Lost Galmagia: What are Goblins part 2

1)      Classic Hobgoblins: these are goblins who have accepted the Giant’s Gift of growth eternal. They quickly attained man size and considerable fecundity. Their skins have darkened, moving to reddish-brown to grey-black while their faces remain bright orange to red. They favor bright, bloody colors and black leather. Since they have accepted the Giant’s Gift they no longer reincarnate, but they are also very hard to kill: unless a coup-de-grace is performed on any Hobgoblin they will heal given enough time (usually a full month or more; this is not combat regeneration). Their community population is 4-24 combatants (not counting the kings court), 150% that in non-combatants and 300% (!) that in youths. The largest Hobgoblin tribes so far are 160 individuals; give them time.

a.       For all goblins their night vision is very sharp, but no longer suffer from daylight penalties. At human size they no longer have the Goblin advantages and disadvantages from stature, and they have forsaken the last of their Unseelie heritage. They do revive from serious wounds unless deliberately killed, and recover (as per the Cure Wounds act of faith) in one month of their wounding. They are solely warriors.

b.       Their ‘non-combatants’ are 1 level with a Typical morale. There aren’t really Hobgoblin non-combatants, just those not big enough or healed enough to fight at the moment. Given their healing abilities they practice combat constantly, so much of their force is too wounded to act. Given a month they convert all of non-combatants to full Hobgoblin warrior stats. Their youth are as powerful as goblin warriors.

c.       Among their combatants, all are warriors. Level 2 foes (AC 14, HP 7, 6 damage) with a Good morale, Excellent if their King is still alive. If the Hobgoblin’s attack roll is 1-3, they left themselves open to an attack, target must save vs. Wands or do 2 damage to the Hobgoblin and lose their weapon as the creature falls back with it embedded in its body. On an 18+ their blow will shatter an opponents shield (if they have one) or damage their non-magical weapon (-1 damage until repaired).

d.       The Hobgoblin King has a ‘court’ of 1d4 bodyguards, Level 3 (AC 14, HP 11, +2 to hit, they wield huge weapons that can either be one swing for 9 or a swing and backswing for 6 and 4). They have the same special abilities as warrior Hogoblins, just with more chances with their extra attacks.  

e.       The Hobgoblin King, like the goblin king, has a magic sword (but the sword actively hates him for abandoning his Fey Nature and therefore refuses to activate its special abilities). He is Level 5 (AC 14, HP 23, +3 to hit or +4 with their magic sword, making 3 attacks at 4/4/8 (5/5/9 with their sword) and Excellent morale. They have the same special abilities as a Warrior, but again, more chances to use it.

f.        Hobgoblins have no pets. Animals shun them, and will make noise and kick up a fuss if approached.

2)      Bugbears: These are Hobgoblins who have grown in twisted ways, with their pumpkin heads, dull yellow skin and tannish brown to brick red fur, expecting their head-fur, which is deep orange. Like Hobgoblins they have accepted the gift of eternal growth with similar powers, but are even larger (7’ high) and stronger, even as the rage and brute cunning that comes with their growth has made them less savvy fighters.

a.       Like hobgoblins they fight equally well in low light and daylight, and recover from near mortal wounds.

b.       They don’t have non-combatants, or a society. All are level 3 foes, with cobbled together armor and thick fur giving AC 14, 11 HP, making one attack a round at +2 for 9 damage, Good morale. On a roll of 1-3 they appear to retreat but are just setting up another ambush. They always carry 2 large weapons and a couple stone hand axes. They can throw their large weapon for full damage at no penalty, and on a roll of 18+ they do 4 damage to another target with a thrown axe.

c.       Animals fear them so much they fall silent at their approach, but the Bugbear itself is so stealthy that it gives a -2 penalty to opponent surprise rolls.

Lost Galmagia Session Write-Up 2.1

 Aethra Chatoyant [Magic-User 1 – apprentice of a famous master / elf-sister]; Ayleton the Cat [Familiar 1 – animal familiar / ship cat of unknown port]; Oland [Rogue 1 – Spy / personal keyword not yet defined]; Brömm [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Bonded Clockwork Guilds-dwarf] NPCs Dungar [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Treasure Hunter]; Azric [Rogue 1 – Assassin / leatherworker]; Richard Stockworth [Hairfoot Halfling 1 – Satyr / Tavernkeeper & Cook]

After recovering from their wounds the adventurers spend another 10 minutes exploring their general vicinity – Ayleton, Aethra and Brömm stay with Dungar at the door for Ayleton to listen at it while Oland leads Richard and Azric up the North passage to see what’s there. Ayleton’s cat-ears confirm that the bugs have calmed down at least some, and that group plots an exit back the way they came. Aside from the heavily armored dwarves everyone should be able to get across the quicksand at a run without getting mired. Some plans involve one of Aethra’s precious spells, but ultimately the ideas if have Ayleton (whose cat form is still as strong as a strong man) carry the grappling hook and rope over the quicksand to the far wall and set it; then if need be the dwarves can be hauled across. 

Oland’s team, using a single fire beetle glad inside a belt pouch for minimal light, discover a crack in the wall that’s clearly a secret door that closed improperly – quick study shows a broken lever inside circular arrays – and is firmly set  enough to not give way to the crowbar. During this the rogues hear something trying to move quietly further up the passage – perhaps other tomb robbers? Pilgrims that got lost below? – and decide trying to progress here is just too dangerous. They fall back and join the others in the escape. 

Said escape goes as planned, more or less: the lightly armored members of the party get past the again docile bugs, which are now crowding in the quicksand room away from the smoke, and prepare to pull the dwarves across. The highly wounded Dungar goes first, and while he’s crossing several creatures race down the custom’s house road towards Brömm, ineffectually using their slings on his sturdy armor. The creatures stand a yard tall with broad pointed ears, carrying spears with glowing red lights at their ends. Seeing no advantage to this battle Brömm flees, being yanked across the room. Whatever the creatures are – Ayleton refers to them as Angry Goblinos – they close the door Brömm passed through. 

Another 10 minutes are spent making sure that nothing has disturbed the rooms they passed through, resetting the spikes on the west door, and exiting before the bugs get riled up again. The exhausted adventurers then limp their way back to camp to find their mule has survived their absence. None can believe they were underground but 2 hours. 

