The Character Card (50+ NPC's from my game to yours)

My players LOVE a social situation. At the end of a recent session, they found out that they needed to get three votes out of five on a council governing a space cult that worships the stars, and they already were discussing the various combinations of bribery, assassination, blackmail and horse trading that they would string together to get those votes.

However, I've found they can really struggle if I just narrate a few character descriptions, as they often forget who is who, and then I spend the session reminding them.

That's where the Character Card comes in!

Their patron (Bellerophon) plus the five members of the Father's Council that my PC's have to convince.

When I introduce a new NPC that the players need to remember while doing other things, I slap down one of these. I don't typically do this for every NPC, but when they are plotting, or (in one particularly memorable session) making up a three pronged argument in a speech given before a council of nobles, it is invaluable to be able to simply consult these papers. 

They're always fairly short, and focused on either established lore or obvious components of the person's appearance / character. Often, characters remember, "the guy with the purple cloaks" or "the dude we started calling Greggy," but they may not remember that those people are the same person. This shortcuts that process by letting them figure that out without asking me, which just keeps the action moving.

I've also tried out different formats, but the above works best for me.

If you need an NPC, feel free to throw one of the following into your game!!

The Rise of Rend (5e, fantasy, long-running):

1. Coel Redbeard, Lead Detective, Rend City Watch: Dwarf with a red beard, long overcoat with badge. Straightforward. Killed by the man with blue eyes.
2. Weston Briarwood Sr.: Tone’s Daddy. Currently in a coma (but not dead!!).
3. Halfdan One-Ear, president of the Dockworker’s Union: Looks exactly like Tony Soprano. Leads the One-Ear crime family in Rend. Member of the King’s Council.
4. Gregarious (Greggy) Grizzard, Dean of the School of Arcane Wisdom: Blue dragonborn, always wearing too many purple cloaks. Member of King’s council.
5. Alaric Steelborne, Superior of Rend’s Iron Guard Chapter: Human Paladin. Tall, weathered. Silver armor. Killed by the man with blue eyes.
6. Llewyn “Lee” The Last: Tall, close cropped black hair. Muscled, quick on his feet. Short on words. Left town after being attacked.
7. Cadabras the Good, King of Rend: Tall distinguished human sorcerer with white hair and a prodigious moustache. Gravelly voice. Talented diplomat and the most powerful sorcerer in the world.
8. Lady Aravella the White: Noblewoman, known for her help of the poor and the suffering in Rend, and for her opposition to Cadabras the Good. Member of the Kings Council.
9. Margrave Jamon Windshale: Tall, half-elf with a blue cloak and a circlet of bone in his hair. A noble & sorcerer with a significant estate just outside the city walls.
10. Maximillian Darrow, Owner of the Ember Affair: Fire genasi. Burning red skin. Bit of an alcoholic.
11. Darius “The Eel” Esker: Voldemort Face. Slippery personality. Works for the Jimmies Crime Family.
12. Arno: Whip thin man that has spent too many days under the sun on the sea. Addicted to Dragon’s Powder. 
13. Duke Cornelius Ray: Montius' dad, member of the kings council. Old school rigorist conservative; loves to talk about “Protecting the Moral Quality of the City”.
14. Jimmy “the Nose” Alighieri: Early 30’s, skinny, slicked back black hair. Above average sized nose. Head of the Jimmies crime syndicate.
15. Lieutenant Antiers Mueller: Pretty-boy. Honor, thrills, women. Is in debt 100 gp, gambles most nights at the DeNiro.
16. Coxswain Eon Pretorious: Beefy, alcoholic nose. Hates Mueller’s guts.
17. Siriman Barro: Tall, lean, weathered brown skin. Flowing red robes and a turban. Pipe.
18. Rothnest the Fool: Ugly halfling with the personality of a particularly mean orc.
19. Admiral Ike Kord: Human, immaculately pressed naval uniform. Made admiral because he always gets it right.
20. Marshal Reginald Odilion: Decorated army uniform. Made marshal because he always looked the best. 
21. Duke Harlan Falkenberg of West Lyne, Green cavalry jacket; prodigious moustache with a few gray hairs.
22. Crown Prince Valerian IV of the Iron Empire (Erdale): Tall, blond, looks the part of a hero. Well armed and armored.
23. Flamekeeper Pallas Calum of Rhuv: Male elf with golden skin, wearing gold garments. 
24. Ambassador Todo Motokiyo of Tsuri: human, blind, black rag tied around his eyes, white cloak. Powerful diviner.
25. Speaker Awate Al’zari of Droth: one of the Harq Alriyah; red robes wrap his body, arm, head and one side of his face.
26. Ambassador Richmer Vex of Vale; Green dragonborn with deepest emerald garb, wears the sigil of Akanji.
27. Meaux Ningel: Beaux’s father. Member of the Kings Council. Owns a controlling interest in the Rend Shipping Company, with ties to Nykma.
28. Jeaux Ningel: Beaux’s brother. Works for Rend Shipping Company, and interns with Aravella the White.

