also for BATTLE
B is also for BATTLE
Roll 1d12!
There are two ways to ways to use this table. The first is to set a flat 1-in-12 chance for each combat to be interrupted by a random event. The second is to automatically trigger a random event whenever combat "goes long." (I would recommend making that at the start of round 6, because let's be honest, no one ever makes it to round 12.)
Random Events Occurring During Combat
1 Absolutely enormous parent monster shows up, scolds "children" for missing dinner, apparently-slain monsters revealed to be "playing dead," all enemies ushered out with warning from "Mother" not to play so rough next time. Initiating combat against unbelievably tough "Mother" is basically suicide.
2 Half a dozen referees in striped shirts appear, interposing themselves between combatants, hustling opponents apart, handing out yellow and red slips of paper to everyone in sight, all enemies have somehow been spirited away by the time the character make sense of things.
3 Lively music starts up, combat somehow morphs into dance-off. Judge is encouraged to adjudicate contest based on real-world dancing by players. If the characters win, the monsters voluntarily retreat, otherwise, characters are forced back into previous room and blocked from re-entry.
4 Power outage! Room goes completely dark for 1d6 more rounds before back-up generators kick in. Anyone who makes an attack must roll 1d6 instead of normal attack roll: 1 attack hits intended target, 2 attack hits a different random monster, 3-4 attack misses completely, 5 attack hits a random ally, 6 attacker only injures themselves. 50% chance all the monsters have gone missing when the lights come back on.
5 Maximum weight exceeded! The floor collapses, and everyone drops to the dungeon level below, taking 2d6 damage from the fall and debris. If there wasn't a dungeon level below this room before, there is now, but before you can see it, you'll have to escape from this room-sized pain-in-the-ass PIT.
6 End scene! Combat ended by thunderous applause from 12d12 human peasants. All monsters begin taking bows, dead monsters stand up to accept praise. Piles of flowers heaped into room. Meanwhile, 2d12 dark creeper and dark stalker "stage hands" are busy breaking down the set, rolling away dungeon walls, carrying off props, sweeping up the floor. By the time the curtain drops, the entire dungeon behind the heroes is reduced to a wall-less empty shell with theatrical supplies lining the back wall. There's a pretty nice reception on the other side of the curtain though, and the peasants would love to shake hands with a few of the "actors."
7 Groggy and disheveled random wandering monster appears in nearest doorway, rubbing eyes, wearing peaked nightcap, carrying candlestick. Spends a moment taking in the scene, then bellows at everyone to "BE QUIET!" because "PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" Re-roll surprise and initiative. Anyone who's surprised can't act this round, and enemies who are surprised will act apologetic and slink away to the exits. The first person who makes any noise again is going to face the full wrath of the monster, but luckily for assassins, it's the victim of a sneak attack, and not the perpetrator, who generally makes a sound.
8 Rival ADVENTURING party parachutes in from overhead / repels down through previously unseen hole in ceiling. Re-roll surprise and initiative for all current combatants, reaction rolls to determine whose side the newcomers are on.
9 Army of murderous KOBOLDS (1d6 per person) literally breaks down one of the walls, streams into the room, and starts attacking everyone. Everyone who wants to live had better team up now, any survivors may not remember what original conflict was even about.
10 Whistle blows, combat stops while all monsters AND all retainers punch out on a time-clock and disappear out the back. They're all replaced by look-alikes with full hit points, different color-schemes, and (in the case of the retainers) different but rhyming names. Second whistle resumes the fight.
11 Bell dings, and the twin of every original monster (even those now defeated) tags in to join the fray. Original monsters somehow "forget" to tag out. New arrivals all armed with metal folding chairs.
12 Sound of clock striking midnight heralds in beginning of next real-world holiday. Monsters break out decorations, begin singing seasonally-appropriate tunes, no one (including player characters) can find the will to keep fighting. Everyone present feasts on available rations, exchanges gifts if the holiday permits.
Roll 1d12!
There are two ways to ways to use this table. The first is to set a flat 1-in-12 chance for each combat to be interrupted by a random event. The second is to automatically trigger a random event whenever combat "goes long." (I would recommend making that at the start of round 6, because let's be honest, no one ever makes it to round 12.)
Random Events Occurring During Combat
1 Absolutely enormous parent monster shows up, scolds "children" for missing dinner, apparently-slain monsters revealed to be "playing dead," all enemies ushered out with warning from "Mother" not to play so rough next time. Initiating combat against unbelievably tough "Mother" is basically suicide.
2 Half a dozen referees in striped shirts appear, interposing themselves between combatants, hustling opponents apart, handing out yellow and red slips of paper to everyone in sight, all enemies have somehow been spirited away by the time the character make sense of things.
3 Lively music starts up, combat somehow morphs into dance-off. Judge is encouraged to adjudicate contest based on real-world dancing by players. If the characters win, the monsters voluntarily retreat, otherwise, characters are forced back into previous room and blocked from re-entry.
4 Power outage! Room goes completely dark for 1d6 more rounds before back-up generators kick in. Anyone who makes an attack must roll 1d6 instead of normal attack roll: 1 attack hits intended target, 2 attack hits a different random monster, 3-4 attack misses completely, 5 attack hits a random ally, 6 attacker only injures themselves. 50% chance all the monsters have gone missing when the lights come back on.
5 Maximum weight exceeded! The floor collapses, and everyone drops to the dungeon level below, taking 2d6 damage from the fall and debris. If there wasn't a dungeon level below this room before, there is now, but before you can see it, you'll have to escape from this room-sized pain-in-the-ass PIT.
6 End scene! Combat ended by thunderous applause from 12d12 human peasants. All monsters begin taking bows, dead monsters stand up to accept praise. Piles of flowers heaped into room. Meanwhile, 2d12 dark creeper and dark stalker "stage hands" are busy breaking down the set, rolling away dungeon walls, carrying off props, sweeping up the floor. By the time the curtain drops, the entire dungeon behind the heroes is reduced to a wall-less empty shell with theatrical supplies lining the back wall. There's a pretty nice reception on the other side of the curtain though, and the peasants would love to shake hands with a few of the "actors."
