Why Into the Odd is a Horror Game Into the Odd is now officially "A Survival Horror Roleplaying Game". What qualifies it to carry that subtitle? There are those that would argue even regular D&D is a horror game, making some excellent points, but what about my variant? Deceptive Normality The setting of Into the Odd is filled with normality. Sure, there are revolutions, plagues and cruel factory-masters, but this is all very mundane stuff. The Odd is out there to be found, but most of civilization is similar to our own world, even the cities that are built on crashed spaceships. Wars are fought by men with guns, not armoured knights or battle wizards. Factories mass produce goods and companies and politicians share power, with monarchs being no more than figureheads. This is an early-modern world we can relate to, not a medieval fantasy. The Known but Incomprehensible Beside the relatively mundane happenings of an industrial world are things nobody understands. Grouping Arcana under one name is deceptive, as the game clearly dictates that they should break the rules. You can use an Arcanum and talk to scholars about them but nobody really understands them or knows a way to bypass the risks of using them. Similarly, everybody has a theory on the Astrals, but there are no solid answers. They could be aliens, divine beings, demons, advanced terrestrial beings or pure mythology. Unfair Enemies Referees are told to create monsters that break the rules and function in a vastly different way to normal characters. Most importantly, don't think of monsters as opponents to act as a fair fight to the characters. An encounter with a monster doesn't have to mean combat and in many cases it should be actively avoided. I hope to lead by example on this one with the seven example monsters provided in the game. The Dust Hag, Beckoning Shadow and Thing of Glowing Smoke are immune to normal weapons. The Abyssal Turtle is so huge that small arms are going to have very little effect, requiring Arcana or at least siege weapons. The Dead Echo can only be fought in darkness or a reflection and the Strange Hunter has a disintegration gun that exceeds any earthly weapon. The remaining underdog monster, the Ebon Crawler, can be fought simply enough but if it pins you down it'll dislocate its limbs, slither down your throat and hibernate in your corpse. Needless to say I want to encourage a sense of fear when it comes to monsters the characters will encounter. Creeping, Inevitable Death Not quite inevitable, there's no fun in that, but the threat is inevitable. If you fight for long enough you will have to start making saves to avoid Critical Damage, and that's always bad news. Attacks cause damage automatically, unless your armour reduces it to zero, so your Hitpoints are always a limited resource. They recover with a moment's rest, of course, but there isn't a standard method to recover them in combat. Watch them drip away as your character gets tired and starts to lose confidence. Do you want to stay around until you're at 0hp and need to roll a dread Save? Disposable Cast An alarming title, perhaps not as bad as it might sound. This effect comes from a combination of the Company system, where characters of Expert level either become members of a Company or found their own. This is the game's nod to the Domains of old and gives them a bank of resources, including characters. As the character proficiency curve is much flattened from traditional D&D it's a very viable option to send another member of your Company on an expedition in your place. If your main character does die, there are a bank of new characters waiting in the wings to take over their legacy. The Odd World Setting The Odd World - Why Visit Bastion? With nearly a million citizens, Bastion has become the largest city in the known world. Its skies are black with smoke and its streets bustling with residents from every corner of the world. Canals feed the city with trade from every direction and vast factories produce mass goods and new prototypes. The city sits on a network of tunnels and vaults that hold devices and beings of great power. Their contents are only known and accessed by the ministers that lead the nation's parliament. New ideas and enterprises flourish along with frequent and bloody revolutions. Things to do in Bastion - Sneak into the vaults underneath the city, hoping to snatch a powerful Arcanum. - Work with local academics to recover a new Arcanum to be stashed away in the vaults.- Investigate a reclusive engineer thought to be trying to transfer his life force into a machine.- Lead downtrodden factory workers in a rebellion.- Find out who or what is behind the hideously mangled corpses being found floating in the city's canals.- Earn some money in a fighting pit.- Join the latest political idealist in gathering an army of supporters. - Deal with an escaped entity from the vaults, now roaming the tunnels beneath the city. The Odd World - Why Visit Rosevine?The greatest seafaring empires in history have called Rosevine their capital. Architectural wonders of past centuries lie ravaged by plague and civil unrest. Queen Rosa IX claims both the city's throne and headship of the Celestial Temple. The anti-astral Union of Man call for her head, rumours spreading that she is an otherworldly imposter. Daily riots have pushed the Royal Court into a barricaded palace and underground catacombs. Union enforcers hunt down Astral Worshippers while the common citizen lives a life of fear and uncertainty. Things to do in Rosevine - Explore the city's ancient architecture, perhaps hiding wonders not understood by the city's previous rulers.- Investigate reports of the plague having unpredictable side effects on its victims.- Join the Union of Man and overthrow that shapeshifting imposter of a queen.- Volunteer for the Queen's guard, restoring order to the city.- Get involved with some aristocratic politics and get to the bottom of the accusations against the queen.- Aid the Union of Man in routing out Astral Cults, or provide them with protection in return for a powerful Arcanum.- Find out the source of the pestilence that is currently ravaging the city.- Aid the terrified citizens in stealing a vessel and escaping to the colonies. The Odd World - Why Visit Starfall?Some credit the bizarre architecture of Starfall to a fallen civilisation previously occupying the city, but many scholars claim it was built by the Astrals. Glass towers and steel pyramids house everything from factories to universities, some remaining inaccessible to even the wisest academics. Astral worshippers consider a pilgrimage to Starfall essential to gaining a true understanding of the world and the space beyond. The countless sects of astral worshippers have vastly different beliefs and agendas, rarely coexisting peacefully. Things to do in Starfall - Get involved in the street wars between sects of astral worshippers. - Gain access to one of the many otherworldly structures of the city to find the truth inside. - Work alongside smugglers bringing Arcana back into the city or shipping it out to one of the rival Sister States.- Try to find out why an entire block of houses vanished overnight.- Take your Arcana to leading academics to see if any further function can be uncovered. The Odd World - Why Visit the Golden Lands? The distant continent to the South starts as sweltering jungle and impassible swamp, leading to an endless stretch of desert. Dotted amongst the feral cultures are great cities filled with riches. These distant kingdoms watch the amassing guns of the Sister States and hide their own forces and Arcane secrets. Things to do in the Golden Lands - Get some gold! They wouldn't call it the Golden Lands for no reason, would they? - Stir up a war with the Sister States. The industrialised regions here are more than capable of mounting a sizeable, mobile army. - Bring the wonders of technology or astral worship to the feral cultures. Just try not to get murdered. - If you thought the Astrals left an impact on the Sister States wait until you see what's crashed in the jungle. - Hunt primordial beasts, perhaps even bringing one back to the Sister States alive. - There are ancient ruins down here too, you know. Civilization has been here just as long as back at home and there are plenty of fallen societies. - Find out what lies beyond of the endless desert. Even the locals don't seem to be sure. The Odd World - Why Visit the Islands?Tiny specks of land dot the ocean to the West and East of the Sister States. Most settlements are colonies of the Sister States but some native societies prevail. Life here is simpler but more lawless than in the Sister States. Uprisings against colonial rule are on the increase. Things to do on the Islands - Establish your own colony, peacefully or otherwise. - Free the native population from colonial rule.- Explore forbidden caves, jungles and swamps where natives tell of strange happenings.- Track down the mythical wandering island.- Try a new fangled submersible vessel and dive to the ocean floor to see the strange, metal wreckage lying there.- Bring the joys of astral worship to the natives or free them of the influence of sinister sects.- Just get away from everyone in the Sister States who wants you dead and work on your tan. The Odd World - Why Visit the Polar Ocean?The great Polar Ocean stretches as far North as anyone has ventured. Few explorers return and each brings a different story. Some talk of a shining paradise and some of a passage to the stars themselves. The mysteries of this Ocean continue to draw explorers to their death. Things to do in the Polar Ocean - Die horribly. - Never return. - Barely make it back to civilization as a babbling husk of your former self. Polar exploration is something of a last resort here. There are plenty of unexplored islands and a whole continent to your South. Anyone that tries to solve the mysteries of the world by sailing North deserves what they get. Odd People, Places, Creatures and Rules Odd Encounters - Errand DollThe Errand Doll STR 3, DEX 10, WIL 13, 5hp. 1d6-2 attack. Surrounded by a 5ft whistling cloud that it controls. Anyone in the cloud takes 1d6 burning damage each turn, ignoring armour. The doll can see through the cloud. The cloud may not leave the doll's home, typically a single structure. This tiny doll will issue an errand to any group it encounters. Roll a d6 to see if this task is mundane (6), nearly impossible (1) or somewhere in between. The doll's cloud will follow the group and attack them if they seem to be going off course or not taking the errand seriously. If they complete the errand the doll will offer its services for any single errand in return. The doll will attempt this regardless of its difficulty.Odd Encounters - Glass CrawlerGlass Crawler STR 4, DEX 4, WIL 5, 6hp. An unearthly, five foot high caterpillar-like creature. Favours dark conditions and eats any small creatures it can sting. Moves very slowly and makes a raspy noise when threatened. Cannot attack normally, but may brush a victim with its stings. Anyone attacking the crawler or otherwise