Fluff from a picture- Fox Merchant

At first glance, people may not trust a fox person as a merchant. That's not surprising, as nobody trusts fox people in the first place. But there's a big difference between stealing and encouraging people to spend their money in unwise ways; and foxes thrive exactly where that line is drawn. Let's talk about this one.

Art @SylviaJo (mildly NSFW)

The stall is a modified shipping crate modified for easy carrying. Lightweight woods were used for its construction, and naturally the whole thing is collapsible and portable. The awning is designed to keep the sun out of the seller's eyes, but also acts as a way to "stand out" from the rest of the crowd. The stripes of the awning also have special significance- to most casual observers and patrons, they would assume it is merely decorative, but it's actually code. White indicates a "clean" stall, without stolen goods, and "blue" indicates a fox whose goods are not of interest to other foxes. In other words, they're selling boring junk and overpriced novelties to tourists.

Typically, customers are expected to either approach the fox merchant from the front to ask about goods, or approach from behind. Selecting their items from the crate and dropping the appropriate coins in the bags strung up between the poles. To any human, this idea seems absurd- too easy for a cutpurse. This goes into their selling style- this fox may simply walk in front of anyone who they sense needs something- allowing them to make a quick purchase without breaking their stride. The fox merchant is good enough to keep up a conversation while patrons simply take and pay for what they wish from behind the seller- the fox can sense the shifting of weights and items in the box, they know what you've taken. This almost sixth sense of being able to anticipate a sale opportunity is what gives fox merchants- the perfectly legal ones- their competitive edge.

How much trust do these foxes put in their clients to serve them from behind? Of course- the fox is not a human. Their ears and sense of touch is more then fine enough to tell if someone is cheating. Each bag is soaked in a specific perfume overnight, meaning a sudden heavy coin dropping in will release a specific odor- no way to fake the noise. And this technique isn't just for the loose change. The fox's tail is also dipped in another scent- this one is for defense. Anyone who tries to steal or cheat the merchant, or a cutpurse who thinks they're fast enough to outfox a fox will get a quick brush from the tail. The thief will falsely assume they can get away before the fox can turn around, when in reality they've already coated their legs with a an easy to follow scent. Fox merchants are infamous for allowing thieves to run off and finishing their day at work, before casually leading the guards to the thief's hideout after sundown.

The pouches and bottles are there for the fox. Honest. Personal affects meant to be separate from what they're selling- they travel light. This fox merchant will have a bottle of water (they can't drink wine anyway) and a bottle of a common potion. Most commonly they carry a potion of charm or suggestibility to spike the drinks of anyone foolish enough they can get a fox more sauced up then themselves.

The clothes and apron are garb from local merchant's guilds. The fox, as a beastperson, has less need for clothes then humans and has less modesty in public, so borrowing a few official pieces of trader garb can make the fox look more official. Trader aprons are, of course, purely ceremonial. This profession is so far removed from actual physical labor that a butcher's smock or blacksmith apron is merely a symbol to be adopted.

The rings are highly rated status symbols. Fox people value rubies the highest of all precious stones, including diamonds- though diamonds are still more rare and expensive, the red ruby is the most romantic and infatuating stone. As with any merchant, rings act as both a symbol of ones wealth AND a potential store of future wealth- if you're really down on your luck, you can sell one to recoup your losses on a failed trading trip. Any fox would be remiss to do something like that to their ruby rings- unless they have a plan to get it back.

The necklace, still a symbol of wealth, is more personal. Foxes are not immune to their own reputations as tricksters and thieves, and they primarily project this quality of themselves into their hands and tails. Anything worn close to the body is more sacred. For this fox, four circles represent four children in a wonderful marriage to their loving partner. Maybe that's the reason this fox is on the straight and narrow.

Four Cat Rōnin

The cat samurai once all served a master. Their master is gone. Now they are Rōnin. These swordsmen fight and travel together, and so as a special rule they do not break morale except as a group. If one loses morale, the others will defend them to find a suitable opening to escape.

All of the Rōnin are cats, and as such they all have a collection of cat-like abilites. They can see well in dim light, their AC bonus comes purely from swiftness instead of armor, and they always land on their feet; taking no damage from falls.

