Ironguard: Winter 2023

Games set in Ironguard are back on the menu this winter break.  I have two-ish weeks without work and WITH friends that are available, so it is back to Ironguard we go.

So warm yourself by the fire and enjoy a mug or three of mulled wine as I relate the tale of the Warriors Three (no, not Volstagg the Voluminous, Fandral the Dashing, and Hogun the Grim), but Carwreck the Dwarf Fighter, Yelrah the Half-Orc Barbarian, and Corvallis of the greater Frilkasses, the Half-Elf Bard, and their quest to throw down another temple of chaos!

----

Our noble band of adventurers meet at Ironguard Keep and after rolling on the rumor table for B5: Horror on the Hill, they decided to go hunt some potential Ogre slavers (rumor 3) because killing slavers is always a worthwhile endeavor.  As they equip themselves, they mentally prepare for ghouls (rumor 4) and for a trek to a monastery on the hill (rumor 1) - a likely place to find a Temple of Chaos!

During preparations, they spoke of a variety of topics, to include Yelrah's bitchin' tattoo.  From Carwreck he learned it is the symbol of a Dwarven warrior cult dedicated to Clangeddin Silveraxe.  Being a Half-Orc, it was deemed necessary for Yelrah to relate the tale of how he came by the tattoo.

We also learn that Carwreck is suffering a midlife crisis, having left the army for a life of true adventure.  Corvallis then dubs the company Dwarven Half and Half - the cream of the crop, as it were. 

Fully equipped, the intrepid explorers head into the ruins of Kingsbridge, with plans to cross the Kingsbridge proper and find the monastery and kick Ogre ass.

-----

Whilst in the ruins, the trio make it a point to say hello to Geppetto, the lone survivor who often talks about his wife and children.  Said wife is never seen, but his 'children' are - wooden puppets between 2 and 3 feet tall that are never seen to move, yet always appear closer when looked for.  He recalls Yelrah from previous encounters.  When Carwreck looked closely at one, it winked at him, sending the brave Dwarf scurrying.  

A variety of unnatural statues were appreciated and examined by the PCs - particularly the numerous rats, birds, and a mounted knight, his horse rearing up on two legs.  Corvallis examined the stone and determined it to be unnatural and suspicions of Geppetto's wife being a medusa were bandied about (out of Geppetto's earshot, of course).  

After gathering information from Geppetto, the intrepid band set off across the fabled Kingsbridge, an ancient Dwarf-made bridge spanning a deepish gorge, through which the river ran through.  Yelrah and Carwreck ran a footrace to the center of the span, and while catching their breath, they watched as first one, then a second, massive hand pulled an equally massive troll up over the side of the bridge, where it stood - its feet touching either side of bridge - and demanded a toll.

Discussion revealed the troll's name was Bannakaffalatta (because I had watched a Dr. Who Christmas special earlier that day) and it charged a toll to pass, to compensate its civic duty of keeping the bridge repaired.  Carwreck's quick investigation into nearby repairs verified the statement - fine Dwarven architecture, repaired by crude, yet functional, Troll stonework.

Corvallis and Yelrah quickly paid, with Bannakaffalatta swallowing the tolls.  Carwreck balked and spit in Bannakaffalatta's massive hand.  Corvallis's quick wit and silver tongue convinced the Troll that Dwarf spit was good for ashy skin, particularly faces.  This resulted in Carwreck spitting in Corvallis's hands and Corvallis rubbing it all over his face.  Bannakaffalatta grudgingly agreed, slapping Carwreck on his back as a gesture to GTFO the bridge.  This slap sent the Dwarf flying and left him sprawled on the ground.  The others took the hint and convinced Carwreck to take it as well, and they found themselves on the eastern side of Kingsbridge.

The plan involved overnighting at a caravanserai known to be several hours from the bridgehead, but upon arrival, it was apparent that it was no longer occupied.  The holes in the roof, the breaches in the low wall around the caravanserai, and the ashes of a bonfire containing scorched human bones being the main evidence.  Still, they cautiously entered the ruined building, and upon exploration, Yelrah encountered a ghoul feasting on hobgoblin.  Slaying the ghoul, the trio then cleared the rest of the ruins and used debris and an Alarm spell to secure the area somewhat.  

To cap things off, a rusting iron box was found in the well in the basement - containing a permanently waterlogged Cloak of Fire Resistance, an Elven dagger that constantly whispers "Stick me in your enemies!", a handful of water-damaged scrolls and a map, and a sack of coin.  

Then the Alarm spell went off and two more ghouls appeared, being swiftly dealt with by Carwreck and Yelrah.  Luckily for the PCs, the rest of the night passed without issue.  In the morning, multiple sets of naked humanoid prints and large wolf prints were noticed on the ground around the area and heading up the trail to the monastery.

-----

After a cold breakfast, the trio set off, proceeding up the trail, following the tracks in the muddy soil.  Soon, they came to a patch of Berry Bushes - large, ripe, tasty-looking raspberries that were found to be growing well out of season, so they avoided.  Moving ahead, the Warriors Three heard the sound of combat and fanned out to see what or who was fighting.

Caution paid off, and the trio found themselves unnoticed, watching a pitched battle between Ogres and Centaurs.  Joining on the side of the Centaurs, our heroes acquitted themselves well (quite well, actually, even without damage dice cascading too much), quickly vanquishing the Ogres and earning the grudging respect of the Centaurs.

The chief of this band introduced himself as Red Cloud and stated that this was his tribe's land, and that the PCs would be welcome to overnight with them but must leave in the morning.  In addition, he warned the PCs quite clearly about the folly of camping in the dark, alone, under a full moon, in this area.

Taking the hint, our heroes bedded down with the Centaurs, and were awakened in the night by howling and sounds of fighting! (It is important to note that our heroes dined upon roasted Ogre flesh for dinner, much to the disgust of the Centaurs.  This resulted in each player rolling a d10, resulting in Corvallis gaining strength and constitution at the cost of intelligence, wisdom, and charisma, while Yelrah and Carwreck began to transform into Ogres!) 

(DM note - this table was found in The Monster Overhaul, and the reason they eagerly consumed ogre flesh was because of a rumor they heard from Bestial Ecosystems Created by Monstrous Inhabitation - that consuming giant flesh leads to godhood.)

Eagerly joining the fray, the band found themselves battling foul werewolves that healed damage almost immediately!  Still, the lycanthropes were driven off, and one was captured, having its leg broken by a magical weapon (Yelrah's stone blade Stoney).  Interrogation proved fruitful, and the PCs learned that the monks that survived the coming of the Eye of Arik (belonging to Arik of the Hundred Eyes) transformed into werewolves, thirsting for sentient blood and meat.  

