Wilderness Exploration Rules

The following "wilderness exploration rules" are the house 'hex-crawling' mechanics I've been using in my latest AD&D game. These rules can be used interchangeably with 1e, 2e or any OSR variants. The design idea is to keep the procedure clear and simple enough to use with a group of teenagers who are learning to play (I'm also still learning to play). There are to be a few key strategic issues for the players consider in the scope of their daily exploration (encumbrance, the value of a guide, setting watches, etc.), as well as a chance for random encounters and conflicts. I'm trying to keep with the "feel" of old-school D&D: d6 rolls, limited hp recovery, chance of getting lost, wandering monsters, etc. Everything is heavily inspired by original Dolmenwood stuff and Hot Springs Island.

Segments

• 3 segments per day/ 8 hrs each [morning, afternoon, night].
• Roll weather for each segment (see below).
• Resting takes 1 segment (food, water/ 6 hrs sleep/ light activity).
• Resting for 1 segment restores 1 hp.
• Every 3rd segment, a character must rest for 1 segment (rest for 6 hours, consume 1 day of rations, and 1 waterskin). If not, they suffer -1 on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. This penalty increases by an additional -1 for every additional segment spent not resting.

Random Encounters

• At the beginning of a segment when you are not resting roll 1d6, and see below (if necessary, roll 1d8 to determine which hour the encounter occurs).
   
  1. Wandering monster (50% chance of "signs" of monster activity: sounds, smells, spoors, footprints, etc).
  2. Landmark or notable wilderness feature (reroll to check if wandering monster is present).
  3. Mishap or misfortune. Some minor resource is lost to a random party member (rations, water, torches, rope, etc.).
  4. Random weather change. Reroll weather.
  5.  Non-combat animal or environmental encounter.
  6. Fortune's favor. Something positive befalls the party (they discover a helpful asset, find a resource, come upon a marked trail, etc.)
     

Travel

• 1 segment- travel 1 hex if unencumbered.
• 2 segments- travel 1 hex if slowed or encumbered.
• 3 segments- travel 1 hex if very slow or heavily encumbered.
• At the beginning of a segment, make a 1d6 check to see if the characters “get lost” and lose a segment of travel time.
  
  
• Lost on 1 in 6: familiar, clear, open terrain.
• Lost on 2 in 6: unfamiliar, light forest, hills, scrubland, moderate terrain.
• Lost on 3 in 6: unfamiliar, forests, jungle, desert, mountains, swamps, difficult terrain.
• Lost on 4 in 6: unfamiliar, ancient magical forests, impossible mountainscapes, trackless .deserts and so on. Very difficult, alien or magical terrain.
  
  

• A knowledgeable guide can reduce the difficulty of the check by 1 or more points.
• No check necessary if traveling by road or marked trail. 
• Double hexes traveled if moving by road or marked trail.
  

 

Night watch

• 4 watches every night (1 segment), 2 hrs each.
• Roll 1d6 each watch: if roll is a 1, then an wandering monster presents (50 % chance of "signs" of monster activity: distant shapes and movement, sounds, smells, "feelings" etc).
• A character that rests for 1 segment gains the benefit of a “night’s rest” as it applies towards regaining spells, and class abilities.
• Day segments can be broken up into four 2 hour watches. Doing any one “thing” during a segment takes 1-2 watches (2hrs each), i.e. searching, tracking, hunting, foraging, eating.

Weather

1. Clear (no fog)
2. Cloudy (10% fog)
3. Light precipitation (15% fog)
4. Precipitation (10% fog)
5. Storm (5% fog)
6. Violent storm (no fog)

• Precipitation [recheck to see if characters get lost, 1:6]
• Storm [recheck to see if characters get lost, 2:6]
• Violent storm [recheck to see if characters get lost, 3:6]
• Fog [apply +1 difficulty to "getting lost" check]

Gothic Wilderness Sites

I've been wanting to expand the Curse of Strahd random encounter table since I first started reading the module. Rather than expanding the table of creatures, I've decided to create tables for sites and locations. The following are a small collection of  'gothic wilderness sites' that could be discovered off the beaten path. They can be rolled up alongside the standard tables to add context or as a separate location based encounter in and of themselves. They aren’t campaign specific and could be easily used in any sort of brooding wilderness campaign to add atmosphere and mystery. Lastly I've included two small tables for random weather events (inspired by the Dolmenwood tables), should they need to be randomly determined. Enjoy!

