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[Ebunorun] A Sword & Soul Alternate-Africa Campaign Setting

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So in addition to the campaign I am running in the Wilderlands of High Adventure, I am also going to be starting a campaign set in a Sword & Soul campaign setting.
 
Sword & Soul is a subgenre of Sword & Sorcery, dedicated to stories/games set in Africa.
 
Sword & Soul originated in the works of Charles R. Saunders, the author of the Imaro series.
 
Ebunorun grew out of two factors: first, my great enjoyment of the Imaro stories, and second, a friend of mine who wanted to play some Dungeons & Dragons, and he wondered, as an African American, if there were any African campaign settings that did the region justice (and matched the style of play we wished to play).
 
After perusing a number of them, I determined that it would be best to go forward with developing my own Sword & Soul Campaign Setting, ergo, the Alternate-Africa setting of Ebunorun.
 
I must note that the Ki Khanga RPG is very interesting, and was strongly considered; it does not come better in the realms of Sword & Soul than a game designed by the writers who work with Charles Saunders! However, the campaign setting is still much in the works, and the system for the game is unique; with everyone wanting to play D&D, it is something to be considered for the future.
 
I have already posted some information on the Piazza, in the Homebrew Worlds section, though we have moved from going with Labyrinth Lord to 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, so the crunchy bits will change...
 
The map is inspired by the Alkebulan"Africa Uncolonized" map, found here.
 
I should note that the names of the locales were constructed using an English-Yoruba translator; in the history of Ebunorun, the Adeniya (E-Yoruba) Empire was much larger and left a much more lasting effect on these realms, such that the "Common Tongue" of the region is derived from the Adeniya tongue.
 
The map is below. I am working on a brief player's gazetteer that should follow, soon-ish.
 
We hope to begin the campaign in February.


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[Middle-earth] New Dark Lords and Other Enemies

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Digging around in some old files, I came across this material I wrote long ago for a Fourth AgeMiddle-earth D&D campaign. As it seems like everyone was posting about Middle-earth recently, I figured I might as well be late to the party...

 
The Brambleking of Nan Morëhón
Bregambar, Quickdoom, the Brambleking of Blackheart Vale
Entish Sorcerer 12/Ranger 12
Emblem: A dead tree above which is arrayed three white stars.

 
Through the vile magic of the Necromancer, the Treegarth of Orthanc was poisoned, and the ents there corrupted into Voronodrim, Dark Ents, with malice in their heart, brambles for vines, and poisoned ichor for sap. They are led by the Brambleking, formerly known as Bregalad, or Quickbeam, once friend and ally of the Good Peoples, now a dire enemy and danger known as Bregambar, or Quickdoom.

 
The Voronodrim of Nan Morëhón are currently embroiled in a “civil war” with the other ents for control of Fangorn Forest. The ents are still led by Treebeard, who has fallen into a terrible despair over the fate of his brothers. Due to the civil war (which moves, albeit at an entish pace, regardless of the recklessness of the Brambleking) the Brambleking has not been able to pursue his hatred of the other races, save to the extent where he has sent a few Voronodrim and huorns out to other forests to begin the process of corruption there. This includes forests in Eriador and Rhovanion, though not as yet in Gondor, as the Brambleking is wary of directly offending and thus gaining the full attention of King Elessar.

 
The Treegarth of Orthanc is now known as Nan Morëhón, or Blackheart Vale. The Watchwood is much expanded, to fill the entire vale, and is now known as the Bramblewood. The lake about Orthanc is now a silted, festering swamp, while the tower itself, a creation of man, displeased the Brambleking so much (especially in that it could not be destroyed despite his new power and magical arts) that he grew the entire thing over in vine and thorn and branch, such that it now looks like a colossal dead black tree, with four huge branches grasping at the moon, the whole covered in bloody vines (from which hang the rotting bodies of men and elves). Orcs once again inhabit the tower and the slimy dungeons beneath it, doing the bidding of Quickdoom. His employ of orcs has dragged him into the politics of that vile race, and he plots now for his tribe to overthrow the Moria Orcs and take that realm for his own, the wealth and power thereby gained the better to conquer (and extirpate) the other races of Middle Earth.

 
For all that he had a hand in the creation of Nan Morëhón, the Brambleking, and his followers, the Necromancer is at best a distant ally and at worst a future rival, and thus the relationship between Quickdoom and Pallando is strained at the best of times.

 
The Dragon King of Khand
Dhumujian Khan, Dailianj Khan (V. “Great Dragon King”), Tárolókë (Q. “High-King Dragon”), Lukhûzdurub (B.S. “Dragon King”)
Half-Dragon (Variag) Barbarian 18
Emblem: A red dragon rampant.
 
Dhumujian was born 33 years ago amongst the Variags of Khand, during the chaos and wars that followed the fall of Sauron and the disintegration of the Dark Empire. He was born a normal human, son of one of the many tribal chieftains. His father and most of his tribe was slain when he was but a child, and he fled into the wilderness. There he slowly built his own tribe from outcastes, the disaffected, and orphans like himself, welding them into a new tribe and power. Two years ago his tribe conquered the last remaining Variag tribe that opposed him, and he celebrated by naming himself the King of the World, and proclaimed himself a god. The High Priestess of Khand thereupon prophesied that he would either be destroyed for his presumption or he would, in fact, succeed, and be both god and king. Shortly thereafter a dragon began ravaging the countryside in a terrible rage, and all thought that it was the vengeance of the gods for their leader’s blasphemy. Dhumujian went forth to meet the beast single-handed. Naught was heard from him for three days, but the dragon was not seen again. When he returned, the khan was a changed man. When he slew the dragon its blood spilt over him and changed him in ways terrible and magical.

 
Unbeknownst to him or any other, the reason the dragon raged so terribly was that it had eaten a ring from its hoard, a ring of power, and the smelting of it in its belly drove it mad. When the khan slew the dragon, its magically-charged blood drenched him and altered him through the magic of the ring. It transformed him and gave him no small measure of the dragon’s power (effectively turning him into a half-red dragon). Today his followers are fanatical to the extreme, believing the transformation to mark the approval of the gods and the eventual conquest of the entire world under the hooves of the Variag peoples.

 
The Ice Queen of Angmar
Helkanárfëa (Q. “Icy Fire Spirit”), Akûldâgalûr (B.S. “Ice Demon”)
Valaraukar/Noldor Sorcerer 24
Emblem: A white dragon rampant.

 
Helkanárfëa, the Ice Queen of Angmar, is the daughter of a balrog and a captured Noldor princess of the First Age, born in the pits of Morgoth. Thus, as with Lúthien, daughter of Thingol of Doriath and Melian the Maia, she is a most potent being. She was being trained as a great captain by Morgoth when the Final Doom fell upon Angband and her master, but she survived, and was cast into the waters of the north, where, due to her great might from her valaraukar father, she remained frozen alive, encased in ice for millennia. Even frozen in body she was potent in spirit, and over the ages she slowly corrupted nearby native tribes of elves, men, and orcs to her cause. When Sauron was destroyed the great wave of magic that was released in his destruction shattered her prison, and she was freed.

 
Since then she has slowly built her forces of Helkari (vile ice elves), Lossoth (evil snowmen), and Akûlmurûk (“ice bears,” the mighty furred orcs of the north). Around 30 FA her first scouts snuck into Angmar and made contact with the local goblin tribes. By 50 FA she had conquered the orcs of Mount Gram, and controlled or otherwise dominated all other local orc tribes and troll bands, save those of Mount Gundabad (who oppose her and, thus far, are too strong to conquer).  By 60 FA her new domicile, Lugrazbûrzum, the “Tower of Frozen Shadows,” was complete, built atop the ruins of the Witch King’s tower at Carn Dûm. Angmar is now a fairy land of ice and snow, where summer is as autumn and spring never reigns. It has become known as the “Fimbul Land,” for orcs and trolls walk the frosted moors by day and ice and frost giants are said to stride the land by night.

 
The Ice Queen appears not unlike a beautiful Noldorin princess of old, being 6’8” tall, with platinum-blonde hair, beautiful elven facial features, and fine slim hands. Her resemblance to Galadriel is stunning, though not so when one realizes that her mother was none other than Galadriel’s long-lost sister (she is thus great aunt to Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen, and kin to Prince Eldarion of the Reunited Kingdom). However, beneath her voluminous flowing robes of scintillating colors (which glow like the northern lights) her body is foul and demonic, covered in innumerable ice-blue scales strong as dragon plates (think of the appearance of Mystique in the X-Men movies). These scales go all the way up to her neck and to her wrists, and thus does her robe; her feet are clawed and demonic, and so she ever wears slippers of mithril and gold. The only obvious (uncovered and un-disguisable) demonic elements of her appearance are her eyes, which are a solid blue, the glowing blue of glacial ice, and her wings, which appear as those of a balrog, though ice blue in color and dripping with ice. She can “scrunch” her wings to vestigial size, and hide them under her robes when necessary, though the process takes three full rounds. The air about her is ever cold, deep frozen as the north (-20 degrees Fahrenheit); her breath freezes in a cloud of ice as she speaks, the stone floor slicks in ice under her feet, and icicles form on the arms of her throne as she sit upon it. She travels about her realm in a sleigh drawn by polar bears and manned by Lûzolog (snow trolls) and Akûlmurûk.
 
The Ice Queen possesses one of the lost Palantír, one of the two lost to the sea when the White Ship of Arvedui, the Last King, foundered. It is encased in a large column of blue glacial ice now hidden deep in the bowels of her tower at Mount Gram. It has gained several powers through her tampering with it and through its long centuries encased in the northern ice. The Palantír can only just be made out through the deep blue ice, flames writing continuously within its dark depths. The visions granted by the Palantír now take shape within the column of ice, and can be seen by anyone who sees the column of ice when the visions are evoked by the user. It is also central to her growing power over the climate and weather within Angmar, as she uses it as a focus and amplifier of her power.

 

The Ice Queen has allies among the Forodrim of Forochel, who are currently whipping the locals into a murderous frenzy against the southerners. She seeks to send the Forodrim on a viking rampage against the Grey Havens at Lindon and the coastal territories, perhaps even against Dol Amroth and other Gondorian territories, or into Eriador up the Baranduin, Gwathlo, and Angren. The Forodrim are Northmen, of the same line (though long sundered from) the Rohirrim, Beornings, and Woodmen. They are tall and grim, silver and grey of beard and blue of eye. They are not related to the Lossoth and despise the peace-loving nomads (though they grudgingly cooperate with those that follow the Ice Queen).

 
The Necromancer
Morinehtar, Pallando, Pallanír the Soul-Slayer
Maia/Lich Wizard 27
Emblem: A dragon skull with blazing red eyes.
 
Pallando, the junior Blue Wizard, returned out of the east in 60 FA, conquered East Lorien using a Black Wind, and re-occupied Dol Guldur, claiming the title, The Necromancer, for his own. He now commands an army of Woodmen skeletons, zombies, and ghouls. Clad now in deepest black, he has developed terrible magic whereby he can trap the spirit of an elf and corrupt it to create a banshee or elven ghoul. He has several allied Easterling tribes which have recently begun moving west. With them he has begun raiding the lower vales of the Anduin, the Iron Hills, and Dorwinion, not yet feeling he has the power to challenge King Elessar in his heartlands in Gondor or Eriador.

 
Pallando is now a lich, of terrible power. For a thousand years he ruled in the furthest east, the lands of Que-Rin and Kydor, as the First Sovereign Emperor. Then he was cast down in a rebellion and mummified alive in SA 2660. Trapped with many spells and runes, he was captive within his tomb for a thousand years...

[WOHA Maps] Hex 01-2723 Dungeons of the Dragon-Lords CONTEST

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Wilderlands of High Adventure
Campaign Map 1 Roglaras
Hex 01-2723: Dungeons of the Dragon-Lords
 
Those of you who look very closely at the arrangements of the ruins that make up the Dungeons of the Dragon-Lords may realize what existing adventure module I am using for the dungeons. I should note that as usual, I am not necessarily using everything in the adventure module, though I am using the maps and select elements, combined with select elements of the original adventure that inspired the published adventure.
 
That should be enough for someone to figure out the locale being used as the Dungeons of the Dragon-Lords...
 
A CONTEST!
 
The first person to correctly post in the comments the name of the published adventure module being used wins a free 5-mile hex map of your choice. You can choose one of the Wilderlands hexes from any region or even draw up your own for your own game, complete with ideas and/or details of what you want to see in the hex, and I will create a map for it in Hexographer.
 
Good luck!
 

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Hexcrawl Wisconsin -- AKA GaryCon!

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I will be attending GaryCon this year, finally, again, though only for one day -- Saturday.
 
I hope to arrive by 9am. My day is essentially open until 6pm, so I mostly plan to hang out in the Exhibitor Hall or catch seminars or short game demos until 6ish.
 
Then at 6pm I will be running a BX/Labyrinth Lord/House-rule game in the Open Gaming area. It's an open-ended game, no limits to the number of players, so if you are there, jump on in, I will have plenty of pre-generated characters.
 
Hope to see some of you there!
Image result for garycon X

[Labyrinth Lord] Alternate Thieves Skill System

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Sifting through some old disks, I found an old alternate Thieves Skill system I worked on some years ago. It combined elements from Labyrinth Lord, 2E AD&D, and Warlock.
 
