Aethel, the Sunken Core Inner Earth Sword & Sorcery Campaign Adventure Using both Castles & Crusades (C&C) and Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars (NSW) Rpg - The Sunless Empire of Xibalba

 

The player's PC's pierced the inner fields of the Mictlin empire & the undead moved as one! The party got into the inner line of the Xibalba. This session picks right up from 

Aethel, the Sunken Core Inner Earth Sword & Sorcery Campaign Adventure Using both Castles & Crusades (C&C) and Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars (NSW) Rpg - Mictlan

The Setting: The Sunless Empire of Xibalba

Forget the "Lost World" trope of jungles and dinosaurs. This is a subterranean necro-state. The "Inner Earth" is a series of massive geode-caverns lit by the sickly green glow of phosphorescent fungi and rivers of liquid mercury.

The Conflict

• The Golden Host: A stranded expedition of Conquistadors who found a "thin spot" in the world. They are desperate, low on black powder, and slowly being corrupted by the local gold, which is cursed.

• The Lords of Mictlan: Undead priest-kings and their Jaguar-warrior thralls. They don't want to conquer the surface; they want to harvest "Fresh Souls" to keep their dying subterranean sun flickering.

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Campaign Hook: The Descent of the 13th Company

The players are part of a secondary expedition sent to find a lost governor. Instead of the New World, they find a vertical shaft that drops miles into the crust.

The Twist: Magic works differently here. Divine casters find their prayers echoed by the "Death Lords," and Wizards find that their components decay at double speed due to the stagnant, ancient air.

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New Mechanics & Hazards

To capture the feel of the Antediluvian minis, use these specific C&C rules:

Hazard	SIEGE Check	Effect
Miasma of Mictlan	CON (Prime)	Failure results in 1 level of exhaustion as the lungs clog with tomb dust.
Obsidian Shards	DEX (Non-Prime)	The jagged terrain ruins boots and non-magical leather armor over time.
The Whispering Gold	WIS (Prime)	Seeing the Conquistador's loot requires a check to avoid greed-driven infighting.

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Key Factions (Using the Minis)

1. The Disgraced Tercios (Conquistador Minis)

These NPCs are survivors from the first wave. They have integrated Aztec-style obsidian plates into their rusted breastplates.

• Leader: Captain Alvarado, a man who has replaced his lost eye with a "Smoking Mirror" (a scrying artifact).

• Flavor: They use heavy crossbows because their arquebuses ran out of powder years ago.

2. The Bat-God Cult (The Macuahuitl-wielders)

The "undead" aesthetic of the minis works perfectly here. These aren't just zombies; they are high-level skeletal warriors who retain their tactical intelligence.

• Tactics: They use "Guerilla Necromancy"—rising from the silt floors to ambush the party’s rear guard.

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Bestiary Adaptations

Since Castles & Crusades is easily compatible with AD&D-style stats, you can reskin classic monsters to fit the Antediluvian sculpts:

• Quetzalcoatl Spawn: Use Couatl stats, but change the alignment to Neutral Evil.

• Jaguar Knights: Use Weretiger stats, but remove the lycanthropy; instead, give them a "Blood Frenzy" ability that grants +2 to hit when an opponent is below half HP.

• The Hunger: Use Ghoul stats for the emaciated Conquistador thralls found in the dark.

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Potential Adventure Arcs

1. The Mercury River: The party must bargain with a skeletal ferryman to cross a lake of liquid metal.

2. The Siege of Tamoanchan: The players must help the surviving Conquistadors defend a crumbling fortress against a tide of bat-winged horrors.

3. The Heart of the World: A final climb up a Great Teocalli (pyramid) to stop a ritual that would extinguish the surface sun.

GM Tip: Use the "Encumbrance" rules strictly. In the Inner Earth, the weight of your gold versus the weight of your water is a life-or-death choice.

 

Gemini said

To keep with the Castles & Crusades aesthetic, this villain is designed to be a "thinking" encounter—as much a corrupting influence as a physical threat. Using the Antediluvian minis as a guide, we’ll envision him as a tall, desiccated figure draped in feathered robes with a mask made of human bone.