Camp security is boosted as people lay in to rest and recover. The next two nights pass quickly. During the first Ayleton perched on watch in a window of the stone lean-tos hear metal scraping on metal, and then scream that the cat knows came from a rabbit: something is coming through the gated door in the sword ward to hunt. The party continues to adopt a live and let live attitude. Ayleton and Aethra recall stories the cat overheard in the elven city of Deepwater of the history of the North Vale – Goblins, outcasts from both the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, have probably returned there – which would explain the figures underground. 

One day was spent traveling from Amethyst Spire, one for the initial delve, and one to rest; they each have a week’s rations, plus one extra week to split between the seven for an emergency day. Today marks the halfway point of their expedition. So far they have confirmed no simple entry to Aethra and Dungar’s goals in the Mage’s Ward, the answer to the nighttime lights in the Trade Ward, and the presence of some other creatures (likely goblins) below. Leaving their more wounded members to guard the mule and treasure found (so far two ornate gold candlesticks that would fetch 25 GP each, a bracelet with 100 coin weight in silver and a 25 GP stone, a pouch of 50 GP and one of 400 SP. 175 GP total). Plus the sash, key, and plaque/script from the clerk’s room. 

The biggest find is likely the chief clerk’s journal, which hints at so many things: the path to and entry mechanism for the vaults. That one of the vaults contains valuable artwork. The existence of sub-vaults. The existence of something called the Final Door under the vaults, the contents of which disillusioned the ever-faithful chief customs clerk. That the goldsmith’s guild caravanned their vault contents out before they end but they never made Amethyst Spire, just a day away. So many possible treasures and mysteries just in this ward. 

Lost Galmagia Week 12: The Park Ward Vaults West

This is the western half of the park ward vault level, accessed from the two sets of stairs in 1.20, and via a secret passage from the Sword Ward Vaults. It represents the bulk of the goblin community space.

3.20 Entry to the Farm
Stairs down from 1.20, this floor is covered with a thin later of dirt and grey dust coming from the west door, with goblin  tracks and trails like something had been dragged through here to the door. Stacked up by the door are goblin-sized backpacks with poles holding a dented metal canopy that is counter-weighted to always stay up..

3.21 The Fungal and Piercer Farm
This large room – it stretches up to an otherwise inaccessible basement that was between 1.20 and 1.21 – is covered with a layer of dirt, decayed/decaying plant matter, and mushrooms, all running up the wall; the distant, dark ceiling obviously has other shapes on it. There are large animal skeletons here, including a centaur that was killed the last day of winter (which will determine the state of the body) that has braided into its main 100 Platinum Pieces from the old Seelie Court – the goblins won’t touch them, Elves will recognize them, Magic-Users might – and a leather bracer with markings on it that are the command phrases for the magical saddlebags in 3.26. On the ceiling are 15 piercers, only 5 of which are hungry enough to drop. The goblins feed the piercers the herd animals, then harvest their nutrient rich flesh.

3.22 The stairs up
This room is the Goblin’s main passage up to level 1, and the door is barred from the hallway side – quick examination of the door will reveal a sliding peephole at 3’ in height and another at 6’, and that the door is split so the top and bottom halves can open separately. In a secret space under the stairs there’s a locked chest with 200 GP worth of herbs and ointments used for preparing bodies in room 1.22. There’s a magical trap on the lock that, unless the rune is detected and removed, the opener saves vs. spells turns bright green and glows faintly for a season (or until magic is dispelled).

3.23a Guards
The passage between 3.23b and 3.22 is a guard space, with two goblin veterans and a giant ferret on a bored watch (unless circumstances have obviously changed), playing a dice game over the same pile of 20 coppers and feeding rats to their ferret, in a space lit by treated fire beetle glands. How they react depends on the state of things with he PCs – they will slide the wood (but not the mesh) parts of the lower peephole open, but if the PCs get obviously violent or snarky they will unleash the ferret through the lower door, then fire centipede venom blowgun darts through the upper one.

3.23 b: Insect Reverence Room:
This space holds at least one goblin adept (20% chance of 2) who is either treating fire beetle glands for light or to compress them for holy symbols, and a terrarium filled with giant centipedes. There’s a wooden chest here filled with 10,000 CP into which the centipedes are deposited and their paths are read for divination. (Their venom is also collected for hunting). If pressed the adpt will smash the terrarium, unleashing 2d6 giant centipedes into the room.

3.24 Goblin Families
This room is normally home to three goblin families (the veterans, not the adepts who are in 3.18 and 3.19) and while their accoutrements are here, they are not, all being out and about.

3.25 Goblin Families 2
Like 3.24, this holds the families of the military goblins (3 veterans, 2 non-combatants, 3 kids) and their pet giant ferrets. Each family has 1/3^rd of the space but nothing of real value. They will respond quickly and as a unit to protect the non-combatants and unleash the ferrets in face of an attack.

3.26 Goblin Families 3
This is identical to 3.25, save that the center unit has in their possession the apparently empty saddlebags of the centaur whose skeleton is in 3.21. If the PCs have the bracer with the command words (or the time to suss them out), the saddlebags will be revealed to hold 2 weeks of rations (1 week for a centaur sized being), an adventurer’s kit worth of rope and other gear, and 2000 copper, 700 silver and 10 gold coins of imperial vintage.

Lost Galmagia: Goblins

We have now established that Goblins are the scattered remnants of the Unseelie Courts, who are creeping back into the North Vale that used to be a center of Unseelie power. We also know that they see insects as being key parts of of their religion, and we know that while the human mind is unable to capture the shape of a deity, giving them mammal or bird heads/features but never insect ones. I quite like the idea that in the absence of the Elvish gods the Goblins have taken up the worship of a singular insect-affiliated deity in the shape of a comet that is at distance to the world. Therefore Goblin acts of faith have been deeply limited – causing a schism in the goblin community with some falling prey to the Giants’ Gods’ gifts (Hobgoblins, Bugbears), while others have stated true to the insect faith.

