Amulets for Empire of the Petal Throne

(I'm reposting this from my website.) 

A million years ago, I wrote an amulet determination chart for use with EPT. It got published in the Imperial Military Journal (or the Journal of Tékumeli Affairs). The table was produced using the indications in EPT of which amulets are common or rare. The basic percentages are as follows:

• Common - 11 to 13 percent
• Average - 8 to 9 percent
• Rare - 3 to 5 percent
• 
  

Amulet Determination Table (Original)

Roll (d100)	Amulet
01-09	Amulet Against the Iniquitous Nshé
10-22	Amulet of Finding Treasure in the Underworld
23-33	Amulet of the Good God
34-41	Amulet of Invincible Steel
42-52	Amulet of Mastery Over Rényu
53-65	Amulet of Perceiving the Scintillation of Metals
66-70	Amulet of Peace Amongst the Servers of Ksárul
71-81	Amulet of Power Over the Undead
82-84	Amulet of Protection Against the Grey Hand
85-87	Amulet of Ruling the Ru'ún
88-92	Amulet of Safety Amidst Putrefaction
93-00	Amulet of Warding Off the Thunrú'u

I recently updated the percentages in the table, getting a mix that I like better. The Common amulets are more common, and the Rare ones are rarer. I also moved the Amulet of Power over the Undead from the Common category to the Average category, mostly because I think it fits better there, but also because it gives each category four entries, which tickles my "it all fits in a nice neat structure" compulsion. The new percentages are below:

• 
  
• Common - 15 percent
• Average - 8 percent
• Rare - 2 percent

Amulet Determination Table (New)

Roll (d100)	Amulet
01-08	Amulet Against the Iniquitous Nshé
09-23	Amulet of Finding Treasure in the Underworld
24-38	Amulet of the Good God
39-46	Amulet of Invincible Steel
47-61	Amulet of Mastery Over Rényu
62-76	Amulet of Perceiving the Scintillation of Metals
77-78	Amulet of Peace Amongst the Servers of Ksárul
79-86	Amulet of Power Over the Undead
87-88	Amulet of Protection Against the Grey Hand
89-90	Amulet of Ruling the Ru'ún
91-92	Amulet of Safety Amidst Putrefaction
93-00	Amulet of Warding Off the Thunrú'u

"I love the OSR" Contest!

Eric Campbell is sharing his credit at DriveThruRPG by having a "comment on my post" contest at Chronicles of Ganth. The more comments he gets, the more credit he gives away.

Random Tubeway Car Stations

So, I've been making random tables for a generic dungeon, so I got thinking that I should make some for Tekumel and Empire of the Petal Throne. I'm also experimenting with a format where you roll one of each die (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20). So here's the first one.

So, you're in the Jakallan underworld, being chased by a troop of Ahoggya that you interrupted during their elaborate sex ritual (eight sexes, each with four legs and arms, imagine the geometries). You come to a large room with a large floating egg in it. There is an open door. The room appears to be a dead-end. You run inside the egg and the door closes. You see an array of ten buttons on a panel in the front of the egg. You push one in desperation. The door closes.

Now you wait. A several hours later, the door opens. Where are you?

Random Tubeway Car Stations

This quick and easy generator will create a random tubeway car station. When a section mentions a die, such as d8, use the existing roll for that die from the other section.

Roll d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20

Levels Below Surface (d4)

1	2 levels
2-3	3 levels
4	3+d6 levels

Station Size (d6)

1, 3, 5	1 tube
2	2-3 tubes
4	4-6 tubes
6	d8 + d20 tubes

Age of Level Near Station (d8)

1	Time of No Kings
2	Engsvanyáli Empire
3	Bednálljan Dynasties
4	The Fishermen Kings
5	The Dragon Warriors
6	Three States of the Triangle
7	Llyáni Empire
8	The Latter Times

