In the court of the Crimson Moss

CRIMSON MOSS (#8/28, #39/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a thick, luxuriant crimson-coloured moss with fleshy, lobe-like leaves.

Distribution: Wilderness, volcanic areas, deserts and plains across Titan.

 

Effects: Also known as Blood Moss, a bunch of Crimson Moss is mildly carnivorous, and when placed on skin, will drain 1 STAMINA point from the victim. However, the Crimson Moss will then turn this meal of blood into a healing salve in a process that takes an hour. When applied to a wound or injury, such a prepared patch of moss will restore 1-6 STAMINA points to the recipient.

 

Cost: City 10gp, Town 13gp, Village 17gp (per bunch)

 

Availability: Rare

 

Further Notes: A large growth of Crimson Moss has been recorded from the summit of Firetop Mountain, along with Redweed (see p. XX) and Sleeping Grass (see The Titan Herbal, p. 60). It is also found growing in the demonic Pit; even, as rumour would have it, upon the spires of the Palace of Agony!

Who coaches the Coachpeople?

 COACHPERSON (#7/28, #38/365) [POT]

SKILL: 7

STAMINA : 9

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Sword or Whip and see below

ARMOUR: See below

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Towns, Plains, Forests, Hills, Wilderness

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-3

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Neutral

INTELLIGENCE: High

If the coach or carriage is the most exclusive of regular land transport upon Titan, the COACHPERSON that steers, guides and guards them is often the most skilled sort of road-traveller. Talented with missile weapons, assessing road and wilderness conditions, dealing with a team of riding beasts and being handy with a whip, are just some of the many skills possessed by the Coachperson. All have a long thick coat and a broad-brimmed hat, along with good boots, a sword and a whip. To determine other items of equipment, roll on the tables below:

Roll Armour (roll once)

1-2 Leather Jack

3-4 Leather Cuirass

5-6 Leather Hauberk

Roll Missile Weapon (roll once)

1-2 Crossbow

3 Repeating Crossbow

4 Hand Crossbow

5 Flintlock Blunderbuss

6 Matchlock Blunderbuss

Roll Extra Gear (roll 1-3 times)

1 Rope

2 Sling and ammo

3 Pipe and pouch of Smoking Weed

4 Flask of Special Brew

5 A good Book

6 1-3 Throwing Knives

The coach itself is a fast four-wheeled travelling vehicle, usually used for transporting passengers quickly to their destination, but sometimes will carry goods as well. It is typically covered, though some coaches can have removable covers. The coach will be drawn by 2-4 Horses or Ponies as Draft Animals. To determine the contents of the coach, roll on the table below:
Die Roll Coach Contents

1-4 1-6 Passengers (roll again on Habitat type to determine who they are)

5 Trade goods (see Encyclopedia Arcana, p. 72)

6 Illicit Contraband (Roll again ignoring a 6; goods are being smuggled, but passengers may be (roll): 1-3 being kidnapped 4-6 travelling in secrecy)

A Coachperson can be found in any town or settlement across Titan, as well as on the road through generally favourable terrain such as plains, hills and forests. The land routes of some of the great trading corridors wandering over the three continents are typically well-used by Coachpeople - usually lone operators or members of a wider mercantile concern - all hauling people and cargo from one outpost to another. Particularly famous transport-routes include:

• Allansia: Salamonis to Zengis, via Fang, Chalice and Stonebridge
  
• Allansia: Zengis to Fangthane, via Sardath
  
• Old World: Pollua to Royal Lendle, via Chalannabrad and Crystal City
• Old World: Gummport to Arkleton
  
• Khul: Kalagar to Ximoran, via Ashkyos and Djiretta
  
• Khul: Tancred's March from Gorak to Kelther, via Kazan
  

New Special Skill

Handle Vehicle (Movement)

This Special Skill bestows the ability to handle - ride, steer and maintain - a particular class of vehicle, whether on land or sea or in the air. The classes are as follows:

• Small Boat (e.g. rowing boat).
• Large Boat (e.g. fishing boat, barge)
  
• Ship (e.g. galleon)
• Cart/Coach/Wagon
• Chariot
• Balloon/Airship

Each must be possessed separately before a Hero can fully control the whole range of vehicles, but the Director may allow a modified chance of, say, a Hero skilled in handling a coach being able to handle a chariot in a race or in battle.

New Rules

Vehicles in Advanced Fighting Fantasy

Blacksand provided comprehensive details on different kinds of boats and ships for your Advanced Fighting Fantasy game, and more information is presented below about the Coach as used by the Coachperson:

Coach

VEHICLE STAMINA: 4

VEHICLE WEAPONS: None

VEHICLE ARMOUR: Light

Base Movement: 8

Encumbrance: 30 items or 1-6 Passengers

CREW: 1-3

This is a fast four-wheeled travelling vehicle, usually used for transporting passengers quickly to their destination, but sometimes will carry goods as well. It is usually covered, though some coaches can have removable covers. If there is one than one crew present, one will be a COACHPERSON, while the other(s) will be APPRENTICES (SKILL 6 STAMINA 7), armed with slings and shortswords (and often the children of the Coachperson).

[Animated] Bug powder dust...

Dust of Animation (#6/28, #37/365) [EA:V2] (Enchanted Item)

This is a sachet of fine blue sparkling dust. When sprinkled over an inanimate object, such as a statue or piece of furniture, the object will immediately animate and follow the commands of whoever sprinkled the dust. The effects and duration qre identical to the Animate Guardian spell (see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p. 14).