risking contact with the stings must also make a Save as if they were attacked. DEX Save to avoid contact with the hair-like stingers. Anyone stung feels an immediate pain similar to a nettle. A few minutes later the sensation feels like shards moving inside their body and they lose 1d6 STR and DEX. Joints resist bending, forcing such movement causes an audible snap, feeling like a tube of glass has broken inside thejoint. Each minute of movement, other than very careful, slow walking, causes loss of 1d6 STR. The effect wears off after a long rest.Odd Encounters - Black ShellBlack Shell 2hp, Armour 3. Immobile and unable to attack as normal. When reduced to 0hp the shell is broken and the creature within is released with immediate hostility. The shell at first appears to be a glass-like cocoon. The writhing creature inside is only faintly visible in the darkness. Anyone that touches the cocoon attracts the creature's attention and is subject to its gaze as described below. Creature Within STR 14, DEX 10, WIL 12, 7hp, Armour 1. A black, chitinous humanoid that strikes for 1d6+1 damage. Its gaze can be targeted at one individual each turn, in addition to attacking. The target must pass a WIL Save or fall to the ground, paralysed until they have a Short Rest. If they are left alone with the creature while paralysed it will begin to regurgitate a viscous slime over their body, which soon hardens into their own Black Shell. By the next morning they are a Creature Within and trapped until the shell is broken. Odd Encounters - MaskMask STR 14, DEX 18, WIL 12, 14hp, Armour 1. Featherless-Wing (d6). Wants to find out everything about you, and lie about its identity. A 9ft tall, unnaturally elegant, creature. Resembles a white, featherless bird. Will create an elaborate, false, backstory for itself and claim grand powers that it does not possess. If a anyone bows to it, and proclaims "You speak the truth", it will gain whatever false powers it has claimed in the presence of that individual only. Cannot, under any circumstances, reveal the truth about its identity, or admit to lying. Odd Encounters - Meet the Starmen, Torture HeraldTorture Herald STR 10, DEX 8, WIL 8, 14hp. Cold Trident (d8, see below), Pistol (d6), Adorned military uniform that looks like a child made it. Walks in spasmodic jolts, chases anyone that catches his gaze, and screams in broken speech. Claims he is from "Torture" and describes a spiral of infinite pain beyond our own, awaiting all on death. If you ask his name, he just screams at you. Nobody likes talking to him. Rumours are that he's just a disfigured, crazy mutant, but he insists that he hold an official position from the realm of Torture. Wants to convince others that he's really from Torture, and that they're doomed to an eternity of pain after death. Also wants to travel to the other realities that he claims exist beyond our own, to spread the word further. Cold Trident: Anyone dealt Critical Damage by the Trident is held in a painful limbo of tortured half-life as long as the trident remains touching them. If they wish to give mercy the wielder can wrench them back to life, leaving them at STR 1 with 0hp. If they remove the trident, the victim dies instantly.Odd Encounters - B. R. Yarr's Severed BattalionGeneral B. R. Yarr - Head in a Jar STR 0, DEX 0, WIL 17, 2hp, Armour 1. Confined to a reinforced glass jar. Completely immobile. Can only act through a telepathic link with his Severed Battalion. Wants to find a way to gather more members to his battalion, and eventually find a way to grow a new body. Won't settle for a fragile human body again. Headless Battalion: STR 14, DEX 6, 9hp, Hatchets (d6), Pistols (d6), Blooded uniforms. Attacks are impaired unless the target is being held by another headless, who will grunt to guide their ally's attacks. Odd People - Six Adventurers that are Better Than You1: Farjal the Red DeathWill fight for whoever pays him. Hope he hasn't been hired to kill you. He never works with anyone else. STR 12, DEX 14, WIL 12, 12hp, Armour 1. Sword (1d6+1), Red modern armour. Flaming Ring Arcanum: Heat Ray (Power 4), Inferno (Power 6), The Beast Within (Power 8). Heat Ray: Target must pass a DEX Save or take 4d6 damage. Inferno: Cause a source of fire to explode, causing 5d6 damage to all within 20ft. Targets may pass a DEX Save to only take 1d6 damage instead. The Beast Within: Add 2d6-1 to STR and DEX but also subtract this number from WIL (minimum of 1) and lose the ability to speak. This lasts for 8 rounds. 2: Dargaz the HuntmasterOnly seeks new trophies. He has made lots of enemies in this area in the past. STR 10, DEX 11, WIL 13, 10hp. Heavy Polearm (Wildstaff), Musket (1d6+1), pack of ten faithful hounds. Wildstaff Arcanum: Dire Beasts (Power 10). Dire Beasts: Up to five animals double in size for 10 minutes, doubling HP and gaining 8 STR. They also grow much more violent. 3: Arnet the CloakWill steal anything you have that he wants and may kill you to keep things simple. Will never kill women or children. STR 9, DEX 16, WIL 8, 9hp, Armour 1. Two Daggers (1d6), Pistol (1d6), Shield armour, Various types of poison, Thief's tools. The Jet Dog Arcanum: Veil Senses (Power 4). Veil Senses: Target makes a WIL Save or is Blinded or Deafened until the curse is lifted. Blind opponents subtract 10 from DEX. 4: Rock VargaWill pick a fight with nearly anyone just to show off. Considers himself a drink connoisseur, which seems at odds with his personality. STR 16, DEX 13, WIL 10, 16hp, Armour 1. Heavy Mace (1d6+1), Shield armour. 5: Castellan HaumarWants to know what you're doing in his domain and when you're leaving. He's terrified of a neighbouring domain attacking, so has little time to waste with you. STR 11, DEX 12, WIL 14, 11hp, Armour 1. Halberd (1d6+1), Silver modern armour, SIZ 4 Domain. Always accompanied by his personal guard of ten heavily armoured knights. 6: Omal, Bearer of the EyeWill provide excellent healing services for a cost. He will also try to recruit you into his creepy cult. STR 14, DEX 9, WIL 15, 14hp, Armour 1. Scimitar (1d6+1), Shield armour. Glass Eye Arcanum: Madness (Power 8), Beast from Beyond (Power 8), Breath of Recovery (Power 4). Madness: All within 15ft of a point must pass a WIL Save or become confused for 8 rounds. Roll 1d6 at the start of each confused turn. 1: Attack the caster, 2: Act normally, 3: Do nothing, 4: Flee, 5: Attack nearest creature, 6: Attack nearest of their allies. Beast from Beyond: Summon a horrific flying beast (STR 20, DEX 15, WIL 4, Armour 2, 20HP, hits cause 1d6+1 Damage) to fight for you for 3d6 rounds. After this time it has free will. Breath of Recovery: Touch a creature and restore 3d6 of their HP or 1d6 points in any one Ability Score. Take 1d6 Damage in return. Odd People - Six random jerks you annoy in town. The PCs roll into town and somehow annoy someone with minutes. Roll 1d6 to see who. 1: Yurg the Large STR 16, DEX 7, WIL 9, 8hp, Armour 1, 15s, Fights unarmed for 1d6+1 damage: This guy just wants to punch you in front of everyone. Even the guards won't step in to stop him once he's pounding. 2: Furnum the Flash STR 8, DEX 13, WIL 8, 10hp, Armour 1, shield armour, heavy mace (1d6+1), 30s: This guy would rather embarrass you with some sharp put downs. He's needy enough that he'll make it his business to be wherever you go, ready to put you down. 3: Hurlett the Vague STR 7, DEX 10, WIL 7, 3hp, dagger (1d6), 1s: Seems to be a completely mad woman. Takes issue with one of the party and shouts at them, throws rocks and generally causes a scene. 4: Rela the Cat STR 10, DEX 14, WIL 10, 7hp, club (1d6), 18g: Her and her two fellow footpads have targeted one of the group. As soon as the target is alone they'll strike. 5: Old MarlSTR 11, DEX 9, WIL 14, 13hp, pistol (1d6), 5g: He doesn't like wandering adventurers, even though he used to be one! He'll try to turn everyone against the party rather than directly confronting them. 6: Nyal the White STR 14, DEX 13, WIL 13, 11hp, Armour 1, modern armour, heavy axe (1d6+1), 40g: Far too eager to jump to the defence of someone you've mildly inconvenienced. Will immediately try to fight you out of town. Everyone else tries to ignore him. Odd People - Caspia CartyCaspia lived a life of aristocracy for her first nine years, enjoying hunting with her favourite hound, Scraps. One morning, while hunting with her father, she saw her family mansion glow white. With a flash of light it was reduced to flaming rubble and Caspia and her Father collapsed. When she woke her Father was gone. Since then she has become inseparable from Scraps. She appears to have intense conversations with the hound. Homeless, they wander Bastion Country, surviving day to day. Several family members within the aristocracy have taken them in, but they always escape before long. Caspia Carty STR 7, DEX 11, WIL 14, 9hp. Musket (1d6+1), Knife (1d6), Fancy Clothes. Scraps - Gunhound STR 10, DEX 13, WIL 5, 7hp. Acts as an Arcanum for Caspia with the following spells. Command Word (Power 1): Order a target to drop, fall, flee or halt unless they pass a WIL Save. Can only target animals. Breath of Recovery (Power 2): Touch a creature and restore 1d6 points of lost STR, but take that much damage yourself. Scraps takes the damage when Caspia uses this Spell. Dire Beasts (Power 5): Up to five animals double in size. They gain +1 Armour and melee damage. They also grow much more violent. Scraps must be one of the targets. Odd People - Bastion's Favourite Arms DealerFrank Regal - Expert Entrepreneur STR 14, DEX 8, WIL 14, 11hp. Duelling Pistol (1d6+1), Officer's Cane (1d6), 1d6g. A travelling salesman of great repute. Wears a faded naval uniform and wears an eyepatch for purely cosmetic effect.Claims he's giving you a 10% discount for whatever reason he can think of. Discount is included in the prices below. To see which items he has in stock, roll 5d6 and discard the highest die. Each duplicate means a further 10% discount to that item! 1: Red Fred (10s): Military-grade musket (1d6+1, two hands). Fixed with bayonet (1d6+1, two hands). Legendary resilience, still firing through monsoons, sandstorms, and polar freezes. 2: Capper's Lugporker (10s): A hooked halberd (1d6+1, two hands) once used by city watchmen. Can force riders to pass a STR Save or be pulled from their steed. 3: Stower Sticks (10s): A brace of small pistols (1d6+1, two hands) with a harness that can be easily concealed. 4: Buff Pup (50s): A heavy blunderbuss (1d6+2, two hands) with a complex and lengthy loading process. Can only be fired once per combat, but roll 1d6 to see how many nearby targets can be caught in the blast. 5: Lagger's Dag (50s): A man-portable cannon (1d6+1, 2 hands, move or fire) that can damage ships as a siege weapon. 6: Rum-Tilter (30s, one hand): A highly decorated, basked-hilted sword (1d6+1), with real silver details. When you roll a duplicate item on the previous table, roll on the table below to see what special item Frank has in stock. Duplicates are discarded. 1: Flip Bolts (30s): Three powder-charged arrows that can be modified to fire from any bow or crossbow. Causes 1d6+2 damage and can damage structures as a siege engine. 