 

SITE TYPE

1. Monument
2. Tomb
3. Shrine
4. Ruins

MONUMENT

1. Obelisk
2. Needle
3. Standing stone/ menhir
4. Cairn
5. Statues
6. Carved totem
7. Crude marker
8. Image carved into tree

SHRINE

1. Wayward shrine
2. Small chapel
3. Sacred grotto
4. Crude altar
5. Stone circle
6. Hollowed out tree
7. Fetishes
8. Temple in treetop

TOMB

1. Small cemetery
2. Burial mound
3. Shallow grave
4. Mausoleum
5. Portal tomb
6. Bodies hanging from trees
7. Open burial pit
8. Sarcophagus
9. Ossuary
10. Solitary grave

RUINS

1. Small family home
2. Hermits hut
3. Crumbling tower
4. Small keep
5. Sunken foundation
6. Treehouse
7. Covered wagons (1d4)
8. Campsite, improvised shelters
9. Hunting cabins (1d4)
10. Monastery: shattered church, chapter house, cloisters

LOCATION

1. Atop a grassy hill
2. Within a grove of slender trees
3. Within a natural basin 
4. In a tangle of brush/ briars
5. Beside a stream
6. In a sudden meadow
7. Amidst a swamp or wetland
8. Amidst a rocky shield or scrabble
9. Zone of large stones/ boulders
10. Within a natural cleft of stone
11. Zone of blight
12. Stand of majestic old growth trees 

TEXTURES 

(roll 1d3)

1. Overgrown with ivy
2. Dried blood
3. Claw marks
4. Insects crawling/ buzzing
5. Thick fungus/ lichen
6. Unusually cold area/ objects cold to the touch
7. Wildflowers blooming rampantly
8. Smell of corruption
9. Scattered bone shards
10. Clumps of animal fur/ feathers
11. Dripped candle wax
12. Rime of ice
13. Dead birds
14. Occult symbols gouged into surface
15. Uncanny silence hangs upon site
16. Infested with beehives, buzzing bees
17. Animal den
18. Burned, blackened with scorch marks
19. Marked with warding symbols
20. Overgrown with foliage, tall grass, ferns, trees, etc

WEATHER, VALLEY

1. hazy, overcast
2. Frosty, chill
3. Rolling Fog
4. Scouring Wind
5. Thick Clouds, damp mist
6. Driving Rains
7. Brooding Clouds
8. Drizzle, damp

WEATHER, MOUNTAINS

1. Frosty Chill
2. Light snow
3. Blowing winds
4. Icy fog
5. Snow squall
6. Blizzard
7. Brooding clouds
8. Sleet/ hail
   

PANTHEONS OF ARCHENTERON

As a welcome distraction from the Chromatic Shadows salt mines, I've been revisiting the 'The Land of Calyx', my evolving OSR/ D&D acid-fantasy/ dying earth project. It's sandbox setting influenced by Vance, Wolfe, Numenera, ASE, Dark Sun & Carcosa. The following introduces the region's leadership, as well as a description of the religious pantheons therein. I've sketched out the primary gods worshiped, and outlined the signifiicant rites observed by the temple clergy.

The Archenteron Dominion

The twilight of a 1000 year empire. Archenteron spreads thin across the midlands of Solfria. In the capital city of Helios, Grand Emperor Gothaclyx has ruled for 100 years, but is becoming more insular, more occulted. His Seneschel, General Tybor has begun making public proclamations in his stead. Gothaclyx has been delving deeper into ancient history, obsessed with the power of the Old Ones. Makes only rare ceremonial public appearances. Surrounds self with a cabal of sorcerer advisors from the outer regions known as the Red Shroud. Rumored to partake in their black life expanding rituals. 