Art @Kokudou Juunigou

From left to right.

[1] Ricecake (4 HD, +2 to hit, +4 AC, 1d8 Catana, morale check to attack unprovoked)
Morale- 12

Polite, charming, and an exemplar of the samurai code. He always stands at ease, but is capable of springing into action at any time. Ricecake is an attractive cat, good with the ladies, and he has a running rivalry with any Fierce Cock he comes across, preferring to humiliate them in single combat.

Because of his polite and highly honorable countenance, it is difficult to hate him and enacting acts of violence against him unprovoked requires a morale check. This is waived if the person in question is a bloody murderer to begin with, and of course this grants no protection if he's tried to kill you before.

[2] Sushi (5+2 HD, +3 to hit, +3 AC, 1d8+1 Catana, random blade art)

Morale- 14

The oldest and largest of the group. He's strong, so his melee attacks do an extra point of damage. Experienced in most matters, especially with money. Sushi is the one most concerned with the group's financial well being in the future and is seeking more permanent employment; if the party looks wealthy enough and powerful enough he will offer to join them, but only through Ricecake as his negotiator.

Sushi's Blade Art Table – 1d4

(1) Wavecut- Sushi's sword slashes can travel 20 ft through water and retain their sharpness and impact (essentially- ranged sword attacks, but only when within water). This move can also be used to let him cut “windows” in thick fog or supernatural darkness to peek out or see in, or can be used to cut open passages in thick fog or supernatural darkness to quickly escape it without getting lost.

(2) Power Claw- This is an unarmed technique. Gives his unarmed fist attacks 1d6+1 damage and can break wooden objects with them, like bar stools or shields. Also, he gets +1 AC for his bones and skin being tougher, but only for the days when he has this ability active.

(3) Red Flight- Sushi can jump like a cat, from the ground to the top of a short building. If he makes an attack while ascending upwards (such as to strike at people on the top of a hill or embankment) he deals 1d10+1 damage on a hit instead.

(4) Superiority- During a combat round, Sushi can hold his stance instead of attacking. He gains +3 AC for that round against all attacks. Everyone who attacks him and misses takes 1d4 damage from his counter attacks.

Sushi is also an incredible swordsman. Every day he meditates on the foundational principles, and rolls on the table above. This is his blade art for that day, which he will forget and replace with another one on the list the next day. It is random which one he will have when he battles with someone.

[3] Mask (4 HD, +2 to hit, +4 AC, 1d8+2 Falseblade)

Morale- 13

The quiet, mysterious member of the group. He is missing the last three inches off the end of his tail; he chopped it off himself to regain his honor after failing his previous master on a mission. Mask is also the only member of the Rōnin to have a magical sword.

Falseblade – Magic Sword +2

The Falseblade is a +2 Magic Sword and has a few unique properties. The first is that the Falseblade deals double damage against anyone else using a sword. This ability only applies to enemy combatants who are using swords, such as in a duel, against Mask. The second property is that the Falseblade looks, acts, and is used like a sword but is not a sword for the purposes of magic spells, blade arts, or other special class or character features. If you have a bonus to parry enemy's with swords, it doesn't work on the Falseblade, even though it looks and acts exactly like a Catana sword.

Needless to say, Mask has never lost a duel.

[4] Tidbits (4-1 HD, +3 to hit, +3 AC, 1d8 Catana, rage)

Morale- 13

The youngest and smallest of the group, Tidbits has developed a bit of a complex. To make up for his small size, he has adopted a very aggressive persona and is willing to challenge anyone to a duel to the death for almost any slight. While the least experienced of the Rōnin, he is still an excellent swordsman and is a fearsome duelist.

When Tidbits health drops to 6 points of HP or less (and thus puts him in lethal range on the next standard weapon's attack) he begins to fight with a devilish fury. He gains +2 AC and to hit for the rest of combat, but when combat ends he loses consciousness for 1d6 turns.

50 Types of Beastmen

The Wooly Sloggoth [41]

[1] Hummingbird man. Tiny regular sized hummingbird wings can someone support his weight, letting him hover a few feet off the ground or Feather Fall once per day. Eats nectar and has a sickeningly gentle voice.

