November 26, 2014

Mutants!!!


In my game "Mutant" isn't really a character class, it's more of a medical condition.  It's also quite a social stigma.  Most of the common folk believe that mutants can turn normal people into mutants.  While this isn't exactly accurate, there are mutant dwarves and elves who will go on kamikaze missions sneaking into populated areas and try to spread mutations to as many people as they can.  Because of these repeated incidents it is hard for even the magi to convince people that most mutants are simply victims who do not pose a threat to their neighbors and loved ones.  In many villages and outposts, mutants are killed or exiled.  Many of these outcasts end up joining and aiding violent humanoids simply to survive.  In most cities the magi counsel the citizens to take a "live and let live" approach so that these poor unfortunates are not driven into the arms of the enemy.  In the cities the mutants are allowed to live like ratlings in the sewers below, but risk threats and thrown rocks if they venture up onto the streets.

You see, it all started back when the Anunnaki aliens took over the planet and they had a really hard time wiping out all the native elves and dwarves who hid deep underground.  The dwarves would lay traps and collapse tunnels, and it was just a super pain in the ass to hunt them all down by conventional means.  Instead, the Anunnaki got into the habit of releasing horrible things into the tunnels (failed/uncontrollable genetic experiments, combat droids, mutagenic liquids) and then just sealed up the entrances to let nature take it's course.

Well, it didn't work.  For years now, small groups of elves and dwarves have been coming up to raid the surface for food.  They are far more primitive now having lost most of their culture and knowledge, but they are highly motivated and dangerous.  They may have lost the ability to create new magical weapons, but they can still improvise.  Some of them have begun to weaponize the liquid mutagens that were used against them so long ago.  Hollow clay balls that shatter on impact are filled with the stuff, sneaking into a town and dumping some into a well, or just squirting a flask full of the stuff into someone's face, whatever works.  These elves are pissed and looking for vengeance.

Touching a single drop of the mutagenic liquid is enough to start the mutation process.  Covering the body or ingesting the stuff will only speed the process, but does not seem to guarantee an increased number of mutations.  Once the mutations have manifest, the mutant is from then on immune to the Mutajuice.  The mutagenic liquids have a hundred different slang names but no agreed upon standard; "Mutiemilk", "Metamorphluid", "Morphamuteooze", "Sadsap", "Orcnectar", "Essence of Awful", "The Special Sauce", and the always offensive "Wizjizz".  I'll just stick to calling it "Mutajuice" for now.


Game Mechanics
If your character has a Charisma of 8 or less, then you can start play as a mutant in addition to whatever other class you choose.  Maybe you were a mutant child born to mutant parents, or maybe you only mutated very recently; player's choice.  Roll d6 for your number of mutations, minimum of 2.  Roll each of those on the d100 chart below.  Don't roll a 01.

If your non-mutant character comes into contact with Mutajuice during the course of the game, then they will begin to mutate.  Roll d6 for your number of mutations, minimum of 1.  Touching a single drop means that your character will manifest a new mutation each week.  Roll 1d100 (but don't peek at the chart), then the DM will describe how your character is changing throughout the week.  Don't roll a 01.  At the end of the week, the DM reveals the full extent of the mutation, and then the process repeats until all of your characters mutations have manifest themselves.  Getting splashed with Mutajuice will speed the process to one mutation per day, drinking a mouthful will speed it to hours, and bathing in the stuff will reveal all of the mutations instantly.  Once the first mutation is revealed, reroll your character's Charisma score with 3d6.  If the result is higher than 8, then the new Charisma score is 8.


d100 Mutation Chart
Results on the chart below may require some interpretation and elaboration.  Feel free to add any aesthetic mutations that seem appropriate, like strangely colored skin or hair, or if your character has some mental mutations maybe the skull will change shape.  I'd allow any aesthetic mutations as freebies so long as it is stuff that won't alter game mechanics or give your character extra abilities, but ask your DM first to be sure.

I've been compiling this chart for a while.  I probably saw some of these on different blogs and wrote them down.  Some of these are straight out of the Metamorphica.  Some of them I even came up with all on my own.  I am planning to revise this chart some more, but who knows when I'll ever get around to doing that; so I thought I should go ahead and share it now.  I think that the results with the "*" were mutations that I had planned to remove or combine in order to make room for more interesting results.  There are only a few "appearance only" mutations as I feel like those are more fun to just let the players dictate.  There are more beneficial mutations on this chart than detrimental ones, I tried to balance that by making one of the results fatal.  Enjoy.