Calyx

The city of Calyx is perched upon a triple tiered hill and gazes out over the red river Dasute, toward the Prismatic Pits, and out to the trackless Cobalt Wastes beyond. Prince Mitra, youngest and weakest of Gothaclyx’s sons is granted praxis over Calyx, and rules with contempt. He is a dissolute hedon, lost in pursuit of pleasure and luxury. He throws constant opulent balls which occupy the social theatre and status of the elite, and is growing ever oblivious to the power of the Red Shroud gathering beneath his nose. Calyx and its environs constitute the region where the campaign setting will be focused.

 

THE PANTHEONS OF ARCHENTERON

• Primary Gods: Utu (The Sun), and his sister concumbines Pytheia & Seline (the Moons). Seline is the goddess of “good” feminine energy, of childbirth, fertility, and hearth. Pytheia is the smaller red moon, she symbolizes magic, chaos, blood, death.

• The many Children of Utu, with their munificent influences (also known as the Wanderers, or the Orbital Gods) move distantly through the night sky. 
  

• Ancestor cults, as well as animist religion are known and practiced less widely.

• Many cults devoted to the Old One practice in secret, but are condemned as demon worshipers by the civilized & pious. They are feared and shunned by normal society.

•  In Calyx, the Blue Ascetics venerate the 'Father of 1000' forms, an entity believed to be an emissary of eldritch wisdom from beyond the stars. He is said to appear to those lost in the wastes as a silent hermit with obsidian skin who leads his faithful to safe havens. His many other forms include that of a great desert king, a three lobed eye held alight by great black wings, and a column of flame that is never extinguished. His presence is heralded by the sound of discordant pipes upon the desert wind.
  

 

T

 

Cult of Utu

 

Appearannce- Utu appears as a great lion headed man, often with eagles wings. His face shines with the radiance of the sun. He is depicted driving a great golden chariot across the dome of the sky, until he takes his rest at the house of his sister-concubines Seline & Pythia. There he sleeps, until morning. In freizes depicting the primordial war against the avatars of chaos, Utu is seen carrying a flaming sword and sometimes a golden lance into combat.

 

Temple- In each of the great cities of Archenteron, the ziggurats of Utu rise high above the squalor. Their gilded peaks catch the first light of the sun, marking Utu's return from the house of the moon. Stepped building made from kiln fired bricks. Broad and steep staircase leads to a high platform and altar above where the priests perform their public rituals. Various chambers within, where the high priest and clergy live, study, and conduct private rituals to satisfy Utu.

Priests & Clergy: All male, shave their heads bald, golden piercings and jewelry. Wear golden robes and togas. During ceremony, they wear elaborate sunburst headdresses of gold and adorn their bodies with solar symbols drawn in ritual ash.

Daily Ritual: At high noon, a sacrifice of a goat by the chief priest upon the high altar. The diviner reads the internal organs. The meat is roasted upon the ritual pyre and given to the poor. The rest is burned in a pyre that lasts until the following morning.

Seasonal Ritual: Crowds gather for the sun sacrifice. A group of golden painted priests performing a public sun ceremony at the temple at high noon. A large male lion, washed and groomed, is led to the top of the temple by the twin Priestess of the Moon. After chanting the liturgy, the priests slashes its throat, and burns its body in a great pyre. Its roasted heart is consumed by the high priest. Great pyres are lit all through the bazaar district and it's a day of high festivity.

Cult of Seline & Pythia

 

Seline's Appearance- Seline appears as a tall regal woman with, golden hair, and eyes like twin sapphines. She is robed in a white and blue mantle, and is often seens carrying sheaves of wheat, a candle, a cauldron of water, or a small pyramid within her hands. Sometimes she wears a tiara of stars, and is seated upon a slender throne. 

