One of my favourite NPCs died tonight. You know how it is as a DM. Most of the time the NPCs you create are there for a purpose and you play them as best you can, but not with any special interest or enthusiasm. But every so often one comes along who you happen to really enjoy playing - and usually it's by serendipity; somebody who for one reason or another you and the players develop something of an attachment for.
Dev was one of these. A retainer who the players hired to accompany them to the dungeon for the grand sum of 5 gold pieces a month, my initial notes for him on my random hireling table were "about 15 years old, short bow, skinny, 2hp". He was generated alongside a woman called Asha, whose notes were "retired whore, one-eyed, spear, 5hp". I immediately decided that Dev was in love with Asha, but didn't know how to express it, and that Asha allowed him to 'pleasure her' whenever she wanted it. I didn't expect them to last very long, but they actually stuck around through a few delves, and Dev managed to get a few kills with that short bow.
What I liked best about Dev was the idea I hit upon that the only word he knew how to say was "okay". He would say it in an eager-to-please fashion in response to anything anybody said to him. This never failed to amuse me, especially in situations where he was asked a question.
In any event, Dev died tonight. It was a pretty ignoble death: crossing a subterranean lake in the ancient dwarf citadel of Sangmenzhang on a bamboo raft the PCs had brought along, he was savaged by a carnivorous lungfish and fell overboard into a swarm of tiny stinging jellyfish. He never stood much of a chance in the front row with 2 hit points.
It was a pitiful end to a rather pitiful session: tonight was one of those nights for my players. They lost 2 retainers, and twice PCs came a flukey dice roll away from death. They were forced to flee by a swarm of cockroaches, attacked by dwarf skeletons, and chased by a giant slug which they had to shut behind a doorway which was their only apparent escape route back to the surface. All they got was about 1000 silver pieces from inside the bellies of a bunch of lungfish, and a couple of rings with semi-precious stones, for their efforts. Oh well. Nobody ever said dungeoneering was easy.
Showing posts with label npcs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label npcs. Show all posts
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Let's Stat Up People Appearing In Old Paintings
See that guy in the foreground, on our left? Who is he? And if you were statting him up for the game of your choice, what would his stats be?
Friday, 20 April 2012
Po Fe and Xolo
Centuries ago, a eunuch mercenary-turned-warlord called Po Fe had the archmage Gulvedra take the soul from his body and put into a ruby as big as a large man's fist. Through this, Po Fe thought he could cheat death - Gulvedra would later remove Po Fe's soul from the ruby and put it into a younger, fitter, more virile body than Po Fe's original ageing and genital-less form.
But Gulvedra did not keep his side of the bargain, and he planned to use the ruby containing Po Fe's soul for other, more nefarious ends. Po Fe's followers managed to rescue the ruby but, lacking Gulvedra's skill, they were unable to transpose Po Fe's soul to another human body. Eventually, they constructed a giant puppet, 20' high, and placed the ruby within it, and thus Po Fe finally did achieve an immortality of a kind.
Po Fe can control his puppet to a point, though he cannot speak. He communicates with crude sign language and by writing in sand. This saps his energy and quickly exhausts him, at which point his helpers use cranes and pulleys to help his movements. His followers later constructed for him a companion - a giant wooden puppet dog called Xolo. Seven of these followers volunteered to have their souls imbued into this creature, and they have animated it ever since. Since they are seven in number they do not tire in the same way that Po Fe does, and they will protect him to the death if he is attacked.
Po Fe
Armour Class: 3
Hit Dice: 8+4
Move: 60' (20')
Attacks: 2 fists
Damage: 2d8/2d8
No. Appearing: 1
Save As: F8
Morale: 7
Treasure: Nil
Intelligence: 12
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 775
Special: Po Fe quickly tires. After d6 rounds he will be exhausted and be unable to fight.
