Oddly Alone

I was in the mood to run some Into the Odd. But lacking a group at the moment I decided to play Solo! So, using the Wilderness Sheets from Scarlet Heroes, the 'Getting Lost' table from the D30 Sandbox Companion and my own Odd Encounters, I set forth!

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First, let's meet our unfortunate victim hero of the story, Holnrich.

Holnrich (HP   6   Armour   0)
STR   7   DEX   15   WIL   4
Pistol (d6)
Knife (d6)
Bomb (d12)*
Saw



Day 1

Holnrich... wants to get home. At first, signing on with the private militia seemed like a grand idea! Escape mother's basement, see the world, shoot and/or eat strange creatures! A pity no one ever told him that the army life required dedication, nerves of steel and a work ethic somewhat akin to that of a bonobo. And so he snuck away from camp... In the middle of a swamp. Never fear! the labyrinthine streets of Bastion are far more complex than some wilderness! With some idea of where Bastion lies, Holnrich skulks out of camp on a morning thick with fog.

Most of the morning is eaten up with wandering, but luckily for Holnrich, the swamp eventually gives way to plains. Not entirely sure he's heading the right direction, (off by a few degrees, still in the right hex though) Holnrich still feels better without the leeches and the mosquitoes. 

Encounter Check: No wandering monsters,
Event Check: Venomous bite, no more exploring for the day.

Holnrich always was possessed of a certain sort of luck, his granduncle said. But then Granduncle was eaten by feral orphans from the Underground, so what did Granduncle Carlos know, really? Quite a bit, it seems, for one of the myriad pests from the swamp was carrying the White Shakes. A painful, if not lethal disease, by mid-afternoon Holnrich is shivering and groaning with pain. A small copse of trees and some tall grass make for shelter, and his threadbare militia coat serves for a blanket while Holnrich ponders his own mortality.

Day 2

With the dawn comes a new day... And new weather! Creeping from his make-shift shelter, Holnrich shakes a rat from his boot and creaks off.Light fog and the residue of illness combine to lead Holnrich off course, sadly, the ever-lucky Holnrich wandering in a Westerly direction until Holnrich's lost  wandering lost, deposits him in thick, black-barked forest.  This isn't right, the forest is NORTH of Bastion, while he Holnrich wants to go south!

As if things couldn't become any more distressing, through the boughs comes flickering torchlight. A friend or foe? Unsure, Holnrich draws his trusty pistol. Father always did warn Holnrich about trees and the clever Wywulfs that made their homes there. The light stops overhead, and whatever-it-is drops down before Holnrich. T'is one of the intelligent apes!

Augustus (HP   2   Armour   0)
STR   16   DEX   14   WIL   7

Musket, Pistol, Incredible Hat

Holnrich's father always said you could trust an ape with a hat! Stepping forward, Holnrich hales the primate, but is he a friendly sort of beast?

(Scarlet Heroes Oracle check: No, But (using the Oracular adjectives chart, I get "Abuse") )

This poor beast, having suffered the slings and arrows of his hairless cousins, is none too happy to see Holnrich. In fact, he's rather put out as Holnrich's stomping around scared off the truffle-hares that Augustus was trying to harvest the earcaps from. Oblivious to his new-found acquaintance's grievances, Holnrich asks for directions to Bastion. Or perhaps a map? Just some food or wine?

Will there be monkey business? Once more to the oracle!

Yes. Yes there will be monkey business.  The great ape points north, to a village of the Quiet Folk that he's been harrying in recent days. Serves Holnrich right, being born hairless and feeble unlike a proper member of the Primate court.

Grateful, Holnrich wishes the ape well and trots off to the north. He'd really have to buy an atlas when he returned to Bastion and learn his directions proper. Unfortunately, Holnrich's lacking sense of direction leads him astray... right onto path with a quiet Folk deadfall. The sharp crack as the log swings down catches Holnrich's attention. He tries to dodge but oh cruel fate, he is too slow.  The log sends Holnrich flying, inflicting 2HP damage!

