GFA18 - Alternate Plantients for MCC

My fifth 2018 Gongfarmer's Almanac article (and this is the last one I'm numbering, I swear) is a list of alternate plantient appearances for Mutant Crawl Classics. Like my alternate manimals, this is a follow-up to my earlier thoughts about MCC's plantients and to my post about Future Evolution. You may notice that common farm and yard plants get top billing here. For some of the plant types, I listed very common types as suggestions. For others, there were either too many options (I don't want to list every kind of flower I can think of, what could possibly be the point of that?) or too few (does anyone really have multiple strong images of ferns in their head, and need a table to help them decide which one to imagine now?) I think the player should be allowed the leeway to describe their plantient looking the way they want - which could include, for example, choosing to look like a pine cone instead of a pine tree if they rolled a 14. As with my other posts in this series, Keith Garrett made it better with editing, and Karim made it better with art.
   

Art by Karim

 
Table: Plantient Body Type
Roll 1d6: (1) Human body-plan with plantlike features; (2-4) Human-plant hybrid or anthropomorphic plant; (5-6) Sentient plant with roughly human-sized body, opposable thumbs, fine manual dexterity, and terrestrial locomotion.
   
   
Table: Plantient Subtype (roll 1d24)
 
1     Cereal grain - Roll 1d4: (1) rice; (2) wheat; (3) corn; (4) oats.
 
2     Leafy vegetable - Roll 1d3: (1) celery; (2) lettuce; (3) greens.
 
3     Underground - Roll 1d3: (1) bulb such as garlic/onion; (2) root such as potato/carrot; (3) rhizome such as ginger/lotus.
 
4     Vines - Roll 1d6: (1) berry/grape; (2) melon; (3) pea/bean; (4) tomato/pepper; (5) squash/gourd; (6) flowering/leaf.
 
5     Herb - Roll 1d4: (1) basil; (2) mint; (3) rosemary; (4) lavender.
 
6-7   Flower
 
8     Grass
 
9     Cluster of shoots - Roll 1d5: (1) asparagus; (2) sansevieria; (3) reed; (4) bamboo; (5) birch.
 
10     Bush/shrub
 
11     Fruit tree
 
12     Tropical - Roll 1d4: (1) palm; (2) coconut; (3) pineapple; (4) banana.
 
13     Leafy deciduous tree - Roll 1d4: (1) permanent spring flowers; (2) permanent summer green; (3) permanent autumn colors; (4) foliage progresses each time plantient gains level.
 
14    Pine conifer
 
15    Fern
 
16    Carnivorous plant - Roll 1d2: (1) flytrap; (2) pitcher plant.
 
17     Cactus or succulent
 
18     Seaweed, sponge, or coral
   
19     Fungus - Roll 1d3: (1) mushroom; (2) toadstool; (3) morel.
 
20     Moss, wort, lichen, or mold
 
21     Multiple mutations - Roll 1d20 once on this table and 1d20 once on the Mutant Appearance table.
 
22     Multiple mutations - Roll 1d20 once on this table and 1d20 once on the Manimal Subtype table (the character is still considered a plantient).
 
23     Multiple mutations - Roll 1d20 twice on this table.
 
24     Multiple mutations - Roll 1d20 twice on this table and 1d24 once on the Mutant Appearance table.

      

GFA18 - Alternate Manimals for MCC

My fourth 2018 Gongfarmer's Almanac article is a list of alternate manimal appearances for Mutant Crawl Classics. By now, I'm sure every MCC referee has their own list of alternate manimals, but consider this my hat thrown into the ring. In my view, a good list has two characteristics - first, it's inclusive enough that no one reading it immediately thinks of an animal they want that isn't on the list (and if someone really wants a specific animal? don't make them roll, just let them have it), and second, it's exclusive enough that it doesn't include any animal that you have to look up before you're able to imagine it. Ideally the list is also weighted in some way that certain general broad types of animals more common than others (and also so that, for example, me knowing 10 times as many dog breeds as cat breeds doesn't mean that dogs are 10 times more common than cats). This is a follow-up to my own earlier post about manimals in MCC. This is also an example of me trying to apply some of the ideas in Future Evolution, so farm animals, pets, and urban pests are more prominent than animals that, say, only interact with humanity in our zoos. Keith Garrett edited all my articles about MCC for the 2018 GFA, and Karim provided all the art for this series.
   