Roll Vicinity (d10)

d10	d8	1, 8	2, 7	3, 6	4, 5
	1	Tsolyánu			Milumanayá
	2	Salarvyá			Háida Pakála
	3	Yán Kór			Sa’á Allaqí
	4	Mu’ugalávya			N’lǘss
	5	Livyánu		Shényu
	6	Mihállu	Nuru’ún	Rannálu	Plain of Glass
	7	Kilalámmu	Pecháno	Jánnu	Ssuyál
	8	Tsoléi	M’mórcha	Tané	Desert of Gálai
	9	Black Ssú enclave	City of the Red-Tiled Roofs	South Pole	Hlüssyál
	10	GM's Special

Roll Temple between Station and Surface (d12)

d12	d20	Even	Odd
	1	Hnálla	Drá
	2	Karakán	Chegárra
	3	Thúmis	Keténgku
	4	Belkhánu	Qón
	5	Avánthe	Dilinála
	6	Hrǘ’ü	Wurú
	7	Vimúhla	Chiténg
	8	Ksárul	Grugánu
	9	Sárku	Durritlámish
	10	Dlamélish	Hriháyal
	11	The One Other	Hŕsh (or local deity)
	12	The One Who Is	Goddess of the Pale Bone

Roll Encounter between Station and Surface (d20)

d20	1	Warriors (d8)	11	Ngóro
	2	Priests (d6)	12	Káyi (d6)
	3	Hlǘss (d4)	13	Qól (d6+d12)
	4	Ssú (d6)	14	Biridlú (d6)
	5	Shunned Ones (d4)	15	Tsú'uru (d6)
	6	Pé Chói (d8)	16	Thúnru'u (d4)
	7	Shén (d6)	17	Ru'ún (d6)
	8	Ahoggyá (d4)	18	Sagún (d4)
	9	Mrúr (d8+d6)	19	Nexus points (d12)
	10	Shédra (d8+d4)	20	2 Encounters: d12 and d8+12

Here is a PDF of this random generator.

Minimalist Magic-User for EPT

So I was going through EPT the other day, and I noticed something interesting. There are no minimum requirements for professions. So I thought I would present the minimum Magic User character. Let's call her Hlamesha.

Hlamesha the Minimalist Magic-User

Strength:	01
Dexterity:	01
Constitution:	01
Intelligence:	01
Psychic Ability:	21
Comeliness:	01

So what can this sorcerer do? They can cast spells up to Group I at normal success chances. If she had Intelligence 21, she could cast Group II spells.

We could make this character a little more playable by giving her some average talents. And one above average talent. If we make her abysmal Intelligence a 16, then she just has to survive to go up enough levels that she can raise her INT by 5.

Hlamesha the Not-Quite-So-Minimalist Magic-User

Strength:	41
Dexterity:	41
Constitution:	41
Intelligence:	16
Psychic Ability:	21
Comeliness:	91

Even with this horrid start for a sorcerer, she can still cast some cool stuff.

First off, the professional skills of the Magic User are all available: Control of Self, Illusion, Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, Telekinesis, Astrology, Medium, Nature Control, Necromancy, Control Underworld Creatures, and The Grey Hand.

Not bad at all. Illusion, Clairvoyance, and Control Underworld Creatures are stalwarts of underworld adventurer's toolbox. In later games after EPT, The Grey Hand is one of the Temple spells of  Wuru, one of the most powerful combat spells available. The only problem with it is that you have to touch the victim. It's a Save or Die™, turning you into a pile of ash if you fail. And you can control undead and temporarily raise the dead as zombies. Sweet!

Now for Group I spells: Calm, Create Food and Drink, Creatures I, Curse/Bless, Disbelieve and Dispel, Dispel Evil/Good, Door Control, Fear, Heal Minor Wounds, Levitate, Light, Locate Gold and Gems, Locate Objects, Madness, Plague, Protection from Evil/Good, Shadows, and Seeing Other Planes.

With this set, you can wander the underworld without need for rations, you can summon d3 one-hit die creatures to fight for you, you can dispel illusions, open doors, heal wounds, create light, find cash, find nexus points, and have some nasty attack spells (Madness and Plague).