2: Willow's New Revised Starmap (50s): An elaborate tome of charts and coordinates. Is actually an Arcanum containing the Spell Black Tentacles (Power 4). 3: Scrub-Hook (15s): A man-catcher polearm. Target must pass a STR Save or be snagged. They can try to break free with another STR Save, but failing this causes them 2d6 damage as they choke themselves. 4: Rosy Dram (5s bottle): A deceptively strong, pink liquor. A single measure leaves a man feeling drunk, requiring a STR Save to avoid passing out for 1d6 hours. A second measure will topple anyone without requiring save. 5: Devil Togs (1g): A heavy, ornate suit of armour (armour 1). Features a demonic mask that even makes your voice sound terrifying. 6: Jumbull (5g): STR 18, DEX 5, WIL 3, 8hp, Armour 2, 1d6+2 Gore, can damage structures as a siege engine. A woolly, elephant-like, beast of burden or war. Has an ill temperament and little to no training. Odd People - Hypatia Handel and Mr. Sweets Hypatia Handel STR 7, DEX 12, WIL 17, 3hp. Penknife (d6), 3s. Blond and lacy. Driven to explore the UndergroundALL OF IT. (After all, the rest of Mr. Sweets's family must be down there somewhere?) Mr. Sweets STR 17, DEX 12, WIL 10, hp 10, Armour 1. Leathery, baggy, and uglybut strangely redolent of lavender. Driven to protect Hypatia at all costs. Mr. Sweets usually attacks with his claws and bite (d6), but he will gore a target with his horns (d8) if he has room to charge. ... What, you thought Mr. Sweets was using Hypatia to conquer Bastion for his foul kind? He's really just the classic "hideous yet loyal pet that only a child can love"but in Bastion, those pets come with fangs and claws and abdomen-ripping horns. I envision Hypatia's parents hiring PCs to track her down on one of her Underground jaunts; Hypatia could also be a valuable source of information about just what's underneath the city streets.Odd Dynasties - The GigondinesThe Gigondines - Exiled noble line.Leader: Arin Gigondine Unified by blood. 200 Members 20 Noble Horsemen: 12hp, Armour, Longaxes (d8), Pistol Braces (d8). 40 Family Guard: 6hp, Armour, Muskets (d8). 60 Sworn Servants: 3hp, Poleaxes (d8). 80 Non-Combatants (Courtiers, Advisors, Clerical Staff) Arin Gigondine STR 8, DEX 8, WIL 13, 5hp. Wants to punish Bastion's high society for rejecting her children, and to restore her family honour. She has gathered several Arcana in her attempt to gather power, which she always carries on her person. Glass Baton: Touch any material with this baton to turn it transparent. The effect ends when the baton is removed. Blackening Crystal: Activating this black gem causes a wave of darkness to ripple outwards. All food and drink within sight is spoiled, plants die, and animals cry and flee. Abominable Mirror: Looking into this mirror reflects a grey, haggard version of the viewer. The image suggests terrible actions that might benefit the viewer. By immersing the mirror in water, this thing comes forth and immediately carries out their suggested action, before returning to the mirror. Mechanically, they are an exact copy. Boff Gigondine STR 9, DEX 4, WIL 9, 12hp. Wants to collect things and wander to distant places to forget about his family. He will talk at length about the expeditions of his past, and jump at any opportunity to relive them. Smoke Rock: An island far in the Polar Ocean, made out of solid, swirling smoke. He claims that snakes of pure darkness fought his expedition away after they caught a glimpse of a shimmering, silver city. Scrall Manor: A noble estate in a forgotten corner of Deep Country, where twisted mechanical humanoids serve some long-dead master. This is where Boff found his favourite spyglass, with unrivalled viewing distance. Colossus Skull: A human-like skull, a hundred feet high, glimpsed in a jungle valley of the Golden Lands. He refuses to say any more about this. The Children Born in unknown circumstances, each child appears as an infant, but both stand over seven feet tall. Their true age is not known. Cheroff Gigondine STR 19, DEX 7, WIL 4, 12hp, Armour 1. Oversized Rifle (d10), Slam (d8). Wants to show everyone how strong he is and impress his Mother. Speaks eloquently, but has little control over his emotions. Ellin Gigondine STR 18, DEX 7, WIL 10, 10hp. Armour 1. Slam (d8). Wants to get her brother in trouble, and follow her universal curiosity. Does not speak or show any emotion. Into the Odd Pregen CastRolling three stats and HP too tough for you? Roll 1d6 and take a gender-neutral pregen. 1: Bryce, Novice Revolutionary. STR 14, DEX 8, WIL 9, 2hp. Halberd (1d6+1), Pistol (1d6), Manacles. 2: Hawkes, Novice Student. STR 6, DEX 14, WIL 11, 1hp. Musket (1d6+1), Machete (1d6), Writing Set. 3: Sattler, Novice Ship's Mate.STR 10, DEX 11, WIL 10, 4hp. Musket (1d6+1), Club (1d6), Spyglass, Metal Skull Arcanum (Obscuring Mist, Burden Soul). 4: Baldridge, Novice Burglar. STR 14, DEX 8, WIL 9, 5hp. Pistol Brace (1d6+1), Dagger (1d6), 20ft Rope, 5: Parks, Novice Cultist. STR 10, DEX 6, WIL 16, 3hp. Heavy Mace (1d6+1), Dagger (1d6), Lantern, Locket Arcanum (Sunblessed, Heat Ray). 6: Dale, Novice Soldier.STR 11, DEX 12, WIL 7, 4hp. Musket (1d6+1), Dagger (1d6), Shovel. Quirk TableYour one-hitpoint Fighter meets an unglamorous death thirty minutes into the game. You shrug and roll up a new character, who comes out with six hitpoints and STR 17. What kind of karma is that for throwing a life away? Enter the Karmic Quirk table. After rolling a replacement character, roll once on this table for every character you have previously lost in this campaign. So if you've had two characters die already, you roll twice on here. For duplicates take the next entry down the table, looping up at 20. Karmic Quirks (d20) 1 - Ugly: Really, really ugly. Nobody wants to look at you any longer than necessary, but they always remember your weird face. 2 - Poverty: Start with only rags and a stick. 3 - Plague: Start with the Plague. Lose 1 CON each day until treated. Anyone close to you must pass a Save each day or become infected. 4 - Lice: You itch with lice. Anyone living closely with you must pass a Save each day or catch them too. 5 - Fish-Tongue: You speak in a slobbery drone that people find either annoying or amusing. 6 - Pig-Eye: You have tiny eyes and are likely to miss visual clues obvious to everyone else. 7 - Missing Limb: Roll 1d6 - 1-3: Arm, 4-6: Leg. 8 - Dumb: Reduce INT to 3. 9 - Unholy: Any sort of divine blessing has the opposite effect on you. 10 - Severe Allergy: If exposed to your allergen you must Save or Die. Roll 1d6 - 1: Alcohol, 2: Nuts, 3: Insect Stings, 4: Shellfish, 5: Antidote, 6: Dairy Products. 11 - Stalker: You have an obsessive follower that makes your life a pain. Roll 1d6 - 1: Mother, 2: Father, 3: Childhood Friend, 4-5: Ex Lover, 6: Ex-Lover who is also a Wizard. 12 - Fussy: There's a 50% chance that any meal served to you isn't to your liking. Unless you get a meal you enjoy you recover HP at half the normal rate. 13 - Deluded: The GM rolls another Quirk in secret. You're completely unaware of it. 14 - Super-Illiterate: You can't read, and attempting to read causes you 1d6 damage. 15 - Blind Confidence: The GM rerolls your HP in secret. You never know how many HP you have. 16 - Debt: You owe some a number of GP equal to 1 with 1d6 zeros on the end. 17 - Addict: Lose 1 maximum HP each day you don't indulge, to a minimum of 1hp. A binge restores all hp lost this way. Roll 1d6 - 1-2: Alcohol, 3-4: Tobacco, 5: Opiates, 6: Dream Fungus. 18 - Phobic: Subtract 1 from all rolls in the presence of your phobia. Subtract 5 when interacting directly with it. Roll 1d6: 1: Bugs, 2: Lizards/Snakes, 3: Magical Things, 4: Darkness, 5: Blood, 6: Heights. 19 - Uncool: You're such a dork. You'll never, ever be cool. 20 - Bad Name: The GM decides on your name, and it has to be really embarrassing. The other characters all know your real name, so you can't just go by a nickname.Injuries, and WorseWhen you suffer Ability Score loss, but survive, roll on the appropriate table for the Ability Score that you lost points in. Common sense determines if they're permanent or temporary. If unsure, it's 50/50. STRENGTH (from physical attacks) 1: Gushing wound. Lose a further 1d6 STR every turn until patched up.2: Maimed. Roll 1d6 and lose 1: Head, 2: Hand, 3: Arm, 4: Leg, 5: Ear, 6: Eye.3: Spinal Tear. Any STR loss from this attack is permanent.4: Whatever caused the harm is lodged inside you. It causes another 1d6 STR loss if it's not pulled out carefully.5: Punctured Lung. You wheeze loudly forever.6: Brain Hit Bad. Lose 1d6 WIL permanently.7: Concussion. You act like a dope for the rest of the day.8: Ruined Arm. You cannot use a random arm for anything. If you lose your good arm, attacks with your off-hand are Impaired until you get used to it in d20 Months.9: Broken jaw. You can't talk properly until it heals.10: Crushed ribs. If you take further STR loss before your next Full Rest, you take an additional 1d6 damage.11: Choked. You can't breath without assistance, and will die in 1d6 turns unless somebody helps you.12: Flesh Wound. It's not all that bad. Wicked scar too. STRENGTH (from other sources)1: You throw up a lot.2: You have the shivers at the slightest cold.3: Foaming mouth.4: Lose clumps of hair.5: Your complexion goes all gross and yellow.6: Bad reaction! The STR loss is permanent! 7: You become so sickly that you can never regain lost STR.8: One eye dies.9: Half of your face falls immobile.10: Hair turns grey/white/to-dust.11: Impotent.12: You shake it off! ARGH!! RARRR! I'M HARDCORE. DEXTERITY 1: You've got the shakes forever. Lose 1d6 DEX to a minimum of 1.2: You'll never dance again.3: You can't stand up quickly anymore.4: Spasms whenever least convenient, unless you pass a WIL Save.5: Cannot walk at all without a stick.6: Hobble for the rest of your life.7: Comatose. Attempt a WIL Save after d20 days to restore movement.8: Balance is shot. Require DEX Saves for things that aren't even difficult ordinarily.9: You can't turn your neck anymore.10: One eye permanently closed.11: Slack tongue. You sound like an idiot.12: You drool if you're not careful. WILLPOWER 1: Stammer.2: You need a drink to steady your nerves, otherwise you have the shakes.3: You have a phobia of whatever did this to you. WIL Save to confront it again.4: Surge of idiotic heroism. You can only act if it's suitably stupid and heroic, until you get a short rest.5: You become an incredibly picky eater. WIL Save to avoid vomiting any meal.6: Insomnia. You only benefit from Full Rests if you pass a WIL save and get some sleep.7: Sensitivity. Sudden, loud noises cause you to lose 1d6 WIL.8: Delusion. From now on the Referee rolls all your dice and keeps track of your scores, damage etc. in secret.9: Obsession. You cannot benefit from Long Rests until you confront whatever did this to you and get revenge.10: Anxiety. You cannot benefit from rests until you're somewhere completely, 100% safe, and not even slightly dangerous.11: Trigger Happy. Whenever there's a surprise, and you're armed, you must pass a WIL Save to avoid attacking the surprising thing.12: Hallucinations, only when you're alone, and you can only find out if they're real by touching them.d12 Noble Weapons of BastionInto the Odd has four weapons that you're likely to see carried. Hand Weapons are one-handers from daggers to axes, and pistols. d6 damage, one hand. Field Weapons are two-handers like muskets, pikes, zweihanders, and sledgehammers. d8 damage, two hands. Heavy Guns are for hunting big game. d10 damage, two hands, don't move and fire. Super expensive. The best weapons are Noble Weapons. Practical enough to carry in one hand, but packing an increased punch of d8 damage. So what makes them better than Hand Weapons? 