Madness & The Moon New OSR Relic - The Atlas Orbis Factus est ignis Spear For Your Old School Campaigns

“Her antiquity in preceding and surviving succeeding tellurian generations: her nocturnal predominance: her satellitic dependence: her luminary reflection: her constancy under all her phases, rising and setting by her appointed times, waxing and waning: the forced invariability of her aspect: her indeterminate response to inaffirmative interrogation: her potency over effluent and refluent waters: her power to enamour, to mortify, to invest with beauty, to render insane, to incite to and aid delinquency: the tranquil inscrutability of her visage: the terribility of her isolated dominant resplendent propinquity: her omens of tempest and of calm: the stimulation of her light, her motion and her presence: the admonition of her craters, her arid seas, her silence: her splendour, when visible: her attraction, when invisible.”
― James Joyce, Ulysses


Forged at the heart of the sun by Zeus himself & cooled in on a dead star on the other side of the universe, the  Atlas Orbis Factus est ignis was a seduction gift to the Roman goddess  Luna.But the relic spear has became so much more. The  Atlas Orbis Factus est ignis is actually an occult  symbol of the moon's power between the world of the waking & the dream realms. It is also one of the secret symbols of the Roman Imperial cult of the goddess. The +3 spear has been lost to history but its cult & secret society live on across the planes & even into the modern era.
 

Luna's temples & their sacred mysteries &  secret knowledge  has been lost to history;

"Varro lists Luna among twelve deities who are vital to agriculture,^[7] as does Vergil in a different list of twelve, in which he refers to Luna and Sol as clarissima mundi lumina, the world's clearest sources of light.^[8] Varro also lists Luna among twenty principal gods of Rome (di selecti).^[9] In this list, Luna is distinguished from both Diana and Juno, who also appear on it.

The Romans dated the cultivation of Luna as a goddess at Rome to the semi-legendary days of the kings. Titus Tatius was supposed to have imported the cult of Luna to Rome from the Sabines,^[10] but Servius Tullius was credited with the creation of her temple on the Aventine Hill, just below a temple of Diana.^[11] The anniversary of the temple founding (dies natalis) was celebrated annually on March 31.^[12] It first appears in Roman literature in the story of how in 182 BC a windstorm of exceptional power blew off its doors, which crashed into the Temple of Ceres below it on the slope.^[13] In 84 BC, it was struck by lightning, the same day the popularist leader Cinna was murdered by his troops.^[14] The Aventine temple may have been destroyed by the Great Fire of Rome during the reign of Nero"

Her influence  was the divine power of the kings & royals from across world of the antiquities. The Atlas Orbis Factus est ignis spear allowed Luna's influence to be concentrated into her worshipers. Many mythological attributes were attributed to it including being able to slay any Lycanthropic creature it stabbed. But the spear must be purified in a stream sacred to Luna after any such act. Once per week the spear could also charm a Lycanthropic creature but only the most foolish would attempt such a feat.
It is said that the Atlas Orbis Factus est ignis  could three times per day in the hands of a cleric warrior of the goddess act as symbol of madness or insanity. The symbol dances madly in the air as the light of the moon illuminates it from within.


Once per week  the Atlas Orbis Factus est ignis could cure insanity & heal serious wounds as per the spell in a temple of Luna. But its true power was tied to the phases of the moon itself & varied with the goddess's occult influences & power.  The owner of can call upon the following minor abilities randomly depending if goddess feels like lending her power to
the Atlas Orbis Factus est ignis. The owner of the Atlas Orbis Factus est ignis must roll on the table below to determine Luna's favor for the night.
Random Occult Powers Of The Atlas Orbis Factus est ignis
Table