Pythia's Appearance- Pythia is smaller than her sister. She has long locks of raven hair, and her eyes shine like bright coals. She wears black hooded robes, often open, revealing her voluptuous nude body. She is seen carrying a lantern, an orb, a sickle, a skull, and sometimes a serpent. In her wrathful mode, Pythia is depicted with fangs, a long obscene tongue, and multiple arms with clawed hands.

 

Influence- Cults devoted to the sister moon goddesses can be found in every city of Archenteron. The blessings of Seline are sought for matters of marriage, hearth, & home, whereas the influence of Pythia resides over the occult, prophesy, sex, magic, and death.

 

Clergy- The Sisters of the Moon are exculsively female. The priestess caste are consecrated as vestal virgins as young girls. Wealthy families will often offer their youngest daughters to the cult, in exchange for status and temple access. The devoted of Seline wear white and blue flowing gowns with silver and pearl ornament, whereas the Priestesses of Pythia wear black and red gowns, with onyx, quartz and garnet ornament. 

 

Rituals- The Sisters of Seline are the more publicly facing of the two sects, performing common rituals such as the blessings of a home, a newborn child, or a marriage. The Sisters of Pythia, however, are cloistered and dwell in the inner sanctum. They spend their time in the observance of esoteric liturgies and contemplative prayer. All of the priestesses are constantly attended by an entourage of temple virgins. On full moons, a select few individuals prepared with fasting and alms are admitted to the ‘Sanctum of Pythia’. Those seeking audience are granted a question of the oracle-priestesses, who in turn answers (from the depths of an ecstatic trance) with the wisdom of goddess.

Temple- Circular temple girded with fluted columns, built in two concentric rings. Inner and outer chambers. Silver dome above, with twin oculi at center. The outside ring has sensuous marble statues and numerous altars dedicated to Seline, whereas the innermost ring is reserved for the Sisters of Pythia. Men are not permitted, except on the nights of prophesy. 

 

Crafting Items from Monster Parts

The following table is a list of 20 powerful items that can be crafted from monster body parts. It is written with my acid-fantasy 'City of Calyx' D&D setting in mind, but it's suitable for many other old school adventure game systems and settings.

In the wilderness beyond Calyx, beasts both both alien and terrible stalk the crimson steppe.  Merchants and loose lipped adventurers speak of creatures warped by aeons of arcane fallout, and of the magical bounty to be carved from their dead flesh. Monster bones and organs are sought after, and command a high ransom of gold at the Calyx Bazaar. In the hands of a skilled craftman, these regents can be carefully formed into items capable of strange and powerful effects.

 

 

Roll on the following table to determine what monster part can be harvested from a magical beast and crafted into a usable item.

1. Bones, talons, teeth- crafted into arrow clubs, blades, arrow tips & spear heads. Grants additional to hit bonus, cause extra damage
2. Pheromone glands- grants a bonus to ability to intimidate or persuade
3. Strong hide- resistant certain types of damage (bludgeoning, piercing, slashing, etc)
4. Stomach acid- highly corrosive to a certain substance it touches (metal, flesh, stone, wood, glass, etc.)
5. Gut- craft into powerful bowstring for increased firing rate, stronger & more accurate shots.
6. Venom sac- poison causes deleterious effect when ingested or injected (paralytic, sleep, confusion, death)
7. Parasites- carnivorous worms burrow into any exposed flesh. Can be applied against a new target host, causing rapid injury and disease.
8. Organ sac- thin membrane can be stretched over body. Increases swim speed, resilience to the elements (fire, cold, electricity, acid, etc).
9. Sticky secretions- applied to hands and knees, adds a significant bonus to climbing tests. Use it as a glue to anchor something in place.
10. Pineal gland secretion- psychedelic compound causes dreamlike visions, transient psychic powers and auguries of the future.
11. Alarm pheromone- apply the hormone to one’s body to summon like creatures which will defend you against a threat.
12. Eggs- ravenously delicious--other creatures will drop everything to greedly consume them. If left to rot, they become stink bombs.
13. Fur/ feathers- incomparably comfortable. Can be turned into a blanket or stuffed into pillows/ bedrolls. Causes extra hp recovery when sleeping on them for a full night.
14. Musk gland- apply to self, creatures assume you are not humanoid and will ignore your presence.
15. Horn/ tusks/ ivory- ground into powder and added to spell components to enhance magical effects.
16. Heart- when consumed adds temporary hp (1d3 doses)
17. Bile- cures poison, disease & purifies water.
18. Tear glands- salt from tears wards away spirits, ghosts & demons
19. Oil/ fat/ blubber- burns twice as hot (x2 damage) and twice as bright (x2 light radius) as lamp fuel
20. Reproductive organs- cures exhaustion, fatigue, & generates a temporary strength increase.