The Death-Priest of Mictlan

HD: 7 (d8) AC: 18 (Obsidian-flecked robes & Bone Mask) Move: 30 ft. Level: 7 Primary Attributes: Mental (Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma) Attacks: 1 Macuahuitl (1d8 + 2) or Spell Special: Spellcasting, Gaze of the Xibalban Sun, Command Undead, Rebirth

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Special Abilities

• Spellcasting: The Priest functions as a 7th-level Cleric (Evil). Typical prepared spells include:

  • Level 1: Cause Fear, Command, Darkness

  • Level 2: Hold Person, Enthrall, Spiritual Weapon (Obsidian Dagger)

  • Level 3: Animate Dead, Bestow Curse

  • Level 4: Fear

• Gaze of the Xibalban Sun: Once per encounter, the Priest can lift his mask to reveal a void of sickly green light. All enemies within 30 feet must make a Wisdom Save (CL 7) or be Stunned for 1d4 rounds by the cosmic horror of the Inner Earth.

• Command Undead: As a standard action, the Priest can command any undead minis on the field (Jaguar Knights, etc.) to take an immediate move or attack action.

• Rebirth (1/Day): If slain, the Priest’s spirit attempts to jump into the nearest "Cursed Gold" coin or idol. If the players take the loot without purifying it with a Paladin’s touch or Holy Water, the Priest begins to possess the carrier over the next 1d6 days.

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Tactical Behavior

The Death-Priest is a "back-line" general. He will never engage in melee if his Jaguar Knight thralls are still standing. He uses Hold Person to freeze the party’s strongest fighter, then directs his undead to focus fire on the "Soft" targets (Wizards/Rogues).

If the Conquistador NPCs are present, the Priest will use his Charisma (Prime) to attempt to subvert them, whispering promises of eternal life and endless gold to break their morale.

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Loot: The Obsidian Mirror

Upon his final death, the Priest leaves behind a polished obsidian mirror.

• Property: Once per day, a user can cast Scrying.

• The Price: Every time it is used, the user must succeed on a CON Save (CL 5) or permanently lose 1 point of Charisma as their skin takes on a pale, waxy, "underworld" sheen.

  
  
  

Adapting Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné for the Barbaric! RPG

 

Gemini said

Adapting Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné for the Barbaric! RPG (a lightweight, 2D6-based system) requires capturing his duality: he is a physically frail sorcerer who becomes an unstoppable engine of destruction when fueled by his soul-drinking blade.

In Barbaric!, characters are defined by their Traits (Combat, Sorcery, etc.) and Boons/Flaws. Here is how to build the White Wolf.

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Elric of Melniboné

Concept: Doom-driven Sorcerer-Emperor

Drive: To find meaning in a chaotic multiverse.

Attributes

• Combat: 2 (4 with Stormbringer)

• Sorcery: 4

• Stealth: 0

• Wits: 3

Traits & Abilities

• Melnibonéan Physiology: Elric is naturally frail. Without his medicinal herbs or Stormbringer’s vitality, he suffers a -2 penalty to all physical rolls and cannot recover health naturally.

• High Sorcery: Elric can summon Elementals and Lords of Chaos. This uses his Sorcery trait. In Barbaric!, these are handled as powerful, narrative-shifting rituals that often require a "Price" (sacrificing Sanity or Health).

• The Actor’s Step: Elric is a master of history and lore. He gains a Boon on Wits rolls related to ancient civilizations and the planes of the Multiverse.

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Signature Gear: Stormbringer

Stormbringer isn't just a weapon; it’s a sentient entity. In Barbaric!, treat it as a Legendary Artifact with the following rules:

Property	Effect
Soul-Eater	When Elric kills a significant foe, he regains all lost Health and gains +2 to Combat for the remainder of the scene.
Bloodlust	If Elric draws the sword, he must kill. If a combat ends without a kill, he must pass a Wits roll or attack the nearest ally.
Unholy Reach	The blade can strike incorporeal beings and demons that are normally immune to mundane steel.

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Playing the White Wolf

In a Barbaric! session, Elric should feel like a glass cannon. You are the most powerful person in the room, but you are perpetually one bad roll away from total collapse or accidental fratricide.

