Fiddle with the clicky bit...

Figuring out how technological items function has been a part of many a post-apocalptic campaign. Mutant Future uses a simple chance based system anf Gamma World used a flow chart. Both leave me a little flat as each is really just an exercise in dice rolling with the only choice being to keep trying until it works or something bad happens.  Here's an example tailored for use with Mutant Future but likely adaptable to other systems (it's a first draft so it could be a bit dodgy).

How to Use.
1. Start at the box numbered the same as the condition of the item in question.
2. Roll 1d100 and add the technology bonsues for INT, mutations, and special abilities that apply. (do not divide this chance by complexity class as per standard MF rules)
3. progress from step to step by following dice rolls to next box, if dice score isn't shown no change is made in the steps.
4. Should the player end up on OOPS ! Something bad happens that either damages the technological item or hurts the character trying to figure out the device (Ref's decision based on situation). Regardless of bonuses a roll of 1 that leads to "OOPS !" will always count as OOPS ! (but should likely only damage the item)
5. If the rolls on the chart  progress to READY ! it's been figured out and is ready for the character to use.

click me!

This chart can be used for repairs also or maybe even have repairs wrapped up into figuring out the item. Getting to Ready ! with a score of over 100 on the final roll will improve the item condition by 1 step.


This chart came about from reading these two posts in regards to a possible future post-apocalyptic supplement to Seven Voyages of Zylarthen based on Gamma World:
http://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2016/05/gamma-world-how-to-determine.html
http://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2016/05/an-oddity-in-gamma-world-artifact-use.html

More Goblins

A few goblin-kin to haunt your megadungoens, rotted faerie-woods, and goblin markets.

Loblin
Loblins are small long armed creatures (4 ft tall or so) that inhabit dark woods, mountains, underground caverns, and faerie realms with a distdistinct talent for missile weapons. They may attack with thrown weapons at +4 chance to hit. Loblins may if in possession of a basket of darts or sack of stones lob a volley of fire for 3 full melee rounds hitting all in a 10’ area up to 100’ away for 2-8 pts of damage( save for 1/2). They attack at -1 in the full sunlight.
    •    Goblin: HD 1d6+1hp; AC 6 [13]; Atk 1 weapon (1d6) missiles attacks at +4; Move 9; Save 18; AL C; CL: 1; Special: -1 to hit in sunlight. Lob Volley for 3 rounds.



Hog Loblins
Elite hog riders of the Loblin folk. They are usually mounted upon their riding hogs and are able to use the Lob Volley if moving slowly on the mount (1/2 speed, target area can move 10’ a round). They may charge with their riding hogs to disrupt and confuse folks but usually cling on for dear life hooting and equaling as the hogs gores and perhaps knocks down foes. Anyone struck by a charging Hog Loblin Riding Hog must make a save or fall down.

•    Hog Loblin: HD 1; AC 6 [13]; Atk 1 weapon (1d6); Move 9; Save 18; AL C; CL/XP B/10; Special: -1 to hit in sunlight.
 •    Hog Loblin Riding Hog : HD 2+2; AC 7 [12]; Atk 1 gore (2d4); Move 15; Save 16; AL C; CL/XP 2; Special: -1 to hit in sunlight. Knockdown.

Scarflin
Scarflin are small creatures that inhabit dark lands and fairy woods and when first encountered there is little to differentiate them from more typical goblins but when they start to feed they can grow larger with ridiculously distended stomach. A hungry Scarflin will try to eat virtually anything and anyone that can’t fight back, they will attempt to close with prey and crab with both hands,if both are successful they will distend their jaws and try to swallow the victim whole. A Scarlin can easily swallow a housecoat or small dog and after doing so they will be stretched out enough to swallow slightly larger foes (gnomes, halflings), and then larger ones (elves and dwarves) and even full grown men that get in reach, each time they swallow anything or anyone bigger than a small dog or housecoat their move is reduced by 3. Anyone swallowed by a Scarflin in helpless but can be pulled free by allies or cut from the distended bellies of the creatures and they will suffer no harm if freed within an hour (after that hour they will have drowned in stomach fluids and copious amounts of drink). Scarflins will fall asleep and snooze for 3 days straight after eating 4 or more HD of creatures. They attack at -1 in the full sunlight.
    •    Scarflin: HD 1+1 AC 6 [13]; Atk 2 grabs(special) or 1 weapon (1d4); Move 9; Save 18; AL C; CL/XP B/2; Special:Swallow Whole, -1 to hit in sunlight.

