Monster treasure for Cairn! N-P

There’s a 1in6 chance for each individual in an encountered group to carry a piece of treasure.

Unless indicated otherwise, each piece of treasure occupies one slot. Relics and other powerful items are invaluable.

Roll before the encounter happens, cause some of the treasure may be useful to the NPCs. 

Neanderthal (d10)

1-2. Bracelet of eagle talons (50 gp)

3-4. Cape made with feathers of some turkey-like bird considered extinct (2k gp)

5-6. Relic: Dreamcatcher. 50% chance every night that it catches a wandering spell. You can tell when it caught one but you won’t know which one until you cast it (roll d100 on the spellbook table the moment it’s cast). It can only hold one spell at a time.

7-8. Wooden bowl containing pigment for cave painting (3gp)

9-10. Large piece of amber (small, 500 gp)

Nixie (d4)

1. Large crystal goblet, crafted through magic to create incredible shapes (300 gp)
2. Small green waterproof jerkin (5 gp) 
3. 200 gp
4. Small turquoise (small, 1 gp)

Noble

Count Exubery (cuirass armor 2, 11 hp, 7 STR, 13 DEX, 13 CHA, crystal rapier d10) is a master of using the rapier. Every time he’s impressed by an adventure or love story involving the narrator, he will offer to teach one of his techniques. Obviously, a rapier is necessary: a rapier takes 1 slot, deals d8 damage, and costs 20 gp

Exubery uses a legendary Crystal Rapier (d10 damage, but it breaks if you take STR damage from an attack, or if you roll a 1 for your attack)

Rapier techniques (take Fatigue each time you use one)

• Feint: roll your attack a second time and consider the highest die.
• Deflect: negate the damage from a single die of a size equal to or lower than your weapon's (if multiple dice are rolled and you negated the highest, consider the 2nd highest for damage)
• Flurry: damage is BLAST

Nomad

Camp:

• Couch (needs 2 people to transport, 200 gp) and four cushions (25 gp each) all covered by a rich fabric
• Inside each cushion, there are 100 gp
• Carved wooden cabinet (6 slots, 100 gp), Contains…
• Illustrated book, a collection of fables in the nomads’ language. The illustrations animate magically when it’s read aloud.
• Small wooden lacquered box with golden details (50 gp)
• Inside, three leaves of Soporiphic Tea: A cup containing one leaf of this tea will make you feel extremely relaxed. Two leaves will cause a deep sleep for a few hours. Three leaves will induce a catatonic state, indistinguishable from death, for 24h

Ogre

Individual:

Large sack with 400 gp

Scattered through the lair:

• 1.5k gp
• Some broken stone idol of a waistcloth-wearing, bipedal creature with claws. The head is missing (bulky, 50 gp)
• Huge club (bulky, d8 damage, stun an opponent for a round on a roll of 7+) 
• A large bronze brooch depicting a rose, looks ancient (1k gp)
• A bit of Gelid Mint grows here, surrounded by cold air and snow regardless of the season. If you eat it, for a few hours you gain the ability to freeze a nearby target with your breath. A creature takes d6 DEX damage from the attack and is frozen at 0 DEX. Restores d6 DEX when exposed to strong heat.

Orc

Individual (d6)

1-2. Iron ring (small, 50 gp)

3-4. Eye-patch (1 gp)

5-6. Monstrous iron mask (50 gp)

Larder:

• Wheel of stinky cheese (bulky, 6 gp, smell attracts attention)
• Jar of live snails (orcs like to eat them with the whole shell as a snack, 2 gp)
• Sack with various types of nuts (bulky, 6 gp)
• Crunchy crackers (1 meal, 1 slot, 2 gp)
• Some black, three-pointed Cerberus Chili (small, 3 uses, CHA save to resist if eaten, 9 gp)

Owlbear

Lair:

• Fluorescent mushroom, still goes for a few hours after being plucked. If eaten, it still emits light from your belly (small)
• Food pellet: owlbears’ are as big as a basketball. Human bones can be noticed from the outside. If opened, are found:
• 10 gp
• Golden pin depicting a stylized eye - the symbol represents the cult of the Third Eye, who worship the Mind Gorgers and consume the Pychoboosting Drugs. If you wear it, you might be mistaken for a fellow member (small, 200 gp)

Pirate: same as a buccaneer, why are there even 2 types

Pixie (d4)

1. Scroll of Hex: target fails all Saving Throws
2. Pot with mandrake plant, (bulky, labeled: mandrake, don’t pluck). When plucked, starts crying and screaming, causing d6 STR damage BLAST to anyone who hears it. Covering your ears prevents this, and the mandrake stops once it’s put in the pot again
3. Potion of Colorful Hair: the color of your hair changes with every sip. d8: 1 Red, 2 Orange,  3 Yellow, 4 Green, 5 Light blue,  6 Blue, 7 Purple, 8 Pink. Three sips available, then the color is permanent.
4. Small moonstone (small, 50 gp)

Purple Worm

Stomach:

• 200 gp
• Barrel of stout beer (bulky, 100 gp)
• Lacquered box (25 gp) containing a silver diadem (100 gp)

Monster treasure for Cairn! H-M

There’s a 1in6 chance for each individual in an encountered group to carry a piece of treasure.