1. Morte-morphosis: Your whole body changes, twisting into and out of itself at once.  The process resembles a blossoming flower made of meat. You do not survive, but the witnesses will never forget you.
2. Albino (-2 to-hit rolls while in bright sunlight)
3. Locomotion: d6 (1 legs d4 - 2 roll - 3 slither - 4 tentacles d20 - 5 as spider - 6 levitate, slow movement)
4. Antennae: d4 (1 hear noise - 2 detect smell - 3 pheromone interpretation - 4 detect poison)
5. Natural Armor: d4 (1 full body callus - 2 scales - 3 bone/shell - 4 carapace)
6. Atrophied-Malformed-Defective: d6 (1 plumbing - 2 arm - 3 leg - 4 head/face - 5 extra limb - 6 wings)
7. Bite Attack: d6 (1 beak - 2 sharp teeth - 3 extendible inner maw - 4 tentacle ringed leech mouth - 5 sharp proboscis - 6 reroll+venom) attacks for 1d6D
8. Claw Hand(s): d4 (1 snappy crab - 2 retractable - 3 talon - 4 horrible hook) can attack for 1d6D
9. Eyes are: d6 (1 removable - 2 on regenerative stalks - 3 infra - 4 ultra - 5 see invis - 6 poor)
10. Covered in: d6 (1 eyes - 2 mouths/orifices - 3 retractable quills/barbs - 4 spines/thorns - 5 fur/feathers - 6 tongues)
11. Crown: d8 (1 horns - 2 antlers - 3 crest/fin - 4 eyestalks - 5 ears - 6 hand - 7 foot - 8 bone dome)
12. Crit Resistant: d4 (1 headless - 2 fused ribs - 3 regenerates limbs - 4 bloodless)
13. Weak Spot: roll hit location for spot; whenever stuck there roll save vs. stun, if failed stun next action+roll save vs. paralysis, if failed paralyse 1 turn+roll save vs. death, if failed then die.
14. Internal Weaponry: d6 (1 blade - 2 spear - 3 ranged - 4 explosive - 5 whip - 6 reroll+venom) does d6D
15. Misplaced Part: d8 (1 hand - 2 foot - 3 arm - 4 leg - 5 eyes - 6 head - 7 mouth - 8 ears)
16. Mane: d6 (1 feathers - 2 tentacles - 3 hair - 4 barbs/quills - 5 bone/spines - 6 colorful membrane)
17. Extra and Useable: d6 (1 head - 2 arm - 3 two arms - 4 digits/genitalia - 5 tentacle - 6 two tentacles)   
18. Flight: d4 (1 bird wings - 2 bat wings - 3 insect wings - 4 skin flaps)
19. Number of Eyes: d6 (1 one - 2 two compound eyes - 3 three - 4 six - 5 eight - 6 too many)
*20. Overgrown: d6 (1 arm and hand - 2 torso - 3 legs - 4 ears - 5 eyes - 6 nose)
21. Adaptations: d6 (1 marsupial pouch/hidden compartment - 2 trunk like an elephant - 3 hump like a camel - 4 kangaroo/frog/cat legs, good for jumping - 5 frog tongue, 12' long sticky and can wrap around objects dragging them to mouth - 6 bioluminescent lure)
22. Parasitic Twin: Also a mutant (1 mental mutation), roll hit location for placement, you’ll have to wake him and ask nicely if you want him to use his power.
23. Tail: d6 (1 mace tail - 2 prehensile - 3 tentacle - 4 scorpion - 5 reptilian - 6 kangaroo)
24. Tentacle(s): instead of d6 (1 hair - 2 arm(s) - 3 fingers+toes - 4 leg(s) - 5 eyes - 6 tongue)
25. Translucent Third Eyelid: protects the eyes from glare and gaze attacks
26. Epilepsy: 5% cumulitive chance rolled by DM at start of session, percentage increases each session until an episode occurs and resets the percentage to 5%, DM picks the timing of the event based on a d4 roll [town/social - travel - dungeon - combat], PC collapses and has convulsive seizures for d6 rounds, d4-1D unless assisted
27. Edible Excretions: It's poo, but not as we know it.
28. Dietary Needs: d6 (1 Iron Stomach, immune to puking and prefers spoiled and contaminated food - 2 carnivore - 3 herbivore - 4 insectivore - 5 mineral/metal - 6 External Digestion, vomit at will 5’ range, attack roll does d4D acid and victim must save vs. stun or lose next action, you can suck up the nutrients later)
29. Anaerobic: does not need to breathe
30. Aquatic: d6 (1 webbed fingers - 2 flippers - 3 fins - 4 blowhole - 5 gills - 6 any or all; +1 swimming each)
31. Bioluminescent: choice of color, 60' radius at will.  The mutant needs alcoholic drinks to fuel this ability.
32. Gas Bag: 1 round to fill air/helium bladder, buoyancy, damage from falling is now capped at 2d6D
33. Chameleon Skin: Hide (7 in 8) while naked and motionless
34. Hermaphromorph: Can change sex at will. Takes d6 rounds or 1 round+1hp damage.
35. Cocoon: One month pupation time. Upon metamorphosis full regen and max possible hp for level, lose all mutations, roll 5 new mutations and choose a sixth, if Cocoon is rolled again = empty mutation slot
*36. Ack! I skipped #36! Umm... hmmm. Super Smelly. Random encounter chance increased +1
37. Crackling Joints: Moving quietly is impossible, may increase chance of random encounters
38. Flexible Bones: Given enough time, you can squeeze through bars and small spaces
39. Bioelectrogenesis: Shocking touch at will, 1d6 damage and save vs. stun
40. Excretion: 3/day d8 (1 acid - 2 hallucinogen - 3 paralytic - 4 venom - 5 salve - 6 stink - 7 ink - 8 web/silk)
41. Skin Coating: d6 (1 poison - 2 lubricant - 3 adhesive - 4 infectious slime - 5 flammable slime - 6 balm)
42. Explosive Death: 6d6D subtract 1d6 per 10’ - removed limbs explode for 1d6D each
43. Total Healing: 1 week’s worth of food eaten all at once and then 2 days of hibernation - removes all poison, radiation, disease, and injury including lost limbs/organs
44. Mutant has long motile hair, it can stretch up to 20’ and be used as a whip, rope or grapple.  If the mutant is hairless then it’s a 20’ long whip-like tentacle attached to the top of the head.
45. Fruit: d6 (1 tasty - 2 poison - 3 antidote - 4 explosive d6D - 5 addictive drug - 6 caffeine) 1/day, d12 max
46. Burrower: The mutant can dig quickly moving itself at nearly walking speed, stable tunnels that others can follow through are slower to dig.  The mutant might prefer sleeping in burrow.
47. Sensory Disability: d6 (1 blind - 2 deaf - 3 anosmia - 4 ageusia - 5 analgesia - 6 chronic pain)
48. Heightened Senses: d4 (1 hearing/sonar - 2 smell and taste - 3 Tremor Sense - 4 Danger Sense)
*49. Immune to Poison and Disease
*50. Big Heart and Lungs: +1hp/level, super stamina, can hold breath for 10 minutes
51. Super Metabolism: double food consumption and healing, +2 Dex and +2 to save vs. poison and death
52. Best Buds: You bud little 2hp sterile slave drones who are good at d8 (1 not much - 2 childcare - 3 defense - 4 food production - 5 habitat construction - 6 foraging and scouting - 7 art/culture production - 8 any one skill) One drone per week.
53. Susceptibility: -4 to saves vs. d6 (1 poisons - 2 wands - 3 paralysis - 4 dragon breath - 5 spells - 6 Durability: roll again but rather than a penalty you now add +4 bonus to the save instead)
54. Limbs: d6 (1 Strong, +2 STR and can sprint faster than other PCs - 2 Spindly, Stealth +4 or Move Silently +66% - 3 Adhesive, walk on walls & ceiling - 4 Suckers, cannot be disarmed or easily dislodged - 5 Prehensile feet = hands - 6 Stretchy Limbs, all limbs and neck can stretch up to 10’ long)
55. Vulnerability: double damage from d6 (1 fire - 2 cold/dark - 3 blunt - 4 acid/poison - 5 magic/energy - 6 Resistance: roll again but take only half damage from that source, no rounding just track the .5s)
56. Prey Scent: -2 to reaction rolls of predator animals/humanoids
57. Protected Sense: d6 Immunity to attacks that affect (1 Balance/direction/vertigo - 2 vision - 3 hearing - 4 pain - 5 taste/smell/nausea - 6 roll twice)
58. Reflective Skin: Laser proof and heat damage halved
59. Shapechanger: trigger d6 (1 limited choice/one hour per day - 2 annual/season - 3 monthly/lunar - 4 diurnal/day&night - 5 stress trigger - 6 unlimited/at will) form d6 (1 Gaseous Form - 2 single animal form d6 [mammal - avian - reptile - aquatic - invertebrate - flock/swarm] and a half transformed beastman form with claw/claw/bite of d6/d6/d8 - 3 unmutated self - 4 illusionary forms - 5 roll up a new character and choose one to be the dominant form - 6 Labyrinth Lord monster, roll d129) transition time is d6 rounds or 1 round+1hp damage
60. Blast: d6 (1 sonic, 50’ cone, only works on ears, save vs. stun next action+automatic deafness for 2d6 rounds - 2 psionic, only explodes brains, 3d6D at end of next round - 3 fire, d6D 3 targets within 10’+burn - 4 freeze, d8D 60’ single target - 5 electric discharge, 10’ radius d6D+save vs. stun - 6 photoflash, 60’ save vs. stun or be blinded for 2d3 rounds and d12D if vampire)
61.  Animal Friendship: Normal animals are calm and friendly, will only attack you in self defense.
62. Speaks with Beasts: You can understand and speak one of the beast-tongues d12 (1 avian - 2 reptilian - 3 amphibian - 4 mammalian - 5 insectian - 6 vermian - 7 fishican - 8 molluskian - 9 surfsong - 10 penguinian - 11 barnyard slang - 12 kennel cant)  Animals are not guaranteed to be helpful or civil.
63. Visions of the Future: They come to you sometimes when you sleep, or you can try hours of meditation or drugs to coax forth a vision.  Sometimes those who are sleeping or meditating near you will also see parts of your vision.  What is shown is not an inescapable fate, but is the most likely future to unfold.  However, the circumstances can be altered if you choose to intervene.  In addition, you have d6 (1 total blindness - 2 deja vu, one reroll per session - 3 uncontrollable third eye in your forehead, you only have a vision when it opens - 4 an orifice with licky parts on the top of your head, your visions often relate to the people or objects it tastes - 5 a ward/follower who utterly believes that you are some sort of godling.  They have sworn to protect and serve you.  Any of your denials or protests are disregarded as if you are testing their faith and devotion, which is unshakable - 6 reroll and pick one, if you get this result again then pick both)
64. Sleeps Strangely: d6 (1 Sleep Paralysis, automatic upon waking cannot move or speak for d6 rounds - 2 Lucid Dreamer, fully aware and conscious while dreaming and can even control the dreams.  Adept at recognizing what is real and what is unreal, and you are rarely fooled by illusions, delusions, or hallucinations.  Lucid dreamers have double the chance to detect these false realities. - 3 Meditates at night, eyes shut and resting, but still aware of sounds - 4 Sleepless, always alert and well rested, may have a night hobby, ages at twice normal speed  - 5 Dreamless, no subconscious, immune to mind reading and most psionic effects - 6 Levitates while sleeping, usually about a foot off the ground, unless anchored you will go drifting if given a nudge or pushed by the wind)
65. Emotionless: Charisma -2, minimum of 3.  The mutant cannot experience the highs and lows of true emotion, and has trouble recognizing emotions in others.  Immune to any effects involving charm, fear, depression, rage, or joy.  The mutant can still experience moods like annoyance, contentment, enmity, and friendship, but these are more of an intellectual choice rather than a spontaneous emotion.
