A monster for the Weekend, Sir? Nightgaunts

"Out of what crypt they crawl, I cannot tell,

But every night I see the rubbery things,

Black, horned, and slender, with membranous wings,

They come in legions on the north wind’s swell

With obscene clutch that titillates and stings,

Snatching me off on monstrous voyagings

To grey worlds hidden deep in nightmare’s well.

Over the jagged peaks of Thok they sweep,

Heedless of all the cries I try to make,

And down the nether pits to that foul lake

Where the puffed shoggoths splash in doubtful sleep.

But ho! If only they would make some sound,

Or wear a face where faces should be found!"- Night-Gaunt, by H. P. Lovecraft

Nightgaunts have a fine tradition in weird fiction and fantasy pulp, having been imagined by H.P. Lovecraft, and included within the Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, and then later faced by Conan in the works of Robert E. Howard.

These creature of black, rubbery skin and membranous wings make a fine foe for our adventurers, but a quick search finds little evidence they have been stated up for Swords and Wizardry

.

Night-Gaunt

The Night-Gaunt is strange and alien creature are set to guard site sacred to old and terrible gods, from those humans foolish enough to pry into the secrets of the elder gods. They may also be summoned throught ritual, at the be behest of sorcerers, to do their bidding. These faceless, horned creatures, swoop and circle in the night sky, in total silence before swooping down to  snatch up their pray, before taking them on fantastic journeys where the target sees great horror and beauty, before being dumped back somewhere they are unlikely to make trouble again.When a Night-Gaunt attacks, its visious barbed tail whips around lightly tickling its target in sensitive spots, such as the corner of the eye, threatening horrible injury and pain, though never actually inflicting it. Those who are attacked, must make a Save vs Paralysis, or be lifted off into the air, under the spell of the night-gaunts wicked tail. Once the Night-Gaunt has grabbed a target, it flies off, carrying the paralysised victim off into he sky at fullspeed. Should the Night-gaunt escape, the target is returned 1D10 hours later, having lost 1d4 wisdom.  They are deposited at random, within 10 miles of where they were picked up, and for the first 1D4 hours after their return, they wander aimlessly, ranting and raving about shoggoths dancing in the lake of Na'ath, black stars turning in the heavens, and monsterous maws that eat the very stars, or any other such non-sense. Wisdom lost to this horrid journey is restored at a rate of one point per month of unstressed rest in a setting of idyllic terrestrial beauty, or at the GMs discression, through magic 

• Night-Gaunt: HD 3; AC 4 [15]; Atk Tickle; Move 24 (flies); Save 14; AL C;
  CL/XP 5/240; Special: Tickle, Horrid Journey

Maps of Phasrama’s Maw

Above you will find maps of the first Three layers of  Phasrama's Maw, a four level dungeon in the Wyvern Hill region. Location on is a vast spiral stair case around the edge of a deep shaft into the rock. It was once a series of burial chambers for evil wizards, and their forbidden magics, but three hundred years ago, it was taken over by Phasrama, a sentient phase spider, born of magical experimentation. She, her brood, and her undead slaves now populate the tomb complex, where she studies magic and searches for a path to immortality through the materials buried there.

And now a word from our sponsors...

So, I have taken a break from prepping the lampless city, to put together some material for Tenkar's Landing. I thought you guys might enjoy a look at it. The Gazetter entry is not yet complete, but will hopefully be of interest, even in its current state.

 
The Wyvern Hills

Hex 20.16

Introduction

The Wyvern Hills stretch from the [mountains in 19.16 ]. They were settled  150 years ago by refugees fleeing from aristocratic oppression in their homeland. They came to the wyvern hills to create a society free of rulers.  While hardy folk, determined to make a better home for themselves, they struggled, for the the Wyvern Hills were region of great danger, and there initial individualist tendencies and anarchic societies made doing anything to change the region almost impossible.  

It took 100 years for the region to change the people who had settled it. The constant threat of wyvern attack and goblin raid, slowly but surely trained the people of the region to become communal and altruistic. The hatred of laws and authority remained, but was joined by an almost equally strong hatred of selfishness. The region became a dangerous hinterland, with pockets of insulare settlement,of little interest to the rest of the island. A number of hardy villages clinging to the marsh, coast and nestling amid the hills.

