The Granada Hack

 It's been a little while, hasn't it? I gave up on this blog a few years ago, but I'm going to try and bring it back. Maybe. 

 

I like mecha. Sadly, my only experience with it in the RPG space is Lancer, and that game has a really cool setting and three-hour combats in which no PC dies - simply unacceptable to a Zeta Gundam fan like myself. Still, I ran a Lancer campaign and it was pretty fun :)

That held until I found Amaril's The Cavalry. I looked at it, thought it was good, and brutally hacked it apart before starting a game at my university's club about a team of terrorists in a near-future Spain, with an ongoing war between Fascist Britain, the European Union, and the Communist League of West Africa. Here's the ruleset I'm using, roughly

The Setting

It is the year 2079. The US and China have destroyed each other in a nuclear war. Now, the Mediterranean is torn asunder. A new technology, the Neural Link, has changed the shape of warfare - neurally linked AFVs can carry the same weapons as a traditional tank (if less armor and ammunition,) while requiring only a single operator. Of course, there is a catch - the experience of Neural Link piloting is extremely mentally taxing. To minimize the risk of what is euphemistically termed "dysmorphic combat impairment," the Neural Link is used primarily in the mechanized combat frame, or "mech" for short. These are humanoid war machines, capable of acting as substitute bodies for the pilots for the duration of their mission - but enhancing their mental and physical capacity. Ace pilots can fight with inhuman reaction speeds, and even the grunts can bring a beating to bear. Now, combat frames are used by every kind of military, from the richest industrial powers of India to Spanish and Italian paramilitaries fighting proxy wars

Skills

You’re a capable frame pilot and semi-professional soldier-terrorist. Your other skills are likely not relevant to the campaign - assume customer service, manual labor, or administrative work. 

Combat

Everyone has a base of 1 action. This action can be spent to move up to your MOVE (the number after the slash, in the case of mech pilots,) fire one weapon (or one pair of twin-linked weapons,) initiate a strafing run with an aircraft, reload a weapon, or something else. Hexes are 100m. Mechs can move the distance before the slash for free if they don’t use their action to move.

A vehicle has four defenses: Evasion, Jamming, Insulation, and Hardening. When a vehicle attacks another, it rolls 1d6 and tries to get above the target’s most appropriate defense. Evasion is used against standard attacks, Jamming against guided missiles, Insulation against NBC or EMP attacks, and Hardening against hacking. Obviously, you can only attack people within range. A vehicle with no Processing is immune to attacks vs. Hardening, as it has no computer.

Infantry get automatically hit unless they use their action to take cover. If the hex they’re in has only Light cover, they get hit on a 4+. If the hex they’re in has Heavy cover, they get hit on a 6+. Infantry have 3 base HP. If they’re reduced to 2 HP, they’re injured and have a -1 on all actions. If they’re reduced to 1 HP, they can’t move and will bleed out without medical attention (x in 6 chance of death when first aid is received, where x is the number of rounds elapsed.) If they’re reduced to 0 HP, they’re dead. 

Repairs

Repairing a system requires 1 day, 1 competent mechanic, a repair kit, and 1 unit of SPARE PARTS. Ammo, armor, computers, frames, batteries, and generators cannot be repaired. 

Buying Shit

Buying shit is difficult unless you’re a real military (you’re not.) To buy anything (or at least the kinds of things you’re going to buy,) you need a decent relationship with an arms dealer. Fortunately, in an age of war, these are plentiful. If you don’t have an arms dealer, you can find one with 2d6 days of searching.

Once you do have an arms dealer, it ain’t easy. Sometimes, it takes time to find the stuff you need. Roll 2d6 on the following table:

2d6	Result
12	They’ve got a friend in the area. You can get your stuff today.
11	Ammo overstock! 1d4 days + 25% off ammo.
8-10	Stuff was packed and ready to go. 1d4 days
7	Standard. 1d6 days
4-6	A little difficulty. 2d4 days.
3	Quite some difficulty. 3d6 days.
2	Out of stock! The most expensive item isn’t available, but you can check again in a month. Otherwise, roll again for how long it takes to deliver.

Overland Travel

You can move 6km/hr per point of MOVE over rough terrain, or 15 km/hr per point of MOVE over roads.

Aces

Once you become an ace (i.e. 5 vehicle kills,) you get a second action each round. This only works in neural-link vehicles. 

 

 

To avoid making this post unduly long, here's a price list.

I'll be back in a bit with a Lancer hack for this

Progressive Rock/Metal Bard (GLOG)

 All right, so I know I haven't uploaded in ages, but here's a Progressive Metal bard for GLOG!

Inspired by Lexi's bard, located here.