Xolo
Armour Class: 4
Hit Dice: 8+8
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: 1 bite, 2 paws
Damage: 2d8/1d6/1d6
No. Appearing: 1
Save As: F8
Morale: 7
Treasure: Nil
Intelligence: 12
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 775
Monday, 17 May 2010
The Sorcerers of Ainhoa
[I'll continue with the biblical stuff and Fighting Fantasy Monday tomorrow. Just had to get this down while the idea was fresh in my mind.]
The Sorcerers of Ainhoa
The Sorcerers of Ainhoa are a group of six magic-users of unknown origin who travel the high plains, moving from place to place apparently at whim. Capricious and unpredictable, they are at times benevolent and at times cruel. On some occasions all six are seen together, at others they appear only in pairs or threes. Two of them, Izotz and Hirune, are never seen together unless all six are present.
From left to right, the Sorcerers of Ainhoa are Itzotz, Elixabete, Eguzki, Patxi, Zigor and Hirune.
Itzotz, Magic User Level 8, Chaotic.
Itzotz is handsome, aloof and silent, barely speaking and ever observant. In magic he tends towards illusion and phantasm, with which he horrifies or delights his victims.
Elixabete, Magic User Level 9, Chaotic.
Elixabete appears as a small and slight young girl in a faded dress, and is never seen without a bouquet of dying flowers. Her grey eyes seem to contain great age and experience. She favours spells which manipulate the weather or natural objects.
Eguzki, Magic User Level 7, Chaotic.
Eguzki is a corpulent man who is always dressed in the crimson outfit of a jester. He carries with him a sack, whose contents are known only to him. He prefers spells which allow him to teleport or disappear.
Patxi, Magic User Level 7, Chaotic.
Patxi is gaunt and gangly, always barechested. His barrel, which he carries over his shoulder as if it weighs nothing, sometimes contains hundreds of gold pieces, sometimes silver, sometimes copper.
Zigor, Magic User Level 8, Chaotic.
Dressed in flamboyant but pale blue robes, Zigor, apparently a small boy, is the most exuberantly magical of the group, ever ready to demonstrate his power. When he is not practising his magic he likes to dance, performing for food or money.
Hirune, Magic User Level 10, Chaotic.
Hirune is almost as a sister to Itzotz in appearence, though her skin is paler and her eyes sadder. Like him she rarely speaks, though she often sings in a melancholy and quiet way. She is the most powerful of all of her comrades, though she rarely displays her strength.
On encountering the Sorcerers of Ainhoa, the DM should roll a d3; on a roll of 1 two of the sorcerers will be present, on a roll of 2 three will be present, and on a roll of 3, all 6 will be found. The DM should roll a d3 to determine the mood of the sorcerers, with a score of 1 being hostile, 2 being neutral, and 3 being friendly.
The Sorcerers of Ainhoa
The Sorcerers of Ainhoa are a group of six magic-users of unknown origin who travel the high plains, moving from place to place apparently at whim. Capricious and unpredictable, they are at times benevolent and at times cruel. On some occasions all six are seen together, at others they appear only in pairs or threes. Two of them, Izotz and Hirune, are never seen together unless all six are present.
From left to right, the Sorcerers of Ainhoa are Itzotz, Elixabete, Eguzki, Patxi, Zigor and Hirune.
Itzotz, Magic User Level 8, Chaotic.
Itzotz is handsome, aloof and silent, barely speaking and ever observant. In magic he tends towards illusion and phantasm, with which he horrifies or delights his victims.
Elixabete, Magic User Level 9, Chaotic.
Elixabete appears as a small and slight young girl in a faded dress, and is never seen without a bouquet of dying flowers. Her grey eyes seem to contain great age and experience. She favours spells which manipulate the weather or natural objects.
Eguzki, Magic User Level 7, Chaotic.
Eguzki is a corpulent man who is always dressed in the crimson outfit of a jester. He carries with him a sack, whose contents are known only to him. He prefers spells which allow him to teleport or disappear.
Patxi, Magic User Level 7, Chaotic.
Patxi is gaunt and gangly, always barechested. His barrel, which he carries over his shoulder as if it weighs nothing, sometimes contains hundreds of gold pieces, sometimes silver, sometimes copper.