Note on Chaos: Elric serves Arioch, a Lord of Chaos. You can invoke Arioch for a "Great Success" on any roll, but the GM gains a Doom Point to use against you later, representing the terrible debt Elric owes his patron.

 

Superpowered! Supplement for The Quantum Engine rpg - Tinkerer NPC: The Glitch

 

Here is the artwork for Silas Vane, "The Glitch," depicting him in his chaotic underground workshop, surrounded by the prototypes and bioware described in his NPC profile. This profile picks up right from 

Superpowered! Supplement for The Quantum Engine rpg & The Pulp Hero The Master of Men The Spider.

Since the 2d6 Superpowered system thrives on characters with high utility and narrative-shifting gear, a Tinkerer-style NPC needs to be more than just a "shopkeeper." They should be a plot catalyst—the person who provides the gadget that saves the day (or accidentally levels a city block).

Here is "The Glitch," an NPC designed specifically for 2d6 Superpowered.

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NPC Profile: The Glitch (Silas Vane)

Concept: The Hyper-Caffeinated Underground Artificer

Archetype: Gadgeteer / Information Broker

Silas doesn't have "super strength" or "flight." His brain simply operates at a higher refresh rate than reality. He views the physical world as a series of poorly written lines of code that just need a little "hot-fixing." He operates out of a laundromat basement filled with high-end tech, half-eaten donuts, and at least three soldering irons that are always on.

Core Stats

Attribute	Value	Notes
Brawn	2	Not a fighter; prefers to hide behind a reinforced desk.
Agility	4	Lightning-fast hands for delicate circuitry.
Intellect	6	A genius-level polymath with a specialty in "unconventional" tech.
Will	3	High focus, but easily distracted by new shiny parts.

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Powers & Signature Gear

• Omni-Tool Rig: Silas carries a custom gauntlet that functions as a Swiss Army knife on steroids. (In 2d6 terms: Utility Power, +2 to any Tech or Repair rolls).

• The "Feedback" Field: A passive defensive device that creates a localized distortion. Attacks against him suffer a -2 penalty as the air literally "glitches" around him.

• Prototypes: He always has 1d6 experimental devices on hand. These grant temporary Powers (e.g., Invisibility, Gravity Manipulation) but have the Unstable complication—on a roll of double 1s, the device explodes or malfunctions spectacularly.

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Roleplaying The Glitch

Personality: Fast-talking, paranoid, and perpetually exhausted. He speaks in fragments and often forgets that other people can’t follow his train of thought. He doesn't care about "Good" or "Evil"—he cares about whether the engineering is elegant.

The Hook: "I can fix your visor so it sees through lead, sure. But I also added a feature that translates bird calls into jazz. Don't touch the red toggle unless you want to smell like burnt ozone for a week. Now, do you have the micro-capacitors I asked for?"

Plot Hooks for Your Campaign

1. The Warranty Clause: A gadget Silas sold the players develops a "personality" and starts overriding their commands during a mission.

2. The Repo Man: A major tech conglomerate (the legal owners of the parts Silas "borrowed") has tracked their hardware to the players.

3. Upgrade Quest: Silas can build the team a base or a vehicle, but he needs a rare "Singularity Core" currently being used as a paperweight by a local Supervillain.

To capture the chaotic energy of a Tinkerer-style NPC like The Glitch, this table is designed for the 2d6 Superpowered system. These items are high-reward but high-risk.

When a player uses one of these, have them roll their 2d6. On a natural 2 (Snake Eyes), the device functions, but the Side Effect triggers immediately.

The Glitch’s "Mostly Functional" Prototype Table (d100)

