Tricks and Trials of the Trapper

TRAPPER (#12/31, #12/365) [POT]

SKILL: 8

STAMINA : 7

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Sword and see below

ARMOUR: See below

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Towns, Forests, Hills, Wilderness

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 2-7

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Neutral (in town), Unfriendly-Hostile (in wild)

INTELLIGENCE: High

While it is true that the wilds of Allansia are full of powerful and deadly monsters, it is also true that many of these creatures possess ivory horns and claws, strange glands and organs, and beautiful pelts and skins, that are all intrinsically valuable to merchants, sorcerers and alchemists. Some monsters are even captured alive, for display in the private zoo of a southern noble or perhaps to be used as a fighting-beast in a gladiatorial arena. Hence a new profession has arisen, that of the dedicated TRAPPER. 

These are rough warrior types, usually ex-adventurers or soldiers, who have no patience with time-wasters. Instead, the Trapper is primarily interested in profit and getting their dangerous cargo (usually trussed up, manacled, or held in large box on a wagon) to the animal traders’ markets and then sold, as quickly as possible. All Trappers are armed with swords, and usually have extra equipment besides. Roll on the following tables to determine any extra gear they possess.

Roll Extra Weapons (roll 1-2 times, rerolling duplicates)

1 Net

2 Whip

3 Hand Axe

4 Lasso

5 Bola

6 Hand Crossbow

Roll Armour (roll once)

1-2 Small Shield

3-4 Leather Jack

5-6 Leather Cuirass

Roll Extra Gear (roll 1-3 times, rerolling duplicates)

1 a riding Horse

2 Sleeping Venom (can coat weapon; victim must Test their Luck or sleep for 10-60 Minutes)

3 Rope (10 metres)

4 1-3 Hunting Dogs

5 Grappling Iron (with Rope if have none)

6 Cart (with Oxen, if no Horse)

To determine what the Trappers may have caught, roll one die:

Roll	No. of Monsters
1	0
2	1
3	1
4	2
5	2
6	3

For every captured monster, roll two dice on the following table. You may accept or re-roll duplicate results as you like:

Roll Monster

2 Clawbeast

3 Doppelganger

4 Saltwater Crocodile

5 Giant Scorpion

6 Giant Toad

7 Giant Wasp

8 Giant Crab

9 Howl Cat

10 Lightning Serpent

11 Tunneller Beast

12 Hydra

There is a 1 in 6 chance that a monster may free themselves during the day. Freed monsters will attack Trappers first, and may or may not attack Heroes depending on their intelligence, reactions and whether the Heroes helped them escape. They may also attempt to free any other captured monsters as well, and once some Trappers are slain will usually flee back into the wilderness.

On the floating islands of Pangaria, Trappers are generally tasked with catching and relocating the larger creatures that may be making a nuisance of themselves. If combat is inevitable, the creature will be harvested for parts if slain. On Titan, one of the more reputable Trappers is Kragor the Ensnarer (see Heroes of Titan, p. 38).

EYE-SPY with my artificial eye...

Eye-Spy (#11/31, #11/365) [EA:V2] (Enchanted Item) 

This is a metal eye the size of a grapefruit, and instead of an iris, the metal contraption has a large glass lens. The Eye-Spy can fly, thanks to small flapping wings, and has short metal legs allow them to sit on perches like birds. When thrown into the air, it will animate into an EYE-SPY (SKILL 3 STAMINA 2, 1 Attack, Fire Bolt, Light Armour, can fly). They defend themselves by shooting Fire Bolts (as per the spell) from their eye at assailants, though this does drain their power. The Eye-Spy will follow all spoken commands faithfully for 10-60 minutes before deactivating (with each Fire Bolt it shoots reducing the duration by 10 minutes). It will have 2-12 uses left when found, and will deactivate permanently when these are all used up. Technomancers have been known to craft Eye-Spies that are permanently animated (or at least able to recharge from time to time) to act as Familiars, as per Return to the Pit (p. 10, pp. 68-78).

