Very, Very Late — Secret Santicorn 2023: Domain Play

This is a bit later than I would have liked it to be originally, but life got in the way. Regardless, it's here now for dianerds over at the OSR discord server. I was specifically asked to come up with "Systems for homesteading, for letting players sow and reap the land in a variety of ways, for building strongholds and for watching communities grow." 

Now this is very, very late. Sorry about that. BUT, without further ado...

Homesteading

Maybe your PCs want to settle down and retire, have been gifted land for their deeds, or are moving into an abandoned structure. They WILL want to improve it, by some measure.

"Local Bonuses" Applies to Saving Throws made within the domain of a Homestead.

Here's a brief description of each of the Homestead qualities:

• Destitute - Little more than a camp, or roofless ruin. The surrounding area is entirely wild or inhospitable. There's no agriculture, trade, or services available here.
• Poor - A single small house or farmstead. Subsistence farming, with just enough to squirrel some money and resources away. No true services, but resource collection is possible.
• Fair - Small farming community or trading post. Infrequent travelers and traders. One or two specialized services such as a blacksmith or stable. Produces or trades enough resources to maintain a comfortable larder.
• Good - As Fair, but has walls and dedicated security. Active, frequent trade routes with potentially dozens of non-permanent residents.
• Flourishing - As Good, but growing into a fully-fledged town. Numerous permanent structures, businesses, and housing. This will attract attention, whether good, or bad.

Roll on the "Monthly Event" Table each month to determine what happens to the Homestead. This event doesn't need to take place immediately, just over the course of the month.

For the random encounters, I suggest something like the "Wilderness Hexes" by d4caltrops. It provides a good set of hooks for the area surrounding the Homestead. There are a ton of resources available for this and I always find it's a good opportunity to crack open one of the books I have sitting on my shelf.

• Squatters - Unwanted, potentially belligerent beings have moved into the camp. 1-in-6 they are hostile, 2-in-6 they flee while trying to steal from the camp. They will be back multiple times and seem willing to negotiate.
• Animal Attack - A predatory, or perhaps just territorial creature has made its presence known. If left alone, it will eat food or accidentally destroy equipment. 1-in-6 chance each encounter it is violent. Maybe there's some way to help it.
• Expansion Proposal - 1-6 chance for an investor to offer 75% of the funds needed to Advance in exchange for a favor at a later date (50% chance they're a devil in disguise). 2-in-6 chance of a quest worth 25% the necessary funds to Advance upon completion. 3-in-6 chance of discovering a new resource to exploit, such as minerals, crops, fur, rare herbs, marble, or timber.
• Tax Collector - Somehow, the tax collectors have found out you exist. They will present legitimate documents demanding 10% of what it cost to advance to that tier, minimum of 10 gold. 25% chance any given tax collector is open to bribery. Failure to pay taxes in money or goods may result in attempted arrest.
• Wandering Trader - Roll on a random treasure table 5 times. 4 items are 110% base price, and the 5th is marked down to 80% base price. No haggling, trades accepted.
• Unusual Harvest - 2-in-6 chance the harvest of a random natural resource is tripled. 2-in-6 chance it is halved. 2-in-6 chance it is stolen or otherwise hindered from being collected.
• Notable Resident - Either a high-level fighter, cleric, magic user, or craftsperson, nobility, or infamous criminal moves in. 1-6 chance for each.
• Raid! - A fighting force with 1d6 times as many combatants as the Homestead (including the party) attempts to raid the Homestead. They will not fight to the death and will not harm anyone who surrenders, but will harm or kill those who resist. Their goal is to steal and ransack as much as they can in 1d6 x 10 minutes before fleeing back to where they came. If their leader is captured or killed, they will retreat. If enough damage is done, the GM may decide that the Homestead becomes Good (or worse) rather than Flourishing.

Wagon Accessories

What do American pioneers and adventurers have in common? Not very much space to live while on the road. That is to say, they all have some form of mobile storage that often serves double duty as a place to sleep at night. Wagons are a staple of fantasy and adventure, and I have sadly not played in or ran a game where they were vital to the characters involved. This is changing with my continued playtest of Beyond the Veil (which has changed so much from what's on the blog that I ought to do a whole writeup about that!) reaching the point that soon, the parties involved will need not one, but two wagons to carry their provisions and supplies... not to mention their loot.

I was going to be adding this to the playtest originally, but decided I might as well throw it up for the world to see as well, since I haven't posted in a while and it is about time to get back on the metaphorical horse.

"Raiding the Wagons" by Ryan Pancoast

Onto Business

A person has 10 storage slots. Size 3 carts have 9 storage slots and can be pushed by hand. Size 4 wagons have 16 storage slots and require a mule or similar animal. Size 5 wagons have 25 storage slots and require a pair of workhorses or oxen.