1. New Moon - The spear allows its owner to divine the path of any person whose true name the owner knows. 
2. Waxing Crescent - The spear will burn with a cold & unforgiving light like the wraith of its goddess which acts a continual light spell but with the ability to divine any liars & cheats within a 20 foot radius. Minor undead will flee from this light as it shows them the  unnatural & hideous states of their own souls. Even mindless undead recall their own lives only for a tortured moment. 
3. First Quarter - the spear points to any true path put before it. The spear will always point to the way to the owner's home.Even powerful illusions & geas can not break this ability. 
4. Waxing Gibbous- The spear can cut a doorway into the realms of dreams & back to the waking world. 
5. Full Moon - The owner can frenzy himself into a beserk state under the spear's influence gaining a +1 to all melee & ranged attacks. 
6.   Waning gibbous- The owner can communicate with any night creatures telepathically within a 20 foot radius & see through their eyes.
7.  Third quarter- The owner gains true sight for a night & is immune to illusions. 
8. Waning crescent - The owner gains the temporary form of a wolf for the night but must cast it off at sun rise or risk gaining lycanthropy of the were wolf.

1d6 Random Legendary Lovecraftian Hoards Table For Your Old School Campaigns

Between the time when the oceans took Atlantis, the seas have tasted many treasures from across the empire itself. From the hand of outlaw to renegade there have been ancient treasures that have passed across the bloody boards of history.



These items take on a life of their own & are often haunted things of the past seldom does any one person know the full history or extent of the curses that follow these items bloody march down across time.
Many of these hoards of treasure have taken on a life of legend, surrounded by mystery, &  steeped in the blood of countless adventurers.There is often a connection to the Outer Gods, the Great Old Ones or one of the numerous nameless horrors that history & time have forgotten. Often a middle man or middle tier horror is attracted to the aura of death and weirdness that surround these objects. . There will be also 1d6 ghosts or other spirits nearby these things. Perhaps victims of murder or greed chained by the unholy aura of such forbidden relics.

There may be 1d10 artifacts or minor treasures in these hoards that are not made of any Earthly metal or have an alien jewel or two. There is 10% chance of these things have strange & dangerous radiations to humans. PC's should save vs poison or radiation if they are exposed to such things. Check mutation tables if such an occurrence should happen picking the worst result because of the wrath of the Old Ones in such cases. There will often be an undead demonic guardian associated with these horrors and it will have the power of a lich or twentieth level wizard.

1d6 Random Legendary
Lovecraftian Hoards Table

1. Utry's Hoard - A stack of stolen treasure from Mu that has the blood of five thousand damned souls and the blood of hundreds of pirates from the guilds of Atlantis. This hoard has been the subject of three wars in the past because of the three golden chalices of Cthulhu which are able to summon a hoard of the Deep One priests of the great lord himself. There are over fifty thousand irritated gold coins and trinkets among this hoard.  It will convert over anyone who touches it into a zombie like monster with gills and strange razor like claws unless a save vs death is made. 
2. Jac'Ob's Damnation - This strange hoard of artifacts were taken by the beings of Ib in one of their wars with Atlantis the hoard is made of several hundred strange coins and weird silver artifacts worth over 600000 gold pieces and there are several super science artifacts among the hoard strange devices that can change a man into a monster servant of the Outer Gods for eternity.
3. The Pylons of Pvrirus - These pure diamond pylons  each of which is flawless & over 3 feet long grants visions of the planes beyond the Outer Darkness. They are worth 300,000 each because of the pitting & cracking of the forces of cosmic destruction they have endured.There are over 1000 ghosts tied by the forces of damnation and horror that have chained them to these artifacts. Priceless
4. The Egg of Crus'sri - A fist sized egg like object that was actually a mini  matter/time power station of the Deep Ones that attracts shoggoths because of its history and ties to the ancient horrors. The thing will instantly change anything it touches to platinum only if the artifact is handed to a shoggoth technician otherwise its strange radiations will warp and change anyone it touches in 1d8 hours of hideous mutation and cellular warping horror too painful to watch.  Worth 700,000 gold pieces because it part of an even greater cosmic generator/engine. Usually found in a lead lined box like container.
5.  The Crown of The Angled Ones - This iron like crown is a conduit for the angled ones to breach our world but its made of pure diamond with a carbon coating that protects it from our reality. The crown has a telepathic spell like ability to hear the thoughts and dreams of anyone within a 3000 mile radius and to grant the insane dreams and forbidden visions of the angled ones. Worth 700000 gold pieces to the cult or collectors of Angled Ones artifacts. 
6.  Pylons of Truso - A set of gold and brass pylons two feet height that control time and space within a twenty mile radius. These artifacts are a part of a Great Race of Yith device but it has been lost to time & history. The pylons can grant eternal youth or age to anyone touching them but their mind is sucked into the horrors of the void at the end of time where Tindalos itself will view their souls and perhaps feast on it. They are priceless and the cult of Tindalos will murder to possess them. These artifacts might be worth 800,000 gold pieces to a nation state or wasteland wizard.