66. Visions of Vecna: Mutant has solid yellow eyes whose pupils are thin vertical slits. The mutant sees nightly dreams and waking visions of a silent desiccated corpse missing it’s left eye and right hand who seems to encourage the mutant to remove a limb or organ and replace it with a magical prosthetic item.  The corpse man then seems to be leading the mutant somewhere, pointing out clues and landmarks.  The prosthetic item is often the same each night but does change occasionally, usually while the mutant is traveling between cities.  Roll d100 to see which prosthetic item the desiccated one is currently endorsing. - http://cauldronsandclerics.blogspot.com/2013/04/100-magical-prosthetic-items.html  
67. Extra Sense: d6 (1 Sense Magic - 2 Weather Sense - 3 ESP, surface thoughts only, target gets a save vs. spell and can feel the probing - 4 lie/emotion detection - 5 Sense Energy, detects stuff like electrical currents, radiation, and psychic interference - 6 Sense Curses & Seals, cursed items or people, seals holding back an ancient evil, that sort of thing.
68. Animal Control: Normal animals only can be mentally summoned and commanded. While controlling the animal(s) the mutant must concentrate and can do little other than walk or ride. Once the connection is broken those animals become resistant to your control. Only affects d6 (1 Any one animal within sight - 2 Any one species, your choice, range up to 2 miles - 3 Aquatic animals within 3 miles - 4 Choose one [mammals - reptiles - invertebrates - mutant/fantastical non-magical vertebrates], limit of four creatures with more than 1HD at one time, range of 130 feet - 5 Any normal birds within 5 miles, you can see through their eyes and send them out past the 5 mile range for about an hour, you choose the number of birds to control but 1% chance per bird that DM takes control as your character goes a bit bird-brained for a while - 6 Beast Mastery: Any one animal who meets your gaze and fails a save vs. spell, permanent mental connection and obedience, you can see through it’s eyes at will, you can gain a new animal companion each level but those that die cannot be replaced)
69. Charm Person: induced by d4 (1 eye contact - 2 touch - 3 conversation - 4 smell) and the duration is d4 (1 one turn - 2 one hour - 3 one day - 4 as spell, but only works once per day)
70. Sensory Short-Circuit: A psionic attack that overloads a creature’s ability to process certain sensory information resulting in temporary d6 (1 kaleidoscope vision - 2 deafening white noise - 3 vertigo - 4 full body paresthesia “pins and needles” - 5 nausea from overpowering stench and taste - 6 overwhelming telepathy, uncontrollable and the volume is turned up to 11, concentration is impossible while in the presence of others and all die rolls have a 15% penalty, thats -3 on a d20, -2 on a d12, or -1 on a smaller die) and lasts for 2 turns
71. Memory Transfer Fruit: The mutant encodes memories into a physical substance it produces.  Others who ingest/consume the substance will experience the memory from the mutant’s perspective including any feelings associated with the event.  These memories are copies, the mutant retains the original and can share the same memory repeatedly.
72. Induce Mental Malady: A psionic attack that causes d6 (1 Hallucinations - 2 Amnesia - 3 Crippling Migraine - 4 Fear - 5 Aphasia, victim can no longer communicate effectively, all speech and writing is incomprehensible word salad -  6 Homicidal Insanity, attacks nearby target) and lasts for 2 turns
*73. Farsense: Transitioning between normal senses and farsense causes disorientation and blindness for 1 round.  d6 (1 Clairvoyance, one hour per day, 100’ range - 2 Clairaudience, one hour total per day, 100’ range, no transition time needed - 3 Clairvoyeurence, at will, you can mystically alter your point of view to any point within 10’ of your body. The direction of the vision is always away from your body, so you will never be able to see yourself with this ability.  A bit hazy and no depth perception so -2 to your attack rolls, but immunity to gaze attacks while in use.  Can be used to look around corners and beyond most doors and walls.  Light source not provided. - 4 Clairnarcissence, this works the same as Clairvoyeurence except that the direction of vision is always toward your body.  Some part of your body must always be visible, so your point of view cannot be used to look beyond doors or walls.  Peeking around corners is still possible, so long as you are close enough to the corner to remain within line of sight. - 5 Clairbouyence, zero gravity at will, self only - 6 Clairveyance, if you hold someone’s head while they think about a journey they have taken, you will see a condensed version of what they witnessed along the way; the route they took, any landmarks, notable obstacles, and have a good chance of retracing their path unless they were wandering lost, or unobservant and simply following someone else the whole time. Longer and older journeys are more difficult to retrace than shorter and newer ones)
*74. The Voice: like the spell “Command”
75. Cryokinesis: Mutant can control it’s own body temperature and the temperature of the air in a 10’ radius.  This cannot be used to produce uncomfortable temperatures, but rather makes cold and hot environments more tolerable to the mutant and those nearby.  It is too gradual of an effect to reduce damage from a blast of fire or ice, unless it was already in place in an extreme environment.  For example, in a sub-zero arctic environment it would reduce damage from ice spells by 1 per die of damage.  Also, the mutant can use this ability to match it’s body heat to it’s surroundings thus rendering the mutant invisible to infravision, but doing this for prolonged periods can cause hypothermia or heat stroke.
76. Telekinesis: roll 3d6 for telekinetic strength.  Range is equal to telekinetic strength x10’.  The mutant  must concentrate (movement halved, no other actions) to pick up and manipulate objects which can then fly around.  Objects can be used as weapons, but attack roll -2.
77. Psychic Brain Surgery: The mutant can help others by temporarily relieving the symptoms of mental disorders, psychoactive chemicals, and even massive physical brain damage.  Each patient and condition will present a unique challenge for the mutant to solve.  These conditions can eventually be fully healed after d6 weeks of daily treatments.  The mutant can also reestablish feeling and motor control in paralysed limbs, this takes d6 days of daily treatments per limb.  The initial treatment takes d12 turns, thereafter each successive treatment for that patient’s ailment will be halved until eventually each treatment takes only one turn to complete.  Each treatment will relieve symptoms for d6 (1 one turn - 2 one hour - 3 hours d6 - 4 hours d12 - 5 one day - 6 one week, treatments can be weekly rather than daily)
78. Become Two-Dimensional: The mutant can switch between two and three dimensional at will.  Switching takes one round.  While two-dimensional the mutant must be affixed to a surface (usually a wall or floor) and gravity still applies.  Combat while two-dimensional is tricky.  The mutant can only make melee and ranged attacks against those opponents touching the same surface.  All of the mutant’s attack damage is halved, but damage against the mutant is doubled; except bludgeoning attacks which do no damage either way.
79. Burning Body: 2-in-6 chance that the mutant can turn the flames on and off at will, otherwise they are always burning while exposed to air.  The flames cover the mutant’s d6 (1 one hand - 2 both hands - 3 both feet - 4 insides - 5 head only - 6 whole body, and you can shoot flames out 3 times per day for 3d6 damage)
80. Heal Other: By concentrating and touching the wound(s) the mutant heals them by d6 (1 1 hp per round, 2 #hp equal to the mutant’s level twice per day, 3 giving the recently/currently living target regeneration of 5hp per round until fully healed/raised once per session, 4 d30 hp once per day, 5 transferring the wounds to another creature that the mutant touches at the same time, 6 d6hp at will, but once a 6 is rolled the power is used up for the day)
81. Eye Spy: At least one of the mutant’s eyes has a strange appearance.  Gaze into the eyes of another creature to see a few moments of whatever those eyes saw before looking at the mutant; or if the creature is dead, see the last few moments before they died.
82. Force Field: Requires full concentration, mutant can move half speed while concentrating.  10 foot radius sphere of force which can slowly move within a 200 foot range of the mutant.  The force field cannot cut through objects, but can push objects aside as it moves as if Str 3.  Force field blocks most matter and energy, but it can be overwhelmed if it absorbs damage equal to the mutant’s max hp in a single round.  Force field can last for a number of rounds equal to the mutant’s level, then the mutant makes a CON check each round to maintain the field.  A new force field can be made after d6 rounds.
83. Immunity:  d6 (1 Aging, 2 Cold, 3 Heat/Fire, 4 Electricity/Radiation/Beams, 5 Illusion/Charm, 6 Fatigue)
84. Nightmare Portal:  The mutant possesses with it’s mind a portal to a realm of nightmare horrors.  The mutant suffers from nightmares but is otherwise unaffected.  Anyone using mentally invasive psychic powers on mutant risks being consumed by nightmares.
85. Seep: Mutant can seep it’s mass into and combine with a physical object.  Takes 4 rounds.  Mutant can form parts of it’s body on the object; an ear canal to hear with, an eye to see with, legs and feet to walk around.  Each change/limb takes 1 round.  Damage/Destruction of the object will harm/kill the mutant.
86. Limited Telepathy: The mutant will catch snippets of images and feelings from the surface thoughts of those around them.  Can often be used to detect willful lies and evasions while focusing on the subject. Large crowds are over stimulating and can cause confusion for the mutant.
87. Mostly Transparent: The mutants bones are still perfectly visible, so you look like a walking skeleton.
88. Water Walking:  or any liquid, at will
89. Weakness:  The mutant has some Achilles heel, a weakness which makes it mostly powerless.  It can be a color, a metal, a time of day, type of person, or whatever.
90. Roll on Mutant Future human/animal physical mutation chart
91. Roll on Mutant Future human/animal mental mutation chart
92. Roll on Mutant Future plant mutation chart
93. Roll on Dyson Logos’s Freak Legion mutations and drawbacks d10 -  http://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/2009/08/16/top-5-mutant-future-mutations-freak-legion-style/
94. Roll on Survival RPG mutation chart d100  - http://www.survivalrpg.com/mutate.html
95. Roll on Rondo’s Severely Messed-Up mutation chart d100
96. Mutant Scavengers of the Ruined Earth! d20 - http://thegrandtapestry.blogspot.com/2009/09/gaming-mutant-scavengers-of-ruined.html
97. Roll on Joesky’s mutation table - http://joeskythedungeonbrawler.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/mutations/
98.  Roll on Encounter Critical mutation powers and defects chart d100
99.  Roll d1000 random mutation from the Metamorphica
100. Extra Mutation (roll again twice)

