You can find part 1 of this series
here.
Here is a short list of locations you might encounter while wandering in the lands of the Handsome Men.
by
Azot2019
The Enchanted Wood
It's an enormous forest, full of giant, hundred foot trees that form a tight canopy overhead. Sunbeams occasionally pierce the trees, but it's still quite shady underneath the canopy. Besides these tall trees though, there is very little plant growth. The ground underneath is empty of all undergrowth and small trees, with the exception long grass, ferns and moss. The spaces underneath the trees resemble a vast park, an excellent place to have a picnic.
You can see colorful birds flitting through the trees and distant songs filling the air. If you sing a tune and do it well, the birds will pause, then sing back to you. You can also see herds of fallow deer, monkeys and brightly colored frogs if you look closely enough.
Danger Level: 1 [Daytime]
Travel Table
1d6
1- Encounter. Roll on the Encounter sub-Table.
2- Omen. Roll on the Encounter sub-Table. You do not encounter the creature, but instead see a sign of that creature.
3- Difficulty. You have some difficulty on your travels. Someone has the chance of being bitten by a snake, for example. Here the difficulties are 1d4 [1= Stumbling into poison ivy; 2= Getting Lost; 3= Finding a poisoned pie 'carelessly' left outside on a stump (the poison makes whoever eats it shrink to 6 inches tall); 4= Stumbling upon a Elfman, who is guarding his Handsome Man master. The Elfman will want to prevent you from going forward, as if the Handsome Man sees something as disgusting and unwashed as you, he or she would probably either vomit or transform into his War Face and rip your heads off.]
4- Foreshadowing or Hint. Give the players a piece of information about what they are doing in this forest, unless they're just exploring to explore.
5- Friendly NPC. They meet Thom Hammond, a guerilla painter. He sneaks into these woods to paint the beautiful scenery. He knows 1d3 of the creatures on the Encounter table. He avoids fighting them, but he has seen some of them. He can also tell you about the rumor of the golden egg and Sir Nightingale. He doesn't realize that these two are related.
6- Chance of Treasure. You find a dead woman partially concealed in a patch of wild flowers. She is wearing a crown of blue winter roses. When you take off the crown of roses, the woman transforms back into a man. The crown of blue roses is a magic item called Leanna's Favor. Anyone who wears this may, as an action, transform themselves into a beautiful woman. During this time, they have the Physical/Temporal stats of this new body, which are 10 in all categories. You keep your own Spiritual/Mental stats.
Roll 1d6 upon entering or traveling through this area for at least an hour. If you roll 1 or less, you have an encounter.
from Bioshock Infinite
Encounter sub-Table
1d4
1- Sir Nightingale. A giant, flying bird monster covered in scales of glittering bronze, polished to a high sheen. Sir Nightingale cannot speak but is highly intelligent and vicious. His objective is to protect the forest and punish those who violate the law. He is very dangerous but easy to avoid. If he spots you though, you're unlikely to ever lose him.
2- 1d3 Tall Striders. Humanoids wrapped in snow white armor with ribbons fluttering off their arms. They have long, artificial limbs made of polished wood, glass and metal that are about twenty feet tall, enabling them to walk high above the forest floor. The Tall Striders' job is to patrol the forest and check those who are passing through. They will confront someone and demand they identify themselves and present a reason for being in the wood. If they don't have a valid reason, the Tall Striders will order you to leave. If you refuse, they will pelt you with arrows. If confronted with an opponent they cannot beat, however, they will flee and summon Sir Nightingale.
3- 1d10 Zombie Deer. There weren't enough deer in the woods, according to the Handsome Men. So a group of Necromancers were hired to teach the local Handsome Wizards how to create Undead out of animal corpses. The probject was a success, and now 50% of the deer in this wood are Undead. These Undead deer are acting under orders to act like normal deer, but if they see anyone not sufficiently pretty or glamorous, to attack them.
4- 1d20 Crows. These Crows, like all of their kind, can talk. Crows cannot speak a direct lie, but they can lie by omission and cleverly misspeak. As long as they do not speak a direct lie, they are fine. Since Crows love to make mischief, they will fly over to anyone they see to talk to them and beg for scraps. The Crows do know a lot, but much of it is gossip, idle speculation, or strange things the Crows overheard from someone more sensible. The Crows want a bribe of food. If you do not give it to them or if you attack them, the Crows will fly away, and alert a Tall Strider of your presence.
Sir Nightingale
SHP 7 AC 12 Atk (+0) Diving Slam 3d6 or Wing Slash 1d6/1d6 + Beak 1d8
Mor 11 Saves 11 or less is a success
Damage Threshold 7: Sir Nightingale have a Damage Threshold. He only takes damage from sources if the amount of damage equals or exceeds his Damage Threshold. If a source of damage cannot equal or exceed the Threshold, instead ignore it, as if it did no damage.
Flyer: Sir Nightingale can fly, but if he lands, he must spend at least 1 round on the ground before he can lift off again.
Diving Slam: Sir Nightingale, if flying, can fly down and crash into someone. If this hits someone, it does 3d6 damage to them.