1d6 Random Legendary Lovecraftian Hoards Table For Your Old School Campaigns

Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis & the crimson shod swords of barbarian hordes cross the wastelands there were numerous treasures lost to the sands & waters of time.Some of these riches contained potent artifacts & relics in their own rights. Men & women of plunder often saw opportunity for wealth and power in these treasures or perhaps it was the darker hands of fate moving another piece of history across it bloody board of time? 

Many of these hoards of treasure have taken on a life of legend, surrounded by mystery, &  steeped in the blood of countless adventurers. These hoards contain one or more artifacts directly connected with a Great Old One or Outer God because they often have direct connections to the bloody sacrificial stones & alters of times long past. There will often be 1d8 middle tier undead priests or guardians of such treasures attracted by the aura of cosmic weirdness & death of these treasures. There will be also 1d6 ghosts or other spirits nearby these things. Perhaps victims of murder or greed chained by the unholy aura of such forbidden relics.
There may be 1d10 artifacts or minor treasures in these hoards that are not made of any Earthly metal or have an alien jewel or two. There is 10% chance of these things have strange & dangerous radiations to humans. PC's should save vs poison or radiation if they are exposed to such things. Check mutation tables if such an occurrence should happen picking the worst result because of the wrath of the Old Ones in such cases.


1d6 Random Legendary
Lovecraftian Hoards Table

1. Chum'ar's Treasure - This horde belonged to the Deep One city of Chum'ar it was taken before the fall of Atlantis by a legendary immortal of that fabled land. The deep ones had their revenge when they bound the immortal in burning demonic chains for ever more. He or she's name has been lost to history but the horde of gold like relics includes the silver covered head of a Deep One sorcerer who acts as the guardian of this treasure worth close to 400,000 gold pieces. The Outer Gods took the thing as a sacrifice & it has passed from one set of cursed hands to another ever since. 
2. The Ark of Qiuro - His name is legendary as is his reputation as an adventurer, he was the swordsmen extraordinary whose reign of blood and terror cut a swath across the deep red seas of Lemuria. This was when he heard about the ark. The ark was a means of harnessing the power of Azathoth but it was the silver, alien gold coils, & weird jewels of the mechanism that attracted  Qiuro's attention. He found the ark and killed the half human serpent men who created the thing but then became the guardian of the mechanism. It is worth 600,000 gold pieces & has been lost to the whims of the blind & idiotic god thing across space & time. 
3. The Seven Rings of the Angled Ones - These two foot diameter rings of silver like metal are legendary artifacts of the serpent men but actually are part of the horde of Tus. The horde consists of 200 pounds of gold and jewels used as a sacrifice to the Angled Ones strange Outer Gods of incredible malice and insanity. When Mu feel the Seven Rings disappeared. to history. They're power to create gateways to other worlds lost to history. A lich of the serpent men is said to guard these objects of power. 
4. The Dead Man's Watch - A horde of gold and silver created from the molten remains of a god thing whose elemental form dissolved the gold repository of Atlantis during its sinking; this priceless solid mound of gold like metal is the tomb of a god thing. He watches the past and future but grants visions and 1d6 black magic spells to those who seek it. The thing's visions can also drive men made with forbidden vistas. His watch will continue to dooms day without end but his location has been lost to the waters of time. 
5. The Great Race's Six Shards of Srusus - These pure diamond shards each of which is flawless & over 3 feet long grants visions of the planes beyond the Outer Darkness. They are worth 300,000 each because of the pitting & cracking of the forces of cosmic destruction they have endured. The Star Spawn of Cthulhu are said to have plundered them during a period of war. Srusus was a mage priest of the Great Race & was said to have captured the heart of a black star with the shards. They can open gates into 1d8 forbidden realms per day and show the heart's desire of the owner. These things are pieces of wrought insanity & can drive seers and wizards mad. Their also surrounded by 1d100 objects of art and science that they have pulled from history automatically. 
6. The Crystal Egg of Sho'th - A fist sized egg like object that was actually a mini  matter/time power station of the Deep Ones. The thing pulses with the power of the demon sultan & grants a disturbing curse of  undeath to the fool touching it. They are transformed into a living death thing made of gold, crystal, & precious metal.Their soul is joined in a telepathic Hell to all the others who have suffered this fate since the Fall of Atlantis. The egg is surrounded by the plunder of a thousand worlds as once per day it opens doors across space & time. Only with lead gloves can the thing be held, handled, and moved. It is priceless and very dangerous and is said to be able to summon the Outer God whose name can't be spoken. 

