The PC's took a look at the zombie horde that came rushing at them! They retreated into the inner city ruins and then things got dangerous as they encountered an Obsidian Jaguar. This campaign for Castles & Crusades uses the "Conquistadors of Mictlan" line by Antediluvian Miniatures to create a "Lost World" pulp-fantasy setting.
This blog post 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
Venturing into the Mictlan Inner Earth Jungle is a bit like walking through a digestive tract that happens to be filled with bioluminescent ferns and ancient, hungry gods. It’s humid, claustrophobic, and the local flora is just as likely to eat you as the fauna.
Here is a d10 random encounter table designed to keep your players on their toes (or running for their lives).
Mictlan Jungle Random Encounters
| d10 | Encounter | Description |
| 1 | The Vein-Vine Snare | A patch of ground that looks like soft moss is actually a web of hemostatic vines. They don't just trip you; they attempt to "plug" into the bloodstream to feed. |
| 2 | Obsidian Jaguar | A sleek, silent predator made of living volcanic glass. It doesn't breathe, but you can hear the faint clink of its joints. It hunts by tracking heat signatures. |
| 3 | Xibalban Spore-Cloud | A drift of shimmering purple pollen. Inhaling it causes hallucinations of one's own ancestors giving very bad (and potentially lethal) advice. |
| 4 | The Sun-Bleached Altar | A crumbling stone plinth where a shaft of "false sunlight" hits the floor. Resting here heals wounds, but attracts Camazotz (Bat-Spies) immediately. |
| 5 | Quetzal-Hydra | A multi-headed serpent with feathers that shift colors. Each head has a different personality; some want to debate philosophy, others just want a snack. |
| 6 | Lost Pochteca Caravan | Ghostly merchants carrying goods from a civilization that died a millennium ago. They only accept payment in memories or literal heartbeats. |
| 7 | The Screaming Orchids | Beautiful, massive flowers that emit a sonic frequency that mimics human distress calls. It’s a dinner bell for larger predators. |
| 8 | Ash-Walkers | Shuffling, burnt husks of explorers who succumbed to the heat vents. They aren't aggressive unless you carry an open flame, which they worship. |
| 9 | Gravity-Warp Grove | A pocket where the Inner Earth's core physics go wonky. Water flows upward, and players must succeed on a check or find themselves "falling" toward the canopy. |
| 10 | The Jade Sentinel | A 20-foot tall construct of jade and gold. It’s currently overgrown with vines. It’s not hostile unless someone tries to chip off a piece of its "skin." |
Survival Tip: The Mictlan Atmosphere
Because of the unique pressure and mana-density in the Inner Earth, standard combustion is unreliable. If your players rely on $PV = nRT$ logic for their steam-tech or fire-magic, they’re going to find the "Ideal Gas Law" behaves a bit... rebelliously down here.
Note: The humidity is often at 100%. Metal armor begins to rust or grow "iron-rot" fungus within 1d4 days without magical or oil-based maintenance.
In Castles & Crusades, the Obsidian Jaguar is a terrifying fusion of elemental earth and predatory instinct. It doesn't just stalk the jungle; it is a literal piece of the Underworld's crust given murderous intent.
Obsidian Jaguar
HD: 5d8 (Large Neutral Evil)
AC: 19 (Natural Armor)
Move: 40 ft., Climb 30 ft.
Level: 5
Attacks: 2 Claws (1d6), 1 Bite (1d10)
Special: Pounce, Ripping Glass, Heat Sense, Camouflage, Vulnerability to Sonic
Saves: Physical
XP: 350 + 5/hp
Special Abilities
Pounce: If the jaguar charges, it can make a full attack (2 claws, 1 bite). If both claws hit, it can attempt a Rake for an additional $2d6$ damage as it shreds the target with its hind legs.
Ripping Glass: The jaguar's "fur" is made of razor-sharp volcanic shards. Any creature grappling the jaguar or hitting it with an unarmed strike takes $1d4$ slashing damage per round/hit.
Heat Sense: The jaguar is blind to light but has perfect Infravision up to 120 feet. It can track the "heat trail" of a living creature for up to an hour after they have passed through an area.
