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Reblog if you’re a roleplayer between ages 21 to 29.

under 18 | 18 to 21 | 21 - 29 | 30s | 40s | 50s | 60s | 70+

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Art by Satine Zillah

[elkrs]

Rations for various RPG Races

[[ Source. Original creator: wats6831. Additional information and images linked under each one. ]]

Universal:

Homemade artisan herb bread, home grown and dried apples and prunes, uncured beef sausage, munster cheese. Made a small bag from cheesecloth and tied it closed.

Discussion thread here.

Dwarf:

Garlic chicken livers, smoked and peppered cheese, spiced pork sausages, hard tack, dried vegetables, dried wild mushrooms.

Discussion thread here.

Elf:

Top left to right: Evereskan Honey Comb, Elven Travel Bread (Amaretto Liquer Cake with custom swirls), Lurien Spring Cheese (goat cheese with garlic, salt, spices and shallots), Delimbyr Vale Smoked Silverfin (Salmon), Honey Spiced Lichen (Kale Chips), and Silverwood Pine Nuts.

Discussion thread here.

Halfling:

From upper left: “Honeytack” Hard tack honey cakes, beef sausage, pork sausage mini links, mini whole wheat toast, cranberry cheddar cheese mini wedge, mini pickles, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, lower right is my homemade “travel cake” muesli with raisins, golden prunes, honey, eggs and cream.

Discussion thread here.

Half-Orc:

Wrapped in cheesecloth and tied in burlap package. Forest strider drumsticks, molasses sweet wheat bread “black strap”, aged Munster, hard boiled eggs, mixed wild nuts.

Discussion thread here.

Orc:

Orcs aren’t known for their great cuisine. Orcs prefer foods that are readily available (whatever can be had by raiding), and portable with little preparation, though they have a few racial delicacies. Toughs strips of lean meat, bones scavenged from recent kills, and dark coarse bread make up the bulk of common orc rations.Fire roasted rothe femur (marrow is a rare treat) [beef femur], Strips of dried meat (of unknown origin) [homemade goose jerky], foraged nuts, only edible by orcs….nut cracker tusks [brazil nuts], coarse black bread, made with whatever grains can be pillaged [black sesame bread], Pungent peppers [Habanero peppers stuffed with smoked fish and olives].

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Gnome:

Pan fried Delimbyr smelt, spiced goat cheese (paprika crusted hand pressed Fontina), Gnome shortbread (savory pistachio), glass travel jar filled with Secomber Red (wine), hard boiled quail eggs packed in rolled oats (to keep safe), dried figs from Calimshan, and Southwood smoked goat sausage (blood sausage).

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Lizardfolk:

Lizardfolk are known to be omnivores, forage for a surprising variety of foods found within the confines of their marshy environs, in this case the Lizard Marsh near Daggerford. Fresh caught boiled Delimbyr Crayfish on wild chives, coastal carrageen moss entrapping estuary brine shrimp (irish moss, dried brine shrimp), Brackish-Berries (blackberries), Blackened Dart-Frog legs (frog legs) on spring sprouts (clover sprouts), roasted bog bugs on a stick!

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Drow:

From top left: Menzoberranzan black truffle rothe cheese (Black Knight Tilsit), Donigarten Moss Snails (Escargot in shallot butter sauce), Blind cave fish caviar in mushroom caps (Lumpfish caviar), faerzress infused duck egg imported from the surface Realms (Century egg), Black velvet ear fungus (Auricularia Black Fungus Mushroom).

More images here. Discussion thread here.

[elkrs]

Map for my upcoming sci fi mini campaign!

[elkrs]

Red Suns: Let's Make A Dungeon - The Slithering Shade

I started designing the Red Suns setting as a world to play in, and so far, I haven't. Well, actually, if you are reading this on the day it came out, then I have played it once. I'm running a game for NotACon 2018 (see Red Suns III for deets) set in Red Suns, and so I want to prep my first session for it on here. You'll see some parallels between the Scarlett Citadel Conan story, and that is because it was the inspiration for the adventure. At the bottom of the page you'll find a link to the live play of this session, so you can watch how my prep played out in the end (if I remember, if not, look in the top corner, press the three lines and you should see a YouTube link)!

Initial Thoughts and Goals

This is a fairly new part of my preparation process that I have begun to find exceedingly helpful in staying on-task with both prep and running the game. I take 3-5 ideas, goals or cool things that I want to be in the game, and I note them down at the start. It gives me a very quick and easy reference during the session, as well as making sure that the session runs how I want it to.

A twisting labyrinth filled with unspeakable horrors - I want to have the players explore a weird dungeon that could very well threaten to swallow them.

An evil shade, determined to end the world - I want the player to fight the Shade. I want them to have to deal with the fact that this person has no qualms about doing unimaginably awful things to themselves and others to achieve their aims. I want the player to go "Oh shit... This guy will kill us all and himself."

Weird, lasting effects on the characters - I want the players to feel as though any moment could be their last. I want them to be scared to go around corners and nervous about touching ANYTHING.

Gonzo, crazy NPC - I want them to meet someone who will drill home the fact that, if they get lost, they are doomed to end up like this guy.

I think that'll do it. I can always add to this if I want to, but this will keep me in check for how I want the game to go.

The Dungeon I - Why and Wherefore

When I prep a session based around a dungeon, I do so in a completely different way than I would for a dungeon-less session. Normally, I'll prep some scenes, a combat or two and have a narrative structure in place. Very light, very LITTLE prep. However, for dungeons, that simply will not do. Instead, I think about the dungeon itself. The first part of which, is why?

Why is this dungeon here? A dungeon for dungeon's sake, does not for a good session make. As such, the first thing I want to think about, is the purpose behind it. Who built it and why? For this dungeon, that's easy.

Ocotl is the bad guy for this session. He's a nasty boy who wants to... Well, what does he want?

World domination is dumb, and boring.

Scorned and seeking revenge is better, but I don't feel like that fits my vision of Ocotl.