Unless indicated otherwise, each piece of treasure occupies one slot. Relics and other powerful items are invaluable.

Roll before the encounter happens, cause some of the treasure may be useful to the NPCs. 

Halfling:

Individual:

Relic: Animated Rope, answers simple commands from its owner. An old halfling woman who makes them, Lina Heartweaver, lives on the outskirts of the halfling’s village. The process requires a few hairs from the one who wants to own the rope.

Village:

• Tailor’s house: Silk fabric (1 slot, 100 gp)
• Doctor’s house: set of alchemical tools. Kettles, vials, a tank, etc. (bulky, 50 gp), as well as the necessary materials and recipe to create a salve that accelerates tissue regeneration (restore d6 STR when applied, takes a whole day to make one). The main ingredient is a Giant Blood Salamander’s tail. They can be found in ponds nearby and caught using pieces of bloody meat as bait.
• Mayor’s house:
• Big maple dining table (25 gp, needs 4 people or a wagon to transport)
• Leather padded armchair (100 gp, needs 2 people or a vehicle to transport)

Harpy

Nest:

• 400 gp
• Large zircon (small,500 gp)
• Silver goblet (100 gp)
• Brass scroll case. Inside, the map to a buried chest
• Bronze key (opens buried chest)

Buried chest: 100 gp and Spellbook: Summon Hawk. A hawk appears, ready to answer your commands. 5 hp, 2 STR, 15 DEX, talons (d4)

Hellhound

• Big bone (d6 damage)
• Relic: Devil Shield (armor 1, fire attacks impaired). Painted, a dancing devil on a bright red background.
• Iron chest, locked, trapped. A flame bursts out when opened, causing d10 direct damage (ignore hp). Inside there are 150 gp.
• Cattle goad (bulky, d6 damage, 10 gp)

Hobgoblin

King: 

• Face armor mask with topaz in the middle of the forehead (no armor bonus, value 3k gp)
• Glaive with ornate handle and hilt (d10 damage, bulky, value 100 gp)

Lair:

• A library with various scrolls, containing a philosophical essay about the merits of Law, written in the hobgoblin's tongue (30 scrolls, 5 per slot, 300 gp for the complete work from a sage)
• Barrel of rare wine  (bulky, 100 gp)

Hydra

Lair, in a huge stone chest:

• Aquamarine (small, 500 gp)
• 1k gp
• A book about ancient myths of Gods, Semi-Gods and Heroes. Badly damaged. (1 gp)

Killer Bee

Hive: Magic Honey (heals d4 STR when eaten, 1 use, 1 slot)

Kobold

Small mace in the shape of a paw (d6 damage, 10 gp)

Lammasu

Scroll: Call Lightning (causes d10 damage BLAST, can only be used outside, enhanced during a storm)

Lich

Worn: Leather belt decorated by a skull (13 gp)

Lair, locked in a trapped iron chest (see below):

• Liquid Memory (potion, labeled): for a few minutes, you can recall any memory perfectly, as if you were still there. This also means that you can cast spells that you already read in the past from memory, without having to read the Spellbook
• An old book about Astrology and Numerology (300 gp)
• Incomplete map of a dungeon, and how to reach it

Trap:

• A nasty poisoned dart that induces immediate flesh necrosis (d4 damage ignoring hp. Wound: permanent injury)
• Permanent Injury: takes up 1 random body or hand slot.
• The damage received by the dart is dealt to the max STRength rather than the current STRength

Lurker Above

On the ground, under the lurker: 1 sack of coins (100 gp) or a zircon (small, 100 gp)

Lizard, giant

Partially covered by creepers, a large stone statue of some reptile god (200 gp, needs a vehicle to be carried)

At its feet, an urn. If opened, a venomous animal comes scurrying outside, trying to inject their venom one last time before dying (d20 STR damage, a bitten survivor develops immunity to all poisons and venoms. See below to determine the animal's nature)

Venomous animal d10:

1-2. Lizard

3-4. Toad

5-6. Centipede

7-8. Scorpion

9-10. Snake

The other 4 are dead in the urn

Lizard man (d6)

1-2. 30 gp 

3-4. Painkiller (Pollen burnt and inhaled. Forgo all Critical Damage or Morale Saves for a few hours. May cause addiction. 1 dose)

5-6. Small stone rotating calendar that shows the relative position of the constellations, according to the time of year (100 gp)

Addiction (trigger warning: drug abuse, death): Roll a die every time you use the drug, step up the die each time d4->d6->d8, etc up to d12 and see the effect below

1-4. You don't suffer after-effects

5-7. Addicted. you're deprived if you don't use 1nce/day. A PC can get rid of this effect passing  STR save at the end of a whole session spent without using.

