Monday, June 17, 2013

Beasts of Samardan: 'Astral Entity' to 'Danrakkom'...

Good Afternoon, All:

After detailing lairs, a quick glance at the list of steps to build out the World of Samardan Campaign Setting lets me know that I now need to create my bestiary. In this section, I'll provide the details for the creatures I have introduced earlier in this process. My original hopes were that I would create around fifty monsters for this section, so I have a lot of variety in my arsenal as a Referee. I may not create that many, but I'll see what I can do. My first selection starts here:

Astral Entity

Under moments of extreme stress, the psychic essence of a particularly strong mystic can become detached from the mystic's body. Under certain circumstances, the psychic essence is unable to reattach to its body, and so wanders aimlessly as an astral entity. Among the more superstitious, such entities are called ghosts or apparitions. The appearance of the astral entity often resembles the mystic's physical body, but there are occasions where the form is altered by the mystic's perception of themselves. Astral entities cannot interact with the physical world and thus are generally only affected by energy and psychic attacks. These entities possess a weak psychic blast, and generally possess the abilities of a 3rd level Mystic, although more powerful astral entities have more hit dice, gaining a level of Mystic ability with each additional hit die.

Astral Entity: DEF: 14; HD: 5; ATK: psychic blast (1d4+2); ST: +4; SP: Astral form (no physical interaction, only affected by energy and psychic attacks), powers as 3rd level Mystic; SPD: 6 (fly); CL: 4; XP: 900.

Automaton

Durable constructs of various sizes and configurations, automatons were primarily used by the Ancient Ones for security, defense and combat. Due to their mechanical nature, automatons are immune to all mental attacks and abilities, poison, disease and physical exhaustion.

Security Automaton: DEF: 14; HD: 3; ATK: by slam (1d6) or crystal pistol (1d8); ST: +3; SP: Immune to all mental attacks and abilities, poison, disease and physical exhaustion; SPD: 7; CL: 2; XP: 450.
Defense Automaton: DEF: 18; HD: 7; ATK: by slam (1d6) or heavy crystal rifle (3d6); ST: +5; SP: Immune to all mental attacks and abilities, poison, disease and physical exhaustion; SPD: 5; CL: 3; XP: 600.
Combat Automaton: DEF: 20; HD: 11; ATK: by slam (1d8) or crystal rifle (2d8); ST: +7; SP: Immune to all mental attacks and abilities, poison, disease and physical exhaustion; SPD: 9; CL: 5; XP: 1,200.

Bandrak

The bandrak is a small winged serpentine creature common to the jungles and dense forests of Samardan's lowland regions. These winged creatures average about three feet in length, with a wingspan of up to five feet. These creatures often attack first from a distance using their acidic spittle (1d8, Rng 6/12/24), before closing in to bite their prey. Flocks of winged serpents will often work together against larger prey. Bandraki are particularly attracted to shiny, sparkling objects, collecting such items for their nests.

Bandrak: DEF: 13; HD: 3; ATK: by acidic spittle (1d8, Rng 6/12/24) or bite (1d4); ST: +3; SP: Immune to acid; SPD: 8 (fly); CL: 1; XP: 300.

Bershun

Native to swamps, ponds and other watery regions, the bershun is a dying species on Samardan. A huge reptilian creature easily thirty-five feet long or longer, the bershun has a broad head with a tapering snout and massive jaws capable of devouring a human in one bite. This six-legged beast is protected by a thick outer covering of bony plates. Primarily a nocturnal animal, the bershun is a carnivorous predator that attacks creatures that enter their watery home. When food is scarce, the bershun has been known to travel up to six miles from their lairs in search of large game to devour. If the bershun hits with a natural attack roll of 20, man-sized or smaller prey will be swallowed whole. Being swallowed whole inflicts 3d6 points of acid damage per round, and the swallowed victim cannot breathe (beware of suffocation). The victim can, however, attack the bershun from within, using a dagger-sized weapon against DEF 15. If the victim can inflict 11 points of damage or more from within the beast, they can cut themselves free, and the bershun cannot swallow another creature whole until the damage is healed.

Bershun: DEF: 20; HD: 12; ATK: by bite (3d6) or tail slap (3d8); ST: +8; SP: Swallow whole (3d6 acid damage, DEF 15, 11 hp); SPD: 5, 6 (swim); CL: 5; XP: 1,200.