Tactics:
- Fly down and ram the first person who looks dangerous
- Finish them off
- Take off and repeat
- Only break this pattern if someone manages to hurt you
Tall Strider
HD 2 AC 14 (9 if legs) Atk (+2) Arrow 1d6 or Incendiary Arrow 2d6 fire
Mor 7 Saves 7 or less is a success
Long Legs: Tall Striders are walking around on long, artificial stilts. If you manage to get close enough to them, you could try to damage the legs. Each leg has 1 HD, AC of 13 and can only be hurt by something that could hurt a small tree. Daggers or arrows won't work, unless they are very special daggers or arrows.
Fast Walk: Tall Striders can walk faster than a normal man can run. If you are not superhuman or magically enhanced, the Tall Striders will be able to run away from you.
Incendiary Arrows: Tall Striders can fire Incendiary Arrows. These arrows explode into cones of fire, doing 2d6 damage to the person they hit and anyone immediately adjacent to them. The Tall Strider will only resort to Incendiary Arrows if particularly threatened. They will also shoot them up into the sky to work as flares, to signal Sir Nightingale.
Tactics:
- Ask for papers or fire a warning shot
- Incendiary Arrow
- Retreat, let them burn
Zombie Deer
HD 1 AC 10 Atk (+0) Kick 1d6
Mor 12 Saves 7 or less is a success
Undead: Undead do not feel pain or get tired. They are immune to poison and disease. They do not need to eat, sleep or breathe. Any spell that says "Undead" in its title or description is talking about something like this.
Sunlight Vulnerability: Undead take 1d6 radiant damage for every round they spend in sunlight.
Already Dead: Unless decapitated, cut to pieces, burnt to ashes by sunlight or reduced to zero HP by a magical attack or weapon, the Undead has an X-in-6 chance of their body knitting itself back together and recovering from the damage they took, where X is equal to the number of HD they have.
Fake Fur: The Zombie Deer are covered in magically grown skin and fur. As long as they are at full HP and their flesh isn't damaged, they are immune to sunlight damage.
Tactics:
- Attack fearlessly in a swarm
- Gang up on the first opponent
- Charge to your death
by
gerezon
At night, however, the Enchanted Wood becomes a much more dangerous place. Locals and sensible people will warn you to stay out of the woods after dark.
Danger Level: 3 [Nighttime]
Travel Table
1d6
1-3: Encounter. Roll on the Encounter sub-Table.
4: Omen. Roll on the Encounter sub-Table. You do not encounter the creature, but instead see a sign of that creature.
5: Friendly NPC. You meet 1d4 Ravens, sitting on a bush. Ravens can speak, but are often silent, and can only speak lies. This is common knowledge. If you bribe the Ravens with fresh meat or an eyeball, the Ravens might be willing to tell you something useful. Just remember, when a Raven speaks, it always means the opposite of what it says.
6: Chance of Treasure. The treasure is the same as the Daytime table. However, at night, the woman's corpse (2 HD Undead) animates and walks to a nearby clearing, where 1d6 2 HD skeletons have also awakened. The woman's corpse and the skeletons will then begin dancing to music only they can hear and continue till predawn. At such time, they will find places to hide and go back to sleep, reverting to dry bones until the sun has set once more. The skeletons and the woman's corpse will continue dancing unless attacked or interrupted, in which case they will attack with suicidal courage.
Roll 1d6 upon entering or traveling through this area for at least an hour. If you roll 3 or less, you have an encounter.
Encounter sub-Table
1d4
1- Sir Nightingale. As on the Daytime Encounter Table.
2- 1d8 Zombie Deer and 1d6 Dead Hands. The Dead Hands are the animated skeletons and corpses of those who dared to enter the Enchanted Wood without the permission of its masters, or those who committed a fashion faux pas. They wander the Enchanted Wood by night, walking or riding on the backs of Zombie Deer. They carry spades, rakes and pitchforks which they use to care for the grounds and bury unseemingly things. They also use these to assault those they meet on the paths at night. They might beat you to death, or they might just beat you within an inch of your life, then bury you alive.
3- Dogboy and 1d6 1 HD Madmen (as Dead Hands, but without Undead traits). DOG is a creation of humanity. Some say it is a God. Others say it is a dilution of the wild spirit of Wolves, taming and forcing the inexplicable power of the universe into something understandable and tameable. Some say DOG is just a bunch of selectively bred wolves. Regardless, all agree, for DOG to walk on two legs, to speak, it is an abomination. The Handsome Men love Dogboy, but no one else does.
4- The Verdant Strangler. A monster that perfectly camoflagues against the long grass and sparse greenery. Very difficult to see, especially at night. It has long, green tendrils which it sends out to grab people and wrap around their feet or throats. It then hauls them toward it, where it seizes them with its delicate hands and strangles them. If it can't do that, it sprints away into the woods, dragging them behind it.
Dead Hands
HD 2 AC 11 Atk (+1) Spade 1d6
Mor 12 Saves 8 or less is a success
Undead: Undead do not feel pain or get tired. They are immune to poison and disease. They do not need to eat, sleep or breathe. Any spell that says "Undead" in its title or description is talking about something like this.
Sunlight Vulnerability: Undead take 1d6 radiant damage for every round they spend in sunlight.
Already Dead: Unless decapitated, cut to pieces, burnt to ashes by sunlight or reduced to zero HP by a magical attack or weapon, the Undead has an X-in-6 chance of their body knitting itself back together and recovering from the damage they took, where X is equal to the number of HD they have.
