Playing SAVAGES in the Underdark. Our first 5e.

We have been testing a bit of 5e using +Patrick Stuart 's Savages Rules, which I made up into little A5 booklets with pictures for the team and handed out.  They go really well with the neat A5 5e booklets that were on G+ a while ago but I forget who put them up.

What?  You mean we can play Orcs and Goblins?"
"Yep."
..."Awesome!"
Players are often easily pleased.

The setting was made up very quickly. We will play a city game based on relationships between NPCs/PCs and factions.  The PCs will have a home dungeon.  They will go on missions to suit the episodic nature of this 'filler' game.

To generate the NPCs and their relationships I am using +Jeff Russell 's Middenheim hack, the 'Vornheimed Middenheim'.  I am using Vornheim too.  I can't wait for the suckers to meet Eshrigel.

The location is a massive underdark city with a planescape feel.  Inhabitants are mostly Goblin, Orc, Drow and Human.  Slavery is fully part of life and your ability to stay 'free' is largely a matter of who your friends are, and your ability to enforce your freedom.  

Most of the surface world is contested by any one of a number of demon armies in service to several competing demon lords.  

Picture 1.  Demon Armies war for the surface.  Some are led by Demon Lords and Princes directly, others by powerful Warlocks who regardless of their race are widely reviled as traitors.

Many surface dwellers have headed below as refugees, many of whom have joined gangs or formed gangs of their own, or else become slaves.  On the surface, the fey Goblin Kingdom is largely untouched, and it is rumored the ranks at the Citadel of the Goblin King have recently been swelled with child-refugees.  

Player Characters:

Krak Zappa:  Creepy Goblin Shaman, Dungeon Background.  
Dream Killa:  Cunning Orc Fighter, Dreams background. 
Shaggy Shiv:  Tricksy Goblin Thief.  Underdark background.
John Smith:  Brutal Orc Hunter.  Man Society background.

Last session we generated the home dungeon using the dungeon poker rules Patrick gave us here.  More about the results of that another time maybe. Once the Dungeon was finished and before the DM could set them on a mission, the PCs set about murdering the dungeon boss. Then when NPCs arrived to give them the adventure theymurdered them too.  Then the DM said that's all folks.

Session Two:  The dead NPCs' boss and 'friends' arrive with an offer the PCs can't refuse.

So six orcs and two bugbears led by local crime boss cunning-orc Gutrippa Jizza turn up to set things right and make certain the PCs understand their place in the pecking order.  

Picture 2.  These guys turn up looking pissed.  Hmmm, six orcs and two bugbears verses the PCs - two orcs and two goblins.   Yeah, I'd listen to what they had to say too.

Realising that murdering and looting the messengers last session wasn't such a good idea now they all agree "We certainly do understand our place in the pecking order".  They are informed that in addition to the task which is still required of them, they now owe double, for murdering GJ's henchman. Gutripper informs them to satisfy the first favour they owe they must find out who or what has been intercepting the furry fungus shipments along Furry Fungus Way, do the culprits in, and return with the furry fungus.

Picture 3.  Gutrippa Jizza - Not a happy Gang-star.

The PCs head to Snot Grotto, a creepy goblin ghetto just off Furry Fungus Way where they are informed that a gang of rat men are operating out of an old well in an adjacent cavern.  Not being a threat to Snot Grotto the locals haven't seen any reason to do anything about it.

The PCs foolishly head straight down the well.  Okay that's actually a bit unfair mostly because they did do some investigation, they did look around a little, they discovered a chimney which comes out of the ground nearby and that muffled repetitive singing can be heard down the chimney ("nom nom nom, I like stew, nom nom nom, get in my belly").  John Smith found ratmen tracks leading to and from the well.  Then, assuming that today I am a much nicer DM than history would seem to attest, they head straight down the well.

Why do players behave like this? 

Next Post, the hijinx down the well and and one long scramble to not all totally die in The Log Fall, a very fun one page dungeon from Matthew Adams, found in the pay what you want 2014 One Page Dungeon Compendium available here.  Seriously players reading this, when in the heavily trapped lair of guerrilla tactic fighters don't split the party.     Just don't okay.  We'll see why next time.


I found the pictures here:
Picture 1:  charlottecarrendar.com-tag-darkness
Picture 2.  guardian.com.october.2013
Picture 3.  paperspencils.com2012-02-orc11

Lugosi: The Festival of Fangs

The Festival of Fangs is referred to as a one liner in the Anomolous Subsurface Environment 1 description of the town of Lugosi.  The PCs started there, so naturally there has to be festival.

