D100 Dark Sorcery and Profane artifacts table for Sword of Cepheus Second edition rpg & other D2d6 Fantasy Rpg

 Here is a fully compatible, custom D100 table designed for The Sword of Cepheus (Second Edition). In keeping with the 2e ruleset, these dark results lean into Mishaps, Mutations, and Dangerous Sorcery rather than classic "Corruption points," utilizing 2D6-based mechanics, Characteristic checks, and skill modifications (like Sorcery or Willpower). This picks right up from OSR Commentary - Using Worlds without Number with Sword of Cepheus 2nd edition

D100 Dark Sorcery & Profane Artifacts

D100	Type	Result & Mechanics
01–05	Artifact	The Obsidian Dagger of Vor-Kesh: A jagged dagger (+1 to Melee). On a hit, you may choose to inflict an extra +1D6 damage, but you must immediately roll a Sorcery or END check (8+) or suffer 1 point of permanent END damage as it drinks your vitality.
06–10	Mishap	The Void Whispers: The dark energies leak into your mind. You gain a temporary -1 DM to all INT-based checks for the next 2D6 days as chaotic voices cloud your thoughts.
11–15	Artifact	The Bleeding Idol: A pocket-sized clay figure of a forgotten god. It grants a +1 DM to all Sorcery checks. However, every time it is used, it secretes a toxic oil. Roll an END check (7+) or contract a wasting sickness (-1 STR until cured).
16–20	Mutation	Eldritch Eyes: Your pupils slit vertically like a serpent’s, or shift to a dead, milky white. You gain Dark Vision (ignore penalties for low light), but suffer a permanent -1 DM to all SOC-based checks with normal humans who see your face.
21–25	Artifact	Scourge of the Warlich: A heavy, blackened iron mace (Damage 3D6). Whenever a natural 2 is rolled on an attack with this weapon, it turns on its wielder, inflicting 1D6 damage that ignores armor.
26–30	Mishap	Arcane Backlash: A spellcasting attempt goes horribly wrong. You suffer 2D6 damage directly to your physical characteristics (distribute between STR and DEX), ignoring all physical armor.
31–35	Artifact	The Cynosure Ring: Allows the wearer to store one Arcane spell inside it without channeling. When the spell is cast from the ring, roll 2D6. On a 2–4, the ring shatters and the spell targets the wearer instead.
32–40	Mutation	Chitinous Patches: Hard, black insectoid plates burst from your skin. Your natural armor increases by +1 protection, but your skin becomes brittle, applying a permanent -1 to your maximum DEX.
41–45	Artifact	The Scroll of Thul-Gath: Contains a reality-shattering Eldritch spell. Reading it grants automatic success on the casting, but the reader must make a Willpower check (9+) or suffer a permanent loss of 1 point of INT.
46–50	Mishap	Withered Limb: One of your arms or legs shrivels, turning gray and leathery. Reduce either your STR or DEX by 2 points permanently. This can only be reversed by powerful, rare miracles.
51–55	Artifact	The Leechstone Amulet: When worn, you heal damage at twice the normal rate. However, any allies within 5 meters heal at half their normal rate as the amulet slowly siphons their ambient life force.
56–60	Mutation	Voice of the Abyss: Your voice drops into a dual-toned, terrifying echo. You gain a +2 DM to all Intimidation or Leadership checks, but you can no longer speak in a whisper, making Stealth checks involving speech impossible.
61–65	Artifact	The Mask of the Flayed: A horrific leather mask made of humanoid skin. Wearing it makes you entirely invisible to undead and demons unless you attack them. While wearing it, you cannot regain Stamina or heal.
66–70	Mishap	Summoning Tear: The barrier between worlds thins. A hostile Lesser Demon (per the 2e Bestiary) instantly tears through the veil within 3 meters of you and attacks the nearest living creature.
71–75	Artifact	The Cinder Crown: A wrought-iron crown that grants +2 to all Channeling checks. However, your body temperature skyrockets; you must consume three times the normal amount of water daily or face immediate dehydration hazards.
76–80	Mutation	Preternatural Hunger: Your teeth grow into sharp, jagged fangs. You can use them as a natural weapon (Melee, 1D6+1 damage). However, you can no longer derive nourishment from cooked food—you must consume raw, fresh meat.
81–85	Artifact	The Iron Grimoire: A massive, chain-bound tome. Spending a week studying it increases your Sorcery skill by 1 level (to a max of 3), but you permanently lose 1 point of SOC as your sanity deteriorates.
86–90	Mishap	Locus of Decay: Plants wither in your footprint, milk curdles at your touch, and small animals flee from your presence. You suffer a permanent -2 DM to all Animal Handling and Reactions with ordinary folk.
91–95	Artifact	The Soul-Iron Bracers: Heavy bracers that grant +2 Protection. However, they are permanently fused to your wrists. Whenever you cast a spell, you take 1 point of damage directly to your END as the iron grows white-hot.
96–00	Mutation	Form of the Abomination: Roll twice on this table, ignoring any artifact results. You suffer both mutations/mishaps simultaneously as your form collapses into something completely unnatural.