Twenty five years ago things changed. Varne Oakheart a hunter and trapper from the village of Ashen, took up arms against the goblins of the hills, after a raid on the village resulted in the death of his travelling companion and best friend, Tannis Rell, a Bard and swordsman of great skill. Varne travelled to each of the villages of the region, forming a band of oath bound champions, sworn to protect the folk of the Wyvern Hills and kill every last goblin in the region. However, once their campaign began, it became clear that goblins were not the only threat posed to the folk of the wyvern hills. Over the space of a decade, the Oathband drove out or exterminated all but one of the goblin tribes in the region, drastically reduced the number of terrible beasts stalking the hills, and slew all but three of the wyverns that gave the region its name. It was in battling one of the last few Wyverns of the region that tragedy struck. Varne Oakheart died at Wyverntree, battling a vicious old wyvern known to the people of the hills as Long Barb. His companions transported him back to Ashen, burying him besides him companion, Tannis, at the base of a great old oak tree. That was 25 years ago, and in that time, the work started by Varne and his companions has continued, though without the same level of success. The remaining members of Varne’s band used their wealth to fund groups of young men and woman to patrol the region, fighting off threats and honing their skills.

Since Varne’s death, the communities of the hills have banded together to a greater extent, bound together by the common sense of reverence for there fallen hero, and the new born tradition of Oathbands. This banding together represents the first steps towards the formation of a Polity in the region, and through they have not named themselves as such, the people of the Wyvern Hills could soon find themselves becoming a nation of sorts. The communities strong anarchic tendencies mean however that it is unlikely to be any kind of state that others would recognise.


The wyvern hills also stands ready to rise to great influence. The peace won at the tip of a blade by Varne has allowed the development of industry and  far greater amounts of farming in the region. Rich iron mines in both Orne Tey and Mistley, and excellent sheep grazing at wyverntree and Orne Tey, combine with a safeport, good fishing and excellent salt making conditions at Dunmow, promising a rich future, especially when combined with the recent discovery of gold near Mistley.      

There is no formal rule of law in the Wyvern Hills. While each settlement has a set of legal traditions they tend to be disparate and ad hoc, with no underlying structure beyond the wisdom of the village elders and a tendency towards avoidance of violence by the community against the individual.

Oathbands:
Upon the night of the winter solstice, each year, youths who will turn sixteen years of age in the year to come set out on a journey. They travel to Ashen, to visit the site of Varne’s Grave, to pay there respect. They stay in Ashen for a month, training with bows, swords and stranger art, being tested all the while by member of Oathbands. Those with little talent are given a basic training, Gathered together and sworn to protect a community other than there own in the region for a year and a day. Those who show real promise are asked to stay and train for a year, before forming or joining an Oathband. Such recruits are expected to serve for five years, as wandering adventurers and messengers. Upon returning home they can expect to have a place of honour in their community, and enough collected wealth to start a family and a business.

The Cult of Varne:
Since his death, Varne has been held in reverence by local people, who have made journeys to his grave to pay their respects to him. Tales of his deeds are shared at important events, and young people are taught to live by his example. In short, there is among many local people, a growing hero cult dedicated to him. Increasingly, travelling to the site of his grave as part of the passage into adulthood, and the joining of an Oathband, are now seen as a religious pilgrimage.

Geography

The Wyvern Hills are a set of low hills that run north and a little east from the foot of Mt. Ontube.
Along the southern edge of the region the Teyport road winds its way through between the bases of the hills, allowing travel between Tayport and Nary Bend. However, the road is dangerous thanks to the attentions of Blackscale and Widow’s Curse, the last mated pair of wyverns in the region. Most travellers and merchants are better of taking the longer North road between Arol Durrig and Tayport.
To the west of the hills, a pair of small woods stand between the wyvern hills and the grasslands of the dolphin coast, while long stretches of the coastline here are made up on mudflats and salt marshes, where the watershed of the wyvern hills rolls down to the sea. It is through the edge of these marshes that the north road wends its way, avoiding the dangers of arrow wood to the south.

1. The Drowned Man Inn
Positioned on the North road, on a dry and stable island in the salt marshes, sits  the Drowned Man Inn. While the North road is safer than trudging cross country near to arrow wood, the marshes have a reputation as haunted, so it is unsurprising that most who face the prospect of night under the stars  in the salt marshes, opt instead to stay at the Drowned Man Inn. Such sentiments are wise, for in fact the salt marshes are haunted. This apparition is the ghost of Samuel Mope, the first land lord of the Drowned Man Inn(then called the Golden Frog Inn) who one night, deep in his cup went out for a stroll, only to fall into the mud and there suffocate. His spirit lingers in the salt marshes, and there is a 1 in 6 chance that those in the area at night can be hear the drowned man calling out for help. Those who go to the spirits aid are in for a shock, as it tries to drag them into the water or mud, to suffer the same fate.

