[Secret Santicorn!!] All Aboard the Terrible Dogfish!

For this year's Secret Santicorn, Deus on the OSR discord server requested "a pirate ship, stocked with treasure, captained by something supernatural"

Without further ado...

ALL ABOARD THE TERRIBLE DOGFISH!

(click to download as .pdf)

a weird pirate adventure with a supernatural captain and treasure... Have fun! Happy holidays!

It's alive!! The Golem Master's Workshop is converted & played

UPDATE: Jonathan has posted a full-length report and a great analysis (even psychoanalysis!) of the adventure, which you can read here: http://www.fenorc.co.uk/home/into-the-golem-masters-workshop

My adventure The Golem Master's Workshop got some positive feedback... and also the biggest possible compliment for any homebrew material: it saw actual play!!!

Jonathan Rowe of RPGForge converted it to the Forge: Out of Chaos and ran it for his group. He made his conversion available, so if you happen to play this obscure little gem of a game, well, you know where to go!

And this is how their session went (quoting from Jonathan's post on facebook):

(spoilers for The Golem Master's Workshop)

That went well. Two PCs entered the Golem-Master's house, a necromancer and a weasel-folk warrior. They discovered Jakov but failed to identify Boax, got trapped in the cellar with the insane Master, animated the Quantum Golem but it turned on them before breaking out and smashing Boax. The weasel got poisoned on the trapped door but the necromancer used the scroll to stop the Quantum Golem's rampage. He then animated the dead Golem-Master to fake his continued occupancy and moved into the house as his "guest" with Jakov positioned as a secretary in the foyer.

Turns out, weasel-folk is a standard race in Forge.

Thanks, Jonathan!

[Monster] Spawning Spawns with Footprints #24

The January 2019 issue of Footprints (#24), the e-zine of the AD&D community Dragonsfoot, includes a random generator for Spawns of Shub-Niggurath, written by Marco Caravagna. I love creature generators, so let's see how this compares to the Spawns of Shub-Niggurathizer that comes with Carcosa.

The generator takes up 5 pages (21-25) and takes you through a series of tables, as usual. The author warns us that "due to the complexity of the tables, it is recommended that the DM prepare spawn well ahead of time," well, yes, this takes up some time to roll up and interpret. The Spawns generated are TOUGH. 4+ attacks easily, lots of special attacks... There is a nice variety, a wide range of possible stuff...

And even if you don't need a monstrous HD 17 aberration, you can always spice up one of your regular monsters with just a few rolls on select tables.

E.g., you have a simple, boring orc, but with just two rolls on the body features table, your orc now has an exposed skeleton (flesh appears partly melted from bones) and an extra sucker-like mouth (potential extra attack, but at -3 to hit due to inconvenient location, 1-4 damage; blood drain for 1-4 HP per round). Simple boring orc no more! And it smells like... *roll roll roll* Perfume!! uhh... (wonderful smell detected to 100’; 10% chance of pheromones: if save vs. poison fails, victim refuses to harm spawn (but will defend against it))

Anyways, here's a full Spawn:

SPAWN OF SHUB-NIGGURATH

FREQUENCY: Very rare (common near Shub-Niggurath)
NO. APPEARING: 1 (3-36 near Shub-Niggurath)
ARMOR CLASS: 4 [18]
MOVE: 3"
HIT DICE: 17 (!!!)
% IN LAIR: 10%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 6 (fangs / tusks / sucker / antlers / ovipositor / whip tail)
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Varies
SPECIAL ATTACKS: sucker, web spinneret
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Varies
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Non-, animal, or semi
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic
SIZE: L
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: ?

Locomotion: Flopping, 3"
Integument: Exoskeleton (AC 4 [18 in LotFP])
Limbs: zero
Eyes: 1
 > Black hole!
Mouths: 3
 > Fanged, 1-8
 > Tusked, 2 tusks, 2-8, worth 200 sp each
 > Sucker (e.g. as lamprey or leech), 1-4; blood drain for 1-4 HP per round
Other sensory apparatus: zero
Head features: 4
 > Bald
 > Ornamented: startling when flared; spawn gets 1 extra segment’s worth of attacks if it surprises enemies
 > Crest or comb
 > Antlers, damage 2-8 total
Tails: 3
 > Spiked Ovipositor damage 1-4; lays eggs that kill host in 4-32 turns; cure disease kills larvae
 > Spinneret fling webs 20’ as spell every other round
 > Whip, damage 1-4
Body features: 2
 > Leaves any color
 > Exposed organs, suffers double damage in combat
No scent, secretion, infestation or immunity :(

[Dungeon] 30-minute dungeon: The Golem Master's Workshop

The Golem Master, creator of pricey artificial servants, hasn’t been seen around for some time. His house stands dark and silent. Dare you enter?

The 30-minute dungeon is a great exercise. The format was created by Trystin, and she has recently posted an update, so now the format includes randomized prompts as guidelines.

My first attempt went overtime, but in the end turned into a pretty neat ancient Mesopotamia-themed dungeon. This new dungeon I wrote in around 35 minutes, then spent some more time re-drawing the map and formatting the content into a one-page dungeon pdf. Enjoy!

Download as one-page dungeon!

Background: The Golem Master, creator of pricey artificial servants, hasn’t been seen around for some time. His house stands dark and silent. Dare you enter?

1 – Foyer
A ledger with records of the Golem Master’s dealings. The balance is positive. The last transactions are from about 2 weeks ago: “Medium all-around servant, sold to Herr Güntz, for 3000 silver”, “Shipment of raw clay, for new personal project, 500 silver”.

2 – Corridor with mud streaks
Dry mud streaks leading to Area 4, as if something big and dirty was dragged there.
The windows towards the street are boarded up.

3 – Office, overtaken by animated body parts
3d8 animated clay hands (HD 0, AC as unarmored, Move as unencumbered, 1 attack: 1 damage) jump off the shelves, climb forth from under furniture, attack any intruder.
Treasure: 450 silver in the locked desk drawer.

4 – Storage room with injured golem
The mound of clay in the corner is actually a golem – a tall, muscular man, with his legs torn off. His name is Jakov. He tells the story of the Golem Master experimenting with the creation of two “golem brothers”, and how his brother Boax went mad, killed the Master and mutilated him. Boax either left or is hiding somewhere in the house.

5 – Golem showcase and hiding place of Boax
Statues set up on a small podium – the Golem Master’s showcase. Three full-sized clay statues depicting one man and two women. If the players have visited Area 4, they recognize the male statue as being from the same mold as Jakov. Four clay statues of 3’ tall wingless gargoyles.
The statue of the man is Boax, the murderous golem. He will wait until the players go down the spiral stairs and then shut the trapdoor and move the heavy podium over it.
If found, confronted or attacked, Boax defends himself, and also commands the four gargoyles.
Boax, the murderous golem: HD 4, AC as chain, Move as unencumbered, Morale unbreakable, 2 attacks: terracotta punch (1d8 damage)
4 clay gargoyles: HD 2, AC as leather, Move as unencumbered, Morale average, 1 attack: claw (1d4 damage)

6 – Bedroom & Kitchenette
Under the bed, there is a scroll of hold monster.

