New maps for How to Host a Dungeon

A few ideas for maps.

The Crater of Inoa.
Home to Bagan the Great Beast of Inoa. Kaiju in HtHaD.

Inlet to the Underworlds. This is so I can work out some aquatic civilizations.

Tributary to the Sea of Sable Flame. So I can do more with water additions.

If you guys haven't played, Tony Dowler created How to Host a Dungeon, and he lots of videos on YouTube and a Patreon going.

How to Host a Dungeon: Ophidian start

 How to Host a Dungeon is a dungeon creation game by Tony Dowler. I also find extremely useful for generating ideas.

In ages long past, the Ophidians were the dominant species across the land. Serpents that walk as men. They were powerful sorcerers, yet as powerful as their mastery over the arcane was they were driven underground by the rapidly propagating mammals. The Ophidians plotted their revenge and eventual return to dominance...

The Primordial Age

The Badlands has the "Desert" trait. Any sources of water are instead natural caverns.

Mithral deposits

Rolled a 6, Choose or Create. I chose gem stone deposits because they are critical to the Ophidian's plans.

Primordial Beasts are indicated. My dice seem to prefer the right side of the map today...

The Age of civilization.

The Ophidians arrive and build the Blood Fang Temple, converting the 3 gemstones into treasures to be enshrined within.

To increase their numbers, they build a Brood chamber.

The Ophidian's plans require that 7 Clans must be present to perform the Blood Fang Ritual. The 3 heads of Sesket the Serpent god be joined the Mithral Fangs. The Ophidians need a Mithral mine.

Mithral is acquired. One of the Fangs has been crafted.

More Mithral is mined, the second of the Sesket's fangs is created. Another brood chamber is constructed.

The 7 Clans with the 5 artifacts are ready to perform the Blood Fang Ritual.

The Great Disaster.

The Star stone has fallen.

The Age of Monsters.

Humans are drawn by the Star stone. They build Star Stone Castle (I am so changing that name, just as soon as I can think of something more clever)
The Ziru, Crystal Insects arrive. Drawn by the presence of Mithral. (Breeder Group) Hivemind.
The Morlocks arrive to build their workshops and fill them strange machinery.
The embers of an idea is stating to glow...

The Ziru breed, and their construction breaches the ZOC of one of the primordial beasts. (Still trying out different names for these guys)
The Morlocks mine Mithral.
The humans are setting up farms.
Rolling for beasts of a primordial nature, the first roll reveals a Xorn. The Xorn is about to become and unwitting participant in the Blood Fang Ritual. Xorn likes Loot! (At this point it would seem that there is a portal to the Elemental Plane of Earth open somewhere)
A Formian Cyclops has taken up residence in a cave. Jorzo is very confused. How did Jorzo get here? Jorzo does not know.
Garc heard the call of the Star stone. Garc open a gate to where the Star stone is. Garc must find the Star stone.

The Ziru mine mithral and breed.
The Morlocks mine Mithral.
Humans build more farms.
Xorn likes Loot! Don't go near the dead stuff...
Jorzo like it here. It is quiet. Jorzo build house.
Garc must find Star stone!

Ziru mine and breed. (It's what they do, it's all they do)
Morlocks mine more Mithral.
HUMANS ARE GETTIN BIZAY! Another farm and a city. (Nope not a clue when it comes to a name for the city)
Xorn find MOAR LOOT!
Jorzo build Planar Forge. Jorzo ask Hox to come work forge. Hox think that good idea. Jorzo happy.
Garc is almost to the Star stone. Keep digging Garc.

Ziru mine and breed. (Knock, knock.. Who's there? Banana)
The Morlocks go exploring.
Humans are settling in, a Wizard has now joined their ranks.
Xorn still finding Loot! Xorn getting full but food not digesting. Xorn doesn't care. LOOT!
Jorzo able to make toys for Hox. Hox like toys, they build Jorzo a vault. (This getting weird, even by my standards)
Garc has the Star stone! Garc will build the Tesactum. (Busted! I was watching Captain America while playing)
Garc carelessly left the Planar gate open after he arrived. Something short, round and bumpy has wandered through the gate... Truffle Men!

