d30 Feature of the Week: City Encounters (4 Types)

This week's d30 feature is part of the ever-updated-and-slowly-but-surely-going d30 Sandbox Companion. This page of 4 charts creates the following type of city encounters:
1) Unprovoked attacks: misunderstandings, malevolence, and mental impairment
2) Annoying encounters: from beggars & buffoons to prostitutes & performers
3) Criminal solicitations: guaranteed to get your PCs in trouble!*
4) Festivals and celebrations: game, political, popular, and religious

To download a free PDF of these d30 City Encounters charts from MediaFire, click here.

* The management wishes to express this in no way is a certified guarantee of any sort.

Building a Better Treasure Type Resource: PDF Download - Early Editions Treasure Types

Are you tired of having to search endlessly through editions to find the Treasure Type that matches the monster you've got listed? And what about constantly having to convert those %5 intervals into d20 numbers? Look no further! You're Treasure Type prayers have been answered! Whether you're DM'ing Oe, 1e, BX or HB, this doc has you covered. It's self-contained and fairly self-explanatory.

What are you waitin' fer? Download this baby!

And if you missed my previous post actually showing the subtle differences between each edition, check out the original post.

160 "New" Oe/BX/1e Monsters?

If you've had chance to meander over to the Old-School Adventure Accessories™ page of this blog, or read this blog regularly, you've heard mention of a certain Creature Compendium. I've slowly, but surely, been making headway with it (sometimes in deference to finishing up items for the d30 Sandbox Companion). What you may not realize is... for every 1 monster that gets posted to this blog, there are 2 that don't. It's not that those 2 aren't any good, it's just that so many new ones come up that I think are cool, I keep pushing others to the backseat. Which brings me to the headline of this post...

First, I apologize if my headline seems misleading. You probably came here thinking you'd find 160 new monsters. I must admit, I use the word "new" loosely... 1/3 of the 160 monsters (and counting!) that are currently slated for inclusion in the book have been posted to this blog in the past, and the other 2/3 aren't on this blog (though they'll be new in the book). Below are the names of all 160 monsters I have created for the book, with links to the ones that have been posted to this blog over the past 10-1/2 months. (That's right, this blog is nearing its paper anniversary - ironic, huh?) I know the image of the cover says "175" right now; that's a placeholder, but it's also my minimum target number.

Just a couple of notes...

1) The "misoji worm" is now the "sanju worm" (a bit of a correction to the mis-interpreted Japanese word for "30", and a "thank you" to Welbo, my Japanese-speaking co-conspirator.)

2) A few of the monsters accessed via the links below have been refined (in the book), but those refinements have not been updated to the blog. For example, several of them pre-date the "dual format" stats that I've come to adopt as my standard M.O., though the full dual-stats will be available in the final book. Additionally, some of the stats have been refined, and some of the listings have been expanded. But, in general, most of these posts have everything you need for inclusion at the gaming table.

So, without further ado... the current (though always expanding) list of creatures slated for the Creature Compendium. (BTW, if there are any "non-linked" names that peak your curiosity, let me know and maybe I'll slate those for upcoming Monster of the Week posts.)

BOOKMARK THIS PAGE! As new monsters are posted to the blog, they'll be added/linked here!
NOTE: Since this original post, approximately 10 new creatures have been added to the list.

A Abysmal Adarna Bird Airwalker Aqraseth Arassas Aziza B Bat, Arctic (Ice) Bat, Death (3 Species) Batar Beetle, Giant Flayer Bestial Beast Biloko Bloodbeast Bloodgill Braincrab Buru C Cactus Cat Cacus Cadejo (2 Types) Calytaur Centaur, Cyprian (2 Types) Cow Demon Cyclorc D Devil Monkey Dingonek Djetabi Dobarchú, Greater Dobarchú, Lesser Donestre Dover Demon Dracopede (4 Species) Dragi Dragonboar, Wooly Draugr Dwarf, Black Dwarf, Red Dzee-dzee-bond-da