7 Groggy and disheveled random wandering monster appears in nearest doorway, rubbing eyes, wearing peaked nightcap, carrying candlestick. Spends a moment taking in the scene, then bellows at everyone to "BE QUIET!" because "PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" Re-roll surprise and initiative. Anyone who's surprised can't act this round, and enemies who are surprised will act apologetic and slink away to the exits. The first person who makes any noise again is going to face the full wrath of the monster, but luckily for assassins, it's the victim of a sneak attack, and not the perpetrator, who generally makes a sound.
8 Rival ADVENTURING party parachutes in from overhead / repels down through previously unseen hole in ceiling. Re-roll surprise and initiative for all current combatants, reaction rolls to determine whose side the newcomers are on.
9 Army of murderous KOBOLDS (1d6 per person) literally breaks down one of the walls, streams into the room, and starts attacking everyone. Everyone who wants to live had better team up now, any survivors may not remember what original conflict was even about.
10 Whistle blows, combat stops while all monsters AND all retainers punch out on a time-clock and disappear out the back. They're all replaced by look-alikes with full hit points, different color-schemes, and (in the case of the retainers) different but rhyming names. Second whistle resumes the fight.
11 Bell dings, and the twin of every original monster (even those now defeated) tags in to join the fray. Original monsters somehow "forget" to tag out. New arrivals all armed with metal folding chairs.
12 Sound of clock striking midnight heralds in beginning of next real-world holiday. Monsters break out decorations, begin singing seasonally-appropriate tunes, no one (including player characters) can find the will to keep fighting. Everyone present feasts on available rations, exchanges gifts if the holiday permits.
Friday, October 18, 2019
Dungeon Alphabet Dozen - B is for BOOKS
B is for BOOKS
Roll 1d12!
There is a cumulative 1-in-12 chance per dungeon level that a found book has Special Properties.
Random Special Properties of Books
1 The book is CURSED, and reading it activates the curse.
2 Reading the book makes the reader permanently immune to the effect of one random spell. If the spell is beneficial, the character must succeed a saving throw vs. spells in order to allow themselves to be affected by it.
3 Biological monograph on local monster species reveals one heretofore unanticipated combat vulnerability.
4 Extremely extended family trees for ruling families of several demihuman and humanoid races reveals their previously unknown shared evolutionary origins.
5 Field manual with extensive marginalia on a random skill (as thief) provides a +1 (or +17%) bonus to the first 1d6 attempts to use that skill. There is a flat 1-in-12 chance per skill use that this bonus will become permanent. Each skill use requires 1 exploration turn of consultation before the attempt.
6 Encyclopedic volume on a random area of expertise (as a sage) provides answers to the first 1d12 questions on that topic. Due to verbosity and inadequate indexing, each question takes 4 hours to look up an answer.
7 Over-hyped divination manual with ludicrous illustrations of author's cosmic power actually does foretell the future. The first 1d6 readers each gain a random fortune after staying up all night reading it.
8 Ineffectual-looking but surprisingly potent self-help manual provides tips and exercises to be a better person. After 1d6 weeks of use, the reader gains a permanent +1d6 to a random ability score. Subsequent readers spend 1d12 weeks to discover they get no benefit at all, and become convinced that original player character has been duped by a flim-flam author.
9 Extensive theological treatise sufficient to allow a player character to scribe scrolls to banish, bind, dismiss, ensnare, summon, or torment one random demon god of the underworld, plus one such scroll already completed.
10 Schematic allowing the player characters to assemble one random piece of anti-diluvean technology.
11 Pre-apocalyptic novel is a guaranteed best-seller. Every merchant the player character meet is going to want to buy the "rare surface edition" and put it into mass production. Every NPC the characters meet will be reading (or re-reading) the book and will want to talk of nothing else. There is a flat 1 in 6 chance each week that it's finally been replaced by some other underworld FASHION.
12 First-hand historical account of previous apocalypse implicates ancestors of the rulers of the nearest city in unforgivable war crimes. Revelation of this information will topple the regime leading to a week of rioting followed by weekly coups as each new faction temporarily ascends to fill the power vacuum. There is a flat 1 in 6 chance per week that the current leading faction manages to solidify its control of the city to become the new permanent rulers.
Roll 1d12!
There is a cumulative 1-in-12 chance per dungeon level that a found book has Special Properties.
Random Special Properties of Books
1 The book is CURSED, and reading it activates the curse.
2 Reading the book makes the reader permanently immune to the effect of one random spell. If the spell is beneficial, the character must succeed a saving throw vs. spells in order to allow themselves to be affected by it.
3 Biological monograph on local monster species reveals one heretofore unanticipated combat vulnerability.
4 Extremely extended family trees for ruling families of several demihuman and humanoid races reveals their previously unknown shared evolutionary origins.
5 Field manual with extensive marginalia on a random skill (as thief) provides a +1 (or +17%) bonus to the first 1d6 attempts to use that skill. There is a flat 1-in-12 chance per skill use that this bonus will become permanent. Each skill use requires 1 exploration turn of consultation before the attempt.
6 Encyclopedic volume on a random area of expertise (as a sage) provides answers to the first 1d12 questions on that topic. Due to verbosity and inadequate indexing, each question takes 4 hours to look up an answer.
7 Over-hyped divination manual with ludicrous illustrations of author's cosmic power actually does foretell the future. The first 1d6 readers each gain a random fortune after staying up all night reading it.
8 Ineffectual-looking but surprisingly potent self-help manual provides tips and exercises to be a better person. After 1d6 weeks of use, the reader gains a permanent +1d6 to a random ability score. Subsequent readers spend 1d12 weeks to discover they get no benefit at all, and become convinced that original player character has been duped by a flim-flam author.
9 Extensive theological treatise sufficient to allow a player character to scribe scrolls to banish, bind, dismiss, ensnare, summon, or torment one random demon god of the underworld, plus one such scroll already completed.
10 Schematic allowing the player characters to assemble one random piece of anti-diluvean technology.
11 Pre-apocalyptic novel is a guaranteed best-seller. Every merchant the player character meet is going to want to buy the "rare surface edition" and put it into mass production. Every NPC the characters meet will be reading (or re-reading) the book and will want to talk of nothing else. There is a flat 1 in 6 chance each week that it's finally been replaced by some other underworld FASHION.