Putting the werewolf to the magical sword, our heroes (mostly Corvallis) then managed to insult Red Cloud and his tribe's druid, Eagle Feather, so were banished from the camp - but not without being thanked for their good deed of assisting the tribe.  Fortunately for the PCs, the rest of the night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, the PCs continued towards the monastery, stopping when they came upon a cottage.  Knocking on its door, they met and had tea with the sisters Rosalinda and Rosabella.  As the kettle boiled, the sisters mended the water-stained map that Corvallis carried, and it was revealed to be a decent layout of the monastery.  Over tea, the sisters provided additional information, including the facts that transforming into an ogre can be stopped through doing good deeds and that they would be absolutely delighted to have the head of the Ogre King delivered to them.  

From B5, page 8. Looks like Holloway art.

The sisters sweetened the pot by 'gifting' the PCs with several potions and scrolls, to better ensure their success.  Our heroes readily agreed to getting paid for murder, so they thanked the sisters and off they went.  

Making use of the map and the sisters' advice, the PCs entered the ruins through the cemetery, opting to not explore the mausoleums they passed (sad DM noises were made).  Once inside, the PCs discovered a chasm that periodically spat a geyser, accompanied by gurgling noise and gouts of boiling water.  A clever plan was made involving the timing of the geyser and luring things into or near it.

Moving forward, the suspected lair of the werewolves was found, so the PCs bravely went the other direction, into the buildings proper.  Making use of a potion of invisibility, it was discovered that most of the ogres were asleep, to include the Ogre King.  A plan was hatched involving invisibility, flaming oil, violence, and lots of luck and off the trio went.  

For the most part, everything went according to plan, bringing death and blood to the ogres and only minor injuries to our heroes.  After slaying (and beheading) the Ogre King (I even used Hill Giant stats), the PCs sampled the refreshing fountain in the middle of the ruins.

From B5, page 12

While Corvallis and Carwreck rolled well, Yelrah found himself paralyzed (coupled with levels of exhaustion from raging), and that is where this tale ends.

Smoke is billowing, the sun is setting, the werewolves are howling and prowling about, the Ogre King's head is on a Floating Disk, and the PCs are in a bind.

Will they check their map again for a alternate way out?  If so, will they take it?  Or will they die in the mouths of werewolves?

We should know tomorrow night!

-----

Thus pauseth the tale of the Warriors Three,

In dire circumstances, though they may be.

My cup it is empty, my thirst it does loom,

Whilst noble heroes brace themselves for their doom.

This week we meet again, their fate to decide,

will this noble venture become suicide?

Or instead shall they snatch victory from sure defeat, 

And at the Baron's table surely earn a seat?

The Source of Dungeons

I have far too many RPG-related PDFs, and sometimes, I just start reading one to see what's in it.  Today's reading was this:

So I am reading about establishing dominions in ye olde Companion rules (book 1) and find this bit about magic-users (what earlier editions called wizards) on page 19. 

After the magic-user moves into the tower, a dungeon may be built beneath or near it.  The dungeon is most often constructed by hiring specialists in mining, but can be created magically if the proper spells are known and used.  When one or more levels of the dungeon are completed and thereafter left open, monsters will start to arrive and build lairs.  Shortly thereafter, low-level adventurers may start arriving to seek their fortunes.

First a magic-user builds (or captures) a tower, then they build a dungeon. Creating dungeons is the expectation of land-owning wizards.  The quote speaks of specialists in mining, but if digging dungeons is as commonplace as the above quote suggests, there are likely specialists in dungeon design, architecture, engineering, and building.  

It's likely these specialists are often Dwarves, which in turn helps explain why Dwarves are often so wealthy - wizards pay well for their skills, and the Dwarves deliver.  It is also implied that magic-users choose sites for towers based partially on the ease of building a dungeon - which means specialist surveyors, who again, are likely Dwarves.

If there are specialists in siting and building dungeons, there must be specialists in attracting the right kinds of monsters to lair therein.  Even if many monsters are migratory, various critters have expectations of living.  For example, if a magic-user is hoping for giants, the dungeon halls had best be 20' high and probably as wide.  Maslow teaches us that all creatures need food and shelter, so ready food sources had best be found within or near the dungeon, as well.  

Food sources like rat-on-a-stick franchises, maybe. 

The quote also states that dungeons can be created magically if the proper spells are known and used.  I'd think Wall of Stone, Stone Shape, Disintegrate, Dig, and summoned Earth Elementals would be baseline requirements, but no doubt others would help, as well.

All of this sounds like a hassle and makes me wonder why the magic-user wants such dangerous neighbors (tenants?) so close to home.  

The book tells us why, providing this motivation for magic-users to build dungeons:

Most magic-users with dungeons visit them once each month (or more), gathering any magical treasures that remain.  If too much treasure is taken from the monsters, they will probably move out.  Occasionally, if done quietly and secretly, the magic-user may capture some of the monsters for use in magical research and potion making.  This must be done carefully, lest the remaining monsters be scared away.

It appears that magic-users create dungeons expressly to farm magical items and to have a ready source of experiment-fodder and potion components.  This implies dungeon-digging landed magic-users have a side-hustle brewing potions, making different formulae trade secrets that are no doubt worth killing and dying for.  

-----

All this makes landed magic-users almost ideal patrons, both to the low-level adventurers who plumb their depths, and also mid-level adventurers to help stock their dungeons.   These adventurers may also be the same ones bringing new magic items into the dungeons, as well as a regular customer of the magic-user's potions.

This also suggests that Dwarves may well have a monopoly on dungeons dug by hand, with various clans specializing in different aspects of dungeons.  It also means that veteran adventurers can take advantage of knowing how different clans build things: "this looks like Stonehammer work - which means we need to watch for sliding walls and floor chute traps."

A world built around new dungeons appearing on a semiregular basis allows for an ideal game world - at least for me and my sporadic gaming.  

In light of this, I have some campaign world revising to do.

Magic Item: Dragonseye Amulet

It's Sunday, I performed some minor home repairs, I got to talk with my son, there's a rye and coke on ice, and I'm feeling creative.

-----

A Facebook post asked about a magical item for an 'artificer artillerist.'  That smacks of 5e, but I am firmly entrenched in the idea that all permanent magical items should have some form of drawback.

Still, I thought of this, the Dragonseye Amulet.

The Dragonseye Amulet is noted for its potency, as it allows its wielder to channel primal chaos and draconic magic into their own castings, resulting in spells of greater power than normally possible. Legends say that while it increases the power of spells, channeling this eldritch primordial power leaves its user drained and exhausted - sometimes fatally so.