As the players lick their wounds from Session 10, the decide to head back to Lugosi to restock materials and hire more help before returning to finish the job at the Obelisk.  This happened to coincide with the Festival which has been counting down in-game for three weeks since the PCs heard of it. 

The festival runs for three days and is focused around the tomb topped hillock which serves as a roundabout in central Lugosi next to which lies the all-domain, essentially a free caravan park.

The festival gets it's name from old tales of the Vampire, which struck an agreement with the Baron's ancestors, a story which will be expanded in the play report where a random encounter sees the PCs witness a street puppet show telling the story.

I made some tables and determined to play out the festival with them and that the last five entries on the D30 table would be best kept for the third and final night of the festival, which this time falls on a full moon.

Gypsies arriving in Lugosi on their way to the All-domain.

LUGOSI:  FESTIVAL OF FANGS D12 RUMORS

1. Some travellers say they have seen the old man screaming from that old tower again.  50% chance they hear this from Mary
2. Lycanthrope problem, heck, this area hasn’t been crawlin’ with so many biters since the times in those legends about Torpo the Cannibal.
3. Did you hear about all that stuff going on at the Obelisk down South?  Roll on the rumour table for Obelisk of Forgotten Memory.
4. Sinister agents claiming to represent The Vampire have announced that an appearance will be made at the festival.  (False, there are no agents)
5. Some rivals are trying to muscle in on Mary’s turf.  They have ties to the other adventuring group in town at the moment.  Roll on the d21-50 (D30) Table THE FESTIVAL OF FANGS – RANDOM ENCOUNTERS to determine who it is.
6. Have you heard there are two groups of adventurers in town right now.  There both gearing up and both looking for help.  That sort of competition is good for guys like us, ya know...
7. Eyewitnesses to a murder describe a huge man feeding on a victim.
8.  The Baron grows frustrated with the Denethix bureaucracy turning it's gaze toward Lugosi.
9. A whole caravan of those Starry Wisdom acolytes came through here.  Pulled up their caravan at the All-domain and did big business with some slavers before heading out west.
10. Roll on the Denethix Treasure Rumors Table
11. Roll on the Dungeon of Signs blog Denethix Treasure Rumors Table.
12. Have you heard about the Fist?  They have 50% either a Victorious Win or a Crushing defeat in some battle far to the southwest.  They say the invaders were nomad led by militant Snakemen!  Never heard of Snakemen mate, ever!

D30 table entry #09:  Tax Collectors from Denethix are in town, hide your purses adventurers. The picture is by the French artist Bilal.

LUGOSI:  FESTIVAL OF FANGS D30 Encounters (To use in the ASE setting, roll D50 with the Town Encounters table from ASE being 1-20, and this being 21-50)

