d100 whats in a bugbears backpack

So post xmas had work cut, evicted, lost pension benefits without being informed, and generally coping poorly. Possibly moving to Canberra for a fresh start as working 4 or 5 jobs on call and varying rosters too hard and rent too close to benefits to be able to live if i get worse. Working through a list of stuff to help myself but here is a quickie for bugbear bags. One project after i move is to scan 32 years of gaming notes, journals and drawings so i can throw them out which should give me a few meters of space.

Bugbears are the mightiest of goblioids and en mass or by ambush scary into high levels. Solitary ones enjoy head hunting and scaring people for fun. Groups are often elite goblinoid special forces. Parents warn children about bugbears who delight in kidnapping and acting like bogeymen. While they dont mind eating kids they prefer to traumatise them for life. Other practical jokes and home invasions like getting under a child's bed or pooping in a farmers boots are a test of their sneaking skills and earn them honour. They get prestige from best joke stories around the clan hearth.

d100 whats in a bugbears backpack01 Collection of shrunken heads

02 Pickled head in jar, pot or small barrel
03 Ear necklace
04 Head cheese - compressed preserved head sliced for sandwiches
05 Collection of garrotes
06 Collection of teeth
07 Bottles of hair dye to keep looking young
08 Ceramic jar of pickled d6 1=fingers 2=cabbage 3=radish 4=eggs 
09 Flayed and oiled human skin to keep of rain or scare people
10 Scalp collection
11 Bag of toenail clipping useful in afterlife to build boats to cross the Styx
12 Collection of used bandages
13 Dried dead rats for stew stock
14 Jar of leeches for first aid
15 Iron fire poker
16 Iron slave brand
17 Length of chain and leg irons or manacles
18 Whetstone and oil for sharpening blades
19 Tinderbox and human tallow candles
20 Bone needles and woven hair thread
21 Bone fishing hooks and line
22 Jellied eel or lampreys in jar
23 Pipe and dried mushrooms
24 Soap made from human tallow
25 Jar of animal urine for hunting or jokes
26 Bag of catnip and rolling papers for smoking
27 Gremlin in a jar
28 Scented oil to drive away fleas
29 Dried children's bones for toothpicks or snacks
30 Jack O Lanterns and candle
31 Bitter melons
32 Bag of mushrooms
33 Chunks of mystery dried meat
34 Jar full of honey
35 Jar full of hallucinogenic fever inducing honey
36 Henbane and other mild ingested poison 
37 Jar of fermented feces, urine and blood for coating weapons
38 A chewed up dead young goat
39 Necklace of children's skulls
40 A drugged stolen sleeping baby being kept for later
41 Jar of toxic salt for preserving skins
42 Bag of unwashed socks
43 Crude ancestral miniature of ancestor
44 Collection of mercenary contracts from many different races
45 Cat O Nine Tails or bullwhip
46 Bundle of darts
47 A giants toenail
48 Shaving kit
49 Collection of cheap necklaces
50 Leather bag of loose change
51 Treasure map 
52 Collection of pretty rocks
53 Pickled wizards tongue
54 Blood sausage
55 Fragment of statue
56 Demonic cult medallion
57 Camouflage cloak covered in dead leaves and dirt
58 Blowpipe, darts and 
59 Bone whistle makes scary noises
60 Horn for signalling
61 Drum with human skin
62 Fat 40lb bugbear baby, indignant but quiet
63 Musk attractive to bugbears seeking love
64 Exotic coins from underland
65 Troglodyte musk glands fermented in sealed pot
66 Bottle of terrible bugbear grog
67 Skin of fermented hog milk
68 Dried bats or stirge
69 Huge eggshell containing wine
70 Human skull oil lamp
71 Stolen children's toys
72 Bag of dried barley
73 Fancy grog d4 1=dark elf wine 2=dwarf brandy 3=hobbit beer 4=spiced rum
74 Bottle of phosphorescent slime good for making scary decoys
75 Bag of sawdust
76 Stinking flea ridden bedroll
77 Length of woven bugbear hair rope
78 Wooden mallet and iron spikes
79 Wooden clogs
80 Nail polish
81 Dented pewter tankard
82 Cooks clever
83 Thieves tools set
84 Bear or fox trap
85 Length of twine for fishing or traps 
86 White sheet with eye holes for ghost impersonations
87 Black soot makeup for recon missions 
88 Slingshot
89 Bag of huge thorns for traps and torture
90 Bag of fried beans
91 Bag of onions or garlic
92 Loaf of bread with mice cooked in it for flavour
93 Plush bugbear toy for kids back home
94 Bag of children's clothes or nappies
95 Crude wooden mask
96 Carved wooden ladle and birch bark cooking pot
97 Winter fur cape
98 Sealed bag of bedbugs or fleas
99 Ring of keys from past guard jobs
100 Bagged and gagged kobold or goblin slave

d100 Strange Wells

Been making a d100 magic animals but found part of this in notebook and got kids on field trip to help me. Popped out pretty quick. I have gained enough hours at work to stay in town so looking for affordable rent space where i can paint and make art. If not I will move to canberra where a buddy has a house and garage. Had so much fun last sun gaming will squeeze in another BRP sunday of Roadwar and Cthulhu Rome. Got a few more minis and toys too. Ran my Zombie Rush game with kids and have fairly well worked out now so will post sometime.
Most commoners hav sayings like "if the waters good dont ask" or "only a fool questions a good thing". Commoners avoid murder hobo traits like curiosity and seldom look in a well unless a child falls in.

d10 Well Shaft Type
01 A hole in the earth hidden to most by rocks or grass muddy and narrow
02 A crude carved hole in the stone cramped and winding hidden by rocks
03 A sinkhole entering into possible cave complex and ancient remains
04 A clean shaft into earth with cleared space around it in open
05 A smoothly carved stone shaft with chiseled hand holds in stone or ladder
06 A square shaft lined with crude stones which increasingly become slimier
07 A shaft of neatly carved stone blocks fitted with great precision
08 A brick lined shaft with a rusty iron staple ladder going into depths 
09 A slime covered winding shaft caked in living matter surrounded by mud
10 Perfectly smooth shaft in obsidian, cleared area around it and shaft marked with sigils

d10 Fittings

01 None - bare and primative, BYO rope, bucket etc

02 Rope with crude bucket tied to rock
03 Wooden lid with padlock, rope and bucket inside
04 Iron bars locked with chain and bucket
05 A shadoof with irrigation ditch leading to fields or a catchment pond
06 Wooden hut with rope winch and bucket
07 Crude stone shelter with rope and bucket
08 Old fountain with statue, a hand cranked pump, iron bars cover well
09 Well dressed carved stone bricks with chain winch and bucket
10 Carved stone shrine visited by pilgrims, chain and bucket

d10 Water

01 A shallow dirty pool

02 A rapid flowing subterranean stream
03 A underground river
04 A deep dark pool
05 Ancient stone cistern
06 Slimy contaminated pool
07 Muddy puddle but water regular and can be filtered
08 Swirling pool of churning foaming water
09 Sweet pool of clear water seeping through rocks
10 Slightly magical well, sparkling, glowing or weird colour 

d10 Whats below?