After all, the Dragonseye Amulet is how Gyges the Faithless leveled the city of Sarnath, La Voisin the Red annihilated the Army of Abramelin, and how Hudolf Ress the Fool brought the caverns of Nemetorszag down upon his head (and the heads of his companions and the combined might of several Underdark kingdoms).  He and his companions were widely known as fools throughout the multiverse, so it was both a fitting and expected end - it being a useful end was entirely accidental. 

Mechanically, this item adds 3d4 dice to whatever spell is cast; the downside being the same amount of temporary Constitution damage is dealt to the user, which can mean possible death.  In my games, at least, this roll is subject to our cascading (or exploding) dice rules, meaning that it can get out of hand quickly.

For example, say your Fireball normally does 6d6 damage.  Utilizing the Dragonseye Amulet lets you roll 3d4 and add that many d6 dice to the damage, which sounds great until the caster using it collapses unconscious.

In addition, in games (like 5e) that care about exhaustion, using the Dragonseye Amulet gives its user two levels of exhaustion.  

Of course, variations abound - half the dice in Con damage and one level of exhaustion may be more than enough to save this device for only the most difficult situations.

-----

Moral of the story - don't ever use Constitution as a dump stat.

Battletech: Mercenaries

MegaMek and MekHQ no longer work on my computer, and I cannot figure out how to make them do so - I guess I keep failing my skill checks.  So I am going for the next best thing.

No, not the other Battletech video games, although they look pretty awesome (they won't work on my computer, either - maybe I need a better computer).

I'm talking about the tabletop RPG version, coexisting as the game Mechwarrior.  While all that's necessary about a Mechwarrior are their piloting and gunnery skills and what kind of 'mech they are in, there are lots of folks that enjoy knowing more. 

This being the case, Mechwarrior exists in several editions, and each edition has its own rules to create a mercenary unit.  

So of course, I want to build one, and will take you through the steps.  

But first, to put us in the right frame of mind, I suggest we listen to this lovely song.

That done, let's create a mercenary unit!

-----

First off is deciding which edition to use.  I own a physical copy of this book, so it's what I am using:

The steps are simple enough:

1. Create a Leader
2. Assemble Founding Members 
3. Open Recruiting and Battlefield Experience
4. Obtain Equipment
5. Buy Dropships/Jumpships
6. Determine Payroll, Support Costs, and Maintenance Requirements
7. Name the Mercenary Command and Establish Standing Funds

-----

1. Create a Leader (pp 136-137)

First up is to determine age, training, and experience of the Commanding Officer.  One thing that hasn't changed over the editions is that Mechwarriors begin training at age 16.  Our leader then received some family training followed by the State Academy, followed by four good terms in his House military. 

This makes him 16+6+12 = 34 years old with +3 friends and +2 unit and +4 influence.  His piloting/gunnery skills are 3/2, making him Elite.

Furthermore, each Commander gets 3 points to spend on Advantages from this list:

For our Commander, I'm thinking he has a Reputation (1pt) as a Bull's-Eye Marksman (1pt), and because of this, he was Knighted (1pt).  

This provides him an additional +3 family, +5 friends, +5 unit, and +2 influence, all for a grand total of +3 family, +8 friends, +7 unit, and +6 influence.  

These modifiers matter because they help determine the Founding Members in step 2.

-----

2. Assemble Founding Members (pp 138-140) 

This part requires the most work, to include creating members in a similar fashion to creating the leader.  All of this is needed to determine the exact number of members the unit starts with.  

First, I roll 3 d6 of different colors and add modifiers.  

The dice spoke, 3+3=6 family, 6+8=14 friends, and 6+7=13 unit.  Cross-checking the chart gets me 2 Family members, 8 Friends, and 35 Unit Members - it's like his entire battalion mustered out with him.  This gives me 45 founding members total. 

Some of these Founding Members can be 'Special Recruits' allowing the Commander to spend Influence, of which we have 6, to bring with him.  These Specials bring Founding Members of their own, so I reckon we should have some.  This leaves the Leader with 42 randomly determined founding members.

Specials that have Advantages cost 2 Influence each, and those without cost 1 Influence each, so I could have 3-6 Specials in this unit.

Special recruits who have been assigned special advantages and subordinate command positions (executive officer, battalion commander, and so on) roll on the Founding Members Table to determine how many additional recruits each character brings into the command.  For all other special recruits, reduce by half the modified roll result before determining the number of new members those characters bring in. (pg 139)

If I want to start with a large unit - and I do - I need to min/max those 6 Influence points for 3 Specials that have Advantages and then make them officers.  This is easy enough, so I create them the same way I created the Commander.

Special 1 (3/2 Elite) - Family Trained, State Academy, State University, 3 tours, Baron Heir, Reputation

    +3 Family, +8 Friend, +4 Unit, +6 Influence

    3 Family, 5 Friend, 7 Unit

Special 2 (3/2 Elite) - Family Trained, Private Academy, 4 tours, Well-Connected (2), Tactical Genius

    +1 Family, +4 Friend, +4 Unit, +5 Influence

    2 Family, 4 Friend, 7 Unit

Special 3 (4/3 Veteran) - Family Trained, State Academy, 3 tours, Maneuvering Ace, Toughness

    +2 Family, +4 Friend, +5 Unit, +3 Influence

    2 Family, 4 Friend, 11 Unit

This brings the grand totals to 9 Family members, 21 Friends, 60 Unit or 90 people.  The rules don't instruct me to take advantage of the Specials' Influence points to generate their own Specials, but I could see that happening - because the rules also don't tell me I can't.  

Let's look at these folks.  Again, I roll 3 d6 of different colors, to determine unit type, unit rating, and unit weight.  I do this 87 times, because 3 of the Leader's people are the Specials. I then add the Leader and the Specials' rating add to the rolls (+2 for Elite, +1 for Veteran).  Let me open Excel and be back in a bit. - because all real games require use of spreadsheets.

Thank God for Excel! 50 Mechwarriors, including the Leader and Specials and 40 other combat units (presumably the family, friends, and unit members aren't maintenance).  I may play a bit fast and loose with what those other units are - I have nothing against combined arms, but my mental fiction doesn't jive with only Combat Arms forming a unit.  

Fifty Mechwarriors (presumably each with a 'mech) is a solid base to work with, even if I decide some are Dispossessed and lack 'mechs of their own - and I may do this to sustain my mental fiction. Since my Specials need to be in the Command structure, I am making them Company Commanders in our 'Mech Battalion.  