Got it. Ocotl was always the little guy. A worthless worm who cowered in the shadows of his betters, mocked and ridiculed (so I guess there is a bit of revenge, but hey, that's good). Anyway, he got some sorcerous power, then found that he wasn't so little anymore. Thus, his crusade to gain  A B S O L U T E    P O W E R  began.

He started messing around with the darker stuff, and eventually turned into a Shade. He was now powerful enough to do horrid things to those who wronged him, but it wasn't enough (never is!) and so he decided to try and attempt the Ritual of Red Tears (see Red Suns I, or below) in order to become a demon of immense power.

To do this however, he needed a space to experiment. A hidden space where he could practice in peace, while also having access to lots of people and bodies to play with. Hence, he needed somewhere in a city, hidden and safe, but in a prime piece of real estate. Also, Ocotl always had a love of meddling with the physiology of creatures, creating monstrous hybrids and the like, so it needs to be big.

That is why he built his dungeon. In the interest post, I said that it was below Ashkul's hall. This means that the dungeon is in Basharoud, and that is have a reson for existing. Now all we need is to build the darn thing! That and design some encounters, as well as our big ole' bad guy.

The Dungeon II - Structure, Feel and Execution

Firstly, the entrance to the dungeon is going to be a trapdoor, hidden in the floor of Ashkul's Hall. As a result, I think the dungeon should have a sewer-type feel. Not to do with the muck that flows through it, but more the actual building materials and such. For example, I think it should be built from huge bricks of dark stone that have been smoothed with age. I think there should be random grates and tiny tunnels from which scuttling, squeaking noises can be heard.

As for theme, well, it's a magical menagerie for malicious and maltreated monstrosities, who live trapped in the cells and cages that litter the place. I also want a clear progression towards the goal, though it should still feel like a maze. I want it to be cold, dark and smelly, with the players understanding the truly terrible place that this is.

Execution. This refers to how we want the actual session to go. Best to start thinking about this as early as possible, that way we can be sure that all the cool stuff we come up with later fits properly. We want the session to last about 3.5 hrs. I'll allocate about 20 mins for them to get into the dungeon, and about 10 mins for a quick epilogue. So, we've got 3 hrs in here, and a half hour of that should be the final fight. If we assume that Ocotl is in room 6, then our aim is to get the players there within 2.5 hrs. I don't want to do all the rooms, and many of them will be just quick descriptions, so this should fit nicely into our time frame.

The Dungeon III - Rooms and Encounters

Here we're just going to go through and have each room listed out with some ideas for encounters and the like. I'm not worried about killing players and making them go weird, because it's a one shot, so we can go a bit insane with this. In other words... Welcome to the fun part. In each room, I'm going to try and describe three things, and that's it. That way, everything doesn't take ages, but there is still enough description to go around.

Room I - The Entrance

Description

Cold air, dank and thick. Hard to breathe due to horrible smells.

The rotting corpse of an enormous anglerfish.

Strange sounds coming from rooms beyond.

Encounters

None.

Room II - The Serpent

Description

A smell of rotting wood pervades this room, and a sickly sweet odour hangs at the back of your throat.

An enormous pile of wood and rags sits in the corner, it is about six feet high and ten feet across.

Cupboard in the South wall (contains an old, gold chain. When worn as a belt, grants ADV. to CON tests. It used to be some kind of leash).

Encounters

Giant Snake: Hiding in the pile in the corner. Will attack when disturbed or when the party try to leave the room. (HD3, 2d4D, CON test or +2d6)

Room III - The Old Library

Description

Old, ruined books litter this room, as well as smashed and broken shelves.

Pools of stagnant water sit on the floor.

An old, amulet of +1 INT lies on a bookshelf in a smashed, glass case. Was used for research. when touched, it reveals a curse. When the wearer touches it, they immediately put it on and are forced to constantly read, otherwise they take 1d4 damage per round. Can be pulled off, though the reader will fight back.

Encounters

West corridor contains a Giant Ant Warrior (HD2, Poison Bite (1d6 + CON test or + 2d6)

Room IV - The Prison

Description

Decrepit, rusted cages stand everywhere.

A table with rotten food sits in the middle.

A beautiful, black dagger sits on the table. When touched, it rots the hand of whoever touched it after a CON test with DIS. They now have DIS on all attacks.

Encounters

Farruk. He is an old man, dressed in rags, who has lived here for years. He is stuck in one of the cages, and has gone insane. He keeps calling the members of the party either 'Jasaline', 'Asha', 'Denad', or 'Abbar'. He just wants to be free, and seems earnest. A successful WIS test will reveal him to be quite mad. If he is freed with the keys that sit on a hook in the corner, he will immediately attack (Human Berserker, HD1, DIS on defence tests against him).

Room V - The Pits

Description

Three large dirt pits in the floor, smelling like dung and with vague, dark shapes inside. The pits are each 10ft wide and 20ft deep, and are very dark.

Rattling sounds can be heard from below, and bones can be seen moving in the darkness.

The door closes behind them, and is locked with a magical seal. Dispel magic to break the seal or take 1d6 damage. When broken, the doors are still locked (unlock, or break down (STR test DIS).

Encounters

3d4 skeletons in the pits. (HD1, 1d4HP, 1d4D, shoot with bows)

Room VI - Ocotl's Chamber

Description

Large, round room. An altar stands in the centre.

Ruined, black tapestries cover all the walls.

They see 1d6 skeletons around them, waiting. As well as a figure on the far side of the room, sitting, chanting and coated in black blood. He has one hand, and the severed limb sits on the floor next to him. Suddenly, he begins to chant something different. He begins to cry tears of blood. He then chants even more words, before erupting in red flames. Black, obsidian skin, bat-like wings. Red eyes and curled horns. He screams and stands, now a demon of 9ft tall (Hezrou Demon, HD9, 2d10D, (2 Claws (1d3) + 1 Bite (2d8), Cause Fear (as per Banish) or Darkness (spell) - each once per fight)).

Encounters

Hezrou and 1d6 skeletons.