1. Drunk would-be adventurer types looking for work.
2. Gypsies, doin’ gypsie stuff, like selling dogs, and herbal cures
3. Elven gypsies, doin’ gypsie stuff, like selling dogs, herbal cures, and asking if anyone has any human babies they would like to swap.
4. Trader D12  1-2 Food, 3-4 clothes/textiles, 5 Tools, 6 Weapons, 7 Curios (roll on the Hobo treasure table Dungeon of Signs), 8 Finery/Drugs/etc.  9-12 roll on Gus' table of travelling merchants here:  Quality of work:  D6 1 poor, 2-3 average, 4-5 good, 6 excellent.
5. The Veterinarian (met previously) who wants to bring people’s attention to the spread of the Black. Has d4+1 guards now.
6. Performers D8  1-4 Musicians, 5-6 Dancers, 7-8 Puppet Show:  Punch and Judy style tale of a blood sucking being of great power who arrived in the land.  The Baron in the tale, who's lineage is of the star-nobles fought with the creature.  In the end they agreed that the vampire would only hunt on those nights of the festival that occurred on a full moon and another condition YOU make up on the spot.  It's been so long since this has occurred it is often considered to just be tall tales. .
7. Religious Acolytes of Iithius, aspect of flowering plants and herbs (randomly determined on the ASE religion tables). 
8. A tall, handsome and charming black-skinned Egyptian-featured man wants to meet magic users.  He has (cursed) items to trade.  He will claim no knowledge of the Cult of Starry Wisdom if asked.
9. Representatives of The Council of Proper Apportionment.  They have rented an office and will expect the PCs to make an appointment for the purposes of assessing tax. 25% chance they also belong to a Denethix Thieves' Guild and are trying to muscle in on Mary's turf in Lugosi.
10. Drunken revellers.  25% it is someone the PCs know. 10% demi humans or exotic or whatever:
11. Locals.  There is a 20% chance they have heard what the PCs did for the Jeffersons and so will be well disposed.
12. I heard about you from the Jeffersons, I know the beast’s secret, but we will need to find her in time...
13. Dawn.  She’s happy to see them but disappointed they have come back to Lugosi empty handed.  
14. A messenger being chased D8 1-2 by mercenaries, 3-4 by The Fist, 5-6 by the Baron’s men, 7-8 agents of the Council of Proper Apportionment, 9 Starry Wisdom Cultist, 10 The other (rival) adventuring group in town.
15. Quitarros.  From a Swords and Stitchery table, this is an ancient metamorph who is looking for it’s lost lover.  Met by PCs by random roll in caves at Southdeep sinkhole floor.
16. A Space Phantom (treat as a wraith) come through time following the cosmic trail left by the Lover of Quitarros. (Describe it’s presence as very frightening – it's only fair given it has level drain).  It might want to 'sniff' the PCs.  A large humanoid shape of utter darkness, a purple flashing makes it seeth with inter-planar pulsations in which if looked at for too long will let the viewer see deep into the heart of the cosmos.  Looking at it for more than three rounds requires a save vs petrification or the character will be 50% either transfixed, or recoil and flee in gibbering terror.
17. The Lover of Quintarros.  A swords and sorcery space merc who had an affair with the ancient metamorph ‘Quintarros’ before falling through a dimensional hole to here.  He’s travelling with D8  1-2 Gypsies, 3-4 Traders, 5-6 Alone, 7-Other, 8-Another 'hero' npc made up on the spot as suits.
18. Werebeast. D6 1-5 human, 6 beast.  Beast is hungry, as a human is hungry on 2 in 6.
19. Rival Adventurers on the other side of the road/dancefloor/whatever.  1-4 Stare, 5-6 Heckle
20. The Fist. 2-16   roll D6  1-3 Foot, 2-5 mounted, 6 recruiting.
21. Baron’s ‘men’. 2-5  D6  1-3 Foot, 4-6 Mounted
22. Sherrif’s ‘men’.  1-6
23. A Doctor.  A tall striking woman who comes from far away.  She is well versed in philosophy and medicine, and is introducing some new medical techniques to the local doctors. Her dagger is her guardian and acts as a very powerful dancing sword. 
24. The Farmers Girls from session, or Boys from session.  40%girls, 40%boys, 20% both
25. Crier  40%advertising that the PC’s are recruiting help, 40% advertising rival group’s recruiting session, 20% something else.  These percentages can be adjusted by the PCs spending more gold.
26. Gorpo, descendent/cousin of Torpo the Cannibal (or is he just a cheap pretender?) a cannibalistic blood drinking meat axe.  Is it a werewolf?  Is it a vampire?  No! It’s Gorpo.
27. Three alien travellers wearing masks over masks.  A ‘Vampire’, a ‘Werewolf’, and a ‘Witch’. Underneath these masks they have horrid alien faces with leech-like mouths.  These are also masks, underneath which they are extremely beautiful and one is a powerful machine.
28. 2-5 Secret Hipster faction revellers from Alpha Complex who have snuck out “for a groovy time man”.  They are all Troubleshooter class, levels D4-1.  Leader adds +1, they have good happy drugs to share.
29. Coloured lights fly over and land in the field behind the caravan all-domain.  A short time later tall beguiling ‘relatives’ are greeted by the Baron, and they join his table at the festival. (I ran this one anyway).
30. Oh go on, the town got it's name somewhere - A Vampire! Go to town.  The vampire is very hungry and It will only feed, one person (or two levels) each round for D6+1 rounds before fleeing.   It will not interact; tonight it is the epitome of a hungry supernatural beast. 

Entry #29  One of the Baron's strange 'distant relatives' who it appears arrived at the festival by flying machine.

The vampire, whatever 'it' is, is oathbound to the Baron's lineage not to feed outside of very predetermined times.  The beast has possibly been in a torpor like state for a very long time, and not even in the stories told to the oldest residents when they were the youngest of children, has the vampire of town mythology made an appearance.  

The Land of a Thousand Towers: 20 Campaign Questions – Jeff Rients style.

Jeff Rients did these 20 campaign questions to help set the stage for players without revealing too much. Brendan (Untimately) did another 20.  Gus of Dungeon of Signs gave answers for ASE to both sets of questions which I have copied across here for my players (since I'm using so much of his stuff) but I have included some answers of mine in italics.

Gus’ = normal, mine = italics.

Jeff's 20 Questions

1.             Where can we go to buy standard equipment?

All roads lead to Denethix and pretty much anything can be obtained there.  Most towns will have most standard gear, and Lugosi is known for some of the best artisans in the land.