E Eaglehound Elemental, Mudmist Elemental, Sand Elephant, White Eloko Emerald Stinkbug F Fear Liath Fetch Filth Licker Fire Fox Firewalker Flash Dragon Fluxbug Flying Head G Gaseous Lantern Giant, Dirt Giant, Phase Golem, Canine (Flesh) Gorilla, Giant Spider Gowrow Guardian Bramble Gyrax (Gray Gnome) H Hayra Heikegani Hibagon Hsigo Hyrcinian Bird I Ipotane Izzoo J Jelly Death Jenglot K Kala Kam Khiimori Kraben L Leech-Man Lich, Nephil Liger Lizards, Giant Trapper Lithopede Longma

M Mapinguari Mind Hunter Mind Moth Molecricket, Giant Mothman Muckwing Mudloc N Naga, Raja Nightmander O Octoman Ophiotaurus Orling Oxyx P Pink Slime Possessor Psi-bat Pukis Q Quickslime R Rarog Ratatoskr Red Ether S Saleerandee Scorpion, White Shock Snail Skeleton, Ruby Skeleton, Rupture Skeleton, Stone Skinkman Skinwalker Skyfish Snake, Giant Two-headed Spindler Spider, Giant Trogloraptor Spirit, Flailing Sprite, Dohma Sumuru

T Taega Tangleworm Tarantula, Bone Taroltula Thuzzendahg Tiddy Mun Tukkator U Üuloch V Vittora Vulbat W Wampcat Whipwhirl Whitewinder Woodpecker, Giant Worm, Carriage Worm, Crimson Death Worm, Rider Worm, Sanju (30 varieties) Worm, Sarcophagal Wyrdwun X Xanther Y Yak-man Youree Z Zathoa

New Oe/BX/1E Monster: Giant Flayer Beetle

This is one of those monsters that, when I came up with it, I said to myself... "damn, that's cool." Obviously, you're the judges here, but I still think it's pretty cool.

DESCRIPTION Flayer beetles are nasty buggers that feed in a way very similar to their namesake, burrowing into the head of a victim and sucking out the victim's brains. These cerebral pests attack by attempting to grapple a victim’s head and plunge its tentacles into the various facial cavities (ears, nose, throat, eyes sockets) of that victim. On a natural 20 “to hit” roll, they will succeed in doing so, landing their attack in one of those locations (1=left ear, 2=right ear, 3=nasal passage, 4=mouth, 5=right eye socket, 6=left eye socket) and then “dig” into the victim’s skull, reaching the brain and killing the victim in 1 turn, unless the flayer beetle is killed. Additionally, any area affected by this type of hit will permanently lose its functionality (e.g., hearing, sight, ability to speak, et al.) unless cured by a potion of extra healing or the 6th level Cleric spell heal. On any other successful “to hit” roll (apart from a natural 20), the flayer beetle has succeeding in “jabbing” its victim with 1-6 of its 6 tentacles, doing 1-6 (points of damage in the process (1 point for each successfully jabbing tentacle).

Oe/1E STATS FREQUENCY: Very rare NO. APPEARING: 1-6 ARMOR CLASS: 6 MOVE: 6”/15” HIT DICE: 2+4 % IN LAIR: 15% TREASURE TYPE: Nil NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 DAMAGE/ATTACK: See below SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: Animal ALIGNMENT: Neutral SIZE: S (18” long) PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Defense Modes: Nil BX STATS ARMOR CLASS: 6 HIT DICE: 2+4 MOVE: 60’/150’ ATTACKS: 1 special DAMAGE: See below NO. APPEARING: 1-6 SAVE AS: Fighter: 2 MORALE: 8 TREASURE TYPE: Nil ALIGNMENT: Neutral

New Monster Index: Oe/1e/BX Stats for 30+ Spiders!Free PDF Download - Monster Index: Spiders

AN EXHAUSTIVE OLD-SCHOOL INDEX OF SPIDER INFORMATION!

First it was stats for 30 dinosaurs. Then it was stats for 71 lycanthropes. Last go 'round, it was stats for 50 giants. And since you seem to love downloadin' 'em as much as I dig compiling them, here come the 31 spiders!

