Dolmenwood: The Book of Monsters So Far

Since the announcement of the work on the Dolmenwood book of monsters in Wormskin issue seven, I've been meaning to write a quick blog post about it.

First some details about what is planned:

1. A hardcover book of monsters for the Dolmenwood setting. (The first in the line of Dolmenwood hardcovers.)
2. Probably a full-size (A4 / Letter) book, for the more flexible layout possibilities that offers.
3. PDF and softcover editions as well.
4. 100+ monsters. (I'm setting 100 as the minimum goal. The final total may well end up higher -- I have a long list of possible ideas.)
5. All monsters will be unique to the Dolmenwood setting. As those familiar with the monsters presented so far in Wormskin know, this may, of course, include Dolmenwood reinterpretations of classic monsters of myth or D&D. Check out the Dolmenwood take on dragons (wyrms) in Wormskin issue six, for example.
6. Heavily illustrated. The dream here would be to have an illustration for every single monster. The über-dream would be for those all to be full colour illustrations. This basically depends on money, as commissioning 100+ illustrations will be expensive. Doubly so, if they're colour pieces. I'm considering setting this up as a kickstarter, when the time comes.
7. The book will probably contain encounter charts for the different regions of Dolmenwood. (I'm not 100% decided on this yet.)

And secondly, just for fun, here's the list of monsters that I currently have written up. They number 49, so we are already pretty much half way to the initial goal of 100 monsters. Monsters in bold are new creatures that have not appeared in the pages of Wormskin.

• Addercorn thrall
• Antler wraith
• Barrowbogey
• Black tentacles
• Bog salamander
• Bog zombie
• Boggin
• Brainconk
• Brambling
• Centaur
•   Bestial
•   Sylvan
• Devil goat
• Drune
•   Audrune
•   Cottager
•   Drunewife
• Elf
•   Lord/Lady
• Fairy horse
• Flammbraggyrd (by Andrew Walter)
• Gelatinous hulk
• Giant snail
•   Psionic
•   Rapacious
• Gloam
• Goatman
•   Crookhorn
•   Longhorn
•   Shorthorn
• Half-goat
• Incantophage mushroom
•   Fruiting body
•   Sporeling
• Kelpie
• Mogglewomp
•   Domestic
•   Wandering
• Moss dwarf
•   Commoner
•   Fighter
•   Mould oracle
• Nightworm
• Nutcap
• Ochre slime-hulk
• Redcap
• Root thing
• Scrabey
• Scrycke (by Yves Geens)
• Sodder
• Witch
•   Witch
• Witch owl
• Woodgrue
• Wyrm
•   Black bile wyrm
•   Phlegm wyrm
•   Blood wyrm
•   Yellow bile wyrm

More news as development happen!

Dolmenwood: Future Directions

As was announced in the latest issue of Wormskin, the Dolmenwood zine, the intention for the setting has always been a set of hardcover books. In the early days, the amount of work required to achieve this goal was daunting, so we conceived of the idea of publishing the setting piecemeal in issues of a zine. Thus was born Wormskin.

However, after seven and a half issues of the zine (issue eight is half written), the dream of those hardcovers has not disappeared. The amount of work required to get there is also greatly reduced: Wormskin issues 1 to 7 amount to about 350 A5 pages of material that will eventually be collated!

So here's what I have planned, roughly:

1. The book of monsters. Containing 100% new monsters for the Dolmenwood setting, including those that have already been published in Wormskin. My aim here is to have at least 100 monsters in the book and for each to be accompanied by an illustration. (This latter aim will make it expensive to produce!)
2. The book of hexes. Descriptions and features of every hex on the Dolmenwood campaign map.
3. The referee's guide. Containing all of the charts and setting background.
4. The player's guide. New classes and player-facing setting information.

It's possible that some of these chunks of content may end up being split differently and that some of the books may be combined. This will only become clear as writing progresses.

Work on the first book (the book of monsters) is already under way. I have over 40 monsters fully written up at present, so am over a third of the way to completion. My aim is to get this first book published in the coming year and then to move onto the book of hexes.

