Underworld & Underclass Issues - Commentary 'House of the Rising Sun' (Arduin Grimoire volume 6) By Dave Hargrave From Emperor's Choice

 House of the Rising Sun (Arduin Grimoire volume 6) By Dave Hargrave has been one of those missing pieces of my Arduin Grimoire collection. Well, no more thanks to Emperor's Choice Miniatures & Gamers. 
And this goes back to October when I found a copy of the contents of House of Rising Sun on The Ruins of Murkhill forums here. 

According to the poster oldskolgmr who posted a break down of the contents of the Dragon Tree Press version of the book; 
"Arduin Grimoire Vol. VI; House of the Rising Sun  [Note all writing and spellings in the original except bracketed, italicized material, by the poster].
By David A. Hargrave
Copyright 1986
Illustrated by Roland Brown
Published by Dragon Tree Press
Second Edition 1988 
Pg. 2           Foreward, Dedication, Undedication, and Special Thanks to Dragon Tree Press [Ben & Mary]

Pgs. 3 - 7    The Adventurer Class (A new character class)

Pgs. 8 - 11  The Street Urchins of Arduin 
Pgs. 12 - 14 The Beggars Guild (And New Character Class?)
Pg. 15         The Assassins of Arduin [general]
Pg. 16         Arduin Law and Redress by Assassination 
Pgs. 17 - 20 Unique Weapons of Arduin Assassins
Pgs. 21 - 23 Poisons of Arduinian Assassins
Pgs. 24 - 25 Commercial Medicines of Arduin
Pgs. 26 - 28 Arduin Food
Pgs. 28 - 29 And Beverages
Pgs. 30 - 31 The Natural Denizens [animals/fauna] of Arduin
Pgs. 32 - 37 Arduinian Avians 
Pgs. 38 - 39 The Special Pets of Arduin
Pgs. 40 - 44 More Monsters of Arduin
Pgs. 45 - 46 New Magiks [mages]
Pgs. 46 - 47 New Druidical Magik
Pgs. 47 - 48 New Priestly Magik
Pgs. 49 - 50 New Runesinger Magik
Pgs. 51 - 54 Dragon Magik
Pgs. 55 - 59 More Arduinian Alchemical Goodies
Pgs. 59 - 60 Special Alchemist's Note, Alchemists Character Individualization Chart
Pgs. 61 - 65 More Orcish Alchemical Mayhem
Pgs. 66 - 68 New Mystick Artifacts and Treasures 
Pgs. 69 - 70 Bardic Oddities of Arduin
Pgs. 71 - 73 Rare and Legendary Gems and Jewels
Pgs. 74 - 75 Old Legends of Arduin
Pgs. 76 - 83 The Old Gods [of continents five and three]
Pgs. 84 - 88 The Noble Families of Arduin
Pg. 89         Super Heroes and Sword Swingers
Pg. 90         Final Note [from David A. Hargrave] and Abbreviations [used]      
From the World of Arduin [advertisement for Arduin Grimoires published by Dragon Tree Press]

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From the World of Delos [advertisement, Dragon Tree Press publications not related to Arduin]"
 There are two PC classes that have me intrigued,  'The Adventurer Class (A new character class)' & 'The Beggars Guild (And New Character Class?)'. Both of these classes are mostly two classes that form a hodgepodge of abilities for the player's PC . The adventurer class goes all of the way to level 100 and the beggar does as well.  The adventurer is a highly trained & dangerous profession with the PC starting training at age ten to fifteen years of age. The training is very serious. And the PC is something akin to a D&D rogue but far more of a tomb breaker. They have elements of assassins, courtesans, and alchemists. The adventurer class is a child of the urban environment and they compliment the beggar quite nicely. This is a rough & tumble class and its by invite only. Mostly human & Elven types go for the adventurer class. Proto  Adventurers  are taken away for training a minimum of seven years. 

Beggars can be of any race, color, creed, etc. with any physical deformity and they go through a training course of three years. And they are one of the most respected guilds on Arduin because they are information brokers par excellence. And they have incredibly close ties to the Arduin Thieves Guilds. A beggar gets three thieves skills They are not real thieves per say. And gain levels as traders & they often have rats or creatures of the rodent variety as trained pets. Beggars eyes are everywhere on Arduin. 

So what do these PC classes say about Arduin?! Well to me it says volumes about Arduin's urban underworld & how its cityscape is interconnected in with the criminal element.  'House of the Rising Sun' also contains 'The Street Urchins of Arduin' which has incredibly strong ties the beggar's guild within the cities. The PC's are incredibly wise to keep on the good side of these social & adventure element. 

Adventurers are whole different level with life being an adventure as a part of their credo. And its very possible that there are any number of abandoned ruins, cities, & even urban  dungeons where & when their particular skills are needed. The adventurer's class strikes me as 'Laura Croft' years before a proper 'Laura Croft' game ever debuted and far less of an 'Indiana Jones' style adventurer. The adventurer speaks volumes of treasure seeker and far less of deadly thief of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fame. That being said I can see these three PC & NPC  classes working very well together to form another pillar of the underworld that crosses over into certain circles of academia on Arduin. 

