10 Thicker Skins

[1] Special orange pumice stones from the southern deserts. Rubbing it along your skin lets you treat it as leather. 2 days after you use a stone, your skin peels and burns horribly, giving you -2 to all saves unless you spend a day resting.

Each stone can be bought for 100 coins.

[2] Sit under a waterfall and let the water flow on you while you meditate for 30 minutes. You can also use a fountain or a helper to pour water over you, but it takes twice as long.

As long as you keep mental focus and don't take damage, you can treat your skin's AC as chain. You can learn this from a wandering ronin.

[3] Gut and skin a forest boar by yourself. You have to kill it with a spear made of wood, the tip hardened in a fire, and twist the pig's innards around a sacred evergreen tree, then bury the boar's skin in a clearing.

As long as no human sets foot in that clearing, you may treat your skin's AC as chainmail.

[4] Druids of 4^th level and Barbarians of 9^th level or higher can anoint a 'champion' with war paint. The champion cannot wear any clothes or fight against the interests of the administer of the paint; else it wears off and the protection is lost.

While painted, the champion counts the AC of their skin as platemail.

[5] You must be accused of a minor crime that you did not commit. The crime's punishment must be humiliating and painful, but not serious enough for long term imprisonment or death.

After enduring your time in the stockade or getting flogged by children, your skin hardens as chainmail. This lasts until people have either naturally forgiven you or realize you aren't guilty.

[6] Spend a month in silent service to a blind crone. You must grab objects she reaches for, perform basic tasks, and help her get around without ever saying a word, explaining your purpose, or accepting any payment.

If you do, you receive AC as leather until she naturally passes away.

[7] Knighting Potion. Grants your skin AC as plate and makes anything you hold in your hands glow. Lasts for 3 exploration turns.

Requires the tears of a knight to create, which is required to get anyone to brew these for you. Also costs 400+ coins.

[8] Turtle-Kin race. Your 'skin' counts as chainmail until you reach name level, and then becomes as plate. You cannot get any bonuses from your dexterity score.

[9] Magus Shield. Whenever you are about to be attacked, you can 'burn' a spell to increase your AC by the spell level of the expended spell.

[10] Black mites can be poured onto your skin to infect you. Once infected, the user feels an incredible urge to drape raw meat on themselves for the mites to slowly eat inside their skin.

In return, the mites grant the subject AC as chainmail. The infected smells odd for as long as they carry the mites in their skin, and has an unreasonable fear of cleaning supplies & soap.

20 Bizarrely Overspecialized Mercenary Companies

One of The Climbing Goats scaling a cliff. [3]

[1] Ghoul Hunters. All of them are elves or half elves. One of them is a battle-scarred cleric who can cast Paralyze Ghoul once per day instead of Turn Undead.

[2] Grass-Skirts. Bunch of not!Maori warrior dudes. Fight very well on tropical islands and vs other tribes and spirit totems. No armor, weapons are made of wood and shatter against plate.

[3] The Climbing Goats. Group of mercenaries who can climb up mountains extremely well. They put chalk all up and down their back so they can pat each other on the back; chalking up their hands as they go to keep up the pace.

[4] Alleycats. Group of pickpockets and thieves who intentionally recruit the smallest young urchins, starve them and stunt their growth. They are extremely weak and prone to fainting, but are so lightweight they don't trigger pressure plates and can slip through some iron gates. Their leader can literally transform into a cat.

[5] Shell-Smashers. Mercenary group that uses huge two person warpicks and hammers to smash open the shells of giant turtles. After a few local nobles requested feasts of turtle soup, they're running out of quarry. Have 1d4 giant snapping turtle eggs they will release into the wild someday, to increase the demand for their services.

[6] Pre-Adventurer Guild. Go into dungeons and draw a map, mark on the walls locations of secret doors and traps, learn monster schedules and deliver it to groups who want to delve that dungeon. Considered extremely unsporting to actually use their service.

[7] Contortionist Assassins. Trained to kill people by jumping out of small chests, cakes, false bottoms on carts and the like. Useless outside of the first surprise round. Sell a 'pocket assassin'; killer in a convenient carrying case.

[8] Discouraged Steel. They know a secret ritual to hop inside a magic item and make it worse or even turn it to a cursed item. Makes swords limp and depressed. They have no idea how to use this to make weapons better though.

[9] Drider Diggers. Specialize in the capture, domestication, and selling of demihuman spider people to make clothes and fabrics for the surface dwellers. One of them is a drow spy that will sell them out the next time they go just a bit too deep.

[10] Sky-Fenders. Longbowmen, crossbow users, and handgonners specialize in shooting flying monsters out of the sky. Wear leather hoods. Don't even carry melee weapons.