   
Table: Manimal Body Type
Roll 1d6: (1-2) human body-plan with animal features; (3-5) human-animal hybrid or anthropomorphic animal; (6) sentient animal with roughly human-sized body, expressive face, opposable thumbs, and fine manual dexterity.
   
   
Table: Manimal Subtype (roll 1d24)
   
1     Primate - Roll 1d6: (1) gorilla; (2) chimpanzee; (3) orangutan; (4) baboon or mandrill; (5) monkey; (6) australopithecus.
   
2-3   Carnivorous mammal - Roll 1d12: (1) small-breed dog; (2) large-breed dog; (3) coyote, wild dog, or jackal; (4) fox or wolf; (5) tasmanian devil or thylacine; (6) hyena; (7) domestic cat; (8) bobcat, leopard, panther, puma, or cheetah; (9) tiger or lion; (10) ferret, weasel, or badger; (11) bear; (12) dire wolf, sabretooth tiger, or cave bear.
   
4-6   Herbivorous mammal - Roll 1d16: (1-2) cow; (3) bison, buffalo, auroch, gnu, or yak; (4-5) donkey, mule, pony, or horse; (6) zebra or giraffe; (7) pig; (8) warthog or boar; (9) sheep or goat; (10-11) deer, antelope, or gazelle; (12) elk or moose; (13) alpaca, llama, or camel; (14) hippo or rhino; (15) elephant; (16) woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth, or mastodon.
   
7-9   Omnivorous mammal - Roll 1d20: (1-2) mouse or rat; (3) mole; (4-5) chipmunk or squirrel; (6-7) hamster, gerbil, or guinea pig; (8) pika, marmot, capybara, or wombat; (9) beaver or otter; (10) groundhog, prairie dog, or meerkat; (11-12) rabbit; (13) kangaroo; (14-15) opossum, raccoon, or skunk; (16) red panda, tanuki, or lemur; (17) panda bear, koala bear, or sloth; (18) hedgehog or porcupine; (19) anteater, armadillo, or pangolin; (20) megatherium or glyptodon.
   
10-11   Amphibian or reptile - Roll 1d10: (1) frog or toad; (2) salamander or newt; (3) iguana or lizard; (4) gila monster, komodo dragon, or goanna; (5) gecko or chameleon; (6) turtle or tortoise; (7) snake; (8) alligator or crocodile; (9) tyrannosaurus or velociraptor; (10) brontosaurus, stegosaurus, or triceratops
   
12-14   Bird or avian - Roll 1d24: (1) chicken or turkey; (2) duck, goose, or swan; (3) pigeon; (4) canary or parakeet; (5) cockatoo, toucan, or parrot; (6) cardinal, robin, or bluejay; (7) songbird; (8) hummingbird; (9) raven or crow; (10) eagle or hawk; (11) owl; (12) condor or vulture; (13) peacock; (14) pelican, spoonbill, or stork; (15) seagull or albatross; (16) penguin; (17) puffin, auk, or dodo; (18) flamingo; (19) iris, heron, or crane; (20) ostrich or emu; (21) bat; (22) kiwi, platypus, or echidna; (23) moth; (24) pterodactyl or archaeopteryx.
   
15-17   Fish or aquatic - Roll 1d20: (1) goldfish or clownfish; (2) salmon, carp, bass, or trout; (3) catfish or plecostomus; (4) sardine or anchovy; (5) puffer or blowfish; (6) lionfish; (7) swordfish, sawfish, or hammerhead; (8) piranha or shark; (9) manta or eel; (10) porpoise or dolphin; (11) seal, manatee, or walrus; (12) whale; (13) seahorse; (14) seaslug; (15) starfish or urchin; (16) jellyfish, octopus, or squid; (17) oyster or clam; (18) lobster, crab, or shrimp; (19) handfish or coelacanth; (20) placoderm, ichthyosaur, or plesiosaur.
   