Tactics:
- Target the most vulnerable person
- Let someone else take the risks
- Retreat if someone is too strong
Dogboy
HD 5 AC 13 Atk Barbed Spear 1d6 + grapple/1d6 + grapple or Bite (-4) 1d8
Mor 11 Saves 8 or less is a success
Don't turn your back on the body: Dogboy is a hideous freak, a true monster. The thing about monsters though is that they are not easily killed. If you do not kill it 100%, chop off its head or burn it to ash or something like that, Dogboy lives. If there is a chance, he will live and will return to destroy you.
Bite: Dogboy can make a Bite attack to substitute one of his spear attacks. However, his bite attack gets -4 to hit unless it is against a helpless or restrained target.
Barbed Spear: If you get hit by Dogboy's spear and take at least 1 point of damage, you are impaled by his spear and are grappled. You can free yourself by taking 1d6 damage as you rip the spear out of your flesh. If you don't choose to do this, however, you receive a -4 penalty to do anything and Dogboy can make bite attacks against you as if he had a +0 modifier.
Tactics:
- Hook someone with your spear
- Drag them away from his friends
- Rip their throat out with your teeth
Verdant Strangler
HD 4 AC 12 Atk Tentacle 1d8/1d8 or Grapple/Grapple + Bite 1d10 or Strangle
Mor 6 Saves 10 or less is a success
Camoflague: The Verdant Strangler can camoflague itself incredibly well. When standing still in greenery, it gets +4 to any Stealth checks, and at night, against creatures without magical vision, this bonus is doubled.
Hit or Miss: The Verdant Strangler, if it attacks with its tentacles, can choose to do no damage and instead grapple someone. Each tentacle can move up to 15' away from the body and has 1 HD and AC 16.
Strangle or Bite: The Verdant Strangler, if it has someone near its mouth, can either bite or Strangle them. If it bites them, it must make an attack roll. On a success, it does 1d10 damage. If it strangles someone, this requires no attack roll, but does 1d6 CON damage. If the amount of CON damage taken equals or exceeds someone's CON score, they die. If they are removed from the Verdant Strangler's grip, they regain their CON at a rate of 1 point per minute, until it has reached its normal.
Tactics:
- Attack from stealth
- Use your tentacles to grab someone and move him away from his allies
- Quietly strangle him, if possible
- Only bite or attack with tentacles if escape is required
The Solar Guidestones
They are a circle of 12 standing stones, each one as thick as a steer's body and taller than two men standing on each other's shoulder. Their inward faces are covered in the Handsome Men's Prime Cipher and have jewels set into specific locations. In between these stones is an altar, a flat piece of freshly cleaned stone. This whole complex constitutes a Handsome Man shrine and this one is the site of many religious ceremonies for the locals. The whole arrangement sits on a hill and is frequented by many people.
Besides the Perfect Ones, who are the Priestly class for the Handsome Men, many people come to this site to try and commune with the All-Mind or to participate in religious festivals. During the day time, there is a 4-in-6 chance a small gathering resembling a cross between a community picnic and an open air flea market will be found gathered around the Guidestones. On other days, with the exception of a few mystics or Knights, you will find the Guidestones unattended to.
Danger Level: 1 [Daytime]
Travel Table
1d6
1- Encounter. Roll on the Encounter sub-Table.
2- Omen. Roll on the Encounter sub-Table. You do not encounter the creature, but instead see a sign of that creature.
3- Difficulty. You have some difficulty on your travels. Someone has the chance of being bitten by a snake, for example. Here the difficulties are 1d4: [1= Being propositioned by a Morcai woman (refuse at your peril); 2= A hawker chasing you down and asking you to purchase one of the turtledoves he brought; 3= Someone realizing how gross you are and advising you leave and take a bath; 4= Being asked by an Elfman participate in a ceremony].
4- Foreshadowing or Hint. Give the players a hint about what they came here for, assuming they aren't just stumbling around. If they are, give them a hint on where they could go next.
5- Friendly NPC. You meet Gamella, a Goatling woman who is an assistant to one of the Perfect Ones. She is wandering around, speaking to people about their faults and assuring people that their is nothing wrong with them and that they are fine the way they are. She will affirm your vices and flaws in a clever way. If you seem particularly virtuous or wicked, she will ask you to come back tonight, after sunset.
6- Chance of Treasure. You find an expensive and enchanted steel ring that has fallen on the ground. Briefly afterward, you find an Elfman and 1d3 of his Brothers (a Frogfolk, an Oxmen and a Goatling) searching for a steel ring. If you give it to them, they will reward you. If you keep it, you will have to hide it or be accused of stealing. The ring's magical power is that it can change shape into a rapier and back into a ring as a free action.
Roll 1d6 upon entering or traveling through this area for at least an hour. If you roll 1 or less, you have an encounter.
by Taylor Stark on Deviantart
Encounter sub-Table
1d4
1- 1d3 Elfmen Monitors. These Elfman are the servants of one of the Perfect Ones and are wandering through the crowds of worshipers, checking all to see if they match the standards of cleanliness. If there is anyone too dirty, smelly or ugly they will be asked to leave. If they refuse, they will be seized and dragged out of their, under the pretense that the Elfmen want to "Help you with your wardrobe". There is a 50% of these Elfmen is a Handsome Wizard.