Those 50 'mechs are broken down as 15 Light, 16 Medium (1 Special), 10 Heavy (2 Special), 9 Assault (1 Leader).  If 10 of those mechwarriors are Dispossessed, that still leaves me enough 'mechs for a full battalion with a Command Lance.  Tasty.  I'll figure out which specific 'mechs later, using the RATS (free download!) or MUL maintained by Catalyst.

Presuming Combat units, the other 40 are broken down into 18 assorted infantry squads, 6 Aerospace Fighters, and 17 Assorted tanks.

-----

Alternatively, I could read the instructions properly and break the unit into lance-sized elements before rolling. While this may totally change the numbers, I am in a spreadsheet kinda mood, so let's go:

Leader has 42 to account for, which is 11 rolls, needing to recruit 2 members (2 Mechwarriors).

Special 1 has 15 to account for, which is 4 rolls, needing to recruit 1 member (Mechwarrior).

Special 2 has 13 to account for, which is 4 rolls, needing to recruit 3 members (2 Mechwarrior, 1 Pilot).

Special 3 has 17 to account for, which is 5 rolls, needing to recruit 3 members. (2 Mechwarrior, 1 Pilot).

This method netted 15 lances of 'mechs (including the Leader and 3 Specials), 2 infantry platoons, and 8 lances of armor or aerospace wings (the Complementary heading is vague). I think it's safe to say that the 9 members needing recruiting are Mechwarriors or Aerospace pilots.

I gotta say, I rolled up a sweet 'mech unit: those 15 lances consist of 2 Light lances (both Elite), 5 Medium lances (1 Elite), 4 Heavy lances (1 Elite), and 3 Assault Lances.  Non-Elite lances are uniformly Veteran.  All non-'mechs are Regulars. 

Compared to the individual rolls, this rolling by lance gives me a decidedly heavier unit, so I will use these numbers for the rest of the example.

-----

3. Open Recruiting and Battlefield Experience (pp 140-142)

Once founding members are determined, the rest of the unit needs to be hired on or otherwise acquired (I'm a fan of recruiting POWs, myself).  Step 2 shows us we need 6 Veteran Mechwarriors and 2 Regular Aerospace Pilots.

To do this properly, we need to look at each recruiter's influence points, noting that juniors can donate points up the chain at a 2-for-1 deal.  That being the case, each Special will recruit their own.  Each attempt to recruit costs 1 influence point, begins with a target number of 8, and is modified as follows:

Since it's still 3025 for this exercise, we are sticking with Tech Level 1 and no Battlesuit infantry or Clan stuff at all.

Instead of scrolling to the top, here are the Influence point summaries: Leader 6, S1 6, S2 5, S3 3.  So in theory, we can roll 20 times to recruit to our target numbers.  

The pilots require rolls of 11 and 10 to recruit (8 +1 (medium), +2 (pilot), -1 (one level lower) OR -2 (two levels lower)).

S3 Mechwarriors require rolls of 10 to recruit (8 +1 (medium), +1 (Mechwarrior)).  The other Mechwarriors require rolls of 9 to recruit (8 +1 (Mechwarrior), -1 (one level lower), +1 (medium).  

At least these pilots all come with 'mechs and aerospace fighters!

L 1 Regular pilot joins the unit

S1 2 Veteran mechwarriors and a Regular pilot join the unit

S2 1 Veteran mechwarrior joins the unit

S3 blows all three rolls.

Recruiting is tough to do!  Still, we ended with both pilots and 3 mechwarriors, leaving us only 4 'mechs and mechwarriors short.  Technically, we don't really need them, but still.

Now that Open Recruiting is complete, we can move to Battlefield Experience. 

It's a simple enough system.  First the Leader rolls 2d6 to determine mission and result, then subordinate commands (company commanders and at least one armor and one infantry commander) roll 2d6 on the other tables to determine gains and losses.  It is recommended that 'mechs and tanks come and go with personnel.  Each roll takes a game year.  So it is now 3026.

10 is a Garrison/Victory! No personnel losses, but no one increased in skill rating, either.  It beats losing, though!  Presumably the Infantry pulled security, while the Armor supported the 'mechs in the field.

Returning to Outreach after a mission, we are now qualified for step 5 or to repeat this step. 

Let's try for some ships.


-----

4. Obtain Equipment (pp 142-144)

There is lots of math and dice rolling here, as the setting of the book is 3059, so LosTech from the Helm Core and all of the Clan Tech is potentially available to upgrade 'mechs and make everything shoot farther for more damage while costing more C-Bills.  Despite this, I will be using 3025 sensibilities and options, so am skipping this Step.

-----

5. Buy Dropships/Jumpships (pp 144-145)

Mercs without their own means of travel are mercs that die in place when a mission goes sideways.  As it appears we are nearly a full battalion of 'mechs, we need either one Overlord or a trio of Unions or some other combination to carry us all.

This is another place where Influence points matter.  So instead of recruiting anyone, we instead try for one dropship or jumpship.

Leader and Specials have 20 Influence points between them, so in theory we've enough for a ship.  Then again, this part forces the transfer of points at the 2-for-1 rate, so presuming 14 Influence are sent to the Leader, that gives the Leader 7 points to go with his base 6, for 13 Influence total.  

As a bonus, the advantages of Titles, Reputation, and being Well-Connected give bonuses.  Among my four I spent 7 points on such things, for the maximum bonus of -7 on the target roll to acquire a dropship.

There's a large chart listing available dropships as of 3059, but all I need to know are a handful and their unupgraded target numbers.

Union  --  10 or 3 after my -7 bonus

Overlord  --  12 or 5 after my -7 bonus

Well, go big or go home.  Let's beat a 5 ... 9.  The Overlord is ours.  Technically, it belongs to its ships captain because I didn't roll high enough, but that is quibbling.

At the end of the Buy Dropship section it tells us we can get a FREE roll for a Dropship if we didn't try for Dropships/Jumpships at all.  The cost is that base target numbers are at +2, so that Overlord would have a target number of 7 and the Union a 5.  

Jumpships are different, though, and require 3 cycles (3 game years) to find and acquire and maybe miss the die roll.  So we'll skip this for now.

In a pinch, transportation can be negotiated as part of a contract or can be hired out of the war chest.  It ain't cheap, though.  This sample unit would cost almost 1,000,000 C-Bills to carry to one planet - which doesn't even look at jumpship rentals!  Luckily, we have an Overlord in our employ (more to add to salaries and maintenance!) so costs are greatly reduced.  

-----

6. Determine Payroll, Support Costs, and Maintenance Requirements (pp 146-147)

Mercenaries aren't in this business just to die from poor, so these are current going rates.