November 25, 2014

Der: Fasthold of the Lizard King


DER - Population 6000 (mostly human, 150 or less of every other humanoid species)  Nearly 1/3 of the residents are slaves who work for and live among the families of their masters.  The populace is currently hostile to ratlings due to recent raids on crop fields by wild ratlings.  Groups of young thugs will occasionally enter the sewers to harass the local ratling colony and their mutant sympathizers.

Small City: +2 Wealth +2 Social
Origin (Defensible Site): +2 Military

Local Customs
Slavery: +4 Wealth -2 Social (free upkeep or any 1 asset)
Missionary Zeal: +2 Social (the faithful of Ningishzidda spread the good word relentlessly)
United Efforts: (Social can be converted 2:1 into Wealth or Military for a time)

Assets
Stone Walls (High): +4 Military -1 Wealth
Barracks: +2 Military (free upkeep for 1 military unit)
Regional Bazaar: -1 Military +4 Wealth
Ziggurat: +4 Wealth +4 Social
Gladiator Arena (local): +1 Military -1 Wealth +2 Social *free*

Military Forces
100 Lizard Riders (F2 - giant lizard, scale armor, sickle sword, bow, net) -2M -2W
100 Jedite Zealots (J2 - studded leather, dual sickle swords, throwing blades)  -3M -2S *free*


Domain Rating Totals
Military Surplus = 6
Wealth Generation = 11
Social Stability = 8

Treasure/Goods/Materials = 9
Ensi's Petty Cash = 15,000gp

Top left corner of this picture points North, top right corner points East.

City Info
Located in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains, Der was built atop a tall semicircular rock formation whose curved side looks out to the west over the edge of a cliff and onto the Old Dwarf Road stretching across the plains below.  The rock formation itself sits on a vast ledge with the hills and mountains rising up behind it to the east.  The ledge is rocky and not suitable for large scale farming.  Crops are grown in fields on the plains below, near a lake south of the city.

Der was originally founded as a remote military outpost.  It guards the civilized lands from the wild natives that the Anunnaki drove into the mountains long ago; the elves, dwarves, orcs, and also the Hill People who turned away from their Anunnaki masters ages ago and chose instead to live in the wilds.  In addition to these dangers are the monsters of the mountains who sometimes feed on the livestock and the occasional villager, the huge raptor birds and well known giant lizards of the hills.

Beastmasters in Der have worked to "tame" these giant lizards over the years, and now some of them are used as mounts and beasts of burden.  These great lizards are generally not as loyal and obedient as the donkeys and aurochs available throughout the civilized lands (which honestly aren't very loyal or obedient to begin with).  It is rather important to keep these giant omnivorous lizards well fed if you intend to handle them.