Landing in a brambleberry thicket, Holnrich groans, laying there while he gathers his wits. No water, no wine, and is that blood on his jacket?! No... Just Brambleberry juice. Sighing at his misfortunre, Holnrich gathers himself up. Shame that the ape didn't warn him about the deadfall! He must not have known, poor fellow. Making a note to warn Augustus should he encounter the once again, slightly-limpy Holnrich toddles on his way, wobbling slightly from the blow he took.

But does he get lost from being dazed? Yes he does! And kind fates! He's pointed the right direction. Forest eventually gives way to plains, and to a rutted wagon road used by the Quiet Folk when forced to deal with outsiders. Ah, if only he could espy the smoke choked skies over Bastion once more...

Encounter check: none (lucky Holnrich)
Event check: none
Feature check: Road Inn!

Wandering in a daze, Holnrich at first thinks he's hallucinating when a caravansarai appears. He knows that inn! He relieved himself at its latrine before setting off with his mercenary group!

Sadly, Holnrich is void of cash. Perhaps he can sell his bomb? Into the caravansarai he slinks, carefully keeping watch for his recruiting officer. The man stayed over to enjoy the on-site brothel and buffet, after all.

Not spying the man, Holnrich heads for the innmaster's counter, and plops down his standard issue bomb, for surely it must be worth at least a portion of his recruitment dues?

Not the wisest move for Holnrich.

A look of alarm, and the innmaster goes for his gun... As do several of the patrons in the commons room. Does Holnrich get a chance to explain himself? To the Oracle!

No, But...  Holnrich's luck holds true. At the sight of all the iron pointed his way, he does what comes naturally... he runs. Bullets whizzing past his ear, Holnrich barrels down the Taxmaster's Road towards Bastion. Eventually running turns to jogging, jogging turns to limping, and as the sun dips below the horizon, Holnrich finds himself in the necropoli which skirt the Taxmaster's road, vestiges of whatever great empire flourished here before Bastion.

Well familiar with the threat of Ghoul and Spectre,  Holnrich draws his pistol, whispering half remembered prayers to some god or another as he stalks along.

Encounter check: Ghost, amorous (really? I wrote that encounter entry as a joke, dice...)

And as he skulks along, Holnrich catches sight of a tell-tale flicker of white amongst the tombs. A ghost? A corpse eater? The light draws closer, revealing itself to be... (random generation time!)

Quick and Random Amorous Ghost Generation!
Gender:
1-2 M
3-4 F
5-6 Eldritch
Prefers: Even- Men,  Odd- Women.
Understands no means no? Evens- Yes, Odds- No.
Appearance: Evens: 1: Hideous 2: Homely. 3-4: Handsome 5: Stunningly beautiful 6: Uncanny valley

Results: Male, prefers men, does not understand no means no. Lovely as the Uncanny Valley (sigh. Poor Holnrich).


Doll-like, the ghost drifts closer, cooing to Holnrich as it opens its lithe and jointed arms. Common sense says to run, but Holnrich isn't the most sensible individual... and fails his WIL save. The night (and scene) fades to black

...


The next morning Holnrich awakens, clothes scattered around the graves, dignity somewhere miles behind. Gathering his belongings, he limps towards Bastion. Holnrich will be walking tender for a few days, but at least he has an impressive story to tell at the beer-stand!

My Playspace.

Odd Encounters

A random encounter table for some solo Deep Country play. Using Christopher McDowall's Into The Odd.


1   1-3 Boggles
2   Unhuman Adventurer
3   1-2 Quiet Folk + 1-4 children
4   Bull Tusker Ox
5   Wywulf
6   Mad King John

Boggle (HP 1 Armour 1)
STR 11 DEX 13 WIL 6
WANTS TO EAT EVERYTHING. Hunger given form, Boggles are obscene caricatures of fat children with too-wide mouths. A Boggle's belly is as flexible as a toad's throat.  When biting for Critical Damage, the Boggle swallows their target whole.  The victim loses 1 HP per round until a successful STR check is made. Then, the Boggle explodes, freeing its victim. Everyone (including boggles) must make a successful WIL save or be impaired on attaks for the rest of combat.

