Tyre Preliminary Appendix N.

Important entries are marked with an *.

-Literature-

Arrian - The Campaigns of Alexander

Herodotus - The Histories*

Homer - All*

Howerd, Robert E. - Kull, Conan,* and Bran Mak Morn cycles.

Leiber, Fritz - Swords cycle***

Livy - The History of Rome

Lovecraft, H. P. - "The Doom that Came to Sarnath," "The Lurking Fear," "The Mound," "Rats in the Walls,"  At the Mountains of Madness

Merrit, A. - The Moon Pool, "the People of the Pit"

Polybius - The Histories

Plutarch - Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans*

Smith, Clark Ashton - Hyperborea, Poseidonis, and Zothique cycles

Virgil - The Aeneid

-Film-

Hercules in the Haunted World***

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)*

The Mole People

The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger

The 300 Spartans*

To be read/Watched:

Appolonius Rhodius - The Argonautika

Shaver, Richard Sharpe - All

Others as suggested by readers

A note on Shaver: I've read a lot about him and tend to work quite a bit of the ideas from his work into my games already; however, for this project I think I might actually want to tackle reading him in his own (heavily edited) words.

The Whelm Sloar

Whelm Sloar
No. Appearing: 0 (1 + 1d6 - 1 fanatic sloars)
Armor Class: as Leather and Shield
Hit Dice: 5
Movement: 60'
Attacks: Slam (1d8)
Special: See Below
Morale: 6
Alignment: Lawful Evil*

Whelm sloars are strange creatures found in worlds that exist solely in the minds of madmen, artists, and hashish blinded scholars.  They are allowed purchase into this world only when particularly talented people of this sort are, due to some miraculous breakthrough or mental breakdown, are able to fully realize the world that only exists in their minds.  The warning signs of this process are many, but the most obvious is that the affected individual will spend hours in seclusion drawing maps, writing essays, and describing creatures and peoples from a world unknown to any scholar.  After a period of 1d6 months, the whelm sloar will emerge, fully formed from the head of the creator, a process which almost universally kills mortals.

Whelm sloars appear as semi-squamous, strangely bachtarian creatures of roughly the same size as an ogre.   They occasionally wear exotic clothing belonging to one of the races from the non-existent world from which they hail but just as often they are hideously naked.  They are filled with the sum total knowledge of their world, even details never dreamed of by their creator - who was but a visitor to the sloars world.

Sloars constantly mutter and gibber bizarrely interesting details about their world and constantly seek sapient creatures to listen to them.  Many of the words that issue forth from its mouth are strangely inimical to the human ear, while others are potent and filled with an odd, mythic power.  Any creature with an intelligence of 9 or greater hearing a sloar must make a save vs magic device** or be mesmerized by the details of the sloars homeworld.  Each round so mesmerized, the must make a new save of take 1d6 points of Wisdom damage.  Should a character's Wisdom reach 0, they will transform over the course of 1d6 days into a fanatic sloar (see below).  The only way to stop this process is to remove the person from the sounds of the whelm sloars words before his or her Wisdom is depleted.  Each time the sloar is encountered, only one save vs magic device must be made, success showing that the potential victim was uninterested in the given topic; however, should the sloar be encountered again, a new save must be made in order to see if the new topic is more interesting.

Sloars defend themselves against unmesmerized opponents using their large, meaty limbs or by swallowing them whole.  They may swallow any creature man size or smaller, and may only contain one such creature at a time, and the creature inside takes 1d8 damage a round as they are roasted by a strange combination of gases and infernal heat that exists within the sloar's digestive organs.

Whelm sloars are only permanently slain if they and their fanatic sloars are killed and the notes of their creator are somehow destroyed in their entirety.  As long as any knowledge about the sloars' world still remains in this one, it has the potential to cross over once again.

Fanatic Sloars
No. Appearing: 1d6
Armor Class: As Leather
Hit Dice: 2
Movement: 60'
Attacks: Slam (1d4) or Weapon
Special: See Below
Morale: 10
Alignment: Lawful (evil)

Fanatic sloars are deranged sloar cultists found only in the presence of a whelm sloar or on an errand designated by their hideous master.  They appear roughly the same as a whelm sloar, but slightly smaller and they are always known to wear strange and alien clothes, sometimes over the ripped garments of their original body.