8+ Overdose: take the amount rolled as STR damage

Lycanthrope (d4)

1. Wooden comb (5 gp)
2. Two sacks of coins: 200 gp
3. Relic: Longstriding Boots. Walk in a single step the distance that would normally take you hours. Recharge: walk in the boots for a whole day without stopping.
4. Unholy Book. Contains the teachings of a cult that preaches de-evolution and sees lycanthropy as a gift (50 gp to a member of the cult but it’s banned in most places)

Mastodon: each tusk occupies 6 slots and fetches 250 gp 

Medium

Relic: Revealing Eye. A glass eye that allows the wearer to pick up the slightest facial expression, revealing the true emotions of whoever’s in front of them

 

Medusa

• Petrified princess, Marmoria XX
• A basket full of petrified human body parts. At the bottom, you can find Spellbook: Snake Scout (see below)
• Coffer containing 200 gp

Spellbook: Snake Scout. One body part of your choice turns into a snake that you can control at a distance (11 hp, 3 STR, 14 DEX, 0 CHA). It functions as if it were still attached to your body: hands can grab, eyes can see, ears can hear etc. You lose your body part if it’s killed.

Merchant

Transporting some mounts to sell… (d6, see below for mount rules)

1-2. Four Vikingoats. 1 armor, 3 hp, 16 STR, headbutt (d10, requires charge) (value 100 gp each)

• Big goats with a heavily cacified dome, that makes their head look like a horned helmet.
• Adapted to mountainous areas, they’re used as mounts, or for their milk
• Special movement: don't suffer any movement malus while traversing mountains

3-4. A single Dragonette, muzzled and heavily restrained. 2 armor, 10 hp, firey breath (d10 damage in melee) (value 400 gp) 

• A bipedal, flightless dragon, bred for battle.
• It’s harder to create a bond with them: the bond score works differently (1-2 defiant, 3-5 ride, 6 attack)
• Special movement: long standing jumps

5-6. Four “Mightylegs”. 1 armor, 5 hp, 14 DEX, bite (d8 damage) (value 100 gp each)

• Big flightless birds used as mounts, for their meat, or their eggs
• Their beak delivers a powerful bite
• Special movement: sprints

Mounts:

• They can carry 15 slots’ worth of objects, or one rider and their equipment
• They don’t normally grant a movement bonus on long distances, but they might benefit from special movement
• You need to have bonded with them at a certain level to ride them and control them

Bond: 

• Roll d6 at the end of a session where you bonded with a creature in some way (traveled together, fed them, gave them a pet name…)
• If you roll higher than the current bond score, raise it by 1 and unlock new ways to control the mount
• If the creature is neglected or mistreated, lower the bond score by 1 at the end of the session instead

Bond score (start from 1) and powers

1. Defiant: the creature resists being ridden and may try to escape at this stage

2-3. Ride: the creature lets you ride it

4-6. Attack: the creature can perform an attack while you ride it

Merman (d6)

1-3. Two sacks of coins (200 gp)

4. Bottle of fermented algae drink (100 gp)

5. Three ink bombs (blind all targets in an area for 1 round underwater)

6. Clamshell with a sharp edge, merfolk’s version of a knife (15 gp)

Mind Gorger (squid-faced psychic wizard, d6):

1-2. Tunic with black pearl buttons (500 gp)

3-4. Spellbook: Heat Up. A nearby object of your choice heats up. If held, it’s dropped. Flammable objects catch fire.

5-6. Drug to boost up psychic powers for a few minutes (small bottle containing 3d4 pills, may cause addiction, see below). If you don’t already have psychic powers, you gain the following while under the effect instead:

Psychic powers. Like spellbooks, you take Fatigue when you use them, and you can Save vs WIL to try to enhance their power

• Mind attack: d8 WIL damage to a target nearby
• Mind domination: 1 target nearby is under your control, for a few seconds. They get a WIL save to negate
• Telekinesis: move at a distance one object of a size that you could hold in your hands

Addiction (trigger warning: drug abuse, death): Roll a die every time you use the drug, step up the die each time d4->d6->d8, etc up to d12 and see the effect below

1-4. You don't suffer after-effects

5-7. Addicted. you're deprived if you don't use 1nce/day. A PC can get rid of this effect passing a STR save at the end of a whole session spent without using.

8+ Overdose: take the amount rolled as STR damage

Minotaur

Scattered around the labyrinth:

• Thirty gold ingots (10 gp each, five fit in a slot)
• An urn covered in arcane writings. If opened, it frees a spectre (see below). The jar can be used again to seal other incorporeal creatures that touch it (a DEX save applies)
• Brick fountain (this is not treasure, I just think it’s neat to find a fountain in a labyrinth)
• Small pearl on the ground (small, 50 gp)

Spectre 4 hp, 14 DEX, N/A WIL (mindless), spirit drain (melee, d8 WIL damage permanent) 

• Immune to mundane attacks
• The spectre attacks the character with the lowest WIL that is closest to it
• If the target’s WIL gets drained completely, it dies and raises as a second spectre

Mummy

Lair: 

• 100 gp
• Golden khopesh (d6 damage, value 100 gp)
• Fine linen clothes (50 gp)

Monster treasure for Cairn! D-G

There’s a 1in6 chance for each individual in an encountered group to carry a piece of treasure.

Unless indicated otherwise, each piece of treasure occupies one slot. Relics and other powerful items are invaluable.