[2] Eel man. Can unhinge jaw to swallow creatures as big as a kobold or halfling. Can squeeze anywhere where its skull could fit.

[3] Stick-Insect man. Holding still lets it get a 5 in 6 chance of being undetected in a forest. Long limbs means it can hit with melee at range.

[4] Cat-Dog man. Long limbs of a dog, long cat like tail and claws and whiskers. Desires to chase things and then rub them with its face. Filled with internal strife.

[5] Double mole-man. Both front end and back end are the upper bodies of a mole. Constantly argues which direction to dig, but when they work together dig as fast as a horse runs.

[6] Slothclaw. Body of man but arms are replaced with long dangling sloth claws. Has no disadvantages to speed or energy, but claws are dangerous and give a strong climbing advantage.

[7] Goataur. Upper body of a man, lower body of a goat. Has four legs which is uses to easily climb up mountainous trails and rocks.

[8] Ostrich man. Head and arms of a man, rest of the body is an ostrich. Typically weilds a spear and charges around.

[9] Walrus man. Looks like a huge walrus on land- has two legs and everything. Mercenary work suits it, it's so fat and thick-skinned that it has natural armor and resistance to cold magic.

[10] Rhinoceros man. Big strong man with a huge rhino horn coming out of his face. Can gore and charge with +1 to hit and damage.

[11] Viper man. Absolutely normal body, except the head of a large hooded cobra. Has poisonous bite and is excellent at telling lies, but few believe him when he tries to tell the truth.

[12] Snake man. Entire body is mildly snake-like, thin but normal proportioned limbs with a thing neck and snake like head. Lesser poison to the Viper man.

[13] Vulture man. Can vomit as an attack, bald and looks old regardless of age.

[14] Rainbow Jaguar. Bottom two legs and body fur looks like a Jaguar but with an obnoxious color.

Roll 1d6
1.Neon Green
2.Purple
3.Golden
4.Blood Red
5.Light blue
6. White and reroll for polkadot color

 [15] Zabu-style minotaur. Big fleshy lump on back gives +1 AC vs attacks from behind.

[16] Siamese cat men. Always come in pairs.

[17] Koala man. Head and ears are Koalas, everything else is normal. Heavily resistant to poison and mind control magic due to retardation.

[18] Heavy Feather. Large bird-like man without wings, just feathers and a beak. Warriors without peer, but unable to fly.

[19] Camin man. Like a crocodile man, but kobold sized. Snips ruthlessly, often lives with packs of its own kind in the swamps. Eats insects.

[20] Hermit Crab-Man. One arm replaced with a giant crab claw, deals d12 damage if you get stuck in it and it crushes you.

[21] Eyestalk man. Looks like a normal man but with invertebrate eyestalks. Can 'see' heat and 8 more colors then humans can.

[22] Scorpion tailed man. Dangerous poison.

[23] Ant-Head men. Regular humans with ant heads. Incredible fortitude and work ethic. Each one will produce a single masterwork item in their lifetime and hide it in an underground chamber.

[24] Lamprey man. Gray skin, slim, has a horrible suction lamprey mouth filled with teeth. Deals 1d4 bleeding damage per turn if bite until bandaged.

[25] Sponge man. Looks awful; yellow or orange skinned human with millions of holes on his flesh. If he sits down in a small pond he can filter feed without expending a ration however. Any part of his body broken off with regenerate eventually.

[26] Mantis Man. Regular human with extra set of preying-mantis style claw arms on his back that extend over his body. Extra attack.

[27] Bear body. Head, arms and legs of a man but bears torso. Can eat massive amounts of food and has double HP but can't wear normal armor.

[28] Body of a rat, face and hands of a man. Sneaky, smart, lives in the city. At least one of the high ranking thieves guild members is this.

[29] Armadillo man. Curls into a ball.

[30] Starfish man. Face is in the center, each arm is identical and can rotate his face in any direction. Any arm chopped off becomes another starfish man, regenerates.

[31] Geckoman. Bright colored skin that can change to blend in with surrondings. Torso is way longer then should be, huge wide fingers.

[32] Zebra man. Human body but with zebra stripped skin all over, stand together to blend in.

[33] Ferret man. Long slender body that can squeeze through tight spaces.