Room VII - The Mirror Room

Description

The walls are dark mirrors, and a shining orb of white light hangs in the centre as your reflection dances around the room.

Bones lie all over the floor here, and they crunch as you walk across them.

Black smoke burns from a censer hanging from the ceiling.

Encounters

Censer: CON test or paralyzed for 1d4 rounds

Mirror Reaper: Hands come out of the mirror, as well as a head shrouded in black rags that hang down below it. They try to grab a character (Mirror Reaper, HD4, 1d10D, Whenever it attacks, STR test or dragged into the mirror).

If they get pulled into the mirror, they must roll WIS tests each round to escape. Otherwise they stay trapped.

Corridors

There are many labyrinthine corridors that can be found throughout the temple. In each of these, we'll be rolling random encounters every time they turn a corner.

1-3. Nothing

4. 1d4 Manes Demons (HD1, 1d4D, 2 Claws (1d2) + 1 Bite (1d4), Half damage from nonmagical weapons)

5. 1d2 Ghouls (HD2 (1 armour), 1d6D, 2 claws (1d3) + 1 bite (1d4) + CON test or Paralysed)

6. Basilisk (HD6 (5 armour, +5 to tests against it, 1d8+1d6D, CON test on eye contact or be petrified)

Ending

We will probably assume that the players will run away or die. There is no way they can beat this monster. Not a chance. As a result, if any players escape, we will leave it to the players to decide what their characters do, though they will have to make a DEX or STR test to escape Ocotl back through the dungeon.

Starting the Adventure

We don't want to waste too much time on getting the characters to the dungeon, so we are going to be handwaving a lot of the earlier stuff in order to make the session feel tighter and sharper, without lots of wasted time at the beginning and the end. So, we will have the party be introduced by saying that they have been hired by the stewards of Ashkul's Hall to go down and investigate the strange noises that have been coming from the basement.

They will enter the basement, then give a brief description of their characters and introduce them, before finding the entrance to the dungeon. The basement itself is full of things like wine and food, supplies for conducting ceremonies and the like. However, with a successful WIS test, they notice a strange trap-door under a rug in the corner. Thus, the dungeon starts.

That's it, that is all you need. This is only a one shot, so it doesn't need to be a huge introduction. Just needs to get the party where they need to be for the adventure to start!

Running the Adventure

Now obviously, this is A LOT of prep for a game, and I don't like to have this much stuff to look at when I'm running. So I've taken my own notes from this, and put them into a style that I'd actually use, all shrunk down onto a side of A4. Enjoy!

Watch the Live Play on YouTube

[elkrs]

Red Suns Stories: Albad and the Four Swords

PREFACE

I've really enjoyed writing this setting so far, and have done a few posts over the last day or two that are all scheduled. I've been desperate to do some writing for this so I thought I'd just do a bonus. This is a Akkaradi legend and is often told throughout the land. Praise Muanke [I'll explain when you're older. 1 week older actually]!

ALBAD AND THE FOUR SWORDS

Albad was a sorcerer, but his heart had not grown dark with power. He wielded his magic for good, though he desired wealth. The greatest fortune was said to be held by Bashul, the Serpent. A demon of lava and lightning, a monstrous creature who enjoyed the taste of mortal flesh and the crack of mortal bone. Albad was cunning, he knew that ridding the world of this creature would render great wealth unto him, but also solidify his position as a hero of the masses. Thus his plan was set.

The Four Swords were also relatively famous. Four brothers who had trained with a blade from a young age, they had become famous for the adventuring escapades all across Akkarad. When they heard about Albad's plan, they asked to come along, for they too sought glory and wealth. Albad agreed, knowing that having four others for the demon to eat may give him a better chance of survival.

With that, Albad took up his great staff and set out with his warrior companions towards the mountain lair of Bashul. When they arrived at the mountains, the youngest of the four swords asked how they would find Bashul. Albad replied with earnest. "See my brother, Bashul's lair is overcome with heat and fiery doom. Our eyes will not help up, but our hands will."

With that, he began to crawl around the mountains, placing his hands on the stone and feeling for the heat beneath. Eventually, he found it. "Aha, see my friends, it is clear. This, this is the place." From his belt he pulled four boudac leaves and from his pack he produced a mortar and pestle. The Four Swords watched on as he ground the leaves, spitting in the bowl. Then he turned to the brothers. "Please, cut your hands each and drip a few drops of your life's water into the bowl."

The brothers were confused but obliged, and Albad did the same. He spread the bloody mixture on his fingers and drew an arch on the mountain at the spot where he had felt the heat. He chanted along as he did this. "Bedalach. Horrofoud. Begad. Bedalach. Horrofoud. Begad." and on he chanted for minutes. After he stopped, nothing happened for a moment.

"Your magic has failed sorcerer. Our time has been wasted." but Albad held up a finger and grinned, for he noticed the faintest smoke billowing from the bloody doorway. All at once, the stone melted away and a path was laid before them, a tunnel into the boiling din.

The tunnel took three days to traverse, further and further down they crept, the heat growing more and more intense until they came to an opening. They crept into the chamber and saw the horde of gold and coin that Bashul had accumulated. The demon himself stood before it, counting slowly. His flesh was sinewed as he stood towering above them, taller than any tree. His great leathery wings were folded beneath him as he stood and his horned head nodded as he counted his treasure.

They crept closer and closer before one of the Four Swords drew his blade. Immediately the demon stopped. "I smell iron!" he boomed, his voice a thunderous cacophony of hate and fear. "Mortals come to die!"

Bashul the Serpent whirled round to face them, his face split in a mad grin. He pulled from the lava a giant, black axe and threw himself at the mortals. He cleaved one brother, then two. He split the third in half and decapitated the fourth. Then he rounded on Albad. "Time to die sorcerer!"

Albad was not scared, for he always had a plan. He spoke up to the demon, his voice steady and strong. "Great demon, you are doubtless the stronger warrior, I could not kill you!"

The demon grinned and slavered. "Of course not, for I am fire and stone!"