The drowned man: HD 5; AC 2 [17]; Atk 1 Drown (save or die in 14+1 rounds); Move (Swim 12-cannot leave the mud or water); Save 12; AL usually C; CL/XP 6/600; Special:  magic or silver weapon required to hit, drown (if hit, save or die in 1d4+1 rounds).

Drown: those successfully hit by the drowned man are pulled into the mud or water, where they cannot raise their head above the surface. Pulling the character free requires a successful open doors check by another character. Fortunately for the victim, their thrashing around in the water, is very loud, meaning that close by party members may come to their aid.

2. Ashen

Home to the Varne Oakheart, champion of the Wyvern Hills, Ashen is a sleepy pastoral village, surrounded by farmland. It has a population of 800 people, with only about with only 1 in 10 being non-human, and all of those being halflings. As the site of Varne Oakheart’s grave, the village is starting to experience unprecedented growth, as his hero cult spreads across the region. The village is centred on a burial garden, with a  vast old oak at its heart. The limbs of tree spread out to offer shade to the two statues, marking the grave sites of Tannis Rell and Varne Oakheart. Tannis reclines against a pillar, apparently ready to play his loot, while the statue of Varne, is shown sat, in deliberation or rest, his blade Wyvernfoe (Longword +1, +2 vs. Wyverns), layed across his lap, as though he is cleaning it. Despite 25 years having past, the sword is untouched by rust. In recent years, a shrine to the memory of Varne Oakheart has been built at the entrance to the burial site, and with each passing week, more offerings are made to Varne Oakheart at the statue, or in the shrine. It is at the shrine that the young people of the wyvern hills are sworn to protect their communities, and it is within the garden that they train.

3. Borley
This sleepy fishing village is home to around 500 people, almost a 3rd of its population is made up of halflings, who run a number of farms and market gardens in an outskirt of the village named ‘Little Borley’ while the human residents make their living from fishing, salt production, and smoked produce. Smoked mackerel from Borley is considered a delicacy across the Wyvern Hills.

4. Wyverntree
Wyverntree little more than a hamlet, but is of economic importance as the primary centre of the wool and sheep trade in the northern Wyvernhills, when it comes time to buy and sell sheep representatives from every sheep farm in the hills can be found here, and it is to here that that the farmers come to sell their wool to the merchants of Tayport. In the last 25 years it has also come to a place of prominence as the place where Varne battled and slew the wyvern Longbarb , before succuming to her venom. The site of the battle, an old lightning struck tree, has become an impromptu shrine, which attracts pilgrims from across the region. The Wyverns skull can be found here, fashioned into a shield (shield +1, the bearer of this shield ignores the first successful sting attack made against them in a combat), while her scales have been formed into a suit of armour (Leather armour +2), both of which are stashed into the hollow of the tree. Oathbands often pass this way, carving their oaths into the wood of the tree.  

5. Tayport
A port town of some 3000 people (mostly humans, dwarves, and halfling), the town acts as a gateway to both the wyvern hills and the lands to their east and south east. Here Iron, wool and salt are loaded upon ships, in exchange for grains, coin and a range of manufactured goods, not found in the hill lands. It is a town of growing prosperity, thanks to the peace brought by Varne, and the continued vigilance of his last surviving original companion, the magic user Elspeth Marharen, dwells in her town on the edge of town.    

Investigation (Part 1): System-mungering

Swords and Wizardry, and by extension early dungeons and dragons, does one thing really well. There is really no other game that captures the spirit of going room to room in a evil temple, slaying cultists and monsters with sword and spell.

But beyond this focus, the game almost entirely ceases to exist.

That possess a problem, because, while I have specifically come to swords and wizardry for the elements it is great at, I want to use it to run games with it, that owe as much to the masks of Nyarlathotep as they do Keep on the the borderland.