Ziru and minding their own biz, mining and crystalizing little Ziru.
Unfortunately, the Morlocks thought they the Ziru wouldn't miss any of their Mithral, so they tried to take it. It did not go well for the Morlocks. The Morlocks are going to need reinforcements. The Morlocks will go ask Jorzo.
Jorzo sells the Morlocks instruction on how to build clockwork soldiers.
The Xorn hasn't figured out that even though he keeps finding and eating very tasty loot, he hasn't digested it...
Garc built the Tesactum. Garc used the Tesactum to build a Garc mirror, what is that banging noise that disturbs Garc's work?
Humans have constructed and Orrery. The Magick University is ready. The University must have some thing to study. Go forth and bring me Star stone! Whadda ya mean it ain't there, GO FIND IT! Hey boss, let's go down this tunnel. WTF?!?! The Star stone! Get it! What is that?!?!?! Garc is no more.
The Truffle Men find a nice dark tunnel and settle in to their new digs.
How did that Mimic get in here?

The Ziru mined the last of the Mithral and sent a scout to explore. The scout met with an sad end.
The Morlocks are still building Clockwork Soldiers.
The Humans have returned from the depths. They bring the Star stone and Garc's mirror. They build the Temple of the Star stone to house them.
Xorn has found a mighty buffet. That loot wasn't there a second ago...
Jorzo and the Hox mine metal through the Planar Gate and make Magick stuff in the Planar Forge.
The Truffle Men have spored all over the hallway. (There just isn't cleaning any of that up)
The Mimic is...

Everyone was having a wonderful day, until....
The Xorn breaks into the Blood Fang Temple to get at the Amazing loot contained within. Also inadvertently completing the Blood Fand Ritual by collecting the artifacts and uniting them with the Heart of Sesket to Serpent God thereby summoning the 3 headed Avatar to wreak havok and prepare the world for the return of the Ophidians.

I stopped the game at this point so I can put all this together into a great big dungeon. Then the PCs will have to stop the Avatar of Sesket.

The Trilogy of Shades

A small stone rotunda encloses a mosaic floor and bare walls save for 3 tall throne like chairs. Carved from stone of the pillars supporting the roof, each chair is marked with the name of one of Three Sisters of the Shades. Deia, Erregina, and Ana. Three in the darkest self. The Shrine of the Three Sisters marks the entrance to the Necropolis of Dead Gods. If you dare descend the stairs to the necropolis, be warned to bring supplies for a minimum of 6 days. It is a 3 day trip to the bottom of the stair and the entrance hall. The stairway is no wider than man's arm span.
After the first hour of descent, the darkness is all encompassing. The silence shrouds everything past day 2. While not complete all noise is muffled and the senses slightly dulled.
At the bottom of the Endless Stair, the dark, cavernous halls stretch into the darkness. No living entity has seen the halls in their entirety.
Scattered among the alcoves full of frescoes of forgotten divinity, are thousands of reliquaries. Testaments of faith from the archaic past.
Down, down, down to the lowest and oldest part of the necropolis, where the old terrors hunt the lost souls of another world. Thru the only human sized door in the depths. Lies the Reliquary of Hirashiz Liburtegia.. Little more than a shallow grotto. There are only three empty stone book stands. Each stand is marked with runes in the language of the ancient Oorn.

The first sigil is the mark of The Ezagutza Ezkutatua. The Morningstar Ledger. It is a whispered rumor. To some it brings great power, others find only ruin. Ignominious deeds both egregious and vile are recorded between it's covers. Every foul act on the pages share one quality that ensures it's value to the corrupt, they are all secrets. These secrets strike fear in to the hearts of the powerful. These are secrets the powerful do not want known, secrets they would kill to obtain... or protect.

The second sigil is the mark The Zahaztutako Bidea. The Journey of the Endless. The legend surrounding this tome tells that should you scribe your true name in the book, you will live forever if not murdered by violence. Consider carefully before imbibing the heady tonic of immortality. For yes you will live forever but you will never know your fate. No Witch, no Seer will tell you where your path leads. Is eternal life worth not ever knowing when the fatal blow will come?

The third sigil is the mark of The Etorkizun Ezoguna. The Book of Fate. As the other volumes have been the source of plots and wars, the Book of Fate has not been seen in living memory. The oldest accounts allow that should you ask aloud of any one entity, the book will detail that life, from beginning to end. As with all gnosis it can only be discovered by respecting the obligations of Deia. The book will tell of a life only if started from the beginning, turning only one page at a time, until reaching it's end. The book will not tell of the manner of the end. Only the where and when.

