world-building

More locations for Jungle/Chult hexcrawl

David Skelector D&D 5e, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, Homebrew, jeux de rôles, Roleplaying Game, RPG, world-building , , , ,

Dinosaur Boneyard

Miles upon miles of massive bones with no vegetation whatsoever. Somewhere in the middle is the ancient mansion of a necromancer. But first you’d have to get past the carrion critters and various undead dinosaurs.

Pit of the Broken Idols

A cave where a long-lost civilization have thrown offensive statues down the 60′ deep shaft. Their residual power has taken shape as a powerful Eidolon.

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Treant Permaculture

A spectacular array of flowers and rare medicinal plants amongst the tallest trees of the jungle. This is the works of a cigar-smoking treant that doesn’t take kindly to trespassers. Sometimes, he does need help to get a rare plant he wants to add to his domain or to eradicate something particularly bothersome.

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Plateau of the Aarakocra

A rocky promontory that serves as a place of commerce for Aarakocra traders of the Mistcliffs and their partners. Huge quetzacoatlus are used to bring goods from afar.

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Ubtao’s Tooth

Rogue, evil Aarakocra, have made their lair atop this lonely peak. They’re given to banditry. They have tongueless harpies as their wretched slaves.

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Sacred Cenote

A very ancient site of worship, originally to some obscure amphibian deity. Glittering precious stones can be seen in the pristine water of the pool. Evil winds are always present as well as more tangible threats.

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Tunnel Cave (Mistcliffs)

A several miles long cave makes the link from dense, batiri-infested jungles to the coast, through the mistcliffs mountains. There’s many divergent paths and a lot of dangerous critters along the way.

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Jagged Summit (Mistcliffs)

The greatest aarakocra « nest » of the mistcliffs, the numerous sentinels patrolling the air don’t miss much. Only rare visitors are considered trustworthy enough to be allowed further.

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Sunken Firefinger

One of several rock tower that served to guard the border of the now defunct mezroan empire. This one has sunken below ground, only the uppermost tip remains. The lower part is now in the middle of a cave system inhabited by strange creatures.

Seashore House

Along the eastern coast, this lonely house is inhabited by a friendly hermit. Friendly unless you’re a pirate, if so you better give a wide berth to his house.

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A note on Myconids

David Skelector D&D 5e, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, Monsters, mushrooms, musings, Roleplaying Game, RPG, world-building , ,

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I don’t think I’ve ever used myconids, but that’s something I want to remediate soon enough. However, if I were to stick to D&D canon lore (which I won’t), myconids are supposed to be found exclusively in the underdark, the subterranean world home to the iconic drow. This was set in stone, so to speak, by Gary Gigax’s D1-2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth (1e), which of course, borrowed heavily on established hollow earth fiction (Jules Verne’s Voyage au centre de la Terre). More to the point, Gigax also borrowed the myconids, which were created in the earlier module  A4 In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, which was an subteranean adventure (mostly) but in no way deep in the bowels of the earth-subteranean.

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They belong on the surface!

Leaving the myconids out of most of the more typical (surface) encounters is both sad and needless, in my opinion. Put in any setting, the potential is just mind-blowing…

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Deathbloom Thallid (MtG), perfect for a Chult campaign conversion

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Taverns, dives, pubs & cabarets of S&T

David Skelector Fantasy, jeux de rôles, Roleplaying Game, RPG, Streets&Turmoil, world-building ,

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The Crooked Fingers

Owned by Old Mindy’s Crew

Fencer in the backroom.

Lechers & Liquors Club

Owned by Maffeo’s Unrepentants

Disreputable, even by Disgrace Ward standard.

The Blackened Teeth

Owned by the Sons of Arson

The most impressive fireplace in town.

Poporo’s Bordello

Live girls (and some dead ones)

Owned by independent, pay tax to Bonemongers

Poporo the Necro-Pimp owns this nefarious joint.

The Fleeing Beauty Boardinghouse

Owned by independent, pays « tax » to Sons of Arson and Fetid Brigade

Rent rooms on second and third floor. Fourth floor is off-limit.

The Pierced Barrel Pub

Owned by the Broken Wheel Syndicate

Best halfling brandy in town.

The Stray Bullet

Owned by the Broken Wheel Syndicate

Changed hands a couple of months ago. Ex-owner forcefully ousted.

The Red Orphan

Owned by the Furniture Mishandling Club

Expect mimics.

The Turtle Shell

Owned by independant, doesn’t seem to pay taxes to anyone

Inside the shell of a dragon turtle (big specimen). Neutral. Don’t wear gang colors.

A Pair of Bludgeons

Owned by Golden Râ, higher-up of the Church of Sempiternal Deprecation

Members only. Fat, greedy merchants talk business.

The Domain

Owned by the 77 Red Dragons

Non-ghouls will feel some unease. At the very least.

Up the Ladder

« Watch your step »

Owned by independent, doesn’t seem to pay anyone

Drunk clients are often lowered by rope so they don’t break their neck falling from the 90 steps ladder.

Busy Wheelbarrow

Owned by independent, pays tax to the Northwall Creepers

Offers a service of « transportation » back home. Efficient if not very comfortable.