That's a very workable set of spells, and therefore a playable character. I'd take Hlamesha down under Jakalla. So, next time you roll a shitty character, consider becoming a Magic-User. You might find that you are able to survive longer than you think.

While you were sleeping

You have just finished a weird and bizarre escapade, and you are bone tired. You pour yourself into bed (or into a dark corner of the room or hallway) and fall deeply asleep. What do you find when you wake up? For more, look here.

Roll d10

1. Someone drew a mustache on your face.
2. Something stole all your clothes.
3. You wake up outdoors, curled around a cute elf of your sexual preference.
4. A short greenish-tinted man is sitting near you with an expectant look on his face.
5. A young girl runs into the room, yelling, "Help! Save me!"
6. You've been abducted by aliens/slavers.
7. A large gift-wrapped box is in the middle of the room.
8. You find yourself in a sumptuously appointed apartment, seemingly from another area and culture. You are waited on hand and foot by beautiful mechanical servants. 
9. An ugly, mean-looking dog is watching you. He growls when you try to move.
10. A happy puppy is licking your face.

S&W Bonus: Doors in the Dungeon

So I had another post ready for tomorrow, but I thought, "Why not today?" So here you get my S&W bonus post -- Doors!

What does that door that you're standing in front of look like?

Dungeon Doors (d10)

1. Curtain (roll d4: 1=bead curtain, 2=frilly pastel curtains, 3=thick tie-dyed curtain, 4=tapestry depicting the current adventurers)
2. Flimsy hollow-core door. +2 to bust down. Easily smashed by stunted, wheezing wizard. 
3. Solid wood door. Normal dungeon door.
4. Iron-bound oak door. -1 to bust down.
5. Oak-bound iron door. Looks like an oak door. -2 to bust down. Buster takes d3 damage.
6. Steel door. Find a cooperative rust monster. Or bribe one. Or chase one from another part of the dungeon. If you have a pick, perhaps you can chop through the wall. Otherwise, move along.
7. Doorway has an illusion of a door cast on it. While investigating and fiddling with the 'door', it appears to be solid. If someone busts it down, they will pass through it like air and can't stop for ten feet from their momentum. This could be very bad if there's a pit on the other side.
8. A section wall has an illusion of a door cast on it. There's 40' of stone behind it. Buster takes d4 damage.
9. Glass door painted to look like wood. Busts easily, but buster takes d6 damage from broken glass.
10. Holographic forcefield. Looks like a regular door. Buster bounces off and thrown 10'. Takes d6 damage. Can only be opened with a key. Key may be any object.

S&W Day: Speaking of Death Rays in the Dungeon

In honor of Swords and Wizardry Appreciation Day, I was thinking about saving throws. I went on to write an article about saving throws that had little to do with S&W, but it did include the infamous Save vs. Death Ray. Wayne Rossi wrote this fun little Death Ray table. So, my mind said, "What about other kinds of rays, beside Death?" Here is my table, usable with S&W:

Non-Death Ray Table (d12)

1. Target is able to fly and immediately flies 30 feet up in the air. Watch out if you're in a short corridor.
2. Target gets cloned. But it's an evil clone who tries to kill the original and takeover their life. If the clone is killed, it will appear later as a nemesis.
3. Target is teleported 100 feet in a random direction (roll d6: 1= N, 2=S, 3=E, 4=W, 5=D, 6=U). For extra variety, roll twice and combine. GM gets to decide if teleporting into solid rock is bad.
4. Gun produces poison gas, which slowly wafts toward the target. Beware of using outside in a headwind.
5. Target is healed of all damage.
6. Target becomes friendly to the user and their party. If they were hostile, they stop fighting. If already friendly, they become your best buddy. And they have beer.
7. Target falls deeply in love with the user. Target also has a very high libido. Ray gun has no notion of gender or species.
8. Target becomes a slave of the user. Will perform any task they ask, even kill themselves.
9. Target becomes totally afraid of the user. Will try to run in fear. If trapped, will cower and shit themselves.
10. Target becomes invisible. User becomes invisible to the target. Hilarity ensues.
11. Target's physical reactions are slowed way down. They can only act every other turn.
12. Target changes Alignment. Pick the polar opposite of the current alignment. True Neutral gets the delusion that Gods don't exist. Think virulent, outspoken Atheist activist.