This moves them away from the Tolkien Goblins imagery of Basic D&D, but I think makes them more interesting. It also means that we have several different types of Goblins to play with:

1)      Classic Goblins: these are small, incredibly ugly humanoids of yellow through dull orange through brick red in skin tone and their eyes reflect red in dim light; their soldiers wear dark brown leather and muted colors for utilitarian and strategic reasons, while their civilians run a panoply of shades and designs. Unlike elves, goblins are mortal, living some 50 years or so, but like elves they reincarnate freely so death is not the end. Their community population is 6-60 combatants (not counting the King’s court), 60% more in non-combatant adults, and 100% more in young. The largest tribes have 190 individuals.

a.       For all goblins their night vision is very sharp, but they are at -1  to attacks in full daylight. With their reduced stature Goblins have a +3 AC vs. foes larger then they are (so halflings, familiars, or Reduced people strike as normal) and a 20’ move. They all have some weird unseelie fae abilities they can draw on, and gain experience as either Warrior or Acolyte of the Green Star.

b.       Their non-combatants are 0 level with a Poor morale. If they are attacked they will defend themselves, but most importantly on a roll of 1-7 they mirror the face of their attacker (Morale check for NPCs). Non-Combatant goblins are able to Make Trades once a month (often during the faerie market), happily handing over things the PCs consider valuable (and _are_ valuable) for impossible things like the color of their eyes, the memory of their first love, and so on. Making the trade also marks the PC – they now show up on a Detect Evil spell, and at the start of Winter must save vs. Death or waste away in 3 months unless extraordinary efforts are taken. (Thank you, Christina Rosetti.)

c.       Among their combatants, 80% are warriors. Level 1 foes (AC 11, HP 4, 3 damage) with a Typical morale, Good if leader present. On 18+ their wounds carry an icy chill that reduces foe movement by 10’ for next round. On a 1-3 they close their eyes and slip into shadow for a second (only matters when it’s a morale loss, in which case they just vanish).

d.       20% are acolytes of The Green Star. Level 1 (AC 8, HP 5, 3 damage) with Typical morale, Good if leader present. When appropriate they can Turn Undead (levels 1-3 fall back); cast Abey/Enhance Curse, or cast Protection from Evil. On an 18+ they do no damage but target instead saves vs. Polymorph suffer the following for the fight (1d4) 1) weapon in hand turns to bugs, 2) armor (or shield, if worn) turns to bugs, 3) mouth disappears (no spellcasting/talking), 4) target swaps faces with foe (NPC Morale check ).  

e.       The Goblin King will have a court of 2d6 leaders, with the same 80/20 fighter/acolyte percentage.

                                                               i.      Warrior Leaders are Level 2 (AC 11, HP 9, +1 to hit, 6 damage) their chill wound lasts all fight. They fade into shadows on a roll of 1-7.

                                                             ii.      Acolyte Leaders are level 2 (AC 11, FP 9, +1 to hit, 6 damage), and can also cast an Summon Swarm erudition spell, and Remove Fear. Their 18+ effect is unchanged, but on 1-3 they now vomit up either a single big bug or a lot of little ones that menace their foes but don’t attack.

f.        The Goblin King has unlocked much more of their Unseelie power thanks to their magic sword (there is one such sword per goblin kingdom). They are Level 3 (AC 11, 14 HP, +2 to hit or +3 with their magic sword, making 3 attacks at 3/3/5 (4/4/6 with their sword) and Good morale. They have the same special abilities as a Warrior, but can also at will Glamour to look like a human or elf (normally a beautiful version of that race, but it can be someone in particular). A Goblin King’s Short Sword is Intelligence 10, Speaks Goblin and Faespeak, can Detect Magic and Evil, and create an Illusion 3 times a day.

g.       Goblins live in and amongst Fire Beetles, whom they view as symbolic psychopomps – their preferred disposal of corpses is being eaten by insects – and the use fire beetles to light in their communities (and to grow their crops!). While Acolytes will preserve the lights of dead beetles they do so with reverence; anyone just hacking apart beetles to steal their lights earn considerable enmity.

h.       Goblins in Lost Galmagia have no wolves, instead having trained giant ferrets as guards against white apes and rat hunters. These are Level 2, AC 11, HP 9, 50’ move, 1 attack at +1 for 6 damage, Good Loyalty but on a roll of 1-3 they have turned and bitten their trainer for 3 pts. Ferrets aren’t trustworthy.

Lost Galmagia Write Up Session 1.4

Aethra Chatoyant [Magic-User 1 – apprentice of a famous master / elf-sister]; Ayleton the Cat [Familiar 1 – animal familiar / ship cat of unknown port]; Oland [Rogue 1 – Spy / personal keyword not yet defined]; Dungar [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Treasure Hunter]; Brömm [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Bonded Clockwork Guilds-dwarf]; Azric [Rogue 1 – Assassin / leatherworker]; Richard Stockworth [Hairfoot Halfling 1 – Satyr / Tavernkeeper & Cook]

The crew takes a 10-minute rest, eating rations and using the convenient garderobe, as Azric flips through the journal. The owner, Jon Thompskin, is a customs house clerk working on his ‘flourish hand” every lunch break. 20 pages in we learn that he achieved his goal of becoming chief steward of the Customs House, and he marries his beloved Victoria. He now escorts people to the private vaults (to the first-class waiting room via a lift the eastern storage area). He lays out the roughs of roughs of how one accesses the vaults, but the group opts to keep moving and explore more later.

It's been impossible to track the beetles but their helpful light is shining in the next room, into which flows the stream on the dirt floor. There’s a low archway in the east wall… another drainage grate? There are things sticking out of the floor that they can’t clearly see as the beetles’ lights point up not down. Brömm, Aethra and Dungar approach and find parts of halfling-sized skeletons each with silver circlets, torques, bracelets and anklets. Concerned with Disquiet Dead they start breaking the skulls and scattering the bones, only to find themselves sinking into the wet mud. Brömm, the furthest in, glances madly, spotting another 3’ of door concealed in the mud to their west and surges towards it.

This is when the adventurers learn the fire beetles attack hindered targets. The four in the room deploy mandibles on the slowed adventurers; while Aethra can ward off one with her athame she gets a nasty bite on her other arm. The dwarves are for the moment safe due to their heavy armor, but that plus their short stature may doom them in the mud. Oland beats surprise to leap across the scriveners’ room to spike the door to the ballroom shut, blocking 4 beetles.