"Theosophists have guessed at the awesome grandeur of the cosmic cycle wherein our world and human race form transient incidents. They have hinted at strange survivals in terms which would freeze the blood if not masked by a bland optimism. But it is not from them that there came the single glimpse of forbidden eons which chills me when I think of it and maddens me when I dream of it. That glimpse, like all dread glimpses of truth, flashed out from an accidental piecing together of separated things — in this case an old newspaper item and the notes of a dead professor...."
HP Lovecraft 'The Call of Cthlhu'

1d6 Random High Level Adventuress NPC's Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaigns

There are ladies who don't have time or wait for anyone to 'take care' of them. These lady adventurers are forces of nature in their own rights and might if the party acts nicely take them in hand to help them out. Perhaps to act as patrons or information brokers, often these adventurers can be found at the fringes or dimensional borderlands between worlds. For sufficient treasure they'll be glad to help if its in their best interests.

Several adventuress are based on Njinga Mbande or Ana de Sousa Nzinga Mbande

In pulp adventures these ladies could be invaluable but use them sparingly for their impact on an adventure is in the novelty of the characters appearances. They are dangerous forces of nature and highly specialized in how they can impact an on going campaign.

1d6 Random High Level
Adventuress NPC's Encounter Table

1. Queen Gel' Te Trus - This former adventurer has found her niche as a black magician & queen among a people lost to the ages. She is a ninth level wizard with several ancient demonic pacts that she uses to protect her people. She is wise as she is deadly but her intelligence is her greatest weapon, a master chess player she often pits enemies against each other but has at her command a guild of assassins & duelists who often come from a wide variety of walks of life & social standing. She is great patron of adventurers however & often finances expeditions across dimensional divides. Here former party of adventurers forms the core of her court. 
2. Naba Naba  - This very dangerous & former cunning thief is now the head of her own thieves guild that operates as a group of mid wives for a wide variety of wealthy clients. They boast several witches within their ranks but they are actually all thieves of one stripe or another but not in the classic type. These ladies are each dedicated protectors of children and hunt a wide variety of exploiters of them. These are quickly and quietly murdered, their gold or goods are taken & the operations destroyed in a quiet fashion. Naba Naba often hunts special prey herself through her 'wolves' operatives of fifth or better level which move across social and social lines. She often pays adventurers for information on wizards, slavers, and others sometimes acting as patrons for those seeking revenge against these sorts. 
3. Duchess Fl'ra 'The Green Lady' this former fighter now turned land owner is the owner of a well off plantation operation. She is also a master swords women who has journeyed across space & time making her wealth. Her husband was her partner but died in a horrific battle against the forces of Hell. She now seeks to train & use a wide variety of fighters who have seen far too much. Her fighters are all very dangerous in their own right and command top dollar as mercenaries. Those who have trained with her send her a five percent tithe every new moon. She sells arms, equipment, and information to prospective adventurers. She is also a very dangerous opponent of the forces of chaos & Hell. 
4. Sister Val - This former adventurer is now the head of a travel flock of very dangerous worshipers of the power of Law. She appears to be a beggar & priestess of the local migrant workers but is actually one of the most potential inquisitors of Law seen. Her zeal is dangerous and as a ninth level cleric she has seen it all and travel across the worlds. For 'small' a donation she will advise & perhaps help groups of adventurers but she is fickle and very dangerous. 
5. Lady Jessica - A ninth level former wizard of the darkest type this midnight queen is has traveled to many distant lands and made her fortune with a core group of outlaws. She is now a wealthy land owner but uses her black magic to help out and act as a patron to other groups of wizards & adventurers. Her thirst for black knowledge is tempered by a very dangerous streak of politic. She has several minor cults that she uses as her cat's paws throughout the planes and her reach is far. Paying for relics and treasures her former pupils still bring her. She is still a force to be recokoned with even all these centuries after her adventuring career has ended.. A great patron but a dangerous lady to cross.She often travels in disguise among various temples across Europe and beyond.