Like the Monster Indexes that have come before, I've combed a couple of decades' worth of 1e, 2e and BECMI resources for stats and information on all the spiders I could find that still felt old-school, adjusted a few other so they would be, and then added 1 or 2 or 3 (e.g., my bone tarantula and taroltula creations, and most recently the giant trogloraptor spider). In this 4-page PDF you'll find stats for 31 spiders (mainly of the "giant" variety), including number appearing and (in some cases) lairs and locales.

Please note! This is really a working document, but it should be 99% complete. It just means that I have not given it a thorough proofing, though I did give it a couple of "once overs."

Click here to download a free PDF of Old-school Adventure Accessories™
item MX3, Monster Index: Spiders from MediaFire.

A d20 in a d5's clothing (a.k.a. Polyhedrous Perversity)

Sure, you've maybe heard of polymorphous perversity, especially if you're a fan or Woody Allen. But I'd like to coin a new term... "polyhedrous perversity." Specifically, I'm talking about the icosahedron (d20) pictured here, parading around as a d5. Yes! It is numbered 1 to 5, four times. It's something I picked up in the dice bin of a FLGS. Not that I had a use for it (as I have not yet succumbed to the temptation that is DCC.)

I've heard tell of a d6 numbered 1 to 3 twice, but can't seem to find much info on this d20 in d5 clothing (or anyone/anywhere else who might be selling them.) Come on you P.A. (Polyhedrals Anonymous) members, help me out on this.

Riot Squad Saturday: Counters & Turn Sequence

So last Saturday's post introduced the Riot Squad game concept and gave the general outline of the rules. Today, we'll take a look at where I see the turn sequencing going, which is directly related to the information on the counters.

Since I have not established the various scenarios yet, I'm going to move forward assuming that there will be a multitude of scenarios (e.g., gang war, political riot gone bad, etc.), each with its own conditions for "victory." In general, I see victory being related to "ground possession"--that is, which factions have which areas under control after the specified number of turns.

OVERVIEW OF COUNTERS

Counter Facing
Something you may have noticed about the counters above is that all of the "civilian" counters face right, and all of the law enforcement counters face left. This is really technically unnecessary, but I thought it would be nice when a riot policeman is giving a protestor a beat down with his billy club, that the two of them are face to face. It seems to enhance the animosity... don't you think? It does have another benefit in the context of Morale Ratings (see below).

Movement Rating
This seems like a given. All counters should be able to move. Otherwise, the game turn would consist of something more akin to a Wild West shoutout, where people just sit and fire at each other from behind the cover of tables, pianos and the bar.

Morale Rating
I don't see how you can have a game about the human spirit without a Morale Rating. In some ways, I see the Morale Rating of a counter as being more important than any other rating. In some scenarios, it will truly be the deciding factor (e.g., at what point does that passive resistor give up and leave?) I also think it's possible that in some scenarios, the Morale Check will act more like a "saving throw" vs. morale, where the citizen counter may find himself face-to-face with a law enforcement counter, and the morale of the citizen is made vs. the "threat" of the law enforcement counter (using the law enforcement counter's Morale Rating as the Threat Rating vs. the citizen's Morale Rating.)

Combat Rating
In some scenarios, I see traditional "combat" being an accepted convention (e.g., lone gunman vs. responding police force). However, in the case of political protests, "combat" may be little more than standing one's ground in the face of an encroaching (police) faction. For that reason, I see each counter needing to be rated for combat (in some form or another). Right now, I see counters armed with ranged weapons as being rated with a number, but unarmed counters being rated with an "H" (for hand-to-hand). This notation/indication may change at the playtesting phase but, regardless, there needs to be an indication there.

TURN SEQUENCE

Right now, I see the turn sequencing going something like this...

I. Movement
I was going back and forth on this for a while, thinking that the Morale Check should have been first. But then I realized when two counters are "engaged" (after a movement sequence), that's when the Morale Check really comes into play (e.g., that beat cop just stepped up to you and is aiming his gun in your face... NOW make that Morale Check.) I'm thinking that "who moves first" will really depend on the scenario (e.g., in a lone gunman scenario, I think the gunman should first, but in a passive resistance protest I think that the law enforcement faction should move first.) And in some scenarios, I could see rolling for initiative. Regardless, 1 pt. of movement equals 1 hex of movement (generally, that is; there may be additional movement types that will require more than 1 pt. of Movement Allowance to complete.)