So, for those readers who have always wished for a "Wormskin omnibus" or such, this is going to happen, but in a much more polished form than simply slamming all of the zine issues together, back to back!

I'll post updates as progress happens.

A note on Greg Gorgonmilk
This post was originally intended just as an announcement of the work on the Dolmenwood hardcovers. However, in the last days, a grand furore has erupted around Greg Gorgonmilk, co-originator of Dolmenwood, along with myself.

I don't want to prolong the controversy, but can announce that Greg will no longer be involved with Necrotic Gnome Productions or the Dolmenwood campaign setting. I will be the sole Dolmenwood author, going forward.

I'm happy to discuss the background to this decision in private, but don't want to open a public debate on the topic here on the blog.

Dolmenwood: d30 Encounter Tables

I wrote a few posts with ideas about Dolmenwood encounter tables ages ago. I wasn't really satisfied with those big d100 tables, though, so the topic which has still been on my mind. The latest iteration is based on d30 tables, per region of Dolmenwood, with separate tables for night and day.

I've rendered the basic tables -- just a generic on- and off-road tables -- as a PDF for people to check out. It also includes references to the book or issue of Wormskin where the monster appears.

Clicketh thou here to view the PDF.

Obviously, this is all still very rough and will be greatly expanded in the future, but I thought people may be interested to see the direction I'm going in with this.

Dolmenwood: Fairy Blades

I've started work on the next Dolmenwood Adventures module: a scenario for 1st or 2nd level characters revolving around a fairy banquet, dance, and market. Therefore, I'm coming up with information on what one can buy at a fairy market -- a fun project! Here's a little preview: the weapons that are available at one of the stalls.

The Blade Seller

Blades crafted by fairy smiths (known to be magical). By their nature, they carry a +1 enchantment and another glamour (see table)*. There is no way of perceiving a weapon’s glamour before purchase.

d12	Type (cost, damage)	Appearance	Glamour**
1	Knife (100gp, 1d3)	Delicate spiderweb engravings	Inflicts +2 damage to mortals.
2	Dagger (200gp, 1d4)	Fine tree branch lattice inlays of gold	Animals are suspicious of the owner (-2 to reaction rolls).
3	Dagger (200gp, 1d4)	Crackles with blue sparks when touched	When in darkness, glows like the moon.
4	Shortsword (400gp, 1d6)	Glistening with dewdrops	Once drawn, cannot be sheathed unless blooded.
5	Shortsword (400gp, 1d6)	Appears old and battered, but is actually perfectly sharp	3-in-6 chance of the owner not being recognised at a casual glance.
6	Rapier (400gp, 1d6)	Engraved with fine images of unicorns at play	Become obsessed with thoughts or mortality and entropy.
7	Longsword (600gp, 1d8)	Rimed with frost	The owner’s natural scent is replaced with that of blossom or cinders.
8	Longsword (600gp, 1d8)	Inlaid secret runes of fairy silver	+2 to saves vs cold.
9	Scimitar (600gp, 1d8)	Wreathed in moonlight	The owner suffers from sleeping irregularities -- sleeping for exactly 2d6 hours (roll per night). (This may be too little or too much.)
10	Broadsword (600gp, 1d8)	Opalescent	See in moonlight as if it were daylight.
11	Bastard sword (800gp, 1d8/2d4)	Pitch dark metal	Alignment shifts one step toward Chaotic, over the course of a month.
12	Two-handed sword (1,200gp, 1d10)	Perpetually occluded by shadows	The owner develops a taste for the refined and decadent. (One who already has such tastes may tend toward depravity.)

* The proprietor says that “mortals call them magical”, but fairies themselves do not conceive of items such as these as being enchanted.

** True fairies (e.g. elves, grimalkin; not including demi-fey) are unaffected by these glamours.

Dolmenwood: Grimalkin Tweaks

I've been running a couple of parallel campaigns set in Dolmenwood, since the autumn, and have finally got to see the grimalkin class presented in Wormskin issue one in play. The class is a lot of fun: what's not to like about a fairy cat which can fight, pick locks, and cast spells and has three different shapes to shift between?