A hundred years ago the soldiers of Der roamed far and wide eliminating any threat that presented itself, but the times have changed.  Without support from the Anunnaki, Der has been hard pressed by the wildlings surrounding them.  The humanoid clans have been slipping into the civilized lands for years now, establishing camps all along the Tigris river. The forces of Der now mainly focus on keeping the Old Dwarf Road clear of bandits and humanoid raiders.  Without the supplies and trade coming in from the road (the twice yearly caravans that run through Niru) Der might wither and die.  When possible, the human bandits and Hill People are usually captured rather than killed.  Selling these outlaws to the local slavers is rather profitable.  Elves, dwarves, and orcs are worth far less than human wildlings because of lower demand and the higher risk involved in training them, but the local gladiator arena always needs fresh meat.  Most of the cities of Ki-en-gir have hundreds of indentured servants and slaves, but nowhere near the percentage found in Der.  Many of the slaves found throughout the civilized lands originated here.

Der once traded with Godin Tepe; a city further in the mountains to the north that produced stone, metals, beer, and wine.  Since the fall of Kutha and the ascension of the gods, Godin Tepe has been abandoned.  The residents there soon recognized that they were no longer safe from the humanoid hordes and most fled that city to come live in Der.  Unfortunately there was not enough room for everyone on top of the rock formation that the city is built upon, so homes were built on the area below out of necessity.  The people have since built a high stone wall that encloses the area around the eastern base of the rock formation (the straight edge of the semicircle).  Now the children of those refugees wonder if Der should also be abandoned.  The wildling savages have been raiding the fields and occasionally the homes just outside the walls of the city.  The common people of Der who aren't wholly committed to Ningishzidda are beginning to see the city as a lost cause, but the leadership here and the faithful zealots are committed to holding on for as long as they can.

The wall makes the city nearly circular now with the older buildings on the stone formation above (uptown) and the newer half of the city protected by the wall below (downtown).  The wall is 20' high at it's lowest point above the central eastern gate, and then it slopes steeply upward on both sides until the walkway along the top of the wall becomes two grand stairs that reach up to the northern and southern edge at the top of the rock formation, thus connecting the two halves of the city.  Most people use the stairs to reach uptown Der, but there is also the Anunnaki Elevator.  A 3' tall metal post stands near the northern stairway at the top of the rock formation.  It has a button on top that glows when pressed and calls the elevator to move between it's two locations.  The elevator is a 20' diameter disk of black glass with no railings or visible supports, it floats up at a comfortable pace and arches over to it's landing spot, a circular indention in the stone at the top.  A similar landing spot can be found at the base of the rock formation complete with metal post and glowing button, but also standing here is an Anunnaki Enforcement Droid (ED-209) a 9' tall robot with plasma cannon arms. 

ED-209 would only fire at the native humanoids like elves, dwarves, and orcs, until about 15 years ago when one of the magi in Der spent a few months trying to befriend the droid and gain access to it's voice commands.  After some initial success those experiments ended rather abruptly and tragically.  The droid has been a bit twitchy ever since, demanding that livestock show their identification papers and blasting away butterflies with extreme prejudice.  Now most people choose to go the long way around and take the stairs.

Like most cities, Der is governed by the magi who live within.  These magi are currently led by Uuzdine, who won the title over 20 years ago after a duel to the death with the former Ensi; a devout follower of Anu named Pidoothin.  Uuzdine was proselytizing for Ningishzidda, claiming to be in communication with this previously unknown Lizard God of the Underworld.  Uuzdine said that Ningishzidda had agreed to protect Der and it's people in exchange for worship and tribute.  Pidoothin didn't believe any of it.  He ridiculed both Uuzdine and his new god.  However, it soon became apparent that Uuzdine had gained access to new spells, and strange events in the area also seemed to support his claims.  Uuzdine began gaining believers and support, and Pidoothin sought to undermine this new religion at every turn.  The ideological struggle went on for about a year until it ended in a duel and the death of Ensi Pidoothin.  Since then, most of the magi and populous have fallen in line and accepted Ningishzidda as the patron deity of Der.  Many of the magi and some of the more devout citizens have become physically changed over the years; growing scales, forked tongues, reptilian eyes, ect.  None have been so "blessed" as Uuzdine, who now barely qualifies as human.  The main religious ceremony in honor of Ningishzidda is on the night of the new moon when tribute and sacrifices are given for the glory of their god.  Near the end of the ceremonies the slaves of the city are allowed to participate in a lottery.  A pair of winners are given the honor of being taken to stand before Ningishzidda who will free them from their bondage and grant them access to his special area of the Underworld where there is no longing, drudgery, or hardship.  These winners are never seen again.

Only a few of the magi here have Elfulan bodyguards.  Most Elfulans refused to accept Ningishzidda and left the city years ago.  The city streets are patrolled at all times by Jedite zealots of the Ophidian Clan.  The Ophidians were originally invited in by the magi of Der after the ascension of the gods and the influx of refugees from Godin Tepe, back when it was feared that a slave rebellion might destroy the city from within.  The Ophidians quickly quelled the unrest, and any dissent now is nearly unthinkable.  The Jedites work closely with those faithful to Ningishzidda; the eyes and ears of the law are everywhere.  Ostensibly the Ophidians still work for the magi, but as the clan's influence continues to grow the people are beginning to wonder if it is Clan Master Obabelalial who actually controls the city.  Rumors have always persisted that the Clan Master was seen sweating blood just after Uuzdine's duel with the former Ensi, raising suspicions that Jedite shenanigans were used to sway the outcome.

Outside the walls, Der is also protected by a hundred or so battle hardened soldiers who ride upon giant lizards that stand 5-6' tall at the shoulder.  These beasts are faster than men while sprinting, and can climb the hills and cliffs at a decent pace.  The lizard stables are kept outside the walls of the city under the western base of the rock formation.  The Lizard Riders patrol the nearby hills and fields, as well as far up and down the old dwarf road.  If you follow the old dwarf road far enough north it eventually leads to the gates of a dwarven city carved deep into the mountain.  Ages ago, the Anunnaki blasted those gates open and sent many horrors down into the depths to exterminate the dwarves.  The treasure of the dwarves might still lie within, but the twisted horrors of the gods also lurk in the depths below.  Only the most foolish or desperate adventurers would dare to enter such a place.

In addition to the lake and crop fields south of Der, there is also a forest and lake at the base of the foothills a few miles northwest of the city.  Legend says that this forest is cursed, and there are many tales of people who've ventured out into the woods only to go missing without a trace.  Most people avoid the area.  Recently, a few of the Ophidian Clan jedites have been seen coming and going from these cursed woods.  The Clan has declared the forest is off limits to any others under pain of death.  Their motives for doing this are now the talk of town. The rumors run rampant.


The Magi of Der
Ensi Uuzdine (level 10+) - He's more lizard now than man, bloated and feeble.  Many of Ningishzidda's faithful servants are rewarded with reptilian features, but none so much as Uuzdine.  His human nose and ears fell away last year, which was seen as a powerful blessing and a good omen for the city.  He is covered head to tail in a mottled pattern of blue and black scales.  His arms and legs have shrunk a bit while his torso has grown longer.  Walking upright is a bit uncomfortable and awkward now, so when he does venture out into town it is usually in an elaborate sedan chair carried along on poles by a team of slaves.  Each day Uuzdine spends hours in the nude sunning himself at the top of the ziggurat, but he always takes time to go out and spread the faith amongst the common folk and to train his apprentices in the secrets of magic.

