Equal Footing Monsters

This is driven by a discussion around who is in "a group to be wantonly slain, guilt-free" (as per Prismatic Wasteland) for the typical game of D&D telling you something about that game. Whether that foe is zombies, cultists, etc. differentiates games from one another.

Something stuck in my mind about this and I figure it is that someone seem missing off the 'taxonomy of monsters' - what about peers? Pure rivals for resources, that you kill because they would do likewise to you. Not a knifes blade of difference between you beyond the banners you fly.

As a group they could be "The Rivals" - those guys down the valley? Or the next valley over? Pretty much the same folk, but fuck those guys, we've had a grudge against them since forever, only good one is a dead one.

Cartoon by Tom Gauld

Infidels are the closest proxy from Prismatic Wastelands list - but there is not necessarily such a religious or even cultural difference. The driver of difference is tied to territory or maybe just a different flag. Guards could be a model but without the implication that they are law and you are chaos - you are the same, but fighting nonetheless.

Shiny TTRPG links #234

First of the deep-time trawls while I am travelling. For more, see the previous list found here or on the weekly r/OSR blogroll or check the RPG Blog Carnival. Originally inspired by weaver.skepti.ch End of Week links.

The Tao of D&D gave us 8 Tips That Will Let Any Idiot Improve Their D&D Game

ARCHIVE: The black citadel wrote [OLD] Scrying the Orb, part 1: Retooling Magic for OSR Games

Mindstorms shared Biblically Inaccurate Religions

@prokopetz gave us Writing About Houseguests

Eldritch Fields wrote The best adventures from Footprints --- seven free old-school modules!

Space & Subaquatics - Setting for Summer Legojam #2

An entry for the the second Summer LEGO RPG Jam created by DIY & Dragons. If you want to have a go - here are the curated helpful links we were given.

Inspired by the planetary hexmap by Riles we have here an aqua planet with space-factions, deep-sea mines and aquatic residents. This is the 'get it out the door' ashcan, as baked as I can get it with time constraints of travel. List of things I would have improved in the land of infinite time at the bottom.

The Planet
Humans have come to Planet 44E chasing rich metal nodules on the floor of the planet-spanning ocean. The colonists arrived and have been busy, regularly buying in shipments of gear paid in hard galactic currency but only a trickle of export product is leaving - the miners are close-lipped about their route.

White Corp is losing its mind as their investments hemorrhage cash and point the finger at the Black Coalition presence - they must be smuggling! Avoiding export taxes! Blue Navy has been called in but are failing to find any such regular smuggling run despite significant armed and stealthed Black Coalition transport capability. Things appear stale-mated, with a lot of fuel burnt and sensor sweeps. Ripe terrain for some enterprising mercenaries.

The Hex Key

Big guns for big monsters (GLÅUGUST 2025 #1)

Taking on The Nothic's Eye GLÅUGUST 2025, challenge #1 is from a list by Halfalcon - "He Wields A Gun."

Here we talk about the three main schools of magical firearms extant in menagerie world:
- blunderbus-types
- masterworks
- enchantment-powered

All of these are generally in competition with 'cheap' bows and crossbows or 'easy' magic.

While all looking somewhat similar there are three different things happening
- first are the blunderbus or cannon types which are strongly built vessels for whatever magical explosives and shot you can get your hands on. The oomph comes from what you can stuff inside, not the vessel itself, though it may have some enchantments to keep it from exploding in your hands. This is the punt-gun stuffed full of dragonbone powder, casting a fistful of freshly enchanted magic stones at a foe.
- the second are weapons which are designed to be deadly even without magics - wonders of mastercraft, deploying such exotic metals and cunning techniques that to many they may as well be magical and then enhanced still further by precisely applied enchantments. One of these would be a long-rifle with optics of true-sight and carefully measured cartridges enchanted by obsesssive artificer mages. We include here things like railguns, bio-weapons like deathspitters or non-chemically propelled slug-throwers.
- lastly are things that produce similar effects of ruining your day at a distance when the thing is activated whether casting a shot at speed but do this through some fundamentally magical force such as a portal from a storm on the plane of air or through throwing balefire, encapsulated oozes or other such gruesomeness.

