[Secret Santicorn!!] Equipment List for Miyazaki-style Science Fantasy Games

It's Secret Santicorn Season again over at the OSR discord server. Vilecultofshapes requested a "basic equipment list for a Miyazaki style science fantasy game"... Great prompt! I love Miyazaki and science fantasy, so I put on the Nausicaä soundtrack and set to work.

Read it here or download as PDF over at my itch.io page!

BASIC AND ADVANCED INDUSTRIES

Basic variants of equipment are produced locally, from all kinds of available resources. Such items are cheaper, more common, easier to maintain and replace.

Advanced variants are either products of skilled craftsmen, or looted from the ruins of former, technologically superior civilizations. They are generally more durable. However, once broken, they are much harder to repair.

The listed trade value is for the basic variant. This value doesn’t fluctuate significantly. Advanced items are worth 5-10 times as much, or even more (make a ruling or roll 1d6+4).

Garments, basic

Basic garments are usually layered and loose, patchwork or handspun, with drab colors. This doesn’t mean that basic garments lack personality. There is usually a detail or item that makes the character recognizable.

Garments, advanced

Advanced outfits are often of synthetic materials, with vibrant or unusual, yet impeccably coordinated colors. Most of them provide additional protection against the elements or even against damage.

	Garments, basic (1d20)	Garments, advanced (1d20)
1	Wide-brimmed hat	Techno-paladin full-plate
2	Tie-dyed poncho	Military uniform with golden braids and epaulettes
3	Utility belt	Slick bodysuit
4	Brightly colored scarf	Moonlit glamour
5	Spiked leather armbands	Exoskeleton with servo-arms
6	Thigh-high boots with spurs	Special agent three-piece suit
7	Oversized bandolier	Mirrorshade visor, body armor
8	Horned headgear	Pulsating tubes and glowing lights
9	Dysfunctional tubes and wires	Decadent courtly dress
10	Pauldrons	Adaptive camouflage
11	Trinkets and beads	Haughty noble
12	Patterned leggings	Returning space explorer
13	Leather aviator cap	Deep-sea diving suit
14	Flowing robes	Segmented chitinous nightmare
15	Fancy belt buckle	Luxurious furs
16	Dangerously dangling scarf	Burnished muscle cuirass and greaves
17	Miner’s helmet	Magnificently starched collar, pristinely ironed outfit
18	Animal mask	Glowing and shimmering aura around naked body
19	Knit winter hat with tassel	Well-tailored suit, heavenly perfume scent
20	Fur-trimmed	Holographic disguise layer

COMMON EQUIPMENT

Item	Value	Basic	Advanced
Bedroll	2	Patchwork blanket or sleeping furs	Insulated sleeping bag
Container, small	0.5	Small woven basket or wooden box, ceramic or glass vials, pouches	Same sizes, but of synthetic materials, with adjustable straps, safety or locking mechanisms, alarms, traps
Container, medium	1	Medium woven basket or wooden box, flasks, bottles, jars, backpacks, medium-sized sacks
Container, large	3	Crates, barrels, large storage vessels
Filter-mask	2	Hand-made from textile, provides protection against smoke and some toxins	Includes microscopic and chemical filtering
Food, 1 day	0.5	Roots, tubers, berries, eggs, bugs, worms, honey, milk, small game (birds, lizards, burrowers) *double value if preserved (dried, salted)	Synthetic foods from the uncanny valley (“chicken”) or completely unlike anything you’ve ever tasted… *double value if preserved (canned, permafrozen…)
Garments	1-3	*see above	*see above
Goggles	3	Murky glass or plastic lenses, low protection against flashes or glare	Protective lenses, possibly with advanced features (nightvision, zoom)
Light source, 1 hour	0.5	Wax or tallow candle, pitch torch, oil lantern, fireflies in a jar	Torch
Medicine	10-50	Herbs, teas, poultices, simple bandaging	Pills, syringes, advanced bandaging materials, anesthetics, antidotes,
Musical instrument	5-10	Flute, horn, whistle, bell, percussion, non-fretted string instruments; made out of wood, bones, animal parts, sometimes bits of metal	Most “advanced musical instruments” are actually tech. devices of unknown purpose that give off nice beeps and boops when handled; but see also thermenvoxes, touchpad-controlled oscillators…
Rope, 100’	1	Natural fibers	Nylon, fleximetal
Tools, agricultural	10-30	Plough, hayfork, hedge cutters	Motorized equipment, but also artificial fertilizers, pesticides
Tools, crafting	20-50	Hammer, chisel, hand drill, etc., also the pottery wheel and the like	Fine cutting and drilling tools, soldering equipment
Tools, mining	30-50	…or digging… shovels, picks, pickaxes…	Tunneling shield, sounding equipment, seismic devices
Tools, surgical	100	Blades, forceps	Nano-blade, medical lasers