The thief chooses eight skills at 1st level from the following list. Each starts at 20%. At 1st level the thief gains 120 points to assign as she wishes, no more than 60 points to any one skill. Plus, an additional number of points equal to the greater of her Dexterity, Intelligence, or Charisma score, which can be divided up or assigned in a single block.
 
Every level thereafter she gains 40 points, no more than 20 points of which can be placed into a single skill. She can also choose to gain a new thief skill, but it must start at 20 points.
 
Here are the skills to choose from:
 
ACROBATICS: Use of this ability includes performing tumbles, flips, handstands, tightrope walking, rope swinging, and so forth. Use to entertain is generally relatively easy unless the stunt is complicated, while use during combat is often difficult and requires penalties even under the best of circumstances.

ARSON: This ability enables the Thief to quickly start fires, assure that fire goes where desired and at the speed desired, burn specific buildings or sections of buildings as appropriate, and so forth, including the detection of an arson job by another arsonist. This skill also enables the Thief to properly and (usually) safely manufacture and handle Greek Fire as well as various fire accelerants.

BLUFF: This broad skill includes all forms of con games (both long and short con), lies, deception, persuasion, diplomacy, haggling, and bargaining.
 
CLIMB: This skill includes climbing trees, ship masts and nets, slopes, walls, sheer surfaces, overhangs, and the proper use of ropes, grapnels and grappling hooks, pitons, and other such equipment.
 
DECIPHER: This skill includes the deciphering of ancient and modern scripts, alchemist and magic-user codes, maps and map symbols, and the memorization and recollection of the same. Special: At 90 and above, this skill can be used to read magic-user scrolls and cast the spells thereupon.
 
DISGUISE: Use of this skill enables the Thief to disguise himself to appear as a generic being of the same or even a different race, or even specific individuals. This skill includes modification of physical appearance, plus mimicry of voice and vocal traits, physical mannerisms, and memorization and application of the “targets” specific personal affairs and knowledge (requires extensive observation for long-term disguise).
 
ENTERTAIN: This skill provides the Thief with in-depth knowledge of and performing abilities in a single sort of entertainment, as well as broad general knowledge of all sorts of medieval entertainment. Possibilities include: musical instrument (specific type), singing, dancing, sword swallowing, mummery, stage magic, puppetry, animal training, buffoonery, and so forth. Special: At 90, 95, and 99 each, the Thief gains in-depth knowledge of another single sort of entertainment.
 
ESCAPE: Successful application of this skill allows the Thief to escape from personal body restraints such as cuffs, shackles, ropes, chains, straitjacket, and so forth; picking locks requires the use of the Locksmith ability, and some of the more complicated and diabolical of these devices require multiple rolls of both skills!
 
EVALUATE: This skill includes the evaluation of common goods, trade goods, and precious treasures, from weaponry and armor to gems and jewelry, works of art, raw materials (especially ivory, furs, hides, and materials of interest to magic-users and alchemists). This is essentially the same skill that a merchant would have to evaluate goods. This skill is especially useful for a Thief with little time on his hands; successful use increases the search rating quality of a location by one grade (from Entrance to Rapid Glance, Rapid Glance to Detailed Look, Detailed Look to Brief Search, and Brief Search to Thorough Examination)
 
GAMBLING: This skill includes the theoretical knowledge of and practical playing skills in various games of skill and chance; it can be applied to regular game play as well as to cheating, and to the detection of other player’s cheating. With games of skill it can be applied as normal, and cheating can up to double the relative skill level of the player, while with games of chance the application of this kind of skill is essentially only in cheating (slipping in weighted dice, using marked cards undetected, etc.) to weigh the game’s chances in the Thief’s favor.
 
HIDE IN SHADOWS: This skill includes hiding in shadows, camouflaging one self in difficult backgrounds, and so on. In order to “slip into nearby shadows” from direct visual sight, the Thief must provide some sort of distraction, perhaps using Slight of Hand, Bluff, a smoke bomb, or some similar skill or device. Any attempt to Hide while moving at half or less normal Speed results in half the normal chances; moving faster than half normal Speed results in merely one-quarter the normal skill chance (all rounded down)!
 
INTIMIDATE: Similar to Bluff, this skill is used to get people to do what you want… by any means necessary. Application of this skill is both physical and mental, and at higher levels includes intimate knowledge of the finer methods and application of torture.
 
LISTEN: This skill subsumes all listening at doors, hearing and discerning noises down a corridor or pit, and listening in on a conversation across a crowded tavern, as well as reading lips.
 
LITIGATION TRICKSTER: This skill includes an intimate and thorough knowledge of the laws, of all grades and classes, and the ability to defend oneself using the law or to prosecute (or persecute) another using the same laws. This skill is also very useful in navigating and understanding bureaucracies so common in cities and Lawful realms, though Decipher skill might also be required to cut through arcane terminology. This skill also subsumes some oratory skills, but use of Bluff or Intimidate are required when the laws really are not with your cause.
 
LOCKSMITH: Successful use of this skill allows the Thief to identify the quality of a lock, pick a lock, repair a lock, manufacture a new lock, make a lock that looks complex but is really simple, make and modify keys, and guess the proper key for a lock from a large ring of keys in a short matter of time. With experience and close study, the Thief can even identify the maker of a specific lock, knowing thereby certain weaknesses and likely combinations between the lock on the chest and any potential traps included therein.
 
POISONS: This skill allows a would-be assassin to safely handle, identify, and brew poisons and antidotes. The skill is not as thorough nor as in-depth as that of true Assassins, however, and proper handling of poison is never assured; however, whenever the Thief might poison himself through mishandling or the fumbling of a weapon, he can make a Poisons check to negate the effect. Note that secretly insinuating an ingestive poison in a drink requires successful use of both the Poisons skill and the Slight-of-Hand skill! Special: At skill levels of 90, 95, and 99 each, the Thief may choose one poison against which he gains immunity.
 
PUZZLES: This skill applies to solving mental puzzles, such as riddles, mazes, the proper order of pushing of buttons and pulling of levers, special oddities, and all other non-script and non-cipher puzzle solving.
 
SAP: This skill allows the Thief to “backstab” a target with a blunt weapon or object (a sap, club, staff, rock, etc.) with the goal of knocking the target unconscious directly rather than causing lethal damage. First, the Thief must make a successful backstab attack with the blunt object. Damage dealt is subdual only; if the target is still conscious after application of subdual damage, the Thief makes a Sap roll; if successful, the target must make a saving throw against Death Ray or Poison, with a penalty equal to the damage dealt or the Sap roll (whichever is higher) and a bonus equal to the AC value of any helm worn (i.e., a Plate-quality helm gives the target a +6 bonus to his saving throw). If the save fails, the target falls unconscious.
 
SCRUTINIZE: This skill subsumes all sorts of searching, spotting, double-checking, sighting, noticing, and other forms of visual observation and perception. It is used to find traps, spot pits, detect secret and concealed doors, and otherwise visually determine the true status or nature of a physical object or area.
 
SLIGHT-OF-HAND: This ability includes small acts of prestidigitation, cutting purses, lifting kerchiefs, picking pockets, and manipulation of fine objects with the fingers. This skill is modified by 5% per level difference greater than 5 levels between the Thief and the target; toward the Thief’s favor if he is of higher level, against the Thief if the target is of higher level.
 
STEALTH: This is the ability to move silently; it is usually used in urban, rural, or dungeon settings. Use in wilderness or cavern settings is at half normal chances, at best. Movement is limited to half normal Speed for best chances; half the skill chance if moving more than half normal Speed up to full Speed, and quarter chances for movement from full Speed to double Speed; it is impossible to use Stealth at faster Speed rates.
 
TRAIL: This ability enables the Thief to find and follow a target unseen through a generally urban or, at best, rural area. The more deserted the streets and wary the target, the more difficult the use of the skill. Disguise skill can be of great help in trailing a subject, as can Hide and Stealth.
 
TRAPSMITH: This is the ability to manufacture or disable traps of all sorts. Lack of the proper tools makes this quite difficult, if not impossible, depending on the nature of the trap. This ability also subsumes the ability to find traps at half its normal value, rounded down, if such skill level is greater than the Scrutinize ability of the Thief.

 

Advanced Labyrinth Lord Kickstarter!

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Goblinoid Games has finally launched the Advanced Labyrinth LordKickstarter!
 
From the Kickstarter:
 
Advanced Labyrinth Lord
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1895361773/advanced-labyrinth-lord
 
Labyrinth Lord was first published in 2007, and for over 10 years has been one of the premier old-school "retro-clone" games. Its wildly popular supplement, the Advanced Edition Companion, adds all of the "advanced" first edition options for Labyrinth Lord, all while keeping compatibility with the B/X basic fantasy game.
 
For the first time, Labyrinth Lord and the Advanced Edition Companion will be seamlessly combined into one volume! Fans have been asking for this for several years, and it is my pleasure to make it happen! All of the basic and advanced options, magic items, and monsters will be brought together under one cover for easy reference.
 
Here are some facts about the combined book:
  • This is not a new game.
  • This is simply a combined book.
  • You will still be able to separate "basic" from "advanced" game options.
  • Much interior art will carry over from the original books, but new interior art will be featured in addition.
  • This combined book does not replace the current separate books. Those books will remain in print.
Cover Options and Realms of Crawling Chaos
There are 4 cover options available to backers. The first two will be available after this Kickstarter campaign is over, but the other two are limited and available in this Kickstarter only! These last two covers hearken back to earlier cover versions of Labyrinth Lord.
 
In addition, for the first time ever and only available now, Realms of Crawling Chaos is presented in hard cover format as a backer add-on!

[DCC] The Portal Under the Stars One-Shot

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I missed Free RPG Day due to other commitments, but got to run a two-player Dungeon Crawl Classics funnel on Monday night. I ran the party through the classic The Portal Under the Stars adventure.
 
Spoilers ahead for that adventure...


Mortuorum Cibum
 
Player: Adam
Ryan the Fortune Teller
Paul the Cheesemaker (“Blessed are the Cheesemakers”)
Seth the Mummer
Zack the Smuggler
 
Player: Alex
Brian the Linkboy
Richard the Cultist
Harry the Gongfarmer
Thomas the Hunter
 
We used the Alternate Occupations supplement from IDD.
 
Modus Mortis
 
Ryan the Fortuneteller used his Tarot Deck to gain advice on how to proceed once they discovered the locked door in room 1. He rolled a Nat 20, so he got the advice to “Wait,” and so they did and entered the dungeon without incident.
 
Brian the Linkboy got a gut-shot with a spear in room #2.
 
Seth the Mummer got blasted by fire in room #3.
 
Richard the Cultist was crushed by a falling statue in room #3.
 
Ryan the Fortune Teller and Paul the Cheesemaker burned to death in the conflagration that followed the toppling of the statue in room #3.
 
Zack the Smuggler was bitten to death in room #4.
 
Harry and Thomas actually killed the beast in #4 and fled the dungeon with the demon horn and 4 XP each.
 
Though there was a solid death count, everyone had fun! I need to run DCC more often…


End of Year Wrap Up -- New Year Endeavor!

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Well, that year could have gone… so much better.
 
Real Life went pretty well – very well, actually, especially compared to recent years; but 2018 was really not my year for gaming, neither for playing games nor writing about them.
 
There’s been no specific reason for the lack of either, though “time really wasn’t on my side” and “didn’t have the gumption to make it happen anyway” come to mind as twin dooms.
 
In the last few years I’d mostly been running Dungeons & Dragons 5E, and in general, I’ve found it lacking. It just does not maintain the pizazz for me that Labyrinth Lord and other OSR games engender, and so my desire to run it simply faded over time. And it was not enough to overcome the scheduling issues that developed this year with Jodi’s job, such that our only time together for most of the last six months generally coincided with the times the bulk of the group could play… so it goes.
 
As for writing, well, I’ve just not been that inspired. Usually, a lack of gaming inspires me to write about gaming, seeking an outlet for those energies. That just didn’t happen.
 
There was a brief period when that changed, however, and I was gearing up to start a whole new project… but then came the announcement of the end of G+, the essential home of the OSR, at the same time that the OSR started to completely implode in political foofaraw, and so rather than gamble time and treasure on an untried product even as the market was shifting, I decided to shelve the work and see how things develop.
 
Once burned, twice shy as they say.
 
But some of that renewed energy still is burning in my craw, so I want to do something with it.
 
With the release of the Advanced Labyrinth Lord tome [Dragon Cover | Orcus Cover], I plan to do something to build on that.
 
 
I am going to endeavor to return again to posting on this blog on a regular schedule – Tuesday-Friday to start out, maybe to move to Monday-Wednesday-Friday in time.
 
I want to return again to posting interesting, useful content, the kinds of things I would use to run my own game and build a campaign… with the hope in time to actually start running said campaign.
 
Return back to the roots, so to speak, of the OSR in its DIY phase, rather than wallow in the post-apocalyptic obsessive navel-gazing stage of the day.
 
So that will start on Tuesday; new year, new endeavor.
 
Hope to see you here!

[LEGENDARIA] New Labyrinth Lord Campaign Setting in Development

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This is the first in a series of posts dedicated to building a library of races, classes, spells, magic items, technological devices, and various charts and tables dedicated to building and exploring a new LABYRINTH LORD campaign setting – LEGENDARIA.
 