18-19   Insect - Roll 1d16: (1) flea or tick; (2) cockroach; (3) mosquito; (4) spider; (5) fly; (6) ant or termite; (7) bee or wasp; (8-9) beetle; (10) grasshopper or cricket; (11) mantis; (12) scorpion; (13) worm, snail, or slug; (14) caterpillar, centipede, or millipede; (15-16) butterfly.
   
20     Protist - Roll 1d14: (1) amoeba; (2) paramecium; (3) dinoflagellate; (4) yeast; (5) algae; (6) diatom; (7) radiolarian; (8) streptococcus; (9) staphylococcus; (10) virus; (11) bdelloid rotifer; (12) tardigrade; (13) nematode; (14) slime mold.
   
21-22   Multiple mutations - Roll 1d20 once on this table and 1d20 once on the Mutant Appearance table.
   
23     Multiple mutations - Roll 1d20 twice on this table.
   
24     Multiple mutations - Roll 1d20 twice on this table and 1d24 once on the Mutant Appearance table.

     

     

I organized these more according to bodyplan and appearance rather than actual genetic lineage, which is why dinosaurs are being counted as reptiles instead of birds, while bats are counted as birds rather than mammals.

     

Umm ... I'm preeetty sure they are ...

     

GFA18 - Alternate Mutants for MCC

My third 2018 Gongfarmer's Almanac article is an alternate list of cosmetic mutation for mutant characters (or whenever else you need one, like if your starting equipment includes an animal). I've previously discussed my concern with MCC's mutations, and this was an attempt to create a list that accomplished what I said I wanted. While I didn't want the list to be too long, I also didn't want anyone reading it to immediately say "but what about ... ?" as their first thought after reading it. I also tried to organize it so that the mutations get weirder the higher numbers you roll. Keith Garret edited this article, and Karim drew the art that accompanies the whole series in the GFA.
   
   
Table: Mutant Appearance (roll 1d24)
   
1-3   Skin Color - Roll 1d10: (1) bright red; (2) neon orange; (3) lemon yellow; (4) neon green; (5) bright blue; (6) purple; (7) snow white; (8) metallic (roll 1d2: (1) golden/bronze/brass; (2) silvery/leaden/steel); (9) translucent/invisible; (10) outré (roll 1d5: (1) infrared; (2) ulfire; (3) dolm; (4) jale; (5) ultraviolet).
   
4-5   Skin Texture - Roll 1d10: (1) mottled, spotted, or striped; (2) banded or segmented; (3) lumpy, warty, or wrinkly; (4) covered in fur or feathers; (5) covered in quills or spines; (6) covered in scales (roll 1d4: (1) fish; (2) amphibian; (3) reptilian; (4) pangolin); (7) chitinous; (8) shifting pattern indicates emotion; (9) inorganic material (roll 1d3: (1) metallic; (2) stony or rocky; (3) crystalline); (10) sheds completely once/day.
 
6-8   Eyes - Roll 1d8: (1) one; (2) three; (3) slitted or barbell pupil; (4) unnatural iris color (roll 1d6 on skin color subtable); (5) solid white or black; (6) glowing/fiery; (7) compound insect; (8) eye stalks (roll 1d2: (1) short stalks growing horizontally from temples; (2) long stalks growing vertically from forehead).
   
9-10   Mouth - Roll 1d10: (1) special diet of inorganic material; (2) sharp fanged teeth; (3) metallic or crystalline teeth; (4) manimal muzzle; (5) beak or duckbill; (6) extra long neck; (7) strange tongue (roll 1d3: (1) black; (2) forked; (3) extra long); (8) 2d4 pairs of facial appendages (roll 1d4: (1) cat whiskers; (2) tiny tentacles; (3) catfish barbels; (4) insect pedipalps); (9) horrible mouth (roll 1d4: (1) insect; (2) leech; (3) throat pouch or sac; (4) oversized with unhinged jaw); (10) two mouths (roll 1d3: (1) two rows of teeth; (2) second mouth below original on oversized chin; (3) second alien pharyngeal mouth emerges from throat).
   