9 Magi, apprenticed to the Ensi (level 3-7) - Seven are reptilian in appearance and wholly devoted to Ningishzidda, but two of Uuzdine's apprentices are wards traded to him by magi of distant cities.  These two apprentices have proven stubborn and still worship more traditional Anunnaki gods.  Uuzdine is unimpressed and suspects that these two are spying on him for their old masters.  One is from Sippar and worships Sherida, the other is from Nippur and is faithful to Enlil.

25 apprentices (level 1-2) - officials, scribes, and teachers tending to the concerns of common folk.


Jedite Clan: Aqueous Ophidian
Master Obabelalial (Oh-babble-all-E-all) - an unimposing old man with kind eyes and a gentle smile.  He is small, thin, and extremely dangerous.  He's quite congenial and respectful to everyone, especially his enemies.  He is said to be secretly infuriated by any perceived slight or disrespectful tone, so be careful what you say to him.  He is also said to be able to hear people's thoughts, so be careful what you think about him too.  He will not show any outward sign of annoyance at the time of the offense and will usually continue smiling throughout the encounter, though he may mention something jokingly about his disappointment.  Wise men strive to rectify these grievances immediately.  Master Obabelalial seems to enjoy letting these private irritations stew over time into a murderous rage until eventually he feels the need to suddenly stab the offender in the face, or arrange some gristly accident, or trick their lover into poisoning them, or have their entire household killed while they sleep, or other such things.  Really nice guy though, always amiable and considerate.

Obabelalial was once one of the original students of Master Po, the alien head of Anunnaki security who brought the knowledge of the Force of Jed to this world.  In addition to occasionally teaching the students together as a class, Master Po would also provide private instruction to each of his students.  They weren't really "getting it".  These private lessons were uniquely tailored to each student based upon their personality and skill set in order help them expand their understanding and to become a more perfect vessel for the Force.  Ironically, when Master Po failed to return from the Underworld it was these private lessons that caused the greatest confusion and misunderstandings between his students.  Each of them believed that Master Po had given them special knowledge, that they were his favored student, and that only they could properly teach the Jedite Way to new students.  Eventually each of the seven who survived these disagreements went off to found their own "true" jedite clan.

As a student Obabelalial was strong willed and brash.  His private lessons usually focused around his need to be "like a snake; supple, flexible, and strike quickly only when the time is right", and also his need to be "more like water which flows and bends in order to reach it's goal".  He took these lessons to heart, but has also obsessed over the lessons for years now searching for hidden meanings.  His theories and conjectures are the foundations that Clan Aqueous Ophidian are based upon.

Master Obabelalial developed his own fighting style called Two-Headed Snake which is a fast and furious assault full of feints and misdirection (reroll one failed attack roll each round).  This fighting style is taught to all of the students in the clan.  Most of the Ophidians prefer to dual wield weapons while using this fighting style, just like Master Obabelalial does (in my game dual wield = single attack roll, if it hits then roll dice for each weapon but only the higher roll does damage; if the roll is tied then both weapons hit).  The ceremonial garb is white robes with green trim.  Clan members will usually wear a green sash while out on the streets, just so the common folk know who they are dealing with.

Clan Master Obabelalial, level 9-20 (gotta keep my players guessing)
He has 5 remaining lieutenants all of whom he continues to train, level 6-8
17 active teachers who spend most of their time training new students, level 4-5
Everyone above this level is called "Master"
18 "Vipers" who lead the clansmen patrolling the streets of Der, level 3
100 "Constrictors" who patrol the city and keep the peace, level 2
??? new and promising students who are not allowed to leave the school, level 0-1


Nearby Locations ---- Der - 08.20
Slozynn Reservoir - 09.20
The crop fields - 09.19
Grave Basin - 06.18
The heart of the cursed woods - 06.19
Blasted watchtower deep in the hills - 09.26
The end of the old dwarf road, the razed dwarven city - 01.25


Recent Events of Der (by Month)
1. VIP Visit - Serpentuar emissary
2. Haunting - Evil spirits cast out of local home by Ensi Uuzdine, reputation increased
3. Death - Ningishzidda denying magi suffered sudden illness and painful death
4. Vengeful Stranger - Master of the recently deceased magi came to town looking for answers
5. Merchant Caravan - led into Der by the merchant Sweeney from Niru
6. Landslide - covering ODR to the north, but lizard riders can climb over so no effort to clear it yet.
7. New Magi - Vengeful stranger is convinced of Ningishzidda's power, converts, swears oath to Ensi
8. Accident - home collapses during rainstorm, 2 killed, 3 survive
9. Major Incursion - Night raids on crop fields, ratlings suspected, poor harvest, tensions high
10. Recruiting - Clan Ophidian is taking new younglings, by force if necessary
11. Merchant Caravan (Sweeney) - recently arrived
12. No Event - upcoming


November 8, 2014

The Gazetteer of Ki-en-gir (The Land of the Enlightened Lords)

This page is ground zero for my Ancients & Aliens campaign.  I'm going to make an effort to compile an organized list of links here in order to connect all of my various blog posts about the setting.  This gazetteer and the links within will grow as I add new material, and the links will change as I edit or replace older material.  My hope here is that whenever a new player joins us at the table I can simply give them the link to this one webpage that has all of the most up-to-date information about the setting.  Whether they actually read any of it or not is totally their own choice.  I just want to feel like I'm doing my part by providing easy access to the material. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE RULES - I default to Labyrinth Lord, which is free, ... so, get that.  It's awesome.  Also, I mix in some Mutant Future which is also free from the same publisher... so get that too.

Character Creation Document - and I should really mention Jeff Rients at this point, because we all owe a debt to Jeff... mostly me.  He's given us tons of gameable material over the years at Jeff's Gameblog which I draw from endlessly.  This character creation document is based on one of Jeff's.  He also runs a hell of a great game, so roll some dice at his table if you ever get the chance.   Thanks Jeff, we owe you fun.

Character Classes
Fighter - yeah, as is... keep fighters fighty
Specialist - basically Thief, but I'm trying out LotFP skills sorta, so...
Magi - basically Magic-User, but religious... 10% gold tithe for reduced xp chart, I should post that
Prophet - not current, I should rewrite this, but close-ish... non-tithe xp, this needs work
Shaman - Hills People's only, Druid-ish, mask/costume required
Jedite - One Ability Score>12
Amazon Huntress - Every Ability Score>9
Orionixie - Str<9
Primitive - Int<9
Halflingon - Wis<9
Andwarvian - blue dwarves with ultravision and UV emitting Andorian antennae. Dex<9
Elfulan - Con<9
Mutant - Cha<9
Ratling - Str<6 
?
?
?
?
?
Naked Mole Ratling - Cha<6
?
?
?
?
?
?
* (? = PC's must find + befriend these creatures to gain access to these species... or roll really crappy ability scores at character creation and then decide to take the plunge)

My House Rules Document
Arduin Critical Hits - I use this chart for every natural 20 (splintering a shield will prevent the crit)
Fumble Chart - I use this d6 chart if you roll a natural 1 to-hit
Awfully Unforgettable Fumbles - I use this chart if you roll a 1 on the d6 fumble chart

Setting
Ancient Sumer 3000 BCE.  The region is known locally as "Ki-en-gir", which might translate roughly into "The Land of the Enlightened Lords".
20 Quick Questions
History - version 1
History - version 2
Even more ancient campaign idea
Overland Travel - I should fix this
Domain Rules - mostly An Echo Resounding, but altered a bit to fit my version of ancient Sumer
Domain Events - mostly the yearly and monthly event charts from Oriental Adventures, but altered a bit to better fit ancient Sumer.