Bog Scarflins
These sewer and swamp dwelling cousins of Scarflins are even less choose in their fare willing to settle for table scraps, offal, and dung if nothing fresh is available.  Bog Scarflins may swallow foes as the Scarflin above but they are more patient and not as willing to engage in combat, it is not unusual for one to dwell inside a privy making use of fresh delivered fare and the occasional visitor.
Horrible stench, anyone attempting to engage these creatures in hand to hand combat with a sense of smell must save or be -2 to hit due to nausea caused by their stench,
    •    Scarflin: HD 2 AC 6 [13]; Atk 2 grabs(special) ; Move 9; Save 18; AL C; CL: 2; Special:Swallow Whole, -1 to hit in sunlight, stench

Kettle Knight
Small goblin kin that often dwell on the edge of faerie woods noted for their propensity to wear ridulosuly oversized helmets (that serve to them as well as plate armor). The large helmets make it difficult for them to use missile weapons (-2 to hit).
    •    Kettle Knight: HD 1d6hp; AC 3 [16]; Atk 1 weapon (1d6); Move 9; Save 18; AL C; CL/XP B; Special: -1 to hit in sunlight.

Hogaboar
    Hogaboars are bugbears (and some other sorts of goblins) afflicted with swinish lycanthropy appearing as large headed grinning boars with pointed goblin ears running about on all four limbs.  Anyone brought below 50% hit points by the hogaboar will contract lycanthropy, humans will become wereboars and goblin kind if 2 HD or more will be hogaboars otherwise they will simply berserk until saline or they collapse in exhaustion. Hogaboars can be harmed by non-silver weapons but only suffere1/2 damage from such weapons.

    •    Hogaboar: HD 4+2; AC 4 [15]; Atk 1 gore (2d6); Move 12; Save 13; AL N or C; CL/XP 4; Special: Lycanthropy, suffers half damage from non-silver weapons


Stabling (Stab-ling)
        Hit-men of goblin kind willing to work for anyone with coin, they will follow a master anywhere calmly and quietly until combat breaks out or they are ordered to stalk and stab a victim.  They go berserk when so ordered to kill and are a whirlwind of limbs and stabbing blades. After a victim is slain they will go their way as their contract is fulfilled. If a Stabling has surprise or can attack from behind they are +4 to hit and inflict double damage. When berserk they are +2 to hit but are also easier to hit themselves.  A stabling can be hired for 2 g.p. a job.
    •    Stabling: HD 1+1 AC 6 [13]; Atk 1 weapon (1d6); Move 9; Save 18; AL C; CL/XP 1; Special:backstab.


additonal notes:
 There are more goblins coming. Stab-lings are based on a memory of someone explaining how their D&D group had no clue what stabling was on the D&D price lists when first playing.

Megadungeon Food

What folks eat down in the megadungeon, in the deep dark corners of vast subterranean caverns and labyrinthine complexes of darklords is a matter of concern for those looking for a trace of realism or just a tad of verisimilitude to make the megadungeon environment work within a vaguely plausible set of bounds that isn't too far removed from something the players can deal with.  How is lord dark  feeding his vast army of humanoids and dastardly turncoats if there aren't caravans with food supplies arriving on a regular basis, or the megadungeon is not surrounded by thousands of acres of farmland? well with food that can be gathered from the environment itself of course and to that end I present melch. Melch is a pale grey frothy slime that grows throughout the deep dark underground realms in fissures, cracks, dark nooks, and burbling pits.

Three quarts of melch will feed a man for a day but it's a dreary, loathsome, nearly unpalatable diet. Most surface dwellers would not be pleased at all on being survived their second meal of raw melch after the first meal of raw melch.

Raw melch will remain vaguely edible for months on end if stored in stone containers with secured heavy lids. While melch will not win any records it can slowly move maybe getting as far as a foot or two in an entire day (picture your cupboard if peanutbutter could go for a slow walk now and again).

Some subterranean folk know secrets of cultivating melch that involve other subterranean slimes and jellies in the process along with a portion of organic waste. Some underfolk will fill a great stone basin with as much as 100 gallons of melch, a corpse and a small amount of green slime and seal the mess up to return in a few weeks to find a harvest of 300+ gallons of melch pretty much waiting for harvest.