The Thousand Stars (western sci-fi, 10ish session campaign):

1. Makuta Terridax: Tall, bald, black. Bounty Hunter in the employ of Rend Secure Shipping.
2. Bellerophon Thrax: Austere, luxurious, harsh. Fringe religious leader kidnapped by Makuta.
3. Spirit Drinker: Red eyes, hooked nose. Six armed, black cloaked, smoking. Smells of coal and garlic. Brother of the Mechanist.
4. SGT Jaco DerHammer: Bald, clipped voice, Asian features. Works for RSSC(NA)
5. CPT Piet Joubert: Reluctant. In charge. "There's no other way." Works for RSSC(NA).
6. Kal’bandi Southremem: Indian Features. Coveralls covered in tools. Out of his depth. The Rekeyer.
7. Warden Typhon: Dreads. Headache. Something wrong with his back. Is too old for this sh*t. Security for Mechanist Station.
8. Abaddon Thrax: Like Bellerophon, but subtler. Shorter, but no less clever. Younger brother.
9. Harriet Daylight: bald, muscled, tweaker. Head of agriculture. Seat on the father's council.
10. Zayn “Z” Photon (yelling). Blockish, brutish, dangerously pragmatic. Head of security. Seat on the father's council.
11. Liam Star: bearded, grizzled, empathetic. Chief engineer. Seat on the father's council.
12. Niall Dawn: tall, stocky, anxious. Chief priest of the light father. Seat on the Father's council.
13. Captain Calcin: Star Confederacy Navy special forces. Skin gone blue and transparent. Mouth movements don't match the words coming out of his mouth.
14. Tech Sergeant Decker: Star Confederacy Navy. Skin gone blue and transparent. Mouth movements don't match the words coming out of his mouth.
15. Nichi Jove: Works for the Mechanist. LED coveralls. Injured leg. Scared out of his mind.
16. Jules Marks: Bright yellow coveralls. Female. Facial Scars. Lean. Cats eyes.

Beartide (fantasy / horror, one-shot)

sëisr pyotr thulerin

APPEARANCE: Tall, long silver hair, simple gray robes. Kind blue eyes.

SEISR: read: priest.

JUDGE: one of three judges for the competition. Offers a blessing as a prize.

elder willow

APPEARANCE: ??? Hasn’t left her house in ten years.

ELDER: Last of the noble family that is meant to control this village.

JUDGE: one of three judges for the competition. Offers 50gp as a prize

droth ven droth

APPEARANCE: Dark Elf. Broad shoulders. The guy to ask for beer and rumors.

VEN: “son of”.

DREAD WOODSMEN: runs the only inn in town. Special pop-up for Beartide.

carver oakheart

APPEARANCE: Long white beard, red jumpsuit bulging at the waist.

CARVER: Carver carves beartide ornaments.

JUDGE: one judge for competition. Offers one time 50% off his carvings.

the sigenoths

APPEARANCE: Silver, high cheekbones, the smell of mistletoe.

SG FARMS: Sell Beartide trees of varying size & shape. They took the biggest one for themselves, of course.

elara sigenoth: Matriarch. Maybe she's 28. Maybe she’s 42. Tightly coifed silver hair. Perfectly set dress.

shuth sigenoth: Teenage boy. Golden child dressed in silver. Slicked hair.

the whelps: 3 children. Constantly looking down their nose at everyone else.

the tyrfings

APPEARANCE: Dark skin, dirty hands, smell of lavender and moss.

