Poll!

Sorry for the lack of updates, but recently I try to focus on Bandits & Battlecruisers ruleset and quick (but probably rather massive) setting for it. And here goes a question - should I include complete game rules (fusion of B&B and Terminal Space space-faring rules) in my campaign setting PDF? Probably PDF will be not free this time, but even if you want to include ruleset in it, I will publih some free BnB/TS fusion files.

About setting: probably it will be exaggerated, pretentious and slightly absurd Space Opera game (currently I'm highly influenced by Multinauts and 1985-87 Outlanders manga).

EDIT: Unfortunately I can't edit poll's options now and I don't know if my question was clear - I meant complete game rules, not additional / house rules.

Underworld Day - the Megastructure (again)

There will be more of them (industrial-related pics), but not necessarily next week - unless you want to :-)

Underworld Day - the Megastructure

More Megastructure-related pictures. Good inspiration for any sci-fi campaigns.

Merry... um.

Underworld Day

Second set of pics.

Disturbing Standards

 Roll 1d6:

1 - Brass bells with clappers made from bones, attached to the long pole, topped with infant's skeleton.

2 - Scarlet banner, constantly dripping with blood.

3 - Banner depicting disgusting, bloated woman, trimmed with kings beards. Woman in constantly babbling and farting.

4 - T-shaped post, decorated with rusty chains ended with skull-shaped, iron lanterns.

5 - Standard made from maggot-ridden, human skin, stiched from many fragments. Tracks of the worms form daemonic, disgusting face, clearly visible on the standard's surface.

6 - Long spear with small, strange, rat-like skinless creatures impaled on it. Creatures are still alive, constantly swearing and mumbling the cryptic words and shouting apocalyptic prophecies with squeaky voices.

Quick and easy mine design

I want to share with you my method of quick creating mines. One note: it's really quick, so don't expect any ultra-detailed, fanciful features.

Step One: Level design. open your Photoshop / Paint.NET / notebook and draw some quick, rather straight lines:

Now imagine that every line is mine corridor (they tend to be straight and sometimes long). And guess what? Your level is done!

Okay, it's not everything that you can do with it, but here any decent graphic tools will have an advantage over traditional pen and paper - they can use layers (I said "decent" before, so forget about MS Paint :D).

Step Two: Add new levels. Create a new layer and draw new set of lines with different color:

I want to add third, bottom level, containing some natural caverns:

But wait, I wanted it as bottom level!

Step Three: rearrange. Good that we may rearrange layers. In addition I want to add some labels to avoid further problems:

Moreover, If I want to use my laptop during game, I may use "interactive" version of this map, saved in .PSD format. Now I may just open Photoshop and turn visibility of that layers which are unused at the moment. Layers are named in the same way as levels:

Step Four: Additional Info. Here are additional things that you may add to your freshly created level:

• Look where corridors from different levels are crossing - it may be a good spot to place a shaft or stairway;
• You may use different colors on the same level, i.e. to show danger factor or fragments built by different miners (eg. mine was estabilished by Lizardmen, abandoned and re-used by Dwarfs);
• You may add grid to the background layer and set opacity of different levels to depict scale of the map and use it directly in game;
• Of course you may add numeric descritpions to the tunnels, rooms etc, but if you are using Photoshop remember to rasterize types and merge font layers with current dungeon level, as Photoshop adds a new layer for each usage of Type tool (I don't remember how it works in Paint.NET, I havent used it for a while).

I know that it's far from perfect method of mine creation, but it's really fast, so if you need to design some mines during gameplay, just grab your laptop computer / netbook (pdn should work pretty well on weaker computers), go to the toilet and create your new, awesome dungeon :D

Giant Slugs!

As you probably noticed, in real world there are many different species of slugs and many of them are of different colors. Why do not use different kinds of giant slugs in our campaigns?

Roll 1d10 to define color of encountered giant slug.

1 - Black. Slug's mucus and blood is highly poisonous. Anyone who touches it must save vs. Poison or lose 3d6 HP.

2 - Brown. Slug's mucus can corrode metal and transform it into a rusty heap within seconds. Any weapon made of iron/steel/etc. that hits slug will be destroyed after dealing damage.

3 - Red. Giant Slug has 50% fire resistance and can breathe fire.

4 - Green. Giant Slug's mucus is highly corrosive. Acid can damage equipment and cause grievous wounds (1d6 damage per touch).

5 - Yellow. Slug can emit clouds of stinking gas (effect may besimilar to the Stinking Cloud spell, if you use it). Its bite is poisonous (save vs. Poison or 1d6 additional damage).

6 - Cyan. Slug has 50% acid resistance. Can breathe acid clouds (not just spit).

7 - White. Slug's mucus is highly sticky. Any weapon that hits the monster has 25% chance to be trapped. Slimy trace left by the slug is very sticky too, so beware your steps!

8 - Purple. Slug has 100% poison resistance. Its bite is lethal - victim must pass save vs. Poison or die immediately.