'House of the Rising Sun (Arduin Grimoire Volume 6) Is Available Right Here... 

1d10 Random Adventurers of The Wastelands Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaigns

 

They are some of the most commonly encountered warriors and freebooters in the wastes, men and women seeking their fortunes among the decay and danger of Accursed Atlantis. From the dead oceans to the deep deserts they come to the cities. They are often quick with a sword as often as a joke or a piece of advice. Your PC will often come across these men and women when they least expect it, in dark alley ways, the homes of minor noblemen, smoke houses  and even the brothels of highly skilled madams. Adventurers have disposable coin to spend and know all of the best watering holes.These people are often desperate individuals of very dangerous disposition and they can be extremely cunning.

1d10 Random Adventurers of The Wastelands Encounter Table

1. This last surviving warrior king is a 7th level fighter who is armed with a relic sword and blaster, he is looking for treasure and the man who killed his tribe. He is willing to be hired on for a share of treasure but is not to be trusted. 
2. A wizard of mutated aspect who is driven on in the quest for knowledge but also needs to pay his gambling debts. He works for those who pay well in coin but looking out for a thieves guild who even now are searching the Pacific basin for him. 6th level wizard armed with a staff and enchanted +3 knife of slightly demonic aspect. 
3. A former prince of a wasteland kingdom this warriors is wanted for the murder of his former alien boss, but really its the severe mutational scars across his face and skin that mark him as a wanted man. Several cults want to sacrifice him to their demonic masters all of the while he is trying to keep ahead of all of them. His haunted eyes dart around every corner expecting an enemy at any time but his +2 talking sword helps to keep him alive. 5th level thief and 3rd level fighter dressed in desert finery and survival gear. 
4.  This wastelander princess is dressed in practical survival gear and armor, her scars testify to the battles she's seen. As an 7th level fighter she's armed with two short swords and a blaster rifle on her side. She seeks out an undead prince in the wastelands for revenge on her family, but each job seems to take her away further from here goal. She loves the gold and relics. 
5. This former wasteland pirate is seeking a lost gold shipment because it contains the contract for his soul. He's taken up the life of freebooter because no one else will have him. Armed with a blaster and gun, he is a formible character. He's desperate to find the shipment  they've escape with the gold, but he'll take any work at the moment. He needs money and fast. 
6. This former wastelander is looking for a good time and his treasure, he's armed with a standard blaster tube weapon, a bad attitude and plenty of reason to go kill anything that runs across his 6th level playing field. 
7. This rather pretty adventurer is actually an alien shape shifter who seeks to make lunch from fellow adventurers. It leaves traces of itself behind in drinks, food, etc. So that it may possess its supposed friends, endlessly putting each other at one another throats. Armed with a mini blaster and stun wands, this thing has already murdered eleven people in the wastelands. 
8. A clutch of battle nuns is looking for employment in the name of Law and right, they are looking forward to meeting other adventurers so that they may gauge their potential prey. They work as independent consultants and contractors. 
9. A party of 1d6 cult of Starry Wisdom warriors who are looking for mayhem and for potential sacrifices for their alters of depravity. Armed with two laser blasters and man catchers, these horrors are looking for potential recruits as well.  5th level fighters and their very good at the murders of others. 
10. A wizard is offering his services to the highest bidder so that he can see the world through he enemies perspective. But this wizard is very hell bent on finding out the secrets to the Cthulhu cult and will trade humor and horror for maps and other cult related items. He is armed with a classic spear and staff combination 4th level wizard.

For Fun & Profit - Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers As The Vile Villains

So I've been doing a lot of thinking about villains & NPC's over the weekend because I've been sick as a dog. Over the weekend I got a chance to dive into Castle & Crusades The Adventurer's Backpack. Its an interesting mixed bag of essential & optional material for Castles & Crusades. I don't want to get too bogged down into the particulars. But grab it if your a C&C dungeon master.



But what it got me really thinking about were villains & specifically adventurers ala the 'murder hobo' trope that back about 2013 through 2016 seemed to be everywhere in OSR & D&D circles. The fact is what if those murder hobos actually were the villains of an adventure. Let's take it step further & go back to those evil parties that you & your friends always played in middle school & high school. But there's no examples  for those in current OSR circles!? Really?!  Because if you look at your average Dungeon Crawl Classic rpg party their exactly the sort of mercenary scum you'd see in a 70's Marvel comic book. In point of fact it states it right in the introduction; 
"You’re no hero.

You’re an adventurer: a reaver, a cutpurse, a heathen-slayer, a tight-lipped warlock guarding long-dead secrets. You seek gold and glory, winning it with sword and spell, caked in the blood and filth of the weak, the dark, the demons, and the vanquished. There are treasures to be won deep underneath, and you shall have them. "

Adventurers are dangerous, desperate, & very unpredictable making them perfect villain foils especially when they don't see themselves that way. Evil is after all all a matter of perspective to a dungeon master.  If you've been following what's been happening in  The Thulean - Japanese War  then you already know that the PC's have encountered many other adventurers from Sword & Sorcery & even high fantasy worlds. These raiders & murderers are already on the side of greed & pure profit. You have only to pit them against the player's PC's.


