Tuesday, August 25, 2020

d60 poisons, curated and distilled

Original table: https://www.reddit.com/r/BehindTheTables/comments/637bvs/the_great_big_random_d100_list_of_poisons_dd5e/

I went through this big 72-page d100 list of poisons and kept the ones that caught my attention. Then I proceeded to rename them to taste, remove and add various ingredients and effects, mix-and-match some of them together, and include a few new entries of my own. The whole thing has been compressed into a single-page d60 table and all the mechanical tidbits have been removed to make it system-agnostic.

It's available here in PDF form, or below if you're lazy.

For ease of use, I've sorted all the results into 10 extremely vague and arbitrary categories (so one can roll 1d10+1d6, rather than an imaginary d60). Feel free to suggest any changes there.


dNameIngredients/AppearanceEffects
1. Alchemical poisons   
1Clockmaker's endGreasy black oil from the depths of the earth, distilled.Takes a few weeks to kick in, then wreaks havoc on the body. Starts with shaky fingers, ends with death.
2Curse-of-ironQuicksilver, lignite, pyrite.Makes the target magnetic, exerting a slight but dangerous pull on blades and metal arrow-tips, for a day.
3DeathwishOnyx, slime ooze, dragonfire, and a big piece of your own skin.Alchemical suicide poison. Dissolves body from the inside, then makes it explode violently. Shatters the soul.
4DragonspitDraconic maw-gland, compressed inside a vial.Explodes into invisible gas with a foul odor. Reduces target to a crawling walk. Causes crippling internal burns.
5MindfireBone powder, burning ice, ammonia, dove feathers.Grants temporary vitality, then causes equal or greater pain and bleeding, and may madden the mind.
6Thief's baneBasilisk saliva and glue.Poison made to coat a couple dozen pieces of furniture. Numbs the arm when touched.
2. Anaesthetic poisons   
1Coffin-baitRed syrupy potion created by a dungeon-sized mimic as a lure.Victim goes comatose, appears clearly dead for a few days. May heal one's wounds instead.
2Dream-of-thirstTentacle Thornbush spores. Rot from dehydrated corpses fertilizing it.Traps one in a dream-hallucination for a minute if not reapplied. Flickers of lucidity - one can act, but not move.
3Madness eaterSlimy lichen boiled into a purple mist.Calms the mind, then causes a feeling of ravenous hunger for a few hours.
4Propaganda dustAvocado tree bark powder, alcohol, a very clever rat's brain. Burn it.Lowers intelligence for a few weeks. Add spices and flower to mask the scent.
5Toadtongue juiceHelltoad skin-slime and spike-frog mud. Boil until glassy and viscous.Target becomes lethargic, slow to act, and suffers mild hallucinations for a day.
6Tortoise-tailA blue fern. Gains its property if masticated by a Spiked Behemoth.Slow-acting anaesthetic. Without countermeasures, target will fall in a coma-like sleep within an hour.
3. Arcane poisons   
1Arcane guillotineFlower that blooms once a year, picked that day. Add honey.If ingested, victim turns into dullahan at midnight. Cured by a sticky cliffside tree's sap.
2Cerberus draughtBlood of a demon, a madman and a holy man.Reverses victim's personality traits and beliefs, though rarely one's moral compass.
3Cockatrice's hissKnock-off Medusa's kiss, made with cockatrice liver. Petrifies a single body part for an hour. Cured with tears or acid.
4CryptsapBogwater, zombie pus, ghoul blood. Boil in long-dead troll's skull.Turns target undead for a day and a night.
5Medusa's kissMedusa tears.Slowly petrifies the victim. Stopped by another's tears of despair, or acid.
6WispcurseA clay pot containing liquefied wisps. Hair-raising static charge.Target courses with luminous lightning, suffering constant electric shocks and ghastly visions.
4. Body-altering poisons   
1BogbileInfernal bogwater and white tarragon distilled into a gel.Victim grows a dozen inch-wide itching pustules, which explode painfully when the victim's flesh is struck.
2Bugbear oilGoblin and dire beast's limbs left to age in a charred oaken barrel.Victim quickly grows thick, flammable body hair or fur.
3BuzzkillRoyal jelly and venom from the somewhat exotic southern red bee.Turns a hand painfully puffy and swollen, unable to hold anything.
4Hag-wartWitch's sweat, deviltongue mushroom.Covers the face in a dozen luminescent warts, unless washed off early. Victim must fight urge to pop them.
5IcebrineDistilled permafrost, often made into deadly rhum.Increase sensitivity to cold and freezes target from the inside. Cured by diet of firecorns.
6VeinbreakerRed glass, an opaque gemstone, dissolved in lye water.A dozen blood needles protrude from skin, breaking painfully with physical activity. Can be removed with care.
5. Inconvenient poisons   
1Goblin pollenChili tree leaves, peppers, goblin saliva.Horrible allergy-like symptoms. Sneezing and watery eyes for a few hours.
2Legion's lamentPowdered black pearl, drake spleen, boot that's seen 20 years of war.Diluted to turn a whole group lethargic, irritable, and thrice as hungry and thirsty, lowering morale and speed.
3Ogre-footFungus growing on an ogre's back. Mash to paste, apply to target.Harmless fungi colonizes target, who now carries a horrid smell. Takes a few days to thoroughly scrape it off.
