Wednesday, April 29, 2020

OSR: Dwarves

                                                     by Here to Raze Hell

Those who are naive or ignorant will tell you that the Dwarves are an all-male race and that they use magic to reproduce.  This is a common belief to all who have had limited experience with Dwarves, except for soldiers.  Soldiers who have fought the Dwarves often do not share these beliefs.

The educated classes, on the other hand, will tell you that Dwarves are an all-female race, and that since Dwarves have no Kings, only Queens, all important leadership positions are filled by women.  As this is unnatural and is usually only permitted in civilized lands in times of emergency, Dwarves must be all-female, and what we assume to be male Dwarves are actually just female.

As usual, neither is correct.

Dwarven Reproduction and Society

The vast majority of Dwarves are male.  Spending time among Dwarves, you will find this to be common and normal to them- the presence of women from other races is regarded by them as strange. 

However, the majority of Dwarven males are sterile, barring outside interference.  Instead of the whole population reproducing, only the Dwarven Queens do so.  Dwarven Queens are massive, bloated creatures, nearly constantly laying the translucent eggs from which will hatch the next generation of Dwarves.  A Dwarven Tribe that is small will only have one Queen, while others can have many, though generally only Tribes that are permanently settled have the resources to support more than one Queen.
   
As for how one goes about acquiring a second Queen, the first step is to acquire a fertile female Dwarf.  Fertile females among the Dwarves are born somewhat rarely, depending on the material conditions of a tribe.  These fertile females are called Princesses.  A Dwarven Princess is generally taller and more muscular than her brothers.  However, a Dwarven Princess' most important ability is her potential to become a Queen.  For this, Princesses are revered by the populace and inculcated with the sense that she must do her duty and become a Queen.  The process of transformation from Princess to Queen is simple enough.  Once the Princess has reached sexual maturity, she must be found a fertile Dwarven male to marry.

Depending on the Queen, these fertile males can be more or less common, but generally they are slightly less rare than Princesses.  These males are called Princes.

Once the Prince and Princess have been sealed in matrimonial bonds, they will consummate their union.  The Princess will almost always conceive from this first encounter and often, the Prince will wither and occasionally, die.  From there, the Princess' body will begin developing.  She will begin having more and more children and she will grow in size until she reaches the size category of Huge.  At this point, she has completed her transformation and will continue laying eggs until she dies, usually of natural causes.

Dwarven Queens themselves usually maintain their mental attributes from when they were Princesses, though they are obviously more limited in their physical capabilities.  Some keep their minds busy by exercising political control over their many children or pursue other intellectual pursuits, while others lose themselves to a haze of decadence.  Many Queens who do the latter end up introducing strange features into their Dwarves- that's how you get Dwarves with horns or hairy tails or third eyes.  For while a Dwarven Queen need not mate more than once, she still has the desire to do so, so often they will demand the Princes they bore return to attend their conjugal needs, or for males of other species be brought in to do the same. 

Dwarven Life Cycle and Gene-Castes

Dwarves, once they hatch, resemble a combination of Dwarf and caterpillar, with Dwarf-like faces but insect like bodies.  These are called Wrigglers.  Dwarven Wrigglers remain this way usually only for a short while, unless prevented from developing through the use of drugs or magic, eating voraciously to prepare.  Once they have eaten enough calories, they spin their cocoons and pupate, growing into the normal Humanoid forms of Dwarves.

At this point, the Dwarves' caste becomes obvious.  Dwarven Queens are not like females of other species, which must rely on Fortune and the will of the Gods to determine what their child will be, Dwarven Queens have some control.  They can know and decide which type of child they wish to produce, whether that be Workers, Warriors, Prince, Princess, or Specialist.

Worker Dwarves are the most common type, the sterile males I mentioned above.  Warriors are Dwarves designed for the defense of the Tribe and the Queen.  Most Dwarven fighters you will meet will be Workers trained to use weapons and not Warriors- these ones are called soldiers, not Warriors.  Specialist Dwarves vary from Tribe to Tribe and tend to be intended for some hyper-specific role.  As such, Specialist Dwarves are only born when needed.

Finally, because of the Dwarven Queens, Dwarves have low genetic diversity.  As such, while they do vary in appearance, as all species do, Dwarves of a similar tribe tend to look very similar.  As such, the experienced can often identify a Dwarves' tribe by appearance alone.

                                                by Kim Dong Hyuk Diesel

To generate a Dwarven Tribe (or a single Dwarf's) General appearance and traits, roll on the tables below.

This Tribe is...
 

1d6
1- Black-skinned.
2- Brown-skinned.
3- Grey Skinned.
4- Has skin the color of Blue Roan.
5- Has skin that is light pink.
6- Fair-skinned.

Most often, this Tribe's hair is...
 

1d4
1- White.
2- Brown.
3- Black.
4- A shade darker or lighter (50% of each) than their skin tone.

Some Dwarves (1d10%) belonging to this Tribe also have...
 

1d6
1- Horns.
2- Fangs.
3- Short claws.
4- Longer fingers.
5- Three Eyes.
6- Tails.   

The Warriors of this Tribe are known to be...

1d6

1- Tall and lanky, with snake-like limbs that move with disturbing quickness.
2- Huge and broad, strong as bulls, corded muscle writhing beneath rubbery skin.
3- Short, but covered in layer upon layer of bony plates, skin barely visible except near the joints of their armor. 
4- Multi-limbed, with 1d6 Limbs, rounding up to the nearest even number.
5- Delicate and winged, with the ability to spit balls of poison at long range.
6- Unarmed, their hands having been replaced with crablike pincers, their mouths flanked by crushing mandible

They also have...
 

1d6
1- Bone blades on their wrists, knees and elbows.
2- Jaws that could snap a spear shaft.
3- Tentacles growing out of their 1d6 [1= Beards; 2= Shoulders; 3= Backs; 4= From the back of their knees; 5= Elbows; 6; The top of their heads] that entangle and grab those near them.
4- Tails that 1d3 [1= Smash like maces; 2= Coil around weapons or limbs like bullwhips; 3= Enable them to hold a weapon while leaving their hands free.]
5- Stingers on their fingers, or if they have one, the ends of their tails.
6- They can spray acid from their mouths.  

Princes of this Tribe are known to be...

1d6

1- Tall, toned, statuesque.
2- Short, delicate, well-formed and clean-limbed.
3- Hairy, with long, curled ears.  
4- Incredibly tall, thin as a rail, with razor sharp features.
5- Large and muscular, with rocking gaits and squat builds.
6- Covered in dense fur, with a long, flexible tail.

Princesses of this Tribe are known to have...

1d6

1- Wings.
2- 1d4 extra breasts.
3- Four arms.
4- Quills on their 1d4 [1= Tails; 2= Shoulders and tops of their arms; 3= Backs; 4= Lower Legs.]
5- 1d6 extra eyes on their shoulders and back.
6- A pharyngeal jaw concealed behind their flat teeth. 

                                                          by wildweasel339

Dwarven Culture:

Dwarves are a highly collectivist culture.  Since most Dwarves never reproduce, they think not of their own line, but of the Tribe itself.  For since they all share the same Mother, if one of their siblings survives, they survive as well.  This is a fact that is easily understood by the fact that Dwarves from the same Tribe refer to each other as "Brother".  Dwarves from other Tribes who are allied with the Dwarves' Tribe are called "Cousins" and everyone else is considered an enemy.

Dwarves trust and love their brothers, but generally they do not trust anyone outside of the Tribe.  Anyone not related by blood is considered an enemy, or at least untrustworthy.   

To succeed in Dwarven lands, the secret is to build relationships.  Only by proving yourself to be reliable, helpful and not a threat to the Tribe or any individual Dwarf can you find help with a Dwarf.

Additionally, Dwarves think collectively.  A Tribe that was helped by a Human will be more likely to trust Humans (or at least Humans that resemble the one who helped them) in the future.  Similarly, if a Human hurt a Dwarven Tribe, they will be more likely to distrust Humans.

Dwarven Politics:

There is a sliding spectrum within all racial groups of whether the sentiment is more aligned with the ideal of racial unity or sub-racial separatism.  For example, the Orzane, a relatively small racial group who were conquered many times over their history before the Imperial era trasitioned from thinking of themselves as the inhabitants of their region or city to thinking of themselves as one people, regardless of where one was born.  This feeling of union and pan-Orzanian solidarity only increased when the Imperial era dawned and matured.  On the other hand, Humans are more aligned with sub-racialism, in that humans of different skin tones, language groups or regions do not instinctively band together unless under great stress, some even prefer to align with non-Humans over Humans. 

Dwarves are definitely aligned more with the the latter ideal. 

Dwarves of different tribes historically do not get along.  The Dwarven Homeland is not united, but is instead split into the territories of many hundreds of tribes, who war and squabble amongst each other.  Dwarven politics is thus, incredibly complicated, but is best defined as a series of resentments and bitter rivalries extending back thousands of years, if not to time immemorial.

Dwarven Tribes keep "Books of Grievances", which are long lists of the crimes that have been perpetrated against their Tribe in the past.  Many Dwarves also keep an individual "Book of Grievances" to indicate those who have wronged them.  This is especially common of Dwarves that must leave their homelands and travel abroad.  When a Dwarf returns or meets some of his Brothers, they will compare books and write down any significant Grievances they have with those they encountered along the way, from the petty to the significant. 

Books of Grievances are not just political artifacts though, they are considered sacred by Dwarves, so much so that a Dwarf from another Tribe will not touch the Books of another Tribe, for fear of being cursed by the spirits of that Tribe's ancestors or that Tribe's Gods.

If you return a Book of Grievances from a fallen Dwarf back to his Tribe or his Brothers, they will be immensely grateful.  If you wish to ask for some boon from them, this would be a good way to do it.  

Books of Grievances also include prayers in them, asking for an appropriate punishment to be doled about upon the offender, usually varying in severity depending on offense.  The true sign of an unstable or evil Dwarf is if his Book of Grievances requests punishments that are wildly disproportionate.  Though to most non-Dwarven audiences, this is extremely hard to discern. 

Example Entry in a Book of Grievances:

Grocer Manz Hammond, the Frogling Innkeeper of the Blue Moon Tavern, denied me a room at his establishment.  May his beard fall out and may he suckle on the teat of Misfortune.  

Isow, Son of Jem, the Human Auxillary of the Orzanian Army, slew my Brother, Harzir.  May he drown in war-blood and his corpse be despoiled by ravens. 

Dwarven Beards:

Dwarves cut their beards into various styles to show their profession, status and accomplishments.  A Dwarf's beard is his business card and all Dwarves want to make a good first impression.  For example, rolls of coins indicate wealth, keys indicate political power and bells used to indicate honesty, before all the caravan owners started wearing them, now they are most associated with cutthroat business-men and being a merchant generally.