Examples of each to be found in the field:

#1 - Dwarven troll-gun (also known as a tunnel-gun); sturdy, typically octagonal stylings around the outside. Cunning grips make it intuitive to aim, adding +1 to hit out to 60'. This example is found in the hands of a minotaur who is using an extra-smoky black-powder that obscures a 30' cone for 3 rounds after firing and bone-chips and teeth from previous victims, which cause wounds that require a constitution save before healing.

#2 - First-ones dragon-rifle; big, large bore, breach-breaking, recoil-suppressed gun with a bipod - designed so a sturdy orc can fire it from (standing) wolf-back or a half dozen goblins can move it as a field team. Said orc wanting to show off will have bandoliers of hand-etched shells across their chest, roll-up carry-cases of charges, tools and optics slung from their saddle. Goblins operating this will likely have two to carry the weapon and another each for the shells, charges, tools and optics. Quick to reload in case the dragon fails to obligingly die with the first shot. Armour penetrating, stuns on impact. Each one a priceless masterwork, each cartridge the price of a good mount.

#3 Forge-clan lightning-thrower; looks like a crossbow with a hexagonal arrangement of rods pointing forward and a reel. Throws lightning from bottles of the stuff screwed onto the top. At short-range, against metallic things, just pull the trigger. For longer ranges or multiple targets, there is a small onboard harpoon that tows a cable to the target. Typically 6 flasks of lightning can be clipped in, choose how many to use with each shot using the insulated knob. Wear the insulated gloves while using. Do not let sweat drip onto it. Blinding to all present when it fires. Ignites flammables. Lightning bottles thrown into water will discharge affecting anyone touching the water. Do not bend the prongs. Do not tangle the reel. Recharging lightning bottles can be done by flying a kite in a storm.

Shiny TTRPG links #233

Links from a random walk of the interwebs. For more, see the previous list found here or on the weekly r/OSR blogroll or check the RPG Blog Carnival. Originally inspired by weaver.skepti.ch End of Week links.

The Nothic's Eye launches a new blogging challenge: G L Å U G U S T 2 0 2 5

Win Conditions gives us Unskippable Images

Dyson's Dodecahedron shared House Rules

GROGNARDIA writes From the Brontës to Braunstein

Directsun Games share Magic item identification, the fun way

In Places Deep gives us Cringe Ye Be Lest Cringe Ye Become: A Nightwick Miscelany

Mediums and Messages collects Goblin Digest - June 2025

Roll to Doubt gives us Adventuring Companies and Patrons

d4 Caltrops shares d100 – Wilderness Woes & Hinterland Hazards

Prismatic Wasteland writes The Languages of D&D Imply a Specific Setting

Improv To Warm Up A Table (RPG Blog Carnival)

Chaotican Writer gives us this months prompt Improv, Roleplay, and Warmups by Chaotican Writer for the RPG Blog Carnival. Below some thoughts on a rapid-fire recap or introduction activity.

This type of stuff is way off my normal patch so I tapped the wisdom of a pal - Tygerkrash - who does theater and most of the following is a mildly sanded and varnished version of their ideas.

Actual Play - Yaksha's Hexfill Method (Part 1)

I got the chance to table test a Brian Yaksha's Hexfill method on a 'fill as you go' basis on a previously un-explored part of the map, trying this out at table it worked pretty well with a little squeak because of unusual circumstances. Written up to follow Jenx first best practice: "Record your hobby experience" while continuing the DM commentary addition to the session notes.

Setup - where the adventure came from

The party was trying to evacuate a large column of freed prisoners through a swamp. The below is very much the 'DM-screen view' version of a session report.

I printed the sites, encounters and flavour elements I had worked up previously on a single page, double column, minimal borders, switching around the order of the tables so they broke cleanly at the bottom of the page. This gave me everything at a single glance.

I used an overloaded encounter die so there were both 'encounter, positive' and 'encounter, negative' possibilities plus 'locality' and 'percept' options. Fatigue and expiry results did not require anything from these tables.
1. Setback
2. Fatigue/delay
3. Expiration
4. Locality
5. Percept
6. Advantage

Session Report: Yaksha's Hexfill Method for the Marsh That Remembers