WAGONS: Traveled to Hafr recently. Live out of two wagons with a pen of goats in the middle. Sell magical ornaments made by Shannara.

tor tyrfing: Father. Very sick.

shannara tyrfing: Mother. Always watching. Rarely speaks. Brims with magic.

tyrn & byrn: 12 year old redhead twins. Two sides of the same coin. Both sides are chaos.

cudgel & grist

APPEARANCE: Armed to the teeth, but it didn’t help. Both have mild injuries.

P2K: Pay to Kill. Commonly referred to as mercenaries.

cudgel: Dwarf. Shortsword. Long bow. Longer beard.

grist: Humanoid with orange skin, beady eyes and pointed ears. Heavy armor & glaive.

Evocative Alternatives to +1 Weapons (pt 2: Sci-Fi)

This is a follow-up to my earlier post describing my riffs on the original, much lauded evocative alternatives to +1 swords by Gus L. In the first post, I described my attempts to write a character background that begin with not much more than one of those evocative alternatives, providing what I came up with for a bog-standard fantasy and western setting.

Below is my attempt to write the same for a Sci-Fi setting. I quite like the notion of a Bryson Armory manufacturing worker making off with a Smart Whip & a Bolt Driver on their way to repulse the Confederacy of Star's invasion, and I think my players might find it interesting as well!

SCI-FI

BRYSON ARMORY (aka space weapons expert) When the manufacturing planet of Aeris came under siege, Bryson Armory opened their stores to the populace. As a few hundred riveters repulsed several divisions of highly trained soldiers, it turned out weapons could make up for lack of training. Good thing no one really made you give yours back.

Melee (d6)

1 Bloodied Katana: folds to the size of a chocolate bar. On a nat 20, decapitation. 18-19, severs a limb. Can cut through the hardest steel, and loves blood. If you draw it without drawing blood, test wis DC 13 or keep using it until it draws blood.

2 ThunderSpear: Otherwise plain spear covered in runes. When thrown, deals d6 damage and returns to your hand unless the damage roll is 1. Range is Over There. When shaken, summons a thunderstorm.

3 Cold Iron Glaive: Unfinished ash shaft, heavy, almost dull head made of cold forged meteorite. Extraplanar entities hate it, and it hums in their presence. Crits on max damage, crit banishes extraplanar entities.

4 Glass Lance: Ornate white wood topped with a narrow glass point. Touch an opaque surface to make it transparent and vice versa. Ignores armor, but spear point shatters on a 1 on the damage dice. Repairs itself in 48 hours.

5 Smart Whip: Can wrap around people or objects. On a hit, spreads nanites that calcify organic tissue. On a nat 1 on the to-hit roll or the damage roll, nanites get on you.

6 Heat Sink: Barbed iron rod. On a hit, target saves or is hooked by the barbs. You can vent heat into the head at a rate of 100 degrees per round, but on a failed usage roll, the heat vents back into you.

Ranged (d6)

1 Bolt Driver: Fires an adamantine rod. When it hits, it launches nanowire anchors, pinning hit targets in place. Can be used to pull enemies towards you.

2 3D Printer of Justice: Can turn any raw material into bullets. Can also generate/print justifications for your actions; ID’s, costumes, body cam footage, drop guns, etc.

3 Mining Laser: Doesn’t reload, but overheats. Take a turn to let it cool down. Can also be used to mine through anything other than finished metal.

4 Railgun: Magnetically accelerates sabots of iron. They become electrically charged; can disable electronic equipment or be tuned to a lower speed to nonlethally disable opponents.

5 Singularity: Pull the trigger. Roll the dice. Don’t ask questions. Consequences may vary. 

6 Arc Caster: Tendrils of lightning leap to damage everyone within the cone of range. Can also be used to jumpstart depowered tech.

Evocative Alternatives to +1 Weapons (Part 1: Fantasy & Western)

I've been toying around with a weapon-focused background for my fantasy / western / sci-fi heartbreaker. The idea is you're a fairly normal person who was gifted a special weapon, and that's about all you have; it's got two(ish) boons and one drawback. The idea is it helps them in combat, but also gives them something interesting to do outside of it too.

Most can probably tell that I've been inspired by Gus L's list on Dungeon of Signs. The fantasy version of this background began with a weapon list identical to his (except it was spears, not swords), and a few of his ideas have stayed exactly the same. I've also adapted some and written a few of my own; keen eyed readers may note inspiration from one of the knights in Mythic Bastionland. Below, you'll find the Fantasy & Western versions of this background; I'll follow up with the Sci-Fi version in a further post!!