2- Escaped Perfect One. The Perfect Ones are among the most beautiful and magically gifted of the Handsome Men, and thus the ones selected to try and commune with the All-Mind. Perfect Ones take their jobs very seriously, spending all their time in meditation, practicing yoga and communing with higher spirits, in the hopes of achieving a direct connection with the All-Mind. To help them in their quest, Perfect Ones are assigned many Elfmen handlers, who try to keep them away from anything gross, unpleasant or unpalatable. But sometimes, they fail or make a mistake, and the Perfect Ones are accidentally allowed to roam into areas that haven't been vetted beforehand. As such, upon seeing the real world, a Perfect One has a 50% of knowing nothing of the world outside and being immensely interested in what they see, or an equal chance of being highly cynical and ignoring all these things. If the Perfect One sees anything ugly, violent or gross, they will respond in a similar way, with a 50% of transforming and trying to destroy the ugly thing, or fainting at the sight of it.
3- Escaped Ascension. She is a 1d8 (1= Elfman; 2= Goatling; Lizarian; 4= Frogfolk; 5= Oxman; 6= Morcai; 7= Crocoling; 8= Jelly-Eye) wearing a beautiful dress of silk, a headress of flowers and a veil of white over her face. She was going to be ascend today, but she is having second doubts and is running away, albeit in a very relaxing way. The Perfect Ones haven't noticed that she is gone, but the Elfman have, and are frantically pursuing her, albeit in a very relaxing way. If you talk to her, you might be able to convince her to go back and ascend. If you do, she will thank you and go back to the altar. Then, as the ceremony is finished, one of the perfect ones will cast a spell on her and she will be disintegrated in a flash of white light. Afterwards, everyone will cheer and sing and hope that the girl manages to join with the All-Mind, and if she cannot that her next life be enjoyable. The Escaped Ascension is a 1 HD Commoner with no abilities.
4- A Demon of Temperance (Angel of Self-Control) + 1d3 Penitents. The Demon is here to tempt people to indulge in their desires, though it has one specific target in the crowd. So far, it has escaped direct attention, but there is a sense of tension in the air as people feel it go by. Something is about to happen, everyone can tell, though few people know exactly what it is. The Penitents are creatures the Demon previously tempted and have cast away their old ways, now determined to walk in the ways of righteousness. The Penitents are disguised, but not that well, and you might be able to notice a strange tattoo or piercing before everything goes down.
Elfman Monitor
HD 2 AC 12 Atk (+2) Velvet Baton 1d6 or Sanitizing Blast
Mor 7 Saves 8 or less is a success
Sanitizing Blast: As an action, the Elfman may fire a blast of stinging white light. This light does 2d6 damage to any living creature. Any creature reduced to zero HP by this blast is reduced to dust.
Tactics:
- Be polite
- Fire a warning shot
- Focus your fire on one target
Escaped Perfect One
HD 2 AC 12 Atk (+1) Handsome Fist 1d6/1d6
Mor 11 Saves 10 or less is a success
Transformation: The Perfect One can transform. The Perfect One will only transform where no one can see him or her. If the Perfect One chooses to transform, have him or her roll as many spellcasting dice as he or she wishes, then update his or her statblock as per the example below.
Transformed Perfect One
HD 2+[sum] HP AC 12+[dice] Atk (+5) Natural Weapons 1d6+[dice]/1d6+[dice]
Mor 11 Saves 10 or less is a success
Spellcasting: The Perfect One has 7 spellcasting dice and 7 spells prepared. His spellcasting dice burn out on a 5 or 6. The spells he has prepared are Anti-Gravity, Bloody Feast, Call Previous Self, Flesh Point, Hail to the King, Pain is the Curse of Living and War Face.
Chaos: If the Perfect One casts a spell with 2 or more spellcasting dice, he has a 2-in-6 chance of invoking Chaos. If he does invoke Chaos, roll on the table below.
Chaos of the Perfect One
1d6
1- There is an explosion of glitter emanating from the Perfect One, getting all over everything within 30'.
2- The Perfect One loses the ability to speak anything but compliments for 1d10 minutes.
3- The Perfect One starts glowing as bright as a torch for 1d10 minutes.
4- The Perfect One is surrounded by music as Orchestral Accompaniment for 1d10 minutes.
5- The clothes and armor the Perfect One is currently wearing disintegrate, vanishing in a shower of glowing sparks.
6- The Perfect One suddenly has 3d6 adorable animals, ex: kittens, appear around them. These animals start running around, causing trouble, and generally making a nuisance of themselves.
Tactics:
- Run away
- Hide
- Transform
- Once transformed, target the most hideous creature for destruction
A Demon of Temperance
Appears as:
- Whatever your greatest desire is. If you are consumed by the desire for sexual pleasure, the Demon looks like whatever you would find most appealing. If you love money, the Demon looks like a weak person loaded down with treasure and coin. This means that the Demon looks different to groups of people, though within a group, it looks the same.
True Form:
- The Demon is made of glossy crystal of various shades of green, making it camoflague well against forests and grass. It is humanoid with four arms and one eye. It is bald headed and when it fights, glowing words fill the air and red flames hover over its head.