4Orator moratorIdiot's spit, turtle egg, live swamp slug. Mix an hour in pure silence.Mouth goes tingly and numb. Ten minutes to an hour. Speech awkward and difficult, magic words included.
5Ormina's blessingDripping fang given to lepers by a talking statue, for a service.For a week, target can barely speak and frequently coughs up large clouds of dark grey smoke instead.
6Skin slimePeaceful, fugitive ochre ooze. Grows on cave mycelium. Apply to skin.Urge to drop everything to scratch the itch. Increasingly hard to ignore. Indulging gives a moment's peace.
6. Madness-inducing poisons   
1Brimstone juiceDried, crushed puku-puku, a pink and bitter fruit.Victim hallucinates fiery demons, followed by a hangover.
2Diplomat's draughtHoney mead from a dryad's tree's beehive. Drop of troll blood.Target considers all arguments to be in good faith for an hour.
3DreamsongSoak a harpy feather in a mad artist's tears. Then stab with the tip.Target travels a random direction for a day following an imaginary melody, unable to speak or hear others.
4Goblin snotGoblin bile, rotten fruit, cursed water.Causes berserk rage and nausea for a few minutes.
5HauntsmirchCreature's blood used as a source, then bathed in a hag's guts.All creatures appears as visions of the source creature. Can be unsettling to terrifying, depending on source.
6Viper-whisperPollen released by viper weed, a red tube-plant, upon contact.Induces hysteria and sensory deprivation for an hour.
7. Mind-affecting poisons   
1GhostpainEctoplasm, mimic glue, perfectly ordinary water.Nocebo poison. Only hurts if the victim is convinced it's real. Can nearly kill.
2Jolt-and-boltThe yolk of an electric lizard's egg.Horrible tingling sensation, though not painful. Target can't do much but move, and feels the urge to run.
3Rainbow raindropPotent distilled spirits and a mushroom of every color.Causes either pleasant euphoria and slow-down, or paranoia, hallucinations and confusion.
4Saint-scrupleBeladonna oil, silver dust, powdered pearl. Heat over a brazier, bless.Induces crushing guilt and insomnia for a day and a night.
5Scent of humorsUnfunny jester's crushed skull, set aflame with swamp gas, bottled.Gaseous poison which sends victims keeling over in screaming laughter for a minute.
6Wightmaker powderLapis lazuli, ground into powder, mixed with zombie dust and blood.Target wanders aimlessly like an euphoric shambling corpse for a day and a night.
8. Nature-based poisons   
1Coldsweat extractMade from three plants found behind the iciest waterfalls.Target sweats bullets, eliminating all toxins, but feverishly drifts in and out of consciousness for a day.
2Parasite miteEggs from stagnant waters of the deepest jungle ravines. Ingested.Target coughs up a live mite each day, then vomits out a swarm of mites after a week. Can be lethal.
3Stinger songWasp pheromones, powdered ginger, infatuated lover's blood.Draws curious wasps to target for a day. Victim should avoid sudden movements. Can be washed with soap.
4Stirge nectarRotting quince fruit and stagnant swampwater.Ingested. Causes nausea for a day. Vomit attracts flocks of stirges.
5SunbiteSand viper's venom fermented in oil.Causes dehydratation.
6Troglodyte-throatTroglodyte glands, fermented. Apply to skin.Target gains a toxic breath for a day. They are not immune to it. Likely to poison anyone they talk to.
9. Sensory-affecting poisons   
1Druid's glareBoiled cave mushrooms, an oily black liquid.Target can see in the dark as the world brightens for a dozen minutes. Then all goes blinding-white for an hour.
2EyesmokeOgre's eye, kept in an opaque bottle in a cave's depths for a week.Thin smoke spreads inside target's eyes for a few days. Bright light appears dim, dim light appears dark.
3Morlock dustGlowing mushroom spores, naturally contracted in some caves.Makes target sensitive to light, as if they'd lived their whole life in the depths, for a day.
4Screaming spitMandrake root, mandrake leaf, just grind the whole mandrake, really.Easily diluted. Deafens for a day.
5WanderlostA stout clover-like plant. Easy to take a wrong turn looking for it.Destroys victim's sense of direction, doubling their chance to get lost.
6Witchpyre sapMilk-like substance exuded by a False Willow when touched. Makes skin burning hot. Clothing and armor become unbearable. Must re-hydrate with a gallon of water.
10. Voodoo poisons   
1Devil's dewDew from hell-roses, collected in a dark metal vial blessed by Chaos.Body is shaky and thoughts muddled for a week. Inflicting or receiving violence clears symtoms for a minute.
2KillseedA seed, given sentience by a shaman.Ingested seed begins to grow and tear the target apart from inside. High alcohol doses can destroy it.
3Lover's balmGremlinroot, hornet wax, drop of devout priest's blood.Apply to your lips and kiss your target. Neither of you can lie for an hour. A seer may gift it, if you have a lover.
4MindfoldBeholder vitreous humour.Stops the victim's ability to cast spells while their eyes are open.
5Voodoo gashLarge tuft of target's hair, tainted mud. Apply to skin.Small arm sprouts from one's wound, claws at the host. Can be restrained. If ripped off, wound healing slows.
6WeirdwaterBlue water, found in deep cave pools surrounded by glowing fungi.Causes one's arm to try and strangle them for a minute.