The beetles still have the initiative, despite Oland and Azric’s attempts to seize it with risky attacks – if the beetles were interested in anyone outside the mud the rogues would be in trouble – but the beetles only manage a strike on Brömm due to Aethra’s luck and Dungar’s heavy armor. The hearty dwarf ignores the small cut and gives back better, killing one with an axe blow as he reaches the door. Everyone save Aethra is surprised when her familiar leaps from her hood, transforming mid-flight to a cheetah that batters away one of the bugs menacing its master.  Dungar considers making a run for the drainage ditch but pulls his hemp rope free and lobs it loosely to Richard. Aethra grabs the slack of the rope and is pulled free by the doughty satyr’s strength. The rogues’ attacks are frustrated by the beetles’ carapaces.

The adventurers win initiative, and Brömm shatters the concealed door’s latch, shlorking out to a corridor with mud, half of the glowing beetle, and some skeletal remains. Richard yanks Dungar free, and, seeing the bugs still attracted to Aethra’s blood, the dwarf staggers to his feet and hurls the magic-user onto one of the tables to get her clear. Aethra desperately binds her wound to hopefully calm the beetles. Azric hurls her grappling hook and rope across the mud room to latch into Brömm’s open doorway to give them a path. Olands dagger and Ayleton’s claws find no purchase.

This is when the beetles all sphincter their light-glands shut, and the room goes dark. The only light remaining is in the mud room from Brömm’s bisected beetle, and in those feeble shadows the adventurers see the beetles go mad, feel the bugs skittering over them, hear the chittering from the beetles trying to get in from the ballroom, and the blossoming of blood and pain as bite after bite lands as the adventurers are unable to recover the initiative and the horror continues.

“Marines, we are lea-ving!” Aethra yells. Dungar, severely bloodied despite his armor, snags the rope from Richard and vows to be the last to leave. Fearing their light might die Oland yanks open one of the paperwork filled drawers and lights it with flint & steel, throwing light as others scramble across the surface of the mud with the rope for support, as Brömm keeps watch to make sure they’re not ambushed from a different direction. Within seconds the scriveners’ room contains just Oland and Dungar, and the they lose the initiative. They should die here save that Oland seizes it back with a risky attack, wounding one of the beetles as he breaks for the door and across the mud. Dungar finishes the bug, finally getting a clean strike that impales the bug on his axe. He drags it behind him as he runs for the door. He wouldn’t have made the distance before the mud took him save for Brömm yanking the rope and pulling his dwarvish ally to safety. Richard and the now-cheetah Ayleton shove the concealed door closed and Oland spikes it shut. End of session 1.

Lost Galmagia Week 11: The Park Ward Vaults East

This is the interconnection of spaces under the eastern space of the Park Ward Vaults accessed from 1.17b and 1.20

This is the interconnection of spaces under the eastern space of the Park Ward Vaults accessed from 1.17b and 1.20 above, as well as from 3.10

3.13 The Goldsmith Guilds Vaults
This room, accessible through the shared stairwell from 1.17b, is the goldsmiths’ guild’s locked vault. The vault is locked and requires Thieves’ Tools to open, but none of the traps are enabled. There is nothing inside because the guild got everything out before the city fell. (but they never made it out of the Giant’s Shadow and are in the New Forest).

3.14 The Jewelers Guild Vaults
This room, also accessible through the shared stairwell, is the circular vault of jeweler’s guild. The vault is locked and requires Thieves’ Tools to open, but none of the traps are enabled. Inside the vault there is evidence of a hasty departure but nothing of value. There’s an elaborate citrine circle filled with rubies – reminiscent of a fruit pie – which is simply paste – it’s a training tool for the apprentice setters. Maximum resale value to a nostalgic guildsman is 2 GP.

3.15 The Elevator Shaft
This room is the space where the shaft from 1.20 descends through. Unless the PCs have moved it the lift is jammed midway between floors, but not has not yet cleared the space between floors, so the ‘ceiling’ of the lift area is 1’ higher and the center of the room is an open shaft surrounded by a 5’ walkway. There are controls in the room that will manage the lift (It’s run on hydraulics, so if the Pcs break room 3.8 there are repercussions here. Passage here to 3.10

3.16 The Goblin Market
This room will appear empty when the PCs first enter, then it will go black, have a bang of light and sound, and be full of the non-combatant goblins who are quick to trade their wares. This is technically an illegal gathering, and if the PCs linger two things will happen: 1) the merchants will realize their queen is missing and send someone to 3.11 to find her and 2) guards will show up to break things up and respond to the PCs based on current state of goblin relations.

3.17 The Treasure Vault
This room is managed by the Goblin Religious Caste, and the PCs will encounter their High Priest here, as he oversees preparation of the ritual grave goods from the silver and gems here. There are also several acolytes, four warriors and an officer here acting or guarding, though the guard detail might be reduced if the Goblin Market forms. There’s considerable treasure inside the room in the form of precious silver, gemstones, and jewelry, as well as stacks of salvaged Tarmalanian gold coins which the Goblins find worthless but they could use to trade with the outside world.

3.18 Goblin Families 1
This room is home to two distinct Goblin Families, separated by a pull curtain across the room, similar to 3.9 and 3.10, but these are higher status families with, ya’know, a floor and stuff. Each family is 3 combatants, 2 non-combatants and 3 children. They don’t have anything of value from the PCs perspective here. These numbers might change if there’s a Goblin Market running and the non-combatants disappear to go hawk their wares. If the PCs make a thorough inventory they’ll calculate that the Goblin families are really twice this size, but half of them are out and about.

These are solid, dependable goblin citizens, loyal the Green Star and the Goblin King, and potential allies (as long as you don’t trade with them and become corrupted with the Unseelie).

3.19 Goblin Families 2
This is identical to the layout of 3.19, except inverted, and has the same population with the same general reaction. 

Lost Galmagia: Clerical Acts of Faith 2

Third level of Devotion: Stillness

The cleric is able to enter a space of stillness in their faith, or expand that stillness to others. This can have some surprising effects in the world, and now the cleric is able to use faith to demonstrably change the natural world.

3^rd level effect: Sanctuary

The cleric can eschew attacks during a combat to remove themselves from the combat. For each success on the roll, the caster can make force an opponent to make a save to be able to attack them. The first time an opponent attack the cleric they must make a save vs. spells or lose track of the cleric completely; this lasts 10 minutes, and opponents are effected in the order they attack the cleric. If the opponents have no other viable targets, the fight ends and the cleric can make a reaction roll; if this opens things to communication the cleric may do so, or they can exit the scene. 