However, I've noticed a few issues with the class, in play:

1. Grimalkin are small: around 3-4' high, about the same size as trad D&D halflings. Like halflings, they can only use small weapons, but they don't gain the associated benefits of being small, namely: an AC bonus when in combat with large creatures.
2. The main means of transition between the humanoid form (estray) and the moggy form (chester) is the consumption or avoidance of town rats. While this is a charming idea, I've found it troublesome in play, for several reasons. Firstly, in my experience, when PCs are in town, the presence or not of rats is rarely something that comes up explicitly. Of course, the referee could bear this in mind, if a grimalkin PC is present, but it's not a part of the usual course of a game session. Secondly, whatever the PC may think, the player wants to stay in estray. In chester, the grimalkin's class abilities are greatly reduced and the state would be avoided by most players. This leads to the non-cat-like behaviour of avoiding rats! This, for me, is the main issue with the mechanics as written. Thirdly, if the character is avoiding rats "like the plague", that means they should avoid going into town. This presents logistical difficulties: does the grimalkin PC stay in the forest when the others in the party go shopping in town? Do they not sleep in the inn with the others? It encourages a "split the party" mentality, which is hassle to deal with. In the end, I've found that I've just completely ignored the whole rats thing, which is a shame.
3. Though the PC grimalkin in my games has never got into chester (yet), I do notice that the abilities of that form are a little vaguely defined.
4. While transitioning back to estray from chester just requires either alteration magic or stopping eating town rats, the transition back from the third form -- wilder -- is far more difficult. It requires a potion made from obscure ingredients which -- as the grimalkin in this state is highly chaotic -- the character's companions would have to attain and administer. As wilder is something of an "emergency state" for a grimalkin, this difficulty in changing back to its more civilised form seems ok, in and of itself. The issue here is more theoretical: without companions to look out for it, how would a grimalkin ever transform from wilder back to estray?

So, I've been thinking of trying out the following tweaks:

1. This is simple. Just give grimalkin the same AC bonus as halflings get: +2 when attacked by a larger-than-human creature.
2. Fixing the issue with rats requires a larger change to the class. What I'm thinking of has several aspects. Firstly, to restore the cat-like glee at killing rodents, I'd specify that grimalkin compulsively attack rats (including giant rats), unless a save versus spells is successful (in situations where the character tries to suppress the instinct). Secondly, I'd undo the connection between eating rats and going into chester. Instead, we could say that (continuing the theme of certain types of magic triggering a grimalkin's transformations) every time a grimalkin in estray is targeted by transformative magic, there is a 50% chance of it entering chester. To come back, a further application of alteration magic can be used or (for sake of playability) the character reverts at dawn. I'd also stipulate that a grimalkin can willingly enter or choose to remain in chester. A willing transformation would take 1d6 rounds. (All of the PC's clothing and equipment melds into its body, when in chester.)
3. We can say that a grimalkin in chester is intelligent and can understand language, but can only respond in yowls and meows. The addition of a claw/claw/bite attack routine (d2 damage per hit) also seems reasonable.
4. I think simply saying that a grimalkin in wilder has an X-in-6 chance per some period of naturally (spontaneously) reverting to estray would fix this theoretical issue. For playability as a PC race, I'd make this pretty lenient: a 1-in-6 chance per day, say.

I'll be interested to try out these tweaks to see how they work in practice and if they address the issues I've had with the class.

The Weird That Befell Drigbolton: A Bit About the Layout

If you've not heard the word on the street about the impending fall of a star into Dolmenwood, check out this post first!