Quiet Folk (HP 2 Armour 1)
STR 13 DEX  15 WIL 12 
WANTS TO GNAW THE DEAD. Quiet Folk are a strange, unsettling lot. Driven to eat the dead, they acquire a taste for the strange fare. Dwelling apart from other folk, the Quiet Ones tend to their own, robbing fresh graves and scavenging carrion. They are not, however, above hunting.  Bow (d6) Club (d4). Treat Children lack any combat skills, but will swarm potential meals, impairing their attacks.

Bull Tusker Ox (HP 8 Armour 2)
STR 20 DEX 10 WIL 2
WANTS TO BE LEFT ALONE TO EAT GRASS AND RUT FEMALES. Not much to see here. Big, angry. Will chase anyone wearing the colors red, puce or orange. Bull Tuskers will gore with their broad, sharp tusks (d10).


Wywulf (HP  9 Armour 2)
STR 19 DEX 15 WIL 12
WANTS TO TAUNT ITS PREY. Twisted hybrid of lizard and wolf, the Wywulf stalks the forests and ruins of the deep country. Against its armored hide, slashing weapons are impaired  while blunt attacks are enhanced. The Wywulf likes to taunt its prey, and is capable of mimicking human speech with eerie accuracy. Specific voices, inflection etc are all tools which this natural mimic puts to use.  Attacks with claws (d8)

Mad King John (Special)
STR 10 DEX 20 WIL 20
WANTS TO GIVE YOU SHINY THINGS. The ghost of a beggar. Mad King John appears... at strange times. Singing a Winterfest dirge, he presents a random piece of junk to each party member before vanishing.

An Odd Item

So, I love Into the Odd, as I've mentioned before.  I also love Fred Saberhagen's Sci-Fantasy Book of Swords. The Twelve Swords of Power have always been the stick by which I measure my own magical items.

Below I present one of the Twelve Swords, if folks like it (all four of you who read this silly blog), I'll port the others over.

Mindsword (Legendary Arcana)
The Sword of Glory, Skulltwister,

The Mindsword spun in the dawn's gray light

And men and demons knelt down before.

The Mindsword flashed in the midday bright

Gods joined the dance, and the march to war.

It spun in the twilight dim as well

And gods and men marched off to hell.

  

A legendary Arcanum once used as part of a Game of Power, The Mindsword resembles a functional weapon of war. Its black grip embossed with a white banner, the meter long blade flashes as if catching bright sunlight, and when drawn, roars faintly with the roar of a cheering mob.

When drawn, all within visual range of the Skulltwister take 1D4 WIL damage and must make a WIL save or fall under the sway of Mindsword's owner. This devotion is fanatical to the extreme, causing the brainwashed to throw their life into any cause the wielder specifies.

Legends speak of other swords, similar pawns in the Game of Power. Some, it is said, are able to counteract the Mindsword's sway. As of this time, the locations of any of the blades is pure conjecture, though some scholars mutter about the table of Rand-om-Lut, the mad god.

The Odd Encounter: Sellachocta

So, I recently discovered Into the Odd, a lightweight OD&D homage with a focus on quick entry into a Dark Sci-Fantasy setting. Absolutely love it, and thought I'd convert one of my favorite new bad monster movie monsters over.

Sellachocta
STR	DEX	WIL	HP	Armour
16	12	6	18	2

Amphibious predators that have recently infested the sewers of Bastion.
Slithering behemoths, these 6 meter long abominations resemble a mottled
shark, its tail replaced by undulating tentacles that composed two-thirds
of the thing's bulk. Ambush predators, the Sellachocta often lunge from
their murky habitats to seize prey in their jaws (2d6 damage). In lieue
of this, the Sellachocta will use its tentacles to try and snare potential
prey (1d4 damage). On Critical Damage, the target is captured and crushed
by the Sellachocta's tentacles, inflicting 1d6 Strength damage until the
tentacle is severed (2 points of damage or more).

Rumors exist of a variant species of Sellachocta, one able to manipulate the
texture and color of its hide. No such specimens have yet been found in
the sewers of Bastion. But then, such abilities would make the beasts
nigh impossible to detect...