mercoledì 25 maggio 2016

Quickstart Equipment Packs for Lamentations of the Flame Princess

UPDATE: I made a greatly superior table that generates the complete equipment with also armor, weapons, rations and starting money. You can find it here!

Even if Lamentations of the Flame Princess' character generation is really simple and quick, it always comes to a grind when the time of equipment choosing comes.
Since what I'm doing right now with LotFP is one-shots sessions, I want to start playing as soon as possible but equipment always gets in my way.

What I also would like in my games is some inventive from my players in using the items they have, and the packs I made reflect this.
The packs here go from the most mundane professions as Cook, Citizen or Laborer to the most exotic and adventurous ones like Dungeoneer (equipped with the infamous 10' Pole), the Witch Hunter or the Arcanist.
Included are also two "special" packs, namely the Poisons Pack which has, as the name suggests, different poisons but no item to produce them (this isn't the Poisoner pack after all), and the Rich Pack, which gives you more money (don't you say?) and two loyal Servants. Loyal for two weeks, at least. After that you'll have to pay them... loyalty costs money these days.
Only for today a free bonus pack is included!

1. Basic Equipment: every character starts with the following items:
Bedroll, Waterskin, Backpack, 2 Sacks
  • Clerics start with a Wooden Holy Symbol
  • Magic-users and Elves start with their Spellbook
  • Specialists start with Specialist's Tools

2. Weapons and Armor: choose as you prefer (or as your Referee prefers you do!) but I suggest to use Chart A, B and C with the stated modifiers from +Chris Kutalik's Random Starting Equipment: LotFP Weird Fantasy RPG. They're so cool and random!

3. Equipment Packs: if starting at level 1 choose or roll for 1 pack, if starting at a higher level choose or roll for two.
Note that there are four "sub-groups" in this table, corresponding with the dice from d4 to d20, ranging from the most mundane jobs to the most specialized and exotic. Yours is the choice to use them or not.

1 Citizen Pack
Instrument, Lard, Tinderbox, Mallet, Wooden Holy Symbol, 2d4 Candles, Spoon, Cup, 10 Nails, Pipe
2 Laborer Pack
Pouch, Mallet, Miner's Pike, Drill, Crowbar, 2 Locks, 50' Rope, Block and Tackle, 5 Iron Spikes, 10 Wooden Spikes, Handful of Nails, 2 Sacks
3 Packbearer Pack
Mule, 5 days of Fodder, 2 Waterskins, 2 Pouches, 50' Rope, 5 Sacks, 4 Saddlebags
4 Linkboy Pack
Tinderbox, 4 Torches, Lantern, 3 Flasks of Oil, 10 Candles, Whistle
5 Cook Pack
Cooking Pots, Fishing Gear, Tinderbox, Lard, Bag of Flour, 2 Garlic Heads, Handful of Salt, 5 Spoons
6 Guide Pack
2 Dogs, 2 Days of Forage, 2 3' Chains, Lantern, 1 Flask of Oil, 50' Rope, Local Map, Whistle
7 Cleric Pack
Holy Book, 1 Vial of Holy Water, Holy Ritual Garments, Iron Holy Symbol, 4 Candles, 10 Incense Sticks
8 Soldier Pack
Personal Tent, Pouch, 4' Chain, Shovel, 2 Sacks, Wooden Holy Symbol
9 Medic Pack
Personal Medical Journal, Tinderbox, 2 Flasks of Oil, Lantern, Bottle of Strong Spirit, Bottle of Laudanum, Ink, 3 Candles, Soap, Garlic, 6 Empty Vials
10 Scholar Pack
3 Knowledge Books of your choice, Personal Journal, Blank Book, 2 Scroll Cases, Kingdom Map, Ink, 10 Sheets of Paper, 4 Candles
11 Dungeoneer Pack
10' Pole, Crowbar, 50' Rope, Tinderbox, 3 Torches or Candles, 5 Chalks, 3 Sacks
12 Explorer Pack
Personal Tent, 2 Torches, Tiderbox, Fishing Gear, Cooking Pots, 3 Sacks, Local or Kingdom Map, Ink
13 Thief Pack
Drill, Pouch of Caltrops, 50' Rope, Grappling Hook, Crowbar, Manacles, Vial of Laudanum, Thief Robes
14 Musketeer Pack
2 full Powder Horns of different Gunpowder (fine and coarse), a full Shot Bag, Pouch, Gun Cleaning Kit, 1 m Match Cord.
Also replace a weapon of your choice with a Pistol or an Arquebus and replace Leather Armor with a Buff Coat (plus a Morion Helm if you have Chain Armor instead)
15 Bounty Hunter Pack
10' Chain, 50' Rope, 2 Manacles, Lantern, 1 Flask of Oil, Pouch of Caltrops, Grappling Hook, Tobacco, Local Map, Pipe, 4 Sacks, 5 Iron Spikes
16 Nobleman Pack
Dog, Personal Journal, Reading Book, Fine Quality Tobacco, Glass Mirror, Pouch, Ink, Perfumed Soap, Engraved Pipe, Perfume, Silver Ember Tong*
17 Rich Pack
Fine and Expensive Clothes, two Servants already paid for two weeks (or one for a month), and roll once more for Money with a +2 modifier.
18 Poisons Pack
One Vial each of Weak Poison, Strong Poison, Paralysis Poison, Sleep Poison, Dementia Poison, Burning Guts Poison, Truth Poison. Two Vials of Antidote, one of Panacea.
19 Arcanist Pack
Arcane Knowledge Book, 2 Vials of Holy Water, 2 Scroll Cases, Ink, 10 Sheets of Paper, Handful of Salt, Garlic, Pouch of Pulverised Gems, Wolvesbane, 5 Red Candles, 2 Chalks, 2 Charcoal Pieces, Brush
20 Witch Hunter Pack
4 Vials of Holy Water, Mallet, 3 Torches, Tinderbox, Book of Occultism, Pouch, Iron Holy Symbol, Garlic, Wolvesbane, Bag of Blessed Salt, 10 Ash Wood Spikes, 2 Silver Spikes
Bonus Madman pack
If you have random non-magic items table(s) you can also choose to roll 8 times total on those you wish (or on the same) and keep everything even if its rolled again.