Dwarven females can also grow beards, but usually do not, out of feminine modesty.

It is commonly believed among non-Dwarves that a beardless Dwarf is a criminal, but this is only partially true.  A beardless Dwarf looks out of place, so Dwarven criminals do not shave their beards.  Rather, they remove all symbols of their rank and brush their beard straight, so it is harder to identify them.

A male without a styled beard will be looked upon suspiciously, as someone trying to hide something.

If caught, Criminals are often shamed, their beards styled in specific ways and dipped in plaster or stucco so it hardens.  This leaves permanent stains on a beard to indicate the status of a Dwarf as a thief, murderer or etc.

For the greatest of crimes, Dwarfs have their beards shaved off and their chins burned, so no hair will ever grow there again.  Thus, a beardless Dwarf is the mark of one who was exiled from the Tribe.  This has a spiritual context as well as a physical one.  Through their banishment, the exile is cut off from the blessings of his ancestors or the Tribe's patron spirits/God.  This is the worsr punishment Dwarves have and for them, anything is preferrable.  This is why Dwarven criminals often fight to the death, so they cannot be exiled.

Dwarven Morality:


The protection of the Tribe is the most important thing.  For its preservation, any action is justified. 

If something immoral is seen by others, it is a sin.

If something immoral is not seen by others, it is not a sin.

                                               from TorinoGT

Sunday, April 26, 2020

TwK: David S. Terrence (A Contact for Lighthouse)

I have been recently inspired by Throne of Salt's Lighthouse.  For the unacquainted, it is a civilian organization that is meant to protect humans from the supernatural, as well as from the organized violence that uses the information blackout on all things non-material to abuse people as it sees fit.

In such a world, there are powerful government conspiracies, but rather then participating in them as in games like Delta Green, these conspiracies are malevolent and composed of wicked individuals who largely seek to despoil the world for their own agenda(s).

This is actually very similar to how I envisioned the Understudies in my Those who Know setting, civilians who stepped up to fight monsters and deal with the supernatural threats afflicting their communities that the Powers that Be, notably the Company, were too busy or too indifferent to take care of.  So regardless of what setting you're actually using, whether Lighthouse, Those who Know, Esoteric Enterprises, some kind of hybrid or your own spin on the same system, you could easily find a use for these posts.

For further reading:
- The original Lighthouse Post
          Contacts:
          - Jubilee and Briggs
          - Radio Live Free

                                                 from Wikidata
                                            RIP King.  You were taken too soon.

David S. Terrence was once a genius computer programmer who looked like he would have a brilliant career working in silicon valley.  He could have been the digital Nikola Tesla.  Instead, catastrophe laid him low.

Terrence is an insane individual, largely functional in terms of being able to feed and dress himself, but he needs constant supervision in case he does something dangerous.  He is fearless and endlessly honest.  He will relate to you the radical thoughts he is having at every moment of every day, talking about everything from his early sexual misadventures to his model train set to the Digital Temple.  He is an artist and a computer programmer- a genius crippled by madness.  He is as much amusing as he is pitiful.  He is mad, of course, and doesn't realize people think this way about him. 

He is hostile to and afraid of police officers, law enforcement and government officials.  He does not know about Lighthouse but is widely regard as an unofficial member.     

Appearance - A white man with wide eyes and mismatched clothes.
Manner - Wildly, disproportionately enthusiastic about his latest project, bored of everything else
Wants - To finish the Digital Temple.  To evade capture by the Midnight Men.  To enlighten everyone.
Morality - To do the Will of God, who he claims speaks to him.
Secret - His mind houses a dangerous psychic weapon.  He knows he must protect it from those who would abuse it.

Allison Terrence is David S. Terrence's dutiful, aging Mother.  She fears soon she will be too old to take care of David, but she has no one she can trust with his care.  She knows he would never be well cared for by the State, but she is working on a potential approach to convince him it will be for the best, even as she knows such an attempt is likely doomed to failure. 

As far as she is concerned, the supernatural does not exist and her son is just a man stricken by mental illness.

Appearance - An matronly woman with wrinkled around her eyes from age and smile lines around her mouth
Manner - Maternal, but concealing an iron core
Wants - To ensure David is cared for.  To reconnect with her distant husband. 
Morality - To care for her family and to do anything for them
Secret - She secretly wants to pass the responsibility of caring for David onto someone else.  She feels guilty over this.

Hooks:

Terrence heard from...

1d6

1- God
2- An online friend
3- The radio
4- A message in the clouds
5- The people on the news
6- His bowl of alphabet soup (he consumes it religiously)

That...

1d6

1- You're being followed
2- Government types have been poking around [location] recently
3- Someone's attempting to make contact with something otherworldly nearby
4- The new medical equipment being installed in the local hospital doesn't do what they say it does
5- An accidental death recently reported is actually a murder
6- The Midnight Men are nearby

Terrence is working on a computer program to enable him to talk to God, instead of just receiving messages.  To do this, he needs you to steal an artifact from a local collector.  50% the artifact is magic, with an independent 50% the collector knows about this.  He might let you keep it once he's done.

Terrence spotted a group of Recruiters nearby.  Keep an eye on them and make sure they don't do anything bad.  If/when they do something bad, kick their asses and send them back to Washington.  Be careful though- they're slippery as they come.

Terrence suffered a bolt of insight.  He got in his car and took off.  His Mother only knows the vague direction he was headed.  Find him before the police, the Midnight Men or another enemy of Lighthouse, Humanity or The Good grabs him.

                                                       source unknown

Insight Buys:

Cast the Bones (G-1). 
You can ask Terrence about the likely outcome of an event.  He will give you an answer based on information based on what his "sources" tell him.  He is not always right, but he usually is.

The British are Coming (G-2).  The next time you are about to walk into a dangerous situation, Terrence will send you a message ahead of time to warn you before hand.   

Flash of Insight (G-2).  Terrence will give you a fortune cookie of his own design.  By breaking it open, you will be able to deduce the problem to any logical puzzle before you, as long as their are no humans directly involved.  For example, it could give you the combination to a locked safe or point out a clue you missed, but not "Who killed Walter Hemmings?"    

Thicker than Water (G-3).  Terrence can bond your souls to each other.  You will be able to feel each other's emotions at all times, as well as approximate location.  The further away you are from each other the weaker the "signal" is, but it never quite goes away. 

Bad Trip (I-3).  Terrence can give you a serum that is made of a combination of ingredients, but the crucial one is his cerebro-spinal fluid.  By injecting this into your bloodstream, you will have a vision like the kind Terrence often experiences.  This will give you a vital piece of information about a past, present or future event.  For example, if you inject this before a heist, it will show you an alternate future where you are surrounded by police as soon as you enter the vault because you tripped the silence alar.  If you inject it during a heist, it will tell you that the SWAT team has arrived and you have only minutes before they burst in.   

Contingency Plan (I-5). 
Terrence told you a secret, then convinced you to forget it.  Now, when you choose, you remember the secret and it will give you an advantage in whatever situation you are currently in.  For example, if surrounded, you know just the thing to tell the leader to convince him that you are secretly a sleeper agent on his side.

Self-Hypnosis (1-5).  Terrence taught you how to hypnotize yourself.  You can use this to become temporarily immune to pain, fear, charm or other effects (Referee's Discretion).  Hypnotizing yourself requires concentration and at least one minute.  You will need to teach the hypno-trigger word to someone you trust, otherwise you will not be able to undo the hypnotic trance. 

Shining God (I-10). 
Terrence showed you the door, but only you could open it.  Your third eye opens and the true nature of Reality is revealed to you, in all its glorious splendor and baroque terror.  While your third eye is open, you get +4 to all attack and defense rolls against opponents who do not have fore-knowledge of events and can, as an action, speak words that force anyone who hears them to take psychic damage as the sharpness of your mind cuts theirs like a sword through a water ballon.  You can close your third eye at any time you wish.  The longer you remain in this elevated form, the more likely you are to drive yourself permanently mad (save vs madness when third eye closes, penalties for the longer you are in this form).  When you transform back, the memories of what you learned fade as well, as you're no longer high enough to understand them.  All you have left is the door and a lingering sense of melancholy, along with the thought that you've forgotten something important. 

Major Goals:

Find out who the Recruiters are working for.

Terrence also wants to know why they are kidnapping children and for what purpose.  This will require a lot of investigation, tailing and interrogating people, stealing classified documents and a very strong stomach.

Stop the Midnight Men.

Terrence doesn't know who or what they are, but he knows they have been following him for years, if not decades, tormenting and trying to direct the flow of events in his life.  He wants to take the fight to them, but he doesn't have enough information.  This will require you to investigate their nature, find out their weaknesses, as well as leadership, home and plans, then hopefully survive long enough to put that information to good use. 

Finish the Digital Temple.

Terrence is certain that soon, he will be finished and that he will be able to communicate with God like the prophets of old did.  He just needs a few more pieces of vital information.  This will require several burglaries, the recovery and translation of some ancient texts and potentially, an investigation to see if the being that Terrence calls and believes to be "God" is actually who it claims to be.   

                                                source unknown

Friday, April 24, 2020

OSR: The Cleopa Sisters

They are three in number, a trio of monster women who dwell on the borders of the Gloaming Wood.  Their crepuscular hunts are well known to the locals, who curse them bitterly, as they have been strangling the local towns by chilling trade.  The vineyards have barrels of wine that they cannot sell and the dairy farmers are sitting on wax-sealed thrones of cheese that they cannot eat themselves.  Meanwhile, the demand for succulent grapes, local cheese and other goods produced in the Fernix valley grows, but few will brave the roads for fear of these dreadful predators.

There is a bounty out for the heads of all three of the Sisters, though no one has managed to claim it yet.

                                                          by CGSouifane

Criza Cleopa

Criza is a terror, a beast with a shark-like muzzle, glinting with dozens of rows of overlapping teeth that could shear straight through anything short of iron plate.  She'll splinter your shield and snap your spear haft like a toothpick well enough though.  Her jaws are often barely noticed by her opponents however, as she is terrifyingly strong, capable of throwing horses like projectiles and small trees like javelins.  She uses this strength to her advantage, rushing in and striking anything near her, smashing anything that tries to stop her.  The caravan guards and merchants that have managed to encounter her and survive don't bother to fight her.  If they see Criza, or even suspect she is around, they bolt.

Criza herself is an endlessly irritated and aggrieved creature.  She is constantly complaining about everything: the food, the poor hunting, the poor sport, the cowardice of her opponents, the injuries she's received, her aging joints, your outfits, the lack of challenge, your appearance, etc.  She talks to her sisters when she can, but they have heard most of her complaints and don't suffer fools lightly, especially Yandri.  So to entertain herself, Criza will sometimes capture interesting looking travelers and hold them captive and force them to keep her company.  She will drag them back to the cave and force them to listen to her litany of complaints. 