150gp 

-------------------

Device Technique: Eye-Spy

Device Type: Familiar

Device Size: Small

Device Complexity: 6

Magic-Technomancy Required: 2

Cost of Technique: 50gp

 

Power Source: 1 Small

 

Components: 2 Gadgets (1 Doobry and 1 Wotsit), Firestone Lens, Filigree Wings,

 

Cost of Components: 100gp

 

Description:

The Eye-Spy is a small magical construct, fashioned by the technomancers of Pangaria as a highly mobile covert observation scouting device. It resembles a metal eye the size of a grapefruit, and instead of an iris, the metal contraption has a large glass lens. The Eye-Spy can fly, thanks to small flapping wings, and has short metal legs allow them to sit on perches like birds. They defend themselves by shooting Fire Bolts (as per the spell) from their eye at assailants, though this does drain their power.

A fully-charged power source allows for two hours flight time, reduced by 10 minutes for every Fire Bolt fired by the Eye-Spy. Whatever the eye sees is magically transmitted to a separate Crystal Orb Speculum operated by the Eye Spy's master. Such an individual will likely also have a Recharging Cage, which can charge three Eye-Spies at a time, else the cost in replacing power sources will be highly expensive.

 

Attuned Bonus: Can be imbued with the powers of a magical Familiar.

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

EYE-SPY (#9/31, #9/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 3

STAMINA: 2

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Fire Bolt

ARMOUR: Light

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Towns, Ruins, Dungeons

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1

TYPE: Magical

REACTION: Hostile

INTELLIGENCE: Low

The EYE-SPY is a small magical construct, fashioned by the technomancers of Pangaria as a highly mobile covert observation scouting device. It resembles a metal eye the size of a grapefruit, and instead of an iris, the metal contraption has a large glass lens. The Eye-Spy can fly, thanks to small flapping wings, and has short metal legs allow them to sit on perches like birds. They defend themselves by shooting Fire Bolts (as per the spell) from their eye at assailants, though this does drain their power.

A fully-charged power source allows for two hours flight time, reduced by 10 minutes for every Fire Bolt fired by the Eye-Spy. Whatever the eye sees is magically transmitted to a separate Crystal Orb Speculum operated by the Eye Spy's master. Such an individual will likely also have a recharging cage, which can charge three Eye-Spies at a time, else the cost in replacing power sources will be highly expensive.

HOG-MULE (#10/31, #10/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 7

STAMINA: 5

ATTACKS: 2

WEAPON: Small Bite, Hooves (as per Small Claw)

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Forests, Plains, Hills, Wilderness

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-3

TYPE: Animal

REACTION: Neutral

INTELLIGENCE: Low

Possibly due to the long-term exposure from the warping powers of Chaos, the continent of Khul is home to some rather strange breeds of domesticated beasts of labour. Some, such as the Galomper, are infamous for their irascibility, others, such as the HOG-MULE, are noted instead for their versatility, particularly with regards to subsisting on a far greater variety of omnivorous food. Resembling a short-legged mule with the tusked head of a boar, Hog-Mules are used primarily as packbeasts, carrying loads sure-footedly across difficult terrain. They are too small to be ridden properly but may be used as a steed by smaller folk such as Dwarfs, Gnomes and Halflings.

Weird plants from the north-eastern corner of Khul

RED RUSHES (#6/31, #6/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a tall leafy type of reed with broad reddish leaves

Distribution: Swamps and marshes across northern Khul.

 

Effects: The leaves of the Red Rushes can be bound into torches that smoulder continuously until they burn out. They last for twice as long as a normal torch and can only be extinguished by submerging them in water for at least two minutes.

 

Cost: City 2gp, Town 3gp, Village 4gp (per torch)

 

Availability: Common

Further Notes: Red Rushes are known from the Firemarsh north of the city of Arion.

GIANT GOLDBERRY (#7/31, #7/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a tall, wide tree with a dark brown trunk, broad, green leaves and pink flowers, with large, pale yellow fruit.

Distribution: Forests and hills across Khul.

 

Effects: The Giant Goldberry fruit is nutritious and restores 1 STAMINA point if eaten, regardless of whatever else has been eaten that day. These effects are not cumulative if more than one fruit is eaten.