d100	Device Name	Primary Effect (2d6 Mechanic)	The "Glitch" (Side Effect)
01-10	Phase-Shift Belt	Gain Incorporeal power for 3 rounds. Pass through walls.	You reappear 1d6 feet above the ground.
11-20	Kinetic Dampener	Spend a Reaction to reduce incoming Physical damage by 4.	You lose your next Move action as you "freeze" in place.
21-30	Neural Uplink	+2 to all Intellect-based rolls for the next hour.	You can only speak in binary or rhythmic beeps for 10 minutes.
31-40	Gravity Boots	Gain Flight (Low Altitude) or walk on ceilings.	One boot stays magnetized; -2 to Agility rolls.
41-50	Flash-Bang Glove	Emit a burst of light. Targets must roll Will vs. TN 10 or be Stunned.	You are also Blinded for 1 round.
51-60	Molecular Glue	Traps an enemy in place (TN 12 Brawn check to escape).	The glue is sentient and tries to "hug" your arm too.
61-70	Bio-Organic Med-Spray	Heal 1d6 Wounds instantly.	You sprout decorative, non-functional feathers or scales.
71-80	Pocket Wormhole	Teleport up to 30 feet to a visible location.	You swap one piece of clothing with a random NPC nearby.
81-90	Static Overload Gun	Ranged attack: 2d6+2 Energy damage.	The gun needs 2 rounds to "cool down" (unusable).
91-99	Probability Engine	Reroll any one die in a 2d6 pool.	The GM gets to reroll one of their dice against you later.
00	The "Everything" Button	Roll twice on this table; both effects happen at once.	The device explodes. Gain a Permanent Scar or -1 to a random Stat.

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How to use this in your Session

Instead of letting players buy these, have Silas offer them as "Field Testing Loans." * The Deal: Silas gives them the gear for free, but they have to record "telemetry data."

• The Catch: If they bring the gear back broken, he demands a favor (a plot hook). If they lose it, he sends a "Remote Retrieval Drone" (a combat encounter) to get it back.

A Quick Rule of Thumb for 2d6 Superpowered

If a player wants to "tinker" with these items themselves during a Rest:

1. Intellect + Tech Roll (TN 10): They stabilize the device. It no longer glitches on a natural 2, but loses its charge after one use.

2. Fail: The device activates immediately in their hands.

   Gemini said

   In the 2d6 Superpowered system, cybernetics and bioware are often treated as permanent Power swaps or "Gear with a Cost." For every two major augmentations, a PC should typically reduce their maximum Will by 1 to represent the strain on their psyche or biological harmony.

   Here is a d100 table of "The Glitch’s Black-Market Body Mods."

   The Cyber-Bio Augmentation Table

   d100	System Name	Type	2d6 Effect	The Trade-Off (Complication)
   01-10	Subdermal Plating	Cyber	+2 Armor vs. Physical; ignore "Bleeding" effects.	-1 Agility; your skin feels like cold, stiff plastic.
   11-20	Adrenal Pump	Bio	Once per combat, take an extra Action.	After the combat ends, you are Stunned for 2 rounds.
   21-30	Optical HUD	Cyber	+2 to Ranged attacks; see in Infrared/UV.	Visual "Lag." -2 to Will saves against Illusions.
   31-40	Prehensile Tail	Bio	Gain an extra limb for Grappling or holding items.	Hard to hide in public; -2 to Social/Stealth in crowds.
   41-50	Logic Co-Processor	Cyber	Automatically succeed on any TN 8 or lower Intellect task.	"Cold Logic." You cannot use Empathy or Persuasion.
   51-60	Pheromone Glands	Bio	+2 to Charisma/Persuasion rolls.	Animals hate you. Dogs bark, horses bolt.
   61-70	Nanite Blood	Bio	Regain 1 Wound at the start of every turn.	Nanites are "hungry." You must eat 4x the normal calories.
   71-80	Retractable Claws	Cyber	Melee attacks deal 2d6+2 Lethal damage.	Metal detectors are your worst enemy. Always.
   81-90	Sound Dampener	Cyber	+4 to Stealth rolls involving noise.	You are effectively Deaf while the system is active.
   91-99	Titanium Skeleton	Cyber	+1 Brawn; you cannot be knocked prone.	You weigh 400 lbs. Swimming is no longer an option.
   00	The Chimera Core	Both	Choose any two effects from this table.	Your body is rejecting the mods. Lose -2 Will permanently.

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   Implementation: The "Installation" Scene

   When a PC decides to go under the knife with Silas, it’s never a clean hospital procedure. It’s more like a "chop shop" for humans.

   1. The Procedure: The player must make a Brawn + Will roll (TN 10).

   2. Success: The installation is a success. The character gains the benefit immediately.

   3. Failure: The body rejects the part initially. The character suffers a -1 penalty to all rolls for the first 24 hours while their nervous system "reboots."