But surely gangs of D&D style adventurers don't have any place within an alternative pre WWI campaign world?! Well what you may not know is that pirates & privateers were operating all throughout the war timeline & with a world of adventurers & cutthroats its not a far throw to introduce individuals of superior talents & powers from other worlds. Especially in light of such real world characters such as the "Felix Nikolaus Alexander Georg Graf^[1] von Luckner (9 June 1881 – 13 April 1966), sometimes called Count Luckner in English"
"Felix Nikolaus Alexander Georg Graf^[1] von Luckner (9 June 1881 – 13 April 1966), sometimes called Count Luckner in English, was a German nobleman, naval officer, author, and sailor who earned the epithet Der Seeteufel (the Sea Devil), and his crew that of Die Piraten des Kaisers (the Emperor's Pirates), for his exploits in command of the sailing commerce raider SMS Seeadler (Sea Eagle) between 1916 and 1917." 


SMS Seeadler, the three-masted windjammer that raided the Atlantic
and Pacific in an age of dreadnoughts (painting by Christopher Rave)

 Count Luckner exploits make many of the Hollywood blockbusters of today pale by comparison & let's not even get into China's important role in WWI. So there is a precedence of desperate & very dangerous adventurers taking on the roles of raiders & marauders in the waters of the Orient. The idea of adventurers from other worlds  being on the main NPC villains & factions that are acting as dimensional marauders isn't so far fetched at all.



 In fact high level wizards using adventuring parties as scouts to assess & gauge the strength of a world has precedence in Appendix N fantasy. Imagine if you would if a character like John Dee who not only was an occult adviser to Queen Elizabeth but also her spy master. He might set up a series of scouts & spies to gauge the enemy's strength. Now imagine that some of the NPC adventurers that my player's have already encountered are not at all what they appear to be. The players might be in far more trouble then they realize! There are several reasons for this:

1. Adventurers are far from home & might not come back if they don't perform to their patron's satisfaction.
2. Wizard's families are a great bargaining chip.
3.  This is the perfect opportunity to slip a demon or other supernatural shape shifter into the mix to really twist the player's minds. 
4. 'Wolves in sheep's' clothing often move among pirates & marauders. Could this be a prime opportunity for a bit of NPC turn coat action? 
5. Necromancers often make excellent & unexpected additions to pirate or raider bands. 
6. Spies & assassins often lurk among pirates & in unexpected places. 
7. Brigands & bandit gangs also make excellent 'other worldly' spies. 
8. The line between mercenary & brigand is often a pay check away. 
9. Treasure & sacred relic is often relative to adventurers as the bad guys. 
10. The hand of adventurers is often very bloody indeed & their are often relatives & families that will want revenge of the murder or destruction of some fallen royal. 

Some Thoughts On the Adventurers Lifestyle & Thier Place Within A Campaign Society

Looking through old Grenadier Models  advertisements for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons miniatures. These adds are full of memory & nostalgia for the middle part of the D&D product line for me. These miniatures held a lot of imagination & possibilities for the dungeon master's imagination.

My thoughts often turn to what types of men & women become adventurers. Desperate men & women trying their hand in the game of delving into the darkness of half forgotten tombs, places of legend, & possibly forgotten civilizations in some back water wilderness. These are places mankind wasn't supposed to journey into.
Here are six reasons why I think that adventurers are on the prowl  in ruins & dungeons:

1. Adventurers are going to be lower echelon men & women of society  who crave adventure, quick cash, & the brotherhood  that the dungeon delve  life brings. The promising  lure of exploration & exploitation. 
2. Adventurers have to be a dreg caste of society unto themselves looked upon the same way as actors, performers, and veterans of wars were in Europe. Directionless yet a necessary evil of society with back door admission into academia & governmental positions such as espionage. 
3. Reputations of of the adventurer life style has to have legendary status within urban & polite society. Many boys & girls dream of it the same way that they might of war but the realities are vastly different. Bards are partially responsible for keeping these sorts of things alive among the populace. 
4. The line between hireling & adventurer is a fuzzy thing at best in society. Many down & out adventurers & outlaws become hirelings but drift into the adventurer life style based on opportunity & circumstance. 
5. Retired adventurers are often tomorrow's patrons living vicariously through others but exploiting the class & careers of others as needed. The cycle keeps the wheels greased based on the ploys. But monsters often become adventurers as wars & conflict create more ruins. These ruins are exploited by the forces of darkness. 
6. The life of adventurer is a very dangerous one & circumstances often force disgraced nobles & mercenaries to try their hand at it. Again warfare & conflict the opportunity for the life of an adventurer to be inflicted upon a PC.
   
   
   
   Can one leave the adventurer life entirely? I'm reminded of late Roman Empire soldiers & generals talking about war campaigns. The marks that these left upon them & their lives is something that has an echo for me as a dungeon master. Do adventurers ever really leave the life behind them?
   Where do the hoards that are in the dungeon come from? Again I think that the treasure in dungeons are closely tied in with war & it has far deeper meaning than we usually know once its retrieved. We'll get into that in another blog entry coming up.