How to Use this Table in Your Campaign

• Sorcerous Mishaps: When a player fails a Sorcery or Channeling check spectacularly (such as rolling a natural 2), you can substitute standard rules with a roll on this table to emphasize the gritty, perilous nature of 2e magic.

• Profane Loot: If the characters delve into pre-human ruins, ancient tombs, or the sanctums of enemy sorcerers, use the Artifact entries to give them powerful but deeply double-edged rewards.

OSR Commentary - H.G. Wells' iconic Martian war material tailored for The Burrows & Borderlands Rpg

Here  is a conversion of H.G. Wells' iconic Martian war material tailored for Burrows & Borderlands (a standard fantasy tabletop roleplaying framework utilizing classic six-attribute blocks and d20-style mechanics).

1. The Fighting Machine (The Tripod)

The crown jewel of the Martian vanguard. This massive, 100-foot-tall engines of glittering metal parodies the human gait with a terrifying, rhythmic, three-legged stride. It is propelled by intricate electromagnetic muscular systems rather than wheels, emitting puffs of green vapor from its flexible joints.

Size: Gargantuan (100 ft tall)
Type: Construct / Alien Warmachine
Attributes:
  STR: 26 (+8)   DEX: 14 (+2)   CON: 22 (+6)
  INT: 10 (+0)   WIS: 14 (+2)   CHA: 08 (-1)

Armor Class: 20 (Heavy Martian Alloy plating)
Hit Points: 210
Speed: 60 ft (Ignores difficult terrain under 15 ft high)

Traits & Senses

• Brazen Hood (Panoramic Cockpit): The pilot sits in a swiveling brass cowl at the apex, granting immunity to being flanked and blindsight up to 120 feet.

• All-Terrain Strider: The tripod can wade through deep coastal waters and step cleanly over structures, trees, or defensive walls up to 30 feet high without slowing down.

• Iron Cage / Collector's Basket: A large, mesh white-metal basket hangs from the rear of the main chassis. Up to 10 Medium-sized creatures can be held captive inside.

Actions

• Multiattack: The Tripod makes two Tentacle attacks and uses either its Heat-Ray or fires a Black Smoke Canister.

• Articulate Steel Tentacles: Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 30 ft. Hit: 18 ($2d10 + 8$) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 18). While grappled, the target can be placed into the rear collection basket as a bonus action.

• The Heat-Ray (Recharge 5–6): A jointed metallic arm aims a polished parabolic mirror, projecting a beam of pure, invisible thermal energy in a 150-foot line (5 feet wide). Each creature in the line must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw.

  • Failure: 55 ($10d10$) fire damage. Combustibles ignite, water vaporizes instantly, and targets reduced to 0 HP turn to ash.

  • Success: Half damage.

• Black Smoke Canister (2/Day): Fires a canister from a gun-like tube up to 300 feet away. Upon impact, it releases an inky, heavy poisonous gas in a 40-foot radius. The smoke clings to the ground, contours to the landscape, and sinks into valleys or trenches.
  
  

  • Any breathing creature that starts its turn in the smoke takes 22 ($4d10$) poison damage and is blinded.

  • The Martians can discharge built-in steam nozzles to instantly clear and neutralize the smoke when they wish to advance.

2. The Handling Machine

A low-profile, highly dexterous workhorse. Looking like a cross between a metallic spider and a glinting crab, it stands roughly 7 to 8 feet tall. It is used primarily for excavation, building other warmachines, and direct resource processing. It possesses an unsettling, near-organic fluidity.