11-12   Head - Roll 1d10: (1) pointed elfin ears; (2) manimal ears; (3) elongated nose; (4) manimal nose; (5) neanderthal brow ridges; (6) alien bone structure of forehead; (7) antennae; (8) manimal horns; (9) acephaly (no head, face on torso); (10) bicephaly (roll 1d3: (1) 1d3 extra faces on head; (2) 1d2 extra human heads; (3) 1d2 extra manimal heads).
   
13-15   Hair - Roll 1d8: (1) unnatural color (roll 1d6 on the skin color subtable); (2) otherworldly color (roll 1d4+6 on skin color subtable); (3) permanent impossible hairstyle; (4) glorious waist-length beard; (5) made of quills; (6) made of feathers; (7) made of petals or leaves; (8) hairless revealing oversized or oddly-shaped skull.
   
16-17   Arms and Hands - Roll 1d10: (1) three or four fingers per hand; (2) six or seven fingers per hand; (3) clawed fingernails; (4) manimal paw; (5) webbing between fingers; (6) pincer instead of hand; (7) giant hands or child hands; (8) elongated arms with second elbow; (9) extra arms (1d2 additional pairs); (10) tentacles (roll 1d2: (1) arms replaced by tentacles; (2) hands replaced by mass of tentacles).
   
18-19   Legs and Feet - Roll 1d10: (1) six or seven toes per foot; (2) hands instead of feet; (3) manimal paw feet; (4) hooves instead of feet; (5) bird talon feet; (6) flippers instead of feet; (7) backward bending knees; (8) elongated legs with second knee; (9) legs fused into single appendage; (10) tentacles (roll 1d2: (1) legs replaced by tentacles; (2) feet replaced by mass of tentacles).
   
20     Bodily form - Roll 1d8: (1) vestigial tail; (2) manimal tail; (3) decorated spine (roll 1d3: (1) sawtooth spikes; (2) sail crest; (3) bony plates); (4) serpentine; (5) spherical; (6) trilateral symmetry (arms and legs come in groups of three instead of pairs); (7) centaurian (four legs, upper body unaffected); (8) geometric body (roll 1d4: (1) cylinders and spheres; (2) cubes and rectangles; (3) pyramid; (4) dodecahedron).
   
21-22   Multiple mutations - Roll 1d20 twice on this table (if the same type is rolled twice, the mutant with have an asymmetric body that incorporates both appearances).
   
23     Multiple mutations - Roll 1d20 and 1d24 on this table (cumulative. If another result of 21+ is rolled, the mutant will have three or more mutations).
   
24    Multiple mutations - Roll 1d24 twice on this table.

Black Jenny for The Forest Hymn & Picnic

Cecil Howe from Sword Peddler has a Kickstarter for a print version of his game The Forest Hymn & Picnic. (Full disclosure: after looking at the available preview content, I decided to back this Kickstarter.)
   
The most recent Kickstarter update is a set of rules for procedurally generating a forest monster, and an invitation to give it a try. Since I am very fond of proc gen, I decided to generate a monster.
   
   
Black Jenny
   
Galloping out of the Spookwood with a sound like a dozen tin cans dragging through the gravel behind her - here comes Black Jenny, out to wreak havocry on the good People of the woods. Jenny has the head of a donkey with eyes like black pools of endless night. She has no neck, her head just floats above her body, a child's body dressed in a shabby girl's school uniform. Her body floats too, hovering over her donkey Black Bottom, fur so depthless black it looks like a silhouette. Jenny looks like a child, but don't be fooled, she's incorporeal, and nothing can touch her.
   