1: Pepperball - Fourteen-barreled pistol using a new mechanism to fire at ultra high velocity. Sounds like FipFipFipFipFipFipFipFipFip!2: Roseladder - A helix of spikes and hooks of ultra-hardened metal. Pommel and guard are spiked for punching. Popular with flamboyant gladiators.3: Impaltrix - Long pistol firing foot-long metal stakes with a combination of powder and magnets. Sounds like SHWWIIING followed by screaming. 4: Hand Scorcher - Thin metal rod that instantly heats to searing temperature. Creates lots of steam when plunged into water, and smells really gross. Remains hot for an impractically long time after use. 5: Bloomfeller - Bulb-shaped pistol that fires special heavy shot with a THUSSSSS sound. The shot breaks up mid-air to cause particularly nasty wounds. 6: Double Foil - Two-pronged fencing sword that looks utterly ridiculous and impractical. In reality the two tips deliver a painful electric current when they strike a target. Recharges with a rather loud and embarrassing pumping mechanism. 7: Urbarrager - Two-barreled heavy pistol with gargoyle faces, spikes, and all sorts of other over the top decoration. Wildly inaccurate but fires big shots fast enough for it not to matter. Sounds like BAWRK! BAWRK BAWRK! 8: Prong of War - A heavy two-pronged military fork that can barely be wielded in one hand. Associated with use by an ancient culture known for horrible torture rituals, so carries a certain message with its use. 9: Side-Mortar - Very heavy, sturdy pistol with no resemblance to a mortar. Has an incredibly satisfying pump action reload and the perfect weight for spinning around and doing tricks. Sounds like BAFF! ker-chuck.. BAFF! ker chuck... 10: Gentleman's Pick - A long sabre with a pick on the end of the back-side. The blade is of little use, but the pick is very effective. Features a cigar lighter on the pommel. 11: Little Duke - A nice light, well made pistol, with fantastic accuracy and a real punch. Ivory handle and intricate lace grip. Sounds like PAOWD! Costs ten times a normal Noble Weapon and will almost certainly be the target of thieves. 12: Discipline Cane - Made from the light, but incredibly strong, bones of a fallen skywhale, and studded with the teeth of various types of sewer crocodiles polished to a white sheen. Anyone wielding this just gives the impression that they're a massive jerk that needs pushing into some mud.Thoroughly Modern ArmourInfantry armour is generally rather binary in Into the Odd. Either you're armoured, and reduce all damage against you by 1, or you're not. If you want to get to Armour 2 you'll need to mount up as cavalry or find something very special indeed. Armour 3 isn't for you. Well-made, Modern Armour protects you with a few high quality pieces and leaves both arms free. A good breastplate and helm should do it. It isn't cheap, though.Crappy outdated Shield Armour occupies your off-hand in some way. Anyone using this is doing so for ceremonial effect, or they don't have access to the good stuff. Because Armour is either expensive, or prevents use of Field Weapons like muskets and halberds, it's not a viable option for many soldiers or guards. Better to stick them in a colorful uniform and a fancy hat so that they at least feel dressed for battle.d12 Sets of Modern Armour 1: Fox's Face (1g): Something about this helmet makes animals go crazy at the wearer. Previously worn by a group of city guards but abandoned after they got fed up of murdering feral dogs and cats.2: Kleon's Termination Suit (25s): Cheap enough to equip your soldiers with, heavy enough that they can only march half the normal distance in a day, and throw their suit to the ground at first sign of camp.3: Carnage Aspect (50s): The outside is covered in a powdered irritant that causes any wounds to be doubly painful. Massively inconvenient for most non-violent activity.4: Awade's Standardised Cloak & Plate (50s): The official armour of the competition sword-and-dagger league. If you wear this you cannot turn down a challenge of a duel, lest you incur the wrath of the league enforcers.5: Bearmail (50s): Originally used in fighting pits by fighters specially trained to take on bears. Something about the texture freaks bears out, and once they touch it they turn all timid and cowering. 6: Predator Armour (1gs): Worn by bounty hunters who believe the furs give them animal senses. They don't, and making yourself obviously look like a bounty hunter is a good way to make a target of yourself. 7: Full Dispersion Suit (70s): Designed to spread the impact of even the heaviest weaponry, but incredibly heavy to wear and makes you an easy target for personal weapons. Cannons and other siege weapons have their attacks Impaired against you, but you have no protection against other attacks.8: Salter-Shell (2g): Based on a design found on ancient carvings, suspected to show conquering soldiers from an ocean world. Requires special treatment with an exotic mineral. Must be bonded to the wearer forever, and can only be ripped away at the cost of d12 STR loss. In return, the wearer can somehow breathe underwater and resist any amount of water pressure. 9: Banker's Breast: (1g): Easily concealed under smart clothes, but wearers usually like to let a little show to emphasize that they're important enough to worry about assassins.10: New Mechanical Savior (5g): Carefully attached to sense when the wearer's heart stops. If this happens, it releases a combination of intense convulsions, and a surge of some unknown power. If the wearer can pass a WIL Save, they return to life. If they fail, they spasm wildly for a few moment before remaining dead. Must be reconfigured by its maker after each use. 11: Polished Glory (60s): Exactly the sort of elaborately decorated, polished armour that you'd expect to see on a Cavalry Officer who doesn't expect to have to use it. If you wear it you'll either be taken incredibly seriously, or seen as a spineless joke. 12: Berning's Burial Case (1g): Once locked on, this armour is almost impossible to remove. Intended to prevent posthumous organ theft or other violation, but doubles as effective protection on a living subject. d12 Odd CargoRoll d12 to find out what those weird guys were hauling. 1 - Soldier Seed Polished tins of silver seeds. Label shows immaculately uniformed soldiers growing out of a vegetable patch. If planted, will sprout misshapen babies after a day. They grow into twisted toddlers within the week, and within two weeks into big, bent, knotted men that cry out in agony, but serve remarkably well. If cut from the ground early they turn black and die in an hour. Seeded Soldier Regiment (3hp, STR 14, joints and hair in all the wrong places) 2 - Bright Mountain Dust Glow-in-the-dark quartzlike rock that, in moderation, is like a tastier, more intense salt. If too much is eaten (if in doubt, it's too much) the victim vomits glowing sludge until they pass a STR Save. If directly licked, the licker vomits, and their tongue swells and goes limp. They can only talk like an idiot for the rest of the day. 3 - Penal Shell Iron barrel worn like a tortoise shell (Armour 1), spiked on the inside, with holes for limbs to just stick out. Locks shut if someone gets inside it, and the keys aren't here. You'll need a specialist to bust it open. All actions are impaired and the wearer is constantly poked with spikes, suffering a further d6 damage if shaken or knocked about. 4 - Winter Syrup Between molasses and lard, savoury and sweet, rations and fossil fuel. Favoured by Polar explorers and young academics that eat vast quantities as a hazing ritual. 5 - Eternity Deeds Hundreds of documents agreeing for future descendants of the signer to become property of Workmaster Enterprise Camps in return for advanced payment. 6 - Star-Child Confit 10ft metal tin filled with dense white fat. Deep in the middle is the preserved corpse of a winged, boneless child with long fingers and empty eye sockets. 7 - Nerve Wax Causes some numbing at touch. Rubbing it in causes dull pain in that body part that lasts the rest of the day. Extended rubbing-in causes agonising pain that impairs all action and causes loss of 1 WIL each hour unless thoroughly washed off with very hot water. 8 - Void Totem Massive (20ft) black rock held in a wooden crate. Almost a cube, pretty much unbreakable. Small hole (inch wide) in the center of the top side that annihilates anything placed inside. If the rock is somehow broken (impossible by any previous attempts) it annihilates everything within a mile. 9 - Killing Eagles Metal gargoyles of eagles tearing apart smaller versions of various other animals. The eyes glow at night. If you kill the eagle's prey animal in its vision, its eyes will blast rays of light indiscriminately for d10 damage before returning to its dormant state. 10 - Humungo A truly humongous (STR 18, DEX 8, WIL 4, 10hp, Armour 1, 12ft tall) man inked with astral symbols. Totally bestial in behaviour. Trapped in a man-shaped iron-banded box that holds him in place with only a hole at the mouth, and one at the base. 11 - Blown Wishes Hundreds of seemingly empty glass jars. Each is labelled with a name (first name only). 12 - Ultra-Snare A metal ball of wire held in a seriously reinforced ceramic chest. If thrown with any force it unleashes a vast forest of razor-wire that causes d6 damage to all in the area. Anyone moving within the wire must do so very slowly and carefully, or else take d6 damage. Seemingly no way to retract the snare. Non-Alien Cult IdolsNot everything is aliens. These cults base themselves on a site of great importance to their idol, and interfere in the lives of people that don't see their idol as a holy thing but just a thing.For every Cult there is at least one splinter group that believe they're worshiping their idol in the wrong way, and another that think idolising the thing at all is unholy. Roll d100 to find out what a Cult idolises. It's up to you whether their idol is a legitimate higher power or not. 1.A brightly coloured frog.2.The concept of hunger and what it drives people to do. 3.A huge golden baby statue. 4.Another cult, who hate them. 5.The darkness between streetlamps. 6.Streetlamps. 7.The act of idolatry. 8.Peaceful discussion and tea. 9.Angry mobs, bigger means more holy. 10.Anyone who ever claims to have ruled Bastion in equal measure. 11.A very specific type of sweet wine. 12.The process of carpentry. 13.Huge elk that live in the coldest parts of Deep Country. 