Size: Large (8 ft tall, wide base)
Type: Construct / Alien Labor Unit
Attributes:
  STR: 18 (+4)   DEX: 16 (+3)   CON: 18 (+4)
  INT: 10 (+0)   WIS: 12 (+1)   CHA: 05 (-3)

Armor Class: 17 (Reinforced Shell)
Hit Points: 85
Speed: 40 ft, Climb 30 ft

Traits & Senses

• Complex Articulation: Features 5 agile, jointed legs and an array of levers, bars, and reaching levers. It has advantage on checks made to grapple, disarm, or manipulate objects.

• Cerebral Sync: The machine mimics the movements of its pilot perfectly. It suffers no penalties to dexterity or precision despite its heavy mechanical nature.

Actions

• Multiattack: The Handling Machine makes three attacks: two with its Clutches/Levers and one with its Grasping Tentacles.

• Jointed Levers / Metal Claws: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 11 ($2d6 + 4$) slashing or bludgeoning damage.

• Grasping Tentacles: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft. Hit: 9 ($1d10 + 4$) bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 14).

• Blood Extraction (Grappled Target Only): The machine drives an direct feeding apparatus into a living creature grappled by it. The target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 27 ($6d8$) necrotic damage on a failure, or half as much on a success. The pilot Martian is nourished by this extraction.

3. The Flying Machine

Built toward the end of the campaign as the Martians adjusted to Earth's thick atmosphere. It is described vaguely as a flat, broad, and very large shape. It acts as an aerial transport and carpet-bombing platform, flying silently through the cloud cover to rain down darkness.

Size: Huge
Type: Construct / Alien Aircraft
Attributes:
  STR: 20 (+5)   DEX: 12 (+1)   CON: 16 (+3)
  INT: 10 (+0)   WIS: 14 (+2)   CHA: 05 (-3)

Armor Class: 16 (Lightweight Alloy)
Hit Points: 115
Speed: 0 ft, Fly 90 ft (Hover)

Traits & Senses

• Aerodynamic Mastery: The machine does not rely on wings or loud combustion; it glides with a quiet, ominous hum, giving it advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks while flying at night or inside heavy weather.

Actions

• Aerial Heat-Ray: Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 100/300 ft, one target. Hit: 27 ($5d10$) fire damage.

• Rained Darkness (Recharge 5–6): The Flying Machine releases a specialized payload of Black Smoke canisters directly beneath it. It coats a 60-foot square area directly under its flight path in a dense cloud of toxic black vapor (identical properties to the Tripod's Black Smoke).
  
  

Here is the entry for the Martians themselves, designed to pilot the war machines and terrorize the woodland defenders of Burrows & Borderlands.

The Martians

The Martians are a chilling testament to pure, intellect-driven evolution stripped of emotion, empathy, or physical beauty. They are sluggish and physically vulnerable under the heavy gravity of the mortal realms, yet they possess a terrifying telepathic malice and a completely alien biology.

An individual Martian is essentially an enormous, fleshy head roughly four feet across, dominated by a pair of massive, dark, unblinking eyes. Instead of a body, a cluster of sixteen thin, whip-like tentacles projects directly from the base of the head, arranged in two groups of eight. They have no internal nostrils (smelling via their skin), no ears, and no complex digestive tract. Because they cannot digest solid food, they sustain themselves by directly injecting the fresh, living blood of captured creatures into their own veins.

Size: Medium
Type: Aberration / Alien
Attributes:
  STR: 06 (-2)   DEX: 08 (-1)   CON: 10 (+0)
  INT: 22 (+6)   WIS: 16 (+3)   CHA: 12 (+1)

Armor Class: 11 (Natural unarmored sluggishness)
Hit Points: 32 (5d8 + 10)
Speed: 10 ft. (Crawling/dragging)

Traits & Senses

• Vulnerability to Earthly Flora/Fauna: The Martians have no immune system. They have disadvantage on saving throws against diseases, blights, and infections native to the setting.

• Telepathic Unity: Martians do not speak. They communicate with each other instantaneously and silently via telepathy up to a range of 1 mile. They can project a crushing, wordless sense of dread into the minds of non-Martians within 60 feet.

• Overwhelming Intellect: The Martian adds its Intelligence modifier (+6) to any saving throws made against magical illusions, charms, or psychic attacks.

• Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 13.

Actions

• Tentacle Slap: Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 bludgeoning damage. (The Martian rarely fights physically outside of its machines due to its profound weakness).

• Psychic Static (Recharge 5–6): The Martian unleashes a wave of raw mental energy. Each non-Martian creature within a 30-foot radius must make a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw.

  • Failure: 18 ($4d8$) psychic damage, and the creature is Frightened for 1 minute.

  • Success: Half damage and is not frightened.

• Vampiric Transfusion: Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one incapacitated or grappled creature. Hit: 9 ($2d8$) necrotic damage. The Martian regains hit points equal to the damage dealt. This represents the Martian using a needle-like tube to harvest and inject the target's blood.

Behavior & Strategy

Outside of their warmachines, Martians are nearly helpless, dragging themselves slowly across the ground with wet, heavy gasps. Consequently, they are almost never encountered unprotected. They spend 99% of their time sealed within the pressurized cockpits of Tripods or Handling Machines. If a player manages to breach a warmachine's hull and expose the pilot, a single well-placed arrow or sword stroke from a brave badger or mouse knight can easily dispatch the alien mastermind.

OSR Commentary - Using Worlds without Number with Sword of Cepheus 2nd edition

 Mash-ups between Worlds Without Number (WWN) by Kevin Crawford and Sword of Cepheus 2nd Edition (SoC 2e) by Stellagama Publishing form a phenomenal pairing. They are both built for sandbox-style, gritty sword-and-sorcery worlds, but they approach the genre from two completely different mechanical lineages: WWN uses an OSR (D&D-adjacent) baseline, while SoC 2e is a d6 skill-based system (Traveller/Cepheus Engine baseline).

Combining them allows you to leverage the ultimate sandbox world-building toolkit (WWN) with a highly lethal, career-driven, tactical skill system (SoC 2e).

1. The Direct Port: WWN Framework + SoC 2e System

In this setup, you use Sword of Cepheus 2e as the core mechanical ruleset, but you use Worlds Without Number to build and run the campaign. This requires almost zero mechanical conversion because WWN is specifically built to be setting- and system-agnostic.

• World & Sandbox Generation: Use WWN’s legendary world-building tools. Generate your nations, courts, ruins, history, and factions exactly as written in WWN. The system’s faction turn rules function perfectly in the background regardless of what dice your players roll.

• The Travel & Wilderness Loop: Use SoC 2e’s highly simulationist rules for daily travel, rations, getting lost, and weather. Match them up against WWN’s wilderness tags to instantly create regional hazards.

• Monsters and Encounters: Use the 95 beasts in the SoC 2e bestiary to populate your world so you don't have to convert D20 armor classes or hit dice into 2d6 terms.

2. The Mechanical Hybrid (Kitbashing)

If you want to blend the mechanics themselves, you have to bridge the gap between WWN's d20/2d6 hybrid and SoC 2e's pure 2d6 lifepath engine.

Lifepaths with Foci

SoC 2e features Traits (special perks that grant mechanical advantages). WWN relies heavily on Foci (unique talents chosen at character creation and leveling).

• The Hack: Replace or supplement SoC 2e Traits with WWN Foci. Because WWN skill checks are already rolled on a 2d6, many Foci convert natively. If a WWN Focus says "Gain a level in a skill," it translates perfectly to a +1 skill bonus in SoC 2e.

High-Stakes Magic

Both games treat magic carefully, but SoC 2e makes magic actively dangerous—rolling an accidental snake eyes or failing a check by 4 or more triggers a horrific mutation or soul-warping mishap.

• The Hack: Keep the SoC 2e Sorcery skill check system ($2\text{d}6 + \text{INT} + \text{Sorcery}$). However, allow characters to learn traditional WWN spells or arts as rare "Eldritch Rituals" found in forgotten ruins. If they attempt to cast a powerful WWN spell without proper preparation, force them to roll against the lethal SoC 2e mishap table.

Resolving Skill Gaps

The two games have slightly different skill lists. If you blend them, use the SoC 2e skill list as your baseline since it maps precisely to the 2d6 math, but pull in WWN-specific skills like Lead, Know, or Magic if your specific setting requires them.