Roll before the encounter happens, cause some of the treasure may be useful to the NPCs. 

Dervish (d4, reroll until you roll the same result twice): 

1. Rich clothes (50 gp) and turban (50 gp)

2. Golden bangles (1 slot, 100 gp)

3. A sack of gold coins (100 gp)

4. Two sacks of gold coins (200 gp)

Doppelganger: whatever it stole from the person it is posing as

Dragon, young 

Lair, in a pile:

• 700 gp
• 20 gold ingots (5 per slot and 10 gp each)
• Golden scepter (200 gp)
• Golden gauntlets (300 gp) (no armor bonus)

Dragon, mature

Lair:

Hung on the wall, is a large tapestry depicting a natural scene according to the dragon’s color (black: swamp, blue: plains, etc). In a Gold Dragon’s lair, the tapestry depicts one of their kind, flying between white clouds in a blue sky, surrounded by various species of birds. (Bulky, value 200 gp)

In a pile:

• Small opal (small, 500 gp)
• 600 gp
• 10 gold ingots (5 per slot and 10 gp each)
• Golden candelabrum (200 gp)
• Relic: Earthbreaker (hammer, d8 damage. When striking the ground, it creates a fissure. All targets in a line have to make a DEX save or fall inside, taking d6 damage and normally requiring a whole round to climb out, if able. Structures take d10 damage and the rubble falling causes d8 damage BLAST to people nearby. This power can only be used if the wielder’s current STRength is 14 or more)

Dragon, old

Lair:

Massive marble statue of the legendary knight “Silver” Luna, who slayed many werewolves and vampires in her time (1.5k gp, massive: can’t be transported through normal means)

Mostly scattered on a big walnut table (big, needs at least a wagon to be transported, 200 gp):

• Large diamond (small, 10k gp)
• 3k gp
• A chain necklace made with rings of many different metals (small, 100 gp) 
• A huge tome narrating the epic stories of the Metallic Knights: “Silver” Luna, “Golden” Flair who wielded the Sun Blade, “Copper” Leon who fought an army bare-handed, and others. Some pages are missing or otherwise damaged (bulky, 300 gp)

Dragon Turtle

Lair: 

• 300 gp
• A waxed leather pouch containing 2 pearls, 1 large (small, 500 gp) and 1 medium (small, 200 gp)
• Something from the buccaneer treasure table

Driver Ant:

Lair:

• Gold nuggets of various dimensions:
• The biggest one takes up 4 slots and is worth 200 gp
• The second biggest takes up 1 slot and it’s worth 50 gp
• There's a small nugget worth 20 gp
• A bunch of other small ones that individually are worth less than 1gp but together can fill one slot and fetch another 50 gp

Dryad

Tree:

Branches: When its dryad dies, the tree produces a single fruit, with a strong smell and peculiar appearance. Whoever eats it gains a strong link with nature: they can communicate with animals, rivers, and plants. They only need sunlight and water to survive, but they’re deprived in the absence of sunlight. When they rest in a forest, they can restore all of their stats.

Roots:

• 500 gp
• d6 Funnyroots: a fungus that grows among a dryad’s roots and looks like a chubby smiling face. Eating this fungus makes you high. (small)

High: restore d6 WIL but hp drops to 0 and all DEX saves fail until you sleep it off

Dwarf (d4):

1. 200 gp filling a wheelbarrow
2. Spellbook: Shackles (creates one pair of iron shackles around the target’s limbs of choice. This makes the attacks of most creatures impaired)
3. Silver armband in the shape of a wyrm coiled on itself (200 gp)
4. Metal shield, full of bruises from past battles (armor 1, 15 gp)

Elephant: each tusk is bulky and worth 50 gp

Elf (d6)

1-2. Charming perfume, people close enough to smell feel better disposed towards you than they normally would, lasts 24h, 3 uses left

3-4. Dribblegrass: aromatic herb that makes every plate delicious, small, 1 use

5-6. A belt decorated by emeralds (30k gp)

Gargoyle

Lair, in a ceramic jar depicting monster faces on all sides, with a tight wooden lid:

• 200 gp
• 10 gold ingots (5 per slot and 10 gp each)
• Relic: Wizard Robe (lessens the effect of spells that target you)
• Scroll detailing the method to summon the demon BRA><IEL:
1. Write BRA> on the palm of the right hand, <IEL on the palm of the left hand
2. Join the hands in front of you to complete the name, summoning and controlling the demon (you can’t defend in this position: your hp equals 0 and you can’t hold objects)
3. Clasp the hands to send the demon back to its realm

NOTE: if your hands get separated, as a result of getting hit for example (a WIL Save applies), the demon is free from the contract that binds him and can do what he wants in this realm

Demon BRA><IEL 1 armor, 12 hp, 14 STR, 5 DEX, spit fire (d6 to a target nearby, wound: d6 STR damage ongoing until extinguished) or sting (d6, wound: curse)

• Sort of big red-furred ape with the head of a lion, a pair of wings, and a scorpion tail
• Curse: Writhe (trigger warning: chronic pain). Takes 1 slot. Every time any character rolls a 13 for their Save, you get a fit of pain. You lose d6 WIL and drop to the ground unable to act for 1 round. 0 WIL = death.
• Schemes to free himself from the contract that binds him

Gelatinous Cube:

Inside:

Relic: a big tortoise shell that can be worn by a person (bulky, 2 armor, allows to withdraw limbs and head to nullify an attack as a reaction, but the shell loses one point of armor and is destroyed when it reaches 0)

Ghoul

Lair: a torn and bloody dress and a purse containing 100 gp. They belonged to a young woman called Bardina Cage. Her family is still waiting for her to come home after she ran away from home.