14.Their glass cathedral. 15.Triangles. 16.Gunpowder. 17.Scar-Maps. 18.Kickboxing. 19.Absolute Nothingness. 20.A set of symbols on an old rock that nobody can agree on the meaning of. 21.Anything that can burn, but not the act of burning. 22.Massacres. 23.Every set of genitals in the world. 24.Cloud Patterns. 25.The gutter. 26.Cosmetic Surgery. 27.Smells, the more potent the better. 28.Toxic flower extracts. 29.Gruel. 30.An obsolete pipe network underneath the city. 31.Walls. 32.Glass-blowing. 33.Being beaten with sticks of bamboo. 34.Great feats of strength. 35.An ancient solved board-game. 36.Answering a question with a question. 37.Anything that comes in a matched pair. 38.Smashing things under a massive weight. 39.The way oil separates from water. 40.Monotone Singing. 41.Properly written letters of complaint. 42.Looking at things under microscope. 43.Walking through a pool of treacle. 44.Taxes. 45.Guard Brutality. 46.Net-Weaving. 47.Telling exaggerated stories about distant lands. 48.Broken compasses. 49.Personal Hygiene. 50.Tiny blue berries that grow underground. 51.A fossilised ape skeleton. 52.Over-feeding animals. 53.Crusty old man strapped to a chair. 54.The destruction of other cults. 55.Shadows cast by moonlight. 56.Disguising one's appearance. 57.Disproving other cults. 58.Drunken arguments. 59.Tiny animals, the smaller the more holy. 60.The recently dead from natural causes. 61.A bitter root that makes disgusting tea. 62.Melting things. 63.Electric eels. 64.A that they know has no significance, but that's sort of the point. 65.Smooth edges. 66.The process of smoke-drying things. 67.The cries of newborns. 68.Blood-letting. 69.Literally everything. 70.A set of holy numbers. 71.Putting out fires. 72.Mass syncronised births. 73.Extracted brains. 74.Staring into the sun until your eyes hurt and you start to see blurred things. 75.The wealthy. 76.The aging process. 77.Cheese rind. 78.Fragrant herbs. 79.Caviar. 80.The pattern formed by the road and canal network. 81.Anything found underground. 82.Building sand sculptures. 83.Rubbing nettles on yourself and not being allowed to scratch. 84.Mathematical prowess. . 85.A game that seems to have entirely different rules each time. 86.Only ever saying Yes or No. 87.Completely unique items, which turns out to be almost everything. 88.Creating tiny models of things. 89.Boiling things. 90.Manic screeching and banging of drums. 91.Vigilante Justice. 92.Looking down at the world from a great height. 93.Going deep underwater. 94.Charity. 95.Proper etiquette. 96.Releasing captive animals to the wild. 97.Calling people out on lies. 98.Convincing people to go into the Polar Ocean to die. 99.Becoming filthier and filthier. 100.Ridiculous outfits. 101. How Bad is Bastion Today?Roll d8 on each table at the start of every morning, afternoon, and evening in Bastion. How Bad is the Traffic? (d6 in Morning, d8 at other times) 1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as a 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way.4: Road Rage. Drivers have turned to crazed fighters, horses run feral, and burning carriages litter the street.5: Gridlock. Nobody can get anywhere.6: Slow: Getting anywhere by road takes forever.7: Jerks Everywhere. Everyone's driving like a jerk.8: Not That Bad! You can get around without much trouble. How Bad is the Smog? 1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as a 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way.4: Choking. Better get underground! Lose 1 STR for every minute of exposure.5: Grey-Out. You can't see your hand in front of your face. Everything is filthy once it clears.6: Hazardous. The lamps are on, and you can just see to the other side of the street.7: Smoggy. You can just make out the top of buildings.8: Not That Bad! Remarkably clear! How Bad are the Ragamuffins? 1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as a 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way.4: Feral. They've deteriorated into a pack of wild beasts! 5: Out in Force. They're out to pickpocket and mug whatever and whoever they can.6: Pranking: They've got a plot to make you look like an idiot.7: Plotting. They're all meeting up Underground. 8: Not That Bad! They might even help for a shilling. How Bad are the Drunks? (d10 in morning, d8 in afternoon, d6 at night) 1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as a 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way.4: Street War Soldiers are clashing with drunk rioters in the streets. Bars are being burnt down, and it's open warfare in Bastion! 5: Brawling: They're fighting each other in large groups.6: Rowdy: Breaking into places to steal more drink.7: Up to No Good. Bellowing, fighting, and pissing everywhere.8+: Not That Bad! They're almost singing in tune.Mercy - Bastion's Forgotten QuarterA mess of makeshift shacks fills the gaps between old, stone houses. A high, white wall keeps the residents in, and guards in masked isolation suits watch the lone gate. Equal parts prison, asylum and plague-ridden shanty town. Reasons to be in Mercy - Someone had you thrown in.- You need someone from inside. - There's something hidden inside.- There's a secret entrance to a lost vault inside. - After a gin-fuelled night, you woke up on the wrong side of the white wall. Places King Errol An elephantine beast, formerly an attraction in a travelling circus. When the beast became demented, it was spared its life, but thrown into Mercy. After a lengthy rampage, it died in the centre square, where its body stands semi-preserved. Something of a mascot for the quarter, the square is a hub for organising riots against the gate, burning corpses, or planning the next elaborate attempt to climb the wall. The Hole A prison within a prison. Anyone deemed a danger to the quarter is thrown into this literal pit and forced to fight their cohabitants for scraps of bread and rotten meat. The Still A beacon of order amongst the madness. Whoever runs the still is sure to keep it well guarded, handing out bottles of volatile spirit in exchange for favours or goods smuggled from beyond the wall. Hurling Hill A pile of rubble, broken furniture and corpses, heaped against the wall's lowest point. Guards beat down any attempts at escape, but it's a great spot for throwing unpleasant waste at the normals on the other side. Residents Moon Devil Tall, broad, with thick red hair and beard. Claims rulership of a small cluster of shacks, mostly populated by weeping, pathetic creatures. Constantly prophesises about his own greatness, claiming the moon sends him messages to bring down the white wall. Enforces his rule by killing anyone that questions him.STR 13, DEX 8, WIL 8, 13hp. Sledgehammer (1d6+1), 10s. White Disc Arcanum: Remove all damage and harming effects from yourself. Requires the blood of a recent human kill to use. The Ape Mob A common enemy of all Mercy's human residents. Not actually apes, but a band of men that seem intent on returning to a savage lifestyle. This is working remarkably well for them, and they continue to recruit new members. Run naked, screaming and attacking anyone they see.STR 12, DEX 11, WIL 5, 4hp. Tooth and Claw (1d6) Fly Stan A short man with unnaturally large eyes and a constantly drooling mouth. Has an intimate knowledge of the area, including tunnels in and out of the quarter. Despite this, he continues to live in Mercy. Makes his home in the hidden vault where he found his rings.STR 4, DEX 14, WIL 16, 10hp. Pistol (1d6), Big Knife (1d6).Spark Rings Arcana: Surround yourself with a crackling field. The next being to move within 5ft of you suffers 2d6 damage, ignoring armour, and the field disappears. If you move at all, the field disappears. Father Mercy A jolly old man draped in white furs and ancient armour. Considers himself a protector of Mercy's residents, and spends most of his day stood at the gate, bellowing greetings to anyone nearby, and welcoming newcomers. In actuality, his advice is always terrible and leads to many newcomers dying within their first day.STR 8, DEX 7, WIL 11, 8hp.Sword (1d6), Shield Armour (1), Horn, 12s in fineries.New Items and alternate optional Weapon Rules Light Sidearm (10s): Normal damage (1d6). May be wielded as a secondary weapon, allowing you to re-roll damage once per attack. Includes daggers and handaxes. Heavy Weapon (1g, two hands) 1d6+2 damage. Cannot move and attack. Claymore, warhammer. etc. Full Heavy Armour (1g): Armour 2. Always has a helm. Near impossible to run, move quietly, swim, leap etc. Shield (10s, one hand): +1 Armour. Birds: From parrots and ravens (10s) to kestrels and hawks (50s). STR 3, DEX 15, WIL 3, 1d6hp. Attacks smaller prey for 1d6 damage. Property: Cottage (1g), Workshop or City House (10g), Factory (100g), Manor and grounds (1000g). d6 Astral Cults of SkywhorlSkywhorl is a twisting stairway branching off into side-stairs, bar-rooms, market halls, and grand parlours claimed by Astral Cults. It sits in one of the lesser known quarter of Bastion. 1 - Screaming Bastard Revival Papa-Beast Maunder (STR 14, 10hp, Ceremonial Furs, believe he is pregnant with the Screaming Bastard, a hulk that will wipe evil from the planet. Wants to gather an army to protect himself and prepare a nursery for baby Screaming Bastard) Screaming Maniacs (STR 12, 6hp, Swords, Shield Armour, always beardy and screamy) 2- Corpse Mansion Ultramatyr Grandee-Sod-Arr (STR 5, DEX 5, WIL 15, 14hp, ramshackle barely-walking mummy, she is effectively immortal, and claims to be able to teach her method to others through pain ritual. Wants to create a super race of immortal mummies and live to see the future.) Pasty Skulks (4hp, DEX 13, Daggers, Black Cloaks and Round Hats) 3- Total Data Big Entity (STR 18, DEX 5, 15hp, Armour 2, Liquid Metal Suit that relies on a huge charging pod. Claims to be all knowing through symbiosis with his suit. Wants to find a way to take his suit into the Polar Ocean, and recruit his former friends to his cause.) Machine-Obsessed Thugs (9hp, Clubs, Pistols, Elaborate but ineffective lead breastplates) 4- Galaxy Crisis System Planet-God-Speaker (7hp, Claims he can talk to the planet and steer it to avoid cosmic collisions. Wants to keep everyone believing his lie by subtly impairing their observations) Fat Academics (3hp, Pistols, Telescope always at one eye) 5- Crash Culture Hot Ice (WIL 15, 8hp. Can emit strobe-like flashes that cause fits and hallucinations that he claims are visions from the Star-men. Wants to recruit attractive women and slowly kill his male rivals in suicide missions) Fashionable Waifs (2hp, Ornate Fencing Swords, black masks with yellow-star eyes) 6 - Wordstorm Vellheema Sorn (WIL 17, 9hp. Can read books instantly by placing her hand on them. Claims there is a pattern hidden in all books that will reveal the location of the promised city. Wants to find the promised land and keep her book collection secret.) Shifty Book-Collectors (2hp, Pistol, thick-rimmed monacles) New Beauty CrewA highly exclusive collective of ten paid killers. Their rates start at 10g for a kill, increasing with the difficulty of the target. Despite being a