Black Jenny rides to stop the People of the woods from singing or enjoying music. The community needs music - for celebrations and gatherings, to keep our courage up on lonely nights. Black Jenny makes the music go away. She opens wide her mouth to speak noise like a metal ocean, noise that crashes in waves, that breaks and withdraws and returns in a horrible rhythm. Jenny's noise is cacophony, a hundred metal voices screaming, and good People who hear it are like to get spooked and run away. (Make a Q&A roll with Resolve modifier and Sortilege grade against 10. If you fail, you are spooked and can't attack. Jenny makes this noise once when she arrives and again right before she leaves.)
   
One more thing, don't look too close at Jenny's black eyes, or in her mouth when she's screaming, or at Black Bottom beneath her. Anyone who stares at them gets to feel like drowning, and might could faint. (Make a Q&A roll with Intellect modifier and Funambulist grade against 10. If you succeed, you feel like waves of black ocean water washed over you, and you come to soaking wet. If you fail you fall unconscious and need a friend to wake you up. This is not a gaze attack, you only need to roll if you choose to stare at or examine Jenny's darkest parts.)
   
   
I don't know exactly what Black Jenny's scream sounds like, but I imagine it's something like the Pree-Sisters Swallowing a Donkey's Eye.

GFA18 - Alternate Trade Goods & Equipment for MCC

My second 2018 Gongfarmer's Almanac article is an alternate starting equipment table for Mutant Crawl Classics. I wanted a longer list than the original to establish the "common" items that provide guidelines for "pricing" items for barter. (The price in c refers to the "cred value" or each item, although again, I would envision this as credit for bartering, not cashing out.) Circuit boards get a special shout-out from other possible trinkets because my paradigmatic mental image for MCC is a cavewoman discovering an intact green computer circuit board in an ancient trash pile. Keith Garrett edited this article, and Karim drew the perfect art.
   

Art by Karim.

   
Table: Additional Beginning Equipment
01-02   Sharpened stick+, 1d3/1d5, 1c
03-04   Wooden staff, 1d4, 3c
05-06   Wooden spear, 1d6, 6c
07-09   Wooden club, 1d4, 3c
10     Wooden greatclub*, 1d6, 10c
11-13   Stone dagger+, 1d4/1d10, 3c
14     Stone axe, 1d6, 10c
15-16   Stone spear, 1d8, 21c
17     Warclub*, 1d10, 28c
19     Greatspear*, 1d12, 36c
20     Blowgun and 1d12 darts+, 1d3/1d5, 4c
21-22   Sling, 1d4, 2c
23     Shortbow and 1d12 arrows*, 1d6, 30c
24     Longbow and 1d12 arrows*, 1d8, 52c
25     Bundle of 1d6 darts, 1c
26     Bundle of 1d6 arrows, 5c
27-28   Bison horn headdress, +1AC, 10c
29      Antler headdress, +1AC, 10c
30-31   Leather shield*, +1AC, 10c
32     Stretched-hide tower shield*, +2AC, 20c
33-34   Heavy woven cloak**, +1AC, 10c
35-36   Fur cloak**, +2AC, 20c
37-38   Hide armor**, +3AC, 30c
39     Leather boots, 20c
40-41   1 lb Fresh meat, 2c
42     1 lb Dried meat, 4c
43-44   1 lb Fresh fruit/vegetables, 1c
45     1 lb Dried fruit/vegetables, 2c
46     String of 1d6 fresh fish, 5c
47     Chicken, 5c
48-50   Waterskin, 1c
51     Leather rucksack, 2c
52     Woven back-basket, 2c
53     Clay bowl, 5c
54     Clay jar/jug, 10c
55     Clay pot/urn, 15c
56-57   Unfinished fur pelt, 5c
58-59   Unfinished leather hide, 5c
60-61   Unfinished woven cloth, 10c
62      Woven blanket, 20c
63-64   Flint firestarter, 5c
65-67   Bundle of 1d3 resin-soaked branches (as torches), 3c
68     Bundle of firewood, 3c
69     Sheaf of 1d6 blank birchbark pages, 10c
70-71   50' Hide cordage, 5c
72     50' Hemp rope, 10c
73-74   Knapping stone, 5c
75     Bone awl and stone scraper, 10c
76     Bone needle and sinew thread, 10c
77     Flint fishhook and 10' sinew line, 5c
78     Waterproof air bladder (from adult bison), 10c
79     Conch shell horn, 25c
80     Lyre, 50c
81     Shell necklace, 20c
82     Bone necklace, 10c
83     Bear claw necklace, 20c
84     Small bag of seashells, 40c
85     Small bag of colorful rocks/gemstones, 50c
86     Jar of paint/dye, 35c
87     Radioactive "sick rock" necklace (+1 radburn/glowburn, wearer gains DCC corruption once/level), 50c
88     Mutant bodypart trophy necklace, 50c
89     Manimal pelt trophy cloak**, +1AC, 100c
90     Dried plantient trophy shield, +1AC, 100c
91     Small circuit board, 50c
92-93   Small Ancient trinket of judge's choice, 50c
94     Large circuit board, 100c
95-96   Large ancient trinket of judge's choice, 100c
97     Wolf pup - 1d3 bite (HD 1d4, matures DCC common wolf at 1st level), 50c
98     Elk calf - 1d4+2 slam (HD 3d6, matures to DCC horse at 1st level), 100c
99     Spider-goat kid 2d3 slam (HD 4d4, matures to MCC capropod at 1st level), 100c
00     Telepathic pet ear-mouse - 1d3 bite (matures to DCC neutral wizard's familiar and bonds with owner at 1st level), 250c
   