Or rather I should say, an old campaign setting, as LEGENDARIA has been brewing in my head now for years. LEGENDARIA is a world inspired by and steeped in the concepts and themes of a certain selection of 1980s cartoons. The primary inspirations for LEGENDARIA can be found among the following cartoons (those with multiple asterisks being the most influential):
 
Thundarr the Barbarian* (Ruby-Spears, 1980-81)
Blackstar*** (Filmation, 1981)
Dungeons & Dragons** (Marvel, 1983-85)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe*** (Filmation, 1983-85)
Galtar and the Golden Lance* (Hanna-Barbera, 1985-86)
Thundercats** (Rankin-Bass, 1985-86)
 
Those of you familiar with these programs can see where I am going with this, I am sure. Note that everything outlined below is subject to change as things develop; I am not going to pigeonhole myself on the development of this campaign.
 
The basic concept of LEGENDARIA is that it is a backwater planet in the far-flung future when both magic and technology flourish, but in a time when most of the planet and the nearby systems are stuck in a neo-medieval age a thousand years after a major pyrrhic interstellar war. Unknown to all but a few, ancient secrets of magical and technological power are hidden amidst the ruins of LEGENDARIA, artifacts of such might that whomever possesses them has the power to conquer galaxies and form the next Intergalactic Empire!
 
HISTORY– Untold ages ago, humanity and terrestrial biota spread out from Earth and the Solar System – which are long-since lost, though figure great in ancient legends. Interstellar and intergalactic civilizations, human and otherwise, have swept back and forth across the galaxies for untold ages. A thousand years ago the LAST GALACTIC EMPIRE fell in a terrible war against the LORDS OF THE VOID – servants of the DEMONS OF THE OUTER DARK. The Lords of the Void succeeded in destroying the Galactic Empire, but were themselves essentially destroyed, though some survivors hid to lick their wounds and perhaps rise again…
 
Today LEGENDARIA is home to a patchwork of tiny city-state-sized kingdoms in between which are wide swaths of savage wilderness. Here and there can be found small villages and hamlets, petty lords and robber barons. These realms are ruled by Heroes and Villains who wield ancient technological artifacts of super-science in one hand, even as the other hand wields a primitive blade or shield.
 
The scale of the campaign is small – five miles per hex – and geography changes dramatically and quickly, though most regions are separated by bands of rugged and dusty broken lands. Here and there can be found an atomic wasteland. Most ruins are stone ruins from previous neo-medieval realms rather than the twisted metal and glass of advanced and futuristic states. The entire campaign should be able to take place on nine maps, three by three, not counting the odd trip to other planets or dimensions.
 
RACES– there are many, many more races on LEGENDARIA than even on your typical fantasy world:
 
TRUE HUMANS are a small but significant minority and are further divided into countless cultures and ethnicities.
 
DEMI-HUMANS include elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and other trans-human races, such as near-men, cat-folk, changelings, amazons, wolf-folk, and so forth, all descended directly from humans, though perhaps with a bit of animal or even alien DNA.
 
MANIMALS are descended from animals uplifted by technology; examples include ape-kin, goat-kin, sheep-kin, cat-kin, wolf-kin, bear-kin, and so forth.
 
GOBLINOIDS are descended from humans, demi-humans, and manimals corrupted by magic; examples include kobolds, goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, gnolls, bugbears, and so forth.
 
MUTANTS are descended from humans, demi-humans, manimals, goblinoids, and animals randomly mutated by radiation. There are stable mutant races as well as mutants of unique sort.
 
Together, the Manimals, Goblinoids, and Mutants are considered “HUMANOIDS.” Some human groups label all humanoids (and even demi-humans) as “SUB-HUMANS” or “ABHUMANS,” fit only for slavery or extermination.
 
For example, in some places the distinction between cat-folk (demi-humans) and cat-kin (manimals) is meaningless; in others, it can mean the difference between freedom and slavery.
 
ROBODROIDS include sophont (intelligent, self-aware) robots, androids, synthetics, AI vehicles, and the like.
 
ALIENS are beings from the PRIME PLANE but descended from a planetary biota not originally native to Lost Earth.
 
DEMONS are beings from or descended from beings from other dimensions, whether from Chaotic, Lawful, or Neutral realms; even Lawful Demons are utterly alien and often inimical to the lifeforms of the Prime Plane. Demons include GENIES, ELEMENTALS, and other like creatures that are native to other dimensions.
 
Most settlements are of a singular race, with perhaps a sprinkling of other nearby allied races, but there are a handful of settlements in each region that are more cosmopolitan.
 
CLASSES– I am taking a new tack on classes:
 
20th level is the highest level attainable, with most of the greatest lords, heroes, and villains being between 12th and 15th level. The campaign is a bildungsroman; player characters do not begin play as the great heroes (or villains) of the campaign but can become such through hard work and luck.
 
Levels 1-3 are Veterans, 4-7 are Heroes/Villains, 8-11 are Super-Heroes/Villains, 12-15 are Legendary Heroes/Villains; and 16+ are Mythic Heroes/Villains. The vast majority of the populace are 0-level “Normal Men/Women,” and thus to them, even a 1st level player character is of “heroic” stature.
 
There are race classes, and all non-humans must take their racial class; and all non-human races have level limits in their racial class (generally 8th to 12th). However, player characters of non-human race (and select NPC heroes and villains) can multi-class their racial class with other classes, and they are not limited in level in their racial or non-racial class (all XP charts continue to 20th level).
 
Humans can also multi-class. There will be special rules for multi-classing.
 
There are the four core classes – Cleric, Fighter, Magic-user, and Thief. Each of these have sub-classes, in the classic OD&D tradition of the paladin class or the BECMI Companion rules (i.e., if certain requirements are met, the character can join one of the sub-classes). A player character can begin play at 1st level with a sub-class or can wait until 3rd level to join a sub-class.
 
Riffing off of the classic Hero at 4th level and Super-hero at 8th level, 1st level as well as every level divisible by four has something special associated with the sub-class. This follows more in the vein of developments that might have occurred had the Mentzer Companion rules further expanded on the development of sub-classes, rather than the class kits of 2E or the character-build philosophy explicit in the design of 3E and implicit in 5E.
 
CLERICS are much more strongly flavored, and gain spells and other abilities, based on the god(s) they worship. Crusaders of the Star Gods do not have the same spells and abilities as the Cultists of the Demons of the Outer Dark; the Priests of the Mother of Life differ greatly from the Druids of the Elemental Lords and are even more at variance from the Scientist-Priests of Technologica. The forces of Law and Chaos are much stronger on LEGENDARIA than on the typical campaign world; the reverence of life, even that of one’s enemies, so prevalent in the inspirational material, is richly rewarded, while the cheapening of life is appropriately punished.
 
FIGHTERS can focus on specializing in the skills of their trade and specific weapon as a Swordsman, Axeman, or otherwise; serve their gods or demons as a Paladin or Anti-Paladin; roam the wilderness protecting civilization as a Ranger; join the wilderness and run with the animals of the wild as a Beastsmaster; release the beast within and transform into a living tornado of death as a Berserker; study, repair, and build weapons and vehicles as an Armsman; join a monastery and learn the way of the Martial Artist; and so forth.
 
MAGIC-USERS can remain a generalist wielder of magic as a Magician, or specialize in different types of magic: focus on the magical essence of Law as a Wizard; surrender to the magical essence of Chaos as a Sorcerer; embrace the magical essence of Death as a Necromancer; study magic under the tutelage of Fairies as an Enchanter; learn magic at the foot of Dragons as a Dracologist; steep in the lore of the phantasmagorical as an Illusionist; evoke the natural magic inherent in crystals and gems as a Crystallomancer; merge magic and technology in all-new ways as a Technomancer; and so forth.
 
THIEVES specialize in a specific type of thievery or criminal activity, or in more mundane if highly utilitarian sub-classes: Acrobats use their abilities to entertain and perform astounding criminal acts; Assassins are slayers of men; Bandits are stand-up thieves of highway and trail; Hackers specialize in Modern and Futuristic thievery; Mechanics focus on the study, repair, and construction of Modern and Futuristic technology; Pirates are the raiders of the river and sea-lanes; Rogues are sneak-thieves and duelists; Swashbucklers are suave and urbane upper-class scoundrels; Thugs are strong-arm smash-and-grab muggers and raiders; and so forth.
 
PROFESSIONS can be learned which grant bonuses to Ability Checks when performing certain actions or enable certain highly-skilled actions that could not otherwise be performed; many of these are TECH-LEVEL based (see below).
 
ALIGNMENT figures very strongly in this campaign and uses the core LL three-part alignment scale: Law versus Chaos, which in practice is the same as saying Good versus Evil.
 
LAW is personified in the LORDS OF LIFE, also known as the STAR GODS (for the stars are gods, and their light enables life and keeps back the Outer Dark). The Lords of Life are opposed by the DEMONS OF THE OUTER DARK and the power of CHAOS. Each faction has scores of gods, demi-gods, and petty gods as patrons. Worship of these two pantheons is spread across the galaxies. There are also countless regional and local UN-ALIGNED GODS who are out for themselves. Clergy in this campaign are much more quid-pro-quo than the pseudo-Christian clerics of regular campaigns, and Chaotic clerics are more along the lines of cultists than clergy.
 
At the beginning of the campaign there are two major forces fighting for dominance in the region. The LORDS OF LEGEND of CASTLE BLACKHAWK in the KINGDOM OF GREYMOOR are allied with Law (based in the region to the south), while the BANEMASTERS of DEMONFANG CITADEL in the SHADOW PEAKS are aligned with Chaos (based in the region to the north). The player characters are dropped in the middle of this war, to follow whichever path their choices lead them – both sides are always recruiting!
 
TECHNOLOGY varies from settlement to settlement. The Tech-Levels in order of “advancement” are: Stone-Age Savagery, Neo-Medieval, Modern, Futuristic, and Super Science.
 
STONE-AGE SAVAGERY includes Neo-Savages who live in post-apocalyptic squalor – the classic shield made of a STOP sign with a mace made of a parking meter.
 
NEO-MEDIEVAL includes Renaissance, so is highly variable; some settlements have black-powder weapons, others do not. The vast majority of Legendarians live in medieval towns, villages, and hamlets, rarely seeing and never owning any sort of advanced technology. In fact, the primary common philosophy of the day is similar to the beliefs of the Luddites.
 
Most folk do not trust high technology, as it too readily fails; is expensive in time and resources to maintain when far simpler technology suffices; and causes all manners of dislocations in society. That said, Neo-Medieval folk are generally not ignorant; their knowledge of science and medicine is generally as good as Modern settlements, they simply reject most higher forms of technology.
 
MODERN covers Steam to Interplanetary; a handful of locales on the planet (and none in the starting campaign region) have access to this technology. Most of these are decadent tyrannies ruled by depraved despots.
 
FUTURISTIC covers Interstellar – think Star Wars/Star Trek. The Lords of Legend and the Banemasters have access to this level of technology, though only the leaders and greatest heroes and villains are able to command its regular use. Most of the minions of the Banemasters are robots (non-sophont “dumb-bots”). Ruins and relics of Futuristic sort are strewn across the wilderness amidst ancient and recent ruins.
 
SUPER SCIENCE is everything beyond Futuristic, including Intergalactic, Interdimensional, Time Travel, and etc., in which science and magic are all but indistinguishable even to a Futuristic scientist. The ruins and artifacts of Super-Science level civilizations can be found in the deeper, darker wilderness of LEGENDARIA, amidst savage squalor and monster-haunted lands.
 
In all cases, MAGIC is found working cheek-by-jowl with technology at all levels. The ability to cast spells is actually relatively rare; elves have their innate magic, but otherwise spell-casting is reserved for clerics and magic-users (fighter and thief sub-classes do not gain spell-casting abilities, though some gain spell-like abilities). That said, magic is common enough that most mid-level heroes and villains command the use of one or more magical weapons; all magical weapons are unique, and all have special abilities in addition to their combat bonuses (there is no such thing as a “generic sword +1”). Any noble worthy of their title has a court magician; most are allied with the clergy of one of the major pantheons or a local godling. Even petty villages and hamlets have local wise-women and hedge-mages peddling magical nostrums, talismans, and amulets of questionable efficacy.
 
MUTATIONS are adapted from the MUTANT FUTURE RPG, with rules changes and expansions. PSYCHIC POWERS are also present, gained both through mutation and otherwise.
 
LANGUAGES– Every human, demi-human, and manimal speaks Intergalaic, the intergalactic common language (simply known as Common) and can read and write it in the Intergalaic Alphabet if of a minimal level of intelligence. Humans, demi-humans, and manimals have it programmed into their DNA; this was done at some indeterminate past age when intergalactic peace and prosperity reigned. Goblinoids, mutants, aliens, demons, and monstrous races generally have their own languages, and pick up a bit of Intergalaic as they use it to deal with the other races. Robodroids speak whichever languages they are programmed to speak; as most are built by humans, demi-humans, or humanoids, most speak or at least understand Intergalaic.
 
There are countless other languages, used by all manners of races, and an interminable number of writing systems. The profession of translator is in demand anywhere trade and peaceful interaction occurs.
 
STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND– the player characters are NOT from this world; they are from elsewhere, and thus do not know anything about LEGENDARIA, save perhaps some legends. They have arrived via a crashed spaceship, through a dimensional gate, thrown across the cosmos by a mysterious explosion, or are otherwise cast away on LEGENDARIA with no ready way to get back home.
 
Perhaps finding a way home is part of what they make of the campaign? Maybe instead they seek to make this new world their home. Exploration of the world becomes a goal in and of itself, whether merely to find food and shelter or to build an empire. New races and classes are opened for play when they are encountered.
 
As the characters journey across LEGENDARIA and build their new home, they discover allies and enemies, ancient and strange magic, weird and fantastic technology, and a world of adventure. Perhaps they gain cybernetic enhancements or might magical weapons? Maybe they discover ancient magical weapons of power to wield in the name of Law or Chaos? Gain alien followers and win the service of a battle-beast? Build a castle and found a kingdom of magical and technological wonders? Become heroes worthy of legend – or become villains that inspire terrifying myths and tales for thousands of years…
 
In LEGENDARIA, all these things can happen, and more…

[LEGENDARIA] Hit Points in Legendaria

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HIT POINTS IN LEGENDARIA
Player characters and prominent heroes and villains have a bonus at 1st level to their Hit Points equal to the average of their Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores, rounded up; this is known as the Base Hit Points. To this add the Hit Die roll and any Constitution modifier, as appropriate, at 1st level and above.
 
Whenever a character suffers damage such that their total Hit Points are reduced to less than their Base Hit Points, they must make a saving throw versus Death. Failure indicates that they are Wounded, and suffer a -2 To Hit, to Saving Throws, and to all Ability Checks (-10% to all Skill Checks). Characters who are Wounded also move at one movement rate slower than their normal rate (if this reduces movement to less than 30’ (10’) they may only stagger or crawl 5’ per round). Success on the saving throw indicates the character is merely Stunned for 1 round.
 
A Stunned character cannot take any action (attack, move, cast a spell, use a psychic ability or mutation, use a class skill, etc.), loses Dexterity and Shield bonuses to Armor Class, has a 50% chance to drop anything held in hand, a 50% chance of falling Prone each round, and suffers a -4 penalty to saving throws. Any creature attacking a Stunned character gets a +2 bonus to hit (+4 total if the character is Stunned and Prone).
 
A Wounded character who suffers further Hit Point damage while their total Hit Points are less than their Base Hit Points and fails their saving throw versus Death falls Unconscious. Success means the character is merely Stunned for 1d3 rounds.
 
Fighters and certain Race classes that have the Stamina ability (such as Dwarves) may be Wounded a second time if they fail against damage rather than fall Unconscious (see above). The character then suffers a Severe Wound, and the character suffers a total of -4 penalty To Hit, to Saving Throws, and to all Ability Checks (-20% to all Skill Checks). Severely Wounded characters suffer a +2 penalty to their Armor Class. Severely Wounded characters also move at two movement rates lower than their normal rate. A Severely Wounded character who is damaged again and fails their save falls Unconscious, as per Wounded, above.
 
Any character or creature who falls to 0 Hit Points immediately falls Unconscious; however, if the attacker who dealt the damage that reduced the character or creature to 0 Hit Points is purposefully attacking to kill, the character or creature is Dead.

REGAINING CONSCIOUSNESS
Unconscious characters remain Unconscious until provided aid; at this point they must make a saving throw versus Death. Wounded and Severely Wounded penalties apply. Success indicates they regain consciousness and 1 Hit Point. Failure indicates the character has entered a Coma.
 
If the initial aid check fails, and the character enters a Coma, a Physician may apply his skills; if successful, the Unconscious character immediately gets another chance to regain consciousness, with a bonus to the saving throw equal to the Physician’s Wisdom bonus.
 
A Physician with appropriate tools may attend a character in a Coma; the character gets another check every hour to awaken. For every four hours in a Coma, a character suffers 1 point of Ability Damage to a random Ability Score.
 
A Cleric with cure wounds spells may use magic to heal Unconscious characters or characters in a Coma; if even 1 Hit Point is gained, the character awakens.
 
 
HEALING
Wounded and Severely Wounded status remains until the character is healed to equal or greater Hit Points than their Base Hit Points. This may be ameliorated through performance of surgery by a Physician.
 
Natural healing of Hit Points usually requires rest in a comfortable and safe location with access to food and drink. A settlement or fortress with minimal comfort, food, and water allows for 1d3 Hit Points to be healed per day of rest. Characters with Stamina add their Constitution bonus to the roll.
 
Rangers and others with the Survival Skill in appropriate wilderness areas may attempt to use that skill to build a shelter and find food and water such that characters can heal 1 hit point per day of rest; otherwise no natural healing can occur in the wilderness.
 
A prisoner in a donjon with only bread and water heals only if they have Stamina, and then a number of points per day equal to their Constitution bonus.
 
Ability Damage heals at a rate of 1 point per day, once the character is healed to full Hit Points.
 
A Physician may increase natural healing through the application of their medical skills. Other methods of healing include Clerics with cure wounds spells; potions of healing; healing devices and medicines of Futuristic and Super-Science technologies; magical pools of healing; and the like.

[LEGENDARIA] Mental Strength in Legendaria

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MENTAL STRENGTH IN LEGENDARIA
A new stat used in LEGENDARIA is Mental Strength. Mental Strength (MS) works like Hit Points, however, whereas Hit Points represent the general physical health of a creature, Mental Strength represents the mental, psychic, and spiritual health of a creature.
 
Most monsters generally have a number of MS points based on their Hit Dice (Mental Strength Dice); monsters that are noted as being stronger mentally than physically might have a larger pool of MS points, and vice versa. For example, sprites have merely 1d4 Hit Points, but being faeries, have a much stronger presence than their physical form represents, and so have 2d8 MS points. A normal human with 1d4 HP has merely 1d4 MS. Dragons that cannot speak have a number of MS points equal to their Hit Dice in d4s, while spell-casting dragons roll a d8 per Hit Die for MS (and prominent enemy and ally dragons gain a Base Mental Strength as below).
 
Player characters and prominent enemies and allies have a bonus at 1st level to their Mental Strength equal to the average of their Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, rounded up; this is known as the Base Mental Strength. To this add the Mental Strength Die roll and any Charisma modifier, as appropriate, at 1st level and above.
 
Clerics have a d6 for their Mental Strength Die (MSD) type; Fighters a d4; Thieves a d6; and Magic-users have a d8.
 
Various monstrous attacks, spells, psychic attacks, and certain weapons of super-science deal Mental Strength damage, rather than Hit Point damage, thus weakening the willpower, spirit, and lucidity of the target.
 
In LEGENDARIA, Undead attacks that normally deal level-draining instead drain Mental Strength in addition to any Hit Point damage. These attacks are particularly dangerous, as the MS damage dealt does not return until the Undead who dealt the damage is defeated or destroyed, as the Undead has literally stolen a part of the victim’s soul!
 

MENTAL STRENGTH DAMAGE
Whenever a character suffers damage such that their total MS points are reduced to less than their Base Mental Strength, they must make a saving throw versus Spells. Failure indicates that they are Addled, and suffer a -2 To Hit, to Saving Throws, and to all Ability Checks (-10% to all Skill Checks). Success on the saving throw indicates the character is merely Stunned for 1 round.
 
A Stunned character cannot take any action (attack, move, cast a spell, use a psychic ability or mutation, use a class skill, etc.), loses Dexterity and Shield bonuses to Armor Class, has a 50% chance to drop anything held in hand, a 50% chance of falling Prone each round, and suffers a -4 penalty to saving throws. Any creature attacking a Stunned character gets a +2 bonus to hit (+4 total if the character is Stunned and Prone).
 
An Addled character who suffers further Mental Strength damage while their total Mental Strength points are less than their Base Mental Strength and fails their saving throw versus Spells is Stupefied. Success means the character is merely Stunned for 1d3 rounds.
 
Magic-users and certain Race classes that have the Willpower ability (such as Elves and Psychic Mutants) may be Addled a second time if they fail against damage rather than become Stupefied (see above). The character instead becomes Befuddled, and the character suffers a total of -4 penalty To Hit, to Saving Throws, and to all Ability Checks (-20% to all Skill Checks). Befuddled characters suffer a +2 penalty to their Armor Class. Characters who are Befuddled also move at one movement rate slower than their normal rate (if this reduces movement to less than 30’ (10’) they may only stagger or crawl 5’ per round). A Befuddled character who is damaged again and fails their save is Stupefied, as per Addled, above. Success means the character is merely Stunned for 1d3 rounds.
 
Any character or creature who falls to 0 Mental Strength points immediately becomes Stupefied; however, if the attacker who dealt the damage that reduced the character or creature to 0 Mental Strength drains Mental Strength rather than dealing Psychic Damage (i.e., Undead), the character or creature is Brain Dead (i.e., reduced to a vegetative state).
 
Note: Some characters are able to expend Mental Strength to cast spells or activate psychic abilities. Use of Mental Strength points in this way can cause the character to become Addled, Befuddled, or even Stupefied, as normal, however, the character gains a +4 bonus to the saving throws against these effects. Use of Mental Strength points in this way does not count as draining of Mental Strength points.
 
STUPEFIED CREATURES
Immediately upon becoming Stupefied, a creature must make a saving throw versus Death; failure indicates that the creature is rendered Unconscious for 1d6 rounds. Success indicates that the creature is merely Stunned for 1d6 rounds. Thereafter, the creature is no longer Unconscious or Stunned, and instead is merely Stupefied. Stupefied creatures are not unconscious, but then they are not really conscious, either; they are stuck in between, in an insensate state.
 
Stupefied creatures suffer all the effects of Befuddlement, above, with the following additions. First, and most importantly, a Stupefied creature subjected to any sort of mind-affecting spell, psychic attack/ability, or super-science mind effect automatically fails their saving throw.
 
Second, Characters who are Stupefied also move at two movement rates slower than their normal rate.
 
Third, any creature with a Charisma of 13 or better that can also speak a common language with the Stupefied creature can make a suggestion, as per the spell; against this effect the Stupefied creature gains a saving throw versus Spells, though with the usual Befuddled penalty of -4.
 
Finally, Stupefied creatures that are not tended to or otherwise fall under the mental influence of another within one turn (10 minutes) of their Stupefaction must make a saving throw versus Spells every turn (10 minutes); failure indicates the creature has become Confused, as per the spell, acting in such a fashion until it falls Unconscious or has its Stupefaction ended. If the attacking creature’s group or attacked creature’s group effects do not apply, the creature manages to damage itself for 1d6 points of Hit Point damage.
 
 
AMNESIA: If a creature is reduced from a total number of Mental Strength points equal to or greater than its Base Mental Strength all the way to 0 Mental Strength in one attack/effect, in addition to Stupefaction, after ending its Unconscious or Stunned state, it must make another saving throw versus Spells. Failure indicates that the creature suffers from Amnesia, and does not remember its name, friends, enemies, or personal history, nor does it recall its class, profession, or other abilities.
 
Every time the Amnesiac creature encounters an ally, enemy, or other important creature or location, it may make another saving throw versus Spells to end the amnesia. Otherwise, it is highly susceptible to suggestion, as per Stupefaction, and does not even gain a saving throw against a simple suggestion put to it by a charismatic creature, naively believing whatever is said!
 
If an Amnesiac is forced to do something against his alignment, such as attack innocents or Teammates, the creature immediately gains a saving throw with a bonus of +4 to the save to end the Amnesia.
 
An Amnesiac who does not make a saving throw to regain their memory after the first week thereafter only gains one saving throw per day, regardless of incidents; if they do not make a save after one month, they only gain a save once per week; and if they do not make a saving throw after three months, the Amnesia is permanent, barring magical, psychic, or super-science intervention.
 
HEALING MENTAL STRENGTH
Addled and Befuddled status remains until the character is healed to equal or greater Mental Strength than their Base Mental Strength. Confused and Stupefied status is removed once the creature regains even a single Mental Strength point. Amnesia remains even if Mental Strength is restored to full.

Note that healing of Hit Point damage and Mental Strength damage occurs concurrently (at the same time).
 
Natural healing of Mental Strength usually requires rest in a comfortable and safe location with access to food and drink. A settlement or fortress with minimal comfort, food, and water allows for 1d3 Mental Strength points to be healed per day of rest. Characters with Willpower add their Charisma bonus to the roll.
 
Rangers and others with the Survival Skill in appropriate wilderness areas may attempt to use that skill to build a shelter and find food and water such that characters can heal 1 Mental Strength point per day of rest; otherwise no natural healing can occur in the wilderness. A prisoner in a donjon with only bread and water heals only if they have Willpower, and then a number of points per day equal to their Charisma bonus.
 
Magic-users (and those with Willpower) and Clerics whose current Mental Strength is at last equal to or greater than their Base Mental Strength may use meditation or prayer, respectively, to regain Mental Strength points. For every full hour of meditation or prayer the character makes a saving throw versus Spells; success indicates they gain 1d3 points of Mental Strength plus their Charisma bonus. Failure indicates no points are gained for that hour. Even the most minor interruption wastes all time already spent.
 
Other methods of healing Mental Strength include Clerics applying cure wounds spells (to heal Mental Strength rather than Hit Points); potions of healing (ditto); Psychics applying psychic healing; healing devices and medicines of Futuristic and Super-Science technologies; magical pools of healing; strange herbs such as Black Lotus (not without its cautions); and the like.

