Secret Jackalope 2020: d6 Gonzo Dying Earth Locations

So! For Secret Jackalope, I was asked to make d6 dungeon/location prompts for a gonzo dying earth setting, each a paragraph long at most by TheManWithAHammer(https://themanwithahammer.blogspot.com/?m=1). And I was given the option to add a list of monsters/denizens to each entry. Which I’ll do. Heck, I’ll make a d6 list of monsters/denizens plus traps/hazards.

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1: Forests of Pillars: A field of golden pillars, stabbing at the sky. Around each pillar, the sand of the desert has turned to obsidian, reflecting the scarlet light of the dying sun. Upon each pillar divine names of power are inscribed, in a language that can only be learned by theft or gift. 

d6 Denizens and Hazards of the Forest of Pillars:

1: The Eater of Names.

2: Knife Dunes

3: Merchant Bugs of Vowe’el

4: Infectious Glyph

5: Crawling Priests of Secrets

6: The Gale that Calls

—

2: Qilphort: A Qilphort is a massive parasitic tree, hailing from the stars. Their spear-roots burrow into the earth and flesh around them, draining every drop of life. Yet the fruit held in their highest lofts are said to make mortals into immortals, fools into sages, and the weak into the mighty. When the sun devours the world, they will leave it’s empty corpse behind.

1d6 Denizens and Hazards of the Qilphorts:

1: Hungry Roots

2: Bone Bees

3: False Fruits

4: Worm Squirrels 

5: Drowning Blood

6: The Root Parasite

——

3: Lakes of Color

Lakes of liquid color. Crimson flowing on the surface as blue worms it’s way to the sky. Beware them, for the colors can draw a man in and devour their soul. Yet in these colors can be used to draw weakness from the flesh and turn beasts to men. The seventh color, Violet, does not exist outside the minds of man. Hence it cannot be found in liquid or entity form. Yet as the world and it’s laws die, perhaps it will force itself into existence.

1d6 Denizens and Hazards of the Lakes of Colors:

1: Red Piranhas 

2: Orange Fingers

3: Yellow Anglerfishes

4: Green Eyes

5: Blue Vines

6: Indigo Stalkers

——

4: Tomb-Cities of the Ancients:

Ruins and tombs of iron and glass. When the Sun Bombs fell, the world of the ancients died in a flash. Their shining cities became tombs, home of ashen specters and poisoned treasures. The hate of a newborn star, quick to die, will never fade.

1d6 Denizens and Hazards of the Tomb-Cities of the Ancients:

1: Metal that Hates

2: Sun-Shadow Phantasms

3: Sun-Hated Creeping Ivy

4: Maddened Automata

5: Buried Firestones

6: Dormant Sun Bomb.

———-

5: Sun-Eater Temples:

Temples of black stone and dry ice, reaching towards the sky like grasping talons. The air around them is deathly cold and silent. Sound cannot exist in and around the temple, and all light in that radius is dimmed at best, devoured at worst. These are temples to the death of the world, each one slowly but surely devouring the life of the sun. If left unchecked, they will bring the world to end in a hundred years.

1d6 Denizens and Hazards of the Sun-Eater Temples:

1: Silence Elementals

2: Chilling Breaths

3: Entropy Walkers

4: Signs of Undeniable Truth

5: Nameless Visitors.

6: Hungry Holes.

————

6: The God-Corpse:

When the Sun-Bombs feel, a massive corpse fell from the sky. It smashed into the earth, it’s blood spewing forth a army of demons and a world of madness. Yet from it’s flesh miracles can be wrought. But it’s heart has never stopped beating. Even as rot claims the holy flesh, it’s heart keeps on beating.

1d6 Denizens and Hazards of The God-Corpse:

1: The Mosqqueen. 

2: Hateful Hairspires

3: Southern Carrion Wurms

4: Bad Blood

5: Holy Eaters of the Sacrement.

6: Terrible Tumors

———

And there we go! That’s my Secret Jackalope entry fulfilled.

Kaiju Challenge: Gigantes

So! On the OSR discord, I proposed a challenge for my fellow GLOGgers. Write up rules to fight and/or PLAY as kaiju/giant monsters.

And it would be rude to not supply a entry myself. So. Here you go:

[https://www.pinterest.at/pin/69524387977825901/]

The Vitae Gigantes, a rare potion that everyone knows the ingredients for. One third holy water, one third ground up bone from a man eating beast, and one third Gigantes-hearts blood. When drunk, it grants the power for men to turn into inhuman giants, capable of laying low armies. Those weak of body who drink it however, may have their hearts flutter and crack from the attempt to drive the transformation.