   
Notes
* Characters using two-handed weapons use a d16 on initiative checks. Shields cannot be used with two-handed weapons.
   
** Characters wearing a woven cloak or fur cloak roll a d8 Fumble die. Characters wearing hide armor roll a d12 Fumble die.
   
+ These weapons are particularly effective when used with the element of surprise. A ranger or rover who succeeds in attacking a target from behind or when the target is otherwise unaware with one of these weapons uses the second damage value listed. All other characters and other attacks use the first value.
   
Characters who eat fresh food do not need water for the day; character who eat dried food need a separate water ration. However, fresh food is subject to spoilage.
   
   
In retrospect, I wish I'd specified that anything that provides armor (horned headdress, shield) adds +1 to your fumble die, in addition to the increase from wearing cloak or armor. (And really, the antler headdress or tower shield should probably add +2.) Oh well, consider that an optional house rule. 
     
I should probably also write a list of very basic services and their cred value as well. In a way, the goods are like services, in that they're the end-product of someone doing the work to make the finished good. I suppose it's as Marx said, that all capital is just concretized labor, just in a more immediate sense than we're typically used to seeing today. The most common service you'll pay for of course is extra guards, porters, and foragers to accompany you on your quest.

GFA18 - Alternate Character Creation for MCC

My first article for the 2018 Gongfarmer's Almanac is an alternate genotype and occupation table for Mutant Crawl Classics. I wrote it as a follow-up to my own earlier post about wanting more occupations besides "hunter" and "gatherer" in MCC. This article was edited by Keith Garrett, and the wonderful art that accompanies it in the GFA18 was drawn by Karim. 
   