Naturally, these animals require food, which takes up space on the wagon. Given most parties are 3-5 people strong, and that food for one person takes up a whole storage slot (animal feed is 5 days per slot), a five day journey into the wilderness takes 16-26 slots if everyone wants to eat every day, and that is just food! Needless to say, I can foresee my players wanting to solve this logistics issue by  buying a second cart and mule just to haul food, or buying smaller storage items (that hold more than they take up in slots) into wagons, which is fine and dandy. 

But, I ask myself, what if they have something else to tempt themselves with putting on their wagon?

Wagon Addons

Addon	Size Taken	Description
Artillery	6	Shipborne weaponry is just as useful on land. A heavy ballista or cannon securely mounted to the bed of the wagon.
Bunks	3	An integrated straw-filled sleeping pad that folds up in the side of the wagon. Each bed has a thin cloth cover to keep the bugs off at night.
Cargo Cover	1	A framed cover stretched across with canvas to keep the sun and rain off your precious cargo in transit.
Chalkboard	1	A hinged chalkboard mounted to the exterior of the wagon, useful for planning, chores assignment, and leaving cryptic messages.
Chicken Coop	2	Chickens lay an egg every day in the spring and summer, and make for excellent soup or alarms in the colder months. Each coop can house two birds.
Exterior Rack	+1	Extra storage is always in high demand. A wagon can have exterior storage installed up to its Size.
Floats	Size of Wagon	Cork-filled barrels mounted carefully around the exterior of the wagon keep the vessel from sinking in rivers or ponds.
Integrated Chest	+2	A chest beneath the seat of the wagon offers a handy place to keep an emergency blunderbuss. This can only be taken once per wagon.
Kitchen	5	Includes a wash basin, slate countertop, small iron stove, a pot, and a set of knives.
Lantern Sconces	0	Exterior mounted sconces on the sides of the wagon ensure that no grue nor bandit can approach unannounced.
Library	3	Integrated shelving can hold up to 50 tomes, manuals, scrolls or other pieces of literature, protecting them from the elements.
Dovecote	2	A messenger pigeon can be the difference between life and death in the wilderness. This can house three such pigeons.
Pipe Organ	10	Serves as entertainment, a distraction, or attractor.
Prisoner Cage	5	Wrought-iron bars and a heavy-duty lock keep up to three bounty targets safely contained until delivered to the appropriate authorities.
Rainwater Collector	4	Drinkable water can be hard to find in the wilds, let alone enough to slake the thirst of adventurers and their animal companions. A day of rain will fill the barrel, substituting a meal in dire straits.
Religious Altar	1	Whether you worship the sun, the Weaver, or your ancestors, you find solace in this idol.
Secret Compartment	Size of Compartment	Taxes really are the worst. Sneak fine liquors and other things into and out of cities with a false-bottomed wagon. The ruse will be revealed only under prolonged scrutiny.
Shop Stall	7	A series of fold-out benchtops and shutters. Fully walls the wagon off, adds a shingled roof, exterior locking door, and includes a chalkboard.
Silver Inlay	0	Anti-magic engravings integrated into the frame of the wagon keeps your mobile home from being suddenly dissolved, splintered, or otherwise magically altered.
Snow Runners	4	When winter hits and the snow begins to pile high, wheels   become ineffective. Swap them out for runners to avoid delays in travel and keep your wagon above the snowline.
Spare Wheel	1	Sometimes wheels break, it’s always good to have a few spares.
Spring Assist	6	Should a wagon become swamped or otherwise stuck, it can be a deadly endeavor trying to free it. Passively wound using the latest technology, these spring-loaded arms can be discharged to correct your vehicle in a pinch. Recharges after traveling 50 miles.
Stilts	4	Heavy winds, and flash-flooding are excellent examples of scenarios where one might wish their wagon was bolted to the ground. These stilts can be deployed in only one minute and prevent a wagon from being forcibly moved in winds and waters up to a hurricane in strength.
Waterproofing	0	A thick coating of tar and proprietary alchemicals seals all the holes in a wooden vessel, enabling it to serve as an emergency raft or lean-to.
Winch	2	Thick rope wrapped around a spindle with a hook on one end and a crank on the other allows creative folks to surmount any obstacle they may come across.

The thought of a party having a wagon dedicated to playing the "1812 Overture", complete with live cannon fire is a powerful one in my mind.