[34] Basilisk man. Head and legs are chicken like with lizard skin and tail. If you meet his gaze save vs paralysis or else be stunned one round.

[35] Beetleman. Body of a huge beetle, face looks humans but underneath armored plates and crest.

[36] Tiger-Elephant man. Long striped trunk and claws and fur. Absolutely terrifying.

[37] Stoat man, agile. Gets very angry and attacks with two daggers if you call him a ferret/weasel.

[38] Shark-Mouth man. Human but mouth full of teeth. Dorsal fin 50% chance of being present.

[39] Arachnid man. All human except for a fat spider abdomen and random antennae. Can throw webs but prefers to sow.

[40] Spider Person. Horrible 8 eyed face, lower body of a spider. Huge fangs deliver venom.

[41] Wooly Sloggoth. Huge furred head with tusks, lower body is like a fat slug without any slime, moves slowly but can crush people.

[42] Toucan Man. Kenku type man with brightly colored beak; loves to sing and dance.

[43] Hostyr- Lower body of a man with head of a horse. Stupid, but can take a punch.

[44] Bloodhound Man. Regular looking human with dog nose and ears. Excellent sense of smell.

[45] Amoeba man. Looks like a normal human but has no internal organs or bones. Can push things into any part of body to digest or store for later.

[46] Beaver person. Builds dungeons in the river.

[47] Otter person. Swims in river dungeons.

[48] Aardvark man. Stats as Dwarf. Everything.

[49] Chipmunk man. Huge teeth count as daggers, likes to bite wood into formidable staves for MUs

[50] Rooster man. Called Fierce Cocks, skilled in many styles of martial and weapon-based arts. Obsessed with honor and taking many wives.

Armello Roleplaying Game + 10 Armello Story Seeds

Armello is a video game board-game sort of thing featuring furry characters. The game's lore and world is pretty stock-standard fantasy fair besides the animal people, but has some nice quirks to it and a theme of good vs evil. The thing about Armello though is it has rules for dice, combat, and stats for characters since it has some RPG elements. For this reason I sometimes consider how Armello could be used to create a system for tabletop RPG adventuring- and I wrote one up. 

If you converted the level up system for a to-gold traditional system, you could probably make this an OSR style game about cute animal people getting fucking murdered in dungeons.
But I'll leave that honor up to you.

Armello Dice Symbols

Armello uses regular 6 sided dice for their rolling mechanics, but without numbers and instead symbols. I've linked these up to numbers on a die that I think are very close to their original symbols and intent, plus each piece is on the exact other side as its opposite.

6- Wyld

5- Sun

4- Shield

3- Sword

2- Moon

1- Rot

Armello Stats

Armello uses 4 stats; Health, Fight, Wits, Spirit. Health is the number of hits you take before falling; a single combat may not kill you, just the total number of injuries over time exceeding your health will. Fight is the number of dice rolled in combat, Wits is the number of dice used in perils, and Spirit is the magic stat. All characters in Armello itself start with a stat total of 15, you could adjust these numbers. With a recommended soft cap of 5 in one single stat.

Armello Combat

Combat in Armello deals damage both ways, both attacker and defender can die from an attack. But combat in the board game is about an entire exchange, not blow by blow, which would work better for this system. The problem comes with party based gameplay, how are multiple characters supposed to contribute to one battle? Maybe they do not, or maybe each exchange only counts for a single few seconds of dueling, but is still an exchange between a target and yourself either way. Maybe everyone in the party just rolls combat, is hit with an enemy 'force' die roll, and hope they overcome it. Here is a small bestiary.

Every Sword is a hit. Every Shield is a block, which blocks one enemy hit.

In Armello, Suns count as hits during the day and moons at night. Due to dungeon crawling usually being a big aspect of OSR, this applies a lot less. Instead moons count as hits when you are sneak attacking, and suns count during pitched combat. Maybe instead it's based on light; Suns count as a hit when you have enough torchlight. Maybe moons count as a hit if your light level is as low as it can go, or only counts as a hit for those with Infra-vision.

Then, there is Wyld and Rot dice. Wyld and Rot dice count as hits in combat if you're the right alignment, and they explode meaning after registering it as a hit it rerolls again. The opposite alignment die just counts as a miss.