Albad continued. "Surely oh Serpent, you would like to test your mind as well? If I can beat you, then you must let me kill you! If you can beat me, then you shall have my true name, and I shall be your instrument of fire and death upon the world above!"

Bashul grinned, for he had oft longed for a mortal slave. "Very well puny one, I shall take your challenge, what is the game?"

Albad grinned. "The game is letters Bashul. You must guess my true name. You must guess a letter, and I shall tell you if it is in my name. If you guess my true name correctly, then I am yours. If you fail, then you must die!"

"Bashul laughed. "My mind has been forged in flame, I will not fail!"

They began to play, the demon guessed the letters and when he had finished, he knew the letters A, R, E, S, I and L. He began to try to think of the name, before after an hour, he settled on an answer.

"Your true name is Alesir! I am victorious!" And the Serpent grinned, for he new the Albad's true name, and with it, his nature..

"Not so demon!" Albad cried. "My name is Al-Serir! You have failed!"

The demon furrowed his brow. "You did not tell me of the hyphen! That is not fair!"

"You lost Bashul, you must die!" Albad shouted gleefully. The demon blinked, searching for a way to escape his fate, but he could not.

"You are right, I must die, for a demon cannot back down from a deal." and with that, he fell on his own axe and into the lava. Albad had one.

[elkrs]

Red Suns I: Sand

Oh the blackened souls of charred ones,

Broken under the suns,

Live to dance and cry again,

In the next life and on.

Common Akkaradi song

An Introduction

Akkarad is a burning place of sand and bone. Dead things live and walk again, only to turn to dust once more. We people must live by the sand and the sword. That is, let the sand overwhelm you and you will die. Let your sword loose from your hand and you die. In this land there is only the grind. The constant quest for survival and the constant chill of death behind you. Death herself hounds us on her chariot, rolling past the dunes and waiting for her chance to strike. And she will strike.

This is a weird, dark fantasy setting inspired by the likes of Conan the Barbarian, Dark Sun, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Arabian Nights, Mad Max and countless other works both real and fictional that crawl around my head at night, whispering their cruel inspiration. In each post there will be some world lore, some interesting ideas to run games in this world and some roll tables and other RPG goodness to steal.

The Sand

This is an apt name for the first Akkarad post. The land is parched and formed almost entirely of sand. There are two suns who burn red in the sky and they have killed most things. There was no catastrophe, no world-ending event that turned the earth to sand and the trees to dust. The suns have always been there, watching and burning. The people have survived here through force of will and a desire to innovate. There are towns and cities in Akkarad who have found a way to survive and thrive, bending the will of the scorching suns to their own ends and finding ways to avoid and defeat the deadly scorching air.

All are but sand, and to sand all shall return.

Common Akkaradi phrase

The sand itself varies depending on its location. In the North, the sand is black as volcanoes erupted and scorched the earth anew. Here, sand is revered, worshipped even by pagan hopefuls, one day seeking to return to sand and join their brothers and sisters. They believe that the sand is formed of their ancestors and that they will one day return to join them, revelling and enjoying the suns’ heat rather than fearing it. More on them later though.

In the South and the East, the sand is a golden red. It retains heat well and bakes in the noonday sun. Some barbaric states may use it to torture and even kill criminals and peasants, as merely allowing the baking sand to touch one’s skin can cause their fat to boil and their hairs to crisp. It can melt a person even if just heated merely by the suns.

The Mothers

How then, in this world without water, can creatures survive? For many, the answer lies with the

Mothers. In the city of Basharoud, the Mothers are revered and worshipped, for they alone keep the city alive. Selected randomly and taken at birth, the Mothers are raised in the Green Palace, a royal and verdant home. They are fed well and even given water to drink and bathe in, becoming fat and unmoving. Then, when old enough, they join the Shahl's (emperor's) Harem and are impregnated. As is well known, when a woman is pregnant she swells and grows, producing milk herself, designed for her children. This milk is taken and pumped into a great well which flows down and nurtures the people of Basharoud. Should the Mother give birth to a girl, she is raised as a new mother. If it is a boy, then her baby is passed to the parents that birthed the Mother.

This way, the entire city survives on the milk of the Mothers. How do the citizens of Basharoud feel about this? They do not. It is a way of life for the and always has been. they treat it as we may treat water from a tap. It does not please them, but does not displease them. Though it may seem strange to an outlander. It is forbidden for the Mothers to take other lovers, and it is forbidden other men to even gaze upon them, but they do not mind. A small price to pay for a life of luxury.

BASHAROUD FROM ABOVE

So, for the rest of this post we are going to focus in on the city of Basharoud. I'm not sure why, but I'm just following the stream of consciousness as it feels right. Basharoud is one of the major cities in Akkarad, there are others I'm sure, and we'll come to those in future posts, but for now we will work on this. If you start building small, you can have more details and grow your world organically as you explore the different areas. So, let's get into it.

Basharoud has three districts. First is the aforementioned Green Palace, so named for the beautiful verdant flora that hangs and grows outward. It is so big that it can be considered a district, taking up almost half of the area of the city. It has nearly a thousand guards, each one trained to operate on minimal water and food. They wear light armour and green robes complete with a pointed helmet. They wield sabres and are fast warriors with little regard for human loss. This is due to years of intense training and programming to make them the perfect instruments with which the Shahl (emperor) can exact his will. The palace is also home to the many advisors and viziers that whisper and bicker, trying to implement their ambitious plans and enact their ruthless decrees. Each morning almost the entire city gathers at the gate of the palace to get their share of the milk. A cascade comes thundering down and out a pipe, into a pool from which it is collected by the people.

The next district is the market district, a sweltering mass of bodies. Foods cooked in stalls right on the street, vendors shouting prices and haggling, guards weave in and out, weeding out thieves and pickpockets. It is a loud, chaotic place where one can easily get lost, swept up in the madness of the market.

The final district is nicknamed the sprawl. It is a large area of small houses, huts and tents and is the home of all those who live in Basharoud who do not live in the palace. The buildings are packed together so tightly it is impossible to move between some of them. They tend to be low and squat in order to be further from the sun, but some of them are stack atop one another, simply due to the lack of space.