FANTASY

JANISSARY(Weapon-focused Fighter): The Yellow Princes of Erdale send warbands far and wide, filling their ranks with slave soldiers, or Janissaries. You were conscripted, trained, and issued a magic weapon, tied to your prince. Though your prince was killed and your warband scattered at the disastrous battle of the Fingers, your weapon never stopped working.

1 Stürmundrang: made of solid metal. While wielding this spear, you can’t be stopped while running, but take d12 damage for each thing you run through. When hitting an object or person, can choose to knock it/them to there distance.

2 ThunderSpear: Otherwise plain spear covered in runes. When thrown, deals d6 damage and returns to your hand unless the damage roll is a 1. Range is Over There. When shaken, summons a thunderstorm.

3 Volcanic Pike: Redwood shaft with barbed obsidian head. On hit, opponents can be impaled and stuck on the pike. You can cause the head of the spear to heat up by as much as 100° per round, though on a failed magic roll, all the heat is vented back into the shaft.

4 Cold Iron Glaive: Unfinished ash shaft, heavy, almost dull head made of cold forged meteorite. Extraplanar entities hate it, and it hums in their presence. Crits on max damage, crit banishes extraplanar entities.

5 Glass Lance: Ornate white wood topped with a narrow glass point. Touch an opaque surface to make it transparent and vice versa. Ignores armor, but spear point shatters on a 1 on the damage dice. Repairs itself in 48 hours.

6 Vorpal Swordspear: This fine oak shaft topped with a sword blade cuts through non-magical wood, mud, and stone with ease, but mostly loves flesh. On a nat 20, decapitates target. On a nat 18-19, severs a limb. If you wield it without drawing someone else’s blood, d20+wis DC13 or keep using it until you do.

7 Medusa Spear: On a hit, calcifies organic tissue. On a nat 1 on the to-hit roll, calcifies part of you.  Tap against the ground twice and the spear softens into a whip that can wrap around people and things.

8 Counter-Spear: A plain spear, possessed by an angry pacifist spirit. Touch the spear to a person. If they have been killed by a weapon recently, the spirit can give you directions to that weapon. If the person has a weapon on them and you succeed on a to-hit roll, that weapon explodes, dealing d4 damage. If they have no weapons and are not dead, nothing happens. When used as a spear, -2 to hit.

WESTERN

76TH IMPERIAL REGIMENT (aka Fighter): The Princes of Yellow were named for their weapons. Montius had his cold-forged mace. Valens II his crossed swords. Countless other great heroes were defined by the weapons they bore, and to this day, the legions of the Iron Empire bear arms that define them, and you made off with yours.

1 SmokePowder Repeater: In addition to shooting them, on a 15 or above, target is shrouded in choking black smoke. They’re still visible, but they can’t see until they move, and take damage if they stay in the smoke. On a 5 or below, you get hit with the smoke. Take an action to intentionally create a smokescreen in close range. 

2 Stilker’s Self-Converting-Cylinder Revolver! Load basically anything handy into the cylinder and it’ll still shoot. Weirdly, it can also convert mundane material into a ration of food overnight. Tastes like garbage though; save con DC13 or throw it up, and add 1 to reload/jam range the next time you use it.

3 The Stranger’s Revolver: Revolver possessed by a pacifist spirit. Point this revolver at a person to… a. Find out what killed them and where it is (if they are dead) or b. Cause a firearm on their person to explode (if they have a firearm). If neither is true, nothing happens. When used as a gun, -2 to hit because the spirit doesn’t like hurting people.

4 Railgun: Rifle that magnetically accelerates sabots of iron. They become electrically charged; can disable electronic equipment or be tuned to a lower speed to nonlethally disable opponents.

5 Singularity: Pull the trigger. Roll the dice. Don’t ask questions. Consequences may vary. 

6 Nykma Coil: Coils and a steam generator. Tendrils of lightning leap to damage everyone within the cone of range. Can also be used to jumpstart depowered tech. On a 1-3, shocks you for d4 damage.

Yellow Spiderhend Cliff (Prismatic Wasteland's Map Bandwagon)

I'm hopping on Prismatic Wasteland Map Bandwagon! I considered writing a theory post, but then I saw the incredible Amanda Lee Franck art and just had to key it up as an adventure site. Hope you enjoy!!