collective, they never gather in groups of more than three at once. Famed for their flamboyant costumes, which always include polished metal, glitter, and dyed hair. When one dies their nearest rival is tasked with recruiting a replacement. They often take on the deceased's name and persona. Olf Brutey - Sex MountainSTR 15, DEX 9, WIL 9, 10hp. Big Fancy Axe (d8), Side-Hammer (d6), Pistol (d6, long purple-dyed beard, huge square body).Kills by kicking in the door at night and chopping you to bits. Wants to impress Rox Renyay and earn enough money to outsource his job. Currently serving an exclusive contract with the Slaughter Family Cult. Rox Renyay - Spark GladiatorSTR 12, DEX 12, WIL 14, 15hp. Blue-polished Armour (1), Triangular Shortsword (d6), Metal Jaws (d8 in down and dirty fighting, blue-glitter skin paint).Kills by harming the target's loved ones until they are willing to fight him directly. Wants to seduce She Rumbles and earn enough money to retire as a celebrity. Currently imprisoned for murder and awaiting execution. She Rumbles - Gorgeous Blob STR 18, DEX 8, WIL 14, 9hp. Weird Long Rifle (d10 cannot fire on the run), Club (d6). Dark-green full body paint) Kills by bullying the target's associated into betraying them.Wants to kill Kay DeBrooey for a minor insult and earn enough influence to run for legitimate power. Currently in hiding with underground mutants. Kay DeBrooey - The MothflameSTR 10, DEX 14, WIL 15, 7hp. Polished-Black Armour (1), Pistol Brace (d8), Firebombs, Orange Spiked Hair.Kills by trapping the target in a fire.Wants to punish Axl Flurry for stealing a previous contract, and earn enough money to buy bigger firebombs. Currently hunting an exiled workmaster out in Deep Country. Axl Flurry - Killer Badboy STR 7, DEX 10, WIL 10, 14hp. Glass Dagger (d6), Smoke Bombs, Massive Sparkly Visor. Kills by sneaking poison into the target's food or drink.Wants to rekindle an old friendship with Saint Adorer before he took on his current persona, and earn enough money to get Kay DeBrooey off his back.Currently being hunted by the successors of his previous victim, the head of the Mercykillers genocidal mercenaries. Saint Adorer - AwestrikerSTR 16, DEX 10, WIL 13, 20hp. Double-Ended Claymore (d8), Polished Red Armour (1), Gold Face Paint, Very limited Levitation.Kills by throwing the target off somewhere high. Wants to see Shay Naz dethroned as the most famed member of the Crew in high society. Currently imprisoned by the cult No Man's Blood. Shay Naz - The Blue ObsessionSTR 11, DEX 12, WIL 8, 9hp. Fencing Sword (d6), Pistol (d6), Mass of midnight blue hair covered with glitter.Kills by influencing enough people to turn a blind eye or even do the job for her. Wants to earn the lust of the utterly asexual Nic Julienos, and earn enough money to continue her luxurious lifestyle. Currently infiltrating Bastion's high society in plain sight as companion to Admiral Thruster. Nic Julienos - AntihunkSTR 7, DEX 9, WIL 14, 10hp. Polished White Armour (1), Spike of green crystal (d6), Pistol (d6). Kills by being utterly ruthless and uncaring of his own safety.Wants to work with Morgan Thorax and learn from his savagery. Stockpiles money without a care for spending it.Currently in hiding after killing the workmaster of a huge factory complex. Morgan Thorax - Caveman StyleSTR 16, DEX 16, WIL 10, 24hp. Battle-Hook (d8), Skin Tattooed Grey.Wants to, kill Moolin Avant for attempting to kill him years ago, and be feared by the general polulace. Currently offering discount kills in the slums of Bastion. Moolin Avant - Pretty Little PustuleSTR 10, DEX 9, WIL 11, 10hp. Blunderbuss (d8), Sickly Yellow Glittered Skin.Kills by hiding until the right moment and then shooting you in your sleep.Wants to kill Olf Brutey for a juicy pay, and earn enough money to get a private island fortress. Currently under private hire to the Pure Extracts Importer's Union. Undergangs Sludge BasinThe Shallow Quarter is where all the cool gangs hang out. The gangs of Sludge Basin aren't interested in being cool. Henk Scannar & The Gladiators of Toil STR 18, DEX 12, WIL 15, 15hp, Armour 1, Huge Spike of Volcanic Rock (d10) Deep-born Underground freak with a gigantic head. Currently hunting big game deeper underground. Hates everyone, because everyone admires him, and he just wants to do his thing. Holds territory through legendary status and brute force. Wants to get killed fighting something truly awful in the deep Underground, wants his followers to leave him alone. Unwanted Gladiator Followers (11hp, Elaborate Arms (d6), Shield Armour, huge headdresses) Maximus Flint & Prehistory STR 8, DEX 10, WIL 17, 10hp, Pistols (d8), Rage Compass (see below) Crazed explorer and earth-centre-paradise cultist. Believes that Henk Scannar can lead him to his final goal. Holds no territory, only presses deeper underground. Wants to find the mythical paradise he believes lies beyond the Underground, and do anything to keep his acolytes loyal. Worn-Down Gunmen (WIL 7, 7hp, Muskets, tattered uniforms) Loyal Acolytes (WIL 15, 3hp, Spears, constantly covered in mud) Rage Compass - When opened the needle spins and lands on a random person in the vicinity. That target must pass a WIL Save or go into a rage that only ends when everyone else is defeated. If they pass this save the compass slams shut until the carrier next kills someone in anger. Cyrus Rattles & Metal Grave Men STR 16, DEX 4, WIL 10, 10hp, Armour 2, Black Beam (d10). Bloated mutant bolted with metal plates. Holds territory through his array of strange-powered mutants. Wants to kill Henk Scannar for stealing his glory as strongest in Sludge Basin. Incomprehensible Mutant Horde (10hp, Armour 1, Various weird attacks (d10), metal plates on heads) Odd Folk of Green PitGreen Pit is: - A huge park full of dead trees, overgrown weed, and a rampant population of talking Snakes.- A haven for Stinkers, a group that reject city life and worship this rare patch of nature.- Overlooked by Zip Tower, an old watchtower converted into fashionable coffee-bar. Random Encounters 1: Sephie Biter (7hp, STR 12) - Voluptuous woman with a toad-like face. Joined the Stinkers after a big fued with Annie Ganache. Wants to live a wild life free of responsibility. Always has another Stinker in tow.2: Prince Green (4hp, WIL 15) - Ruggedly handsome. Adored by the other Stinkers and used to getting his own way. Knows that Scarlett has a thing for him, and leads her on for fun. Wants to add to his hidden jewelry collection. Followed by d6 Stinkers.3: "Oboe" Fubb (7hp, WIL 6) - Pale, skinny, old man. Plays Oboe at Zip Tower occasionally, but lives with the Stinkers. Feels torn between the two worlds. Wants to get more of his city friends to join the Stinkers. Very close with Scarlett and supports her however possible.4: d6 Stinkers looking for snakes to play with.5: A lone Stinker sneaking away for some city-life.6: d4 Stinkers teaching a new recruit about life in Green Pit.7: Stave Snake - (STR 5, DEX 15, WIL 8, 4hp, d4 Bite, lose d8 STR on Critical Damage). White. Always fully straight, gliding forwards through some force. Speaks telepathically wants to trick people into doing stupid things. Attacks those that appear too smart for their tricks.8: Pumpkin Snake (STR 14, DEX 5, WIL 5, 6hp, d8 Whomp). Swollen and orange. Wants to impress with feats of strength before demanding food in return. Attacks those who refuse.9: Glitter Snake (STR 4, DEX 13, WIL 10, 7hp, d4 Bite). Glitterball texture, cold metal skin, and generally helpful. Wants to learn music and perform. Skin is worth 2g. Screams loud enough for the whole park to hear if threatened. Stinkers love them.10: Peach Snake (STR 3, DEX 6, WIL 6, 2hp, d4 Bite, d10 WIL Loss on Critical Damage). Communicates only through humming. Peachy texture, 6ft long. Wants to get into trouble to justify using its bite, which feels incredible for it. The victim starts to stiffen entirely, paralysed and drooling at DEX 0, but seeing incredibly hallucinations. Stinkers love this experience. Zip Tower (d8g Income) Scarlett Yaler (10hp, STR 15) - Towering amazon. Owner of Zip Tower. Wants to learn about the more unusual Snakes' powers. In lust with Prince Green.Scrap Yaler (7hp, STR 7) - Yappy little guy. Always overlooked brother to Scarlett. Wants to overthrow her to take control of Zip Tower. Annie Ganache (6hp, DEX 15) - Sarcastic pessimist. Downtrodden wife of Scrap. Wants to kill Sephie Biter over some old fued back when they were friends.Animal SovereignsNobody really believes these things exist unless they've encountered them first hand. It can be assumed that multiple Sovereigns exist for every type of beast out there. Animal Sovereigns share a number of qualities, unless an exception is noted: - They are larger versions of their animal, and may have exaggerated appearance and abilities. - They can speak with humans intelligently. - They can speak with their animal subjects, who obey them, up until they betray them for a rival. - When two Sovereigns of the same type meet they descend into violent beasts until one of them is defeated. The defeated Sovereign reverts to a normal animal of its type. - They plot and scheme. Worm-Queen STR 3, DEX 10, WIL 12, 7hp, No attacks. Can sniff out anything buried within a mile. Has a buried stash of gems worth 1,000g. Wants to avenge the mistreatment of worms by farmers, fishermen, and birds. Uses her riches to hire stronger beings to carry out the vengeance while she watches on. Grows into two Worm Princesses if cut in half. They feud until one remains to become Queen. Hates the Sparrow-Prince, who wants to feast on them. Hated by the Hedgehog-Judge, who deems them unworthy of life. Vulture Lord STR 11, DEX 14, WIL 10, 10hp, Beak (d6). Can sense impending death up to a mile away. Wants to speed along death in those that are beyond help, and create more urgency in his subjects, who tend to wait for their meals to die. Hates the Ur-Maggot, who wants to rule over all decay. Hated by the Arch-Elephant over some ancient insult. Tortoise Councillors STR 8, DEX 2, WIL 14, 4hp, Armour 2, Bite (d4). Knows everything that's going on in the world, regardless of distance. Want to discuss the matter at length, but stick to an agenda. A rare example of same type Sovereigns cooperating. Electing a permanent leader is at the end of the current Agenda. Even the smallest point of conversation takes an eternity. Hates the Parrot-Captain, who spreads lies. Hated by the Mandrill-Ministers, who live on impulse. MockeriesBastion is a creative city, and many of the creators are fascinated by animals. Despite some similarities to Animal Sovereigns, Mockeries are very obviously different. Limbs might be carved from wood, faces molded out of clay, and skin from felt. Think of how you might move a puppet, in place of how a real animal would move. They may be dressed in special clothes and be somewhat humanoid. Some are imitations of vegetables or other objects, rather than creatures. They share the following features, unless an exception is noted: - They are made out of artificial material, so practically any damage is repairable. - They talk and sing, but tend towards base intelligence. - They do not need to eat or sleep, and are unaffected by alcohol and disease, but pretend as part of their life imitation. - Real animals hate them. Children love them, unless they're horrifying. Mock Otter STR 5, DEX 17, WIL 5, 6hp, Bite (d4), functioning mechanical wings, keen eye for sparkles.Wants to gather sparkly stones for master, and frolic playfully. Easily distracted by anyone that thinks he's cute. Mock Lobster STR 4, DEX 10, WIL 16, 12hp, Armour 1, Claws (d4), ridiculous little pirate outfit. Wants to live an exciting life and betray his current master in an amusing way. Spouts pirate cliches in an idiotic voice but is actually centuries old, with keen seafaring experience. Only gives good advice when it suits him. Terrified of going into the sea with real lobsters. Mock Heron STR 12, DEX 14, WIL 11, 8hp, Armour 2. Copper Beak (d8), endless supply of trivia. Wants to enforce good study at his University, and feed on fish-based delicacies. Any student caught not making the most of their academic opportunity is violently pecked and bombarded with facts, until they promise to get back to work. d12 Other Mockeries 1: Mock Toad - Well-meaning host with disgusting habits. Gets depressed if nobody likes his stomach-turning meals. 