 

Cost: City 1gp, Town 1gp, Village 2gp (per fruit)

 

Availability: Common

Further Notes: These fruit are cultivated by the barbaric tribesmen who dwell in the wilds of north-eastern Khul.

MAKFRUIT (#8/31, #8/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a vine with a spiny stem, large rough green leaves, white to purple flowers, and fist-sized purple fruits with a hard outer skin.

Distribution: Plains, riverbanks and lake shores across Khul.

 

Effects: Under the skin, the Makfruit has very soft pink flesh. Eating these delicious fruits restores 2 STAMINA, 2 LUCK and 2 Magic Points, even if the consumer has already eaten that day. Eating more than one fruit per day has no further effect.

 

Cost: City 10gp, Town 12gp, Village 15gp (per fruit)

 

Availability: Rare

Further Notes: Makfruit are grown and eaten by many types of creatures in north-eastern Khul, including Blackhearts, Pygmy Goblins and Tribesmen.

Bring 'Em Back Alive!

ANIMAL HANDLER (#5/31, #5/365) [POT]

SKILL: 7

STAMINA : 8

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Whip, Club or Dagger

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Towns, Plains, Forests, Hills

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1 plus friends

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Neutral

INTELLIGENCE: High

The ANIMAL HANDLER is an individual trained to work with various kinds of creatures from the world of Titan. They will generally wear rough work clothes and carry several weapons to help control their charges, including a whip, club and dagger. To determine what type of animal they control, roll on the following table:

Roll Animal type

1 SNAKE-CHARMER: Will have a snake or snakes - roll for type and number: 1-3 Poisonous Snake (1-3), 4-6 Serpent (1), in a basket, also will have a Bamboo Flute.

2 BEAR-HANDLER: Will have a Bear on a long length of chain.

3 HOUND-MASTER: Will have 1-3 trained Wolf-Dogs. There is a 1-2 chance these will have spiked collars and light armour, as per Light Barding.

4 MONKEY FOLK: Will have some 1-2 trained examples of some kind of small primate - roll for type and number: 1 Mungie, 2-3 Monkey, 4-5 Krell, 6 Harrun. Not to be confused with the race of people of the same name who live on the tropical islands of the Black Ocean, though they also can keep tame primates as pets, scouts and thieves. Will have a Bamboo Pipe as well.

5 FALCONER: Will have a predatory raptor - roll for type: 1-2 Falcon, 3-4 Death Hawk, 5-6 Eagle. Will also have leather gauntlets; when not flying, the bird will be resting on the Falconer's non-preferred hand.

6 FELINE TAMER: Will have a mid-sized predatory cat on a long length of chain - roll for type: 1 Puma, 2 Jaguar, 3 Leopard, 4 Cheetah, 5 Forest Panther, 6 Fangtiger.

The Animal Handler will also have some extra gear - roll 1-3 times on the below table to determine what, re-rolling any duplicates:

Roll Gear

1 Net

2 Blowpipe and 2-7 Darts tipped with Sleeping Venom

3 A nice Hat

4 Leather Jack

5 A pair of Manacles or other restraints

6 Extra food: 2-7 provisions worth of raw meat

Animal Handlers may find themselves engaged in a wide range of activities. Often they are entertainers, either solo or as part of a larger circus or carnival. Some, such as Falconers, Hound-Masters and Feline Tamers, find direct employment with nobles to aid in their hosting of hunts across the landscape, and they may be used in war-time as specialist scouts and hunters. Bear-Handlers, on the other paw, can always get work at the local arena or fighting-pit. Others, such as Monkey-Folk and Snake-Charmers, tend to gravitate towards deceptive tricks and outright thievery to secure a decent crust.

In fact, Salamonis and the southern lands are infamous for their Monkey-Folk, who may have one monkey trained to dance to the tune of a pipe, while another is tasked with picking the pockets of onlookers. In the Baklands, one is advised to steer clear of Manata the Snake-Charmer, who some say robs wayfarers of their possessions by turning them into snakes! Closer to home, we find Kazill and his dancing black bear in the Market Square of Port Blacksand, who, rumour has it, is in cahoots with the local thieves' guild...