WELCOME TO YELLOW SPIDERHEND CLIFF!! It's the party central of the eastern Graskin range; people come from MILES around to try the psychedelics & experience first hand the Manning of the Cliff!!

From every approach, you hear YSC before you see it; digironken strings and throaty spiderhend bass echo for miles in every direction. Upon arrival, travelers are met by the Spiderhend; fur covered, four armed creatures with catseye pupils and a ridiculous tolerance for psychedelics of all kinds. They heap fluorescent flowers upon the necks of all those who arrive and welcome them into YSC (after the steep entrance fee is paid - consider it whatever a cow costs in your world).

1 Fulcrum (thrumming, breezy, posh): Bar, packed with people especially at sunset. Band makes it almost impossible to converse. Yellow Beet Stout enhances and makes more enjoyable sight, sound and touch, and while you can get it at any bar is YSC, Fulcrum claims to have made it first. Most people could buy a farm for the cost of a night out here.

2 Gendamerie Station (vomit, queues, lookouts): Local law enforcement, appointed as a sh*t detail for the honor guard of the Duke of Graskin. Mostly serves as a drunk tank, and smells that way too. Each morning, lines of tourists complaining about lost property, lost significant others, and lost dignity. Constant presence of Gendamerie watching over the main areas.

3 Welcome Center (flashing lights, smiles, pamphlets): Funded by the church of Veed. Draws most of the first-timers just as they enter. Countless orange-and-green clad greeters; “what decadence brings you to the cliff?” Pamphlets are maps, a list of dates for the Manning of the Cliffs (only occurs on prime numbered dates), Veed propaganda, and big ads for 1 Fulcrum and 8 the Spa. Sell entry tickets for  Manning of the Cliffs contestants.

4 House of Tears (black-clad, somber, necromantic): For its somber name, fairly tame building of old wood. All the attendants and most of the guests wear traditional mourning clothes. The typical brew, wilversod, allows one to commune with the ghost of a deceased person, with greater clarity the closer the relationship. However, they’ve been accused of necromancy, which is a capital offense in the Iron Empire.

5 Jim’s (Outdoor, smoky, subdued): Jim is the name of a vigorous spiderhend bartender, a lovably rambunctious labrador, a tree and a bar. Jim serves drinks at tables in the shadow of Jim, including real alcohol (this is the only place you can get it in YSC), while Jim nips at his heals. It’s also common to take the edge off with Jimweed; a smokeable product grown from Jim (the tree) and dried by Jim (the person) that relaxes and slows reflexes. More locals than tourists at Jim's.

6 The Gate (distracted, crowded, art): The Gate is attended by Undergrounders, white-clad Spiderhend who dance with censers of Palymiriya. Most who inhale its fumes find themselves losing track of what they meant to do, and doing whatever is in front of them instead. The ground outside the Gate is strewn with paints, building blocks, stitching and other artistic pursuits, along with countless Palymiriya-addled visitors making do with what they find.

 

7 Power House (Coal, Kavfei, Artists): While the power house literally produces power for the whole complex through its steam generators, it also serves a secondary function. Kavfei increases concentration, and allegedly, creativity, and is the home of countless starving, tortured artists working their way to their next breakthrough. 

8 The Spa (steam, redlights, empathetic): The steam baths rest at a standard 105 degrees. Light is reduced to the dull red of the coals, and most here are taking Red Beet Stout. It is said that this drink can link the minds of those taking it in the same physical area, as long as those people are relaxed. Common fourth date location.

9 Craggy Spider (chalky, sweaty, charitable): A climbing gym started by four time Manning of the Cliff champion Randolph Starka. Drug-free zone, with complimentary memberships for those in recovery from various addictions. Also regularly takes up collections for those who cannot work. Site of the Manning of the Cliff; at noon on prime numbered dates (the 2nd, 3rd 5th etc of each month), the crane lets a group of ten people down the cliffs surrounding YSC. First to climb back up wins; anyone who fails to keep pace with the sun usually dies.

10 East Ground Retreat (Velvet, declining, great food): A hotel, extending fourteen stories down into the earth (with no 13th floor, of course). The decor is frankly outdated, but in a cozy way. The restaurant, Yellow King, is funded and owned by Maximilliano Weaston, who also oversees all petty crime in YSC.

