For Magic Word spellcasting, see, e.g., Papers & Pencils or d4 caltrops! The
gist is that instead of a fixed spell list, the Magic-Users are given a list of
words which they can combine on the fly into spells. So it leads to more
free-form and varied magic.
Here’s a simple variant on using such a system.
There is a tactical element: if you want to keep a particular Word, keep casting it with other components, so that you can keep your lil’ favorite. But, of course, don’t be afraid to kill your idols either.
As for the number of Words available for daily memorization,
2 + caster level feels alright. So that’s three Words for a starting M-U.
Gambozo, Magic-User 2, memorizes these Words from their spellbook: Darkness, Mind, Water, Free (rolled from the d4 caltrops list)
During their next adventure:
|
Caster level |
Range |
Area of effect |
No of targets |
Damage |
|
1 |
10’ |
1’ |
1 |
d6 |
|
2 |
20’ |
5’ |
2 |
d6 |
|
3 |
30’ |
10’ |
3 |
2d6 |
|
4 |
40’ |
15’ |
4 |
2d6 |
|
5 |
50’ |
20’ |
5 |
3d6 |
|
6 |
60’ |
25’ |
6 |
3d6 |
etc.
Putting more component Words in a spell can bump it up a bit.
 |
| Sun Ra, because why not |
· Cigar-shaped
shining metal vessel, at 45 degree angle, half of it waterlogged
· Residual
cosmic radiation caused mutations in local flora & fauna:
o
Kelp
monsters
o
Fire-vomiting
seagulls
o
Sentient
krill swarms
o
Seaweed
which accelerates healing when applied as bandages + causes weird plant-based
mutations
· Inhabitants:
Pike-people from Beyond the Dog-Star
o
Elongated
silvery bodies, fluid movements, naga-style, four upper appendages
§ weaponry: anchor-guns and boarding
hooks
o
Actually
fear saline water
o
They
kidnapped 6 people from the planet, who are now in suspended animation in the
waterlogged area
o
Want
to repair their ship and leave the planet
I really
like the Men-type encounters in the AD&D Monster Manual. The listings
include all kinds of rolls to flesh out the group of ne’er-do-wells, be that
Bandits, Brigands (which are, we learn, chaotic evil Bandits), Buccaneers,
Pirates (that is, chaotic evil Buccaneers…) or what have you.
Generating
them on the fly is a pain in the ass, but during prep/hex stocking you can
create the whole group that has a lair and sends out patrols/raiding parties in
their area.
Here’s a Bandit group, rolled up by hand:
Leader: 10th level fighter
Lieutenant:
7th level fighter
Personal
guards: 6 x 2nd level fighters
Elite
fighters: 3 x 3rd level fighters, 2 x 4th level fighters,
1 x 5th level fighter, 1 x 6th level fighter
No magic-users
or clerics.
Regular
bandits: 60
Equipment (total no. of combatants: 75):
medium horse, chainmail & shield, sword 10% 7
light horse, leather armor & shield, spear 10% 7
light horse, leather armor, light crossbow 10% 8
leather armor & shield, sword 40% 30
leather armor, pole arm 10% 7
leather armor, light crossbow 10% 7
leather armor, short bow 10% 8
Lair:
Type:
informal camp
Important
prisoners: 12
Camp
followers/slaves: 15
Treasure: 4,000 sp, 4,000 ep, 300 pp, 40 gems
So this is what you get just from the Monster Manual.
For additional details, I would use my humanoid lair generator. The Black Snakes lair in a ruined manor, they are plagued by inner strife and low morale. Perhaps all those elite fighters are planning a coup.
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At the
south side of the east wall of Room 1 a small rectangular opening leads into
Room 2, a narrow rectangular room with a bench along west, east and south
walls. The room is roughly barrel-vaulted at its north end and has a flat
ceiling at the south end, carried above a cornice. West, east and south walls
at this end of the room have a decoration of arched blind niches; those on the
west and east walls taper off at their north sides. The niche of the south wall
contains a large rectangular window, overlooking the valley.