7 – Dark cellar room with clay pits
Strong smell of wet clay and mud. Creaky floorboards. Trap: When crossing the room, each character has a 1-in-6 chance to fall through the old floorboards and into the deep clay pits. If much noise is made, 1d4 clay abominations from Area 8 rush in to investigate.

8 – Workshop, the hiding place of the Golem Master
The Golem Master wasn’t killed, but hid here, half-mad from his injuries. As his final defense, he created 4 small abominations from whatever lumps of clay he had around.
The door to Area 9 has a “Do not touch my things!” sign.
Golem Master: Magic-User 3, AC as unarmored, unable to move, 1 attack: desperate biting (1d2-1 damage)
4 clay abominations: HD 1, AC as leather, Move as unencumbered, Morale average

9 – Vault with trapped entrance
Trap: poison needle (Save or Die) in the doorknob.
Treasure: 1500 silver in clay jars, masterfully executed figurine molds worth 1000 silver.

10 – Ritual area
A complete golem body lays on a marble slab. A codex and ritual implements are laying nearby – everything is ready to bring this golem to life. The golem is massive. If brought to life, there is a 50-50 chance of it being either an obedient servant or going on a murderous rampage through town.
Quantum Golem: HD 8, AC as chain, Move as unencumbered, Morale unbreakable, 2 attacks: terracotta punch (1d8 damage)

Working notes:

30-minute dungeon, includes:

3 Empty Rooms
3 Combat Encounters
2 Traps
1 NPC
1 Special/Weird Thing

3 Empty rooms:

Something that tells the characters about the dungeon’s history

Something useful to the characters

Something that points the characters to an NPC

Special Room:

Something that can result in great reward or terrible disaster

NPC:

A victim

3 Combat encounters:

Horde of weak opponents

A weak opponent and their guards

A tough opponent and his underlings

Trap:

Something that will kill the characters

Something that will trap the characters

d66 things that happen when you inject your liquified henchmen

Because that's obviously something that happens!

Written as part of the "OSR Weapons Race", which started with this, then escalated and led to this & this. Don't miss the consequences of eating a dead monster either. Who knows what the future holds?

Especially if an unknowable supernatural force turns your hireling into jelly. You scoop it up, fill a syringe, and inject the substance... roll to see

d66 things that happen when you inject your liquified henchmen

11   You sprout an extra arm, but it can only be used to carry a lantern. If you put a weapon in it, it detaches and flees.
12   Now you only answer to the henchman's name. You didn't learn their name before they died a gruesome death in your service? Tough luck, You-Who-Cannot-be-Named!
13   You gain +1 to your Attack Bonus if your weapon is cheap and unremarkable.
14   Sympathy for hirelings! You are unwilling to manipulate henchmen any further.
15   Whenever a town crier shouts out a message, you can decipher its hidden meaning, which is probably something sinister.
16   You learn about the existence of a "Henchpeople & Hirelings Trade Union". They keep a secret list of blackmail material on famed adventurers.

21   From now on, whenever you are explicitly hired to do something, and get paid for it, you gain 5% of the reward/payment/salary as experience points.
22   Whatever force liquefied the henchman is now affecting you. You have 1 week before you turn into a mindless ooze.
23   You drop to 1 Hit dice. All other stats remain unchanged.
24   A small second consciousness appears next to your own. You gain an extra spell slot (of the lowest order), even if you are not a spellcaster.
25   Your spit becomes acidic. Each day, enough acid gathers in your mouth for one spit attack (range 30', 1d6 damage). If you don't use it up (e.g. if you are unconscious for a day!), you take the damage.
26   Special one-time offer: get a 20% discount on your next hireling OR free shipping!

31   You learn a new language, but speak it in a way that's only acceptable among sailors.
32   Rashes & a burning sensation, followed by a loss of 1 HD.
33   From now on, every time you want to do something very dangerous, you must make a Loyalty check to see if you obey yourself.
34   You gain a random annoying quirk or mannerism.
35   Only the Referee knows this: the next henchman hired by this character will be a disloyal backstabbing traitor. Effect to tell the player: you cry green bile.
36   You are immune to whatever caused the liquification of the henchperson in the first place.

41   Logistical genius. You can now carry 150% more stuff.
42   Your body secretes weird fluids. In 4 weeks, you can harvest enough to mold it into a golem servant. This 2 HD ooze golem serves you for 1d6 days, then turns against you.
43   You feel useful! You are having a wonderful time! Save against Poison to avoid addiction to this peculiar type of euphoria.
44   Only the Referee knows this: the next henchman hired by this character will be exceptionally loyal. Effect to tell the player: you cry quicksilver tears.
45   From now on, you are ready to do anything dangerous against your best judgement if another player character gives you a 100 silver.
46   You gain the ability to turn/command oozes, as a Cleric of the same level as you would turn/command undead.

51   Double the maximum amount of hirelings you can have.
52   Beloved by Blobs!: oozes and similar creatures want to hug you.
53   If another player character orders you to do something and you obey, they must share their experience points with you for that session.
54   Dogs now hate you.
55   From now on, people tend to forget you exist.
56   The place of injection becomes swollen. When the swelling goes away, there is a purple tattoo-like portrait of the dead henchman on your skin.

61   You gain some of the mundane knowledge the henchman had: turnip farming, origami, cross stitching, etc.
62   Your appearance completely morphs into that of the liquified hireling. Stats, abilities, personality don't change.
63   People who usually hate adventurers think that you are kind of alright.
64   You can no longer digest normal food, BUT can eat anything acidic and horrifically oozy without risk to your health.
65   The dead hireling haunts you, distracting you in the worst possible moments.
66   You die, but the party can hire you in the next town for 100 silver per character level. You are simply there, waiting for them. Stats remain unchanged, all equipment is lost.

"Melting wax head" by antismiley101
https://www.deviantart.com/antismiley101/art/Melting-Wax-Head-427687789

1d8 things that happen when you smoke a magic scroll

From the dynamic duo that brought you spider mutations and that skeleton interrogator table...

1d8 things that happen when you smoke a magic scroll!!