Proof of concept

I got bored and had an idea. This is never a good thing. Idle GM hands can only lead to Player sorrow.

Ladies and Jelly spoons!

I give you... Orville the Illithid/Beholder

Happy Quarantine gaming!

February 2020 RPG Blog Carnival: Legends & Lore

 The Morningstar Ledger

It is a whispered rumor. To some it brings great power, others will find only ruin. All manner of grotesque, vile, and egregious deeds are recorded within it's covers. These deeds share one quality that ensures it will be enshrined on the pages. They are all secrets. Secrets the powerful fear, and do not want known. Secrets they will protect, at any cost.

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The legend of the Morningstar ledger. This little gem popped into my head one afternoon, I don't remember what I was reading, that spawned the idea, and I don't have a use for it in any of my games.
However it does fit nicely in this month's RPG Blog Carnival.

Legends are one of the best story hooks you can use. They can lead your players to fame and fortune, or it can be a huge red-herring. If you've been playing for a while, you have the seeds of legends in your head. Ever had a character escape death by the skin of his d20? Then you have the seeds of a legend. If you treat it right, you a few legends. How did they escape? Was it due to some rare knowledge? Maybe an item aided them?
A creative DM/GM can use a legend to change the abilities of an artifact. How?, you might ask.

Back in the time of THAC0, I had Ranger character. I was really proud of Lethric. He used dual longswords and was quite formidable. Until he lost his right hand to a hungry mimic...
Or so I thought. The dice gods are fickle, ironically generous at times too. Same adventure, only in a dungeon. What did the dice gods give me? Yep... THAT hand. Not the eye, just THE HAND. So, back in the antediluvian high school games, things in the DMG were considered off limits to purely players. However if you shared DMing duties with someone then you were expected to keep the secrets of how the sausages were made. i.e. It was by mutual unspoken consensus that you didn't metagame when playing a character in someone else's game.
What to do... What to doo...
Legends usually have their basis in actual people or events. This is where the legend of Lethric Gillenhammer was born. Lethric would switch classes and become Magic-user. He would not attach the hand until I was sure I could use it. He starts searching for the eye. If I'm gonna try this, I gonna go for broke. Lethric's hand had been restored. Almost immediate after we got out of the dungeon where it got mimic munched. So I was more than able to advance as a MU. He did eventually find the eye. I enacted the plan. Keep in mind, I was fully under the delusion that I would be able to play Lethric again..... When you stop laughing we'll continue.
Lethric now had the hand and the eye, and ring of wishes with 2 wishes left. Using every ounce of Gygaxian Legalese I could think of, I wrote a 9 page wish. I gave it to a couple of friends to read and poke holes in. Sean found it. As Lethric was playing in his game, Lethric was subject to his game's mythology. Lethric removed his eye and cut off his left hand. The first wish broke the cosmos so the second wish could do what I wanted. I did it. I had severed the alignment consequences from the Primary power usage, and managed to contain the eye under a patch. To keep it from being used against the hand. I could use the hand with no repercussions. Eureeeka! Ok, wait a minute there Skippy, Sean had determined that yes Lethric could use the hand, if he could convince it to cooperate. Sean gave the hand a mind of it's own. It was now an obnoxious familiar.

In my gaming cosmos, the hand and eye are now endowed with an intelligence separate from the big V, and each other. Never played Lethric again. He's the Legendary wizard, quest giver, info dumper when I need him. And I can invest the hand and eye with whatever powers I need.

I mentioned earlier that legends make great story hooks. I have a few already written (of course I did). The Legends of Nohj.

Well, that was quite the ramble wasn't it?

I thought I had a coherent post in mind when I started this... Unhuh, yeah... right...

Anyone who has played more than one adventure, will have fuel for legends if and when they want to run their own games. The lore is the story behind it, or the out of game stuff that opened the door. It's all in HOW you tell the story.

I'm done rambling... For now. If I don't get to March's Carnival I'll just say

Happy Gaming!

Paladras

Paladras watched his companions tie up their horses, and wander off. Kalahr Ian spoke briefly with a small kalahr and set off after it at a brisk pace. The Mountain twins headed towards the tavern, and the Leaf-Kin disappeared into the crowd of travelers wandering through the market.