01 Small cramped chamber

02 A natural grotto covered in calcium formations
03 A series of caves with d5 chambers
04 A complex of caves d10+2 chambers
05 Cavern complex connected to local dungeons
06 Cavern complex connected to local subterranean underland
07 Winding cramped root filled passages
08 Man made complex d4+2 chambers  d4 1=cellar 2=tomb 3=hideout 4=shrine
09 Man made complex d10+2 chambers d4 1=granary 2=temple 3=dungeon 4=armoury
10 Complete dungeon complex

d10 Quick contents
01 Rubbish and remains

02 Vermin horrors

03 Ancient caves and ruins

04 Hideout 

05 Humanoids and demihumans

06 Monsters

07 Haunted

08 Magic

09 Cursed

10 Weird

d100 Well Features
01 Strewn with garbage, broken tools and mud

02 Garbage and sacrificial animal bones
03 Remains of animal bones and human sacrifices 
04 Remains of murder victims and unwanted children
05 Children in hiding from cruel family, disaster, cult or slavers 
06 Homeless hobos hiding from local thugs and landlords
07 Hermit living in solitude to meditate
08 Thousands of corroded copper coins from well wishers
09 Thousands of broken pots and bottles with some intact
10 Pots of chemicals and reject potions dumped by alchemists servants
11 Hundreds of rats crawling everywhere possibly some giant ones
12 Filled with cobwebs and huge spiders, possibly a giant one or two
13 A huge snapping turtle trapped here and always hungry
14 Crawling with snakes, some huge and venomous
15 Lizards crawling everywhere possibly a giant one like a gecko or cave lizard 
16 Carnivorous ripper fish swarm, biting and hold on to prey
17 Gigantic frog king and hordes of fist sized followers that croak loudly at night
18 Scorpions crawling about possibly a giant one
19 Giant centipedes possibly some huge and gigantic specimens
20 Aquatic carnivorous insect larvae possibly parents like giant dragonflies near by
21 A ancient druid cave shrine with delightful grotto hidden from humanity
22 A shrine with a elderly hermit caretaker seeking a place of solace 
23 A gallery of stone age paintings and mud sculpture, with ancient animal remains 
24 A secret cult shrine possibly still used, often cursed and possibly with treasure 
25 A crypt hidden here long ago 1in6 defiled with undead
26 A secret jail cell with remains of prisoner from long ago
27 A tarpit with remains of ancient animals possibly a few tar infused undead animals
28 Remains of a dilapidated lost temple to some forgotten god
29 Ruined remains of lost civilization with cyclopean rocks and sigils covered in rubble
30 A geothermal pool bubbling cozily, used by ancients as bath and steam room 
31 Gang of bandits hideout with secret entries to surface
32 Gang of thieves hideout for loot and members needing to be hidden
33 Band of inbred cannibals live here occasionally kidnapping surface folk 
34 Band of homeless murder hobos live here to keep loot safe 
35 Adventurers hidden base in here to keep loot safe
36 Wanted criminals hiding here till hunt for them blows off
37 Serial killers live here with collections of human skins and bones
38 A guild use as a secret store room with possible secret entry to local business
39 A witch coven meets and hides here from the patriarchy
40 A magician hides here from the mob 
41 A gang of kobolds building stuff like waterwheels, traps and nests
42 A goblin garden cult have planted food and medicinal fungi
43 Hobgoblins lair here, robbing and stealing by night
44 Bugbears family home, like to creep about by night scaring people especialy kids and oldies
45 Orc bandits lurk here by daylight hours 
46 Dwarves live here with pets and sound proof workshop
47 Elves lurk here d4 1=exiles 2=spies 3=refugees 4=always lived here 
48 Hobbits live here crafting and gorging and possibly theiving
49 Gnomes clan live here operating a d4 1=workshop 2=general store 3=farm 4=alchemy lab
50 Monstrous humanoid lair d4 1=ogre 2=troll 3=stoopid giant or ettin or cyclops 4=formarian
51 An ancient golem commanded to guard well chamber aeons ago
52 A long trapped albino dinosaur placed here by lizard men, some are undead fossils 
53 Dragon with stunted wings and serpentine features, injured and thrown down well as hatchling
54 Gargoyle guardians hidden among stalactites guarding a mysterious calcified door
55 Lycanthrope lair to cover up murder sprees also to keep clothing, treasure and victim bodies 
56 A stone sealed box with a basilisk or cockatrice inside, if escapes will poison well and area
57 A tentacled well kraken horror planted by cultists long ago, mostly it hibernates in hiding
58 A great underground worm or burrowing bug nests here
59 Monstrous bat creatures like giant vampire bats or doombats lair with thousands of ordinary bats
60 Giant albino freshwater crayfish with impressive pincers nips and eats travellers 
61 A sinister old hag or witch dwell here with her pets, adopted children or sisters
62 A ghost, spectre or phantom hovers over the remains of corpse or sarcophagi
63 Piles of human corpses if disturbed arise as zombies, possibly of a superior kind left by a cult
64 Piles of human bones if disturbed arise as skeletons, guarding some ancient necromancer trinket
65 Pits where ghouls sleep by day before nocturnal feasts, defend lair to death if awakened
66 Phantoms reenact their glory days repeatably, ignoring the living
67 A poltergeist spirit where a angry murder victim was dumped 
68 A petty demon or devil lairs here trying to spread local evil and influence (possibly imp or quasit)
69 Mummy crypt from prehistory intered here, keen to murder intruders
70 Withered corpses frozen in agony distract intruders while the unliving shadows arise and ambush
71 Sorcerers lair with dug gen and stoned followers seeking thrills and enlightenment
72 Wizard who moved here for privacy long ago studies here with aprentices
73 Priest guards this spot 1=sacred site 2=holy grave 3=cult treasure hole 4=remains of ancient evil
74 Druid cult meet here and gods demand intruders are sacrificed
75 Necromancer lair with exotic assembled hybrid undead, master might be living dead
76 Summoners lair with animal cages and mystic circles carved into stone floor
77 Elementalist lair with summoning sigils carved into ground and elemental beast guardians
78 Evil sect of spell users meeting lodge with magical guardians
79 Alchemist lair with laboratory, a great monster awaits unborn inside a huge glass apparatus
80 Tribal shaman with guardian and ancestral spirits lairs here since clan was destroyed long ago
81 A hiding spot for a long lost evil relic or magical item forgotten from minds of mortals
82 A temple of a prehuman primordial god of darkness, a guardian lurks for unwary 
83 Doorway sealing a great evil away, tempting voices and illusions bid intruders open the door
84 Strange archway d4 1=class swap 2=gender swap 3=race swap 4=turns you into a monster 
85 Bizarre archway d4 1=alignment change 2=teleporter 3=turn you undead 4=time travel
86 Relic drains magic items, imprisoned in stone mostly and difficult to remove and has a guardian
87 Pool, mirror or crystal ball that allows you to commune with a evil lost god
88 Evil relic used by infamous antihero in past, only works for evil and difficult to destroy
89 Pool of bubbling primal chaos guarded by oozes mutates those who touch it
90 Evil talking relic is imprisoned here will give bad advice and tell half truths to create problems
91 Underground casino operated by locals or non human
92 Goblin market selling strange shrooms and petty magic
93 Hidden monastery where monks train in secret fighting arts 
94 A long forgotten lab with preserved brains and other organs in jars
95 A magical being asleep since dawn times d4 1=titan 2=sphynx 3=dragon 4=angel
96 Healing magical spring hidden from main water source
97 Magical fountain with strange properties
98 Being asleep since dawn times d6 1=titan 2=sphynx 3=dragon 4=angel 5=elder god 6=
99 Spirit or dragon appointed to control local weather by heaven
100 Dimensional gateway with other planar guard 

Roadwar Game pix

Have to move house and get new job double whammy - considering moving state
So gaming will suffer sorry folks

Black Science - Notes for a Cthulhu Superhumans RPG

A New Aeon of Black Science 
A setting for more than human investigators against the forces of dark alien science. This is something with my psychic rules I once thought i would write up as a monograph or game book years ago. Thought I would drag it out here. I could be convinced to run this or write a proper sourcebook or show my mechanics I guess. Possibly bits written on commodore Amiga on 3"floppy.