  

WEAPONRY

Item	Value	Basic	Advanced
Bargaining and diplomacy	N/A	Gift offerings, looking for common ground, asking questions, listening
Deescalating the conflict	N/A	Calm voice, true innocence, sincerity *see also Bargaining and diplomacy
Running away	N/A	Good timing, fleetness of foot, instinct of self-preservation
Weapon, stun	3-10	Blackjack, club, holding traps, poison needles, stunning arrows	Shock batons, nerve toxins, sleeping gas, sonic wave
Weapon, lethal	5-50	Pointy sticks, blades, bullets, fire	High-precision rifles, lasers, explosives
Weapon, mass destruction	1000-10000	Conscription, mercenaries, siege engines	Nuclear warheads, chemical weapons, war machines

 

MOUNTS & GROUND VEHICLES

Item	Value	Basic	Advanced
Beast, riding	100	Flightless bird, bipedal lizard, giant cockroach or stag beetle *double value if combat-trained	N/A, or possibly a genetically engineered or robotic equivalent
Beast, of burden	50	Large lizard, woolly beast-thing with two or more pairs of legs, giant centipede
Beast, flying	500	Flying lizard, giant dragonfly
Cart	75-200	Two- or four-wheeler, dune buggy, covered wagon; animal-drawn	Broken-down advanced vehicles are often repurposed as animal-drawn carts
Ground vehicle, small	1000	N/A	On wheels, tracks, antigrav pads… Fits up to 4 people.
Ground vehicle, medium	3000	N/A	Fits up to 10 people.
Ground vehicle, large	5000	N/A	Fits up to 30 people.

 

WATERBOURNE VEHICLES

Item	Value	Basic	Advanced
Boat	300	Wooden rowing or sailing boat, fits 4-12 people	Engine-propelled, with a metal or metalloplastic shell
Raft	50	Something simple, carries 4-8 people	N/A
Ship, small	1500	Wooden rowing or sailing ship, fits up to 20 people	Engine-propelled, with a metal or metalloplastic shell. Might include submersibles or hovercrafts. Capacity same as the Basic variants
Ship, medium	4000	Fits up to 50 people
Ship, large	8500	Fits up to 100 people

FLIERS

Item	Value	Basic	Advanced
Flier, one-person	1000	Only if created by a mad inventor, possibly hand-driven or drawn by flying beasts…	Motorized glider, antigrav skiff
Glider	150	Tarp or skin suspended on a light frame. Used by one person, maximum two	Same, but of advanced & durable materials
Hot air balloon	750	Woven basket suspended under a textile balloon, roping and nets everywhere, dangerous open fire to heat the air, ballast to control ascent…	Same, but of advanced & durable materials; with finer control of flight direction, ascent and descent
Aircraft, small	5000	N/A	Engine- or jet-propelled small aircraft (scouts, hunters) or blimps. Fits up to 6 people
Aircraft, medium	10000	N/A	Same, fits up to 20 people.
Aircraft, large	20000	N/A	Giants in the air… Zeppelins and “The Flying Fortress”… Fit up to 100 people.

 

SAMPLE SPECIAL ITEMS

Cleanwater Lichen

Beat-up tin box, once colorfully painted, now only the rigging of a sailing ship visible. Inside, there are six small balls of dry lichen. This special lichen absorbs all toxins and appeases miniscule water spirits. Each ball can purify a gallon of water.

Memory Disk

Palm-sized stone disk with labyrinthine engravings. Can eternally store and holographically project any kind of message, up to a minute in length.

Multiprism

A pristinely cut rock crystal prism, capable of transforming light rays in many ways: breaking down monochromatic light into its spectral colors, or changing the color of a ray into a different one. Useful when interacting with arcane technology.

True Compass

The thin, trembling needle always points towards the owner’s home.

Universal Translator

This silver helmet taps into the wearer’s brainwaves and translates all languages to pure thought. It is rumored that more advanced versions can help understand animals, plants, and even stones.

Making a dungeon in 5 minutes?! (Enter the House of Metal...)

I saw a title today - "5-Minute Dungeon (and some D&D reflections)", it's an interesting post about a boardgame with that title, go and read it!

But of course my mind went in a different direction before actually reading the post. "So, is this a dungeon you can play in 5 minutes? Or a dungeon made in 5 minutes? Can you prep a dungeon in 5 minutes?"