Zigor, Magic User Level 8, Chaotic.
Dressed in flamboyant but pale blue robes, Zigor, apparently a small boy, is the most exuberantly magical of the group, ever ready to demonstrate his power. When he is not practising his magic he likes to dance, performing for food or money.
Hirune, Magic User Level 10, Chaotic.
Hirune is almost as a sister to Itzotz in appearence, though her skin is paler and her eyes sadder. Like him she rarely speaks, though she often sings in a melancholy and quiet way. She is the most powerful of all of her comrades, though she rarely displays her strength.
On encountering the Sorcerers of Ainhoa, the DM should roll a d3; on a roll of 1 two of the sorcerers will be present, on a roll of 2 three will be present, and on a roll of 3, all 6 will be found. The DM should roll a d3 to determine the mood of the sorcerers, with a score of 1 being hostile, 2 being neutral, and 3 being friendly.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Nikolaus Storzenbecher, the Triton-Touched
The tritons of Bothnia do not tolerate intruders. Sailors who enter their territory, whether deliberately or otherwise, are attacked and captured. Their boats are then sunk and they find themselves stripped of all their belongings and left out at sea at night, miles from shore, to face "the judgement of the waves". Those who are pure of purpose are washed to shore unharmed by morning, while those who are not, drown.
It is said that only one man who was not pure of purpose has survived the judgement of the waves. His name is Nikolaus Storzenbecher, and he is chief of the pirate gang known as the Vitalienbrüder. According to the story, Storzenbecher was among the perpetrators of the sacking of Bergen in the spring of 1342. Fleeing capture he sailed due east, to the far kelp forests, and headed north to triton waters, knowing that none would be brave enough to follow. He presumably hoped to hide there long enough to avoid pursuit. But within hours of entering the triton domain his ship was capsized by a great wave and most of his crew were drowned; he and five companions were the only ones to survive long enough to be captured by the tritons.
Storzenbecher and his five companions were left out in the cold grey sea that very night, naked and helpless, to face the judgement of the waves. Only Storzenbecher made it back to shore alive. So much is known, or has been told by Storzenbecher himself.
But how he survived is a mystery. He was not pure of purpose, and in spring Bothnian waters are still cold enough to kill a man within minutes. Some say that Storzenbecher was aided by a beautiful sea spirit, who brought him back to shore in exchange for his seed, and that somewhere out in the gulf lives the product of that union - a boy even crueller and prouder than his father. Others say that the pirate somehow struck a bargain with the tritons, the content of which can only be guessed at. Still more believe that Storzenbecher was somehow helped by whales or dolphins. One of the more outlandish rumours is that a mighty kraken spared the man, recognising in him a soul even more evil than its own. What is for sure is that Storzenbecher either will not, or cannot, say.
Sometimes skeptical souls challenge that the tale contains any truth at all; they accuse Storzenbecher of making up the story so as to enhance his own prestige, and believe that he probably never went to triton waters at all. This may indeed be true. Pirates are not famous for their honesty. The only evidence that anything unusual happened to Storzenbecher that spring night is that previously his eyes were brown, and now they are a cold grey-blue.
It is said that only one man who was not pure of purpose has survived the judgement of the waves. His name is Nikolaus Storzenbecher, and he is chief of the pirate gang known as the Vitalienbrüder. According to the story, Storzenbecher was among the perpetrators of the sacking of Bergen in the spring of 1342. Fleeing capture he sailed due east, to the far kelp forests, and headed north to triton waters, knowing that none would be brave enough to follow. He presumably hoped to hide there long enough to avoid pursuit. But within hours of entering the triton domain his ship was capsized by a great wave and most of his crew were drowned; he and five companions were the only ones to survive long enough to be captured by the tritons.
Storzenbecher and his five companions were left out in the cold grey sea that very night, naked and helpless, to face the judgement of the waves. Only Storzenbecher made it back to shore alive. So much is known, or has been told by Storzenbecher himself.