Melch dries out an collapses disappearing into barely noticeable dusty traces if exposed to sunlight and also does poorly if exposed to fresh rainwater.

Some sages have argued the aggressive and hostile nature of subterranean peoples is not just due to the constant pressure of inter-species conflict but the desire to eat something other than melch.

The following are some means of preparing melch that increase its portability, utility, and willing consumption.

Melch Boil- The most basic form of preparation of melch involves putting a quart of the stuff in a small pot with a cup of water and slowly stirring while bringing the mess to a boil, it;s ready to serve when melch starts to dissolve and lose some of it cohesiveness.

Melch Paste- If melch is boiled in a solution of vinegar and water until it thickens into a paste (almost as thick as peanut butter) it ends up a slightly more appealing paste that may be eaten by itself but it is typically used in other dishes.

Melch Flour- properly dried melch paste results in a powder that can be mused much as flour is used by surface dwellers.

Melch Drop- A soup made by dropping dollops of melch paste into water, broth or oil that has just been brought up to boiling.

Melch Loaf- a bread of sorts that has an odd texture not too far removed from a cross between dense bread and dray cheese. Almost flavorless by surface dweller standards and that probably explains it's widespread used by some folk of the deep dark.

Melch Strip- fried strips of melch loaf.

Melchins- a dumpling formed from melch flour and paste with a variety of fillings. The sort of filling used will typically lend itself to the specific dish being served  (i.e. "Sausage Melchins", "Fishy Melchins"...).

Traggy- a candy chew made from reconstituting and melch flour into a stiff jelly. Normally served sweet, salty, or spicy hot.

Natters- gobs of meat putrefied in a solution of brine and melch. The gobs are typically served fried.

Squaltch- a paste formed by mixing melch, slightly rotting meat and worm larva in vinegar for a period of months. It is served as a spread or sometimes used to stuff sausages. Palatable by most surface dwellers until they discover what it is.

Jollies- a piece of animal intestine stuffed with melch paste and baked.

Moosh- a mashed lump of roots mixed with a roughly equal portion of melch, melch paste and melch flour.

Soggies- toasted meclh loaf slices soaked in a syrup, wine, spirits, or dungeon honey.

Grayervy- melch flour, grease, water and some seasoning (hopefully) mixed together to form a thin gray gravy served with many other dishes.

Servings for dishes in under taverns will vary for 2 to 20 copper pieces in cost depending on method of preparation, seasonings and local tastes, the more elaborate dishes will of course be more expensive.

A quart of raw melch will typically fetch 1/2 to 1 cp, the vessels to carry it in are much more expensive typically costing about 1/2 to a 1sp per quart of melch they can hold.

----
Further notes: This comes from my pondering megadungoen ecology and diets after reading a bit about slime molds and how much they are found all over (and within) the real world. 

Wandering encounter or dungeon stocking charts should probably have an entry for a Melch Drip. Such a Melch drip would be a crack or fissure that would in 10 to 200 feet lead to a larger amount of the stuff.  Some folks claim all true deposits of the stuff are connected and part of one large being but most dismiss such nonsense.

The Sarker

Sarker
A fighter/magic-user variant for old school campaigns.

The Sarker is a mythic warrior that briefly taps the abilities of the beasts and monsters it slays by eating their flesh and wearing their skins.

Scrounges, Knockers, Gleaners and the New Year

Tis the season for endings and beginnings. I've had my game stuff knocked out of whack by calamity and a new campaign so UI've fallen behind on my blogging here and over at bigdungeon.  I had hoped to get a lot of time in on BigDungeon on the thanksgiving weekend and we had a 4 day blackout for the holiday, followed by a chimney fire (which really came out as well as such a thing can) so that got offset and i ended up doing more reading on dungeon generation and my Parents got me the 5e DMG for Christmas (just like they got me the first one... uh 35 yrars ago???) and it made me like 5e a heck of a lot more than I did from reading the previews or freebie core PDFs but also sucked up more eof my blogging and getting something on BigDungeon done time. So content on BigDugnoen is bumped yet again into the nebulous future but something is coming, eventually (writing a megadungeon someone else may read or a megadungeon generator that can create quickly editable content is quite the chore).