1d6 Random Martian Women Warriors & Mercenary Companies Of 'Old Mars' Encounter Table

They are the Martian warriors without home, hearth, & family except to each other. These warriors are 'the promised ones' the mistresses of sword, spear, radium pistol, and energy weapons. They move across the face of 'Old Mars' with the tides of war & strife. These are the Martian  warrior women of the 'old world'. They are heroines to some, demons to many, & angels of war. Their bravery is second to none.


These companies are made up of 2nd & third level fighters with scatterings of scientists & wizards sprinkled with Martian clerics & thieves. These are very dangerous mercenaries working for honor, coin, & sometimes esoteric principles not easily understood by humans.
There is a 15% chance of these mercenaries having a relic or artifact weapon among them.  Here are 1d6 random women warriors & mercenary companies.
1d6 Random Martian Women Warriors
& Mercenary Companies Of 'Old Mars' Encounter Table

1. 'The Silent Brides of Klou'r - These dangerous warriors are made up of the survivors of the sacking & looting of the low lander Martian tribes whose men and children were taken by high mountain mutants led by a mad scientist. They have followed in this mad man's conquests & stopped his reign of terror at every turn. There is a pattern of madness & violence to their actions, they fight for underdog kingdoms & kill slavers for their booty and loot. These they sell to finance their streak of revenge! They have been accused of stripping shipments from Helium & its neighbors for their treasure. 
2. 'The Sisters of Revenge' - A group of displaced rebel scum and royals who are led by a scientist queen who is a master strategist and planner. Her troops come from the poorest natives of lower class low landers, her troops are loyal & very dangerous. They use several fliers of exceptional quality as troop transport. She is known for raiding radium shipments from the old mine works near the Weeping mountains. 
3. The Hruir' Ous Or 'The Purple Lizards' a mercenary outfit named from the draco lizard beasts of the Purple Wastes near the Swamps of Thoon. These warriors are the descendants of a forgotten city who have turned to the life of mercenaries to feed their families they are known for using dangerous sword techniques and are gifted with radium rifles. They specialize in taking down cargo fliers and military transports. 
4. The Daughters of Issus - A dangerous & murderous group of terrorists made up of scouts and rangers devoted to the displaced goddess. They are murderous psychopaths who carve up non believers & follow an incredibly foul crone goddess aspect of Issus. 
5. The Carvers of Red - These mercenaries are actually scavengers & relic hunters who finance their operations with military contracts & actions. There are over 60,000 warriors who love to use some of the most dangerous energy weapons found in the wastes. They prey on flier pirates & wasteland raiders with relish. 
6. 'The Toys' - A company of artificial persons who are converted 'pleasure bots & droids' from some long forgotten Martian city near the polar regions. They are supreme infiltrators & special forces, they often operate for years within a targets home turf & take out 'impossible' targets. There are nine groups of these ladies operating under the leadership of an A.I. called Benevolent Matrix.

Commentary On Ass Kicking Warrior Women of The Old Mars Setting

Diane thanks for the email & that's a great question, 'How do you place more women warriors on an 'Old Mars' setting & make them credible for players?' 'And are there real world historical examples of these?' Yes, and yes to both questions. Since Jeddaks,queens, and other royals of Mars exist in the classic science fantasy of Edgar Rice Burroughs, C.L. Moore, & Leigh Brackett its not a hard stretch to place classic historical female warriors within these fictional bounds. "The Dahomey Amazons or N'Nonmiton of  which means "our mothers" in Fon, were a Fon all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey in the present-day Republic of Benin which lasted until the end of the 19th century. They were so named by Western observers and historians due to their similarity to the semi-mythical Amazons of ancient Anatolia and the Black Sea", at least according to their wiki entry. 

They served as some of the inspiration for Lamentations of the Flame Princess's World of The Lost which features a wide variety of warrior women with similar skill sets by Rafael Chandler. Now I've written extensively about this source book before. Basically your dealing with women warriors who are not only competent but agile, lightly armed, & used to killing within their environment. Africa proving to be one of the inspirations of Edgar Rice Burroughs for not only Tarzan but Barsoom as well. Africa was one of the last great unexplored frontiers well into the '20s to Western eyes.

But what does this have to do with 'Old Mars' as a setting? Quite a bit because your dealing with race & class separated in both Warriors of the Red Planet & Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea.  So this means that your going  to be dealing with Amazons within the bounds of 'Old Mars' as a human nation of adventurers cycling through the Human & Martian city states, smaller kingdoms, even the po dunk Western style settlements ala C.L. Moore.  There is a lot to pull from from using World of the Lost from robotic horrors, to energy weapons and more for an 'Old Mars' campaign. I digress.

So what does this have to do with 'Old Mars'? Well pulling from Edgar Rice Burroughs one of his later efforts shows a completely different side to those Martian princesses in 'A Fighting Man of Mars'. Since its Frank Frazetta's birth a couple of days ago here's the Doubleday 1973 cover of  The Master Mind of Mars & A  Fighting Man of Mars. I'll cover The Master Mind of Mars another day. Wiki has a really good break down of two of the essential Barsoom books.