But how he survived is a mystery. He was not pure of purpose, and in spring Bothnian waters are still cold enough to kill a man within minutes. Some say that Storzenbecher was aided by a beautiful sea spirit, who brought him back to shore in exchange for his seed, and that somewhere out in the gulf lives the product of that union - a boy even crueller and prouder than his father. Others say that the pirate somehow struck a bargain with the tritons, the content of which can only be guessed at. Still more believe that Storzenbecher was somehow helped by whales or dolphins. One of the more outlandish rumours is that a mighty kraken spared the man, recognising in him a soul even more evil than its own. What is for sure is that Storzenbecher either will not, or cannot, say.
Sometimes skeptical souls challenge that the tale contains any truth at all; they accuse Storzenbecher of making up the story so as to enhance his own prestige, and believe that he probably never went to triton waters at all. This may indeed be true. Pirates are not famous for their honesty. The only evidence that anything unusual happened to Storzenbecher that spring night is that previously his eyes were brown, and now they are a cold grey-blue.
NIkolaus Storzenbecher, the Triton-Touched
Level 8 Human Fighter
Chaotic Evil
STR 17
INT 13
WIS 16
CON 17
DEX 12
CHR 17
HP: 50
AC: 4
Equipment: Broadsword, handaxe, spear, studded leather armour.
Magic Items: Storzenbecher wears a plain copper ring of protection +3, and carries a flask each of Oil of Fiery Burning, Potion of Human Control and Potion of Giant Strength.
DM's Note: Once per day, Storzenbecher can summon aquatic monsters to his aid. These appear within 1d6 rounds. He can summon 2d3 scrags, 1d10 merrow, 5d4 lacedons or 5d6 sharks (3-5 HD). This power is a closely guarded secret which even his crew know nothing about; Storzenbecher willl only use it if his life is in great danger.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
She saw the world and she wanted it all
In a high minaret in one of the largest palaces of the Yellow City sits Xíklí Gá, child of one of the richest of the city's merchants. Grown fat now, and old, she can only move with the aid of her human slaves, who bear her great molluscoid body around on an ebony palanquin. But her ambition knows no bounds. From her vantage point in her palace she can gaze out over the entire city, which she dreams she will one day own.
Xíklí Gá has fingers in many different pies. Organised crime, legitimate trade, gambling, politics and opium dens, she is a powerful player in all of those worlds. Many adventurers and mercenaries find employment in her amorphous organisation - so much so that "taking Xíklí's silver" has become a byword in the slums for turning to the life of a sellsword.
Xíklí Gá has fingers in many different pies. Organised crime, legitimate trade, gambling, politics and opium dens, she is a powerful player in all of those worlds. Many adventurers and mercenaries find employment in her amorphous organisation - so much so that "taking Xíklí's silver" has become a byword in the slums for turning to the life of a sellsword.
Xíklí Gá
Chaotic 8th Level Slugperson (Mage)
STR - 9
INT - 18
WIS - 17
DEX - 4
CON - 16
CHR - 10
Equipment: The Ring of Li Hiaqiu [Ring of Protection +5], Vinegarroon Claw Amulet [Amulet of Immunity to Poison]
Bodyguards: Four 4th level human fighters. [Sword, spear, shield, scale mail.]
Saturday, 28 March 2009
[Yoon-suin] NPCs in The Yellow City
The Yellow City sits at the mouth of the God River. It gets its name from the curious sandstone from which it is built, which seems to glow an amberish shade in the sunlight. It has a mixed population of humans, slug people and crabmen, who form three discrete castes, with slug people at the top and crabmen at the bottom. It is known as a city of assassins, poisoners, alchemists and priests.
Here are a few Yellow City NPCs.
Abhijit the Victorious is a retired club-fighter who, as the name suggests, was undefeated in his ten years in the pit. Now grown fat and rendered half-mad by poppy narcosis and old head injuries, he survives on the good will of his old fans.