If you express any interest in her at all, Criza will tell her story.  She will claim to be have once been a simple Orzanian (pigman) countrywoman, but when her daughter was snatched up by a group of amorous Folk, she refused to let this go and after arming herself with an iron pan, set out to give them a piece of her mind.  When she found her daughter, the Folk refused to give her up, and when Criza attacked them, they cursed her to transform into a hideous monster.  Criza was transformed and passed out.  When she awoke, her daughter was gone.  When she returned, her story was not believed by her former neighbors, who drove her away with spears and arrows. 

She is relentlessly bitter about this.  When confronted by locals from where she lived, she always tries to hurt them or make them suffer.  She is especially cruel to children from that area, though she goes to great lengths to not do anything unjustifiable in front of witnesses.  She tries to portray her actions as justified due to the immense suffering she has been subjected to.

If a Prophet examines Criza, he will be informed that her transformation into this form was caused a curse. 

Weakness:
Criza has three weaknesses.
1) She loves to victimize people from her hometown and will take extra risks to do so.
2) She is thin-skinned and easily angered.  If prodded enough, she usually loses control and tries to tear the offending party apart.
3) Criza's strength is so great it makes it difficult for her to perform any task that requires delicacy almost impossible.  Her sisters have given up on having doors, as she tends to rip them out of place.  She also crushes glasses, snaps the handles of weapons, bends silverware into pretzels and bruises people she touches, even if she tries to be delicate. 

Statblock: 


Criza Cleopa
HD 4
AC Warped, Mutated Frame (Blunt 1d8)
Atk Club (1d8+3) or Thrown Object (2d6, save for half)
Mor 11
Saves 11 or less

Enormous Strength: Criza Cleopa possesses enormous strength.  She can break objects such as weapons, crush armor, uproot trees and hurl boulders.  For checks like these, she may reroll failed STR checks.  For purposes of STR checks, she has a STR of 18(+3).

Large Size: Criza Cleopa is a Large Creature.  She may reroll all grapple checks being made by and against her for creatures smaller than her. 

Tactics:
- Throw objects
- Attack the most dangerous person
- If too dangerous, grapple and throw them
- Hate Priests, Prophets, Shamans, etc

                                             by DemonML

Vivia Cleopa

Criza will greet you with a hurled boulder or a barricade of fallen trees.  She will stalk forward and set about the grim business of slaughter with nary a word, except for perhaps a blood-curdling threat.  She is ill-mannered compared to her other sisters, at least according to Vivia.  Vivia is a cruel creature, but she hides her cold-hearted nature behind layers of politeness and gentility. 

Vivia will slink up to a camp or caravan once night has fallen, covering her front part in a cloak, concealing the rest of herself in the shadows.  She will speak to you softly and ask you questions, if you might help her with a small matter.  Few accept her offer, for good reasons.  Those who survive regret it for the rest of their lives.  Thankfully however, that isn't a very long time.  For you see, Vivia likes to capture people.  She takes them away and makes slaves of them, if they seem interesting, useful or unappetizing, or she just eats them.

But why does she do it?  Vivia will tell you a sob story about how she was mutated or changed into this form by various individuals, but these stories are all lies.  She tells them with a blatant insincerity, but if you accuse her of lying, she will pretend to be offended.  Regardless of what story she tells, she will never include such elements as envy, a lying seductress, betrayal, mutation or Wizards. 

Vivia's danger comes from her speed.  Despite her long, muscular body, she can move quite quickly, as fast as a galloping horse, at least over short distances.  For this reason, she favors ambush as a strategy, lunging forward in a quick surge, locking her jaws around a target of choice, then scurrying away.  When this isn't an option, she will sprint into the fray and use her four strong arms to seize her enemies and position then for a bite.  And while she prefers to fight with her bare hands, Vivia knows how to use most weapons.  Though due to her large size, she prefers to use polearms and spears, holding one in each hand.  She can also fling a longspear like a javelin.  So yes, you should be afraid. 

Weakness: Vivia is arrogant.  She does not doubt her own proficiency in the art of dealing death, nor her intelligence.  This causes her to underestimate her opponents.  This is not something that has gotten her into too much trouble yet, but it certainly will, eventually.
She also despises Wizards.  If she sees one, she will attempt to slay them, unless to do so would unreasonably endanger her.

If a Wizard or Sage examines Vivia, he will be able to tell her that she was mutated into this form. 

Statblock:

Vivia Cleopa
HD 3
AC Rapid Movement (Ranged 1d12)
Atk Polearm (1d8) + Sword (1d6) + Spear (1d6) or Javelin (1d6/1d6/1d6)
Mor 10
Saves 10 or less
 
Rapid Movement: Vivia Cleopa can move as fast as a galloping horse.

Climber: Vivia is an excellent climber, getting a +4 bonus to climb any slope that is not a sheer cliff, covered in ice or otherwise unclimbable.

Tail: Vivia Cleopa's tail is a long and muscular and highly flexible.  When in melee range, she can substitute a melee attack with her tail.  Anyone struck by her tail takes 1d6 damage and is then grappled.  If you try to target her tail directly, it was 2 HD and AC Rapid Movement (Sharp 1d10)

Tactics:
- If weak, attack in melee
- If well protected, soften them up with ranged attacks first
- Hit and run tactics
- Grapple someone, drag them along behind them
- Target Wizards, Magic-Users first

                                                        source unknown

Yandri Cleopa   

The dense woodlands of the Fernix valley have grown more overgrown than usual.  A monster stalks them, by day and night, a female terror that feeds on the flesh of mortals.  Corpses are often found on the edge of the wood where men would ordinary go to fell trees and cut down wood, torn apart by blunt teeth and strong hands.  Children now return home earlier and only the bravest stay outside after dusk. 

The Cleopa Sisters speak of the youngest of their group, but no one has ever seen her and lived to tell the tale.  At night, locals and travelers huddle around their fires and speculate about her- what does she look like?  Is she perhaps, invisible?  Could she be behind us right now?  Or does she tunnel beneath the Earth like an Ankheg, ready to burst out and crush your leg in her jaws?

None of these tales are accurate.  Yandri Cleopa is not some terror or impossible beast.  She is strange looking, but otherwise, utterly beautiful.  But here are two facts that should be known.  Firstly, Yandri was beautiful even before she became a Cleopa.  The second thing to know is that when a girl is as beautiful as Yandri, she never has to learn to accomodate reality.  Yandri spent her youth being waited on hand and foot.  Any difficulty in her path was smoothed or removed if possible.  Her paths were made straight and cleared of thorns or brambles.  She also learned that she could do almost anything she wanted. 

This does not help someone develop virtue, as any moral teacher will tell you.  And that was the case for Yandri.  She became a tyrant, worshiped by her lovers and despised by others.  Finally though, she got her just desserts.  One day, a scorned lover attacked her, vowing that if he could not have her alive, he would slay her and have her dead.  At that moment, Yandri should have died.

But instead, she was transformed.  Yandri's natural beauty became accuentated by some dark power, to the point where her virtue no longer merely stole the hearts of men figuratively, but literally.  Not only does the mere sight of her cause mento want to be with her, falling instantly, desperately in love with her, but it is so great that it plucks the souls of these men from their bodies and traps them here as Ghosts, binding them in states of worshipful adoration, she she pays attention to them, and envious rage, when she looks at someone else.

Yandri slew all of her male admirers inadvertantly in that moment, including her assaliant.  When they saw this, the women around Yandri declared that it was clearly divine judgement placed upon Yandri and attempted to slay her.  Yandri barely managed to escape, fleeing into the wilderness.  There she waits, mourning and raging intermittantly at what she has. 

Yandri longs to return to her life as it once was, but now that she has tasted real suffering, she may be able to understand the trials she caused others.  She may be able to become virtuous.

At the same time, for the unprepared, suffering can poison them.  Unless you understand how to endure suffering, it can turn you bitter.  It can make you into a monster.

Yandri has three important people in her life right now.  A young, blind man by the name of Tricio and her two "sisters".  Tricio was a soldier who, despite being uninjured, went blind in a battle and never recovered his sight.  Still, he is regarded as a virtuous man who works hard and does his best to not be a burden on his community.  Tricio recently wandered into the woods and stumbled upon a woman with lilting voice and a nearly smothering aura of sadness.  He has become smitten with the girl and has, so far, ignored the warnings and gone into the woods at every opportunity to speak to her.  Everyone else in the community thinks he has gone mad, but no one has done anything to stop him yet.

The other Cleopas are not virtuous at all.  Both are consumed by a desire for revenge and a thirst for blood.  However, when no one else would, they accepted Yandri and adopted her into their family.  They love and support her and would do a lot for her- though they wouldn't die for her. 

Yandri and Tricio are both fond of each other, though to describe it as love might be premature.  However, if Tricio were to be killed or if she were to be kept from him, Yandri would be incredibly angered by that.  Similarly, if one or both of her sisters were slain, she would be twisted into someone who would take her revenge upon everyone who dared to try and harm her, as well as everyone else. 

And that, would make the person who "blessed" her with her abilities very, very happy.

Weakness: Yandri, at the moment, desires to protect her sisters and to avoid hurting any of the people around her.  The ghosts of her former admirers have kept the murders they committed secret, because they know it would displease her.  They are also the ones who encourage her to stay in the heart of the forest, away from the rocky hills or roads, where she might endanger someone.

Statblock:  

Yandri Cleopa
HD 3
AC none
Atk Dagger (1d6)
Mor 12
Saves 10 or less   

Soul-Stealing Beauty: Anyone who is attracted to women who lays eyes on Yandri Cleopa must save vs death.  Those who fail their save have their soul plucked out and must save again to see if they remain as a Ghost or are successfully manage to escape from the area, where their soul will meet a Psychopomp as per usual.  Anyone who is not attracted to her must still successfully complete a COG save to attack or cast a harmful spell on her.  Those who are blind or cover their eyes are immune to this effect.

Entourage: Yandri rarely goes outside during the day.  When she does, it is to accompany her sisters.  At night, she is more comfortable walking around, as she knows fewer people are out.  Additionally at night, her Ghostly admirers can attend her,  serving her and protecting her from danger.   

Tactics:
- Avoid danger as much as you can
- Don't take any enemy seriously
- Run if in serious danger     

                                              source unknown

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

OSR: The Brotherhood of Broken Chains: Home Guard

[The following is a compilation of a series of documents transcribed by Interrogator-Lord Marwen of Soliko, agent of His Imperium, the Emperor of Joyous Exultation, Lord Marzan's prayers be upon him.  The information contained within should be recognized as the opinions and thoughts of a law-breaker and do not in any way reflect the opinions, thoughts or desires of His Imperium or the agents of the Emperor or his loyal subjects.