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Things a random encounter can do (+ table-making advice)

Purpose of an encounter

In OSR systems, the classic random encounter turns time into a resource: every turn spent in the dungeon (or every day in the wilderness) means a chance of a confrontation, which would drain party resources and potentially kill PCs.

But an encounter can accomplish various other things... (In fact, this is vital in systems like D&D 5E where encounters are no longer resource drains by default and must justify their own existence, lest they become yet another annoying old artifact to be tossed away.)

Some of these include:

  1. Present a potential challenge or opportunity (the most common one)
  2. Creating cohesion in your setting by acknowledging, tying together, or foreshadowing disparate aspects of your world to make it more cohesive.
    • For example, if you've slotted someone's crystal-man dungeon into your hex map, then the encounters in the region around it could involve crystal-men, since they're a thing now.
  3. Introduce plot hooks and underline ongoing event
    • For example, soldiers coming back from The War That's Going On Right Now carrying whatever they've pillaged.
  4. Include some local color
    • For example, merchants and performers on the road, heading to the nearby town's Summer Festival.
  5. Emphasize setting themes or make its lore accessible
    • For example, in a world with an underlying theme of corruption and sin, this could mean flagellants, pious men and women on a pilgrimage seeking redemption, or holy knights looking to cleanse the land. An opportunity to explain the state of the world or its history.
  6. Present tough decisions: a one-time chance for a trade, a dangerous but rewarding choice, or (parsimoniously, for the right kind of groups) a moral quandary.
    • For example: traveling plague doctors will pay very well to have a strong test subject drink their latest experimental plaguewarding potion, but there kiiiind of is a small chance it'd kill you. Will you volunteer? And will you let them test it on that chained-up man, who claims he was sold to the doctors by his family?
  7. Establish a new concept or mechanic
    • For example: in a world where runestones exist and can be bought, the PCs may encounter a runemancer willing to explain and demonstrate how rune magic works. Alternatively, this can be as simple as saying "hey guys, this faction/this type of monster exists". A good opportunity to gauge the players' reactions, in any case.

etc. Other reasons can include "I've got a specific mental image in mind that I want to bring to life" or "I just freakin' love dragons, man."