Rough day at the oil factory...

Oil of Asperitas (#4/31, #4/365) [EA:V2] (Potion)

Technomancy Devices require regular maintenance in addition to recharging their fuel sources, and one such necessity for the more mechanical contraptions is regularly replacing the oil. Oil from the isle of Asperitas is regarded as some of the best out there, and any Device that is serviced with Oil of Asperitas adds a +1 bonus to all its functioning rolls for the next 1-3 days.

Price 4 GP

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

CLOUD GIANT (#1/31, #1/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 10

STAMINA: 11

ATTACKS: 3

WEAPON: Club or Staff

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: Double Damage

HABITAT: Mountains, Magical Plane of Air, Sea

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-2

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION:Neutral-Unfriendly

INTELLIGENCE: High

One of the rarer types of Giant upon Titan are the CLOUD GIANTS, large humanoid creatures dedicated to cruising the aerial atmosphere of the planet through various means. They are gigantic muscular humanoids around six metres in height, and typically clad in robes, while wielding a great club or staff as a weapon. Cloud Giants have pale blue skin and their hair ranges from gold to purple in colour. They are something of an intermediary in the world of Giant-kind, trading between various sub-races, such as Storm Giants, Mountain Giants, Sea Giants and Fire Giants, bartering anything from raw materials, finished goods, and gossip and lore, in their peregrinations through the sky realms. Cloud Giants are even one of the most trusted trading partners of the floating archipelago of Pangaria, suppling the Technomancers there with whatever components they cannot source locally, for all their artificing rituals.

As well as attacking with a large club or staff, all Cloud Giants possess the ability of levitation, and are more than happy to lure enemies into dangerous situations such as clifftops or parapets where they can hurl an opponent to their doom while remaining safely floating themselves. Cloud Giants can travel in a variety of transport vehicles or steeds; roll on the following tables to determine how and with what cargo are they are transiting:

Roll Transport Type

1 Hovers (Giant-sized)

2 Flyer

3 Balloon

4 Airship

5 Cruiser

6 Steed (Roll: 1-2 Stormdrake, 3-4 Fog Wyvern, 5-6 Blue Dragon (young))

Roll Cargo Type

1 Food

2 Trade Goods

3 Technomancy Gadgets

4 Technomancy Fuel (Roll: 1-2 Lightning Sphere, 3-4 Storm Crystal, 5-6 Lava Sphere/Seed)

5 Objects D'Art

6 Drink

Cloud Giants are the link for the various disparate communities of Technomancers across Titan; the Storm Giants, the Fire Giants, and the floating islands of Pangaria. They can also be found on the elemental Plane of Air, for they are good friends with Air Elementals, and followers of both their father Titan and Pangara, god of wind.

DRILLBILL BIRD (#2/31, #2/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 4

STAMINA: 3

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Small Bite

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: +1 to Damage Roll

HABITAT: Mountains, Hills, Sea

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 6-36

TYPE: Bird

REACTION: Hostile

INTELLIGENCE: Low

Thought to be related to the Razorbeak Bird, but smaller in build, is the dread DRILLBILL BIRD, a notorious inhabitant of some of the more isolated places across Titan. They are strange-looking birds, with curling tail and wing-feathers, as well as a feather-crested head and a sharp pointed beak, and their colouration depends on the climate of the hills and mountains in which they dwell. Those in temperate areas will be a fawn colour with black spots, while those in colder climes will have drab grey feathers, and tropical variants have green-feathered heads and brownish bodies. 

Drillbill Birds aggregate in aggressive scavenging flocks, and attack anything they perceive as weaker than themselves, spiraling down on flange-wings to peck and tear with their penetrative beak. Worse, in unison they emit a high-pitched piercing call that causes incredible agony. Unless their opponent is wearing ear plugs or earmuffs of any description, they must Test their Luck every Attack Round, or be rendered unconscious by the cumulative sonic scream produced by an aggressive flock of Drillbill Birds! Those that remain conscious must still reduce their SKILL by 2 points while they remain within the presence of the shrieking Drillbill Birds.