Statblock:
Demon of Temperance (Angel of Self-Control)
SHP 5 AC 13 Atk (+4) Fire Blast 1d10
Mor 10 Saves 12 or less is a success
Damage Threshold 5: All Outsiders have a Damage Threshold. They only take damage from sources if the amount of damage equals or exceeds their Damage Threshold. If a source of damage cannot equal or exceed the Threshold, instead ignore it, as if it did no damage.
SHP: Stands for "Super Hit Points". All Outsiders have a number of Super Hit Points equal to their Damage Threshold. Each time the Damage Threshold is equaled or exceeded, they lose 1 SHP. When they lose them all, they die.
Host: All Outsiders need a host in order to enter our universe. The host can be willing, or they can be possessed by the Outsider. See 'Possession' below. Any damage done to the Outsider is also done to the host. An Outsider can leave a Host if it wishes, but if it does, it can only remain in our universe for X rounds, where X is equal to its Damage Threshold.
Possession: If an Outsider has abandoned or currently does not have a host, it can attempt to take over the body of someone nearby. To do this, as an action, the Outsider makes a mental attack against someone. They must make a save. This save should only be conducted once per day, not before every attack. If they failed their save, for the rest of the day, they take 1d6 CHA damage from the Outsider's mental attacks. On a success, they take half damage from each mental attack. If this CHA damage ever equals or exceeds someone's CHA score, they are possessed, and the Outsider takes control of their body.
If the person the Outsider is attacking does not possess a CHA score, instead calculate their Charisma score equal to their Morale+1 per class level they have.
Finally, if someone doesn't resist, the Outsider can possess them as a free action.
Shape-changer: When inside a Host, the Outsider can change their host's body at will. This does not change its stats, but it can change the host's shape, appearance, scent and everything else about them. These changes can go away when the Outsider leaves or they can be permanent, Outsider's choice.
Demonic Gifts:
As an action, the Demon of Temperance can blind someone. This person may save on his turn. A successful save ends the blindness. The Demon may also make a fire attack if it chooses this option.
As an action, the Demon of Temperance can stun someone. This person may save on his turn. A successful save ends the stunning effect. The Demon may also make a fire attack if it choose this option.
As an action, the Demon of Temperance may curse someone. This does not permit the Demon of Temperance to do anything else. If you cannot determine what the Demon of Temperance wishes to curse someone with, roll on the table below:
I curse you to...
1d6
1- "Be consumed by your lusts." The Cursed, whenever they see someone he finds attractive, must save or take an action to begin pursuing that person. Even if he is rejected, the Cursed will still spend every spare moment he can find moping over the object of his affection, until he finds someone else to pine over. This cursed is broken by swearing and maintaining an oath of celibacy for at least 1 year.
2- "Be blinded." The Cursed is blinded. This curse is broken by the Cursed defeating someone who can see and is stronger than her in single combat.
3- "Love money." The Cursed becomes obsessed with money and will not part with it for anything less than an emergency. At any other time, the Cursed must succeed a saving throw to part with any amount of money. This curse is broken by the Cursed using his wealth to benefit someone else with no benefit to himself.
4- "Never be full." The Cursed is never full, no matter how much food she consumes. She will constantly think of food and be constantly weakened from her hunger. This curse is broken by the Cursed consuming a food that will cause her to never be hungry again.
5- "Covet your neighbor's life." The Cursed begins to covet the objects, people and status of his neighbor's life. This does not mean that the Cursed wishes to have similar things as his neighbor- he wants the same things, to steal them from his neighbor. If the Cursed has the chance to acquire the things in his neighbor's life, he will do so. This curse is broken by the Cursed getting someone else to steal from him.
6- "Despise your reflection." The Cursed begins to hate her reflection, as it always seems prettier, more effective or just better in some unspecific way. She will destroy anything that displays a reflection, or render it unable to do so. Seeing her reflection or some depiction of her will fill her with anxiety, despair and soul-blackening rage. This curse is broken by the Cursed painting a portrait of someone truly loathsome in the same style as the Cursed sees herself.
Tactics:
- Tempt those you can, get them to give in
- Render Righteous Judgement through Curses
- Do not kill if you can avoid it
by
Vanderkrul
If you happen upon the Guidestones at night, however, things are quite different.
Danger Level: 2 [Nighttime]
Travel Table
1d6
1-2: Encounter. Roll on the Encounter sub-Table.
3: Omen. Roll on the Encounter sub-Table. You do not encounter the creature, but instead see a sign of that creature.
4: Difficulty. You have some difficulty on your travels. Someone has the chance of being bitten by a snake, for example. Here the difficulties are 1d4: [].
5- Friendly NPC.
6- Chance of Treasure.
Roll 1d6 upon entering or traveling through this area for at least an hour. If you roll 2 or less, you have an encounter.
Encounter Table
1d4
1- 1d4 Moondrop Knight. A group of Crocolings in white and gray silks, wearing swords and hung with charms and tinkling bells. They are Knights, looking for anyone who looks weak, strong or sufficiently impious. If you seem to possess any of these properties, they will attack you. They have a 50% of withdrawing after another creature dies. They will depart amicably, if you let them. They might fight to the death though.