It's good to know what you're trying to do with an encounter result, and to remember the various way that powerful tool can be used.

Quality and quantity

You don't need three different dinosaur types or four kinds of evil humanoids unless you've got a good reason (for example, four important factions at war in a location, or four evil humanoids with a degree of importance in your setting). In my experience, an ordinary encounter table can get away with approximately six results, doubly so if they are supplemented by subtables for variety (e.g. "what the monster wants", "what's the monster doing", etc).

So, focus on one result and try to make it interesting and re-usable: the same barbarians can serve a dozen times if they're back with loot on the first encounter, having an internal feud on the second, running from a monster on the third, etc. In fact, running into the same barbarians multiple times builds consistency, establishing them in your players' minds, and allowing your players to apply their increasing knowledge of the monster/NPC with every new encounter.

For one-time encounters/events (like "Glorb the wizard is about to get killed by his apprentice") you should probably have one or two replacements ready for after it's used up (although the idea of a wizard regularly hiring apprentices that inevitably try to kill him on the road sounds hilarious, if you can keep it fresh...)

Odds and variety

In my opinion, it's better not to reuse that same old "d100 swamp encounters" table you grabbed off your favorite system for every swamp in your game. What makes this swamp special? Give it its own encounter table and tailor the results for it, even if it means going down to just d10 results.

Weighted tables are cool in theory, but it's important not to put mundane stuff at the forefront and hide your really interesting results behind a low-chance (<5%) roll. Your players aren't going to make fifty treks through the same area unless it's a megadungeon, they might not even make five, so design for good sessions instead of designing for satisfyingly pseudo-realistic numbers. In fact, a campaign starring three separate encounters with a dragon may grow a lot more interesting for it.*

* Unless these dragons can't always be avoided or escaped, in which case, uh, don't do that.

Saturday, June 27, 2020

[Dungeon, unfinished] Glass Wizard's Mirror Tower


Every room has a mirror which allows access to the mirror-world (in my setting, this is also the land of dreams and faeries) and the other way around.

5. A 8' golem made of black stone and covered in glowing runic mirrors sits on top of the stairs leading into this room and will not let anyone past (other room entrances like 7 or 9 are fine). It pensively holds its head, unable to find a true meaning to life beyond duty, and will engage in philosophical conversation. It is prone to mirroring and reflecting questions - and spells cast at it (1d4: 1. Spell works, 2-3 Spell reflected in random direction, 4. Spell reflected at caster).
6. Hiding on the ceiling is a giant dream-weaver spider. Its room-filling web of iridescent, shifting colors is made of thought-stuff and will literally ensnare victim using their bad memories - but good thoughts will free you. Beware its sleep-inducing venom.
7. Hanging shards and beads of rune-engraved glass on ropes of silk. You'll need some very thick gloves or gauntlets to climb them.
8. Hungry vines with flower-mouths. Keep them fed and distracted as you climb and you'll be fine.
13. A mundane, but deadly device capable of gathering the sun's light into a deadly beam and set anything within half a mile on fire.
14. A floating cloud of mirror shards, constantly collapsing on itself and expanding back. At the center is a little miniature sun, which is sentient and communicates telepathically within 3'. It is a nascent star, trapped here for arcane purposes. It seeks to return to the heavens where it may hatch, but it is slowly bleeding liquid light (see 15) and will die within a few years. If healed by an astronomer mage and sent into orbit (perhaps by a very big giant, cannon, dragon...) the PCs now have an actual star in the sky as their ally, which should have tremendous impact.

Goblins and gremblins

Traditional evil-humanoid goblins or fairy tale goblins? Here's my attempt to have my cake and eat it too.

Goblins are stupid little forest spirits. They are dirty, mischievous, and act like bratty half-feral children. Tiny, big heads, big pointy ears, smooth grin skin like an unripe tomato, missing teeth, and stinking rags.
For those who seek the goblin market, for its wondrous insects, strange mushrooms and bizarre trinkets, beware: Goblins are mostly harmless, but they are still fey folk. Do not accept their slimy food and ugly gifts lest you will be indebted to them, and remember to be extremely polite.