Now that we're on the same page, I wanted to share a few ideas on what went into the layout design for the adventure. I wanted to create something that's as usable at the table as possible. Of course, there are many different ways to approach this and I don't claim to have found the perfect solution or anything like that, but I did put quite a lot of thought into it. Here are the main concepts:

1. No chunks of information split across spreads. In book form, it's possible to view two pages of information at once (the left page and the right page) -- one spread. Anything that splits across spreads requires page-flipping. In an adventure, where the DM needs a quick overview of information and the ability to quickly scan and absorb chunks of description, page-flipping is a real drag. (Aside: I'm actually continually surprised how few RPG layouts pay any attention to this. The D&D 5 books are, for example, terrible in this regard.) So, while some of the longer sections of content in TWTBD span multiple spreads, this is consciously kept to a minimum and no individual chunks of information (i.e. individual or connected paragraphs) do so.
2. Boxed-text summaries. As is to be expected from an adventure, a large part of the book consists of wilderness or dungeon area descriptions. Some of these are very minimal, but some describe relatively complex scenes with a lot of "moving parts", so require more text to fully describe. All area descriptions begin with a short paragraph of boxed-text. This does not play the role of read-aloud text for the players; it provides the DM with a brief summary of the area. The intention is that, once the DM has fully read through the module, these boxed-text summaries will aid as a memory jog for what's in each area.
3. Further details in headed paragraphs. Leading on from the boxed-text summaries of the adventure areas, further points of interest are elaborated in short sections, each preceded by a heading. This makes them very easy to quickly jump to when players say they want to investigate a certain feature of a location.
4. Monster stats. A simple thing, but worth noting: monster stat blocks are standardised and all begin with the name of the monster highlighted in a character style which is only used for that purpose. Again, this makes them easy to visually pick out and jump to.
5. Cheat sheets. Finally, I created three cheat sheets summarising all locales in the adventure, one for the titular hamlet of Drigbolton, one for the surrounding wilderness, and one for the main "dungeon" locale of the adventure. These are not included in the printed book -- instead they're a separate PDF designed for home printing. Each cheat sheet consists of a map marked with numbered locales and very brief summaries of each marked location, along with the page number (in the main book) of the full description. In this way, the cheat sheets form the "backbone" of running the adventure, with the book referred to for more detail when the PCs investigate different areas. This kind of high-level summarising is something that I often feel is lacking in published adventures and I hope these pre-made cheat sheets will be a useful addition to this adventure!

So, there you have it. I really hope that the thought that I put into the layout pays off and makes the adventure easy to run. The book is intended to look nice, too, of course (and Andrew's artwork certainly looks wonderful!), but the main intention is that it's usable as a gaming artefact that will provide quite a few sessions of fun exploration into the weird. I'm looking forward to hearing what people think of it, once it's out in the world...

Coming soon! (Still waiting for those print proof copies to arrive...)

The Weird That Befell Drigbolton: What's This All About Then?

As announced recently, the first module in the Dolmenwood Adventures line -- The Weird That Befell Drigbolton -- is primed for publication and should be unveiled some time in the next few weeks.

Thus far, little concrete information on the module has been revealed, merely that it is "An investigative, event-based module for characters of 3rd-5th level, set in and around the backwater hamlet of Drigbolton, on the northern verge of Dolmenwood."

So, to whet your appetites, here's a bit more info:

• The adventure revolves around the fall of a star to earth in the Dolmenwood region. (Though the events and locations in the module are trivial to transplant into any campaign setting.)
• The core of the star has crashed on the moor, close to the rustic hamlet of Drigbolton. The crater is surrounded by a phosphorescent, pinkish jelly to which the local wildlife has taken a liking.
• The people of Drigbolton, investigating the site of the crash, have also discovered that the pink jelly is delicious and nourishing and have taken to mixing into their food and drink. They have interpreted the fall of the star as a gift from heaven and the jelly as "manna". The hamlet is now in a state of perpetual festival, as the need to farm, hunt, and forage no longer dominates the villagers' lives.
• As the star fell, parts of it broke away and crashed in other locations in the Drigbolton area. The presence of these star-parts has begun to warp the nature of reality in the sites where they have fallen -- the stuff of stars is not meant to mix with the rude matter of the earthly plane.
• The core of the star, while currently brooding in dormancy, is not, however, inert -- its bitter consciousness remains intact and is scheming to reassemble the missing parts, restoring itself to full potency.
• Left unchecked, the presence of a fully conscious star on earth may have grave repercussions. Will a band of bold, wily, reckless, or simply unlucky adventurers stumble onto the scene and interfere with the star's plans? Only YOU can say.