6. 'The lady who travels ' is a mysterious costume adventurer who is a whisper on the wind but her pistols have killed and murdered many evil rival outlaws. Her guild of masked outlaws have been seen throughout the planes acting as highwaymen & thieves to many mercenary outfits. She takes her cut but how and why is not known. She has acted as patron for no less then fifty two other dimensional adventures through strange upper crust proxy houses and agents. But her wrath knows no bounds should she be double crossed.
   
   
   

1d6 Random Weird Undead & Terrible Victims of Undeath To Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaigns

There are multiple planes of existence & places in the wastelands between worlds where adventurers should not set foot. These places are often at the cross roads of many existences & lives. They attract the foolish, stupid, & dangerous in equal turns. But they also attract some of the most dangerous horrors of undeath the worlds have ever seen. Adventurers should exercise extreme caution when encountering these 'things' for sometimes they're former adventurers themselves.


"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." - Edgar Allan Poe

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. Edgar Allan Poe
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/edgar_allan_poe.html

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. Edgar Allan Poe
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/edgar_allan_poe.html

1d6 Random Weird Undead & Terrible Victims of Undeath To Encounter Table

1.  This thing has the characteristics of an ooze or jelly but its actually a wizard caught between universes that has fallen to the cosmic forces. He has the abilities of a cleric because he was caught between worlds with his brother who was a priest and retains the abilities of his calling. His  brother is caught  in their shared madness and weird existence. They've been given a second lease on undeath by a god of horror and depravity. They have the abilities of a shadow and the casting abilities of an evil priest. They're very mad and dangerous when the moon goes full.
2. A horror beyond words this undead thing is a mere whisp of a man but attaches itself to the shadows of others and then begins to feed on their lives 1d20 years at a time. The thing becomes more solid as its victim fades from the local space time and it will eventually masquarade as its victim for 1d20 weeks until it must feed again. 
3. Caught between timelines that have ended this fiend chases and kills the souls of its victims across time and space as a wight of horrid circumstance. This demonic thing harries its victims through reflections until it finally takes down its victim in some forgotten corner of existence. For a time it can walk and talk as a man but it begins to become vaguer and vaguer until it fades once again from memory to feed once more. 
4. There are places in dreams and nightmares that serve as the breeding ground for the weird or strange. This ghostly undead thing has no name but its made from the hopes or fears of a generation. The thing takes on the worst aspects of fear & loathing to feed from its victims as a ghost of things yet to be. Passion, sex, lust, & the multitude of sin are its bread and wine. The flesh of its victims a buffet for its empty appetites. 
5. Creatures spun from several ancient or is it forgotten existences haunt the nightmares of men and women the world over. There are phantoms that steal their victims souls and change them into valuable larva to sell to nighthags or to feast upon at their leisure. They are depraved things or predators of the highest order. They can cause fear in anyone who gazes deeply into the black pools of the things they call souls. For these things feed and feed well on the fear of the citizens of lands whom war & strife dot the landscape. Victims must save vs death when these gaunt and chilled horrors grab their victims and shove them into the astral which they can do three times per day. 
6. Then there are victims of strange super science accidents who become less and more then they once were as ghosts of time. These ghosts feed on the ticks of the life force, they can take 1d30 years from a victim's life as easily as counting sheep. They can transfix their prey for 1d6 minutes out of sheer fear when the victims stare into the blank and sightless eyes of these horrors.
   