[11] Spore Suckers. Group that can go into the rust forest, a place that destroys metal armor and equipment, have all sorts of plant and animal made equipment. Use huge dehydrated mushrooms as one handed clubs.

[12] Statue Reclaimers. Mercenary group that specializes in breaking down statues into chunks, moving them, and putting them back together again. Uses hammers and chisels vs heavily armored foes.

[13] Lion Tamers. Carry around whips, chairs, and big hoops with flammable oil coated on them. They can get lions and other big cats to do a little stunt for a while, just long enough for their friends to get down looting the area first. The training reverts as soon as they stop putting on the show.

[14] Cloth Historians. Study the clothing patterns and attire of ancient cultures and peoples. Use this knowledge to trick ghosts and undead sentries of some dungeons, sneaking right past and acting like a normal citizen would.

[15] The Blind Bastards. Group of fighters who are all blind, relying on other senses to fight. They are very bad compared to most fighters, but against invisible creatures or gorgons they fare far better then most men who have to improvise on the spot. Led by a one eyed man; he keeps this a secret from the others.

[16] Fool's Errand. Group of sticklers and humorless straight-men who hunt down killer jesters, fools, and clowns. Immune to spells that force them to laugh, and all other zany antics.

[17] The Peddlers. The mercenaries spend most of their time peddling trinkets and small goods to innocent townspeople as a scam. They all fight with daggers, garrote wire, wrist crossbows, blackjacks, and other easily concealed weapons.

[18] Typesetters. The only faction in the world to have a working printing press. They use it in the service of the highest bidder; hundreds of political pamphlets being made over night, copies of your cursed spellbook, maps to better prepare a resistance movement, you name it.

[19] The Melting Women. Group of all female assassins and blades for higher. Specific initiation rights that only work on women let members melt into a flesh-colored puddle they can barely control. If two puddles mix the reformed girls accidentally swap some details and memories. They have a very strong suspicion that their employers have weird fetishes about this.

[20] Wedding Warriors. Group of bad ass men and women who specifically kill creatures that go after married couples or firstborn children. They shack up with you, then kill the beast when it comes for you both. The marriage is still legally binding and permanent.

Stating Dota 2 Items p.1

[1] Tango

Consumable – You find 1d4+1

Using this glowing material on a single plant kills it, slowly healing and restoring the user of the item. This only applies to a single plant, and the amount of life force is tied to the size and strength of that plant, so trees are almost always used. This item works on giant fungi sprouts, cave moss golems, etc.

Heals 1d4 health each day, rolled each morning for 3 days.

[2] Smoke of Deceit

Consumable – 1 use

When uncorked, purple fog grants an aura of stealth to all within a short range. This grants +1 to all stealth rolls for each character until that character is uncovered. The true power of this item is that word of a person's passing or namesake does not spread or is not recognized- this allows for passing through hostile lands or places with spies as long as you are not uncovered by the very person searching for you. Nobody but the direct searchers will pass along word they saw you.

[3] Orb of Venom

Charm – Carry for Effect

As long as you are carrying this orb, every time you inflict damage with bladed weapons or arrows you deal 1 poison damage per round for 1d6 rounds. This applies to all cuts you make while carrying the orb, including surgical or accidental self inflicted injuries.

[4] Morbid Mask

Equipment – Mask

When you defeat a foe of at least 2 HD, you heal 1 health.

[5] Ghost Scepter

Magic – Two uses per day

The target of this scepter turns into a spectral shade of themselves. They are unable to be hurt by non-magical weapons and attacks, but take an extra +1d6 damage from all magic and spell based damage. They also cannot physically attack others in this form unless they also possessed a magic weapon when they were turned into a specter. Successful casting of Turn Undead knocks them back to normal. Lasts a maximum of 2 exploration turns.

[6] Shadow Amulet

Magic – One use per day

Once activated, this amulet takes a single combat round to fade out the user and make them invisible. They cannot attack, move, or cast spells during this time, but if they were casting a spell before they used it they can continue to channel that ability while invisible. They can speak in a voice that seems to come from everywhere and nowhere while in this form. Lasts a maximum of an exploration turn.

[7] Blink Dagger

Magic – One use per charge; 1d4-1 charges

The blink dagger allows the user to teleport up to 30 ft in any direction. This can be used to teleport through solid walls if the user knows there is an empty space and the general idea of where they will end up. If you are injured you cannot use the dagger.

The dagger has a limited number of charges and the party does not know how to recover them. It is rumored that slaying a transient who will not be remembered is the only way to recharge the dagger.

[8] Null Talisman

Equipment – Necklace

While worn, this talisman makes the wearer's curses and spells save at -2, making it harder for enemies to save against them. Spoken curses, such a literal curse against someone and wishing them damnation, have been known to mildly jinx people who have been spoken to this way by the amulet wearer. All who wear the talisman are said to be of a sharp mind but overly cruel and sacrilegious.