12 First-hand historical account of previous apocalypse implicates ancestors of the rulers of the nearest city in unforgivable war crimes. Revelation of this information will topple the regime leading to a week of rioting followed by weekly coups as each new faction temporarily ascends to fill the power vacuum. There is a flat 1 in 6 chance per week that the current leading faction manages to solidify its control of the city to become the new permanent rulers.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Dungeon Alphabet Dozen - A is also for ADVENTURERS
A is also for ADVENTURERS
Roll 1d12!
Rival adventuring parties usually have a leader plus 1d6 additional members. Whenever the player characters encounter a rival party, there is a cumulative 2-in-6 chance per party that they've re-encountered a rival they've met before. (As a result, there are never more than three rival teams at one time, but if one team dies...)
When first encountered, each member of a rival party is a random level. Roll 1d12: 1 Two levels lower than player characters, 2-3 One level lower than player characters, 4-9 Same level as player characters, 10-11 One level higher than player characters, 12 Two levels higher than player characters. Each time a rival party is re-encountered, there is a flat 1-in-12 chance that they've leveled up since the last encounter.
When determining reactions, roll 2d6, modified by Charisma: 2 worst, 3-6 bad, 7-11 good, 12 best. (Reactions are listed in best-to-worst order below for added inconvenience.)
Random Rival Adventuring Parties
1 A fantastically wealthy and idiotically foppish 0th-level dilettante is escorted through the underworld by a hyper-competent team of seasoned adventurers he's hired as "porters" and "torch-bearers" to show him around.
2 Handsome but generally clueless and romantically oblivious young man followed by entourage of wide-eyed and exceptionally talented young women in a variety of military and school uniforms who are obviously in love with him. The women will consider any female player characters or retainers to be dangerous rivals for the young man's affection, but some of them might develop competing crushes on a high-Charisma male character or retainer. Despite his general obliviousness, the young man is an unbelievably effective monster hunter, capable of hitting seemingly invulnerable opponents for massive amounts of damage.
3 A genius inventor leads his extended family of plucky adventurers. There's a cumulative 1-in-12 chance each per encounter that they've been transformed into anthropomorphic ducks by an experiment gone wrong. Each time they're encountered, they're out testing a new invention and insist on demonstrating it to/on the player characters. Depending on the reaction roll, the invention might be beneficial to the test subject, a random piece of anti-diluvean technology that the inventor will offer to sell to the player characters because he considers it a failure due to its lack of originality, completely ineffectual, or a dangerous weapon. (The inventor and his family are always friendly and affable - the reaction roll merely determines what kind of device they are friendly and affably trying to test on the player characters.)
4 A family of master criminals wearing black-and-white striped jumpsuits and black domino masks. Depending on the reaction roll, they might ask the characters to hold some treasure for them "until the heat dies down", open some locked doors and disarm some traps for the player characters as a demonstration of their skill, ask the player characters to join them on a "heist" before inevitably betraying them, or target the characters for a stick-up. When unloading goods from the characters during a betrayal or stick-up robbery, the criminals will prove to be far more interested in one random type of mundane object than in coinage or other treasure.
5 A team of adorable woodland creatures with whimsical names bearing miniature adventuring gear made from twigs, leaves, and acorns. They tend to like druids and elves and to dislike any other "giants" they encounter. Each time they're encountered, they're on a "mission" to rescue the victim of a kidnapping. Depending on the reaction roll, they might ask the player characters for help, attempt to detain them for questioning, believe that the characters are trying to thwart their rescue, or believe that one random character is the "victim" and attempt to return them to the nearest city the next time the party is asleep. They prefer to lay traps (pits, snares, deadfalls) and ambush the characters in their sleep rather than initiating direct combat. They have few hit points, but are hard to hit due to their small size and use of cover.
6 A hyper-intelligent talking dog leads a team of under-qualified amateur detectives. Each time they're encountered, they're searching for "clues" to solve a mystery. Depending on the reaction roll, they might ask the player characters for help, attempt to detain them for questioning, demand random items of mundane equipment as "clues", or be certain that the characters are guilty of the crime at the center of their "mystery".
7 A team of outcast mutant superheroes. Each has a garish spandex costume, a silly code-name, and a single MAGIC power they can use at will. Each time they're encountered, they're on a new "mission" to defeat a different "villain". Depending on the reaction roll, they might see the player characters as potential victims in need of protecting, as potential allies in their fight, as an unnecessary distraction from their "mission", or as their "villain" of the week.
8 Self-aggrandizing and belligerent "captain" wearing a yellow jumpsuit is accompanied by 1d3-1 intelligent and reasonable scientist advisors in blue jumpsuits and 1d12+1 security personnel in red jumpsuits. A reaction roll is only possible if advisors are present, otherwise the "captain" is unerringly hostile. The security personnel have only 1 hit point each and are incompetent combatants. When they're all defeated, the "captain" will teleport to safety. He always possesses a random piece of anti-diluvean technology that he drops on any roll of natural 1.
9 Mysterious figure in a space suit leads a team of technicolor plant- and fungus-humanoids. If the player character have lost a character or retainer to olive slime, purple moss, russet mold, or the like, that character's transformed body will definitely be present. Depending on the reaction roll, the figure may be willing to trade unique MATERIAL COMPONENTS for a proprietary medicine that cures the effects of such transformative threats, or may attempt to "recruit" player characters by transforming them.
10 A bright yellow giant is accompanied by technicolor spectral undead. If a player character or retainer has recently died, they will definitely be present. The giant is insane, always hungry, and utterly paranoid about the "ghosts" he claims follow him everywhere. Depending on the reaction roll, he may believe the player characters are "ghosts" and be terrified of them, warn the characters about the nearest actual undead threat, demand to eat all the characters' rations, or believe himself to be temporarily invulnerable and attempt to eat the player characters whole.
11 An angsty human barbarian with a random magic SWORD leads a group of half-animal, half-mineral monsters. Each creature has a natural attack that mimics the effect of a random spell, and makes a single weird alien sound that is nonetheless intelligible as conversation to the barbarian. He is determined to slay any "evil wizards" and destroy an "unholy magic items" he encounters, with predictable results for the player characters.
12 An undead anti-cleric with the power to "turn" living humans leads a party of undead crusaders to recover unholy relics for the glory of Hell. If a player character or retainer has recently died, they will definitely be present. The crusaders will demand the destruction of any holy symbols or divine magic items the characters posses, and will attempt to "convert" living characters and "recruit" recently dead ones to their anti-religion. Happily, they are also eager to trade to acquire any CURSED items in the characters' possession.