   

Commentary On Terror Tuesday - Thirteen OSR Folklore & Fairytale Books For Your Old School Games

There's only so far that regular OSR reference & resources can carry you as a dungeon master & sometimes you need that extra edge. Last night whist doing a bit of research I came across this great little page of thirteen free books on folklore.

These are perfect resources for a Dark Albion, Lamentations of the Flame Princess or A Red & Pleasant Land style of campaign. An old school campaign featuring E.Gygax's EX1 Dungeonland & The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror could benefit from some of these resources to help fill in the back bone & certain areas within this classic module.This is a module for characters 9-12 level & it goes above & beyond hard in certain areas. The module is imaginative but has that old school aesthetic of being weirdly violent and very dangerous to PC's health. But what it actually is a way of using classic fairy tale and folklore motifs and settings within an old school campaign.

If we start looking into Dungeonland for a moment we see that the PC's are transported there via any means;"The adventure begins with PCs falling down an earthen tunnel. It is suggested that the portal to Dungeonland be a barrel within the dungeon of Castle Greyhawk, but the Dungeon Master (DM) may work in any premise to get them to this stage." That's it that's the whole adventure background motivator for the PC's. Personally I'm more in line with what one of the reviewers of White Dwarf had suggested, "the player characters (PCs) are plummeted into what White Dwarf reviewer Jim Bambra referred to as "a strange partial plane"" Given the background & setting for these nightmare classics this makes a certain amount of sense.

I've written about using EX1 & EX2 with the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg system before.  But what about using EX1 & EX2 with other retroclone systems? Well that's where those free resources actually come in. In Dark Albion the idea of there being a partial plane waiting just on the other side of reality isn't that far off given the background of Chaos & the nature of the Elves. Its also not that far fetched to think of a high ranking social group of royals using such an area as a resource. The White Rabbit Charldos the arch mage is quite close in attitude to the elves of Dark Albion. Nasty, dangerous, & completely immoral. The white rabbit below isn't a rabbit at all but a man polymorphed into a rabbit. That's twilight zone level terror right there. But why add it into Dark Albion?

So what's idea have to do with Dark Albion? Well think about the Dark Albion setting rife with double dealing secret societal cults of chaos based on the black queen, white rabbit, red queen motif's & characters  of Lewis Carroll. Albion already has the War of the Roses going on & its a very simple idea to add in these factions. As things progress & move through your going to see royal players go down like chess pieces. Humans are such fragile things & these players are going to get very desperate as their side loses during the War of the Roses. The gloves are going to come off & forbidden secrets are going to be revealed for better or worse.
Matthew Lewis in his new book about the War of the Roses; "the roots of these dynastic civil wars went deeper and the branches reached further than this time frame suggests." This suggests forces that are in play that are far more dangerous than even the PC's realize.  I think that you could be looking at cults of the Elves of Albion bringing back pieces of fairyland & a possible end game. These folklore resources could be used to expand play in a totally different and possibly unexpected direction for Dark Albion.