PEOPLE YOU MEET ON VACATION

Randolph Starks (jacked Spiderhend, swollen shoulder): it's rare to attempt the Manning of the Cliffs more than three times. Not only does Randolph make it on a monthly basis, he has won it five times.  On his last climb, he pulled a muscle in his shoulder and nearly didn't make it back up. He is filled with terror at the prospect of ever making the climb again. Wants: to get his shoulder back to full capacity. To not feel terrified when he climbs. Fear: that his next climb will be his last. Job: take him climbing and *gasps* belay him. Can't tell anyone, but in exchange he'll treat you to a night out at Fulcrum.

Maximiliano Weaston (Spiderhend, edgelord, mascara, annoyingly clever): great family, the best school, wonderful community, and he has turned his life into one big fuck you to all of it. Runs all the petty crime in YSC, mostly by offering small jobs to tourists who want to experience the darker side of life. Recently the Gendemarie have been cracking down. Wants: to piss off his parents. To neutralize the Gendemarie captain. Fears: human connection. Losing the status he worked hard to earn. Jobs: petty theft (breaking into hotel rooms during the day) to prove their chops. Then, wants to discredit or otherwise eliminate Droth ven Depmaa.

Jim (Spiderhend, bearded, in withdrawal): Owned Jim's for some twenty years; is planning on twenty more. But, has never dated, and now Heidi (a spiderhend spinster) has caught his eye. But, she won't date him unless he's clean of Jimweed (not a moral objection; she just can't stand the smell). Wants: more beer to sell at Jim's, because he's almost out. To quit Jimweed. Fears: his dog, Jim, dying. Himself dying alone. Jobs: escort him a day and a night into the Graskin range to trade with the Qualadj-Jaman tribe for more beer. Take a few shifts at Jim's so he can be away from the Jimweed.

Droth ven Depmaa (human, greasy, world-weary): decorated calvary officer, accomplished duelist, object of countless debutant's affections, and because he laughed at a joke told by the Duke of Graskin's wife, he's been captain here for six long years. Wants: To do a good job, because that is its own reward. To be anywhere else, because this place sucks. Fears: being left here. Growing old, or ugly, or being a failure. Job: pays for every petty criminal caught. Also pays for evidence Maximiliano is behind the crime here.

MeeMaw Honey (female dwarf, wrinkled, tattooed): No filter & lots of opinions. "Honey, you don't want to wear that outside." When her husband died, she came to YSC in a jewel-inset dress that's two sizes too small to party until her heart goes out. Wants: to make it to all the major bars in YSC, and then die partying once she has done so. Fears: spiders. Other than that, not much! Quests: escort her through a wild night. She will insist the party try all the hallucinogenics available. Reward is getting named in her will. GM's choice how helpful that actually is.

Tyr Sigenoths (silver clad, scheming, human noble): Younger brother of a minor Duke, here escorting the Duke's son on his Bachelor party. Frankly the son sucks, and the world would be better without him. At least, that's what Tyr thinks. Wants: his nephew to experience an "accident", and to parlay his brothers grief into a dukedom for himself. Fears: being embarrassed. Jobs: kill his nephew. Won't put it quite so crassly, but still. Has a ton of cash to offer for it too. Alternatively, serve as the kids bodyguard but do a bad job.

ENCOUNTER TABLE d6

1 naked 45 yr old orc carrying an easel and some paints. BEGS the party to let him paint a caricature of them. He's off his rocker on Palymiriya (6 The Gate). Poops himself mid-interaction. Fights if they refuse the caricature, offers a scroll of Banishment with a caricature of a wizard painted on it if they say yes. You don't want to know how he was carrying it.

2 Spiderhend child in rags begging for copper. Two of his buddies wait in the wings to pickpocket the party. They work for Maximiliano and report good marks to him, as well as running to his enforcers if they get into trouble.

3 d4+1 Church of Veed missionaries preaching about the dangers of sinful hallucinogenics. “See that statue! And that one! Veed is all of them, and me, and you! Would you deface your own face? Neither would Veed!” 1-in-6 chance one of the missionaries is actually on psychedelics themselves.

4 Two artists from 7 Power House have fallen in love with Anamarentha Bylos, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy family. Ask the party to oversee their duel for her hand (which is semi-legal). 