1. Save against Magic 1d3 times: for each failure, roll on the miscast table!
2. You can see invisible creatures and objects for 1 hour. However, you also hallucinate, so you can never tell when something is real or not.
3. REEFER MADNESS! Record the exact number of experience points you have. From now on, instead of gaining experience points, you lose double the amount you would get (and lose levels accordingly). When you hit 0 xp, you lose your original class and become a Magic-User. Now, whenever you gain experience points, you gain the double amount until you reach the amount you had originally.
   A Magic-User getting this effect remains a Magic-User, just goes back and up again.
4. Sweet Leaf! Your coughs always have a weird echo. You get a +1 bonus on saves against Poison.
5. For the next 4d2 days, you consume twice as many rations, but become immune to spells that affect emotions and cognition.
6. You cough up an object usually conjured by a stage magician! Roll 1d6: 1 white rabbit, 2 ribbon, 50' in length, 3 the Ace of Spades, 4 dove, 5 burning candle, 6 coin (worth 1 sp)
7. Chills, not thrills! You suffer the effect of the slow spell for 1 hour, but get +1 bonus on all saves.
8. The next monster you encounter is actually an NPC from the campaign wearing a rubber mask. You must chase each other through a non-Euclidean hallway with the Beach Boys playing in the background.

[Actual Play] A Foray into the Transformed & Generated Land

My neural network generated hexcrawl is closing completion!! I ran a short play-test today for two players who happened to be available, with random characters. Procedures and mechanics still need work, but overall it was FUN, gonzo, but playable!

The characters were "strangers in a strange land" - people who were randomly transported from their home dimension into the Transformed & Generated land.

The first one up was Little Timmy, Specialist 1 (one-legged urchin from London). I had him roll for the starting hex. He woke up in the middle of a wide grassland. It was snowing, and quite cold. He discovered a musky smelling tunnel leading underground - but decided not to enter it just yet. Instead, he moved to the nearby forest. He couldn't recognize the trees, but was happy to see that they were fruit-bearing - or rather, there were some big fungoid-type growths on them. He harvested a couple. While he was picking the "fruits", a woman dressed in dark robes appeared. She seemed to be looking for someone. She approached Little Timmy, and asked something - but the two of them didn't share a language, so she resorted to pantomime. Little Timmy gathered that the woman was looking for her child (or other short person), but couldn't help her. Then she asked, using signs, whether Little Timmy was planning to eat the "fruits". Timmy nodded, and the woman stepped back and started shaking her head. Another pantomime followed, which could have meant that whoever eats the fruits turns into a monster. So he dropped them. The woman left.

Little Timmy continued exploring the forest, and entered another area, where the ground was covered with a thick mat from the roots of the trees. The air was full of snowflakes, but also tiny fleeces just floating in the air. Forest creatures were moving under the intertwining roots.

Suddenly, another visitor showed up - Sally Mason, Magic-User 1 (sorceress who prefers Floating Disc to walking)! The two of them decided to travel together. They only had a couple of rations on them, so decided to hunt in the eerie forest. They noticed a turkey-like bird, and fired arrows at it - when hit, the bird turned into stone...

Disappointed, the duo moved out of the forest, and towards the wasteland/grassland to the south.

Around sundown, they met two groups of people, who were clearly in the middle of an argument. They were brandishing guns and other weapons. Timmy hid behind a rock, but Sally floated forth and approached them. Luckily, one of them was also a "displaced" person, and could speak Sally Mason's language. He explained that they were arguing about some food that the other group took from them, and they were ready to fight over it. Sally offered her own rations instead to keep the peace. The people accepted the offer, and parted in peace. Three of them stayed behind, and invited Sally and Timmy to their camp, especially that night was rapidly approaching, and a thunderstorm was gathering.

The group camped, and Sally and Timmy learned some things about the lay of the land and about the dangers that are everywhere - monsters along the river, monster along the sea, and insect overlords in the north-east area...

In the morning, the weather got even colder.

Sally and Timmy traveled further, and soon they heard voices and distress calls in the distance. They investigated, and found a man and a woman stuck inside a split tree... The woman spoke a language they all understood, and told about how she and her husband climbed the tree to escape dire wolves, but the tree broke, split, and trapped them... They offered some apples and potions in exchange for help. Sally lit a torch, melted some snow, and used her soap and the water to lubricate the stuck people. This way, they could pull them out, and the tree snapped back together.

The woman told them that she got the potion as payment for work from a witch who lives in a small village in the swamps to the west. However, she couldn't tell what the potions were for. Timmy tried one, and instantly fell asleep! Sally put him on her Floating Disc, and they continued the exploration.

After a half day of travel through the prairie, they noticed a centaur who was busy digging the half-frozen ground. Timmy sneaked closer, and realized that the centaur was digging up corpses!!! The centaur noticed him, and got all defensive - he was digging up the bodies to eat them, and was not about to share this precious food with anybody. Timmy retreated, and the duo waited while the centaur finished and moved on.

Afterwards, they arrived to the seaside.

Sally wanted to create a raft or a boat, but without much success.

Timmy fished in the sea, and caught a strange fish - but got attacked by a huge, neckless and eyeless toad creature!! The monster caught him by surprise, and almost instantly killed him! Timmy retreated and tried to staunch the bleeding, but didn't succeed. The toad monster attack Sally, but Sally proved to be quite the swordfighter and defeated the toad monster. However, it was already too late for poor Timmy, who bled out...

The toad monster's body twitched, and a human crawled out from it - Mathilde the Warrior Princess, Fighter 1 (a barbarian who got turned into a toad monster by an evil witch). She joined Sally, and they decided to go and look for the "insects overlords" of the north-east, because Mathilde had sworn an oath to defeat the "ant people". Sally wanted to travel on her Floating Disc, but her spell misfired (risky casting!). The Disc materialized, but cut off the sorceress's right arm (I was using my lovely miscast result tables)!!!

Anyway, the new duo traveled up to the north-east, and eventually found a cave that was guarded by drooling flying monkeys... When they approached, the monkeys sounded an alarm, and some insect people came out from the cave. They turned out to be almost friendly, and invited Sally and Mathilde for their monthly religious festival. They even assured them, that they won't be in any danger, as this month's sacrifice (a huge lizard creature) was already secured. The feast would take place during the full moon, three days later.

Sally and Mathilde decided to camp nearby for one night, then go and hunt to replenish their stocks.

In the morning, however, they got all the rations they needed, because it started RAINING FROGS!

The duo waited for full moon, and entered the cave of the insect people. They were shown to a huge cavern, where an insect person statue stood on a gold pillar. At least a hundred insects were present. They sacrificed a dinosaur-like creature, and the feast began. Everybody got a small chunk of the lizard meat. Sally and Mathilde also partook in the feast.

When Sally inquired about a way to grow back her arm, the insects told her about a brutal half-goat half-man monster that lives up north and is rumored to have the power to regenerate itself.

In the meantime, they noticed that a young humanoid girl with insect wings was also present. She just observed the feast, didn't take any of the meat. A huge yellow toad was following her around.