IntroductionWelcome to the world of black science. Where things walk among men that ought not to have. Where secretive cutting-edge science is just a pawn of alien gods and their unfathomable goals. Where with great power comes an even greater price. Where a bright spark in the infinite darkness can offer humanity a brief respite.
Call of cthulhu, basic Role playing and Superworld mash up pretty well and there were mag published superworld adventures with Dholes (where i dropped light artillery from orbit on them thanks to broken falling damage rules. I played a bit of superworld and it was probably my first BRP game and I quickly preferred it to Champions. I think now I would get rid of point system and have lists of created powers set at different levels and linked to origins. Once I got into TSR Advanced  Marvel Superheroes I never went back but the point of my Black Science Setting would be horror and fragility which BRP does well. Would fit into Laundry setting too. The pulp setting for CoC which never came out probably has some overlap. Zenith comic by Grant Morrison was awesome. Plenty of HPL in DC and Marvel long before he was cool.

In this setting the government know about they Mythos but keep it under wraps. Dozens of cults around the world have been wiped out but children taken from cults have been raised by agents. Many are tested for inhuman abilities but some cases have avoided screening despite best efforts so the subjects are monitored for life and even used as cultist bait. There are other background types but initially would start all off as cult kid hybrids being sent with handlers under false pretenses into former mythos areas to see if subjects react. Handlers may be required to kill subjects gone out of control.

My Inspirations for all thisPart of this evolved from having run several extended Coc campaigns which left the party with high sanity scores, artifacts aplenty, money and self published spell books for dummies in their secret clubhouse. They ran bootleg hooch through a gate from Boston to England (using donkeys to pass through the gate to minimize sanity loss). They had a lethal arsenal of mausers, trench guns, browning automatic rifles and tommy guns. A gangster character had never read a mythos tome yet had his many teachers had mastered and passed onto him every binding and banishment spell before going themselves went mad. At one point on their voyage to Ralyeh, I had them battle the many characters who had become monsters and madmen over the years. This kind of resembled a superheroic battle scene. With star vampires, byakee and creatures which had once been investigators. With shotguns loaded with elder sign slugs and powder of ibn ghazi. Even a great race lightning gun. When enough investigators survive long enough they will often amass enough firepower, magic and worldly resources to terrify any state authorities. Part of this campaign book is to provide the next leval of challenges for such campaigns.

Once every one knows all the basic monsters and methodology of 1920s terrorism standard CoC loses it's zing a bit.

My other inspiration came from my first Coc Keeper (Justin or Spike)who let players be psychic or a vampire (or even blind on one occasion) and managed to make every player regret it. It’s hard on sanity when you sense otherworldly beings nobody else can. Or you can see a grisly murder performed on site decades ago. Or you are contacted by a lost god from beneath a lake. One player thought it would be cool to be a vampire until his SAN diminished and he couldn’t help but brutally murder humans. This left dangerous red herrings for his teammates for a while. Fate whittled down his sanity till he had to be put down by his former friends, after he killed his own family. Still the star that burns twice as bright but half as long can be entertaining to play.

Lovecraft versus the SuperhumansMainstream superhero comics have elements of the Cthulhu Mythos. These comics were fueled by ideas in found in Amazing Stories and Weird Tales and other pulp periodicals. Older comic universes like DC and Marvel have many ideas inspired by pre WW2 pulp. Thus you see Marvel and DC include elements such as primordial continents and lost civilizations inspired by other mythos writers such as clack Ashton Smith and Robert E Howard. Dr Strange and Dr Fate battle supernatural horrors best left imprisoned aeons ago. X-men have battled demons trapped under stone circles. While Magneto for a time lived in a sunken alien city he raised from the ocean floor with his powers.

The Wild cards shared world novella series feature many mythos like elements from the Egyptian freemasons to the star faring Tiamat organism hidden in space and raining monsters down on the earth.

Hellboy straddles the world of supernatural horror and superheroes also with a rich mixture of history and mythology. Although few Dark Science players would trust a fishboy amid their ranks.

More esoteric comics dealing with the supernatural have become all too common from Hellblazer to swamp thing to Sandman thanks to UK writers. The English 2000AD comics featured likewise many Mythos inspired demons and aliens.

Writer Grant Morrison is especially noteworthy. The Invisibles featured a unique and esoteric view of the modern occult adventurer who occasionally deal with mythos like phenomena. His other noteworthy effort in this genre was of particular inspiration: Zenith – a serial story from 2000AD in the 80s.

In Zenith the superhumans were byproducts of the Thule society plot to breed host bodies for alien gods from other dimensions. The British gained German secrets and produced their own. The series deal with Zenith – a spoiled media darling and brat who is forced to confront his parents disappearance and battle the god Iok Sottoth. Eventually this leads to a multiversal war where heroes destroy whole universes to stop the old ones. Eventually it is revealed the former heroes of yesteryear were even more intimate with the elder gods than earlier imagined. Morrison mixes history, pop culture and the occult in a manner comparable to HP Lovecraft. Mixing elements of Nazi occult history with pop conspiracy created a mythic authenticity to his project of creating a unique English super hero strip.

Explorers of black science – more than human
Most Coc campaigns feature frail and vulnerable heroes alone in the dark. But there are a few mythos characters which could fit in quite well. Brian Lumley’s Titus Crow, August Derlith’s Dr Shrewsbury and Lovecraft’s Dreamer. These men acted without the mind destroying shock of the supernatural and even called on powers beyond the ken on mortal men against the mythos. The tone of Derleths Mythos is different to lovecrafts and traditional Coc (calling apon Byakee to fly to alien planets and Nuking Cthulhu is pretty hardcore). Lumley has organised humans who fight back and have many resources to call on like psychics and elder sighns.  Ceramic elder sign shotgun slugs anyone?

While many superhuman settings emphasize heroism, action and optimism aplenty this one doesn’t. Anyone who has real powers is either a product of alien black science or is abnormally open to the other dimensions they occupy. Conspiracies, cults and the government will hunt them to study and exploit them. Otherworldly beings seek to devour their godlike flesh or use them as hosts or worse. If the public even know they exist then they hate and fear them. Others fawn before them like worshipers before false idols – the masses swooning before state manufactured superstars.

Everyone expects super humans to be angels or devils, but not human.

Beings of more than human power may seem like the wonders of recent DNA technology but extraordinary men dwelled in primordial ages before recorded civilization. Have scientists just been duped to recreate the prehistoric order by hidden forces. Various sorcerers like Eibon have their traveled to other worlds, some even like other of Clark Ashton Smith’s heroes may travel in time or be immortal. Howard had Eternal champions and flashbacks to primordial prior incarnations. Fragments of this ancient world of sorcerers and supernatural near humans from time to time pierce the veil of time and haunt the super humans of today.

Investigators with powers will be more focused on survival and self interest than saving the world for its own sake. super humans cant ignore that mythos and state forces will take an interest in them. You cant stop the monsters that lurk beyond the veil of sanity but you can make life harder for them and protect yourself. On a good day you can save the world too.

While intended to suit a modern or near future campaign there is no reason ideas here could not be incorporated into a 1920s or gaslight campaign. Of course being able to shoot explosive beams might be quite hazardous on a vintage plane, airship or boat. One could also play this material as a source for new threats and leave investigators unchanged from standard campaigns but instead investigating a black science super human operative program or cult breeding farm.

Elite veteran investigators
Well armed knowledgeable mythos investigators recruited from field or trained by agencies. Freelance investigators are considered threats to be recruited watched or assassinated.

Sages
These individuals resist mythos induced insanity and can even restore sanity. While less of a public danger they are desirable to recruit and vulnerable to blackmail. Tend to be repulsed by violence.

ImmortalsMost immortals are cult sorcerers but some have been found sane and recruited by force. Can be hard to kill and cannot be completely trusted.

Monster and God Hybrids
Including deep ones, spawn of Iquatha or YogSothoth and others may be recruited but not to be trusted. When their sanity shatters their inhuman abilities increase. Psychic residue may also stimulate their powers. Some may preach hatred of their inhuman heritage but hat wont stop them monstering out.

Mutants
Humans modified by mythos agent contamination. Many are hostile to mythos but still may become monsters when the last of their sanity breaks.