Perk: Long Songs
You get two additional chances to increase the Intensity of a song.

The Good Doctor - Select one creature within 5’ of you. Deal [dice] damage to them every round you maintain the song, as you zap them. 20% chance that any mental effect (illness, mind control, Charm) affecting the creature is removed. Otherwise it just does damage.

This Body - Target’s body withers, reducing CON by [dice]

Unheavenly Creatures - Summon a force of [sum] Manes.

Mr. Invisible - Any number of creatures you touch become invisible for [sum] rounds, divided up between them

My Famed Disappearing Act - Teleport [dice]*5 feet..

Slow Violence - [dice] creatures act and move at half speed for [sum] rounds

No God - Clerics are unable to cast for [sum] segments. ([dice] rounds if you’re not me.)

The Endless Knot - [dice] creatures are tied up for [sum] rounds.

Visions - Name a person, place, or object, and see [dice] visions of past or current events directly relevant to the party’s interest in the named. Visions are long enough for reasonable context.

Deathless - Select [dice] creatures. They cannot lose HP for [sum] rounds.

Random Settlement Behaviour, or Automated Settings pt. 1

So, I was thinking about running an OD&D viking campaign. Strapped for ideas, I stumbled upon a forum thread where people were talking about running a hexcrawl like the Vinland Saga: the tales of Viking exploration in North America. So, I came up with this system.

You will need: lots of d6s, a hexmap of the region, a bunch of very small miniatures of at least 2 or 3 types and enough colors to differentiate the factions, pen and paper. I used Risk pieces for the miniatures.


USING THE SYSTEM

Give each settlement a population: I used 6 infantry chits and 2 cavalry chits for each. This is what all groups are drawn from. Each day, roll on the Settlement Behaviour Table for each settlement. Then, for each group out roll direction of travel. Each group type has different behaviour. There are two types of chit on the board: Cavalry and Infantry. When two groups meet and fight, roll a die for each chit. Every 5 or 6 indicates a removed enemy chit. Groups solely consisting of cavalry move two hexes per turn. 

When two groups meet, roll a die. This contact determines the relationship between the two groups. If this is the first time they meet, a 1 means open war, 6 means an alliance between the two, a 2 or 3 means hostility (-1 to all future rolls), and a 4 or 5 means friendship (+1 to all future rolls.) If this is the second or later time, do not roll if there was a 1 or 6 previously, but do roll and apply modifiers if there was a 2,3,4, or 5.

If two groups are in adjacent hexes, there is a 50% chance that they will each move into the other group's hex. Similarly, if a group is next to a village, they will

1. Set up a patrol (moves around the village and any farmland. Roll 1d6 for numbers: 1-4 means infantry equal to the number shown, 5-6 means 1 cavalry)
2. Send out a hunting party (move at random. Roll 1d6 for numbers: 1-4 means infantry equal to the number shown, 5-6 means 1 cavalry)
3. Send out Settlers (Roll d8. 1-6 move,7-8 create new settlement. Consists of 1-3 infantry.)
4. Grow: gain 1 infantry chit if under 10 total chits, if 10 chits expand into adjacent hex and move 1/2 population.
5. Shrink: Lose 1 chit if there is more than 2 chits in the village, otherwise lose a random expansion. If there is noone in the village and no expansions, village collapses and is removed
6. Investigate: Moves on the 1-3 hexes that go toward a random town within 5 hexes.

ADVICE

This system works best in small, dense areas. I also recommend you put a small paper tag under each group stating origin and purpose. Additionally, you should probably name each village.

Temple of Death (30 minute dungeon)

Taking inspiration from the 30-minute dungeon post from this guy's blog, I've made my own. It's technically not the same as his formula (12 rooms, less traps than he's got), but I made it in slightly under 30 minutes so it's all good.



Map

Hook:

1. The doorway in is giant. It must be winched open, with a pair of cranks inside (white squares). These cranks can be easily turned, but the door cannot be opened from outside by normal means. The air is heavy with incense smoke. Secret door to 12 is hidden by a massive painting 5’ up the wall. If the painting is removed, a passage is obvious, and leads into the pit in 12. Painting is worthless.
2. A temple with a huge statue of a raven. The raven’s eyes are rubies which allow anyone who implants one in the place of their eye to pacify undead as an evil cleric.
3. An ossuary. 1d6 skeletons will climb out of the walls each round, up to a maximum of 36. Each skeleton may heal 1 HP each round instead of attacking by removing a bone from the wall and placing it into their bodies
4. A small chamber for penitent priests. Empty.
5. A chamber filled with coffins of the honoured dead. 8 animate skeletons. Each has a longsword.
6. A room with a giant silver tree with ruby fruits. The rubies will drop off and shatter, becoming worthless. Every ruby that is taken off will turn into a tiny scorpion-like construct (1 HD, AC 6/16, 1d8 damage, save vs. poison or convulse on the floor for 3 minutes.) If a ruby scorpion is killed being destroyed, it is worth 50 GP. Alive, they are worth 100 GP. Only 3 will drop off each day.
7. A room with construction equipment on the floor.
8. Stairs lead up into a secret passage which leads into a forest near the village. The room and passage are tagged with the names of children
9. 20 kobolds. 1d6 will venture out to investigate loud sounds or light outside the door.
10. A group of 12 kobold eggs guarded by 8 kobolds with maximum HP, each equipped with a longsword wielded two-handed and plate armour. They will fight to the death in defense of the eggs.
11. Window to 12. Window is normal glass, but too small for medium creatures to go through. Floor has candle stub.
12. Pit surrounds a platform. Anyone who stands on platform rolls on whatever your favorite mutation table is, or the following table:
1. Gain 1d6 max HP
2. Lose 1d6 max HP. Characters killed this way cannot be raised short of a wish or resurrection
3. Gain one point in a random stat
4. Lose one point from a random stat
5. You can now cast a single magic-user spell at will
6. All effects from this table are negated
7. You gain 1d3 tentacles growing from your back. They can be controlled
8. Roll twice.
13. A pit filled with lava bisects this room.

Artifacts

Here's a bunch of artifacts I might include in my current megadungeon campaign. I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I do!

Maw

Maw is a greatsword, with a wide groove along the blade bearing the name, MAW, three skulls carved into the crossguard, and a pitch-black jewel in the base. The sword is found acting as a mere +2 weapon, but upon striking a living enemy with an unmodified roll of 20 will kill them instantly. Upon being used in this manner, the weapon's modifier increases by 1, until it reaches +10. When the current owner dies, it reverts to a bonus of +2. It has the following other powers and effects:

2x I
2x II
3x III
1x IV
1x V
2x VI

Orb of the Watcher

This brass orb is found on a marble pedestal, covered with a tablecloth. The tablecloth is embroidered with roses on the sides and a huge skull on the top. The orb itself is highly polished, and if inspected it will show the most dangerous area within 24 miles, or on the same dungeon level if used within a dungeon. It will show the party being slaughtered by whatever dangers lie within the revealed area, so that if a trap is within the room it is shown being triggered. This may be used as much as the PCs like, but it will cease to function

4x I
1x II
2x III
1x IV
1x V
4x VI

That's all I've got for now, see you next post

Ruins of the Lizard part 2

Dramatic announcer voice: On our last episode of Ruins of the Lizard, our heroes ventured into the upper works of the ruins. There, they encountered a band of gnolls and began to fight, knocking out several with a Sleep spell. We see them now in between the buildings on the south side of the upper works! Intro.mp4 

More seriously, this is a continuation of the series of play recaps that accompany my megadungeon campaign. Today's session begins with Gabriel, the high-dex Elf Fighter, and Elebereth, the Elf Magic-User.

The gnoll fell, and Gabriel loosed another arrow from his bow. The arrow struck into the weak wood of the door, destroying the last bits holding up the gnolls. The gnolls charge, one swinging his axe and biting deep into Gabriel's side. Blood gushed out of the wound, as Elebereth sprinted off while she could.

She returned to the sleepy town of Willowdale, where people were nailing roses to their doors. This was a traditional ward against evil, but she paid it no heed and entered the Drowned Rat, a local bar. There she found a cleric, Smith the servant of At, god of artisans and 5 mercenary spearmen.

They ventured back to the upper works, this time coming in from the western side. Approaching a building under the control of the lizardmen. The lizardmen asked Elebereth to come inside and meet their king, who was on the first dungeon level. The lizard king paid them for the gnolls and hyenas they killed (5 GP for each hyena, 10 for each gnoll) to a total of 60 GP, offered to pay them a further 10 GP for every room they claimed for him, and sent them on their way down into the second level.

Upon reaching it, they met a dryad, who wasn't very happy to see them. 400 years of barely surviving underground does something to a person, y'know? In any case, they went on their way after a few futile attempts at conversation and entered the alchemist's workshop in Room 6. They checked out some reagants and looked into Room 10, but were scared off by the Chaos Beasts and went into Room 7.

Encountering the spiders, the battle was on. One spider was on the ground and lost initiative, but the other dropped from the roof and grabbed the sergeant of the men-at-arms, dragging him up among the webs. The beast was repeatedly speared and ran off. Its mate charged, enraged by the loss of the other. Elebereth loosed her darts, striking it between the thick, chitinous plates and driving one deep. The spider died instantly.