Danrakkom

Segmented black, red, brown, or yellow social insects the size of a small dog, danrakkomi possess large heads with two sets of mandibles: inner jaws for chewing and outer jaws for carrying and digging. These creatures live in highly organized colonies containing wingless female workers, a winged queen, and, during breeding seasons, winged males. Some species of danrakkomi have been noted by scholars for engaging in warfare, making slaves of other races, and the cultivation of food sources.

Danrakkom, Worker: DEF: 13; HD: 2; ATK: bite (1d6+poison); ST: +3; SP: Poison (1d6/round, Fort DC 13 ends); SPD: 8; CL: 1; XP: 300.
Danrakkom, Male: DEF: 14; HD: 3; ATK: bite (1d8); ST: +3; SP: None; SPD: 8, 6 (fly); CL: 1; XP: 300.
Danrakkom, Queen: DEF: 20; HD: 10; ATK: bite (2d6+poison); ST: +7; SP: Poison (2d6/round, Fort DC 17 ends); SPD: 4, 6 (fly); CL: 5; XP: 1,200.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Monday, June 10, 2013

World of Samardan: Five More Lairs...

Good Afternoon, All:

I imagine that five lairs won't be enough for the World of Samardan Campaign Setting, so I'm going to create five more to post. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on them in the comments section.

(Hex) Burahiko's Keep

Pansanu Yatan Burahiko, an aspiring warlord, is forging a new settlement in the wilds under his rulership. Although the Pansanu has grand plans for the region, he has only managed to construct a small keep thus far. His original support has long since abandoned him, and so Pansanu Burahiko has taken to raiding nearby settlements in order to further his aspirations.

(Hex) The Forgotten Army of Dankahena the Exile

When Raganu Pekadevi Rekatur, the Lord-Emperor of Torkobalem, ascended the throne, he sent into exile anyone who might contest his right to rule, including his younger sister, Doganuba Dankahena Rekatur. Now, Dankahena the Exile has gathered an army of disenchanted loyalists under her banner, as she prepares to take action against her brother and claim the throne. Gossips say she has recently taken a new warlord as her right-hand man. Little is known of this mysterious man, save for his superior tactical knowledge as evidenced by her recent military successes against outlying forces of Torkobalem.

(Hex) Obsidian Halls of the Kelsh-Raganu

An abandoned complex, decorated throughout with obsidian tiles, has become known as the Obsidian Halls of the Kelsh-Raganu ("Demon Emperor"). According to legend, the king of all demons lies buried in the depths of the complex, and the nearby volcano shall remain dormant so long as the Kelsh-Raganu remains undisturbed. A band of mercenary kelshrani use the complex as their base of operations on the surface, taking advantage of their appearance and the legend of the Obsidian Halls to subdue nearby settlements through fear and intimidation.

(Hex) Sanctum of Sen Lusasanan

By all accounts, Sen Lusasanan is an insane mystic consumed with understanding the nature of life and biological enhancements. Toward that end, he has claimed an abandoned stronghold in the wilderness as his own, where he performs terrible experiments on captured victims. His army of patchwork monsters often roam the surrounding regions in search of new victims and esoteric supplies to further their master's hideous work.

(Hex) Warrens of the Marsh Folk

The human tribe known simply as the Marsh Folk dwell within these unusual warrens, cut off from the rest of civilization. Like many remote cultures, the Marsh Folk entertain some customs that others would consider taboo, particularly cannibalism. Indeed, the Marsh Folk have developed a number of delicacies based the flesh of husrani, rakrani and particularly sarrani people. As these races are understandably rare in the area, having been hunted out, the Marsh Folk hunting parties occasionally make excursions into more settled areas, looking for new "stock" for their kitchens.

Standard Disclaimer: As I have not yet decided where to set these particular lairs on the map as yet, I've left a placeholder to remind me to come back to this in the future. Later on, I'll replace (Hex) with the actual hex location, when I put all of this together into a single document.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Friday, June 07, 2013

World of Samardan: Five Lairs...

Good Afternoon, All:

In reviewing my list of activities in order to build the World of Samardan campaign setting, I realize that I've totally skipped the step in which I create some lairs to sprinkle about the countryside. With that in mind, I think I'll offer some examples over the next few posts, to help with beefing the setting up with lots of adventure ideas and opportunities. If some of the examples I use seem somewhat familiar, you should know that I am basing some of these lairs on stories from the Planetary Romance genre.