Meta Humans
Humans modified into living weapons by mythos entities. Abilities often latent till exposed to life threatening stimulus. Power makes them arrogant and many are unstable.

Symbiotes - Biological
Humans bonded with a biological entity living off the hosts body. They increase survival odds of host to a point, even transforming them or extending monstrous appendages from host body. Eventually entity may violently exit the host to enter a new phase of life or find a new body.  

Symbiotes - Psionic
Mental entities posses a host human and use them as a vessel. Might include aliens, sorcerers, yithians and others. Many entities have powers

Dreamers
Dreamers are humans who travel to other planes in their sleep and are sensitive to psionic impressions of mythos activity. Interpreting their experiences in waking world dificult

Psychic
These sensitives can be invaluable for agencies and best not left for rival agencies or cults or monsters to find. Powers are invaluable but sensitivity may make them witness sanity shattering events others cannot perceive.

Sorcerers
Use magical knowledge from elder tomes and cults or even dream sendings of gods. Sorcerers are highly unstable and prone to madness and treachery. Some prepare for life after death and may manage to return as living dead or as crawling masses of worms or worse. Sorcerers have a number of spells and deals directly with demons and horrors beyond normal men. While such is a path to madness – some sorcerers for a time manage to dominate the forces of evil

Artifact WielderSome people become bonded to alien or mythos artifacts which may provide exotic abilities. Some can operate them safely while others suffer "curse effects". Some may appear as machines or organic or as magic artifacts.

Monsters
Vampires, ghouls, werewolves, proto-shoggoths and other forms may exist but most deteriorate into madness rapidly.

Time Travellers and Plane TravellersSuch travellers may know interesting information and may jaunt to other planes or times to escape or find facts. Such travel is dangerous and attracts gods. Some might only mentally travel like a dreamer.

Sanity
Powers being used for first time might cause SAN loss. Also witnessing another character explode someone might cause losses even for grizzled war vets. Heroic powers might induce insanity such as overbearing ego, arrogance, sexual mania, paranoia, sadism, unreasonable fearlessness etc. Isanities might suit certain types like a vampire even the psychic kind might feel a need to leave bloody corpses in public. Some types might change or evolve taking on a major physical change with each insanity.

Scenarios ideas
Super cultists making supermen – fanatics will do anything to get ultimate power – try strange science, black magic, bond with an alien symbiote, be a guinea pig, serve alien gods, trust ultraterrestrials, even train hard with a unknowable secret society. Some are just beginning in their black labs, some have been doing it for thousands of years with alien symbiotes and breeding programs. You can,t always believe where your powers come from. Government may well lie about that radioactive spider to the son of the spider goddess.

Investigations are common adventure mode but agencies often send in tainted agents to expose mythos activity in area or a agents tainted genes as a test. Sending investigators into long dormant sites might awaken dark powers on site or in a investigator. You might start off as x-file agents only to discover something real and have a more secret agency adopt you.

Corruption, conspiracy and Cthulhu – smoke and mirrors, wheels within wheels – flee or fight the secret organizations which smother the lives of super humans. Betrayal, hunted by mysterious enamies and cunning escapes are the rule here. Origin subplots can be separate or linked to campaign meta narrative.

The Quest – in Coc investigators seek to find knowledge and relics and spells to fight horror. Superhumans likewise search to find the mysteries of themselves and invariably come to hunt and battle others like them. An enemy is exposed and the super-naturalist must find a foes weakness, secret or lair to have a chance of stopping them.

Adventure and exploration – the adventurers find a location beyond the experience of normal men. Some lost world or place separated by space or time is glimpsed and has a chance to make amazing discoveries. Primordial lands, exotic beings, natural hazards and obstacles await them. Outre Worlds might be accessible through gates or transport by a entity. Limbo, dreamlands

Overspace entities are constantly breaking through and a bit of help from a sensitive dreamer or a cult can unleash horrible entities. Clues from local history may reveal past incursions.

Real world historyA possible influence on Grant Morrison is the book Morning of the Magicians – a supposed non- fiction pop occult and conspiracy book which deals with ideas found in late 19th and early 20th century occultism and claims Lovecraft was right all along. It tries to connect ideas like Athurian mythos and Nazi eugenics to actual alien space gods and beings from overspace who want to occupy our bodies. Super humans, mental powers and lost civilizations abound in Theosophy, Scientology and Ohm Supreme Truth. There is plenty of real world “non-fiction” ideas and beliefs to inspire and blend in with your own Black Science scenarios.

Some Game System notesI have gone for providing a wide range of character mods which could be applied quickly to generate new characters rapidly like the original Call of Cthulhu. If superhumans don’t die every session many may well go mad and become new obstacles for their friends, thus necessitating fast character generation. These mods are simpler to slap on a basic character than those point systems in Superworld or BRP but are compatible with both. These mods could be taken in multiples if the Keeper is alright with it – like a veteran investigator turned sage or an immortal with a symbiote.

In such a campaign anything from any BRP product could be used to describe other types of paranormal abilities. Even Nephalim or Stormbringer elements might be useful. Also any power might be adversely affected by interactions with different powers. A shaman might posses your sybiote. A sorcerers magic blade might ignore technological armors. Champions of antagonistic gods might involuntarily attack each in public. Agencies might pit gods and their cults against each other.

Black Science Campaign
One of the principle challenges of Dark Science is that it offers a new role playing experience and uses familiar and new menaces. Unlike many investigators, superhumans may fight back and may win. While superhuman investigators may include information gathering or combat abilities beyond
the norm the threat of madness and danger is ever greater. You could have to deal with a character whose psychometric abilities saw too much and is now screaming madly about the blood everywhere. Being bulletproof and stronger than ordinary men might make you take out the rank and file of cultists – but they too may have their own superhuman agents, monsters and sorcerers whose powers might regard you as just a normal. Dark gods might sniff you out as different all along. Nyarlathotep might be grooming you all along planning for your flowering into madness.

In the world of dark Science cults and governments also have more active presence on the investigators lives, actively pursuing them with elite trained agents then increasingly powerful superhuman operatives.

If you destroy a deep one nest and leave clues, you might find sailors, naval intelligence and fishermen all glare at you knowingly everywhere you go. Exotic assassins might strike after cult thugs fail a kidnap attempt. Deep-one Hybrid Sorcerers’, proto-shoggoths and other increasingly weird threats will assail them. Eventually investigators agree to never cross open water and the elders of Insmouth plots are saved for a more opportune time. Later the Investigators are later fleeing the Cthonians must cross the water, only to have a horde of deepones and Father Dagon attack. Likewise polar regions and Iquatha could be a hazard.

Also in Black Science, journeys to other worlds is more common. Dreamlands, Limbo the interstitial void of overspace are more accessible. Journeys to other worlds or primordial epochs are all possible. In Grant Morrisons Invisibles, characters dodge an explosion by jumping into another universe. William Hope Hodkinsons House on the Borderlands inspires one of the included scenarios. Many Haunted locations could exist on multiple planes at once. Possibly only the investigators can perceive creatures lurking in in an overlapping dream reality.

CharactersSome expanded notes on character types and stuff.

*Characters could be taken as vetran investigators from a traditional campaign. Even from a different epoch.

*Or they could be a standard character made as per your usual rules with one or more add on power options – noting that each of these have their own unique flaws and risks.

*Generate a character as per non-human race description like a ghoul or proto shoggoth or deep one or vampire

Power levels do vary. Some of the more deadly types might not be so useful to have around when their minds finally snap. Some types go mad faster.

In context of a campaign, keepers may wish to limit the availability of types to only a few, or limit which can be played. For an introductory campaign giving everybody a shared origin story is fairly straightforward. Perhaps different governments use different technologies from different gods. A team could all be military research prototypes or perhaps all modified by an alien species needing hosts for something else.