They possess some part of their master's ability to mesmerize, but may only do so for a single round as they have limits to their grotesque un-knowledge.  Characters whose wisdom somehow still reaches 0 due to this attack do not become fanatic sloars unless there is also a whlem sloar present.  Otherwise they are simply comatose until the sloars and their world are destroyed.  There is a percent chance equal to their intelligence score that the victim was able to remember some of the information from the sloars' world while comatose, meaning that their awakening has only reintroduced the prospect that the sloar might return.

Fanatic sloars cannot swallow creatures as can whelm sloars, but do devour rats or similar sized creatures in the same fashion.

If its master dies, a fanatic sloar will attempt to recreate him.  Each month it has a chance of success equal to the sum total of fanatic sloars working in one area.  Should the sloars split up, any sloars who had attempted this summoning but failed in another area will assert the returned whelm sloar doesn't have the magic of the old one and kill themselves.

*Sloars are lawful evil regardless of what system is used for alignment, as they come from a non-reality that is alien to all others and thus may break the rules of alignment.

**Sloars are, in a strange sense, magical devices themselves, and it is for this reason that the scholars of this world believe they affect victims in that fashion instead of as a spell.

Da Qin and the Lands in the West

West of the lands we know - west of the Anxi who the Greeks Call the Persians, west of the Lands Above the Sea where bearded men make offerings to strange gods atop their high ziggurats, west even of that Land West of the Sea whose king once road his golden barge across the sky and into the land where mortal man cannot go - there is Da Qin.  Da Qin is the sister of the Middle Kingdom and its achievements rival or surpass those of all other nations.

Scholars believe that the kingdom of Da Qin was founded by exiles from the Middle Kingdom who had studied the Way and the teachings of the Great Schools and thus they made themselves masters of the peoples of the west - the Greeks, the Zensani, the Purple-men, the Men West of the Sea, even the Painted People of the lands far to the north became their subjects.  These conquered peoples are administrative by the Great Clans, a hold over from the days before the First Emperor that still survives here in the Land of Rivers and Lakes.  It is from these Great Clans that the king is selected, and he serves with the Mandate of Heaven.  In the center of the capital is a great fire that priests of the Imperial Cult believe shows the will of Heaven.  Should this fire go out, the king must step down and a new one must be selected.

There are five great cities in the capital province.  Four of these are controlled traditionally by two Great Clans each, and these clans have temples to their gods and ancestors and particular rites and arts that are kept secret from the uninitiated.  These clans also provide the governors of the various provinces and client kingdoms of Da Qin.  Many of the rulers of these clans claim descent from Da Qin's original founders, but this is likely a dubious assertion.

The fifth city is the capital itself, which only members of the great clans may enter.  They bring with them the worries of their people, whether rice farmers or courtiers or generals.  The king appears once a week to accept these, wearing the traditional regalia of his office including the strange, golden headdress which obscures his features beneath a great pyramid.  He then reads through each, though being a follower of the Way he is known to rule with a light touch.

The ways in which these people worship would be considered greatly heretical in our own land.  The conquered peoples of Da Qin have brought their own deities into that kingdom and it has mixed with the proper forms of worshiped outlined by our ancestors in a riotous way that is difficult to comprehend.  There are a preponderance of cults, pantheons, and heroes that are worshiped in addition to the ancestors, and none of these beings seems to have a place in what we know of the Celestial Bureaucracy.

A depiction of the being venerated by the Da Qin whom they call Hercules

They also practice many arts which are unknown to us, such as the nurturing of the so called "ancestor worms," the making of bark into armor and cloth, and the use of the Sacred Tortoises.  Those who have seen this last ritual in practice have stated that the strange scholars of Da Qin in their high crowned hats and ensorceled robes follow around enormous tortoises of great age that have been inscribed with "the Sacred Runes."  They make careful notations of the movements and habits of these tortoises, some of which are too intricate for all but the most studied eye to notice - or so they claim.

The areas between the cities of the capital province are untamed - excluding of course the rice paddies and terraces that immediately surround these cities and provide them with sustenance.  It is said that not even bandits dare live in these wilds, for the threat of beasts, and strange beasts who walk as men, is so great that those traveling without a large armed accompaniment are likely to meet untimely ends. This is not to say that there is no crime in the land of Da Qin, for it is also said that the Great Clans support their own gangs and ominous secret societies designed to pursue their political ends.