II. Morale Checks
I don't think that Morale Checks should necessarily be part of every scenario. I could see them being optional in some, required in others, and not required at all in some. When Morale Checks do occur, though, I'm thinking they'll always be after the Movement Phase.

III. Interaction Phase
Please notice I did not say "Combat Phase." In some scenarios, the interaction phase may be bargaining/negotiating. In others, it may well be gunfire. Regardless, it's going to be the outcome of the Interaction Phase that closes things up for the turn, and helps the players decide their actions for the next turn (beginning with the Movement Round.)

JOIN ME NEXT WEEK...
as I move on to outline some scenarios and establish some conditions for "victory."

d30 Feature of the Week: NPC Traits Generator

This week's d30 feature began as a few NPC charts that were originally going to be included in the d30 DM Companion. However, as I fleshed out that volume and realized that a accompanying sandbox companion was necessary, I moved a few things over, including half of this chart. The original chart included only the "other" traits, personality, and quirks. With the addition of complexion, hair color, and eye color, just a few rolls gives you a total of 729,000,000 possible combinations!

To download a free PDF of this d30 NPC Traits generator from MediaFire, click here.

BX Psionics Adaptation?

Does anybody know if anyone's done it?

Or have suggestions for something simple?

Long story short, I have a handful of monsters in the Creature Compendium with psionic abilities, and don't want BX users to just have to "throw out" those monsters' abilities (in all 4 cases, they are specifically psionic-centric creatures). The handful of druid and illusionist spells that a few of the other monsters have I can deal with easily. It's the 4 psionic ones that I'd hate for BX users to have to throw out.

My initial thought is to create an appendix where the psionic abilities are essentially converted into "spells" for BX use.

Pictured at left, Trifixion (1999) by Jeroen van Valkenburg

Adventure Creation: Antagonist/Villain Archetypes

Mór Than, Feast of Attila, 1870

One of the things my co-conspirator Dave Welborn and I have been discussing for a while is developing a set of "tools" (for lack of a better word right now) that will aid DMs/GMs in not only creating, but structuring adventures as well. So, slowly but surely, I have been gathering my thoughts and notes. In some cases, I've gone back to older writings from past/abandoned/incomplete projects. By now, my regular readers are becoming more and more familiar with my abandoned (or is that "sidetracked"?) attempts to create an anime/manga style RPG. Today's post is a beginning attempt (resurrected from StoryCode AG) to start to put a handle on the main villain/antagonist archetypes that, hopefully, transcend their anime/manga roots, and can be applied at a more macro level to all role-playing settings/genres.

The Dominator
The dominator wants to rule the world/galaxy/universe.
Yes, Emperor Palpatine, I'm looking at you.

The Troublemaker
The troublemaker gets pleasure out of toying with people/cultures/races/planets.
For the troublemaker, it's more about mayhem than anything else. In comic book terms, think Riddler or Joker. Serial killers sort of fit in here too.

The Commiserator
The commiserator is... (ahem)... miserable, and wants everyone else to be miserable too.
Many of the greatest villains start as commiserators and grow into another category. For example, though I cited the Joker above as a troublemaker, it's "vindictive malice" that first motivates the Joker. Heroes overcome their misery to triumph over it. Villains sink further into it.

The Profiteer
The profiteer wants to make a quick buck or amass wealth, regardless of the law.
These types of villains are sometimes the easiest to deal with. Give them a little greed, and a plan, and they're good to go.

The Collector
The collector endeavors to collect items/people/races/worlds/galaxies, and nothing will stand in his or her way.
Depending on the scale of the game, there's a thin line between dominator and collector. For the dominator, the goal is to "rule" (to have the submission of). For the collector, the goal is to "own" (to have as part of a collection).