Sally asked one of the insect people about the girl. At first, the insect person was not eager to talk about the girl, but after some convincing, she told Sally that the girl is the queen of the insects, a powerful being who can predict the future.


And this was the end of the session.

Two magic items

Arachnid Servants of Hypnos

Four silver spiders in a velvet bag; when the bag is opened, the spiders swarm forth and envelope up to four willing creatures with their webs.
The cocooned creatures fall asleep for 1 hour. Their dreams are sweet and filled with the sounds of the wind playing the web’s strands as a harp. The creatures are completely unaware of their surroundings and cannot be roused by any means. This 1 hour sleep mechanically counts as a full rest in terms of healing, spell memorization, etc. Furthermore, each affected creature regains 1 HD worth of hit points.
After the 1 hour, the webs dissolve, and the four spiders crawl back into the velvet bag.
However, there is a flat 1-in-6 chance for each affected creature to fall into a week-long coma (and possibly gain a spiderific mutation). Delay Poison grants a save vs. poison to counter this effect.

Soap of Absolute Cleanness

This inconspicuous bar of soap removes all curses, diseases and similar ailments if someone washes themselves with it.
However, each time it also scrubs away one of the seven layers of the skin of the user. Repeated use leads to serious consequences as the person’s skin is eroded. This can only be healed by miracle-level restorative magic. The soap is good for 1d8 uses.

Layers of skin left	Effect
6	No effect yet
5	Can no longer wear armor heavier than leather
4	Can no longer wear any armor, -1 on Reaction and Loyalty rolls
3	Double damage from fire, acid, and similar sources
2	Can no longer wear clothes; skin now almost completely transparent; double damage from any kind of attack
1	Uncle Frank from Hellraiser
0	Death

Caryatids!

Somewhere in the city, there is a portico adorned with four caryatids. The locals are used to this sight, and just pass by every day, perhaps only stopping to admire the work of the forgotten sculptor. Now and then a woman, following an old tradition, whispers her deepest wish into the ear of the leftmost statue.
At night, the caryatids step off their bases. They patrol the streets, right wrongs, protect the innocent and the weak, hunt monsters and fight against dark-dark-dark magic.
But they must return to their place at dawn, or become an immobile statue – forever.

CARYATIDS!

OSR rules (based on LotFP) for playing benevolent animated statues in historical urban fantasy type settings! Inspired by this post, that old Gargoyles cartoon, China Miéville's Kraken and other weird urban fantasy stuff.

Caryatids as player characters

The Caryatids are statues animated by a mysterious force. Despite being of stone, their movements are fluid and precise, like that of a human – only much, much louder.

All Caryatids are HD 3

Hit points: by class, see below

Stats: rolled as usual

Base AC: 16

Base AB: +3 or by class, see below

Natural attack: d6

Skills: Caryatids start with a 3-in-6 chance in Architecture and Open Doors; and a 1-in-6 chance in Stealth (which they can employ to muffle their otherwise very loud movements)

Saves:

Paralyze	Poison	Breath	Devices	Magic
12*	8**	12	14	8

* “Turn-to-stone” effects can render Caryatids immobile

** Caryatids are, of course, unaffected by poisons, but corroded by acid

Progression:

Caryatids don’t level up. Their attributes can only increase through magic, the help of artisans, or other in-game ways.

Movement and Encumbrance:

Caryatids move as unencumbered humans, can climb, jump, etc.

All movement is loud and noticeable. With a successful Stealth skill check, a Caryatid can move with less noise (but still audibly). Only the Maiden Caryatid (see below) can use her Stealth skill to move unnoticed.

Caryatids can carry twice as more as a human.

Caryatids sink in water, but can walk once reaching the bottom.

When standing still, Caryatids are indistinguishable from a statue.

Damage & hazards:

Bludgeoning weapons deal damage as normal.

Slashing and piercing weapons deal 1 damage, flat.

Natural perils only affect them if they would affect a statue – Referee’s discretion (e.g. stone statues can crack at high temperatures or if water freezes in their crevices).

Magic attacks deal damage as normal.

When a Caryatid drops to 0 hit points, roll 1d6 to see which part gets shattered. Any further damage triggers a new roll on the chart until total destruction.

1-2	Arm; if both arms are destroyed, see next result:
3-4	Leg (-10’ Movement); if both legs are destroyed, see next result:
5	Torso fractured (-1 HD, adjust maximum hit points and attack bonus); if HD drops to zero, see next result:
6	Head = total destruction

“Healing”:

HD represents the actual structural integrity of the stone body. Caryatids can regain HD only if restored by a highly skilled human artisan or magical means.

Hit points are the force that’s animating the stone body. Caryatids can regain hit points through the Matron’s healing spells and by “resting” during the day; however these options never restore HD.

Classes:

Although visually similar, each the four caryatids each represent an individual class:

The Matron

Hit points: 3d8

Spellcasting as Cleric 3

The Amazon

Hit points: 3d10

Attack bonus as Fighter 3

Natural attack: d8

The Witch

Hit points: 3d6

Spellcasting as Magic-User 3

The Maiden

Hit points: 3d6

Skills as Specialist 3 in addition to the base Caryatid skills

All hail Lord Mark!

What can I say? After many sleepless nights of deleting comments, I gave in to temptation and contacted Lord Mark.

I was not disappointed!

Lord Mark is a charming, polite gentleman, a vampire lord of the highest standing. In exchange for granting me immortality, prosperity, and mental alertness, he asked me only to spread the word about his greatness and good posture.

Lord Mark

No. Appearing: 1, but under all available channels, posts, forum threads at the same time. Lord Mark is omnipresent

Hit Dice: 1

Armor Class: as Leather

No. of attacks: 1 per opponent

Damage: 1-6

Movement: as Unencumbered

Morale: 12

Lord Mark is one and a legion at the same time. When He appears, he seems to be singular, but in fact everybody present has to face Lord Mark on their own, separately, and only then move on to help others. This is mostly annoying, but if left unchecked, whole towns can be overrun by Lord Mark's avatars.

If somebody willingly accepts Lord Mark's offer, that person becomes infected by the human vampire virus and will be forced to spread Lord Mark's message at every opportunity.

Miscast tables: Meta-magic and Mind-altering spells

The final installment of the miscast tables series is a double-feature... Thanks to everybody who commented on these, and soon I'll put together a unified pdf for easier use!