Searching the room, they happened across the chainmail of fire resistance. They left the room and headed down the hall to the left, entering Room 3 and looking around, searching the room. They found the secret door behind a bookshelf and entered 2. The ghouls attacked, but were turned by Smith and retreated back to 1. Where all of the other ghouls live. Needless to say, they were not happy. The party and their men-at-arms retreated to the door and braced for a charge, and the charge came. The ghouls and ghast were massacred by the spears. Elebereth splattered one, while another tore up one of the men-at-arms. Smith smashed his skull in, as the mercs impaled the rest.

They retreated to the surface, stopping by with the lizard king to collect money. After running the calculations, Smith had enough XP to level up from his first venture into the dungeon. All-in-all, a good session. As always, here's a copy of my notes for the dungeon that will always stay a little behind current: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hpi4n_-WngNexp7zLn4-NCM_uI_XFwDYKtboX4v_dv8/edit?usp=sharing

Hellmaze

Map

I made a labyrinthine level for your murderous megadungeon! It's intended to be slotted in to any of your mythic underworlds easily, or even be added as a secondary minidungeon to allow your players some respite. Remember to enter the File menu and use Fork to make and edit your own copy of the map. This adventure is compatible with the core rules of Swords and Wizardry, but feel free to use whichever game system you prefer. Swords & Wizardry, S&W, and Mythmere Games are trademarks of Matthew J. Finch, and I am not affiliated with Frog God Games, Mythmere Games, or Matthew J. Finch.

Random Encounters

Roll 1d8 for encounters

1. A careening ghost-chariot, which got lost from the main race
2. 1d4 kobolds hunting for an exit
3. A Minotaur
4. The maze walls shift, changing the layout of the maze.
5. 1d4 giant spiders (small ones)
6. Cave in! All players must save or take 4d6 damage. The party's current location, and all of the passage for 1d6*10 feet is impassable.
7. Another adventuring party
8. Roll twice

Keys:

1. Stairs up to the surface or previous level
2. A fountain which neutralises poison and reverses petrification.
3. 22 Small Giant Spiders with 1320 GP  scattered through a huge pile of bones.
4. 18 kobolds camping, looking for the way out
5. A Minotaur
6. A control panel with 6 knobs. The knobs have the following effects:
1. Provide the player with the ability to cast a single first-level spell at will, without memorizing
2. Drains a level
3. Shifts the level layout (Referee should fork in Mipui) or teleports the party to a point on the map at the Referee's discretion
4. Makes a random weapon used by a PC +1 or removes curse
5. Summons a fire elemental under the control of the PCs
6. Disintegrates a character unless they save. If they save, they permanently gain 1d4 bonus hit points.
7. A broken control panel. There are four knobs, but only one will function. It summons a fire elemental, which will fight the players to half HP. After it reaches half HP, it will surrender and procure a seal which binds it to a player. The seal can be broken and will summon the fire elemental under the summoner's control for 3 rounds, after which it will return to its home plane.
8. A gang of 9 lizardmen
9. Preserved chariots. There are many ghostly chariot racers preparing themselves.
10. A deep chasm. Across the chasm is a tribe of 31 orcs with 1395 GP.
11. Ghostly charioteers careen around these forsaken racecourses. They start at Area 9 and disappear at Area 12. Anyone hit by a chariot is knocked down and takes 4d6 damage, saves negate.
12. Ghost charioteers stop and disappear into white, translucent mist. There is a scoreboard, with Blues and Greens as the two headers.

Monsters

Giant Spider (smol): 6 HP, HD: 1+1, AC: 8 [11], Bite (1 hp) + poison, Save: 17, Poison (+2 save or die), Move 9, XP: 3/60

Kobolds: Hit Dice: 1d4 hp, AC: 6 [13], Attacks: Weapon (1d6), Saving Throw: 18, Move: 6, Alignment: Chaos, Challenge Level/XP: A/5.

Minotaur: 33 HP, 6+4 HD, 2d4/1d3/1d8 (horns/bite/axe), AC 6, save 11, never lost in mazes, move 12, Chaotic, XP 6/400

Fire Elemental: 51 HP (Surrender at 26), 12 HD, 2d6 (fire), AC 2, save 3, ignite flammables, move 12, XP 13/2,300.

Lizardmen: 9 HP, 2+1 HD, 1d3/1d3/1d8 (claw/claw/bite), save 16, breathe underwater, move 6 (12 swimming), Chaos, XP 2/30

Orcs: 8 HP, AC 6, 1d8 (sword/axe), save 17, move 12, Chaos, XP 1/15

Legal Stuff

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved. 1. 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