(Hex) Airship Wreckage

A large pride of hatagati have claimed the wreckage of a shattered airship as their lair. The cargo hold contains several crates of rotted medicinal herbs and the skeleton of the unfortunate pilot. A crystal pistol and a spare power crystal still hang from the pilot's harness.

(Hex) Crater of the Star Creatures

Several seasons back, a star fell from the sky, leaving a great crater behind upon impact. Since then, strange mutant creatures began hunting in this region, apparently lairing in or near the crater itself. These bizarre tarfarkati ("star"+"alien/aberration" + "carnivore") frequently threaten nearby settlements, and these villages are often too small to adequately defend themselves from the bestial hordes.

(Hex) Fungal Forest

A small copse of giant mushrooms fill a small depression in the wastelands, protected somewhat from the winds above. An isolated band of Varrani ("leaf+men") warriors have claimed this site as their own, and will fiercely defend it from all intruders. When water becomes scarce, the Varrani warriors will raid nearby settlements for the precious liquid.

(Hex) Shrine of the Sun

This ruined building standing alone on a hillock is honored by local Husrani tribes as a shrine devoted to the sun. Offerings of food and other consumables are left here by the tribes. A human hermit hides within a secret chamber inside the ruins, stealing the offerings at night and leaving behind cryptic pictographs as omens. A growing cult of sun-worshipping warrior-priests has started to interpret the omens left behind, and their spiritual leader, Sen Devakusan, advocates a holy war against non-believers.

(Hex) Tamasol, Independent Citadel

Pansanu Luso Fortahen once held the citadel of Tamasol as an outpost of distant Torkobalem. After his son died as a soldier in Torkobalem's armies, Pansanu Luso Fortahen announced that he could no longer support the tyranny of Raganu Pekadevi Rekatur, and declared the citadel independent of Torkobalem's rule. The Pansanu of Tamasol continues to fortify his position in preparation for Raganu Pekadevi Rekatur's eventual response to the citadel's secession from the Empire.

Standard Disclaimer: As I have not yet decided where to set these particular lairs on the map as yet, I've left a placeholder to remind me to come back to this in the future. Later on, I'll replace (Hex) with the actual hex location, when I put all of this together into a single document.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Enemies of Samardan: The Disciples of Somasumar...

Good Afternoon, All:

Our fourth and final minor regional enemy for the World of Samardan campaign setting was originally conceived as the classic power-mad warlord bent on conquest. Very quickly on, I realized that I already had a number of those in the setting, and while that type of antagonist is a classic trope of the genre, I didn't want it to get old.

Then I thought about the various Warrior backgrounds in Sword and Planet: An Old School Roleplaying Game of Planetary Romance, and recalled that among them could be found the Martial Artist. Suddenly, I started picturing a more Sword and Planet version of the dreaded Sith, the enemy of the Jedi Knights, and things started to fall into place for me. After all, Dray Prescot was a member of a martial order called the Krozairs, and one of his companions, Turko the Shield, was a Khamorro, an expert in unarmed combat. Obviously, martial arts is part of the mystique of some Planetary Romance series. What would be better than having an order of evil monks as a regional villain? The idea works for me, so I now present the Disciples of Somasumar.

The Disciples of Somasumar

History: Originally a martial order, the Disciples of Somasumar became a quasi-religious cult after adopting spiritual teachings thought to belong to the Ancient Ones. Based on incomplete documents recovered from ruins in the wastelands of the Torafeldan, the Disciples of Somasumar practice a disciplined form of unarmed combat. When the Disciples elect to use actual weaponry, they prefer to fight using malkuni (claw-like weapons similar to the Indian bagh nakh) or barkuni (larger claw-like weapons similar to malkuni, with longer blades). The barkuni are traditionally reserved for acknowledged Masters of the order.

Personality: Sena Logana Mudaganan, the current Grandmaster of the Disciples of Somasumar, leads the order in the pursuit of the Grand Plan, which is to unite all of the lower valley under the rule of the Disciples. At her disposal are Disciples specialized in gathering information, assassination, military tactics and the finer points of estate and resource management. While her predecessors have been cautious and meticulous in their clandestine progress toward the Grand Plan, Sena Logana Mudaganan prefers a more aggressive approach, and has become more open in recent years. Intent on seeing the Grand Plan come into being during her lifetime, the Grandmaster has escalated to more militant tactics. She is a driven and fanatical woman, with the power of a well-established and devout following operating at her behest.