Camouflage: When motionless in rocky or dark jungle terrain, the jaguar is nearly invisible. It gains a +5 bonus to its surprise roll.
Vulnerability (Sonic/Force): Because it is made of rigid volcanic glass, it is susceptible to vibrations. It takes double damage from sonic-based attacks or magical effects like Shout. Blunt weapons (maces/hammers) deal full damage, but piercing and slashing weapons deal -2 damage per hit as they chip or slide off the facets.
Combat Tactics
The Obsidian Jaguar is a patient hunter. It prefers to wait on high, overhanging obsidian shelves or thick, petrified branches. It will target the party member with the highest body heat (usually the one wearing the most heavy armor or exerting themselves the most).
Unlike a biological big cat, it doesn't tire. It will follow a party for miles, waiting for them to set up camp and lose their "dexterity bonus" to AC while sleeping.
Ecology & Treasure
These creatures do not eat for sustenance; they consume the warmth of their kills. A victim found after an Obsidian Jaguar attack is often frozen solid or unnaturally cold to the touch, despite the jungle heat.
The Heart-Stone: If defeated carefully, the jaguars' "heart" can be harvested. It is a fist-sized, warm-to-the-touch obsidian orb worth roughly 500 gp to an alchemist, or it can be used as a component to craft a Dagger of Venom or a Ring of Warmth.
The lair of an Obsidian Jaguar is less of a "den" and more of a natural refrigerator. These creatures settle in spots where the Inner Earth’s geothermal heat is naturally dampened, allowing them to better preserve the "warmth" they've stolen from their prey.
The Chilled Grotto of the Jaguar
Deep within a cluster of jagged basalt pillars lies a cavern known to local tribes as The Room of Static Breath. The air here is unnaturally still and significantly cooler than the surrounding jungle.
Key Features of the Lair
The Faceted Walls: The walls aren't damp stone; they are sheets of natural volcanic glass. Light sources (like torches or Light spells) bounce off these surfaces in a dizzying array of reflections, making it nearly impossible to pin down the Jaguar's actual position.
Mechanic: Any creature relying on sight takes a -2 penalty to hit due to the kaleidoscopic reflections.
The Frozen Trophies: Scattered around the room are the Jaguar's previous kills. They aren't eaten; they are flash-frozen by the creature’s thermal-drain. These corpses look like grey, frost-covered statues of explorers and jungle beasts, preserved in their final moments of terror.
The Humidity Trap: Because the cave is cooler than the jungle, the entrance is constantly shrouded in a thick, "soupy" fog where the hot air meets the cold. This creates a Natural Obscurement zone (10-20 feet deep) that the Jaguar uses to slip behind intruders unnoticed.
A 3-Room Lair Layout
| Area | Description | Hazards/Loot |
| 1. The Foggy Maw | A narrow squeeze filled with condensation and the smell of ozone. | The floor is slick. A Dexterity (Physical) check is required to move at more than half speed without slipping. |
| 2. The Gallery of Ash | A wide chamber where the Jaguar keeps "failed" kills—shattered remains of those who fought back. | Searching the rubble reveals a +1 Silvered Dagger and a waterlogged satchel containing 140gp in ancient coins. |
| 3. The Heart of the Prism | The Jaguar’s primary sleeping ledge. The ceiling is covered in "glass-tites" that drip cold, viscous mineral oil. | The Jaguar's Perch: The beast drops from above. If the Jaguar kills a player here, their soul is trapped in a wall facet for 1d4 turns. |
The "Hidden" Treasure
The Jaguar doesn't care for gold, but it is attracted to magical heat. Tucked behind its primary sleeping ledge is a small pile of "warm" items it has collected:
A Censer of Peace: Still warm to the touch; when lit, it prevents any non-magical insect or beast from entering a 20ft radius.
3 Rubies: Each the size of a knuckle, glowing with a faint internal ember. (Value: 200gp each).
The Frozen Map: A map of the Mictlan Jungle etched onto a sheet of hammered copper. It reveals a secret path to the Temple of the Sun, but it is currently encased in 2 inches of magical ice.
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