Art by Karim

   
Table: Character Genotype & Occupation
01     Human animal trainer - club, wolf pup*
02     Human artisan - club, clay pot of ochre paint and hide painted with pictorial history of tribe
03     Human brewer - club, skin of beer
04     Human butcher - flint handaxe, leather sack with 1d12 lbs of dried meat+
05     Human canoe maker - stone dagger, canoe
06     Human chieftain's assistant - warclub (as polearm), bearskin cloak (+2 AC) and bear claw necklace
07     Human cord maker - stone dagger, 50' of hide cordage
08     Human dreamseeker's apprentice - staff, cracked holo-crystal that projects staticky softlight image of AI# and fetish doll depicting AI from image
09-10   Human fisher - harpoon (as javelin), 10' sinew line with flint fishhook
11     Human flamebearer - stone spear, clay urn of glowing embers
12     Human fletcher - shortbow, 1d12 flint arrows
13-14   Human flintknapper - flint handaxe, 1 lb of flint
15-16   Human forager - wooden shovel (as staff), trinket of Ancient technology##
17     Human fowler - stone dagger, 1d6 chickens
18-19   Human gatherer - stone dagger, basket with 1d6 lbs of fresh plants++
20-21   Human guard - stone spear, 1d6 torches
22     Human healer - obsidian dagger, bone needle and sinew thread
23     Human herbalist - club, 1 lb of medicinal/psychotropic herbs
24     Human herder - staff, elk calf**
25     Human horticulturist - stone garden hoe, basket with 1d12 lbs of dried plants++
26-27   Human hunter - stone spear, leather sack with 1d6 lbs of fresh meat+
28      Human lorekeeper's apprentice - club, hide drum and blanket sewn with pictorial history of tribe
29     Human orphan - wooden spear (as javelin), stone fetish of former tribe's patron AI#
30-31   Human potter - club, 1 lb of clay
32     Human scout - stone spear, piece of signaling quartz
33      Human shaman's assistant - dagger, divination bones and antler headdress (+1 AC)
34     Human slave - sling, necklace of broken circuit boards and tattered remnant of cloak painted with circuit diagram
35     Human stargazer - spear, glass lens and piece of meteoric iron
36-37   Human tanner - club, hide armor (+3 AC)
38-39   Human weaver - stone dagger, blanket
40     Human wheelwright - stone hammer (as club), wooden pullcart
41     Mutant canoe maker - stone dagger, canoe
42-43   Mutant fisher - harpoon (as javelin), 10' sinew line with flint fishhook
44   Mutant flamebearer - stone spear, clay urn of glowing embers
45   Mutant fletcher - shortbow, 1d12 flint arrows
46-47   Mutant flintknapper - flint handaxe, 1 lb of flint
48     Mutant forager - wooden shovel (as staff), piece of Ancient technology##
49-51   Mutant gatherer - stone dagger, basket with 1d6 lbs of fresh plants++
52-53   Mutant guard - stone spear, 1d6 torches
54     Mutant herder - staff, elk calf**
55     Mutant horticulturist - stone garden hoe (as mace), basket with 1d12 lbs of dried plants++
56-58   Mutant hunter - stone spear, leather sack with 1d6 lbs of fresh meat+
59-60   Mutant orphan - wooden spear (as javelin), stone fetish of former tribe's patron AI#
61-62   Mutant potter - club, 1 lb of clay
63     Mutant scout - stone spear, piece of signaling quartz
64-65   Mutant slave - sling, necklace of broken circuit boards and tattered remnant of cloak painted with circuit diagram
66-67   Mutant tanner - club, hide armor (+3 AC)
68-69   Mutant weaver - stone dagger, blanket
70     Mutant wheelwright - stone hammer (as club), wooden pullcart
71     Manimal animal trainer - club, wolf pup*
72     Manimal butcher - flint handaxe, leather sack with 1d12 lb of dried meat+
73     Manimal cord maker - stone dagger, 50' of hide cordage
74-75   Manimal fisher - harpoon (as javelin), 10' sinew line with flint fishhook
76-77   Manimal flintknapper - flint handaxe, 1 lb of flint
78     Manimal fowler - stone dagger, 1d6 chickens
79-80   Manimal guard - stone spear, 1d6 torches
81     Manimal healer - obsidian dagger, bone needle and sinew thread
82-84   Manimal herder - staff, elk calf**
85-87   Manimal hunter - stone spear, leather sack with 1d6 lbs of fresh meat+
88-89   Manimal tanner - club, hide armor (+3 AC)
90     Manimal weaver - stone dagger, blanket
91     Plantient brewer - club, skin of beer
92-93   Plantient gatherer - dagger, basket with 1d6 lb of plants++
94     Plantient herbalist - club, 1 lb of medicinal/psychotropic herbs
95-96   Plantient horticulturist - stone garden hoe (as mace), basket with 1d12 lbs of dried plants++
97     Plantient fletcher - shortbow, 1d12 flint arrows
98     Plantient potter - club, 1 lb of clay
99     Plantient scout - stone spear, piece of signaling quartz
00     Plantient weaver - stone dagger, blanket
 
 
Notes
* As DCC common wolf, -1d HD and damage, matures to full stats at 1st level, 50% chance of cosmetic mutation. If multiple in party, roll 1d6 for each: (1-2) wolf pup (as DCC common wolf); (3-4) puma kit (as DCC dire wolf); (5) bear cub (as DCC owlbear); (6) alligator (as DCC giant lizard).
 