Metamagic (spells affecting or modifying other spells or spellcasting abilities)

1. Wipe-out. The caster loses all prepared spells and takes 1d3 damage for every prepared spell lost this way.
2. The caster’s magic jumps to the nearest conscious humanoid. For the duration of 2d6 hours, the new person gains the full spellcasting abilities of the original caster, all remaining prepared spells and spell slots, is considered to be the level of the original caster for spellcasting purposes. They can prepare new spells (if the duration of the effect permits) or risky cast from the original caster’s spellbook. This doesn’t intersect with any spellcasting abilities the person might have. Treat it as a “parallel consciousness”. After the 2d6 hours, the effect is reversed and the original caster regains their abilities (and whatever prepared spells are left).
3. “So Many Mouths to Feed!” All of the caster’s prepared spells and open spell slots are replaced with Magic Mouth. These must be cast to clear the way for new spells.
4. The winds of magic are out of control! For the next [caster level] hours, treat all spellcasting attempts made by the caster as risky casting.
5. The dam breaks! All of the caster’s memorized/prepared spells are cast at the same time, in a single round. The caster takes 1d3 damage for every spell cast this way.
6. The caster’s misjudged attempt at modifying the fabric of the universe triggers a butterfly effect. Everybody in the universe can feel the fluttering of the wings… but no one knows what happens at the end of the chain of events that are set into motion. The Referee introduces a significant change in the game setting. When the caster first encounters evidence of this event, they will definitely know that this is THEIR doing.

Mind altering spells, charms, telepathy

1. All channels are two-way... The caster switches minds with the target of the spell (or one random target). Charisma, Intelligence and Wisdom scores and all saving throws “travel” with the mind. All else (hit points, attack bonuses, etc.) belongs to the body. Every turn, both victims can attempt to switch back. If both are willing AND pass a save against Magic, the swap is reversed. If only one person is willing, this person must pass a save with a -4 penalty.
2. The caster’s mind is lost in the intricacies of the psychic realm. The caster suffers the effect of Feeblemind, lasting [20 - caster’s Intelligence score] hours.
3. Next time the caster tries to persuade, fast-talk, cheat, bribe etc. an NPC in a non-magical way, the spell that was miscast is cast by the person the caster is trying to influence (but with the caster’s level), with the caster (or their group) as the target.
4. All metallic objects in a [caster level times 10’] radius start to resonate with the caster’s thoughts and transform them into audible sound. The caster’s current intentions, doubts and fears are broadcast for everyone to hear.
5. Under the stress of the spell, a small fragment of the caster’s mind forms an enclave. This isolated little piece is identical to the rest of the caster’s mind but in one thing: it completely believes that whatever the spell was intended to do, succeeded. From now on, whenever this might affect their behavior, the caster takes the information stored in the mind-fragment as the absolute truth.
6. The psycho-magnetic vibrations caused by the miscast awaken the latent psychic abilities of a random sentient target of the spell, or, if the spell doesn’t have targets, a random sentient creature in [caster level times 10’]. If the campaign doesn’t use psionics or similar powers, the target receives a 1/day use of a random spell, roll 2d6:
   2 Suggestion, Mass
   3 Feeblemind
   4 ESP
   5 Charm Person
   6-7 Message
   8 Comprehend Languages
   9 Suggestion
   10 Forget
   11 Confusion
   12 Charm Person, Mass

Miscast table: Necromancy!

The necromancy chart might seem tame in comparison to some of my other miscast tables... but the stakes are still high. After all, we are talking about the manipulation of life and death!

Necromancy and life-force altering spells

1. “They are coming to get you, Barbara!” All undead within a [caster level] mile radius learn the whereabouts of the caster and the taste of their bone marrow or blood. They will relentlessly pursue the caster for 2d12 hours.
2. From now on, the caster, although living, can be Turned or commanded as undead by Clerics. When a Turning attempt is made in the character’s presence, they are automatically included in the effect, even if they are not specifically targeted. While Turned, the caster is only able to speak in grunts and beastly growls. This lasts until Remove Curse or Cure Disease is employed.
3. The caster’s life force is drained. Their body desiccates and becomes wrinkled. Hair turns gray or falls out. Character level is unchanged, but 1d2 hit dice are lost. Re-roll hit points with the remaining.
4. The caster’s body becomes dead meat. It starts to decay, cannot heal naturally. Only a Cleric of higher level than the caster can heal them magically. After [caster level] days the caster’s body is revitalized, can heal again, but the effects of putrefaction can only be undone by high-level Clerical magic.
5. The Mark of Undeath! The caster and every living creature in [caster level times 5’] are marked to rise as zombies 24 hours after their death (every living creature, so be prepared for zombie gnats, rainworms and moles as well). The victims are unaware of this fate. The mark is revealed by Detect Evil and erased by Dispel Evil.
6. The flow of necromantic energy corrupts the caster’s natural healing abilities. The next [caster level] times the character rests, subtract the amount they would heal from their maximum hit points.

Miscast table: Energy, force, and nature

More miscast tables! This time for all spells concerning the manipulation of natural forces and energies. I will probably try to finish two for tomorrow, or maybe all that's left, and compile them into a pdf!

Elemental-, energy- and nature-based spells

1. The mundane version of the invoked element becomes hostile towards the caster for 1d6 days. Campfire burns them, water flees form their mouth, light blinds, winds crash their ship and branches tear their clothes, etc. The severity of these assaults is up to the Referee (and probably also depends on the power level of the intended spell).
2. All metallic objects in a [caster level times 10’] radius become electrified and discharge with a painful electric shock. Everybody touching, wearing, holding such an item must save against Devices for each such item, or take 1 (for jewelry), 1d3 (for metal weapon), 1d6 (for chain armor), 1d12 (for plate armor) damage.
3. Natural order is disturbed in a [caster level times two miles] radius area around the caster. Natural order is restored in [caster level times 1d6] hours, but consequences remain. Roll 1d4:
   1 the air becomes thinner, oxygen saturation drops. Everybody gains 2 points of Encumbrance while in the area of effect. Characters with a negative Constitution modifier must save against Paralyze at the end of every hour or fall unconscious,
   2 the freezing breath of the White Worm or perhaps Ithaqua sweeps through the area; temperature of air drops significantly (e.g. from summer warmth to winter cold, from winter cold to Arctic),
   3 the sun becomes a red monster that devours men, seeking them out with heat rays; both indoors and outdoors temperature of air raises significantly (e.g. from mild spring to unbearable summer, from unbearable summer to apocalyptic heatwave),
   4 magnetic disturbance: all metallic objects (including weapons, armor...) drop to the ground, can be only lifted and carried or worn as five times their usual Encumbrance value; keep in mind, this means even metallic parts of non-metallic objects – like nails keeping a boat or wooden construction together.
4. [Caster level times three] Magic Missiles rain from the sky or appear out of thin air. Everybody in a 60’ radius must save against Breath. Distribute the missiles between the caster and those who failed their save. The caster doesn’t get to save, they are hit anyway, but maybe their comrades or enemies take some of the damage…
5. Phlogiston saturation increases significantly in a [caster level times 30’] area. All open fires explode violently, and everybody holding or standing near such a source takes 1d4 damage. On a damage roll of 3 or 4, they also must save against Breath or catch fire. Burning creatures take another 1d4 damage on the next round, and if that is a 3 or 4 too, they are engulfed in flames and begin taking 1d8 damage until put out. Putting out flames in the phlogiston-saturated environment takes twice as much effort.
6. Space swallows itself and a black hole opens in a maximum of [1d6 x 10’] from the caster, in a random direction (roll 1d6, 1 below, 2 through 5 is north-west-south-east, 6 above), but in the same general area. The hole remains open and active for 1d6 rounds. All loose objects and creatures in the vicinity are sucked into it at a speed of 20’ per round. A save against Paralyze can be made to grab onto something. If the initial position of a creature relative to the black hole cannot be determined, they are [2d6 x 10’] apart.