[9] Void Stone

Charm – Carry of Effect

Every time you use a racial power, spell, item, or secret fighting technique that has a daily use limit this stone has a 1 in 6 chance of restoring it if you are carrying the stone. Each stone can only do this once per day, and each stone past the first adds +1 in 6 chance to resfresh.

[10] Perseverance

Equipment – Ring

This person heals an additional +1 health each day from bed rest. If you use wound infection tables, they do not apply to this character when injuried. The first time this character would be killed by a natural force such as a blizzard, tidal wave, or volcanic eruption; they appear nearby instead, miraculously surviving with 1 HP remaining.

Malevolent Zombie Servants

Malevolent Zombie Servants

HD- 2

AC- Leather

Uncanny intelligence, uses weapons (d6)

These zombie servants are created by necromancers using living slaves and expending a high level spell slot. Once turned, the zombie servant is bound by a magical command to never harm its master, and follow two commands from its master, or those its master designates as being allowed to give them orders. They can use any weapons and armor, and even cast spells if they learned how.

The zombie is as intelligent as it was while alive, and is totally devoted to the destruction of living people. It wants nothing more then to rip flesh, kill, and take revenge on its master by roundabout ways. Whenever it is given a third command, it overwrites the first command it had and it is now free to forget and ignore it. This means that after making two commands, the default "never harm your master" command is forgotten, and they will turn on their master.

This creature was inspired from a dream. After commanding the zombies to give me a rope and to lower me out of the elevated house they were stuck in, my two commands allowed them the freedom to trick innocent people into letting them out to eat the flesh of the living. I thought it might be an interesting zombie minion; intelligent creatures bound by only a few commands to hold them back.

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.

Coins

I've taken to calling treasure found in units of coins as well as generic currency as just “coins”. This allows an easy method for other DMs to put in whatever coinage they wish for the “standard” which fits their playstyle and group. Copper, Silver, or Gold standard works when you just call them coins.

But what about other types of coins?

10 Kinds of Coins

[1] Porcelain. These coins are minted by a cosmic bureaucracy or an extremely omnipresent mining/trading company. Counterfeiters are targeted with extreme prejudice to avoid inflation of the coins. Every time you are struck by a mace or take a fall, multiply the damage x10 and you lose that many coins you are carrying from being smashed.

[2] Tea. These “coins” are a common term for those round tea-bricks, which are used as a common trading currency. Each “coin” can be put into a cup of boiling water to create a sort of coffeesque drug, and it is extremely common. Grants the user +1 to their first saving throw of the day. Grown in 700 mystic orchards in not!Tibet.

[3] Ivory. Coins are cut from a specific section of a specific animal's horn or tusks. The animals are quickly being hunted to extinction, naturally.

[4] Shells. “Coin” is just a common term used to describe a very common and universal type of shellfish shell, such as a cowrie or wampum. Used as a trading currency.

[5] Devil Coins. This setting's universal currency uses magic devil coins that automatically shift to look as valuable as possible to the person viewing them. The coins usually look shining, golden or platinum, with the faces of emperors or attractive women on them. Those with true sight usually just see a bored imp crudely sketched onto a piece of limestone.

[6] Graces. Each coin looks to be made of white marble, and may glow softly in a church. These coins represent a single good deed or pleasure one may experience in heaven; and can be traded amongst the living and the dead. Wealthy people want to be buried with as many of these as possible, so they have them at hand while they wait to have all their good deeds tallied up and given their salary.

[7] Magic. Coins are literally a compressed form of arcane or elemental energy; similar to Dust in Endless Legend or Endless Space. The reason enchanted items take so much money to make is not due to the cost of research or finding rare reagents, the magic coins are literally infused into the item or to call spirits and bind them within.

[8] Fuel. Coins are like slivers of supercoal, capable of burning hot and clean for a long time. Used among traders and crafters due to their inherent usefulness. Especially fitting in eternal winter style settings where everything is cold and shitty.

[9] Toys. They're just wooden chips, painted with designs and colors. Money is exclusively created and used by the fae-children of the forest. Even if you try to duplicate it, they just automatically know what is a legitimate piece and what isn't. Humans often trade with the fae-children for passage, blessings, or magic spells and have since adopted the currency. Among humans the currency has strict values, but among the fae-children it's a bartering currency which fluctuates on a whim.

[10] Artifacts. All the coins currently in use are ancient and made by the magical/technological precursor race. The method of creating them or replicating them is totally unknown, as is the metals that go into their unique orange and green hue. Adventurers digging up money from a tomb are literally getting first dibs on coinage; they don't even need to see a merchant to exchange it for cash.