Wyld die is explosive and powerful for characters who are lawful or clean of the Rot.

Rot die is explosive and powerful for characters who are choatic or corrupted by the Rot.

Armello Saving Throws & Skill Checks

These are called Perils. The DM rolls a certain number of dice, and you need to roll the same symbols. You roll a number of dice equal to your Wits stat, with a die of your alignment counting as a reroll. Even if one of the symbols of the test is your alignment symbol, you still receive a reroll after it is 'locked in'.

Armello Magic

You have a number of spell points equal to your magic stat. Each spell point can be expended to cast a first level spell effect, or can be combined to cast a higher level spell effect. Your magic points only return at dusk. Most spells and magic in Armello have a curse/buffing or healing effect and are almost always tied to nature and natural forces- such as letting out the inner beast of each of the anthro characters, healing rot corruption, or calling a lightning strike on a foe. Either make up your spells as you cast them or the DM will make some spells for you with appropriate costs.

Spells directed at enemies get a save; the number of die rolled by the caster is dependent on their magic stat vs the wit dice of the enemy getting hit regardless of the number of spell points used. Characters high in Spirit will have weak spells that are hard to resist from their sheer force of will.

You could also substitute something akin to the Sage magic system; with each magic point being equal to 1 HD of 'power' you can use for a spell. The magic system can be vague in the game, being tied to cards that you can play. For this you can divorce it from the setting and make a more general magic system with less nature-based effects to tie it into your setting instead.

The final type of magic are Spirit stones. Spirits stones are a general collection of Wyld power. Each spirit stone can be expended as a one time 1 point magic boost to cast a spell with or to empower another spell. It is said collecting 4 spirit stones and performing a ritual can totally cure a person corrupted with Rot, but this will result in the person's death if they are truly evil on the inside.

The Rot

This is a maddening disease that slowly corrupts and kills those infected by it. It is a perversion of nature and bringer of ruin. Banes and other creatures deep within dungeons have the rot- and can spread it to characters by defeating them in combat. Once infected with the Rot, the character takes 1 point of damage each sunrise.

When a character has 1-4 Rot, they are considered “infected” by the rot. At this point, they can, if willing, roll a number of dice equal to their spirit and spend 2 magic once per day when sitting at a place of natural beauty. If they get at least enough Wyld dice equal or greater then their rot, they can cure 1 rot for that day. This is one of the few ways to heal rot, the other methods involving rare potions and talismans.

Once a person reaches 5 Rot though they are considered Corrupted. Their body starts to change; and while they still take 1 damage per day at sunrise, the rot gives them power and they start to depend on it. Rot dice now count as wild and the Wyld dice count as useless rot dice in combat. Additionally, once a character is corrupted, anytime they fight a character with any amount of rot less then them, they get to add a number of dice equal to the lesser rot character's rot stat. Therefore a character with 5 rot gets to add +2 dice to hit attack against a character with 2 rot. This also applies to magic saves.

Prestige & Leveling Up

Each time you complete a general quest objective, solve a worthy challenge, or defeat a creature of darkness you get +1 prestige. Prestige is the closest thing Armello has to a social mechanic; so assume characters with higher prestige have more sway with commoners, nobles, and the various factions in the lands of Armello.

Each time you complete one of these major quests, you also get a level up. You may select any stat to increase, and gain that benefit permanently. You cannot choose the same stat twice in a row, and can level up a maximum of 4 times.

Armello Story Seeds – 1d10

[1] The King is said to have been totally corrupted to the core with rot, and is slowly going mad. His sorcerers are summoning banes and other creatures of darkness to the countryside, is putting a bounty on the heads of the heroes of the animal clans, and his laws become more paranoid and cruel each passing day. End his reign of terror.

[2] Darkness grows in the dungeons beneath the world; dark forces and their followers are attempting to grow a creature of blackness so foul that it will consume the entire world in rot. Travel to the stone circles in the world, collect spirit stones and hold them close as you will face corruption you can't even imagine in your pursuit of purity.

[3] War among the animal clans is coming. The relative peace between them is ending after years of prosperity- and now they vie for more power. You must pick a side or fight to maintain the peace. There are rumors of a conspiracy putting these clans against each other for their own benefit- perhaps they could be the key to ending this conflict before it begins.