Mixed types are fine too. Some types are complementary or have particularly useful abilities. For example a Psychic, a Dreamer, a Veteran monster hunter and a Sage might work well together and be a fairly subtle able to hide among mortal men.

An experienced player group might have ideas for weird characters of their own after a while but you could introduce different more types. You could keep abilities obscure introducing character abilities gradually (as san drops). Let them solve the mystery of their power type. Perhaps pick backgrounds which suit their skills. A psychic investigator might actually be psionicly sensitive. A marine archeologist doesn’t know his dad was adopted from some Insmouth girl. A soldier finds he is invulnerable but takes longer to discover he has an alien god symbiote keeping him from harm. Players can have backup characters ready to go in event of injury, insanity or worse.

Vetran monster hunters and mythos busters
A team of vetran or elite mythos investigators who have weapons, magical relics, money, spells, sanity to spare and even magical healing is a dangerous force. When characters begin to act like super terrorists, clouding the minds of millitary base armoury guards to steal arms or killing a town sherrif in cold blood, or blowing up the silver twilight lodge while full of city officials then its fair to say they have crossed the line between men and monsters. They often work in teams from a central organization. This allows new investigators to be trained by experts while older ones had therapy. Their fellow humans would ordinarily turn on them and wouldn’t understand. Veterans might take minimum SAN loss for a few minor species or human gore.

The Theron Marks Society – most of the organization was killed and their headquarters burned to the ground. But perhaps some survived and with cashes and new identities be still active, more careful than ever before. They even have their own manual of methodology, which new groups may adopt as their inspiration. Whatever killed the original society or original survivors might not approve.

The Shrewsbury Guild – Students of Shrewsbury’s celano fragments who gathered to use his methodology to stalk the mythos. At one time a schism developed when one leader claimed that Shrewbury was an agent of hastur battling cthulhu. The Group was shattered and an many slew each other in the fued. The original team survivors have a new generation of students ready to fight. The Hastur Schism still haunts them and thus they hunt Dr Shrewsbury to solve the matter. Brief possible contact with Shrewsbury has not cleared the issue only confirmed his mysterious and increasingly inhuman nature and war against Cthulhu and his cult.

The Wentworth trust – After his first sanity shattering investigator, retired English colonel and even one time acting colonial governor recruited an organization to battle the mythos internationally. Using many of his own children before he himself died facing Ygolnac. One fateful evening one insane member claimed the whole trust organization was dangerous cult and that there were no monsters. A resulting gun battle in the library killed most of the original members. Wentworth’s friend Aubery Wilson has taken the reigns of the group and plans a new campaign to exterminate the old ones schemes.

SagesA forgotten feature from early editions of CoC.
Sages persons who for unclear reasons are different than ordinary men. Often living simple lives Sages take no sanity losses from any source and can also heal sanity losses in students, superior to normal therapy. Sages have many unusual skills and specialties. They spend their time researching, contemplating and just being. They can be capable of self defense but try to not fight unless pressed. On the downside sages usually do not interfere, they try to not stand out and avoid violence. Some mythos sorcerers, aware of what a sage is may negotiate leaving a sage alone if they do not interfere. A sage who gets in their way or has valuable artifacts is fair game. Many Sages have an elder sign.

Immortals
Immortals have through some means been made immortal they may have extraordinary skills and firsthand knowledge. The older the immortal the more enemies they will have accumulated.
Immortals may need some exotic means to sustain themselves.

Immortal Wanderer – the character takes sanity loses from doomed relationships with people or places so they keep moving every 20-30 years. Immortals can obtain more power through ritually slaying their own kind. They recover most injuries and can reattach limbs but decapitation or massive torso damage or incineration might kill them dead.

Eternal Champion – reborn in new bodies in different times and places to do battle with chaos. May meet other incarnations of enamies, lovers and friends all doomed by fate to relive their battles again and again. May recognize events from the primordial age being reenacted. Some might actually remember past incarnations and be reborn again if killed. They will have immortal enemies.

Immortal Wizard – Using some kind of ritual, rare substance or spell the wizard maintains immortality. Most require yearly treatments and are expensive and rare. Some grow ever rarer or more illegal every year. Potions with 3-4 exotic ingrediants and formula, ritual sex with virgins, draining the life force from others, human sacrifice, swapping bodies, contact a god or worse. d. 

Meta Humans
Bred them to be hosts for alien embrios or gods from overspace who tend to explode lesser bodies. Also made by races such as MiGo or Old ones or by scientists inspired by gods for their schemes. The processes which created these species were made from only a few species at first which were bred into newer sub species in more recent generations. There was a genetic arms race which these species were fought over for control. Perhaps old gods of myth were such beings. Such appear most like superheroes or gods of old. Each type has specific attribute bonus’s and a minor power in common with their types. While each has several additional powers at extreme level selected from a list for their type. Most meta-humans start naive as to their true status unless raised by state or a cult.

While frighteningly powerful – learning to harness their own powers often drive them mad. Also someone or several forces consider them property. Many metahumans have failsafe codes, weaknesses, phobias and other built in defects for their makers to control them.

Many metahumans have symbiotic costumes which assist their survival and are actually packaging made by their makers to brand and protect them.

Mutants 
Mutants have been exposed to some agent, possibly from the mythos which has resulted in the mutant having random featutres. While some are freaks, some manage to hide their exotic features. Many have odd hair and skintones. More mutations means higher risk for defective or distinguishing deformity. The taint of their mutation may have other symptoms and problems. Some have the taint in their bloodline, others have been exposed to strange radiations, weird slime or alien spores. Some mutations are consistant from one source others more random. Some mutants are a product of being in a contaminated environment which aids their bodies in adaption. Hidden caverns with strange radiations may create a race of albino mole people mutants. Some mutants evolve rapidly in play becoming inhuman.

Symbiotes

Humans with an alien life form bonded to them giving the extraordinary abilities. There are many kinds including biological and non-copreal entities. Some need humans to survive in our world. Some are familiars capable on independent action but needing the host to feed. Some are extra internal organs, possibly embrios of alien beings. Some are skinsuits providing protection from harm. Some are always invisible, others change shape or appear in moments of crisis.

Other symbiotes are spirit beings who normaly inhabit nonmaterial worlds. A shamans fetch or the spiritual twin of an Iraqi mysic could be examples. A georgean ghost ancestor or alien spirit might provide knowledge, see otherworldly beings and warn the investigator. Some spirits might give misleading or unclear messages or just not be present because they are hiding from something worse. Some have abilities to interact with the world or just one location. Some might be able to open a door or fling a pan of boiling water like a poltergeist. Some entities are malevolent and selfish exhorting the investigator to act unlike themselves. Some might be able to use your body when you deplete magical energies to unconsciousness or sleep or mind controlled.

Psychics
Users of mental powers using psychic energy to attain feats like magic to most people. The first uses of psychic powers may be a SAN damaging event like a personal tragedy. Psychic children with second sight are born through all history – some are praised and others are shunned. Some have their powers appear after an accident or exposure to another psychic. Some learn themselves, others belong to secret schools or had a master. Many forces may take an unhealthy interest in a psychic .

Dreamers 

Explorers of the dreamlands – those of HP Lovecraft and others. The dreamer may interact with others dreams or even those of supernatural beings like Cthulhu. A dreamer may have used drugs, been a natural or used an artifact or ritual. To some dreaming is something which draws them evermore away from the waking world. To others it is a nightmare which makes them fear to sleep. A dreamer merely sleeps and lets the psychic residue of his location influence his dreams. What he sees may be allegorical or shrouded in metaphor – or possibly he is able to interact with some local entity.

Magical and Technological Artifacts Technology of some alien race, cybernetic implants from the government or a functional time scanner might all be possible. Occult technology like a ring which makes you near invulnerable to impaling attacks, a summoners flute that calls byakee and helps being them or a magical enchanted blade which has an elder sign in the pommel. Such relics have a risk of attracting original owners but makes user able to fare along side other powers.