Miscast table: Dislocation, Teleportation, Polymorph

The second installment of my custom miscast tables, detailing the unforeseen consequences of meddling with space, time, and matter! These are quite elaborate, with sub-tables inside some of the results.

Mechanical clarifications:

If an effect lowers hit die, re-roll the character’s hit points with the remaining and take the lower result as new maximum. If the current hit points are thus over the maximum, they drop too (but otherwise no damage is taken). Dropping to 0 or less hit dice automatically kills the character.

For these miscast effects, “one random target of the spell” means one of the following array: the caster plus all others targeted by the spell (friend or fore); or just the caster, if the target is inanimate.

Teleportation, dislocation, movement and polymorph type spells

1. As space folds and reorganizes, some body parts cannot keep up. Roll 1d6, one random target of the spell loses:
   1-2 an arm, 3-5 a leg, 6 an eye.
   This also means the loss of 1 hit die. Re-roll hit points with the remaining.
2. One random target of the spell disappears for 1d6 hours, then rematerializes – tired, hangover, dehydrated, confused, but also sort of euphoric. Treat this as failed Carousing (with no experience points awarded) and roll on the campaign’s harshest Carousing Mishaps table. If no such table is available, the affected character makes all saving throws and attack rolls at a -4 penalty for the next 24 hours.
3. The mind of the caster is displaced by an alien entity. At the end of the given duration the caster’s mind returns to its body, with no recollection of what happened during this period. The possession event causes a loss of [caster level times 200] experience points. Roll 1d4 to see what the alien entity does while in control of the host body:
   1 stays for 1d4 hours and wants to learn about humanity's weaknesses (this knowledge will eventually be used during the invasion of Earth by vampyres form outer space),
   2 attacks a random nearby target using the caster’s best weapon or spell for 1d8 rounds,
   3 behaves completely normal (and the character is under the player’s control), but then takes over when the character goes to sleep. Its goal is to assemble a homing beacon / teleportation pad / arcane gateway to bring more of its kind to Earth. It needs seven rest periods of work to accomplish this. The possession lasts 1d10 days. The character is always exhausted.
   4 casts all of the caster’s prepared spells, one per round, than leaves the body. If the caster has no spells prepared, the entity risky casts a randomly determined highest level spell form the caster’s spellbook. The entity’s behavior depends on a Reaction roll, it can use the spells to aid or hinder the host’s party.
4. The quantum disturbances cause sudden and irreversible changes in the body of one random target of the spell. No saves apply. Roll 1d6:
   1-2 the spell Enlarge is cast on the victim, their body ripples and grows to 150% its previous size, ruining all clothes and armor,
   3-4 the spell Shrink (reversed Enlarge) is cast on the victim, their body ripples and shrinks to 50% its previous size, rendering all armor unusable,
   5 the victim’s body is fused with a fly that happens to be in the spell’s area of effect; from now on this character is a hideous man-fly-thing, unable to speak, digestive fluid dripping from the mouth (1 spit attack per day, 20’ range, 2d8 damage), hideous compound eyes with a 270° field of vision. The thing, fortunately, is sterile.
   6 Janus! A second face appears on the back of the victim’s head. It duplicates the victim’s looks. All the organs are completely functional, but the victim still has only a single brain to process all the information. For one month, no benefits can be gained from the second face, and all actions are with a penalty (-4 on attacks, -1 on skills, etc.). For a full year, while they learn to coordinate their faces, they gain 10% less experience points.
5. One random target of the spell fuses with whatever material they are in contact with (standing on, wearing, holding – in this order, so a standing victim will fuse with the ground, a flying victim will fuse with their clothes, a naked flying victim will fuse with the sword they hold, a flying naked unarmed person is lucky (?)). The “depth” of the fusion is only 1d6 inches, but there is no harmless way to separate the two materials any more. The separation (amputation) will cause the loss of 1 hit die. Re-roll hit points with the remaining.
6. The caster falls into a relativity trap. For the following 1d6 hours, all their movement is halved, their attacks and saves are made with a -4 penalty, as their perception of the world doesn’t line up with the realities of outside observers. For each hour spent in the trap, they age 1 year.

Miscast table: Illusion spells

I'm creating custom tables of miscast results for various types of magic. I could use the standard D&D division of magic schools (Abjuration, Evocation, etc.), but I've decided to go with six similar, but slightly different categories, that sort of make sense to me and fit the spells in Lamentations of the Flame Princess:

• Teleportation, dislocation, movement and polymorph type spells
• Illusion and invisibility spells
• Mind altering spells, charms, telepathy
• Elemental-, energy- and nature-based spells
• Necromancy and life-force altering
• Metamagic (spells affecting or modifying other spells or spellcasting abilities)

I will be posting them as they are completed. For the first installment, I present you the illusion miscast table, heavily inspired by theories of light.

Miscast effects for illusion and invisibility spells

1. Those newfangled scientists say vision is the perception of light reflected from objects. For the following 1d6 months, the caster is physically hurt by looking at certain materials. If the caster looks at a surface that is at least palm-sized for longer than 1 round, they take 1d6 damage. Roll 1d6: 1 steel, 2 wood, 3 linen, 4 paper (ouch!), 5 gold, 6 human skin.
2. The trusted old school scientists say vision is possible due to the human eye emitting special “eye beams” that trace the world around us. The caster’s “eye beams” become lethal death rays for 1d12 rounds. They burn through organic matter (including the caster’s eyelids) for 1d6 damage per round, but don’t set things on fire. The “eye beams” have a range of [caster level times 10’]. Mirrors and other shiny surfaces reflect the rays in a random direction – if there is a lot of this going on, everybody in the area must save against Devices every round to avoid being hit. While this effect is on, the caster is effectively blind. After the duration of the effect, the caster remains blind for 1d6 days.
3. According to the corpuscular theory, light is made up of minuscule particles called “corpuscles”. They now hate the caster. For the following 1d10 days, anytime the caster does something that requires vision & concentration (aiming a weapon, reading, scouting), the corpuscles play tricks and the caster just cannot achieve anything unless they successfully save against Breath.
4. The caster’s perception of reality is warped for 1d6 hours. For any object or person they encounter the Referee can roll 1d6, on a 1 the caster is adamant it is an illusion and refuses to think otherwise. Any illusions encountered during this period is automatically believed.
5. People’s shadows are slaves! The caster’s shadow breaks free of its shackles, and is now a cunning, dangerous monster. HD = [caster level], AC as leather, Move as unencumbered human, Morale 8, 1 soul-rending attack for 1d3 damage [1d6 if HD > 5], immune to physical damage, but can be tortured with bright lights (torch or stronger do 1d6+ damage). A super bright light triggers a Morale check. The shadow can either use its attack or try to break free another shadow slave. That shadow’s master must save against Magic. The shadow knows who has the worst save.
6. The caster becomes Visible for 1d6 hours. This is a sort of reverse Invisibility... It means that the caster is seen by everybody in a [caster level times 10’] radius. They are literally noticed through walls or in complete darkness. No material can block Visibility.