Frog God Games has supplied a coupon code for 25% off on their products, including S&W Complete and resources for it, for today only. The coupon code is SWApprDay. The d20pfSRD Store also has a discount for 25% off using code SWAD252013.

Saving Throws

OD&D and B/X has the infamous five sets of saving throws: Death Ray or Poison, Magic Wands, Paralysis or Petrification, Dragon Breath, Rods-Staves-or-Spells. This seems like a weird set of things to save against. How often do you run into Dragon Breath or Death Rays? Why are wands in a different category from rods, staves, and spells? How do I figure out which save to use in which situation?

Let's think about what each of these categories represent?

Death Ray or Poison

For me, the key to Death Ray or Poison is the poison. How well does your body resist the effects of poison and dying? To me that means this is basically a Constitution save, also useful for saving against disease and perhaps surviving 0 hit points. In a game with a single saving throw, I'd allow modifying the roll by a Constitution modifier.

Magic Wands

Why are magic wands treated differently than staves and spells? I don't have a good answer for this. So I took a page from _Harry Potter_ and _Lord of the Rings_. In Harry Potter, everyone has a wand and most of your magic is performed using it. People leap out of the way when someone starts pointing a wand. In LotR, Gandalf has a staff. I can't recall any instance when he pointed his staff to cast a spell. He stomped the staff to break the bridge in Khazad Dum. He lit the end of it for light. I imagine effects from the staff cannot be dodged, but perhaps resisted. So, for me, the Magic Wand save is a physical avoidance of the danger, and the Staves and Spells save is resistance to magic.

So, I'd use the Magic Wand save for any effect where you must use your dexterity and agility to avoid something. Jump out of the way of the pit trap or the laser beam, dodge the mechanical blow darts, or grabbing the rope that dangles over the cliff. Basically a DEX save. In a game with a single saving throw, I'd allow modifying the roll by a Dexterity modifier.

Paralysis or Petrification

Seriously, I'm completely stumped on how to generalize this saving throw. Perhaps to anything where one's movement is restricted, like being tied up. But what modifier to apply to a single saving throw? No clue.

Dragon Breath

Dragon Breath is not aimed at one person, it covers an area. So, the Dragon's Breath save could be used for any area-effect danger. That chest really was trapped, and now you need to jump out of the way of the poison gas.  In a game with a single saving throw, I'd allow modifying the roll by a Dexterity modifier. I'd also make the save +2 to +4 harder than the standard save, since avoiding an area effect is harder than avoiding an aimed effect, like the Wand.

Rods, Staves, or Spells

This is your basic magic resistance save. Add the Intelligence modifier to a single saving throw as willpower, which is how some games do this. If the effect is aimed and requires a to-hit roll, use the Wands saving throw instead.

So, I'm not sure what this means for my nascent game. But thinking about these is helping me decide.

Contest Deadline Looms -- Details at 11

The One-Page Dungeon Contest deadline is fast approaching. You need to submit by the end of the month, April 30th.

This year I am a judge.

Ancient Tech

So you find an odd metal crossbow in the dungeon that is so tiny it fits in one hand and has no bow. It's at least 10,000 years old and perhaps left here by the great gods from the stars.

Does the laser pistol work?

Ancient Technological Device Malfunction Table

1. The device works perfectly. The ancients really know how to build shit.
2. The device gives the user a shock that stuns them for one turn. The device otherwise functions perfectly.
3. The device works at half power. It does half damage, or the effect lasts half as long, or whatever the GM decides. The device also makes an annoying noise.
4. The device does the opposite of the original effect.
5. The device simply doesn't work. Nothing happens when you pull the trigger, push the button, or pull the switch.
6. The device lights up and makes a loud noise, but nothing else happens.
7. The device gives the user a shock that stuns them for one turn. The device is otherwise non-functional.
8. The device explodes, giving the user 3d6 damage, and everyone within 5 feet 1d6 damage. 