The idea of partial planes also suggests an entirely different take for Lamentations of the Flame Princess & A Red & Pleasant Land. Dream planes that while based on human myth & legend are far more dangerous & totally alien then players were expecting. Once again here the idea can be to take the familiar motifs, tropes, legends,etc of mythology, folk lore, and fairytales then turn it into a ballon animal like creation for adventure fodder. Lamentations as a system is ideal suited for this style of one shot adventure where the PC's are at the center of the action. Will they live or die? Well that's where you and your players are going to have to take it too the table to find out!


GRAB THESE FREE
RESOURCES RIGHT OVER HERE

  Dark Albion, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, & authors sited here are copyrighted & trade marked to their respective owners. E.Gygax's EX1 Dungeonland & The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror are trade marked & copyrighted to Wizards of the Coast. All other ideas & opinions are copyrighted & trade marked to the author as well as Dark Corner Productions. This blog post is for entertainment & educational purposes only. 

1d6 High Level Haunted NPC's From The Wastelands Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaigns

There are those who have encountered the supernatural or other worldly who are forever changed by it. Those who have brought back something deadly and dangerous from the other side of the spirit realms. Monsters, demons, and worse sometimes stalk those who wander strange and haunted parts of the wastelands.


Those who encounter such wanderers, fools, & adventurers live to regret it. These are people who have been forever changed by their brush with the other worldly and they will never be the same. There is a 30% chance of encountering such individuals of sensing the dark forces that play havoc with their lives.  There is a 60% chance of these people are involved with or wrapping up some tragic affair with the supernatural, the occult, or some form of extra dimensional horror. Often times these NPC's are avoided by right minded people in the wastelands because they are considered 'witch haunted' or 'damned'. They may be deranged 20% because of their truck with the dark forces of the occult or they might be rocks of sanity who find themselves vexed by forces beyond their control. They may be hired on at 20% below the going rate because of their bad reputations. Many deaths follow in the wake of such individuals.



1d6 High Level Haunted NPC's
From The Wastelands Encounter Table

1.  The Countess De Lane - Her family was killed by a black occult coven of organ stealers and head takers. She is haunted & hunted by a pack of minor demons who want to add her soul to their alien hell. She has fought many types of undead & minor demonic threats. She is a 7th level fighters and has two silver etched swords. She is also very good with a pistol and a crackshot. She is prone to having visions of a bloody nature before adventures. 
2. Marc Ryan Alison - A time displaced soldier summoned from the trenches of World War One whose fought his way across the underworld and is now pursued by a black cabal of Magus who want his soul. He has fought nameless demons and has a grudge with Orcus the demon lord of the undead. He is armed with his side arm, a rifle, and a magic dagger of weird aspect. He is a 6th level fighter and has seen way too much blood and thunder. Marc hunts for his way back to his paltoon and brothers. 
3. Mercy Steele - An escaped slave from the 1800's whose become an adventurer and demon slayer. She has become a 6th level thief and crack shot with a demon gun which gives her advantages over the demons, monsters but its the demon that wants her soul that hunts her through time and space. She is looking for a wizard to free her from her curse of living. 
4. Sirus Roui - A part time wizard and time lost sword fighter this adventurer is haunted by the ghosts of the damned he has slain over and over age for ages. He has acquired a sentient sword called Witterquick and now seeks to slay the ghost of his past love. He is a 5th level fighter and 2nd level black wizard. He will work for the innocent and those who don't mind the monsters on his trail. 
5. Raza The Bloodless - This warrior from prehistory wanders the wastelands trying to return to his tribal homelands but his spear seems to find the undead whereever he goes. He has slain alien beasts, strange minor gods and is a quick study. Raza is a 5th level fighter and 1st level shaman whose been forced into the spirit realms far too many times. 1d10 ghostly horrors pursue him each night and he must fight them in order to have  restful sleep. 
6. Draben O'Peece - A warrior from some alternative future Earth wandering the wastelands and trying to out run the alien demons that pursue him across time and space. He is equiped with a blaster, energy sword +3, and high tech armor. But its his quick wits and dry take on the supernatural that seem his greatest strengths. He is a 7th level fighter and is able to shape shift once every new moon into another's form for one hour. He often changes sexes and appearances when investigating occult occurrences. 