Beyond the Veil Draft Classes Pt. III - Ratlings and the Accounter

see the previous post in this series
see the next post in this series

Ratlings

Image via happymag.tv

The Humans took a long time to realize they were not alone in their own cities. They never had been. From the moment they began hoarding grain, Humanity had rent-free tenants in the storehouses. They were often caught and killed, of course, but the smartest, the fastest and the most well fed among the survivors survived and bred. Those rats' children in turn were culled and the survivors concentrated. Over countless generations, some rats began expressing supermurine abilities. rudimentary speech, opposable thumbs, and the ability to walk on their hindlegs came first. Generations later, these first Ratlings stepped out into the common rooms of inns, farmsteads, and royal halls, announcing themselves as equals. Surprisingly, some took them seriously. Now, hundreds of generations hence, Ratlings are an expected sight in most major cities and not uncommon in rural areas. They take up work where they can, often serving as lens cutters, jewelers, scouts, explorers and many walks of life in between. Not everyone appreciates their presence, but most Humans regard Ratlings as one does a particularly smart dog. The Ratlings are more than happy to allow them this delusion.

Ratling Traits

Inhuman Perspective - You are decidedly inhuman in your manner of thought. Where humans might see refuse, you see sustenance. Where humans find hate or revenge, you recognize a stronger foe and give due respect. You come from mundane rats, hundreds of generations removed, and your behavior is impacted by that. The collective is more important than the individual and you are rarely alone.

Diminutive - You are between 8 inches and 18 inches tall, and bipedal. If your hands are free, you can scurry and climb without penalty. You can fit through gaps as small as 1 inch in diameter so long as you are not wearing armor or packs. All your equipment must be specially made, costing twice as much as a human-size piece of the same equipment. Human sized daggers and knives count as longswords. You may carry up to 1 size of objects in your paws.

Voracious - You have to eat constantly, requiring just as much food as a human. However, you are capable of eating any non-toxic plant matter, including straw, hemp, and cotton. You only need water once every three days.

Short Lived - The most venerable of your kind live to be twelve years old. You reach maturity at six months. As a result, Ratlings are highly specialized. Choose a single Camp action: This is the only one you can take while Camping. You train your Class when leveling up twice as quickly as Humans.

Resilient - You have a 1 card bonus when resisting any form of disease or poison, are immune to damage from falling if your hands are free and you are unarmored, and you may elect to ignore the first instance of damage received on an adventure provided you are free to move.

Ubiquitous - Your kith and kin inhabit every nook and cranny they find, even where humans and other creatures would not dare tread. With a successful Black Check, you can find familiar whiskered faces anywhere not actively hostile to life (volcanoes, underwater).

Accounter

"On four counts of erroneous existence, I hereby condemn the affixed to nullification and forced mundanity. The affixed stands accused of possessing  the following aberrant traits:

1. Willful disregard of the sanctity of death.

2. Forcible egress through physical barriers.

3. Over-loud shouting resulting in loss of sanity.

4. Inability to have notice of mundane interdiction affixed without extreme effort due to incorporeality."

-The condemnation of the specter of Hill Manor by Accounter Jules Vermin.

Aspect: Sense

Stock: Human or Ratling

Requirements: Sense >2, Determination >2

Starting Gear:

• Sheaf of paper
• Charcoal Pencil
• Rubber Stamp and Ink Pad
• Box of Nails
• Small Hammer

Class Ability Tract

Level 0: Audit

You were born with a seventh whisker, no pupils, or another physical manifestation of power. This marks you as different than your kin, be they Human or Ratling. You can sense the presence of the Veil without any effort, enabling you to detect the location of supernatural forces or Denizens within a number of feet equal to ten times your level, minimum 10 feet. Decide how this sense manifests to your character, such as a pressure, strange wind, or other phenomena. 

Level 1: Reject Unreality

By focusing your mind upon a supernatural presence or Denizen as an action, you can dampen a number of random effects or abilities equal to your level by passing an Aspect Check. Doing so disables those abilities until you stop using an action each round to focus on them.

Level 2: Suppress Aberration

You may write out a list of claims, stamping the notice and nailing the paper to a supernatural force or Denizen to attempt to make it mundane. Writing out a list in combat takes one turn per claim. Make a Red/Black check with +1 Card for every valid claim listed on the document, up to 5 Cards  (ex. "Willful ignorance of physical barriers" or "Unreasonable toxin expulsion"). If the Denizen is capable of resisting, you must succeed on an Attack with your hammer in order to take this action. If you are successful, you affix the notice to the target and any supernatural effects it is capable of are suppressed, rendering it mundane until the notice is removed with an Aspect Check from a different entity. You may retry this check on subsequent turns if it fails.

Level 3: Unravel Gossamer

Pierces in the Veil no longer affect you unless you allow them to do so, or the source is outside of your Audit range.

Level 4: Proof of Contradiction

You can write a blistering thesis against unreality and post your admonishment for all to see. You may spend one week to write a single page of thesis, and an additional week for each page thereafter. When posted in a public space, each page negates supernatural effects within a radius of ten feet per page of thesis until removed by a mundane creature. You may prepare theses in advance, and 5 theses are a size 1X object.