Roll 1d12!
Rival adventuring parties usually have a leader plus 1d6 additional members. Whenever the player characters encounter a rival party, there is a cumulative 2-in-6 chance per party that they've re-encountered a rival they've met before. (As a result, there are never more than three rival teams at one time, but if one team dies...)
When first encountered, each member of a rival party is a random level. Roll 1d12: 1 Two levels lower than player characters, 2-3 One level lower than player characters, 4-9 Same level as player characters, 10-11 One level higher than player characters, 12 Two levels higher than player characters. Each time a rival party is re-encountered, there is a flat 1-in-12 chance that they've leveled up since the last encounter.
When determining reactions, roll 2d6, modified by Charisma: 2 worst, 3-6 bad, 7-11 good, 12 best. (Reactions are listed in best-to-worst order below for added inconvenience.)
Random Rival Adventuring Parties
1 A fantastically wealthy and idiotically foppish 0th-level dilettante is escorted through the underworld by a hyper-competent team of seasoned adventurers he's hired as "porters" and "torch-bearers" to show him around.
2 Handsome but generally clueless and romantically oblivious young man followed by entourage of wide-eyed and exceptionally talented young women in a variety of military and school uniforms who are obviously in love with him. The women will consider any female player characters or retainers to be dangerous rivals for the young man's affection, but some of them might develop competing crushes on a high-Charisma male character or retainer. Despite his general obliviousness, the young man is an unbelievably effective monster hunter, capable of hitting seemingly invulnerable opponents for massive amounts of damage.
3 A genius inventor leads his extended family of plucky adventurers. There's a cumulative 1-in-12 chance each per encounter that they've been transformed into anthropomorphic ducks by an experiment gone wrong. Each time they're encountered, they're out testing a new invention and insist on demonstrating it to/on the player characters. Depending on the reaction roll, the invention might be beneficial to the test subject, a random piece of anti-diluvean technology that the inventor will offer to sell to the player characters because he considers it a failure due to its lack of originality, completely ineffectual, or a dangerous weapon. (The inventor and his family are always friendly and affable - the reaction roll merely determines what kind of device they are friendly and affably trying to test on the player characters.)
4 A family of master criminals wearing black-and-white striped jumpsuits and black domino masks. Depending on the reaction roll, they might ask the characters to hold some treasure for them "until the heat dies down", open some locked doors and disarm some traps for the player characters as a demonstration of their skill, ask the player characters to join them on a "heist" before inevitably betraying them, or target the characters for a stick-up. When unloading goods from the characters during a betrayal or stick-up robbery, the criminals will prove to be far more interested in one random type of mundane object than in coinage or other treasure.
5 A team of adorable woodland creatures with whimsical names bearing miniature adventuring gear made from twigs, leaves, and acorns. They tend to like druids and elves and to dislike any other "giants" they encounter. Each time they're encountered, they're on a "mission" to rescue the victim of a kidnapping. Depending on the reaction roll, they might ask the player characters for help, attempt to detain them for questioning, believe that the characters are trying to thwart their rescue, or believe that one random character is the "victim" and attempt to return them to the nearest city the next time the party is asleep. They prefer to lay traps (pits, snares, deadfalls) and ambush the characters in their sleep rather than initiating direct combat. They have few hit points, but are hard to hit due to their small size and use of cover.
6 A hyper-intelligent talking dog leads a team of under-qualified amateur detectives. Each time they're encountered, they're searching for "clues" to solve a mystery. Depending on the reaction roll, they might ask the player characters for help, attempt to detain them for questioning, demand random items of mundane equipment as "clues", or be certain that the characters are guilty of the crime at the center of their "mystery".
7 A team of outcast mutant superheroes. Each has a garish spandex costume, a silly code-name, and a single MAGIC power they can use at will. Each time they're encountered, they're on a new "mission" to defeat a different "villain". Depending on the reaction roll, they might see the player characters as potential victims in need of protecting, as potential allies in their fight, as an unnecessary distraction from their "mission", or as their "villain" of the week.
8 Self-aggrandizing and belligerent "captain" wearing a yellow jumpsuit is accompanied by 1d3-1 intelligent and reasonable scientist advisors in blue jumpsuits and 1d12+1 security personnel in red jumpsuits. A reaction roll is only possible if advisors are present, otherwise the "captain" is unerringly hostile. The security personnel have only 1 hit point each and are incompetent combatants. When they're all defeated, the "captain" will teleport to safety. He always possesses a random piece of anti-diluvean technology that he drops on any roll of natural 1.
9 Mysterious figure in a space suit leads a team of technicolor plant- and fungus-humanoids. If the player character have lost a character or retainer to olive slime, purple moss, russet mold, or the like, that character's transformed body will definitely be present. Depending on the reaction roll, the figure may be willing to trade unique MATERIAL COMPONENTS for a proprietary medicine that cures the effects of such transformative threats, or may attempt to "recruit" player characters by transforming them.
10 A bright yellow giant is accompanied by technicolor spectral undead. If a player character or retainer has recently died, they will definitely be present. The giant is insane, always hungry, and utterly paranoid about the "ghosts" he claims follow him everywhere. Depending on the reaction roll, he may believe the player characters are "ghosts" and be terrified of them, warn the characters about the nearest actual undead threat, demand to eat all the characters' rations, or believe himself to be temporarily invulnerable and attempt to eat the player characters whole.
11 An angsty human barbarian with a random magic SWORD leads a group of half-animal, half-mineral monsters. Each creature has a natural attack that mimics the effect of a random spell, and makes a single weird alien sound that is nonetheless intelligible as conversation to the barbarian. He is determined to slay any "evil wizards" and destroy an "unholy magic items" he encounters, with predictable results for the player characters.
12 An undead anti-cleric with the power to "turn" living humans leads a party of undead crusaders to recover unholy relics for the glory of Hell. If a player character or retainer has recently died, they will definitely be present. The crusaders will demand the destruction of any holy symbols or divine magic items the characters posses, and will attempt to "convert" living characters and "recruit" recently dead ones to their anti-religion. Happily, they are also eager to trade to acquire any CURSED items in the characters' possession.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Dungeon Alphabet Dozen - E is for ECHOES
E is for ECHOES
Roll 1d12!