Legend has it that the chaos wizard Darkmoon kept an aviary of spotted Drillbill Birds at his Maggot Manor lair, to which he fed various prisoners, while the semi-mythical Floating City of the Flat Lands had a resident flock of such creatures that dissuaded all but the most ardent from approaching. In modern times, the Drillbill Bird is a common pest among the floating islands of Pangaria, and Sky Watch Officers are regularly dispatched to deal with some new colony of the creatures that has become established among the caves that dot the underside of any given levitating isle among the hanging archipelago. A primary reason for this is that a flock of aggressive Drillbill Birds is a distinct threat to any dirigible-based transport, whether it be balloon, flyer or airship; more than happy to puncture any inflatable structure with their wickedly-sharp bills!

FLESH FISH (#3/31, #3/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 5

STAMINA: 1 (see below)

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Small Bite

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: +1 to Damage Roll

HABITAT: Sea, Rivers, Lakes

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 3-18

TYPE: Fish

REACTION: Neutral or Hostile

INTELLIGENCE: Low

Similar in habits to the Piranha, the FLESH FISH is a small yet highly carnivorous piscine equally at home in salt or fresh water. Generally dwelling in colonial burrows among the lair of a larger predator, they will descend en masse upon uncontested dead meat, stripping flesh from bone at lighting speed. Worse, their long pectoral fins permit limited flight capabilities and they are more than happy to leap from the water to take bites from whatever sorry victim is in front of them, whether it be a lonesome traveller crossed an isolated stepping-stone ford or a poor sailor on night-watch, up on deck at the mercy of the cruel sea. The shoal of Flesh Fish can be treated as having a single SKILL of 5, with each fish having a STAMINA of 1, and as many Attacks as the number of fish present.

Announcement with Real Life Context!

Almost two years ago I was on winter break from my teaching gig in Saudi and I saw the #Dungeon23 challenge and I thought 'Yeah, why not?' and spent the entire next year cranking out dungeon rooms and location summaries every day for an as-yet unpublished megadungeon campaign for Advance Fighting Fantasy 2E. While the goal is to eventually publish that material, the process of actually doing #Dungeon23 - essentially a daily creative journal - was illuminating in both creating gaming content for AFF2E and expanding on themes and ideas that interested me.

Realising the power in simply writing something every day, in addition to whatever else I was working on, I resolved to continue for the following year, but called it #Everything24, and used it to plow through content for four main outstanding projects - Out of the Pit IV, The Titan Herbal Addendum, Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 2, and People of Titan.

Of these projects, the Herbal sequel is closest to being finished, with around 100 plants and fungi detailed and probably another 50 to go; followed by OOTP IV, POT, and EA:V2. Also during this time I finished Heroes of Titan, completed four chapters for the Magic Companion, and wrote and illustrated plenty of articles for The Warlock Returns, Casket of Fays, and now Accessible Gaming Quarterly, and have not one but two other secret AFF books nearly ready for publication. Completing my contract in Saudi and returning to Bangkok to write full-time has certainly helped with this schedule! 

So, as I look upon continuing this exercise for 2025, I'm just going to keep running the same program. When the Herbal is done, probably around April or May, I'll either focus on the remaining three projects or else substitute a new project in from the To Do List. While it is definitely hard work, it is also galvanizing seeing big projects, previously just an intimidating one-line entry on the To Do List, now take on real shape and form as they approach completion. I have no idea where this will all lead (although hopefully with the publication of new AFF2E books!), but remain excited to find out, and committed to simply writing something everyday, one word at a time, to see what happens. Cheers! Andy :-)

Flora of the Flat Lands (part two)

CREOSOTE (#26/31, #357/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a large evergreen shrub, with small dark green oval-shaped leaves and five-pointed yellow flowers. It produces a smokey, wood-sap type of odor.

Distribution: Creosote is found in dry and arid plains and hills across Titan.