2.             Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?

Probably in Denethix to have that sort of work done casually.  .

3.             Who is the mightiest wizard in the land? 
The founder of Denethix, Feretha of course!  You’re new around here right?

4.             Who is the greatest warrior in the land?

Depends who you ask and what game you’re asking about Jimmy.  Captain Tyro of the fist has a deadly reputation for skill and prowess.  The barbarians up north are pretty tough, and the Gauchos of the plains have a reputation for being meaner than cut snakes.  I hear some wizard from down south wears golden armour and has a golden sword and is undefeated too.  Still, history has a few notable meat axes such as Torpo the Cannibal which make a statement like ‘greatest warrior’ hard to pin down, and when you also consider Moktars, Pug Uglies and the like, well, there’s plenty of ‘ard b’stards out there.

5.             Who is the richest person in the land?

Well the mysterious bee riding Wizard from the South Hexamacht the Apigamon appears to have an inexhaustible supply of rubies, diamonds and emeralds – that has to count for something. Otherwise some of the merchants, manufacturers and bureaucrats of Denethix are pretty wealthy.  Anyone with shares in the Bank Inviolable is likely to be sitting pretty sweet too.

6.             Where can we go to get some magical healing? 

 The Priests and Priestesses of the Orbital Gods can show you the power divine mercy if tithe a sufficient amount of coin. They sure are greedy those gods. Also the Temple of Science might be able to provide “healing” in the form of skin grafting, implants and prosthesis and such.

7.             What is the deal with my cleric's religion?

The Church of the Orbital Gods is vast – pick a deity, it likely exists – the weirder the better. There's a table I can roll on for you as well. Monstcrom, the god of dooms and felines is a personal favorite. Of course whatever petty satellite borne deity you pick, know that the others all get a piece of you as well and may/will make demands of your cleric. 

8.             Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?  

Poison and disease the Scientists might be able to handle the rest you'll need to seek the aid of the orbital gods. Lost super-science or a friendly wizard might be a help as well.  You were getting sick of that character anyway, right.

I pronounce thee Most Sci-En-Tiffic.

7.             Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?

What? You're a magic user – you know that magic is an addiction that leads to megalomaniacal insanity right? No.

8.             Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?

Denethix is just bubbling over with skilled craftsmen and experts. More than a few skilled artisans have packed up and moved to Lugosi to get out of the scum pit that is Denethix as well.

9.             Where can I hire mercenaries?

Several bars along the streets of Lesser Men, Industrious Efforts and the Alien tend to have desperate sell swords or cater to wandering antisocial types.

Anywhere you can find them.  There may be agents in Denethix who can help you.  Have you considered slaves?

10.          Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?

Magic isn't illegal, but you know it's a dangerous addiction, heck even a variegated eye-leech fiend knows that. The law doesn't take kindly to people starting trouble, agitating among the lower classes or bad mouthing their betters.

11.          Which way to the nearest tavern?

Any which way. Every major street in Denethix and the outlaying villages has at least one tavern of some sort. If you want to go anywhere other than Bella’s Bar and Grille, right?

12.          What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?

It's not so much monsters as Wizards. Kill a mad Wizard and you'll be famous.  Rumor has it that a few travellers have been carried off by ‘crystal jaguars’ to the south, and well, there was that Vampire that quite publicly slaughtered all those people at the festival of fangs recently in Lugosi.

Yeah, this IS the Vampire in question. I ain't messing with it!

15.          Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?

The Nomads of the Lanthanide Wastes have risen up under the serpent khan and are threatening the valuable Certopsian Trade. The Fist is recruiting.  Psssst, hey, you  wanna get involved in a secret war?....

16.          How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?

It's best to sell yourself into slavery first – there are short term indentures for arena fighting, but really it's against the law to do it as a free person – the pit fighters just won't have that sort of unseemly thing. 

17.          Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?

Yes, The Scientists, The Church of the Starry Wisdom (might have heard of them!), Society of the Luminous Spark, League of Flesh Debtholders (did a spot of work for them), various ‘criminal’ organizations (oh dear, you might not have a whole lot of choice about this one after ‘you know what’).

18.           What is there to eat around here? Sure theres several tables – from humble Mold cake to decadent dinosaur filets of various kinds covered in gold leaf. I”m telling ya, the eyeballs in tomato sauce at Bellas is worth the trip.

19.          Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?

Anything from the pre collapse era will fetch a good price, but nothing really legendary. It's about volume not uniqueness – the world is very old, unique junk that was once fancy is everywhere.