Tyre

Tyre is old.  It was already old when the well-greaved Achaeans butchered the sons of Troy.  Its purple has died the the robes of kings since the bald rulers of Uruk battled the bearded men of Akkad.  Some even say that before men dwelled on the Earth, that gods made their home where its walls now stand.  It is here, the sorcerers of the East say, that man first took fire from those divine giants.

Though it is old, it is not invincible.  Though the purple men of Tyre have long given their children to their horrid fire god, their city has been sacked times beyond counting.  The Pharaohs of Egypt and their rivals the Hittites destroyed it numerous times, as did the kings of Assyria and Babylon.  Alexander utterly ruined the city, and his successors squabble over it to this day.

The current city is a bizarre mixture of Greek and Eastern architecture, a perverse reflection of its Seleucid overlords.  A Greek now resides in the palace of the King-Priests of Moloch.  They call him a Satrap, a term that is as foreign to the people of Tyre as it is to the Greeks who rule it.  Its markets are filled with goods from the Pillars of Hercules to the Indus.  A hundred tongues are spoken within its walls, koine being primarily used to facilitate trade between the conquered and their conquerors.

The city has much to offer adventurers, rogues, and mercenaries.  The satrap is always looking for men to help quell the brigands that constantly maraud further inland.  Many wealthy sorcerers make their homes in the shadow of the Purple City’s temples, and of course the ruins said to lie below their city are rumored to be beyond the imagining of mortals.

A Typical Group of Adventurers in Tyre

Player characters are assumed to come from outside of the city.  They are likely Greeks, or perhaps Romans.  Such characters may either be Fighters or Magicians.  These work as per their description in the Swords & Wizardry White Box, though Magicians must learn new spells either from scrolls or from a tutor of some sort.  Additionally, a number of character types are described below that are also available if the character meets the appropriate requirements.

Barbarian

Requirements: Str 15+, Dex 13+, Neutral or Chaotic Alignment

Benefits: When wearing light or no armor and either alone or in a group of other barbarians, a barbarian surprises opponents on a 1-3 on a 1d6.  They may also follow tracks and spot traps in the wilderness on a roll of 1-2 on a 1d6.  This increases to 1-3 if in a forest and 1-4 if in either Gaul or Germania, depending on the homeland of the Barbarian.

Character Advancement: Barbarians may reach any level as a Fighter or up to level 4 as a Magician. They may advance higher if their Wisdom is 16 or greater.

Immortal

Requirements: Int, Wis, and Dex 13+; Lawful Alignment

Character Advancement: Immortals advance as both fighters and magic users, splitting experience between each class.  They must decide which class they will be at the beginning of an adventure and will remain that class for the remainder of the adventure.  They may only learn spells from their strange cult of fire and water - which is distinct from the fire god of the Phoenecians.

Spartan

Requirements: Str and Dex 13+, Con 16+, Lawful or Neutral Alignment

Benefits: Spartans with an ally at either their left or right flank gain a +1 bonus to AC.  In addition, anything that would allow an adjacent ally to gain a free strike at a target, such as the opponent fleeing in terror, grants the Spartan a similar attack - but only if he is using a spear.  Spartans cannot use this ability if their ally gains the attack through using Follow Through.

Character Advancement: Spartans may only advance as Fighters.

Most adventurers spend their early careers in Tyre’s undercity, though many of these careers are cut short by the horrors that lurk within.  While the undercity is a great, sprawling labyrinth it is ultimately divisible into a number of distinct areas.  Some of the most well known to adventurers - either because they are comparatively well trafficked or because of the numerous legends that surround them - are described below.

Catacombs of Mot

The people of Tyre worship many strange gods that horrify the Greeks and the Romans.  Mot is one of them, and his worship was outlawed after Antigonus reconquered the city.  The catacombs are his most sacred shrine, but their location remains undiscovered by authorities.  Unlike normal catacombs, whose purpose is to preserve the dead, these were meant to provide food for Mot’s slavering ghoul-priests.  It is said that much of the wealth of the cult was stored within as well.