These two novels are intertwined," The story-teller is Ulysses Paxton, protagonist of the previous novel, The Master Mind of Mars, but this story is not about him; rather, it is the tale of Tan Hadron of Hastor, a lowly, poor padwar (a low-ranking officer) who is in love with the beautiful, haughty Sanoma Tora, daughter of Tor Hatan, a minor but rich noble. As he is only a padwar, Sanoma spurns him. Then Sanoma Tora is kidnapped.

As Tan Hadron crosses Mars ("Barsoom", as Burroughs calls it) searching for Sanoma Tora, he encounters some of Barsoom's most ferocious beasts: huge, many-armed, flesh-eating white apes, gigantic spiders, and the insane cannibals of U-Gor. He also meets the mad scientist Phor Tak, who cackles "Heigh-oo!" and is crazed with the desire for revenge.

The initial simplicity of Burroughs' well-worn pursuit plot is elaborated by Hadron's rescue of an escaped slave, Tavia, from a band of six-limbed green Tharks, en route to the city of Jahar where Hadron believes Sanoma Tora has been taken. Tavia is an atypical Burroughs heroine; depicted as self-reliant and competent with weapons, witty and intelligent, she compares favorably for both reader and Hadron with beautiful but shallow Sanoma Tora, who ultimately shows herself unworthy of the virtuous hero. With the addition of Nur An, a disaffected Jaharian warrior, and another escaped woman slave, Phao, Hadron's quest becomes more collaborative than Burroughs' usual, although Tavia, in an unsurprising plot development, is revealed to be a princess at the end"
Its really Tavia that's important; "Tavia is an atypical Burroughs heroine; depicted as self-reliant and competent with weapons, witty and intelligent." Burroughs Martian women are not your typical bubble headed heroines or the usual 'Sword & Sorcery' 'damsels in distress' in fact these ladies are bound to be mercenaries & adventurers within their own rights. Many of the games I run Martian ladies are some of the most blood thirst & dangerous  adversaries player's PC can run across. Leigh Brackett's 'The Sword of Rhiannon' has a number of female Martian queens and royals running around in the background of a lush million year plus setting of Mars ancient past.


So what does this have to do with the Amazon power blocks on old Mars? Well, if we're looking at Hyperborean races intermingling through the Boreas Winds onto 'Old Mars' then your looking at Amazon warriors, adventurers, wizards, clerics, outlaws, and others making their way into the social structure of outlaw nations, thieves guilds, thieves quarters, anywhere that they can assimilate into the fringe elements that adventurers are drawn to. They're going to exploit the 'patriarchal controlled' decedent royal houses, and play them for all their worth. So are Martian women adventurers & Hyperborean lady adventurers going to get along? I think that you could see some mixed parties but I also don't think either group is going to see the other for anything other then competition in the wastelands pure and simple.

Lady adventurers are probably found in every single quarter of 'Old Mars' having run my fair share of  Warriors of the Red Planet, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, and even Dark Albion. Players love lady warriors as PC's. When you get into the wastelands of the archaic pulp origin of 'Old Mars' doesn't dictate the origin point of your adventurers.
In fact I'd be remiss for not mentioning Dark Albion's great section on women adventurers which had some nice ideas for using real historic lady warriors as a guide for that world's fantastic fantasy setting that's grounded in real  world history. Some of those ideas might work in other games enhancing play.

The tropes & ideas of pulp writers  of the past should be explored & to some extent exploited by OSR players & dungeon masters. There are plenty of ways of break molds & stereo types of the past with some imagination & creativity. Edgar Rice Burroughs, C.L. Moore, & Leigh Brackett were some of the trail blazers for many other writers who followed in their foot steps. We're only playing in the shadows of those who came before us.
Note that this is for personal use only and is not an attempt to violate the copyright or trademark of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea nor the Warriors of the Red Planet rpg systems
Note that neither Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea nor the Warriors of the Red Planet rpg systems is anyway responsible for the content or materials of Swords & Stitchery.
Ideas, items, names, adventure ideas, opinions to follow are the copyright & trademark of the author & Dark Corner Productions

1d6 Random Encounters With Demons & Mad things That Are No Longer Men Table For Your Old School Games

Those who wander to close to dream zones and points of psychic contamination can become lost in the ripple zones of the Near Dreaming and become infected with the weird Threshold radiations. Left over contamination from the war of the old gods and the Great Old Ones. These beings eventually become Those who are no longer men mutant beings whose existence is one of degeneration and violence trying to pray on fellow men and consume them to sate the hunger within them. Those adventurers, freebooters, and wanderers who tread the borders of Accursed Atlantis and come upon ripple zones must save vs device or gain 1d4 mutations and lost one point of permanent intelligence and wisdom as the poisons warp body and mind. Those who wander further into these death zones can expect to eventually lose their souls completely as the these energies warp and consume them as they gain an additional 1d4 minor mutations and their damnation becomes complete.