1d8 spider mutations

From the creative duo that brought you the 1d6 things that happen when you lie to the skeleton interrogator... 1d8 horrible but also kinda useful mutations you can get from being bitten by a giant arachnid!

1. Eyes all over your forehead, unable to concentrate for a week (-2 on all rolls), afterwards 270 degree vision, only surprised on 1 if you can theoretically see it coming.
2. Your teeth fall out, and mandibles burst forth from your mouth. Your bite now does d4 damage, but you cannot eat solid foods.
3. You can cast a 10' x 10' Web once per day, but doing so leaves you exhausted and hungry and you gain 2 points of Encumbrance until you rest and feed. Also, it's a spiderweb, so guess where it shoots out from!
4. A new gland grows in your body and secretes 1 dose of a potent poison per day (effect: save or unable to move for 1d6 rounds). You are NOT immune to this poison. If you don't have the opportunity to drain the gland once per day, then save or be unable to move for 1d6 HOURS. Otherwise, you can use the extracted substance as weapon or food poison. The poison looses potency in 1 hour after coming out of your body.
5. Sticky body hair, can cast Spiderclimb once per day, but handling things is a pain in the ass. Manipulation of objects (including taking clothes or armor off) takes twice as much time, and you are unable to attack on the same round when dropping or swapping weapons (and attack with -2 on the next).
6. 1d3 +1 vestigial legs sprout from your buttocks. They are both gnarly AND useless.
7. According to a collection of 85 fun spider facts, "it is estimated that a human is never more than 10 feet away from a spider—ever". Awareness of this fact renders you unable to sleep peacefully - you need 2 extra hours to rest up properly. Once per week, you can call out to all spiders in the vicinity: a sizable swarm crawls out and fulfills one command.
8. Arachné's blessing. You become incredibly talented at weaving. During downtime you may spend a week to create a tapestry worth 1d6 x 100sp. On 6, roll another mutation.

Neural Network Generated Hexcrawl

Talk to Transformer is awesome. I already collaborated with this text-writing neural network to create a dungeon adventure, called The Tomb of the Daughter. Nowadays I am using Transformer to create hex descriptions. It started out when I fed it some fragments from Carcosa... then it became pretty much its own thing. I'm slowly compiling materials for a post-apocalyptic science fantasy world. It's fun. It's also much harder to control than just the dungeon. I try to edit as little as possible, and most text still comes from Transformer's outputs, but I have to link them together on the editor-level so that it makes more sense. I'm also going deeper and generating mini-dungeons for a couple of hexes.

Guodong Zhao

The hexcrawl has humans on the rainbow specter and more (the heritage from those Carcosa prompts), but also dwarves, elves, insect people...

A handful of examples:

SALTWATER SPRING

Trolls of the monstrous Trollpaw tribe appear on the western shore, fighting together to control a spring of seawater.
This spring has been known to grow more dangerous by nightfall. The spirits wander the area looking to drink, and cause problems for others in the night. It's a curse from a deity who made this particular spring; at night it contains powerful acid which breaks down barriers to spirits.

CAVERN OF THE KUPO

The hex is inhabited by a race of reptilian humanoid insects known as the Kupo.
The Kupo have very sharp wings and no tail, though they do have a very sharp sparrow-like mandibles. Their eyes are black, and they resemble a bird's, and are shaped like what looks like a long tail. They are usually accompanied by drooling, wingless monkeys.
They live in a vast underground cavern that reaches beneath the ocean. The Kupo are generally quite peaceful, but their presence causes alarm to the other races of the underground. The Kupo sometimes use traps to capture monsters and eat creatures found in their tunnels. They eat the most interesting things, including humans.
The Kupo are very fast, able to fly long distances without the use of their arms.

DROMUND KAAS ENCLAVE

A small, ancient, magical enclave of Dwarves and Elves sits in a small circular cove called Dromund Kaas. Some of their numbers are fugitives from King Kommr. King Kommr was feared because of a smallpox epidemic that had plagued his country, and Kommr's sons were blamed for it because they carried the plague with them.
The inhabitants of Dromund Kaas are known to lurk around the island with their strange magic, and when they can, they travel through the mountains and into the interior of the island in search of treasure.
The place is guarded by an old-style swordswoman named Aelian with a mysterious curse: she was killed by a magical dagger sheathed in her heart, but she is very much alive. To kill her, one must use this enchanted dagger.

GORE-CAVE OF THE HALF-GOAT

The ruins of a small town, whose inhabitants were all murdered at birth.
The current resident of the ruins is a monstrous, grotesque half-goat. The half-goat lives in secret in a small, enchanted cave made of stone. It feeds only on living humans and has been so for centuries.
The half-goat has a human face that hides itself from its eyes but is able to see through humans and their clothing. Its hair is black-like blue, and it is able to grow new parts of its body every so often.

1. FROZEN PITS The first chamber is located on the northern side of the cave, just beyond the entrance. Inside the cave are six gigantic pits. Here in the first pit, a human corpse lay frozen for months, until its bones became stuck to a frozen ice block. It was left to decay there for so long, it was nearly entirely gone as of the last time it was dug up.
The corpse is inhabited by a bloated redhead humanoid, who we don't know if it is human, or if it is a creature of the dark. It looks vaguely human in that form, but this thing has no eyes or ears. And it's talking. When it's talking, it's speaking in a different tone. The creature gives this weird, creepy hum. It's almost human-in-a-possible-other-form thing, but it's a lot tougher. Its mouth is wide open, almost a mouth-like gape. The creature attacks with one or both of the following attacks: A slow, stabbing growl from the top of its head or a piercing, piercing growl from the bottom of its head. It wants nothing more than to see its own reflection in the water and then see if they can trust it.