2- 1 Transformed Perfect One + 1d3 Elfmen. Not all Perfect Ones have War Faces. Some are totally unaware of the concept. Not this one, though. This Perfect One has a War Face, along with the violent impulses to use it. This Perfect One is currently (50%) looking for a sacrifice which escaped or lying in wait for someone to pass by, so the Perfect One can defeat them and offer them up as a sacrifice.
3- Escaped Sacrifice + 1d6 Elfmen. She is a 1d8 (1= Elfman; 2= Goatling; Lizarian; 4= Frogfolk; 5= Oxman; 6= Morcai; 7= Crocoling; 8= Jelly-Eye) who is bleeding from a dozen small wounds, has damaged leather restraints around her wrists and ankles and is wearing nothing at all. She is fleeing from the Perfect One who was going to sacrifice her, as she somehow managed to escape. If she is caught, the Perfect One will rip her heart out with bare hands and drink her blood, before feasting on her corpse.
4- An Angel of Need
Moondrop Knight
HD 2 AC 11 Atk (+3) Sword 1d8
Mor 9 Saves 8 or less is a success
Parry: Once per round, a Moondrop Knight may reduce any damage taken by 1d8. This can only be against something that could be parried with a sword or defended against with conventional, physical armor.
Quickdraw: Moondrop Knights are exceptionally fast. They can draw their swords and act before anyone who does not possess superhuman reflexes.
Tactics:
- Face people in duels
- Pair off and fight 1 v 1
- Target those who cheat or fight dirty
Transformed Perfect One
HD 2 AC 12 Atk (+2) Bow and Arrow 1d6+2/1d6+2
Mor 11 Saves 10 or less is a success
Transformation: The Perfect One can transform. The Perfect One will only transform where no one can see her. If the Perfect One chooses to transform, have her roll as many spellcasting dice as she wishes, then update her statblock as per the example below.
HD 2+[sum] HP AC 12+[dice] Atk (+5) Natural Weapons 1d6+[dice]/1d6+[dice]
Mor 11 Saves 10 or less is a success
Spellcasting: The Perfect One has 9 spellcasting dice and 9 spells prepared. Her spellcasting dice burn out on a 5 or 6. The spells she has prepared are All Journies Begin and End with a Single Step, All Things Adjacent, Airy Water, Flux Shield, Light, Orchestral Accompaniment, Stone to Mud, Venomous Fluid and War Face.
Chaos: If the Perfect One casts a spell with 2 or more spellcasting dice, she has a 2-in-6 chance of invoking Chaos. If he does invoke Chaos, roll on the table below.
Chaos of the Perfect One
1d6
1- There is an explosion of glitter emanating from the Perfect One, getting all over everything within 30'.
2- The Perfect One loses the ability to speak anything but compliments for 1d10 minutes.
3- The Perfect One starts glowing as bright as a torch for 1d10 minutes.
4- The Perfect One is surrounded by music as Orchestral Accompaniment for 1d10 minutes.
5- The clothes and armor the Perfect One is currently wearing disintegrate, vanishing in a shower of glowing sparks.
6- The Perfect One suddenly has 3d6 adorable animals, ex: kittens, appear around them. These animals start running around, causing trouble, and generally making a nuisance of themselves.
Tactics:
- Hide and observe, looking for a suitable target, seek those exceptionally beautiful, talented, ugly or wretched
- Transform and hunt, pursuing them in the dark
- Attack from surprise
- Keep your retinue back, so they
Angel of Need (Demon of Desire)
Appears as:
- Whatever your greatest desire is. If you are consumed by the desire for sexual pleasure, the Demon looks like whatever you would find most appealing. If you love money, the Demon looks like a weak person loaded down with treasure and coin. This means that the Demon looks different to groups of people, though within a group, it looks the same.
True Form:
- Is a humanoid covered in gold, iridiscent scales. Has three arms and five eyes, along with a glittering cresh of clear bone atop its head.
Statblock:
SHP 7 AC 12 Atk (+6) Laser Vision 1d6/1d6/1d6 heat
Mor 10 Saves 14 or less is a success
Damage Threshold 7: All Outsiders have a Damage Threshold. They only take damage from sources if the amount of damage equals or exceeds their Damage Threshold. If a source of damage cannot equal or exceed the Threshold, instead ignore it, as if it did no damage.
SHP: Stands for "Super Hit Points". All Outsiders have a number of Super Hit Points equal to their Damage Threshold. Each time the Damage Threshold is equaled or exceeded, they lose 1 SHP. When they lose them all, they die.
Host: All Outsiders need a host in order to enter our universe. The host can be willing, or they can be possessed by the Outsider. See 'Possession' below. Any damage done to the Outsider is also done to the host. An Outsider can leave a Host if it wishes, but if it does, it can only remain in our universe for X rounds, where X is equal to its Damage Threshold.
Possession: If an Outsider has abandoned or currently does not have a host, it can attempt to take over the body of someone nearby. To do this, as an action, the Outsider makes a mental attack against someone. They must make a save. This save should only be conducted once per day, not before every attack. If they failed their save, for the rest of the day, they take 1d6 CHA damage from the Outsider's mental attacks. On a success, they take half damage from each mental attack. If this CHA damage ever equals or exceeds someone's CHA score, they are possessed, and the Outsider takes control of their body.
If the person the Outsider is attacking does not possess a CHA score, instead calculate their Charisma score equal to their Morale+1 per class level they have.