1d6 Random Encounters With Daemons
& Mad things That Are No Longer Men Table

1. Ddhuagoskek - This former member of the city guard has crossed one to many times into the Dreaming ripples and been sent into the Beyond by telepathic temptations from his masters. He's become a Vrock with highly dangerous mutations an appetite for the flesh of men. His routine of 1d8 mutants are 3rd level fighters and he uses an energy weapon as well as an magick frost brand sword of +3. He serves a demonic master deep in the wastelands and has a sizable cult in one of the capital cities. 
2. Sazharuakep- This twisted being was warped by his time in the deep wastelands and seeks to gather souls for his dark masters and is still able to assume his nondescript 4th level fighter form and joins parties of adventurers as a hired mercenary and guide only to turn on them in hours of desperation. He has the ability to become a humanoid jelly of loathsome sanity blasting aspect. His touch does 1d4 points of acidic damage with a successful melee attack. 
3.  Omaua-cyauac is a former Aztec warrior who wandered into the wastes of Accursed Atlantis through a time  and has given up his human form in favor of that of a minor Hezrou after mutating through a humanoid tadpole stage. He deals in the hearts, minds, and souls minor wasteland wizards and is constantly on the look out for more for his masters. He uses an enchanted  +3 maquahuitl, and a chimalli without any decorations.Omaua-cyauac takes the eyes of his victims which he thinks are delicious and is served by 1d8 damned souls. He attacks parties based on relative strength and opportunities. 
4. Sazharuakep the begger king is the leader of a group of 1d100 begger's guild of mutant things that used to be men. This network of thieves and spies works throughout the wastelands selling souls, information, and has a brisk trade in artifacts and magick relics. Sazharuakep serves three death gods and has a quote of souls each day. Sports 1d8 mutations 
5. Othuggot former Atlantian priest and now full time demonic horror this thing moves across the sky as a Nalfeshnees made from the body parts and muscles of his former students after falling asleep in the deep wasteland next to a dream ripple zone of  Hellish energy. He is now in charge of gathering new souls for his dark masters and  judges new souls for consumption or sacrifice to his dark masters. He is especially fond of the taste of dark wizards and gathers treasures for pacts with local wasteland thieves guilds. 
6. Za'ithanacal once a deadly mutant queen who willingly subject herself to the dangerous threshold energies to become a succubus of horrid aspect. She is served by a retinue of her old wasteland mercenary guild now turned into dark undead hag things. Za'ithanacal loves to prey on unsuspecting adventurers and devour the souls of the stupid and foolish. She uses her wiles to seduce sorcerers and wizards of a powerful aspect to lay claim on their holdings and expand her wasteland empire.

1d6 Random Women Warriors & Mercenary Companies Of The Wastelands Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaigns

   They are some of the most dangerous as competent adventurers and warriors PC might encounter in the wastelands of accursed Atlantis. Many are disenfranchised survivors and wanderers, others are outcasts from their tribes. Still they come together out of a sense of sisterhood, a love of violence or greed few can say but these ladies are almost always second level fighters and above. They often have a signature weapon style or device that they use. Often these ladies know more about wasteland survival then many of their male counterparts and are some of the most competent adventurers out in the wastes. There is a 15% chance of these mercenaries having a relic or artifact weapon among them.  Here are 1d6 random women warriors & mercenary companies.
1d6 Random Women Warriors & Mercenary Companies
Of The Wastelands Encounter Table

1. The Sisters of Varona The Many Armed Goddess - These warriors are made up from the survivors of armed attacks and ransacking of mutant barbarian tribes. These survivors are given a purpose in life and trained in the use of relic technologies on the battlefield. They most often use archaic energy weapons and have a passion for taking enemies heads as trophies. They often fight for underdog causes and are often hired to protect temples and religious shrines. The sisters have been accused of taking treasures and relics from freebooters and adventurers whom they find as easy marks. 
2. Brilhem's Daughters - These mercenaries work for the highest bidder but often work to uncover cults of androids and other cybernetic organisms from within societies. They hate these beings with a passion after their order's founder was murdered by an android of incredible evil. So they take jobs to move under cover of pretense to grow bold on foreign soil to root out these evils. They have a marked preference for energy weapons capable of taking out mechanical or electronic systems.
3. The Sisterhood  of Bright Helm- These mercenaries have been founded according to the ancient tenets laid down on the Bright Helm Saturday morning cartoon show. The cult recruits young girls between the ages of 9 through 13, who are then trained in the ways of the show's method of warfare against the dangerous cyborgs and mutant raiders. Just as they do in the children's pre-apocalyptic television show. The cult has a marked preference for vibro blades and energy shields. 
4. The Sisters of Spoils - Recruited from across the wastelands, the sisters of fighters and scavengers. They are interested in relics and artifact technologies from across the wastes and claiming those powers for themselves. They have a reputation for honor and deadly efficient in getting their kills done.They often can be seen on their rather common wasteland motor bikes. 
5. Twisted Ones - These mercenaries are  the very top of the line in stealth and infiltration. They often work from within the enemies presence, they demand a tenth of all loot saved from bunkers,ruins, and others. They have a marked preference for taking the heads of enemies to show off their conquests in battle. The Twisted Ones ride into battle on strange mechanical cybernetic entities. 
6. The Silent Walkers - These lady warriors are professionals through and through. They often work with wizards, and other magick workers to take over existing lands. The silent walkers move behind the scenes looking for the violence and excitement that battle provides. They work on hover bikes and speeders covering wide swaths of turf from the comfort of their vehicles. These ladies often send spies and scouts into communities looking for specific pieces of technologies and abilities among some of the other villagers don't have. The Silent Ones are always on the look for certain mutant species that can be valuable for raiding later on.
   