The Thieves’ Tunnels

This network of tunnels was built by the people of the city over a long period in order to offer a retreat during the sieges that so characterize Tyre’s history.  They network is now so complicated that even those who regularly use them only know but a small portion of the twisting tunnels.  During times of peace, it is primarily utilized by the various criminal gangs that plague the city - though even Seleucid authorities have figured out this trick and sometimes send patrols into the depths. It is rumored that a long tunnel connects the island portion of the city to the mainland, but no explanation is offered as to why Alexander did not find this and make use of it instead of building his causeway.

The Tomb of the Black Pharaoh

While the ultimate fate of Nephren-Ka, the infamous Black Pharaoh, a demon who ruled among men, is unknown, some sources believe that he died during a battle in what is now the mainland portion of the city.  These sources state that the people of Egypt feared interring their king in their homeland, for they thought that his presence would taint the Nile and cause the water to thicken and become a foul toxin.  Instead, they made for him a tomb on the spot where he died, and buried his war loot with him in hopes that his ghost would not follow them back to Egypt.

The Vault of the King-Priests

This is believed to be the holy of holies for the Phoenician god Moloch - a baleful god of fire and hate.  It is said that the King-Priests that ruled in the days before Alexander took all of the wealth from their conquered enemies and smelt it into huge statues depicting their god as a fiery bull.  Thus there is supposedly one of these statues for each people the Phoenicians defeated in battle, of varying size based on the amount of wealth those people carried with them.

The Treasure-House of the Gods

It is believed that in the deepest parts of the undercity, there lies a great cache of treasure and weapons created by the gods during their wars with the Titans.  However, few have made it to the depths where the Treasure-House can allegedly be found, and fewer still have any idea what sorts of things are contained within.

Many strange cults exist within Tyre, and these are often a source of new spells for magicians.  A magician may only be a member of one cult at a time, and therefore may not learn spells belonging to another cult.  The list below should not be considered exhaustive, since

Artemis

Goddess of the hunt, the Moon, and fertility, Artemis has taken on a number of strange aspects since the Greeks made contact with the peoples of the East.  She is typically depicted as a woman with many rows of breasts, and some of her statues are known to lactate during cultic rites.

Asclepius

Son of Apollo and god of the healing arts, Asclepius possesses a small temple in Tyre.  His cult is surprisingly popular despite the modest size of the aforementioned temple, and many a cockerel has its throat cut in his honor.

Dagon

Dagon is a strange sea-god venerated by the Phoenicians.  Unlike Melqart (see below), the Greeks do not conflate Dagon with their god Poseidon.  Dagon is a god of fish, darkness, and decay and his spells and cultists reflect this.

Melqart

Melqart is the god of the city of Tyre, though the Greeks assert that he is none other than Heracles, who made his way to the Levant during one of his labors.  The spells normally associated with him are protective, but he does have some of a more savage nature.

Moloch

Baleful god of fire and human sacrifice, Moloch is the chief god of the Phoenicians.  These people give up their children to his horrid fires, a practice which horrifies other peoples - though it is especially sickening to the Romans.

In addition to these cults, a number of sorcerers exist who may also provide spells; however, they rarely do so without a price.  The most famous two in the city are, of course, Ningauble and Sheelba; however, the Scarlet One, He of the Thousand Mouths, Ajaxos the Mad and a hundred others make their homes within the city.

I Don't Feel So Good...

Sadly, disease is a constant problem in the World of Nightwick; however, the diseases of that strange realm do not function like those of our Earth.  They are caused by miasmas - malignant smells and bad air that erupt from the earth to torment mortals.  While normally the result of strange natural events such as earthquakes or bizarre stirrings in marsh or river waters, they can occasionally be the result of supernatural events such as curses or the arrival of some demon or malicious form of undead.  

Whenever a character enters an area currently possessing a miasma - either due to natural or supernatural occurrences - they must make a saving throw or contract the disease.  Bonuses against poison and death effects apply to this save.  Wearing some form of protection, typically a face mask filled with pleasant smells such as incense or flowers, may afford a character a +2 bonus to the save.

Bishop’s Evil affects the flesh, causing it to wither and decay as though the sufferer were dead.  

Stage 1: The character feels no pain, but also can no longer regain hit points through natural healing.  Make a saving throw each month or advance to stage 2.

Stage 2: The character’s flesh begins to rot on the bone.  Character may no longer receive magical healing, with the exception of the Cure Disease spell.  Character also gains a permanent -1 penalty to reaction rolls.  Make a saving throw each month or advance to stage 3.