Level 5: Banish

By focusing your mind upon a Denizen as an action, you can make a Red/Black check. If you succeed, the Denizen is banished beyond the Veil. If you fail, you ignore all of its abilities, permanently, allowing you to damage it as if it were mundane.

Censorship

If a card in your Baize matches the suit or value of a card drawn on a check for a supernatural effect or Denizen ability, you may spend it to nullify that card.

Bonus Table! 

Rubber Rejection Stamps

DISMISSED W/O APPEAL

VOID

NO

INDECENT CONTENT

CLAIM DENIED

IGNORE THIS ENTITY

 

1D12 Items You Found In That Abandoned Fort

There are lots of reasons for forts to become ruins. Perhaps they were abandoned after a war, or overrun by brigands. Why exactly it happened might not matter, but adventurers definitely like exploring them. Whether for loot, a land claim, or because someone or something else is there that disagrees with their sensibilities. Here are some system agnostic items (but still aimed in the flavor direction of Beyond the Veil) you can include if you are so inclined.

1D12 Items in a Fort or Ruin

1. Captain's Mace - This flange mace is masterfully made (+1) and also functions as a parchment carrier. The handle can be opened to store a map or a handful of letters. The pommel doubles as a wax seal. It comes with a worn brass belt ring. It probably has something stored in it.

2. Weatherproof Fuse - Caught in a light drizzle and unable to use their rifle, a musketeer's effectiveness is reduced significantly. Someone apparently figured out a fix to this vexing issue. This fuse can be affixed to a matchlock rifle, pistol, or used on its own. Once lit, it functions for 2 hours per foot, regardless of wind or rain. It is extinguished if completely smothered or submerged. The coil is 2d2 feet long and has a leather carry pouch stamped with "Property of N. Daviess."

3. Watchman's Horn - A short, carved, ivory horn with holes drilled into it in much the same manner as an ocarina. The mouthpiece is made of copper. It can be heard clearly up to a mile away over an open field. Someone has carved symbols next to the holes with distinct meaning. Fingerings perhaps?

4. Liar's Dice - These dice always roll slightly higher than normal when the owner tells an obvious lie when the roll is tossed. Add 1 to the final result of a check if a lie is told while using them. The dice are not obviously enchanted.

5. An Incomplete Ledger - Mostly boring bureaucratic and logistical scribblings. The last page is incomplete and smeared with ink. After investigating it more closely (an easy but mind-numbing task), it is discovered that there is a hidden storeroom in the complex with a level-appropriate amount of cold, hard coin, expensive liquor, and a non-magical but heirloom quality sword of the now deceased commander.

6. A Trusty Cloak - This cloak is made of canvas and lined with soft hare fur. Lead is sewn into the hem and as such it does not flap in even strong winds. It weighs three times as much as a normal cloak made of the same materials (minus the lead).

7. Rope Retractor - An ingenious makeshift device that when affixed to a rope, the user can turn a crank to tightly coil any type of cordage up to 100 feet long and up to the thickness of ship's rope. This process takes 1 minute, after which the rope coil can be removed from the device.

8. Ration Crate - Open, but suspiciously untouched. Six rations wrapped in tattered cloth. Each ration is hard as a brick, smells strongly of vinegar and salt, and seemingly inedible. Not even maggots dare touch them. If soaked in water for a half-day, they become technically chewable and each one can sustain an adult human for three days, or someone smaller for six. No one will enjoy it and a difficult test of one's willpower is required to force it down their gullet.

9. The Log of a Former Adventurer - Not only is there a complete map of all the unlocked or accessible rooms of this ruin, but the location of another ruin notated as "Hells below, never seen something like that before! Danger!" next to a poorly drawn basilisk. There is also the amply provisioned skeleton of a long-dead adventurer, killed via an unfortunate accident.

10. Unlabeled Alchemicals - A milkcrate of 1d8+1 crystal and wooden flasks, all the labels long since worn away. Use your favorite potion or poison generation method to populate the crate. One of the potions is always broken. Its flask has a weathered note tied to the remnants of the neck that reads "Caution: Do not ingest! Contains drowning mildew!"

11. Unusual Bedroll - Originally mistaken as a rather thick coin purse, this lightweight bedroll folds down to fit in the palm of your hand, or fit in your pocket. Folding the bedroll takes 10 minutes and unfolding takes 1 minute. It is made of a material you are unfamiliar with and smells faintly of dry blood and ozone.

12. Onyx Monocle  - Ornately decorated with bronze fixtures, there is a necklace locked in this box. It is a silver chain attached to a paper-thin red onyx intaglio. When held up to the left eye, one can see magical energies through the onyx sheet.