2. TREASURE CHAMBER The second cavern is also located on the northern side of the cave. This is the oldest cavern in the entire Half-goat's world. This is also where a young Ogre was killed, although he died from his injuries, rather than from frostbite.
The half-goat’s treasure is hidden in the second cavern:
a. A stone ball filled with dark energy which causes everybody to bleed profusely, a crystal tablet contains blood plasma to control the body's natural defences (from heat, cold/therapeutic radiation and blood pressure) and the ability to stop a virus from spreading if implanted into a body;
b. a book of magical lore about a pair of wizards, each of which has developed a certain form of mind magic and which will also have a particular ability in the area of a given time period, and will also know how to summon spirits and other magical beings that work in those areas. The book ends with an interview with the two wizards.
c. a wand of invisibility and a scroll of silence.

3. REGENERATION PITS The third chamber on the other side is a narrow corridor that must be crawled through, with one wall blocked off. In the third chamber there are nine gigantic pits, filled with ichor which is dried out, ready to receive water. The half-goat submerges itself into these pits to regenerate.

[Monster] A Hybrid Beast of Ynn

Long time, no post... So here's a random monster, straight from the Gardens of Ynn! With a little illustration.

The Hybrid Hydra

Base shape: Horse
Head: Hyena (extra bite attack, +4 d8)
Additional features: Two extra heads (Duck, Stag (extra antler attack, +4 d6))

HD 4, HP 24, Armour as leather, 3 attacks: claw / bite / antler (d6/d8/d6), saves as Fighter 4.

[Actual Play / Solo] Return to the Tunnels of Melcha the Ghastly [Carcosa / LotFP]

For the second foray, I repopulated the dungeon using the Wandering Monsters table (rolled 1d6 for each room previously explored; on a 1 rolled on the Wandering Monster table to see what abomination moved in during the week).

I added henchmen and retainers to the crew, random generation courtesy of Meatshields! - http://www.barrowmaze.com/meatshields!

The Henchpeople

The Veterans

Last time, our heroes bravely retreated from the Tunnels of Melcha the Ghastly. Their survival was only possible because their carnivorous ape foes were scared away or engaged by an even scarier monster, a telepathic shoggothoid, the Otyugh.

Next week, after some healing and rest, they recruited a rag-tag group of 5 Men-at-Arms, a Cleric (who ran away with a circus), and a stuttering Torch-Bearer who hates orcs. And back to the cave they went!

Entering the first cavern, they realized that other creatures have found the place while they were gone. About 40 feet from the entrance, two blobby, but vaguely human creatures were digging through the debris on the floor. The demonic duo was alerted by the approach of the adventurers – now a 12-strong army. The monsters hesitated for a second, then, against all odds, swung into action and bumbled towards the adventurers!

Derix, one of the Men-at-Arms, discharged his crossbow at one of the monsters, but missed – looks like the wineskin he was swigging added to his courage, but not to his aiming skills! The rest of the group (except Colgos the Torch-Bearer, who only hated Orcs, but these were not Orcs, so he decided to stay out of the fight) charged the blobby things with assorted weaponry. Of the army of Henchpeople, only Meretta managed to land a proper hit with her mace. The veteran adventurers were not much better, although Naki Green gave a good pummeling to the same devil with his staff.

But the creature’s goopy flesh started reconstituting itself before their very eyes!!

The monsters' counterattacks were slow, but unstoppable, and Meretta and Naki suffered some injuries.

Despite witnessing the uncanny healing ability of the monsters, the Men&Women-at-Arms stood their ground, and piled upon the creature that was already hurt. After all, if they cause enough damage, then maybe it won’t have the time to restore itself? Right? Right?..

Well, the combined assault of the veteran adventurers and the henchmen was enough to reduce one of the devils to a quivering mass of flesh on the ground!

“Look, it’s coming back together,” cried out Waylon, the chivalrious youth – only to be silenced forever by the hit of the second monster…

And indeed, the first monster’s body was slowly reconstituting itself…

Colgos the Torch-Bearer lit a torch, and proceeded to burn the flesh – but the uncanny demonic body didn’t catch fire!

In the meantime, the others tried to dogpile on the active monster: all four veteran adventurers managed to land solid blows, and so did two of their junior companions. This was just enough to put down the second monster as well… For the time… as its chunks of flesh started healing straight away.

Panicking, the adventurers started mangling the bodies and piling debris and rocks on them to slow down the seemingly inevitable process of regeneration...

Then they quickly moved on into the next cavernous room. It was, once again, void of creatures or treasure – however, this time the group was more attentive to the decorations, and discovered that one of the walls had an interesting mural. It depicted, strangely, more cavernous rooms, a few of which resembled the very spaces they’ve just visited.

Aleph touched one of the paintings in disbelief – and instantly disappeared!!

She found herself back in the entrance area, right next to the slowly regenerating monsters. Her companions were greatly surprised when she soon rejoined them, running out from behind their backs…

They decided not to linger (the threat of the monsters coming back to life growing stronger with every second), and moved over to the neighbouring room, the abode of the carnivorous apes. The apes were absent – likely massacred and devoured by the Otyugh.

However, coiled around the apes’ idol, there was now a giant snake, seemingly asleep…

The group didn’t want to fight this creature, but they also knew that under the idol there was a stash of the apes’ treasure…

As slowly and silently as possible, the adventurers approached the monstrosity, and started hooking ropes around it. But as soon as the second rope touched its body, the snake stirred, hissed, and started rapidly uncoiling! Holding on to the already attached ropes, the adventurers tried to pull it back on the ground, but even their combined strengths was not enough to subdue the constrictor.

The tried-and-true tactic of piling on the enemy was employed once more. No battlecry was uttered out of fear of raising the Otyugh again… But there was plenty of pummeling and slashing, and the constrictor suffered plenty of damage.

In such closed confines, however, the group had little chance of avoiding the snake’s body… and not one, but TWO henchmen – Derix and Hemwyn – were trapped by the gigantic coils. Their spines snapped instantly.

Colgos the Torch-Bearer fled instantly, but Narloc, Meretta and Frela continued the fight. Of their numbers, Meretta and Frela proved successful (perhaps driven by righteous rage?), as both hit the snake. The creature was finally finished off by a killing blow, delivered by Naki Green!

The snake hissed one last time and collapsed. The adventurers glanced around in fear --- but nor the Otyugh, nor the goopy devils were in sight.

Finally, they were able to check what was hidden under the idol… And found a small, but rather pleasant heap of treasure: lots of ancient coins, a tiara made of a silverish metal, and an expensive jade necklace. The veteran adventurers appraised the hoard to be worth around 7000 silver pieces!

To be continued?

Losses:

Waylon, killed by Lemure

Derix and Hemwyn, spine snapped by Constrictor Snake

Gains:

7000sp worth of treasure