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.

—

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

Saints: a GLOG Class

Saints

So a bit ago on the OSR Discord, I suggested a way to make clerics be different from Wizards while fitting the theme of magic being risky to use.

The core idea is simple. When a Saint casts a Miracle, they gain a random Curse until the end of they day. What a Saint’s Curses and Miracles are depends from their Path to Path.

Lynn over at Words for Yellow made her own version of the idea. As I didn’t have a blog at the time, she cited me via my discord username. Anyways, here is my version of the Saint, designed to be a template similar to the GLOG Wizard class, with its countless schools.

In fact I’m designing this so Lynn’s Saint can work as a Path.

A Saint in service to some Deity/Entity/Philosophy.

[Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/729231364642492897/]

Saint: A mortal who invokes the Miracles of the divine, or their philosophy, at the cost of being burdened with terrible curses.

Your starting equipment, starting skills, and stat bonuses and maluses granted by Saint are determined by your Path.

Saint A: Path, Miraculous

Saint B: Burden, First Boon

Saint C: Second Boon

Saint D: Divine Retribution, Final Boon

Path: A Path is a Saint’s philosophy, or the God they worship, whatever it is, it’s something they put all of their faith into. Every Path has 10 Miracles, 12 Curses, and 3 Boons.

Miraculous: Perform a Miracle at the cost of afflicting yourself with a Curse. When you choose a Miracle from your Path to cast, roll 1d6 for a Curse, adding +1 to your roll for each Miracle you have used in the same day. Curses last the rest of the day unless otherwise noted or if that wouldn't make sense. 

Burden: Once per day, select an enemy when you use a Miracle, inflicting them with the Curse instead of yourself.

Boons: Every Path has three Boons. A Boon is simply a special ability unique to Saints of that Path. Using these does not afflict a Saint with a curse.

Divine Retribution: Once per day, spread one Curse that afflicts you onto an enemy. They will be alleviated when you are, or can release the Curse afflicting then separately.

—The Silence, A Example Path—

Her symbol. Represents tranquility and the curve of the sky.

A alien goddess, watching from the void above at the world below. Her heart is full of love, and she longs to share it with the mortals of the world below and bring them peace.

However there are three problems in her way. A. Her definition of peace can be summed up as “calmly and quietly floating in space, free from greed and suffering”. B. The average mortal is not able to get to or survive in space. C. Sound hurts her, for she is a creature of silence and nothingness as much as she is a creature of love.

Her Saints are her way around that. Chosen mortals, tasked with easing suffering, allowing mortals to reach the void above, and making them able to survive in it. She communicates with them through their dreams. Each is host to a tiny shard of her power. They are not built to hold such power, hence they Curses they suffer from.

Saints of the Silence gain +1 Stealth with each template they have in Saint, but lose -1 HP with every two templates they have in Saint.

Starting Items: A dagger, a weightless rosary made of black star-stone.

Starting Skills: Cultist, Doctor, or Begger

Boons of The Silence:

First Boon: Blessed Hands: [Level] times per day, the Saint can lay hands on another creature to heal them 1 HP OR clear 1 Fatal Wound from then.

Second Boon: Aura of Silence: The Saint possesses a Aura of Silence they can toggle on and off with a action. The Aura has a radius of 10’, and no sounds can exist within the radius of a active Aura.

Third Boon: Void Form: The Silence blesses the Saint with a form capable of surviving in the depths of space. The Saint’s new form is strangely beautiful and matches their ideal self, does not need to breath or eat, can levitate up to 5’ off the ground(which allows you to move in a zero-g environment without pushing off anything), and takes no damage from ambient temperatures(ie fireball still burns you, but you can walk around just fine in a blizzard or volcano).

Miracles of the Silence:

1: One creature or object you see has gravity reversed on it for the next 1d6 rounds. Things with reversed gravity fall at a rate of 20’ per round.

2: Swap the positions of two objects or beings you can see, however the largest thing you can effect with this is a large house.

3: Up to 10’ of inanimate(ie not alive or a spirit or undead or some kind of being) material you see ceases to exist.

4: One being you can see becomes incapable of hurting any other being for the next hour.

5: Up to [level x 2] HD worth of beings you can see must Save or fall asleep for 1d4 hours.

6: One sleeping being you see dreams of the Silence and her love. They must Save or forever have the memory of the Silence’s limitless love for them and everyone else on their mind.

7: Change the appearance of one thing your touching in any way that is purely cosmetic.