So I tried to make a dungeon in 5 minutes. As you might imagine, it didn't work out too well, but it wasn't a complete disaster either.

As my timer, I picked a track that's exactly 5 minutes long: "House of Metal" by Chelsea Wolfe, turned it up, took its title as the dungeon's name, and sketched a castle and wrote down everything that came to my head.

Transcription:

HOUSE OF METAL
Gigantic blue metal castle
Wandering monsters:
1. Blue metal golems
2. Sneaky goblins
3. Lost scientist, disoriented
1. Hall with iron guard dogs
2. Lever opens door to #3
3. Giant magnet attracts all metal except blue special metal
4.
5. 1000 sp
6. 
7. 
8. Courtyard
9.
10. Tower of floating coins.

You be the judge... 

I think on a better day, when I'm not so overworked, I could do something better and more focused. But it was a fun little challenge nonetheless. Thanks, Chelsea!

Subterranean Gate: the scariest thing in Heroes III and something I'd like to see more of in hexcrawls

Heroes III is a wonderful game. I played it a LOT as a kid. One image that stuck with me is the Subterranean Gate... BEHOLD!

Passing through them takes a hero from the main surface map to an underground layer. The underground layer is the "home" to evil towns. And they have many connections to the aboveground layer, so they can provide shortcuts, alternative/surprise routes, or even the only way to reach an isolated region.

And these skull gates are so creepy! Their visual design is spot-on. I always remember feeling trepidation when directing a hero into them. You never knew what monstrosity guarded it on the other side...

I recalled them today because a user over at the OSR discord, Oaksmoker_Doomlord, posted his new hexmap, with "lots of cave paths linking secluded areas". He likened it to Zelda's Death Mountain. And of course, there is the archetypical subterranean shortcut during a wilderness adventure: Moria!

Adding a second layer to your hexmap, Heroes III style, can open up a bunch of possibilities. Of course, segments of these underground tunnels and cave systems can be played out as dungeon: like the entrance area, or a central lair. Longer stretches can be abstracted, procedural, wilderness-travel-like, with random encounters. And, like in Heroes III, they can provide alternate routes, tactical advantage, and more interconnections.

So, traipse the land, sail the seas, float down the rivers, fly above, or crawl beneath!

Simple Folk Magic system

A simple magic system for "cunning folk" type casters. I've used it as a feature of bucolic Halflings and in pseudo-historical settings.

These little spells (rhyming verbal incantations) either replicate a low-level Cleric or Magic-User spell or achieve a small desired effect (Referee’s discretion).

Cleric spells: Bless, Command, Cure Light Wounds, Protection from Evil, Purify Food & Drink, Remove Fear, Sanctuary, Delay Poison, Heroism, Resist Cold
Magic-User spells: Faerie Fire, Feather Fall, Light, Mending, Unseen Servant

The maximum number of attempts (successful or failed) each day is equal to the character’s level (or one, in the case of unlevelled NPCs). The chance of success increases as the character progresses in level:

Level Chance of success
0*            1-in-6
1-2           2-in-6
3-4           3-in-6
5-6           4-in-6
7-8           5-in-6
9+    automatic success

Spells can be cast as a group effort. Each member of the group must be of the cunning folk. Add up the levels of all participants (treat level-0 as a "half" for this purpose), and use the total to define the chance of success.

An attempt can also be expanded to gain “advantage” on an attack roll or a saving throw (roll 2d20 and take the higher result). This works automatically, but has to be declared before the roll is made.

Quick Equipment Packs

There are many like this, but this one is mine...

Basic equipment, write it all down:

Backpack, Belt Pouch, Sack, Blanket, Rope, Dagger, 3x Rations, 3x Torches or Lantern with Flask of Oil, Flint & Tinder

 

Outfit and extra funds, pick one option:

Fancy Clothes and 100 coins

Leather Armor and 60 coins

Chain Armor and 20 coins

 

Armaments, pick either a Melee Weapon & Shield, or a Melee Weapon & Ranged Weapon:

Melee Weapons	Ranged Weapons
Spear	3x Throwing Weapons
Sword	Sling, with 20 Bullets
Battle Axe, Hammer or Mace	Bow, Quiver with 20 Arrows
Staff	Crossbow, Quiver with 20 Bolts
Polearm	Flintlock Pistol, with 12 Loads
Great Weapon	Musket, with 12 Loads

 

Extra equipment pack, pick one option:

Explorer	Trickster	Scholar
Grappling hook	Specialist Tools	3x Glass Vials
Crowbar	Hand Mirror	Scroll case
5x Iron Spikes	Glue	Paper, quill, ink
Flask of Oil	Caltrops	Magnifying Glass  or Spiritual Symbol

 

The Tower of Zenopus map - redrawn by me

There are many iterations of the classic Tower of Zenopus/Holmes sample dungeon map! But this is mine!