Random Inexplicable Echoes of the Underworld
1 Everything player characters say is repeated back in Igpay Atinlay.
2 Echo has a horribly unconvincing French accent.
3 Second character to speak (and ONLY that character) has no echo.
4 Second character to speak (and ONLY that character) receives an addendum to their echo, making it sound like they're insulting the other player characters under their breath.
5 Rude echo repeats everything the characters say, but in a really mocking and sarcastic tone of voice.
6 Menacing echo repeats everything the characters say, but somehow makes it sound like a threat.
7 Immature echo inserts as many sexual and scatological references and Freudian slips into repeats as possible.
8 Annoying echo repeats everything the characters say, but replaces the original subject of every sentence with "Your mama..."
9 Searching the area for any purpose reveals that the "echo" is actually a KOBOLD hiding in the shadows.
10 Echo definitely sounds like a parrot, beginning every sentence with "Awk!", ending with a whistle, replacing every instance of the word "I" with "Polly" and any mention of a desired object with "a cracker". No amount of searching can find the bird though.
11 Echo repeats only the last word of each sentence, and repeats it three times times times.
12 Echo repeats everything the characters say, and every time there's a break in the conversation, also repeats the words of a party of rival ADVENTURERS who have heard every word the player characters have been saying.
Roll 1d12!
Random Inexplicable Echoes of the Underworld
1 Everything player characters say is repeated back in Igpay Atinlay.
2 Echo has a horribly unconvincing French accent.
3 Second character to speak (and ONLY that character) has no echo.
4 Second character to speak (and ONLY that character) receives an addendum to their echo, making it sound like they're insulting the other player characters under their breath.
5 Rude echo repeats everything the characters say, but in a really mocking and sarcastic tone of voice.
6 Menacing echo repeats everything the characters say, but somehow makes it sound like a threat.
7 Immature echo inserts as many sexual and scatological references and Freudian slips into repeats as possible.
8 Annoying echo repeats everything the characters say, but replaces the original subject of every sentence with "Your mama..."
9 Searching the area for any purpose reveals that the "echo" is actually a KOBOLD hiding in the shadows.
10 Echo definitely sounds like a parrot, beginning every sentence with "Awk!", ending with a whistle, replacing every instance of the word "I" with "Polly" and any mention of a desired object with "a cracker". No amount of searching can find the bird though.
11 Echo repeats only the last word of each sentence, and repeats it three times times times.
12 Echo repeats everything the characters say, and every time there's a break in the conversation, also repeats the words of a party of rival ADVENTURERS who have heard every word the player characters have been saying.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Dungeon Alphabet Dozen - D is for DOORWAYS
D is for DOORWAYS
Roll 1d12!
Random Pain-in-the-Ass Doorways of the Underworld
1 The door opens draw-bridge style, falling on whoever opens it for 1d12 damage and pinning them to the ground, unless they save vs paralysis to dodge out of the way.
2 Thick, oversized door has another smaller door right behind it, 1d12 smaller doors in fact, each new door revealed as the previous one opens.
3 The door revolves on a central axis instead of opening on a hinge. Each time a player character tries to go through, flip a coin. Heads they make it through, tails they're back where they started.
4 Door flies open violently at the slightest touch, throwing the first player character who attempts to open it 10' into the next room. They're unhurt, but spend 1 combat round lying prone.
5 Astonishingly transparent sliding glass door does 1d3 damage to anyone who walks into it (unless wearing a helmet.) Impossible to tell there's a door there at all until someone blunders into it, 1-in-6 chance of silently closing after each person passes through, super-slick surface frustratingly causes all attempts at marking the glass to slide off onto the floor.
6 Door loudly slams shut between each player character who uses it. It's no trouble to re-open it, but the noise means that there's a 1-in-6 chance that a wandering monster will appear in the emptier of the two rooms immediately after it closes.
7 Door cannot be opened by any means by player characters, but each exploration turn they spend attempting to open it, there's a 2-in-6 chance that a wandering monster will come through the door, opening it with ease and shutting it too quickly for the characters to keep it open.
8 Door was the entry-way to previous room occupant's lair. Previous room occupant was utterly paranoid, and door has 6 locking mechanisms. They all use the same key, but unless the player characters have it, they all have to be picked separately. All those locks also mean that it's twice as difficult as usual to batter down.
9 Door has a coin-slot and opens automatically after player characters insert 1d12€.
10 Largest available reasonably-intelligent wandering monster serving as a "bouncer" for the door, with an identical monster on the other side. It demands to see identification papers or hear "the password" before letting anyone through. It will also accept a bribe of 1d12€ per character, but would never be so gauche as to broach the subject itself. If the player characters attack, two more bouncers are nearby waiting for the shift change.
11 Door features large red button next to it. If player characters push the button, a bell dings, a light goes on above the door, soft music plays, and the door opens 1d6 exploration turns later. The door can be pried open without waiting, but reveals only empty black space, and anyone who passes through falls 50' before landing on back in the original room.
12 Door cannot be lock-picked or bashed down, but whenever player characters knock, instead of knocking sound, they hear a voice saying "Knock, knock." If they answer "Who's there?" and allow the door to finish the entire joke, it opens on its own.
Roll 1d12!
Random Pain-in-the-Ass Doorways of the Underworld
1 The door opens draw-bridge style, falling on whoever opens it for 1d12 damage and pinning them to the ground, unless they save vs paralysis to dodge out of the way.
2 Thick, oversized door has another smaller door right behind it, 1d12 smaller doors in fact, each new door revealed as the previous one opens.
3 The door revolves on a central axis instead of opening on a hinge. Each time a player character tries to go through, flip a coin. Heads they make it through, tails they're back where they started.
4 Door flies open violently at the slightest touch, throwing the first player character who attempts to open it 10' into the next room. They're unhurt, but spend 1 combat round lying prone.
5 Astonishingly transparent sliding glass door does 1d3 damage to anyone who walks into it (unless wearing a helmet.) Impossible to tell there's a door there at all until someone blunders into it, 1-in-6 chance of silently closing after each person passes through, super-slick surface frustratingly causes all attempts at marking the glass to slide off onto the floor.
6 Door loudly slams shut between each player character who uses it. It's no trouble to re-open it, but the noise means that there's a 1-in-6 chance that a wandering monster will appear in the emptier of the two rooms immediately after it closes.