My notes spreadsheet has a new page for salaries.  Too bad I now need to determine the precise make up of our supporting Armor units to determine how many crew members I have to pay.  The formula is tonnage of the vehicle divided by 15, rounding up.  So a 30-ton tank has two crew members, while an 80-ton tank has 6 crew members.  

Salaries for support staff aren't covered in this chart, but I know quality technicians cost.  They get a separate chart - and Elite 'mech techs have a higher salary than Regular Mechwarriors.  The numbers in parentheses are for techs that fix tanks and other non-mech, non-aerospace fighters.  

The six regular pilots cost 19,500 x 1 each year, for 117,000 C-Bills.  The mechwarriors are gonna be expensive.

4 Lances of Elite Mechwarriors are 16 +3 for specials and leader, 10 lances of Veteran Mechwarriors is 40 +1 leader -4 for missing people is 37.  In annual salaries, that is 1,111,500 + 1,443,000 = 2,554,500  C-Bills per year, just for the mechwarriors.  

Presuming at least one tech per lance, I need at least 25 various techs on staff, mostly 'mech techs.  That's probably another 500,000 or so C-Bills per year.  The book refers me to pg 157 if I want to hire additional techs on an hourly basis. 

Side note - this is why I find it useful to have mechwarriors and tankers who can perform at least basic maintenance on their vehicles.  The mechwarriors won't all be able to, but tankers should have at least one person per vehicle crew who can pull -10 or -20 level maintenance.  If the US Military of 2023 can manage it, the future tankers 1,000 years from now can as well.  Yes, this skews salaries upwards.

This doesn't bring medical and admin and dropship crews into account.  Luckily, there's a chart for that.

So it looks like this unit would need nearly 5 million C-Bills in salaries each year, conveniently broken down into biweekly payments.  

This is before costs of parts and maintenance is taken into account.   Again, a handy chart.

I don't want to calculate man-hours, so will just stick with baseline maintenance costs.  

56 'mechs (I still need to recruit 4 more... or do I) x 150 = 8,400 C-Bills every two weeks, 6 aerospace fighters is 750 C-Bills, 2 infantry platoons is 100 C-Bills, and 20 ground vehicles is 1,000 C-Bills.  So 10,250 C-Bills every two weeks or 266,500 C-Bills each year.  

Parts, repairs, and inevitable replacements are not (yet) accounted for.

-----

7. Name the Mercenary Command and Establish Standing Funds (pp 147-148)

Naming is easy - incorporate the Commander's name and make it alliterative.  Probably.

Standing Funds, or the War Chest, uses this formula and the following chart: 

(Number of Combat Companies) x 10,000 C-Bills x War Chest Multiplier

Combat Companies... 3 'Mech Companies (1 Elite, 2 Veteran), 2 Armor Companies (Regular), and 1 Infantry Company (Regular).  So 6 combat companies averaging Veteran is 120,000 C-Bills.

All things considered, the War Chest contents aren't enough to cover much of anything - not even a month's salaries for the unit, let alone maintenance costs.   Which is why we fight for pay - bills won't pay themselves!

-----

Overall, the smart thing to do would be to pare the unit down to a trim 36-mech battalion with its own techs and one (or both) infantry platoon to pull security around our repair bays and supply depots.  

Even in the future, logistics are what win the wars!

Magic Item: Hag-Soap

How the PCs gain the Hag-Soap varies.  Sometimes they loot it from huts and lairs, and other times they trade for it.  On rare occasions it is offered as a gift.

In all cases, it is a bar of soap crafted by a Hag of one sort or another, and only a desperate fool would bathe with it.  As it happens, the phrase desperate fool is often synonymous with the word PC.

1. Disguise - washing with this soap causes the bather's skin to slough away, revealing skin of a far different color (and perhaps patterned or plaid, as well).
2. Curing - the bather has all of their current diseases and curses washed away.
3. Youth - the years are literally washed away from the bather, to the tune of 3d4 per wash - if the bather loses too many years, they dissolve into egg and sperm.
4. Revival - washing a dead thing with this soap restores it to life, Pet Sematary style.  
5. Cleansing - the soap washes away all impurities - scars, birthmarks, tattoos, moles, skin tags, anything asymmetric about the person.  These impurities later rise as a twisted clone of the bather, hellbent on destroying the bather's reputation and then the bather themselves.
6. Magic - the lather of this soap is full of latent possibilities.  When the last of it is rinsed away, the bather can now work magic - just not well or any degree of control.  In fact, all spells cast by or in the presence of the caster force a roll on a wild magic surge table.  If 5e is your jam, its a free level in wild magic sorcerer.
7. Power - this soap transforms the bather into a powerful werewolf.  Of course, when the change comes over the bather, they become a temporary NPC and their player rolls on this table to see what they get up to.  
8. Charming - the bather using this soap is utterly vulnerable to charm effects, getting no saving throw at all for the next 24 hours.  This soap also has the best smell, so is popular among the more insidious crowd.

-----

The real question is what becomes of that which is washed away: the skin, the curses, the disease, the death, the normalcy.  If bathing in a tub, and the tub water is drained or thrown out, wherever it lands tends to kill the plant and insect life immediately (a hint) and that area may become a small wild magic zone.

If bathing in a stream or under a small waterfall, the runoff heads downstream, wreaking havoc as it goes.  The worst is when it is a curse that is washed away, as all sorts of creatures end up with it, although diseases that are washed away are almost as bad.

Note that if any of these soaps are bargained for from a Hag, the Hag is likely to recommend bathing in a nearby stream 'as part of the magic' to ensure later chaos.  

Local druids, fey, and other sylvan creatures are likely to become irate with whomever left their waste behind like this.  

A secondary question is what materials go into these soaps.  None of it is wholesome, but it explains what happens to the people the Hags kidnap.

DnDnDiversity

I may have ADHD.  I'm not officially diagnosed - yet - but several people I work with are and as my behaviors are their behaviors, we all agree that we know the answer to the inevitable testing I'll undergo.  

With that in mind, I have been watching videos to see how ADHD and RPGs overlaps, both for selfish reasons and to be able to tell others that may ask - and on FB, someone is often asking.

So here is a short collection of videos on how to run a game either for players with disabilities or as a Game Master with a disability.  

As an added bonus, several of these videos are from channels that are full of useful information, so everyone wins!

A Collection of Magic Rings

I was going through some of my gaming stuff and found a sheet of paper listing several magic rings which had been recovered from a hoard of crawling claws.  The notes indicate which of the PCs ended up with which rings, but I don't recall seeing any of them used.  Perhaps they will find a home in your game.

Source is not me.