Finally, if someone doesn't resist, the Outsider can possess them as a free action.
Shape-changer: When inside a Host, the Outsider can change their host's body at will. This does not change its stats, but it can change the host's shape, appearance, scent and everything else about them. These changes can go away when the Outsider leaves or they can be permanent, Outsider's choice.
Demonic Gifts:
- The Angel of Need has a CON of 19(+4) and is absurdly tough
- The Angel of Need can cause someone's desire for a specific thing to vastly increase. As an action, the Angel of Need can force someone to save. On a failed save, that person feels an incredible urge to indulge his desire for one particular thing. Every round they do not indulge that desire, the person takes 1d6 WIL damage. If the amount of WIL damage taken ever equals or exceeds the person's WIL score, the person will abandon all other things to indulge himself. He will also gain the Conviction, "I will indulge [the increased desire] whenever I can. This increased desire will usually be something to do with the base desires a person already has; for example, someone consumed by sexual desire might be consumed by the desire to know the Angel of Need or someone else, while a person consumed by a desire for money might desire the gold ring one of their companions is wearing
- If someone has taken at least 1 point of WIL damage from the Angel of Need's ability, the Angel can cause that person, as an action to take 1d8 damage and for the Angel of Need to regain 1 SHP.
Tactics:
- Get this people to loosen up
- Spare anyone who has a little fun with you
- Kill those who think themselves too moral to engage in your game
The Roaring Falls
There is a sparkling, flowing river that passes through this area of the Handsome Men's territory. It is very pretty, but locals will warn you not to drink from it, if the sparkles weren't enough to give that fact away. The river is just a tiny bit poisonous, the water must be thoroughly filtered before it is safe to consume. Luckily, the villages near it are given purification tablets by their generous Masters. However, any person passing through without one of these should exercise caution and not drink from the water.
That being said, if you follow the sparkling river for a while, you will eventually come across the Roaring Falls. Here water plunges from a great height to slam into the water below, throwing up clouds of mist and casting rainbows through the air. At sunset the view is especially spectacular, as the setting sun strikes the sparkly water and makes the whole stream resemble a stream of jewels from a container being poured out onto a table. It is a breath-taking sight.
Danger Level: 1
Travel Table
1d6
1- Encounter. Roll on the Encounter sub-Table.
2- Omen. Roll on the Encounter sub-Table. You do not encounter the creature, but instead see a sign of that creature.
3- Difficulty. You have some difficulty on your travels. Someone has the chance of being bitten by a snake, for example. Here the difficulties are 1d4: [].
4- Foreshadowing or Hint.
5- Friendly NPC.
6- Chance of Treasure.
Roll 1d6 upon entering or traveling through this area for at least an hour. If you roll 1 or less, you have an encounter.
Also, unlike all other places on this list, the Roaring Falls does not get any more dangerous by night. It is in an isolated area, so the day/night cycle doesn't affect it as much. That being said, if it is night, roll on the Night Encounter Table, and vice versa if is Day.
by
Nicholas Lancret
Day Encounter Table
1d4
1-
The Considerate Creature. It resembles a great, hairy creature covered in red hair with a wide, square muzzle. The Creature can talk though and is quite civil and well-mannered. It will tell you that it is actually a person transformed into a loathsome beast by a Sorcerer, but a kiss from a good hearted soul will transform it back to normal. It is actually lying about this. If you kiss it, it will attempt to eat you.
2- 1d6 Bathing Maidens*. A group of comely young women bathing in the water. They are Elfmen and very attractive. If you reveal yourself to them, they will beg you not to tell their Masters about this, as being naked where other people can see you in Handsome Men society is a crime** severe enough to merit flogging. Note that some of these Elfmen are actually just naked girls with no combat experience, but a few of them are disturbingly talented.
3- A baited hook. A lone 1d8 (1= Elfman; 2= Goatling; Lizarian; 4= Frogfolk; 5= Oxman; 6= Morcai; 7= Crocoling; 8= Jelly-Eye) is riding along on a beautiful horse, carrying a large idol of gold. The idol is at least as long as a man's arm and thick around as a petite woman's waist. The idol is undoubtably worth a huge sum. However, the rider is not alone. Behind him or her, there is a group of 1d8 other people of the same race, also on horseback, concealing themselves nearby. If the first rider is attacked, this other group will emerge and join the fray.
4- A "sleeping man". A Handsome Man and his retinue have happened upon a corpse. The Handsome Man is pretending not to understand why the corpse is "sleeping" here and why it is not waking up, even after being prodded with a stick. The Handsome Man will enquire of you why this is. If you acknowledge the terrible truth at any point, the Handsome Man will run away, assume his War Face and rip you apart.
The Considerate Creature
HD 3 AC 14 Atk (+2) Claw 1d6/1d6 or Bite 1d8 + grapple
Mor 7 Saves 9 or less is a success
Cursed: The Considerate Creature is cursed to only be able to eat those creatures who kiss it. This curse is broken by getting the creature to fall in love with someone and kissing them.
Bite: When the Considerate Creature bites someone, that person is caught in its mouth and can only free themselves by using their action to make a successful STR check. Additionally, the Considerate Creature may do 1d8 damage to the person as a free action each round.