4. Rations: how many days you have before you have to worry about food?
Here I prefer the LotFP vanilla rule, that is one ration per equipment slot. This gives the players more worries about resource management, which is a think I like. Of course you can always dismiss this point if you don't care.

1 No rations
2-3 1d4 Standard Rations
4 1d6 Standard Rations
5 1d4 Iron Rations
6 1d6 Iron Rations

- Standard Rations must be cooked for one Turn before eating them, and spoil after a week (or sooner, depending how and where they are kept). They are basically fresh food.
- Iron Rations can be eaten without cooking them and spoil after months if kept in good conditions. They are dried and durable food.

5. Money: roll 1d6 x 5 sp, +2 modifier for every level the character starts over the first.

6. Equipment Surplus: if you end up with too much equipment, you can either drop it, or buy a Mule with Saddlebags (and a Cart if you like) for carrying it. This, of course, if you or your party can afford it.

I hope you like this, and if you have suggestions or new packs, please tell me!

Landsknechte

sabato 14 maggio 2016

Keyring Skeleton

This silly idea comes from a situation a fellow player saw during a really... strange dungeoncrawling session.

I'm here to I present you the...

† Keyring Skeleton †

Armor +6*
Move 240'
2 Hit Dice, 12hp
1 attack shortsword or shortbow 1d6
Morale 2

The only purpose of the Keyring Skeleton is to hold and protect the key hanging from his neckbone at all costs.
In fact the necromantic ritual used to reanimate this undead creature has been specifically devised to give its fragile bones an incredible agility and an overwhelming speed by making them extremely flexible and stretchable like rubber. The skeleton is, however, quite resistant to harm thanks to the particular density the bones acquired during the ritual, giving him a fighting chance if necessary.

It has the appearance of a normal skeleton, with a keyring around its neck with an important-looking key dangling from it, with the only equipment of a crude but effective shortsword and a shortbow, both made of bone.
A close examination, however, will reveal thin twisted colorless runes engraved on all the bones of the skeleton and its weapons. The bones will also be extremely flexible and stretchable but at the same time very resistant.

Encounters

In combat the Keyring Skeleton will always choose flee instead of fight.
When menaced, if it is in an enough safe place or distance, it will try to attack and kill its enemies with his short bow unless the menace is or gets too dangerous.
If unnoticed, however, it will try to stealthily go away and hide from it.
If cornered, it will try to make itself way with his shortsword, and as soon as it's free it will immediately flee away as far as it can from its enemy.

It will always destroy the key rather than allowing the enemy to take hold of it, and itself too if necessary.
For this purpose powerful magic-users that intend to guard important secrets will sometimes devise methods to ensure the ultimate protection of the key may the Keyring Skeleton be defeated, ranging from mundane acids bombs to miniature suck-holes leading to the Worlds Beyond the Veil or even matter-as-we-know-it destroying spells.

The Keyring Skeleton answers only to his Master, and will give him the key when asked, or use it in his place if commanded.
This is in fact the only safe way to get the key from the undead servant, as others may lead to the loss or the destruction of the prize.

The Keyring Skeleton's bones joints are magically softened in order to make the least possible noise when moving, granting it a chance of Stealth of 3 over 6.
Given his exceptional bones flexibility, if in extreme need the Keyring Skeleton is capable to twist itself and its weapons to enter even the narrowest crevices or holes. There is, however, a 1 in 6 cumulative chance that the bones will break anyway, leaving the creature shattered and defenseless.

Creation Process

Creating a Keyring Skeleton is no easy task.
A specific ritual and components are needed, like natural rubber and weeping willow resin mixed with wildcat blood, among other rare ingredients.
Usually the most meticulously wizards will search an athlete's corpse or even a contortionist's, to enhance the final result.
Most wizards are also willing to pay a large sum of money to whoever gets them the most suitable candidate and components.

The ritual gives better results when all the components are fresh, and the body must not be in rigor mortis yet. Still better results are obtained when the victim is killed during the ritual.

The Circus is in Town!

The whole Kromeville is exited, it is the first time the circus is comes here, and the great show will premiere tonight! Everything's ready, it will be a fantastic night... But wait! Some performers are missing, and the show can't go on without them.
Both the Brivanoch brothers, the contortionists of the circus, are nowhere to be found. What the hell are they up to!?

Some say they spent the entire last night at the city's brothel, while others swear they saw them talking with a known -but seedy- merchant.
What's the truth? Where are they?
Will you find them... or was it you who kidnapped them?
And most important- will the show go on?

† This monster's stats are for Lamentations of the Flame Princess​ but can be easily converted to any OSR game †

*Unified AC Notation