I do not know if I came up with these myself or if they are from some other blog.  If the latter, I would guess d4 Caltrops.  A quick browsing suggests otherwise.  Maybe I tapped into the greater cleverness that directs magic item creation for these games we play.

-----

A silver band with large pearl that kinda looks like an eye.  Eyeball gem can detach, as a rolling Wizard's Eye.  Radiates Divination magic.

A ring of polished silver that glints in bright light.  Wearer's appearance is altered favorably in twilight.  Radiates Illusion magic.

Made of intertwined gold and silver bands, with a scowling face on it.  Causes the wearer to sneeze in the presence of true dragons.  Radiates Divination and Transmutation magic.

A warm gold band, both in color and temperature.  Magical flame heals wearer instead of harms; magical flame cast by wearer ALSO heals.  Radiates Transmutation magic.

A simple wooden ring, made of polished oak.  Wearer can converse with Plant-based monsters (slips into trance, uses weird telepathy, turns all hair a vibrant green that sprouts small white flowers in the spring).  Radiates Divination magic.

This ring is a hard, lightweight material (plastic).  Children are unable to tell falsehoods to the wearer.  Radiates Enchantment magic.

Verdigrised copper band, that feels cool and damp.  Wearer is kept dry even in the fiercest rainstorm.  Radiates Abjuration magic.

This tarnished silver ring is greasy to the touch.  Its wearer is invisible to Shadow.  Radiates Illusion magic.

This ring in made of polished bone and loudly goes 'snicker-snack' when giants are near.  Radiates Divination magic.

-----

That's it.  If any of these came from your blog, please let me know so I can properly credit you.

Copying Books In-Game

A Facebook discussion inspired this post.  As such, it is not play-tested, but looks to be entertaining.

Sometimes, a PC wants to make a copy of a discovered or purchased book, and instead of hiring an expert, they want to copy the book themselves.  Which is fine, albeit not what I consider adventurous.  

Those of us that have copied lots of pages by hand can tell you, it is a tedious task, at best - the anathema of adventure, really.  DnDish styled games set in a pseudo-Medieval European setting would only have a more difficult time, as this article about Medieval Manuscripts (complete with a video) shows.  Go watch that video!

Still, while copying a text could be folded under Downtime Activities, abstractly trading gold and time for a perfect copy, it may be more fun and gamelike to create a table to determine just how accurate the new copy is. I say may, but truly believe it is.

Note that according to Wikipedia (I know...)

Scribes were only able to work in daylight, due to the expense of candles and rather poor lighting they provided, monastic scribes were still able to produce three to four pages of work per day.  The average scribe could copy two books per year. They were expected to make at least one mistake per page.

Emphasis is mine.  Mistakes are expected and the whole process is slow in the best of conditions.  

(Story time - in the Army, I was on operations staff, and several of us were in tasked to make multiple copies - by hand - of map overlays.  Due to the amount needed, bad handwriting and tools, and time crunch, no two overlays were exactly the same and the latter ones included names not in the actual orders, as hurried T's became C's and worse.  Anecdotal, but it happens.)

Involving magic sounds like a plan, but my casual search reveals that the only spells involving copying are for copying spells into spellbooks, not pages of mundane information.  Interesting.  

Time for an enterprising wizard to develop a spell (leading to magic items) that can scribe quickly and efficiently.  Because burning a wish seems a bit ... much.  

That said, such items can probably be found in a GURPS or Ars Magica supplement.  Or perhaps in an indie game - GLOG, maybe.  Any readers wanna point me in the right direction?

-----

Anyhow, roll percentile dice and apply bonuses and maluses based on the below chart.  The final number is how accurate the new copy is.  If you have chart additions, let me know in the comments.

Mistakes can range from terrible grammar and vocabulary all the way to entirely different outcomes, depending on how bad the mistakes are.  Copying a book of True Names and getting some wrong will get someone killed, or worse.

So have fun with the results of the bad copy.

-----

In the name of research, I looked at how Ars Magica and Call of Cthulhu handles copying books.  I chose these games, because books are part of gameplay in both systems.

Ars Magica - For those familiar with its rules, AM has some in-depth rules on writing books.  In addition, its Covenants book provides even more rules for book-crafting, as well as implied magical items, called resonances, for use when scribing books: inkwells, quills, inks, and such.  These resonances might count as masterwork items in the above table, or as pertinent magic items - its a player-GM discussion.

As found on page 87 of Covenants

As an aside, if you're planning to run a game based around a mages' guild or college or the like, pick up a copy of Covenants, even if you have no intention of using Ars Magica as your ruleset.  It is that inspirational; the base Ars Magica 5e - and lots of the sourcebooks, regardless of edition - are as well.

Call of Cthulhu doesn't seem to have any hard and fast rules about writing books.  Reading them, yes - based on languages known and loss of sanity.  Nothing about writing or copying them, though.

Spending Gold the Fun Way

Most DnDish games end the same: PCs have more money than they know what to do with.  

Even in games that don't use 1gp = 1xp, the PCs don't know what to spend things on, and DMs don't know what to offer up as options.  

Yes, in some campaigns, magic items can be purchased, but not all DMs provide that option.  

I know this because I spend too much time on Facebook, and this 'what to buy' issue pops up every week or two, so now I will have a solid answer that only requires a link, instead of lots of typing.

Treasure Trove, by Brian Despain

-----

I don't much consider which rulesets these various posts are aimed at, because it all works out the same - fun ways for players to make their PCs go broke. Note that some of these demand DMs that are willing to let PC actions affect the gameworld that the DM has constructed. 

Medieval Melodies addresses The Gold Problem in 5e. Flute's Loot goes in-depth, citing rules in published 5e books (mostly PHB and DMG) to support his recommendations.

World Builders Blog provides lists of items with prices attached.

Everyone's favorite cartographer has a list on his blog of items that have been purchased in his games.

RPG Stack Exchange has a great discussion on options for your gold.

The granddaddy of all carousing tables at Jeff's Gameblog converts gp into xp, and sometimes trouble.

Goblin Punch provides Bardic Services, which include letting the players design the next dungeon they explore.

Coins and Scrolls talks about Building Castles through stripping cleared dungeons of dressed stone - both of which are expensive enterprises.

Papers and Pencils goes in depth on Investments, Citadels, and Domains, all of which provide more interesting options than just buying another +1 sword.

The Things We Do for XP has a four-part series of posts addressing spending: Existing Options, Positions in Society, Places to Live, and Places to Increase Spellcasting.  The beauty of these posts are that they include links to related topics on others' blogs, providing a DM with more ideas.

-----

This is a sampling of what is out there, and I haven't even dipped into the growing resources on YouTube.