5 Incoming! Worgan Mallen, a drunk country bumpkin from the Green Hills, throws a chair off the roof of Fulcrum. 1-in-6 it hits a party member. He tries to run away, as he is already out of jail on bail.

6 a crowd picks the strongest PC and begins chanting their name. They won’t leave it alone until that PC signs up for the Manning of the Cliffs at 3 Welcome Center.

Hope you enjoyed! Go check out the bandwagon and make one yourself!!

The Engram Scanner

Another day, another soul. Matias lifted the engram scanner off the patient's head, and took a moment to push closed their now-lifeless eyes. That's the cost of moving your soul and mind into a new body - you turn your old brain into a smoothie. He knew this woman from somewhere but couldn't quite place it; maybe a w3-vid star? Behind him, he heard Tynne's low voice chanting, and watched her semi-arthritic fingers picking their way through the memorized hand symbols in the midst of the Ensouling rune circle, the patient's new body at her feet. Most people went big with the changes from their former body to their new one; after all, ensouling cost upwards of a billion credits outside of military facilities, but this woman basically just took ten years off her face, and that was it. Admittedly this wasn't the best facility in the world; it was a satellite station in orbit around Colonie Novis, the methane shrouded origin of Ensouling technology. A lonely office staffed only by him and Tynne. 

He went through the motions of preparing the old body for disposal. Oof, his back ached. Only a few more years, and then he would be getting his own new body. Then, a magical hum, and the chanting stopped. Why? Tynne was the best. He turned to look, and she was facedown in the Ensouling circle, not moving. Shit. He rushed to her side and saw a bright ulfire light emanating from under her skin. A warning alarm blared, and red light blinded him. Beneath her body, snaking veins of ulfire-glass spilled from the runes and reached upwards, crawling up the client's new body as well as Tynne's. Hovering in the air above them was the glittering tesseract of the client's soul, seemingly the target of the glass. 

He wasn't qualified for this; Ensouling magic took decades of experience to understand, much less fix. Frankly, he only got this job because he was Tynne's nephew, and now he would surely lose it if she was dead. He grabbed a broom, and used it to push her out of the circle. Rushing to check her pulse, he realized her skin was burning hot, and realized there was heat pouring from the runes too. Shit. Shit. Shit. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know how to fix this and there wasn't anyone here who did....or at least not anyone conscious? Wait. The engram scanner had a scan setting; a step below extraction. Somewhere in Tynne's mind was the knowledge he needed. If he could get it out, maybe onto a hard drive, could he use his neural mesh to tap directly into the knowledge? People loaded skills into their neural mesh all the time; would magic be any different? Only one way to find out. 

He grabbed the engram scanner, jammed it onto Tynne's burning head, and ran through the process he had memorized over the past year. His hand terminal blipped "Process Complete". He tapped right into the scan and saw a thousand things at once - the feeling of sun on your face through methane clouds and a habitat dome, complicated feelings after choosing to work with ensouling magic, and finally, the tangible, jarring knowledge that the focusing crystals under the ensouling runes had come unaligned. He rushed to grab the wrench set and lead lined gloves he now knew were in the closet next to the terminal, and shoved his body through the access hatch on the wall. A short adjustment later, the alarms faded. 

Filled with the knowledge of what to do, Matias flung himself into the Ensouling circle, his hands whizzing through strange symbols and his mouth chanting unfamiliar words. After a short time, the crystaline growths receded and he heard the computer chime an indication that the new body was ready to be awoken. Wait. He forgot about Tynne - shit shit shit. She was still facedown, but looking at her, he now knew the radiation that blasted out of the terminal shouldn't have any long term effects. In fact, she would be fine in just five minutes. He went to put her in the recovery position just in case, but when he did, her body was cold. He checked her pulse, and .... there was nothing. Wait, he did it all right! He checked the engram scanner, did a diagnostic check, then ran back through the history, and saw, "Process Complete - 1 Engram Extracted". 

Holy Shit. She was going to be fine, and he killed her. It was autopilot; he just forgot to change the setting from "Extract" to "Scan". He checked the Engram file, and tried to project it to the Ensouling circle. Maybe he could use one of the spare bodies for Tynne? But it buzzed and the runes blinked red. What?! He could still access it with his neural mesh; Tynne's skills were flying around his mind and yet ... his contact with them must have corrupted the engram. His shoulders slumped, and he fell to his knees. It was an accident, but he looks up at the security cameras, and knows they might not see if that way. Then, the comms chirp with a voice call request. He debates, and then reaches out and accepts.