4^th level effect: Silence

The cleric can negate noise for 1 turn in a radius of 5’ per success on the roll, with a range of up to 10’ per success on the roll. The cleric can’t take other faith based actions while maintaining the silence, and Erudition-based on spellcasting can’t occur inside the space of silence. The maximum duration of the silence is 1 turn, or until the cleric tries some other faith-based effect.

5^th level effect: Hold Person

The cleric can force stillness on other people, paralyzing them for the spells duration if they fail a save vs. spells. The hold person spell will affect any human, demi-human, or human-like creature but not undead or creatures larger than an ogre. Each success on the roll means the cleric can add another target to the hold person.

6^th level effect: Haruspex

The cleric can sacrifice an animal and read the entrails to gather information when not in a Place of Safety. As with Snake Charm the caster can enter the rumor phase while on a delve, gathering one piece of information on a particular topic per success on the die. The answers may well be cryptic or incomplete, but they will give valid information. This can only be performed once a day.

Forth Level of Devotion: Healing

At this level, the cleric is able to physically close wounds, remove the effects of disease and poison, or even bring back the dead, based on faith alone.

4^th level effect: Cure Disease

In one round this devotion will cure the creature it is cast on of any disease, such as lycanthropy and mummy rot, though magical diseases may require multiple successes. Cure disease will also kill green slime.

5^th level effect: Neutralize Poison

This devotion will cancel the effects of poison and revive a poisoned character if cast within one turn per success. It can also be cast on a poison or a poisoned item to make it harmless. It acts only on poison present at the time it is cast.

6^th level effect: Cure Wounds

This devotion will restore anyone who has taken a serious enough wound to be removed from combat (i.e. reduced to 0 HP) to functionality with a single success – the target is restored to their 1^st level HP. For each success part the first, the cleric can restore another sorely wounded person to functionality. Alternately an number of successes can be used to restore one levels worth of HP to any allies within the clerics reach.

7^th level effect: Raise Dead

By means of this devotion the cleric can raise any human, dwarf, halfling, or elf from the dead. With one success the cleric can raise a body up to four days dead. For each level of success past that four days are added to this time. A raised character has a stabilized 0 hit point and cannot fight, cast spells, use abilities, carry heavy loads, or move more than half speed, and heals normally. A raise dead cast against one undead creature will slay it unless it makes its saving throw vs. Spells.

Lost Galmagia Write Up Session 1.3

Aethra Chatoyant [Magic-User 1 – apprentice of a famous master / elf-sister]; Ayleton the Cat [Familiar 1 – animal familiar / ship cat of unknown port]; Oland [Rogue 1 – Spy / personal keyword not yet defined]; Dungar [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Treasure Hunter]; Brömm [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Bonded Clockwork Guilds-dwarf]; Azric [Rogue 1 – Assassin / leatherworker]; Richard Stockworth [Hairfoot Halfling 1 – Satyr / Tavernkeeper & Cook]

After Brömm and Dungar take a few steps down so their cavesense can confirm a hundred square foot room at the base of the stairs. The explorers send Ayleton with his cat-senses down, hoping the familiar can avoid danger. There he finds a quartet of yard long beetles, each with three glowing red glands on their head and tail. The beetles ignore him, and he scampers back upstairs to tell Aetha, who tells the rest of the group. They head down en masse and, seeing no aggression from the four fire beetles, close and spike the double doors to the east and west to control their environment. Some exploration reveals the room was once a grand ballroom, but some storm in the past had shoved its contents up against the south, canal-side wall. The stairs terminate about 10’ from the north wall, with a passage behind them to hold serving staff materials. A stream of water runs down the stair wall, the stairs, is blocked by some debris in the room’s center and runs out the east doorway. The dwarves are able to sense a slight incline in the room, and the group quickly conclude that the debris against the south wall indicates a drainage ditch down there.

Digging through the debris reveals this to be correct, and also uncovers two gold candlesticks that the dwarves value at 25 GP each. Not bad for a first morning! Oland explores the drainage gate – some 2.5’ high and 3’ wide – and with a little oil greases it so it won’t shriek when opened, Dungar sticks his head in to learn that the passage slopes down a little to another space, short, with a shifting, uneven floor. Ayleton sniffs to confirm suspicions that it’s canal water. No one wants to slide down the drainage tunnel to see what’s there. Instead they open the westward double door and press on in the direction of the small stream.

That room has a floor covered with a thumb thick layer of dirt and debris, with discoloration on the wall showing the water never reached more than a yard high, holding a half dozen, pace high by three step long stone double desks and two equally large tables, along with a passage to the south through which the stream continues its journey. The north west corner is boxed off with a door, exploration of which reveals it as a garderobe, and hanging on the north wall is a royal blue sash with gold embroidery showing the Customs House seal. Richard Stockton immediately grabs it and proclaims himself mayor.

“What are the desks for?” Oland asks. “If this was a customs house they’d have no end of paperwork,” Azric replies, and the group start pillaging the desks for information by the light of the fire beetles, now five in number, who are crawling between this room and the next. No, wait, seven… and they are moving between the room ahead and the room behind. “Are we sure these things are benign?” Dungar asks. “They’re bugs,” Azric responds. “If they were gonna bite us they would have done it by now.”

The desks turn out to be a treasure trove: two account ledgers (one for gold, one for silver) and the sacks that were the banks for each yielding 50 GP and 400 SP; a personal journal which Azric pockets for later, a pouch holding a key and a thin stone card reading (in the Tarmalnaian dialect), “hello, my name is/I am an agent of ______ and I am accessing vault ________” (Dungar and Brömm “she said the magic word… VAULT!”), and a slender volume whose oilskin cover reads “Open in case of emergency”. Richard starts to pocket that when Aethra says “Open it.” “But it’s not an emergency yet?” “It will be for you if you don’t open it now.”

The front page reads “Given the possibility of either the water wards or the undeath wards failing and disquiet dead entering from the canal, it’s important to keep this…” “Hold it hold it hold it,” Dungar asks “What type of dead? I’m disquieted by the idea of disquiet dead.” Aethra shushes him and has Richard read on “volume nearby to ensure the staff cleric is prepared for the eventuality.” Under that are some icons showing a stick figure with Richards new sash getting this book from a drawer and then handing it to someone holding a caduceus.