 

Effects: The leaves of the Creosote can be used to make a healing poultice. This allows a healer to deduct 1 from the dice roll when testing their Healing Special Skill. In addition, the sap from the leaves and branches can be used to create a Vial of Glue, for use in the Sorcery GUM spell.

 

Cost: City 6gp, Town 8gp, Village 10gp (per bunch)

 

Availability: Common 

 

CHANGE PLANT (#27/31, #358/365) [TTHA] 

"The Land of Changes is the dividing line between summer and winter - perpetual autumn. But leaves cannot fall forever - they must also grow, and disquieting tales are told of their growing. It is said that the plants are different here; that they can bud, blossom, seed and die in a few short hours, and that the wind can play their growing as a bard plays their lyre. The warm winds from summer cause all to bloom and grow, but in the chill of winter they fall, or cower back in their buds. And when the wind gusts and swirls, ah!, then the whole wood ripples and writhes with the coruscating iridescence of flowers and foliage opening and closing, swelling and shrinking. It is called 'The Changing', and is greatly feared. When it happens no traveller is safe - and if there should come a storm..."

- The Land of Changes, R. Pracy, (Warlock #11, Aug/Sep 1986, p. 28)

Appearance: This is a strange plant of any sort from herb to tree, caught in a perpetual time-loop; growing, blooming, dying and then growing again, all in the space of a few hours.

Distribution: Chaos wastelands, jungles and forests across Titan.

 

Effects: The sight of one Change Plant is uncomfortable and mildly nauseating. To be trapped in a grove of them is to be so revolted and sickened by the mutating fertility all around that the victim must lose 1 SKILL and 1-3 STAMINA points. Worse, eating Provisions in such an environment will make the victim even physically sicker, losing a further 1-6 STAMINA points. Finally, anyone foolish enough to rest must Test for Luck. If they fail, they never awaken, and simply waste away to nothing among the changing foliage. If they are Lucky, they must Test for Luck again; if they are Lucky a second time, then they are fully conscious but lost another 1-3 STAMINA points as they attempt to exit the grove. If they are Unlucky this time, they are confined to an illusory world where all appears well in the grove, but actually they are walking into a deadly trap, such as into quicksand, off a cliff, towards a pit, etc.

Cost: Not available for sale.

 

Availability: Very Rare

 

Further Notes: The Change Plant is thought to be related to both Chance Plants and Chaos Plants (see The Titan Herbal, pp. 25-27).

HEART'S BLOOD TREE (#28/31, #359/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is appears as ancient type of Elder tree that is so gnarled and twisted it seems almost human. A keen observer will notice something sparkling and glinting within a hollow in the tree. Burning in its depths will be a ruby as red as fresh blood!

Distribution: Only found in the centre of a Brownie village.

 

Effects: If the ruby is removed from its cavity within a Heart's Blood Tree, shudders will run through the tree, and there will be keening wail of agony that echoes away on the breeze. The taker of the ruby has murdered the tree's inhabitant - a guardian tree spirit is known as the Green Lady by the Brownies of the village where the tree grows. Brownies will hunt down and kill anyone who steals the ruby from their Heart's Blood Tree. Conversely, anyone who prays to Galana in front of the tree will be rewarded when the tree shimmers and changes into a tall, green-skinned woman with a merry face - the Green Lady - who will smile and kiss the supplicant once on each cheek, Blessing them.

 

Cost: City 20-120gp, Town 20-120gp, Village 20-120gp (per ruby)

 

Availability: Very Rare

 

ICE FLOWER (#29/31, #360/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a strange crystal-like flower, usually a translucent blue, pink or purple in colour, with glassy leaves and a short clear stem.

Distribution: Mountainous and polar ice areas across Titan and crystal fields on other Magical Planes.

 

Effects: The Ice Flower produces tinkling joyous music when gently shaken, that charms anyone who hears it. They must make a Test for Luck or be charmed by the bearer of the flower as per a Command spell. This will last for as long as the Ice Flower is shaken, up to a maximum of 60 minutes. Ice Flowers are extremely delicate however, and will break on a 1-5 on a D6 after their bearer or carrier undertakes intense physical activity such as fighting or falling down a pit. They also have to be kept in a cold environment or will melt away to nothing but a damp puddle in 1-6 hours.