Paladras had heard the whispers of Diaphasia as soon as they had entered the Anidir forests. He decided to go read the signs, to see what Diaphasia was warning him about.

Opening his eyes, he touches the third finger of his right hand to his temple and invokes his draconic blood.

The breeze carried the scents of the town. Any concentration of kalar smelled like raw meat, stone, and metal. The breeze shifted to come from the north. That's when he smelled it. Ancient dust and the many-legs. Paladras briefly remembered the stories his brood mother had told he and his siblings. His clan had rooted out and eradicated a nest of many-legs while he was still playing with his own egg shards in his clan home.Scanning the horizon to the northeast he saw an intermittent flickering highlighting a mountain far in the distance. Paladras stretched out with all his hereditary senses. Draconic blood affords those that posses it an affinity to their native environment. Paladras had been blooded in the forests of his homeland. He felt, more than saw that the flickering was the presence of evil finally releasing it's hold on the mountain. The many-legs had been vanquished years before, but the evil they tried to invoke clung to the mountain.
Surely Diaphasia wasn't trying to warn him about a long dead nest. So what was it?

Paladras tucked his wings under his robes, then pulled his hood up. Hissing the incantation for unobtrusive presence, he headed back towards the tavern to talk to the Mountain twins. Misssy was a child of the World spirit, she might see something he could not.

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The Forest kin visibly paled when Paladras appeared next to him. "Alright Fangface, you are going to teach me that one day."
Paladras popped a few pimka fruit in his mouth and hissed out some laughter. "Kasssz, I  told you. Ssorsscery   is   easy   for   Wyrmkin. Dragons are made of magic."
Paladras turned and started hissing in low tones with one of the Half elf sisters.

"Mizzy, there is an air of unrest in the forest, when you are able to spare a moment, please accompany me so that we might narrow down the cause."

 "That can't be a good thing. Should we go get Ian?"

January 2020 RPG Blog Carnival: Random Encounter Tables

Greetings and well met once again!

I venture forth from under my rock to bring you more blithering, blathering, and chicken chasing, usually on topic even. LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT CHICKEN! Sorry, he was big and shiney.

Random Encounter Tables.

Yep, this is a subject every GM has, or will eventually, use or need and/or scream incoherently at a Random Encounter table. Let's see if this scenario sounds familiar: Gm rolls, consults table, then goes outside and throws dice across the yard in frustration because the RET has just determined that your brand new shiney 1st level adventuring party is now facing a Shadow Dragon!

Oh yes, that actually happened to me. Yep, killed that game with one die roll.

All my personal failings as a GM aside, you might run into a similar problem and I'll try and give you a few ideas on how to avoid the aneurysms this causes. Apologies for not delving into the maths of dice probability, it makes my head hurt.

If you have wandered around my blog before, then you have probably discovered my custom RETs.

Forest
Plains
Hills/Mountains
Swamp/Marsh

I have long since packed up my PF books, I don't have notes available on how they worked out. I usually scribble notes on the tables, so I can make tweaks later.
I designed these with a spread of CRs because I am of the GM school of...

PCs need to learn when to run away. No, I have never had a party decide discretion is the better part of valor. It always takes at least one PC death for them to get the message.

I designed these tables with an eye towards longevity. I was able to use the tables thru when the PCs made 6th level.

Looking at the Forest table. Entries 1, 51-53, and 100 are not just monsters. These are plot hooks. The ancient graveyard was going to reveal a small statuette of a god they could not recognize. The ruined tower was the hook for a secret library and a journal that would have led a brave party up against a Tarrasque. The pyramid ruins are there, because I don't get to use my Heart room trap enough.

If you're like me, when you start a sandbox game you have a selection of of plot hooks for the PCs to choose from. To prevent analysis paralysis, take all your plot hooks and work them into a RET. Let the dice gods decide what the PCs are going after. You don't even have to start them at the trite animal tavern. The first session can have a more organic flow and save you the headaches of trying to get the PCs to pick a direction.

In closing, RETs come in all types and sizes. If you really don't feel like putting together a custom table, there is a mega multitude of tables out there. If you don't mind a little work, try designing your own tables. You don't have to start from scratch. Just cross out any entries that don't make sense and add something that does. You're the GM, do whatever you want.

Now, having bored you enough for the time being. Go check out the other entries in this month's carnival.

Happy Gaming!