The Hidden Atrium

Owned by the Hidden Atrium Masks

Hidden. Really.

The Hourglass Cabaret

Owned by the Hidden Atrium Masks

Managed by charming Madame Colombina. The most haut-de-gamme you can find in the district.

The Passage’s Hole

Owned by the Passage’s Middlemen

Surprisingly spacious once you’re in.

Dart & Dime Cafe

Owned by Fate’s Favorites

Have gambling tables. No cheating.

The Dryad’s Bosom

Owned by Fate’s Favorites

Good food, try the needlefish.

The Winning Cockatrice

Owned by the Marfark Street Mumblers

Fighting pit. All kind of fights. Floor is one big red stain. Bloodthirsty crowd.

If I had Infinite Time: Cargo Cult Adventures setting

David Skelector Fantasy, Homebrew, musings, world-building

Cargo Cult Adventures

Here’s how it goes.

First, Cargo Cults is something from real life: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult, and not so surprisingly, it’s weirder than most fantasy stuff we can find.

So Cargo Cults, in short, turns around a myth device invented by insular and low-tech societies that believe that foreign goods (strange and magical as thay appear to be) really should be theirs to own and, in fact, would be theirs if only they’d demonstrate the proper behavior to earn it. That means adopting the same « rituals » that seem to work so well for the foreigners,  which includes building planes, airport strips,  having military parades and such, but, huh, using wood and hay instead of anything else.

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So based on that weird premise, how about adventures? What if the cargo cults weren’t that delusional? What if planes are indeed sent purposefully by the gods every now and then to bring otherwise unavailable goods to the faithful? The gods are generous indeed, but you know, maybe a little bit fickle? So inconveniently the gifts from the sky are bound to land miles away in the dangerous jungle…

It starts with a myth-dream

Of course it does.

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The nutjob- I mean-  the Seer of your small jungle village had another vision:   « Behold,  a holy gift from the sky from the Great Douglas C47A! I’ve seen it falling slowly, like a feather, and landing somewhere err, near a high cascade! and… I’ve seen a cave too, dark and deep, and… ugh! scaly, fierce monsters… But don’t you worry, the ancestors will help you on this quest. You youngsters, must find the shipment! Go! And don’t you dare come back empty-handed… »

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There you go for the MacGuffin. Explore, fight some nasties and find the treasures. Should work well on a hexcrawl too, methink.

Also, rival tribes compete to find the precious shipments and violence isn’t out of the equation.

Strange shipment

Could be anything, from the seemingly useless, to powerful high-tech/magical stuff. But even the prior would bring prestige to a tribe that manage to bring it home.

District Invasion

David Skelector D&D 5e, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, Homebrew, jeux de rôles, Monsters, Roleplaying Game, RPG, Streets&Turmoil, world-building

As if the numerous troublesome gangs weren’t enough, outside parties often invite themselves to the woe of the inhabitants.

Gargoyles from the Folly

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There’s many clutches of gargoyles living among the Folly’s dizzying heights. They’re very territorial and constantly at each other’s throats. They mostly keep to their high above ground perches but recently, the Covellites gargoyles, under pressure by an alliance of Realgars and Pyrites, have started making forays into the Harlequin.

Thrill-seeking Enclave Elves

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Boredom can be a powerful driving force, suffer a couple of centuries of it and I’m sure you’ll agree. A manifestation of this is expressed by those elven interlopers going for a stroll in the « bad neighborhood ». Most of the time, such a group is escorted by hired arms and the elves themselves are comically clad with antique (and mostly useless) armors.  Less often, these Enclave Elves want to really test themselves and get some action. Some are actually quite good at it.

Kwaggers from… the Kwag

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Be they of any races, kwaggers are kwaggers. Crazy, violent slum people who don’t even seem to want to better their lives. But then, the Kwag is literally a nexus of bad energy. Folks who live there don’t stay sane very long. Sometimes things spill out, a gate gets destroyed or a levy-bridge breaks, slamming down, and the Kwaggers swarm over, howling and clawing like madmen.

At a leisurely pace

David Skelector D&D 5e, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, Homebrew, Roleplaying Game, RPG, Streets&Turmoil, world-building

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Yeah… Okay, maybe not like that but palanquins? Definitely.

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You’re someone important? That’s how you go around!

After all, what better way to display your status?

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Yep

If you can’t afford having your own palanquin and its carriers, rent one!

  • The Steadfast Twenty: the smoothest ride in town is offered by this group of indistinguishable bare-chested dwarves.
  • The Hobgoblin Stompers: Iron-booted, dressed in spiked leather armors, the Stompers get you through a crowd without even slowing.
  • Mother Sigma’s Crew: If you don’t mind the putrid odor, this necromancer lady and her tireless minions offers the cheapest ride in town.
  • The Golden Cushion: The Broken Wheel gang have acquired these most extravagant of palanquins, previously owned by the Puulchesera elves before they were forced out of the Enclave with their evil curse & stuff. Now the Halflings mafiosi have set a small business with various carriers indebted to them operating the gilded, heavy palanquins.

Will the PCs ever pay for  a palanquin ride? Doubtful, because:

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