[LEGENDARIA]: Sanctity of Life in Legendaria

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The forces of Law, personified in the Star Gods (aka the Lords of Life, various other deities of Law, etc.), value life – ALL life, even that of evil beings who have been corrupted by Chaos. Thus, even the lives of the most hardened villains, inhuman mutants, and wicked monsters are considered sacred. Killing a sentient being – even in self-defense – is considered murder, a terrible sin.
 
The lives of all sentient beings, including Robosophonts, are considered sacred (non-intelligent “Dumbots” are not). Only the Undead are considered irredeemable, and even then, over the ages there have been cases which give even the Star Gods pause. Killing non-intelligent animals for food, as predators do, is allowed, though even here, the forces of Law prefer such be kept to the minimum required; sports-hunting is considered be the equivalent of murder.
 
Thus, those who are Lawful strive to adhere to the sanctity of life at all costs – even to the point of saving the lives of the very Villains who, moments ago, threatened their own lives! The forces of Law hope for the redemption and repentance of those who have turned to the ways of Chaos, rather than their violent end. The destruction of life, even that of Chaotic creatures, only strengthens Chaos, as Entropy, and the end of Life, is a component of the strength of Chaos.
 
And so, Law rewards those of its adherents who spare the lives of their enemies, and severely punishes those who do not cleave to the sanctity of life.
 

REWARDS
Every time a Lawful hero or team spares the lives of their foes, each hero gains the following:
 
1) A Free Saving Throw Re-Roll, to be chosen by the hero when needed, reflecting the blessings of the Lords of Life. These may be saved and used whenever the hero wishes, and do not need to be used only against the villains from that encounter. The re-roll can be declared after a saving throw is made, and the better of the two rolls is used.
 
2) A bonus of +2 (+10%) on all attacks, saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks for the entire battle, against the same villains, the next time the villains attack the heroes (or the heroes go to aid innocents against the villains).
 
This does not apply if the heroes go out and seek to hunt down the villains!
 
3) The villains suffer a -2 (-10%) penalty on all attacks, saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks for the entire battle, against the same heroes, the next time the villains attack the heroes.
 
A hero may give a Free Saving Throw Re-Roll to a teammate or innocent who just failed a saving throw.
 
A hero may trade in three Free Saving Throw Re-Rolls for a Second Wind in battle; this immediately grants the hero 1d4 Hit Points or Mental Strength Points per level (i.e., a 3rd level hero would roll 3d4).
 
PUNISHMENTS
Should a Lawful hero ever take a life, in battle or by murder or other foul methods (though not honestly by accident), they suffer the following penalties:
 
1) They cannot be magically healed by a cleric devoted to Law. The magic simply will not work. Even magical healing from a Neutral cleric only heals half the rolled points (round down). Chaotic healing works just fine, well, as fine as any healing provided by a cleric dedicated to Chaos
 
2) They cannot gain any benefit from a blessing or other positive magical effect cast by a cleric or magic item of Law. Positive magical effects cast by a Neutral cleric fail half the time.
 
3) They suffer a -2 penalty on Reaction Checks with Lawful beings, -4 if the beings are aware of the fallen hero’s status as a murderer/killer.
 
4) Clerics of Law, Paladins, and other sub-classes lose all benefits and abilities that accrue to them due to the patronage of the forces of Law (Judge’s discretion).
 
Fallen heroes and heroines can only regain the grace of the forces of Law by seeking to atone for their misdeed by taking on a quest given them by a cleric of Law. The quest will be difficult, though not outright lethal, and will also have opportunities to prove the sincerity of their repentance, as well as temptations to fall further into corruption (the former provided by the forces of Law, the latter by the forces of Chaos).
 
If the fallen heroine successfully completes her quest and does not succumb to the temptations of Chaos, she will once again be in the good graces of Law, and all the restrictions above will be lifted.

However, if she refuses or fails the quest, or succumbs to the temptations of Chaos, she has failed, and at the least, has fallen from Lawful to Neutral (or even outright Chaotic), and cannot again regain the grace of the forces of Law without a major life-altering event in which she proves her worth.
 
Next Tuesday: Corruption of Chaos in LEGENDARIA

[LEGENDARIA] Corruption of Chaos in Legendaria

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The forces of Law, personified by the Star Gods and the Lords of Life, hold life to be sacred, and reward those of Lawful sort who cleave to this belief, and punish those who do not.
 
Though Death and Entropy are among the strongest elements of Chaos, the forces of Chaos, personified in the Demons of the Outer Dark, too, value life… to the extent that they can use it, abuse it, corrupt it, and turn it to their own means! For while final victory will be theirs in the end – as in the end, all things fade and die, and entropy always wins – with the corruption of life, and the gathering of more resources to the bosom of Chaos, that victory will come that much sooner.
 
Chaos cannot create life, it can only corrupt it, twist it, and mutate it to its own ends. And so, the Demons of the Outer Dark prefer that their followers do not kill, they would rather that they corrupt their enemies to the ways of Chaos. They especially prefer that their minions corrupt those who are valiant followers of the forces of Law, for such is the sweetest victory, as it not only gains for Chaos strong minions, but also denies those resources to the followers of Law.
 
So surprisingly to some, the Lords of the Void and their philosophical descendants, the Banemasters of Demonfang Citadel, usually go out of their way to capture their victims and opponents, rather than kill them outright.
 
Common beings of Neutral sort and lesser beings of Lawful nature and no great power are considered worthy only of slavery – their degradation in this manner is pleasing to the Demons of the Outer Dark, for it causes fear, suffering, anger, and hatred, and the lamentations of the slaves are as music to their ears. Also, of course, the use of slaves enables the minions of Chaos to free up their other resources to continue the war against Law.
 
Heroic followers of the forces of Law, on the other hand, are sought after for the opportunity to corrupt them to the ways of Chaos, and to turn them into tools for the advancement of the purposes of the Demons of the Outer Dark.
 

Temptations are usually the first step, used when the heroes are yet young and inexperienced. The “benefits” of Chaos – vast wealth, untrammeled power, and access to mighty sorcery and super-science – will be offered to tempt the young heroes away from Law and into the hands of Chaos.
 
If temptations do not work, then the forces of Chaos seek to capture and corrupt the heroes of Law via transformation through an admixture of blackmail, torture, sorcery, and super-science. Even if they are merely reduced to mindless servitors, it is considered a significant win for Chaos and a loss for Law.
 

Only after numerous attempts to corrupt the heroes of Law via temptations and transformations fail, do the forces of Chaos seek to eliminate a Lawful hero via death; but even then, death on the battlefield or simple murder will never do! For the forces of Chaos, being arrogant in the extreme, must always try to prove their natural superiority over the forces of Law. And so, the minions of Chaos seek to capture the heroes and place them into or trick them and get them to willingly walk into, an Ingenious Death Trap. Or, most insidiously, bring them to a final end in an Eldritch Ritual, such that their souls are tendered directly unto the merciless hands of the Demons of the Outer Dark. Only then will Chaos truly prevail, denying Law its heroic resources through Death and Entropy and thereby gaining infinitesimal growth in their own power.
 
Note that once the forces of Chaos have resorted to using Ingenious Death Traps to eliminate Lawful heroes, that does not mean they will not resort to the use of temptations and transformations later. Whenever opportunity strikes, Chaos will use whichever method is easiest, readiest at hand, and most likely to succeed.
 
All this is not to say that there are not those aberrant minions of Chaos who would not simply prefer to slaughter followers of Law, or even any other living thing that gets in their way. However, these tend to be lone actors, shunned even by other minions of Chaos. If such psychopaths are part of a group such as the Banemasters, they usually have to be reigned in by the leadership or more powerful minions, often being unchained only in time of dire need (for such loose cannons often cause their masters as much damage as their enemies).
 

The “blessings” of the Demons of the Outer Dark for those minions who succeed at corrupting the heroes of Law can range from the esoteric – such as more Experience Points, more Hit Points, more Mental Strength Points – to the powerful and prosaic, such as a new powerful mutation, access to new eldritch spells, the granting of a mighty magic weapon, or the wisdom to use long-lost super science. Even the final end of a hero can grant great rewards, if that end is properly executed... 
 
As the foul villains dedicates to Chaos are all NPCs under the Judge’s control, such rewards are hers to dispense to the NPCs as events dictate.

[LEGENDARIA] Teamwork in Legendaria

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Heroes dedicated to the forces of Law, when not on lonely quests, invariably work together as a team. Their training, camaraderie, and dedication to each other and their cause grant them bonuses in any endeavor they engage in while working as a team.
 
 
FORMING A TEAM
In order to form a team, a group must:
 
1) Consist of at least 50% + 1 characters of Lawful alignment, with the balance at worst being Neutral; followers of Chaos lack the empathy and do not have the ability to subvert their own individual lust for power, self-aggrandizement, and personal gain that is necessary to be part of a team. If a team no longer primarily consists of Lawfuls, and/or if one or more Chaotics manage to infiltrate the team and cause dissent, the team is DIVIDED.
 
2) Have a base of operations where they can gather together for training, recuperation, and recreation (and preferably, all live together). If the team’s base of operations is destroyed, the team is UNSUPPORTED.
 
3) Be dedicated to a common cause of Lawful sort, such as “Defense of Castle Blackhawk and the Kingdom of Greymoor,” “Strive toward the Freedom of our Native World,” “Protect Civilization and Innocents from the Depredations of Chaos,” or “Ensure the freedom and prosperity of all goodly peoples.” It does not even have to be a cause that is even possible under current circumstances; but as long as all members believe in that cause, and dedicate themselves together toward that cause, the cause qualifies. If more than half of the team no longer believes in their cause, the team is PURPOSELESS.
 
4) They must train together! They must train together a LOT! At least half of all “downtime” must be spent in training together. Not necessarily as a whole group; training in twos and threes works just fine, as long as the whole group trains together over time. If the team is not well trained together, they are UNPREPARED.
 
5) There must be a hierarchy, as teams must be organized to be a team; otherwise it is just a mob. There has to be a leader, and depending on the size of the team, lieutenants or captains, each leading their own distinct sub-group of the team. Primary requirements of a leader are Charisma, Wisdom, and Intelligence, even moreso than any physical martial abilities. If the leader is incompetent, has otherwise lost the respect of her team, or the hierarchy is otherwise completely compromised (leader and all team sub-leaders captured or otherwise unable to lead), the team is LEADERLESS.
 
A team with all five of the above conditions has TEAM COHESION and accrues team benefits as below. A team can survive one or two of the five states of loss of its organization – Divided, Unsupported, Purposeless, Unready, and Leaderless – and still remain a team, though UNSTEADY. If three or four of the states of loss exist, the team is considered UNREADY, and cannot use any of the team benefits until the issues are dealt with. If all five of the states of loss exist, the team is effectively DISBANDED, in fact if not in name.
 
The only way to RECONSTITUTE a team after it has Disbanded is for a core cadre of Lawful members to gather together at a base, rededicate themselves to the cause, train together, and form a new hierarchy. After all of the five conditions obtain once again, the team can be reunited, the new core cadre bringing in new and old members to work together as a team.
 
A new team or a reconstituted team must operate together for no less than three Intervals (see below) before the team fully gains Cohesion and team benefits become available.
 
Episodes and Intervals: An Episode is a complete “adventure,” or a discrete portion of an adventure (for multi-Episode runs). An Interval is discrete segment of time during an Episode during which a discrete event occurs, such as a battle, dealing with an NPC, crossing a rickety bridge, a respite, etc. (i.e., an “encounter.”)
 
 
TEAM BENEFITS
If a team has Cohesion, they gain the following benefits; if they are Unsteady, they lose the listed benefit(s).
 
1) All teammates have a +2 bonus to save against fear, natural or magical, as they are surrounded/supported by their teammates. This benefit does not accrue if the team is DIVIDED.
 
2) All henchmen/hirelings of the teammates have a +1 bonus to Morale. This benefit does not accrue if the team is UNSUPPORTED.
 
3) All teammates who are within 5 feet of one another use the best base saving throw of those adjacent to them when hit by an area-effect spell. For example, a 12th level teammate is flanked to either side by 3rd level teammates; if all three are hit by a fireball, all three use the 12th level teammate’s saving throw against Spells to determine damage. This benefit does not accrue if the team is PURPOSELESS.
 
4) A teammate within 5 feet of another teammate who has been hit by a melee, thrown, or missile attack can switch places with the teammate who was hit, after the hit is rolled but before damage is rolled. Regardless of armor class or any other protection, the teammate who is taking the hit is always still hit and suffers the damage from the attack. This benefit does not accrue if the team is UNPREPARED.
 
5) Most importantly, a team can take time to consider their actions and develop strategies they can best employ as a team against their enemies, even if already in the midst of combat or action. Normally, in combat or during other action, a Judge might limit conversation and the passing to-and-fro of ideas, even penalizing such depending on the circumstances. However, with a well-oiled team, these kinds of things are considered to have been worked out before hand, during training (“Plan Alpha-Seven GO!”), even though they obviously were not. So, the Judge is to give the team plenty of leeway in table talk about forming a plan, even within a period of a few rounds, and not worry about table talk, save for any specific information that one member might have that the others could not possibly have known (revealing such is still off limits without some form of proper communication). This benefit does not accrue if the team is LEADERLESS.
 