“I’m feeling less safe than I was before,” Oland says as Aethra reviews the book with her Read Magic spell – protection from undead and protection from evil – the latter of which is calling on powers she can access and add to her spellbook.

Lost Galmagia Week 10: Acolytes Ward "Vault"

This is the space accessed by the pit in 1.14C. The pit descends all the way to 5.8, so the PCs have to step off onto this level from the descended rope (the players could also enter 3.10 from 3.13, the 2nd level of the woodcutters/stonecutters lift. The real backstory here is that the difficult to access woodcutters guild space was gifted to the self-styled Queen of the Goblin Market and her followers; with the threat of the Hobgoblins her trying to independently court the Brotherhood made her too much of a loose cannon. One treasure she’d carried for decades was an dragon egg. It hatched. Horror movie scenes ensued. The woodcutter’s guild basement is lair to a red wyrmling.

3.6 a and b: The Flanking Rooms
These rooms held slickers and ear protection for the waterworks; now useful for how they pass between levels. 3.6a has a hole overhead that leads to 1.14c, and one directly under it that leads to 5.8. Room 3.6b is charred, with a layer of collapsed ashy ceiling paneling hiding the collapsing state of the wood floor’s center – Save vs. Traps or 20’ drop (2d6) to the minotaur lair below. The northwest corner is strewn with contents of the Queen’s rucksack deemed worthless. This includes a Philter of Love (“your first heartbreak”), a potion of longevity (“your twilight years”), and a stone with a hole in it that, if strung on a cord and worn, gives you +1 in 6 on all gambling related rolls.

3.7: The Waterworks
This room is dominated by the wall of canal water falling down the south wall – parts of it diverted immediately to pipes and parts running through water wheels, that have thick leather straps connected to them running across the room to pass through 3.8. Anyone in the room is soaked within 2 rounds, can’t hear over the water, and must save vs. Death or be deafened for one turn after they leave.

3.8: The Control Room
This cramped room has two pipes on the east and west walls that hide the leather straps passing through to rooms 5.1 and 5.2, below. The North Wall is a complex clockworks that control not just the speed and activity of the stonecutters and woodcutters machines, but also all the waterflow throughout Lost Galmagia. It will take clockwork manipulation and repair skill to unjam things from their current settings, but if they do they have considerable power over the rest of the dungeon, and a rough map of level 3 from the waterflows.

3.9: The Stoncutter’s Guild Scaffolding South
This ‘room’, like the others, are series of scaffolding around the machinery below and through this space. It’s home to several goblin families (3 combatants, 2 non-combatants, 3 young) who don’t have anything by way of valuables. If a fight breaks out there’s chances to fall into the machinery or through it. This does 1d8 damage, save vs. traps for half.

3.10: The Stonecutters Guild Scaffolding North
The way between 3.9 and 3.10 are two rope bridges built for goblin weight, each bisected by a privacy shroud. There are the same number of goblins here, and the conditions of a fight are much the same.

3.11: The Woodcutters Guild Scaffolding South
This room is scaffolded much like 3.9 and 3.10, but this machinery is ropes on sliding pullies hanging down that were once used to move the logs, while there are SPINNING SAW BLADES down there. If you fall in it’s save vs. traps to avoid 2d6+3 damage (save means you grabbed a rope). This area is charred in places, smokey, smells of burned flesh, and it’s clear something bad happened here.

3.12: The Woodcutters Guild Scaffolding North
More scaffolded and charred space, and but the machines below just move and stack the wood, so damage is 1d4 if you miss a save (Plenty of ropes to swing from). The threat lies at the end of the blocked passage north, the current home of Egnistwerh, the Red Dragon wyrmling that killed and ate everyone here. He’s gorged on goblin and sleeping, but still very deadly if woken up. His treasure pile is everything he deemed valuable from the followers of the Queen of the Goblin Market, but he has a dragon’s discerning eye. This includes 3000 SP in various forms, nine pieces of carved quartz and obsidian that value at 10GP each, 10 GP worth of scrimshaw, and complete bronze chess set with 4 extra pieces, each piece valued at 22 SP, the whole set together sells for 100GP. Egnistweh was born talking and playing chess.

Lost Galmagia: Clerical Acts of Faith 1

Clerics are also able to perform miraculous feats outside of the ken of pure erudition. There are no rituals to be followed, just the direct appeal from the cleric to their god. Acts of faith are not predictable or automatic the way “spells” are. They may fail, and that failure may shake the cleric’s faith, making it harder to perform the next. Or their success may strengthen that faith, making the cleric more likely to succeed on the next.

The mechanic is simple: Clerics start a delve with Faith Pool of 1d10 at levels 1-4, 2d10 at levels 5-8 and 3d10 at 9+. Their number of faith dice is modified by their Divine Favor attribute modifier, but the Cleric will always roll at least 1 die.

When attempting an Act of Faith, the cleric rolls their Faith Pool with a target number based on the difficulty of the act attempted. As long as at least 1 die in the pool equals or exceeds that number, the act succeeds. If ALL the dice rolled equal or exceed that number, the act succeeds, and the cleric adds another die to the Faith Pool (you do not roll for automatic effects, those count all dice in pool as successes). If no dice rolled equal/exceed that number, the act fails, and the cleric loses one die from their pool. If that leaves no dice in the pool, the cleric cannot perform acts of faith until they have reached a Place of Safety and spent time in prayer and recovery.

Act of faith level	Target	Act of Faith Level	Target
3 lower than character	Automatic	1 level higher than character	8
1-2 levels lower than character	3	2 levels higher than character	10
At character level	5

First Level of Devotion: Exorcism

Clerics gain access to this devotion at first level. The cleric can use faith to drive away the Unnatural: the undead and summoned or created entities (q.v. protection from evil). If the roll is successful, each die that succeeded “turns” (drives off) 4 levels of foes (at least one foe is turned, regardless of its level). If the exorcism is automatic monsters are not turned: they are destroyed, turned to dust, for summoned foes, sent back to whence they came.