The crater and the core of the star, by Andrew Walter

As the module is set up, the player characters come onto the scene a few days after the fall of the star, having heard rumour of odd astronomical phenomena. The referee may have players simply stumble onto the weird goings-on around Drigbolton, but several other hooks are detailed:

• The adventurers may be hired by a wizard or alchemist to collect chunks of valuable star-metal which broke away during the star's descent.
• They may be commissioned to investigate the cause of the star's fall, which is surely not by accident. The secret machinations of a wizard of great power are suspected to be behind this.
• They may be sent on the trail of an occult tome of ill-repute -- the Black Book of Llareggub -- which is believed to be in the possession of someone in the Drigbolton region. (Could this book be in some way related to the falling star?)

So, there you have it. Keep your eyes peeled for further details and announcements!

The Weird That Befell Drigbolton: A Dolmenwood Adventure -- Coming Soon!

THE WEIRD THAT BEFELL DRIGBOLTON

A Dolmenwood Adventure

Written by Gavin Norman and Greg Gorgonmilk

Illustrated by Andrew Walter

Cartography by Kelvin Green

An investigative, event-based module for characters of 3rd-5th level, set in and around the backwater hamlet of Drigbolton, on the northern verge of Dolmenwood.

More info / tantalisation to follow!

Coming Soon! (Like, the next few weeks? The files have been submitted to the printer and are being analysed as we speak!)

Wormskin 5 and Cross-Class Subterfuge out now in PDF!

Missives from the Necrotic Gnome!

Two new releases have crawled out of our dungeons in the last week:

1. Wormskin Issue Five by Gavin Norman, Greg Gorgonmilk, and the usual coterie of rascally collaborators. The latest instalment in the chronicles of Dolmenwood, this issue unveils the sinister cabal of sorcerers who dominate the Wood's arcane energies -- the Drune. Also details 7 hexes around the region called Hag's Addle and describes the titular hag and her lair in depth. The issue is rounded off with four new monsters: boggin, brambling, drune, flammbraggyrd.

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/205196/Wormskin-Issue-5

(The print edition of Wormskin 5 is in progress. It should be available in the next week or so.)

2. Cross-Class Subterfuge by Greg Gorgonmilk. A short but eminently usable pamphlet containing guidelines and charts for those whose tastes chafe against the traditional Thief class. These rules describe a means of dissolving the Thief class and redistributing its sneaky abilities to other character types. Now the whole party can know the joys of moving silently and hiding in shadows!

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/205430/CrossClass-Subterfuge

New Vivimancer Spell: Divide Ancestry

Want to rid yourself or your friend of that embarrassing goblin heritage? Not averse to murder? Then try this vivimantic procedure!

Divide Ancestry
Level: 4
Range: Touch
Duration: Instant
Casting Time: 1 day
Cost: 150gp (drugs)

Cast upon a creature of half-race (e.g. a half-elf, half-goat, half-goblin, etc), this unusual procedure causes the subject's body to split permanently into two halves: one pure-blooded being of each parent race. The resulting beings are fully independent and begin their divided existence with identical memories and mental faculties, though the former diverge immediately -- there is no telepathic bond between them. Any talents related to one side of the ancestry are possessed only by the corresponding being.

During the procedure, the subject must be kept under the influence of deeply soporific drugs to the value of 150gp.

Wormskin Sale! / Issue Four PDF

For anyone who has heard rumours about Dolmenwood -- the weird fairytale woodland setting spawned from the brains of myself and Greg Gorgonmilk -- now is a great time to get into it.

The first three issues of the Dolmenwood zine, Wormskin, are on sale. A mere $1.99 for the PDFs and $4.99 for the print + PDF combos. A steal.

Also: issue four is just out! (PDF only for now. Print edition coming in a few weeks.)

My Dolmenwood House Rules

I'm running my first Dolmenwood / Barrowmaze session next week, so have worked up a quick house rules one-sheet.

I thought it might be of interest to others. Download the PDF here. (Dolmen art by Matthew Adams.)

Notes on Barrowmaze in Dolmenwood

I'm gearing up to run some games in Barrowmaze set in the heart of Dolmenwood. Reading through the Barrowmaze Complete book, which I received last week, I've been making notes on combining the two settings.