** As DCC horse, -1d HD and damage, matures to full stats at 1st level, 50% chance of cosmetic mutation. If multiple in party, roll 1d8 for each: (1-2) elk calf (as DCC horse); (3-4) bison calf (as DCC warhorse); (5-6) goat kid (as DCC donkey/mule); (7) giant ant (as DCC giant worker ant); (8) beehive (as DCC insect swarm).
   
+ Roll 1d10 for meat type: (1-2) deer; (3-4) rabbit; (5-6) game fowl; (7-8) fish; (9) boar; (10) edible insects. Each lb of meat counts as 1 ration. Characters who eat fresh meat do not need water for the day; characters who eat dried meat need a separate water ration. However, fresh meat is subject to spoilage.
 
++ Roll 1d10 for plant type: (1-2) berries; (3-4) tree fruit; (5-6) leafy vegetables; (7-8) root vegetables; (9) nuts; (10) mushrooms. Each lb of plants counts as 1 ration. Characters who eat fresh plants do not need water for the day; characters who eat dried plants need a separate water ration. However, fresh plants are subject to spoilage.
   
# Roll 1d8 to determine patron: (1) GAEA; (2) HEXACODA; (3) ACHROMA; (4) HALE-E; (5) UKUR; (6) MANGALA; (7) ME10; (8) TETRAPLEX.
 
## Roll 1d20 for technology type. Results 1-9 are 50 cred trinkets, results 10-18 are 100 cred trinkets, results 19-20 are invaluable trade objects:
(1-4) small computer circuit board;
(5-7) cell phone: hand-sized "black mirror";
(8-9) garage-door opener: handheld plastic rock with metal clip, single button causes red light to blink when pushed; (10-13) large computer circuit board;
(14-16) tablet: head-sized "black mirror";
(17-18) remote entry key fob: small plastic rock with metal ring, four buttons make sounds and cause red light to blink when pushed, roll 1d4 for sound each time: (1) "Beep!"; (2) "Beep-beep!"; (3) "Beeeeep!"; (4) "Whoop-whoop-whoop! Whoop-whoop-whoop!";
(19) c-cell power cell;
(20) circuit board acts as universal replacement part, allows re-roll of any artifact check or AI recognition check, if re-roll is successful then circuit board can be used again, otherwise it’s lost.

2018 Gongfarmer's Almanac

The 2018 Gongfarmer's Almanac has been released!
   
This is a free zine that various DCC players put together. Marc Bruner and Shyloh Wideman took the lead as organizers this year, soliciting articles, matching authors with editors and artists, and arranging to have the whole thing laid out, printed up, and given away free at Gen Con. The original print run is funded by donations, and everyone involved donates their time.
     
If you didn't get physical copies of the zine at Gen Con, you can get it in print or pdf on Lulu. The pdfs are completely free. The physical copy is sold at-cost, just what it costs Lulu to print it and ship it.
   

cover art by Doug Kovacs

   
You can get the combined print edition here.
   
The pdf editions are available by following the links below:
volume 1
volume 2
volume 3
volume 4
volume 5
volume 6
volume 7
   
The pdf editions are also currently publicly available on Google Drive here.
   
I had several articles in this year's Gongfarmer's Almanac. Since the spirit of the entire enterprise is about publicly sharing gaming ideas, (and since I just posted the links to access the work in its entirety), I'm also going to re-post my articles from the Almanac here on my blog. You can expect to see them over the coming days. If you like what you see, consider downloading or buying the whole thing, so you can see the other contributor's ideas as well.