Soul echoes, poltergeists, and other weak incorporeal undead are level 0 monsters. Skeletons are level 1; zombies and ghosts are level 2, ghouls (carrion eaters who enjoy making you carrion with their paralyzing touch) are level 3; wights (ghosts possessing corpses that drain life with a touch) are level 4. There are more powerful undead past that…

Second Level of Devotion: Courage

Clerics gain access to this devotion at second level. The cleric can use faith to bolster their courage (or the courage of their allies), or to undermine the courage of the opposition. Unlike Exorcism’s calculation based on the opposition, Courage’s difficulty depends on what the cleric is attempting. All the effects last for one turn (at  least is one combat….)

2^nd level effect: Remove Fear

This effects one target for each successful die. An NPC will succeed on their next morale check; or any PC or NPC gains a +3 on saves vs. magically generated fear; or any PC or NPC under magically generated fear is released from it.

3^rd level effect: Aid

The cleric may add HP to anyone who has suffered damage but has not yet succumbed to their wounds (i.e. fallen to 0 HP). Each level of success adds 3x Target’s level HP to the target. These temporary HP last 1 turn, but any damage taken during that round come from the temporary HP first.

4^th level effect: Bless

This must be used before melee starts and within a 20x20 foot area. Within that space all of the cleric’s allies have a +1 on all morale rolls, a +1 to hit and a +1 on damage. If the targets are in a melee that lasts longer than 10 minutes (a larger scale battle), the blessing lasts 1 turn per success die, but it always ends once the primary melee ends.

5^th level effect: Cause Fear

One target is stricken with fear, or at the very least a deep doubt as to the viability or righteousness of their cause. If the cleric’s level + number of successes is equal to or less than the target level, the target must make a morale check. If that total is more than the clerics level, the target must save vs. spells or flee in blind panic.

Lost Galmagia Write Up Session 1.2

 Aethra Chatoyant [Magic-User 1 – apprentice of a famous master / elf-sister]; Ayleton the Cat [Familiar 1 – animal familiar / ship cat of unknown port]; Oland [Rogue 1 – Spy / personal keyword not yet defined]; Dungar [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Treasure Hunter]; Brömm [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Bonded Clockwork Guilds-dwarf]; Azric [Rogue 1 – Assassin / leatherworker]; Richard Stockworth [Hairfoot Halfling 1 – Satyr / Tavernkeeper & Cook]

Over the next week the nascent adventuring party collects the last of what they think they will need beyond their personal kits. Mechanically I told the players they all had 50 SP in spending money and 100 GP of gear, and anything not converted to gear was lost. This made sure they actually were properly outfitted. Since we are using the D&D Expert Set equipment list pretty much unchanged aside from some tweaks for armor and weapons the players got to revel in a crowbar being 10 GP more than a 2 handed sword and other such lovely bits. In the end though they are outfitted with a mule (named “Donk”) and saddlebags, sufficient standard rations for everyone for a week and a week of iron rations to buy the group and extra day should things go wrong, 150 feet of hemp rope and 15’ of silk rope, a grappling hook, some spikes and a hammer, bunches of garlic, hawthorn, and wolfsbane, and a last minute donation to the local matriarch for a vial of holy water, just in case.

Richard informs his co-owner of the Axe and Thistle that he’s leaving the day before, making him the only person to know of their destination. Starting at dawn as the snakes said the party exited through the Gate Ward, taking a second to reflect on how small this town is and how pathetic for it to claim three-wards when the eight-ward city it overlooks was so grand in comparison. To avoid anyone knowing their plans they follow the west road first before cutting back overland to connect with the eastward switchbacks that lead down into the North Vale. The road is strong macadam, with the undergrowth only breaking through where thrown stones shattered it. Aethra comments on their wisdom in not purchasing the wagon for this trip; now once she locates a Reductions spell this road can be cleared of stones. Always looking to the future, our Ms. Aethra.

From one of the higher switchbacks the party is able to see a group of something sweep around the city. “Will we intersect it?” Azric asks. “No,” Aethra informs her, “But had we left an hour later it would have caught us in the open.” With some blessings from the humans for the wisdom of their gods (the dwarves, apostates all, refrain from comment in the common tongue) they continue. With 3 hours of daylight remaining they approach the city and decide to circle the ruins and enter through the main gate, as that places them closest to the Mages Ward, where they set up camp in one of the ruined towers, where the 15’-30’ rune-strengthened slabs of stone lay across one another to create lean-tos used by pilgrims and other nomads. (Richard recounts the story of the 4 score of pilgrims who left for the most distant Lost Umbriel; 7 returned and 2 of those were insane, but they did comment on using these for shelter.)

A quick survey of the area reveals no obvious dangers (Ayleton does detect a musky smell of things passing through here) but the Amber makes seeing tracks difficult. Rope is hung around the perimeter is set, watches are planned, and Azric uses her (ludicrously expensive) grappling hook to reach the top of the lean to. From there she can see that the garden to the ancestors ward has full recovered, but larger Cathedral Garden is non-existent. She also ascertains the lights moving at twilight in the Trade Ward, dozens of clusters of 3 lights a piece. None appear to be approaching and the night, while nervous, is quiet.

Early the next morning the group splits into 3 teams to learn a few things: Brömm and Azric confirm no rooms remain in the collapsed towers, but there are spaces where birds roost and evidence that anything of value has already been taken from the wreckage; Aethra plies her magical training on the Amber to confirm it can be breached by magic using spells that are too complex for her(and she is now determined to find); Richard and Oland made their way into the Sword Ward to reconnoiter, and by luck find the remnants of the watch tower containing an open stairwell that leads to a gated entrance. The pair wisely decide to retreat and share the information.

The party decides to skirt down to the Ancestors Garden to use its cover to view the Trade Ward (and collect firewood). Upon seeing nothing threatening they head into the trade ward to find the Customs House Ward. In so doing they locate no foorprints, acrid as well as musky scents, and the grand stairs down into the Customs House, inviting them below….

Lost Galmagia, Week 9: Dead Ends and The Custom’s House Vaults

This section holds two generic dead ends for the various crossroads of the custom’s house road (one type of which is home to the crab spiders that infest the wandering monster charts) and the main attraction: the vault under the customs house, the difficulty of entry, and the treasures held therein.