Stage 3: Any hits now made against the character now immediately go to the Death & Dismemberment table as though they had 0HP.  Character gains a permanent -2 penalty to reaction rolls. Characters must make an additional save each month.  Failure indicates that they may no longer be cured by the Cure Disease spell.

Devil’s Fire causes fever, sweating, foamy saliva, and eventually homicidal madness in its victims.

Stage 1: Character’s thoughts become cloudy and delusional.  -1 to all d6 based rolls and -2 to all d20 based rolls.  Make a saving throw each day or advance to stage 2.

Stage 2: Character becomes horrifyingly violent, and will react to all situations with uncheck aggression, though, strangely, not against other sufferers of the disease.  Character may also possess other delusions. Must check every two days or advance to stage 3.

Stage 3: Save or die.  A successful save means that the character has slipped into a coma.  Must make a new save every day.

The Flux is an awful disease that affects the bowels.  It is particularly common in crowded cities, and those conditions give a -2 to the initial save to catch the illness.

Stage 1: Must make a save each hour or have to spend a turn “resting.”  -1 to all d20 rolls.  Must make a save every week or advance to stage 2.

Stage 2: Character can barely move and do little else other than either sleep or defecate.  If somehow stirred to action, -2 to all d6 rolls and -5 to all d20 rolls.  Must make a save each week or advance to Stage 3.

Stage 3: Save or die.  Success indicates that the character is still alive, but must make a fresh save every day until some form of relief can be provided.

The Red Death is the most terrible disease known to the Dark Country.  It is carried by a malevolent creature whose precise nature is unknown, but it is said that he appears as a monk dressed in a blood red habit.  This disease has been known to depopulate entire villages.

Stage 1: Character gains strange, red blisters across entire body.  These are immensely painful and incur a -2 to all d6 rolls and a -5 to all d20 rolls.  Must make a new check each day or advance to stage 2.

Stage 2: Character begins to sweat blood.  Pain is all encompassing and the character may do little other than lie down and shriek.  Must make a save every day or advance to stage 3.

Stage 3: Save or die.  If save is failed, character not only dies but also has all of their blisters burst in a horrible spray of blood.  This creates a new miasma centered around the deceased.  Success indicates that the character is still alive, but their sores have begun to weep, causing contraction of the disease for anyone touching them.  This save is made each hour.

St. Gax’s Itch is a comparatively minor disease that causes skin inflammation, welts, and terrible itching.

Stage 1: Character suffers from mild itching, causing a -1 to all d20 based rolls. Make a save once a week or advance to stage 2.

Stage 2: Character is covered in itchy welts and shingles.  -1 to all d6 rolls and -2 to all d20 rolls.  Make a save once a week or advance to stage 3.

Stage 3: Character is now permanently scarred - gaining a -1 penalty on reaction rolls - but otherwise acts as stage 2.

Witch’s Dance is a strange disease that causes those afflicted to twitch and contort.

Stage 1: Character has mild difficulty with motor skills.  -1 to all d6 rolls and -2 to all d20 rolls.  Make a save each week or advance to stage 2.

Stage 2:  Character now has extreme difficulty with motor skills.  Must make a save in every new situation or fall down and convulse.  Make a save each day or advance to stage 3.

Stage 3: Character now has no control over their own body.  Constantly shift into new, more bizarre and awkward positions.  Must make a save every hour or take 1 damage from the extreme nature of these positions.  If restrained, character must make a new save each day or break through the restraints.

The Hell is Wrong With this Guy?

I spend quite a bit of time trying to make hirelings in my game “memorable.”  The easiest way for me to do this, and therefore the one I rely on the most, is by making them awful people.  Inspired by this post over by Middenmurk, as well as my creating different classes of hireling for Uz, I decided to make a set of tables that would automate this process to allow me to churn out bug-eyed, fanatical weirdos for my Dark Country game.  This is untested, and if the results are too wonky I might just go back to personalizing each one between sessions.

These tables are intended for the sorts of hirelings that PCs take with them into the dungeon.   Alchemists, smiths, quartermasters, and the like need not be created using these rules.  If the need arises, I will create similar charts in order to make them deranged sickos too.  