Giant

Bedroom in the castle:

Giant rug under the bed (100 gp, at least 4 people needed to transport)

500 gp in the top drawer of a giant chest of drawers. The other drawers are filled with giant clothes

Gnoll (d4)

1. Eyepatch (1 gp)

2. Sack with 100 gp

3. Prisoner, a young lady who was part of the escort to protect a mercantile expedition

4. Vial of truth serum (small, labelled, 1 use)

Gnome

Individual (d6)

1-2. Quiver of barbed crossbow bolts (d6 damage, d10 vs unarmored targets) (5 gp)

3-4. Gnome hat (1 gp)

5-6. Sack with 100 gp

Lair: The chieftain wears a silver circlet worth 200 gp. His stone throne is also valuable (200 gp) but it takes at least 2 people to transport it.

Goblin

Individual (d4):

1. Poison dust (1 target in melee has to make a STR save or is unable to act. They can repeat the save every round. 1 use)
2. A little sculpture made of small bones from various animals (1 gp to an art collector)
3. A single sandal (worthless by itself)
4. “Hat”: a coiled-up weasel, looks dead but it’s just sleeping

Lair:

Hanged on the wall: a canvas painted with rough designs (bulky, worth 100 gp to an art collector)

In a barrel the king usually sits on:

• 100 gp
• Large amber piece with a dragonfly inside (500 gp)
• Something from the elf treasure tables

Gorgon

The gorgon’s forked tongue can be given to an alchemist or wizard to produce an oil able to reverse petrification (the tongue produces 2 oils, the other one is payment). The person healed this way will gain the ability to turn to stone at will, as long as they stay still

Griffon

Nest:

• Gold nuggets of various dimensions:
• The biggest one is enormous, takes up 8 slots, and is worth 400 gp
• The second biggest one takes 1 slot and is worth 50 gp
• There’s a bunch of small ones that individually are worth less than 1gp but together can fill one slot and can fetch another 50 gp
• A huge book on weird flora, unknown author (bulky, 100 gp). Details plants like:
• Wallnuts: extremely sturdy and with a shell that allows to stack them neatly one on top of the other, find use in construction
• Asparrogus: so pointy and tough it can be used as a missile
• Electric Cherry: a tree that sends electric shocks to defend against harmful bugs and other threats
• Dribblegrass (see elf), Dryad Trees, etc.
• A scroll that details the process necessary to make an oil of reverse petrification from a basilisk’s eye or a gorgon's tongue. Alchemical tools are required, as well as other components like a budding plant, dust from the ruins of a castle, and spring water. The process takes a whole night and is completed at dawn.

Monster treasure for Cairn! A-C

There’s a 1in6 chance for each individual in an encountered group to carry a piece of treasure.

Unless indicated otherwise, each piece of treasure occupies one slot. Relics are invaluable.

Roll before the encounter happens, cause some of the treasure may be useful to the NPCs.

Acolyte (d6): 

1-2. A pearl rosary (small, 100 gp)

3-4. A reliquary with the finger, tooth, or nail of a saint (bulky, 100 gp)

4-6. Relic: Holy Rod (d6, 2 hands needed to strike, can smite an undead or demon once for d12 damage. This damage can't be regenerated. Recharge: foot pilgrimage to a certain temple and pray)

Bandit: 

Individual (d6): 

1-2. A broken coral necklace (small, 100 gp)

3-4. A little statue carved out of bone, depicting the deity patron of thieves and brigands (small, 10 gp) 

5-6. Three smoke bombs (blinds for 1 round)

Lair

A bandits' lair has all of the following, but the location of the stash will be concealed:

• Bejeweled knife, handle carved in the shape of the deity patron of thieves, with ruby eyes (5k gp)
• A vial of “liquid death” (small, powerful poison, d20 STR damage when ingested, 1 use)
• d20 coats of wolf fur (20 gp each)
• d20 doses of “magic powder” (small, powder to inhale, restores WIL but may cause addiction, see below) (10 gp each)
• Something from the acolyte treasure table (that the acolytes want back)
• Stash of smoke bombs (d100)

Addiction (trigger warning: drug abuse, death): Roll a die every time you use the drug, step up the die each time d4->d6->d8, etc up to d12 and see the effect below

1-4. You don't suffer after-effects

5-7. Addicted. you're deprived if you don't use 1nce/day. A PC can get rid of this effect passing  STR save at the end of a whole session spent without using.