Summary of Strengths

Feature	Use This Book	Why It Works
Character Creation	SoC 2e	The 2d6 lifepath/career system creates deeply flavored, grizzled veterans out of the gate.
Combat & Lethality	SoC 2e	Combat is incredibly fast and dangerous; two clean hits can easily kill an unarmored PC.
Magic System	SoC 2e	High risk, corruptive, and unpredictable—perfect for the sword-and-sorcery vibe.
World Building	WWN	Unmatched tools for creating tags, ruins, religions, and historical layers.
Faction Gameplay	WWN	Keeps the world moving and reacting dynamically behind the scenes while the PCs explore.

Here is a concrete blueprint for translating mechanics between the two systems.

Because both games already resolve standard skill checks using a $2\text{d}6$ roll, converting a passive ability (a Focus) is incredibly smooth. Converting a creature requires mapping Worlds Without Number's (WWN) D&D-style Hit Dice and Armor Class onto the classic Traveller-derived characteristics of Sword of Cepheus 2nd Edition (SoC 2e).

1. Focus Conversion: Shocking Assault

In WWN, Shocking Assault makes a warrior exceptionally dangerous with melee weapons, ensuring they deal a minimum amount of damage ("Shock") even if they miss a target, provided the target's Armor Class isn't too high.

The Original (WWN Level 1)

• Gain a bonus combat skill.

• You can inflict Shock with your weapon even on a miss, as long as the target's AC is equal to or less than the weapon's maximum Shock rating.

• Add $+2$ to your weapon's Shock damage.

The Conversion (SoC 2e Trait)

SoC 2e uses Traits instead of Foci. Because Cepheus combat doesn't use a "miss but still do damage" mechanic, we translate this into the game’s existing economy of combat advantages: increased initiative, reliable damage, and heavy momentum.

Trait: Shocking Assault

Prerequisite: Melee Combat-1

Your melee attacks are brutally aggressive, forcing opponents onto the defensive even when they parry.

• When rolling for initiative at the start of combat, you may add your Melee Combat skill rank to your total if you have a melee weapon drawn.

• If you attack an opponent with a melee weapon and miss the Effect check by exactly 1, you still deal a glancing blow. The target takes damage equal to your STR DM + 1 (ignore weapon damage dice and armor).

2. Monster Conversion: The Husk Warrior

Let's take a classic dark fantasy staple: a desiccated, ancient guardian reanimated by sorcery.

The Original (WWN Statistics)

• HD: $2$ (average 9 HP)

• AC: 15 (equivalent to scale mail/heavy leather)

• Attack: $+2$ to hit

• Damage: $1\text{d}8$ (Longsword)

• Shock: 2 / AC 15

• Move: 30'

• Save: 14+

• Morale: 12 (Fearless/Undead)

The Conversion (SoC 2e Statistics)

In SoC 2e, monsters use the same primary physical stats as characters (STR, DEX, END) to track their physical pool. Damage is subtracted directly from these characteristics.

Husk Warrior

Ancient, leatheraries-dry corpses bound to life by lingering curses or spiteful sorcery. They do not tire, feel pain, or bleed.

Characteristics: STR 9, DEX 6, END 10

Armor: Leather & Bronze Scale (Armor 3)

Skills: Melee Combat-1, Athletics-1

Attacks:

• Ancient Bronze Sword: $2\text{d}6+1$ to hit; Damage $2\text{d}6$

Special Traits:

• Undead Resilience: Immune to psychological hazards, poison, disease, and asphyxiation.

• Brittle Bones: Piercing weapons (arrows, rapiers) roll one less damage die against them. Crushing weapons (maces, warhammers) gain an additional $+2$ damage on a successful hit.

• Unstoppable: Husk Warriors never check morale and ignore the effects of a "Stunned" combat result. They fight until one of their physical characteristics is reduced to 0.

Mechanics Translation Notes:

1. Hit Dice to Attributes: A 2 HD monster in WWN translates to roughly a total physical pool of 20–25 points in SoC 2e (split across STR and END).

2. Armor Class to Armor Rating: WWN AC 15 reduces a regular character's chance to hit by about 25%. In SoC 2e, we match this by giving them an Armor Rating of 3, which flatly subtracts 3 damage from any incoming physical hit.

3. To-Hit Probability: The WWN attack bonus of $+2$ translates perfectly to a skill rank of Melee Combat-1 in SoC 2e, which gives a reliable, professional baseline to their $2\text{d}6$ combat checks.