2: Mock Rhino - Simpering coward prone to devastating clumsiness. Fond of depressing poetry. 3: Mock Hog - Top-hat-wearing gourmands that never pay their bills. Think any suffering is hilarious. 4: Mock Mole - Sits in a breast-pocket and points out the obvious in an annoying voice. Claims to know the direction to treasure but leads you nowhere useful. 5: Mock Octopus - Master of puzzles. Always bored with even the most exciting happenings. 6: Mock Spider - Crime-lord sending other Mock Creatures out on jobs. Speaks only in riddles. 7: Mock Crow - Petty criminals that tread Bastion's rooftops and throw rotten fruit at passers-by. 8: Mock Skeleton - Performs elaborate dance routines warning of deathly hazards in the Underground. 9: Mock Mallard - Intrepid explorer of far-off lands, barely understandable quacking voice. 10: Mock Jelly - Quivers in fear of being eaten, but is actually inedible. Won't shut up no matter how much you reassure it. 11: Mock Dolphin - Overly friendly academic, sprays water at inappropriate moments. 12: Mock Croc - Underground thug for hire, loves bad jokes. Mock Fellows and Mock LifeMock Fellows are the human equivalent to Mock Animals. Although built for purpose, they're too susceptible to slapstick outbreaks to be truly useful. Theyhave all the usual properties of a Mockery: - They are made out of cloth, wood, metal, and clay, so practically any damage is repairable. - They talk and sing, but tend towards base intelligence. - They do not need to eat or sleep, and are unaffected by alcohol and disease, but pretend as part of their life imitation. - Real animals hate them. Children love them, unless they're horrifying. Roll d8 for a Mock Fellow. Ability Scores are 10 unless noted otherwise. 1 - Mock Infant - STR 2, DEX 2, WIL 5, 1hp. Pearl eyes and clay skin. Wants to sleep, eat, and cry. 2 - Mock Concierge - 4hp. Tiny waxed mustache, service trolley filled with silly items (giant comb, prosthetic leg, bomb, Mock Suckling Pig on a Platter). Wants to tend to the needs of guests, while pocketing some valuables for himself for an eventual retirement. 3 - Mock Legion - Detachment, 5hp, Mini-Muskets (d6), pit helmets. Want to be taken seriously as a fighting force, and travel to far off lands. 4 - Mock Advocate - 3hp, WIL 20. Powdered wig, feather-stuffing leaking out of a bloated belly. Wants to disagree with any point made by anyone, and present controversial opinions. 5 - Mock Spirit - 5hp. Dusty chains (d6). Wants to warn wicked people away from their current path 6 - Mock Giant - STR 18, DEX 4, 10hp, Armour 1. Towering fuzzy body. Wants to use his great strength to help the people, but is incredibly clumsy and stupid. 7 - Mock Barber - 8hp. Four Heads, Cane and Razor (d8) Stripy Felt Body. Wants to sing and shave. 8 - Mock Urchin - STR 5, 2hp. Wants to appear pitiful to gather money for her owner. Mock Life Nobody agrees on what brings Mockeries to life. Mockeries don't remember being brought to life, and have little memory of how old they are. Roll d12 for a common explanation. Maybe one is the truth. Maybe they all are. Maybe none. 1 - Gestation inside a female undergoing phantom pregnancy. 2 - Soaking in a blend of oils from deep-sea creatures. 3 - Wishing upon a star. 4 - An Arcanum underground that's so big anyone can invoke it if they know the right ritual. 5 - A living brain from a suitable being. 6 - The last breath of a person dying of natural causes. 7 - Kiss of a Cosmic Angel. 8 - Playing specific music, lighting the right configuration of candles, applying makeup and dressing in the burial clothes of an infant. 9 - A year spent with a child who already sees them as alive. 10 - Marriage to an already living Mockery. 11 - Small parts found inside other Mockeries. 12 - A complex system of gears and crystals that crumble on death. The Third Worst Thing from Bastion's UndergroundThe tunnel network underneath Bastion serves as sewer, catacomb, smuggling route, and homeless shelter in equal measure. Neighbouring caves have been disturbed by all this activity, and all sorts of strange creatures pour forth. Embalmer Crab STR 18, DEX 16, WIL 5, 12hp, Armour 2. Claws (1d6+2). Usually found in pairs. Quite content to ignore passers by, unless hungry. On Critical Damage the crab vomits a gluey fluid over the incapacitated victim, which hardens around them like plaster. They suffocate unless the shell is broken, and the crab will try to carry them back to its home. The Second Worst Thing from Bastion's UndergroundEvery child in Bastion has their own stories about the Underground, but they all know of the Maggot Children. The legend claims that babies thrown into the sewers grow into monstrous abominations. This particular urban myth is based on a truth even more horrible. Maggot Child STR 7, DEX 12, WIL 10, 6hp, Bite (1d6). These abominations act and speak as you would expect from any street urchin, right up until they're in biting range. On Critical Damage they inflict the target with their foul condition. The target immediately starts to secrete a white liquid from their skin, forming a cocoon. Within 24 hours the victim emerges as a Maggot Child. Any attempt to disturb the metamorphosis will cause the victim to lose 2d6 STR. If they survive this, they will retain their (mostly) human form. The Worst Thing from Bastion's UndergroundWhen the galleon, Emerald Sky, returned from an expedition to the Golden Lands, its entire crew were missing. Instead, the ship was being piloted quite expertly by an unnatural monster. The striding brain stepped onto Bastion's docks, snatching up a few unsuspecting stevedores, before squeezing through a refuse chute, vanishing beneath the city. It hasn't been seen since. Striding Brain STR 15, DEX 14, WIL 18, 16hp, Armour 2, Tentacles (2d6). Immensely intelligent, the brain will never fight when the odds are against it. Can climb as a spider, broadcast telepathically, and operate machinery with ease. It is motivated by gathering Arcana and materials to create a vast machine of unknown purpose in its lair. On Critical Damage the victim is snatched up and eaten, crunched up by the creature's retractable beak. Expedition into the Polar Ocean Nobody knows what's beyond the bright mist. Each brave soul leading the expedition brings a retinue of troops rolled on the table below. Roll d10 for each player's retinue. 1: Musketeers (5hp, Muskets, Bayonets) 2: Buccaneers (6hp, Pistols, Sabres) 3: 2 Detachments of Conscripts (2hp, STR 8, Polearms) 4: Whale Hunters (6hp, Muskets, Spears) 5: Mercenary Guard (8hp, Halberds, Modern Armour) 6: Thugs (7hp, Clubs and Daggers) 7: Shipborn (4hp, STR 12, Axes, Shield Armour) 8: Penal Detachment (5hp, STR 8, Polearms) 9: Heavy Gunners (4hp, STR 9, Elephant Guns) 10: Gruff Veterans (9hp, STR 12, Muskets, Daggers) Detachments A Detachment of troops fight as one. Individual attacks cannot harm them unless they are suitably large-scale or explosive. Detachment attacks against individuals are Enhanced. When they take Critical Damage they are broken and cannot act until rallied. At STR 0 they are wiped out. They recover HP as normal, but Ability Scores can only be restored back at civilization. For every two detachments in the expedition, Roll d6 for a ship. Each ship can hold three detachments in addition to any cannon detachments it has, unless stated otherwise. 1: Reclaimed Steamboat (12hp) 2: Plated Sloop (8hp, Armour 2) 3: Prototype Gunship (10hp, 2 Cannon Detachments) 4: Brand New Galleon (12hp, Armour 1, Can hold five Detachments) 5: Battered Warship (15hp, Armour 1, Cannon Detachment) 6: Ironclad (20hp, Armour 2, Cannon Detachment) Ships can only be harmed by attacks from cannons or better. The expedition has supplies for twenty days of travel. After this, things will start to run out and creative solutions will be required. End of RealityRoll d20 at the start of the first day's travel for each of the following factors. Each following day, the die gets one step smaller to d12, d10, d8, d6, and finally d4. If the expedition turns back towards civilization, the dice get larger again until they reach home. A Destination (see below) is reached if the expedition pushes further beyond the point where they're rolling d4s for these factors. At this destination, any previous effects from rolls on these tables disappear and relative normality returns. Gravity 1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way. 4: Crushing. Masts collapse, cannons plunge through decks, and any sort of work requires a STR Save. All attacks are impaired. 5: Heavy. Melee attacks are impaired and beams creak under the weight. 6: Feels heavier than normal, work is tiring. 7: Feels slightly lighter than normal. 8+: Seems normal. Perception 1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way. 4: Absolute darkness is only interrupted by flashing strobes of light. Constant, deafening, white-noise. Everybody loses d6 WIL. 5: Vision-trails make it difficult to track anything. Absolute silence. Ranged attacks are impaired. 6: Movement leaves a trail and everything echos. 7: Swirling lights and wooshing noises. 8+: Seems normal. Time 1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way. 4: You get the sense that time is rushing by. Every day spent here is a year back in civilization. 5: Random jumps in time. Breakdown of cause and effect, thankfully limited to trivial matters. 6: Random 7: Timekeeping devices go haywire. 8+: Seems normal. Matter 1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way. 4: All inorganic material crumbles at all but the most delicate touch. Ships take d6 damage. 5: Liquid metal rainstorm causes d10 damage to everyone, including ships. 6: All metal becomes strongly magnetic. 7: A cloud of buzzing metallic dust appears out of the air itself and begins to repair any damaged material, living or inorganic. 