Note that there are certain race and class abilities that are also useful in team situations; these are covered in their respective race and class descriptions.
 
 
TEAMWORK POINTS
At the beginning of each Episode, each teammate gains a pool of TEAMWORK POINTS (tally on a sheet, use poker chips, etc.) that they can use in several ways. A 1st level character has one, a 4th level character has two, 8th level three, 12th level four, 16th level five, and 20th level six. This number is reduced by one for each team requirement that is not currently met by the team (to a minimum of zero).
 
The basic rule of Teamwork Points is that if you use your teamwork points for the benefit of your own character, you lose them, but if you give them to a teammate they can replenish after an Interval.

To qualify as a “given” Teamwork Point, the Teamwork Point must be given to a teammate as the giver is performing their action that leads up to the action in which the recipient will use the Teamwork Point(s). The giver must somehow work this into the narrative of how the recipient is going to use the Teamwork Point; even if the giver fails in their own action, the recipient still gets the Teamwork Point(s).
 
Teamwork Points can be used in the following way:
 
1) One Teamwork Point can be used to add a +1 to hit and +1 to damage with one melee, thrown, or missile attack.
 
2) One Teamwork Point can be used to gain a +2 bonus on a saving throw.
 
3) One Teamwork Point can be used to gain a +10% bonus to one skill use.
 
4) One Teamwork Point can be used to cause a Chaotic target to suffer a -2 penalty on a saving throw caused by the action of the user (i.e. the spell or psychic power was cast/used by the user of the Teamwork Point).
 
5) Teamwork Points can be spent to enable a character to do something unusual and unique that would not otherwise be considered possible. Success is not assured; the Judge may still require a roll. However, unless what is being suggested is completely outré and game-breaking, it should be considered possible, moreso the more Teammate Points are spent and the greater the narrative provided into the lead-up to the action.
 
For example, Kwark the Mighty Magician of the Champions of Castle Blackhawk is facing Glascion the Frost Dragon, a servant of the Banemasters of Demonfang Citadel. Unfortunately, though he has a third-level spell memorized, Kwark did not memorize fireball, the only spell that really works against Glascion. However, his three teammates remind him of previous times he used the spell (sometimes to less-than-spectacular results), and each time they call out a memory, the player tosses Kwark’s player a Teamwork Point. With three Teamwork Points (with good narrative) behind him, the Judge lets Kwark remember how to cast fireball, using the energy of the 3rd level spell he had memorized – however, in order for him to cast it properly and without backfire, he must also make a successful saving throw against spells, or Something Bad happens as well!
 
Note that Teamwork Points are cumulative with/stack with each other and all other bonuses.
 
After an Interval, any Teamwork Points given to and used by a teammate are replenished to the teammate who gave away the Teamwork Point. Points spent by their original owner are not replenished.

[LEGENDARIA] Technology in Legendaria

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TECHNOLOGY varies from settlement to settlement in LEGENDARIA. The Tech-Levels in order of “advancement” are: Stone-Age Savagery, Neo-Medieval, Modern, Futuristic, and Super Science.

A settlement and its dependencies and colonies will mostly conform to the listed Tech Level, though certain groups and individuals may have access to a significantly higher technology, while lower-class and underclass beings might subsist at a lower Tech Level.
 
For example, while the Kingdom of Greymoor and the City of Greymoor have a Modern Tech Level, the Royal Family and their associates have limited access to Futuristic and even Super-Science weapons, armor, and tools through their alliance with the Champions of Castle Blackhawk. The citizens of Greymoor City have a solid Modern level of technology, while the village and hamlet-dwellers of the countryside generally have a mix of Neo-Medieval and Modern technology.
 
In the case of Greymoor, technological devices of Futuristic and Super-Science nature are not generally available for sale, save from the odd adventurer or merchant who has found something in the wilderness. The Royal Family and the Champions of Castle Blackhawk are certainly not going to sell any of their high-tech weapons or devices, though they might trade for an unusual item of interest.
 
STONE-AGE SAVAGERY includes Neo-Savages who live in post-apocalyptic squalor – the classic shield made of a STOP sign with a mace made of a parking meter.
 
Typical savage weapons include stone-tipped weapons such as spears, axes, and hammers; missile weapons include short bows and slings. Armor is limited to furs, chitin, bark, bone, wicker, and other natural plant and animal materials. Tools are made of similar materials, while shelters are constructed of wood, furs, large bones (such as mammoth or dinosaur bones), stones, and bricks.
 
Neo-Savages living in post-apocalyptic regions scrounge tattered remnants of old higher-tech items to create makeshift weapons and armor, such as saw blades, parking meters, plastic tubes, glass shards, and other detritus; while armor can be stitched together from old sports gear, rubber tires, signs, appliances, and other flotsam of the ruins. Tools are made of similar materials, while shelters are constructed of large chunks of ruined buildings (stones, bricks, large sheet metal, old I-beams) and disabled vehicles.
 
NEO-MEDIEVAL includes Renaissance, so is highly variable; some settlements have black-powder weapons, others do not. The vast majority of Legendarians live in Neo-Medieval towns, villages, and hamlets, rarely seeing and never owning any sort of advanced technology.
 
 
The primary common philosophy of the day is similar to the beliefs of the Luddites. Most folk do not trust technology, as it too readily fails; is expensive in time and resources to maintain when far simpler technology suffices; and causes all manners of dislocations in society. That said, Neo-Medieval folk are generally not ignorant; their knowledge of science and medicine is generally as good as Modern settlements, they simply reject most higher forms of technology.
 
Most simple melee, thrown, and missiles weapons are of the Neo-Medieval sort – swords, maces, throwing axes, crossbows, etc. Neo-Medieval versions of Savage weapons such as spears, slings, axes, and such, are of superior quality, made of iron or steel, and so forth, and so are qualitatively better in most ways than stone-tipped spears, axes, and hammers.
 
Buildings are made of wood frames with wattle-and-daub walls, thatched roofs, or in the case of the wealthy, fired bricks or dressed stone. Land vehicles include carts, wagons, and carriages; drawn by horses or similar creatures. Water vehicles include sailing boats and ships. Air vehicles at best include rudimentary balloons and gliders, often backward-engineered from Modern vehicles.
 
MODERN covers Steam to Interplanetary; a handful of locales on the planet (and none in the starting campaign region) have access to this technology. Most of these are decadent tyrannies ruled by depraved despots.
 
 
Modern weapons include slug-throwing pistols, rifles, shotguns, and grenades, as well as primitive tanks, propeller and jet airplanes, and missiles. Primitive and messy nuclear weapons are counted among these but are very rare.
 
FUTURISTIC covers Interstellar – think Star Wars/Star Trek. The Lords of Legend and the Banemasters have access to this level of technology, though only the leaders and greatest heroes and villains are able to command its regular use. Most of the minions of the Banemasters are robots (non-sophont “dumb-bots”), sometimes led by Robosophonts (usually unique creations at the Futuristic level). Ruins and relics of Futuristic sort are strewn across the wilderness amidst ancient and recent ruins. Ruins typically consist of twisted hulks of steel frames and melted or shattered glass, reinforced concrete and simple ceramic structures.
 
 
SUPER-SCIENCE is everything beyond Futuristic, including Intergalactic/Interdimensional/Time Travel, etc., in which science and magic are all but indistinguishable even to a Futuristic scientist. The ruins and artifacts of Super-Science level civilizations can be found in the deeper, darker wilderness of LEGENDARIA, amidst savage squalor and monster-haunted lands.
 
 
TECHNOLOGY INTERACTION
The nature of technological development in most cases is, especially when dealing with weaponry and armor, the more advanced technology is going to have a significant advantage over the less advanced technology. In such cases, the active technology either gains a bonus or penalty against the defensive technology; primitive has a penalty against advanced, advanced has a bonus against primitive.
 
The table below provides the basic bonuses and penalties when two disparate technologies interact. For example, a character wielding a techno-sword (a Futuristic weapon) against a target wearing Neo-Medieval armor gains a bonus of +4 to hit. A warrior wielding a Neo-Medieval crossbow suffers a -2 penalty to hit against a target wearing Futuristic combat armor.
 
In cases where the technology is impaired, mostly non-functional, or essentially non-existent, halve the bonus or penalty. If a tribesman wielding a Savage stone-tipped spear attacks a target wearing powered-down Super-Science armor the penalty is only -4, not -8. A scientist using a Super-Science Life Detector to find a Savage band of warriors only gains a +4 bonus to use of the device, as there are no Savage-technology level devices capable of disguising life signature.
 

Recall that regardless of bonuses or penalties, a Natural 1 is always a failure when rolling high, and a Natural 20 is always a success when rolling high (and vice-versa for rolling low).
 
When dealing with percentile skills or abilities multiply the bonus or penalty by 5 (thus +/- 10%, 20%, or 40%)
 
INTERPRETING TECHNOLOGICAL DEVICES
All sorts of technological devices of all Tech Levels have a native Difficulty to figure out how to use them.
 
In many cases, no check is needed to interpret an item when its form is very similar to that of another device of the same type; such as, to use a modern example, determining the basic use an AK-47 when one is already familiar with an M-16. However, such simple use does not include how to properly disassemble, clean, modify, or otherwise manipulate the device beyond the most basic, common function.
 

Unlike most technological interaction, the difference between Tech Levels of the device and interpreter is always a penalty; often those brought up in a Super-Science civilization will be bewildered by even the simplest Savage-level item! Penalties are expressed as a plus, not a minus, added to the Difficulty rating.
 
Modify the Difficulty first by subtracting the interpreter’s Intelligence modifier, then by the difference in Tech Level, and then by any other pertinent modifiers (usually based on race or class). Roll a d20; if the total is equal to or greater than the Difficulty, the character properly interprets the item; if less, the target fails to interpret the item. On a roll of Natural 1, Something Bad happens at the Judge’s whim.

Time to interpret is listed with the item; for subsequent attempts, increase the time based on this range (starting with the left-most when a time range is included multiple times): one round, one round, one minute, one minute, one turn, one turn, one turn, one hour, one hour, one hour, two hours, four hours, eight hours, one day, one day, one day, and finally one week (check each week thereafter).
 
POWER BATTERIES AND DRAIN
Most Modern, Futuristic, and Super-Science devices, from weapons to vehicles, are powered by batteries.
 
Thanks to the trickle-down of rudimentary Super-Science techniques, batteries are generally very long lasting, whatever the tech level, and there is no need to keep track of charges as such. Instead, in LEGENDARIA there is the Drain mechanic. Whenever a battery-powered device is used there is a chance that it has been drained its last bit of power.
 
The current battery level is measured in Drain, a number from 5 to 99. If when a battery-powered device is used a Natural 1 is rolled, in addition to whatever other malfunction/fumble occurs, add 1 point to the Drain score and roll percentile dice. If the percentile roll is equal to or less than the Drain, the battery has died and the use in question fails.
 
If the Drain is currently above 50, the Drain roll occurs on a 1 or 2; if above 75, on a 1-3, though a normal fumble/malfunction still only occurs on a 1.
 
Modern batteries have a lowest Drain of 25, Futuristic of 15, and Super-Science of 5.
 
There are other instances that might cause Drain, such as certain magic spells, psychic abilities, Futuristic and Super-Science devices, strange weather, etc.

[LEGENDARIA] Northern Regions of Legendaria

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Region 01: The Burning Wastes and the Cities of Steel
This region is dominated by rocky, sandy, and muddy wastes punctuated by verdant meadows, the few rivers meandering from the north to the south to merge with the Great Glittering River on the Silver Steppes (Map 04). The eastern border is punctuated by the north-west spur of the Shadow Peaks, which here trails off into canyon-riddled hills, plateaus, and buttes occupied by strange and terrible monsters.
 
The wastelands are home to strange clans of various races each of which claims a ruined city of crystal and steel as a holy taboo. The plains are home to small clans of nomads who follow herds of wild beasts, on foot or riding various other four or more-legged beasts. All the various clans hate each other with a passion, but they unite as needed against the Abhuman Hordes to the south and against the Offworlders.
 
Here and there amidst the savage clans are found small walled towns, each built around and amidst a series of hydrocarbon wells and/or rare mineral mines. These towns are a mix of Modern and Futuristic technologies, having been founded in the last decade or two by the Offworlder Tyrants, small, independent off-world entrepreneurs, who have settled here for resource extraction with little concern for the locals or the ecology.
 
Offworlder Colony
These Offworlders are generally an evil and despicable lot, though there are no few who are here merely to seek a living. But as a rule, the settlements are each controlled by a group of self-serving criminal types who use misery and tyranny to control the settlers and squeeze every last credit from them that they can. As none of the settlements are legally registered with the Reserve Galactic Authority – what passes for the law in this sector of the Galaxy – whatever rules the Offworlder Tyrants make are the law, including slavery, theft, gambling, murder, and other worse vices.
 
Fortunately for the natives of the region, the various leaders of each settlement generally loathe each other, each wanting to be the “big man” in power, and none willing to give an inch of their own power to any others. Against all this is a small group of rebels, led by Marshal Lance Starstrider of the RGA. He and his posse do not have the resources to take the Offworlders on directly, so they work to try to unite the locals, assist the oppressed slaves and workers, and pit the various Offworlder Tyrants against each other to bring the whole ramshackle colony down.
 