7 Door cannot be opened by any means by player characters, but each exploration turn they spend attempting to open it, there's a 2-in-6 chance that a wandering monster will come through the door, opening it with ease and shutting it too quickly for the characters to keep it open.
8 Door was the entry-way to previous room occupant's lair. Previous room occupant was utterly paranoid, and door has 6 locking mechanisms. They all use the same key, but unless the player characters have it, they all have to be picked separately. All those locks also mean that it's twice as difficult as usual to batter down.
9 Door has a coin-slot and opens automatically after player characters insert 1d12€.
10 Largest available reasonably-intelligent wandering monster serving as a "bouncer" for the door, with an identical monster on the other side. It demands to see identification papers or hear "the password" before letting anyone through. It will also accept a bribe of 1d12€ per character, but would never be so gauche as to broach the subject itself. If the player characters attack, two more bouncers are nearby waiting for the shift change.
11 Door features large red button next to it. If player characters push the button, a bell dings, a light goes on above the door, soft music plays, and the door opens 1d6 exploration turns later. The door can be pried open without waiting, but reveals only empty black space, and anyone who passes through falls 50' before landing on back in the original room.
12 Door cannot be lock-picked or bashed down, but whenever player characters knock, instead of knocking sound, they hear a voice saying "Knock, knock." If they answer "Who's there?" and allow the door to finish the entire joke, it opens on its own.
Monday, September 9, 2019
Dungeon Alphabet Dozen - H is for HALLWAYS
H is for HALLWAYS
Roll 1d12!
Random Pain-in-the-Ass Hallways of the Underworld
1 Hallway looks twice as long as it really is, walls narrow and ceiling dips to the point where you're squeezing through at the other end. Coming back it looks only half as long as it is. Understanding the geometry doesn't help un-see the unavoidable optical illusion.
2 Hallway looks normal, but is subtly slanted and preternaturally smooth. Roll under Dexterity to avoid falling prone and taking 1d6 damage while sliding down to the lower side. Getting back up to the higher side is going to require a climb walls skill check, or the use of a rope fastened to something at the top.
3 Hallway holds queue of 2d12 human peasants waiting in line. The peasants move through the door at the far end at a rate of one per exploration turn. They'll get angry if the player characters try to cut. If questioned, they're either thrilled with anticipation but assume the characters are in on the excitement, or impatient with no time to talk to someone who doesn't even know what they're doing here. When the player characters finally make it through the door, there'll be no sign of any of the peasants, and no indication of what they were waiting for.
4 Hallway is a stinking open sewer. Effluent runs down a wall near the door from a grate in the ceiling, flows in a wide river of filth to the far end, then disappears down a drain in the floor. Rotting garbage and solid waste line the walls. Anyone who's been recently injured should save vs poison or catch a DISEASE.
5 Hallway acts as a wind tunnel. Characters can only move at a crawl through the fierce gale, light sources are extinguished, missile fire is impossible.
6 Hallway must gently rotate on a central axis (although no one but a gnome could possibly feel it, and who can believe a word they say?) Each time the characters walk down the hall, flip a coin. Heads the door opens to the other side, tails it opens to the room they just came from. Walking back through the door they just came through never works to circumvent this problem though.
7 Hallway is seriously 10x as long as it appears on maps, feels like it takes forever to get to the other side, no one can see either doorway once they're deep enough in to the damn thing. Get ready to burn through torches, waste time dealing with equally perplexed wandering monsters.
8 Hallway is literally a maze of branching tunnels, ramps, dead-ends, and hairpin turns. Enter the hall only where it appears on the map, but exit to a completely random room. Roll under Intelligence to go back the way you came, or under half-Intelligence to return to any previous destination. Once you close the door on the hall though, the ONLY way back to the maze is through the original entrance.
9 Hallway is painted with dozens of arrows pointing back the way the characters came. Signs hang everywhere extolling the virtues of the room the characters just left: "This way to the greatest wonders of the dungeon!", "Suffer no more! Behold the mystical secret door to the fabled land!", "Leave poverty behind! Treasures abound in the region ahead!", "Say goodbye to boredom! Wonders and splendors galore!", "See the sights! Become the envy of your friends!"
10 Both the inward facing doors in the hall are identical pain-in-the-ass DOORWAYS.
11 Less of a hallway and more of a "fall-way," or rather, a pain-in-the-ass PIT. 2-in-6 chance the first character in the marching order just falls right down to the bottom the moment they walk through the door. Continued danger for each additional character until someone manages not to fall in. Exit door is at the bottom.
12 More like a "crawl-way" really, hall is only waist-high. Requires squeezing through on all fours at half normal speed. Any gnomes in the party feel obnoxiously smug about being able to remain upright.
Roll 1d12!
Random Pain-in-the-Ass Hallways of the Underworld
1 Hallway looks twice as long as it really is, walls narrow and ceiling dips to the point where you're squeezing through at the other end. Coming back it looks only half as long as it is. Understanding the geometry doesn't help un-see the unavoidable optical illusion.
2 Hallway looks normal, but is subtly slanted and preternaturally smooth. Roll under Dexterity to avoid falling prone and taking 1d6 damage while sliding down to the lower side. Getting back up to the higher side is going to require a climb walls skill check, or the use of a rope fastened to something at the top.
3 Hallway holds queue of 2d12 human peasants waiting in line. The peasants move through the door at the far end at a rate of one per exploration turn. They'll get angry if the player characters try to cut. If questioned, they're either thrilled with anticipation but assume the characters are in on the excitement, or impatient with no time to talk to someone who doesn't even know what they're doing here. When the player characters finally make it through the door, there'll be no sign of any of the peasants, and no indication of what they were waiting for.
4 Hallway is a stinking open sewer. Effluent runs down a wall near the door from a grate in the ceiling, flows in a wide river of filth to the far end, then disappears down a drain in the floor. Rotting garbage and solid waste line the walls. Anyone who's been recently injured should save vs poison or catch a DISEASE.
5 Hallway acts as a wind tunnel. Characters can only move at a crawl through the fierce gale, light sources are extinguished, missile fire is impossible.
6 Hallway must gently rotate on a central axis (although no one but a gnome could possibly feel it, and who can believe a word they say?) Each time the characters walk down the hall, flip a coin. Heads the door opens to the other side, tails it opens to the room they just came from. Walking back through the door they just came through never works to circumvent this problem though.