The guidelines for recruiting hirelings are likewise only designed for hiring individual psychopaths.  The purchasing of mercenary companies, while a common practice in the Dark Country, requires a great deal more bickering over contracts and haggling over rights then I really want to deal with in this post.

A settlement will have a number of hirelings available at one time based on the chart below.  The number generated is the total number available until a fresh crop of young settlers arrives.  This could mean that the hirelings could be exhausted from a settlement for quite a long time in some of the more remote areas of the Dark Country.

Hirelings by Settlement

Settlement Level	Number of Hirelings
Hamlet	1d2
Village	1d4
Town	1d6
Castle	1d8
City	1d10

For each available hireling indicated, roll on the tables below to determine what’s wrong with the hireling and the type of hireling it is.

What’s Wrong With Your Hireling

dX	Result
1	Nothing. Subtract 2 from their base morale.
2	Suicidal.  Is willing to be paid at a daily rate (1/30th of the monthly one provided).
3	Hobbled. Moves as though wearing plate regardless of armor.
4	Branded.  Marked with the coward’s - or probably heretic’s - shame.
5	One Armed Man.  Cannot perform any activity involving two hands/arms.
6	Absent Minded. If asked to perform a task outside of the supervision of a PC - such as guarding the horses or securing a rope - must make a morale test to see if it gets completed.
7	Starts Shit.  Must make a morale test during any negotiations.  On a failure, will sabotage negotiations by “acting like a douche.”
8	Mute.  Doesn’t have a tongue.  Can at most muster a voiceless hacking as a feeble attempt to raise an alarm.
9	Mumbler.  PCs can’t understand a word he says, though strangely most NPCs can.
10	One Eyed.  Surprised on a 1-3 if left as a guard.
11	Hook Hand.  Can only use hand weapons, but can also make attacks with his hook.
12	Openly Heretical.  Likes to give strange sermons loudly and in public.
13	Obsequious.  Always sickeningly deferential, suspiciously so.
14	Penitent.  Scourges self for some unimaginable sin.  Permanent -1 to HP.
15	Filthy.  Smell may attract monsters.
16	Murderous.  Must make a morale check or kill any captives the PCs might attempt to take.
17	Clepto.  Tries to secret bits of treasure away from the PCs.
18	Hideous.  This fellow is especially ugly.  It is very unpleasant.
19	Scheming.  Really working for the “Bad Guys,” or a set of bandits that is conveniently laired nearby if you don’t have any Bad Guys that are applicable.  Plans to help them ambush and kill the PCs.
20	“Nothing.”  No effect.

Hireling Types

Listed below are the types of hirelings typically available in the Dark Country.  Wages listed are for a typical month, and use the new reckoning of Dark Contry currency.  Thus a guilder (abreviated k) is worth 20 groshes (g) and 240 pennies (d).  A grosh is a silver coin worth the equivalent of a silver piece in LotFP or a gold piece in most other forms of D&D.

Not all of the types of hirelings are available in every settlement.  The table is but an example, and larger settlements such as the Seven Cities will have considerably more types available.  The referee may also change these tables to represent changes in the population either through new settlement or player action.

Nightwick Hirelings

d6	Hireling Type
1	Brigand
2-3	Peasant
4-6	Woodsmen

Barbers are those “trained” in what qualify as the medical arts in the Dark Country.  They are typically runaways from mercenary companies, though they may have also been employed by a noble family or wealthy merchant house.  They can bind wounds on a 1-2 on a 1d6, restoring 1d6 hp.

Equipment: 1d6 bandages, jar of leeches, rusted scalpels

Wage: 14k

Brigands are either currently or formerly bandits.  They typically employed as light infantry by the Seven Cities if they are capable of being hired.

Equipment: Crossbow, 2d6 bolts, padded gambeson, hand weapon, helmet

Wage: 1k

Conjure-Men are backwoods wizards of poor skill.  They only know one spell - determined randomly - and my only cast it once per day.

Equipment: Dagger, filthy robes, bag of bones

Wage: 1k

Fanatics are religious loons who have come to the Dark Country in order to participate in the holy war against the pagans.  If following a cleric, they will gain a +2 bonus to their morale.

Equipment: Bladed scourge, silver cross, crazy eyes

Wage: 10g

Men-at-arms are comparatively heavily armed men of stout bearing.  They gain a +1 bonus to HP and a +2 bonus to morale if following a fighter of 4th level or higher.