2.27: the Crab Spider Lairs: There are three such monstrosities on the level (so far) and if the PCs enter here one of the rocks overhead will be a concealed crab spider, assuming all three have not already been killed. Each of these also holds one egg sack squirming with potential, and if the PCs don’t find each by end of spring the sacks will burst and we will need to revisit the layout of the 1^st level. (There’s a 2 in 6 chance for each sack that some other denizens of the level will have burned these out before they hatch.

2.28: Just a dead end: Yup, that’s a dead end all right.

3.1: Waiting Lounge: This tastefully appointed lounge is entered via the 1.8 elevator, which is currently on this level so the elevator is really a pit. The room does hold 20 bottles of 5 GP wine as treasure, but more importantly has 1d6+3 of the 12 Disquiet Zombies on this level, who will move to attack, but will attack lone opponents to subdue so they can use them to get through the vault doors to level 3. They know it’s possible, they don’t know how.

3.2: Client Identification: This room has a magical circle in it which clients needed to read off the identification plaque (“hello, my name is/I am an agent of ______ and I am accessing vault ________”) to light up the “Pass” light, the center of the three concealed green lights on above the door, for the steward to enter first with his amulet and unlock the second door once the first closes. If the left one lights, the person if lying or does not identify a proper the steward will invite them to enter first and lock them in.  If the person requests the lower vaults the steward invites them in and locks the door behind them, the secret door will open and allow them passage. The Vault doors will only open via Knock spells otherwise. There are half of the remaining 12 zombies in this room.

3.3: Stamp Removal: Since the items in this vault are still duty free, they are stamped with invisible runes on entry; the items will not pass beyond the boundaries of the customs house into the city (but can go into the canal) unless the runes are removed here There’s a wand here that will allow any magic user to place or remove the runes.

3.4: the Mirror Vaults: the half ovals on the map indicate mirrors (or mirrored doors) that confused interlopers. If you enter without someone wearing the Steward’s Sash one of the mirrors will release a Living Crystal Statue that looks exactly like one of the PCs and will try to kill that person first. There are 6 of these total but only one comes out per visit. The mirrors can only be broken with magic (though magic weapons will work).

3.5: Dual Locks: each vault door requires the steward and client keys been turned at the same time or each person has to save vs. Traps or take electrical damage of 1d6 points and the locks won’t turn. This makes opening 1 stage more complex if you’re trying to pick it, or two stages if you’re trying to pick both (need two people for that…)

Vault Contents

#	Treasure	#	Treasure
1-3	Empty	11-13	Empty
4	Papers and Documents	14	Papers and Documents
5	Five old masterpiece paintings held by Harald of the Usamigaras Clan, each worth 150 GP	15	Six large wool tapestries, two for each of the Galmagian lines, held by Wedna Wednasdottor. Each worth 100 GP
6	Elfcraft silk and velvet mantle with numerous moonstones made for the Last King. Held by Customs Master Jacob Erinkin val ued at 1,250	16	A black velvet mask with numerous citrines in it, precious to the city’s old masters (see lvl 4) inside a wizard locked ebony box. 100 GP
7	Papers and Documents	17	Four barrels of Storm Giant’s brandy, each worth 250 gp.
9-10	Empty	18-20	Empty

 

Lost Galmagia: Wandering Monsters

 For our wandering monsters we’re going with my newly developed Fibonacci Die:  a d20 where a 20 gives you one result, a 19 gives you another, then 17-18, then 14-16, then 9-13, then 1-8, so you have 1,1,2,3,5,8 in the classic Fibonacci sequence. This happens to work out on a d20 so that the first three results are a 1-in-6 chance, as is the next result, so you have a clear 1-in-6 or 2-in-6 chance of encounter roll that also tells you what monster you’re facing. Going through the monster charts I came up with this list of monsters for use in the dungeon (obviously subject to change).

Level 0	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5	Level 6
Goblins, gen.	Goblins, skill	Goblin, Bdygrd	Goblin, King	Ogre		Giant, Hill
Rats, Horde	Beetle, Fire	Ferret, giant	Hobgoblin	H-goblin, Bgd	H-Goblin King	Minotaur
Rats, Giant	Acolytes	Neanderthal L	Nean. High	White Ape	Nean. Witch	Nean. Lead
Sprites	Pixies	Spider, Crab	Unicorn	Rust Monsters	Nean. Faceless	Chimera
Stirges*	Spitting Cobra	Pit Viper	Living Statues	Giant Rattler	Cockatrice	Naga
Soul Echoes	Skeletons	Zombies	Ghouls/Pledged	Wight	Mummy	Specter

Wandering Monsters Level 1

Wandering Monsters are rolled for once every 2 turns, with rolls of 17-20 indicating the monster listed.

If the party spends longer than 3 turns in one place (room, patch of corridor, etc.) rolls of 14-16 also indicate a monster.

D20	Trade and Park	Acolyte	Ancestor & Noble	Sword	Moon
01-08	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing
09-13	Smell of goblin musk	Desiccated giant rat husks	Patches of white fur on ground	Smell of goblin musk	Evidence of human habitation
14	Goblins, generic	N/A	N/A	Goblins, generic	Soul Echo
15	Sprites or Pixies	N/A	N/A	Goblins, trained	Skeleton
16	Spider, Crab	Unicorn	N/A	Ferret, Giant	Unicorn
17	Rats, Horde	Rats, Horde	Rats, Horde	Goblins, generic	Acolytes
18	Goblins, Trained	Rats, Giant	Rats, Giant	Beetles, Fire	Spitting Cobra
19	Beetles, Fire	Spider, Crab	Neanderthal	Goblins, trained	Berserkers
20	Neanderthal	Neanderthal	White Ape	Ferret, Giant	Ogre

On the Origin of Monsters

There are 2 crab spiders on the level, one nested in a dead end in the Trade ward and one in a dead end of the Acolyte ward (both 2.28). Once these are killed, they won’t be seen again.

There’s but one Ogre – the cursed one from room 1.9 – so it is at half strength and once defeated won’t turn up again.

The sprites and pixies live in the Mage’s Ward, and can ‘blink’ 10, which lets them bypass the Amber Ward. They will generally only appear in the Trade and Park wards because they love joking with the goblins and fucking with the Neanderthals. The goblins tolerate this with bemused head shakes. The Neanderthals like collecting pixies and sprites as curse components.

The snakes in the Moon Ward don’t leave it. They’re touched with divinity from being in the cathedral vaults and know where they’re needed.