Listen to your rumours players, you might even consider taking notes.  There is that great ‘treasure rumors’ table of Gus’ too.  I might have rolled on that a couple of times.

20.          Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?

Where you least expect it – or within the Anomalous Subsurface Environment. What’s Type ‘H’ treasure?

Brendan's 20 Questions

1.             Ability scores generation method?

4D6, drop lowest, swap two results.  Or 3D6 in order if you’re hardcore and want to impress the DM.  If bonuses add up to less than zero then re-roll (unless you don't want to re-roll of course).

2.             How are death and dying handled?

‘Often’.  At 0hp make a saving throw verses death or die.  If you survive you are on 0hp and effectively useless until you get medical attention.  If you go to -6 then you carry some sort of permanent effects (negotiated), and at -10 you are dead and don’t get a saving throw.

3.             What about raising the dead?

You mean like the church of Furter do with their reanimated Remeberated Dead*?  No, oh I see, well  the tales tell of the ancients having that sort of ability.  Maybe the church, but I would expect such a miracle to require a large sacrifice – a alge sacrifice of the golden kind.

4.             How are replacement PCs handled?

We have had henchmen become PCs and new PCs roll up, whatever you prefer, but if you roll a new one your new character gets half of the xp your old one had.  If your new character dies in the first session, you do not divide xp in half again.

5.             Initiative: individual, group, or something else?

We go round the table in order and get statements of intent.  One roll on D6 for the whole group and we go round the table again to act.

In a one on one situation dex modifiers apply.  If you are in an open field and you have a knife, and the dude has a polearm, the dude will go first in the first round, then roll initiative.

6.             Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work?

A natural 20 is maximum damage.  A natural 01 is an auto-miss, plus roll D6 – getting another 1 is really bad here.

7.             Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?

You look snazzy and will get bonuses to certain saves.  It’s working for us so far so how about we wing it!

Denethix extreme sports require helmets.

8.             Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?

Silly actions may have unwelcome results.  If your mates were in a brawl, would you fire a gun into the melee?  Oh really?  Roll d20 then, and don’t miss. Definitely DON’T fumble!

9.             Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?

Yeah, might have learned this the hard way. Run you little meatbags, mwah ha ha ha... 

10.          Level-draining monsters: yes or no?

Yes, but I will try to foreshadow just how really really bad for you health said creature or situation is.  Like how even the really tough NPCs ran like little girls when the Vampire appeared.

11.          Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?

Frequently, what else is a saving throw for – they can be minimized by player knowledge.  Exactly what Gus said.  Repeat after me...

Save or die!  Found this here.I think it's about video game thingies.

12.          How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?

Going forward I think I need to put a stop to the ‘one of everything’ approach and like the LotFP approach.  Or spare us all the book-keeping and just buy a frikken Donkey already.

13.          What's required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?

Usually you will need to be ‘rested’ to gain a level, so for now that means in town between adventures.  I”m prepared to be flexible if this is a downer on fun, but it stands for now.  You get your new level spell when you spend the proper amount of time and money researching it.

14.          What do I get experience for?

Completing larger goals, exploration, treasure and killing monsters (in that order).  And some DM fiat based on table time and generally slack attitude to detailed book keeping.

15.          How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination?

By listening closely to descriptions, actively thinking, and searching when you suspect there may be a trap.  If you do the right things you’ll detect the trap.  You did read the primer right?

16.          Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?

Retainers are proving essential to survival.. Remember those two guys carried off by ghouls?  They could have been you.  Remember when Cybella ordered Jon-O-Tan to go into the scary ass tomb first, well that called for morale roll, and we have already had one henchman (the uber-statted Valgerd T1) quit as a result of his bosses anti-social behaviour (Yes the T1 was lawful).

17.          How do I identify magic items?

Well the Scientists might be able to tell you something about it.  Oh, and that cute young thing Dawn said she had ways.

18.          Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions?

Seriously, do you see anyone advertising that they are a wizard around here? The DM does have a nice table of ‘magic’ stuff for PCs to waste their money on; does that count?

19.          Can I create magic items? When and how?

Sure – on an ad hoc basis if you invest time, money and magical components.

20.          What about splitting the party?

Sending the thief out in front is one thing, spending half the game session listening to your friends have fun is another.

           

              What about good and evil?

It’s hard for me to picture objective/absolute  good or evil in this setting, however protection from evil may be useful against multi-dimensional beings and the like.

*These guys featured in the adventure The Obelisk of Forgotten Memories available at Dungeon of Signs.  Download it, it's as good as any d&d adventure I've read.  To my players, just don't click the link.  Really, it's better that way.