Equipment: Polearm (70% chance of being a spear), shield, hand weapon, helmet, and a shirt of mail.

Wage: 5k

Peasants are common settlers from the West.  They typically have little to their name and little to lose.  

Equipment: Wooden hoe, an empty pouch meant for bread or coin, and misery.

Wages: 5g

Woodsmen are those members of Dark Country society who make their living gathering forest products - whether that means felling trees, burning charcoal, or trapping for furs.

Equipment: Felling axe, hand weapon, bow, 1d12 arrows

Wages: 10g

Monsters in Your Campaign: The X-Com Method

Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!

A little while ago, one of my Hburg players gave me a copy of the latest X-Com game in payment for helping him move some shit.  Playing it has reminded me of playing the original - which I did for the first time only about two years ago.  Thinking about that almost 20 year old game has helped coalesce an idea I've had for a while about how to present monsters in a campaign.

What I'm calling The X-Com Method requires a large number of new monsters.  Many blog posts and products advocate for all unique creatures which only appear once to menace the PCs.  This, they assert, will mean that the players are afraid of everything.  This is true, but it comes at the sake of agency.  Since these monsters appear only once and are by necessity weird and outside of the experience of the players, it means that the players can't make decisions based on the monster they are currently facing.

An extreme example of this problem can be found in Isle of the Unknown. Aside from the fact that many of the monsters are just plain stupid, their appearence does little to telegraph information about their toughness or abilities to the players.  A 15' tall pyramidal ostrich might have 15 hit dice while  30' long beaver with snake legs has only 5.  This wouldn't be a big problem except that - with very few exceptions* - these monsters will only be encountered once.

What X-Com does is have whole races of monsters.  Each time you see a new one your thought is "what the hell is that" and then it starts glowing or something and you're like "what the hell is it doing?!" and you're scared - or a scared as you can be playing a 19 year old game.  Eventually though, after you've had some of your men die due to their glowing thingies, you learn what the monsters do and how to counter it.  This offers the best of both worlds: you get scared players and - eventually - your players can make decisions based on information they've gathered in the game world.

If you think that this would lessen the horror overall, let me introduce you to this asshole:

I hate you

That, as the image will inform you, is a Chryssalid, and they are awful.  They have the ability to implant eggs in your men, which turn them into zombies, and then the zombified versions of your men move to attack the non-zombified versions and then when they're close a new Chryssalid emerges from its kills the shit out of you.  I've heard from other people that have played the game that a common tactic when confronted with these bastards is to activate a timed grenade at the end of your turn such that it will blow up when your squadie gets impregnated.  That's some awful shit right there.

One example from my game would be the Children of Stone, who have bedeviled the PCs ever since the first party entered the South tower.* While some of their capabilities are described in that post, most have been things that the players had have to guess at, and in some cases this has informed their decision making - such as whether or not to pursue the things when they flee or how one should close into melee with them quickly.  Another example might be the Valt-Weaver, which has only been directly encountered once, killing the PC of a notably cautious player.  Ever since then anytime I give any sort of hint about the creature being nearby - the smell of ozone, a soft blue light, corpse dust with strange ropy bits - the players get visibly worried in a way that amuses me.  The reason I stat that it might be one is that the current theory among my players is that there might be only one that wanders the first level.  A kind of soft example one can only get at obliquely would be the mention that MAR Barker makes to his players fearing the smell of musty cinnamon and the chiming of bells.

The chief problem with this method is that it takes time.  If you want to do it properly, you have to come up with a whole new list of monsters; however, I find the the advantages far outweigh this.  Watching my players speculate on how pig-men and maggot-men work in the Dark Country and Uz respectively has been a joy.

Plus, there are shortcuts.  The easiest is to steal weird monsters from things that your players are unlikely to be familiar with.  Uz has quite a few Tekumel beasties in it because I knew my Hburg group doesn't know anything about that setting.  I've also tried to tweak them a bit for my G+ group, which is far more familiar with that material.

*The most prominent exception I can remember is the legless platypus that looks suspiciously like a piece of bloody poop.  These things, unfortunately, turn you into one when you die, thus making them a slightly lamer version of the shit weasels from Dreamcatcher.