8+ Overdose: take the amount rolled as STR damage

WIL restoration works the opposite way. The die starts at d12 but lowers in size with each use, down to a d4

Basilisk: 

Lair:

• Petrified goose (bulky) 
• Petrified dormouse
• Petrified adventurer wearing gambeson (15 gp) and brandishing a partisan (bulky, 2d8, +1 armor in melee. Value 20 gp)
• Additionally, the eyes of a basilisk can be given to an alchemist or wizard to produce an oil able to reverse petrification (each oil produces 1 oil, the other is for payment). The person healed this way will be able to turn to stone at will, as long as they stay still.

Bear:

Lair: the skeletal hand of NPC Berry Tingleback, who has worn a hook since the bear ripped it off (worthless)

Berserker: 

Group: instead of rolling for each individual, there’s a 4in6 chance that the group of berserkers is carrying 1 sack of gold coins (100 gp)

Lair:

• Chief’s necklace of animal bones and teeth (1 gp, symbol of strength)
• Chief’s sword with inlaid silver runes (d8. Value 100 gp)
• Three sacks of gold coins (300 gp)

Brigand (d4)

1-2. A magic chest that can contain 2 slots of objects, and can then become small, along with its contents, with a click of a button. It needs to be enlarged again to get something out of it. Protected by a lock with a key. Inside there are 200 gp. 

3-4. Small emerald (small, 500 gp)

Buccaneer

Ship:

• A chest containing 300gp
• A bottle of rice wine (100 gp)
• A bracelet of sapphires that reflect the color of the sea, worn by the captain (small, 1k gp)
• Captain’s tricorne hat and cloak (25 gp each)

Bugbear

Lair: 200 gp amassed in a large crack in the wall

Caecilia

Stomach:

• An idol made of unfamiliar material, depicting a weird humanoid creature with large eyes (bulky, worth 500 gp to members of the Stargazers cult)
• A bottle of cherry wine (50 gp)
• An elaborate doublet (50 gp)

Carcass Crawler:

Lair, hidden among the remains of various adventurers (roll for each turn spent searching, reroll duplicates): 

1. 100 gp

2. 100 gp

3. Purse containing a topaz of excellent quality (5k gp)

4. Spellbook: obfuscation (changes your appearance or that of a person/object you touch, thanks to an illusion)

Cat, big (lions, tigers, etc): a couple of arrows stuck on its side

Centaur (d10) 

1-2. “Horse pants”, leather cylinders that are tied around the legs to protect them, sometimes decorated with fringes, embroidery, etc (1 gp per pair)

3-4. A torch (1 gp) 

5-6. Deer livestock (2d10 individuals, value 10 gp each dead or alive) 

7-8.  “Gardener worm” in a jar (when it burrows under any plant, this one thrives and suddenly grows to impossible sizes)

9-10. Comfortable horseshoes they can slip in and out of. Helps them jump and run on difficult terrain (value 20 gp per set of four)

Chimera

Lair:

• Himation/toga, decorated with golden thread (20 gp)
• Two sacks of gold coins (200gp)
• Bronze muscle cuirass (2 armor, bulky, 40 gp)
• Bronze sacrificial tripod (bulky, 25 gp)

Cockatrice

Lair:

• Book written in a forgotten language, with crude illustrations of reptiles, mundane and fantastical (300 gp)
• Two sacks of gold coins (200 gp)

Cyclops: 

Large sack with: 

• 500 gp
• Large black pearl (small, 1k gp)
• Spellbook: Control Weather (cyclops can't read though)
• Small potion bottle with a label that depicts a crab: whoever drinks vomits forth a swarm of crabs that obey 1 command. They then disappear into the closest water pool. They can’t do relevant damage but can impede an opponent if required

A lich for Cairn

An experiment with mechanics. Looks really powerful, a final villain of some sort. I can't imagine anything less of a warband going against this thing.

It uses glog magic mechanics. If you don't know what that is, basically roll 1-3 d6. When the effects mention [dice], it means the number of dice spent. When they mention [sum] it means the total of the values rolled. Check out the mechanics here. This lich works a little differently though, see below.

Lich 3 hp, 6 STR, 6 DEX, 16 WIL

A lich has 16 WIL, one spell slot, and one magic die per point of WIL. They can only use the highest slot available. To use the spells, they have to spend WIL points to gain the magic dice necessary (max 3). A lich's magic dice never return to the pool until they perform a ritual. They don't suffer dooms or mishaps. At WIL 0 they don't go mad but they're exhausted and unable to act.