The porch,
like the church, was plastered, but most of the plaster has fallen away. Fragments
remain on the east wall, around the church entrance, and on the easternmost
edges of north and south walls. Just below the cornice on each side is a
painted inscription of seven lines on the north side and three lines on the
south. The lines of the inscription appear to be complete and since they occupy
the whole width of the plastered area of the porch it is possible that the
plaster did not extend right across the porch wall, but was confined to a
narrow vertical band the width of the inscription. Unlikely though this may
seem, the alternative is to assume that by chance the area of plaster with the
inscription has been preserved while the rest is lost. The text, a
dodecasyllabic poem, is as follows:
‘Let no one
be misled by the desire for wealth for the love of money has destroyed many. For
this flesh is earth, clay and...’
The poem
appears to refer to the tomb chamber below it, but clearly does not supply any
information on the inhabitants of the chamber.
A secondary
opening in the west wall of Room 12 leads into Room 13, described below. The
only original opening is the rectangular entrance from Area 10, described above,
which opens into the south wall of Room 12. In the southeast corner of the room
a chimney has been cut through the ceiling, and the room is much blackened by
smoke.
There are
two openings in the south wall of the east gallery: to the west, the entrance
to another elbow-shaped passage leading to the east end of the south gallery
(18c) and to the east an opening into the long tunnel (b) which links the east
wall of Room 18 with Room 13.
This is a small barrel-vaulted room with cornices, a transverse arch and wall arches, like so many others of the monastery. One lunette is decorated with a relief carving of a horned animal. The location of the stable suggests that the tunnel was once the only entrance to the monastery, and that horses and pack animals had to be left at the foot of the hill and the tunnel entered on foot. The room with the horned animal may conceivably have been a gatehouse of sorts.
A simple
system for player characters infected with lycanthropy!
There are
two types of transformation: voluntary
or forced.
Forced transformation happens under setting-specific
circumstances: full moon, passing of a comet, meteor shower, drugs, anger or
stress, trigger word for hypnotic suggestion, etc.
The player
must roll on the following chart, 2d6 for voluntary transformation, 3d6 with “disadvantage”
(roll 3 dice, keep the 2 worst).
|
|
Lycanthrope type (HD) ** |
|||||
|
Level * |
Wererat (3) |
Werewolf (4) |
Wereboar (4+1) |
Weretiger (5) |
Werebear (6) |
Devil Swine (9) |
|
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
2 |
11 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
3 |
9 |
11 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
4 |
7 |
9 |
11 |
- |
- |
- |
|
5 |
T |
7 |
9 |
11 |
- |
- |
|
6 |
T |
T |
7 |
9 |
11 |
- |
|
7 |
D |
T |
T |
7 |
9 |
11 |
|
8 |
D |
D |
T |
T |
7 |
9 |
|
9 |
D |
D |
D |
T |
T |
7 |
|
10 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
T |
T |
|
11 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
T |
|
12+ |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
- = transformation and uncontrolled rage for a number of rounds equal to
double the Lycanthrope HD, then transform back and crash (unconsciousness for 1
hour)
11, 9, 7 = roll equal or higher to retain control for a
number of rounds equal to character level, then rage for a number of rounds equal
to Lycanthrope HD, transform back and check for crashing (save vs Petrification
or lose consciousness for 1 hour)
T = transform and retain control for a number of rounds equal to
character level, then transform back; unable to transform again until after a
night’s rest
D = transform, retain control and transform back at-will, no crashing
* Reddit user Maz437 proposed an addition to the system:
This is based not on absolute character level, but on "levels spent with the curse".
However, that also means that mightier high-level characters (who level slowly), will spend a LOT of time trying to learn to control the disease, which is also a bit strange (logically, a high-level character would have an easier time retainig control).
** HD values based on OSE. Modify as needed...