I'm excited to be playing the new game not this Sunday but next one and that's drawn a lot of my creative energy. It's going to be fairytale land on the surface and fiend folio inspired chaos-hell in the underworld. Still debating specifc ruleset with myself and have 3 in the final run BFRGP, Swords and Wizardy Complete, and Seven Voyages of Zylarthen; funnily enough most of my campaign development work can be done generic enough I can easily get it to work with the game rules when I decide.

Here's some semi-gamebale contet, really mostly an idea for now. I've never really been satisfied with the random/wandering monster entries for "Adventuring Parties" in dungeons, it's just too broad and still leaves you with a ton of work to get rolling. So I figured: why not create a slightly more granaular set of classification of dungeon delvers to make it easier to wing and likely build a larger list for each of those classifications? Here the bones of that set up:

Dungeon Delver Categories.
Scrounges- scavenegrs and skulkers, either escaped prisoners turned dungeon looters or desperate peasants giving a dungeon delving a fling. Best armor is typically leather or shield, if by freak chance a scrounge has leather, shiled and a helmet it's going to be a mismatched and shoddy set of gear. Weapons will be reworked pieces looted from battlefields or more likely rustic tools turned to monster clobbering. These fellows generally lack the ability and durability to present much of threat to an organized foe and typically profit from the leavings of other adventurers. Levels 0 to 2. Armor-leather or none typically. weapons: shoddy and clumsy 1d6 weapons

Knockers- ever present dungeon looters, not the most competent delvers but they still haunt the place and are an annoyance to locals and other delvers. A lone knocker isn't much of a n issue but a number of them could be trouble to a small monster band or more experienced delvers. Level 1 to 4. Armor: up to Mail and Shield. Weapons: typically one hand 1d6 weapons.

Breakers- stereotypical door kicking, trap springing,  monster killing death squads.  Level 1-6. Armor: as much as possible.  Weapons: Typically 2 hand 1d8 heavy on melee.

Gleaners- competent looters that make use of stealth and guile as much as they do force so as to pilfer and transport as much loot out of the dungeon as they can possibly manage. Likely to have base camps or dungeon caches established to further their looting ways.
Levels 2-7. Armor: medium to heavy when applicable but with a focus on mobility.Weapons: good  with a balance of melee and ranged doing 1d6 or 1d8.

ShadowJack- renowned rogues of the deeps. Sources of rumor and specialists for particular tasks. Up and comers but not yet true forces in the megadungeon.
Levels: 3-8 armor: light ot medium but often magic. weapons: typical fine or exotic, maybe even magic typically 1d8.

Carver- empire builders trying to carve themselves an empire in the underworld or aid another in doing so. They will have hideouts, allies, and supplies somewhere in the dungeon. Levels 3-13. Armor: medium often magic.wepaons: veryfine and exotic, typically 1d8 for one handed and 1d10 for 2 handed weapons.

Grim- respected and feared enforcers and monster hunters (yeah I borrowed that name slightly but it works). Gloomy and stalwart dungeon champions. Typically only have one or two pieces of really valuable loot on hand, often a weapon or device of destruction. Levels: 5-13 Armor: heavy. Wepaons: 1d8 one handers and 1d12 two handers.

Wyrd- powerful oddballs of the deeps, you want to meet a strange bloke in a megadungeon it's going to be a Wyrd; Fungus collecting sage who moonlights as an oracle... that's a wyrd as well. Likely to have exotic and valuable gear.
Levels: 6-13 Armor: any, often magic. Weapon: Exotic typically 1d8 but may be heftier.

Stillworking up the distribution by level. Becasue of the random nature of them not totally sure how I'm going to balance 1d6 scrounges vs a ShadowJack but I come up with somehting.

 Definetly going to come up with a list of 100 to 25 of these guys in each category with their respective arms, armor and goodies. That's going to have to wait until sometime in the first few days of 2015. I envision using these entries as reoccurring NPCs when possible so eventually if all goes well characters will get a chance to know the names and habits of folks they kill for a few g.p.

Expanded Melee Attack Matrix

A set of expanded Melee Attack Tables for Seven Voyages of Zylathern.