First thoughts:
Barrowmaze is located in hex 1306, where the forest thins and boggy ground prevails. Prigwort is the closest settlement. (I intend to write up more details on this village, but you could also just use the info on Helix given in the Barrowmaze book.)

The cult of Nergal dispersed, abandoning Barrowmaze, some 1,100 years ago.

The Anganach (ancient gods) are those worshipped by the original, scant folk of Dolmenwood, whom the Drune named the “interlopers”. Their presence is still felt, at times, in the wood and their names live on in local folklore, although they are no longer commonly worshipped as gods.

St Ygg is a saint of the One True God.

Replace the Necromancers of Set with the Drune, who use serpent symbolism in many of their markings and rituals.

Replace the bugbears hired by the Necromancers of Set with wild goatmen.

Instead of steel skeletons, the Drune create golems of thorny iron-wood.

The tablet of chaos, buried in Barrowmaze for centuries, began calling out to those sensitive to its message around fifteen years ago. The maze is coming back to “life”. The Acolytes of Orcus arrived ten years ago, called from a land in the distant east, followed shortly after by the Drune.

Runic tablets are written in the ancient language of the interlopers. This requires magic or research to read.

Equipment Lists: Dashing Garments

I like to use a system of "spend gold to gain XP" in my campaigns, so burgeoning lists of expensive / flashy / silly things for PCs to spend money on are always desirable.

I started work on a list of funny, flamboyant clothing a while back and have just finished it up. What adventurer could resist a wyrm-scaled cashmere codpiece!? (A mere 1,015gp.)

1d40	Clothing
1	Item (# of coins)	Material (type of coin)	Embellishments (cost)
2	Ball gown (100)	Angora (gold)	Beading (+25gp)
3	Bell bottoms (10)	Beaver fur (silver)	Bejewelled (+1,000 to +10,000gp)
4	Braces (5)	Cashmere (gold)	Bells (+25gp)
5	Britches (7)	Cheese cloth (copper)	Buckles (+10gp)
6	Cape (8)	Chiffon (gold)	Coat of arms (+20gp)
7	Chaps (7)	Chunky knit (silver)	Down-stuffed (+15gp)
8	Chastity belt (10)	Cotton (copper)	Emblem (+15gp)
9	Chemise (10)	Crocheted (gold)	Embroidered (+50gp)
10	Cloak (12)	Denim (copper)	Enchanted: dazzling (+1,000gp, stun all within 15' for one round, once per day)
11	Codpiece (15)	Ermine (platinum)	Enchanted: fireproof (+500gp, +2 to saves vs fire)
12	Corset (20)	Felt (silver)	Enchanted: glowing (+500gp, light spell once per day)
13	Cumberband (15)	Fishnet (silver)	Enchanted: insect repellant (+250gp)
14	Doublet (15)	Flannel (copper)	Enchanted: invisibility (+1,000gp, once per week, per the spell)
15	Garter (6)	Goatskin (copper)	Enchanted: protective (+1,500gp, +1 AC bonus)
16	Girdle (5)	Hemp (copper)	Enchanted: shadow-wreathed (+1,000gp, 3-in-6 hide in shadows)
17	Habit (8)	Herringbone (silver)	Enchanted: silenced (+1,000gp, 3-in-6 move silently)
18	Hose (7)	Houndstooth (silver)	Enchanted: spell-reflection (+5,000gp, reflects 10 levels of spells)
19	Jerkin (10)	Lace (gold)	Enchanted: waterproof (+250gp)
20	Jockstrap (10)	Lambswool (silver)	Feathers (+20gp to +200gp)
21	Jodhpurs (12)	Leather (silver)	Fringe (+5gp)
22	Kaftan (10)	Leopardskin (platinum)	Fur trim (+20gp to +200gp)
23	Kilt (10)	Oilskin (silver)	Fur-lined (+50gp to +500gp)
24	Knickers (4)	Paisley (gold)	Glitter (+10gp)
25	Leggings (6)	Patent leather (gold)	Gold studs (+100gp)
26	Leotard (12)	Plaid (silver)	Gold thread (+50gp)
27	Loin cloth (5)	Quilting (silver)	Padded (+5gp)
28	Negligee (20)	Rubber (gold)	Plated (+10gp)
29	Nightgown (9)	Satin (gold)	Ribbed (+10gp)
30	Pantaloons (9)	Scratchy wool (copper)	Ribonned (+3gp)
31	Petticoats (14)	Silk (gold)	Ruffles (+10gp)
32	Poncho (8)	Snakeskin (gold)	Runes or sigils (+20gp)
33	Robe (12)	Spandex (gold)	Sequins (+15gp)
34	Sou'wester (15)	Starched linen (silver)	Silver studs (+40gp)
35	Thong (8)	Suede (silver)	Silver thread (+20gp)
36	Toga (8)	Tartan (silver)	Spiked (+10gp)
37	Tunic (10)	Tweed (silver)	Studded (+5gp)
38	Tutu (13)	Velvet (gold)	Tassles (+5gp)
39	Vest (7)	Wolfskin (gold)	Tie-dyed (+4gp)
40	Waistcoat (15)	Wormskin (platinum)	Wyrm-scales (+1,000gp)