Stat Blocks: The following stat blocks for representative members of the Disciples of Somasumar are based on Sword and Planet: An Old School Roleplaying Game of Planetary Romance. Please feel free to convert these stats to the system of your choice, if you wish to use them elsewhere.

  • Somasumaran Initiate: DEF: 14; HD: 1; ATK: by malkuni (1d6) or unarmed combat (1d6); ST: +2; SP: Unarmed combat; SPD: 6; CL: 1/2; XP: 150.
  • Somasumaran Disciple: DEF: 15; HD: 2; ATK: by malkuni (1d6) or unarmed combat (1d6); ST: +3; SP: Unarmed combat, weapon mastery (+1 atk with Claw Weapons); SPD: 6; CL: 1; XP: 300.
  • Somasumaran Master: DEF: 16; HD: 5; ATK: by barkuni (1d8) or unarmed combat (1d6); ST: +4; SP: Unarmed combat, weapon mastery (+1 atk with Claw Weapons); SPD: 6; CL: 2; XP: 450.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Enemies of Samardan: The Swarms of the Rak-Pansanu...

Good Afternoon, All:

Our third minor regional enemy for the World of Samardan campaign setting is actually inspired by a Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode entitled "When the Cicada Calls", of all things. (I admit it; as a GM, I am not above the "resourceful acquisition" of plot ideas from the shows that my kids watch.) As I watched this particular episode unfold, I thought of someone using ancient technology to tap into the hive mind of a swarm and make the insects to wreak havoc on the world on his behalf. In Samardan, the translation of "insect lord" is Rak-Pansanu, and thus I had the name of my next regional villain. I thought this would create a different scenario than most, something that an enterprising Referee could use to really capture the Planetary Romance adventuring style. With that in mind, I now present the Swarms of the Rak-Pansanu.

The Swarms of the Rak-Pansanu

History: The Rakran mystic, Sen Safakusan, has always been the pariah of his family. From an early age, Sen Safakusan had explored the power of his mind instead of learning to utilize ancient technology as his father and brothers had. Because Sen Safakusan hindered his family's status among the rest of the clan, they would often force him to serve as the clan's representative on small clan-sponsored expeditions to explore ancient ruins. Out of sight, out of mind. While on one of these expeditions, Sen Safakusan stumbled upon a partially-functional artifact that gave him the unusual ability to mentally communicate with and command insects. Having realized the power of his find, Sen Safakusan fled the expedition, and began using his newfound abilities to further his vengeful and hedonistic desires.

Personality: Before Sen Safakusan found the ancient helmet that gives him control over insects, the Rakran mystic had been spiteful and vindictive. These personality traits have only become more pronounced after taking on the mantle of Rak-Pansanu. As the lord of insects, the Rak-Pansanu has sent his swarms to attack every site where he was once bullied or ostracized, accumulating quite a treasury in the process. While the Rak-Pansanu has discovered a taste for expensive wines and rich foods, his first priority remains the humiliation of his family and clan.

Stat Blocks: The following stat blocks for representative members of the Rak-Pansanu's insectile servitors are based on Sword and Planet: An Old School Roleplaying Game of Planetary Romance, which I wrote last year. Please feel free to convert these stats to the system of your choice, if you wish to use them elsewhere.

  • Cat-sized Insect: DEF: 12; HD: 1; ATK: sting (1d4+poison); ST: +2; SP: Poisonous sting (1d4/round, Fort DC 12 ends); SPD: 5 (fly 8); CL: 1/2; XP: 150.
  • Wolf-sized Insect: DEF: 13; HD: 2; ATK: bite (1d6+poison); ST: +3; SP: Poison (1d6/round, Fort DC 13 ends); SPD: 6; CL: 1; XP: 300.
  • Man-sized Insect: DEF: 14; HD: 4; ATK: bite (1d8+poison); ST: +4; SP: Poison (1d8/round, Fort DC 14 ends); SPD: 7; CL: 2; XP: 450.

Enjoy,
Flynn