The Far North
Sippar
Eshnunna
Tubtub
Der

The North
Kutha
Urum
Niru
Kish

The Heartland
Kesh
Nippur
Isin
Shuruppak

The South
Uruk
Larsa
Ur
Eridu

The East
Bad-Tibura
Zabalam
Umma
Girsu
Lagash

The Far East
Suza
Chogha Mish

Ruins
13.07 - The Ruined Dwarf Fort
14.12 - Under Xylarthen's Tower
15.08 - Swamp Tower

Lairs
13.10 - The Chaotic Caves of Chaos (like this, but with more cowbell)

Campaign Session Logs
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
Session 7
Session 8
Session 9?  - I don't even know where we are now, except that I'm awful at doing these in a timely manner.  None of the players wants any bonus xp for writing session reports?  Really?  That's Ok, it's fine, it's fine... I'll get to it... you know... some day. (I won't, I lie.)

November 4, 2014

Niru: City of a Thousand Sorrows

NIRU - Population 2,500 (mostly human, about 200 Elfulan, and probably 5 or less of every other humanoid species)

Growing Town: +2 Wealth +2 Social
Origin (Ancient Industry-Woodcutting): +2 Wealth
Strong Society (Shared Adversity): +2 Social
Inner Palisades: +2 Military
Outer Stone Walls: +2 Military
Barracks: +2 Military (free upkeep for 1 military unit)
Local Market: +2 Wealth

Military Forces
100 Light Infantry gifted from Sippar (-1M-1W)
100 Elfulans town/magi guards (-1M-1W-2S)*free*


Domain Rating Totals
Military Surplus = 5
Wealth Generated = 5
Social Stability =  4

Treasure/Goods/Materials on Hand = 0
Petty Cash = 0gp


City Info
Back in the good old days, Niru was founded as a small colony of wood cutters clearing out timber for Kutha and sending the excess timber down river.  Now most of the nearby timber has been exhausted.

Niru was a small suburb of Kutha until about 50 years ago when all hell broke loose.  Nergal took the armies of Kutha into the Underworld to challenge Ereshkigal (the goddess of the Underworld), and shortly afterward Kutha was overrun by demons and vampires.  The populous of Kutha fled in all directions and thousands of refugees from Kutha came to live here in Niru.  The Anunnaki who ruled the other cities closed up their gateways into the Underworld and went up into the heavens in their silvery sky-craft.

The "Old Dwarf Road" runs straight through the middle of oldtown Niru.  Oldtown is elevated about 20 feet off of the alluvial plain, level with the old dwarf road, and is surrounded by a wooden palisade.  Oldtown contains about 40 buildings and about 200 residents.  Outside of the palisade is a mud-brick/tent city of a few thousand refugees on the plain below.  Thanks to lot of hard work and stones from the ruined dwarf fort a few miles away, all of the tents and small homes in Niru are now surrounded by a 10' stone wall.  To the west the Old Dwarf Road becomes a draw bridge over the river Euphrates with a lever that lowers in the down position to allow access to Kutha, in the lever's up position the road splits in the middle of the river rising to 90 degrees straight up to block access to the Kutha side.  This has helped Niru to avoid confrontations with the vampires and demons who seem unable to cross the waters of the Euphrates river on their own. Unfortunately there were a lot of boats left behind in Kutha, so there were quite a number of horrible things crossing the river and the canals for that first year or so.  It is currently believed that all those boats and rafts have now been seized or destroyed, but horrible things do still manage to get across the water sometimes.  The Old Dwarf Road runs west past Kutha and into the desert beyond, and to the east it goes past "Swamp Tower" then through the forest, and over the Tigris River, then through a different desert and past the town of Der, and eventually into the Zargos Mountains up to the gates of an ancient dwarven fortress in the mountians.  The Euphrates and Tigris rivers are themselves raised up off of the alluvial plain.  The sediment collects in the riverbeds and along the sides, raising the rivers about ten feet above the the flat plain that surrounds them for miles and miles.

The city of Niru has an issue with Human Supremacists.  The magi currently in control of the city have tamped this down a bit, but anyone else taking control of the town will have to deal with the rampant xenophobia.  Mostly it is a matter of townsfolk suspecting any outsiders of being vampires or vampire minions from Kutha.  However some of it is just straight up human supremacy as espoused by the patrons of "The Weary Ass" tavern.  Those who wish to take control of the city will need to address these issues.

Currently, the city of Niru is a strong society.  The people have endured hardships of famine, overpopulation, and plague.  They have learned to trust one another and work together, but may be overly judgmental of outsiders.

Nearby Locations ---- Niru - 15.07
Town of Urum - 14.06
Dead City of Kutha - 15.05
Town of Kish - 17.05
Swamp Tower- 15.08 (south end of the hex)
The Ruined Dwarf Fort - 13.07
The Chaotic Caves of Chaos - 13.10
Xylarthen's Shattered Tower - 14.12

The Magi of Niru
Zergad - the smiling yet serious one.  He was a young follower of Nergal in Kutha 50 years ago.  He was tasked with going to outlying communities and sending soldiers to aid his master Nergal (which he did), but never went himself to follow his master into the Underworld.  He does not seem to age naturally, and still appears as a young man in his mid 20's.  He wears fine robes and has 3 apprentices who all appear to be older than him.  His apprentices are the lamentation priests, those who can separate the soul of the deceased from their body and send them straight into the afterlife (for a price).  After voting to disband the Watchkeepers he was seen sending out three messengers to the south, but no one seems to know who he was trying to contact.

Kalak - the unpleasant one.  He is the one who brought Ony the Dragonslayer up on charges for assaulting a magi, because while Ony was drunkenly carousing after slaying the Black Dragon he used his telekinesis ability to make Kalak strike himself in the face with his own hand.  Ony got off with a small fine thanks to the votes of the other two leading magi who don't much care for Kalak.  Kalak is dedicated to Sherida, the goddess of the Dawn, wife of Utu.  He originally hails from Sippar, and after voting to disband the Watchkeepers, he sent word to Sippar and was granted command of 100 light infantry (spear, shield, leather armor).  These men have recently taken residence of Watchkeeper Hall and are now marching at Kalak's command toward the Chaotic Caves of Chaos, led by his one and only apprentice Lithsharric (who is a pretty decent guy by all accounts).

Eeyuthezish - the easy going, drug-addled prophet.  He is devoted to the Anunnaki named Nanna, god of the Moon and Divination.  He was the only magi to vote for retaining the Watchkeepers.  After that vote was lost, he contacted the Dragonslayers and paid them to protect Niru for the next month(twice, because he forgot the first time he paid them).  He has three apprentices; Khemtheezh the drug-addled moody paranoid; Medunaira the abstinent, cautious, and cruel lady who controls the finances of her master; and Shmidt who is friends with Lithsharric, uses him to gain alchemical supplies, balances the financial and medicinal needs of his master, and runs an illegal drug business along side his duties as the drug supplying apprentice to the most groovy magi in all the realms.