[4] The rot has spread to a small and sleepy town- and as the King's Guard fight to keep it contained it spreads. Then again, and then again. The corruption of both mind and body is seemingly spreading among the population, one step ahead of the law. Then, rumors of a strange drink called “Hot Rot Wine” seem connected; the highly addictive drink being traded in secret among the poor and sad populations of Armello- peddled by animals in black. How will you stop the sale of this illegal drug?

[5] Foreigners from across the sea are invading! They're bug people, or lizards, or something else entirely, and they are no good. Enslaving the kind animals of Armello; raise the armies of the clans and march against them to free your people.

[6] There is a new young animal to ascend to the throne, but his innate magical talent is so extreme that is risks unraveling the kingdom if not controlled. You must take this boy across the land to the far off mountain valley where the druids can teach him to control his incredible power over the Wyld.

[7] The Helm of Heroes has been found! This magical item has once belonged to many of the most famous hereos of Armello's past, and is now being fought over by many rival groups. Collect it for your own use, or to keep it safe from those who wish to abuse its power.

[8] The furless cat known only as The Stranger has been causing trouble to the more powerful nobles and leaders of Armello. His events and tricks are not random; but the moment anyone gets close to him he disappears the moment he's not being watched. Everything he's doing is leading to something big, to rock the foundation of the clans and kingdom.

[9] The forsaken clan, “The Bandit Clan”, seeks more power and recognition in Armello. These outcasts are no longer satisfied working with the more prestigious clans and under their shadow- now they are preparing for an armed revolution. Will you join them, or end the uprising?

[10] The King is dead and Armello is safe. But the dungeon's underneath the palace are still crawling with monsters and strange experiments. Somebody's gotta clean it up.

Armello Encounters

[1] Bandits

Fight 3 Body 2

At the beginning of the fight, a Peril is rolled at 2. Each character that fails is ensnared and cannot fight for the combat. The bandits can be bought off with gold, or if you are allied with a rebel faction. Their low body is because they scatter early on if the fight goes bad. 
If every single party member has a bounty on their head; the bandits will chum it up with you instead. Nobody with that much heat can be all bad.

[2] King's Guard

Fight 4 Body 4

If you have a bounty on your head, you lose -1 dice fighting a King's Guard. This bonus also applies to evil creatures like Banes and Dark Sorcerers. The King's Guard suspect you of a crime or breaking a unjust law. If you let them take you to the nearest castle they'll let you go after three days in lock up and taking an item or two from your pack. This is time you don't have.

[3] Bane

Fight 5 Body 4

Rot 5

Banes are considered corrupted and add those with less rot to their attack dice. If you get hurt by a Bane in combat, you may be infected with 1 point of rot. Defeating one grants +1 prestige. If you have more Rot then the Bane, there is an X in 6 chance, where X is equal to the difference between your Rot scores, that it is more interested in assisting you then attacking. It will always perform any commands you have in a way that spreads the most rot or corruption, and will smash any spirit stones you're carrying while you sleep.

[4] Dark Sorcerer

Fight 2 Body 3 Spirit 3

Rot 2

Dark Sorcerers prefer not to fight and instead to cause chaos and summon banes to assault the Kingdom and spread the corruption of the rot. They can spend magic points as a peril to create rot fog- roll vs the peril or gain +1 rot. If you have any Hot Rot Wine or have a Bane following you, they will be interested in a trade; the corrupted stuff in exchange for sparing your life!

[5] Spirit Healer

Fight 3 Body 2 Spirit 4

Rot 1

Currently healing herself in a place of natural beauty. Will invite the party to join her if they are infected, but will take up her sword against anyone who is fully Corrupted. She can cast spells involve natural forces for damage including winds, tangling vines, lightning bolts, and flash fires.

[6] Mercenaries

Fight 5 Body 3

These mercenaries are camped along your path, waiting a letter from their employer. There is a 50% chance the next day they receive the letter targeting your party; and will follow you from behind to attack you the next time you make camp.

If you have recently just buried a party member, a younger member of their band will join you for a chance at glory- and to get away from these cold-hearted sellswords.