By an unnatural process, a goblin can turn into a gremblin. Their skin turns grey, wrinkled and bloated, their nose falls off, and their teeth grow long and wicked. Gremblins are bitter, jealous, petty bullies. Their tricks are cruel and bloody. This change is dangerous and tends to spread, as gremblins desire to make more gremblins, whose new appearance is a pale copy of the original. When their number reaches a critical mass, they leave their hidden homes and form mobs to wreak havoc. Thankfully, when the original gremblin's curse is banished, all the other gremblins are freed as well, but to do this, one must first find the original gremblin, which is no easy task.

(Finally, a goblin enslaved or indoctrinated by a dragon grows scales and a tail. Some even learn to breathe fire. They lose their ties to the forest, almost always becoming spirits of old mines and caves instead, as this is where most dragons lair. They are dour, smarter and more pragmatic, and are called kobolds.)

d6 types of gremblin havoc:
1. Setting things on fire for fun
2. Pushing old people down stairs
3. Eating disobedient children
4. Poisoning cattle and crops
5. Stealing all the gold they can find.
6. Stabbing folks in their sleep.

d8 ways a gremblin is made:
1. By being dumped in a wizard's black cauldron
2. By eating the Forbidden Root
3. By looking directly at the Grinning Star that appears sometimes on moonless nights
4. By becoming too angry and bitter
5. By remaining lost or lonely for a month and a day
6. By drinking alcohol
7. By engaging in too many acts of delinquency (possibly led by human children, who will run off in terror after a goblin becomes a gremblin.)
8. By eating too much sugar, or eating too much, period

d8 ways to banish the gremblin curse:
1. Make them laugh. It needs to be a particularly funny joke, and no two gremblins have the same sense of humor.
2. Beat them in an ugly face contest. You and the DM must either describe said faces in detail, or act it out in real life. Ask an uninvolved third party to judge if you can. Otherwise, first person to snicker or say something along the lines of "ew" or "god damn it" loses.
3. Convince them they are not a gremblin.
4. By doing the polar opposite of what created them.
5. Startle them so hard they hit their head on the ceiling. If it'd cure a hiccup, it'll work.
6. Gross them out. It's very difficult to gross out a gremblin. Worst case scenario, the gremblin likes the way you think, and you've made a very nasty little new friend.
7. Cut off the glowing warts hidden somewhere on their back.
8. Just be very nice to them.

Monday, June 22, 2020

[FR] Donjon : Temple de la Dernière Lumière (Ebauche de plan)



TEMPLE DE LA DERNIERE LUMIERE
Un temple à moitié enterré, à moitié englouti dans un lac. Le CULTE DES LUCIOLES a installé ses tentes autour du lac et commencé l'excavation du temple, à la recherche de la PERLE DE LA DERNIERE LUMIERE. Dans la forêt proche vit une tribu de SELEMILLES, de grands papillons de nuit humanoides, qui espionne le culte et le combat occasionnellement.