I did a Referee map and a Player map (with labels and secret doors hidden). Grid size is 70x70 pixels, so this is compatible with Roll20.

MAPS!

I think there is merit in re-drawing dungeons: by doing it, you gain a better understanding of the map, and it's also a sort of meditative homage?...

You can read more about the history of this dungeon over at Zenopus Archives and the Zenopus blog.

Simple Rumor Mill

Rumors/clues/hooks are a super important part of RPGs, especially sandbox campaigns. Here's a very simple spark table, inspired by Traveller. Roll d6 & d10, look up the result, if you need extra inspiration just roll twice and combine.

	1-2 Location	3-4 Danger	5-6 Tabloid	7-8 Politics	9-10 Lore
1	Treasure	Urban crime	Love child	Faction conflict	History
2		Highwaymen	Adultery	Secret society	Monster
3	Resources	Wild animals	Inheritance	Impending war	Place
4	Person	Monsters	Rivalry	Corruption	Magic
5		Nat. disaster	Marriage	Diplomacy	Technology
6	Mythical place	DOOM!	Dark secret	Spies	Religion

A couple of quick examples:

1. Location (Treasure) & Danger (Monsters) = either a place guarded by monsters, or, to give it a spin: the location of a VALUABLE MONSTER - to develop this further, let's say a local noble is looking for a unicorn for their park, and the rumor is about the last sighting of a unicorn.
2. Danger (Monsters) & Politics (Diplomacy) = Messenger from neighboring kingdom captured by monsters - peace treaty endangered / messenger from neighboring kingdom is actually a doppelganger!
3. Tabloid (Rivalry) & Lore (Magic) = there is a schism in the Wizard Council, caused by the variant readings of an ancient prophecy - and to add that "tabloid" element, maybe the prophecy is about a "chosen one", and the various wizards now want to influence this person.
4. Lore (History) & Tabloid (Love child) = a classic! Genealogical research reveals heir actually being from a different branch of renowned family or something similar.
5. Location (Mythical place) & Danger (Urban crime) = crime lord found an entrance into the Dreamlands.
6. Location (Resources) & Tabloid (Inheritance) = copper mine inherited by young noble is mismanaged by cunning assistant.

Edit: I was also inspired by the rumor tables over at alea iactanda est, and the rumor mill in Luke Kennedy's Basic Fantasy RPG Hexcrawl Supplement.

Edit 2: I was also reminded of Delta's rumor system.

Wilderness Encounter Details/Activities

In my games, I use these tables to spice up wilderness encounters. They are pretty generic, usable in various settings. Just to add a basic activity, goal, or complication to random encounters.

Non-sentient	Sentient	Activity
1-2	1-2	Dead or Dying
3-4	3	Trapped
5-15	4-7	Hunting, foraging, feeding or moving through
16-18	8-10	Fighting another creature [roll additional encounter]
19-20	11-12	Investigating
-	13-15	Travelling, on the move
-	16-17	Travelling, resting/camping
-	18-19	Producing
-	20	Congregating

  More details:

Non-sentient	Sentient	Activity
1-2	1-2	Dead or Dying, because of... ...Old age, hunger, exposure ...Disease (non-contagious, contagious!) ...Accident (rockslide, falling, lightning strike, ...Other creature [roll another encounter] (which is still present, just leaving, laying in ambush, long gone)
3-4	3	Trapped Natural trap (sinkhole, quicksand, tar pit, landslide, plant) Hunter’s snare (beartrap, mantrap, pit, spiked pit, net, spell/magic)
5-15	4-7	Hunting, foraging, feeding or moving through
16-18	8-10	Fighting another creature [roll for additional encounter]
19-20	11-12	Investigating (natural feature (cave, grove, spring), ruins, building/complex, crash site, abandoned settlement, tracks, weird phenomenon)
-	13-15	Travelling, on the move (caravan, patrol, war party, scouts, spies, diplomats, messengers, adventurers, explorers, prospectors, exiles, prisoner transport)
-	16-17	Travelling, resting/camping
-	18-19	Producing (farming, herding, excavating (mining), cutting, constructing)
-	20	Congregating (teaching, worshipping, holding council, ritual, funeral, feast, court)