Nabendu, whose mouth is black is an alchemist, who has the unfortunate tendency of trying to taste all of the potions he creates. This long ago rendered his lips, teeth and tongue black. But his prices are reasonable, and as long as he is still alive his customers can trust that the potion he is selling is not deadly.
Old Luulaalaali is a fortune teller in the largest of the Yellow City's bazaars. She* uses the traditional slug people method of fortune telling, which involves trailing mucus on the ground and having the customer try to describe the shapes it makes.
Vardhan, Worm Breeder is a breeder of velvet worms, particularly the small, colourful varieties used as pets. Secretly he also breeds assassin worms for a select clientele. He is soft spoken and makes barely a sound when he moves; it is often noted that over the years his character has come to somewhat resemble that of his 'children'.
Dimdaalo Jen is an importer of poppy seeds from the Hundred Kingdoms, and runs a large opium den above a tea-shop. As a slug person one* does not partake in the smoking oneself, but usually sits quietly in a corner, watching the debauchery. One is accompanied everywhere by two human eunuch slaves from Lamarakh, fat and muscular, armed with machetes.
Dipika the Sly is an ex-whore who now plies her trade as an assassin. Exquisitely ugly and lacking one eye, she is in high demand because of her expert knowledge of blow pipes and darts.
The Fat Crab has the unusual distinction of having earned a nickname from the humans and slug people living in the Yellow City. Crabmen are usually ignored, but the Fat Crab displays an unusual intelligence and malevolence, and has gained a certain infamy. He runs one of the crabmen ghettoes which run down from the city to the shore, and organises his people to kill any foreigner who enters. There are rumours that his followers occasionally kidnap humans from the areas nearby their ghetto, to be dismembered alive for sport.
*Slug people are hermaphroditic. By convention some choose to be known as 'he' and some as 'she'; others prefer to be referred to as 'one' or 'it'.
Here are a few Yellow City NPCs.
Abhijit the Victorious is a retired club-fighter who, as the name suggests, was undefeated in his ten years in the pit. Now grown fat and rendered half-mad by poppy narcosis and old head injuries, he survives on the good will of his old fans.
Nabendu, whose mouth is black is an alchemist, who has the unfortunate tendency of trying to taste all of the potions he creates. This long ago rendered his lips, teeth and tongue black. But his prices are reasonable, and as long as he is still alive his customers can trust that the potion he is selling is not deadly.
Old Luulaalaali is a fortune teller in the largest of the Yellow City's bazaars. She* uses the traditional slug people method of fortune telling, which involves trailing mucus on the ground and having the customer try to describe the shapes it makes.
Vardhan, Worm Breeder is a breeder of velvet worms, particularly the small, colourful varieties used as pets. Secretly he also breeds assassin worms for a select clientele. He is soft spoken and makes barely a sound when he moves; it is often noted that over the years his character has come to somewhat resemble that of his 'children'.
Dimdaalo Jen is an importer of poppy seeds from the Hundred Kingdoms, and runs a large opium den above a tea-shop. As a slug person one* does not partake in the smoking oneself, but usually sits quietly in a corner, watching the debauchery. One is accompanied everywhere by two human eunuch slaves from Lamarakh, fat and muscular, armed with machetes.
Dipika the Sly is an ex-whore who now plies her trade as an assassin. Exquisitely ugly and lacking one eye, she is in high demand because of her expert knowledge of blow pipes and darts.
The Fat Crab has the unusual distinction of having earned a nickname from the humans and slug people living in the Yellow City. Crabmen are usually ignored, but the Fat Crab displays an unusual intelligence and malevolence, and has gained a certain infamy. He runs one of the crabmen ghettoes which run down from the city to the shore, and organises his people to kill any foreigner who enters. There are rumours that his followers occasionally kidnap humans from the areas nearby their ghetto, to be dismembered alive for sport.
*Slug people are hermaphroditic. By convention some choose to be known as 'he' and some as 'she'; others prefer to be referred to as 'one' or 'it'.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)