LEGENDE
1. Lac: Un lac placide couvert d'algues flottantes sur lesquelles des centaines de lucioles se reposent au crépuscule et la nuit. Ceux qui plongent dans les profondeurs du lac apercevront un tunnel dans le flanc du temple menant à l'intérieur (voir numéro 15).
2. Campement du Culte: Cinq tentes. Six cultistes en robes et capuchons blancs pales étudient une carte partant en miettes qui montre d'étranges mécanismes d'astronomie qu'ils ne comprennent visiblement pas. Entre eux, les théories fusent.
3. Forêt: Dans les cîmes se trouve un avant-poste de Sélémilles, tout en branches noueuses et planches peu travaillées. Des guerriers pleins de grâce, ces Sélémilles vénèrent la lune et rejettent toute autre forme de lumière. Quatre Sélémilles guettent en silence depuis leurs cachettes, mais battront bruyamment en retraite si une torche ou lanterne est amenée dans la forêt.
4. Chemin descendant la falaise
5. Tunnel envahi de racines: Sous une gigantesque carapace de bernard-l'hermite abandonnée entre les souches d'arbres se trouve un tunnel menant dans le temple.
6. Cascade: Dangereuse à grimper. Mousse glissante, eau glaciale, et une chute potentiellement mortelle.
7. Chemin derrière la cascade: Un tunnel d'un froid mordant menant dans une section du temple, mais il est improbable qu'il soit découvert depuis l'extérieur.
8. Rivière peu profonde
9. Ruines d'une tour: Un observatoire écroulé. Des morceaux de tablettes de pierre sont éparpillés dans les débris. Ce sont des cartes astronomiques visiblement très détaillées, mais réduites en miettes ainsi, elles sont inutilisables.
10. Excavation: Deux cultistes déblayent des débris, sous les yeux de leur chef, une femme portant un masque en forme de lune brisée et morcelée.
  • Des lucioles dansent autour d'elle. Ses vêtements semblent rembourrés. 
  • Elle transporte un baton magique en bois d'hévéa, recouvert de sève-latex.
    • 1 charge pour conjurer une luciole.
    • 1 charge pour lancer le sort Contrôle des Insectes, qui cible les nuées, les gros insectes ou les insectes humanoides, mais toute cible qui n'est pas une nuée ordinaire a droit à une Sauvegarde.
    • 7 charges. Le baton regagne une charge quand il est laissé une nuit dans un lointain bosquet aux lucioles.
  • Son nom est Zyga et elle est secrètement une Sélémille exilée pour ses prédictions sombres et inquiétantes.
  • Elle peut prédire l'avenir de manière vague et imparfaite en observant les mouvements et les dances des insectes.
11. Premier étage: De petits bernards-l'hermite se dispersent et se cachent des visiteurs dans ce labyrinthe suintant propice aux échos. Cet étage inclut un tunnel sortant vers la cascade (voir numéro 7).
12. Deuxième étage, aile Est. Un bernard-l'hermite géant et sa carapace luisante occupent entièrement l'escalier qui descend. Il possède l'intelligence d'un grand singe plein d'esprit et communique par petits pépiements. Il essaye de se glisser hors de sa carapace, mais n'y arrive pas. Une application copieuse d'huile ferait l'affaire. Si il est aidé, les PJs peuvent rentrer dans la carapace et la briser de l'intérieur (des objets de qualité exceptionnelle peuvent être créés avec les fragments, ou ces derniers peuvent être vendu 2000 po). Si il est attaqué, il se cache dans sa carapace, dure comme l'acier.
13. Trousième étage, aile Est. Un sanctuaire croulant et détrempé dont les peinture murales montrent des hommes-insectes descendant de la lune. Dans cette salle se trouve une machine ancienne, comme une mante religieuse mélangée à une vierge de fer, capable de réparer des technologies anciennes et "d'améliorer" ce qu'on lui donne. Les objets deviendront des versions étranges d'eux-mêmes, les PJs seront génétiquement modifiés.



14. Deuxième étage, aile Ouest (inondée). Les murs sont de pierre lisse et parcourus par des tuyaux de métal et des pistons, qui pompent toujours.
15. Tunnel aux algues (sous l'eau): Un tunnel rempli de varech étrangleur. Cette algue ignore les proies potentielles 50% du temps, mais sont une sentence de mort pour les plongeurs mal préparés le reste du temps (Sauvegarde: étranglement en cas d'échec). Certaines algues étranglent toujours le cou de squelettes noyés. Le varech est difficile à trancher mais facilement distrait et prompt à s'enrouler autour de toute chose qui ressemble à un cou ou à un poisson.
16. Troisième étage, aile Ouest (sous l'eau). Ici, sur un piédestal, repose la Perle de la Dernière Lumière, entourée de six flutes et ocarinas dorés valant 1000 po chaque, ainsi que des piles et des piles de pièces d'argent noircies (60,000 pa, de valeur diminuée de moitié). La Perle est une sphère polie de 30cm de diamètre, comme une géode d'une noirceur et d'un lissage inimaginable. Celui qui regarde à l'intérieur sera tourmenté par des visions d'un monde mort et de ses dernières étoiles, et pourra aussi voir et interagir avec les fantômes, y compris les échos spectraux d'endroits puissants depuis longtemps disparus (voire salle 17).
17. Tour fantôme: Ceux qui ont regardé dans la Perle verront ici le mirage bleuté et tremblotant d'un observatoire, et pourront en monter les marches. Au sommet se trouve un téléscope entouré de chartes stellaires intactes, intangibles et luminescentes. Regarder à travers la lentille du téléscope révèle l'existence secrète des grandes cités-ziggurats de la lune, visibles avec un grand niveau de détail.