SKETCHES OF AN ACID FANTASY

 A few elements from my "City of Calyx" fantasy campaign I've been working on. It's in the acid-fantasy/ dying earth genre, inspired by projects like Planet Algol, Carcosa, and Lizard Man Diary's "Iron Rib Peninsula". Hoping to drop more content as it comes.

 

Art by Roger Dean

The Grass Elves of Callio 

Every seventeen years, clutches of grass elf hunters from the village of Callio, venture out onto Alizarin Steppe in search of giant cicada nymphs. On clear nights, under the canopy of stars and the light of the recurring comet Aolothuwee, the clutch matriarch trained in the ways of soil tasting, samples her way across the dusty shelf. She stops at the tell tale sign: a salty acid brine mixed with the taste of honey and ammonia on the tongue. The team is signaled and begin to dig. Just below the surface is a deposit of golden jelly- an excretion produced from the nymph's neck glands prior to the act of molting. The elves take care to scoop every drop of this rare medicinal delicacy into clay vessels.  The clutch then begins loosening soil, digging out in a ten food ring from the deposit. Not far below, the great nymph lies burrowed and sleeping. It’s golden head a yard across with black saucer eyes the size of mans head. Its monstrous ribbed body lies buried below. If aroused, it could awaken in a fury.  An elf poisoner is lowered down to the nymph. She draws a long hollow reed loaded with a dose of paralytic moon lotus water, slips it into the exposed crease beneath the gland, and blows. Once sedated, the nymph is then drawn out with ropes, tied down upon a sturdy pallet, and born away by the troupe toward its final destination: The Grand Ampulla of Calyx.

The Painted Ascetics of Calyx

In the tent village at the base of Calyx, the Painted Ascetics worship the “the Father of Ten Thousand Forms”. They draw spirals and eyes upon their naked bodies with an intoxicating paste in order to commune with his "singing presence". Tattered fabric tents and prayer flags emblazoned with elder signs flutter in the desert wind. Day and night, thick clouds of incense & burning sage rise and commingle with the sound of sonorous chanting.

The blue ghost centipede is at the center of the cult of the Ascetics. When ground into a paste, eaten, snorted or ingested through the skin it provides an addictive euphoria & manifests unpredictable psychic phenomena. Prolonged eating stains the teeth, tongue, gums, and face a shade of deep indigo. Eventually the ascetic's vocal cords become paralyzed and they lose the faculty of speech. Some speculate, however, that cultists who reach this advanced level have no need for speech, having mastered the gift of telepathy.

 The Arcanum of Calyx

No merchant of Calyx dares park his stall in the shadow of the Arcanum, for fear of the demon-sworn magi that dwell within. The Arcanum appears as a matte black hexagonal tower rising 60 feet above the busy market district--each of its sides emblazoned with great silver sigils that slowly change over the course of the day. The Arcanum is doorless and windowless, with no apparent way in or out. Calyx's magi dwell here, and study their occult formulae in sworn secrecy. The wizards are given a wide birth at the market. They can be seen in their black silk robes wordlessly collecting exotic regents from terrified vendors, only to vanish suddenly from sight. Accessing the college is a feat only the mad would dare. It is said that at on certain nights at sunset, on the western wall, a riddle written in silver script can be seen, catching the last light of the setting sun. If the correct answer is written in chalk upon the wall, before the sun sets, a magical door is said to appear granting access. When the sun slips below the horizon, the riddle and the door are lost.