The average Gigantes is six times the height of a man. Their skin is like armor and they can rip a man limb from limb. Their appearances are variable, yet always as monstrous as their heart. As they grow in age and power, they become more and more monstrous, armed with beastly mutations of terrible power.

They say the first Gigantes was the child of the ocean and a foolish and desperate king. The child grew and grew, and laid low all of the king’s foes. With every day that passed, more and more of their inhumanity shone through.

When there where no more foes for the King’s child to slay, it turned on the kingdom. It’s hunger for battle and flesh by that point could not be sated. Scores of men and women and children where cast into it’s maw. When the kingdom was in ruins, it’s father melting in it’s stomach, did it’s rage cool and it’s heart stop beating. The enemies of the kingdom, for there where many, swarmed across the corpse like maggots. The Vitae Gigantes was discovered, and the rest is history.

In the modern era, Gigantes are worth their weight in gold. Every kingdom has at least one to protect their borders. A kingdom’s might is measured not in their armies, but the number of Gigantes they have.

Gigantes are treated as heroes, worshipped as minor gods of war, showered in riches and fame. Yet should they succumb to wrath or attempt to betray the kingdom, then the kingdom’s other Gigantes will strike them down, and devour their heart to grow in power, lest they meet their own end.

[https://www.pinterest.at/pin/147492956533982168/?nic_v1=1bKrmT5p8dqZbr5KFLkrbpzMXrfxB0liii4lPcDYCx%2BODTjx0JHRKMfbQAx9SmrQuY]

Mechanics:

When the Vitae Gigante is drunk, the user must make a CON save. On a fail, they suffer from a heart murmur and take 1d10 damage. If you succeed, you gain a Gigantes form. You can transform to and from the Gigantes form at will. 

For Gigantes scale, *everything is six times that of the normal scale, but the numbers stay the same.* Things that normal scaled people cannot hurt, like buildings, now have HD and HP. 

If a Gigantes hits something normal-scaled, it’s damage is multiplied by six. If something normal scale hits them, that damage is *divided* by six.

When a character transforms into their Gigantes form, everything they are wearing and carrying is absorbed into them. Their stats *stay the same.* Armor is incorporated into their titan like flesh. Weapons are absorbed into their flesh and become useless, unless enchanted to grow with them(which costs 1d100 + Xd100 GP, where X is equal to how many special abilities the weapon has). By default, a Gigantes unarmed attacks deal 1d4 + STR Mod(if it’s a bonus) damage. They can still use all of their other abilities(provided they weren’t tied to a absorbed weapon), which are scaled up to be on Gigantes scale.

A Gigantes also possesses Atavisms. Mutations of the flesh and soul, that grant terrible power. A Gigantes starts with 1  Atavistim, and every time they level up or devour the heart of another Gigantes, they gain another. Every Atavism both grants a new ability, and makes the Gigantes’ Gigantes form more monstrous. They are only useable in Gigantes form, and their side effects are only present when in that form.

1d4 Example Atavisms:

1: Burning Breath

Mutation: The Gigantes’ mouth glows with fire, that licks their lips whenever they open their maw. Any attacks made with their mouth deal a additional 1d4 points of fire damage.

Ability: The user can take a turn to breath in. On there next turn, they release a wave of fire from their mouth. A 30’ cone of fire that deals 2d4(Gigantes Scale) fire damage.

2: Flesh of Thorns

Mutations: The Gigantes’ skin is covered in spikes and thorns. Bristling with them. They cut through the air with every movement, rattling with every breath. -2 to Stealth.

Ability:  Whenever the Gigantes’ takes damage, anyone within 10’ of them takes 1(Gigantes scale) damage.

3: Blinding Marks

Mutations: The Gigantes’ flesh is covered in the occasional orb. The colors of these orbs is the same as the Gigantes’ eyes. They’re creepy to look at. 

Ability: As a action, the Gigantes can cause the orbs to briefly shine incredibly brightly. Everyone else who is looking at the Gigantes must Save or be blinded for the next 1d4 rounds.

4: Wicked Wings

Mutations: The Gigantes’ sprouts massive wings. Their exact appearance depends from Gigantes to Gigantes. In any case, they allow for flight.

Ability: The Gigantes can fly for [level or HD] minutes per day, at a speed of twice their normal movement.

———-

Links to the other participant’s posts:

Deus ex Parabola: https://as-they-must.blogspot.com/2020/02/giant-monster-i-hardly-know-ster-glog.html

Nroman: https://espharel.blogspot.com/2020/02/osr-kaiju-rules-and-class-kaijui-barely.html

Princess in Yellow: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-beasts-may-challenge-our-gods.html
Phlox: https://whosemeasure.blogspot.com/2020/03/nephilim-i-hardly-know-im-kaiju-osr.html
Lexi: https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2020/03/giant-robots-deserve-giant-monsters.html