The Narcissist
The narcissist is out to prove he/she is the best, and welcomes all comers. The narcissist is also willing to track down anyone with a reputation, just to take them down.
As a hero, the narcissist is known as an "overachiever." But as a villain, the narcissist does not have the monopoly on being a douche-bag; overachieving heroes can be just as big of an asshole as narcissist villains. From my POV, the entire CCG industry is built upon this premise.

This is really just a starting point for development/discussion.

Thoughts?

More sketches from the mid-90s Vault... Sci-Fi Comic Pages

These are more pages from the sketchbook recently "unearthed" in my garage. If I recall, the title of the comic was Terra XT-20 (or something like that), which stood for "terrestrial exploration team 20" (a military planet exploration/recon team). It wasn't anything I'd really planned on finishing; rather, it was more an idea I liked... played around with... but never took any further.

New Oe/BX/1E Monster: Giant Trogloraptor Spider

I woke up early this morning (because my wife woke up early this morning) and saw the news blurb about the first new named spider species in the U.S. in 140 years, not to mention it's a new genus and family from an evolutionary branch that started 130 million years ago! And the timing is serendipitous... over the weekend, I started working on a "Spider Index" (like the lycan index and giant index). Needless to say, when I saw this report, I HAD to stat this baby up as an old-school giant spider. Here you go!

DESCRIPTION These spindly, auburn arachnids appear fairly fearsome, an irony considering their generally pacifist nature. They are not natural predators, hunting only when hungry or forced to defend themselves. Fearful of light, giant trogloraptors suffering a -1 penalty to both their morale and "to hit" rolls in the presence of an amount of light equal to a torch or greater. Furthermore, all light spells are treated as a fear spell, with the trogloraptor fleeing in fear (on a failed saving throw vs. magic). As cave-dwellers, trogloraptors make their webs on the ceilings of the caverns in which they dwell, allowing them to "hang" in a position that is as equally defensive as offensive. With their legs akimbo, they are able to snap their two foreclaws closed when prey passes underneath (the name trogloraptor means "cave robber"). If not hungry or immediately threatened when intruders enter the spider's lair, a trogloraptor will recoil into a more defensive position until directly threatened/attacked. Should the trogloraptor remain in a recoiled position for 2 or more turns (while intruders are present, but unaware of the spider's presence), the trogloraptor will get the initiative and strike with a +2 bonus on its first attack (with each of its foreclaws). Trogloraptors are able to crawl equally well on walls and ceilings as ground, but may not strike from these positions unless hanging from webbing. Should both foreclaws strike (with successful "to hit" rolls) during any attack (recoiled or otherwise) the spider is able to make a third bite attack. The venom of a trogloraptor is rather mild by comparison to other species of venomous spiders, though still deadly. On a failed saving throw (vs. poison) a sickness will set in and, unless cured, will kill any creature smaller than a typical human in 2-5 days and any medium-sized creature in 4-10 days. Creatures larger than human-sized affected by the poison will feel a mild discomfort that lasts 4-10 days (unless cured) but will be otherwise unaffected by the poison.

Oe/1E STATS FREQUENCY: Uncommon NO. APPEARING: 2-12 ARMOR CLASS: 7 MOVE: 12"(18") HIT DICE: 4+4 % IN LAIR: 75% TREASURE TYPE: J-N,Q NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2d6/2d6/1d6 SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: Animal ALIGNMENT: Neutral SIZE: L (10' leg spread) PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Defense Modes: Nil BX STATS ARMOR CLASS: 7 HIT DICE: 4+4 MOVE: 10' ATTACKS: 2 claws/1 bite DAMAGE: 2d6/1d6 + poison NO. APPEARING: 2-12 SAVE AS: Fighter: 2 MORALE: 7 TREASURE TYPE: L,P-T ALIGNMENT: Neutral

Riot Squad Saturdays?

If you read my post from Thursday, you know that some years ago I started work on a tabletop wargame called Riot Squad. What I failed to mention in that post was the game was conceived as simply "Riot", in reaction to the Rodney King riots of 1992. Since then, we've seen the WTO Seattle protests (1999), the Italy G8 riots (2008), the recent riots-turned-revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, plus plenty of other protests and uprisings (Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, et al.) It seems that as long as there are people to stand up for what they believe, there will be factions that seek to "put them back in their place."