   
   
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1d6 Random Demon Spawn Encounters Table For Your Old School Campaigns

Deep within the wastelands, there are things that stir that have been spit out from the bowls of the Hells, and exist deep in the wastes. Things whose wraith knows no bounds, monsters that long to return to the no man's land of the Beyond to await the time when the Earth will be theirs once again. These swarms of horror and wrath move across the face of the wastelands sewing destruction and chaos in their wake.
Pity any adventurers who run across these things and are dragged into the maws and claws of these horrors. Only madness, damnation and depravity await these poor fools.


1d6 Random Demon Spawn Encounters Table

1. A rolling band of demonic half forgotten things with neither past nor future who have been called back into this life by the misfired spell of a damned magus who was consumed for his efforts. There are 1d20 of these horrors armed with a variety of improvised weapons ready to tear apart any fool they run across.  They are all that remains of half forgotten relatives and loved ones who have died in plague ridden villages. The power of magick has called them back and they are half demonic horrors now. 
2. The shed remains of a fallen angel who shed its heavenly grandeur around the wasteland as it passed into Hell. The remains have taken on the half life of the damned. This weird afterbirth slime like horror cries its unending horror and hunger to the heavens and will consume anything it can to expand and try to gain intelligence and a semi soul, after 1d8 days it will divide and become 1d20 smaller spawn like life forms. 
3. A semi alien weird cosmic life form created from the half forgotten remains of an extinct alien civilization now long damned and dead. These half undead things have come from a decayed world orbiting a black sun of horror. They hunger for the flesh and life of the living  but it is forever denied them. Use the stats for a Ju Ju zombie with a 70% chance of psionic powers 
4. A splinter from the cosmic staff of an angel of death has spawned 1d10 alien things from the cosmic energies and half burned corpses of the dead from another star. These horrors exist as half things and only take partial damage from weapons only magical weapons may harm them. They exist to feast on the souls of the living. 
5. 1d10 semi plastic demon things spawned in the heart of the remains of a dead star. These horrors will seek out the inner organs and bodies of any nearby living. They will seek any orifices and impregnate them with their damned progeny. Within 1d10 days their organs will burst forth with the semi Lovecraftian horrors to grow into new gods things of the stars! 
6. A demonic cloud from the Outer Darkness has come among the living to feast on the souls and minds of the living. This thing will seek out all of the men within a twenty mile radius to give birth to its horrors. There will be 1d8 slime like horrors with whipping and slime drenched tendrils. These things will seek out the cults of the Old Ones for protection and grow into new demonic god horrors of ancient times until the stars are right once again. 

1d6 Random Hell Tainted Adventurers Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaign

Those adventurers who terry with the forces of Chaos and Hell often find themselves on the the path towards complete and utter damnation regardless if they want it or not. Some go mad and others are dragged into the waiting arms of the forces of the infernal. Those who encounter life shattering material or powerful artifacts of the demonic can become tainted by the things and powers of Hell. A save vs poison must be made first as the person is removed from the normal mortal coil. The victim will no longer eat, have to sleep, dream or breath. After 1d4 days the victim may gain dark vision up to sixty feet and a world of darkness as well as the abyss of life itself opens around them. Their bodies may be wracked by incredible pains and a horrid fatigue may set in after which the victim must make a save vs death. Or the victim will pass yet further into the clutches of  Hell gaining the  immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). The victim may at this point become stalked by a minor demon or devil like life form that may come to claim them and drag them down into the Pit . There is a 40% chance that they may gain the symptoms of  ghoul plague with 1d6 hours turning into a mindless form of the damned. A very hungry form of the damned. Friends,family, pets, etc. are all on the menu, and within the wastelands of Accursed Atlantis this is an all too common occurrence.
Many of these horrors have the characteristics of zombies, ghouls, etc. but in actuality they are simply the damned. And they must be put down for the greater good of those around them. Destruction, chaos and damnation are these creatures hallmarks.