Tactics:
- Talk to people, tell them you are a human and ask them to kiss you
- Then try to eat them
- Run away with the person you are trying to eat in your mouth
Bathing Maidens
HD 1d4 AC 11 Atk (+1) Folding Swords 1d6
Mor 8 Saves 8 or less is a success
Tactics:
- If threatened, pretend to be helpless
- Lure your enemies close
- Attack from surprise
Riders
HD 2 AC 16(13 Unhorsed) Atk Lance 1d12 or (+2) Trample 1d8+1
Mor 8 Saves 8 or less is a success
Breakable: If a character makes a successful action to hit the lance away or the Cavalryman rolls maximum damage, he must save or break his lance.
Trample: When a successful Trample attack is made, the target must save or be knocked prone. If someone is knocked prone, the Cavalryman can immediately make a Lance Attack as a free action against them.
Horse: The Horse has 1 HD, AC 12, and the same morale and saves as its master.
Tactics:
- Ride down the most heavily armored
- Attack the fallen
- Retreat if your horse dies or your lance is broken
Handsome Man and Retinue
Night Encounter Table
1d4
1- The Impolite Incandescent. A beautiful, glowing creature made of blazing glass wrapped in sheets of multi-colored flame. The Incandescent is actually terribly rude though. It also hates to be troubled by other people, so if you attempt to speak to it, it will ignore you or insult you with the foulest language imaginable. If you can match it in perversity, it will grant you a boon, either in the form of the Compact of Combustion or a bottle of magical flame. Of course, if you attack it, it will burn you alive.
2- 1d6 Undead Bedwarmers. They look like beautiful women, but they are actually ravenous Undead. They will walk down to the pool and start stripping off their clothes while doing their best to be sexy to lure you close. Then they drag you into the water and try and drown you.
3- The Face in the Fog. A cloud of mist will fall across the players and they might be able to glimpse a face in the distance, but it will quickly disappear from view. Then, after letting the tension build and build, have the Fog-Breather start picking off the players one by one.
4- Red Banquet. A transformed Handsome Man is currently eating the same corpse as [above]. His retinue are similarly altered, having changed out their cute outfits for something more appropriate. The Handsome Man will invite you to join. If you seem weak or refuse impolitely, the Handsome Man will try to eat you too.
The Impolite Incandescent
HD 3 AC 12 Atk (+0) Burning Fist 1d6 + 1d6 fire or Fireball 3d6
Mor 10 Saves 9 or less is a success
Immune to Heat and Fire Damage
Burning Aura: The Incandescent is surrounded by an aura of flames. The only place not constantly wrapped in flames is her ankles and feet. Anyone who touches her takes 1d6 fire damage and is set alight, taking a further 1d6 damage a round until they take an action to put out the flames.
Glowing: The Incandescent glows in the dark and is constantly surrounded by the sound and smell of fire. She fails all attempts at stealth, unless her opponents are so distracted that they won't notice the light, smell and sound of an approaching walking funeral pyre.
Fireball: The Incandescent can fire off a ball of flame that explodes, striking one target and everyone within 30' for 3d6 fire damage, save for half. She can do this every 1d4 turns.
Tactics:
- Avoid direct conflict
- If that is impossible, open with Fireball
- Run up to the ranged combat guy or the Wizard and hug them
- Use the burning corpse as a shield to avoid the melee combatants
Undead Bedwarmers
HD 2 AC 10 Atk (+2) Claws 1d6/1d6
Mor 12 Saves 8 or less is a success
Undead: Undead do not feel pain or get tired. They are immune to poison and disease. They do not need to eat, sleep or breathe. Any spell that says "Undead" in its title or description is talking about something like this.
Sunlight Vulnerability: Undead take 1d6 radiant damage for every round they spend in sunlight.
Already Dead: Unless decapitated, cut to pieces, burnt to ashes by sunlight or reduced to zero HP by a magical attack or weapon, the Undead has an X-in-6 chance of their body knitting itself back together and recovering from the damage they took, where X is equal to the number of HD they have.
Tactics:
- Target the most vulnerable person
- Let someone else take the risks
- Retreat if someone is too strong
Fog-Breather
HD 6 AC 10 Atk (+4) Tentacles 1d4/1d4/1d4 or (+0) Bite 1d10+6 + (+4) Tentacle 1d4
Mor 8 Saves 11 or less is a success
Flyer: Fog-Breathers can fly. They get +4 to any initiative rolls on a d20.
Tentacles: Fog-Breathers' tentacles can independently attack up to three targets. Additionally, each target that is damaged is grappled by the tentacles, and the Fog-Breather can lift them up into the air as a free action. Each Tentacle has 1 HD, AC 16 and can do 1d4 damage to a grappled person each round as a free action.
Fog Producer: Fog-Breathers can produce thick clouds of fogs that are virtually impenetrable.
Tactics:
- Fly around out of range, hidden by objects or fog
- Breathe a cloud of fog
- Pick off those at the edge of the group, pulling them up to your mouth to eat
by
Russia Cornacchia
*Most of my groups are primarily male, so I am working off that assumption. If you want a bunch of male swimsuit models instead, go right ahead.
**It is often joked that Handsome Men only have sex fully clothed and blind-folded. This is almost true, when the Handsome Men are trying to be Handsome. When they aren't, on the other hand...