All subjects detailed below are considered outlaws and law-breakers under Imperial Law.  All agents of His Imperium, if they encounter one of the individuals below should make all efforts to seize them, so that they may be brought before a Justice of His Imperium to receive due punishment.  Additionally, if any subject of His Imperium possesses the sufficient strength or skill with arms to apprehend one of the criminals, they should be awarded just compensation by an agent of His Imperium.

The Individuals detailed in this specific file are not a natural grouping found in the documents, but organized and sorted by me, the agent of His Imperium.  In the original documents these profiles were scattered among others, with only passing reference to the others.  Additionally it should be noted that these individuals seem to form part of the Brotherhood's leadership caste and are permanently stationed at the Headquarters, wherever that is- consult File I21-b-81-93 for information on the Brotherhood's home base and the possible locations it could have.

For more information, consult File E137-a-2 in the Imperial Archives for more information on the Brotherhood of Broken Chains leadership and supposed history, File E137-b-56 for information on a particularly relevant group of criminals, File E137-f-31 for a look at some of the low-level members of the organization, File I37-b-95 for a group of enemies who could potentially become useful to His Imperium and File E137-g-11 for a group of Traitors acting against the Brotherhood.  So says the agent of His Imperium.
]

                                            by jeinu

Galbax

Cherubs are one of the stranger races in the world.  They are born with two personalities, one Male, the other Female.  These two personalities never truly interact with each other, each one only becoming active when the other is asleep.  So whenever a Cherub lays down to sleep, their opposite 'wakes up' and takes over the body.  I have never tried to verify if these personalities are simply two aspects to the same whole, or if both possess their own souls.  I have not had the interest in doing so.  Regardless of the truth, I do know one thing for sure about Cherubs: one soul always predominates.  The two personalities squabble and compete with each other, until one eventually crushes the other and asserts total control of the body.  Again, as I lack the specific knowledge of a Cherub's internal spiritual landscape, I do not know if the other soul is subsumed into the greater, or if it is forced from the body and sent pre-maturely to the afterlife. 

Enough musings on the subject though- let us, get back to practicalities.  Galbax is a Cherub in my employ, and one of my strongest Brothers.  He is the one who taught me the latter fact about his kindred when he told me the story of how he eventually triumphed over his 'sister', Xalbag, said as "Zal-ba". 

When he was younger, his 'sister' forced him to remain on the island, as I could not trust her to be loyal to me as he was.  To pass the time he would spar with the other Brothers to help them stay sharp who came to the island or go on short missions that wouldn't keep him away forever.  Mostly these missions involved leg-breaking and strong-arming to retrieve small sums of money, hardly worth the effort.  These were mostly attempts by me to ensure that Galbax would get some actual experience, in the hopes that he would one day be useful.  During this process, I discovered that Galbax was not only a terrifying and effective operative, but also that he possessed an incredible talent for the Martial Schools.  Soon, every chance I got I sent him out to fight, while making sure his companions acted as bodyguards to be able to restrain his 'sister' when he was away.  And while this resulted in quite a few Brothers being severely hurt, two even being killed in the process, these opportunities to help Galbax grow were too good to pass up.

For years I feared this was a mistake and it would one day return to haunt me, but then the, according to him at least, the inevitable occurred, and he fully dominated his 'sister'.  Galbax then came into his own as a terrifying force of nature. Galbax led or participated in almost a hundred dangerous missions for me, winning battle after battle.  After a while, he and I both began to think him invincible.  He asked to be sent on missions that could challenge him.  I knew it was folly, but I wanted to test my agent.  So I ordered his superiors to partner him with Brothers far stronger than him and to send him on the most dangerous assignments they could find.  Somehow, Galbax always returned from these in triumph.

This nearly unbroken string of stunning successes continued until Galbax was sent as part of a small team to repossess a certain magical artifact that the King of Ytri mistakenly believed belonged to him.  Galbax made short work of the men the King assigned to guard the door, but unfortunately, he was not the only one who had decided to try and steal the artifact.  To make matters worse, the other thief were actually the members of a Drakencult.  So while they proved no match for Galbax and soon retreated, once Galbax and his team had extricated themselves from the palace, they found themselves snout-to-snout with a full grown Dragon and the remains of the Drakencult.  Needless to say, it was a bloodbath.  Of the Drakencult members, half of them met their end at that night, along with every Brother on that mission, except for Galbax and one very lucky thief.

Galbax was nearly killed, but the Dragon left before confirming that he was dead, allowing the thief to drag him to safety. She managed to get the two of them back to headquarters and the physicians were able to save Galbax.  Since then, I have kept Galbax at Headquarters, making him the combat instructor for new Brothers and those still on the island.  Galbax himself was never quite the same after that defeat, moth mentally and physically.  He still walks with a limp after all these years.      
Weakness: Galbax's weakness is that he cannot resist a battle.  He will fight anyone, even if he knows that they are unworthy of his skills.  If you attempt to fight him, even if you are hopelessly outclassed, he will fight fairly.  He despises cowards though and will show them no mercy.   

[We have long suspected that the Brotherhood's secret headquarters is located on an island, but this confirms it.  I have already tasked my Questioners and several lesser Interrogators in assisting me in ascertaining which island this could be.]

Statblock:


Galbax
HD 6
AC Scale Mail + Shield (Blunt 1d6; Sharp 1d12)
Atk One-Handed Axe (1d6+5)
Mor 14
Saves 13 or less is a success

Journeyman of Woodsman:
- You do not add Quick weapon (flat 1d6) damage to your defense rolls against his Axe attacks
- If his opponent rolls less damage than he did on a defense roll, he can ignore it as if they only rolled a d20

Expert of Unbreaking Art:
- He can splinter his shield
- He can reduce magical damage with his shield
- If you miss on a magical attack roll or he passes his saving throw against your spell, he can throw it back at you

Explosion: When he rolls damage, 1/Day per weapon, he can reroll damage.  If the new sum is lower, he can add it to his initial roll.  If the new sum is higher, he uses that one instead. 

Storm of Steel: 1/Day, he can make 1d20 additional attacks against someone. 

Called Attack: Galbax can, as a free action, declare what attack he is going to make.  If his next attack fits that description, he gets -4 to hit, but on a hit, does an additional +4 damage.

Tactics:
- Try to scare the enemy to frighten away the cowards
- Wait for the enemy to exhaust themselves
- Crush them, one by one, with overwhelming force

Status: Active.  For many years now I have suspected that Galbax is not as damaged as he claims to be.  I believe I may have left him in his position for too long, now he has become part of Headquarter's landscape and worse, I have come to rely on him.  If anyone is in the position to stage a coup, it is him.  As such, I have taken precautions against him.  My spies watch him night and day and my assassins stand at the ready.  If he moves, I will know it, and they will be sent in.  Not that I expect my assassins to succeed- but they should at least buy me enough time to implement my real plan.

                                         by TheEmpa

Uyvarn [You-var] of House Optrei

Uyvarn is a mercurial creature and a seemingly unreliable weapon.  He has a reputation for being incredibly prickly and vain, spending much of time meditating and admiring himself in the crystal pond up in the hills.  No one dares use the pond for swimming while he is there, unless they have developed a sudden contempt for their limbs.  Uyvarn is one of those Brothers that strikes terror into the hearts of his comrades, because to him, they are worthless.  He places no special consideration on the lives of those he considers beneath him, which is a very, very long list.  As such, he has no problem injuring or killing Brothers who interfere with his plans, though he has refrained from killing any of them in a while, due to some gentle coaxking on my part.

He wasn't always like this.  Once, Uyvarn was but a humble warrior with nothing but a chipped blade and a massive chip on his shoulder.  He was resentful and was already well on his way to hating most creatures.  I had him trained and took pains to groom him personally, feeding his ego and sculpting him so that his sense of self, as well as his value, were built squarely on his skill with a sword.  This made him pour endless hours into training, practicing endlessly.  The sword was his life was the message I sought to teach him, and he took it to heart.  When he was younger, this made him an excellent, if crude assassin.  He was fairly incompetent at everything else, but his swordplay, it made my soul sing to see him kill.

That was years ago.  Now, having reached what he believes to be the pinnacle of the Art, Uyvarn has become increasingly unreliable.  He believes himself a Grandmaster, with nothing more to learn.  And while I am sure I could dissuade him of this, I am content to allow him to wander the hills around headquarters, striking down those who disturb his meditation.  This makes the upper hills and their many caves an easy hiding spot for treasures and other things I do not wish the others discovering, as while he does attack those who enter his territory, he makes an exception for me and the other pillars.  He can be coaxed to leave his territory occasionally to take a mission, but he will only do so if he feels it worthy of him.

Weakness: Uyvarn's weakness is his pride, which is massive and swollen. 

Statblock:

Uyvarn of House Optrei
HD 5
AC Martial Gi (Blunt 1d6)
Atk Two-handed curved sword (1d6+4)
Mor 17
Saves 12 or less is a success

Master of Cutting:
- He can cut through armor
- He can cut through weapons
- He can strike an enemy as if their weapon wasn't there
- He can cut through almost anything, even enchanted or superhardened objects

Explosion: When he rolls damage, 1/Day per weapon, he can reroll damage.  If the new sum is lower, he can add it to his initial roll.  If the new sum is higher, he uses that one instead. 

Storm of Steel: 1/Day, he can make 1d20 additional attacks against someone.

Status: Largely Inactive.  Uyvarn is increasingly hard to coax from his territory.  This does not concern me though.  As long as Galbax remains at headquarters and a threat to me, I will keep Uyvarn close by.  I am certain that Uyvarn is aware of Galbax and that he views the Cherub as a potential challenger.  If Galbax does make an attempt to take my throne, I will encourage Uyvarn to defend his spot at the top of the world as the greatest warrior in the Brotherhood.  Regardless of how it goes, I think the results will be most interesting. 

                                          from Magic: The Gathering

Kuzraine Acoros XIV

Kuzraine Acoros is my instructor in the Magical Arts.  He is responsible for training those Brothers with the talent for sorcery who need further instruction.  In the past, I used to assist with this matter personally, but eventually this came to be an unnecessary role for me, once Acoros was recruited. 

The first thing I should mention about this Acoros is not the one initially recruited all those years ago.  That was the first Kuzraine Acoros, who came to the area where my headquarters is located by accident.  He did not know the land he had come to, but he proved to be an eager recruit.  At first, he was only a student of Sorcery, but this Brackle nature enabled him to quickly absorb the basis of sorcery.  From there, he began training himself in advanced techniques.  Unfortunately, there was a catch.  Brackles, as anyone knows, live only for a year.  So Acoros wanted to leave to spread his seeds, but I could not permit this.  I had come to rely on him to help me teach the other Magic-Users at my improvised Wizard monastery, and there was no one who could replace him. 