8+: Seems normal. Energy 1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way. 4: The sea rises and falls like mountains. Waves batter the ships for d8 damage.5: It's very cold, but all metal is now searing hot. 6: Unnaturally cold. Anyone not taking precautions will lose d6 STR each turn. The ice re-freezes behind the ship as it breaks through.7: Freezing cold. 8+: Seems normal. Destinations Roll d8 to find out what you've reached. 1: A blistering crack of light, a swirling tunnel of darkness, and you're in space!2: You're swept into a whirlpool, glowing red at its center. Inside is the worst dungeon ever.3: A shimmering force grasps your ships, but a booming voice will answer any three questions before carrying you back to known waters.4: It looks like you've returned to Bastion's dock, but there aren't any people and everything is in negative. If you explore you'll find an abandoned version of the city, populated with dusty skeletons. Plenty for the taking, though.5: A wall of pink jelly that's warm to the touch. If you pass into it you'll be pulled deeper, but can breathe freely. After a few minutes you're spat out into a crystal city of invertebrate citizens planning an invasion of Bastion.6: You're pulled under the water, into the Abyss, but can breathe freely. A colossal astral craft (20hp, Armour 3, Cosmic Cannon Detachment that ignores armour, uni-beam with all sorts of uses) lies abandoned at the very bottom. 7: Calm, still waters for a moment, before the water itself raises up into a 2d10 spiky giants (STR 20, 17hp, Armour 3, d12 spikes, each fights as a detachment). They do everything they can to drive you off. If you fight them off or escape, roll again on this table. 8: Colossal Spiderlike beings (STR 20, 20hp, Armour 2, d10 stab, each fights as a detachment) stride between black stone islands. They ignore you unless you interfere with their harvest of boulder-sized diamonds (worth 100g each). d10 Odd Ocean Encounters With Deep Country being such a drag, ships are often the best way to travel even if you aren't leaving the continent. Wind fills the sails, drummers pound oarsmen into action, and roaring engines push ironclads through the bottomless waters. Then you stumble onto something. 1 - Carcass Dominators A colossal deep-sea arthropod being ridden by a pack of thrill-seeking warriors. Their hooks control the broken beast, forcing it to surf across the ocean as their mount. They want to earn fame and fear whether through piracy, mercenary work, or pointless raids. Dominated Leviathan-Louse STR 19, DEX 8, WIL 0, 13hp, Armour 2, d12 Feeding-Lashes, Fights as a Detachment. No will of its own, can only act through its Dominators control. Carcass Dominator Brigade - STR 14, 10hp, Paired Hook-Swords (d8), Cosmetic Scarification. 2 - A Flock of Grip-Gulls d6 Grip Gull Flocks - STR 6, DEX 10, WIL 3, 5hp, d6 hand-claws, fight as detachments. Their huge hand-like claws and tri-billed beaks are perfect for scooping up food and sparkly things from unprepared vessels. They will even go as far as attacking rigging, sails, and engines, to disable a ship. Then they leave, returning to check for dead bodies to carry away. 3 - Cracklebud A ten-foot, scabby egg, bobbing along the surface. Will break on light contact, releasing a surge of electric current into the surrounding ocean (d12 damage to anyone in the water, or conducted through metal). Any corpses resulting from this will harden and bloat almost instantly. Within an hour they are a fully formed Cracklebud themselves. 4 - Underanglers d20 Squat, glassy men (STR 15, 7hp) that walk on the underside of the surface, feet facing up towards our sky. They have sophisticated pneumatic rams (d10, only work underwater) that they'll use to "fish" for anything interesting on our surface, dragging them under for their haul. 5 - Pleasurehulk A re-purposed, ancient ship of the line (15hp, Armour 2, no weapons, gaudy paintjob with extatic faces). The top deck functions as travelling pub to let crew let off steam and enjoy drinks and snacks at ridiculous prices. The lower decks boast that they'll offer any sort of pleasures for sky-high prices. In actuality the proprietors have filled the lower decks with flashing lamps and hallucinatory incense, which tends to leave an impression on guests. 6 - Judiciary Fog A blue cloud that reads the mind of those inside, and reveals the most unfortunate secrets to the most inappropriate people. Anyone that attempts violence while inside the fog is struck by a bolt of force for d10 damage until they cease. When everyone is truly repentant, forgiving, or depressed, the fog moves on. 7 - Sea Infusers A brass clipper (8hp, Armour 1, d10 Scatter-Mortar) is dragging nets filled with herbs, roots, precious stones (worth 10g), and sacrificed animals. Supposedly this cleanses the sea of the evil things within. The crew don't seem to believe it all that much and will admit that they're just doing a job for a cult-brainwashed patron. 8 - Sea Grove An array of tropical fruit trees growing on a floating pile of industrial junk and slime. Some looks familiar, others very unusual. For the unusual fruit roll on the "I Eat the Stuff" table (Into the Odd, p.48) 9 - Carving Ice Haulers Noisy Steamship - 10hp, Armour 3. The crew (4hp, d6 Ice Picks) are hauling an iceberg from the polar ocean. As their ship barely copes with the weight, they carve it into a block. This is just one piece of thousands needed for a colossal ice tower project being attempted on a remote island. The cult attempting it believe the tower will transform into an astral craft once completed. 10 - Data Globe A huge sphere of metal (13hp, Armour 3, ignore attacks smaller than a cannon) gliding slowly just above the water. Speaks with a whining metallic voice and only asks questions about the surrounding area. Will answer any questions it knows the answer to with its Knowledge Ray, firing information into the target's brain. When threatened it uses this to show them demoralising lies or cause arguments so that it can escape. Wants only to gather data before returning to its master deep in the Underground. d6 Island SettlementsOf course there are settlements between Bastion and the Golden Lands. Some of them sit on little islands, so let's see which one you hit. 1: Library - A few brick houses skirting outside a circular metal shrine. Inside the Librarian guards all knowledge ever, taking the form of a big yellow holographic head. People line up outside to seek his council, but he generally only sees d6-1 people per day before bellowing LIBRARIAN MUST STUDY across the island. His answers are based on combined belief of the people on the island, and have no grounding in fact. If people leave the island, his presence becomes smaller and stupider. 2: Talva - Ornate, black city of canals and bridges built as a prince's mausoleum. A few miserable, hungry people potter about its empty buildings. The water is black and acidic, with only chitinous sharks left as the only food source. They're getting better at catching fishermen off guard. Ground has been salted so nothing can be grown. Arcana do not function here. 3: Antivoy - A glowing hole in the ground at the top of a grassy peak cropping out from the sea. The tiny community of artists and philosophers claim looking inside gives inspiration into the truths of the world. In reality it causes a mild seizure with distressing nightmares for the d10 hours that the victim is unconscious, losing 1 WIL each hour. A few no-nonsense mountain men think anyone that looks into the light is an idiot, but will happily take money off people to guide them to the peak. 4: Wispra - A dozen crooked temples nested on a rocky crag, each holding a mostly-silent brotherhood of monks guarding a unique and terrible secret. They can't resist trying to discover the secrets of the other brotherhoods, mostly out of boredom. Big pelicans attack anyone that stays outside for too long in daytime. 5: Suffpit - Rickety wooden walkways around a colossal, foaming whirlpool. A cult worship the phenomenon and encourage offerings to be thrown in. They seek a chosen one that can survive swimming from one side to the other. Supremely meaty salmon romp in the waters at breeding time. 6: Umnergrotto - Huge cavern inside a glowing, crystalline mountain. Thousands of mining families dig deeper in search of the source of its glow. Water that flows from the mountain also glows, but is a painful neurotoxin, but can be brewed, losing its glow. Pig-sized flying bugs are a good food source as fleshy young, but mature adults grow hairy shells and crocodillian jaws. d10 Deep Country River Drifters As concrete canals feed Bastion, bloated rivers roll country folk from one place to another at an infuriating pace. Nobody cares enough to map them, so they just think of it as one river. It's not much use if you want to actually get anywhere, this is Deep Country after all. 1 - Wracked Battlepaddle Marines Sputtering remnant of a river-bound army, wiped out by Bastion forces. Will try to rouse countryfolk into rebellion against Bastion, or else bully them out of supplies. If they catch the oily scent of cityfolk, they'll take them hostage and try to ransom them back to Bastion in return for apologies for war crimes. Beaten Marine Detachment - STR 8, 8hp, Muskets (d8), Bayonets (d6), Old Bomb (50% chance it still works), Patchwork Banner, Barrels of Brandy (50% chance they're drunken). Battlepaddle Boat 5hp, Armour 2, Swivel Guns (d10) 2 - Silt Diggers 2d6 Mucky men, waist deep in the water, trying to bury d6 corpses in the silt of the river. This is part of a local ritual and anyone that is unaware of it will seem like an uneducated heathen to them. They want to get their job done and get home so they can smoke themselves stupid. 3 - Bathing Masses A school of 50 children have been driven down here for their weekly bath. They're throwing mud at each other and the lone teacher is barely able to stop them turning feral. They're already over-excited, so if you do anything to stimulate them further the teacher will lose control and try to hurry you along. 4 - Veiled-Raft A young couple have curtained off a little gondola for some private time. Rumour is that this prevents unwanted pregnancy. It's anchored in place at the middle of a wide span of river. 5 - Bug Smokers 2d4 wading men and women (5hp) with bundles of lit herbs, wafting their smoke in the direction of the countless insect swarms. They wear plain clothes without protection, and are choking on the smoke themselves. A lone woman (8hp, STR 12) with a musket watches over them. If approached she announces that these criminals are serving their punishment and encourages you to quickly move on. She just wants to finish this shift and get home. 6 - Lazy Pump-Raft Bandits A fat woman (WIL 8, 8hp, d8 Pipegun, frilly dress) and short, bald man (DEX 15, 4hp, d6 pistol, d6 claw-hammer, old military uniform) are pumping their way down the river on a wooden raft. If they pass an easy target, they'll try to rob them for everything they've got. If they pass somebody threatening, they'll warn about river bandits further downs