BRP WTF My Way

So with all the BRP news declaring I am a dinosaur again and must rebuy everything again for a system Im officially not going to care for a while and do my own thing.

My system is influenced by
RQ3 BRP, Ringworld, Stormbringer (1stEd) Cthulhu and the Darklands computer game. Gurps probably had a bit of influence.

Skill Category Bonus
I never liked the bonus as was derived from stats in most games as a bit too fidly. No bonuses like Cthulhu good but I liked Ringworld system offered a simpler alternative - have bonus for skill catagories derived by highest two stata. This can be raised to combination of both stats which means a character can specialize in a bonus catagory to be good in all skills included. Worked well in play. The magic bonus is derived by Zero + POW and has no starting amount. This meand most ppl have 9-12 in all skills early on and cound train to 18%. A better stat combo might make this 36% which would be handy in the athletics group. The bonus can be raised to max by training or experience but only goes up 1pt at a time if dice normally rolled. Bonus is also added to d100 experience rolls and allows skills to exceed 100 (100+Bonus max).

HP, Locations and stun damage
These are like standard BRP locations but I might go back to a single table to cut back a bit. I added this stun system so ppl could have fist fights and non lethal fights more often.

As an option any damage could be dealt as stun damage or real damage. Gangbusters and Top Secret/SI did this. Blunt weapons like unarmed attacks or staff or flail (also whip). Edged weapons like swords or polearms damage next lowest dice (d8+2=d6+2). Stun damage crosses off the box with one stroke like /. Permanent damage is marked with two strokes like a X. Permanant damage goes over stun damage. Eg 3 HP boxes are stroked out from a punch. When later they take 2HP permanent damage from a knife two of those boxes get a second stroke making them change from a single stroke into a X. Four points permanant over 3 staun damage would wipe out all the staun damage.

Stun points recover one per hour
Every 5 stun points one becomes permanent (X)

One Second Combat Rounds
Ive always prefered specific 1 second rounds instead of the vague system in place. I Use (DEX+SIZ)/4 formula for base human movement rates. It works better with gun fire rates and makes situations without cover tense. I use basic DEX for combat order not strike rank system. Works well with my car battle games.

Recoil 
The heavier weapons fire less often because of recoil not diferences in weapon fire mechanism. Recoil mods are cumulative to hit per shot making it harder to hit with big guns. Vehicle weapons can be considered suppressed or mounted. Cheap home made renegade buggy might have a tripod machine gun counting as +10 off recoil. Most semi auto and revolvers shoot 2 times per round. Sub machine guns often fire 3-20 bullets in a burst with rifles firing 3-10 in a burst per second. Miniguns just get silly.

Firing only one shot/round has no recoil penalty.
Stopping shooting for one second round reduces all recoil to zero.

Cumulative Per Shot Recoil Modifier
Light calibre pistol or rifle -5
Medeum calibre pistol or rifle -10
Heavy calibre pistol or rifle or 12 gauge shotgun -20
Burst x2

One off recoil mods that can reduce recoil
+STR stronger people have less recoil problems
+5 if a pistol uses two hands or folding stock or long arm is braced or has a long arm
+10 if weapon on tripod mount
+5 Basic recoil supressor
+10 Advanced recoil supressor

EG

Bob has 62% skill to hit with a light machine pistol. Normally it has a -5 recoil mod per shot but this is -10 with a burst. He Has STR +16 and holds it with two hands +5 which takes 21 off the recoil penalty.

So if he keeps shooting with his pistol semi auto for 2 shots per second it works like this

Shot 1 no mod
(-5 recoil plus STR16 + 2 hands mod +5 for total of +21 reduces recoil to zero)

Shot 2 no mod
(-10 recoil plus STR16 + 2 hands mod +5 for total of +21 reduces recoil to zero)

Shot 3 no mod (or -9% if burst)
(-15 recoil plus STR16 + 2 hands mod +5 for total of +21 reduces recoil to zero)

Shot 4 no mod (or -14% if burst)
(-20 recoil plus STR16 + 2 hands mod +5 for total of +21 reduces recoil to zero)

Shot 5 -4% Mod (or -29 if burst)
(-25 recoil plus STR16 + 2 hands mod +5 for total of +21 reduces recoil to -4)

followed by a extra -5% per shot (-10 per extra burst)

EG2
Here is a 45 magnum revolver used one hand by same guy

Shot 1 -4% mod
(-20 recoil plus STR16 reduces recoil to -4%)

Shot 2 -24% mod
(-40 recoil plus STR16 for total of -24% reduces)

Shot 3 -44%
Shot 5 -64%
Shot 6 -84%

It is a bit crunchy but makes people a bit more reasonable and thoughtful about guns.
A tough guy with a low cal scoped assault rifle firing burst might do better than than using a heavy gun. Most of my fights last a few seconds unless they involve cars.

Classic Setting Abuse Challenge!!!

I I like overlapping something interesting genre wise with a official "boxed setting" like TSR classics or a franchise like Starwars. Basically take a classic and mash it with some other incongruous culture product. I suspect my taste and that of my peers is on gonzo side vs vanilla product adicts.

So id love to hear any readers ideas in comments box. 30 words or a paragraph or a sentence is fine.

The ones i mostly terrorize fans or comment boxes with with
Steampunk starwars (Britain=Empire Colnies=Rebels Empress is QueenVic42nd, lightsabres are mechanical quantum monoblade foils that vibrate - best ones hit in multiple quantum realities to fight old ones and time travellers, plus impossible to dodge or block with a lesser weapon

Gamma Greyhawk - greyhawk is great filler - its a medieval setting for adventurers with lots of wilderness mostly full of monsters. Spave age Ancients of blackmore could return to mystara or Greyhawk. Both have had gonzo sf but turn it up to ll. Gammaworld Pitz Burk becomes strange overlay with patch of greyhawk so mutant hordes, talking animals, plants and robots are everywhere, wizards with lazers. Actually that dark sun + gammawworld would fit great.

Elric in the Forgotten Realms - elric comes and kills gods and shatters planar bonds of universes creating upheavals. In someways he is freeing humanity from fear of gods and planar beings but there is a risk his conflict will destroy the Realms as gods and demons unite to stop elric. Players can try to stop elric or join him at the apocalypse. Actually before the first Realms box set, young kingdoms gods were part of the realms.

Disney Dragonlance? with Carl Barks Duck clan replacing humans (actually ducktails vibe would would work too well) or let Disney princess the crap out of it

Bring It on Peeps!

No demerit points for not capitalizing trademark names

Revising my Class and Races in BX

So played Temple Of Elemental Evil game again which is fairly responsible for my getting into DnD 4ish years ago. Ive had several computers not run it so works on PC where im staying. It probably influenced my DnD game which is basicly BX with late ADnD proficiency system and a few things pilfered from later eds. (Im always hunting a copy of cyclopedia).

So while Im not playing DnD I have enjoyed some recent discussion of class basics again. So as I will get around to revising my stuff this year.


I irrationally lump my classes together in groups of 4

I would ideally have a list of specialist sub-class examples built using my system. Wizards and Warriors would represent different schools of training. Rogues would be specialist criminal and subterfuge based guilds. Priests would have different cults, alignments or priestly specializations. Druids in my game come in many types and alignments. Sorcerers sub classes represent planar bloodlines and patrons. Non humans sub races would be more exotic breeds. My Abhuman class is pretty good for orcs or human barbarians. I had thought to have gnomes used also for hedge trolls and small fairy folk and I want to expand on this approach for humanoid and fairy creatures.

Basic Four Classes
So I still work with basics and i dont really use XP anymore so I want thieves a bit tougher than traditional. I could play with just these four and mostly use them in beginers games.