The Assets of Niru
Inner Wooden Palisade
Outer Stone Walls
Barracks -Home of the Elfulan guards inside oldtown
Local Market - Crazy Gorgathon, Sweeney's General Goods, The Dog Kennel, The Donkey Stables

2 Taverns
Tavern of the Full Tankard - Sam (and Thessel)
The Weary Ass - Hessia (and Porgun the Brute)

Bed and Breakfast - Larissa (and Klairette)

Dog Breeders - Sidahgig (and his two sons Midiigig, and Tibbil)

The Elfulan guards (now led by Kalach who lost an eye while killing the Black Dragon)

The Watchkeepers (now disbanded, most are going east on the caravan to Der.  Watchkeeper Hall is currently being occupied by Light Infantry from Sippar who are upgrading it into a second barracks+Training Grounds which will take months to complete [Training Grounds = +2M -1W + 2nd military unit gets free upkeep])

The Dragonslayers (the PCs, Ony, Sura, Jakob, and Rina, and the few Watchkeepers that they kept on staff being Nikesheb the Thief, Zheel the Halflingon, and Zheg the human Fighter)

Recent Events of Niru (by Month)
1. Plague ended
2. Horrendous Monster (the Ulu tried to cross the river, but failed)
3. No Event
4. Bad Harvest
5. Flood (hex 16.09 is still swampy)
6. Minor Earthquake
7. Bandit activity - elves and orcs attack the tents on outskirts of town
8. Famous Person - PCs kill the black dragon and become Dragonslayers
9. Injustice - Ony put on trial for making Kalak hit himself
10. Minor Earthquake - (remind me to make this happen next session)
11. Accident - upcoming
12 VIP Visit - upcoming


October 21, 2014

Ancients and Aliens - Getting around the Map

Sumer 3000BC (-ish)

I couldn't find a good detailed map of Sumer for this time period, so I made my own.  Some of these cities might be temporally dislocated by a paltry 500 or 1000 years, but at least the physical distances are pretty much dead on.  Ask your local sumerologist to be sure.  If you have a better map, please point me to it.  Seriously.

This isn't a map I would take on a time traveling mission, but it's probably good enough for a game about aliens nuking elves from orbit.


The Persian Gulf reached far further North in 3000 BC than it does today, as seen on my map here.  Today it's shore would be found south of this map's edge.  The forests and swamps are all my own fiction; but the hills, mountains, and rivers are pretty accurate for the time period (I believe).  The landscape changes a bit every spring when the Tigris floods it's banks and spills water into it's surrounding hexes.  Notably a huge area south of Der becomes a vast swamp, and the hexes east of Sippar become swampy as water pours into the Euphrates.  This can cause some flooding along the Euphrates as well, turning some hexes downstream into marshland.  By summer the flooding is mostly resolved, but I reserve the right to put swampy hexes wherever I see fit.

The Cities and their Patron Deity

The Heartland
Kesh - Ninhursag (The Great Mother, Fertility, Birth~wife of Enki)
Nippur - Enlil (Lord of the Air, Storms~Enforcer/Heir of Anu) 
Isin - Ninisinna (Lady of Healing, Herbs, and the care of animals) 
Shuruppak - Ninlil (Lady of the Air, the gentle spirit~wife of Enlil)

The South
Uruk - Inanna (Goddess of Sex, Love, and War~sister of Ereshkigal) 
Larsa - Utu & Sharida (God of the Sun, Judgement, Watcher of Oaths & Goddess of the Dawn)
Ur - Nanna (God of the Moon, Diviner of Fates~father of Utu)
Eridu - Enki (Trickster God of Water and Magic~brother of Enlil)

The East
Bad-Tibura - once Dumuzi (hedonist God of the Harvest) now Lulal (~son of Dumuzi and Inanna)
Zabalam - Ninshubur (Queen of the East~minister/lover of Inanna)
Umma - Sharra (Singer, manicurist, hairdresser, warrior~son of Inanna)
Girsu - Ninurta (Goddess of Bravery and Battle, Lordstress of the Amazons)
Lagash - Nanshe (Goddess of Prophecy, Fishing, and Social Equality~daughter of Enki)

The North
Urum - ?No Patron Deity?
Kutha - Nergal (God of Wasting Death, Disease, Starvation, Exhaustion)
Niru - ?No Patron Deity?
Kish - ?No Patron Deity?

The Far North
Sippar - Utu & Sharida (Sun God & Goddess of the Dawn, Flagellation, Punishment, and Penance) 
Tubtub - Imdugud (The Breathing Beast, the Thief of Fate)
Eshnunna - Ninazu (The Benevolent Healer of the Underworld, Thrall of Ereshkigal) 
Der - Ningishzidda (The Lizard King~son of Ninazu)

The Far East
Suza - Insheshinak (The Undying God, The Waker, The Sleepless Need)
Chogha Mish - Kirirsha (Lady of the Golden Dawn, Squirmer of the Wrym)

Distant Lands (off the map)
Martu (In the Northwest, ancient Syria)
Gutium (Land of the brutal Wildlings of the Zagros Mountians)
Dilmun (The Floating Island, sails to Meluhha and back again each year)
Meluhha (Indus valley region of ancient India)
Magan (Somewhere to the South and West, reached by sailing around the Arabian Peninsula)

Overland Movement
I scaled the map to a Sumerian unit of measurement.  Each hex = 1 da-na = 2 hours.  Sumerians divided the day into 12 da-na, and measured long distances by how many da-na it took to walk somewhere.  I think that's neat and all, but using da-na during the game is probably more trouble than it's worth; so....

6-ish mile hexes.  It takes about 2 hours to walk across a hex while carrying standard gear and supplies.

On easy terrain: grasslands and roads
Walk: 4 hex/day = regularly stopping to rest, the party is battle ready and in good spirits
March: 5 hex/day = NPC morale check and weariness penalty at last two hexes
Run: 6 hex/day = NPC morale check and weariness penalty at last three hexes
Run like the Wind: 8 hex/day = Totally unencumbered, weariness penalty every hex after the first

Weariness Penalty (cumulative but temporary): -1 Con, and -1 to most die rolls (not saves)
Every 4 hours of rest will remove 1 from the cumulative weariness penalty.

Rough terrain reduces your speed, and running for hours isn't really viable there (except on trails).
Walk 3 hex/day or March 4 hex/day: Shrubland, Forests, and Hills
Walk 1 hex/day or March 2 hexes/day: Marshes, Heavy Forests, and Mountains

Boats
Coracle (Quffu) - a man-sized leather bowl with a wooden frame.  Typically paddled down the river, then carried back home on the road using shoulder straps.
Reed Boat (Kalakku) - Lots of shapes and sizes, from a reed canoe up to something resembling a viking longship complete with sail and weird animal head prow
Wooden Boats - You'll see the occasional wooden raft or dugout canoe, but they aren't common.  The Euphrates and Tigris have swift currents, especially in the spring.  Reed boats are cheaper, lighter, and much easier to bring upriver.

Rowing: 5 hex/day downriver, 3 hex/day open water, 1 hex/day upriver or through marsh
Rafts: subtract 1 hex/day
Reed boats using 6 oars and a sail add 1 hex/day