The Ritual of Red Tears

The Ritual of Red Tears is a dark spell that only the most desperate, foolish or maledictory sorcerers would dare attempt. It was said to have been created by the demon king Vol when he wished to create a new body for himself. It is a dark, cursed ritual that hangs a dark omen above the head of the caster for the rest of their days and into the worlds beyond the realm of the living. This is probably not a great spell to give a player as it could have serious ramifications, but perfect for a villain. Or just give it to your player and witness the madness. The ritual is cast as follows.

First the caster must clean themselves, drawing a bath of water or milk and bathing for a few hours, scrubbing clean and removing all dirt. They must be dressed in grey cotton or fine blue silk and must shave their hair until completely bald.

Then, four lines must be drawn in sand, with the caster kneeling in the centre as they enclose him in a box. The caster must then kill a black lamb, pouring the blood from the wound onto their head while chanting the following over and over.

Hadorech. Halatath. Hezzach. Hor. Hadorech. Halatath. Hezzach. Hor.

They must sit bathed in the blood for a day, chanting continuously. Then, when the blood is black and a day has passed, the caster must stand and sever their own hand. It will fall to the sand and become dust immediately. Then, the caster must rub the stump of their wrist all over their body, covering themselves in their own blood. They must then stand like this for another two days, chanting the following all the while.

Mechtar. Alfar. Nachtar. Sol. Mechtar. Alfar. Nachtar. Sol.

After the ritual is complete, the caster will begin to cry tears of blood. When this happens, they must call out:

Allotech. Arachta. Bast.

The caster's body will erupt in red flames and their consciousness will be wrenched from it. From within those red flames a new creature is born. Black, obsidian skin and bat-like wings form. Red eyes and curled horns, clawed talons and a cragged jaw are birthed in this hellish fire. The caster's consciousness is then thrust back inside the new body, only it must be contorted, wrenched and broken in order to fit, often sending the caster mad. So the caster becomes a demon.

[5e Rules Stuff]

8th level necromancy

Casting time: 3 days

Range: self

Components: V, S, C (see above)

Duration: Instantaneous

The character's stats become that of a Balor from the 5e monster manual.

Wandering Basharoud

Here is a quick 1d10 list of random encounters from around the great city of Basharoud! They are designed to give the DM some ideas for plot hooks and strange encounters, so much of the why has been excluded so that you can make stuff up yourself. Remember to keep checking in as you might find that new ideas spring to mind as we discover more of this setting together.

A thief in a veil runs from the palace guards.

A pickpocket places a gold pin in your pocket. It is the likeness of a lion.

A woman protests as her daughter is taken to become a Mother.

A trident wielding thug attempts to mug you in an alley.

A sand-stained traveller tells tales of giant worms in the sand.

A tremor hits and a black light appears on the horizon.

An ape screeches at you and follows you down the street.

A woman before you screams and instantly dries out, her body shrivels up and turns to dust.

A man is hanged in the street for necromancy.

A drunken sorcerer draws arcane scrawls in the sand.

Did you enjoy this? Consider following this blog to find out when I post again! Next time we'll be looking at the scope and pillars of the world, a much more top-down approach.

[elkrs]

Red Suns IV: Magic in Akkarad (I)

Ritual is when perception and imagination meet reality. It is the very essence magic's very meaning, and is the most important tool of the sorcerer.

Apharat's Preliminary Codex

Changes

When I first came up with Akkarad, I decided that I wanted to make a setting where the magic was completely different to the norm. I didn't just want to have vanilla 5e stuff lying around, like Leomund's Tiny Hut and Boots of the Winterland. This was for two reasons. Firstly, a lot of spells could be used to take the danger out of the desert. That's fair enough I suppose, but if the desert is no longer deadly, then why have a desert at all?

The other reason is that I want magic to feel older, stranger and more dangerous to use. As a result, for 5e, lots of things are going to need to change. Firstly, all the old spell casting classes need to go. We need to redo everything, using the others as a base. All the old spells? Gone. We'll use a few of them, but they will be changed to make them more... Red Suns-esque?

So, before we do anything else, let's look at our spell list to try and make sure this is achievable. It is going to take quite a few of these blog posts to get it done methinks. Also, we'll be making sure to only look at arcane casting to begin with, our clerics and druidy bois can wait.

Spells of Yore

So, we are going to be taking apart the 5e spell list to take which ones we want, and discard the rest. We'll be adding to this later and making up our own, but for now, we just want to see which ones we want to use! The lists you'll see below are the ones we are keeping. If something is absent, t'aint getting in. I've also only gone up to 5th level spells because I feel that this setting does not lend itself well to high level play. It should be a fight for survival, not a classic kill stuff, get loot, kill bigger stuff, get better loot type scenario.

Cantrips:

Acid Splash

Blade Ward

Control Flames

Friends

Gust

Light

Lightning Lure

Poison Spray

Sword Burst

1st Level:

Absorb Elements

Burning Hands

Charm Person

Chromatic Orb

Colour Spray

Detect Magic

Disguise Self

Earth Tremor

False Life

Find Familiar

Grease

Hideous Laughter

Illusory Script

Jump

Longstrider

Magic Missile

Ray of Sickness

Shield

Sleep

Thunderwave

Witch Bolt

2nd Level:

Alter Self

Arcane Lock

Blindness/Deafness

Blur

Cloud of Daggers

Darkness

Detect Thoughts

Dust Devil

Enlarge/Reduce

Gust of Wind

Invisibility

Misty Step

Scorching Ray

Web

3rd Level:

Animate Dead

Bestow Curse

Blink

Counterspell

Erupting Earth

Fear

Feign Death

Fireball

Lightning Bolt

Slow

Vampiric Touch

Wall of Sand

4th Level:

Banishment

Blight

Confusion

Dimension Door

Elemental Bane

Evard's Black Tentacles

Phantasmal Killer

Polymorph

Stoneskin

Wall of Fire

5th Level:

Bigby's Hand

Control Winds

Geas

Legend Lore

Scrying

Seeming

Wall of Force

Powerful Spells

So as I said above, the spell list only goes to 5th level because I want this setting to be deadly and I don't want it to be played at high levels. Or rather, I don't want to run it at high levels, you do what you want though. So, in the first ever Red Suns post, I made up a spell for turning oneself into a demon. It was gnarly as fuck as was a days long ritual that forced the caster to sacrifice everything, from their body to their sanity. This is the kind of metal shit that I want to reserve for high level magic. To be clear, I don't want people to be able to hit tenth level and take one of these spells. In fact, I don't really want players using most of them to begin with, because they work better for villains. However, a player  character might find one through research and study, in which case... go for it! But be careful, these are gonna get hairy.