There's a little bit of minor variation in these charts. Some of the weapons vs some weapons don't improve by the rulebook progressions at higher levels to fit how I'd want the classes to run in a campaign I was running. Thieves lose access to a couple weapons: no maces, morningstars, or lances for the thief. Magic-Users gain access to swords but only magic swords at 10th level or higher so certain types of epic wizardly types can have swords (but it really isn't a superior option for them).

Shroud and Cowl Armoring

Equipment type,function, and availability is a significant tool for the game master to use when presenting a campaign (or an area within a campaign).

The following is meant as an example of changing equipment assumptions to give a campaign a different look and feel and step away from familiar without totally undoing the game as expected.
No helmets, not shields, no breastplates... a different place indeed from pseudo-medieval Europe of typical fantasy adventure.

Shroud and Cowl Pieces
There are five broadly defined pieces of armor that may be worn by combatants.

Cowl-    protects head, neck, and shoulders

Mask- protects the face face and a lesser protection for the neck in some designs.

Shroud- minor protection to shoulders, with better protection for torso, hips, and thighs

ArmGarde- protects the hand, forearm, and elbow.  Note entirely unlike a combination sode & kote of traditional samurai armor on earth.

Shynbalde- Greaves that proitect the top of foot, shin, and knee.

Shroud and Cowl Armor Table

Armor	Armor Bonus	ENC	Cost	Other
Leather Cowl	½	1	5	-1 to listen
Padded Cowl	1	2	10	-2 to listen
Disked Cowl	1&½	2	20	-1 to listen
Mesh Cowl	1&½	1	40	-1 to listen
Spiked Cowl	1&½	2	100	-1 to listen, 1d4 attack against bite and unarmed
Scale Cowl	2	2	50	-2 to listen
Leather/Bone/Wood Mask	½	1	7	+1 save vs flash and gaze attacks,-1 perception
Crystal Mask	1	1	400	+2 save vs flash and gaze attacks,-2 perception
Metallic Mask	1&½	1	15	+1 save vs flash and gaze attacks,-2 perception
Leather Shroud	1	2	20
Bezainted/studded Shroud	2	3	70
Disk Shroud	3	4	150
Spike Shroud	3	5	200	1d4 attack against bite and unarmed, -1 move
Mesh Shroud	3	3	250
Mirror Shroud	3	4	1,000	1in6 to reflect flash, gaze, and ray attacks
Scale Shroud	4	4	250
Crystal Shroud	4	4	2,000	2in6 to reflect flash, gaze, and ray attacks
Leather or Wicker Arm-Garde*	½	1	5	-½ to attack
Padded, Wood or Bone Arm-Garde*	1&½	2	15	-½ to attack
Metal Arm-Garde*	2	2	50	-½ to attack
Leather or Wicker ShynBalde**	1	2	10	-1 move
Padded, Wood or Bone ShynBalde**	1&½	3	25	-2 move
Metal Arm- ShynBalde**	2	3	60	-2 move

*- values are per item. ** values are for a pair.

Best Armor for AC is  Scale Cowl +2, Metallic Face Mask +1.5, Scale shroud- +4 , 2 metal armgardes +4 and Metakl ShynBaldes +2 for a total AC adjustment of +13.5 .   Encumbrance would be 14, anyone with STR 13 or less would be encumbered (before other weapons and equipment are accounted for). They would attack at -1 and move at a base rate of 10 (instead of 12). Cost would be 475.

ENC notes: STR score or less, unencumbered. Over STR to STR is Encumbered 2/3 move -2 to dodging and action saves. Over x2 STR to x3 STR  is Burdened ½ move and -4 to dodging, action, and attacks.

Cost Notes: cost is generic on the table, whatever the common coin of trade/value is for adventurers.

I setup costs here so the best armor is out of reach of beginning adventurers who will start with the typical 30-180 spread of coin as an assumption in pricing.

Successful adventurers will still likely be able to buy all the armor they want sometime during second level.

AC notes:  The total AC bonus here goes up to 13.5.  Drop any halves left when adding up AC. A 13 bonus still looks high but I allow for "mob attacks" where the number of attackers (if over 1) is taken as a bonus to hit for all attackers  (there are some pickier rules that's appropriate for another post).

Helmets if found in another realm wouldn't stack with cowls. 

Shields if found in another realm wouldn't stack with a pair of Arm-Gaurds only the AC for an opposite Arm would be factored.