Region 02: The Shadow Peaks and Demonfang Citadel
The great Shadow Peaks are home to the Banemasters of Demonfang Citadel. The Banemasters do not generally rule over the villages and hamlets of the region so much as they simply raid and oppress them at will, generally unopposed by any other factions, save irregular raids by the Champions of Castle Blackhawk. As such, the towns, villages, and hamlets of the region are poor, the peoples thereof mightily oppressed and downtrodden, and the coffers of the Banemasters fill with the treasure won with the blood, sweat, and tears of their slaves.
 
The larger settlements are loosely ruled by a governor of the Banemasters, the others kept in line by the regular raids and patrols sent through the region. Patrols consist of a Banemaster, a handful of minions, and a troop of Demonfang Citadel Dumbot Warriors. By this point, most are used to dealing with well-trod-upon peasants and slaves and are not at all prepared to deal with strong, independent hero-types who might actually fight back. At any sign of the Champions of Castle Blackhawk, their standing orders are to fall back and call in a strike team of Masters and more experienced minions (and swarms of Dumbot Warriors).
 
The Shadow Peaks
The Shadow Peaks are a narrow range of very tall conical mountains that run east to west, from the Fairy Forest to the Burning Wastes. Demonfang Citadel stands atop the tallest peak near the center of the range, its four demon faces facing the four cardinal points of the compass. The grav-bikes and grav-sleds of the Banemasters and their flying Dumbot Warriors swarm in and out of the mouths on their evil errands. Other than the handful of minions who remain in the larger towns and those who are on patrol, most Banemasters, their minions, and the dumbot warriors remain in citadel, ready to deploy for action wherever their Grand Master dictates.
 
The Grand Master of the Banemasters of Demonfang Citadel is the Sorcerer-King Typhon, a mighty magic-user (Sorcerer). The founder of the Banemasters, he wears purple robes, a golden mask with a horned demon face (which moves as would a living face, often with a sneer or a frown), and wields a magical black staff capped with a golden demon skull. He is always accompanied by Zahak, his pet purple dragon/familiar/steed, which can change from cat-sized to horse-sized.
 
The mountain range is no wider than 50 miles at any one point, and runs along the southern border of the region, spilling at times into the Patchwork Lands. Settlements in the mountains are found in the narrow valleys amongst the peaks. The midlands are rolling forested hills, with finger ranges of hills reaching north and dividing the deep jungles and swamps of the riverine lowlands. Rivers mostly flow north from the mountains, though some flow south into the Great Glittering River.
 
The rivers and the swamps of the northern part of the region are home to alien dinosaurs, giant serpents, giant frogs, and giant leeches. These swamps are also home to serpent-folk, lizard-folk, and frog-folk; half their settlements are dominated by the Banemasters, the other half by a mysterious force from the north known only as the Order of the Almighty Anura, said to be led by the Priest-King Xenopus.
 
Region 03: The Fairy Forest and the Foul Fens
This region is wild and fey; the power of magic is strong here, and high technology is rare and foreign. The “Fair Folk” – predominantly halflings, but also including elves, dwarves, gnomes, near-humans, amazons, changelings, and other demi-humans of goodly magical sort – are the dominant races, with the majority of other races generally being manimals (who live in peace with the demi-humans). These races dominate the wide swath of forest and meadow in the center of the region, the whole known as the Fairy Forest
 
The goodly demi-humans and manimals are balanced in power by the “Unfair Folk,” vile goblinoids and mutants that dwell in the Shadow Peaks and the Hidden Hills, the valleys and hills of which are covered in the shadowy, unpleasant “Dread Wood,” counterpart to the bright Fairy Forest. The Unfair Folk are generally independent from the Banemasters, though all have served them at time of need or in fear of their powers when called upon to do so. The goblinoids generally live in the ancient system of tunnels and caverns that riddle the mountains and forested hills; the surface lands of the mountains and hilly forests are usually home to the mutants and all manner of strange unique mutant monsters created by the energies of the Glowing Waste, the native warped Chaos Magic of the region, and the experiments of the Banemasters to the west.
 
The Fairy Forest
The Fairy Forest and the Fair Folk are protected by Jack Redcloud, the Champion Fair, a most puissant human of another world who arrived here by mischance some years ago. He wields the Seelie Sword, a mighty magical artifact that grants him great power (though not as great as the Lord of Legends of Castle Blackhawk). He and his allied heroes strike against the raids and other depredations of the Dread Overlord, a mighty mutant cyborg who seeks to conquer the region. The Dread Overlord wields the Unseelie Sword, the counterpart of the Seelie Sword, and is served by mysterious black-cloaked magic-users (said to be of the ancient Unseelie race) and mutant techno-priests of Chaotic sort. The Dread Overlord is a sometimes ally of the Banemasters but seeks to retain his independence; it is said that he once served the Techno-Mage of the Tower of Techno-Terror (Map 06), and thus he and his minions have access to Futuristic and Super-Science technology and technomancy.
 
The swamps, marshes, fens, and mudflats to the north, the Foul Fens, are inhabited by the same mix of serpent, lizard, and frog folk and kin native to the similar lands to the west (Map 02). These, however, are more independent, and only a few are beholden to the Order of the Almighty Anura (generally the frog-folk and kin, as the serpent and lizard folk and kin unite against the batrachian overlords).
 
The region is home to numerous ancient ruins, many predating the rise of the Last Galactic Empire, and all of fey and mystical sort (though some of the tunnels under the Shadow Peaks and the ruins in the valleys thereof, especially those abutting the Glowing Wastes to the south, are of Futuristic or Super-Science sort).

[LEGENDARIA] Central Regions of Legendaria

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Region 04: The Silver Steppes and the Abhuman Hordes
These vast desolate steppes are an expansion of the meadows and wastelands from the north. They are broken here and there by long rolling hills running west to east, the hills dry and riddled with canyons, chasms, and hidden valleys. The river valleys are verdant and green, sometimes swampy when not defined by nearby hills and ridges.
 
Here and there are small rocky wastelands, each still glowing to a greater or lesser extent from atomic bombardment that predated the rise of the Last Galactic Empire. The Great Glittering River flows west to east across the middle of the land, with the Rugged Rapids and the Blackstone Escarpment at the easternmost edge of the region demarking the steppes from the more fertile Patchwork Lands of the east.
 
Abhuman Nomad
The Great Glittering River and its major tributaries are home to the only civilization in the region, a series of riverine towns, villages, and hamlets generally of Neo-Medieval sort, the famous “Glittering Towns,” which trade along the rivers, especially the silver that is found in large lodes, together with a variety of gemstones, in the nearby hills. There is also a brisk trade in the artifacts found in the ruins; each town and major village has a scientist or three in residence for evaluation of said artifacts. There has been some trade with the Offworlder Towns of the Burning Wastes (usually for silver and gemstones), so most town leaders have access to a handful of hydrocarbon ground vehicles and Modern or even Futuristic weaponry. Most of the towns in the region are relatively cosmopolitan, being founded by prospectors, miners, farmers, ranchers, and other immigrants from the Patchwork Lands to the east.
 
Glittering River Town
The Silver Steppes are the home of the Abhuman Hordes, a mélange of Savage and Neo-Medieval clans of Manimal, Goblinoid, and Mutant peoples, usually inimical to each other due to ancient feuds unless united under a powerful leader. Such a leader has recently arisen in the western reaches and is slowly building his power and bringing other clans under his banner. The last time this occurred the Glittering Towns and the Patchwork Lands were overwhelmed by the united clans and many hamlets, villages, towns, and even whole peoples were exterminated or forced to flee.
 
Offworlder Raider
No single major group dedicated to Chaos or Law resides in the region. The Banemasters (Map 02) send out raiding parties from time to time, as do the Outworlder Tyrants (Map 01); these are sometimes countered by the forces of the Star-Queen and the Defender of the Tower of the Stars from the Kingdom of Aeryth, to the south (Map 07), less commonly by the Champions of Castle Blackhawk (Map 08). More rarely, and usually only in the case of incursions by the Offworlder Tyrants, Marshal Lance Starstrider (Map 01) and his posse will follow the raiders from the Burning Wastes to mete out Galactic Justice.
 
Region 05: The Patchwork Lands and the Fallen Kingdoms
This region is hemmed in between realms dedicated to Chaos to the north and Law to the south, by savage hordes of Abhumans to the west and the mutant armies of the Glowing Wastes to the east. Here of old stood fabulous kingdoms and magnificent cities, all long ago fallen to ruin, even their myths and legend forgotten to time. Today it is a patchwork of glowing wastelands and verdant meadows, mutant-ridden forests and fey-haunted hills, eldritch lakes and irradiated swamps, where tiny one-village kingdoms are the rule, separated by monster-haunted wilderness filled with ancient ruins and long-lost secrets.
 
Patchwork Lands Castle of the King of Yore
This is the region where the player characters usually would begin, arriving by crashed starship, mis-spelled magical gate, mystical amusement park ride, or some other one-way ticket to Legendaria.
 
The Champions of Castle Blackhawk and the Banemasters of Demonfang Citadel are both active in this region; the former seeking to protect the locals from the depredations of the latter. The Mutant Armies of the Tower of Techno-Terror and the Abhuman Hordes of the Silver Steppes also raid into the region, while other villains and heroes of more distant origins can also be found here from time to time, as their various quests might take them.
 
Patchwork Lands Fair Hill Country
Geographically the Patchwork Lands are defined by the Shadow Peaks in the region to the north and the Crystal Peaks in the region to the south, both major east-west ranges of mountains, the lands between being a large, generally rectangular plateau. Weather is highly variable, not only due to geography but also because of malfunctioning ancient weather control systems and wild elemental and faerie forces. The land is divided in twain north and south by the Great Glittering River, which flows out of the far west across the Silver Steppes, across the Patchwork Lands, then east into the Glowing Wastes.
 
The three largest towns in the region are New Albosia (Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Gnomes), Tradetown (Cosmopolitan), and Boltburg (Robosophonts). New Albosia in the west is often harassed by the Abhuman Hordes, Tradetown by the Banemasters, and Boltburg by the Mutant Armies of the Tower of Techno-Terror. Dozens of other villages, hamlets, castles, and towers are scattered across the region, each independent or allying with one another only long enough to fight off the latest threat. All enjoy the protection of the Champions of Castle Blackhawk from time to time, but fear calling on them too much lest they lose their independence to the Kingdom of Greymoor, as most of the other realms south of the Crystal Peaks have done (though they are all better off thereby).
 
Robosophont Town of Boltburg
In this situation a new group of heroes – not beholden to any one local group or kingdom – will at first be carefully watched but ultimately most welcome… except by the villains who prey on the local realms!
 
Region 06: The Glowing Wastes and the Tower of Techno-Terror
The Glowing Wastes dominate the western portion of this region, one of the larger reminders of the terrible end of the Last Galactic Empire. A parched, rocky and sandy wasteland, the ruins of a vast complex of urban arcology-style residences, gargantuan mega-factories, and lakes of glowing sludge dot the landscape amidst the neon-glowing mesas, buttes, and cinder cones.
 
The Glowing Wastes
The Glowing Wastes and the mutant denizens thereof are ruled by Murdreth the Techno-Mage from his Tower of Techno-Terror. Murdreth is a powerful magic-user (Techno-mage) of Chaotic and insane sort. Some say that his vast number of interchangeable super-science cybernetic enhancements drove him crazy; others say he was always so. He has an army of mutants at his disposal, as well as no few dumbot warriors and other servants, not to mention his coven of techno-mage apprentices/cultists. Rumors hold that Typhon, the Grand Master of the Banemasters, was once his apprentice; if true, it might explain the utter hatred and enmity they hold for one another.
 
The lands to the east are much like the Patchwork Lands, though more heavily tilted toward the kind of population found in the Faerie Forest, to the north (i.e., halflings, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and manimals), all organized in independent villages and hamlets. This region was regularly raided, and its peoples oppressed by the armies of the Techno-Mage, but then the power balance shifted a year ago with the arrival of the Royal Pack of the Star Wolves.
 
Cultist of the Techno-Tower Summoning a Techno-Demon
The Royal Pack are exiles/refugees from the homeworld of the Star Wolves, the world of Canosia, a planet where Wolf-Folk and Wolf-Kin and related canid demi-human and manimal races live. General Dyr-Ulf usurped the crown of the realm (the fate of King Canos is unknown); Prince Ly-Kos (Wolf-Folk Fighter (Swordsman)), the son of King Canos, fled with his loyal followers in seven starships and have settled on Legendaria to gather allies to retake their world.
 
General Dyr-Ulf leads W.O.R.G., his party/organization dedicated to world conquest, and is too busy conquering other worlds to deal with hunting the young prince himself (nor to dedicate much manpower). Thus, they are being hunted by his minion, Major Fen-Ryz, and his Hyena-Folk/Kin mercenaries. Major Fen-Ryz has allied with Murdreth and his mutants to rid the world of the Royal Pack.
 
Prince Ly-Kos Confronting a W.O.R.G. Bounty Hunter
Having settled on Legendaria a year ago, the Royal Pack of the Star Wolves almost immediately fell afoul of Murdreth and his armies, for the Royal Pack cleave to the old values of the Star Wolves – Community, Loyalty, Honesty, and Righteousness – which they believe applies to all peoples. And so, the Royal Pack have become the defenders of the innocent in the region, protecting the hamlets and villages of other goodly peoples in the name of Law. The Wolves’ Den, their Futuristic citadel, has become a beacon of justice and hope to all peoples in the region – and a focus of the wrath and power of Murdreth and his evil minions.