Example: The lich is left with 14 WIL. They can either use Fireball or hold the slot to use Counterspell. They use Fireball and spend 3 magic dice. They lose 3 points of WIL. Next turn they're gonna have one of the spells in the 11th slot available: Animate Dead or Counterspell

1. Dimension Door (costs 1 WIL) or Ray of Frost

2. Disintegrate or Globe of Invulnerability

3. Animate Dead or Counterspell

4. Animate Dead or Counterspell

5. Dimension Door (costs 1 WIL) or Ray of Frost

6. Fireball or Counterspell

7. Fireball or Counterspell

8. Disintegrate or Globe of Invulnerability

9. Dimension Door (costs 1 WIL) or Ray of Frost

10. Mirror Image or Acid Arrow

11. Animate Dead or Counterspell

12. Mirror Image or Acid Arrow

13. Disintegrate or Globe of Invulnerability

14. Fireball or Counterspell

15. Mirror Image or Acid Arrow

16. Mirror Image or Acid Arrow

Acid Arrow: Hits [dice] random body or hand slots, DEX save to avoid. If there's an object in the slot, it's destroyed. If the slot is empty, it's filled with acid that causes d6 STR damage per slot this round and at the end of every subsequent round until washed (only count the highest die if rolling multiple)

Animate Dead: Raise [dice] dead bodies under your control. Armor as worn, d6 hp, 6 DEX, 0 WIL, damage as weapon

Counterspell: Reaction. Negate the effect of a spell if the caster's WIL is lower than [sum]. You may also choose to reflect it back on the caster

Dimension Door (costs 1 WIL): Materializes a portal out of thin air that teleports you to a tethered location. An opponent has to DEX save to act before it closes.

Disintegrate: A ray that hits for [sum] damage. A creature that receives STR damage from this spell disintegrates instantly.

Fireball: [sum] damage blast

Globe of Invulnerability: A globe shields you from any attack or spell for [dice] rounds.

Mirror Image: Create [dice] illusory copies of yourself. If they're attacked, they're instantly destroyed

Ray of Frost: d8 damage. If STR damage is taken the opponent is slowed for [dice] round. Slowed characters can only take one action per round (either move OR attack, or any other action) and always fail DEX saves.

Let me know your thoughts.

individual weapon effects for Odd games and hacks

1. Battle axe, hefty, d8. Can forgo damage to attempt a shield strip, target gets a STR save.

2. Club, light, d6. Rolls of 5+ stun on a wound. Stun: opponent can't act next round.

3. Crossbow, long, slow, d8. Ignores armor.

4. Dagger, light, d6. Throwable, usable while grappled.

5. Flail, hefty, d8. Ignores shields.

6. Greatsword, long, d10. Rolls of 8+ become blast attacks

7. Handaxe, light, d6. Throwable. If you didn't move yet, you can throw at target, run up to them, pick it up and attack them again.

8. Polearm, long, reach, d10. Nominated adjacent ally has +1 armor.

9. Poleaxe, long, d10. Ignores armor.

10. Javelin, hefty, d8. Throwable.

11. Longbow, long, d8: +d6 for each round you forgo movement to aim.

12. Mace, hefty, d8. On a roll of 7+, target's armor gets damaged or destroyed: -1 armor.

13. Quarterstaff, long, d6. +d6 against opponent who charged you last round.

14. Shortbow, long, d6. You can fire during movement. In practice, this grants you an extra move while attacking.

15. Shortsword, light, d6. Can parry* as a reaction, up to 2 dice per round.

16. Sling, d6. Can be used to throw stuff other than rocks. Bombs, mudballs, baby armadillos, you name it.

17. Spear, hefty, d8. You can choose to hold your attack until someone charges at you. Roll damage against them. On a roll of 7+ their attack is negated, on top of the damage received.

18. Sword, hefty, reach, d8. Can parry* as a reaction, once per round.

19. Two-handed axe, long, d10. Your attacks get +d10. Opponents' attacks get +d6 against you.

20. Warhammer, long, d10. On a roll of 7+, opponent makes a STR save or is pushed away.

*Parry: As a reaction, you can momentarily expose yourself to remove one of the dice from your opponent's attack, if you roll higher with your weapon's die. If you remove all of their dice, your opponent is exposed next round. You can't parry if you were already exposed.

Tags:
+d: roll all dice, only the highest counts as damage
Charge: closing the distance to make a melee attack
Exposed: someone is exposed when they're left with 0 HP
Hefty: if you're handling 2 hefty items, their damage die are one size lower (d8->d6). Shields are hefty items
Light: can be used together with another weapon without disadvantages
Long: impaired in narrow spaces (e.g. corridors), needs 2 hands
Reach: allow you to attack from 2nd rank and out of reach of other melee weapons
Slow: either move or attack
Wound: an attack that dealt STR damage

Stolen from Luke Gearing https://lukegearing.blot.im/odandd-reference-document
Tags from the Mythic Bastionland preview https://bastionland.substack.com/p/play-mythic-bastionland-for-free

Gotta catch'em all! Dungemon - Dungeon Monsters

Everything like Cairn, except:

Character creation: 

During character creation, whenever a PC would get a weapon, they get 2 dunge-balls instead. One of them contains their starter monster (max 1 at char creation). 1 dunge-ball takes up 1 slot.

Catching monsters:

You can catch a monster in a dunge-ball. Throw it against them after they received Critical Damage. The target has to be in range (around 40 ft, or one combat movement action). The monster in the ball will still be damaged.

You can't catch intelligent monsters. Dunge-balls don't work on the likes of bugbears, dwarves, elves, gnolls, gnomes, goblins, and orcs. Even though these monsters are able to fight, sometimes they use tamed monsters of their own.

Fighting:

PCs can't fight, they deal 0 damage even when using weapons. They can still cast spells.

A monster you caught will respond to simple commands. Shouting a command takes one combat action.