7 Hallway is seriously 10x as long as it appears on maps, feels like it takes forever to get to the other side, no one can see either doorway once they're deep enough in to the damn thing. Get ready to burn through torches, waste time dealing with equally perplexed wandering monsters.
8 Hallway is literally a maze of branching tunnels, ramps, dead-ends, and hairpin turns. Enter the hall only where it appears on the map, but exit to a completely random room. Roll under Intelligence to go back the way you came, or under half-Intelligence to return to any previous destination. Once you close the door on the hall though, the ONLY way back to the maze is through the original entrance.
9 Hallway is painted with dozens of arrows pointing back the way the characters came. Signs hang everywhere extolling the virtues of the room the characters just left: "This way to the greatest wonders of the dungeon!", "Suffer no more! Behold the mystical secret door to the fabled land!", "Leave poverty behind! Treasures abound in the region ahead!", "Say goodbye to boredom! Wonders and splendors galore!", "See the sights! Become the envy of your friends!"
10 Both the inward facing doors in the hall are identical pain-in-the-ass DOORWAYS.
11 Less of a hallway and more of a "fall-way," or rather, a pain-in-the-ass PIT. 2-in-6 chance the first character in the marching order just falls right down to the bottom the moment they walk through the door. Continued danger for each additional character until someone manages not to fall in. Exit door is at the bottom.
12 More like a "crawl-way" really, hall is only waist-high. Requires squeezing through on all fours at half normal speed. Any gnomes in the party feel obnoxiously smug about being able to remain upright.
Friday, September 6, 2019
Non-Core Underworld & Dungeon Alphabet Dozen
I was going through some old files on my computer recently, when I came across an idea I had before I started blogging, one that I actually continued to write about even after I started my blog, although I never posted it about here before.
The idea was for a "non-core campaign" - a campaign that excludes all core classes, monsters, magic items, and spells. Non-core gaming would use only supplemental materials, only additions and extras, and no core-rules materials at all. (I suppose you could also call this a "peripheral campaign", after the core-periphery binary from geo-politics, but I like sound of "non-core" better, personally.)
There are as many possible non-core campaigns as there are core rulesets and coherent bundles of supplemental material, but in addition to thinking about non-core gaming as a general concept, at the time, I was also thinking about a specific non-core campaign set in the Mythic Underworld, using only the supplemental materials from 1st edition AD&D, as well as the things added new in AD&D, and the things from OD&D and the two Basic editions that weren't included in AD&D.
Although it was something I used to think about, it wasn't originally my idea. I got the idea from seeing a series of posts about gaming using only the classes from the Unearthed Arcana, and only the monsters and gods from the Fiend Folio.
Jeff's Gameblog first proposed the idea of running a game using only materials in the AD&D module S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. Then years later, Jeff's Gameblog again suggested running a campaign using only the gods and deities from the Fiend Folio. Around the same time, Vaults of Nagoh created wandering monster tables using only the Fiend Folio, and City of Iron considered what it would look like to only allow spellcasters to use the spells contained in Unearthed Arcana.
So I'm hardly the only one to toy with these ideas, although to-date, as far as I'm aware, all anyone has done is toy with them. At one time, I fancied myself the publisher-to-be of this project, although I've since abandoned that idea. I like to write, and I would like to publish, but I don't want to become a publisher. Also, depending on your perspective, publishing anything for this project is either unnecessary, or inevitable, or something that's already been done.
It's already possible to run this particular non-core campaign using the original supplemental rulebooks, and I have no doubt that as long as Necrotic Gnome continues to exist as a company, they will eventually publish versions of these materials, doubtless in their trademark smartly organized two-page spread format. The logic of the Old-School Essentials project makes this inevitable. (Especially since he already expressed interest in the idea back when he was City of Iron.)
Also, the more I've thought about it, the more I think that Veins of the Earth is essentially a non-core campaign, using the canonical non-core races of the Underdark, but combined with False Machine's own supplemental bestiary, which is mostly better than the admittedly hit-and-miss menagerie inside the Fiend Folio. (Whether he intended it that way, I don't know, but the result is that Veins fills a very similar niche to what I'm talking about.) It's also inevitable that, sooner or later, someone will publish another non-core campaign setting in the vein of Veins of the Earth - it was simply too popular to not inspire both imitation and response.
So this idea actually has been given form - at least a kind of form - already, and it's likely to appear eventually in a form very close to what I originally imagined reading those old blog posts. This is a project that doesn't need me to do anything.
However, what I find most interesting, thinking about the non-core underworld, is trying to imagine its implied setting. Over the years, I know I've seen many people discussing the "implied setting" of OD&D - the kind of world that's implied by the available classes, lists of spells, monsters, maps, and campaign-building advice. Semper Initativus Unum did a particularly through examination. Aside from one post by Swords & Dorkery however, I've never seen anyone ask about the implied setting of the non-core underworld, which is a shame, because it's worth asking about.
I mean, what kind of world has barbarians, cavaliers, paladins, and rangers, but no ordinary fighting-men? What kind of world has assassins, bards, and mountebanks, but no regular thieves? Druids and monks, but no clerics? Illusionists without general magic-users? Half-elves and half-orcs, but no elves and no orcs?
What kind of setting has all the weird latter-edition spells, but none of the originals? All the extra monsters, but none of the basic ones? No familiar magic items, but crazy high-tech gizmos from S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks and random artifacts from the Dungeon Master's Guide? A pantheon of "gods" who're all arch-demons and lords of elemental evil?
The non-core underworld is gonzo AF.
By now, most of those additional classes, spells, and monsters have become nearly as canonical as the originals, but there's still something inherently weird about making them stand on their own, without any original material alongside them. There's still something unsettling and uncanny about an Underdark-only campaign, where the most familiar entities are like funhouse parodies of the ones we really know and love.
By this point, I consider most of what I originally wrote for the non-core campaign (back when I still had "when I grow up" dreams of being the next star publisher of the OSR) to be unneeded, or derivative, or both. But there is one bright spot in my old files. For awhile, I worked on my own "dungeon alphabet dozen" - a combination of the Dungeon Alphabet and the Dungeon Dozen as a way to generate gozno content to help fill out the campaign world. After all, if good artists borrow, and great artists steal, then surely the greatest artists of all time are those who do mash-ups, right?