   4. Critical Failure (Snake Eyes): The Glitch "accidentally" installed a different part. Roll again on the d100 table to see what they actually got.

   Maintenance and Repair

   Unlike natural powers, these systems can be hacked or EMP’d.

   • EMP/Electrical Attacks: If a character with cyberware takes Energy damage, they must roll 2d6. On a 4 or lower, their augmentations "short out" and are disabled until they spend an Action to manually reset them.

   • Healing: Bio-ware heals with the body. Cyberware requires a Tech + Intellect roll (TN 10) and spare parts to fix if the character is severely wounded.If the players decide to "forget" to pay Silas or try to walk off with his prototype railgun, he doesn't call the police—he sends The Bloodhound.

     For those who lean into the "Bio" side of his shop, Silas also offers Cyber-System Organisms (CSOs): living parasites or symbiotic creatures engineered to live inside a host's body.

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     1. The Remote Retrieval Drone: "The Bloodhound"

     The Bloodhound isn't a sleek, corporate drone. It’s a flying junk pile of mismatched thrusters, grabber claws, and a very loud speaker that plays Silas’s voice on a loop demanding his stuff back.

     Bloodhound Stat Block (2d6 Superpowered)

     • Brawn: 4 (Industrial hydraulics)

     • Agility: 3 (Clunky but persistent)

     • Intellect: 2 (Basic AI; "Locate. Grab. Return.")

     • Will: 5 (Hardened against hacking)

     Powers & Features:

     • Mag-Lock Claws: +2 to Grapple checks. If it wins a Grapple against a character holding a "Glitch" item, it automatically disarms them.

     • Taser-Net: Ranged attack (30ft). Targets hit are Restrained and take 1d6 Energy damage per turn until they break free (TN 12 Brawn).

     • Hardened Shell: Armor 3. It ignores the first 3 points of damage from non-piercing sources.

     • Geofence Recall: Once it has the item, it engages "Turbo-Thrusters" and flies directly back to Silas at double speed.

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     2. Cyber-System Organisms (CSO)

     Unlike traditional cybernetics, CSOs are alive. They require a "Host Bond" (a Will roll vs TN 10) to install. If the bond fails, the organism tries to consume the host for nutrients instead of helping.

     The CSO d100 Table

     d100	Organism Name	Placement	2d6 Effect	The "Hunger" (Drawback)
     01-20	Neural-Leech	Base of Brain	Grants Telepathy (Limited to 60ft).	Feeds on memories. Permanent -1 to Intellect rolls after a week.
     21-40	Adrenal-Wasp	Near Heart	Once per Day: Ignore all damage penalties for 3 rounds.	When it "stings" your heart, take 1 Wound that cannot be healed for 24 hours.
     41-60	Viper-Tongue	Throat/Mouth	Ranged Attack: Spit acid (2d6 damage).	You lose the ability to taste food; everything tastes like copper and ash.
     61-80	Chameleon-Skin	Epidermis	+4 to Stealth rolls when stationary.	The skin is cold-blooded. -2 to all rolls in freezing temperatures.
     81-00	Hydra-Lung	Chest Cavity	Breathe underwater and immune to toxic gas.	You must submerge in water for at least 1 hour a day or take 1 level of Exhaustion.

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     3. The "Cyber-Sickness" Tracker

     In 2d6 Superpowered, balance is key. If a player goes "Full Metal" or "Full Bio," use this scale based on their total number of Augmentations/CSOs.

     Number of Mods	Title	Mechanical Penalty
     1-2	Augmented	None. Just some weird scars.
     3-4	Glitched	-1 to all Will rolls. You start hearing radio static.
     5-6	Overclocked	-2 to all Social rolls. Your humanity is fading.
     7+	Tech-Terror	You become an NPC. Your body is now a vessel for the machine/parasite.

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     A Note on Maintenance

     Cyber-Organisms don't need a mechanic; they need a Biologist (or a very steady hand with a needle). To "repair" a CSO, a player must make an Intellect + Medicine roll. If they fail, the organism goes "Feral" inside the body, causing 1d6 internal damage.