So I came up with a compromise- he would instead plant some of his seeds in areas I would designate for him nearby, then he could give me his seeds.  An agent of mine would then scatter these seeds far and wide, leaving him free to continue teaching.  Acoros agreed to these terms and continued his work.  He was, of course, unaware of the fact that most of the seeds he gave me I destroyed.  I could not allow any of his offspring not under my control to live, since Brackle offspring usually inherit some memories from their parents.  Some I keep preserved, locked in time through magic, but most were placed into the kiln then discarded. 

Acoros died that winter, as all Brackle do.  But when Spring came, his offspring crawled their way out of the dirt and I set about tutoring them.  Once prepared, they took their positions within my organization once more.  Since that first generation, a Kuzraine Acoros has always led the Wizarding College located at Headquarters.  Other lesser Magi and Sages assist him, occasionally along with others born of his generation.  I have come to rely immensely on my Brackles to train Magi for my organization.  This is one of the critical vulnerabilities of my organization, one I plan on correcting.  So far, all attempts to do so have met with mixed results, but I am confident I am approaching a solution.  It is imprudent to place all one's eggs in one baskets, or all the flowers in one vase.   

Weakness: Acoros knows he is the 14th to serve me and thus, does not really believe he can die.  He views himself as a continuum of beings, each one being "him".  Thus, this current incarnation does not concern him any more than any of the others.  I suspect this an ideological snare Acoros has managed to catch himself in, as he has not truly been in real danger except for a handful of times.  I suspect if faced with true death, he would reconsider, but until then, he has a reckless disregard for his own safety.  Attempts to teach him caution have largely failed.  

Statblock:


Kuzraine Acoros
HD 4 
AC none 
Atk
Mor 9   
Saves 10 or less is a success

Spellcasting: Kuzraine Acoros has 4 spellcasting dice and 3 spells prepared.  His spellcasting dice burn out on a 5 or 6.  The spells he has prepared are Dynamic Entry, Prismatic Defense, Prismatic Ray and Stardust.  He also knows the spells Anti-Gravity, Center of the World, Force of Personality, Light, Lucky.

Chaos: If Kuzraine Acoros casts a spell with 2 or more spellcasting dice, he has a 1-in-6 chance of invoking Chaos.  If he does invoke Chaos, roll on the table below.

Chaos of the Instructor
1d6

1- You lose a spellcasting die.
2- One of your spells randomly casts itself.  The Target is random.  Area of effect spells are centered on a random person.
3- One of your prepared spells slips out your ear and flies away.  After 1d6 hours, save.  On a success, the spell returns to your spellbook.  On a failure, it is gone forever.
4- The next spell you cast will be cast as a level four spell automatically, unless you do not have four spellcasting dice, in which case it will be as many as you have.  You know this.  If you wait 1d12 hours, the power will drain out of you, and you can cast it at whatever level you choose.
5- Your spellbook becomes unintelligible to you.  You cannot prepare new spells for the next 1d12 hours.
6- One random flammable object you have in your possession suddenly catches fire.

Tactics:
- Cast Prismatic Defense on Self
- Then follow up with Prismatic Ray
- Use Stardust on anyone who gets close

Status: Active.  I keep Acoros busy at Headquarters, training the various Magi under my command.  I suspect this is where he will stay, unless something drastic changes.   

                                                      by joeshawcross

Trita of Yangulos

Trita is an operative I hold near and dear to my heart.  As such, I wish to clarify some things, if only to myself.  The child is not mine, I made sure of it.  Trita never promised herself too me, she even seemed to enjoy trying to get a rise out of me.  She was not a woman any sensible man would keep by his side, utterly unfit for marriage.  My dalliance with her was a mistake, one of the few I have ever made.  Still, if it keeps her loyal, it will not have been a complete loss.

My history with Trita began many years ago.  She was a lesser Noble from some relatively unimportant city-state, acting as the assistant for a petty King who barely maintained control over the squabbling cults, commercial guilds and martial orders that bickered and sought to curry favor with him.  Trita managed to insert herself into this mess, making herself the King's right hand, meditating between the other factions and him.  Unfortunately, her appetites grew too large.  She sought to make the crown her own, on the misguided belief that she was more suited to it, and that the various factions were more willing to follow her than the current King. 

She miscalculated though as some of her allies revealed themselves to be not as loyal as she had been led to believe.  When a Prophet serving one of the city's many cults, imbued with divine power,  attempted to double-cross her and take the crown for himself, she slew him and plucked the power from his shattered brow.  After that, her palace coup quickly descended into a blood-bath, which enabled the current King to crush the putsch.  She fled from her city and to this day, plots her revenge.

From there, she sought out my organization and began working her way up the ladder.  Noting her successes and obvious potential, I reassigned her so I could keep a better eye on her and observe her training.  She proved to be an able Brother with all the necessary skills, she was an agile liar, a slick operator and a tough fighter.  She also possessed a great deal of social acumen and personal charisma.  While her long tongue got her into trouble, it also helped her to escape it just as frequently.  It was during this time that she began expressing interest in pursuing me romantically.  When she learned I was also an Orzane, it must have been impossible to resist.  I allowed her to talk me into it and we began meeting in secret.  However, I soon realized the depths of her hunger and broke off our relationship.  Laying next to that woman is like laying down in a Griffin's nest.

Since then, rumors have swirled about not only our relationship, but the child she gave birth to less than a year later.  I have not bothered to deny the rumors, but instead spread other, wilder rumors.  Still, they are irritating.  The rumors only intensified when Trita was granted a permanent position at my headquarters, that of head torturer.  However, this was only because of her unique qualities.  Not only is Trita skilled with the knife and the bullwhip, but she also possesses certain abilities that make her job much easier.  And while I don't trust her, Trita has proven to be quite efficient at ripping information from the skulls of my enemies. 

Still, she represents a definite threat to me.  I have kept her in her position for so long not only because of her effectiveness, but also because it enables my spies to keep an eye on her.  I also have plans to replace her, should it become necessary.  If Trita displays any disloyalty I will have to show her that she is not as irreplaceable she thinks.  

Weakness: Trita's appetites grow with her success.  A success leads her to expand her reach and her desires.  The more she achieves, the more she thinks she can obtain for herself.  She always overreaches.   

Statblock:

Trita of Yangulos
HD 4
AC Breastplate (Sharp 1d6)
Atk Spear (1d6+3)
Mor 14
Saves 11 or less

Bearer of the Word "SPEAK": Trita of Yangulos bears the ability that when she speaks the Secret Name of God she carries, she can grant either the ability of speech to non-sentient creatures or inanimate objects, or she can compel someone to break their silence and speak.  She can only do this every 1d4 rounds.

Tactics:
- Avoid combat if possible
- Let others take the risks
- Always look out for yourself

Status:
Active.  Trita is currently working in HQ, working to interrogate prisoners and extract vital information for my operations.  She is close to a source of information, which is regrettable, but this also isolates her from the planning process.  For all her potential power, she has been forced into a position that denies her any leverage.  When she fully realizes this, I imagine she will immediately begin scheming to try and change her circumstances.  When she does this, I hope she does not do anything foolish.  It would be a shame to have to replace her. 

                                             source unknown

[This document was found with the others, along with some grisly souvenirs, a severed head and a pair of hands, placed in a clay pot and preserved in rum.]

Fast Eli Etrik


You blustering idiots.  You must have thought yourself so clever, selecting a Hoba.  Who would think such a creature, small and unimposing, would be tasked with a task so monumental.  You even selected one from a tribe near where I have told you my ancestral home was.  Yet for all your introspection, you failed to remember that Hoba have a reputation for being thieves and sneaks! 

I feel nothing but pity for Eli, spy and infiltrator though he was.  You sent him in alone, with little to no back-up, to find and lead you to me.  His blood is on your heads, for you sent him to die.  To think that you blunderers could out-deceive me, the enemy of all your "truths", it's sheer hubris.  I hope you all drown in the blood of the men you have let die, from the spies you have sent against me to the countless innocents you have put to death.  But at the same time, I hope you don't, so I can kill you myself!

I wonder which of you blithering fools sent Eli to try and find out where my Headquarters was.  Is it Torquek?  Or Baliz?  Or perhaps Uljan?  No matter I suppose.  I'll find out soon enough.  And when I do, I'll make sure that the fool who sent Eli to me suffers the same fate as him.  That is my oath to you, the slaves of that illegitimate bully you call your Emperor. 

Status:
Dead.  Fast Eli is dead, slain indirectly at the judgement of the Orzanian Empire.  May he rest with his ancestors.

[This current operation is a failure.  With the dead of Eli Etrik, the last of our infiltrators has been detected and destroyed.  I suspect this will be the last cache we will find from our operative, unless he has managed to copy and conceal others before his passing.  May he find rest in the world beyond and may the Gods bless his clan for his heroism.]

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

OSR: The Deck of Destiny

The problem with the Deck of Many Things always seems to be that it derails games and destroys pre-planned plot-lines.  So here's an idea, don't let it do that.  Instead, start a new campaign and as the first adventure the party goes on, have them do something classic, like retrieving some little magic items at the bottom of a Warren infested with Giant Rats or something like that.  But then, at the bottom of a chest, they find the Deck.  Then, as they draw cards, use that to decide what the campaign is going to be about.  So with that idea, I present to you...   

                                                      by James R. Eads

The Deck of Destiny

The name is borrowed from Puffin Forest.

The cards themselves are glossy and finely made and look like they have never been used.  They are found either in a deck of 20 or in small groups of 1d20.  There are only 20 of them at one time.  After a card is used, it vanishes from the universe until all the others have been used, or 1d100+20 years have passed, after which the deck's cards are gathered back together in a hidden place, ready to alter fate once more.  Anyone who touches the cards or even gets near one can feel the magical power oozing off them.  Each one feels like a small campfire in terms of magical energy.  The cards, when inactive, frighten away animals and unsettle children, like a distant thunderstorm or a whining air-raid siren. 

If a card is drawn or picked up and looked at, the card's magic will activate and the threads of destiny will be unraveled and rewoven into a new shape to fit the outcome selected.