The last decade has also seen the revolution of print-on-demand solutions, and that means producing low-quantity/high-quality copies of the game are only a click away. So... what I've decided to do (based on a prodding comment from Black Vulmea Mike over at Really Bad Eggs), is use Saturdays (a day where my wife often sleeps in, and I am up early with nothing better than Law & Order re-runs to keep me company) to continue work on Riot Squad. I figure if S&T can crank out 1 a month, a dozen-or-so Saturdays should get me fairly close to complete.

Today's post--the outline of the game rules (the skeleton upon which the game's meat shall be built.) Again, as I mentioned Thursday, wargames don't exactly re-invent the rules of gaming, so here's my thinking (guided by the sample wargame from The Complete Book of Wargames).

I.	COMPONENTS
	A. Mapboard + Explanation
	B. Counters + Explanation
	C. Dice & Combat* Tables + Examples
II.	HOW TO PLAY THE GAME
	A. Setting Up the Game (assumes base scenario)
	B. Sequence of Play
	C. Zones of Control
	D. Movement
	E. Combat
IV.	OPTIONAL RULES
III.	EXAMPLES OF PLAY
III.	ALTERNATE SCENARIOS

*In some cases, I use the term "combat" loosely (e.g., unarmed protestors in fascist countries) and, in some cases, quite literally (e.g., gang wars).

To be continued... next Saturday.

For image attribution information, click here.

d30 Feature of the Week: 30 Named Magic Swords

This week's d30 feature was supposed to be part of last week's "incomplete" d30 Week. Long story short, I was unexpectedly out for a few days, which interrupted both regular work deadlines as well as my blogginly duties.

All of the named swords on this chart do come from either history or legend/myth, but probably aren't nearly as strong/powerful as they could be for magic swords of their reputation — there's only so much info you can get on 1 page. Without getting into a multi-page, full-blown description of the items, what's on this chart should get the broad strokes across. Obviously, feel free to enhance, add to, or otherwise expand upon these.

To download a free PDF of this d30 Named Magic Swords chart from MediaFire, click here.

A Game I Put Some Work Into But Am 99.9% Sure You'll Never See...

I worked on this baby in the mid-90s. This tabletop wargame would pit "citizen" factions (e.g., protestors, rioters, etc.) against various police forces (riot police, SWAT teams, etc.) I didn't get terribly far, but that's a lot more than you'd think, considering these kind of wargames don't exactly re-invent the wheel:
1) give every body ("each counter") an attack type/rating
2) give every body a defense type/rating
3) create some d6 based combat charts
4) determine conditions for victory

I just felt like as much as I liked the idea at the time, it just wouldn't be too commercially viable. But given the current state of POD resources (like Superior POD), it wouldn't take nearly the financial obligation now as it would have in 1996.

If nothing else, I really dig the Squad Leader inspired cover.

Mid-80s Map Porn!

The maps below were created by me circa 1983-4 and, for most of high school, filled the bulletin board over my bed. See... those colored pencils I had to buy for my high school geography class came in handy... just not for the geography my teacher intended.

New Low-level Oe/BX/1E Monster: Oxyx

This week's new monster is another one of those low-level monster that are more of a nuisance than anything else. But if you're looking for a creature that your players are unfamiliar with (and therefore unprepared to deal with), this one might just fit the bill.

DESCRIPTION Oxyxes are giant fuzzy insectoids with a gorilla-esque faces and bat-like wings. They are underground dwellers and have infravision to a distance of 30’. However, any intense heat source (e.g., a torch or fire) within 10’ of their line of sight blurs their vision for 1-4 turns (attacking at -3 while affected). They are relatively harmless except that their bite carries a very mild toxin whose cumulative effects will temporarily slow or paralyze an affected creature. When a creature has been bitten (failed saving throws vs. poison) by a number of oxys attacks (with successful “to hit” rolls ) equal to the its hit dice, its movement will be slowed to one-half. When a creature has been bitten by a number of oxyxes equal to twice the creature’s hit dice, then the creature will be paralyzed. The duration of any single oxyx bite is 1 turn. Oxyx toxin is curable by most standard and magical means.