(This may appear in Wormskin, at some point, along with similar tables for footwear, hats, accessories, etc.)

Dolmenwood Travel Events

I've been talking a lot about random encounters in Dolmenwood lately. The various creatures and people that one might meet when on the road or wandering in the woods is only half of the story, however. Another very important and interesting aspect of travel is the places and hazards one may come across.

In my thought on the subject, so far, I've classified the following types of happenings while travelling in the wilderness:

• The weather changes. Roll on the weather table for the season. This result lasts, more or less, until another "weather changes" result occurs. (Allotting a fixed chance of a change in the weather each day seems like a nice simplification, in place of making an additional roll on a weather table each day.)
• A mishap or accident occurs.
• A hazard or natural obstacle is encountered.
• The spoor of a monster is discovered.
• An encounter happens.
• An interesting location is discovered.

(Note that getting lost is not included in the list of possible happenings, at the moment. I might try to integrate it as well, in a future iteration.)

So I'm conceiving a 1d12 roll four times per day. The results of the roll depend on the activity of the party and the terrain they are exploring. Something like this...


On the Road

1. Uneventful
2. Uneventful
3. Weather change
4. Weather change
5. Mishap / Hazard
6. Spoor
7. Spoor
8. Encounter
9. Encounter
10. Encounter
11. Encounter
12. Location

Off-Road (Normal Terrain)

1. Uneventful
2. Uneventful
3. Weather change
4. Weather change
5. Mishap / Hazard
6. Spoor
7. Encounter
8. Encounter
9. Encounter
10. Location
11. Location
12. Location

Off-Road (Difficult Terrain)

1. Uneventful
2. Uneventful
3. Weather change
4. Weather change
5. Mishap / Hazard
6. Mishap / Hazard
7. Mishap / Hazard
8. Spoor
9. Encounter
10. Encounter
11. Location
12. Location

Camping

1. Uneventful
2. Uneventful
3. Uneventful
4. Uneventful
5. Uneventful
6. Uneventful
7. Weather change
8. Weather change
9. Spoor
10. Spoor
11. Encounter
12. Encounter

Dolmenwood Encounter Tables: Combined Master Tables (Nighttime)

Continuing from the previous post, here are the nighttime tables.