1d20

1- Void: The End is Nigh.  Some kind of event occurs that will start small, but rapidly grow larger, threatening the entire world.  Perhaps the Evil Wizard accidentally unspooled part of the Fabric of Creation, or a Cult breached the protective shields around our universe, allowing one of the Elder Evils to manifest, or maybe the Aboleth has entered our world by stealth or guile.  The Referee should feel free to be creative.  If this event is not stopped, slowed or reversed, the world as you know it will end.  The world may survive, but everything you know about this one will die. 
2- Death: The Reaper Comes.  One creature is cursed with death.  The skull on this card changes after a minute, becoming the face of the creature who will die.  That creature that is cursed is [1= The party's legal Sovereign; 2= An ally of the party; 3= A virtuous innocent or someone the party loves, preferrably both; 4= A member of the party.]  This curse can be broken like a normal curse, but the requirements to do so will be very hard. 
3- The Tower: The ground shakes and darkness covers the land.  A disaster will befall your land.  Wherever the party currently is will experience some kind of natural disaster, such as a volcanic eruption, wildfire, earthquake or etc.
4- The Devil: I looked into the abyss and felt it looking back.  Then it laughed.  An Evil Outsider has noticed you and it will make it its mission to destroy you.  The Outsider will use whatever tactics it feels are necessary or likely to work.  It may send assassins after you or trick you into going into a dangerous situation, or try to destroy you in other ways first, such as corrupting you and driving away your allies before coming in person to deliver the death-blow.
5- The Dagger: Glitter glitter, knives in the dark.  You will be betrayed by someone you trust.  The Referee should come up with a reason why someone the party trusts might have to sell them out.  If none occurs to you, just wait.  One will surely arise in time.  But remember, the most important thing about this card is to make sure the party never forgets about it.
6- The Gorgon: I grind your bones to make my bread.  A powerful monster will soon appear and attack the person who drew this card.  It should fit the local ecosystem.  If the players are tramping around in the desert, send a monstrous Wurm after them. 
7- Ruin: Jingle jangle, but not a cent for the poor.  The person who drew this card will experience a personal ruin; they will lose everything in terms of wealth and status.  Every business they own will fail, every expensive item they own will be destroyed or stolen and all but their pocket change will be lost.  Whoever you determine this is up to you.    
8- The Moon: Oh fairest maid, silverhaired and distant looking!  You get 1d3 Wishes, but these wishes will be twisted in a 1d3 [1= Mischievous way; 2= Malicious way; 3= Overly literal way.]
9- The Joker: Good evening, ladies and gentleman!  One positive event that occurred to you in the past is undone, as if it never happened.  The Referee is encouraged to indulge his sadism, just this once. 
10- The One-Eyed Man: Oh, you poor thing.  You receive a vision of the future.  You are cursed to do what you saw in the vision even (especially if) you try to change the future.  The only way to prevent this is with the Fool Card or by breaking the curse as if it was a normal curse.
11- The Magician:  No fate but what we make.  You receive a vision of a bad future.  This future is inevitable, unless you do something about it.  You know that it can be prevented, but you don't know how. 
12- The Fool:  Fortune favors the bold, Fate the foolish.  One negative event, or any other you choose from the past is undone, as if it never happened.  You forgot it, and so did the World. 
13- The Sword:  I have the power!  You receive either a powerful magic item or know the location of one. 
14- The Chariot:  Sound the horns.  We march.  A war breaks out and their is need for your help.  Whatever side you fight on will be victorious and if you survive, you will be a hero.  If you die, you will become a legend.  Alternatively, if this card is drawn mid-battle, the person who drew the card immediately has reinforcements for their side arrive.
15- The Vault:  Let me see that map.  You are granted the location of a vast cache of treasure.  There may be defenders or guardians, but if you get there, you have a decent chance of having enough mmoney to buy yourself a kingdom or two.
16- The Crown:  Heavy is the head.  Either 1d3 [1= You; 2= A fellow party member; 3= An NPC you all know and like.] is revealed to have royal blood.  However, the throne he or she is heir to is currently in the hands of a pretender.   
17- The Page: I will not fight, because of course I would win.  An NPC arrives and swears (his/her, equal chance of each) allegiance to the person who drew this card.  The NPC will be an Adventurer of a random class who is 1d3 levels lower than the person who drew this card, with a minimum level of 1.  The NPC will be a righteous man and will follow the person who drew this card unless mistreated, or if he sees his master to be evil.  The NPC believes it is the will of the Gods that he follows this man.  
18- The Sun: Stand in the light, but don't squander your time.  You get 1d3 wishes, but if they are selfish, the wishes will be twisted as per The Moon Card.  Otherwise, the wishes are granted non-maliciously.
19- Justice: Despite her blindness, she sees very well.  One evil creature who is currently doing bad things or has not gotten his just desserts yet will suddenly get them, either through seemingly random catastrophe or because that evil creature's enemies will suddenly receive an opportunity to strike a decisive blow to the evil creature.
20- The Star: We're on a mission from God.  The person who drew this card has a Deity or an Agent of Heaven appear before him and give him a Holy Quest, along with a special, innate magical ability and 1 free level in any class of their choice. 

                                                              by The Wild Unknown

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

OSR: Kobolds

                                                       source unknown

Kobolds are small, lizard-like creatures who yap and squeal.  They are pathetic and loathsome, the servants of Dragons.  They are crafty, but can be fooled by riddles and clever maids and frightened by children.  And while dangerous in packs, individually, they are no threat.

Or so they say.  But like most stories, most of what is said about Kobolds isn't true.

Kobolds are hateful creatures.  They despise most other species for being taller, stronger and more gifted than they. 

The reason for this, according to legend, is that at the beginning of History, after the Dragon-Goddess Isfet was slain and her body was used to create the world, her surviving children snatched away her power, so the Gods of LAW could not use it.  The children of Isfet decided that the best thing to do was to divide the power amongst themselves, until they could figure out a way to resurrect their Mother. 

However, there was some dispute.  Dragon, who would have taken the lion's share of her power, had been broken into dozens of colors, all of them pale shadows of Dragon's original grandeur.  Some of the other children felt that the Dragons no longer deserved the vast portion he had been previously alloted in Mother's will.  But then, Kobold, the Dragon-Goddess' most clever child, said that the Dragons should keep their original share.  However, the share should be divided into fragments and each Dragon should receive an equal share.  This was hailed as a good and fair measure and while the Dragons did not want to share, they decided it would be better than only one of them receiving the power. 

However, Kobold was not doing this out of benevolence.  He was jealous of the other children, who all received a greater share of Mother's power than him.  He felt it unfair that he, the most brilliant of all Mother's children, would be deprived of his fair share.  But he kept quiet.  So when the day came when the negotiations were finished, Mother's power was divided among her children, Kobold took his share and then snuck away.  Once hidden, he transformed into one of the Dragons and presented himself as one of the fragments of the original, to receive a share of Dragon's inheritance.

But Kobold was undone, for as he was granted his stolen share, the children realized there would not be enough power for all the Dragons, which didn't make any sense, as they had been certain to divide Dragon's inheritance fairly between them.  So they began to investigate, but no one had any idea why they had made such a silly mistake.  So they decided to use their magic to locate Kobold, so that he could come help them solve this mystery.  But when this happened, instead of Kobold suddenly arriving, one of Dragon's fragments was suddenly illuminated by light.  The children investigated this and found out this fragment was not one of Dragon's fragments, but Kobold in disguise. 

This so angered the children that they stripped Kobold not only of his stolen share, but of the vast majority of his original portion, then cast him out into the wilderness.  Since then, Kobold and his children have been small and frail, possessing only the sharp mind of their Father.           

The Kobolds themselves tell a similar story, but they claim that Kobold did not steal one of Dragon's share, but the Dragons manipulated his siblings into taking their Father's share.  This is why Kobolds are so small and weak, because they were only given crumbs as inheritance.  This is often used as a reason why they resent Dragons and seek to undermine or harm them, when they can.     

His Mortal Children       
  
Kobolds are small creatures and their language seems primitive, but they aren't stupid.  They possess a cunning that belies their appearances and a savagery that rivals most warriors.  Kobolds fight intelligently and deceitfully.  They use every trick in the book and have added quite a few pages to that tome themselves.  "Quick as a Kobold, and twice as clever," is the description often applied to elusive criminals.  For Kobolds are not only quick, but they are remorseless as well.

                                                              by chochi

Kobold Combatant
HD 1
AC none
Atk Shortsword (1d6) or Shortbow (1d6)
Mor 7
Saves 7 or less

Pack Tactics: If two Kobold warriors wish to target the same creature, instead of making two attacks, only roll 1d20 and add the damage of both attacks.  For example, if two wish to make a Shortsword attack against the same target, roll 1d20 and add +2d6 to the attack roll.

Sneaky: Kobolds have a +4 bonus to stealth, unless some factor would otherwise interfere with that.  For example, the Kobold is painted a neon hue, he is staggeringly drunk, or he is illuminated by bright light. 

Tactics:
- Split the enemy up
- Attack in groups
- If victory is not certain, retreat

The standard Kobold warrior.  Individually quite weak, especially in a fair fight.  For this reason, Kobolds never fight fair.  They have dozens of strategies meant to even the odds against stronger opponents.  Kobolds like this will rarely wear armor, as its simply not worth the effort.  A swordswing from most larger opponents will still cut a Kobold in twain, even if he's wearing some kind of armor.  Of course, sometimes they still will wear armor, but that depends on circumstances. 

To see how these Kobolds plan on fighting you, roll on the table below:

Kobold Tactics
1d6

1- Two or more Kobolds carry large tower shields.  They use them to block the path, or a hallway, and have their archers fire over the shields.  Anyone who tries to approach the shields will have firebombs flung at them, to create a pool of burning oil in front of the shields.
2- A single Kobold fires at you from the end of a path or hallway, then retreats around a corner or behind a tree.  You run after him and hit the tripwires set up earlier.  Alternatively or perhaps additionally, the floor beneath the tripwire was greased.  This causes you to slip.  A bunch more Kobolds then jump out of hiding and stab you to death while you're prone and vulnerable.
3- Two lines of Kobolds form, one with shields, the ones behind them with swords.  They form a shield wall.  As you go to charge them, they open a gap in the shield wall to let one person through, then reclose it.  The Kobolds in the second line pounce on the first person and cut them to shreds while the rest of them maintain the shield wall. 
4- As above, except as an additional measure, the Kobolds have a second group sneak up from behind with bows and fire at your backs.
5- Two Kobolds with shields attach a length of wire between them, leaving it slack.  When you try to move between them, they both loop around you, binding you in the wire.  Then their friends stab you to death.  
6- A group of Kobolds approach and demand you leave- if you refuse, one will challenge you to single combat or demand you fight their champion.  If you agree, they lure the strongest person into single combat and then, while you're watching, the ten Kobolds hiding nearby throw firebombs at you. 