"Matias, this is Overseer Selwyn. We saw what happened, and what you did. Your quick thinking saved your life and the life of the client. As you well know, we reward initiative, especially when it involves innovation. Let's just say the Board is already very interested, and I believe we have much to discuss."

Confederacy of Stars Patent #4723.261A

Engram Scanner: A mechanical headset covered in magical runes and studded with crystals. Place the scanner on a person's head to capture a flash-copy of their mind. If they are alive, this kills them. When you gain an engram, choose a skill that person would reasonably have had. You gain that skill, with ability relative to the person's ability. You may change the skill chosen from the person when you wake up each day.

Ensouling: Ritual spell. Transfer an extracted engram into a living body, overwriting the soul within. On a failure, the runic ensouling circle will attempt to consume both the caster and the living body.

UNDER UMBER SKIES

Fruits of Boredom

So I was in a meeting, bored. Cue dungeon spark table in my pocket journal:

2d6 (dungeon vibe, dungeon tyrant)

1. Hot - Dragon

2. Cold - Undead

3. Dark - Aberrant

4. Bright - Angel

5. Mossy - Fungi

6. Wet - Aboleth vibes

I got 4 / 1 (Bright / Dragon), and this is what I came up with during the meeting! I'm working on turning it into a proper adventure, but this is what I have for now!

UNDER UMBER SKIES

Despite his age, Sthuthinias wasn't much of a dragon. For her part, Anja Helminnen wasn't much of a mage. In that way, they were a match made in heaven. Despite his generally bad attitude (his friends called him "the Morose"), Sthuthinias was clever. He only raided high-impact targets far from his home, and his ability to exude glowing magical radiation allowed him to incapacitate his opponents without a fight (and give them a second hand or second head or a second liver in the process).

Anja, too, wasn't much for duking it out with goblins and orcs in dungeons; too much risk of a stray arrow cutting her career short. Instead, she poured over records, and honed her skill in the one area of magic she was decent at. For whatever reason, Anja was drawn to a spell that conjured liquid amber, and while her meager attempts with fireball could barely blow up a chicken, she found she could fill a mansion with rapidly hardening amber.

Their paths crossed when Sthuthinias raided Anja's branch of the Adeptus Arcanum. After Anja lost her vision in the attack, she swore vengeance. Guided by a Rhivian ranger, she tracked Sthuthinias back to his lair on the icy northern coast overlooking the Sundering Sea. Creeping into his cave, Anja prepared herself for her greatest work of magic. As he slept atop his massive horde, Sthuthinias found himself submerged in a sticky substance. He struggled, and sought to rise, but the weight of this liquid held him down and stuck him to the millions of gold coins below him. As the liquid hardened, Anja realized she had trapped a dragon.

The Iron Empire took great interest in this discovery when Anja realized that Sthuthinias was still conscious, and more importantly, that he was still exuding magical radiation. They built a research station around Sthuthinias' prison, complete with magico-mechanical staff maintaining a ventilation system to keep his magical radiation from accumulating. It generated an area of glowing Umber Auroras that glowed in the sky even during the day. The researchers tinkered with the idea of extracting the treasure from the amber, but deemed it too risky. Anja died before they made any significant discoveries.

With the fall of that empire, the post was abandoned, though the magico-mechanical Maintainters continued to operate. A petty bandit king attempted to take the station, and succeeded in destroying the first handful of rooms cut into the rock before taking casualties. He left it untouched, after which point it sat for a thousand years.

Then, a wandering fisherman, drawn by the glowing umber Aurora high in sky, saw a cave that seemed to glow too. Upon investigation, he was met by a dragon trapped in amber atop a massive horde. While chipping off the amber to get at the coins, the dragon reached out to him and touched his mind! It promised him riches, if he would only free it. Before he could respond, spider-like creatures of steam and metal swarmed out of the rock, so he grabbed a jewel the size of his fist, and made off for his boat.

Tales of that jewel and the amber dragon in the cave have now spread far and wide, and before too long cultists, necromancers and adventurers (oh my!) have found themselves journeying UNDER UMBER SKIES to make their own fortune!

I'm debating whether to do the adventure in OSE or Cairn or even OSRIC. Should have a playtest version ready sometime this week though!