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A short bestiary of random denizens from Pangaria and elsewhere... (part six)

PANGARIAN GOBLIN (#5/28, #36/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 6

STAMINA: 6

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: See below

ARMOUR: None or see below

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Towns, Ruins, Dungeons

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-6

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Friendly

INTELLIGENCE: High

PANGARIAN GOBLINS are a rare variant that exists only among the eponymous floating islands of that distant sky-realm, somewhere above the Ocean of Tempests. While they have a regular Goblin's appearance and fascination with mechanisms and engineering, in every other aspect they are completely different.  Highly intelligent, friendly, and always keen to help or share, the Pangarian Goblin is usually employed as an Aeronaut, Baker or Cook, Craftsfolk, Engineer, or Technomancer. Roll on the below table to determine their profession and equipment:

Roll Profession and Gear

1 Aeronaut: As per Aeronaut

2 Baker: Hat, Apron, Bag of Salt, Sling, Dagger

3 Cook: Cleaver, Dagger, Throwing Dagger, Bag of Salt, Hat, Apron

4 Craftsfolk: Tools, Rope, Club

5 Engineer: Tools. Rope, Lantern, Brass Telescope, Staff

6 Technomancer: as per Technomancer

Pangarian Goblins dislike the wilds and the sea, and are mostly at home in the settlements and towns, as well as being adept at delving into the underground tunnel systems to troubleshoot any municipal plumbing problems. At this time, the current High Technomancer of Pangaria is Vizigg the Goblin, and the Chief Engineer is his ex-apprentice Krazic, also a Goblin. There have been rumours that Pangarian Goblins occasionally come to the aid of their lesser brethren upon the surface of Titan, selling them sky-tech on the cheap no questions asked and so on, but these have never been conclusively proven!

Pangarian Goblins as an ancestry for Heroes

Pangarian Goblins can be chosen as an ancestry type by players for their Heroes. This allows the following addition to made to the Hero's characteristics:

 Pangarian Goblin:         +1 to LUCK

Pangarian Goblins also have some Special Skills and Talents that are granted for free. These are as follows:

Special Skills:

Common Speech 4

Goblin Speech 2

Crafting (player's choice) 1

Handle Vehicle (player's choice) 1

Talents:

Dark Seeing

Weird plants from the north-eastern corner of Khul (part two)

YELLOW CARROT (#4/31, #35/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a short herbaceous plant with pale green spikey leaves, a bristly stem, small white flowers, and a yellow, carrot-like root-tuber.

Distribution: Plains, forests and hills across northern Khul.

 

Effects: The Yellow Carrot is used extensively as a food and in cooking across northern Khul. A bag of Yellow Carrots is equivalent to one meal's worth of provisions. They are also a key ingredient in the brewing of a Potion of Darkseeing. When consumed, this potion allows the imbiber to see in the dark, as per the Darkseeing Talent, for an hour before wearing off.

 

Cost: City 2gp, Town 15sp, Village 12sp (per bag)

 

Availability: Common

 

Further Notes: A signature dish of the high-end Bushel Tavern in Arion is the Black Elk stew with Yellow Carrot crust, best served with a fine rose wine from the south (see Travels in Arion, p. 52).

The fire rises still higher...

CHARCOAL-BURNER (#3/28, #34/365) [POT]

SKILL: 7

STAMINA : 7

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Staff or Torch

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Forests, Jungles

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 2-7 or 3-18

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Neutral-Unfriendly

INTELLIGENCE: Average-High

Many folk are drawn to the woodlands and forests to make a living; one of the oldest professions that exists in these bosky wilderlands is that of the lowly CHARCOAL-BURNER. Living in small lonely communities on the edges of the forest, these folk, grimed grey from the soot of their trade, barter the charcoal they make at nearby villages in exchange for food and scraps of hide. They are a secretive folk, resentful and distrusting of outsiders, clad in ragged animal pelts and armed with a staff or flaming torch, a tinderbox, and 1-3 items from the following table:

Roll Special Gear

1 Magic Torches (see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p. 101)

2 Fire Dust, 2-7 pouches

3 Torches, 1-3

4 Charcoal, 1-3 bags

5 Firewood, 1-3 bags

6 Magic Wood (see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, pp. 101-102)

Charcoal-Burners may be found in either a small group scouting the forest for potential wood, or in small clusters of huts with three to eighteen inhabitants. These will be arranged within a circle of low smoking mounds which are covered by newly cut turf. Grey smoke rises from the mounds that conceal the wood which is slowly being turned into charcoal at great heat. Nearby will lie piles of staves ready to be burnt.

Such a community will be led by a FIRE-WIELDER (SKILL 10 STAMINA 10, Flaming Staff - damage as per staff, can set things on fire as per torch); essentially the biggest and toughest Charcoal-Burner present. They are not averse to banditry to supplement their meagre earnings, and some even quit the profession to become itinerant woodsmen, penniless adventurers, or wandering Firemasters. 

As shrewd as a snake...

Snake Staff (#2/28, #33/365) [EA:V2] (Enchanted Item)

This is a long pole crafted from any kind of wood. When rapped against the floor three times in quick succession, it will transform into a hissing SERPENT (SKILL 6 STAMINA 6, Venomous Large Bite (Test for Luck or die!), Light Armour, see also Beyond the Pit, pp. 116-118) that will slither along the floor and attack any enemies of the staff-bearer. If the enemies are slain, the Serpent will revert back to its staff form; however if the Serpent is slain, then the item is destroyed. It can be used once a day. Snake Staves were often used by the priests of the lost city of Vatos in historical times, and are still occasionally recovered from the ruins of that settlement by scavenging adventurers. Not to be confused with the Serpent Staff (see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p. 135

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