For now, I'm going to do two more spells in here, one sixth level, and one seventh. The next post on will be exclusively on the creation of new spells and giving magic in this setting a unique flavour.

The Amaranthine Veil

This ritual spares the caster from death once. It is a grey shroud that hangs over the soul of the caster, meaning that when death comes for them, she will pass them by. To be able to cast this spell, the sorcerer must first come close to death, so that they may throw up the veil to hide themselves.

The sorcerer must drink the milk of the Ethikk flower, enough to induce a seizure, but not enough to cause death. Then, in this vegetative state, the caster must find their way to the grey lands of death. When they arrive, they must begin whispering so that only the souls of those damned can hear.

Veress, adalach defar mushaak. Bastal calyinda.

They must chant this phrase for a day, weaving a veil from the hair of those dead souls who pass by. When complete, the veil will protect them, and the sorcerer must find their way back to their body.

[5e Rules Stuff]

6th level necromancy

Casting time: one day

Range: self

Components: V, S, C (see above)

Duration: until death

The next time that this character dies, no matter how long it takes, they instead return to maximum hit points. In addition, they become 3d6 years younger. However, death is scorned, and will be more dogged in her hunt for the sorcerer's soul.

Summon Sandheart

This ritual brings to life a great and terrible creature known as a Sandheart. It is a huge demon formed of sand, stone and sorcery, and will act on the wishes of its creator with the utmost diligence and perseverance.

To begin with, the caster must first sleep with a man, and then a woman on the same night, under a blood moon. After this, they must walk into the desert, and continue walking until they fall unconscious. Chanting the following phrase.

Sverraka. Shuulad. Shefarat humfvar.

Sandheart. Come. Rise and Burn.

The caster will find that the sand engulfs them. When they come to, a strange pattern of circles and runic markings will surround them, made in the sand by invisible harbingers of the Sandheart. All they must do is continue to chant until the vomit, at which point the Sandheart will rise from their sick. Furthermore, there is a 1 in 6 chance they will switch genders.

When the Sandheart has risen, the caster must bind it to an oath. This might be a person to kill or an empire to destroy for example. The Sandheart will then not rest until it has completed its oath.

[5e Rules Stuff]

7th level necromancy

Casting time: depends

Range: self

Components: V, S, C (see above)

Duration: until its oath has been fulfilled

A Sandheart will attempt to complete its oath to the best of its ability [use Iron Golem stats].

[elkrs]

Red Suns III: The People of Akkarad

So you've heard of Ocotl? The Slithering Shade? The dark beneath Ashkul's hall? Then you know his strength, the fresh horrors he wields and the dark ghosts that haunt his dungeons.

First line of 'The Slithering Shade' by Musharra

It's been a while. I've had exams, work and a whole host of excuses that no one wants to hear. I'm running a game of Black Hack for NotACon (info at the bottom) set in Red Suns, so I thought I'd get round to posting again, allowing me to build out the world. I'll probably get to do maybe four or five more posts on this blog before then, so it'll be nicely fleshed out by then! Anyway, let's get on with figuring out the people of this place.

THE PEOPLE OF BASHAROUD

We have extensively covered Basharoud in the first post, and so this will be a slightly shorter section than the others. We know that many of the mothers of Basharoud are taken to the Shahl's palace and their milk is used to provide sustenance to the city. However, we don't know very much about their culture. The Shahl and the mothers live in the Green Palace, the stinking masses live in the Sprawl and work in the Market District.

Those that live in Basharoud are generally superstitious and greedy. Most will do anything to make a quick Drachim (the currency of Akkarad, and equal to 1 silver in D&D terms. There are no higher or lower denominations). Warriors are not common, as nearly all of them are taken as guards. However, there is a thriving underbelly, full of roguish thieves and con artists who will cross the line into danger and daring in the pursuit of wealth.

Due to the superstitious nature of the people, all sorcery is seen as necromancy, and innocent mages are often condemned as shades. They believe that magic is a perversion of the natural order that the gods have prescribed, and those that practice it must be punished, else they bring destruction and ruin to all.

Ashkul's Hall

The great god Ashkul has a temple, dedicated to him, in the centre of Basharoud. It is guarded by the Green Guards of the palace. Rumour has it, that beneath the temple lies a vast maze of tunnels and horrors, where a dark vizier named Ocotl, the Slithering Shade, performs grotesque experiments and hides his monstrous pets from the world.

THE PEOPLE OF AL MOSUR

Where Basharoud is huge and sprawling, Al Mosur is ornate and tall. Carved into the side of a cliff-face, where the stone is gold coloured, it is a beautiful sight to behold, and those that live there are generally among the most wealthy under the suns. The black sand of the volcanos around Al Mosur is revered by the people, who seek to return to it in earnest when they pass.

They are not as superstitious as the peoples of Basharoud, and tend to be more open to those who seek to pursue the dangerous esoterica of sorcery. In fact, the 'Al Thumim Academy' resides in this city, a school dedicated to the proliferation and investigation of sorcery in Akkarad. They are given near free reign, and are left to their own devices, as long as they are available to the Shahl (Goru Baradad) whenever they are needed.