8: One thing you can see is not affected by gravity for the next hour. It won’t automatically float away, but if pushed into the air it won’t fall down till the duration ends.
9: All beings you can see become able to communicate with each other through telepathy for the next hour. This telepathy transmits emotion and thoughts, translates them so everyone linked can understand each other, and only truth can be said with it.
10: One being you see takes 1 point of Non-Lethal damage every time it attempts to harm another being in the next 24 hours.

Curses of The Silence

1: You cannot talk. When your lips move, nothing comes out except silence.

2: You are blinded, and see only the void between stars.

3: You are deafened, and hear only the song of the spheres.

4: You feel cold. Incredibly cold. Cold enough that it numbs your reaction times. Whenever you roll Initiative, roll twice and take the worst result.

5: One inventory slot of yours has everything in it crumble to star dust. (The player chooses)

6: You are filled with a desire to be under the sky. Every hour you are not under the open sky, Save or be forced to do everything under your power to get under the open sky.

7: The Sun hates you. Whenever sunlight touches you, Save or be turned to a statue made of the same kind of stone as your rosary, until the curse ends.

8: Sound hurts you. Whenever you hear any noise that isn’t quiet, Save or take 1d4 damage.

9: You cannot rest unless you are in pitch black darkness.

10: All of the money upon your person ceases to exist.

11: Every time you fail a save, you also fall asleep for 1d4 turns.

12+: You are teleported into the void between starts for X turns. When you are teleported by this Curse, unless you have Void Form, take X divided by 2 damage, where X is the result of your roll.

Welcome! + 1d6 Cursed but Useful Magic Items

Welcome to my blog! I’ll be writing and posting stuff from or for my tabletop games, or for the OSR in general. I’ll also probably end up posting random setting stuff my muse comes up with as well. By default my go to ruleset is the GLOG, and as such most of my mechanics will be written with the GLOG in mind.

I’m aiming to try and post at least a post per week.

Anyways here we go. Six magic items that while useful, are also cursed. Something nice and small to start the blog off. 

1: A ring made of elven bone. When worn, it fuses into the user’s finger bones, and must be forcefully torn off (deals one point of damage to Max HP when removed). The wearer can make any creature they make eye contact with Save. On a failure, that creature will believe anything you tell them in the next 24 hours. However, when wearing the ring, the character must Save every time they would tell the truth, and on a failure, they instead lie.

[Source: https://thedailywant.com/real-human-bone-ring/]

2: A knife with a blade of obsidian and a hilt of dragon bone. The blade cannot deal damage to anything animate(ie, golems, undead, elementals, living things, demons and angels, etc), and neither can you as long as you carry it. However, the blade can cut *anything* that is inanimate. Including the fabric of space and time. The user can swing the blade to create a portal. One end must be where the blade was swung, the other anywhere the user can see. The size and shape of each pair of portals is determined by the cut. (Ie, if you cut a circle with a 10’ radius into the air, the portals will be circles with a radius of 10’)

[Source: https://www.jjstonecraft.com/products/transparent-obsidian-knife-with-deer-bone-handle]

3: A stone chain, 20’ long and covered in runes of unknown meaning. When wrapped around something, it causes the chain and that thing to float into the air. However if it touches the skin a living creature, it will wrap around them and  attempt to strangle them as they’re lifted into the air.

4: Six golden arrows, covered in spiral patterns. When fired, you can declare your target. The launched arrow will fly after your target until it hits. When it hits it will automatically deal max damage and then burrow up to 5’ into your opponent(and hence end up going through most humanoids in a very bloody fashion, which may end up provoking a Save or Die). At dawn, every of the arrows that you fired and did not recover will act like they where shot at you. The first will go for your left hand, the second your right. The third goes for your left foot, the fourth your right foot. The fifth goes for your head and the sixth your heart.

5: A crystal skull. A see through, red crystal to be exact. Anyone who looks into it’s eyes must Save or swap bodies with the last being to touch it. They keep their mental scores, but use the body’s physical scores. Both beings gain a point of Trauma, for the swap involves both beings have their souls violently torn from their bodies.

[Source: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005SN6454/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?ref_=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_.kWvtb0TT0TYW]

6: A old and heavy coin that glows softly with green light. The heads side shows a gold skull, tails is a decapitated snake, also made of gold. Any bet WILLINGLY made over the result of the doin’s flip is magically binding, and the losing party has to do their end of the bet. (Ie, if you and I agree to bet with the coin, and I say “If it lands heads you have to give me all your gold” and you say “If it lands tails you have to give me all weapons”, then if one of us loses the bet, we cannot *not* give the stuff up.) Every day you have the coin in your possession, Save or lose a point of CON and gain a random mutation. 

——

Author’s Note: The reason only half of the entries have a picture is because I couldn’t find pictures that worked for each entry. I’ll probably edit this post when I do.