Letting multiple monsters out of their balls at once is possible. But remember, you can only shout 1 command each round.

Monsters can get Scars, just like PCs

Starters:

Fire Beetle: armor 1, 1 HP, 6 WIL, bite (d8), or flash

- The gland keeps casting light for 1-6 days after its death

- Can spend x HP to blind x targets for a round, rendering them unable to attack. Attacks against the target are enhanced

- If it receives 5+ damage in a single round, it gets flipped on its back and needs help to get back on its feet

Stirge: 6 HP, 6 WIL, bloodsucking peck (d6, Critical Damage: the stirge recovers as much HP as the STR damage dealt with its peck)

- A monstrous cross between a bird and a mosquito

- Its loud buzzing can attract enemies

- Does not come off until it has sucked all the blood, even at the risk of bursting. xin6 chance of bursting, where x is excess HP. Trying to get it to come off requires a Save (STR by force, WIL by command)

Spitting cobra: 2 HP, 6 WIL, bite (d6, Critical Damage: venom, see below) or spit

- Venom: instant death if 16+ was rolled on the Crit Damage save. Otherwise, the target is deprived, and unable to move until they receive an antidote

- Spit (melee range) causes blindness, permanent if not washed within 1h

- The design on the "wings" is different for each individual. Folks say that you can see the cause of your demise in the pattern (usually it's death by venom)

Cosa amo dell'"OSR"

 I seguenti principi, che io associo all'OSR, sono quelli che rendono il gioco divertente per me:

- Player agency: non c'è una storia prestabilita, solo un mondo da esplorare, nell'ordine e nel modo che preferisci. Le tue azioni hanno conseguenze sul mondo.

- The answer is not on your character sheet: non sentirti limitato dalle abilità speciali del tuo personaggio, sfrutta tutte le tue risorse al massimo, compreso il tuo equipaggiamento, l'ambiente, i desideri e i punti deboli dei PNG

- Combat as war not combat as sport: se scoppia un combattimento, questo non è stato bilanciato in modo da renderlo uno scontro equo, una delle 2 forze potrebbe essere di gran lunga superiore in potenza. Scappare è un'opzione da tenere sempre in considerazione. E' comunque possibile rendere inoffensivo un avversario più forte usando l'ingegno

- Rulings over rules. Non esiste una regola per tutto, il che permette una grande libertà rispetto alle azioni che possono essere intraprese. In queste situazioni, l'arbitro farà un ruling basato sulle circostanze

Come iniziare a giocare OSR

A mio avviso il migliore gioco per iniziare è Knave. Perché? Perché è semplicissimo, è economico ed è compatibile con la maggio parte dei moduli.

Ora, Knave ha il grosso problema di non avere praticamente regole inerenti l'esplorazione, ma è facile ovviare. Basta rubare quelle di OSE (sezione 'Adventures' )oppure l'hazard system di Necropraxis, e il gioco è fatto.

Ora abbiamo regole e personaggi, ma dove andiamo? Puoi creare il tuo mondo oppure giocare un'avventura già pronta.

Di avventure ce ne sono un'infinità, consiglio di farsi un giro su itchio e trovare quella che ti piace di più, oppure guarda questa cartella di one-page dungeon, perfetti per inziare a bagnare i piedi.

Se hai problemi a trovare giocatori di persona, consiglio di cercare online, sul canale Telegram di Ruling the Game, sul gruppo FB OSR Italia, e sul server Discord della COSMO.

E poi... inizia a giocare! Buttati, non avere paura. Capisco il timore di fare perdere tempo agli altri, ma i GDR sono magici, creano tantissimo divertimento con pochissimo sforzo. Basta davvero mettere quattro personaggi in un posto misterioso. Sicuramente farai degli errori, troverai che una situazione si poteva gestire diversamente, ma è difficile che questo rovini la serata e, anche se fosse, vorrà dire che la prossima volta farai meglio. Ne vale la pena.

Training to Learn New Abilities in OSR Classless Systems

On the OSR Reddit, someone stated that classless systems ruin the immersion for them, since everyone can do anything: anyone can cast spells, anyone is trained in every weapon, etc.

It's the opposite for me. Since everything is a consequence of the character's choices in the game world, rather than their pre-determined path, I find it more immersive.

You could easily hack some "training" rules on a classless system, or something similar. For example, I use Unions and Rituals in my Bastionland game. I like something instant better than just "spending time to train" because it's more fantastical, and more involving for the player.

I'd rather put in the game the option of being possessed by the soul of a famous swordsman and instantly learning his skills, rather than having players pick the training option from a menu of downtime actions

And that is because the latter option doesn't involve the player, while retrieving the swordsman's soul could be a quest, or carry some dilemma.

An option to involve a player in a training, is to give their characters challenges. Want to learn Lightning Bolt? Ok, first you have to be hit by an electric monster's attack, to get the feel of electricity running through your body. Once this is achieved, you have to down a monster by yourself, with electric melee attacks dealt with your bare hands. Only then you will be good enough to cast ranged lightning attacks.

Can PCs train their skills in your game? What does that look like? Let me know in the comments.