In Al Mosur, sorcery has allowed them to cheat the dry deserts and summon water of their own. While Basharoud relies on the primitive gathering of human milk, Al Mosur is able to have a great reservoir at its centre, which never runs out of water, and never overflows. There is more than enough water for everyone, though food is harder to come by. While the sorcerers are able to create food, they can only do so in smaller quantities, and are therefore able to charge high prices for it. A few farmers and herders make a living by selling food, but for most, feeling full is a luxury they cannot afford.

The Eyeless Armies of Al Mosur

In the stone city, a blind army sits, ready at all times to take up arms in the defence of the cliff walls. They are taken as children, only the sick and infirm, and their eyes are removed. Then, sorcerers bind vile magic to their souls, allowing them to grow faster and stronger than other people. Instead of seeing normally, they are given the ability to witness life forces around them, allowing them to see through walls and perceive in a way that is completely alien to normal humans. In this way, they work extremely effectively as secret police for the Shahl and are unswervingly loyal to him. The Eyeless Army wear sand coloured cloaks that wrap around their faces, protecting the public from the visages of their marred faces.

THE HIDDEN CITY OF ABIDIR

In the North of Akkarad, there is a large range of jagged mountains. It is here that the city of Al Mosur can be found, nestled into a cliff and hidden from the beating rays of the sun. However, according to legend, Akkarad is home to a third city. Abidir. Beyond the mountains, past the impassable North, there is another place. In that place, sits a floating city of waterfalls and hanging gardens, and it is here that life first began on Akkarad.

Of course, most people on Akkarad do not believe the ridiculous notion that there could be another entire city hidden beyond our mortal veil, but then again, how would they know? If you plan to run a game in Red Suns, I leave it up to you as to whether or not Abidir exists. Maybe we will revisit it in future posts.

PIRATES

The seas around Akkarad are so bright, they are almost turquoise. However, they often run another colour, red. This, of course, is a dramatic way of saying that piracy is extremely common in Akkarad, and only the stupid and the desperate brave heading out to the open ocean to move their goods. It is common for a pirate to be born, live and die at sea without ever touching land. Joining up as a pirate is like signing a faustian deal, as most ships rarely come in to port. If they did, they would surely be arrested immediately, for it is not hard to identify a pirate's vessel. There are, of course, several islands dotted around the seas, and people have been known to go off in search of treasure there, but few return.

SORCERERS

A sorcerer is a mage. A person who has discovered the mystical arts of magic and uses them to bend the world to their will. They are not evil, per se, but many are morally ambiguous, and see other people as merely objects for experimentation. Sorcerers can make formidable opponents and dangerous combatants as the power they wield is often unmatched by mere mortals. However, sorcerers that open themselves to the darkness that lays at the hard of evil sorceries, can turn to shades, bringing blight and death with them, while destroying their soul and mind in the process.

SHADES

Shades are evil sorcerers, who dabble in the black ways of death magic and make macabre marionettes of corpses, or horrific, bastardised creatures of merged monstrosities that have been stitched together to make fresh devils for the Shade to bend to their will. To become a Shade, one must have a strong knowledge of sorcery, and be willing to rend their soul and splinter their mind in order to cope with the excess of power that dark magic brings.

WARRIORS

Anyone can call themselves a warrior, but in Akkarad, it takes a great deal to prove that you are worthy of the title. If you are from Basharoud, then you will most likely be placed into the Green Guard when you show any kind of skill with a weapon. However, those that are free to do as they please are strong and fast, able to brave the golden-red sands of the desert and slaughter foe after foe, wading through all manner of horrors both human and unnatural with nothing but their arm and their steel.

CLERICS

To be a cleric in Akkarad is to live with the notion that your gods are flawed. They are whimsical creatures with great power and great deficiencies, that live for themselves. You are not a person, you are a tool. An implement with which your god will seek to exact their own will. Once they have finished with you, you may be rewarded, or you may be forgotten. It is impossible to know the minds of the celestials.

Build-A-Shade

Shades make great antagonists at any level for games in Red Suns, so here is a group of tables that will help you to make your own unique Shade.

Name Part 1

Oc-

Al Ar-

Gur-

Mal-

Bedac-

Hal-

Al Ak-

Fin-

Uritz-

Shal-

Name Part 2

-otl

-atar

-ish

-es

-era

-una

-afil

-un

-er

-id

Title Part 1

Slithering

Suffering

Crimson

Dark

Gilded

Seeking

Whispering

Grinning

Screaming

Wishing

Title Part 2

Shade

Plague

Ghost

King/Queen

Eater

Singer

Dancer

Death

Tear

(Change title part 1 to a noun. (E.G. Whispering becomes Whisperer)

Trait 1

Constantly weeping eyes

Fingers over a foot long

Floats slightly off the floor

Licks lips every few seconds

One hand is shrivelled

Atrophied legs

Enormously fat, bulging and quivering

Smells like sulfur

Chews on rats

Partly made of smoke

Trait 2

Cackles madly

Only speaks in whispers

Sings softly at all times

Laughs whenever they see someone in pain

Scratches themselves constantly

Cries like a newborn when hurt

Speaks with two voices

Multiple, warring personalities

Becomes aroused at their own pain

Roll another Trait 1

Cronies

Bats

Rats

Crabs

Lizards

Spiders

Beetles

Black cats

Frogs

Centipedes

Roll 2

[elkrs]

Red Suns II: Scope and Pillars

And the Serpent grinned, for he new the Albad's true name, and with it, his nature.

Extract from an Akkaradi legend

I wasn't sure when I started this how successful it was going to be. It was more for myself I think, a way to codify my thoughts and get them down in writing so that I could set about building a world in a detailed manner. Anyway, the first post got over 300 hits and I got some good questions and feedback, so it goes without saying that I'm pretty motivated to do more!

Last time we looked at a couple of things, though primarily we began to explore the city of Basharoud. Moving on from that then, I'd like to focus more on the world as a whole, before we start working on any more details. This will give us context for the smaller details we create and will let us figure out the rules of the world so that the stuff we create going forward fits into those rules.