Before delving in the how of all this, there is a question that needs answering. Given the focus of swords and wizardry, should I be messing around trying to make it do things it was never meant to do? The simplistic answer is of cause that  yes I should, because it is the game I want to play. But that answer ignores the fact that system shapes the feel of a game and I am digging back into older approaches to fantasy role-playing exactly exactly because I wish to capture some of that feeling once more at the table top.  The very focus Swords and Wizardry means that making changes to the game is almost certainly unwise, and even adding to it in a discrete manner is an approach filled with traps and snares. In trying to make the Swords and Wizardry everything I want it to be, I risk destroying the elements of the game that have drawn me to it. So given this concern, and the assumption that I will continue onwards, it is worth taking a moment before delving into the various approaches that lay open before us, to think about what it is I wish to preserve, and set some design considerations in place to avoid damaging them.

- Do not alter existing rules to achieve.
- Where possible use existing attributes to work out character competence within Investigation
- Don't add a perceptions mechanic which interacts with traps or combat encounters
- Every character should have a chance to contribute to Investigation.

So there are a number of ways you could possibly deal with running an investigation in Swords and Wizardry. They loosely fall into two categories; clues hidden systems and open clues systems.

In a clue hidden system, the player has no idea what clues are available, and the system is used to determine IF the character gets the clues or not. Call of Cthulhu is probably the best known example of a Hidden clue system. In a Call of Cthulhu game, failure to pass a skill check can mean that a clue cannot be accessed. This has advantages and dis advantages. It entirely possible for an adventure design bottle neck to prevent narrative advancement as a vital clue is cut of from the PCs, much as an unspotted secret door can stymie an adventuring party. On the other hand, such systems can add a deal to the verisimilitude of a scenario, and re-enforce themes such as an uncaring universe, after all, why should the universe care that the PCs are the heroes, why should they get plot immunity from failure.

In an open clue system, such as Trail of Cthulhu, fate plays no part in the PCs ability to access the clues. Rather, should the adventurer look for it, they find it. Such systems are much more difficult to road block, they draw the investigator into the heart of the story (and there by the horror). However, they can provide a great deal of agency to players, which can be, if mishandled, counter to horror and a source of disbelief in the setting.

Both approachs hark in their own way back to the old school. Hidden clues with their tough luck attitude to dice rolling, while the principles of giving the players the clues and letting them make there own decisions based on them, hearkens to Matthew J. Finch discussion of trap use from "A quick primer for Old School Gaming"

So lets look at the various approaches that can be taken.

Lets start by looking at the Hidden Clue approaches by starting with "a DM Fiet approach." When using this approach, the players describe their characters actions within an area. If the Dungeon Master believes that there actions are consistent with the discovery of the clue, the players
 get the clue.  This approach as a lot of advantages, such as being quick in play, prompting player attention and active description of their interaction with the game world, it is also fairly flexible and keeps the DM on their toes. On the other hand, it provides players with minimal narrative control, can lead to allegations of DM favoritism, and is dependent on player knowledge, meaning that the barbarians being played by the medieval history major is starts finding the clues to a mystery involving high ritual magic, that the wizard's player doesn't have the first clue where to start looking for.

Next is there is the "success = clue approach". This is pretty much the default assumption when it comes to investigation in gaming. The Player makes a roll, if it succeeds, they get a clue related to the investigation. This is how Call of Cthulhu does it, as wells as most games that include any sort of investigation.  There are a couple of possible approaches we could take  with it, either adding a set of skills, or using attribute rolls.  Of all hidden clue systems, this approach is most vulnerable to road blocking, and characters can easily become locked out of progressing in a scenario, even where good design principles, such as the three clue rule are applied. Such an approach, if based on attributes rolls, can also be unrealistic, as list of applications to which Intelligence can be applied to is far greater than the range of most intelligent peoples skills.

Lets take a look at open clue systems next, starting with an open hand approach. So named, because it is a little bit like playing a card game with someone who has laid their cards face up on the table, in an open hand style investigation, the Characters are just assumed to find all the clues upon entering a scene and stating there intent to search for clues. There is no road blocking from lack of clues(or minimal) in such a system. But literally any character can discover any clue, even if it makes little to no sense at all that they would know it.

Then there is the gumshoe approach. In gum shoe, clues are key'ed to skills, and if your character has a skills, you can search for and find clues appropriate to your character. Additionally, you can spend skill points to find additional pieces of information which maybe of use to the characters, such as information that the BBEG of the campaign is vulnerable to silver weapons for instance.
This approach adds in a resource management element, in keeping with spells and  hit points, it is hard to road block, and it provides a good deal of narrative control to the player. However, it does give a certain amount of plot protection to the characters, they can't fail to get the clues needed to solve the mystery. Arguably such a state of affairs in not very old school.