Basic Fantasy and Labyrinth Lord read-throughs

I read through the Basic Fantasy and Labyrinth Lord RPGs this weekend. I read the 2nd Edition BFRPG and Sept. 2009 Revised Release of Labyrinth Lord.

Labyrinth Lord
LL is a B/X D&D retro-clone. It provides all the things you expect from a Moldvay-influenced game: -3-to-+3 attribute bonuses, race as class, a good spell list, a great bestiary, and a nice combat system. LL is the bedrock upon which many other games are built.

I hate Race-as-Class. This is the biggest drawback to LL for me.

Basic Fantasy
BF is not specifically a retro-clone of anything, though it is very close to LL, with the very welcome exception of Race-as-Class. Most everything else is similar. There are a few more rules to handle things like falling, etc. The Magical Research and Strongholds sections are very good, much expanded from LL's similar sections. I find the book to be much easier to read and find things.

If I was going to build a supplement for a game, I'd pick Basic Fantasy at this point, but that will likely change as I read more OSR systems.

Floors and Walls in the Dungeon

So, you're in the dungeon and you come to a new section. What are the floor and walls made of? Roll d88.

Dungeon Tunnel Composition

Roll (d8)	Floor	Walls
1	Packed earth	Wattle and daub
2	Wood planking	Wood timbers
3	Flagstone	Adobe
4	Cut Stone	Cut Stone
5	Rough stone	Rough stone
6	Bronze	Bronze
7	Steel	Steel
8	Moss on top (roll again for what's under it)	Glowing fungus on top (roll again for what's under it)

Bodies in the Dungeon

In honor of +Ivan Sorensen's blog Daily OSR, here is my first random list. The original inspiration for this particular list was +Troy Costisick's blog post "How Do I Design a Dungeon?".

It's pretty rare that a party of adventurers is the very first on-site in a pristine untouched dungeon. King Tut's Tomb is the exception, not the rule.

So, to convey to the player's the notion that adventurers have been here before them, roll a d6 on entering a room the party hasn't explored yet. On a 1, a body is present in the room. Then roll d8 on the following table:

Condition of Dead Bodies Found in the Underworld (d8)

1. Fresh -- pool of blood still wet
2. Chewed on
3. Rotting -- smells of decomp and covered in maggots
4. Skin and bones -- most flesh is gone
5. Intact skeleton
6. Pile of loose bones
7. Covered in fungi
8. Mummified

Looking for OSR games A-to-Z

Though I'm not doing the A-to-Z Blog Challenge, I thought I'd do a A-to-Z project anyway. So, I'm putting together a list of OSR games, trying to fill in the A-to-Z list. Please suggest games to fill in the blanks. Here's what I have so far:

A. Adventurer Conqueror King / Adventures Dark and Deep
B. Basic Fantasy / BLUEHOLME
C. Crypts and Things
D. Dungeon Crawl Classics / Delving Deeper
E. Encounter Critical
F. For Gold and Glory
G. Gods and Monsters
H. Hackmaster / Humanspace Empires
I.
J.
K.
L. Labyrinth Lord / Lamentations of the Flame Princess
M. Mazes and Minotaurs / Microlite74
N.
O. OSRIC
P. Pars Fortuna
Q.
R. Ruins and Ronin
S. Swords and Wizardry / Stars Without Number
T. Torch and Sword / Terminal Space
U. Under the Moons of Zoon
V.
W. Warrior, Rogue, and Mage
X. X-Plorers
Y.
Z. ZeFRS
52. 52 Pages
100. 100 Ways to Skin a Kobold (that's mine and it's still in draft)

Unfortunately, many of these letters (like 'D' especially) have several possible games.

No A-to-Z blogging

Sorry, I don't have the time or brainpower to blog A-to-Z. I have an ongoing non-RPG project that has taken hold of my brain. It must be spring.