1d6 Random Hell Tainted Adventurers Encounter Table

1. 1d4 adventurers who have braved the fires of destruction in the deep wastes to recover gold and relics are not aware that they did not survive the experience. They speak among themselves and as 3rd level fighters still bear with themselves energy weapons and the wounds that took them. Three of them bare the signs of ghoul plague and their wounds squirm with undead maggots. They have 1d100 pieces of Hell gold with them and relics. A demonic horror is already hunting them it will find them and anyone helping them will be considered fair game for the Hells. 
2. A mercenary captain 5th level fighter who has lost everything stumbles from the wastelands. He carries a gold casket which houses the still living head of his wife. He will tell the tale of warfare in the wastes against a horrid demonic thing and how it killed his family and only he escaped with his 'treasure'. He is armed with a laser pistol of baroque design and a +2 sword. He is however one of the damned and has a chest wound that he hides.  He is completely insane and in 3 hours his patron from the Fires will be coming for him. 
3. An old woman named Annabelle stumbles from the heat of the desert dressed in rags, her flesh withered as leather and yet she moves on pitifully.  Begging for help, she will tell her story of surviving a demonic raid and the murder of her family who were mercenaries.  In actuality it is she who betrayed her husband for infidelity  and turned the  whole lot over to the demons.  She is 4th level wizard with a demonic patron who even now awaits her signal for more victims. She has 60 pieces of Hell gold to taint adventurers if necessary.
4. A priestess of the light needs adventurers to help her rescue her former party who were captured by demon worshiping mutants in the deep wastelands.  This 2nd level cleric bares the robes and weapons of her order but she has betrayed them to the forces of darkness and must now bare more to her masters. She has the scares of  Hell upon her person and even now is slowly turning to the darkness within herself. She has a master work laser pistol and gauntlets of stunning that belonged to her father.
5. An ancient warrior and father figure of a nearby wasteland community is looking for his family. He rides his old warhorse and needs a bit of supplies and gold to help his cause. What he doesn't realize is that a horde of 1d8 damned follow in his wake to wherever he goes. His body bears the scars of damnation and even his +2 sword is rank with the gore  of war and slaughter. Hell rides with him.  
6. An ancient priestess has been infected with this curse and moves across the world spreading her evil with her. But a virtuous warrior or paladin may remove the curse but will they be in time. Mercs hunt her because she has a valuable relic with her.
   

1d10 Random Adventurers of The Wastelands Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaigns

They are some of the most commonly encountered warriors and freebooters in the wastes, men and women seeking their fortunes among the decay and danger of Accursed Atlantis. From the dead oceans to the deep deserts they come to the cities. They are often quick with a sword as often as a joke or a piece of advice. Your PC will often come across these men and women when they least expect it, in dark alley ways, the homes of minor noblemen, smoke houses  and even the brothels of highly skilled madams. Adventurers have disposable coin to spend and know all of the best watering holes.These people are often desperate individuals of very dangerous disposition and they can be extremely cunning.

1d10 Random Adventurers of The Wastelands Encounter Table

1. This last surviving warrior king is a 7th level fighter who is armed with a relic sword and blaster, he is looking for treasure and the man who killed his tribe. He is willing to be hired on for a share of treasure but is not to be trusted. 
2. A wizard of mutated aspect who is driven on in the quest for knowledge but also needs to pay his gambling debts. He works for those who pay well in coin but looking out for a thieves guild who even now are searching the Pacific basin for him. 6th level wizard armed with a staff and enchanted +3 knife of slightly demonic aspect. 
3. A former prince of a wasteland kingdom this warriors is wanted for the murder of his former alien boss, but really its the severe mutational scars across his face and skin that mark him as a wanted man. Several cults want to sacrifice him to their demonic masters all of the while he is trying to keep ahead of all of them. His haunted eyes dart around every corner expecting an enemy at any time but his +2 talking sword helps to keep him alive. 5th level thief and 3rd level fighter dressed in desert finery and survival gear. 
4.  This wastelander princess is dressed in practical survival gear and armor, her scars testify to the battles she's seen. As an 7th level fighter she's armed with two short swords and a blaster rifle on her side. She seeks out an undead prince in the wastelands for revenge on her family, but each job seems to take her away further from here goal. She loves the gold and relics. 
5. This former wasteland pirate is seeking a lost gold shipment because it contains the contract for his soul. He's taken up the life of freebooter because no one else will have him. Armed with a blaster and gun, he is a formible character. He's desperate to find the shipment  they've escape with the gold, but he'll take any work at the moment. He needs money and fast. 
6. This former wastelander is looking for a good time and his treasure, he's armed with a standard blaster tube weapon, a bad attitude and plenty of reason to go kill anything that runs across his 6th level playing field. 
7. This rather pretty adventurer is actually an alien shape shifter who seeks to make lunch from fellow adventurers. It leaves traces of itself behind in drinks, food, etc. So that it may possess its supposed friends, endlessly putting each other at one another throats. Armed with a mini blaster and stun wands, this thing has already murdered eleven people in the wastelands. 
8. A clutch of battle nuns is looking for employment in the name of Law and right, they are looking forward to meeting other adventurers so that they may gauge their potential prey. They work as independent consultants and contractors. 
9. A party of 1d6 cult of Starry Wisdom warriors who are looking for mayhem and for potential sacrifices for their alters of depravity. Armed with two laser blasters and man catchers, these horrors are looking for potential recruits as well.  5th level fighters and their very good at the murders of others. 
10. A wizard is offering his services to the highest bidder so that he can see the world through he enemies perspective. But this wizard is very hell bent on finding out the secrets to the Cthulhu cult and will trade humor and horror for maps and other cult related items. He is armed with a classic spear and staff combination 4th level wizard.