d100	Nighttime, campfire
1	Giant boar
2	Giant centipedes
3	Giant leech
4	Giant rats
5	Giant toad
6	Sentient badger
7	Sentient fox
8	Sentient owl
9	Barrow bogies
10	Barrow bogies
11	Changeling
12	Changeling
13	Crepuscular gnome
14	Crepuscular gnome
15	Dryad
16	Elves
17	Elves
18	Elves
19	Elves - wild hunt
20	Glegg
21	Glegg
22	Grimalkin, wilder
23	Grimalkin, wilder
24	Hob
25	Hob
26	Nymph
27	Nymph
28	Redcap
29	Redcap
30	Redcap
31	Scrabey
32	Scrabey
33	Tomfools
34	Tomfools
35	Unicorn (black)
36	Unicorn (noble)
37	Will o’ the wisp
38	Will o’ the wisp
39	Will o’ the wisp
40	Will o’ the wisp
41	Woodgrue
42	Woodgrue
43	Woodgrue
44	Woodgrue
45	Antler wraith
46	Bog zombies
47	Centaur (deformed)
48	Devil goat
49	Evil tree
50	Evil wolves
51	Gelatinous hulk
52	Ghost
53	Giant spider
54	Giant spider (spell-weaver)
55	Gloam
56	Goatmen, wild
57	Groaning spirit
58	Lycanthrope
59	Nightgaunt
60	Nightworms
61	Ogre, horned
62	Sodder/grasper
63	Witch owls
64	Wyrm
65	Adventurers
66	Adventurers
67	Adventurers
68	Adventurers
69	Bandits/highwaymen
70	Bandits/highwaymen
71	Bandits/highwaymen
72	Bandits/highwaymen
73	Bandits/highwaymen
74	Bandits/highwaymen
75	Beggar
76	Drune
77	Drune
78	Drune
79	Drune
80	Drune
81	Drune
82	Explorers
83	Fortune teller
84	Hermit
85	Hunters/woodsmen/trappers/anglers
86	Hunters/woodsmen/trappers/anglers
87	Hunters/woodsmen/trappers/anglers
88	Messengers
89	Nobles
90	Pedlar
91	Pilgrim/friar (travelling to random shrine)
92	Refugees / the lost / exiles
93	Refugees / the lost / exiles
94	Soldiers
95	Villager
96	Villager
97	Witch
98	Witch
99	Witch
100	Witch

d100	Nighttime, dark or wandering
1	Bog salamander
2	Flying horse
3	Giant boar
4	Giant centipedes
5	Giant leech
6	Giant rats
7	Giant snail
8	Giant snail (psionic)
9	Giant stag
10	Giant toad
11	Giant weasel
12	Moon doe
13	Sentient badger
14	Sentient fox
15	Sentient owl
16	Shaggy mammoth
17	Shambling mound
18	Translucent ape
19	Barrow bogies
20	Barrow bogies
21	Changeling
22	Changeling
23	Crepuscular gnome
24	Crepuscular gnome
25	Dryad
26	Dryad
27	Elves
28	Elves
29	Elves - wild hunt
30	Elves - wild hunt
31	Glegg
32	Glegg
33	Grimalkin, wilder
34	Grimalkin, wilder
35	Hob
36	Hob
37	Nymph
38	Nymph
39	Nymph
40	Nymph
41	Redcap
42	Redcap
43	Scrabey
44	Scrabey
45	Tomfools
46	Tomfools
47	Unicorn (black)
48	Unicorn (black)
49	Unicorn (noble)
50	Unicorn (noble)
51	Will o’ the wisp
52	Will o’ the wisp
53	Will o’ the wisp
54	Will o’ the wisp
55	Will o’ the wisp
56	Woodgrue
57	Woodgrue
58	Woodgrue
59	Woodgrue
60	Antler wraith
61	Antler wraith
62	Bog zombies
63	Centaur (deformed)
64	Devil goat
65	Evil tree
66	Evil tree
67	Evil wolves
68	Gelatinous hulk
69	Ghost
70	Giant spider
71	Giant spider
72	Giant spider (spell-weaver)
73	Gloam
74	Gloam
75	Goatmen, wild
76	Goatmen, wild
77	Goatmen, wild
78	Groaning spirit
79	Groaning spirit
80	Lycanthrope
81	Lycanthrope
82	Nightgaunt
83	Nightworms
84	Nightworms
85	Ogre, horned
86	Ogre, horned
87	Sodder/grasper
88	Sodder/grasper
89	Witch owls
90	Wyrm
91	Wyrm
92	Adventurers
93	Bandits/highwaymen
94	Bandits/highwaymen
95	Drune
96	Drune
97	Hermit
98	Refugees / the lost / exiles
99	Witch
100	Wizard