1d6 Random Unexpected Zombies & Undead To Encounter Table For Your Old School Campaigns

Zombies are often encountered with unique and unexpected abilities or qualities in the wastelands. The fact is that many of these unique undead are very dangerous unto themselves. The infecting agent can have weird side effects on the physiological make up or body chemistry of the individual. Adventurers should exercise caution when running into these types of horrors.




1d6 Random Unexpected Zombies & Undead To Encounter Table

1. The zombie was a wizard in his mortal life & retains his magical abilities! He's 2nd level wizard dedicated now to Orcus and able to cast spells. He has cantrips & a few spells at the ready but he's very hungry for your flesh & brains. 
2. This free willed zombie wants a hug to let out the 1d200 rot grubs nesting in his stomach. He also wants to fill the hole in his existence with your flesh. 
3. Inside this horror's chest is an alien worm that wants a new host and your PC looks very appealing. The zombie is intelligent & very dangerous, its armed with a ray pistol able to do 1d8 points per shot with eight shots and a 30 foot range. 
4. This zombie's eyes are actually the seat of its alien intelligence and it wants a new host. The thing is cleric of  an alien spider goddess and there 1d20 giant spiders in the thing's gut waiting to burst out. 
5. There are a knot of 1d6 party goers dressed for a masquerade ball but actually zombie avatars for a red death plague infection. Coming within thirty feet of them will cause the PC to save vs death, getting bit by them will make them rise within 4 hours as a red death zombie of dangerous aspect. 
6. This free willed former knight zombie will spit out a wad of 1d20 giant worms that will try to entangle its prey. The thing uses +1 sword called spine cutter to slice up its victim. It begs to be destroyed even as it tries to tear into its victims.
   
   
   

Free OSR Resource Adventure - Under Xylarthen’s Tower By Jeff Rients For Your Old School Campaigns

When I first started in the OSR I came upon a gem of an old school adventure done by Jeff Rients which pretty much had each and every element that my gonzo science fantasy heart desired. Tonight I reran the adventure for the first time in a very long time for some friends and it still was as good as it was back in '09.
Under Xylarthen’s Tower By Jeff Rients is a nice romp through a six level dungeon of awesomeness. The adventure has a lot going for it.

GRAB IT RIGHT HERE

Its easy to run has a great take on monsters and really hits that gonzo spot without over powering the old school feel of the dungeon and it still runs damn well. At least one of the PC's in tonight game died rather badly.


I have to say after running this adventure its really nice to get a module in where the players were having a blast with a quick OD&D style of play. This adventure could easily be used in a Lamentations of the Flame Princess over the top gonzo game setting such as Carcosa or something of a similar nature.
For a game such as Dungeon Crawl Classics this is a nice module to challenge some lower tier PC's or a group of 1-3rd retroclone adventurers. Even the introduction of the adventure betrays the old school inspired roots of the adventure;"The dungeon levels below the tower of the wizard Xylarthen began life as an attempt to create an ‘authentic’ dungeon
using the random dungeon stocking methods outlined in Book 3, The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures, with an eye towards creating something playable as a one-shot at the 35th annual Winter War game convention in Champaign, Illinois. Because I am the kind of gamer who enjoys
rolling on many random die charts, I also employed some of the tables found in the Judges Guild publication Ready Ref Sheets, particularly the elegantly simple random dungeon charts and the goofy magical statue generator.The maps are exactly what the adventure sounds like something that a young but accomplished dungeon master would whip up over a weekend for a Monday night game.



I have to say how please I was with the way that events went when I ran this tonight. The players had a blast and everything went off without a hitch. Not a bad's nights gonzo game with  Make sure you grab a copy of this beast and then run the hell out  Under Xylarthen’s Tower. This is an adventure that does exactly what it sets out to do, that is present a gonzo adventure that can still challenge players for a low level good time. I highly recommend it as a free download.