Fighter/Warrior (Knight, ranger, paladin, duelist, marine, archer)
I want to simplify my description a bit

Cleric/Priest (Templar, hospitaller, inquisitor, exorcist, witch hunter)
One branch of sub classes for priesthood specialties, one for religions and one for alignments
I need to do my setting gods properly sometime instead of european/middle eastern stuff

Theif/Rogue (Charlatan, assassin, acrobat, jester, spy, scout, bandit, beggar, sailor)
Still very happy with my thief with lots of proficiencies and one reroll per level per session

Magic User/Wizard (Elementalist, necromancer, enchanter, diviner)
I like later eds having more spells and possibility of using non standard weapons if they spend bonus slots.

So The next four I see as derivative of first four
Monk (Various orders of martial artists, weapon specialists and monastic orders)
Mine just get lots of weapon and non weapon, shun armour and sheilds

Druid (Sects such as black druids or blood druids, or terrain specialists like cave druids)
I considered merging with clerics. I have a pretty good spell list so they work fine

Bard (each bard school is a separate subclass)
These more like the second ed but less fight based. Need to work on some higher level song fx

Sorcerer (Various bloodlines and patrons from other planes or spirits)
Another late DnD add on I like. Easier for newb players or ppl who cant be bothered with wizard

My Races
I will introduce more subclasses that describe goblins and humanoids. I will be flooding my setting with more trolls so more like RQ and mythology - DnD Dungeon trolls will just be insane chaos tainted trolls who petrify in sunlight.

All my basic races are demi humans kin to faerie and human kind
Dwarf - pretty much a alt fighter but could stand for derro, duergr, some trolls, etc
Elf - will handle various elves, i like having ridiculous elf types, blood, lava, gold, star,etc)
Halfling - giving them increased rock rate and damage has made them living machineguns
Gnome - my gnomes useful for many humanoids like hedge trolls

Second lot of races are all mine and fill various rolls
Abhuman (was beastmen) now includes rock, ice, orcs, barbarians, centaur, goat, lizard
Tako - octopus faerie folk from under the sea have moved on shore - where the octopi in my Elfmaids & Octopi DnD came from
Giant - grow a d12" per level but live among men when young, worked well
Changeling - shapeshifters can include doppelgangers, selkies, plant spirits, beast spirits, lycanthropes, mermaids, etc

The Abhuman and Changeling have proven very flexible with variant types and are used plenty. (sidebar links to my campaign stuff has all this). Changing from beastman to abhuman worked well and will let me include more exotic non animal fighting folk like plants or gems. Changeling is a armour shunning race able to shift form like Oriental Adventures spirit folk.

My other biggest change is my psionics handled as just another spell list and I would like to use several classes using mentalist spell list. Probably be Mystic and Shaman (Exorcist or Medium).

While I have considered adding assassin, paladin, berserker, cavalier, ranger, illusionist they can be done under my sub classes easily - most classes just examples. An illusionist fits under wizard subtype but my psionics include plenty of illusionist stuff. A fighter (knight) could change class to cleric and probably would look paladiny. Im not convinced all of these need a class but there is argument that players might like them even if they are redundant. Modern versions of Assassin seem to include magic powers. I cant be bothered with half elves either. I have however done spell progression for some of these classes. Another option i have considered is a system where you get new alignment oaths and taboos every level in return for a slow spell progression chart. Like a cantrip per level with a 1st lv spell at 5th lv. Easy to add to current system and can include any cult or alignment like a cult champion.

Classes I would consider to be part of a new foursome and 
Mystic a hybrid monk a psionic warrior (probably a bit jedi like and makes a magic assassin class  redundant) use mentalist psionic spells and monk like physical and martial devotions. They could be confused with monks but are more about developing supernatural mentalist powers.

Witch - undecided but considered some mechanic and use any spell list or casting style including Priest, Druid,Wizard, Sorcerer, Mentalist and Alchemist but recover spell energy and channel through a limited number of known spells

Shaman - spirit specialist holy person like shukenja priests in Oriental Adventures use mentalist spells. Learn by rituals and capturing spirits (spells) and holding them for readiness unlike the way wizards and priests re-learn their spells Also could be like a yogi or exorcist or medium in other settings.

Alchemist - basicly use potions and constructs and needs a spell list (Dragon did a good basic one) with cost, sample ingredients and expiry date. Some things require HP sacrifices or instant use. Other things pre-made as potions and easier to make potions than most wizards. Spells are recipes learned and recorded in the secret language of alchemists (each continent has variations) and kept in their grimoire.

A shaman class would include lots of spirits for all levels and they would be a main class of monster
Still option of doing Paladin and Ranger as fighters with slightly different proficiency growth and the very slow spell advancement.

I allow non humans or bards to select one magic spell list as if a cleric, wizard, sorcerer, druid, mentalist - has made more diverse characters in play and hasn't caused any real problems. Spell lists could help divide up elves and nonhumans in to different types.

The biggest to do list would be to revise my proficiency system and maybe stick to using skills as would stop having to type non weapon proficiency too often. When I typed up lists most were untested so I will fix some and strip some excessive ones. Still considering weird semi magic skills requiring minimum level to use. I did want people to min max these skills to make more unique characters but not so much more powerful that every one wants the same unbalanced skill or everyone else sits back and yawns while super character destroys everything..

Arcane Spell list for Wizards and Sorcerers
My list pretty big but more specialist school spells would be good

Divine and Druidic Spell Lists
Clerics specializing in certain gods might need some new spells or borrow some from other lists. I like idea of priests who follow many gods but favour one. I like priests of abstract philosophies, ancestors, beast cults, elementals or alignments. Priests on frontier might work better with general alignment and able to service worshipers of many gods rather than one god. Perhaps worshiping the million petty gods and a alignment bias over the gods you deal for. Id still like to develop special priest powers instead of Turn. Several weather priests in my game rolled dice to change weather when in battle or to rain on a cult committing fire sacrifices.

I mentioned the Druids of my campaign having varied alignments and sects helped provide lots of exciting enemies in the wilderness. Pro were-beast or undead druids keeping wilderness human free, by making monsters. Elemental druids could generally be neutral but good or evil ones might thrive too.

Considered cantrips for rituals like burial, wedding, initiate, and a spell to bless holy symbols and statues..

Mentalist Spells and Psionics and mutants oh my....
These spells and rough versions of class i worked out a few years back. Spells im happy with but classes a bit rough. Idea of creating complete new system or minigame for one type of powers I always thought lame. Even the complete psionics book which has likeable ideas but a unbalanced power system not really comparable to spells. 1st Ed ADnD psionics reads like another games. Within a few games with psionics the characters would break the game.

I did consider doing mutations as a spell list with a random choice option and this is a project ive been stuck on for about 4 years influenced by abilities like metamorphosis alpha or gammaworld squeezed into a progression of levels. I could do one class with lots of random ones, another chooses a smaller number of powers and another class that could temporarily manifest mutations. Most zero level mutations or cantrips would be petty cosmetic stuff like flippers, fur, horns with minor utility. Better stuff later like time control, sonic blast, telepathy etc.  

I did do robots as a character class for planet Psychon and did half a robot spell list which worked pretty well. Examples include a low level spell to morph into a moped or a high level one to be a jet or spaceship or time machine. I could do some other tech classes using this list like a Scientist or a Cyborg. Psychon had subclass types for every class.

I will have a go at doing some pdf comps soon so some topics will end up being revised and compiled by theme.

Storm Beasts

Storm Beast

These prehistoric beasts are a surviving remnant of early long lost beasts that were partly spawned by elementals and prehistoric megafauna. The Dwarf variety often live in dungeons but sometimes a huge one is trapped in a dungeon. Hang out in groups of d4 young or a breeding herd of 2d4+2. They like to graze on minerals and salts that deposit on dungeon walls and any copper they can find. They drink acid and may gobble corrosive cave jellies and dungeon slime. They resemble great horned beasts of past times but have a brown or grey ceramic like horn. They are easily startled and will zap and trample anything they find a threat. They might even hunt and kill any predators in area.