Anyway, time to ruminate on the approach I will actually be taking. Check back soon to see the fruits of my labour.

Setting: the Kingdom of Torrani

The Lampless City takes place in and near the City of Darrova, in the kingdom of Torrani. 
Torrani is a significant regional power, a peninsular nation with strong ties to the sea. As a nation, it is home to strong religious and magical traditions which influence the entire region, and acts as a center of trade. However, it is relatively militarily weak, thanks to constant clashes with the goblinoid races who have over the last century banded together to terrorise settlers in the Hinterlands north of Torrani, after King Alexi Serventos push to settle the wilderness of the hinterlands. These skirmishes, and the nations traditional reliance of mercenary regiments, as opposed to professional soldiers or feudal levies means that the nation would be ripe for invasion, if it where not for it's substantial navy, and the hostile Goblinoids to the North. Fortunately such savages could never raise an army to threaten Torrani.  
Darrova is it's second greatest city of Torrani, second only to the capital. It holds this title thanks to being the  heart of a mercantile empire that spreads across the Aradian sea like a great web and center of the Cult worship of Larran the Light Bringer, Lantern of the Just, patron of Paladins. This being one of the few truly Pan-cultural religions in the region, it is a significant place of Pilgrimage, with people travelling from all across the Aradian sea to give praise to the light, or answer the call of Paladinhood.

History: 
On the former northern board of Torrani, Darrova was once a garrison town, tasked with protecting nation from the primitive Goblinoid tribes to the north. While the city always had mercantile interest, it never rivaled any other city in Darrova for wealth.
 
 However, the rise of King Alexi Serventos, and his conversion to the worship of Larran the Light Bringer, changed everything. With the calling of a crusade against the evil hordes of the north, and the the institution of the right of settlement, money flowed into the city. The religion of the Lantern of the Just, which had always be based in Darrova, bloomed, and actively and purposefully spread itself across the region, piggy backing on the merchant ships which spread out from the city, in a grand network across the Aradian sea. That same mercantile network, form to support the crusade, was turned to enriching the city in a more permanent manner. 

Now Darrova is the mercantile power of the Aradian sea, and guardian of the newly settled land, north of the Blackwater, and the powers that be in the capital look wearily to city, as the interests of the north and the south become more and more disparate.

The Lampless City: Introduction

The Lampless city is to be a Swords and Wizardry adventure for 3rd level adventurers, which spins its story across three acts.

Act 1: Murder in the Darrova
A murder mystery in the city of Darrova, home to powerful mercantile concerns and cult center to the Church of Larran the Light Bringer, Lantern of the Just, Patron of Paladins. The Adventurers are caught up in a string of murders in the city, and must solve them to prove there innocence.

Act 2: Descent into the Underworld
A caving adventure In which the player must forget everything years of Dungeons and Dragons has taught them about caving, and prepare to fight vile enemies such as falls, drowning and hypophermia, as they track those responsible for the deaths in Darrova.

Act 3: The Lampless City
Finally, deep beneith the earth, the adventurers must fight the forces of both light and darkness, less doom come to all mortals, in a terrible Darkling city.

All of these acts attempt to speak to themes and elements, not commonly the focus of fantasy RPGs, but, this being swords and wizardry, there are also many opportunities to cross steal and sling spells.

Welcome to Save Vs. Cosmic Horror

Welcome to Save Vs. Cosmic Horror, a blog about my attempts as a long term Call of Cthulhu fan to delve into the alien world of the Old School Renaissance, specifically though the lens of Swords and Wizardry (and occasionally Lamentations of the Flame Princess).

The initial plan is for me to document the development and play of my first S&W Adventure, as well as my take on the games and style of the OSR, from the perspective of someone entering it from a weird fiction and horror gaming background. Be warned, may contain tentacles and weaponised auto-cannibalism memes. 

Another thing that may occasionally rear its head is bad spelling and gamma. I am fairly heavily dyslexic, and while I have come a long way from the days of not being able to formulate a single written sentence at the end of Primary school, it is still a barrier I struggle with. I may have the odd writing credit to my name, but I've gotten to the stage where I can sometimes get a "by" or "Additional content by" credit, only with the hardest of work, and the aid of a few close friends and relatives.  I can't really justify their time for this, so you get me as I am. 

But adventure awaits. 

Speaking of which, I must ask you.

 

Are you ready to delve into...

The Lampless City