If after all this, there is still too much gold in your games, I don't know what to tell you, besides Good Luck!

Green Dawn Mall

On a whim and solid sales pitch, I bought Green Dawn Mall from Indie Press Revolution.

 

Reading through the thin tome (88 pages of text and some interior character sheets), I am fascinated by how it captures all the strangeness of S.L. Grey's The Mall, the Backrooms, and SCP-3008 and jams it together in a playable format.

I'm even more excited that I may actually get to play Green Dawn Mall, as I have a teen at home with a gaming persuasion, and several friends of the same persuasion.

This isn't a play-test review, as that will hopefully come later, but a quick overview of what promises to be a fun series of one-shot games.

PCs are modern-day teens trapped in an everlasting '80s shopping mall, the titular Green Dawn Mall.  The various stores play into this, going so far as to state that The Magic Eye Store (pg 47) is the only place that 'PCs can hope to get a signal on their cell phones.  They cannot call out, but who knows 'what temporal anomalies can happen there...'

These PCs are there to find a lost Friend, who disappeared looking for something 'special.'

From there, random tables are used to determine stores, oddities of them, and then - perhaps - escape.

It gives off Gardens of Ynn and Stygian Library vibes, with the way they randomly determine what area is encountered next.  A depth-crawl, I think its called.

All-in-all, the potential for fun is a hoot. 

It ain't all that much, so if you've the funds, give it a buy.

Balefire, Sentient Sword

I have many, far too many, unfinished posts.  Here is one of them - if it ends up in your game, let me know!

-----

Most DnDish campaigns make use of magical items, so here is one you're welcome to use in your campaign.

Balefire is a ancient blade that has appeared time and again throughout history, always in the hands of a tyrannical warlord leading an army of the damned.  Eventually, champions arise who put the tyrant down and the threat is gone until the next would-be emperor arises.

This is because the spirit bound to Balefire is an ancient lich-king who failed in making the sword its phylactery, instead making it his eternal prison.  When not in active use, it waits patiently for the next fool to take hold of it, and then Balefire's reign of terror begins anew.

Balefire is sentient bastard sword that does not normally speak aloud - it is perfectly capable of speech, but prefers to use telepathy with its wielder and appear in dreams in whatever form the lich inside thinks will work best to persuade the wielder to continue the cyclical rampage that the sword causes.

-----

sword by GrimAngel on DeviantArt

Mechanically, Balefire is a flaming bastard sword, whose flames burn an ugly green and purple.  In addition to fire damage on the initial strike, the flames continue to burn the target, dealing a bit of fire damage, but more importantly, the fire burns the essence of the target, dealing temporary Constitution and Charisma damage.  Balefire is very much Lawful Evil, to the point where nonaligned - especially Chaotic Good - sorts experience these flames just by drawing the sword from its scabbard.

Sentient beings slain by Balefire rise under the sword's - NOT the wielder's - control.  Often, blade and wielder goals align, so it amounts to the same thing, especially if the wielder is chasing dreams of empire.  

Dreams implanted and reinforced by the spirit within Balefire, itself.

On occasion, the spirit within enjoys the irony of being trapped in a bastard sword.

The lich inhabiting Balefire has a full complement of spells - the wielder cannot cast these spells, but can bargain for help.  At times, Balefire casts spells of its own accord, for its own inscrutable reasons.

In addition to its offensive capabilities, Balefire heals after a fashion - with every sentient being slain with Balefire, the wielder gains half its hit points back or has a disease or condition cured.  This healing has the side effect of granting virtual immortality to its wielder.  As such, the best way to kill the wielder involves disarming the wielder and keeping the blade out of anyone else's hands - a challenge when undead under the sword's command are actively trying to rearm the wielder. 

Still, heroes arise and the sword disappears from history for a century or two.  

True heroes would destroy the blade, but to date, no one has learned how.

Perhaps your PCs will be the ones to do so.

Survivors of the Deeps

As posited in my initial post about my #Dungeon23, the main (known) entrance to Askorun opens but once every 50 years, remains open for a year and a day, then close for 50 years.

Anyone trapped inside is out of luck, and over the centuries, no mortal magic or stratagem has kept the doors open longer, nor managed to force them open.   Wizards have been able to Dimension Door and Teleport out, but if anyone has done so to enter the dungeon, they didn't survive to brag of it.

This post is about these survivors.

-----

Most survivors are individuals or pairs, although a dwindling company of Dwarves have established a defensible position on the third level, sending out sorties to gather ever more loot.  The problem that these survivors face is that many of them no longer want to return to the surface.

Initially, they did, but with every sleep, the Dungeon whispers to them, entices them, changes them.  While they still recall the surface, many now prefer the Dungeon.  

Frankly, they're all a bit mad, now.   Mad and pale white from lack of sunlight.

Not Derro level mad - at least not yet - but approaching it.  

Especially that human that just can't die.  That poor, poor bastard.  

-----

Above I mentioned a human that cannot die.  

Augur il-Vec by Daren Bader

Once he was a cleric.  A cleric with a name.  None of this he remembers, although he sometimes cries when he looks at the holy tattoos on his arms.  

He came below with a group of stalwart companions and was quite literally cursed to be the last of them.  In a sack he carries the skulls of his former comrades, and in more lucid moments, pulls them out and talks to them.  

Mostly though, he wanders and as needed he talks and fights, and when at death's door, he fades away, returning later.  He never hungers or tires, though, because of the Ring of Sustenance and Regeneration (and immunity to permanent death) he wears on his right hand. 

50+ years of sleep deprivation have taken their toll.  Yet if calmly approached and spoken to, he may provide some useful information before starting to rave and wandering off or attacking the PCs as he hallucinates.

To end the curse, he and his fellows (their skulls, at least) must be buried in hallowed ground - and the Ring must be buried there, too.  At that point, his spirit appears and thanks whomever buried him. 

-----

Next is the Dwarven enclave.  Staying below was always the goal of this company.  Initially, the Company of the Axe was a full 27 strong - 20 Dwarves and 7 Gnomes, plus a train of packmules.  In the last 50 years, their size has been reduced to 12 Dwarves and 3 Gnomes, but these 15 still pursue the goal of accumulating the vast wealth of Askorun, but now they plan to keep it here.

Balthor the Stout by Ron Spears

They are led by the Dwarf Oskar Gem-eyes, a noble and a capable warrior with eyes that glitter like the sapphires they are (these sapphire eyes allow Detect Magic, See Invisible, and True Seeing - all of this has a negative effect on his mind).  The Company of the Axe has an arrangement with clanmates that will meet them when the doors to Askorun once again open.  Those on the surface may be shocked at the change in their dungeon-dwelling clanmates - but being Dwarves, they won't show or discuss it publicly.