Oe/1E STATS FREQUENCY: Rare NO. APPEARING: 5-50 ARMOR CLASS: 8 MOVE: 3”/12” HIT DICE: 1-2 pts. % IN LAIR: 15% TREASURE TYPE: Nil NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil SPECIAL ATTACKS: Slow SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: Non- ALIGNMENT: Neutral SIZE: S (10-12” long) PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Defense Modes: Nil BX STATS ARMOR CLASS: 8 HIT DICE: 1-2 pts. MOVE: 30’/120’ ATTACKS: 1 bite DAMAGE: Slow NO. APPEARING: 5-20 SAVE AS: Normal man MORALE: 6 TREASURE TYPE: Nil ALIGNMENT: Neutral

d30 Sandbox Week Day 3: d30 Tavern Generator

Today's d30 Sandbox Week entry is the companion to the Tavern Name Generator (which I had a ton of fun working on, and even more fun putting it into use). Today's was a bit more of a workhorse, by comparison. But be careful... every time I read the food results, I get terribly hungry. (Link at bottom of post.)

More importantly, forcing myself to work on the d30 Sandbox charts this week has been pretty productive. In addition to the charts you'll be seeing this week, I've also made headway on the following charts:

- Noble Household NPCs (30 nobles, 30 household officers, 30 misc. servants/slaves; 90% complete)

- NPC Physical Traits, Personality and Quirks
(a refinement/update/expansion of the version from the d30 DM Companion; 100% complete)

- NPC Height Generator by Race
(incl. half-orcs, humans, half-elves, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings; 100% complete)

- plus I'm still working the vegetation page (including silhouettes of flower shapes; 25%?)

The d30 Sandbox Companion is now looking to be about 44 pages (8 pages more than the DM Companion), and that's without any sort of monster encounter charts (discussed in Sunday's post); although there are plenty of other encounter charts/tables.

On a side note, whilst cleaning out my garage last week, I finally found my copy of The Armory's 30 Sided Dice Gaming Tables. It's been a while (10+ years?) since it was in my "direct" possession (that is, on a shelf nearby). I had forgotten about the small, round, dayglo orange sticker on the cover that reads "30 sided used - $1.00." I've had this book since it was brand new (a high school gift from a non-gamer friend who understood my obsession), and it was nice to re-discover it. I think I'm more amazed that this book could be sold for $1 when new.

To download a free PDF of this d30 Tavern Generator from MediaFire, click here.

d30 Sandbox Week Day 2: d30 Off-course Determination Chart

Today's d30 Sandbox Week entry is a rework of one of my very first d30 charts from last year (the charts that got this whole d30 obsession reincarnated).

I had originally intended for today to be a vegetation chart, but that was just wishful thinking. Those take SO much longer than I ever expect them to. I'll cross my finger and get my nose to the grindstone in hopes of finishing that for this week.

To download a free PDF of this d30 Off-course Determination Chart from MediaFire, click here.

d30 Sandbox Week Day 1: Foraging/Hunting Chart

Today's d30 Sandbox Week entry is a comprehensive ("single") d30-based chart "similar in nature" to the foraging and hunting charts from the 1e WSG (one of the few things in that book I actually found useful.) It pairs the hunting and foraging chances for each terrain/season combination; this way, when one or two characters decide to forage while others hunt, you're not having to flip back and forth between two or three tables. And, of course, as with every entry this week, this chart is intended for the d30 Sandbox Companion.

To download a free PDF of this d30 Foraging & Hunting Chart from MediaFire, click here.

Announcing d30 Sandbox Week + d30 Sandbox Companion Update

Honestly, with work and life being as crazy as they've been, it seems the only way I can keep committed to my bloggingly duties is to force myself. So I'm doing another themed week (which pretty much forces me to post every day from Monday through Friday).