WORLD PILLARS

World pillars are key rules and facets of your world that are key to the identity of the world. They tend to very broad-strokes and allow us to instantly and easily define our world. Think of them like those terrible internet top 10 lists. They give the basic, key information, but lack detail. That we can fill in later. So, let's have a look at the Red Suns pillars.

Water is almost non-existent

On a desert world, it was always going to be the case that water is scarce, though in this case it is rarer than rare. Someone on Reddit asked me what the people who don't live in Basharoud do for hydration, considering they don't have access to mother's milk. This is something that we can explore here. There are a few cities in Akkarad and each one has its own method of hydrating the populous. They will be covered in their own posts.

In place of water, many use milk. The milk of a goat or a sheep can hydrate and sustain a person for the animal's lifetime and is a good source of water. However, there must be other methods too, ways the people who do not have animals or milk to stay alive. One method is the Abbal, a long folding tube that travellers may thrust into the sand and dig down with until they hit a water spring. Once they do, water will be drawn up the tube and will bubble out of the top. This way they can get a small amount of water to drink, though it will be sandy and warm. Other methods may include fruits and vegetables, cacti and succulents or boiled sea water. All of the above prove one thing, to survive in Akkarad, one must work for their water.

The dead do not stay dead

Akkarad is a place where magic is well known. Most consider it evil (see below) and for good reason. Everyone who dies in Akkarad must be cremated, otherwise they will rise again as a crumbling corpse one month hence. No one really knows why, though they assume it is the magic in the sand or the sorcery of a dark warlock. It could be the gods or the djinni, but the only known fact is that it happens. Many times the dead have risen, finding their living families and tearing them apart before crumbling into black sand.

Magic is feared, most assume it is evil

As per above, most people have at least heard of evil magics being cast and mystical, ancient beings who wander the sands or live in subterranean temples. Such things are simply another fact of life here. However, magic here is strange and chaotic, different to a standard fantasy setting. Wizards and sorcerers are fairly common, though most are not powerful and merely perform minor tasks for coin. Occasionally, a great being from out in the dark spaces between the stars will select a mortal pawn to make their warlock. When magic users become powerful, invariably one of two things happens: the first, that person will use their power to oppress and destroy, controlling and deceiving. The second, the person will rise to face oppression and rebuild, but will die in the sand like the rest of us. Some mages use their powers to create water for their people, but most abstain from this behaviour as people begin to depend on it. And no one lives for long in Akkarad, not even wizards.

True names are powerful, and secret

Everyone has a true name. Most do not know their own, and it takes a great pilgrimage or an extremely trying circumstance to learn one's own name. Knowing someone's true name is like tying a noose around their neck and holding the stool. You have control. Using someone's true name in magic ritual can bind the spell to them, allowing you to exact your will over them. Knowing a dragon's true name will bind them to you, making them subservient. It is a great power, but a difficult one to find. If you wish to know your true name their are several ways to try, but no guarantees. For some, walking out into the desert for a few days with no water is enough to learn their name. For others, it might take a magic ritual or horrific torture. There is no definite way to find out.

The gods are plentiful, prolific and often juvenile

In fantasy we are often used to great, omniscient gods who rule over the peoples with unfathomable power. This is not true of the gods in Red Suns. They are childish beings with great power who squabble constantly, using their mortal worshippers as pawns to insult and attack their deific counterparts. Most gods walk the earth as mortals do, able to disguise themselves and blend in they enjoy the charade of playing at being human. Of course, there are dark gods and light gods, and each has their own area of focus and dominion. Some strive to help people, some strive to crush and oppress them and still others just like to mess with them.

THE GODS

So, the pillars above have set out some interesting boundaries for us to play with, and we can edit and update these as we become more familiar with our vision of the world. As a result, we can begin to build a pantheon here. Now, this will not be the complete pantheon, merely the a portion of it. I think this world should have a distinctly large and varied group of gods, and so we can keep adding to this list as we go!

Ashkul

Ashkul is the god of salt and wine, delighting in revelry and feasts. He is usually depicted as an overweight satyr with black horns and white lips. He is celebrated at a festival named after him every summer solstice and is worshipped by revellers and travellers alike. He is married to Kuffa, though has fathered children accidentally with Muanke.

Muanke

The goddess of riddles, stories and luck, Muanke is often considered to be egocentric and selfish. Often depicted as a human with the head of a snake Muanke is usually worshipped through atonements and sacrifices and her followers are often travellers and storytellers. She once bit Ashkul and envenomated him. From the wound grew the twin gods, Selieki and Bekkat.

Selieki and Bekkat

The twin gods and the children of Muanke and Ashkul, Selieki and Bekkat are mischievous and enjoy interfering with mortals. Selieki is the goddess of lies and Bekkat is the god of male lust. As a result, they have been the end of many marriages. They are worshipped by the hedonistic, the carefree and the sly. They are usually pictured as a dog with two heads, one a goat (Bekkat)and the other, a spider (Selieki).

Kuffa

Wife of Ashkul and goddess of righteous revenge, she is the antithesis of her husband. Where he is content to sit, eat and revel, she is always in motion. She cut off Muanke's toes for impregnating her husband and is worshipped everywhere by the scorned and oppressed. She also forced her husband to stand naked against a tree while she fired arrows progressively closer to his groin until he gave up the name of the woman he had been sleeping with in secret. The woman was human and Kuffa turned her into a stallion in perpetual heat.

Siddik and Hedall

Siddik was the god of music and sprinting and was married to Hedall. He was often depicted as a songbird and was revered by musicians all over. His wife, Hedall was the goddess of strength and desperation, and was usually represented by a blue lion. It is said that Siddik did not love Hedall, but their marriage was arranged. Siddik would often lament and weep about his life, seeking instead solitude and travel. One day Hedall came home to find her husband weeping again and grew tired of it. She confronted him and they began to fight, she overpowered him and transformed him into a woman. She turned herself into a man and their roles were reversed. Siddik is said to be only one of the now male Hedall's many wives.

More gods will follow in the future. Why not design your own and let me know!