The key to these survivors' success was preparation.  While the natural food and drink they brought with them (and the mules that carried it all) has long ago been consumed, they have several magical items that they guard with their lives. 

Horn of Plenty - this large wicker cornucopia provides enough fruit and vegetables to feed twenty every morning.

Mug of Many Meads - a large mug that holds a liter of liquid and can fill itself with the best mead one will ever taste 5 times per day.  A full mug is used as a reward to those members of the company that have done something of merit - otherwise it is divided up among smaller cups.

Long Pig - recovered from the hoard of the venerable Behir Azzuzir (from the Night Below box set), this item looks like a 4-inch long ceramic pig.  

Once every five days, on command, it creates a roasted pig (reasonably small, but agreeably filled with chestnut stuffing!) to appear nearby, providing enough food for up to 20 people.

Decanter of Endless Water - as per the DMG; when not filling the pool the Company has constructed, it is used as a defensive weapon, knocking attackers back and prone.

Cauldron of Iron Stomachs - this large black cast iron cauldron is etched with a variety of arcane runes.  It heats and cools upon command - no fire needed.  It stands nearly 4 feet tall and is a good 4 feet across (the mule that carried it in was the first stew cooked in it).  

The survivors have been surviving on perpetual stew - they won't eat their fallen comrades, but anything living they kill ends up in the Cauldron - meat makes the vegetables taste better. 

Being Dwarves, there are multiple stone, spear, and crossbow-based traps and defensive positions near all the entrances to their redoubt - a redoubt clearly marked with Dwarven runes and the skulls of pigs and mules (and other things they've killed).   They have established a neutral meeting place where other dungeon denizens can trade gold and information for food.  

This neutral place is where the PCs are most likely to encounter them in a safe fashion.  Once these survivors encounter surface-worlders, they trade information for surface foodstuffs (especially bread, beer, beef, salt, and spices - although the Gnomes wouldn't mind some tea) and tobacco.  They will pay for it, but would prefer to pay with information rather than their precious gold.

-----

One individual survivor is an Elf wizard who calls herself Newra the Learner.  Those that learn her True Name can compel her to divulge all sorts of information.

Belbe, Corrupted Observer by Igor Kieryluk

Newra has been in the depths for two cycles now, puzzling over how to get past the permanent Prismatic Sphere that is keeping something well secured.  Through the translucent glittering lights of the sphere, she can make out a table or workbench with smaller items upon it, and a pair of large chests flanking it.  On a few occasions, she has seen a figure moving about inside the sphere, but how it comes and goes she has no clue.

What she does know is that this Prismatic Sphere is a nasty variant of the traditional spell, as the normal counters to the layers fail to work.  She has worked out how to get past the first two layers through trial and error, but is seeking more spells (and guinea pigs) to test her theories with.  

Newra craves more spells most of all - perhaps a spell the PCs know can break past the third layer.  If she cannot trade for them, she will take them by force.  

Her collection of undead servitors (many of which are spell-stitched former adventurers) keep lesser threats at bay, and her collection of spellbooks (taken from uncooperative wizards) rivals that of established archmages on the surface.

Newra is willing to trade information (and maybe spells) for wine and spices and fresh food.  Her sole source of sustenance is a Spoon of Murlynd, which works, but the blandness of the food it creates is much of the reason she is angry all the time.

-----

Another pair of Elves lurk near the main entrance.  Brioc carries Cynhafel on her back, because Cynhafel lost both legs two decades ago.  

This has had the side effect of them being difficult to surprise and impossible to flank.  This means that the Meazels have yet to destroy them - they still harry the poor Elves, though.

Their proximity to the surface has made them less mad than most, with Brioc being the most sane of all the survivors.  Which is good for Cynhafel, because he has entirely become a creature of the dungeon.

They have been living on water from the entrance pool and have become adept at trapping vermin.

Honestly, Brioc will be content to die under sunlight, preferably after returning Cynhafel to their home far from Askorun.  

Cynhafel wields a pair of Katars that glow in the darkness, while Brioc wields a short spear.

-----

A lone Gnome named Kharagosa has found a hiding place on the fourth level.

Deep Gnome Terramancer by David Sladek

This Gnome mageling gets by on honey and beer from his Alchemy Jug, supplemented by whatever he can catch with his Sleep spell, which is mostly rats and other vermin.  

It's a miserable life, but at least he's alive.  

He will gladly give up the Alchemy Jug as a reward to those that escort him to the surface.  

Of course, the escorts may find that Kharagosa heads right back in.

Kharagosa knows that Askorun is a sentient, malevolent being because one item that Kharagosa does not willingly part with is an Amulet of Stonespeak.  

The Amulet of Stonespeak allows its attuned wearer to communicate with the very stones.  The only stones Kharagosa has had access to are those of Askorun, whose thoughts have twisted Kharagosa's view on many things, but does allow Kharagosa to function as an oracle of sorts, because Askorun has had centuries of things to talk about and no one but Kharagosa to tell.  

Kharagosa's only saving grace is that the Amulet doesn't function 24/7, but needs to recharge regularly by being placed in a pot or bucket of earth (although burying it underground works).  Ideally, the pot or bucket is warded to prevent a gate to the plane of Elemental Earth from opening - there are no such wards if the Amulet is buried in the ground.  Submerging the Amulet in water renders it dormant.

Naturally, Kharagosa owns such a warded container of earth - it being how he discovered the Amulet decades ago.  

Incidentally, the Amulet of Stonespeak also allows its wearer to communicate and command Earth Elementals, but Askorun has successfully kept Kharagosa from learning this aspect of the Amulet.

-----

Often survivors become undead - surviving after a fashion, but not really.  Mostly, they become ghouls after being forced to cannibalism in the dark, but other types of undead are certainly possible.  

Balthor the Defiled by Carl Critchlow

As such, these individual undead can be found anywhere.  If incorporeal, their remains are no doubt nearby, forever waiting to be properly buried. 

But the corporeal undead just skulk and stumble about, waiting to bring the hated living to ruin.

Frankly, it's a miracle that Askorun isn't crawling with undead.  Perhaps with time, it will.

Until then, wise adventuring companies have clerics among them.

And wise DMs have a random encounter table featuring an Undead subtable.

-----

There may be some foolhardy sorts that intend to stick around in the depths.  The smart ones outfit themselves with magic items that are variations on the Create Food and Water spell.  Items such as these are worth their weight in platinum to these mortals.  

As the survivors demonstrate, this doesn't help that much, but it's a start.