Common Kobold Weapons and Equipment:

- Firebomb.  Made of pottery, wax, a candle and oil.  Shatters and does 2d6 fire damage, plus 1d6 fire damage a round until the flames are extinguished.
- Shield.  Kobolds use Shields for Medium creatures, meaning a Kobold who holds one cannot attack and must use both hands to hold it.  However, this means that the Kobold cannot be directly targeted from the front, unless you can smash through the shield.  The shield can still blunt an attack of 1d12 damage (unless certain conditions apply) and Shields will be Splintered (shatter the shield to reduce the damage by 12) still applies.
- Slings.  Some Kobolds use slings, which do 1d6 on a hit.  They also use these to fling globs of acid or hallucinogens at people, flammable substances, a de-activated Ooze base encased in glass, etc.     

Kobold Traps
1d6

1- Tiger Pit.  A pit, concealed with leaves or twigs, occasionally with sharpened spikes at the bottom.  You fall in and get skewered.  If you don't because they're no spikes, the Kobolds nearby will be coming over to throw firebombs down into the pit and burn you alive.
2- Twitch-up Snare.  You accidentally step in it and just like that, you're dangling from a tree by your ankle.  The Kobolds hiding close by hear the sound of it going off, come over, and cut your throat. 
3- Ground Net.  This time, the net grabs you and anyone immediately next to you.  You can cut through it, but it's an absolute pain.   
4- Horse-sock.  A small pit, occasionally with a spike at the bottom.  If a horse steps in this, it will probably break a leg and have to be put down.  Even if it doesn't, it will still spill you onto the ground. 
5- Deadly Lane.  A long, narrow trail, usually sloped.  The Kobolds wait until you are a good ways up it, then they roll a boulder down at you, or drop a tree on you. 
6- Hanging Tree.  The Kobolds are hiding up in a tree.  They wait until you pass under it, then throw a noose around your neck and rappel down the other side of the branch, using you as a counter-weight.  You choke and die, they remove one more enemy. 

Auxilaries
1d6

1- Ogres.  The big dumb brutes can sometimes be bribed or sweet-talked into helping.  They make an excellent wall to hide behind and are often sacrificed, though the Ogre rarely understands that until it is too late. 
2- Worgs.  When a Wolf eats too many mortals, it grows larger, hungrier and more intelligent.  It comes to be able to speak, albeit not very well.  Kobolds often partner with Worgs, one or two clinging to their fur as the Worg runs.  They fling javelins and fire arrows from the Worg's back, occasionally making a leap from the Worg to an enemy's horse.
3- Trolls.  A Troll will follow anyone who promises to feed them.  Kobolds do this, occasionally.  And while such partnerships often end poorly for the Kobolds, that doesn't stop them from trying. 
4- Hags.  Most of the time, if a Hag is there, the Kobolds will be working for her.  But she probably admires their creativity and intense self-loathing.  As such, she lets them believe they are getting the better deal.  A Hag who comes to aid the Kobolds will usually do so to provide them with magical knowledge, working with potions or poisons, or to act as a spy and infiltrator for them.  Most Hags are too smart to do their own fighting. 
5- Ghouls.  Kobolds tend to make corpses quite readily.  As long as a Ghoul doesn't mind the chewy texture, they can remain well-fed following a group of Kobolds.
6- Werewolf.  Kobolds loathe themselves and so do many Werewolves.  It's a natural fit, really.

                                                     source unknown

Kobold Champion
HD 4
AC Boiled Leather (Sharp 1d6, Blunt 1d6) or Boiled Leather + Shield (see above)
Atk Club (if unshielded) (1d8+2) or Broadsword (if shielded) (1d6+2)
Mor 10
Saves 11 or less

Walking Cover: A Kobold Champion functions as walking cover from missiles.  If the Kobold Champion is between you and a Kobold you are targeting, the Kobold gets a +4 bonus to their save or defense roll against the missile.

Tactics:
- Charge the strongest enemy
- Cripple him, then move on to the others
- Retreat if seriously injured or you don't have back-up

Kobolds are often hated by most as nuisances who steal livestock and occasionally burn a farm to the ground.  They generally aren't thought of as that dangerous.  This is because very few people actually live through a Kobold raid.  You can tell if someone is from the frontier through the Kobold test; if they shrug, they aren't.  But if they spit or tell some blood-curdling tale about how Jon Hammond and his whole family were roasted alive in their barn and then eaten by a murderous pack of Kobolds, then they are.

However, among the Reptilian species, Kobolds are loathed with a blistering passion that surpasses all others.  For Kobolds commit a unique sin against these species.  For when the Kobolds attack the Lizarians or the Crocolings, they come not only for the livestock and the larder, but they also come for the wives and daughters of their victims.  Kobolds kidnap the fertile females of these cold-blooded communities and drag them back to their hovels.  They do this to breed Champions.

Most of the time, these matings result in either a semi-normal member of the Mother's species, occasionally a mostly ordinary Kobold child and rarest of all, a Half-Breed.  This is the goal.  

A Kobold Champion is the offspring of a Reptilian woman and a Kobold Father.  (The opposite sometimes occurs, but this is often fatal to the Kobold mother, with her child often dying shortly after her.)  From the Father, the Champion gains the Kobold's savagery and cold cunning, from his Mother he gains prodigious size and strength.  Unlike most Kobolds, who are little taller than a grown man's waist, Kobold Champions can easily be as tall as most species, only being rivaled by the taller species, such as the Oxmen or the Elephantmen.

Kobold Champions lead the way for their lesser brethren, charging in, armed with enormous blades or massive lengths of hardwood.  They often act as distractions for the clever tactics of their smaller kinsmen, pre-occupying the enemy while the others surround them.  As such, let this be a lesson to you.  A Kobold Champion is as smart as any of his brethren and occasionally, more so. 

Kobolds usually make Champions opportunistically- if they see a young Reptilian woman while out raiding, they might snatch her up if possible.  Sometimes however, they will try to kidnap certain specific creatures, such as a Reptilian woman of a specific blood-line or one blessed with prodigious skill, in the hopes that the Champion will inherit some of that skill.  However, the grand prize of any such stock to create a Champion with would be a Dragon.  It would have to be a young Dragon, on the cusp of adolescence, as it would need to be sexually mature enough to reproduce, but it couldn't be too old, as otherwise it would be all but impossible to overpower and keep captive.  The Champions produced from such a mother are glorious beings, terribly powerfully, inheriting some of the Dragon's majestic grace.  These creatures are revered as The Exemplars, windows into the ancient, mythic past of the Kobolds: a promise of the glory that was theirs and will be once again, one day.         

                                                  by Deriaz

Kobold Sage

A Kobold Sage has the same stats as a normal Kobold, except for armor and weapons.

For protection, this Kobold Sage wears...
1d6

1- A tiny breastplate (Sharp 1d6, Blunt 1d6). 
2- A set of armor sized for a Kobold or a small creature (Sharp 1d8, 1d6 Blunt).
3- A silk shirt (Sharp 1d8, but only works once).
4- An outfit of dark blue cloth.  Grants a reroll on all stealth checks.
5- A Wizard's robe.  Grants 1 spellcasting dice to the wearer. 
6- A magical ring.  Magically protects the user, gives the wearer (Sharp 1d8) or (Blunt 1d8) or (Magical 1d8), but only one, at the start of each encounter, with the wearer getting to choose one. 

The Kobold Sage is armed with a...
1d6

1- A Shortsword and Shortbow.  As normal Kobold.
2- A barbed whip.  1d4 damage, can also be used to grapple opponents. 
3- A javelin.  1d6 damage, can be thrown.
4- A sling.  1d6 damage.  The Kobold has miniature firebombs which he flings along with smooth stones.
5- A Wand.
6- A Gun.

Kobolds have no known homeland and no permanent political institutions.  They are a landless people, wandering from place to place, hiding in the wilderness and in unsettled regions, occasionally emerging to plunder civilized lands, sometimes by themselves, or as the auxilaries of a larger coalition of savage men.  As such, Kobolds often lack in knowledge.  They are intelligent creatures, but many of the innovations of civilized man are unknown to them.  And if they are known, they are often ignored or neglected.

This is a problem that intelligent Kobolds realized, and so a solution was devised.  Certain Kobolds were taught to read and to remember bits of information, acting as living libraries of vital information.  These Kobolds Sages' job is to uplift Kobolds, to aid them in their goals and to help the Kobolds continually educate themselves, to learn from the mistakes and successes of other groups.  Once a group has been sufficiently aided, the Kobold Sage will continue on his way, traveling to the next group of Kobolds to share information and continue the process.

Sometimes Kobold Sages carry out other duties as well, such as acting as negotiators with more learned or civilized folk or providing advice to a Kobold King as a permanent advisor. 

What Knowledge does the Sage bring?
1d6

1- Metal armor and how to forge it.  If the Kobolds have the supplies, even the lowliest of their number will have decent armor.  This may require kidnapping some blacksmiths and taking over an iron mine.
2- Calvary.  These Kobolds now have Worg calvary, or if no wolves are available, they just steal horses or other ridable beasts.  Alternatively, they may Worgs by killing sentient creatures and feeding them to the local wolf-pack.
3- Acid bombs.  As firebombs, but they do acid damage.  The Kobolds also will incorporate some of these into their traps.
4- Oozes.  The Kobolds now have an Ooze that they can control. 
5- Potions.  The Kobolds now know how to make a random potion.  Roll on your favorite table or consult my post on Alchemists here.
6- Poisons.  These Kobolds now have a poison that they can produce that they rub on their swords or arrowheads that 1d6 [1= Makes you hallucinate; 2= Paralyzes you; 3= Blinds you; 4= Makes everything hurt more (+1 extra damage from all sources); 5= Makes you overheat; 6= makes you sleepy.]

This Sage also teaches them a Ritual that allows the Kobolds to...
1d6

1- Summoning Rituals.  This band of Kobolds has an Outsider helping them. 
2- Necromancy.  This band of Kobolds knows how to raise the Dead as servants. 
3- Magical Healing.  This band of Kobolds knows a ritual to transfer wounds from one person to another. 
4- Turn people into monsters and control them.  It's horrific.
5- Disguising themselves as the dead.  If these Kobolds kill someone, they can perform a ritual where they cut the face off the dead and wear it like a mask.  Those that do resemble the dead perfectly, including sound or smell.      
6- Give them a second pool of HP.  Kobolds of this band have a 2-in-6 chance of having a charm on their body.  If reduced to 0 HP while the charm is in their position, they heal back to full health.  The leaders of this band automatically have such charms.

                                                          by StefanoMarinetti

Kobold Sorcerer
HD 2
AC none
Atk Shortbow (1d6)
Mor 12
Saves 9 or less

Pack Tactics: If two Kobold warriors wish to target the same creature, instead of making two attacks, only roll 1d20 and add the damage of both attacks.  For example, if two wish to make a Shortsword attack against the same target, roll 1d20 and add +2d6 to the attack roll.

Sneaky: Kobolds have a +4 bonus to stealth, unless some factor would otherwise interfere with that.  For example, the Kobold is painted a neon hue, he is staggeringly drunk, or he is illuminated by bright light. 