 

Cost: City 75gp, Town 85gp, Village 100gp (per flower)

 

Availability: Very Rare

 

Further Notes: The Ice Sprites of the far north are known to tend to fields of Ice Flowers on the snowy polar plains.

SLIMEWEED (#30/31, #361/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a strange, faintly-phosphorescent weed that grows from walls, ceilings and floors. Gobbets of vile-smelling slime drip from its green and purple foliage, and bulbous sacs attached to the fleshy tendrils squelch and burst underfoot, giving off a foetid odour.

Distribution: Caves, dungeons and ruins across Titan.

 

Effects: Despite the appearance, Slimeweed is harmless if touched, and is grown as a decorative plant, luxuriantly in glowing masses of slimey nauseously-smelling tendrils, by underground races such as Gremlins, Troglodytes, Dark Goblins and the like. It is, however, poisonous, and anyone foolish enough to consume Slimeweed must lose 1-3 STAMINA as they copiously and violently retch it all out!

 

Cost: Not available for sale

 

Availability: Common

 

SWEETWOOD TREE (#31/31, #362-5/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a small tree with feathery light green leaves, rough light-brown bark, and large pale yellow-orange flowers.

Distribution: Jungles, plains and hills in warmer areas across Titan.

 

Effects: The bark of the Sweetwood Tree can be scraped off and the shavings used as incense, either to be burnt or crushed and made into perfume. Its delicate odor is much valued by nobles in court.

 

Cost: City 10-60gp, Town 10-60gp, Village 10-60gp (per vial)

 

Availability: Uncommon

Couriers of Chaos

COURIER (#25/31, #356/365) [POT]

SKILL: 6

STAMINA : 6

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Dagger (Wheelie) or Shortsword (other)

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Towns, Plains, Dungeons, Ruins

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Neutral

INTELLIGENCE: High

COURIERS are messengers paid or designated to transport small carrier cargo across distance at speed. Typically this involves carrying messages, scrolls, or easily distributed low encumbrance items, with both sender and receiver signing off on the successful issue and deliverance of said cargo. On Pangaria, WHEELIES make the best Couriers, owing to their speed and agility in traversing the wide and varied terrain of the floating archipelago, particularly due to their knowledge of the underground tunnel network that exists beneath the surface of every island.

The average Wheelie Courier is armed with two Daggers (either handheld or for throwing), and a frontpack with space for up to six items or message scrolls. Roll 1-6 times on the table below to determine the contents of a Courier's frontpack:

Roll Frontpack Contents

1 Message

2 Scroll

3 Potion

4 Food

5 Drink

6 Random item

There is no need to reroll duplicates.

Typical Courier Special Skills include Acrobatics, Climb, Dodge, Jump, Running, Secret Signs, and Sneaking, as well as Talents such as Evasive and Fleet Footed.

On Titan, some Dwarfs, perhaps surprisingly, have similar roles, racing about the underground tunnels and mines that form settlements such as Fangthane and Warpstone. Above ground, human and other Couriers typically have a fast Riding Horse and a sword to defend themselves with. One of the most well-known Couriers in Allansia was Katya of Coppertown, who traversed the Axehead Plains between the shattered settlements of the Vymornan kingdom until slain by Caarth lizard-riders some time in the mid 280s AC.

Tools of the Technomancer

Gadget (#19-24/31, #352-357/365) [EA:V2] (Trinket)

Technomancy Devices are put together using a variety of bewildering components known collectively as Gadgets. These are intricate and finely crafted objects in their own right, made from metal, glass and other substances, and take a wide variety of forms. Rather than waste time describing differences between myriad Gadgets, Technomancy has evolved a useful shorthand of names for each piece. To randomly determine a type of Gadget, roll on the table below:

Roll Gadget Type

1 Doobry

2 Thingie

3 Wotsit

4 Bits'n'bobs

5 Thingamajig

6 Whatchamacallit

The recipes used for creating Technomancy Devices are called 'Techniques' and describe the type and number of Gadgets required for successful Device construction.