[LEGENDARIA] Southern Regions of Legendaria

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Region 07: The Sea of Skies and the Kingdom of Aeryth
The southwestern corner of this region is the major geographical feature that defines it: The Sea of Skies, a vast airy valley where once stood a great sea of fresh water. During the war that precipitated the fall of the Last Galactic Empire the Sweet Sea (as it was then known) and the area around it were subject to a terrible attack – the Elemental Inversion, a terrible force of technomancy that caused the very elements themselves to mutate and transmogrify, usually without rhyme or reason.
 
Aeryth Archipelago of Floating Islands
The waters of the Sweet Sea were transformed into air. Most of the sea life that was not outright killed by the mutative energies were transformed into a kind of life that would thrive in air; thus, fish grew wings, as did merfolk and other sea life, and today the Sea of Skies is one of the oddest wonders of Legendaria. Note that, due to ancient genetic manipulation, though a fresh-water sea, there also lived therein species of sharks, dolphins, octopi, and other aquatic life forms that normally would be found in salt water. As the air that fills the Sea of Skies is the same as any other air, these new species have spread far and wide, though they are still rare outside the environs of the Sea of Skies (which includes the entirety of the region to the southwest, the Great Airy Deeps, and parts of each region adjacent).
 
Elsewhere in the region, stranger, and no less spectacular, changes were happening, most notably that the stone and rock of certain mountains were also transformed into air. Many mountain peaks, on the verge of the transmogrifying energies, were only partially-transformed, and are now made of “airy-stone,” forming archipelagos of floating islands high in the skies of the region. Most of these remain stabilized in space, rooted to their original locale through some strange mystic tie. Others, the “Wandering Isles,” follow the winds or other strange currents, though these too remain within the nine regions in which is found the Sea of Skies.
 
Smaller regions also experienced strange elemental inversions. The Forest of Fire, the Great Glacial Rift, the Rocky River, the Mountain Invisible, the Great Acid Lake; all these and more also were formed in the Great Elemental Inversion and remain to this day of great interest to magic-users and scientists alike.
 
Sky Ship
As with the sea life of the Sweet Sea, most creatures in the region perished; others were mutated, some adapted to their new environs, others in more terrible and blasphemous fashion. Thus, the region around the Sea of Skies is home to some of the strangest life forms on Legendaria. These include the Chimans (aka Chimeras), a mutant race where each individual is a composite of two or more creatures, and no child ever resembles their parent; the Meborum (or Psyborbears), a race of psychic cyborg bear-kin; and the Tavala (or Octopoids), a race of mutant barbarian octopi.
 
In addition to the many different strange and unusual mutant races of local sort, humans, demi-humans, and manimals have returned to the region in the centuries since the Great Elemental Inversion, settlers from Greymoor, the Glittering Towns, and the Patchwork Lands. They have built numerous petty kingdoms, the most significant of which is the Kingdom of Aeryth, founded upon the Aeryth Archipelago of floating islands. The kingdom also rules swaths of lands on the mainland, below. Great traders and explorers, the people of Aeryth get around with pegasi, griffons, flying ships (magical and technological), and other aerial creatures and contraptions.
 
Aeryth is ruled by Princess Aeryn (Lawful Human Magic-user (Enchantress)), the 18-year-old daughter of King Aeros and Queen Aurora, missing for the last five years. Princess Aeryn just recently gained her majority and the rule of the kingdom after five years of rule under the Regent, her uncle, Duke Maelstrom, who remains her closest advisor. There was talk of a marriage between Princess Aeryn and Prince Caine of Greymoor before her parents disappeared. He thinks she is snooty and boring, she thinks he is a child and a good-for-nothing ne’er do well.
 
Defender of the Tower of Stars
For the last two years the Kingdom of Aeryth and most of the lands of the region (and a bit to the north and south) have been protected by Astra Magna, the Star-Queen, the leader of the Defenders of the Tower of the Stars, an ancient citadel found on a floating island high above the Aeryth Archipelago. The Star-Queen is a mighty warrior who wields the Star-Blade, a powerful artifact, and rides upon a great winged lion, known as Leocorus, the Star-Cat. The Star-Queen and the Lord of Legends are stalwart allies, as are the Defenders of the Tower of the Stars and the Champions of Castle Blackhawk.
 
There are also clans and tribes of goblinoids and mutants that have moved into the region, usually nomads from the Silver Steppes that have settled down in the mountains, hills, and wastes of the region. These, together with the growing Great Horde of the Abhumans on the Silver Steppes, are a growing threat to the goodly folk of the various kingdoms of the region. There are also the Air-Pirates of the Sea of Skies, who operate out of the region to the southwest; in the past they have been a mere nuisance, but of late they are growing bolder and more powerful.
 
Region 08: Kingdom of Greymoor and Castle Blackhawk
The lands south of the Crystal Peaks are the most fertile of the nine regions described herein, with wide bands of rich farmland along merry streams; fertile meadows dotted with ranches and sheepcotes; and well-tended orchards, vineyards, and shrublands. The Crystal Peaks run along the northern border of the region, averaging 50 miles wide, from the Quartz Hills in the west and then far into the east. These mountains, as their name implies, are replete with gemstones, gold, silver, and other precious metals, and are the home to numerous dwarf and gnome settlements.
 
Gnome Grotto in the Crystal Peaks
Of course, the Crystal Peaks are most notable for being the site of Castle Blackhawk, the ancient and mysterious citadel which for the past two years has been protected by Magnus Maximus, the Lord of Legend, and the Champions of Castle Blackhawk. These valiant heroes and super-heroes defend not only the castle, but also the ways of Law, for which the castle stands. They use their skills, talents, expertise, experience, and prowess to protect all innocent and goodly beings from the ways of Chaos, especially the depredations of the Banemasters of Demonfang Citadel.
 
The Lord of Legends and the Champions of Castle Blackhawk are inextricably allied with the Kingdom of Greymoor, which stands in the heart of the region amidst the rolling fields that the super-science of Castle Blackhawk transformed from barren moor to fertile farmlands. Greymoor is ruled by the elderly King Adan of the House of Palatinus and his wife, Queen Evelyn of the House of Medeis. Their only son, Prince Caine, is kind and generous, but otherwise a dissolute ne’er do well, though the court wizard, High Councilor Gaxx, and the Ghost of Bishop Paxx, are doing everything they can to help him grow into the king he needs to be.
 
Royal Palace of Greymoor
Greymoor was, once upon a time, a far more powerful realm than it is today; it was the heart of the Third Empire of Legendaria since the Fall of the Last Galactic Empire, but has been in decline for two centuries, and now rules over only its small territory and holds loose hegemony over the settlements of the local region. With the loss of much of the power, prestige, and wealth of their realm, the Galaethans, the people of Greymoor, have fallen into decadence, with no few staring into the abyss of depravity, despite the best efforts of the royal court and the Champions of Castle Blackhawk. The forces of Chaos nest like a viper in Greymoor City, where cults of the Demons of the Outer Dark and other gods of Chaos hide in the shadowy alleys and deep ruins of ancient cities that stand beneath the cellars of the city.
 
The region otherwise is heavily populated compared to the other regions, with numerous hamlets, villages, and towns of a disparate selection of races among the fertile lands. Humans, demi-humans, and manimals of all sorts are found in the region; most hamlets and villages are of one or maybe two races, while the towns in the regions are generally cosmopolitan. No matter how civilized the region may be, though, as elsewhere the fertile lands are separated by wide swaths of wilderness, wild and deep, filled with goblinoids, mutants, monsters, and ruins.
 
Royal Guards of the Kingdom of Greymoor
The small but professional army of Greymoor and the Champions of Castle Blackhawk patrol the entire region. In the north they have to deal with incursions from the Banemasters of Demonfang Citadel; in the east they have to deal with raiders and slavers from the Cities of Smoke and along the sliver of coastland in the east they have to deal with all manner of pirates and monstrous raiders. The lands to the south are wild and mostly unknown, but fortunately are not home to any organized band dedicated to Chaos, though strange goblinoid and mutant have, of times, raided from the south. Most recently small bands of barbarians of human and near-human sort have been encountered coming from the south; they claim they were pushed out of their lands in the cold plains far to the south by a quickly-growing glacier and various cold, ice, and snow-related monsters and abhumans.
 
Region 09: The Sea of Storms and the Cities of Smoke
The Scintillating Peninsula is a wide wedge of land that strikes out into the Sea of Storms like a blade. On the northern border of the region, the Crystal Peaks, which continue unbroken from the west to the east, save for the Great Glowing Valley, out of which debouches the Great Glittering River (south of the Glowing Wastes also known as the Grimy Glow), which terminates in the vast delta of the Great Radiant Rust Swamps. Once a rich, fertile land, the Scintillating Peninsula today is a patchwork of mutant forests, festering marshes, rocky moors, and stinking swamps. As though the fetid waters of the Grimy Glow were not enough, the Modern-Futuristic Cities of Smoke that rule these lands, with their great factories, pay the local ecology no heed – they pour noxious liquid wastes into the water, blow toxic fumes into the air, and dump lethal solid wastes hither and yon.
 
City of Smoke
The Cities of Smoke broke away from the Third Empire of Legendaria and the Kingdom of Greymoor in the time of King Adan’s grandfather, and since then have taken a very unpleasant turn. The once fine cities of shining marble and silver towers have been transformed into piles of brick smokestacks and rusting steel-girt skyscrapers, each ruled by a rich and powerful oligarchy, with the common laborers living in abject poverty groaning under terrible oppression (though heavily propagandized to believe that their miseries are the fault of the other cities and their peoples). War crosses the land with great frequency, as each of the Cities of Smoke seeks to gain the upper hand on the others, eventually to unify them all under the rule of one oligarchy. However, whenever any one city gains advantage, the other cities gang up on that one to restore the balance…
 
The region is home primarily to humans, goblinoids, and mutants; the mass of commoners and the elite oligarchs are human (some of the oligarchs are cyborgs or secretly mutants), the core cadre of the armies are goblinoids (with commoner human militias for fodder), and the wilds outside the cities and their guarded farming fields are home to all manner of mutants. Demi-humans are found only among the slave class, members of which are taken from neighboring regions, or from lands across the Sea of Storms. The Scintillating Lands (known elsewhere as the Blighted Realm) are a place where joy and hope have been carefully ground out of the hearts of the common folk; it is a Dickensian Dystopia of industrial proportions. Even the small middle class of upper-level craftsmen and professionals who serve the oligarchs have little joy, save for their slightly better living conditions.
 
Toxic Wastelands of the Blighted Realm
But not all hope is lost for the peoples of the Cities of Smoke, as a band of heroes has formed under the auspices of the very world of Legendaria itself, which cried out for relief. Operating from a hidden fortress, the Grand Circle of Life, the Defenders of Legendaria, was called together from disparate groups of druids, elementalists, rangers, and others from distant regions. Together, when needed, these heroes can even summon the avatar of Legendaria herself, the Eternal Earth Mother – though her power is fleeting, and so they loathe to summon her too often. But they have lately struck a major blow against the Oligarchs, destroying a major fortress that served as a base for slaving operations.
 
In addition to the Cities of Smoke slaving operations, each also operates a fleet of pirates (under letters of marque of course, so one man’s pirate is another man’s privateer). These swarm the Sea of Storms attacking any ships not of their city’s flag and raiding the seacoast hamlets, villages, and towns held under other city’s hegemony. There are also islands in the Sea of Storms that are home to independent pirates – escaped slaves and commoners who seek to gain vengeance on the Oligarchs and their vicious crews of slavers and pirates.
 
Pirates/Privateers of the Cities of Smoke

 

[Advanced Labyrinth Lord] Class Level Titles

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First of all, Legendaria is still ongoing, however, it is no longer an Advanced Labyrinth Lord project. I am going to be developing it using the Four Color/FASERIP system, which fits the campaign concept much better than trying to integrate all the themes into Labyrinth Lord.
 
So that will go on, but right now, I'm working on some things for ALL. Not that I'm going to mention those yet; I won't be in a place to really talk about those projects until after Gary Con (if we make it, hoping the weather holds).
 
For now, here is a list of Class Level Titles I have generated for use in my ALL campaigns. I always kind of liked these, and recent re-reading of the classic Rythlondar Campaign materials has got me really wanting to use them again. But they are a bit of a mess in some ways, so I have cleaned and altered them to better fit my campaign.
 
I hope you find these useful and perhaps inspirational!

As usual, click to embiggen!

[Advanced Labyrinth Lord] Class Level Title Redux -- Emendations and Additions

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After a thorough going over, I have made some changes to the 10 existing class level titles and added six new class level title listings.

I changed the druid listing, for various reasons; that is the major change to the existing tables:


I have also added six new listings, for the three racial classes I have enhanced and the three racial classes I have added to my class list. These six are:

Halfling Bounder
Dwarf Delveguard
Elf Fey Knight
Gnome Korrigan
Half-Elf Minstrel
Half-Orc Reiver


All six are going to be released in a product through James Mishler Games once I finish it... hopefully sooner than later. A preview will be forthcoming later this week.

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