Spellcasting: A Kobold Sorcerer knows 1d6 spells and has 1d6 spellcasting dice.  Kobolds generally gain their spells from the brains of captured Wizards or from the spellbooks of the same.  As such, roll randomly to determine what spells they have.

Chaos: If a Kobold Sorcerer casts a spell that uses 2 spellcasting dice, the Sorcerer has a 2-in-6 chance of invoking Chaos. If the Kobold Sorcerer rolls Chaos, roll on the table below.

Chaos of the Kobold Sorcerer
1d6

1- Instead of the spell being cast, 1d10 fireballs fly from the Kobold Sorcerer's hand and strike random targets, doing 1d6 damage to whoever they strike.
2- Instead of casting the spell, the Kobold Sorcerer starts laughing.  Everyone who hears the laughter must save or start laughing as well.
3- One random creature within 100' turns invisible.
4- A cloud of pink, strawberry-smelling smoke surrounds the Kobold Sorcerer.
5- The Kobold Sorcerer starts glowing as bright as a torch.  He continues to do this for 1d10 minutes.
6- One random creature within 100' turns into a small dog.  This lasts for 1d10 minutes, then the creature changes back. 

Tactics:
- Provide support for your allies
- Be reckless if you have offensive spells
- Don't start worrying until too late

Some Common Spells the Kobold Sorcerer might have:

1d12
1- Finger Gun- from a Chaos Sorcerer.  This band has some extra magical firepower.  Also, if the Sorcerer is powerful enough, walled towns or cities are not safe anymore.
2- Called Attack- from a Muscle Wizard.  The Kobolds in this band are very cocky and very accurate.  They have a habit of telling you where they're going to shoot you, then putting an arrow exactly through that spot.
3- Friendly Fire- from a Muscle Wizard.  This Kobold Sorcerer is almost impossible to hit. 
4- Contact Outer Sphere- from a Cosmomancer.  This band of Kobolds has much better intelligence.  Unless you can sneak towards them under cloud cover or underground, they will know you are coming.
5- Heat Metal- from a Calcomancer.  This band of Kobolds is especially effective against men in metal armor.
6- Soul of Things- from a Jazz Wizard.  You will find this band of Kobold much harder to fight when your weapons start talking and agreeing with them.
7- Summon Plague- from a Mad Scientist.  This band of Kobold always seems to attack right after a population has been ravaged by diseases. 
8- Replacement Clause- from a Handsome Wizard.  None of the Kobolds in this band are missing limbs.  Meanwhile, their captives have their arms cut off and replaced with legs. 
9- All Journeys being and End with a Single Step- from a Monk.  The Kobold Sorcerer takes hit and run to a new level. 
10- Explode Corpse- from a Necromancer.  Walled cities, men on walls and adventurers will learn to beware of corpses.
11- Defribulate- from an Electromancer.  This Kobold Sorcerer can give creatures heart attacks by touching them.
12- Spell Collapse- from a Metamancer.  This band of Kobolds has an advantage against Mages. 

                                             by FiskpinneRudderbutt

Kobold Prophet
HD 2
AC none
Atk Falchion (1d6) or Accusation
Mor 14
Saves 14 or less

Foretell: The Kobold Prophet can, as an action, cause the next attack against a specific target to miss.  For example, if the Fighter attacks a Kobold, the Prophet can yell advice to that Kobold to cause the attack to miss.  However, a Kobold Prophet's insight is limited, he can only see 1d10 rounds into the future. 

Accusation: The Kobold Prophet can, as an action, inflict upon someone horrific visions of one of the outcomes of this current battle.  This does 1d6 COG damage to the creature.  If this reduces the creature's COG to 0, the creature flees in a panic, utterly overwhelmed by visions of terror.  The creature will flee until it has reached safety and will not approach anything dangerous.  A pep-talk or a tender moment with someone the creature likes will restore 1d6 COG, at which point the COG will return at a rate of 1 point per day.        

Curse: The Kobold Prophet can, 1/Day, curse someone.  The Prophet will only do this if he is near death and suspects he will die.  He can also curse groups, as long as he addresses the whole group in his curse. 

Tactics:
- Use Accusation to remove the person most troublesome
- Use Foretell to protect yourself if in danger
- Curse the most dangerous person if your side is losing

I curse you with...
1d6

1- "Ravenous Hunger!"  The Cursed will quickly become hungry.  They must eat 4x the normal amount of food they must normally eat or starve.  This curse is broken by eating nothing but unleavened bread and water for seven days.  This should require occasional tests of willpower as the Cursed is tempted by tasty food.   
2- "Grave Touch!"  The Cursed develops a Ghoul's deadly touch.  Anyone they touch takes 1d6 necrotic damage, each time they touch them.  Continuous contact does not do damage beyond the first time.  This curse is broken by conceiving a child. 
3- "Being devoured!"  Fate will ensure that the Cursed is devoured by someone or something.  This curse is broken by cutting off a piece of your body and feeding it to someone. 
4- "Drowning!"  Fate will ensure the Cursed drowns.  This curse is broken by slaying, or serving, a Water Elemental.
5- "Shame and Disgrace!"  Fate will ensure the Cursed either does something terrible and is humiliated and shamed for it, or is accused of something with enough credible evidence.  This curse is broken by publicly confessing one of your sins or crimes.
6- "To destroy what you love!"  Fate will ensure that the Cursed will end up being deprived of whatever they love most, whether that is their family, their power, or etc.  This curse is broken by sacrificing* whatever it is that you love most.

*The Cursed should then have what they loved returned to them, but in a greater way.  However, the Referee should not tell the Cursed that.

                                                 by Wargrin

Kobold King
HD 3
AC Breastplate (Sharp 1d6, Blunt 1d8)
Atk Sword (1d6+1/1d6+1)
Mor 10
Saves 10 or less

Parry: A Kobold King can reduce the damage of one attack by his weapon dice once per round.

Tactical Acumen: While a Kobold King is leading a group of Kobolds, even if he is not physically present, the Kobolds benefit from his leadership.  While he is alive and leading them, the Kobolds know the approximate amount of damage all the weapons their opponents wield, as well as who is best protected in terms of armor.

Tactics:
- Have a plan
- Never commit all your forces to a foolish attack
- Target an enemy where they are weak

Kobold Kings are only born under specific circumstances, such as when a Kobold Mother is blessed by one of their reclusive Gods.  When this occurs, the child she bears is seemingly normal, but as he grows, he will reveal himself to be a natural leader and genius, even among a people as clever as his own.  His physical stature will also grow as well, until he is the height of a Medium creature.

Kobold Kings are clever, ambitious individuals.  Their dreams are full of visions sent by the Gods, meant to inflame them into action.  And to this they spring.  No Kobold King is content to merely live in peace, they are all interested in making a name for themselves, of carving themselves into history.  Kobold Kings sometimes unite many bands of Kobolds into one warband that possesses much greater strength than any individual group, then set about burning the countryside to the ground. Other times, they join with the leaders of other savage groups such as Buffaloboys, Gnolls or Amazons to form large coalitions that can overrun whole kingdoms.  Such coalitions are usually very strong, but often fractious, and dissolve just as quickly as they form.

Just as often however, Kobold Kings have something more clever in mind then mere conquest, which is difficult and risks the band's safety.  Some Kobold Kings feel their best shot at immortality is in helping their band to prosper.  So these Kings set about turning spies to his side to infiltrate non-Kobold organizations for him, allowing him inside information. These spies can then provide the Kobolds with information, such as telling them where a city's defenses will be weak, when the punitive expedition is leaving, etc.  The Kobold Kings will sometimes use these traitors to destroy the city, but just as often, they will use the city as a renewable resource to provide them with food, supplies and slaves- both for breeding and eating.  It is only the fact that such traitors are often unreliable that this rarely results in much.

However, the dream of all Kobolds, but especially of their Kings, the Grand Project that keeps all their would-be Saviors awake at night is the dream of a homeland for their people.  To not be hunted and despised wherever they go, to finally have a place that would be theirs, that is the dream of all Kobolds.  And any Kobold leader who's worth his salt wants to somehow establish this homeland.  If he did so, he would be all but a God, revered for all time.  Such a task would be herculean, to say the least.  No Kobold band is strong enough to take over even a small amount of territory permanently and an alliance of tribes would likely only fare slightly better.  As far as most of the planners are concerned, if the Kobolds are to have a land of their own, they must take, not through force of arms, but through cunning.  But unlike their Father's alleged theft, they hope to get away with it.        

Kobold Plot-Hooks
1d8

1- A farm was found looted of every single edible or useful thing, including most of the livestock, then set ablaze.  The only survivor is a child who hid in an outbuilding and keeps muttering about "Scalyboys".  However, when you find the Kobolds, they claim it wasn't them.  They say it was a band of Lizarian bandits.  The Kobolds will try to convince you to go after their competitor.  If there are any female bandits, the Kobolds will try to capture them.    
2- The leader of the Kobold band wants a magical trinket known to be in a city.  Go and steal it and he will give you a great sum in looted valuables.
3- Alternatively, a group of clever Kobolds sneak into a city to attempt to steal a valuable magic item.  The theft is discovered after they have already succeeded.  Stop them from escaping with it!
4- Alternatively, the leader of the Kobold band wants a magical trinket known to be in a city.  Go and steal it and he will give you a great sum in looted valuables.
5- A city has been experiencing a rash of kidnappings.  The destitute and homeless, ladies of the night, old men and their decreipt lovers walking.  In the sewers beneath the city, you can find gnawed corpses and piles of discarded valuables.  Find the nest and remove the beasts from the municipality.
6- A group of Kobolds approach you and declare they want to rob a Dragon.  But they need help.  In exchange, they promise you can have as much of the Dragon's hoard as you can carry.
7- A group of Kobolds want to attack a Reptilian town, but they feel that it is too well protected.  They will not explain why they want to do this, but they will promise you a share of the booty.  The Kobolds obviously want the Reptilian females, to them everything else is secondary.   
8- An Outsider has promised to produce for the Kobold bands a number of extraordinary Champions in exchange for a body that matches its power and magnificence.  The Kobolds will provide this by kidnapping a specific individual, such as a maiden, a minor member of a royal house, a Magic-User, an Adventurer or you.

                                                        by Tomek1000

Note: Just to clarify, don't take the pictures here as guidelines for what Kobolds look like- I just did that because I liked the art and thought it was cool.  The Kobold Sage or the first picture are the ones that I think are the most representative of how Kobolds look in Nukaria.

Note the Second: Kobold women lay eggs, so obviously they do not have breasts.  I just posted the pictures of those females with bountiful bosums because I liked the art, not because it was actually representative of what Kobold women looked like.