9 - Grey. Slug's skin is thick and rubbery. Increase its AC by one step and add one HD. Its meat is edible and rather tasty, but stinks horribly.

10 - Golden. Roll two effects!

In addition, there is 10% chance that encountered Giant Slug will have some additional abilities, determined by its secondary color (of course if it is not identical to slug's primary color!). Additional color can form dots, stripes or larger spots on monster's skin. Roll 1d10 to determine slug's secondary abilities:

1 - Green. Slug's acid and poison resistances are increased by 25%

2 - Yellow. Slug's movement is increased by 25%

3 - Black. Slug can regenerate 1d6 HP per round of combat.

4 - Red. Slug's fire resistance is increased by 50%

5 - Cyan. Slug is immune to poison.

6 - Silver. Slug's magic resistance is increased by 25%

7 - Brown. Slug's spit range is increased by 25%

8 - White. Slug's spit damage is increased by 1d6.

9 - Blue. Slug is highly intelligent. 10% that it can talk.

10 - Gold. Slug is immune to magic.

Underworld Day!

I decided to revive my Cavern Day idea, but in more general manner - I will post pictures, graphics and photos that may be inspirational for Underworld adventures.

As before, clicking on the picture will lead you to artist's DeviantArt profile.

More next tuesday!

Appearance of Underworld forests

First fungal forest ever?

Characters have reached vast forest placed in Underworld and you ran out of ideas how it can look like? Just make several rolls!

Step One: general features. Roll 1d10:

1-2:   Sparse fungal forest

3-4:   Sparse tree forest

5-6:   Dense fungal forest

7-8:   Dense tree foret

9:   Sparse mixed forest (trees and fungi)

10:   Dense mixed foret (trees and fungi)

Step Two: appearance.

Appearance of the fungi. Roll 1d10:

1:   Tall and thin, with pointy caps

2:   Puffballs

3:   Regularly shaped

4:   Pointy-shaped cones

5:   In shape of big, oval boulders

6:   Barrel-like, with oval caps

7:   Tree-like, but obviously still fungal

8:   Tall with wide caps

9:   Phallic

10:   Mixed of all of above

Appearance of the trees. Roll 1d10:

1:   Rubbery, with tentacle-like branches

2:   Twisted and covered with growths

3:   With thick and tall trunks, ended with spherical leaves

4:   Looking like twisted branches growing directly from the ground

5:   With thick and short trunk with multitude of thin, long twigs

6:   Looking like woody fungi

7:   Regularly shaped, with spherical leaves

8:   Growing from the cave's ceiling, with leaves on their long roots

9:   With fleshy, algae-looking leaves

10:   Short and covered with long thorns

Step Three: additional features. Roll 1d6: if '6' is rolled, randomly determine one additional feature of the trees/fungi.

Additional features of the fungi. Roll 1d10:

1:   If touched, they release clouds of toxic spores

2:   They are covered with thick, very sticky slime

3:   Fungi are rotting and falling apart

4:   Parasitic mold covers both fungi and the ground with slippery layer

5:   Fungi are coveres with horribly stinking slime

6:   Different creatures made their shelters in the fungi

7:   Fungi are waving as moved by invisible wind

8:   Fungi are infested by maggots

9:   Fungi are glowing in a dark

10:   They are humming quietly

Additional features of the trees. Roll 1d10:

1:   If touched, leaves hide themselves inside the branches

2:   Forest is dead (10% to be partially fossilized)

3:   Trees are constantly creaking

4:   They have numerous hollows, often inhabited by different creatures

5:   Roots formed a dense maze, hindering movement

6:   Trees emit pleasent scent

7:   Trees are stinking horribly

8:   Instead of leaves, trees are covered by pale, slightly glowing flowers

9:   Trees secrete sticky, flammable resin

10:   Trees are glowing in the dark

Bandits & Basilisks on Scribd

Why not? Terminal Space was accessed via Scribd over 800 times, so maybe someone will need some lite rules from there?

LINK

Maps & Geography

I decided to post some index of all stuff containing not necessarily creative content, but all maps, musings about geography, dungeon design (none posted yet, as far as I remember :D) and similar stuff. All goodies will be posted in alphabetical order (divided into two sections), also I will put link to this post in blog's sidebar.

Map room will be kept up to date.

GEOGRAPHY & LOCATIONS

Black Volcano - rumors and legends
Cold Star
Cursed places
Frog River
Grey Moon
Lost Haven - rumors and legends
Megastructure
Megastructure - tribes 
Necropolis
Spire Cities of Khaal
Underworld Wilderness

MAPS

Blackcrag Fortress - cross section map
Floating Island - cross section map
Friday Five Minute Maps #1 #2 
Krubera Cave (not quite part of the game, but it's too awesome to be ignored)
Ortix - cross section map 1
Ortix - cross section map 2
Palace of Mar Gat'nep
Surface of Ortix - old version
Surface of Ortix - newer, unfinished hex map
Yellow City of the Empty Mountain - cros section map

MAP DESIGN

Megadungeon (preview)
Mines