ASE Sketches: Protoceratops Pit Fights & Catfish Cults

Some location/ encounter sketches for Anomalous Subsurface Environment/ Land of 1000 Towers.

Protoceratops Pit Fights
The lazy sorghum farmers of Chelmfordshire have all but abandoned agriculture in favor of protoceratops pit fights. The biggest barn in town has been outfitted with balconies overlooking a dirt pit, hemmed in with thick caging. Gauchos from the Certopsian Plains bring in their most aggressive bull protos to fight against various popular teams of hillbilly shire wrestlers. The wrestlers aren't terribly athletic, but can win a match by holding a dino down for the count or beating it unconscious. The dinos on the other hand, trample, maim and crush the wrestlers more often than not. Usually 4 or 5 matches a night. The farmer's prettiest daughters sell potent sorghum beer to the raucous crowd.

Plot Idea
The Denethix based fight club SPIRAL FRACTURE has caught on to the popularity of these hillbilly dinosaur fights, and has decided to take a closer look to see if they want to invest.  The owner Gus Lights, his sultry wife Blanche la Blanche, and the retired champ Rex Balls are in attendence.  They have brought their masked champion Johnny Karate to battle the dreaded Black Bull. The gauchos are fixing the fight though- even if they don’t know the extent of their involvement. An anonymous person gave them a large pink pill to give to Bull “2 hours before the fight”, for a guaranteed victory. The stranger is an agent for Spiral Fracture's arch rival, the fight club CONCUSSION INC. Secretly, Rex is having an ongoing affair with Blanche. The two of them are conspiring behind Gus' back to take out Karate. After getting a payout from Concussion Inc., they both plan on leaving him.

Black Bull staggers out of the cage, barely able to stand. Its breath is ragged, eyes bloody, and mouth oozing pink foam. It collapses after a few wobbly steps, seconds later its abdomen begins to bubble and fizz- a caustic wound opens up and a glistening pink substance begins to leak out.and coalesce into a long snake-like tentacle. It lashes at Karate. Karate can’t easily escape because the exit door is jammed. Unless prevented, the ooze will dissolve him and slither through the cage attacking the crowd at random. With every victim it killed, it grows in size and gains an additional 1d6 hit points.

Raided Farm & Indutrial Ruins
There is a raided sorghum farm to the north of town. The house is ransacked, farm animals killed and the humans gone. Spattering of blood here and there. Three toed tracks lead out through the sorghum fields to an area of ancient ruins.

North west of Chelmfordshire en route to Mt. Rendon, the merchant road passes through miles of ancient industrial ruins. The shells of dozens of massive concrete buildings, their steel girders twisted and poking out from collapsed piles of rubble, spread out in either direction. Some of the intact walls stand 30 to 50 feet in height, but are only fragments of shattered buildings. Piles of twisted metal, and coils of rusted and fused wire. Sink holes collapse into the earth, revealing flooded sublevels and dangerous catacombs.

There is one building, seemingly more intact than the others- the walls are mostly intact, reinforced with steel mesh and permacrete. It is a goblin egg-hive. A dozen egg sacks are fused to the walls, incubating and poking up beneath piles of dung and soil. Six goblins defend this ruin, all armed with bent short swords.

Giant Catfish Lake
At center of this industrial wreck lies a lake, some 300 feet across. Oil and slime glisten upon it’s still waters. Around the lake’s edge are dozens of crude fetishes made by the goblins. Animal skulls mounted on sharpened sticks with bones clacking in the wind. A few hastily made rafts are pulled up onto shore, the goblins tie their victims onto these and push them out into the lake to feed their master. A gargantuan catfish makes its home within the lake’s toxic depths. It has reached prodigous size and ferocity- attacking and devouring anything that might accidentally make its way into the waters.

A tribe of goblins has sworn obedience to the catfish and worship it like a god. They started sacrificing animals to it, and this satisfied it for a time- but its hunger grew. Using crude telepathy, it demanded manflesh from the goblins. Now the goblins have begun to abduct people to feed to their terrible, hungry, fishy overlord.