In the background, I've been making pretty good headway on the d30 Sandbox Companion, but many of the charts are very involved and require some real thought/consideration to: 1) keep the charts really valuable (as opposed to a bunch of fluff/filler), 2) make them really effective (giving a lot of "bang" for each roll, reducing the required rolls as much as possible), and 3) make them relatively simple to understand without too much explanation. For example, I've been working on a 2-page system for hireling/henchmen recruitment that incorporates: 1) the size of the settlement where the recruitment is happening, 2) the amount and kind of advertising being done, and 3) the number and type of respondents to the ad (e.g., the number of human heavy footman and elven archers)—a chart which also incorporates the weekly cost of said respondents. I've been working on that chart off-and-on for about four months.

One of the decisions I've had to make (and a VERY tough one, at that) is to really limit the encounter charts I'd originally intended to include in the book. I realized that by the time I created all the monster encounter charts I'd wanted to (e.g., themed undead and sylvan charts, as well as other areas by geography and climate), and included all the stats for those creatures, I would have a book about 150% the size of the original d30 DM Companion, and it wouldn't even include (IMO) the most important Sandbox stuff (e.g., terrain, settlement and NPC generators).

And please don't think I've forgotten about the Community Geomorph Project. I've been getting some nice submissions, but knew this something that I would have to intentionally set time aside to work through. Given my current client demands, I'm targeting September as "Community Geomorph Month."

So what's in store for this week? Here's the plan...

MONDAY: FORAGING & HUNTING BY TERRAIN & SEASON
What you'll find in this one is a comprehensive ("single") d30-based chart "similar in nature" to the foraging and hunting charts from the 1e WSG.

TUESDAY (New Monster Day): TBD
I have some thoughts on this, and most likely it will be a vegetation generator similar to the "Molds, Slimes, & Mushrooms" charts from the d30 DM Companion. (Yes, I know that's a very loose interpretation of monster, but see my note above about limiting the encounter charts.)

WEDNESDAY: TAVERN ACCOMMODATIONS
This is a secondary component to the Tavern Name Generator that let's you know the size of the tavern, the sleeping accommodations, what they're known for, and what's on the menu.

THURSDAY: QUICK NPC MAGICAL ITEM DETERMINATION BY CLASS & RACE
Need to know what that 5th level Cleric is carrying but don't want to have to roll on the weapons chart and hope a sword doesn't show up? No worries, your prayers have been answered! (Pun intended.)

FRIDAY: 30 NAMED MAGICAL SWORDS
Inspired by some of the great swords of history, legend, and literature, this chart includes 30 magical swords ready for inclusion in your game world. (BTW, Excalibur and Sting will NOT be on this chart.)

Also, as the week goes on, some of my individual posts will include other notes about the d30 Sandbox Companion content, so keep an eye out for those.

PICTURED ABOVE: Portrait of Louis Guéymard in the title role of Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera Robert le diable by Gustave Courbet (slightly adjusted, of course.)

d30 Feature of the Week: Heraldry Generator "Revisited"

This week's d30 feature isn't exactly a "revisit" of the heraldry generator from back in February, as much as it is an expansion. The original one did feature a few charges, but was moderately limited in its scope (having space for only a few key animals). So what I've done is expand those options to include not only a couple of hundred more options, but their attitude (facing/position) as well. I'm still working on figuring out how to incorporate notes on the various heraldic attitudes in the d30 Sandbox Companion, but haven't figured that out yet, nor did I have room to include those notes on this PDF. I am, therefore, including them in this blog post.

Quadrapeds
Rampant: depicted in profile standing erect with forepaws raised
Passant: walking toward viewer's left with the right forepaw raised and all others on the ground

Avians/Birds
Displayed: head turned to dexter and wings spread to the sides to fill the area of the field
Rousant: faces viewer’s left with head upturned and wings raised (about to take flight)
Trussed: perched (at rest) with wings folded

Fish
Hauriant: in a vertical position with its head up
Naiant: swimming (to viewer’s left)

Serpents
Glissant: gliding horizontally in an undulant posture
Nowed: tail knotted (often a figure “8”)

To download a free PDF of this d30 Heraldry Generator Expansion from MediaFire, click here.