Anyway, back then I actually finished a few of the 12-item lists I started, and wrote a decent amount for a few more. I never put any of them on my blog before, because I was both afraid of success and afraid of failure. I was afraid that if I posted them and people liked them, that I'd attract the wrong kind of attention, and become subject to harassment. I was also afraid that I'd disappoint people. I feel like there's an implicit promise when you start something like this, that you'll post every letter, in order, in a timely manner, and they'll be good. I think maybe I was always more afraid of success than I needed to be. As for failure, let me make you an explicit promise - I probably won't post every letter, and they definitely won't be in order, and it definitely won't be in a timely manner. As for their quality, I'll trust that if I like them, you'll like some of them, though maybe not all.
So for now, until Michael Curtis and Jason Sholtis team up to take me for a long walk off a short lawsuit, viva la non-core underworld!
The idea was for a "non-core campaign" - a campaign that excludes all core classes, monsters, magic items, and spells. Non-core gaming would use only supplemental materials, only additions and extras, and no core-rules materials at all. (I suppose you could also call this a "peripheral campaign", after the core-periphery binary from geo-politics, but I like sound of "non-core" better, personally.)
There are as many possible non-core campaigns as there are core rulesets and coherent bundles of supplemental material, but in addition to thinking about non-core gaming as a general concept, at the time, I was also thinking about a specific non-core campaign set in the Mythic Underworld, using only the supplemental materials from 1st edition AD&D, as well as the things added new in AD&D, and the things from OD&D and the two Basic editions that weren't included in AD&D.
Although it was something I used to think about, it wasn't originally my idea. I got the idea from seeing a series of posts about gaming using only the classes from the Unearthed Arcana, and only the monsters and gods from the Fiend Folio.
Jeff's Gameblog first proposed the idea of running a game using only materials in the AD&D module S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. Then years later, Jeff's Gameblog again suggested running a campaign using only the gods and deities from the Fiend Folio. Around the same time, Vaults of Nagoh created wandering monster tables using only the Fiend Folio, and City of Iron considered what it would look like to only allow spellcasters to use the spells contained in Unearthed Arcana.
So I'm hardly the only one to toy with these ideas, although to-date, as far as I'm aware, all anyone has done is toy with them. At one time, I fancied myself the publisher-to-be of this project, although I've since abandoned that idea. I like to write, and I would like to publish, but I don't want to become a publisher. Also, depending on your perspective, publishing anything for this project is either unnecessary, or inevitable, or something that's already been done.
It's already possible to run this particular non-core campaign using the original supplemental rulebooks, and I have no doubt that as long as Necrotic Gnome continues to exist as a company, they will eventually publish versions of these materials, doubtless in their trademark smartly organized two-page spread format. The logic of the Old-School Essentials project makes this inevitable. (Especially since he already expressed interest in the idea back when he was City of Iron.)
Also, the more I've thought about it, the more I think that Veins of the Earth is essentially a non-core campaign, using the canonical non-core races of the Underdark, but combined with False Machine's own supplemental bestiary, which is mostly better than the admittedly hit-and-miss menagerie inside the Fiend Folio. (Whether he intended it that way, I don't know, but the result is that Veins fills a very similar niche to what I'm talking about.) It's also inevitable that, sooner or later, someone will publish another non-core campaign setting in the vein of Veins of the Earth - it was simply too popular to not inspire both imitation and response.
So this idea actually has been given form - at least a kind of form - already, and it's likely to appear eventually in a form very close to what I originally imagined reading those old blog posts. This is a project that doesn't need me to do anything.
However, what I find most interesting, thinking about the non-core underworld, is trying to imagine its implied setting. Over the years, I know I've seen many people discussing the "implied setting" of OD&D - the kind of world that's implied by the available classes, lists of spells, monsters, maps, and campaign-building advice. Semper Initativus Unum did a particularly through examination. Aside from one post by Swords & Dorkery however, I've never seen anyone ask about the implied setting of the non-core underworld, which is a shame, because it's worth asking about.
I mean, what kind of world has barbarians, cavaliers, paladins, and rangers, but no ordinary fighting-men? What kind of world has assassins, bards, and mountebanks, but no regular thieves? Druids and monks, but no clerics? Illusionists without general magic-users? Half-elves and half-orcs, but no elves and no orcs?
What kind of setting has all the weird latter-edition spells, but none of the originals? All the extra monsters, but none of the basic ones? No familiar magic items, but crazy high-tech gizmos from S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks and random artifacts from the Dungeon Master's Guide? A pantheon of "gods" who're all arch-demons and lords of elemental evil?
The non-core underworld is gonzo AF.
By now, most of those additional classes, spells, and monsters have become nearly as canonical as the originals, but there's still something inherently weird about making them stand on their own, without any original material alongside them. There's still something unsettling and uncanny about an Underdark-only campaign, where the most familiar entities are like funhouse parodies of the ones we really know and love.
By this point, I consider most of what I originally wrote for the non-core campaign (back when I still had "when I grow up" dreams of being the next star publisher of the OSR) to be unneeded, or derivative, or both. But there is one bright spot in my old files. For awhile, I worked on my own "dungeon alphabet dozen" - a combination of the Dungeon Alphabet and the Dungeon Dozen as a way to generate gozno content to help fill out the campaign world. After all, if good artists borrow, and great artists steal, then surely the greatest artists of all time are those who do mash-ups, right?
Anyway, back then I actually finished a few of the 12-item lists I started, and wrote a decent amount for a few more. I never put any of them on my blog before, because I was both afraid of success and afraid of failure. I was afraid that if I posted them and people liked them, that I'd attract the wrong kind of attention, and become subject to harassment. I was also afraid that I'd disappoint people. I feel like there's an implicit promise when you start something like this, that you'll post every letter, in order, in a timely manner, and they'll be good. I think maybe I was always more afraid of success than I needed to be. As for failure, let me make you an explicit promise - I probably won't post every letter, and they definitely won't be in order, and it definitely won't be in a timely manner. As for their quality, I'll trust that if I like them, you'll like some of them, though maybe not all.
So for now, until Michael Curtis and Jason Sholtis team up to take me for a long walk off a short lawsuit, viva la non-core underworld!
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