Small ones are the size of a pit pony or cow. The large are bigger than elephants. They make excellent spell components or magic item ingredients.

Dwarf Storm Beast
AC +4 HD 4d8+4 Run 12"Run Ram 2d6 (Double if charge plus lightning powers)

Colossus Storm Beast
AC +7 HD 12d8+12 Run 9"Ram 4d6 (Double if charge plus lightning powers)

Ram is the standard attack plus they can perform one of these electrical attacks
-Shocking Grasp hits first who strike them or can be added to horn attack d8+HD
-Lightning Bolt as per spell 4d6 for small and 8d6 for huge
-The leader of a breeding group of over 5 develops a chain lightning horn - after hitting first target hits another with one dice damage less until no dice are left

They can sense living things or electric machines in darkness within 6" for small or 12' for big ones

Common Variants

Long Necked Storm beast have a girrafe like long neck which has flexibility of a monkey tail. They are good for guarding walls or forts and use cover naturally.

Ice Beasts shoot bolts of freezing cold instead and dont get the chain lightning effect. Fire beasts were around in ancient time and may still live on other plains.

Lodestone Beast uses magnetic beams to telekinetically mode pounds of iron or steel or copper or bronze. Dice normally for damage equal pounds of metal. They strip enemies of armour and weapons and might even animate weapons and armour to fight (only one weapon armour suit per beast).

Some legendary types could shoot whirl winds, melt and burrow through rock, phaze through solids and walk on clouds. One armoured strain could shoot explosive or acid pellets. Some beings managed to tame them and use them as battle steeds or siege equipment. Some had different shapes and numbers of horns, some even with a armoured head +2AC vs front attacks. 

Seasonal visitors for shanty towns revision

This is like the last post a revision adding 50 entries to the Seasonal Visitors to our murder hobo shanty town

A few interesting developments in murderhoboology.


The Empire has bought in over a thousand convicts to labour and settle the south of Exile Island. Many of them have been put on labour details into open cut dungeon mines. Everything is run by the military with many prisoners with skills being freed and given land.
Wizards working for the Baron often pay murder hobos to take a floating wizard eye with them so rich can watch dungeon adventures from palaces in city/


d100 Seasonal Visitors
01 Flagellants come and have drunken parties between holy flogging sessions
02 Headstone or coffin salesman taking commissions for master
03 Recruiters of competent adventurers d4 1=nobility 2=dungeon boss 3=foreigners 4=guild
04 Famous Bard visits for inspiration and his fans stalk him
05 Farmers looking for someone who wronged family
06 Road builders come to improve road to civilization
07 Old wizard professor with carpetbag seeking adventurers for dungeon raid
08 Mischievous local faerie creatures playing tricks
09 Secret police spy looking for dissident or fugitives
10 Lawman or balif from seeking fugitive
11 Bounty hunter and gang looking for bounties
12 Slaver selling d4 1=halflings 2=children 3=kobolds 4=goblins
13 Farm kids looking around easily duped attract trouble from families
14 Sailors on leave looking for adventure and cash
15 A wizard looking for party to help him research dungeons and monsters
16 Travelling tinkerer good at fixing things
17 Revolutionary searching for killers to help him commit treason
18 Old scholar with servant researching something lost in dungeon
19 Runaway youth will do anything to serve a veteran dungeon killer
20 Runaway goblin wishes to serve mighty human
21 Tatoo artist of questionable skills
22 Butchers boy buying exotic dungeon meat (no humanoids)
23 Wheel maker taking orders for carts or wagons
24 Farmer with wagon passing will take goods and passengers for a fee
25 Messenger boy carting messages to town
26 Hobo selling fresh farm chickens straight from local farm
27 Madman wanders from hills found eating garbage from roadside
28 Monk scribe comes to take letters by dictation and to visit murder hobos
29 Farmer comes to sell basket of field mushrooms
30 Tinkerer with donkey buys any scrap metal
31 A depressed jester looking for work or change of career
32 Ex servant looking for work or new trade
33 Alchemist apprentice selling fireworks
34 Tobacco dealer also selling razors, tinderboxes and pipes
35 Rat on a stick dealer from town#6 Lamp maker selling candles, oil and lanterns
37 Local hunters lads looking for work
38 Crooked priest collecting money for absolving sins
39 Con man selling kangaroo farms, bridges and cheap slightly haunted castles
40 A fortune teller setting up tent with crystal ball and pet donkey
41 Glamorous foreign prostitute or female impersonator visits town in carriage
42 Man selling a dog pulled wagon willing to sell
43 Crier will tell news from city for a copper
44 Crier advertising work for adventurers
45 Locals seen ghost of missing adventurer and heard spooky cries by night
46 Desperate farmer lost a child to humanoids wants revenge
47 Priest come to study if evil cults and humanoids up to some plot
48 Hobbling old man visits telling rambling stories of similar settlement years ago
49 Bailiffs looking for escaped slave, prisoner or fugitive
50 Professional slave gladiator now free looking for work
51 Trapper comes to sell meat and traps
52 Wagon of fancy prostitutes from city
53 Travelling minstrel and actors come to perform
54 Traveling circus always looking to buy new freaks
55 Slaver come with shipment of wives to sell
56 Priest and acolytes comes to convert sinners and feud with any local priests
57 Travelling tailor comes to mend and sell clothing and hats
58 Travelling tinkerer fixes things like boots, weapons and tools
59 Tanner comes to buy exotic skins, furs and hides
60 Cobbler comes to mend and sell boots
61 Visiting noble with entourage inspects camp for local ruler
62 Wizard and apprentice visits to trade magic items
63 Family of adventurer looking for kinsman who they have not seen in a while
64 Drug dealer come to supply area and enjoy local vices
65 Demihuman adventurers arrive, usually disgusted and make own camp
66 Quality cook visits and everyone raving about quality of food
67 Con man comes to fleece adventurers with land deeds and fake potions
68 Thief gang passes through to rob everyone and move on
69 Gambler passes through to suck camp dry of money
70 Bounty hunters looking for a wanted murder hobo
71 Military inspect area to consider building a fort
72 Lumber men come in to clear trees
73 Missionaries come to aid limbless, diseased and drunken murder hobos
74 Tax men come to claim income tax from business men and adventurers
75 Historian comes to visit to document happenings and examine historic finds
76 Dandy wannabee adventurers from city insult scruffy locals and start fights
77 Hoodlum from city organises pit fights with man and beast and monsters
78 A fight promoter with star gladiator takes on all comers for cash
79 A builder comes to construct a structure
80 Fortune Tellers mostly hucksters exploiting locals
81 Brewer visits with barrels on wagon
82 Preachers come to encourage adventurers to quit lives of sin
83 Cultist comes to recruit new members
84 Fight promoter comes to buy monsters for city gladiators
85 Messenger arrives looking for client to deliver map or letter to
86 Monster boss from dungeon sends envoy to make deal with camp
87 Loud braggart adventurer declares he will cleanse dungeon
88 A famous adventurer and followers joins camp
89 A band of filthy murder hobos join camp and start rivalries with established ones
90 An apothecary's son comes to trade potions for exotic monster organs
91 Inbred rednecks visit to see if a good place to settle down
92 Farming family visits to examine land and judge if camp a fit community
93 A poet comes to compose works on the local heroes or murder hobos if he cant find any heroes
94 A bard comes to put on shows, seduce women and make a name for himself
95 A cat seller with wagon load of cats arrives, guaranteed to reduce rats
96 Miracle medicine show comes through to fleece the foolish
97 Military officer comes to make sure locals not stirring up war with humanoids
98 Rural hunters and trappers come seeking furs and exotic game
99 Rich hunters come to hunt monsters for a lark, treat locals like stupid scum
100 Settlers with wagons come to inspect local land and community