10-60 GP

Song of the Siren

SIREN (#17-18/31, #350-351/365) [OOTP IV]

             Half-Siren Mer-Siren

SKILL:         7             9

STAMINA:    7             9

ATTACKS: 

Half-Siren - 1

Mer-Siren - 2

WEAPON: 

Half-Siren - Dagger or as per type

Mer-Siren - Small Claws or Large Bite

ARMOUR:

Half-Siren - None, or as per type

Mer-Siren - Light

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT:

Half-Siren - Towns, Sea-shore, Rivers, Lakes

Mer-Siren - Sea, Sea-shore, Rivers, Lakes, Ice

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-3

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Friendly (but see below)

INTELLIGENCE: High

The SIRENS are a mysterious race of demon-worshipping humans who appear as beautiful women with magical powers of charming and enchanting, and were previously detailed in Beyond the Pit (see pp. 125-126). Presented below are two further types of Siren found on the world of Titan.

The HALF-SIREN is the offspring of a Siren mother and a human father, however that union may have come to happen. They appear as normal people except with one or more features pertaining to their Sirenian heritage. Roll 1-3 times on the table below to determine what this is, ignoring duplicate rolls if you wish:

Roll Siren Heritage Feature

1 Roll again: 1-3 Sharp Teeth: +1 Attack, Large Bite, 4-6 Sharp Claws: +1 Attack, Small Claw

2 Gills: can breathe underwater permanently, as per the Gills spell.

3 Scales: as per Light armour

4 Fins: has Swim Special Skill of 4

5 Beautiful voice: as per the Command Spell, three times a day; ear plugs protect against this

6 Minor magic: has MAGIC 1, Minor-Magic 1, 2 Magic Points, and three Cantrips, typically drawn from Attraction, Enhance, Entertain, Glimmer, Hear, Inebriate, Noise, Pied Piper, Pucker, and Weather Protection.

Half-Sirens always dwell in coastal regions with easy access to the sea, or along the shores of lakes and banks of rivers, as they need to bathe in these waters once a day in order to survive. Populations of Half-Sirens, either as loners, in small hamlets of their own, or as an inhabitant of a larger cityport or seatown, can be found among the Shining Islands, the Arrowhead Archipelago, and the shores of both the Glimmering Sea and the Sea of Silver. Here, their role varies from beggars and beachcombers, to fisherfolk, sailors, smugglers and pirates, and, given their occasional magical abilities, Illusionists, Enchantresses, and Bards. The most famous Half-Siren of all time however, is surely the world-renowned gladiatorial champion, Helios Siren the Khulian, winner of the All-comers Fight to the Death at the Port Blacksand Arena in 282 AC.

If the Siren can be thought of as a parasitic client-race upon humans, then the Merfolk equivalent that lives on and under the sea, is the dread, black-hearted MER-SIREN! Resembling a Mermaid, the Mer-Siren appears as a beautiful female figure sitting on a rock - human to the waist, with a long colourful fish tail that shines with an iridescent light. She will usually be brushing her hair, and singing the most hauntingly wonderful melody ever heard, pass right through a victim, making their skin tingle and wrapping them in warmth and light.

Unless the victim has the forethought to plug their ears, they will charmed completely by the song and make their way to the Mer-Siren's rock with all haste, even if this means diving into the sea and swimming there! Once at the rock however, the Mer-Siren will cast off their illusory appearance and reveal their true visage; a dark-scaled creature with red eyes, shark-like fins, long claws and a mouth full of fangs, and immediately set about tearing flesh from bone. Such is how foolish mariners are lured to their doom!

Mer-Sirens are found in all oceans, from the tropical atolls of the south to the floes of the northern pack-ice. They are also found anywhere there are Sirens, dwelling peacefully among Sea Hags and other miscreants in their sisters' colonies as Elves and Dwarfs do among humans. Mer-Sirens also worship similar deities to Sirens, including Shekka, Tanit, Karkara, the Sea Monster, and the Behemoth, as well as several Demon Princes.